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Senate Majority Leader Thune says this is the reason why he and Trump are working well together

EXCLUSIVE: Senate Majority Leader John Thune is getting a tough job done.

“Senate Republicans have been committed to getting President Trump’s nominees through,” Thune, who’s been on the job steering the Senate for six weeks, told Fox News in an exclusive national digital interview.

Thune was interviewed ahead of Brooke Rollins’s confirmation as secretary of agriculture, which brought to 16 the number of Trump nominees approved by the Senate.

Only 11 Cabinet nominees were approved by this date eight years ago during Trump’s first term in the White House.

SENATE CONFIRMS ANOTHER CONTROVERSIAL TRUMP CABINET NOMINEE

Senate Majority Leader Sen. John Thune of South Dakota speaks to reporters on Feb. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

And on this date four years ago, the Senate had confirmed only seven of then-President Biden’s Cabinet nominees.

Rollins’ confirmation followed the confirmations of two of Donald Trump’s most controversial nominees: former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard as director of national intelligence and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as secretary of health and human services.

Gabbard and Kennedy were confirmed on near party-line votes in a chamber the GOP controls with a 53-47 majority.

“I think that the Senate Republicans have proven that we are united,” the South Dakota Republican said.

Thune, a two-decade Senate veteran who served in GOP leadership the past few years before succeeding longtime leader Sen. Mitch McConnell as the top Republican in the chamber, emphasized the team effort.

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“What you try and do is just try and make the people around you better,” Thune said. “We’ve got a lot of talent in the Senate, people who … we want to deploy and utilize and let them use their gifts and talents [to] get things done around here that need to be done.”

The senator pointed to his father, a former college athlete and coach, who he said would advise him to “make the extra pass if somebody’s got a better shot. So what we’ve been trying to do is look for an opportunity to make the extra pass. And I think that it does really utilize the great talent we have here in the Senate.”

Thune says he’s been meeting “fairly regularly” with the president, in person, on the phone and through text.

President Donald Trump talks to Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., left, and House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., after speaking at the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington on Feb. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

“It’s a regular pipeline,” he said. “His team has been really good, too, about working with our team here. I think we’ve had a very constructive working relationship. And I tell people, our incentives are aligned. We all want to get to the same destination.”

Thune hasn’t always had a constructive relationship with the often unpredictable Trump.

Trump was critical of Thune in the years after his first term and briefly considered backing a primary challenge against the senator as he ran for re-election in 2022.

Thune said that “like a lot of people,” he’s had “differences with the president in the past.”

“But I think right now, we understand the things that we want to get done in the course of his term and the opportunity that we have, which is rare in politics, to have unified control of the government, House, Senate and White House. We need to maximize that, and in order to do that, we’ve got to have a very constructive relationship in which there’s regular communication,” Thune emphasized.

McConnell was the only Senate Republican to vote against confirming Kennedy and Gabbard. McConnell, who suffered from polio as a child and is a major proponent of vaccines, was critical of Kennedy’s history of high-profile vaccine skepticism.

Mitch McConnell (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

“I’m a survivor of childhood polio. In my lifetime, I’ve watched vaccines save millions of lives from devastating diseases across America and around the world. I will not condone the re-litigation of proven cures and neither will millions of Americans who credit their survival and quality of life to scientific miracles,” McConnell said after the Kennedy vote.

Trump, who’s long criticized McConnell, took aim again.

“I have no idea if he had polio. All I can tell you about him is he shouldn’t have been a leader. He knows that. He voted against Bobby. He votes against almost everything. He’s a very bitter guy,” Trump charged.

Thune, interviewed after Gabbard’s confirmation and ahead of the final vote on Kennedy, said the 82-year-old McConnell is “still active up here and still a strong voice on issues he’s passionate about, including national security.”

“So when it comes to those issues, he has outsized influence and a voice that we all pay attention to,” Thune said. “He’s got views on some of these nominees that maybe don’t track exactly with where I or other Republicans have come down, but we respect his positions on these, some of these noms, and I know that on a lot of big stuff ahead of us, he’s going to be with us. He’s a team player.”

Thune added, “I’ve had plenty of consultations with him through the years and in recent months and weeks, and we’ll continue to reach out to him when we think it makes sense to get a lay of the land that, based on his experience, he can help us navigate.”

Senate Majority Leader Sen. John Thune of South Dakota, right, speaks to reporters, Feb. 11, 2025, after a Senate policy luncheon on Capitol Hill. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

While he’s enjoyed a slew of confirmation victories this week, Thune is realistic.

“I feel good about how it’s gone so far, but we’ve got some really hard sledding ahead. We know that, and we just have to keep our heads down and do the work,” he cautioned.

While confirming Trump’s Cabinet is currently job No. 1, Thune is juggling numerous tasks.

“Obviously, most of our time has been occupied moving the president’s team and getting his nominees confirmed, and we’ll continue to do that. But as we go about that process, we’re looking for windows, too, to move important legislation,” he said.

He pointed to the Laken Riley Act, quickly passed by the Senate and the House and signed into law by Trump.

The controversial measure, which is named after a nursing student who was killed by an illegal immigrant while jogging on the University of Georgia’s campus, requires federal immigration authorities to detain illegal immigrants found guilty of theft-related crimes.

Thune pointed out that the legislation grabbed bipartisan support, but he added that it’s “a bill that was responsive to the election mandate, and it was a bill that divided Democrats and united Republicans.”

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He also chastised his predecessor as Senate majority leader, Democrat Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York.

Thune argued that during Schumer’s tenure “the floor would get bogged down. You know, votes would take forever. We’re just trying to make more efficient use of people’s time and get this place kind of operating on a schedule again. We’re going to continue to do that and getting back to regular order.”

Paul Steinhauser is a politics reporter based in New Hampshire.

February 14, 2025
‘No reason’ for new nukes: Trump floats disarmament talks with China, Russia

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President Donald Trump floated a joint meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin, claiming he wants all countries to move toward denuclearization.

Trump on Thursday told reporters he plans to advance these denuclearization talks once “we straighten it all out” in the Middle East and Ukraine, comments that come as the U.S., Russia and Ukraine are actively pursuing negotiations to end the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

“There’s no reason for us to be building brand new nuclear weapons, we already have so many,” Trump said Thursday at the White House. “You could destroy the world 50 times over, 100 times over. And here we are building new nuclear weapons, and they’re building nuclear weapons.”

“We’re all spending a lot of money that we could be spending on other things that are actually, hopefully, much more productive,” he said.

The U.S. is projected to spend approximately $756 billion on nuclear weapons between 2023 and 2032, according to a Congressional Budget Office report released in 2023.

PUTIN VIEWED AS ‘GREAT COMPETITOR’ BUT STILL A US ‘ADVERSARY’ AS UKRAINE NEGOTIATIONS LOOM, LEAVITT SAYS

President Donald Trump floated a joint meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, left, and Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, claiming he wants all countries to move toward denuclearization. (Alexander Zemlianichenko/Pool via Reuters)

Additionally, Trump said that he was aiming to schedule meetings with Xi and Putin early on in his second term and request that the countries cut their military budgets in half. The president said he believes “we can do that,” and remained indifferent about whether he traveled to Xi or Putin, or if they visited the White House.

Meanwhile, the U.S. has dramatically reduced its nuclear arsenal since the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989.

The U.S. maintains 3,748 nuclear warheads as of September 2023, a drop from the stockpile of 22,217 nuclear warheads in 1989, according to the Department of Energy. The agency reported the U.S. owned a maximum of 31,255 nuclear warheads in 1966.

In comparison, Russia has an estimated stockpile of roughly 4,380 nuclear warheads, while China boasts an arsenal of roughly 600, according to the Federation of American Scientists.

Trump on Thursday announced plans to pursue denuclearization talks with Russia and China. (AP/Alex Brandon)

Trump’s remarks build on previous statements he made in January at the Davos World Economic Forum in Switzerland, where he signaled interest in talks on denuclearization with both Russia and China.

“Tremendous amounts of money are being spent on nuclear, and the destructive capability is something that we don’t even want to talk about today, because you don’t want to hear it,” Trump said on Jan. 23.

Previous talks between the U.S., Russia and China fell through in 2020 during Trump’s first administration after he refused to sign an extension of the 2010 New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty with Russia to impose limits on each country’s nuclear arsenals. The treaty ultimately was renewed under the Biden administration and now expires in 2026, but Russia suspended its participation.

On Thursday, Trump accused these negotiations of falling apart due what he called the “rigged election” in 2020.

NO LONGER TAKEN ADVANTAGE OF: TRUMP SIGNS ORDER PRIORITIZING ‘UNIFIED’ US FOREIGN POLICY FRONT

Trump said that he was aiming to schedule meetings with Xi and Putin early on in his second term and request that the countries cut their military budgets in half. (Xie Huanchi/Xinhua via Getty Images)

Trump also said on Thursday that Putin wants peace after Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, comments that followed back-to-back calls with the Russian leader and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Wednesday. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent also traveled to Kyiv on Wednesday.

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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 wrote. 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.”

February 13, 2025
January inflation gives Fed more reason to hold on interest rate cuts

Egg prices soared by more than 15% in January. (iStock)

Annual inflation increased to 3% in January, rising above expectations and giving the Federal Reserve further reason to slow down interest rate cuts.

Inflation increased 0.5% monthly, slightly exceeding expectations and above the previous month’s increase of 0.4%, according to the Consumer Price Index (CPI) released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Core CPI, which excludes food and energy, rose by 0.4% in January, coming in at the same level as December’s increase. This brought the year-over-year rate to 3.3%.

Shelter costs rose 0.4% and were the most significant contributor to the monthly increase in January, accounting for nearly 30% of the monthly increase in all items. Gas was up 1.8% over the month. Food prices continued to rise, increasing 0.4% last month. The food at home index rose 0.5%, driven primarily by the soaring costs of eggs, which increased 15.2% in January.

“The unexpected acceleration in inflation marks the third consecutive monthly uptick in the consumer price index and extends a reflationary trend since two consecutive flat months for the index in May and June 2024,” Jim Baird, Plante Moran Financial Advisors’ chief investment officer, said in a statement. “Against a backdrop of solid demand, inflation has accelerated. It’s a reality that may spook consumers who remember the Covid-19 era price spike all too well.

“It will also make President Trump’s proposed import tariffs a tougher sell than was the case during his first term, when both inflation and interest rates were exceptionally low,” Baird continued.

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SENIORS TO GET MODERATE COST OF LIVING BUMP IN SOCIAL SECURITY PAYMENTS NEXT YEAR

The Fed pauses on further rate cuts

The increase in inflation, combined with a stable jobs market and economic growth, has given the Federal Reserve more room to work.

The Federal Reserve held interest rates at 4.5% to 4.75% in January, prompted by strong economic indicators that gave the central bank more room to wait. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said that the central bank intend to remain cautious about additional rate cuts so long as the job market remains solid and prices continue to climb.

“The murkiness of evolving trade policy creates a significant unknown for Fed policymakers who will have to grapple with the potential conflicting policy challenges of slower real growth and higher inflation,” Baird said. “While even bearish forecasts are a far cry from the stagflationary environment of the 1970s, the playbook would seemingly still apply.

“Arresting inflation is likely to remain the priority for the Fed, even at the expense of near-term growth,” Baird said. “The fear of inflation expectations becoming unanchored is just too much for policymakers to ignore.”

You can take out a personal loan before future rate hikes to help pay down high-interest debt. Visit Credible to find your personal loan rate without affecting your credit score.

FHFA ANNOUNCES HIGHER MORTGAGE LOAN LIMITS FOR 2025

How higher for longer impacts your wallet

All signs point to the Fed holding interest rates higher for longer, which means consumers will continue to be impacted by stubbornly elevated interest rates impacting a range of credit products, including credit cards, mortgages, unsecured personal loans and auto loans, according to Charlie Wise, TransUnion’s senior vice president of research and consulting.

“Consumers should avoid building and carrying large credit card balances, particularly in light of very high interest rates on this type of debt, and whenever possible pay more than the monthly minimums due on their cards,” Wise said in a statement.

Additionally, Wise advised that consumers keep a close watch on their credit profiles and keep them in the best shape possible so that when rates finally drop to a more manageable level, they are ready to refinance their existing debts into more affordable loans.

Using a personal loan to pay off high-interest debt at a lower rate could help you reduce your expenses and put money back in your wallet. You can visit Credible to find your personalized interest rate today.

BIDEN CANCELS MORE STUDENT LOANS WITH ONE WEEK LEFT TO HIS TERM

Have a finance-related question, but don’t know who to ask? Email The Credible Money Expert at [email protected] and your question might be answered by Credible in our Money Expert column.

February 13, 2025
Mark Ingram declares Saquon Barkley the reason Eagles are back in Super Bowl LIX: ‘Special season’

NEW ORLEANS – Since 2009, there have only been four 2,000-yard rushing seasons in the NFL.

It began with Chris Johnson, known forever as “CJ2K” after his 2009 season with the Tennessee Titans. Then, Adrian Peterson defied all odds when he came back to the Minnesota Vikings after tearing his ACL in 2011, rushing for 2,097 in 2012.

Finally, Derrick Henry, another Titans running back, notched 2,027 yards during the 2020 campaign, and he almost got it again with the Baltimore Ravens in 2024.

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Mark Ingram attends the 10th Annual Unbridled Eve Kentucky Derby Gala at The Galt House Hotel on May 5, 2023 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Daniel Boczarski/Getty Images for Unbridled Eve)

The 2024 season’s top rusher, though, was Philadelphia Eagles star Saquon Barkley, who had one former running back star believing his campaign was better than all the ones mentioned before.

“In recent memory, man, just the impact he had coming from the Giants and going to the Eagles in season one, is second to none for sure,” Mark Ingram II, the New Orleans Saints legend back in town for Super Bowl LIX where Barkley will be playing, told Fox News Digital on Radio Row. “We’ve seen some special performances from backs, but his season is second to none.

“What he’s been able to do, the value he’s shown to the Eagles organization, the value he’s showing to the Eagles’ offense. It’s been a special season.”

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

When it comes to running backs, what Ingram loves most is when a player is a complete back. That translates to more than just a north-to-south, bulldozing runner. A do-it-all back can not only cover all the running lanes, but he can pass catch and block out of the backfield.

Barkley has showcased he can do all that in his six seasons with the Giants, but Ingram cannot believe the level he has done it at up to this point.

“The highlight-reel runs he’s had, speed, power, agility, catching the football and jumping over people backwards. He’s operating at a high level right now,” he explained, while also touching on his work with the American Gaming Association this week. “He’s in the zone and that’s why the Eagles are at where they’re at right now because of Saquon Barkley.”

Philadelphia Eagles’ Jalen Hurts, #1, and Saquon Barkley, #26, celebrate after Hurts ran the ball for a touchdown in the second half of an NFL football game in Arlington, Texas, on Sunday, Nov. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Gareth Patterson)

Barkley led the league in rushing with 2,005 yards, and he might have broken Eric Dickerson’s single-season rushing yards record (2,105) if he had not sat out the entire Week 18 regular-season finale against his former Giants. Not only that, he also had 33 receptions for 278 yards and added two touchdowns through the air to mark 15 total on the season.

Barkley’s massive production in 2024 is a clear reason why the Eagles are currently in the same position they were two seasons ago, when they were facing the same Kansas City Chiefs in the “Big Game.”

Is Barkley the difference maker this time around, though? Time, 60 minutes to be exact, on Sunday, will show the football world whether that is true or false.

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One thing is for sure: Barkley is special, no matter which way you spin it. Ingram can name anything a running back should do on gameday, and Barkley does it at an elite level.

HAVE A BETTING GAMEPLAN

Americans are expected to legally wager a record $1.39 billion dollars on Super Bowl LIX this year, which has led Ingram to team up with the American Gaming Association to preach having a betting gameplan.

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

First and foremost, have a budget and stick to it. Be responsible, bet legally and don’t be harassing players – sending Venmos, sending CashApps when they do not hit your prop bets. Enjoy it, respect it. It is supposed to be entertainment.

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Ingram finds it crazy that some fans take betting to the extreme, especially when it comes to what he calls bashing players through various means because they did not win.

“It is crazy. People Venmo-ing, people DMing. It’s crazy, man. The players didn’t set the over/under for themselves, Vegas did. So, be mad at Vegas. The players are out there trying to do everything they can to help their team win a game.”

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Scott Thompson is a sports writer for Fox News Digital.

February 6, 2025
49ers’ Deebo Samuel rooting against Patrick Mahomes in Chiefs’ historic pursuit: ‘All the reason to hate’

San Francisco 49ers star wideout Deebo Samuel likely won’t be tuning in to watch the Super Bowl, but he is hoping the Philadelphia Eagles pull off an upset over the Kansas City Chiefs as the defending champs chase history.

Samuel didn’t hide his feelings toward the Chiefs on the latest episode of his podcast “Cleats & Convos.”

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San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel after the game against the Arizona Cardinals at Levi’s Stadium. (Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images)

“I was rooting for Josh Allen and the Bills honestly, just because I’m a fan of their game and the season that they’ve had,” Chicago Bears wideout Rome Odunze, a guest on this week’s podcast episode, said before admitting that he can’t discredit what Kansas City has achieved.

But Samuel disagreed.

FORMER HEAD OF NFL OFFICIALS DISMISSES CLAIMS LEAGUE FAVORS CHIEFS: ‘I REALLY DON’T’ SEE IT

“They [Chiefs] beat me twice so I got all the reason to hate,” he said, referring to Patrick Mahomes’ first Super Bowl victory over the 49ers in 2020 and their most recent last season.

“You’ve got to tip your hat to the Chiefs for always finding a way to win,” he continued. “We’ve got the Chiefs and the Eagles – you know, I’ve got a love-hate for both, but I got all the love for my brother A.J. Brown over there, so I definitely want to see him win. I definitely don’t want to see Mahomes get the third one. I’m rocking with A.J. and Saquon [Barkley] with this one for sure.”

Quarterback Patrick Mahomes celebrates after the Chiefs defeated the Buffalo Bills in the AFC Championship game, Sunday, Jan. 26, 2025, in Kansas City. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

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Mahomes and company are pursuing a rare accomplishment when they arrive in New Orleans next week: becoming the only NFL team to ever win three Super Bowls consecutively.

But the Eagles are chasing a history of their own. A win in New Orleans on Feb. 9 would make Jalen Hurts just the fourth quarterback in NFL history to win the Lombardi Trophy after losing his first Super Bowl start.

Of the 36 starting quarterbacks to lose in their Super Bowl debuts, only Len Dawson, Bob Griese and John Elway returned victoriously.

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

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The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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January 29, 2025
LA real estate agent reveals No. 1 reason why Pacific Palisades residents won’t return

Former ‘Million Dollar Listing’ star and Los Angeles real estate agent Josh Altman provides an update on wildfire recovery and rebuilding efforts, and previews President Donald Trump’s visit to disaster sites.

After making a shocking prediction that up to 70% of Pacific Palisades residents won’t return to rebuild and live in their homes, former “Million Dollar Listing” real estate agent Josh Altman is explaining exactly why.

“They’re not going to not return because they don’t want to return. Of course they want to go back there… They’re not going to return because it’s simple math,” Altman said on “FOX Business Live,” Friday.

“I don’t believe they’re going to be able to afford to rebuild with most of the people that are heavily underinsured, with the costs of construction, lumber, steel. We’re talking about a $1,000 [per] foot building in the Palisades and in Malibu.”

Southern California has been grappling with a surge of wildfires since Jan. 7. Over 50,000 acres have been scorched, 28 people have been killed and upwards of 16,000 homes and buildings have been completely lost.

L.A. CELEBRITY BROKER IS HOLDING WILDFIRE ‘BAD’ APPLES ACCOUNTABLE, URGING THEM TO ‘GET THEIR ACT TOGETHER’

President Donald Trump declared a national emergency Friday after touring the devastation in Los Angeles with residents who were personally impacted by the disastrous event.

Former “Million Dollar Listing” star Josh Altman argues that the main reason why up to 70% of Pacific Palisades residents won’t return to their homes is due to expensive insurance and buildings costs, on “FOX Business Live.” (FOXBusiness)

Early estimates put the total financial loss of the wildfires in the $50 billion range, according to AccuWeather and JPMorgan. Leading up to the fires, several insurance companies either fled, stopped writing new policies or reduced coverage in the Golden State.

“And that’s on top of getting a construction crew to show up to your site when there’s 16,000 structures that have been burned between houses, schools, commercial spaces. It’s a disaster,” Altman expanded. “That’s what I’m saying, I don’t know that they’ll be able to do it with the insurance.”

Newsom signed off on a relief package where the state will spend $2.5 billion to help with wildfire recovery. But Altman wants Newsom to take his response a step further by removing bureaucratic roadblocks that make building homes in California timely and costly.

New York City real estate agents Dolly and Jenny Lenz discuss the Los Angeles wildfires and the impact it will have on the local housing market on ‘FOX Business Live.’

“The recipe for success is going to be cutting the red tape. Building a house, the process in California, which is just wrapped in red tape, is absolutely impossible: a year to get permits; you’ve got the Coastal Commission, which could be another two years. It’s time for the governor to start cutting the red tape. We got to move forward as a team,” he said.

“There’s been a lot of ordinances and a lot of things on the state and local level that have to go. The mansion tax, that was the worst tax that was ever passed,” Altman continued. “Get rid of it for all the people who lost their houses. The wildlife ordinance, get rid of it. Start cutting the red tape. That’s how we’re going to get back to being [a] strong Los Angeles.”

The real estate expert, who spoke ahead of the president’s visit, hoped Trump seeing the devastation with his own eyes would lead to more federal aid and assistance.

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The Oppenheim Group’s founder and ‘Selling Sunset’ lead broker talks to Fox News Digital about how he’s speaking out against landlords taking advantage of price gouging amid California’s devastating wildfires.

“You have to see it. I have walked the Palisades, I have walked Malibu. It is way worse in person than you could ever imagine. Hopefully that will open up funding on the federal level.”

Critical fire conditions waned across the region, Friday, with isolated pockets of rain expected over the weekend. The beneficial rain will peak in coverage Sunday, but could trigger mudslides in burn-scar areas.

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Fox News’ Stepheny Price and FOX Weather’s Chris Oberholtz contributed to this report.

January 25, 2025