‘No reason’ for new nukes: Trump floats disarmament talks with China, Russia
President Donald Trump floated a joint meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin, claiming he wants all countries to move toward denuclearization. Trump on Thursday told reporters he plans to advance these denuclearization talks once “we straighten it all out” in the Middle East and Ukraine, comments that come as the U.S., Russia and Ukraine are actively pursuing negotiations to end the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. “There’s no reason for us to be building brand new nuclear weapons, we already have so many,” Trump said Thursday at the White House. “You could destroy the world 50 times over, 100 times over. And here we are building new nuclear weapons, and they’re building nuclear weapons.” “We’re all spending a lot of money that we could be spending on other things that are actually, hopefully, much more productive,” he said. The U.S. is projected to spend approximately $756 billion on nuclear weapons between 2023 and 2032, according to a Congressional Budget Office report released in 2023. PUTIN VIEWED AS ‘GREAT COMPETITOR’ BUT STILL A US ‘ADVERSARY’ AS UKRAINE NEGOTIATIONS LOOM, LEAVITT SAYS Additionally, Trump said that he was aiming to schedule meetings with Xi and Putin early on in his second term and request that the countries cut their military budgets in half. The president said he believes “we can do that,” and remained indifferent about whether he traveled to Xi or Putin, or if they visited the White House. Meanwhile, the U.S. has dramatically reduced its nuclear arsenal since the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. The U.S. maintains 3,748 nuclear warheads as of September 2023, a drop from the stockpile of 22,217 nuclear warheads in 1989, according to the Department of Energy. The agency reported the U.S. owned a maximum of 31,255 nuclear warheads in 1966. In comparison, Russia has an estimated stockpile of roughly 4,380 nuclear warheads, while China boasts an arsenal of roughly 600, according to the Federation of American Scientists. Trump’s remarks build on previous statements he made in January at the Davos World Economic Forum in Switzerland, where he signaled interest in talks on denuclearization with both Russia and China. “Tremendous amounts of money are being spent on nuclear, and the destructive capability is something that we don’t even want to talk about today, because you don’t want to hear it,” Trump said on Jan. 23. Previous talks between the U.S., Russia and China fell through in 2020 during Trump’s first administration after he refused to sign an extension of the 2010 New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty with Russia to impose limits on each country’s nuclear arsenals. The treaty ultimately was renewed under the Biden administration and now expires in 2026, but Russia suspended its participation. On Thursday, Trump accused these negotiations of falling apart due what he called the “rigged election” in 2020. NO LONGER TAKEN ADVANTAGE OF: TRUMP SIGNS ORDER PRIORITIZING ‘UNIFIED’ US FOREIGN POLICY FRONT Trump also said on Thursday that Putin wants peace after Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, comments that followed back-to-back calls with the Russian leader and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Wednesday. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent also traveled to Kyiv on Wednesday. Trump, who met with Zelenskyy in New York in September 2024, urged Putin to cease the war — or face sanctions — in a post on Truth Social on Jan. 22. “Settle now, and STOP this ridiculous War! IT’S ONLY GOING TO GET WORSE,” Trump wrote. If we don’t make a ‘deal’, and soon, I have no other choice but to put high levels of Taxes, Tariffs, and Sanctions on anything being sold by Russia to the United States, and various other participating countries.”
House Dem fumes over Musk’s DOGE crackdown during fiery interview: ‘I’m pissed’
Democratic Rep. Jim McGovern of Massachusetts blasted Elon Musk on Wednesday and argued that his DOGE efforts are undermining the “values” of the United States, and promised to “fight” against them. “Elon Musk has probably never stepped into a public school, his kids will get private tutors, he doesn’t understand it, he has no idea what this is all about,” McGovern, who represents the 2nd Congressional District of Massachusetts, told Fox News Digital after a rally against DOGE cuts to the Department of Education. “Our teachers do an incredible job. They deserve to be respected. The Department of Education is more than just a line item,” he continued. “It represents real people, and it represents our future. And so, yeah, I’m pissed.” McGovern explained that “not a single” Democrat protesting is upset about cutting fraud or waste, but said that education is not the place to start. CALIFORNIA DEMOCRAT SAYS PARTY NEEDS TO ‘BRING ACTUAL WEAPONS’ IN THE ‘FIGHT FOR DEMOCRACY’ AGAINST ELON MUSK “I use colorful language because I can’t believe we’re at this moment, and I’m really pissed at my Republican colleagues who are sitting there twiddling their thumbs, afraid to say anything because they’re afraid they might get a primary challenge,” the House Democrat continued. “But you know what? Being in Congress is about helping people, not screwing people. And it’s about time they grew a backbone and came out here and joined us and pushed back against this nonsense.” McGovern argued that the Department of Education is “not a line item” and that it “represents real people” who could lose important funding for their children in schools. “I’d like to start with the Department of Defense first, McGovern said, “where I can tell you there’s tons and tons of waste. They’ve never been audited successfully. All these other departments and agencies have been audited. But here’s the deal. This is not about rooting out fraud, waste, or abuse. This is about them shutting down important agencies of departments so they can have money to give billionaires and big corporations a tax break, and I’m just sick and tired of the well-off and the well-connected to this country, getting whatever the hell they want while everybody else gets screwed. We can’t stand for that.” ELON MUSK DESCRIBES LIMESTONE MINE USED FOR PROCESSING FEDERAL WORKERS’ RETIREMENT PAPERS: ‘LIKE A TIME WARP’ “I mean, when is the last time Musk ever walked into a public school?” McGovern said. “When’s the last time you walked into a supermarket? When’s the last time he actually talked to, like, real people? And as far as this DOGE thing, I don’t even know what kind of clearances Musk has or the young minions that he has around him.” “I don’t know what kind of clearances they have going through all this stuff. But we should be worried. They’re undermining our democracy here. They’re undermining, you know, our values. And as I said, if they want to fight, I’ll give them a goddamn fight. We’re ready for this fight.” When asked whether he wants Musk to answer questions before Congress, McGovern said he’d like to see the Tesla and Space X CEO testify under oath. “I do, I want him to come before Congress. I want them to be sworn in. So he can’t lie. I mean, I saw that press conference, and It was the weirdest thing I’ve ever seen in my life. I mean, these guys, this is. You can’t make this stuff up.” DOGE’s spending cuts have drawn the ire of numerous Democrats in recent weeks prompting rallies where lawmakers have pledged to fight Musk’s efforts. The Department of Education, which Trump pledged to eliminate when he was on the campaign trail, has been a particularly heated subject, and Trump recently suggested that he still intends to get rid of it and send education decisions to the states. “Oh, I’d like it to be closed immediately. Look at the Department of Education. It’s a big con job,” Trump said this week. “They ranked the top countries in the world. We’re ranked No. 40, but we’re ranked No. 1 in one department: cost per pupil. So, we spend more per pupil than any other country in the world, but we’re ranked No. 40.”
Skyrocketing healthcare budget for illegal immigrants haunts blue state taxpayers
A California budget official revealed this week that taxpayers in the Democrat-run state are paying billions of dollars more on healthcare for illegal immigrants than previously known. Guadalupe Manriquez, the California Department of Finance program budget manager, told the state Assembly Budget Committee Monday the state is “spending $9.5 billion total funds” to “cover undocumented individuals in Medi-Cal” in the current year. Manriquez explained that this is a “revised number based on the governor’s budget-updated estimates,” adding the earlier figure was from the earlier “budget act.” CALIFORNIA FAMILIES CELEBRATE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION’S PROBE INTO STATE’S REFUSAL TO FOLLOW TRANS ATHLETE ORDER “Of the $9.5 billion, $8.4 billion is general fund,” she said. Republican Assemblyman Carl DeMaio noted that the cost of healthcare for illegal immigrants could be enough to help solve some of the state’s budget woes and “avoid going into the rainy day fund,” The Center Square reported. He said the number originally floated was roughly $6 billion. A new state law enacted at the start of 2024 ensures that “immigration status doesn’t matter” for those looking to apply for taxpayer-backed insurance, according to the state’s health department website. ICE ARRESTS HOMELESS ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT WHO ASKED TO BE DETAINED OR ELSE HE WOULD ‘GO OUT AND COMMIT CRIMES’ California Assembly Minority Leader James Gallagher told Fox News Digital in a statement that gutting the insurance availability for illegal immigrants would make a significant dent in the state’s deficit. “California’s budget is $30 billion in the red, but instead of tightening its belt, Sacramento is doubling down on reckless spending,” the Republican said. CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE “The state is shelling out $9.5 billion on healthcare for illegal immigrants while emergency rooms overflow, hospitals teeter on the brink and working Californians struggle to see a doctor,” he continued. “Rather than making responsible choices, leaders are raiding the rainy-day fund to keep the spending spree going. This isn’t just a budget crisis — it’s a complete failure of leadership.” Democratic Assemblywoman Pilar Schiavo said during the hearing that healthcare costs are a major target of the new administration, which leads to uncertainty for the state. “We know that today unelected Elon Musk and DOGE have taken their sights to Medicare and Medicaid, which is Medi-Cal here in California. And that is, you know, well over half of our budget,” the lawmaker said. The spending discussion comes at a time when the federal government is conducting a major crackdown on illegal immigration, including raids done by Immigration and Customs Enforcement and much stricter policies at the border itself. Steve Hilton, founder of Golden Together and a Fox News contributor, said it’s “yet another example of California Democrats’ totally wrong priorities.” “Here’s yet another example of California Democrats’ totally wrong priorities. They have nearly doubled the state budget in the last ten years, yet over a third of Californians cannot meet their basic needs,” Hilton said. “We have the highest poverty rate in America. We pay the highest taxes and get the worst results. People are asking, “Where did all our money go?” And here’s the answer: ideological obsessions like this — free healthcare for people who are here illegally. People have had enough of all this. There’s going to be change in California sooner than people think.”
USAID’s green energy programs have maximized harm to the developing world, according to former official
USAID’s green energy programs may have done more “harm” to developing nations than anything else, according to a former official at the U.S. Agency for International Development. “I can’t think of anything that’s harmed the developing world more than the climate agenda,” said Max Primorac, a top USAID official under President Donald Trump’s first administration, when asked about programs that had run afoul of American interests throughout the world. “The strong counter-China infrastructure that we developed over at USAID was simply dismantled by the next administration,” he told lawmakers at a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing entitled, “USAID Betrayal.” “[USAID] has pushed all of these countries, especially in Africa, to go green. Solar, wind, EV: who produces all of those materials? It’s China. Then, on top of it, we tell them, ‘No, you can’t develop your own fossil fuel industry because it’s, it’s anti-green.’ So, what happens? They can’t generate the revenues to create good jobs at home. They can’t generate the revenues in order to finance their own health, education and other needs.” USAID MISSIONS OVERSEAS ORDERED TO SHUT DOWN, STAFF BEING RECALLED: REPORT Primorac claimed that green energy infrastructure in developing countries “increases the price of energy.” According to Primorac, 19 of the top 20 countries receiving USAID are part of China’s Belt and Road Initiative, securing aid from the CCP in exchange for influence. Primorac said that developing nations “want more trade, they want more investment,” but “resentment” is building in conservative countries who don’t want “woke things.” The Trump administration, upon assuming office, instituted a 90-day pause on all foreign aid. Trump fired USAID’s inspector general Paul Martin this week after he wrote a report claiming Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)’s efforts to dismantle USAID had prevented him from conducting oversight on unspent aid of up to $8.5 billion. Martin’s report claimed that about $500 million worth of food aid is at risk of spoiling as it sits in ports while USAID staff in other nations have been called back and placed on leave. USAID has now been placed under the purview of the State Department and is in the process of whittling down its staff from 10,000 to fewer than 300. USAID INSPECTOR GENERAL FIRED DAYS AFTER PUBLISHING REPORT CRITICAL OF AID PAUSE Republican witnesses at the hearing largely agreed that foreign aid was important to fighting global disease outbreaks and securing U.S. interests throughout the world, but USAID’s reputation had been “tarnished” by “mission creep,” as former GOP Rep. Ted Yoho, Fla., said. But Yoho, who said he came to Congress to slash foreign aid before realizing its importance throughout the world, and Andrew Natsios, USAID administrator under President George W. Bush, warned that a blanket freeze on aid throughout the world would be detrimental. “By pausing U.S. international assistance, a vacuum is created. China, Russia, or others are already moving in to fill those voids,” said Yoho. “Not being effectively present can be arguably worse than pausing a program. And all you have to do is look at South and Central America and look at how much we’ve ceded to China and their influence from Russia, China and Iran. That has to be dealt with immediately. That’s a national security threat.” Natsios said he was “appalled” by how the Biden administration had roped USAID into “culture wars.” “It’s a failure,” he said. “All of the things I did at AID, I tried to do it in a way that would not alienate the Democratic Party when I left.” GOP CHAIRMAN RESPONDS AFTER PROTESTERS ARE TOSSED FROM USAID SPENDING HEARING But he noted that “woke” programs were a “small percentage” of the USAID budget, and the agency gives $1 billion per year to Christian NGOs. Republicans claim there is a waiver process, but aid advocates have said NGOs and charities do not know how to apply for the waiver, and if they receive one, no one at USAID is operating the payment systems that dole out funds. “I’ve met with these Christian groups, even though they have the waivers, the Phoenix system is not operating,” said Natsios, referring to the agency’s financial program. “Please do something about it.” During the hearing, Republicans also pointed to USAID-funded NGOs that were conducting abortions, a program that sent millions of taxpayer dollars to dole out condoms in Afghanistan and Mozambique, $20 million for drag shows in Ecuador and $500,000 to promote atheism in Nepal. “All of these programs gave USAID a black eye and that’s unfortunate,” said Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, a former chairman of the committee who claimed USAID “blew through” his holds on their controversial programs. Foreign Affairs Chairman Brian Mast agreed. “When done right, foreign aid can be one of the best tools. It can help strengthen our relationships with our allies and help countries realize America is the best for them,” he said. He promised that more aid oversight was to come. “We are going to bring in individuals who were responsible for putting these horrible policies in place and reveal all the receipts, videos – all of it – for the American people to see.”
Treasury Sec. Scott Bessent leaves powerful two-word message in Irish airport’s welcome book
The U.S. Treasury secretary left a straight and to the point message in the welcome book at Shannon Airport in Ireland on Thursday, simply leaving the Trump administration’s two-word motto. The plane Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent was traveling on from Kyiv, Ukraine, made a stop at the western Ireland airport to refuel. While there, Bessent signed the welcome book, writing, “AMERICA FIRST!” FOX Business White House correspondent Edward Lawrence snapped a picture of the page, and above Bessent’s entry was an entry from former Secretary of State Antony Blinken. JD VANCE, TREASURY SEC SCOTT BESSENT TO MEET WITH ZELENSKYY AS TRUMP TEAM SETS SIGHTS ON RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR “To all our friends at Shannon – with gratitude for always making us feel at home away from home,” Blinken wrote, though the date of the entry was not visible in the photo. President Donald Trump announced earlier this week that he was sending Bessent to meet with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. ‘LET’S DO A DEAL’: ZELENSKYY CALLS TRUMP’S TERMS ACCEPTABLE FOR SECURITY PARTNERSHIP “This War MUST and WILL END SOON — Too much Death and Destruction. The U.S. has spent BILLIONS of Dollars Globally, with little to show,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. Bessent was expected to speak with the Ukrainian president about sanctions, rare Earth minerals and where U.S. funding has gone. Vice President JD Vance was also meeting with Zelenskyy this week, and both meetings were to take place before U.S. envoy Keith Kellogg travels to Ukraine on Feb. 20. Trump tasked Kellogg with hashing out a peace deal with Ukraine and Russia to bring the three-year-long war to an end. Last week Kellogg met with Ukrainian delegates at the State Department. Fox News Digital’s Morgan Phillips contributed to this report.
US will be ‘flooded with jobs’ as foreign nations avoid tariffs, Trump says
President Donald Trump said the U.S. will be “flooded with jobs” as foreign trading partners move industries to American soil to avoid tariffs. “They can build a factory here, a plant or whatever it may be, here,” Trump said Thursday afternoon from the Oval Office. “And that includes the medical, that includes cars, that includes chips and semiconductors. That includes everything. If you build here, you have no tariffs whatsoever. And I think that’s what’s going to happen. I think our country is going to be flooded with jobs.” Trump said U.S. consumers could see prices rise in the “short term” due to the tariffs, but that prices will lower and that industries across the board would benefit. “And I think the farmers are going to be helped by this very much because product is being dumped into our country and our farmers are getting hurt very badly by the last administration,” Trump said. “The last administration hated our farmers, like, at a level that I’ve never seen before. I think our farmers are going to be helped. Jobs are going to be helped. But our farmers are going to be helped, our manufacturers are going to be helped.” TRUMP SIGNS ‘RECIPROCAL’ TARIFF PLAN FOR COUNTRIES THAT TAX US GOODS “And again, if somebody wants to come in, including the car companies, if they want to come in and build car plants, they’ll do it without tariffs. And therefore, prices won’t go up. There could be some short-term disturbance, but long term, it’s going to it’s going to make our country a fortune,” he added. FENTANYL’S FINANCIAL GRIP ON US SKYROCKETED TO $2.7T AT HEIGHT OF BIDEN ADMIN: STUDY Trump announced on Thursday that he will impose “fair and reciprocal” tariffs on all major U.S. trading partners. The plan includes tapping Howard Lutnick, Trump’s nominee for commerce secretary, to produce a report on reciprocal trade relations within 180 days. Lutnik said Thursday that he will have the report ready for Trump by April 1. “On trade I have decided for purposes of fairness, that I will charge a reciprocal tariff – meaning whatever countries charge the United States of America, we will charge them no more, no less. In other words, they charge us a tax or tariff and we charge them the exact same tax or tariff. Very simple,” Trump said at the White House of the tariff plan. Trump’s reciprocal tariff announcement follows him leveraging tariffs against Mexico, Canada and China earlier in February. The tariffs were created in light of “extraordinary” threats stemming from “illegal aliens and drugs, including deadly fentanyl,” according to Trump’s executive order authorizing the tariffs. Trump’s order authorized tariffs through the new International Emergency Economic Powers Act. It included 25% tariffs on imports from Canada and Mexico and a 10% tariff on imports from China. Energy resources from Canada would have a lower 10% tariff. TRUMP IMPOSES TARIFFS ON IMPORTS FROM CANADA, MEXICO AND CHINA: ‘NATIONAL EMERGENCY’ Both Canada and Mexico agreed to concessions with Trump the day before the tariffs were set to take effect, pledging to send additional security personnel to their respective borders with the U.S. Trump agreed to pause the tariffs on the two nations for one month in light of the border security concessions. China, on the other hand, imposed tariffs on some U.S. imports in response to Trump’s tariffs. Fox News Digital’s Greg Norman contributed to this report.
‘Make NATO great again’: Hegseth pushes European allies to step up defense efforts
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said that as the U.S. aims to “revive the warrior ethos,” European members of NATO also should follow suit and bolster defense efforts. “NATO should pursue these goals as well,” Hegseth told NATO members in Brussels on Thursday. “NATO is a great alliance, the most successful defense alliance in history, but to endure for the future, our partners must do far more for Europe’s defense.” “We must make NATO great again,” he said. As of 2023, the U.S. spent 3.3% of its GDP on defense spending — totaling $880 billion, according to the nonpartisan Washington, D.C.-based Peterson Institute for International Economics. More than 50% of NATO funding comes from the U.S., while other allies, like the United Kingdom, France and Germany, have contributed between 4% and 8% to NATO funding in recent years. Hegseth urged European allies to bolster defense spending from 2% to 5% of gross domestic product, as President Donald Trump has long advocated. NATO comprises more than 30 countries and was originally formed in 1949 to halt the spread of the Soviet Union. Hegseth pointed to former President Dwight D. Eisenhower, who advocated for a strong relationship with European allies. But he noted that eventually Eisenhower felt that the U.S. was bearing the burden of deploying U.S. troops to Europe in 1959, according to the State Department’s Office of the Historian. Eisenhower reportedly told two of his generals that the Europeans were “making a sucker out of Uncle Sam.” Hegseth said that he and Trump share sentiments similar to Eisenhower’s. PUTIN VIEWED AS ‘GREAT COMPETITOR’ BUT STILL A US ‘ADVERSARY’ AS UKRAINE NEGOTIATIONS LOOM, LEAVITT SAYS “This administration believes in alliances, deeply believes in alliances, but make no mistake, President Trump will not allow anyone to turn Uncle Sam into Uncle Sucker,” Hegseth said. “We can talk all we want about values,” Hegseth said. “Values are important, but you can’t shoot values, you can’t shoot flags, and you can’t shoot strong speeches. There is no replacement for hard power. As much as we may not want to like the world we live in, in some cases, there’s nothing like hard power.” Hegseth’s comments come as the Trump administration navigates negotiations with Russia and Ukraine to end the conflict between the two countries. On Wednesday, Trump called both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent traveled to Kyiv. OBAMA OFFICIALS, TRUMP CRITICS TARGET HEGSETH’S ‘CONCESSIONS’ AS ‘BIGGEST GIFT’ TO RUSSIA Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio are slated to meet with Zelenskyy Friday at the Munich Security Conference. Meanwhile, the Trump administration has come under scrutiny for the negotiations, fielding criticism that Ukraine is being pressured to give in to concessions after Hegseth said on Wednesday that it isn’t realistic for Ukraine to regain its pre-war borders with Russia. “Putin is gonna pocket this and ask for more,” Brett Bruen, director of global engagement under former President Barack Obama, told Fox News Digital. Michael McFaul, ambassador to Russia under the Obama administration, also shared concerns in a social media post on X on Wednesday, claiming that Trump was delivering Russia a “gift.” But Hegseth said he rejected similar accusations. “Any suggestion that President Trump is doing anything other than negotiating from a position of strength is, on its face, ahistorical and false,” Hegseth said Thursday. Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, and Trump vowed on the campaign trail in 2024 that he would work to end the conflict if elected again. Fox News’ Emma Colton and Morgan Phillips contributed to this report.
‘Truly providential’: Trump made promise to Marc Fogel’s mother moments before Butler assassination attempt
President Donald Trump met with Marc Fogel’s mother on July 13, 2024, in Butler, Pennsylvania, and vowed to bring her son home if elected, just before an assassination attempt nearly took his life. Rep. Mark Kelly, R-Pa., was there for the meeting between Trump and Malphine Fogel before the president took the stage. “The president survived the assassination attempt on July 13 in Butler, and he fulfilled his commitment to Mrs. Fogel that he would get her son home,” Kelly told Fox News Digital. “It is an incredible, providential story.” MOTHER OF FREED AMERICAN HOSTAGE MARC FOGEL THANKS PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: ‘HE KEPT HIS PROMISE’ During the rally, after his meeting with Fogel’s mother, Trump was showing off a chart highlighting how illegal immigration skyrocketed under the Biden-Harris administration. As he turned toward the chart, he was hit by a bullet that pierced the upper part of his right ear by the now-deceased would-be-assassin, Thomas Matthew Crooks. Trump credits the chart for saving his life. Kelly likened the situation to the classic movie “It’s a Wonderful Life.” “The theme of the movie was that George Bailey was very frustrated, but he was given a glimpse of life and what would have happened if he hadn’t been there – if he hadn’t been born,” Kelly recalled. “And if I go back to July 13, this is all providential.” “Mrs. Fogel has a chance to talk to the president, and she talks about what is happening to Marc. The president vows to get him home,” Kelly continued. “It is a take-off of ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ and the opportunity, or the dilemma, that if you were never born, what would the consequences have been?” “If President Trump did not survive the assassination attempt on July 13, Marc Fogel wouldn’t be home today,” Kelly said. Fogel, an American teacher from Western Pennsylvania, returned to the United States late Tuesday, after Trump secured his release. Fogel was arrested in 2021 at an airport in Russia for possession of medical marijuana and was sentenced to 14 years in a Russian prison. AMERICAN MARC FOGEL RELEASED FROM RUSSIAN CUSTODY Kelly told Fox News Digital that “it is all about faith.” “Having been there and witnessed it, I think to myself, ‘Oh my goodness, that tiny fraction of an inch, or whatever it was, is the difference between Marc Fogel being home and Marc Fogel not being home,’” he said. “Between making a promise to his mother and being able to keep it, as opposed to making a promise and never getting a chance to fulfill it.” Malphine Fogel recalled the Butler meeting with Trump on Fox News Channel’s “America Newsroom.” “I met with President Trump, and he was just as cordial as he could be,” she said. “He told me three different times, ‘If I get in,’ he said, ‘I’ll get him out’ and I really think he’s been instrumental.” Malphine Fogel told Fox News that “it was a total surprise” when she heard from her son from the Moscow airport. “So, that meant that (they) had taken him out of the prison to Moscow…. The last week or so, for some crazy reason, I had a better feeling about things, but I hadn’t heard from him in a week, so I thought that was odd and when he called… it was just a total shock,” she said. Meanwhile, Kelly told Fox News Digital, “There is a certain time in people’s lives where you realize you don’t have forever, you have right now, and you need to get it done.” “Politically, there is no one on either side of the aisle that could look at what happened with Marc Fogel and not somehow say, this is truly providential – this is not a political move,” Kelly said. “This doesn’t do anything for the president. He’s already elected. He did this to keep a promise to a mother in her mid 90s – the only thing she wanted to see before she died was her son one more time.” Kelly added: “This is a promise made. Promise kept. It is truly providential. It is. It is a wonderful life.”
Europe must invoke ‘snapback’ sanctions on Iran, US lawmakers say, as Trump resumes ‘maximum pressure’
FIRST ON FOX: Europe must reinstate harsh United Nations sanctions on Iran, U.S. lawmakers insisted in a new resolution that accused Tehran of repeated violations of the 2015 nuclear deal brokered by the Obama administration. The bipartisan legislation calls on the U.K., France and Germany to invoke “snapback” sanctions on Iran through the UN Security Council immediately – and follow the U.S.’s lead under President Donald Trump’s “maximum pressure” executive order to isolate Iran over its nuclear activity. “Iran is the leading state sponsor of terrorism, and their actions have led to the murder of American servicemembers,” said Sen. Pete Ricketts, R-Neb., the number two Republican on Senate Foreign Relations Committee and lead sponsor of the bill, which has 11 cosponsors in the Senate. “Iran’s possession of a nuclear weapon would threaten our security and the security of our allies. Snapback sanctions are key to ensuring that President Trump’s maximum pressure campaign is successful.” IRAN’S COVERT NUCLEAR AGENCY FOUND OPERATING OUT OF TOP SPACE PROGRAM LAUNCH SITES Reps. Claudia Tenney, R-N.Y., and Josh Gottheimer, D-N.J., issued companion legislation in the House. Under the 2015 Iran deal known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), Iran evaded U.N., U.S. and E.U. sanctions in exchange for promises not to pursue a nuclear weapon. But Iran eventually cut off independent inspectors’ access to its sites and resumed nuclear activities. A “snapback” provision of the agreement said that any of the nations privy to the deal – China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, U.S. or Germany – could demand the export controls, travel bans and asset freezes be reimposed. But the U.S. pulled out of the nuclear deal entirely under President Donald Trump’s first administration and imposed its own “maximum pressure” sanctions regime. The Biden administration subsequently issued sanctions waivers and toyed with the idea of returning to a nuclear deal with Iran, but ultimately those efforts faltered. Tenney urged the European nations to invoke the snapback sanctions before the deal expires in October 2025. “Invoking snapback sanctions will restore all the UN sanctions on Iran that were lifted by the Obama administration’s failed Iran nuclear deal,” she said. Iran is “dramatically” accelerating enrichment of uranium to up to 60% purity, below the 90% needed for a nuclear weapon, according to U.N. nuclear watchdog Rafael Grossi. Western states have said there is no civilian use for 60% uranium. TRUMP REINSTATES ‘MAXIMUM PRESSURE’ CAMPAIGN AGAINST IRAN Britain, France and Germany told the U.N. Security Council in December they were ready to trigger the snapback of all international sanctions on Iran if necessary. Trump himself said he was “torn” over a recent executive order that triggered harsh sanctions on Iran’s oil sector, adding that he was “unhappy to do it.” “Hopefully, we’re not going to have to use it very much,” Trump told reporters. But he reiterated, “We’re not going to let them get a nuclear weapon.” Trump suggested first trying a “verified nuclear peace agreement” over military escalation. “I would much rather do a deal that’s not gonna hurt them,” the president told Fox News on Monday, adding that “I’d love to make a deal with them without bombing them.” Iran viewed the president’s remarks as a threat and took negotiations off the table. ”No problem will be solved by negotiating with America,” said Iran’s Ayatollah Ali Khameni, citing past “experience.” He called for the country to further develop its military capabilities. “We cannot be satisfied,” Khamenei said. “Say that we previously set a limit for the accuracy of our missiles, but we now feel this limit is no longer enough. We have to go forward.” “Today, our defensive power is well known, our enemies are afraid of this. This is very important for our country,” he said.
Trump’s nominee for small business chief primed for final vote after clearing procedural hurdle
President Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the Small Business Administration, former Sen. Kelly Loeffler, passed a key procedural vote in the Senate on Thursday, clearing the path for her final confirmation vote. The Senate’s vote this afternoon to invoke cloture ended the debate on the Georgia Republican’s nomination, as she now moves on to the confirmation stage. The final cloture vote was 51-43 in favor of invoking cloture. “Like President Trump, Senator Loeffler left behind a successful career in the private sector to advance the America First agenda,” Loeffler spokeswoman Caitlin O’Dea told Fox News on Jan. 28. TRUMP’S COMMERCE NOMINEE PASSES KEY HURDLE “Should she be confirmed, she will continue the practice of donating her federal salary to charities and nonprofits across the country — and put her full focus on working to make the Small Business Administration a gateway to the American Dream for entrepreneurs across the country.” Loeffler, whose net worth is estimated at roughly $1 billion, previously donated her annual Senate salary of $174,000 between 2019 and 2021 to more than 40 Georgia charities and nonprofits. Those organizations included food banks, faith groups and organizations opposed to abortion, foster care/adoption groups as well as organizations promoting health care, agriculture, education, law enforcement and disaster relief. Loeffler previously worked at several top financial firms, including Intercontinental Exchange. Her husband, Jeffrey Sprecher, whom she met at ICE, is the current chairman of the New York Stock Exchange. Loeffler also previously bought a minority stake in the WNBA Atlanta Dream, but is reportedly no longer associated with the team. Loeffler also sparred with Sen. Edward Markey, D-Mass, during her confirmation hearing over the Trump administration’s announcement that it would freeze federal funds and grants. TRUMP LANDS KEY TULSI GABBARD CONFIRMATION FOLLOWING UPHILL SENATE BATTLE After Trump fired SBA inspector general Hannibal Ware in January, Markey — the top Democrat on the Senate Small Business & Entrepreneurship Committee – expressed anger and called for a pause on Loeffler’s confirmation consideration. Markey said the process should be halted “either until Inspector General Ware is reinstated or until a qualified and impartial nominee to replace him is confirmed by the Senate.” Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, the committee’s chairwoman, called Loeffler the “perfect person for the job” in an Osceola Sentinel-Tribune column. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “Throughout her career, she rose through the ranks at multiple companies due to her determination and grit. She also started many businesses and knows what it takes to be a successful entrepreneur,” said Ernst. “Most importantly, she knows what it means to be overrun by Washington’s bureaucratic overreach — and that the government must instead get out of the way so businesses can thrive.” Fox News Digital’s Diana Stancy and Deidre Heavey contributed to this report