Rapper thanks Trump for pardon on gun conviction
A Louisiana rapper who was convicted on gun charges is now thanking President Donald Trump for pardoning him, saying he is “giving me the opportunity to keep building — as a man, as a father, and as an artist.” NBA YoungBoy, whose real name is Kentrell Gaulden, made the statement as Trump issued a number of pardons Wednesday. Last year, Gaulden was sentenced by a federal judge in Utah after he acknowledged possessing weapons despite being a convicted felon. However, he reached an agreement that resolved Utah state charges against him and settled two sets of federal charges against him — one carried a 23-month sentence and the other ordered five years of probation and a $200,000 fine. “I want to thank President Trump for granting me a pardon and for giving me the opportunity to keep building — as a man, as a father, and as an artist,” Gaulden, whose stage moniker stands for “Never Broke Again,” wrote on his Instagram. “This moment means a lot.” TRUMP PARDONS EX-CONNECTICUT GOVERNOR ROWLAND AND COMMUTES CHICAGO GANG LEADER HOOVER’S SENTENCE “It opens the door to a future I’ve worked hard for and I am fully prepared to step into this,” Gaulden added. Gaulden was released from federal prison in March and sent to home confinement after receiving credit for time served, his attorney Drew Findling told the Associated Press. With home confinement finished last month, the pardon means he won’t have to follow the terms of his probation, including drug testing, he said. “From Louisiana to Utah the battles have been endless, and now he can concentrate on first and foremost his family, and then, of course, his amazing career,” Findling said in a statement. ‘ISLAND BOYS’ RAPPER FRANKY VENEGAS ARRESTED IN FLORIDA ON GUN, DRUG CHARGES The rapper has acknowledged that he possessed a Glock 21 .45-caliber pistol and a Masterpiece Arms MPA30T 9mm handgun while filming a rap video in Baton Rouge. He has also said he had a Sig Sauer 9mm semi-automatic pistol at his home in Huntsville, Utah. He had agreed to give up the guns. Gaulden had previously been convicted in Louisiana of aggravated assault with a firearm, according to his statement released in advance of the plea agreement. He had also pleaded guilty in November to his role in a prescription drug fraud ring that operated out of his home in Utah. He had to pay a $25,000 fine and was given no prison time. Gaulden, who has achieved four No. 1 albums on the Billboard 200 and one Top 10 hit on the Billboard Hot 100, is now preparing to set out on a major U.S. arena tour later this year. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Federal judge says attempted deportation of anti-Israel ringleader Mahmoud Khalil may be unconstitutional
A federal judge in New Jersey ruled that President Donald Trump’s effort to deport anti-Israel activist Mahmoud Khalil is most likely unconstitutional on Wednesday. U.S. District Judge Michael Farbiarz handed down the ruling, though he did not go so far as to order Khalil’s release. Farbiarz argued that the Trump administration’s deportation order was likely to be dismissed as “unconstitutionally vague.” “The district court held what we already knew: Secretary Rubio’s weaponization of immigration law to punish Mahmoud and others like him is likely unconstitutional,” lawyers for Khalil said after the ruling. Khalil, who was approved for deportation by a U.S. immigration judge, has argued that his free speech rights were being “eroded” by the Trump administration. MAHMOUD KHALIL RIPS ‘REPRESSIVE’ TRUMP ADMIN FOR ERODING HIS RIGHTS IN WASHINGTON POST OP-ED Khalil is accused of being a ringleader for anti-Israel protests at Columbia University. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) attorneys have argued that Khalil’s free speech claims were a “red herring,” saying that the 30-year-old green card holder lied on his visa applications. Khalil, they said, willfully failed to disclose his employment with the Syrian office in the British Embassy in Beirut when he applied for permanent U.S. residency. COLUMBIA ANTI-ISRAEL PROTESTER MAHMOUD KHALIL CAN BE DEPORTED, JUDGE RULES Khalil has Algerian citizenship through his mother, but was born in a Palestinian refugee camp in Syria. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Khalil is married to Noor Abdalla, a U.S. citizen. They met in 2016 while volunteering in Lebanon. They married in 2023, and she was eight months pregnant at the time of his arrest. Fox News’ Sarah Rumpf-Whitten contributed to this report.
GOP rails against ‘blatantly false’ Dem claims about Medicaid reform in Trump’s ‘big, beautiful bill’
House Republicans are celebrating Medicaid reform in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which the House GOP says eliminates waste, fraud and abuse to deliver for Americans who need coverage most. Meanwhile, Democrats have railed against possible Medicaid cuts since President Donald Trump was elected in November. Now that his “big, beautiful bill” has passed in the House of Representatives, Democrats are defining Medicaid cuts as a driving issue ahead of competitive midterm elections in 2026. Republicans say there is more to the story. “The One, Big Beautiful Bill puts Americans first. We’re securing the border. We’re protecting benefits for the most vulnerable. We are investing in American manufacturing. We’re investing in our own energy production,” Rep. Erin Houchin, R-Ind., told Fox News Digital in an exclusive interview. “The Democrats have been focusing on this specific line of attack that 13.7 million Americans are going to lose their health care, and that’s just blatantly false.” DEMOCRATS PREDICT PASSING TRUMP’S ‘BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL’ WILL COST MANY REPUBLICANS THEIR SEATS The Congressional Budget Office (CBO), a nonpartisan analysis for the U.S. Congress, estimates that 8.6 million people in the United States will lose health insurance by 2034 through the One Big Beautiful Bill Act’s Medicaid reform. “Five million of those people are receiving a tax credit under the Affordable Care Act that was passed by the Democrats with a sunset date that was implemented by the Democrats. We’re simply allowing the sunset date to expire as the Democrats originally intended,” Houchin said. DEMS WARN HOUSE REPUBLICANS WILL PAY PRICE AT BALLOT BOX FOR PASSING TRUMP’S ‘BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL’ CBO estimates that 13.7 million Americans will lose coverage by 2034, which also includes the 5 million Americans who were already set to lose coverage. A number of Democrats have already deployed the figure in campaign messages rejecting Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” passing in the House. “I don’t trust the CBO score, nor should the American people, because it’s been proven again and again to be wildly off,” added Houchin, who served on three major committees leading budget markup, including the House Rules, Budget and Energy and Commerce committees. The American Accountability Foundation, a conservative government research nonprofit, found that of the 32 staff members on CBO’s Health Analysis Division, 26 of them have “clearly” verified liberal partisan biases, as a Democrat donor, registered Democrat or a Democratic primary voter, as Fox News Digital reported this month. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act does not cut Medicaid for the most vulnerable, according to Houchin. Instead, she says targeting waste, fraud and abuse in the Medicaid program cuts benefits to illegal immigrants, those ineligible to receive benefits who are currently receiving benefits, duplicate enrollees in one or more states and those who are able-bodied but are choosing not to work. “If you have to think about the four things that we’re doing in Medicaid to strengthen it, we’re removing anybody that is illegal, ineligible or duplicate, and we’re ensuring that able-bodied adults, on the expansion population, have a very modest work requirement, in exchange for receiving benefits. Those things are overwhelmingly supported by the American people, yet the Democrats continue to lie about what this bill is actually doing,” Houchin said. Republicans say they are cleaning up the program to ensure working families and the most vulnerable Americans can rely on the program for generations to come. “What we’re trying to do is protect precious Medicaid dollars for those who need it most,” Houchin said. “That’s what we’re doing. No one in the traditional Medicaid population needs to worry. And even if you’re in the able-body expansion population, there are many opportunities to comply to participate in Medicaid.” However, Democrats have already designated Medicaid cuts as a defining issue in 2026. “House Republicans’ giant tax scam will kick millions of people off their health insurance,” Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) spokesperson Viet Shelton told Fox News Digital. “It is fact. Independent analysts say it. Health care professionals say it. Hell, even Republican senators say so. Their saying anything to the contrary is just them trying to protect their already in danger majority.” After weeks of negotiating through budget reconciliation, House Republicans finally reached a consensus and passed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act last week. The bill passed just 215 to 214, and all Democrats voted against it. Republicans’ slim majority managed to deliver a legislative win for Trump. However, the “big, beautiful” fight is far from over as the Senate is tasked with drafting their own version of the bill. Senate Republicans have indicated they do not support the bill in its current form. “I don’t want to see rural hospitals close their doors because funding got cut. I also don’t like the idea of a hidden tax on the working poor. That’s why I’m a NO on this House bill in its current form,” Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., said. The sweeping, multitrillion-dollar legislation advances Trump’s agenda on taxes, immigration, energy, defense and the national debt. The bill includes Trump’s key campaign promises, including no tax on tips and overtime, and it seeks to permanently extend his 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. “By passing the largest cut to Medicaid in history, Republicans are ripping away health care from millions of Americans and levying a de facto hidden tax on working-class families,” DCCC Chair Suzan DelBene said in a statement after the bill passed. “Now that vulnerable Republicans are on the record voting for it, this betrayal of the American people will cost them their jobs in the midterms and Republicans the House Majority come 2026.” While Democrats target vulnerable Republicans for supporting Medicaid reform in Trump’s “big, beautiful bill,” Republicans are taking aim at Democrats for voting against the bill’s tax cuts. “House Democrats voted for the largest tax increase in generations while giving taxpayer-funded freebies to illegal immigrants. The NRCC will make sure voters don’t forget how they betrayed working families,” National Republican Campaign Committee (NRCC) spokesman Mike Marinella said in a
SCOOP: GOP push for new House committee to probe Biden decline ‘cover-up’ gains steam
FIRST ON FOX: House Republicans are mounting a push to start a new select committee focused on investigating the Biden administration for allegedly “covering up” signs of the 82-year-old former president’s decline. Rep. Buddy Carter, R-Ga., is introducing legislation Thursday that would establish a panel of congressional investigators to “investigate and report upon the facts of President Joseph Robinette Biden, Jr.’s cognitive and physical health decline and the potential concealment of information from the American public,” according to bill text obtained by Fox News Digital. Republicans have unleashed a tidal wave of scrutiny on the previous Democrat White House as new reports – as well as old concerns previously dismissed by mainstream media – surface about Biden’s mental state while in office and what lengths those closest to him took to allegedly hide it from others. SCOOP: HOUSE GOP MEMO HIGHLIGHTS REPUBLICAN WINS IN TRUMP’S ‘BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL’ Carter’s text calls to investigate former Vice President Kamala Harris and former first lady Jill Biden as well as whoever took part in keeping the audio tapes of Special Counsel Robert Hur’s interview with Biden from the public. The select committee would also focus on whether Biden allies “concealed” his prostate cancer diagnosis before it was announced publicly last week. Biden’s spokesperson denied prior knowledge of the diagnosis in a statement to the New York Times. The resolution also specifically called for a probe into the use of the autopen in Biden’s White House to sign meaningful legislation. “This is potentially the biggest political scandal of our lifetime, and the American people deserve to know the truth about who was really running the White House during Biden’s tenure as president,” Carter told Fox News Digital of his legislation. “From using the autopen to pardon his own family members to likely concealing a cancer diagnosis, our government must restore trust with the public by fully investigating the former administration’s lies and getting to the bottom of one of the most consequential coverups in history.” Carter, who is currently running for Senate in Georgia, was among several Republicans who demanded Biden take a cognitive test last year. “The American people can no longer be left to wonder about their safety and security because of the President’s deteriorating mental state,” Carter wrote in a June 2024 letter to the White House. MIKE JOHNSON, DONALD TRUMP GET ‘BIG, BEAUTIFUL’ WIN AS BUDGET PASSES HOUSE His new resolution comes on the heels of House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer, R-Ky., opening his own investigation into revelations surrounding Biden’s cognitive decline. Comer spent much of the last Congress investigating whether Biden and his family unjustly profited from foreign cash. The House Oversight chair sent letters to former senior White House aides, including Biden’s doctor, Kevin O’Connor, announcing a probe into “the role of former senior Biden White House officials in possibly usurping authority from former President Joe Biden and the ramifications of a White House staff intent on hiding his rapidly worsening mental and physical faculties.” Meanwhile, first-term Rep. Jimmy Patronis, R-Fla., called for a similar select committee on Wednesday.
Pro-life leader praises bill requiring Ten Commandments in Texas schools: ‘A step in the right direction’
In an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital, 40 Days for Life President and CEO Shawn Carney praised Texas lawmakers for passing legislation that would require the Ten Commandments to be displayed in every public school classroom in the state. The bill, approved by both chambers of the state Legislature and now awaiting Gov. Greg Abbott’s signature mandates that each classroom feature a poster or framed copy of the Ten Commandments that is at least 16 inches wide and 20 inches tall, and legible from anywhere in the room. If signed, the law would take effect in the 2025–26 school year. SUPREME COURT WEIGHS RELIGIOUS LIBERTY DISPUTE OVER PUBLIC FUNDING FOR CATHOLIC CHARTER SCHOOL “This is great,” Carney said. “The Ten Commandments are good. It’s basically the moral code for most people who have ever lived. No matter what their belief system, most people don’t believe we should steal, kill, or commit adultery. “It’s a beautiful thing,” he added. “I’m proud to be a Texan where they’re supporting this, and it’s something that we need in the classrooms.” Carney, who leads what he describes as the world’s largest pro-life organization, operating in 64 countries, linked the legislation to a broader cultural shift. On its website, the group explains it is “an internationally coordinated 40-day campaign that aims to end abortion locally through prayer and fasting, community outreach, and a peaceful all-day vigil in front of abortion businesses.” “These are good things – allowing a baby to live is good,” Carney said. “The Ten Commandments are good.” TEACHERS UNION BOSS RANDI WEINGARTEN SHARES HER ‘CONCERN’ WITH SCOTUS CASE ON LGBTQ BOOKS Addressing constitutional concerns, Carney pushed back on the argument that the legislation violates the First Amendment’s Establishment Clause. “We have Moses in the U.S. Capitol. Nobody’s ever raised a stink about that,” he said. “Having the Ten Commandments, something that has been celebrated throughout generations of Americans who have gone before us, having those in the school is just not a big deal.” Carney also emphasized that the historical intent behind the separation of church and state was to protect religious freedom, not to eliminate religious references from public institutions. “Jefferson wanted separation of church and state to protect the Church,” he said, citing recent federal actions he views as infringing on religious liberty. “We saw the Biden administration try to force Catholic doctors to perform abortions or prescribe contraception. We need to protect the Church.” He framed the bill as part of a broader backlash against what he described as a secular, “woke mentality” that he believes has eroded moral clarity. “Our schools are violent. They are places that need the Ten Commandments,” Carney said. “Even if you don’t believe in God, you should be able to learn about God. “There’s been this push that believing in God is archaic,” he continued. “This bill is another step in the right direction.” Although the Supreme Court struck down a similar law in Stone v. Graham (1980), Carney believes Texas’s effort will survive legal challenges. “I do think it’ll survive the legal battles,” he said. “Revisiting this with a new Supreme Court is very wise and something that needs to be done.” Carney also sees the law as a potential model for other states. “Texas has set the bar high,” he said. “This does set a precedent. Most atheists believe in the Ten Commandments. They are the basis of Western civilization.” Looking to the future, Carney hopes the bill encourages greater moral formation nationwide. “The ideal result is that more states do this over the next five or 10 years,” he said. “We need guidance. We don’t do very well on our own. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “The Ten Commandments point us to good. To discipline. To truth. To love. And to mercy,” he added. “They help us know what’s right from wrong. We all grow in virtue by learning and following the Ten Commandments, no matter our religious background.” Texas would join Louisiana and Arkansas, which have already passed similar laws. Supporters of the legislation say the commandments represent a foundational code of conduct, while critics warn it could face constitutional scrutiny in federal court, FOX 4 reported.
Trump commutes sentence of major political donor in latest round of clemency
President Donald Trump on Wednesday commuted the 12-year sentence of a major political donor who was serving time for a number of offenses, including obstructing an investigation into Trump’s 2017 inaugural committee, the White House confirmed with Fox News Digital. Imaad Zuberi, 54, was a major Democrat supporter before he backed Trump following his 2016 election victory, The New York Times reported. Before pivoting to Trump on election night, he served as a bundler for Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, including stints on both of their campaign finance committees. Zuberi donated more than $1.1 million to committees associated with Trump and the Republican Party months after the 2016 election, the Times reported. TRUMP ‘PARDON CZAR’ EXPLAINS KEY DIFFERENCES BETWEEN TRUMP AND BIDEN PARDONS The donations secured him invitations to a pair of black-tie dinners celebrating Trump’s inauguration. In 2020, he pleaded guilty to obstructing a federal investigation into the source of a $900,000 donation he made through his company to Trump’s inaugural committee in late December 2016, the report states. Zuberi also pleaded guilty to falsifying records filed with the Justice Department under the Foreign Agents Registration Act to conceal his lobbying work on behalf of Sri Lanka. Zuberi allegedly directed millions of dollars from the Sri Lankan contract to himself and his wife for personal purposes, shortchanging lobbyists, public relations and law firms, and certain subcontractors who were part of the lobbying effort. MAN WHO HAD PRISON SENTENCE COMMUTED BY BIDEN NOW FACING DRUG, FIREARMS-RELATED CHARGES His commutation was one of several on Wednesday, as well as a few pardons. Larry Hoover, who is serving time in a federal supermax prison, also had his sentence commuted. Hoover, the co-founder of the Chicago gang Gangster Disciples, was originally imprisoned for a 1973 murder and later convicted in 1998 for operating a criminal enterprise. Trump also pardoned former Connecticut Gov. John Rowland, who was convicted in two federal criminal cases, including one that contributed to his resignation. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
FBI examining COVID-19 origin ‘cover-up’ amid new strain emergence: Bongino
FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino stated Wednesday evening that the bureau is examining issues related to the origin of COVID-19, though he did not confirm the existence of a formal investigation into a cover-up. Bongino made the remarks in a post on X amid growing media attention on a newly identified COVID-19 strain. “As we read and process reports of a new COVID strain emerging, I want you to know that we are actively investigating, in multiple field offices, the cover-up of the origin of the COVID virus, along with associated matters requiring our attention,” Bongino wrote. “The American people deserve answers.” FBI DEPUTY DIRECTOR BONGINO: ILLEGAL ALIEN CRIMINALS AND CHILD PREDATORS ARE NEXT IN ONGOING CRACKDOWN He did not identify specific individuals or entities under scrutiny. The FBI has not issued an official news release on the matter, and the scope of the review remains unclear. The FBI did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. Bongino’s comment represents one of the most direct public statements by a senior FBI official regarding the agency’s continued interest in the pandemic’s origin and the surrounding circumstances. In 2023, then-FBI Director Christopher Wray said the agency assessed with moderate confidence that COVID-19 most likely originated from a lab incident in Wuhan, China. Chinese authorities have consistently denied such claims, calling them politically motivated and unsubstantiated. FBI DEPUTY DIRECTOR DAN BONGINO: JAMES COMEY ‘BROUGHT SHAME TO THE FBI AGAIN’ WITH ’86 47′ POST Bongino’s post follows the detection of a new COVID-19 variant, provisionally identified by researchers as NB.1.8.1, which has appeared in several U.S. states. Federal health authorities have not designated it as a variant of concern. The House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic has continued its inquiry into whether early public health messaging downplayed the lab leak theory for diplomatic or political reasons. Dr. Anthony Fauci, a former White House health advisor, has repeatedly denied any effort to conceal information, calling those allegations “entirely false.” DOJ INVESTIGATING ANDREW CUOMO FOR ALLEGEDLY LYING ABOUT COVID DECISIONS, SOURCE CONFIRMS CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Bongino has increasingly used social media to communicate bureau updates directly to the public. A former NYPD officer and Secret Service agent, Bongino was appointed deputy director earlier this year by FBI Director Kash Patel.
State Department now scrutinizing all visa holders associated with Harvard
Senior State Department officials tell Fox News all visa holders associated with Harvard University are being scrutinized, not just student visa holders. Along with student visas, the State Department will be conducting a substantive investigation into B-1, or business visas; B-2, or tourist visas; as well as others, officials said. The investigation is aimed at identifying potential security vulnerabilities or other abuses of the visa system. The probe could impact hundreds of people associated with the elite school and could reveal if people entering with claimed connections truly have real connections or more tenuous connections. TRUMP ADMIN ASKING FEDERAL AGENCIES TO CANCEL REMAINING HARVARD CONTRACTS Fox News Digital learned earlier in the day that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is eliminating the student visa program at Harvard University due to “pro-terrorist conduct” at campus protests. The move is a severe consequence in response to what the DHS claims is Harvard’s refusal to comply with its requests for behavioral records of student visa holders. “This administration is holding Harvard accountable for fostering violence, antisemitism, and coordinating with the Chinese Communist Party on its campus,” DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said. “It is a privilege, not a right, for universities to enroll foreign students and benefit from their higher tuition payments to help pad their multibillion-dollar endowments. Harvard had plenty of opportunity to do the right thing. It refused. They have lost their Student and Exchange Visitor Program certification as a result of their failure to adhere to the law. Let this serve as a warning to all universities and academic institutions across the country.” TRUMP ACCUSES HARVARD OF BEING ‘VERY SLOW’ TO TURN OVER FOREIGN STUDENT INFO Harvard may no longer enroll foreign students in the 2025-2026 school year, and existing foreign students must transfer or lose their legal status to reside in the U.S. before the next academic year begins. “As a result of your brazen refusal to comply with multiple requests to provide the Department of Homeland Security pertinent information while perpetuating an unsafe campus environment that is hostile to Jewish students, promotes pro-Hamas rhetoric, and employs racist ‘diversity, equity, and inclusion’ policies, you have lost this privilege,” Noem wrote in a letter to Maureen Martin, the university’s director of immigration services. Noem offered Harvard 72 hours to provide the information requested for an opportunity to regain its visa program for the next school year. HARVARD SUES TRUMP ADMINISTRATION OVER TERMINATION OF STUDENT VISA PROGRAM She called the move the “direct result of Harvard’s epic failure to comply with simple reporting requirements.” Harvard, meanwhile, asserted the termination was “unlawful.” Last month, Harvard announced it would allow foreign students to accept admission to both Harvard and a foreign university as backup amid the Trump administration’s threats to move to block Harvard’s authorization to host them. Typically, students must accept enrollment at Harvard by May 1 and can’t commit to another university. At least a dozen Harvard students have had their authorization to study in the U.S. revoked over campus protest activity. The Trump administration has already frozen close to $3 billion in federal funding to the university, largely dedicated to research, and launched investigations across the departments of Justice, Education and Health and Human Services. They claim that Harvard has failed to address campus antisemitism and eradicate Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) in its policies. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced Wednesday the U.S. will begin “aggressively” revoking visas of Chinese students, including those with connections to the Chinese Communist Party or studying in critical fields. He also told Congress this week that the State Department had probably revoked “thousands” of student visas by this point and would “proudly” revoke more. “We’re going to continue to revoke the visas of people who are here as guests and are disrupting our higher education facilities,” he said Tuesday. “A visa is a privilege, not a right.” The crackdown on university policies comes after a wave of pro-Gaza student protests and encampments swept schools across the nation since the beginning of Israel’s offensive campaign to eradicate Hamas after the Oct. 7 attacks to pressure university administrations to divest from Israel. Fox News Digital’s Morgan Phillips contributed to this report.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology shutters DEI office following monthslong ‘comprehensive assessment’
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is shutting down its diversity, equity and inclusion office following a comprehensive assessment that began nearly 18 months ago. MIT President Sally Kornbluth announced the closing, or “sunsetting,” of the Institute Community and Equity Office (ICEO) last Thursday. “As I’ve said many times, MIT is in the talent business,” Kornbluth’s announcement read. “Our success depends on attracting exceptionally talented people of every background, from across the country and around the world, and making sure everyone at MIT feels welcome and supported, so they can do their best work and thrive.” Among the top priorities listed in the memo, titled “How we support our community,” was a section with the header “Core programs will continue, but we will wind down the central ICEO.” ELITE UNIVERSITY ELIMINATES DEI HIRING REQUIREMENT: ‘THEY DON’T WORK’ “This process began nearly 18 months ago,” a university spokesperson told Fox News Digital, noting that the decision followed a “comprehensive assessment” of the Institute. The ICEO, which billed itself online as a steward of “MIT’s values and their interconnections,” claimed it built “community through care, education, restorative practices, and programming that embraces, celebrates, and helps increase MIT’s diversity in all its forms.” MIT will also eliminate the role of vice president for equity and inclusion, Kornbluth confirmed. Earlier this month, the school became the first in its class to scrap diversity pledges in its hiring and admissions processes – a practice slammed by free speech advocate organization FIRE as functionally serving as “ideological litmus tests.” TRUMP ADMIN ASKING FEDERAL AGENCIES TO CANCEL REMAINING HARVARD CONTRACTS MIT’s decision comes on the heels of the Trump administration’s public feud with nearby Harvard University, including a recent ask to pull all federal funds – amounting to a staggering $100 million in contracts – being funneled toward the Ivy League institution. This comes after Harvard has shown little sway in its standoff with the president over foreign student enrollment and alleged race-based admissions. MIT, however, has been downscaling its DEI infrastructure for some time – and the university spokesperson denied any correlation between ongoing political disputes involving Harvard and the ICEO’s demise.
Musk officially steps down from DOGE after wrapping work streamlining government
Elon Musk is beginning the process of stepping down from his role as head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). The Tesla and SpaceX CEO posted on X on Wednesday night that his time as a special government employee is coming to an end and thanked President Donald Trump for the opportunity to cut down on wasteful spending. “The @DOGE mission will only strengthen over time as it becomes a way of life throughout the government,” Musk wrote in his post. The White House confirmed to FOX that Musk’s post is accurate and offboarding will begin Wednesday night. Musk has been the public face of DOGE since Trump signed an executive order establishing the office on Jan. 20. DOGE has since ripped through federal government agencies in a quest to identify and end government overspending, corruption and fraud. ELON MUSK SAYS HE ‘FULLY ENDORSES’ TRUMP AFTER GUNFIRE AT PENNSYLVANIA RALLY He was officially hired as a “special government employee,” which is a role Congress created in 1962 that allows the executive or legislative branch to hire temporary employees for specific short-term initiatives. Special government employees are permitted to work for the federal government for “no more than 130 days in a 365-day period,” according to data from the Office of Government Ethics. Musk’s 130-day timeframe, beginning on Inauguration Day, was set to run dry on May 30. DOGE is a temporary cross-departmental organization that was established to slim down and streamline the federal government. The group itself will be dissolved on July 4, 2026, according to Trump’s executive order. Musk and Trump have both previously previewed that Musk’s role was temporary and would end in the spring. “You, technically, are a special government employee and you’re supposed to be 130 days,” Fox News’ Bret Baier asked Musk during an exclusive interview with Musk and DOGE team members in April. “Are you going to continue past that or do you think that’s what you’re going to do?” MUSK NOT LEAVING YET, WRAPPING UP WORK ON SCHEDULE ONCE ‘INCREDIBLE WORK AT DOGE IS COMPLETE’: WHITE HOUSE “I think we will have accomplished most of the work required to reduce the deficit by a trillion dollars within that timeframe,” Musk responded. Trump hinted at Musk’s departure in comments to reporters on March 31 when he was asked if he wants Musk to remain in a government role for longer than the predetermined 130 days. “I think he’s amazing. But I also think he’s got a big company to run,” Trump said in March. “And so at some point he’s going to be going back.” “I’d keep him as long as I can keep him,” Trump said. “He’s a very talented guy. You know, I love very smart people. He’s very smart. And he’s done a good job,” the president added. “DOGE is, we’ve found numbers that nobody can even believe.” More recently, Musk said during a Tesla earnings call on April 22 that he will take a step back from his work as DOGE’s leader. DOGE CHAIN OF COMMAND REVEALED IN COURT FILING, SHOWING MUSK IS NOT THE BOSS “I think starting probably in next month, May, my time allocation to DOGE will drop significantly,” Musk said during Tesla’s earnings conference call. “I’ll have to continue doing it for, I think, the remainder of the president’s term just to make sure the waste and fraud that we stopped does not come roaring back, which it will do if it has the chance. So I think I’ll continue to spend, you know, a day or two per week on government matters for as long as the president would like me to do so and as long as it is useful.” “But starting next month,” he added, “I’ll be allocating far more of my time to Tesla now that the major work of establishing the Department of Government Efficiency is done.” Amid Musk’s work with DOGE, Democrats and activists have staged protests against the tech billionaire and his companies, including working to tank Tesla stocks. Musk has been the public face of DOGE for months, but is not an employee of the United States DOGE Service and does not report to the acting DOGE chief, according to a court filing in March that shed additional light on the internal workings of the office. WHO IS DOGE’S NEWLY IDENTIFIED ADMINISTRATOR AMY GLEASON? ‘WORLD-CLASS TALENT’ “Elon Musk does not work at USDS. I do not report to him, and he does not report to me. To my knowledge, he is a Senior Advisor to the White House,” Amy Gleason, the acting administrator of DOGE, wrote in a declaration included in a court filing. Gleason previously worked for the United States Digital Service, which was founded in 2014 by former President Barack Obama as a technology office within the Executive Office of the President. Trump signed an executive order in January that renamed the office to the United States DOGE Service, establishing DOGE. Though Musk has been the public face of DOGE, he “has no actual or formal authority to make government decisions himself” and is working as a senior advisor to the president, a White House official said in a separate court filing back in February. SENATE REPUBLICAN DOGE LEADER JONI ERNST FACES FIRST DEMOCRATIC CHALLENGER IN 2026 RACE Musk emerged as an ardent supporter of Trump at the height of the election cycle over the summer, officially endorsing Trump after the first assassination attempt against him in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13, 2024. “I fully endorse President Trump and hope for his rapid recovery,” Musk posted to X shortly after the attempt, accompanied by footage of Trump raising a fist and shouting “Fight, fight, fight!” after he was left bloodied by the assassination attempt. Musk hosted Trump on X for an expansive interview while on the campaign trail Across Musk’s tenure as a special government employee, Trump has praised the tech billionaire for his efforts to streamline the government and cut it of overspending, including