NationalWatch

Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., was blasted by conservatives on social media on Wednesday over his contentious line of questioning toward President Donald Trump’s Health and Human Services (HHS) secretary nominee, Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

“Frankly, you frighten people,” Whitehouse told Kennedy while seemingly linking Kennedy’s skepticism of some vaccines to the first case of measles in Rhode Island since 2013. 

“Americans are going to need to hear a clear and trustworthy recantation of what you have said on vaccinations, including a promise from you never to say vaccines aren’t medically safe when they, in fact, are, and making indisputably clear that you support mandatory vaccinations against diseases where that will keep people safe,” Whitehouse said. “You’re in that hole pretty deep.”

Whitehouse, who attended law school with Kennedy where the two were friends, used the majority of his time to list concerns about Kennedy, allowing the HHS hopeful a small window at the end to address the line of questioning.

‘MASTERCLASS’: BONDI FLIPS SCRIPT ON DEM SENATOR AFTER SUGGESTING SHE WILL WEAPONIZE DOJ 

Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, left, and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (Getty)

Whitehouse’s comments quickly drew criticism from conservatives on social media. 

“Sen. Whitehouse (D-RI) beginning his confirmation ‘questioning’ of RFK Jr. by saying ‘I’m very experienced, so you’re just going to have to listen,’  then talking for 7 minutes nonstop is such a perfect picture of why Democrats are failing around the nation right now,” Daily Signal columnist Tony Kinnett posted on X. 

“You know what would be good?” columnist John Podhortez posted on X. “Sheldon Whitehouse going away forever to an island. And not Rhode Island, which isn’t an island. More like St. Helena.”

NOBEL LAUREATE LETTER OPPOSING RFK JR CONFIRMATION LOADED WITH DEM DONORS, OFFICIALS: ‘THINLY VEILED ATTEMPT’

Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., leaves the Senate Democrats’ lunch in the Capitol on Tuesday, June 13, 2023. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

“Whitehouse delivers a droning monologue then tells RFK he’s out of time, can respond in writing,” National Review senior writer Dan McLaughlin posted on X. 

“What a jacka–,” Twitchy.com editor Samantha Janney posted on X. “RFK Jr. should ask Sheldon about his membership at multiple whites-only clubs.”

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Secretary of Health and Human Services nominee Robert F. Kennedy Jr. testifies during a Senate Finance Committee hearing on his nomination to be Health and Human Services Secretary, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 29, 2025. (Getty)

Fox News Digital reached out to Whitehouse’s office for comment but did not immediately receive a response.

Opposition to Kennedy’s nomination has been fierce, with advocacy groups running ad campaigns urging senators to vote against his confirmation mainly due to his past skepticism of some vaccines. 

“I want to make sure the Committee is clear about a few things. News reports have claimed that I am anti-vaccine or anti-industry. Well, I am neither; I am pro-safety,” Kennedy said in his opening statement in front of the Senate Finance Committee.

President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Department of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said in his confirmation hearing before the Senate Finance Committee on Wednesday that his objective to making “America Healthy Again” will not include taking food such as cheeseburgers or Twinkies off of the shelves – quipping his boss has a soft spot for fast food. 

“Most importantly, we need to use, deploy, NIH and FDA to doing the research to understand the relationship between these different food additives and chronic diseases so that Americans understand it,” Kennedy explained before the committee on Wednesday. 

“But I don’t want to take food away from anybody. If you like a cheeseburger, a McDonald’s cheeseburger, or a Diet Coke, which my boss loves, you should be able to get them,” he said, which sparked laughter from the audience. 

“If you want a Hostess Twinkies, you should be able to do that. But you should know what the impacts are on your family and on your health,” he explained. 

TRUMP INNER CIRCLE SHARES MCDONALD’S MEAL AS DONALD JR. JOKES ‘MAKE AMERICA HEALTHY AGAIN STARTS TOMORROW’

US Secretary of Health and Human Services nominee Robert F. Kennedy Jr. takes his seat as he arrives during a Senate Finance Committee hearing on his nomination to be Health and Human Services Secretary, on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, January 29, 2025.  (ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images)

Trump has long been a well-known fan of Diet Coke and McDonald’s fast-food, including re-installing a Diet Coke button on the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office to swiftly deliver him the soft drink, and campaigned at a Pennsylvania McDonald’s ahead of the Nov. 5 election. 

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Kennedy’s hearing on Wednesday before the Senate Finance Committee is just the first, with the nominee scheduled to again join lawmakers on Capitol Hill on Thursday to appear before the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee. Kennedy has been at the forefront of “MAHA,” or Make America Health Again, movement within Trump’s orbit. 

Republican presidential nominee and former President Donald Trump, left, uses a frier as an employee looks on during a visit to McDonald’s in Feasterville-Trevose, Pa., Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024. (Doug Mills/The New York Times via AP, Pool)

Kennedy’s hearing was expected to be fiery, as the son of former U.S. Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy has come under fire for his critical stance on vaccines and food additives. Kennedy defended in his hearing that he is not “anti-vaccine.”

TRUMP MAKES FRIES AT PENNSYLVANIA MCDONALD’S: ‘I’VE NOW WORKED FOR 15 MINUTES MORE THAN KAMALA’

Donald Trump sharing a McDonald’s meal on his campaign plane with Elon Musk, Donald Trump Jr., House Speaker Mike Johnson and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (Donald Trump Jr. / X)

“I worked for years to raise awareness about the mercury and toxic chemicals in fish. And nobody called me anti-fish. And I believe that … that vaccines play a critical role in health care. All of my kids are vaccinated. I’ve read many books on vaccines. My first book in 2014, a first line of it is ‘I am not anti-vaccine’ and last line is ‘I am not anti-vaccine.’ Nor I’m the enemy of food producers, American farms and the bedrock of our culture, of our politics, of our national security,” he said on Wednesday.

‘VINDICTIVE’: DEMOCRAT IN TIGHT SENATE RACE BLASTED BY GOP RIVAL FOR SWIPE AT MCDONALD’S AFTER TRUMP VISIT

Left: RFK Jr in a photo from congressional testimony. Right: Then-presidential nominee Donald Trump poses with employees during a campaign event at McDonald’s restaurant on October 20, 2024 in Feasterville-Trevose, Pennsylvania.  (Getty Images)

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“In my advocacy, I’ve often disturbed this status quo. I am asking uncomfortable questions. Well, I’m not going to apologize for that. We have massive health problems in this country that we must face,” he added. 

FIRST ON FOX: This week the U.S. tech sector was routed by the Chinese launch of DeepSeek, and Sen. Josh Hawley is putting forth legislation to prevent that from happening again. 

Hawley’s bill, the Decoupling America’s Artifical Intelligence Capabilities from China Act, would cut off U.S.-China cooperation on AI. It would ban exports or imports of AI technology from China, ban American companies from conducting research there, and prohibit any U.S. investment in AI tech companies in China. 

“Every dollar and gig of data that flows into Chinese AI are dollars and data that will ultimately be used against the United States,” said Hawley, R-Mo., in a statement. “America cannot afford to empower our greatest adversary.”

His is one of the first bills introduced directly in response to the DeepSeek market shakeup of the past few days.

THERE IS A ‘WAKE-UP CALL’ FOR US TO BE THE LEADER IN AI, SAYS WHITE HOUSE AI AND CRYPTO ‘CZAR’ 

Sen. Josh Hawley has introduced a bill to cut off U.S.-China cooperation on artificial intelligence. (C-Span)

DeepSeek’s release of a new high-profile AI model that costs less to run than existing models like those of Meta and OpenAI sent a chill through U.S. markets, with chipmaker Nvidia stocks tanking on Monday before slowly gaining ground again on Tuesday. 

The surprise release displayed how China’s economic competitiveness has far outpaced the ability of U.S. business leaders and lawmakers to agree on what to do about it. 

Unlike other legislation to thwart China’s profiting off U.S. innovation, Hawley’s bill would cover any AI-related technology instead of specific entities, which has prompted the Chinese to seek out loopholes through other companies. 

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Microsoft and OpenAI are now reportedly investigating whether DeepSeek could have accessed and used their data to train its own Chinese model, Bloomberg News reported. 

White House artificial intelligence czar David Sacks told Fox News there is “substantial evidence that what DeepSeek did here is they distilled the knowledge out of OpenAI’s models.” 

The U.S. and China are engaged in an AI race, and until recently the U.S. was thought to be slightly ahead. (AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato)

President Donald Trump on Monday said DeepSeek’s arrival on the scene “should be a wakeup call” for America’s tech companies after the new low-cost AI assistant soared to number one on the Apple app store over the weekend. 

“The release of DeepSeek AI from a Chinese company should be a wake-up call for our industries that we need to be laser focused on competing,” Trump said. 

But the president said it was ultimately a good thing if the world had access to cheaper, faster AI models. “​​Instead of spending billions and billions, you’ll spend less, and you’ll come up with, hopefully, the same solution,” Trump said.

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In his final week in office, President Joe Biden issued a rule slapping export controls on AI chips, with his national security advisor, Jake Sullivan, arguing that the U.S. was only six to 18 months ahead of China in the AI sector. 

U.S. officials are now looking at the national security implications of DeepSeek, according to White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, who added that the Trump administration was working to “ensure American AI dominance.”

The Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday voted to favorably report Pam Bondi’s nomination for U.S. attorney general to the Senate, a widely expected vote that clears her for a vote in the full chamber later this week.

She secured the votes of the committee’s 12 Republicans, with all 10 Democrats voting against.

Bondi, the former Florida attorney general, made a name for herself in Florida by cracking down on drug trafficking, violent crime, and the many “pill mills” operating in the state. She also spent 18 years as a prosecutor for the Hillsborough County state attorney’s office, giving her the experience that many believe she will need to serve as the top U.S. attorney.

Bondi was expected to see a glide path to confirmation ahead of Wednesday’s vote. Her nomination to be President Donald Trump’s attorney general also earned the praise of more than 110 former senior Justice Department officials, including former attorneys general, and dozens of Democratic and Republican state attorneys general, who praised her experience and work across party and state lines.

‘UNLIKELY COALITION’: A CRIMINAL JUSTICE REFORM ADVOCATE SEES OPPORTUNITIES IN A SECOND TRUMP TERM

Pam Bondi, former Florida Attorney General, speaking at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing at a U.S. Capitol. (Photo by Michael Brochstein/Sipa USA)

Those backers described Bondi in interviews and letters previewed exclusively to Fox News Digital as an experienced and motivated prosecutor whose record has proved to be more consensus-builder than bridge-burner.

In her confirmation hearing earlier this month, Bondi stressed that, if confirmed to head up DOJ, the “partisanship, the weaponization will be gone. “America will have one tier of justice for all.”

Whether the approach will prove successful, however, remains to be seen.

The confirmation vote Wednesday was held against a strikingly different political backdrop than just two weeks ago, when Bondi testified days before Trump’s swearing-in.

In his first nine days in office, Trump has fired more than 15 inspectors general from top federal agencies, ousted more than a dozen special counsel members tasked with investigating him, and reassigned or removed officials from top posts at the department.

TRUMP FIRES 17 GOVERNMENT WATCHDOGS AT VARIOUS FEDERAL AGENCIES

Pam Bondi, President-elect Donald Trump’s choice to lead the Justice Department as attorney general, is sworn in before the Senate Judiciary Committee for her confirmation hearing, at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis) (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)

He also froze new hiring at DOJ, issued a sweeping clemency grant for more than 1,500 criminal defendants charged in the January 6, 2021, riots at the U.S. Capitol and installed as acting U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia a criminal defense attorney who represented several high-profile rioters.

Combined, Democrats have raised serious concerns about these actions— and about Bondi’s ability to steer the Justice Department in the face of a willful, and at times seemingly impulsive president-elect, and questioned her willingness to go after political “enemies” and asked her to give credence to certain remarks made by Kash Patel, Trump’s FBI nominee.

But Bondi appeared composed and largely unflappable during the course of her confirmation hearing, which stretched for more than five hours, save for a 30-minute lunch break.

She highlighted her record on fighting violent crime, drug trafficking, and human trafficking as Florida’s top prosecutor, and outlined her broader vision for heading up the Justice Department, where she stressed her desire to lead a department free from political influence.

TRUMP HIRING FREEZE PROMPTS DOJ TO PULL JOB OFFERS IN AG’S HONORS PROGRAM: REPORT

Justice Department logo and Pam Bondi (Samuel Corum/Bloomberg via Getty Images, left, and MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images, right.)

If confirmed, Bondi’s former colleagues have told Fox News Digital they expect her to bring the same playbook she used in Florida to Washington – this time with an eye to cracking down on drug trafficking, illicit fentanyl use, and the cartels responsible for smuggling the drugs across the border.
Democrat Dave Aronberg, who challenged Bondi in her bid for Florida attorney general, told Fox News Digital in an interview that he was stunned when Bondi called him up after winning the race and asked him to be her drug czar.

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He noted that she’s stared down political challenges before. When she took office in Florida, Aaronberg said, Bondi “received a lot of pushback” from members of the Republican Party for certain actions she took,” including appointing a Democrat to a top office.

“But she stood up to them and she did what she thought was right, regardless of political pressure,” Aaronberg told Fox News Digital on the eve of her confirmation vote. “So that’s what gives me hope here, is that she’ll editorship and refocus the Department of Justice on policy and politics. You know, I’m hopeful she’ll focus on and I know that the border and the and human trafficking and the rise of anti-Semitism in our country and on college campuses, those won’t be popular positions.”

President Donald Trump has ordered the construction of an advanced, next-generation missile defense shield to protect the United States from aerial attack.

On Monday, the president signed an executive order that tasks Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth with drawing up plans to build an “Iron Dome for America” that will protect Americans from the threat of missiles launched by a foreign enemy. In doing so, Trump kept a campaign promise to prioritize missile defense.

“By next term we will build a great Iron Dome over our country,” Trump said during a West Palm Beach event on June 14. “We deserve a dome…it’s a missile defense shield, and it’ll all be made in America.”

TRUMP SAYS THAT IRON DOME CONSTRUCTION WILL BE ‘IMMEDIATE,’ SIGNS EXECUTIVE ORDER

But what exactly are Trump’s plans for an “Iron Dome”? Here’s what you need to know: 

1. Israel’s first defense

Israel’s Iron Dome anti-missile system intercepts rockets, as seen from Ashkelon, Israel, on Oct. 1, 2024. (REUTERS/Amir Cohen)

The Iron Dome missile defense system Trump has called for is similar to one that Israel has developed to intercept thousands of rockets. 

Israel’s first line of defense, a missile defense system developed by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, is labeled the Iron Dome. It was first deployed in 2011, and has since rebuffed and destroyed rockets from Hamas terrorists, Hezbollah forces and Iranian drones and missiles.

PETE HEGSETH CONFIRMED TO LEAD PENTAGON AFTER VP VANCE CASTS TIE-BREAKING VOTE

The Iron Dome is land-based and built to keep the citizens of Israel safe from barrages of rockets deployed most often by Palestinian terrorists in the Gaza Strip. Israeli officials claim the Iron Dome has been 90% effective in intercepting thousands of rockets fired into Israel. 

The U.S. has contributed at least $2.6 billion to the development of Israel’s Iron Dome system since 2011. 

2. The threats facing the U.S.

Russia said it tested a hypersonic Zircon cruise missile in the Barents Sea, on May 28, 2022. (Russian Ministry of Defense)

Critically, the Iron Dome is a short-range defense system capable of tackling missiles with ranges between 2.5 miles and about 43 miles. Trump’s executive order identifies attack by long-range ballistic, hypersonic and cruise missiles as “the most catastrophic threat facing the United States,” so his proposed defense system will need to be adapted and redesigned to defend against intercontinental missiles.

Russia currently has an arsenal of 1,250 deployed weapons, according to the New York Times. Pentagon analysts believe China will have a weapons stockpile of similar size within 10 years, if not earlier, and North Korea has continued development of intercontinental ballistic missiles under both Trump and President Joe Biden’s watch.

Most recently, Russia and China have experimented with hypersonic missiles, which are designed to exceed Mach 5, or five times the speed of sound. Intercepting missiles at such speeds is a challenge the U.S. has partnered with Japan to confront at an estimated cost of $3 billion, the Associated Press reported. 

3. Reagan tried it first

Ronald Wilson Reagan, 40th President of the United States and 33rd Governor of California. (Photo12/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

President Ronald Reagan was the first U.S. president to call for a national defense system that would counter the threat of the Soviet Union’s nuclear weapons, including warheads attached to ballistic missiles.

On March 30, 1983, Reagan proposed “a vision for the future that offers hope” that he called the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI). The idea was to develop a space-based missile defense program that would protect the country from large-scale nuclear attack. Reagan proposed to develop technology that would allow the United States to identify and automatically destroy numerous incoming ballistic missiles before they reached their targets.

MCCONNELL VOTED NO ON HEGSETH AS PENTAGON HEAD, FORCING VANCE TO CAST TIEBREAKER

Acknowledging that the technology to realize his vision did not yet exist, Regan urged the scientific community to partner with the defense community and work towards a future where Americans need not fear nuclear attack.

“I call upon the scientific community in our country, those who gave us nuclear weapons, to turn their great talents now to the cause of mankind and world peace, to give us the means of rendering these nuclear weapons impotent and obsolete,” Reagan said.

The president’s critics derided the plan, nicknaming it, “Star Wars,” and questioned why his administration would pursue a costly defense initiative with no guarantee that it would work. The Soviet Union accused Regan of violating a 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty that committed both countries to refrain from developing missile defense systems. Arms control measures stalled during Reagan’s term because he refused to give up the project.

After Regan left office, interest in SDI waned and the program was canceled before the U.S. could develop a functional missile defense system. However, research conducted while SDI was active contributed to the Iron Dome’s development. In 2002, the U.S. withdrew from the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty, which now allows Trump to pick up where Reagan left off.

4. Hegseth’s to-do list

Pete Hegseth is surrounded by his wife Jennifer Rauchet and his 7 children as he is sworn in as the new US Secretary of Defense by Vice-President JD Vance at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building at the White House in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 25, 2025. (Roberto Schmidt/AFP)

Under Trump’s order, freshly confirmed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth must submit to the president “a reference architecture, capabilities-based requirements, and an implementation plan for the next-generation missile defense shield.” 

The plans must include defense against “ballistic, hypersonic, advanced cruise missiles, and other next-generation aerial attacks from peer, near-peer, and rogue adversaries.” 

Hegseth is also instructed to accelerate the deployment of a satellite-based sensor system developed by the Missile Defense Agency that is currently in its prototype phase. Called the Hypersonic Ballistic Tracking Space Sensor, the system uses “birth-to-death” tracking to follow missile threats from launch through interception, according to the Defense Department.

Additionally, Trump’s order instructs the development and deployment of several space-based missile interception technologies, including systems that could disable a missile prior to launch, as well as a “secure supply chain” to ensure that the ordered missile defense infrastructure is made in America.

Hegseth must also submit a plan to pay for these dense systems before the president puts together his fiscal year 2026 budget. 

5. Cooperating with U.S. allies

Trump’s order calls to “increase bilateral and multilateral cooperation on missile defense technology development, capabilities, and operations,” as well as to “increase and accelerate the provision of the United States missile defense capabilities to allies and partners.”

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Hegseth is also directed to conduct a review of the U.S. military’s missile defense posture in theaters across the globe and identify areas for cooperation with allies.

Fox News Digital’s Gabriele Regalbuto contributed to this report.

House Democrats are demanding answers regarding the Justice Department’s move this week to fire more than a dozen officials involved in former Special Counsel Jack Smith’s investigation, arguing the action was in “complete contradiction” of President Trump’s effort to keep a “merit-based system” for government employees. 

House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Jamie Raskin, D-Md., and House Oversight Committee Ranking Member Gerald Connolly, D-Ma., penned a letter to acting Attorney General James McHenry Tuesday, obtained by Fox News. 

JUSTICE DEPARTMENT FIRES MORE THAN A DOZEN KEY OFFICIALS ON FORMER SPECIAL COUNSEL JACK SMITH’S TEAM

“We write to you with alarm and profound concern about reports of the administration engaging in the widespread summary firing and involuntary reassignment of excellent career prosecutors and federal agents throughout the Department of Justice (DOJ),” they wrote. “This onslaught against effective DOJ civil servants began within hours of President Donald Trump’s inauguration, in complete contradiction of the president’s repeated pledges to maintain a merit-based system for government employment.” 

The seal for the Justice Department is photographed in Washington, Nov. 18, 2022. The Justice Department has announced three arrests in a complex stolen identity scheme that officials say generates enormous proceeds for the North Korean government, including for its weapons program.  (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

Raskin and Connolly added that the officials worked “strenuously to defend the rule of law have been removed from their positions without any evaluation—much less any negative evaluation—of their work.” 

McHenry, on Monday, fired more than a dozen key officials on Smith’s team who worked to prosecute the president, saying that they could not be trusted in “faithfully implementing the president’s agenda.” 

Fox News Digital first reported the news exclusively on Monday. 

TRUMP TO TAKE MORE THAN 200 EXECUTIVE ACTIONS ON DAY ONE

Raskin and Connolly argued that the officials terminated on Monday were “part of an expert, non-political workforce tasked with protecting our national security and public safety.” 

Representative Jamie Raskin, a Democrat from Maryland and ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee.  (Tierney L. Cross/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

“They have been hired and promoted based on their professional merit and excellence,” they wrote, adding that “many of them have decades of experience under their belt and have served under, been promoted by, and received awards from presidential administrations of both major political parties, including President Trump’s first administration.” 

The Democrats argued that McHenry removed them from their posts “without regard to their demonstrated competencies, their recognized achievements, or their devoted service to the Department, in some cases reassigning them to areas that are outside of their legal expertise.” 

“By removing them from their positions in this hasty and unprincipled way, you have very likely violated longstanding federal laws,” they wrote, also accusing McHenry of having “taken aim at law students who applied to, interviewed for, and received offers from the Department based on their demonstrated academic achievements and their commitment to public service.” 

DOJ RELEASES FORMER SPECIAL COUNSEL JACK SMITH’S REPORT ON INVESTIGATION INTO TRUMP ELECTION INTERFERENCE CASE

The Democrats claimed that the DOJ “rescinded job offers to summer interns and entry-level attorneys hired through the Attorney General’s Honors Program, a highly competitive 72-year-old recruitment program that receives applications from students at hundreds of law schools across the country.”

Ranking Member of the House Oversight Committee, Rep. Gerry Connolly, R-Ma.  (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr.)

“We have also received disturbing reports surfacing that White House staff are playing a substantial role in these employment decisions and examining career civil servants’ LinkedIn and other social media profiles to ascertain their personal political leanings,” Raskin and Connolly wrote. “Taken together, your actions raise significant concern that you are determined to fill the ranks of the DOJ and FBI with career employees selected for the personal loyalty or political services they have rendered to President Trump.” 

Raskin and Connolly are demanding the DOJ provide them with a list of names of officials who have been reassigned or terminated; and provide any communications between the DOJ and the White House since Inauguration Day regarding the content of personal social media accounts of career DOJ employees or applicants. 

Raskin and Connolly demanded the information by Feb. 11 at 5:00 p.m. 

U.S. President Donald Trump boards Air Force One as he departs for North Carolina at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, U.S., January 24, 2025.  (Leah Millis/Reuters)

Their letter comes after McHenry, on Monday, transmitted a letter to each official notifying them of their termination, a Justice Department official exclusively told Fox News Digital. It is unclear how many officials received that letter. The names of the individuals were not immediately released. 

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“Acting Attorney General James McHenry terminated the employment of a number of DOJ officials who played a significant role in prosecuting President Trump,” a DOJ official told Fox News Digital. “In light of their actions, the Acting Attorney General does not trust these officials to assist in faithfully implementing the President’s agenda.” 

This action “is consistent with the mission of ending the weaponization of government,” the official told Fox News Digital.

The Justice Department did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. 

EXCLUSIVE: President Donald Trump will sign an executive order Wednesday establishing a White House task force focused on coordinating the plans and activities surrounding the celebration of the 250th anniversary of American independence, Fox News Digital has learned. 

The president’s order will organize a “grand celebration of the semiquincentennial of the ratification of the Declaration of Independence.”

The 250th anniversary of America’s founding is July 4, 2026.

Donald Trump is sworn in as the 47th president of the United States by Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts as Melania Trump holds the Bible on Jan. 20, 2025. (Morry Gash/AP Photo/Pool)

TRUMP VOWS ‘NEW ERA OF NATIONAL SUCCESS,’ SAYS AMERICA’S ‘DECLINE IS OVER’ IN INAUGURAL ADDRESS

The task force, which will be named “Task Force 250,” will “coordinate the plans and activities of federal agencies for an extraordinary celebration of the 250thh Anniversary of American Independence.” 

Task Force 250 will build upon the U.S. Bicentennial Celebration half a century ago. The White House told Fox News Digital that the celebration “emphasized national renewal of our founding ideals after a period of national unrest and division.” 

DONALD TRUMP SWORN IN AS 47TH PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES

The order, which Trump is set to sign Wednesday, will also reinstate executive orders from his first administration that would establish the National Garden of American Heroes, a statuary park memorializing 250 historically significant Americans, and commission artists for the first 100 statues. 

President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump are shown during a Salute to America event on the South Lawn of the White House on July 4, 2020. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

Fox News Digital has learned that the National Garden of American Heroes will honor “American heroism” after dozens of monuments to Americans, including presidents and founding fathers, were toppled or destroyed and never restored.

The order also reinstates an order to protect American monuments, memorials and statues from destruction or vandalism.

AMERICA WILL BE CELEBRATING ITS 250TH BIRTHDAY AND EVERYONE’S INVITED: ‘BE INSPIRED FOR OUR COUNTRY’S FUTURE’

The White House said America’s 250th anniversary will “afford an opportunity to unite the American people around their shared history and common future as a nation.”

President-elect Donald Trump, Melania Trump and family watch fireworks at Trump National Golf Club, Washington D.C., on Jan. 18, 2025, in Sterling, Va. (Alex Brandon/Pool via REUTERS)

The order, according to White House officials, also continues Trump’s “longstanding commitment to honor America’s 250th anniversary and celebrate American history.” 

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During Trump’s first address to a joint session of Congress in February 2017, he cited the upcoming semiquincentennial and noted that “in nine years the United States will celebrate the 250th anniversary of our founding, 250 years since the day we declared our Independence.”

The executive orders that Wednesday’s order reinstates were signed in 2020 and 2021 and were created to protect American monuments during unrest and violence in cities during protests and the COVID-19 pandemic.

FIRST ON FOX: An official civil rights complaint has been filed to the Trump administration urging action in defense of a Wisconsin mother who alleges her son, who is White, was passed over being given the extra learning attention he needed due to language on the school’s website that says it prioritizes additional help for students based on race.

The Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty (WILL) filed a Title VI civil rights complaint on Tuesday with the Department of Education’s Civil Rights office against the Green Bay Area Public School District after Colbey Decker alleged that a “troubling” and “unlawful” policy in the district “explicitly prioritizes reading support resources based on race, thereby violating the U.S. Constitution and Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.”

“Colbey Decker, a mom from Green Bay, Wisconsin, has a dyslexic son who was denied reading resources because he is white,” WILL said in a press release. “Not only does the GBAPS admit this practice through its ‘School Success Plan,’ which explicitly says it prioritizes some racial groups over others, but this message was conveyed directly to Mrs. Decker by a school principal during an in-person meeting.”

“Mrs. Decker’s complaint comes at a pivotal moment because President Trump just ordered the U.S. Department of Education to direct all ‘local educational agencies that receive federal funds’ to implement measures and practices” required to comply with the Constitution’s demand of colorblind treatment of all students. WILL has issued a report and called on the Trump Administration to investigate claims of race discrimination in K-12 schools, and we hope that this is the first case they resolve.”

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Trump’s Department of Education has been asked to investigate a discrimination claim in Wisconsin  (Getty/AP)

Fox News Digital previously spoke to Decker in December about her experience with the school district.

“Any time a parent or a grandparent advocates for a child, I know that their sincere hope is that that child is just treated equally,” Decker said. “And that’s not what’s happening when someone is a priority. If someone is more of a priority than someone else’s child has to be less of a priority. And I don’t think that’s the way most of America wants to move forward with education.”

TRUMP PUTS HIGHER EDUCATION ON NOTICE FOR ‘DANGEROUS, DEMEANING, AND IMMORAL’ DEI TEACHINGS

The US Department of Education building is seen on August 21, 2024 in Washington, DC. (Tierney L. Cross)

“I think everybody wants us to just be completely color-blind and look at children as simply being children. My son is in the 17th percentile in the state for reading, and there are children who are performing at a higher level than him that are more of a priority only because of their skin color. And I don’t think most parents want anything like that to ever happen in any educational setting ever.”

The Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights told Fox News Digital it “does not confirm complaints.”

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“Our client’s son continues to lose valuable time in his educational development. It’s time for the GBAPS to adopt a color-blind policy for giving all kids access to important resources,” WILL Associate Counsel Lauren Gruel said in a press release. “We hope our appeal to the federal government will provide the catalyst needed to address this injustice.” 

The district told Fox News Digital on Tuesday that “we do not feel we are able to comment until we have had sufficient time to review.”

The district previously told Fox News Digital that “all District policies must be approved by the Board of Education and no such policy language exists.”

The complaint states that the district has “refused to take any action to end its discrimination.”

“WILL asks that the Department promptly investigate the allegations in this complaint, act swiftly to remedy unlawful policies and practices, and order appropriate relief,” the complaint states. “Thank you for your prompt attention to this request for investigation and resolution.”

The Senate will have separate committee hearings for three of President Donald Trump’s administration nominees on Wednesday, including former presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who is considered one of his more vulnerable picks.

At approximately 10 a.m. on Wednesday, hearings for both Kennedy in the Finance Committee and Howard Lutnick in the Commerce Committee will begin. 

PETE BUTTIGIEG GIVING ‘SERIOUS LOOK’ TO 2026 SENATE RUN IN TRUMP-WON MICHIGAN

Kennedy and Loeffler will have committee hearings on Wednesday. (Reuters)

Trump picked Kennedy to lead the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), while Lutnick is the president’s choice for Commerce secretary. 

In the afternoon, Kelly Loeffler goes before the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship. The hearing for Trump’s pick to lead the Small Business Administration starts at 3:30 p.m. 

GARY PETERS, DEMOCRATIC SENATOR FROM TRUMP STATE, WON’T SEEK RE-ELECTION

Howard Lutnick is being considered for secretary of commerce. (ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images)

Several of Trump’s nominees have already been confirmed, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Transportation Secretary-designate Sean Duffy. 

While the Hegseth confirmation came down to the wire, with Vice President JD Vance being needed to break a tie in the Senate, there’s been some indication that other Trump nominees such as Kennedy, former Democrat Rep. Tulsi Gabbard and potentially Kash Patel will have their own uphill battles to getting confirmed. 

TRUMP’S MOST VULNERABLE NOMINEES RFK JR, TULSI GABBARD GET BACK-TO-BACK HEARINGS

Kelly Loeffler is a former senator from Georgia. (Alyssa Pointer/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Gabbard is Trump’s choice to be director of national intelligence, and Patel is nominated to be the next attorney general. 

While the Finance Committee will ultimately vote on whether to advance Kennedy’s nomination to the Senate floor, he will also have a hearing on Thursday before the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions because of the position’s relevance to public health.

PETE HEGSETH CONFIRMED TO LEAD PENTAGON AFTER VP VANCE CASTS TIE-BREAKING VOTE

Kennedy is one of Trump’s more controversial picks. (Jon Cherry/Getty Images)

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Senators on both sides of the aisle in the Finance Committee are expected to ask Kennedy for clarifications on his past statements regarding vaccines and how he would apply his beliefs if confirmed to lead HHS.

New York political leaders are split over the recent increase in ICE deportation and removal operations of illegal immigrants under the Trump administration, with Republicans praising the crackdown and Democrats stressing authorities respect local migrant “sanctuary” policies.

ICE agents and federal authorities have been spotted in New York City and throughout the surrounding area, carrying out arrests of illegal immigrants. 

Among those arrested on Tuesday was a 25-year-old Venezuelan migrant named Anderson Zambrano-Pacheco, who is a member of the violent criminal group Tren de Aragua. Zambrano-Pacheco is charged with kidnapping, assault and burglary.

New York Mayor Eric Adams, a Democrat, said Tuesday afternoon that the New York City Police Department had supported federal authorities carrying out the criminal raid.

CHICAGO MAYOR RIPS ICE OPERATIONS, SAYS TRUMP ‘IS ATTEMPTING TO GET US TO SURRENDER OUR HUMANITY’

DHS Secretary Kristi Noem participates in an immigration in New York City. (Department of Homeland Security)

“Early this morning — as it regularly does as part of a multi-agency task force — our city coordinated with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security on a federal criminal investigation involving a suspect hiding in New York City,” said Adams. “Beforehand, I directed the NYPD to coordinate with DHS’ Homeland Security Investigations and other federal law enforcement agencies — as allowed by law — to conduct a targeted operation to arrest an individual connected with multiple violent crimes, both here in New York and in Aurora, Colorado, including burglary, kidnapping, extortion, firearms possession, menacing with a firearm, crime of violence, and other charges.”

“As I have repeatedly said,” Adams went on, “we will not hesitate to partner with federal authorities to bring violent criminals to justice — just as we have done for years. Our commitment to protecting our city’s law-abiding residents, both citizens and immigrants, remains unwavering.” 

New York Governor Kathy Hochul took a similar tone, saying: “My understanding is that they had specific names of people who committed crimes, serious offenders, and those are exactly the people that we want removed from the state of New York.”

“I want to be clear,” she said, “there has always been ICE raids in the state of New York, even in the past, and this is not a new dynamic.”

WH PRESS SECRETARY CAROLYN LEAVITT ANSWERS QUESTION ON HOW MANY ILLEGAL ALIENS ARE CRIMINALS

New York City Mayor Eric Adams and New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, both Democrats, are seen side-by-side. (Getty Images)

New York Attorney General Letitia James, meanwhile, issued an apparent warning to state and local law enforcement cooperating with federal authorities, saying in a Tuesday X post that she would be monitoring the situation closely to ensure that state sanctuary policies are not violated.

“My office is aware of the increased presence of ICE across New York City,” she said. “I am monitoring the situation to ensure our laws are being respected and people’s rights are not being violated. We have sent guidance to law enforcement, and it must be followed.”

ICE SNAGS CRIMINAL ALIEN PAROLED 17 YEARS INTO LIFE SENTENCE FOR PREGNANT WOMAN’S MURDER

For its part, a spokesperson for the New York City Police Department clarified that the NYPD does not engage or assist in any manner with civil immigration enforcement, but rather does “work daily with federal law enforcement agencies in connection with a wide range of criminal investigations.”

The spokesperson told Fox News that “in particular, the Department participates in task forces with a variety of federal law enforcement agencies investigating violations of federal criminal law.”

Attorney General Letitia James speaks during a press conference.  (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

New York Republicans, on the other hand, were quick to express their relief over the ICE raids.

U.S. Rep Nicole Malliotakis, whose district includes portions of Staten Island and Brooklyn, issued a statement saying: “I thank President Donald Trump, Border Czar Tom Homan, and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristy Noem for their leadership and wasting no time to initiate the removal of dangerous, violent foreign criminals and gangs from New York City streets—groups that have wreaked havoc in our city over the past four years and have committed thousands of crimes including robberies, sex crimes, assaulting NYPD officers, and even murder.”

CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE

“The mass illegal migration crisis created by the Biden Administration cost American lives and New York’s taxpayers billions of dollars,” Malliotakis went on. “New York City must fully cooperate with ICE to rid our city of this criminal activity. No local or state elected official or government agency should stand in the way as federal authorities enforce our nation’s immigration laws to ensure the safety of all Americans.”

‘ON NOTICE’: EX-VENEZUELAN MILITARY OFFICIAL APPLAUDS TRUMP’S ‘FIRST GOOD STEP’ TARGETING BLOODTHIRSTY GANG

A Venezuelan migrant arrested during an ICE raid early on Jan. 28 was identified by the Department of Homeland Security as Anderson Zambrano-Pacheco. Zambrano-Pacheco was wanted by Aurora Police Department in Colorado and was one of the men who appeared in a viral security camera video from August 2024 who menaced an apartment building shortly before a fatal shooting. (City of Aurora, Colorado / www.auroragov.org)

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Rep. Claudia Tenney, a Republican who represents parts of Upstate New York, called the raids “tremendous” and said they demonstrate “true leadership” from the Trump administration.

“This is tremendous. … I am so happy to see this,” Tenney said on the Fox News Business Channel. “All I’ve heard from especially a lot of senior citizens and others is how thrilled they are that we’re seeing these absolutely violent criminal illegal immigrants that are being harbored by these sanctuary cities being taken out of our communities and making our communities safer. This is a huge win for the Trump administration. It shows that we have decisive leadership. We do not have the paralysis of analysis.”

Alexis McAdams and Stephen Sorace contributed to this report. 

The Trump administration is offering buyouts for nearly all federal employees, including those who work remotely, as part of President Donald Trump’s efforts to get employees back into the office, but they only have until Feb. 6 to opt-in.

During Trump’s first week in office, he issued several directives to the federal workforce, including a requirement that remote employees must return to in-person work.

“After four years of incompetence and failure, President Donald Trump is committed to making our government efficient and productive again,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement on Tuesday. “American taxpayers pay for the salaries of federal government employees and therefore deserve employees working on their behalf who actually show up to work in our wonderful federal buildings, also paid for by taxpayers.

“If they don’t want to work in the office and contribute to making America great again, then they are free to choose a different line of work, and the Trump Administration will provide a very generous payout of eight months,” she added.

HOUSE OVERSIGHT REPORT SAYS TELEWORK IS ‘WASTING BILLIONS’ IN TAXPAYER CASH AHEAD OF 1ST HEARING

President Donald Trump after signing executive orders in the Oval Office of the White House, Thursday, in Washington, D.C. (Yuri Gripas/Abaca/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

On Tuesday, a government-wide email was sent out to ensure all federal workers were on board with the Trump administration’s plan.

The email pointed to four pillars that Trump set forth, to bring accountability back to the federal government, including a return to in-person work, restored accountability for employees who have policy-making authority, restored accountability for senior executives, and a reformed federal hiring process based on merit.

“The government-wide email being sent today is to make sure that all federal workers are on board with the new administration’s plan to have federal employees in office and adhering to higher standards,” a senior administration official said. “We’re five years past COVID and just 6 percent of federal employees work full-time in office. That is unacceptable.”

‘GET BACK TO WORK’: HOUSE OVERSIGHT TO TAKE ON GOVERNMENT TELEWORK IN 1ST HEARING OF NEW CONGRESS

Signage outside the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) headquarters in Washington, D.C.  (Samuel Corum/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

The email noted that the majority of federal employees who have worked remotely since COVID will be required to return to their physical offices five days a week.

“Going forward, we also expect our physical offices to undergo meaningful consolidation and divestitures, potentially resulting in physical office relocations for a number of federal workers,” the email read.

For those who returned to office, the Trump administration thanked them for their “renewed focus” on serving the American people. But the future of their position could not be guaranteed, according to the email.

SENATE DOGE LEADER ERNST TO TAKE ON GOVERNMENT TELEWORK ABUSE AT FIRST MEETING WITH MUSK, RAMASWAMY

The Pentagon is seen from Air Force One. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

For those who do not want to continue in their role with the federal workforce, the Trump administration thanked them for their services, informing them they will be provided with a “dignified, fair departure from the federal government utilizing a deferred resignation program.”

The program begins on Jan. 28 and will be available until Feb. 6, and should a federal employee choose to resign under the program, they will retain all pay and benefits, regardless of workload, and will be exempt from their in-person work requirements until Sep. 30, 2025.

The buyouts do not apply to military personnel of the armed forces, the U.S. Postal Services, positions related to immigration enforcement and national security, and any other positions specifically excluded by the agency the federal workers are employed by.

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“To be clear, as it was with President Trump’s executive order on Day One, implementation of return-to-work policies will be done by each individual agency in accordance with applicable law,” the senior administration official said. “We expect 5 to 10 percent of federal employees to quit, and it could lead to $100 billion annually in savings for federal taxpayers.”

The Trump administration’s Food and Drug Administration (FDA) formally withdrew a proposed rule seeking to ban menthol cigarettes, after the Biden administration said it intended to make the ban become a reality after years of advocacy from anti-smoking groups.

Efforts to ban menthol cigarettes have been ongoing for multiple administrations, but, in April 2021, the Biden administration’s FDA announced plans to finalize the rule. The move was met with praise from anti-smoking advocates, such as the Truth Initiative, which argue that menthol in cigarettes makes them more addictive and disproportionately impacts minority communities.

The Biden administration subsequently delayed implementation of the rule out of concern that more time was needed to consider public comments and concerns.

DIET AND NUTRITION EXPERTS WEIGH IN ON HOW RFK JR’S NOMINATION COULD IMPACT HOW WE EAT 

President Biden and menthol cigarettes (Getty Images)

But a regulatory filing from President Donald Trump’s Office of Management and Budget, which oversees the federal rulemaking process, slashed any hopes that the ban might come back any time soon. According to the filing, Trump moved to rescind the proposed rule during his first day in office.

When reached for comment, the FDA cited an ongoing communications freeze imposed on all Health and Human Services Department sub-agencies.

HHS WILL REEVALUATE PROGRAMS, REGULATIONS TO ENSURE TAXPAYER FUNDS ARE NOT PAYING FOR ELECTIVE ABORTIONS

“It is deeply disappointing that the FDA’s rule to prohibit menthol cigarettes was not finalized in a timely manner and has now been withdrawn,” the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids said in a statement. “We strongly support eliminating menthol cigarettes to end the tobacco industry’s decades-long, predatory marketing of these deadly products to kids, Black Americans and other communities.”

Packs of Newport cigarettes are seen on a shelf in a grocery store in the Flatbush neighborhood on April 29, 2021 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. 

The campaign said it will remain committed to building support to eliminate menthol cigarettes nationwide, noting “it is more critical than ever that states and cities step up their efforts to end the sale of menthol cigarettes and other flavored tobacco products.”

Those challenging a menthol cigarette ban, meanwhile, argue the move could create a massive black market for cigarettes. People against the ban also fear the impact it could have on policing in minority communities.

THE YEAR IN CANCER: ADVANCES MADE IN 2024, PREDICTIONS FOR 2025

A woman in New York City holds up a sign on the steps of City Hall on March 9, 2023 in New York City. Members of Mothers of the Movement, a group of women whose African American children have been killed by police officers or by gun violence, held a rally against racism, inequality, and policies targeting people of color. 

“Remember Eric Garner? New York City’s exorbitant taxes on cigarette packages generated an underground market in untaxed individual cigarettes, called ‘loosies.’ In 2014, police infamously encountered 43-​year-​old Eric Garner selling loosies on a street corner, and a policeman’s chokehold led to his death as he repeated ‘I can’t breathe.’ And this happened without a menthol ban,” Jeffrey Singer, a senior fellow at the Cato Institute’s Department of Health Studies, wrote after the Biden administration moved to finalize the ban. 

“With menthol cigarettes more prevalent among Black and Hispanic Americans, expect police to focus their attention on minority communities. This might make inequities in criminal justice even worse.”

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While Trump signaled he is against banning menthol cigarettes, the president did act during his first term to ban most flavored e-cigarette pods used in disposable nicotine vapes. However, while the ban prohibited future sales of sweet- and fruit-flavored nicotine cartridges, it permitted continued sales of pods that are either menthol or tobacco flavored.

Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment but did not receive a response by publication time.

West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey announced Tuesday that about five dozen people had been detained within a day of ordering cooperation between Charleston and federal immigration authorities.

By midday on Tuesday, 58 people in the Mountain State were detained within the Regional Jail system pending verification of their immigration status. 

More detentions are likely imminent, Morrisey said as he repeatedly pledged his full support for President Donald Trump’s illegal immigration crackdown.

Morrisey, a Republican, and only two weeks into his term, promised a further update on his administration’s operations on Thursday, saying West Virginia has good reason to take every step possible to quash the crisis besides the fact these people are allegedly in the country illegally.

WV LAWMAKER ARRESTED AFTER THREATENING TO KILL ENTIRE REGION’S DELEGATION OVER CAUCUS BEEF

West Virginia leads the nation in drug overdose deaths-per-capita, and Morrisey said illegal immigration and cartel smuggling play a key role in that crisis.

“To be clear, our numbers may be lower than others in terms of illegal immigrants… but I’ve repeatedly talked about the impact of having illegal immigrants [who] bring deadly fentanyl into the state — that’s flooding in from Mexico [with] raw ingredients coming from China.”

The West Virginia Department of Health & Human Resources recorded 1,389 drug overdose deaths statewide in 2023, down slightly from their peak at 1,537 in 2021. In 2001, there were only 212 such drug-related deaths among its estimated 1.75 million people.

“You’re going to find a Morrisey administration very cooperative with the Trump administration… It’s important for West Virginia because we have to stop this senseless death,” the governor said.

TRUMP, GOP CELEBRATE JOE MANCHIN RETIREMENT

Travelers are greeted by a West Virginia welcome sign after crossing the East River Mountain Tunnel on I-77 in Princeton. (Charles Creitz)

Morrisey praised Trump and said what the White House is doing is “absolutely correct.”

“We will take all appropriate steps to protect our citizens and work with the Trump Administration to crack down on illegal immigration,” Morrisey said in a separate statement to Fox News Digital.

The move received praise from other state officials.

State Del. Wayne Clark, R-Charles Town, called it “good progress” on both the illegal immigration front and the quest to curb the state’s drug crisis.

Huntington Police Chief Phil Watkins said some of his officers also provided support to recent ICE operations in what is West Virginia’s second-largest city.

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“As a general practice, we always try to accommodate requests for assistance from any of our law enforcement partners,” he told Wheeling’s CBS affiliate.

The Department of Corrections & Rehabilitation confirmed in a statement that it is detaining suspected illegal immigrant criminals in its facilities at the urging of federal agencies such as ICE and the FBI.

Caroline Kennedy, the only surviving child of President John F. Kennedy and a former U.S. ambassador, sent a letter to lawmakers urging them not to confirm her cousin Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who she referred to as a “predator” and said was “unqualified” both professionally and personally to be the next Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS).

RFK Jr. is set to sit before two Senate committees on Wednesday and Thursday this week, during which lawmakers will get a chance to probe him about various issues related to his nomination as Health and Human Services Secretary. In advance of those hearings, Caroline sent a letter to senators who will vote on her cousin’s confirmation, explaining why she thinks he should not be allowed to run the federal government’s chief public health agency. 

“Throughout the past year people have asked for my thoughts about my cousin Robert F. Kennedy Jr and his presidential campaign. I did not comment, not only because I was serving in a government position as United States Ambassador to Australia, but because I have never wanted to speak publicly about my family members and their challenges,” Caroline said in a video posted online of her reading the letter. “But now that Bobby has been nominated by President Trump to be Secretary of Health and Human Services, a position that would put him in charge of the health of the American people, I feel an obligation to speak.”

TRUMP’S MOST VULNERABLE NOMINEES RFK JR, TULSI GABBARD GET BACK-TO-BACK HEARINGS

Caroline Kennedy speaks at the 2009 Women’s Conference held at Long Beach Convention Center on October 27, 2009, in Long Beach, California.  (Photo by Toby Canham/Getty Images)

In addition to arguing her cousin lacked the relevant government, financial management and medical experience to fill the role of HHS Secretary, Caroline said her cousin’s personal qualities were also a disqualifying factor. In the letter, Caroline called her cousin a “predator,” arguing he has sought to exploit his family’s tragedies for publicity and led his siblings and cousins down a path of addiction.

“It’s no surprise that he keeps birds of prey as pets, because Bobby himself is a predator,” she said. “I watched his younger brothers and cousins follow him down the path of drug addiction. His basement, his garage, his dorm room were always the center of the action – where drugs were available and he enjoyed showing off how he put baby chickens and mice in a blender to feed to his hawks.”

DR NICOLE SAPHIER: WHAT RFK JR MUST DO TO WIN OVER SKEPTICAL SENATORS – AND AMERICANS

Caroline did concede that such moments were “a long time ago,” and that she admired her cousin for finding his way out of his addiction. “I admire the discipline that took,” she said. “But siblings and cousins who Bobby encouraged down the path of substance abuse suffered addiction, illness and death, while Bobby has gone on to misrepresent, lie and cheat his way through life.”

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., partner with Morgan & Morgan PA, is sworn-in during a House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government hearing in Washington, DC, US, on Thursday, July 20, 2023. The committee chairman announced the hearing to examine the federal government’s role in censoring Americans and big tech silencing speech. Photographer: Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images (Getty)

Caroline added in the letter that her cousin was “addicted to attention and power,” and also accused him of grandstanding “off my father’s assassination and that of his own father.”

“It’s incomprehensible to me that someone who is willing to exploit their own painful family tragedies for publicity would be put in charge of America’s life and death situations.”

She also took shots at her cousin’s views on vaccines in the letter, calling them “dangerous and willfully misinformed.” In the past, Kennedy has posited theories that vaccines cause autism, argued they are not safe for young children, and blamed them for a rise in chronic disease across the United States.  

DOCTOR DEFENDS RFK JR.’S VACCINE STANCE: ‘HE’S NOT AGAINST VACCINES

“Bobby preys on the desperation of parents of sick children, vaccinating his own kids while building a following hypocritically discouraging other parents from vaccinating theirs,” she said. “Overseeing the FDA, the NIH, the CDC and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services agencies that are charged with protecting the most vulnerable among us is an enormous responsibility and one that Bobby is unqualified to fill.”

A woman holds a mock-up vial labeled “Monkeypox vaccine” and medical syringe in this illustration taken, May 25, 2022.  (REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo)

RFK Jr.’s confirmation remains uncertain as both Republicans and Democrats have taken issue with his stance on vaccines and other public health issues. Lawmakers from more rural states have also raised concern over the potential that RFK Jr. could severely disrupt the agriculture sector as a result of his staunch views on healthy eating. 

He will face questions from both the Senate Committee on Finance and the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions this week. However, only the Finance committee will ultimately vote on whether to advance RFK Jr.’s nomination to a full floor vote.

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Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said federal immigration authorities were arresting the “worst of the worst” in raids targeting criminal illegal immigrants in the first week of the Trump administration. 

Noem, who was confirmed Saturday, joined an immigration enforcement raid in New York City Tuesday morning in which officers picked up an alleged ringleader of the violent Tren de Aragua gang. 

“We are picking up the worst of the worst in this country that are making our streets so dangerous,” Noem told Sean Hannity on “Hannity.” “The community is safer now. That’s the reality of it.”

‘UNDO THE DAMAGE’: TEXAS LAWMAKER LAUNCHES STRATEGY TO HELP ICE AMID TRUMP DEPORTATION BLITZ

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem joins an ICE raid in New York City Tuesday. Noem said communities will be safer because of targeted raids that go after criminal illegal immigrants.  (Department of Homeland Security)

Investigators said Anderson Zambrano-Pacheco, 25, is the same man caught on camera in a video showing heavily armed men kicking down an apartment door at an apartment complex in Aurora, Colorado.  

He was hiding out in New York City, authorities said. 

The targeted raid against criminal illegal immigrants was “very specific,” Noem said. In an effort to combat crime, sanctuary city laws should be lifted, so authorities can better target and prosecute illegal immigrants who commit crimes, she added.

“We need mayors and governors partnering with us, but we will do our job regardless of that,” she said. “We will continue to go forward and identify those folks and get them out.

“Talking about the difference in some of these sanctuary cities, how they’re just released as soon as they come into our custody, not necessarily our custody, but the local governments’.” 

KRISTI NOEM JOINS IMMIGRATION RAID TO CATCH ‘DIRTBAGS’ IN MAJOR SANCTUARY CITY 

A Venezuelan migrant arrested during an ICE raid early Jan. 28 was identified by the Department of Homeland Security as Anderson Zambrano-Pacheco. Zambrano-Pacheco was wanted by Aurora Police Department in Colorado and was allegedly one of the men who appeared in a viral security camera video from August 2024 who menaced an apartment building shortly before a fatal shooting. (City of Aurora, Colorado )

She added that immigration agents were happy “they finally get to do their job” and “finally get to get these dirtbags out of our country.”

Noem said she plans to accompany authorities to see what authorities need to better perform their jobs. 

Noem said three times the number of criminal illegal immigrants were being arrested than under the Biden administration, and she said there were fewer encounters at the southern border. 

The DEA New York Division participated in an immigration enforcement operation with other federal law enforcement partners, resulting in the arrest of one suspect on kidnapping, assault and burglary charges. (X/@DEANEWYORKDiv)

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“We’ve sent a message clearly to the world: ‘Don’t come here. If you’re an illegal and if you’re dangerous, we have a target on you, and you will not be welcome and we will remove you’,” said Noem. 

Six transgender members of the military are suing the Trump administration over an executive order pertaining to trans troops. 

The lawsuit was filed by six current military servicemembers and two people who want to enlist. On Monday, President Trump signed an order stating the “adoption of a gender identity inconsistent with an individual’s sex conflicts with a soldier’s commitment to an honorable, truthful, and disciplined lifestyle, even in one’s personal life.”

“A man’s assertion that he is a woman, and his requirement that others honor this falsehood, is not consistent with the humility and selflessness required of a service member,” it states. 

Trump states in the order that the mission cannot be met if the military is accommodating “political agendas or other ideologies harmful to unit cohesion.” He also said longstanding Defense Department policy says service members must be free of medical conditions and physical defects that would require excessive treatment or hospitalization.

The “hormonal and surgical medical interventions” involved when an individual claims to be a gender differing from their sex do not meet the “rigorous standards” required of service members, including the commitment to being honorable, truthful and disciplined, the order states.

CRACKING DOWN ON TRANS TROOPS: TRUMP ORDER NIXES PREFERRED PRONOUNS, RESTRICTS FACILITY USE

The American flag on a U.S. Army uniform.  (iStock)

Progress related to this order must be submitted by Defense Department Secretary Pete Hegseth and the homeland security secretary to the deputy chief of staff for policy to track implementation and to find recommendations, if any, to fulfill the order’s objective.

The lawsuit argues the order is unconstitutional and violates the Equal Protection component of the Fifth Amendment. The plaintiffs are asking a federal judge in Washington, D.C., to block it from being enforced. Fox News Digital has reached out to the White House.

“Rather than being based on any legitimate governmental purpose, the ban reflects animosity toward transgender people because of their transgender status,” the suit claims. 

The plaintiffs include a Sailor of the Year honoree, a Bronze Star recipient and several who were awarded meritorious service medals. They were identified as U.S. Army Reserves Lt. Nicolas Talbott, Army Maj. Erica Vandal, Army Sgt. First Class Kate Cole, Army Capt. Gordon Herrero, Navy Ensign Dany Danridge, Air Force Master Sgt. Jamie Hash, Koda Nature and Cael Neary.

The lawsuit charges that Trump’s order will unfairly halt their military aspirations and careers, including for Cole who’s been in the Army for 17 years.

DEFENSE SECRETARY PETE HEGSETH SAYS ‘NO MORE DEI AT DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE’: ‘NO EXCEPTIONS’

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, left, and President Donald Trump have both vowed to eradicate “woke” policies within the armed forces.  (Getty)

“Removing qualified transgender soldiers like me means an exodus of experienced personnel who fill key positions and can’t be easily replaced, putting the burden on our fellow soldiers left behind,” Cole said in a statement released by the National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR) and GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD Law). “That’s just wrong — and it destabilizes our armed forces.” 

Cole noted that she had served in combat in Afghanistan.

Herrero said his family has a long history of military service and that “it’s the only career I’ve pursued.”

“There’s nothing about being transgender that makes me better or worse than any other soldier I serve alongside,” Herrero said in a statement accompanying the lawsuit. “We are all here because we are committed to our country, and we are passionate, willing, and able to serve effectively.”

The suit was brought by attorneys from the National Center for Lesbian Rights and GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD Law).

“The law is very clear that the government can’t base policies on disapproval of particular groups of people,” Shannon Minter, of the NCLR, said. “That’s animus. And animus-based laws are presumed to be invalid and unconstitutional.”

Trump and Hegseth have vowed to crackdown on “woke” initiatives in the military and focus on developing a lethal, effective fighting force without political agendas or various ideologies harmful to unit cohesion. 

“Recently, however, the Armed Forces have been afflicted with radical gender ideology to appease activists unconcerned with the requirements of military service like physical and mental health, selflessness, and unit cohesion,” the order states. 

American soldiers and the U.S. flag are pictured. Six transgender military service members are suing the Trump administration over an executive order banning them from serving openly.  (iStock)

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The Pentagon told The Associated Press that it doesn’t comment on pending or ongoing litigation but “will fully execute and implement all directives outlined in the Executive Orders issued by the President, ensuring that they are carried out with utmost professionalism, efficiency, and in alignment with national security objectives.”

The Pentagon referred questions by Fox News Digital about the lawsuit to the Justice Department. 

Fox News’ Elizabeth Pritchett contributed to this report. 

The candidate endorsed by President Donald Trump won the Republican primary in a special election Tuesday to replace former GOP Rep. Matt Gaetz in Florida’s 1st Congressional District.

The Associated Press projects that Florida Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis will win the GOP nomination in the district, located in the northwest corner of the state in the Panhandle region.

He will face gun safety advocate Gay Valimont, who ran unopposed in the Democratic primary.

IT’S PRIMARY DAY IN PARTS OF THIS CRUCIAL STATE 

Patronis, also endorsed by House Speaker Mike Johnson, topped nine other Republican candidates in the crowded primary field. He will be considered the favorite in the April 1 general election to fill the congressional seat in the heavily red district.

“A fourth generation Floridian from the beautiful Panhandle, and owner of an iconic seafood restaurant, Jimmy has been a wonderful friend to me, and to MAGA,” Trump wrote in a social media post earlier this month.

Florida CFO Jimmy Patronis and President Donald Trump (Fox News Digital; Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

Gaetz resigned from Congress abruptly late last year after Trump tapped him to be his attorney general, and Gaetz eventually withdrew himself from consideration amid growing Republican opposition.

The congressman’s resignation also came as the House Ethics Committee had been preparing its report on allegations against Gaetz that included illicit drug use and sex with a minor, all of which he has denied.

Among those who lost to Patronis in the GOP primary was a former Navy veteran who challenged Gaetz last year with the backing of former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.

TRUMP-ENDORSED CANDIDATE WINS GOP PRIMARY IN FLORIDA RACE TO REPLACE MIKE WALTZ IN CONGRESS

Gaetz triggered the congressional maneuver in 2023 that eventually led to McCarthy’s ouster from power after less than a year as House speaker.

Patronis, whose family runs a popular restaurant in Panama City, which is outside the district, was criticized for not living in the district.

He twice won statewide elections as chief financial officer and, until Gaetz quit Congress, was seen as a potential candidate in Florida’s 2026 race to succeed term-limited Gov. Ron DeSantis.

Florida CFO Jimmy Patronis delivers remarks at a campaign event in Sarasota, Fla., Nov. 6, 2022. (Tiffany Tompkins/Bradenton Herald/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

Republican and Democratic primaries were also being held Tuesday in Florida’s 6th Congressional District in the special election to fill the seat left vacant after GOP Rep. Michael Waltz stepped down to serve as national security advisor in the second Trump administration. 

The general election in the red district is scheduled for April 1.

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With a fragile, razor-thin majority in the House, the likely reinforcements from Florida’s 1st and 6th congressional districts will be welcome news to Republican leadership in the chamber as it tries to pass Trump’s agenda.

The candidate endorsed by President Trump on Tuesday won the Republican primary in a special election in Florida’s 6th Congressional District in the race to replace former GOP Rep. Michael Waltz.

Waltz stepped down from his House seat last week to serve as national security adviser in Trump’s second administration.

The Associated Press projects that state Sen. Randy Fine will win the GOP nomination in the Republican-leaning district, which stretches from Daytona Beach to the southern suburbs of Jacksonville along Florida’s Atlantic coast.

Educator Josh Weil won the Democratic primary.

Fine, who at one time was the only Jewish Republican lawmaker in the state legislature, topped a couple of other Republicans running in the primary. He will be considered the clear favorite in the April 1 general election.

IT’S PRIMARY DAY IN PARTS OF THIS CRUCIAL STATE 

State lawmaker Randy Fine, a Republican from South Brevard County, Florida, speaks during a special legislative session, on Wednesday, May 19, 2021, in Tallahassee. (AP)

Republican and Democratic primaries were also being held Tuesday in Florida’s 1st Congressional District, in the special election to fill the seat left vacant after GOP Rep. Matt Gaetz resigned from Congress abruptly late last year after Trump tapped him to be his attorney general. 

Gaetz eventually withdrew himself from consideration amid growing Republican opposition. The congressman’s resignation also came as the House Ethics Committee had been preparing its report on allegations against Gaetz that included illicit drug use and sex with a minor, all of which he has denied.

Then-Rep. Michael Waltz of Florida (left) introduces then-Secretary of Defense nominee Pete Hegseth during his Senate Armed Services confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill on January 14, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images) (Getty Images)

Both of Tuesday’s Republican primaries in Florida are a test of Trump’s overwhelming clout over the GOP.

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The general election in Florida’s 1st District is also on April 1.

With a fragile, razor-thin majority in the House, the likely reinforcements from both districts will be welcome news to Republican leadership in the chamber as it tries to pass Trump’s agenda.

Freshman GOP Rep. Gabe Evans spoke to Fox News Digital about the critical need for new energy policies in the United States and how he plans to push forward to overcome harmful green energy mandates like the ones in his home state of Colorado. 

“We know that we need more energy, not less, for our modern lifestyle, and all of the different emerging technologies, for example, United Power, they’re actually my local electric co-op that supplies my energy, and United Power is forecasting a double to triple increase in the amount of power that they’re going to need over the next 10 to 20 years, driven not only by population growth, but driven also by a lot of the new technologies that we’re seeing,” Evans told Fox News Digital. 

“Everybody knows about electric vehicles and the power that’s required there, and so whether that’s, you know, the switch to electric vehicles is driven by the free market or whether it’s driven by some heavy-handed government mandates, if you plug in something into the power grid, we need more power, and we need to make sure that we have a more robust power grid to deliver that and that all ties back to baseline energy generation,” he continued.

Evans explained that “there’s also mandates in Colorado around things like electrifying drill rigs for a lot of the oil and gas, which is going to consume massive amounts of energy.”

AMERICA’S ENERGY CRISIS IS HIDING IN PLAIN SIGHT AND IT’S WORSE THAN YOU KNOW

Fox News Digital recently spoke to GOP Rep. Gabe Evans (Fox News Digital/Getty)

“So we have massive new demands for electricity around AI or computing, and these are things that are of critical national security importance, because if we’re not making sure that we’re the dominant power in AI and a lot of this advanced computing, a lot of our international competitors are going to move into the first place position in those spaces. And so really, our entire modern way of life revolves around energy and having more energy.”

Evans told Fox News Digital that the United States, particularly Colorado’s 8th Congressional District which he represents, makes “some of the cleanest and most environmentally responsible energy anywhere on the planet.”

“So being able to advocate for that, all of the above approach to meet the demands that we have for our modern way of life is something that I’m super excited to work on and on,” Evans said.

ENERGY EXPERTS WEIGH IN AFTER CANADIAN PREMIER SAYS SHE WANTS TO DISCUSS KEYSTONE PIPELINE 2.0 WITH TRUMP

Former State House of Representative Gabe Evans works at the Colorado State Capitol  (RJ Sangosti/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images)

Evans told Fox News Digital that Democrat-led energy policies in Colorado, along with other places, are actually causing a larger carbon footprint from green energy policies.

“Follow the science,” Evans said. “So we’ve talked a lot about electricity. The question that often doesn’t come up in the space of electricity is what is the carbon footprint required to produce electricity? And in Colorado right now, the carbon footprint of our electrical grid is actually about 40% higher than the carbon footprint for pure natural gas,” Evans explained.

“So if there is a natural gas school bus versus an electric school bus, if there’s a natural gas RTD as in our local mass transit system in the Denver metro area, if we have a natural gas RTD bus versus an electric bus, the electric buses are actually contributing 40% more carbon to the atmosphere because of the carbon footprint required to generate and transmit that electricity than just pure natural gas.”

Evans told Fox News Digital it is imperative that Republicans work hand in hand with the Republican secretary nominees, who are yet to be confirmed, at the Department of Energy, Department of the Interior, and Environmental Protection Agency.

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Crude oil pump jack (REUTERS/Angus Mordant)

“Chris Wright is the energy nominee, he’s also from Colorado, and so we have a preexisting relationship based on my time in the state legislature where I was the ranking member on our State Energy and Environment Committee,” Evans said. “But we really do have to work hand-in-hand together, and I think the American people understand that, which is why the American people gave majorities in the House and the Senate and then obviously the presidency to my party, because they understand that we need to have a full court press to be able to deliver these solutions.”

Evans continued, “And it’s not just the House or the Senate or the presidency and the administration. We all have to be able to work together. And so being able to continue, you know, specifically in the energy space, the existing relationship that I have with some of these nominees is going to be critically important to achieving that ultimate goal of empowering energy producers, getting the good jobs that come from that industry, protecting our environment by actually producing responsible energy and then ultimately providing the good paying jobs that are so critical to solving the affordability crisis that we have right now.”

Welcome to the Fox News Politics newsletter, with the latest updates on the Trump administration, exclusive interviews and more Fox News politics content.

Here’s what’s happening…

-FBI director nominee Kash Patel broke hostage rescue protocol: whistleblower

-Freshman GOP lawmaker rallies behind Trump’s rapid illegal immigration crackdown: ‘No time to waste’

–The JFK files: Here’s what’s happened since their original planned release

Workers on Leave

Dozens of senior officials in the U.S. agency that administers foreign aid were reportedly placed on leave Monday amid an investigation into alleged resistance to President Donald Trump’s orders.

At least 56 U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) officials were placed on administrative leave with full pay and benefits, Politico first reported. Several hundred contractors based in Washington and elsewhere were also laid off, a current and a former official told the Associated Press. 

These actions come after Secretary of State Marco Rubio, acting on Trump’s executive order, paused all U.S. foreign assistance funded by or through the State Department and USAID. The 90-day pause has halted thousands of U.S.-funded humanitarian, development and security programs worldwide and forced aid organizations to lay off hundreds of employees because they can’t make payroll…Read more

FILE – USAID humanitarian aid destined for Venezuela is displayed for the media at a warehouse next to the Tienditas International Bridge on the outskirts of Cucuta, Colombia, Feb. 19, 2019. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara, File) President Donald Trump (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara, File |  SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images)

White House

FUNDING ON HOLD: Trump admin to pause financial assistance programs…Read more

REFOCUSING THE FORCES: Trump signs executive orders banning ‘radical gender ideology,’ DEI initiatives in the military…Read more

END THE ‘WEAPONIZATION OF GOVERNMENT’: Trump admin pauses federal grants, demands return to office details in memo blitz…Read more

BEAT THE PRESS: Trump White House press secretary mixes it up with reporters…Read more

White House press secretary holds her first briefing on Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2025. (Getty )

World Stage

‘WE ARE UNWAVERING’: Rubio’s State Dept caps migration-heavy first week with Colombia deportation win…Read more

NATIONAL SECURITY RISK?: China’s influence on Panama Canal poses ‘acute’ danger to US interests, Cruz warns…Read more

Capitol Hill

‘SAFEGUARDING THE INNOCENT’: Ogles and other Republicans push federal ban on chemical abortions…Read more

KEEP ‘EM ROLLING: Sean Duffy latest Trump Cabinet to pass Senate on bipartisan vote…Read more

Sean Duffy, former Republican Representative from Wisconsin and US secretary of the transportation nominee for US President-elect Donald Trump, during a Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee confirmation hearing in Washington, DC, US, on Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025. (Getty Images)

BATTLEGROUND SHOCKER: Gary Peters, Democratic senator from Trump state, won’t seek re-election…Read more

SENATOR PETE?:  Buttigieg giving ‘serious look’ to 2026 run in state Trump carried…Read more

NEW DIRECTION: Ratcliffe, allies promise workforce changes at CIA….Read more

Across America 

RESISTANCE IS FUTILE: USAID workers put on leave as Trump officials investigate resistance…Read more

DC CORRUPTION?: Councilmember faces expulsion hearing over federal bribery charge…Read more

SANCTUARY STORM: Kristi Noem joins immigration raid to catch ‘dirtbags’ in Democrat-run city…Read more

DHS Secretary Kristi Noem participates in an immigration in New York City. (Department of Homeland Security)

NEW GIG: Kamala Harris’ husband Doug Emhoff lands private sector job days after leaving DC…Read more 

BOTTOMS UP: Former Atlanta mayor mulls Georgia gubernatorial run…Read more

WILDFIRES: Trump claims military entered California to release water flow, but state says that did not happen…Read more

‘COMPLETELY IMPROPER’: ‘Non-sanctuary’ coastal enclave sues CA for right to enforce its own laws…Read more

NEW GUIDANCE: HHS will reevaluate programs, regulations to ensure taxpayer money not paying for elective abortions…Read more

‘JUST LIKE TRUMP’:  ISIS murder victim Kayla Mueller’s parents endorse Patel for FBI…Read more

FBI Director nominee Kash Patel gestures as he walks on stage to speak during the inaugural parade inside Capital One Arena, in Washington, DC, on January 20, 2025.  (Getty Images)

‘SYSTEMATIC EFFORT’: Illinois ‘super mayor’ conducted cover-up of excessive spending, Lightfoot investigation finds…Read more

‘CLEAR EYES AND NO BIAS’: Dozens of former intel officials urge senators to confirm Tulsi Gabbard as DNI…Read more

‘UNLAWFULLY TRANSFERRED’: Trans inmate’s lawsuit challenges Trump ‘two-sexes’ order cutting off tax money for gender therapy…Read more

‘UNDO THE DAMAGE’: Texas lawmaker launches strategy to help ICE amid Trump deportation blitz…Read more

BACKING THE BLUE: ‘Defund the police’ movement turned on its head as sheriff touts achievements in state’s ‘murder capital’…Read more

Get the latest updates on the Trump administration and Congress, exclusive interviews and more on FoxNews.com.