Inside Elon Musk meeting with House DOGE panel laying out $1,000,000,000,000 cuts
Elon Musk met with a small group of House Republicans on Wednesday evening where he discussed avenues for cost savings in a quest to find as much as $1 trillion in government waste, people familiar with the discussion told Fox News Digital.
“The executive DOGE team is confident, they think they can get $1 trillion,” one lawmaker familiar with the meeting told Fox News Digital. “Now, we’ll see, right? And the thing is, he acknowledged that we’re going to make mistakes, but we’re going to correct them very quickly.”
The GOP lawmaker said some concerns were raised about whether other government offices like the Treasury Department “have the bandwidth to do” what Musk is detailing. “And he says, ‘We’re gonna help them,'” the lawmaker said.
Multiple sources said Musk met with the House DOGE subcommittee led by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., for about 45 minutes before a wider meeting with the House GOP Conference.
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Several people said Musk pointed to areas where the government could be made more efficient, including an audit of how many dead people were de-listed off some federal benefits like Social Security but still had taxpayer dollars going into their accounts for unemployment or other programs.
“A lot of this is cross-referencing databases, making sure they’re talking to each other,” Rep. Michael Cloud, R-Texas, a member of the subcommittee, told Fox News Digital.
Two lawmakers present for the meeting also said the idea of a congressional rescissions package was floated as another way to claw back excessive government spending, as Republicans and Democrats battle over giving President Donald Trump leeway to spend less money than Congress appropriates.
Rescissions authority is granted to Congress to allow for the cancelation of some planned government spending.
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It’s also among the special cases where the Senate only needs 51 votes to pass a bill, rather than 60 – meaning Senate Republicans can pass it without Democratic support.
Greene confirmed the sit-down to reporters but did not mention talk of congressional spending authority.
“We had a very lengthy meeting, just my DOGE committee with Elon Musk and his team, and learned a lot of valuable information. The collaboration is going to be fantastic and it needs to happen,” Greene said.
Also present at both of Musk’s House meetings was his adviser Steve Davis, people told Fox News Digital.
After the smaller-scale meeting, Musk had a wider discussion with House Republicans where he spoke for roughly 15 minutes and then took questions.
“What we were doing was getting a deeper insight into what Elon Musk is doing and kind of being able to strategize with him, how we can coordinate what we’re doing,” Rep. Brandon Gill, R-Texas, who is also on the DOGE subcommittee, told reporters.
Rep. Mike Haridopolos, R-Fla., told Fox News Digital that “systematically there were no checks in order to make sure the taxpayer dollars were spent correctly.”
He said Musk did not discuss other fiscal battles ongoing in Congress, and that Musk “was just trying to outline what they are finding in a very short period of time and how little accountability exists in the operating system of our government.”
“It made me laugh and it made me sick all at the same time,” Rep. Dan Meuser, R-Pa., told Fox News Digital. “The level of waste and what they are finding is mindblowing.”
Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., said Musk was “just getting started.”
“He just says, ‘I’m investigating and finding things that you really can’t argue with.’ He said he’s making mistakes, he’ll correct them, but his mission is to uncover where our tax money is. Let the chips fall where they may,” Norman said.
It comes as some House Republicans have faced contentious town halls or demonstrations related to Musk and DOGE in their home districts. GOP lawmakers previously shared frustrations with Fox News Digital that they were often left somewhat in the dark on Musk’s work.
Rep. Derrick Van Orden, R-Wis., told reporters he aired similar concerns in the closed-door meeting. Musk was receptive to those issue, he added.
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“I spoke to Elon specifically about this. There are our veterans and our farmers. So there’s a lot of angst going right now because people don’t understand what’s going on,” Van Orden said. “And I expressed very clearly the concerns of our veterans community. And Mr. Musk was explicitly clear that we will make sure that we have no degradation of the benefits for our veterans that they have earned.”
The back-to-back House meetings for Musk came after he spoke with Senate Republicans in a similar closed-door setting.
Dem congresswoman goes on profane tirade during sanctuary city hearing
Democrat Rep. Melanie Stansbury of New Mexico went off in a curse-laden tirade against the Trump administration and Republicans during a House Oversight Committee hearing on sanctuary cities, calling the hearing “absolute bulls–t.”
Testifying at the hearing were mayors Eric Adams of New York City, Michelle Wu of Boston, Brandon Johnson of Chicago and Mike Johnston of Denver, all of whom are Democrats and lead cities with migrant “sanctuary” policies.
These laws ban or restrict law enforcement from cooperating with federal immigration authorities to deport illegal immigrants, including those with criminal charges.
Stansbury, who represents a heavily blue border state, came to the defense of the sanctuary mayors and bashed Republicans for what she said was an attempt to intimidate local elected officials.
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“I always think that we should sage this room after these hearings because we hear a lot of crazy stuff in here,” she began. “Our mayors are sitting here, enduring this ridiculous, ridiculous hearing as they’ve been threatened in front of the American people.”
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“I want to reject the fundamental premise of this hearing,” she went on. “Because what this entire effort is about is intimidating state and local officials, attacking law-abiding immigrant families and spending millions of dollars of taxpayer dollars both in the administration and in Congress to make ads that are complete smoke and mirrors, trying to say that Donald Trump has somehow secured America’s safety.”
“Its total bulls–t, absolute bulls–t,” she yelled. “They are not making America safer again, and what they are doing is terrorizing immigrant families. That is what they are doing.”
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Stansbury also asserted that President Donald Trump “failed to execute on the most basic thing that he said he would do, which was to pass immigration reform when he got into office.”
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Throwing up her hands and looking around the room, Stansbury said: “Here we are Donald Trump, where’s your immigration bill? Oh wait, you don’t have one, that’s right. Because none of this is actually about making America safer.”
Stansbury also caught the spotlight Tuesday night when she was spotted standing on the House floor shortly before Trump’s joint address to Congress, holding a sign reading: “This is not normal.”
USAID head alleges a pattern of illegal activity at embattled agency
The acting head of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) told congressional lawmakers Wednesday his staff was preparing potential criminal referrals against those who misused taxpayer dollars intended for foreign development programs.
The New York Times said Peter Marocco made his remarks while speaking with members of the House Foreign Affairs Committee during a closed-door meeting.
An internal review is in its early stages, but members of Marocco’s team believe they’ve uncovered a pattern of illegal activity at the agency, which serves as the main component used by the United States to deliver foreign aid.
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Marocco has been tasked by President Donald Trump with dismantling USAID and told lawmakers he was looking at contracts and grants awarded by the agency.
Much of the money given by USAID is supposed to promote stability and economic growth and supply humanitarian assistance in fragile regions.
On Wednesday, the Supreme Court denied the Trump administration’s request to block a lower court’s order for the administration to make nearly $2 billion in USAID payments, delivering a near-term reprieve to international aid groups and contractors seeking payment for previously completed projects.
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U.S. Rep. Brian Mast, R-Fla., the chairman of the foreign affairs panel, told the Times USAID is structured in such a way that makes accountability difficult.
“Mr. Marocco was very clear in exposing the waste that goes on out there and in pointing out the way that many of these programs in state and USAID were designed to not be accountable,” he said.
USAID was one of the first targets by the Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which is charged with rooting out wasteful spending.
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Fox News Digital has reached out to USAID for comment.
Break in case of football fans found frozen to death in backyard
Two arrests have been made in connection with the deaths of three Kansas City Chiefs fans who were found frozen in their friend’s snowy Kansas City, Missouri, backyard after an NFL watch party more than a year ago.
“After an investigation of nearly 14 months, two suspects are now facing felony charges in Platte County, including involuntary manslaughter, related to the deaths of three Chiefs fans in January of 2024,” the Kansas City Missouri Police Department said during a press conference on Wednesday.
Jordan Willis and Ivory J. Carson have been charged with three counts of involuntary manslaughter and two counts of delivery of a controlled substance except 35 grams or less of marijuana or synthetic cannabinoid, according to court records obtained and reviewed by Fox News Digital.
Court records indicate that Carson, who went by “Blade Brown,” supplied and sold cocaine to Willis and the victims, and that his DNA was found on a bag of fentanyl.
KANSAS CITY CHIEFS FANS’ MYSTERIOUS DEATHS YET TO BE RESOLVED A YEAR LATER
“KCPD detectives never stopped working on the case, waiting for all the facts to come in. Reaching this point is a testament to their dedication to delivering justice for the victims and their loved ones,” Kansas City Police Chief Stacey Graves said.
Willis is the longtime friend of Clayton McGeeney, 37; Ricky Johnson, 38; and David Harrington, 36, who were visiting his home in Kansas City on Jan. 7, 2024, to watch the Chiefs play the Los Angeles Chargers.
Two days later, the three men were found dead on Willis’ property by McGeeney’s fiancée. Willis could not be reached by phone and did not answer his door in the days afterward, according to family members who searched for the three friends who never returned home.
However, Willis told police he had no idea any of his friends were dead outside and that he hadn’t heard from any of their friends or family members.
Although preliminary autopsy results shared with the media by family members indicate that fentanyl, cocaine and marijuana were in their systems, the deceased men’s families have questioned Willis’ involvement in what happened, with some threatening to file lawsuits.
Willis’ attorney, John Picerno, told Fox News Digital that he was “surprised that Jordan was charged with the deaths of his three friends.”
KANSAS CITY CHIEFS FANS’ DEATHS: WHY FORMER HOMICIDE DETECTIVE BELIEVES CRIMINAL CHARGES STILL POSSIBLE
“That was contrary to what the prosecuting attorney’s office told me several months ago,” Picerno said.
“The probable cause statement submitted by the State is consistent with what Jordan stated happened. Jordan maintains that he is not responsible for purchasing or supplying the drugs that led to the deaths of his three friends. We are very much looking forward to the day a jury gets to hear all of the evidence in this case.”
Willis, who moved out of his Kansas City home and enrolled into a rehabilitation program after his friends’ deaths, has had his “life changed forever,” Picerno previously said.
A source close to the Willis family told Fox News Digital previously that the 39-year-old Ph.D. holder and research scientist “still struggles with the aftermath of all of this.”
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“[He] not only lost good friends of his, but [had] many people turn on him,” the source said.
“It affected every part of his life, and he’s doing the best he can,” the source continued. “He has been helping with his dad’s care this year, and trying to stay positive.”
It was not immediately clear if Carson had retained a lawyer.
Fire chief shares theory about Gene Hackman, wife’s death after sheriff confirms misstep
SANTA FE, N.M.– Santa Fe Fire Chief Brian Moya is sharing his opinion about when Gene Hackman and Betsy Arakawa died on Feb. 26.
Moya told Fox News Digital, “Just because both bodies were in similar ways where we, as experts, sad to say that we know a lot about how people die and how long people are dead for – both bodies are in a similar manner that it could be a similar timeframe.”
Although Moya was not a first responder to the 911 call to Hackman’s home, he was told that the property sprawled over 9,000 square feet and consisted of three structures.
The fire chief explained that his paramedic told him once he returned from the Hackman residence that Gene, Betsy and their dog — who was later identified as Zinna — were found in the “same building.” According to Moya, the property had three separate structures.
GENE HACKMAN DEATH: COMPLETE COVERAGE
“They checked every residence for gas leaks,” he said. Hackman and Arakawa tested negative for carbon monoxide, Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza confirmed at Friday’s press conference.
At the press conference, Mendoza also confirmed the last recorded activity on Hackman’s pacemaker occurred on Feb. 17. Authorities assumed this was Hackman’s last day alive, as the Oscar winner’s body was not discovered for nine more days.
“Just because both bodies were in similar ways where we, as experts, sad to say that we know a lot about how people die and how long people are dead for – both bodies are in a similar manner that it could be a similar timeframe.”
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Moya told Fox News Digital that since he’s been chief, which has been for three years, the Santa Fe Fire Department and emergency medical services (EMS) have not responded to any calls at the Hackman residence.
WATCH: Gene Hackman and his wife’s deaths ‘could be a similar timeframe’: fire chief
According to Moya, the Santa Fe Fire Department was last involved with the investigation on Thursday, Feb. 27, and the case is in the Sheriff’s Department’s hands at this point.
Circumstances surrounding the deaths of Hackman and Arakawa remain a mystery to Santa Fe, New Mexico, authorities as they work backwards and piece together evidence to figure out how the couple died.
New Mexico officials found Hackman, Arakawa and one of their dogs dead in their home one week ago. Detectives described their deaths as “suspicious enough in nature to require a thorough search and investigation,” according to a search warrant affidavit obtained by Fox News Digital.
Hackman and Arakawa were found by maintenance workers Jesse Kesler and Roland Lowe Begay. Kesler, who worked as a personal contractor for the couple for 16 years, made the frantic 911 call on Feb. 26.
Detectives recovered two cellphones, an orange prescription bottle and a 2025 planner while inspecting the residence, the search warrant affidavit stated.
Officials also revealed that Arakawa’s body was found decomposed with bloating on her face and mummification in her hands and feet. Per the search warrant affidavit, the deceased dog was found “10-15 feet” from Arakawa in a closet of the bathroom.
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Hackman was also found to have the same signs of decomposition as his wife. According to the search warrant affidavit, Deputy Thomas suspected Hackman had “suddenly fallen” at the time of his death.
WATCH: First responders haven’t had any calls to Gene Hackman and his wife’s home in over three years: fire chief
Recently, sheriffs confirmed a misstep in the investigation after wrongly identifying the dog found dead in the Hackman home.
The dog that was found dead near Arakawa’s body was misidentified by the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Department in the investigation, Fox News Digital confirmed.
The owner of Santa Fe Tails, the pet care facility that took in Hackman’s two other surviving dogs, explained that the dead dog was a different breed than what is listed in the search warrant affidavit.
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Zinna, a mixed breed, was found in a kennel in a bathroom closet near Arakawa. However, investigators initially noted the discovery of a “deceased brown in color German-Shepard canine,” the search warrant stated.
Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Denise Womack-Avila acknowledged that deputies initially misidentified the breed of the deceased dog.
“Our deputies, they don’t work with canines on a daily basis,” she said, according to The Associated Press.
Arakawa and Hackman did have two German Shepherds: Bear, 4, and Nikita, 7.
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DNA from multiple people discovered under college massacre victim’s fingernails
Madison Mogen fought back.
Idaho investigators found a three-person mixture of DNA under the 21-year-old University of Idaho undergrad’s fingernails after she and three friends were killed in her off-campus rental home in Moscow, Idaho, on Nov. 13, 2022, according to court filings.
Bicka Barlow, a defense attorney who specializes in attacking DNA evidence and who was recently added to suspect Bryan Kohberger’s defense team, wants to limit testimony on the fingernail scrapings at trial, however.
She says they don’t match her client.
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In a pair of redacted motions regarding the evidence, she argued that because testing of the samples came back inconclusive, focusing on them could mislead the jury. Additionally, she argued that independent testing conducted for the defense ruled Kohberger out entirely as a contributor.
“Mr. Kohberger’s inconclusive [likelihood ratio] is similar to almost every other person for whom an LR was generated and focusing on his ‘inconclusive’ LR would mislead the jury in that it implies that the LR means that Mr. Kohberger’s DNA might be present in the sample,” she argued.
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Barlow cited heavily redacted testimony from Jade Miller, who discussed samples recovered from under a nail on Mogen’s left hand. Although the specifics of what Miller said were not included in the publicly available filing, Barlow argued that her testimony was misleading and therefore barred under state law.
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Additionally, the presence of unknown DNA could support the defense theory that unknown persons left it there — an issue the defense already raised regarding blood samples found on a handrail in the home and on a glove outside.
“It could play in the defense very well that there was more than one person at the location in order to control that many people,” said Joseph Giacalone, a retired NYPD sergeant and cold case investigator.
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Mogen, a marketing major from Coeur d’Alene, was killed alongside her best friend, Kaylee Goncalves, 21, in an upstairs room of a six-bedroom house just steps off campus. Police also found a knife sheath under her body that had DNA on it that helped them uncover Kohberger as a suspect.
A floor below, police found the remains of Xana Kernodle, 20, and her boyfriend Ethan Chapin, also 20. All four students suffered multiple stab wounds.
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Idaho’s crime lab had tested two hypotheses: first, that the samples included DNA from Mogen, Goncalves and an unknown person, and second, that the DNA came from Mogen and two unknown persons.
Multiple people appear to have been tested as possible matches to the unknown persons. None of the results were a conclusive match to anyone.
Police allege that Kohberger visited the area of the home on multiple occasions, citing cellphone records and video of the suspect vehicle — a white Hyundai Elantra like the one he was pulled over in multiple times.
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His trial is scheduled to begin on Aug. 11, and he could face the death penalty if convicted.
Latah County Judge John Judge entered not guilty pleas on his behalf at his arraignment in May 2023.
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The case is now being overseen by Judge Steven Hippler in Boise.
Republican lawmaker goes viral for exposing blue state’s spending proposals
Debates over the Golden State’s spending practices continue to make waves nationwide, and one California Republican lawmaker is going viral as a result.
Assemblymember Carl DeMaio, R-San Diego, was one of several Republican lawmakers removed or shifted from their committee assignments by the state house speaker last week, but DeMaio believes his removal from the budget committee after only two hearings was deliberate.
“You may have removed me from the budget committee, but you will not deter me from getting the truth out to the taxpayers in California about your wasteful spending and your money laundering of taxpayer money to far left-wing political groups,” DeMaio told Fox News Digital in an interview.
“We will expose you, and we will allow the public to decide whether that’s what they want to see happen with their money,” he added.
LOS ANGELES MAYOR KAREN BASS RECALL EFFORT LAUNCHES
A spokesman for Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas’ office told Fox News Digital the speaker “routinely address[es] committee needs throughout the year, and his goal is to always ensure members are in optimal roles to collaborate effectively and deliver for Californians.”
According to KCRA, Republicans have retained vice chair roles, and some Democrats were also booted off committees in the process.
Democrats have argued that the behavior of some Republicans in hearings is a distraction curated for social media and defeats the purpose of meetings.
In recent weeks, DeMaio has gone viral for his questioning of California officials, particularly when it comes to the state’s budget. He prompted an answer from a state budget official revealing that $9.5 billion is being spent on MediCal for illegal immigrants, which is higher than a previous $6 billion projection.
“They were embarrassed. It made national news. People were appalled across the state of California so much money is going to illegal immigrants just for healthcare,” DeMaio said.
He also suggested the state enlist Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to help improve processes in the state.
DeMaio is also making the case that a “COVID-19 workplace outreach” program is being used to back left-leaning groups that do political work outside the scope of its namesake, according to the California Globe.
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“In 2025, we are actually still spending $25 million in taxpayer money on a COVID-19 workplace education program. Isn’t that so 2020? This is completely unnecessary,” he said.
The scrutiny comes amid an ongoing debate about the Golden State’s overall financial health for the upcoming fiscal year as Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office argues his proposal is balanced, while Republicans believe it will run up a deficit.
“The budget I present to you today builds on a framework that balanced the books over two years instead of just one — an unprecedented effort to address the budget shortfall we faced. However, work remains to ensure California’s finances remain in order in the years to come,” Newsom said in a statement in January.
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Despite the mix of praise and backlash, DeMaio believes it’s important to put a spotlight on the Golden State.
“The reason why all Americans should be carefully watching what’s going on in California is that the bad ideas coming to your state actually usually get their start in California,” DeMaio said.
“They use California as a petri dish for their far left-wing extremist ideas, and then they export these bad ideas to other states, and they claim that it’s successful out here.”
Popular restaurant chain considers closing dozens of locations amid financial woes
Red Robin is the latest in a growing number of fast-food eateries planning to shutter underperforming locations following a spate of financial difficulties.
The chain on Wednesday announced it is weighing plans to potentially close 70 locations once their lease expires, as it attempts to turn around its operations. The company has already closed one location in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2024, and recorded a loss of $32.4 million in the quarter in large part from the “review of underperforming restaurants.”
The company plans to sell three properties during the first quarter of fiscal 2025. The sale of those locations is expected to generate $5.8 million, which the company anticipates will be used in part to repay its debt.
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While financial results for fiscal 2024 “fell well below” the company’s original expectations, CEO G.J. Hart said the company has made “substantial improvements to the guest experience” to try and drive traffic back to its restaurants.
During its earnings call last week, Hart told analysts that the company saw a 600 basis-point improvement in traffic trends from the first quarter of the year to the fourth.
But “while our improvement has been substantial, we have not yet reached the potential of our iconic brand and expect to drive further traffic improvements in 2025,” he continued.
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Red Robin’s story isn’t unique. There has been a growing number of namesake restaurants that have struggled after accumulating too much debt during the pandemic.
The industry expected consumer spending at restaurants to return to pre-pandemic levels once things returned to normal. But the quick-service sector started facing slowing traffic in back-to-back quarters as inflation-wary consumers continued to eat at home more often.
Some companies, like TGI Friday’s, Denny’s, Ruby Tuesday, Rubio’s Coastal Grill and Red Lobster, have filed for protection in bankruptcy court. However, others, including those that didn’t file for bankruptcy protection, significantly reduced their footprint to position themselves better in the current environment.
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Wendy’s, for instance, announced in November that it was shuttering 140 underperforming locations through the end of 2024 as it looks to improve its “restaurant footprint and overall system health.”