Oil companies leaked less methane in West Texas, a new report says. Environmentalists are skeptical.
Methane is a greenhouse gas that traps heat in the atmosphere and is 80 times the potency of carbon dioxide.
Massachusetts must pay feds $2.1B after mistakenly using pandemic funds to cover unemployment benefits
Massachusetts must pay the federal government $2.1 billion over the next 10 years to resolve a debt after the state under former GOP Gov. Charlie Baker’s administration mistakenly used federal pandemic funds to cover unemployment benefits. Current Gov. Maura Healey, a Democrat, and her deputies released details on Monday of a settlement they reached with the outgoing Biden administration last week in which the state will repay most of the money it owed because of the error, the State House News Service reported. In 2023, Healey announced that her administration uncovered that the prior administration improperly used about $2.5 billion in federal pandemic relief funds to cover unemployment benefits that should have been funded by the state. The total liability exceeded $3 billion, including fees and interest, according to Healey’s office. Negotiations with the U.S. Department of Labor dropped the total owed to $2.1 billion over the next decade. DEM MASSACHUSETTS NOW WANTS TO LIMIT ILLEGALS IN CRIME-RIDDEN MIGRANT SHELTERS “We were dismayed to uncover early on in our term that the previous administration misspent billions of dollars in federal relief funds and that our state was facing what could have been a more than $3 billion tab to pay it back,” Healey said in a statement on Monday. “For the past year and a half, we have engaged in extensive negotiations with the U.S. Department of Labor to minimize the impact on Massachusetts residents, businesses and our economy,” she continued. “Today, we have reduced our potential liability by over $1 billion and negotiated a decade-long payment window to mitigate the impact.” The governor added that it is “incredibly frustrating that the prior administration allowed this to happen” but that the current administration is “going to use this as a moment to come together with the business and labor community to make meaningful reforms to the Unemployment Insurance system.” Payments will begin Dec. 1 and continue each year for the next decade. The agreement states that principal payments must come from the Unemployment Insurance (UI) Trust Fund, which is funded by a tax on employers and is also used to cover benefits, according to the State House News Service. Interest payments will come from the state’s General Fund. Healey’s office said businesses will not face higher rates on their unemployment insurance payments through at least the end of next year, at which point rates will depend on system reforms. BLUE STATE GOV CHANGES TUNE AFTER VOWING TO FIGHT TRUMP DEPORTATION EFFORTS, NOW HOPES HE FIXES BORDER The governor vowed to pursue changes to soften the burden on employers, who already face higher costs to support an uptick of claims during the pandemic, according to the State House News Service. Healey directed state Labor Secretary Lauren Jones and Administration and Finance Secretary Matthew Gorzkowicz to “conduct a comprehensive review of the solvency of UI and assess potential reforms.” The Healey administration projected the UI Trust Fund would be hundreds of millions of dollars in debt by the end of 2028, even before taking into account the $2.1 billion in additional payments.
Mahakumbh 2025: Billionaire Gautam Adani attends world’s largest religious gathering, performs seva, WATCH here
His Adani Group and ISKCON have joined hands to serve meals to the Maha Kumbh Mela devotees for the entire duration.
Trump failed to deliver ‘Day 1’ promise to grant clemency to Ross Ulbricht, founder of Silk Road
President Trump did not pardon or commute the prison sentence of Ross Ulbricht, the founder of the anonymous marketplace website Silk Road, despite his promise on the campaign trail to free him on “day one.” Ulbricht was convicted because his website, which was founded in 2011 and used cryptocurrency for payments, was used to sell illegal drugs, even though he did not sell any of the illicit substances himself. After being sworn into office on Monday, Trump issued several executive actions, including efforts to reduce immigration, designating cartels as foreign terrorist organizations, a move to resume federal executions and pardoning or commuting sentences to time served of people convicted in the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot. But Trump’s first day back in the White House came to an end with Ulbricht still behind bars without a pardon or commutation from the president, who pledged to do so last spring. TRUMP VOWS TO COMMUTE PRISON SENTENCE OF SILK ROAD FOUNDER ROSS ULBRICHT In May, Trump delivered a speech at the Libertarian National Convention to a hostile crowd of boos in an attempt to win over Libertarian voters. Libertarians believe government investigators overreached in their case against Silk Road and generally oppose the War on Drugs. While the attendees were not favorable to Trump for most of the event, they did give a big cheer when he said he would commute Ulbricht’s sentence to time served, as the crowd chanted “Free Ross” in the hopes that the then-presidential candidate would take action if elected to allow the Silk Road founder to return home to his family after more than a decade behind bars. “If you vote for me, on day one I will commute the sentence of Ross Ulbricht, to a sentence of time served. He’s already served 11 years. We’re going to get him home,” Trump told the crowd of Libertarians, many of whom were holding signs that read “Free Ross.” Ulbricht reacted to Trump’s comments the following day on the social media platform X. “Last night, Donald Trump pledged to commute my sentence on day 1, if reelected,” he wrote. “Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. After 11 years in prison, it is hard to express how I feel at this moment. It is thanks to your undying support that I may get a second chance.” Last month, Ulbricht wrote: “For my last monthly resolution of 2024, I intend to study every day and to get up to speed as much as I can as I prepare for freedom.” Trump later reiterated his promise to commute Ulbricht’s life sentence at a bitcoin conference, which he received loud cheers for. Despite Trump failing to deliver on his promise to free Ulbricht on his first day back in office, the president reportedly may still grant him clemency as early as Tuesday. “Pres. Trump’s staff just confirmed to me Ross’s pardon will be issued late tonight or tomorrow morning,” Libertarian Party chair Angela McArdle wrote Monday night on X. Elon Musk, who serves in the newly formed Department of Government Efficiency in the Trump administration, also said Ulbricht would be released soon. “Ross will be freed,” Musk wrote on X. Many Libertarians have said they supported Trump in November’s election, citing, in part, his commitment to free Ulbricht. TRUMP PARDONS NEARLY ALL 1/6 DEFENDANTS During his first term, Trump considered intervening to release Ulbricht before ultimately deciding against a pardon. Ulbricht, now 40, operated the website from 2011 until his arrest in 2013. He was sentenced two years later to life in prison. “I was trying to help us move toward a freer and more equitable world,” Ulbricht said from prison in 2021. “We all know the road to hell is paved with good intentions, and now here I am. I’m in hell.” “Trump is done signing EOs and pardons for the night,” 2024 Libertarian presidential candidate Chase Oliver wrote on X. “Hopefully, we will see a #FREEROSSULBRICHT commutation in the morning.”
Trump signs dozens of executive orders, fulfilling many but not all campaign promises
President Trump, immediately upon taking office, flexed his presidential powers as he followed through on some of the major pledges he made on the campaign trail. “Today I will sign a series of historic executive orders. With these actions, we will begin the complete restoration of America and the revolution of commonsense,” the nation’s 47th president vowed during his inauguration address Monday at the U.S. Capitol. Hours later, Trump followed through, with an avalanche of executive order signings at Washington’s Capitol One Arena, in front of thousands of supporters – a first in the nation’s history – and later in the more traditional Oval Office setting at the White House. “It’s just pure Trump. He’s the first president in a new connected world in which you have to govern from the outside in. You have to mount support and bring the people with you,” veteran Republican strategist Alex Castellanos told Fox News Digital. HEAD HERE FOR THE LATEST FOX NEWS REPORTING ON PRESIDENT TRUMP’S FIRST DAY IN OFFICE Trump’s immigration promises were a centerpiece of his successful presidential campaign to win back the White House. “On Day One, I will launch the largest deportation program of criminals in the history of America,” the then-Republican presidential nominee vowed during a late October rally at New York City’s Madison Square Garden. And Trump took immediate action during his first hours back in office. FIRST ON FOX: TRUMP VOWS OVER 200 EXECUTIVE ACTIONS ON DAY 1 The new president declared a national emergency along the southern border with Mexico and ordered the deployment of U.S. troops to help support immigration agents. Trump also ordered the restart of a policy from his first administration that forced asylum seekers to wait over the border in Mexico. But it’s unclear if Mexico would accept migrants again. Trump also directed the federal government to resume border wall construction, begun during his first term but halted by President Biden. And Trump signed an order ending birthright citizenship for children of illegal migrants. But with birthright citizenship enshrined in the U.S. Constitution, Trump’s executive order is sure to face immediate legal challenges in court from civil rights groups and immigration activists. “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,” Trump emphasized in his inauguration address. TRUMP VOWS TO ACT WITH ‘HISTORIC SPEED’ AS INAUGURATION BRINGS REDEPMPTION And the president also announced that “we will also be designating the cartels as foreign terrorist organizations. And by invoking the Alien Enemies Act of 1798, I will direct our government to use the full and immense power of federal and state law enforcement to eliminate the presence of all foreign gangs and criminal networks.” During his two-year run to return to the White House, Trump repeatedly vowed to “drill, baby, drill,” and pledged to end the Biden administration’s electric vehicle mandate. On Monday, Trump followed through, as he tied his energy executive orders to his efforts to keep inflation in check. “I will direct all members of my cabinet to marshal the vast powers at their disposal to defeat what was record inflation, and rapidly bring down costs and prices. The inflation crisis was caused by massive overspending and escalating energy prices,” Trump argued. And he said “that is why today I will also declare a national energy emergency. We will drill, baby, drill. America will be a manufacturing nation once again, and we have something that no other manufacturing nation will ever have. The largest amount of oil and gas of any country on earth.” During the 2024 cycle, Trump and Republicans repeatedly targeted Democrats up and down the ballot over the Biden administration’s protections for transgender students “We’re going to end it on Day One,” Trump vowed last May. “Don’t forget, that was done as an order from the president. That came down as an executive order. And we’re going to change it — on Day One, it’s going to be changed.” Trump followed through, taking executive action from what the president’s advisers said would “defend women from gender, ideology, extremism and restoring biological truth to the federal government.” “As of today, it will henceforth be the official policy of the United States government that there are only two genders, male and female,” the president said. The president also signed orders terminating diversity, equity and inclusion programs – best known by their acronym DEI – within the federal government. The orders direct the White House to identify and end the programs within the government. Another promise from the campaign trail – pardoning the defendants and commuting the sentences of many of those convicted of charges from the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol by Trump supporters who unsuccessfully tried to halt congressional certification of President Biden’s 2020 election victory. Trump didn’t mention the pardons in his inauguration address, but minutes later as he spoke to supporters gathered in an overflow room in the U.S. Capitol, he reiterated his longstanding unproven claim that the 2020 presidential election “was totally rigged.” A couple of hours later, in front of cheering supporters packed into Washington DC’s downtown arena, Trump touted that he would be “signing pardons for a lot of people…to get them out” immediately. He wasn’t kidding. The president, back at the White House, ended up pardoning around 1,500 people – including some convicted of attacking police officers – obliterating the Justice Department’s effort to punish those who stormed the Capitol on one of America’s darkest days. “These people have been destroyed,” Trump argued as he signed the pardons. “What they’ve done to these people has been outrageous.” Trump also took action on something that
Top 5 Inauguration Day moments
President Trump was inaugurated for a second time on Monday. The inauguration kicked off the day on a historic note, with the ceremony moved indoors due to freezing temperatures. Notable moments played out throughout the day, including Trump’s fiery speech shortly after being sworn in, to an audio mishap that inadvertently turned into a collaborative singing effort. Here are the top five moments from Trump’s second inauguration. TRUMP’S SECOND INAUGURAL ADDRESS A TRIUMPH FOR HIM, HIS SUPPORTERS “The golden Age of America begins right now,” Trump said shortly after being sworn in. “From this day forward, our country will flourish and be respected again all over the world.” Trump started out his first speech officially as president by saying the U.S. would now be “the envy of every nation, and we will not allow ourselves to be taken advantage of any longer.” The president assailed the Biden-Harris administration as the former president and vice president looked on. Trump specifically slammed the “vicious, violent, and unfair weaponization of the Justice Department and our government” and said the country has been operating under “a radical and corrupt establishment.” “While the pillars of our society lay broken and seemingly in complete disrepair, we now have a government that cannot manage even a simple crisis at home,” Trump said. DEMS PROMISE TO ‘STAND UP TO’ TRUMP BUT LAUD ‘PEACEFUL TRANSFER OF POWER’ AFTER SPEECH Trump criticized the Biden administration’s handling of various national disasters, including hurricane damage in North Carolina and recent wildfires in California. “Jan. 20th, 2025, is Liberation Day,” Trump said. “It is my hope that our recent presidential election will be remembered as the greatest and most consequential election in the history of our country.” President Donald Trump and his wife, First Lady Melania Trump, did their first dance together as POTUS and FLOTUS Monday night at the Commander-in-Chief Inaugural Ball at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C. The dance featured a nifty spin move by the President. First lady Melania Trump donned a white, strapless gown with black detailing following a full day of inauguration festivities. She coupled the dress with a black choker. The ball is one of two others that Trump made an appearance in: the Liberty Ball and Starlight Ball. Vice President J.D. Vance and his wife, Usha, also joined Trump and Melania onstage for a quick dance, before they exchanged partners with military servicemembers. TRUMP’S INAUGURATION BRINGS OUT SPORTS WORLD’S KEY FIGURES First lady Melania Trump donned a weather-appropriate outfit for her husband’s second inaugural ceremony. Melania was pictured wearing a custom Adam Lippes double-breasted navy coat with a matching boater hat designed by Eric Javits while on her way to a service at St. John’s Church on Inauguration Day, according to Page Six. Social media users flocked to X, formerly Twitter, to post compliments on the first lady’s inaugural getup, with many saying she looked “elegant” and “classy.” TRUMP VOWS ‘NEW ERA OF NATIONAL SUCCESS,’ SAYS AMERICA’S ‘DECLINE IS OVER’ IN INAUGURAL ADDRESS Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman, on the other hand, had a slightly more warmer-weather-style outfit for the inauguration ceremony. Fetterman was seen sporting gray gym shorts, a dark hoodie and sneakers as he arrived at Capitol Hill. The senator’s attire also drew attention given the chilly temperatures on Monday. Trump’s second inauguration notably marked the coldest presidential inauguration ceremony in more than 40 years. Trump tried to kiss Melania shortly before his swearing-in after initially entering the Capitol Rotunda, leading to an awkward air-kiss encounter. Trump and Melania were surrounded by former presidents and their wives along with Cabinet nominees, foreign dignitaries and other high-profile guests upon entering the building. Trump leaned in to give Melania a kiss on the cheek when Melania’s hat got in the way. They ultimately settled on an air kiss. Country singer Carrie Underwood showed she was a true professional during her rendition of “America the Beautiful” after a hiccup with the music. Underwood was welcomed with a round of applause as she was introduced. Once on stage, Underwood patiently waited for the instrumentals to start, which ultimately never came. “If you know the words, help me out here,” she finally said before launching into an a cappella version of the song. Members of the audience, including the former president and vice president, joined in singing the song. Underwood wrapped up her performance by shaking Biden’s hand and sharing a moment with Trump and Vice President Vance before leaving the room.
Trump ‘articulated a playbook,’ experts say of his policy-oriented inaugural address
President Donald Trump’s second inaugural address was a policy-oriented message “of hope and unity,” experts said. Kevin Roberts, president of the conservative Heritage Foundation think tank, called Trump’s address “substantive” when it came to outlining the president’s agenda for the next four years. “Trump was policy-specific from beginning to end,” Roberts said. “And I think that that’s something that’s going to be remembered as a distinguishing characteristic of the speech, because people, Americans waking up tomorrow watching the news, reading the news, will remember that Trump articulated a playbook.” “The golden Age of America begins right now,” Trump said as he delivered his inaugural address on Capitol Hill Monday. TRUMP’S SECOND INAUGURAL ADDRESS A TRIUMPH FOR HIM, HIS SUPPORTERS “From this day forward, our country will flourish and be respected again all over the world,” he continued. “We will be the envy of every nation, and we will not allow ourselves to be taken advantage of any longer. During every single day of the Trump administration, I will very simply put America first.” Trump notably bashed “the vicious, violent and unfair weaponization of the Justice Department” as well as the Biden-Harris administration’s handling of both foreign and domestic issues while both the former president and vice president looked on. Trump specifically noted the North Carolina hurricane disasters and the recent wildfires ravaging Southern California. “We have a government that has given unlimited funding to the defense of foreign borders but refuses to defend American borders or, more importantly, its own people,” Trump said. DEMS PROMISE TO ‘STAND UP TO’ TRUMP BUT LAUD ‘PEACEFUL TRANSFER OF POWER’ AFTER SPEECH Trump’s policy-specific speech was “very important right now because of all of the policy failures of the Biden-Harris regime,” Roberts told Fox News Digital on Monday. “And I know from the kind of work that Heritage does, not just in D.C. but in states around the country, that Trump’s base and a lot of the independent voters who voted for him this time around [were] looking for a policy plan, and he articulated it.” “President Trump has officially kicked off a new chapter for America,” Jessica Anderson, president of the conservative super PAC Sentinel Action Fund, told Fox News Digital on Monday. “His speech was one of hope and unity as he set the tone for the next four years of prosperity, security and strength.” Both Roberts and Anderson noted that Trump’s address also was a turning point in definitively announcing that a new administration was taking over the White House. “As President Trump made clear, he is not going to waste any time getting to work for the American people, and he has already teed up dozens of executive orders on everything from securing the border to properly defining gender,” Anderson said. TRUMP VOWS ‘NEW ERA OF NATIONAL SUCCESS,’ SAYS AMERICA’S ‘DECLINE IS OVER’ IN INAUGURAL ADDRESS “It was not gratuitous in his criticism of his political opponents,” Roberts said. “But you didn’t have to do much reading between the lines to understand that the sheriff is back in town. He’s going to take this country back.” Trump’s speech also emphasized his top priority in making America “a nation that is proud, prosperous and free,” echoing sentiments of the New Frontier theme. “We are one people, one family and one glorious nation under God,” Trump said. “So to every parent who dreams for their child and every child who dreams for their future, I am with you. I will fight for you and I will win for you. We are going to win like never before.” Roberts said, “I think Trump put his finger on something that’s, right now, going to be an underappreciated part of his legacy, and that is a president of American innovation.” “In other words, making America great again is bringing American manufacturing and economic vitality back to a level where the innovation is so tremendous you can’t even comprehend as you sit here what it’s going to be.” Roberts said such an invocation of the “real spirit of America” in Trump’s speech indicated “bringing American manufacturing and economic vitality back” during his second administration, which was a theme that Roberts said both Ronald Reagan and John F. Kennedy incorporated into their own inaugural addresses.
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Coast Guard Commandant terminated over border lapses, recruitment, DEI focus: official
EXCLUSIVE: The Commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard has been terminated over concerns about the border, recruitment concerns and an “erosion of trust,” a senior DHS official confirmed to Fox News. Adm. Linda Lee Fagan has been terminated by the Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Benjamine Huffman, the official said. Fagan has demonstrated leadership deficiencies, operational failures and an inability to advance the strategic objectives of the Coast Guard. These include the failure to address border security threats, insufficient leadership in recruitment and retention, mismanagement in acquiring key acquisitions such as icebreakers and helicopters, excessive focus on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives and an “erosion of trust” over the mishandling and cover-up of Operation Fouled Anchor. Fagan served as the 27th Commandant of the Coast Guard starting on June 1st, 2022. She was tasked with overseeing all global Coast Guard operations and 42,000 active-duty, 7,000 reserve and 8,700 civilian personnel, as well as the support of 21,000 Coast Guard Auxiliary volunteers.
Trump pulls security clearance of 51 national security officials
President Donald Trump pulled the security clearances of more than 50 national security officials who said Hunter Biden’s laptop had “all the classic earmarks of a Russian information operation.” A total of 51 former national security officials released a public letter in 2020 claiming that even though the laptop did not have “any evidence of Russian involvement,” it looked like a “Russian information operation.” The letter came after the New York Post reported they had emails showing Hunter Biden coordinated for Joe Biden to meet with a top executive at Ukrainian energy company Burisma months before pressuring Ukrainian officials to oust a prosecutor investigating the company. REPUBLICAN SENATOR SAYS TRUMP SHOULD NOT PARDON HUNTER BIDEN Included on the list are former director of National Intelligence James Clapper Jr., former directors of the Central Intelligence Agency Michael Hayden, John Brennan, former Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta, and former National Security Advisor John Bolton. Fox News Digital previously reported that federal investigators with the Department of Justice were aware that Hunter Biden’s laptop was not manipulated and contained “reliable evidence.” Republican lawmakers including Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina have previously suggested withdrawing the security clearances of these officials. BIDEN COMMITTED ‘IMPEACHABLE CONDUCT,’ DEFRAUDED UNITED STATES TO ENRICH HIS FAMILY’: HOUSE GOP REPORT The order was one of more than 200 executive orders Trump approved on Inauguration Day, joining directives like withdrawing the U.S. from the Paris Climate Agreement that the U.S. initially entered under former President Barack Obama’s administration in 2015. Trump previously withdrew the U.S. from the agreement during his first term in 2020. Other executive orders Trump signed on day one include rescinding nearly 80 executive orders and memoranda issued under Biden, issuing a regulatory and hiring freeze upon the federal government, preventing “government censorship” of free speech, and directing every department and agency to address the cost of living crisis. David Spector contributed to this report.