DOGE, Treasury discover $334M in improper payment requests due to foul codes
The U.S. Treasury Department and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) discovered that hundreds of millions of dollars in improper payment requests were identified after going live with its first automated payment system last week. In fact, the system found $334 million in improper payment requests that were flagged because of missing budget codes, invalid budget codes and budget codes without authorization. DOGE, which is led by billionaire Elon Musk, announced the discovery in a post on X. In the post, DOGE said an example of an invalid budget code was if the payment was not linked to the budget. It also provided an example of a budget code without authorization, saying the budget had already been fully spent. DOGE SAYS IT FOUND NEARLY UNTRACEABLE BUDGET LINE ITEM RESPONSIBLE FOR $4.7T IN PAYMENTS The news comes months after DOGE learned about an identification code linking U.S. Treasury payments to a budget line item that accounted for nearly $4.7 trillion in payments, which was oftentimes left blank. “The Treasury Access Symbol (TAS) is an identification code linking a Treasury payment to a budget line item (standard financial process),” DOGE wrote in a post on X in February. “In the Federal Government, the TAS field was optional for ~$4.7 Trillion in payments and was often left blank, making traceability almost impossible. As of Saturday, this is now a required field, increasing insight into where money is actually going.” DOGE SLASHES ‘WASTEFUL’ ‘PROBLEM-SOLVING’ CONTRACT WORTH $50K IN LATEST ROUND OF ELIMINATIONS DOGE thanked the U.S. Treasury for its work in identifying the optional field. According to the Bureau of the Fiscal Service, which is under the Treasury, TAS codes are used to describe any one of the account identification codes assigned by the Treasury and are also referred to as the “account.” All financial transactions made by the federal government are classified by TAS when reporting to the Treasury and the Office of Management and Budget. FOX NEWS POLL: THE FIRST 100 DAYS OF PRESIDENT TRUMP’S SECOND TERM DOGE’s announcement on Tuesday comes as it continues to find savings and fraud across all aspects of the government. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP On the department’s site, it says $160 billion in savings have been discovered, equating to $993.70 in savings per taxpayer. DOGE has been aggressive in its mission to root out wasteful spending and to downsize the scope of the federal government.
Trump roasted Dem critics, media with new nicknames in first 100 days online: ‘Watermelon-Head’
President Donald Trump has been unafraid to publicly blast Democrats and the liberal media during his first 100 days in office, continuing a similar trend from his first term. In one high-profile skirmish, Trump publicly berated Maine’s Democrat. Gov. Janet Mills for defying his executive order barring biological males who identify as transgender from competing in women’s sports. “Your population doesn’t want men playing in women’s sports, so you better comply because otherwise you’re not getting any federal funding,” Trump told Mills during a meeting of the nation’s governors at the White House in February. Mills argued she would “see [him] ion court” over the matter, to which the president responded: “I look forward to that. That should be a real easy one.” TRUMP TOOK ON THE ‘ENTIRE’ INTERNATIONAL GLOBAL WORLD ORDER WITH TARIFFS: JOURNALIST “Enjoy your life after governor,” he added, “because I don’t think you’ll be in elected politics.” A second notable clash with Democrats came during Trump’s joint address to Congress in March. Several Democrats held up anti-Trump signs, shouted and moaned in the middle of Trump’s speech, and some ultimately walked out. Progressive Democratic Rep. Al Green of Texas had to be escorted out of the House chamber because he would not stop disrupting the president’s speech and was subsequently censured by members of his own party over the stunt. “I realize there is absolutely nothing I can say to make them happy or make them stand and smile or applaud,” Trump said during his address, looking toward the Democrats’ side of the House chamber. “I could find a cure to the most devastating diseases. A disease that would wipe out entire nations, or announce the answers to the greatest economy in history… and these people sitting right here will not clap, will not stand, and certainly will not cheer for these astronomical achievements.” PROMISES MADE, PROMISES KEPT: HOW TRUMP’S FIRST 100 DAYS STACK UP AGAINST INAUGURATION DAY PLEDGES “It’s very sad,” Trump added. “And it just shouldn’t be this way.” The press has not been spared from public lashings by Trump during his second term, either. In one notable back-and-forth, Trump was asked by a reporter in the Oval Office whether he thought he had the legal authority to mass deport illegal aliens. In response, the president flipped the script on the reporter, asking in return: “Did Biden have the authority to allow millions of people to come into our country?” In another testy back-and-forth with reporters, this time aboard Air Force One, Trump did not mince words with a reporter from Bloomberg who questioned Trump about his tariffs. HOW DONALD TRUMP DOMINATES THE NEWS, BOTH POSITIVELY AND NEGATIVELY “I think your questions are so stupid,” Trump told the reporter aboard Air Force One after he was asked if there was any “pain in the market at some point you’re unwilling to tolerate?” “I don’t want anything to go down, but sometimes you have to take medicine to fix something,” Trump shot back. “And we have such a horrible, we have been treated so badly, by other countries because we had stupid leadership that allowed this to happen.” Trump’s public lashings of Democrats and the media have also included new nicknames for the president’s political opponents. One of those targets, Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., garnered himself a new nickname this term: “Watermelon-Head.” The nickname follows Trump’s first-term nickname he gave to Schiff: “Pencil neck.” TRUMP WHITE HOUSE TAKES 100-DAY VICTORY LAP ON REFORMING KEY AGENCY AMID FIERCE PUSHBACK “Adam ‘Schifty’ Schiff – can you believe this guy?” Trump said at a dinner hosted by the National Republican Congressional Committee earlier this month. “He’s got the smallest neck I’ve ever seen – and the biggest head: We call him Watermelon-Head.” Trump went on to ponder how Schiff’s “big fat face” could “stand on a neck” the size of the president’s finger. “It’s the weirdest thing – it’s a mystery; no one can understand it.” Another Trump nickname to come from his first 100 days did not target a specific person, but Democrats as a whole who have been against his tariff policies. “The United States has a chance to do something that should have been done DECADES AGO. Don’t be Weak! Don’t be Stupid! Don’t be a PANICAN (A new party based on Weak and Stupid people!),” Trump wrote in a post on his social media platform Truth Social earlier this month. “Be Strong, Courageous, and Patient, and GREATNESS will be the result!”
EXCLUSIVE: Cattle industry chief warns flesh-eating fly menaces US herds as Mexico yields on pest fight
The nation’s top cattle industry leader sounded the alarm Tuesday that a flesh-eating fly infestation advancing through Mexico remains a dire threat to U.S. ranchers, even as the Trump administration claimed a key victory in efforts to stop it. Buck Wehrbein, president of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) and a cattle feeder from eastern Nebraska, praised Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins for taking aggressive action against the outbreak of the New World screwworm, a parasitic fly whose larvae can burrow into the flesh of livestock and often cause fatal wounds. But Wehrbein warned that with just one day left before a U.S. ultimatum expires, “the crisis is far from over” and American cattle herds remain in jeopardy. “If this screwworm crosses into the United States, it could devastate our industry,” Wehrbein told Fox News Digital in an exclusive interview. USDA THREATENS TO HALT MEXICAN BEEF IMPORTS OVER FLESH-EATING FLY CRISIS’ “These parasites literally eat livestock alive. We eradicated them from the U.S. in the 1960s, and we’re not about to let them take hold here again.” Wehrbein noted that the U.S. government spent millions of dollars to wipe out New World screwworm decades ago – only for the pest to reemerge in Central America and begin creeping northward toward Texas. The screwworm was first detected in southern Mexico late last year, prompting U.S. authorities to scramble resources to contain it. The USDA temporarily halted imports of Mexican cattle from late November until February after a screwworm case surfaced in Chiapas, underscoring how seriously officials view the threat to America’s food supply. MAINE’S FEDERAL FUNDING FREEZE FROM TRUMP’S USDA REVERSED Now, U.S. agriculture officials are racing to build a final barrier against the flesh-eating fly before it reaches the border. For decades, the United States and Mexico have relied on a sophisticated sterile insect technique (SIT) program, using aircraft to release millions of sterile male flies to keep screwworm populations in check. But that strategy was recently thrown into chaos amid bureaucratic interference by Mexican authorities, who U.S. officials say blocked and delayed critical fly-release missions just as the outbreak intensified. According to the USDA and cattle industry representatives, Mexico “failed to uphold their end” of the bi-national eradication effort by refusing landing permissions, charging import duties on U.S.-funded equipment and limiting fly drops to six days a week, conditions that officials say allowed the pest to spread further. Wehrbein did not hide his frustration. “We were pulling our hair out,” he said. “The science is there to stop this bug, but not if the planes are grounded over paperwork. Every day of delay gave the screwworm a bigger foothold.” In an April 26 letter obtained by Fox News Digital, Secretary Rollins gave Mexico an April 30 deadline to resolve the issues or face a halt in the import of live cattle, bison and equine, a move that would strike a blow to Mexico’s ranching economy and tighten U.S. supply chains already under pressure. “It certainly got their attention,” Wehrbein noted. “No one wants to shut down trade. That’s a last resort that would hurt producers on both sides. But Secretary Rollins and President Trump made it crystal clear that protecting America’s herds comes first.” Wehrbein said the NCBA met with senior Mexican embassy officials in Washington last week to emphasize the urgency. “Ranchers in Mexico and the U.S. are on the same side here. We need this pest stopped,” Wehrbein said. “It shouldn’t take high-level threats to get commonsense cooperation.” On Tuesday, Rollins posted on X that Mexico has agreed to allow U.S. sterile fly planes to land, calling it “a HUGE win for our American ranchers!” Fox News Digital has reached out to Secretary Rollins’ office for further details and confirmation but has not yet received a response. Wehrbein welcomed the announcement, saying it marked a turning point, but not the end of the threat. “Getting those fly planes back in the air is absolutely critical. It’s a relief to see Mexico finally do the right thing,” he said. “Frankly, it should never have taken this long. But at least now we have a fighting chance to contain the outbreak before it reaches our border.” While the flight permissions appear to have been restored, it remains unclear whether Mexico will waive the import duties or allow seven-day operations, both of which the USDA had demanded. Rollins has also called for a senior liaison from the Mexican government to ensure faster coordination moving forward. Longer term, Wehrbein said the U.S. needs to reconsider how much it relies on outside partners for biosecurity. “This situation shows why we need our own domestic supply of sterile flies,” he said. “If we had a facility here at home cranking them out, we wouldn’t be at the mercy of another country’s cooperation.” A veteran of the cattle industry, Wehrbein was raised on a farm in eastern Nebraska and spent years working in Texas commercial cattle feeding. He now operates a feedlot just outside Omaha and has served in leadership roles at both the state and national level. This year, he was elected president of the NCBA, the country’s largest and oldest organization representing cattle producers, and has become the group’s key voice in Washington. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “We love this industry. We’re proud to feed the country and the world,” Wehrbein said. “But it takes vigilance, cooperation and leadership to protect it. The screwworm is a reminder that we’re always one outbreak away from disaster, and we’ve got to stay ahead of it.” Fox News Digital’s Bill Melugin contributed to this report.
Trump laughs off protester who attempted to disrupt 100 days speech: ‘Thought it was a guy’
President Donald Trump laughed off a protester who attempted to disrupt a speech he was giving in Michigan marking his first 100 days in office, joking that he “thought it was a guy.” As the president was praising Republican National Committee leader Michael Watley, there appeared to be some type of disruption in the crowd, causing the president to pause his speech. “What’s the problem over there?” Trump said. “What’s the problem? Is that a radical left lunatic? He’s just a child. All right, get him out.” As security personnel removed the protester and the crowd booed, Trump apologized for calling the person a man, saying it was actually a woman who was thrown out. “Oh, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, ma’am, I thought it was a guy,” Trump said. “I’m sorry, I said he and it’s a she.” TRUMP RALLIES PACKED CROWD IN MICHIGAN TO CELEBRATE FIRST 100 DAYS IN OFFICE Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for confirmation and has not yet received a reply. Trump continued, quipping that “she now has to go home to a mother who’s a big Trump fan. Her mother’s watching.” During his speech, Trump slammed former President Joe Biden and touted the first 100 days of his second term as the “most successful” of any administration in history. The president’s remarks came during Trump’s first major political rally since taking office, organized to celebrate Trump’s achievements throughout his second term thus far. TRUMP SLAMS ‘GRANDSTANDERS’ OPPOSING BUDGET BILL “We’re here tonight in the heartland of our nation to celebrate the most successful first 100 days of any administration in the history of our country, and that’s according to many, many people,” Trump told a roaring crowd of supporters. “This is the best, they say, 100-day start of any president in history, and everyone is saying it.” “Week by week, we’re ending illegal immigration. We’re taking back our jobs, [we] are protecting our great American autoworkers and all of our workers. Frankly, we’re protecting all of our workers. We’re restoring the rule of law,” he said. “We’ve just gotten started. You haven’t seen anything yet. It’s just kicking off.” Fox News Digital’s Alec Schemmel contributed to this report.
Trump slams Republican ‘grandstanders’ opposing budget bill, predicts massive US tax increases if it fails
During a speech in Michigan marking his first 100 days in office, President Donald Trump slammed Democrats and Republican “grandstanders” opposing his “big beautiful” budget reconciliation bill, saying if they succeed, Americans will see the “highest tax increase in history.” He said his bill has “100% just about Republican support,” adding it “would be nice if we had just a couple of Democrats just to make sure, because, you know, every once in a while, you have a grandstander Republican. We have some grandstanders.” As the crowd booed, Trump noted there were “not many” Republicans opposing his bill, but he urged viewers to “remember who those grandstanders were and vote them the hell out of office.” Trump cautioned that if the bill fails, the U.S. is “going to have the highest tax increase in history instead of the greatest tax cut in history.” EXCLUSIVE: TRUMP TAX CUTS ‘TOP PRIORITY’ FOR CONGRESS, SAYS TOP HOUSE GOP LEADER “If the Democrats prevail on this bill, you get a 58% tax increase,” Trump told the crowd. “Would you like that? “All my life I’ve been watching, and I’ve never heard people campaigning that they’re going to raise taxes. It’s always been, ‘We will reduce your taxes.’ Democrat, Republican. Now, they go, ‘We’re going to raise your taxes. I’ve never seen all the years that they campaign. ‘We will raise your taxes.’ I said, ‘This country has gone crazy.’” SCOOP: REPUBLICANS ROLL OUT $69B FUNDING PLAN FOR NEW CBP AGENTS, BUILDING BORDER WALL IN TRUMP BUDGET BILL Though most Democrats will likely oppose Trump’s spending bill, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told reporters after a meeting Monday with Republican leaders that House and Senate GOP leaders are “in lockstep” on passing the budget bill. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Republicans are seeking to fit Trump’s priorities on energy, defense, border security and taxes into the bill, as well as raising the debt ceiling, another item the president specifically asked GOP lawmakers to deal with. Fox News Digital also recently reported that House Republicans are carving out $68.8 billion for Trump’s border wall and to hire more agents in the field. Fox News Digital’s Liz Elkind and Kelly Phares contributed to this report.
On Trump’s 100th day, Chinese communist regime declares it will ‘never kneel’ to U.S. pressure in fiery video
On the 100th day of President Donald Trump’s second term, China issued a brash challenge to American leadership, releasing a fiery propaganda video declaring it will “never kneel down” to U.S. pressure — a direct reaction to Trump’s aggressive new trade policies. The video titled “Never Kneel Down!” was posted Tuesday, April 29 by the Chinese Foreign Ministry’s official X account, @MFA_China. The timing is conspicuous: It coincided with President Trump’s 100th day in office. “When the rest of the world stands together in solidarity, the U.S. is just a small, stranded boat,” an AI narration warns, over dramatic storm footage and war imagery. The Wall Street Journal reported that the video also accuses the U.S. of “coercion” and labels American tariff strategy a “deadly trap.” DAVID PERDUE CONFIRMED AS TRUMP’S TOP CHINA DIPLOMAT AFTER KEY SENATE VOTE In another ominous line, the narration states: “Bowing to a bully is like drinking poison to quench thirst.” The video includes imagery of the Korean War and the 2021 return of Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou, portraying both as symbols of China’s “resistance.” Earlier this month, President Trump imposed a 145% tariff on Chinese imports while granting a 90-day tariff pause for all other nations, effectively isolating China. Trump’s strategy aims to reward fair trade partners while pressuring Beijing for reforms. China retaliated with 125% tariffs on U.S. goods, but many analysts say the CCP is operating from a weaker position. TRUMP MARKS 100-DAYS IN OFFICE EMBROILED IN TRADE BATTLES, DEADLY WARS AND HARD PRESSED DEALS “It’s up to China to de-escalate, because they sell five times more to us than we sell to them,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Monday on CNBC. The CCP’s video, published in both English and Mandarin, uses heavy-handed messaging and historical imagery to portray China as a victim of Western dominance — a common trope in official Chinese media. According to the WSJ report, the video claims: “History has proven compromise won’t earn you mercy—kneeling only invites more bullying.” Beijing’s saber-rattling comes amid rising domestic pressure: Youth unemployment in China is at record highs, and GDP growth has slowed, according to Bloomberg Economics and the International Monetary Fund. This is not the first time Trump has put China in check. During his first term, he imposed tariffs on more than $360 billion in Chinese goods, citing intellectual property theft and forced tech transfers. That campaign led to the Phase One Trade Deal signed in 2020. Now back in office, Trump’s strategy is making Chinese economic policymakers nervous. “All bullies are just paper tigers,” the AI narrator says while showing a tiger holding an American flag in its tail. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Trump’s tariffs are putting real economic pressure on Beijing, at a time when the nation can ill-afford it.
Trump repeatedly walked back tariffs in first 100 days as White House announces latest duty tax relief
President Donald Trump has championed tariffs as the economic tool that will bring parity to the nation’s chronic trade deficit with foreign countries while boosting U.S. jobs and the economy. But many of Trump’s tariff polices have been walked back or paused after going into effect. “I will immediately begin the overhaul of our trade system to protect American workers and families. Instead of taxing our citizens to enrich other countries, we will tariff and tax foreign countries to enrich our citizens,” Trump declared in his inaugural address Jan. 20, teeing up an onslaught of tariff policies that will take effect in the coming weeks and months. Tariffs are taxes levied on imported goods and services that historically have contributed to a nation’s federal tax revenue. Developed countries, however, have since moved away from relying on tariffs as a main source of federal funding and have shifted to other forms of taxes — such as income, payroll or sales taxes. On Tuesday, which marked Trump’s 100th day back in the Oval Office, Trump signed an executive action easing tariffs targeting car manufacturers as he headed to Michigan, historically the heart of the American auto industry, for a rally celebrating his return to the White House. PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP’S FIRST 100 DAYS: COMPANIES THAT WILL INVEST $1B OR MORE IN THE US The upcoming auto plan will keep a 25% tariff on imported cars and a 25% tariff on imported auto parts but will offer offset credits to U.S. manufacturers for a two-year period in an effort to bolster the U.S. supply chain of car parts and encourage manufacturing in the U.S., according to the administration. The plan will also not stack both auto and steel and aluminum tariffs on the auto industry. Only the higher tariff will be applied to car manufacturers, not a combined tariff. The announcement is the latest of Trump walking back, pausing or easing tariffs as he looks to even the trade playing field for the U.S., while encouraging U.S. manufacturing and job creation. Industries that manufacture products on U.S. soil do not face any tariffs. A White House official who spoke to Fox News Digital explained that while the past few months of tariff changes might seem chaotic in their entirety, each change was born out of a need to be flexible and an effort to bring manufacturing and jobs into the U.S. while ending the nation’s chronic trade deficit. The official noted that, as tariffs took effect, many nations and industry leaders have made good-faith efforts to negotiate terms favorable to the U.S., adding to the tariff changes. AMAZON DENIES TARIFF PRICING PLAN THAT WHITE HOUSE CALLED ‘HOSTILE AND POLITICAL’ Trump’s tariff policies overwhelmingly focused on China, Mexico and Canada at the start of his second administration, as he looked to crack down on illegal immigration. It also was an attempt to stem the flow of the deadly synthetic opioid fentanyl, which overwhelmingly originates in China, from coming across the northern and southern borders. Citing the threat of illegal aliens in the U.S. and the flow of fentanyl, Trump declared a national emergency in February under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act and imposed a 25% tariff on imports from Canada and Mexico and a 10% additional tariff on imports from China. The tariffs sparked swift outrage from the three nations, and Trump paused the tariffs on Canada and Mexico for 30 days after the nations agreed to concessions, such as sending additional security personnel to their respective borders with the U.S. China, on the other hand, imposed tariffs on some U.S. imports in response to Trump’s tariffs. China’s Finance Ministry said Feb. 4, shortly after the tariffs started, that it would impose a tariff of 15% for coal and liquefied natural gas and 10% for crude oil, agricultural equipment and large-engine cars imported from the U.S. GROCERY GIANT WARNS ITS SUPPLIERS THAT SUPERMARKET WON’T BE ACCEPTING TARIFF-RELATED PRICE HIKES The administration official who spoke to Fox Digital pointed to the tariff changes for Mexico and Canada as part of negotiations to secure the border after Trump declared a national emergency under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. The tariffs on Mexico and Canada went into effect March 4 after the pause, while the tariffs on China were increased to 20%. A day later, after speaking with auto industry officials from Ford, General Motors and Stellantis, Trump walked back the tariffs if they affected the auto industry, granting a one-month exemption to tariffs “on any autos” from the two countries that abide by the 2020 U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement’s rules of origin. Those rules were established under the first Trump administration, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said at a news conference at the time. On March 6, Trump again walked back the 25% tariffs on many imports from Canada and Mexico while praising Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum for helping secure the U.S.-Mexico border. He postponed the tariffs for 30 days and touted that his highly anticipated reciprocal tariff plan would take effect in the coming weeks. DONALD TRUMP SHOULD BE PRAISED FOR SIGNALS HE MIGHT COOL TARIFF FIGHT, WASHINGTON POST EDITORIAL PRAISES “I did this as an accommodation, and out of respect for, President Sheinbaum,” Trump said on Truth Social of the March 6 tariff pause. “Our relationship has been a very good one, and we are working hard, together, on the Border.” While announcing and imposing tariffs on nations such as Mexico and Canada, Trump previewed a reciprocal tariff plan that would take effect April 2. “On trade I have decided for purposes of fairness, that I will charge a reciprocal tariff — meaning whatever countries charge the United States of America, we will charge them no more, no less,” Trump said at the White House in February. “In other words, they charge us a tax or tariff, and we charge them the exact same tax or tariff. Very simple.” Trump announced his highly anticipated reciprocal tariff plan as part of his “Liberation Day”
Trump touts ‘most successful’ first 100 days in presidential history during Michigan rally
President Donald Trump touted the first 100 days of his second term as the “most successful” of any administration in history during a Michigan rally with supporters Tuesday evening. The president’s remarks came during Trump’s first major political rally since taking office, organized to celebrate Trump’s achievements throughout his second term thus far. “We’re here tonight in the heartland of our nation to celebrate the most successful first 100 days of any administration in the history of our country — and that’s according to many, many people,” Trump told a roaring crowd of supporters. “This is the best, they say, 100-day start of any president in history, and everyone is saying it. PROMISES MADE, PROMISES KEPT: HOW TRUMP’S FIRST 100 DAYS STACK UP AGAINST INAUGURATION DAY PLEDGES “We’ve just gotten started. You haven’t seen anything yet. It’s just kicking off.” Trump’s first 100 days of his second term have seen the president aggressively assert his executive authority across a variety of policy areas. He has used his presidential powers to to bring change to border security, trade, education, civil rights, technology and innovation. Trump has also notably used his executive powers to slim down the federal government’s bureaucracy, including through both spending and staffing cuts at various federal agencies. “I read an editorial today that this is the most consequential presidency in history, and it wasn’t even by a group that would normally be supporting us,” Trump added during his address to supporters, without clarifying where the editorial originated. “It was a group of people that I think tend to be on the liberal side, but they said it’s the most important election.” While Trump supporters and Republicans have touted the president’s accomplishments during his first 100 days, Trump’s latest poll numbers suggest Americans are less thrilled with the way Trump has steered the nation. The president stands at 44% approval and 55% disapproval in the most recent Fox News national poll, which was conducted April 18 through April 21. TRUMP ADMIN REVOKES 4K FOREIGN STUDENTS’ VISAS IN FIRST 100 DAYS, NEARLY ALL WITH SERIOUS CRIMINAL RECORDS His numbers are also underwater in polls released the past few days by ABC News/Washington Post (42% approval–55% disapproval), New York Times/Siena College (42%–54%), CNN (43%–57%), Reuters/Ipsos (42%–53%), Pew Research (40%–59%) and AP/NORC (39%–59%). Most recent national public opinion surveys, but not all, indicate Trump’s approval ratings in negative territory, which marks a slide from the president’s poll numbers when he started his second term in January. Before Trump’s rally in Warren, Michigan, the president spoke to members of the National Guard during a visit to Selfridge Air National Guard Base in Harrison Township. During the stop, Trump shared details of a new plan to swap out the base’s retiring A-10 Warthog aircraft with 21 brand-new F-15EX Eagle II fighter jets.
Trump diplomats to Turkey, UK confirmed as Houston Rockets owner awaits late Senate vote
Two of President Donald Trump’s diplomatic nominees were confirmed by the Senate on Tuesday, as a prominent NBA team owner awaited a late evening vote on his own confirmation. Investors Tom Barrack and Warren Stephens were up for ambassadorship posts to Turkey, and the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland respectively. Tilman Fertitta, owner of the Houston Rockets and CEO of Landry’s Restaurants group will face a confirmation vote later in the evening in the upper chamber to be President Donald Trump’s ambassador to Italy and San Marino. Barrack’s nomination passed by 60-36. Stephens was confirmed 59-39. HOUSTON ROCKETS OWNER: ‘OUR GREAT CAPITALISM WILL COME TO AN END’ IF DEMS PASS UNREALIZED GAINS TAX Fertitta is a GOP donor and has spoken fondly of Trump’s business sense. During Trump’s first term, Fertitta told CNBC the president was doing “a fantastic job for the economy.” “Businesses are booming, unemployment is low. He understands what drives this country,” Fertitta said in 2018. Fertitta’s praise of Trump often steers more toward business-focused than overtly-political, as in the CNBC interview. Trump’s choice of Barrack played into two different aspects of the investor’s history. Before he was a friend of the future president’s, Barrack served as an undersecretary in the Reagan Interior Department, focusing on energy policy including Middle East oil. DAVID PERDUE CONFIRMED AS TRUMP’S TOP CHINA DIPLOMAT AFTER KEY SENATE VOTE Barrack, who is fluent in Arabic, would therefore fit well with a Turkish ambassadorship. Later in that decade, Barrack helped Trump secure financing for his short-lived ownership of the Plaza Hotel – during which time the future president famously told a lost Kevin McCallister its lobby was “Down the hall, and to the left” in 1992’s Home Alone 2: Lost in New York. The two real estate moguls remained friends in the years after Trump ultimately gave up the Midtown landmark. Barrack was a strong supporter of Trump’s first presidential campaign and raised millions for his first inauguration’s events. Stephens’ family bank has a footprint in London, and he is a noted fan of the Tottenham Hotspurs Premier League soccer team, which draw parallels to his ambassadorship nomination. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP The billionaire will be the eyes and ears for Trump in London, where the president has a cordial relationship, albeit one wherein lies a politically contrasting view of global politics, with Prime Minister Keir Starmer of the Labour Party. Stephens has a history of donations to Republican causes and many Arkansas candidates, per OpenSecrets. Recipients have included former Sens. Mark Pryor, D-Ark., Mitt Romney, R-Utah, Bob Dole, R-Kan., ex-Arkansas Govs. Asa Hutchinson and Mike Huckabee, and media executive Steve Forbes’ presidential run in 1995.
Doug Emhoff lashes out after Trump removes him from Holocaust Memorial Council
Former Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff lashed out at the Trump administration, accusing it of politicizing the Holocaust and dishonoring the memory of six million murdered Jews after he was removed from the United States Holocaust Memorial Council. The Holocaust Memorial Council oversees the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C. Most of the members of the council are appointed by the president and serve five-year terms. Emhoff, who is Jewish and is married to former Vice President Kamala Harris, was appointed to the council by former President Joe Biden. Along with Emhoff, the Trump administration also removed several other council members appointed by Biden, according to The Hill. After receiving news of his dismissal from the council, Emhoff took to social media to slam the administration, saying it was turning “one of the worst atrocities in history into a wedge issue.” MEDIA PERSONALITY STEVE HILTON UNLEASHES ON ‘FAILED AND REJECTED’ KAMALA HARRIS AT CAMPAIGN LAUNCH “Today, I was informed of my removal from the United States Holocaust Memorial Council,” he said. “Let me be clear: Holocaust remembrance and education should never be politicized. To turn one of the worst atrocities in history into a wedge issue is dangerous – and it dishonors the memory of six million Jews murdered by Nazis that this museum was created to preserve.” Emhoff said that despite his removal, he would continue to speak out against hate “in all its forms.” “No divisive political decision will ever shake my commitment to Holocaust remembrance and education or combatting hate and antisemitism,” he said, adding: “I will continue to speak out, to educate, and to fight hate in all its forms – because silence is never an option.” Emhoff has previously been criticized for getting basic facts wrong about the Jewish religion, such as the origin of one of its most significant feasts, Hanukkah. Meanwhile, both his wife and Biden took heavy criticism for not being more supportive of Israel and its war against Hamas after the Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attacks. EX-VP HARRIS RETURNS TO POLITICS TO HEADLINE DNC FUNDRAISER WITH TICKETS STARTING AT $25,000 Emhoff has also accused President Donald Trump of being a “threat” to Jews. At a speech in Pittsburgh during the 2024 presidential campaign, Emhoff said: “Whenever chaos and cruelty are given a green light, Jew-hatred is historically not far behind.” He added, “That matters today because Donald Trump is nothing if not an agent of chaos and cruelty.” In his first 100 days in office, however, Trump has made combating antisemitism, especially on college campuses, a major focus. Among other actions, the Trump Department of Homeland Security has arrested Hamas sympathizers on college campuses who they say pose a threat to national security. The administration has also moved to pull funding from universities, including Harvard, unless they reform their governing processes and change their international admissions processes to avoid admitting students who are “hostile” to American values or support terrorism or antisemitism. In response to a request for comment by Fox News Digital, a spokesperson for the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum said: “At this time of high antisemitism and Holocaust distortion and denial, the Museum is gratified that our visitation is robust and demand for Holocaust education is increasing.” The representative added, “We look forward to continuing to advance our vitally important mission as we work with the Trump Administration.” Fox News Digital’s Rachel Wolf, Morgan Phillips and Louis Casiano contributed to this report.