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Who is Pam Bondi, Trump’s new pick for attorney general?

Who is Pam Bondi, Trump’s new pick for attorney general?

Just hours after former Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz withdrew his name from consideration to be attorney general, President-elect Trump tapped former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi as his AG nominee. “For too long, the partisan Department of Justice has been weaponized against me and other Republicans – Not anymore,” Trump wrote in his announcement. “Pam will refocus the DOJ to its intended purpose of fighting Crime, and Making America Safe Again. “I have known Pam for many years – She is smart and tough, and is an AMERICA FIRST Fighter, who will do a terrific job as Attorney General!” Bondi chairs the Center of Litigation and co-chairs the Center for Law and Justice at the America First Policy Institute.  PRESIDENT-ELECT TRUMP ANNOUNCES PAM BONDI AS HIS NEW PICK FOR US ATTORNEY GENERAL Here’s what to know about Trump’s new AG pick: Bondi, 59, is a Tampa native and earned her bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from the University of Florida and her law degree from Stetson Law School. She was admitted to the Florida Bar in 1991. She worked as a prosecutor out of the Hillsborough County State Attorney’s Office for more than 18 years, trying a variety of cases from domestic violence to murder. Bondi made history in 2010 as the state’s first female attorney general. Her campaign emphasized challenging the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, and later focused on human trafficking issues once in office. She also notably shut down pill mills and tackled the state’s opioid crisis.  She held the post until 2019.  Bondi worked as one of Trump’s defense lawyers in 2020 after he was first impeached on allegations that he had abused his power and obstructed Congress.  “They have not charged the president with any crime because the president did nothing wrong,” Bondi said when articles of impeachment were sent by the House to the Senate. “There was no crime. The transcript of that phone call speaks for itself.” MATT GAETZ WITHDRAWS FROM CONSIDERATION TO SERVE AS ATTORNEY GENERAL Bondi also worked on Trump’s Opioid and Drug Abuse Commission during his first administration. In her role on the commission, Bondi collaborated with national leaders on drug prevention and treatment.  Bondi is a partner at Ballard Partners, a Florida-based lobbying firm founded by Brian Ballard. Bondi splits her time between Florida and Washington, D.C., chairing the firm’s corporate regulatory practice.  The D.C. office notably earned more than $70 million in lobbying fees during Trump’s first term by representing various corporate clients, according to federal disclosures.  Trump’s incoming chief of staff, Susie Wiles, also works for the firm after becoming a partner there following Trump’s 2016 victory.  WITH GAETZ DROPPING OUT, DO HEGSETH, RFK JR. AND GABBARD NOW HAVE BIGGER TARGETS ON THEIR BACKS? Bondi has been vocal in her criticism about Trump’s prosecutions, going so far as appearing alongside Trump in New York City during his hush money trial.  “They make it sound like it’s a first-degree murder case, and I’ve tried plenty of trial cases, Trace, and never seen anything like this,” Bondi told Fox News host Trace Gallagher in April, shortly after Trump was issued a gag order in his New York case.  “They’re trying to gag him not only of his First Amendment rights but of defending himself,” Bondi said at the time.  Fox News Digital’s Chris Pandolfo contributed to this report. 

Biden makes final push for student loan forgiveness before Trump takes office

Biden makes final push for student loan forgiveness before Trump takes office

President Biden is making a last-ditch effort to cancel more student debt before the end of his term, after facing years of setbacks in his attempts to erase billions of dollars in borrowed money.  The Department of Education announced an interim final rule this month to extend the deadline for student loan borrowers to enroll in long-term pay-over-time programs. The provision would amend the Income Contingent Repayment (ICR) to extend the deadline for borrowers to enroll in ICR or Pay-As-You-Earn (PAYE), a program which cancels all student debt for borrowers after 20 years of on-time payments. The enrollment deadline would be extended by three years, from July 2024 to July 2027. The regulations, however, are slated to go into effect in July 2026, meaning the incoming Trump administration could intercept any handout initiatives going into effect after his term. FORMER TRUMP EDUCATION SECRETARY LAYS OUT ‘UNFINISHED BUSINESS’ FOR NEW ADMIN ON SCHOOL REFORMS The announcement comes just weeks after the Biden administration put forward an additional new rule, that, if finalized, would authorize student debt forgiveness on a one-time basis for people who the department considers to have at least an 80% chance of defaulting on loans based on a “predictive assessment using existing borrower data.” Also in October, the administration announced plans to remove $4.5 billion in debt for more than 60,000 borrowers who work in public service. BIDEN PUSHES TO FINALIZE MORE STUDENT DEBT RELIEF BEFORE END OF TERM, INCLUDING FOR ‘FUTURE BORROWERS’ During his 2020 presidential campaign, Biden pledged to forgive student loans for millions of Americans if elected, but the president has faced continuous legal roadblocks in his attempt to eliminate hundreds of billions of dollars in debt. Biden’s initial plan sought to provide up to $10,000 in debt relief, and up to $20,000 for Pell Grant recipients, for people who make less than $125,000 a year — which was estimated to cost more than $400 billion.  However, in June 2023, the Supreme Court issued a ruling against Biden’s loan cancelation plans which stated that the secretary of education cannot cancel more than $430 billion in student debt. The president, however, made another attempt to cancel debt for roughly 30 million Americans. Biden’s second proposal sought to cancel up to $20,000 in interest for Americans who owe more than they borrow, as well as cancel all debt for those who have been repaying undergraduate loans for 20 years or more. President-elect Trump has not said specifically how he will approach the Biden administration’s student loan forgiveness plans, but has said he plans to rework the entire education system during his term. The former education department secretary under Trump recently told Fox that Biden’s attempt at student loan handouts needs to be reevaluated by the incoming administration.  “There is every argument for if the taxpayers are going to be funding student lending, there better be ways to oversee it and actually do it effectively and efficiently,” former Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos told Fox News Digital in a recent interview. “And it has not been happening. It is a huge mess, and it needs to be rethought and re-examined, and frankly, the private sector, private sector lending needs to come back into it and be an option.” Fox News’ Alec Schemmel, Chris Pandolfo, and Jamie Joseph contributed to this report.

24 states’ attorneys general call on Supreme Court to keep biological boys out of girls sports

24 states’ attorneys general call on Supreme Court to keep biological boys out of girls sports

Attorneys general from 24 states are urging the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn a lower court ruling and uphold an Arizona law to prohibit biological boys from competing on girls’ sports teams. The petition comes after a federal appeals court ruled that the law likely violates the Equal Protection Clause of the Constitution. “Sports teams are divided by sex to begin with to give girls a level playing field so they’re not competing against boys,” South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson said in a news release. “Arizona’s law restricting girls’ sports teams to biological females is just common sense, and it protects girls from competing against bigger, stronger males who identify as females.” FEDERAL JUDGE PUSHES BACK ON PARENTS CALLING TRANS ATHLETE ‘A BOY’ IN LEGAL BATTLE OVER PRO-GIRLS PROTESTS In addition to Wilson, the attorneys general supporting the petition are those from Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia and Wyoming. The petition notes that these states have laws similar to Arizona’s that restrict girls’ sports to biological females. It also argues that the Equal Protection Clause does not prohibit states from offering separate sports teams for men, women, boys and girls. GIRLS CATHOLIC SCHOOL VOLLEYBALL TEAM COULD FACE PENALTY AFTER FANS BOO TRANS ATHLETE ON PUBLIC SCHOOL TEAM “In sports, equal access means a level playing field,” the attorneys general write in their brief. “And a level playing field usually means sports teams divided by sex so that girls can compete against other girls.” “Basing the distinction on biology rather than gender identity makes sense because it is the differences in biology—not gender identity—that call for separate teams in the first place: Whatever their gender identity, biological males are, on average, stronger and faster than biological females. If those average physical differences did not matter, there would be no need to segregate sports teams at all,” they continued. The attorneys general are asking the high court to “make it clear that the Constitution does not prohibit states from saving women’s sports from unfair competition and providing meaningful athletic opportunities for girls and women,” according to Wilson’s news release.

Trump’s sway over Republicans stronger than ever, but Sununu says GOP still a ‘big-tent party’

Trump’s sway over Republicans stronger than ever, but Sununu says GOP still a ‘big-tent party’

MARCO ISLAND, Fla. — With his convincing White House victory this month, President-elect Donald Trump’s grip over the Republican Party is firmer than ever. But a popular Republican governor who has long been a vocal critic of the former and future president says that there’s still room in the GOP for those outside of the MAGA and America First base. “The party is a big-tent party. There’s no question about it,” Sununu said in a Fox News Digital interview this week along the sidelines of the Republican Governors Association winter meeting, which was held at a waterfront resort in southwest Florida. Sununu, who was a top surrogate and supporter of former U.N. ambassador and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, Trump’s final challenger in the 2024 GOP presidential primaries, backed the Republican nominee in the general election. EXCLUSIVE: WHAT THE NEW REPUBLICAN GOVERNORS CHAIR TOLD FOX NEWS “It was a huge victory across the country, and the people of this country have spoken very loudly and unequivocally,” Sununu said of Trump’s electoral college and popular vote victory. And the governor acknowledged that Trump is “the standard-bearer of the party” and “the voice of the party.” “But this is a very large party. If it wasn’t, he (Trump) wouldn’t have won. If it wasn’t, we wouldn’t have had convincing wins all across this country in a variety of different states,” Sununu said. REPUBLICAN GOVERNORS SAY WITH TRUMP ELECTION, ‘WE’VE GOT A FRIEND IN THE WHITE HOUSE’ Asked about the president-elect’s flurry of announcements on Cabinet nominations this month, Sununu said that “he definitely has a couple of controversial Cabinet picks that … I don’t mind saying I’m not the biggest fan of, but the vast majority of them are terrific.” (Sununu was interviewed before former Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., withdrew his name from consideration as attorney general amid a growing scandal.) “He’s bringing folks from the private sector, he’s bringing in governors, he’s bringing in folks that have real experience in all of these issues and that understand the mission, which is fiscal responsibility,” Sununu said, “getting regulations out of the way, which effectively lowers costs on business, lowers costs on consumers, lowers costs for everyday citizens.” Sununu didn’t stump on Trump’s behalf in swing state New Hampshire, but he crisscrossed the campaign trail on behalf of down-ballot Republicans. The governor was a top surrogate for former Sen. Kelly Ayotte, the GOP gubernatorial nominee who emerged victorious on Election Day and has pledged to continue the Sununu agenda. Asked if Ayotte’s nearly nine and half point win was also a victory for him, Sununu said, “It was [a] victory for New Hampshire.“ “Kelly’s going to be phenomenal. She has that experience as an attorney general, as U.S. senator. She understands how the systems work,” Sununu said. “Our transition is already going incredibly smoothly; discussions virtually every single day about all aspects of government, where it’s going, how to build good teams and, most importantly … the opportunities to listen to what’s happening in the communities.” “She’ll have my cell number. I don’t know if she’ll need it, because I think she’s going to be fantastic on her own, but she’ll always have my cell number,” Sununu said when asked if he’d be offering advice to his successor. FORMER AND FUTURE GOP RISING STAR SPEAKS WITH FOX NEWS And pointing to his two Democrat predecessors as governor, who Sununu said shared their cellphone numbers with him: “We want New Hampshire to be successful. So it’s not just me helping Kelly out. It is always a team effort. She’s going to have a host of people that she can lean on for any advice when she needs it.” After mulling a 2024 White House run, Sununu announced in the summer of 2023 that he would launch a presidential campaign, and weeks later he also said he wouldn’t seek an unprecedented fifth two-year term steering the Granite State. (New Hampshire and neighboring Vermont are the only two states in the nation to hold gubernatorial elections every two years.) “I’m excited to get back to the private sector. I like businesses, I like deal sourcing,” he said. “I’m not sure exactly what the private sector is going to bring, but I think it’s going to be pretty exciting.” New Hampshire will likely have a competitive Senate contest in 2026 when longtime Democrat Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, a former governor, is up for re-election. But Sununu reiterated what he told Fox News Digital in July. “Definitely ruling out running for the Senate in 2026. Yeah, definitely not on my dance card,” he said. But the governor predicted that Republicans will “have a good candidate. There’s no question about it. A couple of different folks that might be interested in running. I think that’d be fantastic. We’ve had an all-Democrat [congressional] delegation for a long time. I think the people in the state, especially with Kelly’s convincing win, would love a different voice, would love just some sort of change.” Asked if there’s another run for office in his future, the 50-year-old governor said he’s “not thinking about that at all, excited for the private sector. And that’s all … that’s in my windshield.” But he didn’t entirely shut the door, adding, “We’ll see what political chapters write themselves down the road.”

Trump will appoint ‘dozens’ of judges, experts say, despite Dems ramming through nominees in lame-duck session

Trump will appoint ‘dozens’ of judges, experts say, despite Dems ramming through nominees in lame-duck session

Experts say President-elect Donald Trump’s chances of appointing judges to the federal bench remain positive, despite Senate Democrats’ push to confirm as many of President Biden’s picks as possible. Amid their efforts to appoint Biden’s judicial picks ahead of Trump’s administration and a new Congress starting in January, both parties struck a midnight deal Wednesday after Republicans planned to slow down judicial confirmations earlier this week.  The agreement would allow Democrats to hold votes on four district court judges in exchange for pulling four higher-tier circuit court judicial nominees, a senior Senate source familiar with the matter told Fox News Digital.  DEMOCRATS ADVANCE 5 MORE BIDEN JUDICIAL NOMINEES The four vacancies would then be Trump’s to fill.  A Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer spokesperson told Fox News Digital the trade included four circuit nominees – all of which lack votes to get confirmed – “for more than triple the number of additional judges moving forward.” “I’m glad that Republican senators are starting to show up to vote because some of the worst nominees are still awaiting confirmation precisely because they didn’t have adequate support,” Carrie Severino, president of JCN, told Fox News Digital.  When asked about the deal, Devon Ombres, senior director of courts and legal policy at CAPAction said, “Frankly, I’m at a loss as to why they would get here.” “It would be nice to see Democratic leadership and the White House try and push through and fill those vacancies where possible,” Ombres said. Schumer addressed the floor Thursday, saying they had confirmed six new judges this past week alone – one circuit court judge and five district court judges, bringing Biden’s total number of confirmations to 220. Trump notably secured 234 confirmations during his first term.  SENATE SHOWDOWN: GOP SECURES DEAL WITH SCHUMER TO SAVE COVETED APPELLATE JUDGES FOR TRUMP Despite the push, Ombres stated he predicts circuit judges appointed primarily by former president George W. Bush will take senior status, which would then give Trump additional vacancies to fill. Likewise, Ombres said those appointed by former Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama will avoid taking senior status. “[Trump will] still have a handful of vacancies that he’ll be able to appoint,” Ombres said. “But if the Senate Republicans maintain the blue slip process, it will be tougher sledding to appoint in those in blue states, but he will still have an opportunity to bolster where there is already strength, especially the 11th Circuit.” “When Trump comes into office, he’s going to have dozens more vacancies to fill,” Severino said. “And that’s not even counting the judges who will take senior status over the next four years.” According to a Senate Democrat leadership aide familiar with the agreement reached, the deal allowed for the Senate to vote on cloture on nine district court judges this week and vote to confirm them when they return after Thanksgiving. The source also noted that the new deal did not mean Republicans were going to allow the Biden district judges to sail through without opposition. GOP senators are still expected to fight and vote against the Democrat-nominated judges as they have done throughout Biden’s term.   SPRINT TO CONFIRM TRUMP NOMINEES KICKS OFF IN JANUARY “I think certainly appellate judges are always going to be more important in our judicial system than district court judges,” Ombres said. “But district court judges are still capable of instituting nationwide injunctions and striking down programs and issuing sweeping opinions.” The Senate slowdown was spearheaded by Senate Minority Whip John Thune, R-S.D., who was recently elected as the next Republican Senate leader. Republicans sought to delay the confirmation process through tactical maneuvers on the floor.  Trump has previously been vocal about not wanting judicial confirmations during the lame-duck session, writing on Truth Social, “No more Judges confirmed before Inauguration Day!”  CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Shortly after Senate Dems began to ramp up energy to confirm Biden’s judicial picks after the Nov. 5 election, Trump-Vance transition spokesperson Brian Hughes told Fox News Digital in a statement, “In his first term, President Trump appointed constitutionalist judges who interpret the law as written. He will do so again.” “He had a wonderful record last time around, and I hope he’s going to have a similar track record this time of putting up principled and highly qualified nominees,” Severino said. Fox News Digital’s Julia Johnson contributed to this report.