Good morning, and welcome to The Epoch Times News Brief for Friday, Feb. 21, 2025. I’m Bill Thomas, we have some pressing stories to share with you right now, and here’s what’s happening nationally and around the world.
The U.S. Senate holds a critical vote concerning President Donald Trump’s pick to head one of our nation’s leading law enforcement agencies; an unexpected source orders the Pentagon to trim billions of dollars from its upcoming budget; and the chief of Social Security weighs in regarding millions of deceased people over the age of 120 who are still in its database.
Also, the president makes a bold declaration regarding our nation’s capital city, and leaders throughout Europe rally behind Ukraine’s president after Trump calls him a dictator.
Patel Confirmed as FBI Director
The U.S. Senate has just voted 51 to 49 to confirm Kash Patel as director of the FBI. Sens. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and Susan Collins (R-Maine) crossed the aisle to join all of the Democrats in voting against his nomination.Patel will lead an agency that President Donald Trump along with some Republicans have accused of being weaponized for political purposes.
During his recent confirmation hearing, Patel denied having an “enemies list” and said that he wouldn’t use the FBI to seek retribution regarding past transgressions if he was confirmed to the position.
He’s also pledging to target individuals who are involved in the sex trafficking of minors, and to reveal what he discovers to the American people. Additionally, he also says that wherever it’s appropriate, the FBI will assist the U.S. Department of Homeland Security in its efforts to deport certain illegal immigrants who present major national security issues.
For their part, both the Republicans and the Democrats remain sharply divided regarding the new director, who has a law degree from Pace University and served in a number of intelligence-related positions during the first Trump administration.
One Democratic senator says that after meeting with Patel, he’s “convinced that he has neither the experience, the judgment, nor the temperament to lead the FBI.”
Meanwhile, one Republican senator calls him “the right man at the right time,” and points out that his career has been a “study in fighting for unpopular but righteous causes, exposing corruption and putting America first.”
Hegseth Orders Pentagon to Identify $50 Billion in Budget Cuts
The Pentagon says that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is directing military officials to identify $50 billion in potential cuts from the upcoming fiscal year 2026 budget, and those savings will be redirected toward other national defense efforts.A Defense Department official says that they plan to thoroughly review the current budget—which was drawn up by the previous Biden administration—in order to develop a list of those potential cuts. He says the savings will be made by eliminating a number of “low-impact and low-priority” programs.
The official went on to say that the department will target “excessive bureaucracy,” as well as initiatives that deal with climate issues and diversity, equity, and inclusion. Those funds will then be reallocated toward projects that are more in line with the current Trump administration’s priorities.
The Defense Department says that it’s conducting the review in order to ensure that U.S. taxpayer money is being used both efficiently and effectively.
It also says that Trump’s charge to their department is clear—to achieve peace through strength—and that moving forward, it’ll promote budgets that revive the warrior mentality, rebuild the military, and reestablish deterrence.
One project suggested by the president that could benefit from these savings includes the development of an Iron Dome missile defense system for the United States. By the way, the Pentagon’s annual budget is currently approaching $1 trillion.
Social Security Chief Says Millions of Dead People Not Necessarily Receiving Benefits
The new head of the Social Security Administration (SSA), Lee Dudek, says any rumors that suggest that those individuals may be receiving benefits from his agency are likely exaggerated.The acting commissioner was recently appointed by President Donald Trump following the revelation that Social Security records list millions of people who are more than 120 years old as eligible for benefits, raising questions about potential improper payments.
The new commissioner says that he’s aware of the reports concerning those individuals, who have Social Security numbers but do not have a date of death associated with their records. He points out that those people “are not necessarily receiving benefits.”
He also says he has a great deal of confidence in the audits that are being conducted by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which has been asked to uncover any fraud, waste, and abuse in government spending. Also, he believes that Social Security will continue to deliver for the American people.
Meanwhile, Elon Musk, who’s been working with DOGE, says that having millions of people marked as “alive” when they are definitely dead is a “huge problem.” He also criticized the lack of action regarding past government reports that called attention to the issue.
By the way, concerns regarding the agency’s outdated records are not new. Its inspector general’s office has previously noted a significant amount of inactive Social Security numbers, and has remarked that those records don’t necessarily mean fraudulent payments are occurring.
Additionally, the SSA ultimately decided not to update the database due to a prohibitive cost, and it has automatically stopped making payments to anyone who is listed as being older than 115.
Trump Says Federal Government Should Take Over Washington
Trump says that the federal government should assume control over Washington in order to restore “law and order” to the city and to make it “flawlessly beautiful.”He says that in his view, the police force in Washington is not being used properly, that there’s too much crime and graffiti in the city, and that there are too many homeless people living in tents. He went on to say that he doesn’t want foreign heads of state to see homelessness when they visit Washington.
Musk has been helping the Trump administration in its efforts to review government spending and uncover possible fraud. He says it’s time to verify that Fort Knox still holds all of the gold that officials say it does, because it’s the “property of the American people.”
According to the U.S. Mint, Fort Knox currently holds just under 150 million ounces of gold, which is nearly half of our Treasury Department’s total gold reserves. Right now, the precious commodity is selling for roughly $3,000 an ounce.
Meanwhile, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent says that “all the gold is present and accounted for,” and that an audit of the gold is done every year.
Europe’s Leaders Rally Around Zelenskyy
A number of global leaders in Europe are defending Zelenskyy after Trump called him a “dictator” who has postponed elections and who is doing a “terrible job.”Britain’s prime minister says Zelenskyy is a “democratically elected leader.” He also says that it’s “perfectly reasonable” to suspend elections during wartime, pointing out that the UK did the same during World War II.
Under normal circumstances, Zelenskyy would have been up for reelection last spring; however, Ukrainian law does not permit elections to take place during a state of martial law, which Ukraine has had continuously since Russia first invaded in February 2022.
Meanwhile, Germany’s chancellor also says that it’s “simply wrong and dangerous” to deny Zelenskyy’s democratic legitimacy. He says the fact that regular elections can’t be held in the middle of the war is in line with both the Ukrainian constitution and the country’s electoral laws.
French President Emmanuel Macron was slightly more diplomatic. He says that France stands with Ukraine, and that they share the same objective, along with Trump, to put an end to Russia’s war of aggression, which has been going on for nearly three years.
Additionally, Sweden’s prime minister says that Zelenskyy is “democratically elected” and that nobody wants elections more than Ukraine, because it would mean there is peace and they can run their country again. Meanwhile, Australia’s defense minister maintains that the war must be “resolved on Ukraine’s terms, because the aggressor here is Russia.”
Zelenskyy has referred to Trump’s comments as “disinformation” coming from Russia, and he says he wants the president’s team to have “more truth” regarding the matter. For their part, the Russians are lauding Trump, and they say one of the root causes of the war was the previous administration’s attempt to draw Ukraine into NATO.
It’s just about time to wrap things up, but before we go, a couple of additional stories we’re watching very closely here in the News Brief newsroom:
And now, it looks like our time is just about up for today, so we’re going to call it a wrap for the Friday edition of The Epoch Times News Brief.
Don’t forget the News Brief Motto: We’re portable, affordable, and we’re always on-demand.
Finally, as we do each day on this program, we wrap everything up with a very notable quote, and this one comes to us from Danny Thomas, who said: “All of us are born for a reason, but all of us don’t discover why. Success in life has nothing to do with what you gain in life or accomplish for yourself. It’s what you do for others.”
Thomas was an American actor, singer, comedian, producer, and philanthropist who dedicated his life to charity. He’s best known for founding St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1962.
For all of us here at The Epoch Times News Brief, I’m Bill Thomas.
The Epoch Times News Brief program is written each day by David Ross.
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For now, it’s imperative that we all continue to watch out for one another, and have an absolutely superb day today. Bye for now.
