DOGE says nonprofit with Biden official reaped millions operating empty facility
The Department of Health and Human Services has terminated a contract with a nonprofit that was paid millions each month to operate a Texas overflow facility that sat empty, according to the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
In a social media post, DOGE said a former U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement employee and Biden transition team member joined Family Endeavors in early 2021, where they helped the organization secure a sole-source HHS contract for overflow housing from licensed care facilities.
“As a result, Family Endeavors’ cash and portfolio of investments grew from $8.3M in 2020 to $520.4M in 2023, the post states.
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Since March 2024, HHS has paid $18 million per month to keep a facility in Pecos, Texas, used for housing for unaccompanied migrant children that was previously at the center of reports of poor conditions.
The payments continued, despite the facility being empty, DOGE said.
“With national licensed facility occupancy now below 20%, HHS was able to terminate this contract, saving taxpayers over $215M annually,” the post on X states.
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Fox News Digital has reached out to the San Antonio-based Endeavors.
Ed Martin, the U.S. Attorney for Washington D.C., was also tagged in the social media post.
“I see it. We will dig into this,” he replied.
DOGE and its leader, Elon Musk, have taken a slash and burn approach to wasteful government spending. On Wednesday, Musk predicted DOGE will reach its $100 trillion spending cut goal.
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“If we don’t do this, America is going to be bankrupt,” he said during President Donald Trump’s first Cabinet meeting.
AG Bondi reveals when some Jeffrey Epstein files will be released
Attorney General Pam Bondi made an explosive revelation on Wednesday when she told Jesse Watters on “Jesse Watters Primetime” that some information about Jeffrey Epstein would be released by the Department of Justice (DOJ) on Thursday.
She told Watters there are over 250 alleged victims, and her office needs to ensure all of their identities are protected.
“What you’re going to see, hopefully tomorrow, is a lot of flight logs, a lot of names, a lot of information,” Bondi said when asked about the type of information that will be released Thursday. “But, it’s pretty sick what that man did, along with his co-defendant.”
Bondi’s revelation comes after Republican lawmakers pressed the Department of Justice (DOJ) for the release of classified documents and records related to Jeffrey Epstein and the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, among other federal secrets, received a response, though it fell a bit flat.
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President Donald Trump signed an executive order last month calling on agencies to create plans to release and distribute top-secret documents, including those pertaining to the assassinations of Sen. Robert F. Kennedy and Dr. Martin Luther King.
Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., is leading the House Oversight Committee’s Task Force on the Declassification of Federal Secrets, and, after sending letters to the DOJ Feb. 11 and Feb. 19, said she finally heard back.
“My office just received a formal response from the DOJ on the Jeffrey Epstein, JFK, MLK, & RFK files,” Luna wrote in a post on X, attaching a copy of the letter.
In the letter, the DOJ thanked Luna for the two letters, in which she requested briefings and any documents in the department’s possession relating to the classified investigations.
The DOJ also acknowledged Luna’s request for written confirmation of the date and location of the release of those records.
“The integrity of criminal investigations and prosecutions is essential to every component of the Department’s mission to uphold the rule of law, keep our nation safe, and protect civil rights,” Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Patrick D. Davis wrote.
“The Department remains committed to meeting its legal recordkeeping obligations as it pursues that mission. We are reviewing your requests and look forward to engaging further to accommodate your oversight and legislative needs.
“We hope this information is helpful,” Davis added. “Please do not hesitate to contact this office if we may provide additional assistance regarding this or any other matter.”
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The response came two days after Luna said she had faced silence from the DOJ.
“On Feb 11 & Feb 19, house oversight sent a letter to the DOJ asking for status on releasing the Epstein files as well as JFK etc.,” Luna said in a post on X Monday. “The DOJ has not responded. Reaching out on X because we can’t seem to get a response from the AG. @AGPamBondi what is the status of the documents? These documents were ordered to be declassified.”
Luna also sent a letter to Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, Attorney General Pam Bondi, National Security Advisor Michael Waltz and White House Counsel David Warrington requesting a briefing by Thursday on plans for the release of the documents.
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Trump’s executive order instructed the Department of Justice to coordinate with Gabbard, Waltz and Warrington to establish a plan by Feb. 7 for the release of the JFK files and to create a plan for the release of the MLK and Robert F. Kennedy files by March 9.
Additionally, Luna is pushing the Justice Department to share details regarding Jeffrey Epstein’s client list. The American financier died in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.
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Bondi previously said Epstein’s client list was awaiting review and that she was looking over the Kennedy and King files.
More than 440 reporters lost press passes after Biden White House changed requirements
The White House will now oversee which news outlets will be part of the White House press pool, rather than the White House Correspondents Association (WHCA), the White House press secretary said Tuesday.
While the WHCA customarily has had the authority to choose the rotation of news outlets that have access to the president in the Oval Office and other areas with limited access, the Trump administration is upending that policy.
“Legacy outlets who have participated in the press pool for decades will still be allowed to join, fear not,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters during a briefing Tuesday. “But we will also be offering the privilege to well-deserving outlets who have never been allowed to share in this awesome responsibility.”
MORE THAN 440 REPORTERS LOSE PRESS PASSES AFTER WHITE HOUSE CHANGES REQUIREMENTS
But President Donald Trump’s White House isn’t the only one to roll out controversial policies regarding press access.
In 2023, more than 440 reporters lost press credentials after President Joe Biden’s White House modified its rules for eligibility for permanent passes.
Credentialed White House press members dropped from 1,417 members to 975 members after the White House unveiled new standards requiring an annual renewal of hard passes, Politico reported in 2023. Journalists without hard passes were still authorized to apply for day passes to the White House.
The Biden White House policy was launched in May 2023 and required reporters to prove employment with “an organization whose principal business is news dissemination” and show that they have “accessed the White House campus at least once during the prior six months for work, or have proof of employment within the last three months to cover the White House.”
The Biden White House defended its decision to cut off routine access to these reporters, claiming many of the journalists whose passes expired hadn’t accessed the White House in the previous three months.
“At the time we initiated this process in early May, roughly 40% of hard pass holders had not accessed the White House complex in the prior 90 days,” the White House said in a 2023 statement to Politico. “We think this demonstrates we’ve led a thoughtful and thorough process that preserves robust media access to campus for everyone who needs it — whether that be with a hard pass or a day pass.”
TRUMP ADMIN GUTS WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT’S ASSOCIATION IN BID TO END ‘MONOPOLY’ OF ‘DC JOURNALISTS’
Leavitt announced in January that the Trump White House would work to “restore the press passes of the 440 journalists whose passes were wrongly revoked by the previous administration.”
On Tuesday, Leavitt said the White House’s decision aimed to “give the power back to the people” in an attempt to ensure that “all journalists, outlets and voices deserve a seat at this highly coveted table.”
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In response, WHCA President Eugene Daniels said the WHCA did not receive any notice in advance of the White House’s decision and said the move “tears at the independence of a free press in the United States.”
“It suggests the government will choose the journalists who cover the president,” Daniels said. “In a free country, leaders must not be able to choose their own press corps.”
Dem senator’s ‘dark money corruption’ exposed in ethics complaint, expert says
Legal experts are pointing out what they say is hypocrisy as Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., faces an ethics complaint over a potential conflict of interest that resulted in millions of dollars in federal grants for a nonprofit associated with his wife.
“Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, who has made his political career accusing others of dark money corruption, appears to be throwing stones in his glass house,” said Mike Davis, the former chief counsel for nominations to former Senate Judiciary Chair Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa.
“This is the height of hypocrisy,” Brett Tolman, former U.S. attorney and executive director of Right On Crime, told Fox News Digital. “Sen Whitehouse is a former US attorney and the self-proclaimed watchdog of dark money.”
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Whitehouse spokesperson Stephen DeLeo told Fox News Digital in a statement, “The ‘legal experts’ at Fox News should review the bipartisan dismissal issued by the Senate Ethics Committee the last time a dark-money group attempted these same kinds of smears.”
Whitehouse voted for legislation that ultimately provided millions of dollars in funding for grants to environmental nonprofit group Ocean Conservancy, which works with his wife, Sandra Whitehouse, and pays her through a consulting firm.
The Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust (FACT), an ethics watchdog, wrote to Senate Select Committee on Ethics Chair James Lankford, R-Okla., and Vice Chair Chris Coons, D-Del., this week, asking them to investigate Whitehouse “to determine whether he violated the Senate ethics rules on conflicts of interest.” The group works primarily to draw attention to potential Democrat lawmaker ethics violations.
“This is not just a careless ethical lapse in judgment,” Tolman added. “This is corruption, Washington, D.C., style. This is literally what many public officials have been prosecuted for by DOJ (Department of Justice). I’m aware of multiple cases DOJ is pursuing right now with less egregious facts.”
Thomas Jipping, senior legal fellow with the Edwin Meese III Center for Legal and Judicial Studies at the Heritage Foundation, told Fox News Digital the Ethics Committee should investigate the allegation against Whitehouse.
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“Of course, that’s what they exist to do,” he said.
“I was struck by the fact that they are arguing” and that the complaint from FACT has “specific facts that back up a claim that there’s an ethical violation,” Jipping said.
As he referenced, FACT provided information to support a potential conflict of interest.
Ocean Conservancy has notably received more than $14.2 million in federal grants since 2008, per USASpending.gov. In 2024 alone, it was given two sizable grants, one for $5.2 million from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration for marine debris cleanup in September, and another for $1.7 million from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), also to assist with marine debris cleanup.
The grants were funded through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the EPA’s annual appropriations bill. Whitehouse voted for both.
Per her LinkedIn page, Whitehouse’s wife, Sandra, is employed as president of consulting firm Ocean Wonks LLC and has been since 2017. She was previously a direct employee of Ocean Conservancy as its senior policy advisor starting in 2008.
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Jipping said the senator never provided sufficient evidence for his various ethical claims against conservative Supreme Court justices.
Whitehouse has long crusaded against conservative Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas, accusing them of ethical wrongdoing. The Democrat has even spearheaded an effort to put a Supreme Court ethics code into law, which has drawn serious criticism as some warn it would effectively allow the legislature to govern the court.
“The irony here absolutely takes my breath away,” Jipping remarked. “He now appears to be embroiled in such an obvious conflict of interest.”
However, not everyone agreed. Attorney Bradley P. Moss told Fox News Digital that “from what is described in the media report, this seems like a considerable stretch to find even the appearance of a conflict of interest.”
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He said he was more concerned about engineers from billionaire Elon Musk’s SpaceX assisting the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to modernize air traffic control.
According to the Department of Transportation, the engineers are part of Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency team at the FAA and are special government employees. Their work in this capacity is being kept separate from the FAA’s Office of Commercial Space Transportation, they said.
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Jipping said Whitehouse’s situation is an “opportunity for the ethics committee to show that they are in fact nonpartisan.”
Lankford and Coons did not provide comment to Fox News Digital in time for publication.
Blake Lively breaks silence after ‘Gossip Girl’ co-star’s tragic death at 39
Tributes began pouring in from Michelle Trachtenberg’s former co-stars Wednesday after the news of her death broke.
The actress was just 39 years old.
Blake Lively, who starred with Trachtenberg on the teen drama “Gossip Girl,” called her “fiercely loyal” in a lengthy post on her Instagram stories.
Along with a photo of her with Trachtenberg, which she said was their first day on set together, she called the actress “big and bold and distinctly herself … She was a kind person, through and through,” and added that “she was electricity.”
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“Time passes,” she wrote. “You take for granted that you get the chance to see an old friend. To paraphrase, the real tragedies in life are the ones that blindside you on an idle Tuesday.”
She continued, “Hold those you love and have loved dear. The world lost a deeply sensitive and good person in Michelle. May her work and her huge heart be remembered by those who were lucky enough to experience her fire.”
Rosie O’Donnell, who starred with Trachtenberg in 1996’s “Harriet the Spy,” called the news “heartbreaking” in a statement to Fox News Digital.
“I loved her very much,” she said. “She struggled the last few years. I wish I could have helped.”
Melissa Gilbert shared a picture from their 1996 movie, “A Holiday for Love,” on her Instagram, writing, “Oh Michy…and we lived so close to one another…..my heart aches for your family and all those who loved you so… @michelletrachtenberg#ripsweetgirl”
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Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage, creators of “Gossip Girl” in which Trachtenberg played villain Regina Sparks, told NBC News they were “deeply saddened by the news of Michelle’s passing.”
“Michelle was so funny, kind and talented. Her portrayal of Georgina Sparks was an iconic fan favorite and grew from a one-season villain to a beloved character who returned over the course of six seasons,” they said. “She was a delight to have on set and will be deeply missed. Our thoughts are with her family.”
Ed Westwick, who also starred with Trachtenberg on “Gossip Girl,” wrote on his Instagram story, “So sad to hear of the passing of @Michelletrachtenberg Sending prayers.” He added prayer and heart emoji.
David Boreanaz, who starred with Trachtenberg on Sarah Michelle Gellar’s “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” wrote on his Instagram story, “So very sad …horrible news,” along with a photo of Trachtenberg. “RIP and prayers to her and her family.”
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James Marsters shared a photo of the two of them on his Instagram, writing that his “heart is heavy today.”
“We have lost a beautiful soul,” Marsters wrote. “Michelle was fiercely intelligent, howlingly funny, and a very talented person. She died much too young, and leaves behind scores of people who knew and loved her.
“My heart goes out to her family who are good people, and are suffering the greatest loss anyone could bear. I hope everyone can give them space to heal in this most difficult time. Godspeed Michelle. You are missed.”
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“Sex and the City” star Kim Cattrall, who played Trachtenberg’s figure-skating coach in the 2005 film “Ice Princess,” shared a photo of them from the film on her Instagram, writing, “Rest in peace sweet Michelle,” along with a broken heart emoji.
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On X, she posted, “This is Heartbreaking. So talented, much too young. RIP Sweet Beauty. Xo.”
“Saturday Night Live” cast member Kenan Thompson shared a video on his Instagram of a 1990s Nickelodeon event in which she was commentating while Thompson was competing in “mega mini golf.”
“Our first Nick movie star has departed us!!” he wrote. “She was my friend and now she rests!! Check on your people!!!” He added a prayer and a heart emoji.
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“Mrs. Doubtfire” child star Mara Wilson called Trachtenberg her “childhood friend,” adding that her “heart is breaking.”
“Your memory will be a blessing, Michelle,” she added, along with a photo of Trachtenberg.
Melissa Joan Hart shared a video on her Instagram of Trachtenberg’s guest-starring part on Nickelodeon’s “Clarissa Explains it All” when she played a mischievous little girl Clarissa was babysitting.
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“I’m heartbroken to hear of the passing of @michelletrachtenberg!!” the 48-year-old actress wrote. “So young, so talented and so sweet! Here is a fun scene from when she was on #ClarissaExplainsItAll. I think this was about 1992 and the episode was an idea I had about babysitting a total nightmare. But Michelle was nothing like her character and even this young, we got along wonderfully. #gonetoosoon #RIP #GodBlesstheFunnyPeople.”
“Harriet the Spy” star J. Smith-Cameron told People magazine Trachtenberg was “so excited” for her “first lead film role” in the 1996 movie.
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“Her natural ebullient nature was ratcheted up into giddiness as she tried to learn how to handle all that came with that,” Smith-Cameron, who played Trachtenberg’s mother, said. “She was a very charming little girl. Years later we found each other on social media and connected briefly. She was always very warm toward me. I feel very shocked and unsettled to hear of her passing.”
“Glee” star Chris Colfer wrote on his Instagram, “Michelle was the absolute sweetest and one of the most supportive people I knew. I’m so lucky I got to be her friend.”
Trachtenberg was found dead in a New York City apartment Wednesday, Fox News Digital confirmed.
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Authorities found Trachtenberg at a home after responding to a 911 call around 8 a.m. The actress was unconscious and unresponsive, according to the New York Police Department. Trachtenberg’s death is not being investigated as suspicious, and the cause of death will be determined by a medical examiner.
Police sources told ABC7 Trachtenberg had recently undergone a liver transplant and may have been experiencing complications.
Trachtenberg’s representative also confirmed the actress’s death.
“The family requests privacy for their loss,” Gary Mantoosh told Fox News Digital. “There are no further details at this time.”
Elon Musk says he’s received ‘a lot’ of death threats for DOGE progress
Tesla CEO Elon Musk appeared at President Donald Trump’s first Cabinet meeting on Wednesday to discuss his waste-cutting efforts with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) commission.
During the meeting, Musk took aim at what he described as $2 trillion in deficits, stating that America “simply cannot sustain” that amount of debt. As of Wednesday, the U.S. national debt has ballooned to $36,220,749,649,855.42.
“Just the interest on the national debt now exceeds the Defense Department spending,” Musk claimed. “We spend a lot on the Defense Department, but we’re spending like $1 trillion on interest.”
“If this continues, the country will go, become de facto bankrupt.”
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Musk then described DOGE as “not an optional thing” and argued that it was “central” to reforming the U.S. economy.
“That’s the reason I’m here,” the tech billionaire said. “And taking a lot of flack, and getting a lot of death threats, by the way.”
“But if we don’t do this, America will go bankrupt,” Musk continued. “That’s why it has to be done. I’m confident at this point, knock on wood… that we can actually find $1 trillion in savings. That would be roughly 15% of the $7 trillion budget. And obviously that can only be done with the support of everyone in this room. And I’d like to thank everyone for the support.”
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Musk’s recent remarks come as DOGE continues identifying and cutting government waste for the taxpayers’ intended benefit. At Wednesday’s Cabinet meeting, Musk admitted that DOGE has also made some mistakes, including accidentally canceling the U.S. Agency for International Development’s (USAID) Ebola prevention program.
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“I think we all want Ebola prevention, so we restored the Ebola prevention, and there was no interruption,” Musk said. “We won’t be perfect. But when we make mistakes, we will fix it very quickly.”
Rubio vows Trump will not be ‘blackmailed’ by Venezuelan strongman’s regime
Secretary of State Marco Rubio denied concerns the Trump administration is legitimizing Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro after a government official traveled to Caracas in late January.
Fox News host Brian Kilmeade asked Rubio on his radio show Wednesday about U.S. envoy for special missions Ric Grenell’s trip to the country and his meeting with the dictator that resulted in six Americans returning home.
The Maduro regime also agreed to take back Venezuelans, including Tren de Aragua gang members who illegally entered the United States.
Rubio explained that Venezuela has an obligation under international law to accept foreign nationals who are unlawfully and illegally in another country.
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“Remember, Venezuela stopped taking migration flights, deportations because they wanted to blackmail Joe Biden. Donald Trump’s not going to be blackmailed. President Trump will not be blackmailed by them,” he said on “The Brian Kilmeade Show.”
The United States government does not recognize Maduro as Venezuela’s legitimate leader after a contested 2024 election saw the longtime president receive a third, six-year term.
Former State Department deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel said last year there were “serious concerns” about the election and the result “does not reflect the will and the votes of the Venezuelan people.”
Rubio echoed Patel’s sentiments, saying he still believes Maduro is a “horrible dictator.”
“He is allowing Iran to operate out of Venezuela. He’s allowing the Chinese to operate out of Venezuela. He’s threatening his neighbors in the region. He has flooded us with gang members, flooded us with these Tren de Aragua gang members that are in this country doing terrible things,” he said.
LISTEN TO SECRETARY OF STATE RUBIO’S INTERVIEW ON ‘THE BRIAN KILMEADE SHOW’:
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“Why would we want someone like that to be there? We’re not going to discuss publicly what our work is going to be in that regard. But he remains the same threat today that he was two years ago, three years ago, four years ago. That’s going to have to be dealt with.”
President Donald Trump announced on his Truth Social platform Wednesday afternoon that the United States was ending Chevron’s Venezuela oil license that was largely seen as a monetary lifeline to the regime.
“We are hereby reversing the concessions that Crooked Joe Biden gave to Nicolás Maduro, of Venezuela, on the oil transaction agreement, dated November 26, 2022, and also having to do with Electoral conditions within Venezuela, which have not been met by the Maduro regime,” the commander-in-chief wrote.
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“Additionally, the regime has not been transporting the violent criminals that they sent into our Country (the Good Ole’ U.S.A.) back to Venezuela at the rapid pace that they had agreed to.”
American pro surfer in coma after ‘freak accident’ sends him ‘head first into reef’
A group of surfers, lifeguards, and other concerned individuals recently gathered around American pro surfer Makai McNamara after he was knocked unconscious. McNamara was wiped out by a massive wave at Banzai Pipeline in Hawaii, which is widely considered one of the world’s most dangerous surf breaks.
According to Island News, McNamara was a frequent Banzai Pipeline visitor and was hit by the large wave this past Sunday. The aforementioned group of responders helped McNamara reach safety on the shore.
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Eli Olson, who also surfs professionally and is described as a friend of McNamara, said the ordeal was a “freak accident.”
“It was just a bad wave, kind of a freak accident, and he went head first into the reef,” Olson told Island News. He also described McNamara as “one of the best [surfers] out there.”
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Olson estimated McNamara was underwater for two minutes before anyone was able to reach him. He also noted that responders attempted “CPR compressions” during the rescue.
“He was underwater for close to two minutes before I got to him. First thing, I just wanted to like keep his head above water so he didn’t take more water in,” Olson said. “I gave him a couple [of] breaths. Try to give him a couple [of] compressions.”
He added, “We’re getting hit by waves out here. We’re getting kind of recycled in the waves and then we got him in life first, did another round of CPR compressions, and he started coughing up water.”
McNamara was able to eventually regain consciousness when he was “brought him back to life on the sand,” Surfer reported. McNamara was later transported to a local hospital where medical personnel placed him in an induced coma for three days.
McNamara’s father Liam provided an update on his son’s status 24 hours after the harrowing incident.
“It’s been 24 hours since the incident, and he’s on his road to recovery,” he said in a video posted to Instagram. “He feels your energy. He feels your love. He feels your positive vibes, and we appreciate each and every one of you for your support.”
“I thank the lifeguards and everybody who helped, so many people. Thank you so much for helping save my son,” Liam continued.
“The next two days he’ll be here in the hospital, and we just need the continued prayers and positive energy,” he added. “Makai’s a strong young man, and he’s going to get through this.”
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Meanwhile, Olson described the rescue as a “team effort” and expressed his hopes that Mcnamara makes a “full recovery.”
“All that matters is Makai makes a full recovery and we can laugh and share waves with him soon,” Olson noted via Instagram Stories.
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