Happy New Year 2025

Tag: Government

Ramzan 2025: Telangana Government Allows Muslim Employees To Leave Work at 4 PM From March 2 to 31 To Offer Prayers

The Telangana Government has issued a special order allowing all Muslim government employees, including teachers, contract workers, and staff from boards, corporations, and public sector organizations, to leave their workplaces early during the month of Ramzan. The decision permits these employees to leave offices, schools, and other government institutions at 4:00 PM from March 2nd to March 31st, 2025, to allow time for prayer during the holy month. However, the order specifies that this concession will not apply in cases where their presence is essential due to the exigencies of service. This move aims to provide Muslim employees with flexibility, enabling them to fulfil their religious obligations while ensuring the smooth functioning of government services. The Telangana Government has recognized the importance of supporting its employees during Ramzan, a period of fasting and prayer for the Muslim community. Ramzan 2025: Telangana Government To Allow Muslim Employees To Leave Offices Early During Holy Month From March 2 to 31.

Telangana Government Allows Muslim Employees To Leave Work at 4 PM

Telangana Government has issued an order permitting all Government Muslim Employees/Teachers/Contract /Out-sourcing/Boards/ Corporations & Public Sector Employees working in the State to leave their Offices/Schools at 4.00 pm during the Month of Ramzan from 2nd March to 31st… pic.twitter.com/bMXUpxPr3m

— ANI (@ANI) February 18, 2025

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February 18, 2025
Top 5 most shocking government waste secrets exposed by Elon Musk’s DOGE

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk’s efforts at President Donald Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) have revealed a number of examples of government waste that have dominated headlines in recent weeks, as his team continues to audit the federal government despite Democrat opposition.

Here are some of the top-lines from DOGE’s findings:

Musk reveals ‘Iron Mountain’ mine nightmare

Musk revealed this week that DOGE is investigating a limestone mine in Pennsylvania where federal employee retirements are processed manually.

“Federal employee retirements are processed using paper, by hand, in an old limestone mine in Pennsylvania. 700+ mine workers operate 230 feet underground to process ~10,000 applications per month, which are stored in manila envelopes and cardboard boxes. The retirement process takes multiple months,” Musk announced on X.

ELON MUSK DESCRIBES LIMESTONE MINE USED FOR PROCESSING FEDERAL WORKERS’ RETIREMENT PAPERS: ‘LIKE A TIME WARP’

Elon Musk’s DOGE efforts have uncovered several examples of wasteful spending. (Getty,AP.DOGE/X.)

Musk said only 10,000 federal employees can retire a month because it takes so long to process the paperwork and sort through the millions of manila envelopes. He described the “Iron Mountain” mine as a “time warp” slowing down a completely manual federal retirement process.

This photo, posted by DOGE on Feb. 11, 2025, shows the old limestone mine in Boyers, Pennsylvania, where the organization says about 700 workers operate more than 230 feet underground to process about 10,000 federal retirement applications per month. (DOGE / X)

“The limiting factor is the speed at which the mine shaft elevator can move, determines how many people can retire from the federal government. The elevator breaks down sometimes, and then nobody can retire. Doesn’t that sound crazy?” Musk told reporters in the Oval Office on Tuesday.

DOGE-inspired EPA locates $20 billion in waste

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), inspired by DOGE’s crackdown on federal spending, said it had located $20 billion in tax dollars within the agency that the Biden administration reportedly “knew they were wasting.”

EPA administrator Lee Zeldin exposed $20 billion in wasteful spending at the agency. (Al Drago)

“An extremely disturbing video circulated two months ago, featuring a Biden EPA political appointee talking about how they were ‘tossing gold bars off the Titanic,’ rushing to get billions of your tax dollars out the door before Inauguration Day,” EPA administrator Lee Zeldin said in a video posted to X on Wednesday, citing another video from December.

The EPA found that just eight agencies were controlling the distribution of tens of billions of taxpayer dollars to different entities “at their discretion,” such as the Climate United Fund, which reportedly received just under $7 billion.

“The ‘gold bars’ were tax dollars, and ‘tossing them off the Titanic’ meant the Biden administration knew they were wasting it,” Zeldin said, vowing to recover the “gold bars” that were found “parked at an outside financial institution.”

EXPERT REVEALS MASSIVE LEVELS OF WASTE DOGE CAN SLASH FROM ENTITLEMENTS, PET PROJECTS: ‘A LOT OF FAT’

Signage at the headquarters of the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in Washington, D.C. (Reuters)

Zeldin said that the “scheme was the first of its kind in EPA history, and it was purposely designed to obligate all the money in a rush job with reduced oversight.”

In a Fox News interview, the EPA administrator praised DOGE’s work at the agency and said that the cost-cutting department is “making us better.”

“They come up with great recommendations, and we can make a decision to act on it,” Zeldin said.

DHS clawing back

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the government’s leading disaster-relief arm, gave over $59 million to house illegal immigrants in luxury New York City hotels just last week, DOGE uncovered.

Migrants are seen sleeping outside the Roosevelt Hotel in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. (Luiz C. Ribeiro/New York Daily News/Tribune News Service)

The spending was exposed by Musk on Monday, who wrote in a post on X that “sending this money violated the law and is in gross insubordination to the President’s executive order,” which put FEMA under review to improve the agency’s “efficacy, priorities and competence.”

Of the $59.3 million, $19 million was for direct hotel costs, while the balance funded other services such as food and security, a New York City Hall spokesperson confirmed to Fox.

One day after the spending was uncovered by DOGE, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) confirmed that “Secretary [Krisit] Noem has clawed back the full payment that FEMA deep state activists unilaterally gave to NYC migrant hotels,” a DHS spokesperson told Fox News Digital.

Asylum seekers line up in front of the historic Roosevelt Hotel, converted into a city-run shelter for newly arrived migrant families in New York City. (Selcuk Acar/Anadolu Agency)

Shortly afterward, Trump, in a Truth Social post on Tuesday, suggested that FEMA should be abolished.

“FEMA spent tens of millions of dollars in Democrat areas, disobeying orders, but left the people of North Carolina high and dry. It is now under review and investigation,” the president declared.

“THE BIDEN RUN FEMA HAS BEEN A DISASTER. FEMA SHOULD BE TERMINATED! IT HAS BEEN SLOW AND TOTALLY INEFFECTIVE. INDIVIDUAL STATES SHOULD HANDLE STORMS, ETC., AS THEY COME. BIG SAVINGS, FAR MORE EFFICIENT!!!” the president added.

Pentagon wasted thousands on coffee cups and soap dispensers

The Pentagon’s $850 billion budget could be next up on the bureaucratic chopping block. Fox News Digital reported this week accusations of waste and inefficiency within the U.S.’s largest discretionary budget.

The Defense Business Board found in 2015 that the Department of Defense could save $125 billion over five years by renegotiating service contracts and consolidating bureaucratic processes.

A congressional inquiry in 2018 found the Air Force was spending $1,300 for each reheatable coffee cup aboard one of its aircraft. The Air Force spent $32,000 replacing 25 cups, according to Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa.

A two-year audit by the Defense Department Inspector General last year found that Boeing overcharged the Air Force by 8,000% for soap dispensers. They overpaid by $149,072.

U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth delivers remarks during a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the Pentagon on Feb. 5 in Arlington, Va. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Trump’s new defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, said he welcomes DOGE at the Department of Defense.

“We will partner with them. It’s long overdue. The Defense Department’s got a huge budget, but it needs to be responsible,” Hegseth told Fox News.

Questionable spending in USAID’s $40 billion budget, including ‘Sesame Street’ in Iraq

Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, the Senate DOGE Caucus Chairwoman, who says she speaks to Musk about spending cuts every few days, recently published a list of projects and programs she says the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has helped fund across the years.

Ernst described “wasteful and dangerous” spending that had gripped taxpayers until DOGE stepped in.

Sen. Joni Ernst highlighted that USAID “authorized a whopping $20 million to create a ‘Sesame Street’ in Iraq.” (Getty Images)

Ernst highlighted that the agency “authorized a whopping $20 million to create a ‘Sesame Street’ in Iraq.”

Under the Biden administration, USAID awarded $20 million to a nonprofit called Sesame Workshop to produce a show called “Ahlan Simsim Iraq” in an effort to “promote inclusion, mutual respect and understanding across ethnic, religious and sectarian groups.”

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Several more examples of questionable spending have been uncovered at USAID, including more than $900,000 to a “Gaza-based terror charity” called Bayader Association for Environment and Development and a $1.5 million program slated to “advance diversity, equity and inclusion in Serbia’s workplaces and business communities.”

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

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

Andrew Mark Miller is a reporter at Fox News. Find him on Twitter @andymarkmiller and email tips to [email protected].

February 15, 2025
Comer, Lee roll out bicameral bill to fast-track Trump’s government reorganization plans through Congress

FIRST ON FOX: House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer and Sen. Mike Lee are introducing bicameral legislation Thursday that would fast-track President Donald Trump’s federal government reorganizations plans through Congress, Fox News Digital has learned.

Comer, R-Ky., will introduce the Reorganizing Government Act of 2025 in the House Thursday, while Lee, R-Utah, will roll it out in the Senate..

The legislation would ensure Congress takes an up or down vote on the plans submitted to Congress in order to “streamline government operations to better serve the American people.”

DOGE SLASHES MILLIONS MORE IN ‘NONSENSE’ CONTRACTS ACROSS SEVERAL FEDERAL AGENCIES

It also seeks to renew and extend presidential authority to propose executive branch reorganization plans through December 2026 and restores a reorganization authority that was last in effect in 1984. Congressional aides said the bill aims to “modernize and improve government efficiency.”

Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., will introduce the Reorganizing Government Act of 2025 in the House Feb. 13, 2025, while Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, will roll it out in the Senate.

Under the bill, Congress must vote on Trump’s proposed reorganization plans within 90 days by using an expedited process that cannot be filibustered.

It also expands the president’s authority to include entire executive departments — not just agencies.

The bill does prohibit, however, reorganization that would increase the size of the federal workforce or its expenditures.

“Americans elected President Trump to reform Washington, and his team is working around the clock to deliver on that promise,” Comer told Fox News Digital, adding that the federal bureaucracy “has grown dramatically in size and scope, creating unnecessary red tape.”

“We must cut through the inefficiency and streamline government to improve service delivery and save taxpayers money,” he said, adding that “Congress can fast-track President Trump’s government reorganization plans by renewing a key tool to approve them swiftly in Congress.”

DOGE SLASHES OVER $100M IN DEI FUNDING AT EDUCATION DEPARTMENT: ‘WIN FOR EVERY STUDENT’

“The Reorganizing Government Act of 2025 does just that,” Comer said. “We owe it to the American people to make government efficient, effective, and accountable.”

And Lee told Fox News Digital that the bicameral legislation allows the president to use his constitutional authority to reorganize federal agencies, “eliminate weaponization” and “right-size the government to better serve the American people.”

Sen Mike Lee, R-Utah, said the bicameral legislation allows the president to use his constitutional authority to reorganize federal agencies, “eliminate weaponization” and “right-size the government to better serve the American people.” (Rebecca Noble/Getty Images)

“Congress cannot afford to sit on its hands in this fight,” Lee told Fox News Digital. “Reauthorizing presidential reorganization authority is the most comprehensive tool that the president can use to restore good governance to Washington.”

The bill comes amid a significant expansion in the federal government, which GOP lawmakers say has led to “inefficiencies, redundancies, and bureaucratic obstacles.”

Its introduction also comes amid a push from the White House to shrink the size of the federal government.

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Trump signed executive orders on his first day in office to do so.

The president also tasked Elon Musk to run the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, to reduce government waste, cut the federal workforce and slash costs.

The president also tasked Elon Musk to run the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, to reduce government waste, cut the federal workforce and slash costs. (Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images)

The Office of Personnel Management offered employees across the federal government the option to resign with full pay and benefits through September in an effort to cut the workforce. Sources say at least 75,000 federal workers have taken the option to resign.

Meanwhile, DOGE has successfully canceled millions of dollars of government contracts that the administration says were a waste of taxpayer dollars.

A senior administration official told Fox News Digital on Wednesday that DOGE has worked with various agencies to cancel several contracts in the Social Security Administration, the Departments of Homeland Security and Labor, and several other areas.

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

February 13, 2025
Senator debuts 26-page DOGE ‘playbook’ as Musk-led agency shakes up government

FIRST ON FOX: Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., debuted his annual book of “federal fumbles” that he believes can provide additional ideas for the Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) as it continues to aggressively slash federal agency spending.

The founding Senate DOGE Caucus member filled 26 pages with examples of what he believes are government shortcomings and inefficiencies, as well as the money they waste.

In a letter to readers, Lankford wrote, “My goal is to create a roadmap for DOGE, identifying key areas within the federal government and solutions to fix them.”

DEM LOOKS TO CODIFY NEW AG BONDI’S DESIRED CRACKDOWN ON ‘ZOMBIE DRUG’ XYLAZINE

Sen. James Lankford published a 26-page book of “federal fumbles” that he believes could be a playbook for Trump’s DOGE, which is being spearheaded by Elon Musk. (AP/Reuters )

One of the fumbles cited was related to the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), which was recently dismantled by DOGE.

Lankford pointed to a May 2024 report from the Special Inspector General from Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) that showed $11 million in taxpayer cash had gone to the terrorist group the Taliban since 2021, the year President Joe Biden oversaw the disastrous U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.

This was revealed after USAID had claimed in its own report that no money had been intercepted by the Taliban.

TRUMP LANDS KEY TULSI GABBARD CONFIRMATION FOLLOWING UPHILL SENATE BATTLE

Lankford prescribed implementing a “tougher, more comprehensive screening process to vet organizations and partners receiving aid” to avoid this in the future.

Another area highlighted by the Senate DOGE Caucus member was the news broadcasting entities, the U.S. Agency of Global Media (USAGM) and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), which he said undercut the U.S. on the world stage and at home despite receiving money from Congress.

He noted that “956 million was spent showcasing United States government scandals and weaknesses within our country” on Voice of America (VOA) and the office of CUBA Broadcasting (OCB), which serve to provide information to regions with limited freedom of the press. The two organizations are overseen by USAGM.

SENATE DOGE CHAIR SAYS SHE SPEAKS WITH ELON MUSK ‘EVERY FEW DAYS’ AS TRUMP ADMIN SLASHES SPENDING

Capitol Building, NPR and PBS graphic (Getty Images)

Additionally, the Republican remarked that CPB, a private organization which receives money from Congress, in turn provides significant funds to NPR and PBS. The two outlets have long been criticized for a perceived bias against Republicans.

In fact, an editor publicly called out NPR last year for its bias, citing examples like Hunter Biden’s laptop and its lack of coverage. This led to a renewed effort from Republicans in Congress to defund CPB.

The “Playbook for DOGE” also addressed what it labeled “Biden’s Biggest Fumble.”

DEMOCRAT SENATOR BACKS TRUMP’S ‘COMMON SENSE MOVE’ TO FIRE THE PENNY

A group of migrants rushes a border wall on the U.S.-Mexico border, March 21, 2024. (James Breeden for New York Post/Mega)

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“Arguably the biggest fumble of the Biden administration was the way they handled the southern border. Specifically, how the U.S. Customs and Border Protection released hundreds of thousands of illegal aliens into this country with a piece of paper asking them to self-report to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for processing anywhere in the country,” it reads, referring to the immigrants paroled into the country.

To address this, Lankford called to reinstate the “Remain in Mexico” policy, which the Trump administration has indicated it will do. He stressed that “Congress must still pass legislation to prevent any future president from allowing illegal aliens into the country with no vetting and to close the asylum loophole.”

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 13, 2025
Raskin blasts Musk for DOGE-led cost-cutting measures across federal government

Despite not being the president, Elon Musk stands accused of usurping three presidential powers through his Department of Government Efficiency’s (DOGE) efforts to cut costs and downsize the scope of the federal government.

U.S. Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., appeared Sunday on MSNBC’s “The Weekend,” and he was asked if Republicans have joined him and other Democrats to back the “Nobody Elected Elon Musk Act,” which was introduced to rein in DOGE, the cost-cutting agency that has targeted certain government programs.

“At this point, they’re either out there cheerleading for Elon Musk or more and more of them are getting real quiet because they see the public does not like this,” said Raskin, who is proposing the legislation.

“The public does not like the idea that a guy who would not even be constitutionally eligible to run for president is acting as president.

FEDERAL JUDGE ORDERS LIMITED DOGE ACCESS TO SENSITIVE TREASURY DEPARTMENT PAYMENT SYSTEM RECORDS

U.S. Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

“A guy who, if he were president, would be impeached immediately because he’s taking billions of dollars in foreign government emoluments from all over the world,” he added. “And some have actually been talking about impeaching President Elon Musk right now on the theory that he’s usurped the powers of the presidency.”

Raskin said Musk wants to create a “techno monarchy” amid his cost-cutting through DOGE.

“Elon Musk would really like to completely overthrow our system of government and move us into some kind of techno monarchy under the geniuses of Silicon Valley,” he said.

HEGSETH SAYS DOGE WELCOME AT PENTAGON AS DEFENSE DEPARTMENT REVIEWS MILITARY POSTURE GLOBALLY

Musk’s role in the Trump administration has garnered praise from Republicans and drawn the ire of Democrats who worry about his access to government databases and say he is trying to take over the government in a way that’s not transparent.

“The people voted for major government reform,” Musk told reporters Tuesday from the Oval Office alongside Trump. “There should be no doubt about that. That was on the campaign. The president spoke about that at every rally. The people voted for major government reform. And that’s what people are going to get.”

Since President Donald Trump has taken office, DOGE has set its sights on the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Treasury Department.

A judge recently issued a temporary restraining order blocking the Musk-led department and political appointees from accessing sensitive Treasury Department data. Trump has also directed DOGE to probe the Education and Defense departments for wasteful spending.

“Billions and billions of dollars in waste, fraud and abuse,” Trump said Tuesday. “And I think it’s very important. And that’s one of the reasons I got elected.”

Musk defended DOGE, saying the group is targeting bureaucracies that don’t provide anything in return to taxpayers, as well as targeting America’s debt.

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“What we have is this unelected, fourth unconstitutional branch of government, which is the bureaucracy, which has, in a lot of ways, currently more power than any elected representative,” Musk said. “And this is not something that people want. It does not match the will of the people. So, it’s just something we’ve got we’ve got to fix.

“So, what I really would say is it’s not optional for us to reduce the federal expense,” he added. “It’s essential.”

February 12, 2025
Dems flirt with government shutdown threat despite past warnings of consequences

Democratic lawmakers are fueling concerns of a partial government shutdown, warning they may withhold support for any plan in protest of President Donald Trump’s shakeup of the federal government.

Left-wing leaders who have warned of the catastrophic consequences of government shutdowns in the past are now publicly signaling it could be a possibility – and they are already positioning to blame Republicans.

“What leverage do we have? Republicans have repeatedly lectured America, they control the House, the Senate and the presidency. It’s their government,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., told reporters when asked about what concessions he would seek in exchange for Democratic help to avert a partial shutdown. “We are in the governing season, and so we’re ready to work together on any issue. But I’m also confused about the leverage that we allegedly have in the face of such an overwhelming mandate that was given to Republicans by the American people, according to them.”

BLACK CAUCUS CHAIR ACCUSES TRUMP OF ‘PURGE’ OF ‘MINORITY’ FEDERAL WORKERS

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries is among the Democrats flirting with a government shutdown standoff amid GOP infighting. (Getty/Fox News Illustration )

Meanwhile, Sen. Andy Kim, D-N.J., suggested a partial shutdown could even aid in stopping the work of Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, which Democrats have repeatedly raised alarms over. “This is on them. This is about whether or not they can get the votes. They are the majority. And if they cannot govern, then that’s for the American people to see,” Kim told NBC News’ “Meet The Press,” referring to Republicans.

“I’ve worked through multiple government shutdowns. I will be the last person to want to get to that stage. But we are at a point where we are basically on the cusp of a constitutional crisis, seeing this administration taking steps that are so clearly illegal. And until we see a change in that behavior, we should not allow and condone that, nor should we assist in that.”

KEY CONSERVATIVE CAUCUS DRAWS RED LINE ON HOUSE BUDGET PLAN

House Democratic Caucus Chairman Pete Aguilar, D-Calif., signaled one point of opposition was Trump and his allies’ support of allowing Trump to direct less federal spending than what was authorized by Congress, which Democrats argue runs afoul of the Constitution’s separation of powers.

“We will meet with folks, and we will try to find common ground where it is possible. But what we will not do is engage in an effort that gives Donald Trump money to direct our federal government that he has no plan to utilize or implement,” Aguilar said at a press conference last week. “If we’re going to pass law, we need to know that the law is followed. And it doesn’t appear that House Republicans are in a position to push back against Donald Trump to protect vital funding that supports our communities.”

Progressive Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., told CNN that Democrats should seek a “very high” price in exchange for their votes.

Democrats could use the government funding standoff to protest President Donald Trump’s policies. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

In past fiscal standoffs, Democrats had used the specter of a government shutdown to force Republicans back to the negotiating table.

Jeffries said during the previous round of government funding talks in late December, “If the government shuts down, holiday travel will be impacted…Border security and border patrol agents will not be paid. TSA agents will not be paid. Small businesses will be hurt in every single community in this country.”

“This reckless Republican-driven shutdown can be avoided if House Republicans will simply do what is right for the American people and stick with the bipartisan agreement that they themselves negotiated,” Jeffries said at the time.

Government funding has long been a thorny issue within the House Republican conference.

GOP leaders have relied on Democratic support to pass every federal funding bill that has been signed into law since taking the House majority in January 2023.

House Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar previously said a shutdown would be a “disaster.” (Samuel Corum/Getty Images)

Despite now having the Senate majority as well, Republican leaders’ razor-thin margins mean House GOP lawmakers would need to vote nearly in lock-step to pass any one bill without Democrats.

The House has about 15 days left in session before the government funding deadline on March 14.

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Democratic lawmakers have also previously painted shutdowns as “catastrophic” for the economy and federal workforce.

Aguilar said during a January 2024 press conference, “House Democrats are in lock step that we need to avoid a government shutdown, which would be a disaster for our economy and a disaster for hardworking American families.”

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 10, 2025
Trump sanctions on ICC protects US military and government officials, former NSC official says

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JERUSALEM – President Donald Trump’s executive order sanctioning the Hague-based International Criminal Court (ICC) will prevent a slippery slope of U.S. military and government officials facing prosecution from a nebulous judicial bureaucracy in the Netherlands, argue critics of the global criminal body.

Richard Goldberg, a former Trump official who served on his first National Security Council, told Fox News Digital, “This is a critical first step in defending American soldiers and officials from further lawfare illegitimately waged by radical anti-Americans at what’s become an international kangaroo court. Israel may be in the news today, but tomorrow it will be the Americans who are still being wrongfully investigated by the court for supposed war crimes in Afghanistan.”

Goldberg, a senior adviser at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, added, “These ICC officials have crossed a line, they have entered the battlefield against the United States and Israel by perverting international law and using it as a tool of warfare. The president has preserved an escalation ladder here, too. These sanctions only apply to officials and service providers, not to the court itself. We could absolutely go the next step and shut down the court if this lawfare isn’t terminated.”

TRUMP-NETANYAHU MEETING: RADICAL PROTESTS WAVE APPARENT HAMAS FLAG OUTSIDE WHITE HOUSE

A general view of the International Criminal Court building in The Hague, Netherlands, on April 30, 2024. (Selman Aksunger/Anadolu via Getty Images)

The ICC fired back in a statement and said it “condemns the issuance by the U.S. of an Executive Order seeking to impose sanctions on its officials and harm its independent and impartial judicial work. The Court stands firmly by its personnel and pledges to continue providing justice and hope to millions of innocent victims of atrocities across the world, in all Situations before it. We call on our 125 States Parties, civil society and all nations of the world to stand united for justice and fundamental human rights.”

Trump signed the executive order punishing the ICC on Thursday in response to its May 2024 arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israel’s former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.

Netanyahu praised the order in a statement. “Thank you, President Trump for your bold ICC Executive Order. It will defend America and Israel from the anti-American and antisemetic corrupt court that has no jurisdiction or basis to engage in lawfare against us. The ICC waged a ruthless campaign against Israel as a trial run for action against America. President Trump’s Executive Order protects the sovereignty of both countries and its brave soldiers.”

The ICC is reportedly still investigating U.S. citizens for war crimes committed in Afghanistan. (AP)

Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said on Friday that Trump’s sanctions on the ICC are “absolutely understandable.” He added the ICC has become “a biased political tool” and that the central European country was evaluating its cooperation with the ICC.

Goldberg said, “The president wasn’t going to wait around on Schumer’s games to act. The minute Senate Democrats blocked the bill it was a guarantee you would see an executive order follow. But if Schumer now says he supports the order, Senate Republicans should move quickly to codify it and force Schumer back to a vote.”

‘LEVEL IT’: TRUMP SAYS US WILL ‘TAKE OVER’ GAZA STRIP, REBUILD IT TO STABILIZE MIDDLE EAST

President Donald Trump, right, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu answer questions during a joint press conference in the East Room at the White House in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 4, 2025. ( REUTERS/Leah Millis)

Dozens of countries expressed their “unwavering support” for the ICC on Friday, a day after Trump authorized potentially far-reaching economic and travel sanctions against the court’s staff.

“We reaffirm our continued and unwavering support for the independence, impartiality and integrity of the ICC,” a group of almost 80 countries said in a joint statement. “The court serves as a vital pillar of the international justice system by ensuring accountability for the most serious international crimes, and justice for victims.”

The signatories came from all parts of the world but make up only about two-thirds of the 125 member states of the permanent court for the prosecution of war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide and crimes of aggression.

Among the countries who agreed to the statement were France, Germany and Britain. Among those absent were Australia, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Italy.

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Goldberg said that “The president wasn’t going to wait around on Schumer’s games to act. The minute Senate Democrats blocked the bill it was a guarantee you would see an executive order follow. But if Schumer now says he supports the order, Senate Republicans should move quickly to codify it and force Schumer back to a vote.”

Senate Minority Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer,D-NY., torpedoed a GOP-led bill to sanction the ICC in January.

Reuters and Fox News’ Diana Stancy contributed to this article

February 7, 2025
House lawmakers push to ban DeepSeek from US government devices

Strategic Wealth Partners CEO Mark Tepper and Infrastructure Capital Advisors CEO Jay Hatfield analyze DeepSeek’s implications on U.S. markets and alleged debanking practices.

House lawmakers are introducing legislation Thursday to ban the Chinese AI DeepSeek from U.S. government devices, arguing that the software is “directly linked to the Chinese Communist Party” and poses a “five-alarm national security fire.”

The bipartisan legislation, titled “No DeepSeek on Government Devices Act,” is being led by Rep. Josh Gottheimer, D-N.J., and Rep. Darin LaHood, R-Ill., who are both members of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. It comes after Congress banned TikTok on government devices during the Biden administration over similar data-sharing concerns.

The proposed ban is based on new research highlighting how “DeepSeek’s code is directly linked to the Chinese Communist Party, with the capability to share user data with China Mobile,” a company “owned by the Chinese government and with close ties to the Chinese military [that] has been banned by the Federal Communications Commission for use in the United States,” according to a statement from Gottheimer’s office.

“The Chinese Communist Party has made it abundantly clear that it will exploit any tool at its disposal to undermine our national security, spew harmful disinformation, and collect data on Americans. Now, we have deeply disturbing evidence that they are using DeepSeek to steal the sensitive data of U.S. citizens,” Gottheimer said. “This is a five-alarm national security fire.”

US REPORTEDLY INVESTIGATING WHETHER CHINA’S DEEPSEEK USED RESTRICTED AI CHIPS

House lawmakers are introducing legislation Thursday to ban DeepSeek from U.S. government devices, citing data-sharing concerns. (Avishek Das/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images / Getty Images)

“The national security threat that DeepSeek — a CCP-affiliated company — poses to the United States is alarming. DeepSeek’s generative AI program acquires the data of U.S. users and stores the information for unidentified use by the CCP,” added LaHood. “Under no circumstances can we allow a CCP company to obtain sensitive government or personal data.”

DeepSeek did not immediately respond Thursday to a request for comment from FOX Business.

The research both lawmakers cited as allegedly exposing DeepSeek’s ties to the Chinese government was carried out by Feroot Security, a Canadian cybersecurity company, according to The Wall Street Journal.

TRUMP’S AI CZAR FLAGS REPORT QUESTIONING DEEPSEEK’S COST OF DEVELOPING AI MODELS

Rep. Josh Gottheimer, D-N.J., is calling DeepSeek’s alleged ties to the Chinese Communist Party a “five-alarm national security fire.” (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images / Getty Images)

On the web version of DeepSeek, researchers found hidden code on the login page that has connections to computer infrastructure owned by China Mobile, the Associated Press reported.

“It’s hard to believe that something like this was accidental. There are so many unusual things to this. You know that saying ‘Where there’s smoke, there’s fire’? In this instance, there’s a lot of smoke,” Ivan Tsarynny, the CEO of Feroot Security, told the AP.

“The implications of this are significantly larger because personal and proprietary information could be exposed,” he added. “It’s like TikTok but at a much grander scale and with more precision. It’s not just sharing entertainment videos. It’s sharing queries and information that could include highly personal and sensitive business information.”

The DeepSeek app is displayed on an iPhone screen on Jan. 27 in San Anselmo, Calif. The newly-launched Chinese AI app has surged to the top in Apple’s App Store. (Photo Illustration by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images / Getty Images)

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Gottheimer’s office said “Americans are sharing highly sensitive, proprietary information with DeepSeek — contracts, documents, and financial records,” and “In the wrong hands, this data is an enormous asset to the CCP, a known foreign adversary.”

February 6, 2025
Panama eliminates charge fees for U.S. government vessels

The U.S. State Department on Wednesday announced a new deal with the government of Panama that will eliminate charge fees for U.S. government vessels.

“The government of Panama has agreed to no longer charge fees for U.S. government vessels to transit the Panama Canal,” the State Department wrote in an X post Wednesday night.

The new agreement will save the U.S. government millions of dollars a year, officials noted.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, right, waves after being welcomed by Panama’s Foreign Minister Javier Martinez-Acha, left, upon his arrival at the presidential palace in Panama City, on Sunday, Feb. 2. Panama is Rubio’s first trip abroad as Secretary of State. (AP/Mark Schiefelbein)

CHINA’S INFLUENCE ON PANAMA CANAL POSES ‘ACUTE RISKS TO US NATIONAL SECURITY,’ SEN CRUZ WARNS

Panama President José Raúl Mulino promised on Sunday to end a key development deal with China after meeting with Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

During his visit, former Florida Senator Rubio wrote in a post on X that “the United States cannot, and will not, allow the Chinese Communist Party to continue with its effective and growing control over the Panama Canal area.”

President Donald Trump, who has openly criticized the six-figure premiums imposed on U.S. ships traveling through, has suggested repurchasing the canal.

Two cargo ships enter the Miraflores Locks of the Panama Canal in Panama City on Jan. 22. (Martin Bernetti/AFP via Getty Images)

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It was built over decades by the U.S., but was later handed over to Panama during the Carter administration.

A newly introduced bill called the “Panama Canal Repurchase Act” would give Trump and Rubio the authority to negotiate with Panama to repurchase the canal.

FILE – President Jimmy Carter speaks next to his wife Rosalynn upon arrival to Panama City to sign the Panama Canal Treaty, June 16, 1978. (AP Photo)

HOUSE REPUBLICANS INTRODUCE BILL TO REPURCHASE PANAMA CANAL AFTER TRUMP RAISES CONCERNS OF CHINESE CONTROL

More than 70 percent of all vessels traveling through the canal are inbound or outbound to U.S. ports, according to the State Department. It is also a key transit point for U.S. Coast Guard and Department of Defense vessels.

Ships would need to travel 8,000 additional miles around South America to avoid using the pathway.

TOPSHOT – US Secretary of State Marco Rubio boards a plane en route to El Salvador at Panama Pacifico International Airport in Panama City on February 3, 2025. Rubio is in Panama on a two-day official visit. (MARK SCHIEFELBEIN/Pool AP/AFP via Getty Images)

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Fox News Digital requested comment from the State Department, but did not immediately receive a response as of Wednesday night.

Fox News Digital’s Danielle Wallace and Stepheny Price contributed to this report.

Alexandra Koch is a breaking news writer for Fox News Digital. Prior to joining Fox News, Alexandra covered breaking news, crime, religion, and the military in the southeast.

February 6, 2025
Meet the young team of software engineers slashing government waste at DOGE: report

Tesla and Space X CEO Elon Musk’s DOGE efforts to slash government waste and streamline the federal bureaucracy include the hiring of several up-and-coming young software engineers tasked with “modernizing federal technology and software to maximize governmental efficiency and productivity.”

Six young men between the ages of 19 and 24 — Akash Bobba, Edward Coristine, Luke Farritor, Gautier Cole Killian, Gavin Kliger and Ethan Shaotran — have taken up various roles furthering the DOGE agenda, according to a report from Wired.

Bobba was part of the highly regarded Management, Entrepreneurship, and Technology program at UC Berkeley and has held internships at the Bridgewater Associates hedge fund, Meta and Palantir.

“Let me tell you something about Akash,” Grata AI CEO Charis Zhang posted on X about Bobba in recent days. “During a project at Berkeley, I accidentally deleted our entire codebase 2 days before the deadline. I panicked. Akash just stared at the screen, shrugged, and rewrote everything from scratch in one night — better than before. We submitted early and got first in the class. Many such stories. I trust him with everything I own.”

‘VIPER’S NEST’: USAID ACCUSED OF CORRUPTION, MISMANAGEMENT LONG BEFORE TRUMP ADMIN TOOK AIM

Elon Musk (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

Coristine, a recent high school graduate who studied mechanical engineering and physics at Northwestern, previously worked for Musk’s Neuralink project, Wired reported.

Bobba and Costine reportedly work directly under Anna Scales as “experts” at the United States Office of Personnel Management (OPM).

Kliger is listed on LinkedIn as a special advisor to the director of OPM and attended UC Berkeley in 2020. Kliger has also worked at the AI company Databricks. Kliger’s substack contains a post, “The Curious Case of Matt Gaetz: How the Deep State Destroys Its Enemies,” as well as another titled “Pete Hegseth as Secretary of Defense: The Warrior Washington Fears.”

USAID CLOSES HQ TO STAFFERS MONDAY AS MUSK SAYS TRUMP SUPPORTS SHUTTING AGENCY DOWN

Another post on the substack is headlined, “Why I gave up a seven-figure salary to save America.”

Killian is listed as a volunteer for DOGE who attended McGill University after graduating from high school in 2019. Wired reported that Killian previously worked as an engineer at a company called Jump Trading that deals with high-frequency financial trades and algorithms.

Shaotran was studying computer science at Harvard University last year and is the founder of Energize AI, an OpenAI-backed startup. Additionally, Shaotran participated in a “hackathon” sponsored by an Elon Musk company where he finished in second place.

Farritor, who dropped out of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, has a working GSA email address, was previously an intern for SpaceX and is also a Thiel fellow.

Elon Musk speaks during an America PAC town hall Oct. 26, 2024, in Lancaster, Pa. (Samuel Corum/Getty Images)

In 2023, at 21years old, Farritor became the first person to successfully decode text inside a 2,000-year-old Greek scroll using AI, according to the University of Nebraska website.

According to Wired, Bobba, Coristine, Farritor and Shaotran have working GSA emails along with A-suite level clearance that allows them to work on the top floor at GSA with access to all IT systems.

Fox News Digital reached out to OPM and GSA for comment.

Speaking to Fox News’ Peter Doocy in the Oval Office Tuesday, President Donald Trump praised the intelligence of some of the young hires working for DOGE.

“That’s good,” Trump said of the hires as young as 19. “They’re very smart, though, Peter. They’re like you. They’re very smart people.

“No, I haven’t seen them,” Trump said when asked if he had met the team. “They work, actually, out of the White House as smart people, unlike what they do in the control towers. We need smart people. We should use some of them in the control towers, where we were putting people that were actually intellectually deficient. That was one of the qualifications is you could be intellectually deficient.

“No. We need smart people. Some are young and some are not young. Some are not young at all. But they found great things. Look at the list of things. I’ll … maybe I’ll do it tomorrow. I’ll read off a list of 15 or 20 things that they found inside of the USAID. It has to be corrupt.”

Elon Musk has also publicly posted online about the qualifications he is looking for and the strength of his team.

“If you’re a hardcore software engineer and want to build the everything app, please join us by sending your best work to [email protected],” Musk posted on X in January. “We don’t care where you went to school or even whether you went to school or what “big name” company you worked at. Just show us your code.”

In another X post this week, Musk wrote, “Time to confess: Media reports saying that @DOGE has some of world’s best software engineers are in fact true.”

Wired cited sources who raised concerns about Musk’s team’s clearance, and Democrats in Congress have been railing against DOGE in recent days, arguing that DOGE has received improper access to various government systems.

Musk has pushed back on the criticism from Democrats, including allegations about DOGE’s involvement in treasury payment oversight.

Former President Donald Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, arrives at an election night watch party at the Palm Beach Convention Center Nov. 6, 2024, in West Palm Beach, Fla. (Evan Vucci/AP)

“The @DOGE team discovered, among other things, that payment approval officers at Treasury were instructed always to approve payments, even to known fraudulent or terrorist groups. They literally never denied a payment in their entire career. Not even once,” Musk, the chair of DOGE, posted early Saturday morning to X.

Musk also responded to Democratic critics, including those upset about his efforts to push reforms at USAID, saying the “hysterical reactions” demonstrate the importance of DOGE’s work.

“An unelected shadow government is conducting a hostile takeover of the federal government,” a post on Democratic New York Sen. Chuck Schumer’s X account states, echoing remarks the lawmaker made during a press conference.

“DOGE is not a real government agency. DOGE has no authority to make spending decisions. DOGE has no authority to shut programs down or to ignore federal law. DOGE’s conduct cannot be allowed to stand. Congress must take action to restore the rule of law.”

Congress is racing to be ready to execute the recommendations of Trump’s new DOGE commission. (Getty Images)

Musk described the effort to slash government waste and bureaucracy as a one-time opportunity.

“Hysterical reactions like this is how you know that @DOGE is doing work that really matters,” he wrote in response to Schumer.

“This is the one shot the American people have to defeat BUREAUcracy, rule of the bureaucrats, and restore DEMOcracy, rule of the people. We’re never going to get another chance like this. It’s now or never. Your support is crucial to the success of the revolution of the people.”

Since its creation last month, DOGE’s X account has provided updates on its work to cut government spending, including an announcement last week that it had cut more than $1 billion from federal spending through now-defunct diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives and personnel.

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“DOGE is fulfilling President Trump’s commitment to making government more accountable, efficient and, most importantly, restoring proper stewardship of the American taxpayer’s hard-earned dollars,” a White House spokesperson told Fox News Digital.

“Those leading this mission with Elon Musk are doing so in full compliance with federal law, appropriate security clearances and as employees of the relevant agencies, not as outside advisors or entities. The ongoing operations of DOGE may be seen as disruptive by those entrenched in the federal bureaucracy, who resist change. While change can be uncomfortable, it is necessary and aligns with the mandate supported by more than 77 million American voters.”

Fox News Digital’s Emma Colton and Alex Nitzberg contributed to this report

Andrew Mark Miller is a reporter at Fox News. Find him on Twitter @andymarkmiller and email tips to [email protected].

February 4, 2025