President Donald Trump on Tuesday described the letter former President Biden left him inside the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office as "inspirational" and teased reporters that he may release the "very nice" note at some point.
Trump was asked about the letter, which he found inside the Resolute Desk on Monday with a little help from Fox News Senior White House correspondent Peter Doocy, during a press conference announcing a $500 billion investment in artificial intelligence infrastructure.
"It was a very nice letter," Trump told reporters. "It was a little bit of an inspirational-type letter. Enjoy it, do a good job. Important, very important. How important the job is."
The president added that he appreciated the letter so much that he may release it to the public.
"It was a positive, for him, in writing it," Trump continued. "I appreciated the letter."
Trump found the letter – addressed to "47″ – after Doocy asked if President Biden left him a letter while he was signing a flurry of executive orders in the Oval Office on Monday in front of a gaggle of reporters.
"He may have. Don’t they leave it in the desk? I don’t know," Trump told Doocy before discovering the white envelope. "Thank you, Peter. It could have been years before we found this thing."
Trump had then teased reporters that they should read it together before pulling back the reigns. He said he’d open the letter later Monday night.
The presidential tradition of leaving a letter to their successor began in 1989 when President Ronald Reagan left the White House after two terms in office, with former President George H. W. Bush taking over.
Bush continued the tradition despite losing the White House to former President Bill Clinton after just one term in office. The tradition has carried on to this day through Presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama, Trump and Biden.
Biden, however, was the first president to find himself in the unique position of writing a letter to someone who is both his successor and the predecessor who left him a note four years earlier. Trump became the first president to serve nonconsecutive terms since Grover Cleveland in the late 1800s.
Biden has said Trump left him a "very generous letter," but has so far declined to share the content of what Trump wrote, deeming it private.
Fox News Digital’s Greg Wehner contributed to this report.
President Donald Trump blasted Mariann Edgar Budde, bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington, after she directed politically charged remarks towards him during an interfaith service of prayer for the country at the Washington National Cathedral on Tuesday, the day after Trump's inauguration.
"Let me make one final plea, Mr. President," she said. "In the name of our God, I ask you to have mercy upon the people in our country who are scared now. There are gay, lesbian, and [transgender] children in Democratic, Republican, and independent families, some who fear for their lives."
She went on to say that "the vast majority of immigrants are not criminals. They pay taxes and are good neighbors."
"I ask you to have mercy Mr. President on those in our communities whose children fear that their parents will be taken away, and that you help those who are fleeing war zones and persecution in their own lands to find compassion and welcome here," she said.
Trump trashed Budde and her performance in a post on Truth Social, suggesting that she and her church should apologize to the public.
The president also pointed out that there are illegal immigrants who have entered the country and killed Americans.
"The so-called Bishop who spoke at the National Prayer Service on Tuesday morning was a Radical Left hard line Trump hater. She brought her church into the World of politics in a very ungracious way. She was nasty in tone, and not compelling or smart. She failed to mention the large number of illegal migrants that came into our Country and killed people. Many were deposited from jails and mental institutions. It is a giant crime wave that is taking place in the USA," Trump declared in the post on Wednesday.
"Apart from her inappropriate statements, the service was a very boring and uninspiring one. She is not very good at her job! She and her church owe the public an apology!" he asserted.
Rep. Andy Barr, R-Ky., indicated in a post on X that he is Episcopalian, and objected to Budde's remarks.
"As a conservative Episcopalian who supports President Trump and his agenda, I am profoundly disappointed that Bishop Mariann Budde politicized today’s inaugural Service of Prayer for the Nation. By disregarding President Trump’s appointment of Scott Bessent, a brilliant, openly gay man to serve as Treasury Secretary and Elon Musk, a genius, first generation legal immigrant to lead the new Department of Government Efficiency, Bishop Budde’s gratuitous criticisms ring hollow," Barr declared.
"Sadly, the only message Bishop Budde delivered through her unwelcoming and hypocritical words to the President was that the Episcopal Church’s motto of ‘All are Welcome’ apparently doesn’t apply to the majority of Americans who voted for Donald Trump."
FIRST ON FOX: Newly sworn-in Secretary of State Marco Rubio is advising his department to cease refugee resettlement operations and begin ramping up vetting of visas from certain regions in response to executive orders from President Donald Trump.
After officially becoming its next secretary, Rubio directed the Department of State to halt refugee resettlement programs, a senior department source told Fox News Digital.
He also ordered the department to implement enhanced vetting for visa applications from "dangerous regions."
The secretary cited new executive orders signed by Trump after his inauguration Monday.
Among dozens of executive orders, Trump signed one aimed at "Realigning The United States Refugee Admissions Program" and another to "[Protect] the United States From Foreign Terrorists And Other National Security And Public Safety Threats."
The former dictated that the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP) be suspended due to its detrimental effect on the country's interests. The latter order calls for increased vetting of all aliens, "to the maximum degree possible," especially those "from regions or nations with identified security risks."
Trump's executive order on refugees further stipulates that "the Secretary of State and the Secretary of Homeland Security may jointly determine to admit aliens to the United States as refugees on a case-by-case basis, in their discretion, but only so long as they determine that the entry of such aliens as refugees is in the national interest and does not pose a threat to the security or welfare of the United States."
Rubio was the first Trump Cabinet member confirmed, the Senate voting unanimously to do so Monday night.
He was sworn in Tuesday morning, becoming the 72nd secretary of state.
In remarks at the department Tuesday, Rubio said, "There will be changes, but the changes are not meant to be destructive. They're not meant to be punitive.
"The changes will be because we need to be a 21st century agency that can move by — a cliché that's used by many — at the speed of relevance. But we need to move faster than we ever have, because the world is changing faster than we ever have. And we have to have a view that some say is called ‘look around the corner.’
"But we really need to be thinking about where are we going to be in five, seven, 10 or 15 years. Some of the issues that confront humanity today have no precedent. They have no historic precedent. Some of the challenges we face have no historic precedent. We can compare it to another era, to another time, but they're not the same. Things are moving faster than ever," he explained.
Immigration was a top campaign priority for Trump during the 2024 election.
In his inaugural address Monday, Trump promised, "I will declare a national emergency at our southern border. All illegal entry will immediately be halted. And we will begin the process of returning millions and millions of criminal aliens back to the places from which they came. We will reinstate my Remain in Mexico policy. I will end the practice of catch and release. And I will send troops to the southern border to repel the disastrous invasion of our country."
A group of racial justice protesters reached a settlement with the federal government in a lawsuit accusing law enforcement agents sent by President Trump of using excessive force to protect a federal courthouse in 2020.
Under the settlement, the federal government must compensate the plaintiffs for the injuries suffered at the hands of federal agents, the American Civil Liberties Union of Oregon said Tuesday.
Fox News Digital has reached out to the ACLU of Oregon for details surrounding the specific compensation amounts.
The plaintiffs included three military veterans, a college professor, several Black Lives Matter activists and a man who said agents grabbed him off a street for no reason while he was blocks from the federal courthouse in Portland.
"We are proud to have represented our courageous clients," ACLU of Oregon legal director Kelly Simon said in a news release. "They suffered serious injuries because of federal law enforcement’s unlawful, aggressive actions, and it is just and fair that they are being compensated. Thank you to our clients and all people who stood up for Black lives and against government tyranny. The ACLU of Oregon will stand with you again and again to make sure everyone is treated with justice and fairness by the government."
Thousands of protesters in Portland and across the country took to the streets for months in 2020 in the aftermath of the murder of George Floyd by a police officer in Minneapolis. The demonstrators at times clashed with police, and militarized federal agents were ordered to Portland to stop the riots.
The lawsuit accused federal agents of exceeding the limits of their authority, making illegal arrests and using tear gas, rubber bullets and pepper spray when trying to stop the riots. Nearly all the plaintiffs alleged they suffered physical injuries and some were treated at hospitals.
A video showed Navy veteran Christopher David, a plaintiff in the suit, outside the courthouse being struck by an agent with a baton and another dousing him in the face with pepper spray. David suffered two broken bones in his hand during the protest.
The lawsuit alleges that then-Acting Director of Homeland Security Chad Wolf did not have the authority to send more than 100 agents to Portland because he was improperly appointed. Wolf abruptly resigned in 2021 — shortly before Trump was set to leave office — saying he was compelled to leave by "recent events," including court rulings that found his appointment to be unlawful.
A federal investigative report later found that the militarized federal agents did not have the proper training or equipment and that there was no plan for responding to protests without local police assistance.
Local police arrested hundreds of protesters over three months and federal agents arrested nearly 100 more during the height of the demonstrations.
"It shocked the conscience that this level of force was used against veterans, moms, and other nonviolent protesters. The way our own government treated us violated everything we learned in the military," plaintiff and veteran Nichol Denison said in the news release.
This was one of several lawsuits the ACLU of Oregon filed against the federal government on behalf of protesters and other groups, including journalists and legal observers.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., showed frustration with Democrats on Tuesday after a confirmation vote for President Trump's pick for CIA director in John Ratcliffe, who has bipartisan support, was blocked.
Speaking on the Senate floor after the vote was blocked by Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., Thune said the Senate can remain in session all weekend to confirm Trump's picks if progress continues to be delayed.
"Do we want a vote on these folks on Tuesday or vote on them on Friday, Saturday and Sunday? Because that's what we're going to do. This can be easy or this can be hard," Thune said. "This is about America's national security interests, and we're stalling, so that's not going to happen."
Ratcliffe was approved by the Senate Intelligence Committee by a bipartisan vote of 14 to 3. Because of that, Thune said the vote to confirm him "shouldn't be hard."
"Democrats and Republicans, in a very big bipartisan fashion, agree that he is very qualified for this job," Thune said, adding that he isn't sure what stalling accomplishes.
When blocking the vote, Murphy said many Democrats have "serious concerns" about Ratcliffe's ability to work as CIA director because he "repeatedly politicized intelligence" during his eight months as National Intelligence director in 2020.
"I don't think it's too much to ask to make sure that we have a full, real debate that lasts two days on the Senate floor," Murphy said on Tuesday.
Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., who leads the Senate Intelligence Committee, said the delay is for "no good reason" and is simply an attempt "to drag out all of these nominations to play procedural games."
Cotton noted that while the Democrats acted in similar fashion in 2017 with Trump's first administration and the Republicans in 2021 with Biden's picks, that this didn't happen during confirmation votes prior to the past two elections.
"We should especially get back to that practice when it is a highly accomplished, well-qualified nominee of integrity, like John Ratcliffe," Cotton said. "Now we're going to spin our wheels for two days. But, as I said, don't make plans for the weekend. Don't have any dinner dates scheduled starting on Thursday night because we're going to get these nominees done the easy, collegial way. Or apparently the hard way."
Only one of Trump's Cabinet nominees has been confirmed thus far, and that was former Florida senator Marco Rubio as Secretary of State. He was confirmed on Monday by a unanimous vote.
Several nominees have advanced out of committee votes while others still await confirmation hearings.
A day-one order from President Donald Trump puts on pause the plans of Afghan allies who have been approved for resettlement in the U.S., a delay that advocates say could be the difference between life and death at the hands of the Taliban.
A pause on refugee resettlement in the U.S. will include Afghans who are in hiding after the Taliban takeover and the family members of U.S. troops.
"There are lawyers, doctors, journalists stuck in Pakistan who have been waiting for three and a half years to relocate to the U.S. We finally got the program moving, and we got the U.S. government to agree to allow them to relocate," Shawn VanDriver, president of resettlement group AfghanEvac, told Fox News Digital.
The executive order, entitled "Realigning the United States Refugee Admissions Program, will take effect on Monday and will immediately pause the resettlement of those who have worked their way through a system to get approval to move to the U.S.
It will go on "until such time as the further entry into the United States of refugees aligns with the interests of the United States."
A report will be submitted to Trump every 90 days until he determines that refugees should be allowed in.
"They’re getting it wrong here," said VanDriver, worried the pause will be "indefinite."
"It could be any day that the Taliban or ISIS-K shows up at your door," he said. "Can you imagine being a U.S. service member coming to work yesterday thinking that your mom is going to get out of Kabul and then they’re like ‘nope’?"
The family members of roughly 200 U.S. service members will be immediately impacted, according to VanDriver.
Some of those service members worked as combat interpreters for the U.S. during the war in Afghanistan, only to relocate to and join the service in the U.S.
"The United States lacks the ability to absorb large numbers of migrants, and in particular, refugees, into its communities in a manner that does not compromise the availability of resources for Americans, that protects their safety and security, and that ensures the appropriate assimilation of refugees," the order says.
Since the end of the war in 2021, some 180,000 Afghans have resettled in the U.S.
"How can the US government leave me behind in Afghanistan after I approved thousands of airstrike packages against the Taliban?" one Afghan who was in the final stages of case processing wrote in a text message shared with Fox News Digital.
"Members of Trump’s cabinet are U.S. military veterans and they fully understand what someone in my situation must feel like right now," the Afghan wrote. "This was the only hope for me and my family."
Prior to the executive order AfghanEvac sent a letter to the Trump team and other lawmakers urging them to continue resettling Afghan allies in the U.S. VanDriver said his letter has received no response from the new White House team.
Trump campaigned on the chaos that ensued when the U.S. military pulled out of Afghanistan in August 2021. President Joe Biden pointed his finger at Trump, who had agreed to a 2021 deadline with the Taliban, but Trump claimed the Taliban had not held up their end of the deal so he would not have stuck to the agreement.
If the refugee program is paused for 90 days, it would affect some 2,000 people. If it is paused in definitely, it could affect between 25 and 30,000 people, according to Van Driver.
Many of those who are waiting for approval to come to the U.S. are hiding out in Pakistan fearful of deportation back to Afghanistan where their lives are at risk before they get approval to come to the U.S.
Advocates say the decision walks back on a promise the U.S. made to Afghans who aided U.S. troops and non-governmental organizations when the U.S. pulled out and the government collapsed to the Taliban.
"It doesn't have to include the Afghans," Rep. Derrick Van Orden, R-Wis., a Navy SEAL veteran, told Fox News Digital. "I learned a long time ago there's waivers for everything. If you're a man, woman or child and you assisted us in Afghanistan – I'm alive because of our Afghan allies.They’ve earned the right to come here.
"I think the move itself is correct," said Rep. Morgan Luttrell, R-Texas, another former SEAL, said, adding that Afghan allies should be exempt from the order. "Those Afghan refugees fought alongside us. They have every single right, in my opinion, to be able to navigate these challenging waters to be in our country."
"When you were bringing everybody out of Afghanistan, we were supposed to be targeting the civilians that helped us," said Rep. Warren Davidson, R-Ohio, a former Army ranger said. "[Biden] flooded everybody that had any proximity to Afghanistan through that program."
"There are people who were inside those C-17s [that evacuated Afghans in 2021] who should not have been there, who had been locked up in prison the day before," said Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif.
"So we’re going to look carefully and review that. Are we going to pause it for five years and not keep our promise? No."
The Trump administration "will be abandoning thousands of individuals who stood shoulder-to-shoulder with American service members, and who now, due to their loyal service and commitment to our shared values, remain at great risk in Afghanistan," VanDriver said in a statement.
"Even a temporary pause puts our allies in further danger, compromises our global standing with any current and future allies, and breaks the promises we made as a country," the AfghanEvac letter circulated among lawmakers reads.
President Donald Trump's swearing-in ceremony Monday featured the largest, most complex security footprint of any inauguration in U.S. history.
The nation's capital was transformed seemingly overnight from a pedestrian-friendly city into a daunting and impenetrable fortress – the result of a multi-agency task force that erected 30 miles of anti-scale fencing, coordinated aerial surveillance and drones, and saw the deployment of tens of thousands of law enforcement, military personnel, undercover agents, and national guard trucks across D.C.
The impressive, whole-of-government security effort on Inauguration Day was unprecedented, and not without reason: Trump was the victim of two assassination attempts during the 2024 campaign — including a shooter who came so close to him as to nick his ear — and a domestic threat landscape that was heightened further by the terrorist-inspired attack in New Orleans and the execution-style killing of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson in Midtown Manhattan late last year.
It's notable, then, that this year’s sprawling security footprint did not expressly include one key component considered fundamental to U.S. tradition: The naming of a designated survivor.
In D.C., the tightly coordinated federal protection efforts were carefully planned long ahead of Trump's inauguration ceremony by the Secret Service and many other federal agencies.
It's both a nod to recent security concerns, and more largely an effort to protect the U.S. body politic, foreign dignitaries, donors, and thousands of attendees from any mass catastrophe or threat.
The designated survivor, who in a catastrophic event would bear the responsibility of leading the U.S. in the aftermath of a crisis, is typically a Cabinet officer when major security events put elected officials all in one spot, such as inaugurations and State of the Union addresses.
Previous designated survivors have included former DHS secretary Jeh Johnson, former Energy Secretary Rick Perry, and former Defense Secretary Robert Gates, who was tapped for the role during President Barack Obama's inauguration in 2009.
Gates, a George W. Bush appointee, was kept on by Obama and served in his Pentagon role until July 2011, according to his official Defense Department biography.
The survivor's location, and sometimes identity, remains confidential until after the event disperses and its attendees have safely returned home. In high-profile events, a broader contingency plan is in place.
As Garrett Graff reported in 2016, Gates's role as designated survivor during Obama's inauguration also included the support of another government heavyweight — James Clapper, then the undersecretary of intelligence — who stowed away during the ceremony deep in an underground government bunker in Pennsylvania, a backup to the backup, if you will, and a nod at the detailed succession plan carefully crafted by a group defense, intelligence, and other federal agencies over the span of some 40-plus years.
So it was notable that no designated survivor was named during the 47th presidential inauguration.
It's also possible the event, which was held indoors and thus restricted to the public and to members of the news media, was limited enough as not to warrant the designated survivor.
Ahead of the event, FBI and Secret Service personnel stressed the stringent security measures in place and the tight vetting of any ticketed attendees.
David Sundberg of the FBI's Washington Field Office told Fox News earlier this week that the bureau was not tracking "any specific or credible threats" for Inauguration Day.
"All attendees will undergo screening," said Matt McCool, special agent in charge of the Secret Service's Washington Field Office.
These individuals told Fox News that the fencing alone is more than any other designated National Special Security Event in the past.
"Designated checkpoints will be set up for members of the public interested in attending the inauguration," McCool said ahead of the inauguration — a protocol also applied to attendees of the modified Capital One festivities, which were moved inside due to frigid temperatures.
Neither the White House, DHS nor the FBI immediately responded to Fox News Digital's request for comment on the absence of a designated survivor.
Fox News Digital's Elizabeth Elkind contributed to this report.
A reported rising star in the Democratic Party, who is being recruited to run for office in Texas, has a social media footprint littered with racially charged posts as well as numerous crude comments about President Trump.
Accomplished singer and songwriter Bobby Pulido is being "heavily recruited," according to a recent Politico report, to run as a Democrat in Texas’ 15th Congressional District and Pulido himself has said that he intends to put his singing career on hold to run for political office in 2026.
Pulido’s social media presence is littered with examples of racially charged posts along with vulgar posts about President-elect Trump which are likely to be used against him if he decides to run for Congress.
"How convenient that Wikileaks only hacked the democrat party," Pulido said in a reply to the GOP Asian American account on X, then known as Twitter, in 2016. "Open your Asian eyes. That's more rigged than anything."
Numerous examples of Pulido using crude language to attack Trump can be found on his page, which would presumably be unpopular with Republican voters in Texas, a state he won by 14 points in November while making historically significant strides with Hispanic voters in the Lone Star State.
In 2015, a Twitter user asked Pulido in Spanish, "What would you say to people who bully me because I listen to your music?"
It is unclear what specific political race Pulido is planning on entering, but he has made it clear he intends to launch his candidacy in the near future and Politico reported he would likely be considered to run in Texas' 15th Congressional District against Republican Rep. Monica De La Cruz.
"Growing up I was always intrigued by the idea of public service," Pulido said in a recent livestream discussing retiring from music. "In 2026 I’ll be running for public office in the attempt to fulfill my lifelong dream to serve my people."
Fox News Digital reached out to Pulido, but he did not respond to a request for comment.
Yesterday — 21 January 2025Latest Political News on Fox News
WASHINGTON — The federal Office of Personnel Management (OPM) notified heads of agencies and departments that they must begin taking steps to close all diversity, equity and inclusion offices by the end of the day Wednesday and place government workers in those offices on paid leave, Fox News Digital has learned.
Acting Director of the Office of Personnel Management Charles Ezell sent a memo to heads and acting heads of departments and agencies on Tuesday evening directing them that by no later than 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 22, they are to:
The memo comes after President Trump signed an executive order on Monday to eliminate all DEI programs from the federal government.
The president also signed an order making it "the official policy of the U.S. government to only recognize two genders: male and female."
Trump issued two other executive actions on Tuesday targeting DEI — an executive order to end discrimination in the workplace and higher education through race- and sex-based preferences under the guise of DEI and a memo to eliminate a Biden administration policy that prioritized DEI hiring at the Federal Aviation Administration.
In the executive order signed Tuesday, Trump sought to protect Americans from discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex or national origin. He said these civil-rights protections "serve as a bedrock supporting equality of opportunity for all Americans" and that he "has a solemn duty to ensure that these laws are enforced for the benefit of all Americans."
"Yet today, roughly 60 years after the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, critical and influential institutions of American society, including the Federal Government, major corporations, financial institutions, the medical industry, large commercial airlines, law enforcement agencies, and institutions of higher education have adopted and actively use dangerous, demeaning, and immoral race- and sex-based preferences under the guise of so-called 'diversity, equity, and inclusion' (DEI) or 'diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility' (DEIA) that can violate the civil-rights laws of this Nation," the order reads.
It adds that these "illegal DEI and DEIA policies also threaten the safety of American men, women, and children across the Nation by diminishing the importance of individual merit, aptitude, hard work, and determination when selecting people for jobs and services in key sectors of American society, including all levels of government, and the medical, aviation, and law-enforcement communities."
In the memo on Tuesday rolling back Biden's DEI hiring practices at the FAA, Trump orders the Secretary of Transportation and FAA Administrator to immediately stop Biden's DEI hiring programs and return to non-discriminatory, merit-based hiring.
The FAA Administrator must also review the past performance and performance standards of all agency employees in critical safety positions and make it clear that anyone who fails to demonstrate adequate capability is replaced by someone who will ensure flight safety and efficiency.
"Illegal and discriminatory diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) hiring, including on the basis of race, sex, disability, or any other criteria other than the safety of airline passengers and overall job excellence, competency, and qualification, harms all Americans, who deserve to fly with confidence," the memo reads. "It also penalizes hard-working Americans who want to serve in the FAA but are unable to do so, as they lack a requisite disability or skin color. FAA employees must hold the qualifications and have the ability to perform their jobs to the highest possible standard of excellence."
The memo states: "All so-called DEI initiatives, including all dangerous preferencing policies or practices, shall immediately be rescinded in favor of hiring, promoting, and otherwise treating employees on the basis of individual capability, competence, achievement, and dedication."
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) reportedly reassigned multiple senior officials across various divisions ahead of the anticipated confirmation of President Donald Trump’s nomination for U.S. attorney general, Pam Bondi.
Fox News is told that multiple career staffers in the criminal and national security divisions at the DOJ were removed from their current posts and reassigned.
While it is difficult to fire a career person "just because," reassigning is possible, and that appears to have happened.
Of those who were moved to other positions within the DOJ was Bruce Schwartz, head of the office of internal affairs, which handles extradition matters, a person familiar with the matter who spoke on condition of anonymity told The Associated Press. The same person reportedly told the wire service that about 20 officials had been reassigned.
Also, reportedly moved was George Toscas, a veteran deputy assistant attorney general in the national security division who not only helped oversee major terrorism and espionage investigations but also was a key figure in politically motivated probes over the last 10 years.
Toscas was involved in the investigation into Hillary Clinton’s handling of classified information as well as the investigation into Trump’s possession of classified documents at Mar-a-Lago in Florida.
Toscas’ reassignment was confirmed to The Associated Press by another person familiar with the matter.
"He has seen everything in both counterterrorism and counterintelligence," a former colleague of Toscas’ who spoke on condition of anonymity, told The Washington Post. "There is no one in the department who knows as much about prosecuting and investigating terrorists and spies as George Toscas."
The Washington Post also learned from sources familiar with the matter that Eun Young Choi, another deputy assistant attorney general in the national security division, was reassigned within the department, and was notified of the change by way of email on Monday afternoon.
Hours after Trump took the oath of office, the DOJ removed at least four senior officials from the division that operates the nation’s immigration courts, which are currently backlogged.
The Washington Post reported that there is a 120-day moratorium on some staff reassignments after newly confirmed leaders begin their appointments, under federal guidelines. Bondi has not yet been confirmed; therefore, the moratorium is not yet in effect in the DOJ.
Currently, James McHenry is running the DOJ as acting U.S. attorney general after Merrick Garland left the department on Friday.
The reasons for the moves were not immediately known, though it is common for a new administration to appoint its own hires to lead the DOJ.
The moves could also foreshadow additional changes, given Trump’s interest in the department, which investigated him during his first term and indicted him twice last year in separate cases that never reached trial and were withdrawn after Trump’s election win in November.
The U.S. Coast Guard on Tuesday announced the deployment of personnel and equipment to various maritime borders in the United States, a day after President Donald Trump dismissed the military branch's leader.
In a statement, Coast Guard Acting Commandant Adm. Kevin Lunday said coast guardsmenwould work to detect and deter illegal migration in support of Trump's executive orders issued this week.
"The U.S. Coast Guard is the world’s premiere maritime law enforcement agency, vital to protecting America’s maritime borders, territorial integrity and sovereignty," Lunday said. "Per the President’s Executive Orders, I have directed my operational commanders to immediately surge assets—cutters, aircraft, boats and deployable specialized forces—to increase Coast Guard presence and focus…"
Key areas where authorities will focus their efforts include the waters off Florida to deter and prevent migrants from Haiti and Cuba from entering the U.S., and maritime borders around Alaska, Hawaii, as well as the U.S. territories of Guam, Puerto Rico, American Somoa and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Lunday also wrote in the release that the agency would target the "maritime border between Texas and Mexico in the Gulf of America."
On Monday, Trump signed an executive order renaming the Gulf of Mexico. In the federal executive order: "Restoring Names That Honor American Greatness," Section 4 rebrands the "area formerly known as the Gulf of Mexico… an integral asset to our once burgeoning nation …and an indelible part of America" – as the "Gulf of America."
The reference appears to be the first time a federal agency has acknowledged the name change.
The Coast Guard said it would also target the Bahamas and South Florida, and between the U.S. and Mexico in the Pacific Ocean.
In addition, the Coast Guard will support U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) authorities on maritime portions of the southwest U.S. border.
"Together, in coordination with our Department of Homeland Security and Department of Defense teammates, we will detect, deter and interdict illegal migration, drug smuggling and other terrorist or hostile activity before it reaches our border," a news release states.
On Monday, Trump also issued a flurry of executive orders cracking down on illegal immigration.
Among the many charges was the termination of Adm. Linda Lee Fagan, 61, who was fired by Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Benjamine Huffman.
Huffman didn't cite a reason for the dismissal, but a senior DHS official told Fox News that Fagan was removed for failure to address border security threats, insufficient leadership in recruitment and retention, mismanagement in acquiring key acquisitions such as icebreakers and helicopters, excessive focus on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives and an "erosion of trust" over the mishandling and cover-up of Operation Fouled Anchor, which was the Coast Guard's internal investigation into sexual assault cases at the Coast Guard Academy.
Fox News Digital's Charles Creitz contributed to this report.
FIRST ON FOX: Republican Sens. Ted Cruz, R-Texas and Todd Young, R-Indiana are urging historical museums in Washington, D.C., to "respect" the First Amendment rights of pro-life protesters who are expected to descend upon the city on Friday.
"This peaceful exercise of First Amendment rights has historically provided participants with a positive, welcoming experience in our nation’s capital," the senators wrote in a letter to the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum and the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA).
Two years ago, the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum booted several Catholic students and their chaperones for wearing pro-life attire. Students and chaperones from Our Lady of the Rosary School in Greenville, South Carolina, traveled to Washington, D.C., to participate in the annual National March for Life. The group stood out in matching blue beanies emblazoned with the words "Rosary PRO-LIFE."
At the time, the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ), representing some students' parents, claimed museum staff mocked the group, used expletives, and argued the museum was a "neutral zone" prohibiting political or religious messages.
In a settlement reached on March 18, 2024, the Smithsonian Institution resolved a lawsuit with students removed from the National Air and Space Museum for wearing pro-life beanies. As part of the agreement, the Smithsonian committed to providing the students a tour and an apology, updating its policy on clothing with religious and political speech for public-facing security staff, sharing video footage and investigative details of the incident, and paying $50,000.
"While we are pleased that the victims of this harassment received justice, it clearly never should have happened in the first place. No sum of money could truly undue the atrocious acts: officers bearing the badge and force of the federal government openly intimidated and violated the First Amendment rights of peaceful students," the senators wrote to the museums last week.
"Moreover, American taxpayers footed the bill for the Smithsonian Institution employees’ egregious behavior and apparent lack of adequate training. This cannot happen again," they said.
That same year, NARA settled a lawsuit in December 2023 after staff reportedly asked visitors to remove pro-life clothing during the March for Life protest earlier that year. The visitors, represented also by the ACLJ, claimed their First Amendment rights were violated. NARA apologized, admitted the incident breached its policies, and agreed to pay $10,000 in legal fees while implementing staff training to prevent future violations.
The senators are urging the institutions to answer questions about whether they have honored prior settlements regarding the treatment of visitors displaying religious or political messages and whether staff have been reminded of policies protecting free speech. NARA is also being asked to commit to maintaining these protections after a key injunction expires in January 2025. Both agencies have been asked to provide detailed explanations of their actions and preparations.
In an email to Fox News Digital, Smithsonian Institution spokesperson Pamela Baker-Masson said, "We will correspond with the Senators."
NARA did not respond to a request for comment by press deadline.
President Donald Trump on Tuesday signed a full and unconditional pardon of Ross Ulbricht, the founder of the anonymous marketplace website Silk Road, which the president promised to do on the campaign trail "on day one."
"I just called the mother of Ross William Ulbright to let her know that in honor of her and the Libertarian Movement, which supported me so strongly, it was my pleasure to have just signed a full and unconditional pardon of her son, Ross," Trump wrote in a social media post on Tuesday. "The scum that worked to convict him were some of the same lunatics who were involved in the modern day weaponization of government against me. He was given two life sentences, plus 40 years. Ridiculous!"
Ulbricht was convicted because his website, which was founded in 2011 and used cryptocurrency for payments, was used to sell illegal drugs, even though he did not sell any of the illicit substances himself.
Republican Arizona Congressman Andy Biggs announced his interest Tuesday in running for governor in 2026 as the GOP looks to defeat incumbent Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs.
Biggs, an ally of President Donald Trump and former chair of the conservative Freedom Caucus, filed a statement of interest, which is required before he can start collecting signatures to qualify for the ballot.
However, filing a statement doesn't mean a candidate will follow through.
In a statement posted on X, Biggs said he "will bring my experience home to my native state to help it fulfill its tremendous capacity. I have a firm understanding of what the state needs to thrive."
Biggs chaired the Freedom Caucus from 2019 to 2021 and was one of eight Republicans who helped oust former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., in 2023.
If Biggs does run, it could result in a fight between him and Karrin Taylor Robson, also a Trump ally.
"Are you running for governor? I think so Karrin, because, if you do, you’re going to have my support, OK?" Trump told a crowd last month at Turning Point USA’s Americafest event in Phoenix.
Robson ran for governor in 2022 but lost to Kari Lake, who Trump endorsed. Lake lost that year's election to Hobbs and recently lost a bid for the U.S. Senate.
In his statement, Biggs said he looks "forward to conversing with my fellow Arizonans as I consider this weighty decision."
State Sen. Jake Hoffman, a Republican and founding chair of the Arizona Freedom Caucus, endorsed Biggs on X.
"Andy will make an INCREDIBLE Governor and ensure Arizona is safe & prosperous for everyone," he wrote.
President Donald Trump revoked former National Security Advisor John Bolton's Secret Service protection after his inauguration as the 47th president on Monday, Bolton told Fox News Digital.
"I am disappointed but not surprised that President Trump has decided to terminate the protection previously provided by the United States Secret Service," Bolton said in a statement provided to Fox News Digital on Tuesday. "Notwithstanding my criticisms of President Biden's national-security policies, he nonetheless made the decision to extend that protection to me in 2021. "
Bolton has faced threats from Iran going back years, including an alleged plot to assassinate him in 2021 and the Department of Justice subsequently charging a member of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps for the plot in 2022. Trump had ousted Bolton from his first administration in 2019, and Biden had granted him a security detail in 2021.
Fox News Digital reached out to the White House regarding Bolton's claim, but did not immediately receive a reply.
"The Justice Department filed criminal charges against an Iranian Revolutionary Guard official in 2022 for attempting to hire a hit man to target me. That threat remains today, as also demonstrated by the recent arrest of someone trying to arrange for President Trump's own assassination," Bolton continued in his statement. "The American people can judge for themselves which President made the right call."
The Iranian threats against Bolton were likely sparked by the January 2020 U.S. strike that killed Qassem Soleimani, the head of Iran’s Quds Force, the Department of Justice reported in 2022.
"I informed John Bolton last night that his services are no longer needed at the White House," Trump tweeted in 2019. "I disagreed strongly with many of his suggestions, as did others in the Administration, and therefore I asked John for his resignation, which was given to me this morning. I thank John very much for his service. I will be naming a new National Security Advisor next week."
In the following years, Trump repeatedly has slammed Bolton, including claiming he would have sparked "World War Six," and calling him "one of the dumbest people in Government" back in 2023.
Bolton also has taken his shots at Trump, claiming in a 2020 interview that Trump lacks "the competency to carry out the job."
"I don’t think he’s fit for office," Bolton said in 2020. "I don’t think he has the competency to carry out the job. There isn’t really any guiding principle that I was able to discern, other than what’s good for Donald Trump’s reelection."
Sens. Ashley Moody, R-Fla., and Jon Husted, R-Ohio, were sworn in on Tuesday following the resignations of both Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Vice President JD Vance.
With the two new senators, Republicans officially have 53 members in their Senate conference.
Gov. Ron DeSantis, R-Fla., recently announced Moody to be the next senator from Florida, taking over Rubio's seat. She was the state's attorney general prior.
While the GOP has a several seat majority, they will need the assistance of some Democrats to defeat the legislative filibuster's 60-vote threshold to consider most legislation.
However, on nominations and budget reconciliation, that threshold is lowered to 51.
"Thank you so much. I will bring the same persistence and passion and tenacity as a United States senator that I have brought as Florida's Attorney General," Moody said after accepting DeSantis's appointment.
"If you have worked with me and fought with me over the last six years, you know, I don't think of this as a job. I think of it as a calling," she added.
Following DeWine's announcement, Husted said, "Governor, I just want to say thank you. It is my honor to accept the appointment to serve the people of the state of Ohio in the U.S. Senate. I just appreciate that you have placed so much trust in me. First as a running mate, and then as lieutenant governor, and now as your appointee to the Senate."
Welcome to the Fox News Politics newsletter, with the latest updates on the Trump administration, exclusive interviews and more Fox News politics content.
Here's what's happening…
- 'Class act' Barron Trump sets social media ablaze for shaking hands with Biden at dad's inauguration
- Trump 'articulated a playbook,' experts say of his policy-oriented inaugural address
President Donald Trump pulled the security clearances of more than 50 national security officials who said Hunter Biden’s laptop had "all the classic earmarks of a Russian information operation."
A total of 51 former national security officials released a public letter in 2020 claiming that even though the laptop did not have "any evidence of Russian involvement," it looked like a "Russian information operation."
The letter came after the New York Post reported they had emails showing Hunter Biden coordinated for Joe Biden to meet with a top executive at Ukrainian energy company Burisma months before pressuring Ukrainian officials to oust a prosecutor investigating the company…Read more
FAILED TO DELIVER: Trump did not keep 'Day 1' promise to grant clemency to Ross Ulbricht, founder of Silk Road…Read more
READY, SET, GO: President Trump signed a record number of EOs on his first day in the Oval Office…Read more
'UNACCEPTABLE RISK': Federal judge blocks release of second volume of special counsel report to certain lawmakers…Read more
'COMMON SENSE': Trump DHS repeals key Mayorkas memo limiting ICE agents, orders parole review…Read more
JUST FOR THE TASTE OF IT: Trump brings back famous soda button to Oval Office desk…Read more
NEW HIRES: Trump nominees Collins, Stefanik to face Senate grilling while Bessent gets committee vote…Read more
TRUMP PROSECUTIONS: 4 Trump rivals that Biden didn't pardon…Read more
'READY TO FACE THEM': Trump admin hits back as ACLU launches lawsuit on birthright citizenship: ‘Ready to face them’…Read more
'HEARD AROUND THE WORLD': Stefanik looks back to fiery exchanges with college leaders in Senate confirmation hearing: 'watershed moment'…Read more
STEPPING IN: Trump's House GOP allies push birthright citizenship bill after progressive fury at presidential order…Read more
'UNCONSTITUTIONAL ORDER': Blue-state governorbashes Trump birthright citizenship move…Read more
DEFENDING 'BINARY REALITY OF SEX': 'Unlawful DEI-motivated' workplace discrimination to be rooted out by Trump's new acting EEOC chair…Read more
UTTER NEIN-SENSE: Stefanik excoriates Dem for Elon Musk 'Nazi salute' accusation…Read more
TAKING IT BACK': Russia sounds off on Trump’s threat to retake the Panama Canal…Read more
'WEIGHS ON ME EVERY DAY': Israeli military chief steps down, citing responsibility for October 7 Hamas massacre…Read more
LAST ACT OF CRUELTY: What was in the brown bags handed to Israeli hostages released by Hamas?…Read more
AMERICA FIRST: World leaders react as Trump re-enters the White House…Read more
DC CRACKDOWN: Bipartisan lawmakers join forces to break up 'out-of-touch' DC power structure…Read more
'WEAPON OF ABUSE': Chip Roy leads House Republicans in effort to repeal law used by Biden administration to prosecute pro-lifers…Read more
TERMINATED: Coast Guard commandant terminated over border lapses, recruitment, DEI focus…Read more
CAUGHT: Massachusetts must pay feds $2.1B after mistakenly using pandemic funds to cover unemployment benefits…Read more
'SKIRTING' SCOTUS: Medical schools evading high court precedent on race-based admissions…Read more
'LOUD AND CLEAR': Border state's legislature moves to back Trump's ICE on deportations….Read more
BACK HOME: 2 Americans released in exchange for Taliban prisoner…Read more
COLD MURDER: Border Patrol agent killed in Vermont identified…Read more
TIDE CHANGE: DeSantis cites ‘Gulf of America’ in winter storm order after Trump rebranding…Read more
NUMBERS GAME: 4 states sue to block illegal migrants from census count used to assign congressional seats, electoral votes…Read more
'LOUD AND CLEAR': Border state's legislature moves to back Trump's ICE on deportations….Read more
Get the latest updates on the Trump administration and Congress, exclusive interviews and more on FoxNews.com.
Democratic senators on the Armed Services Committee are currently reviewing an affidavit that alleges Secretary of Defense nominee Pete Hegseth made his second wife fear for her safety.
Fox News has obtained an affidavit from Hegseth's former sister-in-law, Danielle Hegseth, which alleges that he both has an alcohol abuse problem – and he at times made his ex-wife, Samantha, fear for her safety. Danielle Hegseth was married to Pete Hegseth's brother. She is not the sister of Samantha, Pete Hegseth's second wife.
The Senate Armed Services Committee was provided the affidavit and members are in the process of reviewing it.
In a statement to Fox News, Pete Hegseth's lawyer, Tim Parlatore said, "Sam has never alleged that there was any abuse, she signed court documents acknowledging that there was no abuse and recently reaffirmed the same during her FBI interview. Belated claims by Danielle Dietrich, an anti-Trump, far-left Democrat who is divorced from Mr. Hegseth’s brother and never got along with the Hegseth family, do nothing to change that. After an acrimonious divorce, Ms. Dietrich has had an ax to grind against the entire Hegseth family. Ms. Dietrich admits that she saw nothing but is now falsely accusing Sam of lying to both the Court and to the FBI because of private, undocumented statements that she allegedly made 10 years ago."
Danielle Hegseth provided an anecdote in the document, recalling that Samantha once hid in a closet from her husband.
But, Danielle Hegseth added that she never witnessed any abuse herself, physical or sexual, from Pete against Samantha.
The affidavit provided additional anecdotes about Hegseth's alleged heavy drinking, referring to several specific occasions, including one in a strip club.
In the document, Danielle Hegseth also concluded her former brother-in-law is not fit to be Secretary of Defense, in her opinion.
The committee's Ranking Member Jack Reed, D-R.I., said in a statement, "As I have said for months, the reports of Mr. Hegseth’s history of alleged sexual assault, alcohol abuse, and public misconduct necessitate an exhaustive background investigation. I have been concerned that the background check process has been inadequate, and this affidavit confirms my fears. The alleged pattern of abuse and misconduct by Mr. Hegseth is disturbing. This behavior would disqualify any servicemember from holding any leadership position in the military, much less being confirmed as the Secretary of Defense."
Samantha Hegseth denies any physical abuse in a statement first reported by NBC News. "There was no physical abuse in my marriage. This is the only further statement I will make to you, I have let you know that I am not speaking and will not speak on my marriage to Pete. Please respect this decision," she reportedly said.
Sen. Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., who is on the committee, told reporters, "This only confirms what we already know about Mr. Hegseth's behavior and the way he has lived his life, and the kinds of opinions that he had towards women."
"So we'll let the Republicans make their own statement, but I think it just confirms we already know that he is absolutely 100% unqualified for this job, his disposition, his demeanor, the issues we have with sexual abuse, with financial mismanagement," she said.
"I am telling you, there is a great deal in this affidavit, and, any part of which would disqualify a candidate to lead our military," Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., another member of the committee, told reporters.
However, Republicans on the committee aren't necessarily going to be swayed by the allegations.
New Sen. Tim Sheehy, R-Mont., who also sits on the committee, wrote on X: "This is a desperate, last-minute attempt by Dems and the media to smear Pete Hegseth and tank his nomination. Pete’s ex-wife is on record saying the claims are false, but the media doesn’t care because it hurts a Republican. Nobody should fall for this."
Border czar Tom Homan on Tuesday said that the mass deportation operation has already started, as the Trump administration looks to make good on promises to tackle the border crisis and crack down against illegal immigration.
"No, it started [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] teams are out there as of today," Homan said on "America’s Newsroom." "We gave them direction to prioritize public safety threats that we're looking for. We've been working up the target list."
The administration has promised to launch a "historic" mass deportation operation, and sources told Fox News Digital that arrests were being planned on "day one." Some media outlets reported on Friday about an operation in Chicago, but Homan said that was re-evaluated due to the leak of information.
"There was some discussion about Chicago because the specific operational plan was released. So we had to look at and reevaluate, ‘Does this raise officer safety concerns?’ And it does. But we've addressed that and teams are out there, effective today," he said.
As for who will be targeted in the operation, Homan said that the priority are public safety threats, but he has said repeatedly that no-one is "off the table" when it comes to arrests if they’re in the U.S. illegally.
"Right out of the gate it’s public safety threats, those who are in the country illegally that have been convicted, arrested for serious crime," he said. "But let me be clear. There's not only public safety threats that will be arrested, because in sanctuary cities, we're not allowed to get that public safety threat in the jail, which means we got to go to the neighborhood and find him."
"And when we find him, he may be with others. And unlike the last administration, we're not going to tell ICE officers not to arrest an illegal alien. So if they find, others will be arrested. So sanctuary cities will get exactly what they don't want, more agents in their neighborhoods and more collateral arrests," he said.
Homan spoke hours after Fox News reported on two DHS memos, including one that rescinded a 2021 memo by then-DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas -- which provided an expanded list of areas that are "protected areas" where ICE could not engage in immigration enforcement. It said the policy was designed to make sure enforcement did not limit "people’s access to essential services or engagement in essential activities."
Those areas include schools, universities, healthcare facilities, places of worship, "places where children gather," social service establishments, food banks, religious or civil ceremonies and disaster or emergency response and relief centers.
The memo issued Monday rescinded that guidance and said that common sense should be used instead.
"Going forward, law enforcement officers should continue to use that discretion along with a healthy dose of common sense," the new memo said. "It is not necessary, however, for the head of the agency to create bright line rules regarding where our immigration laws are permitted to be enforced."
FIRST ON FOX: The anti-woke beer company Ultra Right has officially released its annual swimsuit calendar highlighting "MAGA Babes" after the calendar went viral on social media last year.
The calendar, named "Conservative Dad’s™ MAGA Babes: Make America Hot & Healthy Again," is being billed by Ultra Right as "a bold and unapologetic celebration of health, beauty, and American values."
"America is entering a new golden age in 2025—leaving woke culture in the dust. Companies like Sports Illustrated clearly missed the memo," Ultra Right said in a press release. " Their 2025 bikini calendar features a morbidly obese woman, promoting poor health as something to celebrate. The MAGA Babes Calendar is here to set the record straight: it’s time to take health and fitness seriously—and look hot doing it."
The calendar is available for purchase on the company’s website and has over $200 in discounts.
"Each month highlights a different MAGA Babe wearing a MAGA hat and how they stay ‘Hot & Healthy’, hilarious woke-free holidays and fun, includes an exclusive discount or promo code, and showcases the "Dad Joke of the Month,’" the press release states.
Seth Weathers, Ultra Right’s CEO, told Fox News Digital in a statement that "MAGA Babes are in and woke is out."
"The left tried to drag us down to their drab, overweight, blue-haired level—but on November 5th, America said no!" Weathers said. "Throughout history, men have conquered nations and waged wars for the love of beautiful, cheerful women. We're bringing that attitude back. We'll probably start with Greenland, but who knows what we'll conquer for these MAGA Babes!"
"Led by our iconic First Lady, real beauty is finally being celebrated once again."
Ultra Right, a 'woke-free' beer company that was launched as an alternative to Bud Light after its promotion of transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney that received significant pushback from conservatives, released a similar calendar last year featuring former NCAA swimmer Riley Gaines and several other conservative influencers.
The company devoted 10% of its calendar sales to the Riley Gaines Center to defend women's sports from "extreme leftist ideology seeking to destroy women's athletics."
Gaines told FOX Business after the calendar was released that the campaign raised $20,000 for her group.
"Beer companies used to be about great beer, American patriotism, fun, fast cars, and beautiful real women," Weathers said at the time. "We're bringing back all these things, but better than ever."
