Trump, China’s Xi speak on phone ahead of inauguration
President-elect Trump confirmed Friday that he spoke with Chinese President Xi Jinping days before Trump will be inaugurated into office. “I just spoke to Chairman Xi Jinping of China. The call was a very good one for both China and the U.S.A.,” Trump posted on Truth Social. “It is my expectation that we will solve many problems together, and starting immediately. We discussed balancing Trade, Fentanyl, TikTok, and many other subjects. President Xi and I will do everything possible to make the World more peaceful and safe!” China’s state news agency Xinhua had first reported the call, which comes three days before Inauguration Day. TIKTOK CEO TO ATTEND INAUGURATION WITH FRONT-ROW SEAT AT TRUMP’S INVITE Trump had extended an invitation to Xi to attend the inauguration ceremony on Monday. Incoming White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told Fox News Digital last month Trump hopes to create “an open dialogue with leaders of countries that are not just our allies but our adversaries and our competitors, too.” Xi declined to attend, but he is sending one of his top representatives, Vice President Han Zheng, to Washington, D.C. in his stead. China’s foreign ministry made the announcement Friday morning before the two leaders spoke, the South China Morning Post reported. “We stand ready to work with the new US government to enhance dialogue and communication, properly manage differences, expand mutually beneficial cooperation, jointly pursue a stable, healthy and sustainable China-US relationship, and find the right way for the two countries to get along,” the ministry said. XI JINPING WARNS TRUMP US WOULD ‘LOSE FROM CONFRONTATION’ WITH CHINA AS RENEWED TRADE WAR LOOMS On the campaign trail, Trump threatened to slap steep tariffs on Chinese-made products, renewing fears of a trade war once he assumes office. Now questions abound whether Trump will keep that promise amid deteriorating U.S. relations with Beijing. China has been threatening U.S. allies like the Philippines, Japan and Taiwan in the South China Sea. They’ve been accused of sending Chinese nationals to spy on U.S. military bases and sent what was believed to be a surveillance balloon across the U.S. While Trump ushered in an era of steep trade competition and increased support for Taiwan in his first term, President Biden did not necessarily warm the relationship. REPUBLICANS PROPOSE BILL THAT WOULD DOUBLE TARIFFS ON CHINESE IMPORTS AND END FAVORED TRADE STATUS Trump increased duties by at least 10% during his first term on over $300 billion worth of goods. Biden did not lift those tariffs. That was on top of export controls on a variety of items that started under Trump and furthered under Biden. If Trump successfully raises tariffs to 60%, it could reduce China’s exports by $200 billion and cause a one percentage point drag on GDP, said Zhu Baoliang, a former chief economist at China’s economic planning agency, at a Citigroup conference. Last year, China exported about $500 billion worth of goods to the U.S., about 15% of all of its exports. Officials with the Trump transition team have reportedly been in talks with the Chinese government ahead of Trump’s inauguration. Trump said earlier this month that he thought he and Xi would “probably get along very well.” Xi had called Trump in November to congratulate him on his election win and had warned the U.S. would “gain from cooperation and lose from confrontation” with China.
DeSantis’ chosen Rubio replacement Moody wants to tackle inflation, spending, border: ‘Audit the Fed!’
Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody, who is slated to become a U.S. senator, is calling for an audit of the Federal Reserve, pledging to vocally oppose government spending, and declaring that she will fight to bolster the border and remove individuals who enter the U.S. illegally. With Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., poised to soon leave office to serve as Secretary of State in the new Trump administration, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Moody as his pick to replace Rubio in the U.S. Senate. And with even some Democrats planning to support confirmation, Rubio is likely to sail through the confirmation vote. “Here’s a priority of mine in the Senate: our inflation has been fueled by the Federal Reserve. We must audit the Fed!” Moody declared in a post on X. DESANTIS ANNOUNCES CHOICE FOR SENATE APPOINTMENT AFTER RUBIO’S EXPECTED RESIGNATION “As Florida’s next U.S. Senator, I will work tirelessly to reduce the bloat of Washington and speak out loudly against government spending,” she noted in another post. “Like we’ve done in Florida, this country needs to cut spending and get fiscally responsible. I look forward to working with DOGE, and I will work hard to leave the next generation of our country on a much stronger financial footing.” When discussing her role in confirming judges and justices, she specifically mentioned Supreme Court Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito. “As a former judge, I will take my role confirming judges and justices seriously to ensure that, like Justices Thomas and Alito, they share the values and concepts of law as our Founding Fathers understood them,” she said in a tweet. “I will work through the Senate confirmation process to ensure those who get confirmed are strong nominees and know that it is their duty to interpret the Constitution as it is written.” WHO IS ASHLEY MOODY? MEET THE SENATE’S NEWEST MEMBER FROM FLORIDA Sharing Moody’s post, DeSantis called Alito and Thomas “the gold standard.” “In the U.S. Senate, I will support President @realDonaldTrump and fight for legislation that strengthens the border, builds the wall, and removes those who entered unlawfully,” Moody noted in a tweet. DESANTIS TOUTS FLORIDA’S ‘FUTURE WAY OF THINKING,’ VOWS STATE WILL ‘DO OUR DUTY’ TO HELP INCOMING TRUMP ADMIN DeSantis responded, declaring, “Make Illegal Immigration Illegal Again.”
Comer requests Trump DOJ prosecute James Biden for making ‘false statements’ during impeachment inquiry
EXCLUSIVE: House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer is requesting President-elect Trump’s Justice Department investigate and prosecute President Biden’s brother, James Biden, for allegedly making false statements to Congress, Fox News Digital has learned. Fox News Digital exclusively obtained a letter that Comer, R-Ky., sent to Trump’s nominee for attorney general, Pam Bondi, encouraging the DOJ to “hold James Biden accountable for lying to Congress to protect his brother, the soon-to-be-former President Biden.” House Republicans in June sent criminal referrals for James Biden and Hunter Biden to the Justice Department recommending they be charged with making false statements to Congress about “key aspects” of the impeachment inquiry of President Biden. HOUSE REPUBLICANS REFER HUNTER BIDEN, JAMES BIDEN FOR CRIMINAL PROSECUTION AMID IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY Specifically, Comer at the time said the alleged false statements implicated President Biden’s “knowledge and role in his family’s influence-peddling schemes” and that they appeared “to be a calculated effort to shield Joe Biden from the impeachment inquiry.” Comer, along with House Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, and Ways & Means Committee Chair Jason Smith, R-Mo., led the impeachment inquiry into President Biden and found that he engaged in “impeachable conduct,” “abused his office” and “defrauded the United States to enrich his family.” FLASHBACK: HUNTER BIDEN BUSINESS ASSOCIATE’S TEXT MESSAGES INDICATE MEETING WITH JOE BIDEN Comer, in his letter to Bondi this week, pointed to Biden’s “full and unconditional pardon” for his son, Hunter Biden. “President Biden’s latest scheme to cover his family’s grift cements his legacy as leading the most corrupt political family to attain the presidency in American history,” Comer wrote to Bondi. “But it also appears incomplete. President Biden has displayed to the American people that his son is beyond accountability in a court of law for his crimes.” FLASHBACK: HUNTER BIDEN IN 2017 SENT ‘BEST WISHES’ FROM ‘ENTIRE BIDEN FAMILY’ TO CHINA FIRM CHAIRMAN, REQUESTED $10M WIRE But Comer said he wanted to “remind incoming Department of Justice leadership of Hunter Biden’s main accomplice in his influence peddling schemes (aside from Joe Biden himself), whom the House Committees on Oversight, the Judiciary, and Ways and Means previously identified to Attorney General Merrick Garland as having misled Congress regarding Joe Biden’s participation in his family’s influence peddling and deserving of prosecution under federal law: James Biden, the President’s younger brother.” Comer reminded Bondi that he and House Republicans referred James Biden to the Justice Department for criminal prosecution, saying the president’s brother “made materially false statements to the Oversight and Judiciary Committees.” BIDEN COMMITTED ‘IMPEACHABLE CONDUCT,’ ‘DEFRAUDED UNITED STATES TO ENRICH HIS FAMILY’: HOUSE GOP REPORT “The nature of both his and Hunter Biden’s false statements is not lost on the Committees: every instance implicates Joe Biden’s knowledge of and role in his family’s influence peddling,” Comer wrote. “James Biden’s denial of Joe Biden’s meeting with James Biden, Hunter Biden, and Hunter Biden’s business associate for a Chinese transaction, Tony Bobulinski — despite evidence being placed in front of him and being given multiple opportunities to amend his response — appears to be a clumsy attempt to protect Joe Biden from the reality that Joe Biden has indeed met with his family’s business associates.” JOE BIDEN RECEIVED $40K IN ‘LAUNDERED CHINA MONEY’ FROM BROTHER IN 2017, COMER SAYS Comer and House Republicans in June said James Biden “stated unequivocally during his transcribed interview that Joe Biden did not meet with Mr. Tony Bobulinski, a business associate of James and Hunter Biden, in 2017 while pursuing a deal with a Chinese entity, CEFC China Energy.” “Specifically, James Biden stated he did not attend a meeting with Joe Biden, Hunter Biden, and Tony Bobulinski on May 2, 2017 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel,” Comer, Jordan and Smith said in their criminal referral to Attorney General Merrick Garland last year. “These statements were contradicted not only by Mr. Bobulinski, but Hunter Biden.” They also noted that Bobulinski “produced text messages that establish the events leading up to and immediately following his meeting with Joe Biden on May 2, 2017.” In his letter to Bondi, Comer blasted President Biden, claiming he obstructed the committee’s impeachment inquiry and that in itself was “impeachable conduct.” SPECIAL COUNSEL WEISS BLASTS BIDEN IN FINAL HUNTER PROSECUTION REPORT “The legacy President Biden leaves behind is having led the most dishonest and corrupt administration in American history,” Comer wrote. Biden, last month, made the decision to grant his son a “Full and Unconditional Pardon” covering nearly 11 years of conduct, including conduct related to both convictions Special Counsel David Weiss obtained. Hunter Biden was found guilty of three felony firearm offenses stemming from Weiss’ investigation. The first son was also charged with federal tax crimes regarding the failure to pay at least $1.4 million in taxes. Before his trial, Hunter Biden entered a surprise guilty plea. Weiss released his highly anticipated report on his yearslong investigation into Hunter Biden last week and blasted Biden for having “unfairly” maligned Justice Department public servants and casting doubt on the U.S. justice system with “wrong” claims that his probe was political. “President Biden repeatedly told—or used White House personnel to tell—the American people he would not pardon his son. That was a lie,” Comer wrote to Bondi. “President Biden continues to lie, now falsely claiming ‘[n]o reasonable person who looks at the facts of Hunter’s cases can reach any other conclusion than Hunter was singled out only because he is my son – and that is wrong.’” Comer added, “Though President Biden’s saccharine (and wholly ironic) rantings of political persecution and weaponized prosecution of Hunter Biden are specious, they are inapplicable to the non-prosecution of his brother, James Biden, who has lied to the United States Congress and has faced no accountability to date.” “I write to encourage the Department under your leadership to hold James Biden accountable for lying to Congress to protect his brother, the soon-to-be-former President Biden,” Comer continued. “No one should be above the law, regardless of his last name.”
‘Safer, stronger, and freer’: Securing the border set to feature large in Noem’s opening remarks to Senate
FIRST ON FOX: Securing the nation’s border will feature large in South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem’s opening remarks to Senate lawmakers on Friday as she works to lock down her confirmation as the country’s next secretary of homeland security, Fox News Digital exclusively learned. “Securing our homeland is a serious, sacred trust that must be relentlessly pursued and can never be taken for granted. Being safe within our borders is an American right, yet Americans feel less safe than they have in decades. For the first time in 30 years, more than 40% of Americans are afraid to walk alone at night within a mile of their home,” Noem is expected to tell the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee on Friday morning in her opening remarks. “President-Elect Trump is going to change that.” Fox News Digital exclusively obtained a copy of the South Dakota Republican’s opening statement, which is set to not only showcase Noem’s vision for a secure and safe nation, but also underscore her rural roots and life in the Mount Rushmore State. “I’m a wife, mother, a grandmother, a farmer, a rancher, a businesswoman, and a governor,” a copy of the remarks states. “I have spent my life in rural America. I understand what it means to work hard every day to build a better future for our kids and our communities. I come before you today with a deep sense of responsibility and humility as the nominee to lead the Department of Homeland Security. And also a commitment to the more than 330 million Americans, whom we will serve to work to keep them safe and secure in their homes, their communities and their country.” NATIVE TRIBE LIFTS BANISHMENT ON NOEM AHEAD OF SENATE CONFIRMATION HEARING President-elect Donald Trump announced NOem as his pick to lead DHS shortly after his decisive win over Harris in November, pointing to her efforts to secure the southern border amid the immigration crisis under the Biden administration. The DHS oversees U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the U.S. Secret Service and the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Noem’s opening remarks heavily focus on securing the border, including highlighting that she was the first governor to deploy National Guard troops to border states in 2022. She has since repeatedly deployed South Dakota National Guard troops to the southern border in Texas to help stem illegal border crossings as part of Gov. Greg Abbott’s Operation Lone Star. ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY, OCTOBER 4, 1927, MOUNT RUSHMORE’S MOMENT OF CREATION BEGINS IN SOUTH DAKOTA “As a nation, we have the right and responsibility to secure our borders against those who would do us harm. And we must create a fair and lawful immigration system that is efficient and effective and that reflects our values. President Trump was elected with a clear mandate to achieve this mission. Two thirds of Americans support his immigration and border policies, including the majority of Hispanic Americans.” “I was the first Governor to send National Guard troops to Texas when they were being overwhelmed by an unprecedented border crisis. If confirmed as Secretary, I will ensure that our exceptional, extraordinary f agents have ALL the tools, resources, and support they need to carry out their mission effectively. The same is true of my commitment to the outstanding men and women of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. They are responsible for apprehending, detaining, and deporting illegal immigrants. Getting criminal aliens off the streets and out of the country will help make American communities safe again. The bravery and dedication of the Border Patrol and ICE are unmatched, and I will restore dignity to their work,” the copy of her remarks states. Noem is also set to tout her leadership skills in the remarks, including leading the Mount Rushmore State for the last six years, including overseeing thousands of state employees. “I have led South Dakota for the last 6 years with a focus every day on making our state safer, stronger, and freer. I have focused every day on making the best decisions not just for right now, but for generations to come. I have overseen a state budget of over $7 billion and a state employee workforce of more than 13,000, including more than 7,000 reporting to the Governor. I have addressed important issues like cybersecurity, human trafficking, drug interdiction, and natural disasters – the same challenges facing so many of you here and the people you represent back at home.” WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT KRISTI NOEM, THE ‘BORDER HAWK’ NOMINATED BY TRUMP TO LEAD DHS Noem will join the Senate committee with a bevy of high-profile endorsements under her belt, including at least eight police groups and unions throwing their support behind the South Dakota governor for DHS. Crises have also broken out in the waning days of the Biden administration, including a terrorist attack that shook New Orleans early New Year’s Day and raging fires in the Los Angeles area. Following the attack, Noem picked up an endorsement from Republican Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry, who warned now is “no time to play around” while calling on Senate lawmakers to swiftly confirm Noem. While the massive and historically Democrat firefighter union, the International Association of Firefighters, also endorsed Noem while the California wildfires first raged earlier this month. Noem is expected to note that, if confirmed, she will emphasize resiliency in the face of disaster. “I recognize that homeland security is not only about prevention but also about resilience. When disasters strike, as we know they will, the Department of Homeland Security must be ready to respond swiftly, efficiently, and effectively to protect the lives and property of Americans. As governor, I have worked with FEMA in response to a dozen natural disasters in South Dakota. These have included historic floods, tornados, blizzards, wildfires, a derecho, and even a global pandemic. As Secretary, I will enhance our emergency preparedness and strengthen FEMA’s capabilities. We will ensure that no community is left behind and that life-saving services like electricity and water are quickly restored,” she said. She is set to also turn her attention to cybersecurity in the nation, vowing
Biden commutes nearly 2,500 more sentences in final days of presidency
President Biden announced Friday morning he is commuting the sentences of nearly 2,500 inmates as the end of his presidency draws near. The commutations are for people convicted of non-violent drug offenses “who are serving disproportionately long sentences” compared to what they would receive if sentenced under today’s law. “Today’s clemency action provides relief for individuals who received lengthy sentences based on discredited distinctions between crack and powder cocaine, as well as outdated sentencing enhancements for drug crimes,” Biden said in a statement. The president said now is the time to “equalize these sentencing disparities” as recognized through the Fair Sentencing Act of 2010 and the First Step Act of 2018. BIDEN COMMUTES SENTENCES OF 37 FEDERAL DEATH ROW INMATES IN FINAL MONTH OF PRESIDENCY “This action is an important step toward righting historic wrongs, correcting sentencing disparities, and providing deserving individuals the opportunity to return to their families and communities after spending far too much time behind bars,” he continued. The decision puts Biden thousands of cases ahead of all other presidents who have issued acts of clemency during their terms. “With this action, I have now issued more individual pardons and commutations than any president in U.S. history,” Biden said. BIDEN SETS RECORD WITH FIRST-TERM CLEMENCY GRANTS, HERE’S HOW OTHER PRESIDENTS RANK While granting clemency is not uncommon for a president, Biden has come under bipartisan fire for who he has decided to pardon or commute sentences for. At the end of December, he chose to commute the sentences of 37 of the 40 men on federal death row – helping them escape execution and sending them to prison for life without parole instead. He was also criticized for pardoning his son, Hunter, of all crimes he “has committed or may have committed” against U.S. law from Jan. 1, 2014, to Dec. 1, 2024. Hunter was convicted last year of gun and tax crimes in two separate federal cases. Biden also boasted about completing the “largest single-day grant of clemency” on Dec. 12 when he commuted sentences for 1,500 people and pardoned 39 others, most of whom were already serving time in home confinement because of decisions made during the COVID-19 era. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP The president added that he is “proud of [his] record on clemency” and said he will “continue to review additional commutations and pardons” ahead of his final full day in office on Jan. 19. There are 1,947 people awaiting to be pardoned once they complete their sentence and around 6,625 cases awaiting commutation after Friday’s decision, according to Jan. 13 statistics from the Department of Justice.
‘Woke green hydrogen bomb’: Historian blasts California leaders for ‘nonsensical’ wildfire response
There were many things that preceded the “nonsensical” response from Los Angeles and California state leaders to the devastating wildfires that continue to blaze across the region, according to historian and political commentator Victor Davis Hanson. “To mitigate you have to know what went wrong, and there were short-term and long-term problems,” Davis, a Hoover Institution public policy think tank senior fellow, told Fox News Digital in a Tuesday interview. “And I don’t think climate change played a role, at least a non-immediate role.” Davis described the situation as a “woke green hydrogen bomb” — from Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass’ absence during the critical first 24 hours of the inferno to empty fire hydrants, a dysfunctional reservoir, a defunded fire department and a lack of new water infrastructure despite Gov. Gavin Newsom’s support of the billions of dollars earmarked to address it. LA COUNCILWOMAN WHOSE DISTRICT RAVAGED BY WILDFIRES LOOKS TO HOLD LEADERS ACCOUNTABLE FOR EMPTY RESERVOIRS “It’s a very fragile system,” Hanson said. “What Gavin Newsom did not do is he did not take the allotted money and build the reservoirs that would have accommodated the increased population. Number two, that water that is being pumped across the [Sacramento-San Joaquin River] Delta, he let go out into the bay under the demands of environmentalists. He said in his defense that the reservoirs are full. That’s not true. If you look at the biggest one, it’s only 75% full, and we are in a semi-drought right now.” Newsom told NBC News in a pretaped interview that aired Sunday, “The reservoirs are completely full — the state reservoirs here in Southern California. That mis- and disinformation, I don’t think, advantages or aids any of us.” But as of Tuesday, Shasta Lake, California’s largest reservoir, was at 77% capacity, holding approximately 3.52 million acre-feet of water out of its total capacity of 4.55 million acre-feet, according to the Bureau of Reclamation. Fox News Digital reached out to Newsom’s office for comment and has not yet received a response. California’s existing reservoirs can only hold so much water, and many were built in the mid-20th century. In 2014, Golden State voters passed Proposition 1, also known as the Water Quality, Supply and Infrastructure Improvement Act, which authorized $2.7 billion in bonds to increase the state’s water storage capacity through building new reservoirs and groundwater storage facilities. Yet as of January, no new reservoirs have been completed under Prop. 1. In 2024, the state experienced record-breaking rainfall after an atmospheric river event, but the existing water infrastructure faced difficulties managing the sudden influx of water. A significant portion of that rainfall was dumped into the ocean as the state struggles to properly store water, multiple California agencies said. “There was a roughly 120 million gallon reservoir that could have been used because they only had three million in reserve — that would have probably made the difference,” Hanson said. “That had been idle for almost a year, and it was because the cover was torn. It was just nonsensical.” The out-of-order reservoir Hanson referred to, known as the Santa Ynez Reservoir in Pacific Palisades, has been closed for repairs since February due to a tear in its covering, which was designed to maintain the water quality, the Los Angeles Times first reported Tuesday. FIRST HEARING IN ‘TRUMP-PROOF’ CALIFORNIA SPECIAL SESSION CANCELED AS CHAIRMAN’S DISTRICT HIT BY WILDFIRES Hanson has a Central Valley farm that relies on snowmelt from the Sierra Nevada Mountains, he explained. In California’s Central Valley, farming water typically comes from the Sierra, mainly through the San Joaquin River system, which is supported by major dams like Shaver, Huntington and Pine Flat. That water is often released into the Sacramento River, which flows into the Delta. Despite increasing demand, no new dams have been built on the San Joaquin system in decades. On the west side of the valley, water comes from snowmelt in northern California’s Cascade Range and northern Sierra, filling larger reservoirs like Oroville and Folsom. These reservoirs were designed to store water during wet years, ensuring a steady supply in average years and a backup for drought years. However, California has faced a prolonged dry spell, with little rain or snow in recent weeks, causing reservoir levels to drop. “So when Gavin Newsom says, well, ‘they’re full,’ they’re not all full, but they’re descending at a rapid rate, because he will not stop the releases to the ocean,” Hanson said. “They’re still going on, as you and I speak, and they’re not pumping 100% of it to the aqueduct, which serves agriculture in Los Angeles.” Newsom, meanwhile, has shifted the blame to local management and ordered an independent review of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power. “We need answers to how that happened,” Newsom wrote to the department’s director and the director of Los Angeles County Public Works on Jan. 10, regarding reports of lost water supply. ‘DEVASTATING’: CALIFORNIA HAD RECORD RAINFALL LAST YEAR, BUT LACKED INFRASTRUCTURE TO STORE IT For his part, Newsom also proposed allocating at least $2.5 billion in additional funding to bolster California’s emergency response and recovery efforts in Los Angeles, his office announced on Monday. The proposed funding would support recovery and cleanup operations, enhance wildfire preparedness and assist in reopening schools closed due to the fires. The funding would come from the state’s Disaster Response Emergency Operations Account, with $1.5 billion coming from speeding up the use of climate bond funds for immediate use, according to his office. There has been a slight increase in containment for the deadly Palisades and Eaton fires burning in Los Angeles County, according to a Wednesday night update from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. The Palisades fire, the larger of the two at 23,713 acres burned as of Wednesday, is at 21% containment after its ignition in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood more than a week ago, according to the department. The Eaton Fire in the Altadena/Pasadena area was at 45%
Trump DHS pick Noem likely to face scrutiny over deportation, border plans at confirmation hearing
South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem heads to Capitol Hill on Friday for her confirmation hearing to lead the Department of Homeland Security — a hearing where border security and plans to launch a massive deportation operation are likely to take center stage. Noem, nominated by President-elect Trump to lead DHS, will appear before the Senate Homeland Security Committee at 9 a.m. ET. The governor has largely stayed out of the spotlight, with more controversial nominees drawing attention from politicians and the media. But, if confirmed, she will play an important role in the next administration, leading the agency involved not only with border security but also cybersecurity, response to natural disasters and counterterrorism. SENATE GOP TEES UP CONFIRMATION HEARING BLITZ IN EFFORT TO MEET AMBITIOUS TRUMP TARGETS That broad role has been highlighted in recent days with wildfires engulfing Los Angeles, where the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) plays a key role in response. FEMA’s importance was also on display late last year during the hurricane season. She will also be engaged in the battle for cybersecurity, including against threats from communist China. Dealing with natural disasters and cybersecurity are both areas where Noem has experience. As governor, she banned TikTok from state-owned devices in 2022, citing the company’s ties to China. Separately, Dakota State University has one of the top cyber units in the country, and cybersecurity is the fastest growing industry in South Dakota, an expansion encouraged by Noem. Noem has in-depth experience with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) because the state has dealt with flooding, including in June when there were record-setting floods in the state. Noem, a former member of Congress, was elected governor of South Dakota in 2018 and won re-election in 2022. WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT KRISTI NOEM, THE ‘BORDER HAWK’ NOMINATED BY TRUMP TO LEAD DHS But it is likely to be border security, and the promise by Trump to launch a historic deportation operation, which will feature in any contentious exchanges. Trump, nominating Noem, had argued that she is “very strong” on border security. “She will work closely with ‘Border Czar’ Tom Homan to secure the border and will guarantee that our American homeland is secure from our adversaries. I have known Kristi for years and have worked with her on a wide variety of projects. She will be a great part of our mission to make America safe again,” Trump said in a statement. “With Donald Trump, we will secure the border and restore safety to American communities so that families will again have the opportunity to pursue the American dream,” Noem said. While Homan has been charged with leading the deportation operation, Noem will be in charge of DHS agencies, including Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE.) Democrats may choose to quiz Noem on their objections to mass deportations, although a number of Democrats have indicated their openness to border security and legislation mandating ICE detention for some illegal immigrants — after a historic border crisis during the Biden administration that only recently subsided, and which was a top issue in the 2024 election. CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE Noem previously backed a pause on accepting migrants from terrorist hot spots. As governor, she pledged in 2021 not to take any more migrants from the Biden administration and also deployed National Guard to the border in Texas. “My message to illegal immigrants is — Call me when you’re an American,” she said on Facebook in 2021. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., the new chairman of the Senate Homeland Security Committee, told McClatchy that he believes there will be a quick confirmation of Noem, and that she will likely have a few Democrats voting in favor. “I think the bar is so low that any kind of attempt to slow down the mass illegal migration would be an improvement,” Paul said. “I think they’re going to be very aggressive, not only her but the entire [Trump] administration.”
RNC chair on GOP’s mission going forward: ‘Make sure…Trump voters become Republican voters’
EXCLUSIVE – Republican National Committee (RNC) chair Mike Whatley says his job going forward in the 2025 elections and 2026 midterms is straight forward. “It’s really critical for us to make sure that the Trump voters become Republican voters,” Whatley said in an exclusive national digital interview with Fox News on the sidelines of the RNCs’ winter meeting, which is being held in the nation’s capital. Republicans enjoyed major victories November’s elections, with President-elect Trump defeating Vice President Kamala Harris to win back the White House, the GOP flipping control of the Senate from the Democrats, and holding on to their razor-thin majority in the House. Whatley, who was interviewed on Thursday on the eve of the formal vote by the RNC for the chair to continue in his position steering the national party committee, said the GOP needs “to cement those gains” made in the 2024 elections. RNC CHAIR REVEALS WHAT ROLE TRUMP WILL PLAY ON CAMPAIGN TRAIL GOING FORWARD “We’re going to go right back to the building blocks that we had during this election cycle, which is to get out the vote and protect the ballot,” Whatley emphasized. The RNC chair pointed to “the lessons that we learned” in the 2024 cycle “about going after low propensity voters, about making sure that we’re reaching out to every voter and bringing in new communities,” which he said helped Republicans make “historic gains among African American voters, among Asian American voters, among Hispanic voters, young voters and women voters.” Speaking a couple of days before the president-elect’s inauguration, Whatley emphasized that once Trump’s in the White House, “we’re going to go right back to the RNC. We’re going to roll up our sleeves and get to work. We’ve got a couple of governor’s races…that we’re going to be working on in ‘25.” HOUSE GOP CAMPAIGN COMMITTEE CHAIR MAKES 2026 PREDICTION But Whatley said “everything is focused on ‘26,” when the party will be defending its majorities in the House and Senate, “because that is going to determine, from an agenda perspective, whether we have two years to work with or four. And America needs us to have a four-year agenda.” “What we’re going to be doing is making sure that we are registering voters,” Whatley said. “We’re going to be…communicating with the folks that we need to turn out.” Pointing to the 2024 presidential election, he said “it’s the same fundamentals.” But he noted that “it’s not just seven battleground states” and that the 2026 contests are “definitely going to be a very intense midterm election cycle.” While Democrats would disagree, Whatley described today’s GOP as “a common sense party…this is a party that’s going to fight for every American family and for every American community.” SENATE REPUBLICAN CAMPAIGN COMMITTEE CHAIR SPELLS OUT HIS 2026 MISSION Referring to former Democrats Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, whom Trump has nominated to serve in his second administration’s cabinet, Whatley touted “the fact that we have two former Democratic presidential candidates who are going to be serving in the president’s cabinet. That shows you that this is a commonsense agenda, a commonsense team, that we’re going to be moving forward with.” Last March, as Trump clinched the 2024 GOP presidential nomination, he named Whatley to succeed Ronna McDaniel as RNC chair. Whatley, a longtime Trump ally and a major supporter of Trump’s election integrity efforts, had served as RNC general counsel and chair of the North Carolina Republican Party. In December, Trump asked Whatley to continue during the 2026 cycle as RNC chair. “I think we will be able to talk when we need to talk,” Whatley said when asked if his lines of communication with Trump will be limited now that the president-elect is returning to the White House. “We’re going to support the president and his agenda. That does not change. What changes is his ability from the White House to actually implement the agenda that he’s been campaigning on.” VANCE HOSTS TOP-DOLLAR FUNDRAISER AHEAD OF TRUMP INAUGURATION Trump is term-limited and won’t be able to seek election again in 2028. Vice President-elect Sen. JD Vance will likely be considered the front-runner for the 2028 GOP nomination. Whatley reiterated what he told Fox News Digital in December, that the RNC will stay neutral in the next race for the GOP nomination and that the party’s “got an amazing bench.” “You think about the talent on the Republican side of the aisle right now, our governors, our senators, our members of Congress, people that are going to be serving in this administration. I love the fact that the Republican Party is going to be set up to have a fantastic candidate going into ’28,” he highlighted. Unlike the DNC, which in the 2024 cycle upended the traditional presidential nominating calendar, the RNC made no major changes to their primary lineup, and kept the Iowa caucuses and the New Hampshire primary as their first two contests. Asked about the 2028 calendar, Whatley reiterated to Fox News that “I have not had any conversations with anybody who wants to change the calendar, so we will wait and see what that looks like as we’re going forward. We’re at the RNC meetings this week and having a number of conversations with folks, but that is not a huge push.” “I don’t think that changing the calendar really helped the Democrats at all,” Whatley argued. “And I think that us, making sure that we are working our system the way that we always have, is going to be critical.”
Biden thanks troops for ‘strength’ and ‘integrity’ in unprecedented times at farewell address to military
President Biden on Thursday thanked service members for their “strength” and “integrity” while giving his farewell address in Virginia. “There’s never been a time in history when we’ve asked our military to do so many different things so many places, all at the same time,” the president said at Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall in Virginia. “And I want to be clear: You have done all these missions with strength and, maybe even importantly, integrity.” Biden’s address to troops came the morning after his farewell address to the nation in which he said it was his “great honor” to serve as the 46th president. It also comes four days before President-elect Trump succeeds him. WHILE TRUMP, BIDEN CLAIM CREDIT FOR ISRAEL-HAMAS CEASEFIRE, SOME REPUBLICANS CALL IT A BAD DEAL “You all represent what America is: character, honesty, integrity, commitment,” Biden told the troops. “You are simply the greatest fighting force in the history of the world.” The president said the troops “rose to the occasion” when he asked for the war in Afghanistan to end, “evacuating Americans, allies and our Afghan partners, accomplishing the largest airlift in military history and ending a war. The same courage is defined by American service in Afghanistan for over 20 years.” He said he believes “history will reflect that was the right thing to do, but I know, I know, it was hard after decades of losing your brothers and sisters, including [during the] withdrawal. The pain was still real. And it was for me as well. Every day I still carry, every single day.” Biden has been criticized for his handling of the messy Afghanistan withdrawal, when 13 U.S. service members were killed. He added that six months after American troops withdrew from Afghanistan, “when Russia began its largest war in Europe since World War II, I asked you to help defend Ukraine. You didn’t hesitate. You kept Ukraine in the fight, trained Ukrainian soldiers and pilots, troops, bolstered NATO’s eastern flank. And, above all, you showed the world America stands up for freedom, stands with our friends.” BIDEN THANKS THE AMERICAN PEOPLE FOR THE GREAT HONOR TO SERVE AS PRESIDENT DURING FAREWELL ADDRESS He also touted the Israel-Hamas cease-fire deal, which was announced Wednesday and first mentioned in his farewell address to the nation. “The road to that deal was not easy,” he admitted, saying he “laid down the elements of that deal eight months ago.” President-elect Trump has also taken credit for the cease-fire. “This EPIC ceasefire agreement could have only happened as a result of our Historic Victory in November, as it signaled to the entire World that my Administration would seek Peace and negotiate deals to ensure the safety of all Americans, and our Allies,” Trump wrote on Truth Social Wednesday. “I am thrilled American and Israeli hostages will be returning home to be reunited with their families and loved ones.” Biden also thanked military families who “sacrifice so much” in his speech. “Most Americans never see the sacrifices that you make every single day,” he continued. “Don’t ever see all those holidays and birthdays with an empty seat at the dinner table because mom or dad was deployed. Never see all the moves you had to make to new states, to new schools, to new jobs.” He added near the end of his speech, “You’re truly the finest fighting force in the history of the world,” adding that the American military has the best training, weapons, ships and planes. “But that alone is not what makes us strong,” he said. “It’s our values. American values. Our commitment to honor, to integrity, to unity, to protecting and defending. Not a person or a party or a place, but an idea.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Before Biden’s speech, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Air Force Gen. CQ Brown, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, thanked Biden for his service in their own remarks, which were part of the commander in chief farewell tribute to the president.
Top Trump ally Byron Donalds turns up volume on likely 2026 run for Florida governor
Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., appears to be getting more vocal about running for Florida governor in 2026 in the race to succeed term-limited Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis. Donalds, a leading friend, ally and supporter of President-elect Trump in the House of Representatives, in recent days has been telling potential donors and Florida political players that he intends to run for governor, Republican sources confirm to Fox News. Some of those conversations occurred last weekend in Orlando at the Florida GOP’s annual meeting. “He’s serious,” a source with knowledge told Fox News. WHAT BYRON DONALDS SAID ON FOX NEWS SUNDAY Another signal came a week ago when Donalds hired prominent Republican pollster Tony Fabrizio’s research firm. Fabrizio was a top pollster in Trump’s 2016 and 2024 presidential campaigns. WHY TRUMP IS PRAISING ONE-TIME PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARY RIVAL DESANTIS The conservative former state lawmaker who has represented parts of southwest Florida’s 19th District in Congress for four years has been eyeing a potential gubernatorial bid for months. “I’ve thought about it. I don’t really rule anything out,” Donalds said in a Fox News Digital interview last spring when asked about a possible run for governor. Donalds, who was a top surrogate on the campaign trail last year for Trump, was interviewed a few days after Trump, at a closed-door fundraiser in New York City, suggested that if Donalds ran for Florida governor in 2026, he’d have “many friends in the race.” “It’s really cool that people back home in Florida consider me to be able to be the state’s next governor. It’s really an honor. It’s honestly surreal thinking about it because I’m 45 and my journey through politics has been a really fruitful one,” Donalds said at the time. “It’s really humbling and an honor, but I just focus on doing the job I have.” CLICK HERE FOR THE LATEST FOX NEWS REPORTING ON THE TRUMP TRANSITION AND INAUGURATION Another prominent Florida Republican who’s believed to be considering a run is state Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson, the former president of the state Senate. And former Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., who was Trump’s first choice for attorney general in his second administration before dropping out amid controversy, has also said he’s thinking of running. Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody was also thought to be mulling a run to succeed DeSantis, her ally in Tallahassee, but the governor on Thursday named Moody to succeed Sen. Marco Rubio, Trump’s nominee for secretary of state, who is likely to be one of the president-elect’s first Cabinet picks to be confirmed by the Senate. And Florida’s chief financial officer, Jimmy Patronis, who was also believed to be interested in a potential gubernatorial campaign, is considered the front-runner in this month’s special congressional election to fill Gaetz’s seat. “With Moody going to the Senate, should he choose to run for governor, Donalds would be the clear favorite over Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson, who is the Tallahassee establishment’s choice,” Fabrizio said. “We’ll see if the Tallahassee establishment smartens up after betting and losing badly in 2010 against [former two-term governor and current Sen.] Rick Scott and in 2018 against Ron DeSantis.” With Florida, which was once a top general election battleground state, now firmly red, the slowly emerging gubernatorial battle may be determined by whom Trump, the GOP’s kingmaker in his adopted home state of Florida and across the country, may eventually back. But not to be discounted is any possible endorsement by DeSantis in the race to succeed the governor.