When Joan Bell, 76, was given the news she was one of the pro-life activists pardoned by President Donald Trump Thursday afternoon, she was in disbelief.

‘I didn’t know if that meant we would get out in a few weeks or a few months, or what. I didn’t really know, but I knew we got pardoned,’ Bell, a grandmother of eight, told Fox News Digital Friday. ‘Well, then I ran upstairs because I had a rosary every evening.’

After finishing her prayers and Bible study with other inmates, Bell, a lifelong pro-life advocate, was told by several other inmates that her husband, Christopher Bell, was on Laura Ingraham’s Fox News show saying she was indeed one of the 23 others pardoned.

‘That was overwhelmingly beautiful,’ Bell recalled. ‘Everyone was clapping.’ She was then told by a guard to pack up her things for her release later that evening. 

‘We are so grateful to Trump. And to just feel the fresh air, God’s beautiful air, just wonderful,’ Bell said. ‘Just being out and being with my husband, my son, just glorious. There are no words to describe that kind of freedom.’ 

She added that she and her husband will take a ‘second honeymoon’ soon. 

Bell, who lives in New Jersey, was sentenced to more than two years in prison in November 2023 for participating in a ‘blockade,’ conspiring with other activists at a Washington D.C. abortion clinic in October 2020, according to President Biden’s Department of Justice (DOJ). 

Prosecutors from the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division and U.S. attorney’s office for the District of Columbia argued the pro-life activists violated the 1994 FACE Act, a federal law that prohibits physical force, threats of force or intentionally damaging property to prevent someone from obtaining or providing abortion services.

The activists were sentenced by Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, a Clinton appointee, and immediately detained.

While signing the pardons Thursday, just a day before Friday’s annual March for Life rally, Trump said, ‘They should not have been prosecuted.’ 

‘Many, many of them are elderly people,’ Trump said in the Oval Office. ‘They should not have been prosecuted. This is a great honor to sign this. They’ll be very happy.’

Bell, along with Paula Paulette Harlow, Jean Marshall and John Hinshaw, were all around 70 years old when they were imprisoned.

‘That he personally knew our case is so touching,’ Bell said of Trump. ‘I want to give him a hug.’

Attorneys from the Thomas More Society formally requested pardons from the Trump administration earlier this month for the 21 pro-life advocates the law firm was representing. 

‘The heroic peaceful pro-lifers unjustly imprisoned by Biden’s Justice Department will now be freed and able to return home to their families, eat a family meal and enjoy the freedom that should have never been taken from them in the first place,’ Steve Crampton, senior counsel of the Thomas More Society, said in a statement. 

‘These heroic peaceful pro-lifers were treated shamefully by Biden’s DOJ, with many of them branded felons and losing many rights that we take for granted as American citizens.’

In a previous interview with Fox News Digital, Crampton said it was hard to find a ‘fair jury’ and that most of the jurors were either Planned Parenthood donors or pro-choice advocates in the cases. He called Washington, D.C., the ‘most pro-abortion city in America.’ 

‘She can say her pro-death words, but we weren’t allowed to say pro-life words,’ Bell said of the judge in the trial. Nonetheless, she said it was more ‘heartbreaking’ to be prosecuted for her religious beliefs.

This week, Trump also took action to pardon over 1,000 Jan. 6 rioters who were imprisoned, along with numerous other executive orders related to immigration and cryptocurrency and orders to declassify the MLK and JFK files.

Fox News Digital has reached out to the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division for comment. 

Some of President Donald Trump’s most controversial executive branch nominees are set to appear before Congressional committees next week. The commander-in-chief promises that they will shake up their respective departments if they are approved by the Senate. 

Kashyap ‘Kash’ Patel has been nominated to be the FBI’s next director and will appear before the Senate Judiciary Committee, while Director of National Intelligence (DNI) pick Tulsi Gabbard has a hearing scheduled on the same day before the Senate Intelligence Committee.

Meanwhile, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., tapped to become director of the Department of Health and Human Services, will face questions on Wednesday from members of the Senate Finance Committee, which directly oversees the department. He’ll also appear before the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) committee on Thursday for a courtesy hearing. 

The Senate’s ‘advice and consent’ role allows the body to review the president’s appointments and provide oversight on key positions. The picks require a majority vote in the Senate with Republicans holding a 53-47 vote advantage over Democrats. 

But all face tough battles to get over the line. The Senate advanced the nomination of Pete Hegseth as Trump’s defense secretary on Thursday with Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, R-Alaska, and Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, breaking ranks.

Patel has called for radical changes at the FBI and was a fierce and vocal critic of the bureau’s work as it investigated ties between Russia and Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign.

He held numerous national security roles during the first Trump administration and was the chief investigator in the congressional probe into alleged Trump-Russia collusion, uncovering government surveillance abuse that led to the appointment of two special counsels: one who determined that there had been no such collusion and another who determined the entire premise of the FBI’s original investigation was bogus.

Patel was an integral part of the creation of a memo released by then-Chair Devin Nunes in February 2018, which detailed the DOJ’s and FBI’s surveillance of former Trump campaign aide Carter Page under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.

He’s been a loyal ally to Trump for years, finding common cause over their shared skepticism of government surveillance and the ‘deep state’ — a catchall used by Trump to refer to unelected members of government bureaucracy.

Meanwhile, Trump has argued that Gabbard will bring a ‘fearless spirit that has defined her illustrious career to our Intelligence Community, championing our Constitutional Rights and securing Peace through Strength.’ The director of national intelligence leads the U.S. intelligence community, which includes overseeing the National Intelligence Program and advising the president on security matters. 

Gabbard has served as a lieutenant colonel in the Army Reserves since 2021, after previously serving in the Hawaii Army National Guard for about 17 years. She was elected to the U.S. House representing Hawaii during the 2012 election cycle, serving as a Democrat until 2021. She did not seek re-election to that office after she entered the 2020 White House race. 

Gabbard left the Democratic Party in 2022, registering as an independent, before becoming a member of the GOP last year and offering her full endorsement of Trump amid his presidential campaign. 

Critics have attempted to paint Gabbard as a national security risk who is sympathetic to U.S. adversaries.

However, more than 250 veterans signed a letter last month endorsing her nomination, including high-profile and nationally known names such as retired Gen. Michael Flynn and former acting Secretary of Defense Chris Miller.

Kennedy Jr. is also a contentious pick, and he could face opposition, even from Republicans. In particular, Kennedy’s views and past statements about vaccines have been scrutinized by both GOP and Democratic lawmakers. 

GOP lawmakers have been concerned about Kennedy’s pro-abortion views that he has espoused in the past and his potential impact on the agriculture sector.

In what was a blockbuster move by the former Democrat, Kennedy dropped out of the 2024 presidential race as an Independent and endorsed Trump, vowing to ‘Make America Healthy Again,’ should he be part of the new administration.

Fox News’ Emma Colton and Brooke Singman contributed to this report. 

President Donald Trump confirmed on Friday that he has terminated the security detail provided to Dr. Anthony Fauci at the taxpayer’s expense.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) requested security for Fauci in 2020 to protect him from threats he received as the top health official and public spokesperson during the COVID-19 pandemic. But that detail was pulled on Thursday night, CNN first reported.

Trump was asked about the decision Friday while visiting Asheville, N.C., to tour areas impacted by Hurricane Helene.

‘I think, you know, when you work for government, at some point your security detail comes off and, you know, you can’t have them forever,’ Trump said.

‘We took some off other people too, but you can’t have a security detail for the rest of your life because you work for government,’ he added.

Trump earlier revoked the security clearances of 51 intelligence officials who had wrongly claimed that Hunter Biden’s laptop had ‘all the classic earmarks of a Russian information operation,’ as well as the details provided to former national security advisor John Bolton and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. 

Asked if he would feel partially responsible if something were to happen to Fauci or Bolton, Trump said he would not.

‘No. You know, they all made a lot of money. They can hire their own security,’ Trump said, adding that he knows several good security firms and ‘can give them some good numbers.’ 

‘Certainly I would not take responsibility,’ he said.

Former President Joe Biden offered a preemptive pardon to Fauci on his way out of office to shield him from Trump’s retribution. Though Trump had initially followed Fauci’s recommendations at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, he began to criticize Fauci as the government’s pandemic response and recommendations proved to be unpopular.

Fauci served as the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases from 1984 to 2022 and was the chief medical advisor to the president from 2021 to 2022. Trump awarded presidential commendations to Fauci and other members of Operation Warp Speed in 2021 for their work to quickly develop coronavirus vaccines. 

This is a breaking story and will be updated.

This story has been updated with additional information.

Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, voted in favor of 19 out of 21 of former President Joe Biden’s Cabinet nominees in 2021, a Fox News Digital analysis shows.

Murkowski voted against the confirmation of former Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra and did not vote on former Labor Secretary Marty Walsh’s appointment.

She did vote in favor of Biden’s Supreme Court nominee, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson.

Alaska’s senior senator is facing a barrage of attacks from President Donald Trump’s supporters over her opposition to his nominee to lead the Department of Defense, Pete Hegseth.

‘I commend Pete Hegseth’s service to our nation, including leading troops in combat and advocating for our veterans. However, these accomplishments do not alleviate my significant concerns regarding his nomination,’ Murkowski said in a lengthy statement posted to X this week.

She expressed concerns about his lack of relevant experience on Pentagon policy, as well as allegations that he mismanaged two veterans organizations he previously led, and accusations of sexual assault and excessive drinking – all of which Hegseth has denied.

‘While the allegations of sexual assault and excessive drinking do nothing to quiet my concerns, the past behaviors Mr. Hegseth has admitted to, including infidelity on multiple occasions, demonstrate a lack of judgment that is unbecoming of someone who would lead our armed forces,’ Murkowski wrote.

Among those who criticized her stance was Rep. Derrick Van Orden, R-Wis., a former Navy SEAL. Van Orden targeted Murkowski for voting for Biden Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin over his leadership during the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.

‘You voted for the two men responsible for the murder of these 13 heroes. The internet is forever, your time in office is not,’ Van Orden wrote on X, in reference to the service members killed during a suicide bombing in Kabul.

‘I strongly encourage you to fire the staff that gave you this horrible advice and wrote your X post.’

However, some on the right agree with Murkowski. One GOP lawmaker previously told Fox News Digital about Hegseth, ‘The military fired people who behaved like Hegseth. Him being [Defense Secretary] will cause issues with discipline.’

Murkowski told Politico in 2020 that ‘all presidents have right to their Cabinet’ but it was the Senate’s responsibility to make sure those people ‘are good, qualified credible candidates.’

Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, who is also opposing Hegseth, voted in favor of all of Biden’s Cabinet nominees in 2021.

Fox News Digital reached out to Murkowski’s office for comment.

The Senate committees on health and finance have announced the upcoming hearing dates for Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s bid to be the next secretary of Health and Human Services. 

The Health and Human Services (HHS) secretary nominee will participate in hearings with two committees, the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) and the Senate Committee on Finance. The first hearing will occur next week, on Wednesday, in front of the Senate finance committee, which oversees HHS. The Senate’s chief committee covering issues tied to health and healthcare, the HELP committee, will probe Kennedy the following day, on Thursday.

While Kennedy will face questions from both committees, only the Senate finance committee will vote to advance Kennedy to a full Senate floor vote that will ultimately decide whether he gets confirmed.

Kennedy’s nomination could face opposition, even from Republicans. In particular, Kennedy’s views and past statements about vaccines have been scrutinized by both GOP and Democratic lawmakers. Additionally, GOP lawmakers have been concerned about Kennedy’s pro-abortion views that he has espoused in the past and his potential impact on the agriculture sector.

In an interview with ‘Fox News Sunday’ earlier this month, Louisiana GOP Sen. Bill Cassidy, the top lawmaker on the Senate HELP committee, said Kennedy was ‘wrong’ on vaccinations. One example that has been raised was Kennedy’s alleged efforts, which he has denied, to promote doubts around vaccine efficacy during a 2019 measles outbreak in Samoa. Those efforts included a letter Kennedy sent to the country’s prime minister, as chairman of Children’s Health Defense, suggesting that the measles vaccine could have potentially exacerbated the outbreak.

In the past, Kennedy has also suggested that vaccines can be linked to autism.

‘The scientific research has been done and the results are clear – vaccines do not cause autism,’ Autism Science Foundation President Alison Singer wrote in a statement. Kennedy suggested to journalist John Stossel that such studies are ‘propaganda.’

Kennedy’s past pro-abortion views, and what he might do to the agriculture sector in his push to implement his ‘Make America Healthy Again’ platform, have also raised concerns for some Republican members of the Senate.

‘He’s made some statements about pigs and about GMO corn and soybeans. I can’t believe that he’s going to have a problem with that. But if he does, he has a problem with me,’ Sen. Chuck Grassley, a member of the Senate finance committee, told Semafor. 

Following a meeting with conservative Alabama GOP Sen. Tommy Tuberville, a staunch pro-life lawmaker, the senator said that Kennedy told him that he agrees with Trump on abortion ‘100%’ and will have a light touch on regulating farmers.

‘We talked about abortion and the big thing about abortion is he’s telling everybody, ‘Listen, whatever president Trump [supports] I’m going back him, 100%,” Tuberville told reporters following his meeting with Kennedy.

Fox News Digital reached out to Kennedy’s representatives for comment but did not receive a response in time for publication.

The Department of Justice is rescinding job offers for the Attorney General’s Honors Program amid President Donald Trump’s federal hiring freeze, according to a new report. 

The Attorney General’s Honors Program, established in 1953, hires graduating law students or recent law school graduates from top law schools such as Harvard, Duke, Georgetown, Stanford and the University of Virginia. 

But the Department of Justice notified those who had been selected for the program, which serves as a pipeline to recruit top legal talent into the public sector, that their offers were being revoked, several people familiar with the decision told the Washington Post. 

The Department’s Office of Attorney Recruitment and Management distributed an email to those affected via email on Wednesday. 

‘Pursuant to the hiring freeze announced Jan. 20, 2025, your job offer has been revoked,’ said the email,’ according to an email the Post obtained. 

Those familiar with the program said it may take on more than 100 lawyers annually, with recent hires assigned to the antitrust, national security, criminal and other divisions. 

They told the Post that the program is critical in recruiting new top talent to the Justice Department in order to replace outgoing legal talent. The two-year program places young attorneys on a career path to stay at the Department once the program concludes. 

The Post reports that it is uncertain whether the program will resume once federal hiring starts again. 

The Department of Justice did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital. 

Trump signed a series of executive orders on Inauguration Day this week, including those initiating the federal hiring freeze as well as withdrawing the U.S. from the Paris climate agreement, and directing every department and agency to address the cost-of-living crisis.

‘As part of this freeze, no Federal civilian position that is vacant at noon on January 20, 2025, may be filled, and no new position may be created except as otherwise provided for in this memorandum or other applicable law,’ a White House memo said. ‘Except as provided below, this freeze applies to all executive departments and agencies regardless of their sources of operational and programmatic funding.’

Those exempt from the hiring freeze include military personnel and other federal jobs pertaining to immigration, national security or public safety. 

Oklahoma Sen. Markwayne Mullin expressed confidence that Pete Hegseth would be confirmed as Defense secretary, despite opposition from GOP moderates.

Hegseth cleared a procedural hurdle in the Senate on Thursday, setting up a final confirmation vote expected Friday evening. However, Republican Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, both publicly declared their opposition to his nomination, meaning the GOP can only afford one more defection before Hegseth’s confirmation is lost.

Mullin, in an interview on the ‘Guy Benson Show’ with guest host Jason Rantz, said there are 50 ‘hard yes’ votes for Hegseth to be confirmed and estimated he will receive as many as 52 votes, with all Democrats and the moderate Republicans from Alaska and Maine voting against.

‘He’s definitely being confirmed tomorrow,’ Mullin told Rantz. ‘I don’t know what the White House schedule is, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he was sworn into office on Saturday.’

The Senate voted 51-49 to advance Hegseth’s nomination on Thursday, which triggered up to 30 hours of debate before a final vote. President Donald Trump’s embattled Defense nominee has faced intense grilling from Democrats on his qualifications for the position, as well as personal questions about his drinking habits and alleged sexual misconduct, which he has vigorously denied. Hegseth has said he would abstain from alcohol if confirmed. 

Hegseth’s nomination faced another hurdle this week when reports emerged that his ex-sister-in-law alleged that Hegseth had abused his second wife. 

Two sources told CNN Hegseth’s ex-wife, Samantha Hegseth, gave a statement to the FBI about Hegseth’s alleged alcohol use. The outlet said one of the sources said Samantha Hegseth told the FBI, ‘He drinks more often than he doesn’t.’

On Tuesday, Fox News obtained an affidavit from Hegseth’s former sister-in-law, Danielle Hegseth, which alleges he has an alcohol abuse problem and at times made his ex-wife, Samantha, fear for her safety. Danielle Hegseth was previously married to Pete Hegseth’s brother and has no relation to Samantha.

However, Danielle Hegseth added that she never witnessed any abuse herself, physical or sexual, by Pete against Samantha. 

Samantha Hegseth has also denied any physical abuse in a statement to NBC News.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., slammed Hegseth at a news conference on Thursday and urged Republicans to join Democrats in opposition to the former Fox News host and Army National Guardsman.

‘Hegseth is so utterly unqualified, he ranks up there [as] … one of the very worst nominees that could be put forward,’ Schumer said.

‘People’s lives depend on it — civilians and, of course, the men and women in the armed services — and Pete Hegseth has shown himself not only incapable of running a large organization, he often shows himself incapable of showing up or showing up in a way where he could get anything done. He is so out of the mainstream and so unqualified for DOD that I am hopeful we will get our Republican colleagues to join us.’

Mullin predicted that once Hegseth is confirmed, Democrats will turn their attention to another of Trump’s nominees, Tulsi Gabbard, who is the president’s choice to be director of national intelligence.

‘I think they’re going to turn their attention from Pete straight to Tulsi Gabbad,’ Mullin said, noting that Gabbard’s confirmation hearing is scheduled for next week. ‘They went from Matt Gaetz to Pete Hegseth. Now they’re going to go to Tulsi, and then after that I’m sure they’ll probably move on to [health secretary nominee] Bobby Kennedy.’

The Oklahoma Republican also suggested that Democratic senators who may harbor presidential ambitions stand to gain from making a show of opposition to Trump’s nominees.

‘You have all these Democrat senators now that are jumping up and down wanting attention so they can be the champion of the Democrat Party. What they don’t realize is the position they took underneath Biden and when Trump was in office is exactly why they got kicked out of office.’

Fox News Digital’s Morgan Phillips contributed to this report.