Happy New Year 2025

Tag: plans

Meta touts plans for ‘world’s longest subsea cable project’

Evercore ISI senior managing director Mark Mahaney reacts to January’s jobs report and reveals his top tech stocks on ‘Varney & Co.’

Meta, the company that owns the popular social media apps Facebook and Instagram, announced plans for “Project Waterworth” a massive subsea cable project.

The project will cover more than 50,000 kilometers, which is more than 31,000 miles, a figure even longer than the circumference of the globe, the company noted.

“Once complete, the project will reach five major continents and span over 50,000 km (longer than the Earth’s circumference), making it the world’s longest subsea cable project using the highest-capacity technology available,” Meta’s announcement, by Gaya Nagarajan and Alex-Handrah Aimé, declares.

META ENDS FACT-CHECKING PROGRAM AS ZUCKERBERG VOWS TO RESTORE FREE EXPRESSION ON FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM

Mark Zuckerberg is seen in attendance during the UFC 298 event at Honda Center on Feb. 17, 2024 in Anaheim, Calif. (Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)

The internet infrastructure undertaking “will bring industry-leading connectivity to the U.S., India, Brazil, South Africa, and other key regions,” the company noted.

The endeavor will cost billions of dollars.

“Project Waterworth will be a multi-billion dollar, multi-year investment to strengthen the scale and reliability of the world’s digital highways by opening three new oceanic corridors with the abundant, high speed connectivity needed to drive AI innovation around the world,” the announcement says.

FACEBOOK OWNER INVESTING UP TO $65 BILLION TOWARD AI IN 2025

Rob Luna Enterprise CEO Rob Luna gives his take on Meta’s market success and gives investment advice on ‘Making Money.’

“We’ve driven infrastructure innovation with various partners over the past decade, developing more than 20 subsea cables. This includes multiple deployments of industry-leading subsea cables of 24 fiber pairs – compared to the typical 8 to 16 fiber pairs of other new systems,” the announcement reads.

“With Project Waterworth, we continue to advance engineering design to maintain cable resilience, enabling us to build the longest 24 fiber pair cable project in the world and enhance overall speed of deployment,” it also notes.

META CEO MARK ZUCKERBERG SAYS ‘EVERYTHING I SAY LEAKS’ FROM INTERNAL MEETINGS: ‘IT SUCKS’

Mark Zuckerberg, chief executive officer of Meta Platforms Inc., center, arrives for the 60th presidential inauguration in the rotunda of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on Monday, Jan. 20, 2025. (Shawn Thew/EPA/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

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Meta founder, chairman and CEO Mark Zuckerberg attended President Donald Trump’s inauguration in January.

February 18, 2025
Major crafts retailer Joann plans to close hundreds of locations

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

Joann Inc., which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in January for the second time in less than a year, is planning to close hundreds of its stores as it tries to right-size its footprint.

The retailer filed a motion this week seeking the court’s authority to begin closing 500 of its stores across the nation as it proceeds with the Chapter 11 process. If approved, the company said going-out-of-business sales will begin at impacted stores as soon as Saturday, and could continue for several months thereafter.

A company spokesperson told FOX Business that the closures are part of the company’s strategy in maximizing the value of its business.

MAJOR CRAFTS RETAILER FILES FOR BANKRUPTCY

“A careful analysis of store performance and future strategic fit for the Company determined which stores should remain operating as usual at this time. Right-sizing our store footprint is a critical part of our efforts to ensure the best path forward for Joann,” the spokesperson said.

In March 2024, when the company filed for Chapter 11 for the first time after 81 years in business, it became a private company, but didn’t shutter any of its over 800 locations across 49 states.

A customer enters a Joann store in El Cerrito, California, on Jan. 8, 2025. Joann Inc. (David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images / Getty Images)

In January, the company filed for bankruptcy protection in U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware with the hopes of selling itself to another company after contending with a challenging retail environment, coupled with sagging sales and constrained inventory levels.

LEASES FOR NEARLY 700 PARTY CITY LOCATIONS TO BE AUCTIONED OFF

“After carefully reviewing all available strategic paths, we have determined that initiating a court-supervised sale process is the best course of action to maximize the value of the business,” interim CEO Michael Prendergast said when the company filed for the second time. “We hope that this process enables us to find a path that would allow Joann to continue operating as a going concern.”

The retailer filed a motion seeking the court’s authority to begin closing 500 of its stores across the nation as it proceeds with the Chapter 11 process. (Tim Leedy/MediaNews Group/Reading Eagle via Getty Images / Getty Images)

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The company sought court approval last month to start a process for the sale of substantially all of its assets to Gordon Brothers Retail Partners LLC. Gordon would serve as the “stalking horse” bidder, which is a party that agrees to make an initial bid for the assets of the bankrupt company, often before a formal auction process begins.

Gordon Brothers has indicated that it intends to pursue a liquidation of the company and conduct going out-of-business sales at all store locations, according to Joann, which is continuing to actively solicit alternate bids.

It said it has received inquiries from parties potentially interested in continuing to operate the stores and online businesses on an ongoing basis.

If other qualified bids are submitted during the court-supervised sale processes, Joann plans to conduct an auction or auctions, with the stalking horse bid setting the floor for the auction processes.

Here are the stores closing in each state:

February 13, 2025
Major craft retailer Joann plans to close hundreds of locations

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

Joann Inc., which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in January for the second time in less than a year, is planning to close hundreds of its stores as it tries to right-size its footprint.

The retailer filed a motion this week seeking the court’s authority to begin closing 500 of its stores across the nation as it proceeds with the Chapter 11 process. If approved, the company said going-out-of-business sales will begin at impacted stores as soon as Saturday, and could continue for several months thereafter.

A company spokesperson told FOX Business that the closures are part of the company’s strategy in maximizing the value of its business.

MAJOR CRAFTS RETAILER FILES FOR BANKRUPTCY

“A careful analysis of store performance and future strategic fit for the Company determined which stores should remain operating as usual at this time. Right-sizing our store footprint is a critical part of our efforts to ensure the best path forward for Joann,” the spokesperson said.

In March 2024, when the company filed for Chapter 11 for the first time after 81 years in business, it became a private company, but didn’t shutter any of its over 800 locations across 49 states.

A customer enters a Joann store in El Cerrito, California, on Jan. 8, 2025. Joann Inc. (David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images / Getty Images)

In January, the company filed for bankruptcy protection in U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware with the hopes of selling itself to another company after contending with a challenging retail environment, coupled with sagging sales and constrained inventory levels.

LEASES FOR NEARLY 700 PARTY CITY LOCATIONS TO BE AUCTIONED OFF

“After carefully reviewing all available strategic paths, we have determined that initiating a court-supervised sale process is the best course of action to maximize the value of the business,” interim CEO Michael Prendergast said when the company filed for the second time. “We hope that this process enables us to find a path that would allow Joann to continue operating as a going concern.”

The retailer filed a motion seeking the court’s authority to begin closing 500 of its stores across the nation as it proceeds with the Chapter 11 process. (Tim Leedy/MediaNews Group/Reading Eagle via Getty Images / Getty Images)

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The company sought court approval last month to start a process for the sale of substantially all of its assets to Gordon Brothers Retail Partners LLC. Gordon would serve as the “stalking horse” bidder, which is a party that agrees to make an initial bid for the assets of the bankrupt company, often before a formal auction process begins.

Gordon Brothers has indicated that it intends to pursue a liquidation of the company and conduct going out-of-business sales at all store locations, according to Joann, which is continuing to actively solicit alternate bids.

It said it has received inquiries from parties potentially interested in continuing to operate the stores and online businesses on an ongoing basis.

If other qualified bids are submitted during the court-supervised sale processes, Joann plans to conduct an auction or auctions, with the stalking horse bid setting the floor for the auction processes.

Here are the stores closing in each state:

February 13, 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
Tariffs could factor into Fed’s rate-cut plans amid inflation concerns, experts say

Charles Schwab & Co. chief investment strategist Liz Ann Sonders analyzes the January CPI report on ‘Making Money.’

A hotter-than-expected inflation report from January and uncertainty over the impact of President Donald Trump’s tariff plans on consumer prices could factor into the Federal Reserve’s rate-cut decision, expert economists said.

The Labor Department on Wednesday released the consumer price index (CPI) for January, which showed that inflation was 3% on an annual basis, up from 2.9% a month ago, after a larger than anticipated 0.5% monthly increase.

The uptick in inflation comes after the Fed opted against a fourth consecutive interest rate cut at its meeting last month. Uncertainty surrounding Trump’s plans for tariffs, which are taxes on imported products, and their implementation timelines could lead to a longer wait for more rate cuts than anticipated.

“Today’s data reaffirms Powell’s decision to put rate cuts on the back burner for an extended period of time,” said Charlie Ripley, senior investment strategist for Allianz Investment Management. “Overall, today’s inflation data should force market participants to re-think the Fed’s ability to cut rates this year, especially considering the rise in prices is likely unrelated to any tariff activity from the White House.”

INFLATION RISES 3% IN JANUARY, HOTTER THAN EXPECTED

Bill Adams, chief economist of Comerica Bank, said that the hot inflation pressure serves as “confirmation that price pressures continue to bubble beneath the economy’s surface” and will “reinforce the Fed’s inclination to at least slow and possibly even end rate cuts in 2025.”

“The Fed is also watching the impact of higher tariffs, more restrictive immigration policies and tax cut plans,” Adams added. “These policies could all add to inflation as their effects ripple through the economy, causing the Fed to keep interest rates higher than they would have been under the status quo.”

TRUMP CALLS FOR LOWER INTEREST RATES TO GO ‘HAND-IN-HAND’ WITH TARIFFS: ‘LETS ROCK AND ROLL, AMERICA’

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said the Fed is waiting to see how tariff policies are implemented before accounting for any inflationary impact. (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images / Getty Images)

Seema Shah, chief global strategist for Principal Asset Management, said the inflation report “will make for very uncomfortable reading for the Fed” given the price growth and noted that the “government’s policy agenda threatens to raise inflation expectations” — a dynamic that could lead to inflation risks becoming “too heavily weighted to the upside to permit the Fed to cut rates at all this year.”

EY chief economist Gregory Daco said that his firm’s view is that the Fed “will maintain a wait-and-see approach over the coming months” and that he currently sees only two Fed rate cuts in June and December. “The risk is tilted toward less easing if the administration’s policy mix fuels inflation and inflation expectations,” Daco explained.

TRUMP BLASTS FED FOR NOT CUTTING INTEREST RATES

President Donald Trump has imposed new tariffs on China and has threatened tariffs on Canada and Mexico, as well as reciprocal tariffs on other trading partners. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images / Getty Images)

Ryan Sweet, chief U.S. economist at Oxford Economics, noted that the additional tariffs on China and other threatened tariffs have “yet to make their way into the inflation data.”

“The Fed’s response to tariffs isn’t straightforward, but we don’t believe tighter monetary policy is likely as it would magnify the drag on the economy from tariffs,” Sweet said. “The Fed needs time to gauge how the tariffs are affecting both sides of its dual mandate, keeping it paralyzed until December, when we think its attention will shift from inflation to its full employment mandate, leading to aggressive easing in 2026.”

“The monetary policy implications are clear but it’s unclear whether the January CPI will give some in the Trump administration pause about moving forward quickly with some of the proposed tariffs. Tariffs can still be used as a bargaining tool to get some concessions from other countries, but the political optics of putting even a little upward pressure on consumer prices via tariffs wouldn’t be great for the Trump administration,” he explained.

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Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell testified before the House Financial Services Committee on Wednesday and was asked about the impact of tariffs on Americans’ cost of living and the central bank’s efforts to tame inflation, and the chairman noted that the Fed doesn’t comment on policy decisions it doesn’t have discretion over.

“The Fed has no role in setting tariffs and, you know, we don’t comment on decisions made by those who do have that authority,” Powell said. “We try to stick to our own knitting. In this particular case, it’s possible that the economy would evolve in ways that because of tariffs, or partly because of tariffs, that we would need to do something with our policy rate. But we can’t know what that is until we actually know what policies are enacted.”

February 13, 2025
McDonald’s plans more chicken offerings

McDonald’s franchise owner Scott Rodrick says his business has experienced ‘cost pressure’ since California’s minimum wage increase targeting fast food franchises on ‘Maria Bartiromo’s Wall Street.’

McDonald’s is looking to further ramp up its chicken business through more offerings.

CEO Chris Kempczinski indicated Monday during the company’s fourth-quarter earnings call that McDonald’s was very bullish about its chicken portfolio and shared some offerings in the pipeline.

“This year, there is incredible energy for the return of Snack Wraps in the U.S. along with a few other markets,” he told analysts and investors.

A McDonald’s restaurant on Feb. 9, 2009, in San Francisco. (Justin Sullivan / Getty Images)

McDonald’s has plans to introduce a “new chicken strip offering” in the U.S. too, according to Kempczinksi.

MCDONALD’S TO ROLL OUT SHAMROCK SHAKE WITH HELP OF UNCLE O’GRIMACEY

The fast-food giant revealed late last year that it would add the Snack Wrap back to its menus. It has been about eight years since McDonald’s offered the fan-favorite in the U.S.

“This has a cult following,” McDonald’s U.S. President Joe Erlinger told “Good Morning America” in December. “I get so many emails into my inbox about this product. It will be back in 2025.”

Ticker Security Last Change Change %

MCD MCDONALD’S CORP. 308.42 +14.12 +4.80%

When asked on the earnings call about timing and details for the snack wraps and chicken strips, Kempczinski was tight-lipped.

“We do have, I think, some very exciting food news, food innovation coming in the U.S., but my U.S. team would kill me if I gave any more details about the when and the exact specifics of how we’re going to plan on doing that, but certainly expect that to come online later in the year,” he said.

Kempczinski also said the fast-food giant will “continue to pulse in the Chicken Big Mac as a limited-time-only offering over time.”

The Chicken Big Mac offers many of the same ingredients its beef predecessor does. (McDonald’s / Fox News)

McDonald’s offered the Chicken Big Mac – a sandwich made with two chicken patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese and pickles between two buns – at U.S. restaurants for a limited time in October. Restaurants in other countries have sold it in the past as well.

MCDONALD’S DEBUTS NEW VALUE MENU, EXTENDS $5 MEAL DEAL

The Chicken Big Mac “helped generate chicken market-share growth in France and the U.S. with positive incrementality” last year, according to the McDonald’s CEO.

McDonald’s is also bringing the McCrispy to more and more markets. That menu item crossed the threshold to become one of the fast-food giant’s billion-dollar brands in 2023, FOX Business previously reported.

McDonald’s logo on one of its restaurants in Santa Monica, California, on Nov. 13, 2023. (Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via / Getty Images)

Restaurants in over 70 markets currently sell the McCrispy, with McDonald’s planning to make it available in “nearly all markets” by the end of the year, Kempczinski said.

“We’re excited about the significant opportunity we see within our chicken portfolio and see the potential to add another point of chicken market share by the end of 2026,” he told analysts and investors.

MCDONALD’S TAKES MASSIVE SALES HIT FROM E. COLI OUTBREAK

McDonald’s generated nearly $6.39 billion in total revenue in the fourth quarter. Its quarterly net income, meanwhile, came in at almost $2.02 billion.

For the full year, the fast-food giant’s revenues were $25.92 billion, and its net income was $8.22 billion.

February 11, 2025
Noem appears to accuse FBI of leaking plans to enforce immigration in LA

Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem called the FBI “corrupt” and appeared to accuse the bureau of leaking plans for “large-scale” immigration enforcement plans in the Los Angeles area.

The LA Times published an article Friday that said U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) would lead the operation, focusing on those without legal status in the U.S. or who have pending orders of removal, according to an internal government document reviewed by the publication.

The document was reportedly circulated among some government officials last week. The Times also reported that a federal law enforcement source who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal said LA FBI and Drug Enforcement Administration officers and agents are being called in to assist.

Noem shared the article on X, taking a dig at the FBI.

LA FREEWAY BLOCKED BY ANTI-DEPORTATION PROTESTERS IN RESPONSE TO TRUMP’S CRACKDOWN ON ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION

“The FBI is so corrupt,” Noem wrote. “We will work with any and every agency to stop leaks and prosecute these crooked deep state agents to the fullest extent of the law.”

ICE sources told Fox News they do not know where Noem got the information or what she is basing it on.

Fox News Digital reached out to DHS for comment, but did not immediately hear back.

The FBI had no comment on the matter.

LARGEST LAPD UNION SLAMS ANTI-TRUMP PROTEST DIRECTIVES, SAYS ARRESTS ‘SHOULD BE A NO-BRAINER’ IN ALTERCATIONS

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem joined an ICE raid in New York City. Noem said communities will be safer because of targeted raids that go after criminal illegal immigrants. (Department of Homeland Security)

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi joined “Fox Report” on Sunday, where she discussed immigration enforcement and was asked about leaks within the government.

“Well, you know, if anyone leaks anything, people don’t understand that it jeopardizes the lives of our great men and women in law enforcement, and if you leaked it, we will find out who you are, and we will come after you,” Bondi said. “It’s not going to stop our mission. It’s not going to stop the president’s mission to make America safe again.”

BORDER CZAR TOM HOMAN SENDS MESSAGE TO FAR-LEFT OFFICIALS PUSHING BACK AGAINST MASS DEPORTATIONS: ‘GAME ON’

Anti-ICE protesters blocked traffic on both sides of the 101 Freeway in downtown Los Angeles. (FOX 11 Los Angeles)

She also said if people do not want to follow the law, the Department of Justice will prosecute them.

Bondi was then asked about an operation in Denver, Colorado, where individuals used bullhorns to let people know that ICE was coming, advising illegal immigrants of what they should and should not do if approached by agents.

In cases where people inform illegal immigrants that they are in danger, Bondi was asked if anything could or should be done to stop it.

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“It very well could rise to the level of obstruction, and we will be looking at every single case where someone jeopardizes the lives of the great men and women in law enforcement, and they will be held accountable,” Bondi said. “If you leak, if you do anything, like you said, if you come out with bullhorns that could jeopardize their lives, we will investigate it, and we will come after you.”

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

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

February 10, 2025
Trump plans to meet with Zelenskyy as he looks to end Ukraine war

President Donald Trump may soon meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

“He may meet next week, yeah. Whenever he would like. I’m here,” Trump told reporters while hosting Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba on Friday.

Trump said that the meeting likely would be held in Washington, D.C., because he wouldn’t go to Ukraine.

Trump also said there was a possibility he would meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin, noting that the two have always had a “very good relationship.”

TRUMP AND ‘NO ONE ELSE’ CAN END THE UKRAINE-RUSSIA WAR, US ALLY SAYS

President Donand Trump said he likely would meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Washington, as he wouldn’t be going to Ukraine. (Efrem Lukatsky/The Associated Press)

“That’s why it is so sad that this happened,” Trump said, appearing to reference Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. “This never would have happened if I were president.”

Trump, who met with Zelenskyy in New York in September 2024, urged Putin to cease the war — or face sanctions — in a post on Truth Social on Jan. 22.

“Settle now, and STOP this ridiculous War! IT’S ONLY GOING TO GET WORSE,” Trump said. If we don’t make a ‘deal’, and soon, I have no other choice but to put high levels of Taxes, Tariffs, and Sanctions on anything being sold by Russia to the United States, and various other participating countries.”

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent also said he backed issuing harsher sanctions on Russia during his confirmation hearing Jan. 16 to expedite the end of the war.

TRUMP’S ‘RARE’ PRICE FOR US MILITARY AID TO UKRAINE CALLED ‘FAIR’ BY ZELENSKYY

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said he backed issuing harsher sanctions on Russia during his confirmation hearing Jan. 16. (Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images)

According to retired Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg, Trump’s envoy for Russia and Ukraine, Trump is the only person that could end the conflict.

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“The only person that Putin will really want to talk to — because he’s kind of denigrated other leaders that are out there — is President Trump, and President Trump’s the only one who can bring this to a conclusion,” Kellogg told “Fox & Friends Weekend” on Sunday.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.

Fox News’ Rachel Wolf contributed to this report.

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

February 7, 2025
California plans to continue allowing trans athletes to compete in girls’ sports despite Trump executive order

The State of California and its public school athletics association has indicated it will not fall in line with President Donald Trump’s latest executive order to keep trans athletes out of girls’ and women’s sports.

The California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) said it will continue to follow the state’s law that allows athletes to participate as whichever gender they identify as, according to The San Francisco Chronicle.

California Family Council Outreach Director Sophia Lorey told Fox News Digital that her state’s intent to defy Trump’s executive order has made her feel “disgusted.”

“I am disgusted that CIF is disregarding yesterday’s executive order and instead doubling down on policies that are not only unfair, but dangerous for young women across California. By prioritizing their idol of transgender ideology over the safety and rights of female athletes, they are knowingly exposing high school girls to unsafe competition and stripping them of opportunities guaranteed for them under Title IX,” Lorey told Fox News Digital.

“One day, the CIF board will look back and realize they chose to be on the wrong side of history. They will have to answer for why they sacrificed the safety, fairness, and dignity of young girls to bow to an ideological agenda. But the rest of us will not stand by while female athletes are illegally prevented from competing fairly in their own sports.”

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President Donald Trump signs the No Men in Women’s Sports Executive Order into law in the East Room of the White House in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 5, 2025. (ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP)

The NCAA announced Thursday that it has amended its policy on gender eligibility so that biological males are no longer allowed to compete in the women’s category in response to Trump’s order.

However, at the youth and high school level, girls may still be at the mercy of state law.

In California, a law called AB 1266 has been in effect since 2014, giving California students at scholastic and collegiate levels the right to “participate in sex-segregated school programs and activities, including athletic teams and competitions, and use facilities consistent with his or her gender identity, irrespective of the gender listed on the pupil’s records.”

California Code of Regulations section 4910(k) defines gender as, “A person’s actual sex or perceived sex and includes a person’s perceived identity, appearance or behavior, whether or not that identity, appearance, or behavior is different from that traditionally associated with a person’s sex at birth.”

CIF Bylaw 300.D. mirrors the Education Code, stating, “All students should have the opportunity to participate in CIF activities in a manner that is consistent with their gender identity, irrespective of the gender listed on a student’s records.”

These laws and the subsequent enabling of trans athletes to compete with girls and women in the state has resulted in multiple controversies over the issue over the last year alone.

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Martin Luther King High School in Riverside, California, is currently embroiled in one of the most contentious local controversies on the issue.

A recent school board meeting by the Riverside Unified School District on Dec. 19 featured a parade of parents berating the board for allowing a trans athlete on the Martin Luther King girls’ cross-country team. A lawsuit filed by two girls on the team alleges that their T-shirts in protest of that player were compared to swastikas simply because they said “Save Girls Sports.”

The father of a girl who lost her varsity spot to the trans athlete previously told Fox News Digital that his daughter and other girls at the school were told “transgenders have more rights than cisgender[s]” by school administrators when they protested the athlete’s participation.

Stone Ridge Christian High School’s girls’ volleyball team was scheduled to face San Francisco Waldorf in the Northern California Division 6 tournament but forfeited in an announcement just before the match over the presence of a trans athlete on the team.

A transgender volleyball player was booed and harassed at an Oct. 12 match between Notre Dame Belmont in Belmont, California, against Half Moon Bay High School, according to ABC 7. Half Moon Bay rostered the transgender athlete.

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California State Assembly member Kate Sanchez announced on Jan. 7 that she is introducing a bill to ban trans athletes from competing in girls’ and women’s sports.

Sanchez will propose the Protect Girls’ Sports Act to the state legislature. Currently, 25 states have similar laws in effect.

“Young women who have spent years training and sacrificing to compete at the highest level are now forced to compete against individuals with undeniable biological advantages. It’s not just unfair – it’s disheartening and dangerous,” Sanchez said in a statement announcing the bill.

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Jackson Thompson is a sports writer for Fox News Digital. He previously worked for ESPN and Business Insider. Jackson has covered the Super Bowl and NBA Finals, and has interviewed iconic figures Usain Bolt, Rob Gronkowski, Jerry Rice, Troy Aikman, Mike Trout, David Ortiz and Roger Clemens.

February 7, 2025
Allies and foes reject Trump’s ‘Riviera’ plans for Gaza: ‘new suffering and new hatred’

The world reacted in unified shock on Wednesday after President Donald Trump announced his intention that the U.S. develop the Gaza Strip to create a “Riviera of the Middle East,” and that millions of Palestinians living there would be relocated.

The bombshell proposal was made during a press conference on Tuesday when Trump, standing next to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, refused to rule out U.S. military intervention and said Washington “will take over the Gaza Strip.”

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt looked to ease concerns on Wednesday and said the president has not “committed to putting boots on the ground” or to paying for the reconstruction plans.

But her assurances came after the president’s proposal was met with swift resistance from leaders across the Middle East, Europe, Asia, South America and Oceania.

RAND PAUL RECOILS AT TRUMP’S GAZA TAKEOVER PLANS: ‘I THOUGHT WE VOTED FOR AMERICA FIRST’

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

MIDDLE EAST

Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia, which Trump has pushed to “normalize ties” with Israel, flatly rejected Trump’s proposal and in a statement issued by the foreign ministry said there could be no diplomatic relations with the Jewish state without a two-state solution for the Palestinians.

“Saudi Arabia rejects any attempts to displace the Palestinians from their land. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has affirmed the kingdom’s position in ‘a clear and explicit manner’ that does not allow for any interpretation under any circumstances.”

United Arab Emirates

The UAE, which did sign on to the Abraham Accords during the first Trump administration, responded to his remarks in a statement from the foreign ministry and issued a “categorical rejection of violating the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people and attempting to displace them, and called for the need to stop settlement activities that threaten regional stability and undermine opportunities for peace and coexistence.”

The ministry “stressed the importance of avoiding everything that could lead to the expansion of the conflict in the region, and explained that the priority now after the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip must focus on ending extremism, tension and violence, protecting the lives of all civilians, and delivering urgent, safe and sustainable humanitarian aid.”

Hamas

A senior official with the terror group Hamas, Sami Abu Zuhri, said, “Our people in the Gaza Strip will not allow these plans to pass. What is required is to end the [Israeli] occupation and aggression against our people, not to expel them from their land.”

Destruction from Israeli airstrikes is seen in Gaza City on Oct. 11. (AP/Adel Hana)

SAUDI ARABIA CONTRADICTS TRUMP, VOWS NO TIES WITH ISRAEL WITHOUT CREATION OF PALESTINIAN STATE

Palestinian leadership

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas echoed the shared sentiment and said, “The Palestinians will not relinquish their land, rights and sacred sites, and that the Gaza Strip is an integral part of the land of the State of Palestine, along with the West Bank and East Jerusalem.”

Iran

A senior Iranian official told Reuters, “Iran does not agree with any displacement of Palestinians and has communicated this through various channels.”

EUROPE

United Kingdom

U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who has been toeing the line when it comes to relations with the U.S. amid the second Trump administration, for the first time on Wednesday broke with Trump and said Palestinians “must be allowed home.”

“They must be allowed to rebuild, and we should be with them in that rebuild on the way to a two-state solution,” he added, speaking from the House of Commons, Politico EU reported.

Germany

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock took a more direct approach and, in a statement, said, in accordance with international law, “It is clear that Gaza – just like the West Bank and East Jerusalem – belongs to the Palestinians. It forms the basis for a future state of Palestine.

“A displacement of the Palestinian civilian population from Gaza would not only be unacceptable and in breach of international law. It would also lead to new suffering and new hatred,” she added.

Palestinians gather in the hope of obtaining aid delivered into Gaza through a U.S.-built pier, May 19, 2024. (Reuters/Ramadan Abed/File Photo)

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

Russia

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov reaffirmed Russia’s support for a two-state solution and said, “This is the thesis that is enshrined in the relevant U.N. Security Council resolution, this is the thesis that is shared by the overwhelming majority of countries involved in this problem. We proceed from it, we support it and believe that this is the only possible option.”

France

French foreign ministry spokesperson Christophe Lemoine also released a statement warning that anything but a two-state solution would have destabilizing consequences for the entire region. “France reiterates its opposition to any forced displacement of Gaza’s Palestinian population, which would constitute a serious violation of international law,” he said.

“Gaza’s future must lie not in the prospect of control by a third State but in the framework of a future Palestinian State, under the aegis of the Palestinian Authority.”

China

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian said, “China has all along believed that ‘the Palestinians governing Palestine’ is the fundamental principle of post-conflict governance of Gaza.

“We oppose the forced displacement of the people in Gaza, and hope that relevant parties will take the opportunity of the ceasefire and post-conflict governance in Gaza to bring the Palestinian question back to the right track of a political settlement based on the two-state solution, so as to realize lasting peace in the Middle East,” he added, during a Wednesday press conference.

Palestinians carry belongings as they leave al-Ahli hospital, which they were using as a shelter, in Gaza City, Oct. 18, 2023. (AP Photo/Abed Khaled)

Turkey

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan told local news outlets that Trump’s proposal was “unacceptable” and argued that plans to leave Palestinians “out of the equation” would lead to more conflict.

Turkish President Recep Erdoğan does not appear to have publicly commented yet, though his strong stance against Israel’s deadly operations in Gaza could signal the two leaders may geopolitically butt heads over how to handle the post-war era in the Gaza Strip.

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OCEANIA

Australia

Australia, which has become a chief ally of the U.S. in countering China – a push Trump has named one of his top priorities – made its position on Trump’s comments clear after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said, “Australia’s position is the same as it was this morning, as it was last year. The Australian government supports on a bipartisan basis a two-state solution.”

SOUTH AMERICA

Brazil

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva called Trump’s comments “bravado” and said in an interview with local radio stations, “No country, no matter how important, can fight the entire world all the time.”

“It makes no sense,” he argued while defending a two-state solution. “Where would Palestinians live? This is something incomprehensible to any human being.

“Palestinians are the ones who need to take care of Gaza,” he added.

Reuters contributed to this report.

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

February 5, 2025