Social media roasts Noem over unique style choices
New Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has raised eyebrows on social media for some of her unique style choices. “Kristi Noem seems to think that serving as a Cabinet secretary is akin to attending a Halloween party,” one user on social media said in response to Noem appearing on NBC’s “Meet the Press” with a cowboy hat. “These costumes are just getting ridiculous.” The post comes after Noem was gifted a Border Patrol cowboy hat by agents in Texas on Sunday, according to a report from News Nation, where the new Homeland Security secretary went on a ride-along with the Horse Patrol unit and was later seen shaking hands and posing for photos with agents while sporting the hat. SEC. NOEM SAYS HOMELAND SECURITY WILL FREEZE GRANTS TO NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS But some users on social media believed her choice of attire on television Sunday was questionable. “Cosplay Kristi is at it again on Meet the Press,” quipped journalist Aaron Rupar in response to Noem’s appearance on the program. “Fascists are always so obsessed with aesthetics [sic] I don’t get it,” wrote one user. “So cringe,” wrote another. TRUMP ADMINISTRATION TOUTS 969 ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT ARRESTS IN ONE DAY: ‘HERE ARE SOME OF THE WORST’ “We are not a serious country,” one user on X added. Other social media users rushed to Noem’s defense, with many pointing out that the attire is normal in her home state of South Dakota. “Across America people – in places like Kristi’s ranch – those hats aren’t costumes as you know them. People actually wear them every day for work and whenever they are outdoors,” one X user said. “She’s from South Dakota, owns farmland and runs a ranch,” added another. “Stands to reason she would have a cowboy hat.” “She posts pics on her farm all the time. She can’t wear one of her hats? Y’all are so weird,” added another user. Noem’s office did not immediately respond to a Fox News Digital request for comment.
‘America First’: Largest steel producer in US announces support of Trump tariffs
FIRST ON FOX: The CEO of the largest steel producer in the U.S., Nucor Corp., endorsed President Donald Trump‘s tariffs on China, Canada and Mexico, Fox News Digital learned. “Nucor applauds the first steps taken by President Trump in his America First Trade Agenda,” Leon J. Topalian, the chair, president and CEO Nucor Corp., wrote in a statement dated Friday that was obtained by Fox News Digital. “We look forward to working with President Trump to enforce our trade laws and strengthen American manufacturing!” The subject line of the letter reads, “Presidential Executive Orders on Canada, Mexico, and the People’s Republic of China.” Nucor is based out of North Carolina and serves as the nation’s largest steel producer and scrap metal recycler. TRUMP DEFENDS TARIFFS, ACCUSES CANADA OF BEING ‘VERY ABUSIVE OF THE UNITED STATES’: VIDEO The company’s CEO recently joined CNBC’s Jim Cramer and celebrated Trump’s then-upcoming tariffs as tools to end “currency manipulation” and the “subsidization” of steel coming to the U.S. from abroad. “We saw the memo last Monday on tariffs and what they’re going to do,” Topalian said Tuesday. “And I think they’re going to be far-reaching, and I think they’re going to be very broad to, again, stop the illegal dumping, the manipulation, currency manipulation and subsidization of steels coming into the shores of the U.S.” “We’re the largest steel company in North America, so, of course, we took a look a year and a half ago and, and, we’ll continue to look and see if those assets come back,” he said. “But, part of the reason we didn’t move forward is valuation. We’re not going to overpay for assets.” NUCOR ONCE THWARTED A CHINESE ATTEMPT TO STEAL ITS TECHNOLOGY Trump signed an executive order on Saturday authorizing tariffs on Mexico, Canada and China through the new International Emergency Economic Powers Act. The tariffs take effect on Tuesday and include 25% tariffs on imports from Canada and Mexico and a 10% tariff on imports from China. Energy resources from Canada will have a lower 10% tariff. The tariffs were created in light of “extraordinary” threats stemming from “illegal aliens and drugs, including deadly fentanyl,” according to the order. NUCOR CEO ON TARIFFS: WE’VE BEEN IN A TRADE WAR FOR 30 YEARS “This challenge threatens the fabric of our society,” the executive order states. “Gang members, smugglers, human traffickers, and illicit drugs of all kinds have poured across our borders and into our communities. “Canada has played a central role in these challenges, including by failing to devote sufficient attention and resources or meaningfully coordinate with United States law enforcement partners to effectively stem the tide of illicit drugs.” Foreign leaders have railed against the tariffs. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said Saturday that her country “categorically reject[s] the White House’s slander against the Mexican government of having alliances with criminal organizations, as well as any intention of intervention in our territory.” Meanwhile, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau encouraged residents to “buy Canada” by checking labels at stores to ensure a product is made in the Great White North. TRUMP SAYS CANADA WOULD HAVE NO TARIFFS AS 51ST STATE, AS OBSERVERS BRACE FOR TRADE WAR Trump defended the tariffs Sunday evening while talking to reporters gathered at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland. “Canada has been very abusive of the United States for many years. They don’t allow our banks,” Trump said. “And you know that Canada does not allow banks to go in, if you think about it. That’s pretty amazing. If we have a U.S. bank, they don’t allow them to go in.” “Canada has been very tough for oil on energy. They don’t allow our farm products in, essentially. They don’t allow a lot of things in. And we allow everything to come in as being a one-way street.” Former President Joe Biden also imposed tariffs during his administration, including on steel and aluminum shipped from Mexico to the U.S. but made elsewhere. Fox News Digital’s Andrea Margolis contributed to this report.
Flashback: Biden admin repeatedly used USAID to push abortion in Africa
President Donald Trump’s administration is facing scrutiny this week after working with billionaire Elon Musk to shut down the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), an organization Musk called a “viper’s nest” of mismanaged funding. Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) worked with the Trump administration to shut down USAID on Monday. While the agency’s long-term future remains unclear, lawmakers and activists have repeatedly accused USAID of using funding to leverage policy changes across the globe. Under President Joe Biden’s administration, the organization was frequently used to push abortion in Africa, critics say. Biden cleared the path for U.S. funding to flow toward pro-abortion groups across the globe just days after entering office. He signed an executive order rescinding the Reagan-era “Mexico City Rule” on Jan. 28, 2021. The rule, first rescinded by President Barack Obama and then reinstated during Trump’s first term, prevented foreign aid from going to nongovernmental organizations that promote abortion or provide abortion services. “These excessive conditions on foreign and development assistance undermine the United States’ efforts to advance gender equality globally by restricting our ability to support women’s health,” Biden said at the time. HIV INFECTIONS HAVE DROPPED IN RECENT YEARS, CDC SAYS, BUT AGENCY CALLS FOR GREATER EQUITY Biden’s rule change cleared USAID to send millions in funding to aggressive abortion organizations like Marie Stopes International (MSI). MSI said it relied on USAID for 17% of its total donor income under the Obama administration, adding that the lack of U.S. support created an $80-million “funding gap” over the final three years of Trump’s term. The group said the countries most heavily impacted by the lack of funding were Madagascar, Uganda and Zimbabwe. Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J., accused Biden in 2023 of “hijacking” a successful AIDS relief program to push an international abortion agenda. Smith’s accusations centered on PREPFAR, a funding program within USAID that, at the time, had already allocated some $100 billion toward fighting AIDS across the world, saving 25 million lives and preventing millions of infections. Smith says two groups, Population Services International (PSI) and Village Reach, had received $96.5 million and $10.1 million, respectively, from PEPFAR under Biden, and both groups have a track record of pushing abortion. “PSI proudly proclaims it provides abortion and lobbies to eliminate pro-life laws,” Smith said at the time. “PSI provides comprehensive abortion and post-abortion care services in nearly 20 countries throughout the world.” BIDEN POLITICAL APPOINTEES TO HIV COUNCIL HAVE ‘WOKE’ PASTS TIED TO DRAG QUEEN STORY HOUR, PLANNED PARENTHOOD Smith alleged Village Reach used PEPFAR funds “to promote abortion in Malawi and lobby for changes in pro-life laws” and also “helped Malawi establish a government-funded hotline (that included providing information and referrals for ‘sexual and reproductive health,’ i.e., abortion).” A third group, Pathfinder International, received $5 million in PEPFAR funding from 2021 to 2023. Smith said the group “lobbies to weaken or eliminate pro-life laws in nations around the world” and is “explicit in its promotion of abortion in other countries, stating it is “committed to expanding access to … safe abortion.” Biden’s administration was accused in December of pressuring the government of Sierra Leone to adopt more permissive abortion policies in exchange for foreign assistance. A report from the Daily Signal stated that The Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), a U.S. government-run funding allocator, was threatening to withhold hundreds of millions in foreign assistance funding if the nation didn’t relax its policies, a former senior U.S. government official told the outlet. The MCC CEO Alice Albright signed an agreement with Sierra Leone’s finance minister, Sheku Bangura, in late September. The agreement called for the country to receive $480 million in foreign assistance so long as it met the MCC’s “rigorous standards for good governance, fighting corruption and respecting democratic rights.” The organization denied any effort to influence Sierra Leone’s abortion policies in a statement to Fox News Digital in December. “The Millennium Challenge Corporation is unaware of any Sierra Leonean abortion legislation and has never made any requests to the Government of Sierra Leone regarding abortion policies. Any such legislation would be an internal matter for Sierra Leone with no U.S. government developments fund made contingent on its passage,” the organization said in a statement. Footage circulating on social media showed raucous pro-life protesters demonstrating inside Sierra Leone’s parliament at the time as lawmakers debated legislation detailing more permissive abortion rules. Fox News’ Andrew Mark Miller contributed to this report.
Texas National Guard deputized to make immigration arrests
President Donald Trump’s administration has reached a deal to grant the Texas National Guard new authority to make immigration arrests this weekend. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott referenced the deal on social media, saying it would “boost manpower for border security.” Under the agreement, Texas National Guard troops would be able to arrest illegal immigrants so long as there is a U.S. immigration officer or Border Patrol agent present. U.S. Customs and Border Protection did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital. Abbott said the deal was “effective immediately” as of Sunday night. The deal is only the latest front in Trump’s nationwide blitz against illegal immigration. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and other border security groups have leaned into their deportation efforts since Trump gained office. TRUMP FOE LETITIA JAMES SLAMMED FOR POST-NYC ICE RAID COMMENTS: ‘GET ON THE SAME PAGE’ Trump’s 2024 campaign promised to curb illegal immigration that flourished under the Biden administration. The 47th President promised to deport migrants, including those who had long rap sheets or ties to gangs or terrorist organizations. On the first day of his second term, Trump issued ten executive orders aimed at overhauling U.S. immigration law and policy. Less than a week back in the Oval Office, Trump touted that he is keeping his promises. “Within hours of taking the oath of office, I declared a national emergency at our southern border. I sent active duty troops on the border to help repel the invasion. Tom Homan is leading the charge. You know that. We like Tom Homan. Doing a great job,” Trump said at a recent rally. CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE “We immediately halted all illegal entry and began sending every border trespasser and violator back to the places from which they came. I signed an order that will designate the cartels as foreign terrorist organizations. It’s a big deal, it’s a big deal. Biden didn’t want to do that,” he added. “Biden didn’t know he was alive. He didn’t want to do it.” Federal officials deported some 7,300 illegal immigrants in the opening week of Trump’s administration alone. Fox News’ Sarah Rumpf-Whitten contributed to this report
Trump ‘agreed’ on shutting down USAID, Elon Musk says
Elon Musk, who is spearheading the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) effort, said during an X spaces conversation that President Donald Trump agreed that the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) should be shut down. Musk indicated that unlike an apple contaminated by a worm, the agency is “a bowl of worms.” “There is no apple,” he said. “It’s beyond repair.” MUSK’S DOGE TAKES AIM AT ‘VIPER’S NEST’ FEDERAL AGENCY WITH GLOBAL FOOTPRINT Musk noted that the more he’s gotten to know Trump, the more he likes the president. “Frankly, I love the guy. He’s great,” the business tycoon said of the president.
Trump’s ‘denuclearization’ suggestion with Russia and China: How would it work?
Amid a wave of early shakeups in the new administration, President Donald Trump has twice this month proposed “denuclearization” talks with U.S. adversaries. “Tremendous amounts of money are being spent on nuclear, and the destructive capacity is something we don’t even want to talk about today, because you don’t want to hear it,” Trump mused in remarks to the World Economic Forum at Davos, Switzerland, last week. “I want to see if we can denuclearize, and I think it’s very possible,” suggesting talks on the issue between the U.S., Russia and China. Such an idea could represent a major thawing in U.S. relations with two global adversaries – but beg the question of whether the U.S. could trust the nations to hold up their end of the deal. President Vladimir Putin announced Russia would suspend its participation in the New START treaty in 2023 over U.S. support for Ukraine. Russia had frequently been caught violating the terms of the deal. But China has never engaged in negotiations with the U.S. over arms reduction. IRAN’S COVERT NUCLEAR AGENCY FOUND OPERATING OUT OF SPACE LAUNCH SITES Trump reiterated to Fox News’ Sean Hannity on Wednesday that he’d been close to a “denuclearization” deal with Russia during his first term. “I was dealing with Putin about the denuclearization of Russia and the United States. And then we were going to bring China along on that one. I was very close to having a deal. I would have made a deal with Putin on that denuclearization. It’s very dangerous and very expensive, and that would have been great, but we had a bad election that interrupted us.” The Defense Department now expects that China will have more than 1,000 nuclear warheads, a near-doubling of the estimated 600 they possess right now. In a speech on Jan. 17, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that “amid a ‘hybrid war’ waged by Washington against Russia, we aren’t seeing any basis, not only for any additional joint measures in the sphere of arms control and reduction of strategic risks, but for any discussion of strategic stability issues with the United States.” But Putin, in an address on Monday, struck a more diplomatic tone: “We see the statements by the newly elected president… about the desire to restore direct contacts with Russia. We also hear his statement about the need to do everything possible to prevent World War III. We, of course, welcome this attitude.” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said of Trump’s comments at a news conference on Wednesday: “China’s development of nuclear weapons is a historic choice forced to be made. As a responsible major country, China is committed to the path of peaceful development and friendly cooperation with all countries in the world.” Experts argue Russia is using its leverage over nuclear arms control as a means for the U.S. agreeing to favorable terms to end the war with Ukraine. “Russians are ‘me first’ painstaking negotiators, and what they’re doing in this case, is they’re clearly laying a bit of a trap,” said John Erath of the Center for Arms Control and Non-proliferation. “It makes sense dangling arms control, which they perceive as something that we want, in front of us and saying, ‘Oh, by the way, we’ll talk about reducing nuclear weapons,’ as an incentive to get us to throw the Ukrainians under the bus.” But whether Trump was revealing a policy priority or speaking on a whim with the Davos comments is anyone’s guess. The president took heat during his first term for meeting with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un to discuss nuclear reduction. That effort fell apart, and Trump resorted to threatening to rain “fire and fury” on North Korea. “I think he’s very sensitive to the dangers of nuclear war, and realizes that in many ways, we’re closer to that today than we have been in many, many decades,” said George Beebe, a director at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft. One thing most experts agree on is that the U.S. nuclear program is expensive and outdated. With some 3,700 warheads in its arsenal, the U.S. is expected to spend $756 billion to store and maintain its nuclear weapons between 2023 and 2032. “Regardless of reductions, however, the administration and Congress must continue modernizing and ensuring the reliability of the U.S. nuclear arsenal while eliminating excessive spending where possible,” said Andrea Stricker, deputy director at the Foundation for Defense of Democracy’s nonproliferation program. Arms experts admit that Russia has cheated on arms treaties, but U.S. intelligence capabilities have grown to ensure compliance. “We’ve done it throughout the Cold War to varying degrees, and I think we’ve gotten better and more capable in our intelligence community of monitoring compliance with these sorts of things. So that is certainly a feasible approach to take,” said Beebe. MIKE JOHNSON REPLACES POWERFUL INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN AFTER RUSSIAN NUCLEAR THREAT WARNING But China and Russia aren’t the only U.S. adversaries with nuclear weapons. North Korea is estimated to have an arsenal of 50 nuclear warheads, Iran is on the precipice of enriching uranium to potent enough levels for a bomb. “Before engaging in arms control talks, Washington needs a strategy for how it will simultaneously deter two peer nuclear competitors, Russia and China, which could combine forces with states like North Korea and Iran to attack or coerce the United States,” said Stricker. In the four decades between the U.S. atomic bombings of Japan in 1945 and the first arms control treaty between the U.S. and Russia, the world was on edge as the two superpowers raced to claim the world’s largest arsenal. In 1987, Washington and Moscow signed the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF), which led to the dismantling of thousands of bombs. But over the years, the U.S. and Russia lost their monopoly on civilization-ending weapons: now nine countries are nuclear-armed, rendering bilateral treaties less and less effective.
Musk’s DOGE takes aim at ‘viper’s nest’ federal agency with global footprint
The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which is led by tech billionaire Elon Musk, is taking aim at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and, according to senior congressional sources, moved to seize control of the independent agency over the weekend. The senior congressional sources told Fox News that more than 50 senior USAID staff members were placed on administrative leave and subjected to a gag order, meaning they were not allowed to communicate with anyone outside the agency without approval. Signs were also removed from USAID’s headquarters in the Ronald Reagan Building in Washington, D.C., and the DOGE team took over the computer systems, the sources said. USAID is responsible for distributing civilian foreign aid and development assistance to countries around the globe. The agency managed approximately $40 billion in appropriations last year, according to the Congressional Research Service. On Sunday, the Associated Press reported that the Trump administration placed two top security chiefs at USAID on leave after refusing to turn over classified material in restricted areas to DOGE. RUBIO PAUSES FOREIGN AID FROM STATE DEPARTMENT AND USAID TO ENSURE IT PUTS ‘AMERICA FIRST’ After initially being refused access to USAID’s classified information, DOGE eventually gained that access on Saturday, allowing them to see things like intelligence reports, a current and a former U.S. official told the AP. The DOGE team members lacked high enough security clearance to access the information, so the two USAID security officials – John Voorhees and deputy Brian McGill – believed they were legally obligated to deny access. On Sunday, Musk took aim at USAID on his social media platform X, writing, “USAID is a criminal organization. Time for it to die.” AFTER RAUCOUS FIRST WEEK IN OFFICE, DONALD TRUMP TO KEEP HIS FOOT ON THE GAS He also wrote several other posts about the agency, saying things like, “USAID was a viper’s nest of radical-left Marxists who hate America” and “USAID is evil.” The latter was in response to a post suggesting USAID helped fund coronavirus research in Wuhan, China, which referred to an interaction posted on Forbes between Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., and now former USAID Administrator Samantha Power in April 2023. ABC News reported that those familiar with USAID were questioning whether the moves at USAID were being made in an effort to move the agency under the State Department, where there could be better accountability. TRUMP ADMINISTRATION NEEDS MORE PLANES TO CARRY OUT DEPORTATIONS: REPORT Last week, at least 56 USAID officials were placed on administrative leave with full pay and benefits, and several hundred contractors based in Washington and elsewhere were laid off. The actions came after Secretary of State Marco Rubio, acting on Trump’s executive order, paused all U.S. foreign assistance funded by or through the State Department and USAID. The 90-day pause has halted thousands of U.S.-funded humanitarian, development and security programs worldwide and forced aid organizations to lay off hundreds of employees because they can’t make payroll. Fox News Digital’s Chris Pandolfo and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
Trump defends tariffs, accuses Canada of being ‘very abusive of the United States’: video
President Donald Trump defended his recent tariffs against Canada, Mexico and China while speaking to reporters at Joint Base Andrews on Sunday night – and hinted that the European Union may suffer a similar fate. The tariffs, which were authorized in an executive order on Saturday, will go into effect Tuesday. Under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), a 25% additional tariff will be levied on imports from Canada and Mexico and a 10% tariff on imports from China. In the executive order, Trump said that the tariffs stem from an “extraordinary threat posed by illegal aliens and drugs, including deadly fentanyl, [that] constitutes a national emergency.” The tariffs have invited international criticism from leaders and citizens alike in Canada and Mexico. During his exchange with reporters on Sunday evening, Trump accused Canada of being “abusive” towards the U.S. in terms of trade. TRUMP IMPOSES TARIFFS ON IMPORTS FROM CANADA, MEXICO AND CHINA: ‘NATIONAL EMERGENCY’ “Canada has been very abusive of the United States for many years. They don’t allow our banks,” Trump claimed. “And you know that Canada does not allow banks to go in, if you think about it. That’s pretty amazing. If we have a U.S. bank, they don’t allow them to go in.” “Canada has been very tough for oil on energy. They don’t allow our farm products in, essentially. They don’t allow a lot of things in. And we allow everything to come in as being a one-way street.” Trump also claimed that the U.S. subsidizes Canada “by the tune of about $200 billion a year.” “And for what? What do we get out of it? We don’t get anything out of it,” he added. “I love the people of Canada. I disagree with the leadership of Canada and something is going to happen there.” RNC CHAIR, AFTER CRUISING TO RE-ELECTION, VOWS TO BE ‘TIP OF SPEAR’ TO PROTECT TRUMP The Republican leader also said that he will “definitely” impose tariffs against the European Union, which he said the U.S. has a $300 billion trade deficit with. “They don’t take our cars, they don’t take our farm products, they take almost nothing,” Trump said. “And we take everything from them. Millions of cars, tremendous amounts of food and farm products. So the UK is way out of line and we’ll see the UK, but the European Union is really out of line.” In a statement on Saturday, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said that her country “categorically reject[s] the White House’s slander against the Mexican government of having alliances with criminal organizations, as well as any intention of intervention in our territory.” “Mexico not only does not want fentanyl to reach the United States, but anywhere,” the statement read. “Therefore, if the United States wants to combat criminal groups that traffic drugs and generate violence, we must work together in an integrated manner, but always under the principles of shared responsibility, mutual trust, collaboration and, above all, respect for sovereignty, which is not negotiable.” Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau slighted the U.S. by encouraging Canadians to “buy Canada” in response to the tariffs. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “Now is the time to choose products made right here in Canada,” Trudeau wrote on X. “Check the labels. Let’s do our part. Wherever we can, choose Canada.”
Busy week ahead for Trump, Cabinet picks
President Donald Trump has a busy week planned to start February, including speeding through more confirmations for the president’s Cabinet picks. Trump made good on his promise of new tariffs over the weekend, hitting Canada and Mexico with 25% duties and China with a 10% tariff over concerns about fentanyl and continued illegal immigration. Those tariffs are expected to be fully in force by Tuesday and have already drawn retaliation from Canada, with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announcing a 25% tariff on some goods coming into the country from the U.S. on Sunday. Mexico, meanwhile, has also signaled a plan to impose tariffs on the U.S., though specific increases have yet to be announced. STEFANIK LOOKS BACK TO FIERY EXCHANGES WITH COLLEGE LEADERS IN SENATE CONFIRMATION HEARING: ‘WATERSHED MOMENT’ The beginning of the week will also see the deadline pass for six senior FBI officials to retire, resign or be fired, according to a report by USA Today, making good on Trump’s plans to push aside leaders who were promoted by former FBI Director Christopher Wray. Monday will also see the Senate vote on Trump’s pick for treasury secretary, Scott Bessent, as well as a vote to advance former Rep. Sean Duffy, R-Wis., Trump’s pick to serve as transportation secretary. Tuesday will see Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meet with Trump at the White House, the first meeting between the two leaders since Trump regained control of the Oval Office. Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Trump’s pick to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, will appear before the Senate Committee on Finance on Wednesday, a day that will also see Howard Lutnick, Trump’s choice for commerce secretary, appear before the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, and former Sen. Kelly Loeffler, R-Ga., Trump’s choice to lead the Small Business Administration, will testify in front of the Senate Committee on Small Business. TRUMP HEALTH SECRETARY NOMINEE RFK JR SURVIVES HEATED HEARINGS AHEAD OF CRUCIAL CONFIRMATION VOTES Wednesday will also see the Senate Committee on the Judiciary vote on whether to send former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi, Trump’s pick to lead the Department of Justice, to the full floor for a confirmation vote. Thursday is the deadline for federal workers to decide whether they would prefer to return to work in the office or accept a buyout and severance package that would see them paid through the end of September, part of Trump’s plan to trim the federal workforce. Thursday will also be a busy day for Trump Cabinet picks, with Kash Patel, Trump’s pick to lead the FBI, appearing before the Senate Judiciary Panel. Meanwhile, Kennedy will make an appearance in front of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, while former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii, Trump’s choice to be the director of national intelligence, will appear before the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. The Senate’s Budget panel will also vote whether to move Russ Vought, who Trump nominated to lead the Office of Management and Budget, to a vote on the full floor, while the Senate Foreign Relations Committee will decide whether to advance Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., Trump’s choice for U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. The busy week will see another highlight Friday when the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ first monthly jobs report comes out since Trump took office, with the U.S. looking to hit 49 consecutive months of job gains.
DNC lambasted for ‘beyond parody’ leadership vote that included singing, gender rules: ‘Can’t stop laughing’
Conservatives on social media are having a field day mocking the Democratic National Committee for featuring a handful of “beyond parody” moments during its leadership vote over the weekend, which critics say underscores that Democrats have “learned absolutely nothing” from their 2024 election losses. The DNC voted to elect Minnestota Democrat Party leader Ken Martin as its chair on Saturday, after eight candidates vied to succeed Jaime Harrison. Following the Democratic Party’s losses in November, when Republicans reclaimed the White House and Senate and retained control of the House, the DNC’s chair vote serves as a fresh slate for the party as they ramp up strategies and fundraising for the next election cycle. Conservatives and critics took to social media over the weekend to highlight what they viewed as the most out of touch speeches and comments from party leaders, including the election of left-wing activist David Hogg as one of its three co-chairs. Hogg is an outspoken gun control advocate and the co-founder of March for Our Lives, a gun control group that was formed after the Parkland school shooting in 2018. DEMOCRATS ELECT NEW CHAIR WHO BRANDED TRUMP A ‘TRAITOR’ AS PARTY AIMS TO REBOUND FROM DISASTROUS 2024 ELECTION “DNC Vice Chair David Hogg has some legitimately INSANE views that are wildly out of step with the American people. Good to see that the Democrat Party has learned absolutely nothing,” conservative communicator Steve Guest posted to X. Hogg, a Parkland school shooting survivor, said from the DNC vote in Maryland that the party will put Republicans “on the defense” in the coming days and reclaim lost political ground. “After Parkland, our country was in a similar moment – where we had a Republican trifecta in Washington,” the 24-year-old said during the DNC election. “We went on the offense, put the Republicans on the defense, and we won. That’s what we need to do right now.” ‘IMPORTANT OPPORTUNITY’: DNC CHAIR CANDIDATES REVEAL HOW THEY WILL REBOUND AFTER DISASTROUS 2024 RESULTS “We’re going to show people that the reason people should vote for us isn’t just because we’re not Republicans – it’s because we’re damn Democrats. We give a s—,” he pledged. “And we deliver. Now it’s time to rebuild the party and to rethink the way we’ve been doing things.” Amid the hours-long vote and gathering of Democrats on Saturday in Maryland, former DNC chief Harrison announced that the elections must be gender-balanced, including when a non-binary candidate is in the running, sparking condemnation from conservatives. DEMOCRATS RALLY AROUND LIGHTENING ROD ISSUE AT FINAL DNC CHAIR DEBATE “We have an amazing group of new officers. So far, as you know, our three at large vice chair positions are used to ensure gender balance among seven offices: treasury secretary, national finance chair and vice chair for civic engagement and voter participation and the three at large vice chairs. Our rules specify that when we have a non-binary candidate or officer, the non-binary individual is counted as neither male nor female, and the remaining six offices must be gender balanced with the results of the previous four elections. Our elected officers are currently two male and two female. In order to be gender balanced… we must elect one male, one female, and one person of any gender.” Before the election kicked off on Saturday, the eight candidates had traveled to Georgetown University for a forum co-hosted by MSNBC on Thursday, where they declared “racism and misogyny” compounded former Vice President Kamala Harris’ election loss. “So, I’m going to have a show of hands. How many of you believe that racism and misogyny played a role in Vice President Harris’ defeat?” MSNBC’s Jonathan Capehart asked the eight candidates. “That’s good. You all passed,” Capehart said after all candidates raised their hands in agreement. Republican lawmakers and pundits pounced on clips of the exchange, including Sen. Tommy Tubervile, R-Ala., who quipped that the GOP will expand its majority in the midterms. Singing also broke out both during the forum and the vote. Dr. Quintessa Hathaway was in the running for chair and belted out a song with the lyrics, “You fight on, when the government is doing you wrong, you fight on” during the Thursday forum. She also sang another song ahead of the vote on Saturday vowing, “We shall overcome.” FIRST ON FOX: AFTER 2024 ELECTION SETBACKS, DEMOCRATS EYE RURAL VOTERS Harrison was also spotted on camera singing on Saturday, delivering a rendition of Stevie Wonder’s “Happy Birthday.” DEMOCRATS’ HOUSE CAMPAIGN CHAIR TELLS FOX NEWS HER PLAN TO WIN BACK MAJORITY DNC members also “acknowledged” during the vote that the U.S. was “built on indigenous lands.” Ken Martin, who previously slammed Trump as a “traitor” who should be prosecuted for treason, celebrated his win on Saturday, vowing to combat Trump and the Republican Party. “We have one team, one team, the Democratic Party,” Martin said following his victory. “The fight is for our values. The fight is for working people. The fight right now is against Donald Trump and the billionaires who bought this country.” “We need to go on offense,” Martin said. “We’re going to go out there and take this fight to Donald Trump and the Republicans.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Fox News Digital reached out to the DNC on Sunday for comment on the negative backlash over the gathering, but did not immediately receive a reply. Fox News Digital’s Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.