GOP state attorneys are taking on a renewed role during President Donald Trump's second administration as "freedom's front line," Republican Attorneys General Association (RAGA) incoming executive director Adam Piper told Fox News Digital, arguing that Democrats – deflated from losing control of both houses of Congress – are turning to left-leaning state attorneys to "undermine" the White House's America First agenda.

Right now, there are 29 Republican attorneys general in the United States who are "uniquely qualified to be the tip of the spear, to be freedom's front line and be a foundation for the future and a foundation for freedom every single day," Piper told Fox News Digital. "These men and women are working tirelessly to ensure their states are the safest places possible. But they're also working tirelessly to defend freedom, to help President Trump to ensure the American people have the system of government they voted for, they expect, and they deserve one that is free and one that is fair." 

In Trump's first three weeks in office, Democratic attorneys general have sued the Trump administration on several matters related to the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). That includes New York Attorney General Letitia James leading 19 state attorneys in suing over DOGE leader Elon Musk's access to Treasury Department records. U.S. District Judge Paul A. Engelmayer issued a preliminary injunction in that case Saturday. 

TRUMP HAS HIGHER APPROVAL RATING THAN AT ANY POINT DURING FIRST TERM: POLL

Democratic attorneys general also partnered with the country's largest federal labor unions to sue over Trump's deferred resignation offer that would allow workers eight months of paid leave if they agree to leave their jobs voluntarily. 

In turn, Montana's Republican attorney general, Austin Knudsen, led 22 states in an amicus brief Sunday asking the court to deny a motion for a temporary restraining order and allow Trump to manage the federal workforce how he sees fit. U.S. District Judge George O'Toole in Boston federal court on Monday proceeded to push back the deadline a second time on Trump's "Fork in the Road Directive," which gives most federal employees the option to resign with pay and benefits until Sept. 30. 

"During the Biden administration, Republican AGs were the last line of defense. We were the goal line stand, keeping the equivalent of a ‘tush push’ out of the end zone," Piper told Fox News Digital. 

"During the Trump administration, we have to play offense, defense and special teams," he continued. "We have to be freedom's front line. Working with the administration to ensure this DOGE regulatory reform agenda gets done, that we return to America's Golden Age. But we also have to play defense and special teams. You're going to see Democratic AGs take our playbook, bastardize it, and push back on the Trump administration. You will see states like New York and California get more aggressive, and Republican AGs are there to defend the rule of law, to promote freedom, and to ensure we work with President Trump to return America's Golden Age." 

As for the DOGE injunction led by James, Piper said it equates to "partisan gamesmanship from Democratic attorneys general who want to do everything possible to thwart President Trump's agenda." 

"This is why Republican attorneys general are so critical to the success of the Trump administration in pushing back against Democratic attorneys general and their attempts to crowbar what President Trump and his team are trying to accomplish in Washington, D.C., which is returning freedom to the American people, returning government efficiency, eliminating fraud, waste and abuse," he said. 

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Regarding James, in particular, Piper noted how New York's attorney general led cases against Trump during his 2024 re-election campaign that are now defunct and have failed. 

"A lot of her push back on the Trump administration is more about political theater than it is the rule of law in a court of law," he said. "And today and moving forward, you will see Republican attorneys general being President Trump's best friend from a policy standpoint. We will be his best champion from a policy standpoint. There's no more effective elected official in the United States than the state attorney general. We're more effective than the members of Congress, more effective than U.S. senators, more effective than even governors… You know, we can push back on some of this lawfare that you'll see from Democratic attorneys general." 

The Republican Attorneys General Association has seen alumni advance to the federal level in the Department of Justice. Most notably, that includes the newly sworn-in U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi. Piper said he also hopes to see the Senate confirm Aaron Rice, an alum of the Texas Attorney General's Office, to join the DOJ's Office of Legal Policy. He noted 51 Republican attorneys general or staff alumni held Senate confirmed positions in the first Trump administration.

"Republican attorneys general and their staffs are truly America's farm team. You know where the best incubator of talent to ensuring President Trump has known conservative fighters who are willing to fight every day for the American people," Piper said. "And from Attorney General Bondi. There's no better person to be the attorney general of the United States of America." 

As RAGA looks ahead, Virginia Attorney General Jason Myares is defending his office this year in what's expected to be a competitive race, and then 30 attorneys general races will be on the ballot in 2026. 

"There's an urban myth that Richmond goes the opposite way of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. We are going to make sure that myth is just an urban myth and just a fable. Attorney General Jason Myers is truly one of our best when you look at the issues across the board. We will have probably an uphill battle," Piper said. "Virginia is a state the Republicans carried by two points four years ago. We have to have a good ground game. We have to have a good turnout operation… We have to make sure voters in the Commonwealth of Virginia understand the importance of attorney general, understand the public safety issues and understand that they need someone who every day will ensure Virginia is the safest place to live, work and raise a family."

Billionaire Elon Musk outlined a list of "super obvious" changes that his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) plans to make at the U.S. Treasury Department this weekend.

Musk says officials at the treasury are working to make the government's books more simple to audit, as well as more accountability for where funds are going. The changes also require treasury employees to more frequently update the congressional "do not pay" list, which highlights fraudsters and illegal fronts.

"Nobody in Treasury management cared enough before. I do want to credit the working level people in Treasury who have wanted to do this for many years, but have been stopped by prior management," Musk said.

"Everything at Treasury was geared towards complain[t] minimization. People [who] receive money don’t complain, but people who don’t receive money (especially fraudsters) complain very loudly, so the fraud was allowed to continue," he added.

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"The above super obvious and necessary changes are being implemented by existing, long-time career government employees, not anyone from DOGE," Musk added.

"It is ridiculous that these changes didn’t exist already! Yesterday, I was told that there are currently over $100B/year of entitlements payments to individuals with no SSN or even a temporary ID number," he continued. "If accurate, this is extremely suspicious. When I asked if anyone at Treasury had a rough guess for what percentage of that number is unequivocal and obvious fraud, the consensus in the room was about half, so $50B/year or $1B/week!! This is utterly insane and must be addressed immediately."

ELON MUSK'S DOGE MAKES ANOTHER HIRING PUSH

Musk's tirade toward the treasury department comes just after a federal judge blocked DOGE's ability to access treasury department systems. The Tesla CEO condemned the ruling as "insane" this weekend.

'VIPER'S NEST': USAID ACCUSED OF CORRUPTION, MISMANAGEMENT LONG BEFORE TRUMP ADMIN TOOK AIM

The Friday lawsuit, which was filed by 19 Democratic attorneys general, claimed Musk’s team violated the law by being given "full access" to the Treasury’s payment systems. The systems include information about Americans’ Social Security, Medicare and veterans’ benefits, tax refund information and more.

The lawsuit was filed in New York by the office of New York Attorney General Letitia James, who wrote that President Donald Trump "does not have the power to give away Americans’ private information to anyone he chooses, and he cannot cut federal payments approved by Congress."

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has expressed support for Musk and DOGE in the past, recently saying that the U.S. "doesn't have a revenue problem, we have a spending problem."

"At the Treasury, our payment system is not being touched," Bessent said in a "Kudlow" interview on Wednesday. "We process 1.3 billion payments a year. There is a study being done — can we have more accountability, more accuracy, more traceability that the money is going where it is?"

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker has taken a satirical jab at President Donald Trump’s effort to rename the Gulf of Mexico and annex Greenland. 

A straight-faced Pritzker released a choreographed video on Friday, with fake camera shutter clicks going off in the background, where he asserts that he is renaming Lake Michigan to "Lake Illinois," poking fun at Trump’s recent executive order where he changed the Gulf of Mexico to Gulf of America.

PRITZKER BASHES TRUMP ORDER ON BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP: 'WE WILL NOT FOLLOW AN UNCONSTITUTIONAL ORDER'

"The world's finest geographers, experts who study the Earth's natural environment, have concluded a decades-long council and determined that a great lake deserves to be named after a great state," Pritzker said. 

"So today, I'm issuing a proclamation declaring that hereinafter, Lake Michigan shall be known as Lake Illinois. The proclamation has been forwarded to Google to ensure the world's maps reflect this momentous change."

Trump signed Executive Order 14172 on his first day back in office which changed the name of the ocean basin. The order also renamed the highest peak in North America to "Mount McKinley," reversing the 2015 decision to call it by its centuries-old name Denali.

Google has said it will make Trump’s changes once the Department of the Interior updates the Geographic Names Information System. As of today, Google Maps still refers to it as the Gulf of Mexico.

In the video, Pritzker then switches his attention to Green Bay, a Wisconsin city near Lake Michigan. And just like how Trump vowed to take over Greenland from Denmark, Pritzker pledged to snap up Green Bay from The Badger State.  

"In addition, the recent announcement that to protect the homeland, the United States will be purchasing Greenland... Illinois will now be annexing Green Bay to protect itself against enemies, foreign and domestic," Pritzker said. 

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"I've also instructed my team to work diligently to prepare for an important announcement next week regarding the Mississippi River."

"God bless America and bear down," Pritzker said, a nod to Wisconsin’s Green Bay Packers, one of Chicago Bears' biggest rivals.

The video comes on the heels of a Justice Department lawsuit filed against the state of Illinois and the city of Chicago for allegedly interfering with federal immigration enforcement with its sanctuary polices.

The lawsuit claims that several state and local laws are designed to interfere with the federal government's enforcement of federal immigration law in violation of the Supremacy Clause of the United States Constitution.

Pritzker and Trump have also clashed over Trump’s executive order to end birthright citizenship, with Pritzker declaring the move unconstitutional. 

Trump's order, "Protecting the Meaning and Value of American Citizenship," asserts that the 14th Amendment of the Constitution does not automatically confer American citizenship to individuals who are born within the United States. 

They also feuded during Trump’s first term in office when Pritzker claimed the state only recovered a quarter of its requested personal protective equipment from the federal government.

The Director of National Intelligence (DNI) and the attorney general are expected to release their proposed plan for the declassification of the JFK files on Friday. 

Both offices, in coordination with the Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs and the Counsel to the President, have until the end of the day Friday to release their proposed plan. 

Last month, President Donald Trump signed an executive order to declassify files on the assassinations of former President John F. Kennedy, his brother Robert F. Kennedy and civil rights icon Martin Luther King, Jr. 

THE JFK FILES: HERE'S WHAT'S HAPPENED SINCE THEIR ORIGINAL PLANNED RELEASE

"Everything will be revealed," Trump told reporters as he signed the order in the Oval Office.

The executive order came after Trump had previously promised on the campaign trail to declassify the documents upon entering his second term, saying at the time, "When I return to the White House, I will declassify and unseal all JFK assassination-related documents. It’s been 60 years, time for the American people to know the truth."

TRUMP TO DECLASSIFY JFK FILES: FAMED DOCTOR WHO INVESTIGATED ASSASSINATION PREDICTS WHAT AMERICANS COULD LEARN

Trump had initially promised to release the last batch of documents during his first term, but such efforts ultimately dissipated. Trump then blocked the release of hundreds of records on the assassination following several CIA and FBI appeals.

"I have no choice," Trump said in a memo, where he cited "potentially irreversible harm" to national security if he allowed the records to be released. Trump said at the time the potential harm to U.S. national security, law enforcement or foreign affairs is "of such gravity that it outweighs the public interest in immediate disclosure."

TRUMP SIGNS ORDER TO DECLASSIFY FILES ON JFK, RFK AND MLK ASSASSINATIONS

Attorney General Pam Bondi, who was sworn in on Wednesday, is in New Orleans, Louisiana, for the day to survey Super Bowl LIX security. Bondi's first full day on the job is part of an effort to highlight the administration’s broader commitment to crack down on violent crime and acts of terrorism.

Bondi has yet to formally address Trump's order to declassify the JFK assassination files and her approach to the task. 

Fox News Digital learned shortly after she was sworn in that the new AG would be issuing several major directives on her first day, including orders to combat the weaponization of the legal system and making prosecutors seek the death penalty when appropriate. 

Tulsi Gabbard, Trump's pick for DNI, successfully advanced out of the Intel Committee this week, with all Republican members voting in her favor. 

Gabbard has faced questions during her confirmation process regarding her past meeting with former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, her previous FISA Section 702 stance and her past support for NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden. 

Fox News' David Spunt, Breanne Deppisch, Julia Johnson and Brooke Singman contributed to this report. 

President Donald Trump fired 17 independent watchdogs at various federal agencies late Friday, a Trump administration official confirmed to Fox News, as he continues to reshape the government at a blistering pace.

Trump dismissed inspectors general at agencies within the Defense Department, State Department, Energy Department, Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Department of Veterans Affairs and more, notifying them by email from the White House Presidential Personnel Office, the Washington Post first reported.

"It’s a widespread massacre," one of the terminated inspectors general told the Post. "Whoever Trump puts in now will be viewed as loyalists, and that undermines the entire system."

Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said that Trump's action may violate federal law that requires the president to give 30 days' notice to Congress of his intent to fire any independent watchdog, the Associated Press reported. 

‘FLOODING THE ZONE’ TRUMP HITS WARP SPEED IN FIRST WEEK BACK IN OFFICE

"There may be good reason the IGs were fired. We need to know that if so," Grassley said in a statement. "I’d like further explanation from President Trump. Regardless, the 30 day detailed notice of removal that the law demands was not provided to Congress." 

The White House did not respond to a request for comment. 

Inspectors general at federal agencies are called on to investigate government waste, fraud and abuse. They operate independently and can serve in multiple administrations.

The mass firing is Trump's latest attempt to force the federal bureaucracy into submission after he shut down diversity, equity and inclusion programs, rescinded job offers and sidelined more than 150 national security and foreign policy officials. Trump began his second term with the intent of purging any opponents of his agenda from the government and replacing them with officials who would execute his orders without hesitation. 

TRUMP TO DECLASSIFY JFK FILES: FAMED DOCTOR WHO INVESTIGATED ASSASSINATION PREDICTS WHAT AMERICANS COULD LEARN

Among those spared from Trump's wrath was Department of Justice inspector general Michael Horowitz, the New York Times reported. Horowitz led the investigation of the FBI's Russian collusion probe, which exposed at least 17 "significant inaccuracies and omissions" in the FBI's application for a FISA warrant in the Crossfire Hurricane investigation. 

Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., slammed Trump's firings, calling them a "purge of independent watchdogs in the middle of the night." 

TRUMP MEETS WITH CALIFORNIA RESIDENTS, FIRE AND LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIALS TO SEE LA WILDFIRE DAMAGE FIRST HAND

"President Trump is dismantling checks on his power and paving the way for widespread corruption," Warren posted on X.

During his first term, Trump fired five inspectors general in less than two months in 2020. This included the State Department, whose inspector general had played a role in the president's impeachment proceedings.

Last year, Trump's predecessor Joe Biden fired the inspector general of the U.S. Railroad Retirement Board, after an investigation found the official had created a hostile work environment.

In 2022, Congress passed reforms that strengthened protections for inspectors general and made it harder to replace them with political appointees, requiring the president to explain their removal.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) has been accused of allegedly quietly changing the job title of its former diversity officer as President Donald Trump ordered all federal diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) employees be placed on paid leave. 

"The ATF defied @realDonaldTrump’s order to place DEI workers on leave, instead giving their DEI officer a new title. They attack citizens’ rights, ignore leadership, and act as though they’re above the law. Enough is enough. Time to abolish the ATF!" Republican Missouri Rep. Eric Burlison posted to X. 

The ATF, a federal law enforcement agency under the Department of Justice’s umbrella, previously employed Lisa T. Boykin as its chief diversity officer before her title was changed on the ATF’s website this week to "senior executive" with the ATF. An archived link of the ATF’s website reviewed by Fox Digital shows Boykin was listed as the chief diversity officer as recently as Tuesday — Trump’s second day in the Oval Office — and now shows her as working as the agency's "senior executive." 

Trump had railed against DEI programs and offices at the federal level, as well as in the education system, throughout his campaign. Upon taking office on Monday, he inked an executive order terminating ​​"illegal DEI and 'diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility' (DEIA) mandates, policies, programs, preferences, and activities in the Federal Government, under whatever name they appear."

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The following day, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) told agency and department leaders to begin shutting down DEI offices and to place DEI employees on paid leave. 

TRUMP'S DISMANTLING OF DEI IS DEEPER AND BIGGER THAN YOU EVEN KNOW

"Send a notification to all employees of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA) offices that they are being placed on paid administrative leave effective immediately as the agency takes steps to close/end all DEIA initiatives, offices and programs," the OPM directive, which was obtained by Fox News Digital, read. 

A biography for Boykin from 2023 detailed that she began working as ATF’s Human Resources Operations Division in 2016 and "as a collateral duty, in 2021, Mrs. Boykin also began serving as the Bureau’s Chief Diversity Officer," the New York Post reported. 

"With the Bureau’s continued focus on enhancing DEIA, Mrs. Boykin currently assumes the work of the CDO in a fulltime capacity, leading and implementing departmental programs and mandates, while bringing renewed vision and effective strategies to maintain an informed DEIA culture for the Bureau," Boykin’s bio added.

WHITE HOUSE OPM ORDERS ALL DEI OFFICES TO BEGIN CLOSING BY END OF DAY WEDNESDAY

When asked about the title change and subsequent criticism on social media, an ATF spokesman responded that the agency has followed DEI directives from the Trump administration. 

"ATF began implementing OPM’s Initial Guidance on DEIA immediately after its issuance on January 21, 2025, in response to the President’s Executive Orders. We have proactively taken the necessary steps to ensure compliance with this guidance, including by placing impacted personnel on administrative leave," an ATF spokesman told Fox News Digital. 

Fox News Digital asked for clarification on whether Boykin's new title protects her from administrative leave but did not immediately receive a reply. 

Fox News Digital also reached out to Boykin on her ATF email and received an automatic response noting she was unavailable to reply. 

"I am currently unavailable and unable to return e-mails at this time," the email read. 

Social media commenters and critics of the Biden administration’s diversity initiatives slammed the ATF employee’s title change on social media, clamming the agency is "circumventing" the Trump administration's orders. 

3 IN 10 VOTERS THINK ENDING DEI PROGRAMS IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT, POLL SHOWS, AS FEDERAL DEADLINE LOOMS

Biden championed diversity initiatives under his administration, rolling back the first Trump administration's policies that banned diversity training in government agencies during his first week in office in 2021. 

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"In the weeks ahead, I will be reaffirming the federal government’s commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion and accessibility, building on the work we started in the Obama-Biden administration. That’s why I’m rescinding the previous administration’s harmful ban on diversity and sensitivity training," Biden said in January 2021. "Unity and healing must begin with understanding and truth, not ignorance and lies."

Florida Sen. Marco Rubio was confirmed unanimously by the Senate to be the next secretary of state, making him the first of President Trump's Cabinet picks to receive congressional approval.

Rubio, a senator since 2011, was confirmed during a floor vote by the full Senate Monday night, several hours after Trump took his oath of office earlier in the day. The full Senate floor vote occurred following a separate vote by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, which also voted unanimously in favor of Rubio's nomination Monday.  

Rubio enters his role as secretary of state with a strong foreign policy background as a longtime member of the Senate's Foreign Relations and Intelligence Committees. He is also a first-generation Cuban American.

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His road to confirmation has been less controversial than many of Trump's other Cabinet picks. At Rubio's first confirmation hearing last week in front of the Foreign Relations Committee, the committee's top-ranking Democrat, Sen. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, said she thought Rubio possessed "the skills" and is "well-qualified" to serve as the next secretary of state. She echoed this sentiment Monday evening as well before the full Senate vote.

"I've had a good working relationship with Sen. Rubio for many years, and I was very impressed during his hearing by his grasp of policy," Shaheen said Monday evening. "While we may not always agree, I believe he has the skills, knowledge and qualifications to be secretary of state."

MARK MILLEY PARDONED: GENERAL AT CENTER OF AFGHANISTAN WITHDRAWAL PREDICTED IT WOULDN'T BE A SAIGON MOMENT  

Rubio expressed during his initial confirmation hearing last week that under Trump the State Department's "top priority" will be to put America first. 

"This will not be easy," Rubio said. "And it will be impossible without a strong and a confident America that engages in the world, putting our core national interests, once again, above all else."

Rubio will face some major challenges heading into his new role, notably the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine and the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.

Rubio described the fighting between Ukraine and Russia as a "stalemate" that "has to end" during his confirmation hearing last week, adding that under Trump's proposed peace deal both countries will have to make "concessions." Meanwhile, despite Trump's past criticisms of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), Rubio called the alliance "very important" and insisted that Trump was also a NATO supporter.

On Gaza, Rubio supported Israel's actions to defend itself against Hamas but stopped short of indicating one way or the other if he thought Israel's annexation of parts of the West Bank was something he supported. 

TRUMP'S UN AMBASSADOR NOMINEE ELISE STEFANIK SAYS PRESIDENT SEES ‘GREAT PROMISE’ IN THE UNITED NATIONS

"The idea would be that there not be conflict and the people could live side-by-side with one another without being in conflict and with the ability to pursue prosperity," Rubio said. "Sadly and unfortunately the conditions for that to exist have not been in place for a substantial period of time."

Rubio also repeatedly singled out China during his remarks in front of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee last week. "We welcomed the Chinese Communist Party into this global order. And they took advantage of all its benefits. But they ignored all its obligations and responsibilities," Rubio posited at his hearing. "Instead, they have lied, cheated, hacked and stolen their way to global superpower status, at our expense."

While Rubio did not face significant opposition to his confirmation, some Trump-aligned Republicans have expressed disdain over Rubio's willingness to certify the results of the 2020 election that Trump alleged was "stolen" from him. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., who has been an outspoken supporter of less U.S. intervention, also questioned Rubio's hawkish stance on American intervention amid his confirmation to be secretary of state.

President Biden issued five more pardons on Sunday on his last full day in office, including for political activist and Black nationalist Marcus Garvey. 

"America is a country built on the promise of second chances," Biden said in a statement. "As President, I have used my clemency power to make that promise a reality by issuing more individual pardons and commutations than any other President in U.S. history. Today, I am exercising my clemency power to pardon 5 individuals and commute the sentences of 2 individuals who have demonstrated remorse, rehabilitation, and redemption. These clemency recipients have each made significant contributions to improving their communities." 

In addition to Garvey, the clemency recipients are Darryl Chambers, Ravidath "Ravi" Ragbir, Don Leonard Scott, Jr., and Kemba Smith Pradia. Garvey was granted the pardon posthumously. 

BIDEN COMMUTES NEARLY 2,500 MORE SENTENCES IN FINAL DAYS OF PRESIDENCY

The Biden White House described Garvey, who influenced Malcolm X, as "a renowned civil rights and human rights leader who was convicted of mail fraud in 1923, and sentenced to five years’ imprisonment." 

Former President Calvin Coolidge commuted his sentence in 1927. "Notably, Mr. Garvey created the Black Star Line, the first Black-owned shipping line and method of international travel, and founded the Universal Negro Improvement Association, which celebrated African history and culture. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. described Mr. Garvey as ‘the first man of color in the history of the United States to lead and develop a mass movement’," the White House said. "Advocates and lawmakers praise his global advocacy and impact, and highlight the injustice underlying his criminal conviction." 

Congressional leaders had pushed for Biden to pardon Garvey. Supporters long argued that Garvey's conviction was politically motivated and an effort to silence the increasingly popular leader who spoke of racial pride.

Biden also pardoned Ragbir, an immigrant rights activist, and Smith Pradia, an advocate for criminal justice reform. Ragbir was convicted of a nonviolent offense in 2001 and was sentenced to two years in prison. Smith Pradia is an advocate convicted of a drug offense in 1994 when she was sentenced to 24 years behind bars. President Bill Clinton commuted her sentence in 2000.

Biden also announced he is commuting the sentences of 2 additional individuals – Michelle West and Robin Peoples – so that their sentences expire on Feb.18, 2025. 

West was convicted in the '90s on charges that included conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, drug-related homicide and aiding and abetting in drug-related homicide, court records show. 

The White House said West "is currently serving a life sentence for crimes she committed between 1987 and 1993." 

"During her three decades of incarceration, Ms. West has demonstrated extraordinary rehabilitation and personal transformation," the Biden White House argued. "Ms. West’s clemency petition has received overwhelming support from the civil rights community, women’s rights advocates, former fellow inmates, and lawmakers. Supporters describe Ms. West as a role model who has built a 31-year record of rehabilitation and redemption." 

Meanwhile, court records show Peoples was convicted of bank robbery and other associated offenses. 

Peoples "is currently serving a 111-year sentence for crimes he committed in the late 1990s," the White House said in their announcement. "Mr. Peoples would likely face a significantly lower sentence under current law and policy. While in custody, he has demonstrated remarkable rehabilitation and courage. Mr. Peoples’s clemency petition has received overwhelming support from the civil rights community, government officials, friends, and family members. Mr. Peoples’s supporters describe him as a model inmate, an inspiring mentor, and someone deserving of a second chance."

It's still not clear whether Biden will use his last full day in office to give pardons to people who have been criticized by President-elect Donald Trump.

Biden had floated the idea of issuing preemptive pardons for possible offenses by Trump’s critics that could be investigated or prosecuted by the incoming administration. Doing so would stretch the powers of the presidency in untested ways.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

No one knows how much taxpayers spend on bargaining with federal labor unions, and President-elect Donald Trump can right that wrong. Building on reforms from his first administration and with support from the new Department of Government Efficiency, he could direct every federal agency to report how much it spends dealing with government labor unions, something no agency has ever done. Disclosure would provide transparency and accountability for the American people, who would surely be shocked to learn what the federal government is bargaining over and how much it costs. 

As President Ronald Reagan’s first term director of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM), I saw firsthand how costly the federal collective bargaining process is to taxpayers — and how it’s almost entirely out of the public eye. Trump knows this is a problem, too, having issued an executive order in 2018 directing federal agencies to disclose union perks, which OPM calculated have $163 million annually. 

Yet that executive order — which President Joe Biden rescinded immediately after taking office — was just a start. It’s even more important to examine what’s very likely a larger cost to taxpayers: How much the federal bureaucracy spends negotiating with unions, managing union contracts and otherwise bargaining with unions in the federal workforce, which is over 1 million taxpayer-funded workers strong. 

'GET BACK TO WORK': HOUSE OVERSIGHT TO TAKE ON GOVERNMENT TELEWORK IN 1ST HEARING OF NEW CONGRESS

To be sure, the union perks deserve attention. Most notably, union representatives often get to do union work like negotiating contracts or fighting disciplinary action on the taxpayer’s dime. Some federally paid workers spend 100% of their time doing union-related work, which means these public servants aren’t serving the public.  

Unions also routinely get free or discounted access to federal property. At the Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Salem, Virginia, a government union received half a hospital wing — more than 5,000 square feet, with a kitchen, private bathrooms and outdoor patio, mostly for the union president’s benefit. 

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Yet the cost of bargaining deserves just as much attention. What little information exists paints a picture of significant spending on picayune matters. Last fall, North Carolina Republican Rep. Virginia Foxx, then-chairwoman of the House Committee on the Education and the Workforce, documented how government unions draw out negotiations with federal agencies.  

That includes haggling over the height of cubicle desk panels, demanding designated smoking areas on tobacco-free federal property and recognizing employees’ right to wear spandex. Americans pay for every second that federal officials sit across from their union counterparts arguing about such issues, as well as all the related travel expenses, paperwork and legal hoop-jumping. 

A new report from the Institute for the American Worker, titled "Transparency Needed in the Process of Federal Collective Bargaining," sheds further light on these costs. The institute sent Freedom of Information Act requests to 28 federal agencies seeking data on expenditures related to collective bargaining. Twenty-one responded, though none had complete records.  

The Small Business Administration spent more than $6 million on salary for staff involved in collective bargaining in 2022 and 2023. The Department of Labor spent more than $1 million in travel-related costs. Considering there are hundreds of federal agencies, these numbers are a fraction of the total cost to taxpayers. 

For the sake of taxpayers, the facts must come to light. Trump can deliver real transparency by requiring agencies to annually disclose how much they spend on federal collective bargaining and the impact of such spending on government efficiency and effectiveness. Americans deserve to know how much they pay for negotiations with unions over wearing spandex, smoking cigarettes, and everything else that has nothing to do with public service. 

Jimmy Carter served as the 39th President of the United States.

Known for his Christian faith, Carter lived a life of service that left a forever mark on United States history.

Following President Biden's move to commute the sentences of 37 prisoners on federal death row, Sen. Joe Manchin, I-W.Va., called the clemency granted to two of the individuals "horribly misguided and insulting."

In the 37 cases, Biden commuted the sentences to life sentences without the potential for parole.

Manchin — a Democrat-turned-independent senator who will soon leave office — said he felt a responsibility to speak out on behalf of the parents of Samantha Burns, who was slain in 2002 at the age of 19, according to reports. 

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"After speaking to Samantha Burns’ parents, I believe it is my duty to speak on their behalf and say President Biden’s decision to commute the death sentences for the two men convicted in her brutal murder is horribly misguided and insulting," the lawmaker declared in a statement posted on X.

"Particularly since Samantha’s family wrote letters to President Biden & the Department of Justice, pleading for them not to do this, but their concerns were unheard. I can’t imagine the grief that Kandi and John Burns are reliving and dealing with during the holiday season," Manchin continued. "As their U.S. Senator and a father, I want to express my deepest sympathy for their continued suffering. Please know that Samantha will forever be in our prayers."

The two men connected with the young woman's death escaped lockup and went on a crime spree in 2002, according to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit.

"On November 4, 2002, cellmates Chadrick Fulks and Brandon Basham escaped from a county detention facility in Kentucky" and "unleashed a criminal rampage that lasted seventeen days and zigzagged across several states," according to the court, which noted that the men "admitted to killing Burns and pleaded guilty to carjacking resulting in death in the Southern District of West Virginia."

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In a fiery Christmas Day post on Truth Social, President-elect Trump told the 37 individuals who escaped capital punishment to "GO TO HELL!" 

In a statement about the commutations, President Biden said, "I condemn these murderers, grieve for the victims of their despicable acts, and ache for all the families who have suffered unimaginable and irreparable loss." 

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But he also said that he was "more convinced than ever that we must stop the use of the death penalty at the federal level."

"These commutations are consistent with the moratorium my Administration has imposed on federal executions, in cases other than terrorism and hate-motivated mass murder," Biden said.