A Texas teen accused of murder was released from police custody after his bond was drastically reduced from $800,000 to $100 per charge. 

Stephon Martin Morson, 19, was released from the Travis County Jail in Austin, Texas, on Saturday after he posted bail. 

Morson is accused in the shooting death of 20-year-old Keshawn Cage, who police found with a gunshot wound to the head back in October.

The Travis County Jail told Fox News Digital that Morson was booked on Nov. 6, 2024, and charged with murder and tamper/fabricate physical evidence.

TEXAS DA TO REQUEST REVERSAL OF PARDON FOR FORMER ARMY SOLDIER WHO FATALLY SHOT BLM PROTESTER

His bond was originally set at $800,000, but it was recently dropped to $100 for each charge, for a total of $200, with the conditions that Morson wear a GPS monitor, remain under house arrest and not contact the family of the victim or potential witnesses, CBS Austin first reported. 

Austin Police Association President Michael Bullock told Fox News Digital that Morson's punishment was "not enough."

"For a man accused of murder to have his bond reduced so low that he’s able to walk free is a slap in the face to Austinites who could potentially become the next victim. The revolving door of violent criminals constantly released back onto the streets of Austin is exactly why we have seen violent crime increase," Bullock said.

He added: "The District Attorney, County Attorney, and Judges here have clearly demonstrated they are not interested in looking after the safety of Austinites nor working with law enforcement. All they are interested in is their own political agenda. We’ve seen criminals released on bond who, while free, kill someone. The real question is when will enough be enough?"

Bullock said this is not the first time Travis County judges and magistrates have drastically reduced bond for a person accused of murder or sexual assault.

TEXAS JUDGE SEEKS TO KEEP SUSPECTED SERIAL KILLER BEHIND BARS FOR LIFE: 'HE NEVER, EVER HAD REMORSE'

"This is not exclusive to just one judge. This has happened across multiple different courts," Bullock said. "We’ve had some where they may not reoffend, but then we’ve had others who do reoffend. People that get out on bond and they murder someone else when they’re already accused of a violent crime."

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott also commented on Morson's release and called the move "outrageous."

"This is outrageous. It's why I made bail reform an Emergency Item," Abbott wrote in a post on X. 

TEXAS LEADERS DRAFT 'JOCELYN'S LAW' AFTER 12-YEAR-OLD'S MURDER, WOULD DENY BAIL FOR CAPITAL MURDER SUSPECTS

Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick also backed Abbott and said he is ready to play "hardball" to keep violent offenders from being released on bail during a special session last week to pass a bail reform package.

On Wednesday, the bills cleared the first of many obstacles to becoming law. The Senate Criminal Justice Committee passed the bail reform package by a vote of 6-0.

"I’m grateful that Gov. Abbott declared bail reform an emergency item for the current legislative session. Too many innocent people, both citizens and law enforcement officers, have become targets of criminals due to irresponsible bail amounts that allow violent criminals to go free," Bullock said. "We are a nation of law and order, but activist judges and prosecutors that are interested in their own agenda rather than the law are eroding that principle." 

Crime victims' advocates in Texas have been trying to get tougher bail legislation on the books for years, especially in certain cases involving egregious crimes. In years past, many criminal offenders in Harris County were released on low bond or no bond at all, with some going on to reoffend, sometimes violently, according to Rania Mankarious, the CEO of Crime Stoppers of Houston.

Fox News Digital reached out to the Travis County District Attorney’s Office but did not immediately receive a response. 

Fox News Digital's Louis Casiano contributed to this report. 

A curious, energetic, smart, outgoing and thoughtful little boy.

That’s how family, friends and teachers say they will remember 5-year-old Thomas Cooper who tragically died inside a hyperbaric chamber at a medical facility in Troy, Michigan, last month.

The descriptions form part of a heartfelt obituary written about Cooper ahead of a memorial visitation held on Thursday, about two weeks after he died. 

Cooper was receiving treatment inside a chamber, a pressurized container containing 100% oxygen, when it suddenly exploded at The Oxford Center at 165 Kirts Blvd.

CELEBRITIES LIKE BIEBER, BIALIK ARE USING HYPERBARIC OXYGEN THERAPY: HERE’S WHY IT’S TRENDING

Police and fire officials said he was dead inside the chamber when they arrived on the scene, while his mother Annie, who was also inside the room, suffered injuries to her arm.

Cooper, who was in preschool, was always on the move and loved looking out for his younger brother, who was his best friend, according to the obituary.

"His favorite thing to do was play Minecraft on his Nintendo Switch, as he loved to show his Mommy and Daddy the things he could create," the tribute reads.

"His favorite activities were running, jumping, rolling and stomping … He wanted to grow up to be a chef because that meant he could ‘cook with Mommy and Daddy and stay with them forever.’"

The boy was receiving treatment for sleep apnea and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder at the Oxford Center, James Harrington, an attorney for the family told NBC Washington. 

DOCTOR LOSES LICENSE OVER OXYGEN CHAMBER FIRE THAT KILLED 2

The chambers are used to provide Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) and a typical chamber can hold one person. It requires the patient to lie down in the tube-shaped device that looks like an MRI machine and breathe the oxygen. A hyperbaric chamber contains up to three times the amount of oxygen than a normal room.

Harrington said the boy’s parents were hopeful the services would improve his quality of life. 

"This wasn’t some type of lifesaving measure that was absolutely needed," Harrington told the outlet. "It was just a mother who was trying to help her son with some conditions that he had and was promised that with these conditions and this treatment, that they would be able to help."

"Annie was trying to help her child as any parent would — as good parents do."

Harrington, who is a managing partner of Fieger Law in Southfield, Michigan, said the boy had received multiple sessions of hyperbaric oxygen therapy at the center before tragedy struck.

It’s unclear what caused the chamber to explode. The family intends on filing a lawsuit to prevent a similar incident from taking place again, Harrington said, adding that the boy’s parents are "absolutely devastated."

The obituary also mentions that Cooper loved to make art and was constantly curious about the world around him and liked to know how things worked.

"At night, he liked to listen to audiobooks as he tried to go to sleep, with some of his favorites being Yoto Daily, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and James and the Giant Peach," the obituary reads.

As well as being used to tackle sleep apnea and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, the devices are also used to treat a variety of other health problems, including carbon monoxide poisoning, diabetic foot ulcers, anemia, infection of the skin and bone and vision loss.

Such devices require FDA clearance to ensure that they are approved to be used as intended and are safe and effective.

HBOY is also well known for treating scuba and deep-sea divers affected by the rapid change in pressure around them, according to the FDA. 

In a statement to the Detroit Free Press immediately after the incident, The Oxford Center spokesperson Andrew Kistner wrote that the cause of the explosion is unknown.

"As law enforcement officials have shared, at our location in Troy, Michigan this morning, a fire started inside of a hyperbaric oxygen chamber. The child being treated in that chamber did not survive and the child’s mother was injured," the statement reads.

"The safety and wellbeing of the children we serve is our highest priority. Nothing like this has happened in our more than 15 years of providing this type of therapy. We… will participate in all of the investigations that now need to take place."

The location is temporarily closed while authorities investigate the deadly incident, NBC Washington reported. No charges have been filed, per the outlet citing police. 

In May 2009, an explosion of a pressurized oxygen chamber killed a 4-year-old and his 62-year-old grandmother. Authorities said a blast dislodged a tube attached to the hyperbaric chamber, which resulted in an explosion and flash fire, according to CBS.

A San Diego migrant shelter is closing its doors and laying off more than 100 employees because of funding and policy changes under the Trump administration.

The Jewish Family Service of San Diego, which has operated a regional migrant shelter for over six years, announced it will close its facility and lay off 115 employees due to "changes in federal funding and policy."

"Jewish Family Service of San Diego (JFS) is working to meet the evolving needs of the community in response to recent and anticipated federal policy changes," the organization previously said.

The non-governmental organization (NGO) said they have not received new asylum-seeking families or individuals since the CBP One phone app went down on Jan. 20. 

TRUMP DHS PICK NOEM PLEDGES TO END CONTROVERSIAL APP USED BY MIGRANTS ON 'DAY ONE’

The app, which ultimately allowed immigrants to be paroled into the U.S., was created during the first Trump administration to assist with scheduling cargo inspections. 

It expanded in 2023 to allow migrants to make an appointment at a port of entry to be allowed in, initially due to an exception from the Title 42 public health order. Since May, they had the potential to be paroled into the U.S. as part of the Biden administration’s expansion of "lawful pathways." 

As of the end of December, more than 936,500 individuals had made appointments to be paroled through the app, according to Customs and Border Protection.

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"With migrants no longer able to use the CBP One application, the San Diego Rapid Response Network (SDRRN) Migrant Shelter Services, operated by JFS, has not received new asylum-seeking families and individuals released from short term federal custody into our care. Due to these changes in federal funding and policy, the SDRRN Migrant Shelter Services will be paused until there is better understanding of future community needs," the statement continued.

BORDER PATROL MOBILE APP FOR MIGRANTS SEEKING ENTRY FACES SCRUTINY FOR ITS LACK OF VETTING, SECURITY

The organization added that they were "focusing its immigration efforts on providing pro bono legal services and community support resources."

"We’ve been preparing for these changes in federal policies and enforcement," said CEO Michael Hopkins. "While there are no longer individuals or families seeking asylum released from short-term federal immigration custody to our Shelter Services, we are seeing increased needs for immigration legal assistance and other social service supports to vulnerable San Diegans. We’re also continuing to collaborate with our community partners to explore new ways to offer assistance."

The organization received $22,077,365 in taxpayer-funded FEMA money in Fiscal Year 2024 despite claiming they received no funds, according to grant records on the FEMA website.

Fox News Digital reached out to the Jewish Family Service of San Diego and FEMA but did not immediately receive a statement. 

Fox News Digital's Adam Shaw contributed to this report.

A Kansas woman has been convicted by a federal jury for shooting and killing her Army soldier husband at their home at Fort Riley in February 2024.

On Friday, officials with the U.S. Attorney’s Office District of Kansas announced that 31-year-old Margaret E. Shafe was found guilty of murder in the second degree for shooting and killing her husband, Army Spc. Greg Shafe, who was a soldier assigned to Fort Riley, a military installation in Kansas.

According to Shafe's obituary, he succumbed to a gunshot wound to the head he sustained on Feb. 19, 2024, while on base. He was pronounced dead the next day. Shafe was set to deploy to Poland with his new squadron when his wife had to be hospitalized due to complications with her pregnancy.

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"Greg stayed at Margaret’s side while she was hospitalized in Kansas City for the remainder of her pregnancy and Sydona’s stay in NICU," the obituary reads. "Greg loved his family very much and Sydona was Greg’s pride and joy. She was truly a daddy’s girl."

Shafe lived on base with Margaret, his 1-year-old daughter and his stepdaughter, the obituary says.

FORMER ARMY SOLDIER CONVICTED OF MURDERING PREGNANT SOLDIER ON GERMANY BASE IN 2001

A GoFundMe page was also created by a family friend, Abby Shelton, to help support his Shafe's daughters. 

"This is the worst type of tragedy. Greg was a beacon of light in such a dark world. We are all heartbroken, and praying endlessly for Greg’s family and loved ones," the GoFundMe post reads. 

SOLDIER CHARGED WITH MURDER AFTER FEMALE SERGEANT'S BODY FOUND IN DUMPSTER AT MISSOURI BASE

According to Shelton, one of Greg Shafe's siblings is going to adopt his younger child, while his 9-year-old stepdaughter will live with her biological father.

Margaret Shafe faces a maximum penalty of life in prison.

It was not immediately known what led to the shooting or the motive. 

Officials added that the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Department of Army Criminal Investigation Division and the Fort Riley Directorate of Emergency Services investigated the case.

The grieving father of the 28-year-old American Airlines pilot is calling for stricter regulations in the wake of the devastating midair collision near Washington, D.C.

Sam Lilley was the first officer on American Airlines Flight 5342 when a U.S. Army Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter collided with the plane, causing the two aircraft to plunge into the Potomac River during the plane's descent into Ronald Reagan International Airport on Jan. 29.

All 67 people aboard both aircraft were killed, making it the country’s deadliest air disaster since 2001. 

"[Sam] was doing great in his career," Timothy Lilley, a former Army helicopter pilot, told Fox News Digital. "He was doing great in his personal life, he was set to be married." 

WHO ARE THE VICTIMS OF THE DC PLANE CRASH?

Timothy Lilley served 20 years in the Army flying Black Hawk helicopters – the same aircraft that collided with the plane his son was flying – before piloting medical helicopters and later joining a regional airline. 

In the wake of his son’s death, Timothy is leveraging his experience to call on lawmakers and military officials to enact change, promising that part of Sam’s legacy will be aviation safety. 

Now he is asking the military to cease flight operations at civilian airports, revamp training for pilots and require aircraft to have an operational Traffic Alert and Collision Avoidance System (TCAS) while inside Class B airspace. 

DC PLANE CRASH: MILITARY AIRCRAFT COLLISIONS RAISE QUESTIONS ABOUT TRAINING AND EQUIPMENT, EXPERT SAYS

Currently, military aircraft are not required to be equipped with TCAS when flying in Class B airspace, which comprises the largest civilian airports within the country, according to Lilley. 

"It's been said, and it is true, that most aviation regulations are written in blood," Lilley said. "That means that something terrible has to happen for us to make a change."

Lilley is planning to testify in front of Congress and said that high-level Army officials have been receptive to his suggestions, paving the way for a future of safer skies. 

Lilley believes that Sam’s passion for flying grew from watching him as a pilot. 

After earning a degree in marketing and logistics from Georgia Southern University, Sam shifted to aviation. He started flight training in 2019, got his commercial license the following year and became a flight instructor. Two years before the crash, he began flying for American Airlines’ regional airline, PSA.

"If he stayed at PSA long enough, he was going to end up at American Airlines," Lilley said. "He wanted to be an international captain and fly the 777s to Europe and Asia."

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Sam was also engaged to his long-time girlfriend, Lydia, and the two were planning on starting a family. The day before his death, Sam’s mother went wedding venue shopping for the couple, with the ceremony scheduled for the fall.

However, Sam’s dreams were halted when the aircraft and helicopter collided, plunging into the icy Potomac on Jan. 29. 

Timothy Lilley was in New York City for work at the time of the crash, initially seeing reports of the incident on the news. 

"I realized there had been a plane crash, which, of course, sparked my interest," Lilley said. "But the chance of it being Sam was one and a million."

When Lilley realized the plane was owned by PSA, he reached out to Sam but never heard back, confirming the unthinkable. 

Lilley traveled to the site of the tragedy and began piecing together what had caused Sam’s plane to crash, but many of his questions remain unanswered. 

Investigators are working to retrieve data from the helicopter’s black box, which sustained water damage during recovery efforts. Audio recordings from Sam’s aircraft confirmed that the pilots attempted to evade impact. 

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"The crew had a verbal reaction," Brice Banning, NTSB investigator in charge, said. 

The data recorder within the aircraft shows "the airplane beginning to increase its pitch," according to Banning. "Sounds of impact were audible about one second later, followed by the end of the recording."

WATCH: Investigators search D.C. plane crash wreckage

A complete National Transportation Safety Board investigation could take up to a year, but authorities are hoping to have a preliminary report within 30 days. Investigators are also looking into the possibility that the airport’s control tower was not fully staffed at the time of the crash. 

Until the investigation concludes, victims' families can only speculate about the collision that killed their loved ones. Lilley, as a former Black Hawk pilot who flew the same Potomac route "hundreds of times," believes he can offer a unique perspective.

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"There are hundreds of things that could have gone wrong in there," Lilley said. "Maybe both pilots had their heads down looking at the radio at once, maybe they thought a different aircraft was that one, maybe they saw lights on the ground and thought it was the aircraft, maybe they were doing an emergency procedure training, and they were distracted by that. I don't know what happened in that cockpit." 

Despite the tragedy, Lilley is finding peace among the families of the other victims and by honoring his son. 

Lilley told Fox News Digital that his local Georgia community has rallied around their family, with his company sending a private jet to transport Sam’s loved ones to the site of the crash.  

"There were 67 people who lost their lives, and there were families there that had new widows and new orphans and who lost two children and Olympic hopefuls and high-caliber lawyers," Lilley said. "Every single person involved in this accident, I’d want to be friends with – both in the Black Hawk and in the [airplane]."

He is also looking for ways to honor his son, including pushing for aviation safety and getting a tattoo in remembrance of Sam. 

PSA airlines has posthumously awarded Sam with the title of honorary captain, saying in a statement that "the title reflects not only his technical expertise but also the profound impact he had on our airline family."

American Airlines did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment. 

"It's a tragedy, these lives ended way before any of us were ready for it," Lilley told Fox News Digital.

More than 161,000 counterfeit U.S. Forever stamps from China were recently seized in Chicago, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) said Thursday.

Anti-Terrorism Contraband Enforcement officers at the Chicago International Mail Branch stopped eight shipments containing a total of 161,860 fake stamps that violated trademark laws last weekend, CBP said. 

All the parcels were arriving from China, according to authorities, and would be valued at over $118,000 if real.

Officers, however, were able to determine that the stamps were fraudulent based on "the very low invoice value, the routing, and the extraordinary efforts undertaken to conceal the stamps," according to CBP.

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LaFonda D. Sutton-Burke, director of Field Operations-Chicago, praised the highly trained CBP officers and specialists who stopped the counterfeiters from profiting from the "very realistic" fake stamps.

"Counterfeiters only care about making a profit," Sutton-Burke said. "They don’t care about the effect that fake postage has on your ability to send important mail and overall impacts the U.S. economy." 

"Our officers and specialists are some of the most highly trained in the nation, and their level of expertise is evident with these seizures," she continued. "CBP officers were able to identify these very realistic counterfeits and stop them from reaching their destinations."

AOC'S OFFICE ADVISES MIGRANTS ON HOW TO AVOID DEPORTATIONS IN LIVE WEBINAR

While the quality of the seized fraudulent stamps was poor, CBP warned that advances in counterfeiting are improving the quality so much so that most consumers may not detect the differences between fake and authentic stamps.

An uptick in counterfeit U.S. Postal Service postage stamps typically occurs around holidays, especially "high volume card holidays like Valentine’s Day," authorities said.

CBP reminded the public that authentic postage stamps are produced at the U.S. Bureau of Engraving & Printing in the United States.

A U.S. startup company is reportedly offering wealthy couples the chance to screen their embryos for IQ and other favorable genetic traits, which has raised ethical concerns.

Heliospect Genomics is charging up to $50,000 to test 100 embryos and claims their technology can help couples undergoing IVF pick children with IQ scores six points higher or more over babies conceived naturally, The Guardian reports. 

The company has already worked with more than a dozen couples, undercover video footage reviewed by the outlet reveals. 

"Everyone can have all the children they want, and they can have children that are basically disease-free, smart, healthy; it’s going to be great," CEO Michael Christensen said on a video call in November 2023, according to the report. The call was recorded by an undercover researcher for Hope Not Hate, an antifascist group that works to "expose and oppose far-right extremism." 

DESIGNER BABIES MAY BE ‘MORALLY’ ACCEPTABLE, UK ETHICS COUNCIL DECIDES

On the call, Heliospect employees reportedly walk prospective parents through the experimental genetic selection techniques advertised by the company. One employee explained how couples could use polygenic scoring to rank up to 100 embryos based on "IQ and the other naughty traits that everybody wants," including sex, height, risk of obesity and risk of mental illness, according to The Guardian.

Heliospect says its prediction tools use data from UK Biobank, a publicly funded genetic repository with half a million British volunteers. The database permits approved researchers and scientists around the world to access it for "health-related research that is in the public interest." 

United Kingdom law prohibits parents from selecting embryos on the basis of predicted high IQ, but the practice is currently legal in the U.S., even if the technology is not yet commercially available. 

Expert geneticists and bioethicists told The Guardian the prospect of selecting embryos for favorable genetic traits is ethically questionable since it could reinforce the idea of "superior" and "inferior" genetics. Hope Not Hate went further in its own reporting, tying a handful of Heliospect employees to people and publications that have purportedly promoted so-called scientific racism, or the contested belief that human races have innately different levels of physical, intellectual and moral development determined by their genetics.

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Katie Hasson, associate director of the Center for Genetics and Society in California, warned in comments to The Guardian that embryo selection technology could mainstream "the belief that inequality comes from biology rather than social causes."

Heliospect Genomics did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.

Heliospect managers told The Guardian the U.S.-based company operates within the bounds of all applicable law and regulations. The company said it is currently in "stealth mode" and is still developing its services before a planned public launch. They added that couples who have screened fewer embryos were charged around $4,000 for the service. 

On the calls recorded by Hope Not Hate, Heliospect's team described how its "polygenic scoring" service uses algorithms to analyze the genetic data given by parents to predict the specific traits of their individual embryos. The company does not offer IVF services, according to The Guardian.

Christensen presented an ambitious vision for how the technology could develop, even suggesting that "lab-grown eggs would allow couples to create embryos on an industrial scale – a thousand, or even a million – from which an elite selection could be handpicked," the report said.

According to The Guardian, he suggested that future technology might be able to screen for personality types, including what he referred to as "dark triad" traits, namely machiavellianism, narcissism and psychopathy.

AI BABIES: NEW TECHNOLOGY IS HELPING FERTILITY DOCS CHOOSE THE BEST EMBRYOS FOR IVF

"Beauty is something lots of people actually ask about," he reportedly added.

Heliospect told The Guardian it does not condone industrial-scale egg or embryo production or elite selection and that it does not plan to offer personality screening services.

Among Heliospect's senior staff is Jonathan Anomaly, a controversial academic who has defended so-called "liberal eugenics," or the idea that parents should use genetic technology to enhance their children's prospects. 

Anomaly told The Guardian that as a professor of philosophy, he has published provocative articles intended to stimulate debate and that "liberal eugenics" was an accepted term by bioethicists.

Records show Heliospect gained access to UK Biobank's data in June 2023. In its application, the company said it planned to use advanced techniques to improve the prediction of "complex traits." But Heliospect did not disclose screening embryos as an intended commercial application or mention IQ, The Guardian reported.

UK Biobank told the outlet Heliospect's use of its data appeared to be "entirely consistent with our access conditions." 

Experts suggested to The Guardian that restrictions on access to databases like UK Biobank may need to be strengthened in light of the ethical concerns around embryo screening.

"UK Biobank, and the UK government, may want to think harder about whether it needs to impose some new restrictions," said professor Hank Greely, a bioethicist at Stanford University.

Heliospect emphasized that its use of UK Biobank data is lawful and complies with relevant regulations. The company told The Guardian it supports addressing concerns about preimplantation embryonic screening through public education, policy discussions and properly informed debates about the technology, which it strongly believed had the potential to help people.

The Earth is expected to experience a geomagnetic storm this week following the autumnal equinox.

A sunspot erupted on Sunday, generating a coronal mass ejection (CME) on a trajectory toward Earth.

The solar plasma, propelled toward the planet at 650,000 mph, is expected to glance off the magnetosphere on Wednesday, according to Space.com.

GEOMAGNETIC STORM HITS EARTH CREATING NORTHERN LIGHTS, DISRUPTING RADIO COMMUNICATIONS

The CME could create a geomagnetic storm in part of the world due to its occurrence near the autumnal equinox, which passed on Sept. 22. 

During the spring and fall equinoxes, the Earth's magnetic poles are aligned with the sun's, making geomagnetic storms more likely.

NORTHERN LIGHTS MAY BE SEEN ACROSS SOME PORTIONS OF US THIS WEEK AFTER 'STRONG SOLAR ACTIVITY'

The geomagnetic storm can sometimes cause disruption in communications or electrical blackouts.

The phenomenon can also cause the "Northern Lights" effect at high altitudes, illuminating the night sky with brilliant colors.

Earlier this summer, the dancing lights of the aurora borealis were seen across the U.S. and even in some of the southern states, after the strongest geomagnetic storm in 20 years took place.

Fox News Digital's Sydney Borchers contributed to this report.

A federal judge in Washington on Friday handed Elon Musk's government efficiency team a win by declining a request to temporarily block it from accessing sensitive data from at least three federal agencies.

Unions and nonprofits attempted to stop Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) from accessing records at the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

U.S. District Judge John Bates wrote in an opinion that the government was likely correct in categorizing DOGE as an agency, thereby allowing it to detail its staff to other government departments. 

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However, Bates called his finding a "close question," noting that the government did not want DOGE to be considered an agency for purposes of another federal law, which would subject it to open records requests.

Bates, who was appointed by President George W. Bush, said DOGE was a "Goldilocks entity: not an agency when it is burdensome but an agency when it is convenient."

"Plaintiffs have not shown a substantial likelihood that [DOGE] is not an agency. If that is so, [DOGE] may detail its employees to other agencies consistent with the Economy Act," he wrote in part.

The newly minted agency, a key promise of President Donald Trump’s reelection campaign, is aggressively slashing government waste when it comes to government spending. It was created via executive order and is a temporary organization within the White House that will spend 18 months carrying out its mission.

'WASTEFUL AND DANGEROUS': DOGE'S TOP FIVE MOST SHOCKING REVELATIONS

The Justice Department has argued that the DOGE personnel in question are "detailed" U.S. government employees who have access to the information under provisions of the Economy Act.

Musk hailed the decision by reposting the news on X with the caption: "LFG," an abbreviation for "Let’s f---ing go." 

Judge Bates suggested earlier Friday that DOGE's creation and its hierarchy were "odd," noting that it "was created in a way to get it out of OMB [Office of Management and Budget] and instead answering to the chief of staff of the president."

DOGE "took great effort to avoid being an agency, but in this case, you're an agency," he said of DOGE. "It just seems to strain credulity." 

Attorneys for unions representing Labor Department employees argued during last week's hearing that, absent court intervention, DOGE could access protected agency information, including the financial and medical records of millions of Americans, as well as employee safety and workplace complaints.

The plaintiffs noted that Labor Department systems contain sensitive information about investigations into Musk-owned companies Tesla and SpaceX, as well as information about trade secrets of competing companies, sparking concerns about Elon Musk's possible access to the information.

Attorney Mark Samburg argued that allowing DOGE access to this information could have a "chilling effect" on new employees coming forward, due to fear of unlawful disclosure or retaliation.

"The sensitive information of millions of people is currently at imminent risk of unlawful disclosure," Samburg said.

The plaintiffs had urged Judge Bates to grant a temporary request to block DOGE's access to the information, which they said would "force the agency to implement a more thoughtful process."

Separately, on Friday, a federal judge extended a temporary order blocking DOGE from accessing payment systems within the Treasury Department.

That extension came after 19 state attorneys general filed a lawsuit claiming DOGE illegally accessed the Treasury Department’s central payment system at the Trump administration’s behest.  

Fox News’ Brie Stimson and Reuters contributed to this report.

The Department of Education is warning state education departments that they must remove diversity, equity and inclusion policies or risk losing federal funding.

A letter from the Department of Education Office for Civil Rights was sent to the departments of education in all 50 states, notifying them that they have no more than 14 days to comply. The letter was shared on social media by the Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency.

"Institutions that fail to comply with federal civil rights law may, consistent with applicable law, face potential loss of federal funding," Craig Trainor, acting assistant secretary for civil rights in the Department of Education, said in the letter.

The letter said the "overt and covert racial discrimination that has become widespread in this Nation's educational institutions" will no longer be tolerated.

TRUMP EDUCATION NOMINEE LINDA MCMAHON SAYS SHUTTING DOWN DOE WOULD 'REQUIRE CONGRESSIONAL ACTION'

It argues that a Supreme Court ruling in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard, which found that affirmative action in Harvard University's admission process violated the equal protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment, should apply more broadly.

"The law is clear: treating students differently on the basis of race to achieve nebulous goals such as diversity, racial balancing, social justice, or equity is illegal under controlling Supreme Court precedent," the letter reads.

DEMS SPAR OVER DOGE CUTS WITH TRUMP EDUCATION NOMINEE LINDA MCMAHON

Trainor said the Department of Education will "vigorously enforce the law on equal terms as to all preschool, elementary, secondary, and postsecondary educational institutions, as well as state educational agencies, that receive financial assistance."

The letter urges state education departments to "ensure that their policies and actions comply with existing civil rights law … cease all efforts to circumvent prohibitions on the use of race by relying on proxies or other indirect means to accomplish such ends" and "cease all reliance on third-party contractors, clearinghouses, or aggregators that are being used by institutions in an effort to circumvent prohibited uses of race."

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The letter comes after President Donald Trump signed executive orders directing agencies to provide a plan to eliminate federal funding for "illegal and discriminatory treatment and indoctrination in K-12 schools, including based on gender ideology and discriminatory equity ideology." He also signed orders to end DEI programs in federal agencies.

The Department of Education previously announced the removal of mention of DEI from documents and websites. The department also placed employees that led DEI initiatives on leave and dissolved its Diversity & Inclusion Council.

New York City plans to file a lawsuit against the Trump administration after the federal government pulled more than $80 million in funding for illegal immigrant shelters, but it appears the city's lawyers could be acting without Mayor Eric Adams' blessing.

The city's law department sent a letter Friday to city Comptroller Brad Lander saying that it planned to take legal action by the end of next week to have the $80.5 million in FEMA payments taken earlier this week returned, according to the New York Post. Lander is running against Adams in June's Democratic Party primary election for the city's mayor. Adams, meanwhile, has shown a willingness to work with the Trump administration, which has dropped a criminal case against him.

"The Law Department is currently drafting litigation papers with respect to this matter," corporation counsel Mureil Goode-Trufant told Lander in a letter, the outlet reported.

"We intend to initiate legal action by February 21, 2025. As the Law Department is representing the City of New York in this matter, there is no need for an authorization for the Comptroller’s Office to engage external legal counsel," the letter reads.

JUSTICE DEPARTMENT MOVES TO DROP CASE AGAINST NYC MAYOR ERIC ADAMS

The letter came after Lander urged the Adams administration to either file a lawsuit or authorize him to hire his own attorneys to sue Trump and Elon Musk, who leads the Department of Government Efficiency.

"Given the gravity of the situation, we cannot afford to waste any more time. If the Mayor would prefer to spend his days advancing President Trump’s agenda instead of fighting for New Yorkers, then the Law Department must allow me to do so," Lander said in a statement Friday.

"Recovering these funds is imperative, and any action, or non-action, allowing the Trump administration to proceed without consequence would set a dangerous precedent and make our City a target for the next four years," he added.

The revocation of FEMA funds from New York City’s accounts happened Tuesday and was first discovered by Lander the following day.

NEW YORK CITY MAYOR ERIC ADAMS SAYS HE WILL RUN FOR RE-ELECTION AS A DEMOCRAT

"Let's be crystal clear: This is highway robbery. Elon Musk, with no legal authority, illegally seized federal funds from New Yorkers," Lander said Wednesday.

Musk claimed that DOGE found a $59 million FEMA payment to New York City was being used on luxury hotels to house illegal migrants. Trump later repeated Musk's claim and argued that "massive fraud" was happening.

New York City was awarded two separate grants during the Biden administration — one for $58.6 million and another for $21.9 million — as the city attempted to pay to house migrants, many of whom were sent by Texas officials who were frustrated with the Biden administration's handling of the influx of migrants entering the U.S. through the Southern Border.

The payments were made under the Shelter and Services Program that Congress appropriated $650 million for last year to help local governments respond to the migrant crisis.

The FEMA money, which was funded by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, paid $12.50 a night reimbursement for each hotel room. The city said most of the hotels used to house migrants are not luxurious. The remainder of the funds went toward security, food and other services for migrants.

This came after the Department of Justice ordered prosecutors to drop their federal corruption case against Adams, who had been indicted on charges of fraud, bribery and soliciting campaign contributions from foreigners. Some have raised concerns that Adams may be beholden to the president because his case was dropped.