DeSantis makes announcement on who will fill Rubio’s Senate seat
Gov. Ron DeSantis, R-Fla., revealed on Thursday who he plans to appoint to the Senate once Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., resigns, as he is expected to be confirmed to be President-elect Donald Trump’s Secretary of State after his inauguration.
The governor selected Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody to be the next senator.
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Moody has been a key ally of DeSantis in the state and worked in tandem with him to facilitate his agenda as governor.
When asked about potentially taking on the role on “Fox and Friends First” in November, Moody said, “I have my hands full here as attorney general, and I’m incredibly focused on this job, working on behalf of Floridians, making sure I’m protecting the autonomy of the state and pushing Washington out of our business and holding them accountable. Of course, I love … being in leadership, working with President Trump, working with Governor DeSantis. And I hope to continue working on behalf of Floridians.”
Initially, Trump and Sens. Katie Britt, R-Ala., and Rick Scott, R-Fla., endorsed Trump’s daughter-in-law and former RNC Co-Chair Lara Trump to succeed Rubio. However, she later withdrew her name from consideration.
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“After an incredible amount of thought, contemplation, and encouragement from so many, I have decided to remove my name from consideration for the United States Senate,” she wrote on X.
Netanyahu accuses terrorists of going back on parts of cease-fire agreement overnight
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday accused Hamas of backing out of a cease-fire deal to release hostages and bring a pause to more than a year of fighting in the Gaza Strip.
Netanyahu’s office said Thursday his Cabinet won’t meet to vote on the Gaza cease-fire deal until Hamas backs down from what it called a “last minute crisis.”
Netanyahu’s office accused Hamas, without elaborating, of trying to go back on part of the agreement in an attempt “to extort last minute concessions.”
The Israeli Cabinet was set to ratify the deal Thursday.
ISRAEL-HAMAS CEASE-FIRE, HOSTAGE RELEASE DEAL REACHED: ‘AMERICANS WILL BE PART OF THAT’
President Biden joined Vice President Kamala Harris and Secretary of State Antony Blinken for a Wednesday news conference announcing that the deal would roll out in three phases.
Biden said the first phase will last six weeks and “includes a full and complete cease-fire, withdrawal of Israeli forces from all the populated areas of Gaza, and the release of a number of hostages held by Hamas, including women and elderly and the wounded. And I’m proud to say Americans will be part of that hostage release and phase one as well. And the vice president and I cannot wait to welcome them home,” he said.
In exchange, Israel released hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, Biden said, and Palestinians “can also return to their neighborhoods in all areas of Gaza, and a surge of humanitarian assistance into Gaza will begin.”
Izzat al-Rishq, a senior Hamas official, said the militant group “is committed to the ceasefire agreement, which was announced by the mediators.”
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Netanyahu’s office had earlier accused Hamas of backtracking on an earlier understanding that he said would give Israel a veto over which prisoners convicted of murder would be released in exchange for hostages.
Under the terms of the cease-fire deal, 33 hostages are set to be released over the next six weeks in exchange for hundreds of Palestinians imprisoned by Israel. Israeli forces will pull back from many areas, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians would be able to return to what’s left of their homes, and there would be a surge of humanitarian assistance.
The remainder of the hostages, including male soldiers, are to be released in a second phase that will be negotiated during the first. Hamas has said it will not release the remaining captives without a lasting ceasefire and a full Israeli withdrawal, while Israel has vowed to keep fighting until it dismantles the group and to maintain open-ended security control over the territory.
Netanyahu has faced great domestic pressure to bring home the scores of hostages, but his far-right coalition partners have threatened to bring down his government if he makes too many concessions. He has enough opposition support to approve an agreement, but doing so would weaken his coalition and make early elections more likely.
‘LYING TO THE NATION’: TRUMP ORBIT SLAMS BIDEN FOR TAKING CREDIT FOR CEASEFIRE DEAL
Meanwhile, Palestinians in Gaza reported heavy Israeli bombardment overnight as people were celebrating the ceasefire deal. Gaza’s Health Ministry said at least 48 people were killed in Israeli strikes between midday Wednesday and Thursday morning. Around half of the dead were women and children, Zaher al-Wahedi, head of the ministry’s registration department, told The Associated Press. He said the toll could rise as hospitals update their records.
Mediators from Egypt, Qatar and the U.S. are expected to meet in Cairo on Thursday for talks on implementing the agreement. They have spent the past year holding indirect talks with Israel and Hamas that finally resulted in a deal after repeated setbacks.
President-elect Donald Trump’s Mideast envoy joined the talks in the final weeks, and both the outgoing administration and Trump’s team are taking credit for the breakthrough.
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Israel’s offensive has killed over 46,000 people in Gaza, mostly women and children, according to the Health Ministry. it does not say how many of the dead were militants. Israel says it has killed over 17,000 fighters, without providing evidence.
The war has destroyed vast areas of Gaza and displaced some 90% of its population of 2.3 million people, according to the United Nations.
Democrats vote against bill that would make America safer from criminal illegal immigrants
More than 140 Democrats voted against a House bill to deport illegal immigrants convicted of sex crimes on Thursday.
The legislation passed along bipartisan lines in a 274 to 145 vote. All present Republicans supported the bill, while the opposition was all made up of Democratic lawmakers.
The bill was first introduced by Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., in the 118th Congress but was not taken up by the formerly Democrat-controlled Senate. At the time, 158 Democrats voted against the bill.
“Our country has been ravaged by a horror of illegal immigrants…violently raping American women and girls,” Mace said during debate on the bill. “I know the lifelong scars, the irreversible scars, these heinous crimes leave behind.”
Elon Musk has notably been among the bill’s most ardent supporters, even calling for lawmakers who voted against it to lose their House seats.
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“There is no excuse. Please post the list of people who opposed this law and want to keep illegals who are convicted sex offenders in America,” Musk wrote on X in response to a conservative influencer discussing the bill. “They all need to be voted out of office. Every one of them.”
In addition to deporting migrants convicted of sex crimes, the legislation would also deem illegal immigrants who admit to domestic violence or sex-related charges — or are convicted of them — to be inadmissible in the U.S.
But Democrats argued the bill would harm domestic abuse victims who fight back against their partner, and broadens the definition to domestic violence to the detriment of survivors.
GOP REVIVES ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT DETENTION BILL NAMED AFTER 12-YEAR-OLD MURDER VICTIM
During debate on the bill Thursday morning, progressive Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., said the bill “does absolutely nothing to address the needs of the American people” and “widens the highway to Donald Trump’s mass deportation plans.”
Jayapal said it would “create a chilling effect for reporting future crimes” and “empower abusers to go after immigrant women and children.”
Mace wrote on X during debate for the bill, “The Left justifying why they are against deporting r*pists, p*deophiles, and m*rderers who are here ILLEGALLY, never ceases to amaze me.”
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House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., the No. 3 House Republican, also criticized Democrats who voted against the bill.
“House Democrats’ votes against H.R. 30 should be seen for what they are: Prioritizing criminal illegal immigrants over the safety and well-being of their constituents. It’s unconscionable that we have to pass legislation like this, much less have members oppose it,” Emmer told Fox News Digital.
Rep. Randy Feenstra, R-Iowa, one of the Republicans who voted for the bill, argued the Biden administration’s border policies made the bill necessary and said the legislation would “ensure that any illegal immigrant who commits a sex crime or domestic violence offense is swiftly detained and deported.”
GOP rebels to draw battle lines over Trump-preferred approach to president-elect’s agenda
FIRST ON FOX: The conservative House Freedom Caucus has released a proposal for Republicans’ planned conservative policy overhaul that would raise the debt limit by two years or roughly $4 trillion.
Congressional Republicans are preparing for a massive conservative policy overhaul through the budget reconciliation process. By lowering the threshold for passage in the Senate from 60 votes to 51, reconciliation allows the party controlling Congress and the White House to pass broad policy changes — provided they deal with budgetary and other fiscal matters.
However, there has been some disagreement over whether to pass all of their goals – touching on border security, defense, spending cuts, tax cuts, and energy – in one single bill to not risk any items falling behind, or split the priorities into two separate pieces of legislation to ensure early victory on at least some measures.
President-elect Donald Trump has said he favors the one-bill approach, but would be open to two. He also tasked Republicans with raising or suspending the debt limit, with the U.S. Treasury projected to run out of funds to pay its debts by mid-June.
Freedom Caucus members are among the Republicans calling for two separate bills. The plan being unveiled on Thursday, first reported by Fox News Digital, calls for border security, defense, and steep spending cuts.
It would raise the debt limit “with commitment from congressional leadership on dollar-for-dollar savings over 10 years across both reconciliation bills and appropriations bills.”
Those cuts would then be used to offset tax breaks being extended in the second bill, Fox News Digital was told.
But the plan for the first bill calls for roughly $100 billion for border security across four years, and up to $200 billion for defense in the same time frame.
It also calls for repealing key Biden administration policies to cut spending, including President Biden’s electric vehicle tax credits, added funding for the IRS, and his student loan relief programs, among other items.
The conservative lawmakers presented the plan to Trump at Mar-a-Lago last Friday, but it is unclear how he responded.
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Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., previously backed a two-bill approach in public comments.
Opponents of that plan, which include Republicans on the House Ways & Means Committee, have warned that leaving Trump’s tax cuts for a second bill would all but guarantee that provisions he passed during his previous term would expire by the end of the year, raising taxes for millions of Americans.
Committee Chairman Jason Smith, R-Mo., previously pointed out to FOX Business host Maria Bartiromo that two reconciliation bills have not been passed in one term since the 1990s.
However, GOP negotiators have not decided whether to include action on the debt limit in their reconciliation bill, with both measures known to require difficult political maneuvering.
The Freedom Caucus’ expected plan is a way for fiscal hawks who have traditionally scorned action on the debt limit to agree to do so.
JOHNSON BLASTS DEM ACCUSATIONS HE VOWED TO END OBAMACARE AS ‘DISHONEST’
That same group is also concerned that putting all the agenda items into a single bill will not result in sufficient cuts to offset the added spending.
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With two House Republicans departing for the Trump administration on Jan. 20, Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., will have to navigate a razor-thin majority until special elections are expected in April.
Until then, just one Republican “no” vote will be enough to derail any piece of legislation that does not get Democratic support.
Fox News Digital reached out to the Trump transition team and the House Freedom Caucus for comment.
Social media erupts after AG pick obliterates Dem senator for not meeting before hearing
Pam Bondi, President-elect Trump’s nominee for attorney general, engaged in a tense exchange with Democrat Sen. Mazie Hirono during her confirmation hearing on Wednesday that resulted in praise from conservatives on social media.
“You have an incoming president who said, ‘I have the absolute right to do what I want to do with the Justice Department,’ and in fact, President-elect Trump considers the DOJ to be his law firm,” the Hawaii senator said to Bondi on Wednesday. “I ask you this: If President-elect Trump asks, suggests or hints that you as attorney general should investigate one of his perceived political enemies, would you do so?”
“Sen. Hirono, I wish you had met with me. Had you met with me, we could have discussed many things and gotten to –” Bondi began to respond.
Hirono then interrupted by saying, “I am listening to you now, could you please respond to the question?”
DEM SENATOR WHO BASHED HEGSETH’S QUALIFICATIONS STANDS BY DOD SEC WHO OVERSAW BOTCHED AFGHAN WITHDRAWAL
“You were the only one who refused to meet with me but what we would have discussed is that it is the job of the attorney general,” Bondie said before being interrupted by Hirono again.
“I’m very happy to listen to your responses under oath, Miss Bondi,” Hirono said.
“So I think it’s really important to us that the attorney general be independent of the White House, and you have a president-elect who considers the AG’s office his law firm. I would like to know whether if the president suggests, hints, asks, that you, as attorney general, should investigate one of his perceived enemies.”
FRESHMAN GOP SENATOR SETS SOCIAL MEDIA ABLAZE WITH ‘BEST’ RESPONSE TO HEGSETH’S ANSWER ON GENDER QUESTION
Bondi responded, “I certainly have not heard the president say that. But what I will tell you is two-thirds of Americans have lost faith in the Department of Justice, and its statements like that, I believe, that make people continue to lose faith.”
Conservatives on social media praised Bondi for her handling of Hirono’s questions.
“Pam Bondi CLAPS BACK,” Abigail Jackson, communications director for GOP Sen. Josh Hawley, posted on X.
“Pam Bondi isn’t playing with these far-left Senators,” the Media Research Center posted on X.
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“Pam Bondi obliterates Sen. Mazie Hirono for refusing to meet with her,” conservative commentator Paul Szypula posted on X. “This was spectacular.”
“Common @PamBondi W,” the Trump War Room posted on X.
“Imagine thinking Maxie Hirono is qualified to be a U.S. Senator but Pam Bondi isn’t qualified to be U.S. Attorney General lol,” conservative commentator and former NCAA swimmer Riley Gaines posted on X.
Bondi is expected to be confirmed by the Senate, and some have speculated that she will earn some votes from Democrats.
Former MLB catcher and legendary baseball broadcaster dead at 90
Bob Uecker, a legendary baseball broadcaster for the Milwaukee Brewers and former player, has died, the organization announced on Thursday. He was 90.
Uecker called games for the Brewers since 1971 and appeared in the movie “Major League” and the film’s two sequels.
This is a breaking news story. Check back for updates.
TV star shreds California’s lack of preparation for deadly wildfires
Lorenzo Lamas condemned California bureaucracy for failing to have a plan of action before the Palisades Fire tore through his hometown.
Lamas, 66, who was born in Santa Monica and raised in the Pacific Palisades, claimed the Los Angeles fires could have possibly been avoided by better disaster preparation methods.
The “Falcon Crest” actor was angered by the loss of life due to the fires and questioned how so many things could go so wrong.
CALIFORNIA FIRES: ESSENTIAL PHONE NUMBERS FOR LOS ANGELES-AREA RESIDENTS AND HOW YOU CAN HELP THEM
“The fires have been absolutely devastating. My four daughters are in Los Angeles, and they’re all safe,” Lamas exclusively told Fox News Digital from his home in Idaho as he recovers from hip surgery. “I have friends that have lost everything. You know, Vernon Wells from ‘Mad Max,’ him and his wife, Grace, were in the Palisades – lost everything.”
“It angers me so much because I see this as something that could have been avoided.”
Lamas added, “I’ll go out there on a limb and tell you that if this happened a year from now … We’d have a different probably set of circumstances. At least, I think Los Angeles would have been a little bit better prepared a year from now than we are now. And I’m talking about, you know, from an administrative level.”
PATRICIA HEATON SAYS LA FIRES PROVE ‘WE CAN’T JUST RELY ON THE GOVERNMENT’
Lamas, like many local residents, watched news broadcasts during the disaster to see if his childhood home was still standing.
WATCH: LORENZO LAMAS CRITICIZES LACK OF LEADERSHIP IN LOS ANGELES AMID LA FIRES
“It’s just absolutely devastating, and it angers me to no end that we were not prepared for this,” he said. “I mean, I could go into a whole list of things.
“It’s just absolutely devastating, and it angers me to no end that we were not prepared for this.”
“I’m just praying for the people that have been affected by this fire, that have lost everything – them, their families, the families of the people that have perished. It’s just, it’s absolutely despicable.”
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The “Renegade” star reminisced about growing up by the beach and how disaster preparedness used to be the norm, even when he was a child.
“I lived in Southern California for most of my life, 50 plus, 55 years, and we used to practice … we used to dive under the tables in school for earthquakes, but we never thought of fires being at this level of danger,” Lamas said. “It’s just the lack of preparation. I’m telling you. It’s just the lack of preparation is staggering.
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“In a city that we know every season, there’s a danger of fire. Why didn’t we have enough water to fight these fires? You know, they’re talking about pump pressure not being able to get out to the hoses. Give me a break. You know, there just wasn’t enough water in the reservoirs.”
The Department of Forestry and Fire Protection reported Wednesday that the Palisades Fire burned 23,713 acres and is now 19% contained. Eight fatalities have been reported since the fire ignited on Tuesday, Jan. 7, with more than 2,100 structures estimated to be destroyed or damaged.
“It’s just the lack of preparation. I’m telling you. It’s just the lack of preparation is staggering.”
Less than 30 miles away, the Eaton Fire, which also ignited on Jan. 7 in Altadena, burned 14,117 acres and is now 45% contained. Sixteen fatalities have been confirmed, and more than 4,600 structures are estimated to be damaged or destroyed.
WATCH: ACTRESS PATRICIA HEATON SAYS WE ‘CAN’T RELY ON THE GOVERNMENT’ AFTER LA FIRES DESTROY CITY
Although Lamas spent decades living in Los Angeles, he now calls Idaho home. He recently underwent hip replacement surgery after suffering for years with arthritis.
“It was bone on bone for about a year, and I just wasn’t used to not having the mobility,” Lamas said. “I’ve always been active and it was just time. So, I had my hip replaced at Northwest Orthopaedic in Spokane, Washington – Dr. Jay Wojcik – great sports medicine guy … I’m doing really, really well.”
He relied on his daughter Alexandra for extra help during the recovery process, noting “it’s important for everybody to have that support at home.”
Lamas celebrated his first wedding anniversary with wife Kenna Nicole Scott in October. The couple regularly boasts about the love they share for each other on social media after dating for five years.
He admitted there’s one secret to keeping their union unscathed and staying connected.
“Communication, communication … I would say forgiveness is a big part of it,” Lamas said. “Also, not putting blame. Because in a relationship, there’s two people, and it takes two people to make it or break it. And if you’re always like blaming each other for this and that, you’re just never going to have that peace. You know? So maturity, communication, forgiveness.”
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Social media star kicked off Ohio State football team as national title game looms
Ohio State has looked dominant throughout the first-ever 12-team College Football Playoff.
After knocking out the top-seeded Oregon Ducks in the quarterfinals, the Buckeyes defeated the Texas Longhorns in the semifinal to advance to Monday’s championship game. But one member of the Buckeyes, who rose to prominence largely due to his social media presence, will not make the trip to Atlanta for the national title game.
Caden Davis, a former walk-on, has been dismissed from the team, Ohio State Sports Information Director Jerry Emig confirmed to The Lantern.
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The sophomore defensive end never recorded a tackle during his brief stint as an Ohio State student-athlete. Davis has amassed hundreds of thousands of followers across popular social media platforms such as TikTok and Instagram.
University officials did not immediately provide details on what led to Davis’ dismissal.
At times, Davis’ online content would provide followers with behind-the-scenes content of the Ohio State football team and athletic facilities. He would also document his life as a student on the Columbus, Ohio, campus.
As of Wednesday, at least one of Davis’ social media bios read, “Ohio State football #61,” while other accounts feature references to the football program.
In a since-deleted Instagram post, Davis suggested he was traveling to the Dallas area with the Buckeyes for the semifinal matchup with Texas in the Cotton Bowl. It was later determined that the photos Davis shared were from last season’s Cotton Bowl game. Missouri defeated Ohio State in that game.
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Ohio State last hoisted the national championship trophy in 2014, which was the inaugural College Football Playoff Championship.
Notre Dame punched its ticket to the national title game by defeating the Georgia Bulldogs in the quarterfinals before eliminating Penn State in the semifinal. The championship game kicks off at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on Jan. 20 at 7:30 p.m. ET.
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