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Treasury Sec. Scott Bessent leaves powerful two-word message in Irish airport’s welcome book

The U.S. Treasury secretary left a straight and to the point message in the welcome book at Shannon Airport in Ireland on Thursday, simply leaving the Trump administration’s two-word motto.

The plane Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent was traveling on from Kyiv, Ukraine, made a stop at the western Ireland airport to refuel.

While there, Bessent signed the welcome book, writing, “AMERICA FIRST!”

FOX Business White House correspondent Edward Lawrence snapped a picture of the page, and above Bessent’s entry was an entry from former Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

JD VANCE, TREASURY SEC SCOTT BESSENT TO MEET WITH ZELENSKYY AS TRUMP TEAM SETS SIGHTS ON RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent signed the welcome book at Shannon Airport in Ireland, writing, “AMERICA FIRST!” (Edward Lawrence)

“To all our friends at Shannon – with gratitude for always making us feel at home away from home,” Blinken wrote, though the date of the entry was not visible in the photo.

President Donald Trump announced earlier this week that he was sending Bessent to meet with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

‘LET’S DO A DEAL’: ZELENSKYY CALLS TRUMP’S TERMS ACCEPTABLE FOR SECURITY PARTNERSHIP

Scott Bessent, founder and chief executive officer of Key Square Group LP, at an interview during the Republican National Convention (RNC) near the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, US, on Tuesday, July 16, 2024. Former President Donald Trump tapped JD Vance as his running mate, elevating to the Republican presidential ticket a venture capitalist-turned-senator whose embrace of populist politics garnered national attention and made him a rising star in the party. (Vincent Alban/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

“This War MUST and WILL END SOON — Too much Death and Destruction. The U.S. has spent BILLIONS of Dollars Globally, with little to show,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

Bessent was expected to speak with the Ukrainian president about sanctions, rare Earth minerals and where U.S. funding has gone.

Vice President JD Vance was also meeting with Zelenskyy this week, and both meetings were to take place before U.S. envoy Keith Kellogg travels to Ukraine on Feb. 20.

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Trump tasked Kellogg with hashing out a peace deal with Ukraine and Russia to bring the three-year-long war to an end. Last week Kellogg met with Ukrainian delegates at the State Department.

Fox News Digital’s Morgan Phillips contributed to this report.

Greg Wehner is a breaking news reporter for Fox News Digital.

Story tips and ideas can be sent to [email protected] and on Twitter @GregWehner.

February 13, 2025
Donald Trump Jr invests in sporting event that will allow steroids

The Enhanced Games, the first athletic event in which performance-enhancing drugs will be 100% allowed, has backing from a prominent member of the Trump family.

The brand announced on Thursday that Donald Trump Jr.’s 1789 Capital has co-led a multimillion-dollar Series B round for the Enhanced Games.

Dr. Aron D’Souza founded the event in 2023, and the immediate backlash has been strong. He has been told his idea is unsafe, unfair and a mockery of the real Olympics.

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Donald Trump Jr. and his eldest child, daughter, Kai Trump, arrive at the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol for the inauguration. (Melina Mara/The Washington Post via AP, Pool)

However, Trump now joins billionaire Peter Thiel, the co-founder of PayPal, among the high-net-worth individuals to invest in the games.

“For over 100 years, elites in charge of global sports have stifled innovation, crushed individual greatness, and refused to let athletes push the limits of what’s possible. That ends now,” Trump Jr. said in a statement. “The Enhanced Games represent the future – real competition, real freedom, and real records being smashed. This is about excellence, innovation, and American dominance on the world stage – something the MAGA movement is all about. The Enhanced Games are going to be huge, and I couldn’t be prouder to support this movement that is changing sports forever.”

Donald Trump Jr. arrives at the Republican National Convention, July 17, 2024, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Added D’Souza, “With these powerhouse investors, we’re building something revolutionary – sports without hypocrisy, where the best can actually be the best. Our investors see the future, and they’re backing it with conviction.”

Despite the criticism, D’Souza believes his event may be one of the safest in recent memory, as plenty of medical professionals will be on hand, and athletes will go through rigorous testing before they can compete.

“Ultimately, we have one shot to do this right, and if that has any health complications whatsoever, it would not only derail the company and movement we’re creating, but also the social change that we’re attempting to create here,” D’Souza said in an interview with Fox News Digital last year.

Donald Trump Jr. introduces U.S. Senate candidate Ted Budd at a campaign rally on Oct. 13, 2022, in Greensboro, North Carolina. (Melissa Sue Gerrits/Getty Images)

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“Ultimately, what we are doing is heavily destigmatizing performance enhancements and I think unlocking the field of performance medicine, which leads to longevity and anti-aging technologies, and the giant publicity storm that we’ve gone through, there’s so much attention, we know the world’s eyes are on us – we know we have to do this right. We know the expectations are very, very high, and there’s a great prize well beyond the future of the Olympics if we do it right, so we have to do it right.”

It remains to be seen when the events will take place.

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February 13, 2025
Cowboys great Emmitt Smith questions team’s direction under Jerry Jones amid Brian Schottenheimer’s promotion

Last month, the Dallas Cowboys announced that Brian Schottenheimer would be promoted from offensive coordinator to head coach. The decision came after the Cowboys and Mike McCarthy failed to reach an agreement on a contract extension.

Schottenheimer’s promotion has been met with some tepid reactions from fans and even some of the Cowboys’ former star players. Emmitt Smith is the latest franchise great to express displeasure with longtime team owner Jerry Jones’ decision to enter the 2025 season with Schottenheimer at the helm.

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Former Dallas running back Emmitt Smith shakes hands with owner Jerry Jones after being presented his Hall of Fame ring during a game at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas, Nov. 21, 2010. (Matthew Emmons- USA Today Sports)

Smith, who spent the majority of his Hall of Fame career with the Cowboys, suggested he would take a patient approach to Schottenheimer’s coaching tenure in Dallas.

“I’m going to reserve most of my comments for a later date, but right now I’m just soaking it in,” Smith told Sports Lens late last month. “What has happened and trying to analyze where we go from here and what it is going to look like. I don’t even know who he has on his staff yet, who he retained, who he got rid of, who he’s bringing in.”

COWBOYS’ DAK PRESCOTT EXPRESSES HOPE FOR TEAM’S FUTURE AS EAGLES, COMMANDERS SURGE IN NFL

Smith followed up those comments by warning that the Cowboys’ 2025 campaign could be disappointing, given his belief that the franchise’s issues go beyond whoever is wearing the head coaching headset on the sideline.

Dallas Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer and owner Jerry Jones speak to the media during a press conference at the Star. (Tim Heitman-Imagn Images)

“Next subject,” Smith said during a recent appearance on ESPN Radio’s “Unsportsmanlike,” when asked about his feelings regarding Schottenheimer’s hiring. “I have no reaction. I just don’t know what to say. I know we have to give the man a chance, and I’m willing to give him a chance, an opportunity to turn things around. However, if we don’t align our vision and commitment to that vision, I think we’re going to get a lot of things that we’ve seen in the past, and that doesn’t feel good.”

“We need a lot more than Ashton Jeanty. All that talk about having a running back and a running game – there’s nothing wrong with our running game when there’s a commitment to the running game.… I think we’ve gotten so far away from what we all know as the Cowboys’ great teams. You don’t see that balance anymore. You see one way, and that’s disappointing,” Smith added.

Emmitt Smith attends the game between the Augustana Vikings and the Duke Blue Devils at Cameron Indoor Stadium on Nov. 4, 2016, in Durham, North Carolina. (Lance King/Getty Images)

Jones contacted former Cowboys star and current Colorado football head coach Deion Sanders during the hiring process. Jones later characterized his interaction with Sanders as more of a conversation with someone he had a personal relationship with rather than a formal job interview.

“Just a conversation about the team, and about where he is, and his boys, conversation with his boys, that type of conversation,” Jones said. “I’ve said I’ve talked to a lot of coaches, and Deion has a job.”

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Smith said passing over Sanders left him feeling disappointed. “It is kind of disappointing that, from an opportunity standpoint, he wasn’t considered high enough to do it,” he said. “But like I said, some things have to play themselves out.”

Michael Irvin, who won three Super Bowls during his storied career with the Cowboys, has also expressed his displeasure with Jones deciding not to move forward with Sanders as the team’s coach.

The Cowboys finished the 2024 season with a 7-10 record. Quarterback Dak Prescott missed nine games due to a hamstring injury.

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Chantz Martin is a sports writer for Fox News Digital.

February 13, 2025
Trump’s nominee for small business chief primed for final vote after clearing procedural hurdle

President Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the Small Business Administration, former Sen. Kelly Loeffler, passed a key procedural vote in the Senate on Thursday, clearing the path for her final confirmation vote.

The Senate’s vote this afternoon to invoke cloture ended the debate on the Georgia Republican’s nomination, as she now moves on to the confirmation stage.

The final cloture vote was 51-43 in favor of invoking cloture.

“Like President Trump, Senator Loeffler left behind a successful career in the private sector to advance the America First agenda,” Loeffler spokeswoman Caitlin O’Dea told Fox News on Jan. 28.

TRUMP’S COMMERCE NOMINEE PASSES KEY HURDLE

“Should she be confirmed, she will continue the practice of donating her federal salary to charities and nonprofits across the country — and put her full focus on working to make the Small Business Administration a gateway to the American Dream for entrepreneurs across the country.”

Loeffler, whose net worth is estimated at roughly $1 billion, previously donated her annual Senate salary of $174,000 between 2019 and 2021 to more than 40 Georgia charities and nonprofits.

Those organizations included food banks, faith groups and organizations opposed to abortion, foster care/adoption groups as well as organizations promoting health care, agriculture, education, law enforcement and disaster relief.

Loeffler previously worked at several top financial firms, including Intercontinental Exchange. Her husband, Jeffrey Sprecher, whom she met at ICE, is the current chairman of the New York Stock Exchange.

Loeffler also previously bought a minority stake in the WNBA Atlanta Dream, but is reportedly no longer associated with the team.

Loeffler also sparred with Sen. Edward Markey, D-Mass, during her confirmation hearing over the Trump administration’s announcement that it would freeze federal funds and grants.

TRUMP LANDS KEY TULSI GABBARD CONFIRMATION FOLLOWING UPHILL SENATE BATTLE

After Trump fired SBA inspector general Hannibal Ware in January, Markey — the top Democrat on the Senate Small Business & Entrepreneurship Committee – expressed anger and called for a pause on Loeffler’s confirmation consideration.

Markey said the process should be halted “either until Inspector General Ware is reinstated or until a qualified and impartial nominee to replace him is confirmed by the Senate.”

Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, the committee’s chairwoman, called Loeffler the “perfect person for the job” in an Osceola Sentinel-Tribune column.

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Then-Sen. Kelly Loeffler speaks at a campaign event at the Cobb County Republican Party Headquarters in Marietta, Georgia on Nov. 11, 2020. (REUTERS/Elijah Nouvelage)

“Throughout her career, she rose through the ranks at multiple companies due to her determination and grit. She also started many businesses and knows what it takes to be a successful entrepreneur,” said Ernst.

“Most importantly, she knows what it means to be overrun by Washington’s bureaucratic overreach — and that the government must instead get out of the way so businesses can thrive.”

Fox News Digital’s Diana Stancy and Deidre Heavey contributed to this report

Charles Creitz is a reporter for Fox News Digital.

He joined Fox News in 2013 as a writer and production assistant.

Charles covers media, politics and culture for Fox News Digital.

Charles is a Pennsylvania native and graduated from Temple University with a B.A. in Broadcast Journalism. Story tips can be sent to [email protected].

February 13, 2025
In-N-Out relocating headquarters within California, opening office in Tennessee

Check out what’s clicking on FoxBusiness.com.

In-N-Out said this week it is relocating its headquarters back to Baldwin Park in Los Angeles County to “bring its West Coast headquarters team back together under one roof.”

With that consolidation, the burger chain will close the corporate office it has maintained for decades in Irvine, a city southeast of Los Angeles in Orange County.

In-N-Out will close its Irvine office in 2029, the company said. More than 500 corporate employees work out of that office.

In-N-Out Burger. (Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images / Getty Images)

Harry and Esther Snyder founded the burger chain in Baldwin Park 77 years ago, so the move to shutter the Irvine office and move its headquarters in Baldwin Park will mark a return to the company’s origins.

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The decision comes as In-N-Out is poised to debut a new 100,000-square-foot eastern territory office near Nashville late next year.

The In-N-Out burger chain cited crime woes for the closure of an Oakland location earlier this year. (Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images / Getty Images)

In-N-Out said a “majority” of its corporate team will be based out of Baldwin Park or the eastern territory office after its Irvine office closes its doors.

“Some of our associates will be relocating to Tennessee, which makes it even more important to centralize our western headquarters in one location, and our company’s deepest roots are in Baldwin Park. Our West Coast family will be together in one place, where In-N-Out Burger began,” owner Lynsi Snyder said in a statement.

IN-N-OUT EXEC CITES CRIME WOES OVER OAKLAND LOCATION CLOSURE: ‘GUNSHOTS WENT THROUGH THE STORE’

The company unveiled plans for its eastern territory office near Nashville in early 2023.

“I’m proud to welcome In-N-Out Burger, an iconic American brand, to the Volunteer State,” Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee said when In-N-Out announced its plans for the state. “Tennessee’s unmatched business climate, skilled workforce and central location make our state the ideal place for this family-run company to establish its first eastern United States hub.”

In-N-Out Burger at Safe Kids Day 2017 at Smashbox Studios April 23, 2017, in Culver City, Calif. (Tommaso Boddi/Getty Images for Safe Kids Worldwide / Getty Images)

The company’s creation of a Nashville-area office involves a $125.5 million investment, the Tennessee Department of Economic & Community Development said in January 2023.

The company is also bringing its burger joints to Tennessee, with the first restaurants targeting openings next year.

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There are several hundred In-N-Out restaurants scattered across eight states, including California, Oregon, Nevada, Arizona, Utah, Texas, Colorado and Idaho.

February 13, 2025
‘Truly providential’: Trump made promise to Marc Fogel’s mother moments before Butler assassination attempt

President Donald Trump met with Marc Fogel’s mother on July 13, 2024, in Butler, Pennsylvania, and vowed to bring her son home if elected, just before an assassination attempt nearly took his life.

Rep. Mark Kelly, R-Pa., was there for the meeting between Trump and Malphine Fogel before the president took the stage.

“The president survived the assassination attempt on July 13 in Butler, and he fulfilled his commitment to Mrs. Fogel that he would get her son home,” Kelly told Fox News Digital. “It is an incredible, providential story.”

MOTHER OF FREED AMERICAN HOSTAGE MARC FOGEL THANKS PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: ‘HE KEPT HIS PROMISE’

President Donald Trump met with Marc Fogel’s mother on July 13 in Butler, Pennsylvania, and vowed to bring her son home if elected, just before an assassin tried to take his life. (Evan Vucci/The Associated Press)

During the rally, after his meeting with Fogel’s mother, Trump was showing off a chart highlighting how illegal immigration skyrocketed under the Biden-Harris administration. As he turned toward the chart, he was hit by a bullet that pierced the upper part of his right ear by the now-deceased would-be-assassin, Thomas Matthew Crooks. Trump credits the chart for saving his life.

Kelly likened the situation to the classic movie “It’s a Wonderful Life.”

“The theme of the movie was that George Bailey was very frustrated, but he was given a glimpse of life and what would have happened if he hadn’t been there – if he hadn’t been born,” Kelly recalled. “And if I go back to July 13, this is all providential.”

President Donald Trump welcomes Marc Fogel back to the United States on Feb. 11, 2025, after Fogel was released from Russian custody. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)

“Mrs. Fogel has a chance to talk to the president, and she talks about what is happening to Marc. The president vows to get him home,” Kelly continued. “It is a take-off of ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ and the opportunity, or the dilemma, that if you were never born, what would the consequences have been?”

“If President Trump did not survive the assassination attempt on July 13, Marc Fogel wouldn’t be home today,” Kelly said.

Fogel, an American teacher from Western Pennsylvania, returned to the United States late Tuesday, after Trump secured his release. Fogel was arrested in 2021 at an airport in Russia for possession of medical marijuana and was sentenced to 14 years in a Russian prison.

AMERICAN MARC FOGEL RELEASED FROM RUSSIAN CUSTODY

Kelly told Fox News Digital that “it is all about faith.”

Marc Fogel, 63 years old, taught at AAS Moscow, formerly known as the Anglo-American School of Moscow. (Ellen Keelan and Lisa Hyland)

“Having been there and witnessed it, I think to myself, ‘Oh my goodness, that tiny fraction of an inch, or whatever it was, is the difference between Marc Fogel being home and Marc Fogel not being home,’” he said. “Between making a promise to his mother and being able to keep it, as opposed to making a promise and never getting a chance to fulfill it.”

Malphine Fogel recalled the Butler meeting with Trump on Fox News Channel’s “America Newsroom.”

“I met with President Trump, and he was just as cordial as he could be,” she said. “He told me three different times, ‘If I get in,’ he said, ‘I’ll get him out’ and I really think he’s been instrumental.”

Malphine Fogel told Fox News that “it was a total surprise” when she heard from her son from the Moscow airport.

“So, that meant that (they) had taken him out of the prison to Moscow…. The last week or so, for some crazy reason, I had a better feeling about things, but I hadn’t heard from him in a week, so I thought that was odd and when he called… it was just a total shock,” she said.

Meanwhile, Kelly told Fox News Digital, “There is a certain time in people’s lives where you realize you don’t have forever, you have right now, and you need to get it done.”

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“Politically, there is no one on either side of the aisle that could look at what happened with Marc Fogel and not somehow say, this is truly providential – this is not a political move,” Kelly said. “This doesn’t do anything for the president. He’s already elected. He did this to keep a promise to a mother in her mid 90s – the only thing she wanted to see before she died was her son one more time.”

Kelly added: “This is a promise made. Promise kept. It is truly providential. It is. It is a wonderful life.”

Brooke Singman is a political correspondent and reporter for Fox News Digital, Fox News Channel and FOX Business.

February 13, 2025
Europe must invoke ‘snapback’ sanctions on Iran, US lawmakers say, as Trump resumes ‘maximum pressure’

FIRST ON FOX: Europe must reinstate harsh United Nations sanctions on Iran, U.S. lawmakers insisted in a new resolution that accused Tehran of repeated violations of the 2015 nuclear deal brokered by the Obama administration.

The bipartisan legislation calls on the U.K., France and Germany to invoke “snapback” sanctions on Iran through the UN Security Council immediately – and follow the U.S.’s lead under President Donald Trump’s “maximum pressure” executive order to isolate Iran over its nuclear activity.

“Iran is the leading state sponsor of terrorism, and their actions have led to the murder of American servicemembers,” said Sen. Pete Ricketts, R-Neb., the number two Republican on Senate Foreign Relations Committee and lead sponsor of the bill, which has 11 cosponsors in the Senate.

“Iran’s possession of a nuclear weapon would threaten our security and the security of our allies. Snapback sanctions are key to ensuring that President Trump’s maximum pressure campaign is successful.”

IRAN’S COVERT NUCLEAR AGENCY FOUND OPERATING OUT OF TOP SPACE PROGRAM LAUNCH SITES

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei visits the defense achievements exhibition in Tehran, Iran, February 12, 2025. (Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader/WANA (West Asia News Agency)/ Handout via Reuters )

Reps. Claudia Tenney, R-N.Y., and Josh Gottheimer, D-N.J., issued companion legislation in the House.

Under the 2015 Iran deal known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), Iran evaded U.N., U.S. and E.U. sanctions in exchange for promises not to pursue a nuclear weapon. But Iran eventually cut off independent inspectors’ access to its sites and resumed nuclear activities.

A “snapback” provision of the agreement said that any of the nations privy to the deal – China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, U.S. or Germany – could demand the export controls, travel bans and asset freezes be reimposed.

But the U.S. pulled out of the nuclear deal entirely under President Donald Trump’s first administration and imposed its own “maximum pressure” sanctions regime. The Biden administration subsequently issued sanctions waivers and toyed with the idea of returning to a nuclear deal with Iran, but ultimately those efforts faltered.

Tenney urged the European nations to invoke the snapback sanctions before the deal expires in October 2025.

“Invoking snapback sanctions will restore all the UN sanctions on Iran that were lifted by the Obama administration’s failed Iran nuclear deal,” she said.

Iran is “dramatically” accelerating enrichment of uranium to up to 60% purity, below the 90% needed for a nuclear weapon, according to U.N. nuclear watchdog Rafael Grossi. Western states have said there is no civilian use for 60% uranium.

TRUMP REINSTATES ‘MAXIMUM PRESSURE’ CAMPAIGN AGAINST IRAN

“Iran is the leading state sponsor of terrorism, and their actions have led to the murder of American servicemembers,” Senator Pete Ricketts, the ranking Republican on the Foreign Relations Committee and lead sponsor of the bill, said. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

Britain, France and Germany told the U.N. Security Council in December they were ready to trigger the snapback of all international sanctions on Iran if necessary.

Trump himself said he was “torn” over a recent executive order that triggered harsh sanctions on Iran’s oil sector, adding that he was “unhappy to do it.”

“Hopefully, we’re not going to have to use it very much,” Trump told reporters.

But he reiterated, “We’re not going to let them get a nuclear weapon.”

Trump suggested first trying a “verified nuclear peace agreement” over military escalation. “I would much rather do a deal that’s not gonna hurt them,” the president told Fox News on Monday, adding that “I’d love to make a deal with them without bombing them.”

”No problem will be solved by negotiating with America,” said Iran’s Ayatollah Ali Khameni, citing past “experience.”

Iran viewed the president’s remarks as a threat and took negotiations off the table.

”No problem will be solved by negotiating with America,” said Iran’s Ayatollah Ali Khameni, citing past “experience.”

He called for the country to further develop its military capabilities.

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“We cannot be satisfied,” Khamenei said. “Say that we previously set a limit for the accuracy of our missiles, but we now feel this limit is no longer enough. We have to go forward.”

“Today, our defensive power is well known, our enemies are afraid of this. This is very important for our country,” he said.

February 13, 2025
Vance tours Dachau concentration camp ahead of Munich Security Conference: ‘what unspeakable evil’

Vice President JD Vance toured the Dachau concentration camp in Germany on Thursday ahead of the Munich Security Conference and a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy set for Friday.

Vance and his wife, second lady Usha Vance, toured the site that has become a powerful symbol of the atrocities committed by Nazi Germany against Jews and other minority groups during World War II.

“What happened here should never happen again,” Vance said to a group of dignitaries near the entrance to the camp.

Vice President JD Vance visits the Dachau concentration camp on Feb. 13, 2025, after his arrival in Bavaria to commemorate the victims and survivors of the Nazi terror regime and the 80th anniversary of the camp’s liberation by American forces on April 29, 1945. (Peter Kneffel/picture alliance via Getty Images)

CAR DRIVER IN MUNICH PLOWS INTO CROWD 1 DAY BEFORE VANCE AND WORLD LEADERS GATHER FOR SECURITY CONFERENCE

“I’ve read a lot in books,” he added. “But being here, and seeing it up close in person, really drives home what unspeakable evil was committed and why we should be committed to ensuring that it never happens again.”

The pair, who toured the site alongside 96-year-old Abba Naor, a Holocaust survivor who was an inmate at Dachau, also laid a wreath with a red, white and blue ribbon at the base of the International Monument – a bronze sculpture that depicts humans entangled in barbed wire.

They then stopped at a wall that reads “Never again” in five different languages. In front of the wall sits an urn with the ashes of an unknown prisoner.

Vice President JD Vance, second lady Usha Vance and Holocaust survivor Abba Naor tour the Dachau Concentration Camp memorial site in Germany, on Feb. 13, 2025. (Tobias Schwarz/AFP via Getty Images)

RUSSIA CLAIMS TRUMP, PUTIN TALK BROUGHT WORLD FROM ‘BRINK OF APOCALYPSE,’ EU WARNS OF ‘DIRTY TRICKS’

More than 200,000 people were held at Dachau between 1933-1945 and experts believe that more than 40,000 people were killed there.

Vance is the latest top American official to visit the site. It was toured by President Joe Biden, both as vice president during the Obama administration and as commander in chief, as well as by Vice President Mike Pence during the first Trump administration.

“I really am really moved by this site,” Vance said. “It’s very important that it’s here, and it’s very important that those of us who are lucky enough to be alive and can walk around, can know what happened here and commit ourselves to do everything to prevent it from happening again.”

Vice President JD Vance and his wife Usha Vance lay a wreath at the former Dachau concentration camp, Feb. 13, 2025. (Peter Kneffel/picture alliance via Getty Images)

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Vance’s five-day trip to Europe will also include his attendance of the Munich Security Conference, which begins Friday.

There he will meet with world leaders, including Zelenskyy, alongside Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

Vance and the Ukrainian president are expected to discuss President Donald Trump’s plans to end the three-year-long war.

Caitlin McFall is a Reporter at Fox News Digital covering Politics, U.S. and World news.

February 13, 2025
What could Trump’s reciprocal tariffs look like?

The Lonski Group President John Lonski breaks down President Donald Trump’s economic agenda during an appearance on ‘Varney & Co.’

President Donald Trump on Thursday signed an executive order imposing reciprocal tariffs on U.S. trading partners, effectively raising duties on imports to match those levied on America’s exports.

“Today is the big one: reciprocal tariffs,” Trump wrote on his social media platform, Truth Social, ahead of the announcement. His executive order starts a process that could lead to reciprocal tariffs being imposed within weeks after the White House’s trade and economic team studies America’s trading relationships, an official told reporters on a conference call.

The Trump administration aims to complete its trade review by April 1 and plans to target what it calls the most “egregious” issues first, including countries with large trade surpluses with the U.S. and the highest tariff rates on American goods. The president’s tariffs would match other countries’ higher tariff rates and aim to counter other trade barriers like burdensome regulations, value-added taxes, government subsidies and exchange rate policies and to negotiate with some countries to reduce those barriers.

A new analysis by Goldman Sachs economists led by Jan Hatzius looked at how the reciprocal tariffs could work and found that they would likely increase the average tariff levied on imports to the U.S., though they could help reduce trade uncertainty as well.

TARIFFS COULD FACTOR INTO FED’S RATE-CUT PLANS AMID INFLATION CONCERNS, EXPERTS SAY

President Donald Trump is planning to roll out a plan for reciprocal tariffs on U.S. trading partners. (Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images / Getty Images)

“If applied at the product-specific level (e.g., the U.S. tariff on cars from the EU would equal the same rate the EU applies on cars from the U.S.), the U.S. weighted average tariff rate might rise by about 2 [percentage points], we estimate. If applied at the country level, the effect could be smaller,” the Goldman economists wrote.

“While a reciprocal tariff policy poses risks, it is also possible that it could incrementally reduce trade policy uncertainty once announced.

VOTERS REJECT TRUMP’S TARIFF PUSH; MOST BELIEVE POLICY WILL HURT ECONOMY

“President Trump’s comments suggest that he views this policy as an alternative to the 10-20% universal tariff he has discussed in the past,” the economists wrote. “If U.S. tariffs are set to match foreign tariff rates, it would theoretically make it less likely that U.S. tariffs would rise substantially further. It might also ultimately lead some trading partners to reduce tariffs (and theoretically a reduction in U.S. tariffs as well).”

They also said there are risks related to reciprocal tariffs in the event the Trump administration attempts to equalize non-tariff barriers (NTBs) to trade, which they note are “difficult to quantify but could result in a greater increase.”

“The main risk is that the Trump administration could consider value-added taxes (VATs) in the calculation, which would raise the average effective tariff rate by 10pp further,” the economists wrote. “However, while President Trump has criticized VATs in some countries, there is no indication at this point that the reciprocal tariff policy he plans to announce would include VATs in the calculation.”

Reciprocal tariffs would equalize U.S. tariffs on imports with those faced by American exporters overseas. (Reuters/Carlos Barria / Reuters Photos)

While the reciprocal tariffs may be the latest step in Trump’s efforts to reshape U.S. trade policy, the report noted that there will likely be further developments as the president’s term progresses.

“Of course, even if President Trump views reciprocal tariffs as an alternative to more sweeping measures at the moment, we are entering only the fourth week of a four-year presidential term, and it seems likely there may be many further tariff announcements even if he does announce reciprocal tariffs this week,” the Goldman economists noted.

TRUMP TARIFFS PROMPT WARNINGS FROM TRADE GROUPS

Tariffs are taxes on imported goods or services. (Reuters/Mike Blake / Reuters Photos)

Kevin Hassett, director of the National Economic Council, told reporters Wednesday “reciprocal tariffs are absolutely a high priority for the president and have been forever” and signaled that discussions about them had begun with foreign trading partners.

“Our trading partners charge us way more in tariffs than we charge them. And it’s something he talked about before, and there’s going to be a lot more action on it today. We even started to have negotiations with other countries,” he said.

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Hassett was asked what the negotiations with other countries have entailed and replied, “We were just laying the groundwork for discussions over reciprocal trade.”

He added that Howard Lutnick, Trump’s nominee to be commerce secretary, led those meetings.

FOX Business’ Kristen Altus and Reuters contributed to this report

February 13, 2025
There will be another open Democratic Senate seat in 2026 midterms

Sen. Tina Smith of Minnesota announced Thursday she won’t seek re-election in 2026, forcing the Democratic Party to defend another open seat in next year’s midterm and making more difficult their goal of regaining the Senate majority.

“I’ve decided not to run for re-election to the Senate in 2026,” Smith said in a social media post. “This job has been the honor of a lifetime. For the rest of my term, I’ll work as hard as I can for Minnesotans and our country. Thank you so much, Minnesota.”

Smith was appointed to the Senate in 2018 to succeed former Sen. Al Franken after his resignation over sexual misconduct allegations. She won a special election later that year to serve out Franken’s term and was re-elected in 2020 to a full six-year term.

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Senate Republicans vowed to try and flip Smith’s seat in blue-leaning Minnesota.

“Minnesota is in play, and we play to win. Minnesotans deserve a senator who will fight for lower taxes, economic opportunity and safer communities,” National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) Chair Sen. Tim Scott said in a statement to Fox News.

But the Senate Democrats’ campaign arm quickly pledged to keep the seat in party hands.

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“No Republican has won a Minnesota Senate race in over 20 years, and Democrats will continue to hold this seat in 2026,” Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) spokesperson David Bergstein emphasized in a statement to Fox News.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York, the top Democrat in the chamber, praised Smith as “a remarkable senator — smart, compassionate, and tireless in her commitment to Minnesota and the country.”

Sen. Tina Smith, D-Minn., announced Thursday she won’t run for another term in the 2026 midterm elections. (Getty Images)

“While I will deeply miss her leadership and friendship in the Senate, I have no doubt that her legacy of service will continue to inspire. We have a strong bench in Minnesota, and I’m confident that we’ll keep her seat blue,” Schumer predicted.

Smith became the second Democrat in the Senate to announce she would forgo running for re-election in the midterms, following Sen. Gary Peters of Michigan, a key Midwestern battleground state.

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Senate Republicans enjoyed a favorable map in the 2024 cycle as they flipped four seats from blue to red and won a 53-47 majority in the chamber. An early read of the 2026 map shows they will continue to play offense in some states but will be forced to play defense in others.

Sen. Gary Peters of Michigan, chair of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, is interviewed by Fox News Digital at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago Aug. 19, 2024 (Fox News – Paul Steinhauser)

Besides the open seat in Michigan, the GOP will target first-term Sen. Jon Ossoff in battleground Georgia and longtime Sen. Jeanne Shaheen in swing state New Hampshire.

However, Democrats plan to go on offense in blue-leaning Maine, where GOP Sen. Susan Collins is up for re-election, as well as in battleground North Carolina, where Republican Sen. Thom Tillis is also up in 2026.

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The Cook Report, a top nonpartisan political handicapper, this week rated Minnesota as “Likely Democrat,” as it unveiled its first read on the battle for the Senate majority in the 2026 cycle.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, who served as Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate on the Democrats’ 2024 national ticket, took to social media after Smith’s news.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, the Democrat’s vice presidential nominee in the 2024 election, reacts during the Democratic National Convention Aug. 21, 2024, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

“Tina has always done the work to improve people’s lives: lowering the price of insulin, improving access to mental health services, passing historic climate legislation, and our party’s champion for reproductive freedom. Minnesotans will miss having her in the Senate,” Walz wrote.

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There is speculation Walz, who is eligible to run for re-election in 2026 for a third four-year term as Minnesota governor, may now have an interest in his state’s open Senate seat.

Smith, in a video announcement she posted on social media, noted that Democrats “have a deep bench of political talent in Minnesota. A group of leaders that are more than ready to pick up the work and carry it forward. And I’m excited to make room for them to move forward.”

Lt. Gov Peggy Flanagan moved toward launching a campaign, saying in a social media post, “I love Minnesota, and my intention is to run for United States Senate and continue to serve the people of this state. I’ll make a formal announcement later this month.”

There’s also speculation that Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, a member of the so-called Squad, may make a move to run for the Senate.

Paul Steinhauser is a politics reporter based in New Hampshire.

February 13, 2025