Musk’s DOGE pulls back the curtain on what’s getting axed next
The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) announced it had terminated 113 contracts valued at $4.7 billion Tuesday, including a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) consulting contract for Peru’s climate change activities.
“[Tuesday] agencies terminated 113 wasteful contracts with a ceiling value of $4.7B and savings of $3.3B, including a $145K USDA consulting contract for ‘Peru climate change activities,'” the department posted on X.
DOGE also announced the Department of Labor had canceled $577 million in “America Last” grants, totaling $237 million in savings.
The funding that was canceled included $10 million for “gender equity in the Mexican workplace,” $12.2 million for “worker empowerment in South America” and $6.25 million for “improving respect for workers’ rights in agricultural supply chains” in the countries of Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador.
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Also eliminated was $5 million to elevate women’s participation in the workplace in West Africa, $4.3 million to assist foreign migrant workers in Malaysia, $3 million to enhance Social Security access and worker protection for internal migrant workers in Bangladesh and $3 million for safe and inclusive work environments in the southern African country of Lesotho.
DOGE, led by Elon Musk, is a temporary organization within the White House created via executive order earlier this year.
President Donald Trump tasked the organization with optimizing the federal government, streamlining operations and slashing spending and gave the agency 18 months to do it.
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The department has canceled numerous diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives at federal agencies, consulting contracts, leases for underused federal buildings and duplicate agencies and programs.
As of March 26, DOGE claims on its site it has saved Americans $130 billion, or $807.45 per taxpayer.
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DOGE critics contend the organization has too much access to federal systems and should not be permitted to cancel federal contracts or make cuts to various agencies.
Dem lawmaker says ‘female bodies are just as strong and fast’ as male bodies
Pennsylvania Democrat state senator Lindsey Williams gave controversial testimony at the state capitol on Wednesday while opposing a bill that would ban trans athletes from girls sports.
Williams, in prepared remarks ahead of the committee vote on the Save Women’s Sports Act, suggested that female athletes are physically comparable to male athletes, and don’t face biological disadvantages.
“I want all girls to know that there are elected officials like me who believe female bodies are just as strong and fast and capable as male bodies,” Williams said.
“I want all girls to know there are elected officials like me who would never underestimate your ability to beat a boy at their own sport, because that’s what the premise of this bill assumes, that female bodies are less than male bodies, that girls are at an automatic disadvantage, and can’t possibly compete against boys. Even though girls do it every day. “
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Williams also went on to suggest that the issue of biological males participating in girls and women’s sports is a “made-up issue.”
“For what reason, other than political gain, are we spending time and taxpayer dollars on a completely made-up issue?” she said.
Williams’ argument that females are physically “just as capable” as males has been disputed by experts.
Dr. Debra Soh, author of “The End of Gender,” previously discussed the biological differences in an interview with “Fox News Primetime” in 2021.
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“Individuals who are born male are on average larger, stronger and faster than individuals born female. And even those trans individuals who are on hormone therapy — so they are suppressing testosterone or on estrogen therapy — this does not override that structural foundation. It also does not change muscle mass or muscle strength after a year being on hormones, typically the guideline used for many sports. But I would argue it does not override the advantages that someone has from being born male,” Soh said.
“It’s not fair. And it’s absolutely heartbreaking when you listen to the girls and women who are competing against these individuals. They know before the competition starts what the outcome is going to be. They know they don’t have a fair chance. It doesn’t matter how hard they train. They know they are not going to be able to reach that level — and even if you look at the average non-athlete male, depending on the sport, a non-transgender male, he will dominate even over elite female competitors.”
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The United Nations released study findings saying that nearly 900 biological females have fallen short of victories because they have been defeated by transgender athletes. The study, “Violence against women and girls in sports,” said more than 600 athletes did not medal in more than 400 competitions in 29 different sports, totaling over 890 medals.
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.
Popular tumbler brand under fire after conservative group’s order gets canceled
Thermal cup brand YETI has come under fire on social media for refusing to fulfill an order for a young women’s nonprofit leadership organization.
In emails obtained exclusively by FOX Business, the brand had previously fulfilled an order for the Clare Boothe Luce Center (CBL) worth $3,797.84 in May of last year with the same exact logo customization.
The Clare Boothe Luce Center for Conservative Women in northern Virginia, a nonprofit, describes itself as “an all-women organization that specializes in the conservative outreach, education, and mentorship of young women.” The center is named after Clare Boothe Luce, herself a celebrated playwright, congresswoman and ambassador to Italy.
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“[Luce] actually has an amazing quote that we use all the time, ‘Courage is the ladder upon which all the other virtues mount.’ And she was courageous,” said Clare Boothe Luce Center President Kimberly Begg in an interview with FOX Business. “We think that that is the one quality above all else that young women need, to be courageous.”
In emails obtained by FOX Business, YETI responded to inquiries from the Clare Boothe Luce Center regarding their canceled March 20, 2025, order citing item no. 15 or “Custom Products” in their terms and conditions.
According to the brand, “YETI values respect, tolerance and open dialogue, and we serve a diverse and varied customer base. YETI has the sole discretion to reject any order that we deem inappropriate for production… Starting with our first customized Ramblers in 2015, we’ve used our best efforts to avoid creating custom products with political affiliations or associations. Because the process we use to identify political affiliations and associations involves human judgment, we may inadvertently accept an order and mark a YETI product with a candidate’s name or campaign slogan simply because we weren’t familiar with it when the order was placed.”
Begg claimed in an interview with FOX Business that the YETI brand accepted their order worth $1,608.00 this week before canceling it abruptly. According to Begg, the Center was originally confused about what changed between their May 2024 order and their attempted March 2025 order, which resulted in cancelation.
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Begg said that there were no hiccups in their order from the brand last year, and that the customized tumblers made excellent gifts for speakers and mentors who gave their time to the Clare Boothe Luce Center.
“[YETI] produced these beautiful mugs for us, and we always gave them to our speakers,” said Begg to FOX Business. So anybody who comes to speak, we end every single presentation very ceremoniously, you know, handing off these mugs to our speakers. And our speakers love it! It’s been this really fun thing that we’ve done over the last year and get all of our speakers to receive YETI mugs, so we’re starting to run out. We contacted the company just for a reorder and did not expect there to be any problems whatsoever.”‘
According to Begg, that’s when the trouble started.
“What’s really funny about it, when a young woman in our office contacted [YETI], she didn’t tape [the conversation],” recalled Begg. “She told me about it, and then she went back and she asked to talk to [a YETI] supervisor. And she tried, she went back so many times and eventually she said, ‘There’s nobody else to talk to you. It’s just a solid no.”
The Clare Boothe Luce Center social media pages have since been updated with news of the order cancelation, with an Instagram post saying, “Soooo… @yeti cancelled us.”
“We ordered the EXACT same product from Yeti last year with no problems,” the nonprofit wrote in their post. “Nothing is different–their terms haven’t changed in the last 10 years. We submitted payment and got all the confirmation emails. This is ridiculous. Yeti, do better.”
Using data from the website StockAnalysis, the YETI brand (YETI) is down 17.38% since this time last year, with a market cap of $2.8 billion.
A standard 10-oz YETI Rambler mug currently sells for $25 a unit per their online shop.
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A spokesperson for YETI provided this comment to FOX Business: “YETI serves a wide-ranging customer base by designing and developing outdoor products for passionate people to use in the wild.
“Starting with our first customized Rambler® Drinkware in 2015, we’ve used our best efforts to create and adhere to a policy that prevents customizing products aligned with any political affiliations or organizations in addition to content that could be considered obscene, vulgar, profane, discriminatory, defamatory, or hateful. We regret that due to a mistake, this policy was not followed with the previous online order from the Clare Boothe Luce Center.”
Press secretary Leavitt reveals who will help lead investigation into text chain leak
Elon Musk is helping lead the investigation into the Signal chat leak involving top national security leaders and the editor-in-chief of The Atlantic, White House press secretary Karonline Leavitt said Wednesday.
“The National Security Council, the White House Counsel’s Office, and also, yes, Elon Musk’s team” will be leading the investigation into the Signal leak, Leavitt said during Wednesday’s White House press conference.
“Elon Musk has offered to put his technical experts on this, to figure out how this number was inadvertently added to the chat — again, to take responsibility and ensure this can never happen again,” she continued.
The Trump administration is facing backlash from Democrats and other critics after The Atlantic’s editor-in-chief, Jeffrey Goldberg, revealed in an article published Monday that he was added to a Signal group chat with top national security leaders, including national security advisor Mike Waltz, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and CIA Director John Ratcliffe.
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Signal is an encrypted messaging app that operates similarly to texting or making phone calls, but with additional security measures that help ensure communications are kept private to those included in the correspondence.
The Atlantic’s initial report characterized the Trump administration as texting “war plans” to one another. The Trump administration has maintained that no classified material was transmitted in the chat, with President Donald Trump defending Waltz amid the fallout.
Trump revealed Tuesday that a member of Waltz’s office invited Goldberg to the chat, but did not provide additional information.
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Waltz joined Fox News’ “The Ingraham Angle” on Tuesday, where he took responsibility for the inadvertent addition of Goldberg to the chat, arguing he believed the account belonged to someone else.
“I built the group. My job is to make sure everything’s coordinated,” Waltz said.
“Of course I didn’t see this loser in the group. It looked like someone else,” Waltz added. “The person I thought was on there was never on there.”
Waltz also said during the interview that he had just spoken to Musk about the matter and that the “best technical minds” would look into it.
Musk is helping lead the Department of Government Efficiency, which has been poring through federal agencies in search of government overspending, fraud and mismanagement.
“If this story proves anything, it proves that Democrats and their propagandists in the mainstream media know how to fabricate, orchestrate and disseminate a misinformation campaign quite well,” Leavitt continued. “And there’s arguably no one in the media who loves manufacturing and pushing hoaxes more than Jeffrey Goldberg.”
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Following Monday’s report in The Atlantic concerning the Signal chat, Goldberg published a Wednesday follow-up story that included messages directly from the chat. The article notably did not characterize the correspondence as “war plans,” instead opting to refer to them as “attack plans” in the headline.
The Trump administration responded that the follow-up story proved that there were “no war plans” in the correspondence, taking a victory lap that the story was exposed to be a “hoax.”
“The Atlantic has conceded: these were NOT ‘war plans,'” Leavitt posted to X on Wednesday morning. “This entire story was another hoax written by a Trump-hater who is well-known for his sensationalist spin.”
HEGSETH FENDS OFF REPORTER’S QUESTIONS ABOUT SIGNAL CHAT LEAK
Waltz posted to X on Wednesday, “No locations. No sources & methods. NO WAR PLANS. Foreign partners had already been notified that strikes were imminent. BOTTOM LINE: President Trump is protecting America and our interests.”
A spokesperson for The Atlantic defended that the outlet did expose a “war plan” in its Wednesday report, pointing Fox News Digital to a screenshot included in the piece of Hegseth’s messages related to F-18s and drone strikes that were accompanied by timestamps for the operation.
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“If this information — particularly the exact times American aircraft were taking off for Yemen — had fallen into the wrong hands in that crucial two-hour period, American pilots and other American personnel could have been exposed to even greater danger than they ordinarily would face,” the report stated.
Leavitt said during the press conference that Signal is an “approved app” for government employees, citing that the “CIA has it loaded onto government phones because it is the most secure and efficient way to communicate.”
Noem comes face-to-face with alleged gang members during tour of notorious prison
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem toured El Salvador’s notorious Terrorism Confinement Center on Wednesday, where hundreds of alleged criminal illegal aliens are being held after the Trump administration deported them earlier this month.
Noem toured the prison with the Salvadoran Minister of Justice, Héctor Gustavo Villatoro, before meeting with El Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele. Noem’s visit is part of a three-day trip that will also see her travel to Colombia and Mexico.
Video of the tour showed Noem coming face to face with alleged members of Tren de Aragua, all of whom were shirtless and had shaved heads, while also donning white prison pants.
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She also sent a message to illegal aliens who are still in the U.S. or plan to visit anytime soon.
“First of all, do not come to our country illegally: You will be removed, and you will be prosecuted,” she said while standing with her back to the inmates. “But know that this facility is one of the tools in our toolkit that we will use if you commit crimes against the American people.”
Noem shared the video on X, saying, “President Trump and I have a clear message to criminal illegal aliens: LEAVE NOW. If you do not leave, we will hunt you down, arrest you, and you could end up in this El Salvadorian prison.”
Bukele opened the prison in 2023 as El Salvador wages a crackdown on powerful street gangs causing mayhem in the country. The facility has eight sprawling pavilions and can hold up to 40,000 inmates. As many as 65 to 70 prisoners are packed into each cell.
Prisoners are never allowed outside and can’t have visitors. There are no workshops or educational programs.
A senior Trump administration official confirmed to Fox News this month that a total of 261 illegal aliens were deported to El Salvador on March 15. The majority of them were deported via the Alien Enemies Act of 1798, which allows for the expulsion of an enemy nation’s natives and citizens without a hearing.
More than 100 of the migrants were Venezuelans removed via Title 8, while 21 others were Salvadoran MS-13 gang members, the official added. Two were MS-13 ringleaders and “special cases” for El Salvador.
Video released by El Salvador’s government after the deportees’ arrival showed men, shackled at their hands and ankles, exiting airplanes onto an airport tarmac lined by heavily armed officers in riot gear.
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The men were later shown at the prison kneeling on the ground as their heads were shaved before they changed into the prison’s all-white uniform — knee-length shorts, T-shirt, socks and rubber clogs — and placed in cells.
El Salvador has been operating under a state of emergency that suspends fundamental rights for nearly three years as Bukele deals with the street gangs. Some 84,000 people have been arrested so far, accused of gang ties and jailed, often without due process according to the Associated Press.
Bukele offered to hold U.S. deportees in the prison when U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio visited in February.
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In a March 16 post on Truth Social, President Donald Trump wrote that the U.S. “will not forget” Bukele’s partnership, and thanked the leader for his “understanding of this horrible situation, which was allowed to happen to the United States because of incompetent Democrat leadership.”
GOP gov kills left-wing dreams with record-setting bill nixing spree
Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin is drawing comparisons to “The Godfather” after vetoing nearly 160 bills from the Democrat-controlled legislature on Wednesday.
“You could call him ‘Veto Corleone,’” a Republican strategist told Fox News Digital in comments later Wednesday, after 159 bills were killed upon reaching Youngkin’s desk.
Virginia’s General Assembly passed bills this session that would have prevented prayer in front of abortion clinics, required the commonwealth to implement a comprehensive “environmental justice” strategy and adjusted criminal bond policies.
All of those bills were vetoed by Youngkin, and the legislature’s Democratic majority is far from veto-proof — with two-seat margins in each chamber.
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Other vetoed bills included two pertaining to gun control legislation, restricting the purchase or transfer of firearms and the like.
Ten of the bills were considered “soft on crime” legislation by critics, and about a dozen would have raised costs on Virginians, according to Republicans.
The governor also nixed a proposal to raise the state minimum wage to $13.50 per hour, and later to $15.
In a statement, Youngkin highlighted legislation supported by some in the Trump administration — such as a bill to keep school lunches free of artificial dyes, which he signed and which mirrors an initiative from Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.
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“I have completed my actions on the more than 900 bills sent to me during the 2025 legislative session,” Youngkin said.
“The legislation that I’ve signed into law and the budget amendments I’ve put forward this year will go a long way to helping ensure Virginia remains a great place to live, work, and raise a family.”
“I have returned many bills with recommended amendments, hoping that we can come together next week with a common purpose to advance these bills,” he added.
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Of his veto choices, Youngkin said those bills collectively would “take the commonwealth backward by raising the cost of living, hurting our strong job growth, stifling innovation, undermining our All-American All-of-the-Above Power and Energy Plan or making our communities less safe.”
On X, observers contrasted Youngkin’s veto prowess with his predecessors.
The incumbent is one veto away from hitting 400, while Sen. Mark Warner, a Democrat, only vetoed 18 bills in his four years as governor.
Fellow Republican Bob McDonnell vetoed a similar amount to Warner, while the nearest governor of the 21st century in veto usage was Democrat Terry McAuliffe, with more than 110 vetoes.
Prosecutor sends warning to slain fire captain’s fugitive wife nabbed in Mexico
The suspect and fugitive wife of a beloved slain California fire captain made her first court appearance and is one step closer to learning her fate.
Following her arraignment hearing on Wednesday afternoon, San Diego County District Attorney Summer Stephan announced Yolanda Olejniczak Marodi, 53, is being charged with murder in the stabbing death of her spouse, Rebecca “Becky” Marodi, 49.
Stephan’s office said Olejniczak Marodi pleaded not guilty at Wednesday’s hearing.
Olejniczak Marodi is being held without bail and, if convicted, faces 25 years-to-life in prison.
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On Sunday, authorities in Mexico nabbed Olejniczak Marodi, who had been on the run for over a month since being named the suspect in Rebecca Marodi’s death on February 17.
“I want to thank the Sheriff’s Office for their thorough investigation and law enforcement on both sides of the border for locating and arresting this dangerous defendant so she could be returned to San Diego and face justice for this deadly crime,” Stephan shared in a news release.
Investigators are still working to gather more information to determine the circumstances and motivation behind Capt. Marodi’s death.
“Rebecca Marodi was a beloved Fire Captain who devoted her life to protecting others, including recently battling the Eaton fire near Los Angeles and the capture of her killer will begin the court process with today’s arraignment. When the U.S. Marshals’ San Diego Fugitive Task force is looking for violent criminals, they can run but they can’t hide as we saw in this case,” Stephan continued.
Yolanda was allegedly seen on surveillance video arguing with Rebecca and physically assaulting her on the day of the fatal stabbing.
WIFE OF SLAIN CALIFORNIA FIRE CAPTAIN NABBED IN MEXICO AFTER WEEKS ON THE RUN
An arrest warrant, obtained by KABC, details that Rebecca told Yolanda she was leaving her and ending their marriage nearly a week before she was murdered.
Detectives said that a voice could be heard yelling out, “Yolanda, please, I don’t want to die.” The report read that Yolanda responded to Rebecca, saying, “You should have thought about that before,” while standing in front of Rebecca with what appeared to be a knife in her hand.”
Surveillance video captured Yolanda leaving the couple’s home before Rebecca’s mother arrived. Rebecca was found with several injuries to her neck, chest and back that authorities said were consistent with a stabbing.
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Yolanda also previously served more than 13 years in prison for voluntary manslaughter in the death of her then-husband, James Joseph Olejniczak Jr., before her release in 2013, according to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
Investigators are still working to gather more information to determine the circumstances and motivation behind Capt. Marodi’s death.
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“This intimate partner homicide is a reminder that there are resources out there for individuals who are in fear for their safety,” Stephan said.
A status conference and bail review hearing are set for April 28, and a preliminary hearing is currently scheduled for June 24.
America’s elite schools take in eye-popping amount from taxpayers
America’s eight Ivy League schools received approximately $6.4 billion in federal funding in fiscal year 2024, according to publicly available information.
Financial statements from Columbia University show that it received $1.3 billion in federal funding; the University of Pennsylvania received $1.8 billion and Yale University received $898.7 million during 2024.
Not far behind were Cornell University, receiving $825.5 million in fiscal year 2024, and Harvard University, which received $686.5 million. Princeton University took in $455 million, Brown University reported “more than $254 million” and, according to USA Spending, Dartmouth received $141.9 million in 2024.
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The funds that universities receive from the federal government are often in the form of grants and used for research and development, facility and administrative costs and student aid.
Federal funding for schools has been under scrutiny by President Donald Trump, with his administration signaling that they could lose access to taxpayer dollars if they don’t remove DEI policies.
In addition, the Trump administration paused $175 million in federal funding to the University of Pennsylvania over its inclusion of transgender athletes in women’s sports. The administration also warned Columbia University they could lose $400 million in federal funds if they don’t properly address antisemitism on campus.
Every year, the Department of Education issues approximately $100 billion in student loans and distributes over $30 billion in Pell Grants. Although Trump ordered the Department of Education to be abolished, he has stated he wants to fully preserve Pell Grants and move student loans under the Small Business Administration.
While Ivy League schools receive billions of dollars in taxpayer funds, many have large endowments that could cover any potential loss of federal funds.
As of 2024, Columbia University has an endowment worth $14.8 billion, the University of Pennsylvania’s endowment is $22.3 billion, Yale’s endowment is $41.4 billion, and Harvard has amassed an endowment of over $53.2 billion.
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The University of Pennsylvania told Fox News Digital in a statement that the loss of federal funding would “jeopardize” vital research.
“Federal funding freezes and cancelations jeopardize lifesaving and life-improving research, the loss of which will be felt by society and individuals far beyond our campus for years to come. Understandably, we are hearing concerns not only from scientists affected directly, but more broadly from students and young faculty embarking on careers in research,” the university said.
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Fox News Digital also reached out to Columbia University, Yale University, Cornell University, Harvard University, Princeton University, Brown University and Dartmouth College for comment, but did not immediately receive a response.