DOGE uncovers over 4M government credit cards responsible for 90M transactions
The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) said it has uncovered that the U.S. government currently has more than 4 million active credit cards on its books. “The US government currently has ~4.6M active credit cards/accounts, which processed ~90M unique transactions for ~$40B of spend[ing] in FY24,” DOGE said in a post on X on Tuesday. Attached to the post was a breakdown of multiple federal agencies and their credit card use, with the Department of Defense leading the way in both the number of transactions (about 27.2 million), and number of individual accounts (roughly 2.4 million). TRUMP ISSUES WARNING ABOUT WASTEFUL SPENDING, ORDERS ‘RADICAL TRANSPARENCY’ AMID DOGE PROBES, REVELATIONS DOGE’s activities have come under increasing scrutiny over the last few weeks, with opponents arguing that President Donald Trump has given billionaire Elon Musk, who was tapped to head the department, too much power to shrink the size of the federal government. The new department has also been at the center of numerous lawsuits, with opponents attempting to block Musk and the Trump administration from carrying out many of DOGE’s recommendations for cuts. However, Trump has not wavered in his support from the efforts, publicly supporting DOGE’s work while also releasing a memo on Tuesday ordering government agencies to be “radically transparent” with the American people about its spending. $1,300 COFFEE CUPS, 8,000% OVERPAY FOR SOAP DISPENSERS SHOW WASTE AS DOGE LOCKS IN ON PENTAGON The memo argues that the federal government “spends too much money on programs, contracts, and grants that do not promote the interests of the American people.” “For too long, taxpayers have subsidized ideological projects overseas and domestic organizations engaged in actions that undermine the national interest,” the note continues. “The American people have seen their tax dollars used to fund the passion projects of unelected bureaucrats rather than to advance the national interest.” “The American people have a right to see how the Federal Government has wasted their hard-earned wages.” DOGE SAYS IT FOUND NEARLY UNTRACEABLE BUDGET LINE ITEM RESPONSIBLE FOR $4.7T IN PAYMENTS Meanwhile, DOGE promised to update its efforts to streamline the government’s credit card usage within a week. “DOGE is working w/ the agencies to simplify the program and reduce admin costs – we will report back in 1 week,” DOGE said on X.
Green New Headache: Dems flee gov’s green ‘Energy Master Plan’ as election approaches
A prominent New Jersey Democrat running for governor this year publicly split from leftist Gov. Phil Murphy’s green “Energy Master Plan” as Garden State residents brace for 20% or worse increases in utility costs by summertime. Former state Senate President Steve Sweeney called for an immediate halt to Murphy’s comprehensive roadmap to 100% clean energy by 2050, saying his “foremost priority” if elected is to make the notoriously pricy state an affordable place to live. “The recent increases in utility bills demonstrate how overly ambitious targets for a zero-carbon future can negatively impact our residents. We need to take a step back and reassess policies that could drive costs even higher,” Sweeney said on NJ-101.5FM. Rate hikes of 17-21% can be expected throughout the state, via Jersey Central Power & Light, Atlantic City Electric, PSEG and New York-based Rockland Electric, according to 101.5. NJ RESIDENTS HIT WITH DOUBLED UTILITY BILLS AS LAWMAKERS FUME OVER MURPHY’S ‘ENERGY DISASTER PLAN’ In a further statement, Sweeney noted he previously sponsored legislation on solar power development, offshore windmills and reducing New Jersey’s reliance on fossil fuels. He also has encouraged building up the state’s EV infrastructure and promoting EV sales. But, the Democrat appeared to split with some on his side of the aisle by expressing an openness to pursue natural gas as a cleaner fuel source than oil. “With our abundant organic resources – from landfills and sewage to farms and food waste – New Jersey has a unique opportunity to harness [natural gas] to generate gas to meet our energy needs,” Sweeney said. “We must also acknowledge and make effective use of the substantial investments that have been made in our pipeline infrastructure, which represents a commitment that should not be disregarded.” Meanwhile, state Sen. Jon Bramnick, R-Scotch Plains, told Fox News Digital on Wednesday that Sweeney’s public stance shows the left’s green energy plans are “too extreme, even for Democrats.” GOP LAWMAKER TORCHES OFFSHORE WIND PROJECTS AS MAYOR WARNS OF ‘STAR WARS’ BACKDROPS The term-limited Murphy’s plan “wasn’t practical,” said Bramnick, a top candidate on the GOP side to replace him. “Sometimes, Democrats become more political than practical – and that’s kind of why they’re having more trouble at the polls.” “I think their heart might be in the right place, but they lack some practical common sense,” Bramnick said. In a prior interview on Trenton’s green energy efforts, lawmakers such as state Sen. Mike Testa, R-Vineland, derided the idea as the “Energy Disaster Plan.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “Quite frankly, what I think happened is, via the Murphy Energy Master Plan that I’ve often called the energy disaster plan, it seemed that the BPU (New Jersey Board of Public Utilities) and the Murphy administration are working in tandem chasing this green energy dream…. It’s a green energy nightmare,” Testa said at the time. For his part, Murphy has defended his plan, saying it “comprehensively addresses New Jersey’s energy system, including electricity generation, transportation and buildings, and their associated greenhouse gas emissions and related air pollutants.” Fox News Digital also reached out to prominent Democratic candidate Steve Fulop, the mayor of Jersey City, and Republican Edward Durr, better known in New Jersey as “Ed the Trucker.” In Janurary, Fulop released a dozen-page outline of his “environmental and sustainability policy goals,” and has touted Jersey City’s advancements in energy and sustainability endeavors. Durr, who was then a newcomer to politics, notably engineered the 2021 upset win against Sweeney in Gloucester County that drew national attention.
Colorado poised to ban sale of AR-15s, other rifles and shotguns with extended mags
Colorado is poised to see a major change to its gun laws after the state Senate passed a bill that would effectively ban AR-15s, AK-47s, shotguns and pistols that hold more than 15 rounds. The new bill would not impact the current possession of these guns, but it would prohibit the manufacture, sale and purchase of them going forward. In addition to its ban on new sales and purchases of AR-15s and other rifles that hold high-capacity magazines, the new bill also prohibits the sale or purchase of certain after-market gun accessories that increase a firearm’s rate of fire. The state Senate passed the bill on Tuesday, and it now heads to the lower chamber, where Democrats have a big majority and the bill is expected to pass. Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, a Republican, has said he is not against the sweeping move, and gun control advocates in the Senate amended the bill to include a carve-out aimed at appeasing the governor. FEDERAL COURT RULES AGE LIMITS ON HANDGUN SALES VIOLATE SECOND AMENDMENT Under the carve out, buyers who wish to purchase these sorts of weapons must undergo a background check from local law enforcement similar to what one must go through to obtain a concealed carry permit. Then, the proposed buyer must complete a state-run hunting safety course and an additional 4-hour firearm safety course. If the buyer did not previously have a hunter’s license, then they would also need to complete an extended 12-hour in-person training over two days. In addition to all the training, the buyer would also have to score at least 90% on their final exam to obtain the exemption, which would need to be updated every five years to stay current. Despite the carve out, all Republicans and three Democrats voted against the measure on Tuesday. “This is not a privilege granted by the government, it is a right inherent to who I am and enshrined in the United States Constitution,” the top Republican in the Colorado state Senate, Paul Lundeen, said in reference to the Second Amendment, according to KOAA in Colorado. Meanwhile, according to the local outlet, Republicans also voiced concerns Tuesday over a potential “registry” being created for those seeking to purchase the type of firearms being prohibited under the new law. MD, BALTIMORE MAYOR TARGET GLOCK FOR SELLING PISTOLS THAT CAN BE CONVERTED INTO MACHINE GUNS “I’ve had hundreds of emails I think, so many I didn’t answer them all,” Republican state Sen. Marc Catlin said. “The point is, people are really concerned about this – the idea they have to put their name on a list.” Under the newly proposed law, purchasing AR-15s that carry more than 15 rounds will be a class 2 misdemeanor, while repeated offenses will amount to a class 6 felony. While the sale and purchase of AR-15s and other semiautomatic rifles that carry less than 15 rounds will still be permitted, the magazines that come from the factory for AR-15s in particular carry at least 15 rounds, according to Alan Gottlieb, the founder of the Second Amendment Foundation. The Colorado Sun added that few manufacturers make firearms that meet Senate Bill 3’s new requirements, including that the magazine be epoxied, welded or soldered to the firearm. “Anti-gun radicals in Colorado continue their attacks on law-abiding gun owners by restricting access to commonly owned firearms,” John Commerford, Executive Director of NRA-ILA, told Fox News Digital. “This bill is more about optics than public safety, which was recognized by the bipartisan group of senators who voted against it. The NRA will continue to fight this unconstitutional legislation to protect the rights of peaceable Coloradans.”
Trump freezes applications for Biden-era migrant programs amid fraud, national security concerns
The Trump administration has frozen applications for three Biden-era migrant parole programs, including for Ukrainians and migrants from Latin America, as it continues to crack down on what conservatives say was an abuse of parole by the prior administration. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has implemented an agency wide administrative pause on all pending benefit requests for migrants filing under the three programs. “This is an administrative hold on all pending USCIS Benefit Requests filed by Parolees Under the Uniting for Ukraine (U4U) Process, Processes for Haitians, Cubans, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans (CHNV) Process, or Family Reunification Parole (FRP) Process,” a DHS spokesperson told Fox News Digital. “This is pending the completion of additional vetting to identify any fraud, public safety, or national security concerns,” they said. DHS SAYS IT ‘CAN, SHOULD AND WILL’ ADMINISTER POLYGRAPH EXAMS AMID ICE RAID LOCATION LEAKS President Donald Trump had already ordered an end to multiple parole programs on his first day in office, which was quickly enacted. The DHS has also allowed for those in the U.S. on parole processes to have their parole status canceled. However, CBS News first reported that a Feb. 14 memo also pauses pending requests already allowed into the U.S. under three programs. The first program is Uniting for Ukraine, which used humanitarian parole to allow in Ukrainians in the wake of the Russian invasion. The CHNV program was highly controversial and allowed for migrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela to receive travel authorization and fly into the United States under parole. Over 500,000 migrants flew in under that program. It was briefly paused last year after DHS discovered fraud in sponsor applications, a development first reported by Fox News Digital. The third program impacts the family reunification parole process, which was opened up to nationals from countries including Guatemala, Ecuador, Colombia, Cuba and Haiti, and allowed nationals who have relatives who are U.S. citizens or green card holders to enter the U.S. for parole as they also apply for a green card. “The Family Reunification Parole process promotes family unity consistent with our laws and our values,” then-DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said in 2023. ‘RAMPANT’ ABUSE IN BLUE STATE MIGRANT SHELTER SYSTEM, SAYS FORMER DIRECTOR: ‘COLOSSAL MESS’ At the time, the Biden administration said the expanded “lawful pathways” were part of an effort to reduce illegal crossings, but Republicans accused the administration of abusing limited parole power and allowing in migrants who should not legally have entered. CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE A DHS memo from last month said that parole “has been repeatedly abused by the Executive Branch over the past several decades in ways that are blatantly inconsistent with the statute.” “Most important, the parole statute does not authorize categorical parole programs that make aliens presumptively eligible on the basis of some set of broadly applicable criteria,” it says. ACTIVISTS IN MEXICO REPORT FLOW OF MIGRANTS HAS ‘ENORMOUSLY DECREASED’ ONE MONTH INTO TRUMP ADMIN The new pause is the latest in a slew of measures to overhaul the immigration system and shake off programs championed by the Biden administration. The Trump administration has suspended refugee resettlement and has also ended the use of the CBP One app to allow migrants to be paroled into the U.S. at ports of entry. That is connected to a mass deportation operation launched by the administration on day one, as well as a rapid-fire series of moves to increase border security. The administration has also ordered a review of parole programs, and has also taken limits off the use of expedited removals in order to quickly remove recently-arrived illegal immigrants.
Skeptical judge questions executive order barring transgender service members from joining the military
At a fiery District Court hearing in Washington, D.C., Judge Ana Reyes, a Biden-appointed federal judge, chastised Department of Justice lawyer Jason Lynch tasked with representing the Defense Department in a federal lawsuit challenging President Trump’s executive order barring transgender individuals from serving in the military. “An order signed by the President of the United States calls an entire category of people, dishonest, immodest, people who have received medals for taking fire for this country, can you tell me whether that language expresses animus?” Reyes asked Lynch. “Yes, no, or I don’t know?” Reyes asked, to which Lynch answered: “I don’t know.” INDEPENDENT VOTERS AGREE WITH TRUMP ON TRANSGENDER POLICIES, FOCUS GROUP SHOWS Reyes exploded, “We are dealing with unadulterated animus, an entire group of people who have served this country, calling them liars!” This is a policy of the president of the United States affecting thousands of people, she said. “To call an entire group of people liars who have no integrity, how is that anything other than showing animus,” Reyes asked. Lynch argued this is not a transgender ban, it is a pause while the Defense secretary determines how to align policy to the president’s executive order. “If we had President Trump here and we asked him if this was a transgender ban, what do you think he would say?” Reyes asked Lynch. TRUMP ADMIN EXPECTED TO ENACT LAYOFF AT DEFENSE DEPARTMENT AMID DOGE ARRIVAL: REPORT Lynch answered that he didn’t know. Reyes went on, “He would say of course it is because he calls it a transgender ban.” On Jan. 27 President Trump signed an executive order, “Prioritizing Military Excellence and Readiness,” which stated that “the Armed Forces have been afflicted with radical gender ideology to appease activists unconcerned with the requirements of military service… and unit cohesion.” The order also stated, “adoption of a gender identity inconsistent with an individual’s sex conflicts with a soldier’s commitment to an honorable, truthful, and disciplined lifestyle, even in one’s personal life.” Reyes pushed back on that definition, asking: “Does the government believe that being trans is an ideology, yes or no.” When the state’s attorney could not answer, she pressed further: “Transgender people just have an ideology, not an immutable characteristic… just thinking something in my head?” Reyes went on to tell Lynch that the premise of the executive order is based on an “incorrect biological assessment” because, she said, there are more than two genders. The judge then listed 30 different intersex examples: including people who have three X chromosomes, and some who have XY but have female genitalia. A tweet last Friday from the U.S. Army barred transgender people from joining the military and halted surgeries for transgender service members. It followed an interview that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth gave to Breitbart in which he issued a not-so-veiled warning to senior military officers who refuse to “execute culture change.” “I am not here to declare anybody woke and they’re out,” Hegseth told Breitbart. “I’m paying very close attention. There’s plenty of three- and four-star generals up for promotion or up for new positions, and there will already be a few folks that we’ve identified who will have different jobs in due time…. here are the executive orders. Here are the directives on woke, on DEI, on CRT, on genderism, on trans service members, on COVID.” “The #USArmy will no longer allow transgender individuals to join the military and will stop performing or facilitating procedures associated with gender transition for service members. Stay tuned for more details,” the Army posted on X. SIX SERVICEMEMBERS CHALLENGE TRUMP’S TRANSGENDER MILITARY EXECUTIVE ORDER Two LGBTQ legal organizations, GLAD and the National Center for Lesbian Rights, are representing six transgender plaintiffs who currently serve in the military and two who were in the process of enlisting. The suit affects an estimated 9,000 to 14,000 transgender service members. The military does not categorize or keep records of those who are transgender, so exact numbers are difficult to assess. One of the leading plaintiffs is Army Reserve 2nd Lt. Nicolas Talbott, a 31-year-old transgender man who grew up in Lisbon, Ohio, on his grandparents’ farm before enlisting last March. He transitioned from female to male in 2012. “I was an O-9 Sierra. I went straight from basic training to officer candidate school where I commissioned as a second lieutenant. And since I’m in the reserve, I knew going into the Army that I was going to be a military police officer. So my MOS now is a 91 Alpha military police lieutenant,” Talbott told Fox News. “I was able to keep up with some of the young kids. But for the most part, I outperformed a lot of them. I was very pleasantly surprised with myself in that regard.” Talbott wanted to join the military after 9/11. He pushed back when asked if the military lowered the standards so he could pass the physical demands of basic training. “The slogan of officer candidate school is standards. No compromise. And they live by that 100%. There was no compromise for anybody, myself included,” Talbott said. “I was treated the same as everybody else. I showed up just like everyone else. I performed just like everyone else. And there was no disruption whatsoever caused simply by my presence.” Talbott’s lawyer Shannon Minter, the legal director of the National Center for Lesbian Rights, was in the courtroom today. “It is so simple. It is so straightforward. We have one legal argument that it violates the equal protection clause to single out a group of people to exclude them from military service based on a characteristic that has absolutely nothing to do with their fitness or ability to do the job,” Minter told Fox. “These trans service members have to meet exactly the same standards as others in terms of medical requirements, fitness to deploy, ability and job performance. There is no special deal for transgender troops. They serve on the exact same terms as everyone else.” FIRST
Trump calls Ukraine’s Zelenskyy a ‘dictator without elections’ as rift widens
President Donald Trump blasted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as a “dictator without elections” on Wednesday, after the U.S. left Ukraine out of initial peace talks with Russia this week. “A Dictator without Elections, Zelenskyy better move fast or he is not going to have a Country left,” Trump wrote on TRUTH Social. “In the meantime, we are successfully negotiating an end to the War with Russia, something all admit only ‘TRUMP,’ and the Trump Administration, can do. Biden never tried, Europe has failed to bring Peace, and Zelenskyy probably wants to keep the ‘gravy train’ going.” Trump added, “I love Ukraine, but Zelenskyy has done a terrible job, his Country is shattered, and MILLIONS have unnecessarily died – And so it continues…..” This is a developing news story. Check back for updates.
‘Only takes 3’: Dems push personal data protection to turn GOP against Elon Musk’s DOGE
House Democrats have a new coordinated pressure campaign aimed at restricting Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), based on leveraging the GOP’s razor-thin majority. Recent days have seen Democratic lawmakers take to both traditional and social media to publicly urge “just three House Republicans” to cross the aisle and vote for a bill designed to stop Musk from accessing U.S. citizens’ records in the Department of Treasury. “I’m supporting the Taxpayer Data Protection Act because it will protect Americans’ private data from Elon Musk and his reckless DOGE employees,” Rep. Susie Lee, D-Nev., wrote on X. “Republican leadership has to let us vote. If they don’t, it only takes three lone Republicans to join us and make it happen.” Generally, legislation needs to have the blessing of majority party leaders to get a House-wide vote. BLACK CAUCUS CHAIR ACCUSES TRUMP OF ‘PURGE’ OF ‘MINORITY’ FEDERAL WORKERS But Lee’s comments appear to signal that House Democrats are prepared to use a discharge petition to end-run GOP leaders’ likely opposition. It’s a mechanism to force legislation up for a House-wide vote, provided the petition gets signatures from a majority of House lawmakers. Meanwhile, in an MSNBC interview earlier this week, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., suggested Democrats’ highlighting of Republicans’ thin majority could be a running theme in the 119th Congress. “What we’ve been saying to our Republican colleagues is that on any issue that the American people are concerned about, it only takes three Republicans to break with the other side of the aisle, join the 215 Democrats, and we can stop them in their tracks. It only takes three,” Jeffries said. “Meanwhile, they’re in the witness protection program as it relates to the things that are taking place – don’t want to take a stand, don’t want to offend Elon Musk, don’t want to offend Donald Trump, but they’re really offending the people that they were elected to represent.” SCOOP: KEY CONSERVATIVE CAUCUS DRAWS RED LINE ON HOUSE BUDGET PLAN He stopped short of endorsing any specific legislation, however. Fox News Digital reached out to Jeffries’ office to ask if he would be supportive of a discharge petition. Other Democrats were more targeted in their approach, like progressive Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Wis., who wrote on X, “It’s not rocket science: an unelected billionaire should NOT have access to your personal financial info!” “If just three House Republicans join us, we can pass a bill that stops Musk from accessing your private info. But the [House GOP] is siding with their favorite billionaire donor over everyday Americans,” Pocan wrote on Tuesday. Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, D-Fla., said on the site, “This isn’t complicated: allowing access to these sensitive IRS records by an unelected businessman is dangerous. We can protect your privacy if just three House Republicans join us to pass legislation that stops accessing your private information.” It will likely be an ongoing theme for the next two years as Republicans navigate a majority of less than a handful of House seats. The number three also coincides with how many House Republicans won districts that former Vice President Kamala Harris prevailed over Trump in last year. Those Republicans – Reps. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pa., and Don Bacon, R-Neb. – are likely to be main targets for Democrats. The vast majority of House Republicans have been supportive of Musk’s DOGE efforts, however, even as Democrats sound alarm bells about the billionaire’s lack of government experience and accuse him of possible conflicts of interest. Republicans have argued that the $36 trillion national debt amounted to a fiscal crisis that called for extraordinary measures.
Major K Street players previously skeptical of Trump now pledging to work together with him
President Donald Trump‘s return to the White House appears to have sparked a change in tune on K Street, the heart of lobbyist influence in Washington, D.C., as several prominent lobbyist voices are now pledging to work with the new president after previously criticizing him. “Manufacturers are ready to work with @realDonaldTrump to roll back the federal regulatory onslaught, unleash American energy and build on the success of the pro-growth Trump Tax Cuts,” Jay Timmons, president and CEO of the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM), posted on X after Trump’s victory, adding in a press release that he congratulates Trump on “on his historic victory and strong performance across manufacturing intensive states.” The praise of Trump comes after years of vigorously criticizing him, including after the January 6 riot, when he said that Trump “incited violence in an attempt to retain power, and any elected leader defending him is violating their oath to the Constitution and rejecting democracy in favor of anarchy.” Additionally, Timmons called on then-Vice President Mike Pence to invoke the 25th Amendment and remove Trump from office. NEW POLL REVEALS WHICH TRUMP POLICIES AMERICANS LOVE AND HATE “What we saw on January 6th was absolutely one of the most horrifying things that any of us who love America could have ever witnessed,” Timmons said. Timmons also said that Trump’s handling of the coronavirus appeared to have been “weaponized, and it became a political tool.” Timmons also had a long history of praising the Biden administration for its accomplishments, saying that he “built a substantial legacy” in four years and celebrating Biden’s work on the coronavirus when he was elected by saying “it is fantastic to have a partner in the White House”, adding that “we felt like we were fighting this fight, frankly, all alone for the last year.” In a statement to Fox News Digital, a NAM spokesperson said, “President Trump wants to grow manufacturing in the United States. The NAM is working with him to do that.” Shortly after Biden announced he was dropping out of the presidential race, NAM put out a press release saying that Biden “Has Rallied the World to the Cause of Democracy.” SETH ROGEN EXPLAINS TRUMP VICTORY BY SAYING PEOPLE GOT ‘SICK OF F—ING HIPPIES DOING ACID’ IN THE STREETS Stephen Ubl, president and chief executive officer of PhRMA, also spoke out about January 6, calling it “appalling,” and took issue with some aspects of Trump’s agenda items, including his executive order push to “Buy American,” which Ubl said would create “even more barriers to innovation and efforts to develop a vaccine for COVID-19.” Ubl’s company, along with other organizations, filed a lawsuit in 2020 “against the Trump administration’s new rules for lowering drug prices.” Ubl, who has donated at least $15,000 to Democrats, has struck a more positive tone since Trump’s victory, posting on X that he is “committed to working with the Trump administration and the new Congress to make our health care system work better for patients while preserving our unique ecosystem that enables greater innovation and lower costs for patients.” Ubl met with Trump at Mar-a-Lago in early December, and PhRMA donated funds to Trump’s inauguration. “With President Trump now officially sworn into office, I look forward to working with his administration to address key challenges facing our industry and fighting for solutions to help patients access and afford the treatments they need,” Ubl posted on X in January. Neil Bradley, the vice president of the Chamber of Commerce, said after January 6 that Trump’s words and actions “have no place in a free and Democratic society” and the New York Times reported that he said the chamber is “evaluating how lawmakers voted last week during the electoral vote certification process and how they vote in the coming days when the House moves to impeach Mr. Trump when making decisions about donations.” Bradley was also critical of President Trump’s decision to end DACA, saying in 2017 that it “runs contrary to the president’s goal of growing the U.S. economy.” Bradley, a Democratic donor who donated to former GOP Rep. Liz Cheney after she voted to impeach Trump, said after Trump’s election that “his actions are a long overdue change in direction that will help unleash the American economy, resulting in more innovation and faster growing paychecks for American workers.” Shortly after Trump’s victory, the Business Roundtable (BRT) put out a press release saying that it “congratulates President-elect Donald Trump on his election as the 47th President of the United States.” “We look forward to working with the incoming Trump Administration and all federal and state policymakers.” Before Trump’s re-election, several members of the BRT were highly critical of Trump, including CEO Joshua Bolten, who called Trump unfit for office in 2016, before he joined BRT in 2017, and donated to prominent Trump critic Liz Cheney in 2021 and 2022. Bolten also donated to Trump critic and former GOP Rep. Adam Kinzinger in 2021 after he voted to impeach Trump. Kristen Silverberg, president and COO of BRT, signed a letter opposing Trump’s election in 2016, before she joined BRT in 2019, and donated several thousand dollars to Cheney’s re-election efforts after she voted to impeach Trump, FEC records show. Records also show that Silverberg donated multiple times to Nikki Haley’s presidential campaign against Trump in the Republican primary in 2023, as well as Chris Christie’s campaign in the same primary. BRT hosted President Trump twice during CEO Quarterly Meetings with Bolten and Silverberg at the helm, and the group also met with then-vice presidential candidate JD Vance during their Q3 2024 meeting with CEOs in September. The organization pointed to Bolten and Silverberg making no public anti-Trump statements since 2016 and said they have worked “closely” with both Trump administrations on important policy initiatives. The organization also said that donations to Cheney, a former colleague, were for her reelection and not her anti-Trump efforts. “Business Roundtable worked with President Trump to advance tax reform and USMCA during his first term, and we look forward to working
Federal judge temporarily stops Trump admin from firing 11 intelligence officers assigned to DEI programs
A federal judge temporarily blocked President Donald Trump’s administration from firing 11 CIA employees linked to DEI programs Thursday. U.S. District Judge Anthony Trenga’s order delays the employees’ firing for at least five days. Former CIA officer Kevin Carroll, a lawyer representing the CIA employees, filed the lawsuit on Monday, noting that the 11 officers were on temporary assignments relating to DEI initiatives and that none of them had received poor performance reviews. The order allows Trenga more time to weigh the legal arguments on both sides of the case and is not a definitive ruling on the lawsuit. “These people are being fired just because of an assumption that’s been made that they are leftists,” Carroll said in a statement. TRUMP SCORES BIG LEGAL WIN AGAINST PULITZER PRIZE BOARD MEMBERS AS LAWSUIT MOVES TO DISCOVERY The 11 officials are among 51 CIA employees who were placed on administrative leave shortly after Trump gained office and signed an executive order purging DEI programs across the federal government. The 51 officers were summoned to the visitors center, outside the agency’s high-security perimeter in Langley, Virginia, and had their identification badges “seized,” Carroll said. DOGE SCORES BIG COURT WIN, ALLOWED ACCESS DATA ON 3 FEDERAL AGENCIES They were given three options that they were ordered to accept by 5 p.m. on Wednesday: retirement by Oct. 1, resignation effective on Tuesday or termination on May 20, according to copies of unclassified notices the officers were given that Reuters reviewed. Trump’s administration is facing legal challenges against many of its efforts to combat DEI initiatives as well as purge government waste. Trump has also sought to cut funding for federal programs that aren’t in line with his administration’s priorities, leading to further legal battles. JUDGE RESTORES TRUMP ADMINISTRATION’S BUYOUT OFFER TO FEDERAL WORKERS The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), working closely with Elon Musk, has also drawn a slew of lawsuits from Democrats and fired federal employees. Reuters contributed to this report.
Misgendering trans people on their death certificates could be jailable offense under blue-state bill
A bill before the Colorado state legislature would require a deceased person’s gender identity be recorded on their certificate of death under penalty of a fine and/or jail time for anyone who “knowingly and willfully violates” the measure, which one critic told Fox News was an “insane” effort that compels speech. Under the proposed law – sponsored by Democratic state Reps. Karen McCormick and Kyle Brown and state Sen. Mike Weissman – if a document memorializing the decedent’s gender identity is presented, the individual completing the death certificate must record the decedent’s sex based on that identity. If this is thwarted in any way, the penalty is a class 2 misdemeanor, which in Colorado is punishable by up to 120 days in jail and/or a fine of up to $750. “The state registrar must also amend the certificate of death to reflect a legal name change if the appropriate legal name change documentation is submitted to the state registrar,” the bill states. COLORADO COUNCILWOMAN ENCOURAGES PEOPLE TO ‘REPORT’ ICE ACTIVITY TO HELP ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS AVOID CAPTURE If there is no official document showing the decedent’s gender identity, and the person who is responsible for managing the decedent’s remains such as a family member or legal representative disagrees with the sex recorded on the death certificate, they have the right to request a change, the bill states. Specifically, before the death certificate is officially filed, the person in charge of the remains can inform the individual completing the death certificate of their objection. If this happens, the person completing the certificate must update the record to reflect the gender identity that the individual controlling the remains states, rather than the biological sex. TRUMP BORDER CZAR TOM HOMAN VOWS TO PROBE LEAK THAT STIFLED ICE RAID TARGETING VENEZUELAN GANG IN COLORADO Current law allows coroners, medical examiners, forensic pathologists and other “qualified individuals” to determine the cause of death and complete the death certificate. State rules define “qualified individuals” as a physician or the chief medical officer of the institution where the death occurred. Other liberal states have passed similar laws in recent years, but do not have a criminal penalty tacked onto it. California’s law allows for the update of gender on death certificates, but it does not specifically include criminal penalties for failing to record gender identity properly. If a death certificate is incorrectly issued, the family or legal representative can request an amended certificate. New York, Washington and Oregon also have these laws. TRUMP’S ‘TWO SEXES’ ORDER SPURS STATE-LEVEL EFFORTS TO CRACK DOWN ON TRANS TREATMENTS FOR MINORS “And the idea that it’s under compulsion, that’s unprecedented,” Dr. Travis Morrell, a Colorado physician and fellow with the conservative medical coalition Do No Harm, told Fox News Digital in an interview. “Although the misdemeanor is maybe a new little feature that they’ve added, it’s kind of situation normal here in Colorado.” Morrell said he plans to speak at the bill’s hearing next week. “This is very much in line with Colorado’s overall war on reality and war on scientific truth,” he said. “The idea that not only does a doctor or mortician have to lie, they’re being tried with jail, that’s insane. It’s compelled speech.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP The bill comes on the heels of President Donald Trump declaring that there are only “two sexes” in an executive order last month, as well as a slew of other gender-related executive actions seeking to weed out “radical gender ideology.” Fox News Digital has reached out to the legislators for comment but did not hear back by time of publication.