Trump admin lays out who exactly was cut at HHS in face of ‘Democrat hysteria’
FIRST ON FOX: The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) still employs more people than it did in 2019, despite “Democrat hysteria” over recent cuts within the department’s agencies, Fox News Digital exclusively learned. A senior Trump administration official told Fox News Digital that there have been 6,000 departures from HHS since Jan. 20, Inauguration Day. The agency, however, still employs nearly 6,000 more people than it did in 2019, including more than 2,000 employees at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) relative to 2019 numbers, and 1,200 employees at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Hiring at HHS ballooned between fiscal year 2019 and 2024, the senior Trump administration official said, with 17% more full-time employees by 2024. Fifty percent of overall jobs in the U.S. that were created in 2024 were indirect or direct government jobs, the official added. “Democrat hysteria about essential offices in HHS being culled — again, every operating division has either more or roughly stagnant headcount relative to” fiscal year 2019, a senior Trump administration official told Fox News Digital. ACADEMIC UNIONS PLAN DEMONSTRATIONS OUTSIDE HHS BUILDING, AT MED SCHOOLS, TO PROTEST TRUMP RESEARCH CUTS Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was confirmed and sworn-in as the nation’s 26th secretary of Health and Human Services on Thursday, when President Donald Trump also signed an executive order creating the Make America Healthy Again Commission, which is “investigating and addressing the root causes of America’s escalating health crisis.” The commission initially will focus its investigations into childhood chronic diseases, such as autism. News reports spread shortly after Kennedy’s confirmation that widespread layoffs were headed to HHS employees, including within the CDC and FDA. The Trump administration is in the midst of working to streamline the federal government by cutting overspending and stamping out potential fraud or mismanagement, which has included mass layoffs at various agencies. RFK JR’S HEALTH AGENDA GAINS POPULARITY AMONG STATE LAWMAKERS The head of the FDA’s food division, Jim Jones, submitted his resignation letter Monday, according to various news reports, arguing the administration’s “indiscriminate firing” of staff in his division will be a “roadblock to achieving the Secretary’s stated objectives of making America healthy again.” “I was looking forward to working to pursue the Department’s agenda of improving the health of Americans by reducing diet-related chronic disease and risks from chemicals in food,” Jones said. “It has been increasingly clear that with the Trump Administration’s disdain for the very people necessary to implement your agenda, however, it would have been fruitless for me to continue in this role.” Federal employees also staged a protest outside HHS in Washington, D.C., on Friday, while a cohort of academic unions around the country are rallying the science community to join another protest outside HHS on Wednesday, billed as a “National Day of Action.” TRUMP’S ‘MAKE AMERICA HEALTHY AGAIN’ COMMISSION TO TARGET AUTISM, CHRONIC DISEASES The Trump administration explained to Fox News Digital that those who were terminated over the weekend included probationary employees — who are individuals recently hired by the agency and still under consideration for long-term employment. “Not people carrying longtime essential ‘institutional’ knowledge,” the admin official said of those terminated. The recent HHS culling over the weekend did not include key personnel focused on emergency preparedness and response within the Administration for Strategy Preparedness and Response (ASPR), the CDC and other divisions of HHS, nor did it cull research scientists at the CDC or National Institutes of Health, or frontline healthcare providers at the Indian Health Service, employees working on Medicare and Medicaid at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, or those reviewing and approving drugs or conducting inspections at FDA. Additionally, employees working on refugee resettlement within the Administration of Children and Families were exempt from the weekend layoffs. TRUMP SIGNS EXECUTIVE ORDER TO BLOCK FEDERAL MONEY FOR SCHOOLS, UNIVERSITIES WITH COVID VACCINE MANDATES “Cuts we made at HHS over the weekend did not compromise health and safety of Americans,” the admin official added. Kennedy vowed during his Senate confirmation hearings that he would scrutinize the department’s previous modus operandi, remove potential financial conflicts and ensure tax dollars were spent on both bolstering healthy foods for Americans, and providing “unbiased” scientific reports. “We will make sure our tax dollars support healthy foods. We will scrutinize the chemical additives in our food supply. We will remove the financial conflicts of interest in our agencies,” he told the Senate Finance Committee in describing his goals. “We will create an honest, unbiased, science-driven HHS, accountable to the president, to Congress, and to the American people.” Both Kennedy and Trump pledged on the campaign trail to “Make America Healthy Again,” including directing their focus on autism among youths in recent years. The recently minted MAHA commission will investigate chronic conditions for both adults and children, including those related to autism, which the White House said affects one in 36 children. The commission is expected to publish “an assessment that summarizes what is known and what questions remain regarding the childhood chronic disease crisis, and include international comparisons,” within 100 days of the commission’s founding. Within 180 days, it is expected to “produce a strategy, based on the findings of the assessment, to improve the health of America’s children,” Fox Digital reported. Since Kennedy’s confirmation, state-level lawmakers have introduced a wave of bills aimed at advancing priorities championed by Kennedy and the MAHA movement, including prohibiting junk food like candy and soda from school lunches and other bills aimed at amending state vaccine rules. Fox News Digital’s Alec Schemmel contributed to this report.
Casey DeSantis favored in Florida governor’s race, poll finds
Florida first lady Casey DeSantis is favored to succeed her husband, Gov. Ron DeSantis, as governor of the Sunshine State, according to a new poll released Tuesday. The University of North Florida’s Public Opinion Research Lab (PORL) asked 871 active registered voters across Florida about potential candidates for Florida’s 2026 gubernatorial race, finding that 57% of Republicans had a favorable opinion of Casey DeSantis – a higher rating than other names floated as possible candidates. “Casey DeSantis was the top early pick for potential Republican primary candidates when we asked back in late 2023, albeit with only 22% support,” said Dr. Michael Binder, PORL faculty director and professor of political science. Overall, 30% of respondents were favorable of the first lady, 22% unfavorable and 33% had never heard of her, according to the poll, which was conducted from Feb. 5–14. TRUMP ALLY RAMASWAMY TO MAKE MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT ABOUT HIS POLITICAL FUTURE “She likely enjoys some favorability by association as Florida’s first lady,” Binder added, “but most of these potential candidates suffer from a lack of recognition—some suffering more than others. That said, I expect we’ll see a few of them become household names by the time the August 2026 primary rolls around.” The other speculative gubernatorial candidates included in the poll’s question included former Rep. Matt Gaetz, Sen. Ashley Moody, Rep. Byron Donalds and Florida commissioner of agriculture Wilton Simpson. Gaetz garnered a 39% unfavorable opinion from respondents, with 18% favorable and 33% who said they had never heard of him. Gaetz, however, received a more favorable response among Republican respondents, with 33% favorable and 23% unfavorable. Gaetz resigned from Congress abruptly last year after President Donald Trump tapped him to be his attorney general, though Gaetz eventually withdrew himself from consideration amid growing Republican opposition. The resignation also came as the House Ethics Committee had been preparing its report on allegations against Gaetz that included illicit drug use and sex with a minor, all of which he has denied. TRUMP SUPPORTING CALIFORNIA SHERIFF LAUNCHES REPUBLICAN RUN FOR GOVERNOR IN RAE TO SUCCEED NEWSOM Most respondents said they never heard of Moody (54%), Donalds (66%) and Simpson (79%), though those familiar with them found Moody and Donalds more favorable than unfavorable, and Simpson was split at 4% in both categories, the poll found. Moody, the former state attorney general, was selected in January to fill Sen. Marco Rubio’s seat in the U.S. Senate after Trump tapped Rubio to lead the State Department. Donalds has been a staunch ally of Trump, who gave the lawmaker a shout-out during inaugural events in Washington, saying, “Stand up, Byron. What a future this one has.” Gov. Ron DeSantis has previously shot down rumors surrounding a potential bid for office from his wife. “If I had to characterize her interest in getting into the political thicket as a candidate, I would say, I would characterize it as zero,” DeSantis told reporters in May. “But, you know, I think it’s because she has had a front row seat on all the nonsense that goes on when you do it.”
US Conference of Catholic Bishops sues Trump over immigration, refugee funding freeze
The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) sued President Donald Trump’s administration for halting funding to a refugee resettlement program on Wednesday. The USCCB filing joins a litany of lawsuits seeking to block Trump from ending funding for various government programs and agencies. The suit relates to the Refugee Act of 1980, under which the USCCB worked in tandem with the U.S. government to resettle over 930,000 refugees, the lawsuit claims. “For decades, the US government has chosen to admit refugees and outsourced its statutory responsibility to provide those refugees with resettlement assistance to non-profit organizations like USCCB,” the lawsuit reads, according to the Catholic Herald. “But now, after refugees have arrived and been placed in USCCB’s care, the government is attempting to pull the rug out from under USCCB’s programs by halting funding,” it continued. TRUMP TEMPORARILY THWARTED IN DOGE MISSION TO END USAID The State Department’s Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration issued a suspension letter for the program soon after Trump entered office, though the USCCB argues the letter made clear that the department would reimburse the USCCB for its work up to Jan. 24. DOGE SAYS IT FOUND NEARLY UNTRACEABLE BUDGET LINE ITEM RESPONSIBLE FOR $4.7T IN PAYMENTS The USCCB lawsuit argues both that it has not received reimbursement up to Jan. 24, and that it is illegal for the Trump administration to unilaterally cut off congressionally approved funding. The conference noted that the funding freeze has forced them to begin off-rolling 50 of its employees focused on refugee resettlement. The lawsuit comes days after a federal judge issued an order compelling the Trump administration to lift its three-week funding freeze on U.S. foreign aid last week. Judge Amir Ali noted in his ruling that the Trump administration argued it had to shut down funding for the thousands of U.S. Agency for International Development programs abroad to conduct a thorough review of each program and whether it should be eliminated. But the judge said that Trump officials failed to explain why a “blanket suspension” of foreign aid programs was necessary before the programs were more thoroughly reviewed.
Border state officials put cartels on notice as they await green light to take major action
An Arizona state bill would allow local and state authorities to shoot down drones used by drug cartels. House Bill 2733, sponsored by Republican state Rep. David Marshall, would provide qualified immunity to authorities for injuries that may be caused by taking out an “unmanned” drone within 30 miles of the southern border. Cartels regularly use drones as a tool to monitor law enforcement activity around the border in hopes of evading them in their own smuggling operations, even using the technology to send their drugs into the country. Although the situation at the border is calming down, there are still plenty of issues to tackle when it comes to crime, according to one sheriff. BOSTON POLICE COMMISSIONER DOUBLES DOWN ON ICE RESISTANCE: ‘WE DON’T ENFORCE’ DETAINERS “As the border gets more secure under President Trump’s new administration, we didn’t think for a second that drug cartels were just gonna go away,” Yavapai County Sheriff David Rhodes, who is the president of the Arizona Sheriffs’ Association, told Fox News Digital in an interview. “They’re getting more creative now – drone technology for smuggling drones over the border and dropping them, you know, external loads out in the desert to be picked up. They’ve been doing that for a while, but it’s increasing in frequency. And so local law enforcement can literally see these things fly through the air, but you don’t know where they’re going,” he continued. HOMAN TAKES VICTORY LAP AFTER ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT CROSSINGS PLUMMET DURING TRUMP ADMIN: ‘HE IS DELIVERING’ The use of small aircraft is becoming a key concern for not only local and state authorities, but also federal border agents, as an expert recently told Fox News Digital that the cartels are trying to find ways to keep the cash flowing in despite the recent border crackdown. The state-level legislation is co-sponsored by a mix of Republicans and Democrats, which is a rare moment of bipartisanship, as some of the state’s leaders are bitterly divided on the new administration’s border and immigration policies. Still, drug interdiction has been a point of common ground in the Grand Canyon State. ILLEGAL-SMUGGLING COYOTES NOW ADVERTISING AT CANADA BORDER AMID TRUMP MIGRANT CRACKDOWN: REPORT “This bill gives them the tools they need to do exactly that. Let’s empower Arizona law enforcement to disable these cartel drones. Let’s give our sheriffs the authority to fight back by passing this bill. And let’s work together to take back our border from the Mexican drug cartels,” Democratic Attorney General Kris Mayes said at a news conference on Monday, as she’s been asking for a policy to be enacted on the issue as of last spring. If the bill passes the Republican-majority legislature, it will then head to Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs’ desk. The governor’s office did not respond in time to comment on whether she plans to sign the legislation.
Activists in Mexico report flow of migrants has ‘enormously decreased’ one month into Trump admin
Less than a month into the new Trump administration, a migrant shelter along the pathway to the U.S. in Northern Mexico is reporting that the flow of immigrants has “enormously decreased.” Commenting on the development, White House Deputy Press Secretary Kush Desai told Fox News Digital that Trump’s immigration policies are working and “put Americans first.” The Mexican news outlet “Milenio” reported on Wednesday that the migratory flow running through the Mexican city of Torreón has “decreased enormously.” The outlet pointed out that the decrease “coincides with the threats of the president of the United States.” Milenio reported that according to migrant activists, “after the deportations, migrants have little by little disappeared from the lagoon landscape due to fear of being detained.” TRUMP ADMIN REVEALS LIST OF CARTELS AND GANGS TO BE DESIGNATED TERRORIST ORGANIZATIONS María Concepción Martínez Rodríguez, a migrant activist and coordinator of the “Jesús Torres Fraire Day Center for Migrants” in Torreón, told Milenio that now that the border is “so militarized, so difficult,” many migrants “don’t want to try anymore and they are giving up.” “The migratory flow is changing,” said Martinez Rodriguez, adding: “If we have eight migrants, there are shelters that don’t have a single one.” Since returning to the Oval Office, President Donald Trump has made good on his campaign promise to crack down on illegal immigration and prioritize border security. Among his many actions, he ordered the resumption of border wall construction, deployed active-duty U.S. service members to the border, significantly increased enforcement and removal operations by the U.S. Immigration and Customs and Enforcement (ICE) and moved to designate several migrant gangs as foreign terrorist organizations. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) apprehended just 29,116 illegal immigrants along the southern border during the month of January, down from 47,000 in December and hitting a low mark not seen since May 2020, when 32,349 arrests were made at ports of entry, according to a White House press release. FIRST 10 ‘HIGH THREAT’ ILLEGALS TO ARRIVE TO GUANTANAMO BAY ARE ALL TREN DE ARAGUA MEMBERS This week, Trump’s border czar Tom Homan touted the administration’s quick success in cracking down on illegal immigration, saying that in the last 24 hours U.S. Border Patrol agents had only encountered 229 aliens across the entire southwest border. This is down from the over 11,000 a day during the worst period under the Biden administration. CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE “I started as a Border Patrol Agent in 1984 and I don’t remember the numbers ever being that low,” Homan said on X. “President Trump promised a secure border and he is delivering.” ICE ARRESTS UNDER PRESIDENT TRUMP CONTINUE IN MIGRANT ‘SANCTUARY’ CITIES Desai told Fox News Digital that in the span of just weeks, Trump has stopped the migrant crisis caused by 4 years under former President Joe Biden and former Vice President Kamala Harris. “In less than a month, President Trump has already put an end to the dumpster fire that was the Biden border crisis,” he said. “After four years of a malfeasant Biden administration, Americans finally have a president who will use every lever of executive power to protect our border, enforce our immigration laws, and put Americans first.” Fox News Digital writer Michael Lee contributed to this report.
Trump FBI director nominee Kash Patel picks up support from key GOP senator
President Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the Federal Bureau of Investigation picked up support from a key Republican senator on his road to confirmation. Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., said Tuesday that he would vote to confirm Kash Patel to serve as FBI director for a 10-year term. “I’ve spoken to multiple people I respect about Kash Patel this weekend—both for and against,” Cassidy, chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, wrote on X. “The ones who worked closely with Kash vouched for him. I will vote for his confirmation,” Cassidy said. KASH PATEL HAMMERS ‘GROTESQUE MISCHARACTERIZATIONS’ FROM DEMS AMID FIERY FBI CONFIRMATION HEARING The Senate overcame a procedural hurdle on Patel’s nomination Tuesday with a party-line 48-45 vote, setting up a final vote on his nomination likely Thursday. The Senate Judiciary Committee advanced Patel’s nomination in a 12-10 party-line vote to be considered by the whole upper chamber of Congress last Thursday. After Senate Judiciary Committee Democrats held Patel’s nomination for seven days, the committee’s chair, Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, defended Patel last week ahead of the vote. Grassley said Patel “spent his whole career fighting for righteous causes” and has “been a public defender, representing the accused against the power of the state.” 4 OF THE BIGGEST CLASHES BETWEEN PATEL, SENATE DEMS AT HIS CONFIRMATION HEARING “He’s been a congressional staffer, investigating the partisan weaponization of our legal system. And he’s served in key national security roles, protecting Americans from foreign enemies,” Grassely told the committee. “He’s received support from former FBI agents, former federal and state prosecutors, and organizations representing more than 680,000 law enforcement officers. But Mr. Patel’s resume, his accomplishments and his support aren’t why he’s the best man for the job.” Grassely said Patel “should be our next FBI Director because the FBI has been infected by political bias and weaponized against the American people.” “Mr. Patel knows it, he’s exposed it, and he’s been targeted for it,” he said, describing how Patel was “instrumental in exposing Crossfire Hurricane,” and “he showed that the Democratic National Committee funded false allegations against President Trump, that the DOJ and FBI hid information from the FISA court to wiretap a presidential campaign and that an FBI lawyer lied in the process.” “As reward for his efforts to uncover the truth, he was attacked by the media, and the DOJ secretly subpoenaed his records,” Grassley said. “I know a thing or two about this kind of retaliation.” At his confirmation hearing last month, Patel clashed with committee Democrats after he refused to share his grand jury testimony in the since-dropped classified documents case against Trump, as well as over Patel’s defense of Jan. 6 rioters and critique of the “deep state.” Democrats had pushed for a second confirmation hearing for Patel, but Grassley denied that request. Trump nominated Patel in November, moving to replace former FBI Director Chris Wray. Trump tapped Wray to lead the FBI in his first administration but later accused him of weaponizing the agency. Two Republican senators, Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, have not confirmed whether they will vote in support of Patel. Both Collins and Murkowski notably voted against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s confirmation, for which Vice President JD Vance cast the tie-breaking vote.
Schumer spotted posing for photo with CCP official as warnings swirl about China influence
FIRST ON FOX: Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer has been repeatedly photographed this month sharing a stage with a Chinese Communist Party (CCP) official who has publicly denied China’s alleged genocide against the Uyghur population. Chinese Consul General in New York Chen Li has posted multiple photos of him posing with Schumer on his X profile this month, including attending at least two Chinese parades. “Thrilled to join thousands at the [Brooklyn] Lantern Festival Parade!” Chen recently posted on X along with a photo standing with Schumer at the annual Lantern Festival parade in New York City. “Incredible #Chinese cultural performances—so proud of Chinese Community in New York! It’s time for celebration and friendship!” he added. CHINESE OFFICIAL WHO PRAISED CCP, DENIED UYGHUR GENOCIDE VISITS WITH THREE MORE TOP UNIVERSITIES In another post on Monday, Chen said he was “glad to join the 27th NYC Lunar New Year Parade together with” all his American “friends” and Chinese “fellow-countrymen.” Chen has previously denied China’s alleged genocide against the Uyghur population, which has been condemned by many on the world stage, including the United Nations. “It’s hard to imagine how could ‘genocide’ and ‘forced labor’ associated with such a place where population grows steadily, society is safe and open, and people enjoy happy life. Where do the accusations come from?” Chen wrote in 2021. “‘Genocide’ was claimed by former US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on the very last day of his term. It was based on reports fabricated by some extremist anti-China individuals who haven’t been to Xinjiang for years and accounts of a few so-called witnesses who were proved to be trained ‘actors’ and ‘actresses.’” The CCP has long claimed its “re-education camps” are voluntary and work only to stamp out extremism, but the leaked documents and photos have shown the camps are far from voluntary, Fox News Digital previously reported. ‘WARM HOSPITALITY’: UNIVERSITY PRESIDENT HAS REPEATEDLY COZIED UP TO TOP CCP OFFICIALS Fox News Digital spoke to an expert on U.S.-China relations, who pushed back on the idea of elected officials publicly fraternizing with CCP officials. “The Chinese Communist Party is actively seeking to weaken America from within. Elected officials shouldn’t share the stage with them; they should be working to defeat Beijing,” Hudson Institute Senior Fellow Michael Sobolik told Fox News Digital. “It sends mixed signals when politicians talk about countering the CCP one day then break bread with them the next,” he added. Schumer has previously been criticized for associating with Chen’s predecessor at the consulate, Huang Ping, who also denied the Uyghur genocide and has promoted CCP propaganda in the past. Huang traveled up and down the East Coast visiting business leaders, lawmakers, media companies and universities before leaving his post last year shortly after being named dozens of times in a criminal indictment against Democratic New York Gov. Kathy Hochul’s now-former deputy chief of staff, Linda Sun. Huang, who was the consul general of China’s New York Consulate between 2018 and 2024, and repeatedly called the CCP a “great party,” was listed as “PRC Official-1” in the indictment and has repeatedly met with Hochul, who is referred to as “Politician- 2” in the 64-page indictment against Sun. “The Chinese Communist Party’s malign influence in the United States is pervasive and perverse,” Sobolik told Fox News Digital last year. “The CCP, through ‘united front’ actors, uses American voices to advance its own hostile agenda. Governments at every level, from local and state to federal, must root out Beijing’s ongoing efforts to exploit our openness and freedom.” Fox News Digital reached out to Schumer’s office and the Chinese consulate in New York for comment.
Ukraine’s Zelenskyy says Trump lives in ‘disinformation space’ amid rift on Russia talks
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy lashed out at President Donald Trump on Wednesday, suggesting that Trump is in a “disinformation space” regarding peace talks with Russia. Zelenskyy made the comments to reporters in Kyiv after canceling a trip to Saudi Arabia, where the U.S. and Russia held peace talks earlier in the week. “Unfortunately, President Trump – I have great respect for him as a leader of a nation that we have great respect for, the American people who always support us – unfortunately lives in this disinformation space,” Zelensky said. Zelenskyy’s canceled trip to Saudi Arabia was widely seen as a rebuke of the agreements Trump’s team made with Russian counterparts during their Tuesday meeting there. Trump also followed up the meeting with aggressive criticism of Zelenskyy and Ukraine. FREED AMERICAN HOSTAGE MARC FOGEL LANDS IN US AFTER YEARS IN RUSSIAN CAPTIVITY “Today I heard, ‘Oh well, we weren’t invited.’ Well, you’ve been there for three years. You should’ve ended it after three years. You should’ve never started it. You could’ve made a deal,” Trump said, appearing to suggest Ukraine was at fault in the war. PUTIN VIEWED AS ‘GREAT COMPETITOR’ BUT STILL A US ‘ADVERSARY’ AS UKRAINE NEGOTIATIONS LOOM, LEAVITT SAYS Trump envoy Keith Kellog, a retired 3-star general, arrived in Kyiv to hold talks with Zelenskyy on Wednesday. Ukrainian officials have emphasized that any peace deal will require U.S. security guarantees in order to ensure Russia does not continue the violence. “We understand the need for security guarantees,” Kellog told Ukrainian media. “It’s very clear to us the importance of the sovereignty of this nation and the independence of this nation as well…. Part of my mission is to sit and listen,” he added. Secretary of State Marco Rubio led the U.S. delegation in Saudi Arabia, meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce also confirmed that Rubio’s team agreed to “lay the groundwork for cooperation” with Russia on various issues in addition to Ukraine. They also agreed to appoint “high-level teams” to begin working on a path to ending the conflict in Ukraine. Their proposed framework for a peace agreement would see a ceasefire, followed by elections in Ukraine and the signing of a final agreement. Reports from multiple foreign diplomatic sources say forcing Ukraine to hold new elections could be a key part of a peace deal. Both the U.S. and Russia believe Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has a low chance of winning re-election, the sources say. “Putin assesses the probability of electing a puppet president as quite high and is also convinced that any candidate other than the current President of Ukraine will be more flexible and ready for negotiations and concessions,” the diplomatic sources said in a readout of the meeting. Fox News’ Jacqui Heinrich and the Associated Press contributed to this report
Here’s the argument Trump hopes will net first major SCOTUS win in second term
In its first appeal of its second term to reach the Supreme Court, the Trump administration is arguing that the judiciary is attempting “to seize executive power” as courts have blocked the president from firing certain federal employees. Experts say the high court will likely be sympathetic to that argument and point to the ferocious dissent from a lower court judge, Trump appointee Greg Katsas, which they said laid the groundwork for Trump’s potential victory. “I am of the strong opinion that the devastating dissent written by Judge Katsas will strongly influence the current justices on the Supreme Court,” Hans von Spakovsky, Senior Legal Fellow at the Heritage Foundation, told Fox News Digital. The Justice Department filed an appeal to the Supreme Court in the case involving the firing of Hampton Dellinger, the head of the Special Counsel Office. Dellinger was fired from his role this month and shortly thereafter filed suit against the Trump administration, arguing that his termination was illegal and was “in direct conflict with nearly a century of precedent” delineating proper removal of independent agency officials. TRUMP ADMIN AIMS FOR KILLING BLOW TO INDEPENDENCE OF ‘DEEP STATE’ AGENCIES A lower court judge initially issued an administrative stay that reinstated Dellinger to his position, to which he was appointed by former President Joe Biden. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit declined to block that decision. The lower court then issued a temporary restraining order that reinstated Dellinger for 14 days. The DOJ appealed to the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals, which declined to lift the order on Sunday. The panel, which voted 2-1, was split along party lines, with Katsas dissenting. The Trump-appointed judge wrote that the order “warrants immediate appellate review” as the issue at hand “directs the President to recognize and work with an agency head whom he has already removed.” “Where a lower court allegedly impinges on the President’s core Article II powers, immediate appellate review should be generally available,” Katsas wrote. Katsas said the order “controlling how [the president] performs his official duties” is “virtually unheard of.” Katsas also wrote that the order “usurped a core Article II power of the President.” In its appeal to the Supreme Court, the DOJ said the case “involves an unprecedented assault on the separation of powers that warrants immediate relief.” TRUMP ADMIN SEEKS PERMISSION TO FIRE HEAD OF THE OFFICE OF SPECIAL COUNSEL “Until now, as far as we are aware, no court in American history has wielded an injunction to force the President to retain an agency head whom the President believes should not be entrusted with executive power and to prevent the President from relying on his preferred replacement,” the appeal reads. The Trump administration referred back to Katsas’ dissent numerous times in its appeal, arguing that the Court cannot allow courts “to seize executive power by dictating to the President how long he must continue employing an agency head against his will.” Von Spakovsky called the appellate court’s decision declining to lift the order “really outrageous and an unprecedented abuse of their judicial authority.” JUSTICE SOTOMAYOR SAYS ‘COURT DECISIONS STAND’ AS LIBERALS FRET THAT TRUMP MAY NOT ACCEPT LEGAL RULINGS “The Supreme Court itself has said that the president has the unrestricted authority to remove the single head of an executive agency, as Katsas points out, and yet these courts are thumbing their noses at the Supreme Court and blithely violating those precedents,” von Spakovsky said. Likewise, constitutional law attorney and Fox News Contributor Jonathan Turley said he expects the justices to “resonate” with the arguments made in Katsas’ dissent. “While the panel ruled on a technical barrier to the review of a temporary restraining order, the dissent correctly points out that this is an extraordinary claim of authority by the district court,” Turley said. Von Spakovsky called the appellate court’s decision “one of the worst examples of judicial activism we have seen” and said “it needs to be immediately and decisively stopped by the Supreme Court.” He continued on to advise that the court “should forgo its usual politeness and collegiality and severely criticize the district court judge for her contemptuous behavior as well as the appellate court judges for not stopping it.”
Louisiana governor slams teacher who made students complain to his office about climate change
Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry, a Republican, criticized a teacher and the education system after his office received submissions from students saying the educator required them to make complaints about issues such as climate change. The governor shared screenshots of some of the submissions on Tuesday to the social media platform X. “My teacher says climate change is bad , sorry to bother you,” one submission said. LOUISIANA SURGEON GENERAL WANTS TO ‘DEPOLITICIZE MEDICINE’ BY ENDING STATEWIDE MASS VACCINATIONS Another student wrote: “my teacher made me sent this to you it for a grade , add more vet for cat and dog . and stop make power plant because it hurt earth.” A third submission read: “idk my teacher is making me do this but I mean you need to fix the whole cancer ally thing.” The governor’s office told WBRZ that the submissions were made by students of a teacher at West Side Montessori School in Hammond, Louisiana. It is unclear what subject or grade level the educator teaches. Landry wrote on X that the education system prioritizes indoctrination over education. “As I stated in my inaugural address, our education system is too focused on indoctrination instead of education,” Landry said. DOCTOR WHO PRESCRIBED ABORTION PILL WON’T BE EXTRADITED TO LOUISIANA AS NY GOV HOCHUL REFUSES REQUEST CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “Look at the emails we received from students at a school in Hammond,” he continued. “A teacher required students to email our office to complain about climate change.” The governor added: “It is NEVER the job of a teacher to push a political agenda. We are committed to bringing common sense education back to our classrooms!” Fox News Digital has reached out to the Tangipahoa Parish School System for comment.