What can you get for $9.4 billion?3G Capital recently purchased footwear giant Skechers for $9.4 billion.$9.4 billion could cover your rent for a pretty nice apartment in New York City for more than 40,000 years.Yes, it will just be you and the cockroaches by then.Or, you could pay the cost of every major disaster in the past four decades ranging from Chernobyl to Fukushima to Hurricane Sandy.'LONG OVERDUE': SENATE REPUBLICANS RAM THROUGH TRUMP'S CLAWBACK PACKAGE WITH CUTS TO FOREIGN AID, NPRBut $9.4 billion isnt a lot when cast against nearly $7 trillion in annual spending by the federal government.And its really not much money when you consider that the U.S. is about slip into the red to the tune of $37 trillion.Which brings us to the Congressional plan to cancel spending. That is, a measure from Republicans and the Trump Administration to rescind spending lawmakers already appropriated in March. The House and Senate are now clawing back money lawmakers shoved out the door for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and foreign aid programs under USAID. The original proposal cut $9.4 billion. But that figure dwindled to $9 billion after the Senate restored money for "PEPFAR," a President George W. Bush era program to combat AIDS worldwide.In other words, you may have a couple thousand years lopped off from your rent-controlled apartment in New York City. Of course that hinges on what Democratic mayoral nominee Zorhan Mamdani decides to do, should he win election this fall.Anyway, back to Congressional spending. Or "un-spending."The House passed the original version of the bill in June, 216-214. Flip one vote and the bill would have failed on a 215-215 tie. Then it was on to the Senate. Republicans had to summon Vice President Vance to Capitol Hill to break a logjam on two procedural votes to send the spending cancellation bill to the floor and actually launch debate. Republicans have a 53-47 advantage in the Senate. But former Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., along with Sens. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska and Susan Collins, R-Maine, voted nay producing a 50-50 tie.Fox is told some Senate Republicans are tiring of McConnell opposing the GOP and President Trump on various issues. That includes the nay votes to start debate on the spending cancellation bill as well as his vote against the confirmation of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in January."He used to be the Leader. He was always telling us we need to stick together," said one GOP senator who requested anonymity. "Now hes off voting however he wants? How time flies."Note that McConnell led Senate Republicans as recently as early January.But McConnell ultimately voted for the legislation when the Senate approved it 51-48 at 2:28 am ET Thursday morning.Murkowski and Collins were the only noes. The services of Vice President Vance werent needed due to McConnells aye vote and the absence of Sen. Tina Smith, D-Minn. She fell ill and was admitted to George Washington Hospital for exhaustion.As for the senior senator from Alaska, one GOP senator characterized it as "Murkowski fatigue.""She always asking. Shes always wanting more," groused a Senate Republican.Murkowski secured an agreement on rural hospitals in exchange for her vote in favor of the Big, Beautiful Bill earlier this month. However, Murkowski did not secure more specificity on the DOGE cuts or help with rural, public radio stations in Alaska on the spending cut plan.SENATE TO DEBATE TRUMP'S $9B CLAWBACK BILL AFTER DRAMATIC LATE-NIGHT VOTES"My vote is guided by the imperative of coming from Alaskans. I have a vote that I am free to cast, with or without the support of the President. My obligation is to my constituents and to the Constitution," said Murkowski. "I don't disagree that NPR over the years has tilted more partisan. That can be addressed. But you don't need to gut the entire Corporation for Public Broadcasting."In a statement, Collins blasted the Trump administration for a lack of specificity about the precision of the rescissions request. Collins, who chairs the Senate Appropriations Committee in charge of the federal purse strings, also criticized the administration a few months ago for a paucity of detail in the Presidents budget."The rescissions package has a big problem nobody really knows what program reductions are in it. That isnt because we havent had time to review the bill," said Collins in a statement. "Instead, the problem is that OMB (the Office of Management and Budget) has never provided the details that would normally be part of this process."Collins wasnt the only Republican senator who worried about how the administration presented the spending cut package to Congress. Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Roger Wicker, R-Miss., fretted about Congress ceding the power of the purse to the administration. But unlike Collins, Wicker supported the package."If we do this again, please give us specific information about where the cuts will come. Let's not make a habit of this," said Wicker. "If you come back to us again from the executive branch, give us the specific amounts in the specific programs that will be cut."DOGE recommended the cuts. In fact, most of the spending reductions targeted by DOGE dont go into effect unless Congress acts. But even the $9.4 billion proved challenging to cut."We should be able to do that in our sleep. But there is looking like there's enough opposition," said Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., on Fox Business.So to court votes, GOP leaders salvaged $400 million for PEPFAR."There was a lot of interest among our members in doing something on the PEPFAR issue," said Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D. "You're still talking about a $9 billion rescissions package - even with that small modification."The aim to silence public broadcasting buoyed some Republicans.HOMELAND SECURITY HALTS $18.5M IN TAXPAYER FUNDS FOR 'RADICAL' PROGRAMS"North Dakota Public Radio - about 26% of their budget is federal funding. To me, that's more of an indictment than it is a need," said Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D.But back to the $9 billion. Its a fraction of one-tenth of one percent of all federal funding. And DOGE recommended more than a trillion dollars in cuts."What does this say for the party if it can't even pass this bill, this piddling amount of money?" yours truly asked Sen. John Kennedy, R-La."I think we're going to lose a lot of credibility. And we should," replied Kennedy.But the House needed to sync up with the Senate since it changed the bill stripping the cut for AIDS funding. House conservatives werent pleased that the Senate was jamming them again just two weeks after major renovations to the House version of the Big, Beautiful Bill. But they accepted their fate."Its disappointing that we're $37 trillion in debt. This to me was low-hanging fruit," said Rep. Eric Burlison, R-Mo. "At the end of the day, I'll take a base hit, right? It's better than nothing."White House Budget Director Russ Vought is expected to send other spending cancellation requests to Congress in the coming months. The aim is to target deeper spending reductions recommended by DOGE.But it doesnt auger well for future rescissions bills if its this much of a battle to trim $9 trillion.What can you get for that much money? For Republicans, its not much.Republicans were swinging for the fences with spending cuts.But in the political box score, this is recorded as just a base hit.

Fox News Digital has made history with its highest quarter ever in multiplatform unique visitors.During the second quarter of 2025, Fox News Digital averaged a whopping 138 million monthly total digital multiplatform unique visitors, according to Comscore.Fox News Digital finished No. 1 in multiplatform minutes among key news brands including CBS News, NBC News, ABC News, CNN, The Washington Post, The New York Times and USA Today with a whopping 12.1 billion, a 31% increase from Q2 2024.CNN came in a distant second with 4 billion multiplatform minutes but suffered a 27% decrease compared to last year. The New York Times came in third with 3.8 billion multiplatform minutes, a 22% decrease year-over-year.AMERICANS OVERWHELMINGLY CHOOSE FOX NEWS CHANNEL FOR INDEPENDENCE DAY WEEK TELEVISION VIEWINGFox News Digital also trounced all news brands among multiplatform views, reaching 5.8 billion, an increase of 19% from the second quarter last year. The Times came in second with 4.4 billion multiplatform views, down 4%, followed by CNN with 2.8 billion multiplatform views, down 18% year over year.Fox News Digital finished the quarter strong, leading all news brands in both multiplatform views and minutes during June, with year-over-year gains across the board.Along the way, Fox News Digital crushed Q2 on YouTube with 1.2 billion views on the platform with a 122% increase year-over-year to lead all news brands, according to Emplifi.On YouTube, Fox News topped MSNBC's one billion views, CNN's 659 million views, NBC News' 368 million views, ABC News' 345 million views, and CBS News' 164 million views.FOX NEWS LEAVES RIVALS IN THE DUST WITH HISTORIC Q2 RATINGS, POSTS VIEWERSHIP WINS OVER ABC, NBC, CBSFOX Business led all business brands on YouTube with 180 million views for the quarter.Fox News Digital, CBS News, NBC News, ABC News, and the Washington Post have opted in to account for Social Incremental in total digital multiplatform unique visitors, while brands like CNN and The New York Times have not opted in.Data courtesy of Comscore.

President Donald Trump is calling for an immediate end to the trial of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, who he said is the victim of "unjust" politically motivated attacks.The Brazilian leader is facing an investigation and an upcoming trial accusing him of leading an attempted coup to stay in office after his 2022 election defeat. Earlier this week, Bolsonaro's son, Eduardo, was at the White House for meetings.He later said in a video posted to social media that "decisions are being made" with respect to possible sanctions against Brazilian Supreme Federal Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes that the U.S. has been considering."I have seen the terrible treatment you are receiving at the hands of an unjust system turned against you. This should end immediately!" Trump wrote in a letter he sent to Bolsonaro, which the president posted on his Truth Social account Thursday evening.PROSECUTORS TIED TO JAN. 6 CAPITOL RIOT CASES FIRED BY JUSTICE DEPARTMENT: REPORTS"I share your commitment to listening to the voice of the people and I am very concerned about the attacks on free speech both in Brazil and in the United States coming out of the current government. I have strongly voiced my disapproval both publicly and through our Tariff policy."Last week, Trump threatened a 50% tariff on products from Brazil in a letter to the country's president that cited the ongoing case against Bolsonaro.In November, Federal Police filed a 884-page report with Brazilian Prosecutor-General Paulo Gonet detailing the scheme that alleged Bolsonaro and 33 others participated in a plan to remain in power despite losing to currentPresident Luiz Incio Lula da Silva. They allege it involved systematically sowing distrust of the electoral system among the populace, drafting a decree to give the plot a veneer of legality, pressuring top military brass to go along with the plan and inciting a riot in the capital.A panel of justices on Brazils Supreme Court accepted the charges against Bolsonaro in March, and it ordered the former leader to stand trial. All five justices ruled in favor of accepting the charges, which included accusations involving a plan to poison Bolsonaro's successor and kill a Supreme Court judge.WHITE HOUSE PUSHES BACK FORCEFULLY ON EPSTEIN FILE CRITICISM: 'ASININE SUGGESTION'Under Brazilian law, a coup conviction carries a sentence of up to 12 years. When combined with the other charges, it could result in a sentence of decades behind bars.In his letter to Bolsonaro, Trump said it was his "sincere hope" that the government in Brazil "changes course, stops attacking political opponents, and ends their ridiculous censorship regime.""I will be watching closely," Trump added.For his part, Bolsonaro has denied any wrongdoing, telling reporters, "I have no concerns about the accusations, zero."TRUMP'S TREASURY DEPARTMENT TARGETS DANGEROUS VENEZUELAN PRISON GANG WITH SANCTIONS ON 6 TOP LEADERSThe Washington Post reported Thursday that, according to four sources familiar with the situation, the U.S. is considering levying sanctions against Judge Moraes, who is leading the case against Bolsonaro. The sanctions, according to the sources who spoke with the Post, would come under the Magnitsky Act, which allops the U.S. to impose sanctions against foreign nationals accused of corruption.After Trump threatened 50% tariffs on Brazil over the case against Bolsonaro, his successor, Lula, vowed retaliation."If theres no negotiation, the reciprocity law will be put to work. If he charges 50 (% tariffs) from us, we will charge 50 from them," Lula said, according to The Associated Press. "Respect is good. I like to offer mine, and I like to receive it."

Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., and Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., said the public "deserves to know" whether CBSs decision to cancel "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" on Thursday was politically motivated."Just finished taping with Stephen Colbert who announced his show was cancelled. If Paramount and CBS ended the Late Show for political reasons, the public deserves to know. And deserves better," Schiff wrote.Warren added, "CBS canceled Colberts show just THREE DAYS after Colbert called out CBS parent company Paramount for its $16M settlement with Trump a deal that looks like bribery. America deserves to know if his show was canceled for political reasons. Watch and share his message."CBS PARENT COMPANY SPARKS MASSIVE OUTRAGE WITH TRUMP LAWSUIT SETTLEMENTCBS said in a statement that the long-running late-night show will end in May 2026, but it was "purely a financial decision against a challenging backdrop in late night," adding, "It is not related in any way to the show's performance, content or other matters happening at Paramount."There had been speculation about the future of the Paramount-owned late-night programs, which also includes "The Daily Show" on Comedy Central, as its planned corporate merger with Skydance Media is expected to take place later this year.Colbert was outspoken against the settlement, calling it a "big fat bribe." He joked about being pressured by studio heads earlier this week."Some of the TV typers out there are blogging that once Skydance gets CBS, the new owners desire to please Trump will put pressure on late-night host and frequent Trump critic Stephen Colbert," Colbert joked. "OK, but how are they going to put pressure on Stephen Colbert if they cant find him?"Several journalists and commentators have also speculated that CBS and Paramounts recent lawsuit settlement with President Donald Trump earlier this month could create a "slippery slope" for news broadcasters.Trump sued for "election interference" over a "60 Minutes" interview edit of his 2024 opponent Kamala Harris, and Paramount was lambasted for settling the suit that its lawyers had called baseless.CBS STAFFERS REVOLT OVER PARAMOUNT'S 'SHAMEFUL' TRUMP SETTLEMENT, 'BETRAYAL' TO THE NETWORK'S JOURNALISTS"The Late Show," which Colbert took over from David Letterman in 2015, leaned into liberal politics in the Trump era and had became a major platform for Democratic politicians. Last month, Colbert welcomed New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani before the socialist hopeful clinched the Democratic nomination."The Late Show" first began airing with Letterman in 1993.CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APPFox News Digital reached out to Schiff and Warren for comment.

Jon Rahm's emotions ran high during the first round at The Open Championship.The Spaniard had a rough moment when he played the par-4 10th hole at the Royal Portrush Golf Club in Northern Ireland on Thursday. Rahm's shot ended up in the rough.The two-time major championship winner was visibly upset as he put his hands in the air before turning toward the gallery and scolding a fan.CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COMRahm claimed at least one spectator made a distracting noise as he was attempting his backswing."Really? Whistling? Right, great time," Rahm said. "Right on my backswing. Very smart, whoever it was."2025 THE OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP ODDS: SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER, RORY MCILROY ATOP BOARDIt was not clear whether cameras for the television broadcast picked up audio of the alleged whistling noise. Rahm later downplayed the tense exchange he had with the spectator, chalking up his emotional reaction to the "bad timing" of the noise in question."I mean, if I were to paint a picture, you have the hardest tee shot on the course, raining, into the wind off the left, it's enough," Rahm told the assembled media. "I know they're not doing it on purpose. It just seemed like somebody trying to get a hold of someone for whatever it is. It was bad timing."Rahm did admit that he had "a bad swing.""I think I just used the moment to let out any tension I had in me. Really that's not it is what it is. To be honest, it probably didn't affect as much as I made it sound like. It was a bad swing as well. Just a difficult hole."I mean, it's frustrating, but it is what it is. It's an everyday thing in golf," Rahm concluded.The 30-year-old entered the final major tournament of the season off the heels of a second-place finish at LIV Golf's event in Spain. Rahm had his best performance at The Open in 2023 when he finished in a tie for the runner-up spot.He won the U.S. Open in 2021 and the Masters tournament in 2023.Follow Fox News Digitals sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced Thursday he is suing U.S. Masters Swimming (USMS), a competitive swimming membership organization with over 60,000 adult swimmers.The lawsuit is a response to an event in San Antonio where a biological male trans athlete won five women's gold medals.Multiple female competitors told Fox News Digital after the meet they did not know the athlete was a biological male."I'm suing U.S. Masters Swimming for engaging in illegal practices by allowing men to compete in women's competitions," Paxton said in a post on X announcing the lawsuit. "The organization has cowered to radical activists pushing gender warfare, and this lawsuit will hold USMS accountable for its actions."CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COMPaxton's statement alleges USMS engaged in "false, deceptive, and misleading practices by allowing men to compete in women's events."Fox News Digital has reached out to USMS for comment.In June 2023, Texas passed the Save Women's Sports Act, which bans trans athletes from competing in girls and women's sports and only allows students to compete in the gender category listed on their birth certificates. The law only allows schools to recognize changes made to birth certificates that were made to correct a clerical error.Paxton previously launched an investigation into USMS after the conrtoversial April incident.The trans swimmer, 47-year-old Ana Caldas, dominated all five races the athlete competed in, taking gold in the women's age 45-49 category in five races, including the 50- and 100-yard breaststroke, freestyle and the 100-yard individual medley.RILEY GAINES WANTS TO SEND A THANK-YOU NOTE' TO LIA THOMAS HERE'S WHYLouisiana woman and long-time swimmer Wendy Enderle said she filed a request for an eligibility review after finding out that Caldas was transgender through a news article about the April incident."I feel betrayed. Plain and simple," Enderle previously told Fox News Digital.Enderle said she did not introduce herself to Caldas until a USMS meet in Little Rock, Arkansas, in January. Upon meeting Caldas, Enderle noticed the athlete's muscles and height but still assumed Caldas was a female."I knew there was something, but I didn't know what, I had no idea she was a trans female up until this past Wednesday after the meet," Enderle said. "I was shocked. It makes me concerned, it makes me mad."Fellow USMS women's swimmer Angie Griffin also swam with Caldas in April without knowledge of Caldas' birth gender.The shock of learning the news about Caldas prompted Griffin to write a formal letter of complaint to USMS. The letter also asked the organization to "re-evaluate" the recent Spring National Championship and overhaul its gender eligibility policy.Griffin competed against Caldas in three races in San Antonio and finished behind the trans athlete in the 50-yard breaststroke and 100-yard individual medley."I couldn't stop thinking about how the integrity of individual competition had been compromised. Why doesn't USMS follow the same competitive standards as the rest of the world and NCAA? Why are athletes asked to accept less transparency and fairness?" Griffin previously told Fox News Digital"I paid my entry fees, airfare and hotel, trusting I'd be competing in a women's division defined by biological sex. I deserved to know the truth before stepping onto the blocks."The U.S. Masters Swimming Board of Directors and Rules Committee updated its participation guidelines last month."USMS allows members to register for the competition category that aligns with their gender identity and/or expression and to participate in sanctioned events in that category," the new guidelines state."However, swimmers will not be included in Recognition Programs (as defined above) unless they are swimming in the competition category that aligns with their sex assigned at birth or they meet the eligibility requirements."To be eligible for the U.S. Masters Swimmings womens recognition programs, the policy states, "Members of the Female Sex are eligible for Recognition Programs in the women's category, regardless of their gender identity or gender expression."Members with 46 XY DSD whose gender identity or gender expression is female are eligible for Recognition Programs in the women's category if they can establish to USMS's comfortable satisfaction that their sex assigned at birth is female."Follow Fox News Digitalssports coverage on X, and subscribe tothe Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.

Congress is officially sending a package detailing $9 billion in spending cuts to President Donald Trumps desk, minutes after midnight on Friday.The bill, called a "rescissions package," was approved by the House of Representatives in a late-night 216 to 213 vote after intense debate between Republicans and Democrats. Just two Republicans, Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pa., and Mike Turner, R-Ohio, voted in opposition.Friday was also the deadline for passing the legislation, otherwise the White House would be forced to re-obligate those funds as planned.Its a victory for House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., but a mostly symbolic one the spending cuts bill was largely seen by Trump allies as a test run of a fiscal claw-back process not used in more than two decades.FAR-LEFT FIREBRAND SAYS SHE 'NEVER HAD A CONCERN' ABOUT BIDEN'S MENTAL STATE AS HOUSE PROBE HEATS UP"This bill tonight is part of continuing that trend of getting spending under control. Does it answer all the problems? No. $9 billion, I would say is a good start," House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., said during debate on the bill.When signed by Trump, it will block $8 billion in funding to the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and $1 billion to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting for the remainder of the fiscal year. The dollars had been allocated by Congress for the duration of fiscal year 2025.Republicans celebrated it as a victory for cutting off the flow of U.S. taxpayer dollars to what they called "woke" initiatives abroad, while Democrats accused the right of gutting critical foreign aid.Rescissions packages are a way for the president to have input in Congress yearly appropriations process. The White House sends a proposal to block some congressionally obligated funds, which lawmakers have 45 days to get through the House and Senate.Republicans have also been able to sideline Democrats so far, with the rescissions process lowering the Senates threshold for passage from 60 votes to 51.The last time a rescissions package was signed into law was 1999.Consideration of the bill began with a House Rules Committee hearing at 6 p.m. on Thursday evening.Democrats attempted multiple times throughout the process to weaponize the ongoing inter-GOP fallout over the Jeffrey Epstein case, both in the House Rules Committee and on the chamber floor during debate on the bill.Multiple calls were made for votes to force the release of the so-called Epstein "files.""If every Republican votes to block our attempt to release the records, they are telling Epstein's victims, you don't matter as much as our political convenience. And that should disgust every single one of us," said Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass.Far-right GOP figures are demanding accountability, while Trump has called on his base to move on after the Department of Justice (DOJ) signaled the case was closed.Initial plans to begin advancing the bill earlier in the day were quickly scuttled, with Republicans on the committee being concerned about being put into a difficult position with potential Epstein votes.In the end, a compromise led to the House Rules Committee advancing a separate nonbinding measure dealing with Epstein transparency, on a parallel track to the rescissions bill.THOM TILLIS ANNOUNCES RETIREMENT FROM SENATE AFTER CLASH WITH TRUMP"All the credible evidence should come out. I've been very clear with members of the House Rules Committee. Republicans have been taking the incoming criticism because they voted to stop the Democrats' politicization of this, and they're trying to stick to their job and move their procedural rules to the floor so we can do our work and get the rescissions done for the American people," Johnson told reporters during negotiations earlier in the day.Democrats nevertheless pressed on, mentioning Epstein multiple times on the House floor. McGovern even briefly led a chant of "release the files" when closing debate on the bill.Republicans, in turn, accused Democrats of hypocrisy."Interesting how they talk about Jeffrey Epstein, because for four years, Mr. Speaker, President Joe Biden had those files, and not a single Democrat that you're hearing tonight tried to get those files released," House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., said at one point during the House floor debate.The House initially voted to advance a $9.4 billion rescissions package, but it was trimmed somewhatin the Senateafter some senators had concerns about cutting funding for HIV/AIDS prevention research in Africa.Trump is expected to sign the bill on Friday.