Donald Trump Poll News

FIRST ON FOX: The Department of Government Efficiency terminated employment for 3,600 probationary Health and Human Services employees on Friday — but went through a careful process to exclude those who were serving in specialized or critical roles.  

More than half of the agency’s probationary employees were retained. 

The cuts are estimated to save about $600 million in taxpayer dollars annually. 

DOGE SAYS IT DUG UP ANOTHER $1.9 BILLION IN TAXPAYER MONEY ‘MISPLACED’ BY BIDEN ADMINISTRATION 

Elon Musk listens as President Donald Trump meets with India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the Oval Office of the White House, on Thursday, Feb. 13. (AP/Alex Brandon)

Probationary employees who were excluded from layoffs include: 

• Employees working on refugee and resettlement within the Administration of Children and Families (ACF)
• Employees working on emergency preparedness and response within Administration for Strategy Preparedness and Response (ASPR), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and other divisions of HHS
• Scientists conducting research at the CDC and National Institutes of Health (NIH)
• Frontline healthcare providers at the Indian Health Service (HIS)
• Employees working on Medicare and Medicaid at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS)
• Employees reviewing and approving drugs or conducting inspections at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)

DOGE identified critical employees by first considering key functions of HHS — frontline healthcare providers, scientists conducting innovative research, personnel responding to emergencies – followed by employee roles, including work history, background, and job title screenings.   

NEW SEN. JIM JUSTICE ‘ABSOLUTELY’ SHOCKED BY DEMOCRATS’ RESPONSE TO ELON MUSK’S DOGE REVELATIONS 

Demonstrators rally in support of federal workers outside the Department of Health and Human Services, Friday, Feb. 14, in Washington.  (AP/Mark Schiefelbein)

“In many cases where there was a lack of clarity, we worked directly with folks who either knew the employees or knew the work of the division to clarify the exact work they were doing,” a Trump administration official said. 

While the exact process will differ with each federal agency DOGE examines, key functions, specialized responsibilities, and individual roles will be considered for each workforce-cutting analysis. HHS received special attention — especially within the CDC, with meticulous consideration of research functions, lab work, and outbreak surveillance and response. 

“Healthcare is obviously an important goal for the new Secretary, for the President,” the official said. “We want to make the government more efficient and want to reduce the size of the federal workforce, but we also want to make sure we’re very thoughtful about the critical functions that the government needs to perform.” 

Officials said DOGE does not begin any evaluation with any predetermined cost-cutting goal, and there is no official order through which federal agencies are lining up for examination. 

People rally against the policies of President Donald Trump and Elon Musk at the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Wednesday, Feb. 12. (AP/Jose Luis Magana)

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP 

“Typically, contracts and grants are the two main mechanisms the federal government has for dispersing funds,” the official told Fox News. “And then we’re also thinking about regulations. Every agency is different, but the things we’re looking at are pretty similar across every agency.” 

Fox News Digital’s Greg Norman contributed to this report.

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk’s efforts at President Donald Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) have revealed a number of examples of government waste that have dominated headlines in recent weeks, as his team continues to audit the federal government despite Democrat opposition. 

Here are some of the top-lines from DOGE’s findings:

Musk reveals ‘Iron Mountain’ mine nightmare

Musk revealed this week that DOGE is investigating a limestone mine in Pennsylvania where federal employee retirements are processed manually. 

“Federal employee retirements are processed using paper, by hand, in an old limestone mine in Pennsylvania. 700+ mine workers operate 230 feet underground to process ~10,000 applications per month, which are stored in manila envelopes and cardboard boxes. The retirement process takes multiple months,” Musk announced on X. 

ELON MUSK DESCRIBES LIMESTONE MINE USED FOR PROCESSING FEDERAL WORKERS’ RETIREMENT PAPERS: ‘LIKE A TIME WARP’

Elon Musk’s DOGE efforts have uncovered several examples of wasteful spending. (Getty,AP.DOGE/X.)

Musk said only 10,000 federal employees can retire a month because it takes so long to process the paperwork and sort through the millions of manila envelopes. He described the “Iron Mountain” mine as a “time warp” slowing down a completely manual federal retirement process. 

This photo, posted by DOGE on Feb. 11, 2025, shows the old limestone mine in Boyers, Pennsylvania, where the organization says about 700 workers operate more than 230 feet underground to process about 10,000 federal retirement applications per month. (DOGE / X)

“The limiting factor is the speed at which the mine shaft elevator can move, determines how many people can retire from the federal government. The elevator breaks down sometimes, and then nobody can retire. Doesn’t that sound crazy?” Musk told reporters in the Oval Office on Tuesday. 

DOGE-inspired EPA locates $20 billion in waste

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), inspired by DOGE’s crackdown on federal spending, said it had located $20 billion in tax dollars within the agency that the Biden administration reportedly “knew they were wasting.”

EPA administrator Lee Zeldin exposed $20 billion in wasteful spending at the agency. (Al Drago)

“An extremely disturbing video circulated two months ago, featuring a Biden EPA political appointee talking about how they were ‘tossing gold bars off the Titanic,’ rushing to get billions of your tax dollars out the door before Inauguration Day,” EPA administrator Lee Zeldin said in a video posted to X on Wednesday, citing another video from December. 

The EPA found that just eight agencies were controlling the distribution of tens of billions of taxpayer dollars to different entities “at their discretion,” such as the Climate United Fund, which reportedly received just under $7 billion.

“The ‘gold bars’ were tax dollars, and ‘tossing them off the Titanic’ meant the Biden administration knew they were wasting it,” Zeldin said, vowing to recover the “gold bars” that were found “parked at an outside financial institution.”

EXPERT REVEALS MASSIVE LEVELS OF WASTE DOGE CAN SLASH FROM ENTITLEMENTS, PET PROJECTS: ‘A LOT OF FAT’

Signage at the headquarters of the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in Washington, D.C. (Reuters)

Zeldin said that the “scheme was the first of its kind in EPA history, and it was purposely designed to obligate all the money in a rush job with reduced oversight.” 

In a Fox News interview, the EPA administrator praised DOGE’s work at the agency and said that the cost-cutting department is “making us better.”

“They come up with great recommendations, and we can make a decision to act on it,” Zeldin said.

DHS clawing back

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the government’s leading disaster-relief arm, gave over $59 million to house illegal immigrants in luxury New York City hotels just last week, DOGE uncovered.

Migrants are seen sleeping outside the Roosevelt Hotel in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. (Luiz C. Ribeiro/New York Daily News/Tribune News Service)

The spending was exposed by Musk on Monday, who wrote in a post on X that “sending this money violated the law and is in gross insubordination to the President’s executive order,” which put FEMA under review to improve the agency’s “efficacy, priorities and competence.” 

Of the $59.3 million, $19 million was for direct hotel costs, while the balance funded other services such as food and security, a New York City Hall spokesperson confirmed to Fox. 

One day after the spending was uncovered by DOGE, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) confirmed that “Secretary [Krisit] Noem has clawed back the full payment that FEMA deep state activists unilaterally gave to NYC migrant hotels,” a DHS spokesperson told Fox News Digital. 

Asylum seekers line up in front of the historic Roosevelt Hotel, converted into a city-run shelter for newly arrived migrant families in New York City. (Selcuk Acar/Anadolu Agency)

Shortly afterward, Trump, in a Truth Social post on Tuesday, suggested that FEMA should be abolished.

“FEMA spent tens of millions of dollars in Democrat areas, disobeying orders, but left the people of North Carolina high and dry. It is now under review and investigation,” the president declared.

“THE BIDEN RUN FEMA HAS BEEN A DISASTER. FEMA SHOULD BE TERMINATED! IT HAS BEEN SLOW AND TOTALLY INEFFECTIVE. INDIVIDUAL STATES SHOULD HANDLE STORMS, ETC., AS THEY COME. BIG SAVINGS, FAR MORE EFFICIENT!!!” the president added.

Pentagon wasted thousands on coffee cups and soap dispensers

The Pentagon’s $850 billion budget could be next up on the bureaucratic chopping block. Fox News Digital reported this week accusations of waste and inefficiency within the U.S.’s largest discretionary budget. 

The Defense Business Board found in 2015 that the Department of Defense could save $125 billion over five years by renegotiating service contracts and consolidating bureaucratic processes. 

A congressional inquiry in 2018 found the Air Force was spending $1,300 for each reheatable coffee cup aboard one of its aircraft. The Air Force spent $32,000 replacing 25 cups, according to Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa. 

A two-year audit by the Defense Department Inspector General last year found that Boeing overcharged the Air Force by 8,000% for soap dispensers. They overpaid by $149,072. 

U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth delivers remarks during a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the Pentagon on Feb. 5 in Arlington, Va.  (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Trump’s new defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, said he welcomes DOGE at the Department of Defense. 

“We will partner with them. It’s long overdue. The Defense Department’s got a huge budget, but it needs to be responsible,” Hegseth told Fox News. 

Questionable spending in USAID’s $40 billion budget, including ‘Sesame Street’ in Iraq

Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, the Senate DOGE Caucus Chairwoman, who says she speaks to Musk about spending cuts every few days, recently published a list of projects and programs she says the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has helped fund across the years.

Ernst described “wasteful and dangerous” spending that had gripped taxpayers until DOGE stepped in.

Sen. Joni Ernst highlighted that USAID “authorized a whopping $20 million to create a ‘Sesame Street’ in Iraq.” (Getty Images)

Ernst highlighted that the agency “authorized a whopping $20 million to create a ‘Sesame Street’ in Iraq.” 

Under the Biden administration, USAID awarded $20 million to a nonprofit called Sesame Workshop to produce a show called “Ahlan Simsim Iraq” in an effort to “promote inclusion, mutual respect and understanding across ethnic, religious and sectarian groups.” 

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Several more examples of questionable spending have been uncovered at USAID, including more than $900,000 to a “Gaza-based terror charity” called Bayader Association for Environment and Development and a $1.5 million program slated to “advance diversity, equity and inclusion in Serbia’s workplaces and business communities.”

Fox News Digital’s Morgan Phillips and Emma Colton contributed to this report.

Fox News Digital’s Morgan Phillips contributed to this report.

Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita is threatening to sue two local jurisdictions in his state that are refusing to comply with President Donald Trump’s mass deportation program of illegal immigrants. 

“Now that’s a problem in Indiana, particularly because there’s an Indiana state statute that I enforce that says what you have got to give, whatever level of cooperation is allowed by federal law, you shall give it as a state or local law enforcement official,” Rokita told Fox News Digital in an interview Friday. 

“And, so, that’s what’s happening here. That defiance I need to look into now.”

The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department (IMPD) and Indianapolis Public Schools (IPS) have indicated they would not cooperate with federal immigration enforcement, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids.

‘DEI ACTIVISM’: REPUBLICAN AGS PRAISE TRUMP SEC MOVE TO REVERSE BIDEN CLIMATE RULE THEY FOUGHT IN COURT

ICE agents arrested seven illegal immigrants during a workforce operation raid. (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement)

IMPD Chief Chris Bailey said local police have no authority to enforce federal immigration law and have no plans to participate in immigration sweeps. Similarly, IPS officials announced the district would not allow ICE agents onto school grounds without a criminal warrant.

“We still have pockets of either elected officials or those that work for elected officials, or some just on their own, that have their own ideas of what the law should be — that is to say not following the law,” Rokita said.

Rokita urged IPS and IMPD this week to cooperate with ICE or face legal consequences from his office. And it wouldn’t be the first time he’s sued a jurisdiction in his state for not cooperating with federal officials.

REPUBLICAN STATE AGS BACK TRUMP BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP ORDER IN COURT FILING: ‘TAXPAYERS ARE ON THE HOOK’

State AG Todd Rokita says Indiana law requires state and local officials to fully cooperate with federal authorities and that he will require compliance from local jurisdictions looking to evade cooperation. (AG Todd Rokita/X)

Rokita filed a lawsuit against the St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Department and its sheriff, William Redman, last month, alleging a persistent refusal to comply with federal immigration detainer requests. The lawsuit claims that, between March and September 2024, nine detainer requests from ICE were not honored, hindering ICE’s efforts to apprehend illegal immigrants in the county.

Indiana University and the local sheriff’s office have refused to cooperate with federal immigration laws, Rokita said, “so we’re going to be in court, and I’m planning to get an injunction against their bad behavior.”

TRUMP ADMIN HITS BACK AS ACLU LAUNCHES LAWSUIT ON BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP: ‘READY TO FACE THEM’

President-elect Donald Trump arrives before his inauguration at the United States Capitol Jan. 20, 2025, in Washington, D.C.  (Melina Mara/Pool/Getty Images)

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

President Donald Trump’s ICE raids continue across the country, and the agency detained 700 illegal immigrants last weekend, 500 of whom had prior convictions or charges, according to a senior official from the Trump administration who previously shared the details with Fox News Digital.

Fox News Digital has reached out to IPS and IMPD for comment.

A copy of a New York Post front page featuring President Donald Trump’s mugshot was spotted hanging in an ornate gold frame near the Oval Office in the White House during a news conference this week.

The photo was snapped at the Fulton County Jail in Georgia after Trump turned himself in Aug. 24, 2023, and appeared on the front page of newspapers across the globe the next day.

Trump told Fox News Digital at the time Georgia officials “insisted” his mugshot be taken during processing at the jail and that doing so was “not a comfortable feeling — especially when you’ve done nothing wrong.” 

A framed copy of President Donald Trump’s 2023 mugshot from the New York Post is framed in an office just outside the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

TRUMP SAYS GEORGIA INDICTMENT COMES DURING ‘DARK PERIOD’ FOR US, VOWS TO FIX IT BY WINNING

A photo of the new artwork, shared by Margo Martin, Trump’s special assistant and communications advisor, went viral on social media.

Dan Scavino, White House deputy chief of staff, later posted a video to X providing context on the frame’s placement.

President Donald Trump’s framed mugshot hangs just outside the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, D.C. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

“HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY,” Scavino wrote in the accompanying post. “WELCOME TO THE BEAUTIFUL OVAL OFFICE @WHITEHOUSE.”

The mugshot closely resembles the President’s official White House portrait, which debuted in January.

A split of President Trump’s official White House portrait, left, and mugshot. (Trump-Vance Transition Team; Fulton County Sheriff’s Office via AP )

The unprecedented charges stem from accusations that Trump attempted to overturn Georgia’s 2020 election results, a case that is still unresolved.

At the time of the indictment, the Trump campaign said the case was a “continued pathetic attempt by the Biden crime family and their weaponized Department of Justice.”

TRUMP SAYS TAKING MUGSHOT WAS ‘NOT A COMFORTABLE FEELING, ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU’VE DONE NOTHING WRONG’

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis testifies during a hearing in the case of the State of Georgia v. Donald John Trump at the Fulton County Courthouse Feb. 15, 2024, in Atlanta. (Alyssa Pointer-Pool/Getty Images)

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, who filed the charges, is appealing a Georgia Court’s ruling that disqualified her and her office from prosecuting the case.

CLICK TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

A new prosecutor has not yet been assigned to the case. 

Four co-defendants have accepted plea deals in the case, including Scott Hall, Sidney Powell, Kenneth Chesebro and Jenna Ellis.

Fox News Digital’s Brooke Singman and FOX 5 Atlanta contributed to this story.

Planned Parenthood caught the internet’s attention on Thursday after all of its Instagram posts were deleted within hours of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary RFK Jr.’s swearing in. 

The organization, in an apparent nod to this move, posted a pair of eyes on a black background on its Instagram story with no explanation.

On Friday, Planned Parenthood posted another story, an animated gif with the words “I bet you thought you’d seen the last of me,” and later there were just three posts on its Instagram page, all about condom use.

As speculation swirled about the mysterious disappearance of the posts, many pro-life advocates started to call for the defunding of Planned Parenthood. This also comes just days after a conservative watchdog nonprofit founded by former President Mike Pence, urged the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to cut federal spending on Planned Parenthood.

DOGE MUST ‘DEFUND’ PLANNED PARENTHOOD, MIKE PENCE’S WATCHDOG GROUP URGES MUSK

Photo illustration shows a woman with a phone and a Planned Parenthood (FreshSplash/AP Photo/Jeff Roberson, File)

“For the sake of the American people and generations yet unborn, the time has come for the United States to finally defund the largest abortion provider in America,” Tim Chapman, president of Advancing American Freedom, wrote in a letter to Elon Musk.

Planned Parenthood health centers received nearly $22 billion in HHS grants and $53 billion from public health programs from 2019 to 2021, according to a report by the Government Accountability Office.

Pro-life and pro-choice demonstrators gathered outside of the U.S. Capitol and Supreme Court amid arguments over mifepristone. (Jemal Countess/Getty Images for Women’s March)

RFK JR TELLS LAWMAKERS THAT ‘EVERY ABORTION IS A TRAGEDY’ AT CONFIRMATION HEARING

During his confirmation hearing, Kennedy said that he believes “every abortion is a tragedy,” and expressed support for President Donald Trump’s assertion that states should handle the issue.

“I agree with President Trump that every abortion is a tragedy,” Kennedy said. “I agree with him that we cannot be a moral nation if we have 1.2 million abortions a year. I agree with him that the states should control abortion. President Trump has told me that he wants to end late-term abortions, and he wants to protect conscience exemptions.”  

Kennedy, who has expressed support for abortion in the past, vowed to implement Trump’s policies.

With Kennedy at the helm of HHS and Elon Musk at DOGE, pro-choice advocates fear that Planned Parenthood will be on the chopping block.

Pins are pictured outside a Planned Parenthood mobile clinic near the United Center, the host venue of the Democratic National Convention (DNC) in Chicago, Illinois, on Aug. 19, 2024. (REUTERS/Vincent Alban)

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

On Feb. 3, Planned Parenthood Federation of America put out a statement warning that “defunding” the organization could put patients at risk of losing access to “sexual and reproductive care.”

Planned Parenthood Federation of America said that in 2022 the organization treated 2.05 million patients. The services mentioned in the organization’s included more than 4.6 million STI tests, nearly 213,000 breast exams and more. However, no data on the number of abortions performed in that time was listed.

Planned Parenthood did not respond to a Fox News request for comment.

The Department of Education is warning state education departments that they must remove diversity, equity and inclusion policies or risk losing federal funding.

A letter from the Department of Education Office for Civil Rights was sent to the departments of education in all 50 states, notifying them that they have no more than 14 days to comply. The letter was shared on social media by the Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency.

“Institutions that fail to comply with federal civil rights law may, consistent with applicable law, face potential loss of federal funding,” Craig Trainor, acting assistant secretary for civil rights in the Department of Education, said in the letter.

The letter said the “overt and covert racial discrimination that has become widespread in this Nation’s educational institutions” will no longer be tolerated.

TRUMP EDUCATION NOMINEE LINDA MCMAHON SAYS SHUTTING DOWN DOE WOULD ‘REQUIRE CONGRESSIONAL ACTION’

The U.S. Department of Education building is seen in Washington, Nov. 18, 2024.  (Jose Luis Magana/AP)

It argues that a Supreme Court ruling in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard, which found that affirmative action in Harvard University’s admission process violated the equal protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment, should apply more broadly.

“The law is clear: treating students differently on the basis of race to achieve nebulous goals such as diversity, racial balancing, social justice, or equity is illegal under controlling Supreme Court precedent,” the letter reads.

DEMS SPAR OVER DOGE CUTS WITH TRUMP EDUCATION NOMINEE LINDA MCMAHON

The U.S. Department of Education building is seen on August 21, 2024, in Washington, D.C. (Getty Images)

Trainor said the Department of Education will “vigorously enforce the law on equal terms as to all preschool, elementary, secondary, and postsecondary educational institutions, as well as state educational agencies, that receive financial assistance.”

The letter urges state education departments to “ensure that their policies and actions comply with existing civil rights law … cease all efforts to circumvent prohibitions on the use of race by relying on proxies or other indirect means to accomplish such ends” and “cease all reliance on third-party contractors, clearinghouses, or aggregators that are being used by institutions in an effort to circumvent prohibited uses of race.”

The U.S. Department of Education building in Washington, D.C.  (STEFANI REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images)

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

The letter comes after President Donald Trump signed executive orders directing agencies to provide a plan to eliminate federal funding for “illegal and discriminatory treatment and indoctrination in K-12 schools, including based on gender ideology and discriminatory equity ideology.” He also signed orders to end DEI programs in federal agencies.

The Department of Education previously announced the removal of mention of DEI from documents and websites. The department also placed employees that led DEI initiatives on leave and dissolved its Diversity & Inclusion Council.

New York City mayor Eric Adams, a Democrat, plans to file a lawsuit against the Trump administration after the federal government secretly revoked more than $80 million in funding for the city’s migrant shelters.

Counsel for the Adams administration sent a letter Friday to city Comptroller Brad Lander saying that the city’s Law Department planned to take legal action by the end of next week to have the $80.5 million in FEMA payments taken earlier this week returned, according to the New York Post. Lander is running against Adams in June’s Democrat primary election for the city’s mayor.

“The Law Department is currently drafting litigation papers with respect to this matter,” corporation counsel Mureil Goode-Trufant told Lander in a letter, the outlet reported.

“We intend to initiate legal action by February 21, 2025. As the Law Department is representing the City of New York in this matter, there is no need for an authorization for the Comptroller’s Office to engage external legal counsel,” the letter reads.

JUSTICE DEPARTMENT MOVES TO DROP CASE AGAINST NYC MAYOR ERIC ADAMS

New York City Mayor Eric Adams departs Thurgood Marshall United States Courthouse in New York City on Friday, November 1, 2024. (Adam Gray for Fox News Digital )

The letter came after Lander urged the Adams administration to either file a lawsuit or authorize him to hire his own attorneys to sue Trump and Elon Musk, who leads the Department of Government Efficiency.

“Given the gravity of the situation, we cannot afford to waste any more time. If the Mayor would prefer to spend his days advancing President Trump’s agenda instead of fighting for New Yorkers, then the Law Department must allow me to do so,” Lander said in a statement Friday.

“Recovering these funds is imperative, and any action, or non-action, allowing the Trump administration to proceed without consequence would set a dangerous precedent and make our City a target for the next four years,” he added.

The revocation of FEMA funds from New York City’s accounts happened Tuesday and was first discovered by Lander the following day.

NEW YORK CITY MAYOR ERIC ADAMS SAYS HE WILL RUN FOR RE-ELECTION AS A DEMOCRAT

New York City Mayor Eric Adams departs Thurgood Marshall United States Courthouse in New York City on Friday, November 1, 2024. (Adam Gray for Fox News Digital )

“Let’s be crystal clear: This is highway robbery. Elon Musk, with no legal authority, illegally seized federal funds from New Yorkers,” Lander said Wednesday.

Musk claimed that DOGE found a $59 million FEMA payment to New York City was being used on luxury hotels to house illegal migrants. Trump later repeated Musk’s claim and argued that “massive fraud” was happening.

New York City was awarded two separate grants during the Biden administration — one for $58.6 million and another for $21.9 million — as the city attempted to pay to house migrants, many of whom were sent by Texas officials who were frustrated with the Biden administration’s handling of the influx of migrants entering the U.S. through the Southern Border.

The payments were made under the Shelter and Services Program that Congress appropriated $650 million for last year to help local governments respond to the migrant crisis.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams departs federal court in Lower Manhattan on Friday, September 27, 2024. (Rashid Umar Abbasi for Fox News Digital)

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

The FEMA money, which was funded by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, paid $12.50 a night reimbursement for each hotel room. The city said most of the hotels used to house migrants are not luxurious. The remainder of the funds went toward security, food and other services for migrants.

This came after the Department of Justice ordered prosecutors to drop their federal corruption case against Adams, who had been indicted on charges of fraud, bribery and soliciting campaign contributions from foreigners. Some have raised concerns that Adams may be beholden to the president because his case was dropped.

After the Democratic Party’s well-publicized setbacks in November’s elections, a new national poll indicates Democrats increasingly want their party to moderate by moving toward the center.

And the survey, from Gallup, also suggests an increasing percentage of Republicans support the GOP staying the same ideologically.

A plurality of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents — 45% — who were questioned in the survey said they want their party to become more moderate.

That’s up 11 percentage points since 2021, at the start of former President Biden’s single term in the White House.

DEMOCRATS FORCED TO DEFEND ANOTHER OPEN SENATE SEAT IN 2026 MIDTERM ELECTIONS

Newly elected Democratic National Committee Chairman Ken Martin speaks after winning the vote at the DNC Winter Meeting at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in National Harbor, Md., Feb. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr.)

“At the same time, Democrats’ and leaners’ desire for a more liberal party has declined five points, to 29%, and preferences for no change in party ideology have fallen nine points, to 22%,” the release from Gallup noted.

The poll was conducted Jan. 21-27 in the immediate aftermath of President Donald Trump’s inauguration and at the start of his second tour of duty in the White House.

WHAT AMERICANS THINK ABOUT TRUMP’S FIRST THREE WEEKS IN OFFICE

Trump recaptured the presidency in November, and Republicans won back the Senate majority while the Democrats failed to win back control of the House of Representatives from the GOP. Republicans made significant gains among Black and Hispanic voters, as well as younger voters, all traditional members of the Democratic Party’s base.

President Donald Trump with first lady Melania Trump at an election night victory celebration in West Palm Beach, Fla., Nov. 6, 2024. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Gallup notes that the Democrats’ “current sentiment may very well be a reaction to their losses in 2024, as they look ahead to 2026.”

The Gallup poll indicates that support among Republicans and GOP-leaning independents for the party to stay ideologically the same jumped nine points, from 34% in 2021 to 43% now.

Meanwhile, those desiring a more conservative party plunged 12 points, to 28%. 

“The 27% of Republicans and leaners who now prefer moderation for their party is not significantly different from 2021,” the poll’s release noted.

But the poll indicates that two-thirds of Republicans and Republican-leaning voters self-identify as conservative, with 31% seeing themselves as moderate and just 2% calling themselves liberal.

Since his first election to the presidency in 2016, Trump has held immense sway over Republicans and has transformed the GOP from a conservative-dominated party to a more populist party of loyalists who strongly support Trump’s “America First” agenda.

The United Center is packed on the first night of the Democratic National Convention as President Biden addresses the crowd Aug. 19, 2024, in Chicago. (Fox News/Paul Steinhauser)

The release of the Gallup poll comes a couple of weeks after another national survey spelled trouble for the Democrats.

Only 31% of respondents in a Quinnipiac University survey conducted last month had a favorable opinion of the Democratic Party, with 57% seeing the party in an unfavorable light.

CLICK TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

“This is the highest percentage of voters having an unfavorable opinion of the Democratic Party since the Quinnipiac University Poll began asking this question,” the survey’s release noted. 

Meanwhile, 43% of those questioned had a favorable view of the GOP, with 45% holding an unfavorable opinion, which was the highest favorable opinion for the Republican Party ever in Quinnipiac polling.

FIRST ON FOX: President Donald Trump’s border czar Tom Homan on Friday clashed with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., over a webinar she hosted advising migrants about how to handle an encounter with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

“Let’s pray that she is not ‘educating’ the next murderer of a young college nursing student on how to evade arrest by ICE,” Homan told Fox News Digital on Friday. “How many more young women have to be raped, murdered and burned alive until she wakes up?”

Homan had first said on “The Ingraham Angle” that he had emailed the deputy attorney general asking whether Ocasio-Cortez’s hosting of a “Know Your Rights with ICE” event on her Facebook page could count as an impediment to federal law enforcement.

ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT ARRESTS SKYROCKET UNDER TRUMP ICE COMPARED TO BIDEN LEVELS LAST YEAR

Border czar Tom Homan and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y. (Getty)

“Is that impeding our law enforcement efforts?” Homan said. “If so, what are we going to do about it? Is she crossing the line? So I’m working with the Department of Justice and finding out. Where is that line that they cross? So maybe AOC is going to be going to be in trouble now.”

During the event, viewers were informed of how to deal with ICE search requests. Migrants were also warned of “ruses” they allege ICE agents employ to get people to comply with searches, while the hosts also touted “trends” in how ICE conducts its searches, which have ramped up in recent weeks under the Trump administration. People were also recommended to record such searches and how to differentiate between different warrants ICE agents are likely to carry.

Ocasio-Cortez did not take part in the webinar but did upload tips to Instagram — via posters in both English and Spanish — and called on her followers to share the posters widely and study them. She also called on her followers to print out the posters and “tape them up in your workplace or keep them by your door.” 

“So if ICE comes to your workplace or home, whether you are a citizen or noncitizen – YOU can defend your community and our constitution by exercising your right,” she wrote.

On Thursday, Ocasio-Cortez took to X to mock Homan for suggesting she could be in trouble.

“MaYbe shE’s goiNg to be in TroUble nOw,” she posted.

“Maybe he can learn to read. The Constitution would be a good place to start,” she said.

AOC’S OFFICE ADVISES MIGRANTS ON HOW TO AVOID DEPORTATIONS IN LIVE WEBINAR

A screenshot from the webinar. (Facebook)

In comments to Fox News Digital, Homan said that he was asking the Justice Department for their interpretation of the law regarding impeding and obstruction, and that he is “well aware of the Constitution, but I am also aware that DOJ gives legal interpretations on issues like this to ensure ICE acts in accordance of the law.”

He then suggested Ocasio-Cortez read Title 8 USC 1324 and 8 USC 1325, “statutes enacted by Congress, of which she is a part of.”

“It’s not OK to be in the U.S. illegally. It’s a violation of federal law to enter this country illegally. It is not OK to assist those in the U.S. illegally in furtherance of their illegal entry and unlawful presence. I thought I educated her on this several years ago during congressional testimony.,” he said, referencing a viral clash from the first Trump administration at a congressional hearing.

“She can call it ‘advising those who are illegally in the U.S. of their constitutional rights.’ But we all know it’s really about evading ICE and how not to get arrested and how not to adhere to a federal judge’s order to leave after receiving due process at great taxpayer expense,” he said.

“So if ICE comes to your workplace or home, whether you are a citizen or noncitizen – YOU can defend your community and our constitution by exercising your right,” Ocasio-Cortez wrote. (Getty Images)

CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE

“She obviously believes that we should not enforce laws enacted by Congress. By working against ICE, she is putting those that committed a crime entering this country illegally and those that committed asylum fraud and those who ignored a federal court order of deportation over those that enforce our laws and risk their lives every day trying to keep our communities safe.”

Ocasio-Cortez responded, telling Fox News Digital: “I am glad Mr. Homan is checking with the Department of Justice to familiarize himself with the limits of his agency’s authority in entering the homes of everyday Americans without a warrant. And I am proud to offer civil education to everyday Americans to ensure ICE’s compliance with the law, given the numerous reports of agents providing incorrect paperwork in their attempts to enter and search private homes.”
 
“Since Mr. Homan seems to be vaguely familiar with U.S. immigration law, we also remind him that according to Congressional statute, becoming undocumented in the United States is a civil offense and not a criminal one. I look forward to continuing our work in ensuring the safety of everyday New Yorkers while keeping families together,” she said.

The clash comes as many left-wing Democrats continue to raise objections to the mass deportation operation launched by the Trump administration. However, some Democrats have also expressed support, with New York City Mayor Eric Adams meeting with Homan on Thursday and agreeing to let ICE agents on to Rikers Island. While New York City is a “sanctuary” city, Adams has expressed openness to deporting criminal illegal immigrants.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Fox News Digital reported earlier on Friday that ICE interior arrests have skyrocketed under the Trump administration compared to the same period during the Biden administration last year, with a 137% increase over last year. Arrests of aliens with criminal histories have soared by nearly 100% from 4,526 in the same period in 2024 to 8,993 under Trump this year. 

Fox News’ Michael Dorgan contributed to this report.

Blue state attorneys general accused Vice President JD Vance of attempting to spread a “dangerous lie” after he criticized judges blocking President Donald Trump’s agenda. 

“The Vice President’s statement is as wrong as it is reckless. As chief law enforcement officers representing the people of 17 states, we unequivocally reject the Vice President’s attempt to spread this dangerous lie,” the statement reads. 

Seventeen state attorneys general, including those from California, Connecticut, Arizona, Massachusetts and Washington, signed the statement released Friday after Vance sent the internet into a frenzy, saying, “Judges aren’t allowed to control the executive’s legitimate power.”

AG PAM BONDI VOWS TO ‘FIGHT BACK’ AGAINST JUDGES BLOCKING TRUMP’S ANTI-CORRUPTION AGENDA

“Americans understand the principle of checks and balances,” the AGs wrote. “The judiciary is a check on unlawful action by the executive and legislative branches of government. Generals, prosecutors, and all public officials are subject to checks and balances. No one is above the law.” 

Blue state attorneys general accused Vice President JD Vance of attempting to spread a “dangerous lie” after he criticized judges blocking President Donald Trump’s agenda. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Vance’s comments were made after a court blocked the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) from accessing personal data. The Trump administration has become the target of more than 50 lawsuits since Trump began his second term in mid-January. Judges in various states across the country, including Washington, Rhode Island and New York, have continuously blocked the administration’s efforts to implement its agenda. 

“If a judge tried to tell a general how to conduct a military operation, that would be illegal,” Vance posted on X. “If a judge tried to command the attorney general in how to use her discretion as a prosecutor, that’s also illegal. Judges aren’t allowed to control the executive’s legitimate power.”

LAWSUIT TRACKER: NEW RESISTANCE BATTLING TRUMP’S SECOND TERM THROUGH ONSLAUGHT OF LAWSUITS TAKING AIM AT EOS

The statement from the AGs said that they would “carefully scrutinize each and every action taken by this administration.” They also made clear that if the administration violated the Constitution or federal law, they would “not hesitate to act.”

“Judges granted our motions and issued restraining orders to protect the American people, democracy, and the rule of law. That is and has always been their job,” the AGs wrote. “That job is the very core of our legal system. And in this critical moment, we will stand our ground to defend it.” 

Seventeen state attorneys general, including California AG Rob Bonta, signed the statement released Friday. (Loren Elliott/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi recently pledged her support for Trump’s efforts, vowing to challenge “unelected” judges obstructing his administration’s agenda.

“We have so many un-elected judges who are trying to control government spending. And there is a clear separation of powers,” Bondi said during an appearance on “America’s Newsroom.” “What they’re doing to [DOGE leader Elon Musk], to our country, is outrageous. You know, people work their whole lives and pay taxes, yet they find out that they’ve been giving $2 million to Guatemala for sex changes. It’s outrageous. And it’s going to stop.”

6 TIMES JUDGES BLOCKED TRUMP EXECUTIVE ORDERS

Since Inauguration Day, dozens of activist and legal groups, elected officials and local jurisdictions, as well as individuals, have launched a myriad of lawsuits in response to the president’s executive orders and directives. Notably, Trump’s executive order on birthright citizenship, his immigration policies, directives on federal funding, and the implementation of DOGE have all come under fire. 

The Trump administration has proceeded to appeal many of these rulings to the appellate courts. In a recent development, the Trump administration appealed an order from a Rhode Island judge to unfreeze federal funds. The order claimed the administration did not adhere to a previous order to do so. 

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi recently pledged her support for Trump’s efforts, vowing to challenge “unelected” judges obstructing his administration’s agenda. (AP)

CLICK TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

The Trump administration appealed the order to the First Circuit shortly thereafter, which was ultimately denied.  

Upon Trump’s historic win in November, Democratic AGs, including New York Attorney General Letitia James, publicly said they would be ready to engage in any legal battles against the Trump administration for actions they view as illegal or negatively impacting residents. 

Fox News Digital’s Emma Colton contributed to this report. 

Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins announced on Friday that the department has terminated nearly 80 contracts, including for a Brazilian forest and gender consultant and a Central American gender assessment consultant.

Rollins said the 78 contracts active under the Biden administration totaled more than $132 million, and more than 1,000 contracts are still under review for potential termination.

The findings come after a review from the Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency, which Rollins said will help the Agriculture Department to stop wasteful spending.

“I welcome DOGE’s efforts at USDA because we know that its work makes us better, stronger, faster, and more efficient. I will expect full access and transparency to DOGE in the days and weeks to come,” Rollins said.

DOGE SAYS IT DUG UP $1.9 BILLION IN TAXPAYER MONEY ‘MISPLACED’ BY BIDEN ADMIN

Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins speaks to members of the press outside the White House in Washington, D.C., on February 14, 2025. (Getty Images)

The $132 million in terminated contracts includes $374,000 for a diversity, equity, and inclusion onboarding specialist, $254,000 for diversity dialogue workshops, $298,000 for international development for historically underrepresented communities, $229,000 for a Brazilian forest and gender consultant, $121,000 for a women and forest carbon initiative mentorship program and $29,000 for a Central American gender assessment consultant.

Rollins previously issued a memo to officially rescind all diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility programs to instead focus on unity, equality and meritocracy.

Now, the Agriculture Department has canceled 948 employee trainings, 758 of which focused solely on DEI. The other canceled trainings covered topics including environmental justice and gender ideology.

Brooke Rollins speaks to members of the media outside the White House in Washington, D.C., on Friday, Feb. 14, 2025. (Getty Images)

Another terminated contract was an “African and Middle Eastern and Latin America and Caribbean Regions for training, education, and access to professional and economic opportunities for women and increasing their participation in climate change adaptation activities” totaling $91,000.

There was also a neighborhood electric vehicle utility van for $33,000 and a Hawaii conference room rental for a 100-person Agriculture Department meeting on biodiversity for $11,000.

The Agriculture Department also cut $277 million for media contracts, including subscriptions to POLITICO Pro, a news and information service that offers resources such as tracking legislation. POLITICO said the overwhelming majority of subscribers to POLITICO Pro were in the private sector.

TRUMP AGRICULTURE PICK CONFIRMED AS PRESIDENT RACKS UP CABINET WINS

A sign of the Department of Agriculture is seen on the USDA entrance in Washington D.C., on December 18, 2022.  (Celal Gunes / Anadolu Agency)

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Federal agencies and lawmakers, including Republicans in Congress, have been subscribed to POLITICO Pro, but the White House recently announced that the administration would be eliminating subscriptions to some news organizations as part of a plan to reduce government spending.

The Agriculture Department, Rollins said, is also seeking to optimize its workforce by eliminating positions that are no longer necessary, requiring its workers to return to the office and relocating employees into the nation’s heartland.

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

-Expert reveals massive levels of waste DOGE can slash from entitlements, pet projects: ‘A lot of fat‘

-Dem lawmakers answer USAID funding questions after bombshell report

-Some drones over US bases may have been conducting surveillance: NORTHCOM General

Soviet Style

In a speech to European leaders, Vice President JD Vance said the continent’s recent censorship activities were a bigger threat to its existence than Russia. 

“The threat that I worry the most about vis-à-vis Europe is not Russia, it’s not China. It’s not any other external actor,” he said in an address at the Munich Security Conference. 

“What I worry about is the threat from within the retreat of Europe from some of its most fundamental values, values shared with the United States of America.”…Read more

Vice President JD Vance gives a speech at the Munich Security Conference (MSC) in Munich, Germany February 14, 2025.  (REUTERS/Leah Millis)

White House

LAY-OFFS: Trump admin orders agencies to lay off probationary workers, in latest push to shrink government…Read more

RECONCILING DIFFERENCES: Trump budget bill with $4.5T in tax cuts survives key hurdle despite House GOP infighting…Read more

‘BLANKET SUSPENSION’: Judge orders temporary reversal of Trump admin’s freeze on foreign aid…Read more

2-SEX STATES: Trump’s ‘two sexes’ order spurs state-level efforts to crack down on trans treatments for minors…Read more

More states are putting forth bills to slash public funding for transgender medical care for minors, in light of Trump’s executive mandates. (Getty Images)

HANDING DOWN: Trump executive order expected to block federal money for schools, universities with COVID vaccine mandates…Read more

‘LOSING IN COURT’: Dems likely to ‘waste millions’ on deluge of lawsuits, but could cost Trump precious time…Read more

World Stage

‘NO DAYLIGHT’: Hegseth says he and Vance are ‘on the same page’ despite VP’s remark on US troops in Ukraine…Read more

Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth deliver a press statement after a bilateral meeting at the Ministry of Defense on Feb. 14, 2025 in Warsaw, Poland.  (Omar Marques/Getty Images)

‘STOP THE KILLING’: Why Saudi Arabia is at the center of Russia-Ukraine peace negotiations…Read more

OUT WITH THE ‘SCOLD’: Vance jokes about Greta Thunberg as he goes scorched earth on European censorship…Read more

Capitol Hill

‘WOKE AND WASTEFUL’: GOP lawmaker seeks to slam brakes on Biden’s EV tax credit…Read more

DISRUPTING CLASS: Top moments from Linda McMahon’s confirmation hearing…Read more

Linda McMahon, President Donald Trump’s nominee to be Secretary of Education, testifies during her Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee confirmation hearing in the Dirksen Senate Office Building on February 13, 2025 in Washington, DC.  (Win McNamee/Getty Images)

WORKING WITH TRUMP: Senate Majority Leader Thune says this is the reason why he and Trump are working well together…Read more

IN A STATE OF DENALI: Bucking Trump order, GOP Sens. Murkowski and Sullivan push to change Mount McKinley’s name back to Denali…Read more

Across America 

DEAD ON ARRIVAL: Gov. Newsom will veto California bill blocking prisons from cooperating with ICE: report…Read more

‘MORE OPPRESSIVE’: Abolish property taxes? DeSantis endorses the idea and explains how it could be done in Florida…Read more

‘ENOUGH IS ENOUGH’: NYC council moderates ‘thrilled’ at Homan visit, pledging to help border czar fight ‘progressive monopoly’…Read more

Tom Homan and NYC (AP/Reuters)

CALIFORNIA DREAMING: Top Trump official teases 2026 bid for California governor if Harris jumps in race…Read more

‘LACK OF LEADERSHIP’: Dem mayor blasted for extending sympathy to suspect killed in officer-involved shooting…Read more

‘WORST OF THE WORST’: Illegal immigrant arrests skyrocket under Trump ICE compared to Biden levels last year…Read more

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

Secretary of State Marco Rubio is using waivers to keep programs in Mexico and related to border security and anti-fentanyl efforts going amid a federal funding freeze – as he seeks to put pressure on Mexico to increase its efforts.

A senior State Department official told Fox News Digital on Friday that Rubio has been granting waivers to the administration-wide pause on federal funding for efforts under the International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) Program.

The INL program provides aid to border security agencies in other countries that could pose a threat to the U.S. if narcotics production, organized crime and terrorist activity are allowed to flourish. 

MEXICAN TROOPS BEGIN ARRIVING AT US-MEXICO BORDER FOLLOWING DEAL MADE TO PAUSE TRUMP-APPROVED TARIFFS

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio gives a joint news conference with Dominican Republic President Luis Abinader at the National Palace in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, Thursday, Feb. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, Pool)

“INL programs aim to reduce the entry of illegal drugs into the United States and minimize the impact of international crime on the United States and its citizens,” the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) website says. That includes programs that target fentanyl smuggling. Illicit fentanyl, which can be fatal in tiny doses, is typically made in Mexico using Chinese precursors and then smuggled across the U.S.-Mexico land border. Fentanyl overdoses kill tens of thousands of Americans each year.

Rubio recently completed a tour of Latin America, where he secured a number of commitments from foreign governments in terms of border security. The official said that INL programming has been coming back online in those countries since that trip.

Reuters reported on Thursday that INL programming in Mexico had been halted, including programs that train Mexican authorities to find and destroy fentanyl labs and to stop precursor chemicals entering Mexico. But the State Department official disputed that, telling Fox News Digital that some Mexican programming has already been granted waivers. Specifically, there has been $5.2M in waivers approved to date for Mexico, with an additional $2.5 million pending resubmission.

They said those waivers included funding for law enforcement in Mexico that has supported the extradition of transnational criminal organization members to the U.S. who have exported fentanyl and smuggled migrants into the U.S. Other programs include a wire intercept program and programs that assist with drug trafficking investigations of cartel members.

MEXICO AGREES TO DEPLOY 10,000 TROOPS TO US BORDER IN EXCHANGE FOR TARIFF PAUSE

Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum speaks during a press conference at the National Palace, in Mexico City, Mexico January 8, 2025. REUTERS/Henry Romero (REUTERS)

The official said that announcements of those waivers have not been forthcoming because Rubio is hoping to secure additional commitments from Mexico on border security.

“A new administration in the US has taken office, and we need increased commitments on the part of Mexico to assure us that they’re serious when it comes to stopping the flow of fentanyl and other synthetic drugs,” the official said.

The official said there have been some waivers so far because the U.S. wants to show it is a reliable partner, but other programs are being reviewed and “we don’t want to turn them on yet until we know that our Mexican counterparts are going to promise various actions in return.”

CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE

One of the areas that the U.S. wishes to see further action on is the rejection of INL assistance by former President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who the U.S. previously said had refused to participate in a U.S. program to train and equip Mexican police. The new Sheinbaum administration has now approved part of that assistance, officials say, but has not approved the rest, or eliminated an approval system that caused the blockage. Officials believe Rubio’s visit will confirm Mexico’s commitment and that the announcement of resumption of more INL funding will follow.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

The push comes amid a migration-focused start by the Trump administration and the State Department. The administration has secured a number of border-related commitments from Mexico and Canada, as well as promises to accept migrants being returned from Venezuela and Colombia.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

President Donald Trump’s administration has secured the release of 11 U.S. hostages held by foreign governments since taking office less than one month ago, according to the White House. 

The Trump administration has emphasized arranging the release of U.S. hostages under his second administration and welcomed U.S. Marc Fogel, a U.S. history teacher who had been detained in Russia since 2021, back to the U.S. Tuesday. 

Other hostages released since Trump’s inauguration include six Americans detained in Venezuela, two Americans detained in Belarus and Israeli-American citizen Keith Siegel, who was held hostage by Palestinian militant group Hamas. There are at least two living American citizen hostages believed to be held in Gaza. 

By comparison, former President Joe Biden said in 2024 his White House secured the release of more than 70 hostages during his four years in office, according to an August 2024 statement. Fox News Digital didn’t find any available data to compare numbers from Biden’s first month in office. 

Trump claimed to have helped release 58 in his first term as president. 

ISRAELI PRESIDENT CALLS TRUMP A ‘TRUE FRIEND’ ON INAUGURATION DAY, PRAISES HIS WORK TO RELEASE HOSTAGES 

Released American schoolteacher Marc Fogel reacts during a Feb. 11, 2025, event held by President Donald Trump to welcome back Fogel, who had been held in Russia since 2021.  (Kevin Lamarque/Reuters)

There were 46 American nationals known to be held captive in 16 different countries in 2024, according to the nonprofit Foley Foundation, which advocates for U.S. hostages and was named after James Foley, a U.S. journalist kidnapped while reporting in Syria in 2012 and killed by ISIS in 2014. That number is now likely closer to the low 30s after the recent releases of hostages in January and February. 

On Tuesday, Trump met with Fogel, who was arrested in August 2021 at a Russian airport for possessing drugs and was slated to serve a 14-year sentence. Fogel’s family said the drugs he had on him were medically prescribed marijuana. 

“I want you to know that I am not a hero in this at all,” Fogel said Tuesday after meeting Trump. “And President Trump is a hero.

FREED ISRAELI HOSTAGE SPEAKS OUT FOR FIRST TIME

“These men that came from the diplomatic service are heroes,” Fogel said. “The senators and representatives that passed legislation in my honor — they got me home — they are heroes.”

Following Foley’s return and after announcing the release of another, unnamed hostage held in Belarus Wednesday, Special Envoy for Hostage Affairs Adam Boehler said Trump “has made bringing Americans home a top priority, and people respond to that.”

The names of most of the hostages released in February have not been publicly shared. 

“President Trump is committed to freeing Americans held hostage and returning them to their families,” Brian Hughes, a spokesperson for the National Security Council, said in a Friday statement to Fox News Digital. “To date, President Trump has secured the release of 11 Americans who were detained by the Taliban, Hamas, Venezuela, Russia and Belarus.”

American-Israeli citizen Keith Siegel has released a video message heaping praise on President Donald Trump after he was freed from captivity by the terrorist group Hamas two weeks ago. (Omar el Qattaa/AFP via Getty Images; Joe Raedle/Getty Images )

Just before Trump’s inauguration Jan. 20, both the Biden administration and the incoming Trump administration coordinated to secure a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, which included provisions to release dozens of hostages on both sides. 

Biden and Trump separately boasted about their individual efforts to secure the deal, and State Department spokesman Matthew Miller described the Trump administration’s involvement as “critical” to getting the deal over the finish line. 

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Trump also touted his administration’s involvement in a social media post Jan. 15, claiming it occurred “as a result of our Historic Victory in November, as it signaled to the entire World that my Administration would seek Peace and negotiate deals to ensure the safety of all Americans, and our Allies.”

Although Biden said the two teams had been “speaking as one team” during the negotiations, he also mocked suggestions that Trump was responsible for securing the ceasefire deal.  

Former President Joe Biden and President Donald Trump both took credit for their role in securing the ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas.  (Getty Images)

“Who in the history books gets credit for this, Mr. President, you or Trump?” Fox News’ Jacqui Heinrich asked Biden Jan. 15 after a White House news conference.

ISRAEL RELEASES 90 PALESTINIAN PRISONERS AS PART OF CEASEFIRE DEAL TO FREE HOSTAGES

“Is that a joke?” Biden said. 

When Heinrich said it was not, Biden replied, “Oh. Thank you.” 

The Associated Press and Fox News’ Emma Colton and Landon Mion contributed to this report.

Federal prosecutors on Friday asked a judge to drop the Justice Department’s case against New York Mayor Eric Adams, following the departure of several prosecutors who opted to resign rather than follow through with bringing the charges against Adams.

The news comes after a federal prosecutor, Hagan Scotten, resigned Friday in a scathing letter, accusing top DOJ officials of looking for a “fool.”

NYC MAYOR ADAMS, TRUMP BORDER CZAR HOMAN ANNOUNCE ‘GAME CHANGER’ FOR ICE ENFORCEMENT

“Any assistant U.S. attorney would know that our laws and traditions do not allow using the prosecutorial power to influence other citizens, much less elected officials, in this way,” Scotten told acting U.S. Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove.

Adams reacted to the news of his indictment being dropped Friday, clarifying that he had not made a deal to drop his case.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams speaks during a news conference outside Gracie Mansion, Thursday, Sept. 26, 2024, in New York. The Mayor was indicted after an investigation into campaign corruption. (Rashid Umar Abbasi for Fox News Digital)

“I want to be crystal clear with New Yorkers: I never offered — nor did anyone offer on my behalf — any trade of my authority as your mayor for an end to my case. Never,” Adam’s said in a statement released.

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi’s Chief of Staff Chad Mizelle called the decision to dismiss Adam’s’ indictment “yet another indication that this DOJ will return to its core function of prosecuting dangerous criminals, not pursuing politically motivated witch hunts.

NEW YORK CITY MAYOR ERIC ADAMS SAYS HE WILL RUN FOR RE-ELECTION AS A DEMOCRAT

NEW YORK, NEW YORK – MAY 01: Eric Adams, Mayor of New York City, attends the Literacy Partners 2023 Gala at Cipriani South Street on May 1, 2023, in New York City.  ((Photo by Roy Rochlin/Getty Images for Literacy Partners))

“The fact that those who indicted and prosecuted the case refused to follow a direct command is further proof of the disordered and ulterior motives of the prosecutors. Such individuals have no place at DOJ,” Mizelle said in a statement released Friday.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Attorney General Pam Bondi speaks at a news conference regarding immigration enforcement at the Justice Department, Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis) (AP)

A federal judge still needs to sign off on the order before the case against Adams can be formally dismissed. 

A federal judge on Friday extended a temporary order that blocks Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) team from accessing payment systems within the Treasury Department. 

The extension comes after 19 state attorneys general filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration over DOGE’s access to the payment system, which has information about Americans’ Social Security, Medicare and veterans’ benefits, tax refund information, and much more. 

The lawsuit claims the Musk-run agency illegally accessed the Treasury Department’s central payment system at the Trump administration’s behest. 

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

A federal judge on Friday extended a temporary order that blocks Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) team from accessing payment systems within the Treasury Department. (Kenny Holston-Pool/Getty Images)

The lawsuit was filed in New York by New York Attorney General Letitia James’ office and 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. 

TREASURY DEPARTMENT SAYS DOGE WILL HAVE ‘READ ONLY’ ACCESS TO PAYMENT SYSTEMS IN LETTER TO CONGRESS

The lawsuit claims DOGE illegally accessed the Treasury Department’s central payment system at the Trump administration’s behest.  (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

U.S. District Judge Jeannette Vargas in Manhattan on Friday said that she wasn’t going to issue a ruling yet on the attorneys general request for a longer preliminary injunction, leaving the temporary order issued last Saturday in place.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told FOX Business last week that the concerns about DOGE’s access to the Treasury Department are not valid. 

“DOGE is not going to fail,” he said. “They are moving a lot of people’s cheese here in the capital, and when you hear this squawking, then some status quo interest is not happy.”

The lawsuit was filed in New York by New York Attorney General Letitia James’ (pictured) office and 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. (AP Photo/Brittainy Newman)

He continued, “At the Treasury, our payment system is not being touched. We process 1.3 billion payments a year. There is a study being done — can we have more accountability, more accuracy, more traceability that the money is going where it is? But, in terms of payments being stopped, that is happening upstream at the department level.”

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

The newly-created DOGE aims to cut government waste and has been given access to more than a dozen government agencies, including the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the Department of Education and the Department of Labor.

The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), the Elon Musk-led group tasked with eliminating wasteful spending, on Friday said it found $1.9 billion that was misplaced by the Biden administration. 

The funds were from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and have been recovered. 

“$1.9 billion of HUD money was just recovered after being misplaced during the Biden administration due to a broken process. These funds were earmarked for the administration of financial services, but were no longer needed,” a DOGE post on X stated.

THROUGH THE EPA, WE CAN PURSUE ENERGY DOMINANCE, LEE ZELDIN SAYS | FOX NEWS VIDEO

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development logo is seen displayed on a smartphone screen with the American flag in the background. (Thomas Fuller/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

HUD Secretary Scott Turner worked with DOGE to “fix the issue” and “de-obligated the funds which are now available for other use by the Treasury.”

On Thursday, Turner announced the creation of a DOGE task force within his agency. 

“We will be very detailed and deliberate about every dollar spent in serving tribal, rural and urban communities across America,” he said in a video posted on X. 

TRUMP TAPS FORMER NEW YORK REP LEE ZELDIN TO LEAD EPA

Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin. (Al Drago)

Turner said his team had identified $260 million in savings just two days prior. DOGE has identified billions of dollars in questionable spending. 

With the help of DOGE, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin said he has canceled a Biden-era $50 million environmental justice grant to an organization that believes “climate justice travels through a Free Palestine.”

The EPA also sent $160 million to a Canadian electric bus manufacturer under the Biden administration, Zeldin said during a Thursday appearance on “The Story with Martha MacCallum.” He noted that the Biden administration sent the full amount to the manufacturer, rather than making payments along the way as school buses were being produced.

Housing and Urban Development Secretary Scott Turner. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Since receiving the money, he added, the company has declared bankruptcy.

Political power couples celebrated their love on social media this Valentine’s Day — but not without a few jabs from opposing political parties. 

Several political organizations took to X to post Valentine’s Day messages trolling their rivals, including a meme from the White House with a message to illegal immigrants. 

“Violets are blue, come here illegally, and we’ll deport you,” the official Trump White House X account posted.

Some X users embraced the deportation meme, while others found it insensitive. The top reply on the White House’s post says: “ROSES ARE RED VIOLETS ARE BLUE YOUR ANCESTORS WERE IMMIGRANTS AND SO ARE YOU LET’S EMBRACE OTHERS AND THEIR DREAMS TOO.”

Chris LaCivita, a GOP political strategist and a former advisor to President Donald Trump, posted a photo of Trump with a bandage on his ear from the July 2024 assassination attempt captioned, “I’d take a bullet for you.”

A Valentine from the Republican National Committee to the Democratic National Committee said: “Roses are red, violets are blue; We won seven Swing States, what did you do?”

Democrats had some fun with their Valentine’s Day message, too, poking fun at the power dynamics at play between Elon Musk and Trump. 

“The left can’t meme,” multiple users replied to the Democrats’ post on X. Another X user replied with a photo of Trump and former first lady Jill Biden speaking at the reopening of the Notre Dame captioned: “Will you be my Valentine?” 

Former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama celebrated 32 years of marriage with matching selfies across their social media accounts amid divorce rumors.

“If there’s one person I can always count on, it’s you, @BarackObama. You’re my rock. Always have been. Always will be. Happy Valentine’s Day, honey!” Michelle said. 

Former President Joe Biden joined the love fest with a photo of his wife Jill sporting a “LOVE” jacket captioned, “Happy Valentine’s Day, Jilly!”

PRINCE WILLIAM STEALS KISS FROM KATE MIDDLETON IN RARE VALENTINE’S DAY PHOTO

Former second gentleman Doug Emhoff posted a photo wishing former Vice President Kamala Harris a happy Valentine’s Day, saying, “Grateful to be by your side through it all.”

Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., fresh off being sworn in as Secretary of Health and Human Services, posted a photo on a hike with his wife, actress Cheryl Hines. He thanked her for “being my partner in this adventure.”

SENATE CONFIRMS ROBERT F KENNEDY JR. TO SERVE AS TRUMP’S HEALTH SECRETARY

“Thanking the love of my life Dina for her incredible support and love during the craziest year of our lives! Happy Valentine’s Day!” Sen. Dave McCormick, R-Pa., said to his wife Dina, who served as deputy national security advisor during President Donald Trump’s first term. 

Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, posted a charming photo with his valentine of 70 years. 

Meanwhile, Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., wished his wife Mindy a happy first Valentine’s Day as a married couple. The 59-year-old was a longtime bachelor before announcing his engagement to a “lovely Christian girl” in January 2024. The couple got married in August at the Seacoast Church in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina. 

California Gov. Gavin Newsom thanked his wife, Jennifer Siebel Newsom, for championing the rights of Californians. 

“Happy Valentine’s Day, Jen. I’m lucky to call my best friend the love of my life. Thank you for all that you do to champion the rights of Californians. I love you,” Newsom said in a post. 

From left: Former Vice President Kamala Harris and second gentleman Doug Emhoff; Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., and his wife Mindy; and former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama celebrate Valentine’s Day. (Reuters/Getty/Fox Digital)

Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., posted a throwback photo with his wife of 25 years, calling the life they built in Southwest Florida his “greatest blessing.”

“My high school sweetheart, the mother of our four amazing kids, the love of my life, and Pennsylvania’s First Lady! Happy Valentine’s Day, Lori,” Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro wrote in a post. 

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., wished his wife a happy Valentine’s Day with an Audrey Hepburn quote: “The best thing to hold onto in life is each other.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

New York City Mayor Eric Adams opted for a solo photo, holding up heart hands in his Valentine’s Day post and telling New Yorkers what he really loves is “making our city MORE affordable, building even MORE affordable housing, and making sure EVERY New Yorker has a job…so they can treat their boo to a night out.”

The Trump administration sent three illegal immigrants back to their home country of Venezuela in response to a judge’s decision blocking them from being sent to Guantánamo Bay as part of a continued crack-down on illegal immigration. 

U.S. District Judge Kenneth J. Gonzales of New Mexico issued a memo Friday announcing the court had vacated a March 3 status conference for three Venezuelan migrants just five days after it blocked the Trump administration’s efforts to transfer the migrants to Guantánamo Bay.

Since then, Gonzales said, respondents had filed a Notice of Removal “informing the court that all three petitioners were removed to Venezuela, their home country, on Feb. 10, 2025.” 

SKYROCKETING HEALTHCARE BUDGET FOR ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS HAUNTS BLUE STATE TAXPAYERS

The control is seen through the razor wire inside the Camp VI detention facility in Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, Cuba. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)

The Trump administration has vowed to deport millions of the more than 11 million people estimated to be living in the U.S. illegally, including deporting some illegal immigrants to the U.S. Naval Base in Guantánamo Bay.

Trump has claimed the individuals deported to Guantánamo are “highly dangerous criminal aliens.” 

But that notion has been sharply disputed by some immigration advocates. 

Lawyers for the Venezuelan immigrants argued in a court filing last week that their clients “fit the profile” of individuals that they allege the Trump administration “has prioritized for detention in Guantánamo,” “i.e. Venezuelan men detained in the El Paso area with (false) charges of connections with the Tren de Aragua gang.”   

ICE ARRESTS HOMELESS ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT WHO ASKED TO BE DETAINED OR ELSE HE WOULD ‘GO OUT AND COMMIT CRIMES’

ICE agents are seen arresting 32 illegal aliens in a Palm Beach County, Fla., enforcement action. (ICE)

Judge Gonzales ultimately granted migrants’ request for a temporary restraining order blocking their transfer to Guantánamo, ordering the parties back to court on March 3 for a status conference.

In response, the administration appears to have taken the matter into its own hands.

The motion to vacate did not expand upon the situation at hand, noting only that, “[b]ecause Petitioners have now been removed to their home country, it is no longer necessary to hold a status conference” on the previously scheduled date. 

“Nor is it necessary for parties to update the Court by February 24, 2025,” Judge Gonzales said. “Thus, the status conference is hereby vacated.”

CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE

The deportation comes less than a month after President Donald Trump signed into law the Laken Riley Act, a bipartisan law that gives authorities broad power to deport illegal immigrants accused of crimes.

Since Trump’s inauguration, White House officials said that the administration has arrested thousands of people in immigration enforcement actions.

EXCLUSIVE: Republican Rep. Andy Barr’s decision on whether to run for U.S. Senate in Kentucky will be made “independent of the decisions that others make, including Sen. Mitch McConnell,” he told Fox News Digital in an exclusive interview Friday morning, stressing that “it’s time for Kentucky to have a U.S. senator who supports President Trump.” 

The congressman, who currently represents Kentucky’s 6th congressional district, told Fox News Digital that he is “doing a lot of listening right now.” 

“I’m listening to supporters, advisors, friends, people I trust, but most importantly, I’m listening to my family and talking to my family, and I am grateful for the strong encouragement to run,” he said. “A lot of constituents are encouraging me to run for the Senate, and I am grateful for the outpouring of financial support that’s coming my way.” 

Rep. Andy Barr, left, R-Ky., said “it’s time” for his state to have a senator who supports President Donald Trump.  (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc/Scott Eisen)

RNC BRINGS ON NEW SENIOR LEADERSHIP TO ‘WORK AROUND THE CLOCK’ TO SUPPORT TRUMP AGENDA, ELECT REPUBLICANS

But Barr said that “ultimately, this is going to be a family decision on our timeline.” 

“It will be a decision that we make independent of the decisions that others make, including Sen. McConnell, or others who have or will express an interest in running for the Senate in 2026, so this will be a family decision that we make,” Barr said. “All I can say is, I am very, very grateful for the outpouring of support, mainly from Kentuckians, but people around the country who want to see strong, America First leadership in the U.S. Senate.” 

Sources close to Barr told Fox News Digital back in 2023 that he could be “a serious contender” for McConnell’s seat in 2026. 

Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., was the longest-serving party leader in U.S. Senate history.  (J. Scott Applewhite/The Associated Press)

In a veiled swipe at McConnell, Barr told Fox News Digital that “it’s time for Kentucky to have a U.S. senator who supports President Trump.” 

McConnell, at this point, has now opposed three of Trump’s now-confirmed Cabinet secretaries: Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

“He votes against almost everything now,” the president said of McConnell on Thursday. “He’s a, you know, very bitter guy.”

Trump also said McConnell is “not equipped mentally” and said he “let the Republican Party go to hell.”

Barr doubled down, saying: “I think it is time for Kentucky to have a U.S. senator who has a vision, not only to make America great again, but to make Kentucky great again, and I think that’s why a lot of people have encouraged me to run,” Barr said. “They see me as someone who has been, and has a proven record of, supporting President Trump’s America First agenda, but also a very strong record of supporting the signature industries of Kentucky and building a very strong record of constituent services and accessibility to the people of Kentucky.” 

He added, “I have a vision for Kentucky, just like America, to be great again. I have a vision for Kentuckians to achieve their potential and to restore the American Dream for Kentuckians.” 

Barr said he believes the state has “enormous potential” and said that “with strong partnership with President Trump, we can deliver just extraordinary possibilities for the people of Kentucky.” 

Rep. Andy Barr’s decision on whether to run for U.S. Senate in Kentucky will be made “independent of the decisions that others make, including Sen. Mitch McConnell,” he said. (Fox News)

MITCH MCCONNELL STEPS DOWN AS REPUBLICAN LEADER

When asked for comment, a McConnell aide told Fox News Digital that the senator has not made an announcement on his 2026 plans. 

McConnell, who will turn 83 later in February, stepped away from serving as the Senate Republican leader in November 2024. McConnell was the longest-serving party leader in U.S. Senate history. 

Meanwhile, Barr told Fox News Digital, “I’m my own man.”  

“People try to peg me as this type of Republican or that type of Republican, but at the end of it, I’m an America First conservative who loves my home state, the commonwealth of Kentucky,” he said.

“I think what sets me apart is that nobody else looking at the race has been in the trenches on the job with President Trump to drain the swamp,” he continued. “I’ve got a proven record, and I think that does differentiate me from anyone else.” 

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

But Barr stressed that his decision on whether to run for the U.S. Senate “is not dependent on anybody else.” 

“I’m just going to remain focused on working with President Trump and working with his team to deliver on his America First agenda — we don’t have any time to waste,” Barr told Fox News Digital. “And so that’s my focus right now.”