McMahon tells House panel Trump admin moving to dismantle ‘failed’ $3T education bureaucracy
Education Department Secretary Linda McMahon declared on Thursday that Americans elected President Donald Trump “to sunset” the “education bureaucracy,” asserting that the administration is enacting “education renewal.” “Americans reelected President Trump with a clear mandate to sunset a 46-year-old, $3-trillion dollar, failed education bureaucracy in D.C. and return authority to where it belongs to parents, teachers and local leaders,” she said during her opening statement before the House Committee on Education and Workforce on Thursday. “Today I can confidently attest that we are delivering on the vision of educational renewal that for decades many promised, but none delivered,” she added. The secretary is testifying before the House Committee on Education and Workforce hearing titled, “Examining the Policies and Priorities of the Department of Education.” “We’ve been clear: Shifting authority back to the states will not come at the expense of essential federal support and programs, much of which predate the department itself,” she said. STUDENT LOAN RULE WOULD PENALIZE GRADUATES WHO ENTER MINISTRY, CHRISTIAN COLLEGE LEADERS SAY McMahon added that when President Trump’s “administration makes promises, we keep them. And with your partnership, we will unleash momentous opportunity for every child to realize their God-given potential.” EDUCATION SECRETARY LINDA MCMAHON ACCUSES CRITICS OF HAVING ‘TRUMP DERANGEMENT SYNDROME’ “The most important thing we can do for our children is to make sure they can read and do math. We have failed them. When you have only 30%, or even a little less, of eighth graders and fourth graders that can read at proficient level, we are failing our students, and we need to change that,” McMahon said. This is a breaking news story and will be updated
New federal probe examines whether taxpayer dollars fund child gender transitions, legal defenses
FIRST ON FOX: A top Senate Republican is demanding answers on whether taxpayer-backed health providers used federal support to provide gender transition-related services to minors — and whether taxpayers could be footing the bill when former patients sue. In letters obtained by Fox News Digital, Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, asked two Rhode Island health care providers to explain reports saying they provided puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, surgical referrals or related services to patients under 19 years old — and pressed the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) on whether federal funding and liability protections are shielding community health centers from accountability. Cassidy is broadening scrutiny into federally supported health providers accused of providing puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones and related services to “vulnerable patients,” including minors, days before a scheduled Senate hearing looking into alleged gender transition procedures for children and federally funded support for them. WATCH: DEMS SPAR WITH WHISTLEBLOWER WHO EXPOSED CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL FOR PERFORMING TRANS SURGERIES ON MINORS “Health care providers are supposed to protect children’s health, not subject them to dangerous sex-change procedures driven by ideology,” Cassidy said in a news release about the new probes. “These entities need to be held accountable to prevent further harm to children.” General counsel for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Mike Stuart, referred several federally funded community health centers in February for an inspector general investigation for allegedly providing gender-transition services to children. It was not immediately clear whether the HHS Office of Inspector General has completed or publicly released findings from those referrals. Cassidy’s letter asks Health Resources and Services Administration to detail what enforcement actions, if any, have been taken. Documents from one of those community health centers, according to materials reviewed by Fox News Digital, describe a pathway for patients under 18 seeking gender-affirming care, including hormones, as long as parental consent is obtained for an initial intake appointment. Another publicly advertises transgender health services, including hormone care, and separately operates an adolescent health program for LGBTQ youth and young adults ages 13 to 24. Cassidy’s investigation expanded scrutiny of these health centers to two more federally funded healthcare providers, Thundermist Health Center and Hasbro Children’s Hospital, in Rhode Island. The senator’s probe focuses in part on a federal liability structure that can leave the government on the hook for defending certain malpractice claims. THE MEDICAL SYSTEM PUSHED TRANSGENDER SURGERY ON KIDS — NOW IT’S FACING LEGAL JUSTICE In his letter to Health Resources and Services Administration, Cassidy said certain community health centers and their providers may be deemed employees of the U.S. Public Health Service for liability purposes and, when medical malpractice claims arise under the Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA), the Department of Justice (DOJ) becomes responsible for defending the cases. Cassidy argued that framework raises fresh accountability questions as detransition-related lawsuits mount nationwide. In his letters, Cassidy cited several lawsuits in which DOJ has represented community health centers or their providers in litigation involving gender transition-related services. Community healthcare centers “receive billions of taxpayer dollars from Congress. For fiscal year (FY) 2026 alone, CHCs will receive over $6.3 billion in mandatory and discretionary funding. In addition, the HRSA Health Center Program receives $120 million to administer the FTCA Program,” Cassidy’s letter to HRSA states. “The underlying conduct is concerning and exposes potential gaps in the guardrails governing existing federal funding streams. Furthermore, the current liability framework raises accountability challenges. Patients alleging harm from gender transition-related services may be forced to litigate against the full resources of the federal government, rather than the individual providers responsible for their care, with DOJ defending providers engaged in practices that this administration and HHS have sought to restrict.” For Thundermist, Cassidy’s letter notes that the center receives mandatory and discretionary grant funding from the federal government, enhanced reimbursement from Medicare and Medicaid, revenue through the 340B drug pricing program and other federal support. The letter says 66% of Thundermist’s fiscal year 2024 grants and contributions revenue came from HHS and the Health Resources and Services Administration. Cassidy, meanwhile, highlighted a Rhode Island lawsuit filed by a former patient against Thundermist providers alleging medical malpractice, negligence and lack of informed consent related to gender transition. HOSPITALS NATIONWIDE CHALLENGE TRUMP’S EXECUTIVE ORDER ON TRANSGENDER TREATMENTS FOR MINORS The Hasbro letter raises a similar federal-funding question, but focuses on federal support available to children’s hospitals rather than Health Resources and Services Administration-funded community health centers. Fox News Digital reached out to Thundermist and Hasbro for comment, but did not hear back in time for publication. At an upcoming HELP Committee hearing, Cassidy is expected to focus on what Republicans describe as the risks of pediatric gender transition procedures and whether federal agencies have done enough to restrict taxpayer support for providers that continue offering them to minors. The hearing also gives Cassidy a public platform to pressure Health Resources and Services Administration and HHS over whether the agencies have identified which federally funded providers are still offering gender transition-related services to minors, whether any grants have been restricted or terminated, and whether federal liability protections should continue to apply in cases involving those procedures. Cassidy’s letter to Health Resources and Services Administration asked the agency to respond by May 28 to questions about whether any community health centers are currently providing gender transition-related services, whether those services could affect eligibility for federal funding, and how much taxpayer money has been used to resolve claims involving gender transition-related procedures. Fox News Digital reached out to HHS about the status of the current inspector general investigations into community healthcare centers over providing gender-transition services to minor but did not hear back in time for publication.
Mississippi’s GOP governor drops election pledge in huge setback for Trump’s midterm plan
Republicans hoping to hold the U.S. House hit a setback Wednesday when Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves indicated he will not immediately pursue redistricting following a critical Supreme Court ruling, as officials seek to oust the leader of Democrats’ January 6 probe. Following the Supreme Court’s “Callais” ruling on how race can or cannot factor into redistricting, several Republican-led states have moved to redraw congressional maps, arguing for race-neutral approaches — and officials in Jackson quickly took note. Mississippi lawmakers were primed to convene a special session next week to redraw state Supreme Court and potentially congressional districts, but Reeves canceled the session Wednesday after the judge who ruled the court district maps inhibited Black candidates was overruled — sparking a now-in-limbo effort to oust entrenched former January 6 Committee chairman Bennie Thompson. “Understand something, that maybe while it may be in the best interest of some individual politicians in Mississippi to talk about congressional redistricting, what happens in Mississippi doesn’t happen in a vacuum,” Reeves said in a talk-radio spot Wednesday. MISSISSIPPI GOVERNOR SAYS HE WILL CALL SPECIAL SESSION TO REDRAW DISTRICT MAPS AFTER SCOTUS RULING “I’m going to do what’s in the best interest of Mississippi and I’m going to do what’s in the best interest of America and I’m going work very closely with the Trump administration to accomplish both of those goals.” Reeves pushed back on claims he flip-flopped on congressional redistricting, noting the Magnolia State’s March 10 primary has passed — complicating any change in voting landscape, and also said he was onboard with ending what he called Thompson’s 33-year “reign of terror.” However, Reeves suggested it is not a setback to State Auditor Shad White and others’ renewed bid to shift the Magnolia State’s GOP representation from 3-1 to 4-0 and oust Thompson. Thompson, a firebrand Democrat from Hinds County seeking his 18th term representing the predominantly Black and largely impoverished Delta region, is in danger of losing his reliably blue seat when redistricting commences. Thompson and Reeves briefly sparred on X, with the Democrat depicting an elephant painting Mississippi “white” while Reeves countered that Thompson was wrong to claim ownership of the district with the term “my” versus the people of Mississippi. “It must be done to go into effect before the 2026 elections,” replied voting rights activist Scott Presler, while Pastor William Pierce of Columbia drew a state map that comprised evenly divided 22-24-point Republican districts saying “this must be done now” -— as Reeves said the issue is not “if” but “when” and that he plans for the changes to take effect for the 2027 statewide elections. SUPREME COURT RULES ON KEY VOTING RIGHTS ACT RULE AS REPUBLICANS AND DEMOCRATS WAGE REDISTRICTING WAR White told Fox News Digital he was the first statewide official to publicly consider drawing-out Thompson and creating a 4-0 map, while Reeves rejected claims of pressure from the White House and Republican Party to redraw now. As the Supreme Court was set to hand down the Callais ruling, Reeves took to Instagram to say he “do[es]n’t typically make news on a Friday afternoon” but made an “exception” to call a special session 21 days after the decision to consider redistricting. White, a rising star in the GOP following his major anti-fraud and waste investigations, said that Thompson is “the worst congressman in America” and the state’s map favoring him must be dealt with promptly. “Among Mississippians; normal taxpayers, Bennie Thompson is incredibly unpopular,” White said in an exclusive Fox News Digital interview Wednesday. “As chair of the January 6 Committee, anyone who supports President Trump is not happy that Bennie Thompson represents a part of our state.” TRUMP URGES REPUBLICANS TO ‘BE BOLD’ AS RED STATES PUSH TO REWRITE CONGRESSIONAL MAPS “[I]t is absolutely both legally and practically possible to change our districts to a 4-0 state,” he said, pointing to Callais and Alabama’s successful bid Monday to get their “Livingston Map” through the courts. Like Alabama, White said Mississippi officials have “dozens” of already prepared maps to choose from, including some that give each of the four congressional districts an even-keeled level of Trump support totaling 15 points or higher, citing 2024 election results. “The real question is just whether our politicians here have the courage to actually get Bennie Thompson out. And that question remains unanswered right now,” he said. White said Mississippi has been stuck with maps featuring a Thompson stronghold for decades, as Thompson himself told Jackson’s NBC affiliate it has been Republicans who have drawn the maps since his 1992 election to Congress. Thompson said that the issue between the lines in the plans is race. “I have a voting record that no other person in the [Mississippi] delegation can touch for those things that we need the most: Health care, housing, better educational opportunities… but they’d rather put somebody in position who’s against those things. And the only difference between Bennie Thompson and the rest of the delegation that represent Mississippi in Washington is that I’m Black,” Thompson told Memphis’ NBC affiliate. REPUBLICAN RIFT PUTS SPOTLIGHT ON HIGH-STAKES SHOWDOWN OVER TRUMP-DRIVEN RED STATE REDISTRICTING Thompson added Mississippi has a history of requiring federal intervention to provide equal rights to Black people, including during the Civil Rights era and suffrage fights, and compared it to the dynamic today, calling it “Jim Crow 2.0” that he will “fight back with every fiber.” Fox News Digital reached out to Thompson for further comment. After Reeves’ comments were reported, White told Fox News Digital that he still hopes “Thompson is redistricted-out as soon as possible – even if it’s not going to happen next week.” Fox News Digital also reached out to Mississippi House Speaker Jason White, R-West, and Senate Leader Dean Kirby, R-Brandon for their take on Reeves’ latest move and efforts to redraw the map. Meanwhile, Shad White pointed to New England as precedent for Mississippi drawing out Thompson, saying Kamala Harris’ 38% performance mirrors the GOP partisan makeup of multi-district blue states
Dem Senate hopeful’s ‘physician’ campaign pitch under fire after license records reveal key gaps
Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed has repeatedly described himself as a “physician” on the campaign trail and in public biographies, despite records showing he has never held a medical license in Michigan or New York. Much of El-Sayed’s campaign has focused on his medical credentials, particularly his purported experience as a physician. While El-Sayed does have a medical degree, public records in New York and Michigan examined by Politico indicate that he’s never held a license to practice medicine. New York state law prohibits individuals who lack medical licenses from identifying themselves as “physicians,” a title El-Sayed claimed on at least two occasions while in the state. Michigan law also bars individuals from working “to induce the belief” that they are licensed to practice medicine. El-Sayed’s hands-on medical experience was limited to a four-week clinical rotation he completed after finishing medical school. In a 2022 podcast, he described the experience as “cosplaying [as] a doctor,” Politico reported. MICHIGAN DEMOCRATIC SENATE CANDIDATE CLAIMS ISRAEL ‘JUST AS EVIL’ AS HAMAS “The perception in Michigan is that he is, at least at one point in his life, a licensed physician,” Chris Dewitt, a Michigan Democratic strategist, told Politico. “That apparently is not the case, and it blows up a big part of his campaign.” El-Sayed has repeatedly told the public that he is a physician. During a debate held by the Council of Baptist Pastors in April, for instance, El-Sayed referred to himself as “a physician and epidemiologist.” When Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., referred to El-Sayed as a “physician” in 2025, he did not correct the senator. In June, the Senate candidate included a picture of himself dressed in a doctor’s coat attached to a fundraising appeal. “Rather than this being a gotcha attack, this is Dr. El-Sayed’s origin story — one that Michiganders are familiar with,” El-Sayed spokesperson Roxie Richner told Fox News Digital when asked about his medical credentials. “Dr. El-Sayed has spoken extensively about his experiences in medical school that led him first to public health and then to public service,” Richner continued. “He has spent his career improving healthcare for Michiganders through innovative, sweeping public health programs, including the elimination of up to $700 million in medical debt, increased access to Narcan, and built a state-of-the-art air quality monitoring network.” BERNIE SANDERS CAMPAIGNS WITH CONTROVERSIAL MICHIGAN SENATE CANDIDATE As of Thursday, El-Sayed still refers to himself in his LinkedIn bio as a “physician and epidemiologist.” He also holds a PhD in public health from the University of Oxford, according to his biographies. “It’s a weird thing to hang your hat on in terms of a biographical detail if you never actually practiced medicine,” Michigan Democratic consultant Adrian Hemond told Politico. “It’s not as though he hasn’t done anything with all of the fancy education that he got like running public health programming for Wayne County and for the city of Detroit. And so maybe you would lean into that, as opposed to giving people the impression that you may have practiced medicine before.” SANDERS-ENDORSED SENATE CANDIDATE KNOCKED FOR ALLEGED FLIP-FLOP TO ‘HAVE IT BOTH WAYS’ ON KEY ISSUE El-Sayed’s Democratic primary rivals have also seized on the scrutiny. State Sen. Mallory McMorrow’s campaign, which is competing against El-Sayed for the Democratic nomination, accused him of overstating the medical credentials he has made central to his Senate bid. “Abdul El-Sayed has made his supposed medical credentials a centerpiece of his campaign, but the truth is he never held a medical license, never did his residency, never passed his boards, and never practiced medicine independently,” campaign spokesperson Jackson Boaz told Fox News Digital. “If Michigan voters can’t trust El-Sayed to be honest about something that is so central to his entire rationale for running, how can they trust him to be honest about what he’d do as a United States Senator?” This isn’t the first time El-Sayed’s medical experience has been called into question. INTERNET ERUPTS OVER ‘DISQUALIFYING’ LEAKED AUDIO FROM DEMOCRAT IN KEY SENATE RACE DISCUSSING KHAMENEI’S DEATH Crain’s Detroit Business published a piece in 2018 holding El-Sayed’s claim of being a physician against his lack of a medical license. “I think there’s a lot of ways that one serves as a physician. And I think the work that I have done and I continue to do is true to the core and the ethos of medicine,” El-Sayed told Crain’s Detroit Business at the time. “And when I took my Hippocratic Oath, that is still an oath that I use to guide my work today. I’m a physician because I have an MD, but I’m also a physician because of the work that I’ve dedicated my career to.” El-Sayed has stated that he chose politics over medicine because he believes poverty is the root cause of many of the health problems in the United States. Critics of El-Sayed have seized on the recent reports. “Michigan’s Democrat Senate primary is such a mess that the guy cosplaying as an Egyptian citizen and licensed physician is still beating Chuck Schumer’s handpicked candidate,” NRSC Regional press secretary Samantha Cantrell told the Washington Examiner.
Massie’s ex-girlfriend alleges he arranged her Capitol Hill job, then offered $5,000 to drop termination suit
An ex-girlfriend of Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., alleges he extended a $5,000 offer to drop a wrongful termination lawsuit against one of his top congressional allies. Cynthia West, a social worker and school board candidate in Okaloosa County, Fla., said she began dating Massie several months after his first wife of 30 years died in 2024. She alleged that Massie then got her a job in the office of his close ally, Rep. Victoria Spartz, R-Ind. West said she never applied for the role and was terminated shortly after she broke off her relationship with the congressman. West first made the allegations on Tuesday in a video interview with Marcus Carey, a Kentucky attorney who challenged Massie during the congressman’s first run for Congress in 2012. Massie has represented the deep red seat since winning the election that year. TRUMP STIRS GOP PRIMARY DRAMA WITH VISIT TO MASSIE’S KENTUCKY HOME TURF The allegations come as early voting in Kentucky is underway for the state’s May 19 primary election. Massie, a leading Trump foe, is seeking to fend off a well-funded re-election challenge from Ed Gallrein, a former Navy SEAL supported by President Donald Trump. The intraparty clash has become one of the most closely watched House races this year. West has said she has not been in contact with Gallrein’s campaign or Trump’s political operation and that no one is paying her to make the allegations. In the interview, West said Massie first contacted her over social media in August 2024. Their relationship, according to West, became “very intense, very romantic” over the following months, including travel to Savannah, Ga., and South Africa. “He wanted me to go to wherever he was,” West said in the interview when asked by Carey why she moved to Washington, D.C., to take a job in the Spartz office — a position that Massie arranged. West said she broke off her relationship with Massie after he asked her to “engage in behavior” that she was not comfortable with and alleged emotional abuse. The Spartz office subsequently fired her after just “six weeks” on the job, West alleged. She then filed a wrongful termination complaint against Spartz and named Massie as a witness, prompting him to offer her $5,000 to drop the pending lawsuit. REPUBLICAN LAWMAKER WELCOMES HOUSE ETHICS PROBE INTO SEXUAL MISCONDUCT ALLEGATIONS AGAINST HIM “I called him up to let him know, and he was very angry,” West told Carey in the sit-down interview. “He said you’re just one person, that you can’t make a difference, that you need to just walk away.” “He had $5,000 he said that he would give me if I could just walk away,” she went on. “I didn’t take it, though.” The Office of Congressional Ethics offered West $60,000 to settle her wrongful termination complaint earlier this year, according to a copy of the proposed agreement first reviewed by Axios and obtained by Fox News Digital. West declined the settlement because it included a non-disclosure agreement that would bar her from publicly discussing the allegations. “I’ve spent so much time fighting for transparency and justice, accountability, that if I did this, then I would call into question my own integrity,” West told Carey. “I wouldn’t be able to sit with that, so I can’t do it.” Massie has denied any wrongdoing and has argued that West’s allegations are politically motivated. “It’s sad that a week before this election people are making false and unsubstantiated allegations about me in an obvious attempt to influence the outcome of this election,” Massie said in a statement obtained by Fox News Digital. “All of the claims of inappropriate conduct are false.” “I’ve never offered anyone money in exchange for their silence,” Massie continued. “I have consulted legal counsel, and we are considering all options.” When reached by phone, West declined to comment on the allegations and referred Fox News Digital to her spokesman, Rob Wilbur. “Thomas Massie spent months screaming about ‘transparency’ and ‘accountability’ over the Epstein files, but the second allegation hit close to home. Suddenly we’re all just supposed to shut up,” Wilbur said in a statement. “That’s not principle. That’s hypocrisy.” “Cynthia has been a warrior for transparency and accountability, and her integrity should be respected, not met with political threats, bullying, and the toxic politics Thomas Massie represents,” Wilbur continued. A Spartz spokesperson said the office could not comment on the specifics of West’s allegations. “We can confirm that Ms. West held a temporary 90-day probationary position with our office, and her employment was not extended beyond that period due to unsatisfactory job performance,” the spokesperson said. Spartz has been labeled as one of the “worst bosses” on Capitol Hill when accounting for staff turnover, by the nonpartisan website Legistorm. The Indiana lawmaker has developed close ties with Massie. Spartz was the lone Republican to back him for House speaker in 2023, and she attended his wedding ceremony with Carolyn Grace Moffa in November 2025. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Top 4 explosive moments from CIA whistleblower’s testimony on alleged COVID-19 lab leak cover-up
CIA whistleblower James Erdman III testified that the Biden administration buried analysis concluding a lab leak was the most likely origin of the COVID-19 pandemic in an explosive hearing on Wednesday. Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Chairman Rand Paul, R-Ky., said Erdman, a two-decade CIA veteran, chose to testify on the alleged cover-up at “great personal risk” because “government secrecy cannot become government impunity.” Paul’s oversight panel had subpoenaed Erdman’s testimony and previously interviewed him in a classified setting. Erdman worked in a joint role with the Director of National Intelligence’s Director’s Initiatives Group (DIG) to investigate COVID origins over the past year. “According to his testimony, CIA scientific analysts concluded multiple times between 2021 and 2023 that a lab leak was the most likely origin of COVID-19,” Paul said in his opening statement. “Yet those conclusions never shaped the official narrative, never made the intelligence report. Congress was never told.” WHO IS JAMES ERDMAN III? CIA WHISTLEBLOWER WHO WENT FROM COVID MANDATE FIGHTS TO SENATE SPOTLIGHT “It was not until after the 2024 election that the outgoing Biden administration directed the CIA to issue an assessment, not because of new intelligence, but so officials could walk out of the door claiming there was nothing left to find,” the Kentucky Republican added. “That is not analysis. That is a cleanup operation.” Erdman publicly testified before the panel despite fierce opposition from the CIA, which called the COVID origins hearing “political theater.” Paul’s committee, according to CIA spokeswoman Liz Lyons, “acted in bad faith by subpoenaing an agency officer for testimony today without notifying CIA, despite having already obtained closed-door testimony from the individual previously. “The witness testifying today is not appearing as a whistleblower in pursuit of the truth, but instead in response to the subpoena issued by Chairman Paul,” Lyons added in a statement. Carol Thompson, Erdman’s attorney, told reporters Wednesday that her client was concerned about retaliation by the CIA, but declined to comment further. Following Erdman’s testimony, several GOP lawmakers called for former National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) Director Dr. Anthony Fauci to face criminal prosecution for allegedly seeking to suppress the origins of COVID-19. “It was significantly influenced by Anthony Fauci, injecting himself into the IC [intelligence community],” Erdman said when asked by Paul whether the CIA downplayed the likelihood that COVID-19 emerged from a lab leak. “We just heard testimony that he intervened behind the scenes to try and get our own intelligence agency, CIA, FBI to change their assessment of the lab leak,” Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., told Fox News. “Why? Because he helped fund the Wuhan lab. He supported and funded gain-of-function research, and then he tried to cover it up, and then he worked to cover it up from the American people.” “I hope he’s indicted,” Hawley added. The hearing on Wednesday came after a statute of limitations deadline for Fauci to face criminal charges regarding that testimony passed earlier this week. “Whether the DOJ decides to charge Fauci or not, I’m not letting up,” Paul wrote on social media Monday. ‘HELD ACCOUNTABLE’: SEN. RAND PAUL AGAIN VOWS TO ISSUE A CRIMINAL REFERRAL FOR FAUCI Paul has long called for Fauci to be indicted for allegedly lying to Congress about gain-of-function research in Wuhan, China, linked to the COVID-19 pandemic. Fauci has vigorously denied the allegations. “I’ve sent several criminal referrals on Anthony Fauci to the Justice Department,” Paul said Wednesday. “And I hope they will be pursued at this time.” Former President Joe Biden notably issued an unprecedented preemptive pardon to Fauci with just hours left in his term. President Donald Trump has declared that pardon null and void because it was signed via autopen, but his administration has yet to make that argument in court. Dr. David Morens, a former senior advisor to Fauci, was indicted by a federal grand jury last month for allegedly concealing the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic. A handful of Republicans who have long pushed for answers on the pandemic’s origins excoriated the CIA for characterizing the hearing as politically motivated and aiming to undermine the president. “This proceeding amounts to nothing more than dishonest political theater masquerading as a congressional hearing,” CIA spokeswoman Lyons said in a statement preceding the hearing. “As the CIA has already assessed, COVID-19 most likely originated from a lab leak, and efforts to undermine that conclusion are disingenuous.” The agency’s scathing statement was a notable display of Republican infighting between the Trump administration and the GOP-controlled Senate. “This is not political theater,” Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., said in a fiery response to CIA spokeswoman Lyons. “I have years and years and years of built-up frustration of agencies like the CIA, Department of Justice, the FBI, HHS snubbing our oversight, giving us the big middle finger.” HOUSE REPUBLICANS ACCUSE BIDEN’S FBI OF RETALIATING AGAINST WHISTLEBLOWER WHO EXPOSED MISCONDUCT Paul also objected to the CIA’s objections to Erdman testifying in a public hearing, stating, “Closed-door testimony doesn’t provide oversight. Public testimony provides oversight.” Senate Republicans on the influential committee blasted their Democratic colleagues for not taking the time to listen to Erdman’s testimony. Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., the panel’s top-ranking Democrat, and the six other Democratic lawmakers on the committee did not attend Wednesday’s hearing. “Nothing shocks me anymore with our colleagues from the other side of the aisle, but I’m shocked that not one of them showed up here,” Johnson told Erdman. “This is serious oversight work,” he added. “This is what the American people need to see. And I just wish our Democrat colleagues had any level of curiosity about what’s happening inside the deep state.” Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, argued that Democrats intentionally chose to skip the hearing so they would not have to reckon with policy mistakes made during the COVID-19 pandemic. “This isn’t about politics, but somehow it’s become about politics because the Democrats don’t even want to hear the conversation about what obviously was a grave error that this country
Trump’s upbeat China message collides with deepening Beijing rivalry
President Donald Trump opened his high-stakes meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping by predicting a “fantastic future together” — striking an unusually warm tone as his administration pursues new trade and investment deals with Beijing. “In fact, the longest relationship of our two countries that any president and president has had,” Trump said at the start of the bilateral meeting Thursday local time. “We’ve had a fantastic relationship. We’ve gotten along.” “And whenever we had a problem, we worked that out very quickly,” he continued. “We’re going to have a fantastic future together.” Trump also praised Xi directly, calling him “a great leader” and emphasizing the personal relationship between the two leaders as a foundation for future cooperation. TRUMP HEADS TO BEIJING FOR HIGH-STAKES XI TALKS AS TAIWAN TENSIONS, TRADE DISPUTES TEST US STRENGTH Xi, in his own opening remarks, emphasized cooperation and shared interests between the two countries. “As leaders of major countries, this year is the 250th anniversary of American independence,” Xi said, according to a translator. “Congratulations to you and to the American people. I always believe that our two countries have more common interests than differences.” “Success in one is an opportunity for the other, and a stable bilateral relationship is good for the world,” he continued. XI JINPING WARNS TRUMP US WOULD ‘LOSE FROM CONFRONTATION’ WITH CHINA AS RENEWED TRADE WAR LOOMS “China and the United States both stand to gain from cooperation and lose from confrontation. We should be partners, not rivals. We should help each other succeed and prosper together, and find the right way for major countries to get along well with each other in the new era.” Xi added that he looked forward to working with Trump “to set the course for and steer the giant ship of China–U.S. relations so as to make 2026 a historic landmark year that opens up a new chapter in China–U.S. relations.” The comments came as Trump arrived in Beijing accompanied by a delegation of top American executives, underscoring the administration’s focus on economic dealmaking even as broader tensions between the two countries remain unresolved. INSIDE THE ‘DIGITAL LOCKDOWN’ FOR US OFFICIALS AS TRUMP ARRIVES IN CHINA “I just want to say, on behalf of all of the great delegation that we have … we have the greatest businessmen,” Trump said. “We ask the top 30 in the world. Every single one of them said yes.” The delegation includes executives from major U.S. firms spanning aerospace, finance, technology and agriculture, including Apple CEO Tim Cook, BlackRock CEO Larry Fink, Blackstone CEO Stephen Schwarzman, Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg, Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon and Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon. White House officials said ahead of the trip that Americans should expect the president to “deliver more good deals,” with talks expected to include aerospace, agriculture and energy, as well as continued work on a proposed U.S.-China “Board of Trade” and “Board of Investment.” A senior administration official said the potential trade framework under discussion could involve “double-digit billion” levels of commerce, along with possible purchase commitments from China in areas such as aircraft and agricultural products. The emphasis on dealmaking comes after years of friction between Washington and Beijing over trade, technology and military competition. Trump has imposed sweeping tariffs on Chinese goods — a policy he has continued into his second term — while repeatedly accusing Beijing of unfair trade practices. He also has criticized past U.S. policy that helped integrate China into the global trading system, arguing Beijing benefited from open markets without offering the same access in return. But in his opening remarks Thursday, the president emphasized business ties and personal rapport, highlighting what appeared to be an effort to stabilize economic relations between the world’s two largest economies. The comments came as administration officials said trade discussions with China are ongoing, alongside talks on issues including Iran, artificial intelligence and other security matters. Trump’s praise of Xi is consistent with his longstanding approach of using personal diplomacy with foreign leaders, including rivals, as a negotiating tactic — though whether that approach will translate into concrete agreements with China remains to be seen.
China rolls out red carpet for Trump as Xi meeting tests trade, Taiwan tensions
President Donald Trump was greeted with pomp and circumstance by the Chinese as he met China’s President Xi Jinping ahead of a high-stakes bilateral meeting between the two nations. After arriving in his armored vehicle Thursday morning local time, Trump met with Xi in front of the Great Hall of the People in Beijing in front of crowds of military personnel, dignitaries, music and children. After shaking hands with the Chinese president, the pair introduced each other to their dignitaries and later stood beneath a ceremonial red-and-yellow canopy for a photo-op as the star-spangled banner and China’s national anthem played in the background. TRUMP LANDS IN BEIJING FOR HIGH-STAKES XI SUMMIT AS TAIWAN TENSIONS, TRADE DISPUTES TEST US STRENGTH “That was an honor like few I have ever seen before,” Trump said after they made their way into the Great Hall. “I think I was particularly impressed by those children. They were happy, they were beautiful. The military is obvious — it couldn’t be better — but those children were amazing, and they represent so much. And I know, I know, they represent so much to you.” The ceremony marked the formal start of Trump’s high-stakes visit, with the pageantry outside the Great Hall giving way to a series of meetings expected to focus on trade, security and the broader effort to stabilize relations between Washington and Beijing. The discussions will test whether the public display of diplomacy can translate into progress on the deep disputes that continue to define the U.S.–China relationship. MARCO RUBIO SAYS US WILL PUSH CHINA TO TAKE A MORE ‘ACTIVE ROLE’ IN IRAN NEGOTIATIONS AHEAD OF TRUMP-XI SUMMIT During the opening ceremony, Trump walked around and admired the pomp and circumstance that included children waving flags and holding flowers. The event included marching by Chinese soldiers and music from Chinese military bands. Xi could be seen shaking hands with many of Trump’s closest advisors, like policy advisor Stephen Miller and communications director Steven Cheung, in addition to members of his Cabinet. The public part of the bilateral meeting following the ceremony was very short. “I look forward to our discussions on major issues important to our two countries and the world,” a translator for Xi said.
It never ends: GOP moves to fund border; Democrats blast Trump spending
This story never ends. The government is still not fully funded for the rest of the fiscal year, meaning Sept. 30. Yes. The House and Senate approved a bipartisan bill funding most of the Department of Homeland Security in late April. It’s similar to what the Senate approved unilaterally in late March. But the House never took it up until just before a recent congressional recess. Now the GOP is trying to go around Democrats and pass a three-year bill to fund ICE and Border Patrol. Democrats never secured reforms at ICE. So, they aren’t willing to help out. That’s why Republicans are using a special process called budget reconciliation to bypass Democrats. RELATED: REPUBLICANS QUESTION TRUMP BALLROOM FUNDING IN DHS BILL The only hitch is that it takes a while. The goal is to pass this bill by June 1. Republican Congressional leaders initially wanted to make this bill rather spare, just funding ICE and Border Patrol. But they expanded that measure to include $1 billion for President Trump’s ballroom security after the recent assassination attempt at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner. So, Democrats are launching a blitz about the ballroom. “Republicans say let them eat cake and demand American taxpayers build Trump a palace while they’re at it,” said Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. “These ‘ballroom Republicans’ have a constituency of one: Donald Trump’s ego.” “The president just plowed down the East Wing of the White House. And it sits there as a gaping hole waiting to be filled. It was going to be his billionaire buddies filling it. Now it’s the American taxpayers,” Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin, D-Ill., complained. Senate Republican leaders initially insisted the latest funding bill only stick to funding Border Patrol and ICE. “While my personal preference is to put as much as you possibly can in this reconciliation vehicle, there may only be an appetite for Border Patrol or ICE,” said Rep. Russell Fry, R-S.C. But the decision by GOP leaders to shove $1 billion into the bill opens the floor for other Republicans to stuff additional priorities into this budget reconciliation measure. “I’d love to see the SAVE Act in some form or fashion,” Rep. Pat Fallon, R-Texas, told Fox, referring to the bill which requires proof of citizenship to vote. “There are a lot of good conservative wins that we can put forth for the American people,” Rep. Greg Murphy, R-N.C., told Fox Business. Some pro-life Republicans are pushing an extension of a ban on money for Planned Parenthood. The prohibition expires later this year. “It’s been a very thorny issue. It’s all under negotiation right now,” said President Trump. Meantime, Republicans accuse Democrats of returning to their mantra to defund the police as they fight Border Patrol and ICE funding. Democrats remain opposed because they never secured the safeguards they wanted for ICE after what happened this winter in Minnesota. “My Democrat colleagues refused to provide a single dollar for the men and women who protect our borders,” said Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D. Efforts to fully fund the Department of Homeland Security emerged as a flashpoint in recent years. There are too many controversial policy areas fused together under one federal roof. That’s why there’s now a bipartisan plan to permanently split up DHS. “It’s just become too big. It’s become too bureaucratic,” said Rep. Jared Moskowitz, D-Fla., one of the chief sponsors of the bill. The legislation would make the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) its own Cabinet-level department. The Secret Service would report directly to the president. And the Transportation Security Agency (TSA) would head to the Department of Transportation. Consider the consternation by travelers with the government not paying TSA during the 43-day comprehensive government shutdown. The same thing happened over the winter and into the spring as DHS remained unfunded. Moskowitz believes his legislation would curb some government shutdowns. And it would shield tourists from fiscal fallout. “The American people’s travel cannot be held up in the political dysfunction of Washington,” said Moskowitz. But that debate is for another day. The immediate question is whether the Republican-led House and Senate can advance the package to finish off funding for ICE and CBP. Secret Service Director Sean Curran met with Senate Republicans over lunch Tuesday to defend the $1 billion request. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, was skeptical after she emerged from the meeting, noting that the administration needed to provide “justifications” and “details,” not “just top lines.” Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., defended the spending request. “You’ve got a president with three assassination attempts just in the last two years. And obviously the money that’s in there is about securing the building. And the Secret Service has a job to protect the president. We need to make sure they have the tools to do it,” said Thune. After the meeting, Thune said Curran “did a very good job of laying it out and developing the case for why these resources need to be used.” Other lawmakers need to hear more. “I don’t know if they’re talking about infrastructure dollars or other kind of technology,” said Rep. Dave Taylor, R-Ohio. “I need to see the details before I pass judgment on whether or not the request is reasonable.” Remember that Republicans want to support the president. But they also don’t want anything attached which will hold up ICE and Border Patrol funding. Especially this late in the game. “Members are diving in a little bit. They want to understand how much of this is really related to security,” said Rep. Dusty Johnson, R-S.D. “Obviously, we have to keep the president and his guests safe. “But when you’re talking about $1 billion, members are going to ask a lot of questions. They’re digging into details. I don’t think we know exactly how this shakes out yet.” Here’s what we do know: The Senate Budget Committee won’t meet until late next week to prep its version of the bill – regardless of what’s in
Vance turns up heat on states with federal cash threat over Medicaid fraud crackdown
Vice President JD Vance warned Wednesday that states could lose federal funding if they fail to aggressively pursue Medicaid fraud, escalating the Trump administration’s pressure campaign on governors and state Medicaid officials. “We are sending letters that will require them to show that they are effectively and aggressively prosecuting Medicaid fraud in their states. And if they do not, if they do not aggressively prosecute Medicaid fraud, we are going to turn off the money that goes to these anti-fraud units,” Vance said during a fraud news conference Wednesday. Vance said the federal government has provided states with “billions of dollars” for Medicaid Fraud Control Units and warned that funding could be cut off if states fail to comply with the crackdown. He pointed to states that have received billions of dollars in federal funding to protect against fraud but have yet to produce a conviction or indictment. The warning came as the administration announced it is deferring $1.3 billion in Medicaid reimbursements from California and Vance accused the state of failing to take fraud seriously. California officials have disputed the administration’s claims. HOUSE GOP LAUNCHES NEW TASK FORCE, PROBES ALLEGED $250B MEDICAID FRAUD IN OHIO “We’re announcing that the federal government is deferring $1.3 billion in Medicaid reimbursements from the state of California. And the simple reason is because the state of California has not taken fraud very seriously,” Vance added. Vance said Ohio, a red state, and Maryland, a blue state, have been good examples of states they have been working with that are taking the “fraud seriously.” Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine issued a press release on the same day announcing a series of new measures his state is taking to crack down on suspected fraud, including proposing a six-month moratorium on new home healthcare and hospice providers enrolling in Medicaid. As for other states, Vance pointed to a handful of Democrat-led jurisdictions for not tackling the fraud scandals more aggressively. “This does not have to be a red state or a blue state issue. This is just basic good government. However, states like California, states like Hawaii, states like New York have completely not taken the fraud issue seriously in the Medicaid program. And, so, for those states that refuse to get serious about fraud, we are going to turn off that anti-fraud money,” said Vance. VANCE ANTI-FRAUD TASK FORCE SUSPENDS 221 CALIFORNIA HOSPICE AND HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS SO FAR He added that if states do not take the fraud crackdown seriously, other resources within their Medicaid programs could be turned off too. “We don’t want to turn off any money. What we want to do is ensure that people are taking fraud seriously. We want to protect Medicaid,” said Vance. “We want to protect Medicare, but we can’t do that if the states that are administering those programs are allowing those programs to be fleeced by fraudsters.” READ: DR. OZ PUTS ALL 50 GOVERNORS ON NOTICE OVER BILLIONS LOST TO MEDICAID FRAUD Dr. Mehmet Oz previously gave governors and state Medicaid leaders 10 business days on April 23 to tell CMS whether they will commit to conducting a swift “revalidation” of high-risk Medicaid providers and provide a proposed timetable, Fox News Digital exclusively reported at the time, alongside a separate 30-day deadline for a broader provider-revalidation strategy, escalating federal pressure on states to tighten anti-fraud enforcement. “While the factors contributing to fraud are multifaceted and require a comprehensive approach to address, a revalidation process for high-risk providers will immediately deter criminal actors from continuing their fraud schemes, as the federal and state governments closely review and scrutinize the qualifications of providers to suspend or terminate clearly abusive actors from the program,” Oz wrote in a letter. The letters targeted providers at “high risk of waste, fraud, abuse, and corruption,” particularly those with “less rigorous enrollment and billing requirements,” with CMS directing states to include any provider operating without a National Provider Identifier. A second letter was also sent to each state Medicaid director reiterating the call for a revalidation strategy tailored to each state. “Our analysis of national trends strongly suggests a persistent and growing Medicaid threat posed by sophisticated actors knowingly exploiting these complex systems for financial gain,” Oz wrote. Fox News Digital reached out to the office of the vice president and CMS for additional comment.