Fox News Politics Newsletter: Vance Eviscerates Europe
Welcome to the Fox News Politics newsletter, with the latest updates on the Trump administration, exclusive interviews and more Fox News politics content. -Expert reveals massive levels of waste DOGE can slash from entitlements, pet projects: ‘A lot of fat‘ -Dem lawmakers answer USAID funding questions after bombshell report -Some drones over US bases may have been conducting surveillance: NORTHCOM General In a speech to European leaders, Vice President JD Vance said the continent’s recent censorship activities were a bigger threat to its existence than Russia. “The threat that I worry the most about vis-à-vis Europe is not Russia, it’s not China. It’s not any other external actor,” he said in an address at the Munich Security Conference. “What I worry about is the threat from within the retreat of Europe from some of its most fundamental values, values shared with the United States of America.”…Read more LAY-OFFS: Trump admin orders agencies to lay off probationary workers, in latest push to shrink government…Read more RECONCILING DIFFERENCES: Trump budget bill with $4.5T in tax cuts survives key hurdle despite House GOP infighting…Read more ‘BLANKET SUSPENSION’: Judge orders temporary reversal of Trump admin’s freeze on foreign aid…Read more 2-SEX STATES: Trump’s ‘two sexes’ order spurs state-level efforts to crack down on trans treatments for minors…Read more HANDING DOWN: Trump executive order expected to block federal money for schools, universities with COVID vaccine mandates…Read more ‘LOSING IN COURT’: Dems likely to ‘waste millions’ on deluge of lawsuits, but could cost Trump precious time…Read more ‘NO DAYLIGHT’: Hegseth says he and Vance are ‘on the same page’ despite VP’s remark on US troops in Ukraine…Read more ‘STOP THE KILLING’: Why Saudi Arabia is at the center of Russia-Ukraine peace negotiations…Read more OUT WITH THE ‘SCOLD’: Vance jokes about Greta Thunberg as he goes scorched earth on European censorship…Read more ‘WOKE AND WASTEFUL’: GOP lawmaker seeks to slam brakes on Biden’s EV tax credit…Read more DISRUPTING CLASS: Top moments from Linda McMahon’s confirmation hearing…Read more WORKING WITH TRUMP: Senate Majority Leader Thune says this is the reason why he and Trump are working well together…Read more IN A STATE OF DENALI: Bucking Trump order, GOP Sens. Murkowski and Sullivan push to change Mount McKinley’s name back to Denali…Read more DEAD ON ARRIVAL: Gov. Newsom will veto California bill blocking prisons from cooperating with ICE: report…Read more ‘MORE OPPRESSIVE’: Abolish property taxes? DeSantis endorses the idea and explains how it could be done in Florida…Read more ‘ENOUGH IS ENOUGH’: NYC council moderates ‘thrilled’ at Homan visit, pledging to help border czar fight ‘progressive monopoly’…Read more CALIFORNIA DREAMING: Top Trump official teases 2026 bid for California governor if Harris jumps in race…Read more ‘LACK OF LEADERSHIP’: Dem mayor blasted for extending sympathy to suspect killed in officer-involved shooting…Read more ‘WORST OF THE WORST’: Illegal immigrant arrests skyrocket under Trump ICE compared to Biden levels last year…Read more Get the latest updates on the Trump administration and Congress, exclusive interviews and more on FoxNews.com.
Blue state AGs accuse Vance of spreading ‘dangerous lie’ following VP’s online criticism of judges
Blue state attorneys general accused Vice President JD Vance of attempting to spread a “dangerous lie” after he criticized judges blocking President Donald Trump’s agenda. “The Vice President’s statement is as wrong as it is reckless. As chief law enforcement officers representing the people of 17 states, we unequivocally reject the Vice President’s attempt to spread this dangerous lie,” the statement reads. Seventeen state attorneys general, including those from California, Connecticut, Arizona, Massachusetts and Washington, signed the statement released Friday after Vance sent the internet into a frenzy, saying, “Judges aren’t allowed to control the executive’s legitimate power.” AG PAM BONDI VOWS TO ‘FIGHT BACK’ AGAINST JUDGES BLOCKING TRUMP’S ANTI-CORRUPTION AGENDA “Americans understand the principle of checks and balances,” the AGs wrote. “The judiciary is a check on unlawful action by the executive and legislative branches of government. Generals, prosecutors, and all public officials are subject to checks and balances. No one is above the law.” Vance’s comments were made after a court blocked the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) from accessing personal data. The Trump administration has become the target of more than 50 lawsuits since Trump began his second term in mid-January. Judges in various states across the country, including Washington, Rhode Island and New York, have continuously blocked the administration’s efforts to implement its agenda. “If a judge tried to tell a general how to conduct a military operation, that would be illegal,” Vance posted on X. “If a judge tried to command the attorney general in how to use her discretion as a prosecutor, that’s also illegal. Judges aren’t allowed to control the executive’s legitimate power.” LAWSUIT TRACKER: NEW RESISTANCE BATTLING TRUMP’S SECOND TERM THROUGH ONSLAUGHT OF LAWSUITS TAKING AIM AT EOS The statement from the AGs said that they would “carefully scrutinize each and every action taken by this administration.” They also made clear that if the administration violated the Constitution or federal law, they would “not hesitate to act.” “Judges granted our motions and issued restraining orders to protect the American people, democracy, and the rule of law. That is and has always been their job,” the AGs wrote. “That job is the very core of our legal system. And in this critical moment, we will stand our ground to defend it.” U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi recently pledged her support for Trump’s efforts, vowing to challenge “unelected” judges obstructing his administration’s agenda. “We have so many un-elected judges who are trying to control government spending. And there is a clear separation of powers,” Bondi said during an appearance on “America’s Newsroom.” “What they’re doing to [DOGE leader Elon Musk], to our country, is outrageous. You know, people work their whole lives and pay taxes, yet they find out that they’ve been giving $2 million to Guatemala for sex changes. It’s outrageous. And it’s going to stop.” 6 TIMES JUDGES BLOCKED TRUMP EXECUTIVE ORDERS Since Inauguration Day, dozens of activist and legal groups, elected officials and local jurisdictions, as well as individuals, have launched a myriad of lawsuits in response to the president’s executive orders and directives. Notably, Trump’s executive order on birthright citizenship, his immigration policies, directives on federal funding, and the implementation of DOGE have all come under fire. The Trump administration has proceeded to appeal many of these rulings to the appellate courts. In a recent development, the Trump administration appealed an order from a Rhode Island judge to unfreeze federal funds. The order claimed the administration did not adhere to a previous order to do so. The Trump administration appealed the order to the First Circuit shortly thereafter, which was ultimately denied. Upon Trump’s historic win in November, Democratic AGs, including New York Attorney General Letitia James, publicly said they would be ready to engage in any legal battles against the Trump administration for actions they view as illegal or negatively impacting residents. Fox News Digital’s Emma Colton contributed to this report.
Homan, AOC clash over webinar to help immigrants ‘evade’ ICE raids: ‘I thought I educated her’
FIRST ON FOX: President Donald Trump’s border czar Tom Homan on Friday clashed with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., over a webinar she hosted advising migrants about how to handle an encounter with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). “Let’s pray that she is not ‘educating’ the next murderer of a young college nursing student on how to evade arrest by ICE,” Homan told Fox News Digital on Friday. “How many more young women have to be raped, murdered and burned alive until she wakes up?” Homan had first said on “The Ingraham Angle” that he had emailed the deputy attorney general asking whether Ocasio-Cortez’s hosting of a “Know Your Rights with ICE” event on her Facebook page could count as an impediment to federal law enforcement. ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT ARRESTS SKYROCKET UNDER TRUMP ICE COMPARED TO BIDEN LEVELS LAST YEAR “Is that impeding our law enforcement efforts?” Homan said. “If so, what are we going to do about it? Is she crossing the line? So I’m working with the Department of Justice and finding out. Where is that line that they cross? So maybe AOC is going to be going to be in trouble now.” During the event, viewers were informed of how to deal with ICE search requests. Migrants were also warned of “ruses” they allege ICE agents employ to get people to comply with searches, while the hosts also touted “trends” in how ICE conducts its searches, which have ramped up in recent weeks under the Trump administration. People were also recommended to record such searches and how to differentiate between different warrants ICE agents are likely to carry. Ocasio-Cortez did not take part in the webinar but did upload tips to Instagram — via posters in both English and Spanish — and called on her followers to share the posters widely and study them. She also called on her followers to print out the posters and “tape them up in your workplace or keep them by your door.” “So if ICE comes to your workplace or home, whether you are a citizen or noncitizen – YOU can defend your community and our constitution by exercising your right,” she wrote. On Thursday, Ocasio-Cortez took to X to mock Homan for suggesting she could be in trouble. “MaYbe shE’s goiNg to be in TroUble nOw,” she posted. “Maybe he can learn to read. The Constitution would be a good place to start,” she said. AOC’S OFFICE ADVISES MIGRANTS ON HOW TO AVOID DEPORTATIONS IN LIVE WEBINAR In comments to Fox News Digital, Homan said that he was asking the Justice Department for their interpretation of the law regarding impeding and obstruction, and that he is “well aware of the Constitution, but I am also aware that DOJ gives legal interpretations on issues like this to ensure ICE acts in accordance of the law.” He then suggested Ocasio-Cortez read Title 8 USC 1324 and 8 USC 1325, “statutes enacted by Congress, of which she is a part of.” “It’s not OK to be in the U.S. illegally. It’s a violation of federal law to enter this country illegally. It is not OK to assist those in the U.S. illegally in furtherance of their illegal entry and unlawful presence. I thought I educated her on this several years ago during congressional testimony.,” he said, referencing a viral clash from the first Trump administration at a congressional hearing. “She can call it ‘advising those who are illegally in the U.S. of their constitutional rights.’ But we all know it’s really about evading ICE and how not to get arrested and how not to adhere to a federal judge’s order to leave after receiving due process at great taxpayer expense,” he said. CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE “She obviously believes that we should not enforce laws enacted by Congress. By working against ICE, she is putting those that committed a crime entering this country illegally and those that committed asylum fraud and those who ignored a federal court order of deportation over those that enforce our laws and risk their lives every day trying to keep our communities safe.” Ocasio-Cortez responded, telling Fox News Digital: “I am glad Mr. Homan is checking with the Department of Justice to familiarize himself with the limits of his agency’s authority in entering the homes of everyday Americans without a warrant. And I am proud to offer civil education to everyday Americans to ensure ICE’s compliance with the law, given the numerous reports of agents providing incorrect paperwork in their attempts to enter and search private homes.” “Since Mr. Homan seems to be vaguely familiar with U.S. immigration law, we also remind him that according to Congressional statute, becoming undocumented in the United States is a civil offense and not a criminal one. I look forward to continuing our work in ensuring the safety of everyday New Yorkers while keeping families together,” she said. The clash comes as many left-wing Democrats continue to raise objections to the mass deportation operation launched by the Trump administration. However, some Democrats have also expressed support, with New York City Mayor Eric Adams meeting with Homan on Thursday and agreeing to let ICE agents on to Rikers Island. While New York City is a “sanctuary” city, Adams has expressed openness to deporting criminal illegal immigrants. Fox News Digital reported earlier on Friday that ICE interior arrests have skyrocketed under the Trump administration compared to the same period during the Biden administration last year, with a 137% increase over last year. Arrests of aliens with criminal histories have soared by nearly 100% from 4,526 in the same period in 2024 to 8,993 under Trump this year. Fox News’ Michael Dorgan contributed to this report.
Trump performs jiujitsu flip on judge’s order, sends Guantánamo rejects back to Venezuela
The Trump administration sent three illegal immigrants back to their home country of Venezuela in response to a judge’s decision blocking them from being sent to Guantánamo Bay as part of a continued crackdown on illegal immigration. U.S. District Judge Kenneth J. Gonzales of New Mexico issued a memo Friday announcing the court had vacated a March 3 status conference for three Venezuelan migrants just five days after it blocked the Trump administration’s efforts to transfer the migrants to Guantánamo Bay. Since then, Gonzales said, respondents had filed a notice of removal “informing the court that all three petitioners were removed to Venezuela, their home country, on Feb. 10, 2025.” SKYROCKETING HEALTHCARE BUDGET FOR ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS HAUNTS BLUE STATE TAXPAYERS The Trump administration has vowed to deport millions of the more than 11 million people estimated to be living in the U.S. illegally, including deporting some illegal immigrants to the U.S. Naval Base in Guantánamo Bay. Trump has claimed the individuals deported to Guantánamo are “highly dangerous criminal aliens.” But that notion has been sharply disputed by some immigration advocates. Lawyers for the Venezuelan immigrants argued in a court filing last week that their clients “fit the profile” of individuals that they allege the Trump administration “has prioritized for detention in Guantánamo … i.e. Venezuelan men detained in the El Paso area with (false) charges of connections with the Tren de Aragua gang.” ICE ARRESTS HOMELESS ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT WHO ASKED TO BE DETAINED OR ELSE HE WOULD ‘GO OUT AND COMMIT CRIMES’ Judge Gonzales granted the migrants’ request for a temporary restraining order blocking their transfer to Guantánamo, ordering the parties back to court March 3 for a status conference. In response, the administration appears to have taken the matter into its own hands. The motion to vacate noted that, “[b]ecause Petitioners have now been removed to their home country, it is no longer necessary to hold a status conference” on the previously scheduled date. “Nor is it necessary for parties to update the Court by February 24, 2025,” Judge Gonzales said. “Thus, the status conference is hereby vacated.” CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE The deportation comes less than a month after President Donald Trump signed into law the Laken Riley Act, a bipartisan law that gives authorities broad power to deport illegal immigrants accused of crimes. Since Trump’s inauguration, White House officials said that the administration has arrested thousands of people in immigration enforcement actions.
LA Mayor Bass concedes Africa trip was ‘absolutely’ a mistake amid botched wildfire response
Los Angeles’ Democratic Mayor Karen Bass Thursday conceded her Africa trip was “absolutely” a mistake and that she was working to regain the public’s trust after facing backlash for her botched response to the raging fires in her city last month. “Absolutely it is, and I think that I have to demonstrate that every day by showing what we’re doing, what is working, what are the challenges,” Bass told NBC Los Angeles when asked if she’s trying to “regain confidence.” The remarks come as Los Angeles faces rainstorms this week, which could create “debris flows” in areas where the fires burned, a landslide risk for what’s left of the disaster that tore through in separate fires in the region. There have already been mudslides in some scarred areas, according to Fox Weather. LOS ANGELES WILDFIRE CZAR’S $500K PAYCHECK FOR 90 DAYS OF WORK DRAWS SWIFT BLOWBACK, MAYOR REVERSES COURSE Bass was in Ghana for the swearing-in of its president when the fires began, even though there was a high fire risk known at the time. The Palisades Fire started Jan. 7 and escalated through the night, but the mayor did not get back into the city until Jan. 8, and she did not answer repeated questions from a Sky News reporter upon her arrival in the United States. Bass’ silence went viral and led to backlash from residents and social media. Over 170,000 people have signed a Change.org petition calling for her to step down as mayor. The situation also resulted in public criticism of the mayor, ranging from former Democratic mayoral opponent Rick Caruso to liberal talk show host Bill Maher. LA MAYOR KAREN BASS POSED FOR PHOTOS AT A COCKTAIL PARTY AS PALISADES FIRE EXPLODED “LA’s mayor, Karen Bass, the Nero of American politics, was fiddling in Ghana while the city burned,” Maher said last month. Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., suggested that Disney CEO Bob Iger run for mayor in 2026. When pressed on whether she took Khanna’s comments personally, Bass shrugged it off. “I am focused on one thing and one thing only, and that is to make sure that our city is able to recover and rebuild, and that all of those individuals that lived in the Palisades can go home,” Bass told NBC Los Angeles. The nearly 24,000-acre Palisades Fire destroyed over 6,800 buildings, damaged 973 buildings and resulted in 12 deaths, according to state government data. Political fallout from the fire continues as Steve Soboroff, who’s tasked with recovery efforts, was slated to receive a $500,000 payday for the next three months from different charities. However, he will now be doing the job without pay after the amount raised eyebrows as some Californians build back from nothing.
Federal judge delays Labor Department’s request to block DOGE access
A federal judge on Friday indefinitely delayed a final ruling on the Labor Department’s request to block Elon Musk’s government efficiency team from accessing internal system data, telling both parties only that “you will hear from me,” while declining to promise an exact time or date. The update from U.S. District Judge John Bates, a George W. Bush appointee, comes just one week after he rejected an earlier attempt from the Labor Department to issue a temporary restraining order to block DOGE access to internal system data, saying that the plaintiffs lacked standing, and failed to show they would suffer sufficient harm as a result of the actions. In response, unions amended their complaint to broaden the scope of the lawsuit, adding the Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Education, and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. LAWSUIT TRACKER: NEW RESISTANCE BATTLING TRUMP’S SECOND TERM THROUGH ONSLAUGHT OF LAWSUITS TAKING AIM AT EOS Arguments on Friday stretched for more than three hours, with plaintiffs arguing that DOGE employees were accessing their information illegally, since DOGE is not technically a U.S. government agency. “There has been reporting that DOGE is directing the cuts of agency staff and contracts, not simply advising the president,” one lawyer for the plaintiffs told Judge Bates, “The situation is extremely fluid and changing,” plaintiffs argued. They urged Judge Bates to grant a temporary request to block DOGE’s access to the information, which they said would “force the agency to implement a more thoughtful process.” Meanwhile, the Justice Department argued in response that the DOGE personnel in question are “detailed” U.S. government employees, who have access to the information under provisions of the Economy Act. Judge Bates declined to rule from the bench, telling both sides only that “You will hear from me.” The update will likely do little in the near-term to assuage concerns at the Labor Department and other federal agencies over DOGE’s access to sensitive internal data. Attorneys for Labor Department unions argued during last week’s hearing that, absent court intervention, DOGE could access protected agency information, including the financial and medical records of millions of Americans, and employee safety and workplace complaints. Plaintiffs noted that Labor Department systems contain sensitive information about investigations into Musk-owned companies Tesla and SpaceX, as well as information about trade secrets of competing companies, plaintiffs noted— sparking concerns about Elon Musk’s possible access. Attorney Mark Samburg argued that DOGE access to this information could have a “chilling effect” on new employees coming forward, due to fear of unlawful disclosure or retaliation. “The sensitive information of millions of people is currently at imminent risk of unlawful disclosure,” Samburg said. Judge Bates suggested Friday that DOGE’s creation and its hierarchy were “odd,” noting that it “was created in a way to get it out of OMB [Office of Management and Budget], and instead answering to the chief of staff of the president.” DOGE “took great effort to avoid being an agency, but in this case, you’re an agency,” he said of DOGE. “It just seems to strain credulity.” This is a breaking news story. Check back shortly for updates.
Andy Barr mulls Senate bid, says ‘it’s time for Kentucky to have a US senator who supports President Trump’
EXCLUSIVE: Republican Rep. Andy Barr’s decision on whether to run for U.S. Senate in Kentucky will be made “independent of the decisions that others make, including Sen. Mitch McConnell,” he told Fox News Digital in an exclusive interview Friday morning, stressing that “it’s time for Kentucky to have a U.S. senator who supports President Trump.” The congressman, who currently represents Kentucky’s 6th congressional district, told Fox News Digital that he is “doing a lot of listening right now.” “I’m listening to supporters, advisors, friends, people I trust, but most importantly, I’m listening to my family and talking to my family, and I am grateful for the strong encouragement to run,” he said. “A lot of constituents are encouraging me to run for the Senate, and I am grateful for the outpouring of financial support that’s coming my way.” RNC BRINGS ON NEW SENIOR LEADERSHIP TO ‘WORK AROUND THE CLOCK’ TO SUPPORT TRUMP AGENDA, ELECT REPUBLICANS But Barr said that “ultimately, this is going to be a family decision on our timeline.” “It will be a decision that we make independent of the decisions that others make, including Sen. McConnell, or others who have or will express an interest in running for the Senate in 2026, so this will be a family decision that we make,” Barr said. “All I can say is, I am very, very grateful for the outpouring of support, mainly from Kentuckians, but people around the country who want to see strong, America First leadership in the U.S. Senate.” Sources close to Barr told Fox News Digital back in 2023 that he could be “a serious contender” for McConnell’s seat in 2026. In a veiled swipe at McConnell, Barr told Fox News Digital that “it’s time for Kentucky to have a U.S. senator who supports President Trump.” McConnell, at this point, has now opposed three of Trump’s now-confirmed Cabinet secretaries: Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. “He votes against almost everything now,” the president said of McConnell on Thursday. “He’s a, you know, very bitter guy.” Trump also said McConnell is “not equipped mentally” and said he “let the Republican Party go to hell.” Barr doubled down, saying: “I think it is time for Kentucky to have a U.S. senator who has a vision, not only to make America great again, but to make Kentucky great again, and I think that’s why a lot of people have encouraged me to run,” Barr said. “They see me as someone who has been, and has a proven record of, supporting President Trump’s America First agenda, but also a very strong record of supporting the signature industries of Kentucky and building a very strong record of constituent services and accessibility to the people of Kentucky.” He added, “I have a vision for Kentucky, just like America, to be great again. I have a vision for Kentuckians to achieve their potential and to restore the American Dream for Kentuckians.” Barr said he believes the state has “enormous potential” and said that “with strong partnership with President Trump, we can deliver just extraordinary possibilities for the people of Kentucky.” MITCH MCCONNELL STEPS DOWN AS REPUBLICAN LEADER When asked for comment, a McConnell aide told Fox News Digital that the senator has not made an announcement on his 2026 plans. McConnell, who will turn 83 later in February, stepped away from serving as the Senate Republican leader in November 2024. McConnell was the longest-serving party leader in U.S. Senate history. Meanwhile, Barr told Fox News Digital, “I’m my own man.” “People try to peg me as this type of Republican or that type of Republican, but at the end of it, I’m an America First conservative who loves my home state, the commonwealth of Kentucky,” he said. “I think what sets me apart is that nobody else looking at the race has been in the trenches on the job with President Trump to drain the swamp,” he continued. “I’ve got a proven record, and I think that does differentiate me from anyone else.” But Barr stressed that his decision on whether to run for the U.S. Senate “is not dependent on anybody else.” “I’m just going to remain focused on working with President Trump and working with his team to deliver on his America First agenda — we don’t have any time to waste,” Barr told Fox News Digital. “And so that’s my focus right now.”
Over-regulation partly to blame for ‘wildly expensive’ research costs, says medical executive
While the debate over President Donald Trump’s cuts to facilities and administrative costs associated with federally funded research grants rages on, one expert in the field of medicine says he sees a clear way forward. Dr. David Skorton, president and CEO of the Association of American Medical Colleges, has had a wide-ranging career spanning government, higher education and medicine. He now runs a national association that oversees all Medical Doctorate-granting schools in the country, and about 500 academic health systems teaching hospitals. Skorton told Fox News Digital that while he does not agree with Trump’s blanket cuts, the current status quo needs changing. He cited over-regulation as a reason why facilities and administrative costs have gotten so “wildly expensive.” TRUMP NOMINEES DEBUT NEW SCIENTIFIC JOURNAL AIMED AT SPURRING SCIENTIFIC DISCOURSE, INCREASING TRANSPARENCY He also said that transparency from research institutions could help create better awareness of how taxpayer dollars are being used to support those institutions that have become the bane of critics who say they are stockpiling taxpayer dollars for their own benefit. “In some cases, more than one agency will develop regulations, and the researchers have to answer to all of those different agency regulations. We should be able to harmonize those things and come out with a more thoughtful approach to reducing some of the regulatory burden,” Skorton said. He added that, in turn, researchers will be able to spend more time doing what they do best, research, which in the long run will mean greater results for the public. “It would also mean that the costs would go down because the additional personnel, the additional things that are necessary to keep track of things for these regulations, that would also go down,” Skorton pointed out. JUDGE BLOCKS TRUMP ORDER LIMITING ‘INDIRECT’ NIH RESEARCH COSTS AFTER PUBLIC OUTCRY Skorton said that the impact of reducing over-regulation will be two-fold: it will improve the current research environment and show that there is room for collaboration to reduce overhead costs while not threatening new research. In particular, he pointed to research involving human or animal subjects, which Skorton said is often riddled with regulatory requirements that, while important, could be streamlined. Skorton added that the AAMC was “very hungry” to work with the administration on improving this framework, noting that “we’re not here to claim that the status quo is perfect, and we want to defend it, but the idea of very quickly knocking down the facilities and administrative costs to what felt like an arbitrary number to many of us, 15%, will cause research to be reduced.” The AAMC president said there is an onus on research institutions as well to better educate folks about where their taxpayer dollars are going when they are utilized by federally funded research programs. JUDGE ORDERS TEMPORARY REVERSAL OF TRUMP ADMIN’S FREEZE ON FOREIGN AID “For every dollar that we get at universities, medical schools, et cetera, for research from the NIH or some other science agency, for every dollar another half dollar, roughly, is contributed by the institution,” Skorton pointed out. “That’s something that maybe people don’t realize, and why would they, because we have to be more clear in making that visible, that we already contribute a lot to the research.” Fox News Digital spoke to medical experts who have supported Trump’s blanket cut to administrative and facilities costs, and they argue that reducing this price burden on the federal government will increase the availability of new research grants, while getting rid of financial bloat that universities have been able to take advantage of at the taxpayers’ expense. One of the doctors who shared their thoughts, Dr. Erika Schwartz, echoed calls for reform to the current structure, similar to Skorton. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “While infrastructure support is necessary, there’s room for more efficient cost management. A reformed funding model could redirect more resources to direct research activities while maintaining essential support services,” Schwartz said. “This could potentially increase the number of funded research projects and accelerate medical breakthroughs, ultimately benefiting patients more directly.”
Judge issues restraining order after Trump blocks federal funds for youth sex change operations
A judge in Washington state has issued a temporary restraining order over President Trump’s executive order that withholds federal funding to health care providers who prescribe youth puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones or who perform surgeries for gender dysphoria. Judge Lauren King, in the Western Washington District Court, issued the order on Friday, two weeks after Trump signed the order, called “Protecting Children from Chemical and Surgical Mutilation,” on Jan. 28. It comes as a federal judge in Maryland issued a similar temporary restraining order on Thursday after a lawsuit was filed on behalf of families with transgender and nonbinary children who said they weren’t able to get the health care they needed. Judge Brendan Hurson, who was nominated by Biden, set the order to last for 14 days as the case proceeds through the courts, HOSPITALS NATIONWIDE CHALLENGE TRUMP’S EXECUTIVE ORDER ON TRANSGENDER TREATMENTS FOR MINORS King said the plaintiffs were likely to succeed in the lawsuit because the executive order discriminates against transgender minors. Trump’s order says in part: “Across the country today, medical professionals are maiming and sterilizing a growing number of impressionable children under the radical and false claim that adults can change a child’s sex through a series of irreversible medical interventions. This dangerous trend will be a stain on our Nation’s history, and it must end.” Trump later added on Truth Social, “Today, it was my great honor to sign an Executive Order banning the chemical castration and medical mutilation of innocent children in the United States of America. Our Nation will no longer fund, sponsor, promote, assist, or support so-called ‘gender affirming care,’ which has already ruined far too many precious lives. My Order directs Agencies to use every available means to cut off Federal financial participation in institutions which seek to provide these barbaric medical procedures, that should have never been allowed to take place!” TRANS YOUTH MENTAL HEALTH PSYCHIATRIST RESIGNS FROM NCAA COMMITTEE AFTER ORG COMPLIES WITH TRUMP ORDER Mark Trammell, the executive director and general counsel of the Center for American Liberty, which represents some detransitioners in lawsuits, praised Trump’s action. “President Trump is to be commended for his incredible leadership protecting vulnerable children from the gender industrial complex,” Trammell said. “This executive order rightly distances federal agencies from the discredited World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) while also withholding federal funding from institutions that chemically and surgically mutilate kids.” “It is pathetic that Joe Biden lacked the moral and intellectual clarity to issue such an executive order, instead elevating politics over the health of vulnerable children,” he added. Human Rights Campaign president Kelley Robinson said in response to the order, “Everyone deserves the freedom to make deeply personal health care decisions for themselves and their families – no matter your income, zip code, or health coverage. This executive order is a brazen attempt to put politicians in between people and their doctors, preventing them from accessing evidence-based health care supported by every major medical association in the country.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “It is deeply unfair to play politics with people’s lives and strip transgender young people, their families, and their providers of the freedom to make necessary health care decisions. Questions about this care should be answered by doctors – not politicians — and decisions must rest with families, doctors, and the patient.” Fox News’ Louis Casiano and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
Vance jokes about Greta Thunberg as he goes scorched earth on European censorship
Vice President JD Vance quipped that Europe could survive Elon Musk’s criticisms if the U.S. could “survive” climate activist Greta Thunberg’s. In a speech at the Munich Security Conference largely critical of Europe’s censorship activities, the vice president insisted the gathered leaders should listen more to their voters. “Trust me, I say this with all humor,” he said. “If American democracy can survive 10 years of Greta Thunberg scolding, you guys can survive a few months of Elon Musk.” Thunberg, the 22-year-old Swedish environmental crusader, stole the spotlight among liberals over her climate concerns before she even turned 18. VANCE EVISCERATES ‘SOVIET’-STYLE EUROPEAN CENSORSHIP IN ADDRESS TO MUNICH SECURITY CONFERENCE “I know you are trying, but just not hard enough. Sorry,” Thunberg told a U.S. Senate climate panel in 2019. “Don’t invite us here to just tell us how inspiring we are without actually doing anything about it,” she said at age 16. “How long do you think you can continue to ignore the climate crisis, the global aspect of equity and historic emissions without being held accountable?” Thunberg asked U.S. lawmakers two years later before the House Oversight Subcommittee on the Environment. GERMANY ACCUSES ELON MUSK OF TRYING TO INTERFERE IN ITS NATIONAL ELECTIONS ”You get away with it now, but sooner or later, people are going to realize what you have been doing all this time. That’s inevitable. You still have time to do the right thing and to save your legacies.” Musk, meanwhile, has gone toe-to-toe with Europe over censorship, and the European Commission recently ramped up its probe into whether Musk’s X had breached EU rules on content moderation. Musk has called the commission “undemocractic” and called on the European Union to hold referendums to vote on policies that apply to all of its nations. Musk has also riled European officials with his support for the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) in Germany’s elections, and for endorsing Britain’s right-wing Reform party. “It’s good to be proud of German culture, German values, and not to lose that in some sort of multiculturalism that dilutes everything,” he said in a recent video appearance at an AfD campaign event.