Biden appears to forget team name during Celtics’ visit — and spills Secret Service code word
President Biden hosted the 2024 NBA champion Boston Celtics at the White House on Thursday, but he was either not completely sure of that or making a joke.
While announcing the team’s latest championship, Biden turned to the team to make sure they were called the Celtics.
“You’re the Celtics, right?” Biden asked the players during a moment in his address. The comment was met with light but reserved chuckles from some in the crowd.
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Biden also joked that he didn’t know where the players came from.
“They just showed up. I don’t know where the hell they came from,” Biden said.
Later in the speech, Biden appeared to reveal his Secret Service code name. “Celtic” has been Biden’s code name throughout his presidency and even dating back to his vice presidency under President Obama, according to Britannica.
“All of you may not know this, but my Secret Service name is ‘Celtic.’ For real, because I’m Irish,” Biden said. “Everybody behind me is Irish in their heart. I feel a special pride in this trophy for this old Irish Celtic. To all you Celtics, congratulations.”
Biden concluded his speech by pointing out that John F. Kennedy was the first president to host an NBA champion when the Celtics visited in 1963.
“Part of that wonderful tradition, celebrating the power of sports to bring people together. It’s a tradition that I’ve had the honor to continue. No matter the sport. What these champions all have in common are core values. … Hard work, teamwork, respect and the knowledge that no one of us is ever as good as all of us can be when we’re together,” he said.
After Biden’s speech, he received a custom Celtics jersey and took a basketball with him as he walked down the stairs. He dribbled the ball and even made a few passes to attendees in the crowd.
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The 2023-24 Celtics roster, coaching staff and ownership group were on hand on the South Lawn for Thursday’s event.
The 2023 champion Denver Nuggets did not attend a Biden White House visit, reportedly due to “scheduling issues,” the team previously told The Denver Post.
Prior to Thursday, the last NBA champion to visit Biden’s White House was the 2021-2022 Golden State Warriors. Those Warriors visited in late January 2023. The Celtics’ White House visit was scheduled for November. By late January of next year, Trump will be in office.
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Not a single NBA champion attended the Trump White House when he was in office. However, the only two teams to win the title under Trump prior to the COVID-19 pandemic were the Warriors, who Trump did not invite, and the Toronto Raptors, who are based in Canada.
Trump infamously declined to invite several major women’s basketball championship teams to the White House during his first term, including every WNBA champion.
The one time Trump’s White House hosted a women’s basketball team was the 2019 national champion Baylor Bears, led by former head coach Kim Mulkey.
The only two NFL teams to get invitations to Trump’s White House during his first term were the New England Patriots and the Philadelphia Eagles. The Patriots accepted both invitations in 2017 and 2019. The Eagles’ visit was canceled, and the team released a statement saying it was in relation to Trump’s stance on players standing for the national anthem.
During Trump’s first term, and even during his recent campaign, college football has been the sport to embrace him the most in the U.S. His appearances at games, including multiple Army-Navy games during his first term and a Georgia-Alabama game in September, were met with rousing applause.
No college football national champion skipped a White House visit during Trump’s first term. Georgia skipped a visit to President Biden’s White House in 2023.
Walmart exec issues warning heading into Trump’s second term
Walmart Chief Financial Officer John David Rainey warned that President-elect Trump’s proposed tariffs could lead to higher prices for Walmart shoppers.
“Tariffs are going to be inflationary. There’s no disputing that,” Rainey said during an interview with Liz Claman on “The Claman Countdown” on Thursday. “Likely consumers are going to pay more for the items that they pay and that these tariffs are applied to.”
Under the proposals, a universal 10%-20% tariff would be imposed on imports from all foreign countries and an additional 60%-100% tariff would be imposed on imports specifically from China.
While Rainey said two-thirds of the items the company sells are made, grown or assembled in the U.S., he said it is “in no way immune to this.”
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The company has suppliers from all over the world, including China and other countries throughout Asia.
“We’re going to work with our suppliers as well as our own private brand assortment to continue to try to bring down prices for customers,” Rainey said.
A Walmart spokesperson said in a statement to FOX Business that the company remains “concerned that significantly increased tariffs could lead to increased costs for our customers at a time when they are still feeling the remnants of inflation.”
Walmart
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Rainey said there is still a bit of inflation in food prices, though the company has seen deflation in categories such as consumables and general merchandise. He said it’s too hard to predict what products would be affected and by how much.
The National Retail Federation (NRF), the largest U.S. retail trade group, estimated in a recent study that Trump’s proposed new tariffs could cost American consumers between $46 billion and $78 billion in spending power annually.
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The NRF also said six categories of goods would be impacted, including apparel, toys, furniture, household appliances, footwear and travel goods.
Some U.S. manufacturers may benefit from the tariffs, but the gains for U.S. producers and the Treasury would not outweigh the overall losses to consumers, according to the trade group.
The organization said low-income families would get hit especially hard.
Pentagon sounds alarm as Russia unleashes ‘new type of lethal capability’ on Ukraine
Two U.S. officials confirmed to Fox News Thursday that a Russian “experimental intermediate-range ballistic missile” (IRBM) launched at Ukraine was not hypersonic.
Russian President Vladimir Putin confirmed the attack Thursday evening in an address to the nation and said it was in direct response to the U.S. and the U.K. jointly approving Ukraine’s use of Western-supplied long-range missiles to target Russia.
Putin and U.S. sources have since confirmed the strike was not an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), but the Kremlin chief also claimed the weapon used poses a significant challenge for Western nations.
Deputy Pentagon press secretary Sabrina Singh confirmed to reporters during a press briefing Thursday that Russia had launched an IRBM based on one of Russia’s ICBM models. She sometimes called the IRBM “experimental,” explaining it was the first time the missile had been used on the battlefield.
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“This was a new type of lethal capability that was employed on the battlefield, so that’s certainly a concern to us,” Singh said.
She also said the U.S. was notified briefly before the launch through nuclear or risk reduction channels.
Still, Singh told reporters the Department of Defense has not seen any adjustment in Russia’s nuclear posture, nor has the U.S. made any changes to its own.
Putin said, according to a translation, that the missile attacked targets at a speed of Mach 10.
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“That’s 2.5 miles per second,” Putin said. “The world’s current air defense systems and the missile defense systems developed by the Americans in Europe do not intercept such missiles.”
Despite Putin’s claim, two U.S. defense officials told Fox News the missile was not hypersonic, which, according to NASA, is a speed greater than 3,000 mph and faster than Mach 5.
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Singh told reporters the only escalation in the war between Russia and Ukraine is that the former invaded a sovereign border country and turned to North Korea to bring about 11,000 soldiers to fight against Ukraine.
Following President Biden’s position reversal this week to allow Ukraine to use U.S.-supplied long-range Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS) against the Russian homeland, Kyiv immediately levied strikes against a military arsenal in the Russian region of Bryansk, more than 70 miles from Ukraine’s border.
While Ukrainian troops officially fired the sophisticated missiles, the weapons system still relies on U.S. satellites to hit its target, an issue Putin touched on in his unannounced speech Thursday.
“We are testing the Oreshnik missile systems in combat conditions in response to NATO countries’ aggressive actions against Russia. We will decide on the further deployment of intermediate-range and shorter-range missiles depending on the actions of the U.S. and its satellites,” he said.
Putin claimed Russia will alert Ukrainian citizens of an impending attack like the strike he carried out on Thursday, though it remains unclear if he issued a warning to the Ukrainians living in Dnipro.
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The Kremlin chief said the “defense industry” was targeted, though images released by the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense showed what appeared to be civilian infrastructure caught in the fray.
Senator introduces bill to eliminate federal department after Trump campaign pledge
FIRST ON FOX: A Republican senator introduced a measure to do away with the Department of Education on Thursday after President-elect Trump suggested doing so on the 2024 campaign trail.
Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., debuted the “Returning Education to Our States Act” in the Senate, which would abolish the Department of Education and charge various other departments with certain responsibilities and programs that are currently administered by it.
During his presidential campaign, Trump said, “One thing I’ll be doing very early in the administration is closing up the Department of Education in Washington, D.C., and sending all education and education work it needs back to the states.”
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Some experts contested his ability to do this, noting he would need congressional approval. However, with an incoming Republican trifecta in Washington, D.C., and Rounds’ bill, he might have it.
“The federal Department of Education has never educated a single student, and it’s long past time to end this bureaucratic Department that causes more harm than good,” Rounds said in a statement provided to Fox News Digital. “We all know local control is best when it comes to education. Everyone raised in South Dakota can think of a teacher who played a big part in their educational journey. Local school boards and state Departments of Education know best what their students need, not unelected bureaucrats in Washington, D.C.
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“For years, I’ve worked toward removing the federal Department of Education. I’m pleased that President-elect Trump shares this vision, and I’m excited to work with him and Republican majorities in the Senate and House to make this a reality. This legislation is a roadmap to eliminating the federal Department of Education by practically rehoming these federal programs in the departments where they belong, which will be critical as we move into next year,” he continued.
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In the senator’s plan, a number of Native American education programs will be redirected to the Department of Interior; loan and grant programs would become the responsibility of the Department of Treasury; disability programs would be overseen by the Department of Health and Human Services; career programs would move to the Department of Labor; and the State Department would become responsible for the Fulbright-Hays Program, which “supports research and training efforts overseas.”
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The new bill comes after Trump revealed he plans to tap Linda McMahon, former CEO of World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), to lead the Department of Education earlier this week.
“It is my great honor to announce that Linda McMahon, former Administrator of the Small Business Administration, will be the United States Secretary of Education,” he said in a statement on the selection.
Republicans jostle for open spots on new House panel led by Marjorie Taylor Greene
Some House Republicans are embracing the idea of Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., leading a new congressional subcommittee dedicated to cutting down on government waste.
House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., is planning to commission a new panel under his purview called the Delivering on Government Efficiency subcommittee, Fox News Digital first learned on Thursday.
And multiple Republican lawmakers have already told Fox News Digital they hope to join the panel.
“Marjorie would take no prisoners,” said Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., who said he’s already texted Greene about the subcommittee. “I would love to be on it.”
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Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., who is also aiming for a spot on the committee, said, “good for her” when asked about Greene leading the panel.
“I think she’ll be a basically an immovable object on some of the spending cuts that we need,” Luna said.
As to her own bid for a spot, she said, “We’re going to make a push right now.”
It comes after Trump announced the creation of an advisory panel called the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which he tapped Vivek Ramaswamy and Elon Musk to lead.
Trump said the panel would help his administration “slash excess regulations, cut wasteful expenditures and restructure Federal Agencies.”
Rep. Cory Mills, R-Fla., a member of the newly created DOGE Caucus, said that whoever were to lead the subcommittee should be “hawkish” on fiscal matters.
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“I’d definitely be interested in it,” Mills said. “I always talk about three things, which is repealing programs and departments that no longer serve the intended purposes; reforming certain areas where we understand that, just the way times change, the requirements and needs change as well; and then also re-energize in certain areas to make sure that Americans know what’s accessible to them as far as assets or resources.”
Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., who serves on Comer’s Oversight Committee, did not feel strongly one way or another about joining the DOGE subcommittee but praised Greene’s ascension to the chair.
“One thing about Marjorie is that she’s, you know, she’s locked in on details, and so she’s going to want to be very helpful to Elon and Vivek,” Donalds said. “And obviously, we’re breaking new ground here.”
He also suggested that Rep. Michael Cloud, R-Texas, would be “very good” on the subcommittee.
Cloud did show interest when asked by Fox News Digital, and he similarly praised Greene.
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“Reining in the federal government and restoring accountability is one of the most important tasks we face in this next Congress. These efforts are essential if we are to support the mandate President Trump has been given by the American people, and I am eager to contribute to this effort in any capacity,” Cloud said in a statement.
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“Congresswoman Greene has shown she’s the right person to challenge the norms and drive the kind of change Washington desperately needs.”
House Freedom Caucus Chairman Andy Harris, R-Md., did not weigh in directly on Greene but said he “would hope” some fiscal hawks in his conservative group would be considered for positions.
State GOP unleashes on liberal leaders after ICE arrests illegal migrants on child rape charges
The Massachusetts GOP (MassGOP) issued scathing remarks toward Democrats Gov. Maura Healey and Boston Mayor Michelle Wu after U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced the arrests of three illegal immigrants on child rape charges.
Healey and Wu have both been vocal about their opposition to President-elect Donald Trump’s campaign promise to conduct mass deportations of illegal immigrants once he returns to the Oval Office in January.
This month, Healey vowed that her state police will “absolutely not” cooperate with the expected mass deportation effort by the incoming Trump administration, warning that she will use “every tool in the toolbox” to “protect” residents in the blue state.
Wu also took a stance against Trump during an interview on Sunday, saying her city will not cooperate with the incoming administration’s looming mass deportation operation despite the region seeing a number of illegal immigrants with criminal charges getting released back onto the streets.
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Even after the two leaders made their positions on not working with Trump on immigration public, ICE on Wednesday announced the arrests of two illegal immigrants charged with forcibly raping children in Massachusetts and the arrest of a third individual who was convicted of raping a child in Brazil before fleeing to the U.S. and going into hiding after being caught and released at the U.S. border in 2022.
In a news release Thursday, MassGOP Chair Amy Carnevale called the positions taken by Healey and Wu “appalling and disgusting” and accused them of prioritizing the appeasement of the most radical elements of their political base over the safety of residents.
“Parents across the Commonwealth are horrified that individuals charged with such serious crimes are allowed to roam free because local authorities refuse to work with ICE to remove these criminals from our streets,” Carnevale said. “Massachusetts residents have had enough. These harrowing incidents are becoming far too frequent. When our state’s top leaders go on television to proclaim that Massachusetts will protect illegal immigrants and refuse to cooperate with ICE, they send a dangerous message that invites more of this behavior into our communities. By doing so, they are complicit in the chaos that follows.”
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“It’s time for Democrats to put politics aside and work with federal authorities to end this alarming pattern in Massachusetts,” she added.
In a statement to Fox News Digital, Healey’s office said, “As part of immigration enforcement, the Governor believes individuals who commit violent crimes like those alleged here should be deported.”
Wu’s office did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment on the matter.
The three suspects arrested by ICE were identified this week as 21-year-old Mynor Stiven De Paz-Munoz of Guatemala, 42-year-old Billy Erney Buitrago-Bustos of Colombia and 41-year-old Alexandre Romao De Oliveira of Brazil.
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ICE said Wednesday that De Paz-Munoz entered the U.S. on Sept. 24, 2020, near Eagle Pass, Texas, before getting released by U.S. Border Patrol with a notice to appear before an immigration review judge.
He was later arrested in western Massachusetts by Great Barrington police on Feb. 29, 2024, for rape of a child by force, rape of a child, and indecent assault and battery on a person 14 or older.
Despite ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Boston office lodging a detainer with the police department, De Paz-Munoz was released on bail. He has since been taken into custody.
Buitrago-Bustos was admitted into the U.S. on May 4, 2016, at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, though he failed to leave under the terms of his visa.
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After his arrest in October 2023, ERO Boston lodged an immigration arrest with the Great Barrington Police Department. Later that month, Buitrago-Bustos was arraigned in Southern Berkshire District Court and held without bail. The charges were elevated to Berkshire County Superior Court on March 18, which honored the immigration detainer and released him into custody of ERO Boston on Nov. 15 after he posted bail.
Romao De Oliveira is a foreign fugitive convicted of raping a child in Brazil.
He was convicted in the First Criminal Court of Jaru, Rondônia, Brazil, on Feb. 10, 2022, and sentenced to serve 14 years behind bars.
But according to ICE, Romao De Oliveira fled Brazil before he could serve his sentence. On April 16, 2022, Romao De Oliveira entered the U.S. near Santa Teresa, New Mexico, without admission by an immigration official and was released from custody after being served a notice to appear before a DOJ immigration review judge.
MassGOP spokesperson Logan Trupiano told Fox News Digital that State Senate Minority Leader Bruce Tarr and House Minority Leader Brad Jones have filed legislation to close loopholes created by a 2017 Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Decision that barred state courts from cooperating with ICE detainers. As a result, the ruling facilitated the release of illegal immigrants accused of crimes on bail rather than honoring federal immigration detainers.
“Filed a month ago, this critical legislation addresses the public safety risks stemming from the decision,” Trupiano said. “We urge the Democratic supermajority in the legislature to put political posturing aside, prioritize public safety and pass this important measure.”
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The immigration issues stretch across the U.S., and on Wednesday, House Republicans pressed Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra for an answer about how the U.S. lost track of thousands of unaccounted migrant children. He was also asked about fumbling the vetting process that allegedly allowed some minors to be sent to gang members and sometimes even a strip club.
Embattled Ellen DeGeneres reportedly flees the country after Trump’s victory
Ellen DeGeneres and wife Portia de Rossi are reportedly saying cheerio to the U.S. following President-elect Trump’s victory earlier this month.
The embattled comedian, known for her robust real estate portfolio, has allegedly settled in the Cotswolds in England, a person close to the TV personality told The Wrap. She and de Rossi previously listed their multimillion-dollar home in Montecito, California, with Riskin Partners.
Fox News Digital confirmed that their home was sold in August.
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The DeGeneres source told the outlet that Trump’s re-election had inspired the couple’s decision to jump ship. DeGeneres announced her support for Vice President Kamala Harris in September by reposting Taylor Swift’s Instagram endorsement. She simply added, “This childless cat lady couldn’t agree more,” a direct dig at Vice President-elect JD Vance.
Representatives for DeGeneres and Rossi did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
DeGeneres previously claimed she’d been “kicked out of show business” in her Netflix standup special, “For Your Approval,” released on Sept. 24. Reports of a toxic workplace environment, including allegations of sexual misconduct and harassment by top executives of her talk show, arose in 2020. Warner Bros. did an internal investigation and DeGeneres issued a written apology to her staff.
“On day one of our show, I told everyone in our first meeting that ‘The Ellen DeGeneres Show‘ would be a place of happiness — no one would ever raise their voice, and everyone would be treated with respect. Obviously, something changed, and I am disappointed to learn that this has not been the case,” she wrote, per Variety.
“I could not have the success I’ve had without all of your contributions. My name is on the show and everything we do and I take responsibility for that. Alongside Warner Bros., we immediately began an internal investigation and we are taking steps, together, to correct the issues. As we’ve grown exponentially, I’ve not been able to stay on top of everything and relied on others to do their jobs as they knew I’d want them done. Clearly some didn’t. That will now change and I’m committed to ensuring this does not happen again,” she added.
Warner Bros. announced following their findings, there would be staffing changes. “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” aired its final episode in 2022, but by then, DeGeneres’ reputation had been permanently impacted.
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DeGeneres’ reported move follows empty threats from other A-listers, including Cher, Sharon Stone and Barbra Streisand, who had threatened to leave the U.S. if Trump were victorious once again. Speaking with The Guardian in 2023, Cher said she “almost got an ulcer the last time” Trump nearly regained power. “If he gets in, who knows? This time I will leave [the country].”
Earlier this summer, Stone told the Daily Mail that she was toying with the idea of moving to Europe. “I am certainly considering a house in Italy,” she said in July. “I think that’s an intelligent construct at this time. This is one of the first times in my life that I’ve actually seen anyone running for office on a platform of hate and oppression.”
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In November 2023, Streisand said she wouldn’t be able to deal with a Trump presidency. “I will move. I can’t live in this country if he became president,” she announced on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” noting that England might be the place she lands.
Weeks ago, actress Eva Longoria made waves by sharing her “anxiety” for Americans who would have to stay in the country under a Trump regime. “I would like to think our fight continues,” she told Marie Claire in an interview days after the election was called. She noted that she thinks the country is “a scary place,” adding, “If [Trump] keeps his promises, it’s going to be a scary place.”
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“I’m privileged,” she acknowledged. “I get to escape and go somewhere. Most Americans aren’t so lucky. They’re going to be stuck in this dystopian country, and my anxiety and sadness is for them.” Longoria has split her time residing between Spain and Mexico for several years.
After her commentary went viral, Longoria clarified in an additional interview that Trump was not the reason she left the U.S.