Captives released by Hamas as part of Gaza ceasefire arrive back in Israel
NewsFeed Three Israeli captives have been returned to Israel from Gaza after Hamas released them as part of the ceasefire agreement. Romi Gonen, Emily Damari and Doron Steinbrecher have reunited with their families and are described by Israeli doctors as being in a stable medical condition. Published On 19 Jan 202519 Jan 2025 Adblock test (Why?)
‘My children, my children’: The Gaza family killed minutes before ceasefire
Khan Younis, Gaza Strip, Palestine – The ceasefire in Gaza was supposed to start at 8.30am (06:30 GMT). The al-Qidra family had endured 15 months of Israeli attacks. They had been displaced more than once and were living in a tent. Their relatives had been among the more than 46,900 Palestinians killed by Israel. But the al-Qidras had survived. And they wanted to go home. Ahmed al-Qidra packed his seven children onto a donkey cart and headed to eastern Khan Younis. It was finally safe to travel – the bombing should have stopped. But the family did not know that the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas had been delayed. They did not know that, even in those additional few hours, Israeli aircraft were still flying over the skies of Gaza, ready to drop their bombs. The explosion was loud. Ahmed’s wife Hanan heard it. She had stayed behind at a relative’s home in the centre of the city, organising their belongings, planning on joining her husband and children a few hours later. “The blast felt like it hit my heart,” Hanan said. She instinctively knew that something had happened to her children, whom she had only just said goodbye to. Advertisement “My children, my children!” she screamed. The cart had been hit. Hanan’s eldest son, 16-year-old Adly, was dead. So was her youngest, six-year-old Sama, the baby of the family. Yasmin, 12, explained that a four-wheel drive was in front of the cart carrying people celebrating the ceasefire. Perhaps that was the reason the missile hit. “I saw Sama and Adly lying on the ground, and my father bleeding and unconscious on the cart,” Yasmin said. She pulled her eight-year-old sister Aseel out before a second missile hit the spot where they had been. Eleven-year-old Mohammed also survived. But Ahmed, Hanan’s partner in life, was pronounced dead in the hospital. The vehicle travelling ahead of the al-Qidras’ donkey cart may have been targeted in the Israeli air attack [Abdelhakim Abu Riash/Al Jazeera] ‘My children were my world’ Sitting on the edge of her injured daughter Iman’s hospital bed in Khan Younis’s Nasser Hospital, Hanan was still shell-shocked. “Where was the ceasefire?” she asked. In their excitement to finally return to whatever was left of their home, the family had missed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declaring that the Palestinian group Hamas had not sent over the names of the three Israeli captives who would be released on Sunday as part of the ceasefire deal. They had not seen Hamas explain that there were technical reasons for the delay, and that the names would be provided, as they eventually were. They would not know that in the three-hour delay before the ceasefire eventually began, three members of their family would be killed. They were among the 19 Palestinians killed by Israel in those last few hours, according to Gaza’s Civil Defence. Hanan al-Qidra has to take care of her remaining children on her own after her husband Ahmed was killed in the Israeli attack in Khan Younis on January 19 [Abdelhakim Abu Riash/Al Jazeera] Hanan broke down in tears. She would now have to face life without her husband and without two of her children. The loss of Sama, “the last of the bunch” as she described her with the Arabic saying, was particularly hard. Advertisement “Sama was my youngest and the most spoiled. She’d get angry whenever I talked about having another child.” Adly had been her “pillar of support”. Her children were her world. “We endured this entire war, facing the harshest conditions of displacement and bombardment,” Hanan said. “My children dealt with hunger, a lack of food and basic necessities.” “We survived more than a year of this war, only for them to be killed in its last minutes. How can this happen?” A day of joy had been turned into a nightmare. The family had celebrated the end of the war the night before. “Hasn’t the Israeli army had enough of our blood and the atrocities they committed for 15 months?” Hanan asked. Then, she thought of her future. With her husband and two of her children ripped away from her, and with tears coming down her face, she asked: “What’s left?” Adblock test (Why?)
Chicago mayor reiterates opposition to incoming Trump admin’s immigration reform
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, on Sunday, doubled down on his vow to oppose President-elect Trump’s sweeping reform aimed at removing dangerous illegal immigrants accused of crimes from the U.S. once he returns to the Oval Office on Monday. In preparation for a change in federal administration, the mayor’s office has assured the city would continue to comply with the 2017 Illinois Trust Act, which prohibits local law enforcement from participating in federal immigration enforcement. On Sunday, his opposition continued to ring loud and clear. “Chicago stands strong: regardless of the circumstances, our commitment to protecting and supporting this city remains unwavering,” Johnson wrote in a social media post. “We will continue to fight for the justice and safety of all who call this place home.” CHICAGO OFFICIAL SLAMS BRANDON JOHNSON’S NEW ICE GUIDELINES: ‘WHO IS THE MAYOR TRYING TO PROTECT’ The mayor also shared comments he made back in November, after Trump won the election. In a nearly minute and ten second clip, Johnson said he and other city officials were going to defend the people of Chicago, telling those in attendance Trump’s threats are not just toward new arrivals and undocumented families, but also Black families. He also accused Trump of wanting to destroy public education and “leveling opportunities for families who are descendants of slaves.” CHICAGO FAITH LEADERS BRACE FOR MASS DEPORTATIONS, CEASE HOSTING IN-PERSON SPANISH SERVICES: REPORT “We’re going to stand up, and we’re going to protect undocumented individuals,” Johnson said. “We’re going to protect Black folks, brown folks, Asian folks… Listen, the anti-sentiment that exists in this political space is unconscionable and it’s dangerous. “Whether it’s anti-Black or antisemitic, we’re going to protect people, and we’re going to invest in people,” Johnson continued. “The city of Chicago will be better, stronger and safer despite who’s in the White House.” Johnson’s office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment on the matter. CHICAGO RESIDENTS SLAM THE ‘STUPIDITY’ OF MAYOR BRANDON JOHNSON’S LIBERAL POLICIES DURING CITY COUNCIL MEETING Earlier this month, Johnson released guidelines for how to handle visits from U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE), should officials from the agency enter city property. Johnson’s guidelines advise, “Contact your agency or department’s designated attorney or general counsel for further guidance. Contact the highest ranking official or designated supervisor onsite and do not take any action until that person arrives.” TRUMP SUPPORTERS RIP CHICAGO MAYOR TO HIS FACE JUST DAYS BEFORE CITY COUNCIL REJECTS HIS TAX HIKE The guidance says to demand copies of warrants, not to consent to ICE entering “any private or ‘sensitive’ locations,” but not to interfere with any search, even if refused. There are further recommendations, including taking notes and keeping contemporaneous written records. Tens of thousands of illegal immigrants are residing in Chicago, despite residents pleading with city officials about how there are not enough resources to provide for them. More than 20,000 migrants have arrived in the city since August 2022, according to previous reports from Fox 32 Chicago, and thousands are in shelters. Sheltering migrants has drawn ire from residents after it has reportedly cost the city $574.5 million since August 2022. At a previous city council meeting on December 3rd, residents objected to an approximately $60 million property tax increase that was proposed to help officials overcome a $1 billion budget shortfall by the end of last year. Fox News Digital’s Joshua Q. Nelson contributed to this report.
Trump to take more than 200 executive actions on day one
EXCLUSIVE: President-elect Trump will sign more than 200 executive actions on his first day in office—a massive, record-setting first wave of policy priorities focused on border security, energy, reducing the cost of living for American families, ending DEI programs across the federal government, and more, Fox News Digital has learned. A senior administration official who is familiar with the executive actions and authorized to brief Fox News Digital said Trump will sign multiple “omnibus” executive orders that each contain dozens of major executive actions. TRUMP WINS 2024 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION “The president is issuing a historic series of executive orders and actions that will fundamentally reform the American government, including the complete and total restoration of American sovereignty,” the official told Fox News Digital. On day one, the president-elect will declare a national border emergency; direct the U.S. military to work with the Department of Homeland Security to fully secure the southern border; and establish a national priority to eliminate all criminal cartels operating on U.S. soil. Trump will close the border to all illegal aliens via proclamation, Fox News Digital has learned. Trump will also create task forces for the protection of homeland security with officers from the FBI, ICE, CEA, and other agencies to “fully eradicate the presence of criminal cartels.” Trump will also direct designations of cartels as foreign terrorist organizations, which the official said will unlock new authorities to achieve the Trump homeland security mission. Fox News Digital has learned that Trump will re-institute “Remain in Mexico,” end “Catch and Release,” and direct the military to construct a new area of border wall. He will grant emergency authorities to suspend the entry of illegal aliens across the southwest border, allowing for individuals apprehended to be “swiftly returned to their countries of origin.” As for energy, Trump will “fully unleash” Alaskan energy, which the official described as essential to U.S. national security. The senior official told Fox News Digital that the energy executive order deals with “every single energy policy,” and addresses liquid natural gas, ports, fracking, pipelines, permitting and more, while also terminating President Biden polices he said “have constrained U.S. energy supply.” The official also said Trump will fully reform the federal bureaucracy by reestablishing presidential control over the career federal workforce and make clear to federal workers that they can be removed from posts for failing to comply with executive directives. Trump will sign an executive order to strengthen presidential control over senior government officials and implement a new merit-based hiring review. Trump will also take action to return federal workers to in-person work. The official also said Trump will end the “weaponization of the federal government,” and “restore freedom of speech” and “end federal censorship.” HIGHLIGHTS FROM PRESIDENT-ELECT DONALD TRUMP’S 1ST INAUGURATION DAY; WHAT TO EXPECT FROM MONDAY Trump, on his first day, will also suspend the security clearances for the 51 national security officials who “lied” about Hunter BIden’s laptop ahead of the 2020 presidential election. He is also expected to establish biological sex definitions; rename historical places like the Gulf of Mexico, which will become the “Gulf of America,” and more. Trump, on day one, will also end all Diversity Equity and Inclusion programs across the federal government. Trump will also establish a new Department of Government Efficiency hiring freeze; gain control over foreign aid and NGO funding; and more. “He is reasserting muscular control of the Executive Branch of the U.S. government,” the official told Fox News Digital. As for reducing the cost for American families, Trump will sign a specific presidential memorandum directing all agencies and departments to remove all federal actions that increase costs for families and consumers, which the official told Fox News Digital will be the beginning of Trump’s “historic de-regulatory effort” of his second term. Trump, on his first day, will also declare a national energy emergency and pause all offshore wind leases. Meanwhile, Trump will end the electric vehicle mandate; end the Green New Deal; withdraw from the Paris Climate Accord; and roll back more of President Biden’s actions and orders. “This is a massive, record-setting, unmatched first wave,” the official told Fox News Digital. “Even after this, there is a whole host in the cue to continue the restoration of America.” The official added: “This is the most extensive list of executive actions in American history all guided by a relentless commitment to deliver on the campaign promise.” The official told Fox News Digital that “everything” voters voted for “is being translated into executive policy.” “There is a massive federal workforce that has been moving its objectives at expense of the American people–and President Trump is taking command, saying you will serve the American people and only American people,” the official said. “This is about stopping corrupt, abusive behavior and re-focusing the government on its fundamental duties to the American people.” Incoming Trump administration officials told Fox News Digital that the overarching theme to his day one actions is “promises made, promises kept.” “As soon as President Trump places his hand on the Bible and swears the Oath to the United States Constitution, the Golden Age of America will begin,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told Fox News Digital. “The American people will have a leader who will deliver on the promises he made to restore our country’s greatness.” The president, on Sunday, previewed one of his day one executive orders related to the popular video-sharing app TikTok, which was forced to go dark in the United States following a ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court. Trump said he will sign an order on Monday that will “extend the period of time before the law’s prohibitions take effect, so that we can make a deal to protect our national security.” Trump also said the order would confirm that there “will be no liability for any company that helped keep TikTok from going dark before my order.”
DOGE bro Ramaswamy likely to announce Ohio governor run by month’s end: sources
Former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy is expected to announce a run for governor in his home state of Ohio by the last week of January, a source close to the multimillionaire biotech entrepreneur told Fox News Digital. The development on his timetable comes two days after multiple sources confirmed to Fox News that Ramaswamy, who along with Elon Musk is co-leader of President-elect Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) initiative, was likely to launch a gubernatorial campaign “shortly.” “Vivek’s base plan remains [the] same: to get accomplishments at DOGE and then announce a run for governor shortly,” an Ohio operative familiar with Ramaswamy’s thinking told Fox News on Friday. Ohio Republican Gov. Mike DeWine is term-limited and cannot seek re-election in 2026. DeWine on Friday announced that Lt. Gov. Jon Husted would fill the U.S. Senate seat that was held by former Sen. JD Vance until earlier this month, when the vice president-elect stepped down ahead of Monday’s inauguration. MUSK AND RAMASWAMY IGNITE MAGA WAR OVER SKILLED WORKER IMIMGRATION Before the Senate announcement, Husted had planned to run for governor in 2026 to succeed DeWine. Ramaswamy, for his part, had expressed interest in serving in the Senate. DeWine’s decision to choose Husted to fill the vacant Senate seat appeared to accelerate Ramaswamy’s move toward launching a run for governor. Ramaswamy, 39, who launched his presidential campaign in February 2023, saw his stock rise as he went from a long shot to a contender for the Republican nomination. CLICK HERE FOR THE LATEST FOX NEWS REPORTING ON VIVEK RAMASWAMY Ramaswamy campaigned on what he called an “America First 2.0” agenda and was one of Trump’s biggest supporters in the field of rivals, calling Trump the “most successful president in our century.” He dropped his White House bid a year ago after a distant fourth-place finish in the Iowa caucuses and quickly endorsed Trump, becoming a top surrogate on the campaign trail. Ramaswamy was named along with Musk, the world’s richest person, to lead DOGE, in an announcement in November by Trump. Ohio, which was once a top general election battleground, has shifted red over the past decade as Republicans have dominated statewide elections.
Inauguration Day Eve: Photos
See photos of the preparations in ahead of the Inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump.
Trump gets inaugurated Monday; here’s how the Supreme Court swears in new presidents
Top members of the three branches of government will come together in a rare display of national unity and tradition when the presidential and vice-presidential oaths of office are delivered at Monday’s inauguration. A swear-in rookie, and perhaps funny hats, will be indispensable parts of the ceremonies. Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Brett Kavanaugh will continue a nearly 240-year-old tradition of administering the oaths to President-elect Trump and his No. 2, JD Vance. The other seven members of the high court are expected to attend the event in the Capitol Rotunda, all in their judicial robes. Whatever political differences exist, they surely will not be on display at this most cordial and dignified of ceremonies. After all, the first person the president thanks will likely be the chief justice. But an undercurrent of tension remains. During his first run for high office in 2016, candidate Trump took the unusual step of attacking a member of the federal judiciary, labeling Roberts “an absolute disaster” among other personal insults. This will be the “Chief’s” fifth presidential swearing-in, his second with Trump. HOW TO WATCH, STREAM TRUMP’S 2025 INAUGURATION ON JANUARY 20TH The choice of Kavanaugh is no surprise: incoming second lady Usha Vance clerked for Kavanaugh when he was a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington. She then went on to a prestigious law clerkship at the Supreme Court with Roberts. Sources say Kavanaugh gave an especially strong job recommendation for Usha Vance to his now bench colleague. In an August interview with “Fox and Friends,” Usha Vance said Kavanaugh was “such a good boss” and “decent person” who “hired people from all over the political spectrum.” “My experience working for him was overwhelmingly positive,” she added. Sandra Day O’Connor, Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Clarence Thomas are among recent justices who have performed similar vice-presidential swear-in honors. While chief justices have normally sworn in the president, a broader mix of officials have handled the vice-presidential duties. Then-House Speaker Dennis Hastert swore in Vice President Dick Cheney in 2005. Thomas did the honors when Mike Pence was sworn in 2017 as vice president for Trump’s first term. TRUMP SWEARING-IN TO MOVE INDOORS DUE TO COLD WEATHER, SOURCE TELLS FOX NEWS Article VI of the Constitution requires executive officers, including the president, as well as members of Congress and federal judges, to “be bound by oath or affirmation,” but nothing mandates that a Supreme Court justice administer it. When it comes to the presidential inauguration, they just have, most of the time. There was no Supreme Court yet formed when George Washington took the first oath of office in 1789, so New York’s highest ranking judge did the honors at Federal Hall on Wall Street. Four years later, Associate Justice William Cushing swore in Washington for a second term, beginning the Supreme Court tradition. Early swear-ins were usually conducted in the House or Senate chamber. The 1817 inaugural was held outdoors for the first time when James Monroe took the oath in front of the Old Brick Capitol, where the legislature met temporarily after the original Capitol was burned by invading British troops in the War of 1812. The Monroe swear-in site is now occupied by the Supreme Court, which opened its building in 1935. The man who handled the duties more than 200 years ago was John Marshall, widely acknowledged as the most influential chief justice in U.S. history. He participated in a record nine swear-ins, from Thomas Jefferson to Andrew Jackson. For Roberts, this will be his fifth. The Constitution lays out the exact language to be used in the 34-word oath of office: “I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my Ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.” Many judges have tacked on four little words, “so help me God.” It is not legally or constitutionally required, unlike other federal oaths that invoke the words as standard procedure. Historians have been at odds over whether President Washington established precedent by adding the phrase on his own during his first acceptance, but contemporary accounts mention no such ad-libbing. Abraham Lincoln was reported to have said it spontaneously in 1861, and other presidents over the years have followed suit. A Bible is traditionally used, with the president placing one hand on it while raising the other during the oath of office. The 16th president and Chief Justice Roger Taney shared a mutual animosity. When the oath was administered just days before the Civil War erupted, many attending the ceremony noticed the frosty demeanor both men showed each other, befitting the late winter chill. Several historians have said Lincoln later that year secretly issued an arrest warrant for Taney, who tried to block the president’s suspension of habeas corpus during the conflict. The warrant was never served. President Barack Obama used Lincoln’s Bible for his two swear-ins. Trump is expected to again use the Lincoln Bible and a family Bible. TRUMP, VANCE OFFICIAL PORTRAITS RELEASED AHEAD OF INAUGURATION Roberts, administering his first presidential oath in 2009, strayed slightly from the text, which prompted its re-administration for protective purposes the following day, in a private White House ceremony. Those Jan. 20 ceremonies at the Capitol also ran long, so that the presidential oath was not completed until five minutes past noon. Nonetheless, Obama under the 20th Amendment had officially assumed the presidency at noon. At the time, a California atheist, Michael Newdow, objected and went to federal court to prevent Roberts from prompting Obama to repeat the “so help me God” phrase. Newdow, along with several non-religious groups, argued the words violated the constitutional ban on government “endorsement” of religion. The high court ultimately rejected the lawsuit, and no such legal challenges are expected this time. Four years later, Justice Sonia Sotomayor swore in Biden for a second term as vice president in 2013. She was asked by
Biden makes pledge at South Carolina church on last full day in office: ‘I’m not going anywhere’
President Biden vowed to stick around in public life following his departure from the White House, telling a South Carolina church congregation on Sunday, “I’m not going anywhere.” On his last full day in office, Biden traveled to Charleston, South Carolina, where he spoke at the Royal Missionary Baptist Church to celebrate Martin Luther King Day early. On the topic of clemency, Biden commended himself for issuing more commutations and individual pardons than “any other president in American history,” adding that he also aspired to “end the federal death penalty” by commuting most sentences to life in prison without parole. The president also said he commuted the sentences of individuals “serving disproportionately hard, long, and harsh sentences for nonviolent drug offenses” and showed “mercy” for individuals who did their time or served a significant amount of time and “have shown significant remorse and rehabilitation.” BIDEN PARDONS LATE BLACK ACTIVIST MARCUS GARVEY, 4 OTHERS “These decisions are difficult. Some have never been done before, but, in my experience, with my conscience, I believe taking together justice and mercy requires as a nation to bear witness, to see people’s pain, not to look away and do the work, to move pain to purpose, to show we can get a person, a nation, to a day of redemption,” Biden said. “We know the struggle to redeem the soul of this nation is difficult and ongoing.” “This is the shore between peril and possibility. But faith, faith teaches us the America of our dreams is always closer than we think. That’s the faith we must hold on to for the Saturdays to come. We must hold on a hope. We must stay engaged. Must always keep the faith in a better day to come,” Biden said, adding: “I’m not going anywhere. I’m not kidding… The people in South Carolina, thank you for keeping the faith. It’s been the honor of my life to serve as your president.” “As I close out this journey with you, I’m just as passionate about our work as I was as a 29-year-old kid when I got elected,” Biden added. “I’m in no ways tired.” HOW TO WATCH, STREAM TRUMP’S 2025 INAUGURATION ON JANUARY 20TH Biden, who turned 82 in November, must be back in Washington, D.C., on Monday for the inauguration ceremony of President-elect Trump. After a disastrous debate performance against Trump over the summer, Biden suspended his re-election campaign amid serious concerns within the Democratic Party over his age and mental fitness. Vice President Kamala Harris headed the Democratic ticket in Biden’s place and suffered a decisive defeat by Trump in November. Biden was the oldest U.S. president sworn into office four years ago. Trump, 78, will eclipse that record by a few months on Monday. Earlier Sunday, Biden granted clemency to an additional five people, including pardoning political activist and Black nationalist Marcus Garvey.
Trump lays wreath at Tomb of the Unknown Soldier ahead of inauguration
President-elect Donald Trump Vice President-elect JD Vance participated in a wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia on Sunday, the eve of his return to the White House. Trump was participating in a series of Washington events prior to his return to office. The president-elect’s wife, Melania Trump, was also there, as were his children: Donald Trump Jr., Eric Trump, Tiffany Trump and Ivanka Trump. Vance’s wife, Usha Vance, was also in attendance. NELLY DEFENDS PERFORMING AT TRUMP’S INAUGURATION, SAYS ‘IT’S AN HONOR’ Some of Trump’s Cabinet picks were in the crowd, including Pete Hegseth, his pick for defense secretary; Marco Rubio, his pick for secretary of state; Tulsi Gabbard, his pick for director of national intelligence; and Elise Stefanik, his pick for United Nations ambassador. Trump appeared solemn as he placed a wreath on an easel at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in drizzly rain and in front of a silent crowd. Moments later, Vance did the same. Trump held a salute while Vance held a hand over his heart during the ceremony. HOW TO WATCH, STREAM TRUMP’S 2025 INAUGURATION ON JANUARY 20TH The two left Arlington National Cemetery once the ceremony was complete. Trump is set to hold a campaign-style “MAGA Victory” rally at Capitol One Arena on Sunday evening. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Newly built border wall segment further endangers rare desert fish, conservation organization says
A newly built segment of border wall in southern Arizona will keep out more than just illegal immigrants, a nonprofit conservation organization says. The border wall segment and a “paved road across Arizona’s California Gulch is blocking streamflow critical to the survival of one of only two U.S. populations of Sonora chub,” a press release from the Center for Biological Diversity reads. The “rare desert fish” is a “small, moderately chubby fish that feasts on a variety of native food sources and has a unique and distinctly red coloration on the underside when in breeding condition,” the organization says. “The new wall and road will push these imperiled fish to the brink of extinction,” Krista Kemppinen, Ph.D., a senior scientist at the Center for Biological Diversity, said in a statement. LINDSEY GRAHAM DEFENDS KASH PATEL IN HEATED EXCHANGE WITH CBS HOST “The Sonora chub’s survival depends on being able to access scarce desert water on both sides of the border, exchange genetic material with nearby populations in Mexico, and bolster its populations with upstream migrations of fish from Sonora after droughts. The new construction makes all that impossible,” she continued. The organization drew attention to the matter just days before President-elect Donald Trump is set to retake office and ramp up his border security efforts. TRUMP TO BE SWORN IN ON BIBLE GIVEN TO HIM BY HIS MOTHER, AND THE LINCOLN BIBLE “Designating California Gulch as critical habitat is more urgent than ever to minimize other threats, such as by keeping cows out of the Sonora chub’s pools,” Kemppinen said in the statement. “It’s also imperative that carefully designed culverts be added to the new border infrastructure to allow at least some semblance of a natural streamflow and migration. If federal officials are serious about saving this fish, they need to act now.” Earlier this month, Trump set off a fiery debate over whether Democrats should be to blame for California’s wildfires after he accused Gov. Gavin Newsom of caring more about protecting endangered fish species known as smelt than protecting the state’s residents from wildfires. Trump set off a firestorm on Wednesday when he called out Newsom on his Truth Social platform for wanting “to protect an essentially worthless fish” over protecting the water needs of Californians. The comments are not new, however. In the run-up to the November election, Trump made the claim during an October interview with podcaster Joe Rogan. Neither the Center for Biological Diversity nor the Trump transition team responded to a request for comment regarding this story. Fox News’ Alec Schemmel contributed to this report.