FIRST ON FOX: A pair of congressional Republicans is determined to keep the government open and willing to force their colleagues to stay in Washington, D.C., to get it done.Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., and Rep. Jodey Arrington, R-Texas, plan to introduce legislation that would keep lawmakers in town until a short-term government funding extension, known as a continuing resolution (CR), or spending bills are passed to avert a partial government shutdown.TRUMP'S FOREIGN AID CLAWBACK RATTLES SENATE AHEAD OF FUNDING FIGHTCongress still does not have a plan in place to ward off a shutdown by the Sept. 30 deadline, and both sides of the aisle have already started the annual blame game as to which party would own the partial closure.So far, the Senate has advanced a trio of spending bills, while the House has passed only two although lawmakers in the lower chamber were gearing up to advance the Energy and Water appropriations bill on Thursday.Lankford said in a statement to Fox News Digital that as the nations debt creeps beyond $37 trillion, "Congress cannot keep avoiding the hard choices to fix it."GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN, EPSTEIN FILES, DC CRIME: CONGRESS RETURNS TO MOUNTAIN OF DRAMA"Shutting down the government does not fix the debt problem, it just makes it worse," he said. "The best way to finish negotiating the hard issue is to keep Congress in Washington until the budget is finished. That puts the pressure on lawmakers, not on families and important services."If Congress fails to get a deal in place to keep the government open, the duos bill would trigger an automatic CR "on rolling 14-day periods" that would stay in place until lawmakers either pass all 12 appropriations bills or strike a deal on a stopgap bill.The bill would also force Congress, their staff and members of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to stay in D.C. until the job is done.It would require that no motions to adjourn or recess could be made for longer than 23 hours, mandatory quorum calls each day to ensure attendance, and no other legislation would be allowed to be considered until a CR or spending bills were passed."In the real world, if you fail to do your job, there are consequences," Arrington said in a statement to Fox News Digital. "Yet, when Congress fails to pass appropriations on time, the burden falls squarely on hardworking Americans taxpayers, seniors, and our men and women in uniform."Meanwhile, appropriators in the House and Senate are working to find a path forward on a deal.WHITE HOUSE MOVE TO CANCEL $4.9B FOREIGN AID WITH 'POCKET RESCISSION' BLASTED AS ILLEGALSenate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said he hoped the CR would originate in the House, based off negotiations between House Appropriations Chair Tom Cole, R-Okla., and Senate Appropriations Chair Susan Collins, R-Maine."My hope would be that whatever that CR looks like, it's clean, and that it enables us to buy some time to get a regular appropriations process done," he said.But the White Houses move last week to cancel $4.9 billion in foreign aid funding through a "pocket rescission" has some Republicans worried that it could jeopardize the bipartisan nature of the appropriations process in the Senate, where Democrats will be needed to keep the government open.So far, it appears that Senate Democrats arent ready to totally buck their Republican counterparts, but are demanding that they be involved in negotiations to craft a CR."If House Republicans, however, go a different route and try and jam through a partisan CR without any input from Democratic members of Congress, and they suddenly find they don't have the votes they need from our caucus to fund the government, well, then that is a Republican shutdown," said Sen. Patty Murray, of Washington., top-ranking Democrat on the Senate Appropriations Committee.

FIRST ON FOX: In a newly released video obtained by Fox News Digital,NASA Acting Administrator Sean Duffy announced that America will travel back to the Moon before President Donald Trump leaves office, and declared the U.S. will win "the second space race" against China.The video reveals Duffys vision for the agency after Trump appointed him acting administrator while also serving asSecretary of Transportation."We're going back to the moon, and this time, when we plant our flag, we stay," Duffy explains in the video. "I'm committed to getting us back to the moon before President Trump leaves office."TRUMP PLANS TO MOVE SPACE COMMAND TO ALABAMA, COUNTERING BIDEN ORDER TO KEEP IT IN COLORADO"China wants to get there, but we're getting there first," Duffy added. "We will win the second space race."The former Wisconsin Congressman is the first head of NASA who has acknowledged a space race against China, as the Transportation Secretary looks to accomplish the exploration goals Trump has long pushed for.Duffy says the Artemis program, named after the twin sister of the Greek Olympian god Apollo, will ultimately get the United States to Mars, indicating that the key space program originated under President Trumps first term will be an important part of the United States' dominance in space travel.RETIRED NASA ASTRONAUT EXPLAINS HOW ROBOTS COULD SHAPE SPACE EXPLORATIONAmerican astronauts havent touched the surface of the moon since the Apollo 17 mission in 1972.The Artemis I mission, completed in 2022, ended in a successful splashdown after launching the sizable Space Launch System (SLS) and orbiting the Orion spacecraft around the moon during a 25-day mission.Duffy indicated that the Artemis program is here to stay, despite the presidentproposing a 24% cut to the agency in his budget.CONGRESS RETURNS WITH DEMOCRATS REFUSING TO NEGOTIATE AS OCT 1 SHUTDOWN DEADLINE LOOMSThe congressional vote on the federal funding budget was pushed through Sep 30, 2025, by means of a full continuing resolution to fund the government, but the deadline quickly approaches at the end of this month as Congress braces for an additional continuing resolution, passage, or apossible government shutdown.CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APPWhile the Artemis program was thought to be on the chopping block in the proposed multi-billion dollar slash to NASA, sources at the agency told Fox News Digital that Artemis will play a major role in space exploration and will not be fully gutted by the proposal."Our program is called Artemis," Duffy said. "And what we learn through Artemis gets us to Mars."

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement slammed the "unhinged behavior" of protesters who rolled out a guillotine in front of its field office in Portland, Oregon, earlier this week, with a spokesperson telling Fox News Digital that "this needs to stop."The criticism came after video emerged showing demonstrators burning a flag before clashing with law enforcement outside the federal immigration facility on Labor Day."For misguided protestors, who dont have the first idea what the ICE mission is, to call for beheading officers is unhinged behavior," an ICE spokesperson told Fox News Digital on Wednesday."Our ICE law enforcement officers are now facing a 1,000% increase in assaults against them. The men and women of ICE put their lives on the line every day to arrest violent criminal illegal aliens to protect and defend the lives of American citizens," the spokesperson added. "Politicians and activists must turn the temperature down and tone down their rhetoric."PORTLAND MAYOR DOUBLES DOWN ON SANCTUARY STATUS AFTER VIOLENT ANTI-ICE RIOTPortland Mayor Keith Wilson, a Democrat, has vowed that local police would not aid ICE and said hes working with Portland police to determine a response to the violent Labor Day clashes outside the South Macadam Avenue facility."We will not engage with the federal immigration enforcement that goes on," Wilson told KOIN 6 News. "That is our sanctuary city goals; that is what the governors goals are. So you can rest assured we wont be engaging with or working with ICE in any circumstances."ANTI-ICE PORTLAND RIOTERS WITH GUILLOTINE CLASH WITH POLICE IN WAR-LIKE SCENESVideo showed police clearing the area outside the ICE field office, with the protesters yelling through loudspeakers "You are sad excuses for human beings!" and "You guys are violent, cowardly pigs!" At least two protesters were seen wielding riot shields to protect against the munitions being fired at them. "We are seeing historic threats against ICE officers, but that is not going to deter us," ICE Deputy Director Madison Sheahan told "Fox & Friends" earlier this week when asked about the clashes. "We will continue to go after these criminals, these alien criminals that have wreaked havoc on the American people over the last four years, and we will continue to support our ICE officers, making sure they have the tools and resources they need to be successful. We will work with them to protect their family, whether its from doxxing or the threats that we see against them on a daily basis," Sheahan added.Fox News Digitals Michael Dorgan contributed to this report.

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., got into a heated debate with Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Or., during a hearing on Thursday.The exchange came as Kennedy was testifying before the Senate Finance Committee. Wyden accused Kennedy of putting children into "harm's way" with his policies and argued Kennedy has shown no regrets about doing so."This is about kids being pushed into harm's way by reckless and repeated decisions to get scientists and doctors out of the way and allow conspiracy theories to dictate this country's health policy," Wyden said at the end of his questioning."I don't see any evidence that you have any regrets about anything you've done or plans to change it. And my last comment is, I hope that you will tell the American people how many preventable child deaths are an acceptable sacrifice for enacting an agenda that I think is fundamentally cruel and defies common sense. Thank you, Mr. Chairman," Wyden said.BIPARTISAN FURY AT CDC: SENATORS DEMAND PROBE, REJECT VACCINE GUIDANCE AS ILLEGITIMATE"Do I get a reply?" Kennedy said. "Senator you've sat in that chair how long? 20-25 years while the chronic disease of our children went up to 76%. And you said nothing.""You never asked the question why it's happening. Why is this happening? Today, for the first time in 20 years, we've learned that infant mortality has increased in our country. It's not because I came in here. It's because of what happened during the Biden administration that we're going to end," he continued.CDC DIRECTOR SUSAN MONAREZ REFUSES TO BE FIRED AS OTHER OFFICIALS CALL IT QUITSCommittee Chairman Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, then intervened, granting Wyden another chance to speak briefly, though his microphone remains turned off."We're going to proceed," Crapo says. "I gave Senator Wyden as ranking member some leeway there, but we're gonna stick to the five minutes."Kennedy's testimony came one day after over 1,000 current and former HHS employees signed a letter calling for his resignation on Wednesday. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Ver., also called for his resignation.Kennedy's critics point to his firing of former Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) director Susan Monarez."We believe health policy should be based in strong, evidence-based principles rather than partisan politics. But under Secretary Kennedys leadership, HHS policies are placing the health of all Americans at risk, regardless of their politics," the Wednesday letter read.

A Kentucky judge who was allegedly killed by a local sheriff didn't have a relationship with the county's top cop's daughter, according to new grand jury testimony.Former Letcher County, Kentucky Sheriff Shawn "Mickey" Stines allegedly shot and killed former Kentucky 47th Judicial District Judge Kevin Mullins on Sept. 19, 2024. The shooting happened following a lunch outing that included Mullins and Stines, officials said.Video earlier obtained by Fox News Digital shows Stines entering Mullins' chambers, where he asked everyone else to leave the room so he could speak with the judge privately. The pair talked for around seven minutes before Stines got up to lock the doors.Mullins can then be seen giving his phone to Stines, who made a call that went unanswered. Stines can then be seen walking toward Mullins, when police say he fired at point-blank range. Stines has pleaded not guilty.KENTUCKY JUDGE KILLED IN CHAMBERS ACCUSED OF TRADING SEXUAL FAVORS FOR INFLUENCE AT WILD PARTIESKentucky State Police Detective Clayton Stamper said during grand jury testimony that Stines' wife denied that her daughter had "any contact whatsoever" with the judge. The daughter also denied speaking with the judge, according to the Courier-Journal.Stamper said there were "rumors about [the girl] having some kind of relationship with Judge Mullins," which Stines' wife and daughter denied.Two Whitesburg Police Officers who initially responded to the shooting said Stines came out of the courthouse with "just like a blank look on his face," Stamper said."He takes his pistol out and he lays it on a table that's just to the right of the doorway just inside the courthouse," Stamper said. "He made a statement like, they're trying to kidnap my wife and kid, or something like that, to one of the officers."KENTUCKY JUDGE KILLED IN CHAMBERS ACCUSED OF TRADING SEXUAL FAVORS FOR INFLUENCE AT WILD PARTIESStamper told the grand jury that Stines' wife and daughter had no concerns regarding their own personal safety, adding no evidence existed to "corroborate any statement that they had been kidnapped."Documents show Stines underwent a mental evaluation at the Leslie County Detention Center just four days after the shooting, which found he was "still in an active state of psychosis" and had "no recollection of the recent past."The grand jury testimony was briefly made public on Sept. 3 before it was sealed.Stines' attorney, Jeremy Bartley, previously responded to online rumors about the phone exchange in a statement to Fox News Digital."[Stines] had attempted multiple times to contact his daughter throughout the day, and including the time while he was in chambers, and he tried to contact her from the judge's phone," Bartley said.Some had speculated that the phone exchange indicated some kind of relationship between the judge and Stines' daughter, which Bartley said is untrue.CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APPStines had been experiencing paranoia that his family was in danger prior to the shooting, which was caused by a civil lawsuit where he was named and deposed."Specifically, in the approximate two-week period prior to the incident in the judge's chambers, pretty much all the witnesses the investigators talked to support what those close to Mickey had said as well," Bartley said. "And that's simply this: Mickey had become extremely paranoid. He'd become sleepless, basically wasn't sleeping. [He] slept little, if at all. He had sort of become withdrawn. And you know, it was of such a concern that his co-workers urged him to go to the doctor, and he ultimately did the day prior to the shooting."Fox News Digital's Peter D'Abrosca contributed to this report.

First lady Melania Trump is hosting an artificial intelligence meeting with top industry leaders, including Google CEO Sundar Pichai, Thursday, as she stresses the importance of managing AIs growth "responsibly."The White House Task Force on Artificial Intelligence Education will meet for the second time in the East Room of the White House Thursday afternoon. The first lady will host the meeting alongside members of the task force and private sector leaders.AI MELANIA: FIRST LADY EMBARKS ON 'NEW FRONTIER' IN PUBLISHING WITH AUDIOBOOK OF MEMOIR"I predict AI will represent the single largest growth category in our nation during the Trump Administration and I wont be surprised if AI becomes known as the greatest engine of progress in the history of the United States of America," the first lady said.But the first lady warned that "as leaders and parents we must manage AIs growth responsibly.""During this primitive stage, it is our duty to treat AI as we would our own children empowering, but with watchful guidance," the first lady said. "We are living in a moment of wonder, and it is our responsibility to prepare Americas children."The meeting is expected to feature remarks by the first lady and task force members, along with private sector leaders who have pledged to support AI education across the nation.TRUMP HAILS COOPERATIVE EFFORT AT ANTI-REVENGE PORN BILL SIGNING: 'BIPARTISANSHIP IS STILL POSSIBLE'Googles CEO Sundar Pichai, Code.org President Cameron Wilson and CEO and Chairman of IBM Arvind Krishna will attend the Thursday meeting.Members of the task force include director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy Michael Kratsios; Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins; Education Secretary Linda McMahon; Energy Secretary Chris Wright; Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer; and White House Special Advisor for AI and crypto czar David Sacks.Hayley Harrison, an assistant to the president and chief of staff to the first lady also will attend, along with assistant to the president and deputy national security adviser Robert Gabriel Jr. and assistant to the president for domestic policy Vince Haley.MELANIA TRUMP LAUNCHES PRESIDENTIAL AI CHALLENGE FOR STUDENTSThe meeting is expected to take place hours before President Donald Trump hosts a dinner in the White House Rose Garden for nearly two-dozen Big Tech leaders, including Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Apple CEO Tim Cook, Microsoft founder Bill Gates and OpenAI founder Sam Altman.Meanwhile, the first lady has been a champion of online protection of children and youth through her "Be Best" initiative launched during the first Trump administration.In 2025, the first lady garnered support on Capitol Hill for the passage of the Take it Down Act, which was signed into law by the president on May 19. The law punishes internet abuse involving nonconsensual, explicit imagery.CHINA'S AI INNOVATION IS 'ACCELERATING' BUT US REMAINS DOMINANT, WHITE HOUSE SAYSThe meeting also comes after the first lady, in August, launched a nationwide Presidential Artificial Intelligence Challenge, which invited every student and educator across the nation to "unleash their imagination and showcase the spirit of American innovation" by visiting AI.gov to sign up.The first lady also recently launched an audiobook of her memoir, using AI audio technology in multiple languages.The first lady told Fox News Digital that her partners developed "an AI-generated replica of my voice under strict supervision, which will establish an unforgettable connection with my personal story, in multiple languages for listeners worldwide."

The killing of a Louisiana college student who was shot at a red light has prompted the Baton Rouge mayor-president to consider a curfew, as President Donald Trump debates sending federal troops to clean up crime in the state.Roderick Forkner, a 19-year-old student at Southern University in the state's capital of Baton Rouge, was gunned down and his passenger was injured when another vehicle pulled up next to their car at a red light and fired on them with a gun early Monday, local outlet WAFB Channel 9 reported.The attack which occurred at Government Street and South Foster Drive and was captured on video has renewed demands to combat crime across the state. Baton Rouge Mayor-President Sid Edwards has said he may impose a curfew and push to hold parents responsible for their children's actions, according to WAFB Channel 9.CHICAGO SEES 5 KILLED, 35 WOUNDED OVER LABOR DAY WEEKEND AS TRUMP WARNS OF GUARD INTERVENTION: REPORTEdwards said every option is on the table, although nothing is finalized, WAFB Channel 9 reported."Im angry, angry as hell about it," Edwards said.THREE KILLED IN BLUE-CITY SHOOTINGS AS TRUMP THREATENS TO EXPAND FEDERAL CRIME CRACKDOWNThe Baton Rouge Police Department (BPRD) has said that violent crime is down citywide, but some residents still report feeling unsafe, according to WAFB Channel 9."Somebody lost their life, and then the other guys, we are going to catch him his life is done at some point, so its just senseless, senseless," Edwards said.WOMAN KILLED IN BLUE CITY ROBBERY AS THREAT OF TRUMP TAKEOVER LOOMS WITH THIEVES TERRORIZING PUBLICTrump said on Wednesday he is weighing the deployment of federal troops to Louisiana to tackle crime."Do we go to Chicago, or do we go to a place like New Orleans, where we have a great governor, Jeff Landry, who wants us to come in and straighten out a very nice section of this country that's become quite, you know, quite tough, quite bad," Trump said in the Oval Office on Wednesday. "So we're going to be going to, maybe Louisiana, and you have New Orleans, which has a crime problem. We will straighten that out in about two weeks. It'll take us two weeks. Easier than D.C."Trump has vowed to broaden his federal crackdown on Democratic-run cities, framing it as necessary to curb crime. Meanwhile, New Orleans Democrats have pushed back on Trump's suggestion to send troops to the Louisiana city to help fight crime, with one, Democrat City Council President Helena Moreno, accusing him of "scare tactics and politicizing public safety."Edwards and the Baton Rouge Police Department did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.

Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. accused his former head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) of lying about vaccine recommendations.Kennedy appeared before the Senate Finance Committee on Thursday for a hearing focused on President Donald Trumps healthcare agenda, dubbed Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) on the campaign trail last year.HHS SECRETARY ROBERT F. KENNEDY JR. TO FACE SENATE PANEL AFTER CDC TURMOILBut the recent turmoil at the CDC caused by the firing of former CDC Director Susan Monarez and the exodus of several senior officials, along with Kennedys view on vaccines, became a focal point for both Senate Republicans and Democrats on the panel.During a fiery exchange at the start of the hearing between Kennedy and Sen. Ron Wyden, the top Democrat on the Senate Finance Committee, Kennedy accused Monarez of lying in a recent Wall Street Journal opinion piece.Monarez was fired less than a month after being confirmed by the Senate and charged in her op-ed that during a meeting with the secretary last month, she was pressured to resign or be fired after being ordered to "pre-approve the recommendations of a vaccine advisory panel newly filled with people who have publicly expressed anti-vaccine rhetoric."BIPARTISAN FURY AT CDC: SENATORS DEMAND PROBE, REJECT VACCINE GUIDANCE AS ILLEGITIMATEWyden questioned whether Kennedy did tell Monarez to "just go along with vaccine recommendations even if she didn't think such recommendations aligned with scientific evidence?""Yes or no? You have an opportunity to call her a liar. If you say that you didn't, do it," the Oregon Democrat said. "But I'd like to see you respond to this.""No," Kennedy said. "No, I did not say that to her. And I never had a private meeting with her."PREVIOUS CDC DIRECTORS ACCUSE RFK JR. OF ENDANGERING ALL AMERICANS IN NY TIMES ESSAYKennedy argued earlier in the hearing that the reason he fired Monarez, along with the entirety of the CDCs vaccine recommendation panel to restore the CDC to the "gold standard" of healthcare."America is home to 4.2% of the world's population. Yet we had nearly 20% COVID deaths. We literally did worse than any country in the world. And the people at the CDC who oversaw that process, who put masks on our children, who closed our schools, are the people who will be leaving," Kennedy said. "And that's why we need bold, competent and creative new leadership at CDC.""People are able and willing to chart a new course," he continued. "As my father once said, Progress is a nice word, [but] change [is a] motivator. And change has its enemies. That's why we need new blood at CDC."

Pro Football Hall of Fame receiver Randy Moss has always focused on faith, family and football. But after being diagnosed with cancer last year, theMinnesota Vikings great added another "F" to his list of priorities: fight.Moss, 48, was diagnosed with stage 2 bile duct cancer and revealed in December that he had undergone major surgery to remove the mass. After a six-hour procedure, along with radiation and chemotherapy, theNFL great was finally cancer-free."I was nervous," Moss said of his reaction when he first learned of his diagnosis during an interview with ABCs"Good Morning America."CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM"I just think that, when you live your life a certain type of way, you know, eating right, taking care of your health, and all of a sudden you get diagnosed with cancer, its kind of like I was overwhelmed. Just hit with a ton of bricks."Moss stepped away from his role as an analyst on ESPNs "Sunday NFL Countdown," but he made an emotional return just two months later. He credited his wife with helping him continue to fight despite his initial resistance."I talk about my faith in the Lord, I talk about how much I love my family, and I talk about the game that I grew up loving at a small age, and that's football," he said. "I put one more 'F' in that category, and that's the 'fight,' because that's what I needed to do."DEION SANDERS OPENS UP ON PHYSICAL CONDITION AFTER BATTLE WITH BLADDER CANCERMoss said he shared the same message with longtime friend andColorado football coach Deion Sanders after the Dallas Cowboys legend called him and shared that he was struggling with his own cancer diagnosis."One thing that my wife told me is, 'Man, get on out here and let the family love you. They miss you, and he did that. And right when he did that, he texted me back a couple of days [later] and told me Thank you," an emotional Moss recalled.Sanders revealed in July that he was diagnosed with an aggressive form of bladder cancer, and his doctors said that after having his bladder removed, he was cured. In a press conference where he shared his health updates, Sanders recalled his conversations with Moss."Randy Moss called me every other day to make sure I was straight," Sanders said. "Randy Moss prayed for me he and his wife. Told me what I needed to be doing."The Associated Press contributed to this report.Follow Fox News Digitals sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.

POWER PICKS: A registered dietitian reveals five protein-packed carbs that can help with weight loss and muscle building.PET PEEVE: A family visit became awkward when an aunt accidentally ate dog food from her niece's kitchen.ISLAND DISPUTE: Hawaii's "green fee" bill that will raise tourists' hotel taxes for climate mitigation funding is being challenged in court.DONE DEAL Save 40% or more on cordless vacuums and top-rated kitchen gear this week. Continue readingCALLING ALL CROSSWORD PUZZLE LOVERS! Play our Fox News daily crossword puzzle for free here! And not just one check out the multiple offerings.See the puzzles...FacebookInstagramYouTubeTwitterLinkedInFox News FirstFox News OpinionFox News LifestyleFox News AutosFox News HealthFox BusinessFox WeatherFox SportsTubiFox News GoFox Nation