Republican lawmakers savage spending bill as Mike Johnson defends it: ‘We gotta get this done’
As conservative lawmakers decry a government spending measure released at the last-minute to avert the looming prospect of a partial government shutdown, Rep. Kat Cammack quipped that conservatives should launch an OnlyFans account. “Conservative Republicans should start an OnlyFans account considering how often we get screwed… The CR is a bad deal,” the Florida Republican declared in a post on X. GOP Rep. Paul Gosar of Arizona also playfully noted that he plans to oppose the measure. CONGRESS UNVEILS BILL TO AVERT FRIDAY GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN WITH OVER $100B IN DISASTER AID “‘Twas three days before the gov’t shutdown And I’m at my desk On page 54 of this 1,547 page mess. The CR is garbage Chocked full of carnage. I’ll be a hard no I won’t stoop that low,” he tweeted. Republican Rep. Andrew Clyde of Georgia referred to the measure as the “Christmas Cramnibus” and GOP Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, also of the Peach State, called it a “Christmas CR lump of coal.” Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., also declared her opposition, noting, “I got a word for this CR: nope.” ‘THERE’S ALWAYS CONSEQUENCES’: GOP REBELS PLOT MUTINY AGAINST JOHNSON OVER GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN DRAMA “Many of the loudest, self-proclaimed ‘@DOGE Heroes’ in Congress will vote for the CR—even though it flies in the face of everything @DOGE is trying to fix & perpetuates the very problems Republicans railed against while campaigning this year,” Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, stated in a post on X. “Then they’ll say “@DOGE will fix it!” President-elect Donald Trump tapped Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy to helm the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, an effort to root out government waste and advocate for lower spending. The duo “will serve as outside volunteers, not federal officials or employees,” they noted in a Wall Street Journal piece last month. “Pay attention to the members of Congress who have been all in for @DOGE for media attention but will vote for the short-term omnibus. They are the Swamp,” Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., declared in a tweet. DEMS PUSH DRASTIC MOVE THAT MIKE LEE CALLS ‘A PHENOMENALLY BAD IDEA House Appropriations Committee chair Rep. Tom Cole, R-Okla., made arguments in favor of approving the proposal, which according to a press release, contains billions for disaster relief. “While a continuing resolution is not ideal, this strategy ensures President Trump has a voice in shaping the final FY25 bills. Importantly, it averts a costly government shutdown that would only serve to handcuff the start of his new administration,” Cole noted, according to the press release. “At the same time, we cannot ignore the devastation caused by natural disasters across the nation,” he noted. “This bill provides crucial relief for Americans recovering from these disasters, including those in my home state of Oklahoma, and also generates economic benefits for the nation. We have a responsibility to help our fellow citizens rebuild and restore, and this legislation demonstrates shared resilience and unity in the face of tragedy.” Elon Musk chimed in to render his own verdict on the proposal, giving it the thumbs down. “This bill should not pass,” he declared in a post on X. “Ever seen a bigger piece of pork?” he asked in another post when sharing a photo of the first page of the measure sitting atop a towering stack of papers, presumably the rest of the more than 1,500-page document. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., addressed Musk’s disapproval on Fox & Friends Wednesday morning, saying he had spoken to both Musk and Ramaswamy in a text. “They said, ‘This is not directed at you, Mr. Speaker, but we don’t like the spending bill. I said, ‘Guess what, fellas, I don’t either. We gotta get this done because here’s the key: by doing this, we’re clearing the decks and we are setting up for Trump to come in roaring back with the America First agenda.”
Mumbai boat accident: One dead, 66 rescued after ferry capsizes
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New mission for longtime Trump ally and friend Herschel Walker
President-elect Donald Trump has a new game plan for Herschel Walker, his longtime friend, ally and former football star. Three years after Trump handpicked Walker to run for the Senate in his home state of Georgia in a crucial, combative, expensive and high-profile Senate race, the president-elect is now selecting his friend to serve as the U.S. ambassador to the Caribbean nation of the Bahamas. “Herschel has spent decades serving as an ambassador to our nation’s youth, our men and women in the military, and athletes at home and abroad,” Trump said in a statement Tuesday night on social media, as he pointed to Walker’s resume, which includes serving as co-chair of the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition during Trump’s first term in the White House. HERSCHEL WALKER PROVES THAT IT’S NEVER TOO LATE Walker is a former professional and college football star running back who won a Heisman Trophy and helped propel the University of Georgia to a national championship. His friendship with the former and future president goes back to his days playing for the Trump-owned New Jersey Generals USFL football team in the 1980s. Walker also was a major Trump supporter and surrogate in the 2020 presidential election. HEAD HERE FOR THE LATEST FOX NEWS REPORTING ON THE TRUMP TRANSITION In August 2021, Walker launched a Republican Senate campaign in Georgia after months of support and encouragement from Trump to run for office. Walker, a first-time politician, was dogged during his Senate run by controversial statements and damaging revelations about his personal life and business career. The race between Walker and Democratic incumbent Sen. Raphael Warnock ended up being one of the most closely watched Senate battles in the 2022 midterms. The contest went into overtime, with Walker ending up narrowly losing to Warnock in a runoff election in December of that year. MEET TRUMP’S CABINET AND OTHER TOP ADMINISTRATION PICKS This year, Walker joined Trump on the campaign trail in Georgia days before Election Day, as the former president carried the key southeastern battleground state after narrowly losing it to President Biden four years ago. Walker becomes the third Republican who lost a recent Senate race in Georgia to be nominated by Trump for a post in his second administration. Former Sen. David Perdue, who lost his seat to Democrat Sen. Jon Ossoff in the 2020 cycle, was selected by Trump to serve as ambassador to China, and former Sen. Kelly Loeffler, who lost to Warnock in the 2020 cycle, was picked by Trump to run the Small Business Administration. Trump’s naming of Walker as ambassador to the Bahamas is the second time this month the former football star made headlines. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP This past weekend, Walker graduated from the University of Georgia, 42 years after he last attended the school.
Montana judge temporarily blocks rules banning transgender people from changing sex on state documents
A rule banning transgender people in Montana from changing the sex designation on their birth certificates and driver’s licenses will be temporarily blocked following a state judge’s ruling. District Judge Mike Menahan on Monday ruled that the ban would be blocked while the case proceeds through the courts. Under state law, transgender people born in Montana are blocked from changing the sex designation on their birth certificate, and transgender residents are prevented from changing the sex on their driver’s licenses without an amended birth certificate. Two transgender women filed the case in April on behalf of themselves and others who have been unable to obtain documents “that accurately reflect their sex,” the complaint said. MONTANA SUPREME COURT BLOCKS BAN ON TRANSGENDER SURGERIES, PROMPTING OUTCRY FROM GOP LAWMAKER, SUPPORTERS The state had argued that sex is binary, either male or female, and that being transgender is not a protected class of people who could have their constitutional rights to privacy violated. Menahan said it was not necessary at this point in the litigation to determine whether transgender Montanans constitute a special class on the basis of their transgender status, and disagreed with the state’s argument that discrimination on the basis of transgender status is not discrimination on the basis of sex. TRANSGENDER WOMEN ARE ‘EVERY BIT AS ‘BIOLOGICALLY FEMALE’ AS CIS WOMEN,’ BISEXUAL, TRANS STATE LAWMAKER CLAIMS “If the challenged state actions discriminate against transgender individuals on the basis of their transgender status, they also necessarily discriminate on the basis of sex,” he wrote. The ruling comes days after the Montana supreme court temporarily blocked a state law banning transgender surgeries for minors, saying the law likely violates Montana’s constitutional right to privacy. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Key Trump ally comes out against massive emergency spending plan: ‘This bill should not pass’
Billionaire and key Trump ally Elon Musk came out in opposition to House Speaker Mike Johnson’s proposed bill to keep the government funded on Wednesday. Musk attacked the bill on social media, arguing the 1,547-page document is full of “pork.” The legislation is designed to avoid a Friday government shutdown and fund the government through March. “This bill should not pass,” Musk wrote bluntly on X. Republican congressional leaders have defended their plan for a stopgap spending bill, arguing it would allow President-elect Trump to have a greater influence on spending when the question comes up again in the spring. MIKE JOHNSON WINS REPUBLICAN SUPPORT TO BE HOUSE SPEAKER AGAIN AFTER TRUMP ENDORSEMENT Vivek Ramaswamy, another ally of Trump, expressed skepticism of the bill Tuesday night, but did not oppose it outright. “Currently reading the 1,547-page bill to fund the government through mid-March. Expecting every U.S. Congressman & Senator to do the same,” Ramaswamy wrote on X. Trump himself has not weighed in on the budget battle, but several GOP lawmakers had expressed skepticism of a large funding package earlier this week. DANIEL PENNY TO BE TAPPED FOR CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL BY HOUSE GOP LAWMAKER “We talked with the speaker up until this weekend, the only discussion was ‘How long is this clean CR going to be?’ And suddenly we find out – I heard rumors over the weekend – they’re negotiating with a health care package that included PBM stuff,” Rep. Eric Burlison, R-Mo., told Fox News Digital before the bill released on Tuesday. “PBM stuff” refers to a provision in the bill lessening the influence of pharmacy benefit managers. Johnson has given lawmakers three days to read the bill, setting up a vote for Friday. He has argued that the bill’s massive bulk is due to natural disasters and other incidents that must be paid for but are out of the government’s control, rather than the omnibus spending plans of previous years. REPUBLICANS GIVE DETAILS FROM CLOSED-DOOR MEETINGS WITH DOGE’S MUSK, RAMASWAMY The bill includes $100 billion in disaster relief for Hurricanes Milton and Helene, as well as $8 billion for the rebuilding of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore. The GOP currently holds just a one-seat majority in the House, meaning Johnson will likely have to rely on Democratic votes to pass the bill. The legislation must also pass the Senate by the Friday deadline to avoid a shutdown. Fox News’ Elizabeth Elkind contributed to this report.
Ex-JNU student leader Umar Khalid gets 7-day interim bail in Delhi riots case
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Texas has big goals for college completion. In places like the Coastal Bend, how to get there is still murky.
Many rural Texans in the region say they lack quality information on the skills required to get good jobs and build a lasting career.
Trump’s promise of mass deportation throws undocumented Texans into fear, uncertainty
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Will there be FREE train travel during Maha Kumbh Mela 2025? Here’s what Indian Railways said
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Trump says US subsidies to Canada make ‘no sense,’ suggests Canadians want ‘to become the 51st State’
President-elect Trump continued with his trolling of Canada early Wednesday, slamming U.S. subsidies to its northern neighbor and again claiming that Canadians supposedly want to become the 51st U.S. state. In a post on his social media platform, Trump wrote: “No one can answer why we subsidize Canada to the tune of over $100,000,000 a year?” “Makes no sense! Many Canadians want Canada to become the 51st State. They would save massively on Taxes and military protection,” Trump wrote. The post comes amid heightened tensions between the U.S. and Canada over the incoming president’s plans to impose 25% tariffs on Canada for failing to address trade and immigration issues. TRUMP WEIGHS IN ON POLITICAL TURMOIL IN THE ‘GREAT STATE OF CANADA,’ TROLLS ‘GOVERNOR JUSTIN TRUDEAU’ Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau flew to Mar-a-Lago in an effort to discuss the issue. Sources say that Trump became animated when it came to the U.S. trade deficit with Canada, which he estimated to be more than $100 billion. TRUMP MAKES A BLIZZARD OF NEWS, SHOWS RESTRAINT AT PRESSER, EVEN WHILE SLAMMING MEDIA Trump reportedly suggested to Trudeau that if tariffs on Canada would kill its economy, then perhaps Canada should become the 51st U.S. state. Trump’s threats to impose tariffs on Canadian imports, meanwhile, as unnerved Canada, which is highly integrated with the U.S. economy. About 60% of U.S. crude oil imports are from Canada, and 85% of U.S. electricity imports as well. Canada is also the largest foreign supplier of steel, aluminum and uranium to the U.S. and has 34 critical minerals and metals that the Pentagon is eager for. Nearly $3.6 billion Canadian – or $2.7 billion U.S. – worth of goods and services cross the border each day. Canada is the top export destination for 36 U.S. states. Fox News Digital’s Greg Wehner and The Associated Press contributed to this report.