FIRST ON FOX: Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard said former President Joe Biden's administration was aware of "very sexually explicit, highly inappropriate and unprofessional chatter" happening on internal agency messaging boards across national intelligence entities for years, but they allowed it to go on.
"I've had whistleblowers come forward just in the last few days who work in the [National Security Agency] and who said, ‘Hey, we saw this, and we reported it through official channels under the Biden administration,’" she told Fox News Digital in an interview at the White House on Wednesday, following President Donald Trump's first Cabinet meeting.
"And essentially they were told this is no issue, step aside," Gabbard said.
It all comes back to "the Biden administration's obsession with" diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), according to the new Director of National Intelligence (DNI).
The chatrooms "were set up because of DEI policies," she said.
Gabbard said the discussions had been going on for two years.
Fox News Digital reached out to representatives for Biden and former DNI Avril Haines but did not immediately receive comment.
"They were shut down immediately after President Trump issued his executive order shutting down the DEI across the federal government," she noted.
After discovering the chats, Gabbard directed the agencies under her to terminate those involved, which she said amounted to over 100 people. She further directed their security clearances to be revoked.
The employees who were part of the chats "violated the trust that the American people placed in them to work in these highly sensitive jobs that are directly related to national security," she explained.
As for DEI, Gabbard said, "We're just scratching the surface here" regarding how much money, time and resources have been spent on DEI in intelligence agencies.
According to the director, "getting rid of the DEI center that was stood up under the Biden administration, we immediately saved taxpayers almost $20 million."
An additional $3 to 4 million was saved by nixing the various DEI conferences that employees would travel to, she added.
Gabbard joined billionaire and Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) advisor Elon Musk, Trump, and other confirmed and unconfirmed Cabinet picks on Wednesday during a meeting she described as energetic.
Gabbard explained that many of the Cabinet officials are friends with one another and that they've all been inspired by Trump and Musk's quick and aggressive work with DOGE.
The U.S. Coast Guard was unable to "consistently" stop drug smugglers during the Biden administration, with vessels unavailable for a combined total of 2,000 days over a three-year period, according to a new report.
The Department of Homeland Security Inspector General report found that the Coast Guard "was not able to consistently interdict non-commercial vessels smuggling drugs into the U.S." from fiscal years 2021 through 2023.
The audit looked at the Coast Guard’s ability to stop drug trafficking across 95,000 miles of coastal waters and more than 300 ports. The agency focuses primarily on cocaine because it is the primary drug smuggled across water.
The report found the Coast Guard did not have enough cutter vessels to conduct the antidrug mission and "did not have a contingency plan to address the cutters’ unavailability."
"We found Coast Guard cutters were unavailable for 2,058 cumulative days over a 3-year period," the report said.
Reasons for 39 of 90 cutters being unavailable included reallocation to migrant interdiction, unscheduled maintenance or being inoperable due to COVID-19 protocols. The report did find that the number of days the cutters were unavailable increased each year and correlated with a decline in seized cocaine.
"According to Coast Guard personnel, many of the cutters scheduled for the counterdrug mission were reassigned to the migrant crisis, thus reducing the number of cutters available in the maritime transit zone, and negatively impacting cocaine removals," the report said.
"Coast Guard personnel also attributed these issues to deferred maintenance. Coast Guard personnel said that insufficient funding for maintenance and repairs has reduced cutter availability, and that the more maintenance periods that are deferred in the short term, the more downtime is needed for maintenance and repair in the long term," it said.
It said that between fiscal 2021 and fiscal 2023, which included a few months of the Trump administration but was predominantly during the Biden administration, the Coast Guard intercepted around 421 metric tons of cocaine, short of its goal of 690 metric tons.
It also found that the Coast Guard did not accurately record all interdictions, with 58% of counter drug case files not containing seizure results and 68% not containing required documentation.
"Without addressing the issues identified in this report, the Coast Guard may be missing opportunities to meet target goals of removing cocaine and reducing the illicit flow of drugs coming into the country," the report concluded.
It recommended that the Coast Guard develop a drug interdiction contingency plan to prioritize the availability of cutters and also update systems to ensure data accuracy, including a centralized database.
The Coast Guard agreed with the recommendations except for the contingency plan, which it said would be "redundant and not effective to resolve the documented issue of asset availability."
The Coast Guard also said it "remains committed to strengthening its tactics, techniques, and procedures to stop the illicit flow of drugs entering the United States by disrupting the flow of cocaine and other illegal drugs in the maritime environment."
House Republican leaders were preparing for defeat Tuesday night when they were forced to call off a vote on a resolution intended to serve as a framework for a massive bill to advance President Donald Trump’s agenda.
Minutes later, however, a stunning about-face brought lawmakers sprinting back to the nearly empty House chamber. GOP leaders celebrated a narrow victory soon afterward, with the resolution being adopted in a 217-to-215 vote, with just one Republican voting against it.
It was a stark departure from the situation hours earlier when several GOP lawmakers – Reps. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., Victoria Spartz, R-Ind., Warren Davidson, R-Ohio, and Thomas Massie, R-Ky. – all signaled that they would oppose the bill.
Several people who have spoken with Fox News Digital in the days since then have credited Trump with getting the bill across the line. Trump had lengthy phone calls with both Burchett and Spartz on Tuesday, Fox News Digital was told.
"He answered my questions," Burchett told Fox News Digital on Wednesday. "He’s very persuasive."
One person who is familiar with the discussions told Fox News Digital that Trump had spoken with Burchett for 15 or 20 minutes on Tuesday afternoon and that the discussion was cordial.
Later, Spartz could be seen on the phone in the House Chamber during an earlier, unrelated vote.
Another source who spoke with Fox News Digital said that Spartz had asked to speak to Trump before she could support the bill and wound up having two calls with him.
Spartz declined to tell reporters how many times she had spoken with Trump and denied a Puck News report that the president had screamed at her over the phone.
"It’s a complete lie," Spartz said.
A third source credited House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., with helping to get Spartz over the line as well.
"Things got very emotional" on the House floor as leaders focused their efforts on Spartz for roughly an hour, the source said.
"Tom was really able to reassure Victoria that everything was OK. People weren’t mad at her. He just knows what to say," the source said.
But the earlier, unrelated vote had been held open for 45 minutes past its 15-minute window, and lawmakers were getting testy at being kept in limbo. A vote that was meant to be third in the series was second instead and had also wrapped up.
Meanwhile, three Democrats who had been absent earlier in the day returned in dramatic fashion – Rep. Brittany Pettersen, D-Colo., with her newborn infant, Rep. Kevin Mullin, D-Calif., using a walker just after knee surgery, and Rep. Frederica Wilson, D-Fla., who had returned for the earlier votes – until Republicans saw they could only lose one GOP lawmaker and still pass the bill.
But Spartz had been convinced. Just after the vote was called off, she told House Republican leaders she would support the resolution if it were to come up for a vote the next day.
Instead of delaying the vote for another day, however, GOP leaders made a split-second-play call to rush lawmakers back to the House floor.
It angered Democratic leaders, who sent a message to their own caucus: "House Republicans are trying to jam through their Budget Resolution after assuring House Democrats that there would be no further votes this evening."
Ten minutes later, the vote was back on, and lawmakers on both sides were rushing back to the House Chamber.
Burchett voted for the bill, and Spartz followed suit. Davidson, who also voted yes, said he had done so because he had gotten assurances from House GOP leaders about the March 14 government-funding deadline.
"I voted ultimately . . . once I received the assurances I need that there would be actual cuts to discretionary spending. And, you know, everything about this is avoided," Davidson told reporters.
But a GOP lawmaker who spoke with Fox News Digital credited Trump with rescuing the bill due to his persuasion of Burchett and Spartz.
When reached for comment, a White House official told Fox News Digital that the resolution had been on life support until Trump saved it.
"As a master dealmaker, President Trump is always active in negotiations on Capitol Hill, and the budget bill was on life support until President Trump urged Members of Congress to pass it," the White House official said. "The House and Senate must ensure that the final product encompasses all of the president's priorities, but the budget passed this week was an extremely positive step towards one big, beautiful bill that puts America First."
A spokesperson for Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., referred Fox News Digital to his comments after the vote: "This is the first important step in opening up the reconciliation process. We have a lot of hard work ahead of us, but we are going to deliver the America First agenda. We're going to deliver all of it, not just parts of it. And this is the first step in that process."
Fox News Digital reached out to Spartz's office but did not receive comment by filing deadline.
FIRST ON FOX: Deterring China is a top priority in Congress for the House's number four Republican.
Michigan Rep. Lisa McClain, GOP conference chairwoman, is putting forth legislation that would expose the assets of top CCP officials and bar them from using U.S. banking systems if China chooses to invade Taiwan.
Her bill would require the Treasury secretary to unleash details about illegal assets held by Chinese officials and "expose all the players" to show where their money is coming from to the public.
The U.S. has for decades operated under a deliberately vague "One China" policy that supports Taiwan with military aid but refuses to say whether America would defend Taiwan if China were to invade.
"This is deterrence. The U.S. can’t risk an invasion of Taiwan that would interrupt our critical supply chains," McClain, a member of the Financial Services Committee, told Fox News Digital. "We need to keep the pressure up, we need to remember that China is not our friend."
McClain’s legislation dropped just as President Donald Trump announced another 10% in tariffs he intends to place on Chinese goods – the latest shot in an escalating trade war. Canada and Mexico will also face another 10% in tariffs.
The president imposed minimum 10% tariffs on Chinese imports last month. He had also proposed 25% tariffs for Mexico and Canada, but those were delayed amid promises that the two countries would do more to step up border enforcement. However, Trump said Thursday the nations were still not doing enough to combat drug trafficking.
"Drugs are still pouring into our country from Mexico and Canada at very high and unacceptable levels. A large percentage of these drugs, much of them in the form of fentanyl, are made in, and supplied by, China," Trump said.
China, meanwhile, has warned the U.S. there are "no winners" in a trade war and insisted it has been aggressively targeting fentanyl as a favor to the U.S.
"Out of kindness and sympathy to U.S. people and the responsibility as a big country, although fentanyl is not a problem in China, China has put into a lot of human, material and financial resources to assist U.S. to address the fentanyl crisis. It is fair to say that China is genuine and unselfish in this respect," Yang Pang, second secretary for fentanyl and law enforcement, told U.S. journalists last week.
She added that China has handed over more than 10,000 "pieces of information" to its U.S. counterpart related to online platforms conducting fentanyl trade.
U.S. intelligence officials have pegged 2027 as the year when China will have the capability to launch a full-scale invasion of Taiwan.
China in recent years has increasingly crept into Taiwanese waters with threatening displays of force.
Taiwan dispatched its naval, land and air forces on Wednesday after China launched a live-fire exercise zone just 40 nautical miles off its coast.
As part of the drill, Taiwan says it detected 32 Chinese military aircraft carrying out joint exercises with warships. Chinese officials have so far not acknowledged Taiwan's complaints.
And days ago, the CCP's fourth-ranked leader, Wang Huning, called for greater "reunification" efforts. China has long maintained that Taiwan is a rebel territory belonging to Beijing.
China must "firmly grasp the right to dominate and take the initiative in cross-strait relations, and unswervingly push forward the cause of reunification of the motherland," Huning said, according to a translation by Chinese state media.
On Tuesday, Taiwan's Coast Guard detained the Chinese crew of a Togolese-registered vessel suspected of severing an undersea fiber optic cable connecting the islands of Taiwan and Penghu.
Fox News Digital's Anders Hagstrom contributed to this report.
Rep. Dan Crenshaw, R-Texas, said that Europeans complaining about not carrying more weight in negotiations to end the conflict in Ukraine need to either step up their defense spending or "shut up."
Crenshaw said in Politico’s "Power Play" podcast on Thursday that Europeans haven’t "earned a seat" at the negotiating table and won’t — unless they step up and place 50,000 troops on the border of Poland to bolster NATO and deter Russia.
"Unless you’re willing to put troops on the ground and increase the leverage for the West … unless you’re willing to do that, shut up," Crenshaw said. "Shut up, and let Trump do the best he can."
The Trump administration is seeking to end the war in Ukraine, and Trump administration officials met with Russian officials in Saudi Arabia on Feb. 18. U.S. Special Envoy for Ukraine and Russia Keith Kellogg and Ukrainian officials met in Kyiv Feb. 19.
Several NATO members have pushed for European involvement in such discussions. For example, The Associated Press reports that German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said on Feb. 13 that Europe "must" be present for negotiations, especially if it is "supposed to play a central or the main role in the peace order."
But Crenshaw dismissed such comments.
"You know how many people are scared of the European Union?" Crenshaw said in the podcast. "None. Be scary, be threatening, actually show that you can have some leverage, and then maybe you can have a seat at the table."
Crenshaw, who attended the Munich Security Conference in February, reiterated that European countries that are part of NATO need to beef up defense efforts, aligning with statements from Trump administration officials like Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth. Hegseth told NATO members in Brussels on Feb. 13 that "our partners must do far more for Europe’s defense."
In 2023, the U.S. spent 3.3% of its GDP on defense spending — totaling $880 billion, according to the nonpartisan Washington, D.C.-based Peterson Institute for International Economics. The institute also found that more than 50% of NATO funding comes from the U.S., while other allies, like the United Kingdom, France and Germany, have contributed between 4% and 8% to NATO funding in recent years.
Crenshaw also issued support for UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who met with President Donald Trump on Thursday. Starmer pledged on Tuesday to boost UK defense spending to 2.5% of its gross domestic value. That is up from the 2.3% the UK currently spends, and it equates to a nearly $17 billion increase.
Starmer said he is prepared to send British troops to Ukraine if necessary to ensure peace between Ukraine and Russia, according to an op-ed published in The Telegraph on Feb. 16.
Such efforts are what deters Putin and will prevent the Kremlin from jeopardizing safety on the European continent, according to Crenshaw.
"That’s what starts to worry Putin," Crenshaw said. "And until Putin is actually scared of y’all in Europe, he’s going to keep coming. And that’s what you need to learn."
Crenshaw did not provide additional comment to Fox News Digital.
The Trump administration is continuing to advance discussions to end the war in Ukraine, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is scheduled to visit the White House on Friday.
French President Emmanuel Macron visited the White House Monday and called for the U.S. to coordinate with France to secure lasting peace. Still, he advised the U.S. to exercise caution when dealing with Russia.
"We want peace," he said in an interview from Blair House Monday on "Special Report." "And I think the initiative of President Trump is a very positive one. But my message was to say be careful, because we need something substantial for Ukraine."
"I think the arrival of President Trump is a game-changer," he said. "And I think he has the deterrence capacity of the U.S. to re-engage with Russia."
FIRST ON FOX: The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine has raked in hundreds of millions of dollars of taxpayer funds in recent years while doling out hefty salaries to its top brass and bankrolling a variety of left-wing initiatives.
NASEM, which the New York Times reported in 2023 derives 70% of its budget from federal funds, received $200,616,000 in taxpayer funding from grants and contracts in 2023, according to its own Treasurer’s Report.
That budget includes several salaries for top-level positions at NASEM that exceed $1 million per year, according to the organization's 990 forms reviewed by Fox News Digital.
National Academy of Medicine President Victor Dzau receives a salary of $1,026,973 per year, National Academy of Engineering President John Anderson earns $1,027,185 per year, and National Academies President Marcia McNutt earns $1,061,843 each year.
Additionally, NASEM’s chief diversity and inclusion officer, Laura Castillo-Page, earned $333,788 in 2023.
NASEM has used its federal funding to promote a variety of liberal causes, including putting on events related to climate change, racism and "health equity."
In 2021, NASEM helped put on an event that discussed how "environmental injustice" and "structural racism" exacerbate climate change for "communities of color." Attendees discussed ways to use "stories" to influence elected officials on climate policy, including "the powerful indigenous voice about the existential threats that humanity faces."
A 2021 NASEMworkshop examined how "spatial justice" can exacerbate public health problems among "historically marginalized communities."
NASEM organized an event a year later that examined how "structural racism" and biased "social norms," including "representation in media and body image," contribute to obesity.
NASEM issued a report in 2023 detailing recommendations for federal policies to improve "racial, ethnic, and tribal health equity" and another report in 2023, titled Advancing Antiracism, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in STEMM Organizations, recommending ways to address widespread racial discrimination in science, engineering, and mathematics organizations in the U.S.
In another report in 2022, NASEM outlined the need to define and incorporate "structural racism" into scientific study and policymaking.
A 2021 NASEM workshop examined "anti-Black racism" in "Science, Engineering, and Mathematics."
"A planning committee of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine will organize a virtual public workshop to explore facets of anti-Black racism in U.S. science, engineering, and medicine (SEM)," NASEM wrote. "The workshop will review the discussions at recent workshops of the Roundtable on Black Men and Black Women, identify policies and practices that perpetuate racism in SEM, and lay a foundation of knowledge for others to move more effectively towards anti-racist outcomes."
NASEM also held a workshopin 2022 called "The Roles of Trust and Health Literacy in Achieving Health Equity," where a speaker blamed non-diverse leadership of healthcare institutions for alienating minority patients.
McNutt has also been critical of DOGE chief and X owner Elon Musk on social media and said last year, "This will be my last post on Twitter/X. I can no longer be part of a platform that actively encourages disinformation and amplifies misinformation, especially when its CEO colludes to undermine democracy."
In a statement to Fox News Digital, a NASEM spokesperson said, "Each year, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine conduct hundreds of studies, workshops, and other activities at the request of federal and state agencies, Congress, foundations, and private-sector sponsors on a variety of critical issues facing the nation."
The spokesperson added that 58% of NASEM's funding came from the government in 2024.
"For decades, our work has advanced the American economy, strengthened our national security, bolstered U.S. global competitiveness, and improved our nation’s health and safety. We have taken measures to ensure that we are in compliance with executive orders, including closing our Office of Diversity and Inclusion. We stand ready, as we always have, to advise the new administration on its priorities."
NASEM's spending comes under the backdrop of the newly formed DOGE efforts by Musk and the Trump administration to rid the federal government of DEI and wasteful spending.
Trump's January executive order removing DEI from the federal government has already had an affect on NASEM and caused it to close its DEI program and remove DEI from its website, the New York Times reported.
It is unclear if DOGE's efforts will continue to effect the day-to-day operations at NASEM.
Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment.
President Donald Trump said Thursday that the rare earth minerals deal he's confident Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will sign during their Friday visit will pave the way for the U.S. to become a partner with Ukraine in developing resources like oil and gas.
As part of negotiations to end the Russia-Ukraine War, the Trump administration is angling for Zelenskyy to sign an agreement that would allow the U.S. access to Ukraine’s minerals in exchange for support the U.S. has provided the country since Russia's invasion in 2022. Congress has appropriated $175 billion since 2022 for aid to Ukraine, according to the Council on Foreign Relations.
Trump described the agreement as a breakthrough deal that would reimburse U.S. taxpayers, and will help Ukraine rebuild in the aftermath of the conflict.
As a result, Trump said the minerals agreement would benefit both the U.S. and Ukraine and would serve as the foundation for a more "sustainable" future relationship between the two countries, while allowing the U.S. to access to resources like oil and gas that "we need for our country."
"We're going to be signing really a very important agreement for both sides, because it's really going to get us into that country," Trump told reporters Thursday while meeting with U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer. "We'll have a lot of people working there and so, in that sense, it's very good."
"I think we're very well advanced on a deal," Trump said. "But we have not made a deal yet. So I don't like to talk about peacekeeping until we have a deal. I like to get things done."
Additionally, Trump said he didn't expect Russian President Vladimir Putin to breach any agreement to create peace with Ukraine.
"I don't believe he's going to violate his word," Trump said. "I don't think he'll be back when we make a deal. I think the deal is going to hold now."
Trump also didn't double down on previous comments calling Zelenskyy a "dictator," ahead of the Ukrainian leader’s visit to the White House on Friday.
"Did I say that?" Trump asked. "I can't believe I said that. Next question."
The Trump administration has advanced negotiations for a peace deal to end the conflict in Ukraine, and U.S. officials met with Russian counterparts in Saudi Arabia on Feb. 18. However, Ukraine’s absence from the talks prompted Zelenskyy to tell reporters that "nobody decides anything behind our back."
Trump and Zelenskyy proceeded to verbally dish out barbs at one another, with Zelenskyy accusing Trump of advancing Russian "disinformation" and Trump labeling Zelenskyy a "dictator" that has failed his country.
"A Dictator without Elections, Zelenskyy better move fast or he is not going to have a Country left," Trump wrote in a social media post Feb. 19. "In the meantime, we are successfully negotiating an end to the War with Russia, something all admit only ‘TRUMP,’ and the Trump Administration, can do."
Russia has pushed for Ukraine to hold an election as part of a peace deal, nearly a year after Zelenskyy's five-year term was slated to end.
Zelenskyy has remained in his position leading Kyiv because the Ukrainian constitution prohibits holding elections under martial law. Ukraine has been under martial law since February 2022.
Starmer, who announced on Feb. 16 the U.K. is ready to send troops to Ukraine if necessary to ensure peace between Ukraine and Russia, told reporters Thursday that the U.K. wants to coordinate with the U.S. on a peace negotiation "to make sure that peace deal is enduring, that it lasts, that it's a deal that goes down as a historic deal, that nobody breaches."
French President Emmanuel Macron expressed similar sentiments regarding working with the U.S. to secure lasting peace when he visited the White House Monday. However, he also advised the U.S. to exercise caution when dealing with Russia.
"We want peace," he said in an interview from the Blair House Monday on "Special Report." "And I think the initiative of President Trump is a very positive one. But my message was to say be careful because we need something substantial for Ukraine."
"I think the arrival of President Trump is a game-changer," Macron said. "And I think he has the deterrence capacity of the U.S. to reengage with Russia."
President Donald Trump offered assurances Thursday that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will agree to a rare-earth minerals deal, ahead of the Ukrainian leader's visit to the White House Friday.
As part of negotiations to end the Russia-Ukraine War, the Trump administration is angling for Zelenskyy to sign an agreement that would allow the U.S. access to Ukraine’s minerals in exchange for support the U.S. has provided the country since Russia's invasion in 2022. Congress has appropriated $175 billion since 2022 for aid to Ukraine, according to the Council on Foreign Relations.
Trump said Thursday the mineralsagreement would benefit both the U.S. and Ukraine, and would allow the U.S. access to resources like oil and gas that "we need for our country."
"We're going to be signing really a very important agreement for both sides, because it's really going to get us into that country," Trump told reporters Thursday while meeting with U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer. "We'll have a lot of people working there and so, in that sense, it's very good."
"I think we're very well advanced on a deal," Trump said. "But we have not made a deal yet. So I don't like to talk about peacekeeping until we have a deal. I like to get things done."
Additionally, Trump said he didn't expect Russian President Vladimir Putin to breach any agreement to create peace with Ukraine.
"I don't believe he's going to violate his word," Trump said. "I don't think he'll be back when we make a deal. I think the deal is going to hold now."
Trump also didn't double down on previous comments calling Zelenskyy a "dictator," ahead of the Ukrainian leader’s visit to the White House on Friday.
"Did I say that?" Trump asked. "I can't believe I said that. Next question."
The Trump administration has advanced negotiations for a peace deal to end the conflict in Ukraine, and U.S. officials met with Russian counterparts in Saudi Arabia on Feb. 18. However, Ukraine’s absence from the talks prompted Zelenskyy to tell reporters that "nobody decides anything behind our back."
Trump and Zelenskyy proceeded to verbally dish out barbs at one another, with Zelenskyy accusing Trump of advancing Russian "disinformation" and Trump labeling Zelenskyy a "dictator" that has failed his country.
"A Dictator without Elections, Zelenskyy better move fast or he is not going to have a Country left," Trump wrote in a social media post Feb. 19. "In the meantime, we are successfully negotiating an end to the War with Russia, something all admit only ‘TRUMP,’ and the Trump Administration, can do."
Russia has pushed for Ukraine to hold an election as part of a peace deal, nearly a year after Zelenskyy's five-year term was slated to end.
Zelenskyy has remained in his position leading Kyiv because the Ukrainian constitution prohibits holding elections under martial law. Ukraine has been under martial law since February 2022.
Starmer, who announced on Feb. 16 the U.K. is ready to send troops to Ukraine if necessary to ensure peace between Ukraine and Russia, told reporters Thursday that the U.K. wants to coordinate with the U.S. on a peace negotiation "to make sure that peace deal is enduring, that it lasts, that it's a deal that goes down as a historic deal, that nobody breaches."
French President Emmanuel Macron expressed similar sentiments regarding working with the U.S. to secure lasting peace when he visited the White House Monday. However, he also advised the U.S. to exercise caution when dealing with Russia.
"We want peace," he said in an interview from the Blair House Monday on "Special Report." "And I think the initiative of President Trump is a very positive one. But my message was to say be careful because we need something substantial for Ukraine."
"I think the arrival of President Trump is a game-changer," Macron said. "And I think he has the deterrence capacity of the U.S. to reengage with Russia."
Tennessee's ban on drag shows when children are present will remain in effect, as the Supreme Court earlier this week refused to hear a challenge to the law brought on by a drag performance group, a move the state's Republican attorney general heralded as "another big win for Tennessee."
The state's Adult Entertainment Act, passed in 2023, does not allow "adult-oriented performances" in public spaces, or anywhere where minors may see them.
"Free speech is a sacred American value, but the First Amendment does not require Tennessee to allow sexually explicit performances in front of children," Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti said in a post on X. "We will continue to defend TN’s law and children."
A federal judge ruled that the law, which specifically targets drag shows, was "unconstitutionally vague and substantially overbroad," temporarily halting enforcement. However, in July, the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reversed the decision, asserting that the Memphis-based theater company that filed the lawsuit – Friends of George’s Inc. – lacked standing to challenge the law.
Another lawsuit challenging the ban filed by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is still underway on behalf of Blount County Pride, another LGBTQ+ advocacy group, after then-Attorney General Ryan Desmond threatened to prosecute anyone violating the ban during the 2023 pride festival.
Fox News Digital reached out to Friends of George's Inc. and the ACLU but did not receive a response by publication time.
Violators who do not adhere to the Adult Entertainment Act could be prosecuted for a Class A misdemeanor, while a second or third offense is a Class E felony. Both could result in fines and jail time anywhere from 11 months to six years.
"I’m proud that the United States Supreme Court has upheld yet another Tennessee law protecting our children. SB 3 ensures that Tennessee children are not exposed to sexually explicit entertainment," state's Senate Majority Leader Jack Johnson said in an X post. Johnson was one of the sponsors of the bill in 2023.
The Supreme Court already has another case in front of them brought by the ACLU challenging a Tennessee law prohibiting transgender medical treatments and procedures for minors.
In that case, the court is weighing whether the 14th Amendment's equal protection clause, which guarantees equal treatment under the law for individuals in similar circumstances, prevents states from banning medical providers from offering puberty blockers and hormone treatments to children seeking transgender surgical procedures.
"It seems like the momentum has really shifted almost culturally on these issues. And when you see people trying to rewrite laws through creative judging, through creative regulating, that alienates the people from the laws that bind them, and it's bad for America."
"We'll know what the Supreme Court does when the Supreme Court does it," he added.
The high court is expected to rule on that case by June.
San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie directed city employees to return to the office at least four days a week, as laid out in a memo on Tuesday. The liberal city joins local leaders across the country who have asked their employees to retire hybrid schedules since President Donald Trump took office.
Lurie, the new mayor committed to shaking up San Francisco, said working in-person "provides critical operational benefits to the City" that will improve government efficiency.
"Bringing our workers back to the office will make our services more effective and responsive to our residents. That is what San Franciscans expect and what Mayor Lurie will deliver. We look forward to working with our partners across the departments and in labor over the coming weeks to implement the mayor’s plan," Charles Lutvak, spokesperson for Lurie, said in a statement to Fox News Digital.
In the memo to department heads, Lurie said 70% of San Francisco employees currently work in-person five or more days a week with the remaining 30% working in-office three days a week. Lurie directed employees to return to the office at least four days a week as soon as possible with a "target date of April 28th for full implementation."
The memo outlines how working in-office benefits performance, communication and collaboration, while making more employees available to deliver for San Franciscans.
Trump signed an executive order on his first day back in office terminating all remote work in the federal government as part of the Department of Government Efficiency's efforts to improve productivity. Governors and mayors across the country have followed suit by directing their employees to return to the office.
While San Francisco employees are now expected to return to the office, California state employees can still follow a hybrid schedule. Last year, Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration ordered state employees to return to the office at least two days a week. The governor's office did not provide comment on Lurie's memo by the deadline for this article.
Lurie’s return-to-work order coincides with his plans to revitalize San Francisco. He campaigned on cleaning up San Francisco’s streets, enhancing public safety, tackling the city’s drug crisis, creating housing, cutting through corrupt bureaucracy and "breathing life back into our downtown."
Lurie announced on Tuesday an agreement with the Board of Supervisors on legislation to convert empty offices in downtown San Francisco into new housing. The legislation will allow the city to cut through red-tape regulations that make it difficult to launch "office-to-housing conversion projects."
"Transforming vacant offices into housing will help drive our recovery downtown while creating new homes for San Franciscans," Lurie said. "This is a win-win for our city thanks to the new era of collaboration at City Hall, so we can create a thriving, 24/7 downtown that benefits both residents and business."
The mayor’s office said the new legislation will reduce developmental costs of converting office spaces and extend application deadlines for a program that would make it easier to get zoning and building permits.
Earlier this month, Lurie launched the San Francisco Police Department (SFPD) Hospitality Task Force to increase the police presence in San Francisco’s business and tourist districts and dedicate more resources to high-traffic areas.
San Francisco also passed the Fentanyl State of Emergency Ordinance this month, which will provide resources "to get drugs off the street and keep San Franciscans safe" by increasing shelter capacities, expanding health initiatives and unlocking funding for expanded treatment options.
The nomination of Linda McMahon, the former World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) CEO picked by President Donald Trump to head the Department of Education, will head to a final Senate vote after passing the final procedural hurdle of the confirmation process.
The chamber passed a cloture vote on Thursday afternoon that advanced McMahon's nomination to a final floor vote to decide on her confirmation.
Trump tapped McMahon to serve as head of the Education Department, which he has said he wants to close "immediately."
"It’s a big con job," the president said the day before McMahon's confirmation hearing. "They ranked the top countries in the world. We’re ranked No. 40, but we’re ranked No. 1 in one department: cost per pupil. So, we spend more per pupil than any other country in the world, but we’re ranked No. 40."
McMahon testified before the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee in February, focusing her remarks on the idea that "education is the issuethat determines our national success and prepares American workers to win the future," according to an excerpt of her opening remarks, shared first with Fox News Digital.
The confirmation hearing was marked by protesters, discussions on the participation of biological men in women's sports, and scrutiny over recent spending cuts proposed by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), the newly formed cost-cutting department led by Elon Musk.
McMahon co-founded WWE with her husband, Vince McMahon, before serving as administrator of the Small Business Administration (SBA) until 2019, when she stepped down to "return to the private sector."
Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., claimed earlier this month that "no president" has presided over more plane crashes during his first month in office than President Trump. But data obtained by Fox News Digital shows there were more plane crashes during that same time period under President Biden.
"No president has had more planes crash in their first month in office than Donald Trump," Swalwell posted on X Feb. 17, a comment viewed over 7 million times on X.
Department of Transportation data provided by a senior administration official contradicts that data and shows more plane crashes during the first few weeks of President Biden’s term.
Swalwell had posted in response to a small plane crash in Georgia that left two dead.
There were 55 aviation accidents in the United States between Biden’s inauguration Jan. 21, 2021, and February 17, 2021, compared to 35 during the same period for Trump.
Worldwide there were 91 aviation accidents during that same time period for Biden and 50 during Trump’s first few weeks.
"Eric Swalwell is a habitual liar and fraud, who continues to beclown himself every single day because he suffers from a debilitating and severe case of Trump Derangement Syndrome that has rotted his brain," White House communications director Steven Cheung told Fox News Digital.
"As an elected official, he should actually tell the truth for once, but it’s understandable he’s incapable of that since he has Fang Fang on his mind all day."
Swalwell told Fox News Digital in a statement he was referring to commercial airliners, although his initial post stated "planes."
"There have been two U.S. commercial airliner crashes, where people died or were seriously injured in Trump’s first month," Swalwell said. "Please show me a president who had more in their first month."
Several Democrats have blamed Trump for high-profile plane crashes in recent weeks, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, who suggested Trump's cuts to the FAA were to blame in the Toronto crash, which resulted in serious injuries but no deaths.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt pushed back at the time, pointing out that the "crash unfortunately took place in Canadian airspace with Canadian air-traffic controllers overseeing it."
She then disputed the Democratic attack line about Trump firing FAA officials.
"And the facts about the FAA are that no air-traffic controllers have been let go by Secretary Duffy or this new administration. In fact, Secretary Duffy has put great emphasis on hiring the best and the brightest air-traffic controllers who want to be part of the FAA," she argued.
Fox News Digital's Gabriel Hays contributed to this report
FIRST ON FOX: A bipartisan duo is looking to tag team cyber risks for American food supplies, debuting new legislation to increase analysis and threat detection in critical farm and food infrastructure.
Sens. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., and Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., teamed up to introduce the Farm and Food Cybersecurity Act, designed to boost protection across agriculture and food sectors.
"America’s adversaries are seeking to gain any advantage they can against us—including targeting critical industries like agriculture," Cotton told Fox News Digital in a statement.
"Congress must work with the Department of Agriculture to identify and defeat these cybersecurity vulnerabilities," he said. "This legislation will ensure we are prepared to protect the supply chains our farmers and all Americans rely on."
"Food security is national security, and the Farm and Food Cybersecurity Act is a vital step toward safeguarding Michigan’s agriculture and food sectors," said Slotkin in her own statement.
"Cyber-attacks threaten our food supply constantly, and we must ensure both government and private industries are prepared," she added. "This bipartisan bill will require the Department of Agriculture to work closely with our national security agencies to ensure that our adversaries, like China, can’t threaten our ability to feed ourselves by ourselves."
Specifically, the measure would require the secretaries of agriculture, homeland security and health and human services to coordinate with each other and with the director of national intelligence to go through annual crisis simulations to prepare for any cyber emergencies relating to food infrastructure.
The secretary of agriculture would also be directed to conduct risk assessments every two years to determine any vulnerabilities in the food and farm sectors, reporting the findings to Congress.
Sens. Pete Ricketts, R-Neb., Thom Tillis, R-N.C., Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo., Katie Britt, R-Ala., and Ted Budd, R-N.C., are cosponsors of the bill. A companion bill is being introduced in the House of Representatives by Rep. Brad Finstad, R-Minn.
The bill has already gotten the backing of several food industry groups, such as the North American Millers Association, the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, USA Rice and the National Council of Farmer Cooperatives.
Air traffic controllers are set to receive a 30% pay hike as President Donald Trump's administration seeks to boost recruitment Thursday.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy made the announcement during a press conference at the air traffic controller's academy in Oklahoma on Thursday. He argued that the pay structure and the technology air traffic controllers are forced to use are outdated.
"Currently, students are paid $17.61 an hour. By the way, you might be able to go to Walgreens and make that, right? So we're going to bump it up to $22.84 an hour," Duffy said.
"And again, I think making sure people have a wage that can allow them to live while they're going through school. But the real incentive is, again, three years out of this academy, and you're certified, on average, $160,000 a year. So you can be 24 years old, 23 years old, making a great salary, as an air traffic controller."
The announcement comes after a string of air travel disasters in recent weeks, though few of them were blamed on air traffic control.
Most recently, a Southwest airliner narrowly avoided a collision with a Flexjet business jet on a runway in Chicago. The Southwest plane was coming in for landing as the Flexjet, allegedly ignoring instructions from air traffic control, crossed the landing strip.
Pilots in the Southwest plane were able to take off again quickly enough to avoid a collision.
The National Transportation Safety Board says it is still investigating Tuesday's incident. Trump himself called for the Flexjet pilots to have their licenses revoked if the investigation exposes wrongdoing.
The Trump administration's lawyers have spent significant time in court this month fighting dozens of requests filed by legal groups, labor organizations and a litany of other state and local plaintiffs across the country – and so far, most judges haven't granted these requests.
The courts "are rightfully saying we don't have jurisdiction over this," or, in certain cases, that plaintiffs "aren't proving harm," Fox News legal editor Kerri Kupec Urbahn, a former spokesperson for Attorney General Bill Barr, said of the numerous legal challenges to Trump's agenda.
The lawsuits, totaling more than 80, are aimed at blocking or reversing some of Trump's most controversial actions and executive orders.
Nearly all plaintiffs are seeking, in addition to the long-term injunctive relief, a temporary restraining order, or TRO, from a federal judge that would block the order or policy from taking force until the merits of the case can be heard.
Almost all these requests for emergency relief have been rejected in court, with judges noting that plaintiffs lacked standing, and ordering both parties to return for a later hearing date to consider the merits of the case.
Some Trump allies and legal commentators have criticized the many lawsuits as a way for plaintiffs to skip over the traditional administrative appeals process and take their case directly to the courts instead – a pattern they say has prompted the wave of rejections by federal judges.
There is an internal review process for agency-specific actions or directives, which can be challenged via appeals to administrative law judges or an agency-specific court.
But doing so for executive orders or presidential actions is much more difficult.
According to information from the Code of Federal Regulations and the Federal Register, a president’s executive order can be revoked or modified only by the president or via the legislative branch, if the president was acting on authority that had been granted by Congress.
Since the latter is not immediately applicable to the Trump-era orders many of the lawsuits hinge on, that leaves the courts as one of the limited arbiters for determining whether to let stand the orders or action in question.
That means the requests for injunctive relief are considered in a sort of two-part wave of proceedings, since most – if not all – Trump-era complaints include both the request for the TRO and for the preliminary injunction.
The TRO requests are the first wave of "mini-arguments" to come before U.S. judges tasked with reviewing the complaints.
They are heard immediately and require plaintiffs to prove they will suffer irreparable injury or harm if their request for relief is not granted— a difficult burden to satisfy, especially when the order or policy has not yet come into force.
(As one judge remarked earlier this month, the court cannot grant TRO requests based on speculation.)
The courts then order both parties to re-appear at a later date to consider the request for preliminary injunction, which allows both sides to present a fuller argument and for the court to take into account the harm or damages incurred.
"The bottom line is that courts typically do not grant requests for emergency relief at the start of a lawsuit," Suzanne Goldberg, a Lawfare contributor and professor at Columbia Law School, wrote in a recent op-ed.
"Instead, they wait to decide what remedies a plaintiff deserves, if any, until after each side makes its legal arguments and introduces its evidence, including evidence obtained from the other side through the discovery process."
These near-term court victories have buoyed Trump allies and the Department of Government Efficiency, allowing DOGE, at least for now, to continue carrying out their ambitious early-days agenda and claiming "victory."
"LFG," Elon Musk cheered on X recently, in response to a court's rejection of a request from labor unions seeking to block DOGE access to federal agency information.
Other accounts have praised the overwhelming court rejections of emergency restraining orders as evidence that the Trump administration, and DOGE, are "winning" – a characterization that legal experts warn is largely premature.
In fact, they've noted, the slow-moving legal challenges and nature of the court calendar are features, not bugs.
This includes efforts to block or curtail DOGE from accessing internal government information or firing agency employees; lawsuits aimed at blocking the Trump administration's transgender military ban; and complaints seeking to block the release or public identification of FBI personnel involved in Jan. 6 investigations, among many other things.
But that's not because every one of these actions is legitimate. Rather, legal experts say, the near-term "victories" hinge on the limited power a judge has to intervene in proving emergency relief, or granting temporary restraining orders.
Judges, including U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan, noted previously that fear and speculation alone are not enough to curtail DOGE access: plaintiffs must prove clearly, and with evidence, that their workings have met the hard-to-satisfy test of permanent or "irreparable" harm.
Rule 65 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure states that plaintiffs must be able to show evidence that a rule, action or policy in question will result in "immediate, irreparable harm" to satisfy a TRO request.
That's a difficult burden of proof, and a near impossible one for plaintiffs to satisfy, especially for an action that has not yet taken effect.
One exception is the Trump administration's ban on birthright citizenship.
The request for immediate relief, was granted by multiple U.S. district courts judges, who sided with plaintiffs in ruling that hundreds of children born in the U.S. were at risk of real harm.
It was also upheld by a U.S. appeals court last week, setting the stage for a possible Supreme Court fight.
But barring that, most of the lawsuits will play out in the longer-term, Goldberg, wrote in the Lawfare op-ed.
"Stepping back, the current litigation landscape of TROs and preliminary injunctions may seem quite extraordinary… But considered in context, these many provisional orders suggest that even more extraordinary are the government’s threatened actions, both in their likely unlawfulness and their potential for irreparable harm," she said.
FIRST ON FOX:Billionaire Elon Musk, now also a senior adviser to President Trump, met with Senate Republicans in the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) Caucus on Thursday at the White House to discuss the work they've been doing and to get briefed on DOGE's findings.
The meeting was led by caucus Chairwoman Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, who has spearheaded efforts to audit and cut bloat in the government for years.
"The Senate DOGE Caucus has hit the ground running to save taxpayer dollars," Ernst told Fox News Digital in an exclusive statement. "I was proud to bring my colleagues together to coordinate efforts with Elon, so we can continue to streamline our work. We are just getting started to make government more efficient and protect taxpayers to ensure Washington works for the American people."
The discussion was the first opportunity for senators in the caucus to hear from Musk directly regarding the discoveries he and DOGE have made.
The goal of the gathering was to share work between the Senate and Musk's DOGE, and to discuss how they could be most helpful in the legislature, Ernst's office shared with Fox News Digital.
During the meeting, they presented to Musk the various areas that senators are already focused on, using a divide and conquer strategy. Some of the Republicans have targeted government spending, while others have sought to address the national debt, concerning flows of money to labs like the Wuhan Institute of Virology and much more.
The senators further talked with Musk about how congressional action could make Washington, D.C., more efficient going forward and protect American taxpayers from funding extravagant projects.
In attendance at the meeting were Sens. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, Mike Lee, R-Utah, Rick Scott, R-Fla., Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo., Roger Marshall, R-Kan., James Risch, R-Idaho, Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, Jon Husted, R-Ohio, Ron Johnson, R-Wis., Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, John Cornyn, R-Texas, Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., Tim Sheehy, R-Mont., Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., Katie Britt, R-Ala., Pete Ricketts, R-Neb., and John Hoeven, R-N.D.
Musk similarly met with President Donald Trump and his Cabinet at the White House on Wednesday.
The White House's DOGE spokesperson did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.
President Donald Trump accepted an invitation on Thursday from King Charles III for a second state visit to the United Kingdom.
The invite came in a letter presented to Trump by U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who is meeting with Trump at the White House regarding ending the war in Ukraine.
"This is really special. This has never happened before. This is unprecedented," Starmer said as he was sitting next to Trump in the Oval Office.
"I think that just symbolizes the strength of the relationship between us. This is a very special letter. I think the last state visit was a tremendous success," he continued. "His majesty the king wants to make this even better than that."
"What I haven’t got yet is your answer," Starmer then said, drawing laughs.
"The answer is yes, on behalf our wonderful First Lady Melania and myself, the answer is yes and we look forward to being there and honoring the king and honoring really your country," Trump responded. "Your country is a fantastic country."
Trump described Charles "beautiful" and "wonderful man."
"I’ve gotten to know him very well actually, first term and now, a second term," he added.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
National Public Radio could see its funding slashed as a new bill would scrap both "direct or indirect" federal taxpayer support for the news organization.
Rep. Kat Cammack, R-Fla., and Sen. Jim Banks, R-Ind., introduced the "Defund NPR Act" this week as spending across the board is being scrutinized by Republican lawmakers.
"I'm glad to join my longtime friend, Senator Banks, in introducing the Defund NPR Act in the House," Cammack said in a statement. "Last Congress, the Energy & Commerce Committee held a hearing about the status of NPR and how federal funds are often used for left-wing activism under the journalism moniker."
The public radio orgnization receives 1% of its budget from the United States government, but local NPR affiliates rely on federal government grants much more heavily. However, it also takes aim at the "dues" and "fees" paid out by those affiliates, which NPR describes on its website as a significant source of income.
NPR’s website also describes the funding from the government as "essential" and would risk "weakening the institution" if it were scrapped, as it would have to rely more heavily on donations and other sources of revenue.
"Taxpayers shouldn't be forced to fund NPR's liberal propaganda. If NPR can't stay afloat without government funding, that tells you all you need to know about the quality of their news," Banks said in a statement. Bank iontroduced legislation under the same title while he was in the House in April 2024.
Earlier this month, Rep. Claudia Tenney, R-N.Y., and Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, introduced the "Defund Government Sponsored Propaganda Act," taking aim at both NPR and PBS.
"Americans have hundreds of sources of news and commentary, and they don’t need politically biased, taxpayer-funded media choosing what they should see and hear. PBS and NPR are free to compete in the marketplace of ideas using donations, but their public subsidy should end," Lee said in a statement at the time.
NPR did not respond to a request for comment in time for publication.
A city hall building, the mayor's house and some residences of current and former council members in Huntington, California, were raided on Wednesday in a major corruption probe of a $14 million project, according to Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman.
The investigation, named "Operation Dirty Pond," has been focusing on the "potential misuse of millions of dollars in public funds allocated for the construction of an aquatic center" since November 2022, the DA’s Office said.
The Huntington Park Regional Aquatic Center, which was deemed "critical" on the city website, was expected to become a two-story building with an Olympic-size pool, gym, football field, conference rooms and more. However, residents never saw any results, according to the city’s vice mayor.
"This is a project that has yielded nothing for the residents," Vice Mayor Arturo Flores said to FOX 11 Los Angeles. "It's my understanding that there's an estimated $14 million, give or take, that has been expended by the city, and that from those funds, the residents of the city have only received an empty lot with dead grass and nothing to show for those millions of dollars."
Fox News Digital also reached out to Flores and Huntington Park Mayor Karina Macias for comment but did not immediately hear back.
Former Huntington Park city council member Linda Caraballo reportedly said she sent a 282-page dossier to the DA’s Office many years ago to alert them to alleged corruption. Caraballo said to the local station that "big time city officials from the city manager all the way down to the shot caller" should be prepared.
"Heads are going to roll and a lot of people are going to be really put into some serious problems," Caraballo said to FOX 11. "They all should find lawyers right away."
Valentin Amezquita, another former Huntington Park council member, said to FOX 11 that this may not be the city’s only corrupt project and suggests conducting a "forensic audit of the city of current and past contracts."
"This is just the tip of the iceberg," Amezquita said to the local station. "There's many, many more."
Numerous items were seized during the searches, including public records, financial paperwork and electronic devices, according to the DA’s Office.
"My office is committed to ensuring that public officials uphold the highest standards of honesty, integrity and transparency," Hochman said. "When concerns arise about the use of public funds or the actions of those in office, it is our duty to investigate thoroughly and protect the public’s trust."
"I want to commend our dedicated prosecutors and investigators for their diligent work on this complex case. Their unwavering commitment to justice ensures that no one – regardless of their position or title – is above the law."
United Kingdom Prime Minister Keir Starmer is meeting with President Donald Trump on Thursday at the White House hours after Trump told his Cabinet that he wouldn’t provide security guarantees to Ukraine "beyond very much."
Trump, who met with French President Emmanuel Macron at the White House on Monday regarding Ukraine, is expected to sit down with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy tomorrow in Washington.
The meeting between Trump and Starmer will include much discussion about the president's efforts to bring the conflict to an end through a peaceful resolution, a senior administration official said. They will later hold a joint press conference at 2 p.m. ET.
As Trump was greeting Starmer Thursday, the president was asked if he was confident he could get a peace deal done on Ukraine, to which he replied "We can and we will."
Starmer pushed the United States on Wednesday to provide a security "backstop" for any potential European peacekeepers in Ukraine, according to Reuters.
"I'm absolutely convinced that we need a lasting peace, not a ceasefire, and for that to happen we need security guarantees," he was quoted as saying. "Precisely what that layers up to, what that looks like, is obviously a subject of intense discussion."
Starmer reportedly added that his "concern is if there is a ceasefire without a backstop, it will simply give him [Putin] the opportunity to wait and to come again because his ambition in relation to Ukraine is pretty obvious, I think, for all to see."
However, Trump said during a Cabinet meeting Wednesday that "I'm not going to make security guarantees beyond very much, we're going to have Europe do that, because... Europe is their next-door neighbor. But we're going to make sure everything goes well."
"I've had very good conversations with President Putin. I've had very good conversations with President Zelenskyy. And until four weeks ago, nobody had conversations with anybody," Trump also said Wednesday. "It wasn't even a consideration. Nobody thought you could make peace. I think you can."
"We're going to do the best we can to make the best deal we can for both sides," Trump added.
