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New exclusive video obtained by Fox News reveals intense moments from a high-speed vehicle chase as law enforcement pursued two illegal immigrants suspected of carrying fentanyl through a cornfield in Grundy County, Illinois, late last year. 

A Grundy County official told Fox News that Illinois sanctuary state policies allowed the two Honduran illegal immigrants to travel through the county unchecked. 

Grundy is a primarily rural county northwest of Chicago. 

The footage, taken Oct. 24, shows the two immigrants, Roybin Barahona, 18, and Cristhian Anahel Erazo Velasquez, 23, swerving in a vehicle through the cornfield, and authorities rammed a vehicle into their car to get them to stop. After their car was rammed, the two men fled their sedan, and officers continued their pursuit. 

ACTIVISTS IN MEXICO REPORT FLOW OF MIGRANTS HAS ‘ENORMOUSLY DECREASED’ ONE MONTH INTO TRUMP ADMIN

Two immigrants, Roybin Barahona, 18, and Cristhian Anahel Erazo Velasquez, 23, traveled through an Illinois cornfield, and authorities rammed their vehicle to get them to stop. (Adobe Stock/ Fox News)

Footage taken later shows law enforcement discovering a deadly payload of seven pounds of fentanyl in the immigrants’ burned-out vehicle. Both were charged with controlled substance trafficking, possession with intent to deliver fentanyl and resisting arrest, according to local outlet WSPY News. 

Due to the Illinois SAFE-T Act, which abolished Illinois’ cash bail system in 2023, Barahona was released without bail, after which he allegedly fled to California. 

CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE

Velasquez, meanwhile, remains in custody, and the Department of Homeland Security has filed a detainer against him. Despite the detainer, Illinois sanctuary laws continue to prevent local law enforcement from sharing information with federal immigration officials about Velasquez. 

Speaking with Fox News, Grundy County Board Chairman Drew Muffler voiced his frustration with the Illinois sanctuary law. He said that “because we are a sanctuary state, it allowed for illegal bad actors to be traveling with seven pounds of fentanyl through our county.

PRESIDENT TRUMP: FOUNDING FATHERS ‘SPINNING IN THEIR GRAVES’ BECAUSE OF BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP ABUSE

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, right, is criticizing the ICE operations that began Sunday in his city. (Getty Images)

“I don’t agree with putting handcuffs on law enforcement and preventing them from working effectively with federal authorities,” he said. “By restricting law enforcement’s ability to enforce the law, we are undermining public safety.” 

Grundy County was the first of several dozen counties in Illinois that defied the state by enacting a non-sanctuary ordinance. This comes after an influx of over 51,000 immigrants were bussed to Chicago since the summer of 2022.

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During the migrant crisis, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson has doubled down on the city’s sanctuary policies, saying in a recent ABC 7 Chicago interview, “We will always remain a welcoming and sanctuary space.”

Johnson vowed to resist the Trump administration’s crackdown on illegal immigration and called the decision to allow ICE to carry out enforcement and removal operations on church and school properties “unconscionable and reprehensible.” 

Call it Sen. Tim Scott’s 55-seat strategy.

Scott, the conservative senator from South Carolina, told Fox News Digital soon after taking over late last year as chair of the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) he aimed to expand the GOP’s current 53-47 majority in the Senate.

And Scott, in a Fox News Digital interview this week on Capitol Hill, is standing by his goal.

“One hundred percent. It’s my stretch goal,” the senator reiterated. “The bottom line is, I believe that we can defend our current seats while adding at least two more seats to our numbers.”

TOP POLITICAL HANDICAPPER REVEALS DEMOCRATS CHANCES OF WINNING BACK THE SENATE MAJORITY

Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., waves as he sits with former President Donald Trump, the Republican presidential candidate, during a Fox News town hall at the Greenville Convention Center Feb. 20, 2024, in Greenville, S.C. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

Scott, who last month became the longest-serving Black senator in the nation’s history, launched a campaign two years ago for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination before dropping out and endorsing Donald Trump.

The senator, who was a top Trump surrogate on the campaign trail last year, emphasized that “the good news is, with President Donald Trump leading this country, the field is wide open, which means that we have more places to play, and the game is on.”

Scott added the NRSC needs “to focus on the mechanics of making sure that the Donald J. Trump brand is reflected in our candidates.”

Senate Republicans enjoyed a favorable map in the 2024 cycle as they flipped four seats from blue to red to win back control of the chamber.

But the party in power — clearly the Republicans right now — traditionally faces political headwinds in the midterm elections. Nevertheless, an early read of the 2026 map indicates the GOP may be able to go on offense in some key states.

FIRST ON FOX: SENATE GOP CAMPAIGN COMMITTEE SPOTLIGHTS ‘TEAM EFFORT’

Republicans will be targeting battleground Michigan, where Democratic Sen. Gary Peters recently announced he won’t seek re-election next year, as well as Georgia, another key battleground state, where first-term Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff is considered vulnerable.

And in swing state New Hampshire, longtime Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen has yet to say whether she’ll seek another term in the Senate when she’s up for re-election next year.

Days before Scott was interviewed by Fox News Digital, Democratic Sen. Tina Smith in blue-leaning Minnesota announced she wouldn’t run again in 2026.

Democratic Sen. Tina Smith of Minnesota recently announced she won’t seek re-election in the 2026 midterms. (Getty Images)

“Minnesota is an open seat. That’s a four-point state,” Scott said as he pointed to Trump’s better-than-expected performance in the state in November’s presidential election.

“We can actually make gains there and bring home another red seat in Minnesota for the first time in a long time,” Scott predicted.

Asked about GOP recruitment efforts in Minnesota, Scott responded, “I’m pleasantly surprised. We’ve already talked to two very highly qualified candidates and more to come.”

Pointing to the current political landscape across the country, Scott touted that “we have a map that is wide open. All we need is time. Time is on our side right now. So, we’re excited about what’s going to happen over the next several weeks.”

But Republicans are also playing defense in the 2026 cycle.

Democrats plan to go on offense in blue-leaning Maine, where GOP Sen. Susan Collins is up for re-election, as well as in battleground North Carolina, where Republican Sen. Thom Tillis is also up in 2026. 

Scott acknowledges that the GOP will have to spend big bucks to defend those two seats, as well as in Ohio, where Republican Lt. Gov. Jon Husted was appointed last month to succeed Vice President JD Vance in the Senate. Husted will run next year to finish out Vance’s term.

SENATE REPUBLICANS JUMP OUT TO FAST START IN THIS KEY CAMPAIGN METRIC

Pointing to a likely price tag of well over $1 billion in those three races, Scott acknowledged that “we need to continue to have strong fundraising numbers and support our candidates as we defend our seats.”

The NRSC recently announced a record $8.5 million in fundraising in January, which the committee says is its best ever off-year January haul.

Asked if the NRSC could keep up the pace, Scott said, “Absolutely we can. The good news is we’re already on pace for February to have another record-breaking month.”

Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina speaks during the Republican National Convention at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee July 15, 2024.  (Eva Marie Uzcategui/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

And pointing to the president, Scott argued that “Trump brings a lot of enthusiasm. He made promises on the campaign trail, and now, as president, he’s keeping those promises. What does that convert to? Cash is king. People love a man who says what he’s going to do, he gets a job, he goes to work doing those things. It makes our job infinitely easier at the NRSC.”

In the 2022 election cycle, when the Republicans blew a chance to win back the majority, NRSC Chair Rick Scott of Florida was criticized for a hands-off approach in the GOP Senate primaries. 

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Last cycle, NRSC Chair Sen. Steve Daines of Montana got involved in Senate Republican nomination battles.

Asked what he’ll do when it comes to contested GOP Senate primaries this cycle, Scott answered, “Whatever is in the best interest of the voters in each state, I will make a state-by-state decision on how we play and where we play.”

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Senate Democrats who spoke with Fox News Digital said they do support cutting some wasteful spending from the federal government, but not by Elon Musk.

“Of course there’s some wasteful spending, but you don’t use a meat ax and cut everything,” Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said Wednesday after Fox News Digital asked whether there was some waste worth cutting. 

“We need to look at each program. We need to go through Congress and see what’s wasteful and move to eliminate it,” he said.

Democrats have been critical of Elon Musk’s efforts at the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to slash “wasteful” federal spending, as the newly formed cost-cutting department rescinds hundreds of millions of dollars dished out by the previous administration.

Democratic lawmakers told Fox News Digital on Capitol Hill they are generally in favor of cuts to federal spending but aren’t in support of how DOGE is conducting its sweep. 

VOCAL OPPOSITION TO ELON MUSK’S CUTS IS A ‘TERRIBLE’ STRATEGY, WARNS EX-DEMOCRAT ADVISOR

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. (J. Scott Applewhite)

“DOGE is turning the country over to the billionaires. They’re looking to make money for themselves,” said Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn. “They’re not interested in government efficiency.”

Murphy told Fox “there’s plenty of money to be cut,” such as on prescription drugs, but “that’s not what DOGE is doing.”

“We spent way too much money on prescription drugs. We pad the pockets of the drug industry every single year. We should be negotiating all of our prescription drug costs. We waste a ton of money on overspending,” Murphy said.

JUDGE DENIES DEMOCRAT-LED EFFORT TO BLOCK DOGE ACCESS, CITING LACK OF PROVEN HARM

Sen. John Hickenlooper, D-Colo., laughed, saying, “There’s always things that can be improved.”

Sen. Chris Murphy said, “DOGE is turning the country over to the billionaires.” (Anna Moneymaker)

Democratic Sen. Andy Kim of New Jersey said, “There’s certainly waste and efficiencies that we can get better at,” but “the way in which it’s happening right now is not the right way to do it.

“I mean, you’re having federal employees getting kicked out, and then we realize that we need them for bird flu or nuclear regulation and other things like that,” Kim told Fox News Digital. “It’s causing way too much chaos. But I would have been prepared to work in a bipartisan way. I still am.”

Senators Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., told Fox they think there should be cuts to wasteful spending but did not elaborate on where that should be.

DOGE has spent the past month entering federal agencies and uncovering billions in spending from the federal government that the Trump administration considers wasteful.

Democratic lawmakers tell Fox News they do not support how Elon Musk is going about making cuts to federal spending. (Fox News Digital/Getty Images)

The method sparked opposition from critics such as Schumer, who claimed DOGE “went after community health centers in Medicaid” and “many things that American families need, want and approve of.”

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Trump on Wednesday floated the idea of delivering 20% of the DOGE savings to taxpayers directly through personal checks to taxpaying households, while another 20% would be used to pay down the national debt. 

President Donald Trump and his administration continued to advance negotiations with Ukraine and Russia his fifth week in office in an attempt to reach a peace deal to end the conflict between the two countries. 

Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff and National Security Advisor Mike Waltz met with Russian officials in Riyadh Tuesday to discuss ways to end the war, while U.S. Special Envoy for Ukraine and Russia Keith Kellogg met with Ukrainian officials in Kyiv about a peace deal Wednesday. 

The meetings increased tension between the U.S. and Ukraine when Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told reporters in Turkey that “nobody decides anything behind our back,” claiming Ukraine wasn’t invited to the meeting between the U.S. and Russia. Zelenskyy has said that Ukraine won’t agree to a deal unless Ukraine is part of the talks. 

TRUMP’S FRUSTRATIONS WITH ZELENKSYY ESCALATE AS US TURNS UP PRESSURE ON UKRAINE TO REACH PEACE DEAL 

President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy sparred amid negotiations to end the war in Ukraine.  (Getty Images )

In response, both Trump and Zelenskyy exchanged barbs. Although Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, Trump insinuated that Ukraine started the war and called Zelenskyy a “dictator.” Meanwhile, Zelenskyy claimed Trump was dispersing Russian “disinformation.” 

Even so, the Trump administration has defended its decision to meet with Russia, claiming it’s necessary to advance the negotiations. 

“How are you going to end the war unless you’re talking to Russia?” Vice President JD Vance said at the Conservative Political Action Conference near the nation’s capital Thursday. “You’ve got to talk to everybody involved in the fighting. If you actually want to bring the conflict to a close.”

Here’s what also happened this week at the White House:

Weeding out unconstitutional regulations

Trump signed an executive order Wednesday requiring federal agencies to assess regulations that could violate the Constitution as the administration seeks to cut red tape. 

Senior administration officials told Fox News Digital the order is first of its kind and an attempt to ensure the government isn’t weaponized against the American people. It will require agencies to submit a list to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) within the next 60 days of all regulations that could be unconstitutional.

OMB’s Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) and the newly created Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) will oversee the effort and examine federal agencies’ regulations. 

TRUMP TO SIGN EXECUTIVE ORDER INSTRUCTING AGENCIES TO HUNT DOWN REGULATIONS THAT VIOLATE THE CONSTITUTION

President Donald Trump speaks as Elon Musk, joined by his son X Æ A-Xii, listens in the Oval Office at the White House, Feb. 11, 2025, in Washington.  (Alex Brandon/The Associated Press)

DOGE officials at federal agencies will compose an inventory of regulations that could violate the Constitution and deliver the list to OMB. After the 60 days, the OIRA will go through the list of regulations and make individual decisions on which are unconstitutional and will launch the process of repealing the regulations on a case-by-case basis. 

OIRA oversees executive branch regulations, while the newly created DOGE aims to eliminate government waste, fraud and spending.

Expanding IVF coverage 

Trump signed an executive order Tuesday requesting the Domestic Policy Council to examine ways to make in vitro fertilization, known as IVF, more affordable and accessible for Americans. 

“Americans need reliable access to IVF and more affordable treatment options, as the cost per cycle can range from $12,000 to $25,000,” the executive order said. “Providing support, awareness, and access to affordable fertility treatments can help these families navigate their path to parenthood with hope and confidence.”

‘PROMISES KEPT’: TRUMP SIGNS EXECUTIVE ORDER TO ‘AGGRESSIVELY’ MAKE IVF MORE AFFORDABLE AND ACCESSIBLE 

President Donald Trump signed an executive order making IVF more affordable and accessible. (Getty Images)

The assistant to the president for domestic policy will provide policy recommendations with the goal of “protecting IVF access and aggressively reducing out-of-pocket and health plan costs for IVF treatment” within 90 days. 

Ending taxpayer funding for illegal immigrants 

Trump also signed an executive order that ensures taxpayer benefits do not go toward illegal immigrants, in an attempt to better protect the interests of American citizens. 

The directive requires federal agencies to determine if any federally funded programs are providing financial benefits to illegal immigrants and immediately take “corrective action” so that these federal funds don’t bolster illegal immigration. Likewise, the order instructs agencies to implement stricter eligibility verification to ensure that these benefits don’t go to those in the U.S. illegally. 

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The order did not identify specific benefits, and notes that illegal immigrants are largely barred from qualifying for welfare programs. However, the order states without providing evidence that past administrations have “repeatedly undercut the goals of that law, resulting in the improper expenditure of significant taxpayer resources.”

“My Administration will uphold the rule of law, defend against the waste of hard-earned taxpayer resources, and protect benefits for American citizens in need, including individuals with disabilities and veterans,” the order states.

“President Trump is committed to safeguarding Federal public benefits for American citizens who are truly in need, including individuals with disabilities and veterans,” a White House fact sheet on the executive order said.

A high school female track and field athlete is praising President Donald Trump for doing what she said state lawmakers won’t: protect women from biological males competing against them in sports.

Zoe, who competed in shot put at Maine’s Class B state indoor championship meet on Monday, said she is “grateful” for the president’s announcement that he will be cutting federal funding to Maine over its defiance of Trump’s order to keep men out of women’s sports, adding that leaders in the state “have failed our female athletes.” 

“State leaders have failed our female athletes and there needs to be repercussions for their neglect,” Zoe said. “We feel seen and heard because of this announcement and hope that steps will continue to be made to protect women’s sports in Maine.”

ESPN STAR STEPHEN A SMITH MAKES STANCE ON TRANS INCLUSION IN WOMEN’S SPORTS CLEAR

During the state championship meet, Katie Spencer, who competed as a male named John Rydzewski in pole-vaulting as recently as June 2024, out-jumped every other female by half a foot. Spencer’s winning pole vault was pivotal in helping Spencer’s track and field team at Greely High School in Cumberland, Maine, win the Class B state championship meet by just a single point.

Following news of what happened, Trump announced that Maine would lose public funding until “they clean that up.”

Republican Maine state Rep. Laurel Libby began sounding the alarm after Spencer won the women’s pole-vaulting state championship on Monday.

In an interview with Fox News Digital, she reiterated Zoe’s concern that without some sort of federal intervention nothing was going to change. 

Several years ago, the state amended its state Human Rights Act to include protections for gender-identity, and since Democrats control both chambers of the legislature and the governor’s office, Libby said there is “a 0% chance” they will repeal it.

CA LAWMAKERS INTRODUCE BILL PROTECTING GIRLS FROM TRANS ATHLETES AFTER STATE REFUSES TO FOLLOW TRUMP’S ORDER

Following Trump’s Feb. 5 executive order threatening to end public funding to schools that do not keep men out of women’s sports, the Maine Principals’ Association, the primary governing body for high school athletics in the state, said that the president’s order conflicts with state law aimed at protecting human rights. As a result, the association said it will defer to the latter when it comes to determining athletic eligibility.

Sarah Perry, a civil rights attorney who has extensive experience litigating Title IX issues, said that in addition to Trump’s executive order, the association is also flouting directives from the Department of Education and previously established precedent from a slew of cases that challenged former President Joe Biden’s Title IX regulations allowing athletic eligibility to be determined by one’s preferred gender identity. Perry noted that besides the obvious risk of losing funding, these states also open themselves up to federal Title IX investigations, something she said could potentially force them to comply with Trump’s demands.

Fox News Digital reached out to the Maine Principals’ Association for comment but did not receive a response by publication time.

NCAA RESPONDS AS CRITICS CALL OUT POTENTIAL LOOPHOLES IN ITS NEW TRANS-ATHLETE POLICY 

“It is absolutely reprehensible that people in a position of power would allow this against children who are trying to compete,” Libby said. “There will not be enforcement from the state level, that is absolutely clear. So the only mechanism of enforcement that we have is for the administration to intervene.”

Libby noted that after posting about Spencer’s state championship title on social media, a young female competitor at the meet commented that she and her teammates did not even know they would be competing against a biological male until they arrived at the state championship meet on Monday. “It was so disheartening to find out, because, you immediately know the result,” Libby told Fox News Digital. 

Libby also pointed out that it was illustrative of a larger problem in Maine when it comes to protecting women’s rights in athletics.

TRANS ATHLETE AND ‘UNCOMFORTABLE’ OPPONENT SPEAK OUT AFTER ALLEGED INCIDENT PROMPTS CIVIL RIGHTS COMPLAINT

“This is not a first-time scenario here,” she said. “There is another boy who has been running girls’ cross-country for several fall seasons now. He was a mediocre athlete as a boy, but as a girl he is doing extremely well. This is increasing in Maine. And unless something is done at the federal level, I think we’re just going to see more and more of it.” 

Due to the win, Spencer has now automatically qualified for the multistate regional championships, taking the spot that would have been awarded to the female athlete who garnered second place had Spencer competed in the boys’ division.

A demonstrator waves a trans pride flag during the Rise Up for Trans Youth rally against President Donald Trump’s executive actions targeting transgender people at Union Square in New York on Feb. 7. (Stephanie Keith/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Trump on Thursday said that Maine will not receive federal funding until it complies with his executive order requiring schools and athletic associations to ensure biological males do not compete on women’s sports teams. 

“I heard men are still playing in Maine,” the president said Friday during a speech at the annual National Governors Association conference in Washington, D.C. “I hate to tell you this, but we’re not going to give any federal money. They are still saying, ‘We want men to play in women’s sports,’ and I cannot believe they are doing that… so we’re not going to give them any federal funding, none whatsoever, until they clean that up.” 

‘LIGHT IT ON FIRE AND THROW IT IN THE GARBAGE’: FORMER ALL-AMERICAN TENNIS PLAYER SLAMS NCAA’S TRANSGENDER POLICY

Trump met with governors at the White House on Friday, including Maine’s Democratic Gov. Janet Mills, amid the conference taking place in the nation’s capital. For a brief moment, Trump and Mills got into a verbal skirmish over his move to slash the state’s federal funding due to its defiance against Trump’s executive order barring men from competing in women’s sports.

“You better do it because you’re not going to get federal funding,” Trump said to Mills, to which she responded: “We’re going to follow the law, sir. We’ll see you in court.”

“Enjoy your life after governor, because I don’t think you’ll be an elected official afterward,” Trump shot back. 

In a statement to Fox News Digital, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said, “Partisan elected officials and judicial activists who seek to legally obstruct President Trump’s agenda are defying the will of 77 million Americans who overwhelmingly re-elected President Trump,” and added that “their efforts will fail.”

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“All of President Trump’s executive actions are lawful, constitutional and intended to deliver on the promises he made to the American people,” Leavitt said. “The Trump Administration is prepared to fight these battles in court and will prevail.”

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt offered words of wisdom to young women across the nation from the stage at the Conservative Political Action Conference Friday evening, urging them to “stay strong, speak the truth,” and believe in themselves. 

Leavitt sat down for a fireside chat hosted by former White House communications director Mercedes Schlapp, who served during the first Trump administration. 

ELON MUSK MAKES CPAC DEBUT AS A SURPRISE GUEST

Schlapp said young women across the country admire Leavitt, who is the youngest White House press secretary in United States history and are inspired by her. 

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt speaks during a press briefing at the White House, Friday, Jan. 31, 2025, in Washington.  (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Schlapp asked Leavitt what her message to young women is. 

“Stay strong, speak the truth and don’t let anybody tell you that you can’t achieve your dream, or you can’t get to that next step. Just believe in yourself,” Leavitt said. 

‘WHO IS KAROLINE LEAVITT?’ NEW FOX NATION SPECIAL CHRONICLES THE RISE OF THE GEN Z PRESS SECRETARY

“Because there will be a lot of people who don’t believe in you—who cast doubt on you, who talk bad about you,” Leavitt said. 

“Screw ‘em,” she said, drawing laughter and applause from the CPAC audience. “It doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter.” 

Leavitt, 27, served in the first Trump administration as a White House press aide. She then worked for Rep. Elise Stefanik, and later launched her own campaign for New Hampshire’s 1st congressional district in 2022. Leavitt served as national press secretary for the 2024 Trump campaign. 

But Leavitt also praised the “amazing” women working in the second Trump administration. 

FILE – President Donald Trump speaks to reporters aboard Air Force One en route from Miami to Joint Base Andrews, Md., Jan. 27, 2025, as White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt listens. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, File)

VP JD VANCE SPEAKS ON ‘FUNDAMENTAL GOAL’ OF TRUMP ADMINISTRATION AT CPAC ADDRESS

“Look at the White House and look at the exceptional Cabinet President Trump has put together,” Leavitt said. “While we don’t care about identity politics…the president has appointed Susie Wiles, our first female chief of staff in United States history; Brooke Rollins heading up as our secretary of agriculture—look across the entire Cabinet. There are incredible women—Linda McMahon, leading the Department of Education—the list goes on and on.” 

“The White House is full of working women,” she continued. “In fact, I was going up the staircase in the West Wing today and saw two of my female colleagues, both of whom are pregnant having babies this year and they are working and they are saving America because President Trump believes in the best people for the job—the brightest people for the job.” 

Leavitt is also a new mother to a seven-month-old baby boy. 

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“It is the best thing ever,” Leavitt said of being a mother.

When asked why she is doing what she is doing, Leavitt replied: “For him and for all of the other children in this country.” 

“We have a country to save,” Leavitt said. “I want my son to grow up in a free and patriotic America that we can be proud of.” 

President Donald Trump on Friday night nominated Air Force Lt. Gen. Dan “Razin” Caine to be the next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. 

“General Caine is an accomplished pilot, national security expert, successful entrepreneur, and a ‘warfighter’ with significant interagency and special operations experience,” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social announcing the nomination.

Trump said during his first term, the three-star lieutenant general was “instrumental” in the “complete annihilation” of the ISIS caliphate.

Trump has nominated Air Force Lieutenant General Dan “Razin” Caine to be the next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (U.S. Air Force)

$1,300 COFFEE CUPS, 8,000% OVERPAY FOR SOAP DISPENSERS SHOW WASTE AS DOGE LOCKS IN ON PENTAGON

“It was done in record setting time, a matter of weeks. Many so-called military ‘geniuses’ said it would take years to defeat ISIS,” the president wrote. “General Caine, on the other hand, said it could be done quickly, and he delivered.”

Trump said despite Caine “being highly qualified and respected,” he was “passed over for promotion by Sleepy Joe Biden.”

“But not anymore! Alongside Secretary Pete Hegseth, General Caine and our military will restore peace through strength, put America First, and rebuild our military,” Trump wrote. “Finally, I have also directed Secretary Hegseth to solicit nominations for five additional high level positions, which will be announced soon.”

President Donald Trump poses for his official White House portrait. (Trump-Vance Transition Team)

“General Caine embodies the warfighter ethos and is exactly the leader we need to meet the moment. I look forward to working with him,” Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth wrote in a statement to Fox News Friday night. 

While it is typical for Joint Chiefs chairmen to remain in their positions during shifts of power, Trump made the decision to find a replacement. 

Both Trump and Hegseth gave a nod to the departing chairman, four-star fighter pilot General Charles “CQ” Brown.

TRUMP ISSUES WARNING ABOUT WASTEFUL SPENDING, ORDERS ‘RADICAL TRANSPARENCY’ AMID DOGE PROBES, REVELATIONS

“I want to thank General Charles ‘CQ’ Brown for his over 40 years of service to our country, including as our current Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff,” Trump wrote. “He is a fine gentleman and an outstanding leader, and I wish a great future for him and his family.”

Hegseth added Brown served with “distinction in a career spanning four decades of honorable service.”

“I have come to know him as a thoughtful adviser and salute him for his distinguished service to our country,” he wrote. 

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth attends a NATO Defence Ministers meeting at the Alliance’s headquarters in Brussels, Belgium Feb. 13, 2025. (REUTERS/Yves Herman)

The Secretary of Defense has been outspoken about Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) policies adversely affecting military operations, and previously suggested firing Brown and other top leaders.

Prior to becoming defense secretary, Hegseth wrote about Brown several times in his book, “The War on Warriors,” once questioning if Brown deserved his promotion to America’s highest general.

“The military standards, once the hallmark for competency, professionalism, and ‘mission first’ outcomes, have officially been subsumed by woke priorities,” he wrote. “You think C.Q. Brown will think intuitively about external threats and internal readiness? No chance. He built his generalship dutifully pursuing the radical positions of left-wing politicians, who in turn rewarded him with promotions.”

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. CQ Brown speaks during a press briefing, April 26, 2024, at the Pentagon in Washington. (AP Photo/Kevin Wolf)

He also said Brown “made the race card one of his biggest calling cards.”

Prior to his appointment, Brown served as the 22nd chief of staff of the Air Force from 2020 to 2023. He logged more than 3,000 flight hours as a fighter pilot, including 130 hours in combat.

Caine has logged more than 2,800 hours in the F-16, including more than 100 combat hours.

OFFICIALS PUSH BACK ON CLAIMS OF ‘LIST’ OF GENERALS HEGSETH PLANS TO FIRE AT PENTAGON

Hegseth said he is also requesting nominations for the positions of Chief of Naval Operations and Air Force Vice Chief of Staff.

“The incumbents in these important roles, Admiral Lisa Franchetti and General James Slife, respectively, have had distinguished careers,” Hegseth wrote. “We thank them for their service and dedication to our country.”

Admiral Lisa Franchetti (U.S. Navy)

Hegseth also previously mentioned Franchetti in his book, criticizing her lack of combat experience and mocking her master’s degree from the University of Phoenix online college.

“If naval operations suffers, at least we can hold our heads high. Because at least we have another first! The first female member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff — hooray. For social justice ideologues, PR matters more than reality,” he wrote.

PUTIN VIEWED AS ‘GREAT COMPETITOR’ BUT STILL A US ‘ADVERSARY’ AS UKRAINE NEGOTIATIONS LOOM, LEAVITT SAYS 

Caine was commissioned in 1990 through the ROTC program at the Virginia Military Institute and has a Master of Arts in Air Warfare from the American Military University.

Brown was visiting Fort Bliss to discuss border operations on Friday, Fox News has learned. Franchetti was in Europe when she got the news. She is now returning home.

Hegseth said the department is also seeking nominations for the Judge Advocates General for the Army, Navy and Air Force.

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“Under President Trump, we are putting in place new leadership that will focus our military on its core mission of deterring, fighting and winning wars,” he wrote.

The Department of Justice (DOJ) has sent a written complaint about U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes to the Chief Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, Sri Srinivasan, following a tense case between the Trump administration and two LGBTQ groups.

The letter, signed by Attorney General Pam Bondi’s Chief of Staff, Chad Mizelle, concerns what the DOJ characterized as Reyes’ “misconduct” during the proceedings in Nicolas Talbott et al. v. Donald J. Trump et al., a case brought by two LGBTQ groups challenging the Trump Administration’s Executive Orders barring transgender individuals from serving in the U.S. military. 

According to the complaint, the transcript “reveals multiple instances where Judge Reyes’ misconduct compromised the dignity of the proceedings and demonstrated potential bias, raising serious concerns about her ability to preside impartially in this matter.” 

JUDGE GRANTS 19 AGS PRELIMINARY INJUNCTION AGAINST DOGE ACCESS TO TREASURY PAYMENT SYSTEM

U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes is pictured with a group of protesters (Getty Images / YouTube / SenatorDurbin)

During the proceedings, Judge Reyes listed off executive orders signed by President Trump since taking office, including recognizing only two sexes, blocking school funding from promoting the idea that gender can be fluid, directing the State Department to stop issuing documents allowing a third gender marker, and revoking the ability of trans federal employees to receive a sex change. She also called out the Trump administration for revoking an earlier regulation concerning trans people having equal access to homeless shelters. 

OFFICIALS PUSH BACK ON CLAIMS ON ‘LIST’ OF GENERALS HEGSETH PLANS TO FIRE AT PENTAGON

The letter says Judge Reyes asked DOJ attorney Jason Lynch, “What do you think Jesus would say to telling a group of people that they are so worthless … that we’re not going to allow them into homeless shelters? Do you think Jesus would be, ‘Sounds right to me?’ Or do you think Jesus would say, ‘WTF? Of course, let them in?'”

DOJ attorneys asserted that the line of questioning was “deeply problematic for several reasons” – including placing DOJ counsel in an untenable position of either appearing unresponsive or speculating about how an incoherent hypothetical aligns with Reyes’ personal religious beliefs.

President Donald Trump sits down with Fox News anchor Bret Baier for an interview. (Fox News / Special Report)

The letter highlighted another incident in which Judge Reyes engaged in a rhetorical exercise to draw parallels to trans people being barred from military service. The judge instructed DOJ counsel, “My new standing order says that no one who graduated from UVA Law School can appear before me. So, I need you to sit down, please. I need you to sit down.” 

TRUMP SAYS DEAL WITH UKRAINE FOR US ACCESS TO ITS RARE EARTH MINERALS IS ‘PRETTY CLOSE’

When counsel complied with this directive, the judge continued her hypothetical about UVA law graduates being banned from her courtroom because “they’re all liars and lack integrity.” The letter alleged that only after Judge Reyes used counsel as a physical prop did she allow him to continue the proceedings. She then asked counsel if he saw how unfair the reasoning was. 

The Department of Justice seals is seen during a news conference at the DOJ office in Washington, May 16, 2023.  (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

Still, the DOJ asserted in its complaint that such treatment “undermines the dignity of counsel and the decorum of the courtroom.” 

There were times when Judge Reyes commended DOJ lawyer Jason Lynch, telling him and the gallery that he was doing a credible job arguing for the government in a difficult situation.

The letter closes by requesting that “appropriate action be taken to address these violations,” saying that, at a “minimum, this matter warrants further investigation to determine whether these incidents represent a pattern of misconduct that requires more significant remedial measures.”

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U.S. District Court judges sit on the bench as a lifetime appointment. However, it is possible that Chief Judge Srinivasan could reprimand Judge Reyes, or possibly suggest she recuse herself from the case.

President Donald Trump on Friday said his administration is “pretty close” to striking a deal with Ukraine for rights to access its natural resources in exchange for the United States’ billions of dollars in support for the country against Russia. 

“You know, I think they want it, and they feel good about it,” Trump told reporters on Friday in the Oval Office after the swearing-in ceremony of Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. “And it’s significant. It’s a big deal. But they want it, and it keeps us in that country. And they’re very happy about it.

“We get our money back. They should have been signed long before we went in. They should have been signed by Biden. But Biden didn’t know too much about what he was doing. The war should have never happened, No. 1. When it did happen, it could have been settled. 

“The first week or two weeks after that, it got bad. It got really bad, but it should have been, it should have never happened. And it should have been settled, and it could have been settled very easily at the beginning. Now it’s tougher, but we’ll get it settled.”

TRUMP CALLS UKRAINE’S ZELENSKYY A ‘DICTATOR WITHOUT ELECTIONS’ AS RIFT WIDENS 

During his speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) Friday, Trump’s National Security Advisor, Mike Waltz, said, “Here’s the bottom line: President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is going to sign that deal, and you will see that in the very short term.” 

Waltz also told “Fox & Friends” this week that Ukraine should “tone down” its criticism of Trump and “come back to the table” to work out an economic deal with the U.S.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and President Donald Trump are “pretty close” to striking a deal with Ukraine to access its natural resources. (Kay Nietfeld/picture alliance/Curtis Means/Daily Mail/Bloomberg)

The deal for U.S. access to Ukraine’s rare earth minerals is part of broader negotiations to end the war in Ukraine after Russia invaded the country in 2022. 

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told Fox News Wednesday Trump is creating a “win-win” partnership between the United States and Ukraine with the deal days after meeting with Zelenskyy in Kyiv.

“Part of my trip was to go and tell the Ukrainian people that we wanted an economic partnership with them,” Bessent told Bret Baier on “Special Report.” 

“So, President Trump’s vision is [to] bring the Ukrainian people and the American people closer together economically, show the Ukrainian people that we support them, show the American people that the money that is going into Ukraine, that there is going to be a return, that there’s going to be a long-term partnership.”

REPUBLICAN SENATORS BACK TRUMP’S DEMAND FOR UKRAINE ELECTIONS, BUT WON’T CALL ZELENSKYY ‘DICTATOR’ 

The Trump administration is seeking to recoup the cost of aid sent to the war-torn country by gaining access to rare earth minerals like titanium, iron and uranium.

The delay also comes amid rising tensions between Trump and Zelenskyy as the U.S. works with Russian officials to broker a peace deal in the ongoing war. 

Trump argued on Fox News Zelenskyy has “no cards” to negotiate leverage for a deal as the pair have publicly hurled insults at one another in recent days. 

“I’ve been watching this man for years now as his cities get demolished, as his people get killed, as his soldiers get decimated,” Trump told Fox News co-host Brian Kilmeade.

U.S. Secretary of Treasury Scott Bessent, left, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speak during a news conference in Kyiv Feb. 12. (Tetiana Dzhafarova/AFP via Getty Images)

“I’ve been watching him negotiate with no cards. He has no cards, and you get sick of it,” he added. “You just get sick of it, and I’ve had it.”

Trump argued Zelenskyy is a poor negotiator, noting Bessent traveled to Ukraine last week to broker a mineral agreement, worth hundreds of billions of dollars, but said the pair “couldn’t even come close” to a deal.

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The president said the trip was dangerous for Bessent and a waste of time. 

The deal would have helped U.S. investment in the war-torn nation and also provided “the best security guarantee they could ever hope for,” according to Waltz.

Fox News’ Bailee Hill contributed to this report.

A federal judge on Friday granted a preliminary injunction over parts of the Trump administration’s executive orders on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI).

The injunction largely blocks the sections of President Donald Trump’s orders that seek to end federal support for programs deemed to be DEI-related, and prevents the Trump administration from canceling contracts that they believe promote diversity, equity or inclusion. 

U.S. District Judge Adam Abelson in Baltimore, a Biden nominee, ruled that parts of the executive orders likely violate the Constitution and free speech.

“The harm arises from the issuance of it as a public, vague, threatening executive order,” Abelson said in a hearing this week, adding that it would discourage businesses working with the government from openly supporting DEI. 

FEDERAL JUDGE TEMPORARILY STOPS TRUMP ADMIN FROM FIRING 11 INTELLIGENCE OFFICERS ASSIGNED TO DEI PROGRAMS

President Donald Trump signs executive orders in the Oval Office. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

The ruling comes after the city of Baltimore, the National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education, the American Association of University Professors and the Restaurant Opportunities Centers United – which represents restaurant workers – sued the Trump administration over the executive orders, calling them presidential overreach and anti-free speech. 

“Ordinary citizens bear the brunt,” attorneys for the plaintiffs wrote in the complaint. “Plaintiffs and their members receive federal funds to support educators, academics, students, workers, and communities across the country. As federal agencies make arbitrary decisions about whether grants are ‘equity-related,’ Plaintiffs are left in limbo.”

They argued that Trump was encroaching on Congress’ powers in order to champion his personal beliefs. 

“But the President simply does not wield that power,” they wrote in the complaint. “And contrary to his suggestions otherwise, his power is not limitless.”

TRUMP SCORES BIG LEGAL WIN AGAINST PULITZER PRIZE BOARD MEMBERS AS LAWSUIT MOVES TO DISCOVERY

Trump signed an order on his first day in office directing federal agencies to terminate all “equity-related” grants or contracts. He signed a follow-up order requiring federal contractors to certify that they don’t promote DEI. 

A federal judge on Friday granted a preliminary injunction over parts of the Trump administration’s executive orders on diversity, equity and inclusion. (Fox News)

The Trump administration argued in a Wednesday hearing that the president was only banning DEI programs that violate federal civil rights laws. 

“What’s happening is an overcorrection and pulling back on DEI statements,” attorney Aleshadye Getachew said in a hearing. 

A second federal lawsuit was also filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia on Wednesday targeting Trump’s DEI executive orders. The new complaint was filed by the NAACP Legal Defense Fund and Lambda Legal on behalf of nonprofit advocacy organizations. 

The lawsuit is aimed at Trump’s executive orders: “Ending Radical and Wasteful DEI Programs and Preferencing,” “Defending Women From Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government,” and “Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity.” 

President Trump with members of his Cabinet in the Oval Office.  (Demetrius Freeman/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

White House spokesman Harrison Fields said both lawsuits represented “nothing more than an extension of the left’s resistance,” adding in a statement to the New York Times that the administration was “ready to face them in court.”

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“Radical leftists can either choose to swim against the tide and reject the overwhelming will of the people, or they can get on board and work with President Trump to advance his wildly popular agenda,” Fields said.

Fox News’ Danielle Wallace and The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday paused the Trump administration’s efforts to dismiss the head of an independent agency charged with investigating whistleblower claims as the president seeks to remake the federal government. 

The decision allows Hampton Dellinger, a Biden appointee, to remain as head of the Office of Special Counsel at least through Feb. 26. The high court kept that deadline in place and won’t take any further action until then.

The Trump administration asked the court to overturn a lower court’s temporary reinstatement of Dellinger. A district court hearing is scheduled to consider whether to extend the pause on Dellinger’s firing. 

 FEDERAL JUDGE ORDERS TRUMP ADMIN TO RESTORE PUBLIC HEALTH WEB PAGES

President Donald Trump and Hampton Dellinger. Trump is trying to dismiss Dellinger, the head of the Office of Special Counsel. (AP; Reuters)

Liberal justices Sonia Sotomayor and Ketanji Brown Jackson voted to outright deny the administration’s request to OK the firing.

Conservative justices Neil Gorsuch and Samuel Alito dissented, saying the lower court overstepped, and they cast doubt on whether courts have the authority to restore to office someone the president has fired. While acknowledging that some officials appointed by the president have contested their removal, Gorsuch wrote in his opinion that “those officials have generally sought remedies like backpay, not injunctive relief like reinstatement.” 

The dispute over Dellinger is the first legal challenge to reach the Supreme Court after several firings under the Trump administration.

HOUSE DEMS ORGANIZE RAPID RESPONSE TASK FORCE AND LITIGATION GROUP TO COMBAT TRUMP AGENDA

The U.S. Supreme Court building in Washington, D.C. (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib)

Dellinger sued the Trump administration in Washington, D.C., federal court after his Feb. 7 firing.

“I am glad to be able to continue my work as an independent government watchdog and whistleblower advocate,” Dellinger said in a statement after Friday’s proceedings. “I am grateful to the judges and justices who have concluded that I should be allowed to remain on the job while the courts decide whether my office can retain a measure of independence from direct partisan and political control.”

He has argued that, by law, he can only be dismissed from his position for job performance problems, which were not cited in an email dismissing him from his post.

Trump began his second term in the White House with a flurry of executive orders and directives that have since been targeted by a flood of legal challenges.

The Trump administration dismissed multiple federal officials (Donald Trump/Truth Social)

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Since Jan. 20, dozens of lawsuits have been filed over the administration’s actions, including the president’s birthright citizenship order, immigration policies, federal funding freezes, federal employee buyouts, Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency and legal action against FBI and DOJ employees.

A federal judge on Friday granted an injunction requested by 19 attorneys general to prevent the Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) from having access to the Treasury Department’s central payment system.

The ruling by U.S. District Judge Jeannette Vargas extends the pause by issuing a preliminary injunction, a legal step that blocks access to the records while the case is litigated on the merits.

In her 64-page decision, Vargas noted she was granting the preliminary injunction preventing DOGE from accessing the payment records because of the possible disclosure of the states’ bank records. However, she also said the plaintiffs “have not demonstrated that they are entitled to the broad and sweeping relief they seek, which would far exceed the scope of the present TRO (Temporary restraining order).”

TRUMP ISSUES WARNING ABOUT WASTEFUL SPENDING, ORDERS ‘RADICAL TRANSPARENCY’ AMID DOGE PROBES, REVELATIONS

The White House on Wednesday outlined where Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) dividend checks could go after President Donald Trump floated the idea of giving 20% of the savings back to Americans. (Reuters | iStock | Getty Images)

Vargas is giving Trump administration attorneys the chance to fix any defects so that the sensitive information will be protected.  

A report is due March 24. Last week, a federal judge extended a temporary order to block DOGE from accessing Treasury payment systems. 

A lawsuit filed by the 19 AGs claims DOGE illegally accessed the Treasury Department’s central payment system at the Trump administration’s behest. The payment systems have information about Americans’ Social Security, Medicare and veterans’ benefits; tax refund information; and much more. 

Lawyers for the administration argued that the temporary restraining order “causes ongoing constitutional harm to the Treasury Department’s ability to make management decisions within its lawful discretion.”  

TREASURY ‘MISTAKENLY’ GAVE MUSK DOGE WORKER ABILITY TO CHANGE PAYMENTS SYSTEM: COURT DOCS

The U.S. Treasury building in Washington, D.C. (Reuters/Kevin Lamarque/File Photo)

Defense attorneys argued that there is nothing unlawful about the Treasury Department’s actions. Treasury officials have denied violating privacy laws, saying only two members of the DOGE team had been given “read-only” access to information in the payment systems. 

The lawsuit was filed in New York by the office of New York Attorney General Letitia James, a vocal Trump critic. 

It includes attorneys general from Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont and Wisconsin. 

“We just won a court order stopping DOGE and unauthorized, unelected, and unvetted individuals like Elon Musk from accessing people’s private data and blocking federal funds,” James wrote Friday on X. “We will keep fighting to protect all Americans from this administration’s destruction.”

The AGs argue that granting DOGE access to the payment system puts Americans’ sensitive, personal information, such as bank account details and Social Security numbers, at risk.

Fox News’ William Mears and Maria Paronich contributed to this report. 

“It shouldn’t take longer to approve an [energy] project than it takes to build it,” said National Governors Association Vice Chair Kevin Stitt at Friday’s conference in Washington.

That, the Oklahoma Republican said, is the collective picture painted of all the problems with government bureaucracy at all levels that imperils the U.S.’ ability to stay ahead of China in terms of cyberthreat-prevention and energy dominance.

Permitting reform is one of the most important things to address with a new administration and new state government sessions beginning, the governors collectively expressed.

There was bipartisan consensus at the NGA that America must move responsibly toward a future secure from malign foreign actors in both cybersecurity and energy development.

NJ RESIDENTS HIT WITH DOUBLING BILLS AS LAWMAKERS FUME OVER MURPHY’S ‘ENERGY DISASTER PLAN’

Govs. Kevin Stitt (R-OK) and Josh Shapiro (D-PA) found common ground on energy development and permitting reform (Getty)

“Permitting reform is one of those issues where both Republicans and Democrats recognize the problem, we largely agree on solutions,” Stitt said, adding it is a national security issue that the U.S. must streamline permitting.

“Our allies need affordable, reliable energy and the US has the resources to provide that,” he said.

Interior Secretary Doug Burgum spoke at length on that matter, saying America is in competition with foreign rivals like Russia, China, Iran and North Korea whether they like it or not.

“It’s key that we win the AI arms race with China,” he said, citing bot-powered attacks that can be much more effective than human hackers.

“They would have the ability to take down the electric grid. They have the ability to disrupt everything that we know in our country. And they wouldn’t have to put a single soldier on the ground, but it could completely disrupt us and our economy. So, winning that AI arms race doesn’t just take software developers, it takes more electricity.”

“We’re in a competition… against other countries that aren’t slowing themselves down with the level of bureaucracy that we have,” Burgum said, citing the threat of cyberattacks from Russia, China, Iran and North Korea.

Burgum and the governors discussed the promise of nuclear energy and new technology that allows for the portability of such operations, where plants that generate power can be placed much closer to where that power is needed.

Stitt remarked that when Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro issued an order mandating his own government to rule on infrastructure permit applications within two weeks or give the applicant their money back, he didn’t want to get “beat by a Democrat” in that idea so he quickly issued his own order.

HOCHUL DOES APPARENT ABOUT-FACE ON NATURAL GAS AS NYC UTILITY SIGNALS MAJOR RATE HIKES

An oil pumpjack operates in the drive-thru area of a McDonald’s in Bradford, Pennsylvania, U.S. 2017. (Reuters)

Shapiro also said Pennsylvania conducted an audit of permit applications earlier in his term and found 3,400 – leading him to order there be cataloging going forward.

Despite Bethlehem Steel’s stacks laying dormant 25 years on, and the massive St. Nicholas Breaker coal processor long gone, Pennsylvania remains the nation’s second-largest energy net-exporter – a fact noted by the governor.

The first North American discovery of oil occurred in the mid-1800s in Venango County, and some of the longest-producing wells remain active in Pennsylvania, though the Commonwealth has been far surpassed in that regard by Texas, Alaska and other states.

“We’re proud of our legacy as a national energy leader,” Shapiro said. “We’ve got to get to-market quickly [regarding] energy projects.”

Pennsylvania produced more than 7 trillion cubic feet of natural gas in 2023. But there has been a push-pull effect of former Democratic Gov. Ed Rendell banning fracking on state parkland, Republican Gov. Tom Corbett reversing that, and Shapiro’s Democratic predecessor Tom Wolf then restoring Rendell’s moratorium.

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Shapiro indicated Friday he would be taking a more measured approach to responsibly developing the Commonwealth’s resources. 

He cited the bipartisan SPEED Act out of Harrisburg, which provides for third-party permitting review while also accelerating the overall process.

Burgum called the work of a governor one of the hardest, but remarked that it is about to “become more fun than it’s ever been” with the accessibility of the Trump administration.

In that regard, South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster described how cabinet secretaries had shared their own personal contact information following a Friday White House meeting – and that President Donald Trump invited calls as well but did not share his own number.

“I’ve got it, but I’m going to hold onto it,” he joked.

Colorado lawmakers spent hours Friday afternoon considering a Democrat-led resolution to condemn President Donald Trump’s pardons of Jan. 6 prisoners while the state grapples with an estimated $1.2 billion budget shortfall for the 2025-26 fiscal year. 

“With skyrocketing costs, a $1 billion budget deficit, rising crime and an affordability crisis pushing families to the brink, it is appalling that the majority is more focused on passing meaningless, partisan resolutions instead of addressing the real concerns of Coloradans,” Republican minority leader Rep. Rose Pugliese told Fox News Digital in a statement. 

Pugliese also called the resolution “political theater” to “divide rather than deliver results for our communities.”

The measure passed by a 41-23 vote in the Democrat-controlled state House of Representatives. Rep. Lisa Feret, a Democrat, voted against the resolution.

COLORADO POISED TO BAN SALE OF AR-15S, OTHER RIFLES AND SHOTGUNS WITH EXTENDED MAGS

Colorado Republicans turned their chairs around in protest Friday when the assembly considered a resolution to condemn President Donald Trump’s Jan. 6 pardons. (Rep. Jarvis Caldwell; Getty Images)

Republicans, who spent time providing public comment against the bill, also turned their chairs around to face away from the assembly speaker during the hearing. Lawmakers tried to introduce several amendments to the resolution to change some of the phrasing used in the bill, but they were rejected.

“To Hell with your concerns about cost of living, crime, and other important issues,” Republican state Rep. Jarvis Caldwell wrote on X. “Democrats are running another January 6th resolution. We turned our chairs in protest, and now we’re having a debate about it.”

State Republican Rep. Ryan Gonzalez also posted on X, saying, “The majority, instead of addressing issues the voters sent us to do—are instead passing messaging resolutions aimed *indirectly* at the sitting President.”

The Colorado House GOP X account posted that “not one life in Colorado will be saved by this resolution.”

Another X post said, “Democrats could be working on real solutions to our 1 BILLION dollar budget deficit. Instead, they are playing political games.”

Rep. Lauren Boebert, a Republican who represents Colorado’s 4th Congressional District in the U.S. House, tweeted, “Will Colorado Dems playing partisan politics lower the cost of eggs?”

The measure, sponsored by state Democratic senators Nick Hinrichsen and Matt Ball, passed along party lines in the state Senate earlier this month in a 21-12 vote. The Democratic lawmakers condemned Trump’s pardons and the mass firings of FBI agents assigned to investigate the Jan. 6 Capitol riots. 

Democratic representatives Sean Camacho and Michael Carter were the sponsors of the state House version.

“Colorado House Republicans have now launched a full-throated defense of the January 6th rioters,” state Rep. Steven Woodrow, a Democrat, wrote on Bluesky Social, an X-like social media platform favored by progressives. “They can turn their backs on America—but we see them, and we know the truth.”

DAS MAY TRY TO CHARGE JAN. 6 PARTICIPANTS GRANTED CLEMENCY BY TRUMP WITH NEW CRIMES ON STATE, LOCAL LEVELS

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Democratic state Rep. Lorena Garcia also wrote on Bluesky Social saying, “While this resolution will pass, today is a wake up call to all Coloradans who believe in freedom, that the republican party is not a party that believes in freedom. It is the party of authoritarianism, it’s the party of fascism.”

All the Jan. 6 defendants — more than 1,500 — were pardoned by Trump as one of his first executive actions in January. 

Kash Patel, President Donald Trump’s pick to head the FBI, was sworn in on Friday after a narrow Senate confirmation vote Thursday. 

Patel was sworn in at the Eisenshower Executive Office Building by U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi after being confirmed by the U.S. Senate as the ninth-ever FBI director, succeeding Christopher Wray. Patel, who is Indian-American, is the first person of color to become FBI director. 

“I am living the American dream,” Patel said after taking his oath of office. “And anyone that thinks the American dream is dead: just look right here. You’re talking to a first-generation Indian kid who’s about to lead the law enforcement community of the greatest nation on God’s green earth. That can’t happen anywhere else.” 

FBI NOMINEE KASH PATEL CONFIRMED IN NARROW SENATE VOTE

Kash Patel, President Donald Trump’s pick to head the FBI, was sworn in on Friday after a narrow Senate confirmation vote Thursday.  (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

Patel also made a promise to the lawmakers who confirmed him and those who opposed his nomination.

“There will be accountability within the FBI and outside of the FBI, and we will do it through rigorous constitutional oversight starting this weekend.” 

Patel has been a longtime Trump ally and a fierce opponent of the investigations into the president. During his confirmation hearing last month, Patel vowed he would not engage in political retribution against agents who worked on the Trump classified documents case and other politically sensitive matters.

He faced a rocky path to confirmation – similar to other fellow Trump picks – despite the Republican-majority chamber. Democrats on the panel used their political weight to delay Patel’s confirmation vote earlier this month. 

TRUMP FBI DIRECTOR NOMINEE KASH PATEL PICKS UP SUPPORT FROM KEY GOP SENATOR

On the Senate floor, top Judiciary Democrat Dick Durbin claimed Patel had been behind recent mass firings at the FBI. Durbin cited what he described as “highly credible” whistleblower reports that indicated Patel had personally directed the ongoing FBI employee purge prior to his confirmation.

On the Senate floor, top Judiciary Democrat Dick Durbin claimed Patel had been behind recent mass firings at the FBI.  (AP/Reuters)

Patel brings to the office an extensive background in national security and intelligence. He previously engaged in personally carrying out dangerous missions in the Middle East in an effort to bring home U.S. hostages and also implemented counterterrorism strategies against America’s most-wanted terrorists. 

4 OF THE BIGGEST CLASHES BETWEEN PATEL, SENATE DEMS AT HIS CONFIRMATION HEARING

Current and former U.S. national security officials and lawmakers told Fox News Digital previously that he, “objectively,” is “one of the most experienced people ever to be nominated” to lead the bureau. 

Patel’s confirmation to head the office comes at a time when the FBI’s activities are under extreme scrutiny for possible political motivations, including its own leadership and decisions. 

Patel’s confirmation to head the office comes at a time when the FBI’s activities are under extreme scrutiny for possible political motivations, including its own leadership and decisions.  (AP/Ben Curtis)

Previously, thousands of FBI agents as well as their superiors were ordered to fill out a questionnaire detailing their roles in the Jan. 6 investigation, prompting concerns of retaliation or retribution. 

“There will be no politicization at the FBI,” Patel said during his confirmation hearing. “There will be no retributive action.”

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Patel previously served as deputy assistant to the president and as senior director for counterterrorism under the first Trump administration, wherein he worked on presidential missions aimed at decimating al-Qaeda senior leadership and ISIS command and control.

Patel was also involved in planning the mission to take out Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi, among others. 

Fox News Digital’s Breanne Deppisch, Morgan Phillips, and Brooke Singman contributed to this report. 

A Biden-appointed judge extended a temporary restraining order Friday against the Trump administration’s cuts to National Institutes of Health research funding. 

The ruling from U.S. District Judge Angel Kelley of Massachusetts – who issued the initial restraining order last week – comes in response to separate lawsuits filed by a group of 22 states plus organizations representing universities, hospitals and research institutions nationwide.  

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced earlier this month it would be cutting billions in costs associated with federally funded research grants that go to various institutions, as part of a wider move by the Trump administration to slash wasteful spending. 

The NIH, the main funder of biomedical research, awarded more than 60,000 grants last year totaling about $35 billion. The total is divided into “direct” costs – covering researchers’ salaries and laboratory supplies – and “indirect” costs, the administrative and facility costs needed to support that work. 

TRUMP SPARKS BACKLASH AFTER CUTTING BILLIONS IN COSTS FROM NIH RESEARCH GRANTS 

Medical researchers from various universities and the National Institutes of Health rally at Health and Human Services headquarters to protest federal budget cuts on Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2025, in Washington. (AP/John McDonnell)

The Trump administration had dismissed those expenses as “overhead” but universities and hospitals argue they’re far more critical. They can include such things as electricity to operate sophisticated machinery, hazardous waste disposal, staff who ensure researchers follow safety rules and janitorial workers, according to The Associated Press. 

The states and research groups argue that the cuts are illegal, pointing to bipartisan congressional action during Trump’s first term to prohibit them. 

“Yet here we are again,” attorneys argued in a court motion, saying the NIH is “in open defiance” of what Congress decreed. 

In its own written arguments, the Trump administration said NIH has authority to alter the terms after awarding grants and that Kelley’s courtroom isn’t the proper venue to arbitrate claims of breach of contract. 

States and researchers “have failed to show that they would suffer an irreparable injury,” according to the administration motion. 

SCIENTISTS EXPECT MAJOR ‘MEDICAL BREAKTHROUGHS’ DESPITE TRUMP’S CAP ON NIH RESEARCH FUNDING 

The National Institutes of Health under President Donald Trump put a cap on indirect costs associated with agency research grants, as part of a wider move to reduce wasteful government spending. (Alamy/Getty Images)

If the new policy stands, indirect costs would be capped at 15% immediately, for already awarded grants and new ones. NIH calculated that would save the agency $4 billion a year. 

Officials at Johns Hopkins University said the cuts would end or require significantly scaling back research projects, potentially including some of the 600 NIH-funded studies open to Hopkins patients. 

“The care, treatments and medical breakthroughs provided to them and their families are not ‘overhead,’” university president Ron Daniels and Hopkins Medicine CEO Theodore DeWeese wrote to employees. 

The Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency, led by Elon Musk, has applauded the moves. 

Elon Musk speaks at the Conservative Political Action Conference, CPAC, at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center, on Thursday, Feb. 20, in Oxon Hill, Md. Musk has praised the Trump administration’s NIH funding cuts. (AP/Jose Luis Magana)

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“Can you believe that universities with tens of billions in endowments were siphoning off 60% of research award money for ‘overhead’?” Musk posted on social media. “What a ripoff!” 

Fox News’ Alec Schemmel and the Associated Press contributed to this report. 

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said Friday the Jeffrey Epstein client list is “sitting on my desk right now” and she is reviewing the JFK and MLK files as well after President Donald Trump’s earlier directives. 

“It’s sitting on my desk right now to review,” Bondi told America Reports’ John Roberts on Friday. “That’s been a directive by President Trump.”

Bondi also stated she is “reviewing” the JFK and MLK files, which the president signed an executive order to declassify at the start of his second term. 

JEFFREY EPSTEIN FILES: TRUMP’S ELECTION COULD EXPOSE NAMES ON ‘BLACK BOOK’ LIST

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said Friday the Jeffrey Epstein client list is “sitting on my desk right now” and is reviewing the JFK and MLK files after President Donald Trump’s earlier directives.  (AP)

“That’s all in the process of being reviewed, because that was done at the directive of the president from all of these agencies,” Bondi said. 

When asked if she had “seen anything,” Bondi responded, “Not yet.”

Trump’s return to the Oval Office came with the prospect of the public finally being able to see Epstein’s long-awaited “black book” amid inqueries into the deceased financier and sex trafficker.  

Epstein, a 66-year-old millionaire financier with a private island in the U.S. Virgin Islands and mansions around the country, died in federal custody in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.

FBI UNCOVERS THOUSANDS OF UNDISCLOSED RECORDS CONNECTED TO JFK’S ASSASSINATION

Bondi herself advocated for the release of the Epstein list in 2024, telling Sean Hannity at the time, “It should have come out a long time ago.” 

Shortly after kicking off his second term, Trump signed an executive order to declassify files on the assassinations of former President John F. Kennedy, his brother Robert F. Kennedy and civil rights icon Martin Luther King Jr. 

Epstein, a 66-year-old millionaire financier with a private island in the U.S. Virgin Islands and mansions around the country, died in federal custody in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. (Rick Friedman/Rick Friedman Photography/Corbis via Getty Images)

“Everything will be revealed,” Trump told reporters as he signed the order in the Oval Office.

Trump had previously promised on the campaign trail to declassify the documents upon entering his second term, saying at the time, “When I return to the White House, I will declassify and unseal all JFK assassination-related documents. It’s been 60 years, time for the American people to know the TRUTH!”

TRUMP SIGNS ORDER TO DECLASSIFY FILES ON JFK, RFK AND MLK ASSASSINATIONS

Shortly after kicking off his second term, Trump signed an executive order to declassify files on the assassinations of former President John F. Kennedy, his brother Robert F. Kennedy and civil rights icon Martin Luther King Jr.  (Associated Press)

Earlier this month, the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) and the attorney general reached their deadline to release their proposed plan for the declassification of the JFK files. 

The FBI announced shortly thereafter that it had uncovered thousands of records connected to the JFK assassination. Axios initially reported that the agency had released 2,400 records tied to the Nov. 22, 1963, assassination of Kennedy, which were not provided to the board that reviewed and disclosed the files.

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It was upon DNI’s plan submission to release the files that it reportedly disclosed the records’ existence. 

Fox News confirmed at the time with a person familiar with the records that the files were uncovered during the review.

Fox News’ Greg Wehner and Patrick Ward contributed to this report. 

President Donald Trump sparred with Democratic Maine Gov. Janet Mills over transgender women in sports, telling her at the White House that she must follow his executive order or “you’re not going to get federal funding,” to which she replied, “we’ll see you in court.” 

The blue state is one of several defying Trump’s Feb. 5 executive order preventing trans athletes from competing in girls’ and women’s sports. Trump threatened Thursday to cut off federal funding to Maine before clashing with Mills this afternoon at a bipartisan meeting of governors. 

“You better do it because you’re not going to get federal funding,” Trump told her.  

“We’re going to follow the law sir. We’ll see you in court,” she responded. 

TRUMP VOWS TO CUT OFF FEDERAL FUNDING TO MAINE OVER REFUSAL TO COMPLY WITH ‘NO MEN IN WOMEN’S SPORTS’ ORDER 

President Donald Trump and Maine Gov. Janet Mills clashed Friday at the White House over executive order compliance. (Pool via AP/Win McNamee/Getty Images)

“Enjoy your life after governor because I don’t think you’ll be an elected official afterwards,” Trump then said. 

Mills released a statement Friday saying that “The State of Maine will not be intimidated by the President’s threats.” 

“If the President attempts to unilaterally deprive Maine school children of the benefit of Federal funding, my Administration and the Attorney General will take all appropriate and necessary legal action to restore that funding and the academic opportunity it provides,” she added. 

Trump told a gathering of Republican governors in Washington on Thursday that “I heard men are still playing in Maine.” 

“I hate to tell you this, but we’re not going to give them any federal money, they are still saying ‘we want men to play in women’s sports’ and I cannot believe that they’re doing that… So we’re not going to give them any federal funding, none whatsoever, until they clean that up,” he also said. 

WISCONSIN BANS TRANS ATHLETES FROM GIRLS’ SPORTS, FOLLOWING TRUMP’S EXECUTIVE ORDER 

President Donald Trump speaks at the Governors Working Session in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington, on Friday, Feb. 21. (Pool via AP)

Trump’s executive order, which was signed on Feb. 5, instructed all federal agencies to review grants, programs and policies that fail to comply with the administration’s efforts to end “male competitive participation in women’s sports… as a matter of safety, fairness, dignity, and truth.” 

The order also instructed strict Title IX enforcement against any educational institutions or athletic associations that do not comply and demands federal assistance be taken away in such cases. 

Shortly after the order was signed, multiple states, including Maine, California, Minnesota and others run primarily by Democrats, indicated that they would not comply with Trump.  

President Donald Trump arrives at the governors working session in the State Dining Room of the White House on Friday, Feb. 21. (Francis Chung/Politico/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

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The executive director of the primary governing body for high school sports in the state of Maine said athletic teams will continue to determine eligibility based on a student’s stated gender identity, despite the president’s executive order seeking to keep “men out of women’s sports.” 

Fox News’ Jackson Thompson contributed to this report. 

Rumors swirled this week that Secretary Pete Hegseth is prepping a list of top Pentagon brass for the chopping block, but it’s not the first time an administration has cleaned out top military commanders to align with new political goals.

Five months into office in 2009, President Barack Obama relieved Army Gen. David McKiernan as the commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan – making McKiernan the first wartime commander to be dismissed since Gen. Douglas MacArthur in 1951.

He was replaced by Gen. Stanley McChrystal, who had led special operations forces in Iraq, on the advice of Defense Secretary Robert Gates, who wanted “fresh eyes” in the drawn-out Afghanistan conflict. 

“We have a new strategy, a new mission and a new ambassador. I believe that new military leadership is also needed,” Gates said at a news conference. 

OFFICIALS PUSH BACK ON CLAIMS OF ‘LIST’ OF GENERALS HEGSETH PLANS TO FIRE AT PENTAGON

Obama replaced Gen. Stanley McChrystal with David Petraeus, right, in Afghanistan.  (Reuters/Larry Downing )

Days before he was summoned to meet with Obama about the job, McChrystal had given a speech in London on the need for a military buildup in Afghanistan. Shortly afterward, Obama authorized the deployment of 33,000 troops to Afghanistan. 

Only a year into his command, McChrystal resigned, pushed out by Obama after reportedly badmouthing White House officials, and was replaced by Gen. David Petraeus.

Obama also fired Gen. James Mattis as head of U.S. Central Command – and Trump once quipped that the “only thing” he and Obama had in common was “the honor of firing Jim Mattis.”

Obama and Mattis fell out over the withdrawal from Iraq. “Central Command, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, and the new Defense Secretary, Leon Panetta, who had replaced Bob Gates, continued to recommend to the White House retaining a residual force, as did Secretary of State Hillary Clinton,” Mattis wrote in his book ‘Call Sign Chaos.’

$1,300 COFFEE CUPS, 8,000% OVERPAY FOR SOAP DISPENSERS SHOW WASTE AS DOGE LOCKS IN ON PENTAGON

Obama, who promised to “finish the job” in Afghanistan after he withdrew troops from Iraq in 2011, surged as many as 100,000 troops into Afghanistan, then drew them out at a rapid-fire pace that many in the military advised against, finishing his term in 2017 with 8,400 American troops on the ground. Ending the war also evaded the subsequent Trump administration, which set a removal deadline that fell under the following Biden administration and resulted in the messy withdrawal in August 2021 and the deaths of 13 U.S. troops.

But the Obama presidency was marred by reports of a schism between the White House and the military. 

One general, upon returning from Afghanistan, reportedly said he felt that the Obama White House wanted the military to be “seen and not heard.” 

In his memoir, “Duty,” Gates blamed then-Vice President Joe Biden, who had pushed against the initial surge in Afghanistan, for Obama’s poor relationship with the military.

Trump quipped that the “only thing” he had in common with Obama was firing Jim Mattis.  (Reuters/Yuri Gripas)

“I thought Biden was subjecting Obama to Chinese water torture, every day saying ‘the military can’t be trusted,’ ” he wrote.

In 2012, the Navy removed and replaced Rear Adm. Charles M. Gaouette as commander of an aircraft carrier strike group deployed in the Middle East over allegations of inappropriate leadership judgment. The Navy Inspector General later found that Gaouette had made racially insensitive remarks in emails. The Navy denied assertions that Gaouette had been dismissed for providing assistance during the Benghazi attack without orders. 

In October 2013, the Air Force fired the two-star general in charge of 450 nuclear missiles, Michael Carey, due to “loss of trust and confidence in his leadership and judgment.” That same week, Obama fired the number-two nuclear commander, Vice Adm. Tim Giardina, from U.S. Strategic Command after he was involved in a criminal investigation into using counterfeit gambling chips in a poker game at a western Iowa casino.

Former Trump National Security Advisor and retired three-star Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn speaks during the AmericaFest 2024 conference sponsored by conservative group Turning Point in Phoenix, Arizona, on December 20, 2024. Reuters/Cheney Orr

Obama fired Army Gen. Michael Flynn as head of the Defense Intelligence Agency in 2014 over “insubordination,” which Flynn claimed had stemmed from criticisms he had made about Obama not being tough enough on Islamic extremism.

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Obama’s moves to slim down the armed forces and reinvent social policies to protect minority groups proved contentious among military brass. Critics claimed that his abrupt troop drawdowns in Iraq and Afghanistan had allowed for ISIS to gain ground, while supporters painted him as a Nobel Peace Prize winner who had kicked off a reorientation of the U.S. from the Middle East theater to the Indo-Pacific. 

Wildfire-like rumors swirled around Washington on Thursday of a “list” of names Hegseth has reportedly circulated among congressional leaders of generals and admirals he planned to fire. But members and staff of the House and Senate Armed Services Committees had seen no such list. 

Ahead of his swearing-in as FBI director on Friday, Kash Patel laid out his top priorities for the agency in a letter to subordinates obtained by Fox News Digital, vowing to bolster the bureau’s resources and “rebuild the American people’s trust in the FBI.” 

“I am honored to have been nominated and confirmed as your new Director,” Patel wrote to colleagues. “While I’m new to the Bureau’s ranks, I’ve spent my career in government service and the past decade in national security, working shoulder to shoulder with the FBI and many of its partners throughout the law enforcement and intelligence communities. My commitment has always been — and always will be — to pursuing justice and upholding the rule of law, and I look forward to continuing that commitment alongside all of you.”

Patel also reiterated that keeping Americans safe, both at home and abroad, is a “no-fail mission” that the FBI must continue to support in the coming months.

FBI NOMINEE KASH PATEL CONFIRMED IN NARROW SENATE VOTE

Kash Patel is sworn in during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on his nomination to be FBI director, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 30, 2025. (MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)

The letter continued, “As I take on this new role, my priorities for our organization are twofold. First is to provide you with the tools and resources you need to keep our communities safe. This will include streamlining our operations at Headquarters while bolstering the presence of field agents across the nation and collaborating even more closely with our essential partners in state and local law enforcement.

“Second is to ensure we rebuild the American people’s trust in the FBI. We’ll do that by committing ourselves to full transparency with the people’s representatives in Congress and by upholding the highest standards in all that we do, ensuring rigorous obedience to the Constitution and a single standard of justice for all.”

“I know that you, the dedicated men and women of the FBI, are courageous warriors of justice,” he wrote. “I will always have your backs, because you have the backs of the American people. I look forward to serving with you in the years to come.”

TRUMP FBI DIRECTOR NOMINEE KASH PATEL PICKS UP SUPPORT FROM KEY GOP SENATOR

Kash Patel, President Donald Trump’s choice to be director of the FBI, appears before the Senate Judiciary Committee for his confirmation hearing, at the Capitol in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 30, 2025. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

Patel – nominated by President Donald Trump – was confirmed as the ninth FBI director in a narrow Senate vote on Thursday, succeeding former Director Christopher Wray. He is set to be sworn in on Friday afternoon.

During the first Trump administration, Patel worked as a deputy assistant to the president and senior director for counterterrorism. He played a key part in missions to take down high-ranking al Qaeda and ISIS leaders, including planning the operation that killed ISIS leader Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi in these positions. Patel also contributed to efforts to capture some of the most-wanted terrorists and bring them to the U.S. for prosecution.

 4 OF THE BIGGEST CLASHES BETWEEN PATEL, SENATE DEMS AT HIS CONFIRMATION HEARING

Kash Patel, President Donald Trump’s choice to be director of the FBI, arrives for his confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee at the Capitol in Washington, D.C., on Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)

Patel was the principal deputy at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), where he helped with the transition of leadership between acting DNI Ric Grenell and John Ratcliffe prior to his role as deputy to Trump and on the National Security Council. 

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He also focused on intelligence related to counter-narcotics and transnational threats. Prior to ODNI, Patel served as national security advisor and senior counsel for counterterrorism on the House Intelligence Committee. There, he led the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election, exposing FISA abuse and illegal surveillance of Americans, including Trump campaign members.

Fox News Digital’s Brooke Singman contributed to this report.