Donald Trump Poll News

Democratic attorneys general from 19 states have filed a federal lawsuit against the Trump administration over the Department of Government Efficiency’s (DOGE) access to sensitive, personal data belonging to Americans at the Treasury Department. 

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

On Thursday, the Treasury agreed to limit the Musk team’s access to its payment systems while a judge hears arguments in a previous lawsuit filed by a group of employee unions and retirees. 

The lawsuit, filed Monday, claimed Musk’s team violated the law by being given “full access” to the Treasury’s payment systems.

FEDERAL JUDGE ORDERS LIMITED DOGE ACCESS TO SENSITIVE TREASURY DEPARTMENT PAYMENT SYSTEM RECORDS 

Democratic attorneys general from 19 states have filed a federal lawsuit against the Trump administration over the Department of Government Efficiency’s access to sensitive, personal data belonging to Americans at the Treasury Department.  (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

The payment systems have information about Americans’ Social Security, Medicare and veterans’ benefits, tax refund information and much more. 

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told FOX Business Wednesday the concerns 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.

“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.”

ELON MUSK DUNKS ON SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER, DECLARING ‘HYSTERICAL REACTIONS’ DEMONSTRATE DOGE’S IMPORTANCE

DOGE was launched to root out wasteful spending in the government, and it has already come close to closing the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). 

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

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

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

“President Trump does not have the power to give away Americans’ private information to anyone he chooses, and he cannot cut federal payments approved by Congress,” James said in a statement. “Musk and DOGE have no authority to access Americans’ private information and some of our country’s most sensitive data.”

The lawsuit by the attorneys general was filed in New York by the office of New York Attorney General Letitia James, a vocal Trump critic.  (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Treasury officials on Wednesday denied violating privacy laws, saying only two members of the DOGE team had been given “read-only” access to information in the payment systems. 

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report. 

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Friday addressed events in Afghanistan, saying they created the perception of “American weakness.”

While speaking to the Department of Defense and Pentagon workforce during a town hall on Friday, Hegseth said America “deserves to take accountability for” events in Afghanistan, the Oct. 7 Hamas-led attack on Israel, and the war that was unleashed in Ukraine. 

“Chaos happens when the perception of American strength is not complete,” Hegseth said. “We aim to re-establish that deterrence.”

President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth testifies during his Senate Armed Services confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill on Jan. 14 in Washington, D.C.  ( (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images))

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

He discussed the three pillars he will focus on during his term – reviving the warrior ethos, restoring trust in the military and rebuilding it by matching threats to capabilities, and reestablishing deterrence by defending the homeland.

Hegseth also spoke about the broken windows theory in policing, explaining that disregarding the small things in the military can create large problems.

“I think the same thing exists inside our services – making sure at every level, there [are] standards and accountability, and that we live it at the highest levels,” he said.

UNITED STATES – DECEMBER 3: Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee to be defense secretary, makes his way to a meeting with Sen. Ted Budd, R-N.C., in Russell building on Tuesday, December 3, 2024. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images) (Tom Williams)

That is why, Hegseth said, the U.S. will look back at what happened in Afghanistan.

He added the department will hold people accountable.

“Not to be retrospective, not for retribution, but to understand what went wrong and why there was no accountability for it,” Hegseth said.

Sec. Hegseth said he will focus on rebuilding the military. (U.S. Army Fort Leonard Wood)

Going forward, the military will find strength in unity, not diversity, according to Hegseth.

“I think the single dumbest phrase in military history is ‘our diversity is our strength,’” he said. “Our strength is our shared purpose – regardless of our background, regardless of how we grew up, regardless of our gender, regardless of our race. 

WHITE HOUSE OPM ORDERS ALL DEI OFFICES TO BEGIN CLOSING BY END OF DAY WEDNESDAY

In the department, Hegseth said everyone will be treated equally.

“We will treat everyone with fairness,” he said. “We will treat everyone with respect.”

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Service members and department civilian employees will be judged by their merit, commitment to the team, and the mission, according to Hegseth.

A group of transgender people is challenging the Trump administration’s new policy that prevents the issuing of passports with sex designations that do not match an applicant’s biological sex at birth.

Seven people represented by the American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit claiming the policy violates privacy and First Amendment rights. In 2022, the State Department allowed passport applicants to select M, F or X for sex. 

“The plaintiffs in this case have had their lives disrupted by a chaotic policy clearly motivated by animus that serves zero public interest,” said Sruti Swaminathan, staff attorney for the ACLU’s LGBTQ & HIV Project. 

“Our clients need to travel for work, school and family, and forcing them to carry documents that directly contradict what they know about themselves to be true — or withhold those documents altogether — is a blatant effort to violate their privacy and deny them their freedom to be themselves.”

INDIANA JUDGE RULES PRISON MUST PROVIDE TRANSGENDER SURGERY FOR INMATE WHO KILLED BABY

President Donald Trump speaks to reporters as he signs executive orders in the Oval Office of the White House Jan. 31, 2025, in Washington.  (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

The rule came after President Donald Trump signed an executive order promoting the “biological truth.”

The order, “Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government,” declares that the U.S. will recognize only two sexes — male and female — based on immutable biological characteristics. 

It prohibits the use of gender identity in legal and administrative contexts and mandates that federal agencies, including those overseeing housing, prisons and education, adhere to this definition when enforcing laws and issuing regulations. 

The order directs changes to government-issued identification documents, bans the promotion of “gender ideology” in federal programs, rescinds previous executive actions that promoted gender identity inclusion and instructs federal agencies to eliminate guidance or regulations that conflict with the new policy.

TRUMP SIGNS EXECUTIVE ORDERS BANNING ‘RADICAL GENDER IDEOLOGY,’ DEI INITIATIVES IN THE MILITARY

A suitcase, COVID vaccination card and passport. (RichLegg)

It mandated the requirement that government-issued identification documents “accurately reflect” the holder’s sex, defined as “male” or “female.”

In a statement released by the ACLU, Reid Solomon-Lane, one of the plaintiffs, said he’s lived his whole adult life as a man. 

“Everyone in my personal and professional life knows me as a man, and any stranger on the street who encountered me would view me as a man,” Solomon-Lane said. “Now, as a married father of three, Trump’s executive order and the ensuing passport policy have threatened that life of safety and ease. 

“If my passport were to reflect a sex designation that is inconsistent with who I am, I would be forcibly outed every time I used my passport for travel or identification, causing potential risk to my safety and my family’s safety.”

A bank of passports (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Fox News Digital has reached out to the White House and State Department. 

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

The ACLU said it’s been contacted by more than 1,500 transgender people or family members, “many with passport applications suspended or pending, who are concerned about being able to get passports that accurately reflect their identity.”

President Donald Trump announced on Friday he decided to immediately fire multiple Kennedy Center board members, including the chairman, and fill that role himself.

Trump claimed he and current chair David Rubenstein “do not share [the same] Vision for a Golden Age in Arts and Culture,” according to the announcement on Truth Social.

He said a new board would be announced soon, adding the new chairman, naming himself, is “amazing.”

The Kennedy Center website features information about a drag event hosted in October 2024. (The Kennedy Center)

INDIANA JUDGE RULES PRISON MUST PROVIDE TRANSGENDER SURGERY FOR INMATE WHO KILLED BABY

“Just last year, the Kennedy Center featured Drag Shows specifically targeting our youth — THIS WILL STOP,” Trump wrote in the post. 

The Kennedy Center in October hosted a Dancing Queens Drag Brunch at its Roof Terrace Restaurant in October, featuring Washington, D.C.‘s “most fabulous drag performers,” according to its website.

The Kennedy Center website features information about a drag event hosted in October 2024. (The Kennedy Center)

The October event featured 2024 Capital Pride Honoree, Tula, and other drag performers “representing the diversity of D.C.’s queer community,” according to the site.

Tickets were sold for nearly $100 each, with reservations required, and included bottomless mimosas.

President Joe Biden speaks at the The Kennedy Center Honorees reception at The White House on Dec. 3 in Washington, D.C.  (Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)

TRUMP SIGNS EXECUTIVE ORDERS BANNING ‘RADICAL GENDER IDEOLOGY,’ DEI INITIATIVES IN THE MILITARY

Following Trump’s announcement, the Kennedy Center’s website limited users, citing “high traffic.”

Hundreds of visitors had to queue in an online waiting room to view the site.

In addition to George Clooney, Amy Grant, Gladys Knight, Tania León, and U2 members Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton, and Larry Mullen Jr. were honored at the Kennedy Center Honors. (Kevin Wolf/AP Photo)

In his post, Trump called the center “an American jewel,” and said it must reflect the nation’s “brightest stars” on its stage.

“At my direction, we are going to make the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C., GREAT AGAIN,” the President wrote. “For the Kennedy Center, THE BEST IS YET TO COME!”

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

It is unclear which Board of Trustees members have been canned, as of Friday night.

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…

-America First Legal files amicus brief in support of Trump EO ending birthright citizenship

–Democrats disoriented in fight against Trump agenda

-RFK Jr. moves closer to leading HHS after advancing through finance committee

Blocking the ban on drilling 

The Republican-led House passed legislation to block future administrations from enacting bans on oil and gas drilling without congressional approval. 

In a vote on Friday, lawmakers passed the “Protecting American Energy Production Act” to prohibit the president from “declaring a moratorium on the use of hydraulic fracturing unless Congress authorizes the moratorium.”

There were 118 Democrats who voted against the legislation, while Republican House members unanimously voted in favor of its passage…Read more

President Donald Trump is expected to enact major reforms aimed at increasing American energy independence.  (Getty Images)

DOGE

DEM LEAVES DOGE: House Democrat leaves congressional DOGE caucus, saying Musk is ‘blowing things up’…Read more

DEVELOPING DEI: Archived USAID website promoted DEI program as department’s ‘mission’ labeled ‘disturbing’ by whistleblower…Read more

White House 

‘UP FOR REVIEW’: Trump admin appeals ruling blocking birthright citizenship order…Read more

HERE’S THE PLAN: Deadline looms for release of JFK assassination files…Read more

SO ORDERED: FBI, DOJ strike agreement in lawsuit over January 6 agent list amid fears of retaliation…Read more

‘BACK TO PLASTIC!’: Trump vows executive order ending ‘ridiculous’ push for paper straws…Read more

CHARM CITY FIGHT: Baltimore sues Trump for ditching DEI: ‘Attacks anyone who dares to celebrate diversity’…Read more

‘THE COURT AT RISK’: Sotomayor criticizes presidential immunity case as putting the high court’s legitimacy on the line…Read more

World Stage

RUBIO’S TRAVELS: Rubio to visit Middle East for second trip as secretary of state after Trump suggests U.S. takeover of Gaza…Read more

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)

‘HOLD REGIME ACCOUNTABLE’: U.S. seizes second plane owned by Venezuelan government in Dominican Republic, citing evasion of sanctions…Read more

‘HIGHLY DANGEROUS’ PEOPLE: Over a dozen Venezuelan criminal illegal migrants sent to Guantanamo Bay…Read more

Capitol Hill

‘CONSIDERING WHAT’S AT STAKE’: John Fetterman reveals how he’ll vote on Trump’s Tulsi Gabbard and RFK Jr. nominations…Read more

‘MOOD IMPROVED’: House Rep. Eli Crane says therapy dogs should be mandatory at hearings after joke about Dems mental stability…Read more

IT’S THAT TIME: Top political handicapper reveals prediction for ‘volatile’ 2026 battle for House majority…Read more

CONFIRMED: Russell Vought confirmed to head government’s leading budget office after Dems hold 30-hour protest…Read more

TRUMP TIME: Senate moves full steam ahead on massive Trump budget bill after GOP divisions derail House…Read more

EXPORT CRACKDOWN: Top Republican moves to restrict AI exports amid concerns over Chinese tech…Read more

Across America

FARMLAND FIX: Heartland lawmakers seek to fix ‘fundamental’ roadblock for farm kids seeking student aid…Read more

‘WE WILL SEIZE IT’: Prominent sheriff announces gubernatorial run to replace Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer…Read more

YOU’RE FIRED: Fired Federal Election Commission leader rants on social media after removal by Trump: ‘This isn’t it’…Read more

SANCTUARY MAYORS: Sanctuary city mayors to testify at House Oversight, after AG Bondi cuts them off from federal funds…Read more

Attorney General Pam Bondi joins “Hannity” for her first interview since she was sworn-in. (Getty Images / Fox News Digital)

LOOSENING THE REINS: NIH resumes critical grant-making process after federal communications freeze at HHS…Read more

SEE SOMETHING, SAY SOMETHING: WA Democrats reportedly block move to nix 48-hour scholastic assault reporting requirement…Read more

CLEANING HOUSE: CDC staff told to remove terms like ‘non-binary,’ ‘they/them,’ ‘pregnant people’ from public health material…Read more

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

A Trump-appointed judge said at an emergency hearing on Friday that he would put a temporary block on the administration’s plan to put 2,200 U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) employees on paid leave by midnight, Fox News has learned. 

He also told a government lawyer that he’s not sure whether he would include the 500 employees already placed on leave in his order. 

U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols sided with two federal employee associations – the American Foreign Service Association and the American Federation of Government Employees – who filed lawsuits over the order on Thursday. 

Government officials “failed to acknowledge the catastrophic consequences of their actions, both as they pertain to American workers, the lives of millions around the world, and to US national interests,” the lawsuit says. 

Demonstrators rally in support of USAID.  (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Nichols said that the plaintiffs had “established irreparable harm,” adding that “there’s zero harm to the government to pausing this for some short period of time.” 

Nichols added that it would be a “very limited” temporary restraining order.

“CLOSE IT DOWN!” President Trump wrote on Truth Social earlier Friday of the U.S. agency that oversees international development. 

An official with USAID told reporters on Friday that the agency had “ceased to exist,” with the majority of employees gone and funding stopped. 

Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said that the most crucial life-saving programs administrated by USAID overseas were given waivers to continue. 

USAID was founded by President John F. Kennedy in 1961 and had more than 10,000 employees and a budget of about $40 billion a year. 

U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) headquarters in Washington, D.C. (Getty Images)

On Friday, the USAID website said that at midnight “all USAID direct hire personnel will be placed on administrative leave globally, with the exception of designated personnel responsible for mission-critical functions, core leadership and specially designated programs. Essential personnel expected to continue working will be informed by Agency leadership by Thursday, February 6, at 3:00pm (EST).” 

Trump and Elon Musk, who runs the cost-cutting Department of Government Efficiency, have said they might move USAID’s surviving life-saving programs under the State Department. 

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Rubio said the U.S. government will continue providing foreign aid, “but it is going to be foreign aid that makes sense and is aligned with our national interest.”

Democratic critics have said the move is illegal and needs Congressional approval. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

Rep. Jim Jordan, GOP chair of the House Judiciary Committee, and Rep. Barry Loudermilk, R-Ga., sent employees from the Fulton County District Attorney’s office requests Thursday to hand over documents and interviews related to the Jan. 6 Committee as they continue investigating District Attorney Fani Willis. 

“The committee previously wrote to District Attorney Willis requesting documents relating to her coordination with the January 6 Select Committee. Because District Attorney Willis has declined to cooperate, the committee must pursue other avenues to obtain this information,” a press release states. 

Jordan and Loudermilk sent letters to Assistant Chief Investigator Michael Hill, Assistant Chief Investigator Trina Swanson-Lucas, Chief Senior District Attorney Donald Wakeford and Deputy District Attorney Will Wooten, requesting “all documents and communications” between the employees and “any member, staff member, agent, or representative of the January 6 Selection Committee.” 

THE FANI WILLIS TRUMP FIASCO IS FAR FROM OVER. IN FACT, IT’S JUST GETTING STARTED

The letters also request the employees hand over “all documents and communications referring or relating to records in your possession obtained” from the Jan. 6 Committee. 

GOP House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan and Rep. Barry Loudermilk sent Fulton County District Attorney employees letters Thursday, requesting documents and interviews as part of their investigation into DA Fani Willis.  (Win McNamee/Getty Images)

All employees were asked to submit the requested documentation no later than Feb. 20. 

The letters sent Thursday say the lawmakers had previously written to Willis “requesting documents relating to her coordination with the January 6 Select Committee.”

FANI WILLIS DECLINES TO SHARE JACK SMITH, JAN 6 RECORDS, IN A BLOW TO CONSERVATIVE WATCHDOGS

The lawmakers say they received a letter from Willis in December in which she confirmed the requested documents existed “but declined to produce such materials on the grounds that the materials were ‘protected from disclosure by attorney-client privilege, work product privilege, and other common law protections.'”

Willis was investigating Trump’s alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election in the state of Georgia.  (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

The DA’s office asserted the same claim in a court filing that same month when it declined to turn over any new communications between Willis and special counsel Jack Smith, who had also been investigating alleged efforts by President Donald Trump and his allies to overturn the results of the 2020 election. The filing asserted that the documents either did not exist or were exempt from disclosure under Georgia law.

GEORGIA APPEALS COURT DISQUALIFIES DA FANI WILLIS AND HER TEAM FROM TRUMP ELECTION INTERFERENCE CASE

Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney had previously ordered Willis to produce any records of communication with either Smith or the House Select Committee on Jan. 6 within five business days. In doing so, the judge sided with Judicial Watch, a conservative legal group that had filed suit against Willis, determining that Willis had violated the state’s open records act by failing to respond to the lawsuit. 

The letters sent Thursday say the lawmakers had previously written to Willis “requesting documents relating to her coordination with the January 6 Select Committee.” (Alyssa Pointer/Pool/Getty Images)

The House Judiciary Committee launched its investigation into whether Willis coordinated with the House Jan. 6 Committee in December 2023. Jordan and Loudermilk took the lead on the probe after learning that Willis’ office “coordinated its investigative actions with the partisan Select Committee.”

The lawmakers said at the time that Willis asked the House Select Committee on Jan. 6 to share evidence with her office.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Willis charged Trump with one count of violation of the Georgia RICO Act, three counts of criminal solicitation, six counts of criminal conspiracy, one count of filing false documents and two counts of making false statements. 

Trump pleaded not guilty to all counts.

Fox News Digital reached out to Hill, Swanson-Lucas, Wakeford, Wooten and the DA’s Office but did not immediately hear back. 

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

The Trump administration is using federal prisons to house illegal immigrants as part of an expansive deportation operation, Fox News Digital confirmed on Friday.

In a statement, the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) said it is helping Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) “by housing detainees and will continue to support our law enforcement partners to fulfill the administration’s policy objectives.”

The bureau said that for privacy, safety and security reasons, it does not comment on the legal status of any individual, “nor do we specify the legal status of individuals assigned to any particular facility, including numbers and locations.”

TRUMP’S ICE LIMITS ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT RELEASES AMID MOVES TO SHAKE OFF BIDEN ‘HANGOVER’ 

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, along with other federal law enforcement agencies, attend a pre-enforcement meeting in Chicago, Illinois, on Sunday, Jan. 26, 2025.  (Christopher Dilts/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

The Associated Press reported that facilities in Los Angeles, Miami and Atlanta are being used for detention.

The move comes as ICE has been over capacity as it has quickly ramped up the number of illegal immigrants being arrested in raids in sanctuary cities and elsewhere across the country.

ICE currently has just under 42,000 beds available to it, and it has been exceeding capacity under the current administration. The administration has been pushing hard to get more beds and detention space, but sources tell Fox that it typically takes around 30 days for contractors to deliver, given the time it takes to identify buildings, hire people, conduct background checks and comply with related requirements. That help is expected soon.

Fox News Digital reported on Thursday that ICE has requested an apportionment of around $575 million from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) as an advance of its funding for the year in order to be able to work more quickly and get another step closer to a reported target of 100,000 beds and one million removals per year. 

TRUMP DOJ SLAPS ILLINOIS, CHICAGO WITH LAWSUIT OVER SANCTUARY LAWS 

Immigration authorities detain an individual in New York City on Jan. 28. (Matt McClain/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

Fox also reported that ICE is working with the BOP to identify space to house illegal immigrants, as well as Customs and Border Protection (CBP), where there may be unused space in soft-sided facilities. Fox News Digital was also told that, as of this week, officials are being instructed that any release of an illegal immigrant in ICE custody must be personally signed off on by acting ICE director Caleb Vitello. 

Meanwhile, the administration is using Guantánamo Bay to house up to 30,000 detainees, with the second flight of migrants leaving for the facility on Thursday.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE

 “We are looking well outside the box,” a senior ICE official told Fox News Digital.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP 

“The Biden administration cut down so many of our beds, and they canceled so many contracts. And the problem with that is you can’t just immediately turn those back on. It’s not a switch, it’s a dial,” they said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
 

Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor criticized the Court’s 2024 presidential immunity case in her first public appearance since the start of the second Trump term, saying it places the Court’s legitimacy on the line. 

Sotomayor made the comments during an appearance in Louisville, Kentucky, during which she was asked a range of questions, including the public’s perception of the high court, according to the Associated Press. Sotomayor’s comments are her first in public since President Donald Trump took office last month. 

“If we as a court go so much further ahead of people, our legitimacy is going to be questioned,” Sotomayor said during the Louisville event. “I think the immunity case is one of those situations. I don’t think that Americans have accepted that anyone should be above the law in America. Our equality as people was the foundation of our society and of our Constitution.”

‘INTEGRITY OF THE COURT’: CRUZ REINTRODUCES AMENDMENT TO COMBAT COURT EXPANSION EFFORTS

In a 6-3 decision in July 2024, the Supreme Court ruled in Trump v. United States that a former president has substantial immunity from prosecution for official acts committed while in office, but not for unofficial acts.

The case stemmed from Special Counsel Jack Smith’s federal election interference case in which he charged Trump with conspiracy to defraud the U.S.; conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding; obstruction of and attempt to obstruct an official proceeding; and conspiracy against rights. 

Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor criticized the Court’s 2024 presidential immunity case in her first public appearance since the start of the second Trump term, saying it places the Court’s legitimacy on the line.  (Jahi Chikwendiu/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

Sotomayor notably wrote the dissent, joined by Justices Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson, saying the decision “makes a mockery of the principle, foundational to our Constitution and system of Government, that no man is above the law.”

JUSTICE CLARENCE THOMAS SWEARING IN MULTIPLE TRUMP CABINET OFFICIALS RAISES EYEBROWS AT CNN

“Never in the history of our Republic has a President had reason to believe that he would be immune from criminal prosecution if he used the trappings of his office to violate the criminal law,” the dissent continued. “Moving forward, however, all former Presidents will be cloaked in such immunity. If the occupant of that office misuses official power for personal gain, the criminal law that the rest of us must abide will not provide a backstop. With fear for our democracy, I dissent.”

In a 6-3 decision in July 2024, the Supreme Court ruled in Trump v. United States that a former president has substantial immunity from prosecution for official acts committed while in office, but not for unofficial acts. (Donald Trump: Photo by Peter Zay/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images | Supreme Court: Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

During her Louisville appearance, Sotomayor shared that she “had a hard time with the immunity case,” saying the Constitution contains provisions “not exempting the president from criminal activity after an impeachment.”

Sotomayor warned that if the Court were to continue down the same path, the Court’s legitimacy would ultimately be at risk. 

SUPREME COURT DENIES TRUMP ATTEMPT TO STOP SENTENCING IN NEW YORK V. TRUMP

“And if we continue going in directions that the public is going to find hard to understand, we’re placing the court at risk,” Sotomayor said. 

When asked for comment, a White House spokesperson told Fox News Digital, “This historic 6-3 ruling speaks for itself.”

The justice suggested that one way to resolve the public’s distrust in the Court would be to slow down in overturning precedent. The Court has, in recent years, overturned various landmark decisions, including Roe v. Wade in 2022, and striking down affirmative action in college admissions in 2023 and the Chevron doctrine in 2024. 

The case stemmed from Special Counsel Jack Smith’s federal election interference case in which he charged Trump with conspiracy to defraud the United States; conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding; obstruction of and attempt to obstruct an official proceeding; and conspiracy against rights.  (Probal Rashid/LightRocket via Getty Images)

“I think that creates instability in the society, in people’s perception of law and people’s perception of whether we’re doing things because of legal analysis or because of partisan views,” Sotomayor said. “Whether those views are accurate or not, I don’t accuse my colleagues of being partisan.”

Sotomayor made similar comments in 2023, saying she had a “a sense of despair” about the Court’s direction following the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision, which overturned Roe. Sotomayor did not name the case specifically. 

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP 

However, the justice said she did not have the luxury to dwell on those feelings.

“It’s not an option to fall into despair,” Sotomayor said. “I have to get up and keep fighting.”

Fox News Digital’s Ronn Blitzer and the Associated Press contributed to this report. 

President Donald Trump is expected to sign an executive order establishing a White House Faith Office on Friday. 

The new office will “empower faith-based entities, community organizations, and houses of worship to better serve families and communities,” according to a fact sheet obtained by Fox News. 

The office will be housed under the Domestic Policy Council and will consult experts in the faith community on policy changes to “better align with American values.” 

TRUMP ANNOUNCES EXECUTIVE ORDER CREATING TASK FORCE TO ‘ERADICATE ANTI-CHRISTIAN BIAS’

President Donald Trump is expected to sign an executive order establishing a White House Faith Office on Friday (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

The office plans to coordinate with other agencies on training for religious liberty and on elevating grant opportunities for non-profit faith-based entities, community organizations and houses of worship. It will also collaborate with the Department of Justice on identifying constitutional religious liberty protections. 

WHITE HOUSE CALLS DEMOCRAT CRITICISM OF DOGE ‘UNACCEPTABLE’ AND ‘INCREDIBLY ALARMING’

Former President Donald Trump is prayed over with Pastor Paula White during the National Faith Summit at Worship With Wonders Church on Oct. 28, in Powder Springs, Ga.  (AP/Alex Brandon)

The order will come one day after Trump signed an order to create a task force to identify “anti-Christian bias.”

The White House said this “Task Force to End the War on Christians” will comprise members of the president’s Cabinet and key government agencies, and the order seeks to “end the anti-Christian weaponization of government.” 

President Donald Trump speaks at the National Prayer Breakfast, at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, Feb. 6, 2025.  (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

It came after nearly two dozen pro-life Christians were charged and sentenced for demonstrating outside abortion facilities during the Biden administration. Trump pardoned 23 pro-life protesters in his first week on the job. 

President Donald Trump may soon meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.  

“He may meet next week, yeah. Whenever he would like. I’m here,” Trump told reporters while hosting Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba on Friday. 

Trump said that the meeting likely would be held in Washington, D.C., because he wouldn’t go to Ukraine. 

Trump also said there was a possibility he would meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin, noting that the two have always had a “very good relationship.” 

TRUMP AND ‘NO ONE ELSE’ CAN END THE UKRAINE-RUSSIA WAR, US ALLY SAYS 

President Donand Trump said he likely would meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Washington, as he wouldn’t be going to Ukraine.  (Efrem Lukatsky/The Associated Press)

“That’s why it is so sad that this happened,” Trump said, appearing to reference Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. “This never would have happened if I were president.” 

Trump, who met with Zelenskyy in New York in September 2024, urged Putin to cease the war — or face sanctions — in a post on Truth Social on Jan. 22. 

“Settle now, and STOP this ridiculous War! IT’S ONLY GOING TO GET WORSE,” Trump said. If we don’t make a ‘deal’, and soon, I have no other choice but to put high levels of Taxes, Tariffs, and Sanctions on anything being sold by Russia to the United States, and various other participating countries.”

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent also said he backed issuing harsher sanctions on Russia during his confirmation hearing Jan. 16 to expedite the end of the war. 

TRUMP’S ‘RARE’ PRICE FOR US MILITARY AID TO UKRAINE CALLED ‘FAIR’ BY ZELENSKYY

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said he backed issuing harsher sanctions on Russia during his confirmation hearing Jan. 16.  (Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images)

According to retired Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg, Trump’s envoy for Russia and Ukraine, Trump is the only person that could end the conflict. 

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

“The only person that Putin will really want to talk to — because he’s kind of denigrated other leaders that are out there — is President Trump, and President Trump’s the only one who can bring this to a conclusion,” Kellogg told “Fox & Friends Weekend” on Sunday. 

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital. 

Fox News’ Rachel Wolf contributed to this report. 

The Justice Department and FBI agents reached an agreement Friday in federal court after the FBI filed a lawsuit seeking to block the Trump administration from releasing information about its agents involved in the Jan. 6 investigation.

According to the text of the deal, the Trump administration cannot release information about the agents who investigated the January 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol riot without giving plaintiffs at least two days’ notice so that the matter can be considered again in federal court.

It does not, however, place such a time limit on the dissemination of agents’ identities to other government agencies or the White House.

The agreement by both parties comes after active FBI agents and the Federal Bureau of Investigation Agents Association, a voluntary agents’ group, sued the Justice Department earlier this week seeking to block the release of any identifying information about FBI agents involved in the January 6 investigations.

The two parties tussled for hours in court on Thursday before U.S. District Judge Jia Cobb, who questioned both parties at length on the nature of DOJ’s questionnaire, the potential for disclosures or retaliation, and how the Justice Department intends to use information divulged in the questionnaires.

FBI AGENTS GROUP TELLS CONGRESS TO TAKE URGENT ACTION TO PROTECT AGAINST POLITICIZATION 

Kash Patel, Trump’s nominee to be FBI director, appears at his confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee in 2025. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

“I do have questions about the survey,” Cobb said Thursday.

She also questioned the Justice Department’s attorney at length about what the questionnaire was being used for. 

Cobb previously granted the two parties a brief administrative stay on Thursday evening, telling lawyers for both parties, saying that if the information was released she believed it “would put FBI agents in immediate danger.”

The agreement comes just days after FBI leadership said it had provided the Justice Department with a list of agents who worked on Jan. 6 investigations and criminal cases, in keeping with an earlier deadline set by U.S. Acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove.

Lawyers for the agents argued that any effort to review or discriminate against agents involved in the investigation would be “unlawful and retaliatory,” and a violation of civil service protections under federal law.

They also cited “profound concern” that the list of thousands of FBI agents involved would be leaked to the public, threatening their safety. 

FBI AGENTS SUTE TRUMP DOJ TO BLOCK ANY PUBLIC IDENTIFICATION OF EMPLOYEES WHO WORKED ON JAN.6 INVESTIGATIONS

The FBI’s interactions with the Council for American-Islamic Relations was restricted due to allegations from the DOJ.  (Getty Images)

“Plaintiffs assert that the purpose for this list is to identify agents to be terminated or to suffer other adverse employment action,” lawyers for the FBI agents said, adding that they “reasonably fear that all or parts of this list might be published by allies of President Trump, thus placing themselves and their families in immediate danger of retribution by the now pardoned and at-large Jan. 6 convicted felons.”

Meanwhile, lawyers for the Justice Department stressed that their intent in issuing the questionnaire was to conduct an “internal review” of activities in the Jan. 6 probe, not to punish individuals for carrying out orders. 

Bove also sought to emphasize this message in an all-staff email to FBI personnel earlier this week. In the email, Bove stressed that the questionnaire was not intended to be a first step to mass layoffs, and stressed it was simply intended for review.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

This is a breaking news story. Check back soon for updates. 

The Republican-led House passed legislation to block future administrations from enacting bans on oil and gas drilling without congressional approval. 

In a vote on Friday, lawmakers passed the “Protecting American Energy Production Act” to prohibit the president from “declaring a moratorium on the use of hydraulic fracturing unless Congress authorizes the moratorium.”

There were 118 Democrats who voted against the legislation, while Republican House members unanimously voted in favor of its passage.

Since the campaign trail, President Donald Trump has vowed to unleash American-made energy as part of his ‘drill, baby, drill’ agenda. (Getty Images)

The bill comes after former President Joe Biden enacted several regulations on oil and gas during his term, including banning future oil and gas drilling along 625 million acres of coastal and offshore waters just weeks before he left office. 

HOUSE PASSES BILL TO PERMANENTLY CLASSIFY FENTANYL AS SCHEDULE 1 DRUG

Rep. August Pfluger, R-Texas, introduced the ‘Protecting American Energy Production Act.’ (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc)

Rep. August Pfluger, R-Texas, the Republican who introduced the bill, said concerns over potential fracking bans during the Biden administration was what prompted the legislation.

ENERGY SEC. WRIGHT ISSUES DAY-1 ORDERS TARGETING OIL RESERVES, APPLIANCE RULES, ‘NUCLEAR RENAISSANCE’

“When President Biden took office, his administration took a ‘whole of government’ approach to wage war on American energy production, pandering to woke environmental extremists and crippling this thriving industry,” Pfluger said in a statement following the bill’s passage.

President Donald Trump speaks in the East Room of the White House, Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025, in Washington.  (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

“My legislation that passed today is a necessary first step in reversing Biden’s war on energy by preventing the federal government from banning the use of hydraulic fracturing,” he said. 

Since the campaign trail, President Donald Trump has vowed to unleash American-made energy as part of his “drill, baby, drill” agenda.

Work continues at a shale gas well drilling site in St. Mary’s, Pa., March 12, 2020. (Keith Srakocic, File)

The legislation, if signed by the president into law, would prevent future administrations from banning the drilling method.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

On Monday, Secretary of Interior Doug Burgum stripped the energy sector of “coercive” climate policies and oil lease bans enacted under the Biden administration, launching internal investigations into agency actions that “burden” energy development.

Dem. Sen. Chris Murphy was ripped on social media on Thursday morning over a post where he explained how he stayed up most of the night drinking Red Bull because democracy is “on the line” if Democrats do not stop Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) efforts.

“After taking the 2-5am shift on the Senate floor last night for our overnight protest, got 2 hours of crappy sleep on my office couch and right back at it today,” Murphy posted on X. “We don’t rest. Keep going. Democracy on the line.”

Murphy, whose post was accompanied by a photo of a Red Bull energy drink and video explaining his cause, was on the Senate floor late Wednesday night attempting to block the confirmation of Office of Management and Budget nominee Russ Vought until the “crisis” of Musk’s DOGE crackdown “passes.”

Murphy’s post on social media was widely mocked by conservatives who questioned Murphy’s motives on the Senate floor. 

FEDERAL JUDGE ORDERS LIMITED DOGE ACCESS TO SENSITIVE TREASURY DEPARTMENT PAYMENT SYSTEM RECORDS

Sen. Chris Murphy, left, was mocked on social media over an X post describing his late night in the Senate. (Getty)

“So brave,” Fox News contributor Lisa Boothe sarcastically posted on X.

“Area man has to work overnight one time,” New York Post reporter Jon Levine posted on X.

“Stunning and brave,” the Trump White House rapid response account posted on X.

MEET THE YOUNG TEAM OF SOFTWARE ENGINEERS SLASHING GOVERNMENT WASTE AT DOGE: REPORT

U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) speaks during a press conference following the Democrats’ weekly policy luncheon at the U.S. Capitol building on Jan. 21, 2025 in Washington, D.C. (Samuel Corum/Getty Images)

“Imagine bragging about doing something that basically every college student has done at some point,” conservative journalist John Hasson posted on X.

“Men used to go to war and now they cry about working overnight and post their little sugar free red bulls like they’re battle scars,” conservative commentator Ashley St. Clair posted on X. 

“These clowns are BEYOND pathetic,” video journalist Nick Sortor posted on X. “This is so embarrassing.”

“The purest form of love can be found in the relationship between Chris Murphy and a camera,” former Trump campaign senior adviser Tim Murtaugh posted on X.

SpaceX and Tesla founder Elon Musk speaks during an America PAC town hall on Oct. 26, 2024 in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. ( Samuel Corum/Getty Images)

“Overwhelmed at your level of Heroism for ‘democracy’ while your constituents in CT have $1300 electric bills,” radio host Tony Bruno posted on X. “You’re a worthless clown!”

Despite efforts from Murphy and his fellow Democrats, Vought was confirmed as the new White House budget chief late Thursday night. 

In an Instagram live post, Murphy explained to his followers that he was not playing the hero.

“I’m not trying to plead hardship here, right?” Murphy said. “All I did was stay up late.”

Murphy added, “So yeah, the USAID workers, the domestic violence workers, the teachers, those are my heroes. But you guys are my heroes too. Because I get paid to do this job, I asked. I raised my hand. I said, ‘make me a United States Senator, I want to defend democracy.’ So I volunteered for this job. I get a paycheck. But the people that are showing up at these protests, the people that are going to show up at these protests, you got other stuff going on in your life. You don’t have to stand up and fight for democracy, but you are because you think the moment is important, and you are despite the fact that they are doing things to try to make you stay home, try to make you afraid of speaking up.”

President Donald Trump’s nominee for Office of Management and Budget director, Russell Vought, testifies during the Senate Banking Committee nomination hearing in the Dirksen Senate Building on Jan. 22, 2025 in Washington, D.C. (Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images)

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Murphy’s Senate speech amid the Trump administration’s targeting of USAID after Musk’s DOGE efforts have resulted in the agency being effectively shut down over what the administration argues is wasteful spending. 

“For decades, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has been unaccountable to taxpayers as it funnels massive sums of money to the ridiculous — and, in many cases, malicious — pet projects of entrenched bureaucrats, with next-to-no oversight,” the White House said Monday.

House Republican leaders spent nearly five hours at the White House on Thursday – some of it with President Donald Trump – as they tried to finalize the outline of their tax and spending cut package. 

The plan is to release a framework with some numbers in the coming days. 

Fox is told to expect north of $1 trillion in spending cuts. The bill would make permanent the 2017 Trump tax cuts. It is also likely the bill includes a provision to bar taxes on tips. 

‘POWER GRAB’: JEFFRIES UNVEILS DATA PROTECTION BILL AMID DOGE CRACKDOWN

Congress is racing to be ready to execute the recommendations of President Donald Trump’s new DOGE commission. (Getty Images)

House Republicans hoped to have a bill ready to go before the Budget Committee this week after their retreat at Mar-a-Lago. 

But no dice. 

Republicans hope to prep this bill before the House Budget Committee next week. 

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., talks with reporters at the Capitol in Washington, Jan. 7, 2025.  (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

DOGE TARGETS MEDICARE AGENCY, LOOKING FOR FRAUD

When asked if a plan would be unveiled Friday, Speaker Mike Johnson told Fox News, “nothing today” on paper or details of a budget package.

“There won’t be any details announced until the end of the weekend. Possibly not until Monday,” he said.

He said the committee markup may come Tuesday, but that there are a couple of details to “work out.”

When asked about including the debt ceiling in the bill, Johnson replied, “I think that probably will be part of it, yes.”

House Speaker Mike Johnson, right, discusses President Donald Trump’s agenda during an appearance on “Sunday Morning Futures.” (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images | Photo by Mustafa Yalcin/Anadolu via Getty Images/ Fox News Channel)

Asked if Democrats walked away from talks to avert a March government shutdown, he replied, “It seems that way. From their comments, Leader [Hakeem] Jeffries seemed to be trying to set up some sort of a government shutdown. We have been negotiating in good faith, trying to get a topline number. But so far as I know, they’ve been unresponsive the past two days or so.”

Republicans need a budget framework adopted on the floor so they can use the budget reconciliation tool to bypass a Senate filibuster. No budget? No reconciliation option. 

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

House GOPers are feeling pressure from Senate Republicans who are pressing ahead with their own plan. Senate Republicans dine at Mar-a-Lago tonight with President Trump. 

House Republicans are worried if they stumble at moving first, they could get jammed by the Senate. 

Rep. Val Hoyle, D-Ore., said on Thursday that she is leaving the congressional Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) Caucus due to Elon Musk’s cost-cutting measures in the executive branch.

Hoyle made the announcement via a statement and said her intentions on the caucus were to serve as a good steward for her constituents’ tax dollars and to make the government more streamlined and efficient. 

However, she said Musk’s actions, which are separate from the congressional caucus, have made that impossible, and she claimed DOGE’s work is to find funds to give tax breaks to billionaires at the expense of working people.

USAID STAFFERS STUNNED, ANGERED BY TRUMP ADMINISTRATION’S DOGE SHUTDOWN OF $40 BILLION AGENCY

“I joined to be a voice for working people and their interests. But it is impossible to fix the system when Elon Musk is actively breaking it, so I have made the decision to leave,” Hoyle wrote on X late Thursday. 

Rep. Val Hoyle, D-Ore., said on Thursday that she is leaving the Congressional Department of Government Efficiency Caucus because Elon Musk’s role in the agency is “burning down the government and the law.” (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images, left, Andrew Harnik/Getty Images, right.)

“It is impossible for us to do that important work when unelected billionaire Elon Musk and his lackeys [insist] on burning down the government—and the law—to line his own pockets and rip off Americans across the country who depend on government services to live with dignity,” she wrote in an accompanying statement. 

The newly minted agency, a key promise of President Donald Trump‘s re-election campaign, is tasked with slashing government waste and providing increased transparency when it comes to government spending. It was created via executive order and is a temporary organization within the White House that will spend 18 months until July 4, 2026, carrying out its mission.

Hoyle said she was alarmed about Musk’s team accessing sensitive Department of Treasury payment systems. She also accused his team of using intimidation tactics to “terrorize the hard-working public servants” who deliver these services.

DOGE was created via executive order by President Donald Trump, and it is a temporary organization within the White House that will spend 18 months, until July 4, 2026, carrying out its mission. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

DOGE TARGETS MEDICARE AGENCY, LOOKING FOR FRAUD

A federal judge on Thursday temporarily blocked the DOGE from obtaining access to any payment record or payment system of records maintained within the Treasury’s Bureau of Fiscal Service. On Wednesday, the Justice Department agreed in a proposed court order to limit access to the sensitive records to only two “special government employees” within DOGE, who will have read-only permission. 

Hoyle said that if she thought that she, or Democrats or Republicans on the caucus had any influence, then she would stay. 

“But, fundamentally, I don’t see how we can actually do this work when Elon Musk is blowing things up,” she told NewsNation Thursday. “It’s like trying to replace your roof when someone’s throwing dynamite through the window.

“So I’m leaving the DOGE Caucus, I will continue to do the work to find efficiencies, but right now I just don’t think it’s possible with what’s happening.”

DOGE has riled Democrats, particularly around USAID, and Hoyle’s announcement comes just days after DOGE targeted the agency, leading to the firing of 50 top officials and the organization being folded into the State Department. The actions came 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 cannot make payroll.

Employees and supporters gather to protest outside the U.S. Agency for International Development headquarters on Feb. 3, 2025 in Washington, D.C. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

DOGE has focused much of its initial work on canceling DEI programs, consulting contracts and lease terminations for federal buildings.

The agency wrote on Tuesday that it canceled 12 contracts with the Government Services Administration and the Department of Education, resulting in a total savings of about $30 million. It also canceled 12 underused leases for savings of $3 million. On Monday, DOGE said it canceled 36 contracts, leading to savings of about $165 million across six agencies.

DOGE posted on Jan. 28 that the group is saving the federal government around $1 billion per day, mostly by stopping the hiring of people into unnecessary positions, deletion of DEI and stopping improper payments to foreign organizations.

Fox News’ Eric Revell, Greg Norman, Anders Hagstrom, Greg Wehner, Chris Pandolfo, The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.

Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., announced that he will vote against confirming Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard to serve in President Donald Trump’s cabinet.

Trump tapped Kennedy to serve as secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, and Gabbard to serve as Director of National Intelligence.

“I have met with most of the cabinet nominees and have carefully watched their confirmation hearings. After considering what’s at stake, I have voted against moving forward to the confirmation of Ms. Gabbard and Mr. Kennedy, and will be voting NO on their confirmations,” Fetterman declared Thursday night in a post on X.

PRO-LIFERS POUNCE ON FETTERMAN FOR OPPOSING ‘BORN-ALIVE ABORTION SURVIVORS PROTECTION ACT’: ‘INFANTICIDE’

Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., talks with West Point cadets in the senate subway on Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024 (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

Kennedy announced his candidacy for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2023, before switching to an independent White House bid later that year. In 2024 he dropped out and endorsed Trump.

Kennedy’s former running mate, Nicole Shanahan, replied to Fetterman’s post, calling the lawmaker — who is known for his penchant for wearing shorts and hoodies — a “lazy slob.”

“Fetterman toys with the ideal of being a strong American Man, but he is a lazy slob who can’t get to the gym in spite of wearing gym clothes all day long. I do not expect someone who can’t manage to dress themself to make good decisions, let alone those as important as the health of a nation,” Shanahan declared in a tweet.

SCORCHED-EARTH SHANAHAN: RFK JR’S FORMER RUNNING MATE THREATENS POLITICAL WAR AGAINST CONFIRMATION OPPONENTS

 Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., attends the Inauguration of Donald J. Trump in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda on Jan. 20, 2025 in Washington, D.C. (Kevin Lamarque – Pool/Getty Images)

“I’m not trolling. This is an honest assessment given the outfit he wore to the President of the United State’s Inauguration. What can you realistically expect from someone who treats the American people like this?” she added in another post.

Gabbard, who served in Congress as a Democrat from early 2013 through early 2021, launched a presidential bid in 2019, but dropped out in 2020 and backed Joe Biden. 

In 2022, she announced that she was ditching the Democratic Party. And in 2024, she endorsed Trump and announced that she was joining the GOP.

While Fetterman has thrown his support behind some of Trump’s nominees, he joined the rest of the Senate Democratic Caucus in voting against the confirmation of Russell Vought on Thursday. Despite Democratic opposition, Vought was confirmed in a 53-47 vote. 

Vought served as Office of Management and Budget director during part of the first Trump administration and is taking on the role again.

RUSSELL VOUGHT CONFIRMED TO HEAD GOVERNMENT’S LEADING BUDGET OFFICE AFTER DEMS HOLD 30-HOUR PROTEST

CLICK TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

“Last year, I called out the dangers of Project 2025 and the damage it’d do to our country. Americans were assured the Trump team had no ties to it—then nominated one of its authors to lead OMB. My view has not changed and I will be a hard NO on Mr. Vought,” Fetterman said in a post on Thursday.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio will travel to the Middle East for a few days beginning next week for his second trip at the head of the State Department.

Rubio will visit Israel, United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Saudi Arabia after attending the Munich Security Conference in Germany, Fox News confirmed on Thursday.

While an itinerary has not yet been released, Rubio’s impending visit to the Middle East comes at a pivotal time in foreign policy, as Israel and Hamas are implementing a three-stage ceasefire agreement after 16 months of war in Gaza.

During a joint news conference in the Dominican Republic with President Luis Abinader on Thursday, Rubio said President Donald Trump has offered to be part of the solution to rebuild Gaza.

PANAMA PLEDGES TO END KEY CANAL DEAL WITH CHINA, WORK WITH US AFTER RUBIO VISIT

Secretary of State Marco Rubio will visit four countries in the Middle East next week for his second trip in his new role.  (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, Pool)

Trump suggested on Wednesday that the U.S. take control of the Gaza Strip in order to rehabilitate the territory to a livable location as most of the area has been decimated and millions are displaced. 

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters Wednesday that under Trump’s proposal, Palestinians would be “temporarily” relocated in order to successfully level and rebuild.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was on board with the proposed plan, describing it as “remarkable” and “the first good idea that [he’s] heard.”

“President Trump is taking it to a much higher level,” Netanyahu said from the White House with Trump on Wednesday. “He sees a different future for that piece of land that has been the focus of so much terrorism, so much, so many attacks against us, so many, so many trials and so many tribulations. He has a different idea, and I think it’s worth paying attention to this.”

President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu answer questions during a joint press conference in the East Room at the White House on Feb. 4, 2025. (REUTERS/Leah Millis)

RUBIO REFUSES TO VISIT SOUTH AFRICA FOR G-20 SUMMIT, ACCUSES GOVERNMENT OF ‘DOING VERY BAD THINGS’

Rubio said “there are a lot of countries in the world that like to express concern about Gaza and the Palestinian people, but very few [were] willing, in the past, to do anything concrete about it.”

Gaza, which is run by Hamas terrorists, is not only uninhabitable because of the destruction from the war with Israel, but because of unexploded munitions, rockets and weapons that plague the land, Rubio said, adding that “it needs to be dealt with.”

“If some other country is willing to step forward and do it themselves, that would be great, but no one seems to be rushing forward to do that and that has to happen,” Rubio said Thursday.

Palestinians continue to return to what is left of their homes in Gaza City, Gaza, after a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas. (Ali Jadallah/Anadolu via Getty Images)

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

The secretary of state said he thinks Trump proposed the Gaza takeover idea in hopes of getting a reaction from countries who “have the economic and technological capacity to contribute to a post-conflict region.”

As of Friday morning, no other country has spoken out about a potential plan to rehabilitate Gaza.

A former aide to Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., was once pictured wearing a shirt that depicted a Nazi collaborator in an image that resurfaced after the “Squad” staffer announced a congressional campaign against former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.

Saikat Chakrabarti managed Ocasio-Cortez’s congressional campaign in 2018, serving as chief of staff to the progressive member before leaving just one year later after publicly criticizing some Democratic lawmakers. 

After Ocasio-Cortez won her first election, Chakrabarti sported a shirt with the face of Nazi sympathizer Subhas Chandra Bose, an Indian nationalist who collaborated with the Nazis during World War II, during an interview to talk about the new congresswoman’s emerging political career.

The video, titled “Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s Chief of Staff on Acting Fast in Congress,” was shared by NowThis Impact, a progressive organization.

FORMER AOC CHIEF OF STAFF ANNOUNCES RUN AGAINST PELOSI, CALLS DEMS ‘PARALYZED AND UNPREPARED’ UNDER TRUMP

Saikat Chakrabarti, left, and Rep Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., center, leave a news conference in the Capitol Visitor Center in Washington, D.C., on July 15, 2019. (Getty Images)

In a separate photo, Chakrabarti was seen wearing the same shirt with the face of the Nazi collaborator.

Bose was known for his support of socialist policies in the late 1930s and early 1940s. During the Second World War, Bose struck an alliance with the “Axis Powers” of Germany, Italy and Japan, and personally met with Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini and Hideki Tojo. 

Chakrabarti on Wednesday announced that he plans to run for the House seat currently held by Pelosi, who will be 86 years old when she is up for re-election in the 2026 midterms.

Saikat Chakrabarti, then-chief of staff for Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., attends a news conference in the Capitol Visitor Center on Monday, July 15, 2019.   (Photo By Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call via Getty Images)

“It’s become clear to me that the Democratic Party needs new leadership,” Chakrabarti said in a post on X. “I don’t understand how DC’s Democratic leaders are so paralyzed and unprepared for this moment after living through President Trump’s first term — and after Trump and Elon warned us exactly what they planned to do.”

‘RED LIGHT’ DISTRICT REP. AOC CALLED OUT FOR IGNORING CRIME CLEANUP ON HER TURF

Pelosi filed paperwork to run for a 21st term next cycle, signaling that she intends to seek re-election.

Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., a former House speaker, has indicated she will seek re-election in 2026. (Getty Images)

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

While working for Ocasio-Cortez, Chakrabarti tweeted that Rep. Sharice Davids, D-Kan., one of the first two Native American women to serve in Congress, enabled a racist system after she voted in favor of a Senate border bill not backed by progressives. 

Fox News Digital’s Louis Casiano contributed to this report.