Liz Cheney lambastes Trump over Russia/Ukraine, branding him ‘the antithesis’ of all ‘Reagan stood for’
Former Rep. Liz Cheney lambasted President Donald Trump in a tweet on Wednesday, asserting that he is the “antithesis” of all that Ronald Reagan, America’s 40th president, “stood for.” She claimed that Trump “is aligning” the U.S. with the opponents of liberty. “Trump – with his devotion to Putin, abandonment of Ukraine, and lies about history- is the antithesis of everything Ronald Reagan stood for. He is aligning America with the enemies of the very freedom that generations have fought and died to defend,” Cheney declared in the post on X. TRUMP CALLS UKRAINE’S ZELENSKYY A ‘DICTATOR WITHOUT ELECTIONS’ AS RIFT WIDENS “History will not be kind to those who are helping him, especially those who call themselves Reagan Republicans while they pretend not to see what’s happening,” she added. The former congresswoman, who was one of the House Republicans who voted to impeach Trump in the wake of the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol riot, has been a vociferous Trump critic over the years. Her post on Wednesday came after Trump excoriated Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in a Truth Social post, referring to the foreign figure as “A Dictator without Elections,” who “has done a terrible job.” TRUMP AND ZELENSKYY WAR OF WORDS HEATS UP EVEN AS US LOOKS TO WIND DOWN WAR IN UKRAINE The U.S. has doled out billions worth of aid to assist Ukraine as the Eastern European nation has warred against Russia in response to a 2022 Russian invasion. “You shoulda never started it. You could’ve made a deal,” Trump said on Tuesday. Former Vice President Mike Pence, who served alongside Trump during the president’s first term in office, pushed back in a post on Wednesday. GOP SENATORS BACK TRUMP’S DEMAND FOR UKRAINE ELECTIONS, BUT WON’T CALL ZELENSKYY ‘DICTATOR’ “Mr. President, Ukraine did not ‘start’ this war. Russia launched an unprovoked and brutal invasion claiming hundreds of thousands of lives. The Road to Peace must be built on the Truth,” Pence tweeted.
Lawmaker who lost son to suicide warns Senate that ‘big tech is the big tobacco of this generation’
This story discusses suicide. If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, please contact the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 or 1-800-273-TALK (8255). South Carolina House Rep. Brandon Guffey gave powerful testimony in Wednesday’s Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing on Children’s Safety in the Digital Era. Guffey knows the dangers facing children online all too well. Nearly three years ago, Guffey lost his teenage son, Gavin, to suicide in an apparent sextortion scheme. “Protecting youth from online dangers and holding big tech companies responsible is now my life’s mission,” Guffey told the committee. He also issued a stark warning, saying “big tech is the big tobacco of this generation.” SOUTH CAROLINA LAWMAKER EXPOSES DANGERS OF ‘SEXTORTION’ AFTER TEENAGE SON’S SUICIDE In his testimony, a visibly emotional Guffey recounted the night his son took his own life and the fallout. A scammer posing as a girl convinced Gavin to turn on “vanish mode” and send explicit photos in an Instagram chat. “Vanish mode” allows messages to disappear once they are received. The scammer then threatened to release the photos unless he received money from Gavin, who sent the online predator $25, saying it was all he had in his account. This wasn’t enough for the scammer, who continued to demand more money. Tragically, Gavin took his own life as a result. The predator, however, was not done with the Guffey family. The state lawmaker told the committee that the scammer proceeded to harass himself, his son and his teen cousin. Guffey says this is because Meta took down the account that tormented his son Gavin and left the rest of the scammer’s accounts up. AFTER MICHIGAN TEEN’S SUICIDE, NIGERIAN BROTHERS PLEAD GUILTY TO PLANNING DEADLY SEXTORTION SCHEME Hassanbunhussein Abolore Lawal, who was indicted by a Grand Jury in October 2023, was extradited to the United States from Lagos, Nigeria. He faces the possibility of life in prison. Within a few months of taking office, Guffey was able to pass a law bearing his son’s name. Gavin’s Law makes sextortion, the act of blackmailing someone using explicit images or videos, a felony in South Carolina. The offense can be upgraded to an aggravated felony if the victim is a minor or if there are other mitigating circumstances, which are outlined in the law. Additionally, Gavin’s Law requires South Carolina schools to teach students about the dangers of sextortion. “Sextortion is now taught throughout the State and every kid at least has some awareness so they don’t feel alone like my son did that night,” Guffey told the Senate committee on Wednesday. Guffey does not have faith in Big Tech’s ability to reform itself. He recalled attending a January 2024 hearing in which Mark Zuckerberg offered what he called “a forced, pathetic apology.” PENNSYLVANIA FATHER HELPS FBI TRACK DOWN SCAMMING SUSPECTS WHO LED HIS SON TO SUICIDE Guffey is demanding lawmakers take action on Section 230, which he believes will “go down as one of the greatest disasters.” Section 230 of the 1996 Communications Decency Act distinguishes Big Tech platforms from those that would be treated as a “publisher.” This absolves online platforms of legal liability for what users post. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle discussed the need for legislation to create new industry standards for Big Tech aimed at protecting America’s children. While Guffey is advocating for federal legislation, he is also calling for a cultural shift. “I believe that in this country we’ve lost grace, and we have too often kicked people for the mistakes that they make, and we tell our kids that ‘everything you do online will stay with you forever.’ Well, imagine if you just took your darkest moment and posted it online,” Guffey said to the committee. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) says it received more than 26,710 reports of financial sextortion in 2023. NCMEC says it has seen “an overwhelming increase in reports of sextortion from children and teens.” The center advises parents to talk to their kids about the dangers of sextortion, but also to let them know that they need to get help and not immediately pay or comply with the blackmailer.
Shelters, Jesus, and Miss Pac-Man: US judge grills DOJ over trans policy in dizzying line of questioning
A federal judge in D.C. peppered Justice Department lawyers with hypothetical questions and video game references as she presided over the second day of oral arguments about the Trump administration’s attempt to restrict or ban transgender U.S. service members in the military. U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes searched in vain for answers to key questions about the nature of a Jan. 27 executive order signed by President Donald Trump that requires the Defense Department to update its guidance regarding “trans-identifying medical standards for military service” and to “rescind guidance inconsistent with military readiness.” Though Trump has instructed that “radical gender ideology” be banned from all military branches, the executive order did not explain how the Pentagon should do this – a lack of clarity that Judge Reyes, a Biden appointee, zeroed in on Wednesday. For a second day, Judge Reyes led the court through a dizzying-fast line of questions that whipsawed between real and hypothetical, fact and fiction, and was flecked with her own sarcastic quips and observations. FIRST OPENLY GAY DC FEDERAL JUDGE RAKES TRUMP ADMIN OVER MILITARY TRANS BAN At one point, Judge Reyes ticked through a list of actions the Trump administration has taken in the past three weeks against transgender persons, including moving to revoke a regulation that ensured trans-identifying individuals have equal access to homeless shelters. Judge Reyes then asked the Justice Department lawyers to tell her whether, in their view, such actions are discriminatory. “What do you think Jesus would say,” Reyes proceeded to ask, about an action that revokes a transgender person’s access to homeless shelters? “Do you think he’d say ‘sounds right to me’ or ‘WTF, let them in?’” LAWSUIT TRACKER: NEW RESISTANCE BATTLING TRUMP’S SECOND TERM THROUGH ONSLAUGHT OF LAWSUITS TAKING AIM AT EOS Jason Lynch, the Justice Department lawyer, told the court that the government did not have an answer as to what Jesus would think. The pace of the back-and-forth kept both plaintiffs for the transgender service members and the Trump administration’s lawyers on their toes, even if it did little, in the near-term, to effectuate an actual court ruling or answer any outstanding questions about the executive order, which is extremely scant on details. The Trump administration and DOJ lawyers have declined to answer Reyes’s questions over whether they can ensure plaintiffs in the case will not be removed from their roles in the military or face discrimination as a direct result of the executive order. The Justice Department, for its part, has described the order as not a ban but a pause, which Lynch said will allow the Defense Department time to align its policy with Trump’s order. During the second day of oral arguments, Reyes appeared exasperated and did little to disguise her displeasure with the order itself, which she described as expressing “unadulterated animus” towards transgender service members. Reyes did concede that there is an obvious national interest in ensuring the U.S. military is prepared. “It is the greatest fighting force this world has ever seen, and we want to keep it that way – I’ve got that part,” the judge said. “So how does this executive order effectuate that policy?” “By telling the Department of Defense to issue a policy within 30 days,” Lynch responded. “Oh, okay, any policy?” Judge Reyes quipped. She then outlined a hypothetical situation in which she, as head of the Pentagon, issued a policy that all DOD units be equipped with Miss Pac-Man machines – a game she noted she has in her own chambers, and plays from time to time to let off steam. DOGE SCORES BIG COURT WIN, ALLOWED ACCESS DATA ON 3 FEDERAL AGENCIES “So I’m now Secretary of Defense, I’m thinking about how to make my military best prepared,” Reyes said. “And I think people need to let off steam every once in a while. So I’m going to issue a policy that Miss Pac-Man machines should be in every unit.” “Would that be consistent,” she challenged Lynch, with the 30-day policy? Lynch said that would be for the president to decide. Putting aside whether the order discriminates on the basis of sex, Reyes asked the DOJ attorneys, “you agree the order penalizes on basis of sex, right? How is that not a sex-based classification?” The judge has made clear she will not rule on the executive action until the Trump administration outlines its policy – including how, or to what extent, transgender service members might be impacted. But she continued to probe Lynch, whom she reminded Tuesday is technically acting as the legal representative for the Trump administration. “I mean, I have no one else to ask, right?” Judge Reyes asked Lynch, before amending the question mark in her voice. “You are the person I have to ask,” she told him. The transgender military policy is slated to take effect Feb. 28, and the court has set a March 3 hearing date to consider the executive order. Fox News’s Jake Gibson contributed to this report.
First on Fox: VP Vance to tout Trump’s historic first month in speech to MAGA faithful
EXCLUSIVE – Vice President JD Vance is expected to spotlight President Donald Trump’s avalanche of activity since returning to the White House a month ago, as he kicks off the Conservative Political Action Conference, better known by its acronym CPAC. Vance is no stranger to CPAC, but on Thursday morning at the opening session at National Harbor, Maryland, just outside the nation’s capital, he’ll address the confab for the first time since his inauguration last month as Vice President of the United States. “The Vice President is expected to emphasize the historic rate of achievement during President Trump’s first month in office,” a source familiar shared first with Fox News ahead of Vance’s CPAC appearance. According to the source, the vice president is expected to focus on the Trump/Vance administration’s efforts towards “securing the homeland and deporting violent illegal immigrants, unleashing American energy & fueling our economy, protecting American workers & promoting domestic manufacturing,” and “re-establishing American strength at home & abroad.” The vice president will make his points as he takes part in a fireside chat with Mercedes Schlapp, the veteran Republican political and communications strategist who is a senior fellow at the American Conservative Union, the group that hosts CPAC. Vance has been a regular at the conference in recent years, dating back to his successful 2022 campaign for the Senate in Ohio. And last October, as he crisscrossed the national campaign trail as Donald Trump’s 2024 running mate, Vance also spoke at a CPAC-hosted townhall in battleground Arizona. HEAD HERE FOR THE LATEST FOX NEWS’ REPORTING, ANALYSIS, OPINION ON VICE PRESIDENT JD VANCE CPAC, which dates back to 1974, is the nation’s oldest and largest annual gathering of conservative leaders and activists. In the years since Trump first won the White House in 2016, it has been dominated by legions of MAGA loyalists and America First disciples who hold immense sway over the GOP. Vance, who served two years in the Senate before being elected vice president, has been considered a key player in helping the GOP-controlled chamber confirm Trump’s Cabinet nominees at a brisk pace. CLICK HERE FOR THE LATEST FOX NEWS REPORTING ON CPAC And Vance made major headlines earlier this month at the Munich Security Conference in Germany, when he used his first major speech as vice president to deliver a blistering address directed at Europe’s political class. Trump’s naming last summer of Vance – a former venture capitalist and the author of the bestselling memoir, “Hillbilly Elegy,” before running for elective office – as his running was seen as a sign that the now 40-year-old politician was the heir apparent to Trump and his movement. Trump praised Vance in a recent interview with Fox News’ Bret Baier on “Special Report” for “doing a fantastic job,” WATCH: TRUMP SITS DOWN WITH FOX NEWS’ BRET BAIER ON “SPECIAL REPORT” But asked by Baier if he viewed Vance as his successor and the Republican nominee in 2028, the term-limited Trump said, “No, but he’s very capable.” “It’s too early. We’re just starting,” Trump added. Questions about 2028 may be hanging over Vance at CPAC, which has long held a closely watched GOP presidential nomination straw poll. Vance, in an interview earlier this month with FOX Business’ Maria Bartiromo on “Sunday Morning Futures,” was asked about the next White House race. “We’ll see what happens come 2028, but the way I think about this is the best thing for my future is actually the best thing for the American people, which is that we do a really good job over the next three and a half years,” the vice president said. Vance noted that “we’ll cross that political bridge when we come to it. I’m not thinking about running for president. I’m thinking about doing a good job for the American people and I think the best way to do that is to make sure that President Trump is a success.” CPAC announced on Wednesday night what was widely expected, that Trump will close out the conference with a Saturday address, where he’ll likely take a victory lap for his convincing 2024 presidential election victory, which cemented his massive grip over the Republican Party. The president, long a major draw at CPAC, returns in triumph thanks to his recapturing of the White House, along with the GOP’s flipping the Senate majority from blue to red, and the party’s successful defense of their fragile control of the House. Trump has been a regular at CPAC since 2011, since the then business mogul and reality TV star gave his first speech at the confab, in what would be an appetizer for his first White House campaign four years later. Trump used his 2011 speech to tease a potential 2012 presidential run that never materialized, telling the crowd that if he did run, “our country will be great again.” “CPAC is where he developed his antennae. He appeared for several years while he was the host of ‘The Apprentice,’” former longtime CPAC communications director Ian Walters noted. “He learned how to arouse the crowd, how to toss red meat.” And Trump, at an extreme political low point after leaving the White House in January 2021 following the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol by supporters aiming to upend congressional certification of former President Biden’s 2020 election victory, gave his first post-presidency speech at CPAC. Walters told Fox News that the address, where Trump teased a 2024 White House run, “provided him a reliable and predictable opportunity with an audience largely of his supporters.”
DNC gave ex-Harris booster ‘no choice’ but to leave, she says, as Dems cry turncoat
EXCLUSIVE: A former Democrat fundraiser and political strategist is responding to questions about her leaving the party, saying she “didn’t plan” on making the exit and “had no choice but to leave the cult.” “I’m the only one from the campaign telling the truth,” Lindy Li, who fundraised for Democrats in the 2024 presidential election, told Fox News Digital in an interview. “DNC leadership responded to my questions with deeply personal attacks. I had no choice but to leave the cult and am finally free to return to my roots as a conservative.” Piers Morgan said in a post on X he was “confused” by one of Li’s posts during the campaign, where she is pictured with presidential candidate Vice President Kamala Harris and said that she “already voted” for her in Pennsylvania. “I’m confused. On Monday, you told me you didn’t vote for Kamala in the 2024 election. But you posted this on your X account on October 3. Though oddly, you have now deleted it overnight. What’s going on?” Morgan wrote Wednesday. ‘WOKE IS THEIR GOD’: EX-DEM FUNDRAISER SAYS PARTY ‘IN SHAMBLES’ AFTER 2024 ELECTION LOSSES Li, responding to the question, said that as a surrogate of the Harris campaign, she “didn’t want to hurt Harris by disclosing I didn’t vote for her” and felt a “responsibility” to “see the campaign through,” despite personal objections. DEMOCRATIC OPERATIVES FREAKED OUT THAT THE PARTY WON’T HAVE ‘COME-TO-JESUS’ MOMENT AFTER TRUMP WIN: NYT “As a public-facing surrogate of the campaign and a member of the team, I had a responsibility to see the campaign through, despite my personal objections — supporting Harris through Election Day was the right thing to do,” Li told Fox News Digital. “I didn’t leave the DNC. They pushed me out for simply asking for accountability for how the billions of dollars were spent.” Li was a well-known fundraiser for the Democrats’ 2024 presidential campaign before announcing her exit from the party in December after she said she was ostracized for criticizing then-Democrat presidential nominee Harris. The former Democrat said her decision to leave the party “wasn’t easy” but was the “result of a decade-long progression.” “It took a while for me to get here over the course of the past year. I just realized that the values of the Democratic Party are so incongruous to mine,” Li told Fox. “It just contradicts everything I believe, everything from open borders to woke and DEI insanity. It’s just not my party anymore.” “No one is contradicting me on the facts, they are coming after me as a person,” Li said, telling Fox that she is already working on fundraising for the GOP for the 2026 midterms. Fox News Digital reached out to the DNC for comment.
MAHA caucus member pledges hearings into ‘corruption’ of a public health sector ‘captured by Big Pharma’
FIRST ON FOX: Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., a member of the newly created Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) senatorial caucus, told Fox News Digital in an exclusive interview that one of the first hearings he wants to hold as chair of the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations would focus on “the corruption of science” within the public health system. Johnson said he hopes the MAHA caucus will “restore integrity” to the scientific community while adhering to recently confirmed Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s other agenda items. “That’s just foundational, we have to do that first,” Johnson said. “I think we need to give the … COVID injection injured a fair hearing.” EVERYTHING TO KNOW ABOUT MAHA Created in December by Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kansas – who is also a physician – the MAHA caucus “will focus on nutrition, access to affordable, high-quality-nutrient-dense foods, improving primary care, and addressing the root causes of chronic diseases,” acting as a congressional arm for implementing RFK Jr.’s agenda. So far, the only other members of the caucus are Republicans, but Johnson said the MAHA movement is largely nonpartisan. Other issues Johnson hopes the coalition will explore are the childhood vaccine schedule and potential theories behind the cause of autism. “We haven’t even been allowed to ask these questions,” Johnson said. “I’d like to hold a hearing on what questions remain unanswered, what science needs to be conducted with integrity to start answering these questions.” SLEEP SPECIALIST BACKING RFK JR’S MAHA MOVEMENT PUSHES TO CHANGE SCHOOL START TIMES IN AMERICA “We can certainly reveal the fact that there are legitimate questions that are outstanding that the American people want answers to in a completely nonpartisan way,” he said. Johnson said the HHS and scientific community were “captured by Big Pharma” and Dr. Anthony Fauci, former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Fauci is currently facing the ire of Republicans for unanswered questions about taxpayer-funded gain-of-function research. He said MAHA’s goal is “to end that corporate capture of federal health agencies” and “reinstall in federal agencies their real mission, which is on behalf of the American public.” And a new bill he said he may introduce could address that by restoring “doctors to the top of the treatment pyramid” instead of having their hands tied by associations and health groups. “We should have a bill, and I would call it ‘Right to Treat,’” Johnson said. “Right now, they’re being crushed at the bottom of the pyramid, and the pyramid starts with people like Anthony Fauci, basically non-practicing physicians, telling doctors how to take care of their patients. That’s completely backwards. We need to re-establish doctors at the top of the treatment pyramid.” TRUMP AND A HEALTHIER AMERICA WELCOMED BY DOCTORS: ‘NEW GOLDEN AGE’ RFK Jr. was confirmed by the Senate last week in a 52-48 vote, nearly entirely along party lines. Kennedy’s controversial hearings focused on his previous public statements about vaccines. Kennedy has been critical of “Big Pharma” and “Big Food” on the campaign trail during his own independent bid for the presidency and continues in the MAHA movement under Trump’s administration. “Our country is not going to be destroyed because we get the marginal tax rate wrong. It is going to be destroyed if we get this issue wrong,” Kennedy said of the increase in chronic illnesses. “And I am in a unique position to be able to stop this epidemic.” Since RFK Jr.’s swearing-in, Trump has issued sweeping firings across several federal departments, including HHS, leading to a protest led by federal employees outside HHS in Washington, D.C., on Friday.
Trump signs executive order ending use of taxpayer money to ‘incentivize or support’ illegal immigration
President Donald Trump signed an executive order late Wednesday night ending the use of taxpayer money for federal resources supporting illegal immigration and illegal aliens. The Trump administration said the goal of the executive order is to ensure “taxpayer resources are used to protect the interests of American citizens, not illegal aliens.” Under the order, federal departments and agencies must identify and end all federally funded programs providing financial benefits to illegal aliens. It also aims to ensure federal funds are not being used to support “sanctuary” policies. “My Administration will uphold the rule of law, defend against the waste of hard-earned taxpayer resources, and protect benefits for American citizens in need, including individuals with disabilities and veterans,” the order states. “President Trump is committed to safeguarding Federal public benefits for American citizens who are truly in need, including individuals with disabilities and veterans,” a White House fact sheet on the executive order said. TRUMP EXPECTED TO SIGN EXECUTIVE ORDER TERMINATING ALL FEDERAL TAXPAYER BENEFITS TO ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS The surge in illegal immigration over the past four years has come at a high price, costing American taxpayers an estimated $451 billion to care for illegal aliens and gotaways in the U.S. unlawfully since January 2021, according to the U.S. House Homeland Security Committee. The executive order cited calculations from the Federation for American Immigration Reform, which stated that American taxpayers have spent at least $182 billion annually to cover the costs of 20 million illegal aliens and their children. While that number includes $66.5 billion in federal expenses, an additional $115.6 billion has come from state and local expenses. The Center for Immigration Studies also estimated that one million illegal aliens could cost American taxpayers $3 billion annually through welfare programs, which are not supposed to be available to those unlawfully in the U.S. per the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996. Though, illegal aliens granted parole become classified as “qualified aliens” when it comes to welfare programs, allowing them to become eligible for various benefits with full eligibility granted within five years. TOP FEDERAL AGENCY EXPOSED FOR SPENDING BILLIONS ON MIGRANTS IN A SINGLE YEAR The Trump administration also called out former President Joe Biden and his administration for its “enabling” of illegal immigration and allocation of funds to support the crime. The executive order stated that federal and state taxpayers paid more than $16.2 billion to provide Medicaid-funded emergency services to illegal aliens through Biden’s open borders agenda – an estimate from the Congressional Budget Office. “The Biden Administration gave billions in taxpayer dollars to left-wing groups that facilitated mass illegal migration and provided legal services to challenge deportation orders,” the fact sheet continued. It was also shared that FEMA has allocated more than $1 billion to illegal aliens since 2021. The move comes in accordance with promises made by Trump during his presidential campaign to secure the borders and put America first. “President Trump has delivered on his promise to secure the border and prioritize the needs of American citizens, taking immediate action to put an end to the previous Administration’s border crisis,” the fact sheet stated before listing other immigration-related moves made by Trump since he took office on Jan. 20.
Trump signs late-night executive order abolishing handful of federal advisory boards
President Trump signed an executive order on Wednesday aimed at eliminating a handful of federal advisory committees. The order targets the Presidio Trust, the Inter-American Foundation, the United States African Development Foundation and the United States Institute of Peace – all of which have received federal funding. It comes as the president has been working along with Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, to aggressively reduce the size of the federal government and minimize government waste and abuse to reduce inflation. TRUMP SIGNS ORDER INSTRUCTING DOGE TO MASSIVELY CUT FEDERAL WORKFORCE Cutting these governmental entities and federal advisory committees will save taxpayer dollars, reduce unnecessary government spending, and streamline government priorities, according to Trump’s administration. The named organizations were given 14 days to submit reports to the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB Director) confirming that they are compliant and to give an explanation if any part of their government entity is required and to what extent. In addition, the Administrator of USAID was asked to terminate the Advisory Committee on Voluntary Foreign Aid. The Director of the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection will have to terminate the Academic Research Council and the Credit Union Advisory Council. The FDIC Board will be required to terminate the Community Bank Advisory Council. The Secretary of Health and Human Services has been asked to terminate the Secretary’s Advisory Committee on Long COVID and the Administrator of CMS has to terminate the Health Equity Advisory Committee. DC FEDERAL WORKERS IN A ‘PANIC’ OVER NOVEL EXPERIENCE OF JOB INSECURITY WITH JOB CUTS The newly signed executive order coincides with one Trump signed Tuesday instructing DOGE to coordinate with federal agencies and execute massive cuts in federal government staffing numbers. That order instructed DOGE and federal agencies to work together to “significantly” shrink the size of the federal government and limit hiring new employees, according to a White House fact sheet. Specifically, agencies must not hire more than one employee for every four that leave their federal post. Agencies will also be instructed to “undertake plans for large-scale reductions in force” and evaluate ways to eliminate or combine agency functions that aren’t legally required. Trump is also requiring that within 30 days of the order, the President’s assistants for National Security Affairs, Economic Policy, and Domestic Policy identify and submit a list of additional committees and boards for termination. The Trump administration stated that the American people elected President Trump to drain the swamp and end ineffective government programs that empower government without achieving measurable results. Trump also voiced he wants to provide voters what they want – to tackle “all of this “horrible stuff going on” – and told reporters that he hoped the court system would cooperate. “I hope that the court system is going to allow us to do what we have to do,” Trump said, adding that he would always abide by a court’s ruling but will be prepared to appeal.
Trump throws support behind federal government taking over DC
President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that he supports GOP-led efforts in Congress to put Washington, D.C., back under direct federal control. Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump complained about crime and homelessness in the nation’s capital. “I think we should take over Washington, D.C., — make it safe,” Trump said, adding: “I think that we should govern [the] District of Columbia.” NINTH CIRCUIT REJECTS TRUMP’S BID TO REINSTATE BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP ORDER Per the city’s Home Rule authority, Congress vets all D.C. laws and can overturn them, but some congressional Republicans want to go further by putting the District under direct federal control, as it was at its founding. Trump said he liked DC Mayor Muriel Bowser personally, but complained about the city’s governance. “They’re not doing the job,” Trump said, arguing that there was “too much crime, too much – too many tents on the lawns – these magnificent lawns.” GOP SENATORS BACK TRUMP’S DEMAND FOR UKRAINE ELECTIONS, BUT WON’T CALL ZELENSKYY ‘DICTATOR’ He argued that he can’t have sights of homelessness when he hosts foreign leaders in Washington. “You just can’t let that happen,” Trump said. “You can’t have tents on all your beautiful — your once magnificent plaza and lawns.” Fox News Digital has reached out to the mayor’s office for comment.
US Coast Guard expands border patrol efforts to combat illegal immigration
U.S. Border Patrol agents encountered nearly 220 people on Monday, a sharp decline from more than 1,800 on the same day last year. As part of President Donald Trump’s sweeping immigration crackdown, the Coast Guard has ramped up its operations along the Rio Grande. The U.S. Coast Guard is increasing its presence alongside Border Patrol, bolstering operations with additional boats and personnel. TRUMP RAMPS UP CARTEL SURVEILLANCE EFFORTS TO STRENGTHEN BORDER SECURITY “We are augmenting our Border Patrol partners in key areas along the Rio Grande,” said Capt. Torrey Bertheau, sector commander for Corpus Christi. “Our mission is to detect, deter, and interdict illegal migration, drug smuggling—really any kind of illicit activity.” We embedded alongside the Coast Guard for a look at operations and activity along the Rio Grande, when the crew encountered a suspected cartel spotter along the riverbank, a common tactic used by smugglers to monitor law enforcement movements. BORDER STATE OFFICIALS PUT CARTELS ON NOTICE Since Trump took office last month, border crossings have dropped significantly. According to new data from Customs and Border Protection, 61,465 people were apprehended at the southern border during the month of January for illegal crossings. That’s a 36% decline from the previous month and illegal crossings along the southwest border have fallen to their lowest levels in decades. Despite the decline, Bertheau emphasized that smuggling operations continue. “This is still a high-threat area,” he said. “The augmentation mission here is really to assist the Border Patrol in the areas that they need it.” ACTIVISTS IN MEXICO REPORT FLOW OF MIGRANTS HAS ‘ENORMOUSLY DECREASED’ Beyond the river, the Coast Guard is also stepping up patrols along all Texas maritime boundaries. Last week in Port Isabel, guardsmen detained two individuals aboard a fishing boat—one was in the country illegally, and the other was wanted on felony weapons charges. “Whether the surge is happening or not, our goal is to ensure the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the United States is protected,” Bertheau said.