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Trump AG pick Pam Bondi clears Judiciary, will get confirmation vote in Senate

The Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday voted to favorably report Pam Bondi’s nomination for U.S. attorney general to the Senate, a widely expected vote that clears her for a vote in the full chamber later this week.

She secured the votes of the committee’s 12 Republicans, with all 10 Democrats voting against.

Bondi, the former Florida attorney general, made a name for herself in Florida by cracking down on drug trafficking, violent crime, and the many “pill mills” operating in the state. She also spent 18 years as a prosecutor for the Hillsborough County state attorney’s office, giving her the experience that many believe she will need to serve as the top U.S. attorney.

Bondi was expected to see a glide path to confirmation ahead of Wednesday’s vote. Her nomination to be President Donald Trump’s attorney general also earned the praise of more than 110 former senior Justice Department officials, including former attorneys general, and dozens of Democratic and Republican state attorneys general, who praised her experience and work across party and state lines.

‘UNLIKELY COALITION’: A CRIMINAL JUSTICE REFORM ADVOCATE SEES OPPORTUNITIES IN A SECOND TRUMP TERM

Pam Bondi, former Florida Attorney General, speaking at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing at a U.S. Capitol. (Photo by Michael Brochstein/Sipa USA)

Those backers described Bondi in interviews and letters previewed exclusively to Fox News Digital as an experienced and motivated prosecutor whose record has proved to be more consensus-builder than bridge-burner.

In her confirmation hearing earlier this month, Bondi stressed that, if confirmed to head up DOJ, the “partisanship, the weaponization will be gone. “America will have one tier of justice for all.”

Whether the approach will prove successful, however, remains to be seen.

The confirmation vote Wednesday was held against a strikingly different political backdrop than just two weeks ago, when Bondi testified days before Trump’s swearing-in.

In his first nine days in office, Trump has fired more than 15 inspectors general from top federal agencies, ousted more than a dozen special counsel members tasked with investigating him, and reassigned or removed officials from top posts at the department.

TRUMP FIRES 17 GOVERNMENT WATCHDOGS AT VARIOUS FEDERAL AGENCIES

Pam Bondi, President-elect Donald Trump’s choice to lead the Justice Department as attorney general, is sworn in before the Senate Judiciary Committee for her confirmation hearing, at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis) (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)

He also froze new hiring at DOJ, issued a sweeping clemency grant for more than 1,500 criminal defendants charged in the January 6, 2021, riots at the U.S. Capitol and installed as acting U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia a criminal defense attorney who represented several high-profile rioters.

Combined, Democrats have raised serious concerns about these actions— and about Bondi’s ability to steer the Justice Department in the face of a willful, and at times seemingly impulsive president-elect, and questioned her willingness to go after political “enemies” and asked her to give credence to certain remarks made by Kash Patel, Trump’s FBI nominee.

But Bondi appeared composed and largely unflappable during the course of her confirmation hearing, which stretched for more than five hours, save for a 30-minute lunch break.

She highlighted her record on fighting violent crime, drug trafficking, and human trafficking as Florida’s top prosecutor, and outlined her broader vision for heading up the Justice Department, where she stressed her desire to lead a department free from political influence.

TRUMP HIRING FREEZE PROMPTS DOJ TO PULL JOB OFFERS IN AG’S HONORS PROGRAM: REPORT

Justice Department logo and Pam Bondi (Samuel Corum/Bloomberg via Getty Images, left, and MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images, right.)

If confirmed, Bondi’s former colleagues have told Fox News Digital they expect her to bring the same playbook she used in Florida to Washington – this time with an eye to cracking down on drug trafficking, illicit fentanyl use, and the cartels responsible for smuggling the drugs across the border.
Democrat Dave Aronberg, who challenged Bondi in her bid for Florida attorney general, told Fox News Digital in an interview that he was stunned when Bondi called him up after winning the race and asked him to be her drug czar.

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He noted that she’s stared down political challenges before. When she took office in Florida, Aaronberg said, Bondi “received a lot of pushback” from members of the Republican Party for certain actions she took,” including appointing a Democrat to a top office.

“But she stood up to them and she did what she thought was right, regardless of political pressure,” Aaronberg told Fox News Digital on the eve of her confirmation vote. “So that’s what gives me hope here, is that she’ll editorship and refocus the Department of Justice on policy and politics. You know, I’m hopeful she’ll focus on and I know that the border and the and human trafficking and the rise of anti-Semitism in our country and on college campuses, those won’t be popular positions.”

Breanne Deppisch is a politics reporter for Fox News Digital covering the 2024 election and other national news.

January 29, 2025
Trump proposes abolishment of federal income tax, bringing US back to ‘richest period’ in history

‘The Big Money Show’ discusses President Donald Trump’s ‘aggressive’ economic agenda.

Pitching a monumental and potentially controversial proposal to his Republican allies, President Donald Trump is seemingly floating the idea of scrapping federal income taxes altogether.

“We had no income tax. The income tax came in…1913. As I said in my speech last week, instead of taxing our citizens to enrich foreign nations, we should be tariffing and taxing foreign nations to enrich our citizens,” Trump said during his conference address in Doral, Florida, on Monday.

“It’s time for the United States to return to the system that made us richer and more powerful than ever before,” he added. “You know, the United States in 1870 to 1913, all tariffs. And that was the richest period in the history of the United States, relatively speaking.”

The first federal income tax was passed on February 25, 1913, as part of the 16th Amendment. This gave Congress constitutional authority to levy taxes on corporate and individual income, according to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).

WHITE HOUSE ECONOMIST TEASES THE ‘BIGGEST’ FISCAL REFORM ‘AMERICAN HAS EVER SEEN’

U.S. Treasury data indicates that $4.92 trillion was collected in federal income taxes for the 2023 filing year. But as Trump plans to create a new “External Revenue Service” that would be tasked with collecting revenue from tariffs, economists and market experts seem mixed, with some pushing back and noting that U.S. importers bear the brunt of the cost of tariffs rather than firms overseas.

President Donald Trump pitched the idea to eliminate federal income tax during his address at a GOP conference in Doral, Florida, on Monday. (Getty Images)

“Tariffs are not external revenue; they are taxes on U.S. importers that shrink both the U.S. economy and U.S. incomes. Higher tariffs will create a drag on the U.S. economy and will threaten to offset the benefits of tax cuts elsewhere. They should not be relied upon as a major source of tax revenue,” Tax Foundation Vice President Erica York previously told FOX Business.

“Markets like certainty. So if you tell me, ‘10% tariff,’ if I’m a company like GM, I can handle that,” Taylor Riggs, “The Big Money Show” co-host, pointed out on Tuesday. “If you tell me that every month it’s going up by 2.5%, I have a hard time planning around that, because how do I figure out: do I buy the goods now? What if the tariffs go up? Is it a negotiating tool?”

“This whole idea about eliminating the income tax, or redefining it and coming in with a 10% tariff tax and giving an income tax break to Americans, encourages them to work more, in my opinion, encourages them to spend more, in my opinion,” Slatestone Wealth chief market strategist Kenny Polcari also chimed in.

Trump senior advisor for trade and manufacturing Peter Navarro discusses the battle over TikTok and bringing ‘prosperity’ to the United States on ‘The Claman Countdown.’

“So then you end up having a stronger and better economy,” Polcari continued. “I think the market likes it.”

During his successful campaign to return to the White House, Trump touted plans to impose an across-the-board tariff of 10% or 20% – as well as a larger tariff of 60% on goods imported from China.

He also threatened to impose a 25% tariff on goods from Canada and Mexico, which are both parties to the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) – a free trade agreement Trump negotiated during his first term as a successor to the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).

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Walser Wealth Management President Rebecca Walser and Culture+Group CEO and co-founder Lili Gil Valletta discuss which world leaders will cave to President Trump’s tariff threats on ‘Making Money.’

More recently, President Trump also teased moving nearly 90,000 IRS agents hired under the Biden administration to the border to patrol the area.

Democrats in 2022 approved $80 billion in funding for the IRS, including hiring roughly 87,000 new agents across a 10-year period as part of the Inflation Reduction Act. President Joe Biden signed the legislation into law that year.

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FOX Business’ Eric Revell and Fox News’ Emma Colton contributed to this report.

January 29, 2025
Trump Media shares surge after company expands into financial services

Check out what’s clicking on FoxBusiness.com.

Shares of Trump Media, the parent of social media app Truth Social, surged on Tuesday after announcing plans to expand into financial services.

The company’s stock climbed as much as 17% in premarket trading on the news.

Trump Media said in a press release that its board approved an investment of up to $250 million to be custodied by Charles Schwab.

“We look forward to launching Truth.Fi, introducing TMTG’s investment vehicles, and unlocking synergies,” said TMTG CEO Devin Nunes. “Truth.Fi is a natural expansion of the Truth Social movement. We began by creating a free-speech social media platform, added an ultra-fast TV streaming service, and now we’re moving into investment products and decentralized finance.”

Ticker Security Last Change Change %

DJT TRUMP MEDIA & TECHNOLOGY GROUP CORP 30.04 +0.51 +1.71%

“Developing American First investment vehicles is another step toward our goal of creating a robust ecosystem through which American patriots can protect themselves from the ever-present threat of cancellation, censorship, debanking, and privacy violations committed by Big Tech and woke corporations,” he added.

The Sarasota, Florida-based company said it plans to allocate these funds into various investment options, including exchange-traded funds, separately managed accounts, Bitcoin, and other similar cryptocurrencies.

Reuters contributed to this report.

January 29, 2025
Scoop: Trump HHS secretary nominee RFK Jr to stress he’s not ‘anti-vaccine’ at confirmation hearing

EXCLUSIVE: Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President Donald Trump’s nominee for secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), will emphasize that he is not “anti-vaccine” when he appears Wednesday in Congress at the first of two straight days of Senate confirmation hearings.

“I want to make sure the Committee is clear about a few things. News reports have claimed that I am anti-vaccine or anti-industry. Well, I am neither; I am pro-safety,” Kennedy will say in his opening statement in front of the Senate Finance Committee.

The statement was shared first with Fox News ahead of the appearance by Kennedy, who, if confirmed, would have control over 18 powerful federal agencies, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Food and Drug Administration, the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

And Kennedy will emphasize he’s not “the enemy of food producers. American farms are the bedrock of our culture and national security … I want to work with our farmers and food producers to remove burdensome regulations and unleash American ingenuity.”

HOW KENNEDY MAY BE TARGETED OVER HIS VACCINE VIEWS

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is President Donald Trump’s nominee for secretary of Health and Human Services. (Jon Cherry/Getty Images)

The hearing, as well as a Thursday hearing in front of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee (a courtesy hearing as only the Senate Finance Committee will vote on Kennedy’s confirmation), are expected to be contentious because of Kennedy’s controversial vaccine views, including his repeated claims linking vaccines to autism, which have been debunked by scientific research.

Kennedy also served for years as chair or chief legal counsel for Children’s Health Defense, the nonprofit organization he founded that has advocated against vaccines and sued the federal government numerous times, including a challenge over the authorization of the COVID vaccine for children.

THE TAKE ON KENNEDY’S CONFIRMATION FROM FOX NEWS’ SENIOR MEDICAL ANALYST

After Trump’s convincing November presidential election victory, Kennedy has said he won’t “take away anybody’s vaccines.”

And in his opening statement at his confirmation hearing, Kennedy will spotlight that “all of my kids are vaccinated, and I believe vaccines have a critical role in healthcare.”

But he will also say, “In my advocacy, I have disturbed the status quo by asking uncomfortable questions. Well, I won’t apologize for that. We have massive health problems in this country that we must face honestly.”

HHS is a massive federal department, with approximately 90,000 people and an annual budget of roughly $1.7 trillion. And Kennedy has said he wants to shift the focus of the agencies he would oversee toward promotion of a healthy lifestyle and the root causes of chronic diseases, which has garnered some bipartisan support in Congress.

Kennedy has said he would aim to overhaul dietary guidelines and take aim at ultra-processed foods, among other initiatives.

“American farms are the bedrock of our culture and national security,” Kennedy is expected to say in his opening statement. “I want to work with our farmers and food producers to remove burdensome regulations and unleash American ingenuity.”

He will warn that “the United States has worse health than any other developed nation, yet we spend far more on healthcare — at least double; and in some cases, triple.”

TULSI GABBARD, RFK JR EXPECTED TO FACE OPPOSITION IN SENATE CONFIRMATION HEARINGS

And he will “thank President Trump for entrusting me to deliver on his promise to make America healthy again.”

“Should I be so privileged to be confirmed, we will make sure our tax dollars support healthy foods. We will scrutinize the chemical additives in our food supply. We will remove the financial conflicts of interest in our agencies. We will create an honest, unbiased, science-driven HHS, accountable to the President, to Congress, and to the American people. We will reverse the chronic disease epidemic and put the nation back on the road to health,” Kennedy is expected to say.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. stands alongside a bust of his late uncle, former President John F. Kennedy, outside City Hall in Nashua, N.H., on June 20, 2023. (Fox News/Paul Steinhauser )

The 71-year-old Kennedy, the longtime environmental activist and crusader who is the scion of the nation’s most storied political dynasty, launched a long-shot campaign for the Democrat presidential nomination against then-President Biden in April 2023. But six months later, he switched to an independent run for the White House.

Kennedy made major headlines again last August when he dropped his presidential bid and endorsed Trump. While Kennedy had long identified as a Democrat and repeatedly invoked his late father, former Sen. Robert F. Kennedy, and his late uncle, former President John F. Kennedy – who were both assassinated in the 1960s – Kennedy in recent years built relationships with far-right leaders due in part to his high-profile vaccine skepticism.

Trump announced soon after the November election that he would nominate Kennedy to his Cabinet to run HHS.

Then-Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump welcomes Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to the stage at a Turning Point Action campaign rally on Oct. 23, 2024, in Duluth, Ga. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

Opposition to Kennedy’s nomination has been fierce, with advocacy groups running ad campaigns urging senators to vote against his confirmation.

Kennedy, in his opening statement, will “thank my wife Cheryl, who is with us here today; and all the members of my large extended family, for the love that they have so generously shared. Ours has always been a family devoted to public service, and I look forward to continuing that legacy.”

But many members of the Kennedy family were very vocal in their opposition to his primary challenge against Biden as well as his independent White House run.

And on the eve of his confirmation hearing, his well-known cousin, Caroline Kennedy, sent a letter to senators on Tuesday that charged Kennedy as one who “preys on the desperation of parents and sick children” and whose actions “have cost lives.”

She seemed to be referring to Kennedy’s connection to a measles outbreak in 2019 in the Pacific Island nation of Samoa, where 83 people died.

Among those vocal in their opposition to Kennedy is Democrat Gov. Josh Green of Hawaii, a former emergency room physician who traveled to Samoa to help treat the deadly measles outbreak, including vaccinating tens of thousands of individuals.

“Our people deserve a Health and Human Services Secretary who champions science, supports vaccines, and is committed to lowering costs while safeguarding health care access,” the governor said in a statement. “Mr. Kennedy’s lack of experience raises serious concerns about the future of critical programs like Medicare and Medicaid.”

It’s not just Democrats who have issues with Kennedy.

Social conservative Republicans aiming to curtail abortion rights take issue with his past comments in support of abortion rights.

On the eve of the confirmation hearing, former Vice President Mike Pence’s Advancing American Freedom public advocacy group launched a modest ad campaign opposing Kennedy based on his abortion views.

“We need leadership that defends life and protects the most vulnerable—not radical policies that undermine our values,” the group wrote in a social media post.

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Kennedy met with senators again on Tuesday, on the eve of his confirmation hearing, but didn’t take shouted questions from reporters.

But veteran Trump administration official Katie Miller told Fox News Digital that Kennedy’s “prepared and excited” for the hearings.

Paul Steinhauser is a politics reporter based in New Hampshire.

January 29, 2025
What will the Fed do with interest rates and how will Trump react?

Speaking before the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Trump said he’ll call for interest rates to be lower than current levels. A possible sign he is setting up a possible battle with the Federal Reserve.

The Federal Reserve is set to announce its next interest rate move on Wednesday, which could prompt a reaction from President Donald Trump, who recently called for the Fed to lower interest rates.

Members of the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) are expected to leave the target for the benchmark federal funds rate unchanged at a range of 4.25% to 4.5% – which would be the central bank’s first pause in this rate-cutting cycle following three consecutive cuts that brought rates down from 5.25% to 5.5%.

Inflation has persisted in the economy despite easing considerably from the 40-year high of 9.1% annual inflation recorded in June 2022. The most recent reading of the consumer price index (CPI) came in at 2.9%, above the Fed’s 2% target rate. Due in large part to stubborn inflation, the probability of Fed pause at the January meeting was 99.5%, according to the CME FedWatch tool.

The Fed’s anticipated pause could prompt Trump to renew his criticism of the central bank and Fed Chair Jerome Powell, following the president’s call for lower interest rates last week.

TRUMP SAYS HE WON’T FIRE FED CHAIR JEROME POWELL

President Donald Trump nominated Fed Chair Jerome Powell to the role in 2017 but has criticized the central bank’s policies under his leadership. (SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images / Getty Images)

In a speech to the World Economic Forum last week, President Trump said that he plans to bring down the price of oil and, in turn, energy prices to address inflation – which he said should serve as the impetus for the Fed to cut interest rates.

“With oil prices going down, I’ll demand that interest rates drop immediately. And, likewise, they should be dropping all over the world. Interest rates should follow us,” Trump said.

Trump, who nominated Powell to his role as Fed chair in 2017, has criticized the chairman repeatedly over the years. During his first term in the White House, Trump threatened to fire Powell and called him a “bonehead.”

While Trump was campaigning to return to the White House last year, he criticized the Fed’s interest rate cuts as “political” – though he said in June that he wouldn’t attempt to fire Powell and reiterated that last month.

ODDS OF U.S. RECESSION DECLINING: NABE ECONOMISTS

January’s Federal Reserve meeting is the first since the start of President Donald Trump’s second term. (SHAWN THEW/Pool via REUTERS / Reuters Photos)

The potential impact of Trump’s economic policies, including his plans for tax cuts and federal spending as well as tariffs on imports, will likely feature prominently when Powell speaks to the press Wednesday after the Fed’s decision is announced.

Bank of America Global Research wrote in a note to investors previewing the Fed meeting that they expect Powell’s post-meeting press conference will include a heavy focus on the Fed’s next move as well as how the central bank plans to weigh Trump’s policies as they anticipate future rate cuts or further pauses.

“Powell will probably get asked again about the Fed’s response to the Trump policy agenda. We think he will stick to his stance that there is a lot of uncertainty about which policies will get implemented, and the Fed shouldn’t pre-judge or preempt them,” the Bank of America economists wrote. “But he will also probably note that some FOMC members (e.g. Waller and Williams) have already integrated policy into their outlook.”

FED MINUTES SHOW POLICYMAKERS SEE IMMIGRATION, TARIFF SHIFTS CREATING INFLATION UNCERTAINTY

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell has said the central bank will base its decisions on the latest trends in economic data. (Photo by Liu Jie/Xinhua via Getty Images / Getty Images)

Earlier this month, the FOMC released the minutes of its December meeting in which policymakers cited a high degree of uncertainty about the economic impact of potential changes in trade and immigration policy.

That uncertainty, along with persistent inflation in the regular economic data releases, suggested that the process of slowing inflation back to its 2% target “could take longer than previously anticipated.”

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With inflation lingering, Fed watchers expect policymakers will take a slower approach to rate cuts in 2025. The probability of the Fed holding rates steady for its next meeting in March was 68% as of Tuesday afternoon, according to the CME FedWatch tool.

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
Wisconsin mom urges Trump admin to launch ‘pivotal’ probe into alleged race-based discrimination against son

FIRST ON FOX: An official civil rights complaint has been filed to the Trump administration urging action in defense of a Wisconsin mother who alleges her son, who is White, was passed over being given the extra learning attention he needed due to language on the school’s website that says it prioritizes additional help for students based on race.

The Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty (WILL) filed a Title VI civil rights complaint on Tuesday with the Department of Education’s Civil Rights office against the Green Bay Area Public School District after Colbey Decker alleged that a “troubling” and “unlawful” policy in the district “explicitly prioritizes reading support resources based on race, thereby violating the U.S. Constitution and Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.”

“Colbey Decker, a mom from Green Bay, Wisconsin, has a dyslexic son who was denied reading resources because he is white,” WILL said in a press release. “Not only does the GBAPS admit this practice through its ‘School Success Plan,’ which explicitly says it prioritizes some racial groups over others, but this message was conveyed directly to Mrs. Decker by a school principal during an in-person meeting.”

“Mrs. Decker’s complaint comes at a pivotal moment because President Trump just ordered the U.S. Department of Education to direct all ‘local educational agencies that receive federal funds’ to implement measures and practices” required to comply with the Constitution’s demand of colorblind treatment of all students. WILL has issued a report and called on the Trump Administration to investigate claims of race discrimination in K-12 schools, and we hope that this is the first case they resolve.”

TRUMP ADMIN TO PAUSE FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS: REPORT

Trump’s Department of Education has been asked to investigate a discrimination claim in Wisconsin (Getty/AP)

Fox News Digital previously spoke to Decker in December about her experience with the school district.

“Any time a parent or a grandparent advocates for a child, I know that their sincere hope is that that child is just treated equally,” Decker said. “And that’s not what’s happening when someone is a priority. If someone is more of a priority than someone else’s child has to be less of a priority. And I don’t think that’s the way most of America wants to move forward with education.”

TRUMP PUTS HIGHER EDUCATION ON NOTICE FOR ‘DANGEROUS, DEMEANING, AND IMMORAL’ DEI TEACHINGS

The US Department of Education building is seen on August 21, 2024 in Washington, DC. (Tierney L. Cross)

“I think everybody wants us to just be completely color-blind and look at children as simply being children. My son is in the 17th percentile in the state for reading, and there are children who are performing at a higher level than him that are more of a priority only because of their skin color. And I don’t think most parents want anything like that to ever happen in any educational setting ever.”

The Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights told Fox News Digital it “does not confirm complaints.”

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“Our client’s son continues to lose valuable time in his educational development. It’s time for the GBAPS to adopt a color-blind policy for giving all kids access to important resources,” WILL Associate Counsel Lauren Gruel said in a press release. “We hope our appeal to the federal government will provide the catalyst needed to address this injustice.”

The district told Fox News Digital on Tuesday that “we do not feel we are able to comment until we have had sufficient time to review.”

The district previously told Fox News Digital that “all District policies must be approved by the Board of Education and no such policy language exists.”

The complaint states that the district has “refused to take any action to end its discrimination.”

“WILL asks that the Department promptly investigate the allegations in this complaint, act swiftly to remedy unlawful policies and practices, and order appropriate relief,” the complaint states. “Thank you for your prompt attention to this request for investigation and resolution.”

Andrew Mark Miller is a reporter at Fox News. Find him on Twitter @andymarkmiller and email tips to [email protected].

January 29, 2025
Incoming UK ambassador walks back prior comments on ‘danger’ of Trump: ‘ill-judged and wrong’

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EXCLUSIVE – Newly appointed U.K. ambassador to the U.S., Lord Peter Mandelson, is readying himself to take up the top job of preserving the “special relationship” long championed by London and Washington, but first he’s looking to set the record straight.

In an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital, Mandelson, when asked about previous comments he made regarding the recently re-elected president, including in 2019 when he said President Donald Trump was “a danger to the world,” said his opinion of the president had changed.

“I consider my remarks about President Trump as ill-judged and wrong,” he said. “I think that times and attitudes toward the president have changed.”

Peter Mandelson, former Labour MP and European commissioner, speaks to the media following the result of the EU referendum, in London, June 24, 2016. (Reuters/Stefan Wermuth)

TRUMP’S WORLD LEADERS CLUB: WHO’S IN AND WHO’S LOOKING TO SALVAGE TIES

“I think that he has won fresh respect,” he added in reference to Trump’s second election as president. “He certainly has from me, and that is going to be the basis of all the work I do as His Majesty’s ambassador in the United States.”

The incoming ambassador’s comments come amid reports that the U.K.-U.S.’s “special relationship” could be put to the test, and Mandelson’s appointment may be blocked by the White House.

Mandelson rejected these claims and said, “I’ve heard nothing from the president or the White House or anyone working for him that suggests that there’s going to be any difficulty about my appointment.”

But speculation on the reliability of the U.S. in that trans-Atlantic relationship remains high following comments made by officials from Trump’s campaign, as well as by close ally and tech titan Elon Musk.

Musk, who engaged in a social media spat leveled at British Prime Minster Keir Starmer earlier this month, is not in Trump’s Cabinet, but he has been charged with overseeing the new Department of Government Efficiency.

Despite the negative social media banter by those who have Trump’s ear, the president and Starmer engaged in an apparently friendly phone call over the weekend – suggesting Trump may look to prioritize the U.S.-U.K. partnership.

Elon Musk speaks with former President Donald Trump during a campaign event, Oct. 5, 2024, in Butler, Pennsylvania. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

AS UK REPRESENTATIVE, I WANT TO MAKE OUR ALLIANCE WITH THE US GREAT AGAIN

“They’re not Siamese twins, President Trump and Prime Minister Starmer, but they’re both pragmatic people. They know where each is coming from, they want to find common ground,” Mandelson said. “I feel very optimistic. I feel very upbeat about the relationship that they’re both going to have.”

Mandelson is the first non-career diplomat to take up the job as chief U.K.-U.S. liaison in over half a century. That could prove beneficial for Mandelson when up against Trump, who has long strayed from engaging in traditional diplomacy.

“The president isn’t a career diplomat, and I’m not a career diplomat,” Mandelson said. “I came into politics to change things for the better for people, and so did he.

“We share a similar, if not identical, outlook on the world and motivation in politics. But I think above all, we believe in something which is really special between our countries,” he added, pointing to the enduring relationship between the U.S. and U.K.

Mandelson said his chief priorities will be to work with the U.S. on trade, technological developments and defense partnerships – particularly in the face of adversarial powers like China.

“I think that the United States and Britain, working together, can outsmart and keep ahead of the curve as far as China is concerned,” the incoming ambassador said. “[Trump] wants a dialogue with China, he wants to do deals with China. But he’s also not going to be naive about China.

Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer addresses members at the Labour Party in Liverpool, England, on Tuesday. (AP)

“We face a challenge together from China, and we’ve got to make sure that we are able to deter that challenge or that threat when they’re having aggressive intents toward us,” he added.

Mandelson championed the trilateral alliance shared by the U.S., the U.K. and Australia, established with the intent of countering China’s aggression in the Indo-Pacific.

“Security in the Euro-Atlantic area depends on making sure that China is kept at bay in its own region,” he said. “China has the right to prosper, to generate higher standards of living for its own people, but not at the expense of others.”

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Mandelson argued that despite international apprehensions over certain security uncertainties under the Trump administration, the U.K. does not share in these concerns.

“There are so many threats and challenges the world is facing at the moment. It takes courage, somebody, sometimes, who’s prepared to be argumentative and, indeed, disruptive, not just take business as usual,” he detailed.

“Frankly, I think President Trump could become one of the most consequential American presidents I have known in my adult life,” Mandelson said.

January 29, 2025
Senate hearings for Trump nominees resume on Capitol Hill

The Senate will have separate committee hearings for three of President Donald Trump’s administration nominees on Wednesday, including former presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who is considered one of his more vulnerable picks.

At approximately 10 a.m. on Wednesday, hearings for both Kennedy in the Finance Committee and Howard Lutnick in the Commerce Committee will begin.

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Kennedy and Loeffler will have committee hearings on Wednesday. (Reuters)

Trump picked Kennedy to lead the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), while Lutnick is the president’s choice for Commerce secretary.

In the afternoon, Kelly Loeffler goes before the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship. The hearing for Trump’s pick to lead the Small Business Administration starts at 3:30 p.m.

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Howard Lutnick is being considered for secretary of commerce. (ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images)

Several of Trump’s nominees have already been confirmed, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Transportation Secretary-designate Sean Duffy.

While the Hegseth confirmation came down to the wire, with Vice President JD Vance being needed to break a tie in the Senate, there’s been some indication that other Trump nominees such as Kennedy, former Democrat Rep. Tulsi Gabbard and potentially Kash Patel will have their own uphill battles to getting confirmed.

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Kelly Loeffler is a former senator from Georgia. (Alyssa Pointer/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Gabbard is Trump’s choice to be director of national intelligence, and Patel is nominated to be the next attorney general.

While the Finance Committee will ultimately vote on whether to advance Kennedy’s nomination to the Senate floor, he will also have a hearing on Thursday before the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions because of the position’s relevance to public health.

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Kennedy is one of Trump’s more controversial picks. (Jon Cherry/Getty Images)

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Senators on both sides of the aisle in the Finance Committee are expected to ask Kennedy for clarifications on his past statements regarding vaccines and how he would apply his beliefs if confirmed to lead HHS.

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.

Follow Julia’s reporting on X at @JuliaaJohnson_ and send tips to [email protected].

January 29, 2025
Trump, Musk join forces to bring stranded NASA astronauts back via SpaceX after Biden admin ‘abandoned’ them

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President Donald Trump on Tuesday said he has tasked his new Department of Government Efficiency head, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, with bringing home two astronauts who he said have been “abandoned” by the Biden administration.

Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams have been in space for the last 8 months and Trump blasted the former president for not acting sooner.

“I have just asked Elon Musk and @SpaceX to ‘go get’ the 2 brave astronauts who have been virtually abandoned in space by the Biden Administration. They have been waiting for many months on @Space Station. Elon will soon be on his way. Hopefully, all will be safe. Good luck Elon!!!” posted Trump.

MUSK’S SPACEX TO HELP RETURN ASTRONAUTS DESPITE FEDERAL INVESTIGATIONS OF BILLIONAIRE’S BUSINESSES

NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore were the flight crew on Boeing’s Starliner capsule, which is recovering from a series of issues. (NASA / Getty Images)

Musk also took to social media to express his disdain and vowed to bring them home “as soon as possible.”

“The @POTUS has asked @SpaceX to bring home the 2 astronauts stranded on the @SpaceStation as soon as possible. We will do so,” Musk posted via X Tuesday evening. “Terrible that the Biden administration left them there so long.”

NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test Commander Butch Wilmore (L) and Pilot Suni Williams walk out of the Operations and Checkout Building on June 05, 2024 in Cape Canaveral, Florida. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images / Getty Images)

Wilmore and Williams have been in space since June. The mission was initially only meant to be a week long.

The NASA pilots arrived at the International Space Station on a Starliner, but issues with the capsule developed in the form of helium leaks and thruster problems making it too risky for people to utilize the ship to travel back to Earth.

BOEING STARLINER LAUNCHES 2 NASA ASTRONAUTS INTO SPACE IN FIRST PILOTED TEST FLIGHT

A plan was in place to rescue the two on a SpaceX capsule arriving back on Earth by February, but it was delayed. (Fox News )

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A plan was in place to rescue the two on a SpaceX capsule arriving back on Earth by February, but it was delayed.

Musk has delayed the launch of replacement astronauts at this time. Once the replacement astronauts reach the space station, the pair can go home.

January 29, 2025