Marcus Ericsson reflected on his second-place finish at the Indy 500, where he lost his lead late in the race to Alex Palou.

David Malukas shared his emotions after finishing in third-place at the 109th Running of the Indianapolis 500.

Elon Musk is beginning the process of stepping down from his role as head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).The Tesla and SpaceX CEO posted on X on Wednesday night that his time as a special government employee is coming to an end and thanked President Donald Trump for the opportunity to cut down on wasteful spending."The @DOGE mission will only strengthen over time as it becomes a way of life throughout the government,"Musk wrote in his post. The White House confirmed to FOX that Musk's post is accurate and offboarding will begin Wednesday night.Musk has been the public face of DOGE since Trump signed an executive order establishing the office Jan. 20. DOGE has since ripped through federal government agencies in a quest to identify and end government overspending, corruption and fraud.ELON MUSK SAYS HE 'FULLY ENDORSES' TRUMP AFTER GUNFIRE AT PENNSYLVANIA RALLYHe was officially hired as a "special government employee," which is a role Congress created in 1962 that allows the executive or legislative branch to hire temporary employees for specific short-term initiatives.Special government employees are permitted to work for the federal government for "no more than 130 days in a 365-day period," according to data from the Office of Government Ethics. Musk's 130-day timeframe, beginning on Inauguration Day, was set to run dry on May 30.DOGE is a temporary cross-departmental organization that was established to slim down and streamline the federal government. The group itself will be dissolved on July 4, 2026, according to Trump's executive order.Musk and Trump have both previously previewed that Musk's role was temporary and would come to end in the spring."You, technically, are a special government employee and you're supposed to be 130 days," Fox News' Bret Baier asked Musk during an exclusive interview Musk and DOGE team members in April. "Are you going to continue past that or do you think that's what you're going to do?"MUSK NOT LEAVING YET, WRAPPING UP WORK ON SCHEDULE ONCE 'INCREDIBLE WORK AT DOGE IS COMPLETE': WHITE HOUSE"I think we will have accomplished most of the work required to reduce the deficit by a trillion dollars within that time frame," Musk responded.Trump hinted at Musk's departure in comments to the media on March 31, when asked if he wants Musk to remain in a government role for longer than the predetermined 130 days."I think he's amazing. But I also think he's got a big company to run," Trump said in March. "And so at some point he's going to be going back.""I'd keep him as long as I can keep him," Trump said. "He's a very talented guy. You know, I love very smart people. He's very smart. And he's done a good job," the president added. "DOGE is, we've found numbers that nobody can even believe."More recently, Musk said during a Tesla earnings call on April 22 that he will take a step back from his work as DOGE's leader.DOGE CHAIN OF COMMAND REVEALED IN COURT FILING, SHOWING MUSK IS NOT THE BOSS"I think starting probably in next month, May, my time allocation to DOGE will drop significantly," Musk said during Teslas earnings conference call. "Ill have to continue doing it for, I think, the remainder of the presidents term just to make sure the waste and fraud that we stopped does not come roaring back, which it will do if it has the chance. So I think Ill continue to spend, you know, a day or two per week on government matters for as long as the president would like me to do so and as long as it is useful.""But starting next month," he added, "Ill be allocating far more of my time to Tesla now that the major work of establishing the Department of Government Efficiency is done."Amid Musk's work with DOGE, Democrats and activists have staged protests against the tech billionaire and his companies, including working to tank Tesla stocks.Musk has been the public face of DOGE for months, but is not an employee of the United States DOGE Service and does not report to the acting DOGE chief, according to court filing in March that shed additional light on the internal workings of the office.WHO IS DOGE'S NEWLY IDENTIFIED ADMINISTRATOR AMY GLEASON? 'WORLD-CLASS TALENT'"Elon Musk does not work at USDS. I do not report to him, and he does not report to me. To my knowledge, he is a Senior Advisor to the White House," Amy Gleason, the acting administrator of DOGE, wrote in a declaration included in a court filing.Gleason previously worked for the United States Digital Service, which was founded in 2014 by former President Barack Obama as a technology office within the Executive Office of the President. Trump signed an executive order in January that renamed the office to the United States DOGE Service, establishing DOGE.Though Musk has been the public face of DOGE, he "has no actual or formal authority to make government decisions himself" and is working as a senior advisor to the president, a White House official said in a separate court filing back in February.SENATE REPUBLICAN DOGE LEADER JONI ERNST FACES FIRST DEMOCRATIC CHALLENGER IN 2026 RACEMusk emerged as an ardent supporter of Trump's at the height of the election cycle over the summer, officially endorsing Trump after the first assassination attempt against him in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13, 2024."I fully endorse President Trump and hope for his rapid recovery," Musk posted to X shortly after the attempt, accompanied by footage of Trump raising a fist and shouting "Fight, fight, fight!" after he was left bloodied by the assassination attempt.Musk hosted Trump on X for an expansive interview while on the campaign trailAcross Musk's tenure as a special government employee, Trump has praised the tech billionaire for his efforts to streamline the government and cut it of overspending, including during his first address to a joint session of Congress since his second inauguration."Thank you, Elon. Hes working very hard.He didnt need this. He didnt need this.Thank you very much. We appreciate it.Everybody here, even this side, appreciates it, I believe.They just dont want to admit that," Trump said in March during his address, quipping that Democrats were even grateful for Musk's work at DOGE.

New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel said the team is aware of a viral video circulating on social media that appeared to show wide receiverStefon Diggs passing around a bag of an unidentified pink substance.Speaking to reporters before Wednesdays practice, Vrabel was asked immediately about the video and whetherthe Patriots were looking into it.Vrabel confirmed that the team was "aware" of its existence but did not elaborate beyond that. He did say his expectation for all players was to make "great decisions" both on and off the field.CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM"Well, it's something that we're aware of. Obviously, we want to make great decisions on and off the field. We're hoping that, with our time here on the field today, that when we don't have a script and we're on the call periods, that we're making great decisions."The message will be the same for all our players, that we're trying to make great decisions. Any conversations that I've had with Stefon will remain between him, I and the club."A video of Diggs began circulating on social media this week. In it, the star receiver is surrounded by women on a boat. During the video, Diggs held a bag that appeared to contain an unidentified pink substance.AIRBNB OWNERS SHARE SHOCK OF FINDING SHIRTLESS BILL BELICHICK ON THEIR DOORBELL CAMERA: 'CREEPY OLD GUY'AnNFL spokesperson declined Fox News Digitals request for comment.Diggs signed a three-year, $69 million contract with the Patriots in the offseason. He is rehabbing a torn ACL he sustained last season with the Houston Texans. He is not attending this weeks voluntary practices."The timelines and the prognosis and everything, we're working hard to get him back and to be ready to go. When he's here, we'll coach him, and we'll have him ready to go," Vrabel said Wednesday.Diggs was recently linked to hip-hop star Cardi B. The pair were spotted courtside during an Eastern Conference second-round playoff game between the Boston Celtics and theNew York Knicks.Follow Fox News Digitalssports coverage on X, and subscribe tothe Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.

Various conspiracy theories continue to swirl around January 6 Capitol Hill riots more than four years later, but FBI director Kash Patel promised a "definitive answer" to one of the most pressing questions about the nation-shattering event is "coming.""People have had questions about January 6th and whether or not there were FBI sources not agents, sources on the ground during January 6. And I told you I would get you the definitive answer to that. And we have, and we are in the process again of working with our partners to divulge that information, and it is coming," Patel said during a "Special Report" exclusive interview Wednesday.Patel added the answer may "surprise and shock people because of what past FBI leaders have said about it."TOP FIVE TAKEDOWNS: KASH PATEL'S FBI HITS THE GROUND RUNNING WITH MAJOR EARLY VICTORIESLast year, Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz released his highly anticipated report on the FBIs Handling of its Confidential Human Sources and Intelligence Collection Efforts in the Lead Up to the Jan. 6, 2021 Electoral Certification.According to the report, there were a total of 26 confidential human sources in the crowd outside the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, but only three of them were assigned by the FBI to be there. The report stressed that none of the sources were authorized or directed by the bureau to "break the law" or "encourage others to commit illegal acts."One of the three confidential human sources tasked by the FBI to attend the rally entered the Capitol building, while the other two entered the restricted area around the Capitol.If a confidential human source is directed to be at a certain event, they are paid by the FBI for their time.FBI'S TOP BOSS KASH PATEL SAYS BUREAU RAN COVER FOR HILLARY BUT IT ALL ENDS UNDER TRUMPPatel told Fox News chief political anchor Bret Baier the information from the DOJ IG report is "definitely a piece of the truth."Former FBI Director Christopher Wray had testified before Congress prior to this report being released in December 2024, but Patel called out Wray for deflecting and giving a "D.C. answer" when pressed by lawmakers."Why it took a ton of time and questioning in Congress for the director to get that point is what I'm trying to eliminate from the FBI. If Congress asks you a question under oath, whether or not there were sources in [or] around January 6th at the Capitol, you as the director of the FBI need to know that and not deflect and give a D.C. answer. You have to be prepared for that," Patel said.CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APPAfter taking the helm of the nation's top investigative agency, Patel has made transparency and restoring trust in the bureau a top priority. Part of achieving this goal, he said, is to give Americans the answers they "deserve."Patel told Baier that there are "answers coming" in a number of other investigations, including the mystery surrounding pipe bombs placed outside the Democratic National Committee and Republican National Committee offices on the eve of the January 6 riot, the cocaine found in the White House during Biden's presidency, and the FBIs investigation into alleged Trump-Russia connections in the aftermath of the 2016 election, best known as "Crossfire Hurricane."Fox News Digital's Brooke Singman, Breanne Deppisch, Jake Gibson, David Spunt and BIll Mears contributed to this report.

Franklin Graham, president of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and Samaritans Purse, met Wednesday with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Berlin.During their meeting, Graham offered prayers for Zelenskyy, Russian President Vladimir Putin and President Donald Trump, seeking divine guidance for a path to peace in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war."Today I had the privilege to meet with President Zelenskyy and have prayer with him," Graham shared on social media. "I prayed for President Putin, I prayed for him [Zelenskyy], and I prayed for President Trump that God would give them wisdom and that God would give them a path forward for peace."ZELENSKY SHEDS DETAILS ON MEETING WITH VANCE, RUBIO IN ROME AFTER RUSSIA PEACE TALKS STALLThe meeting coincided with the European Congress on Evangelism, where Graham addressed over 1,000 Christian leaders from 55 countries.He emphasized the complexities of the war, stating, "These are very difficult, and I believe only God can solve this."Zelenskyy expressed gratitude for the humanitarian aid provided by Samaritans Purse, including support for Ukrainian children, displaced individuals and medical institutions."We are very grateful for the strong support from the American people, the White House and President Trump," Zelenskyy said. "Thank you for your prayers and for helping people."The meeting took place against a backdrop of intensified Russian military action in Ukraine.ON THIRD ANNIVERSARY OF UKRAINE INVASION, EUROPEAN LEADERS SHOW SUPPORT, EXPRESS UNEASERecent reports indicate escalating Russian air and ground assaults, with increased use of drones by both sides. Germany has announced plans to assist Ukraine in producing long-range missiles, marking a significant deepening of support for Ukraine's defense industry.Zelenskyy has proposed a trilateral summit involving Trump and Putin to negotiate an end to the hostilities.Grahams visit coincided with the European Congress on Evangelism being held in Berlin for the first time in 25 years.From Ukraine to the U.K. and Sweden to Spain, over 1,000 pastors and ministry leaders from across Europe have come to the city where Billy Graham once preached to declare that they are "unashamed of the Gospel," echoing the words of Romans 1:16."There hasnt been a gathering of this kind since the Billy Graham Evangelistic Associations congress in Amsterdam in 2000," Graham said. "What a moment for Europe, and what a time to boldly proclaim Christ."The congress marks a return to the roots of BGEAs global evangelistic mission.In 1966, Billy Graham held the first World Congress on Evangelism in Berlin, declaring the city a platform to reach the world with the message of salvation.More than 20 speakers from 13 nations are contributing to the 2025 congress, with worship led by Grammy winner Michael W. Smith, Charity Gayle and top Christian artists from across Europe. The event is being translated in 10 languages.CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APPMarc Van de Wouwer, a Belgian evangelist and retired federal investigator, reflected on his experience at the 2000 Amsterdam congress."At the time, there were very few evangelists in Belgium," he said. "That event reignited my passion, and now Im coming back to help invest in the next generation."

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy recently announced that artificial intelligence (AI) is being used to detect and address air traffic risks, following a slew of near-misses and fatal plane crashes across the country.Duffy told FOX 5 DC that officials are implementing AI to "identify and address potential air traffic risks nationwide," potentially aiding in preventing tragedies like the fatal Jan. 29 midair collision at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) that claimed the lives of 67 people.Following the Potomac River crash, which involved a commercial plane and an Army Black Hawk helicopter, Duffy announced a plan to build a new "state-of-the-art" traffic control system that will equip locations with better technology to reduce outages, improve efficiency and reinforce safety.Duffy told FOX 5 that when investigators were looking into how to prevent collisions, they asked themselves, "Are there any other DCAs out there?"MISPLACED ANTENNA CAUSED MILITARY CONTROLLERS TO LOSE CONTACT WITH BLACK HAWK NEAR DCA: REPORTThe National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) previously said it identified 15,214 instances of planes getting alerts about helicopters in close proximity near DCA between October 2021 and December 2024.TWO PLANES DO 'GO-AROUNDS' TO AVOID MILITARY HELICOPTER NEAR REAGAN WASHINGTON NATIONAL AIRPORTDuffy said the Department of Transportation is now using AI to "help us analyze different hot spots in the country" and take action "before you have the tragedy of what we saw on the 29th of January."It is unclear how hot spots are being identified, and which safety concerns AI is being used to search for.FAA 'PERMANENTLY RESTRICTING' WASHINGTON HELICOPTER TRAFFIC AFTER FATAL MIDAIR COLLISION NEAR DC AIRPORTIt is also uncertain if the new technology could be used to address recent staffing concerns and outages at Newark Liberty Internal Airport, which Duffy attributed to the previous administration's transfer of airspace control from New York to Philadelphia."We have an antiquated and old air traffic control system, anywhere from 25 to 35 [years old], 40 years old in some places. It is in desperate need of a brand new build," Duffy said during a news conference on Wednesday."The last administration signed a 15-year contract to upgrade the telecom [wiring with fiber lines]," he continued. "It shows how there was not a focus on the true issues that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) was facing We are not going to pass the buck. We're actually going to fix it. We're going to do the work, to make sure that we do have a state-of-the-art air traffic control system."The Department of Transportation did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.

President Donald Trump's Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is terminating awards totaling more than $750 million dollars that were provided to pharmaceutical manufacturer Moderna to help facilitate its production of mRNA-based bird flu vaccines.During President Joe Biden's final week in office, his administration awarded $590 million to Moderna to help speed up its production of mRNA-based vaccines. The $590 million award followed a separate $176 million award Biden gave to Moderna earlier last year for mRNA vaccine technology.Messenger RNA vaccines are a newer type of vaccine technology, which was utilized by companies like Moderna and Pfizer to develop their COVID-19 vaccines. The vaccine technology was at the center of a lot of criticism amid the coronavirus pandemic for potentially being associated with adverse side effects in some people who took them, such as myocarditis.MILITARY SPOUSE AND MOM OF 5 FIGHTS BACK AS VACCINE DISPUTE BLOCKS FAMILY'S PERMANENT CHANGE OF STATIONTrump administration officials previously hinted at the potential that this funding could be terminated, citing a lack of oversight during the Biden administration pertaining to vaccine production."After a rigorous review, we concluded that continued investment in Modernas H5N1 mRNA vaccine was not scientifically or ethically justifiable," HHS Communications Director Andrew Nixon said. "This is not simply about efficacy its about safety, integrity, and trust. The reality is that mRNA technology remains under-tested, and we are not going to spend taxpayer dollars repeating the mistakes of the last administration, which concealed legitimate safety concerns from the public."TRUMP FDA OVERHAULS COVID-19 VACCINE APPROVAL TO FOCUS ON OLDER POPULATIONS, HIGH-RISK INDIVIDUALSThe announcement reflects a larger shift in federal vaccine priorities, after HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced earlier this week that COVID-19 vaccines would be removed from the federal government's list of recommended vaccines for children and pregnant women.Meanwhile, a report from Senate Republicans released earlier this month suggested the Biden administration withheld critical safety data and downplayed known risks tied to the mRNA COVID-19 vaccine. In particular, the Senate report focuses on HHS awareness of, and response to, cases of myocarditis a type of heart inflammation following COVID-19 vaccination."Rather than provide the public and health care providers with immediate and transparent information regarding the risk of myocarditis following mRNA COVID-19 vaccination, the Biden administration waited until late June 2021 to announce changes to the labels for the Moderna and Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines based on the suggested increased risks of myocarditis and pericarditis," the Senate report states. "Even though CDC and FDA officials were well aware of the risk of myocarditis following COVID-19 vaccination, the Biden administration opted to withhold issuing a formal warning to the public for months about the safety concerns, jeopardizing the health of young Americans."In response to the Trump administration's funding termination, Moderna put out a press release acknowledging the move, but also touting the "safety profile" observed amid its work on a new mRNA bird flu vaccine."While the termination of funding from HHS adds uncertainty, we are pleased by the robust immune response and safety profile observed in this interim analysis of the Phase 1/2 study of our H5 avian flu vaccine and we will explore alternative paths forward for the program," said Stphane Bancel, Chief Executive Officer of Moderna. "These clinical data in pandemic influenza underscore the critical role mRNA technology has played as a countermeasure to emerging health threats."

CNN host Abby Phillip warned that if Democrats want to win back voters, they will need to risk offending their consultant class base with concrete policy changes.Since their historic defeat in November, the Democratic Party remains divided about how to move forward. While some Democrats are doubling down on the far-left politics many argue alienated voters, others are calling to abandon so-called "woke" politics. But as the party remains in flux, a rising tide of commentators are challenging such Democrats to actually articulate which far-left policies they will kick to the curb in order to regain the working-class voters they lost.On Tuesday evening, a panel on CNN discussed The New York Times report claiming that Democrats are spending $20 million on a study called "Speaking with American Men: A Strategic Plan." The study is purportedly a project to "study the syntax, language and content that gains attention and virality in these spaces" of male voters.The panel spoke about how Democrats lack their own equivalent of podcaster Joe Rogan, and how he gradually went from a nonpolitical figure to becoming prominent in the "MAGA universe." CNN media correspondent Hadas Gold said one idea she has seen pitched is a "sleeper" podcast, "where they just they help fund the podcasters, let them do whatever they want, really build up that base, it has nothing to do with politics, and then in a few years, sort of seep into politics," she said, "just like Joe Rogan."DEMOCRATIC PARTY SCRAMBLES TO FIX IMAGE AS MEMBERS ACKNOWLEDGE PARTY 'LOST CREDIBILITY'However, she argued, such an idea probably wouldnt work."The only way that that works is through authenticity, and youre not going to make it work by building up these funds and, in any way, being connected to a political party, because the political parties, especially Democrats right now, dont exactly have a good brand people want to be attached to," she said.When Gold praised Arizona Democratic Sen. Ruben Gallego for appealing to authenticity in his rhetorical style, Phillip responded that Democrats need actual substance to their reform."Okay, but heres the thing. Theyre going to have to you alluded to this," Phillip said as she pointed to former Biden White House official Dan Koh, who called to take positions that may offend parts of the party. "Theyre going to have to get rid of some sacred cows. This is going to be the hard part. Everybody talks about authenticity until the rubber meets the road, and they have to actually take positions that the activist, you know, consultant class base does not want them to take."CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF MEDIA AND CULTURE"I dont think they will," CNN commentator Shermichael Singleton said. "I mean, for Democrats to effectively target men of every color, they are going to have to drastically change some of their positions, especially some of the cultural stuff. I dont think thats going to happen, Dan. I think you guys have moved so far to the left, many I know youre from the South, Dan, you seem to be more reasonable than most, but for the most part, a lot of you guys dont make room for guys to express their views in an open way about a lot of issues."When Koh was asked what he would do to change the party, he proposed doing a better job of enforcing the border and supporting upward mobility, saying, "These positions arent popular with a lot of the party, but its what people are to the point of putting people where they are, its where people are, and its where we need to be as well."CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

The largest police union in the country has issued an endorsement of key provisions of the President Donald Trump-backed "big, beautiful" budget bill.National Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) President Patrick Yoes announced strong support for the bill on Wednesday evening, saying "the One Big Beautiful Bill Act is more than legislationit is a promise kept to the public safety officers across the country and a bold step toward an economy that respects, rewards, and uplifts the people who keep it safe."Yoes expressed strong support for two provisions in the bill, a tax deduction for overtime pay and an increase in the state and local tax (SALT) deductions, which the FOP said are important to the rank-and-file members of the 377,000-member organization.The FOP president praised the leadership of Trump and House Speaker Mike Johnson for passing the bill in Congress.DUFFY URGES SENATE TO PASS BIG BEAUTIFUL BILL'S $12.5B AIR TRAFFIC SYSTEM FIXThe bill passed the House after an all-night debate last week in which Republicans squeezed out a victory in a 215-214 vote. The bill now faces significant opposition from Democrats and some Republicans in the Senate."President Trump first proposed the elimination of Federal income taxes on overtime while still a candidate, and we are very pleased that a similar provision is included in the One Big, Beautiful Bill Act," Yoes said.Regarding the bills increase in SALT deductions, the FOP praised portions of the big, beautiful bill that would create a tax deduction for income taxes on overtime earnings for those who earn less than $160,000 per year as well as increase the SALT deduction to $40,000 for all taxpayers earning less than $500,000 per year.SALT deduction caps primarily benefit people living in high-cost-of-living areas like New York City, Los Angeles, and their surrounding areas. Republicans representing those areas have framed raising the SALT deduction cap as an existential issue, arguing that a failure to address it could cost the GOP the House majority in the 2026 midterms.BLUE STATE REPUBLICANS THREATEN MUTINY OVER STATE AND LOCAL TAXES IN TRUMP'S 'BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL'Meanwhile, Republicans representing lower-tax states are largely wary of raising the deduction cap, believing that it incentivizes blue states high-tax policies.Rep. Rich McCormick, R-Ga., told Fox News that he is hopeful the Senate would address the SALT deductions, positing that the provision would add $385 billion to U.S. deficit spending.Yoes, however, said "the current cap on SALT deductions uniquely and unfairly penalizes law enforcement officers, who often are required to live within a certain distance of the jurisdictions they serveremoving a valuable mechanism that allowed for a reduction in their cost of living."SPEAKER JOHNSON REACHES TENTATIVE DEAL WITH BLUE STATE REPUBLICANS TO BOOST CAP ON SALT DEDUCTIONHe said the SALT deduction is also "a valuable way of supporting local budgets as law enforcement agencies are facing an array of financial challenges associated with inflated costs of equipment, vehicles, and personnel, especially with respect to the ongoing recruitment and retention crisis."CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP"These are critical provisions to ensure those in the law enforcement profession have a better quality of life," said Yoes. "We appreciate that President Trump is always fighting for our nations law enforcement officers."