Democrats elect new chair who branded Trump a ‘traitor’ as party aims to rebound from disastrous 2024 election
The Democratic National Committee (DNC) on Saturday elected Minnesota party leader Ken Martin, who once called for President Donald Trump to be tried for treason, as its next national chair in the wake of the party’s disastrous performance in the November elections. The election of Martin is the party’s first formal step to try and rebound from the November elections, in which President Donald Trump recaptured the White House, and Republicans flipped the Senate, held on to their fragile majority in the House and made major gains with working-class, minority and younger voters. “We have one team, one team, the Democratic Party,” Martin said following his victory. “The fight is for our values. The fight is for working people. The fight right now is against Donald Trump and the billionaires who bought this country.” Martin, over the past eight years, has served as a DNC vice chair and has led the association of state Democratic Party chairs. FINAL DNC CHAIR DEBATE ROCKED BY PROTESTS In 2020, Martin called Trump a “traitor” who should be tried for treason. “[Donald Trump] should be immediately impeached and then put on trial for treason,” Martin wrote on June 29, 2020, citing an anonymously sourced news story. “His actions led to the deaths of American soldiers. He is a traitor to our nation and all those who have served.” He topped Wisconsin Democratic Party chair Ben Wikler by over 100 votes among the 428 DNC members who cast ballots as they gathered for the party’s annual winter meeting, which this year was held at National Harbor in Maryland, just outside of Washington, D.C. Martin O’Malley, the former two-term Maryland governor and 2016 Democratic presidential candidate who served as commissioner of the Social Security Administration during former President Biden’s last year in office, was a distant third in the voting. Among the longshot candidates were Faiz Shakir, who ran the 2020 Democratic presidential campaign of Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, and Marianne Williamson, who ran unsuccessfully for the 2020 and 2024 Democratic presidential nominations. Williamson endorsed Martin on Saturday, ahead of the vote. The eight candidates in the race were vying to succeed DNC Chair Jaime Harrison, who decided against seeking a second straight four-year term steering the national party committee. With no clear leader in the party, the next DNC chair could become the de facto face of Democrats from coast to coast and will make major decisions on messaging, strategy, infrastructure and where to spend millions in political contributions. “It’s an important opportunity for us to not only refocus the party and what we present to voters, but also an opportunity for us to look at how we internally govern ourselves,” longtime New Hampshire Democratic Party Chair Ray Buckley told Fox News Digital. Buckley, a former DNC vice chair who backed Martin, said he’s “very excited about the potential of great reform within the party.” He emphasized that he hoped for “significantly more support for the state parties. That’s going to be a critical step towards our return to majority status.” In his victory speech, Martin stressed unity and that the party needed “to rebuild our coalition.” “We need to go on offense,” Martin said. “We’re going to go out there and take this fight to Donald Trump and the Republicans.” Former Vice President Kamala Harris, who succeeded President Biden last July as the party’s 2024 standard-bearer, spoke with Martin, Wikler and O’Malley in the days ahead of Saturday’s election, Fox News confirmed. But Harris stayed neutral in the vote for party chair. In a video message to the audience as the vote for chair was being tabulated, Harris said that the DNC has some “hard work ahead.” But she pledged to be with the party “every step of the way,” which could be a signal of her future political ambitions. The debate during the three-month DNC campaign sprint mostly focused on the logistics of modern political campaigns, such as media strategy and messaging, fundraising and grassroots organizing and get-out-the-vote efforts. On those nuts-and-bolts issues, the candidates were mostly in agreement that changes are needed to win back blue-collar voters who now support Republicans. But the final forum included a heavy focus on race and diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs, issues that appeared to hurt Democrats at the ballot box in November. The forum, moderated and carried live on MSNBC and held at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., devolved into chaos early on as a wave of left-wing protesters repeatedly interrupted the primetime event, heckling over concerns of climate change and billionaires’ influence in America’s elections before they were forcibly removed by security. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP The chair election took place as a new national poll spelled more trouble for the Democrats. Only 31% of respondents in a Quinnipiac University survey conducted over the past week had a favorable opinion of the Democratic Party, with 57% seeing the party in an unfavorable light. “This is the highest percentage of voters having an unfavorable opinion of the Democratic Party since the Quinnipiac University Poll began asking this question,” the survey’s release noted. Meanwhile, 43% of those questioned had a favorable view of the GOP, with 45% holding an unfavorable opinion, which was the highest favorable opinion for the Republican Party ever in Quinnipiac polling.
Reagan National Airport has bothered lawmakers for years, but quick access to power has stalled change
Ask many of Congress’ frequent fliers, and they’ll tell you Ronald Reagan National Airport has sent up red flags for years. “I’ve long been very, very nervous about congestion at Reagan National,” said Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va. “The congestion of the airspace around Reagan and D.C. as a whole definitely played a part in this,” said Sen. Tim Sheehy, R-Mont., a former firefighting pilot. “The sheer number of aircraft in the air is as high as it’s ever been.” “A lot of aircraft transit up and down the Potomac,” said Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., a former Navy combat pilot and astronaut. “Getting in and out of certain areas. The Pentagon. Other military installations. Reagan right there in that highly trafficked area.” “Whenever I’m at Reagan and I see new gates being built, the terminal getting larger, I realize that there will never be another inch of runway. The skies are pretty congested,” said Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D. “I often think there’s too much activity for this small plot of land. And I’m sure there’ll be a reevaluation of all of that.” REAGAN NATIONAL AIRPORT CRASH: MILITARY BLACK HAWK HELICOPTER COLLIDES MIDAIR WITH AMERICAN AIRLINES JET The nation’s worst air disaster in nearly a quarter-century spilled into the Potomac River just short of Washington’s Reagan National Airport on Wednesday night. Sixty-seven people died after American Eagle Flight 5342 from Wichita, Kan., collided with an Army Sikorsky Black Hawk helicopter feet from the runway. Aviation experts say flying in and out of Reagan National is one of the most complicated airports in the country. The approach from both the north and south is over water. Pilots must navigate a narrow corridor above the river – but not fly over the nearby Pentagon. That’s to say nothing of piercing Washington, D.C.’s super-protective airspace. The White House and U.S. Capitol are clearly visible when planes take off to the north. Moreover, the airport is known for notoriously short runways. The runway on which the American Eagle flight attempted to land stretches a little more than 5,200 feet. Slightly less than a mile in length. That’s not even the main runway. Standard commercial runways average around 13,000 feet. The longest runway at Reagan National is about 7,000 feet. Plus, all three runways cross one another. Such a configuration is rarely seen at modern airports. DC PLANE CRASH: ATC STAFFING LEVELS UNDER SCRUTINY AS BARGES ARRIVE TO HELP SALVAGE OPS Last spring, there were two incidents where planes nearly crashed into one another while crossing runways. The runways are some of the most overused in the entire American flight system. The airport was designed to handle 14 million passengers annually. But that number spiked to 25 million in 2023. The airport accommodates a staggering 800 takeoffs and landings each day. There were efforts to close Reagan National when Dulles International Airport opened in 1962. Dulles is a monstrosity of a campus. However, it resides nearly 30 miles from Washington, D.C., proper. The nation’s movers and shakers never gravitated to Dulles when it was so easy to fly into Reagan National, deplane, catch a cab and arrive at the State Department for a meeting 15 minutes later. Lawmakers, aviation, national security officials and the Secret Service conducted serious conversations about permanently closing the airport after 9/11. It was thought that air traffic in and out of Reagan National posed too much of a risk to the seat of government. It wouldn’t take much for hijackers to commandeer an aircraft and reroute it to Capitol Hill. After all, one plane crashed into the Pentagon on 9/11. The fourth plane – which went down in a field near Shanksville, Penn. – was ultimately bound for the Capitol. DC PLANE CRASH: POTOMAC RIVER DIVERS’ SEARCH FOR BODIES COMPLICATED BY CONDITIONS OUT OF THEIR CONTROL That said, advocates for maintaining Reagan National argued it was nearly impossible to hijack a plane taking off and immediately send it barreling toward the Capitol. It takes a while to engineer a hijacking. There was simply not enough time to execute such a plan seconds after takeoff. Still, authorities shuttered Reagan National for more than three weeks following 9/11. New safety rules were in place once the airport re-opened. Planes couldn’t have more than 156 seats. All passengers were required to be seated a half-hour before landing. Air marshals patrolled most if not all flights in and out of the airport. The feds loosened many of those restrictions anywhere from a few months to nearly four years after 9/11. But that didn’t diminish questions about the safety of this particular airport. VICTIMS IDENTIFIED IN DC PLANE CRASH INVOLVING AMERICAN AIRLINES JET AND MILITARY HELICOPTER However, proponents of maintaining Reagan National had some of the most powerful allies in the nation: Members of Congress. Lawmakers keep insane schedules. In fact, the invention of the jet airplane contributed to such bedlam. Lawmakers are in high demand in their districts or states – and on Capitol Hill. That’s to say nothing of conferences in Aspen or Halifax – and glitzy fundraisers in New York or San Francisco. So air travel, coupled with access to a nearby airport, is paramount in the modern Congress. The importance of aviation is even incorporated into the Congressional vernacular. Mondays or Tuesdays are often deemed “fly-in” days. The House and Senate don’t truly get going until late in the day during the first day of the week. Thus, votes on Monday might not unfold until 5:30 pm et in the Senate and 6:30 in the House. Depending on if the House (and sometimes the Senate) convenes on a Monday or Tuesday, Thursdays and Friday are considered “getaway” days. The House might cut town by late morning or noon on a getaway day. If the Senate doesn’t toil for five days (which has happened a lot this year, but not this week), the last vote often hits around 2:15 or 2:30 pm. on a Thursday. Thus, lawmakers have a vested interest in keeping
Pennsylvania gov rebuffs PETA’s demands on Punxsutawney Phil: ‘Come and take it’
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro hit back at People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) on Friday, after the activist group sent a letter to the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club promising to send them a vegan “weather reveal cake” if they agreed to stop pulling Punxsutawney Phil out of his burrow for his Feb. 2 prognostication. “Come and take it,” Shapiro tweeted in response to a New York Post story on PETA’s demand. Manuel Bonder, a spokesman for Shapiro, told Fox News Digital the governor stands by his comments and said he will again make the trip to Gobbler’s Knob in Jefferson County on Sunday to witness Phil’s 138th meteorological prediction. Shapiro has been on-hand for every Groundhog Day ceremony in Punxsutawney since taking office in 2023. PETA CALLS TO END GROUNDHOG DAY TRADITION, REPLACE PUNXSUTAWNEY PHIL WITH CAKE PETA President Ingrid Newkirk told the Post that Phil is denied the traditional lifestyle of a groundhog “for a tired old gimmick.” Visitors to Punxsutawney year-round can visit Phil and his “wife,” Phyllis, at the borough library. On this reporter’s last visit to the area, the rodents had recently become proud parents to a new baby groundhog, as well. While Groundhog Day is considered a national holiday and has even been popularized in the classic 1993 Bill Murray film of the same name, the day — and Phil himself — hold a special place in many Pennsylvanians’ hearts. GROUNDHOG DAY QUIZ! HOW WELL DO YOU KNOW THE FACTS ABOUT THIS UNIQUE DAY? Nineteen other lodges based around the state have held “Versommlinge” for decades, as well. However, three — “#2, Schibbach” in Montgomery County, “#3, Temple U.” in Philadelphia County and “#5, Bind Bush” in Schuylkill County — have gone defunct in recent years as the Pennsylvania German language and culture see a decline in younger generations. A March 2024 Versommling for “Lodge #18 an de Forelle Grick” (on Trout Creek) in Slatington featured local beer on tap, a traditional Pennsylvania German supper, stories and riddles from lodge elders told in the Pennsylvania German language, and, of course, representations of Phil himself. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Until recently, it was the custom of groundhog lodges to forbid English-speaking in favor of “Pennsilfaanisch,” lest the violator toss a nickel in a donation jar on their table. Other states’ groundhogs have been less lucky than Phil, as then-New York Mayor Bill de Blasio infamously dropped Staten Island Chuck during a 2014 ceremony in West New Brighton. Chuck later died from internal injuries after appearing to land on his head. With the importance Groundhog Day and Phil himself hold to Pennsylvania past-and-present, Bonder said Shapiro will continue to defend the groundhog and his tradition, and will be on hand for future wintertime prognostications in Punxsutawney.
LGBT activists mobilize to challenge Trump’s ‘extreme gender ideology’ executive orders
LGBT activists and groups are already mobilizing to block gender-related executive orders President Donald Trump signed since taking office to fulfill one of his key campaign promises to crack down on “gender ideology extremism.” And more legal challenges are expected in the coming weeks. The executive orders, signed in late January, include a reinstatement of the ban on transgender troops in the military, a ban on federal funding for sex changes for minors and a directive requiring federal agencies to recognize only “two sexes,” male and female, in official standard of conduct. “This ban betrays fundamental American values of equal opportunity and judging people on their merit,” Jennifer Levi, director of Transgender and Queer Rights at GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD Law), said in a statement about the trans military ban. “It slams the door on qualified patriots who meet every standard and want nothing more than to serve their country, simply to appease a political agenda.” TRUMP SIGNS EXECUTIVE ORDERS BANNING ‘RADICAL GENDER IDEOLOGY,’ DEI INITIATIVES IN THE MILITARY GLAD Law and the National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR), were among the first groups to file a federal lawsuit against the Trump administration for its military ban. The lawsuit, Talbott v. Trump, was brought forward on equal protection grounds by six active-duty service members and two individuals attempting to enlist, according to the groups’ announcement. The plaintiffs include a Sailor of the Year honoree, a Bronze Star recipient and several who were awarded meritorious service medals. They were identified as U.S. Army Reservist Lt. Nicolas Talbott, Army Maj. Erica Vandal, Army Sgt. First Class Kate Cole, Army Capt. Gordon Herrero, Navy Ensign Dany Danridge, Air Force Master Sgt. Jamie Hash, Koda Nature and Cael Neary. The latter two are civilians who are seeking to enlist in the military. DEFENSE SECRETARY PETE HEGSETH SAYS ‘NO MORE DEI AT DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE’: ‘NO EXCEPTIONS’ Another lawsuit, filed by a transgender inmate receiving taxpayer-funded medical treatments, is challenging Trump’s executive order that ends medical transgender treatments – such as hormones, sex changes and grooming accommodations – for federal prisoners. The unnamed inmate, who goes by “Maria Moe” in court documents and is represented by GLAD Law, NCLR and Lowenstein Sandler LLP, is claiming Trump and the Bureau of Prisons are violating the Fifth and Eighth amendments and claims to be “at imminent risk of losing access to the medical care she needs to treat her gender dysphoria.” U.S. District Judge George O’Toole in Boston temporarily blocked BOP officials from transferring “Maria Moe” to a men’s prison, according to a ruling released by the inmate’s attorney Thursday. The temporary restraining order was issued Sunday, the same day the suit was filed. Prison officials are expected to keep the inmate in the women’s prison general population and maintain her transgender medical treatments, NBC first reported. CRACKING DOWN ON TRANS TROOPS: TRUMP ORDER NIXES PREFERRED PRONOUNS, RESTRICTS FACILITY USE Multiple lawsuits have been filed against Trump’s other executive orders, too, especially Trump’s immigration-related policies. More are expected in the coming weeks. A memo released Wednesday by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management provided guidance on directing federal agencies to acknowledge that women are biologically female and men are biologically male, Reuters reported. Trump said last week federal funds would not be used to promote “gender ideology.” Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment on the litigation but did not hear back before publication. Fox News Digital’s Louis Casiano contributed to this report.
‘Extreme rules’: Top Arizona lawmaker leans on Trump EPA to fight California’s ‘radical’ climate agenda
FIRST ON FOX: One of the top Republican lawmakers in the key swing state of Arizona has sent a letter to President Donald Trump’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) requesting that the administration “prevent California from dictating the country’s energy policy.” “California’s radical rules will harm Arizona families by increasing costs, impacting jobs, and limiting consumer choice,” Arizona Senate President Warren Petersen said in a letter to the EPA. “By taking swift action, EPA can reverse the Biden Administration’s erroneous approval of California’s extreme rules.” In the letter, Petersen praised Trump’s reversal of burdensome regulations thus far, saying that his executive orders, including rolling back the EV mandate, are “important energy steps that will help usher in America’s Golden Age.” However, Petersen warned in his letter that California environmental waivers and regulations create a ripple effect that harms other places in the country, including Arizona. ‘FULL COURT PRESS’: FRESHMAN GOP LAWMAKER REVEALS BLUEPRINT TO FLIP SCRIPT ON GREEN ENERGY MANDATES “Victims of California’s war on fossil fuels include Arizonans who conduct business or make purchases in California,” Petersen wrote. “California’s radical rules also will indirectly affect Arizonans by increasing the cost, and decreasing the availability, of vehicles and products. Even Governor Katie Hobbs has been forced to recognize that California’s extreme policies can negatively impact Arizonans.” “California’s radical rules raise serious legal concerns relating to equal state sovereignty19 and the major “questions doctrine, among many others. EPA should take immediate action to remove these legal concerns, starting by submitting the approvals for California’s rules to Congress for evaluation under the Congressional Review Act,” he continued. “According to legal experts, ‘Congress can quickly disapprove the waivers and send a resolution to the White House for presidential signature. Ballgame over.’ As those experts note, Congressional Review Act decisions are final and unassailable in court because the Act expressly provides that ‘[n]o determination, finding, action, or omission under this chapter shall be subject to judicial review.’” SENATE ADVANCES TRUMP’S ENERGY SECRETARY NOMINEE TO FINAL CONFIRMATION VOTE Petersen’s letter continued, “Like it did during President Trump’s first administration, EPA also should revoke California’s ability to independently regulate greenhouse gases.” In a statement to Fox News Digital, Petersen said, “Over the past four years, the State of California and the Biden Administration teamed up to impose a radical environmental agenda on the United States, compromising our energy independence, crushing freedom of choice, and endangering our national security.” “I, like many of my fellow Arizonans and Americans, am thrilled to see the Trump Administration putting an end to these schemes. The State of Arizona looks forward to assisting our new president, EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin, and Members of Congress in their efforts to prioritize and protect our country’s interests,” he said. Petersen, who has filed paperwork to run for attorney general in Arizona, also sent a letter to Arizona’s congressional delegation voicing the same concerns. “As President of the Arizona State Senate, I write to urge you to block radical California rules that ban gas-powered cars and leaf blowers,” he wrote. “These policies will harm Arizona families by increasing costs, impacting jobs, and limiting consumer choice. The Congressional Review Act empowers you to reverse the Biden Administration’s last-minute approval of these extreme policies, which I encourage you to do.”
Top Georgia Republican unveils statewide DOGE plan to ‘reset’ regulations: ‘Red Tape Rollback’
Georgia’s Republican lieutenant governor has introduced a plan similar to the DOGE efforts taking place with the Trump administration that he tells Fox News Digital will bring much-needed government accountability to his state. “I own my own business employing thousands of people, and I know one of the biggest things that we run into as small business owners is regulatory burdens. And that’s regulatory burdens at the local, state and federal level,” Georgia Lt. Gov. Burt Jones told Fox News Digital of his Red Tape Rollback Act of 2025. “We’ve been fortunate here in Georgia to be the No. 1 state to do business for 11 years running, and if we want to stay like that, we’re going to have to always be retooling how we do things, improving how we do things, making government more efficient, making it try to work more like business.” WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT DOGE AND ITS QUEST TO SLASH GOVERNMENT WASTE, SPENDING Jones introduced the plan last year but was unable to move it through the Georgia Legislature. But he said Trump’s DOGE efforts provided an opportunity to pair the plan with the new DOGE brand that has become increasingly popular with Republicans and some Democrats in Washington, D.C. “That’s what the essence or the genesis behind red tape rollback, which is our state version of DOGE that the Trump administration is doing, and I’m excited about what they’re doing with the first week of that administration,” Jones said. Jones explained to Fox News Digital what the priorities of his statewide DOGE plan would entail if successfully passed through the Legislature. “The first thing we’d like to do is basically have a reset on all regulatory issues at every state agency. And what I mean by that is, instead of always adding more regulations, we’ll start back at zero and then the agencies just add what they need,” Jones said. ELON MUSK’S DOGE MAKES ANOTHER HIRING PUSH “There are so many regulations that are on the books that have been put there from decades worth of, you know, legislative laws that were passed or whatever. What our bill will do is basically have a reset just like you would on a computer game or whatever. “And say there’s a lot of things that are unneeded, whether we’re talking about on the educational front, on the environment front, transportation, whatever it might be, just the entire blanket. Have a reset, and then make the agencies tell us what regulations are needed and which ones they’re glad to get rid of.” Jones said in a press release his bill will “also give legislators the ability to request a ‘Small Business Impact Analysis’ for pending legislation to better understand how a bill might impact Georgia’s most important job creators.” Jones told Fox News Digital that statewide spending waste is at a much “smaller scale” than federal government waste, but he said he hopes his statewide efforts will help shine a light on waste in the federal government. “There’s no question D.C. is the elephant, so to speak, in the room that has gotten so bloated through duplicate agencies, duplicate services, whatever it might be,” Jones said. “There’s a lot of ways to trim the fat at the federal level. “State government, it won’t be anything like what you have at the federal level, but there’s definitely inefficiencies that need to be addressed, whether it’s in licensing, permitting processes, whatever it might be, regulatory codes and things that need to be repealed. Those are all things that are going to be on the table.”
California city’s massive $130M deficit threatens dangerous cuts to its firefighting capacity
Oakland’s $129.8 million budget deficit could eradicate up to 30% of its firefighting capacity, depleting a strapped department already stretched thin by station closures, according to sources on the ground. Fire response times in the Democrat-controlled California city are already three times the national average after budget cuts that recently closed two fire stations and kept a newly renovated station from reopening. City Councilmember Zac Unger, who was an Oakland firefighter for 27 years, told Fox Digital that four more stations could face closures because of deficits. “We have three firehouses currently closed and another four slated to close … which would represent about 30% of our firefighting capacity here in Oakland, an absolutely catastrophic potential for the city of Oakland,” Unger said. “We simply cannot afford to lose 30% of our fire and emergency medical response.” LA RELIED ON TEEN VOLUNTEERS FOR YEARS DESPITE FIRE CHIEF’S WARNING, BUT LEADERS CAN’T BE SUED: LAWYER Firefighters and city officials have been working overtime in “an all-hands-on-deck moment,” Unger said, to identify available funds in the city’s budget and keep Oakland’s firehouses open. Fire Chief Damon Covington told Fox Digital inroads have been made to prevent the additional four fire stations from closing, but that’s not to say closures won’t come down the road. “Seven firehouses would represent about 30% of our fire department,” Covington said. “It’s a tremendous threat because, ultimately, we need more fire service to cover our city adequately, and to lose two firehouses and a third that was under renovation, it taxes our workforce.” The fire department’s limited capacity has slowed response time, creating the potential for a disaster like the Palisades and Eaton wildfires, President of Oakland Firefighters Local 55 Seth Olyer said. “We had a house fire in the end of east Oakland in Engine 28’s area,” he said. “Normally, that engine would have been able to get to the fire within four minutes. The closest fire engine took nearly 11 minutes to get there. With a fire doubling in size every minute, you can do the math. This went from a small fire inside the house to a total loss and nearly threatening the surrounding area and potentially starting a wildland fire, much like in L.A.” “Our firefighters do incredible work, and they will make do with whatever difficult circumstances you give them, but yes, we have seen slowed response times,” Unger told Fox Digital. “There’s simply no way to close firehouses and expect to receive the same level of service.” The interim mayor’s office did not respond to a request for comment. But in its current budget proposal, the city cites one-time COVID-19 pandemic costs and retirement benefits, including OPEB liability and CalPERs benefits costs, as the “fiscal challenges leading to [a] projected deficit” of $129.8 million. Oakland’s 2024-2025 fiscal budget proposed fire station “brownouts” for six months beginning January 2025 to save the city $5.5 million. But local firefighters say brownouts could come at a much higher cost. “When you close firehouses, it creates a domino effect,” Covington said in an interview with Fox Digital. “It’s not just the firehouse that you’re closing, it’s the surrounding jurisdictions, the other firehouses that are close to that firehouse that have to cover the ground of that station.” Oakland firefighters say they face the same cuts that the Los Angeles Fire Department warned about ahead of the devastating Palisades and Eaton wildfires in January. Oakland is no stranger to fire devastation itself. The Oakland firestorm of 1991 killed 25 people, injured 150 and destroyed more than 3,000 homes. Olyer said the 1991 fire fundamentally changed fire department response tactics and how fire crews cooperate with surrounding agencies. “That fire was so massive it took a herculean effort by the Bay Area and basically fire departments from all over the western U.S. to control,” Olyer told Fox Digital. “You’re seeing the same thing with Los Angeles. It’s not realistic to think that any fire department would be able to stop any sort of huge fast-moving wildfire with hurricane force winds in conditions like that.” KELSEY GRAMMER SAYS CALIFORNIA LAWMAKERS ‘TOOK THEIR EYE OFF THE BALL’ IN WILDFIRES CATASTROPHE A quick, efficient and collaborative firefighting operation is possible with ample resources. In October, Olyer described how proper staffing and cooperation with CAL FIRE prevented the Keller Fire from becoming another California catastrophe. “The Keller fire, which happened last October, was a perfect example of what a properly staffed fire department and early intensive action can do to really stop a fire before it gets out of control,” Olyer said. The event, he said, showed what “cooperation among agencies looks like, with CAL FIRE doing water drops on top, helicopter drops on it and massive amounts of resources very early on.” “The department has been running bare bones in Oakland for decades,” Olyer said. “We have fire engines driving around with nearly 300,000 miles, and they’re literally falling apart. It’s just a matter of time until Oaklanders’ luck runs out.” “We’re all pushing in the same direction. Everybody wants those firehouses open. It really does come down to dollars and cents,” Covington said.
Sen. Tillis opens up about role in Pete Hegseth’s confirmation after Hegseth’s ex-sister-in-law’s allegations
FIRST ON FOX: Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., whose vote cemented Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s confirmation last month, opened up about the effort to corroborate last-minute allegations against President Donald Trump’s nominee. “Anytime you have an allegation and somebody is willing to put it in sworn testimony, you owe it to the process to review it and not just dispose it out of hand,” the North Carolina Republican told Fox News Digital in an interview. “And that’s exactly what I did. And then I arrived at the conclusion that I’d support Pete’s nomination” DEMS DISMISS CALLS FOR APOLOGY AFTER JEFFRIES VOWS ‘FIGHT’ AGAINST TRUMP AGENDA ‘IN THE STREETS’ Hegseth was confirmed after a tie-breaking vote from Vice President JD Vance, making the final margin 51-50. Three Republicans — senators Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, voted against Hegseth. Given the Republican conference’s 53-seat majority, nominees can only afford to lose three votes, assuming all Democrats are opposed and each senator is in attendance. ELIZABETH WARREN GRILLED RFK JR. ON DRUG COMPANY MONEY, BUT RECEIVED OVER $5M FROM HEALTH INDUSTRY Tillis’ decision on whether to back Hegseth was not disclosed until minutes before he cast his vote. If he became the fourth Republican to oppose Hegseth, the confirmation would have failed. The senator asked Hegseth several additional questions after the new allegations surfaced and the hours until his confirmation vote wound down. The nominee’s response letter, which proved to be to Tillis’ satisfaction, was shared on X by Hegseth during the vote. Speaking on the subject with Fox News Digital, the senator explained he had “developed a reputation for completing due diligence” and that he takes his role seriously. According to Tillis, he agreed to speak with Hegseth’s former sister-in-law, Danielle, before she filed a sworn affidavit alleging that he made his ex-wife Samantha fear for her safety, in addition to claims of alcohol abuse. ‘OVERDOSE EPIDEMIC’: BIPARTISAN SENATORS TARGET FENTANYL CLASSIFICATION AS LAPSE APPROACHES Danielle is not the sister of Hegseth’s ex-wife. She is the former wife of his brother. The call between the senator and Danielle was about “what conceptually would be in the affidavit,” Tillis said. “And I said, ‘If that’s true, and it could be corroborated, then it would carry weight,’” Tillis recalled. However, he said the lack of corroboration left the allegations without credibility. “I could never speak directly to a person who could corroborate the testimony of one person,” he said. After Hegseth’s confirmation, it was reported that sources said Tillis had “personally assured” Danielle that if she provided the affidavit, it would be significant and might persuade Republicans to oppose the defense secretary nominee, according to The Wall Street Journal. Asked about the report, Tillis emphasized that he gave the caveat that it must be corroborated in his conversation with Danielle. “Corroboration means at least two people have to be involved, and they have to be involved in the event, not a bystander. And I was unable to. I attempted to do it, but I was unable to get to that point. And, therefore, I had to make the same judgment that I did with the other allegations,” he explained. TENSION BUILDS AROUND TULSI GABBARD’S CONFIRMATION WITH KEY GOP SENATORS UNDECIDED Tillis wouldn’t divulge whether Danielle or her attorney suggested she had been a witness to the alleged events. “I’m not going to get into those discussions because I do know that my conversation was leaked a couple of hours after I had it on Sunday. Clearly, I would have no reason to do it. But I don’t leak private conversations. I don’t even discuss them at any level of detail,” he said. Multiple requests for comment to Danielle’s attorney, Leita Walker, from Fox News Digital went unanswered.
Here’s what happened during President Trump’s second week in office
The country began to see the effects of President Donald Trump’s policies in his second week in office, with the White House implementing tariffs on Mexico, Canada and China; border crossings plummeting; diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs shuttering; the federal workforce being faced with the decision to return to the office or to resign; and more. As promised, Trump’s administration has been moving at warp speed to implement his agenda — signing more than 200 executive actions just hours after taking the Oath of Office. Trump immediately cracked down on immigration, and by the beginning of his second week in office migrant encounters dropped significantly. The number of migrants arriving at the southern border plummeted by 63% as of Monday, Fox News Digital previously reported. TRUMP-ERA SOUTHERN BORDER SEES MIGRANT ENCOUNTERS PLUMMET BY OVER 60% AS NEW POLICIES KICK IN There were 7,287 migrant encounters at the southern border in the first seven days of the Trump administration — from Jan. 20 through Jan. 26, with a daily average of 1,041 encounters a day. That compares to 20,086 encounters a day during the final days of former President Joe Biden’s presidency — from Jan. 13 through Jan. 19. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem this week participated in an immigration enforcement raid in New York City Tuesday targeting “murderers, kidnappers, and individuals charged of assault and burglary.” The operation continued through Friday. And Border czar Tom Homan said that as of Monday the Trump administration had removed and returned 7,300 illegal immigrants and had deported them to Mexico, Jordan, Brazil and El Salvador. The president on Wednesday also signed the Laken Riley Act into law — the first piece of legislation to become law in his second administration. TRUMP SIGNS LAKEN RILEY ACT INTO LAW AS FIRST LEGISLATIVE VICTORY IN NEW ADMINISTRATION The measure, which advanced through the House and Senate in January, directs Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to detain illegal immigrants arrested or charged with theft-related crimes, or those accused of assaulting a police officer. The law also allows states to sue the Department of Homeland Security for harm caused to their citizens because of illegal immigration. The law’s name honors a nursing student who was killed during a jog on the University of Georgia’s campus by an illegal immigrant, Fox News Digital previously reported. Jose Ibarra, who previously had been arrested but never detained by ICE, received a life prison sentence for killing 22-year-old Laken Riley. Beyond the border, the president’s action to end DEI programs across the federal government has continued. Last week, the Office of Personnel Management ordered agency heads and directors to close their DEI offices. And over at the Justice Department, Trump administration officials fired more than a dozen key officials who worked on Special Counsel Jack Smith’s team prosecuting Trump, after Acting Attorney General James McHenry said they could not be trusted in “faithfully implementing the president’s agenda.” JUSTICE DEPARTMENT FIRES MORE THAN A DOZEN KEY OFFICIALS ON FORMER SPECIAL COUNSEL JACK SMITH’S TEAM On Monday, an Office of Management and Budget memo was released, which aimed to freeze funding to various federal programs that were focused on DEI. The memo issued a pause on all federal grants and loans aiming to eradicate “wokeness” and the “weaponization of government” to improve government efficiency. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt held her first-ever press briefing in the James S. Brady room on Tuesday and fielded many questions from reporters on the memo. She maintained that programs including Social Security benefits, Medicare, food stamps, welfare benefits and other assistance going directly to individuals would not be impacted. But by Tuesday evening, a federal judge imposed an administrative stay, pausing the Trump administration’s action. And on Wednesday, the White House opted to rescind the memo, but stressed to Fox News Digital that it was committed to freezing federal grants and loans aimed at woke programs.” “In light of the injunction, OMB has rescinded the memo to end any confusion on federal policy created by the court ruling and the dishonest media coverage,” Leavitt told Fox News on Wednesday. “The Executive Orders issued by the President on funding reviews remain in full force and effect and will be rigorously implemented by all agencies and departments.” Leavitt told Fox News that rescinding the memo “should effectively end the court case and allow the government to focus on enforcing the President’s orders on controlling federal spending.” WHITE HOUSE STILL COMMITTED TO FREEZING ‘WOKE’ FUNDS DESPITE RESCINDING OMB MEMO Also this week, the Office of Personnel Management sent a note to federal workers offering them the option to resign and receive full pay and benefits through Sept. 30. That option, which the administration referred to as a “Fork in the Road,” came after the administration demanded that all federal workers return to in-person, in-office work. Federal workers have until Feb. 6 to decide if they will return to work or if they will resign. The only federal workers who do not have the option are postal workers, members of the military, immigration officials, some national security officials, and any positions agency heads decide to carve out. But the rapid changes came to a quick halt on Wednesday night around 9 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, after an American Airlines plane and Army helicopter collided near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport outside of Washington, D.C. The flight had left Wichita, Kansas, earlier that day. All 67 people onboard both aircraft are presumed dead. TRUMP ORDERS ASSESSMENT OF AVIATION SAFETY, NAMES ACTING FAA ADMINISTRATOR AFTER DEADLY DC PLANE CRASH Those aboard the plane included “several members” of U.S. Figure Skating, including athletes, coaches and family members who had just attended the U.S. Figure Skating Championships held in Wichita, Kansas, from Jan. 20 to Jan. 26. Trump Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy was confirmed on Tuesday and quickly took charge, immediately getting over to the Federal Aviation Administration building and launching an investigation into the horrific incident. The president said that the deadly
Anthony Fauci may be deposed as GOP intensifies COVID investigations in new Congress
Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., is continuing his efforts to investigate the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic, and he wants answers from Dr. Anthony Fauci. In his new position as chairman of the Senate’s Homeland Security committee, Paul issued subpoenas to 14 agencies from the outgoing Biden administration aimed at building on past congressional investigations into the COVID-19 virus and risky taxpayer-funded gain-of-function research. It is unclear who exactly from each agency will ultimately be deposed, but a Fauci deposition is possible. “In the wake of Anthony Fauci’s preemptive pardon, there are still questions to be answered,” Paul said in a statement after announcing the issuance of his subpoenas. “Subpoenas were sent from the Committee to NIH [National Institutes of Health] and 13 other agencies regarding their involvement in risky gain-of-function research. The goal of the investigation will be to critique the process that allowed this dangerous research, that may have led to the pandemic, to occur in a foreign country under unsafe protocols and to ensure that there is sufficient oversight and review going forward, making sure a mistake of this magnitude never happens again.” FORMER NASCAR STAR DANICA PATRICK SUPPORTS TRUMP REVOKING FAUCI’S SECURITY DETAIL While former President Joe Biden preemptively pardoned Fauci to protect him from political retribution under the new Trump administration, legal experts have questioned the validity of such a pardon. Missouri Attorney General Andrew Baily suggested to Fox News that since Biden’s own Justice Department indicated he lacked the mental faculties to be held criminally liable for improper handling of classified documents, it could be argued he also lacked the mens rea to issue pardons to people like Fauci. Additionally, the pardon Fauci received only covers his actions from January 2014 to the date of his pardon. As a result, a refusal to comply with a congressional subpoena could also potentially result in criminal charges. Paul’s investigation will build on a previous bipartisan probe launched by the Senate’s Homeland Security committee last year looking into the national security threats posed by “high-risk biological research and technology in the U.S. and abroad.” A second investigation being launched by Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., the chairman of the Permanent Select Subcommittee on Investigations, will similarly probe concerns in the new Congress surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic and will include a review of email communications from Fauci. MISSOURI AG SAYS LEGAL ACTION AGAINST ANTHONY FAUCI IS STILL ON THE TABLE Since the pandemic began, Paul has sent dozens of requests for information related to the origins of the COVID-19 virus and gain-of-function research. Last year, his efforts revealed documents that he said show that government officials from at least 15 federal agencies knew in 2018 that China’s Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV) was working on creating a coronavirus similar to COVID-19. The WIV has been a centerpiece in the debate over the origins of COVID-19, as it was eventually discovered that American scientist Peter Daszak’s EcoHealth Alliance was using taxpayer dollars to conduct risky research on the novel bat virus out of the WIV prior to the COVID-19 outbreak. Earlier this month, the Department of Health and Human Services barred Daszak and EcoHealth Alliance from receiving federal funding for five years. Meanwhile, Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), told Congress in May 2021 that the NIH “has not ever and does not now fund gain-of-function research in the Wuhan Institute of Virology.” DR. FAUCI SAYS HE APPRECIATES PRESIDENT BIDEN’S PARDON BUT INSISTS ‘NO CRIME’ WAS COMMITTED The Trump administration is reportedly preparing an executive order to halt all U.S. funding going towards gain-of-function research. Federal officials remain split on where the COVID-19 virus originated from. Three agencies — the Department of Energy, the FBI and the CIA — have determined that the most likely origin narrative is the lab leak theory, but others in the intelligence community and throughout the federal government say they can either not conclude that a lab leak was the most likely scenario, or they say that a natural origin scenario is most likely. A declassified intelligence report from 2021, published by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, posited that if a lab leak did turn out to be the catalyst of the COVID-19 pandemic, it was likely the result of an accident. Representatives for Paul declined to comment for this report, while Fauci did not respond to a request for comment.