Commuted Jan. 6 defendants barred from DC, Capitol building by federal judge
A federal district judge issued an order Friday barring certain January 6 defendants with commutations from entering Washington, D.C., or the U.S. Capitol building. In the filing, Judge Amit P. Mehta specified the order applied to “Defendants Stewart Rhodes, Kelly Meggs, Kenneth Harrelson, Jessica Watkins, Roberto Minuta, Edward Vallejo, David Moerchel, and Joseph Hacket” – whose sentences were commuted. Those pardoned are not subject to the order. The order states “You must not knowingly enter the District of Columbia without first obtaining the permission from the Court” and “You must not knowingly enter the United States Capitol Building or onto surrounding grounds known as Capitol Square.” The filing says the order is effective as of Friday at noon. This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.
Date set for Robert F Kennedy Jr’s Health secretary confirmation hearings
The Senate committees on health and finance have announced the upcoming hearing dates for Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s bid to be the next secretary of Health and Human Services. The Health and Human Services (HHS) secretary nominee will participate in hearings with two committees, the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) and the Senate Committee on Finance. The first hearing will occur next week, on Wednesday, in front of the Senate finance committee, which oversees HHS. The Senate’s chief committee covering issues tied to health and healthcare, the HELP committee, will probe Kennedy the following day, on Thursday. Kennedy’s nomination could face opposition, even from Republicans. In particular, Kennedy’s views and past statements about vaccines have been scrutinized by both GOP and Democratic lawmakers. Additionally, GOP lawmakers have been concerned about Kennedy’s pro-abortion views that he has espoused in the past and his potential impact on the agriculture sector. TRUMP INAUGURATION: CHERYL HINES EMBRACES RFK JR’S MAHA MISSION In an interview with “Fox News Sunday” earlier this month, Louisiana GOP Sen. Bill Cassidy, the top lawmaker on the Senate HELP committee, said Kennedy was “wrong” on vaccinations. One example that has been raised was Kennedy’s alleged efforts, which he has denied, to promote doubts around vaccine efficacy during a 2019 measles outbreak in Samoa. Those efforts included a letter Kennedy sent to the country’s prime minister, as chairman of Children’s Health Defense, suggesting that the measles vaccine could have potentially exacerbated the outbreak. In the past, Kennedy has also suggested that vaccines can be linked to autism. “The scientific research has been done and the results are clear – vaccines do not cause autism,” Autism Science Foundation President Alison Singer wrote in a statement. Kennedy suggested to journalist John Stossel that such studies are “propaganda.” AARON RODGERS WARNS SENATORS ABOUT RFK JR’S INTELLECT AS CONFIRMATION HEARING LOOMS: ‘BETTER COME READY’ Kennedy’s past pro-abortion views, and what he might do to the agriculture sector in his push to implement his “Make America Healthy Again” platform, have also raised concerns for some Republican members of the Senate. “He’s made some statements about pigs and about GMO corn and soybeans. I can’t believe that he’s going to have a problem with that. But if he does, he has a problem with me,” Sen. Chuck Grassley, a member of the Senate finance committee, told Semafor. Following a meeting with conservative Alabama GOP Sen. Tommy Tuberville, a staunch pro-life lawmaker, the senator said that Kennedy told him that he agrees with Trump on abortion “100%” and will have a light touch on regulating farmers. “We talked about abortion and the big thing about abortion is he’s telling everybody, ‘Listen, whatever president Trump [supports] I’m going back him, 100%,’” Tuberville told reporters following his meeting with Kennedy. Fox News Digital reached out to Kennedy’s representatives for comment but did not receive a response in time for publication.
‘We can’t wait’: Issa fights back against ‘green tape’ regulations impacting firefighters
FIRST ON FOX: GOP Congressman Darrell Issa has introduced a bill in response to the devastating California wildfires aimed at slashing through the regulatory burdens that prevent firefighters from most effectively preventing the fires. Issa, who represents California’s 48th Congressional District, is putting forward the Green Tape Elimination Act which would exempt hazardous fuel reduction activities on federal lands from federal regulations for a decade. Eliminating those regulatory burdens, Issa says, will allow firefighters to clear brush, cut shrubs, prescribe fires, along with other fire prevention activities without being hindered by six major federal environmental regulations. Those regulations include the National Environmental Policy Act, Endangered Species Act, National Historic Preservation Act, Clean Air Act, Migratory Bird Treaty Act, and Migratory Bird Conservation Act. BILL MAHER TRASHES KAREN BASS, CALI OFFICIALS FOR RESPONSE TO FIRES: ‘FIDDLING IN GHANA WHILE THE CITY BURNED’ “For years, environmental rules have become regulatory ‘green tape’ — locking in dangerous conditions and contradicting common sense reforms,” Issa, who will be touring the Palisade Fire devastation with President Trump on Friday, told Fox News Digital. “That’s why this is no time for tinkering around the edges. We can’t wait for the next deadly disaster.” “Giving a blank check to finance even more of California’s mismanagement would be like giving matches to an arsonist,” Issa continued. “We’re dedicated to helping the victims of this disaster first and working to prevent the next one. It’s a message I’ll bring to President Trump when I see him today in Los Angeles.” The Golden State’s struggles with preventing or at least moderating severe wildfires over the past few decades has been a longstanding concern that was only exacerbated by the recent Eaton Fire and Palisades fire which killed at least 28 people. CALIFORNIA WATER SUPPLY CRUCIAL FOR LA WILDFIRE RESPONSE ALLOWED TO RUN DRY MONTHS BEFORE INFERNOS: LAWSUIT Many have argued that a wide range of federal and state regulations make it more difficult to conduct mitigation activities, like prescribed burns or treatments to remove hazardous trees and vegetation. Chuck Devore, a former member of the California State Assembly and the chief national initiatives officer at the Texas Public Policy Foundation, told FOX Business in a recent interview that federal and state rules have hampered wildfire mitigation efforts, resulting in larger fuel loads that drive more intense wildfires.” “The nature of the wildfire problem changes a little bit from north to south… In both cases, you have the issue of air quality management districts that are under both federal and state mandate to clean up the air. That makes it difficult to have prescribed burns with the sort of frequency that needs to happen to be able to reduce the fuel load,” Devore said.
Trump hiring freeze prompts DOJ to pull job offers in AG’s honors program: report
The Department of Justice is rescinding job offers for the Attorney General’s Honors Program amid President Donald Trump’s federal hiring freeze, according to a new report. The Attorney General’s Honors Program, established in 1953, hires graduating law students or recent law school graduates from top law schools such as Harvard, Duke, Georgetown, Stanford and the University of Virginia. But the Department of Justice notified those who had been selected for the program, which serves as a pipeline to recruit top legal talent into the public sector, that their offers were being revoked, several people familiar with the decision told the Washington Post. CAREER JUSTICE DEPARTMENT OFFICIALS REASSIGNED TO DIFFERENT POSITIONS: REPORTS The Department’s Office of Attorney Recruitment and Management distributed an email to those affected via email on Wednesday. “Pursuant to the hiring freeze announced Jan. 20, 2025, your job offer has been revoked,” said the email,” according to an email the Post obtained. Those familiar with the program said it may take on more than 100 lawyers annually, with recent hires assigned to the antitrust, national security, criminal and other divisions. They told the Post that the program is critical in recruiting new top talent to the Justice Department in order to replace outgoing legal talent. The two-year program places young attorneys on a career path to stay at the Department once the program concludes. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE FREEZES ALL CIVIL RIGHTS DIVISION CASES: REPORT The Post reports that it is uncertain whether the program will resume once federal hiring starts again. The Department of Justice did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital. Trump signed a series of executive orders on Inauguration Day this week, including those initiating the federal hiring freeze as well as withdrawing the U.S. from the Paris climate agreement, and directing every department and agency to address the cost-of-living crisis. DOJ RACING THE CLOCK TO ENSHRINE ‘WOKE’ POLICING RULES, LAWYER SAYS, AS JUDGE HEARS BREONNA TAYLOR REFORM CASE CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “As part of this freeze, no Federal civilian position that is vacant at noon on January 20, 2025, may be filled, and no new position may be created except as otherwise provided for in this memorandum or other applicable law,” a White House memo said. “Except as provided below, this freeze applies to all executive departments and agencies regardless of their sources of operational and programmatic funding.” Those exempt from the hiring freeze include military personnel and other federal jobs pertaining to immigration, national security or public safety.
President Trump, Melania board Air Force One for first time in 4 years, photo shows
President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump were photographed Friday boarding Air Force One for the first time in four years. Trump and his wife — who was wearing a green jacket and aviator sunglasses — were seen getting onboard the aircraft at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland. The president is heading to North Carolina to survey damage from Hurricane Helene last September. NORTH CAROLINA RESIDENT CALLS FOR ‘LARGER FEDERAL RESPONSE’ TO HELENE DAMAGE AHEAD OF TRUMP VISIT “We’re going to North Carolina. It’s a horrible thing, the way that’s been allowed to fester. And we’re going to get it fixed up. Should have been done months ago from the hurricane that took place almost four months ago,” Trump told reporters after leaving the White House. “North Carolina has been treated very badly.” TRUMP TO VISIT CALIFORNIA AFTER RIPPING ‘IDIOT’ NEWSOM ON WILDFIRE “So we’re stopping there and we are then going to go to Los Angeles and take a look at a fire that could have been put out if they let the water flow but they didn’t let the water flow, and they still haven’t for whatever reason. So, I think we’re going to have a very interesting time,” Trump added. Trump was last photographed stepping off Air Force One on Jan. 20, 2021, while Joe Biden was being sworn in as president that day.
Oklahoma Sen Mullin confident Hegseth will be confirmed, predicts who Democrats will try to sink next
Oklahoma Sen. Markwayne Mullin expressed confidence that Pete Hegseth would be confirmed as Defense secretary, despite opposition from GOP moderates. Hegseth cleared a procedural hurdle in the Senate on Thursday, setting up a final confirmation vote expected Friday evening. However, Republican Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, both publicly declared their opposition to his nomination, meaning the GOP can only afford one more defection before Hegseth’s confirmation is lost. Mullin, in an interview on the “Guy Benson Show” with guest host Jason Rantz, said there are 50 “hard yes” votes for Hegseth to be confirmed and estimated he will receive as many as 52 votes, with all Democrats and the moderate Republicans from Alaska and Maine voting against. “He’s definitely being confirmed tomorrow,” Mullin told Rantz. “I don’t know what the White House schedule is, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he was sworn into office on Saturday.” HEGSETH CLEARS SENATE HURDLE AND ADVANCES TO A FINAL CONFIRMATION VOTE The Senate voted 51-49 to advance Hegseth’s nomination on Thursday, which triggered up to 30 hours of debate before a final vote. President Donald Trump‘s embattled Defense nominee has faced intense grilling from Democrats on his qualifications for the position, as well as personal questions about his drinking habits and alleged sexual misconduct, which he has vigorously denied. Hegseth has said he would abstain from alcohol if confirmed. Hegseth’s nomination faced another hurdle this week when reports emerged that his ex-sister-in-law alleged that Hegseth had abused his second wife. Two sources told CNN Hegseth’s ex-wife, Samantha Hegseth, gave a statement to the FBI about Hegseth’s alleged alcohol use. The outlet said one of the sources said Samantha Hegseth told the FBI, “He drinks more often than he doesn’t.” On Tuesday, Fox News obtained an affidavit from Hegseth’s former sister-in-law, Danielle Hegseth, which alleges he has an alcohol abuse problem and at times made his ex-wife, Samantha, fear for her safety. Danielle Hegseth was previously married to Pete Hegseth’s brother and has no relation to Samantha. KEY SENATE CHAIRMAN CRITICIZES ‘ANONYMOUS SOURCES WITH ULTERIOR MOTIVES,’ STANDS BY HEGSETH NOMINATION However, Danielle Hegseth added that she never witnessed any abuse herself, physical or sexual, by Pete against Samantha. Samantha Hegseth has also denied any physical abuse in a statement to NBC News. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., slammed Hegseth at a news conference on Thursday and urged Republicans to join Democrats in opposition to the former Fox News host and Army National Guardsman. “Hegseth is so utterly unqualified, he ranks up there [as] … one of the very worst nominees that could be put forward,” Schumer said. HEGSETH LAWYER SLAMS ‘FLAWED AND QUESTIONABLE AFFIDAVIT’ FROM EX-SISTER-IN-LAW “People’s lives depend on it — civilians and, of course, the men and women in the armed services — and Pete Hegseth has shown himself not only incapable of running a large organization, he often shows himself incapable of showing up or showing up in a way where he could get anything done. He is so out of the mainstream and so unqualified for DOD that I am hopeful we will get our Republican colleagues to join us.” Mullin predicted that once Hegseth is confirmed, Democrats will turn their attention to another of Trump’s nominees, Tulsi Gabbard, who is the president’s choice to be director of national intelligence. “I think they’re going to turn their attention from Pete straight to Tulsi Gabbad,” Mullin said, noting that Gabbard’s confirmation hearing is scheduled for next week. “They went from Matt Gaetz to Pete Hegseth. Now they’re going to go to Tulsi, and then after that I’m sure they’ll probably move on to [health secretary nominee] Bobby Kennedy.” The Oklahoma Republican also suggested that Democratic senators who may harbor presidential ambitions stand to gain from making a show of opposition to Trump’s nominees. “You have all these Democrat senators now that are jumping up and down wanting attention so they can be the champion of the Democrat Party. What they don’t realize is the position they took underneath Biden and when Trump was in office is exactly why they got kicked out of office.”
Republic Day 2025: Delhi Metro readjusts schedule for ceremony access at Red Fort, services to start at…
Delhi Metro will start services early January 26, 2025, to help commuters reach Kartavya Path. Servies to begin at…
Trump DHS makes key move against migrants allowed in via controversial Biden parole programs
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is allowing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials to review the parole status of migrants who were brought in under a dramatic expansion of humanitarian parole by the Biden administration, opening the door for their quick removal from the country. In an internal memo signed Thursday, and obtained by Fox News Digital, acting DHS Secretary Benjamine Huffman noted moves he made this week to take limits off expedited removal, which allows for the rapid removal of recently-arrived migrants if they do not claim asylum or fail to meet an initial standard. The power can now be used anywhere in the U.S. for migrants in the U.S. for less than two years. The new memo says that with those expanded powers, any immigrant whom DHS knows who could be put on expedited removal, but has not, should have their case reviewed and “consider, in exercising your enforcement discretion, whether to apply expedited removal.” The memo was first reported by The New York Times. TRUMP DHS REPEALS KEY MAYORKAS MEMO LIMITING ICE AGENTS, ORDERS PAROLE REVIEW “This may include steps to terminate any ongoing removal proceeding and/or any active parole status,” it says. It also says that for any immigrant who has been granted parole under a policy paused, modified or terminated by the Trump administration, officers can decide whether they should be placed in removal proceedings and “review the alien’s parole status to determine, in exercising your enforcement discretion, whether parole remains appropriate in light of any changed legal or factual status.” TRUMP’S ICE NABS CHILD SEX OFFENDERS AMONG 530+ ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS CAUGHT IN SINGLE DAY The memo also notes that parole is a “positive exercise of enforcement discretion to which no alien is entitled and that parole ‘shall not be regarded as an admission of the alien.’” This would mean that migrants who were granted parole at ports of entry after making an appointment via the CBP One app, or who were given travel authorization to be paroled under the parole processes for Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans (CHNV), could be eligible for removal. The administration also launched parole programs for nationals from Ukraine and Afghanistan. Nearly 1.5 million migrants were allowed in under CBP One and CHNV, and both parole channels were closed by President Donald Trump on his first day in office. The Biden administration said the expanded “lawful pathways” were part of an effort to reduce illegal crossings, but Republicans accused the administration of abusing limited parole power and allowing in migrants who should not legally have entered. Huffman’s memo follows a memo from earlier this week in which he ordered a review of the use of parole. The memo notes that the statute demands the authority be used on a “case by case basis,” something that Republican critics claim the administration has abused. It emphasizes that parole is “a limited use authority, applicable only in a very narrow set of circumstances.” It also claims that “it has been repeatedly abused by the Executive Branch over the past several decades in ways that are blatantly inconsistent with the statute.” “Most important, the parole statute does not authorize categorical parole programs that make aliens presumptively eligible on the basis of some set of broadly applicable criteria,” it says. CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE The memo directs the heads of (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection to compile a list of instructions, policies and procedures related to parole, review them and formulate a plan to phase out any that are not in accord with the statute. The latest memo comes amid a flurry of moves by the administration on illegal immigration and immigration, including moves to send military to the border, end refugee resettlement, build the border wall and launch a massive deportation operation. ICE on Thursday arrested more than 530 illegal immigrants in another day of raids across the U.S. Agents have focused on public safety threats, but officials have said that no-one is off the table if they are in the country illegally.
Massie and other Republicans push ‘National Constitutional Carry Act’ to protect Americans’ gun rights
Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., and a slew of other House Republicans are pushing a proposal that would compel states to allow Americans to carry guns in public areas. The measure, dubbed the “National Constitutional Carry Act,” would prohibit states and localities from limiting U.S. citizens from carrying firearms in public if they are eligible to have the weapons under state and federal law. “By prohibiting state or local restrictions on the right to bear arms, H.R. 645 upholds the original purpose of the Second Amendment—to ensure the security of a free state—while safeguarding individual liberties against government infringement,” Massie noted, according to a press release. MASSIE DROPS COLORFUL ANALOGY OPPOSING FOREIGN AID, MOCKS SPEAKER JOHNSON WITH AI-GENERATED IMAGE Specifically, the text of the measure stipulates that “No State or political subdivision of a State may impose a criminal or civil penalty on, or otherwise indirectly limit the carrying of firearms (including by imposing a financial or other barrier to entry) in public by residents or nonresidents of that State who are citizens of the United States and otherwise eligible to possess firearms under State and Federal law.” “Any statute, ordinance, regulation, custom, or usage of a State or a political subdivision of a State that criminalizes, penalizes, or otherwise indirectly dissuades the carrying of firearms (including by imposing a financial or other barrier to entry) in public by any resident or nonresident who is a United States citizen and otherwise eligible to possess firearms under State and Federal law, shall have no force or effect,” the measure reads. The measure would not apply to locations “where screening for firearms is conducted under state law,” and it would not block the owners of privately-owned facilities from banning guns on their premises. Massie and others had previously pushed such a proposal last year as well. IN ONE U.S. TOWN, RESIDENTS ARE LEGALLY REQUIRED TO OWN GUNS AND AMMO In 2021, Massie shared a family Christmas photo in which each person was holding a gun. “Merry Christmas!” the staunch gun rights advocate wrote when sharing the photo, adding, “ps. Santa, please bring ammo.” In a 2022 post, he criticized the term “Gun Violence,” asserting that it “is part of the language leftists use to shift blame away from evil perpetrators of violence” and that it “suggests that guns are to blame instead of people, which sets the table for their anti-second amendment agenda.” “There’s a reason you never see a Communist, a Marxist, or even a Socialist politician support the right of common people to keep and bear arms: Those forms of government require more submission to the state than armed citizens would tolerate,” Massie also tweeted in 2022. REP. MASSIE LAUNCHES ‘MAXIMUM TRIGGERING’ WITH FAMILY CHRISTMAS PHOTO: ‘SANTA, PLEASE BRING AMMO’ The congressman’s press release lists dozens of House Republicans as original cosponsors, including: Reps. Andy Biggs of Arizona, Lauren Boebert of Colorado, Josh Brecheen of Oklahoma, Tim Burchett of Tennessee, Eric Burlison of Missouri, Ben Cline of Virginia, Michael Cloud of Texas, Mike Collins of Georgia, Eli Crane of Arizona, Brandon Gill of Texas, Paul Gosar of Arizona, Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, Andy Harris of Maryland, Clay Higgins of Louisiana, Nick Langworthy of New York, Anna Paulina Luna of Florida, Mary Miller of Illinois, Barry Moore of Alabama, Nathaniel Moran of Texas, Andrew Ogles of Tennessee, John Rose of Tennessee, Chip Roy of Texas, Keith Self of Texas, Victoria Spartz of Indiana, Claudia Tenney of New York, Tom Tiffany of Wisconsin, Randy Weber of Texas and Tony Wied of Wisconsin.
House Republicans clear path for Trump to act on tariff plans
House Republicans are unveiling a new bill to clear a path for President Donald Trump to enact his sweeping tariff plans. First-term Rep. Riley Moore, R-W.Va., is reintroducing the U.S. Reciprocal Trade Act on Friday, which, if passed, would allow Trump to unilaterally make moves on import taxes from both adversaries and allies. He would be required to notify Congress, however, which could file a joint resolution of disapproval against the moves. “American manufacturing has endured decades of decline under the globalist system that has hollowed out our industrial base and shipped countless jobs overseas. Leaders in both political parties deserve blame. But those days are over,” Moore said in a statement. TRUMP CONFRONTS BANK OF AMERICA CEO FOR NOT TAKING ‘CONSERVATIVE BUSINESS’ Moore said Trump was “the first national politician in my lifetime to recognize this problem, campaign on it, and work to reverse that trend.” “With the U.S. Reciprocal Trade Act, we’ll give the executive the leverage necessary to go to bat for the American people and achieve tariff reductions on U.S. goods,” he said. Trump released a campaign video in 2023 pledging to work with Congress to pass the Reciprocal Trade Act, declaring, “Under the Trump Reciprocal Trade Act, other countries will have two choices—they’ll get rid of their tariffs on us, or they will pay us hundreds of billions of dollars, and the United States will make an absolute FORTUNE.” TRUMP’S PROPOSED TARIFFS ON MEXICO, CANADA, CHINA WILL INCREASE INFLATION, GOLDMAN SACHS WARNS This week, the president announced that he wanted to impose a 10% tariff on Chinese imports, making good on a campaign promise to use such taxes to lower the U.S. national debt, which is currently over $36 trillion. “We’re talking about a tariff of 10% on China, based on the fact that they’re sending fentanyl to Mexico and Canada,” Trump said Tuesday. “Probably February 1st is the date we’re looking at.” During his campaign, Trump promised to levy a 60% tariff on goods from China and as much as 20% on other countries the U.S. trades with. He also recently pledged on Truth Social to create an “External Revenue Service” to “collect our Tariffs, Duties, and all Revenue that come from Foreign sources.” Trump has praised the U.S. Reciprocal Trade Act by name multiple times, including during a January 2019 meeting with House Republicans, including the bill’s former lead, ex-Rep. Sean Duffy, R-Wis. Trump recently nominated Duffy to be secretary of Transportation. “The United States Reciprocal Trade Act — this legislation will help, finally, to give our workers a fair and level playing field against other countries. Countries are taking advantage of us, whether they think we’re very nice or not so smart. They’ve been doing it for many, many years, and we want to end it,” Trump said at the time. However, not everyone is in agreement that tariffs are an effective way to bolster the U.S. economy, with some economists warning it would only raise costs for consumers. “Not only would widespread tariffs drive up costs at home and likely send our economy into recession, but they would likely lead to significant retaliation, hurting American workers, farmers, and businesses,” Rep. Suzan DelBene, D-Wash., said while unveiling a measure to block Trump from using unilateral tariff powers by declaring a trade emergency.