U.S. threat landscape, domestic extremism pose a daunting—but familiar— test for Trump’s second term
During his first term as president, Donald Trump saw the height of a violent civil war in Syria, a resurgence of Islamic State activity, and a rise in ISIS-inspired attacks both abroad and on U.S. soil. Eight years later, many of these bogeymen have returned. In the last eight weeks, Syrian rebels launched a lightning offensive, wresting back control of the country and then of its capital—forcing longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad to flee to Russia for safe haven. Like Trump’s first term, the instability in the Middle East has prompted fresh questions over if, or what role the U.S. should play in Syria—amid concerns that failing to act will further open the power vacuum in Syria, making it ripe for exploitation by Islamic State militants and other terrorist groups. And on Wednesday, U.S. authorities scrambled to investigate and respond to two separate attacks in New Orleans and Las Vegas. Despite taking place thousands of miles apart, both are being investigated as possible acts of terrorism—a glaring indicator that the threat of homegrown extremism remains just as pervasive as ever. Ahead of Trump’s second term, the violence—and the unexpected collapse of Syria’s authoritarian regime— have prompted new questions as to how the U.S. might act. BOMB-MAKING MATERIALS FOUND AT NEW ORLEANS AIRBNB POTENTIALLY TIED TO BOURBON STREET TERRORIST: REPORT Options for Trump Trump, for his part, has long opposed the idea of involving U.S. troops in foreign wars. In 2019, he ordered the complete withdrawal of all military personnel in Syria’s north. He reiterated that view in a post last month on Truth Social, saying the U.S. should “have nothing to do with” the situation in Syria. “Let it play out,” he said. It’s unclear whether, or to what degree, this week’s deadly attacks may have swayed Trump’s decision. Fourteen people were killed in New Orleans early Wednesday morning by Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a Texas native and U.S. army veteran who had driven from Houston to Bourbon Street in a rented pickup truck, plowing through crowds of people massed outside the famed string of bars to celebrate the new year. Jabbar himself was fatally shot by police. FBI officials said that Jabbar, who had affixed an Islamic State flag to the rented vehicle, was “100% inspired by ISIS” in carrying out the terrorist attack, though it remains unclear whether he has any legitimate ties to the group. Jabbar had pledged allegiance to the Islamic State and is believed to have joined the group this past summer, officials said. He was also seen on surveillance footage planting two explosive devices in coolers along the corners of Bourbon and Orleans Streets, and another intersection nearby, though both were later rendered safe by bomb squad teams. Separately, the FBI said they are investigating a Las Vegas explosion carried out in a Tesla Cybertruck outside the Trump hotel in Las Vegas as a possible act of terrorism. The suspect in that case, Matthew Alan Livelsberger, had been a member of the U.S. Army’s elite special forces unit prior to the explosion, and FBI officials raided a house in Colorado Springs on Thursday that they said they believe could be connected to the case. CLICK HERE FOR THE LATEST FOX NEWS REPORTING ON THE TRUMP INAUGURATION Should Trump opt to maintain his longtime opposition to U.S. intervention in “foreign wars,” there are other options he could take to try to crack down on violent domestic attacks. This could include cracking down on immigration— a policy long embraced by Trump and many Republicans in Congress—to prevent possible threat actors from crossing the border. In fact, the Department of Homeland Security told reporters in June that it had identified more than 400 migrants from Central Asia and other countries who had been smuggled into the U.S. by ISIS-linked smuggling groups over the last three years, prompting a flurry of new arrests and “subjects of concern” designations. DHS officials said the arrests, first reported by NBC, were made out of “an abundance of caution,” and noted at the time that they had not identified any credible threats to the U.S. by the migrants, who may have simply been attempting to find a way to cross into the U.S. Still, a border crackdown might not be enough to solve the problem, made especially complex by the role of lone-wolf threat actors and individuals who become radicalized online. A pervasive threat The FBI has focused heavily on the risk of terrorism posed by domestic and homegrown violent extremists, as it noted in its most recent “Worldwide Threats to the Homeland” report. These small groups or individuals pose the biggest risk to national security, the report noted—often using easily accessible weapons, such as guns and cars, to attack so-called “soft targets,” or groups of civilians gathered en masse at accessible locations. The “greatest, most immediate international terrorism threat to the homeland” are individuals who have lived primarily in the U.S. and who carry out actions inspired by, but not at the express direction of, a foreign terrorist organization such as ISIS, the law enforcement agency said. Early in December, the FBI and other authorities warned of a heightened risk of vehicular attacks by lone-wolf offenders during the holidays, noting in a shared bulliten that threat actors have “plotted and conducted attacks against holiday targets” in previous years, with likely targets including public places with “perceived lower levels of security” holding large gatherings. The threat is also not going away. Trump’s first term as president saw multiple attacks carried out by individuals pledging allegiance to ISIS or other jihad groups—even if they had not been operating at the direction of the group itself. These individuals were responsible for the 2016 Pulse nightclub shooting, the 2017 New York City truck attack, a 2017 machete attack at a Middle Eastern restaurant in Columbus, Ohio, and many more acts of violence. Vehicular attacks have also increased: Since 2014, there have been at least 16 vehicular ramming attacks in the U.S. and Europe carried out by individuals practicing
New Orleans, Las Vegas suspects latest in long line of military radicals
A pair of suspected terrorist attacks on New Year’s Day were both allegedly carried out by former U.S. service members, raising questions about how those with access to sensitive intelligence and the nation’s most advanced weapons get swept up in radical beliefs. Early Wednesday morning, Texas resident Shamsud-Din Jabbar allegedly plowed into a crowd on Bourbon Street in New Orleans, killing 14. He was a former Army staff sergeant, with a deployment to Afghanistan under his belt. Hours later, a Tesla Cybertruck exploded in flames outside the Trump hotel in Las Vegas — a suspected terror plot that was linked to active-duty Army Master Sgt. Matthew Livelsberger, who allegedly carried out the attack that led to his own death while on approved leave. He was a member of the elite Green Beret unit. From 1990 to 2022, 170 individuals with U.S. military backgrounds plotted 144 unique mass-casualty terrorist attacks in the United States — 25% of all individuals who plotted mass-casualty extremist crimes during this period, according to a study by the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism. NEW ORLEANS ATTACK: INVESTIGATION CONTINUES, AS FBI SAYS NO OTHER SUSPECTS INVOLVED Questions posed to the Department of Defense about its plans to identify and root out radicals by Fox News Digital went unanswered. Here’s a look back at some other military radical extremists who have conducted attacks on U.S. soil in the 21st century: In 2009, former Army Major Nidal Hassan killed 13 people in a mass shooting at Fort Hood Army base in Texas. The Islamic extremist and former Army psychiatrist had spoken out about the U.S. presence in Iraq and Afghanistan. Retired Colonel Terry Lee, who worked with Hassan, told Fox News that the Army major would make “outlandish” statements like, “the Muslims should stand up and fight against the aggressor,” referring to U.S. troops. Hassan reportedly shouted, “Allahu Akbar!” as he opened fire, killing 13 and injuring 30 others in the deadliest mass shooting on a U.S. military base. Hassan admitted to the killings in court and now sits on death row. In 2021, Army soldier Bridges, 24, was arrested for conspiring to blow up the 9/11 memorial in New York and attempting to assist ISIS in killing U.S. soldiers. Now serving 14 years in prison, Bridges was caught when he began communicating online with a covert FBI agent who he believed to be an ISIS supporter in contact with ISIS fighters in the Middle East. Melzer, 24 at the time of his sentencing, is serving 45 years in prison for sending sensitive U.S. military information to the Order of the Nine Angles (O9A), an occult-based neo-Nazi and White supremacist group, in an attempt to facilitate a mass-casualty attack on Melzer’s Army unit. He was arrested in 2020 after joining the Army in 2018 to infiltrate its ranks and gain insight for his work for O9A. After being deployed to guard a remote, sensitive foreign U.S. military base, he shared details about the site with O9A members and began to call for a deadly attack on his colleagues. Miller, a lifelong White supremacist, shot and killed three people, two outside a Jewish community center and one outside a Jewish retirement home, in Kansas in 2014. Miller had been vocal about intending to kill Jews, though all of his victims were Christians. He served in the Army for 20 years, serving two tours of duty in the Vietnam War and 13 years as a member of the elite Green Berets. Having led a branch of the Ku Klux Klan, Miller had a history of run-ins with the law. He served three years in prison after being convicted in 1987 of conspiring to acquire stolen military weapons and for planning robberies and an assassination. Miller has since died in prison. WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT VICTIMS OF NEW ORLEANS TERRORIST ATTACK Thompson, a Navy veteran, committed a Salafi-jihadist-inspired hatchet attack in Queens, New York in 2014, injuring four police officers. The attack was deemed an act of terrorism as Thompson was a recent Muslim convert. In the months preceding the attack, he visited hundreds of websites associated with terrorist organizations. Thompson was involuntarily discharged from the Navy in 2003, after having been arrested six times between 2002 and 2003 in domestic disputes. He was shot dead by police on the scene of the 2014 attack. In 2016, Johnson ambushed police officers in Dallas, Texas, killing five and wounding nine others. The 25-year-old Army reserve Afghanistan War veteran was angry over police shootings of Black men. He perpetrated the attack at the end of a protest against the recent killings by police of Alton Sterling in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and Philando Castile in Falcon Heights, Minnesota. Las Vegas authorities arrested Andrew Lynam, an Army reservist, alongside Navy veteran Stephen T. Parshall and Air Force veteran William L. Loomis — all self-identified Boogaloo Bois — on May 30, 2020, for conspiring to firebomb a U.S. Forest Service building and a power substation to sow chaos during a police protest after the killing of George Floyd. In total, 480 people with a military background were accused of ideologically driven extremist crimes from 2017 through 2023, some 230 of whom were arrested in connection with the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol riot.
‘Lives depend on it’: Republicans push for prompt Trump confirmations in wake of New Orleans attack
Senate Republicans are urging expedited confirmation of President-elect Donald Trump’s administration appointments, particularly those for crucial national security posts, in the wake of a New Year’s attack in New Orleans where a terrorist suspect drove a car into a large crowd, killing more than a dozen people. “Our hearts go out to everyone affected by the senseless terror attack in New Orleans,” said incoming Senate Republican Leader John Thune, R-S.D., on X. “With reports of ISIS inspiration, the American people expect clear answers from the administration,” Thune said. “The threat posed by ISIS will outlast this administration, and this is a clear example of why the Senate must get President Trump’s national security team in place as quickly as possible.” The FBI said the holiday attack left at least 14 people dead and dozens of others injured. Israel revealed that two of its citizens were among those injured. Victims’ names are not to be released until autopsies are finished and families are notified, New Orleans Coroner Dr. Dwight McKenna said in a statement. MIKE JOHNSON GETS PUBLIC GOP SENATE SUPPORT AHEAD OF TIGHT HOUSE SPEAKER VOTE Republicans in the Senate were already eager to quickly push through Trump’s selections, including Kash Patel for FBI director, Tulsi Gabbard for director of national intelligence and Pete Hegseth for secretary of defense. But with the latest attack and others developing around the country, many lawmakers have indicated that a prompt confirmation process is even more crucial. Incoming Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso, R-Wyo., wrote on X, “The U.S. Senate must confirm President Trump’s national security team as soon as possible. Lives depend on it.” HEALTHY LIVING, PARTY UNITY, AND ‘TIME TO SMELL THE ROSES’: CONGRESSIONAL REPUBLICANS’ NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS “I’ll be working to ensure President Trump has every tool at his disposal, including a fully confirmed national security and intelligence team ASAP to investigate these attacks and make our country safe again,” said Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., in response to the attack. Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala., echoed that sentiment in her own statement, saying, “We must work nonstop to get President Trump’s national security team in place without delay.” Several other Republicans made similar calls for Trump’s choices for national security posts to be prioritized and confirmed without hesitation. BERNIE SANDERS PLANS TO SPEARHEAD LEGISLATION ON KEY TRUMP PROPOSAL Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., expressed frustration that the FBI was apparently behind on intelligence regarding the suspect in the New Orleans attack. “The fact that a reporter has better intel than the FBI tells us all we need to know. The FBI has failed its core mission,” the senator wrote on X in response to a report that New York Post reporters had arrived at the suspect’s home before the agency. “America needs a fearless fighter like [Patel] at the FBI,” Blackburn continued. DEM SENATOR REVEALS HOW SHE NARROWLY WON KEY STATE THAT TRUMP FLIPPED: ‘BE PRACTICAL TO FIND RESULTS’ Two sources on an FBI call with House and Senate members on Thursday informed Fox News that the FBI claimed they had zero intelligence on suspect Shamsud-Din Jabbar before the attack. The FBI told lawmakers that Jabbar was “inspired” by ISIS but added that they have no evidence yet that the terrorist group directed him.
The 6 biggest FBI scandals under the Biden administration
The FBI under the Biden administration’s leadership has faced repeated scandals over the last four years, including in the waning days of the administration when a suspected terror attack rocked New Orleans early on New Year’s Day morning. Outgoing FBI Director Christopher Wray, who was nominated by Trump in his first administration, announced last month that he would step down from his post, clearing the path for Trump’s pick to lead the FBI, Kash Patel, to rally support for his confirmation process in earnest ahead of Trump’s inauguration this month. As President Biden’s administration comes to a close, Fox Digital revisits some of the top scandals the FBI has faced in the last four years. Chaos broke out on New Orleans’ famed Bourbon Street just after 3 a.m. on New Year’s Day when a truck plowed through crowds of revelers, leaving at least 15 dead and dozens of others injured. The FBI took the lead on the case and landed in hot water with conservatives and others for initially reporting to the public that the attack was not an instance of terrorism before ultimately backtracking. NEW ORLEANS ATTACK: INVESTIGATION CONTINUES FOR POTENTIAL LINKS BETWEEN BOURBON STREET AND TRUMP HOTEL BOMBING “We’ll be taking over the investigative lead for this event. This is not a terrorist event,” said New Orleans field office FBI Assistant Special Agent in Charge Alethea Duncan during a Wednesday morning press conference. During that same press conference, however, the mayor of New Orleans contradicted Duncan’s comment and minced no words in detailing that the city faced an act of terror. “Know that the city of New Orleans was impacted by a terrorist attack. It’s all still under investigation,” Mayor LaToya Cantrell said. The FBI soon backtracked from its position that the attack was not an act of terror, releasing statements throughout the day that they were investigating the matter as related to terrorism, including confirming that an ISIS flag was found on the suspect’s vehicle that plowed through the crowds. “This morning, an individual drove a car into a crowd of people on Bourbon Street in New Orleans, killing a number of people and injuring dozens of others. The subject then engaged with local law enforcement and is now deceased. The FBI is the lead investigative agency, and we are working with our partners to investigate this as an act of terrorism,” the FBI said in one of its three statements provided to Fox Digital. The FBI’s handling of the matter, however, has sparked outrage from elected officials, Trump allies and voters on social media. “The FBI has a no-fail mission. There is no room for error. When they fail, Americans die. It’s a necessity that Kash Patel gets confirmed ASAP,” a source close to Trump told Fox News Digital on Thursday morning. Other conservatives and Trump allies railed against the FBI on social media, claiming the FBI has focused resources on issues such as DEI training and hiring instead of investigating and preventing crime. Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., and other conservatives also took issue with the FBI for allegedly responding to the suspect’s home in Texas after the media had already staked out the property. “The FBI didn’t show up to the NOLA suspect’s address until 1pm today. We were on scene before. No one came out of the home or answered the door,” New York Post reporter Jennie Taer posted to X on Wednesday. Blackburn responded to the Post reporter by saying the FBI had “failed” its mission as the nation’s top law enforcement agency. “The fact that a reporter has better intel than the FBI tells us all we need to know. The FBI has failed its core mission,” Blackburn posted. The suspect, Shamsud-Din Jabbar, was armed with a Glock and a .308 rifle during the attack and was killed after opening fire on police. Jabbar, a 42-year-old U.S. citizen who lived in Texas, is believed to have acted alone, the FBI announced Thursday. Trump slammed Biden and his administration’s policies for the attack. “With the Biden ‘Open Border’s Policy’ I said, many times during Rallies, and elsewhere, that Radical Islamic Terrorism, and other forms of violent crime, will become so bad in America that it will become hard to even imagine or believe. That time has come, only worse than ever imagined. Joe Biden is the WORST PRESIDENT IN THE HISTORY OF AMERICA, A COMPLETE AND TOTAL DISASTER,” Trump posted on Truth Social. Earlier Thursday, when approached for comment on the criticisms of its handling of the attack, the FBI directed Fox News Digital to its three previous statements on the attack that described it as an act of terror but did not comment on the New Orleans’ agent saying Wednesday that the attack was not connected to terrorism. “An ISIS flag was located in the vehicle, and the FBI is working to determine the subject’s potential associations and affiliations with terrorist organizations,” one FBI statement said. “The FBI is the lead investigative agency, and we are working with our partners to investigate this as an act of terrorism. We are aggressively running down all leads to identify any possible associates of the subject,” the statement added. Approximately 30 armed FBI agents converged on Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home in Florida in August 2022 to execute a search warrant regarding classified documents in the former president’s possession. The unprecedented raid included agents rifling through former, and upcoming, first lady Melania Trump’s wardrobe. The agents seized 33 boxes of documents. “He invaded my home. I’m suing the country over it. He invaded Mar-a-Lago. I’m very unhappy with the things he’s done. And crime is at an all-time high. Migrants are pouring into the country that are from prisons and from mental institutions, as we’ve discussed. I can’t say I’m thrilled,” Trump said of Wray during an interview with NBC that aired Sunday. Earlier this year, it was revealed the Biden administration authorized the use of deadly force during the raid. The jarring revelation added fuel to the fire of
Tracking government spending, Part 2: Contractual services and supplies
Spending on contracting and supplies is the second-biggest major spending group for the federal government, according to usaspending.gov. More than $1.1 trillion was spent on deals negotiated by the government to hire contractors for work. The category has increased by 19% from five years ago. “We expect massive cuts of all federal contractors and others who are overbilling the federal government,” said DOGE co-leader Vivek Ramaswamy on Fox Business’ Sunday Morning Futures. Contracting commercial companies for government goods and services dates back to the late 1700s. Over the years, laws have streamlined the process and helped make contracts more competitive. “We’re on the side of change. We got started by helping the Navy and then the Army get ready for World War Two to move faster, to do things better,” Booz Allen Hamilton CEO Horacio Rozanski said. “Now we’re the largest player in AI and cyber in the federal government, and we’re very proud of that whole history. But that’s a whole history of change. My sense is we’re ready for change. The country voted for it, and we need to see it happen.” VIRGINIA DEMOCRATS ‘ASKING THE WRONG QUESTION’ AMID OUTRAGE OVER DOGE FEDERAL WORKFORCE CUTS, GOP LEADER SAYS Booz Allen Hamilton is among the largest government contractors. In 2024, the company had more than $8 billion worth in agreements from agencies like the Defense Department, the General Services Administration and the National Science Foundation. “One of the things we’ve been talking about for years is this notion of outcome-based contracting. Instead of trying to figure out what does everything cost and how to do it. Let’s define an outcome, something that the government really needs, and let private industry compete for that,” Rozanski said. Federal agencies are responsible for negotiating the best deal for the government, but contractors have a history of overcharging. In 2014, a Defense Department Inspector General report showed that the agency was charged as much as 831% for spare parts. Another more recent audit found a 7,943% markup on a soap dispenser sold to the Air Force. Military contractors are only required to provide an explanation for prices if the contract is worth more than $2 million. If an item is labeled as “commercial,” companies do not have to justify prices. ‘WE’RE GOING TO GUT THE FISH’: REPUBLICANS GIVE DETAILS FROM CLOSED-DOOR MEETINGS WITH DOGE’S MUSK, RAMASWAMY In 2023, Booz Allen Hamilton agreed to pay $377.45 million to settle allegations that the company improperly billed commercial and international costs to its government contracts. “I think part of the challenge is the system. This system is built to manage risk and to get things done with the lowest risk possible. It is not built for speed,” Rozanski said. “We need DOGE to succeed in shifting towards efficiency, towards effectiveness. It’s what our clients want, it’s what we want. Will there be winners and losers in that? Of course. I expect I want Booz Allen to be a winner in that. But at the end of the day, we need to compete.” The Department of Defense obligated around $550 billion to government contracts in 2024, more than half of all government spending on contractors. Some analysts estimate the department could save millions by streamlining negotiations. “They’re for reducing some of the bureaucracy, but they’re also for understanding that there is a difference. To paint the entire federal government, the giant DMV is not fair,” Rozanski said. “There are all these areas where more can be done to do it faster, to do it better or to not do it at all, to get things done.” Some small businesses say that DOGE likely won’t have an impact on their work. “From a sort of an efficiency standpoint, we all of us have to operate at the optimum level of efficiency,” Arkisys co-founder Dave Barnhart said. “I’m not quite sure that’ll have an effect, because we’re essentially already operating as quickly as we possibly can within the U.S. government.” REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK: A DOGE IN THE FIGHT Arkisys has a contract with the Space Development Agency, which is part of the Space Force. The Port would give service providers, making repairs in space, a permanent station to deliver cargo or supplies. The federal government has specific contracts set aside for small businesses that helps level the playing field. “This particular arena of space and most especially the domain that we are talking about, which is servicing, that is doing something to a spacecraft in space after its launch, hasn’t been done before. It’s a wide-open research area. All kinds of innovation can happen,” Barnhart said. Other small business owners say they believe DOGE could help make the contracting process move faster. “One day you come up with the idea quickly. You got to get the funding and you got to develop it,” Aspetto co-founder Abbas Haider said. “You put in your white paper, that’s phase one funding. Then it’s phase two funding, then it’s phase three funding. By the time you’re on phase two, it’s months. Someone else has probably already copied your idea or already done something similar. So, why would I go to the government for those funding?” Instead of applying for specific contracts the government needs, Aspetto sells its high-tech body army products to various agencies within the U.S. government. “In our case, we’re just going to go ahead and take the risk and fund it ourselves, because it would just move things a lot faster,” Haider said. Aspetto makes bullet-resistant clothing, women’s body armor and K9-bullet-proof vests. The company has contracts with the Defense Department, the State Department and NASA. The FBI is also outfitting U.S. Border Patrol agents with Aspetto products. “I do believe they’re going to focus on innovation. If you’re going to compete with countries like China, you have to focus on innovation,” Haider said. NASA contributes most of its funding to contractors to develop innovative products for space travel. In 2024, the agency allocated more than 76% of its budget to
Hochul’s Christmastime boast of safer subway came amid string of alarming violent attacks
In the days since New York Gov. Kathy Hochul declared New York City’s subways had improved in safety, a woman was burned alive, a man was pushed in front of an oncoming train and gangs of illegal immigrants have robbed straphangers. Just before Christmas, the Democrat took to X to claim that, since March, she has taken action to make subways “safer for the millions of people who take the trains each day.” “Since deploying the [New York National Guard] to support [the NYPD] and MTA, safety efforts and adding cameras to all subway cars, crime is going down, and ridership is going up,” she wrote on Dec. 22. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), while mostly serving the five boroughs, Long Island and Lower Hudson Valley suburbs, is a state-operated, not city-operated, agency. However, in that short time, an illegal immigrant allegedly set a woman on fire on an F train, a man miraculously survived being shoved in front of a 1 train and Venezuelan gang members have been robbing straphangers at will. In Coney Island, Guatemalan national Sebastian Zapeta was charged with murder after allegedly lighting a Toms River, New Jersey, woman on fire while she slept on board an F train at the Stillwell Avenue Terminal. That incident occurred the morning of Dec. 22, hours before Hochul’s post. The victim, Debrina Kawam, once worked for Merck Pharmaceuticals in the early 2000s but had more recently lived in a New York City homeless shelter. Zapeta’s arraignment has been set for Tuesday. He told the NYPD he overindulges in alcohol and “doesn’t know what happened,” according to NBC News. “My office is very confident about the evidence in this case and our ability to hold Zapeta accountable for his dastardly deeds,” Kings County Democratic District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said of the case. Earlier this week, 23-year-old Kamel Hawkins of Brooklyn allegedly shoved an unsuspecting straphanger into the path of a South Ferry-bound 1 train at W 18th Street Station in Chelsea. Hawkins initially got away but was soon caught near Columbus Circle and Central Park, according to reports. The injured victim’s survival was lauded as a miracle, as he fell into a “trench” between the tracks as the train ran over him and was ambulanced to a hospital with head injuries. ECONOMIC EXPERTS PAN HOCHUL’S ‘INFLATIONARY’ INFLATION REFUNDS Hawkins had prior arrests for body-slamming a police officer in Queens. His father, Shamel Hawkins, told the New York Post, “We think somebody put something in his weed.” Shamel Hawkins said Kamel had been “acting weird” recently and that he “needs help” but continues to refuse to seek it. On New Year’s Day, WPIX reported two separate unprovoked subway stabbing incidents during daylight hours on the West Side. A 30-year-old man was reportedly stabbed in the head and hip awaiting a 1 train at 110 Street and Broadway. The station is in otherwise one of the safer areas of Manhattan, near Columbia University, the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, and the diner made famous in the sitcom “Seinfeld.” Another man was stabbed while awaiting a 2 train at 14th Street and 7th Avenue that same day, according to the outlet. Meanwhile, authorities found 22 Tren de Aragua migrant gang members during a raid on a residence in Crotona Park, Bronx last month. Federal law enforcement had tracked the ankle monitor of Jarwin Valero-Calderon – a Venezuelan national originally arrested in Nassau County and under a deportation order – to the building. HOCHUL SPARKS BIPARTISAN OUTRAGE OVER CONGESTION PRICING REBOOT AS DEMS WORRIED TRUMP WOULD BLOCK IT Hochul said in an X video on her account, called “This Week in New York,” that her “five-point plan to improve subway safety” has led to overall subway crime dropping 10% since March 2023. Hochul also said she will deploy 250 more National Guard members to take part in Joint Task Force: Empire Shield. In its December report on November’s crime stats, the NYPD listed subway crime as having decreased 15% that month from 240 reported incidents to 202 and a year-to-date decrease of 6% from 2,137 to 2,002. The NYPD said the subways saw their safest year-to-date figure in more than a decade. “We are all in this together, and while the downward trends in violence and disorder across New York City are highly encouraging as we enter the final month of 2024, we have a lot more work to do to deliver the public safety that New Yorkers deserve,” NYPD Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch said in a Dec. 3 statement. However, New Yorkers overall felt less safe on the MTA as of late. “Kathy Hochul needs to resign,” commentator Chaya Raichik – or “LibsOfTikTok”—wrote on X after chronicling some of the recent subway incidents, and claiming some of the recent underground robberies were committed by Tren de Aragua gang members. “Of course she won’t resign. These people care only about their power and the perks,” FOX Business host David Asman wrote in a reply. “Only New Yorkers can get rid of her.” “Daniel Penny for governor,” another X user commented, referring to the man acquitted in the death of a crazed straphanger who had been menacing passengers earlier this year. MTA Chairman Janno Lieber pledged during a March transit board meeting “we are not going back” to the mid-20th century when the subway was incredibly unsafe. “This is a nightmare for New Yorkers,” he said after learning Carlton McPherson – whom neighbors described to the Post as “a little off” – had recently fatally shoved a man in front of a Woodlawn-bound 4 train on 125 Street in Harlem. CLICK TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Mayor Eric Adams also addressed the public sentiment in remarks earlier this year. “Public safety is the actual safety and it’s how people are feeling,” he said in March. “We know we have over 4 million riders a day and a reliable system. We know we have approximately six felonies a day out of those 4 million riders. But if they
Mike Johnson gets public GOP Senate support ahead of tight House speaker vote
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., received public support from Republicans in the Senate as he faces an uncertain vote Friday to determine whether he will maintain the role in the new Congress. “My friend [Johnson] has done an incredible job in the House, and I’m glad he’s at the helm there as Congress looks forward to growing our economy and safeguarding our communities in the new year,” said Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., on X. HEALTHY LIVING, PARTY UNITY, AND ‘TIME TO SMELL THE ROSES’: CONGRESSIONAL REPUBLICANS’ NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS Johnson also got the backing of the other member of Lousiana’s Senate delegation, Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La. “I agree with President Trump that [Johnson] is the right man to lead. He’s a committed conservative and a man of integrity,” he wrote on X, referencing President-elect Donald Trump’s recent endorsement. During the last-minute government-spending fight last month, most Republican senators were careful not to call for Johnson’s replacement. However, that didn’t stop others, such as Sens. Rand Paul, R-Ky., and Mike Lee, R-Utah, from suggesting that someone else would do a better job. BERNIE SANDERS PLANS TO SPEARHEAD LEGISLATION ON KEY TRUMP PROPOSAL “Technically, the rules of the House—I don’t think you have to be a member of the House to be speaker. And other people talked about it,” Paul told reporters in December. He noted that he has previously gotten stray votes to be speaker, as has Trump. “And so, we’ll leave it open to interpretation. I think that, hey, seriously, Elon Musk is having an impact.” When asked about his confidence in Johnson, Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., sidestepped, saying, “I can’t make a decision. I don’t know him that well. He’s got to work with everybody else. He doesn’t have to work with us.” DEM SENATOR REVEALS HOW SHE NARROWLY WON KEY STATE THAT TRUMP FLIPPED: ‘BE PRACTICAL TO FIND RESULTS’ Since the House speaker will be selected solely by the lower chamber, few Republican senators are expected to weigh in publicly. But the fact that some have is notable in and of itself. In order to be elected as the speaker of the House, a member must get a majority of the votes cast. Depending on whether all House members are there, how many vacancies there are, and whether anyone chooses to vote “present,” thereby lowering the majority threshold, Johnson could be in a situation where he can only afford to lose one GOP vote. There are still several House members that have said they are unsure whether they will back Johnson. REPUBLICANS HAMMER BIDEN FOR FEDERAL DEATH ROW REPRIEVES AHEAD OF LEAVING OFFICE Additionally, at least one Republican lawmaker is a “no,” even after Trump’s endorsement. “I respect and support President Trump, but his endorsement of Mike Johnson is going to work out about as well as his endorsement of Speaker Paul Ryan,” Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., wrote on X. “We’ve seen Johnson partner with the democrats to send money to Ukraine, authorize spying on Americans, and blow the budget.” The speaker vote is set to take place on Friday to set the new Congress in motion.
Trump says he’s not changed his mind on H-1B visas as debate rages within MAGA coalition
President-elect Donald Trump claimed this week that he has not changed his mind about the controversial H-1B visa program and that the U.S. needs “smart people” coming into the country, amid a furious intra-Republican debate on the visa program. “I didn’t change my mind. I’ve always felt we have to have the most competent people in our country, and we need competent people,” Trump said at Mar-a-Lago on Tuesday evening. “We need smart people coming into our country. We need a lot of people coming in. We’re going to have jobs like we’ve never had before.” The H-1B visa program allows U.S. companies to hire foreign workers for specialty occupations and is overwhelmingly used by the tech industry. However, it has long been controversial for some conservatives, who say it is abused by tech companies to bring in cheap, predominantly Indian, labor to replace American workers. ERIC SCHMITT BLASTS ‘ABUSE’ OF H-1B VISA PROGRAM, SAYS AMERICANS ‘SHOULDN’T TRAIN THEIR FOREIGN REPLACEMENTS’ The program hit the headlines last week when Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, who have been tapped by Trump to lead the Department of Government Efficiency, argued for the importance of foreign workers for tech companies. “The reason I’m in America along with so many critical people who built SpaceX, Tesla, and hundreds of other companies that made America strong is because of H1B,” Musk said on X. That re-opened a rift between those on the right over the program and whether it is being used to attract the best talent or being used by companies to bring in cheaper labor, who are tied to their job by the visa. Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., said on Fox News Sunday that H1-B visas are being “abused.” “I think the abuses of the H-1B program have been evident, where you have sort of the sons and daughters of those factory workers who lost their jobs, got white collar jobs as accountants, and they’re, you know, training their replacements, the foreign workers who are undercutting their wages,” he said. TRUMP ADMINISTRATION MOVES TO CHANGE H-1B GUEST WORKER PROGRAM TO PRIORITIZE HIGHER-WAGE APPLICANTS Trump has previously shown skepticism about the H-1B visa program. During his 2016 presidential campaign, he promised to tackle the abuse of the program and pointed to allegations of companies forcing Americans to train their cheaper replacements. “The H-1B program is neither high-skilled nor immigration: these are temporary foreign workers, imported from abroad, for the explicit purpose of substituting for American workers at lower pay. I remain totally committed to eliminating rampant, widespread H-1B abuse and ending outrageous practices such as those that occurred at Disney in Florida when Americans were forced to train their foreign replacements,” he said in 2016. “I will end forever the use of the H-1B as a cheap labor program, and institute an absolute requirement to hire American workers first for every visa and immigration program. No exceptions,” he said. He also said that his companies use the H-1B program “and I shouldn’t be allowed to use it.” His administration immediately began looking into reforms to the H-1B visa program, and, in 2020, it proposed a sweeping rule that would prioritize the selection of higher wage applicants for the approximately 85,000 visas allocated annually. That rule would have required that registrations at the highest of four wage levels get to apply for the visa allocation first. Once those at the highest level have applied, then the process would turn to level III, and so on until the spaces are filled. “Put simply, because demand for H-1B visas has exceeded the annual supply for more than a decade, DHS prefers that cap-subject H-1B visas go to beneficiaries earning the highest wages relative to their [Standard Occupational Classification] codes and area(s) of intended employment,” the rule says. TRUMP SAYS HE IS A ‘BELIEVER’ IN H-1B VISAS FOR SKILLED WORKERS AS RIGHT SPARS ON IMMIGRATION: REPORT The rule was not put into effect due to the Biden administration, which abandoned it and has since proposed a rule of its own. However, it was greeted favorably by immigration hawks. Other rules put forward during the Trump administration proposed narrowing the definition of “specialty occupation” and making changes to the way the “prevailing wage” is set in order to make sure U.S. wages are not undercut. The incoming Trump administration has not said specifically what it will do in terms of H-1B and whether it will resurrect its first-term efforts. However, Musk proposed “raising the minimum salary significantly and adding a yearly cost for maintaining the H1B, making it materially more expensive to hire from overseas than domestically. “ “I’ve been very clear that the program is broken and needs major reform,” he said on Saturday. At the same time, Trump told the New York Post that the program is “great.” “I’ve always liked the visas, I have always been in favor of the visas. That’s why we have them,” Trump said. “I have many H-1B visas on my properties. I’ve been a believer in H-1B. I have used it many times. It’s a great program.” The Associated Press contributed to this report.
‘When they fail, Americans die’: Trump source blasts FBI, urges swift confirmation of Kash Patel as director
President-elect Donald Trump’s allies are excoriating the FBI for its initial characterization of the brutal car attack in New Orleans as not terror-related, before the nation’s top federal law enforcement agency backtracked and launched a terrorism investigation allegedly connected to ISIS. “The FBI has a no-fail mission. There is no room for error. When they fail, Americans die. It’s a necessity that Kash Patel gets confirmed ASAP,” a source close to Trump told Fox News Digital on Thursday morning. Early Wednesday morning, chaos broke out on Bourbon Street in New Orleans as New Year’s Eve revelers partied on the streets. The suspect, later identified as Shamsud-Din Jabbar, is accused of ramming a truck into the crowds on the beloved and famed party street, killing at least 15 and injuring dozens of others. Jabbar, who was armed with a Glock and a .308 rifle, was killed after opening fire on police. As details filtered to the public on Wednesday morning, law enforcement officials, including the FBI, held a press conference where a special agent initially told the public that the attack was not related to terrorism. NEW ORLEANS ATTACK: SEARCH CONTINUES FOR BOURBON STREET ‘PEOPLE OF INTEREST’ AS STATE AG VOWS DEATH PENALTY “We’ll be taking over the investigative lead for this event. This is not a terrorist event,” said New Orleans field office FBI Assistant Special Agent in Charge Alethea Duncan during the press conference. WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT VICTIMS OF NEW ORLEANS TERRORIST ATTACK The mayor of New Orleans contradicted Duncan in the same press conference, declaring that the attack was connected to terrorism. “Know that the city of New Orleans was impacted by a terrorist attack. It’s all still under investigation. You’ll hear more after me,” Mayor LaToya Cantrell, a Democrat who has served in the role since 2018, said at the presser. The FBI released statements later Wednesday outlining that the attack was now under investigation as an act of terror, including reporting that an ISIS flag was found on the truck that rammed into the crowds. “An ISIS flag was located in the vehicle, and the FBI is working to determine the subject’s potential associations and affiliations with terrorist organizations,” one FBI statement said. SUSPECT IDENTIFIED AS FBI INVESTIGATES ACT OF TERRORISM AFTER BOURBON STREET ATTACK “The FBI is the lead investigative agency, and we are working with our partners to investigate this as an act of terrorism. We are aggressively running down all leads to identify any possible associates of the subject,” the statement added. Conservative lawmakers decried the attack and mourned for the victims, while also directing their ire at the FBI for its alleged failures in handling the attack. Sen. Marsha Blackburn, a key Senate ally of Trump’s pick to lead the FBI, Kash Patel, slammed the FBI in a series of messages posted to X and again rallied support for Patel’s confirmation to serve as FBI director. OFFICIALS POSTPONE SUGAR BOWL IN THE WAKE OF APPARENT TERROR ATTACK ON BOURBON STREET “The tragic terror attack that killed innocent people in New Orleans is a stark reminder of the importance of strong leadership. America needs a fearless fighter like @Kash_Patel at the FBI,” Blackburn posted on Wednesday. Blackburn also took issue with the FBI for allegedly reporting to the suspect’s home in Texas after the media had already staked out the property. “The FBI didn’t show up to the NOLA suspect’s address until 1pm today. We were on scene before. No one came out of the home or answered the door,” New York Post reporter Jennie Taer posted to X on Wednesday. Blackburn responded to the Post reporter, saying that the FBI had “failed” its mission as the nation’s top law enforcement agency. “The fact that a reporter has better intel than the FBI tells us all we need to know. The FBI has failed its core mission,” Blackburn posted. WHO IS KASH PATEL? TRUMP’S PICK TO LEAD THE FBI HAS LONG HISTORY VOWING TO BUST UP ‘DEEP STATE’ When approached for comment on the criticisms, the FBI directed Fox Digital to its three previous statements on the attack that described it as an act of terror but did not comment on the New Orleans’ agent saying Wednesday that the attack was not connected to terrorism. “This morning, an individual drove a car into a crowd of people on Bourbon Street in New Orleans, killing a number of people and injuring dozens of others. The subject then engaged with local law enforcement and is now deceased. The FBI is the lead investigative agency, and we are working with our partners to investigate this as an act of terrorism,” the FBI said in one of its three statements provided to Fox Digital. Jabbar was identified as a 42-year-old U.S. citizen from Texas. He was an Army veteran who served as a human resource specialist and information technology specialist from March 2007 until Jan. 2015, and he deployed to Afghanistan from Feb. 2009 to Jan. 2010. Trump slammed President Biden and his administration’s policies for the attack. TRUMP FBI PICK KASH PATEL SHOULD TAKE THESE CONCRETE STEPS TO RESTORE TRUST: FORMER SPECIAL AGENT “With the Biden ‘Open Border’s Policy’ I said, many times during Rallies, and elsewhere, that Radical Islamic Terrorism, and other forms of violent crime, will become so bad in America that it will become hard to even imagine or believe. That time has come, only worse than ever imagined. Joe Biden is the WORST PRESIDENT IN THE HISTORY OF AMERICA, A COMPLETE AND TOTAL DISASTER,” Trump posted to Truth Social. Biden mourned the attack on Wednesday, highlighting that despite the violence, “our New Orleans will never, never, never be defeated.” “New Orleans is a place unlike any other place in the world,” the president said. “It’s a city full of charm and joy. So many people around the world love New Orleans because of its history, its culture, and above all, its people.” “So I know while this person committed a terrible assault on the city,
Trump to headline ‘victory rally’ in nation’s capital on eve of inauguration
President-elect Donald Trump plans to hold what is being called a “victory rally” the day before he is sworn in to a second term in the White House, according to a sign-up page on his inaugural website. Trump will headline the event, which is scheduled to start at 3 p.m. EST on Jan. 19, the day before his inauguration, at the Capitol One Arena in downtown Washington, D.C. CLICK HERE FOR THE LATEST FOX NEWS REPORTING ON THE TRUMP INAUGURATION The arena, home to professional hockey’s Washington Capitals and professional basketball’s Washington Wizards, has a capacity of roughly 20,000 people. TRUMP’S 2024 VICTORY SETS UP HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE FOR HOUSE REPUBLICANS IN 2026 The rally would be the first organized by Trump and his team since his victory over Vice President Kamala Harris in November’s presidential election. However, Trump did speak in front of thousands of conservative activists at a rally hosted by Turning Point USA on Dec. 22 in Arizona. According to the sign-up page on the inauguration website, those seeking to attend the rally can only register for up to two tickets on a first come, first served basis. Word of the inauguration eve rally was first reported by CBS News.