A member of the Boston City Council called out Border Czar Tom Homan in a post on social media, calling his promises to enforce President Donald Trump's border policy "laughable."
Councilwoman Sharon Durkan posted her response on X after Homan said he would "bring hell" to Beantown after Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox recently doubled down on the city’s sanctuary policies.
"You said you doubled down on not helping the law enforcement officers of ICE. I'm coming to Boston, and I'm bringing hell with me," Homan said at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) on Saturday. "I looked at the numbers this morning... I stopped counting at nine. Nine child rapists that were in jail in Massachusetts, but rather than honoring an ICE detainer, you released them back into the street."
"You're not a police commissioner," Homan continued. "Take that badge off your chest. Put it in the desk drawer. Because you became a politician. You forgot what it’s like to be a cop."
Durkan responded by mocking Homan for briefly serving as a police officer in the village of West Carthage, New York, in the 1980s. He became a Border Patrol agent soon after, and has since worked for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in the Obama administration, as well as the first Trump administration.
"Laughable that someone who spent their career policing a town smaller than a Fenway Park crowd thinks they can lecture Boston on public safety," Durkan's post read.
"Commissioner Michael Cox serves with distinction and earns trust with integrity," the city official continued. "Tom Homan should know, we don’t scare easy."
In a recent interview, Cox said that Boston "doesn't enforce detainers" that are filed by ICE, per Massachusetts law.
"We just don’t do that," Cox said on a segment of WCVB’s "On the Record" show. "We don’t enforce civil detainers regarding federal immigration law. It's defined here in the state, and that’s just how it works."
The Boston office of ICE's Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) has overseen the arrest of several criminal migrants in recent weeks, including MS-13 gang members.
Earlier this month, ERO Boston officers apprehended an illegal alien from Guatemala who was charged with multiple counts of child rape.
Fox News Digital reached out to Durkan for comment, but did not immediately hear back.
Fox News Digital's Peter Pinedo and Greg Wehner contributed to this report.
President Donald Trump announced that Dan Bongino will serve as the next deputy director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
"Great news for Law Enforcement and American Justice," Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social on Sunday night. "Dan Bongino, a man of incredible love and passion for our Country, has just been named the next DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF THE FBI, by the man who will be the best ever Director, Kash Patel."
The president said Bongino has a Master’s Degree in Psychology from the City University of New York and an MBA from Penn State.
"He was a member of the New York Police Department (New York’s Finest!), a highly respected Special Agent with the United States Secret Service, and is now one of the most successful Podcasters in the Country, something he is willing and prepared to give up in order to serve," Trump wrote. "Working with our great new United States Attorney General, Pam Bondi, and Director Patel, Fairness, Justice, Law and Order will be brought back to America, and quickly. Congratulations Dan!"
The Trump administration is eliminating over a thousand positions at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), while also placing the majority of the remaining staff members on administration leave globally, just before midnight Sunday.
The Associated Press reported that it learned from the Trump administration that 1,600 posts would be eliminated after reviewing notices that were sent to USAID workers.
"As of 11:59 p.m. EST on Sunday, February 23, 2025, all USAID direct hire personnel, with the exception of designated personnel responsible for mission-critical functions, core leadership and/or specially designated programs, will be placed on administrative leave globally," the notices read.
The Trump administration intends on leaving fewer than 300 staffers on the job, out of the current 8,000 contractors and direct hires.
The less than 300 remaining staff, along with an unknown number of the 5,000 locally hired international staff members abroad, will run the few life-saving programs that the administration said it intends to keep in place for the time being.
Sacked USAID staffers left their Washington, D.C., offices for the last time on Friday, with some carrying boxes scrawled with messages that seemed to be directed at Trump, who is slashing the agency's workforce.
"We are abandoning the world," read one message on a box containing belongings being hauled out by a grinning staffer as she walked out of USAID's Bureau of Humanitarian Affairs office.
Another smiling staffer’s box had a more upbeat tone, with her message reading: "You can take the humanitarians out of USAID but you can’t take the humanity out of the humanitarians."
Thousands of staffers had been notified weeks ago of their pending dismissals, and on Friday, U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols lifted a temporary restraining order he had issued at the outset of a lawsuit filed by government employee unions seeking a stop to the mass layoffs. After lifting the temporary restraining order, Nichols declined to issue a longer-term order that would have kept the employees in their posts.
Trump has moved to gut the agency after imposing a 90-day pause on foreign aid. He also appointed Secretary of State Marco Rubio as the acting director of USAID.
The agency has come under fire by the Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) for alleged wasteful spending.
For instance, Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, the Senate DOGE Caucus Chairwoman, recently published a list of projects and programs she says USAID has helped fund over the years, including $20 million to produce a Sesame Street show in Iraq.
Several more examples of questionable spending have been uncovered at USAID, including more than $900,000 to a "Gaza-based terror charity" called Bayader Association for Environment and Development and a $1.5 million program slated to "advance diversity, equity, and inclusion in Serbia's workplaces and business communities."
Fox News Digital’s Michael Dorgan and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
The Trump administration is eliminating thousands of positions at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), while also placing the majority of the remaining staff members on administration leave globally, just before midnight Sunday.
The Associated Press reported that it learned from the Trump administration that 2,000 posts would be eliminated, after reviewing notices that were sent to USAID workers.
"As of 11:59 p.m. EST on Sunday, February 23, 2025, all USAID direct hire personnel, with the exception of designated personnel responsible for mission-critical functions, core leadership and/or specially designated programs, will be placed on administrative leave globally," the notices read.
The Trump administration intends on leaving fewer than 300 staffers on the job, out of the current 8,000 contractors and direct hires.
The less than 300 remaining staff, along with an unknown number of the 5,000 locally hired international staff members abroad, will run the few life-saving programs that the administration said it intends to keep in place for the time being.
Sacked USAID staffers left their Washington, D.C., offices for the last time on Friday, with some carrying boxes scrawled with messages that seemed to be directed at Trump, who is slashing the agency's workforce.
"We are abandoning the world," read one message on a box containing belongings being hauled out by a grinning staffer as she walked out of USAID's Bureau of Humanitarian Affairs office.
Another smiling staffer’s box had a more upbeat tone, with her message reading: "You can take the humanitarians out of USAID but you can’t take the humanity out of the humanitarians."
Thousands of staffers had been notified weeks ago of their pending dismissals, and on Friday, U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols lifted a temporary restraining order he had issued at the outset of a lawsuit filed by government employee unions seeking a stop to the mass layoffs. After lifting the temporary restraining order, Nichols declined to issue a longer-term order that would have kept the employees in their posts.
Trump has moved to gut the agency after imposing a 90-day pause on foreign aid. He also appointed Secretary of State Marco Rubio as the acting director of USAID.
The agency has come under fire by the Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) for alleged wasteful spending.
For instance, Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, the Senate DOGE Caucus Chairwoman, recently published a list of projects and programs she says USAID has helped fund over the years, including $20 million to produce a Sesame Street show in Iraq.
Several more examples of questionable spending have been uncovered at USAID, including more than $900,000 to a "Gaza-based terror charity" called Bayader Association for Environment and Development and a $1.5 million program slated to "advance diversity, equity, and inclusion in Serbia's workplaces and business communities."
Fox News Digital’s Michael Dorgan and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
On Feb. 23, 1945, six Marines teamed up for what would become one of the most iconic photos in American history.
Marines fighting on Iwo Jima scaled Mount Suribachi and worked together to push up an American flag, a moment that was captured by military photographers and later became an enduring symbol of the Allied victory over Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan in World War II.
Marines initially invaded Iwo Jima on Feb. 19, 1945, as part of the U.S. island-hopping campaign in the Pacific, and it took four days to gain the summit of Suribachi, according to a Department of Defense report.
"The taking of the 554-foot hill was significant, in that it suppressed the fire from Japanese who were dug in and who had prime vantage of much of the island," the DOD report reads.
Fighting continued on the island until March 26, resulting in the injury or death of about 27,000 Marines and sailors.
The brutal fighting also led to the deaths of 21,000 Japanese soldiers, who defended the island through a series of caves, tunnels and pillboxes.
Yet the photo from four days into the battle remains its enduring image, spreading rapidly throughout the world and becoming a powerful recruiting and morale tool for the U.S. government.
"The photo was the centerpiece of a war-bond poster that helped raise $26 billion in 1945," the Pulitzer Prize Board wrote in its online account of the image.
While the identity of the men in the photo has been the subject of decades of debate, the most recent research suggests the men are, from left, Pfc. Ira Hayes, Pfc. Harold Schultz, Sgt. Michael Strank, Pfc. Franklin Sousley, Pfc. Harold Keller and Cpl. Harlon Block.
But the image has endured the test of time, being duplicated on everything from postage stamps to a memorial just north of Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va.
President Donald Trump celebrated on Sunday after German conservative opposition leader Friedrich Merz claimed victory in a national election, ousting Social Democrat incumbent Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
"LOOKS LIKE THE CONSERVATIVE PARTY IN GERMANY HAS WON THE VERY BIG AND HIGHLY ANTICIPATED ELECTION," Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social. "MUCH LIKE THE USA, THE PEOPLE OF GERMANY GOT TIRED OF THE NO COMMON SENSE AGENDA, ESPECIALLY ON ENERGY AND IMMIGRATION, THAT HAS PREVAILED FOR SO MANY YEARS.
"THIS IS A GREAT DAY FOR GERMANY, AND FOR THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA UNDER THE LEADERSHIP OF A GENTLEMAN NAMED DONALD J. TRUMP," he added. "CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL — MANY MORE VICTORIES TO FOLLOW!!!"
Germany’s center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU) won Sunday's national election, with the right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) finishing a strong second, according to exit polls.
The snap election came as the European nation grapples with illegal immigration and a souring economy. CDU leader Merz is expected to take a harder line than Scholz on immigration, though not as much as AfD supporters have called for.
Merz, whose party got about 29% of the vote, must form a coalition with one or more of the other parties, but has said he will not do so with AfD.
Merz has said he will execute a 15-point plan to tackle immigration, including tightening the borders and deporting rejected asylum seekers. AfD wants to deport migrants en masse.
While the AfD may be frozen out of the incoming coalition, it doubled its vote total from the last election.
Endorsed by Trump and Elon Musk, and led by Alice Weidel and Tino Chrupalla, the party believes it has built momentum for the next election, expected in 2029.
President Donald Trump is set to have another busy week meeting with foreign leaders in the nation's capital as administration leaders continue working out a potential peace deal between Russia and Ukraine.
Trump will meet with U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron in his fifth week back in the Oval Office, national security advisor Mike Waltz said on Fox News' "America Reports." The announcement follows Macron calling for an emergency meeting of world leaders after the Trump administration excluded Europe from sitting at the negotiating table to settle the war between Ukraine and Russia.
"Just a few months ago, everyone was talking about this war as though it would never end," Waltz said on "America Reports" after confirming Starmer and Macron will visit Washington, D.C. "In just a very short amount of time, President Trump has us, everyone – the Ukrainians, the Russians, the Europeans – talking about it now and debating.… Only President Trump could drive that shift in conversation. And we have to acknowledge that that's happened."
Waltz, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff met in Riyadh last week with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and President Vladimir Putin’s foreign affairs advisor Yuri Ushakov to hash out ways to end the conflict. Ukraine was absent from the negotiations in Saudi Arabia.
Ukraine's lack of involvement sparked President Vlodomyr Zelenskyy to double down on the stance that his nation will not accept a peace deal unless they are a part of the negotiation process.
Zelenskyy told reporters Tuesday in Turkey that "nobody decides anything behind our back," after stressing in recent days that Kyiv will not agree to a peace negotiation without Ukraine’s input.
Trump amplified his rhetoric against Zelenskyy last week, including arguing Zelenskyy is a poor negotiator and that he's "sick of it."
"I've been watching this man for years now as his cities get demolished, as his people get killed, as his soldiers get decimated," Trump told Fox News' Brian Kilmeade last week. "I've been watching him negotiate with no cards. He has no cards, and you get sick of it," he continued. "You just get sick of it, and I've had it."
"I get tired of listening to it," Trump responded. "I've seen it enough, and then he complains that he's not at a meeting that we're having with Saudi Arabia trying to intermediate peace. Well, he's been at meetings for three years with a... president who didn't know what the hell he was doing. He's been at the meetings for three years and nothing got done, so I don't think he's very important to be at meetings, to be honest with you. He's been there for three years. He's he makes it very hard to make deals."
Trump added on Friday that Macron and Starmer "haven’t done anything" since 2022 to end the war between Russia and Ukraine.
Trump's recent remarks on Zelenskyy have apparently alarmed European leaders who have backed Ukraine throughout the war. Macron previewed in remarks on Thursday that he will reportedly take a tough tone with Trump during their meeting.
"Trump, I know him. I respect him and I believe he respects me," Macron, who will meet with Trump on Monday, said during a question-and-answer session on social media. "I will tell him: deep down you cannot be weak in the face of President (Vladimir Putin). It's not you, it's not what you're made of, and it's not in your interests."
Starmer, who is slated to meet with Trump on Thursday, said on Sunday in Scotland that there cannot be peace talks without Ukraine's input.
"Nobody wants the bloodshed to continue. Nobody, least of all the Ukrainians," he said Sunday, according to Reuters.
"But after everything that they have suffered, after everything that they have fought for, there could be no discussion about Ukraine without Ukraine, and the people of Ukraine must have a long-term secure future."
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt spoke to members of the media on Saturday following CPAC, saying a peace deal could be reached as soon as this week.
"The president, his team are very much focused on continuing negotiations with both sides of this war to end the conflict, and the president is very confident we can get it done this week," she said.
Fox News Digital's Bailee Hill, Morgan Phillips and Diana Stancy contributed to this report.
The Department of Defense (DOD) told its civilian workforce to ignore billionaire and head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) Elon Musk’s request to report their productivity.
In a letter to DOD personnel, Darin S. Selnick, who is performing the duties of the undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness, provided guidance on how to handle Musk’s demand through the Office of Personnel Management (OPM).
"DoD personnel may have received an email from OPM requesting information. The Department of Defense is responsible for reviewing the performance of its personnel and it will conduct any review in accordance with its own procedures," Selnick wrote. "When and if required, the Department will coordinate responses to the email you have received from OPM. For now, please pause any response to the OPM email titled, ‘What did you do last week.’"
Musk, a senior advisor to President Donald Trump, said earlier on Saturday that employees would receive an email giving them a chance to explain how productive they were the previous week. If an employee fails to respond to the email, Musk said the government will interpret that as a resignation.
"Consistent with President @realDonaldTrump’s instructions, all federal employees will shortly receive an email requesting to understand what they got done last week," Musk wrote on X. "Failure to respond will be taken as a resignation."
Later that day, Musk said the report should take under five minutes for employees to write. The deadline for responding to the email is 11:59 p.m. on Monday.
"To be clear, the bar is very low here. An email with some bullet points that make any sense at all is acceptable! Should take less than 5 mins to write," Musk wrote on X.
A spokesperson from OPM confirmed Musk's plans.
"As part of the Trump Administration's commitment to an efficient and accountable federal workforce, OPM is asking employees to provide a brief summary of what they did last week by the end of Monday, CC'ing their manager," the spokesperson said in a statement to Fox News Digital. "Agencies will determine any next steps."
Also telling employees to stand down was Kash Patel, who was confirmed by the Senate last week as the new director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
"FBI personnel may have received an email from OPM requesting information," Patel told employees, according to The Associated Press. "The FBI, through the Office of the Director, is in charge of all of our review processes, and will conduct reviews in accordance with FBI procedures. When and if further information is required, we will coordinate the responses. For now, please pause any responses."
The State Department also reportedly issued a similar message to employees on Saturday, informing them that department officials "will respond on behalf of the Department," according to a message sent by Ambassador Tibor P. Nagy, who serves as acting under secretary of state for management.
Fox News Digital's Landon Mion, Andrea Margolis and Fox News' Patrick Ward contributed to this report.
Popular TV host Mike Rowe believes that President Donald Trump’s policies will be better for the country in the long run.
Asked by Fox News Digital how he feels about Trump’s first few weeks back in office, Rowe indicated that he is "happy" with what he has seen so far and optimistic about the future outlook.
"I’m a one-issue guy, I got a foundation, we’re trying to close the skills gap, he wants to bring manufacturing back, and I am all for it," Rowe said of Trump from the Conservative Political Action Conference on Saturday. "But right now we got 7.2 million men, able-bodied, who are not looking for work. They’re just sitting out of the workforce. And we’ve got giant shortages already in dozens of skilled trades, so I think part of what has to happen is a PR campaign to reinvigorate the trades as we bring back the manufacturing."
Rowe noted that he is willing to put his money where his mouth is to assist the effort and indicated he was available to help Trump with the issue as well.
"I got a million bucks I am giving away this month to microworks.org to help train the next generation of skilled workers. If I could be of use in any other capacity in that regard, I am at his disposal," Rowe said.
Touching on Trump’s tariff and trade policies, Rowe acknowledged the possibility of some short-term pain for American industries but argued the payoff would be worth it in the end.
"Yes, they will hurt short term. Is it worth it long term?" Rowe said. "Look, do you want to be dependent on China? Do you want to be reliant on other countries? These are really simple, fundamental questions. If the answer is we want to be more independent, there’s going to be some short-term pain."
"I think it will be worth it to be less reliant on countries who hate us," Rowe added. "I think it will be worth it to be less dependent on countries that aren’t terribly concerned with what’s best for us. I am all for an equal playing field, and I am all for every kind of independence we can muster, whether it's energy independence, economic independence, workforce independence, all of it."
Pope Francis signed a letter of resignation in 2013 to be used in case he was forced from his duties as a result of bad health.
"I have already signed my resignation. Tarcisio Bertone was Secretary of State. I signed it and I told him: ‘In case of impediment for medical reasons or whatever, here is my resignation,’" the Pope said during a 2022 interview, according to a report at the time from the New York Post.
The resurfaced interview comes as Francis has been hospitalized for over a week and was reported to be in critical condition after suffering an asthmatic respiratory crisis on Saturday, according to a report from the Associated Press.
Francis also received blood transfusions after tests revealed he had a low platelet count, according to a Reuters report.
Francis, who turned 88 in December, has long faced questions about what he would do if health issues left him unable to carry out his duties. Such questions would have been unheard of prior to 2013, when Pope Benedict XVI resigned, becoming the first papal resignation in over 600 years.
Francis revealed during the 2022 interview that he gave his resignation letter to the Vatican secretary of state, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, a holdover from Benedict XVI, about six months after being elected to the papacy in March 2013.
"You have it. I don’t know to whom Cardinal Bertone may have given it, but I gave it to him when he was secretary of state," Francis said at the time.
As Francis continued his hospitalization in Rome on Sunday, he shared a message thanking those who have kept him in their prayers during his health struggle.
"I have recently received many messages of affection, and I have been particularly struck by the letters and drawings from children," Pope Francis posted on X Sunday. "Thank you for your closeness, and for the consoling prayers I have received from all over the world!"
"I urge you to continue your apostolate with joy and to be a sign of a love that embraces everyone, as the #GospelOfTheDay suggests," another post said. "May we transform evil into goodness and build a fraternal world. Do not be afraid to take risks for love!"
President Donald Trump's envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, said Sunday that he would aim to negotiate an "extension" of Phase One of the Israel-Hamas hostage release and ceasefire deal when he returns to the region this week.
"We have to get an extension of Phase One. And, so I'll be going into the region this week, probably Wednesday, to negotiate that," Witkoff said during an appearance on CNN's "State of the Union." "And we're hoping you have the proper time to finish off to begin Phase Two and finish it off and get more hostages released. And move this – move the discussion forward."
Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, a close confidante of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, reportedly met with Witkoff in Washington, D.C., last week.
In regard to the meeting, CNN's Jake Tapper asked Witkoff if he believes Netanyahu "wants to move forward with the ceasefire, or does he want to resume the war to try to eliminate Hamas?"
Witkoff said he believes the prime minister "is well-motivated" and wants to see "the hostages released," as well "to protect the state of Israel."
"And so he's got a red line," Witkoff said. "And he said what the red line is, and that is that Hamas cannot be involved in a governing body when this thing is resolved."
"They can't be any part of governance in Gaza," the U.S. envoy said of Hamas. "And, you know, as to existing, I'd leave that – that detail to the prime minister."
In another Sunday show appearance on CBS' "Face the Nation," Witkoff said he would arrive "probably Wednesday evening" in the Middle East and would visit various countries, including Qatar, Egypt, Israel, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia. He added that the last remaining living American hostage, Edan Alexander, remains a top priority in negotiations.
"He's front and center for us," Witkoff said. "I know his parents. We talk all the time. He's critical. It's one of President Trump's most important objectives is to get all Americans home. And we're going to be successful in getting Edan home, I believe."
According to the May 27 protocol agreement, Witkoff explained that Phase Two involves both "a permanent ceasefire, a cessation of all violence," as well as "the fact that Hamas cannot be allowed to come back into the government" in Gaza.
"And I think the way you square that circle is that Hamas has to go. They've got to leave," Witkoff said, adding, "I would say physically, that's correct." The envoy said he was not at liberty to say which countries might take in people from Gaza during ongoing negotiations, but stressed that Gaza would not be a safe living environment for another 15 to 20 years following the war and requires an extension reconstruction plan.
The Israeli Prime Minister's Office announced Saturday night that "in light of Hamas's repeated violations, including the ceremonies that humiliate our hostages and the cynical exploitation of our hostages for propaganda purposes, it has been decided to delay the release of terrorists that was planned for yesterday until the release of the next hostages has been assured, and without the humiliating ceremonies."
In a video message Friday, Netanyahu condemned how Hamas "brutally murdered" two young Israeli boys, whose bodies were initially returned to Israel without the remains of their mother, Shiri Bibas. In what Netanyahu decried as a "brazen violation of their agreement," Hamas initially handed over the wrong body for Bibas, whose actual remains were later returned and identified Saturday following an intense standoff with the terrorist group.
Hamas handed over another six Israelis on Saturday in the latest scheduled release of living hostages.
The downtown Washington, D.C., Ronald Reagan building will undergo a dramatic shift as U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) takes over the longtime headquarters of the Agency for International Development (USAID), Fox News Digital has confirmed.
"CBP has signed a license agreement to occupy approximately 390,000 usable square feet in the USAID tower," a CBP spokesperson told Fox News Digital.
The news, which was originally reported by Politico, comes after a federal judge on Friday declined to keep in place a temporary block that was preventing President Donald Trump from removing all but a small number of USAID staffers, clearing the way for the administration to continue its dramatic cuts to federal departments, according to a report from the Associated Press.
USAID, a decades-old foreign assistance agency, was one of the first targets for cuts by the new administration, sparking a lawsuit filed by unions representing federal workers in an attempt to block the layoffs.
The suit accused the Trump administration of stalling medical evacuations for USAID staffers and family members overseas and cutting off contractors from emergency communications while also challenging the constitutionality of the administration’s sudden cuts, which the suit argues requires congressional approval.
"At present, the agency is still standing," U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols wrote in the ruling. "And so the alleged injuries on which plaintiffs rely in seeking injunctive relief flow essentially from their members’ existing employment relationships with USAID."
With the drastic reduction in staffing and the loss of its longtime headquarters, questions remain about the future of USAID and its mission. Earlier this month, the State Department announced that Secretary of State Marco Rubio had been appointed as acting administrator for the agency with an eye toward possible reorganization of its activities under the State Department.
"The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has long strayed from its original mission of responsibly advancing American interests abroad, and it is now abundantly clear that significant portions of USAID funding are not aligned with the core national interests of the United States," the State Department said in a statement. "As we evaluate USAID and ensure it is in alignment with an America First agenda and the efforts of the State Department, we will continue to protect the American people’s interests and ensure their tax dollars are not wasted."
Department of Government Efficiency chair Elon Musk announced that federal employees must report their accomplishments from the last week or face losing their jobs, which has roiled the federal workforce as some Democratic lawmakers and unions call on employees to flout the directive.
"This is a good opportunity for mass civil disobedience. Musk has no authority to do this. Encourage all federal employees to report to work, prepare GFY letters and continue to demonstrate the public service and patriotism he lacks," Illinois Democratic Rep. Sean Casten posted to X on Saturday evening.
The acronym GFY is internet slang typically meaning "go f--- yourself."
"It takes a remarkable combination of arrogance and stupidity to think that this is the best use of time for our intelligence officers, VA workers, air traffic controllers, and everyone else we depend on to do their job well," he continued.
Musk said on Saturday that federal employees would receive an email directing them to list their accomplishments from the week prior, with the DOGE leader adding later that day that the assignment should take less than five minutes to accomplish. Employees have until 11:59 pm on Monday to send the list or lose their employment, according to emails regarding Musk's directive that were sent by the Office of Personnel Management.
"Consistent with President @realDonaldTrump’s instructions, all federal employees will shortly receive an email requesting to understand what they got done last week," Musk wrote on X. "Failure to respond will be taken as a resignation."
"To be clear, the bar is very low here. An email with some bullet points that make any sense at all is acceptable! Should take less than 5 mins to write," Musk added.
Musk's message followed President Donald Trump remarking that he's been pleased with Musk and DOGE's work investigating various federal agencies for government overspending, fraud and mismanagement, but that he would like to see Musk "get more aggressive."
Unions lambasted Musk's directive that federal employees detail their work accomplishments to DOGE, with a chapter of the National Treasury Employees Union, which represents FDA employees, telling members they "strongly" encourage them to flout the order.
"We work for HHS/FDA, not OPM: OPM directives that have not been formally adopted or communicated by our employer, the FDA, do not create an obligation for you to respond," the NTEU chapter's guidance stated. The chapter's website states in bolded, all-capitalized letters: "NTEU ADVISES YOU NOT TO SIGN THAT EMAIL... UNTIL WE GET MORE INFO."
The chapter noted in a comment to Fox News Digital that it is only one chapter of hundreds under the national NTEU's umbrella, and only represents FDA employees in five states, as well as Washington, D.C. Fox Digital reached out to the national NTEU's press office on Sunday morning, but did not immediately receive a reply.
The national president of the American Federation of Government Employees, Everett Kelley, also released a statement on Saturday evening, arguing that Musk and the Trump administration were showing "their utter disdain for federal employees and the critical services they provide to the American people."
"It is cruel and disrespectful to hundreds of thousands of veterans who are wearing their second uniform in the civil service to be forced to justify their job duties to this out-of-touch, privileged, unelected billionaire who has never performed one single hour of honest public service in his life," Kelley said in a statement.
"AFGE will challenge any unlawful terminations of our members and federal employees across the country."
Trump joined the Conservative Political Action Conference on Saturday afternoon, where he took a victory lap for the breakneck pace of work his administration has accomplished in his first month back in the Oval Office, while lauding Musk for his DOGE efforts.
"I signed an order creating the Department of Government Efficiency – you probably haven't heard of it – which is now waging war on government waste, fraud and abuse. And Elon is doing a great job," Trump said at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center Saturday in Oxon Hill, Maryland, just outside the nation's capital. "He's doing a great job."
Trump also touted that his administration is gutting the government of "corrupt" and "incompetent" federal employees.
"We have a very corrupt group of people in this country, and we're finding them out," Trump said during his speech. "We're removing all of the unnecessary, incompetent and corrupt bureaucrats from the federal workforce."
The Senate confirmed Kash Patel as the new director of the FBI last week, and he reportedly told staffers on Saturday that his office will handle reviewing their productivity.
"FBI personnel may have received an email from OPM requesting information," Patel reportedly told employees. "The FBI, through the Office of the Director, is in charge of all of our review processes, and will conduct reviews in accordance with FBI procedures. When and if further information is required, we will coordinate the responses. For now, please pause any responses."
The State Department also reportedly issued a similar message to employees on Saturday, informing them that department officials "will respond on behalf of the Department," according to a message sent by Ambassador Tibor P. Nagy, who serves as acting under secretary of state for management.
The NSA told its employees that "NSA and CYBERCOM are awaiting further guidance" from the Defense Department, the Washington Post reported.
Musk doubled down on X on Sunday that the initiative is important due to an alleged swath of government employees who accomplish such little work that they are not even checking their government email accounts.
"The reason this matters is that a significant number of people who are supposed to be working for the government are doing so little work that they are not checking their email at all! In some cases, we believe non-existent people or the identities of dead people are being used to collect paychecks. In other words, there is outright fraud," Musk posted to X on Sunday.
President Donald Trump fired the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Air Force Gen. C.Q. Brown, and a number of other top military officers over the weekend in a dramatic shakeup of Pentagon leadership.
Trump announced on social media Friday that he was replacing Brown and planned on nominating retired Lt. Gen. Dan "Razin" Caine to fill his role as the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, making him the military’s top officer.
A report from Reuters noted Trump’s move was "unprecedented," becoming the first time a president has pulled a military officer out of retirement to head the Joint Chiefs.
The move was just one of many changes Trump announced to top military brass in recent days, including plans to replace the U.S. Navy's top officer, Adm. Lisa Franchetti, the first woman to lead one of the military branches. Trump is also removing the Air Force vice chief of staff, Gen. Jim Slife, and the judge advocates general of the Army, Navy and Air Force.
"I want to thank General Charles 'CQ' Brown for his over 40 years of service to our country, including as our current Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He is a fine gentleman and an outstanding leader, and I wish a great future for him and his family," Trump wrote in a social media post.
Trump campaigned heavily on the idea of removing "woke" generals from the top of the military, especially those he believed were responsible for botching the U.S. exit from Afghanistan in 2021.
Trump’s defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, has also made it a point to root out Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives in the military, going so far as to question whether Brown was given the nod as the nation’s top military officer as a result of his race.
"Was it because of his skin color? Or his skill? We'll never know, but always doubt – which on its face seems unfair to CQ. But since he has made the race card one of his biggest calling cards, it doesn't really much matter," Hegseth wrote in his 2024 book.
The decision to move on from Franchetti also reverses a 2023 decision by former President Joe Biden, who surprised Pentagon leaders by tapping Franchetti over Adm. Samuel Paparo, who at the time led the Navy’s Pacific Command and was widely expected to be in line for the service’s top job.
But Trump’s decision has also caused "upheaval" at the Pentagon, according to the Reuters report, where the Defense Department was already bracing for mass cuts to its civilian staff.
The moves were also condemned by the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, Sen. Jack Reed, of Rhode Island, who called the firings "political."
"Firing uniformed leaders as a type of political loyalty test, or for reasons relating to diversity and gender that have nothing to do with performance, erodes the trust and professionalism that our service members require to achieve their missions," Reed told Reuters.
The White House did not immediately respond to a Fox News Digital request for comment.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul is defending the state’s congestion pricing program in New York City and pushing back against President Donald Trump’s "king" remark after his administration moved to block the scheme.
Hochul appeared on CBS’ "Face the Nation" on Sunday and was asked about her one-on-one Oval Office meeting with Trump at the White House last week. The governor said she wanted to use the meeting with Trump to make a case for the toll program "because our city is paralyzed with gridlock, and we had a path forward to be able to make the city move again, and it's working."
"It was an adversarial meeting," the Democrat said, "but I was very clear, especially after I found that the Trump administration had ended a program that was put in place, congestion pricing, by the duly elected members of our legislature representing the voice of the people, and with a tweet, he claims that he is the king, and therefore he has the power to destroy it."
The Trump administration on Wednesday ordered a stop to the program, which launched Jan. 5 with the goals of thinning traffic and funding mass transit by imposing a $9 toll on most vehicles entering Manhattan's core south of Central Park.
Trump declared victory on Truth Social after the announcement, writing, "CONGESTION PRICING IS DEAD. Manhattan, and all of New York, is SAVED. LONG LIVE THE KING!"
Hochul immediately fired back on Wednesday, criticizing the remark. She reiterated her stance Sunday.
"And I have a problem with that characterization, because we labored under a king 250 years ago, and as I said, we're not going back there," Hochul said.
Despite the federal order, the tolls are remaining in place for now because of a federal lawsuit aiming to keep them alive that was filed by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, a state agency that runs public transit in New York City.
The congestion tolling has been divisive in New York, with most opposition coming from suburban commuters or from those living in areas not well-served by the subway system. Advocates say it is an innovative way to speed up traffic and reduce air pollution.
Hochul said that while her meeting with Trump may not have persuaded the president to rethink his move to block the program, she will continue to fight for it.
"The people in my state need to know I'm willing to take the fight wherever I have to," she said.
Hochul said that she believes the state’s case will be won in the courts and that the congestion pricing toll program will continue.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will release parts of Prince Harry’s immigration records with some redaction, in the ongoing lawsuit over the royal's move to the United States.
The move comes after federal Judge Carl Nichols ordered the agency to provide the court with a redacted version of Harry’s file for review with the ultimate goal of making the records public, according to a New York Post report Friday.
At issue is whether the British royal lied on immigration documents or was given preferential treatment when he moved to the U.S. in 2020, with Harry later revealing in his memoir "Spare," which was released in 2023, that he had used illegal drugs.
The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank, sued DHS in an attempt to get Harry’s record released, hoping to find out if the 40-year-old royal failed to disclose his former drug use on his immigration application.
In a DHS filing to the court, the agency said it could turn over "items 1-3" of Harry’s records with some redactions, but would not release "item 4."
It is unclear what information the items DHS is set to release will contain, though Nichols said at the hearing earlier this month that he wanted the records to be disclosed "in stages" in order to prevent violating U.S. privacy laws.
DHS will have until March 6 to provide the redacted version of the records for the judge’s review, the report notes.
Nile Gardiner, the director of the Heritage Foundation’s Margaret Thatcher Center for Freedom, has argued that "transparency" is important when it comes to how immigration cases are handled.
"It’s important because this is an issue of the rule of law, transparency and accountability. No one should be above the law," Gardiner said earlier this month. "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."
DHS did not immediately respond to a Fox News Digital request for comment.
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth denied rumors that he drafted a list of senior military leaders he allegedly planned to purge after the rumor tore through the Pentagon last week and reportedly kept flag officers on their toes.
"I gotta ask you about this rumored list of people that you allegedly put together that we're all going to be cleaned out. Is there a list? Is there anybody left on the list if it exists?" "Fox News Sunday" host Shannon Bream asked Hegseth in an exclusive interview on Sunday morning.
"There's no list, Shannon," Hegseth responded. "I've heard that, seen that very rumor, although we have a very keen eye toward military leadership and their willingness to follow lawful orders."
Republican lawmakers on the House and Senate Armed Services Committees said Thursday that they had heard about such a list of senior military officials facing the chopping block, but had not been presented anything.
The rumors flew through the Pentagon Thursday, creating fear among top-ranked officers, as reports that thousands of probationary DOD employees, including many military veterans, could be affected by the federal workforce reductions ordered by the White House, Fox News Digital reported last week.
The list allegedly contained a "handful of names."
"I may have heard a rumor, but I'm not going to speculate on rumors," Senate Armed Services Committee Chair Roger Wicker, R-Miss., told Fox News. "No one has approached me about such a list other than people asking me questions."
Concerns over an alleged list mounted on Friday when Hegseth was slated to travel to Guatanomo Bay in Cuba to hold a media availability, but the trip was postponed until later this week. Some officials viewed the postponement as a signal the firings would be imminent, Fox Digital reported.
The Trump administration on Friday did fire six Pentagon officials, including Air Force Gen. C.Q. Brown, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Adm. Lisa Franchetti, who was the first woman to serve as chief of naval operations.
"This is all about defending the Constitution," Hegseth continued in his remarks to Bream after denying the existence of any "list." "Joe Biden gave lawful orders. A lot of them are really bad, and it's unfortunate how they eroded our military, ideological, COVID mandates. President Trump has given another set of lawful orders, and they will be followed."
"And all these orders are in keeping with the Constitution, and norms inside the military. If they're not followed, then those officers will find the door. And that's not a tough calculation. We feel really good about the direction the Pentagon is headed under President Trump. We're going to focus on war fighting and lethality and accountability, and be the most transparent Pentagon that folks have seen in a long time," he added.
Earlier in the interview, Hegseth added that the former Joint Chiefs chairman, Gen. Brown, is an "honorable man, not the right man for the moment."
Fox News' Louis Casiano, Alexandra Koch and Jennifer Griffin contributed to this report.
President Donald Trump’s White House is looking to sell two prominent federal buildings in San Francisco, including the recently dubbed Nancy Pelosi Federal Building, according to local reports.
The Nancy Pelosi Federal Building, a two-decade-old, 18-story tower known as the San Francisco Federal Building until its formal dedication to the former House speaker in December, sits on Mission and 7th streets in an area that has been for years plagued by open-air drug dealing, illegal markets reselling stolen goods and other crime.
In addition to Pelosi’s namesake building, the Trump administration is reportedly also considering selling the 1930s-era federal building at 50 United Nations Plaza, which currently serves as the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) regional headquarters. The potential sales were reported by KGO-TV, as well as the San Francisco Chronicle, which cited a GSA document earmarking both federal properties in San Francisco as "non-core" assets to possibly be sold off.
In 2023, hundreds of federal employees at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) assigned to the building were instructed to work from home amid worsening safety concerns, the San Francisco Chronicle reported. At the time, Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, demanded its closure due to the drug dealing at the building’s doorstep.
"It's another example of how he is coming after Democrats. He's coming after California, and it's all about payback," former Democratic Rep. Jackie Speier told KGO, referring to Trump. "The lease will keep going up and you will end up paying the property taxes of the lessor, whereas you don't pay federal taxes when you are a federal government."
In a 2020 executive order, Trump described the 7th Street federal building – an energy-efficient "green" structure opened in 2007 at a cost of $144 million – as being considered by San Franciscans as "one of the ugliest structures in their city."
Andy Ball, a developer who worked as a concrete subcontractor on the building two decades ago, told the Chronicle the project was a "waste of taxpayer money from day one."
"No investor would have built this building," Ball said, estimating the costs were about "50% greater" than if the project had been funded by the private sector. "In this market, it will represent the greatest difference between cost to build and its sale value."
The potential building sales come as the Trump administration, through Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), continues efforts to downside federal government bureaucracy. Though the lease remains active for the 800,000-square-foot former Twitter headquarters in San Francisco, Musk moved his tech company, rebranded as X Corp., to Texas last year.
Last year, the overall vacancy for downtown San Francisco reached 37%, with the vacancy rate specifically in the Mid-Market area sitting at 55%, according to the Chronicle.
As of December, the Federal Protective Service ramped up security at the corner since the 7th Street federal building was formally named after Pelosi, who has represented San Francisco for more than 37 years in Congress. Residents who spoke to KGO-TV lamented that the problems just seemed to have been moved a block over, as federal employees would now enjoy the benefit of armed security, while everyday citizens do not. The building, which can accommodate roughly 2,000 workers, currently houses offices for Pelosi, HHS, as well as the Social Security Administration, the Department of Transportation, the Department of Labor, the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Fox News Digital reached out to Pelosi's office, as well as the GSA and the White House, for comment Sunday but did not immediately hear back.
A group of veterans and lawmakers is urging President Donald Trump to award an 87-year-old Marine Corps "legend" and war hero the Medal of Honor after he was snubbed by former President Joe Biden.
The veteran, Maj. James Capers, served in the Vietnam War and saved seven fellow Marines when his recon group was ambushed and outnumbered by North Vietnamese troops in Phú Lộc in 1967.
According to the sworn testimony of the surviving Marines, then-Lt. Capers’ unit was ambushed in the jungle, with blasts from claymore mines inflicting devastating injuries on him and his men. Despite the blasts ripping open his stomach and breaking his leg, a heavily bleeding Capers kept command of his Marines and led two in holding off the enemy long enough for the medevac flight to arrive.
When the overloaded aircraft struggled to take off, Capers attempted to sacrifice himself by jumping from the helicopter and insisting he be left behind until he was pulled back on board by the medevac crew chief.
Capers received multiple gunfire wounds and 19 pieces of shrapnel in the firefight. He continues to suffer from the wounds to this day. But due to his heroic actions, Capers and all of his Marines survived.
For his heroism, Capers was awarded the Bronze Star, which was later upgraded to the Silver Star. However, many believe that Capers rightfully should have received the nation’s highest military honor, the Medal of Honor, for his actions at Phú Lộc.
Unconcerned about his own recognition, Capers continued to serve in the Marines after the war and became a central figure in the "Ask a Marine" program, where he shared his experiences and inspired countless young Americans to serve their country.
For years now, a collection of Marine and other military veterans has been advocating for Capers to finally receive the recognition they believe he deserves. But despite their efforts, Capers, who happens to have also been the first African American to serve in a recon battalion in Vietnam, continued to be ignored by the Biden administration.
With his advanced age and frail health, friends of Capers are worried he may never get the recognition they feel he deserves.
But with Trump in the Oval Office, Bill Cortese, one of Capers’ supporters, feels confident it will finally happen.
Cortese, who is also a Marine Corps vet, told Fox News Digital that he believes Capers could be an inspiring and unifying force in the country.
"When you are overseas, when those bullets start flying, no one's a Democrat or a Republican. No one's a conservative or a progressive. And I think Maj. Capers is sort of the example of someone who just did what had to be done," he explained. "This is someone who led the way, who grew up in Jim Crow South Carolina, overcame incredible racism and incredible obstacles to join the Marine Corps and serve his country, and not once did he ever look for anyone to give him anything based on the color of his skin. It was entirely on his merit and his actions. And so that's something that we can rally around."
Despite this, Cortese said he found it "mind-boggling" how the previous administration "found every reason why not to upgrade this award to the Medal of Honor."
"It's strange, but it seems we received every excuse under the sun." he explained.
He suspects Biden snubbed Capers because he does not fit into the left’s political box and narrative.
"Anyone who knows Maj. Capers knows that he is not someone who bought into any of the woke ideology the last administration was pushing," he explained. "He wouldn't, I think, sing the song that they wanted, and so, I think they just decided to sit on their hands and not do anything, which is sad and unfortunate."
"That's why we're just trying to do the right thing," he continued. "And we know this administration knows how to do the right thing when it comes to veterans."
"We know President Trump cares about our veterans. We know he cares about recognizing their heroic actions. And so, we feel very positive about this new administration that they're going to recognize the value in this both for the veteran community itself, but also for the country as a whole."
The push recently gained even more momentum when 47 members of the U.S. House and Senate formally signed a letter asking Trump to give Capers the recognition he deserves.
"We firmly believe that Major James Capers, Jr., has met the stringent criteria for the Medal of Honor," the lawmakers wrote. "His selfless actions, leadership, courage, and initiative uphold the highest traditions of the United States Armed Forces. The exceptional valor displayed by Major Capers during his missions in the Republic of Vietnam from March 31 to April 3, 1967, serves as a shining example for all servicemen and women, and it is deserving of the highest recognition."
Cortese said he is very grateful for the lawmakers and that he is thankful just to be a part of the movement to finally give Capers the honor he deserves.
"We stand on the shoulders of people like Maj. Capers," he said. "So, we think it's very important to make sure that we honor those who have come before us, honor those who have served, put their lives on the line like Maj. Capers."
"As a Marine Corps veteran myself, I think it's important to recognize tradition, and it's important to recognize those who have paved the way before you," he explained. "I think that's something that is instilled in us as Marines to always remember that, to keep those traditions alive and to recognize those like Maj. Capers who are Marine Corps legends."
President Donald Trump is calling for an audit that could kill California's high-speed rail proposal, which has been around for nearly two decades and has made very little progress.
Many union workers who depend on the federal lifeline turned out to Union Station in Los Angeles on Thursday to throw tomatoes and heckle Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, as his department will lead the charge of figuring out how the funds are being utilized.
"It's been 17 years and $16 billion and no rail has been built," Duffy said while the protesters were in the room reacting to his comments.
"So, if you want to go protest somewhere, if you want to go shout at someone, go to the governor's mansion – go talk to Democrats in the legislature who have brought us this crappy project," he added.
Specifically, the secretary wants to investigate if there were any shady business dealings tied with the rail project's failure so far. As of January, the state was touting a small development in the project's Bakersfield section.
"No state in America is closer to launching high-speed rail than California – and today, we just took a massive step forward. We’re moving into the track-laying phase, completing structures for key segments, and laying the groundwork for a high-speed rail network," Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a statement last month.
"The future of transportation is being realized right here in the Central Valley with thousands of good-paying jobs already created and 171 miles being worked on. As only California can, we’re building America’s biggest infrastructure project," he added.
Federal taxpayers spent almost $3 billion on the project – with another $4 billion promised by, but not already spent, from President Joe Biden. The audit could provide Trump with the legal authority to claw that money back.
Still, there is almost nothing to show for the project, which is projected to cost $106 billion to achieve its final goal of stretching from Los Angeles to San Francisco, according to the Associated Press. Proponents have argued that the rail would make California, one of the nation's largest states, more connected.
Congressman Kevin Kiley, R-Calif., is pleased to see the project getting federal attention.
"We have been fighting against this disastrous project for years, and now, thanks to Secretary Duffy and President Trump, we finally have an opportunity to hopefully bring it to an end," he told Fox News Digital.
"I'm not sure why anyone would be in favor of what's going on in California. We're wasting taxpayer money in a really, just on an epic scale and not getting anything in return for it," he added.
In addition, Congresswoman Young Kim, R-Calif., argued "it's about time" for accountability on the project.
"We'll see if this investigation leads to finding any fraud and waste. If there is fraud, I know it would probably be in the areas of whether or not the contractors, subcontractors, the designer, the builders, anyone who's involved with the high-speed rail project is somehow involved in this process," she said.
