FIRST ON FOX -- President Donald Trump’s legal team continued to dial up the pressure on CBS and parent company Paramount Global on Thursday with a massive discovery demand for 107 different forms of communications. 

Trump is seeking $20 billion in a lawsuit against CBS, alleging election interference over its handling of a "60 Minutes" interview. The president has accused CBS of aiding his Democrat rival Vice President Kamala Harris through deceptive editing one month before they faced off in the presidential election. The saga began when Harris was widely mocked for a "word salad" answer she gave to "60 Minutes" correspondent Bill Whitaker during a preview of the interview on "Face the Nation," as CBS aired a more coherent answer to the same question during a primetime special. 

In a letter obtained by Fox News Digital, Trump’s legal team has requested "all documents in CBS Interactive’s possession, custody, or control, wherever located, including documents in the possession of its representatives, attorneys, or other persons directly or indirectly retained by CBS Interactive, or anyone else acting on its behalf or otherwise subject to its control" pertaining to the interview. 

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The demand includes all communications between CBS and the FCC, The Biden administration, the Harris campaign and the DNC from September 22, 0224 through February 11, 2025. Trump’s legal team also asked for all communications about the interview involving "60 Minutes" executive editor Tanya Simon’s, executive producer Bill Owens, "Face the Nation" anchor Margaret Brennan or Whitaker, along with "any documents containing communications about interviewing or potentially interviewing President Trump for the Election Special." 

Trump’s legal team has demanded "any documents containing communications" about the unedited exchange between CBS staffers and the Biden administration, Harris campaign and the DNC. 

The 27-page list of discovery demands also asks for all internal communications "60 Minutes" honchos had with editors, journalists and correspondents during the controversy, along with any communications with the Harris campaign. 

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Any communications pertaining to the lawsuit between CBS and Paramount employees have also been requested, along with any communications about advertising or commercials during the programs that aired the Harris interview.

Shari Redstone, Paramount’s controlling shareholder, is also named and Trump’s legal team wants to see her interactions with "60 Minutes" employees, too. 

Critics accused CBS News of editing Harris' "word salad" answer to shield the former vice president from further backlash. The discovery request comes after Trump secured a legal victory earlier this week when a judge deemed CBS and Paramount’s motion to dismiss "moot."

CBS did not immediately respond to a request for comment. 

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New FCC Chair Brendan Carr ordered CBS News to hand over the unedited transcript as part of its investigation into whether the network violated the FCC's "news distortion" policy after a complaint was filed. CBS had refused to release the unedited transcript until the FCC got involved. 

Last week, Trump’s legal team led by attorneys Ed Paltzik and Dan Epstein amended the original lawsuit after the release of the unedited transcript and raw footage of its controversial "60 Minutes" interview. The lawsuit added CBS News' parent company, Paramount Global, as a defendant, citing how the "60 Minutes" election special was platformed on its Paramount+ streaming service. The lawsuit added Rep. Ronny Jackson, R-Texas, as a plaintiff and increased the damages claim to $20 billion.

CBS parent company Paramount Global is reportedly considering settling the suit ahead of a planned merger with Skydance Media in hopes of preventing potential retribution by Trump's FCC, which has the authority to halt the multibillion-dollar transaction. Redstone is reportedly in favor of settling with the president. 

The case against CBS and Paramount Global is one of the many legal fronts, criminal and civil, being coordinated by Trump’s Senior Counsel Boris Epshteyn.

Fox News Digital’s Joseph A. Wulfsohn contributed to this report. 

Republican and Independent voters in a Fox News Digital focus group reacted positively to President Donald Trump's executive actions targeting transgender ideology in America's sports and other institutions.

The focus group of 156 voters across the political aisle watched a video clip of the president signing his executive order, "Keeping men out of women's sports," on February 5.

Trump said, "Actions were taken today are the latest in a sweeping effort to reclaim our culture and our laws from the radical left crusade against biological reality."

"On day one, I made it official, and I'm making it official policy of the United States government that there is, you know, two genders. We have two genders. What might they be? Man and woman, Right? Male and female. Male and female. Can't think of too many others, but it's pretty amazing."

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"I rescinded federal funds too, and this is so important, to any program that promotes transgender ideology using taxpayer dollars. We're not going to do it. We're not going to do it. And last week I effectively banned the chemical castration and surgical mutilation of minor children."

After Trump referred to two genders and his action to strip federal funding for transgender surgeries, Democratic voters' approval remained steady, but Republican and Independent voters' approval steadily climbed, according to the Fox News Dial.

President of Maslansky + Partners Lee Carter, who conducted the focus group for Fox News Digital, remarked, "Even Democrats mostly agree!"

"For anyone who is hysterical and thinks this resonates because people are transphobic – that is not it at all," she added.

NEW POLL SHOWS WHAT AMERICANS THINK OF TRUMP'S RECORD-SETTING FIRST 3 WEEKS

"People believe a few things: 1. Children need to be children. 2. If you are too young to have a beer or get a tattoo you are too young to make this decision. 3. Common Sense needs to prevail. 4. Our tax money shouldn’t fund it," Carter continued.

One focus group member said, "Finally, something that makes sense. Taking away government money for things we shouldn't be involved in was one of the best things Trump has ever done."

The group also reacted to a video of Trump discussing his initial executive orders challenging diversity, equity and inclusion ("DEI") and gender ideology in American institutions during a speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos on January 23. 

"With the recent yet somewhat unexpected great Supreme Court decision just made, America will once again become a merit-based country," Trump said. "You have to hear that word merit-based country."

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"And I've made it official, an official policy of the United States that there are only two genders, male and female, and we will have no men participating in women's sports and transgender operations, which, became the rage will occur very rarely. Finally, as we restore common sense in America, we're moving quickly to bring back strength and peace and stability abroad," he continued.

Republican and Independent voters' approval shot up when Trump brought up making America once again a "merit-based country." After he declared a ban on male athletes in women's sports and transgender medical operations, both groups' approval steadily increased.

Democratic voters' approval remained level, dipping slightly during his remarks about gender ideology, according to a Fox News Dial.

Carter found the groups' reaction "fascinating."

"Look at the strength of reactions to ‘merit-based’ and ‘common sense’," she remarked.

One focus group member said, "He may be a rude dude, but I love his thoughts and how much common sense he is making! Love this!"

A total of 156 voters participated in the Fox News Digital focus group. Seventy-five Democratic voters participated, along with 49 Republican voters and 32 Independent voters.

Trump has signed 63 executive orders since his inauguration, according to a count from Fox News, which far surpasses the rate of any presidential predecessors during their first weeks in office.

According to a Marquette Law School Poll national survey released on Wednesday, Trump's most popular executive action with Americans is his order having the federal government recognize only two sexes — male and female. 

Sixty-three percent of adults nationwide supported the move, with just 37% opposed, the survey indicates.

Fox News' Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.

"The View" co-host Joy Behar went on a rant about where America got its name on Thursday as the co-hosts discussed President Donald Trump renaming the Gulf of Mexico. 

"This country that we're in was settled by indigenous people, right? And yet they named the country after an Italian White man, Amerigo Vespucci. That's what America is named after, Amerigo Vespucci, a White European," she said.

"Why was it named after a White man if it was settled by indigenous people?" Behar continued.

The co-hosts discussed the Trump White House barring the Associated Press from an event at the Oval Office on Tuesday for the outlet's refusal to use the term "Gulf of America" in accordance with President Trump’s executive order renaming the body of water between the United States and Mexico.

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Co-host Sara Haines said the renaming of bodies of water was relatively common. 

"The body of water south of China, which much of the world calls the South China Sea, China calls it South Sea, Vietnam calls it Eastern Sea and the Philippines has designated parts of it the West Philippines Sea," she said. "So it happens."

Behar then made the argument that Trump shouldn't be focused on renaming the body of water. 

"But why does he care about it when the prices are going up on the eggs?" she said. "People did not vote to rename the Gulf of Mexico."

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"Plastic straws and the Gulf of America, give me a break," the liberal co-host added.

AP Executive Editor Julie Pace said the outlet was barred from attending a White House signing of executive orders by Trump.

"It is alarming that the Trump administration would punish AP for its independent journalism," Pace said in a statement. "Limiting our access to the Oval Office based on the content of AP’s speech not only severely impedes the public’s access to independent news, it plainly violates the First Amendment."

Co-host Alyssa Farah Griffin said she didn't have a problem with the renaming, and argued it was more inclusive.

"I don’t hate renaming the Gulf of America, and I’m going to tell you why. It’s a more inclusive term. It is North America, Mexico and the United States are part of the Americas. It would be petty if he called it the ‘Gulf of the United States,’" she said. "These are the things Donald Trump does to trigger reaction from the media."

Fox News' Alexa Moutevelis and David Spector contributed to this report.

Federal Communication Commission (FCC) chairman Brendan Carr has opened an investigation into diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) practices at Comcast and NBCUniversal.

Carr wants to ensure that Comcast, which owns multiple assets including NBCUniversal, is not promoting unfair forms of discrimination in violation of FCC regulations and civil rights laws. Carr, who was selected to serve as FCC chairman by President Trump, said the administration has already taken quick and decisive actions to root out the scourge of DEI. 

"President Trump is leading America away from the scourge of invidious DEI discrimination and ensuring that everyone in this country has a fair shot at succeeding. Discriminatory DEI programs cannot be squared with this country’s civil rights laws and following President Trump’s leadership the FCC will ensure that every company we regulate ends illegal DEI programs," Carr told Fox News Digital. 

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Carr sent a lengthy letter to Comcast CEO Brian Roberts on Tuesday, informing the Philadelphia-based company’s top executive of the probe.

"I am writing to inform you that I have asked the FCC’s Enforcement Bureau to open an investigation into Comcast and NBCUniversal. In particular, I want to ensure that your companies are not promoting invidious forms of discrimination in violation of FCC regulations and civil rights laws," Carr wrote in the letter obtained by Fox News Digital. 

"As you know, the Communications Act and Commission rules prohibit regulated entities—like Comcast and NBCUniversal—from discriminating on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, age, or gender. Indeed, the FCC’s longstanding Equal Employment Opportunity or EEO rules set forth specific requirements that both Comcast and NBCUniversal must adhere to," the letter continued. "Nonetheless, I am concerned that Comcast and NBCUniversal may be promoting invidious forms of DEI in a manner that does not comply with FCC regulations."

Carr then noted that Comcast promotes DEI as "a core value of our business" online and public reports state that the company has an entire "DEI infrastructure" that includes annual "DEI day[s]," "DEI training for company leaders" and other similar initiatives.

"NBCUniversal has similar DEI initiatives, including executives specifically dedicated to promoting DEI across the TV and programming side of the business," Carr wrote. 

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"But promoting invidious forms of discrimination cannot be squared with any reasonable interpretation of federal law. It can only deprive Americans of their rights to fair and equal treatment under the law," he continued. "Despite the emergence of DEI initiatives in recent years, these forms of discrimination have long been condemned by America’s civil rights laws."

Carr noted that the Supreme Court has stated "distinctions between citizens solely because of their ancestry are by their very nature odious to a free people whose institutions are founded upon the doctrine of equality" and has written that racial classifications "threaten to stigmatize individuals by reason of their membership in a racial group and to incite racial hostility." 

Carr added that Trump has already "issued an Executive Order that will end the radical and wasteful DEI programs that have spread across the federal government" and issued another executive order to "end illegal discrimination and restore merit-based opportunity across the private sector." 

"At my direction, the FCC has already taken action to end its own promotion of DEI. As a next step, the FCC will be taking fresh action to ensure that every entity the FCC regulates complies with the civil rights protections enshrined in the Communications Act and the agency’s EEO rules, including by shutting down any programs that promote invidious forms of DEI discrimination," Carr wrote. 

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"I am starting this broader effort with Comcast and NBCUniversal for two reasons. First, as noted above, there is substantial evidence that your companies are still engaging in the promotion of DEI. Second, your companies cover a range of sectors regulated by the FCC—from cable to high-speed Internet and from broadcast TV stations to MVNO wireless offerings," Carr continued. "Therefore, I expect that this investigation into Comcast and its NBCUniversal operations will aid the Commission’s broader efforts to root out invidious forms of DEI discrimination across all of the sectors the FCC regulates."

Comcast provided Fox News Digital with the following statement: "We have received an inquiry from the Federal Communications Commission and will be cooperating with the FCC to answer their questions. For decades, our company has been built on a foundation of integrity and respect for all of our employees and customers."

Carr was previously the senior Republican member of the FCC, first nominated to the commission by Trump in 2017.

CNN's Anderson Cooper clashed with former GOP Gov. Chris Sununu on Tuesday over the Department of Government Efficiency's (DOGE) findings, as the CNN host accused Sununu of putting words in his mouth.

"It’s 23 days in here, guys, 23 days. You’re talking about 2.3 billion that was saved last year. These guys are saving 2.3 billion a day," Sununu said after praising President Donald Trump and Elon Musk for transparency. "It’s all going to come because what they also said was, if we have to go to Congress, we’ll go to Congress. We’ll show where it is."

Musk, the head of DOGE, has been focused on determining areas of federal funding waste. Musk spoke to reporters from the Oval Office on Tuesday and emphasized cutting federal spending was "essential."

"He’s giving very specific things, but he’s not actually giving any evidence of that," Cooper pushed back. "But some of the details that have come out like the $59 million spent on luxury hotels. It’s actually not." 

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"You’re talking about the FEMA money that was abused for migrants. That was FEMA money for migrants. That’s okay now?" Sununu shot back.

Cooper said he didn't think it was okay and told Sununu, "Don’t put words in my mouth."

The former New Hampshire governor asked Cooper if he would stop that process. 

"Don’t be a d--k. What I’m saying is the portrayal by him is just not factually accurate. He’s talking about luxury hotels," he said, shaking his head. 

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Alyssa Farah Griffin, a CNN commentator and co-host of "The View," interjected and said, "I think the issue, too, is these are congressionally appropriated funds. I think you and I, as conservatives, could look for a lot of things in the federal budget we would be more than happy to see done away with. But I think that there have been things that have been presented as one thing and then turn out to be something very different."

Later in the show, Cooper apologized to Sununu. 

"I was mean, I was rude to you," Cooper said, surprising the GOP governor. "I don't know why I said that."

"Are you kidding?" Sununu responded. "I grew up with seven brothers and sisters, and I’m a Sununu."

The historic Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) organization denied a motion by local members to restrict biological males who identify as transgender from joining its ranks over the weekend. 

The DAR, which currently allows natal males to join its chapters across the country, has pointed to the policy as a necessity for DAR to maintain its tax-exempt status. A local chapter in Texas challenged that premise with the help of the Center for American Liberty (CAL), but the DAR National Board of Management (NBOM) rejected the proposal to national bylaws in a vote on Saturday.  

Laura McDonald, member of the Martha Laird DAR Chapter which proposed the change, told Fox News Digital that she is disappointed, but not discouraged.

"The rejection by the National Board of Management of our proposal to define a woman in our bylaws sadly confirms what we knew all along – that leadership is taking a political stance which is not based on fears of the loss of 501(c)(3) nonprofit status," she said. "We are indebted to The Center for American Liberty for their help in exposing this truth. We will continue fighting for the Truth."

In January, CAL drafted a letter to DAR leadership, arguing that the policy to exclude natal men, including natal men who identify as women, from membership eligibility is both lawful and would not jeopardize the DAR’s status as a tax-exempt nonprofit, according to a memorandum reviewed by Fox News Digital. In September 2024, the Martha Laird Chapter, along with the endorsement of 11 other chapters, submitted a proposed bylaw amendment to prohibit all men, including trans-identifying men, from DAR membership eligibility. 

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"A woman is defined as a biological female at conception, having naturally occurring X chromosomes, exclusive of Y chromosomes, and certified as female or girl on the original birth certificate," the proposed bylaw read. "NSDAR and its chapters may not discriminate against an eligible applicant."

McDonald said her chapter has another proposal ready that they will vote on at their next meeting in March. 

"The language of the new proposal will accommodate the concerns the NBOM addressed in their rejection letter," she said. "We are looking forward to this process again in the coming year – our goal is to Restore our Iconic, Historic and once prestigious American Institution founded by women, for women and we intend to see it through."

According to a copy of the rejection letter shared with Fox News Digital, the NBOM found the proposed amendments "not to be suitable for inclusion in the bylaws and not to be in the best interests of the Society," adding that it "rejected the proposed amendments in their entirety" and that they will not be forwarded to the 134th Continental Congress.

The letter also said the DAR will continue to rely on its "long-standing policy" to accept state-certified birth certificates and will not introduce requirements for chromosomal DNA tests to establish an applicant's sex.

"We will continue doing this every year until we at least get a vote at the Continental Congress," McDonald previously told Fox News Digital. "That's the only fair and transparent way to handle this."

CAL argued, on behalf of the Martha Laird DAR Chapter in Texas, that members of the organization have a First Amendment right to exclude trans-identifying men from eligibility. 

"To the extent state and local public accommodation statutes may be interpreted to require the DAR to admit trans-identifying men, such a requirement would likely violate the DAR’s First Amendment rights if the DAR determined that such a requirement would interfere with its ability to advance its intended message," the memorandum reads. 

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Additionally, they argue that while nonprofits run the risk of losing their nonprofit status if they act in a way that is illegal or contrary to "national public policy," it is unlikely that the DAR, a genealogical association that limits membership to natal females, violates national public policy.

"To the best of our knowledge, the IRS has never revoked a sex-based organization’s nonprofit status based on the fact that the organization excluded trans-identifying men from membership eligibility," the memorandum reads. "Moreover, the DAR currently excludes men who do not identify as transgender from eligibility." 

The DAR was founded in 1890 as a place for women who share a commitment to honoring Revolutionary War patriots and promoting historical preservation, as they couldn't join their male counterparts in the Sons of the American Revolution. Members famously must trace their lineage to those who helped fight in the war for American independence. 

"The fact that we've excluded men since our founding… we should have lost our nonprofit status a long time ago or never even obtained it to begin with," McDonald said. 

In June 2024, former DAR member Brenda Becker spoke with Fox News Digital about her resignation from the organization in protest following the bylaw amendment that said chapters cannot "discriminate against an eligible applicant based on race, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law," leading to criticism that biological men identifying as transgender women could be part of the group. But the DAR has claimed that was already the case. 

"This literally is the epitome of gaslighting because, first of all, they tell members that nothing has changed in their admissions process from the beginning when we were founded in 1890, that only women are eligible for membership," McDonald said. "But, then they go on to say that a man who claims he's a woman is a woman, and therefore he's eligible for membership. But if you are a man that doesn't claim to be a woman, you're not eligible for membership." 

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The updated language was criticized for its vagueness, with some members expressing confusion last year over whether this would mean transgender women could join. In a document titled "Answers to Frequently Asked Member Questions Regarding Transgender Women in DAR," which was shared with Fox News Digital, the organization's leadership affirmed that transgender members were permitted to join.

Since the organization announced the amendment during DAR’s 2023 Continental Congress, over 500 members and former members of the DAR have sent nearly 3,000 messages to DAR leadership expressing discontent with the bylaw change, according to the New Tolerance Campaign (NTC). Members against the change argue that unless the bylaws are reversed, they will be forced to share changing rooms, restrooms and hotel rooms with biological males.

Becker told Fox News Digital she and other women feel like they are being deceived, and added it was ironic that one can join the DAR using an altered birth certificate when membership is contingent on accurate biographical records. McDonald added that this was especially important because the organization hasn't typically allowed any altered birth certificates to act as verification for admission. 

"If I were to adopt a little girl right now, she could not use her altered birth certificate to get into the DAR, using my line, my biological line," McDonald explained. "She would have to go dig up her original birth certificate and jump through all these other hoops that other applicants don't, to prove her biological line."

Fox News Digital reached out to DAR for comment. 

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OpenAI CEO Sam Altman commended Vice President JD Vance's artificial intelligence (AI) speech in Paris on Tuesday while laying out his vision for how people can take advantage of the rapidly evolving technology at the same conference.

Altman and Vance appeared Tuesday at the AI Action Summit in Paris, where world leaders, top tech executives and policymakers teamed up to hash out tech policy and its intersection with global security, economics and governance.

During his remarks, Vance called for AI systems developed in the U.S. to remain free of "ideological bias" and vowed that the U.S. would "never restrict our citizens' right to free speech."

Vance also pushed for a "deregulatory flavor" to emerge at the conference while cautioning against the pitfalls of "excessive regulation" that could hamper a transformative industry. He also vowed that the U.S. would back pro-growth AI policies.

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"We believe that excessive regulation of the AI sector could kill a transformative industry just as it's taking off, and we'll make every effort to encourage pro-growth AI policies and I'd like to see that deregulatory flavor making its way into a lot of the conversations at this conference," the vice president said.

When asked about his advice to everyone trying to get in the AI race and advantage of new models, Altman told the conference there are two directions people can take to harness their capabilities.

"Vice President Vance said a lot of things that I really liked but one of them, a point that he hit a few times, was just the scale of the economic opportunity …. he used the phrase "lightning in a bottle" and I really think it's this moment – I think it was like a great a great phrase – we are in this moment that I've never seen before," he said.

Altman opined that perhaps the world was in a similar situation during the Industrial Revolution or the beginning of the internet but noted that there would be a massive economic impact as the cost of computers lowers and the monetary value of AI work increases.

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He pointed to software engineering agents as just one example of how companies can run better people and do "way more with way less."

Altman noted that the second direction is building consumer-facing and business-facing products that use AI in this fundamental way.

"Chat GPT is one example of that – a lot of other companies have done great stuff there. I think people should be imagining more than they are – I think a lot of people are still thinking about like last year's AI which was just much more limited, and what you can do now is like really quite remarkable," he added.

Other world leaders who attended the AI Action Summit include French President Emmanuel Macron, Indian Prime Minister Shri Modi and Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Guoqing.  

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During the event, Vance also issued a warning to other foreign governments about "tightening the screws" on U.S. tech companies with international footprints, claiming the Trump administration would not tolerate such limitations. He also cautioned against working with adversaries who have "weaponized A.I. software to rewrite history, surveil users and censor speech."

Vance's comments coincide with some recent actions from the Trump administration to advance AI in the U.S.

In January, Trump unveiled a new $500 billion AI infrastructure project called Stargate, a datacenter joint venture between investment holding company Softbank, and tech companies OpenAI and Oracle that Trump labeled the "largest AI infrastructure project in history."

The project includes an initial investment of $100 billion that is slated to grow to $500 billion over Trump's term in office and will build "colossal" data centers in the U.S. to power AI.

Fox News' Diana Stancy contributed to this report.

"The View" co-host Joy Behar called on Democrats to flood the airwaves by calling in to news shows, including their ABC talk show, to speak out against President Donald Trump. 

"Remember when Trump used to call in constantly, he was on this show, Barbara [Walters] interviewed him, and he called in on 'Morning Joe.' That is what they should be doing. Every time, they should be ambushing the airwaves, the Democrats, get off your butts and start doing it," Behar said. 

Behar also suggested Democrats needed their own version of Trump as members of the party continue to determine the best way forward. The co-hosts discussed whether Democratic leaders needed to be more provocative to gain traction with voters.

"It seems to be that you need a candidate that's like Trump on the left. Somebody who speaks the vernacular. He comes out there and might as well say I got a hemorrhoid today, and they like it. Because it’s real," she said. "They need something like that."

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Sunny Hostin chimed in and said, "I hope not," and Whoopi Goldberg argued that Democrats were speaking out against the president, citing Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., as well as some other members of the party.

"Not to media bash, but, you know, people keep saying, well, why aren’t we hearing from people? It’s not that we’re not hearing from Democrats. They’re out there. Jasmine Crockett is out there, AOC is out there, people are out, Chuck Schumer. We see Chuck Schumer. You’re not getting the coverage because to them, they’re boring," Goldberg said. 

"People are doing what they can do. They have a very slim minority, and they're doing what they can and they’re as vocal as they can be, but if you’re not getting the information, and you're not getting it the way you used to get all kinds of information, it's hard to back through," she added.

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Goldberg also asked Behar for examples of Democrats who should be calling into the news and doing interviews. 

Behar said former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas are good messengers for the party. 

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Goldberg insisted, "I'm telling you, they're out there doing it."

Behar then demanded Democrats to call into "The View" as they speak. 

The mother of Marc Fogel, an American who had been detained in Russia since 2021, is expressing relief and gratitude to President Donald Trump for securing his release Tuesday.

"(Trump) promised me he would get him out, and he kept his promise," Malphine Fogel told "America Reports." "I can't thank him enough." 

Marc Fogel, a history teacher who was working at the Anglo-American School in Moscow, is heading back to U.S. soil after Russia released him following talks with Trump administration officials. Fogel was serving a 14-year sentence after his arrest in August 2021 at a Russian airport for being in possession of drugs, which his family and supporters said were medically prescribed marijuana.

His mother, Malphine, met with Trump before his fateful rally in Butler, Pennsylvania last year, asking the then-presidential nominee to not forget her son’s name. He assured her that he would bring her son home. 

Now, Malphine is celebrating that fulfilled promise. 

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"I met with President Trump, and he was just as cordial as he could be," Malphine Fogel recalled of the Butler meeting. "He told me three different times, 'If I get in,' he said, 'I'll get him out' and I really think he's been instrumental." 

Besides wanting to thank Trump "profusely" for his work in bringing her son home, Malphine Fogel also expressed gratitude to Secretary of State Marco Rubio and others who worked on the case. 

She described the relief she felt after learning her son would soon be home.  

"It was a total surprise when he called, and he said he was in the Moscow airport," the joyous mom. "So, that meant that (they) had taken him out of the prison to Moscow. ... The last week or so, for some crazy reason, I had a better feeling about things, but I hadn't heard from him in a week, so I thought that was odd and when he called this morning, it was just a total shock." 

Fogel said her son will be "sore from all the hugs" he receives once he lands in the United States. 

"It's just an unbelievable situation right now," she said. "We're just waiting and waiting to get him into the U.S. I think the first thing he'll do is stoop down and kiss the ground." 

Fox News Digital's Greg Norman contributed to this report.

FIRST ON FOX -- President Trump scored a victory on Tuesday when a judge deemed CBS and Paramount’s dismissal complaint "moot" as his election interference and news distortion lawsuit moves forward. 

Trump filed a $10 billion lawsuit against CBS News in October, alleging election interference over its handling of the "60 Minutes" interview, accusing the network of aiding his Democratic rival through deceptive editing just days before the election. 

Last week, Trump’s legal team amended the original lawsuit following the release of the unedited transcript and raw footage of its controversial "60 Minutes" interview. The lawsuit added CBS News' parent company Paramount Global as a defendant, citing how the "60 Minutes" election special was platformed on its Paramount+ streaming service. Additionally, the lawsuit added Rep. Ronny Jackson, R-Texas, as a plaintiff and increased the damages claim to $20 billion. 

TRUMP'S LAWSUIT AGAINST CBS EXPANDS AFTER RELEASE OF '60 MINUTES' TRANSCRIPT, ADDS PARAMOUNT AS DEFENDANT

U.S. District Judge Matthew J. Kacsmaryk denied a motion from CBS and Paramount, who were seeking to dismiss for failing to state a claim and for improper venue. 

"Plaintiffs add a Defendant, a Plaintiff, and a litany of factual allegations and legal claims in their Amended Complaint. Accordingly, the Motions are denied as moot," Kacsmaryk ruled in a court filing obtained by Fox News Digital. 

CBS sought to dismiss the case because it believed Texas is an improper venue, with the case being transferred from Texas to New York as an alternative. Kacsmaryk’s moot ruling means it will remain in Texas for the time being. 

CBS and Paramount have 21 days to renew the motion to dismiss based on the amended complaint. 

CBS STAFFERS UPSET OVER ‘60 MINUTES’ DRAMA, ADMIT KAMALA HARRIS INTERVIEW EDITS WERE AN ‘UNFORCED ERROR’

Judge Kacsmaryk added, "Nothing in this Order shall be construed as a determination on the merits of either Plaintiffs’ or Defendants’ substantive arguments and claims in the Motions or Amended Complaint."

CBS News did not immediately respond to a request for comment. 

The victory for Trump comes as pressure continues to build on CBS. 

Last week, the FCC released the raw transcript and footage handed over by CBS News, which showed CBS News had aired only the first half of Harris' response to Whitaker's question about Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu not "listening" to the Biden administration in a preview clip that aired on "Face the Nation," but aired only the second half of her response during the primetime special. 

"But it seems that Prime Minister Netanyahu is not listening," Whitaker said in the October 2024 interview. "The Wall Street Journal said that he— that your administration has repeatedly been blindsided by Netanyahu, and in fact, he has rebuffed just about all of your administration's entreaties."

FCC CHAIR CALLS CBS NEWS' CONDUCT ‘HARD TO EXPLAIN’ FOLLOWING RELEASE OF KAMALA HARRIS INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPT

"Well, Bill, the work that we have done has resulted in a number of movements in that region by Israel that were very much prompted by, or a result of many things, including our advocacy for what needs to happen in the region. And we're not going to stop doing that. We are not going to stop pursuing what is necessary for the United States to be clear about where we stand on the need for this war to end," Harris responded.

New FCC chair Brendan Carr ordered CBS News to hand over the unedited transcript as part of its investigation into whether the network violated the FCC's "news distortion" policy after a complaint was filed.

In the preview clip that aired on "Face the Nation," Harris was asked why it seemed like Netanyahu wasn’t listening to the U.S. 

"Well, Bill, the work that we have done has resulted in a number of movements in that region by Israel that were very much prompted by, or a result of, many things, including our advocacy for what needs to happen in the region," Harris responded in the "Face the Nation" clip. 

Harris was mocked by conservatives for offering a lengthy "word salad" to Whitaker. But when that same question aired the following night in the primetime election special, a shorter, more focused answer from the vice president followed.

"We are not going to stop pursuing what is necessary for the United States to be clear about where we stand on the need for this war to end," Harris said in the primetime special. 

Critics accused CBS News of editing Harris' "word salad" answer to shield the vice president from further backlash, and there were calls for the network to release the full transcript after it only shared transcripts of what had aired. CBS News refused to release the raw transcript until the FCC got involved.

CBS parent company Paramount Global is reportedly considering settling the suit ahead of a planned merger with Skydance Media in hopes of preventing potential retribution by Trump's FCC, which has the authority to halt the multibillion-dollar transaction. Shari Redstone, Paramount’s controlling shareholder, is reportedly in favor of settling with the president. 

Fox News Digital’s Joseph A. Wulfsohn contributed to this report. 

Republican strategist Brad Todd called out CNN for not questioning whether former President Biden was laying the groundwork to defy court orders, as the panel went all in on President Trump's opposition to restraining orders against a couple of his executive actions. 

"This is not a new reality. Let’s rewind the tape. A couple of years ago, Joe Biden lost his plan for student loan forgiveness, if you will, at the Supreme Court. His quote was, ‘I will stop at nothing to do this.’ And he then proceeded to give up $48 billion of student loan debt in defiance of the Supreme Court," Todd said, as CNN host Jim Sciutto pushed back.

Several of the Trump administration's actions, such as the federal funding freeze and the barring of the Department of Government Efficiency's (DOGE) access to personal data, have been challenged by Democratic attorneys general and several states that took issue with the executive orders. Scuitto wondered whether the Trump administration was laying the groundwork to disobey any future court rulings with regard to his executive action.

ELON MUSK ALLEGES $50B IN FRAUD AT TREASURY AFTER JUDGE BLOCKS DOGE AUDIT

"When Joe Biden said ‘I will stop at nothing' when he lost the student loan case, we didn‘t get on television and CNN didn‘t say, ‘I wonder if he’s laying the groundwork to defy the court.’ We don’t, we treat Republican presidents different than we treat Democratic presidents in this conversation," he added following more discussion from the panel.

Paul Engelmayer, U.S. District Judge for the Southern District of New York and an appointee of former President Barack Obama, issued a temporary restraining order on Saturday that sided with 19 Democratic state attorneys general who claimed that giving DOGE "full access" to the Treasury’s payment systems violates the law.

U.S. District Judge John McConnell also filed a new motion Monday ordering the Trump administration to comply with a restraining order issued Jan. 31, temporarily blocking the administration’s efforts to pause federal grants and loans. 

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Sciutto asked CNN legal analyst Elliot Williams to respond to Todd's argument, calling the idea that Biden did the same thing a "talking point."

"Certainly, I will give the president this. He has every right to challenge orders. He has every right to say the courts are wrong. He has every right to vindicate his rights. But when both he and JD Vance are making the argument that, well, there will come a day when we simply will not adhere to court orders, that to me is the big problem," Williams responded.

Todd brought up Biden's commission to look at expanding the court and accused the former president and the Democratic Party of trying to undermine the integrity of the Supreme Court for several years.

CNN contributor Alex Thompson argued that Trump was "doing something new" in trying to push the "limits of executive order."

"Like Barack Obama did with the waters of the United States and the clean power plan and Joe Biden did the student loan act, presidents advancing executive policy to get to the Supreme Court and test the limits is as old as the presidency, this is not extraordinary," he said.

Williams agreed with Todd's argument. 

Fox News' Diana Stancy and Emma Colton contributed to this report.

Indigenous Canadian star Buffy Sainte-Marie lost one of the most prestigious honors for a civilian after an investigation found she might not have been Indigenous after all.

In 2023, Canadian Broadcasting Corp. (CBC) News conducted an investigation into Sainte-Marie based on public records and interviews, including with estranged family members of the singer-songwriter. The 82-year-old icon has said she was born in the Piapot First Nation in Saskatchewan and adopted as an infant by a White family in Massachusetts, but her birth certificate says she was born as Beverly Jean Santamaria to parents of Italian and English ancestry in the U.S.

The news organization obtained several documents that seemed to confirm the allegation, including Sainte-Marie’s birth certificate which says she was born as a White female in Stoneham, Massachusetts to Albert and Winifred Santamaria in 1941.

WOMAN WHO FAKED NATIVE AMERICAN HERITAGE RESIGNS FROM WISCONSIN UNIVERSITY RESIDENCY

Though Sainte-Marie repeatedly criticized the investigation as an attack against her, the Canadian government’s official publication, the Canada Gazette, announced that her appointment to the Order of Canada had been rescinded.

"Notice is hereby given that the appointment of Buffy Sainte-Marie to the Order of Canada was terminated by Ordinance signed by the Governor General on January 3, 2025," the Gazette published on Saturday.

Fox News Digital reached out to Sainte-Marie for a comment but has yet to receive a response.

NATIVE ACTIVISTS ACCUSE HOLLYWOOD PRODUCER OF FAKING CHEROKEE BACKGROUND

Sainte-Marie was appointed to the Order of Canada in 1997. She was also considered the first Indigenous Oscar winner after winning an Academy Award for Best Original Song for co-writing the song "Up Where We Belong" from the 1982 film "An Officer and a Gentleman."

Shortly after the investigation in 2023, Sainte-Marie released a lengthy statement calling the investigation "full of mistakes and omissions" based on a story "fabricated by [her] abuser and repeated by two members of [her] estranged family."

She also argued that it was "common" for birth certificates to be "created" by western governments for Indigenous children after they were adopted.

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"If you are a pure-blood documented something, I’m glad for you. It’s awesome and beautiful to hear you speak your lineage, history and genealogy. But even if your documentation says you’re racially pure, you might miss the point. Being an 'Indian' has little to do with sperm tracking and colonial record keeping: It has to do with community, culture, knowledge, teachings, who claims you, who you love, who loves you, and who’s your family," Sainte-Marie wrote.

FIRST ON FOX: Republicans lawmakers are renewing efforts to gut federal funding to NPR and PBS amid the Trump administration’s upheaval of the federal bureaucracy.

Rep. Claudia Tenney, R-N.Y., is leading a bill in the House of Representatives that would halt taxpayer dollars from going to either media broadcaster and reroute existing federal funds to reducing the national debt, according to legislative text previewed by Fox News Digital.

"As a former newspaper owner and publisher, I understand the vital role of balanced, non-partisan media. Unfortunately, these taxpayer-funded outlets have chosen advocacy over accuracy, using public dollars to promote a political agenda rather than report the facts," Tenney told Fox News Digital.

SCOOP: KEY CONSERVATIVE CAUCUS DRAWS RED LINE ON HOUSE BUDGET PLAN

The legislation’s Senate counterpart is being led by Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, who told Fox News Digital, "Americans have hundreds of sources of news and commentary, and they don’t need politically biased, taxpayer-funded media choosing what they should see and hear. PBS and NPR are free to compete in the marketplace of ideas using donations, but their public subsidy should end."

Republicans have long targeted NPR and PBS, accusing both outlets of sharing a liberal bias while receiving government funding.

Less than 1% of NPR's funding comes directly from the federal government, though other funding comes indirectly from grants and dollars allocated to local member stations who then pay fees back to NPR. More than a third of its funding comes from corporate sponsorships.

PBS also gets a mix of federal funds through other avenues.

However, the GOP's demands to end federal allocations to both outlets now come at a time when the executive branch is fervently searching for places to block government spending that does not align with the Trump administration's agenda.

Elon Musk, who is leading Trump's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) initiative, has been critical of NPR in the past.

"Defund NPR. It should survive on its own," Musk wrote on his X platform earlier this month.

'WE'RE THE GOLD STANDARD': GOP LAWMAKER CALLS FOR CONGRESSIONAL HEARING OVER DC PLANE CRASH

Soon after he acquired X, Musk briefly hit NPR with a "State-Affiliated" media label, which is normally reserved for the media arm of authoritarian governments.

Tenney's bill is one of multiple efforts targeting NPR and PBS during this Congress. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., who chairs the DOGE subcommittee under the House Oversight Committee, said she wants the heads of each organization to come testify before her new panel.

Podcaster Joe Rogan blasted the Democratic Party for failing to learn from its historic defeat in November. 

While some Democrats have responded to the election loss as a time for reflection as a political movement, others appear committed to their ideology. Rogan and writer Bridget Phetasy spoke about how the Democratic Party is continually shedding more and more people who feel its ideology has gone off the rails.

The podcast host argued that predictions about a red wave during the Biden administration may not have become true during the midterms, but in the general presidential election, "That red wave happened."

JOE ROGAN CHEERS USAID SHUTDOWN WEEDING OUT ‘WEIRD, SHADY S---’ IN THE GOVERNMENT

Phetasy noted that there have been multiple waves of people leaving the Democratic Party, saying that she even saw people doing so the previous day. She marveled, "How are you guys still shedding people?"

"They’re gonna keep shedding people," Rogan said. "They’re not going to correct course." He went on to argue that Democrats are still operating as if they had unchecked domination of both media and social media. 

"They're not course-correcting at all. You know, they're saying stupid s---. It's all nonsense," he said. "Their understanding of social media and the dynamics and that you set up by having completely state-controlled mainstream media, where they only said the narratives that you guys wanted. They all said it in step. So you could watch different programs repeat the exact same words, exact same phrases."

DEMOCRATS ELECT NEW CHAIR WHO BRANDED TRUMP A 'TRAITOR' AS PARTY AIMS TO REBOUND FROM DISASTROUS 2024 ELECTION

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Now, he said, "We know you’ve got talking points, we don’t trust you anymore. We don’t trust The New York Times. We don’t trust The Washington Post. We don’t trust CNN or MSNBC. They’re all full with propaganda." 

He derided the left-wing narrative that their defeat was driven by mysterious donors stirring uprisings online, but rather because, "You guys suck, you guys f---ing suck, and you’re not real people," adding, "Nobody wants to hang out with Brian Stelter."

CNN analyst Mark Preston blasted the "crazy" idea by some Democrats to initiate a partial government shutdown to protest President Donald Trump’s spending cuts.

While closing a "CNN News Central" segment on Monday, co-host Boris Sanchez remarked on how Democrats are now paving the way to shut down the government despite repeatedly warning against them in the past.

Considering the Democratic Party has recently been attacking the Trump administration’s efforts to scale back the government, Preston exclaimed the idea made "no sense politically."

"Crazy talk to do that," Preston said. "How can you argue for a government shutdown when you‘re arguing about government being cut? I don‘t understand that. I mean, it makes no sense politically to me, anyway. But what do I know?"

DEMOCRATIC LEADERS STRUGGLE TO DEFINE THE PARTY, WAY FORWARD AFTER HARRIS LOSS: 'NO COHERENT MESSAGE'

Earlier in the show, Preston admitted Trump is likely beating the Democrats in terms of political messaging surrounding government spending cuts.

"Let‘s just take a step back and think about what the American people think about Washington, D.C.," Preston said. "They think very little about Washington, D.C., right? So when they see President Trump going in there and you see Elon Musk going in there and saying, ‘I’ve just cut $17 million.’ He just said he cut a $17 million grant to teach, I don‘t know, tax advice in Liberia. Guess what? The person out in Kansas certainly doesn‘t care about what‘s going on in Liberia right now."

He continued, "So as far as the everyday American, whether it‘s Elon Musk who‘s cutting the money here or the bureaucrats who have been here for all these years doing it, it‘s all the same to them. And that‘s how Trump is trying to frame it."

Preston emphasized that Democrats "need to get it together" if they want to enact their political agenda and reclaim public approval.

"When Cory Booker was on with Dana Bash yesterday on ‘State of the Union,’ he gave a multi-pronged approach about how Democrats were going to take on Trump. The number one idea was the legal strategy. Okay, that should happen, but that should just happen. Number two, legislative and oversight. They don‘t have any oversight because Republicans control Congress. And then he wanted to put someone on the media," Preston said.

"And it is incumbent upon us to explain what is happening in the grander scope, not just 'Boom, boom, boom, this just happened. This just happened. This just happened.' Take a step back," he added.

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Sen. Andy Kim, D-N.J., notably floated the idea of a shutdown on NBC News' "Meet The Press" Sunday.

"This is on them. This is about whether or not they can get the votes. They are the majority. And if they cannot govern, then that's for the American people to see," Kim said.

"I've worked through multiple government shutdowns. I will be the last person to want to get to that stage. But we are at a point where we are basically on the cusp of a constitutional crisis, seeing this administration taking steps that are so clearly illegal. And until we see a change in that behavior, we should not allow and condone that, nor should we assist in that."

The next government funding deadline is March 15.

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Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., faced widespread mockery after launching a tipline to "expose corruption, abuses of power, and threats to public safety."

On Monday, Schumer shared a link calling on "whistleblowers" to report violations, arguing they "are a vital part of Congressional oversight to hold the administration accountable." The categories whistleblowers can report include "retaliation," "wasteful spending," "fraud," "criminal activity," and "other."

"Today, I’m calling on our brave public servants," the Senate Majority Leader wrote as he shared the tipline form on X. "I’m launching a new portal for anyone who wants to expose corruption, abuses of power, and threats to public safety with the legal protections of being a whistleblower."

The new project was shredded by a wide variety of commentators online.

SCHUMER MOCKED FOR CORONA AND GUAC CLIP WARNING TRUMP TARIFFS WILL HURT SUPER BOWL PARTIES: 'NOT GOOD AT THIS'

"We already have that… it’s called DOGE," comedian Tim Young quipped.

Tesla-founder Elon Musk joked, "Look into this Schumer guy, he’s definitely done crime!"

"Great! I wanna report: Joe Biden. Kamala Harris. Chuck Schumer," Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, replied. "And the entire corrupt Democrat party that weaponized & abused the federal government for the past four years."

While some commentators shared a video of Schumer's failed Father's Day photo-op where he appeared to not know how to properly grill a burger, others called out far more serious aspects of his political past. 

Many commentators recalled when Schumer issued a warning to Supreme Court Justices Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh in 2020, during a rally held as the court heard arguments in a high-profile abortion case. 

"I want to tell you, Gorsuch. I want to tell you, Kavanaugh. You have released the whirlwind and you will pay the price!" Schumer warned. "You won’t know what hit you if you go forward with these awful decisions."

Judicial Network president Carrie Severino noted his mention of "’Threats to public safety...’" and wrote, "This is rich coming from Senator Schumer, who stood on the steps of the Supreme Court and threatened Justices Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh, saying they would ‘pay the price’ for exercising judicial review."

CHUCK SCHUMER MOCKED BY LATE-NIGHT HOSTS FOR RECENT ATTEMPTS TO SLAM TRUMP

"I have someone to report, pictured here at the Supreme Court threatening Justices Kavanaugh and Gorsuch," Fox News’ Katie Pavlich said.

The Federalist editor-in-chief Mollie Z, Hemingway responded with a screenshot of a lengthy report she was filing using the tipline to call out Schumer for either "retaliation" or "criminal activity."

"Wild that you’re recruiting government employees involved in the corruption to target the people exposing the corruption," market analyst and political commentator Jeff Carlson wrote. "Public Servant is a pretentious term for people who went into government because they knew the graft pays well."

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The "thirty years war" of "new media" versus legacy media began almost 40 years ago when the Federal Communications Commission ended the absurdist "fairness doctrine" and Rush Limbaugh built the talk radio mall which I’ve been happy to have a prime location in since. The FCC ended the rule in 1987 and Rush launched his nationally syndicated program in 1988, and thus began the Long March of the new media against legacy media.

Before Rush, there was William F. Buckley and his National Review magazine and "Firing Line" television show and the editorial pages of the Wall Street Journal. R. Emmett Tyrell launched The American Spectator. Regnery Publishing helped launch a thousand ships, but the legacy broadcast networks and big papers were all at first liberal and then left-wing, and the government subsidized media of NPR and PBS were overwhelmingly the same way. (If the budget/reconciliation package fails to completely defund both, it is a failure out of the gate. Whatever was the original argument for both and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, it is no longer persuasive and money to all three is money in support of the American left.)

There are two kinds of "new media": old and new. Old new media includes talk radio, and the first generation of bloggers which appeared more than two decades ago, e.g. Instapundit and Powerline. The disintermediation of legacy media from their reading and watching audiences thus began before 2005 and has only accelerated since.

Now the variety and depth of "new" new media astonishes. There is actually no reason to watch a legacy network that is biased. If you want the pure left wing point-of-view, flip over to MSNBC. Everything else among the old brands is just watered down MSNBC, but run by folks who believe in the MSNBC world view.

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No matter your tastes or age, there is a cornucopia of new media choices available to you. Fox News, both broadcast and online, is the backbone of the new media ecosystem and talk radio remains a force of considerable and expanding reach.  

New broadcast networks like the Salem News Channel exist to provide choice on the center-right to right, and the new force majeure on the media landscape is podcasting. My own diet of pods runs from the PG—National Review’s "The Editors" and "The McCarthy Report"—to the PG-13—"Getting Hammered" with Mary Katharine Ham and Vic Matus to the "Commentary" podcast and "Call Me Back" with Dan Senor—and the R-rated—"Ruthless" and "The Megyn Kelly Show"—and that’s just the pods aimed at least in part at the 40+ demo.

TRUMP VOTERS TELL ABC HOST THEY'RE PLEASED WITH THE PRESIDENT'S ACTIONS SO FAR

Barron Trump and Alex Bruesewitz both famously helped guide President Trump to the enormous online audiences under 35 that devote hardly a second to legacy media but which consume pods by the scores of hours.

Now legacy media is crumbling, simply fading away, with audiences declining and subscriptions plummeting and advertising revenue shaky. The folks who buy advertising long ago realized their budgets go much further with both old new media and new new media. Because the universe of potential audience has sought out those new platforms. They are not operating out of habit. They are cutting cords.

Repurposing predictable, biased content into different types of displays, churning out newsletters with last generation columnists, reconfiguring deck chairs on sinking chairs—all of it doomed. Puzzles and recipes have saved the New York Times but how long until advertising wants only the puzzles and recipes and subscribers figure out there are a lot of free puzzles and recipes to be had.

It’s a death spiral. Rush launched it. It has slowly accelerated and now the speed has reached new levels—and will continue to accelerate.

Hugh Hewitt is host of "The Hugh Hewitt Show," heard weekday mornings 6am to 9am ET on the Salem Radio Network, and simulcast on Salem News Channel. Hugh wakes up America on over 400 affiliates nationwide, and on all the streaming platforms where SNC can be seen. He is a frequent guest on the Fox News Channel’s news roundtable hosted by Bret Baier weekdays at 6pm ET. A son of Ohio and a graduate of Harvard College and the University of Michigan Law School, Hewitt has been a Professor of Law at Chapman University’s Fowler School of Law since 1996 where he teaches Constitutional Law. Hewitt launched his eponymous radio show from Los Angeles in 1990.  Hewitt has frequently appeared on every major national news television network, hosted television shows for PBS and MSNBC, written for every major American paper, has authored a dozen books and moderated a score of Republican candidate debates, most recently the November 2023 Republican presidential debate in Miami and four Republican presidential debates in the 2015-16 cycle. Hewitt focuses his radio show and his column on the Constitution, national security, American politics and the Cleveland Browns and Guardians. Hewitt has interviewed tens of thousands of guests from Democrats Hillary Clinton and John Kerry to Republican Presidents George W. Bush and Donald Trump over his 40 years in broadcast, and this column previews the lead story that will drive his radio/ TV show today.

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Sometimes truth is stranger than fiction. 

It's an old adage, one Kevin Costner says holds especially true in the story of the untamed American frontier.

The "Field of Dreams" and "Dances with Wolves" legend brings this idea to life in "Yellowstone to Yosemite," a new three-part Fox Nation series that explores how a seemingly unrelated string of events set the stage for one of the most pivotal moments in American history.

"It's a story about a confluence of tragic events separated by time and space intersecting in a seemingly impossible manner. And somehow something incredible came out of all of it," Costner explained.

"A young boy suffering from severe asthma, a president's assassination, a horrible accident at a wagon wheel factory – unrelated events in most people's minds, but they all needed to happen for this story to unfold, for two men to come together for three days out in the wild. Three days that would change America forever…"

FOX NATION TO PREMIERE ‘YELLOWSTONE TO YOSEMITE’ WITH KEVIN COSTNER

"That's a story worth telling, don't you think?"

Costner teamed up with the Fox Nation platform for "Yellowstone to Yosemite" following the success of his breakout hit, "Yellowstone: One-Fifty."

Through the Hollywood legend's distinctive perspective, the new series traces the footsteps of President Teddy Roosevelt and environmental advocate John Muir's pivotal 1903 Yosemite expedition.

In the process, he brings to life the story of America's indigenous legacy, the outsiders that came along and how Muir became a crusader for America's wildest places.

"Two men embark on a camping trip. These two men have never met before. They pushed through heavy snow, get soaked with rain and wash down steaks with hot coffee," he explained.

'HORIZON' DIRECTOR KEVIN COSTNER GRATEFUL ‘GOD ALLOWED’ HIM TO MAKE EPIC MOVIE DESPITE MASSIVE PERSONAL RISKS

"They didn't set out to change America, but what they dreamed up around the campfire – some might call it ingenious. Others might say cunning. But, boy, did it work."

The elements of the tale, all essential to preserving the captivating story of the American frontier, led to America's more structured National Park System today – 150 National Forests, five National Parks, along with the preservation and protection of 230 million acres of land.

The series debuted on the Fox Nation platform over the weekend, with new episodes dropping each week.

To experience "Yellowstone to Yosemite" firsthand, sign up for Fox Nation and begin streaming today.

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President Donald Trump mocked the relevance of news outlet HuffPost, suggesting he thought it "died," in an exchange with a reporter on Sunday over statements that Vice President JD Vance made about judicial interference.

"JD Vance suggested that if the Supreme Court rules in a way that you don't like, they could just enforce it by themselves," a reporter at a press conference on Air Force One said, addressing Trump. "Do you agree with that?"

The reporter's comments came after Vance stated that "judges aren't allowed to control the executive's legitimate power." 

TRUMP'S KEY TO CABINET CONFIRMATIONS: SENATOR-TURNED-VP VANCE'S GIFT OF GAB

"If a judge tried to tell a general how to conduct a military operation, that would be illegal," Vance wrote on X Sunday after a federal judge ruled that the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) would not be able to access the Treasury Department. "If a judge tried to command the attorney general in how to use her discretion as a prosecutor, that’s also illegal. Judges aren’t allowed to control the executive’s legitimate power."

But when confronted by the reporter about Vance's comments, Trump said that he wasn't aware of the controversy. 

"I don't know even what you're talking about," Trump responded. "Neither do you. Who are you with?"

JD VANCE TO ATTEND AI SUMMIT IN PARIS, FRENCH OFFICIAL SAYS

"HuffPost," the reporter said. 

"Oh, no wonder," Trump said. "I thought they, I thought they died. Are they still around? I haven't read them in years. I thought they died."

The HuffPost did not immediately respond to a request for comment. 

When asked directly about the court ruling blocking DOGE from accessing Treasury Department and data systems, Trump criticized the judge in question, U.S. District Judge for the Southern District of New York Paul Engelmayer. 

"No, I disagree with it 100%. I think it's crazy," Trump told Fox News host Bret Baier in an interview. "And we have to solve the efficiency problem. We have to solve the fraud, waste, abuse, all the things that have gone into the government. You take a look at the USAID, the kind of fraud in there." 

Fox News' Emma Colton contributed to this report.

NYC Councilwoman Inna Vernikov said that she quit the NYC Council's Women's Caucus over its anti-Israel agenda in an interview with Fox Friends First on Monday.

"We all watched the release of these female hostages, these young girls who are only 20 years old, came out of captivity, surrounded by Jihadi terrorists with masks on, weapons drawn, only 20 years old. Could you imagine your daughter, or yourself at 20 years old as a woman, being held in tunnel? God knows what they did to them." 

Vernikov announced in a video shared on social media on Sunday that she would be leaving her position on the Women's Caucus immediately due to the group's refusal to release a statement condemning the Hamas terrorists and in support of female hostages who were released from captivity. 

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"I simply asked the Women's Caucus, which I was a part of in the New York City Council, to make a simple statement condemning the terrorists, supporting these women and calling on the release of the hostages that are still remaining in captivity," Vernikov explained. 

"Unfortunately, it is the height of hypocrisy that a Women's Caucus, in New York City Council, made up of 30-plus women, who is supposed to stand up for women and women's rights, cannot simply condemn terrorists and stand up for women that are Jewish," she said. "I'm out of that caucus." 

Vernikov responded to criticism that her departure from the council was an act of political grandstanding. 

ISRAELI PRESIDENT PRAISES TRUMP'S LEADERSHIP, CHALLENGES NEIGHBORING LEADERS TO PRESENT BETTER IDEAS FOR GAZA

"The Democrats are unfortunately pandering to the hard left," she said. "We need to stand up, we cannot be cowards, and we cannot continue having elected officials who are spineless to stand up, and we cannot stand up for women only when it is politically expedient for us." 

Vernikov said that she was "very grateful" to President Donald Trump for his strong stance on the Israel-Hamas war, which she said makes it possible for the release of the remaining surviving Israeli hostages.