A new docuseries about the murder of social media influencer Gabby Petito by her boyfriend Brian Laundrie in 2021 revealed that Petito texted an ex-boyfriend, Jackson, that she wanted to leave Laundrie but was afraid of what he would do.
The docuseries, which was recently released to Netflix, "American Murder: Gabby Petito," contains previously unseen text messages from Petito, Laundrie and her mother Roberta.
It also has new interviews with family members and friends, including Jackson.
"She wasn’t sure of what he would do, or what he could do," he told docuseries directors/producers Julia Willoughby Nason and Michael Gasparro.
Besides the text messages to Jackson, Petito also texted her mother just before the murder to say she thought she might do better vlogging on her own without Laundrie.
Petito's parents cooperated with the docuseries as well as creating a foundation to help other domestic violence victims.
"Looking at her text messages with Brian for the first time, knowing that he had murdered her was haunting because it was like the manipulation… was very subtle.," Nason said. "And I think that we're hoping that this series can show the subtlety of intimate partner abuse, especially among young people."
On the day authorities believe Gabby was murdered, Laundrie argued with the staff at a Tex-Mex restaurant where he and Petito ate after she said she felt sick and believed the food was responsible.
Hours later, Petito was seen alive for the last time on surveillance camera outside a Whole Foods in Wyoming.
She reportedly tried to call Jackson, but he was working and missed the call.
In a last text message to her mother, she said Laundrie had agreed to sleep outside that night while she slept in the van they were camping in.
Laundrie was never arrested for Petito's murder because police did not find the body until after he had killed himself.
The Gabby Petito Foundation is already getting feedback that people have gotten out of abusive relationships after hearing her story.
"This is how the foundation is helping," Gasparro said. "They've become a resource for people like this."
Despite relentless challenges in the courts and in the media, Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is continuing its cost-cutting mission, notching significant achievements along the way.
As the Daily Mail reports, the official DOGE X account revealed that almost $2 billion in funds previously misplaced by Biden-era officials at the Department of Housing and Urban Development have been recovered, a scenario Musk blamed on gross mismanagement during the prior administration.
In a post to X outlining the impressive development, DOGE officials explained, “These funds were earmarked for the administration of financial services, but were no longer needed.”
The fact that the funds were misplaced at all during the Biden years was, according to DOGE, a symptom of a “broken process.”
Pointing to greater efficiency that will now be possible, the post added, “@SecretaryTurner and @DOGE worked together to fix the issue and de-obligated the funds which are now available for other use by the Treasury.”
Referenced in the post was the new Housing and Urban Development Secretary Scott Turner, who was confirmed to the role earlier this month.
Turner has already indicated his willingness to collaborate with DOGE to facilitate the transformation of the department he now leads, posting a video message on X last week announcing the creation of the task force together with DOGE.
The work, Turner said, will be “very detailed and deliberate about every dollar spend in serving trial, rural and urban communities across America.”
In keeping with President Donald Trump's commitment to streamlining every corner of the federal government, Turner noted in a press release that the group would be made up of HUD employees aiming to “examine how to best maximize the agency's budget and ensure all programs, processes and personnel are working together to advance the purpose of the department.”
An early win for the task force, as noted by Turner, was the task force's recovery of another $260 million in savings, though it was not immediately apparent where the money was found or what any related cuts might mean for HUD programming.
Adding to the potential efficiencies to be found within his agencies, reports suggest that significant layoffs of HUD staff may be on the cards, but no specifics on numbers have been released.
In addition to the recovered funds at HUD, DOGE has touted significant wins elsewhere across the federal government, announcing he cancellation of dozens of contracts related to media, DEI, and consulting services at a range of agencies including the Transportation Department and the Department of Homeland Security, as Fox News noted.
Another prime target of DOGE's cost-cutting mission has been the Department of Education, in which more than $100 million in DEI training-related grants have already been canceled.
Given the impressive pace at which DOGE is finding and rooting out wasteful spending and misappropriated funds, it seems certain that Trump, Musk, and the team leading the charge to downsize the federal government are only just getting started.
Socialite Bettina Anderson shared a touching memory while on a luxury Valentine's Day getaway with boyfriend Donald Trump Jr., the UK Daily Mail reported. The relationship recently became official with President Donald Trump's eldest son.
Anderson took to her Instagram on Friday to post from a private island getaway with the younger Trump. She reportedly shared several Instagram stories of the luxurious trip, but she also shared one sweet memory from childhood.
The post was a photo of the 38-year-old as a little girl with her entrepreneur father, Harry Loy Anderson, at a beach. The sundrenched pair are pictured standing ankle-deep in the surf while focused on a fishing pole that Harry Loy Anderson is holding.
"My first Valentine. Taught me everything I know," Bettina Anderson captioned the photo tribute to her father.
According to the Palm Beach Post, while his father made news as the first sitting president to attend the Super Bowl, Donald Trump Jr. and Bettina Anderson debuted their relationship in New Orleans during the Super Bowl LIX last weekend. The pair previously had been spotted together at events, including the inauguration.
However, the fact that both posted photos from the VIP box for the big game indicates that Donald Trump Jr. and Bettina Anderson are "Instagram official." Other Trump family members were also in attendance, including three of the five children Donald Trump Jr. shares with ex-wife Vanessa Trump.
View this post on Instagram
Notably, Kimberly Guilfoyle, Donald Trump Jr.'s ex-fiance, also came to watch the Kansas City Chiefs play the Philadelphia Eagles. The former Fox News host and attorney is currently the ambassador to Greece after being appointed by President Donald Trump.
Donald Trump Jr. and Guilfoyle had dated for six years but called it quits late last year. The breakup in December came after Donald Trump Jr. was seen kissing and holding hands with Bettina Anderson.
President Donald Trump was known for choosing family members for positions during his first presidential term. According to the New York Post, it seems he's hoping to turn his family into a political dynasty like the Kennedys this time around.
In an interview with Time Magazine published in December, President Donald Trump said it "could be" a possibility for his legacy. "I have some very competent members of my family," President Donald Trump said.
"My kids are very competent," he added. The president lauded the input from his sons, Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, for a successful campaign, particularly his namesake.
"I think [Don Jr. would] do well, especially in certain areas. I think he’d do very well. I think he’s a very capable guy," the president said. "Eric is very capable, and a very different type," he noted of Eric Trump, who worked on the campaign alongside his wife, Lara Trump.
The Trump family has become a political powerhouse, including for the people who marry into it. There's no telling if Bettina Anderson will become the next Mrs. Trump, but going public about their relationship is undoubtedly a significant step.
Sen. Tina Smith has decided not to run for reelection at the end of her term in 2026, Breitbart reported. The Minnesota Democrat made the announcement Thursday as some speculate that she called it quits before suffering defeat.
Smith released a video message on her X page announcing her intention to leave after finishing out her term. "I’ve decided not to run for re-election to the Senate in 2026.," she captioned the post.
"This job has been the honor of a lifetime. For the rest of my term, I’ll work as hard as I can for Minnesotans and our country. Thank you so much, Minnesota," Smith wrote.
I’ve decided not to run for re-election to the Senate in 2026.
This job has been the honor of a lifetime. For the rest of my term, I’ll work as hard as I can for Minnesotans and our country.
Thank you so much, Minnesota. pic.twitter.com/3sWVib8nKJ
— Senator Tina Smith (@SenTinaSmith) February 13, 2025
In Smith's video statement, she insisted she was leaving simply to spend more time with her family. "This decision is not political. It is entirely personal," she said.
"But it’s not lost on me that our country is in need of strong, progressive leadership right now, maybe more than ever," Smith added. However, it's not necessarily what her constituents will vote for.
Although Minnesota mostly votes Democratic, President Donald Trump has fared well in the North Star State. In 2016 and 2024, Trump was within a few points of turning the state red, and the GOP hopes to gain even more ground in the home state of form Gov. Tim Walz, the former Democratic vice presidential candidate.
Senate Republicans took the opportunity of Smith's resignation to make the point about the future of her party. "Retire or lose," the official X account captioned Smith's video.
National Republican Senatorial Committee Chairman Tim Scott echoed that sentiment in a statement Thursday. "Minnesota is in play, and we play to win. Minnesotans deserve a Senator who will fight for lower taxes, economic opportunity, and safer communities," he added.
It isn't just national elections where Republicans are making headway in Minnesota. According to Fox News, the state House of Representatives is now a 67-66 majority due to a power-sharing agreement.
This situation arose after it was found that Democratic House Rep.-elect Curtis Johnson "did not meet the residency requirements to represent Minnesota House District 40B, rendering him ineligible to take office," the news outlet stated. A special election will be held on March 11 to find a replacement.
In the meantime, Republican Rep. Lisa Demuth was elected Speaker of the House in Minnesota. The power-sharing agreement states that she will keep the position for a two-year term regardless of the outcome of a special election.
"We definitely have an advantage. And I think it's important to recognize that the reason that there is a special election that needed to be called is because the Democrats had a candidate that lied and cheated and couldn't take office," Demuth said.
The tide is turning throughout the U.S. for Democrats, and politicians like Smith must see the writing on the wall. Trump's election opened the floodgates for other Republicans, and Democrats are struggling to keep up.
Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor asserted the high court's power against challenges from President Donald Trump and his allies, The Hill reported. Although she didn't mention the president by name, the judge said that there were safeguards against turning the nation into a "monarchy."
Sotomayor made her remarks during a fireside chat with Knight Foundation CEO Maribel Pérez Wadsworth this week. The Obama-appointed justice was careful not to mention Trump.
However, her remarks come as the Trump administration pushed back on federal judges who have granted temporary injunctions against some of his executive orders. Sotomayor noted that the judiciary has "soft power" over laws in the U.S. even as Congress makes the laws.
"Our founders were hell-bent on ensuring that we didn’t have a monarchy. And the first way they thought of that was to give Congress the power of the purse, and because that’s an incredible power," Sotomayor claimed at the event in Miami Dade College in Florida.
According to the Washington Post, several of Trump's executive orders have been put on hold due to actions in federal courts. Trump's ban on birthright citizenship, his dismantling of the United States Agency for International Development, and other initiatives have been halted thanks to the judiciary.
Other edicts about allowing for transgender military members and banning transition for minors remain in limbo while the judges decide. About the only thing Trump has been granted is the buyout of federal employees.
There have been some questions about whether Trump will regard the court's decisions. From her remarks, it's clear that Sotomayor was making a point about the court's power over Trump.
"Court decisions stand. Whether one particular person chooses to abide by them or not, it doesn’t change the foundation that it’s still a court order that someone will respect at some point," the justice claimed.
"That’s the faith I have in this system. And that other actors in the system, whether it’s Congress or others, will follow the law, because it’s what we all take an oath of office to do," Sotomayor added.
Sotomayor and others insist on the judiciary's power, but the courts do not have absolute authority. Vice President J.D. Vance articulated the limits in a post to X, formerly Twitter, Sunday.
"If a judge tried to tell a general how to conduct a military operation, that would be illegal. If a judge tried to command the attorney general in how to use her discretion as a prosecutor, that's also illegal," Vance wrote.
"Judges aren't allowed to control the executive's legitimate power," Vance concluded. If the judiciary is getting over its skis, these issues will need to be hashed out even while the Democrats cry foul.
If a judge tried to tell a general how to conduct a military operation, that would be illegal.
If a judge tried to command the attorney general in how to use her discretion as a prosecutor, that's also illegal.
Judges aren't allowed to control the executive's legitimate power.
— JD Vance (@JDVance) February 9, 2025
The tension between the executive and judicial branches of government was the intention of the founding of the government to ensure checks and balances. However, the fight will likely become particularly ruthless because of those who are intent on stopping Trump. He's ready for it.
President Donald Trump signed an executive order Wednesday to formally launch the Department of Government Efficiency's effort to streamline the government, according to a White House Fact Sheet. The initiative will focus on scaling back the federal workforce.
One of Trump's many campaign promises was to slash government waste and root out corruption. He brought in Tesla billionaire Elon Musk to help with the task, a fact which has the left apoplectic.
Reuters reported that Musk and his son, "Lil X," joined Trump in the Oval Office to sign the executive orders. An account for the America PAC run by Musk shared a photo of the occasion to X, formerly Twitter, on Wednesday.
BREAKING: President Donald Trump is joined by Elon Musk and his son, ‘Lil X’, in the Oval Office as he signs an Executive Order requiring federal agencies to collaborate with @DOGE. pic.twitter.com/47FtsL5siZ
— America (@america) February 11, 2025
The order promised to make the "federal workforce more efficient and effective" through DOGE. The main priority is slashing the number of people working in the government.
"There are too many federal employees," the fact sheet for the order asserts. It noted that there are some 2.4 million workers spread over at least 400 agencies in the Federal Register.
"In fiscal year 2022, the federal government spent nearly $300 billion on compensation for civilian employees, excluding pensions.
According to a recent congressional report, only 6% of federal workers report to work in-person on a full-time basis," the document went on.
The order includes a roadmap to future hiring after the cuts so they will be more difficult to roll back. "Agency Heads will coordinate and consult with DOGE to shrink the size of the federal workforce and limit hiring to essential positions," it stated.
The order also promised to limit hiring to "no more than one employee for every four employees that depart from federal service." However, that rule included exemptions for law enforcement, public safety, and immigration.
Besides the dollars and cents of it, Trump's executive order also includes employee accountability. "The Office of Personnel Management will initiate a rulemaking to ensure federal employees are held to the highest standards of conduct," the order noted.
The order is "building on past success" that Trump believes will make America great again. "President Trump has made reforming the federal workforce a key priority for his second term," the fact sheet stated.
"President Trump has consistently worked to shrink the administrative state. His first term spurred robust economic growth and innovation through regulatory reform. Workforce reform in his second term will build on these successes," it added.
When fielding questions from the press about this initiative, Trump said that he "couldn't ask for a stronger mandate from ... the public" in terms of his electoral victory. "The people voted for major government reform. There should be no doubt about that," Trump added, according to Reuters.
Trump is proceeding full steam ahead on fulfilling the promises he made during the campaign. With the help of Musk, Trump will cut the fat from the government and leave the swamp-dwellers scurrying for the exits.
Two Venezuelan planes left the U.S. Monday to return 190 of its nationals deported under President Donald Trump's illegal immigration crackdown, Fox News reported. The Convisa airliners were sent by the South American country to retrieve its citizens from U.S. Army base Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas.
The flights were arranged as part of Trump's plan to send migrants illegally in the U.S. back to their home countries. Except for a brief return to the practice in 2023, deportation flights had been stopped until now.
Richard Grenell, Trump's envoy, posted a photo of the occasion. "Thank you, @realDonaldTrump. Two planes of illegal immigrants left El Paso today headed to Venezuela - paid for by the Venezuelans," he posted to X, formerly Twitter, Monday.
Thank you, @realDonaldTrump.
Two planes of illegal immigrants left El Paso today headed to Venezuela - paid for by the Venezuelans. pic.twitter.com/Tc7GmwfOJp
— Richard Grenell (@RichardGrenell) February 10, 2025
Trump's plan represents a return to sanity after President Joe Biden's term. Since 2021, the Southern border has seen a surge of immigrants coming from Venezuela and other nations that previously refused to accept deportees.
However, Grenell's visit to Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in Caracas last month prompted a change of heart. "This is the world we want, a world of peace, understanding, dialogue, and cooperation," Maduro said.
Trump touted Grenell's success in securing permission for "all Venezuela illegal aliens who were encamped in the U.S., including gang members of Tren de Aragua," to be sent home with their flight paid for by the receiving nation. Moreover, six Americans held in Venezuela were released back to the U.S.
The Venezuelan government took issue with "ill-intentioned" and "false" statements about Tren de Aragua gang members being part of the deportation. However, it confirmed that the return flight indeed took place on Monday.
Still, the return to sanity doesn't stop there. Secretary of State Marco Rubio brokered similar agreements with Guatemala and El Salvador to ship their citizens back to their respective countries.
Trump's successes keep piling up on the illegal immigration front. In a separate Fox News report, Trump's standoff with Mexico to deal with illegal immigration or face tariffs ended in an agreement to send 10,000 Mexican National Guard troops to secure the border from their side.
The president made the deal after speaking with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum. "It was a very friendly conversation wherein she agreed to immediately supply 10,000 Mexican Soldiers on the Border separating Mexico and the United States," Trump touted on his Truth Social.
"These soldiers will be specifically designated to stop the flow of fentanyl, and illegal migrants into our Country," he went on. Trump noted that there would be a one-month reprieve while the administration negotiates with its Mexican counterparts.
"I look forward to participating in those negotiations, with President Sheinbaum, as we attempt to achieve a 'deal' between our two Countries," Trump added. He successfully addressed illegal immigration while preserving friendly relations between the nations.
Trump's presidency is already off to a winning start. He has done in a matter of weeks what Democrats spent years saying was impossible, and he's just getting started.
The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is continuing its work finding waste fraud and abuse in the federal government in its stated quest to cut $2 trillion a year from the bloated budget and balance the books for the first time in decades.
In a 48-hour period last week, DOGE slashed 62 contracts worth $182 million from the Department of Health and Human Services, including $168,000 for a museum exhibit on Anthony Fauci, the NIH official who got on President Donald Trump's bad side during the COVID-19 pandemic.
As DOGE pointed out in a post on X, the contracts were only for administrative expenses and no cuts were made on any healthcare programs.
In the past 48 hours, HHS canceled 62 contract worth $182 million. These contracts were entirely for administrative expenses – none touched any healthcare programs. This included terminating a $168,000 contract for an Anthony Fauci exhibit at the NIH Museum. pic.twitter.com/EsZxflPS6w
— Department of Government Efficiency (@DOGE) February 7, 2025
DOGE has been looking into various agencies to see what cuts can be made. It wants to completely get rid of USAID, a source of foreign aid money that was being used to fund woke projects.
The newly formed department is also looking to cut over $100 billion in entitlements to people with no social security numbers.
The Fauci exhibit was in development and was due to be finished in July 2025. It has now been completely scrapped.
Trump had also revoked Fauci's government security detail, which he was granted in 2020 amid the pandemic.
Fauci faces major animosity from Americans who felt the pandemic response--especially mask and vaccine mandates--was overdone.
He also faces suspicion for funding the Wuhan lab that is suspected of having leaked the coronavirus that caused havoc around the world, albeit accidentally (as far as we know).
"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 of the decision. "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."
Former President Joe Biden pardoned Fauci pre-emptively on his last day in office even though Fauci was never charged with a crime.
Prior to being the spokesperson and so-called expert on COVID-19, Fauci famously tried to bring attention to HIV/AIDS before much was known about them.
He later became the public face of the disease as it was recognized and began to be treated.
Never one to fall into uncritical lockstep agreement with fellow Democrats, Sen. John Fetterman recently offered a series of hard truths to colleagues within his own party.
As the Daily Mail reports, in a candid conversation with Tara Palmieri of Puck, Fetterman has suggested that unless Democrats begin a process of reflection and adjustment, particularly with regard to President Donald Trump, they may lose the ability to secure the support of significant portions of the electorate in the coming years.
From his unconventional sartorial selections to his willingness to sit down for a Mar-a-Lago meeting with Trump, Fetterman is far from the typical Democrat Party lawmaker.
The Pennsylvania senator is now taking aim at certain factions on his own side of the aisle, suggesting that far too many Democrats have “turned their back” on white male voters, suggesting that the damage may be irreparable.
Encapsulating what he sees as his party's approach, Fetterman said, “Men's the problem. Men are to blame. Or their masculinity is toxic. Or unless you're able to conform to our very strict kinds of definition of what we think's appropriate, well, then, hey, I'm going to find an alternative,” and he went on to declare that large numbers of white male voters have done just that with their support of Trump.
Fetterman continued, saying, “I think [Democrats'] primary currency was shaming and scolding and talking down to people and telling them, 'Hey I know better than you,' or 'You're dopes,' or 'You're a bro,' or 'You're ignorant,' or you know, 'Don't you – how can you be this dumb?'”
Suggesting that Trump supporters are fascists is, according to Fetterman, another critical error on the part of Democrats, adding, “I know, and I love people that voted for Trump, and they're not fascist, you know, they don't support insurrection and those things. And if you go to an extreme and you become a boutique kind of a proposition, then you're going to lose the argument. And then we have done that.”
Fetterman has drawn the ire of some within his own party due to his independence on a series of key issues, including illegal immigration and support for Israel.
Specifically, Fetterman served as a co-sponsor of the Laken Riley Act, a measure that expanded the government's ability to detain immigrants convicted of crimes, and he subsequently voted for the bill's final passage.
Though many within his own party took issue with some of the Act's provisions, Fetterman stated that it should never be a controversial proposition to detain an illegal immigrant who has committed criminal offenses.
Fetterman has also remained unwavering in his support for Israel in the wake of the Hamas attacks of Oct. 7, 2023, a position that regularly puts him at odds with the left flank of his party.
Evidence of Fetterman's openness to new solutions for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict was found when the senator, unlike other Democrats, did not express outrage at Trump's recent suggestion that the U.S. take control of Gaza, with Fetterman saying, “I think it was more to kind of shake things up and start a very more honest conversation.”
Though Fetterman has been praised in some corners for his willingness to engage in bipartisan dialogue and for his support for the confirmation of Trump attorney general pick Pam Bond, that is not to say that he does not still side with his Democrat colleagues with great frequency when the rubber hits the road, as conservative skeptics have pointed out.
As The Hill notes, Fetterman recently announced that he would vote no on both Tulsi Gabbard, nominated to serve as Trump's director of national intelligence and on Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., tapped to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, solidifying his reputation as one of the Senate's most vexing enigmas.
Rep. Mary Miller (R-IL) addressed transgender Rep. Sarah McBride (D-DE) "Mr. McBride" while speaking from the House floor Thursday, Fox News reported. McBride is the first openly transgender lawmaker to serve in Congress.
Miller made the subtle dig when she called on McBride for his first time addressing Congress publicly. "The chair recognizes the gentleman from Delaware, Mr. McBride, for five minutes," Miller said.
To his credit, McBride didn't immediately make an issue out of it. "Thank you, Madam Speaker," is all McBride said back.
Congresswoman Mary Miller introduces Transgender House member Sarah McBride as 'the gentleman from Delaware, Mr. McBride.’pic.twitter.com/GrUmfOlQhF
— Citizen Free Press (@CitizenFreePres) February 8, 2025
The incident went almost completely unacknowledged at the time, though McBride retaliated by calling Miller "Mr. Speaker" the next time he addressed her. However, Miller was proud of her decision and shared a video to X, formerly Twitter.
"Today on the House Floor, I refused to deny biological reality. President Trump restored biological truth in the Federal Government, and I refuse to perpetuate the lie that gender is open to our interpretation. It is not," Miller wrote.
Miller sits on the House Freedom Caucus and is just one of several outspoken lawmakers who have stood up for truth and logic. Just after McBride was elected, Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) introduced a resolution to keep men out of Capitol bathrooms, The Hill reported.
House Speaker Mike Johnson drafted a policy that gender-specific facilities to biological sex. "All single-sex facilities in the Capitol and House Office Buildings — such as restrooms, changing rooms, and locker rooms — are reserved for individuals of that biological sex," Johnson said on Nov. 20, which is Transgender Day of Remembrance.
"It is important to note that each Member office has its own private restroom, and unisex restrooms are available throughout the Capitol," Johnson added. Congressional Equality Caucus Chairman Rep. Mark Pocan (D-WI) called the rule "a cruel and unnecessary rule that puts countless staff, interns, and visitors to the United States Capitol at risk," without explaining how.
President Donald Trump won in part due to his promise to protect women and roll back gender insanity. As NPR reported, Trump signed an executive order on his first day in office that abolished "gender identity" from the language of the federal government.
It was just one of several promises kept. "I will take historic action to defeat the toxic poison of gender ideology and reaffirm that God created two genders, male and female," Trump pledged in October.
Trump has also attempted to eliminate gender-confused individuals from the military. He signed military executive orders to discharge service members who identify as transgender.
"A man’s assertion that he is a woman, and his requirement that others honor this falsehood, is not consistent with the humility and selflessness required of a service member," a White House release about the executive order noted. The Defense Department spent $15 million on medical care for transgender individuals.
The tide is turning in America when it comes to the gender confusion issue. People are tired of the lies and coercion and are hoping for a return to sanity, and Miller did her part to do just that in Congress.