Trump freezes aid to South Africa, promotes resettlement of refugees facing race discrimination
President Donald Trump on Friday signed an executive order cutting all foreign aid to South Africa, citing concerns about the country “seizing” ethnic minority Afrikaners’ agricultural property without compensation. Trump alleged South Africa‘s recently enacted Expropriation Act 13 of 2024 “dismantles equal opportunity in employment, education, and business.” The order notes “hateful rhetoric” and government actions have been “fueling disproportionate violence against racially disfavored landowners.” SOUTH AFRICAN PRESIDENT SIGNS CONTROVERSIAL LAND SEIZURE BILL, ERODING PRIVATE PROPERTY RIGHTS South African President Cyril Ramaphosa previously released a statement arguing that no land was confiscated. “We look forward to engaging with the Trump administration over our land reform policy and issues of bilateral interest,” according to the statement. “We are certain that out of those engagements, we will share a better and common understanding over these matters.” The act permits the country to take land for a public purpose or in the public interest, while offering just and equitable compensation. However, Fox News Digital previously reported expropriation has yet to happen. Elon Musk, leader of the DOGE team, publicly commented on the matter, accusing Ramaphosa of having “openly racist ownership laws. The executive order also claims South Africa has taken “aggressive” positions toward the U.S. by accusing Israel of genocide – instead of Hamas, and “reinvigorating” its relationship with Iran to develop commercial, military, and nuclear arrangements. INCOMING TRUMP ADMIN, CONGRESS SHOWDOWN LOOMS WITH SOUTH AFRICA OVER SUPPORT FOR RUSSIA, US FOES Pointing to those concerns, the executive order states the U.S. cannot support the South African government’s alleged commission of rights violations. In addition to eliminating aid and assistance, the order notes the U.S. will promote the resettlement of Afrikaner refugees escaping government-sponsored, race-based discrimination -which includes racially discriminatory property confiscation. The Secretary of State and the Secretary of Homeland Security will prioritize humanitarian relief, including admission and resettlement through the United States Refugee Admissions Program, according to the order. Fox News Digital’s Paul Tilsley contributed to this story.
Bank holidays in February 2025: Check if banks are open or closed on February 8?
During holidays, certain transactions, such as those involving cheques and promissory notes under the Negotiable Instruments Act, will be unavailable.
Texas’ social media law takes another hit with temporary blocks on three more provisions
The new injunction prohibits advertising and age verification restrictions in the SCOPE Act, which aims to make social media safer for teenagers.
Delhi Election Results today: Three-layered security deployed outside strong rooms, restrictions to be imposed on…
Votes will be counted for the high-stakes political battle in Delhi tomorrow with the political expressing confidence about their good performance in a largely triangular contest between the ruling Aam Aadmi Party, Bharatiya Janata Party and Congress.
Fox News Politics Newsletter: Drill, baby, drill!
Welcome to the Fox News Politics newsletter, with the latest updates on the Trump administration, exclusive interviews and more Fox News politics content. Here’s what’s happening… -America First Legal files amicus brief in support of Trump EO ending birthright citizenship –Democrats disoriented in fight against Trump agenda -RFK Jr. moves closer to leading HHS after advancing through finance committee The Republican-led House passed legislation to block future administrations from enacting bans on oil and gas drilling without congressional approval. In a vote on Friday, lawmakers passed the “Protecting American Energy Production Act” to prohibit the president from “declaring a moratorium on the use of hydraulic fracturing unless Congress authorizes the moratorium.” There were 118 Democrats who voted against the legislation, while Republican House members unanimously voted in favor of its passage…Read more DEM LEAVES DOGE: House Democrat leaves congressional DOGE caucus, saying Musk is ‘blowing things up’…Read more DEVELOPING DEI: Archived USAID website promoted DEI program as department’s ‘mission’ labeled ‘disturbing’ by whistleblower…Read more ‘UP FOR REVIEW’: Trump admin appeals ruling blocking birthright citizenship order…Read more HERE’S THE PLAN: Deadline looms for release of JFK assassination files…Read more SO ORDERED: FBI, DOJ strike agreement in lawsuit over January 6 agent list amid fears of retaliation…Read more ‘BACK TO PLASTIC!’: Trump vows executive order ending ‘ridiculous’ push for paper straws…Read more CHARM CITY FIGHT: Baltimore sues Trump for ditching DEI: ‘Attacks anyone who dares to celebrate diversity’…Read more ‘THE COURT AT RISK’: Sotomayor criticizes presidential immunity case as putting the high court’s legitimacy on the line…Read more RUBIO’S TRAVELS: Rubio to visit Middle East for second trip as secretary of state after Trump suggests U.S. takeover of Gaza…Read more ‘HOLD REGIME ACCOUNTABLE’: U.S. seizes second plane owned by Venezuelan government in Dominican Republic, citing evasion of sanctions…Read more ‘HIGHLY DANGEROUS’ PEOPLE: Over a dozen Venezuelan criminal illegal migrants sent to Guantanamo Bay…Read more ‘CONSIDERING WHAT’S AT STAKE’: John Fetterman reveals how he’ll vote on Trump’s Tulsi Gabbard and RFK Jr. nominations…Read more ‘MOOD IMPROVED’: House Rep. Eli Crane says therapy dogs should be mandatory at hearings after joke about Dems mental stability…Read more IT’S THAT TIME: Top political handicapper reveals prediction for ‘volatile’ 2026 battle for House majority…Read more CONFIRMED: Russell Vought confirmed to head government’s leading budget office after Dems hold 30-hour protest…Read more TRUMP TIME: Senate moves full steam ahead on massive Trump budget bill after GOP divisions derail House…Read more EXPORT CRACKDOWN: Top Republican moves to restrict AI exports amid concerns over Chinese tech…Read more FARMLAND FIX: Heartland lawmakers seek to fix ‘fundamental’ roadblock for farm kids seeking student aid…Read more ‘WE WILL SEIZE IT’: Prominent sheriff announces gubernatorial run to replace Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer…Read more YOU’RE FIRED: Fired Federal Election Commission leader rants on social media after removal by Trump: ‘This isn’t it’…Read more SANCTUARY MAYORS: Sanctuary city mayors to testify at House Oversight, after AG Bondi cuts them off from federal funds…Read more LOOSENING THE REINS: NIH resumes critical grant-making process after federal communications freeze at HHS…Read more SEE SOMETHING, SAY SOMETHING: WA Democrats reportedly block move to nix 48-hour scholastic assault reporting requirement…Read more CLEANING HOUSE: CDC staff told to remove terms like ‘non-binary,’ ‘they/them,’ ‘pregnant people’ from public health material…Read more Get the latest updates on the Trump administration and Congress, exclusive interviews and more on FoxNews.com.
Trump fires Kennedy Center board members citing drag shows, appoints himself chairman
President Donald Trump announced on Friday he decided to immediately fire multiple Kennedy Center board members, including the chairman, and fill that role himself. Trump claimed he and current chair David Rubenstein “do not share [the same] Vision for a Golden Age in Arts and Culture,” according to the announcement on Truth Social. He said a new board would be announced soon, adding the new chairman, naming himself, is “amazing.” INDIANA JUDGE RULES PRISON MUST PROVIDE TRANSGENDER SURGERY FOR INMATE WHO KILLED BABY “Just last year, the Kennedy Center featured Drag Shows specifically targeting our youth — THIS WILL STOP,” Trump wrote in the post. The Kennedy Center in October hosted a Dancing Queens Drag Brunch at its Roof Terrace Restaurant in October, featuring Washington, D.C.‘s “most fabulous drag performers,” according to its website. The October event featured 2024 Capital Pride Honoree, Tula, and other drag performers “representing the diversity of D.C.’s queer community,” according to the site. Tickets were sold for nearly $100 each, with reservations required, and included bottomless mimosas. TRUMP SIGNS EXECUTIVE ORDERS BANNING ‘RADICAL GENDER IDEOLOGY,’ DEI INITIATIVES IN THE MILITARY Following Trump’s announcement, the Kennedy Center’s website limited users, citing “high traffic.” Hundreds of visitors had to queue in an online waiting room to view the site. In his post, Trump called the center “an American jewel,” and said it must reflect the nation’s “brightest stars” on its stage. “At my direction, we are going to make the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C., GREAT AGAIN,” the President wrote. “For the Kennedy Center, THE BEST IS YET TO COME!” It is unclear which Board of Trustees members have been canned, as of Friday night.
Newsom signs $50M ‘Trump-proofing’ legislative package
Gov. Gavin Newsom signed the $50 million special legislative “Trump-proofing” package which he proposed for Democrats to pass following President Donald Trump’s election. Newsom said the bill will “bolster funding for legal services programs that are vital to safeguarding the civil rights of California’s most vulnerable residents, including people with disabilities, youth who are homeless, victims of human trafficking and wage theft, people facing unlawful evictions, immigrants and more. “None of the funding in this bill is intended to be used for immigration-related legal services for noncitizens convicted of serious or violent felonies,” he added in a signing statement. IS NOW THE RIGHT TIME … TO FIGHT DONALD TRUMP?’: CA HOUSE SPEAKER DODGES FIERY QUESTIONING FROM REPORTER The package, which was passed by the state Senate and Assembly, allocates $25 million to the California Department of Justice to support legal battles against Trump’s federal policies, including environmental regulations and illegal immigration. An additional $25 million is designated for legal aid groups to assist illegal immigrants facing potential deportation. Newsom lobbed hundreds of lawsuits against the Trump administration during Trump’s first term. While Newsom is gearing up for potential showdowns with the Trump administration, he has also been working with Trump to secure federal disaster relief for the Los Angeles wildfires. Trump visited California in late January to meet with Newsom, and Newsom traveled to Washington, D.C., in early February for another round of discussions with the president. “We’re working across the aisle, as we always have, to ensure survivors have the resources and support they need,” Newsom said in a statement on Wednesday. “Thank you President Trump for coming to our communities to see this first hand, and meeting with me today to continue our joint efforts to support people impacted.” NEWSOM PROPOSES $25M FROM STATE LEGISLATURE TO ‘TRUMP-PROOF’ CALIFORNIA Trump hit back at Newsom after he announced the special legislative session in November, saying on his Truth Social account, “He is using the term ‘Trump-Proof’ as a way of stopping all of the GREAT things that can be done to ‘Make California Great Again,’ but I just overwhelmingly won the Election.” Fox News Digital has reached out to the White House for comment.
Judge temporarily blocks 2,200 USAID workers from being placed on leave by midnight
A Trump-appointed judge said at an emergency hearing on Friday that he would put a temporary block on the administration’s plan to put 2,200 U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) employees on paid leave by midnight, Fox News has learned. He also told a government lawyer that he’s not sure whether he would include the 500 employees already placed on leave in his order. U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols sided with two federal employee associations – the American Foreign Service Association and the American Federation of Government Employees – who filed lawsuits over the order on Thursday. Government officials “failed to acknowledge the catastrophic consequences of their actions, both as they pertain to American workers, the lives of millions around the world, and to US national interests,” the lawsuit says. USAID STAFFERS STUNNED, ANGERED BY TRUMP ADMIN’S DOGE SHUTDOWN OF $40B AGENCY Nichols said that the plaintiffs had “established irreparable harm,” adding that “there’s zero harm to the government to pausing this for some short period of time.” Nichols added that it would be a “very limited” temporary restraining order. “CLOSE IT DOWN!” President Trump wrote on Truth Social earlier Friday of the U.S. agency that oversees international development. An official with USAID told reporters on Friday that the agency had “ceased to exist,” with the majority of employees gone and funding stopped. WHAT IS USAID AND WHY IS IT IN TRUMP’S CROSSHAIRS? Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said that the most crucial life-saving programs administrated by USAID overseas were given waivers to continue. USAID was founded by President John F. Kennedy in 1961 and had more than 10,000 employees and a budget of about $40 billion a year. On Friday, the USAID website said that at midnight “all USAID direct hire personnel will be placed on administrative leave globally, with the exception of designated personnel responsible for mission-critical functions, core leadership and specially designated programs. Essential personnel expected to continue working will be informed by Agency leadership by Thursday, February 6, at 3:00pm (EST).” Trump and Elon Musk, who runs the cost-cutting Department of Government Efficiency, have said they might move USAID’s surviving life-saving programs under the State Department. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Rubio said the U.S. government will continue providing foreign aid, “but it is going to be foreign aid that makes sense and is aligned with our national interest.” Democratic critics have said the move is illegal and needs Congressional approval. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
‘JOE, YOU’RE FIRED’: President Trump revokes Biden’s security clearances, intel briefings
President Donald Trump on Friday announced he is revoking former President Joe Biden’s security clearances and stopping his daily intelligence briefings. “There is no need for Joe Biden to continue receiving access to classified information,” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social Friday night. The privileges will be revoked immediately, according to the president. He added the precedent was set by Biden himself. “He set this precedent in 2021, when he instructed the Intelligence Community (IC) to stop the 45th President of the United States (ME!) from accessing details on National Security, a courtesy provided to former Presidents,” Trump wrote. The president noted the Hur Report, which he claimed “revealed that Biden suffers from ‘poor memory’ and, even in his ‘prime,’ could not be trusted with sensitive information,” according to the post. Special Counsel Robert Hur submitted a report on Biden’s alleged improper retention of classified records, which confirmed the former president’s frequent memory lapses and contradicted his claims. Hur also testified in March that he found evidence that “pride and money” motivated Biden to retain classified documents. However, he did not recommend criminal charges against Biden. Trump wrote in the post that he will always protect National Security. “JOE, YOU’RE FIRED. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN,” he wrote.
Dem mayor unleashes task force in attempt to rescue crime-ridden city: ‘Restore order to our streets’
San Francisco Mayor David Lurie launched the San Francisco Police Department (SFPD) Hospitality Task Force and secured a key vote in support of the Fentanyl State of Emergency Ordinance this week as he works to clean up San Francisco’s streets and restore common sense policies to the liberal city. San Francisco has had one of the slowest economic recoveries from the COVID-19 pandemic in the country. Images of San Francisco’s open-air drug markets, homeless encampments and empty office buildings have caught the nation’s attention since the pandemic. The SFPD Hospitality Task Force will target San Francisco’s business and tourist districts, increasing police presence, dedicating resources to high-traffic areas and offering support to the hospitality industry. “Helping people feel safe walking downtown is the key to unleashing our city’s comeback,” Lurie said. “We are creating the conditions for a thriving commercial center by launching the SFPD Hospitality Task Force. The Hospitality Task Force will break down silos to increase the police presence across the areas that drive our city’s economy, not just during large conferences, but 365 days a year.” FORMER AOC CHIEF OF STAFF ANNOUNCES RUN AGAINST PELOSI, CALLS DEMS ‘PARALYZED AND UNPREPARED’ UNDER TRUMP Major retailers, including Nordstrom and Saks Off Fifth, pulled out of San Francisco’s downtown due to rising crime and dwindling foot traffic. After more than 20 years in the heart of downtown San Francisco, Westfield abandoned the San Francisco Centre mall in 2023, citing a decline in sales, occupancy and foot traffic. San Franciscans voted Mayor London Breed out of office in November. She was elected in 2018 and led the city through its struggling pandemic recovery. Lurie, a Levi’s heir and political outsider, began his first term as mayor in January. He campaigned on cleaning up San Francisco’s streets, public safety, tackling the city’s drug crisis, creating housing, cutting through corrupt bureaucracy and “breathing life back into our downtown.” CALIFORNIA PLANS TO CONTINUE ALLOWING TRANS ATHLETES TO COMPETE IN GIRLS’ SPORTS DESPITE TRUMP EXECUTIVE ORDER “With a safe, bustling downtown, we will attract businesses, shoppers, tourists and conventions, creating jobs, generating revenue and helping us provide better services for everyone in San Francisco,” Lurie said of the new task force. Also this week, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors voted 10-1 in favor of Mayor Lurie’s Fentanyl State of Emergency Ordinance. “As a candidate for mayor, I promised San Franciscans that I would work in partnership with the Board of Supervisors to take action on the critical issues facing our city,” Lurie said. “As mayor, I am proud to be delivering on that promise today. The Fentanyl State of Emergency Ordinance gives us the tools to treat this crisis with the urgency it demands. And with our partners on the board, that’s exactly what we will do.” The ordinance will equip the city with the resources “to get drugs off the street and keep San Franciscans safe” by unlocking funding and expediting the contracting process to allow for expanded treatment options, increased shelter capacity and health initiatives. The full Board of Supervisors will address the ordinance Tuesday for a second and final reading before Lurie can sign the ordinance into law. “I don’t think there’s a problem facing San Francisco today that isn’t caused by or made significantly worse by street-level drug addiction,” Supervisor Matt Dorsey, who voted in favor of the ordinance, said. “Mayor Lurie’s emergency ordinance aims to surge resources that deliver solutions as big as the problems. This is a needed approach to restore order to our streets, to diminish San Francisco’s attraction as a drug-use and drug-dealing destination and to save lives.”