DOGE initial findings on Defense Department DEI spending could save $80M, agency says
The Department of Defense could save up to $80 million in wasteful spending by cutting loose a handful of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs, the agency said Monday. The Defense Department has been working with the Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) in slashing wasteful spending, DOD spokesman Sean Parnell said in a video posted to social media. Parnell listed some of the initial findings flagged by DOGE, much of it consisting of millions of dollars given to support various DEI programs, including $1.9 million for holistic DEI transformation and training in the Air Force and $6 million to the University of Montana to “strengthen American democracy by bridging divides.” DOD TELLS CIVILIAN WORKFORCE TO IGNORE ELON MUSK’S REQUEST TO REPORT PRODUCTIVITY Among the initial findings were $1.6 million to the University of Florida to study the social and institutional detriment of vulnerability in resilience to climate hazards in Africa. “This stuff is just not a core function of our military,” Parnell said. “This is not what we do. This stuff is a distraction from our core mission.” “We believe these initial findings will probably save $80 million in wasteful spending,” he added. OPM’S SECOND EMAIL TO FEDERAL EMPLOYEES ASKS WHAT THEY DID LAST WEEK—AND ADDS A NEW REQUIREMENT: REPORT In an effort to gut spending, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth directed the DOD’s civilian workforce to comply with Musk’s DOGE productivity email, listing five things they accomplished after initially telling them not to reply. Last week, Hegseth said his agency would work with DOGE, which has conducted reviews of the Treasury, Labor, Education and Health departments, as well as at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Office of Personnel Management and Internal Revenue Service (IRS). He added that many DOGE workers are veterans, and it is a “good thing” that they will find deficiencies. “They care just like we do, to find the redundancies and identify the last vestiges of Biden priorities — the DEI, the woke, the climate change B.S., that’s not core to our mission, and we’re going to get rid of it all,” Hegseth said. DOGE has come under scrutiny, with some accusing President Donald Trump of giving Musk too much leeway and access to sensitive data.
Texas officials still don’t know how West Texas measles outbreak started
Texas’ health commissioner fielded questions from state lawmakers about the outbreak and vaccine risks.
McMahon on Day 1 launches ‘final mission’ to send education back to the states
FIRST ON FOX: Linda McMahon, in her first act as Secretary of Education, is informing all employees that she will lead a “momentous final mission” to send education back to the states, according to a letter obtained by Fox News Digital. McMahon is sending a letter to all Department of Education (DoEd) employees on Monday evening, informing them of a “new era of accountability” as she oversees President Donald Trump’s promise to dissolve the department. “Our job is to respect the will of the American people and the President they elected, who has tasked us with accomplishing the elimination of bureaucratic bloat here at the Department of Education—a momentous final mission—quickly and responsibly,” McMahon wrote to employees in the letter that was shared first with Fox News Digital. The secretary said that the reconstruction of the department will “profoundly” impact staff, budgets and agency operations. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION LAUNCHES ‘ENDDEI’ PORTAL FOR PARENTS, STUDENTS, TEACHERS TO REPORT DISCRIMINATION Under McMahon, the department will work from three base convictions, according to her letter: that parents are the primary decision makers in their children’s education, that taxpayer-funded education should refocus on “meaningful learning in math, reading, science, and history—not divisive DEI programs and gender ideology,” and that post-secondary education should be a path to a well-paying career aligned with workforce needs. “Removing red tape and bureaucratic barriers will empower parents to make the best educational choices for their children,” the letter reads. “An effective transfer of educational oversight to the states will mean more autonomy for local communities. Teachers, too, will benefit from less micromanagement in the classroom—enabling them to get back to basics. “ Trump has said that his goal is to “immediately” close the DoEd and that, in the process, he wants McMahon to “put herself out of a job.” “My vision is aligned with the President’s: to send education back to the states and empower all parents to choose an excellent education for their children,” McMahon told employees on Monday evening. “The Department of Education’s role in this new era of accountability is to restore the rightful role of state oversight in education and to end the overreach from Washington.” The Trump administration would need congressional approval in order to eliminate the federal department, and McMahon said that she will be partnering with the legislative branch “to determine the best path forward to fulfill the expectations of the President and the American people” in an effort to “eliminate unnecessary bureaucracy so that our colleges, K-12 schools, students, and teachers can innovate and thrive.” JUDGE BLOCKS DOGE FROM ACCESSING EDUCATION DEPARTMENT RECORDS “As I’ve learned many times throughout my career, disruption leads to innovation and gets results,” the secretary wrote. “We must start thinking about our final mission at the department as an overhaul—a last chance to restore the culture of liberty and excellence that made American education great.” The letter also applauded recent orders by the Trump administration to eliminate critical race theory (CRT), gender ideology, and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), while “restoring patriotic education and civics” in schools. “This review of our programs is long overdue,” McMahon said. “The Department of Education is not working as intended. Since its establishment in 1980, taxpayers have entrusted the department with over $1 trillion, yet student outcomes have consistently languished.” “American education can be the greatest in the world. It ought not to be corrupted by political ideologies, special interests, and unjust discrimination. Parents, teachers, and students alike deserve better,” McMahon wrote in the letter. The secretary, who was confirmed by the Senate on Monday evening, encouraged employees to join the mission. “This is our opportunity to perform one final, unforgettable public service to future generations of students,” she said. “I hope you will join me in ensuring that when our final mission is complete, we will all be able to say that we left American education freer, stronger, and with more hope for the future.” Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for further comment but did not immediately hear back.
Top official at FBI New York Field Office forced to retire
The top official at the FBI New York Field Office was forced to retire on Monday, sources confirmed to Fox News Digital. James Dennehy was appointed by former FBI Director Christopher Wray as the assistant director in charge at the FBI field office in September 2024. In a letter to his colleagues, obtained by Fox News Digital, Dennehy said he was not given a reason why he was forced to retire. “Late Friday, I was informed that I needed to put my retirement papers in today, which I just did. I was not given a reason for this decision,” Dennehy said in a letter to his colleagues. “Regardless, I apologize to all of you for not being able to fulfill my commitment to you to serve as ADIC NY for at least two years. FBI RAIDS HOMES OF TOP AIDES FOR NEW YORK CITY MAYOR ERIC ADAMS “But as I leave today, I have an immense feeling of pride – to have represented an office of professionals who will always do the right thing for the right reasons; who will always seek the truth while upholding the rule of law; who will always follow the facts no matter where they lead and be unapologetic about it; who will never bend, break, falter, or quit on your integrity; who will always handle cases and evidence with an overabundance of caution and care for the innocent, the victims, and the process first; and who will always remain independent,” he added. Dennehy provided a top 10 list of things he will miss about working for the FBI, though his commute was not one of them. But among the items on his list were the investigations, the intensity, the FBI brand, the camaraderie, the badge, the independence, and everyone he worked with. “I’ve been told many times in my life, ‘When you find yourself in a hole, sometimes it’s best to quit digging,’” he wrote. “Screw that. I will never stop defending this joint. I’ll just do it willingly and proudly from outside the wire.” Dennehy’s departure is the latest in a series of oustings under President Donald Trump’s new administration.
House Dem blasted for ‘unhinged’ Elon Musk rant telling him to ‘Go back to South Africa’
A Democratic Rep. drew criticism on social media Monday when she told DOGE Chief Elon Musk to “Go back to South Africa” and asked “What the hell” he is doing in the United States. “It was interesting yesterday I was watching a video of an interview of Elon Musk with someone where he said that the Italians should stay in Italy and the Chinese should stay in China, my question to Elon Musk is what the hell are you doing here in America?” Democratic Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez (N.Y.) said outside the HUD Department on Monday evening. “Go back to South Africa,” Rep. Velazquez said. Velazquez was repeating a claim promoted on social media about an Elon Musk interview in 2023 that liberal fact-checker Snopes deemed to be “false.” ELON MUSK TAKES AIM AT NATIONAL DEBT, WARNS OF ‘DE FACTO BANKRUPTCY’ WITHOUT DOGE: ‘$2 TRILLION IN DEFICITS’ Velazquez, who was born in Puerto Rico, added that the fight against DOGE is the fight “for the soul of our nation.” Conservatives on social media blasted Velazquez for her comments on Musk’s immigration status. “Unhinged,” Bobby LaValley, Rapid Response Director for House Speaker Mike Johnson, posted on X. “Completely unhinged…,” the White House Rapid Response team added in a post on X. “Elon has broken their brains so much that Democrats are now embracing nativism,” White House Rapid Response’s Greg Price posted on X. “Nydia Velasquez has finally found an immigrant she doesn’t like,” Claremont Institute Senior Fellow Jeremy Carl posted on X. “Not the tens of thousands of illegals in her district who live off of our tax dollars – but America’s greatest entrepreneur, a White immigrant. When the left tells you who they are believe them.” WHO IS DOGE’S NEWLY IDENTIFIED ADMINISTRATOR AMY GLEASON? ‘WORLD-CLASS TALENT’ “Imagine if any Republican said this about any liberal,” Right Turn Strategies President Chris Barron posted on X. Fox News Digital reached out to Velazquez’s office for comment. Velazquez had gathered outside the HUD building with fellow Democrats in the latest protest of Musk’s DOGE efforts which they argue is making cuts to programs that are vital to the everyday needs of Americans, a criticism the Trump administration has pushed back on. The controversial comment follows a similar sentiment expressed by Dem. Rep. Marcy Kaptur last week where she questioned Musk’s loyalty to the United States due to his immigrant status. “Mr. Musk has just been here 22 years,” Kaptur said outside the Capitol on Wednesday in a comment that received blowback from conservatives. “And he’s a citizen of three countries. I always ask myself the question, with the damage he’s doing here, when push comes to shove, which country is his loyalty to? South Africa? Canada? Or the United States? And he’s only been a citizen, I’ll say again, 22 years.” Fox News Digital’s Kyle Schmidbauer contributed to this report
Trump pauses aid to Ukraine after fiery meeting with Zelenskyy
The Trump administration is pausing all aid to Ukraine, including weapons in transit or in Poland. The pause comes days after a contentious meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and President Donald Trump in the White House. This story is breaking. Please check back for updates.
Linda McMahon sworn in to run agency Trump wants to abolish
Linda McMahon, the former World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) CEO, was offically sworn in to serve as the next Secretary of Education under President Donald Trump, who seeks to “immediately” close the department during his term. The Senate confirmed McMahon to head the Department of Education on Monday evening 51-45, along party lines, the final hurdle of her confirmation process. McMahon was sworn in shortly after the vote and will begin her official duties on Tuesday morning. “I am deeply grateful to President Trump for his trust in me to serve in his Cabinet as Secretary of Education. I am prepared to lead the Department in this transformational time and embrace the challenge to improve the education system for the more than 100 million children and college students who deserve better,” McMahon said in a statement after being confirmed. DEPT OF ED SPENDING SOARED 749% DESPITE DOWNSIZING, NEW DOGE-INSPIRED INITIATIVE REVEALS “Education is the issue that determines our national success and prepares American workers to win the future. Every decision made at the Department will be driven by a commitment to support meaningful learning and empower our most important stakeholders: students, families, and teachers,” McMahon added. “We will empower states and districts to have more say in what is working on the ground for students instead of bureaucratic edicts from Washington, D.C.” Trump has said he wants to close the Education Department, and McMahon, in a letter to Democratic lawmakers, said she supports his position on the issue. “President Trump believes that the bureaucracy in Washington should be abolished so that we can return education to the states, where it belongs. I wholeheartedly support and agree with this mission,” McMahon wrote to members of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) in February. McMahon served as the former head of WWE, which she founded with her husband, Vince McMahon. The former WWE mogul launched two separate Senate bids in Connecticut in 2010 and 2012 but lost both general elections to Democratic nominees. The secretary also served as the administrator of the Small Business Association (SBA) during Trump’s first term.
Senate bid to prevent boys from playing girls’ sports gets stuck on filibuster
A Republican-led Senate bill to prevent boys from participating in girls’ sports failed to overcome the legislative filibuster on Monday night after it did not reach the necessary 60-vote threshold to advance. The bill failed to clear the key procedural hurdle by a vote of 51-45, along party lines. All Democratic senators voted against the motion to proceed, with the exception of absent Sens. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., and Peter Welch, D-Vt., who were absent. The Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act would require Title IX to treat gender as “recognized based solely on a person’s reproductive biology and genetics at birth,” and would disallow any adjustment for it to apply to gender identity. The bill was introduced by Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-AL, and has over 40 cosponsors in the Senate. It would also codify one of Trump’s many recent executive orders, giving the policy better longevity. WHO IS ELISSA SLOTKIN, AND WHY DID DEMS CHOOSE HER FOR THE PARTY’S REBUTTAL TO TRUMP SPEECH? Last month, Trump issued an executive order titled, “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports.” “It shall also be the policy of the United States to oppose male competitive participation in women’s sports more broadly, as a matter of safety, fairness, dignity, and truth,” it read. In a statement shared by Tuberville’s office prior to the Monday vote, the White House said, “The Administration strongly supports passage of S. 9, the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act of 2025.” “Through an amendment to Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, this bill would expressly recognize what is already federal law—that it is an illegal act of discrimination for a man to participate in a federally funded athletic program or activity designated for women or girls,” the statement said. “This bill also recognizes that ‘sex,’ as used in the statutory scheme, is based solely on reproductive biology and genetics,” it continued. “Men participating in women’s sports not only is demeaning and dangerous to women and girls, but it erodes the integrity of our Nation’s civil rights laws. Congress’s affirmative vote on this bill would complement both federal court rulings and President Trump’s February 5, 2025, Executive Order, ‘Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports.’” Tuberville’s effort to advance the bill has been years in the making, with the senator first introducing it during President Joe Biden’s administration, during which there were no such executive orders. Like the executive order, the measure would ban federal funding from going toward sports programs that allow biological men to participate in women’s and girls’ sports. FLASHBACK: DEM SENATOR EMBROILED IN CONFLICT OF INTEREST ROW TARGETED SCOTUS IN ETHICS CRUSADE “Female athletes who work extremely hard should not have their future in athletics hindered because they are forced to compete against biological males. Instead of standing up for women and girls, Democrats voted to cosign Joe Biden’s attempted assault on Title IX,” said Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Chairman Bill Cassidy, R-La., in a statement. “I will continue working with President Trump and my Republican colleagues to preserve Title IX, ensuring every woman and girl has the chance to succeed.” The bill and executive order come amid growing concerns about biological men and boys who identify as transgender participating in and winning in events and leagues for women and girls. “President Trump ran on the issue of saving women’s sports and won in a landslide,” Tuberville said in a statement to Fox News Digital in January when he reintroduced the bill for the 119th Congress. “70% of Americans agree—men don’t belong in women’s sports or locker rooms. I have said many times that I think Title IX is one of the best things to come out of Washington. But in the last few years, it has been destroyed.” “While I’m glad that the Biden administration ultimately rescinded the proposed rule, Congress has to ensure this never happens again. I am welcoming my first granddaughter this spring and won’t stop fighting until her rights to fairly compete are protected. I hope every one of my colleagues will join me in standing up for our daughters, nieces, and granddaughters by voting for this critical bill.” ‘UTTER DISASTER’: LINDSEY GRAHAM CALLS FOR ZELENSKYY RESIGNATION AFTER WHITE HOUSE THROWDOWN At the time, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., had signaled his plan to move forward with Tuberville’s bill, foreshadowing the early March vote. The Senate’s consideration of the bill comes as the Democratic Party faces an identity crisis, with many pointing to candidates’ unpopular position in favor of transgender participation in women’s sports as an example. SEE THE STAR-STUDDED LIST OF TRUMP ALLIES DESCENDING ON DC TO CHART FURTHER 100-DAY WINS Last year, Rep. Seth Moulton, D-MA, received backlash from the party after saying in an interview, “Democrats spend way too much time trying not to offend anyone rather than being brutally honest about the challenges many Americans face.” “I have two little girls. I don’t want them getting run over on a playing field by a male or formerly male athlete, but as a Democrat I’m supposed to be afraid to say that,” he told the New York Times. Soon after the comments, his campaign manager resigned and Moulton faced protests.
WWE legend to lead Education Department after clinching final match in the Senate
The Senate has confirmed former World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) CEO Linda McMahon to serve as President Donald Trump’s Secretary of Education, heading the department that he intends to close “immediately.” The Senate held a full floor vote on Monday evening, confirming McMahon 51-45, along party lines. McMahon, who co-founded WWE with her husband, Vince McMahon, served as the administrator of the Small Business Administration (SBA) during Trump’s first term but exited her post early to return to the private sector in 2019. JUDGE BLOCKS DOGE FROM ACCESSING EDUCATION DEPARTMENT RECORDS In November, the president tapped McMahon to serve in another top post during his second term. But this time, he said he wanted her to “put herself out of a job.” REPUBLICANS BARREL TOWARD SHOWDOWN OVER TRUMP TAX CUTS AFTER DRAMATIC HOUSE BUDGET VOTE “It’s a big con job,” the president said of the Education Department. “They ranked the top countries in the world. We’re ranked No. 40, but we’re ranked No. 1 in one department: cost per pupil. So, we spend more per pupil than any other country in the world, but we’re ranked No. 40.” In a letter to Democratic members of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP), McMahon said that she “wholeheartedly” agreed with Trump’s plan to abolish the department. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION LAUNCHES ‘ENDDEI’ PORTAL FOR PARENTS, STUDENTS, TEACHERS TO REPORT DISCRIMINATION “President Trump believes that the bureaucracy in Washington should be abolished so that we can return education to the states, where it belongs. I wholeheartedly support and agree with this mission,” McMahon wrote. In the opening remarks of her confirmation hearing, McMahon said that “many Americans today are experiencing a system in decline,” but that “the opportunity before us these next four years is momentous.” “If I am confirmed, the department will not stand idly by while Jewish students are attacked and discriminated against,” McMahon said in her opening remarks, shared first with Fox News Digital. “It will stop forcing schools to let boys and men into female sports and spaces. And it will protect the rights of parents to direct the moral education of their children.”
‘Too aggressive militarily’: Trump talks Hegseth’s role pardoning service members accused of war crimes
President Donald Trump touted his record pardoning several service members accused of war crimes during his first term as president, and shared details about how now-Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth played a role securing those pardons. Trump told The Spectator in a Thursday interview that Hegseth would call him to advocate on behalf of service members facing war crime charges who “did what they were trained to do” during his first administration. “What he wanted to talk about was military,” Trump said of Hegseth. “In fact, whenever he called me, it was always to get somebody that was in trouble because he was too aggressive militarily out of a jail. You know, I got numerous soldiers out of jails because they did what they were trained to do.” SECDEF HEGSETH RESPONDS TO RUMORS HE DRAFTED ‘LIST’ OF MILITARY OFFICIALS HE WILL PURGE In November 2019, during his first administration, Trump issued pardons to Army 1st Lt. Clint Lorance, Army Maj. Mathew Golsteyn and Navy Special Warfare Operator Chief Eddie Gallagher. Lorance was serving a 19-year sentence in prison at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, for murder for ordering his soldiers to open fire on unarmed Afghan civilians in 2012 when Trump issued the pardon. Golsteyn also faced charges for murdering an alleged Taliban bomb maker in 2010 and then burning the remains in a pit. Gallagher also faced murder charges for stabbing an Islamic State prisoner in 2017, and was acquitted in July 2019. However, he was convicted for posing in a photo next to the corpse and subsequently was demoted one rank. Trump’s pardon restored him to his previous rank. “The liberals within the military put them in jails,” Trump told The Spectator. “They teach him to be a soldier. They teach him to kill bad people, and when they kill bad people, they want to put them in jail for thirty years. And Pete was really into that.” Hegseth, a former host with Fox News and member of the U.S. Army National Guard, was vocal about these cases ahead of their pardoning, and previously said Lorance, Golsteyn and Gallagher were not “war criminals, they’re warriors” during a 2019 segment with “Fox & Friends.” Hegseth also interviewed Golsteyn in May 2019 on “Fox & Friends.” DEFENSE SECRETARY PETE HEGSETH ARRIVES AT GUANTAMO BAY, CALLS IT THE ‘FRONT LINES OF THE WAR’ ON SOUTHERN BORDER The Department of Defense referred Fox News Digital to the White House for comment. The White House did not provide additional comment, and it’s unclear if the Trump administration is considering pardons for other service members accused of war crimes. During Hegseth’s confirmation hearing for Secretary of Defense in January, Hegseth told lawmakers on the Senate Armed Services Committee he wanted to ensure lawyers “aren’t the ones getting in the way” of service members serving on the frontlines from having “opportunity to destroy… the enemy.” “We follow rules, but we don’t need burdensome rules of engagement that make it impossible for us to win these wars,” Hegseth said. Lawmakers cited Hegseth’s comments on the cases during his confirmation hearing, and Senate Armed Services Committee ranking member Jack Reed, D-R.I., noted that fellow service members who served alongside Lorance and Gallagher spoke out against them and reported their actions. “They did their duty as soldiers to report war crimes,” Reed said in January. “Your definition of lethality seems to embrace those people who do commit war crimes, rather than those who stand up and say, ‘This is not right.’” Hegseth served as an infantry officer in the U.S. Army National Guard, completing deployments to Guantanamo Bay, Afghanistan and Iraq. He earned two Bronze Star Medals, awarded to those who displayed heroic achievement or service in a combat zone.