Contributing Writers

EXCLUSIVE: DORAL, Fla. — Leaders within the House GOP’s largest caucus are drawing a red line in congressional Republicans’ budget talks.The Republican Study Committee’s (RSC) steering group is calling for any budget reconciliation plan to ultimately lead to reductions in the U.S. deficit, which occurs when the federal government’s spending outpaces its revenues in a given fiscal year.”Reconciliation legislation must reduce the federal budget deficit.

A first-term House Democrat is attacking White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt on X after she sought to clarify a White House memo rescinding an earlier policy statement on President Donald Trump’s federal funding order.”Karoline Leavitt is a Fake Christian, like so many in this Golden Calf administration,” Rep. Dave Min, D-Calif., wrote on Wednesday.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said federal immigration authorities were arresting the “worst of the worst” in raids targeting criminal illegal immigrants in the first week of the Trump administration. Noem, who was confirmed Saturday, joined an immigration enforcement raid in New York City Tuesday morning in which officers picked up an alleged ringleader of the violent Tren de Aragua gang.

A California man is leading the charge to have the state split from the United States. The office of California Secretary of State Shirley Weber said Marcus Evans can begin collecting signatures to put the questions to voters. “Should California leave the United States and become a free and independent country?” the question reads.

Six transgender members of the military are suing the Trump administration over an executive order pertaining to trans troops. The lawsuit was filed by six current military servicemembers and two people who want to enlist. On Monday, President Trump signed an order stating the “adoption of a gender identity inconsistent with an individual’s sex conflicts with a soldier’s commitment to an honorable, truthful, and disciplined lifestyle, even in one’s personal life.

Caroline Kennedy, the only surviving child of President John F. Kennedy and a former U.S. ambassador, sent a letter to lawmakers urging them not to confirm her cousin Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who she referred to as a “predator” and said was “unqualified” both professionally and personally to be the next Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS).RFK Jr.

The candidate endorsed by President Donald Trump won the Republican primary in a special election Tuesday to replace former GOP Rep. Matt Gaetz in Florida’s 1st Congressional District.The Associated Press projects that Florida Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis will win the GOP nomination in the district, located in the northwest corner of the state in the Panhandle region.He will face gun safety advocate Gay Valimont, who ran unopposed in the Democratic primary.

President Donald Trump signed a handful of executive orders on Monday, including two banning “radical gender ideology” and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives from all branches of the U.S. military.

President Donald Trump said that the construction of an Iron Dome-like shield for the U.S. is a top priority for him on Monday, calling for “immediate” work to be done on the project before signing an executive order.Trump made the remarks at a Republican dinner in Florida on Monday, while commending his recently-confirmed Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth.

House Republicans are calling on sanctuary city mayors to testify next month about the policy’s impact on public safety and the refusal to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement.U.S. Rep. James Comer, R-Tenn., chair of the GOP-controlled House Committee on Oversight and Reform, said he was launching an investigation into sanctuary cities across the United States to determine whether they have complied with federal immigration enforcement laws.

DORAL, Fla. — House Republicans brimmed with optimism after President Donald Trump’s speech at their annual retreat on Monday evening, where the new commander in chief detailed his policy goals for a busy first 100 days of the new administration.Trump’s speech, which ran just over an hour, covered a wide range of issues, from post-election unity to his wishlist for Republicans’ conservative policy overhaul via the budget reconciliation process.

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has placed nearly 60 employees on leave who focused on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives and had a combined salary of more than $8 million.The VA said in a press release Monday that it completed its implementation of President Donald Trump’s executive order to end DEI in the federal government.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio paused all U.S. foreign assistance funded by or through the State Department and U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to allow the Trump administration to review if the money puts “America First.”On Sunday, the State Department released a statement about falling in step with President Donald Trump’s executive order to reevaluate and realign foreign aid from the U.S.

President Donald Trump put the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) under review on Sunday after signing an executive order aimed at “drastically” improving the agency’s efficacy, priorities and competence.Trump’s executive order establishes the FEMA Review Council, which will be composed of no more than 20 members and co-chaired by the secretaries of Homeland Security and Defense.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., weighed in on President Donald Trump’s ongoing tariff feud with Colombian President Gustavo Petro – but not every social media user bought her comments.The spat between Trump and Petro began when the Colombian leader refused to accept two deportation flights over the weekend, prompting Trump to unleash retaliatory measures.

Following a torrid first week in office, President Donald Trump does not have a very busy public schedule on Monday. That does not mean there won’t be plenty of action. The 47th president is known to spring major actions and announcements without much notice.TRUMP ADMINISTRATION NEEDS MORE PLANES TO CARRY OUT DEPORTATIONS: REPORTThe president starts off the week by attending a House GOP Conference meeting at Trump National Doral Miami at a time to be determined.

The Department of Defense (DoD) is the latest agency that is disbanding all diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs following President Donald Trump’s executive order terminating all federal DEI programs.”The President’s guidance (lawful orders) is clear: No more DEI at Dept. of Defense,” Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth wrote in a post on X.In a handwritten note shared along with the post on X, Hegseth wrote: “The Pentagon will comply, immediately.

The CIA has changed its assessment on the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic, now favoring the lab leak theory. Under its new director, John Ratcliffe, the agency released an assessment on the origins of COVID-19.The review was ordered by former President Joe Biden’s National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan toward the end of Biden’s time in office.

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem was sworn in as Department of Homeland Security secretary by Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas at his home Saturday, following a scheduling hiccup earlier in the day.The ceremony, which was originally slated to take place in the Indian Treaty Room inside the Navy Department Wing of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building in Washington, D.C., at 3 p.m., was postponed multiple times. Noem shared a video of the moment on X, just after 6:30 p.m.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) this week arrested three Venezuelan Tren de Aragua gang members in two states as the new administration begins its mass deportation push, a senior Trump administration official told Fox News.

President Donald Trump shocked gamblers in Las Vegas when he unexpectedly dropped by a casino floor on Saturday.Prior to the surprise visit, Trump had addressed thousands of supporters at the Circa Resort & Casino in Sin City on Saturday afternoon. Photos and video show Trump strolling around the casino floor after the speech, while surrounded by security.The crowd began chanting “USA! USA!” as Trump walked past the slot machines.

Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., is inviting President Donald Trump to address a joint session of Congress on March 4.SPEAKER MIKE JOHNSON: EVERY AMERICAN SHOULD ROOT FOR PRESIDENT TRUMP’S SUCCESSIn a letter first obtained by Fox News Digital, Johnson wrote to the new president, “Thanks to your strong leadership and bold action in the first days of your presidency, the United States is already experiencing a resurgence of patriotism, unity, and hope for the future.

Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., was one of three Republicans to vote on Friday against Pete Hegseth, who was narrowly confirmed as defense secretary in the new Trump administration.The other Republican “no” votes came from moderates Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, and Susan Collins, R-Maine, forcing Vice President JD Vance to break the 50-50 tie to confirm President Donald Trump’s choice to lead the Pentagon.

The nomination of Gov. Kristi Noem, R-S.D., to be the next Homeland Security secretary defeated a key hurdle in the confirmation process on Friday night, advancing to a final vote later this weekend. Her confirmation vote is expected to take place early Sunday morning.

An executive order President Donald Trump signed Friday will overturn two Biden memorandums and reinstate the Mexico City Policy, which forbids using taxpayer dollars to fund nongovernmental organizations that perform or promote coercive abortion or involuntary sterilization.The Mexico City Policy, initiated by the Reagan administration, has been rescinded by every Democratic president and reinstated by every Republican president since its creation.

The Senate voted to confirm President Donald Trump’s nominee, Pete Hegseth, as defense secretary on Friday night after a high-tempered battle to sway lawmakers in his favor that was almost derailed by accusations about his behavior. The final vote came down to the wire: three Republicans opposed, making for a 50 to 50 vote. Vice President JD Vance was needed to break the tie in the upper chamber, putting the final tally at 51-50.”Congratulations to Pete Hegseth.

Miscommunication and confusion about a Defense Department manifest resulted in Mexico rejecting a U.S. deportation flight transporting illegal immigrants to that country this week.Mexico was ready to accept the deportees and would have if not for the paperwork, a senior State Department official told Fox News. Citing two U.S.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested a number of child sex offenders, as well as gang members and other criminals, among the more than 530 illegal immigrants it caught on another day of the Trump-era mass deportation campaign.Official stats show that as of 6 p.m. ET on Thursday, there were 373 criminal arrests and 165 non-criminal arrests for the day. That includes more than 1,000 removals or repatriations.