Rand Paul opposes President Trump’s Labor secretary pick Lori Chavez-DeRemer
Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., has indicated that he will not support confirmation of President Donald Trump’s Labor secretary nominee, former Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer. The senator said he thinks that Chavez-DeRemer will “lose 15 Republicans,’ but “get 25 Democrats.” “She might get all the Democrats. Who knows?” he added. TRUMP NOMINATES REP. LORI CHAVEZ-DEREMER AS SECRETARY OF LABOR In a statement announcing Chavez-DeRemer as his pick for the Cabinet post last year, Trump declared, “Lori has worked tirelessly with both Business and Labor to build America’s workforce, and support the hardworking men and women of America.” AFT union President Randi Weingarten said in a tweet last year that Chavez-DeRemer’s “record suggests real support of workers & their right to unionize,” adding, “I hope it means the Trump admin will actually respect collective bargaining and workers’ voices from Teamsters to teachers.” DRAG SHOWS, ARABIC SESAME STREET, LONELY RATS: GOP SENATOR DETAILS HOW BIDEN SPENT $1T ON ‘GOVERNMENT WASTE’ Chavez-DeRemer, an Oregon Republican who lost her congressional re-election bid in 2024, served one term in the U.S. House of Representatives from early 2023 through early 2025. Paul objected to the former lawmaker’s support for the PRO Act, which he claimed would “pre-empt state law” regarding “right to work.” TRUMP CABINET NOMINEES, APPOINTEES TARGETED WITH ‘VIOLENT, UNAMERICAN THREATS’ Fox News Digital reached out to the White House about Paul’s opposition to Chavez-DeRemer, but did not receive a comment in time for publication.
First on Fox: Trump Cabinet nominee Loeffler pledges to donate salary to charity if confirmed
EXCLUSIVE: Former Sen. Kelly Loeffler, President Donald Trump’s nominee to serve as Small Business Administration (SBA) administrator, plans to donate her entire federal salary to charity, Fox News Digital has learned. Loeffler, a prominent business executive and philanthropist who served as a senator from Georgia for two years, goes in front of the Senate’s Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee on Wednesday for her confirmation hearing. If confirmed, Loeffler says she would donate her annual federal pay of approximately $207,500 to charity. CLICK HERE FOR FOX NEWS REPORTING ON PRESIDENT TRUMP’S FIRST 100 DAYS IN OFFICE The pledge by Loeffler, whose net worth is estimated at roughly $1 billion, follows her actions in Congress from 2019 to 2021, when she donated her Senate salary of $174,000 per year to over 40 Georgia charities and nonprofits. Among those included were food banks, faith groups and organizations opposed to abortion, foster care/adoption groups as well as organizations promoting health care, agriculture, education, law enforcement, and disaster relief. Loeffler also donated $1 million to Phoebe Putney Hospital in Albany at the height of the pandemic, when the city in Southwest Georgia was one of the hardest hit in the nation. Loeffler, who hails from a family of small business owners and entrepreneurs, was raised working on the family farm in Illinois. After becoming the first in her family to graduate college, she spent nearly three decades working her way up in the private sector. Along with her husband Jeff, Loeffler built a Fortune 500 financial services and technology company from 100 employees to 15,000. Loeffler later launched another company, named Bakkt, as its founding CEO and first employee. She was also a part owner of the WNBA’s Atlanta Dream. Loeffler and her husband have long been major donors to Republican causes and and candidates, including Trump. Loeffler served as co-chair of the president-elect’s inaugural committee. “Like President Trump, Senator Loeffler left behind a successful career in the private sector to advance the America First agenda. Should she be confirmed, she will continue the practice of donating her federal salary to charities and nonprofits across the country – and put her full focus on working to make the Small Business Administration a gateway to the American Dream for entrepreneurs across the country,” Loeffler spokeswoman Caitlin O’Dea told Fox News. While successful in the business world, Loeffler was not well known until becoming a politician. After GOP Sen. Johnny Isakson resigned from the Senate at the end of 2019 due to his deteriorating health, Republican Gov. Brian Kemp of Georgia appointed Loeffler to fill Isakson’s unexpired term until the next regular election. Loeffler narrowly lost to Democrat Raphael Warnock in a runoff election in January 2021, after no candidate topped 50% of the vote in a crowded field of contenders in the November 2020 Senate election.
The JFK files: Here’s what’s happened since their original planned release
President Donald Trump has ordered officials to declassify files on three of the most consequential killings in U.S. history – those of former President John F. Kennedy, former U.S. Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King, Jr. In an order signed last week, Trump ordered the Director of National Intelligence and the attorney general to review the related documents “and present a plan for their full and complete release within 45 days,” according to a statement released by the White House. The executive order came after Trump had previously promised on the campaign trail to declassify the documents upon entering his second term, saying at the time, “When I return to the White House, I will declassify and unseal all JFK assassination-related documents. It’s been 60 years, time for the American people to know the TRUTH!” TRUMP TO DECLASSIFY JFK FILES: FAMED DOCTOR WHO INVESTIGATED ASSASSINATION PREDICTS WHAT AMERICANS COULD LEARN However, this is not the first time the JFK files have been expected to be released. Congress previously passed the John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Collection Act of 1992, mandating that all records be housed in a single collection and be released within 25 years, barring any postponements for security reasons. Trump had initially promised to release the last batch of documents during his first term, but such efforts ultimately dissipated. Trump blocked the release of hundreds of records on the assassination following several CIA and FBI appeals. “I have no choice,” Trump said in a memo, where he cited “potentially irreversible harm” to national security if he allowed the records to be released. Trump said at the time the potential harm to U.S. national security, law enforcement or foreign affairs is “of such gravity that it outweighs the public interest in immediate disclosure.” TRUMP SIGNS ORDER TO DECLASSIFY FILES ON JFK, RFK AND MLK ASSASSINATIONS Former President Joe Biden later released another batch of documents in 2021, as well as in 2022 and 2023. The Biden White House announced in July 2023 that the National Archives and the Records Administration had concluded its review of the JFK documents, making 99% of the material publicly available. “I have now determined that the continued redaction and withholding of information from records pertaining to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy is not consistent with the public interest and the release of these records is long overdue,” Trump’s Thursday order states. “And although no Act of Congress directs the release of information pertaining to the assassinations of Senator Robert F. Kennedy and the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., I have determined that the release of all records in the Federal Government’s possession pertaining to each of those assassinations is also in the public interest.” RFK JR. DOUBLES DOWN ON ALLEGATION CIA INVOLVED IN JFK’S ASSASSINATION: ‘60-YEAR COVER-UP’ Trump’s Health and Human Services Secretary nominee, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., thanked Trump after the announcement was issued, lauding the president “for taking the first step down the road towards reversing this disastrous trajectory.” “The 60-year strategy of lies and secrecy, disinformation, censorship, and defamation employed by Intel officials to obscure and suppress troubling facts about JFK’s assassination has provided the playbook for a series of subsequent crises — the MLK and RFK assassinations, Vietnam, 9/11, the Iraq war and COVID — that have each accelerated the subversion of our exemplary democracy by the Military/Medical Industrial Complex and pushed us further down the road toward totalitarianism,” Kennedy Jr. posted on X. JFK’s grandson, Jack Schlossberg, also reacted to the declassification news, writing on X that the move was “using JFK as a political prop, when he’s not here to punch back.” “There’s nothing heroic about it,” Schlossberg wrote. Fox News Digital’s Louis Casiano, Landon Mion and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Colombia president welcomes first flights of deported migrants after losing public spat with Trump
After teetering on the brink of an all-out trade war with the United States, Colombia welcomed its first flights of deported illegal immigrants, with its president heralding their “dignified” return and insisting they are not criminals. The arrivals are taking place just two days after President Donald Trump threatened crippling tariffs and sanctions on Colombia to punish the country for earlier refusing to accept military flights carrying deportees as part of his sweeping immigration crackdown. Two Colombian Air Force planes carrying deported Colombian nationals arrived in Bogota early on Tuesday, Reuters reported, citing local media. One plane, flying from San Diego, California, brought home 110 Colombians and the other, which departed from El Paso, Texas, brought home 91, the Colombian Foreign Ministry said on X. A VICTORY FOR TRUMP’S ‘FAFO’: HOW THE WHITE HOUSE STRONG-ARMED ONE-TIME CLOSE ALLY COLOMBIA OVER IMMIGRATION “They are Colombians, they are free and dignified and they are in their homeland where they are loved,” Colombia President Gustavo Petro wrote on X with images of the migrants disembarking a flight. “The migrant is not a criminal, he is a human being who wants to work and progress, to live life.” The Colombian government hailed the returns as Petro fulfilling his commitments and said it is working on a “structured and accessible credit plan” to support the migrants’ reintegration. This weekend, American officials sent two flights of Colombian illegal aliens as part of Trump’s ongoing deportation program. Petro rejected the flights, writing that the U.S. cannot “treat Colombian migrants as criminals.” Trump immediately clapped back, writing in a Truth Social post he was going to slap 25% tariffs on all goods from Colombia, a travel ban on Colombian government officials and other steep financial sanctions. He said the tariffs would reach as high as 50% by next week and insisted the migrants being sent back were “illegal criminals.” At first, Petro retaliated with his own 25% tariffs on U.S. goods coming from Colombia. Petro had insisted he would not accept the return of migrants who were not treated with “dignity and respect” and who had arrived shackled or on military planes. COLOMBIAN LEADER QUICKLY CAVES AFTER TRUMP THREATS, OFFERS PRESIDENTIAL PLANE FOR DEPORTATION FLIGHTS But amid intense political pressure from within his own government, the former Marxist guerrilla fighter acquiesced to all U.S. demands. The White House confirmed on Sunday that Colombia’s president had caved “to all of President Trump’s terms, including the unrestricted acceptance of all illegal aliens from Colombia returned from the United States, including on U.S. military aircraft, without limitation or delay,” President Trump hailed it as a victory for his “f— around and find out” [FAFO]-style of governing. After the debacle, the 47th president posted a celebratory AI-generated image of himself dressed as a mobster next to a sign that read “FAFO.” Trump officials cheered the deal as a victory and said Trump used Colombia as an example of U.S. power, while Colombian officials have said the agreement is a win for both sides. Dozens of frustrated Colombians had long-awaited visa appointments at the U.S. embassy in Bogota canceled on Monday. Colombia is one of the top recipients of U.S. aid in the world due to a security partnership. Since 2000, Colombia has received more than $13 billion in foreign assistance from the Departments of Defense and State and from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), largely focused on counternarcotics efforts, continued implementation of the government’s 2016 peace accord with the FARC rebel group, integration of Venezuelan migrants and refugees, and environmental programs. Fox News’ Morgan Phillips, Andrea Margolis, Bill Melugin, Lorraine Taylor, Landon Mion, and Reuters contributed to this report.
Senate confirms Trump pick Sean Duffy for Transportation secretary
The Senate confirmed President Donald Trump‘s pick to lead the Transportation Department, former Rep. Sean Duffy of Wisconsin, on Tuesday afternoon. Duffy appeared before the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee this month and outlined his priorities for the Transportation Department, including aviation and highway safety, addressing the air traffic controller shortage, and restoring trust in Boeing following several major scandals. The Transportation secretary pick was confirmed by a bipartisan vote of 77 to 22. Duffy amassed the support of two dozen Democratic senators on the final vote, in addition to the entire Republican conference. “No federal agency impacts Americans’ daily lives and loved ones like the Department of Transportation,” Duffy told lawmakers on Jan. 15 at his confirmation hearing. TRUMP NOMINATES SEAN DUFFY FOR USDOT “We want the best and the brightest air traffic controllers. We must modernize our systems with cutting edge technologies. I’ll work with Congress and the FAA to restore global confidence in Boeing, and to ensure that our skies are safe,” he said. He also pledged to address rebuilding Interstate 40 that runs from Wilmington, North Carolina, to Barstow, California. Parts of the interstate are still washed out across the Great Smoky Mountains following Hurricane Helene in September. ‘ULTRA-RIGHT:’ TRUMP BUDGET CHIEF PICK RUSSELL VOUGHT FACES FIRE FROM DEM SENATORS “We’re continuing to try to work through this process to get that rebuilt, but we need to know this will be front and center with you so we can get that interstate rebuilt and reopened,” Duffy said. Additionally, Duffy promised Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s investigation into Tesla’s self-driving software that launched this month would continue under his watch. TRUMP TREASURY PICK: EXTENDING TRUMP TAX CUTS ‘SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT ECONOMIC ISSUE’ CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Duffy represented Wisconsin’s 7th congressional district for five terms before joining Fox News, where he co-hosted “The Bottom Line” with Dagen McDowell on FOX Business. Fox News’ Charles Creitz contributed to this report.
‘John Brennan, Gina Haspel era is over’: Ratcliffe, allies promise workforce changes at CIA
EXCLUSIVE: CIA Director John Ratcliffe warned his agents of “changes” to come under his leadership in a memo obtained by Fox News Digital. “There will be changes during my tenure as director,” the new leader of America’s top spy agency wrote in an agency-wide workforce message. Ratcliffe is currently reviewing all top staff and planning to put his own fingerprints on the senior level of the agency, Fox News Digital has learned. “We will collect intelligence in every corner of the globe, no matter how dark or difficult. We will produce insightful, objective, all-source analysis, never allowing political or personal biases to cloud our judgment or infect our products,” Ratcliffe went on in his email. “And we will conduct covert action at the direction of the President, going places no one else can go and doing things no one else can do.” NEW CIA BOSS RATCLIFFE SAYS BIDEN-ERA REPORT BACKING LAB-LEAK THEORY RELEASED TO ‘RESTORE’ TRUST As agents conduct work in what Ratcliffe defined as the “most challenging national security environment in our nation’s history,” he promised the CIA would be the “ultimate meritocracy.” “Our shared mission will bind us together.” A source familiar with Ratcliffe’s thinking said, “This was a message to Agency’s workforce that the John Brennan era, the Gina Haspel era, the eras of promoting leftwing political agendas or subverting the President — those days are over.” Haspel was President Donald Trump‘s CIA director from 2018 to 2021 – while Ratcliffe was Trump’s director of national intelligence. Brennan headed up the agency under former President Barack Obama. “I’m sure it’ll rub some of the political activists burrowed in there the wrong way, but there are a lot of red-blooded, mission-focused agency officers reading this and cheering him on,” the source added. RATCLIFFE SAYS US FACES ‘MOST CHALLENGING SECURITY ENVIRONMENT’ EVER IN CONFIRMATION HEARING Ratcliffe is also looking for ways to streamline the agency’s many tech-focused offices – the directorate of digital innovation; directorate of science and technology; transnational and technology mission center; office of the chief technology officer; and directorate of analysis, which has been developing AI-powered tools – to stake out clear lines of authority and tasks. “Nobody comes to CIA to be somebody. Our successes remain hidden. Even our medals are presented behind closed doors, our sacrifices memorialized by stars on a marble wall. But each one of those stars represents somebody who wanted to do something, regardless of whether history would know their name,” Ratcliffe continued. “That’s what makes this place special. That’s what we must preserve.” Ratcliffe was confirmed by the Senate last Thursday in a 74-25 vote. Under its new director, the CIA released a new assessment of the COVID-19 origin which favors a lab origin with “low confidence.” The review was ordered by former President Joe Biden’s National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan toward the end of Biden’s time in office. JOHN RATCLIFFE CONFIRMED AS NEXT CIA DIRECTOR The agency has maintained for years it did not have enough intelligence to conclude whether COVID-19 originated in a lab or a wet market in Wuhan, China. Ratcliffe recently told Breitbart News he no longer wanted the CIA to sit “on the sidelines” of the debate over the origins of Covid-19. He has long said he believes the virus originated in the Wuhan Institute of Virology. “I had the opportunity on my first day to make public an assessment that actually took place in the Biden administration, so it can’t be accused of being political,” he told “Sunday Morning Futures” host Maria Bartiromo on Sunday. “And the CIA has assessed that the most likely cause of this pandemic that has wrought so much devastation around the world was because of a lab-related incident in Wuhan, so we’ll continue to investigate that moving forward.”
HHS will reevaluate programs, regulations to ensure taxpayer funds are not paying for elective abortions
Dr. Dorothy Fink, acting secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), announced that the agency would begin reevaluating its current practices to ensure they are not utilizing federal dollars to promote non-medically necessary abortions. HHS’s Office of Civil Rights has been tasked with investigating whether the agency’s programs, regulations and guidance are following federal guidelines under the Hyde Amendment, according to a Monday announcement from Fink. The review, Fink noted, will be conducted via guidance issued by the Office of Management and Budget. “The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, through the Office for Civil Rights, is tasked with enforcement of many of our nation’s laws that protect the fundamental and unalienable rights of conscience and religious exercise,” Fink said in the announcement. “It shall be a priority of the Department to strengthen enforcement of these laws.” RFK JR. LIKELY TO BE CONFIRMED AS HEALTH SECRETARY, DR. SIEGEL SAYS The announcement from Fink is in line with President Donald Trump’s Jan. 24 executive order calling on all executive agencies to enforce laws under the Hyde Amendment, which prevents the use of federal funds for non-medically necessary, elective abortions. Trump’s Jan. 24 executive order also rescinded two executive orders implemented by President Joe Biden that sought to loosen restrictions on abortion in the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision to strike down Roe v. Wade. “Congress has enacted the Hyde Amendment and a series of additional laws to protect taxpayers from being forced to pay for abortion,” stated a “fact sheet” published Saturday by the White House. “Contrary to this longstanding commonsense policy, the previous administration embedded federal funding of elective abortion in a wide variety of government programs.” SENATOR SAYS RFK JR TOLD HIM HE AGREES WITH TRUMP ON ABORTION, WILL HAVE LIGHT TOUCH REGULATING FARMERS Notably, Fink’s announcement about the agency-wide review came amid an external communications freeze implemented by the Trump administration. While essential agency functions have been permitted to continue under the freeze, these functions are not supposed to be promoted until it is over, according to a memo reportedly sent to officials at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) from NIH acting Director Matthew Memoli. Fox News Digital reached out to Fink and HHS to inquire about why this announcement about reevaluating its practices to ensure they align with the Hyde Amendment was permitted amid the communications freeze, but did not hear back in time for publication. In addition to announcing HHS’ plans to reevaluate programs under the Hyde Amendment, Fink’s announcement also praised the Trump administration’s decision to immediately rejoin the international Geneva Consensus Declaration on Promoting Women’s Health and Strengthening the Family. According to a memo from the State Department, the declaration seeks to “secure meaningful health and development gains for women,” “protect life at all stages,” “defend the family as the fundamental unit of society,” and “work together across the United Nations system to realize these values.” Fink said in her Monday announcement that HHS’s Office of Global Affairs intends to support the U.S.’ efforts as part of this coalition.
‘Undo the damage’: Texas lawmaker launches strategy to help ICE amid Trump deportation blitz
FIRST ON FOX: A Texas lawmaker is introducing a bill to further bolster cooperation between Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and state and local law enforcement agencies — amid a sweeping arrest and deportation blitz by the Trump administration. Rep. Michael Cloud, R-Texas, is introducing The 287(g) Program Protection Act. It focuses on 287(g) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, which allows ICE to delegate to state and local law enforcement officers certain immigration functions, including identifying and detaining suspected illegal immigrants. The Biden administration had paused new entries into the program in 2021, and Cloud’s office says Biden’s administration had never approved any new agreements since then. KRISTI NOEM JOINS IMMIGRATION RAID TO CATCH ‘DIRTBAGS’ IN MAJOR SANCTUARY CITY President Donald Trump, promising a “historic” deportation program, signed an executive order on day one that told the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to use the program “to the maximum extent permitted by law.” Cloud’s bill would double down on that stance, requiring that DHS approve any applications by state and local law enforcement within 90 days, and notify Congress if they deny it. It would also require notification to Congress if DHS intended to terminate the agreement, and allow for an appeal by the local or state law enforcement. ‘SIDE-BY-SIDE’: TEXAS DEPLOYS HUNDREDS OF TROOPS, CHOPPERS TO HELP TRUMP TACKLE BORDER CRISIS Also required of DHS would be an annual performance report and recruitment strategies. “The Biden Administration didn’t fail to protect our border—they accomplished exactly what they set out to do: undermine border security and flood our country with millions of illegal immigrants. This dangerous and intentional choice has created chaos in our communities from South Texas to New York City, and American citizens have paid the price,” Cloud said in a statement. “Now, under the Trump Administration, we are working to undo the damage and restore law and order to our immigration system. My bill will expand and protect the 287(g) program, empowering local law enforcement to partner with ICE and assist the Trump Administration in removing illegal immigrants from our streets,” he said. Together, we will secure our borders, enforce the rule of law, and make South Texas and the rest of the country safe again.” CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE The bill, which has the support of restrictionist immigration group NumbersUSA, was praised by Texas’ Goliad County Sheriff Roy Boyd, who said the bill would be a “momentous step in the right direction, as it will provide an unprecedented level of cooperation and coordination between local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies.” The bill faces a strong chance of passage given the Republican control of both the House and the Senate. There have been a number of GOP-backed immigration bills hit Congress in recent days, after a year in which illegal immigration was shown to be a top priority for voters. Congress recently sent the Laken Riley Act to Trump’s desk. The bill passed both chambers of Congress with bipartisan support and would mandate the detention of illegal immigrants arrested for theft-related crimes.
Senate poised to approve Trump Transportation Department pick Sean Duffy
The Senate is scheduled to vote Tuesday to confirm President Donald Trump‘s pick to lead the Transportation Department, Sean Duffy. The Senate voted on Monday to advance Duffy’s nomination by a margin of 97-0, and his confirmation is expected Tuesday. Duffy, who previously represented Wisconsin’s 7th Congressional District, appeared before the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee in January and outlined his priorities for the Transportation Department, including aviation and highway safety, addressing the air traffic controller shortage and restoring trust in Boeing following several major scandals. TRUMP’S TRANSPORTATION SECRETARY NOMINEE ADVANCES TO FINAL SENATE VOTE “No federal agency impacts Americans’ daily lives and loved ones like the Department of Transportation,” Duffy told lawmakers at his confirmation hearing on Jan. 15. “We want the best and the brightest air traffic controllers. We must modernize our systems with cutting edge technologies. I’ll work with Congress and the FAA to restore global confidence in Boeing, and to ensure that our skies are safe,” he said. Duffy also vowed to initiate work on rebuilding a portion of Interstate 40 near the North Carolina-Tennessee line shut down by extensive Hurricane Helene damage in September 2024. TULSI GABBARD, RFK JR. EXPECTED TO FACE OPPOSITION IN SENATE CONFIRMATION HEARINGS “We’re continuing to try to work through this process to get that rebuild, but we need to know this will be front and center with you so we can get that interstate rebuilt and reopened,” Duffy said. Meanwhile, Trump visited North Carolina on Friday and promised some reforms to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) that has overseen recovery of North Carolina following the hurricane. “We’re going to fix it, and we’re going to fix it as fast as you can,” Trump said Friday. “It’s a massive amount of damage. FEMA has really let us down. Let the country down.” Fox News Digital’s Charles Creitz contributed to this report.
No movies for children after 11 pm in theatres: HC orders THIS state to regulate entry
The Telangana High Court has directed the state government and others not to allow children below 16 years to watch movies after 11 PM in theatres before the government takes a decision in that regard.