Trump signs bill ending longest government shutdown in US history
President Donald Trump signed legislation to fund the government again — putting an end to the longest government shutdown in U.S. history. Trump signaled Monday the government would open soon, as consequences of a lapse in funding continued to snowball, including missed paychecks for federal workers and airline delays stemming from air traffic controller staffing shortages. The bill keeps funding the government at the same levels during fiscal year 2025 through Jan. 30 to provide additional time to hash out a longer appropriations measure for fiscal year 2026. The measure also funds the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) that more than 42 million Americans rely on through September. The program supports non- or low-income individuals or families to purchase groceries on a debit card. LONGEST GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN IN HISTORY NEARS LIKELY END AS HOUSE MOVES ON FUNDING BILL Additionally, the measure reverses layoffs the Trump administration set into motion earlier in October and pays employees for their absence. The reopening of the government comes after more than 40 days of a lapse in funding amid a stalemate between Senate Republicans and Democrats over a stopgap spending bill that would have funded the government through Nov. 21. After a lapse in funding starting Oct. 1, the Senate passed legislation Monday night that would reopen the government by a 60–40 vote margin. A total of eight Democrats voted alongside their Republican counterparts for the measure. The House subsequently passed its version of the measure Wednesday. THE 5 LONGEST GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWNS IN HISTORY: WHAT HAPPENED, HOW THEY ENDED The deal came as fallout from the shutdown came to a head, including travel disruptions at U.S. airports where air traffic controllers and Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers were required to work and were gearing up to miss a second paycheck. As a result, these staffers were calling in sick, or taking on second jobs, creating staffing shortages and flight delays. The standoff between Republicans and Democrats originated over disagreements about various healthcare provisions to include in a potential funding measure. Trump and Republicans claimed Democrats wanted to provide illegal immigrants healthcare, and pointed to a provision that would repeal part of Trump’s tax and domestic policy bill known as the “big, beautiful bill” that reduced Medicaid eligibility for non-U.S. citizens. GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN BECOMING LONGEST IN US HISTORY AS DEMOCRATS DIG IN ON OBAMACARE Democrats pushed back on this characterization, and said they want to permanently extend certain Affordable Care Act subsidies that are set to expire at the end of 2025. The stopgap spending bill that Trump signed does not extend these subsidies by the end of the year, but Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., agreed to a vote in December on legislation that would continue these credits. Even so, Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., has not agreed to get on board with that arrangement in the House. Fox News’ Elizabeth Elkind contributed to this report.
Texas sues county for helping migrants access legal support as they fight deportation: ‘Evil and wicked’
Texas GOP Attorney General Ken Paxton is suing Harris County — home to Houston — for using county funds for programs that help migrants facing deportation obtain access to legal support. Harris County established the Immigrant Legal Services Fund program in 2020, sending money to five organizations that help migrants facing deportation obtain lawyers. Last month, the county appropriated an additional $1.3 million to support the program. Paxton said in a statement that the program is “evil and wicked,” as well as unconstitutional. TEXAS AG KEN PAXTON SUES LATINO VOTER GROUP JOLT FOR ALLEGEDLY REGISTERING ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS “We must stop the left-wing radicals who are robbing Texans to prevent illegals from being deported by the Trump Administration,” Paxton said. “Beyond just being blatantly unconstitutional, this is evil and wicked. Millions upon millions of illegals invaded America during the last administration, and they must be sent back to where they came from.” This is one of several recent lawsuits filed by Paxton targeting organizations that support migrants. Harris County Attorney Christian Menefee, a Democrat, rebuked Paxton’s latest lawsuit, affirming that the program is “perfectly legal” and that his office would fight back against the lawsuit in court. “This lawsuit is a cheap political stunt,” he said in a statement. “At a time when the president has unleashed ICE agents to terrorize immigrant neighborhoods, deport U.S. citizens, and trample the law, it’s shameful that Republican state officials are joining in instead of standing up for Texans.” The Harris County Jail leads the nation in ICE detainers, according to The Texas Tribune, as federal and state officials seek to continue to carry out President Donald Trump’s mass deportation agenda. Before the county started the Immigrant Legal Services Fund in 2020, it was the largest county in the country without a program to help migrants get access to legal counsel, The Texas Tribune noted. The county passed the program on a party-line vote. “When you have a family at a deportation hearing and they don’t have an attorney, they’re deported at a much higher rate, like 90% of the time, compared to like 5% of the time when they do have an attorney,” county Judge Lina Hidalgo, who proposed the program, said at the time, according to the Houston Chronicle. FIRST ON FOX: TEXAS’ KEN PAXTON ENDORSES CANDIDATE TO SUCCEED HIM AS ATTORNEY GENERAL In the lawsuit, Paxton claims that the programs “serve no public purpose and instead constitute unconstitutional grants of public funds to private entities to subsidize individual deportation defenses.” He asked the court to block the county from distributing funds to these organizations and prohibit it from sending the money to the groups in the future. Last month, after the vote to allocate funding for the program, Harris County Commissioner Rodney Ellis said the funding was needed because of the uptick in raids targeting migrants, according to the Houston Chronicle. “Having access to legal representation not only improves case outcomes but helps keep families together,” he said in a statement. “In a county as diverse as ours, local government must step up to safeguard safety, justice, and the people we serve.”
Longtime Newsom critic puts UN summit on notice if Dem governor is allowed to speak: ‘Climate hypocrisy’
An annual United Nations climate summit being held in the Amazonian city of Belém in Brazil is slated to include talks and appearances by California Gov. Gavin Newsom. However, California Republican gubernatorial candidate and former Fox News host Steve Hilton, a longtime critic of Newsom, is putting the summit on notice if they allow him to speak. This week, Hilton sent a letter to the heads of the COP30 summit, requesting that they deny anymore speaking roles for the California governor or face risking the credibility of the conference, citing the Democratic governor’s “climate hypocrisy.” According to Hilton, California, under Newsom’s leadership, has imported nearly half of all the crude oil drilled from the Amazon rainforest. “Governor Newsom has built his political image around climate virtue signaling while presiding over one of the most environmentally destructive hypocrisies in the world,” Hilton wrote. “This oil comes from one of the most sensitive ecosystems on Earth, contributing to deforestation and the displacement of Indigenous communities … Instead of addressing this exploitation, Governor Newsom continues to promote himself as a global climate leader—jetting to international conferences to pose for cameras while his policies bankroll rainforest destruction.” BILL GATES DISCOVERS THE WAY TO FIGHT CLIMATE BATTLE ACTUALLY INVOLVES HELPING HUMANS Hilton notes that earlier this year, even members of California’s Democratic-controlled state Senate unanimously called for an investigation into the state’s role in funding the Amazonian oil trade. Oil drilling in the Amazon is rapidly increasing deforestation and destroying the rainforest’s biodiversity, according to environmentalists, who argue California’s reputation as a climate leader is undermined by its actions drilling oil in the South American rainforest. Hilton, meanwhile, described Newsom’s appearance at the summit as “political theater masquerading as leadership.” CALIFORNIA USING BACK DOOR TO GET FEDERAL FUNDS FOR ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT HEALTHCARE, GOP SAYS; DEMS SAY NONSENSE “To have Gavin Newsom lecture the world on climate justice while his administration promotes the decimation of the Amazon would be an insult to the conference and its members,” Hilton wrote to the COP30 leaders. “The UNFCCC and COP 30 must not reward hypocrisy with a platform.” Newsom spoke Tuesday at the conference, during which he slammed Donald Trump for his failure to protect the environment, calling him an “invasive species” and “a wrecking ball” when it comes to progress on climate change. Newsom is expected to make appearances across the roughly two-week period that the summit is being held, including a trip deep into the Amazon Rainforest to meet with local residents and leaders. Fox News Digital reached out to Newsom’s office in response to Hilton’s petition calling on COP30 to deny the California governor public appearances at the summit, but only received a six-word response. “I’m sorry – who is Steve Hilton?” questioned Newsom spokeswoman Izzy Gardon.
Epstein boasted he briefed Russian diplomat on how to handle Trump in newly released emails
Jeffrey Epstein cast himself as a political insider after President Donald Trump’s first election, newly released House Oversight emails show, offering foreign leaders “insight” into the new president and boasting that he’d already briefed a top Russian diplomat on how to handle him. The trove of emails, made public this week by the House Oversight Committee, spans 2016 to 2018 and reveals Epstein trying to reestablish himself on the world stage by courting heads of state, billionaires and diplomats. The convicted sex offender, who died in federal custody in 2019, positioned himself as a man with rare access and understanding of Trump, offering his analysis to global figures eager to make sense of the new administration. In one 2018 exchange, former Council of Europe Secretary General Thorbjørn Jagland thanked Epstein for a “lovely evening” and said he would meet with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s assistant. SUPREME COURT DECLINES TO TAKE UP GHISLAINE MAXWELL’S SEX TRAFFICKING APPEAL Epstein replied that Jagland should tell Russian President Vladimir Putin that Lavrov “can get insight on talking to me,” adding that “Vitaly Churkin was great — he understood Trump after our conversations.” Churkin, Russia’s longtime ambassador to the United Nations, died in 2017. The messages show Epstein repeatedly pitching himself as an interpreter of Trump’s behavior. WHITE HOUSE SLAMS DEMS’ ‘BAD-FAITH’ EPSTEIN DOC RELEASE AS DEMAND FOR FILES INTENSIFIES “It is not complex,” he wrote to Jagland. “He must be seen to get something its that simple.” Earlier emails show Epstein attempting to broker access around Trump’s 2017 inauguration. Dubai ports magnate Sultan bin Sulayem asked whether he should accept an invitation from Trump ally Tom Barrack and whether it would be possible to shake the president’s hand. Epstein advised that the events would be “very crowded” but offered to help arrange meetings before or after in Washington or New York. VIRGINIA GIUFFRE’S MEMOIR RECOUNTS RAPE BY FORMER PRIME MINISTER; EPSTEIN’S TIES TO BILL CLINTON, TRUMP Epstein also stayed in touch with prominent American financiers and political figures. In December 2016, he exchanged notes with Hyatt heir Tom Pritzker, boasting that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had sent him “a tent, carpets and all.” Pritzker joked the gesture might be “code for ‘I love you.’” In a separate 2018 chain following Trump’s summit with Putin in Helsinki, former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers asked Epstein, “Do the Russians have stuff on Trump? Today was appalling even by his standards.” Epstein dismissed the idea, replying that Trump was “totally predictable” and offering to explain by phone. ‘SEPARATED FROM REALITY’: SENATE REPUBLICANS FUME AS DEMS USE EPSTEIN SAGA TO BLOCK TRUMP’S AGENDA “He thinks he has charmed his adversary,” Epstein wrote. “He has no idea of the symbolism. He has no idea of most things.” Together, the communications paint a picture of Epstein trying to leverage his reputation and relationships for renewed influence, using his connections in Washington, the Middle East and Europe to insert himself into the Trump era’s global intrigue. When reached for comment, the White House told Fox News Digital, “These emails prove literally nothing.” The House Oversight Committee released the cache of Epstein-related documents this week as part of its ongoing probe into the Justice Department’s handling of the financier’s previous plea deal and his wider network of contacts.
Big Paychecks, Bigger Problems: How a bloated bureaucracy exposes Congress’ funding failure
FIRST ON FOX: A new report from a government watchdog group begs the question of why — with nearly 800,000 federal bureaucrats drawing six-figure salaries and the average payroll of the federal workforce far outpacing its size — is Washington still unable to fund the basics of government? Open The Books, a project of American Transparency, a 501(c)3 nonprofit, nonpartisan charitable organization, closely tracks government spending and released an expansive report Wednesday ahead of a looming agreement between Republicans and Democrats to reopen the government, showing the swamp has gotten bigger, richer and more secretive since 2020. The report, which analyzed all publicly disclosed federal salaries for fiscal year 2024, found a total of 2.9 million civil service employees with a total payroll of $270 billion, plus an additional 30% for benefits. While the total number of employees rose by 5% since 2020, payroll grew nearly five times as much. DEPT OF ED SPENDING SOARED 749% DESPITE DOWNSIZING, NEW DOGE-INSPIRED INITIATIVE REVEALS The current federal workforce is costing American taxpayers $673,000 per minute, $40.4 million per hour and just under $1 billion per day, according to Open The Books. This includes almost 1,000 workers who are making more than the president’s $400,000 per year salary, 31,452 non-War Department federal employees who made more than every governor of all 50 states and 793,537 people making $100,000 or more. Those making $300,000 or more have seen an 84% increase since 2020, while there has similarly been an 82% increase in those earning $200,000 or more, the report points out. During Open The Book’s investigation, the fiscal watchdog group also found that the names of 383,000 federal workers across 56 different agencies were redacted, amounting to a total of $38.3 billion in pay. According to Open The Books CEO John Hart, “You can’t have accountability without visibility.” “The Trump administration has a historic opportunity to bring much-needed transparency to the administrative state. While federal employees don’t add as much to the debt as safety net programs, defense and overall agency spending, they are an indicator of government’s growth,” Hart said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “Our investigators found far too many redactions and blind spots that DOGE should have already fixed. You can’t have accountability without visibility. Taxpayers need a much clearer picture of the federal workforce than they have today.” U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, has been working with Open The Books to fight for greater transparency. In a letter sent in September to Scott Kupor, the director of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM), Ernst said she had identified “numerous examples” of full-time federal employees earning two salaries while moonlighting for other agencies or government contractors, something typically prohibited under the law. Ernst pointed out that this was being done without the approval or knowledge of these workers’ managers. FAR-LEFT FIREBRAND SPENDS EYE-POPPING AMOUNT OF CAMPAIGN CASH ON LUXURY HOTELS, ‘TOP-TIER’ LIMO SERVICES “From 2021 to 2024, a Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) employee held multiple other full-time government contractor jobs, frequently billing taxpayers for more than 24 hours of work in a single day,” Ernst chronicled in her letter. “In addition to HUD, she was paid by AmeriCorps and the National Institutes of Health. Since she teleworked in all three positions, she was able to hide her overlapping jobs and get away with billing taxpayers $225,866 for hours she never worked. She claimed she worked 26 hours on 13 of the 21 workdays in a single month.” Ernst also described a second example of a human resources official at the Peace Corps who was caught falsifying time cards submitted to different agencies, which led to the employee double-billing taxpayers for tens of thousands of dollars. She laid out several other examples in the letter as well. “Until recently, outside of death and taxes, the expanding Washington bureaucracy was one of the few certainties in life,” said Ernst. “I am proud to have partnered with the Trump administration and DOGE to successfully downsize the bloated bureaucracy, but there is much more work to be done to make Washington more efficient.” One can “look no further” than the “failed Schumer shutdown,” Ernst said, pointing out that taxpayers will be on the hook for more than $12 billion in back pay for 750,000 non-essential federal employees who did not work for a month and a half. In October, Ernst introduced the Non-Essential Workers Transparency Act, aimed at providing the public with an exact accounting of how much back pay the government will be required to fork over in the case of a shutdown. The bill would require executive agencies to submit detailed reports to Congress within 30 days of a lapse in appropriations that must include the total number of employees and contractors employed by the agency at the time of the shutdown, the total salaries paid by the agency during the prior fiscal year, the number of furloughed during the lapse and their annual pay, the number of employees not furloughed and the sum of their pay and a requirement that all this information be posted publicly on the agencies’ websites.
House Democrat accuses fellow Dem of violating a ‘free and fair election’ in stunning public move
Stunning intraparty tensions erupted on the House floor when one Democrat accused another of undermining the Constitution. Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, D-Wash., unexpectedly rose during House votes on an unrelated issue Wednesday night to demand a vote on condemning Rep. Jesús “Chuy” García, D-Ill., for unexpectedly dropping his re-election bid, which effectively made way for his chief of staff to run in his place. As is the custom for forcing a House vote via a “privileged resolution,” Gluesenkamp Perez read her legislation out loud. She accused Garcia of having “filed nominating petitions to be on the Democratic primary ballot in March 2026. On Nov. 5, 2025, on the last day of filing, Representative García’s chief of staff, Patty Garcia, submitted her own paperwork to enter the Democratic primary.” DEMOCRATIC REP JESÚS ‘CHUY’ GARCÍA DECLINES TO SEEK RE-ELECTION: REPORTS “Whereas on Nov. 6, after the filing deadline, Representative Garcia confirmed that he would not be seeking another term in 2026 and would be withdrawing his nomination, nominating petitions. Whereas Representative García’s chief of staff was the only Democrat who filed to run in the primary at the direction of Representative Garcia, undermining the process of a free and fair election,” the moderate Democrat continued. “García’s actions are beneath the dignity of his office and incompatible with the spirit of the Constitution.” “Now, therefore, be it resolved that the House of Representatives disapproves of the behavior of the representative from Illinois, Mr. García, under rule nine, a resolution offered from the floor by a member other than the majority leader or the minority leader as a question of the privileges of the House, has immediate precedence.” DEMOCRATS LIKELY TO CHIP AWAY AT RAZOR-THIN HOUSE GOP MAJORITY IN SPECIAL ELECTION SHOWDOWN A “privileged resolution” is a mechanism for forcing a House vote on legislation within two congressional work days. If not withdrawn, that means the full House could vote on condemning García next week. The move, a rare example of intraparty hostilities between Democrats spilling out onto the House floor, appeared to catch other lawmakers by surprise. Fox News Digital did not see García’s immediate reaction. Garcia’s chief of staff, Patty Garcia, who is not related to him, launched her campaign to take over his House seat Wednesday. The congressman had initially filed to run for re-election in recent weeks before dropping out recently, citing his health and a desire to spend time with his grandchildren. Fox News Digital reached out to his office for comment.
Congress sends bill ending longest government shutdown in history to Trump’s desk
A bill to end the record-breaking U.S. government shutdown is headed to President Donald Trump’s desk after more than 42 days. Federal funding legislation aimed at opening the government passed in the House Wednesday evening, ending the weeks-long fiscal standoff that has largely paralyzed Congress since Oct. 1. Republicans on the House floor erupted in cheers when the bill prevailed while the majority of Democrats quietly exited the chamber. The White House said Trump would sign the bill at 9:45 p.m. this evening. Six Democrats voted with all but two Republicans to pass the bill with a 222 to 209 margin. The Democrats who voted in favor of the legislation are Reps. Tom Suozzi, D-N.Y., Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, Adam Gray, D-Calif., Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, D-Wash, and Don Davis, D-N.C. AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLERS ISSUE DESPERATE PLEA AS FAMILIES STRUGGLE WITHOUT PAYCHECKS When the House took its initial vote on federal funding legislation on Sept. 19, just one Democrat — Golden — voted with the GOP. The vast majority of House Democrats opposed the bill, however, including their senior ranks. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., reiterated to reporters hours before the vote that Democrats were frustrated the bill did not do anything about COVID-19 pandemic-era healthcare subsidies under Obamacare, also known as the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Those enhanced tax credits expire this year. “House Democrats are here on the Capitol steps to reiterate our strong opposition to this spending bill because it fails to address the Republican healthcare crisis, and it fails to extend the Affordable Care Act tax credit,” Jeffries said. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., sounded optimistic in comments to reporters Wednesday morning ahead of the vote, however. “I wanted to come out and say that we believe the long national nightmare will be over tonight,” Johnson said. “It was completely and utterly foolish and pointless in the end.” Some drama threatened to crack House GOP unity earlier in the day, however, as some Republicans in the lower chamber seethed over a last-minute provision added to the bill that allows senators whose communications were tapped during former Special Counsel Jack Smith’s probe to sue the federal government for $500,000 each. Reps. Chip Roy, R-Texas, Austin Scott, R-Ga., and Morgan Griffith, W.Va., all shared concerns with the measure but said they would not extend the government shutdown over it. THE 5 LONGEST GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWNS IN HISTORY: WHAT HAPPENED, HOW THEY ENDED Johnson appeared to placate their and others’ concerns, at least for now, with a promise to vote next week on separate legislation repealing that provision. Rep. Greg Steube, R-Fla., told reporters he would vote against the bill over its inclusion, however. “I’m not voting to send Lindsey Graham half a million dollars,” he told reporters. He and Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., voted against the final bill, but their opposition was not enough to sink legislation. “What Republicans learned is if their opening offer is Joe Biden’s budget, they can survive the shutdown. That’s the vote,” Massie told reporters afterwards. Meanwhile, the shutdown’s effects on the country have grown more severe by the day. Many of the thousands of air traffic controllers and Transportation Security Administration (TSA) agents who had to work without pay were forced to take second jobs, causing nationwide flight delays and cancellations amid staffing shortages at the country’s busiest airports. Millions of Americans who rely on federal benefits were also left in limbo as funding for critical government programs ran close to drying out. At the heart of the issue was Democratic leaders’ refusal to back any funding bill that did not also extend the enhanced Obamacare subsidies. Democrats argued it was their best hope of preventing healthcare price hikes for Americans across the U.S. Republicans agreed to hold conversations on reforming what they saw as a broken healthcare system, but they refused to pair any partisan priority with federal funding. In the end, a compromise led by the Senate — which saw eight Democrats in the upper chamber join colleagues to pass the bill in a 60 to 40 vote — included a side deal guaranteeing the left a vote on extending the enhanced subsidies sometime in December. Johnson has made no such promise in the House, however. And the lack of a guarantee on extending those subsidies has angered progressives and Democratic leaders. “What were Republicans willing to give in the end, other more than a handshake deal to take a future vote on extending the healthcare subsidies?” Rep. Shomari Figures, D-Ala., said Wednesday. “We all know that a future vote is the equivalent of asking two wolves and a chicken to vote on what’s for dinner. It is dead on arrival.” Republican Study Committee Chairman August Pfluger, R-Texas, criticized Democrats for prolonging the shutdown for little payoff. “They literally got absolutely nothing except for a total and complete surrender, that accomplished nothing more than hurting American families,” he said. The bill kicks the current federal funding fight to Jan. 30, by which point House GOP leaders said they were confident they’ll finish work on a longer-term deal for fiscal year 2026. It also includes full-year federal spending for the Department of Agriculture, the legislative branch, and the Department of Veterans Affairs — three of 12 annual appropriations bills that Congress is tasked with passing annually. “There are nine remaining bills, and we’d like to get all of those done in the next few weeks. And, so, [House Appropriations Committee Chairman Tom Cole, R-Okla.] and his appropriators will be working overtime,” House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., told Fox News Digital. Asked if he thought they’d get it done by that date, Cole said, “I think we can.”
White House hits back after JFK’s grandson calls RFK Jr. a ‘rabid dog’
The White House dismissed comments from Jack Schlossberg, the grandson of John F. Kennedy, about Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., labeling his cousin a “rabid dog.” Schlossberg, the son of diplomat Caroline Kennedy, launched a bid Wednesday to run for a U.S. House of Representatives seat in New York in the 2026 election. If his campaign succeeds, he would replace Democratic Rep. Jerry Nadler to represent New York’s 12th Congressional District. “I don’t even think such ridiculous comments are worth responding to,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters Wednesday. “Obviously, those things are not true. And Secretary Kennedy is doing a phenomenal job bringing transparency and the gold standard of silent science back to our health care system.” JFK’S GRANDSON SAYS THERE IS ‘NOTHING HEROIC’ ABOUT TRUMP’S DECLASSIFICATION ORDER Schlossberg appeared on MSNBC Wednesday, where he compared Kennedy to a dog, adding Trump is “obsessed” with the Kennedy family and that’s why Kennedy is a Cabinet member with the Trump administration. “He put a collar on my cousin, RFK Jr., and has him there barking, spreading lies and spreading misinformation,” Schlossberg said. BILL MAHER SAYS ‘NUTTY’ RFK JR. HAS ‘GOT TO GO’ FOLLOWING CDC FIRINGS, SENATE HEARING Likewise, Schlossberg took aim at his cousin directly, specifically pointing to Kennedy’s decision to fire advisors on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention vaccine panel in June and the rise in measles cases in areas like West Texas. The Texas Department of State Health Services announced that the outbreak ended in August. “RFK Jr. is a dangerous person who is making life-and-death decisions as secretary of Health and Human Services,” Schlossberg said. “I mean, when he’s not making infomercials for Steak ‘n Shake and Coca-Cola, he’s spreading misinformation and lies that are leading to deaths around the country.” The Department of Health and Human Services did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital. Schlossberg, 32, graduated from Harvard Law School in 2022 and joined Vogue as a political correspondent in 2024.
Fox News Politics Newsletter: Major Pentagon contractor executive caught in child sex sting operation
Welcome to the Fox News Politics newsletter, with the latest updates on the Trump administration, Capitol Hill and more Fox News politics content. Here’s what’s happening… -Data shows flight delays and cancellations rising even as shutdown winds down –Duckworth staffer accused of posing as lawyer in attempt to free illegal immigrant from ICE custody -White House slams Dems’ ‘bad-faith’ Epstein doc release as demand for files intensifies The founder and executive chairman of Govini, a software firm with deep Pentagon ties, has been arrested and charged with soliciting sexual contact with a preteen girl, according to the Pennsylvania attorney general’s office. Eric Gillespie, 57, of Pittsburgh, allegedly tried to arrange a meeting with a young girl through an online chat platform often used by sex offenders, authorities said. An undercover agent posing as an adult intercepted Gillespie’s messages. “Our Child Predator Section proactively uncovered this defendant who, under an online pseudonym, was lurking online to access children,” Attorney General Dave Sunday said. “During the investigation, Gillespie alluded to methods he accessed children, and other evidence was found regarding contact with children,” the office said in a statement…READ MORE. POWER GRAB PERIL: Trump’s signature tariffs hang on key question about Congress’ power before Supreme Court ODDS SHRINK: Prediction markets put Trump tariff win at 24% following Supreme Court oral arguments ENERGY UNLEASHED: Trump admin unleashes Arctic power shepherding 1,000 miles of pipeline, LNG generation in Alaska HISTORIC ENGAGEMENT: China tightens fentanyl precursor controls after FBI director visit, Patel says SHORTS SCANDAL: Michelle Obama reveals moment that left her infuriated on Air Force One TEHRAN STRIKES BACK: Iran claims missile power now ‘far surpasses’ pre-war levels after Israeli bombardment POWER TO PATIENTS: Rick Scott calls Democrats ‘heartless’ as he pitches new Obamacare fix ‘DEEPLY CONCERNED’: Potential Pelosi successor pressed on transgender people in women’s spaces ’11TH HOUR’ ADDITION: House Republicans balk at Senate provision letting lawmakers sue over ‘Arctic Frost’ phone records ‘DISADVANTAGE’: James Carville says Democrats lacked ‘end-game’ plan for shutdown, urges party to move on WINDY CITY SHOWDOWN: DHS blasts Chicago mayor for comparing raid leader to segregationists, accusing him of ‘terror’ VOTE DEADLINE FIGHT: Ballots arriving after Election Day to face Supreme Court test ENERGY SHOCK: Stefanik thrashes Hochul on energy as New Yorkers brace for $800/year hike, as gov blames tariffs UPHILL BATTLE: Michigan GOP leader signals Senate bid, sets up clash with Trump-endorsed Mike Rogers ‘AMAZING’: Cowboys owner’s daughter makes surprising admission about Bad Bunny amid Super Bowl outrage ‘WOKE MIND VIRUS’: Red-state university ripped for offering entry-level job to foreign workers, not grads: ‘Woke mind virus’ GOVERNOR RESPONDS: Newsom breaks silence on violent Berkeley protest of TPUSA at California university Get the latest updates on the Trump administration and Congress, exclusive interviews and more on FoxNews.com.
Trump’s backing of H-1B visa program exposes cracks within MAGA movement
President Donald Trump drew criticism from those within his “Make America Great Again” base after he reinvigorated debate on one of his party’s most controversial issues: H-1B visas. The visas allow U.S. companies to hire highly skilled foreign workers for up to six years. The issue resurfaced after Trump told Fox News’ Laura Ingraham in an interview that aired Tuesday that bringing foreign workers to the U.S. on H-1B visas is important to “bring in talent” to the U.S. While Ingraham argued that the U.S. has talent at home, Trump said that wasn’t the case. ARE AMERICAN WORKERS BEING REPLACED? INSIDE THE H-1B VISA CONTROVERSY “No, you don’t. No, you don’t. You don’t have, you don’t have certain talents, and people have to learn!” Trump said. “You can’t take people off an unemployment line and say I’m gonna put you into a factory where we’re gonna make missiles.” Trump also defended past remarks endorsing allowing up to 600,000 Chinese students to come to the U.S. to Ingraham, claiming that they must study in the U.S. so U.S. colleges don’t “go out of business.” While proponents of the program argue that the program is key to U.S. competitiveness, critics argue that the visa holders are taking away jobs from Americans. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., promptly spoke out against the statements, claiming that she is “America First and America Only.” “I believe in the American people. I am one of you.I believe you are good, talented, creative, intelligent, hardworking, and want to achieve. I am solidly against you being replaced by foreign labor, like with H1Bs,” Greene said. “I am solidly against allowing foreign students into our colleges and universities, like 600,000 Chinese students, just to financially prop them up. If they fail, they fail. The system in place isn’t helping our young people anyway.” Other Republicans weighed in and said the policy could play out poorly for the GOP in the 2026 midterms. TRUMP ADMIN REVEALS OVER 100 INVESTIGATIONS INTO H-1B ABUSES AS IT PLEDGES ‘EVERY RESOURCE’ TO PROTECT US JOBS “This is insane—we’re going to lose the mid-terms so badly,” Anthony Sabatini, a Republican county commissioner in Florida, said in a Tuesday post on X. “We’ve never seen an administration crash & burn in its first year so badly—for no reason other than to appease donors and special interests.” Meanwhile, the White House pointed to the Trump administration’s announcement in September that would require a $100,000 annual fee for companies seeking to obtain an H-1B visa. Likewise, the White House said that the Department of Labor launched Project Firewall in September in an attempt to ensure employers don’t abuse the H-1B visa process. “The Trump administration is protecting American workers by restoring accountability in the H1-B process, ensuring that it is used to bring in only the highest-skilled foreign workers in specialty occupations and not low wage workers that will displace Americans,” White House spokeswoman Taylor Rogers said in a Wednesday statement to Fox News Digital. The issue historically has been controversial within Trump’s base, particularly after Trump himself came out and backed H-1B visas, saying it was a “great program” and that he’s a “believer in H-1B” in an interview with the New York Post in December 2024. SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who originally is from South Africa and used an H-1B visa to remain in the U.S., also said in December he would “go to war” on the issue. “The reason I’m in America along with so many critical people who built SpaceX, Tesla, and hundreds of other companies that made America strong is because of H1B,” Musk said in a December 2024 post on X. The comments and Trump’s support ignited backlash within the president’s own party. Original MAGA supporters like Steve Bannon, who previously served as Trump’s White House chief strategist, blasted the program in response and labeled it a “scam” in his podcast in December 2024. DOJ CALLS FOR TIPS ON EMPLOYERS FAVORING FOREIGN WORKERS IN HIRING PRACTICES He also promised to undermine Musk’s influence at the White House as Musk geared up to oversee the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) in a separate interview. “This thing of the H-1B visas, it’s about the entire immigration system is gamed by the tech overlords, they use it to their advantage, the people are furious,” Bannon told Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera in January. In the same interview, Bannon vowed to “run out” Musk from the White House and would make “it my personal thing to take this guy down.” Members of the left also remain critical of the H-1B program. For example, Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., said that the program is used to replace U.S. workers and pay foreigners for less. “The main function of the H-1B visa program is not to hire ‘the best and the brightest,’ but rather to replace good-paying American jobs with low-wage indentured servants from abroad,” Sanders said in a post on X in January. “The cheaper the labor they hire, the more money the billionaires make.” Fox News’ Peter Pinedo contributed to this report.