An analysis of the Trump administration's efforts to end diversity, equity and inclusion throughout the federal government during the president's first 100 days in office revealed that nearly 750 DEI employees have been placed on leave or fired for a savings of more than $2 billion.The analysis provided by the White House showed that the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Education and the Department of Labor saw some of the biggest savings. The trio of agencies fired or placed on leave 256 DEI employees, saving taxpayers over $1.3 billion, the analysis noted.Overall, the Trump administration let go of 745 employees working in DEI offices or on DEI-related programs throughout the government and saved taxpayers roughly $2.33 billion."President Trump ordered the end of radical and racist DEI propaganda in government, and the administration is swiftly enacting the president's order," White House principal deputy communications director Alex Pfeiffer told Fox News Digital. "Common sense has returned to government."NEW SHERIFF IN TOWN: STATE FINANCE LEADER RALLIES AROUND KEY TRUMP VICTORY SAVING TAXPAYER DOLLARSIn addition to savings and staff cuts, the White House's analysis highlighted the various grants that were slashed and other changes made as a result of the Trump administration's efforts to rid the federal government of DEI.Those programs included race-based grants or quota programs at multiple agencies and race-based promotion commitments. Multimillion-dollar grants for DEI training and DEI-focused activist groups were also among the cuts at most agencies.At the State Department, a $5 million grant to "strengthen organizational capacity leadership and impact for mid-sized autonomous intersex and trans human rights organizations" was cut. The Department of Agriculture (USDA) saved $1.7 million by eliminating four years of DEI staff training on topics ranging from "microaggressions" to "identifying and preventing racism in your marketing.""You must accept what has happened and what you have done," a narrator of one of the LinkedIn training sessions funded through these grants stated. "If you cant accept what the marketplace is telling you, that this piece of content is sexist, racist, homophobic you cant move forward as a leader." DEI IS DEAD. HERE'S WHAT SHOULD COME NEXTOther USDA grants, according to the White House's analysis, spent money on staff training aimed at "cultivat[ing] an Eye for Inequity," while Trump administration staff also found "DEI Bingo" cards left over from the Biden administration. The bingo cards included spaces to be checked off, like, "I know what the I in LGBTQIA+ means" and "I have pronouns in my signature line."USDA also dispersed race-based grants, such as money for "LATINX Growers" and "Black Women's Regenerative Farming," according to the White House analysis. The analysis also indicated that the USDA spent $600,000 on research into the menstruation of biological males and $361,000 to support queer and trans farmers.Similar DEI-related materials were found at the Department of Education, including a white board with bullet points about race-centric priorities. Below the heading "Projects" was a bullet point that said "Black male resource doc," while "Goals of the Week" included "Tighten up Black Ed Roundtable" and "PAC pictures." Another box on the whiteboard said, "Black male political appointees."The Education Department under President Donald Trump has also slashed grants promoting racial hiring quotas and numerous teacher training sessions on topics like resisting "settler patriarchy" and how America's education system is one of the "settler-colonial realities."DEFUNDING DEI: HERE'S HOW THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION HAS UNDONE BIDEN'S VERY PRIZED PROGRAMSAccording to the administration's analysis of its DEI cuts, almost 100 antisemitic incidents were left unresolved by the former Biden-Harris administration's Office of Civil Rights within the Education Department. According to the analysis, staffers in the Education Department's Office of Civil Rights were also told by the last administration to "sit on" a civil rights complaint against transgender swimmer Lia Thomas.The Biden administration also reportedly neglected Freedom of Information Act requests about its DEI efforts. The White House's analysis recorded as many as 4,000 outstanding requests sent to the Department of Labor, which, under President Joe Biden, promoted DEI-based hiring and mandatory training programs for staff.The Health and Human Services Department also saw steep cuts to DEI programs during Trump's first 100 days.At the National Institutes of Health alone, over $350 million in DEI projects were slashed, including grants for studying "multilevel and multidimensional structural racism" and "gender-affirming hormone therapy in mice," among others.WOKE HOSPITAL COULD BE IN CROSSHAIRS OF TRUMP ADMIN AFTER SCATHING COMPLAINT ALLEGES DEI DISCRIMINATIONIn addition to all the cuts, the Trump administration has taken steps to rectify the Biden administration's DEI focus. It ended DEI-related training courses within the DOT online learning management system and disabled an internal email feature at the Department of Transportation that let users list their pronouns. The administration did the same with other pronoun policies at other agencies.The administration has also taken proactive steps at other agencies, such as removing DEI criteria from more than 2,900 supervisory performance standards at the Energy Department. At the Department of Interior, the agency's "DEIA Council" was terminated. It had a stated purpose of embedding diversity, equity and inclusion principles into "everything" the agency does.CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APPTrump's crusade against DEI began on the first day of his second presidency with an executive order, "Ending Radical And Wasteful Government DEI Programs And Preferencing." In the order, President Trump accused the Biden administration of forcing "illegal and immoral" DEI programs on the American people."This was a concerted effort stemming from President Bidens first day in office," Trump's order insisted.

Blake Lively plans to speak under oath against Justin Baldoni.Lively, 37, will take the stand in the sexual harassment trial involving her "It Ends With Us" co-star and director, People magazine reported.The legal conflict, which first took shape in December with Lively's filed complaint, will reach a New York court for trial in March 2026.BLAKE LIVELY'S ANOTHER SIMPLE FAVOR DIRECTOR SLAMS OUTRAGE AGAINST ACTRESS OVER DIVA RUMORSLively's lawyer, Mike Gottlieb, confirmed Thursday that his client would provide testimony."The ultimate moment for a plaintiff's story to be told is at trial," he said. "We expect that to be the case here [with Lively]. So we would, of course, expect her to be a witness at her trial. Of course shes going to testify."He added, "There are individuals that were witnesses to or experienced misconduct that is relevant to Ms. Lively's claims. We expect their testimony, particularly about what took place on set, will come out through live witness testimony."BLAKE LIVELY VS. JUSTIN BALDONI: EVERYTHING TO KNOWGottlieb noted that both parties will have "an opportunity to ask Ms. Lively questions" during the discovery process. "We think there have been a lot of distractions put up to deflect attention from the retaliation campaign that was launched against her," he said. "And we expect and hope that in discovery we'll have an opportunity to really focus on what we believe to be the core part of the case, which is that this retaliation campaign was launched against Ms. Lively for her having raised concerns about sexual harassment."Baldoni's legal team stood firm in their defense, and noted in a statement provided to Fox News Digital, "Although obviously uncomfortable for the Lively parties, the truth is not a distraction.""The truth has been clearly shown through unedited receipts, documents and real life footage.More to come," his attorney, Bryan Freedman, said. "Blake was the one who brought her high profile friends into this situation without concern for their own personal or public backlash. As the truth shows, sheused her Dragons to manipulate Justin at every turn."He continued of Lively's husband, Ryan Reynolds: "Ryans involvement is verywell documented and we continue to discover more intentional misconduct. Was Disney actually complicit in Ryan using shareholder revenues to further a personal grudge? I would be surprised to learn that this type of corporate waste would not lead to much more exposure for those that have been complicit in affecting shareholder revenue." BLAKE LIVELY LANDING ON TIME100 TITAN LIST SPARKS BACKLASH, CALLED AN INSULTBaldoni mentioned Taylor Swift in his lawsuit by sharing texts exchanged between him and Lively. The "Jane the Virgin" star claimed Lively used her friendship with Swift to threaten him into changing the "It Ends With Us" script. While working on the film, Lively insisted on rewriting the rooftop scene. Baldoni had been hesitant about the idea but told Lively he would "take a look at what she put together," according to the complaint.Afterward, Lively invited Baldoni to her New York City home, where the actor-director said he felt Swift and Reynolds pressured him into using Lively's rewrite of the scene. "Later, Baldoni felt obliged to text Lively to say that he had liked her pages and hadnt needed Reynolds and her megacelebrity friend to pressure him," the complaint said."I really love what you did. It really does help a lot. Makes it so much more fun and interesting. (And I would have felt that way without Ryan and Taylor [emoji] You really are a talent across the board. Really excited nd (sic) grateful to do this together," Baldoni's text said, according to the complaint.Lively shared a lengthy response in which she referred to Swift and Reynolds as "dragons" who protect her.CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE ENTERTAINMENT NEWSLETTERLively detailed allegations of sexual harassment, retaliation, intentional affliction of emotional distress, negligence and more made by Baldoni and lead producer Jamie Heath in a complaint first filed with the California Civil Rights department on Dec. 20 and later in federal court on Dec. 31.The same day Lively filed her federal suit, Baldoni filed a $250 million suit against The New York Times for a December article about the alleged smear campaign he attempted to run against his co-star.Weeks later, Baldoni then named Lively and Reynolds in a separate $400 million defamation lawsuit in which he accused the Hollywood power couple of attempting to hijack "It Ends With Us" and create their own narrative.In addition to releasing a website detailing the timeline of events that allegedly occurred, Baldoni's team also shared unedited footage from the set of "It Ends With Us." Both Lively and Baldoni have claimed the footage bolsters their respective claims.

Federal prosecutors have filed a superseding indictment against the Alexander brothers, three luxury Miami businessmen previously arrested in December for running a highly sophisticated sex trafficking ring.The new indictment adds charges and victims, alleging Alon, Oren, and Tal Alexander conspired to exploit vulnerable women and minors for commercial sex through force, fraud, and coercion.The charges include conspiracy to commit sex trafficking, multiple counts of sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion, and inducement to travel for unlawful sexual activity.All three brothers are accused of participating in trafficking at least five adult victims, while two of the brothers, Tal and Alon Alexander, face additional charges of trafficking a minor.HIGH-PROFILE REAL ESTATE BROTHER MISSES HEARING AFTER MIX-UP IN IDENTICAL TWINS' SEX TRAFFICKING CASETal Alexander is individually named in five out of the nine counts. His charges include trafficking a minor, the use of incapacitating drugs, coercion across state lines, and the storage of non-consensual explicit images.ALEXANDER BROTHERS' ALLEGED VICTIMS RECOUNT TERRIFYING ATTACKS IN IMPACT STATEMENTSIf convicted, the Alexander brothers face decades in federal prison. The superseding indictment also allows federal prosecutors to gather more evidence and advance charges further.READ THE INDICTMENT: APP USERS CLICK HEREThe brothers are being held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, New York, alongside disgraced rapper Sean "Diddy" Combs and the alleged killer of the UnitedHealthcare CEO, Luigi Mangione.WEALTHY FLORIDA REAL ESTATE BROTHERS' 'TROPHIES' UNCOVERED AS JUDGE DENIES BAIL: FEDSThe sordid accusations allege that the siblings used their wealth and positions to lure women to nightclubs and parties and other events before drugging them and sexually assaulting them.Their trial date is set for Jan. 5, 2026, and their next hearing is July 15, 2025.Oren and Tal Alexander co-founded the real estate firm Official, which offers luxury listings in places like New York City, the Hamptons, Miami and Los Angeles,in 2022 after rising through the ranks at Douglas Elliman, one of the largest real estate brokerages in the country, according to prosecutors.Their past clients include Kim Kardashian, Kanye West, Liam Gallagher and Lindsay Lohan, according to CBS News.In a statement to Fox News Digital, Oren's attorney with Klugh Wilson LLC said that this was an "overzealous, unwarranted pursuit.""The governments third try is no more sound than their first two.It is simply another swing-and-a-miss by a government that has gone off the rails in an overzealous, unwarranted pursuit."Fox News Digital reached out to attorneys for Alon and Tal.

An inmate put to death last month in South Carolina's second firing squad execution was conscious and likely in extreme pain for up to a minute after the bullets missed their target, attorneys allege.Dr. Jonathan Arden, a forensic pathologist hired by Mikal Mahdi's attorneys, alleged that the execution on April 11 was a "massive botch" after he completed an analysis of the autopsy findings, according to the pathologist's report, which was filed Thursday with a letter to the state Supreme Court.The lawsuit challenges the legal precedent set in Owens v. Stirlingthat firing squads are humane if properly carried outby alleging that Mahdi's execution amounted to "cruel and unusual punishment" in violation of the Eighth Amendment.Mahdi, 42, was convicted in the 2004 killings of an off-duty police officer in Calhoun County, South Carolina, and a convenience store clerk in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. He was sentenced to death for the murder of the officer and life in prison for the clerk's murder.MIKAL MAHDI, SOUTH CAROLINA INMATE CONVICTED IN TWO SEPERATE 2004 MURDERS, EXECUTED BY FIRING SQUADArden's analysis alleged that only two bullets struck Mahdi, both low in the torso and well below the heart, contradicting protocol which requires three shots to the heart for rapid death."The shooters missed the intended target area and the evidence indicates that he was struck by only two bullets, not the prescribed three. Consequently, the nature of the internal injuries from the gunshot wounds resulted in a more prolonged death process," Arden said.The partial damage to Mahdis heart allowed continued circulation, leading Arden to determine that Mahdi likely remained conscious for up to 60 seconds after being shot.Witnesses to the execution, according to The AP, heard Mahdi cry out as the shots were fired, groan again some 45 seconds later and let out one last low moan just before he appeared to draw his final breath at 75 seconds.Arden also criticized the autopsy for lacking essential documentation, such as x-rays, clothing examination and adequate photographs.CONDEMNED SC MAN'S CASE ABOUT 'APPROPRIATE PUNISHMENT' AS HE AWAITS 'INHUMANE' FIRING SQUAD EXECUTION: LAWYERHe said that Mahdi's execution failed to meet medical and constitutional standards for a humane death.In contrast, the autopsy on Brad Sigmon, the first man killed by firing squad in the Palmetto State, showed three distinct bullet wounds and his heart was obliterated, Arden said. He added that the autopsy report in that case included X-rays, adequate photos and a cursory examination of his clothes.Prison officials have given no indication that there were problems with Mahdi's execution. A shield law keeps many details private, including the training and methods used by the firing squad.In the official autopsy report, pathologist Dr. Bradley Marcus wrote that the reason there were only two wounds is that one could have been caused by two bullets entering the body at the same spot. Marcus said he spoke to an unnamed prison official who reported that when the three volunteer firing squad members practice, sometimes their targets end up with just one or two holes from three live rounds.SECOND SOUTH CAROLINA INMATE CHOOSES EXECUTION BY FIRING SQUADArden called that virtually unheard of in his 40 years of examining bodies and said Marcus told him in a conversation that the possibility was remote.The autopsy found damage in only one of the four chambers of Mahdi's heart the right ventricle. There was extensive damage to his liver and pancreas as the bullets continued down."The entrance wounds were at the lowest area of the chest, just above the border with the abdomen, which is an area not largely overlying the heart," Arden wrote.Mahdi was sentenced to death in 2006 after he admitted to killing off-duty Orangeburg Department of Public Safety Capt. James Myers, 56, on his property on July 18, 2004.Myers had been shot at least eight times and his body was burned when his wife found him in their shed, which was near a gas station where Mahdi attempted to purchase gas with a stolen credit card. He left a vehicle he had carjacked in Columbia at the gas station and was later arrested in Florida while driving Myers' unmarked police truck.Mahdi also admitted to murdering convenience clerk Christopher Boggs three days before he killed Myers. Boggs was shot in the head twice while checking Mahdi's ID, according to The AP.The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Chaos erupted at Raleigh-Durham International Airport in North Carolina when two Frontier Airlines representatives screamed at a paying customer and barred him from checking in for his flight.The interaction between the unnamed customer, a 45-year-old married father of three, and the Frontier representatives began shortly before he started filming last Friday, according to the New York Post, which obtained the video that millions have viewed on social media.He reportedly showed up at the airport 50 minutes before his flight but had not checked in online. He missed the electronic kiosk's 60-minute check-in deadline, and when he approached the agents, they told him he needed to pay a $25 late check-in fee. REAL ID DOCUMENTS HELD UP IN MAIL ACCORDING TO AMERICANS WHO ENROLLED BEFORE DEADLINE"They all kind of started chiming in, Well, you should have checked the website, like, not in a professional or polite way," the man told the outlet. "They were like, It was your fault for not checking the website. Sorry, its on you,'"A back-and-forth with the agents ensued over the fee and lasted for about 20 minutes before he decided to pay it, the customer said."Im never flying this sh---y airline again," he admitted to saying before he began filming, setting the agents off."Oh, you're going to check me in," the agent said, apparently quoting the customer's words back to him. "I bet you was wrong."NEWARK AIRPORT DISRUPTIONS LEAVE AIRLINE FLYERS SCRAMBLING AS EXPERTS SHARE TIPS FOR NOT BEING STRANDED"I paid for a ticket," the man said in the video."And you didn't pay $25 for an agent assist fee," the agent says. "And you thought you was going to check in three hours later, hello?""And you thought you was going to get on your flight?" the agent repeatedly asks while filming the customer and snapping her fingers.Meanwhile, another agent can be heard laughing."Because it's a policy, we don't control that," the other agent said.The customer was reportedly traveling from Raleigh, North Carolina, to Boston."Make me check you in," the first agent says several times."You literally work for an airline that I bought a ticket for," the customer says.The man vented his frustration to the New York Post."What was remarkable to me also is that not one person on their side took the professional route or the high road," he told the outlet."Listen, its my money at the end of the day, and when somebody is caught off guard with a charge that they feel is in some ways unfair or unreasonable, of course they have a right to express themselves," he said.The New York Post reported that he ended up paying $500 for a JetBlue ticket to get home."Its not OK to be disrespectful of somebody for no reason, but I was not being disrespectful to them personally, in my opinion," he said. "I thought that they were being disrespectful to me out of the gate because I was complaining about a fee that I was completely caught off guard by."Frontier said it has cut ties with the representatives, who were not directly employed by the company."We are aware of what occurred and have been directly in touch with the customer," a spokesperson for the airline confirmed. "The individuals in question, who work for a third-party contractor, are no longer associated with the Frontier account."

Boston Celtics legend Paul Pierce will be getting his steps in after his Game 2 Celtics-Knicks prediction ended terribly for him.The Celtics blew a 20-point lead in Game 1, falling to the Knicks in overtime in Boston. But Pierce, sticking with his former squad, made a bold prediction before Game 2's tipoff."If the Celtics lose Game 2 at home, I promise you, Im walking here tomorrow," he said. "Im walking here. Im walking here 15 miles. Im walking here in my robe, no shoes on, barefeet. If the Celtics lose," Pierce said on FS1s "Speak," referring to a Fox studio in Los Angeles.CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COMPierce might have jinxed his Celtics, because they blew another 20-point lead Wednesday night, falling to the Knicks, 91-90.After watching the Celtics crumble, Pierce took to X to post just how far his walk would be to get to work on time.And Pierce appeared to make good on his promise, appearing on Instagram Live to capture himself walking to the studio, robe and all."This is crazy, dog. I cant believe this. Cs got me out here like this," Pierce said. "Im sweating. So, Im about four miles in right now. So, I think I got another 16 miles?"KNICKS STUN CELTICS, COME BACK FROM ANOTHER 20-POINT HOLE TO STEAL GAME 2His former teammate, Kevin Garnett, even spotted him on the side of the road.When Pierce finally made it to the Fox studio, he arrived inside on a wheelchair after his "walk of shame."Pierce made his bet on live TV, but few Celtics fans probably thought they'd blow another game like they did in Game 1. However, they were ice-cold from the field yet again, shooting 25% from 3-point range.Even worse, the Celtics didnt convert a basket from the field for the final 8:40 of the fourth quarter, allowing the Knicks to get right back into it like they did Monday night.Jalen Brunson made two clutch free throws that gave New York a one-point lead, and Mikal Bridges, who scored 14 points in the fourth quarter alone to aid the Knicks comeback, blocked a Jayson Tatum pass to seal the victory like he did Monday night when he ripped the ball out of Jaylen Browns hands.The Knicks and Celtics will tip off again Saturday afternoon at Madison Square Garden.Follow Fox News Digitalssports coverage on X, and subscribe tothe Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.

Maine state Rep. Laurel Libby is seeking U.S. Supreme Court intervention in her lawsuit to overturn her censure for a social media post that identified a minor trans athlete. Now, the Democrat defendants have filed their response to the high court.The defendants, Maine House Speaker Ryan Fecteau and House Clerk Robert Hunt, represented by Maine Attorney General Aaron Frey, defended the decision to censure Libby for the February post in their response on Thursday afternoon."Like other censures of Maine House members, the censure resolution required Rep. Libby to apologize for her conductnotrecant her views.Rep. Libby has steadfastly refused to comply with this modest punishment, which is designed to restore the integrity and reputation of the body," the response read.CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM"Her refusal places her in breach of a centuries-old rule of the Maine House, Rule 401(11), that Rep. Libby previously agreed, along with all of her House colleagues, would govern House proceedings. Rule 401(11) provides that a member found by the body to be in breach of its rules may not participate in floor debates or vote on matters before the full House until they have 'made satisfaction,' i.e., here, apologized for their breach."Libby provided a statement to Fox News Digital addressing the response."I was elected to represent the people of my district and defend their rights. I spoke up to defend the rights of women and girlswho are being discriminated against and silenced under policies that allow biological males to compete in female sports. For that, Ive been targeted and punished, not for misconduct, but for refusing to issue a forced apology. The First Amendment protects my right to speakand just as importantly, my right not to be compelled to say something I do not believe," she said.When the Democrat majority in Maine's House of Representatives voted to censure Libby on Feb. 25, it originally offered to restore her voting and speaking rights if she apologized for the post. But Libby told them she wouldn't apologize. Libby previously told Fox News Digital that Fecteau called her the day after she made the social media post, which identified a trans athlete who won a girls' pole vault competition, on Feb. 18."He found it objectionable and asked me to take it down. At the same time, I asked him if he would support Maine girls and support policy that stopped discrimination against Maine young women in sports, and he declined to answer," Libby said."The main criticism all along from the Democrats is that it was a picture of a minor."Libby added that no one from the trans athlete's family or high school reached out to her about the post. She has also argued the athlete was already publicized in other media. The Portland Press Herald published a recap of the event, mentioning the athlete.MAINE GIRL INVOLVED IN TRANS ATHLETE BATTLE REVEALS HOW STATE'S POLICIES HURT HER CHILDHOOD AND SPORTS CAREERLibby filed her lawsuit against Fecteau to have the censure overturned on March 11.But Rhode Island U.S. District Court Judge Melissa DuBose ruled against Libby in her case on April 22. DuBose, appointed by former President Joe Biden in January, ended up presiding over the case after every district judge in Maine refused to take it.Judges John C. Nivison, John A. Woodcock, Lance E. Walker, Karen F. Wolf, Stacey D. Neumann and Nancy Torresen signed recusal orders shortly after the case was initially filed. No reason was given.DuBose ended up with the case and ruled in favor of Fecteau. Then the 1st Circuit Court of Appeals also ruled against Libby.So now Libby is seeking U.S. Supreme Court intervention.Meanwhile, the U.S. Justice Department announced a lawsuit against the State of Maine for its continued defiance of Trumps executive order to keep biological males out of girls and womens sports and for violations of Title IX. Libby attended the press conference alongside Attorney General Pam Bondi and Department of Education Secretary Linda McMahon.Two school districts in Maine, Maine's Regional School Unit No. 24 and MSAD No. 70, have taken matters into their own hands and amended their local sports gender eligibility policies to ban transgender athletes from girls' competitions, aligning with Libby and Trump.Attention to the issue was magnified this past week after a trans athlete won multiple events at a girls' track meet.A trans-identifying athlete who competed for North Yarmouth Academy in Yarmouth, Maine, in the Poland-NYA-Yarmouth-Seacoast meet, won the 1600-meter race with a time of 5:57.27, blowing away the second-place runner who finished with a time of 6:16.32. In the 800-meter event, the trans athlete had a closer first-place finish with a time of 2:43.31, just around a second better than the second-place finisher with a time of 2:44.87. A survey by the American Parents Coalition found that out of about 600 registered Maine voters, 63% said school sports participation should be based on biological sex, and 66% agreed it is "only fair to restrict womens sports to biological women."The poll also found that 60% of residents would support a ballot measure limiting participation in womens and girls' sports to biological females. This included 64% of independents and 66% of parents with kids under age 18.Fox News' Shannon Bream and William Mears contributed to this report.Follow Fox News Digitalssports coverage on X, and subscribe tothe Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.

A former top aide in President Donald Trump's first administration is arguing that Republicans raising taxes on wealthy Americans "makes no sense."Marc Short, the former chief of staff to ex-Vice President Mike Pence, was an integral part of negotiations for Trump's 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA). He also served in Trump's first White House as director of legislative affairs from 2017 to 2018."Raising taxes on America's highest earners and biggest job creators makes no sense. I don't understand why there are some inside the current administration who are pushing Congress to raise the top rate, because again, these are America's job creators," Short said."So many small businesses file taxes as individuals. And so you're actually going to be raising taxes on many small businesses, not just individuals."SCOOP: REPUBLICANS DISCUSS DEFUNDING 'BIG ABORTION' LIKE PLANNED PARENTHOOD IN TRUMP AGENDA BILLCongressional Republicans are working on a massive piece of legislation that Trump has dubbed his "big, beautiful bill," aimed at advancing his policies on tax, border security, immigration, energy, defense and the national debt.The tax policy portion is expected to be the costliest, and House negotiators are working on identifying a number of areas to cut a total of at least $1.5 trillion to offset the new spending.A source familiar with Trump's thinking told Fox News Digital he's considering allowing the rate on individuals making $2.5 million or more to revert from 37% to the pre-2017 39.6%.It will help pay for massive middle- and working-class tax cuts as well as protect Medicaid, the source said.The TCJA lowered the tax rate for the top income bracket currently $609,350 for single filers to 37%, a cut that's expiring at the end of this year.Creating a new, higher tax bracket for people earning significantly more than that would help pay for extending the 2017 tax cuts as well as implementing Trump's new priorities: eliminating taxes on tips, overtime pay and retirees' Social Security checks.But Short, who helped get the 2017 package passed, dismissed those new Trump priorities as short-sighted political sweeteners."I feel like some of the administration's new requirements are somewhat gimmicky. I'm not sure many Americans who earn their income based on tips are even paying taxes on those tips right now. And I think we should begin to extend that to say no tax on overtime," he said.Short said those changes would create "a lot of additional hurdles for businesses to comply with.""I think the no tax on Social Security, it seems like what we're trying to do is different from 2017, when we passed the Tax Cuts and Job Act," he said. "We tried to simplify the tax code, make it flatter and fair for all Americans, as opposed to creating carve-outs for certain constituencies."Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for a response to Short's remarks.MEET THE TRUMP-PICKED LAWMAKERS GIVING SPEAKER JOHNSON A FULL HOUSE GOP CONFERENCESome conservative groups like the Heritage Foundation and Americans for Prosperity are also wary of a potential tax hike for the wealthy.Richard Stern, director of the Hermann Center for the Federal Budget at the Heritage Foundation, said the group is opposed to efforts to raise tax rates to 40% or higher."Congress needs to get its fiscal house in order, but it must do so by tightening its own belt, not by forcing American taxpayers to tighten theirs. A higher top tax rate would be counterproductive, discouraging hard work and entrepreneurship," Stern said.Americans for Prosperity chief government affairs officer Brent Gardner said in a statement, "Raising taxes on any American should be completely off the table."

Former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said Wednesday the Catholic Church could have female priests in her grandchildren's lifetime."Maybe my grandkids'," Pelosi told Politicos Jonathan Martin after he asked her, "Do you think we'll see female priests in your kids' lifetime?" in a conversation Wednesday that was part of Politico's "Securing Europe: NATO's Next Steps Event."Pelosi, who is Catholic and was denied Communion by San Francisco's archbishop over her support for abortion rights, also talked about her perspective on the Churchs stance on other hot-button issues.PELOSI CALLS RESTRICTING ABORTION SINFUL"That's one of the debates they were having when we were over there, the role of women in the church, attitudes to LGBTQ, issues that relate to divorced Catholics, can they receive Communion and if they remarry, oh my gosh, can they still receive Communion? Those kinds of day-to-day things that the Church has not really fully resolved," Pelosi said.Pelosi' progressive views on issues like gay rights and abortion have placed her in opposition to the Church.Her remarks came the day beforethe College of Cardinals elected Cardinal Robert Prevost as the first American pope, who took the name Leo XIV.CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF MEDIA AND CULTUREPelosi also went on to talk about visiting the late Pope Francis at the Vatican."I'm excommunicated, but I did receive Communion at the Vatican when Pope Francis was right there in the next pew," Pelosi said. "That was a message to my own archbishop."In May 2022, San FranciscoArchbishop Salvatore Cordileone said that Pelosiwas barred from receiving Holy Communion due to her support for abortion, and wrote a statement communicating the news.During a trip to the Vatican in June 2022, Pelosi received Communion during a mass that the late Pope Francis presided over.

Jon Voight is taking his role as special ambassador for Hollywood seriously.The "National Treasure" star met with President Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago in Florida over the weekend just before the president announced 100% tariffs on filming overseas."Its come to a point where we really do need help, and thank God the president cares about Hollywood and movies," Voight told Variety this week. "He has a great love for Hollywood in that way. Weve got to roll up our sleeves here. We cant let it go down the drain like Detroit."Trump appointed Voight along with Mel Gibson and Sylvester Stallone as Hollywood ambassadors in January soon after taking office, referring to it as a "great but very troubled place."PRESIDENT TRUMP'S HOLLYWOOD AMBASSADOR JON VOIGHT ROLLS OUT PROPOSAL TO MAKE HOLLYWOOD GREAT AGAIN"They will serve as Special Envoys to me for the purpose of bringing Hollywood, which has lost much business over the last four years to Foreign Countries, BACKBIGGER, BETTER, AND STRONGER THAN EVER BEFORE!" he wrote on Truth Social at the time. "These three very talented people will be my eyes and ears, and I will get done what they suggest. It will again be, like The United States of America itself, The Golden Age of Hollywood!"Voight told Variety the goal was to "give people back their dignity and their jobs," without going into specifics about the plan, adding, "Something has to be done, and its way past time."Although some in the industry have reacted negatively to the tariffs proposal, Voight said hes been getting positive feedback.LIKE WHAT YOURE READING? CLICK HERE FOR MORE ENTERTAINMENT NEWS"Weve gotten a lot of good response from people," he added. "Were really rolling up our sleeves and working. I think we have a good plan, and were just beginning. This little team of mine has worked very hard to try to figure out things. The union people and producers give their expertise and understanding to this problem, and were working together. A lot of people had a lot of input and were listening to everybody."Voight said the studios have taken advantage of financial incentives to shoot abroad.CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE ENTERTAINMENT NEWSLETTER"Every studio has a lot of smart people, and they have maneuvered the write-offs and the gifts that are being given out throughout the world to lure people to different countries," he told Variety. "They take advantage of them. Now were saying, Hey, we have to have that here. Lets have the level playing field. But really, we need more than that. We need to be competitive."Voight also said he thinks that both he and Trump have been treated unfairly by those in the industry who lean left."But whats the difference? Who cares?" he said. "I mean, theres been a battle, but now its time to put that aside. And I must say, in all of the interactions weve had [on addressing runaway production], politics has never come up. Never."CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP"This shouldnt be political," Voight added. "I dont know the political identities of the people weve talked to. Weve talked to a lot of people here. I dont distinguish them on their party affiliation. And If we can come up with [a plan that can be executed], hell back us. He wants us to be the Hollywood of old. If we all come together, I believe we have a bright future."