Following a torrid first week in office, President Donald Trump does not have a very busy public schedule on Monday. That does not mean there won’t be plenty of action. The 47th president is known to spring major actions and announcements without much notice.

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The president starts off the week by attending a House GOP Conference meeting at Trump National Doral Miami at a time to be determined. The GOP January retreat is an opportunity for Republicans to game-plan their approach to implementing their shared agenda with President Trump. Major policy initiatives that are likely to be addressed are the president’s sweeping border security and ongoing deportation initiatives, increasing domestic energy production and advancing a new tax plan.

House Speaker Mike Johnson told Politico that he expects to have a “blueprint” for a massive reconciliation package in place after the retreat. The House Budget Committee, which is tasked with writing the instructions on the bill, is set to meet next week.

Johnson sent a letter to the president to address a joint session of Congress on March 4, 2025. In the letter, Johnson wrote, “Your administration and the 119th Congress working together have the chance to make these next four years some of the most consequential in our nation’s history.”

He went on to write, “To that end, it is my distinct honor and great privilege to invite you to address a Joint Session of Congress on Tuesday, March 4, 2025, in the Chamber of the U.S. House of Representatives, to share your America First vision for our legislative future. I eagerly await your response.”

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Another event that is key to an early Trump priority will be a hearing at the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation titled “Fees and Foreign Influence: Examining the Panama Canal and Its Impact on U.S. Trade and National Security.” The committee is headed by Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas.

In his inaugural address, Trump said, “China is operating the Panama Canal. And we didn’t give it to China, we gave it to Panama, and we’re taking it back.”

Newly confirmed Secretary of State Marco Rubio is scheduled to visit Panama this week. According to the State Department, the trip will include visits to the Dominican Republic, Costa Rica, Guatemala and El Salvador.

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Confirmation hearings continue in the Senate this week with Tulsi Gabbard, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Kelly Loeffler and Kash Patel all appearing.

Continued immigration and deportation activities are expected to continue with border czar Tom Homan and the acting deputy attorney general, Emil Bove, traveling to Chicago on Sunday to witness the stepped-up enforcement actions.

Los Angeles Fire Chief Kristin Crowley warned board members in writing two years ago that her department needed to create a pair of fully staffed crews dedicated to clearing brush and maintaining wildfire lines to bolster the part-time team it had, consisting of mostly young volunteers.

But despite her plea for funding, the City Council authorized only a fraction of it and hiring stalled, caught up in the red tape of L.A. bureaucracy, according to a new report.

While some residents have sued the government over alleged missteps that played a role in the expansion of the devastating wildfires this month, residents have little recourse beyond electing new city leadership, according to a local lawyer whose clients include homeowners looking elsewhere for relief after the fires leveled their communities.

“It’s a political disaster and may result in Bass being recalled,” Neama Rahmani, a Los Angeles-based attorney who is representing multiple local clients in lawsuits in the aftermath of the destruction, said about Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass. “But there is nothing that can be done legally.”

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Despite the missed warning, city leaders are likely immune from civil litigation under state laws that protect authorities from liability, Rahmani said.

“Government entities have broad immunity under the Government Code and can’t be sued for failing to prevent fires,” he told Fox News Digital. “The lawsuits against the City and DWP will be dismissed.”

The chief’s memo, written in January 2023, was first reported by the Washington Post.

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“The one significant area of weakness in our arsenal is that of a regularly staffed wildland hand crew,” Crowley wrote to the Los Angeles Board of Fire Commissioners, asking for a full-time staff of professionals. The city had been relying on mutual aid from the state and county, both of which had staffing shortages, and a volunteer “Cadet Crew” that consisted mostly of teens and young adults led by active firefighters.

“The wildland hand crew is the make-or-break resource in ensuring fire lines are strong and secure,” she added. “Without this resource methodically creating and supporting [a] fire line on a wildland fire, weakness in the line can mean the [difference] in containment or out of control spread.”

Crowley also warned that increased construction in fire-prone areas was among the factors that “dramatically increased” the threat of wildfires in Los Angeles in recent decades, in addition to the Santa Ana winds and climate change.

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The Cadet Crew met twice a week with between 10 and 26 people, working on labor-intensive projects like clearing brush. The program was designed to train future firefighters, and as a result, suffered high turnover as members were hired into the department and transferred to other units, Crowley wrote.

“The LAFD will need to expand staffing to meet the demands of a new normal, year-long fire season and a rapidly decreasing availability of mutual aid/auto aid Hand Crews State wide,” she wrote.

She urged the board to create two new hand crews, staffed with a handful of firefighters and dozens of paid fire suppression aids that would cover the city for seven days a week. She asked for $7 million to get it done, with nearly $4 million for salaries and the rest for a fleet of vehicles to carry them to the front lines over rugged terrain.

While some of the money has been approved and hiring is underway, the crews are reportedly not yet operational.

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The fire department did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

While city officials may be safe from legal repercussions, separate lawsuits against insurance companies and those who may have been responsible for igniting the wildfires remain on the table, Rahmani said.

“The only real viable case is against Edison,” he told Fox News Digital.

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Southern California Edison, a utility company, is facing several lawsuits alleging that its equipment helped start the Eaton Fire, which has scorched northern parts of Los Angeles County, including Altadena. Rahmani’s firm is involved in the litigation against the utility and is also representing victims with insurance claims and seeking aid from government programs pro bono, he said. 

The Palisades Fire, which tore through the Pacific Palisades community, is being described as the most destructive wildfire in the history of Los Angeles.

A film shows a large group of children walking out of Auschwitz concentration camp in the company of nuns. Regina Horowitz recognized her own child and begged the camera operator to give her the frames of the film depicting Ryszard. 

There are very few survivors left as the world commemorates the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the Nazi death camp Auschwitz. The Horowitz family’s tale of survival is one such documentation. 

The Kraków orphanage would send her Regina Horowitz to another address, where she miraculously found her five-year-old son, who was just as shocked to see his mom alive. And not just her, but also his sister Niusia and his grandmother . . . all three women saved by German industrialist Oskar Schindler. 

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Renowned photographer Ryszard Horowitz was born on May 5th, 1939, to a loving family in the historic city of Kraków, the former capital of Poland, but just four months later Nazi Germany invaded Poland, resulting in utter devastation.

The war would turn brutal and sinister, especially for Poland’s Jews.

“When the Germans marched into Kraków,” Horowitz told Fox News Digital, “my parents’ first reaction was to run away. They packed their suitcases and left me with my non-Jewish nanny, Antosia. But soon they returned with my sister, because they did not want me to stay behind. So, we were reunited but eventually forced to relocate to the ghetto.”

The Nazis segregated Jews from the rest of the population, forcing them into Krakow’s notorious ghetto. Life was bleak behind the fences, in constant fear of Nazi persecution. 

Fortunately for Ryszard, there was an older boy there, called Roman Liebling, known later as Roman Polanski, who attended his third birthday party. According to Polanski, although food was scarce, by some miracle Ryszard’s mother, Regina, managed to procure hot chocolate for the kids. Ryszard, however, did not care for hot chocolate and refused to drink it.

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By 1943, the Germans were liquidating Kraków’s ghetto, and the Horowitz family was forced to relocate to a Nazi concentration camp in Plaszow. It was run by a notorious Nazi commander, Austrian officer Amon Göth.

“It was a terrible camp, because the man in charge was an extremely brutal character. He created a tremendous sense of fear. He was shooting people right and left. He was like a God in terms of his power and made life there totally impossible,” Horowitz recalled. 

Göth liked to throw parties in his villa, where two of Ryszard’s musician uncles were forced to play. 

One of the men attending the parties was German industrialist Oskar Schindler. His friendship with Göth enabled him to run a business that would ultimately become a lifeline for many of the camps Jews.

“Oscar Schindler got permission to open a factory producing utensils for the German army, and my family worked there.” Horowitz explained.

Steven Spielberg introduced Oskar Schindler to the entire world in his 1993 movie “Schindler’s List,” and Horowitz shared some observations about the famed businessman.

 “Everybody will tell you something else about him. How good he was, how bad he was, how handsome he was, how many women he had, but the bottom line is . . . somehow, he felt this urge to save people. Once, he got into trouble when he kissed my sister when she gave him a cake for his birthday,” Horowitz said. 

In 1944, the Germans decided it was time to dismantle Plaszow, disguise the traces of their atrocities, and close Schindler’s factory.  

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“Schindler managed to get permission to move a certain number of workers to his factory in Brünnlitz, in Czechoslovakia,” Horowitz said. 

Brünnlitz was a German labor camp, and as Spielberg showed in his film, a list was created with names of those who would be relocated there. 

“There is no question that there was a list, and my family was on that list. I was not, because I was too small to work, but somehow, I managed to squeeze in. There were two transports, one of men and one of women. I was traveling with my father,” Horowitz explained. 

Schindler’s men made it to Brünnlitz alive, but Ryszard’s life was about to unravel.

“We waited for the women to follow us to Brünnlitz. But, for some reason, we do not know why, they were sent to Auschwitz concentration camp instead,” he said. 

Schindler hurried to Auschwitz to rescue his women and left Josef Leipold in charge of his factory. 

“Leipold was the exact opposite of Schindler.” Horowitz said. “From the beginning, his idea was to finish us off. And he did not want children there. So, he packed us with our fathers and shipped us to Auschwitz.”

Upon arriving at Auschwitz, Ryszard was selected to have concentration camp numbers tattooed on his forearm. Which meant he would stay alive, for a time.

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Oskar Schindler managed to rescue the women. They were aboard a train that was about to depart for Auschwitz.

Horowitz recalled these heartbreaking moments, “My cousin and I saw the train, and my mother was there, my sister, my grandmother . . . and they saw us. My mother was certain this was the last time she would see me. They went to Brünnlitz, and my father and I remained in Auschwitz.”

In January 1945, with the Red Army approaching, German SS forces marched thousands of prisoners out of Auschwitz to different camps on German territory. Richard’s father, Dawid “Dolek” Horowitz, was forced to leave his son behind.

“I think that one of the reasons I survived was that a man in charge of a warehouse, Roman Gunz, agreed to look after me. Sometimes he would feed me, and when things got difficult, he would hide me in the warehouse or inside the infectious hospital ward,” Horowitz said. 

Then one day, the nightmare of Auschwitz came to an end.

“When the Red Army came close to the camp, the Germans were in a panic. They rounded all the kids up and were ready to shoot us, but just then two German officers arrived on motorcycles screaming to drop everything and follow them, so they did,” Horowitz remembered. 

A few hours later, Soviet troops entered Auschwitz.

“The Red Army arrived, most of them on horseback,” he said. “They gave us food and sweets. They had cameras with them, and they recorded a lot of footage. The following day, nuns arrived and took us to an orphanage in Kraków. Polanski’s aunt Tosia found me there and took me to her apartment on Dluga Street. And Roman was already there.”

In March 1945, Brünnlitz was liberated, and the Horowitz women returned to Kraków. 

“One day, my mom was out in the market Square, where they were showing a documentary movie about the liberation of Auschwitz, and she recognized me in it,” Horowitz said. 

The Horowitz women moved in with Roman Polanski’s family. They were soon joined by Dawid Horowitz.

“We all lived under one roof for two years, until my father got us a nice apartment near Market Square,” Horowitz said. 

After the war, Poles found their country in ruins with a hostile communist regime in charge. 

“Most of my closest friends and their families were anti-communists. Everybody’s dream was to get out of Poland as fast as possible,” Horowitz explained. 

Dawid Horowitz managed to open a store selling tools and building materials, with Polanski’s aunt Tosia as his business partner. Life went on.

“For me and my friends, life was pretty good at the time, because we were not engaged in politics. We were artists, and we believed that we lived in a totally free society, so we did what we wanted to do, and we had this amazing outlet, a cabaret called “Piwnica pod Barnami” (The Cellar under the Rams). And we had jazz,” Horowitz recalled. 

In 1958, American jazz pianist Dave Brubeck arrived in Kraków to perform. Ryszard Horowitz was there with his camera and documented it in pictures. Little did he know that photography was his future. And that future was on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean.

“I had this opportunity because my uncles here in New York were ready to offer me room and board. And I also received a scholarship from the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn,” Horowitz said. 

With his father’s encouragement and some U.S. dollars hidden in the heel of his shoe, Horowitz boarded the Polish ocean liner “MS Batory.” 

Life as an immigrant in the Big Apple was a mixed bag. But at the Pratt Institute, Horowitz quickly exhibited a unique talent for photography.

“I created their first photography lab at Pratt, and I was asked to design their 75th anniversary yearbook, which I edited, and I pretty much took all the photographs for them. It was the first time in history that the New York Art Directors Club gave an award to a student. So, this became my portfolio,” Horowitz explained. 

Ryszard connected with influential people who helped pave his way to success. Among them were photographer Richard Avedon, graphic artist Saul Steinberg and ballet choreographer Sergei Diaghilev, as well as his idol, disc jockey Willis Conover, who hosted the Jazz Hour on the Voice of America.

Through the lens of his camera, Horowitz saw the world somewhat differently. His photographs looked like computer-generated graphics, except that they predated the digital age. He became known as the pioneer of special effects photography. 

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“I found a way of reversing perspective and juxtaposing large objects to make them look small and vice versa,” Horowitz said. 

Horowitz was a master of light. He learned to manipulate light to photograph expensive jewelry and new cars. 

“My art education in Kraków helped me – my devotion to the great masters of painting,” Horowitz explained. 

His iconic commercial work captivated audiences in the world of advertising, bringing him fame and prestigious awards. He received honorary doctorates from the University of Warsaw and Wrocław in Poland, and in 2014, his hometown of Kraków made him an honorary citizen.

“Some of my photographs consist of different images taken in different parts of the world, and they are merged into a single unit that’s not jarring but believable. They appear as though they are an instance of a situation that never existed except in my head. That’s why I call myself a ‘photocomposer,” Horowitz explained. 

He achieved success in his personal life as well. Since 1974, he’s been happily married to Anna Bogusz, and they have two grown sons: Daniel and Emil.

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“I met Ania at a party. She was an architecture student from a Polish family living in Caracas, Venezuela. She was only passing through New York on her way to Paris to continue her studies. She never made it to Paris,” Horowitz smiled, recollecting meeting the love of his life. 

So many years after he walked out of Auschwitz alive, Ryszard Horowitz feels blessed to live the American Dream with his family, and doing what he loves most – creating his photo compositions . . . and listening to jazz.

Abbie Stockard believes her new title was heaven-sent.

In early January, the nursing student representing Alabama was crowned Miss America in Orlando, Florida. The 22-year-old is the fourth Miss Alabama to earn the coveted title.

“I am very driven by my faith,” Stockard told Fox News Digital. “Based on the morals and the values that my family taught me, I believe that every single person is called to make a difference. 

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“I believe we were all created on purpose, for purpose. And so, while it is so amazing to have this platform of influence and be an ambassador for the organization, my main mission is to use this title to serve others.”

Stockard said she’s eager to hit the road and connect with fellow Americans, offering them hope during turbulent times.

“I think our world is broken,” she shared. “I think it is polarized and divided, and I want to be a light. I want to be an inspiration, and I want to make every single person feel seen, valued and appreciated, because that is who the Lord is. That’s what He would want me to do. And I know that I was anointed to this position for a purpose, and that’s why I’m not going to take it for granted.”

According to the annual competition, Stockard will spend the year traveling the country as she pursues her degree at Auburn University.

“I want to use [my title] to touch the lives and the hearts of the people across our nation,” she said.

“I think our world is broken. I think it is polarized and divided, and I want to be a light. I want to be an inspiration, and I want to make every single person feel seen, valued and appreciated, because that is who the Lord is.”

— Abbie Stockard, Miss America 2025

Stockard credited her relationship with God for giving her the drive to become a positive role model on a public platform. She declared victory over 51 other contestants.

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“The two words that I channeled the entire week of Miss America were peace and confidence,” she explained. “Peace that surpasses all understanding, knowing that the Lord is taking care of my needs for me. He has a plan for my life, and His plan is good. Reminding myself that He is for me, and He is not against me. Why worry? Because he already knows the results of this competition.”

“The second word [was] confidence – confidence in the work that I’ve put in, but also confidence in His plan for my life,” she shared. “One of my favorite verses is ‘Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not rely on your understanding and all of your ways. Acknowledge him and he will make your path straight.’ That is what I leaned on… the entire week.”

“I think that’s why I did so well,” Stockard continued. “I didn’t put this pressure on myself. Because at the end of the day, there was only so much I could control. He was taking care of all of it. That’s why I’m excited to have this position and to continue spreading my faith to people who need it.”

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Stockard, who comes from “a big medical family,” also wants to raise awareness of health. 

She will be advocating for the American Heart Association’s Go RED for Women initiative, as well as cystic fibrosis research. The Miss America organization confirmed to Fox News Digital Stockard raised over $200,000 for cystic fibrosis in Alabama. She was named the “Hero of Hope” by the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, and a national ambassador.

According to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation’s website, the genetic disorder impacts the lungs, pancreas and other organs. There are close to 40,000 children and adults living with it in the US alone. An estimated 105,000 people have been diagnosed with CF across 94 countries.

The cause hits close to home.

“My best friend – she isn’t just my best friend, she [has become] my purpose,” said Stockard. “We’ve been inseparable since the age of 9. I truly believe that in this lifetime, a cure will be found for this disease. And I’m excited to use this position of influence to continue increasing awareness, fundraising efforts and education so that we can get closer and closer to finding that cure.”

The Miss America competition also highlights a fitness section. Stockard, who has been a dancer since age 2, wants to help raise awareness about kicking off health goals for the New Year. She noted that heart disease is “the number one killer of women.”

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“It’s time that the world takes hold of our health so we can combat these statistics,” she said. “I think that physical health is extremely important because we are seeing a rise in obesity rates, and that’s leading to chronic diseases. These numbers are rising… each year.”

“It’s said by the American Heart Association that you need to get at least 150 minutes of some type of movement every single week,” Stockard pointed out. “For me, I love going to the gym, but I love dancing. One of my favorite things to do is go on a long walk throughout the day. That also allows me to… reset and prioritize my mental health as well. 

“It isn’t just physical activity. It’s making sure that you’re managing your stress appropriately [and] getting an adequate amount of sleep. That all goes into what it looks like to live a healthy and well-balanced lifestyle.”

For those struggling, Stockard suggested some simple eating habits she swears by to help her look and feel her best.

“I’m a big protein girl,” she shared. “If I’m not fueled by some type of protein, I’m going to be tired the entire day. For breakfast this morning, I had scrambled eggs with cheese, and then I had some Greek yogurt. I love granola… My friends make fun of me because they say it’s not yogurt with granola, it’s granola with yogurt because I put so much granola in my yogurt. And then sometimes I’ll drizzle honey too.

“For lunch, I usually have some type of sandwich. I like to keep it simple with turkey and cheese. Sometimes I put lettuce and tomato in there. For dinner, my favorite meal is grilled salmon. I could eat it every single day. My go-to would be grilled salmon with rice. And then you have to have your greens in there somewhere. I like to put broccoli in the oven and Brussels sprouts.”

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On days when she feels like indulging, Stockard has one thing in mind.

“Cookie two step,” she boasted. “It’s half cookies and cream, half cookie dough ice cream. I have a gallon in my fridge. The night I won, they asked me what I was going to eat. That’s the first thing I said.”

Stockard insisted there’s more to the crown than just a pretty face. As part of her victory, she earned a whopping $50,000 in tuition scholarships.

“One of my biggest pet peeves is when people call Miss America a beauty pageant,” she explained. “I think that’s the biggest stereotype this organization gets. It’s so much more than that. Through my three years of competing, I have acquired over $89,000 in tuition scholarships… It allows me to graduate completely debt-free.”

“Miss America is a force,” she said. “She represents a change in the community… I think that’s why this organization has been standing for the past 100 years.”