Republicans are ramping up pressure on Senate Democrats ahead of a vote on the House-passed stopgap spending bill to keep the government open, even dubbing a potential funding lapse as a "Schumer shutdown."

"If they want to shut it down, it's on them," Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., told reporters. "That'll be a Schumer shutdown."

Majority Whip John Barrasso, R-Wyo., recently stressed this point in an op-ed for Fox News, writing, "If there is a shutdown, it will be driven by and directed by the Democrats."

CANADA EXPLOITING 'LOOPHOLE' HURTING US DAIRY FARMERS AMID TRUMP TARIFFS, SENATORS SAY

Earlier in the week, House Republicans passed a short-term spending bill, called a continuing resolution (CR), which would keep spending levels the same as fiscal year 2024 until Oct. 1. If a spending bill is not passed by Friday, the government will enter into a partial shutdown.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., took to the chamber floor on Wednesday and said, "Republicans do not have the votes in the Senate to invoke cloture on the House CR," which he slammed for being a "partisan path" to funding the government. 

The resolution would notably keep spending levels as they were when former President Joe Biden was in office. 

Instead, Schumer said Senate Democrats were interested in passing a "clean" monthlong stopgap bill. 

FETTERMAN MAVERICK PERSONA DOESN'T TRANSLATE AS SENATOR HELPS BLOCK TRANS SPORTS BILL

This was echoed by Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., who said Wednesday, "Those votes exist on a 30-day CR, without a doubt."

"If the Republicans would bring it to the floor," he added. 

But Republicans have made it clear they want to move forward with the House-passed bill.

"The thing that bugs me about this is, keep in mind, this same CR was voted for with these spending levels [in] September and December. So what's the difference now?" Mullin said.

"These same employees that they've been fighting for supposedly, now they're going to yield literally all the authority to the White House because the White House is going to be able to deem them essential and non-essential," he said. 

MEET SANDRA WHITEHOUSE, WHOSE HUSBAND'S VOTES FUNNELED MILLIONS INTO NGO THAT PAYS HER

Mullin said Schumer refused to bring 11 of 12 appropriations bills to the Senate floor for votes in the last Congress, despite them having been advanced out of committee. The senator further faulted Democrats for not engaging in negotiations on a spending deal until the last minute. He said Senate Appropriations Committee ranking member Patty Murray, D-Wash., only recently came to the table to discuss it with Chair Susan Collins, R-Maine.

A spokesperson for Murray told Fox News Digital in a statement, "For months, Senator Murray has remained at the table ready to negotiate and pass bipartisan funding bills—and she stands ready to work with the Senate Republican majority to immediately pass a short-term stopgap to prevent a shutdown. In fact, she and her Democratic colleagues pressed to get government funding done in December—but Speaker Johnson chose to kick the can down the road and walk away from bipartisan talks."

A representative for Schumer did not provide comment in time for publication. 

Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., sounded off on the potential funding lapse, saying, "We all know the Democrats want a shutdown." 

"The American people agree with reducing federal spending, getting this country back on the right track. And the Democrats are so opposed to it, they're willing to push to a shutdown. It's all on them," she told reporters. 

GEORGIA REPUBLICANS DON’T RULE OUT SENATE BIDS AS POPULAR GOP GOVERNOR REMAINS UNDECIDED

Sen. Bill Hagerty, R-Tenn., said in a statement, "Republicans are doing the right thing for the American people by making sure our government stays open."

However, "Democrats are sacrificing the good of hardworking Americans on the altar of their hatred for Donald Trump. They should reverse course and join Republicans in keeping the lights on in the federal government. Enough with the political games."

Votes on beginning the process to consider the stopgap bill are expected to occur on Thursday, depending on whether Republicans and Democrats come to an agreement to skip lengthy procedural votes that are routine for most votes. 

The government says it cannot accept any new applications for its key green farming funding scheme.

After referring to Democratic Rep. Sarah McBride of Delaware as "Mr. McBride" during a congressional hearing this week, Rep. Keith Self, R-Texas, said he is not obligated to engage in McBride's "fantasy."

While discussing the issue, Self referred to McBride – who identifies as a transgender woman – using male pronouns.

"Well, Michael, I'm a retired Green Beret. I'm not even sure what all the fuss is about," Self told conservative commentator Michael Knowles of the Daily Wire during an interview.

GOP LAWMAKER CALLS TRANS DEM ‘MR. MCBRIDE,’ ABRUPTLY ENDS HEARING AFTER ULTIMATUM FROM ANOTHER DEM

"I mean, he is allowed to live his life — in fact, I spent 25 years on active duty defending his right to live his life as he chooses. But I don't have to participate in his fantasy," Self said.

Rep. Mary Miller, who referred to McBride as "the gentleman from Delaware, Mr. McBride," when recognizing the lawmaker for a floor speech last month, agreed with Self's sentiments, declaring in a post on X, "Exactly! No one should be forced to go along with the Democrats’ delusions. Thank you, @RepKeithSelf, for your boldness."

Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., also expressed his support for Self's position, tweeting, "#GoodMan."

HOUSE REPUBLICAN INTRODUCES TRANSGENDER LAWMAKER AS ‘THE GENTLEMAN … MR. MCBRIDE’ FOR FLOOR SPEECH

McBride referred to Self as "Madam chair" during a hearing on Tuesday after Self, who chairs the House Foreign Affairs Committee's Europe subcommittee, recognized McBride as "the representative from Delaware, Mr. McBride."

Subcommittee ranking member Rep. Bill Keating, D-Mass., halted the hearing over the issue, demanding that Self introduce McBride the "right way." 

GOP LAWMAKER SCRAPS WITH DEMOCRAT IN HEARING OVER TRANSGENDER ‘SLUR,' BATHROOM RIGHTS: ‘NOT GOING TO HAVE IT’

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"You will not continue" the hearing "with me unless you introduce a duly-elected representative the right way!" Keating declared.

In response to the ultimatum, Self declared, "This hearing is adjourned."

"No matter how I'm treated by some colleagues, nothing diminishes my awe and gratitude at getting to represent Delaware in Congress. It is truly the honor and privilege of a lifetime. I simply want to serve and to try to make this world a better place," McBride tweeted on Tuesday night.

Sir Keir's argument overlaps with the former PM's - that the proliferation of arm's length bodies slow down change.

Canada and the EU have announced retaliatory tariffs but UK will take a "pragmatic" approach, the prime minister said.

The recent cancelation of $400 million in federal grants and contracts to Columbia University by the Trump administration's Joint Task Force to Combat Antisemitism was seen as a major wake-up call to the country's universities.

In its press release, the task force announced that the "decisive action" is "a notice to every school and university that receives federal dollars."

Leo Terrell, leader of the Federal Task Force to Combat Antisemitism and senior counsel to the assistant attorney general for civil rights, told Fox News Digital that Columbia was an initial target for funding cuts because the school has been "in my opinion, the worst of the worst when it comes to allowing this type of conduct to take place and to continue."

Rabbi Moshe Hauer, executive director of the Orthodox Union, told Fox News Digital that "the more dramatic action that the [Trump] administration seems ready to take … seems to be the necessary approach for something as urgent as what we have been facing." Hauer added that his community has "a lot of hope."

TRUMP ADMIN WON’T TOLERATE ANTISEMITISM IN SCHOOLS, SAYS LEO TERRELL AS NYC SCHOOLS UNDER MICROSCOPE

Hauer added that recent protests at Columbia University and Barnard College "reminded us how alive the issue [of campus antisemitism] is." 

Terrell said President Donald Trump’s executive order directing increased efforts to fight antisemitism "set the tone for every single agency" involved in the task force, which includes the Departments of Justice, Education, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security and State, in addition to the U.S. General Services Administration and the FBI. Terrell said newly confirmed Secretary of Education Linda McMahon "is involved in this extensively, per the directive from [U.S. Attorney General] Pam Bondi." 

He says experts within his task force will be assessing schools based on about nine criteria to determine whether they are adequately protecting Jewish students. In addition to looking for evidence of hate crimes and examining schools’ tax-exempt status, Terrell said the task force will search for violations of Title VI and Title VII in the 1964 Civil Rights Act.

Title VI protects Americans who engage in programs that receive federal funds from discrimination based upon race, color and national origin. Former President Joe Biden’s administration used Title VI when the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights examined hostile antisemitic environments on K-12 and college campuses. Title VII prevents federal employment discrimination on the basis of race, religion, sex or color.

The task force’s move at Columbia follows weeks of protests at the university and affiliated Barnard College. In January, students stormed a Columbia classroom and "allegedly threw around [fliers] filled with hateful speech." The following month, more than 50 protesters took over a building at Barnard College and were said to have assaulted an employee.

COLUMBIA STUDENT DESCRIBES ANTI-ISRAEL PROTESTS: 'IT'S TERRIFYING'

During a March 5 protest on Barnard’s campus, protesters were pictured passing out pamphlets from the "Hamas media office," in addition to pictures of former Hezbollah terror chief Hassan Nasrallah and stickers featuring former chair of the Hamas terror organization Yahya Sinwar, according to the Times of Israel. In a press release, Columbia confirmed that four of its students were arrested during the Barnard "disruption." The students were subsequently "suspended and restricted from campus."

The situation at Columbia has grown more complex after former student Mahmoud Khalil was arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for allegedly advocating for Hamas. Terrell said Khalil’s arrest was not conducted at the behest of the task force but explained that "all of this is coming out of the Trump executive order." 

TRUMP VOWS ANTI-ISRAEL ACTIVIST MAHMOUD KHALIL WAS 'FIRST ARREST OF MANY TO COME'

A Columbia representative did not respond to questions from Fox News Digital about the cancellation of its grants, its posture toward ICE on campus or whether it plans to continue employing anti-Israel professors who are accused of spreading antisemitic views. 

Columbia’s interim president, Katrina Armstrong, released a statement on March 7 in which she said "Columbia is taking the government’s action very seriously." Armstrong sought to "assure the entire Columbia community that we are committed to working with the federal government to address their legitimate concerns. To that end, Columbia can, and will, continue to take serious action toward combatting antisemitism on our campus. This is our number one priority."

When it comes to demonstrating their effective efforts to combat antisemitism, Terrell said schools must "earn trust." Citing as an example "the little feeble action" Columbia has taken in response to funding cuts, Terrell asked, "Is it the money driving them or their concern for Jewish-American students?" 

Terrell also said there will be no special rewards for schools that have managed antisemitism without federal involvement.

"They have a fundamental right to protect Jewish Americans and Jewish students," he said.

The PM will promise to cut regulations and use AI to make the Civil Service more efficient in a speech later.

Rachel Reeves set up the Office for Value for Money (OVfM) in October to "root out waste and inefficiency".

California Governor Gavin Newsom has responded to claims that he secretly helped fund a nearly $100,000 bronze bust of himself that sits inside San Francisco City Hall, calling them "categorically false."

"To imply the Governor personally funded or proposed this effort is categorically false," a spokesperson for Newsom said in a statement to Fox News Digital. "As is customary in the city, the effort was independently proposed by a nonprofit and funded by private donors — not taxpayers… This was reported at the time and isn’t news now." 

A new book, written by Susan Crabtree and Jedd McFatter, and titled "Fool's Gold: The Radicals, Con Artists, and Traitors Who Killed the California Dream and Now Threaten Us All," claims Newsom used something called "behested payments" – or contributions from donors that politicians ask them to make on their behalf – to help fund the statue. 

The book claims two companies owned by Newsom donated about $10,000 to a non-profit to help pay for the bronze bust on a black granite base that is meant to commemorate Newsom's time as mayor of the city.

COZY TIES BETWEEN TOP NEWSOM ALLY AND CCP OFFICIAL UNEARTHED ON NETWORKING SITE

The Democrat was mayor of San Francisco from 2004 to 2011. 

"Businesses tied to the Newsom family made a modest contribution to the privately funded initiative and raised funds for the effort as reported publicly at the time," Newsom's office said. "The contributions were not in any way ‘secret’ as falsely claimed by some now."

Back in 2015, San Francisco news outlet SFGate reported that Newsom called the bust a "strange thing," and quoted him as saying: "I’m just awkward about it... But now the word is out."

Newsom told SFGate the bust was the brainchild of his supporters and that it would be paid for with private funds. According to the outlet, Newsom said he didn't even know who the supporters and fundraisers were.

The outlet also reported that Newsom sat for the bust with artist Bruce Wolfe multiple times. The work was finished in 2018, according to the San Francisco Arts Commission.

CALIFORNIA GOV NEWSOM SETS MENENDEZ BROTHERS PAROLE BOARD HEARING DATE IN BID FOR CLEMENCY

Newsom's office went on to blast the book itself, telling Fox News Digital:
"This publication should come with a free tinfoil hat, a lifetime subscription to InfoWars, and a VIP dinner with Elvis Presley and Bigfoot. The authors seem allergic to basic facts — especially the kind you can confirm with a 10-second Google search, like how many children the Governor has."

Crabtree, one of the authors of the book, told Fox News Digital that the book never claims that Newsom organized the bust, and that they stand by their reporting on the project.

According to the San Francisco Arts Commission, the bust includes a bronze plaque with the following quote from Newsom: 

"If you distill the essence of everything, what life is about, every single one of us is given a short moment in time on this planet and we all have one universal need and desire, and that is to love and be loved."

Newsom's office also pointed out that his bust sits next to several other busts of former city mayors, including Willie Brown, Dianne Feinstein and George Moscone.

Not surprisingly, the internet erupted with reaction to the bust – with many blasting Newsom.

"Who commissions a bust of themself? Gavin Newsom who clearly thinks very highly of himself," one user wrote on X. "That’s just kind of sick from a politician’s head. Look at me and see how great I am!"

NEWSOM'S VIRAL ‘LATINX’ CLAIM CRUMBLES AMID SCRUTINY OF HIS OWN ADMINISTRATION'S ONLINE RECORDS

"Gavin Newsom’s new bust is the perfect symbol of his time as governor," another user wrote. "Expensive and ultimately [u]seless for the people of California."

"San Francisco needs a Bust Reduction! $97K Newscum Vanity Project," another user remarked.

Newsom has emerged as somewhat of a darling for the Democrat party. He served as a surrogate for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris during their 2024 campaign. He is considered a top contender to run for president in 2028.

The ex-SNP leader says she will not seek re-election at the 2026 Scottish Parliament election.

A California board voted unanimously to allocate millions of dollars for services aimed at protecting illegal immigrants and refugees in the community.

The Alameda County Board of Supervisors in Oakland decided at Tuesday's regular meeting to set aside around $2.2 million for communities in their area in response to President Donald Trump's crackdown on illegal immigration, at the request of the board's ad hoc Alameda County Together for All Committee.

"I'm committed, and I believe Supervisor [Elisa] Marquez is also committed, to making sure the board, the public, has more information and that this work is truly effective in reaching every single person in this community that is potentially at risk," Supervisor Nikki Fortunato Bas, chairwoman of the committee, said at the meeting.

CALIFORNIA EXPLOITING MEDICAID 'LOOPHOLE' TO PAY BILLIONS FOR ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS' HEALTHCARE, STUDY SAYS 

Minutes from the meeting show that the board approved the use of $50,000 to the Asian Pacific Islander Legal Outreach to "provide legal services and advocacy to marginalized immigrant communities." The money is being pulled from the District 5 Prior Year Savings fund and the Discretionary Services and Supplies funds.

The board also approved up to $700,000 to be used by Centro Legal de La Raza to establish a Rapid Response Hotline, Know Your Rights training sessions, pre-emptive legal services and community volunteer network response coordination.

The organization describes itself as a "legal services agency protecting and advancing the rights of low-income, immigrant, Black, and Latinx communities through bilingual legal representation, education, and advocacy."

Trabajadores Unidos Workers United was also approved for up to $500,000 to be used on "resources and preparation to immigrant and refugee communities, including training, mutual aid, and neighborhood resources."

"TUWU believes in upholding the power of working-class immigrants through forging class consciousness and growing the leadership of low-wage immigrant workers," the organization says on its website. "TUWU seeks to abolish workplace exploitation through organizing, political education, and direct action that shifts power to the hands of the working class."

TRUMP SIGNS EXECUTIVE ORDER ENDING USE OF TAXPAYER MONEY TO 'INCENTIVIZE OR SUPPORT' ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION 

The California Collaborative for Immigrant Justice was also given up to $1 million for legal services.

According to its website, the CCIJ's mission is to "utilize coordination, advocacy, and legal services to fight for the liberation of immigrants in detention in California."

"For the community work, the proposal is that the county would fund half of one year's budget and there's private fundraising happening to fund the other half," Fortunato Bas said, in part.

Supervisor David Haubert said the funding is "a community effort" and is being made possible through a "public/private partnership," emphasizing the financial burden is not solely on the county.

Fortunato Bas said in a Facebook post on Wednesday that one-third of Alameda County residents are immigrants and "half of our children grow up in a household with at least one immigrant parent."

"We are a diverse county, and our community needs protection. The policies of the federal administration are causing fear among our residents," she wrote, in part. "The unanimous vote of the Board of Supervisors demonstrates our county’s commitment to our immigrant and refugee communities, who will have more access to critical information, services, and legal support."

The money approved on Tuesday comes after the board authorized $1.3 million in February for the Alameda County Public Defender Office's Immigration Unit, which provides deportation defense and legal services to illegal immigrants facing deportation, according to NBC Bay Area.

Idaho Gov. Brad Little signed his name on a bill Wednesday making Idaho the only state in the U.S. to have a firing squad designated as the preferred execution method for capital punishment, beginning next year.

The governor’s action comes less than a week after Brad Sigmon, 67, of South Carolina, was executed by way of a firing squad for killing his ex-girlfriend’s parents with a baseball bat in 2001.

Sigmon was pronounced dead nearly three minutes after being shot by three volunteer prison employees last Friday – a method used for the first time in 15 years in the U.S.

The Idaho Statesman reported that Idaho has nine prisoners on death row, though the death penalty has not been carried out in the state in over a dozen years.

IDAHO BEEFS UP FIRING SQUAD AS BRYAN KOHBERGER TRIAL NEARS

Last year, the state was unable to execute Thomas Eugene Creech, one of the longest-serving death row inmates in the U.S. Medical personnel administering the lethal injection failed to establish an IV line despite trying for roughly an hour.

The bill’s tracking sheet shows that over two-thirds of the Republican-controlled legislature supported the measure, which, along with making death by firing squad the preferred method, also kept lethal injection as the state’s backup method.

Fox News Digital has reached out to Little’s office for comment on the matter.

IDAHO SERIAL KILLER SURVIVES LETHAL INJECTION ATTEMPT, PROMPTING RENEWED PUSH FOR FIRING SQUAD

Little approved a law in 2023 to add execution by firing squad as the state’s backup execution method, though at the time he said his preferred method was by lethal injection.

Idaho, then became the fifth state in the country to legalize the practice, following Utah, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Mississippi.

This time around, bill sponsor Rep. Bruce Skaug, who previously pushed for legislation that restored the firing squad as a backup option to lethal injection, argued that the botched lethal injection of Creech last year highlights problems with that method.

IDAHO'S MOVE TO RESURRECT FIRING SQUAD ‘MAKES SENSE’ AS ‘QUICKEST, SUREST’ DEATH PENALTY OPTION, EXPERT SAYS

The newly legalized execution method could impact the state's eight current death row inmates and possibly the future University of Idaho college murders suspect Bryan Kohberger. 

Little signed the bill as prosecutors have said they will seek the death penalty for Kohberger if he is convicted. His trial is scheduled for later this year, and he faces four charges of first-degree murder and another charge of felony burglary.

A judge entered not-guilty pleas on his behalf at his arraignment. 

Fox News Digital’s Michael Ruiz and Stepheny Price contributed to this report.

The PM will pledge to slash the costs of regulation with an "active government" in a speech later.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is ordering a review of military fitness and grooming standards as the Trump administration continues to reverse policies critics say have made America's fighting force appear weaker on the global stage. 

In a memo Wednesday to senior Pentagon leadership, Hegseth ordered Darin Selnick, the under secretary of defense for personnel and readiness, to gather existing standards in all U.S. military branches related to physical fitness, body composition and grooming, including regulations on beards. 

"We must remain vigilant in maintaining the standards that enable the men and women of our military to protect the American people and our homeland as the world's most lethal and effective fighting force," Hegseth said in a statement. "Our adversaries are not growing weaker, and our tasks are not growing less challenging."

SECRETARY HEGSETH SAYS THE DOD DOES NOT DO ‘CLIMATE CHANGE CRAP’

The review will "illuminate how the department has maintained the level of standards required over the recent past and the trajectory of any change in those standards," he added. 

DOGE INITIAL FINDINGS ON DEFENSE DEPARTMENT DEI SPENDING COULD SAVE $80M, AGENCY SAYS

Leaders will look at how those standards have changed since Jan. 1, 2015, and provide insight into how they have evolved and the effect of those changes.  

Hegseth has vowed to bring back tougher standards while reversing "woke" policies that don't align with restoring the warrior ethos, rebuilding the military and reestablishing deterrence.   

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"Our standards will be high, uncompromising, and clear," he said in a Jan. 25 memo to service members. "The strength of our military is our unity and our shared purpose."

An Illinois lawmaker has introduced a bill that critics say will make it legal for anyone experiencing a mental health episode to attack police officers.

Democratic state Rep. Lisa Davis, an attorney in the Law Office of the Cook County Public Defender's office, introduced House Bill 3458 in February. 

Under the terms of the legislation, the bill would "[provide] that it is a defense to aggravated battery when the individual battered is a peace officer and the officer responded to an incident in which the officer interacted with a person whom a reasonable officer could believe was having a mental health episode and the person with whom the officer interacted has a documented mental illness and acted abruptly."

‘PRO-CRIMINAL': BLUE STATE SHERIFF UNLOADS ON ‘DISGUSTING’ BILL TARGETING THE RIGHT TO SELF-DEFENSE

The bill has picked up two co-sponsors, Reps. Marcus Evans and Kelly Cassidy. 

Currently, a person in Illinois can be charged with aggravated battery if they attack "an individual whom the person knows to be a peace officer, community policing volunteer, fireman, private security officer, correctional institution employee, or Department of Human Services employee supervising or controlling sexually dangerous persons or sexually violent persons."

Second Cop City, a blog that reports on Chicago policing matters, first reported on the bill.

TRUMP SUPPORTING CALIFORNIA SHERIFF LAUNCHES REPUBLICAN RUN FOR GOVERNOR IN RACE TO SUCCEED NEWSOM

"If this passes, mental illness will be an excuse to attack and beat police officers," the blog states. "In fact, who wants to bet there will be thousands of people who suddenly have doctor notes that permit them to attack cops?"

Davis' proposal would legalize attacks on peace officers. Other first responders would be spared, such as firefighters, like her husband, CWB Chicago reported. 

The bill has been referred to the Illinois General Assembly Rules Committee, where unpopular legislation goes to die, the news report states. 

Fox News Digital has reached out to Davis and the Chicago chapter of the Grand Lodge of the Fraternal Order of Police. 

SpaceX and NASA scrubbed the planned rocket launch of Crew-10 to the International Space Station (ISS) on Wednesday due to a hydraulic issue with one of the ground systems, according to officials giving a live broadcast of the event.

NASA and SpaceX will get their next opportunity to send the rocket into space when the launch window opens on Thursday at 7:25 p.m.

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth shared a message of support for NASA's SpaceX Crew-10 ahead of their launch on Wednesday, highlighting the U.S. military's prominent role in the mission.

"I just want to take a brief moment to say we are praying for you," Hegseth said in a video posted to X. "We wish you Godspeed, and we look forward to welcoming you all home soon." 

TRUMP SENDS SPECIAL MESSAGE TO STRANDED ASTRONAUTS, JOKES HE MAY GO ALONG FOR RESCUE: ‘WE LOVE YOU’

NASA's SpaceX Crew-10 is slated to launch from the Kennedy Space Center at 7:48 p.m. on Wednesday. The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will carry a crew of four to the ISS for a six-month residency. The mission is set to usher in the much-anticipated homecoming of Barry "Butch" Wilmore and Suni Williams.

"President Trump said to Elon Musk, ‘get the astronauts home and do it now' – and they're responding," Hegseth continued. "And they're bringing NASA astronauts, [who] also happen to be retired U.S. Navy Capt. Butch Wilmore and retired U.S. Navy Capt. Suni Williams, home."

The American astronauts have been stranded on the ISS for nine months after arriving there in June of last year. They were only supposed to stay for about a week. 

Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft had transported the pair of astronauts from Earth to the ISS. However, it returned to Earth unmanned in September. This came after Starliner suffered "helium leaks" and "issues with the spacecraft reaction control thrusters" while docking with the ISS. 

NASA ASTRONAUTS NOT ‘FRETTING’ OVER EXTENDED MISSION, ‘GRATEFUL’ FOR MORE TIME IN SPACE AFTER STARLINER WOES

"Now, the Department of Defense is also proud to have multiple branches and two active-duty U.S. military officers represented in the mission that's kicking off tonight between NASA and SpaceX. Yet, U.S. Army Colonel Anne McClain and U.S. Air Force Major Nichole Ayers," Hegseth said. "So this is Army, Air Force and Navy tonight."

In addition to McClain and Ayers, Crew-10 also includes an astronaut from Japan and one from Russia. 

BOEING'S STARLINER SPACECRAFT LANDS BACK ON EARTH WITHOUT A CREW

Wednesday's launch comes after President Donald Trump asked SpaceX CEO Elon Musk to rescue the stranded astronauts sooner than NASA had planned.

Trump has repeatedly said former President Joe Biden "abandoned" them in space.

Musk definitively told FOX Business’ Larry Kudlow earlier in the week: "We're gonna get 'em back."

BOEING STARLINER UNDOCKS FROM SPACE STATION, HEADS TO EARTH UNMANNED AS CREW STAYS BEHIND

NASA said there will be a "handover period" with the SpaceX Crew-10 before Wilmore and Williams head back to their home planet. They could return to Earth as early as Sunday.

Last week, Trump shared a special message for Wilmore and Williams.

NASA ASTRONAUT SAYS STARLINER CREW LIKELY TO CHANGE EXERCISE ROUTINE DURING EXTENDED ISS STAY 

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"Elon [Musk] is right now preparing a ship to go up and get them," the president told Fox News senior White House correspondent Peter Doocy. "We love you, and we're coming up to get you, and you shouldn't have been up there so long."

FOX Business' Aislinn Murphy contributed to this report.

Activists suggest replacing judges with a three-person panel featuring a senior legal figure.

Sir Keir Starmer led European efforts to mend Trump-Zelensky relationship, UK government sources tell the BBC.

A member of a state panel advising the director of Oregon's Health Authority (OHA) on best practices and policies in mental health identifies as a "turtle."

JD Holt, who also goes by "JD Terrapin" on Facebook, is one of roughly two dozen "consumers" on the OHA's Consumer Advisory Council (OCAC). The council, established by administrative statute, is appointed by OHA Director Dr. Sejal Hathi, who was appointed by Gov. Tina Kotek, a Democrat.

The purpose of the OCAC is to advise Hathi on the state's provision of mental health services, including through investigations and reviews of current practices. 

"Hello everybody, it's JD. I use they, them and turtle for my pronouns. I'm in the Springfield-Eugene area and I get to be part of the council," Holt said during a Dec. 20 virtual OCAC meeting. Gender Wiki, a website that documents the list of non-binary genders, describes "turtlegender," sometimes called "tortoisegender," as "a xenogender identity in which one feels a gendered connection to turtles."

TRUMP ADMIN CUTS FUNDING TO MAINE UNIVERSITIES AS STATE DEFIES ORDER TO BAN TRANS ATHLETES FROM WOMEN'S SPORTS

"One may feel their gender is replaced by a 'turtle,' or their gender is best described with the use of turtles," the site reads. 

During a Dec. 17 meeting, an OHA member introduced themselves as, "Luke A Shooting Star."

In a statement to Fox News Digital, OHA said that every member of the Consumer Advisory Council and the perspectives they bring "are highly valued."

"In following Oregon statute, every member of the Oregon Consumer Advisory Council is someone with lived experience, bring [sic] the voice and experiences of people across the state that have experienced behavioral health challenges," said OHA spokesperson Amber Shoebridge.

PARENTAL RIGHTS GROUP FILES COMPLAINT AGAINST OREGON SCHOOL SYSTEM FOR ALLEGED RACIAL DISCRIMINATION 

In response to questions about how Hathi goes about appointing members of the committee, Shoebridge said it is a joint effort between existing members on the council, a seven-member committee appointed by the council and the director, who ultimately makes the final decision. Shoebridge added that those selected "represent independent, consumer-run organizations, consumer-run advocacy organizations and consumer-operated advisory councils that are active or headquartered in this state."

Duties of the advisory council, among other things, include the ability to "investigate," "evaluate" and "recommend" the state's behavioral health resources. Specifically, the OCAC develops a working plan with recommendations and goals every year, and is also given the authority to establish "committees to investigate specific areas of interest related to Behavioral Health services."

The council's governing rules were updated as recently as last year, and state legislators have previously taken steps to strengthen its role in shaping decisions on mental health service policies. The OHA did not respond to questions about how much money gets allocated to the OCAC in time for publication; however, the OHA budget for the 2023-2025 biennium was $35.8 billion, according to the agency's website. 

PENTAGON SAYS TRANSGENDER TROOPS ARE DISQUALIFIED FROM SERVICE WITHOUT AN EXEMPTION

Each council member serves for a term of two years and can be reelected once, according to the administrative statute establishing the panel. 

According to a Fox News review of Holt's public Facebook posts, Holt has promoted "anarchist" causes and encouraged people to obstruct immigration enforcement actions.

"WHAT TO DO AT AN ICE CHECKPOINT, ESPECIALLY IF YOU ARE WHITE and/or FEEL THE NEED TO JAM UP THE WORKS," Holt wrote in a Jan. 29 Facebook post. Holt's post encouraged people to yell and scream at federal immigration authorities and make their jobs as "difficult and uncomfortable" as possible.

Fox News Digital reached out to Holt, Hathi and Kotek, but did not hear back by press time.

FIRST ON FOX: The impact of a migrant surge at one sanctuary city airport is being revealed in new information provided to a Senate committee investigating the handling of the Biden-era migrant crisis.

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, who is the chair of the Senate Commerce Committee, recently subpoenaed the Massachusetts Port Authority for documents that Republicans on the committee had requested last year about the use of facilities to allow migrants to shelter at Boston Logan International Airport.

Migrants had been seen camping out at airports at the height of the Biden-era crisis as migrants descended on sanctuary cities like Boston.

TED CRUZ SLAPS BLUE STATE AUTHORITY WITH SUBPOENA OVER SHELTERING MIGRANTS AT AIRPORT: ‘RECKLESS’

"Donald Trump put a stop to Biden’s open border policy, but a full investigation of this scandal is vital to both prevent its future reemergence and hold accountable those complicit in Biden’s lawless immigration orders," Cruz told Fox News Digital last month.

In the responses to the committee by Massport, obtained by Fox News Digital, the port authority estimated that more than 5,000 migrants arrived at Logan between July 2023 and July 2024.

"... Massport estimates that 5,500 migrants flew into Logan Airport during the period resulting in actions taken to respond to the unprecedented arrival of migrants to the airport," the agency said in response to questions.

SENATE COMMERCE REPUBLICANS EXPAND PROBE INTO AIRPORTS IN ‘SANCTUARY’ JURISDICTIONS SHELTERING MIGRANTS

At the peak, there were 352 migrants staying at Logan Airport in a 4,100-foot area of Terminal E. The authority said migrants were taken to state centers every morning, although some returned and stayed there.

As for how much the stays cost, authorities estimated the cost per day was $2,520 and the total cost was around $779,000 for additional staffing, services and transportation. Between July and November 2023, the average number of migrants staying overnight was less than 100, but in the following months the highest daily averages were in April (181), May (265) and June (262).

Officials said it did not reduce the capacity of the airport and that "all actions were taken in accordance with Federal and state law, to afford the traveling public with a safe, secure, efficient and orderly airport operation."

The officials also said that no cost was passed on to the taxpayers. Instead, the majority of costs were absorbed by Massport, while $332,000 of additional costs were passed on to air carriers, and at "no point were airport facilities turned into housing for migrants."

CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE

They further noted there were "time-to-time minor conflicts" from migrants, but none requiring arrests or criminal charges.

Ultimately, migrants were barred from using the airport as a shelter and instead were offered taxpayer-funded accommodation in July 2024.

"As of July 9, 2024, there was a policy change announced by the state that migrant families could no longer stay overnight at Logan, and no families have stayed at the airport since then," a Massport spokesperson said. "We are working closely with the Committee to voluntarily cooperate fully with their request."

Lawmakers had initially requested information from Massport last year, arguing that the use of facilities to house migrants violated the conditions of federal funding.

The new push comes amid a broader push by the Trump administration to crack down on arrivals at the southern border. Numbers of migrants at the border plunged last summer and have continued to drop under the new administration.