WATCH: President delivers speech from Oval Office as he closes out four years in the WH
President Biden delivered his farewell address to the nation Wednesday evening, taking a victory lap for the cease-fire deal between Israel and Hamas and warning Americans about an “oligarchy” in the U.S. that “threatens our entire democracy.”
“My fellow Americans, I’m speaking to you tonight from the Oval Office. Before I begin, let me speak to important news from earlier today. After eight months of nonstop negotiation, my administration — by my administration — a cease-fire and hostage deal has been reached by Israel and Hamas, the elements of which I laid out in great detail in May of this year,” Biden said in his opening remarks.
“This plan was developed and negotiated by my team and will be largely implemented by the incoming administration. That’s why I told my team to keep the incoming administration fully informed, because that’s how it should be, working together as Americans.”
Israel and Hamas reached a cease-fire agreement Wednesday that also ensured the release of hostages. A recent meeting between Trump’s incoming Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly played a pivotal role in the deal, sources told Fox News Digital.
PRESIDENT BIDEN RELEASES FAREWELL LETTER, SAYS IT’S BEEN ‘PRIVILEGE OF MY LIFE TO SERVE THIS NATION’
The president in his farewell address also warned Americans there is a “dangerous concentration of power in the hands of a very few ultra wealthy people.”
I want to warn the country of some things that give me great concern. … That’s a dangerous concentration of power in the hands of a very few ultra-wealthy people. The dangerous consequences if their abuse of power is left unchecked,” he said.
BIDEN BALKS WHEN ASKED IF TRUMP DESERVES CREDIT FOR ISRAEL-HAMAS CEASE-FIRE DEAL: ‘IS THAT A JOKE?’
“Today, 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.”
Biden will officially exit the Oval Office Jan. 20, when President-elect Trump will be sworn in as the 47th president around noon that day.
Biden’s speech also focused on the American dream and the “most powerful idea” that “all of us are created equal.”
“The very idea of America was so big, we felt the entire world needed to see. The Statue of Liberty, a gift from France after our Civil War. Like the very idea of America, it was built not by one person, but by many people, from every background and from around the world. Like America, the Statue of Liberty is not standing still. Her foot literally steps forward atop a broken chain of human bondage. She’s on the march, and she literally moves,” he said.
FOX NEWS GETS AN INSIDE LOOK AT IDF’S WAR AGAINST HAMAS
“A nation of pioneers and explorers, of dreamers and doers, of ancestors native to this land, of ancestors who came by force. A nation of immigrants came to build a better life, a nation holding a torch. The most powerful idea ever, in the history of the world, that all of us, all of us are created equal. That all of us deserve to be treated with dignity, justice and fairness. That democracy must defend and be defined and be imposed, moved in every way possible, our rights, our freedoms, our dreams.”
BIDEN SAYS HE’S BEEN CARRYING OUT ‘MOST AGGRESSIVE CLIMATE AGENDA’ IN HISTORY AS HE DESIGNATES CALIFORNIA MONUMENTS
Biden continued to call for a series of policies U.S. leaders should enact in the coming years, such as reforming the tax code to ensure billionaires “begin to pay their fair share” and to “amend the Constitution to make clear that no president, no president, is immune from crimes that he or she commits while in office.”
“We need to get dark money, that’s that hidden funding behind too many campaign contributions. We need to get it out of our politics. We need to enact an 18-year … term for the strongest ethics reform … for Supreme Court. We need to ban members of Congress from power, from trading stock while they’re in the Congress,” he said.
Biden has spent more than 50 years in public office, making his mark on the national map in 1972, President Richard Nixon’s landslide re-election year, when he beat a Republican incumbent in a long-shot Senate race in Delaware at the age of 29.
Biden served 36 years in the U.S. Senate, one of the longest Senate careers in the chamber’s history, before joining former President Barack Obama’s ticket during the 2008 election and serving as vice president for eight years.
“After 50 years of public service, I gave you my word. I still believe in the idea for which this nation stands. A nation where the strength of our institutions, the character of our people, matter and must endure. Now it’s your turn to stand guard. May you all be the keeper of the flame. May you keep the faith. I love America. You love it too. God bless you all. May God protect our troops. Thank you for this great honor,” Biden concluded.
BIDEN STILL REGRETS DROPPING OUT OF 2024 PRESIDENTIAL RACE, BELIEVES HE COULD HAVE BEATEN TRUMP: REPORT
DONALD TRUMP ELECTED AS THE NEXT PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES
The 46th president defeated Trump in the 2020 election and was about to square off against him again last year but abruptly dropped out of the presidential race as concerns surrounding his mental acuity mounted. Vice President Kamala Harris was quickly endorsed by Biden and other high-profile Democrats to take up the mantle as the party’s presidential nominee but lost the election as Trump swept all seven battleground states.
Biden has been an outspoken and repeated critic of Trump, calling him a “genuine threat to this nation,” but vowed to ensure a peaceful transfer of power and that, “of course,” he will attend Trump’s inauguration.
A Fox News Poll released Wednesday found Trump is the most popular he’s ever been.
FOX NEWS POLL: TRUMP IS THE MOST POPULAR HE’S EVER BEEN
The poll found that 52% of voters approve of Trump’s handling of the transition, while 46% disapprove, which is a reversal from 2017, when just 37% approved and 54% disapproved.
NEW POLLS SHOW BIDEN LEAVING OFFICE WITH APPROVAL RATINGS STILL BURIED DEEP IN NEGATIVE TERRITORY
A CNN poll conducted by SSRS found 36% of Americans approve of the job Biden is doing in the White House, and 64% reported they disapprove.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
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.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
“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.
Actress warns fans of new threat amid devastating wildfires
Ricki Lake has a warning for fans as she and others are working to rebuild their lives after the devastating Los Angeles fires.
In a video shared on her Instagram, the “Hairspray” star said things were “surreal” at the moment, especially after she learned “that there was a post, [posing] as me, asking for money.”
“I am not asking for any money for myself,” Lake clarified. “I don’t even know what happened, but it seemed that maybe the post was gone.”
CALIFORNIA WILDFIRES: ESSENTIAL PHONE NUMBERS FOR LOS ANGELES-AREA RESIDENTS AND HOW YOU CAN HELP THEM
She added she plans to make donations to “a number of organizations” and hopes to set up a fund-match system for anyone looking to contribute, but was clear she was not seeking any money from the public for herself.
APP USERS CLICK HERE TO VIEW POST
View this post on Instagram
“If you see a GoFundMe with my name attached asking for money, that is not me,” she said.
Lake lost her Malibu home last week in the Palisades Fire, telling fans it had been her “dream home.”
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE ENTERTAINMENT NEWSLETTER
“It’s all gone,” she wrote, beneath a series of photos of her home before the fire. “I can’t believe I am typing these words.” Lake said “a valiant and brave effort” was made by their friend to save the home, but they unfortunately did not succeed. “The place where we planned to grow old together. We never took our heavenly spot on the bluff overlooking our beloved malibu for granted, not even for one second. I shared our sunset views almost daily with all of you.”
In her latest video post, the former talk show host admitted she was at a loss for words.
“I’m so deeply moved by love and support that I’ve felt from the world,” she said. “It has been… I don’t have the words. I’m a f—ing talk show host! And I have no words for what we are all experiencing as a community in Los Angeles.”
LIKE WHAT YOU’RE READING? CLICK HERE FOR MORE ENTERTAINMENT NEWS
She continued, “I just wanted to connect and say thank you, thank you for keeping us in your thoughts and prayers. And we will recover, we will.”
At one point, the 56-year-old became emotional, saying, “My heart bleeds for the people that are going through this alongside me, and I know that I am one of the lucky ones in many ways. But I am devastated. I’m devastated for my community. I’m struggling, but I’m also OK.”
Lake, who previously lost a home to a fire in 2010, said, “This one was different. This one is different. This is our whole community and town and city. And this one, I can’t believe it’s been a week. In ways, it feels like it was last night, and in ways, it feels like it was five years ago. But I haven’t slept much. I look like I’ve aged.”
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
She concluded her video, telling fans, “I just send my heartfelt condolences and love to my fellow humans and animals. Don’t even get me started on the animals. This is deep, this stuff, guys, but we are going to rise as a community and as a human family. We are going to get through this together. The kindness, the stories I’m seeing on social media, the goodness that is out there…
“That’s it, I love you guys. I love everybody. I love all humans and all four-legged creatures and flying things and trees, and I want us to be even stronger.”
Top five moments from Marco Rubio’s Senate confirmation hearing
Florida’s Republican Sen. Marco Rubio sailed through his confirmation hearing with the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Wednesday, all but assuring he will assume the role of top diplomat under the new Trump administration later this month.
Rubio’s confirmation hearing — a process usually full of verbal diatribes, strong political agendas and illusive answers — was full of pleasantries, with both Democratic and Republican lawmakers applauding his work in the Senate and his in-depth knowledge of complex issues across the globe.
Here were the top moments from Rubio’s hearing.
RUBIO TO PITCH FOREIGN POLICY CREDENTIALS TO SENATE AS HE VIES TO BECOME AMERICA’S TOP DIPLOMAT
PROTESTERS
While Rubio may have been welcomed by his Senate colleagues, his hearing wasn’t entirely contention-free.
The secretary of state-hopeful’s opening remarks were interrupted by several protesters affiliated with a group known as Code Pink, who were protesting the Israel-Hamas war and wore pink shirts that read “stop killing the children of Gaza.”
Two of the demonstrators forced to leave the chamber were male, before a female protester also stood up and yelled out in Spanish.
She was quickly escorted from the room and the hearing promptly restarted.
“I get bilingual protesters,” Rubio said to the panel of senators with a grin before resuming his remarks.
IN JEST
Rubio’s quip about the protesters appeared to set the tone for his hearing.
Though Rubio faced tough questions about detailed geopolitical issues on nearly every continent, lawmakers on both sides of the aisle also joked around with their Senate colleague.
Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., introduced Rubio at the top of the hearing and quipped that “finally” he will get to be the senior senator of Florida after the duo have served together in the upper chamber since 2019.
Sen. Cory Booker , D-N.J., drew chuckles when he said, “Sen. Rubio, the President [elect] made a great decision in choosing you. You’re a thought leader in foreign policy. I, however, don’t think most Americans know how great of a thought leader you are in NCAA, NFL and high school football, and I’m a little disappointed that you’re not going to the head of the NCAA right now.”
To which Rubio replied, “Not yet,” garnering laughs from the room.
In another bipartisan moment rarely seen during Cabinet nomination hearings, Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., told a touching story from one of her first encounters with Rubio — a stark contrast to her questioning of defense secretary nominee Pete Hegseth the day prior.
In 2018, not only was Duckworth relatively new to the upper chamber, but the soon-to-be new mom was also pushing the congressional body to change its rules and allow new parents to bring their infant onto the Senate floor during a vote.
Duckworth, who is physically disabled after surviving a 2004 RPG attack on her helicopter in Iraq, described rolling across the Senate floor in her wheelchair when she heard someone call out her name.
“And you came running down from the top back of the Senate chambers to tell me, ‘I’m with you. I will support you’,” she said. “And I just want to thank you for that kindness… It was a moment of true bipartisanship.”
Rubio responded and said, “I think what I exactly said is, ‘What’s the big deal? This place is already full of babies,'” once again drawing laughs.
INTERNATIONAL UNDERWATER CABLE ATTACKS BY RUSSIA, CHINA ARE NO ‘MERE COINCIDENCE’ WARNS EU’S TOP DIPLOMAT
SERIOUS MATTERS
The five-hour hearing wasn’t all fun and levity, as Rubio was pressed on issues with major security implications like the war in Ukraine, China, NATO and Artic security.
Rubio surprised no one with his tough-on-China approach and his commitment to remaining a strong ally of NATO’s.
However, one area senators may have hoped Rubio would have come out more definitively was over what continued support for Ukraine may look like and how the incoming Trump administration will handle the question of Ukraine becoming a NATO member.
Both Ukraine and Russia have signaled they are open to negotiating a cease-fire. But securing a lasting peace deal could be difficult as Ukraine entering the NATO alliance has been deemed a non-negotiable by both Kyiv — who wants the alliance’s security — and Moscow — which has fervently opposed Ukrainian NATO membership.
“The truth of the matter is that in this conflict there is no way Russia takes all of Ukraine. The Ukrainians are too brave, and fight too hard, and the country is too big,” Rubio said.
But he added that “there’s no way Ukraine is also pushing these people [Russians] all the way back to where they were on the eve of the invasion.”
Rubio pointed out that Ukraine will not be able to keep up with the sheer number of bodies that Russia can throw in to the war.
“It’s important for everyone to be realistic. There will have to be concessions,” he said. “This is not going to be easy. “[It’s] going to require a lot of hard diplomacy.”
TRUMP CABINET PICKS PAM BONDI, MARCO RUBIO, OTHERS FACED A FULL DAY OF QUESTIONS FROM SENATORS
THE CHINA PROBLEM
The security threats surrounding China came up in nearly every issue Rubio was asked to address, including its growing presence in Africa and Latin America, its oppressive practices in the South China Sea, concerns over trade, human rights abuses, tech and its growing relationships with other adversarial nations.
But one issue newer to headlines as of late is China’s involvement in the Panama Canal.
“This is something that’s existed now for at least a decade in my service,” he said, referring to a 2017 trip he took to Panama. “Chinese companies control port facilities at both ends of the canal — the east and the west. And the concerns among military officials and security officials, including in Panama, at that point, [was] that could one day be used as a choke point to impede commerce in a moment of conflict.”
“This is a legitimate issue that needs to be confronted,” Rubio added.
The issue of Chinese control over the major waterway resurfaced earlier this month when Trump refused to say whether he would rule out military intervention in the Panama Canal.
Rubio was pressed on the subject multiple times, though he was clear that he was not yet at a point where he knew enough about the legal parameters of U.S. intervention in Panama to give a thorough response.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
KAINE GUSHES
Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., applauded Rubio for being “extremely well-prepared” for his confirmation hearing as the next secretary of state — a stark contrast to his tense engagement with Hegseth during the hearing a day prior.
“We’re used to seeing nominees who know a lot about a couple of things, and sometimes, who know very little about virtually everything,” he said. “But I think you’ve seen a hearing with a nominee who — agree or disagree with the points he’s made — he’s not talking out of a briefing book.
“He’s not having a thumb through a binder to decide how to answer a particular question,” Kaine continued. “I’ve always been struck by working with Sen. Rubio on this committee, since I came to the Senate in January 2013, that he has a very well-developed sense of the world and a passion in all corners of it.”
Kaine’s sentiment appeared to be shared by the entirety of the committee, and many of the senators expressed confidence that Rubio will be unanimously confirmed for the top job.
The possible reason why Michelle Obama is skipping Trump’s inauguration
Former first lady Michelle Obama is skipping President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration next week, allegedly to avoid having to hide her disdain for the incoming president, according to new reports.
“There’s no overstating her feelings about [Trump]. She’s not one to plaster on a pleasant face and pretend for protocol’s sake,” a source close to the former first lady told People Magazine. “Michelle doesn’t do anything because it’s expected or it’s protocol or it’s tradition.”
“She served in the public eye and did all the public good that she could for eight years as first lady,” the source said of Obama fulfilling her duties at Trump’s 2017 inauguration. “You’ll see her when she has a project or cause to promote but she doesn’t feel the need to be a public figure anymore,” they continued.
Longtime allies of Michelle Obama also told The Hill they believed her decision to skip the inauguration was an act of resistance.
MICHELLE OBAMA TO SKIP TRUMP INAUGURATION, 11 DAYS AFTER MISSING CARTER FUNERAL
“She meant every word she said on the campaign trail with every fiber of her being,” one ally said in the report. “And she’s no hypocrite.”
Another longtime aide speculated Obama was “saving some credibility” by avoiding Trump.
The former first lady repeatedly took jabs at Trump while on the campaign trail for Vice President Kamala Harris and during her speeches at the Democratic National Convention in August. In one speech at the DNC, she accused Trump of spreading “racist lies” and opposing her husband’s political career because of his race.
While she will not be in attendance, her husband, former President Barack Obama, is scheduled to attend the Jan. 20 inauguration event along with former presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush and their spouses.
TRUMP, OBAMA CHATTING AND LAUGHING AT CARTER FUNERAL LIGHTS UP SOCIAL MEDIA
In 2021, Trump notably broke tradition by not attending President Biden’s inauguration, joining just a handful of presidents throughout U.S. history who’ve failed to attend the inaugurations of their successors.
This will be the second time in two weeks that Michelle Obama has skipped a gathering of former presidents and their spouses. Obama did not attend former President Jimmy Carter’s funeral last week alongside her husband, who was seated next to Trump.
Her advisers told CNN’s Jeff Zeleny that she was not present at the funeral due to a scheduling conflict and was in Hawaii on an extended vacation.
The Obama Foundation did not immediately return a request for comment.
CLICK HERE FOR THE LATEST MEDIA AND CULTURE NEWS
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
The news of Michelle Obama skipping Trump’s inauguration comes after former first lady Melania Trump revealed that she and her husband did not get enough information from the Obama administration about moving into the White House back in January 2017.
“The difference is, I know where I will be going. I know the rooms where we will be living. I know the processes,” the former first lady told “Fox & Friends” co-host Ainsley Earhardt on Monday.
“The first time was challenging. We didn’t have much of the information, the information was upheld from us from the previous administration. But this time I have everything. I have the plans. I could move in. I already packed. I already selected the furniture that needs to go in. So it’s a very different transition this time, second time around.”
AOC laments state of her party after Dems vote for trans athlete ban bill
A tough stretch for Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., got worse Tuesday when she watched members of her party vote for a bill she attacked at the expense of widespread mockery.
Ocasio-Cortez’s viral rant against the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act wasn’t enough to convince Democratic allies Henry Cuellar and Vicente Gonzalez, both of Texas, to vote against the bill. Cuellar and Gonzalez joined 218 House Republicans who voted for the bill that seeks to prevent federally funded educational institutions from allowing transgender athletes to compete in girls and women’s sports.
For Ocasio-Cortez, the notion of Democratic congressmen voting for a Republican-backed bill before President-elect Trump even returns to office suggests her party is “not in good shape.”
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM
“We can’t be ninnies about this,” Ocasio-Cortez told The Independent Tuesday. “These are just the early days. Trump hasn’t even been sworn in yet, and if a little bitty sports bill was gonna make Dems defect, we’re not in good shape.”
Ocasio-Cortez advised Democrats not to be “ninnies” the same day she delivered a widely-mocked tirade that contained multiple unsubstantiated claims and unfinished sentences. Her rant prompted multiple viral social media responses that labeled her “the dumbest person in congress.”
For Ocasio-Cortez, it marks a poor start to 2025 after a rough 2024. Despite winning re-election to her House seat in New York, Ocasio-Cortez watched members of her coalition, “the Squad,” lose their seats, including Jamaal Bowman in New York and Cori Bush in Missouri.
Ocasio-Cortez also lost in her bid to become the top Democrat on the House Oversight and Accountability Committee, getting passed over by Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va.
What’s more, Ocasio-Cortez was frequently the subject of viral social media mockery, often for her unchanging stance on transgender inclusion in women’s and girls sports.
HOW TRANSGENDERISM IN SPORTS SHIFTED THE 2024 ELECTION AND IGNITED A NATIONAL COUNTERCULTURE
In November, Ocasio-Cortez reshared a video of Green Party vice presidential candidate Butch Ware speaking out against transgender inclusion in women’s sports with a caption that said, “This ticket is predatory and people deserve better.” The post prompted heated backlash on social media.
“AOC says it’s predatory behavior to not want men competing in women’s sports. To AOC, acknowledging biological reality is ‘predatory.’ You know what’s actually predatory? Sexualizing children and normalizing pedophilia,” conservative influencer and former NCAA swimmer Riley Gaines wrote on X while posting a Fox News Digital article about Ocasio-Cortez’s comments.
The mockery of Ocasio-Cortez picked up weeks after the election when X users discovered she no longer includes her pronouns “she/her” in her bio.
Ocasio-Cortez is one of many prominent Democrats who remain firmly supportive of transgender inclusion in women’s sports, even as the issue proved to be a vulnerability for Democrats in November’s election.
Many Democrats who spoke out against the bill Tuesday did not argue on the premise that transgender athletes should be allowed in women’s and girls sports. Instead, they argued the measures preventing transgender inclusion will subject girls to genital examinations and sexual predators despite no language in the bill that would suggest genital examinations for girls in sports.
Ocasio-Cortez included that unsubstantiated claim in her rant Tuesday but gave a shout-out to transgender athletes when she yelled “Trans girls are girls!” on the House of Representatives floor.
Ocasio-Cortez has previously co-sponsored the Equality Act, which was proposed in 2019 and has had revisions that “would force public schools to allow biologically male athletes who identify as transgender on girls sports teams.” In March 2023, Democrats, including Ocasio-Cortez, proposed a resolution “recognizing that it is the duty of the Federal Government to develop and implement a Transgender Bill of Rights.”
Unlike Ocasio-Cortez, other Democratic House representatives have publicly pulled back on their support for transgender inclusion, including Rep. Seth Moulton, D-Mass.; Rep. Colin Allred, D-Texas; and Rep. Tom Suozzi, D-N.Y. Still, each of those Democrats voted against the bill Tuesday.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
A national exit poll conducted by the Concerned Women for America legislative action committee found that 70% of moderate voters viewed “Donald Trump’s opposition to transgender boys and men playing girls’ and women’s sports and of transgender boys and men using girls’ and women’s bathrooms” as important to them. And 6% said it was the most important issue of all, while 44% said it was “very important.”
In June, a survey conducted by NORC at the University of Chicago asked respondents to weigh in on whether transgender athletes of both sexes should be permitted to participate in sports leagues that correspond to their preferred gender identity instead of their biological sex.
In that survey, 65% answered that it should either be never or rarely allowed. When those polled were asked specifically about adult transgender female athletes competing on women’s sports teams, 69% opposed it.
Jill Biden addresses Nancy Pelosi’s role in forcing the president out of 2024 race
As she prepares to exit the White House, first lady Jill Biden reflected on her relationships during an interview with The Washington Post, and revealed she was disappointed in former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., who played a big role in the president dropping out of the 2024 race.
“It’s been on my mind a lot lately, and—” the first lady said. “We were friends for . It was disappointing,” she told the Post in a piece published Wednesday.
Pelosi joined the co-hosts of “Morning Joe” in July, following the president’s disastrous debate performance, and said, “It’s up to the president to decide if he is going to run,” despite Biden’s repeated assurance that he would remain in the race.
“Let’s just say I was disappointed with how it unfolded,” the first lady said.
PELOSI DEMURS ON IF ‘EVERYTHING IS OK’ BETWEEN HER AND BIDEN: ‘YOU’D HAVE TO ASK HIM’
Pelosi was seen as a major force behind the Democratic pressure campaign to get the president to drop out of the race — and has lamented after Vice President Kamala Harris’ loss to President-elect Trump that Biden should have dropped out sooner.
Amid the speculation that Biden would drop out following the June debate, despite him saying that he wouldn’t, The Associated Press reported that leaders within the Democratic Party, such as former President Obama, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Pelosi reportedly worked behind-the-scenes to encourage Biden to drop out due to concerns he would not defeat Trump.
Jill Biden told The Washington Post she was confident her husband could have served another four years.
“I mean, today, I think he has a full schedule. He started early with interviews and briefings, and it just keeps going,” she said.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF MEDIA AND CULTURE
Biden had told USA Today last week that he wasn’t sure if he could have served another term.
“Who the hell knows? So far, so good. But who knows what I’m going to be when I’m 86 years old?” he said.
Jill Biden also spoke to The Washington Post about the president’s decision to pardon their son, Hunter.
“Joe really wrestled with that decision,” the first lady said. “I mean, we started— he started at the point where he said he wasn’t going to pardon Hunter. But then I think things changed. Circumstances changed, and it became quite apparent and obvious that the Republicans weren’t going to stop.”
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Pelosi’s office did not immediately return Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Eagles fan breaks silence after vile tirade against female Packers supporter
Philadelphia Eagles fan Ryan Caldwell addressed his behavior at the team’s playoff game against the Packers Sunday, when he was seen on video berating a Packers fan who sat near him with vulgar insults.
Caldwell was fired from his job as a project manager at BCT Partners after a video of his insults went viral. He has apologized but also defended himself by insisting his actions “were not without provocation” and that the viral video “does not show the full context” of what happened.
“While attending an NFL game last Sunday to support my beloved Philadelphia Eagles, an incident occurred that I deeply regret,” Caldwell said in a statement to the New York Post.
“What began as banter with two Packers fans sitting near me escalated to something more serious, and I said things that were unacceptable. In the heat of the moment, I chose unforgiving words to address one of the fans, Ms. Ally Keller.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM
“I want to sincerely apologize to Ms. Keller for those words, and to my wife, family, and friends, my former employer and colleagues, Packer fans, Eagle fans, the Philadelphia Eagles, the City of Philadelphia, and all who were offended. That said, there are two sides to every story.
“The video clip circulating online does not reflect the full context of what transpired, and my actions were not without provocation. I will live with this experience, and I am certainly paying a personal price. For those who don’t know me, this incident does not reflect my values or the respect I have for others and is not indicative of the person I am.”
The viral video was filmed by Keller’s fiancé, Alexander Basara, and spread rapidly across the internet in the days after the Eagles’ 22-10 win.
Caldwell’s apology and news of his firing prompted a wave of celebration and mockery by sports fans on social media.
“Ok, that excuse may be ok from a random, drunk dude who wandered into the stadium that day. But someone whose job it was to be inclusive? Hahahahahaha They are now on the job search, and they are gonna have a hard to getting said employment,” the user wrote.
EAGLES COACH CALLS OUT ‘LAZY’ TAKES ABOUT AJ BROWN AFTER HE’S CAUGHT READING BOOK DURING GAME
Another X user “loved” seeing the consequences that have befallen Caldwell in recent days.
“I absolutely love how Ryan Caldwell, the Philly Eagles fan who abused a woman for no reason, has had his life ‘flipped upside down,’” the user wrote. “Hope it gets worse for you, Ryan.”
Another X user described the public response to Caldwell’s verbal attack as “social media justice.”
“Philadelphia Eagles fan Ryan Caldwell has been FIRED from his job at BCT Partners due to the altercation he had with a Packers fan at last week’s game, which has been playing all over the internet. This isn’t social justice, it’s SOCIAL MEDIA JUSTICE,” the user wrote.
One X user wrote that Caldwell’s behavior is not an isolated incident, and similar language comes from the mouths of Eagles fans often.
“And Eagles fans wonder why everyone hates them and their team. This is not an isolated incident for someone showing up there to support an opposing team. Stuff like this happens all the time there,” the user wrote.
Conservative filmmaker Matt Walsh even weighed in on the controversy.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
“A few things here. 1) The Eagles fan is a stupid trashy goon. 2) Don’t bring your fiance to a game in Philadelphia wearing the opposing team’s jersey. You’re asking for something like this to happen. 3) You can’t let a man talk to your woman like that. You’re going to have to live with that shame for the rest of your life,” Walsh wrote on X.
Eagles fans have a long history of unruly behavior.
The franchise’s former home, Veterans Stadium, had an on-site judicial court and jail cells to deal with law-breaking fans.
During a loss against the San Francisco 49ers in November 1997, one fan infamously shot a flare gun into the crowd. Multiple fights broke out among fans at the game, and team owner Jeffrie Lurie addressed the incident.
“In spite of the fact that we feel we have made significant strides in recent years with regard to fan conduct at Veterans Stadium, what we witnessed this past Monday was undoubtedly a step backward,” Lurie told reporters at the time.
The Eagles host the Los Angeles Rams Sunday for the right to advance to the NFC championship game.