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Tag: vows

North Korea vows to expand nuclear forces, blasts US for ‘outdated’ denuclearization plan

North Korea on Tuesday vowed to expand its nuclear forces under Kim Jong Un and criticized the U.S. and its neighbors in Asia for pushing a denuclearization plan against the authoritarian regime.

North Korea’s foreign ministry denounced the joint pledge between the U.S., South Korea and Japan as an “outdated, absurd plan” and warned of “overwhelming and decisive counteraction” against its rivals who threaten its security.

“As long as the U.S. and its vassal forces’ hostile threat exists, the DPRK’s nukes are means for defending peace and sovereignty and a means for legitimate self-defense entrusted by the constitution of the state,” an unnamed ministry spokesperson said in a statement picked up by the North’s Korean Central News Agency, Reuters reported.

The criticism comes after U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul and Japanese Foreign Minister Iwaya Takeshi met during a security conference in Germany and reaffirmed their commitment to the Hermit Kingdom’s “complete denuclearization” and maintaining sanctions on the country’s weapons program.

TRUMP MUST NOT REPEAT HIS KIM JONG UN MISTAKE WITH IRAN, SECURITY EXPERT WARNS

North Korea’s foreign ministry vowed to expand its nuclear forces under Kim Jong Un, pictured, and criticized the U.S. and its neighbors in Asia for pushing a denuclearization plan against the authoritarian regime. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP, File)

The countries also agreed to bolster defense and deterrence, including by expanding three-way military exercises and strengthening Japan and South Korea’s military capabilities, according to a joint statement released after the meeting.

President Donald Trump shakes hands with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 7, 2025. (JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images)

President Donald Trump hosted Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba at the White House earlier this month and said the U.S. will have relations with the North Korean regime of dictator Kim Jong Un.

NORTH KOREA SLAMS RUBIO’S ‘ROGUE STATE’ LABEL AS ‘NONSENSE,’ VOWS TO PUSH BACK AGAINST TRUMP ADMINISTRATION

“We will have relations with North Korea, with Kim Jong Un. I get along with them very well,” Trump told reporters alongside Ishiba.

President Donald Trump first met with Kim Jong Un in Singapore in June 2018, during his first term as president. (AP/Evan Vucci)

Trump, who first met Kim in 2018 in Singapore and became the first sitting president to meet with the leader of North Korea, is looking to build off his personal diplomacy he established with Kim during his first term.

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Trump met Kim again in 2019 and became the first president to step foot inside North Korean territory from the demilitarized zone.

Fox News Digital’s Chris Massaro and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

February 18, 2025
Adams vows to let ICE agents work at Rikers Island after meeting with border czar

New York City Mayor Eric Adams on Thursday said a plan was being worked on to allow federal immigration authorities to operate on Rikers Island following a meeting with border czar Tom Homan, a significant step given the city’s sanctuary policies.

Adams met with Homan during a closed-door meeting. In a statement, he said an executive order was being worked on to “reestablish the ability for ICE agents to operate on Rikers Island — as was the case for 20 years.”

“But now, instead, ICE agents would specifically be focused on assisting the correctional intelligence bureau in their criminal investigations, in particular those focused on violent criminals and gangs,” he added.

TOM HOMAN BELIEVES ICE RAID LEAKS ARE ‘COMING FROM INSIDE’ AS AURORA LEAKER CLOSER TO BEING IDENTIFIED

The Rikers Island jail complex is seen with the Manhattan skyline in the background on June 20, 2014. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File)

Adams said the pair discussed how to combat violent migrant gangs and embedding more New York Police Department officers into federal task forces.

Unlike many blue city mayors, Adams has expressed interest in working with the Trump administration to crack down on illegal immigration in an effort to combat crime.

He noted that New York shouldered a larger number of migrants transported to blue cities from the southern border.

“New York City has been forced to shoulder the burden of a national humanitarian crisis where more than 230,000 migrants have come to our city seeking support, at a cost of approximately $7 billion, with little help from the previous administration,” Adams said.

AG PAM BONDI VOWS TO ‘FIGHT BACK’ AGAINST JUDGES BLOCKING TRUMP’S ANTI-CORRUPTION AGENDA

Border czar Tom Homan, left, met with New York City Mayor Eric Adams on Thursday to discuss the city’s ongoing migrant crisis. (Getty Images)

“That is why I have been clear that I want to work with the new federal administration, not war with them, to find common ground and make better the lives of New Yorkers,” he added.

The meeting came days after the Justice Department ordered federal prosecutors to drop a bribery case against Adams.

Acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove sent a letter to the acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York (SDNY) on Monday, instructing the SDNY to drop the federal case against Adams and dismiss it without prejudice.

NYC Mayor Eric Adams sits down for an interview with Fox News anchor Martha MacCallum. (Fox News / The Story)

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In response, Acting U.S. Attorney Danielle Sassoon resigned on Thursday in a letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi.

Meanwhile, the Trump administration has taken a hard stance against sanctuary cities. On Wednesday, Bondi put New York and other cities on notice.

“This is a new DOJ,” she told reporters while announcing a lawsuit against New York state and government officials. “New York has chosen to prioritize illegal aliens over American citizens. It stops. It stops today.”

February 14, 2025
Olympic boxer, who was caught in gender controversy, vows to fight boxing org’s lawsuit

Imane Khelif, the Olympic gold medalist who was in the middle of a gender controversy at the Paris Games during the summer, vowed to fight back against allegations from the International Boxing Association (IBA).

The IBA said earlier in the week it will file criminal complaints against the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in the U.S., France and Switzerland over its decision to allow Khelif and Taiwanese boxer Lin Yu-ting to compete in the Games despite disqualifications in its own tournament. World Boxing is the governing body for the Olympics.

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Imane Khelif of Team Algeria celebrates victory against Anna Luca Hamori of Team Hungary after the Women’s 66kg Quarter-final round match on day eight of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at North Paris Arena on Aug. 3, 2024 in Paris. (Richard Pelham/Getty Images)

Both Khelif and Lin won gold medals at the Olympics.

“For eight years, I have fought for my dream – eyes years of sacrifice, discipline, and perseverance to stand on the Olympic stage and represent my country with pride,” the Algerian boxer said in a statement posted on Instagram. “I have earned my place, and I will continue to stand firm in the face of any challenge.

“For two years, I have taken the high road while my name and image have been used, unauthorized, to further personal and political agendas through the spreading of and dissemination of baseless lies and misinformation. But silence is no longer an option.

EDUCATION DEPARTMENT CALLS ON NCAA, NFHS TO STRIP AWARDS, RECORDS ‘MISAPPROPRIATED’ BY TRANS ATHLETES

Algeria’s Imane Khelif reacts prior to the match against Hungary’s Anna Luca Hamori in the women’s 66kg quarter-final boxing match during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at the North Paris Arena on Aug. 3, 2024. (MOHD RASFAN/AFP via Getty Images)

“The International Boxing Association (IBA), an organization that I am no longer associated with and which is no longer recognized by the International Olympic Committee, have again made baseless accusations that are false and offensive, using them to further their agenda. This is a matter that concerns not just me but the broader principles of fairness and due process in sport.”

The IBA cited President Donald Trump’s executive order on transgender athletes to justify the criminal complaints.

The IOC reiterated again that Khelif and Lin were not transgender.

Imane Khelif of Team Algeria readies to compete against Anna Luca Hamori of Team Hungary in the women’s 66kg quarter-final boxing match during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at the North Paris Arena, in Villepinte, France, on Aug. 3, 2024. (Mehmet Murat Onel/Anadolu via Getty Images)

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“The two female athletes mentioned by IBA are not transgender athletes,” the organization said Monday.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Ryan Gaydos is a senior editor for Fox News Digital.

February 13, 2025
Promise Day 2025 Funny Memes and Jokes on the Day When Couples Make Overly Dramatic Vows About Love

Promise Day, the fifth day of Valentine’s Week, where couples everywhere solemnly swear to cherish each other forever, or at least until the next argument about what to have for dinner. Promise Day 2025 is celebrated on Tuesday, February 11. It’s the day when lovebirds exchange promises of eternal devotion, and social media becomes flooded with sappy posts, declarations of undying love, and, of course, the inevitable rise of Promise Day funny memes and jokes that mock the entire thing. Because let’s face it, while promises might be sacred to some, they’re often more entertaining when shared through sarcastic jokes and witty one-liners on the internet. Promise Day 2025 Messages, Wishes and Greetings: Romantic Images, HD Wallpapers and Quotes To Share With Your Girlfriend and Boyfriend.

On Promise Day, some couples think they’re essentially rewriting The Notebook with their heartfelt promises. These “life-altering” commitments are apparently meant to reassure each other of their undying affection. But let’s be real here: most of us can’t even keep a promise to water the plants every week, so let’s not pretend we’re all out here making grandiose, unbreakable vows. Then, of course, we have the meme-tastic take on Promise Day, which, if you’re paying attention, is the true highlight of this day. For the single crowd, Promise Day is less about grand romantic gestures and more about… making personal promises to avoid the chaos altogether. Promise Day 2025 Date in Valentine Week: Know the Significance, Importance and Celebrations of the Fifth Day of Love Week.

But, of course, the best part of Promise Day is the couples who decide to get extra creative with their “promises.” I mean, really, how much more specific can you get than a vow like, “I promise to always let you have the last slice of pizza… as long as it’s not pepperoni”? These couples take promises to the next level, offering detailed, niche commitments that make us wonder: Can we just agree to promise that, no matter what, we’ll all survive the awkwardness of discussing future plans with no actual plans? Anyway, while you sit here with your single cup of coffee, we have for you some of the funniest Promise Day 2025 memes and jokes:

True

LOL

LMAO

ROFL

Oh Yes!

ROFL

Promise Day 2025 Messages, Wishes and Greetings: Romantic Images, HD Wallpapers and Quotes To Share With Your Girlfriend and Boyfriend.

On Promise Day, some couples think they’re essentially rewriting The Notebook with their heartfelt promises. These “life-altering” commitments are apparently meant to reassure each other of their undying affection. But let’s be real here: most of us can’t even keep a promise to water the plants every week, so let’s not pretend we’re all out here making grandiose, unbreakable vows. Then, of course, we have the meme-tastic take on Promise Day, which, if you’re paying attention, is the true highlight of this day. For the single crowd, Promise Day is less about grand romantic gestures and more about… making personal promises to avoid the chaos altogether. Promise Day 2025 Date in Valentine Week: Know the Significance, Importance and Celebrations of the Fifth Day of Love Week.

But, of course, the best part of Promise Day is the couples who decide to get extra creative with their “promises.” I mean, really, how much more specific can you get than a vow like, “I promise to always let you have the last slice of pizza… as long as it’s not pepperoni”? These couples take promises to the next level, offering detailed, niche commitments that make us wonder: Can we just agree to promise that, no matter what, we’ll all survive the awkwardness of discussing future plans with no actual plans? Anyway, while you sit here with your single cup of coffee, we have for you some of the funniest Promise Day 2025 memes and jokes:

True

LOL

LMAO

ROFL

Oh Yes!

ROFL

In the end, Promise Day is the day to either make some serious promises about love (or just make fun of the seriousness of it all) through memes and jokes. Whether you’re a couple making declarations that might only last until the next pizza night or a single person finding solace in your commitment to avoid all things romantic, remember: the true promise here is to find joy in the ridiculousness of it all. So, go ahead, make your promises — or just promise yourself a little laughter through all the mushy, over-the-top posts. You deserve it.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 11, 2025 10:45 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).

February 11, 2025
‘BACK TO PLASTIC!’: Trump vows executive order ending ‘ridiculous’ push for paper straws

President Donald Trump is planning to end bans and restrictions on plastic straws, according to his recent post on Truth Social.

“I will be signing an Executive Order next week ending the ridiculous Biden push for Paper Straws, which don’t work,” Trump posted Friday. “BACK TO PLASTIC!”

If signed, the executive order would affect laws in several Democratic-run states that currently have bans or restrictions on single-use plastic straws, such as California, Colorado, New York, Maine, Oregon, Vermont, Rhode Island and Washington.

The impending executive order comes just months after the Biden administration announced plans in July to phase out single-use plastic in the federal government.

FEDERAL AGENCIES SCRUB CLIMATE CHANGE FROM WEBSITES AMID TRUMP REBRANDING

President Donald Trump speaks before signing an executive order in the Oval Office of the White House, Monday, Feb. 3, 2025, in Washington. (Evan Vucci)

Blue states such as California and New York currently have laws in place limiting the use of single-use plastic straws in full-service restaurants, unless it is requested by the customer.

NJ LAWSUIT CLAIMING OIL COMPANIES CAUSE CLIMATE CHANGE DEALT MASSIVE BLOW IN COURT

Democratic states have also adopted the use of paper straws as a more environment-friendly alternative, which has been criticized by Trump for years, who wrote in a 2019 social media post that “liberal paper straws don’t work.”

Blue states such as California and New York currently have laws in place limiting the use of single-use plastic straws in full-service restaurants, unless it is requested by the customer. (Eric Baradat)

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“Greatest President ever!” wrote Elon Musk, who is leading efforts at the newly formed Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), in a post on X regarding the president’s plan for plastic straws.

Aubrie Spady is a Writer for Fox News Digital.

February 7, 2025
Trump vows Homeland Security will prevent transgender athletes from entering the country for 2028 LA Olympics

President Donald Trump signed an executive order banning transgender athletes from competing in girls and women’s sports Wednesday and vowed the order will also apply to border security for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

During Trump’s ceremony at the White House to sign the executive order, he announced that Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem will prohibit any transgender athletes attempting to compete as women from entering the country for the Olympics in 2028.

Trump said he will instruct Noem “to deny any and all visa applications made by men attempting to fraudulently enter the United States while identifying themselves as women athletes try and get into the Games.”

Earlier Wednesday, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said part of the motivation behind Trump’s executive order would be to create a “pressure campaign” for the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and NCAA to follow and prevent transgender athletes from competing in women’s sports.

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“He does expect the Olympic committee and the NCAA to no longer allow men to compete in women’s sports,” Leavitt said. “I think the president, with the signing of his pen, starts a very public pressure campaign on these organizations to do the right thing for women and for girls.

“Again, this is an incredibly popular position. There have been many notable female athletes who have had the courage to speak out against some very powerful institutions in this country. They deserve to have a voice and a say. The president is bringing their voice to the highest level of the White House. He expects these organizations to comply with this federal executive order he will be signing today.”

HOW TRANSGENDERISM IN SPORTS SHIFTED THE 2024 ELECTION AND IGNITED A NATIONAL COUNTERCULTURE

There was controversy surrounding gender eligibility at the Paris Olympics in July and August.

Boxers Imane Khelif of Algeria and Lin Yu-ting of Taiwan won gold medals in women’s boxing. Both athletes had previously been disqualified from international competitions for failing gender eligibility tests. However, the IOC and current President Thomas Bach voiced support for both athletes. The IOC also insisted that both athletes were biologically female.

Before that, Laurel Hubbard, a transgender woman, competed in weightlifting for the New Zealand team, and Canadian soccer player Quinn came out as nonbinary and transgender in 2020.

With Bach preparing to leave office later this year, the IOC’s next president could help carry out Trump’s vision on the issue more cooperatively.

Former British Olympic champion Sebastian Coe is a candidate to be the next IOC president and has suggested he will take action to prevent transgender inclusion in women’s events.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

Coe published a manifesto for his vision as IOC president as he campaigns for the position, and it stressed the importance of protecting female athletes.

Unlike Bach, Coe opposes transgender inclusion in the women’s category and said he would explore a complete ban on transgender athletes in an interview with Sky News.

“We will have a very clear policy that will be unambiguous,” Coe said. “We’ve been very clear in World Athletics that transgender athletes will not be competing in the female category at the elite level.”

Lord Sebastian Coe speaks during a memorial service for Kevan Gosper in the Olympic Room at the Melbourne Cricket Ground Sept. 17, 2024, in Melbourne, Australia. Gosper was an Olympian, former AOC president and IOC vice president who died July 19, 2024, after a short illness. (Daniel Pockett/Getty Images for the AOC)

Coe is the current head of World Athletics, the governing body for international track and field competition. In 2023, the governing body tightened its regulations on transgender athletes to exclude transgender women who have gone through male puberty from competing in the female category. That regulation also lowered the maximum testosterone level for eligible female competitors.

Coe said if he becomes IOC president, the new Olympic policy on transgender inclusion will “probably” reflect the one he has established in World Athletics. Coe has also said the controversy surrounding Khelif and Yu-ting made him feel “uncomfortable.”

NCAA PREZ SUGGESTS ONUS ON FEMALE ATHLETES TO USE OTHER FACILITIES IF UNCOMFORTABLE SHARING WITH TRANS PLAYERS

The United Nations released study findings saying that nearly 900 biological females have fallen short of winning medals because they lost to transgender athletes.

The study, “Violence against women and girls in sports,” said more than 600 athletes did not medal in more than 400 competitions in 29 different sports, totaling over 890 medals, according to information obtained up to March 30.

“The replacement of the female sports category with a mixed-sex category has resulted in an increasing number of female athletes losing opportunities, including medals, when competing against males,” the report said.

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Jackson Thompson is a sports writer for Fox News Digital. He previously worked for ESPN and Business Insider. Jackson has covered the Super Bowl and NBA Finals, and has interviewed iconic figures Usain Bolt, Rob Gronkowski, Jerry Rice, Troy Aikman, Mike Trout, David Ortiz and Roger Clemens.

February 5, 2025
Saudi Arabia contradicts Trump, vows no ties with Israel without creation of Palestinian state

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Saudi Arabia said it would not establish ties with Israel unless a Palestinian state is created, shooting down U.S. President Donald Trump’s claim that the Saudis were not demanding a Palestinian homeland when he floated the idea of the U.S. government taking control of the Gaza Strip.

Trump said on Tuesday at a joint press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that he wants the U.S. to take over the Gaza Strip, which has been ravaged by the Israel-Hamas war, after Palestinians are resettled in other countries.

“The U.S. will take over the Gaza Strip, and we will do a job with it, too,” Trump said at the White House. “We’ll own it and be responsible for dismantling all of the dangerous, unexplored bombs and other weapons on the site.”

“Level the site and get rid of the destroyed buildings, level it out, create an economic development that will supply unlimited numbers of jobs and housing for the people of the area,” he said. “Do a real job. Do something different. Just can’t go back. If you go back, it’s going to end up the same way it has for 100 years.”

‘LEVEL IT’: TRUMP SAYS US WILL ‘TAKE OVER’ GAZA STRIP, REBUILD IT TO STABILIZE MIDDLE EAST

Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) poses prior to a working lunch with French President Emmanuel Macron at the Élysée Presidential Palace on June 16, 2023, in Paris, France. (Getty Images)

Saudi Arabia’s foreign ministry said in a statement on Wednesday that the country rejects any attempts to displace the Palestinians from their homeland, stressing that its position on the Palestinians is not up to negotiation.

The statement noted that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has affirmed the kingdom’s position in “a clear and explicit manner” that does not make other interpretations possible under any circumstances.

TRUMP’S MIDDLE EAST ENVOY EXPLAINS GAZA TAKEOVER PROPOSAL: ‘MORE HOPE’ FOR PALESTINIANS’ FUTURES

Any proposed displacement of Palestinians, an idea Trump has suggested multiple times since retaking office last month, is a highly sensitive matter for both Palestinians and Arab countries.

U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu answer questions during a joint press conference in the East Room at the White House in Washington, D.C., February 4, 2025. ( REUTERS/Leah Millis)

Trump said on Jan. 25 that he wanted Jordan, Egypt and other Arab nations to accept more Palestinian refugees from the Gaza Strip, potentially moving out enough people to “just clean out” the area.

“You’re talking about probably a million and a half people, and we just clean out that whole thing and say, ‘You know, it’s over,’” he said at the time.

Amid the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, Palestinians feared they would suffer from another “Nakba,” meaning catastrophe in Arabic, which refers to the displacement and dispossession of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians during the 1948 war at the birth of the State of Israel.

‘PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH’: TRUMP AND NETANYAHU EXPECTED TO DISCUSS IRAN, HAMAS AT WHITE HOUSE MEETING

U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a joint press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the East Room at the White House in Washington, D.C., February 4, 2025. (REUTERS/Leah Millis)

The U.S. had led months of diplomacy to convince Saudi Arabia to normalize ties with Israel and recognize the Middle Eastern country. But the war in Gaza, which began with Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack on the Jewish State, prompted the Saudis to abandon the matter amid Arab anger over Israel’s offensive.

Trump wants Saudi Arabia to follow in the footsteps of countries including the United Arab Emirates, a Middle East trade and business hub, and Bahrain, which signed the Abraham Accords in 2020 and normalized ties with Israel.

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Saudi Arabia establishing ties with Israel would be a grand prize for the Jewish State because the kingdom has huge influence in the Middle East and the wider Muslim world, and it is the world’s biggest oil exporter.

Reuters contributed to this report.

February 5, 2025
Kash Patel vows to ‘do everything’ to help GOP senator expose Epstein files

Kash Patel, President Donald Trump’s pick to head the FBI, pledged Thursday to work with a top Republican senator on exposing who worked with Jeffrey Epstein in trafficking and exploiting children.

Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., quizzed Patel about how he would handle the Epstein case. The sex-trafficking financier died in 2019 while awaiting trial. Nearly 200 names that had previously been redacted from court documents in a lawsuit against his accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell were made public last year.

However, Blackburn said there is still more to be known, including the names of those who flew on his plane and accomplices.

KASH PATEL FLIPS SCRIPT ON DEM SENATOR AFTER BEING GRILLED ON J6 PARDONS: ‘BRUTAL REALITY CHECK’

Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., questions Kash Patel, President Donald Trump’s choice to be director of the FBI, during Patel’s confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee, at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)

“I want to talk to you about the Epstein case. I have worked on this for years trying to get those records of who flew on Epstein’s plane and who helped him build this international human trafficking sex trafficking ring,” she said.

She used her remarks to take a jab at former Judiciary Chairman Dick Durbin.

“Now, earlier, I urged then Chairman Durbin to subpoena those records, and I ended up being blocked by Senator Durbin and Christopher Wray. They stonewalled on this,” she said. “And I know that breaking up these trafficking rings is important to President Trump. So will you work with me on this issue? So we know who worked with Jeffrey Epstein in building these sex trafficking rings?” she asked.

KASH PATEL HAMMERS ‘GROTESQUE MISCHARACTERIZATIONS’ FROM DEMS AMID FIERY FBI CONFIRMATION HEARING

Jeffrey Epstein mugshot from 2019 after federal authorities filed trafficking charges against him. (Kypros/Getty Images)

“Absolutely, Senator,” Patel responded. “Child sex trafficking has no place in the United States of America. And I will do everything, if confirmed as FBI director, to make sure the American public knows the full weight of what happened in the past and how we are going to counterman missing children and exploited children going forward,” he said.

Following the exchange between Blackburn and Patel, Durbin requested to respond to Blackburn’s jab at him and accused the Tennessee senator of “falsely” accusing him “of preventing releasing the names of Jeffrey Epstein’s network.”

“My office subsequently reached out to hers to try to identify what records she was actually seeking. We did not receive a response,” he added.

Blackburn fired back and said she had “raised the issue with Chairman Durbin. I had raised it on the floor that we wanted to get these records… You sought not to recognize me.”

Patel’s nomination has sparked early criticism from some Democrats ahead of his confirmation hearing, who have cited his previous vows to prosecute journalists and career officials at the Justice Department and FBI that he sees as being part of the “deep state.”

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Democrats had pointed to Patel’s record and a book, “Government Gangsters,” released in 2023 that claimed that “deep state” government employees have politicized and weaponized the law enforcement agency – and explicitly called for the revamp of the FBI in a chapter dubbed “Overhauling the FBI.”

Fox News’ Emma Colton and Michael Ruiz contributed to this report.

Adam Shaw is a politics reporter for Fox News Digital, primarily covering immigration and border security.

He can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter.

January 30, 2025
Kash Patel vows to end Biden-era ‘targeting’ of Christians: ‘Sacred trust’

President Trump’s FBI director nominee Kash Patel pledged in his confirmation to end the “targeting” of Americans by the government specifically as it relates to citizens who were in the crosshairs of the Biden administration for religious reasons.

“Is it appropriate for the Federal Bureau of Investigation to attempt to recruit spies or informants into religious institutions in this country, particularly Catholic parishes?” GOP Sen. Josh Hawley asked Patel in his confirmation hearing on Thursday.

Patel responded, “I don’t believe so, senator.”

“Mr. Patel, are you familiar with the recent actions of the FBI in this regard, including this memo that I have right here making a list of Catholic churches and parishes that they regard as potentially suspect and directing the potential recruitment of informants and other spies, let’s be honest, into those parishes,” Hawley asked.

GRAHAM GRILLS FBI NOMINEE PATEL OVER ‘DISGUSTING’ AND ‘CORRUPT’ CROSSFIRE HURRICANE PROBE

Kash Patel, President Donald Trump’s choice to be director of the FBI, appears before the Senate Judiciary Committee for his confirmation hearing, at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025. ((AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite))

Patel told Hawley is familiar with the memo leading the Missouri Republican into his next question.

“Mr. Patel, would you commit to me that you will, if you are confirmed, that you will finally and officially withdraw this memo and make it clear that this is not only unacceptable, but that it is an absolute violation of the First Amendment, that every American voice under the Constitution of the United States,” Hawley asked.

“If I’m confirmed, Senator, yes,” Patel said back.

KASH PATEL FLIPS SCRIPT ON DEM SENATOR AFTER BEING GRILLED ON J6 PARDONS: ‘BRUTAL REALITY CHECK’

WASHINGTON, DC – FEBRUARY 28: Sen. Josh Hawley. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

“Will you also commit to me that you will conduct an investigation and find out who wrote this memo, who spread this memo?” Hawley asked. “The field offices involved in this memo, because I can tell you, we’ve had your predecessor sit right where you’re sitting. And he has repeatedly, repeatedly lied, there’s no other word for it, lied to this committee. He told us initially that it didn’t happen, that the FBI didn’t make any list of churches. That’s not true. We have it. A whistleblower brought forward the list for us.”

“He said then that only one field office had worked on, it turns out we know from another whistleblower, multiple field offices worked on it, worked on it. He said that it was never posted on the internal system. It turns out it was. We believe it’s still in effect. Will you find out who was involved in this gross abuse of Americans First Amendment rights? And will you discipline them? And if you possibly can, will you fire them? Mr. Patel, consistent with Department policy and law?“

Patel told Hawley that the senator has his “commitment” to “investigate any matters such as this” that “are important to Congress.”

President-elect Donald Trump has named longtime ally Kashyap “Kash” Patel, who has been a frequent and harsh critic of the FBI, to serve as the bureau’s next director in the new administration. (Reuters)

“I will fully utilize, if confirmed, the investigative powers of the FBI to give you the information you require, and also to hold those accountable who violated the sacred trust placed in them at the FBI,” Patel told Hawley.

Hawley responded, “I’m glad to use the word sacred trust, because that’s exactly what it is. The FBI’s the most powerful law enforcement body in this nation, arguably the most powerful law enforcement body, at least in a free nation in the world and to have this body corrupted politically such that it is targeting people of faith in this country and then lying about it to this committee and the American people is unimaginable.”

“I’ll be honest with you, I never thought this would happen in the United States of America, I just didn’t. If you had told me five years ago we’d be reading memos like this, I would have said, no way, no way. That’s bad fiction. In fact, it’s a horrible reality. The department needs to be cleaned up.”

The exchanges comes on the heels of Trump’s recent announcement that he would pardon pro-life activists convicted under the FACE Act during President Joe Biden’s administration.

A side-by-side of Kash Patel and President Donald Trump. (Getty Images)

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The pardons, first reported by The Daily Wire, would apply to activists convicted of protesting near abortion clinics during various demonstrations. The details and scope of the pardons have yet to be revealed.

Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, has also introduced legislation that would dismantle the FACE Act. Many lawmakers have argued that Democratic administrations have weaponized it against pro-life groups and Christians.

Fox News Digital’s Anders Hagstrom contributed to this report

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

January 30, 2025
Trump Commerce secretary pick vows to sell all his business interests if confirmed

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President Donald Trump’s nominee for secretary of Commerce, billionaire Howard Lutnick, says he will sell all of his business interests if confirmed in order to prevent any conflicts of interest.

Howard Lutnick testifies during his Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation confirmation hearing on Jan. 29, 2025, in Washington, D.C. (Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images)

“My plan is to only serve the American people. So I will divest – meaning I will sell all of my interests, all of my business interests, all of my assets, everything,” Lutnick, the CEO of investment firm Cantor Fitzgeral said during his confirmation hearing on Wednesday before the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.

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“I’ve worked together with the Office of Government Ethics, and we’ve reached agreement on how to do that, and I will be divesting within 90 days upon my confirmation,” he told the committee. “So I should have no business interests, therefore no conflicts of interest.”

Howard Lutnick has vowed to divest all his business holdings within 90 days if he is confirmed to lead the Commerce Department. (Christopher Goodney/Bloomberg via Getty Images / Getty Images)

Lutnick’s pledge would be no small feat to carry out. The Associated Press noted that his financial disclosures show he has positions at more than 800 businesses and other private entities.

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Lutnick, 63, joined Cantor Fitzgerald fresh out of college and has led the firm since 1991. But he said it will be time to pass the baton if he is confirmed to lead the Commerce Department.

Donald Trump, then the Republican presidential nominee, and Cantor Fitzgerald CEO Howard Lutnick attend Annual Charity Day hosted by Cantor Fitzgerald on Sept. 12, 2016, in New York City.

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“I made the decision that I’ve made enough money in my life. I can take care of myself. I can take care of my family,” Lutnick told the committee, adding, “It is now my chance to serve the American people. And so, upon confirmation, my businesses will be for sale and someone else will lead them going forward.”

January 29, 2025