‘Standing by to help’: Red state reveals plan to purchase auctioned border wall materials to store for Trump
Officials in Texas say they are preparing to buy and store border wall materials being auctioned off by the federal government and keep them in place until the Trump administration takes office in January. Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick reacted to reports of continued auctions of border wall materials that have been left near the border after the sudden stop of border wall construction in 2021. “I will bid on all of that wall, and we will buy it in Texas, and we will give it to Donald Trump,” Patrick said on “The Ingraham Angle.” “I’ve got a billion dollars in my pocket to do it,” he said. ‘LEGAL AUTHORITY’: SENATE DEMS DEMAND BIDEN EXTEND PROTECTIONS FOR ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS AHEAD OF TRUMP ADMIN His comments were supported by Texas Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham, who said she is “fully prepared” to help in the effort. “If you buy it, I have a place to store it — on state land! The [Texas General Land Office] is standing by to help!” she said, calling the auctioning off of border wall materials by the Biden administration “shameful.” The Biden administration abruptly ended border wall construction in January 2021 after 450 miles had been built in the first Trump administration. While border hawks say a wall is a critical tool to stopping illegal immigration, some Democrats have said a wall project is xenophobic and ineffective. HOUSE OVERSIGHT REPUBLICANS INVESTIGATING BIDEN ADMIN’S SALE OF BORDER WALL PARTS: ‘WASTE AND ABUSE’ The auctioning off of border wall parts began in 2023 with parts listed for sale on GovPlanet.com, an online auction marketplace. The Defense Department’s logistics agency told media outlets that the excess material had been turned over for disposition by the Army Corps of Engineers and was now for sale. Those auctions have continued, with officials in Arizona telling Fox News Digital that auctions have been occurring weekly for some time. The practice drew attention last week when The Daily Wire published video showing unused wall parts being transported on flatbed trucks in Arizona, even though the materials could be used in the next Trump administration. President-elect Donald Trump has promised to restart border wall construction when he enters office next month. He described the selling off of the wall as “almost a criminal act” on Monday and appealed to the administration to stop the selling of the wall parts. A defense official told Fox News that the Pentagon has been disposing of excess wall construction in accordance with the FY 2024 National Defense Authorization Act, which required the Defense secretary to submit a plan to use, transfer or donate all remaining wall material purchased with Pentagon funds. That plan was submitted in March. The official said that border states, including Texas, were given preference for materials. Both Texas and California requested and received border materials, they said. “Through our reutilization, transfer, and donation process, nearly 60% of those materials were transferred to authorized recipients, including U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the states of Texas and California,” the official said. “The remaining 40% was sold to GOVPLANET under a competitive sales contract process beginning in June 2024. The material currently being sold through GOVPLANET online auctions no longer belongs to the U.S. Government, and DoD has no legal authority to recall the material or stop further resale of material it no longer owns.” CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF THE BORDER SECURITY CRISIS Texas has already shown it is keen to aid the incoming administration in its efforts to secure the border and engage in a mass deportation campaign. Fox News Digital first reported last month that Texas has offered 1,400 acres of land to the incoming administration with which to stage its mass deportation operation. Border czar Thomas Homan said he is already planning on how to use the land effectively. Fox News’ Jennifer Griffin contributed to this report.
Chicago community activist sounds off on migrant crisis: ‘I welcome’ Trump border czar
CHICAGO – Community activist and Chicago Against Violence founder Andre Smith may be a Democrat, but he says he’s willing to work with incoming Trump border czar Tom Homan to deport illegal immigrants from the Windy City. “I welcome in Chicago the border czar [Tom Homan],” Smith told Fox News Digital in an interview. “And [truth] be told, I wouldn’t mind working with him seeing that I was the first person in Chicago to stand up and fight against the migrants.” Smith, who is also a preacher, has been on the front line of helping his community in Chicago, from helping the homeless population to fighting against local efforts by Mayor Brandon Johnson to disperse migrants throughout the city. CHICAGO RESIDENTS SLAM THE ‘STUPIDITY’ OF MAYOR BRANDON JOHNSON’S LIBERAL POLICIES DURING CITY COUNCIL MEETING “I would love when he come[s] to Chicago to work with him, and getting them expedited back where they came from,” Smith said of Homan. “Because to lie to a federal official is a federal offense, and if they came over on the pretenses of they are in fear of their life, then you have women, you have men, and all of them said they’re in fear for their life because someone is going trying to kill them, and lying, you have to make examples.” Smith’s comments come as many Chicago residents have been outraged by “sanctuary city” policies that have brought in thousands of migrants to a city already plagued by one of the highest violent crime rates in the U.S. “Here we are in Chicago, where we [are] supposed to be celebrating a season of joy, love and happiness,” Smith continued. “And a lot of people have Christmas trees and under their trees in Chicago. We are unwrapping gifts of neglect. We are unwrapping gifts of disappointment and heartaches. We are unwrapping gifts of $575 million of taxpayer dollars given to and misallocated to give to illegal migrants. We need solutions, and we need change.” NEW DATA REVEALS AMERICA HAS TENS OF THOUSANDS OF NONCITIZENS FROM US ADVERSARY WITH DEPORTATION ORDERS Following President-elect Donald Trump’s re-election, Johnson — who allocated millions of dollars to migrant resources — vowed to defend the illegal migrants residing in Chicago, saying “we will not bend or break,” according to local news outlet WTTW. “Our values will remain strong and firm. We will face likely hurdles in our work over the next four years, but we will not be stopped, and we will not go back,” Johnson said. Meanwhile, Homan spoke in Chicago last week and told local Republicans he wanted Illinois Democrats to “come to the table,” but if not to “get the hell out of the way.” That comment sparked a fiery response from Rep. Delia Ramirez, D-Ill. “Tom Homan, the next time you come to #IL03 — a district made stronger and more powerful by immigrants — you better be ready to meet the resistance,” she warned. ILLINOIS GOVERNOR SAYS ‘VIOLENT’ ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS SHOULD BE DEPORTED, OPEN TO MEETING WITH TRUMP OFFICIALS “You may think Chicago needs to get out of the way of Trump’s plans for mass deportation, but we plan to get ALL UP IN YOUR WAY.” Ramirez’s comments add to a growing number of statements from Democratic leaders nationwide vowing to oppose or refuse cooperation with Trump’s mass deportation plans. But while Homan may face opposition from Illinois Democrats, there’s one Democratic leader willing to work with him: Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker. “Violent criminals who are undocumented and convicted of violent crime should be deported,” Pritzker said at a Northwest Side GOP gathering last week. “I do not want them in my state, I don’t think they should be in the United States.” Pritzker, 59, is considered a potential 2028 Democratic presidential hopeful. Fox News Digital’s Adam Shaw and Pilar Arias contributed to this report.
Dems push drastic move that Mike Lee calls ‘a phenomenally bad idea’
Several Senate Democrats are pushing a constitutional amendment to abolish the Electoral College and replace it with a presidential election system where the winner of the popular vote wins the White House contest. Sens. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, and Peter Welch, D-Vt., introduced the proposed amendment, according to a press release. “In 2000, before the general election, I introduced a bipartisan resolution to amend the Constitution and abolish the Electoral College. I still believe today that it is time to retire this 18th century invention that disenfranchises millions of Americans,” Durbin said, according to the release. “The American people deserve to choose all their leaders, and I am proud to support this effort with Senators Schatz and Welch to empower voters.” WHAT IS THE ELECTORAL COLLEGE? HOW DOES IT WORK? “In an election, the person who gets the most votes should win. It’s that simple,” Schatz stated. “No one’s vote should count for more based on where they live. The Electoral College is outdated and it’s undemocratic. It’s time to end it.” Welch claimed that “right now our elections aren’t as representative as they should be because of the outdated and flawed electoral college.” GOP Sen. Mike Lee of Utah slammed the proposal, calling it “a phenomenally bad idea,” in a post on X. “So naturally, Democrats are pushing it,” he added. MCCONNELL ISSUES SMACKDOWN OF KENTUCKY DEM GOVERNOR’S CALL TO ABOLISH THE ELECTORAL COLLEGE Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., responded to the proposal by accusing the Senate Democrats of wanting “to trample the Constitution.” President-elect Donald Trump trounced Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election, winning both the Electoral College and the popular vote. But there have been elections in U.S. history in which the winner of the Electoral College did not win the popular vote. TIM WALZ BACKPEDALS STATEMENT THAT THE ELECTORAL COLLEGE ‘NEEDS TO GO’ The most recent example was Trump’s 2016 victory where former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton won the national popular vote but lost the Electoral College.
DOGE Caucus co-founder introduces 2 bills to kick-start waste cuts in Trump term
FIRST ON FOX: One of the founding Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) Caucus members, Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., is leading the introduction of a legislative package targeting government waste related to the COVID-19 pandemic on Tuesday ahead of President-elect Donald Trump’s next term. The Oklahoma Republican gave Fox News Digital an exclusive first look at two bills he will introduce Tuesday, one to address cases of unemployment fraud and another to extend the statute of limitations to prosecute COVID-19 recovery fund fraud. “Making the government more efficient isn’t a partisan issue—it’s an American issue. Loopholes in the law let fraudsters get away with billions in COVID recovery and Unemployment Insurance payouts while forcing taxpayers to foot the bill. The decades of government waste must come to an end,” Lankford said in a statement. The first measure would allow states to halt unemployment payments to claimants if they are deemed fraudulent, getting rid of a requirement for unemployment agencies to restart payments within two weeks if they are appealed, despite potential fraud. TOM COTTON DEMANDS DOD RECORDS ON BORDER-WALL MATERIAL SALES BE PRESERVED The latter bill would expand the extended statute of limitations for certain pandemic-era programs to all of them, including large and costly ones such as the Coronavirus Relief Fund, Economic Impact Payments and Unemployment insurance. According to Lankford’s office, Government Accountability Office Comptroller Eugene Dodaro endorsed the bill addressing COVID relief fraud. JUDGES BACKING OUT OF RETIREMENT AHEAD OF TRUMP TERM LEAVE GOP SENATORS FUMING “I am very pleased that this bill addresses the Inspector General community’s request to extend the statute of limitations for pandemic unemployment insurance program fraud,” he said in a statement provided to Fox News Digital by Lankford’s office. “If enacted, this bill would give our oversight partners and law enforcement additional time to pursue federal fraud-related investigations in these programs and hold individuals accountable to the American people.” NJ LAWMAKER CRAFTS STATE DOGE COMMITTEE TO ‘MIRROR’ ELON’S BRAINCHILD: ‘WE NEED IT MORE’ In November, Trump announced that billionaire Elon Musk and former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy would lead DOGE, a proposed advisory board tasked with eliminating government waste. “Together, these two wonderful Americans will pave the way for my Administration to dismantle Government Bureaucracy, slash excess regulations, cut wasteful expenditures, and restructure Federal Agencies – Essential to the ‘Save America’ Movement,” he wrote in a statement at the time. Afterward, caucuses were formed in both the House and Senate, led by Reps. Aaron Bean, R-Fla., and Pete Sessions, R-Texas, and Blake Moore, R-Utah, and Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, respectively. REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK: A DOGE IN THE FIGHT Ernst is a co-sponsor of Lankford’s COVID fraud bill. Before Trump officially announced DOGE and his choice of Musk and Ramaswamy to lead it, the billionaire Tesla and SpaceX CEO said at an October rally that he believed it could cut trillions in government spending. “I think we could do at least $2 trillion,” Musk said at the time.
TN lawmaker proposes sending illegal migrants accused of minor crimes to sanctuary cities instead of deporting
A Tennessee state lawmaker introduced a bill to require law enforcement to send illegal migrants accused of minor crimes to sanctuary cities rather than deporting them to another country. State Rep. Todd Warner, a Republican, filed the bill, the Tennessee Illegal Immigration Act, ahead of the legislative session. The proposal would also ensure that all law enforcement agencies report illegal migrants to federal immigration authorities. Warner told Fox 17 that sending migrants to a sanctuary city could cost the state less than deporting them to their home countries, even if the federal government would eventually take on the deportation costs. “It seeks to make Tennessee safer. It seeks to make the federal government, you know hold their feet to the fire and enforce immigration law and it seeks the state to recoup some costs back out of it,” he said. INCOMING MISSOURI STATE LAWMAKER INTRODUCES BILL TO GIVE $1K TO ANYONE WHO TURNS IN ILLEGAL MIGRANTS Under the bill, if ICE fails to show up in 48 hours to pick up an illegal migrant who is detained, law enforcement would help send them to a sanctuary city. Warner said the arresting agency would be responsible for relocating the detained migrants. Warner said this would be paid for by withholding money Tennessee generates for the federal government through the gas tax. The lawmaker said he plans to add an amendment clarifying that the bill would only apply to illegal migrants charged with a minor offense. Violent criminals would still be subject to deportation. GREG ABBOTT BLASTS MIGRANT ACCUSED OF SETTING TEXAS HOME ON FIRE WITH CHILDREN INSIDE: ‘LOCATE & DEPORT’ “This is for victimless crimes. This is not for someone that has committed a terrible crime,” Warner told Fox 17. Hannah Smalley, the Advocacy and Education Manager at Tennessee Justice for Our Neighbors, argues that the proposal would unnecessarily separate migrant families. “The mere act of being transported away from your family is damaging,” she told Fox 17. “This means that people, including people who have not been charged with crimes, are going to be facing these really punitive consequences just on the basis of their immigration status.” “When U.S. citizens commit crimes and we pay a fine or we go to jail,” she added. “Immigrants are also doing that. So to then make this about someone’s immigration status, which is totally separate from any kind of crime that they would have committed, is not productive to our community as a whole.” Warner said he still has to tweak the bill, but he is hoping it will receive bipartisan support in the legislature.
Top Republican touts ‘real motivation’ behind House DOGE Caucus’ mission before first meeting
A co-chair of the House of Representatives’ Congressional DOGE Caucus said there is “real motivation” behind accomplishing its mission of cutting the federal deficit. Rep. Blake Moore, R-Utah, is House GOP Conference vice chair and the No. 6 House Republican, and recently joined Reps. Aaron Bean, R-Fla., and Pete Sessions, R-Texas, in leading the caucus. The group’s name is an acronym for Delivering Outstanding Government Efficiency, coinciding with the Department of Government Efficiency – also DOGE for short – a new advisory panel commissioned by President-elect Trump and led by Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy. The caucus’ first meeting is slated for Tuesday. Moore said he hopes they can “create some structure on what we want to accomplish and set some initial first easy wins.” REP. JARED MOSKOWITZ FIRST DEMOCRAT TO JOIN CONGRESSIONAL DOGE CAUCUS He did not elaborate on what those wins would be, but suggested one of the caucus’ main goals would be delivering recommendations to Musk and Ramaswamy on how to make the federal government more efficient. “We’ve got people that have great ideas from their various committees on things, areas that we can find efficiencies, and just get that all on paper and eventually, you know, provide some recommendations,” Moore said. The Utah Republican is hopeful that his unique position as a member of House leadership will allow him to be a conduit between the caucus and fellow congressional leaders. “I was looking for another opportunity to help serve the conference,” Moore said of his decision to become a co-chair. “There is a ton of bipartisan work that’s already been done on this type of stuff for years leading up to it. We needed this moment as a catalyst to do it. So I am just thrilled to be a part of the leadership team.” He also suggested that the enthusiasm for DOGE was unlike anything he’d seen for prior government initiatives. REPUBLICANS GIVE DETAILS FROM CLOSED-DOOR MEETINGS WITH DOGE’S MUSK, RAMASWAMY “There’s real motivation behind this, and the American people are galvanized by this. For example, I’m the chair, co-chair of the Ski and Snowboard caucus. Utah has… got the best ski – greatest snow on earth and all that. That doesn’t draw the attention,” Moore said. “But I became a co-chair also of the DOGE Caucus, and you could tell a widespread interest in this from both media back home [and] constituents. We have to honor that.” Moore also dismissed concerns that DOGE’s internet meme-inspired branding might make people take it less seriously, arguing instead that it will help make Americans enthusiastic about the mission. “Doge” is also the name of an internet meme popular in the 2010s, depicting a Shiba Inu and frequently accompanied by phrases in broken English representing the dog’s supposed internal monologue. Musk has made no secret of his affinity for the meme, and even coined the name “Department of Government Efficiency” while posting references to it on X, formerly Twitter, before Trump made it a reality. He’s also promoted a cryptocurrency of the same name. “I’ve never seen so much excitement and engagement from my constituents,” Moore said. “The fact that it’s the Doge, I think this is how people connect now. Like, you know, that’s a good thing because it makes it relatable. And so I think it’s definitely something that kind of makes people laugh a little bit and just find the irony in it.” “Whatever can get people’s attention, you have to use that for good. Then you’ve got potential for impact.”
Vance will likely be 2028 front-runner, but RNC chair ‘excited about the bench that we have’
With former president and now President-elect Donald Trump unable to run again for the White House in 2028, Vice President-elect JD Vance appears to be the heir apparent to the America First movement and the Republican Party’s powerful MAGA base. But even though the 40-year-old Vance will be considered the front-runner in the next GOP presidential nomination race, the chair of the Republican National Committee says the party will hold to its traditional role of staying neutral in an open and contested presidential primary. “We will,” RNC chair Michael Whatley said in a Fox News Digital interview. Vance, with Trump’s support in a party firmly in the president-elect’s grip, will be very hard to knock off in the 2028 Republican presidential primaries. RNC CHAIR SPOTLIGHTS TRUMP’S ROLE IN THE 2026 MIDTERMS “We are getting four more years of Trump and then eight years of JD Vance,” Donald Trump Jr. said in October on the campaign trail. The younger Trump, who’s a powerful ally of the vice president-elect, is extremely popular with the MAGA base. “The vice president will be in the catbird seat. No question about it,” longtime Republican consultant Dave Carney recently told Fox News Digital. Carney, a veteran of numerous Republican presidential campaigns over the past four decades, said that Vance “is the guy to beat.” VANCE THE 2028 GOP FRONT-RUNNER, BUT CHECK OUT THESE OTHER POTENTIAL CONTENDERS David Kochel, another longtime GOP strategist with plenty of presidential campaign experience, said that Vance is the front-runner due to “the size and the scope” of Trump’s Electoral College and popular vote victories last month, “and the implied passing of the torch from Donald Trump.” “There will be no shortage of people looking at it. But most people looking at it are seeing the relative strength of the Trump victory and the movement,” Kochel said. However, Kochel noted that “nobody will completely defer to JD Vance. There will be a contest. There always is.” Whatley, who was interviewed a week after Trump asked him to continue as RNC chair moving forward, said he’s “very excited about the bench that we have in the Republican Party right now.” “You think about all the Republican governors, you think about all the Republican senators, the members of the House that we have, the leaders across the country that have been engaged in this campaign are going to be part of the president’s cabinet,” he added. Whatley argued that the president-elect’s “America First movement is bigger than Donald Trump. He is the tip of the spear. He is the vanguard of this movement. But. It is a very big movement right now.” The chairman on Thursday also emphasized that “Donald Trump has completely remade the Republican Party. We’re now the working-class party. We’re now a party that is communicating and working with every single voter, speaking to every single voter about the issues that they care about. So, as we go into 2028, we are in a great position to be able to continue the momentum of this agenda and this movement.” Unlike the rival Democratic National Committee, 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 said “I’ve not had any conversations with anybody who wants to change the calendar on our side. I know the Democrats did during the course of this election cycle, not sure that it really helped them all that much.” “We’re very comfortable with the calendar as it is. But as we move towards 2028, we’ll have those conversations,” he added.
Swing state governor’s race gets curveball as top Dem runs independent, sparking calls for Buttigieg to enter
As Democrats hope to retain the governor’s seat in the swing state of Michigan with Gov. Gretchen Whitmer term-limited, a top Democratic figure has launched an independent bid, leading to a search on the left for an alternative standard-bearer. Three-term Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan, viewed for some time as very likely to seek the governor’s office, reportedly surprised the state’s body politic by announcing he will do so as an independent. “I went to Lansing and built relationships with Democrats and Republicans. We took our neighborhoods out of the darkness of burned-out streetlights and we lit the entire city to the national standard… and reduced Detroit’s unemployment rate to its lowest rate in more than 30 years,” Duggan said in his campaign launch video. “The current system forces people to choose sides that find solutions. I want to see if I can change that.” BUTTIGIEG REJECTS CRITICS OF EV FUTURE: LIKE PEOPLE IN 2000S SAYING WE COULD HAVE LANDLINES FOREVER He struck a similar tone in recent remarks to reporters: Duggan said in his final year as mayor he wants to “establish a working relationship with the Trump administration,” and noted he had done so with fellow Motor City native HUD Secretary Ben Carson one term prior. He also told The Associated Press he views many Americans as being “tired of both parties and tired of the system – and so I want to offer people a choice.” That choice led Democrats to reportedly pivot to a prominent Indiana native who recently moved north to his husband’s home state. At an event with Detroit autoworkers, one man shouted a question about the Lions – rather than Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg’s home-state Colts – which the AP illustrated as a potential challenge for the Traverse City newcomer to connect with Michiganders if he decides to run. Another man at the event praised Buttigieg’s willingness to be “one of the few” politicians to speak to both liberal and conservative media audiences. Buttigieg has said he won’t make any official political decisions on “how to make myself useful” until after his current boss, President Biden, leaves office, but has been contacted by several Michigan Democrats about entering the race. Duggan’s announcement, however, was met with derision from Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, another potential Democratic contender. “In moments like this, we don’t flee from the party, but we stay and fix it,” Benson told FOX-2, which reported she is considering tossing her hat in the ring. Andrew Feldman, a Democratic strategist in the Great Lakes State, told the AP that people are “shocked and angry” at Duggan for eschewing the Democratic Party label. “Many view this as a serious situation where Mike Duggan could put the governor’s mansion in the hands of Republicans and roll back years of progress,” he said. While the left wing is divided between Duggan’s independent run and jockeying to fill the Democratic row on the ballot, the Republican race appears wide open. “You know what, [20]26 is always in the back of my mind, but right now, we’re focused on [20]24,” conservative media host Tudor Dixon – the 2022 Republican nominee – said just before the presidential election when asked about running again. HOUSE PANEL RELEASES YEAR-END REPORT ON BIDEN-MICHIGAN ELECTIONEERING CONTROVERSY Other names floated in the Michigan press include businessman Perry Johnson – who briefly ran for president on the GOP line in 2024 – businessman Kevin Rinke, and several sitting GOP lawmakers. Adding to the electoral uncertainty were Michigan’s 2024 split results, as voters there chose both Republican President-elect Trump and Democratic Sen.-elect Elissa Slotkin from the top-tier races. As for Whitmer, reports have viewed her as a top contender in the 2028 Democratic presidential contest, along with several other governors, like Pennsylvania’s Josh Shapiro, California’s Gavin Newsom, North Carolina’s Roy Cooper, Maryland’s Wes Moore, Illinois’ JB Pritzker and Minnesota’s Tim Walz. Fox News Digital reached out to the Michigan GOP, Michigan Democrats and Buttigieg’s office for comment.
Virginia Gov. Youngkin calls for end to taxes on tips ahead of legislative session
Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, a Republican, is pushing to eliminate taxes on tips ahead of the commonwealth’s next legislative session. This proposal would return an estimated $70 million annually to the pockets of Virginia workers, Youngkin’s office said Monday in a press release. An end to taxes on tips could help more than 250,000 people in Virginia who work within the food service industry, the personal service industry such as hairstylists, the hospitality industry and others who receive tips through their employment in other industries. “We have delivered over $5 billion in tax relief to date, and we remain committed to lowering the cost of living for hardworking Virginians. It’s their money, not the government’s,” Youngkin said in the release. YOUNGKIN TO DRAFT SANCTUARY CITY BAN, MAKING STATE FUNDING ON ICE COOPERATION “By removing tips from taxable income, it will directly increase the take-home pay of hundreds of thousands of Virginians and give them more buying power, which in turn will improve financial stability, stimulate local economies, and honor the value of their hard work,” he continued. Virginia workers who earn tips would be able to claim a deduction on their state tax return if the income is included in their federal adjusted gross income, the release said. “This is way to keep more money in their pocket as opposed to giving it to a government. We’re already running surpluses and therefore, no taxes on tips is going to become the manta in Virginia,” Youngkin said Monday during an appearance on Fox News’ “America’s Newsroom.” The governor’s proposal echoes President-elect Trump’s call during his campaign to end taxes on tips. Vice President Harris also expressed support for eliminating taxes on tips during her presidential campaign. GLENN YOUNGKIN ‘PERSONALLY INVITES’ NEW TRUMP ADMIN TO SETTLE IN VIRGINIA OVER MARYLAND AND DC The proposal comes ahead of the start of Virginia’s legislative session next month. It would require approval from the commonwealth’s General Assembly, and it is unclear if Democrats, who control both chambers, would support Youngkin’s proposal. Next year, Virginia’s gubernatorial race will be held, where Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears, a Republican, is expected to face off against U.S. Rep. Abigail Spanberger, a Democrat.
Trump threatens more lawsuits against media as ABC to pay $15 million to settle case
Donald Trump said yesterday at a Mar-a-Lago news conference that he would take a couple of questions. By the time he finished speaking, he had gone on for an hour. Trump made news on a dozen topics, a reminder of the freewheeling approach in which even among journalists who can’t stand him, the incoming president is a newsmaking machine who provides headlines around the clock, setting the terms of debate – in a sharp contrast with the reclusive Joe Biden. Trump also deflected a few questions that he absolutely should not have answered, such as strategy on Ukraine and whether he’d retaliate against Iran. TRUMP LEAVES CHINA GUESSING WHAT HIS NEXT MOVE IS WITH INAUGURATION INVITE I was a bit surprised, though, that he launched an attack on the press, though, since this contradicted his recent remarks about reaching out to even hostile news outlets, as long as they treat him fairly. This took place two days after ABC and George Stephanopoulos apologized to Trump to settle a defamation, agreeing to donate $15 million to a presidential library or foundation, plus another million bucks to cover his legal fees. This averted what could have been an embarrassing and grueling deposition by its star anchor. The network’s problem is that Stephanopoulos had repeatedly said Trump had been found liable for “rape,” repeating the word about 10 times, in the E. Jean Carroll civil suit, when the jury held him liable for “sexual abuse.” While the judge said this would commonly be understood as rape, they are legally different in New York. You don’t agree to 15 million bucks unless you think you don’t have much of a case. While left-leaning pundits are accusing ABC of “caving” to Trump, the network made a different judgment call. Trump ripped the media as “very corrupt” and ticked off more lawsuits he has filed or plans to file. The president-elect said he planned to sue the Des Moines Register for having a poll before the election that turned out to be wrong. He praised pollster Ann Selzer as always having gotten him right until the Iowa caucuses, when she said he’d lose by 4 points and he won the state by 13. RFK JR SET TO FACE ABORTION, VACCINE SCRUTINY IN SITDOWNS WITH SENATORS ON CAPITOL HILL Trump said he was taking legal action against “60 Minutes” for substituting a different, tighter answer to a different question than had been asked—a practice that most journalists, including me, said was a huge blunder by the CBS show. “We have to straighten out the press,” he said. “The press is very corrupt. Almost as corrupt as our elections.” He added: “I’m doing this not because I want to. I’m doing this because I feel I have an obligation to,” Trump said. “In my opinion, it was fraud and it was election interference.” Trump also said he would pursue a suit against Bob Woodward for making public the audiotapes from a book project. Woodward has said he never agreed not to do so. And Trump plans to pursue his action against the Pulitzer Prize board for giving the Washington Post and New York Times awards for what he calls the Russia Russia Russia hoax. While it was certainly overplayed, the board says Trump could not point to any inaccuracies in the articles submitted. And then there was Trump commenting on, well, just about everything else. He said he would consider a pardon for indicted New York Mayor Eric Adams because he’d been treated “very unfairly.” He said he couldn’t understand how people could sympathize with the suspect in the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson: “It was cold-blooded. Just a cold-blooded, horrible killing, and how people can like this guy is — that’s a sickness, actually.” DANIEL PENNY’S JURY PRAISED FOR EXONERATING HIM IN CHOKEHOLD TRIAL: ‘GOT IT RIGHT’ He heaped praise on Lara Trump but said the decision on whether to name her to a vacant Florida Senate seat was up to DeSantis. However, the Wall Street Journal reports that he has lobbied the governor to choose her. He defended DOD nominee Pete Hegseth, saying all he wants to do is improve the military. He also provided visual backing by bringing Hegseth to the Army-Navy Game, along with JD Vance, Elon Musk (of course), Ron DeSantis, Tulsi Gabbard and Speaker Mike Johnson. Trump said he would keep the polio vaccine but would have discussions with RFK Jr. about other vaccines, including his totally debunked theory that vaccines cause autism. Trump did argue there has been a rise in autism among boys. “I think he’s going to be much less radical than you would think,” he told reporters. Trump demanded that Biden officials explain what is happening with the mystery drones, since they obviously know. That is a whole lot of news. Perhaps we’ve forgotten how Donald J. Trump loves to sound off on everything under the sun. We’re about to get a four-year refresher course.