Porn case in the Supreme Court this week is about protecting children, says Republican AG
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is fighting to uphold a Texas law he says is keeping the pornography industry from targeting children with harmful content. Passed in 2023 and signed into law by Texas Governor Greg Abbott, the law requires porn sites to verify users’ ages through official documentation such as a driver’s license or government-issued I.D. Under the law, failure to implement this age verification results in fines. Meanwhile, a collection of porn sites calling itself the Free Speech Coalition argues that the Texas law curbs their First Amendment rights and places an undue burden on Texas adults from accessing their content. TEXAS A&M CANCELS CONFERENCE TRIP EXCLUDING WHITE AND ASIAN STUDENTS AFTER GOVERNOR BACKLASH Pornhub, the country’s most popular adult content website, went so far as to disable access to their website for all users in Texas after the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled to uphold the law. The two sides finally came face to face this Wednesday to make their case before the Supreme Court. For its part, the nation’s highest court appeared united in agreeing with Paxton’s argument that states have a vested interest in limiting children’s access to pornographic content. Some justices, however, seemed to still have concerns about whether the Texas law’s prohibitions were too broad and could impact other areas of free speech expression. The question before the court now is whether the Texas law should be subject to “rational basis” or “strict scrutiny” review, the latter of which would require Texas to meet the narrowest standards to uphold the age verification requirement. THE BIGGEST SUPREME COURT DECISIONS OF 2024: FROM PRESIDENTIAL IMMUNITY TO OVERTURNING THE CHEVRON DOCTRINE Whichever way the court rules will likely impact not only the Texas law but also the over a dozen other porn site age verification laws in states across the country. In an interview with Fox News Digital after the hearing, Paxton said he feels confident that the Supreme Court will rule in Texas’ favor. “Hearing the questions and seeing the comments by the justices I feel very optimistic, I think we’re going to win this,” he said. “I really feel good about it. I think most of the justices are going to come down on the right side.” “Even the other side making their arguments admitted that we have an interest in protecting minors,” he went on. “They just said that the way we were doing that was some type of overburden on adults, and so they offered up other suggestions, those suggestions don’t actually work and that’s probably why they offered them up, they don’t want age verification because it actually works, and it affects their bottom line.” TEXAS AG SUES NCAA OVER TRANS INCLUSION IN WOMEN’S SPORTS In response to criticisms about the law potentially violating free speech, Paxton said: “Look I’m a huge free speech advocate. I see very few limitations on free speech. However, we have recognized that we need to protect children in all kinds of different ways. We don’t let them sign contracts, we don’t let them get married until they’re 18, we don’t let them be served alcohol, we don’t let them get tobacco, we have protected children, it’s been [throughout] our entire history.” “If you look anywhere in the developed world or anywhere [else], children are protected,” he added. “It’s my job to enforce Texas law. In this case I feel very comfortable protecting our children from having this put in front of them.”
HHS cuts off funding for EcoHealth Alliance in light of COVID Committee evidence
The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) debarred EcoHealth Alliance Inc. and its former President Dr. Peter Daszak, formally blocking both the firm and the doctor from receiving federal funds for five years. EcoHealth allegedly failed to report dangerous gain-of-function experiments to the government, which eventually led to the debarment. In the notice of debarment for Daszak, an HHS official wrote that the actions taken were “necessary” to protect US government business interests. House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., cheered on the debarment in a statement, calling it “justice for the American people.” Comer went on to slam “bad actor” EcoHealth and “its corrupt former president” for using taxpayer dollars to carry out “dangerous gain-of-function research in China.” In May, the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic, which is under the House Oversight Committee, issued an interim report detailing the findings of its investigation into government funding and lack of oversight on gain-of-function research. HHS MOVES TO DEBAR ECOHEALTH ALLIANCE PRESIDENT OVER FAILURE TO COMPLY WITH GRANT PROCEDURES The subcommittee noted in the report that it had found “significant evidence” that Daszak “repeatedly violated the terms of the NIH grant awarded to EcoHealth.” In light of the findings, the committee ultimately recommended EcoHealth and Deszak be formally debarred and blocked from receiving “any” federal funding. Additionally, in its review, the committee accused EcoHealth of failing to submit an annual research update, only to file it in August 2021, nearly two years after the September 2019 deadline. “EcoHealth Alliance President Dr. Peter Daszak is not a good steward of US taxpayer dollars and should never again receive funding from the US taxpayer,” committee chairman Brad Wenstrup, R-Oh, said in the May 2024 memo. “Dr. Daszak and his organization conducted dangerous gain-of-function research at the [Wuhan Institute of Virology], willfully violated the terms of a multi-million-dollar NIH grant, and placed US national security at risk. This blatant contempt for the American people is reprehensible.” The period of debarment for EcoHealth Alliance is set to end on May 14, 2029, and Dr. Daszak’s debarment is set to end six days later on May 20, 2029. DISGRACED ECOHEALTH ALLIANCE REAPED NEARLY $100M IN TAXPAYER FUNDS SINCE 2008 It was revealed in May that the disgraced research firm received nearly $100 million from the federal government over the last decade and a half. From FY 2008 to FY 2024, the US government provided EcoHealth Alliance an estimated $94.3 million in taxpayer funds through contracts, grants, direct payments, loans and other financial assistance, according to a Fox News Digital review of government spending data provided by USAspending.gov. A spokesperson for EcoHealth did not respond to a request for comment. Kyle Morris contributed to this report.
Liberal California may have a political ‘reawakening’ after wildfire disaster, historian predicts
Californians may have a “reawakening” that could trigger a “political shock” among the nation’s top decision-makers after the state’s highly criticized response to the Los Angeles wildfires brought to light the state’s vulnerability and leadership failures, historian Victor Davis Hanson predicts. “So, there is a group of people in California that could fuel a revolt of liberals or Democrats,” Hanson, a Hoover Institution public policy think tank senior fellow, told Fox News Digital in an interview. That group of people could include the wealthy on the coastal line whose homes were destroyed or damaged by the wildfires that broke out Jan. 7. Several celebrities, including filmmaker Mel Gibson and actor Michael Rapaport, openly blasted California leadership for its response to the crisis as the blaze destroyed several Los Angeles districts. NEWSOM CALLS FOR LOOTING TO BE A FELONY IN EVACUATION ZONES AMID LA INFERNO “So, the shock of LA is most of the people that were burned out in Pacific Palisades or on the areas around it were very, very left-wing and very wealthy,” Hanson said. “And this was what’s shocking politically, because the consequences of their votes and their ideology had never really personally affected them to this degree. “This is going to be an accelerant or a force multiplier. That’s because it affects two different groups of people,” Hanson explained. “It affects the very wealthy. For the first time, they got firebombed. Looks like Dresden, and that’s going to be $300 or $400 billion when it’s all over. And they’re going to have to deal with the Coastal Commission, the Los Angeles Planning Commission and permits for building. And they’re going to be irate when they have to do that. “The net result is, I don’t think any California politician is going to have a national profile after this.” Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass’ absence during the first 24 hours of the inferno, coupled with empty hydrants, a malfunctioning reservoir, a defunded fire department and a lack of new water infrastructure — despite Gov. Gavin Newsom’s backing of billions for new reservoirs — highlighted severe flaws in the state’s response, noted by lawmakers and experts. The state’s response to the crisis has fueled further criticism, particularly regarding its bureaucracy. In response, Newsom signed an executive order Sunday to suspend certain state commission requirements, aiming to speed up the rebuilding process for homeowners. “Goodbye, red tape,” Newsom wrote in a post on X. “Through an executive order, we are making it easier for victims of the SoCal fires to quickly rebuild their homes and lives.” LA COUNCILWOMAN WHOSE DISTRICT RAVAGED BY WILDFIRES LOOKS TO HOLD LEADERS ACCOUNTABLE FOR EMPTY RESERVOIRS “If he could do it now, why didn’t he do it before the fire?” Hanson said of the order. Another issue that has been a multiyear problem is California’s loss of residents to red states. Dubbed the “California exodus” by experts, California has lost hundreds of thousands of residents over the past few years, many of them citing high taxes, unaffordable housing, crime and difficult business regulations. ‘DEVASTATING’: CALIFORNIA HAD RECORD RAINFALL LAST YEAR, BUT LACKED INFRASTRUCTURE TO STORE IT Many former California residents have relocated to states with lower taxes and more business-friendly environments, such as Texas, Florida, Tennessee and North Carolina. Top companies — Tesla, Oracle, Charles Schwab and Chevron — have also moved to other states. Nearly 240,000 people moved out of California between 2023 and 2024, according to the Census Bureau. This was the largest net domestic migration loss in the country during that time period. Between April 2020 and July 2022, the state saw a net loss of more than 700,000 residents. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “They’re getting very, very angry that it’s hard to do business … and they are angry at the gasoline prices,” Hanson said. “And so I think there’s the potential, if there were a clever, adroit, enlightened Republican candidate or political figure that could capitalize on. So far, the Republican Party doesn’t know what to do. They don’t know whether to go left and try to accommodate this left-wing population or go further right and galvanize it. “There’s no dissenting voices … and I think that’s going to change after what we saw.”
NY Times reporter roasted after ‘unitary executive theory’ flub in Trump OMB nominee story
A New York Times reporter sparked controversy this week after suggesting in an article that President-elect Trump’s nominee to head the Office of Management and Budget, Russell T. Vough, helped promote a “unitary executive theory” ahead of Trump’s second term. It drew sharp criticism on social media and among conservative analysts who argued the description of the theory was fundamentally untrue. The report in question by Alan Rappeport focused on Vought’s nomination to head up OMB during Trump’s second presidency, a position he also held during Trump’s first term, and the work Vought did after Trump left office. In the years after Trump’s first term, the Times report says, Vought founded a conservative think tank and served as an architect of Project 2025, described in the report as an effort by conservative groups to help advance executive branch power. SUPREME COURT UPHOLDS LOOMING TIKTOK BAN The report says the legal underpinning of Project 2025 is “a maximalist version of the so-called unitary executive theory that rejects the idea that the government is composed of three separate branches” and “argues that presidential power over federal agencies is absolute.” Though the article has since been updated to describe the unitary executive theory as three “separate but equal branches,” the article was panned by conservatives and others who disagreed with the Times’ characterization of the legal theory. It was the second part of the statement in particular that sparked backlash from conservative commentators, including National Review editor Charles Cooke, who argued in an op-ed that the Constitution and its wording, in his view, is explicit about how the executive, legislative and judicial branches can exercise power and about the limitations of the executive branch. “The United States is a democratic republic in which elected officials are held accountable for their decisions,” Cooke wrote in an op-ed for the National Review. TRUMP INAUGURATION GUEST LIST INCLUDES TECH TITANS MARK ZUCKERBERG, JEFF BEZOS, ELON MUSK “The only elected official who holds power within the executive branch is the president. For anyone else to exercise power without the permission or endorsement of the sole electee would be to create a fourth branch of government, unmoored from oversight, and thereby to undermine the whole apparatus.” Others also took aim at the article on social media, arguing the Times reporter fundamentally misunderstood the unitary executive theory. “This is bad, even for the New York Times,” Iowa law school professor Andy Grewal wrote in a widely-shared post on X. The New York Times did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for a response.
Appeals court deals blow to Obama-era amnesty for Dreamers
A federal appeals court on Friday ruled against an Obama-era policy that provides amnesty and a pathway to citizenship for illegal immigrants who entered the U.S. as children. A three-judge panel of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans ruled unanimously that a new version of the policy issued by President Biden in 2022 overstepped the executive branch’s authority. The decision by two Republican-appointed judges and one Democratic-appointed judge is the latest blow to the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program in a string of legal challenges that has kept 500,000 so-called Dreamers waiting for a resolution for more than a decade. The decision Friday does not immediately change the status quo. Program beneficiaries can still renew temporary permits to live and work in the United States without fear of deportation. But the federal government remains prohibited from issuing new applications. However, Friday’s decision does create an opportunity for DACA to be appealed to the Supreme Court for a third time. And it comes just three days before President-elect Trump assumes office with his promise to begin mass deportations of illegal immigrants. TRUMP ADMINISTRATION PLANNING ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT ARRESTS THROUGHOUT US ON ‘DAY ONE’ In his first term, Trump attempted to end DACA, but he also made statements expressing his desire for Dreamers to be permitted to stay in the U.S. Obama introduced DACA in 2012, citing inaction by Congress on legislation aimed at giving those brought to the U.S. as children a path to legal status. Legal battles followed, including two trips to the Supreme Court. DEM SENATOR QUIZZES NOEM ON HOW SHE WILL WORK WITH HOMAN: ‘WHO IS IN CHARGE?’ Biden’s 2022 update to the policy did not change much substantively, but it was subject to public comment as part of a formal rule-making process intended to improve its chances of surviving in court. Texas Attorney General Ken Paton, who led the challenge on behalf of Republican-led states, called Friday’s ruling “a major victory.” TRUMP DHS PICK NOEM PLEDGES TO END CONTROVERSIAL APP USED BY MIGRANTS ON ‘DAY ONE’ “I look forward to working with President-elect Donald Trump to ensure that the rule of law is restored, and the illegal immigration crisis is finally stopped,” Paxton said. The Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. In 2016, with one vacancy on the Supreme Court, the justices deadlocked 4-4 over an expanded DACA and a version of the program for parents of DACA recipients, keeping in place a lower court decision for the benefits to be blocked. In 2020, the high court ruled 5-4 that the Trump administration improperly ended DACA by failing to follow federal procedures, allowing it to stay in place.
Biden appointed more federal judges than Trump did in his first term, new research shows
President-elect Trump appointed three Supreme Court justices during his first White House term, significantly reshaping the nation’s top court. But President Biden appointed more federal judges than Trump in the past four years. According to fresh data from the Federal Judiciary Center, Biden is slated to end his tenure having installed 228 judges to U.S. district and appellate courts, including record numbers of female and minority judges to district courts across the country. That total was aided in part by a flurry of eleventh-hour confirmations by Senate Democrats, who scrambled to approve Biden’s judicial nominees last month in the final days of the 118th Congress and while they still held a narrow majority in the chamber. SUPREME COURT UPHOLDS LOOMING TIKTOK BAN Trump appointed 226 federal and appellate court judges during his first White House term, just under Biden’s total. Biden also placed one justice on the Supreme Court, Ketanji Brown Jackson, the first Black woman on the nation’s highest court. Sixty percent of the judges appointed by Biden are Black, Hispanic, Asian or part of another racial or ethnic minority group, according to data compiled by the Pew Research Center, the highest percentage for any U.S. president. Biden’s federal judge appointments, both in their diversity and scope, bear similarities to another single-term Democratic president, Jimmy Carter. CARTER’S JUDICIAL PICKS RESHAPED THE FEDERAL BENCH ACROSS THE COUNTRY Unlike Biden, Carter did not appoint anyone to the Supreme Court. But he appointed more than 260 federal and appellate court judges during his four years in office, including record numbers of women and minority judges, helping the courts better reflect the populations they represented. The appointments helped reshape the federal bench and paved the way for women and minorities to serve on the Supreme Court. Most notably, Carter is credited with installing Ruth Bader Ginsburg on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, a decision that set her up later for promotion when Democratic President Clinton tapped her for the nation’s highest court in 1993.
Here are the greatest Inauguration Day moments in US history
Presidential inaugurations mark some of the most defining moments in U.S. history, allowing presidents to establish traditions and reinvigorate the American people. Some inaugurations make history, while others are remembered for comical blunders and even brawls. Before President-elect Donald Trump is sworn into office for a second time on Monday, here are some of the most momentous Inauguration Day moments in U.S. history. NANCY PELOSI TO SKIP TRUMP INAUGURATION CEREMONY No tradition’s story is complete without its origin. President George Washington delivered the first-ever inaugural address on April 30, 1789, just two weeks after Congress unanimously elected him to serve as the nation’s leader. His 10-minute speech noted the “divine blessing” of the nation’s founding, expressing gratitude to “the benign parent of the human race” for the deliberations that led to the founding and the unity of the American people. President Andrew Jackson had some 20,000 of his supporters attend a celebration around the White House following his first inauguration in 1829. The mob quickly grew rowdy, however, with fights breaking out and furniture being destroyed. Jackson ultimately fled out a window to the safety of a nearby hotel, according to the National Archives. MICHELLE OBAMA, DICK CHENEY AMONG NOTABLE ABSENCES AT CARTER FUNERAL Staff at the White House then resorted to filling bathtubs with whiskey and orange juice outside the White House in order to get the crowd to leave the building. President William Henry Harrison delivered his inaugural address on a bitterly cold day in March 1841. He refused to wear a coat and traveled to and from the inauguration on open horseback. His address is also the longest in U.S. history, with Harrison speaking for more than two hours. Several weeks after Inauguration Day, Harrison caught a cold, which then developed into pneumonia, and he died on April 4, barely a month after taking office. President Franklin D. Roosevelt first took the oath of office in 1933 in the midst of the Great Depression. It was during his first inaugural address that he delivered a line now known to virtually all Americans, telling the people, “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” TRUMP, OBAMA CHATTING AND LAUGHING AT CARTER FUNERAL LIGHTS UP SOCIAL MEDIA Roosevelt’s steadfast leadership would see Americans through both the Great Depression and World War II. President John F. Kennedy assumed office on Jan. 20, 1961, and he too delivered a line that would enter the American pantheon. “Ask not what your country can do for you—ask what you can do for your country,” he urged. Kennedy’s words led the country to the moon and back, and to this day, polls rank him as the most beloved recent president. President Barack Obama’s first inauguration is notable not only because he was the first Black American to become president, but also for the historical quirk that he had to be sworn in twice. Obama and Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts briefly spoke to one another as Roberts was administering the oath of office. As a result, Roberts misspoke and stated, “That I will execute the office of president to the United States faithfully.” Obama then repeated that phrasing, which is incorrect. The oath’s correct wording in the Constitution is, “That I will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States.” While the ceremony moved forward regardless, Obama and Roberts met again the following day at the White House to administer the oath correctly.
As Biden wraps up half-century political career, his failure to turn page on Trump weighs on president
President Biden’s half-century political career comes to a close on Monday, as President-elect Trump is inaugurated and succeeds Biden in the White House. While the longtime Democratic senator from Delaware, two-term vice president and one-term president can point to a plethora of legislative victories and other achievements during his four years in the White House, Biden leaves office as one of the most unpopular presidents in the nation’s history. And Biden, who successfully defeated Trump in the 2020 election as he pledged to turn a page on his predecessor, is facing a legacy tarnished by his inability to prevent Trump from returning to the presidency. Biden, in an open letter to the American people on Wednesday, appeared to acknowledge that he wasn’t able to follow through on the integral pledge from his 2020 campaign. WHAT THE LATEST FOX NEWS POLL SAYS ABOUT PRESIDENT BIDEN “I ran for president because I believed that the soul of America was at stake. The very nature of who we are was at stake,” Biden wrote. But he lamented “that’s still the case.” “President Biden ran on and was elected on a platform of a return to normalcy in 2020. And while voters appear to have wanted that in principle, history will remember Biden as having been unable to deliver on his promise,” veteran political scientist Wayne Lesperance, the president of New England College, told Fox News. NEW SURVEYS SHOW BIDEN LEAVING OFFICE WITH APPROVAL RATINGS STILL DEEPLY UNDERWATER Biden, in a farewell address to the nation this past week, aimed to cement his legacy as a president who pushed to stabilize politics at home while bolstering America’s leadership abroad, and as a leader who steered the nation out of the COVID-19 pandemic, made historic investments in infrastructure and clean energy, pumped up the economy and made historic gains in job creation, and lowered prescription drug prices for millions of American. But he also used his speech “to warn the country” that “an oligarchy is taking shape in America of extreme wealth, power and influence that literally threatens our entire democracy. Our basic rights, freedoms, and a fair shot for everyone to get ahead.” Biden ends his single term in the White House with approval ratings that remain well underwater. He stood at 42% approval and 57% disapproval in the latest Fox News national poll, which was conducted Jan. 10-13 and released on Thursday. Just 36% of Americans approved of the job Biden has been doing in the White House, according to the latest CNN poll, which matched the president’s previous low mark in the cable news network’s polling during Biden’s White House tenure. WILL HISTORY BE KIND OR UNKIND TO PRESIDENT BIDEN? And Biden’s approval rating stood at 43% – slightly higher but still in negative territory – in national polls by USA Today/Suffolk University and Marist College. All of the polls were conducted in early and mid-January. Biden’s approval rating hovered in the low to mid 50s during his first six months in the White House. However, the president’s numbers started sagging in August 2021 in the wake of Biden’s much-criticized handling of the turbulent U.S. exit from Afghanistan, and following a surge in COVID-19 cases that summer that was mainly among unvaccinated people. The plunge in the president’s approval rating was also fueled by soaring inflation – which started spiking in the summer of 2021 and remains to date a major pocketbook concern with Americans – and the surge of migrants trying to cross into the U.S. along the southern border. Biden’s approval ratings slipped underwater in the autumn of 2021 and never reemerged into positive territory. The latest polls also indicate that many Americans view Biden’s presidency as a failure. Sixty-one percent of adults nationwide questioned in the CNN survey said they see Biden’s presidency overall as a failure, with 38% viewing it as a success. According to the USA Today/Suffolk University survey, 44% of registered voters said history will assess Biden as a failed president, with 27% saying he will be judged as a fair president. Twenty-one percent of those questioned said history will view Biden as a good president, with only 5% saying he will be seen as a great president. HEAD HERE FOR THE LATEST FOX NEWS POLLING RESULTS Just over a third of adults nationwide questioned in the Marist poll said Biden will be remembered as one of the worst presidents in American history, with 19% saying he will be considered a below-average president. Twenty-eight percent of participants offered that Biden’s legacy will be considered average, with 19% saying he would be regarded as above average or one of the best presidents in the nation’s history. Biden, in one of his last interviews in office, told MSNBC in an acknowledgment of regret that “ironically, I almost spent too much time on the policy, not enough time on the politics.” Also weighing on Biden’s legacy – his ill-fated re-election run. In April 2023, the then-80-year old Biden announced his re-election bid. Fourteen months later, Biden was losing ground to Trump in 2024 election polling when he suffered a disastrous debate performance against the former president, which reignited deep concerns among voters over his physical and cognitive ability to handle another four years in the White House. Less than a month later, following an outcry from fellow Democrats, Biden announced he was ending his campaign and endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris to serve as the party’s 2024 standard-bearer. Two and a half months after Trump’s convincing victory over Harris, Biden is still facing plenty of blame for the Democrats’ electoral setbacks in November. Longtime Democratic strategist James Carville told Fox News that “the Joe Biden story is one of the great tragedies of American politics. I really mean that. He should be having a glorious, well deserved, highly acclaimed retirement. And he’s not.” And Carville, a political mastermind behind former President Bill Clinton’s historic 1992 White House victory, argued that “it’s hard to blame anybody but him.” But Biden’s friends and supporters
Highlights from President-elect Donald Trump’s 1st Inauguration Day; what to expect from Monday
President-elect Donald Trump’s second inauguration is just two days away, and excitement for the celebrations is building throughout Washington, D.C., and across the nation. Celebrities and top business leaders are rallying around the incoming 47th president of the United States – a stark contrast to the inaugural ceremonies in 2017. Trump, in November, won the 2024 presidential election in a landslide. He dominated both the Electoral College and the popular vote to defeat Vice President Kamala Harris after a historic campaign cycle. Since his massive victory, the president-elect has seen support from his traditional allies – including Republicans in Congress and GOP governors across the nation – as he builds out his incoming administration. TRUMP WINS 2024 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION However, he has also been embraced by top executives in the business world and Silicon Valley – individuals who had not been particularly cozy with Trump or his allies during and after his first administration. Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg and other tech leaders paid visits to Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida, throughout the transition period. CARRIE UNDERWOOD TO PERFORM ‘AMERICA THE BEAUTIFUL’ AT TRUMP INAUGURATION Leading up to the inauguration, Bezos, Zuckerberg, Apple CEO Tim Cook and executives from Google, Microsoft, Boeing, Ford Motor Co. and more, committed at least $1 million each to Trump’s inaugural fund – a total about-face from the first Trump inauguration. Trump will also have union leaders at his inauguration, representing the broad coalition of support he has seen since his victory, including International Brotherhood of Teamsters President Sean O’Brien and members of the Firefighter’s Union. TRUMP’S INAUGURAL FUND RECEIVES $1 MILLION DONATION FROM MARK ZUCKERBERG’S META Celebrities, too, are showing up for the president-elect. Country music star and “American Idol” winner Carrie Underwood will perform “America the Beautiful,” and will be joined by the Armed Forces Choir and the United States Naval Academy Glee Club. Underwood’s performance will come just before Trump takes the presidential oath of office for the second time. Joining Underwood during the swearing-in ceremony will be opera singer Christopher Macchio, who is expected to perform the national anthem. TRUMP ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT VICTIMS ‘HONORED’ TO ATTEND 47TH PRESIDENT’S INAUGURATION Reports suggest other top music acts will make their way to Washington, D.C., for performances, including Jason Aldean, Rascall Flatts, Kid Rock, Billy Ray Cyrus, Village People and more. Last time, Trump struggled to attract big-name support, and even high-profile entertainers for his inauguration in 2017. The entertainment program was tame compared to his predecessor, President Obama’s 2013 inauguration, which included performances by Beyoncé and Kelly Clarkson. Additionally, the 2017 inauguration weekend was also marred by protests across Washington, D.C. ELON MUSK, AI AND TECH TITANS, VENTURE CAPITALISTS INVITED TO PRE-INAUGURATION DINNER AT DAWN OF TRUMP ERA Protesters created chaos across the city ahead of Inauguration Day in 2017, shattering glass storefronts and torching cars, with police arresting more than 200 people in demonstrations that spanned several days. Trump’s actual swearing-in on Capitol Hill and the parade to the White House happened, however, without any incident. FLASHBACK: HUNDREDS OF PROTESTERS ARRESTED IN INAUGURATION DAY CLASHES Despite the chaos, Trump, in his inaugural address, called for a “new national pride” to heal divisions and asked for unity. However, the day after Trump was sworn into office as the 45th president of the United States, several hundred thousand people from across the country descended on the nation’s capital to protest his presidency in the “Women’s March on Washington.” FLASHBACK: ‘DEPLORABALL’ GUESTS MET BY PROTESTERS IN CHAOTIC SCENE Many of the protesters were indeed women and were largely peaceful compared to the rioters who wreaked havoc in Washington, D.C., days earlier. The march moved from the National Mall to the streets while the newly inaugurated president attended a National Prayer Service after waking up in the White House for the first time. Celebrities like America Ferrera, Madonna, Ashley Judd, Cher, Katy Perry, Amy Schumer, Scarlett Johansson, Julianne Moore, Michael Moore, Debra Messing, Patricia Arquette and others attended the march. Madonna, during that protest, said she had “thought an awful lot about blowing up the White House.” However, Trump’s second inauguration is expected to be a celebration – the official Inauguration weekend will begin with a large fireworks display Saturday night. FLASHBACK: DAY AFTER TRUMP SWORN IN, HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS PROTEST PRESIDENCY IN CELEB-STUDDED MARCH On Sunday, there will be a wreath laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery and a “Make America Great Again” rally, where Trump will deliver remarks, followed by a candlelit dinner. Monday is Inauguration Day, when Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance will participate in the swearing-in ceremony; say “farewell” to President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris; participate in the president’s Signing Room Ceremony on Capitol Hill; and lead the Presidential Parade down Pennsylvania Avenue and to the White House. The president will then attend three official inaugural balls and is expected to deliver remarks at each. “President Trump is dedicated to uniting the country through the strength, security, and opportunity of his America First agenda,” Trump Vance Inaugural Committee, Inc. Co-Chairs Steve Witkoff and Kelly Loeffler said. “The 2025 inaugural celebrations will reflect President-elect Trump’s historic return to the White House and the American people’s decisive vote to Make America Great Again.”
Trump administration planning illegal immigrant arrests throughout US on ‘day one’
The incoming Trump administration is 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 Wall Street Journal reported that the administration is planning a large-scale raid in Chicago on Tuesday, targeting those with criminal backgrounds in particular. Incoming border czar Tom Homan was asked by Fox News’ Jesse Watters about the media reports of a “big raid” on Tuesday in Chicago, but Homan said ICE will be working across the country. DEM SENATOR QUIZZES NOEM ON HOW SHE WILL WORK WITH HOMAN: ‘WHO IS IN CHARGE?’ “There’s going to be a big raid across the country. Chicago is just one of many places. We’ve got 24 field offices across the country. On Tuesday, ICE is finally going to go out and do their job. We’re going to take the handcuffs off ICE and let them go arrest criminal aliens, that’s what’s going to happen,” he said. “What we’re telling ICE, you’re going to enforce the immigration law without apology. You’re going to concentrate on the worst first, public safety threats first, but no one is off the table. If they’re in the country illegally, they got a problem,” he said. The administration has promised a mass deportation operation, as well as increased border security. Officials have said they intend to target those with criminal histories and convictions, but have also stressed that they will potentially arrest anyone in the U.S. illegally. There are currently more than 7 million individuals on ICE’s non-detained docket. TRUMP DHS PICK NOEM PLEDGES TO END CONTROVERSIAL APP USED BY MIGRANTS ON ‘DAY ONE’ “The administration has been clear that we’re going to start arresting people on day one, and Chicago’s probably not going to be the only place that arrests are going to be made,” a source familiar told Fox News Digital. The administration is expected to see significant pushback from “sanctuary” cities that refuse to allow state and local law enforcement to honor ICE detainers – requests that ICE be notified when illegal immigrants in custody are being released. Some Democratic officials in Chicago, as well as Massachusetts and Arizona have said they will not co-operate with the administration. CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF THE BORDER SECURITY CRISIS But New York City Mayor Eric Adams has met with Homan about how they can work together on removing illegal immigrants who have been convicted of violent crimes. DHS nominee Kristi Noem testified to Congress on Friday, and threw her support behind the mass deportation operation and increasing border security. She also said the administration will immediately end the use of the CBP One app, which currently allows migrants to be paroled into the U.S.