House lawmaker ditches caucus, says Musk is ‘blowing things up’
Rep. Val Hoyle, D-Ore., said on Thursday that she is leaving the congressional Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) Caucus due to Elon Musk’s cost-cutting measures in the executive branch.
Hoyle made the announcement via a statement and said her intentions on the caucus were to serve as a good steward for her constituents’ tax dollars and to make the government more streamlined and efficient.
However, she said Musk’s actions, which are separate from the congressional caucus, have made that impossible, and she claimed DOGE’s work is to find funds to give tax breaks to billionaires at the expense of working people.
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“I joined to be a voice for working people and their interests. But it is impossible to fix the system when Elon Musk is actively breaking it, so I have made the decision to leave,” Hoyle wrote on X late Thursday.
“It is impossible for us to do that important work when unelected billionaire Elon Musk and his lackeys [insist] on burning down the government—and the law—to line his own pockets and rip off Americans across the country who depend on government services to live with dignity,” she wrote in an accompanying statement.
The newly minted agency, a key promise of President Donald Trump‘s re-election campaign, is tasked with slashing government waste and providing increased transparency when it comes to government spending. It was created via executive order and is a temporary organization within the White House that will spend 18 months until July 4, 2026, carrying out its mission.
Hoyle said she was alarmed about Musk’s team accessing sensitive Department of Treasury payment systems. She also accused his team of using intimidation tactics to “terrorize the hard-working public servants” who deliver these services.
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A federal judge on Thursday temporarily blocked the DOGE from obtaining access to any payment record or payment system of records maintained within the Treasury’s Bureau of Fiscal Service. On Wednesday, the Justice Department agreed in a proposed court order to limit access to the sensitive records to only two “special government employees” within DOGE, who will have read-only permission.
Hoyle said that if she thought that she, or Democrats or Republicans on the caucus had any influence, then she would stay.
“But, fundamentally, I don’t see how we can actually do this work when Elon Musk is blowing things up,” she told NewsNation Thursday. “It’s like trying to replace your roof when someone’s throwing dynamite through the window.
“So I’m leaving the DOGE Caucus, I will continue to do the work to find efficiencies, but right now I just don’t think it’s possible with what’s happening.”
DOGE has riled Democrats, particularly around USAID, and Hoyle’s announcement comes just days after DOGE targeted the agency, leading to the firing of 50 top officials and the organization being folded into the State Department. The actions came after Secretary of State Marco Rubio, acting on Trump’s executive order, paused all U.S. foreign assistance funded by or through the State Department and USAID.
The 90-day pause has halted thousands of U.S.-funded humanitarian, development and security programs worldwide and forced aid organizations to lay off hundreds of employees because they cannot make payroll.
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DOGE has focused much of its initial work on canceling DEI programs, consulting contracts and lease terminations for federal buildings.
The agency wrote on Tuesday that it canceled 12 contracts with the Government Services Administration and the Department of Education, resulting in a total savings of about $30 million. It also canceled 12 underused leases for savings of $3 million. On Monday, DOGE said it canceled 36 contracts, leading to savings of about $165 million across six agencies.
DOGE posted on Jan. 28 that the group is saving the federal government around $1 billion per day, mostly by stopping the hiring of people into unnecessary positions, deletion of DEI and stopping improper payments to foreign organizations.
Dems attempt to ambush Education Dept amid DOGE cuts — taught swift lesson
Democrats on Friday morning attempted to enter the Department of Education building in Washington, D.C., but were stopped by security.
This comes amid fears of potential spending cuts by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which is already making waves in the nation’s capital.
CBS staff reportedly upset over growing ’60 Minutes’ drama: ‘Unforced error’
CBS News staffers are reportedly becoming increasingly upset about the drama unfolding over the “60 Minutes” Kamala Harris interview at the center of a major legal controversy.
Puck News reported Wednesday about the “mixed emotions” from staffers following comments made by “60 Minutes” executive producer Bill Owens, who told his colleagues at Monday’s meeting that the edit was “perfectly fine.”
“‘ the edit ?’ one CBS News insider asked rhetorically. ‘It’s obviously an unforced error.'” Puck News wrote. “Several sources said the discrepancy was preventable, and argued that Owens and ‘60 Minutes’should have taken greater care to ensure consistency between the two interview clips, especially given the high stakes of the presidential election and the scrutiny at the time on Harris’s performance in interviews.”
Many at the network are pointing fingers at Owens “for leaving them vulnerable to this situation in the first place,” Puck News told readers.
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According to the report, staffers at Monday’s meeting mulled issuing a public statement “or even resigning,” something correspondents Scott Pelley and Anderson Cooper pushed back on. Cooper reportedly warned the rebellious staffers that there were few to no alternatives in the current weakening media landscape where they could produce such work.
There is also increasing anxiety over the prospects of CBS News settling President Trump’s $10 billion lawsuit, something parent company Paramount’s controlling shareholder Shari Redstone is in favor of, which has staffers “quietly rebelling.”
at the network, all the way up to CBS News C.E.O. Wendy McMahon, opposes the settlement and views it as a gross incursion on press freedom,” Puck News wrote.
CBS News did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital‘s request for comment.
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On Wednesday, the Federal Communications Commission released the unedited transcript and footage that CBS News handed over as part of the agency’s investigation into whether the network violated the FCC’s “news distortion” policy after a complaint was filed.
The raw transcript showed CBS News had aired only the first half of her response to “60 Minutes” correspondent Bill Whitaker’s question about Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu not “listening” to the Biden administration in a preview clip that aired on “Face the Nation,” but aired only the second half of her response during the primetime special.
“But it seems that Prime Minister Netanyahu is not listening,” Whitaker said in the exchange. “The Wall Street Journal said that he – that your administration has repeatedly been blindsided by Netanyahu, and in fact, he has rebuffed just about all of your administration’s entreaties.”
“Well, Bill, the work that we have done has resulted in a number of movements in that region by Israel that were very much prompted by, or a result of many things, including our advocacy for what needs to happen in the region. And we’re not going to stop doing that. We are not going to stop pursuing what is necessary for the United States to be clear about where we stand on the need for this war to end,” Harris responded.
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CBS News released the transcript and footage as well, defending how the Harris interview was presented.
“As the full transcript shows, we edited the interview to ensure that as much of the vice president’s answers to 60 Minutes’ many questions were included in our original broadcast while fairly representing those answers. 60 Minutes’ hard-hitting questions of the vice president speak for themselves,” CBS News wrote on its website.
In a preview clip that aired on “Face the Nation,” Whitaker asked his question to Harris about Netanyahu not “listening” to the U.S.
“Well, Bill, the work that we have done has resulted in a number of movements in that region by Israel that were very much prompted by, or a result of, many things, including our advocacy for what needs to happen in the region,” Harris responded in the “Face the Nation” clip.
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Harris was mocked by conservatives for offering a lengthy “word salad” to Whitaker. But when that same question aired the following night in the primetime election special, a shorter, more focused answer from the vice president followed.
“We are not going to stop pursuing what is necessary for the United States to be clear about where we stand on the need for this war to end,” Harris said.
Critics accused CBS News of editing Harris’ “word salad” answer to shield the vice president from further backlash, and there were calls for the network to release the full transcript after it only shared transcripts of what had aired. CBS News refused to release the raw transcript at the time.
In October, Trump filed a $10 billion lawsuit against CBS News alleging election interference over its handling of the “60 Minutes” interview, accusing the network of aiding his Democratic rival through deceptive editing just days before the election.
“To paper over Kamala’s ‘word salad’ weakness, CBS used its national platform on 60 Minutes to cross the line from the exercise of judgment in reporting to deceitful, deceptive manipulation of news,” the lawsuit stated.
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Trump attorneys argued the edits were done in an effort to “attempt to tip the scales in favor of the Democratic Party as the heated 2024 Presidential Election — which President Trump is leading — approaches its conclusion.”
Diplomat loses it in furious foul-mouthed tirade when asked about Jeffrey Epstein
London’s new ambassador to Washington, D.C., had an R-rated response to a reporter who asked about his former ties to Jeffrey Epstein, the suspected sex trafficker who died in jail in 2019.
Peter Mandelson, a Labour Party politician and member of the UK’s House of Lords, reportedly told an interviewer from the Financial Times to “f— off” after being questioned about his introduction to Epstein through Epstein’s former lover, convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell.
“I regret ever meeting him or being introduced to him by his partner Ghislaine Maxwell,” he told the outlet during a conversation aboard a high-speed train in the U.K.
“I regret even more the hurt he caused to many young women.”
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The reporter questioned Epstein’s relationship with Mandelson, which was described in a 2019 internal document from JPMorgan that noted a “particularly close relationship” between Epstein, Prince Andrew and Mandelson, who was described as “a senior member of the British government.”
The missive became public after it was filed in federal court in New York years later.
When asked about the train encounter, a British embassy spokesperson reiterated the new ambassador’s regrets about Epstein and his behavior.
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“As Lord Mandelson has said in response to questions about Epstein, he regrets ever meeting him or being introduced to him,” the spokesperson told Fox News Digital. “He regrets even more the hurt he caused to many young women.”
Andrew was named in a document dump last year as an associate of Epstein’s as part of a civil lawsuit from Epstein accuser Virginia Giuffre, who accused the British royal of forcing her into sex at Maxwell’s London townhouse when she was underage. He has denied her allegations, but he paid her an undisclosed settlement in 2022 and has been relieved of his royal duties as part of the fallout over her claims.
While Epstein died facing allegations he operated an international sex-trafficking ring, his accomplices and clients remain unknown outside of Maxwell, who was convicted in 2022 of recruiting, grooming and abusing underage girls for Epstein. He had the appearance of social relationships with a number of prominent figures, including U.S. presidents, billionaire businessmen, celebrities and leading academics.
Mandelson recently spoke with Fox News Digital and apologized for calling President Donald Trump a “danger to the world.”
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“I consider my remarks about President Trump as ill-judged and wrong,” the newly appointed ambassador said last week. “I think that times and attitudes toward the president have changed.”
He also penned a Fox News op-ed in which he acknowledged the will of U.S. voters must be respected abroad.
“Trump’s election-winning ‘America first’ vision foresees a strong America in the world that is respected and seeking peace through strength,” he wrote. “America’s allies need to hear the message the American people have sent and calibrate their partnerships in order to work with and alongside the U.S. to stand up for the joint interests that unite us.”
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Speaking with FT, Mandelson sought to distance himself from European leftists, expanding on the pro-business arguments in his op-ed.
“Some around Mr. Trump see me as they view many in Europe,” he told the outlet. “They see me as a left-wing progressive, somebody who might even be anti-business or somebody who might be following the sort of liberalism they’ve just defeated in America. What they will discover is I’m not an uber-liberal, I’m not a wokey-cokey sort of person, and I’m pro-market and pro-business.”
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Mandelson also listed adversarial China as a place where the U.S. and his country could find common ground in his interview with Fox News Digital.
“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.
The Times of London reported last week that Andrew, brother of King Charles III, remained in touch with Epstein until at least 2011, two months after he previously claimed to have cut off ties, when he allegedly wrote, “Keep in close touch, and we’ll play some more soon!!!!”
Additional emails revealed in a London court show Mandelson’s alleged correspondence with the sex-trafficking financier continued into the summer of 2012.
He is also mentioned in an alleged conversation between Epstein and former Barclays CEO Jes Staley, who stepped down in 2021 over his ties to the disgraced financier.
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“Peter Mandelson here at 5 — staying a couple of days,” an alleged email from Epstein to Staley says.
“If I get back in time, I will swing by,” the reply said..
Mandelson allegedly stayed on Epstein’s New York City property at least twice, in 2009 and 2012, according to the report.
Trump admin hits brakes on $5,000,000,000 EV charging station program
The Federal Highway Administration pumped the brakes on a program to dole out funds to states for electric vehicle charging infrastructure.
The move regarding the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) program comes less than a month into President Donald Trump‘s second term in office.
In a letter to state Department of Transportation directors dated Feb. 6., Emily Biondi, associate administrator for the Office of Planning, Environment and Realty, discussed the move.
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“The new leadership of the Department of Transportation (U.S. DOT) has decided to review the policies underlying the implementation of the NEVI Formula Program. Accordingly, the current NEVI Formula Program Guidance dated June 11, 2024, and all prior versions of this guidance are rescinded,” Biondi noted.
“As result of the rescission of the NEVI Formula Program Guidance, FHWA is also immediately suspending the approval of all State Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Deployment plans for all fiscal years. Therefore, effective immediately, no new obligations may occur under the NEVI Formula Program until the updated final NEVI Formula Program Guidance is issued and new State plans are submitted and approved,” the letter indicated.
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The $5 billion program was included in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which then-President Joe Biden signed in 2021.
“Instructions for the submission of new State plans for all fiscal years will be included in the updated final NEVI Formula Program Guidance. Since FHWA is suspending the existing State plans, States will be held harmless for not implementing their existing plans. Until new guidance is issued, reimbursement of existing obligations will be allowed in order to not disrupt current financial commitments,” Biondi’s letter notes.
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Fox News Digital reached out to request comment from the Federal Highway Administration on Friday.
Sen Fetterman explains how the Dem Party’s brand has become ‘toxic’
Pennsylvania Democratic Sen. John Fetterman agreed that his party’s brand has grown “toxic” after years of “shaming and scolding” voters and even questioned if they can turn it around.
While appearing on the “Somebody’s Gotta Win” podcast on Thursday, host and journalist Tara Palmeri asked Fetterman about how even insiders within the Democratic Party acknowledged the damage their image has taken since the 2024 election.
Fetterman reiterated his belief that the party did it to itself by constantly attacking and demeaning their opponents.
“I think their primary currency was shaming and scolding and talking down to people and telling them ‘Hey, I know better than you, or you’re dopes, or you’re a bro, or you’re ignorant or, how can you be this dumb? I can’t imagine it. And then, by the way, they’re fascists. How can you vote for that?’” Fetterman said.
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He continued, “And you know, when you’re in a state like Pennsylvania, I know and I love people that voted for Trump, and they’re not fascist. They don’t support insurrection and those things. And if you go to an extreme, and you become a boutique kind of proposition, then you’re going to lose the argument. And we have done that.”
Fetterman described the 2024 election as a “gut-check kind of vote” where Americans largely focused on who was “going to protect or project [their] personal view of the American way of life,” rather than any specific policy.
With the recent Democratic National Committee (DNC) election, Fetterman admitted he was “not sure” if it was even possible to win back those voters, particularly among men.
“I think that’s been seriously eroding for a while. And in some cases, in the conversations I’ve had, a lot of people, they don’t even want to say it publicly, but they just feel like the other side seems like…the men’s the problem,” Fetterman said. “Men are to blame. Or their masculinity is toxic. Or unless you’re able to conform to our very strict kinds of definition of what we think is appropriate, well then, hey, I’m going to find an alternative. And they’ve done that. That’s absolutely true.”
“And once [they’ve] kind of turned their back on that demographic, it’s going to be difficult to rebuild and replace that with those voters, because I think that migration has been an ongoing phenomenon for several years and that has been in front and center in part of the election in ’24,” he concluded.
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Since the election, Fetterman has been very critical of his party for ignoring or dismissing key issues like appealing to men or stopping the border crisis.
“Well, one area where we kind of lost ourselves was the border,” Fetterman said on “Fox News Sunday” in November. “And I’ve been on this network, you know, months, months ago saying, ‘Hey, you know, it can’t be controversial for our party to have pro-immigration, but we need a secure border.’ And when we ask or demand people to not believe what they see, and see those kinds of numbers, that that’s not a problem. It’s like, well, then you lose about that 100%.”
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Frantic search intensifies as plane carrying 10 people vanishes
A desperate search is underway Friday in Alaska for a plane carrying 10 people that vanished Thursday afternoon.
The flight, operated by Bering Air, was traveling from Unalakleet to Nome in Western Alaska when its position was lost about 12 miles offshore, according to the U.S. Coast Guard. Data from FlightRadar shows the Cessna 208B Grand Caravan EX last reporting info at 3:16 p.m. over the Norton Sound.
The Coast Guard said a HC-130 Hercules airplane was dispatched from Air Station Kodiak to search “their last known position,” but as of Friday morning, the plane has yet to be found.
“The plane will not land, but will fly a grid pattern over the water and shoreline in attempts to locate the plane. The plane is equipped with specialized equipment for search and rescue that enables them to locate objects and people through no visibility conditions,” said the Nome Volunteer Fire Department, which is also conducting a ground search along the coastline.
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Bering Air describes itself as a regional air service based out of Nome, with hubs in Kotzebue and Unalakleet.
“We operate scheduled passenger and cargo flights seven days a week out of each hub to 32 communities along the northwest coast of Alaska,” it said on its website.
The missing aircraft was carrying nine passengers and one pilot, according to the Alaska Department of Public Safety.
“Staff at Bering Air is working hard to gather details, get emergency assistance, search and rescue going,” David Olson, its director of operations, told the Associated Press.
The Nome Volunteer Fire Department said early Friday that “We do not have any updated information on the location of the missing aircraft” and that “Crews are still searching on the ground, canvassing as much area as possible.”
“National Guard and Coast Guard and Troopers have been notified and are active in the search,” it added Thursday, saying that “[Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson] is also sending flight support through the Air Force.”
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“We ask the public to please think of those who may be missing at this time, but due to weather and safety concerns please do not form individual search parties,” the fire department said.
Norton Sound Health Corporation said it is “ready to respond to a community medical emergency,” but did not give any other details.
The temperature was 17 degrees in Unalakleet with light snow and fog during takeoff, the Associated Press reported, citing the National Weather Service.
“We are hearing reports of a possible missing plane en route to Nome. Our thoughts and prayers are with the passengers, their families and the rescue crew,” Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Ak., wrote on Facebook.
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The missing plane comes after back-to-back fatal aviation incidents in the U.S. last week, including the collision between a military helicopter and a passenger jet near the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) and a Learjet 55 medevac jet that crashed in Philadelphia.
Pro Football Hall of Fame snubs draw strong social media reaction
The Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2025 was announced on Thursday, and it features just four men.
Jared Allen, Antonio Gates, Eric Allen and Sterling Sharpe will receive busts in Canton this summer, beating out several other candidates.
It could be argued that several others are just as deserving, but most notably, Eli Manning, Adam Vinatieri and Terrell Suggs did not make the cut this go-around.
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Manning’s New York Giants kept their reaction pretty blunt, simply posting a raised-eyebrow emoji on X.
Manning ranks 11th all-time in passing yards and touchdowns, but the main argument is his two Super Bowl runs.
“Absurd. Eli beat Tom Brady twice in the Super Bowl. There aren’t 5 guys in the history of the game who you’d take over Eli Manning in the 4th quarter of a playoff game. Pure silliness,” wrote one Giants fan.
“My favorite QB…He took s— his whole career and he still is…Man was a legend and never got the credit,” wrote one more.
The anger was the same for perhaps both Patriots and Colts fans for Vinatieri, who holds the NFL records for the most field goal makes and attempts in NFL history. He also knocked two game-winning field goals in the closing seconds of Super Bowls and was lights out for his entire 24-year career.
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In fact, many feel that if there were to be a first-ballot Hall of Famer, it should have been Vinatieri.
“adam vinatieri not a first ballot HOFer? throw the whole thing away,” wrote an X user.
Another said, “Vinatieri got hosed. What a joke.”
Meanwhile, even though Jared Allen ranks 12th all time in sacks and got in, Suggs being in eighth is not yet enough. His longtime teammate in stalwart offensive tackle Marshal Yanda also came up short.
“Suggs and Yanda snubbed, Lamar losing, MVP I’m done,” wrote a Ravens fan with a classic angry gif.
It should be noted that those three were all in their first year of eligibility, so perhaps the voters didn’t want this year’s class to wait any longer. Other misses include Reggie Wayne and Steve Smith Sr.
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It will not be easy for those guys to get in next year, as Drew Brees, Larry Fitzgerald and Jason Witten will be eligible for induction.