The Senate confirmed Colin McDonald on a 52–47 vote to serve as the Justice Department’s first assistant attorney general for national fraud enforcement on Tuesday, as the Trump administration ramps up efforts to crack down on abuse of taxpayer-funded programs.

The confirmation comes as federal officials continue investigating large-scale fraud schemes, including a Minnesota daycare fraud probe involving millions in taxpayer-funded federal dollars, while House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer has alleged whistleblowers warned state leaders about the issue for years.

President Donald Trump created the new National Fraud Enforcement Division to target systemic fraud across federal programs, pointing to cases such as Minnesota, which officials say have both exposed widespread abuse and helped shape the federal government’s response.

“My Administration has uncovered fraud schemes in states like Minnesota and California, where these thieves have stolen hundreds of billions of taxpayer dollars,” Trump said. “Together, we will end the fraud and restore integrity to our federal programs.”

EXCLUSIVE: SENATE BILL TARGETS MINNESOTA-STYLE ‘RUNAWAY FRAUD’ TO FORCE SCAMMERS REPAY TAXPAYERS

The new role is intended to centralize enforcement efforts and expand the Justice Department’s ability to investigate and prosecute complex fraud schemes tied to public assistance programs.

During his confirmation hearing, McDonald said the work in Minnesota had been “pivotal” spotlighting fraud in taxpayer-funded programs and that the new division would seek to “scale” similar efforts nationwide.

Attorney General Pam Bondi called McDonald an “experienced, skilled, and tough prosecutor” who will “continue doing incredible work to root out fraud across America.”

FEDERAL FRAUD FACES SENATE SHOWDOWN AS THUNE TAPS ERNST TO LEAD REFORMS AFTER MINNESOTA SCANDAL

Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche described McDonald as “one of the most effective attorneys” he has worked with and said the American people should have confidence in his leadership of the new division.

Vice President JD Vance said McDonald has an “exceptional prosecutorial track record” and is well positioned to take on the role.

McDonald currently serves as an associate deputy attorney general at the Justice Department, where he has worked on major enforcement initiatives under Blanche.

GOP SENATOR PUSHES TO CREATE ANTI-FRAUD SPECIAL INSPECTOR GENERAL AFTER MINNESOTA FRAUD REVELATIONS

During his testimony, McDonald emphasized the scale of the problem, citing estimates that hundreds of billions of dollars are lost to fraud annually, and said the Justice Department would work with federal, state and local partners to investigate and prosecute cases, adding that “no fraud is too big” and “no fraud is too small” for enforcement.

The Minnesota daycare fraud investigation has drawn particular scrutiny as part of the broader crackdown, with federal investigators and lawmakers examining allegations that funds intended for childcare and meals for children were diverted or misused.

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A recent state audit found Minnesota officials failed for years to properly investigate fraud-related allegations, concluding the Department of Human Services had the authority to pursue cases but did not act, according to the report.

Fox News Digital’s Landon Mion, Andrew Mark Miller, Emma Colton and Max Bacall contributed to this reporting.

The online fundraising platform Kickstarter has taken down a campaign for a book about “Save Women’s Sports” activists, that is set to include interviews with Riley Gaines, Jennifer Sey, Paula Scanlan, Brooke Slusser, Payton McNabb, Stephanie Turner, Selina Soule, Kaitlynn Wheeler and several others. 

The page for the campaign for the forthcoming title “She Handled It,” by Arwen Becker currently says “suspended” on Kickstarter’s website. 

Becker told Fox News Digital that she was told that campaigns are suspended when the platform discovers “strong evidence” that a campaign violates “the spirit of Kickstarter rules.” 

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Becker added that one of the potential reasons Kickstarter provided for the suspension was “It’s hateful or offensive content that fails to meet Kickstarter’s spirit of inclusivity by promoting discrimination, bigotry or intolerance toward marginalized groups.”

Fox News Digital has reached out to Kickstarter for comment. 

Becker has since moved the campaign to the Christian-owned digital fundraising platform GiveSendGo, which is famed for platforming fundraisers that are not allowed on other platforms. 

Becker says the recent removal of her campaign and the viral reaction it has sparked has actually helped drive more attention to her project.

TRUMP ADMIN RESPONDS AFTER SJSU SUES TO CHALLENGE TITLE IX INVESTIGATION INTO TRANSGENDER VOLLEYBALL SCANDAL

“It’s definitely helped. There’s zero question about it,” Becker said. “There are people that are actually just upset this even happened, so of course it’s getting attention because it’s so absurd!”

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She added that she made no effort to contact Kickstarter after her campaign was suspended.

“I don’t have time to battle with a company that treats authors/creators this way, so I instantly pivoted to a different way to fund the campaign,” Becker said. 

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The World Meteorological Organization (WMO)’s latest State of the Global Climate 2025 report puts Earth’s energy imbalance, a key indicator of how fast the planet is warming, into focus for the first time. According to the report, for the first time Earth’s Energy Imbalance (EEI) has been included as a key indicator. It represents the difference that occurs between energy coming from the Sun and energy going back into space. When this balance is positive, it means that the Earth is continuously storing more heat.

The EEI in 2025 has been recorded at its highest level since 1960. According to scientists, this indicator gives a more accurate picture than traditional surface temperatures. According to the report, the oceans have absorbed about 91 percent of the total excess heat accumulated on Earth since the 1970s. According to Thomas Mortlock, a climate analyst at the University of New South Wales, the atmosphere only holds about one percent of the excess heat, so gauging the severity of the climate crisis based only on surface temperatures could be misleading.

Unprecedented levels of greenhouse gases
The concentration of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere is expected to reach 423.9 parts per million in 2024, the highest in the last two million years. Along with this, the levels of other major greenhouse gases like methane and nitrous oxide were also recorded at record highs. Analysis of Antarctica’s ice cores shows that CO2 levels have remained between 150 and 300 parts per million over the past 8 million years, making it clear that the current situation has gone far beyond the limits of natural climate change.

Impact on food security, migration and social stability
The impact of the climate crisis is also clearly visible on agricultural production, due to which the risk of food insecurity is increasing. At the same time, extreme weather and environmental changes are causing large-scale displacement of people, especially in areas already experiencing conflict and instability. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres responded to the report, saying the global climate situation is one of emergency. The Earth is being pushed beyond its limits. Every major climate indicator is signaling danger. That humanity has experienced 11 consecutive hottest years is not a coincidence, but a clarion call to action.

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The Football Association (FA) says it is “proud” of plans to ensure at least a quarter of the England men’s coaching staff is from Black, Asian, mixed or other ethnic backgrounds – responding to Reform UK complaints the strategy is “utter woke nonsense”.

Former home secretary Suella Braverman, who defected from the Conservatives to Reform, wrote earlier on Monday to FA chief executive Mark Bullingham asking for the target to be scrapped.

It was introduced by the governing body two years ago, covering the men’s senior team down to the under-17s, with the ambition of reaching 30% of their coaching teams being non-white, or at least 25%, by 2028.

Ms Braverman, who holds the equalities brief for Reform, said the men’s team targets were “fundamentally flawed, inherently racist and bad for the game” because “the best coaches should get the job, not because of their skin colour, but because they are the best person for the job”.

While she requested a meeting with Mr Bullingham to discuss their diversity, equality and inclusion policies, the governing body responded publicly within hours, defending the diversity plans while agreeing the “best people” would be appointed to jobs.

In full: FA’s response to Reform criticism

An FA spokesperson told Sky News: “Football has the unique ability to break down barriers and bring communities together.

“Through our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (EDI), we aim to ensure the game reflects the full diversity of our nation.

“This means opening up pathways and creating opportunities for people from all backgrounds – including those from historically under-represented groups.

“While we will always take a meritocratic approach by appointing the best people for roles, we also recognise the importance of having a broader range of participants across the sport.

“We are proud that our strategy is supporting the growth of football among men, women, boys and girls from all communities.”

Read more from Rob Harris:
Government prepares to sue Abramovich
England stars concerned about ‘speak out’ pressure

Ms Braverman had said she supports the FA’s fight against racism in football.

But she said: “Your DEI strategy does precisely that, it divides rather than unites. It replaces merit with quotas and implements identity politics where teamwork, ability and hard graft should prevail.”

A neighbor of Nancy Guthrie says his dogs woke him in the middle of the night on two dates now under scrutiny, behavior he described as unusual, including the night authorities believe she was abducted.

Jeff Lamie, who lives a few houses from Guthrie’s Catalina Foothills home, told “Crime Stories with Nancy Grace” that his dogs woke him and wanted to be let outside on Jan. 11 and again in the early morning hours of Feb. 1.

Lamie said the late-night activity stood out because it was not normal for his dogs.

“Oh, just waking me up at that hour,” Lamie said when asked what was unusual. “That’s what was atypical. Actually, it hasn’t happened since.”

NANCY GUTHRIE MISSING: FORENSIC SCIENTIST ENCOURAGES NEW INVESTIGATIVE APPROACH SINCE CASE ‘ISN’T COLD YET’

Guthrie, 84, the mother of “Today” co-host Savannah Guthrie, disappeared the night of Jan. 31 after returning home from dinner with family and was reported missing Feb. 1 after she failed to show up for church.

Authorities believe she was taken from her home during the early morning hours of Feb. 1.

Lamie said his dogs woke him a little after 1 a.m. that morning. He took them into the courtyard behind his home and did not hear or see anything unusual at the time.

NANCY GUTHRIE SUSPECT’S DIGITAL ‘BLACKOUT’ MAY BE KEY TO CASE, SAYS EXPERT WHO PROBED KOHBERGER PHONE

“But the dogs did rouse and I took them out. There’s an image of me on camera. I didn’t hear nothing or saw nothing, but you know, animals can be, especially dogs can be hypersensitive and we don’t know if there’s a correlation,” Lamie said. “We’ve shared it and whether it helps with timeline or in any way, we hope it is of some value.”

He said he only later realized the possible significance after investigators asked neighbors to review video.

“And human nature, we just filed it away and didn’t really think about this until we were asked to review our video and then had this recollection and saw this correlation, which was very unusual,” he said.

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Lamie said that when he later reviewed the video, he noticed one of the dogs appeared to look off into the distance and become briefly focused before moving on.

He said the behavior happened on both Jan. 11 and the night of Jan. 31 into Feb. 1.

His account comes as investigators increasingly focus on Jan. 11, a date Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos has said may be significant, though its role in the case remains unclear.

NEW SECURITY IMAGES UNCOVERED IN NANCY GUTHRIE ABDUCTION CASE AS FBI INVESTIGATION CONTINUES

“We do believe that something occurred on Jan. 11,” Nanos told KOLD 13 News, while cautioning the information is not definitive.

Authorities have asked residents within roughly a two-mile radius of Guthrie’s Tucson-area home to review surveillance video from Jan. 1 through Feb. 2, with particular attention to Jan. 11.

Nanos has also said investigators are focused on that date for a reason separate from the security footage already released.

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Guthrie’s doorbell camera disconnected at 1:47 a.m. on Feb. 1, according to Nanos. Video shows a masked figure wearing long sleeves and gloves with an Ozark Trail backpack who appeared to have a holstered pistol.

The last time Guthrie’s pacemaker synced with her phone was 2:28 a.m., narrowing the window in which investigators believe she was taken.

Still, Nanos has emphasized there is no confirmation the individual seen in released video was at the home on Jan. 11, noting missing timestamps make it difficult to verify.

SAVANNAH GUTHRIE RETURNS TO ‘TODAY’ SHOW STUDIO FOR FIRST TIME SINCE MOTHER WENT MISSING

Lamie’s interview also underscored challenges in the neighborhood.

He said most home surveillance systems capture only front doors, garages and courtyards, not wider views beyond the property lines, and described the area as dense with cactus, rock and brush.

“With the size of the lots and where the cameras are situated, they capture your home and entrance points, but they do not capture much beyond that,” Lamie said.

SHERIFF WARNS NANCY GUTHRIE SUSPECT COULD ‘ABSOLUTELY’ STRIKE AGAIN, HINTS AT MOTIVE

He also described a utility road and a rough cut-through route behind homes that neighbors say was once used by schoolchildren, adding that navigating the area at night would be difficult.

Lamie said investigators reviewing his system found two cameras marked “offline” during the timeframe in question, and he could not say whether that was meaningful or a coincidence.

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He added that his wife recalled noticing a vehicle parked on Guthrie’s street the evening before the disappearance, though she had few details.

Additional dates, including Jan. 24, are also under review as authorities work to build out a fuller timeline.

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Despite weeks of investigation, no suspect has been publicly identified. Nanos has said forensic evidence collected inside the home, including DNA, has not produced a clear lead.

Still, authorities say the case remains active.

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“We have so much in front of us. And we believe we have good evidence in front of us,” Nanos told KOLD. “Will that dry up? Could I be wrong? Absolutely. Anything is possible, but we’re not giving up.”

Over the weekend, Guthrie’s family issued a renewed plea to the public.

LISTEN TO THE NEW ‘CRIME & JUSTICE WITH DONNA ROTUNNO’ PODCAST

“No detail is too small,” the family said, urging residents to recheck surveillance footage, messages and memories. “Someone knows something.”

The FBI describes the suspect as a man about 5-foot-9 to 5-foot-10 with a medium build. Investigators have not ruled out that more than one person could be involved.

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The Pima County Sheriff’s Office is also warning about potential scams. In a notice posted Tuesday, the agency said there is no official GoFundMe or fundraising effort tied to the Guthrie investigation, and any claims suggesting otherwise are fraudulent. Authorities urged the public not to send money and to remain vigilant.

A reward of more than $1 million is being offered for information leading to Guthrie’s recovery.

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Anyone with information is urged to contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI.

Fox News Digital’s Michael Ruiz contributed to this report.

Some Transportation Security Administration (TSA) agents are selling their blood plasma to make ends meet as the 38-day Department of Homeland Security shutdown drags on, acting Deputy TSA Administrator Adam Stahl told reporters Tuesday.

“We got folks sleeping in cars,” Stahl told reporters at Washington’s Reagan National Airport, referring to TSA employees. “I talked to a single mother recently who has a three-year-old child with special needs and can’t afford to pay for childcare for that three-year-old child.”

Stahl also said some agents are having “blood drawn to afford gas to come to work.”

The bleak situation comes as TSA agents nationwide have been forced to report to work without pay during the prolonged funding lapse. More than 50,000 TSA personnel will miss their second full paycheck of the shutdown if the funding lapse is not resolved by Friday.

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Though talks to end the shutdown have ramped up in the past 24 hours, Stahl warned that the impact funding lapses have on TSA agents would continue to worsen if the shutdown does not end soon.

“It’s a dire situation,” Stahl said. “The longer our folks don’t get paid, the more they’re going to not be able to come into work and the more they’re going to quit altogether.”

The shortage of TSA workers at major travel hubs across the country has led to hours-long wait times at airport security checkpoints. Stahl said the ongoing spring break travel season could exacerbate airports’ staffing constraints.

More than 400 TSA agents have quit since the shutdown began on Feb. 14.

“This again is going to get worse before it gets better if Senate Democrats particularly don’t act and don’t act soon,” he said, adding that a mass exit of TSA workers hurts the agency’s ability to prepare for the upcoming FIFA World Cup later this summer.

LIZ PEEK: VOTERS TELL CONGRESS ‘DO YOUR JOB’ AND END THE DHS SHOWDOWN

GOP lawmakers have blasted their Democratic colleagues for withholding support for a full-year DHS funding bill as the party demands reforms to immigration enforcement. They argue that TSA agents — in addition to thousands of other DHS workers employed by various sub-agencies — are victims of Democrats’ hardball tactics.

“The men and women who work for TSA agents are American heroes,” Rep. Mark Alford, R-Mo., said at Reagan National airport Tuesday. “Would you still be at your job if you were facing a third paycheck of not getting paid?” 

TSA agents were also forced to work without pay during the record-breaking 43-day shutdown in fall 2025.

Democrats, by contrast, have blamed Republicans for opposing legislation that would fund DHS — including TSA — minus the department’s immigration enforcement functions. 

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President Donald Trump laid into Democrats Tuesday when asked about TSA agents working for over a month without their salary.

“They’ll do anything to hurt our country so they can try and win the midterms,” Trump said

Fox News Digital reached out to TSA for comment.

Conservative critics are accusing former special counsel Jack Smith of improperly coordinating with two federal judges after Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, released documents Tuesday showing Smith’s team interacted with the pair during the Trump investigations.

“Democrat DC U.S. district judges illegally worked in secret with Biden Special Counsel Jack Smith to bring charges against President Trump,” Article III Project founder Mike Davis claimed on X as details of the documents emerged on Tuesday. 

Smith’s investigations led to criminal charges against President Donald Trump over the 2020 election and alleged retention of classified documents. Trump called the investigations a “witch hunt,” while Republicans widely condemned the charges as an abuse of power designed to take out the leading Republican presidential candidate.

The documents released by Grassley included notes about a briefing Smith’s team gave Attorney General Merrick Garland on Jan. 13, 2023, just after Garland appointed Smith as special counsel. The notes referenced meetings with Judges Beryl Howell and James Boasberg of Washington, D.C., both Obama appointees and Trump nemeses known for their high-profile adverse rulings against the president.

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“She liked our approach of pursuing the executive privilege litigation in an omnibus fashion,” Smith’s team wrote in reference to Howell, according to the documents. Omnibus motions allow for consolidated, rather than piecemeal, litigation and are typically used by lawyers to streamline court filings. Smith’s team frequently sought permission from the court to pierce executive privilege, a presumptive right that a president and his aides have that gives their communications a layer of legal privacy.

The briefing notes referenced a forthcoming meeting with Boasberg on March 18, 2023, the day after he was set to become chief judge, succeeding Howell.

Cruz’s office told Fox News Digital the senator thought the meetings with the judges were significant. The remark came after Cruz led a Senate hearing on the Trump cases on Tuesday during which he declared Smith’s work a “modern Watergate” scandal that was expansive and hyper-political, sweeping up personal information, such as phone records, belonging to hundreds of Republican entities and individuals.

A Republican congressional investigator told Fox News Digital the meetings with the judges merited further scrutiny.

JACK SMITH DEFENDS SUBPOENAING REPUBLICAN SENATORS’ PHONE RECORDS: ‘ENTIRELY PROPER’

Smith’s team wrote in the briefing notes for Garland that Howell was aware that an omnibus executive privilege motion was coming “and loves the idea.” Smith’s team listed out nearly a dozen former Trump officials, such as Mark Meadows and Ken Cuccinelli, who would be included in the consolidated motion. The notes referenced five other, separate executive privilege motions that were already making their way through the court process, signaling that an omnibus motion would be a reduction in paperwork for the court.

The briefing notes also mentioned recent meetings between the special counsel’s team and top FBI officials. The FBI “has been very responsive,” Smith’s team wrote. The team mentioned “precedent-setting issues we face in areas of executive privilege [and] Speech or Debate,” a possible reference to Smith testing the separation of powers by seeking the potentially privileged material from those in Trump’s orbit.

Independent journalist Julie Kelly, an outspoken critic of the Biden DOJ, observed on X that Smith’s team interacted with the judges. Kelly suggested the judges were “in cahoots with Biden DOJ to rubber stamp, even advise, any strategy set forth by Jack Smith.”

Attorney Bill Shipley, a longtime federal prosecutor who represented dozens of Jan. 6 defendants, wrote on X that he did not find much about the memo “noteworthy,” saying it was “clearly” designed to bring Garland up to speed following the holidays and Smith’s new appointment. Shipley also noted how Howell and Boasberg were chief judges, meaning any grand jury matters were required to go through their offices.

Shipley noted, however, that he felt Howell notoriously ruled against the Trump administration and that her eager approval of an omnibus motion represented a desire for her to make decisions before her tenure as chief judge expired in March 2023.

“What troubles me in the text of the memo is the suggestion — which was borne out by events that followed — that Judge Howell desired to resolve all the issues involving witness privilege before she stepped down as Chief Judge,” Shipley wrote, though he noted that her decisions were appealable.

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Smith has repeatedly stood by his work, testifying to Congress that it was aligned with DOJ policies and nonpartisan. 

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A Smith representative declined to comment on the latest document release.

Howell’s and Boasberg’s chambers did not respond to requests for comment.