Happy New Year 2025

Blog

Top Trump Cabinet officials tell Congress they need money to continue securing border

FIRST ON FOX: President Donald Trump’s newly sworn-in top Cabinet members are asking Congress to provide more resources to continue the administration’s full court press to secure the border and facilitate large-scale deportations.

Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Attorney General Pam Bondi penned a letter to top appropriators in the House and Senate, pleading with them to designate more funds to the cause of securing the U.S. southern border.

“The American people strongly support sealing our borders and returning to a lawful immigration system,” Noem, Hegseth and Bondi told the lawmakers in the letter obtained exclusively by Fox News Digital.

LORI CHAVEZ-DEREMER: THE LITTLE-KNOWN TRUMP NOMINEE WHO MAY NEED TO RELY ON DEMS

Members of President Donald Trump’s Cabinet leading his border security efforts are asking Congress for more resources. (Reuters)

“Even if the price of some of these measures may seem high, they are nothing when compared to the costs our country is facing in the long term of continuing the status quo,” they explained.

According to the Trump Cabinet officials, their departments need a variety of resources to continue securing the border at the current level.

These include additional law enforcement officers; military personnel, including Active Duty and State and National Guard; aircraft and additional means of transportation to facilitate deportations; both materials and workers to finish construction of “a permanent barrier” at the border; additional immigration judges to quickly decide cases and clear the backlog; and more facilities to detain illegal immigrant waiting for deportation.

TRUMP NOMINEE TULSI GABBARD CLEARS LAST HURDLE, HEADS FOR FINAL CONFIRMATION VOTE

Immigrants are seen boarding a U.S. military aircraft. The White House announced that “deportation flights have begun” in the U.S. (White House)

The correspondence to congressional leaders comes as a March 14 spending bill deadline approaches, and the chambers are expected to lay out a new spending deal to avoid a partial government shutdown.

Passing a spending bill next month with satisfactory border funding could prove difficult, however, because 60 votes will be needed in the Senate. That means the Republican conference cannot pass it single-handedly and will need the support of several Democrats to get it done.

SCHUMER REVEALS DEM COUNTER-OFFENSIVE AGAINST TRUMP’S DOGE AUDIT

The U.S. Capitol. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc)

The letter from Noem, Hegseth and Bondi also coincides with congressional Republicans’ efforts to put together a budget deal with provisions for border security and pass it in an expeditious manner. However, the House and Senate GOP have begun to butt heads on how to go about the key budget reconciliation process and whether to pursue one big bill with all of Trump’s priorities or to use a two-bill approach, with another being passed later in the year to address Trump’s tax agenda.

By lowering the threshold for Senate passage from 60 votes to 51 out of 100, reconciliation allows the party in power to skirt its opposition to advance its agenda – provided the items included relate to budgetary and other fiscal matters. The House of Representatives already has a simple majority threshold.

TRUMP’S KEY TO CABINET CONFIRMATIONS: SENATOR-TURNED-VP VANCE’S GIFT OF GAB

Sens. Susan Collins, right, and Patty Murray are the GOP and Democrat leaders of the Senate appropriations committee. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Fox News Digital reached Senate Committee on Appropriations Chairwoman Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Ranking Member Patty Murray, D-Wash.; Senate Committee on the Budget Chairman Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and Ranking Member Jeff Merkley, D-Ore.; House Committee on Appropriations Chairman Tom Cole, R-Okla., and Ranking Member Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., and House Budget Committee Chairman Jodey Arrington, R-Texas, and Ranking Member Brendan Boyle, D-Pa., but did not immediately receive responses.

Julia Johnson is a politics writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business, leading coverage of the U.S. Senate. She was previously a politics reporter at the Washington Examiner.

Follow Julia’s reporting on X at @JuliaaJohnson_ and send tips to [email protected].

February 11, 2025
‘Deregulatory flavor’: JD Vance lays out vision in Paris for the future of AI under Trump

Vice President JD Vance said Tuesday that U.S. artificial intelligence (AI) systems must not become tainted with “ideological bias” and cautioned against coordinating with “hostile foreign adversaries” on AI capabilities.

Vance appeared Tuesday at the AI Action Summit in Paris, where world leaders, top tech executives and policymakers teamed up to hash out tech policy and its intersection with global security, economics and governance. The appearance marked his first foreign trip as vice president.

While the Trump administration has signaled it plans to take an approach that favors deregulation of AI, Vance’s appearance at the summit coincides with recent attempts from the European Union to enforce harsher regulations aimed at promoting greater safety.

Meanwhile, the U.S. and the UK abstained from signing an international document at the conference signed by 60 other countries that aims to prioritize “ensuring AI is open, inclusive, transparent, ethical, safe, secure and trustworthy.” It was immediately unclear why both countries chose not to sign the document.

Here is what is known from Vance’s remarks about the Trump administration’s priorities for the future of AI. First, Vance called for AI systems developed in the U.S. to remain free of “ideological bias” and vowed that the U.S. would “never restrict our citizens’ right to free speech.”

That is because Vance said he trusted Americans to create their own thoughts and opinions, absorb information and exchange those thoughts in the “open marketplace of ideas.”

VANCE TELLS WORLD LEADERS AI MUST BE ‘FREE FROM IDEOLOGICAL BIAS,’ AMERICAN TECH WON’T BE CENSORSHIP TOOL

Vice President JD Vance delivers a speech during the plenary session of the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Action Summit at the Grand Palais in Paris on Feb. 11, 2025. (Benoit Tessier/Reuters)

“We feel very strongly that AI must remain free from ideological bias and that American AI will not be co-opted into a tool for authoritarian censorship,” Vance said Tuesday.

Vance also pushed for a “deregulatory flavor” to emerge at the conference while cautioning against the pitfalls of “excessive regulation” that could hamper a transformative industry. He also vowed that the U.S. would back pro-growth AI policies.

“We believe that excessive regulation of the AI sector could kill a transformative industry just as it’s taking off, and we’ll make every effort to encourage pro-growth AI policies and I’d like to see that deregulatory flavor making its way into a lot of the conversations at this conference,” he said.

Other world leaders who attended the AI Action Summit include French President Emmanuel Macron, Indian Prime Minister Shri Modi and Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Guoqing.

Vance also issued a warning to other foreign governments about “tightening the screws” on U.S. tech companies with international footprints, claiming the Trump administration would not tolerate such limitations. He also cautioned against working with adversaries who have “weaponized A.I. software to rewrite history, surveil users and censor speech.”

Vance said Tuesday that the U.S. will block such efforts, and ensure that American AI and chip technology is protected from theft and misuse.

ELON MUSK AND TECH LEADER SAM ALTMAN GET INTO WAR OF WORDS OVER AI INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECT

Vice President JD Vance’s comments coincide with some recent actions from the administration of President Donald Trump to advance AI in the U.S.

“I would also remind our international friends here today that partnering with such regimes — it never pays off in the long term,” Vance said.

While Vance said that the U.S. wants to partner with other nations on this front, Macron said Europe could take a “third way” approach in AI innovation and not rely on either the U.S. or China. Macron also called for enhanced “international governance” on AI policy.

“We want a fair and open access to these innovations for the whole planet,” Macron said.

CLICK TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Vance’s comments coincide with some recent actions from the Trump administration to advance AI in the U.S.

In January, Trump unveiled a new $500 billion AI infrastructure project called Stargate, a datacenter joint venture between investment holding company Softbank, and tech companies OpenAI and Oracle that Trump labeled the “largest AI infrastructure project in history.”

The project includes an initial investment of $100 billion that is slated to grow to $500 billion over Trump’s term in office, and will build “colossal” data centers in the U.S. to power AI.

The Associated Press and Fox News’ Michael Dorgan contributed to this report.

Diana Stancy is a politics reporter with Fox News Digital covering the White House.

February 11, 2025
Court rules Vince McMahon’s lawyer wrongly withheld documents from grand jury

A former lawyer for pro-wrestling impresario Vince McMahon was wrong to withhold some documents from a federal grand jury as it investigated how the former WWE boss handled multimillion-dollar settlement agreements with two female employees who accused him of sexual abuse, a federal appeals court ruled Monday.

Three judges on the 2nd U.S. Court of Appeals in New York upheld a lower court ruling that said the documents were not protected by attorney-client privilege because of an exception for “crime or fraud.”

The appeals court said the lower court judge found prosecutors had reasonable grounds to believe that McMahon and his lawyer illegally “circumvented” the WWE’s internal controls and created false records when they concealed the employees’ claims and settlement agreements from the company, and that they made false and misleading statements to the company’s auditors — even though McMahon paid the settlements with funds that did not come from the company.

The appellate panel said that while McMahon’s lawyer submitted many materials in response to a grand jury subpoena, they also submitted a log of 208 documents that were being withheld under assertions of attorney-client privilege.

Vince McMahon attends the WrestleMania 29 Press Conference at Radio City Music Hall on April 4, 2013 in New York City. (Eugene Gologursky/WireImage)

VINCE MCMAHON ACCUSER AGREES TO PAUSE SEXUAL ABUSE LAWSUIT AGAINST FORMER WWE BOSS

Though the identities of the parties were not disclosed in the appeals court opinion, a person familiar with the matter confirmed the unnamed “former Chief Executive Officer of a “publicly traded company” was McMahon. The person insisted on anonymity to discuss details that have not been made public.

The status of the grand jury investigation was not immediately clear. The U.S. attorney’s office in Manhattan has declined to comment when asked about the investigation, which it has not publicly disclosed.

Representatives for McMahon, who has denied wrongdoing, said they had no immediate comment on the court ruling. McMahon has previously suggested that he was no longer under investigation.

In January, McMahon said in a statement that “nearly three years of investigation by different governmental agencies” into his actions had ended. The statement came as the federal Securities and Exchange Commission announced it had settled charges against McMahon over his failure to disclose the settlement agreements with the two now-former employees to WWE officials.

“In the end, there was never anything more to this than minor accounting errors with regard to some personal payments that I made several years ago while I was CEO of WWE,” the statement said. “I’m thrilled that I can now put all this behind me.”

Apr 3, 2022; Arlington, TX, USA; Then-WWE owner Vince McMahon during WrestleMania at AT&T Stadium. (Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports)

VINCE MCMAHON CALLS SEXUAL MISCONDUCT ALLEGATIONS AGAINST HIM ‘PURE FICTION’

The appeals court, however, said in Monday’s ruling that the case “concerns proceedings currently before a grand jury. At present, no indictments have been issued.”

The opinion disclosed some new details of the grand jury probe.

Representatives for one of the former employees who got a settlement agreement from McMahon, Janel Grant, declined to comment Monday.

McMahon resigned from WWE’s parent company in January 2024 after Grant filed a federal lawsuit accusing him and another former executive of serious sexual misconduct. At the time, McMahon stepped down from his position as executive chair of the board of directors at WWE’s parent company, TKO Group Holdings. He continued to deny wrongdoing following the filing of the lawsuit.

McMahon stepped down as WWE’s CEO in 2022 amid a company investigation into allegations that match those in the lawsuit.

Grant has said she was pressured into leaving her job with the WWE and signing a $3 million nondisclosure agreement.

Apr 3, 2022; Arlington, TX, USA; WWE owner Vince McMahon enters the arena during WrestleMania at AT&T Stadium. (Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports)

VINCE MCMAHON CHASTISES UPCOMING NETFLIX DOCUSERIES AHEAD OF RELEASE, ALLEGES ‘EDITING TRICKS’ DISTORT STORY

The lawsuit, which alleges sexual battery and trafficking, also seeks to have the agreement declared invalid, saying McMahon breached the deal by giving her $1 million and failing to pay the rest.

The $3 million settlement is mentioned in Monday’s appellate court ruling, along with another $7.5 million settlement McMahon made with another former employee.

The Associated Press does not normally name people who make sexual assault allegations unless they come forward publicly, which Grant did.

Prosecutors served subpoenas on McMahon’s lawyer, who is unnamed in court documents, and the attorney’s firm in September 2023, seeking all communications between McMahon, his attorney and the law firm regarding the two former employees, according to the appellate court. The lawyer helped McMahon negotiate the settlements, the court said.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

When the lawyer withheld some of the documents claiming attorney-client privilege, prosecutors asked the lower court to compel production of the records — leading to the appeal decided Monday.

The appellate judges wrote, “Because the settlement agreements resolving the Victims’ claims were ‘structured and negotiated … to keep them hidden from (the Company),’ the district court found that ’all communications about the claims and settlement agreements were made in furtherance of the criminal scheme to keep (the Company) and its auditors unaware of the allegations.’”

February 11, 2025
Judge blocks Trump admin directive capping costs tied to federal research grants

A judge temporarily halted a directive by the Trump administration that imposed a cap on overhead costs that go to universities and other institutions that host federally funded research projects.

The directive, which went into effect Monday, sparked an outcry of criticism from research institutions that argued the new rule would have devastating consequences. It was immediately challenged in court by 22 Democratic state attorneys general, as well as by several leading research universities and related groups in a second lawsuit.

U.S. District Court Judge Angel Kelley subsequently ruled in favor of the 22 state attorneys general, granting their request for a temporary restraining order that prohibits agencies from taking any steps to implement, apply or enforce the new rule that imposed a cap on facilities and administrative costs that are part of federally funded research grants.

‘WHAT A RIPOFF!’: TRUMP SPARKS BACKLASH AFTER CUTTING BILLIONS IN OVERHEAD COSTS FROM NIH RESEARCH GRANTS

The rule capped overhead costs associated with National Institutes of Health (NIH) funded research grants at 15%.

When a grant is awarded to a scientist by the NIH, an additional percentage, on top of the allocated research funding, goes to the facility housing their work to cover these “indirect costs.” According to an announcement about the new funding cap from the Trump administration, that percentage has historically been around 27% to 28% for each grant. But in some cases, negotiated rates can be even higher, such as at the University of Michigan where the negotiated rate for indirect costs is 56%.

In fiscal year 2023, the NIH spent around $35 billion on roughly 50,000 grants that go to research institutions, such as universities and hospitals. Of that $35 billion, according to the Trump administration, $9 billion was allocated for “indirect costs” that cover expenses related to depreciation on buildings, equipment, capital improvements, interest on debt associated with certain buildings, and operations and maintenance expenses. (iStock)

The lawsuit from the attorneys general argued the move violated federal law governing the procedures federal agencies must follow when implementing new regulations. They also argued that the move usurped the will of Congress, which, in 2018, passed legislation prohibiting the NIH or the Health and Human Services Department from unilaterally making changes to current negotiated rates, or implementing a modified approach to the reimbursement of indirect costs.

UNIVERSITY PROFESSOR HAILS THAT SCIENCE ‘THRIVED’ UNDER HITLER IN ATTACK ON TRUMP’S NIH CUTS

Kelley’s temporary restraining order requires the Trump administration agencies that are impacted by the new rule to file reports within 24 hours to confirm the steps they are taking to comply with her order. Meanwhile, Kelley set an in-person hearing date on the matter for Feb. 21.

Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment on the restraining order, but did not hear back at press time. However, after the directive went into effect on Monday, White House spokesperson Kush Desai told Fox News Digital, “Contrary to the hysteria, redirecting billions of allocated NIH spending away from administrative bloat means there will be more money and resources available for legitimate scientific research, not less.”

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced a $9 billion spending cut in response to a new mandate from the Trump administration. (Alamy/Getty Images)

Earlier on Monday, U.S. District Judge John J. McConnell said the Trump administration had violated his order halting a federal aid funding freeze that sought to pause “all activities related to obligation or disbursement of all Federal financial assistance,” to ensure federal disbursements aligned with the president’s executive actions.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

McConnell ordered the government to “immediately restore frozen funding,” noting that plaintiffs had provided adequate evidence to show the Trump administration “in some cases [has] continued to improperly freeze federal funds and refused to resume disbursement of appropriated federal funds,” despite his “clear and unambiguous” order lifting the freeze.

February 11, 2025
Steven Bannon pleads guilty to scheme to defraud in border wall fundraiser

Steve Bannon, a longtime ally of President Donald Trump, pleaded guilty on Tuesday to a charge that he defrauded donors who gave money to a private campaign to build a wall along the U.S. southern border.

Bannon was sentenced to three years conditional discharge but will avoid jail time as part of a plea agreement.

When reporters asked Bannon how he felt as he left the courtroom, he responded: “Like a million bucks.”

Steve Bannon arrives at court in New York, Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

This is a breaking news story; check back for updates.

February 11, 2025
More than 680,000 law enforcement personnel urge Patel confirmation to head up FBI

Join Fox News for access to this content

Plus special access to select articles and other premium content with your account – free of charge.

By entering your email and pushing continue, you are agreeing to Fox News’ Terms of Use and Privacy Policy, which includes our Notice of Financial Incentive.

Please enter a valid email address.

Having trouble? Click here.

FIRST ON FOX: More than 680,000 law enforcement personnel have urged the Senate to confirm President Donald Trump’s FBI director nominee, Kash Patel, as quickly as possible – a show of support that comes as Democrats on the panel have moved to delay his confirmation ahead of a planned vote this Thursday.

The total number of supporters from law enforcement agencies was shared exclusively with Fox News Digital, and includes state, local and federal backers from groups including the National Sheriffs’ Association, the National Police Association and more than 370,00 members of the national Fraternal Order of Police, which announced their support for Patel Monday night.

“Throughout the course of his federal career, Mr. Patel has become very well acquainted with our national security apparatus and the threats the United States faces abroad,” the group said in the letter to the Republican chairman and top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee.

This group touted Patel’s experience as a trial attorney for the Justice Department’s National Security Division, at the National Security Council and later at the Department of Defense, where he previously served as chief of staff to the department’s acting secretary.

DEMS DELAY PATEL COMMITTEE VOTE, DERIDE TRUMP FBI PICK AS DANGER TO US SECURITY

Kash Patel, President Donald Trump’s nominee for FBI director, arrives to testify during his confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Jan. 30, 2025 in Washington, D.C. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty)

They also cited a “broad-ranging conversation” the group had with Patel, in which they said he “made a compelling case about his commitment to public safety and ways in which the FBI can support state and local law enforcement agencies.”

“He has committed to building on the level of trust and collegiality the FBI enjoys with the law enforcement community, and we will all benefit from the enhanced impact the FBI can have on public safety in our communities.”

The groups have praised what they described as Patel’s “unwavering commitment” to upholding the rule of law, defending justice, and protecting the American people.

BONDI SWORN IN AS ATTORNEY GENERAL WITH MISSION TO END ‘WEAPONIZATION’ OF JUSTICE DEPARTMENT

Senate Judiciary Committee Democrats held a news conference in the Hart Senate Office Building opposing Kash Patel’s confirmation as FBI director. Pictured from left to right, Sens. Chris Coons, D-Del., Cory Booker, Amy Klobuchar, Sheldon Whitehouse, Alex Padilla, Richard Durbin, Peter Welch and Mazie Hirono. (Breanne Deppisch for Fox News Digital)

The endorsements come just days before the Senate Judiciary Committee is slated to vote to advance Patel’s nomination to be FBI director – a vote that has come under fresh scrutiny from Judiciary Democrats, who have cited recent efforts by the Trump administration to investigate FBI personnel involved in the Jan. 6 investigations.

Trump also touched off new concerns and criticism last week when he said he planned to fire at least some of the FBI officials involved in the Jan. 6 investigation, telling reporters that at least some of the agents, in his view, “were corrupt.”

“Those people are gone, or they will be gone,” Trump said of the agents, adding that it will be done “quickly and very surgically.”

The White House did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment on what, if any, new information Trump had received about the allegedly corrupt activity of the bureau, or the number of personnel that could be impacted.

FBI AGENTS GROUP TELLS CONGRESS TO TAKE URGENT ACTION TO PROTECT AGAINST POLITICIZATION

Kash Patel’s nomination to lead the FBI has raised concerns within the bureau that he would lead a political persecution of agents who worked on the Jan. 6 investigations. (Getty Images/Fox News Digital)

Patel, for his part, used his confirmation hearing late last month to assure lawmakers he would protect agents against political retribution or efforts to weaponize the bureau.

“All FBI employees will be protected against political retribution,” Patel told Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., during that hearing.

Last week, Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee succeeded in temporarily postponing Patel’s confirmation hearing – pushing the committee vote to Thursday, Feb. 13 – as they demanded a second hearing from the Trump-aligned former Defense Department official seeking clarity on his previous remarks and his candor.

Democrats criticized Patel for both his previous actions and his remarks made on podcasts, social media and in his book, saying that in their view, Patel failed to assuage any of their concerns last week during his confirmation hearing – primarily, questions of whether he would take moves to ensure the bureau can continue to act without political interference.

Senate Judiciary Committee ranking member Dick Durbin, D-Ill., left, Kash Patel, center, and Chairman Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa. ( AP/Getty Images)

Still, the opposition has been sharply contested by the panel’s chairman, Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa.

Grassley chastised attempts by Democrats to force Patel to testify again in a statement last week, dismissing the effort as “baseless.”

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

He noted that Patel had already sat through a nearly six-hour Senate confirmation hearing, submitted “thousands of pages” of records to the panel, and nearly 150 pages of responses to lawmakers’ written questions.

Barring any unexpected opposition, Patel is expected to clear both the committee vote Thursday morning and the full vote in the Republican-led chamber.

February 11, 2025
Can Bed Bath & Beyond pull off a comeback?

Coresight Research estimates there will be another wave of retail closures in 2025 as legacy companies face relentless competition.

Bed Bath & Beyond is making a comeback with smaller-format stores, but some industry experts told FOX Business that the size of its stores does not matter as much as the product itself.

That is where its prior management team missed the mark, according to CSG Consulting founder Kimberly Reuter and Hitha Herzog, retail analyst and chief research officer of H Squared Research.

Last week. Kirkland’s Inc. finalized a $25 million investment deal with Beyond, the parent company of Bed Bath & Beyond, Overstock, Zulily and BuyBuy Baby, in which Kirkland’s became the exclusive brick-and-mortar operator and licensee for new, smaller format “neighborhood” Bed Bath & Beyond locations nationwide.

In October, when the deal was first announced, the companies said they would leverage Kirkland’s store operations expertise and its brick-and-mortar footprint and to curate an “assortment of iconic legacy vendor partners.” Kirkland’s Inc. CEO Amy Sullivan said in a statement at the time that “Kirkland’s Home has a 58-year legacy in the home decor sector, and the core strength of our brand and this organization lies in merchandising and store operations.”

A Bed Bath & Beyond store is seen on June 29, 2022 in Miami. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images / Getty Images)

Reuter said that the old Bed Bath & Beyond had been riddled with issues such as “poor inventory management, slow adoption of online shopping trends and overreliance on coupon shopping” that caused it to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 2023.

BED BATH & BEYOND BRAND IS COMING BACK TO PHYSICAL STORES

In June of that year, Overstock acquired the company’s intellectual property assets for $21.5 million, and by October, changed its corporate name to Beyond Inc., though it continued to fight for survival amid evolving retail dynamics. Last year, it backed away from a deal with The Container Store Group that would have allowed it to use a section within the store’s real estate locations to showcase its assortment of kitchen, bath and bedroom items, which would be co-branded.

“Opening in a smaller format isn’t going to solve any of those problems,” Reuter said. To exacerbate the issue, the company served customers at a time when broad access to home goods was limited. Today, there is relentless competition in the home goods market between Amazon, Temu, Target and Wayfair, Reuter said.

Herzog agreed, saying that while “Bed, Bath and Beyond has incredible brand equity,” that’s “where its value primarily exists.”

“The store’s challenges weren’t about brand recognition, the challenges had to do with the stores not focusing on what the consumer wanted on a local level,” Herzog said. She added that other big box stores like Walmart and Target do a better job at appealing to a consumer based in that local market.

Reuter predicted that the best case scenario for these stores is to become a physical outlet for Kirkland’s private label goods as well as Overstock and Zulily products.

BED BATH & BEYOND SHUTTERED STORES: THESE COMPANIES ARE MOVING IN

“This play starts to look very similar to TJMaxx’s Home Goods stores. We also have a potential for these physical locations to become return centers for the sister companies,” Reuter said.

Regardless, Reuter said if Bed Bath & Beyond and Kirkland’s do not address the root cause of the company’s failure, supply chain and inventory, “they will fail again.”

FOX Business reached out to Kirkland’s for comment.

People walk past a Bed Bath & Beyond store on Oct. 1, 2021 in the Tribeca neighborhood in New York City. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images / Getty Images)

“Layered onto this, the pending increase in tariffs, which will in turn increase product cost, could be the perfect storm for another failure,” Reuter added.

On the other hand, Herzog said the backing of Kirkland’s makes a significant means the company is better positioned to overcome its prior challenges.

GET FOX BUSINESS ON THE GO BY CLICKING HERE

Before, management was making decisions that weren’t exactly in line with what their core customer would want, Herzog said. Today, Kirkland’s is “driving the conversation and creating the roadmap of where this company is going to go,” Herzog said. “With Kirkland’s backing them, that makes the difference this time around.”

“Without throwing management back up into a management point under the bus, they had issues. I don’t think they really understood the pivot. I think they stumbled after the pandemic,” Herzog said. “They didn’t understand how to make their business nimble enough to withstand a huge hit to the retail industry and their business like the pandemic had.”

February 11, 2025
GOP bill targets NPR, PBS funding amid Elon Musk’s DOGE audits

FIRST ON FOX: Republicans lawmakers are renewing efforts to gut federal funding to NPR and PBS amid the Trump administration’s upheaval of the federal bureaucracy.

Rep. Claudia Tenney, R-N.Y., is leading a bill in the House of Representatives that would halt taxpayer dollars from going to either media broadcaster and reroute existing federal funds to reducing the national debt, according to legislative text previewed by Fox News Digital.

“As a former newspaper owner and publisher, I understand the vital role of balanced, non-partisan media. Unfortunately, these taxpayer-funded outlets have chosen advocacy over accuracy, using public dollars to promote a political agenda rather than report the facts,” Tenney told Fox News Digital.

SCOOP: KEY CONSERVATIVE CAUCUS DRAWS RED LINE ON HOUSE BUDGET PLAN

House Republicans are targeting PBS and NPR with new legislation. (Getty)

The legislation’s Senate counterpart is being led by Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, who told Fox News Digital, “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.”

Republicans have long targeted NPR and PBS, accusing both outlets of sharing a liberal bias while receiving government funding.

Less than 1% of NPR’s funding comes directly from the federal government, though other funding comes indirectly from grants and dollars allocated to local member stations who then pay fees back to NPR. More than a third of its funding comes from corporate sponsorships.

Rep. Claudia Tenney introduced the bill on the House side. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

PBS also gets a mix of federal funds through other avenues.

However, the GOP’s demands to end federal allocations to both outlets now come at a time when the executive branch is fervently searching for places to block government spending that does not align with the Trump administration’s agenda.

Elon Musk, who is leading Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) initiative, has been critical of NPR in the past.

“Defund NPR. It should survive on its own,” Musk wrote on his X platform earlier this month.

‘WE’RE THE GOLD STANDARD’: GOP LAWMAKER CALLS FOR CONGRESSIONAL HEARING OVER DC PLANE CRASH

Sen. Mike Lee is leading the bill in the upper chamber. (Rebecca Noble/Getty Images)

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Soon after he acquired X, Musk briefly hit NPR with a “State-Affiliated” media label, which is normally reserved for the media arm of authoritarian governments.

Tenney’s bill is one of multiple efforts targeting NPR and PBS during this Congress. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., who chairs the DOGE subcommittee under the House Oversight Committee, said she wants the heads of each organization to come testify before her new panel.

Elizabeth Elkind is a politics reporter for Fox News Digital leading coverage of the House of Representatives. Previous digital bylines seen at Daily Mail and CBS News.

Follow on Twitter at @liz_elkind and send tips to [email protected]

February 11, 2025
Ex-Ohio State star has 2-word reaction to Jim Tressel being nominated as Ohio’s lieutenant governor

Jim Tressel was nominated as the next lieutenant governor of Ohio on Monday, and it drew a reaction from one of his former star players while he coached at Ohio State.

Terrelle Pryor, who was the quarterback for the Buckeyes from 2008 to 2010, had a two-word show of support for Tressel.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

Former head coach Jim Tressel watches a scoreboard tribute for the 2002 national championship team during the game between Notre Dame and Ohio State, Sept. 3, 2022, in Columbus, Ohio. (AP Photo/David Dermer, File)

“My guy,” he wrote in a post on his Instagram Stories on Monday.

Pryor passed for 2,772 yards and 27 touchdowns in his final season with the Buckeyes in 2010. It proved to be Tressel’s last season with the Buckeyes as well.

Tressel and Pryor were both caught up in an improper benefits scandal. The NCAA, after an investigation with the FBI and the Justice Department, determined Tressel, Pryor and other Buckeyes players violated the organization’s policies over impermissible benefits. Players were accused of receiving tattoos or cash for autographs.

Tressel was accused of withholding information in the investigation and resigned before the start of the 2011 season. Pryor left the school before his final year.

COLORADO’S DEION SANDERS EXPLAINS AVERSION TO COACHING IN NFL

Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback Terrelle Pryor is embraced by coach Jim Tressel after the Rose Bowl against the Oregon Ducks on Jan. 1, 2010, in Pasadena, California. (Kirby Lee/Image of Sport-USA Today Sports)

Pryor went on to play wide receiver in the NFL and put together a solid career. Tressel never coached in the collegiate ranks again. Instead, he served as Youngstown State University’s president from 2014 to 2023.

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine nominated Tressel for lieutenant governor after Jon Husted replaced Vice President JD Vance in the U.S. Senate.

“Jim Tressel is Ohio values. He’s a hard worker and shares that vision (I have) for the future of Ohio,” the Republican governor said Monday at a news conference. “He has the ability to pull people together. He has the ability to lead. He will enable me to be assured that if something happens to me, he can walk in and be governor that day and that would be seamless.”

Tressel expressed his admiration for DeWine.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Coach Jim Tressel, quarterback Terrelle Pryor, second from left, and teammates after beating Ohio University on Sept. 18, 2010. (The Columbus Dispatch photo by Neal C. Lauron)

“I want to study a little bit about what Jon Husted has going on, and so I want to learn the business, if you will,” he said. “And then it’s up to when you sit down with the team and the staff and everyone else trying to figure out who plays what position best. And I’d be more than happy to help wherever I can.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.

Ryan Gaydos is a senior editor for Fox News Digital.

February 11, 2025
Federal appeals court dismisses classified records case against former Trump co-defendants

A federal appeals court dismissed the appeal charges brought against President Donald Trump aides Waltine Nauta and Carlos De Oliveira by former Special Counsel Jack Smith in his classified documents case, Fox News Digital has learned.

The 11th Circuit Court of Appeals dismissed the case against Nauta and De Oliveira on Tuesday morning, two weeks after the Justice Department moved to drop the charges.

JUSTICE DEPARTMENT FIRES MORE THAN A DOZEN KEY OFFICIALS ON FORMER SPECIAL COUNSEL JACK SMITH’S TEAM

Nauta, Trump’s valet, and De Oliveira, the property manager of Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida, had pleaded not guilty to federal charges alleging they conspired to obstruct the FBI investigation into classified documents found at Mar-a-Lago.

The Justice Department had filed a motion in January to drop all criminal proceedings against Nauta and De Oliveira, putting an end to Smith’s probe more than two years after it began.

Waltine Nauta, left, takes a phone from Former President Donald Trump at a golf event in Virginia. (Alex Brandon/The Associated Press)

Former Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed Smith, a former Justice Department official, as special counsel in November 2022.

Smith, a former assistant U.S. attorney and chief to the DOJ’s public integrity section, led the investigation into Trump’s retention of classified documents after leaving the White House and whether the former president obstructed the federal government’s investigation into the matter.

Carlos De Oliveira, center, an employee of Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate, arrives for a court appearance with attorney John Irving, at the James Lawrence King Federal Justice Building, in July 2023, in Miami. (Wilfredo Lee/The Associated Press)

JUSTICE DEPARTMENT MOVES TO DROP PROSECUTION OF MAR-A-LAGO STAFF IN TRUMP CLASSIFIED DOCS CASE

Smith also was tasked with overseeing the investigation into whether Trump or other officials and entities interfered with the peaceful transfer of power following the 2020 presidential election, including the certification of the Electoral College vote on Jan. 6, 2021.

Smith charged Trump in both cases, but Trump pleaded not guilty.

A federal appeals court dismissed the appeal charges brought against Waltine Nauta, Donald Trump’s valet, and Carlos De Oliveira, the property manager of Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida, pictured here. (Steve Helber/The Associated Press)

The classified records case was dismissed in July 2024 by U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida Judge Aileen Cannon, who ruled that Smith was unlawfully appointed as special counsel.

Smith charged Trump in the U.S. District Court for Washington, D.C., in his 2020 election case, but after Trump was elected president, Smith sought to dismiss the case. Judge Tanya Chutkan granted that request.

Both cases were dismissed.

Former Special Counsel Jack Smith led the investigation into Donald Trump’s retention of classified documents after leaving the White House. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

The Justice Department, in January, fired more than a dozen key officials who worked on Special Counsel Jack Smith’s team prosecuting the president, after then-Acting Attorney General James McHenry said they could not be trusted in “faithfully implementing the president’s agenda.”

Acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove has also directed acting FBI Director Brian Driscoll to identify agents involved in Jan. 6 prosecutions for internal review.

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

February 11, 2025