Dems say they’re against government waste, but they hate DOGE more
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Senate Democrats who spoke with Fox News Digital said they do support cutting some wasteful spending from the federal government, but not by Elon Musk. “Of course there’s some wasteful spending, but you don’t use a meat ax and cut everything,” Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said Wednesday after Fox News Digital asked whether there was some waste worth cutting. “We need to look at each program. We need to go through Congress and see what’s wasteful and move to eliminate it,” he said. Democrats have been critical of Elon Musk’s efforts at the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to slash “wasteful” federal spending, as the newly formed cost-cutting department rescinds hundreds of millions of dollars dished out by the previous administration. Democratic lawmakers told Fox News Digital on Capitol Hill they are generally in favor of cuts to federal spending but aren’t in support of how DOGE is conducting its sweep. VOCAL OPPOSITION TO ELON MUSK’S CUTS IS A ‘TERRIBLE’ STRATEGY, WARNS EX-DEMOCRAT ADVISOR “DOGE is turning the country over to the billionaires. They’re looking to make money for themselves,” said Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn. “They’re not interested in government efficiency.” Murphy told Fox “there’s plenty of money to be cut,” such as on prescription drugs, but “that’s not what DOGE is doing.” “We spent way too much money on prescription drugs. We pad the pockets of the drug industry every single year. We should be negotiating all of our prescription drug costs. We waste a ton of money on overspending,” Murphy said. JUDGE DENIES DEMOCRAT-LED EFFORT TO BLOCK DOGE ACCESS, CITING LACK OF PROVEN HARM Sen. John Hickenlooper, D-Colo., laughed, saying, “There’s always things that can be improved.” Democratic Sen. Andy Kim of New Jersey said, “There’s certainly waste and efficiencies that we can get better at,” but “the way in which it’s happening right now is not the right way to do it. “I mean, you’re having federal employees getting kicked out, and then we realize that we need them for bird flu or nuclear regulation and other things like that,” Kim told Fox News Digital. “It’s causing way too much chaos. But I would have been prepared to work in a bipartisan way. I still am.” Senators Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., told Fox they think there should be cuts to wasteful spending but did not elaborate on where that should be. DOGE has spent the past month entering federal agencies and uncovering billions in spending from the federal government that the Trump administration considers wasteful. The method sparked opposition from critics such as Schumer, who claimed DOGE “went after community health centers in Medicaid” and “many things that American families need, want and approve of.” Trump on Wednesday floated the idea of delivering 20% of the DOGE savings to taxpayers directly through personal checks to taxpaying households, while another 20% would be used to pay down the national debt.
NRSC chair reveals how many GOP Senate seats he’s gunning for during 2026 midterms
Call it Sen. Tim Scott’s 55-seat strategy. Scott, the conservative senator from South Carolina, told Fox News Digital soon after taking over late last year as chair of the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) he aimed to expand the GOP’s current 53-47 majority in the Senate. And Scott, in a Fox News Digital interview this week on Capitol Hill, is standing by his goal. “One hundred percent. It’s my stretch goal,” the senator reiterated. “The bottom line is, I believe that we can defend our current seats while adding at least two more seats to our numbers.” TOP POLITICAL HANDICAPPER REVEALS DEMOCRATS CHANCES OF WINNING BACK THE SENATE MAJORITY Scott, who last month became the longest-serving Black senator in the nation’s history, launched a campaign two years ago for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination before dropping out and endorsing Donald Trump. The senator, who was a top Trump surrogate on the campaign trail last year, emphasized that “the good news is, with President Donald Trump leading this country, the field is wide open, which means that we have more places to play, and the game is on.” Scott added the NRSC needs “to focus on the mechanics of making sure that the Donald J. Trump brand is reflected in our candidates.” Senate Republicans enjoyed a favorable map in the 2024 cycle as they flipped four seats from blue to red to win back control of the chamber. But the party in power — clearly the Republicans right now — traditionally faces political headwinds in the midterm elections. Nevertheless, an early read of the 2026 map indicates the GOP may be able to go on offense in some key states. FIRST ON FOX: SENATE GOP CAMPAIGN COMMITTEE SPOTLIGHTS ‘TEAM EFFORT’ Republicans will be targeting battleground Michigan, where Democratic Sen. Gary Peters recently announced he won’t seek re-election next year, as well as Georgia, another key battleground state, where first-term Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff is considered vulnerable. And in swing state New Hampshire, longtime Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen has yet to say whether she’ll seek another term in the Senate when she’s up for re-election next year. Days before Scott was interviewed by Fox News Digital, Democratic Sen. Tina Smith in blue-leaning Minnesota announced she wouldn’t run again in 2026. “Minnesota is an open seat. That’s a four-point state,” Scott said as he pointed to Trump’s better-than-expected performance in the state in November’s presidential election. “We can actually make gains there and bring home another red seat in Minnesota for the first time in a long time,” Scott predicted. Asked about GOP recruitment efforts in Minnesota, Scott responded, “I’m pleasantly surprised. We’ve already talked to two very highly qualified candidates and more to come.” Pointing to the current political landscape across the country, Scott touted that “we have a map that is wide open. All we need is time. Time is on our side right now. So, we’re excited about what’s going to happen over the next several weeks.” But Republicans are also playing defense in the 2026 cycle. Democrats plan to go on offense in blue-leaning Maine, where GOP Sen. Susan Collins is up for re-election, as well as in battleground North Carolina, where Republican Sen. Thom Tillis is also up in 2026. Scott acknowledges that the GOP will have to spend big bucks to defend those two seats, as well as in Ohio, where Republican Lt. Gov. Jon Husted was appointed last month to succeed Vice President JD Vance in the Senate. Husted will run next year to finish out Vance’s term. SENATE REPUBLICANS JUMP OUT TO FAST START IN THIS KEY CAMPAIGN METRIC Pointing to a likely price tag of well over $1 billion in those three races, Scott acknowledged that “we need to continue to have strong fundraising numbers and support our candidates as we defend our seats.” The NRSC recently announced a record $8.5 million in fundraising in January, which the committee says is its best ever off-year January haul. Asked if the NRSC could keep up the pace, Scott said, “Absolutely we can. The good news is we’re already on pace for February to have another record-breaking month.” And pointing to the president, Scott argued that “Trump brings a lot of enthusiasm. He made promises on the campaign trail, and now, as president, he’s keeping those promises. What does that convert to? Cash is king. People love a man who says what he’s going to do, he gets a job, he goes to work doing those things. It makes our job infinitely easier at the NRSC.” In the 2022 election cycle, when the Republicans blew a chance to win back the majority, NRSC Chair Rick Scott of Florida was criticized for a hands-off approach in the GOP Senate primaries. Last cycle, NRSC Chair Sen. Steve Daines of Montana got involved in Senate Republican nomination battles. Asked what he’ll do when it comes to contested GOP Senate primaries this cycle, Scott answered, “Whatever is in the best interest of the voters in each state, I will make a state-by-state decision on how we play and where we play.”
DOJ issues complaint about federal judge’s ‘misconduct’ while presiding over military trans ban court case
The Department of Justice (DOJ) has sent a written complaint about U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes to the Chief Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, Sri Srinivasan, following a tense case between the Trump administration and two LGBTQ groups. The letter, signed by Attorney General Pam Bondi’s Chief of Staff, Chad Mizelle, concerns what the DOJ characterized as Reyes’ “misconduct” during the proceedings in Nicolas Talbott et al. v. Donald J. Trump et al., a case brought by two LGBTQ groups challenging the Trump Administration’s Executive Orders barring transgender individuals from serving in the U.S. military. According to the complaint, the transcript “reveals multiple instances where Judge Reyes’ misconduct compromised the dignity of the proceedings and demonstrated potential bias, raising serious concerns about her ability to preside impartially in this matter.” JUDGE GRANTS 19 AGS PRELIMINARY INJUNCTION AGAINST DOGE ACCESS TO TREASURY PAYMENT SYSTEM During the proceedings, Judge Reyes listed off executive orders signed by President Trump since taking office, including recognizing only two sexes, blocking school funding from promoting the idea that gender can be fluid, directing the State Department to stop issuing documents allowing a third gender marker, and revoking the ability of trans federal employees to receive a sex change. She also called out the Trump administration for revoking an earlier regulation concerning trans people having equal access to homeless shelters. OFFICIALS PUSH BACK ON CLAIMS ON ‘LIST’ OF GENERALS HEGSETH PLANS TO FIRE AT PENTAGON The letter says Judge Reyes asked DOJ attorney Jason Lynch, “What do you think Jesus would say to telling a group of people that they are so worthless … that we’re not going to allow them into homeless shelters? Do you think Jesus would be, ‘Sounds right to me?’ Or do you think Jesus would say, ‘WTF? Of course, let them in?’” DOJ attorneys asserted that the line of questioning was “deeply problematic for several reasons” – including placing DOJ counsel in an untenable position of either appearing unresponsive or speculating about how an incoherent hypothetical aligns with Reyes’ personal religious beliefs. The letter highlighted another incident in which Judge Reyes engaged in a rhetorical exercise to draw parallels to trans people being barred from military service. The judge instructed DOJ counsel, “My new standing order says that no one who graduated from UVA Law School can appear before me. So, I need you to sit down, please. I need you to sit down.” TRUMP SAYS DEAL WITH UKRAINE FOR US ACCESS TO ITS RARE EARTH MINERALS IS ‘PRETTY CLOSE’ When counsel complied with this directive, the judge continued her hypothetical about UVA law graduates being banned from her courtroom because “they’re all liars and lack integrity.” The letter alleged that only after Judge Reyes used counsel as a physical prop did she allow him to continue the proceedings. She then asked counsel if he saw how unfair the reasoning was. Still, the DOJ asserted in its complaint that such treatment “undermines the dignity of counsel and the decorum of the courtroom.” There were times when Judge Reyes commended DOJ lawyer Jason Lynch, telling him and the gallery that he was doing a credible job arguing for the government in a difficult situation. The letter closes by requesting that “appropriate action be taken to address these violations,” saying that, at a “minimum, this matter warrants further investigation to determine whether these incidents represent a pattern of misconduct that requires more significant remedial measures.” U.S. District Court judges sit on the bench as a lifetime appointment. However, it is possible that Chief Judge Srinivasan could reprimand Judge Reyes, or possibly suggest she recuse herself from the case.
Judge blocks parts of Trump executive orders targeting DEI, citing free speech
A federal judge on Friday granted a preliminary injunction over parts of the Trump administration’s executive orders on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). The injunction largely blocks the sections of President Donald Trump’s orders that seek to end federal support for programs deemed to be DEI-related, and prevents the Trump administration from canceling contracts that they believe promote diversity, equity or inclusion. U.S. District Judge Adam Abelson in Baltimore, a Biden nominee, ruled that parts of the executive orders likely violate the Constitution and free speech. “The harm arises from the issuance of it as a public, vague, threatening executive order,” Abelson said in a hearing this week, adding that it would discourage businesses working with the government from openly supporting DEI. FEDERAL JUDGE TEMPORARILY STOPS TRUMP ADMIN FROM FIRING 11 INTELLIGENCE OFFICERS ASSIGNED TO DEI PROGRAMS The ruling comes after the city of Baltimore, the National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education, the American Association of University Professors and the Restaurant Opportunities Centers United – which represents restaurant workers – sued the Trump administration over the executive orders, calling them presidential overreach and anti-free speech. “Ordinary citizens bear the brunt,” attorneys for the plaintiffs wrote in the complaint. “Plaintiffs and their members receive federal funds to support educators, academics, students, workers, and communities across the country. As federal agencies make arbitrary decisions about whether grants are ‘equity-related,’ Plaintiffs are left in limbo.” They argued that Trump was encroaching on Congress’ powers in order to champion his personal beliefs. “But the President simply does not wield that power,” they wrote in the complaint. “And contrary to his suggestions otherwise, his power is not limitless.” TRUMP SCORES BIG LEGAL WIN AGAINST PULITZER PRIZE BOARD MEMBERS AS LAWSUIT MOVES TO DISCOVERY Trump signed an order on his first day in office directing federal agencies to terminate all “equity-related” grants or contracts. He signed a follow-up order requiring federal contractors to certify that they don’t promote DEI. The Trump administration argued in a Wednesday hearing that the president was only banning DEI programs that violate federal civil rights laws. “What’s happening is an overcorrection and pulling back on DEI statements,” attorney Aleshadye Getachew said in a hearing. A second federal lawsuit was also filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia on Wednesday targeting Trump’s DEI executive orders. The new complaint was filed by the NAACP Legal Defense Fund and Lambda Legal on behalf of nonprofit advocacy organizations. The lawsuit is aimed at Trump’s executive orders: “Ending Radical and Wasteful DEI Programs and Preferencing,” “Defending Women From Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government,” and “Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity.” White House spokesman Harrison Fields said both lawsuits represented “nothing more than an extension of the left’s resistance,” adding in a statement to the New York Times that the administration was “ready to face them in court.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “Radical leftists can either choose to swim against the tide and reject the overwhelming will of the people, or they can get on board and work with President Trump to advance his wildly popular agenda,” Fields said. Fox News’ Danielle Wallace and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Trump says deal with Ukraine for US access to its rare earth minerals is ‘pretty close’
President Donald Trump on Friday said his administration is “pretty close” to striking a deal with Ukraine for rights to access its natural resources in exchange for the United States’ billions of dollars in support for the country against Russia. “You know, I think they want it, and they feel good about it,” Trump told reporters on Friday in the Oval Office after the swearing-in ceremony of Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. “And it’s significant. It’s a big deal. But they want it, and it keeps us in that country. And they’re very happy about it. “We get our money back. They should have been signed long before we went in. They should have been signed by Biden. But Biden didn’t know too much about what he was doing. The war should have never happened, No. 1. When it did happen, it could have been settled. “The first week or two weeks after that, it got bad. It got really bad, but it should have been, it should have never happened. And it should have been settled, and it could have been settled very easily at the beginning. Now it’s tougher, but we’ll get it settled.” TRUMP CALLS UKRAINE’S ZELENSKYY A ‘DICTATOR WITHOUT ELECTIONS’ AS RIFT WIDENS During his speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) Friday, Trump’s National Security Advisor, Mike Waltz, said, “Here’s the bottom line: President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is going to sign that deal, and you will see that in the very short term.” Waltz also told “Fox & Friends” this week that Ukraine should “tone down” its criticism of Trump and “come back to the table” to work out an economic deal with the U.S. The deal for U.S. access to Ukraine’s rare earth minerals is part of broader negotiations to end the war in Ukraine after Russia invaded the country in 2022. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told Fox News Wednesday Trump is creating a “win-win” partnership between the United States and Ukraine with the deal days after meeting with Zelenskyy in Kyiv. “Part of my trip was to go and tell the Ukrainian people that we wanted an economic partnership with them,” Bessent told Bret Baier on “Special Report.” “So, President Trump’s vision is [to] bring the Ukrainian people and the American people closer together economically, show the Ukrainian people that we support them, show the American people that the money that is going into Ukraine, that there is going to be a return, that there’s going to be a long-term partnership.” REPUBLICAN SENATORS BACK TRUMP’S DEMAND FOR UKRAINE ELECTIONS, BUT WON’T CALL ZELENSKYY ‘DICTATOR’ The Trump administration is seeking to recoup the cost of aid sent to the war-torn country by gaining access to rare earth minerals like titanium, iron and uranium. The delay also comes amid rising tensions between Trump and Zelenskyy as the U.S. works with Russian officials to broker a peace deal in the ongoing war. Trump argued on Fox News Zelenskyy has “no cards” to negotiate leverage for a deal as the pair have publicly hurled insults at one another in recent days. “I’ve been watching this man for years now as his cities get demolished, as his people get killed, as his soldiers get decimated,” Trump told Fox News co-host Brian Kilmeade. “I’ve been watching him negotiate with no cards. He has no cards, and you get sick of it,” he added. “You just get sick of it, and I’ve had it.” Trump argued Zelenskyy is a poor negotiator, noting Bessent traveled to Ukraine last week to broker a mineral agreement, worth hundreds of billions of dollars, but said the pair “couldn’t even come close” to a deal. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP The president said the trip was dangerous for Bessent and a waste of time. The deal would have helped U.S. investment in the war-torn nation and also provided “the best security guarantee they could ever hope for,” according to Waltz. Fox News’ Bailee Hill contributed to this report.
Supreme Court pauses Trump administration’s effort to fire head of whistleblower protection agency
The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday paused the Trump administration’s efforts to dismiss the head of an independent agency charged with investigating whistleblower claims as the president seeks to remake the federal government. The decision allows Hampton Dellinger, a Biden appointee, to remain as head of the Office of Special Counsel at least through Feb. 26. The high court kept that deadline in place and won’t take any further action until then. The Trump administration asked the court to overturn a lower court’s temporary reinstatement of Dellinger. A district court hearing is scheduled to consider whether to extend the pause on Dellinger’s firing. FEDERAL JUDGE ORDERS TRUMP ADMIN TO RESTORE PUBLIC HEALTH WEB PAGES Liberal justices Sonia Sotomayor and Ketanji Brown Jackson voted to outright deny the administration’s request to OK the firing. Conservative justices Neil Gorsuch and Samuel Alito dissented, saying the lower court overstepped, and they cast doubt on whether courts have the authority to restore to office someone the president has fired. While acknowledging that some officials appointed by the president have contested their removal, Gorsuch wrote in his opinion that “those officials have generally sought remedies like backpay, not injunctive relief like reinstatement.” The dispute over Dellinger is the first legal challenge to reach the Supreme Court after several firings under the Trump administration. HOUSE DEMS ORGANIZE RAPID RESPONSE TASK FORCE AND LITIGATION GROUP TO COMBAT TRUMP AGENDA Dellinger sued the Trump administration in Washington, D.C., federal court after his Feb. 7 firing. “I am glad to be able to continue my work as an independent government watchdog and whistleblower advocate,” Dellinger said in a statement after Friday’s proceedings. “I am grateful to the judges and justices who have concluded that I should be allowed to remain on the job while the courts decide whether my office can retain a measure of independence from direct partisan and political control.” He has argued that, by law, he can only be dismissed from his position for job performance problems, which were not cited in an email dismissing him from his post. Trump began his second term in the White House with a flurry of executive orders and directives that have since been targeted by a flood of legal challenges. Since Jan. 20, dozens of lawsuits have been filed over the administration’s actions, including the president’s birthright citizenship order, immigration policies, federal funding freezes, federal employee buyouts, Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency and legal action against FBI and DOJ employees.
Trump nominates Air Force Lt. Gen. Dan ‘Razin’ Caine for Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman
President Donald Trump on Friday night nominated Air Force Lt. Gen. Dan “Razin” Caine to be the next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. “General Caine is an accomplished pilot, national security expert, successful entrepreneur, and a “warfighter” with significant interagency and special operations experience,” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social announcing the nomination. $1,300 COFFEE CUPS, 8,000% OVERPAY FOR SOAP DISPENSERS SHOW WASTE AS DOGE LOCKS IN ON PENTAGON Trump said during his first term, Caine was “instrumental” in the “complete annihilation” of the ISIS caliphate. “It was done in record setting time, a matter of weeks. Many so-called military ‘geniuses’ said it would take years to defeat ISIS,” the president wrote. “General Caine, on the other hand, said it could be done quickly, and he delivered.” Trump said despite Caine “being highly qualified and respected,” he was “passed over for promotion by Sleepy Joe Biden.” TRUMP ISSUES WARNING ABOUT WASTEFUL SPENDING, ORDERS ‘RADICAL TRANSPARENCY’ AMID DOGE PROBES, REVELATIONS “But not anymore! Alongside Secretary Pete Hegseth, General Caine and our military will restore peace through strength, put America First, and rebuild our military,” Trump wrote. “Finally, I have also directed Secretary Hegseth to solicit nominations for five additional high level positions, which will be announced soon.” “General Caine embodies the warfighter ethos and is exactly the leader we need to meet the moment. I look forward to working with him,” Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth wrote in a statement to Fox News Friday night. While it is typical for Joint Chiefs chairmen to remain in their positions during shifts of power, Trump made the decision to find a replacement. Both Trump and Hegseth gave a nod to the departing chairman, four-star fighter pilot General Charles “CQ” Brown. “I want to thank General Charles “CQ” Brown for his over 40 years of service to our country, including as our current Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff,” Trump wrote. “He is a fine gentleman and an outstanding leader, and I wish a great future for him and his family.” Hegseth added Brown served with “distinction in a career spanning four decades of honorable service.” “I have come to know him as a thoughtful adviser and salute him for his distinguished service to our country,” he wrote. The Secretary of Defense has been outspoken about Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) policies adversely affecting military operations, and previously suggested firing Brown and other top leaders. Hegseth said he is requesting nominations for the positions of Chief of Naval Operations and Air Force Vice Chief of Staff. “The incumbents in these important roles, Admiral Lisa Franchetti and General James Slife, respectively, have had distinguished careers,” Hegseth wrote. “We thank them for their service and dedication to our country. “ Hegseth said the department is also requesting nominations for the Judge Advocates General for the Army, Navy and Air Force. “Under President Trump, we are putting in place new leadership that will focus our military on its core mission of deterring, fighting and winning wars,” he wrote.
Judge grants 19 AGs preliminary injunction against DOGE access to Treasury payment system
A federal judge on Friday granted an injunction requested by 19 attorneys general to prevent the Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) from having access to the Treasury Department’s central payment system. The ruling by U.S. District Judge Jeannette Vargas extends the pause by issuing a preliminary injunction, a legal step that blocks access to the records while the case is litigated on the merits. In her 64-page decision, Vargas noted she was granting the preliminary injunction preventing DOGE from accessing the payment records because of the possible disclosure of the states’ bank records. However, she also said the plaintiffs “have not demonstrated that they are entitled to the broad and sweeping relief they seek, which would far exceed the scope of the present TRO (Temporary restraining order).” TRUMP ISSUES WARNING ABOUT WASTEFUL SPENDING, ORDERS ‘RADICAL TRANSPARENCY’ AMID DOGE PROBES, REVELATIONS Vargas is giving Trump administration attorneys the chance to fix any defects so that the sensitive information will be protected. A report is due March 24. Last week, a federal judge extended a temporary order to block DOGE from accessing Treasury payment systems. A lawsuit filed by the 19 AGs claims DOGE illegally accessed the Treasury Department’s central payment system at the Trump administration’s behest. The payment systems have information about Americans’ Social Security, Medicare and veterans’ benefits; tax refund information; and much more. Lawyers for the administration argued that the temporary restraining order “causes ongoing constitutional harm to the Treasury Department’s ability to make management decisions within its lawful discretion.” TREASURY ‘MISTAKENLY’ GAVE MUSK DOGE WORKER ABILITY TO CHANGE PAYMENTS SYSTEM: COURT DOCS Defense attorneys argued that there is nothing unlawful about the Treasury Department’s actions. Treasury officials have denied violating privacy laws, saying only two members of the DOGE team had been given “read-only” access to information in the payment systems. The lawsuit was filed in New York by the office of New York Attorney General Letitia James, a vocal Trump critic. It includes attorneys general from Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont and Wisconsin. “We just won a court order stopping DOGE and unauthorized, unelected, and unvetted individuals like Elon Musk from accessing people’s private data and blocking federal funds,” James wrote Friday on X. “We will keep fighting to protect all Americans from this administration’s destruction.” The AGs argue that granting DOGE access to the payment system puts Americans’ sensitive, personal information, such as bank account details and Social Security numbers, at risk. Fox News’ William Mears and Maria Paronich contributed to this report.
Karoline Leavitt offers words of wisdom to young women at CPAC: ‘Just believe in yourself’
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt offered words of wisdom to young women across the nation from the stage at the Conservative Political Action Conference Friday evening, urging them to “stay strong, speak the truth,” and believe in themselves. Leavitt sat down for a fireside chat hosted by former White House communications director Mercedes Schlapp, who served during the first Trump administration. ELON MUSK MAKES CPAC DEBUT AS A SURPRISE GUEST Schlapp said young women across the country admire Leavitt, who is the youngest White House press secretary in United States history and are inspired by her. Schlapp asked Leavitt what her message to young women is. “Stay strong, speak the truth and don’t let anybody tell you that you can’t achieve your dream, or you can’t get to that next step. Just believe in yourself,” Leavitt said. ‘WHO IS KAROLINE LEAVITT?’ NEW FOX NATION SPECIAL CHRONICLES THE RISE OF THE GEN Z PRESS SECRETARY “Because there will be a lot of people who don’t believe in you—who cast doubt on you, who talk bad about you,” Leavitt said. “Screw ‘em,” she said, drawing laughter and applause from the CPAC audience. “It doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter.” Leavitt, 27, served in the first Trump administration as a White House press aide. She then worked for Rep. Elise Stefanik, and later launched her own campaign for New Hampshire’s 1st congressional district in 2022. Leavitt served as national press secretary for the 2024 Trump campaign. But Leavitt also praised the “amazing” women working in the second Trump administration. VP JD VANCE SPEAKS ON ‘FUNDAMENTAL GOAL’ OF TRUMP ADMINISTRATION AT CPAC ADDRESS “Look at the White House and look at the exceptional Cabinet President Trump has put together,” Leavitt said. “While we don’t care about identity politics…the president has appointed Susie Wiles, our first female chief of staff in United States history; Brooke Rollins heading up as our secretary of agriculture—look across the entire Cabinet. There are incredible women—Linda McMahon, leading the Department of Education—the list goes on and on.” “The White House is full of working women,” she continued. “In fact, I was going up the staircase in the West Wing today and saw two of my female colleagues, both of whom are pregnant having babies this year and they are working and they are saving America because President Trump believes in the best people for the job—the brightest people for the job.” Leavitt is also a new mother to a seven-month-old baby boy. “It is the best thing ever,” Leavitt said of being a mother. When asked why she is doing what she is doing, Leavitt replied: “For him and for all of the other children in this country.” “We have a country to save,” Leavitt said. “I want my son to grow up in a free and patriotic America that we can be proud of.”
Slashing energy development red tape, beating China in ‘AI arms race’ top priorities for nations’ governors
“It shouldn’t take longer to approve an [energy] project than it takes to build it,” said National Governors Association Vice Chair Kevin Stitt at Friday’s conference in Washington. That, the Oklahoma Republican said, is the collective picture painted of all the problems with government bureaucracy at all levels that imperils the U.S.’ ability to stay ahead of China in terms of cyberthreat-prevention and energy dominance. Permitting reform is one of the most important things to address with a new administration and new state government sessions beginning, the governors collectively expressed. There was bipartisan consensus at the NGA that America must move responsibly toward a future secure from malign foreign actors in both cybersecurity and energy development. NJ RESIDENTS HIT WITH DOUBLING BILLS AS LAWMAKERS FUME OVER MURPHY’S ‘ENERGY DISASTER PLAN’ “Permitting reform is one of those issues where both Republicans and Democrats recognize the problem, we largely agree on solutions,” Stitt said, adding it is a national security issue that the U.S. must streamline permitting. “Our allies need affordable, reliable energy and the US has the resources to provide that,” he said. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum spoke at length on that matter, saying America is in competition with foreign rivals like Russia, China, Iran and North Korea whether they like it or not. “It’s key that we win the AI arms race with China,” he said, citing bot-powered attacks that can be much more effective than human hackers. “They would have the ability to take down the electric grid. They have the ability to disrupt everything that we know in our country. And they wouldn’t have to put a single soldier on the ground, but it could completely disrupt us and our economy. So, winning that AI arms race doesn’t just take software developers, it takes more electricity.” “We’re in a competition… against other countries that aren’t slowing themselves down with the level of bureaucracy that we have,” Burgum said, citing the threat of cyberattacks from Russia, China, Iran and North Korea. Burgum and the governors discussed the promise of nuclear energy and new technology that allows for the portability of such operations, where plants that generate power can be placed much closer to where that power is needed. Stitt remarked that when Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro issued an order mandating his own government to rule on infrastructure permit applications within two weeks or give the applicant their money back, he didn’t want to get “beat by a Democrat” in that idea so he quickly issued his own order. HOCHUL DOES APPARENT ABOUT-FACE ON NATURAL GAS AS NYC UTILITY SIGNALS MAJOR RATE HIKES Shapiro also said Pennsylvania conducted an audit of permit applications earlier in his term and found 3,400 – leading him to order there be cataloging going forward. Despite Bethlehem Steel’s stacks laying dormant 25 years on, and the massive St. Nicholas Breaker coal processor long gone, Pennsylvania remains the nation’s second-largest energy net-exporter – a fact noted by the governor. The first North American discovery of oil occurred in the mid-1800s in Venango County, and some of the longest-producing wells remain active in Pennsylvania, though the Commonwealth has been far surpassed in that regard by Texas, Alaska and other states. “We’re proud of our legacy as a national energy leader,” Shapiro said. “We’ve got to get to-market quickly [regarding] energy projects.” Pennsylvania produced more than 7 trillion cubic feet of natural gas in 2023. But there has been a push-pull effect of former Democratic Gov. Ed Rendell banning fracking on state parkland, Republican Gov. Tom Corbett reversing that, and Shapiro’s Democratic predecessor Tom Wolf then restoring Rendell’s moratorium. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Shapiro indicated Friday he would be taking a more measured approach to responsibly developing the Commonwealth’s resources. He cited the bipartisan SPEED Act out of Harrisburg, which provides for third-party permitting review while also accelerating the overall process. Burgum called the work of a governor one of the hardest, but remarked that it is about to “become more fun than it’s ever been” with the accessibility of the Trump administration. In that regard, South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster described how cabinet secretaries had shared their own personal contact information following a Friday White House meeting – and that President Donald Trump invited calls as well but did not share his own number. “I’ve got it, but I’m going to hold onto it,” he joked.