Senate confirms Trump nominee after Democrats’ 30-hour protest, chaotic floor vote
Despite Democratic tactics to delay the confirmation vote, the Senate confirmed Russell Vought to lead the Office of Management and Budget (OMB).
Republicans backed Vought’s nomination, arguing he proved a qualified candidate for the role since he previously held the position during President Donald Trump’s first term. Democrats, however, raised multiple concerns about his nomination and said his views on the Impoundment Control Act, which reinforces that Congress holds the power of the purse, disqualified him from the role.
Democrats held a 30-hour-long protest against Vought’s nomination, delivering speeches in the middle of the night on Wednesday in an attempt to delay the confirmation vote.
The Senate, in a chaotic final floor vote on Thursday evening, voted to confirm Vought to lead the OMB, 53 to 47.
SENATE DEMOCRATS SPEAK ALL NIGHT AGAINST TRUMP OMB NOMINEE, DELAYING CONFIRMATION VOTE
Democratic senators repeatedly injected themselves during the confirmation vote, protesting the nomination until the last second.
“No debate is permitted during a vote,” Sen. Ashley Moody, R-Fla., told the lawmakers.
The OMB is responsible for developing and executing the president’s budget, as well as overseeing and coordinating legislative proposals and priorities aligned with the executive branch.
Vought appeared before the Senate Budget Committee and the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee for confirmation hearings, where he defended statements asserting that the Impoundment Control Act is unconstitutional.
TRUMP HEALTH SECRETARY NOMINEE RFK JR CLEARS SENATE FINANCE COMMITTEE CONFIRMATION VOTE
The law, adopted in 1974, stipulates that Congress may oversee the executive branch’s withholdings of budget authority. But Vought encountered criticism from Democrats for freezing $214 million in military aid for Ukraine in 2019 — a decision that ultimately led to Trump’s first impeachment.
“You’re quite comfortable assuming that the law doesn’t matter and that you’ll just treat the money for a program as a ceiling … rather than a required amount,” Senate Budget Committee ranking member Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., said Wednesday. “Well, the courts have found otherwise.”
In the 1975 Supreme Court ruling Train v. New York, the court determined the Environmental Protection Agency must use full funding included in the Federal Water Pollution Control Act Amendments of 1972, even though then-President Richard Nixon issued orders to not use all the funding.
Even so, Vought told lawmakers that Trump campaigned on the position that the Impoundment Control Act is unconstitutional — and that he agrees with that.
Vought’s statements on the issue left Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., “astonished and aghast” during one confirmation hearing.
“I think our colleagues should be equally aghast, because this issue goes beyond Republican or Democrat,” Blumenthal said on Jan. 15. “It’s bigger than one administration or another. It’s whether the law of the land should prevail, or maybe it’s up for grabs, depending on what the president thinks.”
Vought also faced questioning from Democrats on his views regarding abortion as an author of Project 2025, a political initiative conservative think tank The Heritage Foundation released in 2023 that called for policy changes that would implement a national ban on medication abortion.
Other proposals included in Project 2025 include eliminating the Department of Education; cutting diversity, equity and inclusion programs; and reducing funding for Medicare and Medicaid.
“You have said that you don’t believe in exceptions for rape, for incest, or the life of the mother,” Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., said during a confirmation hearing on Wednesday. “Is that your position?”
“Senator, my views are not important,” Vought said. “I’m here on behalf of the president.”
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Trump repeatedly has stated that he backs abortion in certain instances, and stated that “powerful exceptions” for abortion would remain in place under his administration.
Rep Crockett slammed for ‘misogynistic’ response to Trump executive order
Most Democrats have opted to remain silent in response to President Donald Trump’s executive order banning transgender athletes from women’s and girls sports.
But one Democrat spoke out against it and was heavily criticized.
Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, spoke out against Trump’s executive order in an X post Wednesday.
“On National Girls & Women in Sports Day, Trump is: – banning trans kids from playing sports – trying to cut Title IX women’s and girls’ athletics grants -removing references to women, female and equality on government websites,” Crockett wrote. “LET ME BE CLEAR This. Doesn’t. Protect. Women.”
SIGN UP FOR TUBI AND STREAM SUPER BOWL LIX FOR FREE
Crockett’s criticism of Trump drew fierce backlash from other X users.
“Nothing in your post is true. Transgender kids are not banned from playing sports – they just have to play on teams and in leagues where their sex matches the other athletes. Or they can form their own leagues. This was done to keep men from dominating women’s sports by pretending to be women. AKA ‘protecting women’s sports.'” one user wrote.
“There were no Title IX grants cut. Any references to ‘women, female & equality’ removed from any .gov website were removed in the context of transgender/gender ideology.”
HOW TO WATCH SUPER BOWL LIX BETWEEN CHIEFS, EAGLES STREAMED ON TUBI
One user suggested Crockett’s stance was misogynistic.
“Why do you care more about the feelings of some biological males over the rights and safety of women? There’s a name for it when men are prioritized over women and given more rights. I was taught that’s misogyny,” the user wrote.
Another user pointed out that data suggests most Americans, including Democrats, oppose transgender inclusion in women’s sports, and that factored into the 2024 election results.
“This absolutely protects women, and this is what the majority of the country voted for,” the user wrote.
HOW TRANSGENDERISM IN SPORTS SHIFTED THE 2024 ELECTION AND IGNITED A NATIONAL COUNTERCULTURE
A recent New York Times/Ipsos survey found the vast majority of Americans, including a majority of Democrats, don’t think transgender athletes should be permitted to compete in women’s sports. Of the 2,128 people polled, 79% said biological males who identify as women should not be allowed to participate in women’s sports.
Of the 1,025 people who identified as Democrats or leaning Democrat, 67% said transgender athletes should not be allowed to compete with women.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM
Shortly after November’s election, a national exit poll conducted by the Concerned Women for America legislative action committee found that 70% of moderate voters saw the issue of “Donald Trump’s opposition to transgender boys and men playing girls’ and women’s sports and of transgender boys and men using girls’ and women’s bathrooms” as important to them.
And 6% said it was the most important issue of all, while 44% said it was “very important.”
Crockett previously called her state and Florida “deplorable” during a December hearing on transgender athletes over conservative legislation by lawmakers in those states. Her comments came during a House Oversight and Accountability Subcommittee on Health Care and Financial Services hearing to discuss proposed changes to Title IX by the Biden administration that would redefine sexual discrimination to include gender identity.
“When lawmakers like this are so far out of touch with what women need, we see states pushing back,” Crockett said of her Republican colleague, U.S. Rep. Glenn Grothman of Wisconsin, who spoke before her. “At least states that will allow you to push back. I’m from the state of Texas, and, of course, they don’t want you to ever have an opportunity to raise your voice in the state of Texas.
“In fact, Ms. Perry, I know your organization, the Heritage Foundation, loves Texas. Oh, they love Texas,” she added. “They always sending us some nonsense bills that somehow set this country on the wrong trajectory. They send them to Texas. They send them to Florida. Every deplorable state that we can think about, they usually coming out of yall’s think tank.”
Buffalo Bills QB Josh Allen scores NFL’s highest honor for the first time
Josh Allen finally has some hardware.
The Buffalo Bills quarterback was named the NFL’s Most Valuable Player for the first time on Thursday.
Fans wondered what Allen would do after the Bills traded Stefon Diggs in the offseason. Well, he clearly was just fine.
SIGN UP FOR TUBI AND STREAM SUPER BOWL LIX FOR FREE
Allen threw 28 touchdowns against a career-low six interceptions while also scoring a dozen touchdowns with his legs. Allen’s 77.4 QBR was the NFL’s best, which is more impressive considering he didn’t exactly have household names to throw to – Khalil Shakir led the team in targets (100), receptions (76), and yards (821).
Allen got the benefit of a rather subpar division, clinching the AFC East on Dec. 1. But, it became very clear that as long as Allen is in the fold, the Bills will have a chance to compete.
HOW TO WATCH SUPER BOWL LIX BETWEEN CHIEFS, EAGLES STREAMED ON TUBI
He beat out Lamar Jackson narrowly – perhaps the AFC divisional round was foreshadowing of the MVP vote, as Allen’s Bills pulled out a narrow 27-25 win over Baltimore two and a half weeks ago.
Allen is yet to get over the Kansas City Chiefs hump, losing to them for a fourth time in the playoffs in the AFC title game. However, a long-coveted MVP is finally on Allen’s resume.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Allen also beat out Saquon Barkley, Joe Burrow, and Jared Goff.
NTSB determines whether doomed Black Hawk pilots were wearing night-vision goggles
The National Transportation and Safety Board (NTSB) chair said Thursday that, based on “preliminary information,” it appears crew members of a Black Hawk helicopter were wearing night-vision goggles before a fatal collision with an American Airlines jet last week near Washington, D.C.
NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy spoke with reporters on Capitol Hill after briefing members of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure on the crash that killed all 67 people on board the two aircraft.
Homendy was asked if the pilots of the Black Hawk were wearing night-vision goggles.
“We do believe, given the mission and given what we’ve heard or not heard on the CVR (cockpit voice recorder) that they were wearing night-vision goggles,” Homendy said, noting she based her answer on “preliminary information.”
FAA, NTSB TO BRIEF SENATORS ON WASHINGTON, DC MIDAIR COLLISION
She explained that if crew members were not wearing night-vision goggles, policy would require them to state they were flying unaided.
“That was not on the CVR (cockpit voice recorder),” Homendy said. “We did not find any indication of that on the CVR, which means they would not have had them on. But, again, it’s preliminary.”
Homendy told reporters more about the Black Hawk’s mission that night, which she called a “check ride.”
HARROWING VIDEO FROM MILITARY BASE SHOWS NEW ANGLE OF MIDAIR CRASH CATASTROPHE
She said there are three check rides the Army performs, one of which includes instruments like night-vision goggles, and an annual check to determine a pilot’s proficiency in flying.
This particular flight, she noted, was a combined night-vision goggle annual check ride.
Senate Commerce Committee Chair Ted Cruz, R-Texas, told reporters Thursday the Black Hawk helicopter had turned off its automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast (ADS-B), which is permitted for military aircraft.
“This was a training mission, so there was no compelling national security reason for ADS-B to be turned off,” Cruz said after sitting in on an NTSB and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) briefing.
VICTIMS IDENTIFIED IN DC PLANE CRASH INVOLVING AMERICAN AIRLINES JET AND MILITARY HELICOPTER
ADS-B is an advanced surveillance technology used to track the location of aircraft. Although the Black Hawk had a transponder to appear on radar, ADS-B is significantly more accurate.
Last week, Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., questioned the FAA about why it has allowed military flights to fly with the ADS-B deactivated since 2018.
During the briefing on Thursday, the FAA said it has begun reviewing airports with high volumes of mixed helicopter and airplane traffic nearby after Cruz said he had sought a safety review on the matter.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Still, in the aftermath of the crash, the FAA imposed significant restrictions on helicopter flights near Reagan National Airport in Arlington, Virginia, until at least late February, with two of the lesser used runways closed.
When police, medical or presidential transportation helicopters must use the airspace, civilian planes are not permitted to be in the same area, an FAA advisory notes.
Leader follows Trump and withdraws his country from the World Health Organization
Argentine President Javier Milei, a close ally of President Donald Trump, on Wednesday announced his intent to withdraw from the World Health Organization (WHO), echoing steps taken by the U.S.’ Commander-in-Chief last month.
A spokesman for Milei announced the order and said the withdrawal from the world’s top health and safety agency was due to “profound differences” with the United Nations organization due to its advice during the COVID-19 pandemic that led to the largest shutdowns “in the history of mankind.”
Milei’s decision came just two weeks after Trump, for the second time, issued an executive order to pull the U.S. out of WHO, again citing its handling of the coronavirus pandemic.
TRUMP LAUNCHING US SOVEREIGN WEALTH FUND: WHAT TO KNOW
WHO, which issued a statement immediately following Trump’s announcement noting that it “regrets” his decision to end U.S. involvement in the organization, has yet to comment on Milei’s move to end Argentina’s participation in the organization.
While the U.S. withdrawal could prove detrimental to the organization as it is WHO’s single biggest contributor and is reported to have provided nearly 15% of the agency’s total two-year budget, donating $958 million towards the $6.5 billion budget ending in 2025, Argentina’s withdrawal is far less significant, The Associated Press reported.
According to local news outlet Buenos Aires Times, Argentina contributed between $8-$9 million a year to the WHO during 2022-2023 and 2024-2025, accounting for roughly a quarter of a percent of the budget annually.
“We Argentines are not going to allow an international organization to intervene in our sovereignty, much less in our health,” a spokesman for Milei’s office said during a Wednesday press conference, according to multiple reports.
WHO, GOOGLE TO COMBAT CORONAVIRUS MISINFORMATION
Despite the spokesman’s comments, WHO holds no legal authority over a nation’s internal decisions, like issuing quarantine orders amid a pandemic, which both the first Trump administration and Milei’s predecessor issued.
But Argentina might not be the only country considering leaving the international health organization, as Italy’s deputy prime minister, Matteo Salvini, last month also proposed a bill that would follow Trump’s executive order.
Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, also a top ally of Trump and who attended his inauguration alongside Milei, has not publicly commented on the recent internal push to leave WHO.
Milei is expected to face opposition at home as his decision to withdrawal from WHO would require congressional approval — an argument that some have made in opposition to Trump’s unilateral move to sever ties with the international health organization.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE ON FOX BUSINESS
Trump’s first attempt to withdraw the U.S. from WHO in 2020 was unsuccessful as President Joe Biden took up the top job six months after he issued the order, and according to the charter signed by the U.S. in 1948, Washington must give the international body one year’s notice before leaving.
As the U.S. entered the U.N. organization by an act of Congress, it is believed that Trump would need Congress to agree to the withdrawal, which means he could face a future lawsuit over his attempts to remove the U.S. unilaterally from WHO.
WHO did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s questions.
Ozzy Osbourne shares grim health update ahead of band’s reunion — ‘but I’m still alive’
Ozzy Osbourne is grateful to be alive, even with his health issues.
On the Jan. 29 episode of his Sirius XM show, “Ozzy Speaks,” with co-host Billy Morrison, Osbourne, 76, admitted he was having problems walking but remained positive.
“I go on about the way I can’t walk, and I can’t do this … but you know what I was thinking over the holidays? For all my complaining, I’m still alive,” he said.
Morrison added, “You have to take into account what you’ve done to yourself over the years.”
OZZY OSBOURNE REUNITING WITH BLACK SABBATH FOR FINAL SHOW
Osbourne continued, “I may be moaning about how I can’t walk, but I look down the road and there’s people that didn’t do half as much as me, and they didn’t make it.
“There’s so many friends and acquaintances that have gone.”
Morrison said he’s seen an improvement in the past year for Osbourne, but the singer noted, “I have to balance myself” when he gets out of bed.
However, he expressed gratitude, saying, “I’m not dead, still actively doing things.”
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE ENTERTAINMENT NEWSLETTER
“Keep listening because we ain’t going nowhere,” he declared near the end of the episode.
Osbourne is due to perform one final show with Black Sabbath’s original lineup in July in Birmingham, England.
“I go on about the way I can’t walk, and I can’t do this … but you know what I was thinking over the holidays? For all my complaining, I’m still alive!”
“It’s my time to go back to the beginning, time for me to give back to the place where I was born,” Osbourne said in a statement yesterday. “How blessed am I to do it with the help of people whom I love. Birmingham is the true home of metal. Birmingham forever.”
In an interview with RadioX, Osbourne’s wife, Sharon Osbourne, spoke about his ongoing battle with Parkinson’s, which he was diagnosed with in 2003.
LIKE WHAT YOU’RE READING? CLICK HERE FOR MORE ENTERTAINMENT NEWS
“Parkinson’s isn’t something that goes away. You have it forever. There’s no cure. So, he has battles with it where he has to work with a physiotherapist every day. And he’s got to keep his muscles going,” she said.
“He’s fine. As fine as you can be with Parkinson’s.”
Sharon also told BBC News the singer is “doing great. He’s doing really great. He’s so excited about this, about being with the guys again and all his friends. It’s exciting for everyone.”
She noted that this would be his final concert, saying, “Ozzy didn’t have a chance to say goodbye to his friends, to his fans, and he feels there’s been no full stop. This is his full stop.”
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
In 2023, Osbourne announced he was retiring from touring, explaining he was no longer “physically capable” of traveling as much as his tour schedule demanded.
Researchers make staggering discovery about microplastics in seafood
Microplastics were detected in almost every seafood sample found off the coast of the western U.S. in a recent study, researchers claim.
The study, led by Portland State University (PSU), identified “anthropogenic particles” — which are materials produced or modified by humans — in the edible tissue of six different species of fish.
Those included black rockfish, lingcod, Chinook salmon, Pacific herring, Pacific lamprey, and pink shrimp, according to a PSU press release.
MICROPLASTICS FOUND IN OVERWHELMING MAJORITY OF AMERICAN MEAT, WATER, PLANTS: STUDY
Specifically, the peer-reviewed study found microplastics — “tiny particles that shed from clothing, packaging and other plastic products” — in 180 out of 182 samples of seafood that were either purchased at a store or obtained from a fishing boat in Oregon, the release stated.
The highest concentration of particles occurred in pink shrimp, and Chinook salmon contained the lowest.
“We found that the smaller organisms that we sampled seem to be ingesting more anthropogenic, non-nutritious particles,” said microplastics researcher and study co-author Elise Granek in the release.
BOTTLED WATER FOUND TO CONTAIN TENS OF THOUSANDS OF ‘TINY PLASTIC PARTICLES’ IN NEW STUDY
“Shrimp and small fish, like herring, are eating smaller food items like zooplankton. Other studies have found high concentrations of plastics in the area in which zooplankton accumulate, and these anthropogenic particles may resemble zooplankton and thus be taken up for animals that feed on zooplankton.”
“What we put out into the environment ends up back on our plates.”
Susanne Brander, an ecotoxicologist and associate professor in Oregon State University’s College of Agricultural Sciences, added, “It’s very concerning that microfibers appear to move from the gut into other tissues such as muscle. This has wide implications for other organisms, potentially including humans.”
The findings were published in the journal Frontiers in Toxicology.
Is it safe to eat seafood?
The study authors do not recommend that people specifically avoid seafood, as microplastics have been widely found in other food products, Granek noted in the release.
“If we are disposing of and utilizing products that release microplastics, those microplastics make their way into the environment, and are taken up by things we eat,” she said.
“What we put out into the environment ends up back on our plates.”
The high prevalence of microplastics in the seafood samples does not automatically mean that consuming seafood poses an immediate health risk, according to Bing Wang, PhD, associate professor of food safety risk assessment at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
“’Safe’ is a relative term in toxicology,” Wang told Fox News Digital. “Toxicity depends on dose and exposure duration — and currently, we lack a definitive understanding of linkage between the oral intake of microplastics and nanoplastics and the adverse effects in human health.”
STUDY LINKS MENTAL HEALTH RISKS TO THIS TOXIN FOR THOSE BORN IN ’60S OR ’70S
Experts agree that the nutritional benefits of seafood, such as high-quality protein and omega-3 fatty acids, play a crucial role in a healthy diet, according to Wang.
“There is no current evidence to suggest that seafood consumption poses an immediate danger to human health,” she added.
Sources of contamination
For this study in particular, Wang said it’s crucial to recognize that beyond microplastics, nanoplastics are also present in the environment and food supply.
“Unlike microplastics, which may pass through the digestive system with minimal absorption, nanoplastics are small enough to cross biological barriers, including the intestinal lining, potentially reaching the bloodstream and accumulating in organs,” she cautioned.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
In PSU’s findings, 80% of microplastics detected among the samples were derived from clothing or textile fibers, but there are other sources of contaminants.
Since the 1960s, plastic production has increased by approximately 8.7% annually, according to Andrew Ortiz, a PhD student in the department of food science and technology at University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
“Much of the contamination comes from everyday human activities, such as improper disposal of plastic products, littering, and inadequate waste management systems, which lead to plastics entering waterways and eventually reaching the oceans,” Ortiz told Fox News Digital.
Completely avoiding microplastics is challenging, Wang emphasized.
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR HEALTH NEWSLETTER
“They are pervasive in the environment and present in various food sources, not just seafood,” she said.
“While this study is the first of its kind in the Oregon region, its findings align with global research on microplastic contamination in seafood,” said Wang. “In fact, the levels reported in this study are within the global average.”
“There is no current evidence to suggest that seafood consumption poses an immediate danger to human health.”
“Given that humans already consume microplastics from multiple sources — including water, air and packaged foods — the presence of microplastics in seafood should be considered within this broader context rather than as an isolated risk,” she added.
The PSU study was funded by Oregon Sea Grant at Oregon State University.