Connect with us

Politics

Trump tells senior FBI ranks to resign or be fired

Published

on

Trump tells senior FBI ranks to resign or be fired

The Trump administration has told top officials at the FBI to resign or lose their jobs, Fox News has learned. 

The exact number has not been disclosed, but the ultimatum was allegedly given to senior employees promoted under former director, Christopher A. Wray.

President Donald Trump’s administration took these steps as his nominee to lead the bureau, Kash Patel, said he would not begin his tenure with retribution or focus on past transgressions. 

“I have no interest, no desire and will not, if confirmed, go backwards. There will be no politicization at the FBI. There will be no retributive actions taken,” Patel said at the Senate Judiciary Committee.

MAJOR FBI CHANGES KASH PATEL COULD MAKE ON DAY 1 IF CONFIRMED AS DIRECTOR

Advertisement

Kash Patel, President Donald Trump’s choice to be director of the FBI, appears before the Senate Judiciary Committee for his confirmation hearing, at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025.  (AP)

According to reporting from The New York Times, an email to colleagues from one of the senior agents outlined that he had learned he would be dismissed “from the rolls of the F.B.I.” as soon as Monday morning.

“I was given no rationale for this decision, which, as you might imagine, has come as a shock,” he wrote.

FBI logo and seal seen below the American flag

The FBI seal is displayed on a podium before a news conference at the agency’s headquarters in Washington. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

During the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, Patel said he is unaware of any plans of retribution by the Trump administration.

“Are you aware of any plans or discussions to punish in any way, including termination, FBI agents or personnel associated with Trump investigations?” asked Democratic Sen. Cory Booker.

Advertisement

SPARKS EXPECTED TO FLY AT KASH PATEL’S SENATE CONFIRMATION HEARING TO LEAD FBI

Kash Patel, President Donald Trump's choice to be director of the FBI, arrives for his confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)

Kash Patel, President Donald Trump’s choice to be director of the FBI, arrives for his confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)

“I am not aware of that, senator,” Patel replied.

Although Patel has been nominated, a director has not been officially confirmed to take charge, so the news of the ultimatum was alarming for those involved.

Until the vote comes to a close, Brian Driscoll remains the bureau’s acting director.

The FBI declined to comment when reached by Fox News. 

Advertisement

Continue Reading
Advertisement
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Politics

More than 70 Million Americans Are on Medicaid. This Is Where They Live.

Published

on

More than 70 Million Americans Are on Medicaid. This Is Where They Live.

In the stretch of rural Kentucky that borders West Virginia, voters reliably send Republicans to Congress. Representative Hal Rogers, who represents the area, did not even face a Democratic challenger in 2024. More than 40 percent of the population there relies on Medicaid, the public health insurance plan for low-income Americans.

In eastern Louisiana, where Representative Julia Letlow, a Republican, was elected in 2024 by a wide margin, about one-third of the population is enrolled in the program.

Advertisement

Share of population enrolled in Medicaid

Advertisement

Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Mississippi, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Wisconsin and Wyoming have not adopted the Affordable Care Act’s Medicaid expansion.

The New York Times

Advertisement

And in California’s Central Valley, Republicans control a district where two-thirds of the population is on Medicaid, one of the highest rates in the nation, according to an analysis of federal enrollment data by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a liberal think tank.

Some of those places could bear the brunt of steep Medicaid cuts that are expected to be central to Republicans’ budget plans. The budget passed on Tuesday night by House Republicans directs Energy and Commerce, the committee that oversees Medicaid, to cut spending by $880 billion over the next decade, which would amount to an 11 percent reduction in the program’s planned spending.

Advertisement

In its 60 years, Medicaid has swelled from a small program that provided medical care to poor Americans receiving cash assistance to the largest source of public insurance. It covers 72 million Americans, about one-fifth of the population. It pays for about half of all nursing care in the United States, and 40 percent of all births.

The program has grown especially quickly over the last 15 years, as millions joined through the expansion of the Affordable Care Act to cover healthy adults who earn less than 138 percent of the federal poverty line, about $21,597 for an individual and $36,777 for a family of three. The rolls swelled again during the coronavirus pandemic, when Medicaid extended emergency coverage to millions.

Republicans have not yet specified what policy changes they would make to Medicaid. Options discussed include requiring enrollees to be employed, or dialing down funding for the Affordable Care Act’s expansion, which made millions of adults eligible for coverage. A work requirement would be expected to cut Medicaid spending by about $100 billion over the next decade, as those unable to comply — or to file the correct paperwork showing their employment — would lose coverage.

Advertisement

In a statement, Representative Rogers of Kentucky described claims his party would gut the program as “lies promoted by House Democrats.”

“We are on a mission to cut waste, fraud and abuse of taxpayer dollars, so that we can protect the future of programs like Medicaid for years to come,” he said.

Advertisement

Medicaid enrollment rates, by congressional district

Advertisement

Large cuts to Medicaid would likely hit dense urban areas that tend to vote for Democrats. The congressional district that covers part of the Bronx in New York, for example, has one of the highest Medicaid enrollment rates in the country, with the program covering 67 percent of the people who live there. A district that covers part of Los Angeles has more than half its residents enrolled in the program.

Of the 10 congressional districts with the highest share of residents enrolled in Medicaid, nine are held by Democratic legislators.

Advertisement

Districts with the highest Medicaid enrollment rates

Advertisement

Advertisement

Note: Margin of victory not shown for representatives who faced another member of the same party on the November ballot.

There are also pockets of the country that rely significantly on the program where voters favor Republicans. Of the 218 seats Republicans control in Congress, 26 are in districts where Medicaid covers more than 30 percent of the population, according to a New York Times analysis of federal enrollment data.

Advertisement

All 26 of those representatives voted in favor of the House budget this week.

Advertisement

Republican districts with highest Medicaid enrollment rates

Note: Margin of victory not shown for Republican representatives who faced another Republican on the November ballot.

Advertisement

Their districts are scattered across the country, from Alaska to West Virginia. The list includes the Louisiana district held by Speaker Mike Johnson, where 33 percent of residents are enrolled. All are in states that participate in the Medicaid expansion. Republicans have considered scaling back funding for that program, which would save the federal government about $500 billion over the next decade — but also leave people in many states without coverage.

While President Trump has repeatedly said over the last week he would not cut Medicaid, Republican legislators don’t have many options for looking for those cuts elsewhere. Some have already expressed concern about cuts to the program. Last week, seven Republican members of the Congressional Hispanic Conference sent Speaker Johnson a letter warning that “slashing Medicaid would have serious consequences, particularly in rural and predominantly Hispanic communities.”

As the second Trump administration has gotten underway, health care has not been a top issue for the president’s voters. It ranked as the fifth-most-important issue to them in a January poll from The New York Times and Ipsos, behind immigration, the economy, inflation and taxes.

Advertisement

In January, Michael Perry, a founder of the polling firm PerryUndem, conducted three focus groups with Medicaid enrollees who voted for President Trump, noting that most did not list health care among their top voting issues.

When he brought up the idea that Republicans were exploring cuts to Medicare, some said they did not think the president would ultimately cut their health coverage because he would want to avoid a backlash. But other voters, he said, expressed concern. “They liked Medicaid, said it made a difference in their lives,” Mr. Perry said. “It wasn’t hard for them to put their finger on what Medicaid had done.”

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Politics

Huntington Park, California, city hall and mayor’s home raided in $14M public funds probe

Published

on

Huntington Park, California, city hall and mayor’s home raided in M public funds probe

A city hall building, the mayor’s house and some residences of current and former council members in Huntington, California, were raided on Wednesday in a major corruption probe of a $14 million project, according to Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman.

The investigation, named “Operation Dirty Pond,” has been focusing on the “potential misuse of millions of dollars in public funds allocated for the construction of an aquatic center” since November 2022, the DA’s Office said.

The Huntington Park Regional Aquatic Center, which was deemed “critical” on the city website, was expected to become a two-story building with an Olympic-size pool, gym, football field, conference rooms and more. However, residents never saw any results, according to the city’s vice mayor.

“This is a project that has yielded nothing for the residents,” Vice Mayor Arturo Flores said to FOX 11 Los Angeles. “It’s my understanding that there’s an estimated $14 million, give or take, that has been expended by the city, and that from those funds, the residents of the city have only received an empty lot with dead grass and nothing to show for those millions of dollars.”

RECALLED OAKLAND MAYOR INDICTED ON FEDERAL CORRUPTION CHARGES

Advertisement

A Huntington Park City Hall entrance was taped off from the public as officials conducted search warrants of the building. (Facebook/Huntington Park Neighborhood Watch)

Fox News Digital also reached out to Flores and Huntington Park Mayor Karina Macias for comment but did not immediately hear back. 

Former Huntington Park city council member Linda Caraballo reportedly said she sent a 282-page dossier to the DA’s Office many years ago to alert them to alleged corruption. Caraballo said to the local station that “big time city officials from the city manager all the way down to the shot caller” should be prepared.

“Heads are going to roll and a lot of people are going to be really put into some serious problems,” Caraballo said to FOX 11. “They all should find lawyers right away.”

SKYROCKETING HEALTHCARE BUDGET FOR ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS HAUNTS BLUE STATE TAXPAYERS

Advertisement
yellow tape surrounds building as officials look around

Yellow police tape was stretched across some parts of the Huntington Park City Hall on Wednesday. (Facebook/Huntington Park Neighborhood Watch)

Valentin Amezquita, another former Huntington Park council member, said to FOX 11 that this may not be the city’s only corrupt project and suggests conducting a “forensic audit of the city of current and past contracts.”

“This is just the tip of the iceberg,” Amezquita said to the local station. “There’s many, many more.”

NYC MAYOR ERIC ADAMS ASKING FOR CORRUPTION CHARGES TO BE SCRAPPED

Salt Lake Park field

Salt Lake Park, the proposed site for the Huntington Park Regional Aquatic Center in California, has not undergone any construction. (Fox 11 Los Angeles)

Numerous items were seized during the searches, including public records, financial paperwork and electronic devices, according to the DA’s Office.

“My office is committed to ensuring that public officials uphold the highest standards of honesty, integrity and transparency,” Hochman said. “When concerns arise about the use of public funds or the actions of those in office, it is our duty to investigate thoroughly and protect the public’s trust.”

Advertisement

“I want to commend our dedicated prosecutors and investigators for their diligent work on this complex case. Their unwavering commitment to justice ensures that no one – regardless of their position or title – is above the law.”

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Politics

Former ABC News executive Tom Cibrowski tapped as president of CBS News

Published

on

Former ABC News executive Tom Cibrowski tapped as president of CBS News

Tom Cibrowski, who oversaw ABC’s “Good Morning America” during one of its most successful eras, is joining CBS News as president and executive editor.

The storied news division, which has been reeling over its legal battle involving President Trump, announced Thursday that Ciabrowski will oversee newsgathering and programming.

Cibrowski will report to Wendy McMahon, president and chief executive of CBS News and Television Stations and CBS Media Ventures. He succeeds Adrienne Roark, who briefly held the position before taking a leadership role at Tegna, a TV station group.

Cibrowski is the fifth CBS News president since January 2019, when David Rhodes was replaced by Susan Zirinsky, who now heads a documentary unit at Paramount Global.

CBS News will be looking to Cibrowski to provide stability as it navigates through a Trump lawsuit over its “60 Minutes” interview with former Vice President Kamala Harris during the 2024 presidential election. Trump is suing the network for $20 billion, arguing that the Harris interview was deceptively edited and a form of election interference.

Advertisement

Settlement talks have taken place and CBS News parent Paramount Global is trying to close a merger deal with Skydance Media.

On the programming side, Ciabrowski will be charged with fixing the recently relaunched “CBS Evening News” that added an anchor team and a weather forecaster to its format, which has not been well-received by viewers.

Cibrowski has deep experience in network news. He worked at CBS as a broadcast producer on its morning program “The Early Show” when it was co-anchored by Bryant Gumbel.

Cibrowski moved to ABC where he traveled extensively while producing coverage of war zones in Kosovo and Iraq. Under his tenure as senior executive producer of “Good Morning America” in 2012, the program topped NBC’s “Today” in the ratings for the first time in 16 years.

Cibrowski was promoted to senior vice president in charge of ABC News Programs, News Gathering and Special Events. He spent the last seven years as president and general manager of KGO-TV, the Disney-owned TV station in San Francisco.

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Trending