Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., left, and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., walk to the chamber after collaborating on an agreement in the Senate on a two-year, almost $400 billion budget deal that would provide Pentagon and domestic programs with huge spending increases, at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, Feb. 7, 2018. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) (Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)
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Developing now, Thursday, Feb. 8, 2018
- GOP fiscal hawks slam Senate leaders' 'monstrosity'budget deal, threatening passage of plan to avoid government shutdown as deadline looms
- Nancy Pelosi drones on for a record-breaking eight hours Wednesday, protesting Senate leaders’ budget deal and demanding a vote on DACA
- Was Obama involved in FBI investigations? Newly released text messages between anti-Trump FBI agents raise questions about the former president’s role
- House Intel Chairman Devin Nunes says he has mulled calling Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts to testify before Congress about the FISA courts
- A top Homeland Security official says Russia hacked into U.S. voter systems during the 2016 presidential election
THE LEAD STORY – CAN SHUTDOWN BE AVERTED? : Republican and Democratic Senate leaders announced a budget agreement Wednesday that includes a big boost in spending for the Pentagon and would keep the government running past a looming deadline. But the agreement faces potential obstacles ... The GOP’s fiscal hawks slammed the bipartisan deal, which would increase government spending by $300 billion, as a “monstrosity,” potentially derailing the last-ditch attempt to prevent another government shutdown Thursday at midnight. The agreement includes a long-term pact to lift spending caps by roughly $400 billion for Pentagon and domestic programs over two years. It also allocates – in addition to over $160 billion extra for the military over two years – $20 billion for infrastructure projects, $6 billion for fighting the opioid epidemic and improving mental health services, and $4 billion for veteran services, among other measures. Senate leaders hope to approve the deal Thursday and send it to the House for a confirming vote.
- Takeaways on the Senate budget deal
- What happens during a government shutdown? Seven things you should know
PELOSI-BUSTER: House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., held the floor of the House of Representatives for more than eight hours Wednesday to deliver a record-breaking marathon speech protesting a budget deal reached by Senate leaders and demanding a vote on an immigration agreement ... Clad in four-inch heels, Pelosi spoke for eight hours and seven minutes and was given a standing ovation by her Democratic colleagues when she yielded the floor at 6:11 p.m. In her remarks, Pelosi announced that she and many fellow House Democrats would oppose the spending package unless House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., promised to allow a vote on a plan to shield from deportation hundreds of thousands of immigrants brought to the U.S. illegally.
Still, there are questions about whether there was a rift between Pelosi and other Democratic leaders on the budget deal. Even as Pelosi announced that the agreement "does not have my support, nor does it have the support of a large number of members of our caucus," Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer called the agreement the "best thing" lawmakers could have done for the middle class.
- Pelosi gets most out of 'magic minute' in record-setting speech for DACA, but for what?
DID OBAMA REALLY WANT TO 'KNOW EVERYTHING'?: Newly released text messages between FBI agents Peter Strzok and Lisa Page saying former President Barack Obama wanted to “know everything” the FBI was “doing” could raise questions about his 2016 statement that he was not involved in discussing pending probes ... The texts were part of a batch released by Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., along with majority staff from the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. Strzok and Page, who worked for a short period of time on Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s team investigating Russia collusion, have been in the spotlight ever since a slew of anti-Trump messages between them surfaced last year. In the text message chain from Sept. 2, 2016, Page mentioned Obama in the context of a briefing for then-FBI Director James Comey. The exchange suggested that Obama would meet Comey regarding an FBI matter.
However, in an interview on April 10, 2016, Obama told Fox News’ Chris Wallace that he did not have any involvement in ongoing FBI investigations. “I do not talk to the attorney general about pending investigations. I do not talk to FBI directors about pending investigations,” Obama said on “Fox News Sunday.” “I guarantee that there is no political influence in any investigation conducted by the Justice Department, or the FBI, not just in this case, but in any case.”
- Strzok, Page and the FBI texting scandal explained
- Comey memoir's release date moved up, publisher says
ROBERTS ON THE HOT SEAT?: House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes, R-Calif., said Wednesday the panel has mulled inviting Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts to testify as a part of the panel’s investigation into the FISA courts ... In an interview with radio host Hugh Hewitt, Nunes said that questioning Roberts over his findings of intelligence abuse by the Justice Department and FBI during the 2016 Trump campaign was something the panel “grappled with,” the Hill reported. As chief justice, Roberts appoints FISA court judges.
Last week the House Intelligence Committee released a four-page memo, written by Nunes, alleging intelligence abuse by the DOJ and FBI during the 2016 Trump campaign, citing a high-ranking government official who said both agencies never would have sought surveillance warrants in the absence of a disputed anti-Trump dossier funded by Democrats. Meanwhile, Democrats are waiting for President Trump to release their version of the FISA memo.
- Judge Andrew Napolitano: Memos, FISA courts, partisan political games. Why should we care?
- A closer look: Nunes, Schiff and others at the heart of the FISA memo clash
- Holder's Next 'Chapter'? Ex-AG signals possible run for office, trashes Nunes memo
RUSSIA CONCERNS BEFORE MIDTERMS: The head of cybersecurity at the Department of Homeland Security revealed Wednesday that Russia managed to hack into voter registration rolls of several states during the 2016 presidential election ... U.S. intelligence official Jeanette Manfra told NBC News her department saw a small number of states where Moscow was able to hack voters systems, despite there being no evidence that registration rolls were altered in anyway. Her comments came the day after Secretary of State Rex Tillerson confirmed to Fox News that Russian hackers were already targeting the upcoming midterm elections.
AS SEEN ON FOX NEWS
PLAYING 'FOOTSIE': "Adam Schiff should step aside as the lead Democrat on the Intel committee as a consequence of this scandal. Schiff was off playing footsie with the Ukrainians, trying to get naked pictures of Donald Trump. [Schiff] has gone from having an oversight responsibility to an actual principal in this investigation for engaging with 'Ukrainians'." – Rep. Matt Gaetz, on "Tucker Carlson Tonight," demanding Rep. Adam Schiff, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, be recused from future involvement in the Trump-Russia probe. WATCH
'IF TRUMP'S A JOKE, THEN BIDEN'S THE PUNCHLINE': "The name 'Biden' is synonymous with 'gaffe.'" – Jesse Watters, on "The Five," sizing up former Vice President Joe Biden's recent criticism of President Donald Trump as a "joke." WATCH
ACROSS THE NATION
FBI says no evidence of attack on dead Border Patrol agent.
Lawsuit may backfire on Powerball winner who wants to remain anonymous.
More trouble for Facebook as Seattle claims it violated city campaign finance law.
2018 WINTER OLYMPICS
Pence tweets support for gay US Olympian who trashed him: 'We are FOR YOU.'
Winter Olympics opening ceremony's $100 million stadium to be used just four times.
Why 2018 Winter Olympics sponsors pay top dollar.
MINDING YOUR BUSINESS
Stock volatility eases, but too late for some.
Tesla posts record loss as Model 3 delays overshadow sales growth.
Elon Musk's Boring Company vying for Chicago airport rail contract: report.
NEW IN FOX NEWS OPINION
Tammy Bruce: Trump wants a military parade and liberals are hysterical (just more proof it's the right thing to do).
John Moody: In Olympics, let's focus on the winner of the race -- not the race of the winner.
Dr. Marc Siegel: Yes, you CAN get the flu twice.
HOLLYWOOD SQUARED
Quincy Jones says he dated Ivanka Trump, knows who killed Kennedy.
Richard Pryor's widow confirms he slept with Marlon Brando: report
Jessica Biel says she and Justin Timberlake are already starting sex education with their 2-year-old son.
DID YOU HEAR ABOUT THIS?
Starbucks sued after 2-year-old customer allegedly drank barista's blood.
'Hangry' is officially a word in the Oxford English Dictionary.
100-million-year-old spider with a tail longer than its body discovered.
STAY TUNED
On Fox News:
Fox & Friends, 6 a.m. ET: A mother whose son was killed by an illegal immigrant responds to Nancy Pelosi's demands for a vote on Dreamers; reaction to the University of Minnesota's decision to exile Ben Shapiro to a distant venue; and Stuart Varney offers the latest analysis of the volatile stock market.
Tucker Carlson Tonight, 8 p.m. ET: The real-life heroes who inspired the new movie "The 15:17 To Paris" sit down with Tucker.
The Ingraham Angle, 10 p.m. ET: Former independent counsel Ken Starr speaks out on the Special Counsel Robert Mueller's Russia probe.
Fox News @ Night, 11 p.m. ET: Corey Lewandowski on the implications of the newly-released FBI texts and the battle of the FISA memos between Democrats and Republicans.
On Fox Business:
Mornings with Maria, 6 a.m. ET: Guests include: Rep. Chris Collins; Larry Haverty, Gabelli Multimedia Trust portfolio manager; Katrina Pierson, former Donald Trump campaign spokeswoman; Burgess Owens, former NFL great; Rep. Henry Cuellar; James Naughton, two-time Tony Award winning actor and director.
Varney & Company, 9 a.m. ET: Steve Hilton, host of "The Next Revolution"; Newt Gingrich; Rep. Greg Walden; Anthony Rinaldi, The Rinaldi Group CEO.
Cavuto: Coast to Coast, Noon ET: Todd Buchholz, former economic adviser under President George H.W. Bush; Robert Shiller, Yale economics professor.
On Fox News Radio:
The Fox News Rundown podcast: The latest release of personal text messages between two FBI agents are raising new questions in the Russia probe. Fox News Correspondent Griff Jenkins weighs in. Facebook is targeting a younger audience with its new Messenger Kids app, but not everyone is racing to download it. Fox on Tech reporter Brett Larson discusses the app's potential dangers and backlash. Plus, commentary by Judge Andrew Napolitano.
Want the Fox News Rundown sent straight to your mobile device? Subscribe through Apple Podcasts, Google Play, and Stitcher.
The Brian Kilmeade Show, 9 a.m. ET: Chris Wallace and Jason Chaffetz with the latest on the newly released FBI texts, dueling FISA memos and the battle over the budget in Congress; Rep. Adam Kinzinger on the battle to avert a government shutdown and all eyes on North Korea during the Winter Olympics; Jennifer Griffin on the debate over military spending and left’s hysteria over President Trump's call for a military parade.
#OnThisDay
1984: General Motors sues NBC, alleging that "Dateline NBC" had rigged two car-truck crashes to show that 1973-to-87 GM pickups were prone to fires in side impact crashes. (NBC would settle the lawsuit the following day and apologize for its "unscientific demonstration.")
1968: "Planet of the Apes," starring Charlton Heston, has its world premiere in New York.
1910: The Boy Scouts of America becomes incorporated.
Fox News First is compiled by Fox News' Bryan Robinson. Thank you for joining us! Enjoy your day, and we'll see you in your inbox first thing Friday morning.
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