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HUD Secretary creates DOGE Task Force

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Scott Turner announced a new Department of Government Efficiency task force on Thursday to “eliminate waste, fraud and abuse” at his federal agency.

DOGE revealed that $1.9 billion in HUD money had been recovered as of Friday, saying the funds were misplaced during the Biden administration and were “earmarked for the administration of financial services, but were no longer needed.”

DOGE said it worked with Turner to release the funds, and they are now available for use by the U.S. Department of Treasury.

Turner said HUD launched its own DOGE Task Force to review how the agency is spending taxpayer money. HUD employees will lead the task force with a mission to maximize their budget and efficiency, reporting their findings directly to Turner.

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

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Scott Turner was confirmed Feb. 5, 2024. (Getty Images)

“HUD will be detailed and deliberate about every dollar spent to serve rural, tribal and urban communities. Thanks to President Trump’s leadership, we are no longer in a business-as-usual posture, and the DOGE task force will play a critical role in helping to identify and eliminate waste, fraud and abuse and ultimately better serve the American people,” Turner said.

TRUMP TEAM DIGS IN, FINDS MILLIONS OF WASTED DOLLARS AT EPA, HUD WITH DOGE HELP

Turner said he established the task force to comply with President Donald Trump’s executive order to “maximize governmental efficiency and productivity.”

The HUD DOGE Task Force will work to “ensure all programs, processes and personnel are working together to advance the purpose of the department.”

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Scott Turner launched a Department of Government Efficiency Task Force to review how HUD is spending taxpayer dollars. (Getty/AP)

HUD is responsible for national housing policy and urban development, and its programs include affordable housing programs, community development, homeowner support, fair housing and anti-discrimination enforcement, homelessness services, and affordable housing programs.

Turner said during his announcement Thursday that the DOGE Task Force had already identified over $260 million in savings.

“We have already identified over $260 million in savings, and we have more to accomplish,” Turner said.

As Elon Musk and DOGE comb their way through the federal bureaucracy, some agencies are conducting their own investigations to meet DOGE halfway.

Administrator for the Environmental Protection Agency Lee Zeldin announced on Thursday he had canceled a $50 million environmental justice grant.

Elon Musk listens as President Donald Trump speaks with reporters in the Oval Office at the White House Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

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“I canceled a $50 million grant to an organization called the Climate Justice Alliance. They say that climate justice runs through a free Palestine. I think that the American taxpayer wouldn’t want $50 million going to this left-wing advocacy group. It’s canceled,” Zeldin said.

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has also committed to cooperating with DOGE to cut wasteful spending at the Department of Defense.

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

Deirdre Heavey is a politics writer for Fox News Digital.

February 16, 2025
Anna Paulina Luna to lead task force on declassification of JFK assassination records, Epstein client list

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EXCLUSIVE: Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., will lead a new task force focused on the declassification of federal secrets — including records related to the assassinations of former President John F. Kennedy Jr., Sen. Robert F. Kennedy and Dr. Martin Luther King, and other documents in the public interest, Fox News Digital has learned.

House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., appointed Luna to chair the task force, titled the “Task Force on the Declassification of Federal Secrets.”

Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., will lead a new task force focused on the declassification of federal secrets. (Getty Images)

FBI UNCOVERS THOUSANDS OF UNDISCLOSED RECORDS CONNECTED TO JFK’S ASSASSINATION

Luna is expected to focus on examining the declassification of materials in the public interest — including the client list of Jeffrey Epstein, files relating to Sept. 11, 2001, COVID-19 origins, UFOs and more.

Fox News Digital has learned that Comer and Luna are sending letters to necessary agencies to kick off the declassification investigations.

President Donald Trump, left, signed an executive order Feb. 6 aimed at declassifying government documents on the assassinations of President John F. K Kennedy Jr., right, his brother and presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy, and civil rights icon Martin Luther King Jr. (The Associated Press)

Sources told Fox News Digital that Comer and Luna sent letters to the State Department, Department of Energy and the CIA for documents relating to the origins of COVID-19; the National Security Agency and CIA for records relating to JFK, MLK Jr., and RFK assassinations; the Department of Defense and the CIA for 9/11 files; and to the Justice Department for documents relating to Jeffrey Epstein.

President Donald Trump on Feb. 6 signed an order to declassify files related to the assassinations of President John F. Kennedy, and civil rights icon Martin Luther King Jr. (Getty Images)

The creation of the task force comes after President Donald Trump signed an executive order directing the director of National Intelligence and other appropriate officials to present a plan for the full and complete release of all JFK assassination records within 15 days.

He also ordered that officials immediately review the records relating to RFK and MLK Jr.’s assassinations and present a plan for their full and complete release within 45 days.

TRUMP SIGNS ORDER TO DECLASSIFY FILES ON JFK, RFK AND MLK ASSASSINATIONS

“For too long, the federal government has kept information of public interest classified and the American people are demanding greater transparency. This secrecy has sowed distrust in our institutions,” Comer told Fox News Digital, noting that the task force will “build on the Trump Administration’s efforts to declassify records of national importance and ensure Americans get the answers they deserve.”

“Representative Luna is committed to shining a light on the truth and ending the era of secrecy,” Comer said. “It’s time to let the sunlight in and finally provide answers the American public has long demanded.”

The task force will also investigate “UAPs/USOs, the Epstein client list, COVID-19 origins, and the 9/11 files.” Here, security personnel stand guard outside the Wuhan Institute of Virology in Wuhan, China. (Hector Retamal/AFP via Getty Images)

Luna told Fox News Digital that the federal government “has been hiding information from Americans for decades.”

“We have spent years seeking information on the assassinations of President Kennedy, Senator Kennedy, Reverend King, and other government secrets without success,” Luna told Fox News Digital. “It is time to give Americans the answers they deserve, which is why I am honored to lead this bipartisan task force that seeks truth and transparency.”

Luna told Fox News Digital that the task force will also investigate “UAPs/USOs, the Epstein client list, COVID-19 origins, and the 9/11 files.”

A UFO is seen in the sky. (Courtesy of Netflix)

“We will work alongside President Trump and his cabinet members to deliver truth to the American people,” she said. “From this moment forward, we will restore trust through transparency.”

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Sources said Luna’s task force is authorized for six months.

Fox News Digital is told that members of the task force will be announced in the coming weeks.

February 11, 2025
House Dems organize rapid response task force and litigation group to combat Trump agenda

House Minority Leader Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., sent House Democrats a letter Monday announcing the formation of a rapid response team and litigation group to “push back against the far-right extremism” since President Donald Trump took office.

In the “Dear Colleague” letter, Jeffries wrote, “I write with respect to our ongoing effort to push back against the far-right extremism that is being relentlessly unleashed on the American people.”

Jeffries characterized the political landscape as “a multifaceted struggle to protect and defend everyday Americans from the harm being inflicted by this administration.”

The letter states House Democrats have as a result officially established a Rapid Response Task Force and Litigation Working Group chaired by Colorado Democratic Rep. Joe Neguse.

DEMS FLIRT WITH GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN THREAT DESPITE PAST FUROR OVER SPENDING CLIFF

House Minority Leader Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, right, sent House Democrats a letter Monday announcing the formation of a rapid response team and litigation group to “push back against the far-right extremism” since President Donald Trump took office. (Getty Images)

Jeffries said that Democrats would continue to be “committed to driving down the high cost of living for everyday Americans.” He criticized House Republicans for continuing to “launch far-right attacks on Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, public safety and the education of our children,” saying the American people were “counting” on Democrats to stop them.

Fox News Digital reached out to the White House, Jeffries’ office and Neguse’s office for comment but did not immediately hear back.

SPEAKER JOHNSON SAYS HOUSE WILL MATCH TRUMP’S PACE AS DEMOCRATS ARE LEFT ‘FLAILING’

Jeffries responded to a Fox News inquiry about the task force, saying, “It’s been an ongoing effort to push back against far-right extremism.”

Jeffries told Fox that “not a single thing that [Republicans have] actually done is a matter of law right now” and said such actions suggest Republicans are “in disarray.”

The letter states House Democrats have as a result officially established a Rapid Response Task Force and Litigation Working Group chaired by Colorado Democrat Rep. Joe Neguse, pictured here. (Getty)

Jeffries, along with House Democrat colleagues, have unveiled efforts to resist the president’s agenda since Trump took office in mid-January.

Just last week, House Democrats announced legislation that seeks to secure the personal data of Americans amid the Department of Government Efficiency’s (DOGE) spending sweep.

HOUSE DEMOCRAT LEAVES CONGRESSIONAL DOGE CAUCUS, SAYING MUSK IS ‘BLOWING THINGS UP’

The legislation, titled the Taxpayer Data Protection Act, was revealed Thursday 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.”

Elon Musk’s DOGE team has spent the last several weeks identifying “wasteful” spending within various governmental agencies.

Elon Musk’s DOGE team has spent the last several weeks identifying “wasteful” spending within various governmental agencies. (House of Representatives/Getty)

DOGE became the target of various lawsuits in the weeks following its establishment. A federal New York judge on Saturday ruled to block DOGE officials from accessing personal data such as social security numbers and bank account numbers.

Trump’s Justice Department railed against the order, calling it an “anti-Constitutional” ruling.

Vice President JD Vance also called the ruling unconstitutional on X, saying it was an example of judicial overreach.

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“If a judge tried to tell a general how to conduct a military operation, that would be illegal. If a judge tried to command the attorney general in how to use her discretion as a prosecutor, that’s also illegal. Judges aren’t allowed to control the executive’s legitimate power,” Vance wrote Sunday.

Fox News’ Kelly Phares, Tyler Olson, Aubrie Spady, and Anders Hagstrom contributed to this report.

Haley Chi-Sing is a Writer for Fox News Digital. You can reach her at @haleychising on X.

February 11, 2025
Dem mayor unleashes task force in attempt to rescue crime-ridden city: ‘Restore order to our streets’

San Francisco Mayor David Lurie launched the San Francisco Police Department (SFPD) Hospitality Task Force and secured a key vote in support of the Fentanyl State of Emergency Ordinance this week as he works to clean up San Francisco’s streets and restore common sense policies to the liberal city.

San Francisco has had one of the slowest economic recoveries from the COVID-19 pandemic in the country. Images of San Francisco’s open-air drug markets, homeless encampments and empty office buildings have caught the nation’s attention since the pandemic.

The SFPD Hospitality Task Force will target San Francisco’s business and tourist districts, increasing police presence, dedicating resources to high-traffic areas and offering support to the hospitality industry.

“Helping people feel safe walking downtown is the key to unleashing our city’s comeback,” Lurie said. “We are creating the conditions for a thriving commercial center by launching the SFPD Hospitality Task Force. The Hospitality Task Force will break down silos to increase the police presence across the areas that drive our city’s economy, not just during large conferences, but 365 days a year.”

FORMER AOC CHIEF OF STAFF ANNOUNCES RUN AGAINST PELOSI, CALLS DEMS ‘PARALYZED AND UNPREPARED’ UNDER TRUMP

People inhabit encampments on the streets of San Francisco April 15, 2023. (Flight Risk for Fox News Digital)

Major retailers, including Nordstrom and Saks Off Fifth, pulled out of San Francisco’s downtown due to rising crime and dwindling foot traffic. After more than 20 years in the heart of downtown San Francisco, Westfield abandoned the San Francisco Centre mall in 2023, citing a decline in sales, occupancy and foot traffic.

San Franciscans voted Mayor London Breed out of office in November. She was elected in 2018 and led the city through its struggling pandemic recovery. Lurie, a Levi’s heir and political outsider, began his first term as mayor in January.

He campaigned on cleaning up San Francisco’s streets, public safety, tackling the city’s drug crisis, creating housing, cutting through corrupt bureaucracy and “breathing life back into our downtown.”

CALIFORNIA PLANS TO CONTINUE ALLOWING TRANS ATHLETES TO COMPETE IN GIRLS’ SPORTS DESPITE TRUMP EXECUTIVE ORDER

San Francisco Mayor David Lurie launched the SFPD Hospitality Task Force this week. (Getty)

“With a safe, bustling downtown, we will attract businesses, shoppers, tourists and conventions, creating jobs, generating revenue and helping us provide better services for everyone in San Francisco,” Lurie said of the new task force.

Also this week, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors voted 10-1 in favor of Mayor Lurie’s Fentanyl State of Emergency Ordinance.

“As a candidate for mayor, I promised San Franciscans that I would work in partnership with the Board of Supervisors to take action on the critical issues facing our city,” Lurie said. “As mayor, I am proud to be delivering on that promise today. The Fentanyl State of Emergency Ordinance gives us the tools to treat this crisis with the urgency it demands. And with our partners on the board, that’s exactly what we will do.”

The ordinance will equip the city with the resources “to get drugs off the street and keep San Franciscans safe” by unlocking funding and expediting the contracting process to allow for expanded treatment options, increased shelter capacity and health initiatives. The full Board of Supervisors will address the ordinance Tuesday for a second and final reading before Lurie can sign the ordinance into law.

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“I don’t think there’s a problem facing San Francisco today that isn’t caused by or made significantly worse by street-level drug addiction,” Supervisor Matt Dorsey, who voted in favor of the ordinance, said.

“Mayor Lurie’s emergency ordinance aims to surge resources that deliver solutions as big as the problems. This is a needed approach to restore order to our streets, to diminish San Francisco’s attraction as a drug-use and drug-dealing destination and to save lives.”

Deirdre Heavey is a politics writer for Fox News Digital.

February 7, 2025
Trump announces new DOJ task force to ‘end the war on Christians’

President Donald Trump announced at the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, D.C., on Thursday that he will sign an executive order instructing the Justice Department to create a new task force to “eradicate anti-Christian bias.”

Trump praised new Attorney General Pam Bondi as a “great person,” saying she would lead the new task force.

“About time, right? Anti-Christian bias. Yeah, I never heard of that one before, right? But there is,” Trump said. “The mission of this task force will be to immediately halt all forms of anti-Christian targeting and discrimination within the federal government, including at the DOJ, which was absolutely terrible. The IRS, the FBI, terrible, and other agencies.”

The president said the task force will also “work to fully prosecute anti-Christian violence and vandalism in our society and to move heaven and earth to defend the rights of Christians and religious believers nationwide.”

WHITE HOUSE CALLS DEMOCRAT CRITICISM OF DOGE ‘UNACCEPTABLE’ AND ‘INCREDIBLY ALARMING’

President Donald Trump speaks during the National Prayer Breakfast at the Washington Hilton, Thursday, Feb. 6, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

“While I’m in the White House, we will protect Christians in our schools, in our military, in our government, in our workplaces, hospitals and in our public squares, and we will bring our country back together as one nation under God, with liberty and justice for all,” Trump said. “Throughout history, those who have sought control and domination over others have always tried to cut the people off from the connection to their creator. At the same time, every nation with big dreams and great ambition has recognized that there is no recourse more precious than the faith in the hearts of our people. It’s the thing that makes our nation great and makes other nations great. When you don’t have it, you don’t see great nations. Without God, we are isolated and alone, but with God, the Scripture tells us, all things are possible,” Trump said.

Fox News Digital is told that Trump will sign the executive order Thursday afternoon to “end the war on Christians” and protect Americans’ “fundamental right to religious freedom.”

The White House said what will be known as the “Task Force to End the War on Christians” will be comprised of members of the president’s Cabinet and key government agencies, and the order seeks to “end the anti-Christian weaponization of government.”

The White House told Fox News Digital that the task force will review activities of all departments and agencies to “identify and eliminate anti-Christian policies, practices, or conduct.” The task force will also gather input from various stakeholders to ensure “broad perspectives are considered,” including faith-based organizations and Americans affected by “anti-Christian conduct.”

The task force is also directed to identify and address gaps in law enforcement that have “contributed” to that conduct.

The executive order will also ensure that federal law enforcement remedy any “failures” to fully enforce the law against acts of anti-Christian hostility, vandalism and violence.

President Donald Trump speaks during the National Prayer Breakfast at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, Feb. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

“The previous administration engaged in an egregious pattern of targeting peaceful Christians while ignoring violent, anti-Christian offenses,” the White House said.

“President Trump will not tolerate this abuse of government and is taking action to ensure that any unlawful and improper anti-Christian conduct, policies or practices are identified, terminated, and rectified.”

The executive order comes after nearly two dozen pro-life Christians were charged and sentenced for demonstrating outside abortion facilities during the Biden administration.

DEMOCRAT LAWMAKERS FACE BACKLASH FOR INVOKING ‘UNHINGED’ VIOLENT RHETORIC AGAINST MUSK

It also comes after an FBI memo asserted that traditional Catholics were domestic-terrorism threats and suggested infiltrating Catholic churches as “threat mitigation.” The House Judiciary Committee and its Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government first discovered and investigated that memo.

Speaking at the Washington Hilton Hotel, Trump invoked his own faith in discussing the July 13, 2024, assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania.

“Well, look at me. I’m standing before you today. I shouldn’t be here. I shouldn’t be here. A lot of people said I shouldn’t have been here,” Trump said.

“It was God that saved me,” Trump added, garnering applause.

President Donald Trump speaks at the National Prayer Breakfast at the Capitol, Thursday, Feb. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Earlier, the president spoke at another prayer breakfast Thursday at the U.S. Capitol, where he announced that he would sign an executive order to create a new national park called the “National Garden of American Heroes.”

“The stories of legends like Washington, Winthrop, and Williams remind us that without faith in God, there would be no American story,” Trump said. “Every citizen should be proud of this exceptional heritage. We have an unbuilt, livable heritage, and we have to use that and make life better for everyone.”

As the United States approached the 250th anniversary of its founding next year, Trump said he would sign an executive order to “resume the process of creating a new national park full of statues of the greatest Americans who ever lived.”

“We’re going to be honoring our heroes, honoring the greatest people from our country,” Trump said. “We’re not going to be tearing down. We’re going to be building up.”

Trump also remembered the 67 lives lost during the fatal midair collision between a Black Hawk helicopter and a passenger jet landing at Reagan airport in D.C. last week. The president said he would be speaking with Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., to come together on a “single bill” to upgrade U.S. air traffic control systems in the wake of the disaster.

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“It would have just never happened if we had the right equipment,” Trump said. “When I land in my plane privately, I use a system from another country because my captain tells me – I’m landing in New York and I’m using a system. I won’t tell you what country, but I use a system from another country – because the captain says, ‘This thing is so bad, it’s so obsolete,’ and we can’t have that. So we’re going to have the best system.”

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 6, 2025
Rob Gronkowski takes NFL officials to task over alleged Chiefs favoritism

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Surely, referees in the National Football League don’t actually favor the Kansas City Chiefs, do they?

Well, Rob Gronkowski has the mind of the NFL fan and thinks that something is up.

SIGN UP FOR TUBI AND STREAM SUPER BOWL LIX FOR FREE

The Chiefs are in their third consecutive Super Bowl, and it’s fair to say they got some benefit from the officiating in the AFC title game against the Buffalo Bills.

Rob Gronkowski (Jim Rogash/Getty Images/File)

A pivotal 4th-and-1 rush by Bills quarterback Josh Allen was ruled short (it could be argued the Bills crossed the marker on third down). The Chiefs responded by scoring a touchdown on the next drive. And while the Bills did tie it up, the field was clearly tilted afterward.

This version of the Chiefs is being talked about like Gronk’s New England Patriots used to be talked about: favoritism from the refs but still difficult to beat. Gronk joked in a recent interview with Fox News Digital that even his quarterback Tom Brady got the favor of the whistle.

“It was Tom, but he deserved it at the time. He was an 18-year vet, and he took his punishment as a young buck during his first eight years in the league. Oh my lord, he used to get lit up. It was understandable he got calls,” Gronk said.

And perhaps the Chiefs have gotten that same benefit, Gronkowski added, saying the refs are “definitely … more lenient” toward the Chiefs.

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“It’s been shown throughout the regular season and extending into the playoffs,” Gronk quipped.

He later added, “I just feel like there’s something, like, maybe give them an extra call or two. Don’t make it too obvious, but make it a little obvious.”

Referee Carl Cheffers speaks to Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes during a break in the third quarter against the Houston Texans on Dec. 21, 2024, in Kansas City, Mo. (David Eulitt/Getty Images)

SUPER BOWL CHAMPION HOPES FANS APPRECIATE CHIEFS’ GREATNESS, NOT HATE ON IT

Gronkowski will get to see firsthand how much the refs actually favor the Chiefs, if at all, as he’ll be in New Orleans on behalf of Bounty to clean up the mess that comes with dirty eating during Super Bowl Sunday.

“You can’t have football without wings, there’s no doubt about that. But you can’t have wings without Bounty,” Gronk said ahead of his trip to Bourbon Street, where there will be food aplenty.

His wingman, Saints legend Drew Brees, will try to show him the best wings in town, but he doesn’t think anything will beat his hometown Buffalo wings, similar to the Chiefs.

Gronkowski added that even though the Chiefs may have some help from the zebras, it’s “no excuse” for the Bills or anyone to fall short when they have their chances.

Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes talks to referee Clete Blakeman prior to the AFC Championship against the Buffalo Bills on Jan. 26, 2025, in Kansas City, Mo. (Todd Rosenberg/Getty Images)

“You have opportunities to beat them, you got to overcome all situations, and the Buffalo Bills need to make championship plays in championship moments, and they didn’t come through. You got to make plays in order to beat the Chiefs, and you can’t blame it on the refs,” Gronk continued.

“It doesn’t matter, you still got to beat the Chiefs, and you still got to come through with big plays at the end of the game in order to beat them, and no team has done that yet.”

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

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Gronk won four Super Bowls in his career, but with a Kansas City win on Feb. 9, this era of Chiefs will have matched him.

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January 31, 2025
DoD creates task force to abolish DEI offices that ‘promote systemic racism’

DEI is about to die at the DoD.

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth zeroed in on the controversial programs, releasing a memorandum on Wednesday stating that diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) is incompatible with Department of Defense (DoD) values, and created a task force to address the abolition of the program.

Further, it outlined how the department will restore America’s fighting force – citing promotion and selection reform; elimination of quotas; and prohibition of Critical Race Theory, gender ideology, and DEI.

In an executive order issued Monday, “Restoring America’s Fighting Force,” President Donald Trump prohibited any preference or disadvantage for an individual or group within the Armed Forces on the basis of sex, race or ethnicity.

Pete Hegseth, President Donald Trump’s choice to be Defense secretary, at the completion of his confirmation hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee, at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis) (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)

DEFENSE SECRETARY PETE HEGSETH SAYS ‘NO MORE DEI AT DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE’: ‘NO EXCEPTIONS’

The memorandum – for senior pentagon leadership, commanders, and DoD field activity directors – noted the DoD will strive to provide merit-based, color-blind, equal opportunities for service members, but will not guarantee or strive for equal outcomes.

All decisions related to hiring, promotion, and selection of personnel for assignments will be based on merit, the needs of the department, and the individual’s desires, according to the memo.

Officials created a “Restoring America’s Fighting Force” Task Force to oversee the department’s efforts to abolish DEI offices, boards, councils and working groups.

The seal of the Department of Defense is seen on the podium at the Pentagon, Sept. 27, 2022, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

WHITE HOUSE OPM ORDERS ALL DEI OFFICES TO BEGIN CLOSING BY END OF DAY WEDNESDAY

It will also eliminate any “vestiges of such offices that subvert meritocracy, perpetuate unconstitutional discrimination, and promote radical ideologies related to systemic racism and gender fluidity.”

Officials also nixed any programs, elements or initiatives that were established to promote “diverse concepts,” according to the memo.

Moving forward, officials said the DoD will not consider sex, race or ethnicity when considering individuals for promotion, command or special duty.

The department will also eliminate quotas, objectives and goals that are based on those characteristics.

Midshipmen render a salute during the commissioning and graduation ceremony at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, U.S., May 24, 2024.

U.S. Service Academies and other defense academic institutions will “teach that America and its founding documents remain the most powerful force for good in human history,” according to the memo.

Fox News Digital requested comment from the U.S. Military Academy (West Point), U.S. Naval Academy, U.S. Air Force Academy, U.S. Coast Guard Academy, and U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, but did not immediately receive a response.

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An initial report on progress will be provided to the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness (USDP&R) by March 1, and a final report by June 1.

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

January 29, 2025
Trump to create task force to plan ‘extraordinary celebration’ for 250th anniversary of America’s independence

EXCLUSIVE: President Donald Trump will sign an executive order Wednesday establishing a White House task force focused on coordinating the plans and activities surrounding the celebration of the 250th anniversary of American independence, Fox News Digital has learned.

The president’s order will organize a “grand celebration of the semiquincentennial of the ratification of the Declaration of Independence.”

The 250th anniversary of America’s founding is July 4, 2026.

Donald Trump is sworn in as the 47th president of the United States by Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts as Melania Trump holds the Bible on Jan. 20, 2025. (Morry Gash/AP Photo/Pool)

TRUMP VOWS ‘NEW ERA OF NATIONAL SUCCESS,’ SAYS AMERICA’S ‘DECLINE IS OVER’ IN INAUGURAL ADDRESS

The task force, which will be named “Task Force 250,” will “coordinate the plans and activities of federal agencies for an extraordinary celebration of the 250thh Anniversary of American Independence.”

Task Force 250 will build upon the U.S. Bicentennial Celebration half a century ago. The White House told Fox News Digital that the celebration “emphasized national renewal of our founding ideals after a period of national unrest and division.”

DONALD TRUMP SWORN IN AS 47TH PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES

The order, which Trump is set to sign Wednesday, will also reinstate executive orders from his first administration that would establish the National Garden of American Heroes, a statuary park memorializing 250 historically significant Americans, and commission artists for the first 100 statues.

President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump are shown during a Salute to America event on the South Lawn of the White House on July 4, 2020. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

Fox News Digital has learned that the National Garden of American Heroes will honor “American heroism” after dozens of monuments to Americans, including presidents and founding fathers, were toppled or destroyed and never restored.

The order also reinstates an order to protect American monuments, memorials and statues from destruction or vandalism.

AMERICA WILL BE CELEBRATING ITS 250TH BIRTHDAY AND EVERYONE’S INVITED: ‘BE INSPIRED FOR OUR COUNTRY’S FUTURE’

The White House said America’s 250th anniversary will “afford an opportunity to unite the American people around their shared history and common future as a nation.”

President-elect Donald Trump, Melania Trump and family watch fireworks at Trump National Golf Club, Washington D.C., on Jan. 18, 2025, in Sterling, Va. (Alex Brandon/Pool via REUTERS)

The order, according to White House officials, also continues Trump’s “longstanding commitment to honor America’s 250th anniversary and celebrate American history.”

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During Trump’s first address to a joint session of Congress in February 2017, he cited the upcoming semiquincentennial and noted that “in nine years the United States will celebrate the 250th anniversary of our founding, 250 years since the day we declared our Independence.”

The executive orders that Wednesday’s order reinstates were signed in 2020 and 2021 and were created to protect American monuments during unrest and violence in cities during protests and the COVID-19 pandemic.

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

January 29, 2025
SEC launches crypto task force to create regulatory clarity

Circle Squared Alternative Investments founder Jeff Sica analyzes the cryptocurrency market and explains why it’s important for Trump to save TikTok on ‘Varney & Co.’

The relationship between Wall Street’s top cop and the U.S. cryptocurrency industry is on the mend following more than four years of friction.

On Tuesday, the Securities and Exchange Commission announced it is spearheading efforts to establish a regulatory framework for digital assets with the creation of a new crypto task force.

The initiative, which will be led by Republican commissioner Hester Peirce, was acting chair Mark Uyeda’s first official action following his appointment to the position by President Trump on Monday. Uyeda, a Republican commissioner, will serve in the role until Paul Atkins, Trump’s permanent pick to lead the agency, is confirmed by the Senate.

FOX Business was first to report in November that the task force was a possibility and that Peirce, often referred to as “Crypto Mom,” had expressed interest in leading such a group.

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SEC Commissioner Mark Uyeda speaks during the 2024 Financial Markets Quality Conference at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 17, 2024. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images / Getty Images)

As FOX Business previously reported, the task force will work closely with industry players to create an open dialogue that will allow for a friendlier regulatory environment.

Tuesday’s announcement stated the task force will focus on helping the commission draw clear regulatory lines, provide realistic paths to registration, craft sensible disclosure frameworks, and deploy enforcement resources judiciously. It will also coordinate with other federal agencies, including the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, which is poised to take on a larger role in crypto regulation.

The SEC, under the leadership of Biden’s chair Gary Gensler, brought more than 100 legal actions against crypto players over the last four years as the commission has attempted to bring the sector into compliance using enforcement. Many of the lawsuits were brought over credible allegations of fraud and manipulation, but others centered around companies failing to register their sales of digital assets as securities.

Industry participants have long complained that the decentralized nature of cryptocurrencies and the blockchain technology they run on disqualifies them from being regulated like traditional securities, i.e. stocks and bonds. They have frequently called on regulators and Congress to develop a new regulatory framework specific to digital assets.

Gensler, however, believed traditional securities laws were enough to properly regulate the industry and that most digital assets aside from bitcoin are securities, suing companies that challenged this view by refusing to register with the commission.

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SEC Chairman Gary Gensler participates in a meeting of the Financial Stability Oversight Council at the U.S. Treasury on July 28, 2023 in Washington, DC. The council met to deliver an update on the Council’s Climate-related Financial Risk Committee a (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images / Getty Images)

President Trump has promised a lighter regulatory touch that will benefit developing industries like artificial intelligence and crypto. Since his election on November 5, he’s appointed a handful of industry advocates to key leadership positions at the Treasury, SEC and CFTC, and named venture capitalist David Sacks the first ever crypto and AI ‘czar’.

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Peirce and the crypto task force are already welcoming input on regulation from the public via email and will hold roundtables with industry participants in the future.

“This undertaking will take time, patience, and much hard work…,” Peirce said in a press release announcing the initiative. “We look forward to working hand-in-hand with the public to foster a regulatory environment that protects investors, facilitates capital formation, fosters market integrity, and supports innovation.”

January 23, 2025
Task Force created in Africa to counter terror fears from Iran and jihadi groups

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JOHANNESBURG – To counter the perceived threat of terror from Iran and jihadi groups, South Africa’s chief rabbi is setting up a specialist task force.

Chief Rabbi Dr. Warren Goldstein was spurred into creating the group after a bomb attack at a Jewish center in Cape Town last month. An improvised explosive device was thrown at the Samson Community Center but failed to detonate. The center is home to several South African Jewish organizations.

The “Counter-Terror Task Force” will make recommendations to protect places of worship, schools and community centers.

“South Africa’s Jewish community, like other Jewish communities globally, faces heightened risk of terror attacks,” Goldstein told Fox News Digital. “The Iranian regime is the world’s chief exponent of state-sponsored terror, and have made it their strategy to target Jewish communities worldwide. With this in mind, the findings of the task force will be applied not just in South Africa, but globally.”

GLOBAL RISE IN ANTISEMITISM LEAVES JEWISH COMMUNITY ISOLATED, RABBI SAYS WORLD AT ‘A TIPPING POINT’

A man brandishes a replica toy gun during a pro-Palestinian demonstration organized by the South African opposition party Economic Freedom Fighters in front of the Israeli Embassy in Pretoria, South Africa, on Oct. 23, 2023. (Marco Longari/AFP via Getty Images)

He added, “In addition, Africa has over the past decade become a hub for global jihadi terror, with the threat indices dramatically increasing as groups such as al-Shabab, Boko Haram and ISIS operate throughout the continent.”

The task force comprises global authorities on terror: Admiral Mike Hewitt, former deputy director for Global Operations for the Joint Chiefs of Staff at the U.S. Defense Department, Dean Haydon, former senior national coordinator for counter-terrorism in the United Kingdom, Major General David Tsur, former commander of the counter-terrorism unit in the Israeli Police, and Andre Pienaar, co-founder of South Africa’s Directorate of Special Operations, also known as the Scorpions.

FILE- Members of the Iranian revolutionary guard march during a parade. The IRGC is designated as a foreign terrorist organization by the State Department. A large part of its work is to covertly operate outside of Iran. (Reuters.) (Reuters)

The chief rabbi added, “They will be marshalling additional resources and personnel as and when needed.”

Goldstein said the force’s immediate objective “is to secure the South African Jewish community against attacks. The broader objective is to better ensure the safety of all South Africans, and citizens of countries around the world.”

He continued, “Across Africa, especially, it is Christians far more than Jews who suffer the consequences of Jihadist terror. Each year, Jihadists murder thousands of Christians for their faith.”

South Africa Chief Rabbi Dr. Warren Goldstein. (The Office of The Chief Rabbi)

Goldstein told Fox News Digital that the South African government’s stance at the International Court of Justice, where it has accused Israel of genocide over the war in Gaza, has “stigmatized Jews not only within the country but globally.”

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However, Goldstein added that the views of the government here are not necessarily the views of the people. “Against that it must be understood that the South African public generally holds moderate and pragmatic views on Israel, and levels of domestic antisemitism remain very low by Western standards.”

“There were 128 recorded antisemitic incidents in 2024 in South Africa,” Professor Karen Milner, national chair of the Jewish Board of Deputies in South Africa, told Fox News Digital. “This makes it the second-highest number of incidents since record keeping began in 1998. The highest number of incidents was recorded in 2023 (182). However, 63% of these occurred immediately following the events of October 7 (the Hamas attack in Israel).

Members of the Active African Christians United Movement pose as one of them blows through a shofar, a ritual musical instrument used to usher in the Jewish New Year, as others gather in support of Israel outside the Embassy of Israel in Pretoria, South Africa, on Nov. 17, 2023. (Photo by EMMANUEL CROSET/AFP via Getty Images)

“The early months of 2024 were impacted greatly by the wave of antisemitism that immediately followed the October 7 attacks in Israel,” Milner continued. “It is worth noting that the majority of the antisemitic incidents recorded in 2024 were verbal assaults, targeted hate mail, or antagonism, with very few incidents graduating into physical assault.”

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Milner concluded, adding, “with that said, antisemitism remains much lower than other comparable countries, and South Africa remains a safe space in which Jews can identify as Jewish and practice their religion in relative security.”

Fox News Digital reached out to the South African Justice and Police Departments but did not receive a response.

January 22, 2025