‘Knows how to get things done’: Border Patrol union rallies around Noem as DHS chief
FIRST ON FOX: A labor union representing thousands of Border Patrol agents is all in on South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem as secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, calling on senators to confirm her nomination “quickly.” “On behalf of the men and women of the National Border Patrol Council (NBPC) who protect our nation’s borders, we are excited to provide our support for President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee, Governor Kristi Noem, to be the next Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security,” National Border Patrol Council President Paul Perez wrote in a letter to Sens. Gary Peters, D-Mich., and Rand. Paul, R-Ky., the chair and ranking member of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs, respectively. Perez sent the letter, which was obtained by Fox News Digital, to the senators on Thursday, joining a growing chorus of law enforcement groups throwing their support behind Noem. The DHS oversees U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the U.S. Secret Service and the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The union, which represents about 18,000 Border Patrol agents, wrote in their letter to Paul and Peters that Noem has showcased her ability to “get things done” both at home in South Dakota, and on the national stage when she aided Texas’ “Operation Lone Star” to battle the immigration crisis. ‘SECURE OUR BORDER’: MASSIVE POLICE ORG CALLS FOR SWIFT CONFIRMATION OF NOEM TO DHS “Governor Noem is a seasoned leader who knows how to get things done – not only as chief executive of her home state but also in Washington, DC, where she served with distinction and integrity in the U.S. House of Representatives,” Perez wrote in the letter, which was also sent to Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., the incoming Senate majority leader. “Governor Noem was the first governor to deploy National Guard personnel to the border in Texas to support Operation Lone Star. This deployment bolstered our resources at a critical time along the border and helped to protect Texans and Americans alike.” TRUMP SELECTS SOUTH DAKOTA GOV KRISTI NOEM TO RUN DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY Noem has repeatedly deployed South Dakota National Guard troops to the southern border in Texas to help stem illegal border crossings. “The border is a war zone, so we’re sending soldiers,” Noem said in a press release in February, which marked the fifth deployment of National Guard troops to the border under the Biden administration. “These soldiers’ primary mission will be construction of a wall to stem the flow of illegal immigrants, drug cartels, and human trafficking into the United States of America.” Earlier this month, Washington, D.C., insiders told Fox News Digital that they anticipate Noem will earn endorsements from a long list of law enforcement groups for her federal nomination. GOV KRISTI NOEM REFLECTS ON TRUMP WIN, SAYS DEMOCRATS ‘TRY TO PUT WOMEN IN A BOX’ Fox News Digital previously reported that the largest organization of sworn law enforcement officers, the Fraternal Order of Police, sent letters to both President-elect Trump and Paul outlining their staunch support of Noem as secretary of homeland security. ”Governor Noem has been a longtime ally of the FOP during both her tenure in the House of Representatives and as Governor of South Dakota. The South Dakota State Lodge of the Fraternal Order of Police endorsed Governor Noem for her re-election campaign in 2022, citing her belief in the rule of law and commitment to public safety,” Fraternal Order of Police national president Patrick Yoes wrote in a November letter to Trump, which was obtained by Fox News Digital. Perez echoed that sentiment for Border Patrol agents, specifically, calling for Noem’s speedy confirmation to bolster the border and homeland security overall. “We are confident that as Secretary, Governor Noem will continue to ensure Border Patrol agents have the resources and manpower that we need to secure our border. We urge you to quickly begin consideration of this critical nomination and confirm Governor Noem as Secretary once President Trump is sworn in,” Perez said. WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT KRISTI NOEM, THE ‘BORDER HAWK’ NOMINATED BY TRUMP TO LEAD DHS Noem has served as governor of the Mount Rushmore State since 2019, and notably gained national attention and praise from conservatives during the pandemic when she bucked lockdown orders and mask mandates common in liberal states such as California and New York. Trump, who ran on a pledge to end the immigration crisis at the southern border and crack down on the deadly drug epidemic ravaging communities across the nation, announced his nomination of Noem just days after his decisive win over Vice President Kamala Harris last month. EX-TRUMP OFFICIAL PREDICTS ‘ENTIRE MINDSET CHANGE’ AT SOUTHERN BORDER, HAILS ‘FANTASTIC’ PICK TO LEAD DHS “Kristi has been very strong on Border Security. She was the first Governor to send National Guard Soldiers to help Texas fight the Biden Border Crisis, and they were sent a total of eight times. 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,” he wrote last month in his announcement. Noem began meeting with Senate lawmakers last week to rally their support for the confirmation process. “We’ve just had great conversations with Sen. Peters, talked about some concerns within the agency, what we can do to solidify our national security interests,” Noem told reporters, according to Roll Call. “And I think Republicans and Democrats in this country recognize how important homeland security is, and that we’re working together to make sure that we’re safe.”
Freshman Focus: Republican Brad Knott, ex-prosecutor who flipped House seat in North Carolina, talks game plan
Republican Brad Knott, who flipped North Carolina’s 13th District red in November, explained to Fox News Digital why he resigned as a federal prosecutor to run for Congress – and what his priorities will be once he’s sworn into the House next month. A lifelong North Carolinian and former longtime Assistant U.S. Attorney, Knott said that he considered it a “high honor” to spend most of his career working alongside law enforcement, including through organized crime investigations spanning across the country. It was the effects of President Biden and Vice President Harris taking office on local law enforcement in particular that drove Knott to run for Congress. Observing the impact of the border crisis on communities, Knott said that he couldn’t sit by and watch the sheer “availability of drugs, the presence of violence, the inability to combat it effectively because of just the deluge of people and contraband and criminality that was coming across the border and really the refusal of Washington to do what it could do.” “I had a very, very extensive career in law enforcement, saw a lot in that role and was very much troubled by what I saw on a policy level once Joe Biden and Kamala Harris took the reins in January of 2021,” Knott said. “And the deliberate policies and the actions that they took upon taking the oath had a trickle-down effect that was just undeniable. And it was undeniably harmful not only for us as prosecutors, but federal law enforcement, local law enforcement, and then obviously the communities that we are all tasked to protect.” FRESHMAN FOCUS: REPUBLICAN ROB BRESNAHAN, WHO OUSTED SIX-TERM HOUSE DEMOCRAT, REVEALS HOW HE DID IT Noting executive policies alone, Knott said “there was an absolute refusal to tackle this problem,” which he found “baffling” given the numbers of drug overdoses, attrition rates of law enforcement agencies and crime. “There was just not an appetite at all to tackle this issue. And after a number of years of that, I ultimately followed my heart. We had prayed about this and given the unique posture I had before I decided to run,” Knott said. “Seeing crimes all over the country and the effects of it, I thought that it’d be worth trying to run for office in an effort ultimately to fix those issues that I had a firsthand account of seeing and seeing how to combat it effectively.” Knott’s endorsement by President-elect Trump in April resulted in his overwhelming May run-off primary win, staving off the prior GOP front-runner Kelly Daughtry. He went on to defeat Democrat Frank Pierce on Election Day last month, winning the redrawn district now covering all or parts of the eight counties in or near the state capital of Raleigh. The highlight of campaigning for office, Knott said, was door knocking and hosting town halls for the opportunities to speak and interact with voters firsthand. “It’s essential to do that because it gives you a window, a front row seat and to what people are actually focused on,” Knott said. “It cuts through the noise. It cuts through the media. And in my old job, it’s like getting to talk to the jury. It just goes right to the relevant party.” Through those conversations, Knott said the people of the 13th district expressed “a fairly consistent basket of issues” involving the border crisis’ strain of resources on local police and first responders, and in schools and hospitals. “But beyond that, there was an overwhelming sense that the country was just headed in the wrong direction,” Knott told Fox News Digital. “And from a priority standpoint, I think many people realize that the last administration, the current administration, but soon to be the last administration, were prioritizing things that most Americans just did not agree with. There’s real suffering in the United States right now, and there’s a very real misconception that the economy is doing well, that the economy is robust. It is not robust. And most people in the 13th District had a real understanding of just how limited the economy is.” Knott stressed that the United States is $36 trillion in debt – and regardless of their background, he said voters overwhelmingly felt their taxpayer dollars were funneled to illegal immigrants and conflicts abroad, rather than Americans at home. “Most people are struggling and struggling mightily. And whether it’s sending tens, if not hundreds of billions of dollars abroad, tens if not hundreds of billions of dollars to illegal immigrants, the promulgation of thousands of regulations that strangle small businesses, essentially enabling only the connected and the big businesses to thrive,” Knott said. “And again, the overall sentiment was the country is just headed in the wrong direction. And the path we’re on, it needs to change. And so getting out into the community, our belief about getting into the race was certainly affirmed that the people, regardless of race, regardless of class, regardless of of politics, really, they wanted they wanted meaningful changes to obvious problems.” “We are $36 trillion in debt. What have you received for all of that spending?” Knott asked, stating that “we are going to have to pay that back for no services rendered.” As for the border crisis, Knott condemned how the U.S. government “literally borrowed money from other countries, from the taxpayers, their future earnings to subsidize the illegal immigration invasion,” as “we were spending tens, if not hundreds of billions of dollars a year over the last couple of years paying for illegal immigrants to be here, to be educated here, to eat here, to sleep here. And incentivizing more of it.” “That’s just one example of the gross incompetence, but the unbelievable power of Washington,” Knott said. The Biden administration is rushing to dispense billions more in U.S. aid to Ukraine before Trump takes office. Additional assistance amid what is nearly a three-year-long conflict will be deliberated by the new Congress, controlled by the GOP in both chambers, as
Rep Gimenez warns China is ‘greatest threat’ to US, Trump admin will ‘project strength’ to CCP
EXCLUSIVE: Rep. Carlos Gimenez, a member of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), said China is the “greatest threat” to the United States and that President-elect Donald Trump will bring “peace through strength, not peace through appeasement.” Gimenez, R-Fla., told Fox News Digital the CCP is the “adversary we have to watch, both militarily and economically.” “China is making great strides around the world,” Gimenez said, pointing to its capacity in production, specifically with defense materials and weapons. “It surpasses that of the United States’ and we have seen that we are lacking.” NATO CHIEF URGES MEMBERS TO ‘TURBOCHARGE’ DEFENSE PRODUCTION AS HE PAINTS PICTURE OF A WORLD BOUND FOR WAR Gimenez said the Russian-Ukraine war has “demonstrated to us that our defense capacity has been degraded over the decades.” “It shows we could run out of munitions fairly quickly if we had a prolonged fight with China,” he said, warning that China also “has the ability to produce many more ships than we do.” Gimenez said the U.S. is “trying to do catch-up.” “We have to update how we do things at the Pentagon, we have to be more nimble, we have to get the private sector involved, and we have to eliminate bureaucracy that has hampered our ability to protect ourselves,” he said. ‘BE AWARE’: HOUSE LAWMAKERS DESCRIBE WHAT IT’S LIKE LIVING UNDER THREAT BY CHINA, IRAN But as for the approach to the China threat, Gimenez blasted the Biden administration, specifically President Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken. “I think China, with Biden and Blinken, thought they could do just about anything they wanted or thought they could fool them,” he said. “The Biden administration was always exhibiting weakness and trying to appease our enemies, whereas Trump knows exactly who our friends are, who our enemies are and is going to put the security of America first.” Gimenez added, “He understands that the security of America lies in peace through strength, not peace through appeasement.” As for confronting the threat in the coming months, Gimenez pointed to the importance of the U.S. being energy independent. Gimenez said he wants to “make America the energy spigot of the world, where the world goes to get energy is America.” TRUMP TAPS FORMER ACTING AG MATTHEW WHITAKER AS NATO AMBASSADOR “It would help our financial situation, our balance sheet, and give us the ability to help our friends and weaken our enemies,” he said. “We could use our energy dominance as an economic weapon against our enemies, helping our friends and hurting our enemies,” he continued. “We can substitute Iranian and Venezuelan oil with American oil, Russian oil with American oil, and then starve those countries which are allied with China of their greatest source of revenue and then impede their ability to help China.” “If China finds itself isolated in the world, I think that’s the best way we can contain this threat,” he said. “But we have to project strength and the willingness to confront aggression by the CCP.” As for the House Select Committee on the CCP, he said they have “much more work to do.” “The China threat is increasing,” he said, noting that the committee is bipartisan in its nature and that members on both sides of the aisle have “bought into that China is the threat and that China will be the threat.” “It’s not climate change, it’s China,” he said. “And we have to confront that threat or live in a world that is dominated by the Chinese Communist Party.” “And Trump is going to project strength and back those words with action.”
Trump leaves China guessing what his next move is with unusual inauguration invitation
President-elect Trump took China by surprise when he invited President Xi Jinping to his upcoming inauguration, a friendly gesture ahead of a widely expected trade war. The move left everyone wondering what Trump was up to — a Chinese head of state has not attended a U.S. inauguration in all of history. Xi is not expected to accept the invitation, sources told CBS News. “We have a good relationship with China. I have a good relationship,” Trump told CNBC on Friday. “We’ve been talking and discussing with President Xi some things.” But the invitation comes as the U.S. intelligence community disclosed a massive hack of eight U.S. telecom companies, finding that Chinese hackers had accessed the data of millions of Americans, including Vice President-elect JD Vance. The hack, nicknamed Salt Typhoon and one of the most far-reaching in history, affected mostly people in the Washington, D.C., area, and was targeted at government-linked people. Information about their phone calls and texts was intercepted. CHINESE HACKERS TARGET US TELECOMS: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW TO PROTECT YOUR DATA Meanwhile, a Chinese national was arrested on suspicion of flying a drone over Vandenberg Space Force base in Northern California, the Department of Justice said Wednesday. “Many people were disappointed by this invitation,” said China expert Gordon Chang. “A man who is responsible for spreading COVID beyond China borders, for being behind the fentanyl program, which kills 70,000 Americans a year, that was not a good look for the United States,” he went on. “And it betrayed weakness.” “The Chinese president looks at that and believes that Trump is not serious,” said Chang. “Xi Jinping has made it clear that the United States is China’s enemy. He’s done that in many ways. And for an American president to show friendship is not a gesture in Xi’s mind, it’s a display of weakness, and Chinese leaders always take advantage of weakness.” It’s not clear if the invitation means that Trump is looking to take a more diplomatic approach to the relationship with China after a campaign marked by threats of hiking tariffs. CHINA DENIES NEW REPORT LINKING CCP TO FOUR SITES IN CUBA ALLEGEDLY USED TO SPY ON THE US Trump has floated the idea of a 60% across-the-board levy on all goods imported from China, which would cover some $400 billion worth of products. Free trade supporters have worried this would break a top campaign promise for Trump: to rein in and prevent the record inflation figures seen under the Biden administration. And the threat of a trade war comes as military tensions rise in the Indo-Pacific. China has been putting on displays of force in the waters off the shores of U.S. allies like the Philippines and Japan, and increasingly threatening Taiwan, an island democracy it views as its rightful territory. Defense experts have begun to muse whether the U.S. could find itself at war with China. Lyle Goldstein, Director of Asia Engagement at Defense Priorities think tank, welcomed the news of the invitation, reading it as a sign of being willing to engage. “Nothing like that has happened under the Biden administration,” he said. “Trump is a dealmaker, and I think China is eager to make deals. “The Biden approach was very ideological, you know, the world is black and white.” “If we go into a new Cold War, the results, I think, will be devastating for both the United States and China,” Goldstein added. “I think there is some understanding in the Trump team that the stakes are enormous here.” China, meanwhile, is considering devaluing its currency further in anticipation of Trump’s tariffs, according to a Reuters report. “People have got to realize that trading with China generally is a good thing. But yeah, we have to. There are some key readjustments that need to take place,” said Goldstein. “I would like to see that take place from readjusting China’s currency.”
Trump taps Richard Grenell as presidential envoy for special missions, Edward S. Walsh as Ireland ambassador
President-elect Trump named a couple of key first-term allies to roles in his second administration, including Richard Grenell. Grenell was the incoming president’s pick as presidential envoy for special missions, a post that will likely drive the administration’s policies in some of the most contentious regions of the world. “Ric will work in some of the hottest spots around the World, including Venezuela and North Korea,” Trump said in the announcement Saturday evening. TRUMP ANNOUNCES MORE NOMINATIONS, INCLUDING DEVIN NUNES, TROY EDGAR AND BILL WHITE Grenell was Trump’s intelligence chief during the president’s first administration. “In my First Term, Ric was the United States Ambassador to Germany, Acting Director of National Intelligence, and Presidential Envoy for Kosovo-Serbia Negotiations,” Trump said. “Previously, he spent eight years inside the United Nations Security Council, working with North Korea, and developments in numerous other Countries.” Trump also announced Edward Sharp Walsh as his pick to serve as U.S. ambassador to Ireland. NEW POLL REVEALS WHAT AMERICANS THINK OF TRUMP’S TRANSITION DECISIONS “Edward is the President of the Walsh Company, a very successful nationwide construction and real estate firm. He is a great philanthropist in his local community, and previously served as the Chairman of the New Jersey Schools Development Authority Board,” Trump announced. The picks are the latest in a string of nominations the president-elect hopes the Senate will approve.
Trump seizes on drone controversy to mock Chris Christie
President-elect Trump on Saturday seized on the mysterious drone controversy in New Jersey to mock one-time ally turned nemesis Chris Christie. The president-elect, who will take office in just over a month, shared an AI-generated meme of the former New Jersey governor eating McDonald’s with more McDonald’s meals being delivered by drones, mocking his weight on Truth Social and X. Christie endorsed Trump in 2016 but was later axed as the head of his transition team. Last year, Christie had a short-lived presidential campaign for the 2024 election during which he called Trump a “coward” and a “puppet of Putin,” but he dropped out in January. TRUMP BRINGS POLITICAL DRAMA TO ARMY-NAVY GAME SIDELINES “I want to promise you this, I’m going to make sure that in no way do I enable Donald Trump to ever be president of the United States again. And that’s more important than my own personal ambition,” he said when he dropped out. Christie’s weight has been a frequent target for Trump since their falling-out. Last year, Trump jokingly told a supporter to not call the former governor a “fat pig.” Since mid-November, New Jersey residents have been baffled by unexplained sightings of what appear to be drones. NEW JERSEY LAWMAKER CALLS FOR LIMITED STATE OF EMERGENCY TO COMBAT MYSTERIOUS DRONES The sightings have also been reported in other areas of the country, including military installations, prompting lawmakers to demand answers. New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy and law enforcement have said the drones don’t appear to be a threat to public safety. On Friday, Trump called for the drones to be shot down if there’s no reasonable explanation for them. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “Mystery Drone sightings all over the Country. Can this really be happening without our government’s knowledge,” he wrote on Truth Social. “I don’t think so! Let the public know, and now. Otherwise, shoot them down!!!” The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Trump announces more nominations, including Devin Nunes, Troy Edgar and Bill White
President-elect Trump nominated a few more candidates Saturday to serve in various positions during his second term. Truth Social CEO Devin Nunes was picked as the chairperson of Trump’s Intelligence Advisory Board (IAB). IBM executive Troy Edgar was tapped as deputy secretary of Homeland Security. And Bill White was chosen as the ambassador to Belgium. Nunes, if confirmed, will lead the IAB, which advises the president on the legality of foreign intelligence activities. “While continuing his leadership of Trump Media & Technology Group, Devin will draw on his experience as former Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, and his key role in exposing the Russia, Russia, Russia Hoax, to provide me with independent assessments of the effectiveness and propriety of the U.S. Intelligence Community’s activities,” Trump said in the announcement. TRUMP ANNOUNCES MORE PICKS, NOMINATES KIMBERLY GUILFOYLE TO SERVE AS AMBASSADOR TO GREECE Trump also named Edgar as his pick for deputy secretary of Homeland Security. “Troy served for me previously as the Chief Financial Officer and Associate Deputy Under Secretary of Management for Homeland Security, where he did an outstanding job managing their $90 Billion Dollar budget, resourcing critical immigration policy, and funding Wall construction,” Trump said. “Troy is currently an executive at IBM. He holds an M.B.A. and B.S. of Business Administration from the University of Southern California,” Trump said. “He was previously the Mayor of Los Alamitos, California, where he helped me lead the City and County revolt against Sanctuary Cities in 2018.” If the two are confirmed, Edgar will serve alongside South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, who was tapped as Trump’s pick to lead the Department of Homeland Secretary. Also on Saturday afternoon, Trump announced that businessperson and major political donor White would serve as the U.S. ambassador to the Kingdom of Belgium. White is the founder and CEO of Constellations Group, a Manhattan-based consulting firm, and previously served as president of the Intrepid Sea-Air-Space Museum in New York. “Bill is a highly respected businessman, philanthropist, author, and advocate for our Nation’s Military, Veterans, and First Responders. He is the CEO of Constellations Group, and former President of the Intrepid Sea-Air-Space Museum,” Trump said. “Bill has worked tirelessly to support Great American Patriots who have given everything for our Country by raising over $1.5 Billion Dollars for our fallen heroes, catastrophically wounded, and severely burned Service Members. He is a twice recipient of the Meritorious Public Service Award for extraordinary service from the U.S. Coast Guard, and for outstanding support from the U.S. Navy.” NEW POLL REVEALS WHAT AMERICANS THINK OF TRUMP’S TRANSITION DECISIONS White was a major Trump donor and surrogate for his 2024 campaign, though the millionaire investor backed former President Obama and Hillary Clinton in past races. The picks are the latest in a long string of nominations the president-elect hopes the Senate will approve.
NJ lawmaker calls for limited state of emergency to combat mysterious drones
A New Jersey state Senator is calling on Gov. Phil Murphy to declare a state of emergency to ground all drones as a way of getting to the bottom of ongoing reports of unmanned craft swarming the Garden State in recent weeks. State Sen. Jon Bramnick, a Republican, told “Cavuto Live” on Saturday that he also wants the FAA to join in the state of emergency as the public becomes increasingly frustrated with a lack of answers as to what is going on in the skies. Bramnick says he has contacted Murphy about enacting a state of emergency but has not gotten a response. DRONE MYSTERY BEFUDDLES NEW JERSEY OFFICIALS, FRUSTRATES RESIDENTS “I’ve gotten silence and we met with the state police [who] have no information. Can you imagine? The Department of Defense must have some serious secret if we can’t get any information on car-sized drones flying over our military bases.” A series of unidentified drone sightings near U.S. military installations and over residences have been spotted in New Jersey since mid-November, including President-elect Trump’s Bedminster golf course, which is causing alarm. Apparent drones have also been spotted in New York City, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, among other states, as well as over three US airbases in the UK. White House national security communications adviser John Kirby has said many of the purported drone sightings are actually lawfully operated manned aircraft and that there is no evidence of a national security or public safety threat. FORMER GOVERNOR SPOTS MYSTERY DRONES IN MARYLAND, BLASTS FEDS FOR LACK OF TRANSPARENCY Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas on Friday said the government doesn’t have the authority to shoot down drones and believes reports of some sightings are cases of mistaken identity. The apparent lack of transparency about the situation has fueled conspiracy theories and raised national security concerns that a foreign entity may be behind the mysterious sightings. The government’s dismissal of witness reports is also irking residents who believe the government’s answers are insufficient. Some have threatened to take matters into their own hands and shoot them down. “Every time someone comes out of the top secret briefing, we get the same answer,” Bramnick said. “’Well, we need more information,’ but apparently it’s not a threat. Now, I don’t know how they’re determining that. The Defense Department must be speaking to someone because they’re surely not speaking to any of the residents in New Jersey.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “The Department of Defense has to explain why they don’t know what a car-sized drone is doing, where it came from, where it’s going. Is it sinister? Is there some sort of threat? Don’t you think the Department of Defense should have that information? The technology is there.” Bramnick says that the state does not have the proper equipment or resources to deal with drones. He notes that the Garden State only has two state helicopters, and when one of those choppers was sent up to investigate a drone, its lights turned off and it fled. “Now, that’s an indication that the drone is not here for a good purpose, otherwise I assume somebody operating the drone would tell the state police what they’re doing. That’s why we have to ground all drones at this time,” Bramnick added.
Nancy Pelosi announces major surgery after fall in Luxembourg
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., underwent surgery for a hip replacement overseas Saturday after she fell earlier this week in Luxembourg, a spokesperson said. “Earlier this morning, Speaker Emerita Pelosi underwent a successful hip replacement and is well on the mend,” Pelosi spokesperson Ian Krager said in a statement. “Speaker Pelosi is grateful to U.S. military staff at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center at Landstuhl Army Base and medical staff at Hospital Kirchberg in Luxembourg for their excellent care and kindness. FORMER HOUSE SPEAKER NANCY PELOSI INJURED, HOSPITALIZED WHILE TRAVELING TO LUXEMBOURG “Speaker Pelosi is enjoying the overwhelming outpouring of prayers and well wishes and is ever determined to ensure access to quality health care for all Americans.” Pelosi, 84, tripped and fell following a group photo with other lawmakers and officials during a visit to Luxembourg for the Battle of the Bulge remembrances, the Wall Street Journal reported. DEMOCRATS PRIVATELY GRIPE ABOUT PELOSI’S ‘DAMAGING’ POST-ELECTION COMMENTS “While traveling with a bipartisan Congressional delegation in Luxembourg to mark the 80th anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge, Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi sustained an injury during an official engagement and was admitted to the hospital for evaluation,” Ian Krager, her spokesperson, said in a statement Friday. The U.S. Embassy in Luxembourg posted an image of Pelosi on its X account on Friday. “We welcome NASA [Administrator] Bill Nelson and Members of Congress to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge in Luxembourg and Belgium,” it said. “The sacrifices of brave WWII soldiers echo from the past, reminding us that each generation must continue the fight for freedom and democracy.” Fox News Digital’s Greg Norman and Chad Pergram contributed to this report.
McConnell warns RFK Jr. to steer clear of the polio vaccine
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell gave a stern warning to Robert F. Kennedy Jr. after a report highlighted how one of Kennedy’s associates had sought to rescind approval for a polio vaccine. McConnell, a polio survivor, said in a statement that “efforts to undermine public confidence in proven cures are not just uninformed – they’re dangerous.” “Anyone seeking the Senate’s consent to serve in the incoming Administration would do well to steer clear of even the appearance of association with such efforts,” he added, without naming Kennedy, a vaccine skeptic who is President-elect Trump’s choice to lead the Department of Health and Human Services. NOBEL LAUREATES CRITICIZE RFK JR. HHS NOMINATION OVER ‘LACK OF CREDENTIALS,’ VACCINE STANCE McConnell’s statement follows a New York Times report on Friday that highlighted how Kennedy’s personal attorney, Aaron Siri, had represented clients in cases that sought to rescind approval for a version of the polio vaccine and others. “Like millions of families before them, my parents knew the pain and fear of watching their child struggle with the life-altering diagnosis of polio. From the age of two, normal life without paralysis was only possible for me because of the miraculous combination of modern medicine and a mother’s love. But for millions who came after me, the real miracle was the saving power of the polio vaccine,” McConnell said. RFK JR. WANTS TO CLEAR OUT ‘ENTIRE DEPARTMENTS’ IN THE FDA: ‘THEY HAVE TO GO’ “For decades, I have been proud to work with devoted advocates – from Rotary International to the Gates Foundation – and use my platform in public life to champion the pursuit of cures for further generations. I have never flinched from confronting specious disinformation that threatens the advance of lifesaving medical progress, and I will not today. The GOP leader was joined by his Democratic counterpart, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, who demanded that RFK Jr. make his position on the polio vaccine clear. TRUMP TAPS RFK JR. TO LEAD DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES “This would undoubtedly make America sick again,” Schumer said, sharing the Times report on X. “It’s outrageous and dangerous for people in the Trump Transition to try and get rid of the polio vaccine that has virtually eradicated polio in America and saved millions of lives. RFK Jr. must state his position on this.” The Trump transition team did not immediately respond to a request for comment.