Hirono lights up social media after ‘deranged’ questions at Burgum hearing
Democrat Sen. Mazie Hirono of Hawaii faced mockery on social media on Thursday over her opening questions to Interior Secretary nominee Doug Burgum during his confirmation hearing.
“As part of my responsibilities to ensure the fitness of nominees before any of the committees on which I sit, I ask the following two initial questions,” Hirono said to Burgum on Thursday. “First is, since you became a legal adult, have you ever made unwanted requests for sexual favors or committed any verbal or physical harassment or assault of a sexual nature?”
“No, senator, I have not,” Burgum responded.
“Have you ever faced discipline or entered into a settlement related to this kind of conduct?” Hirono then asked.
BONDI CLAPS BACK AT HIRONO AMID QUESTIONS ABOUT POLITICAL PROSECUTIONS: ‘REFUSED TO MEET WITH ME’
“I have not,” Burgum said.
Hirono, who has asked similar opening questions to several other nominees in the past, including Secretary of Defense nominee Pete Hegseth and Attorney General nominee Pam Bondi, was widely panned by conservatives on social media over the line of questioning.
“This lady has issues.” conservative commentator Chad Prather posted on X.
DEM SENATOR WHO BASHED HEGSETH’S QUALIFICATIONS STANDS BY DOD SEC WHO OVERSAW BOTCHED AFGHAN WITHDRAWAL
“No, this is not AI…,” conservative influencer Benny Johnson posted on X.
“What is wrong with Dems??” American Majority president Ned Ryun posted on X. “They are apparently bat guano crazy sex pervs. Is this all they think about??”
“How the F does Hirono have seats on Judiciary AND Armed Services AND Energy?????” columnist Tiana Lowe Doescher posted on X. “What member of Dem leadership does she have kompromat on??”
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Conservative comedian Tim Young posted on X that the “more Mazie Hirono asks cabinet nominees if they’ve sexually assaulted someone… the more I think she’s guilty of it herself.”
Henry Rogers, The Daily Caller’s chief national correspondent, called Hirono “deranged” on X.
Hirono’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.
Greenland’s prime minister hints at US ‘investment’ after Trump floats acquiring island
Greenland’s prime minister seemingly shut the door on President-elect Donald Trump’s aspiration to acquire the autonomous Danish territory, saying Greenlanders don’t want to be Americans or Danes.
“We want to be Greenlanders,” said Múte Egede Thursday on “Special Report.” “We will always be a part of NATO. We will always be a strong partner for [the] U.S. We are close neighbors. We have been incorporated in the last 80 years. And I think in the future, we have a lot to offer, to cooperate with. But we want to also be clear: We don’t want to be Americans. We don’t want to be a part of [the] U.S., but we want strong cooperation together with [the] U.S.”
At a Mar-a-Lago news conference earlier this month, Trump said he wouldn’t rule out using military or economic pressure to obtain Greenland or the Panama Canal.
“We need them for economic security,” he told reporters. The incoming 47th president views the Arctic island as vital to U.S. national security.
Fox News correspondent Alex Hogan traveled to Nuuk, Greenland, in mid-January to speak with some residents who didn’t appear too keen on Trump’s plans.
“I would prefer to be with Denmark and not with the U.S.,” said one man whose name was not provided.
RUSSIA MONITORING TRUMP’S ‘DRAMATIC’ COMMENTS ON GREENLAND ACQUISITION
“The United States used to be a place that was sort of admired here. And basically, all the goodwill that they used to have is almost gone now,” said another man.
One Greenlander, Jørgen Boassen, who’s been a Trump supporter for years, explained that his homeland is both the “front door” to the United States and foreign adversaries like Russia and China.
‘MAKE GREENLAND GREAT AGAIN’: TRUMP’S HOUSE GOP ALLIES UNVEIL BILL TO AUTHORIZE COUNTRY’S PURCHASE
Fox News anchor Bret Baier asked Egede if Greenlanders would vote for independence from Denmark if given the opportunity.
“Yeah, but it’s up to the Greenlandic people to decide when we want to be independent. And I think it’s important to see that if Greenland take[s] those steps, we will always be a part of the Western alliance and a strong partner for [the] U.S. because your security is our security,” he replied.
The prime minister acknowledged the vast and rare earth minerals in Greenland, such as zinc, gold and uranium, and called for stronger partnerships with the United States and the European Union so the territory can diversify its economy and gain investments.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
“We have a lot to offer. We have a lot to cooperate with. So we are ready to the – to the U.S. can come here and have some investment in our minerals,” Egede added. He said currently there are no Chinese firms existing and operating in Greenland.
Trump’s Treasury nominee turns tables on Sanders in testy exchange over ‘oligarchy’
Scott Bessent, President-elect Trump’s nominee to lead the Treasury Department, sparred with Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., over whether the U.S. is heading toward an oligarchy.
On Wednesday, President Biden said in his farewell address that “an oligarchy is taking shape in America of extreme wealth, power and influence that literally threatens our entire democracy, our basic rights, freedoms and a fair shot for everyone to get ahead.”
In response, Sanders said he agreed with Biden and specifically called out tech giants Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos and Mark Zuckerberg during Bessent’s confirmation hearing Thursday before the Senate Finance Committee.
“The three billionaires you listed all made their money themselves,” Bessent said. “Mr. Musk came to the country as an immigrant.”
GET TO KNOW DONALD TRUMP’S CABINET: WHO HAS THE PRESIDENT-ELECT PICKED SO FAR?
Sanders cut Bessent off and reiterated his question.
“Well, I would note that President Biden gave the Presidential Medal of Freedom to two people who I think would qualify for his oligarchs,” Bessent said.
Bessent’s comment referred to billionaires George Soros and David Rubenstein, who received the award from Biden earlier this month. Bessent, a hedge fund billionaire himself, previously worked for Soros.
“This is not a condemnation of any one, individual,” Sanders said. “I’m just asking you, with so few people [having] so much wealth and power, do you think that is an oligarchic form of society?”
“Senator, I think it depends on the ability to move up and down the income,” Bessent said.
TRUMP TELLS EU TO BUY MORE AMERICAN-MADE OIL AND GAS OR FACE ‘TARIFFS ALL THE WAY’
Sanders interrupted Bessent again and eventually dropped the topic before asking Bessent whether the hedge fund billionaire would “work with those of us who want to raise the federal minimum wage to a living wage to take millions of Americans out of poverty.”
“Senator, I believe that the minimum wage is more of a state and regional issue,” Bessent said.
“You don’t think we should change the federal minimum wage?” Sanders said. “We have $7.25 an hour.”
“No sir,” Bessent replied.
Sanders is an outspoken advocate for raising the federal minimum wage and introduced legislation in 2023 that would raise it to $17 by 2028.
Sanders’ home state of Vermont boosted its minimum wage from $13.67 to $14.01 per hour this month. The federal minimum wage has remained $7.25 since 2009.
TRUMP TREASURY PICK: EXTENDING TRUMP TAX CUTS ‘SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT ECONOMIC ISSUE’
Bessent discussed a range of policy issues with lawmakers Thursday, including tariffs, tax cuts and sanctions against Russia.
Bessent said renewing the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act that Trump approved during his first administration is paramount. Many of the reforms in the measure are slated to sunset in 2025, but failing to renew the cuts would undermine the middle and working classes, Bessent said.
GET FOX BUSINESS ON THE GO BY CLICKING HERE
“This is the single most important economic issue of the day,” Bessent said.
“If we do not renew an extension, then we will be facing an economic calamity. And, as always with financial instability, that falls on the middle and working class.”
EXCLUSIVE: The FBI has closed its DEI office, Fox News can confirm.
“In recent weeks, the FBI took steps to close the Office of Diversity and Inclusion (ODI), effective by December 2024,” the agency told Fox News Digital on Thursday.
The agency didn’t specify why it had closed the office, although many Republicans have been critical of it prioritizing diversity, equity and inclusion, saying that had overshadowed national security.
Earlier this month, Republican Sen. Marsha Blackburn sent a letter to FBI Director Christopher Wray claiming that “radical” DEI practices had “endangered” Americans following the New Year’s Day terrorist attack in New Orleans.
IS DEI DYING? HERE’S THE LIST OF COMPANIES THAT HAVE ROLLED BACK THE ‘WOKE’ POLICIES
“I am deeply concerned that—under your leadership—the Bureau has prioritized Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives over its core mission of protecting the American people,” Balckburn wrote in the Jan. 3 letter after referencing the attack.
After the announcement, Blackburn said in a post on X: “The question is why were they allowed to be focused on DEI in the first place? The FBI should be focused on catching criminals, not winning participation trophies.”
President-elect Trump also commented on its closure, writing on Truth Social: “We demand that the FBI preserve and retain all records, documents, and information on the now closing DEI Office—Never should have been opened and, if it was, should have closed long ago. Why is it that they’re closing one day before the Inauguration of a new Administration? The reason is, CORRUPTION!”
The FBI page on diversity and inclusion – that was still on its website as of Thursday – says the agency is “committed to cultivating a diverse and inclusive workforce. In 2015, the FBI added diversity as one of the organization’s core values.
It continued: “We believe that differences in thought and belief, in race and religion, in orientation, and in ability contribute to more effective decision making, drive innovation, and enhance the employee experience. We know that a more diverse workforce allows us to connect with and maintain the trust of the American people. We also understand we have work to do. We stand committed, as today’s FBI, to fostering a culture of inclusivity and diversity.”
Former FBI special agent and Fox News contributor Nicole Parker told Fox News Digital: “I appreciate all forms of diversity. Make no mistake of that. What I do not appreciate is when there is a constant push for social justice weaponization at the FBI whose top priorities are to protect the American people and uphold the Constitution.”
NATIONAL SHERIFFS’ ASSOCIATION SLAMS STATE OF POLICING UNDER BIDEN, THROWS FULL SUPPORT BEHIND PATEL FOR FBI
She added that FBI Director Christopher Wray has made it clear that threats across and against the nation are “at an all-time high. ‘Flashing red lights,’ as he has stated in congressional testimony. There is no time for clubs, groups, or social agendas that divert time, attention and resources away from the mission of the FBI to protect the American people.”
“DEI is a dangerous distraction,” she continued. “I have no issue in celebrating whatever you would like regarding your heritage or gender or religion. But that should be done on your own time and not with the U.S. taxpayers’ dollars while on official Bureau time.”
Parker added, “The FBI needs to focus on hiring the best and brightest based solely on meritocracy. Americans deserve the best. I have never been on an operation or heard of a civilian calling into the FBI and requesting an individual of a certain race or gender provide them with assistance in solving their problem or stopping a crime they’ve fallen victim to. Americans simply want to be safe.”
“The FBI should be focused on being one in fighting crime, not various groups and divisions that divide,” she said.
Parker also noted that there are numerous other groups within the FBI aside from the DEI office, including the American Indian and Alaska Native Advisory Committee, Asian Pacific American Advisory Committee, Black Affairs Diversity Committee, Bureau Equality, Hispanic Advisory Board, Near and Middle East Advisory Committee, Persons with Disabilities Advisory Committee, Veterans Affairs Advisory Committee, and the Women’s Advisory Committee.
She said the bureau also has numerous resource groups, including Blacks in Government, FBI African American Millennials, FBI Family, FBI Jewish Americans, FBI Latinos for Empowerment Advancement and Development, FBI Pride, Federal Asian Pacific American Counsel, Federally Employed Women, From Boots to Suits and the Toastmasters Club.
Wray announced in December that he planned to resign with nearly three years left in his term, citing Trump’s desire for a change in leadership at the agency.
This is President Biden’s last week in office. President-elect Trump will take office on Monday.
Fox News Digital has reached out to Kash Patel, Trump’s pick to lead the FBI, for comment.
The FBI’s Office of Diversity and Inclusion was created in 2012 during the Obama administration with its goal to provide “guidance and implement programs that promote a diverse and inclusive workplace that allows all employees to succeed and advance.”
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
In 2021, after Biden took office, Scott McMillion became the FBI’s first chief diversity officer, saying that he planned to spearhead a “cultural shift” at the agency.
Bruce Willis is showing his appreciation for those keeping everyone in Los Angeles safe during the wildfires.
In a recent Instagram post shared by his wife, Emma Heming, the 69-year-old actor appears in a black and white video shaking hands and having a conversation with Los Angeles Police officers with the Led Zeppelin song “Going to California” playing in the background.
“Spotting a first responder, Bruce never missed a chance to show his gratitude with a heartfelt handshake and a ‘thank you for your service,'” Heming captioned the post. “Yesterday was no different.”
Wearing a New York Yankees baseball cap and a light jacket over his black shirt and jeans, Willis also posed for photos with the officers.
CALIFORNIA FIRES: ESSENTIAL PHONE NUMBERS FOR LOS ANGELES-AREA RESIDENTS AND HOW YOU CAN HELP THEM
The “Die Hard” star was making a rare public appearance since announcing his frontotemporal dementia diagnosis in 2023.
“This makes my heart so freaking full,” his daughter, Tallulah Willis, wrote in the comments section, adding a heart emoji.
Willis’ wife, Heming, has been open about how the disease has affected not only Willis, but the spouse of someone diagnosed with dementia.
“Spotting a first responder, Bruce never missed a chance to show his gratitude with a heartfelt handshake and a ‘thank you for your service. Yesterday was no different.”
She recently shared an emotional post marking her 17th wedding anniversary with Willis featuring a photo of the two of them smiling as they embraced on a beach in Turks and Caicos.
In the post, she reflected on how her feelings about celebrating the special day have changed since he received his diagnosis, writing that while the day “used to bring excitement,” now it leaves her with “a heaviness in my heart and a pit in my stomach.”
LIKE WHAT YOU’RE READING? CLICK HERE FOR MORE ENTERTAINMENT NEWS
“I give myself 30 minutes to sit in the ‘why him, why us,’ to feel the anger and grief,” she wrote in the caption. “Then I shake it off and return to what is. And what is… is unconditional love. I feel blessed to know it, and it’s because of him. I’d do it all over again and again in a heartbeat.”
View this post on Instagram
APP USERS CLICK HERE FOR POST
Heming and Willis first met in 2007 and stepped out for the first time as a couple in 2008, tying the knot in March 2009 at a ceremony in Turks and Caicos.
Since getting married, they have welcomed two daughters, Mabel, 12, and Evelyn, 10. Their two daughters join Willis’ three older daughters from his previous marriage to actress Demi Moore: Rumer, 36, Scout, 33, and Tallulah, 30.
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE ENTERTAINMENT NEWSLETTER
Moore and Willis were married for 13 years, from 1987 to 2000, and they have remained good friends and co-parents since their divorce, often spending holidays, birthdays and other important days together.
“What I say to my kids is you meet them where they’re at. You don’t hold on to who they were or what you want them to be, but who they are in this moment,” Moore said on “The Drew Barrymore Show” in September 2024 about the advice she gives her daughters about their father’s condition.
“And, from that, there is such beauty and joy and loving and sweetness.”
She added, “When I’m in L.A., I go over every week, and I really treasure the time that we all share.”
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Lawmaker pushed to the ground and arrested as he tried to walk into Georgia House
A Georgia state senator and hardline supporter of President-elect Trump appeared to be pushed to the floor before being arrested while trying to enter the state House chamber on Thursday.
State Sen. Colton Moore, who previously tried to have Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis impeached for indicting Trump, tried to enter the House floor to attend Gov. Brian Kemp’s State of the State Address — but was ultimately led away in handcuffs.
Moore is currently banned from entering the chamber after he blasted the state Senate’s decision last year to consider a resolution to name a building at the University of North Georgia after the now-deceased former speaker David Ralston.
GEORGIA LAWMAKER SAYS WHISTLEBLOWER ALERTED HIM OF SECRET MIGRANT ROOM AT AIRPORT
“This body is about to memorialize, in my opinion, one of the most corrupt Georgia leaders that we are ever going to see in my lifetime,” Moore exclaimed at the time.
On Wednesday, Moore wrote to current House Speaker Jon Burns outlining why he thought the ban was unconstitutional and said he intended to be at today’s joint session.
“I will NEVER back down,” Moore wrote on X, sharing the letter he penned to Burns. “I will ALWAYS speak the truth and represent the people of Northwest Georgia as their trusted America First Senator.”
But when he tried to enter the chamber on Thursday, he was met by a wall of resistance and appeared to be pushed back by an attending doorman.
Moore told state troopers in attendance that he had a constitutional right to enter and that a doorman should be arrested for breaking the law.
“This is a joint session of the General Assembly. Your House rules do not apply,” Moore told the men. “I’m going into the chamber.”
Unable to get in, Moore asked a state trooper whether he was stopping him from entering. The trooper appeared to say that the doormen were responsible for who entered.
A scuffle ensued, with video showing Moore appearing to be pushed to the floor by one of the doormen. He was then surrounded by state troopers and subsequently arrested.
TRUMP CHEERS DISQUALIFICATION OF ‘CORRUPT’ FANI WILLIS, SAYS CASE IS ‘ENTIRELY DEAD’
Fox News Digital reached out to Georgia state police, Gov. Brian Kemp’s office and the state speaker about the scuffle but did not receive a response in time for publication.
Moore said that the state was “ruled by authoritarians” on his way out and that the ban was censorship of his voice as an elected official.
Georgia Republican chairman Josh McKoon said that he was “deeply disappointed” that Moore had been denied admission to the chamber and “shocked” that he had been taken into custody.
“It was not only legally appropriate to admit him to today’s proceedings — it was simply the right thing to do,” McKoon wrote in a statement to FOX 5 Atlanta. “Our focus should be on the excellent agenda being outlined by Governor Kemp today to continue to make Georgia the best place in the country to live, work, and raise a family — not internal conflicts.”
In 2023, Georgia’s Republican Senate Caucus suspended Moore for attacking them for opposing his plan to impeach Willis for indicting Trump in an election interference case.
CLICK TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
“The Georgia RINOs responded to my call to fight back against the Trump witch hunts by acting like children and throwing me out of the caucus,” Moore wrote on X at the time. “But I’m not going anywhere.”
Moore was the most prominent backer of a special session to impeach and remove Willis or defund her office, winning Trump’s endorsement. Kemp denounced the call as “some grifter scam” to raise campaign contributions for Moore.
The Willis case eventually unraveled, due in part to her having a romantic relationship with a prosecutor she had hired.
Elon Musk says ‘entertainment is guaranteed’ after rocket debris streaks across sky
Rocket debris from a SpaceX’s Starship Super Heavy booster was spotted in the sky after a “rapid unscheduled disassembly” before part of the device successfully returned to its “chopsticks” for a second time.
The vehicle lifted off from SpaceX’s Starbase test site at Boca Chica, Texas. The booster then separated about two minutes and 45 seconds after liftoff and headed back towards Starbase, Space News reported.
The spacecraft’s six engines appeared to shut down one by one, with contact lost just 8 1/2 minutes into the flight, SpaceX said.
POWERFUL WEBB TELESCOPE CAPTURES MOST DISTANT KNOWN GALAXY, SCIENTISTS SAY
“Starship experienced a rapid unscheduled disassembly during its ascent burn,” SpaceX said in a statement. “Teams will continue to review data from today’s flight test to better understand root cause. With a test like this, success comes from what we learn, and today’s flight will help us improve Starship’s reliability.”
It was the seventh test flight for the powerful rocket.
The spacecraft was supposed to soar across the Gulf of Mexico from Texas on a near loop around the world similar to previous test flights. It was packed with 10 dummy satellites for practice at releasing them. It was the first flight of this new and upgraded spacecraft.
POWERFUL WEBB TELESCOPE SPIES SPECTACULAR STAR BIRTH CLUSTER BEYOND THE MILKY WAY
“It was great to see a booster come down, but we are obviously bummed out about ship,” said SpaceX spokesman Dan Huot.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) told Fox News Digital that it was assessing the operation.
“The FAA is aware an anomaly occurred during the SpaceX Starship Flight 7 mission that launched from Boca Chica, Texas, on Jan. 16,” the agency said. “The FAA briefly slowed and diverted aircraft around the area where space vehicle debris was falling. Normal operations have resumed.”
The last data received from the spacecraft indicated an altitude of 90 miles and a velocity of 13,245 mph.
The 400-foot rocket had thundered away in late afternoon from Boca Chica, near the Mexican border. Elon Musk said he plans to launch actual Starlinks on Starships before moving on to other satellites and, eventually, crews.
NASA Administrator Bill Nelson congratulated SpaceX, while noting that “spaceflight is not easy.”
“It’s anything but routine,” he wrote on X. “That’s why these tests are so important—each one bringing us closer on our path to the Moon and onward to Mars through.”
MERGER OF MASSIVE BLACK HOLES FROM EARLY UNIVERSE UNCOVERED BY WEBB TELESCOPE, SCIENTISTS SAY
Video footage of debris falling from the sky seemed to perplex people on the ground.
“Success is uncertain, but entertainment is guaranteed!” Musk wrote on X in response to one video posted online.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
In a subsequent post, he said that “improved versions of the ship & booster already waiting for launch.”
ESPN exec’s admission about decision not to air national anthem after terror attack
ESPN Vice President Burke Magnus addressed the backlash against his company for failing to broadcast the national anthem ahead of the Sugar Bowl on Jan. 2, one day after the New Orleans terror truck attack that killed 14 people.
Magnus called the failure to broadcast the national anthem an “enormous mistake,” blaming employees who were working in the Bristol, Connecticut, office at the time.
“There’s a group of people in Bristol who just made an enormous mistake, it was a human error, it happens. I don’t want to minimize it by any stretch,” Magnus said. “That was just a horrible error that was made by a group of really well-intentioned people who feel terrible about it.”
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM
Magnus also said the circumstances of the game, since it was delayed a day after the attack took place early on Jan. 1, affected the scheduling and timing of the people working on the broadcast.
“Nothing was normal about that next day, including our programming lineup,” Magnus said. “I could give you a whole host of reasons why it wasn’t the normal circumstance,” he said.
Magnus insisted that the company did not make a deliberate decision to not broadcast the national anthem.
EAGLES COACH CALLS OUT ‘LAZY’ TAKES ABOUT AJ BROWN AFTER HE’S CAUGHT READING BOOK DURING GAME
“The notion that it was somehow intentional or we were trying to avoid acknowledging what was a horrific situation in New Orleans was really misplaced. It was just a mistake that we feel terrible about and, by the way, we should be held to account for,” he said.
“Our timing got fouled up. We happened to be in commercial break when the anthem happened, it was just not good by any measuring stick and not up to our standards,” he said.
The failure to air the anthem was compounded by the decision to also air a controversial video message from Tom Wilson, the CEO of Allstate, which is the Sugar Bowl’s corporate sponsor.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
In the video, Wilson suggested Americans have an “addiction to divisiveness” and must “accept people’s imperfections and differences.” Many fans insisted they would cancel their Allstate insurance plans after the video aired. Allstate later deleted the video from its social media accounts.
The initial backlash to ESPN’s broadcast prompted the network to air the Sugar Bowl’s national anthem later in the week during a Thursday edition of “SportsCenter.”
Still, many fans considered the network’s gesture too late at that point. The network also made sure to air the national anthem ahead of the Jan. 9 Orange Bowl between Penn State and Notre Dame.
The company then aired a prayer ahead of the Cotton Bowl game between Ohio State and Texas on Jan. 10.