New Jersey real estate developer Charles Kushner will be considered by the U.S. Senate on Monday for the ambassadorship to France and Monaco.
Kushner, the father-in-law of Ivanka Trump, was previously pardoned by President Donald Trump for federal tax evasion and Federal Election Commission violations from 2005, during the mogul’s first term.
In 1985, he founded the Kushner Companies and has long been a philanthropist, particularly to Jewish causes and institutions like Yeshiva University in Washington Heights, Manhattan.
He has also donated to St. Barnabas Hospital in Essex County, New Jersey, which has a wing bearing his family name.
During his May 1 confirmation hearing, Kushner acknowledged his past legal missteps, claiming they sharpened his judgment and better prepared him for both the ambassadorship and life.
"I think that my past mistakes actually make me… better in my values to really make me more qualified to do this job," he told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
Kushner, who just celebrated his 71st birthday, was nominated in November after Trump called him a "tremendous business leader, philanthropist, & dealmaker, who will be a strong advocate representing our country & its interests."
"He was recognized as New Jersey Entrepreneur of the Year by Ernst & Young, appointed to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Council, & served as a commissioner, & chairman, of the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey, as well as on the boards of our top institutions, including NYU," Trump said.
"Congratulations to Charlie, his wonderful wife Seryl, their 4 children, & 14 grandchildren. His son, Jared, worked closely with me in the White House, in particular on Operation Warp Speed, Criminal Justice Reform, & the Abraham Accords."
Trump added that Kushner will help strengthen America’s partnership with "our oldest ally and one of our greatest."
A Tennessee congressman viewed documents relating to the 2023 Covenant school shooting for the first time, praising the Director Kash Patel-led FBI for upholding the Trump administration’s "radical transparency" promise.
Rep. John Rose told Fox News Digital he was offered full access to the documents, including the writings of suspect Audrey Hale, a transgender woman who was a former student and killed three children and three adults on March 27 of that year.
The GOP lawmaker said he sent a letter to the FBI the month after the shooting and received a response in November telling him to effectively seek what he was looking for from the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department.
He contrasted that with Patel's FBI's quick turnaround in accessing the documents.
"They are primarily comprised of the writings and work of the perpetrator of the Covenant School shooting. But they do provide a great deal of insight and I think confirm some of the suspicions that I've had all along," Rose said.
"We really never received a response [regarding a document inquiry] from the Metro National Police Department (MNPD) one way or the other… We got a letter that was really non-responsive and basically indicated they would not release the information to us. So it's remarkable that in just a little over 40 days that new FBI Director Kash Patel has made this information available for us to look at."
Many of the documents have been under seal and are the subject of legal battles in the Volunteer State.
Nashville Chancery Court Chancellor I’ashea Myles ruled in 2024 that much of Hale’s writings are protected by copyright law, which trumps the state’s records statute.
An official with the MNPD told Fox News Digital there was also concern in the courts and among law enforcement that the detailed writings could inspire copycat violence.
"This investigation was meticulous and ran through this year and at the conclusion of the investigation we issued the 48-page summary," the official told Fox News Digital on Thursday.
"There exists to this day the Chancery Court, an order that restricts the shooter's writing from being publicly released [but] through the 48-page summary, we've wanted all to know what our findings were in this mass shooting case; in the days after our officers responded so bravely into the building to stop the threat," the official added.
The MNPD said they were aware the FBI was contemplating releasing some of the material and echoed copycat-related concerns – and that the bureau understood those reservations and redacted parts of what has been witnessed by Rose.
However, Rose said that after Patel allowed him to view the documents, he is "more assured than ever" that the information within should be made public so that people can better understand the tragedy.
He disputed claims that the MNPD has been entirely forthright, saying, "I think they’ve just stonewalled… and frankly I think that makes it impossible for policymakers, legislators to take any action with respect to the incidents around this heinous act that happened back in March of 2023," he said.
"We simply can't be expected to take action when we don't understand the nature of this crime. And so the public is entitled to that information, but as policymakers, I feel like we simply cannot be expected to make a policy based on innuendo and supposition when the information is available."
"And had this been any other significant crime of this nature, including a mass shooting, we know from historic precedent that virtually all of this information would have been released in the normal course for public inspection and consideration."
As for sensitivity, he said that there is "tough information" in what he has seen and that he has sympathy for the victims of the shooting, but that in order to protect society, the information currently being held should be accessible to better understand the perpetrator and more.
MNPD denied any stonewalling allegation and cited the Chancery Court order in its response.
Rose did, however, appear to support some of the redactions, suggesting that a careful review process could allow documents from and about the shooter to be used in understanding the "heinous crime," identifying others who may be responsible and examining how society may have missed chances to prevent it.
Nashville police also released their final report on the shooting, first reported at the time by Fox News Digital.
Rather than a highly anticipated manifesto, the report found that Hale left behind numerous notebooks, art books and computer documents about plans to commit the attack and gain notoriety, partly inspired by the Columbine school shooting in 1999.
Fox News Digital's Michael Ruiz and Sarah Rumpf-Whitten contributed to this report.
President Donald Trump remains confident in White House doctors despite the possibility that they missed a prostate cancer diagnosis for former President Joe Biden while he was in office, the White House says.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt made the statement during a press briefing on Monday morning, saying Trump remains in good health. Speculation has exploded in the days since Biden he has stage 5 metastatic prostate cancer this weekend, a diagnosis that typically takes years to develop.
"White House doctors may have missed the early stages of his prostate cancer. So is President Trump worried about the quality of care that presidents get here?" Fox News White House correspondent Peter Doocy asked.
"Not as far as President Trump is concerned. The White House physician we have here is phenomenal," Leavitt responded. "The team of physicians that take care of the president, particularly at Walter Reed Medical Center, are great. The president had his physical recently, as you know, he had, perfect results. He's in very good shape."
"I think those of you who traveled to the Middle East with us last week can attest to the president's endurance. And by the way, I will add, we returned home from a very long and tiring trip last week, and on Saturday, where was the president? In the Oval Office, working all day. He doesn't stop. He doesn't quit. He's in great health and he trusts his physicians," she added.
Trump said he and first lady Melania Trump said he were "saddened" to learn of Biden's diagnosis and wished him a "fast and successful recovery" in a post on social media this weekend.
"Melania and I are saddened to hear about Joe Biden’s recent medical diagnosis," Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social. "We extend our warmest and best wishes to Jill and the family, and we wish Joe a fast and successful recovery."
Leavitt told reporters that she does not believe Trump has spoken with Biden since the announcement, but she said he would be open to speaking with him.
Biden's office confirmed on Sunday that he was diagnosed with an "aggressive form" of prostate cancer.
"Last week, President Joe Biden was seen for a new finding of a prostate nodule after experiencing increasing urinary symptoms," Biden's team shared in a statement. "On Friday, he was diagnosed with prostate cancer, characterized by a Gleason score of 9 (Grade Group 5) with metastasis to the bone."
"While this represents a more aggressive form of the disease, the cancer appears to be hormone-sensitive which allows for effective management. The President and his family are reviewing treatment options with his physicians," the statement said.
Sen. Chris Murphy says "it was a mistake" for his party to allow then-81-year-old President Joe Biden to remain on the 2024 ballot as long as he did.
The Democrat from Connecticut, who is viewed as a possible contender for his party's 2028 presidential nomination, during an appearance on the Sunday morning talk shows was the latest Democrat to face questions about the former president's cognitive abilities.
"I saw a president who was in control," Murphy said during an interview on NBC's "Meet the Press" as he pointed to his experience working closely with Biden on legislation in 2023. "That’s my experience."
However, the senator added "that by 2024 the American public had made up their mind, right, that they wanted the Democratic Party to nominate somebody new, and it was absolutely a mistake for the party to not listen to those voters."
He also noted that Democrats "all bear responsibility" for President Donald Trump's White House victory last November.
However, longtime Democratic Rep. James Clyburn of South Carolina, a longtime Biden ally and confidant, said on the Sunday talk shows that he never doubted the then-president's ability to lead the nation.
"I never saw anything that allowed me to think that Joe Biden was not able to do the job," Clyburn argued in an appearance on CNN's "State of the Union."
Top Democrats like Murphy and Clyburn are facing a litmus test over Biden's mental acuity during his final years in office and whether Democrats should have been more strident earlier in the 2024 election cycle in calling on Biden to abandon his bid for a second term in the White House.
The grilling comes as Biden's condition is once again making headlines, courtesy of excerpts from a new book being released this week, "Original Sin: President Biden’s Decline, Its Cover-up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again," which offers claims of a White House cover-up of the then-president's apparent cognitive decline.
Additionally, last week's leaked audio of Biden’s 2023 interview with special counsel Robert Hur, in which the then-president appears to suffer memory lapses, is also fueling the conversation.
Hur, who investigated whether Biden years earlier had improperly stored classified documents, made major headlines early last year when he decided not to charge Biden but described the then-president as an "elderly man with a poor memory."
The first question thrown at former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg as he briefly met with reporters following a town hall with veterans and military families in Iowa last week was,"Did President Joe Biden experience cognitive decline while in office?" Buttigieg was asked.
"Every time I needed something from him from the West Wing, I got it," answered Buttigieg, a 2020 Democratic presidential candidate who served four years in Biden's cabinet. He, like Murphy, may have national ambitions in 2028.
After a second reporter followed up, asking, "Would the party have been better off if he had just not run for re-election?" Buttigieg answered, "Maybe. Right now, with the benefit of hindsight, I think most people would agree that that’s the case."
Longtime New Hampshire-based radio host Chris Ryan pointed to his listeners on his popular morning news/talk program as he told Fox News, "I think that is one of the top things that they do want to know about."
"The Democratic voters are still trying to sort through what happened and why," said Ryan, who has interviewed scores of White House hopefuls over the years.
How the Democratic presidential hopefuls answer these questions will be an early test of their truthfulness in the eyes of voters who had serious concerns over whether Biden was mentally and physically up for another four years handling the world's most grueling job.
However, Ryan noted that "it’s different for each potential candidate based on their level of proximity to President Biden."
It is doubtful the questions will be going away in the coming days, even after Sunday's blockbuster announcement that Biden was diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer that had spread to his bones.
Biden dropped out of the White House race last July, one month after a disastrous debate performance with Trump that sparked a chorus of calls from fellow Democrats for the then-president to end his re-election bid.
He was replaced at the top of the ticket by then-Vice President Kamala Harris, who ended up losing November's presidential election to Trump. Democrats also suffered down ballot, losing control of the Senate and failing to win back the House majority from the Republicans.
During an appearance on ABC's "The View" two weeks ago, Biden pushed back against accusations that he had suffered significant cognitive decline during the final year of his presidency.
Rep. Ro Khanna of California was a leading supporter and surrogate on the campaign trail for Biden during the 2024 election cycle. After last June’s debate, as a trickle of Democrats urging Biden to step aside turned into a steady stream, Khanna likened the embattled president to Rocky Balboa—the underdog boxer of big-screen legend.
"To rebuild trust, Democrats must be honest. In light of the facts that have come out, Joe Biden should not have run for reelection, and we should have had an open primary," Khanna wrote in a social media post.
Khanna, in a statement, said, "I have always admired Biden’s resilience and the grit he has shown after the loss of his son — and often compared that strength to Rocky. I was a surrogate for the president of my own party whose policies I backed.
"But obviously we did not have the full picture, and in hindsight it is painfully obvious that President Biden should have made the patriotic decision not to run," Khanna added.
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, another possible White House candidate who was a top 2024 surrogate for Biden, said in a recent CNN interview when asked about Biden's cognitive abilities, "As a governor in a state halfway across the country who was working her tail off, 160 stops on a bus tour that I had lined through swing states, I was busy working. I was busy doing the voter connection and registration, and so can't speak to that directly."
"I didn't see the president frequently."
However, she added that "it does make me question a lot of the things I thought I knew over the course of the last year and a half."
While the potential contenders are answering questions concerning Biden in different ways, there is one consensus.
"We're not in a position to wallow in hindsight. We've got to get ready for some fundamental tests of the future of this country and this party," Buttigieg noted.
President Donald Trump has returned from his four-day trip to the Middle East, and plans to kick off his week back on U.S. soil with phone calls to help negotiate a potential ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine.
Trump spent the weekend in Washington, D.C., after returning from visits to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. He received a warm welcome in each country, and came home with a bevy of deals, including a purchasing agreement by Qatar for Boeing aircraft, as well as a "strategic economic partnership" with Saudi Arabia for energy, defense, mining and space-based agreements that amount to $600 billion.
This week, political eyes are locked on Eastern Europe as Trump lines up phone conversations with Russia and Ukraine slated for Monday morning.
Trump announced over the weekend that he would personally hold a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin to help broker a deal to end the bloodshed and secure long-term peace.
"I WILL BE SPEAKING, BY TELEPHONE, TO PRESIDENT VLADIMIR PUTIN OF RUSSIA ON MONDAY, AT 10:00 A.M. THE SUBJECTS OF THE CALL WILL BE, STOPPING THE ‘BLOODBATH’ THAT IS KILLING, ON AVERAGE, MORE THAN 5000 RUSSIAN AND UKRAINIAN SOLDIERS A WEEK, AND TRADE," Trump posted to Truth Social on Saturday.
Trump added that he will then hold talks with Zelenskyy, followed by another call with Zelenskyy and NATO leaders, queuing up a busy Monday schedule.
Russian and Ukrainian officials held their first direct peace talks in years last week in Istanbul. The two sides, however, failed to agree to a ceasefire in a war that has raged since February 2022. Russia and Ukraine did agree to a large prisoner swap during the meeting.
Hours after the meeting, a Russian drone strike hit a passenger bus in northeastern Ukraine on Saturday.
World leaders traveled to Rome on Sunday for Pope Leo XIV's inaugural mass at the Vatican, including Zelenskyy, Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. The U.S. leaders met with Zelenskyy for a separate meeting, where they discussed efforts to end the war, according to the vice president's office.
"The leaders discussed their shared goal of ending the bloodshed in Ukraine and provided updates on the current state of negotiations for a ceasefire and lasting peace," Vance's office said in a statement on Sunday afternoon.
Zelenskyy posted his own message regarding the meeting on social media on Sunday, slamming Russia for sending "non-decision-makers" to the meeting in Istanbul last week, while also thanking "all American people for the support and leadership in saving lives."
"During our talks we discussed negotiations in Istanbul to where the Russians sent a low level delegation of non-decision-makers. I reaffirmed that Ukraine is ready to be engaged in real diplomacy and underscored the importance of a full and unconditional ceasefire as soon as possible," Zelenskyy posted.
"We have also touched upon the need for sanctions against Russia, bilateral trade, defense cooperation, battlefield situation and upcoming prisoners exchange. Pressure is needed against Russia until they are eager to stop the war. And, of course, we talked about our joint steps to achieve a just and durable peace."
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed to local media that Monday's "conversation is in the works," the BBC reported on Saturday.
"HOPEFULLY IT WILL BE A PRODUCTIVE DAY, A CEASEFIRE WILL TAKE PLACE, AND THIS VERY VIOLENT WAR, A WAR THAT SHOULD HAVE NEVER HAPPENED, WILL END. GOD BLESS US ALL!!!" Trump added of the highly-anticipated rounds of phone calls on Monday.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Sunday said that nations that have bucked negotiating trade deals with the U.S. in "good faith" could see tariff hikes.
"President Trump has put them on notice that if you do not negotiate in good faith, that you will ratchet back up to your April 2 level," Bessent said on CNN.
Trump's April 2 "Liberation Day" trade announcement unveiled his reciprocal tariff plan on dozens of nations as he worked to bring parity to the U.S.' trade deficit. The president issued a 90-day pause to the reciprocal tariffs, except on China, in April as countries requested to make trade deals. Trump administration leaders have since been involved in hashing out trade negotiations before the 90-day pause is lifted in July.
Bessent's comments come after Trump slammed Walmart on Saturday for raising prices on consumers amid the tariff rollout.
"Walmart should STOP trying to blame Tariffs as the reason for raising prices throughout the chain," the president wrote on Truth Social. "Walmart made BILLIONS OF DOLLARS last year, far more than expected. Between Walmart and China they should, as is said, ‘EAT THE TARIFFS,’ and not charge valued customers ANYTHING. I’ll be watching, and so will your customers!!!"
Congressional Republicans are in the midst of pushing to pass Trump's "big, beautiful bill," which has been touted as significant fiscal reform that would fund the president's agenda.
Republicans are working to pass it through the budget reconciliation process, and have set a Memorial Day deadline for its passage. With just one working week left before the summer holiday weekend, House Budget Committee members were summoned to Congress on Sunday night to begin their work to pass the bill.
The bill was thrown into turmoil last week when four members of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, alongside Democrats, voted against advancing the legislation. The four conservatives took issue with the legislation’s crackdown on Medicaid, and also worked to repeal Biden-era green-energy tax subsidies.
Fox News Digital's Brooke Singman and Elizabeth Elkind contributed to this report.
President Donald Trump is set to call Russian President Vladimir Putin in an effort to end the "bloodbath" war with Ukraine after peace talks resulted in a prisoner swap over the weekend.
The call is expected at 10 a.m. EST. Trump said he would speak with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and members of NATO shortly after.
"The subjects of the call will be, stopping the ‘bloodbath’ that is killing, on average, more than 5,000 Russian and Ukrainian soldiers a week, and trade," Trump said in a post on Truth Social.
"Hopefully it will be a productive day, a ceasefire will take place, and this very violent war, a war that should have never happened, will end," Trump added. "God bless us all!!!"
Just hours ahead of the call, Russia launched its largest drone attack on Ukraine yet, firing 273 exploding drones and decoys targeting the Kyiv, Dnipropetrovsk and Donetsk regions, according to Ukraine’s air force. Of those, 88 were intercepted and 128 lost, likely being electronically jammed.
Russia's defense ministry said Monday it had downed 35 Ukrainian drones overnight.
Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio also met with Zelenskyy in Rome on Sunday for ongoing peace talks.
On Friday, Russian and Ukrainian officials took part in direct talks in Turkey for the first time since the early days of the war.
Initially, there was hope that Zelenskyy and Putin would sit down with each other. The Ukrainian leader said he would attend if Putin showed up. However, after the Kremlin announced they would be sending an envoy, Zelenskyy appointed his defense minister to lead the delegation.
The two sides each agreed to release around 1,000 prisoners of war "in the coming days," though they failed to reach agreement on peace. Zelenskyy attributed the lack of a breakthrough to Putin sending low-level officials to the talks.
"Everyone could see that the Russian delegation in Istanbul was of a very low level. None of them were people who actually make decisions in Russia. Still, I sent our team," Zelenskyy wrote in an X post on Friday.
Putin said Sunday any peace deal would need to "eliminate the causes that triggered this crisis" and "guarantee Russia's security."
Trump, meanwhile, suggested peace would not be brokered without him.
"Nothing’s going to happen until Putin and I get together," Trump told reporters on Thursday.
Ukraine has called for a 30-day, unconditional ceasefire. Putin, however, has suggested that Ukraine might use the time to rearm and mobilize.
Political tensions remain high in New Jersey following the Delaney Hall clash between protesters and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials earlier this month, which led to the arrest of Newark Mayor Ras Baraka on a trespassing charge weeks ahead of a competitive Democratic gubernatorial primary he is in.
Protesters outside the federal courtroom in Newark, rallying in support of Baraka, said the issue spans much bigger than just the Delaney Hall incident.
"The rest of the country should know that we should stand up against fascism," rapper and activist Mysonne, who is a co-founder of Until Freedom, told Fox News Digital outside the courthouse on Thursday.
Baraka said on Thursday, following his status conference, that he was targeted.
"I was the only person arrested. That's right. You know, I was the only person identified. I was the only person, you know, they put in a cell," he said.
Delaney Hall is an ICE detention facility privately operated by the GEO Group. The city of Newark has argued that GEO Group does not have a valid certificate of occupancy, whereas the group has said it is valid and that they are following city laws.
"Anybody who cares about government accountability or free speech or the rights of Congress members and mayors to know what's going on in their communities should be outraged by what happened to Mayor Baraka," Amol Sinha, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey, said.
However, Republicans in the state have had a critical view of what went down, especially since stopping illegal immigration continues to be a top priority of the Trump administration. President Donald Trump won nearly 46% of the vote in the Garden State in 2024, coming just short of flipping what is typically considered a blue state.
"Shameon the Democrats, particularly the mayor of Newark," Trump-endorsed Republican Jack Ciattarelli told Fox News Digital. He said issues the city faces, ranging from the airport, crime, to education, are things that need to be a larger focus for the mayor.
"He's showing up to a detention center where we're detaining illegals who've committed crimes. I don't understand what it is exactly we're protesting," he said.
"When the border is as porous as it was under the Joe Biden administration, we're all border states. And so we should not be encouraging illegal immigration with sanctuary cities or us being a sanctuary state," he continued.
A spokesperson for Baraka's campaign fired back at Ciattarelli's comments, telling Fox News Digital that he does not "recognize the Newark Jack Ciattarelli is talking about."
"The high school graduation rate is 86%. Their top-performing schools rival those in Millburn or Summit," Kabir Moss, Baraka's spokesperson, said. "When Baraka became Mayor, there were over 100 homicides a year - today, that number is 37. Violent crime is at its lowest point since John F. Kennedy was President - around the same time Jack’s family was being subsidized to leave cities and build the suburbs."
"The mayor was not trespassing, he was let in by the GEO Group," he continued. "He didn’t go there to get arrested, he went to join a press conference with the congress members. But if Jack Ciattarelli can’t recognize the Constitutional crisis we’re in - where due process is being denied on American soil - then he’s not fit to be Governor."
The gubernatorial race to replace outgoing Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy is expected to be highly competitive in the November general election, as Cook Political Report ranks the race as "Lean Democratic." The primary election is June 10.
FIRST ON FOX:Police officers are rallying behind a provision in President Donald Trump's "big, beautiful bill" to end taxing overtime work, which they say would have a favorable ripple effect on officer retention and morale.
"No tax on overtime, it would be a huge advantage to law enforcement across the country," one officer said in a White House video shared with Fox News Digital.
Another added: "We work sometimes 100 plus hours a pay period. It's a lot of time taken away from the family. So that would be pretty special."
Republican lawmakers are in the midst of hashing out the details of the sweeping legislation that would fund Trump's agenda through the budget reconciliation process. The legislation jumped its latest hurdle to move along to passage late Sunday evening, when lawmakers on the House Budget Committee voted to advance the bill.
Trump has called on Republicans to swiftly pass the legislation, touting that it will lower taxes and provide larger paychecks for Americans, while also securing the border. Trump specifically directed congressional Republicans to permanently extend his 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA), and implement new policies eliminating taxes on tips, overtime pay and retirees' Social Security.
Officers in the White House video touted that eliminating taxes on overtime would serve as an extra dose of "appreciation" to law enforcement.
Police departments nationwide saw morale and staffing crater in 2020 and the following years as left-wing cities answered calls from activists to defund the police following the death of George Floyd while in police custody on Memorial Day 2020. Many liberal cities soon walked back budget plans slashing police department funding as crime waves washed over the nation, stretching from sky-high murder rates to teenagers repeatedly carrying out carjackings.
"If there was no tax on overtime … we'd be working about as hard as we currently do, but we would have that appreciation that goes along with it," one officer in the video said.
The police officers continued that removing taxation on overtime likely would lead to senior officers sticking around in the job longer to help train the next generation of law enforcement, while also giving younger officers extra cash in their pockets to raise their young families on an officer's salary.
"To have something like this in play would just help senior officers, perhaps stay a little bit longer to help be that guidance for that department, that community, to help teach those policy and procedures that we know of and to help with the retention," one police officer said.
A female officer added: "That would really benefit those, especially younger cops that have younger kids and a lot of families. I think that would mean a tremendous amount."
May is Law Enforcement Appreciation month, with a mid-May National Police Week celebration and the White House illuminating its exterior in blue colors Thursday evening in honor of police officers who were killed or injured while in the line of duty.
"So know from the president on down, this administration stands behind you guys," Vice President JD Vance said during a law enforcement breakfast Wednesday at the vice president’s residence. "We love you guys. We know that you're out there doing a good job for us. And I think that moral leadership matters just as much as the public policy. But from this administration, you're, of course, getting it both."
Fox News Digital's Elizabeth Elkind and Diana Stancy contributed to this report.
FIRST ON FOX: House Oversight Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., and Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa., are demanding sweeping reforms to the federal government’s use of charge cards after thousands of highly questionable charges were uncovered at the Department of Defense, including at casinos, bars and nightclubs using taxpayer dollars.
In a letter addressed to Comptroller General Gene Dodaro, Ernst and Comer called on the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to launch a comprehensive review of all federal charge card programs.
The demand follows alarming findings from recent audits that point to systemic failures in oversight, including the issuance of nearly two charge cards per federal employee and more than $40 billion in spending last fiscal year alone.
The Pentagon’s inspector general found nearly 8,000 Defense Department credit card transactions at "high-risk locations" – including casino ATMs – over the past year. An additional 3,246 transactions occurred at bars and nightclubs, many of them on federal holidays, Super Bowl Sunday, St. Patrick’s Day, the day of UFC 300, Cinco de Mayo and New Year’s Eve.
"It is indefensible for Department of Defense bureaucrats to waste tax dollars at clubs, casinos, and bars, racking up charges on Super Bowl Sunday, St. Patrick’s Day, Cinco de Mayo, and federal holidays," said Ernst.
The DOD is not alone. Recent GAO reports have found agencies consistently fail to use tools to analyze purchase card data and prevent fraud, the letter notes.
"With Washington $36 trillion in debt, the last thing we need is bureaucrats maxing out their tab and sticking taxpayers with the bill. There should never be more credit cards than federal employees, and I’m working to create accountability government-wide."
The letter also highlighted the illegal practice of "split purchases," where government employees intentionally divide large transactions to stay under the $3,500 micro-purchase threshold – the largest purchase that can be put on a federal charge card. Despite being a clear violation of federal regulations, these practices reportedly continue due to inadequate monitoring and enforcement.
Ernst and Comer's request urges the GAO to investigate criteria for issuing cards, agency compliance with internal controls, the frequency of risky transactions – including at marijuana dispensaries, dating services, and gambling platforms – and whether agencies are appropriately closing accounts after employees leave government service.
In a particularly damning detail, the lawmakers noted that no local purchase card program officials at the DOD could provide examples of analyzing card spending to reduce costs, despite long-standing recommendations from the Office of Management and Budget to do so.
"I’m working to create accountability government-wide. It’s time to cut up the plastic and put a stop to the reckless spending," said Ernst.
The GAO review, if initiated, could affect hundreds of federal agencies covered under the Chief Financial Officers Act and could lead to a sweeping overhaul of how federal employees use government-issued charge cards.
"American taxpayers shouldn’t be stuck paying for federal bureaucrats' splurges on government-issued credit cards. Tax dollars are meant to fund essential government services, not dating apps, nightclubs, or bar tabs," Comer said in a statement.
House Republicans cleared a major hurdle late last night, finally advancing the "big, beautiful bill" out of the Budget Committee after a hiccup Friday afternoon.
The bill is now set to go before the House Rules Committee – which is the gateway to the floor – on Wednesday. The House could vote on the overall package on Thursday. The goal is to have this wrapped up by Memorial Day.
It’s about the math. House Republicans have little turning radius to approve the bill due to their narrow majority. Questions still remain among some conservatives about green energy tax credits, work requirements for Medicaid and a deduction for SALT – an acronym for "state and local taxes." That means there will be a lot of massaging of the bill over the next few days. Expect some changes via a "manager’s amendment" before the Rules Committee on Wednesday.
Former President Joe Biden is commenting publicly for the first time Monday after it was announced he was diagnosed with an "aggressive form" of prostate cancer.
"Cancer touches us all. Like so many of you, Jill and I have learned that we are strongest in the broken places. Thank you for lifting us up with love and support," Biden wrote on X.
Biden’s team revealed Sunday that the former president "was seen for a new finding of a prostate nodule after experiencing increasing urinary symptoms."
"On Friday, he was diagnosed with prostate cancer, characterized by a Gleason score of 9 (Grade Group 5) with metastasis to the bone," it said in a statement.
"While this represents a more aggressive form of the disease, the cancer appears to be hormone-sensitive which allows for effective management. The President and his family are reviewing treatment options with his physicians," the statement added.
Former Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton, and President Donald Trump have since commented on Biden's cancer diagnosis.
"Michelle and I are thinking of the entire Biden family. Nobody has done more to find breakthrough treatments for cancer in all its forms than Joe, and I am certain he will fight this challenge with his trademark resolve and grace. We pray for a fast and full recovery," Obama noted in posts on social media.
Trump said, "Melania and I are saddened to hear about Joe Biden’s recent medical diagnosis."
"We extend our warmest and best wishes to Jill and the family, and we wish Joe a fast and successful recovery," he added in a post on Truth Social.
Clinton said, "My friend Joe Biden’s always been a fighter," and "Hillary and I are rooting for him and are keeping him, Jill, and the entire family in our thoughts."
Fox News’ Stepheny Price, Peter Doocy and Alex Nitzberg contributed to this report.
The widespread blackouts that recently brought parts of Spain and Portugal to a standstill triggered global speculation: was it an electromagnetic pulse (EMP) attack?
Though authorities later ruled out an EMP, the incident reignited urgent questions about America’s vulnerability to similar large-scale disruptions and whether the U.S. is prepared for a modern-day "black sky" event.
According to cybersecurity expert and former Army Cyber Institute board member Bryson Bort, the United States remains dangerously exposed to a range of threats: not just EMPs, but increasingly sophisticated cyber and artificial intelligence (AI) attacks.
"There are a lot of other problems that are higher probability," Bort told Fox News Digital. "The EMP thing is a little bit of a distraction – but that doesn’t mean it’s not a threat."
An EMP is a sudden burst of electromagnetic energy capable of disabling electronic devices across vast areas. It can be natural – from a solar flare – or man-made, triggered by a high-altitude nuclear detonation.
Unlike cyberattacks that target software, an EMP disables physical systems: from car engines and cellphone towers to hospital generators and water pumps. A major attack could throw society back to the pre-electric age, with devastating consequences.
Former CIA Director James Woolsey once called EMPs "one of the greatest national vulnerabilities," and some estimates suggest an EMP could result in the deaths of up to 90% of Americans within a year due to the collapse of infrastructure.
"The very first thing you’ve got to lose is your water supply," said Dr. William Forstchen, a longtime EMP researcher. "Within days, nursing homes, hospitals, law enforcement – they’re all in deep trouble."
While the Trump administration issued an executive order directing federal agencies to prepare for such an event, Bort said implementation has been inconsistent and fragmented.
"We are not prepared for this at all," he warned.
Forstchen expressed optimism that the administration’s "Golden Dome" project, a proposed ground-and space-based defense system, could intercept EMP threats – but the project remains years from completion.
While EMP attacks remain the stuff of both national security nightmares and Hollywood scripts, experts say cyberattacks are far more probable and still highly destructive.
"We know that the Chinese have been in the American civilian critical infrastructure since 2010," Bort said. "They haven’t done anything yet, but they are absolutely in there and setting up to do something at some point."
This week, Reuters reported that U.S. officials found communication modules embedded in Chinese-made power inverters – devices used to connect solar panels and wind turbines to the grid.
Bort pointed to "Jack Voltaic," a multi-year cyber warfare simulation by the Army Cyber Institute, designed to test military-civilian coordination in response to attacks on critical infrastructure.
"What we found is there’s a great interdependence," he said. "You can’t even have an electric grid if you don’t have water – because you can’t cool it."
Bort said cyberattacks are often the product of long-term reconnaissance, with hackers quietly positioning themselves inside systems for months or years.
"A cyberattack is not something where Putin says, ‘Hey, hit Detroit tomorrow,’" he explained. "It’s already set in place. When the political situation calls for it, that’s when the trigger gets pulled."
Another, less understood, threat to America’s infrastructure is the rise of AI. In particular, the race toward artificial general intelligence (AGI), or AI systems with human-level cognitive abilities.
Tyler Saltzman, a military technologist working on AI systems capable of operating in disconnected environments like an EMP aftermath, warned that AI – if used maliciously – could bring the grid down entirely. "Our infrastructure is very fragile," Saltzman said. "All you need to do is take down our power grid, and we’re in complete chaos."
Saltzman expressed deep concern about efforts to create AGI – systems he says could eventually surpass human control.
"Once AGI comes online, it could easily take down our power grid, infiltrate our financial systems, destroy our economy," he said. "If it sees how violent humans are to each other, why would it serve us?"
In 2023, a Chinese surveillance balloon drifted over U.S. territory for days before it was shot down by the military. While believed to be for spying, defense officials note that a high-altitude balloon could be used for electronic warfare – including an EMP.
The Commission to Assess the Threat to the United States from EMP Attacks has long warned about balloon-based delivery. Others argue a missile would be more effective, since it would be harder to intercept.
Whether the next major threat comes from above or from a keyboard, experts agree: the U.S. is not ready.
"We’re still thinking about wars with tanks," Bort said. "Meanwhile, the real fight is already happening inside our infrastructure."
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer suggested that the Department of Government Efficiency may be at least partly responsible for a Mexican navy tall ship crashing into the Brooklyn Bridge on Saturday night.
Schumer made the claim in a press release on Sunday, saying he had been briefed on the details of the deadly crash, which left two people dead and over a dozen more injured. Schumer argued that a U.S. Coast Guard system may have been operating at partial capacity due to a DOGE hiring freeze at the Department of Homeland Security, but the Coast Guard itself says the system was "fully functional during the incident."
"We know that the Trump administration has been meddling in U.S. Coast Guard operations, from staffing to command and comms, and I have the general sense of a DOGE dysfunction in parts of the Coast Guard, to put it mildly," Schumer wrote in a statement. "After being fully briefed on last night's Brooklyn Bridge accident, one thing is very clear. There are many more questions than answers as to how the accident occurred and whether it could have been prevented."
Schumer went on to point to the DOGE-implemented hiring freeze at the U.S. Coast Guard, arguing it could have impeded the Coast Guard's Vehicle Traffic System (VTS), which works in a similar fashion to the air traffic control system.
"There are indications that this service called the VTS may not have been fully or adequately functional in light of that hiring freeze. We don't know the answer to that question. We need answers. If this were the case, Brooklyn Bridge accident could be a national harbinger, demanding immediate attention," Schumer said.
"The current hiring freeze at the Department of Homeland Security, DHS, which the Coast Guard is part of, may have limited the ability of the Coast Guard to fully staff up at the VTS, the vehicle traffic service, the shore-wide system that provides quote air traffic control for the seas, especially in congested areas and restricted waters like New York Harbor," he added.
The Coast Guard rejected Schumer's claim in a statement of its own. Furthermore, there were no other ships involved in Saturday's crash that would have involved the VTS.
The Coast Guard said VTS was "fully functional during the incident and operating in accordance with established procedures to manage commercial traffic and facilitate safe navigation," according to CBS News.
"Our response included launching a crew from Station New York, establishing a temporary safety zone, and coordinating with NYPD, FDNY, and NYC DOT," they added.
The Coast Guard did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams, said the Mexican navy tall ship Cuauhtémoc "lost power and crashed into the Brooklyn Bridge."
"At this time, of the 277 on board, 19 sustained injuries, 2 of which remain in critical condition, and 2 more have sadly passed away from their injuries," the mayor wrote on X.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said she regretted the passing of two crew members who "lost their lives in the unfortunate accident at the port of New York."
"Our solidarity and support go out to their families," she wrote at 1:15 a.m. on X. "The Secretariat of the Navy, with the support of local authorities, is attending to the injured. The Ambassador of Mexico to the United States and staff from the Consulate General of Mexico in New York are assisting the Secretariat of the Navy."
Fox News' Danielle Wallace and Greg Wehner contributed to this report
Former President Barack Obama, former President Bill Clinton, and President Donald Trump have each commented on the grim news of President Joe Biden's cancer diagnosis.
"Michelle and I are thinking of the entire Biden family. Nobody has done more to find breakthrough treatments for cancer in all its forms than Joe, and I am certain he will fight this challenge with his trademark resolve and grace. We pray for a fast and full recovery," Obama noted in posts on social media.
Biden served as vice president during Obama's White House tenure from early 2009 through early 2017.
He was diagnosed with prostate cancer last week, according to a statement his personal office released on Sunday.
"Last week, President Joe Biden was seen for a new finding of a prostate nodule after experiencing increasing urinary symptoms. On Friday, he was diagnosed with prostate cancer, characterized by a Gleason score of 9 (Grade Group 5) with metastasis to the bone. While this represents a more aggressive form of the disease, the cancer appears to be hormone-sensitive which allows for effective management. The President and his family are reviewing treatment options with his physicians," the statement noted.
President Donald Trump also commented on the news.
"Melania and I are saddened to hear about Joe Biden’s recent medical diagnosis. We extend our warmest and best wishes to Jill and the family, and we wish Joe a fast and successful recovery," he noted in a post on Truth Social.
The Clintons both commented as well.
"My friend Joe Biden’s always been a fighter. Hillary and I are rooting for him and are keeping him, Jill, and the entire family in our thoughts," former President Bill Clinton noted.
"I’m thinking of the Bidens as they take on cancer, a disease they’ve done so much to try to spare other families from. Wishing you a speedy, full recovery," former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who lost the 2016 presidential election to Donald Trump, said in social media posts.
President Donald Trump’s "one big, beautiful bill" survived a key hurdle in the House of Representatives on Sunday night, putting it one step closer to a chamber-wide vote later this week.
Lawmakers on the House Budget Committee were summoned back to Washington for a 10 p.m. meeting to vote on advancing the legislation, which passed the panel in a nearly party-line vote.
Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., made a surprise appearance at the committee room shortly before the vote began, telling reporters, "We think this is going to go well tonight. We're about to find out."
He said there would likely be "minor modifications" to the final bill.
It comes after a rebellion by four conservative House Freedom Caucus members on the committee blocked the bill from advancing on Friday, with the fiscal hawks seeking assurances that stricter crackdowns on Medicaid and green energy subsidies in the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) would be in the final bill before a House-wide vote.
Advancing the legislation through the House Budget Committee is a largely procedural move. Any likely changes will be introduced as amendments in the House Rules Committee, the final gatekeeper before a House-wide vote, sometime early this week.
Notably, two of the Budget Committee fiscal hawks who demanded further changes – Reps. Chip Roy, R-Texas, and Ralph Norman, R-S.C. – also sit on the House Rules Committee.
Nevertheless Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., signaled confidence on Fox News Sunday that his chamber was "on track" to hold that House-wide vote toward the end of this week.
The House Budget Committee passed a framework earlier this year with "instructions" for various other committees to enact Trump policies under their jurisdictions.
Following House and Senate-wide votes on their frameworks, House committees began crafting those policies, which have now been put back together into the massive bill the House Budget Committee advanced on Sunday night.
Republicans are working to pass Trump’s agenda via the budget reconciliation process, which allows the party controlling both Congress and the White House to pass vast pieces of legislation while completely sidelining the minority – in this case, Democrats.
It does so by lowering the Senate’s threshold for passage from 60 votes to 51, lining up with the House’s own simple majority. The legislation must adhere to a specific set of rules, however, including only items related to federal spending, tax, and the national debt.
Trump is having Republicans use the legislation to enact his campaign promises on tax cuts, immigration, energy, defense, and raising the debt limit.
And while quelling Friday’s GOP mutiny is a victory for House Republican leaders, lawmakers will still have to sit through high-stakes negotiations on any changes made to the bill before the House Rules Committee considers it.
Conservatives are opposed to aspects of the legislation’s crackdown on Medicaid, which Republicans have said they are only trimming for waste, fraud, and abuse. But Medicaid work requirements for able-bodied people are not set to kick in until 2029, and conservatives have argued that it was a large window of time for those changes to be undone, among other concerns.
They’re also pushing for a more aggressive effort to repeal green energy tax subsidies passed in the former Biden administration’s Inflation Reduction Act (IRA).
The respective pushes have pitted them against moderates wary of significant Medicaid cuts, and Republican lawmakers whose districts have businesses that have benefited from the tax relief.
Meanwhile, moderates in high-cost-of-living areas have also pushed for larger state and local tax (SALT) deduction caps, which red state Republicans have largely dismissed as subsidies to high-tax blue states.
The Republicans in those seats, however, have argued that it’s an existential issue for their districts, where GOP victories were critical to winning and holding the House majority.
But even after it passes the House, Republicans there likely won’t be done with the "big, beautiful bill" – Republican senators have already signaled they are likely going to make changes to the bill.
Johnson said Sunday that House and Senate leaders were "in close coordination" on the final product, adding, "we hope that they don’t make many modifications to it."
Any changes will have to go through the House again; identical bills must pass both chambers before getting signed into law by Trump.
Republican leaders have said they hope to get a bill on the president’s desk by Fourth of July.
