President Donald Trump said on Tuesday if Iran carries out his assassination, advisers will ensure that country is “obliterated.”
While signing an executive order imposing maximum pressure on Tehran, the president said he left instructions if something were to happen to him.
“That would be a terrible thing for them to do,” Trump said. “If they did that, they would be obliterated. That would be the end. … There won’t be anything left.”
Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump is surrounded by U.S. Secret Service agents at a campaign rally.(AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
IRAN ‘TERRIFIED’ OF TRUMP PRESIDENCY AS IRANIAN CURRENCY FALLS TO AN ALL-TIME LOW
The president said former President Joe Biden “should have said that,” but did not, due to a “lack of intelligence.”
The Justice Department confirmed in November it thwarted an Iranian plot to kill Trump in the weeks leading up to the presidential election.
A criminal complaint filed in September noted an official in Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps asked Farhad Shakeri, 51, of Iran, to “focus on surveilling, and, ultimately, assassinating” Trump.
Shakeri immigrated to the United States as a child and was deported about 17 years ago after serving 14 years in prison for a robbery conviction, according to the DOJ.
INTELLIGENCE REPORT SAYS IRAN WILL KEEP TRYING TO KILL TRUMP REGARDLESS OF ELECTION OUTCOME
President Donald Trump speaks to reporters as he signs executive orders in the Oval Office of the White House, Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
He was allegedly tasked on Oct. 7, 2024 with providing a plan to kill Trump, according to authorities.
Shakeri has not yet been apprehended and is believed to be living in Iran, according to the DOJ.
“I’m signing this, and it’s a very powerful document, but hopefully we’re not going to have to use it,” Trump said on Tuesday.
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Fox News Digital’s Greg Norman contributed to this story.
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.
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Los Angeles city leaders on Tuesday introduced legislation to protect immigrant communities amid unrest due to President Donald Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigrants.
Councilman Hugo Soto-Martinez introduced five proposals aimed at strengthening labor and immigration protections, which he said would address renewed threats of mass deportations, work-site raids and targeted enforcement actions, Fox Los Angeles reported.
“We are here today because, unfortunately, we have a president who wants to scapegoat and attack our immigrant neighbors,” Martinez said during a news conference outside City Hall alongside council members Eunisses Hernandez, Imelda Padilla and Ysabel Jurado and several immigrant rights, labor, legal and community groups. “And we are not going to take that lightly.
BORDER CZAR TOM HOMAN SENDS MESSAGE TO FAR-LEFT OFFICIALS PUSHING BACK AGAINST MASS DEPORTATIONS: ‘GAME ON’
Los Angeles City Council Member Hugo Soto-Martinez watches proceedings inside council chambers at City Hall in downtown Los Angeles Sept. 20, 2024. (Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
“The legislation will make sure that we’re prepared and that we’re ready to fight back, which involves a comprehensive ‘know your rights’ campaign across the entire city so immigrants and employers understand their rights and don’t fall victim to ICE (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement) intimidation.”
‘DEPORTATION FLIGHTS HAVE BEGUN’ AS TRUMP SENDS ‘STRONG AND CLEAR MESSAGE,’ WHITE HOUSE SAYS
A large group of people protesting President Donald Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigration stormed the 101 Freeway in downtown Los Angeles Sunday, creating major traffic delays, according to police.(FOX 11 Los Angeles)
The legislation will be heard by the council’s Civil Rights & Immigration Committee before a vote.
If approved, it would reaffirm the city’s commitment to protecting its migrant community from possible deportation. In November, the council and Mayor Karen Bass formally established Los Angeles as a so-called sanctuary city.
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The move by Soto-Martinez came after two days of protests during which demonstrators took over the 101 freeway and local streets to oppose Trump’s mass deportation plans of illegal immigrant criminals.
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President Donald Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigration continues with federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials making several criminal arrests over the last week in left-leaning “sanctuary” cities, including Philadelphia, Boston, Denver and Washington, D.C.
Philadelphia
ICE agents conducted a worksite enforcement operation at a car wash in Philadelphia that led to the arrest of seven illegal immigrants, six from Mexico and one from the Dominican Republic.
The operation took place at a Complete Autowash in North Philadelphia Jan. 28. It was prompted by reports that employees at the car wash were being subjected to labor exploitation.
After the arrests, Brian McShane, acting field office director for Philadelphia ICE Enforcement & Removal Operations, said “the successful execution of this worksite enforcement operation underscores our determined commitment to national security and public safety.
BORDER CZAR TOM HOMAN SAYS HE WOULD ‘SEEK PROSECUTION’ IF NJ GOVERNOR SHELTERED ILLEGAL MIGRANT IN HOME
ICE Philadelphia arrests seven in worksite enforcement operation(U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement)
“We were able to apprehend individuals who are unlawfully present in the United States. These operations highlight the dedication and diligence of our officers and agents in protecting our communities from potential threats by enforcing immigration laws in accordance with U.S. laws and Department of Homeland Security policies.”
ICE Philadelphia also recently arrested Luis Gualdron-Gualdron, a suspected member of the Venezuelan migrant gang Tren de Aragua who has a criminal record that includes indecent assault of a person under 16 and harassment. ICE arrested Gualdron-Gualdron without incident despite the agency’s detainer against him being ignored by the Northampton County Prison.
ICE Philadelphia also removed a Mexican illegal immigrant, Raymundo Rojas Bacilio, who is wanted for rape in his home country. The office also removed Dominican national Yermanny Suarez Laureano, who is wanted in his home country for homicide.
Boston
Arrests have also continued in the Boston area, which has strong sanctuary policies in place limiting local law enforcement cooperation with ICE.
ICE SNAGS CRIMINAL ALIEN PAROLED 17 YEARS INTO LIFE SENTENCE FOR PREGNANT WOMAN’S MURDER
ICE Boston arrests a Salvadoran national Jan. 30, 2025, charged with sexually assaulting a Massachusetts resident. (ICE Boston)
In the last week, ICE announced the arrests of several illegal immigrants, including criminals charged with rape of a Massachusetts resident, sex crimes, murder and gang involvement.
One of the migrants, Salvadoran national Jose Garcia-Salmeron, 34, is charged with raping a Massachusetts resident. Despite being arraigned on rape charges by the Chelsea District Court, the court ignored an ICE detainer against Garcia-Salmeron and released him from custody in July 2024.
Another migrant, 37-year-old Haitian national Jean Yves Ovilme, is charged with assault and battery and indecent assault of a person 14 years or older. Another, Cesar Augusto Polanco, 59, has been convicted in a Massachusetts court of murder. He was serving a life sentence and is now in ICE custody pending removal proceedings.
Finally, another illegal immigrant, reputed Guatemalan MS-13 gang member Luis Adolfo Guerra-Perez, 19, was arrested by ICE Jan. 22. Guerra-Perez illegally entered the country and was released into the interior in 2021 and is charged with drug and weapons crimes.
DEM GOVERNOR BACKS ICE ARRESTING ‘CRIMINALS’ DESPITE VOWING TO USE ‘EVERY TOOL’ AGAINST TRUMP DEPORTATIONS
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement apprehended an illegally present Salvadoran national convicted of sexually assaulting a Virginia resident when officers with ICE Washington, D.C., arrested Nicolas Alberto Hernandez-Lopez, 46, Jan. 15, in Fairfax County, Va.(ICE Washington D.C.)
Washington, D.C.
ICE officials in Washington, D.C., arrested a Salvadoran illegal alien named Nicolas Alberto Hernandez-Lopez, 46, who is charged with sexually assaulting a Virginia resident.
Hernandez-Lopez was previously removed from the country in 2023, but he unlawfully reentered the country at an unknown date and location, according to an ICE statement. He is currently in ICE custody.
Patrick Divver, acting field office director for Washington, D.C., ICE enforcement and removal operations, said Hernandez-Lopez “illegally reentered the United States, and then victimized a resident of our Virginia community. This is not something that the officers of ICE Washington, D.C. will tolerate.
“We will continue our mission of arresting public safety threats and removing egregious alien offenders from our Washington, D.C., and Virginia neighborhoods.”
VICTIMS IDENTIFIED IN DC PLANE CRASH INVOLVING AMERICAN AIRLINES JET AND MILITARY HELICOPTER
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the U.S. Marshals Service arrested Luis Fernando Melendez-Rivera, 27, an illegally present Mexican national wanted for aggravated homicide in Mexico, in Denver, Colo., Jan. 31.(ICE Denver)
Denver
ICE has also made several criminal arrests in Denver, whose Democratic mayor, Mike Johnston, has been among the most vocal opponents of Trump’s immigration crackdown in the country.
One of the illegal migrants arrested, Luz Maria Ramirez-Monreal, a Mexican national, is charged with child abuse, burglary, strangulation and kidnapping. Another Mexican national arrested includes 48-year-old Juan Benitez-Ortega, who is charged with felony assault and kidnapping.
A third illegal alien recently arrested by Denver ICE officials is Mexican national Luis Fernando Melendez-Rivera, 27, who is wanted for aggravated homicide in his home country. According to ICE, Melendez entered the country through the Denver International Airport in 2022.
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ICE and DEA migrant raids NYC(Drug Enforcement Administration New York)
Seattle
ICE officials in Seattle also arrested four criminal illegal aliens who have been either convicted or charged with crimes related to sexual assault.
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Pedro Garcia-Lopez, 47, a Mexican citizen, has been charged with theft, lewd acts with a child under 14 and sexual battery. Rubi Jeronimo Cruz, 22, a citizen of Guatemala, was convicted of DUI with reckless driving and charged with rape of a child. Manuel De Jesus Zavala-Martinez, 40, a citizen of El Salvador, has several criminal convictions, including assault with sexual motivation and assault with a deadly weapon. Lastly, Jaspal Singh, 29, a citizen of India, was charged with assault with sexual motivation.
“Protecting our communities and preventing further victimization is of paramount importance to ICE throughout the Pacific Northwest,” said Drew Bostock, ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Seattle field office director. “These arrests reinforce the message that the presence of illegal criminal threats will not be tolerated.”
Americans have renewed optimism in the country’s economic outlook now that President Donald Trump is back in office.
A majority of Americans, 53%, believe that the economy will grow in the next six months, while 61% believe that the stock market will also rise, according to the results of a Gallup poll released Monday.
The poll’s release comes shortly after Trump returned to the White House, with the survey conducted between Jan. 2 and 15, shortly before he took office.
RUBIO SAYS ‘NO CHOICE’ BUT TO BRING USAID ‘UNDER CONTROL’ AFTER AGENCY TAKEOVER: ‘RANK INSUBORDINATION’
President Donald Trump holds up his executive order on “Continuing the President’s National Council for the American Worker and the American Workforce Policy Advisory Board” in the East Room of the White House on June 26, 2020. (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images)
While Americans are optimistic about economic growth, the survey found they were divided on unemployment, with 38% indicating they believe it will increase and 38% saying it will decrease. Meanwhile, 21% believe that unemployment will hold steady over the next six months.
Americans are also less bullish on inflation, with 52% indicating they expect it to rise in the next six months, though that figure is down significantly from close to 80% in previous versions of the Gallup poll.
Breaking the numbers down by partisan affiliation, Gallup found Republican respondents largely responsible for fueling the increase in economic optimism, with 78% of GOP respondents believing there will be economic growth over the next six months and 75% saying the stock market will rise.
President Donald Trump(Scott Olson/Getty Images)
USAID CLOSES HQ TO STAFFERS MONDAY AS MUSK SAYS TRUMP SUPPORTS SHUTTING AGENCY DOWN
Solid majorities of Independents felt the same, with 61% indicating they believe there will be economic growth over the next six months and 60% saying they believe the stock market will rise.
Democrats are less bullish, with only 21% indicating they believe there will be growth over the next six months. But a slim majority of Democrats, 51%, do anticipate a bump to the stock market over the same time period.
President Donald Trump headlines a Republican National Committee spring donor retreat, in Palm Beach, Florida on May 4, 2024.(Donald Trump 2024 campaign)
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“Americans are generally hopeful about the economy in the next six months. Part of this optimism stems from Republicans expecting things to improve under a Republican rather than Democratic president,” Gallup said in a news release. “But the broader improvements in Americans’ outlook may also reflect their confidence in Trump’s ability to handle the economy. During his first term, he received some of his strongest issue approval ratings on the economy, which were typically higher than those Biden received on the issue during his term.”
The poll, conducted Jan. 2-15, 2025, surveyed a random 1,005 adults living in the U.S. and has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus four percentage points.
Michael Lee is a writer for Fox News. Prior to joining Fox News, Michael worked for the Washington Examiner, Bongino.com, and Unbiased America. He has covered politics for more than eight years.
An unlikely duo is working together in the Senate to make good on one of President Donald Trump’s campaign pledges.
Sens. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Josh Hawley, R-Mo., introduced a new bill on Tuesday to cap credit card interest rates at 10%, which Trump had proposed doing temporarily during his 2024 presidential campaign.
“During the campaign, President Trump pledged to cap credit card interest rates at ten percent,” Sanders recalled in a statement. “Today, I am proud to be introducing bipartisan legislation with Senator Hawley to do just that.”
Sanders accused financial institutions that charge over 25 percent interest on credit cards of “extortion” and “loan sharking.”
TULSI GABBARD ADVANCES OUT OF INTEL COMMITTEE IN BOOST TO CONFIRMATION ODDS
An unlikely bipartisan duo is proposing a cap on credit card interest rates, which Trump pledged to do on the campaign trail.(Reuters)
“We cannot continue to allow big banks to make huge profits ripping off the American people. This legislation will provide working families struggling to pay their bills with desperately needed financial relief,” his statement concluded.
The bill would cap rates at 10% effective immediately and stay in effect for five years.
‘OVERDOSE EPIDEMIC’: BIPARTISAN SENATORS TARGET FENTANYL CLASSIFICATION AS LAPSE APPROACHES
In his own statement, Hawley said, “Working Americans are drowning in record credit card debt while the biggest credit card issuers get richer and richer by hiking their interest rates to the moon.”
“It’s not just wrong, it’s exploitative. And it needs to end. Capping credit card interest rates at 10%, just like President Trump campaigned on, is a simple way to provide meaningful relief to working people.”
ELIZABETH WARREN GRILLED RFK JR ON DRUG COMPANY MONEY, BUT RECEIVED OVER $5M FROM HEALTH INDUSTRY
Trump took office on January 20. (Getty Images)
Trump talked about capping rates during a September campaign rally during which he laid out his economic agenda.
“While working Americans catch up, we’re going to put a temporary cap on credit card interest rates,” he said. “We’re going to cap it at around 10%. We can’t let them make 25 and 30%.”
SEN. TILLIS OPENS UP ABOUT ROLE IN PETE HEGSETH’S CONFIRMATION AFTER HEGSETH’S EX-SISTER-IN-LAW’S ALLEGATIONS
Sanders promised to spearhead legislation on this last year.(Joe Maher/Getty Images For Fane)
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After Trump was elected, Sanders promised to spearhead legislation to do that and followed through on Tuesday.
The White House was asked whether Trump is still considering this action and if he supports the senators’ bill, but did not provide comment to Fox News Digital in time for publication.
Julia Johnson is a politics writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business, leading coverage of the U.S. Senate. She was previously a politics reporter at the Washington Examiner.
President Donald Trump reacted to the death of Tiger Woods’ mom, Kultida, on Tuesday.
The president’s statement on Truth Social was posted a few minutes after the legendary golfer announced the death of his 78-year-old mother.
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President Donald Trump presents the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Tiger Woods in the Rose Garden of the White House on May 6, 2019.(Scott Taetsch-USA Today Sports)
“I was just informed that Tiger Woods’ wonderful Mother, Kultida, passed away — She has gone onto greener fairways!” Trump’s wrote in a post. “Kultida Woods was an amazing influence on Tiger, and gave him much of his strength and brilliance. Melania and I send our love and prayers to Tiger and his incredible family!”
Trump honored Woods with the Presidential Medal of Freedom during his first team. Kultida Woods was at the White House for that ceremony.
Woods made the announcement about the death of his mother in a post on X.
TIGER WOODS MOVES GENESIS INVITATIONAL TO SAN DIEGO AFTER WILDFIRES IMPACT LA COURSE
From left, Erica Herman, Kultida Woods, Sam Alexis Woods, Charlie Axel Woods, Tiger Woods, President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump pose for photographs after Tiger Woods was presented with the Medal of Freedom, May 6, 2019.(Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
“It is with heartfelt sadness that I want to share that my dear mother, Kultida Woods, passed away early this morning,” Woods wrote. “My Mom was a force of nature all her own, her spirit was simply undeniable. She was quick with the needle and a laugh. She was my biggest fan, greatest supporter, without her none of my personal achievements would have been possible. She was loved by so many, but especially by her two grandchildren, Sam and Charlie.
“Thank you all for your support, prayers and privacy at this difficult time for me and my family. Love you Mom.”
Tiger was Kultida and Earl Woods’ only child together. Tiger has a few half-siblings from his father’s first marriage. Kultida met Earl while he was on tour of duty in the military in Thailand. She was of Thai, Chinese and Dutch descent.
Tiger Woods and his mother Kultida Woods pose for photos prior to his induction into the World Golf Hall of Fame at the PGA Tour Global Home on March 9, 2022, in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida.(Sam Greenwood/Getty Images)
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ESPN noted that Tiger, whose real name is Eldrick, was named after his mother and father. The name Eldrick began with an E – in honor of Earl – and ended with a K – in honor of Kultida.
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Ryan Gaydos is a senior editor for Fox News Digital.
President Donald Trump unveiled an executive order reinstating a “maximum pressure” campaign against Iran on Tuesday, coinciding with a visit from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the White House.
Trump voiced that he was “torn” on signing the order and admitted he was “unhappy to do it,” noting that that the executive order was very tough on Iran.
“Hopefully, we’re not going to have to use it very much,” Trump told reporters Tuesday.
The order instructs the Treasury Department to execute “maximum economic pressure” upon Iran through a series of sanctions aimed at sinking Iran’s oil exports.
His first administration also adopted a “maximum pressure” initiative against Tehran, issuing greater sanctions and harsher enforcement for violations.
TRUMP’S LATEST HIRES AND FIRES RANKLE IRAN HAWKS AS NEW PRESIDENT SUGGESTS NUCLEAR DEAL
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with advisers ahead of his meeting with President Trump on Tuesday, February 4th, 2025.(GPO)
Lawmakers are also interested in exerting more pressure on Iran. For example, Sens. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and John Fetterman, D-Penn., along with lawmakers in the House, introduced a resolution on Thursday that affirms that all options should remain on the table in dealing with Iran’s nuclear threat.
Graham said in a statement Thursday that should Iran obtain a nuclear weapon, it would prove “one of the most destabilizing and dangerous events in world history.”
Additionally, Graham said ahead of Netanyahu’s visit that the moment is right to eliminate Iran’s nuclear threat now, and that the U.S. should back Israel if it chooses to “decimate” Iran’s nuclear program.
IRAN’S WEAKENED POSITION COULD LEAD IT TO PURSUE NUCLEAR WEAPON, BIDEN NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER WARNS
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C. speaks during a news conference at the U.S. Capitol on July 31, 2024 in Washington, DC..(Kent Nishimura/Getty Images)
“Israel is strong. Iran is weak. Hezbollah, Hamas have been decimated,” Graham said in an interview with Fox News Sunday. “They’re not finished off, but they’ve been weakened. And there’s an opportunity to hit the Iran nuclear program in a fashion I haven’t seen in decades. And I think it would be in the world’s interest for us to decimate the Iranian nuclear threat while we can. If we don’t, we will regret it later.”
Strict sanctions were reimposed upon Iran after Trump withdrew from the Iran deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, in May 2018. The 2015 agreement brokered under the Obama administration had lifted sanctions on Iran, in exchange for limits on Iran’s nuclear program.
Meanwhile, Trump signaled in January some optimism about securing a nuclear deal with Iran, when asked if he backed Israel striking Iran’s nuclear facilities.
TRUMP’S NEW UKRAINE ENVOY ISSUES WARNING TO IRAN, SAYS ‘MAXIMUM PRESSURE MUST BE REINSTATED’
President Donald Trump shakes hands with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as they pose for a photo within their meeting at Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida on July 26, 2024. (Amos Ben-Gershom (GPO) / Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images)
“We’ll have to see. I’m going to be meeting with various people over the next couple of days,” Trump told reporters on Jan. 24. “We’ll see, but hopefully that could be worked out without having to worry about it.”
“Iran hopefully will make a deal. I mean, they don’t make a deal, I guess that’s OK, too,” Trump said.
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Other executive orders that Trump signed on Tuesday include pulling the U.S. out of the United Nations Human Rights Council and cutting funding for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA).
Fox News’ Morgan Phillips contributed to this report.
Diana Stancy is a politics reporter with Fox News Digital covering the White House.
Tulsi Gabbard passed a key committee hurdle on Tuesday, and her nomination will now head to the Senate floor where she’ll get a final confirmation vote.
President Donald Trump tapped Gabbard, a former Democratic congresswoman, to be Director of National Intelligence (DNI) in his second term.
Some issues the nominee has been pressed on during her confirmation process are her past meeting with former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, her previous FISA Section 702 stance and her past support for NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden.
‘OVERDOSE EPIDEMIC’: BIPARTISAN SENATORS TARGET FENTANYL CLASSIFICATION AS LAPSE APPROACHES
Tulsi Gabbard, President Donald Trump’s choice to be the Director of National Intelligence, arrives to appear before the Senate Intelligence Committee for her confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill on Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025, in Washington. (AP)
She faced questions about each in her hearing last week.
Gabbard managed to impress some Republicans on the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence with her answers, as both Sens. John Cornyn, R-Texas, and Susan Collins, R-Maine, revealed afterward that they would vote to advance her.
ELIZABETH WARREN GRILLED RFK JR ON DRUG COMPANY MONEY, BUT RECEIVED OVER $5M FROM HEALTH INDUSTRY
Gabbard left the Democratic Party and endorsed Trump.(AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., endorsed Trump’s DNI nominee last month after she announced her changed beliefs about section 702, a critical and controversial intelligence gathering tool.
He reiterated this support after her hearing.
However, there were remaining questions about certain senators up until the committee’s closed-door vote on Tuesday. Sen. Todd Young, R-Ind., is one of the lawmakers that did not disclose how he would vote beforehand.
Young didn’t say how he planned to vote.(Alex Wong)
In a since-deleted post on X the weekend prior, Trump-aligned billionaire Elon Musk slammed Young as a “deep state puppet” in regard to his uncertainty about Gabbard.
But the two seemed to patch things up on a phone call soon after.
SEN. TILLIS OPENS UP ABOUT ROLE IN PETE HEGSETH’S CONFIRMATION AFTER HEGSETH’S EX-SISTER-IN-LAW’S ALLEGATIONS
Musk criticized the senator for his hesitance. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
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A spokesperson for Young told Fox News Digital in a statement, “Senator Young and Mr. Musk had a great conversation on a number of subjects and policy areas where they have a shared interest, like DOGE.”
Musk also shared on X over the weekend, “Just had an excellent conversation with [Young]. I stand corrected. Senator Young will be a great ally in restoring power to the people from the vast, unelected bureaucracy.”
Julia Johnson is a politics writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business, leading coverage of the U.S. Senate. She was previously a politics reporter at the Washington Examiner.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt breaks down President Donald Trump’s ‘day one’ goal as president during an appearance on ‘Varney & Co.’
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt responded to reports that President Donald Trump is planning to use executive actions to dismantle the Department of Education during an interview on FOX Business, Tuesday.
“President Trump campaigned on that promise, and I think the American people can expect him to deliver on it,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told Stuart Varney on “Varney & Co.” in response to a question on whether she can confirm Trump’s plan.
Leavitt expanded, stating that it “goes back to his wanting to make this government accountable to the American taxpayer.”
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt pictured alongside President Donald Trump. (Fox News / Fox News)
“When you look at the literacy rates, the math and the reading rates of young children and students in America, they are not good. Our nation’s report card was released last week, and it showed that only 40% of fourth graders are reading at a proficient level. So clearly, the tens of millions of dollars that the Department of Education is spending every single year is not working. And President Trump wants to empower parents to have a greater say in their child’s education system,” she continued.
Officials reportedly discussed an executive order that would shut down the functions not written into the statute of the department, or move certain functions to other agencies.
TRUMP SIGNS EXECUTIVE ORDERS STRIPPING FEDERAL FUNDING FROM SCHOOLS THAT TEACH CRT, SUPPORTING SCHOOL CHOICE
As the president starts to take action on education, a White House official confirmed to Fox that Trump plans to reevaluate the future of the Education Department throughout his presidency.
Last Wednesday, President Donald Trump signed two executive orders on education, one to remove federal funding from K-12 schools that teach critical race theory (CRT), and another to support school choice.
Chair of the Center for Education Opportunity at the America First Policy Institute Erika Donalds reveals the importance of school choice on ‘Varney & Co.’
The executive order states that any K-12 school that does not comply with the directive to end discrimination will lose all federal funding, citing Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination over race, color, and national origin for any activity or program receiving federal funding.
According to Leavitt, closing down the Department of Education could be next on Trump’s agenda.
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Fox News’ Rachel Del Guidice contributed to this report.
President Donald Trump is expected to attend Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans on Sunday to watch the game between the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles.
Trump would be the first sitting president to attend the game, according to the New York Post. Punchbowl News first reported the president was expected to head to Caesars Superdome for the game. The Associated Press confirmed the report, citing a White House official.
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Signs for Super Bowl LIX at the Caesars Casino in New Orleans, Feb. 3, 2025.(Kirby Lee-Imagn Images)
A source familiar with the matter also told Fox News Digital he would be at the game.
The president has attended college football games over the last few years. He made his presence felt at the Alabama-Georgia game in September and attended the Army-Navy game after he won the election over Vice President Kamala Harris.
Trump didn’t attend many NFL games the first time around as he clashed with players’ decision to kneel for the national anthem as a form of protest against social injustice. He was at the Pittsburgh Steelers’ game against the New York Jets in October after a campaign rally in Pennsylvania.
He will have plenty of fans in attendance at the game. Brittany Mahomes and her mother-in-law Randi both supported the president during his re-election campaign.
Former President Donald Trump gestures as the Steelers play the New York Jets at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh, Oct. 20, 2024.(Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images)
HOW TO WATCH SUPER BOWL LIX BETWEEN CHIEFS, EAGLES STREAMED ON TUBI
Before the game kicks off, Trump will speak with Fox News Channel’s Bret Baier. The pre-taped interview took place at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, and will air in the 3 p.m. ET hour on Super Bowl Sunday.
Super Bowl LIX will kick off at 6:30 p.m. ET. Pregame coverage can be seen on FOX beginning at 1 p.m. ET. Tubi will also stream coverage on its platform for the first time.
Super Bowl LIX will be streamed on Tubi.(Tubi)
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The Chiefs are looking to make history as the first team to win three consecutive Super Bowls.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Ryan Gaydos is a senior editor for Fox News Digital.
