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President Donald Trump “100 percent” disagrees with a federal judge’s ruling on Saturday that bars the Department of Government Efficiency from accessing the Treasury Department, he said during an exclusive interview with Fox News’ Bret Baier. 

“Nineteen states attorneys general filed a lawsuit, and early Saturday a judge agreed with them to restrict Elon Musk and his government efficiency team, DOGE, from accessing Treasury Department payment and data systems. They said there was a risk of ‘irreparable harm.’ What do you make of that? And does that slow you down and what you want to do?” Baier asked Trump in the interview clip. 

“No, I disagree with it 100%. I think it’s crazy. And we have to solve the efficiency problem. We have to solve the fraud, waste, abuse, all the things that have gone into the government. You take a look at the USAID, the kind of fraud in there,” Trump responded. 

U.S. District Judge for the Southern District of New York Paul Engelmayer, an appointee of former President Barack Obama, issued a temporary restraining order Saturday that sided with 19 Democratic state attorneys general who claimed that giving DOGE “full access” to the Treasury’s payment systems violates the law. The lawsuit was spearheaded by New York Attorney General Letitia James.

JUDGE’S ‘HOPELESSLY AMBIGUOUS’ ORDER BARRING DOGE FROM TREASURY SPARKS CONCERN BESSENT MAY ALSO BE LOCKED OUT

Fox News host Bret Baier will sit down with President Trump for an interview on Super Bowl Sunday. (Fox New)

The judge’s sweeping order, issued Saturday, bars DOGE from accessing the Treasury system until at least Feb. 14, when Engelmayer scheduled a hearing to revisit the matter. 

The language of the order specifically bars “political appointees, special government employees, and any government employee detailed from an agency outside the Treasury Department access to Treasury Department payment systems or any other data maintained by the Treasury Department containing personally identifiable information.” Trump, Secretary Scott Bessent and the U.S. Treasury are named as defendants in the case. 

FEDERAL JUDGE BLOCKS ELON MUSK’S DOGE FROM ACCESSING TREASURY RECORDS AFTER DEMOCRATIC AGS FILE LAWSUIT

President Trump speaks  (Fox News)

Musk, Vice President JD Vance and other conservatives aligned with Trump have slammed the order. 

“If a judge tried to tell a general how to conduct a military operation, that would be illegal. 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,” Vance posted to X on Sunday of the order. 

Elon Musk is leading the Department of Government Efficiency. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

Trump spoke with Baier in an exclusive interview with Fox News ahead of the Super Bowl, which Trump will attend. The pair discussed the president’s long love of sports and football, as well as politics and DOGE. 

“We’re talking about hundreds of millions of dollars of money that’s going to places where it shouldn’t be going,” Trump said when asked about what DOGE has found while auditing federal agencies in search of government overspending, fraud and corruption.

PRESIDENT TRUMP PREDICTS ELON MUSK WILL FIND ‘HUNDREDS OF BILLIONS’ IN WASTE IN NEXT DOGE DIRECTIVES

“Where if I read a list, you’d say, this is ridiculous, and you’ve read the same list and there are many that you haven’t even seen, it’s crazy. It’s a big scam. Now there’s some good money and we can do that through, any one of a number. I think I’d rather give it to Marco Rubio over at the State Department. Let him take care of the few good ones. So, I don’t know if it’s kickbacks or what’s going on, but the people. Look, I ran on this, and the people want me to find it. And I’ve had a great help with Elon Musk, who’s been terrific,” he continued. 

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau met with President-elect Trump at Mar-a-Lago in Florida on Friday Nov. 29, 2024 to discuss topics like the economy, illegal immigration and a proposed 25% tariff. (Justin Trudeau X)

Baier also asked Trump about his recent comments about Canada becoming the U.S.’ 51st state and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeay saying last week that Trump’s desire to acquire the nation is a “a real thing.” 

TRUDEAU SAYS TRUMP IS SERIOUS ABOUT CANADA BECOMING 51ST STATE: REPORTS

“Yeah, it is,” Trump said when asked about Trudeau’s remark. “I think Canada would be much better off being a 51st state because we lose $200 billion a year with Canada, and I’m not going to let that happen. It’s too much. Why are we paying $200 billion a year essentially in subsidy to Canada? Now, if they’re our 51st state, I don’t mind doing it.”

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Trump will spend his Sunday evening in New Orleans, where the Chiefs and Eagles will face off in the Super Bowl. Trump is expected to return to the White House on Sunday evening following the game. 

Baier’s full interview with Trump will air Monday during “Special Report with Bret Baier.“

Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem called the FBI “corrupt” and appeared to accuse the bureau of leaking plans for “large-scale” immigration enforcement plans in the Los Angeles area.

The LA Times published an article Friday that said U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) would lead the operation, focusing on those without legal status in the U.S. or who have pending orders of removal, according to an internal government document reviewed by the publication.

The document was reportedly circulated among some government officials last week. The Times also reported that a federal law enforcement source who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal said LA FBI and Drug Enforcement Administration officers and agents are being called in to assist.

Noem shared the article on X, taking a dig at the FBI.

LA FREEWAY BLOCKED BY ANTI-DEPORTATION PROTESTERS IN RESPONSE TO TRUMP’S CRACKDOWN ON ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION

“The FBI is so corrupt,” Noem wrote. “We will work with any and every agency to stop leaks and prosecute these crooked deep state agents to the fullest extent of the law.”

ICE sources told Fox News they do not know where Noem got the information or what she is basing it on.

Fox News Digital reached out to DHS for comment, but did not immediately hear back.

The FBI had no comment on the matter.

LARGEST LAPD UNION SLAMS ANTI-TRUMP PROTEST DIRECTIVES, SAYS ARRESTS ‘SHOULD BE A NO-BRAINER’ IN ALTERCATIONS

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

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi joined “Fox Report” on Sunday, where she discussed immigration enforcement and was asked about leaks within the government.

“Well, you know, if anyone leaks anything, people don’t understand that it jeopardizes the lives of our great men and women in law enforcement, and if you leaked it, we will find out who you are, and we will come after you,” Bondi said. “It’s not going to stop our mission. It’s not going to stop the president’s mission to make America safe again.”

BORDER CZAR TOM HOMAN SENDS MESSAGE TO FAR-LEFT OFFICIALS PUSHING BACK AGAINST MASS DEPORTATIONS: ‘GAME ON’

Anti-ICE protesters blocked traffic on both sides of the 101 Freeway in downtown Los Angeles. (FOX 11 Los Angeles)

She also said if people do not want to follow the law, the Department of Justice will prosecute them.

Bondi was then asked about an operation in Denver, Colorado, where individuals used bullhorns to let people know that ICE was coming, advising illegal immigrants of what they should and should not do if approached by agents.

In cases where people inform illegal immigrants that they are in danger, Bondi was asked if anything could or should be done to stop it.

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“It very well could rise to the level of obstruction, and we will be looking at every single case where someone jeopardizes the lives of the great men and women in law enforcement, and they will be held accountable,” Bondi said. “If you leak, if you do anything, like you said, if you come out with bullhorns that could jeopardize their lives, we will investigate it, and we will come after you.”

President Donald Trump kicked off his fourth week in office by attending the Super Bowl in what is expected to be another action-packed work week that could include a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. 

Trump will land back in Washington, D.C., late Sunday evening after attending the Super Bowl and spending the weekend at Mar-A-Lago. The 47th president hinted that he could hold his first meeting with Zelenskyy since his Jan. 20 inauguration later this week to discuss the ongoing war between Ukraine and Russia. 

“[Zelenskyy] 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 has already met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whose nation is in the midst of a ceasefire agreement with Hamas following more than a year of war, and has vowed to end the war between Russia and Ukraine. Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, leading to hundreds of thousands of deaths for both nations as war continues. 

TRUMP SPELLS OUT TAX PLAN FOR HOUSE GOP LEADERS IN WHITE HOUSE MEETING

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and President-elect Donald Trump shake hands at the Elysee Presidential Palace in Paris on Dec. 7, 2024. (Ukrainian Presidency/Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images)

“I will probably be meeting with President Zelenskyy next week. And I’ve… I will probably be talking to President Putin. I’d like to see that war end for one primary reason: They’re killing so many people,” Trump said during the press conference on Friday. 

Trump last met with Zelenskyy when he was president-elect in December during a trip to Paris ahead of the Notre Dame Cathedral reopening after a fire ripped through the Catholic church in 2019. 

TRUMP’S CUTS TO FOREIGN AID COULD BENEFIT US POSITION IN IRAN NEGOTIATIONS, EXPERT SAYS

“You have 8 or 900,000 Russian soldiers are dead, and very badly wounded. And the same thing with Ukraine, you have probably 700,000 with Ukraine. The numbers they gave are a little bit lower than that. But I believe those numbers aren’t correct. I’d like to see it just on a human basis. It’s terrible what’s going on,” Trump added of the ongoing war during his comments Friday. 

Trump confirmed to the New York Post on Friday that he has spoken to Vladimir Putin as the war continues, but did not divulge many details beyond that Putin “wants to see people stop dying.”

Trump suggested earlier last week that Ukraine should strike a deal with the U.S. to provide crucial minerals – such as titanium, lithium, graphite and uranium – in exchange for military aid. 

“We’re putting in hundreds of billions of dollars. They have great rare earths. And I want security of the rare earth, and they’re willing to do [that],” Trump told reporters at the White House last Monday. 

Zelenskyy told the media a day later that he is open to an “investment” from “partners who help us defend our land and push the enemy back with their weapons, their presence, and sanctions packages.” 

“And this is absolutely fair,” he added. 

President Donald Trump shakes hands with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba in the Oval Office of the White House on Feb. 7, 2025. (Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images)

Trump is also expected to meet with the CEO of Nippon Steel this week, which is Japan’s largest steel company. The Biden administration had blocked a nearly $15 billion deal for the Japanese company to buy the American steelmaker, U.S. Steel, with Trump previewing last week that Nippon is now looking to invest in U.S. Steel as opposed to purchasing it. 

TRUMP SIGNS LAKEN RILEY ACT INTO LAW AS FIRST LEGISLATIVE VICTORY IN NEW ADMINISTRATION

Russian President Vladimir Putin chairs a meeting via a videoconference at the Kremlin in Moscow, March 17, 2023. (Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)

Nippon Steel “is going to be doing something very exciting about U.S. Steel,” Trump said on Friday. “They’ll be looking at an investment rather than a purchase.”

“Very great company and they’ll work out the details,” Trump said of Nippon, mistakenly referring to it as “Nissan,” a Japanese car company on first reference. “I’ll help. I’ll be there to mediate and arbitrate.”

HERE’S WHAT HAPPENED DURING PRESIDENT TRUMP’S SECOND WEEK IN OFFICE

The president is in the midst of leveraging tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China to bolster border security, end illegal immigration and stem the flow of fentanyl into the U.S. Trump previewed on Friday that this week will include him announcing “reciprocal trade” tariffs on other nations, as opposed to a flat 10% or 20% tariff on other nations, as he has previously threatened. 

President Donald Trump speaks during a news conference with Japan’s Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba at the White House, Friday, Feb. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

“I’ll be announcing that next week, reciprocal trade, so that we’re treated evenly with other countries,” he told reporters on Friday, saying the announcement should come by Monday or Tuesday. “We don’t want any more, any less.”

“I think that’s the only fair way to do it that way nobody’s hurt,” the president continued. “They charge us, we charge them. It’s the same thing, and I seem to be going in that line as opposed to a flat fee tariff.”

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In addition to anticipated foreign relations and international trade announcements and meetings, Trump’s administration is expected to continue its investigations of the federal government’s various agencies as part of the Department of Government Efficiency’s quest to suss out internal corruption and government overspending. 

Trump’s schedule for the week was not yet released as of Sunday afternoon, beyond attending the Super Bowl before flying back to the White House late Sunday evening. 

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

President Donald Trump signed a proclamation declaring February 9th as “Gulf of America Day” as he flew over the recently renamed body of water on his way to make history at Super Bowl LIX on Sunday afternoon. 

“MOMENTS AGO ON AF1: President Trump signed a Proclamation declaring February 9th ‘Gulf of America Day’ while flying over the newly and appropriately named GULF OF AMERICA!” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt announced in a post on X.

“Air Force One is currently in international waters, the first time in history flying over the recently renamed Gulf of America,” the White House shared in a video on X, showing Trump signing the proclamation.

Trump signed the proclamation aboard Air Force 1, while traveling to Super Bowl LIX. He will be the first sitting president to ever attend a Super Bowl.

TRUMP’S VIRAL ‘GULF OF AMERICA’ NAME-CHANGE SPURS A TEXAS-SIZED SUGGESTION: GULF OF BUC-EE’S

On his way to Super Bowl LIX, President Trump signed an order declaring Feb. 9 as “Gulf of America Day.” (Daniel Torok/Chief White House Photographer)

“Today, I am very honored to recognize February 9, 2025, as the first ever Gulf of America Day,” the proclamation read.

“I took this action in part because, as stated in that Order, “[t]he area formerly known as the Gulf of Mexico has long been an integral asset to our once burgeoning Nation and has remained an indelible part of America.”

“Today, I am making my first visit to the Gulf of America since its renaming,” the proclamation continued. “As my Administration restores American pride in the history of American greatness, it is fitting and appropriate for our great Nation to come together and commemorate this momentous occasion and the renaming of the Gulf of America.”

Former North Dakota Gov. and current Secretary of Interior Doug Burgum also praised the president and celebrated the gulf’s official day.

“It’s official! Congratulations @POTUS on the Gulf of America! Interior has implemented your instruction from the Executive Order on Restoring Names That Honor American Greatness,” Burgum wrote.

‘BEAUTIFUL NAME’: TRUMP ANNOUNCES GULF OF MEXICO WILL GET NEW, PRO-AMERICA REVAMP

“Another big win for President Trump’s agenda to Make America Great Again.”

“It’s official! Proclamation signed aboard Air Force 1 above the Gulf Of America!” Trump’s son, Eric Trump, posted on X.

Trump announced his push for the name change during his first press conference as the 47th President of the United States of America.

“We’re going to be changing the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America, which has a beautiful ring. That covers a lot of territory,” Trump previously said at his first news conference. “The Gulf of America. What a beautiful name. And it’s appropriate.”

TRUMP TO RENAME GULF OF MEXICO, MOUNT DENALI ON FIRST DAY IN OFFICE

President Donald Trump renamed the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America. (Getty Images)

The changes will apply to official federal documents and maps, though it is unclear whether the order also requires schools to use the new terminology.

Trump has also pushed to rename Alaska’s Mount Denali, pointing out that it was originally named after President William McKinley.

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“McKinley was a very good, maybe a great president,” Trump said at a December rally. “They took his name off Mount McKinley, right? That’s what they do to people. Now, he was a great president, very good president. At a minimum, he was a very good businessman. He was a businessman, then a governor, very successful businessman.”

Fox News Digital’s Anders Hagstrom contributed to this report. 

Stepheny Price is a writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business. Story tips and ideas can be sent to stepheny.price@fox.com

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) canceled over $180 million in contracts over 48 hours, including a nearly $170,000 contract for an Anthony Fauci museum exhibit.

“In the past 48 hours, HHS canceled 62 contract [sic] worth $182 million,” The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) announced in a Friday social media post. “These contracts were entirely for administrative expenses – none touched any healthcare programs. This included terminating a $168,000 contract for an Anthony Fauci exhibit at the NIH Museum.”

The news comes as DOGE, led by billionaire Elon Musk, has continued to outline vast changes in government spending over the last few weeks, including a plan to eliminate the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and sweeping changes at the U.S. Treasury Department aimed at eliminating over $100 billion per year in entitlement payments to individuals with no Social Security number.

ANTHONY FAUCI MAY BE DEPOSED AS GOP INTENSIFIES COVID INVESTIGATIONS IN NEW CONGRESS

President Donald Trump listens to Dr. Anthony Fauci at a briefing during the COVID-19 pandemic at the White House on April 17, 2020. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

Seemingly no federal agency has been excluded from the reach of DOGE, with HHS being just the latest in a string of targets meant to eliminate waste from the federal government.

The Fauci exhibit was booked to be finished by July 2025, but has now been scrapped along with $182 million in other HHS administrative expenses.

Fauci has long been a controversial figure and has often clashed with President Donald Trump, who last month revoked the taxpayer-funded security detail for the former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) that was requested for him in 2020 as he became the government’s public spokesperson during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Elon Musk is leading the Department of Government Efficiency. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

FORMER NASCAR STAR DANICA PATRICK SUPPORTS TRUMP REVOKING FAUCI’S SECURITY DETAIL

“I think, you know, when you work for government, at some point your security detail comes off and, you know, you can’t have them forever,” Trump said of the move. “We took some off other people, too, but you can’t have a security detail for the rest of your life because you work for government.”

Fauci was given a preemptive pardon by former President Joe Biden on his last day in office, which was meant to shield the infectious disease expert from feared retribution from Trump during his second stint in the White House, though Fauci was not charged with any crimes at the time of the pardon.

Before serving as the chief medical advisor to the president during COVID-19, Fauci served nearly 30 years as the director of the NIAID between 1984 and 2022.

Dr. Anthony Fauci gives an update on the omicron variant of COVID-19 at the White House on Dec. 1, 2021.  (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

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He started his career at the National Institutes of Health in 1968, and was widely praised for his efforts to confront HIV/AIDs before becoming the government’s public face during the pandemic.

HHS did not immediately respond to a Fox News Digital request for comment.

A federal judge’s order barring DOGE from accessing Treasury Department data is vague enough that some legal experts believe it even blocks the agency’s secretary from reviewing records and systems, prompting Republicans to blast what they consider judicial overreach. 

U.S. District Judge for the Southern District of New York Paul Engelmayer, an appointee of former President Barack Obama, issued a temporary restraining order Saturday that sided with 19 Democratic state attorneys general who claimed that giving DOGE “full access” to the Treasury’s payment systems violates the law. The lawsuit was spearheaded by New York Attorney General Letitia James, a longtime Trump foe who said her office is “prepared to fight back” after President Donald Trump’s November election win. 

“The judge’s order is rightly being attacked as, at worse, barring the secretary of the Treasury from accessing the Treasury Department’s databases and at best, at being hopelessly ambiguous and confusing,” the Federalist’s senior legal correspondent Margot Cleveland told Fox News Digital on Sunday of the order.

The judge’s sweeping order, issued Saturday, bars DOGE from accessing the Treasury system until at least Feb. 14, when Engelmayer scheduled a hearing to revisit the matter. 

ELON MUSK ALLEGES $50B IN FRAUD AT TREASURY AFTER JUDGE BLOCKS DOGE AUDIT

Scott Bessent testifies before a Senate Finance Committee hearing on his nomination to be secretary of the Treasury, on Capitol Hill, on Jan. 16, 2025. (Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images)

The language of the order specifically bars “political appointees, special government employees, and any government employee detailed from an agency outside the Treasury Department access to Treasury Department payment systems or any other data maintained by the Treasury Department containing personally identifiable information.” Trump, Secretary Scott Bessent and the U.S. Treasury are named as defendants in the case. 

FEDERAL JUDGE BLOCKS ELON MUSK’S DOGE FROM ACCESSING TREASURY RECORDS AFTER DEMOCRATIC AGS FILE LAWSUIT

President-elect Donald Trump and Elon Musk arrive to view a launch of the SpaceX Starship rocket on Nov. 19, 2024, in Brownsville, Texas. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)

Conservatives and legal experts on social media have slammed the language of the order for reportedly also barring Bessent from Treasury data. 

Fox News Digital reached out to the Treasury, White House and the Southern District on Sunday for comment, but did not immediately receive replies. 

ELON MUSK’S DOGE MAKES ANOTHER HIRING PUSH

“To comprehend how bad Judge Engelmayer’s decision was granting [a temporary restraining order] barring the Secretary of the Treasury Dept as well as DOGE & every other political appointee from accessing data, you need to compare to parallel case where a judge denied injunction,” Cleveland posted to X. 

Others on social media argued the order does not bar Bessent from accessing the data, only barring him from granting access to the data to political appointees, special government employees, and government officials outside of the Treasury Department. 

Cleveland told Fox News Digital on Sunday that beyond the vague language in the order, the attorneys general lack standing to challenge DOGE and the Treasury.  

PRESIDENT TRUMP PREDICTS ELON MUSK WILL FIND ‘HUNDREDS OF BILLIONS’ IN WASTE IN NEXT DOGE DIRECTIVES

“There is a more fatal flaw to the [temporary restraining order]: The Plaintiffs utterly lack standing to challenge DOGE and the Treasury Department’s decision to grant read-only access to select members of that executive agency’s team. With read-only access, DOGE cannot possibly use access to the Treasury Department’s system to freeze grants to the Blue States or their citizens; nor does such read-only access subject Plaintiffs to a higher hack-risk.  And without standing, there is no basis to bring a lawsuit, much less to justify the TRO,” she said. 

Elon Musk and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent (Getty Images)

Bessent sent a letter to Congress early last week detailing that DOGE was given “read only” access to the Treasury data, and that the investigation has “not caused payments for obligations such as Social Security and Medicare to be delayed or re-routed.”

DOGE, led by Musk, has been on an investigation blitz of the federal government to stamp out government overspending and fraud. Musk reported after Engelmayer’s ruling that DOGE had already reportedly uncovered fraud at the national treasury. 

“[Friday], I was told that there are currently over $100B/year of entitlements payments to individuals with no SSN or even a temporary ID number. If accurate, this is extremely suspicious,” Musk wrote hours after the ruling. 

“When I asked if anyone at Treasury had a rough guess for what percentage of that number is unequivocal and obvious fraud, the consensus in the room was about half, so $50B/year or $1B/week!! This is utterly insane and must be addressed immediately.”

Vice President JD Vance also weighed in on the order Sunday, slamming it as a judge trying to control “the executive’s legitimate power.” 

PALANTIR CEO TOUTS ELON MUSK’S DOGE, ABILITY TO HOLD ‘SACRED COW OF THE DEEP STATE’ ACCOUNTABLE

“If a judge tried to tell a general how to conduct a military operation, that would be illegal. 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,” he posted to X. 

Vice President JD Vance claps at campaign event. (Getty Images)

Musk seethed following the order that Engelmayer should be “impeached.”

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“A corrupt judge protecting corruption. He needs to be impeached NOW!” he said in response to another social media post reporting Bessent was reportedly blocked from accessing his own agency’s data. 

Fox News Digital’s Andrea Margolis contributed to this report.

Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., launched a unique attack against U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer over a plan to relinquish a military base in the Indian Ocean, cautioning the British leader to “put down the bong.”

“The United Kingdom is our friend. I went to school there for a while. I love them and I want to see the prime minister do well, but he needs to put down the bong. He needs to put down the bong,” Kennedy said during remarks on the floor of the Senate. “This makes absolutely no sense, and it’s going to be a big part of his legacy if he gives away this island and our military base to, in effect, what will eventually be China.”

At issue is the fate of the Chagos Islands, a British overseas territory in the Indian Ocean that currently hosts a U.S.-U.K. joint naval base at Diego Garcia.

UN DEMANDS BRITAIN END RULE OF CHAGOS ISLANDS IN 6 MONTHS

Sen. John Kennedy, left, and U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer (Getty Images)

But a ruling by the International Court of Justice in 2019 that was backed by the United Nations found that the U.K. had no claim to the islands, spurring an October announcement that the U.K. had cut a deal to hand over sovereignty of the islands to Mauritius.

While the deal calls for the base to remain under American and British control for another 99 years, the plan to hand over the territory has received pushback in both the U.K and the United States.

Kennedy let it be known that he was one of those critics, calling the plan to give up control of the islands “bone deep down to the marrow stupid.”

Prime Minister Keir Starmer gives an interview during a visit to the National Nuclear Laboratory on Feb. 6, 2025 in Preston, England. (Oli Scarff – WPA Pool/Getty Images)

UN COURT TO RULE ON BRITISH SOVEREIGNTY OVER CHAGOS ISLANDS

“Because the United Nations wants the United Kingdom to feel guilty, they want to give our military base and their military base to Mauritius,” Kennedy said. “Now, the prime minister of the United Kingdom can stop this, and Marco Rubio, our new secretary of state, is against it. And I haven’t talked to him directly, but I think President Trump is against it.”

But the Louisiana senator changed gears later in his remarks, arguing that he did not “mean any disrespect,” while still urging Starmer to reconsider.

Members of the Chagossian community gather outside parliament to protest the government’s decision to hand the Chagos Islands over to Mauritius, on Oct. 7, 2024. (Adrian Dennis/AFP via Getty Images)

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“I shouldn’t have said the bong part, I take it back,” Kennedy said. “Please Mr. Prime Minister, don’t do this. Don’t do this. We’ll stand with you in telling the United Nations, who’s so upset with you, to go fill out a hurt feelings report because we’re not doing it. We’ll stand with you.”

The prime minister’s office did not immediately respond to a Fox News Digital request for comment.

A Republican congressman who is “fed up” with the “scripted outrage” promoted by the left over the Department of Government Efficiency and Elon Musk’s investigations of federal agencies published a letter to constituents dispelling the “lies about DOGE.”

Virginia Republican Rep. Ben Cline published an open letter to constituents last week who are furious over Musk’s role leading DOGE as the Musk team parsed through agencies such as the Treasury Department and U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to find fraud and cut government spending fat. 

The investigations have led to an apparent dismantling of USAID as DOGE and Republican lawmakers and think tanks publish reports showing the independent government agency has bankrolled foreign programs such as creating an Iraqi version of “Sesame Street” and provided funds to extremist groups connected to designated terror organizations. 

ELON MUSK OUTLINES ‘SUPER OBVIOUS’ CHANGES DOGE AND TREASURY HAVE AGREED TO MAKE

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

Democratic lawmakers, voters, as well as employees of the agency, have staged protests across the country over Musk’s work, slamming him as a billionaire “fascist” who has no right to investigate the federal government as he is not an elected official. 

USAID HAS ‘DEMONSTRATED PATTERN OF OBSTRUCTIONISM,’ CLAIMS TOP DOGE REPUBLICAN IN LETTER TO RUBIO

“I’m fed up with the scripted outrage of the Left & their lies about DOGE. @realDonaldTrump campaigned on using @elonmusk’s expertise to make government more efficient. Trump won & he’s keeping that promise,” Cline posted on X, linking to a letter to his constituents. 

Cline hit back in his letter that Musk has long held some of the highest security clearances in the nation through his work leading Space X. 

“Musk is not a private citizen being given ‘unprecedented access to personal or sensitive information,’ as the extreme left would lead you to believe. Mr. Musk holds some of the highest-level security clearances as a key defense contractor and his work is integral to ensuring U.S. military superiority,” Cline wrote in his letter addressed to “Jane Doe” constituents on Thursday. 

“As you are aware, the rocket systems and satellites his companies produce are used across the federal government, including in the Department of Defense, and his Starlink system has been critical in supporting U.S. allies abroad. There are few, if any, private individuals who have done more to advance America’s technological and defense capabilities in modern history. If there is anyone qualified to bring the federal government into the 21st century and improve its efficiency, it is Elon Musk,” he continued. 

Rep. Ben Cline participates in a House Judiciary Committee markup on May 16, 2024. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

Cline added that President Donald Trump “has Article II constitutional authority to appoint individuals who can help execute their vision for the federal government.”

‘VIPER’S NEST’: USAID ACCUSED OF CORRUPTION, MISMANAGEMENT LONG BEFORE TRUMP ADMIN TOOK AIM

“Most recently, President Trump designated Elon Musk as a ‘special government employee,’ which is defined by Section 202 of Title 18 of the United States Code. President Trump’s decision to enlist Mr. Musk is a bold step toward strengthening America’s technological leadership and eliminating bureaucratic inefficiencies. This appointment is fully within the President’s discretion and is no different from past administrations appointing industry experts to key cabinet, advisory, and operational roles,” Cline explained. 

“For over 20 years, Mr. Musk has undoubtedly showcased to the American people his unparalleled ability to drive innovation, develop world-leading technologies, and ensure America is the world leader in energy, Artificial Intelligence, rocketry, transportation, and healthcare, among other fields,” he continued.

Musk reportedly gained access to the Treasury’s payment system last weekend, sparking widespread outrage that he had access to private information related to Social Security, payments to government contractors, Medicare benefits and other data. The outrage soon spilled into Musk and DOGE’s work investigating USAID last week, which crescendoed on Friday when a federal judge paused the Trump administration’s order to place thousands of USAID employees on leave while signage for the agency was removed or covered on the building’s headquarters and surrounding area. 

MUSK RIPS ‘FRAUDULENT’ TREASURY HANDOUTS AS REPORTS MOUNT DOGE HAS ACCESS TO FEDERAL PAYMENT SYSTEM

People protest against President Donald Trump and Elon Musk. (Jeff Kowalsky/AFP via Getty Images)

“​​There is no evidence to support the allegation that Elon Musk or his team has unlawfully accessed or seized the sensitive data. Any access to citizen data is strictly regulated, and the role of DOGE is focused on modernizing outdated systems, not compiling private information. The real threat to Americans’ privacy has come from an unchecked bureaucracy that has mismanaged data security for decades. The reforms proposed by President Trump and implemented by individuals like Mr. Musk are designed to prevent government overreach, not expand it,” Cline wrote. 

House Democrats were blocked from entering the Department of Education building in Washington, D.C., Feb. 7, 2025. (Fox News)

Also on Friday, House Democrats, including Rep. Maxine Waters of Califorrnia, attempted to gain entry to the Department of Education’s headquarters to meet with acting Education Secretary Denise L. Carter. But they were seen clashing with a security guard as the DOGE team reportedly prepares to recommend major spending cuts to the department. Trump had repeatedly advocated and campaigned on shutting the Department of Education down in favor of giving states power over their respective education systems. 

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Rep. Maxine Waters and others speak out during an anti-Elon Musk rally at the Treasury Department on Feb. 4, 2025, in Washington, D.C. (Jemal Countess/Getty Images for MoveOn)

ELON MUSK SLAMS ‘MEAN’ PODCAST HOSTS FOR CALLING DOGE EMPLOYEES ‘ARROGANT LITTLE PR—S’ AMONG OTHER THINGS

“The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is an essential initiative to reduce wasteful spending, cut bureaucratic red tape, and modernize government technology. On his first day in office, President Trump legally integrated DOGE into the federal government by way of an executive order renaming the U.S. Digital Service as the U.S. DOGE Service (USDS),” he wrote.  

“Fully authorized under the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), USDS will enhance government productivity and ensure taxpayer dollars are spent responsibly. Each executive agency’s DOGE Team works in coordination with agency heads in order to ensure the implementation of President Trump’s DOGE agenda. Treasury Secretary Scott [Bessent] has already approved DOGE’s lawful access to unclassified records and systems to facilitate this integration,” he wrote. 

Rep. Ben Cline participates in the House Judiciary Committee organizing meeting in the Rayburn House Office Building on Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2023. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

Cline continued in his letter to constituents that he serves on the DOGE Caucus in Congress and “will work alongside President Trump to introduce reforms that streamline government operations, eliminate inefficiencies, and restore fiscal responsibility in Washington.”

Musk outlined “super obvious” changes DOGE and the Treasury agreed to in order for the agency to be easily audited, such as providing a categorization code for outgoing payments, a rationale for any payments, and the creation of a regularly updated “DO-NOT-PAY list” that includes dead people, or fraudulent entities, such as groups with ties to terror organizations. 

President-elect Donald Trump and Elon Musk attend the UFC 309 event at Madison Square Garden on Nov. 16, 2024, in New York City. (Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)

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“Yesterday, I was told that there are currently over $100B/year of entitlements payments to individuals with no SSN or even a temporary ID number. If accurate, this is extremely suspicious,” Musk posted on Saturday. 

A federal judge blocked DOGE’s ability to access Treasury Department systems on Saturday morning, teeing up a legal battle over DOGE’s work.

House Speaker Mike Johnson poked fun at “flailing” Democrats on Sunday and vowed that the House of Representatives would be just as aggressive in pushing legislation as President Donald Trump has been with executive orders.

Johnson made the statement during an appearance on “Fox News Sunday” with host Shannon Bream. Johnson said House Republicans are working to compile the massive legislative package Trump has requested.

“We’re going to secure the border, we’re going to make sure that American communities are safe. We’re going to get American energy dominance going again in the economy and restore common sense,” Johnson said.

“But to do all that in one big bill takes a little bit of time. So we’re working through that process very productively. We’ve been building on this for a year, Shannon. All through last year, we had our committees of jurisdiction working on the ideas to put it together,” he added.

SCOOP: KEY CONSERVATIVE CAUCUS DRAWS RED LINE ON HOUSE BUDGET PLAN

House Speaker Mike Johnson says his Democratic colleagues are “flailing.” (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

“We were going to do a budget committee markup next week. We might push it a little bit further because the details really matter. Remember that I have the smallest margin in history, about a two vote margin currently. So I’ve got to make sure everyone agrees before we bring the project forward, that final product, and we’ve got a few more boxes to check, but we’re getting very, very close,” he continued.

NONCITIZEN VOTER CRACKDOWN LED BY GOP AHEAD OF 2026 MIDTERMS

The budget bill process has not been without its share of in-fighting, however. Republican spending hawks are pushing leaders to include at least $2.5 trillion in spending cuts in the massive legislative package.

President Donald Trump is pushing Congress to move forward with a massive legislative package. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

One GOP lawmaker said that tension bubbled up in a closed-door meeting last week with several “heated exchanges,” with conservatives demanding a concrete plan and minimum spending cuts at significantly higher levels than what was initially proposed.

“I think there’s a lot of frustration right now,” the lawmaker told Fox News Digital. “They’ve been trying to be inclusive, but not every open forum they’ve offered is giving members the ability to say, ‘I feel like people are listening to me,’ because I don’t know that’s the case right now.”

Speaker Mike Johnson and Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries. (Getty Images)

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Reps. Chip Roy, R-Texas, and Ralph Norman, R-S.C., two conservative members of the House Budget Committee, both told reporters they wanted to see the baseline for spending cuts set at roughly $2.5 trillion.

Fox News’ Elizabeth Elkind contributed to this report.

Artificial intelligence may be the new frontier for childhood schooling, but the idea of teacherless classrooms has received mixed reviews from state education officials.

Unbound Academy, a Texas-based institution billing itself as the nation’s first virtual, tuition-free charter school for grades 4 through 8, reportedly employs AI to teach students in a way that can be geared toward the individual student without “frustration[s]” sometimes present in traditional schooling.

While such schools have seen success in being approved to educate students in Arizona, Unbound was formally rejected by the Pennsylvania Department of Education in a letter obtained by Fox News Digital.

WY MAN SOUGHT BID TO ELECT FIRST AI BOT MAYOR

In a letter to an Unbound Academy official with a Lancaster office address, Secretary Angela Fitterer said her office has found “deficiencies” in all five criteria needed for approval to teach Keystone State students.

Pennsylvania’s Charter School law denotes a school must demonstrate sustainable support for the cyber charter school plan from teachers, parents and students. It must also exhibit the capacity to provide “comprehensive learning experiences,” enable students to meet academic standards, and abide by Section 1747(a) of the law, which pertains to governance, policy, facility and assessment.

“Artificial intelligence tools present unique opportunities in the classroom that educators across Pennsylvania are already exploring how to effectively, ethically and safely implement,” a spokeswoman for Fitterer told Fox News Digital.

“However, the AI instructional model being proposed by this school is untested and fails to delineate how artificial intelligence tools would be used to ensure that the education provided aligns with PA state standards,” she said.

In its application, Unbound cited its work with “2HR Learning” an “innovated educational approach that combines AI technology, personalized learning paths, and a focus on life skills development to revolutionize the learning experience,” according to the Scranton Times-Tribune.

However, Unbound saw success in Arizona, which approved an academy for the 2025-26 school year, while being rejected in three states besides Pennsylvania, according to the Arizona Republic.

Two hours are set aside for core instruction, and the rest of the day is geared toward students pursuing “personal interests” and life skills workshops.

Unbound Academy co-founder MacKenzie Price told the paper the Grand Canyon State was appealing because of its welcoming of school choice tenets.

Another state official on the frontier of educational evolution is Oklahoma Superintendent of Education Ryan Walters.

SCOTUS TO CONSIDER EFFORT TO ESTABLISH NATION’S FIRST PUBLICLY-FUNDED RELIGIOUS CHARTER SCHOOL

Words reading “Artificial intelligence AI,” miniature of robot and toy hand are pictured in this illustration taken on Dec. 14, 2023. (REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo)

In recent months, Walters has spearheaded efforts to return the Bible to schools, root out foreign influence in curriculum, and AMIRA – a new literacy initiative, among other endeavors. His state is also set to appear before the Supreme Court this term in regard to interest in allowing a Catholic charter school to receive state funding.

Walters said he has not yet seen an application for Unbound or any other AI-powered charter school, but believes that if parents desire the option in the Sooner State, he will consider it.

“You have to show parental support that they’re asking for it,” he said.

“You also have to be very transparent. Where’s the technology based out of? Who is developing it? We do not want any situation where you’ve got a CCP or [similar] country, involved there with the technology. . . . You need to be very upfront. Where is the technology developed? What is the curriculum look like?” 

With Oklahoma’s major agricultural sector, many schoolchildren work hours on their family farms when they’re not in class. Walters said virtual learning has helped Oklahoma families in the near-term, and suggested an AI school would have a similar setup.

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He said his state is always open to the next frontier of childhood education.

“Catholics have some of the most successful schools in our state in the country. They brought us a model that said we’d like to try out so many of the things that have worked for us in our private schools at a charter school. We can make it available for more kids,” he said.

“We appreciate the Catholic Church for putting the application before us [and] the radical atheists and teachers union folks – they’re dead wrong on this.”

Walters said – just as Harrisburg deemed the AI-powered charter school did not meet its qualifications – Oklahoma believes the new Catholic charter school met its criteria.

“This is the next frontier of school choice – we want more schools. We want more charter schools.”

Fox News Digital reached out to Unbound Academy for comment and further information on its other state applications.

Billionaire Elon Musk outlined a list of “super obvious” changes that his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) plans to make at the U.S. Treasury Department this weekend.

Musk says officials at the treasury are working to make the government’s books more simple to audit, as well as more accountability for where funds are going. The changes also require treasury employees to more frequently update the congressional “do not pay” list, which highlights fraudsters and illegal fronts.

“Nobody in Treasury management cared enough before. I do want to credit the working level people in Treasury who have wanted to do this for many years, but have been stopped by prior management,” Musk said.

“Everything at Treasury was geared towards complain[t] minimization. People [who] receive money don’t complain, but people who don’t receive money (especially fraudsters) complain very loudly, so the fraud was allowed to continue,” he added.

USAID HAS ‘DEMONSTRATED PATTERN OF OBSTRUCTIONISM,’ CLAIMS TOP DOGE REPUBLICAN IN LETTER TO RUBIO

“The above super obvious and necessary changes are being implemented by existing, long-time career government employees, not anyone from DOGE,” Musk added.

“It is ridiculous that these changes didn’t exist already! Yesterday, I was told that there are currently over $100B/year of entitlements payments to individuals with no SSN or even a temporary ID number,” he continued. “If accurate, this is extremely suspicious. When I asked if anyone at Treasury had a rough guess for what percentage of that number is unequivocal and obvious fraud, the consensus in the room was about half, so $50B/year or $1B/week!! This is utterly insane and must be addressed immediately.”

ELON MUSK’S DOGE MAKES ANOTHER HIRING PUSH

Billionaire Elon Musk’s DOGE is targeting the Treasury Department. (Kenny Holston-Pool/Getty Images)

Musk’s tirade toward the treasury department comes just after a federal judge blocked DOGE’s ability to access treasury department systems. The Tesla CEO condemned the ruling as “insane” this weekend.

‘VIPER’S NEST’: USAID ACCUSED OF CORRUPTION, MISMANAGEMENT LONG BEFORE TRUMP ADMIN TOOK AIM

The Friday lawsuit, which was filed by 19 Democratic attorneys general, claimed Musk’s team violated the law by being given “full access” to the Treasury’s payment systems. The systems include information about Americans’ Social Security, Medicare and veterans’ benefits, tax refund information and more.

The lawsuit was filed in New York by the office of New York Attorney General Letitia James, who wrote that President Donald 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.”

A federal judge intervened to block DOGE from accessing treasury department systems. (ROBERTO SCHMIDT/AFP via Getty Images)

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has expressed support for Musk and DOGE in the past, recently saying that the U.S. “doesn’t have a revenue problem, we have a spending problem.”

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“At the Treasury, our payment system is not being touched,” Bessent said in a “Kudlow” interview on Wednesday. “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?”

Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., called on multiple federal agencies to exempt federal seasonal firefighters from President Donald Trump’s executive order implementing a federal hiring freeze.

In a letter to the Department of Agriculture, the Department of the Interior and the Office of Management and Budget, Schiff noted that Trump’s hiring freeze issued on Jan. 20 had stopped the onboarding of thousands of seasonal firefighters that could harm readiness to respond to wildfires, as Southern California is still grappling with the aftermath of last month’s wildfires.

“The memo issued on January 20 states that it does not apply to positions related to public safety, but this onboarding delay is directly contrary to that claim,” Schiff said in the letter dated Friday. “Our constituents and communities rely on the hard work and sacrifice of our more than 15,000 seasonal federal wildland firefighters each year.”

LOS ANGELES FIRE VICTIMS TO BE BOOTED FROM RED CROSS SHELTER TO MAKE SPACE FOR FILM CREWS, EVENTS

Adam Schiff talks to the media after voting at McCambridge Recreation Center in Burbank on Tuesday, November 5, 2024. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)

“Seasonal firefighters are essential to the public safety of those who live in fire-prone areas, and I am alarmed that federal firefighters are not party to this exemption,” he said. “In light of this, I am requesting information from your agencies explaining why the federal hiring freeze has extended to the hiring of seasonal federal wildland firefighters.”

Southern California was devastated last month by two major wildfires and several smaller ones that killed nearly 30 people and destroyed more than 16,000 structures.

Some of the firefighters subject to Trump’s order that halted the onboarding of thousands of seasonal federal firefighters were from agencies that helped in the response to the wildfires in the Los Angeles area, according to NBC News.

A Fire firefighter works a fire during the Eaton fire on Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025 in Altadena, California. (Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

A Bureau of Land Management official told the outlet that despite Trump’s order excluding positions related to “public safety” from the hiring freeze, federal firefighters are not exempt.

“In the face of increasingly destructive wildfires, we cannot afford to diminish the tools at our disposal to fight these fires,” Schiff said in his letter. “Impeding the onboarding of federal firefighters and encouraging the early retirement of others, threatens California’s firefighting capacity and puts communities at great risk. Californians rely on the support of federal firefighters, and I hope you share my appreciation for the essential role these individuals play in keeping residents safe.”

TABLES TURN ON LOS ANGELES ARSON SUSPECT IN CAUGHT-ON-CAM TAKEDOWN: ‘WRONG NEIGHBORHOOD, BUDDY’

Vehicles and a house burned as powerful winds fueling devastating wildfires in the Los Angeles area forced people to evacuate the Eaton Fire in Altadena, California, Jan. 8, 2025. (REUTERS/David Swanson)

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The senator also requested information on how the hiring freeze impacts federal firefighting applicants, the number of voluntary resignations and the Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency’s role in the hiring, preparedness or readiness of federal wildland firefighters.

President Donald Trump on Friday said that he isn’t interested in deporting Prince Harry, who famously left Britain with his wife, Meghan Markle, in 2020, eventually settling in Montecito, California. 

The Duke of Sussex is in hot water after conservative think tank the Heritage Foundation filed a lawsuit last year against the Department of Homeland Security to have his immigration records released following Harry admitting to illegal drug use in the past in his 2023 memoir “Spare.”

“I don’t want to do that,” Trump told the New York Post on Friday after being asked if he would deport the royal. “I’ll leave him alone. He’s got enough problems with his wife. She’s terrible.”

Markle has criticized Trump in the past, calling him “misogynistic” and “divisive” during a TV appearance ahead of the 2016 election. 

PRINCE HARRY, MEGHAN MARKLE, VISIT SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA TO SUPPORT WILDFIRE VICTIMS, RECOVERY EFFORTS

President Trump on Friday said that he isn’t interested in deporting Prince Harry, who famously left Britain with his wife, Meghan Markle, in 2020, eventually settling in Montecito, Calif.  (Roberto Schmidt/AFP via Getty Images; Taylor Hill/WireImage)

In 2019, before a state visit to the U.K. during his first term as president, Trump called the Duchess of Sussex “nasty” over her remarks about him. 

He then went on to meet with the royal family during the visit, minus Markle, who was with newborn Archie at the time. 

He also told Piers Morgan in 2022 that Harry was “whipped like no person he had ever seen.”

The Heritage Foundation in its lawsuit says that Harry may have lied on his immigration forms about his past drug use or was given preferential treatment by the government and called on the records to be released. 

“I’ll be urging the president to release Prince Harry’s immigration records and the president does have that legal authority to do that,” Nile Gardiner of the Heritage Foundation previously told the New York Post.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle enjoy the opening ceremony at the Invictus Games in Vancouver, Canada, on Saturday.  ( Karwai Tang/WireImage)

“It’s important because this is an issue of the rule of law, transparency and accountability. No one should be above the law,” Gardiner added. “Donald Trump is ushering in a new era of strict border control enforcement, and you know, Prince Harry should be held fully to account as he has admitted to extensive illegal drug use.”

PRINCE HARRY ‘CHOSE EXILE’ IN CALIFORNIA AFTER VERBALLY ANNIHILATING FAMILY: EXPERTS

This week a federal judge said he is “likely” to release Harry’s immigration files after the first hearing in the royal’s high-profile case since Trump took office.

U.S. District Court Judge Carl J. Nichols said Harry’s files should be released “to the maximum extent possible,” during Wednesday’s hearing in Washington, D.C., according to a report from the New York Post, with the judge reasoning that he is “required to make public everything that can be made public” but would take care not to violate any privacy laws.

Last year during the campaign, Trump told Nigel Farage in an interview that the government would have to take the “appropriate action” if Harry was found to have lied on his immigration forms, but didn’t explicitly say he would seek to deport him. 

Prince Harry admitted to past illegal drug use in his memoir “Spare.”  (Getty Images)

Trump also accused the Biden administration of “protecting” Harry, saying in a separate interview with the Daily Express in February 2024 “I wouldn’t protect him. He betrayed the Queen. That’s unforgivable. He would be on his own if it was down to me.”

On Friday, Trump conversely praised Prince William, with whom Harry has a long-running feud, as a “great young man.” 

Trump recently met with William in December in Paris when the two attended the reopening of the Notre Dame cathedral following its devastating fire. 

Fox News’ Michael Lee contributed to this report. 

A major solar power plant project that was granted over a billion dollars in federal loans is on the road to closure, with energy experts blasting the project as a “boondoggle” that harmed the environment.

In 2011, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) under former President Barack Obama issued $1.6 billion in loan guarantees to finance the Ivanpah Solar Power Facility, a green energy project that consists of three solar concentrating thermal power plants in California. 

The facility was touted by then-Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz as an “example of how America is becoming a world leader in solar energy.” But after 10 years, the federally funded plant is now on track to close. 

“Ivanpah is yet another failed green energy boondoggle, much like Solyndra,” Jason Isaac, CEO of the American Energy Institute, an American energy advocacy group, told Fox News Digital in a statement. “Despite receiving $1.6 billion in federal loan guarantees, it never lived up to its promises, producing less electricity than expected while still relying on natural gas to stay operational.”

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

Ivanpah Solar Power Facility (U.S. Department of Energy)

“Now, with its power contracts canceled, Ivanpah stands as a testament to the waste and inefficiency of government-subsidized energy schemes,” Isaac said.

Ivanpah consists of three individual units, two of which were contracted by Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) in 2009 and scheduled to run until 2039. 

EXPERTS SAY FIRST WEEK OF ‘TRUMP EFFECT’ IS DERAILING GLOBAL CLIMATE MOVEMENT’S ‘HOUSE OF CARDS’

In January, PG&E announced plans to cancel its agreement with Ivanpah 14 years early, determining that “ending the agreements at this time will save customers money compared to the cost of keeping them through 2039” – ultimately putting Ivanpah on notice for closure.

“The Ivanpah plant was a financial boondoggle and environmental disaster,” Julia Dowell of the Sierra Club, an environmental activism group, said of the power plant. 

The $1.6 billion loan to Ivanpah was delivered under former President Obama’s administration. (AP )

“Along with killing thousands of birds and tortoises, the project’s construction destroyed irreplaceable pristine desert habitat along with numerous rare plant species,” Dowell said. “While the Sierra Club strongly supports innovative clean energy solutions and recognizes the urgent need to transition away from fossil fuels, Ivanpah demonstrated that not all renewable technologies are created equal.”

This comes after another DOE-funded green energy project, Solyndra, went bankrupt in 2011 after receiving $535 million in federal loan guarantees from the Obama administration.

“Green projects have a long history of expensive taxpayer-subsidized disaster that is getting more so,” Steve Milloy, senior fellow at the Energy & Environmental Legal Institute and former Trump EPA transition team member, said in a statement to Fox.

Chris Wright, chief executive officer of Liberty Energy Inc., was recently confirmed to head the U.S. Department of Energy under the Trump administration. (Al Drago)

Milloy suggested that further green energy failures could come from projects funded by recent Democrat-backed legislation that aims to push the green energy agenda.

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“Soon we will be looking at failures of larger magnitude than Green New Deal spending. No green project relying on taxpayer subsidies has ever made any economic or environmental sense,” Milloy said. “It’s important that President Trump stop the taxpayer bleeding by ending what he accurately calls the Green New Scam.”

Office of Management and Budget director Russell Vought is now also the acting director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, where he has directed staff to not issue any new rules, to suspend effective dates of all final rules and to stop any new investigations.

Vought, also a Project 2025 author, was named acting director of the CFPB on Friday.

“I am honored that President Trump designated me as Acting Director of the Bureau on February 7, 2025,” Vought said in an email to CFPB colleagues obtained by RealClearPolitics. “As Acting Director, I am committed to implementing the President’s policies, consistent with the law, and acting as a faithful steward of the Bureau’s resources.”

He issued several directives that, effective immediately, must be followed by all employees, contractors and other CFPB personnel “unless expressly approved by the Acting Director or required by law,” according to RealClearPolitics.

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

Russell Vought speaks during a Senate Budget Committee hearing on his nomination, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025. (Jacquelyn Martin/AP)

The directives include not approving or issuing any proposed or final rules or formal or informal guidance and for the bureau to suspend the effective dates of all final rules that have been issued or published but have not gone into effect.

Vought also ordered the bureau not to “commence, take investigative activities related to, or settle enforcement actions.” CFPB must not open any new investigation in any manner and must cease any pending probes, he said.

The acting director said the CFPB shall not issue public communications of any type, including research papers.

 Russell Vought is sworn in during the Senate Banking Committee nomination hearing in the Dirksen Senate Building on January 22, 2025, in Washington, D.C. (Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images)

Additionally, the CFPB must not approve or execute any material agreements, including those related to employee matters or contractors, and must not make or approve filings or appearances by the bureau in any litigation except to ask for a pause in proceedings.

The bureau was also told to cease all supervision and examination activity and to cease all stakeholder engagement.

Vought also sent a letter to the Federal Reserve requesting no money for the CFPB’s third quarter of fiscal year 2025.

SENATE DEMOCRATS SPEAK ALL NIGHT AGAINST TRUMP OMB NOMINEE, DELAYING CONFIRMATION VOTE

Russell Vought testifies during the Senate Banking Committee nomination hearing in the Dirksen Senate Building on January 22, 2025, in Washington, D.C. (Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images)

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“Pursuant to the Consumer Financial Protection Act, I have notified the Federal Reserve that CFPB will not be taking its next draw of unappropriated funding because it is not ‘reasonably necessary’ to carry out its duties,” Vought wrote on X. “The Bureau’s current balance of $711.6 billion is in fact excessive in the current fiscal environment. This spigot, long contributing to CFPB’s unaccountability, is now being turned off.”

This comes after Vought was confirmed by the Senate on Thursday to lead the Office of Management and Budget.

Fox News Digital has reached out to CFPB for further comment. 

President Donald Trump said he has directed the Secret Service to give him “every bit of information” known about his two attempted assassins last summer during the presidential campaign, according to a report. 

“I want to find out about the two assassins,” the president told the New York Post Friday. “Why did the one guy have six cellphones, and why did the other guy have [foreign] apps?”

Trump told the Post the Secret Service had been holding back information because of President Biden.   

IF IRAN ATTEMPTS ASSASSINATION, ‘THEY GET OBLITERATED’: PRESIDENT TRUMP

President Trump raised his fist and yelled “fight” to the crowd after surviving an assassination attempt in July in Butler, Pa. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

“I’m entitled to know. And they held it back long enough,” he added. “No more excuses.”

Trump was shot in the ear July 13 in Butler, Pennsylvania, while speaking at an outdoor campaign rally by 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, who was killed by the Secret Service after shooting at Trump, killing a rally attendee and injuring two others. 

Two months later, Ryan Routh, 59, allegedly waited for over 12 hours in brush with a rifle on the perimeter of the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach as Trump was golfing Sept. 15. 

FLORIDA MAN ARRESTED FOR ALLEGEDLY CALLING FOR TRUMP ASSASSINATION ON FACEBOOK; SECRET SERVICE INVESTIGATING

Thomas Matthew Crooks casually walks through a crowd in Butler, Pa., nearly two hours before he opened fire on former President Trump and attendees at a campaign rally.  (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images; Iron Clad USA, inset.)

A Secret Service agent saw Routh allegedly pointing a rifle through a fence and fired at him. Routh fled and was arrested that day.

He has pleaded not guilty to several counts, including attempted assassination of a presidential candidate and assault on a federal officer, and remains in federal custody. His trial is scheduled for Sept. 8, 2025.

Six cellphones were reportedly found in Routh’s car after his arrest.

Trump assassination suspect Ryan Routh was arrested for the alleged attempted assassination in Palm Beach County, Fla., Sept. 15, 2024. (Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office)

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Crooks had encrypted messaging accounts on multiple platforms based in Belgium, New Zealand and Germany, according to Rep. Mike Waltz, R-Fla., who was appointed to a congressional task force investigating the assassination attempt.

The White House did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. 

Fox News’ Stephen Sorace contributed to this report. 

President Donald Trump has decided to remove security clearances for several Democrats, including former Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, and New York Attorney General Letitia James, both of whom are vocal Trump critics. 

Former National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, Biden’s Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco, and attorneys Andrew Weissmann, Mark Zaid and Norm Eisen.

The move comes a day after Trump stripped his predecessor, former President Joe Biden, of his security clearance and his access to presidential daily briefs. 

Security clearances have been revoked for Antony Blinken, Letitia James and Alvin Bragg. (Getty)

“There is no need for Joe Biden to continue receiving access to classified information,” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social Friday night.

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He added the precedent was set by Biden himself.

“He set this precedent in 2021, when he instructed the Intelligence Community (IC) to stop the 45th President of the United States (ME!) from accessing details on National Security, a courtesy provided to former Presidents,” Trump wrote.

Alexandra Koch contributed to this report. 

Researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have been told to remove words frequently associated with progressive gender ideology from research manuscripts that they intend to publish.

A screenshot of a leaked internal email sent out to CDC staff, obtained by the newsletter Inside Medicine, showed a list of terms and phrases that must be removed from scientific manuscripts produced by the agency’s researchers and intended for publication. 

Those terms included: “gender,” “transgender,” “pregnant person,” “pregnant people,” “LGBT,” “transsexual,” “non-binary,” “nonbinary,” “assigned male at birth,” “assigned female at birth,” “biologically male” and “biologically female.” According to the Washington Post, the list includes about 20 terms. They indicated that the directive also ordered the removal of any use of “they/them.” 

LGBT ACTIVISTS MOBILIZE TO CHALLENGE TRUMP’S ‘EXTREME GENDER IDEOLOGY’ EXECUTIVE ORDERS

The rule affects manuscripts under review, as well as those accepted but not yet published, no matter whether they are intended for internal circulation only or circulation outside the CDC.

A CDC spokesperson told Fox News Digital that “All changes to HHS and HHS division websites/manuscripts are in accordance with President Trump’s January 20 Executive Orders.”

After taking office last month, President Donald Trump signed a slew of Day One executive orders, including one that attempts to root out “gender ideology extremism” and restore “biological truth” to the federal government. Meanwhile, in line with that order, the Trump administration’s Office of Personnel Management issued a memo a little over a week later calling on all federal agencies to “take prompt actions to end all agency programs that use taxpayer money to promote or reflect gender ideology.”

FEDS SPENT MILLIONS STUDYING TRANS MENSTRUATION, STRENGTHENING GAY RIGHTS IN THE BALKANS, DATABASE REVEALS

LGBT advocates and medical organizations sued the Trump administration over his executive order barring federal funds from going toward transgender surgeries for those under the age of 19. (Getty Images)

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In addition to the terms, CDC web pages titled “Supporting LGBTQ+ Youth | Adolescent and School Health” and “April 18 is National Transgender HIV Testing Day” have also been removed.

The removal of the terms may make it hard to read surveys and research that utilizes them as demographic identifiers, The Post reported. 

“If you are trying to optimize society, you can’t just pretend some people aren’t in it,” executive director of the National LGBTQI+ Cancer Network, Scout, who legally goes by only one name, told The Post.

President Donald Trump has tasked SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk with scrutinizing wasteful spending at the Department of Education and the Pentagon through the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) Musk is leading.

DOGE is tasked with eliminating government spending and waste and streamlining operations and is expected to influence White House policy on budget matters.

“I’ve instructed him to go check out Education, to check out the Pentagon … and, sadly, you’ll find some things that are pretty bad. But I don’t think, proportionally, you’re going to see anything like we just saw,” Trump told reporters Friday about his plans for Musk during a press conference while hosting Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba. 

USAID STAFFERS STUNNED, ANGERED BY TRUMP ADMIN’S DOGE SHUTDOWN OF $40B AGENCY

Elon Musk, pictured here, is leading the Department of Government Efficiency. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

On Monday, Trump and DOGE launched an effort to shutter the U.S. Agency for International Development, a group that works to deliver aid to impoverished countries and development assistance. 

The group has come under scrutiny from DOGE, and, in an X audio message, Musk said Sunday he was “in the process” of “shutting down USAID” for corrupt spending and that Trump reportedly agreed. 

Secretary of State Marco Rubio, now acting director of the independent agency, said Monday that USAID was not “functioning” and that the organization isn’t a “global charity.” 

“It needs to be aligned with the national interest of the U.S.,” Rubio said. “They’re not a global charity. These are taxpayer dollars. People are asking simple questions. What are they doing with the money? 

“We are spending taxpayers’ money,” he said. “We owe the taxpayers assurances that it furthers our national interest.”

WHAT IS USAID AND WHY IS IT IN TRUMP’S CROSSHAIRS?

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said USAID was not “functioning” and that the organization isn’t a “global charity.”  (Mark Schiefelbein/The Associated Press)

DOGE has been tasked with cutting $2 trillion from the federal government’s budget through efforts to slash spending, government programs and the federal workforce.

Musk has faced some backlash for his interference in governmental affairs thus far. For example, Senate Democrats have accused DOGE of conducting a “hostile takeover” after reports emerged Musk had access to the Treasury Department’s Bureau of the Fiscal Service’s central payment systems. 

The Department of Education and the Department of Defense have some of the largest budgets of government agencies. For fiscal year 2024, the Department of Education received a budget of $79.1 billion, while the Department of Defense received a budget of $841.4 billion, according to government documents. 

Meanwhile, Trump has signaled he’s seeking to eliminate the Department of Education through an executive order. 

Even so, Congress would need to pass legislation to completely disband an agency under Article II of the Constitution. 

MUSK’S DOGE TAKES AIM AT ‘VIPER’S NEST’ FEDERAL AGENCY WITH GLOBAL FOOTPRINT

President Donald Trump has tapped Linda McMahon, former administrator of the Small Business Administration, to lead the Department of Education. (Mike Segar/Reuters )

Trump told reporters Tuesday that while he has tapped Linda McMahon, former CEO of World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), to lead the Department of Education, he wants her to eventually lose her job. 

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“What I want to do is let the states run schools,” Trump said. “I believe strongly in school choice. But in addition to that, I want the states to run schools, and I want Linda to put herself out of a job.”

Fox News’ Stephen Sorace and Emma Colton contributed to this report. 

Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) chief Elon Musk’s efforts to clean up waste and fraud in the federal government will soon shift its focus to the Social Security Administration (SSA) in a move likely to create a firestorm with Democrats.

The SSA, created by the Social Security Act under President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1935 and tasked with establishing a federal benefits system for older Americans, will soon become a focus of DOGE, according to a report from Semafor that was not denied by the White House when contacted by Fox News Digital.

While several Democrats — including Rep. Dan Goldman, D-N.Y., in a post on X — have been quick to accuse this move as being aimed at slashing Social Security benefits for the elderly, several areas with potential waste exist in the agency that don’t involve cutting current benefits. 

Just Facts, a nonprofit research institute, previously reported that the agency disbursed roughly $2 billion in fraudulent or improper payments in 2022, which it calculated was enough “to pay 89,947 retired workers the average annual old-age benefit of $21,924 for 2023.”

‘DISTURBING’: WHISTLEBLOWER FUMES AT BIDEN-ERA AGENCY PROMOTING DEI PROGRAM AS DEPARTMENT’S ‘MISSION’

Elon Musk’s DOGE efforts are set to focus on Social Security. (Getty Images)

Just Facts explained that through a policy known as “administrative finality,” once the “SSA mistakenly overpays a beneficiary for more than four years, it does not recover past overpayments and deliberately continues to make future overpayments excepting cases of fraud.”

The SSA sent roughly 7,000 federal employees disability benefits in 2008 while they were still taking wages from federal jobs, according to a 2010 report by the Government Accountability Office (GAO).

The GAO estimated that about 1,500 of those individuals “may have improperly received benefits” since their wages went beyond maximum income thresholds. The GAO investigation also found that over 71,000 “stimulus checks” were sent by the Obama administration to people who were deceased, including 63,481 people whose deaths had been previously reported to the agency.

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

Musk’s team has moved to slash USAID’s $40 billion spending budget. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

“Social Security will not be touched, it will only be strengthened,” President Donald Trump said during a press conference on Friday. “We have illegal immigrants on Social Security and we’re going to find out who they are and take them out.”

Trump added, “We’re going to strengthen our Social Security, etc. We’re not going to touch it other than to make it stronger. But we have people that shouldn’t be on, and those people we have to weed out, most of them, or many of them, so far, have been illegal immigrants.”

On Friday afternoon, White House Principal Deputy Communications Director Alex Pfeiffer posted a report on X from the Center for Immigration Studies in 2021 that said, “We estimate that there are 2.65 million illegal immigrants with Social Security numbers.”

Trump added that DOGE will go through “everything” when it comes to waste and fraud in the federal government.

In a statement to Fox News Digital, a spokesperson for the SSA said, “We remain focused and vigilant on the integrity of our programs and take seriously our responsibilities to deter fraud, waste, and abuse.”

The Social Security Administration was created by the Social Security Act under President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1935. (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

DOGE has dominated news headlines over the past week as Musk’s team has moved to slash USAID’s $40 billion spending budget and put on leave the vast majority of its employees, as photos of the sign at the door of the agency’s Washington, D.C., headquarters being taken down have circulated on social media.

Musk has said that both he and Trump “agreed” that the agency should be “shut down.” Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who has been named acting director of the independent agency, on Monday echoed the sentiment, telling reporters, “USAID is not functioning.”

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“It needs to be aligned with the national interest of the U.S. They’re not a global charity, these are taxpayer dollars. People are asking simple questions. What are they doing with the money?” Rubio continued. “We are spending taxpayers’ money. We owe the taxpayers assurances that it furthers our national interest.”

Democrats held a rally outside the Treasury Department earlier this week blasting the DOGE efforts as a threat to democracy. 

“Elon Musk is a Nazi nepo baby, a godless lawless billionaire, who no one elected,” Rep. Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass., said at a rally, sparking pushback from conservatives on social media.

“Elon, this is the American people. This is not your trashy Cybertruck that you can just dismantle, pick apart, and sell the pieces of.”

Fox News Digital’s Stephen Sorace contributed to this report.