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World Human Spirit Day 2025 Date: Know History and Significance of the Day Dedicated to the Power of the Inner Strength of Humans

Every year, World Human Spirit Day is observed on February 17 in several countries around the world. The annual event is dedicated to reflecting on the power of the human spirit, inner strength, and mindfulness. It serves as a reminder that beyond physical and material pursuits, there is a deeper essence within every individual that thrives on positivity and peace. World Human Spirit Day 2025 falls on Monday, February 17 and this day encourages people to take a step back from their daily routines, and engage in self-reflection. In this article, let’s know more about the World Human Spirit Day 2025 date and the significance of the annual event. February 2025 Holidays and Festivals Calendar: Get Full List of Major Events in the Second Month of the Year.

World Human Spirit Day 2025 Date

World Human Spirit Day 2025 falls on Monday, February 17.

World Human Spirit Day History

World Human Spirit Day was established by Michael Levy, a musician, and author of the book called ‘What is the Point?’. Levy founded the day on February 17, 2003, to celebrate the human spirit and promote positivity and empowerment. The foundation of the book is from the Kabbalah school of religious thought and offers a perspective on mind, body and soul that allows the reader to think about the simplest answers of life that lie within us. The holiday aims to encourage mindfulness through meditation and to feel content with whatever we are blessed with.

World Human Spirit Day Significance

World Human Spirit Day holds great significance as the day helps individuals cultivate a sense of harmony within themselves and their surroundings. Many people around the world observe this day by practicing mindfulness, engaging in acts of kindness, or simply appreciating the beauty of life. This annual event helps people find inner peace and inspire others to lead a more balanced and meaningful life, rooted in hope and compassion.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 16, 2025 08:59 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).

February 16, 2025
Out of power: Democrats disoriented in fight against Trump agenda

It’s a new season for Congressional Democrats.

And that’s not always a good thing.

New seasons bring change. New players. New coaches. New approaches.

The problem is finding the right approach.

Especially when you’re on the outside looking in.

SPENDING SHOWDOWN: REPUBLICANS WILL NEED TO CORRAL VOTES – BUT THEY HAVEN’T ASKED, YET

Democrats are now the loyal opposition. Effectively locked out of power in Washington as Republicans control the executive branch and both bodies of Congress.

Democrats have lobbed entire landfills at President Trump since 2015. Some of it worked – a little bit. But certainly not enough to permanently sidetrack Mr. Trump. He executed one of the most extraordinary, improbable comebacks in world political history.

On the TV show “The Office,” secretary Pam Beesly noted that she only got ten vacation days a year.

“I try to hold off taking them for as long as possible,” said Beesly. “This year I got to the third week in January.”

Democrats are effectively stonewalled out of power, with both houses of Congress and the presidency having fallen to GOP leadership. (Reuters)

So far, Democrats are flailing as they try to challenge President Trump in his second term. So, they’re dusting off some old plays from a tired, dog-eared playbook.

Like Beesly, they waited as long as they could.

It took precisely 16 days before a Democrat threatened to impeach the President.

DEMOCRATS CALL FOR ARTICLES OF IMPEACHMENT AGAINST TRUMP AMID GAZA COMMENTS

Rep. Al Green, D-Tex., prepped the first articles of impeachment against President Trump in 2017. He didn’t do so until October of that year. But now, Green is ready to impeach the President.

“I did it before. I laid the foundation for impeachment. And it was done. Nobody knows more about it than I. And I know that it’s time for us to lay the foundation again. On some issues, it is better to stand alone than not stand at all,” said Green.

But two previous impeachments failed to suppress Mr. Trump. If nothing else, the impeachments may have emboldened him. Especially since despite the House impeaching him, he survived two Senate trials.

Rep. Al Green, D-Texas, has once again announced his immediate intent to impeach the President. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

But Democratic leaders are leery of impeachment freelancing.

“This isn’t a focus of the Democratic Caucus,” said House Democratic Caucus Chairman Pete Aguilar, D-Calif. “We’ve laid out our strategy. Legislative. Litigation. Outreach. Communication. That continues to be the focus.”

Democrats are united in their opposition of President Trump. But finding a unifying, resonant message is another thing.

SOCIAL MEDIA, TEAM TRUMP REACT TO CORY BOOKER’S ‘MELTDOWN’ OVER ELON MUSK’S USAID CRACKDOWN

“In the United States Senate, we will not cooperate!” thundered Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J. “We’ll cooperate with no appointments when it comes to the State Department!”

“There should be hundreds of thousands and millions of people descending on Washington, DC!” declared Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass.

Rep. John Garamendi, D-Calif., is one of many Democrats amplifying renewed calls to “resist” the new Trump administration. (Bill Clark/Roll Call/Getty Images)

“We must resist. We must be in the streets!” said Rep. John Garamendi, D-Calif.

Democrats used to have only one target. That was President Trump.

“They have no rudder. They have no vision. They have no clear leader,” observed House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La. “The only message they have is anti-President Trump.”

THE SPEAKER’S LOBBY: A PALPABLY UNFAIR ACT

But opponents evolve.

The arch-enemy of Batman was always the Joker. But the Penguin, Riddler and Catwoman were worthy foes, too.

And so Democrats now have a new nemesis: Elon Musk.

The President isn’t the only one in Democrats’ crosshairs this go-round – Elon Musk also shares the dubious honor. (Kenny Holston-Pool/Getty Images)

Democrats are peppering him with inflammatory rhetoric.

“A godless, lawless billionaire. You know who elected Elon? This is the American people. This is not your trashy Cybertruck that you can just dismantle, pick apart, and sell the pieces of,” said squad member Rep. Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass.

“God damn it. Shut down the Senate. We are at war. Any time, any time a person can pay $250 million into a campaign, and they’ve been given access to the Department of Treasury of the United States of America. We are at war,” said Rep. LaMonica McIver, D-N.J. “We will not take this sh*t from Donald Trump and Elon Musk.”

“What we not going to do is stand around while they pull this bullsh*t that they’re trying to pull right now,” excoriated Rep. Jasmine Crockett,. D-Tex., of Musk and DOGE. “You all know he likes to pal around with Putin, right? He’s trying to turn us into Russia.”

MUSK’S DOGE TAKES AIM AT ‘VIPER’S NEST’ FEDERAL AGENCY WITH GLOBAL FOOTPRINT

“He is a low down, dirty, no good person that along with Trump cannot be trusted,” said Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif. “We have got to tell Elon Musk, nobody elected your ass.”

White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt blasted Democrats for their incendiary language.

“President Trump was elected with a mandate from the American people to make this government more efficient. He campaigned across this country with Elon Musk vowing that Elon was going to head up the Department of Government Efficiency,” said Leavitt. “For Democrat officials to incite violence and encourage Americans to take to the streets is incredibly alarming. They should be held accountable for that rhetoric.”

Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., is one of very few congressional Democrats – if not the only one – to advise an excess of caution in his party’s expressions of steadfast defiance toward the Trump agenda. (Getty Images)

But at least one Democrat urges discipline for his colleagues when attacking the President – or Musk.

“There’s going to be a lot of balls coming down to the plate. And I’m only waiting for a strike when I’m going to start to swing,” said Sen. John Fetterman, D-Penn.

Democrats executed another gambit Wednesday. They kept the Senate in session all night to postpone the confirmation of Budget Director nominee Russ Vought. The Senate broke a filibuster earlier on Wednesday. But Vought is someone who would have great influence over DOGE and potentially efforts by the administration to withhold or contour spending. Since the Senate voted to end the filibuster around 1 pm et Wednesday, Democrats opted to burn all time available to them just to protest Vought and DOGE.

SENATE DEMOCRATS SPEAK ALL NIGHT AGAINST TRUMP OMB NOMINEE, DELAYING CONFIRMATION VOTE

“Russ Vought represents a very specific view of presidential power, which is essentially unitary executive,” said Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, at 1:45 am et Thursday. “It’s this view that once you win, you’re basically a monarch.”

A cavalcade of Democrats seized the floor throughout the night. Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vt., at 5 am et. Sen. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., at 6 am et. Booker at 9 am et.

“Whatever the challenges, whatever the fear, is what I want to tell you right now is don’t normalize a president who is violating the separation of powers,” said Booker on the floor just after 10 am et. “Don’t normalize a president who is violating civil service laws. Don’t normalize a president who is ignoring the dictates of Congress and establishing agencies.”

Around the same time, Democrats on the Judiciary Committee requested, and received – under the rules – a one-week delay on the nomination of FBI Director nominee Kash Patel.

“Kash Patel has a goal. It’s to wreck the FBI,” said Welch.

Democrats have managed to negotiate a one-week deal to delay the confirmation of Kash Patel, President Trump’s pick to head the FBI. (AP)

The Democrats’ maneuver chokes off Patel’s nomination from the Senate floor. But only for a week.

“It means that about 168 hours from right now, he’ll be confirmed by our committee,” said Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa.

Democrats can’t do much but delay the inevitable. Republicans can confirm Patel on the floor if they stick together. The same with Vought. Vought is only the second nominee to score a partisan confirmation without Democratic assistance. The other was Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

“We are out of power. But we are not powerless,” said Schatz.

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But that power is low voltage. Measured in foot candles, not watts.

There are limits to their power. And Democrats are now feeling it.

Chad Pergram currently serves as a senior congressional correspondent for FOX News Channel (FNC). He joined the network in September 2007 and is based out of Washington, D.C.

February 7, 2025
‘Power grab’: Jeffries unveils data protection bill amid DOGE crackdown

House Democrats unveiled legislation on Thursday that seeks to secure the personal data of Americans amid the Department of Government Efficiency’s (DOGE) spending sweep.

House Democrats unveiled the Taxpayer Data Protection Act to “shield the American people from this out-of-control power grab, permanently, and make sure that the financial, personal, medical, and confidential information of the American people is protected.”

Musk and his team at DOGE have spent the past two weeks going into various government departments and identifying “wasteful” spending where cuts can be made.

Musk was recently granted access to the Treasury Department, which manages federal finances and taxes, where he has “read only” access to the government’s payment system, a Treasury Department official told members of Congress on Tuesday.

USAID HAS ‘DEMONSTRATED PATTERN OF OBSTRUCTIONISM,’ CLAIMS TOP DOGE REPUBLICAN IN LETTER TO RUBIO

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries speaks at a press conference. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Democrats have vocally opposed the sweep, suggesting during a press conference on Thursday that Musk is gaining access to the personal access of Americans and introducing legislation to circumvent any efforts.

Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., claimed that Republicans are “working for Elon Musk and doing the bidding of an unelected, unaccountable, out of control billionaire puppet master.”

MEET THE YOUNG TEAM OF SOFTWARE ENGINEERS SLASHING GOVERNMENT WASTE AT DOGE: REPORT

“Why does Elon Musk and his minions need access to the names, Social Security numbers, addresses, and birthdates of millions of Americans?” Jeffries asked.

Elon Musk and his team at DOGE have spent the past two weeks going into various government departments and identifying “wasteful” spending. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

“What are they doing with that information, and why aren’t House Republicans stopping them?” Jeffries said, adding that a Senate companion bill is expected to be introduced shortly.

Amid Democratic opposition to the spending sweep, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent defended Musk and DOGE.

“Elon Musk is the greatest entrepreneur of this generation,” Bessent told FOX Business host Larry Kudlow. “DOGE is not going to fail. They are moving a lot of people’s cheese here in the capital, and when you hear this squawking, then some status quo interest is not happy.”

A security guard stands at the entrance to the U.S. Agency for International Development headquarters on Feb. 3, 2025, in Washington, D.C. (Getty Images)

On Thursday, a federal judge temporarily blocked DOGE from obtaining access to certain Treasury Department payment records.

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According to a temporary restraining order, Treasury officials “will not provide access to any payment record or payment system of records maintained within the [Treasury] Bureau of Fiscal Service,” Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly wrote.

Aubrie Spady is a Writer for Fox News Digital.

February 6, 2025
Who is Samantha Power? Meet the Biden-era USAID leader facing backlash amid Musk’s DOGE crackdown

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has recently become the target of Elon Musk’s DOGE efforts to slash government waste and spending, bringing increased scrutiny to the record of Samantha Power, the agency’s administrator during almost the entire Biden administration.

Power, who previously served as the United States ambassador to the United Nations from 2013 to 2017 in the Obama administration after serving on his National Security Council, took the reins of USAID in the early days of the Biden administration and was tasked with overseeing the tens of billions of dollars budgeted for foreign aid.

“One of the most pressing challenges facing our nation is restoring and strengthening America’s global leadership as a champion of democracy, human rights, and the dignity of all people,” then-Vice President-elect Kamala Harris said in a statement at the time of Power’s appointment. “Few Americans are better equipped to help lead that work than Ambassador Samantha Power.”

Power was directly involved in the Obama administration’s surveillance of Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign and sought to obtain Michael Flynn’s redacted identity using an “unmasking” request on at least seven occasions, Fox News Digital previously reported, despite testifying under oath before the House Intelligence Committee that she had “no recollection” of ever making such a request even once.

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

Samantha Power led USAID from 2021-2025. (Getty Images)

Fox News reported in 2017 that Power was “unmasking” at such a rapid pace in the final months of the Obama administration that she averaged more than one request for every working day in 2016, and she even sought information in the days leading up to President Trump’s inauguration, according to multiple sources close to the matter.

Power’s tenure at USAID was also not without controversy, even from her own party, including an incident in which she faced a public revolt from current and former staff in 2024 over her support of Israel.

Critics also took issue with her repeatedly meeting with influential liberal foundations while serving in her role at USAID, which Fox News Digital reported in 2023, included George Soros’ Open Society Foundations at least two times, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation at least five times, and meetings with several other powerful groups like Ford and Rockefeller foundations.

Power’s supporters say she has played a critical role in providing U.S. assistance to war-torn areas like Ukraine and Gaza along with aiding the relief of humanitarian crises that have developed in places like Haiti, Armenia and Sudan.

“The best testament to USAID’s contribution is the surge in PRC-backed and Russian-backed propaganda maligning USAID and our work around the world,” Power said in an exit interview with Politico last month. “And it’s really picked up a lot over the last year and a half. We counted 81 malicious and false propaganda campaigns, really dedicated campaigns, aimed at denigrating USAID and our reputation. So we’re doing something that is getting on their nerves.”

USAID HAS ‘DEMONSTRATED PATTERN OF OBSTRUCTIONISM,’ CLAIMS TOP DOGE REPUBLICAN IN LETTER TO RUBIO

Samantha Power, administrator of the United States Agency for International Development, delivers a speech during a visit to El Salvador on June 14, 2021. (REUTERS/Jose Cabezas)

Power, who is married to former Obama administration official and professor Cass Sunstein, added, “We are an agency that has thousands of people around the world representing the United States, both because it’s in the interests of the American people to have health systems that are more secure and can spot infectious diseases and tackle them, to change regulations so it’s easier for American businesses to invest, but also to show up and to show the importance of investing in the partnership — and not investing in a manner that just leaves countries saddled with debt.”

USAID has been increasingly questioned by Republicans over its alleged funding of research relating to the coronavirus at the Wuhan Institute of Virology in China, as well as millions in aid that supports LGBT rights abroad and dozens of millions of dollars for migrant crises in other countries, like the nearly $45 million slated to provide emergency food assistance and economic support for Venezuelan migrants in Colombia.

MEET THE YOUNG TEAM OF SOFTWARE ENGINEERS SLASHING GOVERNMENT WASTE AT DOGE: REPORT

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

Democrats counter that the agency plays a vital role in U.S. national security interests and say it should remain independent. They point to the work USAID did to counter Soviet influence during the Cold War, a sphere of influence that could remain a concern amid China’s Belt and Road Initiative.

Tech billionaire and DOGE Chair Elon Musk has been on a warpath against USAID, which is an independent U.S. agency that was established under the Kennedy administration to administer economic aid to foreign nations, as he leads DOGE’s mission of cutting government fat and overspending at the federal level.

Musk announced in an audio-only message on X over the weekend that “we’re in the process” of “shutting down USAID.”

“On Friday, February 7, 2025, at 11:59 pm (EST) all USAID direct hire personnel will be placed on administrative leave globally, with the exception of designated personnel responsible for mission-critical functions, core leadership and specially designated programs,” USAID’s website currently says. “Essential personnel expected to continue working will be informed by Agency leadership by Thursday, February 6, at 3:00pm (EST).”

A Fox News Digital review of USAID’s recent history shows that it has repeatedly been accused of financial mismanagement and corruption long before Trump’s second administration, with spending that took place under Power’s reign likely to continue to be a focus of conversation with Republicans.

The USAID flag flies in front of the USAID office in Washington on Feb. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., sent a letter to Power in October 2024, sounding the alarm on the “likely misuse of more than one billion dollars in U.S. humanitarian aid sent to Gaza since October 2023,” Fox Digital reported at the time.

A Syrian national named Mahmoud Al Hafyan, 53, was charged in November 2024 for allegedly diverting more than $9 million in U.S.-funded humanitarian aid to terrorist groups, including the Al-Nusrah Front. The Al-Nusrah Front, also known as Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham, is a designated terrorist organization with ties to al-Qaeda, according to the State Department.

The Government Accountability Office published a report in 2023 finding that both USAID and the National Institutes of Health directed taxpayer funds to American universities and a nonprofit organization before the money found its way to Chinese groups, including the Wuhan Institute of Virology.

Eight auditors and employees for the USAID inspector general’s office sounded the alarm to the Washington Post in 2014 that negative findings surrounding the agency’s work were removed from final reports and audits.

Trump repeatedly proposed slashing the nation’s foreign aid budget for USAID and the State Department during his first administration, including proposing in his first year in office to slash the budgets by 37%, which Congress rejected.

“With $20 trillion in debt, the government must learn to tighten its belt,” Trump said in 2017 while advocating for the cuts.

Elon Musk leads the Department of Government Efficiency. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

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Power sat down with late-night host Stephen Colbert on Tuesday night and defended USAID’s work and warned against shutting it down, claiming that children overseas in line for tuberculosis treatment were told to go home as a result of Trump’s executive order.

“Programs that were running, the people we’re depending on, in some cases, for life-saving medicine, like medicine, if you have HIV, that keeps you alive, quite literally,” Power told Colbert. “Or if you’re in Sudan and you have a child who’s wasting away because of malnutrition, a miracle paste, a peanut paste that USAID provides brings that kid back from the brink of death. All of those programs are shuttered.”

Democrat lawmakers took part in a rally against DOGE on Tuesday outside the Treasury Department, arguing that Musk’s actions are unconstitutional and a threat to Democracy.

“My heart is with the people out on the street outside USAID, but my head tells me, ‘Man, Trump will be well satisfied to have this fight,’” veteran strategist David Axelrod, who served with Power in the Obama administration, said this week. “When you talk about cuts, the first thing people say is: Cut foreign aid.”

Fox News Digital’s Caitlin McFall, Emma Colton and Gregg Re 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 5, 2025
Democrat Sen Murphy says Trump ‘seizures of power’ raise ‘constitutional crisis’

Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., is arguing that President Donald Trump and Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) leader Elon Musk’s actions constitute “illegal seizures of power,” sparking a “constitutional crisis.”

In an interview with National Public Radio, Murphy condemned efforts by the White House Office of Management and Budget to freeze funding already approved by Congress, as well as the Trump administration moving to review, restructure and potentially abolish parts of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), as thousands of federal employees face lay-offs, and U.S. taxpayer-funded programs are suspended around the globe.

Murphy said Democrats should not support “a single nominee” appointed by Trump and “should not grant expedited process to any nominees until this crisis passes.”

“I worry that the American public is not going to rise up against this seizure of power if they see Democrats collaborating with Republicans on the floor of the Senate on a regular basis to pass legislation or support nominees,” Murphy said. “That’s the essential thing that has to happen here. The people of this country need to start showing up. And we saw that happening this weekend. I saw town halls for my colleagues packed to the gills. Yesterday, we did a press conference outside of USAID that must have had 500 people at it. But I think you’re going to start to see people drawing a line here that will put pressure on Republicans.”

SECRETARY OF STATE RUBIO CONFIRMS BECOMING ACTING USAID CHIEF

Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., speaks following the Democrats’ weekly policy luncheon at the U.S. Capitol building on Jan. 21, 2025 in Washington, D.C. (Samuel Corum/Getty Images)

The senator said his Republican colleagues should also feel pressure to speak out against the administration.

“The focus has to be on Republicans right now and why they have been completely and utterly silenced,” Murphy said. “I do not want all of the pressure to be on Democrats to figure this out when Republicans should care just as much about democracy as Democrats do.”

“The president of the United States does not have the power unilaterally to suspend all federal programs,” Murphy said. “He certainly does not have the power to suspend those programs and then decide on his own which entities get money and which don’t. The president doesn’t have the power to do that because that’s an extraordinary power to be invested in one person. The president could use that power to send money to his friends, to deny money to his enemies, to send money only to Republican states and not to Democratic states. The founders thought that that was a corrupting power that one person should not have.”

Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment, but they did not immediately respond.

President Donald Trump, accompanied by U.S. National Security Adviser Michael Waltz, takes a question from a reporter during a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the Oval Office on Feb. 4, 2025. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

USAID MISSIONS OVERSEAS ORDERED TO SHUT DOWN, STAFF BEING RECALLED: REPORT

Murphy also accused Trump of being in violation of court orders by refusing to turn the spending back on. As for USAID, the senator said Trump “has gone as far to essentially shutter the entire agency, laying off 60% of the people in many bureaus, telling employees yesterday that none of them should show up for work.”

“That is unconstitutional” the senator said, speculating that Trump “may be making a guess” that the U.S. Supreme Court will give him the power to shutter agencies.

Elon Musk is heading the Department of Government Efficiency. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

“I don’t think that we should just let the hyperbole sit on the side, because when people hear the President of the United States say that there’s corruption at USAID. When they hear Elon Musk say it’s a criminal enterprise, and it goes uncontested by either the media or Democrats, they believe it. I mean, that’s just an outright lie,” Murphy said. “So the president and his billionaire advisers are literally making things up out of thin air because they want to seize control of federal government spending so that they can reward their friends and Elon Musk’s friends and punish their enemies so as to suppress political dissent and destroy democracy in this country. That’s why this is a constitutional crisis.”

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“Right now our highest priority is making sure that democracy survives this assault on the Constitution,” Murphy said. “I can only speak for myself. I can’t tell you what every single Democrat is willing to do. I’m not going to vote for any more nominees. We are also vigorously pursuing court actions to try to shut down many of these illegal seizures of power. And I do think so far, Republicans have not joined us. But if we are able to muster real public sentiment against these seizures of power, I think that that may be enough to get Republicans to join us and on many of these nominations and pieces of legislation we ultimately don’t need. 20 Republicans remain and just a handful.”

Danielle Wallace is a breaking news and politics reporter at Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to [email protected] and on X: @danimwallace.

February 5, 2025
Reagan National Airport has bothered lawmakers for years, but quick access to power has stalled change

Ask many of Congress’ frequent fliers, and they’ll tell you Ronald Reagan National Airport has sent up red flags for years.

“I’ve long been very, very nervous about congestion at Reagan National,” said Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va.

“The congestion of the airspace around Reagan and D.C. as a whole definitely played a part in this,” said Sen. Tim Sheehy, R-Mont., a former firefighting pilot. “The sheer number of aircraft in the air is as high as it’s ever been.”

“A lot of aircraft transit up and down the Potomac,” said Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., a former Navy combat pilot and astronaut. “Getting in and out of certain areas. The Pentagon. Other military installations. Reagan right there in that highly trafficked area.”

“Whenever I’m at Reagan and I see new gates being built, the terminal getting larger, I realize that there will never be another inch of runway. The skies are pretty congested,” said Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D. “I often think there’s too much activity for this small plot of land. And I’m sure there’ll be a reevaluation of all of that.”

REAGAN NATIONAL AIRPORT CRASH: MILITARY BLACK HAWK HELICOPTER COLLIDES MIDAIR WITH AMERICAN AIRLINES JET

A JetBlue Airlines Airbus A320 jet flies past the U.S. Capitol dome as it comes in for a landing at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on Tuesday, May 7, 2024. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

The nation’s worst air disaster in nearly a quarter-century spilled into the Potomac River just short of Washington’s Reagan National Airport on Wednesday night. Sixty-seven people died after American Eagle Flight 5342 from Wichita, Kan., collided with an Army Sikorsky Black Hawk helicopter feet from the runway.

Aviation experts say flying in and out of Reagan National is one of the most complicated airports in the country. The approach from both the north and south is over water. Pilots must navigate a narrow corridor above the river – but not fly over the nearby Pentagon. That’s to say nothing of piercing Washington, D.C.’s super-protective airspace. The White House and U.S. Capitol are clearly visible when planes take off to the north.

Moreover, the airport is known for notoriously short runways. The runway on which the American Eagle flight attempted to land stretches a little more than 5,200 feet. Slightly less than a mile in length.

That’s not even the main runway. Standard commercial runways average around 13,000 feet. The longest runway at Reagan National is about 7,000 feet. Plus, all three runways cross one another. Such a configuration is rarely seen at modern airports.

DC PLANE CRASH: ATC STAFFING LEVELS UNDER SCRUTINY AS BARGES ARRIVE TO HELP SALVAGE OPS

The midair crash between an American Airlines jet and Black Hawk military helicopter near Reagan National Airport near Washington, D.C., was seen on dashcam video from Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling. (Storyful)

Last spring, there were two incidents where planes nearly crashed into one another while crossing runways.

The runways are some of the most overused in the entire American flight system. The airport was designed to handle 14 million passengers annually. But that number spiked to 25 million in 2023. The airport accommodates a staggering 800 takeoffs and landings each day.

There were efforts to close Reagan National when Dulles International Airport opened in 1962. Dulles is a monstrosity of a campus. However, it resides nearly 30 miles from Washington, D.C., proper. The nation’s movers and shakers never gravitated to Dulles when it was so easy to fly into Reagan National, deplane, catch a cab and arrive at the State Department for a meeting 15 minutes later.

Lawmakers, aviation, national security officials and the Secret Service conducted serious conversations about permanently closing the airport after 9/11. It was thought that air traffic in and out of Reagan National posed too much of a risk to the seat of government. It wouldn’t take much for hijackers to commandeer an aircraft and reroute it to Capitol Hill.

After all, one plane crashed into the Pentagon on 9/11. The fourth plane – which went down in a field near Shanksville, Penn. – was ultimately bound for the Capitol.

DC PLANE CRASH: POTOMAC RIVER DIVERS’ SEARCH FOR BODIES COMPLICATED BY CONDITIONS OUT OF THEIR CONTROL

Emergency workers recover debris from the Potomac River in the aftermath of the collision of American Eagle flight 5342 and a Black Hawk helicopter, as seen from Virginia, Jan. 30, 2025. (REUTERS/Carlos Barria)

That said, advocates for maintaining Reagan National argued it was nearly impossible to hijack a plane taking off and immediately send it barreling toward the Capitol. It takes a while to engineer a hijacking. There was simply not enough time to execute such a plan seconds after takeoff.

Still, authorities shuttered Reagan National for more than three weeks following 9/11. New safety rules were in place once the airport re-opened. Planes couldn’t have more than 156 seats. All passengers were required to be seated a half-hour before landing. Air marshals patrolled most if not all flights in and out of the airport.

The feds loosened many of those restrictions anywhere from a few months to nearly four years after 9/11. But that didn’t diminish questions about the safety of this particular airport.

VICTIMS IDENTIFIED IN DC PLANE CRASH INVOLVING AMERICAN AIRLINES JET AND MILITARY HELICOPTER

However, proponents of maintaining Reagan National had some of the most powerful allies in the nation: Members of Congress.

Lawmakers keep insane schedules. In fact, the invention of the jet airplane contributed to such bedlam. Lawmakers are in high demand in their districts or states – and on Capitol Hill. That’s to say nothing of conferences in Aspen or Halifax – and glitzy fundraisers in New York or San Francisco. So air travel, coupled with access to a nearby airport, is paramount in the modern Congress.

The importance of aviation is even incorporated into the Congressional vernacular.

Mondays or Tuesdays are often deemed “fly-in” days. The House and Senate don’t truly get going until late in the day during the first day of the week. Thus, votes on Monday might not unfold until 5:30 pm et in the Senate and 6:30 in the House. Depending on if the House (and sometimes the Senate) convenes on a Monday or Tuesday, Thursdays and Friday are considered “getaway” days. The House might cut town by late morning or noon on a getaway day. If the Senate doesn’t toil for five days (which has happened a lot this year, but not this week), the last vote often hits around 2:15 or 2:30 pm. on a Thursday.

Thus, lawmakers have a vested interest in keeping Reagan National operational. Even after 9/11.

Congress reauthorized programs for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for five years in 2024. But one of the most contentious issues in the bill was whether Congress should authorize additional daily “slots” for Reagan National. New, regular flights commence in a few weeks to Las Vegas, San Diego, Seattle, San Antonio and San Francisco. Lawmakers have blessed an increase of about 50 additional daily “slots” at Reagan National since the turn of the century.

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It’s telling that only four senators opposed the FAA bill last year. All four were the local Washington, D.C., area senators: former Sen. Ben Cardin, D-Md., – who just retired – along with Sens. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., Mark Warner, D-Va., and Kaine.

The Senate confirmed Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy on a bipartisan vote Tuesday. Duffy faced a crisis by Wednesday night. By Friday, the new secretary tightened up airspace around Reagan National for helicopters.

But like everything in Washington, the key to Reagan National is all about access. It’s hard to find any major airport on the planet located so close to the levers of power.

And as long as the White House, the U.S. Capitol, the Pentagon, a myriad of federal agencies and lobbying shops exist in Washington, it’s doubtful that Reagan National is going anywhere.

Fox News’ Chris Pandolfo contributed to this report.

Chad Pergram currently serves as a senior congressional correspondent for FOX News Channel (FNC). He joined the network in September 2007 and is based out of Washington, D.C.

February 1, 2025
Honda recalls nearly 295K Honda, Acura vehicles for risk of engine stall, power loss

Auto expert Mike Caudill joins ‘Cavuto: Coast to Coast’ to discuss the likelihood of a merger between Honda and Nissan and how it could impact the brands.

Honda is recalling nearly 295,000 Honda and Acura vehicles that could potentially suffer engine stalls or loss of power from faulty software.

In total, 294,612 of the automaker’s 2023-2025 Honda Pilot sport utility vehicles (SUVs), 2022-2025 Acura MDX Type-S SUVs and 2021-2025 Acura TLX Type-S sedans are subject to the Jan. 23 recall addressing the improperly programmed software in the fuel injection electronic control units, according to a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recall report.

Some Honda Pilot sport utility vehicles from the model years 2023-2025 are subject to the recall (Honda)

Honda said “sudden changes in the throttle could illuminate the check engine light and cause the engine to lose drive power, hesitate and/or stall” because of the software.

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That, the automaker said in the recall report, could heighten crash or injury risks.

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Honda explained it was “announcing this recall to encourage owners of affected vehicles to take them to an authorized dealer for repair as soon as they receive notification.”

The problem has not resulted in any injuries or accidents as of Jan. 16, the recall report said.

The logo of Honda seen at a dealership store. Honda is a Japanese multinational automotive manufacturing company. (Igor Golovniov/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images / Getty Images)

The automaker discovered the improper programming by “monitoring telematics information” and is providing the potentially affected vehicles with a software update, per a press release.

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Staff at authorized Honda and Acura dealerships will “reprogram” the FI-ECU with software that “contains the proper correction control logic settings” at no cost to owners, the report said.

A view of an Acura TLX Type S at the Players Tailgate by Bullseye Event Group on February 13, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. (Jesse Grant/Getty Images for Bullseye Event Group / Getty Images)

Owners of the recalled Honda Pilots, Acura MDXs and Acura TLXs should be on the lookout for a letter in the mail regarding the recall in mid-March.

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Honda first introduced the Acura brand nearly four decades ago. In 2024, more than 132,300 Acura and 1.291 million Honda vehicles were sold in the U.S., American Honda reported.

American Honda’s more than 1.42 million vehicle sales across both brands in 2024 marked an 8.8% year-over-year increase.

January 29, 2025
Energy giant announces major investment in US to power demands

Keyser, W.Va., Mayor Damon Tillman and Southeastern Montana Development Corporation executive director Jim Atchison examine President Trump’s efforts to reboot the U.S. energy industry and fight inflation on ‘The Bottom Line.’

GE Vernova, the energy spin-off from the company formerly known as GE, announced Wednesday it plans to invest nearly $600 million in its U.S. facilities over the next two years in order to help meet surging electricity demands in America and beyond.

The global Massachussetts-based firm said the investments will focus on gas power, grid, nuclear and onshore wind manufacturing sites, creating some 1,500 new manufacturing and engineering jobs across several states.

GE CEO and GE Aerospace CEO Lawrence Culp, Jr., (3rd L) and CEO of GE Vernova Scott Strazik (2nd R) ring the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) April 2, 2024, in New York City. (TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP via Getty Images / Getty Images)

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GEV GE VERNOVA INC. 355.12 +25.12 +7.61%

“These investments represent our serious commitment and responsibility as the leading energy manufacturer in the United States to help meet America’s and the world’s accelerating energy demand,” GE Vernova CEO Scott Strazik said in a statement.

“These strategic investments and the jobs they create aim to both help our customers meet the doubling of demand and accelerate American innovation and technology development to boost the country’s energy security and global competitiveness,” he added.

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GE Vernova said nearly half the funds will be directed to expanding its gas turbine manufacturing business, with new projects in Greenville, South Carolina; Schenectady, New York; Parsippany, New Jersey and Bangor, Maine.

A worker at GE Vernova’s facility in Bangor, Maine. (GE Vernova / FOXBusiness)

Roughly $100 million of the investment will go toward expanding innovation at its Advanced Research Center in Niskayuna, New York, with an additional $15 million alone going toward Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) work.

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The company also plans to expand capacity on its Grid Solutions facilities in Charleroi, Pennsylvania and Clearwater, Florida. It is also adding more resources for its nuclear business, dedicating more than $50 million to enhancements at its Wilmington, North Carolina, factory and to launch its next-generation nuclear fuel design.

Worker at GE Vernova facilityi n Wilmington, North Carolina (GE Vernova / FOXBusiness)

As part of the plans, GE Vernova is also adding capacity for onshore wind factories in the U.S., with plans to invest nearly $100 million in its manufacturing facilities in Pensacola, Florida; Schenectady, New York; and Grand Forks, North Dakota, as well as its remanufacturing facilities in Amarillo, Texas.

Finally, GE Vernova is also planning another $10 million-plus investment in its Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania facility over the next two years to expand capabilities across its Electrification segment, with the aim of adding U.S. manufacturing capacity to support the U.S. energy grid, as well as demand for solar and energy storage.

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GE Vernova has around 75,000 employees spanning more than 100 countries across the globe, and its technology helps produce around 25% of the world’s energy, according to the firm.

January 29, 2025
Chevron, Engine No. 1, GE Vernova announce partnership to power us data centers

Check out what’s clicking on FoxBusiness.com.

Oil giant Chevron and Engine No. 1, an activist fund, are partnering up to build a new company that will develop scalable, reliable power solutions for the U.S.-based data centers running on U.S. natural gas.

The merger, in conjunction with GE Vernova, aims to establish the first multi-gigawatt-scale co-located power plant and data center.

A press release from Chevron outlines that the projects will serve co-located data centers in the U.S. Southeast, Midwest and West regions. These developments will deliver the equivalent of power for more than 3 million homes.

ENERGY CEO REVEALS THE ‘BIGGEST PROBLEM’ FOR DATA CENTER POWER DEMAND | FOX BUSINESS VIDEO

A Chevron gas station in Rodeo, California, US, on Wednesday, June 19, 2024. Chevron Corp. is expected to release earnings figures on August 2. (Photographer: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images / Getty Images)

“We are proud to play our part in bringing to fruition President Trump’s vision for a new American golden age, powered by our enormous energy resources and unrivaled workforce,” Chevron CEO and chairman Mike Wirth said in a statement. “President Trump’s pro-American energy policies and commitment to energy and AI dominance give us the confidence to invest in projects that will create American jobs and strengthen our national security.”

This plan will initially bypass the existing transmission grid, reducing the risk of raising electricity costs, the company said.

GEV STOCK PRICE (+25.15) | STOCK QUOTE, CHART & NEWS FOR GE VERNOVA INC. ON FOX BUSINESS

GE CEO and GE Aerospace CEO Lawrence Culp, Jr., (3rd L) and CEO of GE Vernova Scott Strazik (2nd R) ring the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) April 2, 2024, in New York City. (TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP via Getty Images / Getty Images)

The companies say the endeavor will directly address the need for affordable, reliable energy, meeting the demand for electricity for U.S. data centers and enabling generations of AI to be developed in the U.S.

A Chevron gas station in Los Angeles, California. (Mario Tama/Getty Images / Getty Images)

Chris James, founder and chief investment officer of Engine No. 1, said, “Energy is the key to America’s AI dominance. By using abundant domestic natural gas to generate electricity directly connected to data centers, we can secure AI leadership, drive productivity gains across our economy and restore America’s standing as an industrial superpower. This partnership with Chevron and GE Vernova addresses the biggest energy challenge we face.”

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The project will also integrate carbon capture and storage, and renewable energy resources. Currently, the target is to put the plan in action by the close of 2027 with the potential for expansion following that.

January 29, 2025
Biden’s controversial pardons shine new light on power, as PA lawmakers take next step to strip Joe’s name

Lawmakers at the state and federal levels are responding to President Joe Biden’s record presidential pardon spree – as more than 3,000 people found their sentences commuted or pardoned. The pardons, some of which came in the final hours of Biden’s presidency, were issued to many members of his own family.

The last-minute tranche on Sunday that included James Biden, Hunter Biden and Valerie Biden-Owens came only weeks after a record 1,500 commutations in a single day – notably including that of disgraced Pennsylvania Judge Michael Conahan.

Conahan, of Wilkes-Barre, was dubbed the “kids for cash judge” after he was charged in connection with a scheme to send juvenile offenders to for-profit prisons in exchange for kickbacks.

Pennsylvania state Sen. Lisa Baker, R-Dallas, represents the area where Conahan once sat on the bench.

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Then-President Biden, center left, issued several preemptive pardons of prominent critics of President Donald Trump on Monday. (Getty)

Baker told Fox News Digital the former president’s pardon in that case was “disrespectful to the victims, their families, the juvenile justice system, and to all the officials who have worked to reform the system so that this kind of scandal cannot happen again.”

She and other lawmakers are also trying to bring new attention to victim notification processes that exist at the federal level and in many states, including Pennsylvania.

A source familiar with the federal process said the system is a voluntary construct, in that victims may sign up for notifications but are not automatically informed if convicts are pardoned, transferred or released.

Rep. Dan Meuser, R-Pa., said he was troubled by much of Biden’s pardon spree, including those given preemptively to family and President Donald Trump critics, as well as convicts like Conahan – whose “kids for cash” scandal greatly affected his constituents – and added that the former president may have damaged the pardon process.

“These preemptive actions amount to an implicit admission of wrongdoing,” Meuser said of pardons given to Biden family members.

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“This sets a dangerous precedent that undermines the long-standing purpose of the presidential pardon power. Historically, pardons have been used to offer clemency or correct injustices—not to shield one’s family members from potential accountability before any charges are even brought.”

Unfortunately for Biden critics, Meuser said the presidential pardon power is enshrined in Article II of the Constitution, and Congress has no power to intervene or change it.

“While I vehemently disagree with Biden’s decision to preemptively pardon members of his family, the presidential pardon power is established [therein]. That means, absent the ratification of a constitutional amendment, Congress does not have the power to review, alter, or pass legislation limiting a president’s pardon power.”

Meuser pointed to the 1974 Supreme Court case Schick v. Reed, which confirmed Congress cannot have a role.

“Nevertheless, our Founding Fathers never could have conceived that a president would pardon a son who broke countless laws and utilized the White House to defraud and leverage millions of dollars in a pay-to-play scheme that also involved other family members.”

Rep. Rob Bresnahan, R-Pa., who flipped Biden’s home district in November, has also expressed concern over Biden’s use of presidential pardons.

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The former Central Scranton Expressway, now the President Biden Expressway, diverges from I-81, which continues toward Binghamton, New York. (Charles Creitz)

“I think what’s discouraging is that you heard time and time again along the campaign trail that he wasn’t going to do something like this, but I’m certainly not surprised,” Bresnahan recently told WBRE.

“I’m sure much of America is not surprised.”

While countless Americans who fell victim to those pardoned, including Conahan, may have little recourse, Baker said she is participating in the drafting of legislation in Harrisburg late Friday that will attempt to remove Biden’s likeness from part of his home area.

While the former Spruce Street in Scranton – since renamed Biden Avenue – is city property, Baker said the “President Joseph R. Biden Jr. Expressway” splitting off Interstate 81 into his hometown is within PennDOT’s bounds.

“The reaction has been so strong that many have called for renaming the President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. Expressway, which was designated by Scranton City Council in 2021,” Baker said.

The lawmaker added Biden’s legacy is forever “stained” by Conahan’s “inexplicable and infamous commutation.”

“We owe it to the juvenile victims, their families, and all the believers in equal justice to remove the name of Joe Biden and replace it with someone truly deserving of the honor.”

Charles Creitz is a reporter for Fox News Digital.

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

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

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

January 27, 2025