Musk has 'no business' in Pentagon, Dems say amid report he'd get top secret China briefing

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., said SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk has "no business" conducting affairs at the Pentagon, amid reports Musk would receive secret information from top military officials Friday about military contingency plans should a war break out with China.  

While The New York Times reported that Musk was set to receive military plans about any potential China conflict, the Pentagon and White House pushed back and said Musk’s briefing wouldn’t cover China. 

"Elon Musk is an unelected, self-interested billionaire with no business anywhere near the Pentagon," Gillibrand said in an X post Friday morning with a photo of the Times story, just after Musk arrived at the Pentagon. Gillibrand is a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee. 

The possibility of Musk receiving information on China raises a possible conflict of interest, given the fact that Musk has financial interests in China stemming from Tesla, and SpaceX is working with the U.S. federal government on military space capabilities. 

However, the Trump administration swiftly pushed back on the Times’ reporting, and Trump issued a post on social media discrediting the story as "completely untrue."

"They said, incorrectly, that Elon Musk is going to the Pentagon tomorrow to be briefed on any potential ‘war with China.’ How ridiculous?" China will not even be mentioned or discussed," President Donald Trump said in a Thursday night Truth Social post. 

A former Obama administration official also sounded the alarm about Musk's visit to the Pentagon. 

Xochitl Hinojosa, who previously served as a spokesperson for former Attorney General Eric Holder and communications director for the Democratic National Committee, said that career officials must have disclosed the information about the meeting to the press because they were concerned about what would be shared with Musk. 

"What is happening here, and everyone needs to be scared, is Pentagon officials are sounding the alarm," Hinojosa said in an interview with CNN Thursday night. "This doesn’t just happen on its own. This has happened because career officials in the Pentagon are terrified. And they believe there is a conflict of interest. That is why it is in the New York Times. Because I am sure they took it to the senior most people within the White House and within the Pentagon and they didn’t do anything about it."

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Hinojosa said that during her time at the Justice Department, career officials would sound the alarm if they became aware of any unethical behavior at the agency. 

"That is exactly what is happening here," Hinojosa said. 

Hinojosa could not be reached for comment by Fox News Digital. 

The New York Times published a story Thursday evening claiming that Musk’s visit to the Pentagon would involve discussing plans in the event of a potential war with China. Specifically, the Times reported that the briefing involved a presentation with 20 to 30 slides on how the U.S. would combat China, various Chinese targets to strike and how the Pentagon would share these plans with Trump. 

The Times also reported the meeting would occur in the so-called Tank, a secure conference room that the Joint Chiefs utilize for meetings, along with other senior staff and visiting combatant commanders. 

Meanwhile, the Times report also noted that Musk may have needed to know information about plans for China as he eyes cutting the Pentagon’s budget amid his efforts leading the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). 

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Pentagon war plans are highly confidential for operational security purposes. Should details regarding the U.S. military’s strategy to combat an enemy be shared or leaked in any way, it would jeopardize U.S. forces and undermine the success of the military campaign.

Hegseth also weighed in on the matter, and said the meeting with Musk would primarily center around innovation. 

"But the fake news delivers again — this is NOT a meeting about ‘top secret China war plans.’ It’s an informal meeting about innovation, efficiencies & smarter production. Gonna be great!" Hegseth said in a post on X late Thursday evening. 

In response to Hegseth’s post, Musk responded: "Exactly. Also, I’ve been to the Pentagon many times over many years. Not my first time in the building." 

Musk also said in a separate post he looks "forward to the prosecutions of those at the Pentagon who are leaking maliciously false information to NYT. 

"They will be found," he said. 

The White House didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. 

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Wisconsin parents claim school punished daughters for refusing to change in front of trans student

FIRST ON FOX– Two Wisconsin parents have filed a civil rights complaint after they claimed their daughters were forced to share a locker room with a biological male transgender student and faced academic penalties for attempting to avoid undressing in front of the student.

The Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty (WILL) filed a Title IX complaint on behalf of the parents with the Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights (OCR) and with U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi against Westosha Central High School for "endangering the safety and privacy of multiple female students."

The complaint, shared first with Fox News Digital, claims that Westosha Central High allowed a male student to share a locker room for gym class with female students and allegedly punished students who attempted to avoid changing in front of the male student.

The complaint was brought by two parents of female students in the class. One of the parents said he ended up pulling his daughter out of the school because of the situation.

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"Parents send their kids to school so they can learn in a safe environment, but that's not what happened here. My daughter was punished for standing up for her own privacy and safety. The district's misplaced priorities left us no choice but to leave the school," former Westosha parent Nicholas Puchter said.

The complaint states that at the beginning of the second semester last December, two female students, "Jane Doe 1" and "Jane Doe 2," began a new physical education class where they became aware that a male transgender student would be allowed to change in the girls' locker room.

"While some girls could use the few available toilet stalls to change in privacy and away from the gaze of the male student, others could not because of the limited time offered for changing. The result was a crowded and uncomfortable environment where many girls felt pressured into an inadequate choice between exposure and tardiness," the complaint states.

After Jane Doe 1 and Jane Doe 2 expressed "discomfort and embarrassment" at being required to undress in front of a male student to their gym teacher, the complaint claims they were told "not to worry about it" and that it would be considered "bullying," to not allow the transgender student to use the girls' locker room.

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The complaint says the parents of the two girls also called the school's administration office to demand they address the issue. However, the transgender student was still allowed to change in the same locker room, the complaint claims.

During the winter break, Westosha also sent a letter to families, claiming that "no reports of inappropriate locker room behaviors were made to school personnel or law enforcement" but regardless, the school said it had "taken steps to ensure all students feel safe and comfortable in the locker room."

The complaint says that Jane Doe 1 and Jane Doe 2 faced academic penalties when they attempted to avoid changing in front of the transgender student.

Jane Doe 1 allegedly "received multiple unexcused absences attempting to avoid the leering gaze of a male student in the locker room."

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In one instance, Jane Doe 1 tried to sit in the girls' bathroom outside the locker room to avoid the male student when a teacher "yelled" at her for skipping class and forced her to return to PE class, the complaint says. 

Jane Doe 2 was also marked absent on multiple occasions because she would wait for an empty stall to change clothes for class. Although her absences were excused after her father called the school, she still received a failing grade in the class, the complaint says. Her family ultimately chose to pull her out of Westosha, which is located in Paddock Lake, a village in Kenosha County bordering Illinois.

WILL accuses the school of violating Title IX protections by failing to "take meaningful action to accommodate" or address the students' concerns and creating an environment where female students' participation in gym class was hindered.

WILL is asking the Department of Justice and Department of Education to investigate these claims and "act swiftly to remedy unlawful policies and practices, and order appropriate relief."

WILL Associate Counsel Lauren Greuel provided the following statement:

"When schools like Westosha force girls into an inadequate choice between exposing themselves to a male student or academic penalties, they abandon all common-sense and their core mission. The law requires protections for girls to have the same educational opportunities as their male peers. The decision to punish these girls for protecting themselves must be promptly investigated by the Department of Education. We ask the department to consider the allegations in our complaint and quickly remedy these unlawful policies and practices."

In response to the complaint, the Department of Justice told Fox News Digital, "Forcing girls to compete against and share locker rooms with boys is demeaning, unfair, and dangerous. The Department of Justice will protect women and continue to vigorously defend President Trump’s executive actions, including the Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports executive order."

Wetosha Central High and the Department of Education did not respond to Fox News Digital's requests for comment.

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Dean Phillips calls out 'great way to lose even more Democrats' as Tim Walz bashes Elon Musk

Former Rep. Dean Phillps, D-Minn., has suggested that bashing billionaire business magnate Elon Musk will not be a winning political strategy.

"Objecting to his initiative is one thing, but calling @ElonMusk, a US citizen who’s built some of the most innovative companies in world history, a ‘South African nepo baby,’ is a great way to lose even more Democrats," Phillips noted in a Wednesday post on X.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz recently used that phrase to refer to Musk, who is spearheading an effort to expose government waste and fraud.

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"And there's nothing conservative about an unelected, South African nepo baby firing people at the VA," he said last week during remarks in Iowa.

He also deployed the phrase while speaking in Wisconsin on Tuesday, according to the New York Times, which also reported that he had called Musk a "dips---."

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Walz was Vice President Kamala Harris' running mate when she sought the presidency last year, but the Democratic duo lost to the Republican ticket headed by political juggernaut, now-President Donald Trump.

"Regardless of one’s opinion of Musk, this is a great strategy for further alienating center right and center left Americans and losing federal elections," Phillips opined earlier this month when retweeting a post that featured footage of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., calling Musk a "billionaire con man with a lot of money."

‘SQUAD’ DEM AYANNA PRESSLEY TRASHES ELON MUSK, CALLING HIM A ‘NAZI NEPO BABY’

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Rep. Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass., has called Musk a "Nazi nepo baby."

Phillips mounted a Democratic presidential primary bid in 2023 but ultimately dropped out in 2024.

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RFK Jr. details first baby formula review in decades amid concerns over contaminants, supply chain

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is setting his sights on baby formula production, launching a probe with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) over contaminants, including heavy metals.

"We're not saying that there is dangerous levels of heavy metals in formula," RFK Jr. said Thursday on "Fox & Friends." 

"There's a report in Consumer Reports that says that there are high levels, although none of them violate the current safety guidelines."

Kennedy criticized past FDA practices, saying the agency has failed to adequately test for heavy metals in formula. He said the new initiative will address this issue and ensure formulas meet modern safety and nutritional standards. According to Kennedy, many formula recipes have not been thoroughly reviewed since the late 1990s.

"We're going to review the formulation for the first time since 1998 and really make sure … this is the healthiest product that our kids can have," he said.

The initiative, called "Operation Stork Speed," is likely a nod to former President Donald Trump’s "Operation Warp Speed," which accelerated COVID-19 vaccine development. 

The new program aims to review the nutritional content of infant formula, test for heavy metals and other contaminants, encourage manufacturers to develop new formulas, and improve clarity in nutrition labeling.

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Kennedy also emphasized the importance of increasing domestic formula production, calling reliance on imports a "national security issue." He argued that expanding the number of formula manufacturers could improve quality and reduce prices.

"It's a very narrow market right now, which means there's only really four companies that are almost all of our baby formula," he said. 

"And when there's no competition, you're going to get high prices."

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As part of the initiative, the government will ease regulatory barriers, allowing companies to modify ingredients without excessive red tape.

Kennedy also reiterated his concerns about food dyes and chemical additives in processed foods, particularly those not commonly used in Europe. He linked these ingredients to rising health issues in the U.S. and announced that HHS is reviewing the Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) designation, which allows certain food ingredients to bypass extensive safety reviews.

"As that [GRAS] designation expanded, the industry began taking advantage of it," Kennedy said. 

"That's why we have 10,000 ingredients in our food in this country. In Europe, they only have 400."

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He argued that these unregulated additives contribute to the country’s high rates of chronic disease and pledged to remove GRAS exemptions for many products.

"We are going to get rid of the GRAS standards for new products. We're going to go back and review all of these old ingredients to make sure that they are safe. And we're going to encourage these companies to get rid of them as quickly as possible," he said.

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Meghan Markle shocks podcaster who was 'scared' the Duchess' Netflix show felt forced

Meghan Markle sent a handwritten note to a podcaster who was "scared" for the Duchess of Sussex ahead of the release of "With Love, Meghan."

The podcaster previously shared concerns after Markle's Netflix show received heavy criticism before the release. "You guys, I'm scared for Meghan," "Not Skinny But Not Fat" host Amanda Hirsch had written on Instagram at the time.

Two weeks after the premiere of "With Love, Meghan," the Duchess of Sussex sent a witty handwritten note that showed she does not care about critics.

Markle's letter read, "Dear Amanda, I heard you were feeling scared. Don't be! This is the fun part – let's enjoy it."

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The podcast host wrote, "Remember I said I was scared for Meghan's new show and the possible hate she would get bc for some reason ppl wanna hate on her about everything?"

"Like, obviously framing this," she added. "Beyond shook. Beyond spiraling. Did I smell the paper? Yes! Do I want my own monogram? Yes. Am I absolutely flabbergasted and obsessed. F---. YES. @meghan, you have a fan for life."

Hirsch noted she keeps a box of letters but created a new box for "extra special" notes for Markle's correspondence.

The podcast host originally shared concerns that Markle's show "felt forced" after watching the trailer.

"You guys, I'm genuinely concerned for Meghan. I am not a Meghan hater at all. You know, it feels like a Blake Lively situation kind of like when people just piled on this woman," she said in a video shared to Instagram. 

"It's just like I'm not sure yet. I haven't formed an opinion. I don't hate her like a lot of the world does. I just, I don't know. Some people are like she's inauthentic. I get it. And what I'm so scared for her is that this Netflix show will make those claims stronger. From the trailer, it looks like it might be kind of trying to be a Martha Stewart situation. It feels a little forced and the trailer at least doesn't seem like she's going to come across as relatable, which I feel like she'll want to try to be. And I'm just scared for Meghan."

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Markle's show launched on March 4. The former actress was joined by her famous friends and chefs as she shared her favorite recipes and hosting tips.

The show was widely criticized as "cringey" and inauthentic by royal experts. British broadcaster and photographer Helena Chard told Fox News Digital the show "appears mundane and lacks wow factor."

"Meghan seems eager to play the altruistic, kind soul, but it is a tad smarmy," she claimed. "My toes are curling… This is so cringey and not fun at all. It feels too staged, and the tips and tricks are far too basic… Meghan comes across as a modern Stepford Wife."

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Despite the criticism of the first season of the lifestyle show, former royal photographer Ian Pelham Turner has faith in Markle's comeback.

"I feel given a time and space, she will shine with the show," Turner told Fox News Digital. "It is very good filming and a lot of very well-put-together cuisine options."

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Markle opened up to People magazine about her life in Montecito, California, with Prince Harry and their two children, Archie and Lilibet, ahead of her show's release. She told the outlet, "We’re a close-knit family, and I love those moments — putting Lili down for a nap, having lunch together, having sacred time together at the end of the day. Our kitchen is where Mama just cooks for the family, and with a crew of 80-plus people, that’s a lot of people to have in your house!" 

Markle being a bit more open was "the first step in the right direction," branding expert Doug Eldridge told Fox News Digital. "At this point, Markle needs to keep the main thing, the main thing: her family. Don't regress, by reverting to the same attempts at victim marketing that failed her in the past."

The show has been renewed for a second season. However, only time will tell if the Duchess of Sussex can make a true comeback with audiences.

"America is a country of second chances, and we love a comeback story," the branding expert noted. "At this point, Markle has a rare opportunity at a complete reset; she's got the ball, and there's 10 seconds left on the clock. Take the shot."

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Missing American in Dominican Republic: What's next for witness Joshua Riibe after court ruling

PUNTA CANA, Dominican Republic – Joshua Riibe, the key witness in the spring break disappearance of Sudiksha Konanki, successfully argued in a Dominican court Tuesday that his de facto house arrest at a five-star resort was against local law.

But although he's been cleared to return to the United States, Dominican authorities didn't give him back his passport. He could continue to pursue its return in court or seek a provisional replacement from the U.S. embassy.

Riibe, 22, is believed to be one of the last people who saw Konanki, 20, before she vanished in the early hours of March 6 from the beach behind their resort, the Riu Republica in Punta Cana.

He successfully argued in court Tuesday that as a witness, not a suspect, police control over his movements over an 11-day span was unlawful. A source told Fox News Wednesday that Riibe checked out of the Riu Republica resort and moved last night. 

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He is still in the Dominican Republic, the source said, and the investigation points to an accidental drowning, not foul play.

Riibe's family declined to comment.

The State Department confirmed Tuesday it was providing Riibe with consular assistance, but has declined to discuss specifics of the case, citing privacy concerns.

A witness and not a suspect, Riibe had been holed up in the Riu Republica under strict police monitoring for 11 days before a judge ruled the situation violated Dominican law.

"Being held in a hotel instead of a police facility doesn’t change the legal reality — if he is restricted from leaving the country without official legal basis, that’s still a violation of international human rights standards," said Jason Pack, a retired FBI supervisory special agent and former Child Abduction Rapid Deployment (CARD) Team Leader.

"The U.S. State Department typically monitors cases where American citizens are detained abroad, especially if it appears they are being denied due process."

If an American citizen loses a passport in Punta Cana, the U.S. embassy in Santo Domingo advises that the U.S. consulate agency in Bávaro offers emergency assistance – and it's in the same office complex as Riibe's attorneys at Guzman Ariza. 

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While Pack's former team focused on missing and abducted children, he said the same tactics apply in the case of a missing adult like Konanki.

"Ever since my passport was taken, it's very rare I'm alone," Riibe testified before a Dominican judge Tuesday. He later added, "I can’t go anywhere. I really want to be home. Hug my family and friends."

Surveillance video shows he and Konanki went to the beach with a group around 4:15 a.m. on March 6, the morning she vanished. Most of them were seen leaving around 6 a.m. Riibe and Konanki remained on the beach. Riibe came back by himself hours later, and Konanki's whereabouts remain unknown nearly two weeks later.

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According to a leaked transcript of an interview with police, Riibe told investigators he and Konanki were both pulled away from the shore by a strong current, and they struggled to make it back. He last saw her walking in knee-deep water before he vomited and fell asleep on a beach chair.

Her parents, in a letter to Dominican authorities, asked for her to be declared dead Monday, citing the lack of evidence of foul play and Riibe's continued cooperation with investigators.

Riibe, for his part, agreed to multiple police interviews but expressed frustration at a hearing Tuesday about his confinement to the resort, where he was monitored by police around the clock for more than a week despite a Dominican law that says a person can be confined for a maximum of 48 hours without being charged with a crime.

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Authorities have not called Riibe a suspect and have not accused him of wrongdoing, but in a hearing that repeatedly devolved into screaming between prosecutors and Riibe's attorneys, the government unsuccessfully sought to have his constant monitoring kept in place.

The judge sided with Riibe, finding his situation unlawful.

The judge told him to return for a hearing on March 28, but according to one expert, it's a formality, and he doesn't actually have to appear in person. 

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Trump admin planning to consolidate HIV programs, slashing 'overhead' and DEI: official

The Trump administration is planning to make cost-saving cuts by merging two similar HIV/AIDS prevention programs run by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), an administration official told Fox News Digital on Wednesday. The cuts will pertain to administrative costs and DEI-related spending.

The tentative proposal, which is still "a concept of a plan," is to merge them into one program under HRSA to streamline efficiency – in line with the administration's downsizing of federal government agenda – as having two separate programs doing similar functions doesn't make sense, the official said.

"One of those things is still very preliminary, but obviously, you don't need two $1 billion budgets for this, with $1 billion going to the CDC and $1 billion going to HRSA," the official said. "Some of that will go toward paying the administrative overhead costs and that sort of thing." 

Both the CDC and HRSA are part of the Department of Health and Human Services, overseen by Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

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"If this goes through, that will be more definitive… like with examining DEI spending with these two programs," the official said. The Trump administration has already moved to slash federal funding of DEI programs and initiatives in one of his early executive actions titled, "Ending Radical And Wasteful Government DEI Programs And Preferencing."

While the CDC has a department dedicated to the prevention of HIV and other infectious diseases, HRSA also runs a program called the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program (RWHAP), which provides medical care for low-income people with HIV. 

During his first term, in 2019, Trump launched the Ending the HIV Epidemic initiative, with the aim of reducing cases of HIV by 75% by 2025 and by 90% by 2030. The initiative is operated by the CDC.

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The proposal, which is still being worked on this week, comes amid big government shake-ups across several federal sectors at the direction of Trump and the Elon Musk-run Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), with thousands of workers let go in mass firings in recent weeks.

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