Tag: calling

  • Nonprofit calling on Trump HHS, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to reform ‘failed’ National Human Trafficking Hotline

    Nonprofit calling on Trump HHS, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to reform ‘failed’ National Human Trafficking Hotline

    A group of anti-human trafficking advocates called “Safe House Project” is urging the Trump administration and Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary nominee Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to reform the National Human Trafficking Hotline.

    The hotline, which is run by HHS, was started in 2007 to provide 24/7 help for victims of human trafficking. 

    According to Safe House Project, which offers victims a range of services, including a network of shelters, the hotline has “lost all credibility” and simply does not accomplish the goal of ending human trafficking.

    HUMAN TRAFFICKING VICTIM RECOUNTS HORRORS OF LIFE AT THE MERCY OF CRIMINALS

    Community members listen to Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price before a march to raise awareness of human trafficking in Oakland, California, on Jan. 24, 2023. (Jane Tyska/Digital First Media/East Bay Times )

    After Kennedy cleared a committee vote on Tuesday, bringing him one step closer to confirmation, the nonprofit released a statement celebrating the step, saying that “our nation is in dire need of leadership that will restore it [the hotline] to fulfill its purpose of identifying victims of trafficking, supporting victims escaping from their traffickers, and helping bring swift justice to those who abuse and victimize desperate and vulnerable populations.”

    In line with the Department of Government Efficiency’s mission to slash government waste, Safe House Project says HHS can reform the hotline to conserve its tax-dollar funding and save more lives at the same time.

    “The American taxpayers funded the National Human trafficking hotline, and the reality is it has failed,” Safe House Project CEO Kristi Wells told Fox News Digital.

    Wells claimed that people who call the hotline often have to wait upwards of 45 minutes, resulting in many people hanging up before even reporting a human trafficking incident. She also said that in many instances, hotline staff fail to return calls or to share tips with law enforcement.

    DOGE TARGETS MEDICARE AGENCY, LOOKING FOR FRAUD

    Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

    Robert F. Kennedy Jr. visits “The Story With Martha MacCallum” at Fox News Channel Studios on Sept. 25, 2024, in New York City. (Jason Mendez/Getty Images)

    If he is confirmed by the Senate, Wells said Kennedy will have a “phenomenal opportunity” to save thousands of lives by moving quickly to increase the efficiency of the hotline.

    The National Human Trafficking Hotline, again, has the potential to save thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of lives,” she continued. “And so, [since] the Department of Health and Human Services is the one that oversees the effectiveness of the hotline, it’s really important that the current administration prioritizes and really holds the current hotline accountable and making sure that the services are operating the way that they need to be operating.”

    In place of the current hotline, Wells is urging HHS to leverage modern technology – such as cellphone apps and AI – to create a new system that is “fast, actionable and easy to use.”

    After conducting extensive research with law enforcement entities and related NGOs, Wells said she believes a new system could be created using modern technology that would make the tax dollars being spent by the government on this go much further and accomplish more.

    BIDEN BORDER CRISIS LEADING TO INCREASE IN HUMAN TRAFFICKING, FORMER DHS OFFICIALS WARN

    Trump is pictured in front of the US Capitol Building, surrounded by fencing in Washington, D.C., on Friday, January 17, 2025.

    Trump is pictured in front of the US Capitol Building, surrounded by fencing in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 17, 2025. (Fox News Digital/Trump-Vance Transition Team)

    When you’re leveraging technology, you are really creating efficiencies of scale and really increasing scale,” she said. “And so, I don’t believe that this is a solution that would cost the government more money. I think it would allow them to use the dollars that are currently being spent on a national hotline more effectively and see more effective results.”

    Wells said the Trump administration “has already shown an encouraging willingness to tackle human trafficking,” but noted, “We want to do our part to make sure that this is a top priority for them and make sure that correct actions are taken to bring victims out of the shadows, to increase reporting and to increase law enforcement and prosecution of traffickers and buyers.”

    CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

    “Human trafficking is happening all around us and we as community members have the opportunity to identify and respond to human trafficking and a new tool is really vital to us making sure that that happens,” she continued. “Whenever we have proper reporting mechanisms and we are ‘seeing something and saying something,’ then this idea that human trafficking is undercover and goes undetected is no longer the reality.”

    “The reality is we’ll be able to see it more and when we start seeing it more, we’re able to empower our lawmakers with more effective data to create more effective policies. And so, I am excited about the trajectory that a more robust reporting mechanism can bring to the objective of eradicating trafficking in America.” 

  • Patriots owner Robert Kraft opens up on Trump attending Super Bowl LIX, Tom Brady calling the game

    Patriots owner Robert Kraft opens up on Trump attending Super Bowl LIX, Tom Brady calling the game

    New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft is at Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans, and his old friend President Donald Trump will be there too. 

    Kraft gave his thoughts on Trump becoming the first sitting president to attend the big game in an interview with Fox News Digital. 

    “It just shows you that maybe the NFL and the Super Bowl are important if we got the president of the United States coming as a guest,” Kraft said. 

    Kraft said he donated to Trump in the past during an interview on “The Breakfast Club” in October. The owner, who has an estimated $11.8 billion net worth, said he first met Trump in the 1990s.

    SIGN UP FOR TUBI AND STREAM SUPER BOWL LIX FOR FREE

    Super Bowl LIX will be streamed on Tubi. (Tubi)

    “Donald Trump became a social friend in the early ‘90s, when I was going down to Florida. And then when my wife … died 13 years ago, he was one of four or five people who reached out to me and was really, really nice,” Kraft said.

    “The only donation I ever gave to him was he called me when he got elected, and I made a strong donation to his inauguration. I couldn’t believe it. It was like having someone who was a drunk fraternity brother become president of the United States.”

    However, the owner said he distanced himself from Trump after the events of Jan. 6, 2021.

    “I will say this,” Kraft said. “I was very upset (with) what happened Jan. 6. And I haven’t talked to [Trump] since then.”

    The Patriots have gone to other lengths to distance themselves as a franchise from the former president as well. 

    HOW TO WATCH SUPER BOWL LIX BETWEEN CHIEFS, EAGLES STREAMED ON TUBI

    Tom Brady in Foxborough

    Former New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady speaks during a halftime ceremony as Patriots President Jonathan Kraft and Patriots owner Robert Kraft react at Gillette Stadium Sept. 10, 2023, in Foxborough, Mass.  (Adam Glanzman/Getty Images)

    In May 2021, the team and Kraft denied allegations he and Trump attempted to pay a U.S. senator money to drop an investigation into a cheating scandal involving the team, according to a report by ESPN. 

    The report alleged Trump met with Sen. Arlen Specter in 2008 and offered him “money in Palm Beach” if he dropped his investigation into the Spygate scandal, after which the Patriots were disciplined by the NFL for filming a rival team’s coaching signals. 

    CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

    Trump had not started his political career at the time and was well known as the star of “The Apprentice.” ESPN says Trump was acting on behalf of Kraft, a claim those close to the former president and the team deny.

    “Mr Kraft is not aware of any involvement of Trump on this topic, and he did not have any other engagement with Specter or his staff,” a team spokesperson told ESPN. 

    A mutual friend of Trump and Kraft will be at the Super Bowl as well, but for work-related reasons. 

    Tom Brady will be broadcasting his first Super Bowl as the color commentator for Fox’s broadcast of the game, capping the former quarterback’s first season in the booth. 

    Tom Brady hugs Robert Kraft

    Former New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, right, embraces Patriots owner Robert Kraft, center, as Patriots President Jonathan Kraft, left, looks on during halftime ceremonies to honor Brady at a game between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Patriots Sept. 10, 2023, in Foxborough, Mass.  (AP Photo/Mark Stockwell)

    Kraft praised Brady’s broadcasting skills in an interview with Fox News Digital. 

    “I think the way he has presented the nuances of the game, things that fans would never see, is truly special and unique, and Fox was brilliant to attract him,” Kraft said. 

    Brady previously received praise for his broadcasting during a crucial moment of the Washington Commanders’ NFC divisional-round victory over the Detroit Lions Jan. 18.

    The Commanders were up three points with under 14:30 to play. They decided to go for it on 4th and 2 from the Lions’ 5-yard line. A stop for the Lions and they would have gotten the ball back with ample time to either tie the game or take the lead.

    Brady noticed something wrong about the Lions’ defense as the Commanders broke their huddle.

    Robert Kraft in January 2022

    New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft before an AFC wild-card playoff game against the Buffalo Bills at Highmark Stadium.  (Rich Barnes/USA Today Sports)

    “Need a timeout, 12 on the field, timeout,” Brady said. “Timeout! Timeout! Nope. Nope. Oh no! What are they doing?”

    The Lions were penalized for having 12 men on the field. The penalty gave the Commanders a new set of downs. Commanders running back Brian Robinson Jr. found the end zone two plays later and put Washington up 38-28. The Commanders won the game 45-28.

    Brady received praise on social media for pointing out the Lions’ illegal defense. 

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

  • ‘Squad’ Dem Ayanna Pressley trashes Elon Musk, calling him a ‘Nazi nepo baby’

    ‘Squad’ Dem Ayanna Pressley trashes Elon Musk, calling him a ‘Nazi nepo baby’

    “Squad” member Ayanna Pressley blasted business magnate Elon Musk as a “Nazi nepo baby” and “godless, lawless billionaire” during remarks at a rally.

    She also seemed to take a jab at Tesla’s Cybertruck.

    “Elon Musk is a Nazi nepo baby, a godless lawless billionaire, who no one elected. Elon, this is the American people. This is not your trashy Cybertruck that you can just dismantle, pick apart, and sell the pieces of,” she declared.

    DEMOCRATIC LAWMAKERS SLAM ELON MUSK’S ACCESS TO TREASURY DEPARTMENT: ‘WE ARE AT WAR’

    Rep. Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass., conducts a news conference in the Capitol Visitor Center on “the disparate impact of school disciplinary policies and practices on Black and brown girls in K-12 public schools,” on Sept. 19, 2024. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

    A video shared on the congresswoman’s @RepPressley X account shows her and others chanting, “Hey, hey, ho, ho, Elon Musk has got to go.”

    In a post on the lawmaker’s @AyannaPressley account, Pressley had called Musk “a Nazi nepo baby who breaks everything he touches,” claiming, “Right now he’s locked himself in a room with grandpa’s Social Security check.”

    Musk backed President Donald Trump during the 2024 election and is now spearheading the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) effort to expose government waste.

    ELON MUSK DUNKS ON SEN CHUCK SCHUMER, DECLARING ‘HYSTERICAL REACTIONS’ DEMONSTRATE DOGE’S IMPORTANCE

    “Doge has not looked at, nor is there any interest in, private financial data. What would we even do with it? The outgoing payment review process just looks at potential fraud and wasteful spending to organizations. Corrupt politicians are the ones complaining. I wonder why?” Musk has noted in a post on X.

    The Treasury Department has noted that “the ongoing review of Treasury’s systems is not resulting in the suspension or rejection of any payment instructions submitted to Treasury by other federal agencies across the government.”

    SENATOR SENDS MESSAGE TO DEMS UPSET OVER ELON MUSK’S DOGE TEAM: ‘GET USED TO THIS’

    CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

    “Currently, Treasury staff members working with Tom Krause, a Treasury employee, will have read-only access to the coded data of the Fiscal Service’s payment systems in order to continue this operational efficiency assessment,” the department noted. 

    “Mr. Krause is conducting this effort in coordination with veteran career Treasury officials, and all operational processes continue to be conducted only by career Treasury staff in accordance with all standard security, safety, and privacy standards,” Treasury noted. “In order to allow him to perform this function, he has been hired as an expert/consultant by the federal government and designated in a role commonly used across Administrations—a ‘special government employee’ —pursuant to applicable law.”

  • NHL announcer cracks tariff joke while calling game for Canada-based team

    NHL announcer cracks tariff joke while calling game for Canada-based team

    Even Canada-based NHL teams aren’t safe from feeling the brunt of President Donald Trump’s tariffs on the country.

    Mere hours after Trump’s executive order to impose tariffs on Canada, both Ottawa Senators and Toronto Raptors fans booed the playing of “The Star-Spangled Banner.”

    SIGN UP FOR TUBI AND STREAM SUPER BOWL LIX FOR FREE

    Vancouver Canucks fans did the same on Sunday night against the Detroit Red Wings, but there was more to be had.

    CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

    The Canadian flag is displayed during the Stanley Cup playoff game between the Edmonton Oilers and the Vancouver Canucks at Rogers Place on May 18, 2024, in Edmonton, Canada. (Andy Devlin/NHLI via Getty Images)

    During the first period, Vancouver defenseman Derek Forbot was assessed a two-minute penalty for interference. That prompted longtime Canucks announcer John Shorthourse to facetiously say that the penalty would actually be 25% longer.

    “This will actually be a two-and-a-half minute power play for the Detroit Red Wings, due to the 25% tariff that has been imposed on penalties to Canadian-based teams,” Shorthouse said.

    Vancouver was able to kill the penalty, with the ending of the first period benefiting them.

    Vancouver tied the game midway through the third after newcomer Filip Chytil scored, but Detroit would win, 3-2, in overtime.

    Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau addresses the Liberal party caucus meeting in Ottawa

    Prime Minister Justin Trudeau addresses the Liberal party caucus meeting in Ottawa, Canada, on Dec. 16, 2024. (Reuters/Blair Gable/File Photo)

    US OLYMPIC GOLD MEDALIST RYAN CROUSER GRADES HIS ACTING SKILLS IN UPCOMING SUPER BOWL COMMERCIAL

    Trump and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau spoke via phone on Monday, hours before additional 25% tariffs were to take effect on Canadian goods coming into the United States. In a post on X, Trudeau said Canada will implement a $1.3 billion border plan and appoint a fentanyl czar.

    Trump has long said Canada and Mexico have failed to do enough to prevent the flow of illegal migrants and drugs, particularly fentanyl, from those nations into the U.S. In addition, Trump claims the U.S. has subsidized Canada to the tune of $200 billion annually. 

    Truduea press conference

    Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, speaks during a Liberal Party fundraiser in Ottawa, June 10, 2024. (Spencer Colby/The Canadian Press via AP)

    CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

    Trump had promised to impose a 25% tariff on all Canadian and Mexican goods, as well as a 10% tariff on Canadian energy and a 10% tariff on all goods entering the U.S. from China. The tariffs on China were set to go into effect Tuesday at midnight. 

    Fox News’ Louis Casano contributed to this report.

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

  • Mike Lee continues calling for abolition of TSA

    Mike Lee continues calling for abolition of TSA

    Sen. Mike Lee is continuing to call for the abolition of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA).

    “Tired of being groped every time you travel? Abolish TSA,” the senator said in a recent post on X.

    “Make Airport Security Free Of Sexual Assault Again,” Lee said in another tweet, adding, “Abolish TSA.”

    TSA OFFICER REPORTEDLY CAUGHT WITH FIREARM IN BUSY ATLANTA AIRPORT IS ARRESTED

    Chairman Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, speaks during the Senate Energy and Natural Resources confirmation hearing for U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for Secretary of Energy Chris Wright on Capitol Hill on Jan. 15, 2025, in Washington, D.C.  (Left: Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images; Right: Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

    In another post, he suggested that President Donald Trump should eliminate the TSA.

    Lee suggests that instead of TSA, airlines could handle passenger screening.

    “You may be required to undergo a pat-down procedure if the screening technology alarms, as part of unpredictable security measures, for enhanced screening, or as an alternative to other types of screening, such as advanced imaging technology screening,” according to the TSA website. “A pat-down may include inspection of the head, neck, arms, torso, legs, and feet. This includes head coverings and sensitive areas such as breasts, groin, and the buttocks.”

    The agency was established in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks.

    “The Aviation and Transportation Security Act, passed by the 107th Congress and signed on November 19, 2001, established TSA,” according to the TSA’s website.

    TSA REVEALS TOP UNUSUAL FINDS AT AIRPORT SECURITY CHECKPOINTS IN 2024

    TSA seal

    The TSA seal. (Jeffrey Greenberg/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

    Lee advocated the idea of nixing TSA last year as well.

    “It’s time to abolish the TSA. Airlines can and will secure their own planes if a federal agency doesn’t do it for them. They’ll do it better than TSA, without undermining the Constitution and with less groping—showing more respect for passengers,” the senator declared in a post last year on March 11.

    Days later, Lee indicated that he had been subjected to a TSA pat down.

    SEN MIKE LEE: REPUBLICANS IN CONGRESS MUST IMMEDIATELY ADVANCE TRUMP’S MAGA AGENDA

    Sen. Mike Lee

    Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah., arrives for the Senate Republicans leadership election in the Capitol on Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024 (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

    CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

    “Update: days after calling to abolish TSA, I got ‘randomly selected’ for the needlessly slow, thorough TSA screening & patdown. Maybe it’s a coincidence. Or not. Impossible to know. That’s part of the problem with having a federal agency in charge of airport security,” he tweeted on March 14, 2024.

    In December, the senator shared a video of a man being subjected to a pat down.

    “It’s unsettling knowing that the TSA does this countless times every day, constantly conducting needlessly invasive, warrantless, suspicion-less searches of law-abiding Americans,” Lee wrote when sharing the video. “Please share if you’d like to abolish TSA,” he added.

  • Top trade association sends letters calling on big changes in 3 key departments: ‘Unleash American energy’

    Top trade association sends letters calling on big changes in 3 key departments: ‘Unleash American energy’

    FIRST ON FOX: A top national trade organization has sent letters to three departments in the Trump administration advocating for specific policies that the group believes will most effectively achieve President Trump’s goal to “unleash American energy” in the United States. 

    The American Exploration & Production Council, a national trade association representing the leading independent oil and natural gas exploration and production companies in the United States, sent letters to the Department of Energy, Department of Interior, and Environmental Protection Agency with specific guidelines on how to best jumpstart energy production.

    In the letter to the Department of Energy, AXPC made several requests including that the department “resume timely approval of liquefied natural gas (LNG) export approvals.”

    “U.S. LNG plays a critical role in geopolitical stability and supporting global emission reductions — a fact that has been confirmed numerous times over the past decade,” the letter states. “As the world’s largest natural gas producer, the U.S. is well positioned to meet the dual challenge of supplying the world with affordable, clean, and reliable energy all while reducing global emissions. This misguided permitting pause should be lifted immediately, and DOE should ensure that any public interest study uses well reasoned assumptions.”

    SEN KATIE BRITT: TRUMP AND HIS TEAM READY TO SUPERCHARGE AMERICA’S ECONOMY AND ENERGY SECTOR

    President Donald Trump is expected to enact major reforms aimed at increasing American energy independence (Getty Images)

    Other recommendations to DOE included promoting U.S. energy exports, creating fair access to export authorizations and avoiding unnecessary delays, providing greater certainty for critical energy and infrastructure, and enhancing energy reliability with advanced natural gas storage.

    “Our recommendations focus on policy priorities and actions within the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), and some Department wide that we believe strike this critical balance and directly impact responsible onshore exploration, development, and production of oil and natural gas in the United States,” the letter to the Department of Interior explained. 

    “In alignment with the Trump administration’s goal to ‘Unleash American Energy’, including expanding oil and natural gas production on federal lands, these recommendations aim to support responsible American energy production while maintaining crucial environmental protections and fostering economic growth here at home.”

    NORTHERN HIGHLIGHTS: ALASKA’S ENERGY, SECURITY POLICIES ARE THE GUIDE FEDS NEED AMID TRANSITION, GROUP SAYS

    Recommendations to the DOI include, revoking the BLM’s Conservation & Landscape Health Rule and its implementing instructional memorandums, streamlining drilling permits, replacing the recent resources management plan amendments to align with western states’ priorities, and allowing for the commingling of oil and gas production for greater efficiency and environmental protection. 

    In the letter to the EPA, AXPC wrote that its recommendations “focus on policy priorities that we believe strike this critical balance and directly impact responsible onshore exploration, development, and production of oil and natural gas in the United States.”

    ENERGY EXPERT WEIGHS IN ON 23 STATE ATTORNEYS GENERAL SUING EPA OVER NEW METHANE EMISSIONS FEE

    Some of those recommendations include revising the source performance standards to “improve feasibility for emission controls” and “provide greater allowance for alternative technologies and approaches.”

    The letter also calls for reforms to the Clean Water Act and modifications to the Greenhouse Gas reporting rule. 

    “America is stronger, the world is safer, and the environment is cleaner when the United States is the world leader in energy production, and that is best achieved with sensible, workable, and durable policies out of Washington,” AXPC CEO Anne Bradbury told Fox News Digital in a statement. 

    CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

     “That’s why America’s oil and natural gas producers look forward to working with the Trump administration’s goal of energy dominance and providing affordable, reliable, and ever-cleaner energy for the American people.”

    Trump’s nominees in all three departments have signaled that they intend to implement new policies and guidelines that significantly increase oil and gas production while easing regulations at the same time. 

    “When energy production is restricted in America, it doesn’t reduce demand. It just shifts production to countries like Russia and Iran, whose autocratic leaders not only don’t care at all about the environment, but they use their revenues from energy sales to fund wars against us and our allies,” DOI secretary nominee Doug Burgum said in his opening statement at his confirmation hearing. 

    “President Trump’s energy dominance vision will end those wars abroad and will make life more affordable for every family in America by driving down inflation. And President Trump will achieve those goals while championing clean air, clean water and protecting our beautiful lands.”