Army unveils Combat Field Test with new fitness assessment: ‘A critical step forward’
The Army announced in a news release earlier this week that it is rolling out a new combat fitness test for frontline troops as leaders push to strengthen battlefield readiness amid ongoing recruiting challenges. The Combat Field Test (CFT), which is age and gender-neutral, applies to soldiers in combat specialties, is designed to mirror the physical demands of modern warfare and signals a shift toward stricter, role-specific standards as the Army looks to boost readiness across its ranks. The move comes after the Army missed recruiting targets in recent years, including falling roughly 15,000 soldiers short in 2022, according to U.S. Army Recruiting Command data, as leaders work to rebuild enlistment numbers and overall force strength. While the service has since rebounded to meet its 2025 targets, leaders continue to work on long-term readiness. The update follows broader changes to Army fitness standards in recent years. In 2025, the service announced a new Army Fitness Test to replace the previous Army Combat Fitness Test, after months of data analysis and feedback, with officials saying the changes were designed to improve readiness and emphasize combat effectiveness. TRUMP IS SENDING A POWERFUL MESSAGE TO OUR ENEMIES — AND ALLIES — WITH THE PENTAGON’S REBRAND The update comes amid War Secretary Pete Hegseth’s broader push to shift the military back to what he calls the “warrior ethos.” “The Combat Field Test is a critical step forward in ensuring our soldiers serving in the most physically demanding specialties have the specific fitness required to dominate on the modern battlefield,” Army Secretary Dan Driscoll said in a statement Wednesday. “This is about readiness, lethality and the well-being of our soldiers.” A spokesperson for the Army did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. Soldiers will have 30 minutes to complete seven events with the clock running continuously while wearing the Army Combat Uniform and boots. ARMY UNVEILS NEW FITNESS TEST WITH TOUGHER STANDARDS — COULD YOU PASS IT? They must first run one mile, followed by 30 dead-stop push-ups, a 100-meter sprint, 16 lifts of a 40-pound sandbag onto a 65-inch platform and a 50-meter carry of two Army water cans weighing 40 pounds each. The test then requires soldiers to complete a 50-meter movement drill with a high crawl and a 25-meter three- to five-second rush before a final one-mile run. The Army will begin implementing the new test this month, and soldiers will be required to complete it annually. During the first year of the rollout, soldiers will not face penalties as the Army phases in the new standard, part of a broader effort to prepare troops for the physical demands of modern combat.
‘Discriminatory’ National Park fee plan slammed by Democrats turns into conservation win, Burgum says
EXCLUSIVE: A major change to the National Park entry fee structure lambasted by Democrats as discriminatory has led to a moderate windfall for conservation efforts undertaken by the Department of the Interior. Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., led a December letter co-signed by Sens. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., and others slamming DOI Secretary Doug Burgum’s plan to increase national park annual passes to $250 for foreign visitors while the $80 rate for residents remains in place. An additional $100 is also tacked on to nonresident visitors at the most trafficked parks. Padilla separately called the plan “discriminatory,” while Schiff and his co-signers said the move fails to meet public notice guidelines, risks retention of visitors’ personal information and raises questions about how DOI would facilitate the discrepant fee structure when a carload of people show up at the gate. But the Interior Department went ahead with the plan, and in the first quarter of 2026, the disparate fee structure led to more than $2 million being collected from foreign visitors, Burgum’s office told Fox News Digital. KRISTI NOEM’S FIRING FAILS TO SWAY DEMOCRATS AS DHS SHUTDOWN DRAGS ON “The millions of dollars in new revenue generated from this administration’s Non-Resident park passes is proof that President Donald J. Trump was right to put affordability for Americans first as we change how the Department of Interior raises money to support conservation from foreign visitors,” said DOI press secretary Aubrie Spady. “As we approach our great nation’s 250th birthday, initiatives like America First pricing, along with the addition of the America the Beautiful pass featuring President Trump, are delivering meaningful benefits for both our parks and the American people by celebrating our nation’s history while investing in its future.” In their letter calling on Burgum to stop implementation of the program, Padilla and Schiff expressed concern about the effect on “understaffed” park workers, what they said was an already cratering visitation rate from Canadian visitors — which Democrats have blamed on Trump’s sparring with Prime Minister Mark Carney and conjecture about annexing the “51st state” — and what would happen to visitors who cannot produce ID. AMERICAN HISTORY WON’T BE DISPLAYED ‘IN A WOKE MANNER’ AT SMITHSONIAN, TRUMP SAYS Burgum previously legitimized the disparate fee structure by noting that DOI and national parks are already partially subsidized by every American taxpayer – and that by charging a lesser rate to U.S. residents, the agency is acknowledging that and giving back to American parkgoers. “These policies ensure that U.S. taxpayers, who already support the National Park System, continue to enjoy affordable access, while international visitors contribute their fair share to maintaining and improving our parks for future generations,” Burgum said. Pass sales in the first three months of 2024 totaled $13.7 million, and $14.3 million in 2025. As of this year, that figure increased to $16.7 million, with total nonresident revenue so far topping $4.9 million alone. Padilla and Schiff did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
California DOGE leader slams Newsom, Bonta over state’s massive fraud issues: “Every day is opposite day”
Republican congressional candidate and CAL DOGE Director Jenny Rae Le Roux is slamming Gov. Gavin Newsom and Attorney General Rob Bonta for failing to crack down on widespread fraud after her watchdog group uncovered multiple cases she says state leaders ignored. “Every day is opposite day when it comes to Gavin Newsom and Rob Bonta,” Le Roux told Fox News Digital. “Whatever they say, I generally believe the exact opposite is true and so when Gavin Newsom says that fraud is under control, what that means is that either he’s in on it or unwilling to do anything about it.” “They are either unwilling to do anything or they are not wanting to do it, and they’re just trying to spin what they are already doing in that way,” she added. CALIFORNIA REPUBLICAN SLAMS STATE’S HANDLING OF HOSPICE FRAUD AS SHE LOOKS TO FLIP BLUE SEAT California has been at the center of the national fraud spotlight in recent months as the Trump administration has sent resources to the state to look into various accusations of fraud ranging from healthcare to homelessness to nonprofit organizations. The CEO of a California hospice advocacy group told congressional lawmakers Tuesday that fraud in the industry is flourishing across the state, questioning how numerous fraudulent providers can continue to operate under the nose of regulators. “You’d be amazed at how many hospices… the door you can walk up to in California and there is nobody there. Five months’ worth of mail that you can see stacked… nobody’s there,” Sheila Clark, the president and CEO of the California Hospice and Palliative Care Association (CHAPCA), said. “And that passed a survey. How did that happen?” Le Roux said her group uncovered what she described as “intentional fraud” in Sacramento, alleging funds are being redirected toward “Democrat base-building.” Cal DOGE is a group that works to root out waste, fraud, and abuse in California that was launched in early 2026 by Republican gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton. The group says it has uncovered almost $700 million in waste, fraud, and abuse since its founding. “We have been more effective with a group of volunteers in the last 10 weeks than Gavin Newsom and Rob Bonta have since they’ve been in office,” Le Roux said. She added Bonta’s office wasted resources on legal battles against the Trump administration instead of focusing on fraud patterns that her group identified using artificial intelligence and financial data. “Rob Bonta’s office billed over 150,000 hours a year going after President Trump and the Trump administration’s policies that equates to almost 200 lawyers times when you extrapolate it out over an entire year, which is one-sixth of his entire office, and larger than the DOJ office that’s actually doing something in California,” she said. Le Roux, a cousin of Democratic Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger, launched her campaign in March and is running in the GOP primary for California’s 47th Congressional District with a focus on combating fraud. “It doesn’t just happen, it’s the normal way of operating, which is why, again, the people who’ve been perpetrating the fraud and leading the charge on it, Newsom and Bonta, can’t be the ones that are actually going to investigate it,” she said. GOP SHERIFF LEADING CALIFORNIA POLL RIPS NEWSOM’S ‘LOVE AFFAIR’ WITH CRIMINALS In one example, she said her group uncovered a case where $370 million in cannabis tax revenue was routed through an intermediary and split into smaller grants that went to unrelated programs. She pointed to systemic flaws, including limited federal prosecution for funds “mostly under $1 million.” “There is no oversight, not one report that is required to explain where the money is spent,” she said. As a result, she said that a lack of oversight has contributed to an estimated $80 billion annually in “fraud, waste, or gross overpayments,” arguing the problem is systematic. Amid recent hospice fraud allegations, Le Roux said stronger oversight could have prevented the issue and curbed the fraud. Newsom’s office pushed back, saying enforcement falls to the federal government. “These hospice agencies that we are now in the process of shutting down were licensed by the state of California,” she said. “They should have never been opened. Every piece of oversight that the state of California should have been administrating had not been happening and so this is a California issue.” She said her group is pressuring officials to prosecute fraud. “Newsom is trying to take credit for doing nothing instead of actually becoming a part of reform in our state, which is by the way, what not just Republicans, but independents and Democrats want desperately,” she said. However, she emphasized fraud extends beyond California. “When money flows into California and nothing is checked, that is an American problem, not a California problem,” she said. Fox News Digital reached out to the offices of Newsom and Bonta for comment. Newsom’s office has responded to critics in general in recent weeks by saying the state is “leading the nation in preventing fraud.” “Since @CAGovernor Gavin Newsom took office: — $125 billion+ in fraud STOPPED — 1,200+ criminals ARRESTED — 83% reduction in EBT fraud in one year — New hospice licenses BANNED beginning in 2022,” Newsom’s press office posted on X last month.
Correspondents’ dinner chaos hits high-profile guests already marked by political violence
When shots rang out at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner on Saturday night, the chaos tore through a ballroom that included a handful of people who had already lived through political violence. President Donald Trump was rushed from the ballroom at the Washington Hilton Hotel on Saturday evening, just as the dinner was kicking off in earnest, after apparent gunshots were heard. Video from inside the event showed attendees taking cover under tables as panic spread through the room. The moment carried additional weight for several attendees whose lives had already been shaped by political violence, including Trump, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., House Majority Leader Steve Scalise and TPUSA CEO Erika Kirk. “The people that make the biggest impact, they’re the ones that [shooters] go after,” Trump said late on Saturday evening from a press conference at the White House. “They don’t go after the ones that don’t do much because they like it that way.” COREY COMPERATORE’S WIDOW SHEDS NEW LIGHT ON FINAL MOMENTS WITH HER HUSBAND Trump, himself, has faced repeated threats on his life. There were two assassination attempts on Trump’s life in 2024, beginning in Butler, Pennsylvania, where a bullet grazed his ear after a gunman climbed onto a roof during a rally on July 13, 2024. “Butler had one weak spot that we all know about. Somebody should have been up there, but even in Butler, we had our sniper on our side. Within 4.2 seconds, from a distance of about 400 yards, one shot, and he was gone,” said Trump. A second incident unfolded just weeks later, at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida, where a suspect with a rifle was discovered near the golf course while Trump was present. Trump was not injured during that incident. FBI INVESTIGATES HUNTING STAND WITH SIGHT LINE TO TRUMP’S AIR FORCE ONE EXIT AREA AT PALM BEACH AIRPORT Others in the room have also been shaped by political violence, bringing additional weight to the moment. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the nephew of President John F. Kennedy, was swiftly escorted out of the room on Saturday, an HHS official told Fox News Digital. His family history is closely tied to two tragic assassinations. JFK was assassinated on Nov. 22, 1963, while riding in an open-top motorcade in Dallas, Texas, during a re-election campaign event. YEARS OF CAMPUS ATTACKS ON CONSERVATIVE ACTIVISTS RESURFACE AFTER CHARLIE KIRK’S MURDER Five years later, the secretary’s father, then-Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, was shot after he delivered a victory speech when he won the California Democratic presidential primary. He was struck three times, including a fatal shot to the head. Similarly, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise was among four people who were shot on June 14, 2017, at a Republican congressional baseball practice. The gunman, a supporter of Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., was shot and killed by police. Scalise was shot in the hip, leaving him critically wounded. He eventually recovered and returned to Congress months later. “I’m incredibly grateful for the brave members of law enforcement who acted quickly to protect all of us attending tonight’s White House Correspondents’ Dinner. This is an event meant to bring people together. Violence has NO place in our country,” Scalise posted to X. Turning Point USA CEO Erika Kirk was reportedly seen crying backstage after she ran out of the ballroom following the shots fired. Kirk has also experienced personal tragedy when her husband was assassinated in September 2025 while speaking at a Turning Point USA event at Utah Valley University. Fox News Digital reached out to Kennedy and Scalise for comment. Trump hailed law enforcement during his press conference from the White House late on Saturday, saying the situation was “incredibly acted upon by Secret Service and law enforcement.” “[The suspect] had a long way to go. That was really a first line of defense. And they got him. And they really, you know, they acted incredibly,” he continued. The suspected gunman, identified as a 31-year-old Cole Allen of California, was taken into custody.
Secret Service in line of fire at WHCA shooting still unpaid due to Dem-led shutdown
A shooting near President Donald Trump and several Cabinet members Saturday night is putting a spotlight on the Secret Service’s funding shortfall amid an ongoing standoff in Congress. A gunman opened fire outside the annual White House Correspondents’ Dinner at the Washington Hilton in Washington, D.C., where celebrities, members of the press and administration officials had gathered, prompting a swift security response. The suspect is in custody and has not been identified. One Secret Service agent was reportedly shot in their protective vest but is uninjured. The incident unfolded near a security screening area, prompting a rapid response from Secret Service agents and law enforcement. The shooting comes amid a more than 60-day funding stalemate in Congress over the Department of Homeland Security — a lapse driven by Democrats blocking funding bills and rejecting multiple GOP-backed proposals to reopen the department. TRUMP RUSHED AWAY FROM WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENTS’ DINNER AS SHOTS FIRED The funding standoff centers on disputes over immigration enforcement policy and has raised concerns about resources for agencies including the Secret Service, FEMA and the U.S. Coast Guard. The Secret Service, which is responsible for protecting the president, vice president, their families and other senior U.S. officials, along with visiting heads of state, has faced growing demands in recent years. The incident adds to a growing list of threats against Trump, including two confirmed assassination attempts and a recent incident involving an armed intruder at Mar-a-Lago. DHS SHUTDOWN LOOMS OVER MAR-A-LAGO SHOOTING AS SECRET SERVICE AGENTS NEUTRALIZE ARMED SUSPECT Senate Democrats declined to fund DHS through regular appropriations earlier this year following a deadly January incident involving immigration officers, triggering a funding lapse that has now stretched beyond 60 days. Negotiations remain stalled. Democrats are seeking changes to DHS operations, while Republicans are relying on alternative funding to continue enforcement. Republicans are also considering funding the department for the remainder of Trump’s term through budget reconciliation, the same process used for immigration funding last year. The shooting also comes as the Secret Service faces increasing pressure during a high-threat election cycle. Last week, Secret Service Director Sean Curran warned lawmakers the agency is not adequately staffed to handle the demands of the upcoming FIFA World Cup, the 2028 Olympics and the 2028 presidential cycle, underscoring mounting concerns about staffing and resources. As more details emerge from the investigation into this latest shooting, questions continue to mount over whether the Secret Service has the resources needed to handle an increasingly complex threat environment.
Trump rushed from same hotel where Reagan assassination attempt unfolded in 1981
President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump were rushed out of the Washington Hilton ballroom Saturday night at the start of the White House Correspondents Dinner as shots rang out. Trump was swiftly whisked away amid the chaos and reported that he and the first lady, and his Cabinet members are safe on Truth Social. More than 40 years ago, the Washington Hilton was the site of the attempted assassination of President Ronald Reagan on March 30, 1981 — a striking historical parallel as Trump was rushed from the same hotel Saturday night after gunfire erupted. It remains unclear if Trump was targeted in the chaos on Saturday evening. John Hinckley Jr. fired six shots at Reagan after he delivered remarks to members of the AFL-CIO. One of the bullets ricocheted off the presidential limousine and struck Reagan in the chest. Secret Service agents pushed Reagan into a car and was quickly rushed to the George Washington University Hospital. He was famously known for being in good humor when he was about to undergo treatment. TRUMP ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT: SECRET SERVICE KNEW AIRSPACE PROTECTION WOULD END WITH FORMER PRESIDENT ONSTAGE Three other people were also hit, including press secretary James Brady, a police officer and a Secret Service agent. Brady was shot in the eye and suffered brain damage. He ultimately died in 2014, and law enforcement officials ruled his death a homicide due to its connection to the 1981 shooting. The hotel has since been dubbed by locals as the “Hinckley Hilton.” Hinckley was acquitted of attempting to assassinate the president as a result of an insanity defense. His attorneys pointed to his narcissistic personality disorder and referenced his obsession with the movie “Taxi Driver” and actress Jodie Foster as the inspiration for the attack. President Trump returned to the White House and is set to deliver a statement in the White House Briefing Room.
Trump shares details on ‘very sick person’ who fired shots at White House Correspondents’ Dinner
President Donald Trump held a press conference from the White House late on Saturday evening after he was rushed from the stage of the White House Correspondents Dinner during a shooting incident. Trump said the incident was “incredibly acted upon by Secret Service and law enforcement.” He said one Secret Service officer was shot at a “very close distance” but was wearing a “very good bulletproof vest.” The agent is in good condition. “He has very high spirits. And we told him we love him,” Trump said. FLASHBACK: OBAMA TRIED TO MAKE TRUMP A PUNCHLINE AT 2011 DINNER BEFORE RISE STUNNED WASHINGTON Trump added that the Washington Hilton, which hosted the dinner, is “not a particularly secure building” and said it underscored the need for a White House ballroom. “It’s much more secure. It’s got, it’s drone proof. It’s bulletproof glass. We need the ballroom. That’s why Secret Service, that’s why the military are demanding it.” Trump added that the ballroom where the dinner was held, however, was “very, very secure.” “The ballroom was sealed.” “[The suspect] charged from 50 yards away, so he was very far away from the room,” he told reporters. “He was really moving. And the reaction time was great. Boy, those guys, they had their guns drawn literally. By the time he was there, they were shooting.” Trump went on: “He had a long way to go. That was really a first line of defense. And they got him. And they really, you know, they acted incredibly.” He said the shooter is in custody and law enforcement is “asking him a lot of questions.” “My impression is that he was a lone wolf, a whack job.” He also called to mind the past two attempts on his life. “As you know, this is not the first time in the past couple of years that our republic has been attacked by a would-be assassin who sought to kill and Butler, Pennsylvania, less than two years ago. You know, although that story and in Palm Beach, Florida, a few months after that, we came close.” Trump said the gunman, who opened fire on the Secret Service after passing through the magnetometers near the Hilton ballroom with a weapon, is a “very sick person.” “I guess he lives in California, and he’s a sick person, a very sick person.” Trump earlier said he would leave the event, which would be rescheduled in 30 days. He said he “fought like hell to stay” but law enforcement insisted he leave as a security precaution. “Law Enforcement has requested that we leave the premises, consistent with protocol, which we will do, immediately. I will be giving a press conference in 30 minutes from the White House Press Briefing Room. The First Lady, plus the Vice President, and all Cabinet members, are in perfect condition. We will be speaking to you in a half an hour. I have spoken with all the representatives in charge of the event, and we will be rescheduling within 30 days,” Trump posted on Truth Social earlier on Saturday evening. “The president will be having a press briefing at the White House in 30 minutes. That is not a joke,” White House Correspondents’ Association President Weijia Jiang said after the incident. She confirmed the dinner would be rescheduled. The FBI told Fox News that a gunman stormed through the main magnetometer near the entrance of the Washington Hilton ballroom and opened fire. A Secret Service agent was hit in the vest but is in stable condition. The counter-assault team neutralized the threat. Secret Service worked to determine whether there were any other threats and determined there were not, Fox News learned. The suspect is in custody, the Secret Service confirmed. Attendees reported hearing shouting, shots fired and several people took cover under tables as Secret Service agents escorted the president, the first lady, Cabinet secretaries and others at the head table out of the room. Secret Service agents moved into position at the head table with weapons drawn as they scanned the room. Protesters had gathered outside the Washington Hilton earlier in the evening, though it is unclear whether the two events are connected. Rep. Suhas Subramanyam, D-Va., provided his own account of the incident on X: “Was just at the White House Correspondents Dinner. I was walking down the escalators from the lobby when, at the bottom of the escalators, 2 security people with guns were running through and yelling “watch out for crossfire.” I got behind a pillar with another person then slowly snuck out a back exit while hearing more commotion and police. Thank you to Secret Service, Capitol Police, DC Metropolitan Police and all law enforcement for their quick response.” Secret Service chief spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi said in a statement: “The U.S. Secret Service, in coordination with the Metropolitan Police Department, is investigating a shooting incident near the main magnetometer screening area at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner. The president and the first lady are safe along all protectees. One individual is in custody. The condition of those involved is not yet known, and law enforcement is actively assessing the situation.” KING CHARLES TO MEET MAMDANI IN NEW YORK DURING US STATE VISIT NEXT WEEK “I was really concerned. I heard shots and everyone jumped down,” Fox News’ Bret Baier, who attended the dinner, said. “Within seconds the place was filled with Secret Service agents, guns drawn. Trump was seen being quickly escorted out of the room by security and White House officials tell Fox News Digital both he, the First Lady and Karoline Leavitt are safe at this time. The incident marked the first violent disruption of the dinner that dates back more than a century. Rep. Jared Moskowitz, R-Fla., credited House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, who was shot and seriously wounded during a baseball game in 2017, with ushering him into a secure room. “I am at the #WHCD. I want to thank law enforcement, Capital police. I personally
King Charles to meet Mamdani in New York during US state visit next week
King Charles III will meet with New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani during his state visit to the U.S. next week, his office confirmed to Fox News Digital Saturday. The king and the mayor will attend a wreath-laying ceremony at the 9/11 memorial in New York City Wednesday. The meeting will come after the king is greeted by President Donald Trump at the White House after he arrives in Washington, D.C., on Monday. The king and Queen Camilla will join the president and first lady Melania Trump for a private tea at the White House soon after landing at Joint Base Andrews and receiving a military arrival ceremony. KING CHARLES’ ‘HIGH STAKES’ US VISIT TESTS HISTORIC ALLIANCE COULD SHAPE HIS REIGN: EXPERTS On Tuesday, the king and the president will meet, and Charles is expected to address Congress, the first British monarch to do so since his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, in 1991. The evening will end with a state dinner at the White House before the king and queen leave for New York on Wednesday. “The mayor will not meet privately with King Charles,” Mamdani’s press secretary, Joe Calvello, told Fox News Digital. “He was invited to join a number of New York elected officials next week at a wreath laying at the 9/11 memorial with members of the British royal family.” CANADIAN PM CARNEY TO MEET TRUMP AT WHITE HOUSE AFTER ELECTION INFLUENCED BY ANNEXATION THREATS Sixty-seven British citizens were killed on 9/11. The king will leave for his last stop, Virginia, on Thursday, where he’ll meet with indigenous and Appalachian cultural groups and attend a block party celebrating 250 years of American independence. KING CHARLES TO VISIT US IN LANDMARK TRIP MARKING AMERICA’S 250TH BIRTHDAY On Thursday, Trump told a BBC reporter he believes the king’s visit will “absolutely” ease current tensions between the U.S. and the U.K. that escalated over Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s reluctance to join Trump’s military action in Iran. “I know him well. I’ve known him for years. He’s a brave man, and he’s a great man,” Trump told the BBC, adding that the king and Camilla’s visit will “absolutely be a positive.” Trump made his last state visit to Britain in September, which included a state dinner at Windsor Castle.
Trump vows to ‘get to the bottom’ of Fed’s multibillion-dollar building renovation after probe shift
A day after U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro announced she had directed her office to close its investigation into the Federal Reserve over a building project, President Donald Trump said he wants to know what happened. “Well, I want to find out,” the president told reporters before boarding Air Force One at Palm Beach International Airport in Florida on Saturday after a reporters asked if he agreed with Pirro’s decision. “You know, it’s not dropped,” he continued. “They’re looking into the whole thing about the crisis. What I want, with the IG, what I want to look at is how can a building that I could have done for $25 million cost $4 billion? That’s a big thing.” Trump also mentioned Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, saying, “He was in charge.” TRUMP ADMIN URGES RESTORING BALLROOM CONSTRUCTION IN EMERGENCY MOTION: ‘TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE’ “So, we’ll get to the bottom of it,” he added. “Yeah, I think Jeanine is fantastic. And she worked with other people on that. I tell you, I want to find out. I have an obligation to find that — this was done during Biden, but I have an obligation to find out how does it — I would have done that building for $25 million and had money left over. And it would have been open a long time ago.” The Fed had an approved budget of $2.46 billion for the renovations but went over budget because of issues like more asbestos than expected and costs rising during the course of the renovation, the Fed says on its website. Pirro said Friday the Fed’s inspector general, Michael Horowitz, would take over the investigation, moving it from the hands of federal prosecutors into those of a longtime government watchdog. TRUMP ADMINISTRATION’S FEDERAL RESERVE HQ PROBE ESCALATES WITH UNANNOUNCED SITE VISIT BY PROSECUTORS Powell was under investigation over statements he made to Congress related to the management of the renovation costs. Powell revealed in a video announcement in January that the Department of Justice had opened an investigation into the Fed, calling it an unprecedented attempt to use “intimidation” to force him to lower interest rates. In the lead-up to the investigation, Trump and Powell’s relationship had grown increasingly rocky as Trump became frustrated over interest rates and began targeting Powell, whom he nominated in 2017. Trump called Powell a “fool” and demanded in March that he drop rates “immediately.” Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., who has a background in finance and sits on the Senate Banking Committee, had vowed to block Kevin Warsh’s confirmation because of the DOJ’s investigation after Trump nominated Warsh to replace Powell, whose term expires May 15. Tillis had claimed the DOJ’s investigation was political and would improperly interfere with markets, and he accused Pirro of seeking “brownie points” with Trump by opening it. “It’s not cute,” Tillis said during a television interview in February. During Warsh’s confirmation hearing this week, Tillis told Warsh, who previously served on the Fed’s Board of Governors, that he had “extraordinary credentials” but that he could not vote to advance his nomination in the Senate until the DOJ ended its investigation. Horowitz, who will now investigate the Fed building renovation costs, has drawn a mix of praise and criticism from Republicans while serving as DOJ inspector general for more than a decade. He was one of the few high-profile inspectors general spared during Trump’s historic cull of government watchdogs last year and has found allies in key figures like House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio. Pirro closing the investigation could pave the way for Warsh’s nomination. Trump said he wanted to see the investigation through “for the country.” “It’s much tougher, much more expensive to build a hotel than an office,” the president said, mentioning his Trump International Hotel in Washington, D.C., that he sold in 2022 and was renamed the Waldorf Astoria. “I want to find out how can a building of that size cost for whatever it’s going to be. Nobody knows, by the way, what it’s going to be. Kevin is going to be fantastic. Kevin Warsh, he may never get to be in that building.” Trump told reporters that his nomination should now go smoothly, “but whether it is or not, somebody has to find out why that building that should have cost $25 million is costing billions of dollars. And you know why they have to find it out? For other buildings, because that’s not the only one. I think that’s the most egregious example.” Fox News’ Ashley Oliver and Alex Nitzberg contributed to this report.
CVS disputes Planned Parenthood’s ‘strategic partnership’ claim as report language changes; critics push back
CVS is disputing a Planned Parenthood claim of a “strategic partnership” on abortion pill access after the organization’s website no longer includes language that previously referenced such a relationship. “The team that manages our reproductive health program is unaware of anything related to that organization beyond standard abortifacient dispensing for individuals with prescriptions,” a CVS spokesperson told Fox News Digital. The company added that it “do[es] not have a formal partnership with Planned Parenthood of Greater New York beyond filling prescriptions.” CVS added it did not indicate any agreement or coordination with Planned Parenthood beyond dispensing legally prescribed medication. ABORTION PILL MIFEPRISTONE STAYS AVAILABLE BY MAIL FOR NOW AS FDA FACES 6-MONTH REVIEW DEADLINE “There’s a little bit of mystery here,” Shawn Carney, president of 40 Days for Life, told Fox News Digital. “CVS is for sure downplaying their role,” he added. “They say they’re just distributing abortion pills — that’s exactly what Planned Parenthood wants them to do.” But Planned Parenthood of Greater New York’s annual report previously described a “strategic partnership with CVS,” stating that patients can “pick up the abortion pill from their local pharmacies.” That language was removed from the report as of April 24, 2026. SUPREME COURT DIVIDED OVER STATE EFFORT TO DEFUND PLANNED PARENTHOOD “Through our strategic partnership with CVS, patients can now pick up the abortion pill from their local pharmacies, allowing them to experience abortion care, with the supportive guidance of our expert clinicians, in the comfort of their homes,” the report previously stated. The report also stated that patients can pick up medication abortion prescriptions at CVS pharmacies. Carney said he believes the arrangement would mark a first of its kind. “This would make CVS the first publicly traded company in the United States to distribute abortion pills,” he said. CVS maintains its role is limited to standard prescription dispensing, where permitted. PLANNED PARENTHOOD ATTACKS HAWLEY EFFORT TO STRIP FDA APPROVAL OF MIFEPRISTONE Planned Parenthood of Greater New York, however, did not directly address its use of the term “strategic partnership.” “PPGNY makes strategic decisions about its operations and its association with various companies, partners and organizations,” a spokesperson told Fox News Digital in a statement. “We are happy our patients are able to fill their abortion pill prescriptions at local pharmacies, including CVS, which expands access to critical healthcare.” Planned Parenthood of Greater New York’s report appears to have been updated between April 23 and April 24. Fox News Digital contacted the organization for comment during that same timeframe. A version of the report viewed by Fox News Digital April 23 described a “strategic partnership with CVS,” while the current version, as of April 24, no longer includes that language. The organization did not address the change in its statement. Medication abortion, which typically involves a two-drug regimen, has increasingly been offered via telehealth in recent years after the FDA expanded access around the COVID-19 pandemic. Mifepristone also remains under federal scrutiny. The FDA said as of April 2026 that it was conducting a safety study on the drug and had received reports of serious adverse events, including deaths, in patients associated with mifepristone while also saying those events cannot be definitively attributed to the drug. “Nobody wants to go to their CVS and buy a Snickers bar and buy their milk and think, ‘Oh, they’re distributing abortion pills through the drive-thru,’” Carney told Fox News Digital. “That’s not what we want.” Planned Parenthood reported performing 19,673 medication abortions in its most recent fiscal year.