The U.S. 8th Circuit Court of Appeals put a final end to former President Joe Biden’s student loan forgiveness plan on Tuesday.

Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey originally sued the Biden administration over its $500 million effort to wipe away student loans, known as the SAVE plan. The court’s Tuesday ruling found that Biden’s secretary of education had ‘gone well beyond this authority by designing a plan where loans are largely forgiven rather than repaid.’

Bailey noted in a statement that the ruling has no active impact beyond blocking future presidents from attempting Biden’s maneuver.

‘Though Joe Biden is out of office, this precedent is imperative to ensuring a President cannot force working Americans to foot the bill for someone else’s Ivy League debt,’ Bailey said in a statement.

The Supreme Court of the United States denied the Biden administration’s request to lift a block on the SAVE plan last year. A federal appeals court in Missouri had earlier blocked the entire SAVE program from being enforced while litigation over the merits continues in the lower courts. The Department of Justice, which is part of the Biden administration, most recently asked the high court for emergency relief.

The Biden administration argued the court went too far when it issued a nationwide injunction, which effectively put a temporary freeze on the SAVE plan.

‘Our Administration will continue to aggressively defend the SAVE Plan – which has helped over 8 million borrowers access lower monthly payments, including 4.5 million borrowers who have had a zero dollar payment each month,’ a White House spokesperson told Fox News Digital at the time. ‘And, we won’t stop fighting against Republican elected officials’ efforts to raise costs on millions of their own constituents’ student loan payments.’

Biden introduced SAVE after the Supreme Court struck down his initial student loan forgiveness plan. The White House said that the SAVE plan could lower borrowers’ monthly payments to zero dollars, reduce monthly costs in half and save those who make payments at least $1,000 yearly. Additionally, borrowers with an original balance of $12,000 or less will receive forgiveness of any remaining balance after making 10 years of payments.

Fox News’ Greg Wehner contributed to this report.

Read the full 8th Circuit ruling here:

A key Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee is reportedly on the fence about one of President Donald Trump’s Defense nominees over his stance on a nuclear Iran – a potential roadblock to his confirmation given the GOP’s slim Senate majority. 

Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., is reportedly hesitant about the nomination of former Defense official Elbridge Colby to serve as the under secretary of defense for policy, a key Defense post that remains unmanned amid the ongoing confirmation process.

‘Senator Cotton is focused on ensuring all defense nominees commit to supporting President Trump’s position that Iran must not have a nuclear weapon, and Cotton will be addressing this in meetings and hearings with the nominees,’ a source familiar with the matter told Fox News Digital as they await Colby’s paperwork to proceed with the nomination process.

Colby has previously suggested that the U.S. living with a nuclear Iran is more plausible than countering the country’s nuclear assets, a position that reportedly is causing concern from the key Senator whose support could determine his confirmation.

Cotton’s potential opposition to the Trump nominee sparked debate among prominent MAGA figures on social media.

‘Why the opposition to Bridge? What does he think Bridge will do?’ Elon Musk wrote in a post on X of reports that Cotton was not on board with the nomination.

‘The effort to undermine President Trump continues in the US Senate @SenTomCotton is working behind the scenes to stop Trump’s pick, Elbridge Colby, from getting confirmed at DOD,’ Charlie Kirk, founder of Turning Point USA, said on X. ‘Colby is one of the most important pieces to stop the Bush/Cheney cabal at DOD. Why is Tom Cotton doing this?’

‘Is Tom Cotton’s resistance to Bridge Colby more about IRI than anything else? As in maybe Cotton’s blocking Colby ain’t that principled. . .’ American Majority CEO Ned Ryun posted on X.

‘Cotton has other problems that he doesn’t want exposed. He’ll support Colby,’ former Trump National Security Advisor Michael Flynn claimed on X.

Vice President JD Vance expressed support for the Trump nominee, writing that ‘Bridge has consistently been correct about the big foreign policy debates of the last 20 years.’

‘He was critical of the Iraq War, which made him unemployable in the 2000s era conservative movement. He built a relationship with CNAS when it was one of the few institutions that would even hire a foreign policy realist,’ Vance said. 

Colby, who worked in the Pentagon during Trump’s first term, has also received endorsements from other members of the Senate.

‘.@ElbridgeColby is a fighter who will execute President Trump’s mandate to end decades of DC foreign policy failures and stop forever wars abroad—The reason the establishment fears him is because he’s 100% aligned with Trump’s agenda,’ Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, wrote on X. ‘Senate Republicans should confirm him ASAP!’ 

Colby’s Senate confirmation hearing remains unscheduled as the chamber works to confirm more of Trump’s cabinet nominees.

Fox News Digital reached out to Colby for comment.

The Trump administration’s pause of United States Agency for International Development (USAID) funding may leave the door open for China to spread its influence, and Beijing is not wasting time trying to fill in the gaps.

A former USAID official, who spoke with Fox News Digital under the condition of anonymity, said that whereas the U.S. stepped down, China has ‘immediately’ stepped in.

‘We’ve just seen news reporting coming out of Nepal, Cambodia, Papua New Guinea, documenting directly that where USAID programs have ended that the People’s Republic of China has told these governments that it will step in and become the partner for these governments to continue that work,’ a former USAID official told Fox News Digital.

China has already stepped up its funding to Cambodia’s largest demining organization, the Cambodian Mine Action Center (CMAC), in the absence of U.S. funds, according to Reuters. As it seeks increased influence, Beijing pledged $4.4 million to CMAC, more than double the $2 million it received from the U.S. last year, the outlet added.

Additionally, China is also watching the funding freeze’s impact on Nepal, the Annapurna Express reports. While China is already sending funds to Nepal, it is reportedly increasing its financial support in various areas.

The former USAID official emphasized that ‘by removing these [USAID] programs it adds one more reason for many of these partners to now not see the United States as a partner who shares their priorities of investing in the people of their countries.’

While there are several populations around the globe feeling the impact of the Trump administration’s funding freeze, the situation is particularly treacherous for women.

During President Donald Trump’s first term in office, his daughter, Ivanka, played a key role in launching the Women’s Global Development and Prosperity Initiative (W-GDP). At the time, the White House said the program was aimed at advancing women’s economic empowerment.

Lilian Achom, who is based in Uganda, participated in USAID W-GDP Fund programming and was present when Trump launched the W-GDP. Now, she fears that women grappling with HIV/AIDS, many of whom are widows trying to raise children.

When speaking to Fox News Digital, Achom said Trump needs to ‘think about the underprivileged deep down in northern Uganda. The underprivileged, the children, the women who are currently suffering.’

Achom recalled meeting Ivanka Trump and spoke highly of the president’s daughter, saying that she was ‘inspired’ by her.

‘I saw in her someone who was really, really interested in women’s empowerment, economic development and digital inclusion for women around the world,’ Achom said of Ivanka.

The former USAID official who spoke with Fox News Digital said that the funding freeze is ‘impacting potentially every aspect of the lives of women and girls who were benefiting from USAID programs.’ The official added that while China is already trying to fill certain voids left by the U.S., it’s unclear whether they will fund programs focused on women.

The White House has accused USAID of funding ‘the ridiculous — and, in many cases, malicious — pet projects of entrenched bureaucrats.’

Among the areas of ‘waste and abuse’ highlighted by the White House are $2.5 million for electric vehicles for Vietnam, $1.5 million to ‘advance diversity, equity and inclusion in Serbia’s workplaces and business communities,’ and $6 million to fund tourism in Egypt.

The State Department did not respond to a Fox News request for comment.

The Department of Defense has received a list of DOGE officials tasked with cutting 8% from next year’s budget. ‘We welcome DOGE to the Pentagon,’ said Secretary Pete Hegseth. ‘And I hope to welcome Elon to the Pentagon very soon.’ 

The Pentagon employs 3.7 million personnel with a budget exceeding $850 billion, but it has never passed an audit.

Tara Murphy Dougherty, CEO of Govini, a defense software company, worked for three Defense secretaries going back to Robert Gates. She says the biggest savings will be found in overhauling the decades-old weapons acquisition process, which still uses manual spreadsheets and fax machines.

‘I would put a big red bull’s eye on the process by which we manage weapons systems and military platforms,’ Murphy Dougherty said in an interview with Fox News. ‘The defense acquisition process is massively broken…. It’s too slow. I mean, the United States is issuing missile purchases through fax machines. It’s using spreadsheet sheets and data calls in order to get nuclear capable platforms off of production lines.’

As a result, fifth-generation stealth fighter jets, the F-35, can’t get out of depot because they’re missing parts and the defense industrial base in the U.S. doesn’t produce what they need. The next generation intercontinental ballistic missile, a key part of the nuclear triad, is $35 billion over budget. And the cost of the B-21 nuclear bomber is rising and behind schedule. 

‘A lot of the weapons systems and the ships, jets, tanks and other capabilities that the department relies on for the military have such complex supply chains that the Department of Defense doesn’t actually know where all of those parts are coming from. And because they’re using spreadsheets to manage the programs overall means they have no ability to see if there are foreign suppliers or in some cases, Chinese suppliers of critical components like microelectronics in our military systems. This is the kind of thing that Elon Musk, DOGE, and the Trump administration are saying, this is no longer acceptable, and that’s what they’re going to root out,’ Murphy Dougherty said.

To get ahead of the DOGE team, the Navy is considering cutting its fleet of frigates, while the Army is looking for savings by eliminating outdated drones and surplus vehicles. 

Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., says it is about time.

‘I, for one, as chairman of the Armed Services Committee, welcome, DOGE coming in to the Pentagon and helping us cut red tape, make the acquisition process more efficient and spend our dollars better,’ Wicker said in an interview with Fox’s Maria Bartiromo.

But not everyone is happy that DOGE is coming to the Pentagon, where there are many classified systems and a lot of secret information that U.S. adversaries would like to gain access to.

‘We’ve already seen that this DOGE, I call it the Department of Government inefficiencies, is causing a reign of terror chaos across the federal government,’ Rep. Eugene Vindman, D-Va., told CNN. ‘Just this week, they released classified information about a U.S. intelligence agency. They have access to the American people’s personal information, bank accounts and things like that that they’re frankly not entitled to. And so I have a major, major concern about them going into the Department of Defense and sitting around with, you know, the internal systems there and U.S. national security.’

Concern that the DOGE team will move too fast at the expense of national security materialized after it purged 2,000 federal workers from the Department of Energy, including 350, many of whom oversaw the nation’s nuclear arsenal. Many of these federal workers were working at the Pantex Plant near Amarillo, Texas, reassembling nuclear warheads, one of the most sensitive jobs that requires the highest level of security clearance.

The administration did an about-face last week and quickly tried to locate and rehire the Department of Energy employees overseeing the nukes. 

At the Department of Veterans Affairs, the agency announced the dismissal of over 1,000 employees, following DOGE guidance. Veterans Affairs employees joined Democratic lawmakers outside the D.C. headquarters to protest DOGE’s actions at the VA last week. 

The Trump administration’s quest to tame the sprawling federal bureaucratic leviathan is slated to face a key hurdle on Monday, as Judge Tanya Chutkan is expected to rule after more than a dozen states sought a temporary restraining order, accusing Elon Musk of ‘unconstitutional’ actions. 

Musk, who is spearheading the effort to identify government components that can be eliminated or slimmed down, has been widely hailed by the political right.

But he has been scrutinized and criticized by many on the political left as they raise alarms about DOGE probes.

While Musk is leading the charge, he is doing so with President Donald Trump’s blessing, and the commander in chief is standing firmly behind the push to root out government waste.

‘DOGE: BILLIONS OF DOLLARS OF WASTE, FRAUD, AND ABUSE BEING FOUND. CAMPAIGN PROMISE. IMPORTANT FOR AMERICA!!!’ he declared in a Truth Social post last week.

In a post late Sunday night, Musk indicated that a Social Security database lists scads of people as 100 or older ‘with the death field set to FALSE!’

‘Maybe Twilight is real and there are a lot of vampires collecting Social Security,’ he quipped. 

Musk shared a chart that indicated there were millions of individuals listed between the ages of 100 and 159, as well as some listed with ages even higher than that.

A Social Security Administration Office of the Inspector General Report issued in 2023 noted, ‘at the time of our review, although the Census Bureau estimated approximately 86,000 individuals residing in the United States were age 100 or older, SSA’s Numident included approximately 18.9 million numberholders who were born in 1920 or earlier but had no death information on their Numident record. Death information missing from the Numident and the DMF hampers both SSA and Government-wide efforts to prevent and detect fraud and misuse.’

‘Our audit revealed that the Numident includes approximately 18.8 million more ‘living’ numberholders age 100 or older than the U.S. Census Bureau estimates are alive and residing in the United States,’ the report noted.

‘Agency officials noted that, as of March 2023, SSA had issued approximately 531 million unique SSNs, and the 18.9 million records represent approximately 3.6 percent of all Numident records. Officials also noted that almost none of the 18.9 million numberholders currently receive SSA payments,’ the report stated. ‘At the time of our review, approximately 44,000 of the 18.9 million numberholders were receiving SSA payments,’ a footnote added.

The audit was conducted from September 2021 to May 2023, an appendix on the report indicated.

Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., declared in a post on X that while he wants to increase government efficiency and save billions of taxpayer dollars, ‘Rummaging through your personal s— is *not* that.’

‘A party of chaos loses – always,’ he added in the Monday tweet.

But Musk, a billionaire business magnate, fired back.

‘Bruh, if I wanted to rummage through random personal s—, I could have done that at PAYPAL. Hello???’ Musk declared. ‘Having tens of millions of people marked in Social Security as ‘ALIVE’ when they are definitely dead is a HUGE problem. Obviously. Some of these people would have been alive before America existed as a country. Think about that for a second …’

Their exchange continued, as Fetterman responded.

‘Elon, the DOGE mission resonated in PA; I came at it with common sense and an open-mind,’ Fetterman replied. ‘For many, it’s causing chaos and confusion – which IMO, doesn’t help DOGE. PA voters want their personal info secured and taxes spent wisely. Safe to assume both are priorities?’

‘I love the people,’ Musk responded. ‘We just want to fix the waste and fraud that is bankrupting the country. The scrutiny on me is extreme, so it’s not like I could ‘get away’ with something, nor do I have any incentive to do so.’

An interview featuring Trump and Musk is slated to air Tuesday night on Fox News Channel’s ‘Hannity.’

Progressive groups across the country once again protested President Donald Trump on Monday. The ‘Not My Presidents Day’ or ‘No Kings Day’ protests were organized by the 50501 Movement, a coalition of activists united against Trump’s ‘executive overreach.’

From Austin, Texas, to Orlando, Florida, and Boston to Phoenix, demonstrators gathered in cities across the United States holding handmade signs, singing songs of resistance and chanting in protest. More than a thousand gathered at the Capitol Reflecting Pool in Washington, D.C., this Presidents Day. 

‘On Monday, we call on organizations and activists across the nation to once again stand united,’ Sarah, a 50501 Movement and Voices of Florida organizer, said in a statement ahead of Presidents Day. ‘We will not cede ground to fascism quietly. We will fight back against Project 2025, and we will fight for the future of all of our beautiful communities.’

Protesters at the nation’s capitol on Monday carried signs calling to ‘impeach’ Elon Musk, resist the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and save our republic. Fox News Digital spoke with several protesters in Washington, D.C., about why they felt compelled to protest. Protesters said they gathered to reject Elon Musk and DOGE.

‘I’m here to protest the president, protest Elon Musk, and protest all the executive orders. He is not our president. Everything he’s done is a destruction of this country. He only cares about himself and his pockets and the pockets of his cronies. He’s not here to help any of the working Americans. Everything he’s doing is mass destruction. He is a weapon of mass destruction,’ Jennifer, a protester in Washington, D.C., said. 

Jennifer said Trump might be president, but he is not a president for the people. Mary Hart, an educator at the protest, said her immigrant and trans students have been targeted by the administration, and she wanted to be a part of the resistance. 

‘I’m an educator, and I’m scared for my immigrant students,’ Hart said. ‘I’m scared for my trans students. I’m scared for my country. I just had to show up and be part of the resistance. They’re being targeted and dehumanized by multiple people in this government. They’re coming to school scared, interrupting their learning. They’re being targeted and bullied by people who are emboldened by this administration, and it’s not right.’

Jerome Bobowski, a girl dad from Detroit, led a ‘Where is Congress?’ chant at the Washington, D.C., rally. He said he protested to protect his daughters’ rights. 

‘My kids are power women, and they have to have as many rights as my wife, who is a power woman too. We want justice. We don’t want a country without laws. That’s why they all come here. Because we have rules. We are not kings,’ Bobowski said. 

Protesters said they were afraid of losing personal liberties, but the White House told Fox News Digital that Trump is a ‘leader for all Americans.’ Responding to the ‘Not My Presidents Day’ protests, the Trump administration emphasized his ‘resounding mandate’ from the American people on Election Day and his commitment to delivering on his campaign promises. 

‘This Presidents Day, we honor the leadership of President Trump. He received a resounding mandate from the American people and swiftly took action to deliver on his promises of restoring common sense policies, strengthening the economy and re-establishing America’s dominance on the world stage. President Trump is a leader for all Americans, and he will continue to prioritize America’s interests in every decision,’ principal deputy press secretary Harrison Fields said. 

The 50501 Movement, which means 50 protests in 50 states on one day, began with a Reddit post, Sarah, who is a national core member of 50501, explained. From there, #buildtheresistance and #50501 gained traction on social media. On Feb. 5, they mobilized over 20,000 people across the country to protest Trump’s policies and Project 2025. 

‘All of this happened very organically and very fast,’ Sarah told Fox News Digital. ‘I think that people didn’t know where to put their feelings. They didn’t know how to move. I think that they were just shell shocked, and when that Reddit post happened, it gave people the power to go make their voices heard.’

The 50501 Movement is taking a decentralized approach, allowing individual groups and cities across the country to articulate their own mission. Sarah is also the executive director of Voices of Florida, which emphasizes reproductive rights, immigrant rights and queer rights. 

‘It goes down to what the states and the smaller groups want. We don’t tell people what their demands should be. To sum it up in a broad way, it’s to push back against Project 2025 and give the power back to the people,’ Sarah added. 

The 50501 is not affiliated with a political party, and there is no clear leader of the organization. At the protest in Washington, D.C., the organizers preached peace and emphasized civil disobedience was not welcome.

North Korea on Tuesday vowed to expand its nuclear forces under Kim Jong Un and criticized the U.S. and its neighbors in Asia for pushing a denuclearization plan against the authoritarian regime.

North Korea’s foreign ministry denounced the joint pledge between the U.S., South Korea and Japan as an ‘outdated, absurd plan’ and warned of ‘overwhelming and decisive counteraction’ against its rivals who threaten its security.

‘As long as the U.S. and its vassal forces’ hostile threat exists, the DPRK’s nukes are means for defending peace and sovereignty and a means for legitimate self-defense entrusted by the constitution of the state,’ an unnamed ministry spokesperson said in a statement picked up by the North’s Korean Central News Agency, Reuters reported.

The criticism comes after U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul and Japanese Foreign Minister Iwaya Takeshi met during a security conference in Germany and reaffirmed their commitment to the Hermit Kingdom’s ‘complete denuclearization’ and maintaining sanctions on the country’s weapons program.

The countries also agreed to bolster defense and deterrence, including by expanding three-way military exercises and strengthening Japan and South Korea’s military capabilities, according to a joint statement released after the meeting.

President Donald Trump hosted Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba at the White House earlier this month and said the U.S. will have relations with the North Korean regime of dictator Kim Jong Un.

‘We will have relations with North Korea, with Kim Jong Un. I get along with them very well,’ Trump told reporters alongside Ishiba.

Trump, who first met Kim in 2018 in Singapore and became the first sitting president to meet with the leader of North Korea, is looking to build off his personal diplomacy he established with Kim during his first term. 

Trump met Kim again in 2019 and became the first president to step foot inside North Korean territory from the demilitarized zone.

Fox News Digital’s Chris Massaro and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

A progressive activist group is urging liberals to take advantage of the House of Representatives’ current weeklong recess to stage demonstrations against Elon Musk across the country.

Indivisible, an organization founded by former Democratic congressional staffers, published a ‘tool kit’ with recommendations for protesting at town halls and lawmakers’ district offices.

A section on how to ‘take the fight to Elon’ includes steps for planning and executing a demonstration at Tesla dealerships, showrooms and factories.

‘Members of the House of Representatives will be back on your home turf from Friday, February 14th, through Sunday, February 23rd, and it’s our opportunity to remind them who they work for,’ the group’s website states. ‘Fighting back against the Trump-Musk coup is going to take all of us.’

The House is currently out of session to mark Presidents Day this past Monday. These periods normally see lawmakers holding events with constituents or otherwise participating in their communities.

Indivisible is urging progressives to take advantage of that time to protest across the U.S.

‘Recess is when Members of Congress go back home to host town halls, meet with constituents, and try to paint themselves as responsive to the people who elected them. It is also when MoCs think they can avoid public scrutiny—especially Republicans who want to dodge tough questions about their complicity in Trump and Musk’s coup,’ the site said.

‘House Republicans use this time to meet with lobbyists and donors while hoping their constituents stay silent. House Democrats, meanwhile, need to hear from us to remind them that they have power—and that we expect them to use it to fight back.’

It comes amid widespread left-wing outrage over Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), at the direction of President Donald Trump, spearheading efforts to significantly crack down on the size and scope of various federal agencies.

Democrats have also pushed back on Musk’s DOGE workers getting access to sensitive government-owned data despite a lack of clarity on how they were vetted.

However, Republicans have met Musk’s work with enthusiasm, arguing that tough measures are needed to mitigate the effects of the U.S. national debt blowing past $36 trillion.

‘This recess, we’re making sure every single Republican feels the heat for their complicity and pays a political price for selling out their constituents,’ the Indivisible website said. 

‘At the same time, House Democrats have power—if they use it. But they need to be reminded. We need to show up for the ones fighting, celebrate their courage, and remind them to hold the line. We’ll push them to commit to voting NO on any budget that gives Musk and Trump control over our government’s spending or includes extremist cuts.’

Under a section titled, ‘planning your Tesla town hall,’ the group said, ‘To fight back, we have to meet Musk where he operates—across the country at Tesla showrooms, factories, and dealerships. A Tesla protest is a powerful way to expose his deep ties to the Trump coup and demand accountability.’

At the same time, it urges activists to remain on public property and refrain from ‘business targeting.’

‘Indivisible is not advising and does not condone any actions that directly interfere with the daily operations or activities of any business or entity,’ it said.