California Gov. Newsom to seek more federal funds for LA fire recovery during DC meeting with Trump
California Gov. Gavin Newsom traveled to Washington, D.C., on Tuesday to meet with President Donald Trump and members of Congress in hopes of securing more money following deadly wildfires in the Los Angeles area. The visit, which was confirmed by the White House, comes just one day after California lawmakers approved $25 million in legal funding to challenge the Trump administration. This will be Newsom’s first visit to the capital since Trump took over and is a continuation of his plea for additional federal funding to aid in wildfire recovery. TRUMP MEETS WITH CALIFORNIA RESIDENTS, FIRE AND LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIALS TO SEE LA WILDFIRE DAMAGE FIRST HAND Trump had threatened to withhold wildfire aid until certain stipulations were met in California, including changes to water policy and requiring an ID to vote, but now appears willing to work with Newsom following a visit to the Golden State last month. The two have remained friendly in person, despite frequently criticizing one another on social media. NEWSOM CALLS TRUMP’S CLAIMS ‘PURE FICTION’ AFTER HE POINTED FINGER OVER CALIFORNIA FIRE TRAGEDY Trump has placed a lot of blame for the deadly wildfires on Newsom, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and the policies approved by state lawmakers. In an executive order issued last month, he described management of the state’s land and water resources as “disastrous.” “This tragedy affects the entire Nation, so it is in the Nation’s interest to ensure that California has what it needs to prevent and fight these fires and others in the future,” Trump wrote. “Therefore, it is the policy of the United States to provide Southern California with necessary water resources, notwithstanding actively harmful State or local policies.” An itinerary is not currently available for the trip, but Newsom is expected to return to California on Thursday.
Trump executive order forces New Jersey to cancel its first offshore wind farm
President Donald Trump’s executive order banning offshore wind projects has brought New Jersey’s first offshore wind project to a standstill. Federal permitting uncertainty and Shell pulling back on clean energy halted negotiations, the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities said. Christine Guhl-Sadovy, president of New Jersey BPU, said Monday it would “not be a responsible decision at this time” to award New Jersey’s fourth offshore wind solicitation, effectively pausing offshore wind projects in the state. An executive order signed by Trump on his first day back in the Oval Office banned offshore wind leasing and called for a review of the federal government’s permitting practices for wind projects. Yet, New Jersey remains committed to offshore wind development to “achieve energy independence,” Guhl-Sadovy said in a statement. NEW JERSEY GOVERNOR SUGGESTS HE’S HOUSING A MIGRANT AT HIS HOME, TELLS FEDS ‘GOOD LUCK’ TRYING TO GET HER Gov. Phil Murphy, who has led the state’s push for offshore wind development since he took office in 2018, Monday night continued to champion the offshore wind industry’s potential for New Jersey to “secure energy independence” and create “cost-effective energy solutions.” TRUMP TO SIGN EXECUTIVE ORDER TO KEEP BIOLOGICAL MEN OUT OF WOMEN’S SPORTS But as the state ends negotiations on its latest wind power project, it’s unlikely offshore wind farms will be a part of Murphy’s legacy. Energy giant Shell paused its deal with Atlantic Shores Thursday. BPU’s announcement Monday ended further bids on Atlantic Shores Offshore Wind, canceling New Jersey’s first offshore wind project that was approved under President Joe Biden. Wind turbine projects are unlikely during the Trump administration. “I support the BPU’s decision on the fourth offshore wind solicitation, and I hope the Trump Administration will partner with New Jersey to lower costs for consumers, promote energy security, and create good-paying construction and manufacturing jobs,” Murphy said in a statement appealing to the Trump administration. Murphy is term-limited this year. As the Democratic governor of the Garden State, Murphy made “clean energy” solutions and climate change policies pillars of his administration. He spearheaded offshore wind development under the Offshore Wind Economic Development Act designed to “combat the threat of global climate change,” create alternative energy resources and boost the state’s economy. Trump’s executive orders should come as no surprise. Trump has long said he doesn’t like wind turbines. Five days before he took office this year, Trump wrote on Truth Social, “Windmills are an economic and environmental disaster. I don’t want even one built during my Administration. The thousands of dead and broken ones should be ripped down ASAP. Most expensive energy, only work with massive government subsidies, which we will no longer pay!”
Trump Education Dept launches probe into ‘explosion of antisemitism’ at 5 universities
The Education Department (DoEd) is probing five institutions of higher education with large-scale reports of alleged antisemitism after the 2023 deadly terrorist attack in Israel. The terrorist group Hamas coordinated an attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, provoking an ongoing Israeli military response that in turn prompted anti-Israel protests to break out on college campuses across the U.S. Many protests were not immediately shut down, and Columbia University canceled its main commencement ceremony due to safety concerns. Two weeks after assuming office, Trump’s DoEd is alleging that “the Biden Administration’s toothless resolution agreements did shamefully little to hold those institutions accountable,” prompting a new federal probe into five universities the administration identified as having reports of “widespread antisemitic harassment.” The DoEd announced it will investigate five universities: Columbia University, Northwestern University, Portland State University, the University of California, Berkeley, and the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION DOLED OUT OVER $200M TO UNIVERSITIES TO INJECT DEI INTO COUNSELING COURSES: REPORT “Too many universities have tolerated widespread antisemitic harassment and the illegal encampments that paralyzed campus life last year, driving Jewish life and religious expression underground. The Biden Administration’s toothless resolution agreements did shamefully little to hold those institutions accountable,” Craig Trainor, the acting assistant secretary for civil rights at the DoEd, said in a statement. TRUMP PREPARING TO MAJORLY REVAMP DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION AS MATH, READING SCORES SHOW STUNNING LOWS “The Department is putting universities, colleges, and K-12 schools on notice: this administration will not tolerate continued institutional indifference to the wellbeing of Jewish students on American campuses, nor will it stand by idly if universities fail to combat Jew hatred and the unlawful harassment and violence it animates,” Trainor wrote. The investigation comes days after Fox News Digital reported that Trump ordered the potential removal of anti-Jewish protesters with student visas from the country. Northwestern University, Portland State University and the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, told Fox News Digital they would comply with the department’s investigation. “There is no place for antisemitism or any form of identity-based discrimination or hate at Northwestern University. Free expression and academic freedom are among our core values, but we have made clear that these values provide no excuse for behavior that threatens the well-being of others,” Jon Yates, vice president of global marketing and communications at Northwestern University, told Fox News Digital in a statement. “Portland State University is dedicated to upholding a safe, inclusive and respectful community for all community members. We take these concerns seriously,” Portland State University told Fox. “The university continues to support and engage with efforts to combat antisemitism and mitigate the impact of hate and bias.” The school noted that “it is the university’s understanding” that the investigation notice “initiates a directed investigation — which means it is not based on a specific complaint from an individual, but instead is prompted by the new administration.” The University of Minnesota said in a statement that they are “confident in our approach to combating hate and bias on our campus and will fully cooperate with this investigation.” Columbia University did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment at the time of publication. The Committee on Energy and Commerce and the Committee on Education and the Workforce sent a letter, obtained by Fox, to Columbia University in September asking whether the university was “maintaining a safe environment for all members” as a recipient of funding through Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) grants. Columbia University reportedly received $611,173,605 in National Institutes of Health (NIH) grants in fiscal 2024, according to the HHS public page on NIH funding. Fox News Digital’s Chris Pandolfo contributed to this report.
Experts rally around Trump’s under the radar executive order unlocking ‘critical’ project blocked by Biden
President Trump signed an executive order overlooked by some in the media on his first day of office that experts tell Fox News Digital will play a critical role in developing mineral resources in the United States. On the first day of his presidency, Trump signed an executive order advancing the Ambler Access Project, a 211-mile industrial road through the Brooks Range foothills that enables commercial mining for copper, zinc and other materials in a remote Arctic area in Northwest Alaska. That executive order, one of dozens signed by Trump in the early hours of his administration, reverses a move by former President Biden to block the project and represents a significant change in energy policy, according to experts who spoke to Fox News Digital. “President Biden issued 70 executive actions that discouraged tapping into Alaska’s natural resources and public lands access,” Gabriella Hoffman, Independent Women’s Forum Center for Energy & Conservation Director, told Fox News Digital. “Unlike his predecessor, President Trump recognizes Alaska’s potential to meet domestic energy and national security needs for reliable energy and critical minerals—including restoring the Ambler Access Project connecting to the Ambler Mining District.” EXPERTS SOUND ALARM ON BIDEN’S OFFSHORE DRILLING BAN HAVING REVERSE EFFECT ON ENVIRONMENT: ‘DISGRACEFUL’ “The Ambler Access Project has endured extensive environmental review and would bring economic development to rural communities in dire need of it without despoiling Alaska’s natural beauty,” Hoffman added. “Those who would benefit from employment by Ambler also hunt, fish, and enjoy public lands.” Research by the University of Alaska Center for Economic Development on the economic impact of the project concluded that the development of the Ambler Mining District could create thousands of direct, indirect, and induced jobs and the project could mean a projected $1 billion for the state in revenue, mining license tax revenue, corporate income taxes, and production royalties. “Ambler Road is the equivalent of a shoelace on a football field: a blip in the vast remoteness of Alaska’s wilderness,” Power The Future founder and Executive Director Daniel Turner told Fox News Digital. “Yet somehow bureaucrats in DC who do not live there and cannot find it on a map have the authority to prevent Alaskans from developing their own land and growing their economy. It’s insanity.” AMERICA’S ENERGY CRISIS IS HIDING IN PLAIN SIGHT AND IT’S WORSE THAN YOU KNOW Unlocking the project comes under the backdrop of China’s emergence in the market for critical minerals as the country controls roughly 60% of the world’s production of rare earth minerals and materials, prompting warnings from U.S. officials on the over-reliance on foreign suppliers. Turner explained that projects like Ambler Road being held up by the Biden administration have increased US dependency on China. “Critical projects in Alaska like Ambler Road and Pebble Mine and oil and gas exploration in ANWR which are held up by radical green ideologues have forced our dependency on China for these raw materials, compromised our national security, but also prevented our fellow Americans in Alaska from the prosperity and economic opportunities they deserve,” Turner said. “So many raw materials we need are in Alaska, and Governor Dunleavy is hamstrung by green insanity in San Francisco and Washington, DC from developing them and growing his state’s prosperity. The Trump Administration could be the most pro-Alaskan Presidency since Lincoln bought it.” Hoffman told Fox News Digital that “critics” of the Ambler project “ignore” that “access to the Ambler Mining District is guaranteed by the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA) of 1980.” “My fellow Lower-48ers treat Alaska as a national preserve to be untouched and unexplored–dismissing locals and their perspectives,” Hoffman said. “President Trump is actually listening to Alaskans and their needs.” In a statement to Fox News Digital, Alaska GOP Sen. Dan Sullivan said he looks forward to “working with President Trump’s administration and Alaskan leaders in the region to fully implement President Trump’s Alaska-specific EO, which includes reversing Biden’s denial of the Ambler road.” “After enduring a four-year onslaught of 70 executive orders and actions by the Biden administration targeting my state, Alaskans have a new sense of hope and optimism for our future across a whole host of sectors and projects, including in our ability to develop our vast deposits of critical minerals and metals—many of which the United States is almost wholly dependent on China for,” Sullivan said. Sullivan added that he worked “closely” with the first Trump administration to approve a road to the Ambler Mining District before the Biden administration “issued an order that killed that road last June, even though federal law mandates it.” “Ironically, during Joe Biden’s final overseas trip as president, he announced $600 million in aid to build a railroad in Angola to help that country produce and market its critical minerals. That’s insane.” Trump also signed an executive order which he said will “unleash American energy” by directing agencies to revise and rescind actions that impose undue burdens on domestic mining. “The Trump Administration is unwavering in its commitment to securing America’s energy future, strengthening national defense, and fostering economic growth,” White House Deputy Press Secretary Anna Kelly told Fox News Digital. “By unlocking one of the world’s largest undeveloped mineral belts, President Trump is ensuring a domestic supply of critical minerals, reducing our reliance on foreign adversaries, and creating thousands of American jobs. This project is a win for national security and the American people.”
Trump’s proposed US takeover of Gaza Strip elicits positive response across administration
Support for President Donald Trump’s vision for the U.S. to “take over the Gaza Strip,” level it and rebuild the area came flooding in on Tuesday after a news conference announcing the plan. The comments were made following a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House in which Trump claimed the U.S. would take over the Strip and make it safe again. “The U.S. will take over the Gaza Strip, and we will do a job with it, too,” Trump stated. “We’ll own it and be responsible for dismantling all of the dangerous, unexplored bombs and other weapons on the site.” Trump’s sentiments were echoed by many officials across the social media platform X. ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER LAUDS TRUMP’S LEADERSHIP WHEN ASKED IF BIDEN SHOULD TAKE CREDIT FOR CEASEFIRE “Trump’s proposed USA takeover of the Gaza Strip may sound out of the box, but it is brilliant, historic and the only idea I have heard in 50 years that has a chance of bringing security, peace and prosperity to this troubled region,” Former U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman wrote. White House Deputy Chief of Staff and Cabinet Secretary Taylor Budowich also expressed that it was “Time to think different, stop the killing!” “Pres. Trump’s pursuit of peace and prosperity for all is truly visionary. Gaza shouldn’t be a pile of rubble that provides refuge to terrorists, especially when it so easily can become Dubai 2.0. Time to think different, stop the killing!,” he wrote on X. In a second post, he said that there is a need for lasting peace. “President Trump’s bold and unwavering pursuit for peace continues with a humanitarian’s heart. The killing must stop, the war must end, and we must realize lasting PEACE. That’s why the United States will work with Israel to secure Gaza and find a lasting home for the Palestinian people,” Budowich stated. Secretary of State Marco Rubio agreed with the president, saying that “Gaza MUST BE FREE from Hamas. As @POTUS shared today, the United States stands ready to lead and Make Gaza Beautiful Again. Our pursuit is one of lasting peace in the region for all people.” ‘LEVEL IT’: TRUMP SAYS US WILL ‘TAKE OVER’ GAZA STRIP, REBUILD IT TO STABILIZE MIDDLE EAST Netanyahu said during the news conference with Trump that the Gaza Strip has become “a symbol of death and destruction for so many decades and so bad for the people anywhere near it.” He also lauded Trump’s tenacity and ability “to think outside the box” during his comments to the press. Sen. Rick Scott seemingly agreed with Netanyahu, writing in an X post, “Hamas terrorists murdered babies and burned people alive. They are evil monsters. Thank God we finally have a president who is committed to standing with Israel and working with Netanyahu on how to support their efforts to get terrorists out of Gaza and bring every hostage home.” Congresswoman Beth Van Duyne is one of many who stand for the president’s radical movement to change how this country is being run and agrees this is the right move for peace. “The world is looking to the United States for leadership and President @realDonaldTrump is delivering lasting peace! Today’s announcement put Hamas, Iran, and all our enemies on notice — the U.S. will NOT continue the status quo that has empowered terrorists and created a humanitarian disaster,” she said. Not everyone is onboard, though Saudi Arabia’s foreign ministry issued a statement to Trump, noting a call for an independent Palestinian state was a “firm, steadfast and unwavering position.” “The Ministry of Foreign Affairs affirms that the position of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on the establishment of the Palestinian state is a firm, unwavering position, and His Highness the Prime Minister – may God protect him – has affirmed this position in a clear and explicit manner that does not allow for any interpretation under any circumstances,” the statement said. ‘PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH’: TRUMP AND NETANYAHU EXPECTED TO DISCUSS IRAN, HAMAS AT WHITE HOUSE MEETING Saudi Arabia and the U.S. are in negotiations over a deal to diplomatically recognize Israel in exchange for a security pact among other terms. “The duty of the international community today is to work to alleviate the severe human suffering endured by the Palestinian people, who will remain committed to their land and will not budge from it,” the Saudi statement said. Hamas also wrote a statement criticizing Trump’s comments. “We reject Trump’s statements in which he said that the residents of the Gaza Strip have no choice but to leave, and we consider them a recipe for creating chaos and tension in the region,” the group said. Hamas has recently reaffirmed control over the Gaza Strip following the start of the ceasefire and has said they will not release hostages without an end to the war and Israeli forces’ full withdrawal.
Unions sue Trump administration over ‘arbitrary and capricious’ federal employee buyout offers
As a deadline looms for government employees to fold to an ultimatum given by the Trump administration to either accept a buyout or return to the office, unions representing those workers have filed a lawsuit, calling the offer “arbitrary and capricious.” The Trump administration is offering buyouts for nearly 2 million federal employees, including those who work remotely, as part of President Donald Trump’s efforts to get employees back into the office, but they only have until Feb. 6 to opt-in. Under the buyout offer, the employee will stop working this week and receive pay benefits through Sept. 30. Exempt from the offer are public safety employees, like air traffic controllers. ‘GET BACK TO WORK’: HOUSE OVERSIGHT TO TAKE ON GOVERNMENT TELEWORK IN 1ST HEARING OF NEW CONGRESS During Trump’s first week in office, he issued several directives to the federal workforce, including a requirement that remote employees must return to in-person work. With a deadline quickly approaching, the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) and two other unions filed a complaint, claiming the buyout offer is “arbitrary and capricious” and violates federal law.” The unions allege the administration cannot guarantee the plan will be funded and has failed to consider the consequences of mass resignations, including how it may affect the government’s ability to function. TRUMP TO SIGN MEMO LIFTING BIDEN’S LAST-MINUTE COLLECTIVE BARGAINING AGREEMENTS On Tuesday, AFGE filed a lawsuit calling for a temporary restraining order (TRO) to halt the Trump administration’s “Fork Directive” deadline of Feb. 6 and require the government to articulate a policy that is lawful, not arbitrary and unlawful. The union said the “Fork Directive” is the administration’s latest attempt to remove public service workers and replace them with partisan loyalists. The group also says the directive amounts to a clear ultimatum to a sweeping number of federal employees: “resign now or face the possibility of job loss without compensation in the near future.” But the unions say the package being offered violates the law because the funds used to pay the employees who accept the offer have not been appropriated for that reason. TRUMP ADMINISTRATION OFFERS BUYOUTS TO FEDERAL EMPLOYEES, INCLUDING REMOTE WORKERS: ‘DEFERRED RESIGNATION’ “AFGE is bringing this suit with our partners today to protect the integrity of the government and prevent union members from being tricked into resigning from the federal service,” AFGE National President Everett Kelley said. “Federal employees shouldn’t be misled by slick talk from unelected billionaires and their lackeys. Despite claims made to the contrary, this deferred resignation scheme is unfunded, unlawful, and comes with no guarantees. We won’t stand by and let our members become the victims of this con.” Last week, a government-wide email was sent out to ensure all federal workers were on board with the Trump administration’s plan. The email pointed to four pillars that Trump set forth, to bring accountability back to the federal government, including a return to in-person work, restored accountability for employees who have policymaking authority, restored accountability for senior executives, and a reformed federal hiring process based on merit. The email noted that the majority of federal employees who have worked remotely since COVID will be required to return to their physical offices five days a week. For those who returned to office, the Trump administration thanked them for their “renewed focus” on serving the American people. But the future of their position could not be guaranteed, according to the email. The buyouts do not apply to military personnel of the armed forces, postal service employees, positions related to immigration enforcement and national security, and any other positions specifically excluded by the agency the federal workers are employed by. The White House is expecting a “spike” in federal resignations ahead of a Thursday deadline for a buyout offer, Fox News Digital has learned. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “The number of deferred resignations is rapidly growing, and we’re expecting the largest spike 24 to 48 hours before the deadline,” a White House official told Fox News Digital on Tuesday morning. Axios reported earlier Tuesday that roughly 20,000 federal employees have taken the offer, accounting for about 1% of the federal government’s workforce. The White House official told Fox News Digital following the report’s publication that the 20,000 figure “isn’t current.” Fox News Digital’s Emma Colton and Brooke Singman contributed to this report.
CIA offering buyouts to its entire workforce: report
The Central Intelligence Agency, in what officials reportedly claimed was an effort to bring the agency in line with Trump’s agenda, offered buyouts to its entire staff on Tuesday. The Wall Street Journal reported that the agency is the first to tell its employees they can quit and get eight months of pay and benefits. Last month, the Trump administration offered about 2 million federal employees buyouts to be paid through September, though the window to accept the offer closes on Thursday. While the Trump administration made offers to some 2 million federal workers, some categories were exempt from taking advantage of the buyout, including federal workers with national security roles. WHITE HOUSE EXPECTING ‘SPIKE’ IN FEDERAL RESIGNATIONS AS AT LEAST 20K TAKE BUYOUTS CIA Director John Ratcliffe reportedly told the White House to extend the same offer to employees within the CIA, hoping it could pave the way for “a more aggressive” agency, an aide told the Wall Street Journal. Fox News learned that even though the CIA was exempt, Ratcliffe personally decided he wanted the agency to participate. On Thursday, he emailed the Office of Personnel Management and asked for a process that would enable the CIA to email its workforce and offer the same opportunity, while also retaining flexibility to work through the timing of employee departures in critical areas. Ratcliffe also chose to offer the option of early retirement to long-tenured officers, while also halting on bringing on any officer offered a job late during the Biden administration to ensure their position aligns with the Trump administration’s priorities. TRUMP TO SIGN MEMO LIFTING BIDEN’S LAST-MINUTE COLLECTIVE BARGAINING AGREEMENTS “Director Ratcliffe is moving swiftly to ensure the CIA workforce is responsive to the Administration’s national security priorities,” a CIA spokesperson told Fox News Digital. “These moves are part of a holistic strategy to infuse the Agency with renewed energy, provide opportunities for rising leaders to emerge, and better position the CIA to deliver on its mission.” The Office of Personnel Management, which operates as the federal government’s human resources department, notified roughly 2 million federal employees on Jan. 28 that they would be required to work out of their respective offices five days a week, or they could leave their roles through the equivalent of a buyout offer. The deadline to accept the offer is Feb. 6. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Those who choose to take the offer will retain all pay and benefits and be exempt from in-person work until Sep. 30. During Trump’s first week in office, he issued several directives to the federal workforce, including a requirement that remote employees must return to in-person work.
Democratic lawmakers slam Elon Musk’s access to Treasury Department: ‘We are at war’
Democratic congressional lawmakers on Tuesday gathered to passionately voice opposition to Elon Musk’s access to a Treasury Department office responsible for disbursing payments, days after they were told to punch back against the Trump administration. The House lawmakers have come out against Musk after he was granted access to a Treasury department called the Bureau of the Fiscal Service, which disburses trillions in payments each year, including Social Security checks and federal salaries, through DOGE, which is tasked with reducing federal spending. “Shut down the city! We are at war!” U.S. Rep. LaMonica McIver, D-N.J., shouted into a microphone as supporters cheered during a rally hosted by the MoveOn Civic Action, Indivisible and the Working Families Party. “We will not take this. We will fight back.” ELON MUSK DUNKS ON SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER, DECLARING ‘HYSTERICAL REACTIONS’ DEMONSTRATE DOGE’S IMPORTANCE Mclver called for protesters to “shut down the city.” “Anytime a person can pay $250 million into a campaign, and they be given full access to the Department of the Treasury of the United States of America, we are at war,” she said. Over the weekend, Musk cited “fraudulent” Treasury payments in a post on X. “The @DOGE team discovered, among other things, that payment approval officers at Treasury were instructed always to approve payments, even to known fraudulent or terrorist groups,” he wrote. “They literally never denied a payment in their entire career. Not even once.” Trump said Musk has authority to let “go of people he thinks are no good if I agree with him.” The president noted that Musk can’t stop Treasury payments on his own. “Elon can’t do and won’t do anything without our approval,” Trump said. Fox News Digital has reached out to the White House. In a letter Tuesday to federal lawmakers, a Treasury Department official said a tech executive working with Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency will have “read-only access” to the government’s payment system. The letter was sent because of concerns from members of Congress that DOGE’s involvement with the payment system for the federal government could lead to security risks or missed payments for programs such as Social Security and Medicare. ‘VIPER’S NEST’: USAID ACCUSED OF CORRUPTION, MISMANAGEMENT LONG BEFORE TRUMP ADMIN TOOK AIM However, some Democrats aren’t convinced DOGE and Musk have read-only access. “Some Republicans are trying to suggest that Musk only has ‘viewing access’ to Treasury’s highly sensitive payment system as if that’s acceptable either,” Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., vice chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, said in a statement. Rep. Maxwell Alejandro Frost, D-Fla., said he had concerns about Musk having control over taxpayer funds. “He has access to all of our information, our Social Security numbers, the federal payment system, which means he is calling the shots on our taxpayer money,” he said. “There is absolutely no oversight as to what he is doing. What is to stop him from stealing taxpayer money? Nothing.” The protest came after House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., pledged that Democrats would fight President Donald Trump’s agenda “in the streets.” “Right now, we’re going to keep focus on the need to look out for everyday New Yorkers and everyday Americans who are under assault by an extreme MAGA Republican agenda that is trying to cut taxes for billionaires, donors and wealthy corporations and then stick New Yorkers and working-class Americans across the country with the bill,” Jeffries said last week.
Trump-nominated former NFL player clears Senate hurdle, paving way for confirmation
Scott Turner, a former NFL player and Texas state lawmaker, advanced past a key procedural hurdle in the Senate on Tuesday night, teeing up a final confirmation vote to lead the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) later this week. The nomination cleared the procedural vote by a margin of 55-45, with two Democrats joining Republicans. President Donald Trump announced Turner as his choice to be HUD secretary soon after his November election last year. BERNIE SANDERS, JOSH HAWLEY TEAM UP ON TRUMP PLEDGE TO SLASH CREDIT CARD RATES TO 10% In Trump’s previous administration, Dr. Ben Carson, a former GOP presidential candidate, led HUD. Turner notably played in the NFL for nine seasons after being drafted in 1995. The defensive back spent time playing for the Washington Redskins, the San Diego Chargers and the Denver Broncos. After leaving the league, he ran for office in his home state of Texas, where he served for several years. In Trump’s announcement, he touted Turner’s work in his last administration as the First Executive Director of the White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council (WHORC). He explained that the nominee “lead an Unprecedented Effort that Transformed our Country’s most distressed communities.” TULSI GABBARD ADVANCES OUT OF INTEL COMMITTEE IN BOOST TO CONFIRMATION ODDS “Those efforts, working together with former HUD Secretary, Ben Carson, were maximized by Scott’s guidance in overseeing 16 Federal Agencies which implemented more than 200 policy actions furthering Economic Development. Under Scott’s leadership, Opportunity Zones received over $50 Billion Dollars in Private Investment!” he added. In Turner’s hearing last month before the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs, he testified that he wants to fix broken policy areas and ween Americans off of government assistance. He explained that it is his goal “to help people get off government assistance, become self-sustainable and achieve the American dream.”
Senate confirms Pam Bondi as US attorney general
The Senate voted late Tuesday to confirm Pam Bondi, President Donald Trump’s nominee for attorney general, voting 54-46 to install the longtime prosecutor and former Florida attorney general to head the U.S. Department of Justice. Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., bucked his party to make the vote bipartisan. He was the only Democrat to join Republicans in support of the nominee. Bondi’s confirmation comes as both the Justice Department and FBI have been under scrutiny by Democrats in Congress who have raised concerns over Trump’s recent decision to pardon or commute the sentences of 1,600 defendants in the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riots and to oust more than 15 inspectors general and special counsel investigators. FBI AGENTS GROUP TELLS CONGRESS TO TAKE URGENT ACTION TO PROTECT AGAINST POLITICIZATION To date, there are no known plans to conduct sweeping removals or take punitive action against the agents involved in the Jan. 6 investigations. But U.S. Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove sparked fresh concerns last week after he directed the acting FBI director to identify all current and former bureau employees assigned to the Jan. 6 cases for internal review. The effort prompted FBI agents to file two separate lawsuits Tuesday seeking emergency injunctive relief in federal court, arguing in the lawsuits that any effort by the DOJ or FBI to review or discriminate against agents involved in the Jan. 6 probe would be both “unlawful and retaliatory” and a violation of civil service protections. Bondi has repeatedly said she will not use her position to advance any political agenda, a refrain she returned to many times during her hours-long confirmation hearing. “Politics has to be taken out of this system,” Bondi told the Senate Judiciary Committee last month. TRUMP AG NOMINEE PAM BONDI ADVANCES TO FINAL SENATE VOTE Bondi’s nomination earned praise both from Republicans and some Democrats in the chamber for her composure and her ability to deftly navigate thorny and politically tricky topics and lines of questioning from some would-be detractors. She was widely expected to glide to confirmation after the hearing, and her nomination had earned the praise of more than 110 former senior Justice Department officials, including former attorneys general and dozens of Democratic and Republican state attorneys general, who praised her experience and work across party and state lines. Those backers described Bondi in interviews and letters previewed exclusively by Fox News Digital as an experienced and motivated prosecutor whose record has proven to be more as a consensus builder than a bridge-burner. ‘UNLIKELY COALITION’: A CRIMINAL JUSTICE REFORM ADVOCATE SEES OPPORTUNITIES IN A SECOND TRUMP TERM “It is all too rare for senior Justice Department officials — much less Attorneys General — to have such a wealth of experience in the day-to-day work of keeping our communities safe,” former Justice Department officials wrote in a letter urging her confirmation. Bondi’s former colleagues in Florida also told Fox News Digital they expect her to bring the same playbook she used in Florida to Washington, this time, with an eye toward cracking down on drug trafficking, illicit fentanyl use and cartels responsible for smuggling drugs across the border. Democrat Dave Aronberg, who challenged Bondi in her bid for Florida attorney general, told Fox News Digital in an interview he was stunned when Bondi called him after winning the race and asked him to be her drug czar. He also praised Bondi for staring down political challenges before noting that when she took office in Florida, Bondi “received a lot of pushback” from members of the Republican Party” for certain actions, including appointing a Democrat to a top office. “But she stood up to them, and she did what she thought was right, regardless of political pressure,” Aaronberg told Fox News Digital on the eve of her confirmation vote. “So, that’s what gives me hope here, is that she’ll right the ship and refocus the Department of Justice on policy not politics.” In floor remarks Monday evening, Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Chuck Grassley praised Bondi’s prosecutorial experience and her time as a public servant, noting that she made history as the first female attorney general in Florida. Bondi “fought against pill mills, eliminated the backlog of rape test kits and stood for law and order,” Grassley told lawmakers shortly before the Senate cloture vote, noting that Bondi “was easily re-elected to a second term” as state attorney general “because she did such a great job.”