Biden left Trump ‘inspirational’ message in ‘very nice’ letter, new president says
President Donald Trump on Tuesday described the letter former President Biden left him inside the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office as “inspirational” and teased reporters that he may release the “very nice” note at some point. Trump was asked about the letter, which he found inside the Resolute Desk on Monday with a little help from Fox News Senior White House correspondent Peter Doocy, during a press conference announcing a $500 billion investment in artificial intelligence infrastructure. “It was a very nice letter,” Trump told reporters. “It was a little bit of an inspirational-type letter. Enjoy it, do a good job. Important, very important. How important the job is.” The president added that he appreciated the letter so much that he may release it to the public. TRUMP’S FBI OVERHAUL BEGINS AS ACTING DIRECTOR BRIAN DRISCOLL PUTS ‘UNTOUCHABLE’ FEDS ON NOTICE: FORMER AGENT “It was a positive, for him, in writing it,” Trump continued. “I appreciated the letter.” Trump found the letter – addressed to “47″ – after Doocy asked if President Biden left him a letter while he was signing a flurry of executive orders in the Oval Office on Monday in front of a gaggle of reporters. “He may have. Don’t they leave it in the desk? I don’t know,” Trump told Doocy before discovering the white envelope. “Thank you, Peter. It could have been years before we found this thing.” Trump had then teased reporters that they should read it together before pulling back the reigns. He said he’d open the letter later Monday night. POLITICO EDITOR-IN-CHIEF CALLS TRUMP ‘GREATEST AMERICAN FIGURE OF HIS ERA’ DUE TO HIS INFLUENCE The presidential tradition of leaving a letter to their successor began in 1989 when President Ronald Reagan left the White House after two terms in office, with former President George H. W. Bush taking over. Bush continued the tradition despite losing the White House to former President Bill Clinton after just one term in office. The tradition has carried on to this day through Presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama, Trump and Biden. Biden, however, was the first president to find himself in the unique position of writing a letter to someone who is both his successor and the predecessor who left him a note four years earlier. Trump became the first president to serve nonconsecutive terms since Grover Cleveland in the late 1800s. Biden has said Trump left him a “very generous letter,” but has so far declined to share the content of what Trump wrote, deeming it private. Fox News Digital’s Greg Wehner contributed to this report.
Trump excoriates bishop as ‘Radical Left hard line Trump hater’ after politically charged prayer service
President Donald Trump blasted Mariann Edgar Budde, bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington, after she directed politically charged remarks towards him during an interfaith service of prayer for the country at the Washington National Cathedral on Tuesday, the day after Trump’s inauguration. “Let me make one final plea, Mr. President,” she said. “In the name of our God, I ask you to have mercy upon the people in our country who are scared now. There are gay, lesbian, and [transgender] children in Democratic, Republican, and independent families, some who fear for their lives.” She went on to say that “the vast majority of immigrants are not criminals. They pay taxes and are good neighbors.” “I ask you to have mercy Mr. President on those in our communities whose children fear that their parents will be taken away, and that you help those who are fleeing war zones and persecution in their own lands to find compassion and welcome here,” she said. REVEREND ASKS TRUMP TO HAVE ‘MERCY’ ON IMMIGRANTS, LGBTQ CHILDREN WHO ‘FEAR FOR THEIR LIVES’ Trump trashed Budde and her performance in a post on Truth Social, suggesting that she and her church should apologize to the public. The president also pointed out that there are illegal immigrants who have entered the country and killed Americans. “The so-called Bishop who spoke at the National Prayer Service on Tuesday morning was a Radical Left hard line Trump hater. She brought her church into the World of politics in a very ungracious way. She was nasty in tone, and not compelling or smart. She failed to mention the large number of illegal migrants that came into our Country and killed people. Many were deposited from jails and mental institutions. It is a giant crime wave that is taking place in the USA,” Trump declared in the post on Wednesday. “Apart from her inappropriate statements, the service was a very boring and uninspiring one. She is not very good at her job! She and her church owe the public an apology!” he asserted. TRUMP SIGNS ‘FULL AND UNCONDITIONAL’ PARDON OF SILK ROAD CREATOR ROSS ULBRICHT Rep. Andy Barr, R-Ky., indicated in a post on X that he is Episcopalian, and objected to Budde’s remarks. “As a conservative Episcopalian who supports President Trump and his agenda, I am profoundly disappointed that Bishop Mariann Budde politicized today’s inaugural Service of Prayer for the Nation. By disregarding President Trump’s appointment of Scott Bessent, a brilliant, openly gay man to serve as Treasury Secretary and Elon Musk, a genius, first generation legal immigrant to lead the new Department of Government Efficiency, Bishop Budde’s gratuitous criticisms ring hollow,” Barr declared. “Sadly, the only message Bishop Budde delivered through her unwelcoming and hypocritical words to the President was that the Episcopal Church’s motto of ‘All are Welcome’ apparently doesn’t apply to the majority of Americans who voted for Donald Trump.” WHITE HOUSE OPM ORDERS ALL DEI OFFICES TO BEGIN CLOSING BY END OF DAY WEDNESDAY Budde has been open about her opposition to Trump in the past. “We need to replace President Trump,” she said in a video clip that ABC News posted on social media in 2020.
Nitish Kumar’s JDU withdraws support to BJP-led Manipur government
The Janata Dal (United) JD(U)), a member of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), officially withdrew its support to the BJP-led government in Manipur on Wednesday.
No liquor in Delhi for 4 days, shops closed on THESE dates in February due to…
During the dry days, no liquor shops, hotels, restaurants, clubs and establishments selling or serving liquor, will be permitted to sell or serve liquor to anyone whosoever.
‘Home sweet home’: Saif Ali Khan’s residence lit up like Diwali, sister Saba Pataudi gives shoutout to nannies
Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan was discharged from Mumbai’s Lilavati Hospital after five days of treatment, following a knife attack on him at his Bandra West-based apartment.
Fewer Texans sentenced to death, executed amid “evolving standards of decency”
Texas continues to lead other states on capital punishment. But the decline in new death sentences and executions reached a record low.
Austin rents have fallen for nearly two years. Here’s why.
A massive apartment building boom in the Austin-Round Rock region has driven rents downward, real estate experts and housing advocates have said.
New Secretary of State Marco Rubio pauses refugee operations, ramps up visa vetting
FIRST ON FOX: Newly sworn-in Secretary of State Marco Rubio is advising his department to cease refugee resettlement operations and begin ramping up vetting of visas from certain regions in response to executive orders from President Donald Trump. After officially becoming its next secretary, Rubio directed the Department of State to halt refugee resettlement programs, a senior department source told Fox News Digital. He also ordered the department to implement enhanced vetting for visa applications from “dangerous regions.” The secretary cited new executive orders signed by Trump after his inauguration Monday. LAKEN RILEY ACT SET TO BECOME ONE OF FIRST BILLS TO HIT PRESIDENT TRUMP’S DESK Among dozens of executive orders, Trump signed one aimed at “Realigning The United States Refugee Admissions Program” and another to “[Protect] the United States From Foreign Terrorists And Other National Security And Public Safety Threats.” NEXT OHIO SENATOR, A ‘FISCAL CONSERVATIVE,’ AIMS TO ‘GET GOVERNMENT OUT OF PEOPLE’S LIVES’ The former dictated that the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP) be suspended due to its detrimental effect on the country’s interests. The latter order calls for increased vetting of all aliens, “to the maximum degree possible,” especially those “from regions or nations with identified security risks.” DOGE CAUCUS PLANS FOR BIGGEST IMPACT, EYEING KEY TOOLS TO EXPEDITE CUTTING WASTE Trump’s executive order on refugees further stipulates that “the Secretary of State and the Secretary of Homeland Security may jointly determine to admit aliens to the United States as refugees on a case-by-case basis, in their discretion, but only so long as they determine that the entry of such aliens as refugees is in the national interest and does not pose a threat to the security or welfare of the United States.” Rubio was the first Trump Cabinet member confirmed, the Senate voting unanimously to do so Monday night. He was sworn in Tuesday morning, becoming the 72nd secretary of state. OHIO GOV. DEWINE PICKS LT. GOV. TO FILL VICE PRESIDENT-ELECT JD VANCE’S VACANT SEAT In remarks at the department Tuesday, Rubio said, “There will be changes, but the changes are not meant to be destructive. They’re not meant to be punitive. “The changes will be because we need to be a 21st century agency that can move by — a cliché that’s used by many — at the speed of relevance. But we need to move faster than we ever have, because the world is changing faster than we ever have. And we have to have a view that some say is called ‘look around the corner.’ “But we really need to be thinking about where are we going to be in five, seven, 10 or 15 years. Some of the issues that confront humanity today have no precedent. They have no historic precedent. Some of the challenges we face have no historic precedent. We can compare it to another era, to another time, but they’re not the same. Things are moving faster than ever,” he explained. Immigration was a top campaign priority for Trump during the 2024 election. In his inaugural address Monday, Trump promised, “I will declare a national emergency at our southern border. 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. We will reinstate my Remain in Mexico policy. I will end the practice of catch and release. And I will send troops to the southern border to repel the disastrous invasion of our country.”
Sen. Thune suggests staying through weekend to confirm Trump picks after Dems delay votes: ‘Shouldn’t be hard’
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., showed frustration with Democrats on Tuesday after a confirmation vote for President Trump’s pick for CIA director in John Ratcliffe, who has bipartisan support, was blocked. Speaking on the Senate floor after the vote was blocked by Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., Thune said the Senate can remain in session all weekend to confirm Trump’s picks if progress continues to be delayed. “Do we want a vote on these folks on Tuesday or vote on them on Friday, Saturday and Sunday? Because that’s what we’re going to do. This can be easy or this can be hard,” Thune said. “This is about America’s national security interests, and we’re stalling, so that’s not going to happen.” NEW GOP SENATOR TEARS INTO DEMS ‘SEEKING TO DELAY’ PETE HEGSETH DOD CONFIRMATION Ratcliffe was approved by the Senate Intelligence Committee by a bipartisan vote of 14 to 3. Because of that, Thune said the vote to confirm him “shouldn’t be hard.” “Democrats and Republicans, in a very big bipartisan fashion, agree that he is very qualified for this job,” Thune said, adding that he isn’t sure what stalling accomplishes. When blocking the vote, Murphy said many Democrats have “serious concerns” about Ratcliffe’s ability to work as CIA director because he “repeatedly politicized intelligence” during his eight months as National Intelligence director in 2020. “I don’t think it’s too much to ask to make sure that we have a full, real debate that lasts two days on the Senate floor,” Murphy said on Tuesday. CONFIRMATION DELAYS STACK UP FOR TRUMP NOMINEES AS PAPERWORK LAGS IN FEDERAL OFFICES Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., who leads the Senate Intelligence Committee, said the delay is for “no good reason” and is simply an attempt “to drag out all of these nominations to play procedural games.” Cotton noted that while the Democrats acted in similar fashion in 2017 with Trump’s first administration and the Republicans in 2021 with Biden’s picks, that this didn’t happen during confirmation votes prior to the past two elections. “We should especially get back to that practice when it is a highly accomplished, well-qualified nominee of integrity, like John Ratcliffe,” Cotton said. “Now we’re going to spin our wheels for two days. But, as I said, don’t make plans for the weekend. Don’t have any dinner dates scheduled starting on Thursday night because we’re going to get these nominees done the easy, collegial way. Or apparently the hard way.” Only one of Trump’s Cabinet nominees has been confirmed thus far, and that was former Florida senator Marco Rubio as Secretary of State. He was confirmed on Monday by a unanimous vote. Several nominees have advanced out of committee votes while others still await confirmation hearings.
Israel’s scorched earth campaign leaves Gaza in ruins
Palestinians in Gaza are confronting an apocalyptic landscape of devastation following the ceasefire that paused more than 15 months of Israel’s attacks on the besieged enclave. Across Gaza, where built-up refugee camps are interspersed between cities, mounds of rubble are stretching as far as the eye can see. Critics say Israel has waged a campaign of scorched earth to destroy the fabric of life in Gaza, accusations that are being considered in two global courts, including the crime of genocide. International rights groups said the vast destruction was part of a broader pattern of extermination and genocide directed at Palestinians in Gaza, a charge Israel denies. The groups dispute Israel’s stance that the destruction was a result of military activity. A United Nations assessment from satellite imagery showed more than 60,000 structures across Gaza had been destroyed and more than 20,000 severely damaged in the war as of December 1, 2024. Israel also carved out a buffer zone about one kilometre inside Gaza from its fence, as well as within the Netzarim Corridor that bisects north Gaza from the south, and along the Philadelphi Corridor, a stretch of land along Gaza’s border with Egypt. Advertisement Vast swaths in these areas were levelled. Adblock test (Why?)