Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., said he was ‘skeptical’ of Dr. Mehmet Oz’s views, particularly on transgender procedures for minors and abortion, and released a series of questions Wednesday that he plans to ask President Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) during his road to confirmation. 

‘I’ve been reading up on Dr. Oz – I see he’s praised trans surgeries for minors and supported hormone treatments & puberty blockers for kids in the past,’ Hawley wrote on X on Wednesday. ‘And has also criticized state laws protecting life. I hope he’s changed his views to match President Trump! We need the Trump agenda at CMS.’ 

In a series of written questions for Oz, Hawley asked the former heart surgeon and TV personality if his views have changed since hosting a television show. 

Hawley noted that Oz had on his show ‘various transgender advocates as well as a surgeon who performed transgender surgery’ and ‘also invited children to discuss switching genders and praised parents for helping their children ‘transition’.’  

‘Do you support President Trump’s position that gender transition procedures for minors should be banned?’ one question directed at Oz and shared by Hawley’s press office asked. 

The senator also asked if Trump’s nominee supported the president’s executive order barring biological men from competing in women’s sports. 

‘Do you believe that CMS has a role in promoting or supporting gender transition surgery in any way?’ Hawley asked. 

The senator asked Oz if he would commit to never issuing a National Coverage Determination at CMS for ‘gender reassignment surgery’ or equivalent procedures, including the use of hormone and puberty blockers, in line with Trump’s policies. He also asked if Oz would support Trump’s efforts to halt federal funding to hospitals that provide so-called ‘gender-affirming care’ to minors.

Hawley noted Oz had stated in the past that he did not want to ‘interfere’ with doctors prescribing puberty blockers for minor children and asked if that was still his position. 

‘Do you believe the Dobbs decision overturning Roe v. Wade, which every Justice appointed by President Trump supported, was correctly decided?’ Hawley asked. 

The senator questioned whether Oz’s position has changed since he in 2019 opposed state limitations on abortion related to fetal heartbeat by describing it as ‘little electrical exchanges in the cell that no one would hear or think about as a heart.’ 

In 2019, Oz predicted a state would face a ‘big sucking sound of business leaving’ over its pro-life law, the senator noted, asking Trump’s nominee to answer if he would allow his decisions as head of CMS to be ‘influenced by corporate preferences.’ 

Oz testified last week that CMS would abide by the Hyde Amendment, which bars federal taxpayer dollars from funding abortions.

‘As a physician, I’ve been in the room when there’s some difficult conversations happening. I don’t want the federal government involved with that at all,’ Oz stated in 2022, according to Hawley’s office. The senator cited how Oz also said he did not want the federal government ‘impinging’ on actions the states may make regarding abortion.

‘But many federal laws and regulations implicate life issues,’ Hawley said. ‘President Trump’s administration has opposed federal funding for abortion, for example, at home and abroad. Will you support the President’s position and commit to upholding existing laws that prevent federal funds from being used for abortions?’ 

Hawley asked Oz if he would uphold protections for conscience rights related to abortion, including under the Weldon, Church and Coats-Snowe Amendments. 

The senator noted that CMS under Trump approved waivers allowing states to exclude abortion-performing clinics from the Medicaid program and asked Oz if he would support the president’s policy and back similar waivers if he is confirmed by the Senate. Hawley questioned whether Oz would ‘support action at the federal level to directly exclude abortion providers from the Medicaid program.’ 

‘The Biden administration issued guidance via CMS suggesting that the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act (EMTALA) required hospitals to perform abortions, overriding state laws,’ Hawley noted. The senator asked Oz if he would return to the Trump policy and ‘clarify that EMTALA does not mandate abortions.’ 

Finally, Hawley noted that CMS under Trump required separate billing plans that covered abortion in Affordable Care Act (ACA) marketing plans and the Biden administration eliminated that requirement. He asked if Oz would support returning Trump’s policy of ‘transparent billing practices and ensure that consumers pay properly separate charges for abortion.’ 

The 64-year-old was a respected heart surgeon who turned into a popular TV pitchman. He sold everything from supplements to private health insurance plans on ‘The Dr. Oz Show,’ which ran for 13 seasons and helped him amass a fortune.

If confirmed, Oz will oversee health insurance for about 150 million Americans enrolled in Medicare, Medicaid or ACA coverage. As CMS administrator, he could wield significant power over most health companies operating in the U.S., because he can make decisions about who and what is covered by Medicare and Medicaid.

Oz faced over two and a half hours of questioning Friday before the Republican-controlled Senate Finance Committee, which has yet to vote on whether to forward his nomination to the full Senate for consideration. Hawley is not a Finance Committee member and did not question Oz during the hearing last week.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

Hamas has claimed responsibility for rockets fired at Israel on Thursday.

‘This launch is the resistance’s first response to the zionist entity’s violation of the ceasefire, which resulted over 710 martyrs in the last three days. It also comes after the IOF’s renewed ground invasion into Beit Lahia this morning, and the failure of the mediators and the world to curb the IOF’s aggression,’ according to reports.

Strikes launched by Israel killed at least 58 Palestinians throughout the Gaza Strip overnight and into Thursday, according to hospitals via the Associated Press.

The Jewish State resumed attacks across Gaza earlier this week, breaking a ceasefire, which reportedly killed over 400 Palestinians – mostly women and children – on Tuesday, according to the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry.

Israel’s military indicated that it intercepted a missile fired by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels early Thursday before it entered Israel’s airspace, the AP reported.

‘Hamas refused offer after offer to release our hostages. In the past two weeks, Israel did not initiate any military action, in the hope that Hamas would change course. Well, that didn’t happen. While Israel accepted the offer of President Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff, Hamas flatly refused to do so,’ Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a video shared to X on Tuesday. ‘This is why I authorized yesterday, the renewal of military action against Hamas.’

‘Israel does not target Palestinian civilians. We target Hamas terrorists,’ he declared. ‘And when these terrorists embed themselves in civilian areas, when they use civilians as human shields, they’re the ones who are responsible for all unintended casualties.’

Israel launched its war on Hamas in response to the terrorist group’s heinous attack on Oct. 7, 2023.

Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., a staunch supporter of Israel, continued to express his support while visiting the foreign nation this week.

‘Hamas does not want peace. I unapologetically, 100% stand with Israel, and demand the release of all remaining hostages. Sending this from Israel,’ Fetterman said on X on Tuesday.

Rep. Jared Moskowitz, D-Fla., said on X on Wednesday, ‘Hamas could end this war right now if it released the hostages held in Gaza. It could’ve done so months ago, but instead it’s brought devastation by prolonging this conflict. America must lead the world in pressuring Hamas to end this war and bring the hostages home.’

Israeli troops re-imposed a blockade of the northern capital of Gaza City on Thursday, less than a day after once again deploying troops into the Gaza Strip.

Israel continued with its bombardment of Gaza as well, killing 85 Palestinians from Wednesday into Thursday, according to the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry. Israel maintained the blockade of Gaza City for much of the war prior to the January ceasefire, which collapsed earlier this week.

The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) warned residents not to use the main road to travel north into Gaza City.

The IDF is also conducting further ground operations in the northern town of Beit Lahiya. Most of the Palestinian deaths over the past 24 hours have centered on the town.

Hamas launched a handful of rockets into Israel on Thursday, resulting in no casualties.

The total death toll in Gaza since Tuesday has risen to 592, according to the health ministry. The death toll has not been independently verified.

In addition to the blockade at Gaza City, IDF troops are also deployed to the Netzarim corridor, a key section of Gaza that essentially cuts the strip in half. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has maintained that Israel will continue its military operations until every hostage has been returned from Hamas custody.

‘Hamas refused offer after offer to release our hostages. In the past two weeks, Israel did not initiate any military action, in the hope that Hamas would change course. Well, that didn’t happen. While Israel accepted the offer of President Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff, Hamas flatly refused to do so,’ Netanyahu said in a video shared to X on Tuesday. ‘This is why I authorized yesterday, the renewal of military action against Hamas.’

‘Israel does not target Palestinian civilians. We target Hamas terrorists,’ he declared. ‘And when these terrorists embed themselves in civilian areas, when they use civilians as human shields, they’re the ones who are responsible for all unintended casualties.’

Strikes launched by Israel killed at least 58 Palestinians throughout the Gaza Strip overnight and into Thursday, according to hospitals via The Associated Press.

The Jewish State resumed attacks across Gaza earlier this week, breaking a ceasefire, which reportedly killed over 400 Palestinians – mostly women and children – on Tuesday, according to the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry.

Israel’s military indicated that it intercepted a missile fired by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels early Thursday before it entered Israel’s airspace, The AP reported.

‘Hamas refused offer after offer to release our hostages. In the past two weeks, Israel did not initiate any military action, in the hope that Hamas would change course. Well, that didn’t happen. While Israel accepted the offer of President Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff, Hamas flatly refused to do so,’ Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a video shared to X on Tuesday. ‘This is why I authorized yesterday, the renewal of military action against Hamas.’

‘Israel does not target Palestinian civilians. We target Hamas terrorists,’ he declared. ‘And when these terrorists embed themselves in civilian areas, when they use civilians as human shields, they’re the ones who are responsible for all unintended casualties.’

Israel launched its war on Hamas in response to the terrorist group’s heinous attack on Oct. 7, 2023.

Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., a staunch supporter of Israel, continued to express his support while visiting the foreign nation this week.

‘Hamas does not want peace. I unapologetically, 100% stand with Israel, and demand the release of all remaining hostages. Sending this from Israel,’ Fetterman said on X on Tuesday.

Rep. Jared Moskowitz, D-Fla., said on X on Wednesday, ‘Hamas could end this war right now if it released the hostages held in Gaza. It could’ve done so months ago, but instead it’s brought devastation by prolonging this conflict. America must lead the world in pressuring Hamas to end this war and bring the hostages home.’

A House GOP lawmaker’s town hall devolved into chaos minutes after it began this week, and he’s now responding to hecklers who criticized his concerns about the national debt.

‘We heard from a lot of Nebraskans last night that voiced their concerns about Elon Musk. And I basically said I support [the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE], I support what Elon Musk is doing,’ Rep. Mike Flood, R-Neb., told Fox News Digital in an interview on Wednesday.

‘What I asked people to do is think about our debt, not as a red or blue issue, it’s an American issue. It’s going to take all of us to solve it. And what I said last night is we need to balance the budget. I was booed. That is not the right response.’

Flood illustrated his focus on the national debt, which is over $36 trillion, with a massive graphic that hung above him in a Columbus, Nebraska, high school auditorium for most of the town hall. 

But any mention of government spending cuts spurred jeers from the crowd, particularly in the context of Musk’s DOGE efforts.

Multiple people raised specific concerns about medical programs and veterans funding, which Flood said he was in favor of protecting.

‘What I told my constituents last night was, ‘Hey, if you have a concern about a federal agency or a federal program or a specific spending item, communicate that with me,’’ Flood said.

‘I heard a lot last night about the [Department of Veterans Affairs]. We have made a promise to these veterans. … If there’s a hiccup in the system, I’ll do what I’ve always done, and that is I’ll interface with the VA. I’ll advocate on behalf of the veterans and will ensure that they receive the care that they’re entitled to.’

At one point, a woman who said she lost her sister to breast cancer accused Flood of supporting cuts to critical cancer research programs while noting his wife grappled with the disease.

Flood said he supported medical research funding but also supported efforts to find more efficiency in government, again citing the national debt.

He attempted to continue his answer multiple times as people booed, prompting him to incredulously ask, ‘How can you be against a balanced budget?’

Democrat groups had advertised their presence ahead of the packed event. MoveOn promoted a ‘Musk or Us’ protest at the same time and location as Flood’s event. Nebraska Democratic Party staff were also onsite, a top official wrote on X.

Flood said Democratic Party staffers were handing out leaflets to attendees outside the event.

‘I, like every other member of Congress right now, am dealing with a lot from the Democrats. … And last night was an extension of the same at the end of the day,’ he said. ‘I represent them, so I’m happy to visit with them. I’m happy to explain where I am on the issues, but it was obviously fairly coordinated among certain folks last night. Ultimately, we had an exchange of ideas, and that’s what’s important.’

The Nebraska Republican was the lone House GOP lawmaker whose office held a formal town hall this week while Congress is in recess.

House Republican leaders warned their conference to refrain from in-person events as anti-DOGE demonstrations escalate.

But Flood said he would persist and hold his next town hall in Lincoln, Nebraska, in August.

‘We have to explain to the people we represent every single day that $36 trillion national debt is a national security issue. It’s a ticking time bomb. And I think confronting the issue by raising it at a town hall, there’s a lot of value to that,’ Flood said. 

‘I think last night, the best part of it was that I got the chance to explain and connect the dots for people as to why I’m so supportive of some of the spending cuts that we are engaged in right now.’

Following a year of significant setbacks in the Middle East for Iran with its proxy forces flagging in the Gaza Strip, Lebanon and Syria, Tehran is leaning on its influence over the Houthi terrorist group in Yemen to carry out its offensive aims. 

According to findings obtained by sources embedded in Tehran who are affiliated with the Iranian resistance group called the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran, not only are some of Iran’s most senior military officials in its Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) involved in Houthi decision-making, but Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has his thumb on the deadly group. 

President Donald Trump’s recent threats against Tehran over its sponsorship of the Houthis are supported in the report, which claims well-placed sources have confirmed that one of the most senior commanders in the IRGC’s Quds Force – the elite branch of the Iranian military – is ‘directly commanding Houthi activities.’

Khamenei, according to the report compiled by the Paris-based National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) and first obtained by Fox News Digital, personally supervises all Houthi ‘political and military affairs’ that are first approved by his regime.

‘According to reports received from within the IRGC, Khamenei has personally emphasized the importance of Houthi attacks and the necessity of sending weapons and equipment for the Houthis to IRGC commanders and regime officials,’ the report said. 

The weakening of Iran’s ‘Axis of Resistance’ amid the war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, the Israeli campaign against Hezbollah in Lebanon, and the fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime in Syria has increasingly pushed Tehran to lean on its proxies in Iraq and Yemen.

More than 100 attacks on commercial shipping vessels have been committed by Houthi forces since the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas terrorist attack on Israel, which sparked responses from surrounding terrorist networks, including Hezbollah.

The exchange of missile and drone fire by both the Houthis and U.S. forces escalated this week when the terrorist network threatened to renew strikes on Israeli vessels after Jerusalem cut off humanitarian aid headed for the Gaza Strip this month.

President Trump responded by vowing ‘overwhelming lethal force’ until the Houthi attacks ceased and warned Iran that it would be held ‘fully accountable’ for any attacks.

‘[IRGC Brig. Gen. Abdolreza] Shahlai is in charge of all military, political, and economic matters related to the regime’s intervention in Yemen, including all Houthi operations and attacks,’ the report said, noting his close ties to the former commander of the Quds Force who was killed by then-President Trump’s order in Iraq in 2020, Qassem Soleimani. Soleimani had the blood of hundreds of American soldiers on his hands. 

The report also found that the Iranian Embassy in Yemen is currently under ‘full control’ of the Quds Force.

While it is not necessarily unheard of for intelligence operatives to work out of embassies abroad, the report said it could find no evidence that any personnel from Iran’s Foreign Ministry were in its embassy in Yemen.

The Iranian Embassy in Sana’a, Yemen, did not respond to Fox News Digital’s questions. 

‘The mullahs’ regime is the root cause of war and instability in the region, sustained through repression at home and the export of terrorism and conflict abroad,’ Ali Safavi, a member of the NCRI’s Foreign Affairs Committee, told Fox News Digital. ‘The only viable solution to the Iranian crisis is the regime’s overthrow by the Iranian people.’

‘A decisive international policy toward Iran must recognize and support the legitimacy of the Iranian resistance, proscribe the IRGC as a terrorist entity, activate the U.N. Security Council snapback mechanism and endorse the Resistance Units’ fight against the regime,’ he added. 

Sen. John Fetterman, D-Penn., was gifted a silver-plated beeper during a visit with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after the lawmaker praised Israel’s covert operation in which it detonated pagers last year worn by Hezbollah terrorists in Lebanon. 

Fetterman repeatedly has voiced support for Israel while breaking with the Democratic Party, which has been critical of Israel’s military operations in Gaza, and has demanded that Hamas return all the hostages the terror group took on Oct. 7, 2023. 

He was visiting Netanyahu’s office in Jerusalem this week when he reiterated his support for the Jewish state. 

‘Hamas does not want peace. I unapologetically, 100% stand with Israel, and demand the release of all remaining hostages,’ he wrote Tuesday on X. ‘Sending this from Israel.’

During an exchange of gifts, Fetterman gave Netanyahu a framed news article about an effort to memorialize Netanyahu’s brother, the fallen Israeli soldier Yoni Netanyahu, in Philadelphia, where Netanyahu lived as a teenager, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency reported.

The fallen prime minister’s brother is considered a hero in Israel after he was killed in the 1976 Israeli raid in Entebbe, Uganda during the rescue of 102 hostages taken by German and Palestinian terrorists in a plane hijacking.

Netanyahu then reciprocated with his gift.

‘What can I give a man who has everything? How about giving him a beeper?’ Netanyahu said. ‘This is a silver-plated beeper. The real beeper is, like, one-tenth the weight. It’s nothing, but it changes history.’

The beeper references Israel’s September 2024 operation in which it detonated pagers used by members of Hezbollah in Lebanon, killings dozens of people. 

‘When that story broke, I was like, ‘Oh, I love it, I love it.’ And now, it’s like, thank you for this,’ Fetterman responded. 

The operation came before Israel killed Hassan Nasrallah, Hezbollah’s leader, and weeks ahead of an Israeli ground invasion of Lebanon. That conflict ended in a ceasefire in late November.

In February, Netanyahu also gifted a gold-plated pager to President Donald Trump. 

A federal judge ruled in favor of the Trump administration on Wednesday, after a government-funded nonprofit organization filed a lawsuit protecting itself from ‘ongoing destruction’ from the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

The U.S. Institute for Peace (USIP) filed a request for a temporary restraining order (TRO) on Tuesday, claiming that DOGE had committed ‘literal trespass and takeover by force…of the Institute’s headquarters building on Constitution Avenue.’

The organization also accused the anti-waste initiative of ‘ongoing destruction of the Institute’s physical and electronic property.’

‘Defendants have been and are at this minute engaged in conduct that will cause the Institute irreparable harm that will prevent the Institute from performing any of its lawful functions and is likely to utterly destroy it,’ the lawsuit stated.

In a decision on Wednesday, Judge Beryl Howell motioned to deny the USIP’s request for a TRO.

‘I think there is confusion in the complaint that make me uncomfortable,’ Howell said.

‘I would say I am very offended by how DOGE has operated in the Institute in treating American citizens…. but that concern about how this has gone down is not one that can sway me in the consideration of factors for TRO, which is emergency relief, which is exceptional,’ she continued.

Howell, who was appointed as a senior judge of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia in 2024, also said she was ‘particularly concerned about plaintiffs’ likelihood of success.’

‘Two of the most important tests, likely to succeed on the merits and likely to suffer irreparable harm, are just a stretch here,’ Howell added. 

USIP, an independent institution funded by Congress, was established in 1984 under the Reagan administration. Its goal is to ‘[protect] U.S. interests by helping to prevent violent conflicts and broker peace deals abroad,’ according to its website.

‘Our work helps keep America safe, reducing the risk that the United States will be drawn into costly foreign wars that drive terrorism, criminal gangs and migration,’ the agency’s website reads. ‘We help make America stronger by projecting U.S. influence and bolstering partner countries in regions destabilized by China and other U.S. adversaries.’

USIP had infamously not complied with President Donald Trump’s February executive order to pull back the ‘scope of federal bureaucracy,’ refusing to reduce its size to the statutory minimum listed in the order.

As such, the Trump administration fired 11 of its 14 board members last week, leaving only Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and National Defense University President Peter Garvin.

Howell’s decision came shortly after the White House told Fox News Digital that the Trump administration had gutted USIP of ‘rogue bureaucrats.’ 

‘Rogue bureaucrats will not be allowed to hold agencies hostage,’ White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly said in a Tuesday statement. ‘The Trump administration will enforce the president’s executive authority and ensure his agencies remain accountable to the American people.’

Fox News Digital’s Emma Colton contributed to this report.