Month: February 2025

Fox News Politics Newsletter: Fast start to Trump’s second term leaves fed workers shocked

Posted on by Latest Political News on Fox News

Welcome to the Fox News Politics newsletter, with the latest updates on the Trump administration, exclusive interviews and more Fox News politics content.

Here's what's happening…

-You're hired! Here's who passed Congress' Trump cabinet test and how stormy their hearings were

-Drone footage shows possible cartel on cartel activity near U.S. southern border

-Bondi sworn in as attorney general with mission to end 'weaponization' of Justice Department

Staffers and contractors who work with the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) were stunned and angered after President Donald Trump and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) – the government accountability unit headed by billionaire Elon Musk – effectively shut down the $40 billion agency on Monday.

One USAID staffer who wished to remain anonymous told Fox News Digital that 80% of staff across its bureaus learned they lost access to the agency’s systems on Monday morning, including travel, communications, classified information and databases – leading to questions about how to repatriate American citizens in some of the most dangerous places in the world should the need arise.

Staffers also feel they were "left high and dry" and "have no idea what to do or where to turn" after being "abandoned by Congress and the government," the source said, adding they felt the agency was "hostilely taken over by DOGE."…Read more

'OBSTRUCTION': USAID has 'demonstrated pattern of obstructionism,' claims top DOGE Republican in letter to Rubio…Read more

'BIG MONEY FRAUD': DOGE targets Medicare agency, looking for fraud…Read more

DOGE HOUSE: White House calls Democrat criticism of DOGE 'unacceptable' and 'incredibly alarming'…Read more

'DOGE FEVER': States from NJ to TX draft similar initiatives as federal leaders celebrate…Read more

GAZA DEPLOYMENTS?: Trump not committing to putting US troops in Gaza…Read more

CAUGHT ON CAMERA: Authorities nab White House fence climber just two weeks into Trump's new term…Read more

STRATEGY SESSION: Trump to holding Oval Office meeting with Texas Gov. Abbott over 'securing the southern border'…Read more

EO BLOCKED: Second federal judge blocks Trump birthright citizenship order…Read more

'DASTARDLY DEEDS': Texas Dem launches first Trump impeachment articles over Gaza…Read more

DEPORTED: Washington sends first group of Indian migrants with US military plane to home country…Read more

'WAKE UP CALL': Foreign policy experts split on whether Trump will follow through with Gaza takeover: 'It's a wakeup call'…Read more

FILLING THE CABINET: Trump's commerce pick with crypto ties advances to Senate floor…Read more

HOUSE OF CARDS: GOP rebels push for $2.5 trillion cuts in Trump budget bill during tense closed-door meeting…Read more

SNOOZE YOU LOSE: Senators set to leapfrog House Republicans with anticipated budget plan…Read more

VOUGHT ADVANCES: Senate tees up Trump budget chief pick Russell Vought for final confirmation vote…Read more

MCCONNELL FALLS: Former GOP leader McConnell falls while exiting Senate chamber after Turner confirmation vote…Read more

THE COMING 'RECKONING': Trans lawsuit lobbed against Trump admin based on 'faulty interpretations': Legal expert…Read more

'LOSING THEIR MINDS': Dem lawmakers face backlash for invoking 'unhinged' violent rhetoric against Musk…Read more

'RESTORING PEACE': Johnson says Trump's Gaza takeover proposal could be 'bold step' in restoring peace…Read more

'POLITICALLY MOTIVATED': Dems' 'delay tactic' to 'malign' Patel and stall FBI confirmation dismissed as 'baseless' by top Senate leader…Read more

CLIMATE CHANGES: Trump's executive order forces NJ to cancel its first offshore wind farm…Read more

ENERGIZED PRIORITIES: Energy Sec. Wright outlines 'Day 1' priorities: Refilling SPR, promoting 'energy addition, not subtraction'…Read more

LACK OF 'SELF-WORTH': New York Democrat eyeing Stefanik's seat ripped Border Patrol, corrections officers in resurfaced interview…Read more

GOVERNOR HARRIS?: Major California Democrat predicts Kamala Harris would be 'field-clearing' if former VP runs for governor…Read more

TOUCHDOWN: Former NFL player Scott Turner confirmed to lead Housing and Urban Development…Read more

'SORELY NEEDED': Nassau County executive on police officers assisting with immigration enforcement…Read more

Get the latest updates on the Trump administration and Congress, exclusive interviews and more on FoxNews.com.

Texas Dem launches first Trump impeachment articles over Gaza

Posted on by Latest Political News on Fox News

Democratic Rep. Al Green, the Houston, Texas, congressman who made three attempts to impeach President Donald Trump during his first term, initiated his first impeachment effort in 2025.

Green rose to address the House on Wednesday and said "ethnic cleansing in Gaza is not a joke, especially when it emanates from the President of the United States."

"And [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu] should be ashamed, knowing the history of his people, to stand there and allow such things to be said."

Green went on to say his formal impeachment articles are for "dastardly deeds proposed and dastardly deeds done."

REP. AL GREEN SAYS PRESIDENT IS 'NO BETTER THAN' KKK IN WAKE OF 'LYNCHING' TWEET

Trump had announced Tuesday the U.S. would "take over" war-torn Gaza and allow Palestinians to relocate while it is being essentially repaired.

"I also rise to say that the impeachment movement is going to be a grass up movement, not a top down… I did it before, I laid the foundation for impeachment, and it was done. Nobody knows more about it than I," Green went on.

"And I know that it time for us to lay the foundation again. On some issues, it is better to stand alone than not stand at all on this issue. I stand alone. But I stand for justice."

Other Democrats appeared lukewarm to Green’s current bid.

"It’s not a focus of our caucus," said House Democratic Caucus Chair Peter Aguilar, D-Calif. 

Green’s previous attempts were separate from those successful impeachments forwarded by now-California Democratic Sen. Adam Schiff and others – which related to Trump’s 2019 phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and the 2021 Capitol riot.

One Green resolution centered on 2019 Trump tweets deriding members of the left-wing Squad, wherein the president remarked "they [should] go back and help fix the totally broken and crime infested places from which they came."

During a House Judiciary Committee hearing at the time of one of Green’s previous impeachment attempts, Republican staff posted a banner of the Democrat’s own words:

"I’m concerned that if we don’t impeach this president, he will get re-elected," Green had said.

Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins – then the panel’s ranking member – listed Green’s comments as one of several in remarks criticizing Democrats for trying to usurp the power of the voting booth through political maneuvering.

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"For Democrats, it has been and will always be, to paraphrase Lewis Carroll: ‘Sentence first, verdict later,’" Collins said at the time.

During the Obama administration, the late Rep. Walter Jones Jr., R-N.C., similarly repeatedly called for President Barack Obama’s impeachment over issues ranging from the use of drones to troop casualties in Syria.

Fox News Digital reached out to Green’s office and was told "it is a matter of time" when the articles would be filed.

Fox News' Chad Pergram and Elizabeth Elkind contributed to this report.

Singer, songwriter Joy Villa wears DOGE coin dress to Grammys, supports Trump’s deportation crackdown

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Singer and songwriter Joy Villa, well-known for her contentious attire at Grammy Award shows, strutted the red carpet once again on Sunday in a gown that served up a strong message.

Villa was spotted at the 67th Annual Grammy Awards in a gold dress and necklace dispersed with images of the DOGE Shiba Inu dog meme, a necklace featuring his face and a red hat that read "The hat stays on."

"I was kind of a walking meme," Villa told Fox News Digital. "Obviously, I’m a MAGA girl and MAGA and crypto are starting to bridge the gap."

JOY VILLA TURNS HEADS WITH PRO-LIFE OUTFIT AT THE GRAMMYS

"Cryptocurrency represents freedom," she added. "We can disengage from the big banks. As artists, we can dictate our own financial independence."

The dress was tailored by atelier dress designer Andre Soriano, who also curated the controversial "Make America Great Again" dress Villa first wore to the 2017 Grammys.

"I’ve had people try to snatch my MAGA hats off," Villa said.

Villa said that among the vicious rhetoric she has received since expressing her support for President Donald Trump and his policies eight years ago are threats of sexual assault and death in addition to racial slurs. Despite having experienced vocal and physical backlash, Villa said the hat sends a message of her courage, resilience and vibrancy.

'MAGA' DRESS DESIGNER FORCED TO REMOVE TRUMP SIGNS FROM BUSINESS, RESIDENCE WHEN 'KAREN' CALLED POLICE

"I don’t worship Trump, but I worship Jesus Christ as my Lord and savior, and I know that God gave me a voice to speak in Hollywood as an artist, as an actress, as a musician," Villa told Fox News Digital. "The red carpet is my battlefield."

A focal point of Villa’s conservative messaging at high-profile events is her religious devotion.

"I shared Jesus Christ with every single person I interviewed and none of them posted that," she said.

"America needs to bless God because the fight is not over yet," she added. "We got to stop aborting babies. We got to put prayer back in schools. Nobody needs to have their religion demonized and, for some reason, you can say every other name at the Grammys or the red carpet awards except for Jesus Christ."

SINGER JOY VILLA MAKES A POLITICAL FASHION STATEMENT AGAINST PLANNED PARENTHOOD

While Villa’s remarks about religion were passed over by the media, her message in support of the deportations of illegal immigrants in the U.S. was publicized.

"I’m a proud Afro-Latina," she said. "I know being in the Latina community, being a woman of color, I know how much illegal immigration hurts us, and people won’t talk about that."

Since taking office on Jan. 20, Trump has acted on his promise of mass deportations and cracked down on illegal immigration. This has included ending deportation protection for hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans and deporting thousands of illegal immigrants to Mexico.

"It is a crime to come here illegally," Villa said. "I’ve traveled to 39 countries and in every single one of them I had to get the proper documentation and show my ID."

Villa scrutinized actress Selena Gomez for taking to social media recently to cry about President Trump’s swift action removing illegal immigrants.

"Girl, sit all the way down," Villa said. "You are an American citizen and those are not your people."

"Deport everyone who's coming here illegally," she said.

Senate confirms Doug Collins to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs

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The Senate confirmed former Rep. Doug Collins to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs on Tuesday.

Collins scored one of the widest bipartisan votes of any Trump Cabinet nominee so far: 77 to 23. Secretary of State Marco Rubio was confirmed 99-0. 

The Air Force Reserve chaplain served in Congress from 2013 to 2021, where he defended President Donald Trump during the 2019 impeachment inquiry.

Collins also passed through the Veterans’ Affairs Committee on a wide bipartisan vote – only Sen. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, voted against him. 

Collins will now head an agency marred by budget shortfalls, millions paid out to executives who weren’t eligible to receive them, and complaints from veterans about long wait times for care. It’ll be his first time leading an organization as sprawling as the VA, with its 400,000 employees and 1,300 health facilities. 

HAWAII'S HIRONO ONLY SENATOR TO VOTE NO ON COLLINS, CONTINUING PARTISAN STREAK AT HEARINGS

"I do not come into this with rose-colored glasses. This is a large undertaking that I feel called to be at," Collins said. "When a veteran has to call a congressman or senator’s office to get the care they have already earned, it’s a mark of failure."

In response to questions about Trump’s focus on budget cuts and a hiring freeze, Collins said he would work to ensure that did not come at the expense of veterans’ care. 

"I'm gonna take care of the veterans. That means that we're not gonna balance budgets on the back of veterans benefits."

Collins said he aligned with Trump on allowing veterans choice for their healthcare. Trump during his first term pushed through the Mission Act, which allowed veterans to choose the VA or private care in their communities. 

"I believe you can have both. I believe you have a strong VA as it currently exists and have the community care aspect," he said.

Democrats repeatedly asked Collins to promise not to privatize the VA, so many times that Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., asked him to "pinky swear" not to do it. Collins held up his pinky to promise that would not happen.