The co-leaders of the newly formed Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) have circled the wagons against a stopgap spending bill that has drawn the ire of conservatives in Congress. 

“Unless @DOGE ends the careers of deceitful, pork-barrel politicians, the waste and corruption will never stop,” Tesla and Space X CEO Elon Musk posted on X on Wednesday afternoon as Republican lawmakers mulled the best way forward for the CR to fund the government. 

“Therefore, there is no choice but to do so. I wish there was another way, but there is not.”

Former Republican presidential candidate and DOGE co-leader Vivek Ramaswamy has also been a vocal critic of the legislation and suggested in an X post on Wednesday that Republicans should put forward a simple 1-page resolution.

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“Yes, it *is* possible to enact a simple 1-page Continuing Resolution, instead of 1,500+ page omnibus pork-fest,” Ramaswamy wrote. “Here it is.:”

Ramaswamy continued, “This is what a clean CR looks like. I still don’t love it because it permits the historical spending excesses to continue, but at bare minimum, we shouldn’t be stacking even more waste on top.”

Musk, who posted a video of Ramaswamy railing against the bill urging Americans to call their representatives to “stop the steal of your tax dollars,” spent part of the afternoon re-posting comments from elected Republicans who voiced their opposition to the bill. 

“Thank you!” Musk posted in response to GOP Rep. Anna Paulina Luna saying she will not vote for the “Cramnibus bill” due to “billions to Ukraine, mask and vaccine mandates, Deep State immunity.”

DOGE CAUCUS FOUNDING MEMBER DEBUTS 2 BILLS TO KICK-START WASTE CUTS IN TRUMP TERM

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., talks with reporters in the U.S. Capitol  after the last votes of the week on Thursday, September 12, 2024.  (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

“I will still fight for a standalone disaster relief bill,” Luna wrote. 

In an earlier post on X, Musk wrote, “Any member of the House or Senate who votes for this outrageous spending bill deserves to be voted out in 2 years!” Musk wrote on X.

Congressional leaders released the text of their 1,547-page CR on Tuesday evening after last-minute negotiations delayed its original planned being release Sunday. Since then, it’s seen fierce pushback from conservatives and House GOP hardliners, many of whom are frustrated at the unrelated policy riders attached to the legislation – rather than a “clean” extension of government funding.

SpaceX and Tesla founder Elon Musk speaks during an America PAC town hall on October 26, 2024 in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. (Samuel Corum/Getty Images)

The final package extends existing government programs and services at their current operating levels for a few more months, through March 14, 2025.

The stopgap measure is needed because Congress has failed to pass its annual appropriations bills to fund all the various agencies in the federal government, from the Pentagon and national security apparatus, to the health, welfare, transportation and other routine domestic services. When the fiscal year ended on Sept. 30, Congress simply punted the problem by passing a temporary funding bill that expires Friday.

Fox News Senior Congressional Correspondent Chad Pergram reported on Wednesday afternoon that there is “talk now of pulling the CR and trying to do a ‘clean’ bill. but it is “unclear if that also means no disaster aid.”

Stopping the 1,500 page spending package and forcing a vote on a clean bill would mark a significant victory for DOGE and its supporters, who have been vocally pushing for changes in the way that government spending bills are handled.

“This bill is contrary to the very existence of @DOGE,” GOP Rep. Chip Roy’s press office posted on X. “The @HouseGOP should vote NO. Miss Christmas if we must.”

Pergram posted on X on Wednesday after that the bill was “bleeding support from Republicans.”

“As to Elon Musk weighing in, telling lawmakers that all should be voted out in two years, a member of the House Republican leadership told Fox that Musk ‘is not helping. He has bigger fish to fry than picking a fight with House Republicans,'” Pergram wrote. 

WASHINGTON, DC – MARCH 28: U.S. Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) attends a press conference on the debt limit and the Freedom Caucus’s plan for spending reduction at the U.S. Capitol on March 28, 2023 in Washington, DC. The group of conservative Republicans is proposing making deep cuts to entitlement spending including repealing much of President Joe Biden’s signature Inflation Reduction Act.  ((Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images))

Johnson’s difficulty coming to an agreement with his razor-thin majority in the House has resulted in names being floated to possibly replace him in the next Congress, Fox News Digital reported.

Fox News anchor Lawrence Jones reported late Wednesday afternoon that President-elect Trump is “totally against” the CR although he “acknowledged” that Johnson is in a precarious position. 

During an appearance on Fox & Friends on Wednesday morning, Johnson shared that while government debt and deficits are a concern, Republicans must approve “short-term stopgap funding measures” while Democrats still control the White House and Senate.

“We’ve got it in our central focus and when we start the new Congress in January, when Republicans are in control and DOGE (the Department of Government Efficiency) is working on all six cylinders, we’re going to be able to scale back the size and scope of government,” he said.

Johnson also said the move would ensure Republicans can control spending for 2025, describing it as an “impossible position.”

“This is the sausage-making process,” he added.

The House Speaker also revealed that he has been on a text chain with Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, who will helm DOGE.

Elon Musk is one of the Trump allies pushing House Republicans, led by Speaker Mike Johnson, to hold a House vote on the Kids Online Safety Act (Getty Images)

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“Remember, guys, we still have just a razor-thin margin of Republicans. So, any bill has to have Democrat votes. They understand the situation.” Johnson said, referencing the text exchange.

If Republicans are unable to rally the necessary votes or receive enough support from Democrats to push it through despite the vocal opponents within the party, the country would face a government shutdown on Friday night.

“What does President Trump want Republicans to do: vote for the CR or shut down government? Absent direction, confusion reigns,” said retiring Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, in a sly post on X.

Late Wednesday afternoon, Trump said in a statement, “If Democrats threaten to shut down the government unless we give them everything they want, then CALL THEIR BLUFF.”

Musk addressed the shutdown possibility on X writing that “shutting down the government (which doesn’t actually shut down critical functions btw) is infinitely better than passing a horrible bill.”

Fox News Digital’s Anders Hagstrom, Liz Elkind, Nikolas Lanum and the Associated Press contributed to this report

UFC Fight Night on Saturday did not go exactly as Colby Covington had planned.

Already an underdog in his bout against Joaquin Buckley, Covington got a brutal cut above his red eye, resulting in a ton of blood and a TKO victory for Buckley after a doctor stoppage.

Covington took the fight on short notice and was unable to get a full camp in leading up to the bout. 

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“It’s one fight, you know?” Covington said in a video on his YouTube channel. “And I’m more than just a fighter, you know? I’m gonna let this fuel me. I’m gonna get a full training camp. Came on short notice. This is for the company. This is for the fans. This wasn’t a full training camp.”

However, he says there was one other reason why he lost.

Covington said he was too busy “campaigning” for President-elect Donald Trump, whom he has long been a supporter of.

“I was campaigning for Trump, you know, getting him ready,” the fighter added. “I wasn’t even in the training room. I came off the couch on two-and-a-half weeks notice. It’s a tough ending to go like that. I feel like I was just getting my wind and I was going to come out strong, but, you know, it is what it is.”

Colby Covington punches Joaquin Buckley in a welterweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at Amalie Arena on December 14, 2024 in Tampa, Florida.   (Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)

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Covington also said in the video that the country is soon to see “the greatest four years in history.”

“God bless America, God bless the Trumps. We’re about to get the greatest president back in office. It’s gonna be the greatest four years. I”m so excited. We’re gonna have world peace, closed borders, inflation down. This money that I made tonight is gonna go farther, now,” Covington said.

Covington once called Trump his “biggest role model.” Trump has long been a fan of UFC, attending UFC 309 at Madison Square Garden shortly after winning the election, among many other events in recent months leading up to the election.

Colby Covington is seen on stage during the UFC 296 press conference at MGM Grand Garden Arena on December 14, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)

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The fighter donned a MAGA hat during a press conference ahead of UFC 296, which Trump was also in attendance for. Covington said Trump was going to place the welterweight championship belt on Covington had he won the fight, but Leon Edwards retained his title.

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California Governor Gavin Newsom has declared a state of emergency due to H5N1, more commonly known as avian influenza or bird flu.

The emergency follows an outbreak of the virus among dairy cows in Southern California farms, according to the news release on the governor’s website.

After initially being reported in Texas and Kansas in March, bird flu has been confirmed in cattle across 16 U.S. states, as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has reported.

There have been no cases of human transmission of bird flu in California, the release stated, with all infections linked to exposure to infected cattle.

“This proclamation is a targeted action to ensure government agencies have the resources and flexibility they need to respond quickly to this outbreak,” Governor Newsom said in a statement. 

“Building on California’s testing and monitoring system — the largest in the nation — we are committed to further protecting public health, supporting our agriculture industry, and ensuring that Californians have access to accurate, up-to-date information,” he went on.

“While the risk to the public remains low, we will continue to take all necessary steps to prevent the spread of this virus.”

Also on Wednesday, the first case of severe bird flu was confirmed in a human patient in Louisiana, according to the CDC.

The health agency maintains that “the current public health risk is low,” but said it is “watching the situation carefully.”

The Iowa Hawkeyes women’s basketball team announced it will retire Caitlin Clark’s jersey Feb. 2. 

Clark’s No. 22, which she wears for the Indiana Fever, will hang from the rafters at Carver-Hawkeye Arena after a ceremony honoring the program’s most accomplished player. 

Clark is expected to be in attendance, and the event will be broadcast on FOX. 

“I’m forever proud to be a Hawkeye, and Iowa holds a special place in my heart that is bigger than just basketball,” Clark said in the announcement. 

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“It means the world to me to receive this honor and to celebrate it with my family, friends and alumni. It will be a great feeling to look up in the rafters and see my jersey alongside those that I’ve admired for so long.”

In four seasons at Iowa, Clark broke the NCAA’s all-time scoring record among both men’s and women’s players, leading the team to the NCAA championship game twice. She was also a consensus National Player of the Year as a junior and senior.

Iowa athletic director Beth Goetz and famed alumni Henry and Patricia Tippie praised Clark’s contributions in a joint statement. 

WNBA STAR CAITLIN CLARK NAMED TIME ATHLETE OF THE YEAR AFTER HISTORIC SEASON: ‘JUST SCRATCHING THE SURFACE’

Guard Caitlin Clark of the Iowa Hawkeyes signs autographs for fans as she leaves the court after a game against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Carver-Hawkeye Arena March 3, 2024, in Iowa City, Iowa.  (Matthew Holst/Getty Images)

“Caitlin Clark has not only redefined excellence on the court but has also inspired countless young athletes to pursue their dreams with passion and determination,” the statement said. 

“Her remarkable achievements have left an indelible mark on the University of Iowa and the world of women’s basketball. Retiring her number is a testament to her extraordinary contributions and a celebration of her legacy that will continue to inspire future generations. Hawkeye fans are eager to say thank you for so many incredible moments.”

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Caitlin Clark of the Indiana Fever poses for a photo with Lin Dunn and Christie Sides during her introductory press conference April 17, 2024, at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.  (Ron Hoskins/NBAE via Getty Images)

Clark was selected with the No. 1 pick in this year’s WNBA Draft by the Fever after her Iowa career. 

As a WNBA rookie in 2024, Clark set records for the most points and 3-pointers by a rookie in league history, while also becoming the first rookie to record a triple-double, a feat she accomplished twice. Her 337 assists not only were the most by a rookie, they were the most by any player ever in a single season.

Clark’s jersey retirement will come just two months after Time magazine named her the publication’s Athlete of The Year. The decision prompted praise, but also criticism from some, including Washington Mystics owner Sheila Johnson, who recently wondered in a CNN interview why Clark was chosen for the honor and not the entire WNBA. Johnson suggested it had to do with Clark’s race. 

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A cruise ship passenger caught on camera acting unruly died shortly after being detained.

Michael Virgil, 35, was seen trying to kick down a door on a ship shortly after it left the Los Angeles Cruise Terminal headed for Ensenada, Mexico, FOX 11 reported. 

“The gentleman that was drunk said he was going to kill us,” cruise passenger Christifer Mikhail told the local station. “He started chasing us down the hallway.”

Virgil allegedly attacked two Royal Caribbean crew members aboard the Navigator of the Seas and was attempting to kick down a door to a towel room to get to one of them. 

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“I was kind of scared,” Mikhail said. “I’m stuck in this hallway.”

Virgil was said to be uttering profanity and racial slurs. 

Video showed him shirtless prior to security restraining him, with what FOX 11 reported was either bear or pepper spray, towels, zip ties and handcuffs. 

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An overhead view of Royal Caribbean’s Navigator of the Seas cruise ship. (Royal Caribbean)

A family member of Virgil told FOX 11 he died within an hour of security injecting him with some sort of sedative. They said what happened was not characteristic of him.

“He didn’t deserve to die over it,” the relative told FOX 11. 

Virigl leaves behind a wife and 7-year-old son who were also with him on the cruise, according to the station.

A cruise ship terminal at Berth 93 in the Port of Los Angeles on July 10, 2009. (Jeff Gritchen/Digital First Media/Orange County Register via Getty Images)

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A statement from Royal Caribbean to Fox News Digital said, “We are saddened by the passing of one of our guests. We offered support to the family and are working with authorities on their investigation.”

Virgil’s exact cause of death is not yet known, but FOX 11 reported that the FBI is investigating the incident. The FBI has not responded to a Fox News Digital inquiry regarding the status of the investigation. 

Kai Trump, the granddaughter of President-elect Trump, had a little fun on the golf course when she interviewed two-time Masters winner Scottie Scheffler during the LIV-PGA showdown on Tuesday

Speaking with Scheffler ahead of his and Rory McIlroy’s exhibition match against LIV Golf stars Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka, Kai asked Scheffler about his May 2024 arrest when he was charged with several offenses, including second-degree assault of a police officer. 

The incident took place as Scheffler was attempting to enter Valhalla Golf Club, site of the PGA Championship, before the second round on May 17. 

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Kai began the interview asking, “Scottie, you’re too nice, but how was jail?” 

“You know, honestly, it was a bit boring,” he said with a laugh. “There’s not really much to do in there. I was in a cell by myself and just kind of sitting in there looking at the walls. So, it was a little boring.”

Kai, who has captivated golf fans with her vlogs on YouTube following Trump’s successful bid for the White House, then made a lighthearted joke at the expense of Tiger Woods, who had his own run-in with law in 2017. 

Scottie Scheffler is interviewed by Kai Trump before The Showdown: McIlroy and Scheffler vs. DeChambeau and Koepka at Shadow Creek Golf Course on Dec. 16, 2024, in Las Vegas. (Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images for The Showdown)

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“I mean, orange is not a bad color though – on you, honestly. You pulled it off just like Tiger Woods,” she joked. 

Scheffler quipped back, “I prefer the burnt orange a little bit more than the jail cell orange.” 

The charges stemming from Scheffler’s arrest were later dropped. An internal investigation also found that three Louisville Metro Police officers violated police policy when they failed to have their bodycams activated.

Bryson DeChambeau, left, and Scottie Scheffler walk across the course during the 43rd Ryder Cup at Whistling Straits on Sept. 24, 2021, in Kohler, Wisconsin. (Andrew Redington/Getty Images)

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Detective Bryan Gillis received “corrective action” for his role. 

Police were investigating the death of a volunteer, who was hit by a bus just outside the golf course, when the Scheffler incident occurred. 

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House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., on Wednesday rebuffed the Biden-Harris administration’s response to recent drone sightings in New Jersey, decrying how federal authorities have given no clear answers to Congress on their origin. 

In a Fox News appearance, Johnson agreed that the White House, and more broadly the U.S. government, does not seem concerned about the increased sightings in New Jersey and elsewhere in the Northeast. 

“Look, I’m the speaker of the House. I have the exact same frustrations that you do and all of us do. We don’t have the answers. The administration is not providing them,” Johnson said. 

Johnson said he set up a meeting last week with officials from the Department of Defense, Department of Homeland Security and the FBI, and “the answers are not forthcoming.”

TRUMP SAYS THE GOVERNMENT ‘KNOWS WHAT IS HAPPENING’ WITH MYSTERIOUS DRONES

“They just say ‘don’t worry about it, it’s not foreign entities, there’s not a vessel offshore doing this, and they’re not collecting any data.’ OK, then what is it?” Johnson said. 

“You heard Mayorkas, who no one believes, we impeached him in the House as you know, the DHS secretary, he said in an interview a couple days ago, well because they changed the regulations to allow drones to fly at night, that’s why everybody’s seeing them now. They’ve always been there. I mean, look, people are not buying the answers,” Johnson said. “We are digging in further to get the answers, and we’re demanding that the administration do its job. We gotta protect Americans, protect our intelligence, of course, and our data and everything else. We’re going to get down to the bottom of it, but we don’t have the answers yet.”

Johnson referenced how Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas told ABC News on Monday that there are thousands of drones flown every day in the U.S., and that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in September 2023 “changed the rules so that drones could fly at night, and that may be one of the reasons why now people are seeing more drones than they did before, especially from dawn until dusk.” 

Mayorkas also said it was “critical” for Congress to expand authorities for state and local agencies to counter drone activity “under federal supervision.” 

Johnson reacted to President Biden telling reporters at the White House on Tuesday that there was “nothing nefarious” happening with the drones, and that so far, there has been “no sense of danger.”

“This is why we need Donald J. Trump back in the White House to bring steady hands at the wheel and a strong commander-in-chief,” Johnson said. “He would have already had the answers, he would have already delivered to the American people and certainly to members of Congress. So leadership matters. That’s why he got the mandate. That’s why the American people can’t wait for the America First agenda to start, and we can’t wait either.”

Federal authorities said Monday evening that the reported drone sightings have been identified as legal commercial drones, hobbyist drones and law enforcement drones, as well as manned aircraft, helicopters and even stars. Officials said that assessment was based on technical data and tips.

A drone is seen over Ridge, New York, on Thursday evening on Dec. 12, 2024. (Grant Parpan/Newsday RM via Getty Images)

The House Intelligence Committee grilled federal law enforcement and intelligence officials about the drones during a closed-door meeting on Tuesday, Rep. Jim Himes, D-Conn., told CNN. 

Authorities told the panel there still is no evidence of public safety or national security threats, Himes said.

Democratic New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy said Monday that drone-detection equipment supplied by the federal government has yielded little new information. He declined to describe the equipment, except to say it was powerful and could even disable the drones, though he said that is not legal on U.S. soil. Murphy urged Congress to give states more authority to deal with the drones.

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Meanwhile, the FBI and New Jersey state police warned against pointing lasers at suspected drones, because aircraft pilots are being hit in the eyes more often. Authorities also said they are concerned people might fire weapons at manned aircraft that they have mistaken for drones.

White House national security spokesman John Kirby said Monday that the federal government has yet to identify any public safety or national security risks from any of the reported drone sightings in the northeast, saying officials believe they were lawfully flown drones, planes or stars.

“There are more than 1 million drones that are lawfully registered with the Federal Aviation Administration here in the United States,” Kirby said. “And there are thousands of commercial, hobbyist and law enforcement drones that are lawfully in the sky on any given day. That is the ecosystem that we are dealing with.”

The federal government has deployed personnel and advanced technology to investigate the reports in New Jersey and other states, and is evaluating each tip reported by citizens, he said.

A social media user said she filmed several drones hovering over Fairfield, Connecticut, on Thursday night. (Lucy Biggers)

About 100 of the more than 5,000 drone sightings reported to the FBI in recent weeks were deemed credible enough to warrant more investigation, according to a joint statement by DHS, FBI, FAA and the Department of Defense. 

Speculation has raged online, with some expressing concerns that the drones could be part of a nefarious plot by foreign agents.

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Pentagon spokesperson Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said it Is unlikely the drones are engaged in intelligence gathering, given how loud and bright they are. He repeated Tuesday that the drones being reported are not being operated by the Department of Defense. When asked whether military contractors might be operating drones in the New Jersey area, Ryder rebuffed the notion, saying there are “no military operations, no military drone or experiment operations in this corridor.”

Ryder said additional drone-detecting technology was being moved to some military installations, including the Picatinny Arsenal and at Naval Weapons Station Earle in New Jersey, where drones also have been reported.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.