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Trump Health Secretary nominee RFK Jr clears Senate Finance Committee confirmation vote

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will advance to the next step in his effort to become Donald Trump’s Health and Human Services Secretary. The vaccine skeptic and environmental crusader who ran for the White House in 2024 before ending his bid and endorsing Trump sustained his bid for a cabinet position in the 47th president’s administration.

The 27-member panel of 14 Republicans and 13 Democrats on the Senate finance committee approved Kennedy’s advancement by a party line vote of 14-13.

Kennedy’s controversial nomination has progressed slowly as the president’s other choices have been moving through the upper chamber and several have been confirmed and sworn in. Even Trump’s controversial Defense Secretary pick, Pete Hegseth, made it past committee and ultimately was confirmed with Vice President Vance casting the tie-breaking vote. 

Kennedy survived back-to-back combustible Senate confirmation hearings last week, where Trump’s nominee to lead 18 powerful federal agencies that oversee the nation’s food and health faced plenty of verbal fireworks over past controversial comments, including his repeated claims in recent years linking vaccines to autism, which have been debunked by scientific research.

During the hearings, Democrats also spotlighted Kennedy’s service for years as chair or chief legal counsel for Children’s Health Defense, the nonprofit organization he founded that has advocated against vaccines and sued the federal government numerous times, including a challenge over the authorization of the COVID vaccine for children.

While no Democrats on the Senate Finance Committee were expected to vote to confirm Kennedy, the spotlight was on Sen. Bill Cassidy, the Louisiana physician and chair of the Senate Health Committee.

Cassidy issued a last minute endorsement indicating a party line vote for Kennedy.

‘Your past of undermining confidence in vaccines with unfounded or misleading arguments concerns me,’ Cassidy told Kennedy at the end of Thursday’s confirmation hearing.

Cassidy’s office confirmed Sunday evening that the senator and Kennedy had been speaking earlier that day. 

The 71-year-old Kennedy, a scion of the nation’s most storied political dynasty, launched a long-shot campaign for the Democrat presidential nomination against President Joe Biden in April 2023. But six months later, he switched to an independent run for the White House.

Kennedy made major headlines again last August when he dropped his presidential bid and endorsed Trump. While Kennedy had long identified as a Democrat and repeatedly invoked his late father, former Sen. Robert F. Kennedy, and his late uncle, former President John F. Kennedy – who were both assassinated in the 1960s – Kennedy in recent years built relationships with far-right leaders due in part to his high-profile vaccine skepticism.

Trump announced soon after the November election that he would nominate Kennedy to his Cabinet to run HHS.

Kennedy, whose outspoken views on Big Pharma and the food industry have also sparked controversy, has said he aims to shift the focus of the agencies he would oversee toward promotion of a healthy lifestyle, including overhauling dietary guidelines, taking aim at ultra-processed foods and getting to the root causes of chronic diseases.

‘Our country is not going to be destroyed because we get the marginal tax rate wrong. It is going to be destroyed if we get this issue wrong,’ Kenendy said Thursday as he pointed to chronic diseases. ‘And I am in a unique position to be able to stop this epidemic.’

With Republicans controlling the Senate by a 53-47 majority, Kennedy can only afford to lose the support of three GOP senators if Democrats unite against his confirmation on the floor of the chamber.

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Millennials reimagine retirement: ‘The end game might not be … sitting on my Adirondack chair’

By many measures, millennials are doing considerably well financially. Still, fewer younger adults are thinking about retiring in the traditional sense one day.

“Retirement is becoming more deprioritized,” said Michael Liersch, head of advice and planning at Wells Fargo.

“Ten or 15 years ago that was always the number one goal,” he said. Now, “actually living one’s life in the moment is a bigger priority.”

Although this cohort is very focused on building wealth, “the end game might not be no longer working and sitting on my Adirondack chair,” he said. “That just might not be it.”

More than one-third, or 37%, of Americans want a retirement that looks different from previous generations, according to a 2024 report from Edelman Financial Engines.

Most say that means a more active and adventurous lifestyle. And 32% say they will never be able to “fully” retire, the report found.

“This contrasts sharply with retirement stereotypes of the past, where stability and relaxation were the primary goals,” the report said.

Meanwhile, the median wealth of younger millennials and older Gen Zers — or those born in the 1990s — “more than quadrupled” in recent years, according to an analysis of 2022 data by the St. Louis Federal Reserve.

The number of millennials with seven-figure retirement balances also jumped 400% as of the third quarter of 2024, compared to a year earlier, according to data from Fidelity Investments prepared for CNBC.

Compared to other generations, millennials are also more likely to say that their income went up over the last few months and that they expect their earnings potential to increase again in the year ahead, another report by TransUnion found.

Collectively, millennials are now worth about $15.95 trillion, up from $3.94 trillion five years earlier, according to the most recent Federal Reserve data as of the third quarter of 2024.

But a lot has changed for younger generations, too, said Brett House, an economics professor at Columbia Business School.

What assets millennials have on hand and their relative financial stability “is determined by how they shape up against immediate needs — such as housing down payments or emergency medical payments — and their capacity to generate income to replace salaries and wages in retirement amidst the shift from defined benefit to defined contribution pensions, or the elimination of workplace pensions all together,” House said.

Most younger adults are no longer getting pensions of any kind, so individuals who enter retirement age are now more dependent on personal savings and Social Security, he said.

“There are a lot of financial priorities that we are all trying to reach simultaneously,” said Sophia Bera Daigle, founder and CEO of Gen Y Planning, a financial planning firm for millennials.

Many millennials must contend with hefty student loan balances, mortgages, car payments and child care costs in addition to saving for retirement or future college costs, she said.

“People are really feeling the cash crunch in their 30s to 40s,” said Bera Daigle, a certified financial planner and a member of CNBC’s Advisor Council. “Their net worth is going up but they don’t feel like they are getting ahead.”

That has also contributed to changing views on retirement for millennials, she said.

“When I got into this business, retirement was about quitting the grind … playing golf,” Bera Daigle said.

Now, “it’s really more about flexibility,” she added. “We don’t know what retirement will look like in 20 years… there’s a lot more emphasis on choosing the work they want to do in their 60s.”

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US flies joint patrol with the Philippines near shoal region guarded by China

U.S. and Philippine fighter aircraft staged a joint patrol and training Tuesday over a disputed South China Sea shoal where Chinese fighter jets fired flares last year to drive away a Philippine aircraft, Philippine officials said.

The joint patrol and air-intercept drills over the hotly disputed Scarborough Shoal off the northwestern Philippines were the first by the longtime treaty allies since President Donald Trump took office again.

It comes as the Trump administration has promised to deliver a foreign policy that centers on ‘America First.’ 

Two U.S. Air Force B-1 bomber aircraft and three Philippine Air Force FA-50 fighter jets joined the brief patrol and training, which involved practicing how to intercept a hostile aircraft, Philippine air force spokesperson Maria Consuelo Castillo said at a press conference. It was not immediately known if the joint patrol encountered any challenge from Chinese forces guarding the Scarborough Shoal.

‘The exercises focused on enhancing operational coordination, improving air domain awareness and reinforcing agile combat employment capabilities between the two air forces,’ the Philippine Air Force said.

On Tuesday, the Chinese military’s Southern Theater Command said its units would maintain a ‘high degree of alert, resolutely defend China’s territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests, and control any military activities that disrupt the South China Sea,’ alleging the Philippines participated in joint patrols organized by other foreign countries to ‘undermine peace and stability in the South China Sea,’ according to Reuters. 

The Philippine Navy said at a press conference on Tuesday that it was ‘closely monitoring’ three Chinese navy vessels within Manila’s maritime zones, including a Jiangkai-class guided missile frigate.

‘The presence of People’s Liberation Army-Navy reflects the People’s Republic of China’s complete disregard for international law and undermines the peace and stability in the region,’ Philippine Navy spokesperson John Percie Alcos said, according to Reuters.  

In August last year, two Chinese air force aircraft flew close then fired flares in the path of a Philippine air force plane on routine patrol over the Scarborough Shoal in actions that were strongly condemned and protested by the Philippine government, military officials said. All those aboard the Philippine air force NC-212i turbo-prop transport plane were unharmed, the Philippine military said.

The Southern Theater Command of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army said then that a Philippine air force aircraft ‘illegally’ entered the airspace above the shoal and disrupted training activities by Chinese forces. It warned the Philippines to ‘stop its infringement, provocation, distortion and hyping-up.’

The Philippine military chief, Gen. Romeo Brawner, said at the time that the incident ‘posed a threat to Philippine air force aircraft and its crew, interfered with lawful flight operations in airspace within Philippine sovereignty and jurisdiction and contravened international law and regulations governing safety of aviation.’

China and the Philippines have had increasingly alarming face-offs in the shoal, which is called Bajo de Masinloc by the Philippines and Huangyan Island by China.

‘We are always prepared for any contingency, it’s part of the training,’ Castillo said Tuesday when asked if the allied forces had prepared to address any challenge by Chinese aircraft.

‘It already happened before and, as I have said, whatever the coercive, aggressive actions of any foreign party, the Philippine air force will not be deterred to perform its mandate,’ Castillo said.

The U.S. military has reported encountering such dangerous maneuvers by Chinese air force planes in the past over the disputed waters, where it has deployed fighter jets and navy ships to promote freedom of navigation and overflight.

China has bristled at U.S. military deployments in the disputed region, saying these have endangered regional security.

Aside from China and the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, Vietnam and Taiwan have overlapping territorial claims in the busy sea passage, a key global trade and security route, but hostilities have particularly flared in the past two years between Chinese and Philippine coast guard and navy forces in the Scarborough Shoal and another fiercely contested atoll, the Second Thomas Shoal.

Washington has repeatedly warned that it’s obligated to defend the Philippines, its oldest treaty ally in Asia, if Philippine forces, ships and aircraft come under an armed attack, including in the South China Sea.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Elon Musk dunks on Sen. Chuck Schumer, declaring ‘Hysterical reactions’ demonstrate DOGE’s importance

Elon Musk, who President Donald Trump tasked with spearheading the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) effort, declared in a social media post that ‘Hysterical reactions’ demonstrate the importance of DOGE’s work.

He made the comment in response to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.

‘An unelected shadow government is conducting a hostile takeover of the federal government,’ a post on Sen. Schumer’s @SenSchumer X account reads, echoing remarks the lawmaker made during a press conference. 

‘DOGE is not a real government agency. DOGE has no authority to make spending decisions. DOGE has no authority to shut programs down or to ignore federal law. DOGE’s conduct cannot be allowed to stand. Congress must take action to restore the rule of law,’ Schumer’s post continued.

Musk described the effort to slash government waste and bureaucracy as a one-time opportunity.

‘Hysterical reactions like this is how you know that @DOGE is doing work that really matters,’ he wrote in response to Schumer. 

‘This is the one shot the American people have to defeat BUREAUcracy, rule of the bureaucrats, and restore DEMOcracy, rule of the people. We’re never going to get another chance like this. It’s now or never. Your support is crucial to the success of the revolution of the people,’ he asserted.

DOGE taking hammer to insane spending, shuts down USAID

The business magnate has called DOGE ‘the wood chipper for bureaucracy.’

‘If the Treasury Secretary does not remove DOGE’s access to the Treasury payment systems at once: Congress must immediately act,’ another post echoing the sentiments Schumer conveyed during the press conference reads. ‘That is why @RepJeffries and I will work together on legislation to stop unlawful meddling in the Treasury Department’s payment systems. We must protect people’s Social Security payments, Medicare payments, and tax refunds from any possible tampering by DOGE or other unauthorized entities.’

Laura: It

Musk declared a tweet, ‘Doge has not looked at, nor is there any interest in, private financial data. What would we even do with it? The outgoing payment review process just looks at potential fraud and wasteful spending to organizations. Corrupt politicians are the ones complaining. I wonder why?’

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Trump handed ‘opportunity to save Medicare’ after Biden admin’s final blow to seniors: expert

President Donald Trump was handed the ‘opportunity to save Medicare’ after the Biden administration rolled out its final Medicare Advantage proposal early in January that experts say underfunds the insurance plan after already facing rate cuts in previous years. 

‘This is Trump’s opportunity to save Medicare,’ former Republican New York Rep. Ann Marie Buerkle, who is also a former nurse and was chairwoman of the Consumer Product Safety Commission until 2019, told Fox News Digital in January. 

‘Medicare Advantage is Medicare for 34 million Americans who choose it. Those seniors are experiencing disruption with their healthcare as a result of two years of cuts — if Trump ensures MA gets funded in line with projected medical cost trends in 2026, he’ll be fixing Joe Biden’s mistake and giving seniors the healthcare they deserve right before the GOP’s midterm elections.’ 

Medicare Advantage plans are private health insurance plans that contract with Medicare and are used by roughly 34 million Americans. The program mostly enrolls adults older than the age of 65, but also offers benefits to people of all ages with disabilities. Traditional Medicare, conversely, is a federal health insurance program for adults older than the age of 65, as well as younger individuals with disabilities. 

The Biden administration previously had made cuts to Medicare Advantage rates, including in April 2024, when experts said enrollees would face an additional $33 a month for out-of-pocket costs, or $396 a year, due to the cuts. Critics at the time said the cuts would be especially devastating to seniors living on fixed incomes who are already coping with ongoing inflation issues. 

Roughly two weeks before leaving office, the Biden administration rolled out its final regulation affecting Medicare Advantage, which did not outright cut rates as it did for 2024 and 2025, but increased the average benchmark payment to Medicare Advantage plans by 2.2%. 

The proposal, however, seemingly works as another cut and underfunds Medicare Advantage because the proposed rates are still lower than the current rate of inflation, Buerkle said, with the consumer price index showing a 12-month inflation rate of 2.7%The proposal also comes on the heels of the Biden administration finalizing a 1.12% cut for fiscal year 2024 and a 0.16% cut for fiscal year 2025. 

‘Underfunding for Medicare Advantage will result in higher premiums, more out-of-pocket costs, and higher deductibles for the 34 million Americans who choose Medicare Advantage,’ Buerkle told Fox News Digital. ‘This, on top of the inflation that the Biden Administration caused by their flagrant spending creates a difficult situation for those seniors on a fixed income.’ 

The proposal is not yet locked in, as the newly minted Trump administration has until April 7 to finalize its policy for fiscal year 2026. 

‘Medicare Advantage saved the federal government $144 billion over the last decade,’ Buerkle said. 

That is because Medicare Advantage plans ‘use taxpayer dollars more efficiently than traditional Medicare,’ she said. ‘By managing the care for 34 million seniors, MA plans are able to offer more benefits for the same price as original Medicare. Senior satisfaction rate is high, too, with 96% of seniors reporting their satisfaction with their MA plan. So, making sure MA is funded appropriately is a gift to taxpayers,’ Buerkle said. 

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services touted the proposal when it was released in early January, saying the health plan will continue providing affordable care, while ‘being a good steward of taxpayer dollars.’

The agency ‘has worked to ensure that people with Medicare Advantage and Medicare Part D have access to stable and affordable offerings,’ said Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure. ‘Today’s Advance Notice continues CMS’ efforts to provide access to affordable, high-quality care in Medicare Advantage while being a good steward of taxpayer dollars. We are also continuing implementation of the Inflation Reduction Act, ensuring people with Medicare Part D have more affordable coverage for their medications.’

Former Republican Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindall, who served as an advisor to the U.S. secretary of Health and Human Services under President George W. Bush’s administration, published an op-ed for Fox Digital in December 2024, warning against the Biden administration issuing any last-minute Medicare Advantage cuts ahead of Trump taking back the Oval Office. 

‘Over the past two years, the administration has implemented a series of changes that have effectively reduced funding for Medicare Advantage,’ he wrote. ‘These cuts are disguised as ‘payment adjustments,’ but the reality is clear: they are cutting funding for a program that seniors overwhelmingly support. The results? Higher premiums, reduced benefits, and narrower provider networks for many Medicare Advantage enrollees.’ 

Jindall added that Medicare Advantage can be improved to better serve seniors and other enrollees, but he argued ‘the left’ has resisted improving the system in favor of promoting a government-focused program. 

‘Members in both parties have called for modifying the calculation of risk adjustments, to improve a system that can be gamed and often rewards companies for documenting patient acuity rather than actually improving outcomes,’ he wrote. ‘But, the left does not want to improve Medicare Advantage — they want to undermine the program to advance their long-term goal of centralizing more health care under the government’s control.’ 

A Trump administration official told Fox Digital that staffers are reviewing Biden administration proposals and polices skeptically but that no policy has been set in stone related to Medicare Advantage. 

Trump joined House Republican lawmakers in Florida on Jan. 27, when he vowed not to cut Medicare or Social Security. 

‘I will not sign any bill that cuts even a single penny from Medicare or Social Security for our great seniors. We don’t have to do that. We don’t have to do that. We’ll not touch those benefits in any way, shape or form. I want to use that because during the campaign, they had these fake ads that Trump is going to cut Social Security,’ he said. 

Buerkle previously spoke to Fox News Digital that the Biden administration’s cuts for 2024–2025 served as a backdoor attempt to gut Medicare Advantage in an effort to promote ‘Medicare for All,’ a government-focused health system that has long been on a policy wishlist for left-wing lawmakers. 

Buerkle said the Biden admin’s latest and last policy proposal on Medicare Advantage ‘absolutely’ serves as another backdoor attempt to push Medicare for All.

‘Medicare for All advocates despise the success of Medicare Advantage because it reveals the flaws in a government-run managed care system,’ she said. ‘The goal is simple: destroy MA as a means to get to Medicare for All.’ 

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DANNY DANON: Trump-Netanyahu meeting has 3 things on the agenda that could change the Middle East

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

When Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu touched the tarmac on Sunday, as he disembarked the ‘Wing of Zion’ in Washington, D.C., there was an undeniable buzz in the air. 

Not just because Netanyahu will be the first foreign leader to visit the White House since President Donald Trump returned to the Oval Office. But because the Israeli premier’s invitation promises to usher in a revitalized era of diplomacy in the Middle East, strengthened by a robust U.S.-Israeli alliance. 

The two leaders will convene on Tuesday afternoon to discuss the next phase of the hostage release framework, the Iranian threat, as well as prospects of a Saudi-Israel normalization deal. 

I

Under President Trump’s first term, we got a glimpse of what a new Middle East might look like. The historic Abraham Accords, signed in September 2020 on the South Lawn of the White House, brought Israel closer to the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Morocco. During that first term, President Trump also embarked on a ‘maximum pressure’ campaign on Iran, aimed at sanctioning the regime and crippling its nuclear program. A new, prosperous Middle East was on the horizon. 

A groundbreaking normalization deal with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia might already have been signed by now had Iran-backed Hamas terrorists not thrown the region into tumult with the massacre of October 7, where 1,200 Israelis and foreign nationals were murdered and 250 more were brutally kidnapped. 

In response to Israel’s attempts to foster regional peace and prosperity, its enemies chose war and destruction. 

Our hostages are starting to return home, although we still have a long way to go. Hamas has been decapitated. Hezbollah’s leadership infrastructure has been eviscerated. The Assad regime in Syria has fallen. And Israel demonstrated its sophisticated military might in the heart of Iran. 

Prime Minister Netanyahu and President Trump’s meeting this week will be one of their most significant in recent memory. 

Israeli UN Ambassador Danny Danon announces country will cease cooperation with UNRWA

Defanging the Islamic Republic and its terrorist proxies will be a priority for the two leaders. We appreciate President Trump’s commitment to not allowing the Iranian regime to become a dangerous nuclear superpower that would upend not just regional, but global security. 

The fall of the Assad regime and a weaker Iran bring us closer to Saudi-Israeli normalization. Saudi Arabia has pursued an ambitious modernization plan in recent years and has shunned the kind of extremism we see in other parts of the Arab world. 

Normalizing relations with Israel is not just about trade agreements. It will lead to a groundbreaking strategic alignment in the Middle East that brings peace to all.

Israel will never compromise on the safety and security of its people and borders, but it is a nation of peace and will encourage dialog with nations that seek cooperation over conflict. 

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‘Peace through strength’: Trump and Netanyahu expected to discuss Iran, Hamas at White House meeting

TEL AVIV – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s meeting with President Donald Trump at the White House on Tuesday is geared toward bolstering ties with and securing guarantees from the Trump administration primarily over Iran and the war against Hamas, according to current and former Israeli officials.

‘Prime Minister Netanyahu’s historic visit to Washington will mark a significant moment in Israel-U.S. relations, setting a tone of close cooperation and friendship between the Israeli government and the Trump administration,’ Israeli Ambassador to the United States Yechiel Leiter told Fox News Digital.

‘The prime minister will be the first foreign leader to visit the White House in President Trump’s second term, and his visit will spur bilateral efforts to promote security and prosperity in the U.S., Israel and the Middle East,’ he added.

Leiter, appearing on ‘America’s Newsroom’ last week, told Dana Perino that Iran would be front and center during the Trump-Netanyahu meeting. ‘We will make the point that to allow Tehran to maintain its nuclear capabilities, which they can raise very quickly toward nuclear weapons, is simply unacceptable,’ he stated.

Netanyahu was last at the White House on July 25, 2024, with then-President Biden having only invited the Israeli leader some 20 months after his re-election. This was widely viewed as a snub by Biden, whose party has increasingly distanced itself from traditional bipartisan support for the Jewish state.

Netanyahu told reporters ahead of his departure that it was ‘telling’ Trump chose to meet him first, describing it as ‘a testimony to the strength of the American-Israeli alliance.’

‘This meeting will deal with important issues, critical issues facing Israel and our region, victory over Hamas, achieving the release of all our hostages and dealing with the Iranian terror axis and all its components – an axis that threatens the peace of Israel, the Middle East and the entire world,’ he said. 

There are currently 79 hostages held by Hamas in Gaza, including six dual US-Israeli citizens. ‘Regarding agenda terms, Trump will want Netanyahu to proceed to the second phase of the truce agreement with Hamas. This is very difficult for Israel, since this basically leaves the terror group in power in Gaza,’ former Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Michael Oren told Fox News Digital.

While Trump has said he was ‘not confident’ the ceasefire deal would hold, his Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff visited Israel last week and reportedly pushed for the implementation of all three phases. According to Netanyahu, Trump has committed to supporting the resumption of the war if negotiations with Hamas prove ‘futile.’

‘There may also be discussion about the future of the Palestinian issue and ways in which the Trump peace plan unveiled during his first term can be revived, as well as how a normalization push between Israel and Saudi Arabia can be concluded,’ Oren said. ‘I think the major pressure point would be the ‘P’ word, which refers to the Saudis insisting on a pathway to Palestinian statehood. Parts of Netanyahu’s coalition and even some within his own party will not discuss the ‘P’ word.’

On this point, the two leaders may be aligned, with Trump insisting that Gaza be rebuilt ‘in a different way.’ He also indicated his desire to relocate Gazans to Arab countries. ‘You’re talking about probably a million and a half people, and we just clean out [Gaza] and say, ‘You know, it’s over,’’ he said.

During his first term, Trump pulled Washington out of the 2015 nuclear deal with Tehran, which was orchestrated by the Obama administration. However, the Biden administration undid most of Trump’s ‘maximum pressure’ campaign on Tehran – consisting primarily of crippling sanctions – by rehashing many Obama-era policies.

‘I believe that Trump is prepared to immediately snap back paralyzing sanctions and issue a credible military threat to bring Iran back to the negotiating table for an agreement on its nuclear infrastructure, ballistic missile testing and terror financing,’ Danny Ayalon, former Israeli deputy foreign minister and ambassador to the U.S., told Fox News Digital.

‘If not, the Iranians will be subject to a major operation that may be through an American-led coalition or different structures with or without Israel,’ he added, while referencing an Axios report last month that the U.S. president might ‘either support an Israeli military strike against Iran’s nuclear facilities… or even order a U.S. strike.’ However, Ayalon said Trump will express a preference for a diplomatic solution, possibly placing him at odds with Netanyahu.

Ayalon also noted Netanyahu’s appreciation for Trump’s initiative to punish the International Criminal Court, which in November issued arrest warrants for the Israeli premier and then-Defense Minister Yoav Gallant over the prosecution of the war against Hamas, while suggesting that normalization between Jerusalem and Riyadh would be raised as part of a broader effort to reshape the Middle East.

‘A potential economic corridor from Asia to Europe through Saudi Arabia, Israel, Jordan, maybe even the Palestinian Authority, works very well with Trump’s agenda of countering aggressive Chinese expansionism through the Belt and Road Initiative,’ Ayalon said.

Other agenda items might include a possible U.S.-backed push to apply Israeli sovereignty over parts of the West Bank, also known by Israel as Judea and Samaria – a prospect Netanyahu shelved during Trump’s first term in favor of forging the Abraham Accords – and expanding overall defense ties, including by advancing the American president’s goal of developing an Iron Dome-like missile shield for the United States.

‘It is very different from the Biden administration. Of course, it is more aggressive but that’s only part of it. Trump sees the problem of Gaza in a wider perspective’ that includes the Saudis, Qataris, Egyptians and other regional players, Brig. Gen. (Res.) Hannan Gefen, the former commander of IDF’s elite Unit 8200, told Fox News Digital.

‘Trump, in his second term, is repeating his willingness to withdraw from the Kurdish-controlled northeastern part of Syria, which may contrast with Israel’s interest,’ he explained. ‘In Lebanon, there might be a disagreement if Israel sees Hezbollah [violating the ceasefire and] regaining power, and wants to strike terror bases. Regarding the Houthis in Yemen, Israel and the Saudis will try to direct Trump’s policy to be more assertive than Biden was toward the Iranian proxy.’

While any gaps between the sides will be overshadowed by the pomp and circumstance accompanying a visit by Netanyahu to D.C., Likud lawmaker Boaz Bismuth told Fox News Digital that the prime minister ‘won’t make any concessions on issues that relate to Israel’s national security.

‘Our national interests come above all else – the state has an obligation toward its civilians and the right to defend itself,’ Bismuth said. ‘Fortunately, Trump has a thriving relationship with Israel and is a great friend of ours.’

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RFK Jr. to face key committee vote that could determine confirmation fate

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will face a pivotal test on Tuesday morning as the Senate Finance Committee votes on his nomination to lead the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). 

At 10 a.m., the committee will meet to consider President Donald Trump’s HHS pick, following his hearing last week. 

The 27-member committee is composed of 14 Republican members and 13 Democrats. Kennedy will need a majority of the votes in order to advance out of the committee. 

He will likely need the support of every committee Republican, assuming no Democratic senators get behind him. No Democrats on the committee have said they plan to vote to advance Kennedy. 

The HHS nominee has managed to get the support of two sometimes hesitant Republicans in Sens. Todd Young, R-Ind., and Thom Tillis, R-N.C., already. 

However, he will still need the vote of Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., a doctor who has expressed concerns over Kennedy’s claims about vaccines. 

Kennedy spoke with Cassidy over the weekend, as the senator had foreshadowed during one of his hearings. Representatives for each did not divulge details of the last-minute conversations. 

If Trump’s nominee isn’t advanced out of the committee, it’s unlikely that it will make it to the Senate floor for a vote. 

Kennedy would become the first Trump nominee this term to hit such an obstacle, as the president’s other choices have been moving through the upper chamber and several have been confirmed and sworn in. Even Trump’s controversial Defense secretary pick, Pete Hegseth, made it past committee and ultimately was confirmed with Vice President JD Vance casting the tie-breaking vote. 

However, if he does fail to clear the committee, he may not be the only Trump pick to hit such a roadblock. 

In fact, on the same day, Trump’s choice to be Director of National Intelligence (DNI), Tulsi Gabbard, also faces the possibility of failing to get past her respective committee. 

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Tulsi Gabbard confirmation fate to be tested with key committee vote

Tulsi Gabbard is set to test her odds of Senate confirmation on Tuesday as the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence considers her nomination by President Donald Trump. 

Gabbard, a former Democrat congresswoman who has been tapped as the nominee for director of national intelligence (DNI), went before the committee last week. During her confirmation hearing, she was pressed about 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. 

She notably refused to agree that Snowden was a traitor during the hearing. 

The committee will vote on Gabbard’s nomination on Tuesday, two sources familiar confirmed to Fox News Digital. 

While Intel Committee Chair Tom Cotton, R-Ark., has continued to promote Gabbard for the role, at least one key Republican senator on the top committee is considered a potential defector on the nomination vote. 

Sen. Todd Young, R-Ind., hasn’t said how he plans to vote in committee. 

In a since-deleted post on X, Trump-aligned billionaire Elon Musk said Young was a ‘deep state puppet’ in regard to his uncertainty about Gabbard. 

A spokesperson for Young told Fox News Digital in a statement, ‘Senator Young and Mr. Musk had a great conversation on a number of subjects and policy areas where they have a shared interest, like DOGE.’

Musk also shared on X over the weekend, ‘Just had an excellent conversation with [Young]. I stand corrected. Senator Young will be a great ally in restoring power to the people from the vast, unelected bureaucracy.’ 

At the same time, Gabbard has earned a number of key endorsements from Republicans on the committee. 

Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., endorsed the nominee last month after she announced a reversal of her position against FISA Section 702.

She also received the backing of Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, after her hearing.

‘Article II, Section 2, Clause 2 provides that the President shall appoint officers with the advice and consent of the Senate. Having won the election decisively, I believe President Trump has earned the right to appoint his own cabinet, absent extraordinary circumstances. Therefore, it is my intention to consent to the appointment of Tulsi Gabbard as Director of National Intelligence,’ Cornyn said in a statement.

Moderate GOP Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, announced her support for Gabbard on Monday evening, saying in a statement, ‘After extensive consideration of her nomination, I will support Tulsi Gabbard to be the Director of National Intelligence.’

‘As one of the principal authors of the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 that established this coordinating position, I understand the critical role the DNI plays in the Intelligence Community. The Office of the Director of National Intelligence, however, has become far larger than it was designed to be, and Ms. Gabbard shares my vision of returning the agency to its intended size. In response to my questions during our discussion in my office and at the open hearing, as well as through her explanation at the closed hearing before the Senate Intelligence Committee, Ms. Gabbard addressed my concerns regarding her views on Edward Snowden. I look forward to working with Ms. Gabbard to strengthen our national security.’

Collins’ crucial committee vote was not a certainty, especially given her habit of bucking her party. She most recently did this on the confirmation vote for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, joining Sens. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, in voting against him. 

Gabbard will likely need the support of every single Republican on the committee, assuming no Democrats vote in her favor. None of the Democrat senators have said they will vote to advance her nomination.

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Trump announces new picks including deputy director of the CIA, chief Pentagon spokesman

President Donald Trump continues appointing new people to his second administration, naming three recent picks in a series of Truth Social posts on Monday.

Just two weeks after taking office, Trump announced that Michael Ellis will serve as deputy director of the CIA. Ellis, who will not need to be approved by the U.S. Senate, will work under CIA Director John Ratcliffe.

Trump wrote that the incoming deputy director, who is also a lawyer, will help ‘fix the CIA, and make it, once again, the Greatest Intelligence Agency in the World.’

‘During my First Term, Michael served at the White House National Security Council, and helped expose abuses of the ‘unmasking’ process by the Obama Administration at the beginning of the Russia, Russia, Russia, Hoax,’ the president wrote. ‘Michael was also General Counsel of the House Intelligence Committee under Devin Nunes, and was selected to be General Counsel of the National Security Agency before being corruptly purged by the Biden Administration.’

In another post, Trump named Joe Kent to serve as director of the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC). According to the agency’s website, the NCTC operates within the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) and helps officials by ‘analyzing, understanding, and responding to the terrorist threat.’

‘As a Soldier, Green Beret, and CIA Officer, Joe has hunted down terrorists and criminals his entire adult life,’ Trump’s Truth Social post read. ‘Above all, Joe knows the terrible cost of terrorism, losing his wonderful wife, Shannon, a Great American Hero, who was killed in the fight against ISIS.’

‘Joe continues to honor her legacy by staying in the fight. Joe will help us keep America safe by eradicating all terrorism, from the jihadists around the World, to the cartels in our backyard,’ the president concluded.

Finally, Trump named Sean Parnell to serve as the chief Pentagon spokesman, and to work as the assistant to the secretary of defense for public affairs.

‘A Great American Patriot, Sean is a fearless Combat Veteran, who led one of the most decorated units in the Afghanistan War,’ Trump said of Parnell. ‘He earned two Bronze Stars and a Purple Heart, while his platoon achieved an incredible record of eliminating over 350 enemy fighters.’

‘During my First Term, Sean was also instrumental helping pass the MISSION ACT, the BIGGEST VA Reform in History,’ Trump added. ‘Congratulations to Sean, his wonderful wife, and their five children!’

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