DeSantis announces Florida ‘DOGE task force’
Florida is creating a “DOGE task force” to “eliminate unnecessary bureaucracy and to continue to ensure tax dollars are used in the most efficient way possible,” Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Monday. The Republican said the Sunshine State “has never been in better fiscal health,” but “we always want to get better, and so we looked to see what [Elon] Musk is doing with the [Department of Government Efficiency] in Washington, D.C.” “And the one thing I think that they are doing that we need to incorporate is to utilize and leverage technology like artificial intelligence to be able to police the payments and the operations and the contracts that are done in government,” DeSantis continued, speaking behind a lectern with the message “Keeping Florida Efficient.” “For example, we have people that review these contracts and if there is DEI, they nix it and things like that. But this is some high-powered stuff and I think would be able to provide us with some good information,” he added. “We have already been doing this stuff. This will really help enhance that.” JUDGE BLOCKS DOGE FROM ACCESSING EDUCATION DEPARTMENT RECORDS DeSantis said: “I am pleased to announce that we are launching a comprehensive initiative to continue to streamline our government and to continue to eliminate unnecessary bureaucracy and to continue to ensure tax dollars are used in the most efficient way possible.” “We are creating a state DOGE task force that will implement a multi-pronged approach to eliminating bureaucratic bloat and modernizing our state government to best serve the people of Florida in the years ahead,” he also said. “This will be – similar to the federal DOGE – a limited amount of time. It will be a one-year term. It will sunset following the completion of the mission.” TRUMP SAYS THIS CONGRESSMAN WOULD HAVE HIS ‘TOTAL ENDORSEMENT’ IF HE RUNS FOR FLORIDA GOVERNOR DeSantis then reiterated in a post on X that “Florida was DOGE before DOGE was cool,” noting that since taking office in 2019, he has “saved billions for Floridians year after year, including $3.8 billion in last year’s budget.” There was no immediate reaction to DeSantis’ announcement from Musk.
Flashback: Musk used his ‘what did you get done this week’ directive before gutting Twitter
As part of his acquisition of Twitter in 2022, Elon Musk called on the social media giant’s CEO to detail what he accomplished during the work week – years before he employed the same tactic on federal employees while serving in his capacity as chair of the Department of Government Efficiency under the Trump administration. Musk roiled the federal workforce on Saturday when he posted to X that employees would need to list their accomplishments for the previous week or risk losing their jobs. But this isn’t the first time Musk has used the tactic: He did the same amid his purchase of Twitter in 2022, before he overhauled the social media behemoth, including axing top brass. “What did you get done this week,” Musk had texted former Twitter CEO Parag Agrawal in April 2022, months before he purchased Twitter and ultimately renamed it X. Musk helped resurrect the text exchange over the weekend on X, when he responded to an account that shared a “how it started, how it’s going” post that showed a screenshot of Musk’s text to Agrawal, accompanied by a screen shot of a Musk X post on Saturday directed at federal employees. “Consistent with President @realDonaldTrump’s instructions, all federal employees will shortly receive an email requesting to understand what they got done last week,” Musk wrote on X on Saturday. “Failure to respond will be taken as a resignation.” “To be clear, the bar is very low here,” Musk wrote. “An email with some bullet points that make any sense at all is acceptable! Should take less than 5 mins to write.” DOD TELLS CIVILIAN WORKFORCE TO IGNORE ELON MUSK’S REQUEST TO REPORT PRODUCTIVITY Musk, who positioned himself as “free speech absolutist” amid the Twitter purchase, bought the social media platform in 2022 after it came under fire from conservatives and free speech advocates for censoring conservative viewpoints. The tech giant had “permanently” banned former President Donald Trump from the platform in 2021, drawing ire from conservatives and free speech advocates. It also blocked the New York Post’s 2020 story on Hunter Biden’s notorious laptop – and suspended some conservative accounts from the site, such as satire website Babylon Bee in 2022 after it awarded transgender Biden administration official Rachel Levine a fictitious “Man of the Year” award. MUSK’S DEMAND THAT FED EMPLOYEES LIST THEIR ACCOMPLISHMENTS ROILS WORKFORCE: ‘MASS CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE’ Musk’s text to the then-Twitter CEO asking what he accomplished for the week came as the two sparred over Musk’s critical messages aimed at the social media platform, including asking publicly that year, “Is Twitter dying?” The text messages were revealed in court documents released in 2022. Months later, in October 2022, Musk officially acquired Twitter in a $44 billion deal, making waves when he entered its headquarters that month carrying a bathroom sink in a video he posted to X with the caption, “Entering Twitter HQ – let that sink in!” Musk went on to fire the social media company’s top executives, including Agrawal, CFO Ned Segal and general counsel Vijaya Gadde. Musk explained on X recently that Agrawal was fired due to reported productivity issues. “Parag got nothing done. Parag was fired,” he posted to X on Saturday. All in, roughly 70% to 80% of Twitter’s approximate 8,000 employees were fired or exited the company following Musk’s purchase. Musk took a hatchet to the company’s work from home policy, and remarked that the company was overstaffed and needed to be trimmed of staffers who did not contribute much to its operations. TRUMP RATTLES OFF ‘FLAGRANT SCAMS’ UNCOVERED BY DOGE, TAKES AIM AT FORT KNOX IN CPAC SPEECH “We just had a situation at Twitter where it was absurdly overstaffed,” Musk said on Fox News in 2023. “Turns out you don’t need all that many people to run Twitter.” “If you’re not trying to run some sort of glorified activist organization and you don’t care that much about censorship, then you can really let go of a lot of people, turns out,” he said at the time. CPAC STRAW POLL REVEALS WHO CONSERVATIVES BELIEVE WILL BE 2028 PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE Musk’s comments reflect those he’s made in the second Trump administration as the chair of DOGE, which is in the midst of auditing various federal agencies in the search for overspending, corruption and mismanagement. DOGE’s work comes as President Donald Trump ordered the federal workforce to return to the office after five years of remote work stemming from the coronavirus pandemic, and has vowed to clean house of bad actors within the government and ax overspending. Musk said on Saturday that federal employees would receive an email directing them to list their accomplishments from the week prior, with the DOGE leader adding later that day that the assignment should take less than five minutes to accomplish. Employees have until 11:59 pm on Monday to send the list or lose their employment, according to emails regarding Musk’s directive that were sent by the Office of Personnel Management. Musk’s message followed Trump remarking that he has been pleased with Musk and DOGE’s work investigating various federal agencies for government overspending, fraud and mismanagement, but that he would like to see Musk “get more aggressive.” Musk responded on X: “Will do, Mr. President!” ELON MUSK SAYS FEDERAL EMPLOYEES MUST FILL OUT PRODUCTIVITY REPORTS OR RESIGN Some Democratic lawmakers, unions and activists have called for federal employees to buck the order, while a handful of government departments and agencies, such as the FBI and Department of Defense, told staff to hold off on responding to the email, as respective officials will handle auditing their own staffers. “This is a good opportunity for mass civil disobedience. Musk has no authority to do this,” Illinois Democratic Rep. Sean Casten, for example, posted to X on Saturday evening. “Encourage all federal employees to report to work, prepare GFY letters and continue to demonstrate the public service and patriotism he lacks.” The acronym GFY is internet slang typically meaning “go f— yourself.” “It takes a remarkable
Trump teases meeting with Zelenskyy amid US’ ‘serious discussions’ with Putin to end Russia-Ukraine war
President Donald Trump teased a possible meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy Monday, amid what he called his “serious discussions” with Russian President Vladimir Putin — which could involve European peacekeeping troops — about ending the war between Russia and Ukraine. The president, from the Oval Office Monday, hinted at a potential meeting with Zelenskyy to finalize an agreement for rights to access its natural resources in exchange for the United States’ billions of dollars in support for the country’s war against Russia. TRUMP SAYS DEAL WITH UKRAINE FOR US ACCESS TO ITS RARE EARTH MINERALS IS ‘PRETTY CLOSE’ “In fact, he may come in this week or next week to sign the agreement, which would be nice, I’d love to meet him. Would meet at the Oval Office,” Trump said. “The agreement is being worked on now.” “They are very close to a final deal,” the president said. The Trump administration is seeking to recoup the cost of aid sent to the war-torn country by gaining access to rare earth minerals like titanium, iron and uranium. “It’ll be a deal with rare earths and various other things. And, he would like to come. As I understand it, here, to sign it. And that would be great with me,” Trump said. “I think they then have to get it approved by their council or whoever might approve it, but I’m sure that will happen.” Trump said the deal is “very beneficial to their economy,” while Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent added it is “very close.” “One-yard line,” Bessent said. Trump’s comments come just after he posted on Truth Social that he was in “serious discussions” with Putin about ending the Russia-Ukraine war. The post came after French President Emmanuel Macron of France joined him in the Oval Office to speak to the G-7 Summit. “The meeting was convened by Governor Justin Trudeau of Canada, the current chair of the G7, to acknowledge the Third Anniversary of the Russia-Ukraine War—Which would have never started if I was president,” Trump posted on his Truth Social. TRUMP SET TO MEET WITH WORLD LEADERS IN DC DURING BUSY WEEK AS RUSSIA-UKRAINE PEACE TALKS CONTINUE “Everyone expressed their goal of seeing the War end, and I emphasized the importance of the vital ‘Critical Minerals and Rare-Earths Deal’ between the United States and Ukraine, which we hope will be signed very soon!” Trump continued, adding that the deal is an “economic partnership” that would “ensure the American people recoup the tens of billions of dollars an military equipment sent to Ukraine, while also helping Ukraine’s economy grow as this brutal and savage war comes to an end.” The president said, though, “at the same time,” he was “in serious discussions with President Vladimir Putin of Russia concerning the ending of the War, and also major Economic Development transactions which will take place between the United States and Russia.” “Talks are proceeding very well!” he added. The president Monday also predicted that the Russia-Ukraine war could end within weeks. “I think the war could end soon,” Trump told reporters. Trump added on Monday that Putin would accept allowing European peacekeeping troops in Ukraine as part of a potential peace deal. “Yeah, he will accept that. I’ve asked him that question,” Trump told reporters. “Look, if we do this deal, he’s not looking for more war. He doesn’t mind,” Trump added. When asked if a deal could be reached “within weeks,” Trump said: “Yeah, I think so, right? Don’t you think so? I’d like to ask, have you, I think we could end it within weeks. If we’re smart.” “If we’re not smart, it’ll keep going and we’ll keep losing young, beautiful people that shouldn’t be dying. And we don’t want that,” Trump said. “And remember what I said? This could escalate into a third world war, and we don’t want that either.” Trump administration officials, including White House national security advisor Mike Waltz, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff, met in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, recently with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and President Vladimir Putin’s foreign affairs advisor Yuri Ushakov to hash out ways to end the conflict. TRUMP OFFICIAL SAYS UKRAINE MINERAL DEAL IS ‘WIN-WIN’ FINANCIAL OPPORTUNITY FOR US TAXPAYERS, UKRAINIANS Ukraine was absent from the negotiations in Saudi Arabia. Ukraine’s lack of involvement sparked Zelenskyy to double down on the stance that his nation will not accept a peace deal unless it is a part of the negotiation process. Zelenskyy told reporters Tuesday in Turkey that “nobody decides anything behind our back,” after stressing in recent days that Kyiv will not agree to a peace negotiation without Ukraine’s input. Trump recently amplified his rhetoric against Ukraine’s president, including arguing Zelenskyy was a poor negotiator and that he’s “sick of it.” “I’ve been watching this man for years now as his cities get demolished, as his people get killed, as his soldiers get decimated,” Trump told Fox News’ Brian Kilmeade. “I’ve been watching him negotiate with no cards. He has no cards, and you get sick of it,” he continued. “You just get sick of it, and I’ve had it.” “I get tired of listening to it,” Trump said. “I’ve seen it enough, and then he complains that he’s not at a meeting that we’re having with Saudi Arabia trying to intermediate peace. Well, he’s been at meetings for three years with a… president who didn’t know what the hell he was doing. He’s been at the meetings for three years and nothing got done, so I don’t think he’s very important to be at meetings, to be honest with you. He’s been there for three years. He makes it very hard to make deals.” Meanwhile, the president said Monday he would “certainly” be willing to go to Moscow. “At the appropriate time, I would go to Moscow,” Trump said.
Zelenskyy names his terms for giving up power as US, Ukraine lock in on mineral deal
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he would step down as president of Ukraine if it meant his nation would be accepted into NATO. Zelenskyy told reporters Sunday he was willing to give up the presidency “if it is for the peace of Ukraine,” or if Ukraine is offered NATO membership – after President Donald Trump called him a “dictator” for failing to hold wartime elections. He also said he did not agree with Trump that Ukraine should pay the U.S. retroactively for the over $100 billion in aid offered since war broke out three years ago on Monday. “We agreed with Biden that this was a grant. A grant is not a debt,” Zelenskyy said. US-UKRAINE RIFT BREAKS OUT AT UNITED NATIONS ON 3RD ANNIVERSARY OF THE WAR U.S. officials have said NATO membership is off the table for Ukraine at any point in the near future, as Russia would never agree to such terms. Despite Zelenskyy’s complaints, Trump insisted a new draft mineral deal is “very close,” and the deal will be worth $350 billion. “It looks like we’re getting very close, the deal’s being worked on we’re getting very close to getting an agreement where we get our money back over a period of time. But it also gives us something that is very beneficial to their economy, to them as a country,” Trump told reporters while meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent confirmed the U.S. and Ukraine are at the “one-yard line” of a deal. “The negotiations have been very constructive, with nearly all key details finalized. We are committed to completing this swiftly to proceed with its signature. We hope both US and UA leaders might sign and endorse it in Washington the soonest to showcase our commitment for decades to come,” Olga Stefanishyna, a Ukrainian deputy prime minister, added on X. Zelenskyy insisted he would not sign a deal that would cost Ukraine for decades. “I will not sign what 10 generations of Ukrainians will have to pay back,” he said. However, Zelenskyy is under pressure to agree to a deal to appease the Trump administration as the U.S. tries to broker peace with Russia. The deal involves offering the U.S. preferential access to hundreds of billions of dollars’ worth of Ukraine’s rare-earth minerals as payback for past military aid, with no guarantee of future aid. TRUMP SET TO MEET WITH WORLD LEADERS IN DC DURING BUSY WEEK AS RUSSIA-UKRAINE PEACE TALKS CONTINUE “I expect to see a deal signed this week,” White House envoy Steve Witkoff said on CNN Sunday. “We’re funding with no arrangement to pay it back. Alternatively, the Europeans who are most affected by this war were funding the minority share, and they had agreements to pay it back. This agreement is much about repayment for all that we have done on behalf of the Ukrainian people.” Last week, Zelenskyy infuriated Trump by rejecting an initial version of a minerals deal, leading Trump to deem the Ukrainian president a “dictator without elections” and said Ukraine “never should have started” the war. Zelenskyy, in turn, said Trump was operating in a “disinformation space,” which earned the Ukrainian leader warnings from Vice President JD Vance and national security adviser Mike Waltz to tone down his criticisms. “I want the same as Donald Trump says he wants — to end the war as soon as possible. I believe he wants and will help us to end it. But the ‘peace through strength’ tactic should be applied on Russia first and foremost. We are partners and I want him to be on our side,” Zelenskyy said. Ukraine’s constitution outlaws holding elections while the nation is operating under martial law, which it has been since February 2022. Elections were originally scheduled for last spring. Under the first draft of the mineral deal, the U.S. and Ukraine would split the profits of its minerals 50-50 for up to $500 billion. The second draft of the deal, obtained by the New York Times, was even harsher – and would have required Kyiv to give up its minerals, oil and gas revenues and earnings from ports and other infrastructure until reaching $500 billion. Zelenskyy said he would not recognize Trump’s $500 billion figure, as the assistance Ukraine had received from the U.S. was closer to $100 billion.
VA Dem slams DOGE fans, compares job cuts to the Holocaust: ‘First they came for the Jews…’
A Virginia state delegate who compared DOGE cuts to the Holocaust was lambasted by a GOP leader who called the remarks “utterly insensitive and hyperbolic.” State Del. Joshua Cole, D-Fredericksburg, invoked a famous Holocaust-related quote from a reformed German clergyman who once identified with the Nazi Party during a hearing last week. House Minority Leader Todd Gilbert, R-Woodstock, told Fox News Digital that Cole should apologize to Holocaust survivors and “every citizen of Virginia” after he associated DOGE’s targeting of government jobs to the extermination of millions of Jews by the German Nazi regime. “Comparing the loss of some government jobs to the Holocaust is an insult to the memory of the millions who were slaughtered [by the Nazi regime],” Gilbert said. During a hearing of an “emergency” panel addressing the effects of DOGE on the Virginia workforce, Cole claimed that his constituents are within the congressional district that has the highest concentration of federal workers in the state. Cole represents a portion of Rep. Eugene Vindman’s, D-Va., 7th District. Democratic Rep. Don Beyer’s 8th District to the north in Alexandria houses more federal workers, according to the Virginia Public Access Project. “I must say that I have seen so many different people on social media rather excited about these [DOGE] cuts; rather excited about these job losses,” Cole said. CNN ANALYST REWORDS HOLOCAUST POEM TO WARN ABOUT FBI’S MCCABE REMOVAL “And that reminds me of a quote from a long time ago that said: ‘At first they came for the Jews, and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t Jewish. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a trade unionist. And then when they came for me, there was no one to speak up because everyone had been taken.’” The quote was a rough translation of a famous 1946 “confession” by Rev. Martin Niemöller, a minister who had reportedly briefly identified with Adolf Hitler’s Nazi Party before he became a high-profile critic in the late 1930s and was thrown into a concentration camp. Niemöller’s confession, “Habe ich geschwiegen” – or “I had remained silent” – described the guilt felt by many German intellectuals as Hitler accumulated more and more power and persecuted more and more people in his rise as kanzler, or chancellor. In the hearing, Cole said he recalled a similar emergency committee being empaneled to deal with the 2020 onset of the coronavirus pandemic. “The difference between then and now is we had extra money coming in. We’re not going to have extra money coming in. We’re actually going to be losing money over this situation,” he warned. “And I’m very much interested in how the loss of that money of federal income is going to impact our communities.” TOWN ONCE POPULATED BY NAZIS RECONCILES WITH ITS PAST He also expressed concern as to how DOGE would treat the upcoming opening of a Spotsylvania veterans’ hospital, noting the once rural but increasingly suburban county receives a large amount of federal funding. About 144,000 Virginians are federal employees, according to the Congressional Research Service. Fox News Digital reached out to Cole’s offices in Richmond and Fredericksburg for comment. Fox News Digital also reached out for reaction from committee chairman David Bulova, D-Fairfax, and vice chairman Robert Bloxom, R-Cape Charles. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Lt. Gov. Winsome Sears, the current Republican frontrunner in the 2025 governor’s race, slammed Cole’s comments. “Virginia Dems disgustingly compared cutting wasteful spending to the Holocaust – trivializing the murder of 6 million Jews,” Sears wrote on X. “Did Josh Cole just compare cutting government waste to the Holocaust?” asked Mason DiPalma, an official with the Republican State Leadership Committee. “Virginia Dem[ocrats] really have no message and it shows.”
Irish leaders boycott Washington St Patrick’s Day events over Trump’s Gaza comments
Irish leaders will skip St. Patrick’s Day celebrations in the U.S. this year to protest President Donald Trump calling for the displacement of Palestinians from Gaza. St. Patrick’s Day celebrations are an opportunity for Irish leaders to reinforce diplomatic relations abroad, particularly in the U.S., where the annual trip to Washington, D.C., commemorates the historic and cultural ties between the countries. This year, the Irish prime minister, known as Taoiseach, Micheál Martin, will represent Ireland without Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald and Northern Ireland First Minister Michelle O’Neill. “I followed with growing concern what’s happening on the ground in Gaza and the West Bank, and like many other Irish people, have listened in horror to calls from the President of the United States for the mass expulsion of the Palestinian people from their homes and the permanent seizure of Palestinian lands,” McDonald said. “Such an approach is a fundamental breach of international law, is deeply destabilizing in the Middle East, and a dangerous departure from the U.N. position of peace and security for both Palestinians and Israelis, and the right of Palestinians to self-determination.” TRUMP’S GAZA RELOCATION PROPOSAL SPARKS HEATED DEBATE AMONG PALESTINIANS: ‘NO LIFE LEFT HERE’ While acknowledging the important opportunity to reinforce the U.S. and Ireland’s relationship, McDonald said she decided not to attend the White House events this year “as a principled stance against the call for the mass expulsion of the Palestinian people from Gaza.” O’Neill echoed McDonald’s comments, vowing to maintain diplomatic relationships with the U.S. while taking a stance against Trump’s comments. JOURNALISTS SOUND ALARM OVER TRUMP’S ‘PREPOSTEROUS’ GAZA COMMENTS, WARN OF ‘ETHNIC CLEANSING’ “I have taken the decision as First Minister not to attend events at the White House this year,” O’Neill announced in a post. “We have all witnessed the heartbreak and devastation and the suffering in Palestine, and the recent comments by the U.S. president around the mass expulsion of the Palestinian people from Gaza is something which I cannot ignore.” O’Neill said she is standing “firmly on the side of humanity” by protesting Trump and supporting the Palestinian people. “I will continue to engage with the U.S., both politically and economically, to better people’s lives. But people rightly look to leaders to stand against injustice. And in the future, when our children and our grandchildren ask us what we did when the Palestinian people endured unimaginable suffering, I will say I stood firmly on the side of humanity.” McDonald said she supported Martin’s standing St. Patrick’s Day visit to Washington, D.C., because the prime minister would have more access and an expected audience with Trump. She urged Martin to use the “opportunity to reflect the view of the Irish people in relation to Palestine, in support of international law, and to reject threats for the mass expulsion of Palestinian people and seizures of their land.” When asked about the boycott, Martin told reporters, “Sinn Féin does what it always does – it engages in politics. I have a responsibility to the country.” Northern Ireland’s Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) called the boycott “reckless” and “short-sighted.” “The United States is a key economic partner for Northern Ireland,” said DUP Leader Rt. Hon. Gavin Robinson. “Turning away from that relationship, particularly at a time when we need continued international support, is a reckless move that does nothing to advance the interests of people and businesses in Northern Ireland.” Trump said during a joint press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last month that the U.S. would “take over the Gaza Strip.” Trump also suggested relocating Palestinians to rebuild Gaza as the “Riviera of the Middle East.” Trump’s comments sparked international backlash. Ireland is a long-time supporter of Palestinian independence, as many Irish draw parallels with the British occupation of Ireland. Ireland has advocated for full Palestinian statehood and a two-state solution throughout the war in Gaza. Irish citizens have vocally opposed the war in Gaza and consistently protested in support of Palestinians since the war began. Sinn Féin is an Irish Republican party with historic connections to the Irish Republican Army that has grown in popularity and power in Ireland and Northern Ireland over the past few years. Sinn Féin believes in Irish reunification by returning the British-controlled counties of Northern Ireland to Irish rule. Just as the U.S. has played a critical role in ceasefire negotiations between Israel and Hamas, the U.S. was a key negotiator in the Good Friday Agreement between the United Kingdom and Ireland in 1998, which ended decades of conflict and brought peace to the region. The U.S. is home to the largest Irish diaspora. The U.S. and Ireland have maintained close diplomatic relations, and traditional St. Patrick’s Day events at the White House have become an opportunity to celebrate and develop that relationship. Former President Joe Biden visited Ireland and Northern Ireland as president in 2023 to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement.
Kamala Harris takes veiled jabs at Trump, Elon Musk in 1st major speech since election defeat
Former Vice President Kamala Harris took veiled jabs at President Donald Trump and Department of Government Efficiency chief Elon Musk during her first major speech since her election loss in November. After several months out of the public spotlight, Harris stepped onto the stage at the 56th NAACP Image Awards on Saturday in the Los Angeles-area to accept the NAACP’s Chairman’s Award. The former Democratic presidential candidate called for a “sense of urgency,” asserting that “eternal vigilance is the price of liberty” as she urged the Pasadena crowd to “stay alert, to seek the truth and to actively participate in the fight for America’s future.” “The organization came into being at a moment when our country struggled with greed, bitterness and hatred. And those who forged the NAACP legacy, those who carried its legacy had no illusions about the forces they were up against. No illusions about how stony the road would be. But some look at this moment and rightly feel the weight of history,” Harris said. “Some see the flames on our horizons, the rising waters in our cities, the shadows gathering over our democracy and ask, what do we do now? But we know exactly what to do because we have done it before, and we will do it again. We use our power. We organize, mobilize. We educate, and we advocate. Because you see, our power has never come from having an easy path.” KAMALA HARRIS MOCKED OVER ‘WORD SALAD’ SPEECH TO CAST OF ‘A WONDERFUL WORLD: THE LOUIS ARMSTRONG MUSICAL’ Harris, who formerly served as a U.S. senator from California and the state’s attorney general, continued, “Our strength flows from our faith. Faith in God, faith in each other and our refusal to surrender to cynicism and destruction. Not because it is easy, but because it is necessary. Not because victory is guaranteed, but because the fight is worth it.” “And while we have no illusions about what we are up against in this chapter in our American story, this chapter will be written not simply by whoever occupies the Oval Office, nor by the wealthiest among us,” Harris said, appearing to reference Trump and Musk, who is the wealthiest person in the world. “The American story will be written by you, written by us, by we, the people.” TRUMP LOOKING TO SELL OFF NANCY PELOSI FEDERAL BUILDING IN SAN FRANCISCO: REPORTS Her speech comes at a time when the Democratic Party is in a messaging crisis after Trump soundly defeated Harris in November’s presidential election. Like former President Joe Biden did earlier this month, Harris signed with the powerful Hollywood talent agency, Creative Artists Agency, days ago. The agency said in its announcement on Instagram that it would focus on “speaking engagements and publishing,” and work closely with Harris “on her post-White House initiatives, creating strategic opportunities that expand her platform in support of the issues she has championed through her decades-long career in public service.” In his speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference, Trump referenced Harris as Biden’s border czar, telling the Washington, D.C., area crowd, “I haven’t said that name in a while.”
DOGE, EPA team up to claw back $67 million in ‘environmental justice’ grants
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is teaming up with Elon Musk’s cost-cutting department to draw back environmental grants issued by the former Democratic administration. The EPA and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), President Donald Trump’s newly formed department aimed at cutting federal spending, recently revealed that the Biden administration earmarked $77.1 million in “environmental justice” grants to 20 recipients. DOGE, as part of its sweep of government “waste,” revealed that they are canceling $67.4 million of the unspent funds, the EPA confirmed to Fox News Digital. “Good work,” DOGE wrote in a post on X regarding the recent spending cut. BIDEN SENT $2 BILLION TO STACEY ABRAMS-LINKED GROUP IN GREEN ENERGY ‘SCHEME,’ EPA SAYS The new developments, first reported by the New York Post, revealed that one recipient, the San Diego State University Foundation, would stand to lose $4.2 million in funding for bringing “environmental justice” to “tribal, indigenous and Pacific Island communities.” Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., reacted to the cost-cutting decision, writing on social media that “Biden’s EPA” equals “Embezzling Public Assets.” CAESARS PALACE, MLB STADIUM, AN ICE CREAM TRUCK: DOGE REVEALS HOW SCHOOLS SPENT BILLIONS IN COVID-RELIEF FUNDS The EPA has been clawing back millions in environmental grants issued under the Biden administration, recently revealing that the Biden administration was allowing just eight entities to distribute $20 billion of taxpayer dollars “at their discretion.” The agency found that part of the funds were $2 billion to a climate group linked to high-profile Democrat Stacey Abrams in what was described by the administration as a “scheme” of “wasteful” spending. The grant was given to Power Forward Communities, an Abrams-tied nonprofit that sought to “reduce our impact on the climate” by financing the replacement of household appliances in lower-income communities with green alternatives.
DOGE cuts, Medicaid fears spark protests at GOP lawmaker offices across US
Some House Republicans have felt heat back home this past week after progressive groups urged Americans to protest the GOP’s handling of government spending. At least six lawmakers saw protests at their district offices as they spent time with constituents during last week’s recess to mark President’s Day. Several others were confronted during town hall events held during the same period. The demonstrations largely centered on Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which aims to slash $2 trillion in federal spending. BLACK CAUCUS CHAIR ACCUSES TRUMP OF ‘PURGE’ OF ‘MINORITY’ FEDERAL WORKERS “They have control of all of our personal information, and I don’t know that anyone except them knows what they’re going to be doing with it,” a protester outside the office of Rep. David Schweikert, R-Ariz., said in a video captured by AZ Central. “I think it’s a terrible breach of security for everyone in this country.” A photo compilation by the Desert Sun showed dozens of people protesting at the office of Rep. Ken Calvert, R-Calif., with signs like, “You work for us, not Musk.” People were also concerned about potential cuts to Medicaid and other federal programs as GOP lawmakers work to enact President Donald Trump’s agenda via the budget reconciliation process. Lawmakers are looking to cut billions in federal spending to offset the cost of extending Trump’s Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, as well as border security and national defense priorities. Constituents outside the office of Rep. Scott Perry, R-Pa., last week pleaded with him to reject Medicaid cuts, according to local outlet WGAL. “I hope he doesn’t touch Medicaid. I hope he does not defund it or try to cut it or anything like that,” one demonstrator told the outlet. Perry told the outlet in response to the protest, “Congressman Perry supports the right to protest. While Congress has yet to see a detailed plan to get our Country back on the path to fiscal solvency, Congressman Perry, as always, will keep the concerns and views of the 10th District at the forefront as he determines his vote on their behalf.” Other Republicans who saw protests at their district offices last week included Reps. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., Ryan Mackenzie, R-Pa., and House Administration Committee Chair Bryan Steil, R-Wis. Rep. Rich McCormick, R-Ga., was among the Republican lawmakers who faced critics that jeered him at a town hall last week. KEY CONSERVATIVE CAUCUS DRAWS RED LINE ON HOUSE BUDGET PLAN It comes after progressive group Indivisible put out a memo encouraging activists to use last week’s recess to protest House lawmakers at their home offices amid the left’s backlash against Musk’s work. “Recess is when Members of Congress go back home to host town halls, meet with constituents, and try to paint themselves as responsive to the people who elected them. It is also when MoCs think they can avoid public scrutiny — especially Republicans who want to dodge tough questions about their complicity in Trump and Musk’s coup,” the group’s site said. Meanwhile, left-wing group Working Families Power and Opportunity Wisconsin organized the demonstration outside of Steil’s office, an online event notice showed.
SCOTUS turns down abortion clinic buffer zone challenge, Thomas slams ‘abdication’ of duty
The U.S. Supreme Court declined Monday to hear a pro-life challenge against protest restrictions around abortion clinics in Illinois, as activists argued the laws infringe on their First Amendment rights, a decision met with a fiery dissent by Justice Clarence Thomas. The court rejected appeals from Coalition Life, which describes itself as “America’s Largest Professional Sidewalk Counseling Organization” in New Jersey and Illinois, which had challenged previous lower court rulings that dismissed their lawsuits. Pro-life activists in the case argued that “buffer zones” – which were established after a previous Supreme Court decision in Colorado to shield patients from harassment – around abortion clinics violate their First Amendment rights to free speech. SUPREME COURT TO WEIGH STATE BAN ON TRANSGENDER ‘MEDICAL TREATMENTS’ FOR MINORS Thomas and fellow conservative Justice Samuel Alito dissented, with Thomas arguing SCOTUS should have taken up the case, Coalition Life v. City of Carbondale, Illinois. Alito did not explain his reasoning in writing. The votes of four justices are required to grant a writ of certiorari to bring a case up for review. Thomas said Hill v. Colorado “has been seriously undermined, if not completely eroded, and our refusal to provide clarity is an abdication of our judicial duty.” He added that he would’ve used the Coalition Life case to override the Hill decision. “This case would have allowed us to provide needed clarity to lower courts,” Thomas wrote in his dissent. In that case, decided in 2000, the Supreme Court upheld a Colorado statute that prohibited individuals from “knowingly” approaching within eight feet of another person within 100 feet of a healthcare facility entrance, without consent, for purposes such as passing out literature, displaying signs, or engaging in oral protest, education, or counseling. ‘THE PENDULUM IS SWINGING’: EXPERTS WEIGH IN ON HISTORIC SCOTUS TRANSGENDER CASE AMID ORAL ARGUMENTS The court determined this law was a content-neutral regulation of the time, place and manner of speech, serving the state’s interest in protecting individuals entering healthcare facilities from unwanted communication. The decision was 6-3, with Justices Thomas, Antonin Scalia and Anthony Kennedy dissenting. The City of Carbondale, in southern Illinois, saw an uptick in pro-life protests after two clinics opened following the overturning of Roe v. Wade in 2022. As such, the city passed ordinances modeled after Colorado’s statutes. Urging the court to revisit the Hill precedent, Thomas quoted from an excerpt in Alito’s majority opinion in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Center – the case that overturned Roe v. Wade – where he noted that abortion-related cases on other legal precedents had “distorted First Amendment doctrines.” UNPACKING THE SUPREME COURT: WHY IT’S NOT JUST A MAGA STRONGHOLD, AND HOW THE JUSTICES REALLY VOTE One key case that followed Hill v. Colorado is McCullen v. Coakley, where the Supreme Court ruled in 2014 on a Massachusetts law that established a 35-foot buffer zone around abortion clinics. The high court found that while the state had a legitimate interest in protecting patients and staff from harassment, the law was overly broad, included too much space and infringed on free speech rights. The court struck down the law, distinguishing it from the Hill decision. In 2019, New York upheld a 15-foot buffer zone law outside of clinics, and similar laws have been debated in states like California, Maryland and Washington. Fox News Digital has reached out to Coalition Life for comment.