Maine female athlete ‘grateful’ for Trump’s focus on trans competitors after local leaders ‘failed’ girls
A high school female track and field athlete is praising President Donald Trump for doing what she said state lawmakers won’t: protect women from biological males competing against them in sports. Zoe, who competed in shot put at Maine’s Class B state indoor championship meet on Monday, said she is “grateful” for the president’s announcement that he will be cutting federal funding to Maine over its defiance of Trump’s order to keep men out of women’s sports, adding that leaders in the state “have failed our female athletes.” “State leaders have failed our female athletes and there needs to be repercussions for their neglect,” Zoe said. “We feel seen and heard because of this announcement and hope that steps will continue to be made to protect women’s sports in Maine.” ESPN STAR STEPHEN A SMITH MAKES STANCE ON TRANS INCLUSION IN WOMEN’S SPORTS CLEAR During the state championship meet, Katie Spencer, who competed as a male named John Rydzewski in pole-vaulting as recently as June 2024, out-jumped every other female by half a foot. Spencer’s winning pole vault was pivotal in helping Spencer’s track and field team at Greely High School in Cumberland, Maine, win the Class B state championship meet by just a single point. Following news of what happened, Trump announced that Maine would lose public funding until “they clean that up.” Republican Maine state Rep. Laurel Libby began sounding the alarm after Spencer won the women’s pole-vaulting state championship on Monday. In an interview with Fox News Digital, she reiterated Zoe’s concern that without some sort of federal intervention nothing was going to change. Several years ago, the state amended its state Human Rights Act to include protections for gender-identity, and since Democrats control both chambers of the legislature and the governor’s office, Libby said there is “a 0% chance” they will repeal it. CA LAWMAKERS INTRODUCE BILL PROTECTING GIRLS FROM TRANS ATHLETES AFTER STATE REFUSES TO FOLLOW TRUMP’S ORDER Following Trump’s Feb. 5 executive order threatening to end public funding to schools that do not keep men out of women’s sports, the Maine Principals’ Association, the primary governing body for high school athletics in the state, said that the president’s order conflicts with state law aimed at protecting human rights. As a result, the association said it will defer to the latter when it comes to determining athletic eligibility. Sarah Perry, a civil rights attorney who has extensive experience litigating Title IX issues, said that in addition to Trump’s executive order, the association is also flouting directives from the Department of Education and previously established precedent from a slew of cases that challenged former President Joe Biden’s Title IX regulations allowing athletic eligibility to be determined by one’s preferred gender identity. Perry noted that besides the obvious risk of losing funding, these states also open themselves up to federal Title IX investigations, something she said could potentially force them to comply with Trump’s demands. Fox News Digital reached out to the Maine Principals’ Association for comment but did not receive a response by publication time. NCAA RESPONDS AS CRITICS CALL OUT POTENTIAL LOOPHOLES IN ITS NEW TRANS-ATHLETE POLICY “It is absolutely reprehensible that people in a position of power would allow this against children who are trying to compete,” Libby said. “There will not be enforcement from the state level, that is absolutely clear. So the only mechanism of enforcement that we have is for the administration to intervene.” Libby noted that after posting about Spencer’s state championship title on social media, a young female competitor at the meet commented that she and her teammates did not even know they would be competing against a biological male until they arrived at the state championship meet on Monday. “It was so disheartening to find out, because, you immediately know the result,” Libby told Fox News Digital. Libby also pointed out that it was illustrative of a larger problem in Maine when it comes to protecting women’s rights in athletics. TRANS ATHLETE AND ‘UNCOMFORTABLE’ OPPONENT SPEAK OUT AFTER ALLEGED INCIDENT PROMPTS CIVIL RIGHTS COMPLAINT “This is not a first-time scenario here,” she said. “There is another boy who has been running girls’ cross-country for several fall seasons now. He was a mediocre athlete as a boy, but as a girl he is doing extremely well. This is increasing in Maine. And unless something is done at the federal level, I think we’re just going to see more and more of it.” Due to the win, Spencer has now automatically qualified for the multistate regional championships, taking the spot that would have been awarded to the female athlete who garnered second place had Spencer competed in the boys’ division. Trump on Thursday said that Maine will not receive federal funding until it complies with his executive order requiring schools and athletic associations to ensure biological males do not compete on women’s sports teams. “I heard men are still playing in Maine,” the president said Friday during a speech at the annual National Governors Association conference in Washington, D.C. “I hate to tell you this, but we’re not going to give any federal money. They are still saying, ‘We want men to play in women’s sports,’ and I cannot believe they are doing that… so we’re not going to give them any federal funding, none whatsoever, until they clean that up.” ‘LIGHT IT ON FIRE AND THROW IT IN THE GARBAGE’: FORMER ALL-AMERICAN TENNIS PLAYER SLAMS NCAA’S TRANSGENDER POLICY Trump met with governors at the White House on Friday, including Maine’s Democratic Gov. Janet Mills, amid the conference taking place in the nation’s capital. For a brief moment, Trump and Mills got into a verbal skirmish over his move to slash the state’s federal funding due to its defiance against Trump’s executive order barring men from competing in women’s sports. “You better do it because you’re not going to get federal funding,” Trump said to Mills, to which she responded: “We’re going to follow the law, sir. We’ll see
Alleged fentanyl-smuggling immigrants lead police on dangerous cornfield chase
New exclusive video obtained by Fox News reveals intense moments from a high-speed vehicle chase as law enforcement pursued two illegal immigrants suspected of carrying fentanyl through a cornfield in Grundy County, Illinois, late last year. A Grundy County official told Fox News that Illinois sanctuary state policies allowed the two Honduran illegal immigrants to travel through the county unchecked. Grundy is a primarily rural county northwest of Chicago. The footage, taken Oct. 24, shows the two immigrants, Roybin Barahona, 18, and Cristhian Anahel Erazo Velasquez, 23, swerving in a vehicle through the cornfield, and authorities rammed a vehicle into their car to get them to stop. After their car was rammed, the two men fled their sedan, and officers continued their pursuit. ACTIVISTS IN MEXICO REPORT FLOW OF MIGRANTS HAS ‘ENORMOUSLY DECREASED’ ONE MONTH INTO TRUMP ADMIN Footage taken later shows law enforcement discovering a deadly payload of seven pounds of fentanyl in the immigrants’ burned-out vehicle. Both were charged with controlled substance trafficking, possession with intent to deliver fentanyl and resisting arrest, according to local outlet WSPY News. Due to the Illinois SAFE-T Act, which abolished Illinois’ cash bail system in 2023, Barahona was released without bail, after which he allegedly fled to California. CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE Velasquez, meanwhile, remains in custody, and the Department of Homeland Security has filed a detainer against him. Despite the detainer, Illinois sanctuary laws continue to prevent local law enforcement from sharing information with federal immigration officials about Velasquez. Speaking with Fox News, Grundy County Board Chairman Drew Muffler voiced his frustration with the Illinois sanctuary law. He said that “because we are a sanctuary state, it allowed for illegal bad actors to be traveling with seven pounds of fentanyl through our county. PRESIDENT TRUMP: FOUNDING FATHERS ‘SPINNING IN THEIR GRAVES’ BECAUSE OF BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP ABUSE “I don’t agree with putting handcuffs on law enforcement and preventing them from working effectively with federal authorities,” he said. “By restricting law enforcement’s ability to enforce the law, we are undermining public safety.” Grundy County was the first of several dozen counties in Illinois that defied the state by enacting a non-sanctuary ordinance. This comes after an influx of over 51,000 immigrants were bussed to Chicago since the summer of 2022. During the migrant crisis, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson has doubled down on the city’s sanctuary policies, saying in a recent ABC 7 Chicago interview, “We will always remain a welcoming and sanctuary space.” Johnson vowed to resist the Trump administration’s crackdown on illegal immigration and called the decision to allow ICE to carry out enforcement and removal operations on church and school properties “unconscionable and reprehensible.”
Fox News Politics Newsletter: Outside the Maine-stream
Welcome to the Fox News Politics newsletter with the latest updates on the Trump administration, Capitol Hill and more Fox News politics content. Here’s what’s happening… -White House protector and most-decorated K-9 in US history dies: ‘A very good boy’ -Noem makes aggressive new move to ramp up arrests, deportations of illegal immigrants –Luigi Mangione’s CEO murder case raises concerns activist jurors may ignore evidence President Donald Trump on Thursday announced that he will cut off federal funding to the state of Maine if it continues to defy his executive order preventing trans athletes from competing in girls’ and women’s sports. “I heard men are still playing in Maine,” Trump said to a gathering of Republican governors in Washington on Thursday. “I hate to tell you this, but we’re not going to give them any federal money, they are still saying ‘we want men to play in women’s sports’ and I can not believe that they’re doing that… So we’re not going to give them any federal funding, none whatsoever, until they clean that up.”…Read more NO TROs: Trump’s DOGE stays on track after pair of federal judge rulings…Read more ‘PARDON CZAR’: Trump appoints Alice Marie Johnson ‘pardon czar’ during Black History Month event at White House…Read more NOT LEAVING?: Group of Venezuelans sue Trump admin for temporary immigration protections…Read more MIDDLE EAST: Hamas claims remains of mother of two young boys mixed with other human remains after Israeli airstrike…Read more ‘VERY FRUSTRATED’: US turns up pressure on Ukraine to reach peace deal as Trump’s frustrations with Zelenskyy escalate…Read more PUTTING UP A WALL: Joint Chiefs chairman heads to US-Mexico border to review troops…Read more ‘BRAZEN VIOLATION’: Israel’s Netanyahu calls for ‘revenge’ after Hamas returns wrong remains…Read more SENATE OUT-HUSTLES HOUSE: Senate border budget triumphs after all-night session while Trump-backed House bill lags…Read more WHO LET THE DOGE OUT?: Red state governor says DOGE aligns with GOP’s ‘fiscal sanity’…Read more CUT THE ‘BS’: Defense Sec. Hegseth on working with DOGE…Read more TRUMP WEIGHS IN: Trump says this congressman would have his ‘Total Endorsement’ if he runs for Florida governor…Read more ‘OUT OF CONTROL’: Chainsaw-wielding Elon Musk makes ‘Dark MAGA’ appearance with Javier Milei at CPAC…Read more ‘FULL TRANSPARENCY’: Kash Patel lays out FBI’s top priorities in letter to subordinates…Read more ‘KICKED OUT’: AG Bondi on how to deal with violent anti-Israel student protesters in the US on visas…Read more DOGE DISCIPLE: Sec. Doug Burgum says Interior Dept. is ‘completely embracing the DOGE effort’…Read more Get the latest updates on the Trump administration and Congress, exclusive interviews and more on FoxNews.com.
Anti-Trump measure ignores ‘rising crime’ and ‘cost of living,’ blue state GOP officials charge
Colorado lawmakers spent hours Friday afternoon considering a Democrat-led resolution to condemn President Donald Trump’s pardons of Jan. 6 prisoners while the state grapples with an estimated $1.2 billion budget shortfall for the 2025-26 fiscal year. “With skyrocketing costs, a $1 billion budget deficit, rising crime and an affordability crisis pushing families to the brink, it is appalling that the majority is more focused on passing meaningless, partisan resolutions instead of addressing the real concerns of Coloradans,” Republican minority leader Rep. Rose Pugliese told Fox News Digital in a statement. Pugliese also called the resolution “political theater” to “divide rather than deliver results for our communities.” The measure passed by a 41-23 vote in the Democrat-controlled state House of Representatives. Rep. Lisa Feret, a Democrat, voted against the resolution. COLORADO POISED TO BAN SALE OF AR-15S, OTHER RIFLES AND SHOTGUNS WITH EXTENDED MAGS Republicans, who spent time providing public comment against the bill, also turned their chairs around to face away from the assembly speaker during the hearing. Lawmakers tried to introduce several amendments to the resolution to change some of the phrasing used in the bill, but they were rejected. “To Hell with your concerns about cost of living, crime, and other important issues,” Republican state Rep. Jarvis Caldwell wrote on X. “Democrats are running another January 6th resolution. We turned our chairs in protest, and now we’re having a debate about it.” State Republican Rep. Ryan Gonzalez also posted on X, saying, “The majority, instead of addressing issues the voters sent us to do—are instead passing messaging resolutions aimed *indirectly* at the sitting President.” The Colorado House GOP X account posted that “not one life in Colorado will be saved by this resolution.” Another X post said, “Democrats could be working on real solutions to our 1 BILLION dollar budget deficit. Instead, they are playing political games.” Rep. Lauren Boebert, a Republican who represents Colorado’s 4th Congressional District in the U.S. House, tweeted, “Will Colorado Dems playing partisan politics lower the cost of eggs?” The measure, sponsored by state Democratic senators Nick Hinrichsen and Matt Ball, passed along party lines in the state Senate earlier this month in a 21-12 vote. The Democratic lawmakers condemned Trump’s pardons and the mass firings of FBI agents assigned to investigate the Jan. 6 Capitol riots. Democratic representatives Sean Camacho and Michael Carter were the sponsors of the state House version. “Colorado House Republicans have now launched a full-throated defense of the January 6th rioters,” state Rep. Steven Woodrow, a Democrat, wrote on Bluesky Social, an X-like social media platform favored by progressives. “They can turn their backs on America—but we see them, and we know the truth.” DAS MAY TRY TO CHARGE JAN. 6 PARTICIPANTS GRANTED CLEMENCY BY TRUMP WITH NEW CRIMES ON STATE, LOCAL LEVELS Democratic state Rep. Lorena Garcia also wrote on Bluesky Social saying, “While this resolution will pass, today is a wake up call to all Coloradans who believe in freedom, that the republican party is not a party that believes in freedom. It is the party of authoritarianism, it’s the party of fascism.” All the Jan. 6 defendants — more than 1,500 — were pardoned by Trump as one of his first executive actions in January.
Kash Patel sworn in as ninth FBI director
Kash Patel, President Donald Trump’s pick to head the FBI, was sworn in on Friday after a narrow Senate confirmation vote Thursday. Patel was sworn in at the Eisenshower Executive Office Building by U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi after being confirmed by the U.S. Senate as the ninth-ever FBI director, succeeding Christopher Wray. Patel, who is Indian-American, is the first person of color to become FBI director. “I am living the American dream,” Patel said after taking his oath of office. “And anyone that thinks the American dream is dead: just look right here. You’re talking to a first-generation Indian kid who’s about to lead the law enforcement community of the greatest nation on God’s green earth. That can’t happen anywhere else.” FBI NOMINEE KASH PATEL CONFIRMED IN NARROW SENATE VOTE Patel also made a promise to the lawmakers who confirmed him and those who opposed his nomination. “There will be accountability within the FBI and outside of the FBI, and we will do it through rigorous constitutional oversight starting this weekend.” Patel has been a longtime Trump ally and a fierce opponent of the investigations into the president. During his confirmation hearing last month, Patel vowed he would not engage in political retribution against agents who worked on the Trump classified documents case and other politically sensitive matters. He faced a rocky path to confirmation – similar to other fellow Trump picks – despite the Republican-majority chamber. Democrats on the panel used their political weight to delay Patel’s confirmation vote earlier this month. TRUMP FBI DIRECTOR NOMINEE KASH PATEL PICKS UP SUPPORT FROM KEY GOP SENATOR On the Senate floor, top Judiciary Democrat Dick Durbin claimed Patel had been behind recent mass firings at the FBI. Durbin cited what he described as “highly credible” whistleblower reports that indicated Patel had personally directed the ongoing FBI employee purge prior to his confirmation. Patel brings to the office an extensive background in national security and intelligence. He previously engaged in personally carrying out dangerous missions in the Middle East in an effort to bring home U.S. hostages and also implemented counterterrorism strategies against America’s most-wanted terrorists. 4 OF THE BIGGEST CLASHES BETWEEN PATEL, SENATE DEMS AT HIS CONFIRMATION HEARING Current and former U.S. national security officials and lawmakers told Fox News Digital previously that he, “objectively,” is “one of the most experienced people ever to be nominated” to lead the bureau. Patel’s confirmation to head the office comes at a time when the FBI’s activities are under extreme scrutiny for possible political motivations, including its own leadership and decisions. Previously, thousands of FBI agents as well as their superiors were ordered to fill out a questionnaire detailing their roles in the Jan. 6 investigation, prompting concerns of retaliation or retribution. “There will be no politicization at the FBI,” Patel said during his confirmation hearing. “There will be no retributive action.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Patel previously served as deputy assistant to the president and as senior director for counterterrorism under the first Trump administration, wherein he worked on presidential missions aimed at decimating al-Qaeda senior leadership and ISIS command and control. Patel was also involved in planning the mission to take out Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi, among others. Fox News Digital’s Breanne Deppisch, Morgan Phillips, and Brooke Singman contributed to this report.
Trump admin ousts top ICE official over concerns about pace of illegal immigrant deportations
The Trump administration is replacing the acting head of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) over concerns about the pace of deportations and arrests of illegal immigrants. A source familiar confirmed to Fox News that acting ICE Director Caleb Vitello has been removed from his position. The source said that the administration is not happy with the pace of deportations and arrests. The development was first reported by the Wall Street Journal. A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security confirmed the personnel change to Fox News. ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT ARRESTS SKYROCKET UNDER TRUMP ICE COMPARED TO BIDEN LEVELS LAST YEAR “Caleb Vitello, acting director of ICE, is no longer in an Administrator role. He is, however, overseeing all field and enforcement operations: finding, arresting, and deporting illegal aliens, which is a major priority of President Trump and Secretary Noem,” they said. ICE arrests have gone up significantly since the beginning of the administration, but not enough to meet the administration’s targets. President Donald Trump had promised a “historic” mass deportation campaign on the campaign trail. Fox reported last week that Department of Homeland Security data showed 11,791 interior ICE arrests from Jan 20 to Feb 8., compared to 4,969 during the same period in 2024. That’s a 137% increase. Arrests of aliens with criminal histories have soared by nearly 100% from 4,526 in the same period in 2024 to 8,993 under Trump this year. TRUMP’S ICE LIMITS ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT RELEASES AMID MOVES TO SHAKE OFF BIDEN ‘HANGOVER’ Separately, numbers coming across at the border have plummeted. Fox News reported last week that the daily average number of known gotaways — illegal migrants who successfully entered the U.S. without apprehension — at the southern border since the beginning of February has plummeted to just 132 per day, down 93% from the highest numbers when former President Joe Biden was in office. Border czar Tom Homan said this week that border crossings are down 95% “based on actual data.” Meanwhile, DHS has made a number of moves to expand ICE enforcement, including taking Biden-era limits on where agents can make arrests, deputizing officers from other agencies, and using federal prisons to house illegal immigrants. It has also ended Biden-era parole policies that allowed migrants to enter at ports of entry or be approved for travel into the U.S. Fox previously reported that the CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE The administration is also using Guantanamo Bay to house migrants. The DOH launched legal action against multiple “sanctuary” cities that do not co-operate with ICE. Fox News Digital reported on Friday that the administration has also ended a Biden-era extension of Temporary Protected Status for Haitian nationals, echoing a similar move from last month for Venezuelans. Fox News’ Mike Emanuel contributed to this report.
Howard Lutnick sworn in at White House as Trump’s commerce secretary
Vice President JD Vance swore in Howard Lutnick as secretary of commerce at the White House on Friday. During the swearing-in ceremony, President Donald Trump said that Lutnick’s priorities in the role will be focusing on job growth, asserting that Lutnick “really understands something about business.” Additionally, Trump signaled he would impose reciprocal tariffs soon. Lutnick has voiced support for Trump’s tariff proposals, and said during his confirmation hearing before the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation in January that the U.S. “can use tariffs to create reciprocity.” The Trump administration has ordered federal agencies to investigate imposing reciprocal tariffs to correct any tariff imbalances that exist between countries that sell the U.S. products. Lutnick said on Feb. 13 that a report on the issue will be ready by April 1. Additionally, Lutnick, the former chair and CEO of investment firm Cantor Fitzgerald, vowed he would sell all his business interests upon confirmation to avoid any conflicts of interests. “My plan is to only serve the American people,” he told lawmakers in January. “So I will divest, meaning I will sell all of my interests, all of my business interests, all of my assets, everything.” The Senate confirmed Lutnick on Tuesday by a 51–45 margin. Deirdre Heavey and Aubrie Spady contributed to this report.
ATF chief legal counsel fired by Bondi in latest Justice Department shakeup
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms‘ (ATF) chief legal counsel was fired by Attorney General Pam Bondi on Thursday, the former ATF official confirmed on social media. “Earlier today, I was served official notice from the Attorney General of the United States that I was being removed from my position as the Chief Counsel of ATF and my employment with the Department of Justice terminated,” Pamela Hicks posted on her LinkedIn page on Thursday, confirming the termination. Hicks had served as ATF’s chief counsel since 2021 under the Biden administration, and served as deputy chief counsel for ATF under President Donald Trump’s first administration. She spent 23 years overall as an attorney within the Department of Justice (DOJ), she posted to LinkedIn. “Serving as ATF Chief Counsel has been the highest honor of my career and working with the people at ATF and throughout the Department has been a pleasure,” Hicks continued in her LinkedIn post. “I thank my colleagues for their friendship and partnership over the years.” AG BONDI SAYS VIOLENT ANTI-ISRAEL STUDENT PROTESTERS IN US ON VISAS ‘NEED TO BE KICKED OUT’ A source familiar with the termination said Hicks was escorted out of the ATF building upon her termination. “ATF respects the rights of all our employees,” ATF told Fox News Digital when asked about Hicks’ termination. “As a general policy, ATF does not comment on personnel matters, including but not limited to, specific personnel issues, actions, or the existence of ongoing investigations.” The firing comes after a handful of senior DOJ officials have quit or been fired in recent days. At least seven federal prosecutors quit in February over the Trump DOJ ordering the corruption charges against New York City Mayor Eric Adams be dropped, while Trump on Tuesday ordered the DOJ to “clean house” of all Biden-era U.S. attorneys. “Therefore, I have instructed the termination of ALL remaining ‘Biden Era’ U.S. Attorneys. We must ‘clean house’ IMMEDIATELY, and restore confidence,” Trump wrote. “America’s Golden Age must have a fair Justice System – THAT BEGINS TODAY!” Trump posted to Truth Social. VP JD VANCE SPEAKS ON ‘FUNDAMENTAL GOAL’ OF TRUMP ADMINISTRATION AT CPAC ADDRESS Bondi, who was confirmed as the nation’s 87th attorney general on Feb. 5, joined the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) near Washington, D.C., on Thursday, where she remarked that the sheer “volume” of political weaponization in the DOJ left over from the Biden administration concerned her. “What concerned me the most? It’s the volume of how bad it was, and it still is,” she said while speaking with Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, on a live episode of his podcast, “Verdict.” “We’re working on it. It’s day by day by day, but we’ve got a team of great people. And on day one, I issued 14 executive orders. And number one is the weaponization ends. And it ends now. And that’s what we did.” TRUMP ORDERS ALL BIDEN-ERA US ATTORNEYS TO BE FIRED: ‘WE MUST CLEAN HOUSE IMMEDIATELY’ Bondi added that the state of the DOJ was “worse” than she expected. “Worse meaning, that department had completely lost its mission of fighting violent crime,” she said of the DOJ. “Look what they did to President Trump. Look at the weaponization.” ATF was transferred from the Department of Treasury to the Department of Justice in 2003, following the Homeland Security Act mandating that the law enforcement agency join the DOJ amid the nation’s reshuffling of the federal government to better combat terrorism following 9/11.
NIH funding cuts: Federal judge extends restraining order blocking Trump administration’s action
A Biden-appointed judge extended a temporary restraining order Friday against the Trump administration’s cuts to National Institutes of Health research funding. The ruling from U.S. District Judge Angel Kelley of Massachusetts – who issued the initial restraining order last week – comes in response to separate lawsuits filed by a group of 22 states plus organizations representing universities, hospitals and research institutions nationwide. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced earlier this month it would be cutting billions in costs associated with federally funded research grants that go to various institutions, as part of a wider move by the Trump administration to slash wasteful spending. The NIH, the main funder of biomedical research, awarded more than 60,000 grants last year totaling about $35 billion. The total is divided into “direct” costs – covering researchers’ salaries and laboratory supplies – and “indirect” costs, the administrative and facility costs needed to support that work. TRUMP SPARKS BACKLASH AFTER CUTTING BILLIONS IN COSTS FROM NIH RESEARCH GRANTS The Trump administration had dismissed those expenses as “overhead” but universities and hospitals argue they’re far more critical. They can include such things as electricity to operate sophisticated machinery, hazardous waste disposal, staff who ensure researchers follow safety rules and janitorial workers, according to The Associated Press. The states and research groups argue that the cuts are illegal, pointing to bipartisan congressional action during Trump’s first term to prohibit them. “Yet here we are again,” attorneys argued in a court motion, saying the NIH is “in open defiance” of what Congress decreed. In its own written arguments, the Trump administration said NIH has authority to alter the terms after awarding grants and that Kelley’s courtroom isn’t the proper venue to arbitrate claims of breach of contract. States and researchers “have failed to show that they would suffer an irreparable injury,” according to the administration motion. SCIENTISTS EXPECT MAJOR ‘MEDICAL BREAKTHROUGHS’ DESPITE TRUMP’S CAP ON NIH RESEARCH FUNDING If the new policy stands, indirect costs would be capped at 15% immediately, for already awarded grants and new ones. NIH calculated that would save the agency $4 billion a year. Officials at Johns Hopkins University said the cuts would end or require significantly scaling back research projects, potentially including some of the 600 NIH-funded studies open to Hopkins patients. “The care, treatments and medical breakthroughs provided to them and their families are not ‘overhead,’” university president Ron Daniels and Hopkins Medicine CEO Theodore DeWeese wrote to employees. The Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency, led by Elon Musk, has applauded the moves. “Can you believe that universities with tens of billions in endowments were siphoning off 60% of research award money for ‘overhead’?” Musk posted on social media. “What a ripoff!” Fox News’ Alec Schemmel and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
Democrats silent on Patel as first ‘person of color’ FBI director despite previous DEI emphasis
Democrats have remained notably silent since Kash Patel became the first “person of color” to head the FBI, after previously emphasizing diversity and representation on the campaign trail and during the Biden era. Patel, a fervent Trump ally, underwent a rocky path to confirmation, with Democrats on the panel attempting to delay the vote earlier this month and continuing to protest his nomination into Thursday. Despite the criticism, Democrats have yet to make note of Patel, who is Indian-American, making history as the first “person of color” FBI director. KASH PATEL LAYS OUT FBI’S TOP TWO PRIORITIES IN LETTER TO SUBORDINATES Senate Judiciary Committee Democrats, including ranking member Dick Durbin, D-Ill., Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., and Adam Schiff, D-Calif., protested Patel’s confirmation outside the FBI headquarters in Washington, D.C., on Thursday morning. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., in particular, drew criticism from conservatives on social media after saying, “Kash Patel, mark my words, will cause evil in this building behind us, and Republicans who vote for him will rue that day.” “Did Sheldon Whitehouse come up with this pathetic line of attack at his all-white beach club?” asked conservative commentator and longtime Trump adviser Steve Cortes, referencing Whitehouse’s membership in an exclusive beach club that has a controversial history. Whitehouse’s office previously denied that the club was all-White. FBI DIRECTOR KASH PATEL VOWS TO RESTORE TRUST IN BUREAU, HUNT DOWN BAD ACTORS ‘IN EVERY CORNER OF THIS PLANET’ “President Trump nominated Kash Patel because of his qualifications and commitment to restoring integrity to the Federal Bureau of Investigation. In contrast to the picture the media tries to paint, President Trump wants equality for all Americans regardless of skin color, which is why he eliminated unfair DEI policies and is restoring common sense to our country,” Harrison Fields, Principal Deputy Press Secretary, told Fox News Digital. Democrats notably emphasized diversity and representation during both the 2020 and 2024 campaign trails as well as during the Biden era. Prior to his 2020 win, former President Joe Biden committed to naming a woman as his running mate and noted during the run-up to his decision that Black women were among his finalists. Likewise, upon taking her post as White House Press Secretary in 2022, Karine Jean-Pierre pointed to her race and sexual orientation during her first opening remarks on the job, thanking those who had fought for the progress that allowed her to fill her new role. HERE’S WHAT KASH PATEL’S FORMER COLLEAGUES ARE SAYING ABOUT HIM “I am obviously acutely aware that my presence at this podium represents a few firsts. I am a black, gay, immigrant woman, the first of all three of those to hold this position,” Jean-Pierre said during her first briefing. “I would not be here today if it were not for generations of barrier-breaking people before me. I stand on their shoulders.” Biden also announced that same year that he was committing to nominate a Black woman to the Supreme Court after Justice Stephen Breyer announced his retirement. While on the 2024 campaign trial, Democrats made notable efforts to increase support among Black men for then-Vice President Kamala Harris, who would have made history if she had been elected as the nation’s first female president. Former President Barack Obama rebuked Black voters during a Pittsburgh campaign event, saying he couldn’t understand why Harris wasn’t enjoying the same level of enthusiasm, noting that the hesitation was “more pronounced with the brothers.” Speaking directly to Black males, Obama said that “part of it makes me think that, well, you just aren’t feeling the idea of having a woman as president, and you’re coming up with other alternatives and other reasons for that.” Fox News Digital’s Adam Shaw, Michael Lee, and Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.