Anant Ambani’s Vantara to offer chain-free haven for 20 elephants rescued from exploitative logging industry
The organization has secured all required documentation under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, including obtaining an NOC from the Gujarat Forest Department and a Transport Permit from the Arunachal Pradesh Forest Department.
Longtime Planned Parenthood President Cecile Richards dies after battle with brain cancer
Richards, the eldest daughter of Gov. Ann Richards, forged her own path as a tireless advocate for women across Texas and the United States.
Trump to rename Gulf of Mexico, Mount Denali on first day in office
President-elect Trump will sign executive orders renaming the Gulf of Mexico and Mount Denali on his first day in office, incoming White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed Monday. The orders, first reported by the New York Post, are among a slew of executive actions Trump plans to take after taking the oath of office on Monday. The actions would rename the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America and Mount Denali, the tallest mountain in North America, to Mount McKinley. “President Trump is bringing common sense to government and renewing the pillars of American Civilization,” reads a preview of the order obtained by the Post. The orders direct the Secretary of the Interior to make the name changes. The changes will apply to official federal documents and maps, though it is unclear whether the order also requires schools to use the new terminology. HIGHLIGHTS FROM PRESIDENT-ELECT DONALD TRUMP’S 1ST INAUGURATION DAY; WHAT TO EXPECT FROM MONDAY Trump has repeatedly mentioned renaming Alaska’s Mount Denali as well, pointing out that it was originally named after President William McKinley. TRUMP ANNOUNCES GULF OF MEXICO TO BECOME ‘GULF OF AMERICA’ “McKinley was a very good, maybe a great president,” Trump said at a December rally. “They took his name off Mount McKinley, right? That’s what they do to people. Now, he was a great president, very good president. At a minimum, he was a very good businessman. He was a businessman, then a governor, very successful businessman.” President Obama renamed the mountain to Denali in 2015, in keeping with a request from the Alaska legislature. Trump plans to sign roughly 200 orders on his first day in office, targeting immigration and cutting back on DEI initiatives. Incoming Trump administration officials told Fox News Digital that the overarching theme of 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.” Fox News’ Brooke Singman contributed to this report.
Ilhan Omar spotlights hypocrisy of politicians who criticized Trump but are attending inauguration
Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., called out the hypocrisy of politicians attending inaugural festivities for President-elect Donald Trump after having previously decried the Republican figure as a “threat to democracy.” “People are more upset at performers/artists attending Trump’s inaugural events but not upset at all the politicians who told them he was a ‘threat to democracy’ going to these events are not serious,” the progressive congresswoman declared in a post on X. “Performers at least know they are there to perform and get paid, but these politicians who ran their mouth for 4 yrs and are now willing to be there and clap for him, that’s who they should be mad at. They lied to you and your criticism/anger should be rightfully directed at them,” she continued. TRUMP’S 2ND PRESIDENTIAL INAUGURATION KICKS OFF IN DC AS FRIENDS AND FOES FLOCK TO NATION’S CAPITAL Omar suggested that performers should not be expected to have loyalty to a political party. “Also, no one should ask people who are performers/artists to be loyal to a party because that’s what dictatorships do. In a free country like ours, people should be able to support any party they want without having their livelihood compromised,” the lawmaker concluded. Fox News Digital emailed the Trump-Vance transition team and the Trump Vance Inaugural Committee on Monday to ask whether any of the performers at the inauguration ceremony or related celebrations are being paid. A committee spokesperson replied, stating that the committee did not pay for performances. ILHAN OMAR BLASTS HARRIS-WALZ CAMPAIGN FOR COURTING LIZ CHENEY: ‘HUGE MISSTEP’ President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris have both previously described Trump as “a threat to our democracy,” but are expected to attend Trump’s inauguration ceremony. Omar has previously described Trump as “an existential threat to our democracy.” BIDEN PARDONS MARK MILLEY, ANTHONY FAUCI, J6 COMMITTEE MEMBERS The Trump Vance Inaugural Committee announced that Carrie Underwood, Christopher Macchio, and Lee Greenwood will perform at the swearing-in ceremony. Various celebratory ball events will also feature performers, including Rascal Flatts and Parker McCollum at the Commander-in-Chief Ball, as well as Jason Aldean, The Village People, and Nelly at the Liberty Ball, and Gavin DeGraw at the Starlight Ball, according to the committee’s announcement.
The inauguration of President Donald Trump: Photos
See photos from Donald Trump’s 2nd presidential inauguration.
Biden expected to leave Trump letter, continuing tradition since Reagan
President Biden plans to leave a letter to President-elect Trump before he departs the White House, according to a report, continuing the modern presidential tradition that first began with President Ronald Reagan. Biden is expected to leave a note for his successor on the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office, CNN first reported. Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for confirmation but did not immediately hear back. Four years after succeeding Trump, Biden finds himself in the unique position, in both history and politics, of writing a letter to his successor who left a note for him four years ago. BIDEN PARDONS MARK MILLEY, ANTHONY FAUCI, J6 COMMITTEE MEMBERS Despite a history of bucking tradition during his first term as president, like attending Biden’s inauguration, Trump curiously continued this rite of presidential passage by writing a letter to Biden. Biden said it was a “very generous letter,” but has so far declined to share the content of what Trump wrote, deeming it private and saying he wouldn’t discuss it until he had a chance to speak with Trump. Trump has also declined to share details, saying he thought it was up to Biden to share the letter. TRUMP TO DEPLOY MILITARY TO BORDER, END BIDEN PAROLE POLICIES IN FLURRY OF DAY ONE EXECUTIVE ORDERS “It was a nice note,” Trump said during a September 2023 interview with NBC’s “Meet the Press,” adding, “I took a lot of time in thinking about it.” Trump had received what he has described as a “beautiful letter” from his predecessor, President Barack Obama. Obama told Trump they were both blessed with good fortune, that American leadership “really is indispensable” in the world, that they are the “guardians” of democratic institutions and traditions, and that family and friends will see him through the “inevitable rough patches.” When Trump takes office on Monday, he’ll be the first president to serve nonconsecutive terms since Grover Cleveland in the late 1800s, when the letter-writing tradition didn’t exist. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Trump fans endure frigid temps, sleet and snow for a chance to see president-elect
Supporters of Donald Trump massed in the nation’s capital this weekend to welcome back the president-elect – enduring lengthy drives, hours-long lines and punishing winter weather for a chance to share in Trump’s second win. Fox News Digital spoke to dozens of Trump backers who massed in and around the Capital One arena in Washington, D.C., to attend the “Make America Great Again” rally hosted by the president-elect Sunday night. The free event was a victory lap, both for the president and for his longtime fans. Rally-goers descended into Washington in droves – among the dozens of attendees interviewed, few were from the D.C.-area – but saw their endurance tested by the sheets of rain, sleet and snow that came in waves as temperatures plummeted, prompting D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser to activate a city-wide hypothermia alert. Lines to get in the door wrapped around city blocks and weaved through miles of 10-foot fencing designed to block off roads and bolster security. Wait times were upward of three hours, according to some attendees. TRUMP ADMINISTRATION PLANNING ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT ARRESTS THROUGHOUT US ON ‘DAY ONE’ One Indiana man who drove from the Hoosier State to D.C. for the rally said he camped out at 10 p.m. Saturday before the rally Sunday afternoon. In an interview with Fox News, he said he had no regrets about his decision – gesturing to the plum post he had secured, right next to the stage. He also wasn’t alone. Some 100 others had also opted to camp out, he estimated in the interview – a sense of camaraderie and commitment that was starkly on display in the Sunday rally. Though the event itself was held inside, the lines were massive, stretching as far as the eye could see, and subjecting all but a few donors and VIPs to hours of winding lines in the bitter winter cold. Not one of the supporters interviewed expressed any regrets about the cold they endured – even the people who had waited upward of nine hours to get in the door. “I’m just happy to be here,” one woman said alongside her partner, one of the last groups admitted into the rally, nearly six hours after doors opened to the public. The speech was Trump’s first in D.C. since Jan. 6, 2021. It saw a hodgepodge of performers with little in common: Two women who dubbed themselves “Girls Gone Bible” led the audience in a lengthy prayer for Trump, before Kid Rock jumped onstage for a raucous musical performance. Other speakers included Stephen Miller, who offered policy-focused remarks, UFC President and CEO Dana White, whose fiery remarks riled up the group, and Donald Trump Jr., whose children led the rally-goers in the Pledge of Allegiance before Trump took the stage. But if crowd size is to be measured as a sign of success, as Trump so often appears to see it, then his second term is poised to be met with sweeping approval from his base. “I’d do it again,” one Florida woman told Fox News Digital of the lines, crowds and stamina required for the duration of the hours-long rally. “I have no regrets.”
Melania Trump wears navy coat and hat for Inauguration Day church visit
Soon-to-be first lady Melania Trump was donning a dark navy coat, dark navy hat with a white stripe, dark navy heels and black gloves as she and her husband, President-elect Donald Trump, left St. John’s Episcopal Church after a prayer service ahead of the inauguration. Melania’s outfit is fitting for the cold weather currently in Washington, D.C., which has moved the inauguration indoors to the Capitol Rotunda for the first time in 40 years. The couple has been welcomed by President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden, where they will share tea and coffee at the White House. TRUMP’S 2ND PRESIDENTIAL INAUGURATION KICKS OFF IN DC AS FRIENDS AND FOES FLOCK TO NATION’S CAPITAL “Welcome home,” Biden said to Trump after the president-elect stepped out of the car. TRUMP TO BE SWORN IN ON BIBLE GIVEN TO HIM BY HIS MOTHER, AND THE LINCOLN BIBLE While tea is a presidential transition tradition, it is a stark departure from four years ago, when Trump refused to acknowledge Biden’s victory or attend his inauguration. Melania, a Slovenian American former model, attracted attention during the first Trump administration for her striking style sense. French designer Hervé Pierre created her 2017 inaugural ball gown that is now on display at the National Museum of American History, according to the Smithsonian. Pierre has served as a stylist for first ladies in the White House since the 1990s, the South China Morning Post reports. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Pope Francis extends prayers, ‘cordial greetings’ to Trump ahead of inaugural ceremony
Pope Francis shared his prayers and extended “cordial greetings” to President-elect Trump ahead of his inaugural ceremony Monday morning. “I ask God to guide your efforts in promoting peace and reconciliation among peoples,” Pope Francis said in a message addressed to the president-elect. “On the occasion of your inauguration as the forty-seventh President of the United States of America, I offer cordial greetings and the assurance of my prayers that Almighty God will grant you wisdom, strength, and protection in the exercise of your high duties,” his message read. POPE FRANCIS INJURED AS VATICAN CONFIRMS 2ND FALL IN MATTER OF WEEKS “Inspired by your nation’s ideals of being a land of opportunity and welcome for all, it is my hope that under your leadership the American people will prosper and always strive to build a more just society, where there is no room for hatred, discrimination or exclusion.” Pope Francis continued on to “ask God to guide your efforts in promoting peace and reconciliation among peoples” amid “numerous challenges” and “the scourge of war.” “With these sentiments,” Pope Francis continued, “I invoke upon you, your family, and the beloved American people an abundance of divine blessings.” BIDEN AWARDS POPE FRANCIS WITH HIGHEST CIVILIAN HONOR, PRESIDENTIAL MEDAL OF FREEDOM, OVER THE PHONE Pope Francis criticized Trump’s deportation policy just one day prior, saying Sunday on an evening television program, “If true, this will be a disgrace.” “This won’t do. This is not the way to solve things. That’s not how things are resolved,” the pope said of Trump’s planned deportations. Trump’s incoming administration is said to be eyeing immigration arrests of illegal immigrants across the country as soon as day one, as top officials say they are ready to “take the handcuffs off” Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The pope also recently cited “fake news” as the root cause of Trump’s assassination attempts last year. POPE FRANCIS KICKS OFF HOLY YEAR AT VATICAN WITH OVER 32 MILLION VISITORS EXPECTED During the pontiff’s annual “state of the world” address earlier this month, Francis pointed to “fake news” as the root of division and distrust in society that ultimately led to two attempts on Trump’s life in 2024. “This phenomenon generates false images of reality, a climate of suspicion that foments hate, undermines people’s sense of security, and compromises civil coexistence and the stability of entire nations. Tragic examples of this are the attacks on the chairman of the government of the Slovak Republic and the president-elect of the United States of America,” he said. Fox News Digital’s Adam Shaw, Gabriel Hays and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
GOP lawmakers pledge to investigate Biden’s last-minute pardons: ‘Call them all before Congress’
Republican lawmakers are reacting furiously to President Biden’s 11th-hour decision to pardon several allies who President-elect Trump and his circle have threatened retribution against, made hours before ceding power to the new commander in chief. “Implication is that they needed the pardons,” Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “So, let’s call them all before Congress and demand the truth. If they refuse or lie – let’s test the constitutional ‘reach’ of these pardons with regard to their future actions.” Biden announced early on Monday that he was issuing preemptive pardons for Dr. Anthony Fauci, retired Gen. Mark Milley, and members and staff of the now-defunct House select committee on the Jan. 6 Capitol attack. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., now the chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee after Republicans swept the Senate and White House in November, pledged to investigate Fauci in particular with his new leadership power. Fauci has already been the subject of multiple inquiries and public attacks by Paul, who accused him of mismanaging the COVID-19 pandemic, along with other government officials. Fauci has consistently defended his actions, stating that they were solely guided by science. BIDEN COMMUTES NEARLY 2,500 MORE SENTENCES IN FINAL DAYS OF PRESIDENCY “If there was ever any doubt as to who bears responsibility for the COVID pandemic, Biden’s pardon of Fauci forever seals the deal. As Chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, I will not rest until the entire truth of the coverup is exposed,” Paul wrote on X. “Fauci’s pardon will only serve as an accelerant to pierce the veil of deception.” Rep. Andrew Clyde, R-Ga., said in his own statement: “Joe Biden just issued preemptive pardons for Mark Milley, Anthony Fauci, and Members of Congress and staff of the sham J6 Committee. In its final hours, the most CORRUPT Administration in American history is covering up Democrats’ trail of criminal activity.” “Sneaking this through in the last hours of his presidency only makes them look more guilty. What’s he so desperate to hide? It’s been clear to any honest observer that there is plenty to investigate,” said Rep. Doug LaMalfa, R-Calif., chairman of the House Western Caucus. BIDEN COMMUTES SENTENCES OF 37 FEDERAL DEATH ROW INMATES IN FINAL MONTH OF PRESIDENCY On the other side of the aisle, Rep. Brendan Boyle, D-Pa., the top Democrat on the House Budget Committee, praised the decision and accused Trump of abusing his power. “As someone who strongly advocated for these pardons, I applaud President Biden for making this bold and righteous decision. Trump has repeatedly abused power to serve his own interests and threatened to punish his political opponents,” Boyle said in a statement. “These pardons are essential to protecting the public servants and law enforcement who defended our democracy and worked tirelessly to keep us safe.” Trump has previously threatened retribution against his critics when he returned to the White House, though he’s also clarified at times that he believed his second term would be retribution enough. Rep. Barry Loudermilk, R-Ga., who leads a subcommittee investigating the Jan. 6 committee’s probe, called for the criminal prosecution of the former panel’s vice chair, ex-Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., in a 128-page report. Cheney said the report “intentionally disregards the truth and the Select Committee’s tremendous weight of evidence, and instead fabricates lies and defamatory allegations in an attempt to cover up what Donald Trump did.” The incoming president has pardoned political allies like Paul Manafort and Michael Flynn, though unlike Biden’s latest decision, both were charged by the Department of Justice (DOJ) when those pardons were issued. There is precedent for preemptive pardons, however. Former President Gerald Ford preemptively pardoned Richard Nixon after the Watergate scandal. Fauci said in a statement regarding the pardon, “Despite the accomplishments that my colleagues and I achieved over my long career of public service, I have been the subject of politically motivated threats of investigation and prosecution. There is absolutely no basis for these threats. Let me be perfectly clear: I have committed no crime and there are no possible grounds for any allegation or threat of criminal investigation or prosecution of me. The fact is, however, that the mere articulation of these baseless threats, and the potential that they will be acted upon, create immeasurable and intolerable distress for me and my family. For these reasons, I acknowledge and appreciate the action that President Biden has taken today on my behalf.” Milley said he and his family were “deeply grateful” for Biden’s decision. “After forty-three years of faithful service in uniform to our Nation, protecting and defending the Constitution, I do not wish to spend whatever remaining time the Lord grants me fighting those who unjustly might seek retribution for perceived slights. I do not want to put my family, my friends, and those with whom I served through the resulting distraction, expense, and anxiety,” Milley said. “It has been an honor and a privilege to serve our great country in uniform for over four decades, and I will continue to keep faith and loyalty to our nation and Constitution until my dying breath.” Fox News Digital has reached out to the members of the Jan. 6 committee who are still serving in Congress for comment. Fox News’ Jennifer Griffin contributed to this report