Security clearances for those who covered up Hunter Biden laptop scandal revoked
President Donald Trump pulled the security clearances of more than 50 national security officials who said Hunter Biden’s laptop had “all the classic earmarks of a Russian information operation.”
A total of 51 former national security officials released a public letter in 2020 claiming that even though the laptop did not have “any evidence of Russian involvement,” it looked like a “Russian information operation.”
The letter came after the New York Post reported they had emails showing Hunter Biden coordinated for Joe Biden to meet with a top executive at Ukrainian energy company Burisma months before pressuring Ukrainian officials to oust a prosecutor investigating the company.
REPUBLICAN SENATOR SAYS TRUMP SHOULD NOT PARDON HUNTER BIDEN
Included on the list are former director of National Intelligence James Clapper Jr., former directors of the Central Intelligence Agency Michael Hayden, John Brennan, former Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta, and former National Security Advisor John Bolton.
Fox News Digital previously reported that federal investigators with the Department of Justice were aware that Hunter Biden’s laptop was not manipulated and contained “reliable evidence.”
Republican lawmakers including Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina have previously suggested withdrawing the security clearances of these officials.
BIDEN COMMITTED ‘IMPEACHABLE CONDUCT,’ DEFRAUDED UNITED STATES TO ENRICH HIS FAMILY’: HOUSE GOP REPORT
The order was one of more than 200 executive orders Trump approved on Inauguration Day, joining directives like withdrawing the U.S. from the Paris Climate Agreement that the U.S. initially entered under former President Barack Obama’s administration in 2015.
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Trump previously withdrew the U.S. from the agreement during his first term in 2020.
Other executive orders Trump signed on day one include rescinding nearly 80 executive orders and memoranda issued under Biden, issuing a regulatory and hiring freeze upon the federal government, preventing “government censorship” of free speech, and directing every department and agency to address the cost of living crisis.
White House hints at ‘massive’ announcement from President Trump on first full day in office
President Trump plans to announce a “massive” new infrastructure initiative on his first full day in office, the White House teased Tuesday.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt teased the announcement during an interview on “FOX & Friends” Tuesday morning. She said Trump will hold an event at 4 p.m. to detail the initiative.
Leavitt confirmed that the initiative does not relate to the wildfires in California, as Trump has already signed executive orders relating to that crisis.
Trump has signed dozens of executive orders since he was sworn into office on Monday, advancing his administration’s goals on issues from illegal immigration to withdrawing from the World Health Organization.
President Donald Trump and his family are attending a prayer service at the National Cathedral in Washington D.C. to kick off his first full day as the 47th president of the United States.,
Since the inauguration of former President Franklin Roosevelt in 1933, newly sworn-in presidents and their second in command have attended a prayer service to mark their first day in office.
Trump will attend the service at 11 am on Tuesday, where Vice President Vance and his family will also be in attendance. Several other government and community leaders were also invited to attend this year’s service
The service will be held to “will welcome our interfaith and ecumenical partners to pray for guidance in the years ahead,” according to the National Cathedral website. The service will be led by Washington Episcopal Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde, Cathedral Dean Randy Hollerith and Bishop Ann Ritonia.
Senate Finance Committee lawmakers voted Tuesday to confirm President Donald Trump’s nominee for Treasury secretary, Scott Bessent, a 16-11 vote of approval that sends his confirmation to the Senate for a full floor vote.
Democrat Sens. Maggie Hassan and Mark Warner joined Republicans on the panel to vote in favor of Bessent, Fox News has learned.
Before lawmakers voted Tuesday, Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kansas, praised Bessent as a leader who “understands the challenges of everyday families.”
“He’s a person who’s lived the American dream,” Marshall said of Bessent.
Speaking to Senate lawmakers last week, Bessent outlined his desire to extend Trump’s 2017 individual tax cuts, defended Trump’s proposed tariffs, and urged harsher Russian sanctions, particularly on its oil sector.
Reporting by Fox News’s Breanne Deppisch and Fox News Radio’s Ryan Schmelz.
President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for U.N. ambassador, Rep Elise Stefanik, R-NY., has the ability to make a big change at the world body if she takes a serious look at US funding to the world body.
As Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., appears Tuesday before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to seek confirmation to Donald Trump’s Cabinet as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, several former diplomats who spoke to Fox News Digital say that an immediate concern for her should be reining in U.S. expenditures at the world body.
Outflows to the organization grew from $11.6 billion in 2020 to $18.1 billion in 2022, when the U.S. covered one-third of the total UN budget.
A former senior U.S. diplomat told Fox News Digital on condition of anonymity that, with “many different tasks in front of her, [Stefanik] will need to be selective about what she really wants to pursue.” The diplomat cited chief areas of concern as cronyism and corruption, and employing more Americans at the UN.
He said the UN is “an organization that doesn’t align often with U.S. foreign policy,” which makes it “kind of weird to be pouring in all this money,” and then “seeing a lot of anti-American sentiment and support of causes that we take issue with.”
Scott Bessent, President-elect Donald 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 during his first confirmation hearing last week.
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 Thursday. “Mr. Musk came to the country as an immigrant.”
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.
Senate Finance Committee lawmakers are voting now on the confirmation of President Donald Trump’s nominee for Treasury secretary, Scott Bessent.
Bessent, a billionaire political donor, investor, and businessman who formerly worked with George Soros, said at his confirmation haring that fiscal spending is “out of control,” and endorsed harsher Russian sanctions, among other things.
“I was chagrined yesterday that there was no mention in our address by President Trump about veterans,” Blumenthal, D-Conn., the top Democrat on the Veterans’ Affairs Committee, said at the start of a confirmation hearing for VA secretary nominee Doug Collins.
“I was disappointed to see in the executive orders that a hiring freeze will be opposed, apparently, on the VA. I am hopeful that you Congressman Collins, I’m going to be very blunt will be the kind of advocate for VA and our veterans will need in this administration. There will be potentially heavy pressures on you to cut and slash to reduce access and eligibility, because the VA frankly is a target rich environment for cost cutters.”
He warned Collins to fight back on President Donald Trump’s cost-cutting efforts.
A day one executive order signed by Trump directs federal agencies not to fill any vacant federal positions or create any new roles, except those deemed essential for national security matters. He also directed the Office of Personnel Management, Office of Management and Budget to work with the Department of Government Efficiency to submit a plan for reducing the size of the federal government “through efficiency improvements and attrition.”
“I hope you’ll push back strongly on inappropriate influences that operate outside of well-established federal transparency rules,” he said. “There will undoubtedly be pressure on you to scale back and cut costs at every opportunity but I can’t emphasize how important it will be to me and I hope all of us on this committee that you fight those efforts with every fiber of your being.”
President Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the Treasury Department, Scott Bessent, challenged Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., about whether the U.S. and China are facing a clean energy race against one another during his first confirmation hearing last week.
Wyden questioned Bessent, who appeared before the Senate Finance Committee on Thursday for a confirmation hearing, about whether he would back the Trump administration to advance policies to promote natural oil and gas.
“We are in a clean arms race in clean energy with China,” Wyden said. “Are you going to be on the side of people who want to unravel this?”
“Just so we can frame this for everyone in this room – China will build one hundred new coal plants this year,” Bessent said. “There is not a clean energy race. There’s an energy race.”
Newly sworn in Secretary of State State Marco Rubio
said he would take “15 seconds” to speak in Spanish during his ceremony and said “I know a lot of the people back home would be very proud, and I want to make sure I acknowledge that.”
In Spanish Rubio said, “I give thanks to God, to my family, including my family who is not here with us today.”
“To my dad, who came to this country in 1956. And the purpose of his life was that we would be able to live the dream that wasn’t possible for him. It’s an incredible honor to be the Secretary of State of the most powerful and best country in the history of all humanity,” he added.
Rubio also thanked President Donald Trump
for the opportunity, before then switching back to English, at which pointed he turned to Vice President JD Vance and joked, “I just said I saved a bunch of money by switching to Geico,” drawing laughs from the room.
Danielle Wallace contributed to this post.
Two of President Trump’s cabinet nominees are set to be grilled by members of the Senate on Tuesday afternoon, marking the first confirmation hearings of the first full day of the new Republican administration.
Former Rep. Doug Collins, Trump’s pick to head the Veterans Affairs Department, and Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., Trump’s nominee to be the next U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, will both begin their confirmation hearings around 10 am EST.
Collins, an Air Force Reserve chaplain, will testify before the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, while Stefanik faces questioning from members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
Several of Trump’s key nominees underwent confirmation hearings last week, with Sen. Marco Rubio being the first to be officially confirmed as Secretary of State of Tuesday. Still awaiting confirmation are Secretary of Defense nominee Pete Hegseth, Attorney General nominee Pam Bondi, and Secretary of Interior Doug Burgum.
Two more of President Donald Trump’s nominees will face questions from senators Tuesday, while a third, Treasury nominee Scott Bessent, will get a committee vote.
Former Rep. Doug Collins, an Air Force Reserve chaplain, will testify before the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee as he seeks confirmation to lead the Veterans Affairs Department.
And Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., will appear before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee as Trump’s nominee to be the next U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.
The Senate Finance Committee, meanwhile, will convene at 10:15 a.m. and vote on whether to advance Bessent’s nomination to be secretary of the Treasury. Collins will be the first potential cabinet official to receive a hearing after Trump’s whirlwind of a first day in office.
After announcing that a “Golden Age of America” had begun in his inaugural address, the president swiftly took more than 200 executive actions on Monday to see his policy vision come to life. It remains for the Senate to confirm the key officials who will carry out Trump’s orders.
This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News’ Chris Pandolfo.
Florida Republican Marco Rubio was sworn in as the next Secretary of State on Tuesday by Vice President JD Vance on Tuesday.
Standing alongside his wife, Jeanette, who he thanked for her support, Rubio pledged to uphold the “promises” made by Donald Trump from the campaign trail.
“His primary promise when it comes to foreign policy is that the priority of the United States Department of State will be the United States – it will be furthering the national interest of this country,” he told reporters following his swearing in ceremony. “He’s given us a very clear mandate.
“Everything we do must be justified by the answer to one of three questions, does it make us stronger? Does it make us safer? And does it make us more prosperous? If it doesn’t do one of those three things, we will not do it,” Rubio said.
Rubio, who sailed through this confirmation hearing in front of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations last week, was the first to be approved to President Trump’s Cabinet after the upper chamber unanimously voted to approve his appointment on Monday.
Rubio served as U.S. senator since 2011 prior to this nomination by Trump last year following his November win for the White House.
The Florida Republican is among the least divisive figures Trump Cabinet choices, enjoying bipartisan support and confirmed unanimously Monday.
President Donald Trump used his first day back in the White House to sign a flurry of new memos, executive orders and rollbacks of Biden-era policies, delivering on what the administration described as his promises to U.S. voters.
The White House social media accounts, which now officially belong to the Trump administration, highlighted the many new actions Trump took on his first day in office.
The White House noted on X that Trump used the afternoon to sign more than 40 executive orders and memos, launch over 200 executive actions, and speak to reporters for some 60 minutes in an Oval Office briefing.
“Promises Made, Promises KEPT,” the White House account added.
The actions include pardons of more than 1,000 persons convicted in the January 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol, a national emergency declaration the U.S.-Mexico border, and withdrawing the U.S., for the second time, from the Paris climate accord.
“With these actions, we will begin the complete restoration of America and the revolution of common sense,” Trump said during his inaugural ceremony remarks. “The Golden Age of America begins right now.”
Congressional Republican leaders are meeting with President Donald Trump at the White House on Tuesday afternoon to discuss his agenda, sources told Fox News Digital.
The top four House GOP leaders – Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., and House GOP Conference Chair Lisa McClain, R-Mich. – are all expected to attend, Fox News Digital was told.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., and Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso, R-Wyo., are also reportedly attending.
The meeting is scheduled to occur at 3 p.m. ET, after Trump meets privately with Johnson and Thune. It comes a day after Trump signed a flurry of executive orders rolling back former President Biden’s policies and installing several of his own on issues like border security and immigration.
Meanwhile on Capitol Hill, Republicans have been debating how to proceed with a massive conservative policy overhaul using a process known as budget reconciliation – which will require buy-in from nearly all GOP lawmakers in the House and Senate.
Donald Trump supporters who attended the president’s parade at Capital One Arena in downtown D.C. on Inauguration Day and in the weekend festivities shared their experiences braving the freezing temperatures in the nation’s capital.
“This morning we got up at 4. We got on the train at 5 [in the morning] and got here, and already the line was forming,” one Trump supporter said, noting they traveled from Texas to attend. “We stayed in the cold weather for five hours.”
The cold was so punishing Sunday that D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser activated a city-wide hypothermia alert— which did nothing to deter Trump’s supporters.
Gina Raper, a Trump fan from North Carolina, told Fox News
that she arrived as early as Friday to attend Trump’s Sunday rally ahead of the formal swearing-in ceremony and “stood out all day in the rain” to secure a seat there.
“Then we were there at, like, 4:30 or 5 this morning, all day” Monday ensure they got to attend the parade as well, she said.
The back-to-back events at Capital One arena served largely as victory laps, both for the president and for his longtime fans.
Rallygoers descended into Washington in droves and saw their endurance tested by the sheets of rain, sleet and snow that came in waves as temperatures plummeted.
Still, lines to get in the door wrapped around city blocks
and weaved through miles of 10-foot fencing designed to block off roads and bolster security. Wait times varied, but most waited for hours.
When asked what they hope to see out of the new Trump administration, the supporters who spoke to Fox News Digital highlighted Trump’s plans to secure the border and “rebuild” the military.
One supporter said he was hoping to see the new Trump administration challenge the pharmaceutical and food industries, which are priorities of Trump’s nominee for Health and Human Services secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Reporting by Breanne Deppisch and Alec Schemmel
President Trump’s famous “Diet Coke Button” was spotted on the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office at the White House again on Monday after the inauguration.
The White House has brought back the famous Diet Coke button so that President Donald Trump can order his drink of choice easily from the Oval Office.
The red button, which is hidden in a wooden box and was used by Trump during his first term, was again spotted on the Resolute Desk after he was sworn in as the 47th president Monday, the Wall Street Journal reported.
The Oval Office, where presidents meet with foreign heads of state, congressional leaders and deliver the presidential address, is an area of the White House often personalized to reflect the values and goals of the incoming commander in chief.
“We’re going to be going over to the beautiful Oval Office, one of the great offices in history, even if it wasn’t beautiful, it’s the Oval Office, but it is beautiful, and we love the Oval Office,” Trump said at the Capitol One Arena on Monday following the inauguration ceremony at the Capitol. “Wars start and then there. Everything starts and ends at the Oval Office.”
This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News’ Danielle Wallace.
The Second Inaugural Address of President Donald Trump, the 45th and 47th President of the United States, was superb. It should be remembered as the “Golden Age of America” speech, but it will probably just be referenced as Trump’s Second Inaugural.
It was Abraham Lincoln who borrowed from the Book of Proverbs when he described the American commitment to individual liberty as the “apple of gold” protected by the Constitution’s “frame of silver.”
Lincoln declared in 1861 that “there is in the Union a crucial promise of ‘Liberty to all’” and noted it was “the principle that clears the path for all — gives hope to all — and, by consequence, enterprise, and industry to all.”
“The expression of that principle,” asserted Lincoln, “in our Declaration of Independence, was most happy, and fortunate.” Our greatest president continued: “Without this, as well as with it, we could have declared our independence of Great Britain; but without it, we could not, I think, have secured our free government, and consequent prosperity. No oppressed people will fight and endure, as our fathers did, without the promise of something better than a mere change of masters.”
This is an excerpt from an opinion article by Hugh Hewitt
President Donald Trump sees “great promise” in the United Nations, according to his UN ambassador nominee Elise Stefanik, who said she would bring “reform” to the organization.
“When discussing this nomination with President Trump, the President shared with me that he sees great promise in the United Nations if it focuses on its founding mission of international peace and security. President Trump has long advocated for peace and no new wars,” she will say, according to excerpts of her opening statement for Tuesday’s confirmation hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, obtained by Fox News Digital.
She will pledge to support Israel – as it faces chronic criticism for the war in Gaza – and work to ensure the agency is using U.S. tax dollars to advance U.S. interests.
Stefanik, who currently serves as the House GOP Conference chair, is expected to sail to confirmation in the U.N. role. Sen. John Fetterman
, a Democrat from Pennsylvania, has already said he will vote for her – they are both strong Israel supporters. She served on the Intelligence and Armed Services Committees, but she went viral for her work on the other side of the table last year when she questioned university presidents and their policies surrounding pro-Gaza protests during Education Committee hearings.
Donald Trump has a duty to protect the national security of the United States. TikTok must be a part of that consideration for the 47th president.
As Congress has found, TikTok represents a serious threat to U.S. national security. It allows the Chinese government to access vast troves of data on TikTok’s 170 million American users. On Friday, the Supreme Court held that Congress’s 2024 Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, which requires the sale or closure of TikTok, did not violate the First Amendment.
Nevertheless, the Trump administration reportedly will issue an executive order this week suspending the law for 90 days. According to press accounts, Trump aides say he needs time to make a deal to keep the social media site open.
But such an order may well violate the 2024 Act. The law gave TikTok 270 days to find a buyer or face a shut down – that time period ended on January 19, 2025. Trump has two problems. One, he takes office January 20, 2025, on day after the sale-or-divest requirement has already taken effect. There is no 270-day period left to extend. TikTok must close or be sold before Trump took office. Professors don’t give students an extension after a paper’s due date has already passed.
President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance will attend the Washington National Cathedral’s interfaith Service of Prayer for the Nation this morning, one day after the presidential inauguration.
“We are in a unique moment in our country’s history,” the Very Rev. Randolph Marshall Hollerith, Dean of Washington National Cathedral, said in a recent statement. “This will be a service for all Americans, for the well-being of our nation, for thanksgiving of our democracy and the importance of the core values that must undergird our life together.”
Pope Francis shared his prayers and extended “cordial greetings” to Trump ahead of his inaugural ceremony Monday morning.
“I ask God to guide your efforts in promoting peace and reconciliation among peoples,” Pope Francis said in a message addressed to the then-president-elect.
“On the occasion of your inauguration as the forty-seventh President of the United States of America, I offer cordial greetings and the assurance of my prayers that Almighty God will grant you wisdom, strength, and protection in the exercise of your high duties,” his message read.
The men who held the nation’s highest office before President Donald Trump remained mum on his taking the presidency on Monday.
All four living former presidents – Bill Clinton, George Bush, Barack Obama and Joe Biden – attended the inauguration ceremony, and sat behind Trump as he gave a politically charged speech about his vision for the future of the country.
None had any public well-wishes for the incoming president after the swearing-in ceremony. Asked whether they planned to put out a statement on it, none of their offices responded Monday afternoon.
Biden only addressed his supporters and staffers in remarks before boarding a government helicopter to be whisked away from Washington, D.C.
“We’re leaving office, we’re not leaving the fight,” he told them.
Two of President Trump’s nominees will testify before the Senate today.
Veterans Affairs Secretary nominee Doug Collins is expected to speak before the Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs, starting at 9 a.m.
Ambassador to the UN pick Elise Stefanik
will appear before the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations at 10 a.m.
The Senate Armed Services Committee voted yesterday to recommend Secretary of Defense nominee Pete Hegseth for confirmation yesterday on a party-line vote.
Hegseth faced a Senate grilling last week from Democrats in his committee hearing, including his previous comments related to women serving in military combat roles, and was also interrupted by protesters who disturbed the hearing at some points.
Trump nominated Hegseth in November, just days after his decisive election win over Vice President Harris, lauding him “as a Warrior for the Troops, and for the Country.”
Trump goes toe-to-toe with rogue Democrats breaking the law by protecting illegals
President Trump is taking on defiant sanctuary cities as he seeks to fulfill a vital campaign pledge to mass deport illegal immigrants while blue city leaders dig in their heels, resisting any form of assistance to federal authorities that could lead to migrants’ removal.
Tom Homan, Trump’s designated border czar, has promised to unveil a series of “game-changing” executive orders that have prompted sanctuary cities to cement their statuses as safe havens for migrants.
The cities, from Chicago to San Diego, have doubled down by reaffirming local ordinances to prohibit local law enforcement from assisting federal authorities in immigration removal operations.
President Trump put illegal immigration front and center in his inaugural address on Monday, promising: “All illegal entry will immediately be halted, and we will begin the process of returning millions and millions of criminal aliens back to the places from which they came.”
TRUMP TO DEPLOY MILITARY TO BORDER, END BIDEN PAROLE POLICIES IN FLURRY OF DAY ONE EXECUTIVE ORDERS
San Diego and Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, in November following Trump’s election win, formalized policies prohibiting city resources from being used to support federal deportation efforts and further solidifying its stance as a sanctuary city.
San Diego’s board of supervisors passed a similar policy that prohibits county agencies from working with federal immigration authorities. California’s history as a shelter for migrants was cemented in 2017 after former Gov. Jerry Brown signed legislation making California a sanctuary state.
During Trump’s first term, he cut off hundreds of millions of dollars in law enforcement grants to sanctuary cities. The Biden administration restored the grants in 2021, Reuters reported.
San Diego County Supervisor Jim Desmond, a vocal critic of the state’s immigration policies, told Fox News Digital that he hopes to see “America return to the rule of law.”
“I will fight to secure our border and oppose any handouts or incentives that encourage illegal immigration,” he said. “We must put Americans first and uphold the integrity of our nation.”
BLUE STATE COUNTY IGNORES ICE DETAINERS AGAINST ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT CHARGED WITH RAPE
Denver, Colorado
Denver Mayor Mike Johnston made headlines after saying he would go to jail over his opposition to Trump’s mass deportation plan, sharing that he predicted a “Tiananmen Square moment” if federal immigration officials attempted to do their job.
“More than us having DPD stationed at the county line to keep them out, you would have 50,000 Denverites there,” Johnston said in the interview with Denverite. “It’s like the Tiananmen Square moment with the rose and the gun, right? You’d have every one of those Highland moms who came out for the migrants.”
But in a subsequent interview with 9News, he walked back those comments.
“Would I have taken it back if I could? Yes, I probably wouldn’t have used that image,” Johnston said. “That’s the image I hope we can avoid. What I was trying to say is this is an outcome I hope we can avoid in this country. I think none of us want that.”
But he said he was prepared to protest against anything he believes is “illegal or immoral or un-American” in the city — including the use of military force — and was then asked if he was prepared to go to jail for standing in the way of policies enacted by the administration.
“Yeah, I’m not afraid of that, and I’m also not seeking that,” Johnston said. “I think the goal is we want to be able to negotiate with reasonable people how to solve hard problems.”
Denver has seen an unprecedented influx of migrants arriving in the city under former President Biden’s administration, and Johnston has slashed city services to house and feed migrants.
TRUMP DHS PICK NOEM PLEDGES TO END CONTROVERSIAL APP USED BY MIGRANTS ON ‘DAY ONE’
Chicago, Illinois
On Sunday, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson’s opposition rang loud and clear when he vowed to oppose Trump’s plans.
“Chicago stands strong: regardless of the circumstances, our commitment to protecting and supporting this city remains unwavering,” Johnson wrote in a social media post on Sunday. “We will continue to fight for the justice and safety of all who call this place home.”
Johnson’s statement came after he assured the city would continue to comply with the 2017 Illinois Trust Act, which prohibits local law enforcement from participating in federal immigration enforcement.
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION PLANNING ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT ARRESTS THROUGHOUT US ON ‘DAY ONE’
Boston, Massachusetts
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu reiterated Boston’s status as a sanctuary city following Trump’s election, saying that she doesn’t want migrants to “retreat into the shadows.”
“The last thing we want is for people who are part of our economy, part of our school system, part of our community and the fabric of our city, to feel that all of a sudden they have to retreat into the shadows,” Wu said during an interview on WCVB’s On The Record.
Like many sanctuary cities, Boston passed legislation prohibiting local law enforcement from asking people about their immigration status or sharing information with ICE. The Boston Trust Act was signed into law in 2014 under Mayor Marty Walsh, and amendments were made in 2019.
“The Boston Trust Act puts strict prohibitions on local law enforcement from being pulled into becoming the enforcement arm for the whims of whatever the sort of approach of the federal immigration law might be,” Wu said during an interview on WGBH.
Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey has echoed the Boston mayor’s sentiment, saying that the Massachusetts State Police would “absolutely not” assist in immigration enforcement.
MAJOR BLUE CITY MAYOR SILENT AFTER ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT USES SHELTER FOR CRIMINAL ACTIVITY
WATCH TRUMP’S BORDER CZAR ON DEPORTATION PLANS:
The Wall Street Journal reported Friday night that Trump’s team is planning an immigration raid in Chicago to begin on Tuesday morning, citing four sources familiar with the planning. Between 100 and 200 officers will be there to carry out the operation, which will last all week, the Journal reported.
We’re going to take the handcuffs off ICE …
Trump’s incoming border czar Tom Homan promised large-scale raids as part of Trump’s crackdown on immigration.
“We’re going to take the handcuffs off ICE and let them go arrest criminal aliens, that’s what’s going to happen,” Homan said Friday on Fox News’ “Jesse Waters Primetime.” “What we’re telling ICE: You’re going to go enforce the immigration law without apology. You’re going to concentrate on the worst first, public safety threats first, but no one is off the table. If they’re in the country illegally, they got a problem.”
“There are going to be big raids all across the country,” Homan continued. “Chicago is just one in many places. If we got 24 field offices across the country on Tuesday, you can expect ICE.”
WATCH:
While there are key sanctuary cities that are intent on dissuading Trump’s policy plan, there are pockets of cities and states intent on assisting Trump.
In Colorado, Douglas County’s board of commissioners approved a resolution in support of Trump’s mass deportation plan. The unanimous vote confirmed the county, which is neighboring the sanctuary city of Denver, as a “non-sanctuary county.”
CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF THE BORDER SECURITY CRISIS
“We are going to follow and adhere to federal immigration law,” Douglas County Chairperson Abe Laydon told Fox News Digital. “We will continue to support the U.S. Constitution and follow federal immigration law.”
“We want to empower our local law enforcement, our sheriff’s office, and communicate with federal immigration officials, to get information and keep people safe in our community,” he said. “The three of us, as the board of county commissioners, are going to hold the line in Douglas County and ensure that our community stays safe.”
In the border state of Texas, Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham offered the administration a tract of more than 1,400 acres to stage its mass deportation operation.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Her letter to Trump, obtained by Fox News Digital, says her office is “fully prepared to enter into an agreement with the Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or the United States Border Patrol to allow a facility to be built for the processing, detention, and coordination of the largest deportation of violent criminals in the nation’s history.”
Fox News Digital has reached out to the mayor’s offices in Boston, Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, Chicago and Denver.
President sacks top military leader after taking office over failure on key voter issue
EXCLUSIVE: The Commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard has been terminated over concerns about the border, recruitment and an “erosion of trust,” a senior DHS official confirmed to Fox News.
Adm. Linda Lee Fagan, 61, has been terminated by the Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Benjamine Huffman, the official said.
Fagan has demonstrated leadership deficiencies, operational failures and an inability to advance the strategic objectives of the Coast Guard.
These include the failure to address border security threats, insufficient leadership in recruitment and retention, mismanagement in acquiring key acquisitions such as icebreakers and helicopters, excessive focus on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives and an “erosion of trust” over the mishandling and cover-up of Operation Fouled Anchor, which was the Coast Guard’s internal investigation into sexual assault cases at the Coast Guard Academy.
RETIRED COAST GUARD HELICOPTER COMMANDER DETAILS RISKS TO AIR CREWS FIGHTING LA FIRES
Fagan is accused of ineffective deployment of Coast Guard assets to support national border security, including in intercepting fentanyl and other illicit substances. She also had insufficient coordination with DHS to prioritize operations along maritime borders.
The DHS official said Fagan had significant failures in recruiting personnel, which worsened issues related to operational readiness. The official added that the lack of innovative strategies to address retention struggles in critical specialties weakened workforce sustainability.
Under her leadership, there were also persistent delays and cost overruns in acquiring essential platforms, including icebreakers and helicopters, that the official said undermined Coast Guard capabilities in the Arctic and other strategic regions. The official further cited inadequate accountability for acquisition failures that were highlighted during President Trump’s first administration.
Fagan also made DEI policies a priority, including at the Coast Guard Academy, which diverted resources and focus from operational essentials.
6 SUSPECTS ALLEGEDLY INVOLVED IN DEADLY HUMAN SMUGGLING INCIDENTS OVER THE PAST WEEK, COAST GUARD SAYS
In Operation Fouled Anchor, the cover-up of sexual assaults at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy “deeply eroded trust” in the Coast Guard among the American public, the U.S. Congress and the military. The Coast Guard did not disclose the existence of Operation Fouled Anchor until 2023, despite its existence from 2014 to 2019.
Fagan was grilled by senators over the summer when she testified at a hearing on Capitol Hill, where she was questioned for not holding anyone accountable for the cover-up and withholding additional documents congressional lawmakers requested about the mishandling of the problem at the service’s academy.
The official said the failure to sufficiently address the systemic issues revealed by the investigation has highlighted a “leadership culture” unwilling to ensure accountability and transparency in protecting service members.
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Fagan served as the 27th Commandant of the Coast Guard starting on June 1st, 2022. She was tasked with overseeing all global Coast Guard operations and 42,000 active-duty, 7,000 reserve and 8,700 civilian personnel, as well as the support of 21,000 Coast Guard Auxiliary volunteers.
She was the first woman to lead the Coast Guard or any branch of the U.S. military.
Liberal media torched Trump for action mirrored by Biden four years later
In the final hours of his presidency, Joe Biden shattered norms by issuing preemptive pardons, something the legacy media had demonized President Trump for after he allegedly floated them before leaving office in 2021.
Biden issued two rounds of pardons on Monday in hopes of them being drowned out by the events of Trump’s Inauguration Day. The first round went to Trump critics like Dr. Anthony Fauci, Gen. Mark Milley, as well as January 6 Committee leaders former Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wy., and Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss. The second round, according just minutes before Trump was sworn into office, went to members of Biden’s own family including siblings James Biden, Valerie Biden Owens and Francis Biden. Those pardons came weeks after the former president’s wide-ranging pardon of his son Hunter.
Meanwhile, Trump himself faced scorn from the media after it was reported he was entertaining preemptive pardons following his defeat in 2020.
BEFORE BIDEN PARDONED HUNTER, THE MEDIA SPECULATED TRUMP WOULD PARDON HIS CHILDREN AHEAD OF LEAVING OFFICE
On Dec. 1, 2020, The New York Times ran the headline “Trump Has Discussed With Advisers Pardons for His 3 Eldest Children and Giuliani,” alleging that the then-president was mulling “pre-emptive pardons” to Donald Trump Jr., Eric Trump, Ivanka Trump as well as his son-in-law Jared Kushner. The report even alleged that Trump was considering issuing pardons “for crimes they have not yet committed — essentially a prospective get-out-of-jail-free card.”
Ultimately, Trump never issued pardons for his adult children nor Giuliani, but other news organizations followed the Times’ lead.
“If you had to build a 2020 time capsule in advance, this is probably something that you would have invented to put into the 2020 time capsule,” MSNBC star Rachel Maddow told viewers with a grin while holding up a copy of the Times report.
“The idea of a kind of prospective pardon, this sort of permanent federal Get Out of Jail Free card, That seems to be what we’re talking about in the case of this, right?” Maddow’s MSNBC colleague Chris Hayes said. “With Giuliani and his three eldest children, who, as far we know, have not been convicted of a crime. Maybe they’ve committed a lot and they don’t want to face action. I don’t know. It’s weird. I wouldn’t ask for a pardon. I don’t think I deserve one because I don’t think I’ve done anything criminal. But like, where does that come from? That concept you can just kind of wave your magic pardon wand?”
GOP LAWMAKERS PLEDGE TO INVESTIGATE BIDEN’S LAST-MINUTE PARDONS: ‘CALL THEM ALL BEFORE CONGRESS’
CNN ran a similar report titled “The legal threats and headaches fueling pardon appeals from Trump’s family and friends,” noting “Trump’s three eldest children have faced various legal entanglements” over the years, citing Don Jr. and Kushner’s involvement in the Trump Tower meeting with Russians who claimed to have had dirt on Hillary Clinton during the 2016 election, which was investigated by Special Counsel Robert Mueller. Neither Don Jr. nor Kushner were ever charged with any crimes by Mueller.
“In our politics lead now, a source tells CNN that President Trump, the outgoing president, is discussing preemptive pardons for people close to him. That could include his three eldest children, Don jr. Ivanka and Eric, his son in law, Jared Kushner and his personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani, none of whom, as of this afternoon, have been even charged with. much less convicted of any crime,” CNN’s Jake Tapper said on air.
“Is the president now considering pardons for members of the Trump family, including himself? ABC News’ David Muir teased at the beginning of “World News Tonight.”
“Pardoning the presidents kids? Why President Trump and his top allies believe Ivanka, Jared, Don Jr, and Eric, could need what’s being called a preemptive pardon,” Norah O’Donnell of “CBS Evening News” said to viewers.
NBC News ran the headline “President Trump has discussed possibility of pardons for family members, sources say,” telling readers “One source said the conversations in recent days were within the context of a president who feels embattled, and not because Trump believes he or any of his family members had done anything illegal.”
The Peacock network published a follow-up report asking “Could Trump pardon family members if they haven’t been charged with crimes?” to which it answered “undoubtedly yes.”
Washington Post columnist Philip Bump posed a similar question and answer, “How much protection can Trump offer his family with his pardon power? A lot.”
“There’s not much risk to Trump in attempting to grant such a blanket pardon. He might issue a sweepingly broad pardon — say, giving Jared Kushner a pass on any federal crimes committed from the moment of his birth until the moment the pardon was issued — with the understanding that, should someone seek to prosecute Kushner, they would have to persuade a court to let them do so,” Bump wrote. “They might be able to do that, particularly if the pardon is as vague as the one just mentioned. But, from Trump’s perspective, what’s the harm in trying? Particularly since there’s no accountability mechanism in place to prevent Trump from doing so.”
BIDEN COMMUTES NEARLY 2,500 MORE SENTENCES IN FINAL DAYS OF PRESIDENCY
NPR also delved into Trump’s legal powers with the story titled “Talk Of ‘Preemptive’ Pardons By Trump Raises Questions: What Can He Do?” featuring an image of Don Jr. at the top.
Vanity Fair was far more presumptive, running the headline “Of Course Trump Is Going To Pardon Jared, Ivanka, and Maybe Even Don Jr.”
The liberal news blog Slate even speculated that Trump pardoning his children could “make him a bigger criminal target,” writing “If Trump were to distribute such broadly worded pardons liberally among his circle, he would make them all subject to subpoena to testify about not only their own conduct, but his.”
MSNBC and CNN went wall to wall hyping the narrative, even turning to then-Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., who was just elected senator, to bash the president.
“Have you ever heard of somebody getting a preemptive pardon who was innocent of all crime, who’s just an innocent person? Have you ever heard of that, just somebody getting a blanket pardon and they’re an innocent person?” MSNBC’s Joy Reid asked.
“No,” Schiff responded. “It’s the president’s own family. It’s people that have been covering up for the President, in addition to his own family.”
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“Would you see that… as essentially an admission of guilty?” CNN’s Wolf Blitzer asked in a separate interview.
“I certainly would view it that way,” Schiff told Blitzer. “I think millions of Americans would view it that way. If there was no belief in criminality, why would he think a pardon was necessary?”
After winning the 2020 election, Biden was asked about Trump’s preemptive pardons during a sit-down with CNN’s Tapper.
“Well, it concerns me in terms of what kind of precedent it sets and how the rest of the world looks at us as a nation of laws and justice,” Biden told Tapper, later adding “you’re not going to see in our administration that kind of approach to pardons.”
Judge decides whether to release next round of special counsel docs on Trump case
A federal judge on Tuesday blocked the release of the second volume of former Special Counsel Jack Smith’s report on his investigation into President Trump.
Judge Aileen Cannon had allowed the first volume to be released to a small group within Congress. The first volume relates to Smith’s investigation into alleged election interference by Trump, while the second relates to the classified documents investigation.
“Release of Volume II to Congress under the proposed conditions—without any enforcement mechanism to prevent public dissemination, and without any valid countervailing reason justifying a break from traditional norms—presents a substantial and unacceptable risk of prejudice to Defendants,” Cannon wrote.
Trump co-defendants Waltine Nauta and Carlos De Oliveira had filed motions to block the release of both volumes of Smith’s report. Cannon ruled against that motion for the first volume last week.
JUDGE GRANTS JACK SMITH REQUEST TO DISMISS JAN. 6 CHARGES AGAINST TRUMP, APPEAL DROPPED IN FLORIDA DOCS CASE
JACK SMITH RESIGNS FROM THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT
It is customary for special counsels to release a final report, detailing the findings of their investigation and explaining any prosecution or declination decisions they reached.
In Smith’s case, the prosecution decision is immaterial, given Trump’s status as president and long-standing Justice Department policy against bringing criminal charges against a sitting president.
Trump has blasted Smith’s work as a “fake report.”
Trump has blasted Smith’s work as a “fake report.”
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Read Judge Cannon’s full ruling below
Attorney General Merrick Garland has opted to release the reports from two other special counsels whose investigations concluded during his tenure – publishing both the summary reports submitted by John Durham, who was tapped by then-Attorney General Bill Barr in 2019 to review the origins of the Trump-Russia probe, as well as the final report from Robert Hur, a former U.S. attorney whom he tapped in 2023 to investigate President Biden’s handling of classified documents.
Make America Healthy Again: The powerhouse foods that work medical magic
As the “Make America Healthy Again” movement takes shape with President Donald Trump in the White House again, many Americans are already looking for ways to improve their well-being through the foods they eat.
Fox News Digital spoke with two nutritionists and a doctor to discuss how incorporating certain foods into a person’s diet can promote a healthy lifestyle and offer some medicinal benefits as well.
Here are five foods and one beverage that experts recommend you eat and drink.
1. Berries
Numerous studies have found that the nutrients in berries can prevent disease.
A new study led by Washington State University researchers found that elderberry juice could be a tool for weight management and improving metabolic health.
EATING THIS BREAKFAST FOOD COULD HELP YOU LIVE LONGER, STUDY SUGGESTS
Carrie Lupoli, a Connecticut-based nutritionist and behavior specialist, told Fox News Digital that the elderberry is one of her favorites.
“I think it’s one that there’s not enough options out there for us with the unbelievable benefits,” said Lupoli. “There are elderberry supplements out there, but they’re often filled with a lot of garbage. But the elderberry itself is an incredible immunity buster.”
Dr. Blake Livingood, a chiropractor and doctor of natural medicine in North Carolina, told Fox News Digital that berries are great antioxidants that can help lower sugars, especially fructose, in the liver.
Berries are great antioxidants that can help lower sugars.
“Blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, blackberries that most people can get their hands on — those antioxidants can help actually cleanse the filters like the liver,” Livingood said, and help control blood sugar levels.
“That helps the liver, helps the heart — which ultimately makes an impact on blood pressure and cholesterol.”
THIS ‘UNDERAPPRECIATED’ BERRY CAN HELP WITH WEIGHT MANAGEMENT, SAYS NEW STUDY: ‘A VARIETY OF HEALTH BENEFITS’
Keri Glassman, a registered dietitian and nutritionist based in New York City and founder of Nutritious Life, said berries are also a powerful tool to fight inflammation.
“We know that we need to eat anti-inflammatory foods, so we have less inflammation in the body,” Glassman told Fox News Digital. “Inflammation, we know, is linked to heart disease, cancer, diabetes, obesity, even just [the] wrinkling of our skin.”
2. Cruciferous vegetables
Vegetables are recommended as part of a balanced diet, but some are better for us than others.
Cruciferous vegetables like broccoli and Brussels sprouts are “very underrated,” Livingood said.
“They contain sulfur compounds and really help to support balancing hormones,” Livingood said.
Cruciferous vegetables “can make a really big impact” on those with cancer concerns, Livingood said, citing research showing that women who ate greater amounts had a lower risk of breast cancer and men who ate more had a reduced risk of prostate cancer.
EASIEST VEGETABLES TO GROW IN YOUR BACKYARD GARDEN AS A BEGINNING HARVESTER
“If you can go with any leafy green vegetable, you are going to get more calcium than you will in milk,” Lupoli added. “And that’s not how we should be getting them. So much of our calcium bone density, bone health, especially for women, is really important.”
Cruciferous vegetables also have sulforaphane, which helps with detoxification, Glassman said.
3. Fatty fish
Fish like salmon and sardines are rich in necessary Omega-3 fatty acids, which can’t be produced by the body.
“I want everyone to have salmon,” Lupoli told Fox News Digital.
Salmon has “healthy fats” that help the heart, she said.
Glassman agreed, saying Omega-3 fatty acids are “super important” for supporting overall heart health.
Livingood said the standard American diet has lots of Omega-6s and not enough Omega-3s — so fish oils help to bridge that gap.
THESE FISH ARE THE BEST AND WORST FOR YOUR HEALTH, SAY EXPERTS
The smaller the fish the better, Livingood said, because it tends to have “less concentration of toxins compared to the larger fish.”
He also suggested eating fish caught in the wild because “it means they’re fed cleaner diets, which means you’re fed a cleaner diet.”
4. Mushrooms
Mushrooms “bring a lot of medicinal benefits,” Livingood told Fox News Digital. “There’s a wide range of different ones that can be used.”
Reishi is one he recommends to his patients for reducing stress or for those who struggle with sleep. He said this type of mushroom is a supplement typically found in powder form and can support the immune system.
One benefit of eating mushrooms is that they have vitamin D, “which no other produce has,” Glassman said.
“Now, obviously, mushrooms aren’t really produce,” she said. “They’re not a fruit or vegetable, but we still sort of put them in that category.”
Vitamin D, Glassman said, is critical for immune health, mood and weight.
WOMAN FEEDS FAMILY FOR A WEEK WITH 11-POUND MUSHROOM FIND: ‘TWICE THE SIZE OF MY HEAD’
“They also have vitamin B2, which is an antioxidant that also fights free radicals,” Glassman said.
Lupoli suggested looking beyond the regular shiitake or portobello mushrooms found in stores.
“I always say get a variety of them and stir-fry them,” she said. “You can’t go wrong.”
5. Spices and herbs
Spices and herbs have health benefits that include lowering blood sugar and reducing inflammation.
Cinnamon is a spice that helps mitigate blood sugar spikes, Lupoli told Fox News Digital.
She said blood sugar is “the key foundation for every single metabolic disorder,” from arthritis, diabetes and dementia to autoimmune issues and fertility.
Tumeric is beneficial in helping to battle the body’s inflammation, while saffron is a spice that a study showed had a “very similar effect” as Prozac on anxiety, Livingood said.
“By no means do we say to replace any type of medical advice,” Livingood said.
“But it’s a very interesting spice with a strong study behind it showing that it can really help with mood. And it’s one that most people don’t know about.”
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Peppermint is a natural herb that can be used to combat headaches, Lupoli said.
“Peppermint extract is better than any Advil or Tylenol for a headache,” she said. “You just breathe it in, put a little on your temples and your headache will be gone in a minute.”
Adaptogenic herbs are “adrenal supporters” that can help with stress, Livingood said.
6. Tea
“Tea is just really great for you in general,” Glassman told Fox News Digital.
Green tea protects and reduces cell damage, she said.
“It’s rich in polyphenols, the compounds that have benefits like reducing inflammation,” Glassman said.
Not only that, but green tea is a good alternative to coffee because it doesn’t have the same levels of caffeine and is less acidic, Lupoli said.
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It’s also full of antioxidants and is “very thermogenic, meaning it can stimulate the body to burn more fat,” Livingood added.