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US judge orders Trump admin to pay portion of $2B in foreign aid by Monday

A U.S. judge on Thursday ordered the Trump administration to pay at least a portion of the nearly $2 billion in owed foreign aid for previously completed projects by 6 p.m. Monday, an expeditious ruling that comes just one day after the Supreme Court rejected the Trump administration’s request to continue its freeze.

The decision from U.S. District Court Judge Amir Ali came after a more than four-hour court hearing Thursday, where he grilled both parties on their proposed repayment plans, and a timeframe for the government to comply with the $1.9 billion in owed foreign aid that has been completed.

At the end of the hearing, Judge Ali ordered the government to pay at least a portion of the $1.9 billion by Monday at 6 p.m.

‘I think it’s reasonable to get the plaintiffs’ invoices paid by 6 p.m. on Monday,’ said Judge Ali. ‘What I’ll order today is the first concrete step that plaintiffs have their invoices paid … [and] work completed prior to Feb. 13 to be paid by 6 p.m. on Monday, March 10th.’

That order previously set a deadline of Feb. 26 at 11:59 p.m. for the Trump administration to pay its outstanding debt to foreign aid groups.

The Justice Department had argued that the timeline was ‘impossible’ to comply with— a notion seemingly rejected by Judge Ali during Thursday’s hearing.

At one point, an attorney for the Justice Department asked for more time to get the payments out, citing the potential difficulty of getting financial transactions approved or completed over the weekend. In response, Judge Ali noted that the government had successfully paid out more than $70 million in the hours between Wednesday night and Thursday morning, noting that this ‘ought to be possible’ as well.

Judge Ali stressed during the Thursday hearing that the Feb. 26 deadline he previously set for the government to pay the $1.9 billion in foreign aid had passed.

Now, he said, the job given to him by the Supreme Court is to clarify the government’s role in repayment— instructions, he noted, that he tends to take ‘very seriously.’

The 5-4 Supreme Court decision one day earlier remanded the case back to the D.C. federal court, and Judge Ali , o hash out the specifics of what must be paid, and when. Judge Ali moved quickly following the high court’s decision, ordering both parties back to court Thursday to weigh plausible repayment schedules. 

But the early hours of Thursday’s hearing focused more on the government’s role and review of all foreign aid contractors and grants, which Trump administration lawyers told Judge Ali they had already completed and made final decisions for.

Stephen Wirth, a lawyer for the plaintiffs, objected to the administration’s ‘breakneck’ review of the contracts and grants, arguing that they ‘had one objective— to terminate as many contracts as possible.’

Lawyers were also pressed over whether the Trump administration can legally move to terminate projects whose funds are allocated and appropriated by Congress. 

This could eventually kick the issue back up to the Supreme Court.

At issue in the case was how quickly the Trump administration needed to pay the nearly $2 billion owed to aid groups and contractors for completed projects funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), at a time when the administration has issued a blanket freeze on all foreign spending in the name of government ‘efficiency’ and eliminating waste.

President Donald Trump has stated plans to cut some 90% of USAID foreign aid contracts and to slash an additional $60 billion in foreign aid spending.

In a Supreme Court filing, acting U.S. Solicitor General Sarah Harris said that while the plaintiffs’ claims were likely ‘legitimate,’ the time Judge Ali gave them to pay the outstanding invoices was ‘not logistically or technically feasible.’

Plaintiffs have argued that the lower court judge had ordered the Trump administration to begin making the owed foreign aid payments more than two weeks ago — a deadline they said the government simply failed to meet, or to even take steps to meet — indicating that the administration had no plans to make good on fulfilling that request.

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS
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Trump sends special message to stranded astronauts, jokes he may go along for rescue: ‘We love you’

President Donald Trump, while signing executive orders Thursday in the Oval Office, vowed to bring home two NASA astronauts who have been stuck in space for eight months.

‘Elon [Musk] is right now preparing a ship to go up and get them,’ the president told Fox News senior White House correspondent Peter Doocy. ‘We love you, and we’re coming up to get you, and you shouldn’t have been up there so long.’

Astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams were stranded at the International Space Station after their Boeing Starliner spacecraft had technical issues. 

Their mission began June 5, 2024, and was only scheduled to last eight days.

Due to numerous issues with the spacecraft, NASA deemed it unsafe to carry the astronauts back to Earth. 

It returned to the planet unmanned.

One of the astronauts recently confirmed former President Joe Biden declined an offer of help from Musk, SpaceX CEO, the New York Post reported.

Trump on Thursday said Biden ‘left them alone’ in space because he was ’embarrassed by what happened.’

He continued, ‘The most incompetent president in our history has allowed that to happen to you, but this president won’t let that happen.’

SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft is scheduled to launch on Wednesday to head to the space station, then return home with Wilmore and Williams after a handover period of several days, NASA said. 

Trump later joked with Doocy about partaking in the mission.

‘Should I go on that journey just to be on the ship when we stop?’ the president asked Doocy.

Doocy responded, ‘If that’s an option, yes.’

 

‘I should do it,’ Trump replied with a laugh. ‘That’s terrible. I thought he liked me.’

Another reporter chimed in saying the president should stay on Earth, to which Trump responded, ‘She likes me better.’

Fox News Digital’s Audrey Conklin contributed to this report.

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS
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Rare Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant rookie jerseys expected to sell for $20 million at auction

Rare pieces of memorabilia from two of the National Basketball Association’s biggest icons are hitting the auction block and are expected to sell for a combined $20 million.

Sotheby’s announced on Thursday that it is putting up for auction Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant rookie jerseys that were worn during each of their first NBA games. The auction comes as rookie memorabilia has seen a recent surge in popularity and pricing.

“The historical weight of these two jerseys is difficult to overstate. They are as rare as they come,” said Brahm Wachter, Sotheby’s head of modern collectables, in a statement.

The jerseys will be available in separate lots beginning March 21.

Sotheby’s is auctioning off rare jerseys from Michael Jordan’s and Kobe Bryant’s rookie season.

The Jordan jersey was first worn Oct. 5, 1984, in Peoria, Illinois, where he played his first game for the Chicago Bulls in front of a crowd of just 2,000 people.

Sotheby’s said jerseys from Jordan’s rookie season are “unicorns” and rarely seen on the market.

Jordan ended up averaging 28.2 points per game that rookie season, earning him Rookie of the Year honors. He went on to win six NBA championships and has cemented his name as one of the greatest basketball players of all time.

Sotheby’s expects the iconic jersey to fetch about $10 million.

A second lot is offering Bryant’s first jersey from his 1996-97 rookie reason with the Los Angeles Lakers. Sotheby’s said the rare jersey was worn during Bryant’s first preseason and regular season games.

Bryant entered the NBA at just 18 years old and went on to win five NBA championships and two Finals MVP awards. He died in a tragic helicopter crash in 2020.

Bryant’s jersey is also expected to sell in the $10 million range.

Sotheby’s says rookie memorabilia has seen a recent uptick in demand among its customers. In October 2023, Victor Wembanyama’s game-worn San Antonio Spurs jersey sold for $762,000, and in August 2022, a 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle rookie card sold for $12.6 million.

“Early rookie jerseys represent the genesis of an athlete’s career. For collectors in search of true one-of-one treasures, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to own iconic pieces of basketball history,” said Wachter.

This post appeared first on NBC NEWS
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Macy’s turnaround hinges on revamping some stores and closing others. It appears to be working

Macy’s delivered another quarter of mixed results on Thursday as investors wait and see how quickly CEO Tony Spring can pull off a turnaround of the business with yet another activist investor looking to take the chain private.

Across the business, which includes the Macy’s banner, Bloomingdale’s and Blue Mercury, comparable sales during the all-important holiday quarter were down 1.1%. But comparable sales across its owned and licensed businesses, plus its online marketplace, were up 0.2%, which is the highest the metric has been since the first quarter of 2022. 

Plus, the so-called First 50 locations — the stores that Macy’s is devoting more resources to as part of its turnaround plan — saw comparable sales up 0.8%, marking the fourth quarter in a row the metric has been positive.

The two bright spots in an otherwise worse-than-expected set of results suggest Macy’s turnaround is showing some signs of life — it just might not be working fast enough.

For fiscal 2025, Macy’s is expecting adjusted earnings per share of $2.05 to $2.25 and sales of between $21 billion and $21.4 billion, lower than Wall Street expectations of $2.31 per share and $21.8 billion, according to LSEG.

Macy’s shares fell slightly in early trading.

Here’s how the department store performed during its fiscal fourth quarter, compared with what Wall Street was anticipating, based on a survey of analysts by LSEG:

The company’s reported net income for the three-month period that ended Feb. 1 was $342 million, or $1.21 per share, compared with a loss of $128 million, or a loss of 47 cents per share, a year earlier. Excluding one-time items including impairments and settlement and restructuring charges, Macy’s reported earnings of $507 million, or $1.80 per share. 

Sales dropped to $7.77 billion, down about 4% from $8.12 billion a year earlier. Like other retailers, Macy’s benefited from an extra selling week in the year-ago period, which has skewed comparisons. 

For the current quarter, Macy’s is expecting adjusted earnings per share of between 12 cents and 15 cents and sales of between $4.4 billion and $4.5 billion, far below estimates of 28 cents and $4.71 billion, according to LSEG.

On a call with analysts, chief operating officer and chief financial officer Adrian Mitchell said the company is taking a “prudent” approach to guidance given the fluid nature of the turnaround plan, cautious consumer spending and uncertainties created by recent tariff increases between the U.S. and major trade partners.

“If we weren’t in the environment that were operating in, I would be even more bullish on our potential,” CEO Spring said during a call with analysts. “But I think prudency is important at this point in time.”

Macy’s mixed results come just over a year into Spring’s tenure as the legacy department store’s chief executive and his three-year strategy to turn the business around. While Bloomingdale’s and Blue Mercury saw another quarter of positive comparable sales, growing 4.8% and 6.2%, respectively, Macy’s namesake banner continues to be the company’s laggard with comps down 1.9%. 

To address long-standing issues at the legacy banner, Spring has implemented an aggressive store closure plan that includes shuttering 150 doors and a strategy to fix its better-performing locations. As Macy’s and other department stores have shrunk over the years, it’s faced criticism for neglecting its stores, not having enough staff and falling behind on the retail essentials that are necessary to win in any environment. 

Spring has started to address those issues by investing in 50 locations and providing better staffing, merchandising and visual presentation of the company’s varied assortment.

So far, the plan appears to be working. When Macy’s added more staffing to the shoes and handbag departments at 100 test locations, those stores outperformed shops that didn’t have those investments, Spring said Thursday.

Storewide, the first 50 locations have continued to outperform the bulk of the chain, and in February, the company added an additional 75 stores to the program, bringing the total number of “reimagined” locations to 125.

“Performance of both the first 50 and the 100 test stores illustrate that when we invest in the customer experience, we can grow sales,” said Spring. “Now we must scale these changes in order to achieve our long-term goals.”

In fiscal 2024, comparable sales across Macy’s business were still down by 0.9%, but that’s an improvement of 5.1 percentage points compared to fiscal 2023. In the fourth quarter, comparable sales at the Macy’s nameplate also saw a decline of 0.9%, up 3.8 percentage points from the prior year.

Still, investors shouldn’t expect a return to growth this year. The company is projecting comparable sales for the owned stores it’s keeping open, plus its licensed businesses and online marketplace, to be down 2% to flat in fiscal 2025 compared to the prior year.

Reimagined stores now make up 36% of the 350 Macy’s locations that the business plans to keep open after it finishes closing underperforming locations. It will take time — and capital — to extend its strategy to the bulk of the chain. Spring has given the company two more years to pull it off, but whether investors have the patience to see the strategy play out — and whether macroeconomic conditions will slow it down — remains to be seen. 

In December, activist investor Barington Capital revealed it has a position in Macy’s and wants the company to cut spending, explore selling its luxury brands and take a hard look at its real estate portfolio. It’s the fourth activist push at the department store in the last decade.

Like the activists that had come right before it, Arkhouse and Brigade, many suspect that Barington is mainly after Macy’s lucrative real estate portfolio and is more interested in juicing it for profit than doing the work necessary to revitalize the chain. Still, Macy’s must act in the interest of shareholders and if it’s not doing enough to return value quickly an activist could eventually win out.

Macy’s on Thursday announced its intent to resume share buybacks under its remaining $1.4 billion share repurchase authorization, “market conditions pending.” 

“Building on our momentum, we continue to elevate the customer experience, deliver operational excellence and make prudent capital investments,” said Mitchell. “We remain committed to generating healthy free cash flow and returning capital to shareholders through share buybacks and predictable quarterly dividends.” 

This post appeared first on NBC NEWS
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Inter Miami vs. Cavalier FC in Concacaf Champions Cup: Live updates

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Will Lionel Messi play as Inter Miami returns to action in the Concacaf Champions Cup tournament tonight?

Messi’s playing status is a topic of discussion as Inter Miami hosts Jamaican Premier League champions Cavalier FC on Thursday night at 8 p.m. inside Chase Stadium.

Here’s what we know: Inter Miami coach Javier Mascherano said Messi is healthy and practiced with his teammates, but did not divulge whether Messi would play. Messi’s status is essentially “the same as the rest of the players.” 

“We’ll see,” Mascherano said of Messi on Wednesday. “He’s in good health, but we’ll see what’s good for us.”

What’s good for Inter Miami is obviously Messi returning to action after he did not travel for last Sunday’s match against the Houston Dynamo. Inter Miami opted to rest Messi because of the congested start of the year where he predominately played in three matches during a six-day stretch from Feb. 19-26. Including five preseason matches Inter Miami played Las Vegas, Peru, Panama, Honduras and Tampa Bay, Florida from Jan. 18 to Feb. 14, Messi has played eight matches in a 40-day span to begin 2025. 

“Obviously, with the matches, he has felt the fatigue, he has had an overload, but that’s why we decided he not go to Houston. That’s why,” Mascherano said of Messi. “We have already had some injuries, and we don’t want to fall back on a player so important to us, because what if we don’t give him a certain rest, he ends up injured and we don’t want to be out for a month.”

If Messi plays Thursday night, it will be his first match in nine days. However, it also begins another stretch of three matches in a week for Inter Miami. On Sunday, Inter Miami hosts Charlotte FC in an MLS regular-season match. Next Thursday, Inter Miami will complete its round-of-16 matchup with Cavalier FC at National Stadium in Kingston, Jamaica — where Messi is expected to play his first match in the country in front of an already sold out crowd of 35,000 ticket buyers.

Stay tuned here as USA TODAY Sports provides live updates from tonight’s match between Inter Miami and Cavalier FC.

Is Messi playing tonight? 

Messi’s status will be confirmed when Inter Miami announces its starting lineup, about an hour before the game begins. 

A pregame report from Deporte Total USA says Messi will not play or be available as a substitute to continue resting. 

What time is Inter Miami vs. Cavalier FC match? 

The match begins at 8 p.m. ET (9 p.m. in Argentina). 

How to watch Inter Miami vs. Cavalier FC match on TV?

The match will be available to watch on FS2 in English and ViX in Spanish. 

What to know about Cavalier FC? 

Cavalier FC is playing in the Champions Cup tournament for the second time in as many years. They qualified directly into the round of 16 by winning the Concacaf Caribbean Cup in December.

The matchup against Inter Miami will be the second time Cavalier has faced MLS competition. Cavalier lost to FC Cincinnati by scores of 2-0 and 4-0 in the first round last year. 

Cavalier FC coach and sporting director Rudolph Speid said Wednesday: “We’re really looking forward to doing well. I think it will inspire a generation of players in Jamaica itself, just because of what will happen. We’ll play them here. Everybody will be watching on TV. And, also in the return leg where we expect a packed stadium, and everybody just talking about the game. That inspiration is much more for the country than just our team.” 

Messi’s upcoming schedule with Inter Miami, Argentina

Messi could play in the following six matches with Inter Miami and the Argentina national team later this month: 

March 9: Inter Miami vs. Charlotte, 4 p.m. ET (MLS)
March 13: Cavalier FC vs. Inter Miami, 8 p.m. ET (Champions Cup) 
March 16: Atlanta vs. Inter Miami, 7 p.m. ET (MLS)
March 21: Uruguay vs. Argentina, 7:30 p.m. ET (World Cup 2026 qualifier)
March 25: Argentina vs. Brazil, 8 p.m. ET (World Cup 2026 qualifier)
March 29: Inter Miami vs. Philadelphia, 7:30 p.m. ET (MLS)

This post appeared first on USA TODAY
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MLB farm system rankings for every team

As we approach the 2025 MLB season, one fact is abundantly clear: not everyone is going to compete for a World Series this season. That’s just how the sport is. Some teams are good, some teams are bad, and some teams are building something grand.

While some teams may not be in a position to compete for a championship this year, they’ve been able to build a team that will be ready to compete in a few short years. That said, other teams have sold all of their best young talent in an effort to push for a World Series now. They’ve given away all of the best prospects and their hope of a bright future in order to secure a coveted title as soon as possible.

Neither of these strategies are necessarily better or worse than the other. After all, how many years of sorrow is a championship really worth? However, it is clear which teams have a brighter future ahead of them thanks to the talent they’ve retained, acquired, and/or developed at the lower levels. Here’s every MLB team’s farm system ranked ahead of the 2025 regular season.

MLB Farm System Rankings:

*All top prospect rankings are provided by MLB.com

30) Toronto Blue Jays

SS Arjun Nimmala
RHP Trey Yesavage
2B/3B Orelvis Martinez
LHP Ricky Tiedemann
OF Alan Roden

Arjun Nimmala is the best this organization has going for it and he’s not even considered a high-end talent just yet. After three of the tam’s top-15 prospects were forced to undergo elbow surgery in 2024, and another was suspended for PEDs, it’s hard to feel good about this team’s future. Nay, it’s near impossible.

29) New York Yankees

OF Jasson Dominguez
SS/2B George Lombard Jr.
OF Spencer Jones
RHP Ben Hess
RHP Will Warren

Jasson Dominguez has been the No. 1 prospect in this system for forever it seems, and even he has his issues. He’s a switch-hitter who slashed .185/.264/.246 against lefties in the minors last year. He could be relegated to a platoon role at the major league level. If the Yankees had to wait so long just to bench Dominguez in certain situations, that would be a major blow to their World Series chances and shows just how poor the rest of their farm system is currently.

28) Houston Astros

3B Cam Smith
SS/3B Brice Matthews
OF Jacob Melton
C Walker Janek
3B/1B Zach Dezenzo

When your team’s top prospects like Jacob Melton, Brice Matthews, and Zach Dezenzo are all considered MLB hopefuls as platoon players, you know your farm system is in a rough spot. Outside of Cam Smith, the Astros don’t have much to brag about in their minor league affiliates, and even he only joined the club recently as part of the Kyle Tucker trade.

27) Atlanta Braves

C Drake Baldwin
LHP Cam Caminiti
RHP AJ Smith-Shawver
RHP Hurston Waldrep
INF Nacho Alvarez Jr.

Injury concerns, low ceilings, and long timetables are the most common issues with the Braves’ farm system. While Baldwin and Smith-Shawver could each be solid contributors for the club soon, the Braves don’t boast very many impact hitters or many top-line arms. Sure, there is depth on the mound, but that won’t help Atlanta take down the Phillies or Mets.

26) San Francisco Giants

1B Bryce Eldridge
LHP Carson Whisenhunt
SS Josuar Gonzalez
OF James Tibbs III
SS Jhonny Level

While Bryce Eldridge is a tremendous, enviable talent, the Giants don’t have much else going for them. Whisenhunt is expected to make his big league debut soon, but he’s not expected to be a top-of-the-rotation arm. Meanwhile, the Giants only have one other prospect in their top-ten expected to be ready for the majors in 2025.

25) Los Angeles Angels

2B Christian Moore
RHP Caden Dana
RHP George Klassen
SS Joswa Lugo
LHP Sam Aldegheri

For once, the Angels are not at the bottom of these rankings. That will likely change given their tendency to call up prospects long before they are ready, but as it stands, the Halos have a few solid players like Christian Moore and Caden Dana.

24) New York Mets

RHP Brandon Sproat
SS/OF Jett Williams
OF Carson Benge
1B/OF Ryan Clifford
RHP Nolan McLean

The Mets may have a deep farm system, but it’s littered with question marks. Most of the team’s top position prospects suffered injuries in 2024, including their top offensive prospect Jett Williams. As for the pitching side, the Mets do have a flurry of prospects ready to join the Major League club, but outside of Brandon Sproat, there isn’t much hope that any of them will develop into franchise cornerstones.

23) Arizona Diamondbacks

SS Jordan Lawlar
INF Demetrio Crisantes
OF Slade Caldwell
RHP Yilber Diaz
C Adrian Del Castillo

The Diamondbacks were expected to boast one of the best farm systems in baseball this year. However, after another injury to Jordan Lawlar and struggles from first-rounders Druw Jones and Tommy Troy, the Snakes have fallen down in the rankings. Even with breakouts from Yilber Diaz and Adrian Del Castillo, the consistency from their top prospects has not been there.

22) Athletics

SS Jacob Wilson
1B Nick Kurtz
OF Colby Thomas
RHP Mason Barnett
RHP Luis Morales

Jacob Wilson could be a future batting title champion. Nick Kurtz is a stud at the plate. That’s basically all the A’s have going for them though. If Kurtz and Wilson fail to live up to expectations, the Athletics don’t have a single other prospect expected to produce at an All-Star level.

21) Texas Rangers

SS/3B Sebastian Walcott
RHP Kumar Rocker
RHP Jack Leiter
C Malcolm Moore
RHP Winston Santos

The Rangers could end up being much higher on this list by the end of this season, depending on how their 2024 breakouts play this year. Winston Santos, Alejandro Rosario, and Emiliano Teodo all provided enormous, unexpected value in 2024, but if they can’t keep that momentum going into 2025, then the Rangers will be back to leaning almost entirely on Walcott and Rocker.

20) Colorado Rockies

RHP Chase Dollander
OF/3B Charlie Condon
OF/SS Cole Carrigg
OF Robert Calaz
RHP Brody Brecht

While Dollander and Condon are certainly huge gets, the Rockies have tricked people into thinking they have very solid pitching depth. However, given the fact that Coors Field is one of the most hitter-friendly ballparks in America, the Rockies will need more high-end pitching talent to feel good about their future on the mound.

19) San Diego Padres

SS Leo De Vries
C Ethan Salas
LHP Kash Mayfield
RHP Humberto Cruz
LHP Boston Bateman

Outside of De Vries and Salas, this Padres’ farm is subpar to say the least. However, those two players are two of the top-33 prospects in baseball. That alone keeps them in the top-20.

18) Miami Marlins

LHP Thomas White
SS Staryln Caba
RHP Noble Meyer
C/1B Agustin Ramirez
SS Andrew Salas

The Marlins’ inability to hold onto talent, or even trade them for big prospect hauls has come back to bite them in recent years. They have only two top-100 prospects heading into 2025, and if they hadn’t added Starlyn Caba in the Jesus Luzardo trade, they’d be much lower on this list.

17) St. Louis Cardinals

SS JJ Wetherholt
LHP Quinn Mathews
RHP Tink Hence
C Jimmy Crooks
INF Thomas Saggese

Everybody agrees that the Cardinals were given a gift when JJ Wetherholt fell to them at No. 7 in the MLB draft. However, the lack of consistent, proven talent is what holds this farm back. Sure, there are prospects like Rainiel Rodriguez who have provided glimpses of greatness that could develop into franchise cornerstones, but until we see those glimpses come more consistently over a longer period of time, it’s hard to have a ton of faith that the Cardinals will develop any future All-Stars.

16) Kansas City Royals

1B Jac Caglianone
C Blake Mitchell
C Carter Jensen
RHP Ben Kudrna
LHP Noah Cameron

Undeniably top-heavy, the Royals are certainly praying that Caglianone and Mitchell live up to their expectations. Outside of them, though, there are several question marks.

15) Baltimore Orioles

C/1B Samuel Basallo
3B/1B Coby Mayo
OF Enrique Bradfield Jr.
RHP Chayce McDermott
OF Vance Honeycutt

It’s hard to maintain a top spot in the rankings when you graduate all of your top prospects. However, this team’s farm is still nothing to scoff at. Basallo and Mayo are widely regarded as two of the best bats in the minor leagues, and the Orioles have decent depth on the mound as well.

14) Milwaukee Brewers

C Jeferson Quero
SS/3B Jesus Made
SS Cooper Pratt
RHP Jacob Misiorowski
3B/1B Mike Boeve

The Brewers may have graduated several of their top prospects in 2024, but that hasn’t slowed their farm system down much. The team continues to boast one of the best international scout teams in the business with the addition of Jesus Made. That signing alone could keep them in the top half of the league in these rankings.

13) Washington Nationals

OF Dylan Crews
RHP Travis Sykora
RHP Jarlin Susana
3B Brady House
SS Seaver King

This farm system is obviously carried by Dylan Crews. While there is hope that Sykora and Susana can bring some much-needed pitching depth to the big league squad, the Nationals lack depth at the position beyond those two prospects.

12) Minnesota Twins

OF Walker Jenkins
OF Emmanuel Rodriguez
2B/OF/1B Luke Keaschall
3B Kaelen Culpepper
LHP Connor Prielipp

Walker Jenkins is the best prospect the Twins have had in years, but after him, it does take a bit of a tumble. Emmanuel Rodriguez is incredible but has faced some serious injury issues. Furthermore, their lack of a truly elite pitching prospects is troubling, but Minnesota has shown capable of developing late-round pitchers into solid MLB starters lately.

11) Pittsburgh Pirates

RHP Bubba Chandler
SS/OF Konnor Griffin
RHP Thomas Harrington
2B/SS Termarr Johnson
2B/OF Nick Yorke

We’ve seen the Pirates develop tremendous pitchers, and that’s no different with their 2025 prospect pool. Bubba Chandler and Thomas Harrington remain two of the game’s most coveted minor league arms. However, their lack of a truly talented homegrown hitter has led to some skepticism, with fans waiting to see whether or not Konnor Griffin can break the streak.

10) Cincinnati Reds

RHP Chase Burns
RHP Rhett Lowder
2B/3B Sal Stewart
3B Cam Collier
SS Edwin Arroyo

By the end of 2025, the Reds could very well have their entire starting rotation composed of homegrown arms. That speaks volumes to their development programs. However, their MLB roster does lack in the homegrown hitter department. We’re still a few years away from seeing Stewart, Collier, and Arroyo join the big league squad.

9) Cleveland Guardians

2B Travis Bazzana
OF Chase DeLauter
OF Jaison Chourio
INF Angel Genao
1B Ralphy Velazquez

The Cleveland Guardians were already a great farm system. Then they got the No. 1 overall pick and selected an absolute dawg at second base in Travis Bazzana. The Guardians are known for being able to develop their pitchers, yet each of their top-five prospects are hitters. That’s terrifying if you’re a fan of any other AL Central team.

8) Philadelphia Phillies

RHP Andrew Painter
SS Aidan Miller
OF Justin Crawford
C Eduardo Tait
RHP Moises Chace

While the Phillies have certainly gutted their farm to an extent in their quest for a World Series, they’ve still got a very solid top-end, headlined by top pitching prospect Andrew Painter. The Phillies could certainly use a little more depth, but it’s hard to deny their wealth in the minors with so many trusted prospects still available to them.

7) Tampa Bay Rays

SS Carson Williams
1B Xavier Isaac
INF Brayden Taylor
1B/OF Tre’ Morgan
OF Theo Gillen

The Rays’ decision to sell Randy Arozarena, Zach Eflin, and Jason Adam at the deadline has paid off in a huge way. Many fans believed the Rays’ well of prospects had finally started to run dry, but woah, Nellie, did it fill back up overnight? Not only did they refill their pools, but they’ve continued to see development at the lower levels from homegrown talents like Trevor Harrison and Gary Gill Hill, giving them a steady farm that will provide a solid influx of talent each year for years to come.

6) Seattle Mariners

SS/3B Colt Emerson
OF Lazaro Montes
SS/2B Cole Young
C Harry Ford
SS Felnin Celesten

Although there isn’t a single pitcher in the team’s top-five prospects, the Mariners have actually done a tremendous job balancing their focus between hitters and hurlers in recent years. The Mariners need hitting now, so their top prospects are hitters. However, they clearly focused on pitching in the 2024 draft, using 15 of their 20 picks on pitchers. They’re certainly not dying for mound talent at the lower levels.

5) Chicago Cubs

INF Matt Shaw
RHP Cade Horton
OF Owen Caissie
C/1B Moises Ballesteros
2B/OF James Triantos

While the loss of Cam Smith certainly hurts the Cubs’ prospect pool, this is still one of the deepest farm systems in the league, boasting seven top-100 prospects, tied for the most in MLB. The biggest issue is the lack of pitching. Outside of Cade Horton, the Cubs really don’t have a transcendent arm they can develop. They also only have one top-50 prospect. However, given the sheer volume of talent they can pick from, their approach of shotgunning a dartboard and hoping one or two darts hit the bullseye is arguably better than praying one or two elite prospects develop into the players you expect them to be. We’ve seen too many instances where players fail to live up to expectations they’d developed in the minors.

4) Chicago White Sox

LHP Noah Schultz
C Kyle Teel
LHP Hagen Smith
SS Colson Montgomery
OF Braden Montgomery

While Colson Montgomery experienced an underwhelming season a year ago, the White Sox have done a solid job building their farm system, especially after trading Garrett Crochet to Boston. Unfortunately, the White Sox are still a long way away from being a World Series threat, and even their abundance of high-end prospects may not be enough to help them in the near future.

3) Los Angeles Dodgers

RHP Roki Sasaki
C/OF Dalton Rushing
OF Josue De Paula
LHP Jackson Ferris
SS Alex Freeland

The Los Angeles Dodgers can do no wrong. Even if Roki Sasaki did not count as a prospect, the Dodgers would still likely have a top-10 or 12 farm system. However, adding the best international pitcher, who will be ready to join the Dodgers by opening day, is obviously a huge plus.

2) Boston Red Sox

OF Roman Anthony
2B/SS/OF Kristian Campbell
SS Marcelo Mayer
SS/2B Franklin Arias
RHP Luis Perales

This is really more of a 1A/1B situation between the Red Sox and our No. 1 team. The Red Sox have undoubtedly the higher-end, but are a little thinner, boasting just four top-100 prospects. That said, when your team holds three of MLB’s top-12, that’s a pretty impressive feat. When the 2024 Minor League Player of the Year isn’t even your top prospect, you know you’ve done a good job of building your farm. Even with the Red Sox dealing four solid prospects to the White Sox for Garrett Crochet, Boston still has a flurry of talent that will be game-changers in just a few years.

1) Detroit Tigers

RHP Jackson Jobe
OF Max Clark
SS/2B Kevin McGonigle
SS Bryce Rainer
C/1B Thayron Liranzo

Given that the Tigers were able to develop Tarik Skubal into arguably the best pitcher on the planet, the Tigers’ farm system is made even scarier by the fact that each of their top-three prospects will be ready to join the team by 2026. Jobe, Clark, and McGonigle all have tremendously high ceilings.

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Hamas treatment of hostages ‘intolerable,’ Trump envoy says

Hamas’ treatment of the hostages it has been holding in captivity in the Gaza Strip is ‘intolerable,’ U.S. envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff said Thursday, warning that ‘it’s not going to be tolerated by President Trump.’ 

Witkoff spoke outside the White House a day after President Donald Trump met with eight former hostages in Washington and posted what he called a ‘last warning’ to Hamas on his Truth Social platform. 

‘We’re not going to sit here, do nothing and tolerate this kind of inhumane conditions,’ Witkoff said. ‘They lived in a terrible situation. By the way, who keeps dead bodies? Who does that? Who keeps people chained up downstairs? Who murders in front of other hostages? What’s happened here is intolerable, and it’s not going to be tolerated by President Trump.’ 

‘We had a wonderful day with the hostages yesterday… they got a treat a lifetime, they got to spend some time with President Trump. And we thought it was going to be a short period of time because his day was busy, but he ended up spending about an hour with them, with each of the hostages, pictures, and spent a lot of time listening to their stories about what happened to them in captivity. And he was clearly emotional about it as anybody would be,’ Witkoff also said. 

‘The president was pretty blunt,’ Witkoff added. ‘It’s time for Hamas to start acting in a responsible and reasonable way. And we don’t think that they have been doing that.’ 

However, the Palestinian terrorist group on Thursday dismissed Trump’s latest threat and refused to release more Israeli hostages without a permanent ceasefire deal in the Gaza Strip. 

Hamas spokesman Abdel-Latif al-Qanoua said the ‘best path to free the remaining Israeli hostages’ is through negotiations on a second phase of the ceasefire agreement.  

The first phase of the ceasefire, which lasted 42 days, ended on Saturday. A second phase was supposed to begin in early February, though only limited preparatory talks have been held so far. 

‘‘Shalom Hamas’ means Hello and Goodbye – You can choose,’ Trump said on Wednesday. ‘Release all of the Hostages now, not later, and immediately return all of the dead bodies of the people you murdered, or it is OVER for you.’ 

Trump added that he is ‘sending Israel everything it needs to finish the job,’ and that ‘not a single Hamas member will be safe if you don’t do as I say. 

‘Also, to the People of Gaza: A beautiful Future awaits, but not if you hold Hostages,’ the president wrote. ‘If you do, you are DEAD! Make a SMART decision. RELEASE THE HOSTAGES NOW, OR THERE WILL BE HELL TO PAY LATER!’ 

Fox News’ Stephen Sorace and the Associated Press contributed to this report. 

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Trump cuts off federal resources for law firm that helped fuel 2016 Russia hoax

President Donald Trump signed an executive order Thursday that would rescind security clearances and access to certain federal resources for Perkins Coie. It’s the law firm that hired the company responsible for crafting the so-called ‘Steele dossier’ containing salacious material about Trump’s alleged connections to Russia, which the president has denied. 

‘This is an absolute honor to sign,’ Trump told reporters Thursday. ‘What they’ve done, it’s just terrible. It’s weaponization. You could say weaponization against a political opponent, and it should never be allowed to happen again.’ 

Specifically, the executive order suspends security clearances for Perkins Coie employees until a further review evaluating its access to sensitive information is complete to determine if it aligns with the national interest. 

Additionally, the order cuts off access to sensitive information facilities for Perkins Coie employees and will limit the company’s access to government employees. The order also the federal government from hiring Perkins Coie employees without specific authorization. 

Likewise, the federal government is prohibited from hiring contractors that use the law firm.

The international law firm represented Hillary Clinton’s campaign and the Democratic National Committee in the 2016 election and former President Joe Biden after Trump challenged Biden’s win in the 2020 election.

Perkins Coie first came under scrutiny after Marc Elias, the former chair of the firm’s political law practice, hired opposition research firm Fusion GPS to conduct opposition research into presidential candidate Trump in April 2016 on behalf of Trump’s opponent, Clinton, and the Democratic National Committee.

Fusion GPS then hired former British intelligence officer Christopher Steele, who composed the so-called ‘Steele dossier.’ The document included scandalous and mostly unverified allegations, including details that Trump engaged in sex acts with Russian prostitutes.  

Trump repeatedly denied allegations included in the dossier and filed a lawsuit against Orbis Business Intelligence, a company Steele co-founded. Trump’s legal team claimed he ‘suffered personal and reputational damage and distress’ as a result of the dossier, but a judge in London pitched the lawsuit in February 2024. 

The dossier first became public in 2017 when BuzzFeed News published it. The Justice Department’s inspector general lambasted the agency and the FBI in 2019 for using the document to make a case in securing surveillance applications against former Trump campaign advisor Carter Page as part of the agency’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election. 

Still, the inspector general determined that no political bias motivated the surveillance of Page or the launching of Russia investigations. 

Requests for comment by Perkins Coie were not immediately answered. 

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Moderates reveal why they didn’t join fellow Dems to censure Al Green

Two moderate Democrats who voted against censuring Rep. Al Green, D-Texas, suggested they did not believe Congress should be focused on such matters.

Ten Democratic lawmakers broke from their party to vote on a House GOP-led resolution to formally admonish Green for protesting during President Donald Trump’s address to a joint session of Congress on Tuesday night. 

The majority of those 10 are considered frontline Democrats in more moderate districts, while others, like Rep. Jared Moskowitz, D-Fla., are generally known to cross the aisle and work with Republicans.

Fox News Digital reached out to nine other Democrats representing moderate areas, who were part of the 198 total who opposed censuring Green.

Of those, just two – Reps. Jared Golden, D-Maine, and Josh Riley, D-N.Y. – offered responses.

‘In today’s environment, censure tends only to give a greater platform to the censured legislator. So I tend to lean in favor of free speech unless a clear red line is crossed,’ Golden told Fox News Digital.

The Maine Democrat’s written statement also included a link to a reference of his vote in favor of censuring ‘Squad’ member Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., over her anti-Israel comments.

He did, however, offer criticism for Green’s interruption of Trump’s speech.

‘I voted against censuring Rep. Green because I don’t believe he crossed that line – and I don’t believe it’s in the House’s interest to draw even greater attention to his misguided behavior,’ Golden explained.

Riley’s statement did not remark directly on Green but more broadly dismissed attention-seekers in Washington.

‘Upstate New Yorkers sent me to Congress to lower costs, create jobs, and ensure they get a fair shot. I wish we’d spent this morning focused on that instead of the drama and political theater in Washington,’ the first-term House Democrat said.

Riley won his seat in November by unseating former Rep. Marc Molinaro, R-N.Y., in a district that spans much of central New York state.

Green was censured in a 224 to 198 vote on Thursday morning after repeatedly disrupting the beginning of Trump’s primetime speech.

He shouted, ‘You have no mandate!’ at Trump and shook his cane in the air as the president touted Republican victories in the House, Senate and White House. Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., after giving a warning, had Green removed from the chamber.

The 77-year-old Democrat was unrepentant, posting on X on Thursday afternoon, ‘Today, the House GOP censured me for speaking out for the American people against [Trump’s] plan to cut Medicaid. I accept the consequences of my actions, but I refuse to stay silent in the face of injustice.’

The 10 Democrats who voted to censure Green are Reps. Ami Bera, D-Calif.; Ed Case, D-Hawaii; Jim Costa, D-Calif.; Laura Gillen, D-N.Y.; Jim Himes, D-Conn.; Chrissy Houlahan, D-Pa.; Marcy Kaptur, D-Ohio; Jared Moskowitz, D-Fla.; Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, D-Wash.; and Tom Suozzi, D-N.Y.

Green himself voted ‘present,’ as did first-term Rep. Shomari Figures, D-Ala.

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Trump to put tariff exemptions on certain goods from Canada, Mexico

President Trump on Thursday exempted most goods from Canada and Mexico covered under the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) from his 25% tariffs for the next month.

The tariffs went into effect earlier this week and will now be reinstated April 2. 

On Tuesday, Trump imposed the 25% tariffs on the United States’ largest trading partners. 

‘If you are the administration and are trying to achieve — the outcomes they are trying to achieve, refused fentanyl, lower border crossings — these are a tool in the arsenal,’ Dan Greenhouse of Solus Alternative Asset Management told Fox News Thursday. 

Doug Holtz-Eakin, the president of the American Action Forum, didn’t agree. 

He told Fox News, ‘In the end, we’ve got taxes on American consumers and businesses. Those taxes are substantial. I think people underappreciate that this round taken at face value would be roughly four times larger than anything he did in his first presidency. The impacts would be substantial.’

Holtz-Eakin said it would add to inflation and slow economic growth.

‘Those are not things that the American people want,’ he said.  

Canada said earlier this week it will issue 25% retaliatory tariffs. 

A Canadian source told Reuters the country wouldn’t respond until it had seen the entirety of Trump’s amended tariff order. 

Trump announced the tariffs on his first day in office in January after declaring fentanyl deaths a national emergency. He said the drug makes its way from China to the U.S. via Mexican and Canadian imports. 

‘I can confirm that we will continue to be in a trade war that was launched by the United States for the foreseeable future,’ Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who will step down Sunday, told reporters Thursday. 

Trump has also imposed a 20% tariff on all Chinese goods. 

Trump had mentioned an exemption for Mexico earlier Thursday, but the new amendment also covers Canada. 

‘After speaking with President Claudia Sheinbaum of Mexico, I have agreed that Mexico will not be required to pay Tariffs on anything that falls under the USMCA Agreement,’ Trump wrote Thursday before including Canada in the exemption.

‘This Agreement is until April 2nd. I did this as an accommodation, and out of respect for, President Sheinbaum. Our relationship has been a very good one, and we are working hard, together, on the Border, both in terms of stopping Illegal Aliens from entering the United States and, likewise, stopping Fentanyl. Thank you to President Sheinbaum for your hard work and cooperation!’ 

Reuters contributed to this report. 

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