FIRST ON FOX: The Congressional Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) Caucus is holding its second-ever meeting on Wednesday, where its leaders are expected to unveil a set of "principles" to guide the group in its mission to cut government waste.
They outlined eight goals, some practical while others more symbolic, in a bid to ensure the caucus is in sync with the DOGE advisory panel set up by President-elect Donald Trump.
"The federal government must serve the interests of taxpayers, and taxpayers are best served by a lean, efficient, transparent, and accountable bureaucracy," the first principle read, according to a draft memo obtained by Fox News Digital.
The document also suggested both lofty and smaller-scale goals. "No amount of waste, fraud, abuse, duplication, or administrative bloat is too small or too large to fix." DOGE Caucus leaders had previously put an emphasis on "low-hanging fruit" to start their mission with, like unused federal office space held by agencies with remote work policies.
The memo puts such employees on notice, noting that they and any federal regulations or agencies "must demonstrate effectiveness for and responsiveness to taxpayers while also not creating unnecessary costs or burdens."
Rep. Aaron Bean, R-Fla., who co-founded the caucus, told Fox News Digital, "We’ve articulated our vision in a transparent manner that is both concise and consumable for every American."
Co-founder Rep. Pete Sessions, R-Texas, said, "The mandate is clear: every dollar spent in Washington must deliver a direct benefit to the people it serves, while prioritizing transparency, accountability, and efficiency."
The caucus also called for the elimination of "existing federal agencies, programs, rules, regulations, or functions that do not provide value to taxpayers," if they cannot be reformed.
DOGE Caucus leaders are also signaling a significant focus on rolling back the regulatory state with the point, "All rules and regulations should be grounded in statute. Congress enacts public policy, not unelected bureaucrats."
The group's third co-chair, Vice Chair of the House GOP Conference Blake Moore, R-Utah, said of their outline, "The DOGE Caucus has wasted no time organizing our members and crafting a clear vision for what we hope to achieve, and these principles underscore how we plan to get there. The time is now to rein in wasteful federal spending, streamline our bureaucracy, and make Washington work better for Americans."
Caucus members gathered for their first meeting in mid-December, which lawmakers said was largely introductory.
The push to slash government waste has been met with surprising enthusiasm by members on both sides of the political aisle. Several Democrats have already joined the caucus, and at least three were said to have attended the first meeting.
Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy were on Capitol Hill late last year to discuss goals for their DOGE panel with lawmakers.
The carriers, named after former President Bill Clinton and former President George W. Bush, will begin construction in the "years ahead" as part of the latest class of aircraft carriers, according to the White House.
"When I personally delivered the news to Bill and George, they were deeply humbled," Biden said in a statement Monday. "Each knows firsthand the weight of the responsibilities that come with being Commander-in-Chief. And both know well our duty to support the families and loved ones who wait and worry for the safe return of their servicemember."
The Navy currently has 11 operational aircraft carriers, some of which are nearly 50 years old and will be retired in upcoming years. Of these carriers, eight bear the names of former presidents: USS George Washington, USS Abraham Lincoln, USS Theodore Roosevelt, USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, USS Harry S. Truman, USS Ronald Reagan, USS George W. Bush, and USS Gerald R. Ford.
Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said that the future carriers Clinton and Bush will "serve as lasting tributes to each leader’s legacy in service of the United States."
"Aircraft carriers are the centerpiece of America’s naval forces, and they ensure that the United States can project power and deliver combat capability anytime, anywhere in defense of our democracy," Austin said in a statement Monday.
"Like their namesakes, these two future carriers, and the crews who sail them, will work to safeguard our national security, remind us of our history, and inspire others to serve our great republic," Austin said.
The future carriers Clinton and Bush are part of the Ford-class carriers to join the fleet.
These newest carriers are outfitted with more than 20 new technologies in comparison to the previous, Nimitz-class carriers that the Navy started using in 1975. Technology upgrades include a new Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System, known as EMALS, that launches aircraft from the ship electronically, rather than using steam-powered equipment.
President-elect Donald Trump previously called for a 12-carrier Navy during his first term as president in 2017 and has signaled interest recently in possibly expanding the sea service’s force in his second term as well.
"We’re going to be announcing some things that are going to be very good having to do with the Navy," Trump told radio host Hugh Hewitt this month. "We need ships. We have to get ships. And you know, everybody said, ‘Oh, we’ll build them.’ We may have to go to others, bid them out, and it’s okay to do that. We’ll bid them out until we get ourselves ready."
Meta will soon lay off more “low-performers” across the company, according to an internal memo from CEO Mark Zuckerberg that was shared by a source at the company.
“I’ve decided to raise the bar on performance management and move out low-performers faster,” Zuckerberg says in the memo, which you can read in full below. “We typically manage out people who aren’t meeting expectations over the course of a year, but now we’re going to do more extensive performance-based cuts during this cycle — with the intention of backfilling these roles in 2025.”
While the exact number of job cuts is unclear, managers at Meta have been told that about 5 percent of employees will be let go starting February 10th. Bloomberg first reported on Zuckerberg’s memo and the planned layoffs. Meta last laid off employees in October after cutting 21,000 workers between 2022 and 2023.
Here’s Zuckerberg’s full memo to employees:
Meta is working on building some of the most important technologies in the world — Al, glasses as the next computing platform, and the future of social media. This is going to be an intense year, and I want to make sure we have the best people on our teams.
The Meta Quest 3S VR headset is a great alternative to the Meta Quest 3. The base 128GB version of the Quest 3S starts at $299.99 at Amazon, which is $200 less than the Quest 3 yet delivers essentially the same mixed reality experience. And now, you can step up to the 256GB version of the Quest 3S for just $349 ($50 off) from Amazon, Walmart, and Best Buy.
Now through the end of April, your purchase includes a copy of Batman: Arkham Shadow (one of the best VR games yet, if I say so myself) and three months of Meta Quest Plus. The service is normally $7.99 a month or $59.99 a year, and grants instant access to more than two dozen free games with new additions every month, plus exclusive discounts.
Since the Quest 3S has the same Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2 processor and Touch controllers as the base Quest 3, you’ll have access to all of the same games and mixed reality features. But the displays are not as sharp: the Quest 3S has a lower per-eye resolution of 1832 x 1920 (compared to 2064 x 2208) with a narrower field of view. It also doesn’t have a dedicated depth sensor to go along with its pair of triangular camera arrays, and it’s a bit heavier than the Quest 3. That said, you do get some exclusive perks like a slightly longer 2.5-hour battery life and a dedicated button to switch between immersive and passthrough modes.
If your 2025 goals include a digital detox during fabulous vacationing, the HMD Barbie can help you maintain societal connections without excessive distractions. Amazon is selling the pink flip phone for a record low $79.99 ($50 off). You can activate it on most American carriers with 4G LTE; its nostalgically basic features — which include calling, texting on a T9 keypad, and browsing a less flashy web — won’t require heavy mobile plans. If nothing else, it can be a fun conversation starter and a symbol of gratitude for the technological advancements we often take for granted. Read our hands-on impressions.
The Ugreen Uno Magnetic Wireless Power Bank (10000mAh, 15W) is down to $44.99 ($25 off) at Amazon, which is its lowest price to date. The charger conveniently snaps to the back of your MagSafe iPhone, along with any other Qi2 Ready smartphones we might see in 2025. That means it supplies the fastest charge you can get without using a cable, though you can get a 20W charge using its two-way USB-C port. It has a sturdy metal kickstand to keep the phone propped up, and the integrated display uses cutesy robotic faces to show an approximation of the battery’s remaining power.
You can get the newest Amazon Fire 7 tablet with 32GB of storage and lock-screen ads for $44.99 ($35 off) at Amazon, which is an all-time low price. You can also get it without ads for $59.99 ($35 off), or pay afterward to remove them. The affordable Fire 7 is great for light browsing and apps or for enjoying digital content such as movies, music, and books. You can even use your voice and ask Alexa to place a video call. It may not be as smooth or fun as an iPad, but at that price, the durable 7-inch tablet is easily replaceable and has features the iPad can’t claim, like a 3.5mm headphone jack and expandable storage with microSD cards up to 1TB. Read our review.
The FBI hacked about 4,200 computers across the US as part of an operation to find and delete PlugX, a malware used by state-backed hackers in China to steal information from victims, the Department of Justice announced on Tuesday.
In an unsealed affidavit, the FBI says the China-based hacking group known by the monikers “Mustang Panda” and “Twill Typhoon” used PlugX to infect thousands of Windows computers in the US, Asia, and Europe since at least 2012. The malware, which infects computers through their USB ports, operates in the background while allowing hackers to “remotely access and execute commands” on victims’ computers.
To do this, infected computers contact a command-and-control server run by the hackers, which has its IP address hard-coded into the malware. From there, hackers can remotely access users’ files and obtain information about infected computers, such as their IP addresses. At least 45,000 IP addresses in the US have contacted the command-and-control server since September 2023, according to the FBI.
The FBI used this very exploit to remove PlugX from infected computers. In collaboration with French law enforcement, which launched a PlugX deletion operation of its own, the FBI gained access to the command-and-control server and requested the IP addresses of infected computers. It then sent a native command to make PlugX delete the files it created on victims’ computers, stop the PlugX application from running, and delete the malware after it’s stopped.
Is Paige DeSorbo trading in Charleston for cheesesteaks? The Summer House star was spotted getting cozy to a mystery man at the Philadelphia Eagles vs. Green Bay Packers game following her breakup with her ex-boyfriend Craig Conover. Watch the full video to learn more about Paige allegedly getting back out there. Subscribe to our YouTube...
Christina and Josh Hall will continue to take their divorce to trial as they are both moving on with new partners. The “Flip or Flop” alum gave an update on their settlement during an appearance on Sirius XM’s “Jeff Lewis Live.” Watch what she had to say in the clip! Subscribe to our YouTube for the latest...
For dinner, we pick up essentials for pasta and pizza nights, plus frozen vegetables.
I prepare meals using Costco's 10-pound ground-beef tube, which is available by request.
I've been a Costco executive member for about 17 years now, and I rely on the warehouse chain when buying groceries for my family of four.
Our executive membership is a huge help for saving money. Although it costs more than a standard Costco membership, we get an annual 2% back on eligible purchases. For us, it pays for itself and then some every year.
Here are Costco meal staples I buy for prepping dinner for myself, my husband, and our two teens.
Prices may vary by location.
We stock up on Kirkland Signature boneless, skinless chicken thighs.
My family prefers thighs to breasts as they're more flavorful, easier to cook, and often cheaper.
So, we stock up on Kirkland Signature boneless, skinless thighs and freeze whatever we don't use right away.
We often grill them, slather them in mayonnaise to make family-favorite Parmesan-crusted chicken, toss them into soups, or chop them up for stir-fries.
Costco's best-kept-secret is its 10-pound beef tube, which is available by request.
At Costco, we head to the meat counter and ask the butcher if we can buy the 10-pound tube of ground beef.
We prefer this over the smaller package trays on display in the meat section, mostly because of the price. On a recent trip, the tube cost $4.39 a pound — 10 cents cheaper a pound than the other packages of ground beef available.
When I pack this for freezing, I squeeze portions straight from the tube into my vacuum-sealing bags, which is much easier than picking chunks out of the foam trays.
Caesar-salad kits can be an easy dinner base.
We usually pick up a 24-ounce Earthbound Farms organic Caesar-salad kit for $9.
It pairs nicely with grilled chicken or steak and a baguette for a light but pleasing dinner that requires little effort. On a good day, our kids prep the salad and my husband grills the meat we add to it.
I buy and freeze Kirkland Signature shredded mozzarella.
On movie nights, I make homemade pizza. I already prepare my own dough and sauce, so I want my cheese pre-shredded.
I like using Kirkland Signature shredded mozzarella because it's dry enough not to bog down a pizza. I pick up the 5-pound twin pack and break the bags into pizza-night-sized portions that I freeze until I'm ready to use.
Kirkland Signature spinach-and-cheese ravioli is good on its own or in "lasagna."
Kirkland Signature spinach-and-cheese ravioli are handy when I want to toss together ravioli pomodoro in a flash.
These are also good for ravioli "lasagna," where these replace typical noodles as a shortcut to save time and use fewer ingredients.
I like getting packs of Garofalo pasta at Costco.
I love Garofalo tricolor organic pasta and can sometimes get six 1-pound packages for $10 at Costco.
The colors and shapes are fun, and the pasta is delicious. I use the noodles to make all sorts of dinners, from cacio e pepe to pasta Bolognese.
Trident fish sticks are so easy to prepare.
I can get 60 Trident fish sticks for $15 at Costco, and they're super convenient when I don't feel like cooking a full meal.
I pop these babies in the oven, then pair them with frozen fries, peas, and tartar sauce for fish and chips with little-to-no effort.
Kirkland Signature raw, tail-on shrimp is a staple.
We usually pick up a 2-pound bag of Kirkland Signature raw, tail-on shrimp for about $12.
I like to pair the shrimp with fries and roasted vegetables for a low-effort meal. The kids usually mix up cocktail sauce to go with the shrimp, too.
Frozen vegetable mixes are so versatile.
The Kirkland Signature Normandy vegetable mix is hard to beat at $11 for 5 ½ pounds of broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots. If freezer space is low, I break up the large bag into smaller packages.
Fortunately, frozen vegetables can be used in so many ways.
I put them in soups and pasta primavera. I've also leaned into treating veggies like meat, so I toss them in olive oil and spice rubs and roast them as a side.
We use Lotus Foods organic millet-and-brown-rice ramen noodles often.
We tried them after learning about my daughter's gluten allergy, and I like that the noodles have a texture our whole family enjoys.
We make a lot of soup dishes in the winter and these noodles never disappoint, whether we're using them in khao soi or ramen.
They're a great deal at Costco, too. We pay $9 for 30 ounces of noodles, which works out to 30 cents an ounce. At our local grocery store, these can cost $7 for a 10-ounce package — or 70 cents an ounce.
Kirkland Signature organic quinoa is tasty in a lot of dishes.
My husband has fallen in love with quinoa, which works for me because I hate rice. This grain serves as a nice base for a lot of our meals that typically use the former.
I buy the 4-½- pound bag of Kirkland Signature organic quinoa for $9. It lasts us a while and we've learned this is way cheaper than buying quinoa at our local grocery store.
Toyota's North American employees have been recalled back to the office starting in September.
Salaried employees will be required to be in the office from Monday through Thursday.
Toyota employs more than 64,000 people in North America.
Many of Toyota's North American employees are being recalled back to the office Monday through Thursday starting in September.
Bloomberg first reported on the move. A spokesperson for the Japanese automaker confirmed the news to Business Insider but offered no further details.
Employees will be allowed to work from home on Fridays "subject to business needs," the outlet reported.
Toyota is the latest corporate giant to order employees back to the office. Amazon, AT&T, Boeing, and Salesforce have all recently issued to return to office requirements for their employees.
Toyota employs more than 64,000 people in North America in 14 factories, as well as in design, engineering, and corporate offices.
The automaker sold more than 2.3 million Lexus and Toyota-branded cars, trucks, and SUVs in the US in 2024, up 3.7 percent from 2023.
Are you a Toyota employee affected by the news? If so, reach out to this reporter at bzhang@businessinsider.com.
"The Curious Case of Natalia Grace" follows Natalia Grace Mans' life.
Michael and Kristine Barnett adopted her and petitioned a court to re-age her.
Natalia no longer lives with the Barnetts, who have divorced. Here's what we know about them today.
"The Curious Case of Natalia Grace" explores the complex story of Natalia Grace Mans and the legal saga involving Natalia and her former adoptive parents, Michael and Kristine Barnett.
Natalia, a Ukrainian orphan with spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia, was adopted by the Barnetts, who later abandoned Natalia after claiming she was actually an adult pretending to be a child. The now-divorced couple, who said they believed Natalia to be six years old when they first adopted her in 2010, claimed that Natalia made violent threats against family members — including trying to poison Kristine — and that she had pubic hair and menstrual cycles. Natalia has consistently denied all of the Barnetts' claims regarding her violent behavior and faking her age.
After sending their adopted daughter to a psychiatric hospital, Michael and Kristine became convinced that Natalia was secretly an adult and successfully petitioned in court to change Natalia's age from eight to 22, altering her birth year from 2003 to 1989. The Barnetts then moved Natalia into an independent apartment, first in Westfield, Indiana, in 2012, and then in Lafayette, Indiana, in 2013 and left the country, moving to Canada to support their eldest son's graduate education. In 2019, they faced neglect charges in connection to Natalia's case. Michael was acquitted of the charges in October 2022, and the charges against Kristine were dismissed in March 2023.
"The Curious Case of Natalia Grace" first aired on Investigation Discovery in May 2023 and focused on the Barnett family's perspective. In the second part of the documentary series titled "Natalia Speaks," which aired in January 2024, Natalia told her side of the story. The third installment, titled "The Final Chapter," premiered in January 2025 and focuses on her departure from the Mans family.
In "Natalia Speaks," Natalia alleged that her adoptive mother, Kristine Barnett, abused her as a child and coached her to say that she was older than she actually was. Michael said in a conversation with Natalia featured in the documentary that his ex-wife also manipulated him, and said that Kristine, who didn't participate in the docuseries, was cruel to Natalia.
When reached for comment, Kristine Barnett said in an email to Business Insider that allegations that she "abandoned" or "abused" Natalia were false, maintaining that Natalia was determined to be an adult by parties other than herself and Michael. She said that she had declined to participate in the ID docuseries.
"The 'evidence' presented on the TV show did not go through the courts or any legal standards to be verified as true," she said.
Here's everything we know about where Michael and Kristine Barnett are now.
Michael and Kristine split in 2014
The Barnetts split up long before they made their claims against Natalia public in 2019.
The Lafayette Journal & Courier reported that Michael Barnett left Canada in late 2013 and moved back to Indianapolis. Per court documents accessed by USA Today, Kristine said Michael moved back to Indiana after an unspecified "incident impacting the children" in fall 2013 before filing for divorce from her in February 2014. Their divorce was finalized four years later.
Michael later remarried, he says in the docuseries.
In 2019, the former couple were charged with neglecting Natalia
While Natalia was legally an adult due to the Barnetts re-aging her in court, she was still classified as a dependent of the Barnetts as a result of her disability.
In 2019, Michael and Kristine were charged with neglect of a dependent, Fox 59 reported citing court documents filed in Tippecanoe County in Indiana. According to the Lafayette Journal & Courier in 2022, the couple were specifically charged with neglect of a dependent, neglect of a dependent causing bodily injury, neglect of a dependent causing serious bodily injury, and conspiracy to neglect a dependent.
Testifying in court against Michael during his trial, Natalia explained how her rare kind of dwarfism can cause skeletal abnormalities and issues with vision and hearing. According to Natalia, shewas unable to bathe herself or use a washing machine due to her mobility issues and subsisted mostly on instant noodles, pizza, and peanut butter sandwiches while living on her own in Indiana.
Michael Barnett was acquitted of neglect charges after a jury trial
Per the Journal & Courier, Michael turned himself in to authorities in September 2019, and bonded out. At the time, records indicated that he lived in Indianapolis.
Per the same publication, an October 2019 gag order meant that anyone involved in the case was forbidden from making public comments about the case.
Michael was acquitted of the charges in October 2022. In the documentary series, Natalia says that Michael reached out to her to speak after the gag order was lifted. During the conversation, he said that he and Natalia had "the same monster" in Kristine, but ultimately stormed out of the encounter after Natalia's guardian, Bishop Antwon Mans, asked him to stop swearing.
A lawyer for Michael Barnett declined to comment when reached by Business Insider.
Michael Barnett also appeared in "The Curious Case of Natalia Grace: The Final Chapter," which premiered in January 2025. He said that he hoped Natalia would be able to "find happiness."
"I'm just trying to move on. I'm gonna do everything I can to not think about it," Michael said in episode one of "The Final Chapter."
Kristine Barnett's neglect charges were dismissed
Kristine turned herself in shortly after Michael in September 2019, according to the Journal & Courier. At the time, her jail records showed that she lived in Bradenton, Florida, though the charges listed an Indianapolis address.
In March 2023, a Tippecanoe County judge signed the order to dismiss the charges against Kristine, per the Journal & Courier, citing "insufficient evidence" at trial to prove the charges in this case beyond a reasonable doubt."
In 2013, Kristine published the book "The Spark: A Mother's Story of Nurturing, Genius, and Autism" about raising her son Jacob. In a January 10 audio space on X, which Kristine sent to BI via email, she said that the allegations against her interfered with her career as a parenting author and consultant.
"I don't know when I'll be back to work. I want to be back to work," Kristine said in the space around the 2:06:00 mark. "I've been waking up every day for the past five years mourning the fact that my work is gone. I hope I get it back."
All four episodes of "The Curious Case of Natalia Grace: The Final Chapter" are streaming on Max.
The man who allegedly stalked Caitlin Clark, Michael Lewis, is being held on $50,000 bail and ordered not to have any contact with Clark after a disruptive hearing Tuesday in Indianapolis.