Omar slams Trump, Musk for changes at USAID, accuses president of running dictatorship
Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., slammed President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk on Monday for their efforts to dismantle the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), while also accusing the president of starting a dictatorship. Omar and several other Democratic lawmakers spoke outside the USAID building in Washington, D.C., damning the efforts made by Trump and Musk to take control of independent agencies like USAID and strip them down to cut away wasteful spending. “It is a really, really sad day in America. We are witnessing a constitutional crisis,” Omar said. “We talked about Trump wanting to be a dictator on day one. And here we are. This is what the beginning of dictatorship looks like when you gut the Constitution, and you install yourself as the sole power. That is how dictators are made.” She continued, saying Trump, Musk and their “cronies” are attempting to take away Congress’ constitutional power of deciding where money is allocated. MUSK’S DOGE TAKES AIM AT ‘VIPER’S NEST’ FEDERAL AGENCY WITH GLOBAL FOOTPRINT Fifty senior USAID staff have been placed on administrative leave, sources told Fox News over the weekend. Staff have also been barred from communicating with anyone outside the agency without approval. Omar said she was “exceptionally upset” about USAID, explaining she lived in a refugee camp as a child for four years, and in that camp, USAID provided programs that kept her and her family fed and safe. GOP HARLINERS RALLY AROUND TRUMP, MUSK SCALING BACK USAID “Privileged billionaires who don’t give a damn about America and Americans should not be making decisions that put Americans at harm,” she said. “And a billionaire that hasn’t been vetted has not gone through confirmation, has not been elected by the American people who we still do not understand what in the world he’s doing should not be telling American employees that they cannot access the building they work at.” Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., also weighed in on the matter, telling Musk he did not create USAID, but Congress did. “Just like Elon Musk did not create USAID, he doesn’t have the power to destroy it. And who’s going to stop him? We are!” Raskin said. “We’re going to stop him. Elon Musk, you may have illegally seized power over the financial payment systems of the United States Department of Treasury, but you don’t control the money of the American people. The United States Congress does that under Article One of the Constitution.” As the lawmakers spoke from outside the USAID building, Musk fired back at them on social media. RUBIO PAUSES FOREIGN AID FROM STATE DEPARTMENT AND USAID TO ENSURE IT PUTS ‘AMERICA FIRST’ “The corrupt politicians ‘protesting’ outside the USAID building are the ones getting money from USAID,” Musk wrote on X. “That’s why they’re there – they want your stolen tax dollars!” While lawmakers on the left side of the aisle are shouting in opposition to the changes being made at the agency, GOP hardliners are in favor of what they say are much-needed modifications. USAID is an independent agency in the federal government that provides civilian foreign aid to help encourage development, fight poverty and disease and promote democracy overseas. However, conservatives argue that the agency has strayed from its intended purpose and have called for steep cuts to its multi-billion-dollar budget. For instance, the White House claims $1.5 million was sent to USAID to “advance diversity, equity and inclusion in Serbia’s workplaces and business communities,” while another $2 million was sent to Guatemala for sex changes and “LGBT activism.” The White House also says $6 million was used to fund tourism in Egypt, and hundreds of thousands of meals were sent to al Qaeda-affiliated fighters in Syria. “USAID is a corrupt governmental organization run by unelected bureaucrats created to shovel taxpayer dollars to Democrats’ pet projects overseas,” Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., told Fox News Digital. AFTER RAUCOUS FIRST WEEK IN OFFICE, DONALD TRUMP TO KEEP HIS FOOT ON THE GAS “At nearly $37 trillion in national debt – and a $1.8 trillion annual deficit – we can’t afford to continue giving money to countries that hate America and everything we stand for,” he said. Rep. Eric Burlison, R-Mo., told Fox News Digital that shutting down USAID “will help reduce our national debt and relieve the burden on taxpayers, while compelling aid-dependent countries to achieve true self-reliance, snapping them out of the dependency cycle USAID has perpetuated under the false banner of ‘development.’” The U.S. State Department posted on X that USAID has “long strayed” from its mission of responsibly advancing American interests abroad, adding that it is now clear that significant portions of USAID funding are not aligned with national interests. “As an interim step toward gaining control and better understanding over the agency’s activity, President Donald J. Trump appointed Secretary Marco Rubio as Acting Administrator,” a statement from the State Department read on X. “Secretary Rubio has also now notified Congress that a review of USAID’s foreign assistance activities is underway with an eye towards potential reorganization. As we evaluate USAID and ensure it is in alignment with an America First agenda and the efforts of the State Department, we will continue to protect the American people’s interests and ensure their tax dollars are not wasted.” Fox News Digital’s Elizabeth Elkind contributed to this report.
Trump agrees to pause tariffs on Canada in exchange for more border enforcement
President Donald Trump will pause additional tariffs on Canadian imports for 30 days after a call with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who made some concessions to temporarily stave off the levies. Trump and Trudeau spoke via phone on Monday, hours before additional 25% tariffs were to take effect on Canadian goods coming into the United States. In a post on X, Trudeau said Canada will implement a $1.3 billion border plan and appoint a fentanyl czar. In addition, Canada will reinforce its border with new helicopters, technology, personnel and enhanced coordination with American authorities. He added that nearly 10,000 personnel are and will be working on border protection. TRUMP DEFENDS TARIFFS, ACCUSES CANADA OF BEING ‘VERY ABUSIVE OF THE UNITED STATES’ “We will list cartels as terrorists, ensure 24/7 eyes on the border, launch a Canada-U.S. Joint Strike Force to combat organized crime, fentanyl and money laundering,” Trudeau wrote. “I have also signed a new intelligence directive on organized crime and fentanyl and we will be backing it with $200 million.” “Proposed tariffs will be paused for at least 30 days while we work together,” he added. Trump has long said Canada and Mexico have failed to do enough to prevent the flow of illegal migrants and drugs, particularly fentanyl, from those nations into the U.S. In addition, Trump claims the U.S. has subsidized Canada to the tune of $200 billion annually. ‘OVERDOSE EPIDEMIC’: BIPARTISAN SENATORS TARGET FENTANYL CLASSIFICATION AS LAPSE APPROACHES “We need to protect Americans, and it is my duty as President to ensure the safety of all,” Trump wrote in a statement on Saturday, when he imposed the tariffs. “I made a promise on my Campaign to stop the flood of illegal aliens and drugs from pouring across our Borders, and Americans overwhelmingly voted in favor of it.” Hours before his call with Trudeau, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said she would deploy 10,000 troops to the U.S.-Mexico border over tariff threats. Trump has promised to impose a 25% tariff on all Canadian and Mexican goods, as well as a 10% tariff on Canadian energy and a 10% tariff on all goods entering the U.S. from China. The tariffs on Canada and China were set to go into effect Tuesday at midnight. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Threats prompted leaders in multiple Canadian provinces to pledge to remove American alcohol from store shelves.
ICE scoops up illegal immigrants with murder, robbery convictions in weekend crackdown
EXCLUSIVE: Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) racked up a number of arrests of convicted criminal illegal immigrants over the weekend, including those convicted of murder, robbery and domestic violence — continuing its efforts to deport as many public safety threats as it can. Agents nabbed over 700 illegal immigrants over the weekend, including more than 500 with convictions or charges, according to information provided to Fox News Digital by a senior Trump administration official. Among those arrested were Denicela Julia Mejia Thomas, a Honduran national, in San Antonio, Texas. She has a conviction of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, according to that information. TRUMP ADMIN ENDS DEPORTATION PROTECTIONS FOR MASSIVE NUMBER OF VENEZUELANS AMID ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION CRACKDOWN In Phoenix, Arizona, agents arrested Julio Cesar Garcia-Soto, a Mexican national with a murder conviction who was sentenced to 17 years in prison. Meanwhile, ICE Seattle arrested Daniel De Jesus Lopez, a citizen of Mexico with a conviction for robbery and delivery of methamphetamine, for which he was sentenced to 90 months in prison. In Detroit, agents nabbed Charles Henry Pusey Mcnish, a Colombian national with a conviction for domestic violence and possession of cocaine. ICE in Houston nabbed Rutillo Alvarado Carranza, a Honduran national convicted of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, and who was sentenced to 10 years in prison. Meanwhile, in Los Angeles, there was a large-scale enforcement operation at several locations targeting those committing fraud via unauthorized cash withdrawals from victims’ EBT cards. ICE nabbed nine nationals from Romania and France, three who have extensive histories and one who has an arrest in Romania for murder. The arrests come after thousands of arrests throughout the country since the Trump administration took office in January. Trump promised to launch a “historic” mass deportation operation. Officials have said they are prioritizing public safety threats but are also not excluding illegal immigrants who do not have criminal convictions or charges. COLOMBIAN PRESIDENT URGES ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS IN US TO RETURN HOME DAYS AFTER DIPLOMATIC SPAT The administration has lifted a number of Biden-era restrictions on ICE agents, including limits on their ability to enter “sensitive” areas like churches or schools. COLOMBIAN PRESIDENT URGES ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS IN US TO RETURN HOME DAYS AFTER DIPLOMATIC SPAT On Monday, Fox News Digital reported that the administration has ended Temporary Protected Status — which protects migrants from certain nations from deportation — for over 300,000 deportations. The Biden administration had extended TPS for a number of nationalities before leaving office, a move that makes it harder for ICE to deport them. The move came after President Donald Trump announced that Venezuela had agreed to take back its illegal immigrants.
Hegseth declares ‘new era’ under Trump in visit to southern border in Texas
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Monday visited the southern border, declaring a “new era of determination” as the Trump administration doubles down on its efforts to secure the border and stop illegal immigration. “Because of President Donald Trump, this is a new era at the southern border, a new era of determination, a new era of cooperation. And at the Defense Department, we are proud to be a part of it,” Hegseth told reporters at a press conference in El Paso, Texas after Hegseth had toured the border. Hegseth emphasized that, rather than focusing on foreign territory, the administration wanted to focus first on U.S. sovereignty. HOMAN, LAWMAKERS SIGNAL COOPERATION ON ‘OVERLOOKED’ NORTHERN BORDER AMID MIGRANT SPIKE: ‘SAME VISION’ “Guys and gals of my generation have spent decades in foreign countries guarding other people’s borders. It’s about time we secure our own border,” he said. Trump deployed the U.S. military to the border on his first day in office, with over 1,500 troops joining forces already there. It’s part of a blitz that has correlated with a sharp drop in encounters at the southern border. Hegseth said the men and women dispatched to the border are excited to be there. “They’re motivated to be here because they’re defending their friends, their family, their communities, their church, their schools, their loved ones from an invasion of people whose intentions we don’t know,” he said. “We are going to get control of this border.” NEW SECRETARY OF STATE MARCO RUBIO PAUSES REFUGEE OPERATIONS, RAMPS UP VISA VETTING Hegseth’s visit to the southern border is the latest migration-focused trip by a Trump Cabinet official. His trip comes after DHS Secretary Kristi Noem was at the southern border in Del Rio, Texas on Saturday. She said she was there to see “firsthand what’s happening and how we can best support our Border Patrol agents.” “Under President [Trump] the days of open borders are over,” she said. CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE Meanwhile, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who had a migration-packed first week in office, left Saturday for his first overseas trip to Latin America. His visit includes trips to Panama, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Guatemala and the Dominican Republic. He is expected to return Thursday, and issues including migration, drug trafficking and gang violence are expected to be at the top of his agenda. Hegseth spoke alongside border czar Tom Homan, who said what was occurring with the use of the military and other government agencies to facilitate security and deportations is a “game changer.” “We will finally succeed and have an operational control of our southern border with this president in charge,” he said.
What we know about the Trump administration’s plans for a sovereign wealth fund
The U.S. Treasury and Commerce Departments will establish a sovereign wealth fund in accordance with a new executive order President Donald Trump signed on Monday. The sovereign wealth fund, a state-owned investment fund with various financial assets like stocks and bonds, could foot the bill for purchasing TikTok, according to Trump. “We’re going to be doing something perhaps with TikTok, and perhaps not,” Trump told reporters Monday. “If we make the right deal, we’ll do it. Otherwise, we won’t.” “But we could put that as an example in the fund,” Trump said. “And we have a lot of other things that we could put in the fund. And I think in a short period of time we’d have one of the biggest funds.” TRUMP SIGNS EXECUTIVE ORDER DELAYING TIKTOK BAN FOR 75 DAYS AS FUTURE OF APP REMAINS UNCERTAIN Countries like Norway and Saudi Arabia utilize sovereign wealth funds, as do multiple U.S. states. Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent said the sovereign wealth fund would be created within the next 12 months. “I think it’s going to create value and be of great strategic importance,” Bessent told reporters Monday. Bessent and Commerce Secretary nominee Howard Lutnick are instructed to devise a plan in the next 90 days for the creation of the fund, according to the White House. The proposal will include recommendations on funding mechanisms, investment strategies, fund structure and a governance model. More details on the sovereign wealth fund were not immediately available, and it’s unclear whether Congress will sign off on it. TRUMP NAMES TREASURY SECRETARY SCOTT BESSENT AS ACTING DIRECTOR OF THE CONSUMER FINANCIAL PROTECTION BUREAU However, Trump signaled on the campaign trail in 2024 that he was interested in a sovereign wealth fund, using revenue from tariffs to pour into the wealth fund and then use that money to pay for projects like highways, airports and medical research. Additionally, Rep. Morgan McGarvey, D-Ky., introduced legislation in September 2024 called the American Sovereign Wealth Fund Exploration Act to research ways to create a sovereign wealth fund in the U.S. Meanwhile, Trump has weighed in a few times on the future of TikTok in recent weeks and said that he’s spoken with multiple parties who are interested in purchasing the app. Although TikTok briefly went offline for U.S. users in January after the Supreme Court upheld a ban on the social media platform, Trump signed an executive order just hours after his inauguration on Jan. 20 delaying a ban on TikTok for 75 days. POTENTIAL TIKTOK BAN: WHAT SOCIAL MEDIA APPS ARE POPPING UP IN APP STORES The Supreme Court’s unanimous ruling on the TikTok ban cited national security concerns, specifically due to the “relationship with a foreign adversary” and the app’s data collection practices. But Trump said in the executive order delaying the ban that he has “the unique constitutional responsibility for the national security of the United States, the conduct of foreign policy, and other vital executive functions.” “To fulfill those responsibilities, I intend to consult with my advisors, including the heads of relevant departments and agencies on the national security concerns posed by TikTok, and to pursue a resolution that protects national security while saving a platform used by 170 million Americans,” Trump said in the executive order. “My Administration must also review sensitive intelligence related to those concerns and evaluate the sufficiency of mitigation measures TikTok has taken to date.” The Associated Press and Fox News’ Andrea Margolis contributed to this report.
FBI agents group tells Congress to take urgent action to protect against politicization
FIRST ON FOX— The Federal Bureau of Investigation Agent’s Association (FBIAA) sent a letter to House and Senate leaders Monday raising “urgent concerns” over recent actions taken by acting DOJ and FBI personnel, which they say could threaten the careers of thousands of employees and risks disrupting the bureau’s essential work. The FBIAA, a voluntary professional association representing more than 14,000 active and retired FBI special agents, cited in particular the order from acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove to terminate the entire FBI senior leadership team, and the assistant director in charge of the Washington Field Office, as well as the order for bureau employees to compile lists of all current and former personnel who worked on investigations related to January 6, 2021, and a Hamas-related case. The FBIAA said the lists “will be used to determine whether those individuals should face additional personnel actions,” though the Trump administration has not yet said it will move to take action against individuals involved. Still, the group said, the recent actions taken by the Trump administration have given them reason for concern. “Put simply, Special Agents who risk their lives protecting this country from criminals and terrorists are now being placed on lists and having their careers jeopardized for carrying out the orders they were given by their superiors in the FBI,” the group said, saying the actions both lack “transparency and due process,” and “are creating dangerous distractions, imperiling ongoing investigations, and undermining the Bureau’s ability to work with state, local, and international partners to make America safe again.” President Donald Trump declined to answer questions on Monday over whether his administration would remove FBI employees involved in the investigation into the Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol riot, telling reporters only that he believes the bureau is “corrupt” and that his nominee for FBI director, Kash Patel, will “straighten it out.” TRUMP’S ULTIMATUM TO FEDERAL WORKERS: RETURN TO OFFICE ‘OR BE TERMINATED’ “I think the FBI was a very corrupt institution, and I’m a victim of it in the true sense,” Trump told Fox News, adding that he believes the bureau’s reputation has been “damaged badly, as has the DOJ’s.” “But you know what, we have to have pristine, beautiful, perfect law enforcement,” Trump said. Former Justice Department officials have cited concerns that the actions could have an incredibly chilling effect on the work of the FBI, including its more than 52 separate field offices, whose agents have decades of experience in detecting and responding to counterterrorism threats, organized and violent crime, drug trafficking, and more. One retired FBI agent urged calm, noting to Fox News that the acting director and deputy director of the FBI still remain in place. This person also stressed that the Jan. 6 investigation and the FBI personnel involved in investigating each case “fully followed Bureau and DOJ guidelines,” and that violations of federal statutes were “proven beyond a reasonable doubt in federal courts of law.” “While convictions may be overturned or pardoned, nothing changes the original nexus of a federal investigation,” this person said. This is a breaking news story. Check back soon for updates.
‘Viper’s nest’: USAID accused of corruption, mismanagement long before Trump admin took aim
The U.S. Agency for International Development’s fate is hanging in the balance as the second Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, is working on an apparent overhaul of the agency. A review of USAID’s recent history shows that it repeatedly has been accused of financial mismanagement and corruption long before Donald Trump’s second administration, Fox News Digital found. Tech billionaire and DOGE Chair Elon Musk has been on a warpath against USAID — which is an independent U.S. agency that was established under the Kennedy administration to administer economic aid to foreign nations — as he leads DOGE’s mission of cutting government fat and overspending at the federal level. Musk announced in an audio-only message on X overnight on Sunday that “we’re in the process” of “shutting down USAID” and that Trump reportedly agreed to shutter the agency. USAID CLOSES HQ TO STAFFERS MONDAY AS MUSK SAYS TRUMP SUPPORTS SHUTTING AGENCY DOWN “With regard to the USAID stuff, I went over [it] with him in detail, and he agreed that we should shut it down,” he said. “I actually checked with him a few times [and] said, ‘Are you sure?’” He added that Trump responded, “Yes.” As of Monday morning, hundreds of USAID employees reported they were locked out of the agency’s computer system and that its headquarters in Washington, D.C., was closed on Monday. On X, Musk has railed against the organization as rife with “marxists” and is operating as a “criminal organization.” “USAID is a criminal organization. Time for it to die,” Musk posted to X on Sunday. “USAID was a viper’s nest of radical-left marxists who hate America,” he said in another message. GOP HARDLINERS RALLY AROUND TRUMP, MUSK SCALING BACK USAID Trump repeatedly proposed slashing the nation’s foreign aid budget for USAID and the State Department during his first administration, including proposing in his first year in office to slash the budgets by 37%, which Congress rejected. “With $20 trillion in debt, the government must learn to tighten its belt,” Trump said back in 2017 while advocating for the cuts. His rebuke of foreign aid stretches back even further to his 2016 presidential run, outlining in his famed candidacy speech next to the golden elevator at Trump Tower that the nation must “stop sending foreign aid to countries that hate us.” “It is necessary that we invest in our infrastructure, stop sending foreign aid to countries that hate us and use that money to rebuild our tunnels, roads, bridges and schools — and nobody can do that better than me,” he said in his 2015 speech announcing his candidacy for president. Fox News Digital looked back at the controversies USAID has faced in recent years, finding a bevy of allegations, including that the agency reportedly helped fund terrorist organizations and Chinese groups, and that its watchdog allegedly omitted negative findings from publicly published reports. Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment regarding the following USAID allegations in light of DOGE’s targeting of the agency, but did not immediately receive a reply. Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., sent a blistering letter to Biden-era USAID administrator Samantha Power in October 2024, sounding the alarm on the “likely misuse of more than one billion dollars in U.S. humanitarian aid sent to Gaza since October 2023,” Fox Digital reported at the time. “As I predicted would happen from the outset, credible reporting indicates that Hamas terrorists have diverted this aid; indisputable evidence demonstrates that the aid was always at high risk of diversion,” he continued, pointing to U.S. aid that was delivered to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), which he said has apparent ties to Hamas. SEN COTTON SAYS BIDEN-HARRIS LIKELY PROLONGED GAZA WAR, LET AID GO TO TERRORISTS: ‘BETRAYED’ TAXPAYERS Trump ended funding to UNRWA in 2018, when his first administration described the UN agency as an “irredeemably flawed operation.” Cotton pinned blame on the Biden-Harris administration for the “likely misuse,” seething that “in all likelihood,” the “administration has prolonged the Gaza war, allowed aid to flow to Israel’s enemies, and misused taxpayer funds.” “Your agency announced approximately $336 million in additional humanitarian funding for Gaza, Judea, and Samaria. On the same day, the United Nations acknowledged that Fateh al-Sharif, a Hamas leader in Lebanon killed in an Israeli airstrike, was employed by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency. UNRWA, a major USAID partner before October 7, remains a chief conduit for UN humanitarian assistance in Gaza despite extensive evidence of its ties to Hamas,” he continued. USAID pushed back on the claims in comment to Fox Digital at the time, saying it does not fund UNRWA. President Joe Biden halted U.S. funding to UNWRA in March of 2024 for one year. “USAID does not provide any funding to UNRWA, nor did we do so prior to October 7, 2023,” the spokesperson said in October 2024. “In addition to extensive risk mitigation procedures, USAID works closely with the Government of Israel to assist with the coordination of and discuss potential risks to all humanitarian assistance entering Gaza. USAID has not received evidence from the Government of Israel, our partners, or other sources to support the claims in Senator Cotton’s letter.” FLASHBACK: BIDEN ADMIN REPEATEDLY USED USAID TO PUSH ABORTION IN AFRICA Cotton’s office responded to the statement: “Administrator Power and USAID do not have an adequate vetting process to ensure that American taxpayer dollars do not end up with terrorists. If a terrorist front organization like UNRWA is the only ‘distribution system’ in Gaza, Power should reconsider sending aid there in the first place. Our tax dollars should not fund a group that has assisted in the kidnapping and murder of Americans.” A Syrian national named Mahmoud Al Hafyan, 53, was charged in November 2024 for allegedly diverting more than $9 million in U.S.-funded humanitarian aid to terrorist groups, including the Al-Nusrah Front. The Al-Nusrah Front, also known as Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham, is a designated terrorist organization
Legal experts say RFK Jr.’s move to give financial interest in vaccine lawsuits to family is ‘not unusual’
Amid scrutiny over Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s pledge to transfer his financial interest in vaccine lawsuits to his family, legal experts have criticized the move but note that Kennedy’s approach is not significantly different from actions taken by other public officials in the past. During Kennedy’s confirmation hearings last week, the potential next secretary of Health and Human Services was probed over his financial stake in personal-injury lawsuits tied to vaccines, in particular his ties to a suit against pharmaceutical company Merck and its Gardasil cervical cancer vaccine. While Kennedy would not initially commit to letting go of his stake against Merck, he reversed course in a written response to lawmakers’ questions following a hearing, noting he would amend his pledge and “will divest my interest in any such litigation via an assignment to my non-dependent, adult son.” While some legal experts have argued the move does not go far enough to quash potential conflicts for Kennedy, others say this approach is akin to that taken by several other public officials who have found themselves in a similar situation. Meanwhile, one legal expert suggested to Fox News Digital that the pass from Kennedy to his son “is more than sufficient to meet any ethical concerns.” LA TIMES OWNER SLAPPED WITH COMMUNITY NOTE AFTER AUTHOR OF RFK JR OP-ED CLAIMS ARTICLE EDITED OUT CRITICISM “That may comply with ordinary conflict of interest issues,” Jim Copland, director of legal policy at the Manhattan Institute, said. “I just don’t think the head of the Department of Health and Human Services has any business being involved in any way with litigation against Merck.” Fellow Manhattan Institute legal expert Ilya Shapiro said he is unsure whether Kennedy’s move will suffice in avoiding any real conflict, but added that he did recognize “it’s not unusual in light of past examples.” Both Democrats and Republicans have used family to shield themselves from ethics complaints related to their personal business dealings, with former President Joe Biden being a recent and notable example after a multi-year probe into his family business dealings that found both his son and brother were engaged in risky business relationships with foreign entities, such as China. Biden has repeatedly denied his involvement in those business dealings. Former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi similarly sought to defend her family’s business dealings after it was revealed her husband was making money investing in companies that had business in front of his wife. In response to questions from reporters about whether she agreed with efforts to ban federal lawmakers’ spouses from trading in stocks, Pelosi replied that “they should be able to participate in that.” Other notable figures who have used their families to shield their personal business dealings include President Donald Trump, who handed over control of his Trump Organization business empire to his sons, and the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein, whose investor husband, Richard Blum, managed investments through his firm Blum Capital Partners that often intersected with his wife’s work while she was in Congress. TRUMP-ALIGNED GROUP PUTTING PRESSURE ON REPUBLICAN SENATORS IN PUSH TO CONFIRM RFK JR. “It is my opinion that RFK, Jr.’s plan to pass on any financial stake in possible vaccine injuries to his son is more than sufficient to meet any ethical concerns,” Hans von Spakovsky, a senior legal fellow at the Heritage Foundation, told Fox News Digital. “This is particularly true because of the limitations imposed by federal law on any claims made against vaccine manufacturers that severely limit possible compensation for anyone claiming a vaccine was somehow defective.” Spakovsky posited that the federal government’s National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program, which prohibits civil litigation against drugmakers and instead directs the federal government to administer any vaccine-injury payments, serves to buffer the impact Kennedy could potentially have on vaccine-related injury payments. “RFK would have no authority whatsoever [over this program],” he said. “The point is that all of this is so disconnected from RFK, Jr.’s potential Cabinet position if he is confirmed, that anyone who says this is a ‘serious’ ethics problem is wrong.” Copland, who agreed with Spakovsky that the vaccine compensation program diminishes much of Kennedy’s advantage, said RFK Jr. could still benefit in an indirect manner. “I think it’s a more concerning conflict of interest than just saying, ‘Oh, you own a lot of equity interest in some company that may incidentally benefit you know,’” Copland said. “I mean, if you had a Defense Department secretary who was a CEO of a major military contractor, and then he passes that off to his son, I think you’d still have a concern about that due to the obvious conflict of interest there, which is different than a sort of ordinary, ‘Oh, I own a company, and it’s going to, incidentally, benefit from the government.’” RFK JR SPENT WEEKEND TALKING TO KEY SENATOR WHO COULD MAKE OR BREAK HIS CONFIRMATION Fox News legal analyst Andy McCarthy was more critical of Kennedy’s decision to pass off his financial interests to his son, noting that the fact he is “struggling to come up with a scheme to retain his stake, rather than doing the obvious right thing by abandoning it, underscores that this is a real conflict of interest.” “The comparison to family asset transfers in other contexts is inapposite and, in any event, misses the point,” McCarthy said. “Whatever one thinks of President Trump’s arrangements regarding his family business, voters knew about that business and elected him anyway – and the president is not in a position to recuse himself from executive decision-making based on conflicts of interest. By contrast, Kennedy wasn’t elected by anyone.” McCarthy added that after years “of justifiably complaining that President Biden was corruptly enriched by payments… made to his son and brother,” he finds it hard to believe “that Republicans can turn a blind eye to a financial stake, which would create a significant conflict of interest for RFK Jr. as HHS secretary, on the pretext that he plans to transfer the stake to
New York AG Letitia James advises hospitals to ignore Trump EO about sex-change procedures for minors
New York Attorney General Letitia James warned hospitals on Monday not to follow President Donald Trump’s directive to prohibit sex-change procedures for minors, arguing that doing so would violate state law. Trump’s executive order (EO), which was signed last week, was titled “Protecting Children From Chemical And Surgical Mutilation.” Its aim is to restrict “chemical and surgical” sex-change procedures for minors. “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,” the EO states. “This dangerous trend will be a stain on our Nation’s history, and it must end.” The declaration goes on to state that the U.S. “will not fund, sponsor, promote, assist, or support the so-called ‘transition’ of a child from one sex to another.” DETRANSITIONER SLAMS TRANS ‘PSEUDOSCIENCE’ THAT DOCTORS SAID WOULD SOLVE HER MENTAL DISTRESS: ‘IT’S QUACKERY’ In the letter, James argued that refusing to provide gender-affirming treatment would violate anti-discrimination laws in the Empire State. “Regardless of the availability of federal funding, we write to further remind you of your obligations to comply with New York State laws,” she said. In an email obtained by the Associated Press, the spokesperson for the Greater New York Hospital Association said that his organization was consulting with hospitals about the EO. “We are collaboratively working through every aspect of the EO to determine its legal and clinical implications,” spokesperson Brian Conway wrote. “That work is ongoing.” SIX SERVICEMEMBERS CHALLENGE TRUMP’S TRANSGENDER MILITARY EXECUTIVE ORDER In a recent interview, Fox News Channel senior medical analyst Dr. Marc Siegel explained that the main treatments that will be discouraged under the EO include puberty blockers and sex reassignment surgery for minors. “Puberty blockers, the main one is Lupron, which we use for prostate cancer, enough said,” Siegel said. “I mean, it interferes with bone growth, it can potentially interfere with fertility if it’s combined with hormones and it can interfere with thinking and cognition. I don’t believe that we can say the puberty blockers with hormones don’t have long-term side effects, they do.” “Surgery, we’re talking about mastectomies, we’re talking about upper and lower surgeries. I think that that’s something that’s not reversible and it should never be done on children,” the doctor added. “Proponents of this will say, ‘Well the longer you wait, the more the child suffers.’ I think that there’s conflicting research on that. I’m not convinced of that.” Siegel also stressed the importance of mental health treatment for teens and warned about the gravity of the decision to undergo sex-change procedures, which could be irreversible. “You have a child, they’re having gender confusion. Did they get enough mental health counseling?” Siegel said. “Did they get a chance to develop? Are they being pressured politically by somebody in society, their parents? And then, most importantly, is the intervention leading to something that’s not reversible?” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Fox News Digital reached out to James’ office and the White House for additional comment. The Associated Press and Fox News Digital’s Kendall Tietz contributed to this report.
NJ Dem gubernatorial candidates vow to impede ICE pursuit of illegal aliens
New Jersey Democratic gubernatorial candidates during the Garden State’s first primary debate of the year vowed to help illegal immigrants avoid President Trump’s ICE raids. Five out of six candidates raised their hands when debate moderator Joey Fox, of the New Jersey Globe, asked the Democrats on stage if they “believe that one of the goals of the next governor should be protecting immigrants in New Jersey, even those who are here illegally.” Candidates vowed to stand up to Trump, committed to comprehensive immigration reform, and vowed to prioritize humanity in the deportation process. NEW JERSEY GOVERNOR HOUSES MIGRANT AT HIS HOUSE, TELLS FEDS ‘GOOD LUCK’ TRYING TO GET HER But Rep. Mikie Sherrill did not raise her hand, instead responding, “We should protect people in New Jersey, especially with the Constitution.” TRUMP SIGNS LAKEN RILEY ACT INTO LAW AS FIRST LEGISLATIVE VICTORY IN NEW ADMINISTRATION However, candidates were less certain when discussing the Laken Riley Act, the first bill Trump signed into law during his second term. It mandates detaining illegal immigrants who are accused of committing dangerous crimes. “If you are a murderer, a criminal, a rapist, if you’re breaking into people’s homes in the middle of the night with a gun while the kids are sleeping, and you’re undocumented, you shouldn’t be here. You shouldn’t be in the state, you shouldn’t be in this country.” said Rep. Josh Gottheimer, who voted in support of the Laken Riley Act in the U.S. House of Representatives. Despite Gottheimer’s support for the act, he was careful to distinguish “innocent undocumented people” from those who commit violent crimes. “When I’m governor, I’m going to use the full force of the state to stop” Trump from rounding up “innocent undocumented people” at restaurants, churches and schools, the congressman clarified. The Trump administration doesn’t recognize such a distinction. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters last Tuesday that anyone in the United States illegally is considered a criminal. “They illegally broke our nation’s laws, and, therefore, they are criminals, as far as this administration goes,” Leavitt said in a now viral moment. “I know the last administration didn’t see it that way, so it’s a big culture shift in our nation to view someone who breaks our immigration laws as a criminal. But that’s exactly what they are.” Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop didn’t share Gottheimer’s support for the Laken Riley Act, calling it “dangerous.” “The Laken Riley Act served to undermine the authority of the attorney general here in New Jersey,” Fulop said. “It is a very dangerous piece of legislation as it relates to autonomy of the governor and the attorney general here, and it should not have been supported.” Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, a vocal opponent of the ICE raids authorized in his city during Trump’s first week in office, took opposition to the bill a step further. “You can’t say you support immigrants in New Jersey but vote for the Laken Riley Act,” Baraka said. “We need to stop having this conversation about people being murderers and killers and rapists and criminals. We know that’s a lie. There is no crime wave of immigrants in New Jersey.” Baraka went as far as to say Trump’s political agenda is rooted in “White supremacy and racism.” “It’s interesting that we keep saying that people are here illegally when we keep moving the goalpost,” Baraka said. “If we take away all of the pathways that people become documented citizens of the United States and then say they’re illegal, it’s a problem. We cannot risk the Fourth and 14th Amendment to push this political agenda that Donald Trump has really based in White supremacy and racism.” Former New Jersey Senate President Steve Sweeney said New Jersey should stand up to Trump’s deportations, emphasizing the lack of legal search warrants in these ICE raids. However, Sweeney agreed that someone with a criminal record who enters the United States or “someone that breaks the law in this country shouldn’t be in this country,” calling it a “privilege.” “With Donald Trump, we all should stand and oppose what Donald Trump’s doing. He’s breaking the law. He’s doing it illegally. He’s doing it without legal search warrants. It’s horrible what he’s doing.” Sweeney said. New Jersey Education Association President Sean Spiller echoed Sweeney’s distaste for Trump’s inhumane deportations, telling New Jerseyans they should be scared. “They’re coming for all of us, and that should scare every single one of us. That’s unacceptable. That’s what we stand up and fight back against,” Spiller said. Despite taking a hard line against President Trump, the Democratic candidates recognized immigration reform as a necessity. “I think that what’s missing in the conversation so many times is basic humanity,” Sherrill said. “We desperately need comprehensive immigration reform. We need to make sure people have a pathway to citizenship who are here, who are working hard, who are paying taxes, DACA recipients, TPS recipients. We also need better border security. We need to know what’s coming across our border.”