Friday morning news: February 7th, 2025

Trump prayer breakfast, announcements » President Trump says he’s taking several steps to defend religious liberty in America.

TRUMP:  I will be creating a brand new presidential commission on religious liberty. It's going to be a very big deal, which will work tirelessly to uphold this most fundamental right.

He made that announcement during remarks at the National Prayer Breakfast Thursday in Washington.

He also said he’s tapping Attorney General Pam Bondi to lead a Justice Department task force to root anti-Christian bias.

And the president shared a little bit about his own faith journey … opening up about surviving an assassination attempt last year.

TRUMP:   It changed something in me. I feel I feel even stronger. I believed in God, but I feel I feel much more strongly about it. Something happened. So thank you.

The Trump administration also plans to open a dedicated faith office at the White House.

Judge order on employee buyouts / Court DOGE order » A federal judge in Boston on Thursday extended a midnight deadline for federal workers to accept a buyout offer to resign.

The Trump administration, looking to shrink the size of the federal workforce, made an offer to some 2-million federal employees: If they quit now, they’ll be paid through this fiscal year, expiring at the end of September.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt:

LEAVITT:  There was more than 40,000 individuals, federal workers, who had accepted the buyout program. We expect that number to increase.

That, she said, will save taxpayers tens of millions of dollars annually.

District Judge George O'Toole has set a hearing for Monday.

A union representing federal employees sued, challenging the legality of the program.

DOJ sues Chicago over sanctuary policies » The Justice Department filing a lawsuit against Chicago over policies in the city that block local police from cooperating with federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Border czar Tom Homan said many immigrant families are against sanctuary polices.

HOMAN: They don't want a predator in their neighborhood released back in the community. So, you know, we're going to hold Sanctuary City's accountable. We're going to take them on and we'll take them to court.

Some legal experts believe the Chicago lawsuit could ultimately result in the U.S. Supreme Court weighing in on the constitutionality of sanctuary laws and policies.

The White House has also threatened to cut federal funds to sanctuary cities.

Panama Canal update » Panamanian President Jose Raul Molino is contradicting a statement from the US State Department. He says he did not tell Secretary of State Marco Rubio that US Warships could transit the Panama Canal at no cost.

Molino says he does not have the legal or constitutional authority to do that.

The US built the canal and signed over control of it to Panama under a 1977 treaty. And Secretary Rubio said Thursday:

RUBIO: That treaty obligation would have to be enforced by the armed forces of the United States, particularly the U. S. Navy. I find it absurd that we would have to pay fees to transit a zone that we are obligated to protect.

But Panama has confirmed that it is scaling back Chinese influence at the port. The country’s involvement in a Chinese infrastructure program had been another major point of contention with the Trump White House.

Russell Vought confirmation vote » At the Capitol last night:

AUDIO: The yeas are 53. The nays are 47. The nomination is confirmed.

The Senate voted down party lines to confirm Russell Vought as White House budget director.

The vote came after Democrats had exhausted their only remaining tool to stonewall a nomination — holding the Senate floor throughout the previous night and day with a series of speeches.

Netanyahu meets with lawmakers » Elsewhere on Capitol Hill, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited with lawmakers on his third day of meetings in Washington.

He visited the White House and the Pentagon earlier this week.

NETANYAHU: [Speaking Hebrew]

Speaking in Hebrew, the prime minister says members of Congress from both major parties expressed their support for Israel. He says they also agreed that Hamas must be destroyed and that Iran must never have a nuclear weapon.

Trump ICC sanctions » And with Netanyahu in town, President Trump has signed an executive order imposing sanctions on the International Criminal Court. WORLD’s Kristen Flavin has more.

KRISTEN FLAVIN: The president signed the order at the White House on Thursday.

He cited what called "illegitimate and baseless actions targeting America and our close ally Israel."

Last year, the ICC issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant … after accusing Israel of war crimes during the war in Gaza.

The court also announced an investigation of what it called possible war crimes by US personnel in Afghanistan.

Neither the U.S. nor Israel have ever recognized the ICC’s authority.

For WORLD, I’m Kristen Flavin.

I'm Kent Covington.

Straight ahead: Culture Friday with John Stonestreet. Plus, a conversation with musician Charlie Peacock.

This is The World and Everything in It.

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