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4 FEMA Employees Fired After Approving ‘Egregious’ Payments For Illegal Migrants

By
Madeleine Jackson
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Image via Pixabay free images

The buck stops here…

The Department of Homeland Security told Fox News that “four employees are being fired today for circumventing leadership and unilaterally making the egregious payment for hotels for migrants in New York City.”

The firings come after Elon Musk wrote on X Monday that “The DOGE team just discovered that FEMA sent $59M LAST WEEK to luxury hotels in New York City to house illegal migrants.” 

“Sending this money violated the law and is in gross insubordination to the President’s executive order,” Musk added. “That money is meant for American disaster relief and instead is being spent on high end hotels for illegals!”  

“A clawback demand will be made today to recoup those funds,” he added. 

A New York City Hall spokesperson confirmed to Fox News that the city had received funds “through the past week” that were allocated by the Biden administration for the purpose of housing and supporting illegal immigrants. 

Of the $59.3 million, $19 million was for direct hotel costs, while the balance funded other services such as food and security. According to NY City Hall, the funds were not part of a disaster relief grant. 

Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.) told “Fox & Friends” on Tuesday that the firings were ‘long overdue.”

“These funds have been misappropriated going back to the Biden administration and New York City – a sanctuary city – has been wasting billions of dollars of taxpayer money to provide free housing, clothing, food, education and healthcare to illegal immigrants, including criminal aliens that are here illegally,” he added.

“And so I applaud DHS for taking action to stop these payments under President Trump’s leadership because we have incentivized cities like New York and states like New York – a sanctuary state – to allow this to continue and it has to stop,” Lawler also said.

The Department of Homeland Security previously told Fox News Digital that those who made the payment will be “held accountable.”

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Sunday that she supported getting rid of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) “the way it exists today.” 

In an appearance on CNN’s “State of the Union,” Noem’s stance appeared in line with that of President Donald Trump and Elon Musk, who have both suggested shutting down FEMA could be an option, as the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has reportedly gained access to FEMA’s sensitive disaster relief data to review its programs. 

“Can and should Donald Trump shut it down?” CNN’s Dana Bash asked Noem. 

“He can. And I believe that he will do that evaluation with his team,” Noem said. “And he’s talking about it, which I’m grateful for. He’ll work with Congress, though, to make sure that it’s done correctly and that we’re still there to help folks who have a terrible disaster or a crisis in their life. He’s been very clear that he still believes there’s a role for the federal government to come in and help people get back up on their feet. But there’s a lot of fraud and waste and abuse out there. And since President Trump has taken over and come back into this administration, we’ve seen incredible change.” 

Noem, who visited Asheville, North Carolina, on Saturday to meet with Hurricane Helene victims and survey the damage, told CNN that she oversaw 12 different natural disasters that prompted a FEMA response when she was governor of South Dakota.

During former President Biden’s term, FEMA faced backlash after it was reported that while they lacked the necessary funds needed to help Hurricane Helene victims, they were dishing out money that ended up being used to aid illegal immigrants.  

Speaker Mike Johnson clarified that emergency relief funding is separate from FEMA funds allocated to immigration, but said that the agency should not have any part in funding the border crisis. 

FEMA partners with Customs and Border Control (CBP) and administers money to the Shelter and Services Program (SSP), a government-funded program that provides assistance and housing for illegal immigrants released into the U.S. 

“FEMA spent tens of millions of dollars in Democrat areas, disobeying orders, but left the people of North Carolina high and dry. It is now under review and investigation,” Trump posted, adding:

THE BIDEN RUN FEMA HAS BEEN A DISASTER. FEMA SHOULD BE TERMINATED! IT HAS BEEN SLOW AND TOTALLY INEFFECTIVE. INDIVIDUAL STATES SHOULD HANDLE STORMS, ETC., AS THEY COME. BIG SAVINGS, FAR MORE EFFICIENT!!!

Trump Declines To Name JD Vance His Successor During Fox News Interview

By
Madeleine Jackson
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3
Presidential debate photo via Gage Skidmore Flickr

In what some are claiming is a dig at his vice president, Trump declined to explicitly name JD Vance as his successor during his recent interview with Fox News’ Bret Baier.

In a clip from his interview with the president that aired Monday afternoon on Fox, Baier asked “Do you view Vice President JD Vance as your successor, the Republican nominee in 2028?”

“No, but he’s very capable,” answered Trump decisively. “I mean, I don’t think that it, you know, I think you have a lot of very capable people. So far, I think he’s doing a fantastic job. It’s too early, we’re just starting.”

“But by the time you get to the midterms, he’s going to be looking for an endorsement,” observed Baier.

Trump then deflected by submitting that “a lot of people have said that this has been the greatest opening almost three weeks in the history of the presidency.”

On Monday, Baier weighed in on the answer:

I think it was a little shocking when he said no, you know, I wasn’t expecting that. But, you know, following up, it is you know, once you get to the midterm, it starts, you start to think about 2028. And obviously, one would think JD Vance is going to be trying to position for that role. But clearly, the president is not ready to talk about that, or think about it, and says that there are other other people that may get in the mix.

Watch:

Report: Trump To Pardon Disgraced Former Governor

By
Madeleine Jackson
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1

Just in…

President Donald Trump is expected to pardon former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich.

Axios first reported the news.

Blagojevich served eight years in prison on charges stemming from his effort to sell Barack Obama’s Senate seat after Obama won the 2008 presidential election, until Trump commuted his 14-year sentence in 2020.

The former governor also appeared on the Trump-hosted “Celebrity Apprentice” after being impeached and removed from office.

The former governor defended Trump after Trump was indicted in the New York hush money case and likened Trump’s legal problems to his own.

“I love Trump more today than ever!” Blagojevich said on social media at the time. “When you’ve lived through it yourself you recognize when they do it to someone else.”

This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.

Federal Judge Temporarily Blocks Trump Admin. From Deporting Migrants To Guantanamo Bay

By
Madeleine Jackson
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A federal court on Sunday issued a temporary restraining order blocking the Trump administration from sending three Venezuelan immigrants held in New Mexico to the Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, detention camp.

Lawyers for the trio said in a legal filing that the detainees “fit the profile of those the administration has prioritized for detention in Guantánamo, i.e. Venezuelan men detained in the El Paso area with (false) charges of connections with the Tren de Aragua gang.”

In the filing, the lawyers asked a U.S. District Court in New Mexico for a temporary restraining order to block the administration from flying them to the U.S. military base. The lawyers noted that “the mere uncertainty the government has created surrounding the availability of legal process and counsel access is sufficient to authorize the modest injunction.”

The filing came as part of a lawsuit on behalf of the three men filed by the Center for Constitutional Rights, the American Civil Liberties Union of New Mexico and Las Americas Immigrant Advisory Center.

Judge Kenneth J. Gonzales granted the temporary restraining order, according to attorney Jessica Vosburgh, who represents the three men.

“It’s short term. This will get revisited and further fleshed out in the weeks to come,” Vosburgh told The Associated Press.

Last week, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt separately said that flights carrying detained illegal immigrants had been sent to Guantánamo.

Immigrant rights groups sent a letter on Friday demanding access to people who are now being held at the U.S. naval station, arguing that the base should not be used as a “legal black hole.” Guantánamo has been criticized around the world for its inhumane abuse and torture of detainees, including interrogation tactics.

The immigrants are being held in the Guantánamo detention camp that was set up for detainees in the aftermath of 9/11. The immigrants are separated from the 15 detainees who were already there, including planners in the 2001 terrorist attack.

Trump has promised to expand the detention camp to hold up to 30,000 “criminal illegal aliens.”

Ukranian President Accuses Ex-Fox News Personality Of Colluding With Russia

By
Madeleine Jackson
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2
Photo via Gage Skidmore Flickr

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused conservative commentator Tucker Carlson of working with Russian dictator Vladimir Putin.

Responding to Carlson’s own appearance on Piers Morgan Uncensored – during which he criticized Zelensky for his persecution of political opponents and the Ukrainian Orthodox Church – the Ukrainian president claimed, “Regrettably, this blogger or journalist, whatever he wants to call him, he unfortunately fully repeats words of the Putin.”

“It seems to me that to this journalist, I do not remember his surname. Excuse me, Tucker. Yes, Tucker, his name, but it seems to me he needs to more deeply understand what’s happening in Ukraine,” Zelensky said during an appearance on pundit Piers Morgan’s program. “Just stop working for [Russian President Vladimir] Putin.”

Carlson, Zelensky said, knows better.

“When he simply says something, you know, just throwing the words,” the Ukrainian leader said. “Has he for one time in his lifetime lost his close ones? I wish to his family, I do not know his family, I wish them peace and no losses, but one must have his own opinion and understand that he probably influences many people. He’s simply disinforming them, misinforming the people.”

Watch:

Carlson, a former Fox News host, recently launched his own media company and used an interview and commentary style internet show to feature conversations with newsmakers and other public figures.

Last year, Carlson published an extensive interview with Putin, during which the Russian leader defended his invasion of Ukraine. (RELATED: Tucker Carlson Confirms Vladimir Putin Interview)

During his appearance on Piers Morgan Uncensored, Zelensky also claimed he had been invited to President Donald Trump’s inauguration but decided not to go.

“President Trump invited me to his inauguration, but he invited me in very general terms, as maybe other leaders,” he said. “I think that it was simply not very appropriate for me to come. He wouldn’t have time for [a] personal meeting.”

Lawmakers Swiftly Denied While Attempting To Access Dept. Of Education

By
Madeleine Jackson
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7
Image via Gage Skidmore Flickr

Thirty House Democrats on Friday morning attempted to enter the Department of Education building in Washington, D.C., to meet with acting Education Secretary Denise L. Carter, but they were stopped by security.

A man who said he was a federal employee did not make it clear why the lawmakers had not been allowed into the building.

Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-Fla.) asked the man whether he was doing so of his own volition or had been ordered to block the door, to which the man responded that he was doing his job. 

Fox News reports:

As they surrounded the man in front of the door, lawmakers repeatedly insisted that they had the right to enter the building and slammed the Trump administration over a “lack of transparency.”

President Donald Trump and Republicans have advocated for shutting down the Department of Education, saying that the states are better equipped to handle education. Trump on Tuesday said that if Linda McMahon, his pick for education secretary, is confirmed, she should work to “put herself out of a job.”

Ninety-six members of Congress, led by Rep. Mark Takano (D-Calif.) wrote a letter to Carter requesting a meeting. The department acknowledged receipt of the letter but did not set up a meeting.

An aide made it inside the building and explained to security that lawmakers were there. Members then tried to go inside the building, and at that point, the doors were locked, Fox News is told.

Former Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, who served in Trump’s first administration, slammed the department and called for a revamp in an opinion piece.

“A complete reset begins with ending the failed experiment resident in the Department of Education. The bureaucrats have focused on mandating DEI, when students needed the focus to be on ABC and 123,” DeVos wrote. “President Trump and Congress should take their corrosive power away and instead block grant all necessary education funding directly to the states.”

“This reset must also ensure that no child in America is trapped in a failing school,” DeVos added.

Elon Musk, whose Department of Government Efficiency is expected to recommend major spending cuts, became the subject of Democrats’ ire as lawmakers protested against him on Capitol Hill this past Tuesday.

In response to lawmakers’ fears, Trump said that Musk “can’t do and won’t do anything without our approval.”

House Democrat Announces Abrupt Exit From DOGE

By
Madeleine Jackson
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20

Late Thursday, Rep. Val Hoyle (D-Ore.) announced her departure from the congressional Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) Caucus over 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.

“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. 

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.

On Thursday, a federal judge 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. (RELATED: Federal Judge Pauses Trump Federal Worker Buyouts)

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 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.

Trump To Attend Super Bowl In New Orleans

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    2

    President Trump will attend the Super Bowl on Sunday in New Orleans, the White House confirmed to The Hill’s partner NewsNation.

    The game, which is set for 6:30 p.m. EST, will take place at Caesars Superdome. The Kansas City Chiefs are aiming for their third Super Bowl win in a row against the Philadelphia Eagles.

    Trump congratulated the Chiefs after they won the AFC championship game to advance to the Super Bowl but didn’t comment on the Eagles’ win in the NFC championship game.

    Trump will also sit for an interview with Fox News anchor Bret Baier, which is set to air before the game on Sunday. A sitting president granting an interview to the network broadcasting the big game has become an unofficial tradition in recent years, though former President Biden skipped the pregame chat the last two years and Trump snubbed a pregame conversation with NBC News in 2018.

    Trump would be the first sitting president to attend the Super Bowl if he does make the trip to the Big Easy.

    Trump attended another big football game this year — the University of Alabama’s football game against the University of Georgia in September.

    Federal Judge Pauses Trump Federal Worker Buyouts

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    10

    A federal judge on Thursday extended the deadline for federal workers to accept the Trump administration’s sweeping buyout offer. 

    The move comes as the government had set a Thursday deadline for federal workers to determine whether they wanted to take the deal – something they could do by simply replying “resign.”

    Workers will now have until Monday to accept the deal, giving more time to weigh the unusual offer.

    The buyouts promise employees eight months of pay and benefits in exchange for leaving the federal workforce, telling workers they would be off the hook for showing up to work and would be free to get another job.

    “We are pleased the court temporarily paused this deadline while arguments are heard about the legality of the deferred resignation program. We continue to believe this program violates the law, and we will continue to aggressively defend our members’ rights,” American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) president Everett Kelley said in a statement.

    This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.

    Ex-AOC Aide Launches Primary Challenge Against Pelosi

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    1

    Never too early…

    Progressive Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.)’s ex-chief of staff Saikat Chakrabarti announced plans to challenge former Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) for the seat she has held for over two decades.

    In a lengthy post announcing his candidacy, Chakrabarti spoke about his time with AOC.

    “After serving as her campaign manager and first chief of staff, I returned to San Francisco where for five years I’ve led a policy think tank that develops comprehensive solutions to the problems that both America and San Francisco face,” he wrote in a statement on X.

    “Now, I want to bring those solutions to Congress. I’m going to run a very different kind of campaign than most. Instead of spending hours each day doing “call time” with big money donors — I’m going to spend every day talking with voters. I know! What a radical idea,” he stated.

    Chakrabarti said his campaign would offer an “alternative vision” to President Trump and Elon Musk’s form of government.

    “Watching Trump and Elon freely unleash chaos in their illegal seizure of government, it’s become clear to me that the Democratic Party needs new leadership,” he said. 

    “I respect what Nancy Pelosi has accomplished in her career, but we are living in a totally different America than the one she knew when she entered politics 45 years ago,” Chakrabarti said in the statement. 

    “In an interview with Ezra Klein after Trump’s victory, Pelosi said the Democrats don’t need to change. I disagree.”

    Chakrabarti followed the statement by acknowledging the race would be “nearly impossible” and requires months of organizing.

    “I know it might seem like it’s a little early to start running. But the fact is, it’s almost impossible to defeat incumbents in our system — even at a time when both Congress and the Democratic Party stand at record-low approval ratings,” he wrote.

    The challenge to the veteran lawmaker comes as the Democrat Party desperately seeks to rebound after its massive 2024 losses.

    “We have no coherent message,” Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas) told The New York Times on Sunday. “This guy is psychotic, and there’s so much, but everything that underlines it is white supremacy and hate. There needs to be a message that is clear on at least the underlying thing that comes with all of this.”

    The DNC elected Minnesota party leader Ken Martin on Saturday, who said during his victory speech they needed to “to rebuild our coalition.”

    “The policies that we support and the message that we have is not wrong,” Martin told the NYT. “It is a messaging problem and a brand problem. Those voters are not connecting our policies with their lives.”

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