Trump admin announces $11B Taiwan arms sales deal
President Donald Trump‘s administration announced an arms deal with Taiwan amounting to more than $11 billion on Wednesday. The deal includes medium range missiles, artillery and drones as part of eight combined arms sale agreements. If approved by Congress, the deal would the the single largest military sale the U.S. has ever made to Taiwan, eclipsing a previous $8.4 billion deal under former President Joe Biden. The eight arms agreements cover 82 high-mobility artillery rocket systems, or HIMARS, and 420 Army Tactical Missile Systems, or ATACMS — similar to what the U.S. had been providing Ukraine during the Biden administration to defend itself from Russia — worth more than $4 billion. They also include 60 self-propelled howitzer systems and related equipment worth more than $4 billion and drones valued at more than $1 billion. Other sales in the package include military software valued at more than $1 billion, Javelin and TOW missiles worth more than $700 million, helicopter spare parts worth $96 million and refurbishment kits for Harpoon missiles worth $91 million. US COULD BURN THROUGH KEY MISSILES IN ‘A WEEK’ IF WAR WITH CHINA ERUPTS, TOP SECURITY EXPERT WARNS The State Department hailed the deal as one that will protect America’s “national, economic, and security interests by supporting the recipient’s continuing efforts to modernize its armed forces and to maintain a credible defensive capability.” China’s foreign ministry was quick to condemn the move on Wednesday, however, with top officials saying the cause of Taiwanese independence was “doomed” regardless of support. HIGH STAKES ON THE HIGH SEAS AS US, CHINA TEST LIMITS OF MILITARY POWER “The ‘Taiwan independence’ forces on the island seek independence through force and resist reunification through force, squandering the hard-earned money of the people to purchase weapons at the cost of turning Taiwan into a powder keg,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said. “This cannot save the doomed fate of ‘Taiwan independence’ but will only accelerate the push of the Taiwan Strait toward a dangerous situation of military confrontation and war. The U.S. support for ‘Taiwan Independence’ through arms will only end up backfiring. Using Taiwan to contain China will not succeed,” he added. Taiwan’s Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung thanked the U.S. on Wednesday for its “long-term support for regional security and Taiwan’s self-defense capabilities,” which he said are key to deterring a conflict in the Taiwan Strait, the body of water separating Taiwan from China’s mainland. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Dan Bongino replies to Kash Patel’s praise following departure announcement: ‘Honor of a lifetime’
Deputy FBI Director Dan Bongino, who announced on Wednesday that he will be departing from his role in January, later replied to FBI Director Kash Patel, who gave him a glowing review. “Dan is the best partner I could’ve asked for in helping restore this FBI. He brought critical reforms to make the organization more efficient, led the successful Summer Heat op, served as the people’s voice for transparency, and delivered major breakthroughs in long unsolved cases like the pipe bomb investigation. And that’s only a small part of the work he went about every single day delivering for America,” Patel said in a post on X. “He not only completed his mission – he far exceeded it. We will miss him but I’m thankful he accepted the call to serve. Our country is better and safer for it,” Patel added. DAN BONGINO TO RESIGN FROM FBI DEPUTY DIRECTOR ROLE IN JANUARY Bongino replied, thanking Patel. “Thank you my friend, it’s been the honor of a lifetime to serve beside you,” he wrote. Bongino, a former Secret Service agent who stepped aside from his work hosting a popular show as a conservative commentator to join the FBI, will depart the federal law enforcement agency less than a year after his swearing-in ceremony, which occurred in March 2025. PATEL, BONGINO DEFEND TENURES, SAYING FBI ‘OPERATING EXACTLY AS THE COUNTRY EXPECTS’ Prior to Bongino’s announcement on Wednesday, President Donald Trump said, “Dan did a great job,” noting that he thinks Bongino wants to return to his show. FBI DIRECTOR SUGGESTS ‘SHEER INCOMPETENCE’ OR ‘NEGLIGENCE’ IN BIDEN ADMIN HANDLING OF PIPE BOMB CASE Attorney General Pam Bondi shared Bongino’s announcement post, commenting, “Americans are safer because of @FBIDDBongino’s service. Thank you, Dan.”
GOP seizes on Dem civil war as progressives jump into key 2026 Senate races: ‘They’re in shambles’
Without a clear party leader after losses up and down the ballot in 2024, progressive Democrats are wading into next year’s most competitive Senate primaries and exposing deep ideological rifts that some strategists warn could alienate swing voters ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. Republicans have celebrated progressive firebrand Rep. Jasmine Crockett’s decision to launch a Senate campaign in Texas. While President Donald Trump has dismissed her as “low IQ,” Crockett has built a national audience, amassing millions of social media followers and the name recognition to instantly reshape the race. “The Democratic Party, they’re in shambles everywhere around the country — and no place more obvious than Texas,” National Republican Senatorial Committee Chair Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., told Fox News Digital. “Jasmine getting in this race is great news.” For Republicans, Crockett’s rise supports their argument that Democrats are veering too far left to compete in red and purple states. Her campaign did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s comment request. JAMES CARVILLE BLASTS CROCKETT FOR BREAKING ‘FIRST RULE OF POLITICS’ FOCUSING ON HERSELF MORE THAN VOTERS Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, who is defending his seat, agreed, telling Fox News Digital, “She can’t win, so I’m really happy she’s decided to run.” PROGRESSIVE POWERHOUSES LAUNCH PRIMARY WAR AGAINST DEMOCRATIC ESTABLISHMENT AHEAD OF 2026 ELECTIONS And while Republicans breathe a sigh of relief, as Texas could be a pick-up opportunity for the Democratic Senate Campaign Committee in 2026, some moderate Democrats are not convinced that a progressive candidate like Crockett will benefit the party in the long run. Liam Kerr, a Democratic strategist and co-founder of the centrist group Welcome, published an October report titled, “Deciding to Win,” warning that Democrats risk alienating voters by embracing far-left positions. “Any Democrat who can do math should be worried,” Kerr told Fox News Digital, arguing that “it’s not just losing this race.” “It’s also damaging the overall party brand, hurting candidates down-ballot, and losing the muscles you build that focus on persuading voters,” he said. Crockett has gone viral for her public missteps and gaffes, from calling Gov. Greg Abbott, “Governor Hot Wheels,” to referring to Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., as a “bleach blonde bad built butch body,” during a House Oversight Committee hearing. “When you explicitly say we don’t need Trump voters to win, you’re not only denying mass, you’re denying an opportunity for voters to consider Democrats for other races and in the future,” Kerr said. Kerr added that “centrists need to be off the sidelines with the same energy that the left is bringing to these fights.” “Republicans have developed a very clear framework for voters to view Democrats as elite, out-of-touch, and extreme,” Kerr explained. “Every time a high-profile Democrat says something out of touch or extreme, it just adds credence to that, and it’s like the swing voter is permanently on a jury, where Republicans have a strong prosecutor and Democrats have terrible witnesses, and you just keep giving more pieces of evidence that you’re guilty of extremism.“ And Republicans who spoke to Fox News Digital this week seemed to be following that very playbook. “All across the country, what we’re seeing is Jasmine is being repeated, replicated all across the country,” Scott said. “Socialism is in vogue in the Democrat Party. It is a sad day around the country for those who believe that the Democrat Party was going to have a comeback. They’re not coming back. We’re going to win, keep the majority, expand the majority all across the map.” Yet, the Democratic Party has claimed to be on the “offense” following gubernatorial wins in Virginia and New Jersey this year and after losing a ruby red Tennessee district by nine points in December’s special election. But Scott, who is the Republican spearheading efforts to maintain the Senate majority, said the buck doesn’t stop at Crockett. “The Democrats, you look at who’s in their primaries – cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs,” Scott said. “Michigan, a devastating manifestation. Three Democrats fighting tooth and nail to lose to Mike Rogers.” Michigan’s Democratic Senate candidates include rising progressive star state Sen. Mallory McMorrow, Sen. Bernie Sanders-aligned Dr. Abdul El-Sayed and Rep. Haley Stevens, who recently filed articles of impeachment against Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Cornyn said progressive candidates jumping into these Senate Democratic primaries prove the “Democratic Party has become the captive of the left wing,” pointing to New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani’s successful socialist campaign. “Even people like Chuck Schumer have been hijacked by the Bernie Sanders and AOC wing of the Democratic Party,” Cornyn said, referring to progressive star Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment regarding the implication that he is losing control of Senate Democrats. Cornyn, who served as NRSC chair for two terms, said that groups like the DSCC are losing power as candidates can find national recognition and build their own coalition without the support of the organized political parties. “The organized political parties have lost power because of the advent of Super PACs and all these various ways that people, even without political party support, can basically win these contested primaries, and together with those small turnout in the primaries and usually the most rabid activists, they elect people who are ultimately, and I hope, unelectable,” Cornyn said. And Kerr told Fox News Digital that the DSCC “has a very strong track record, but the political industry is moving away from parties being in control.” JASMINE CROCKETT USES TRUMP’S ‘LOW IQ’ INSULTS TO LAUNCH HER TEXAS SENATE CAMPAIGN IN DEBUT AD “The formal party has less and less power every year that goes by. And individual candidates who are able to fundraise and communicate directly to hardcore Democrats are gaining more and more power relative to the party,” Kerr said, arguing that the DSCC’s “ability to slow or stop these candidates is diminishing over time.“ When reached for comment,
Trump admin ramps up key border security move that is expected to run over 1,400 miles: ‘Important tool’
FIRST ON FOX: The Trump administration announced it had awarded five new contracts to help continue building a high-tech “Smart Wall” along the southern U.S.-Mexico border in Texas and Arizona, bringing the total spent on constructing the border barrier to $8 billion. In total, when completed, the border wall is expected to include 1,418 miles of new “Primary Smart Wall,” 536 miles of a “Waterborne Barrier System,” and 708 miles of “Secondary Border Wall.” Approximately 536 miles of the U.S.-Mexico border without barrier will be covered by detection technology “due to unfavorable terrain or remoteness of location,” U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) notes. Meanwhile, CBP is also deploying roughly 549 miles of technology in locations with previously constructed barriers, according to the agency. “Securing our border is key to protecting our country, keeping our communities safe, and making sure our immigration system works the way it should. A border wall with the right technology – a Smart Wall – is an important tool to stop illegal activity and to help agents do their job, which is critical in keeping America safe,” said CBP Commissioner Rodney Scott. BORDER PATROL CHIEF URGES ILLINOIS TO FOLLOW LOUISIANA BLUEPRINT AS THREATS AGAINST AGENTS SURGE The Smart Wall includes various technological innovations. It has a steel bollard wall, accompanying roads, special detection technology, cameras, lighting and, in some cases, waterborne barriers or secondary barriers to ensure extra protection. The five new contracts being awarded will cost $3.3 billion, with the money originating from Republicans’ One Big Beautiful Bill Act spending package. They will add 97 miles of the primary border wall system, 19 miles of secondary border, and 66 miles of a waterborne barrier system. DEMOCRATIC LEADERS PUSH BACK AGAINST IMMIGRATION CRACKDOWN IN CHICAGO The contracts will also add 149 miles of detection technology around pre-existing border structures where the Smart Wall construction is not complete. In addition to the new contracts, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem issued nine new waivers to fast-track construction efforts in several sectors. These waivers were published in the Federal Register in October, November and this month.
Trump launches massive ‘Freedom 250’ push to ignite America’s 250th birthday celebration
FIRST ON FOX: President Donald Trump is kicking off America’s monthslong birthday bash celebrating the 250th anniversary of the country’s founding with a new nonpartisan organization dubbed Freedom 250 that will lead the administration’s celebrations, Fox Digital learned. The year “2026 will mark a celebration of America unlike anything we have ever done, and I am grateful to President Trump for the opportunity to execute his vision for Freedom 250,” Keith Krach, former undersecretary of state under the first Trump administration, who was named CEO of Freedom 250, said in a press release of the new organization. “By working alongside states, businesses, and organizations across the country, Freedom 250 will reignite the pioneering spirit that defines America to strengthen the foundation for the next 250 years of independence, opportunity, and freedom.” The new initiative brings together states, companies and organizations to plan and participate in events celebrating the nation’s 250th birthday “by mobilizing partners and communities in all 50 states and around the world,” Fox News Digital learned. It will work in coordination with the White House Task Force 250, federal departments, and the America250 Commission to plan and deliver on the events nationwide. TOP AUTOMAKER UNLEASHES 250 LIMITED-EDITION CORVETTES INSPIRED BY AMERICA’S FOUNDING “This means so much to him personally, as it does to every single American,” Ambassador Monica Crowley told “Fox & Friends” on Thursday. She likened the commemoration to America’s bicentennial, saying that the organizers of America 250 were looking to recapture the feeling of the 1976 celebration. “Some of us might remember 1976 and the bicentennial. We may not remember the details of every bit of that, but we remember how we felt,” she said. “And so, what we are planning with Freedom 250 is this massive monumental celebration that President Trump promised back in his first term, a celebration that really creates that feeling of a renewal of pride and patriotism.” Trump shared a video message on Thursday morning announcing the initiative, as well as previewing a handful of high-profile events celebrating the milestone. “To help carry out these exciting plans, we have created a new public-private partnership. It’s called Freedom 250. Working with states, companies, and organizations across the country, we will renew the patriotism, pride, and pioneering spirit of America and lay the groundwork for the next 250 years of independence and freedom. This will be a time like you’ve never had in your lives, America 250. Thank you, I love you all,” he said in the video message. Trump touted that Americans will “never see anything like it, and you’ll ever see anything like it again” of the line-up of events. “As we ring in 2026, Americans across the nation will see the iconic Washington Monument illuminated with festive birthday lights to honor the start of this historic anniversary year. Then from June 25th to July 10th of next year, we will host the Great American State Fair on the National Mall, featuring pavilions from all 50 states, highlighting breathtaking innovations and celebrating America’s exceptional history and culture,” Trump said. The line-up will include the first “Patriot Games,” Trump said, which is a four-day athletic event “featuring the greatest high school athletes, one young man and one young woman from each state and territory.” The games will be held in the fall, according to the president. “But I promise there will be no men playing in women’s sports. You’re not gonna see that. You’ll see everything but that,” he quipped. “Celebrating the Triumph of the American Spirit,” Freedom 250’s website, launched on Thursday morning, declares of the group’s focus. The website touting the year of celebrations includes engaging Americans with videos crafted in part by Hillsdale College, which tell “the remarkable story of American independence.” The site’s calendar is packed with patriotic events, including an ongoing freedom tour hitting all 50 states in the order they joined the union. The tour features Cabinet officials and local and state leaders visiting schools to highlight America’s history. The events will kick off with the Washington Monument illuminated from Dec. 31 through Jan. 5 that will mark “the start of this once-in-a-generation anniversary year.” Trump has been eyeing the 250th birthday for years and pledged on the 2024 campaign trail to celebrate it in grand fashion. “The president promised in his first term, and going into this term, even as a candidate, the most monumental celebration of America for our big 250th birthday, and through Freedom 250 and so many other elements, he is delivering on these promises,” Crowley told “Fox & Friends.” IVANKA TRUMP RE-ENTERS DC RING FOR UPCOMING KNOCKOUT UFC WHITE HOUSE FIGHT “As a nation, we should be preparing for the most spectacular birthday party. We want to make it the best of all time,” Trump said in a 2023 campaign video. The new website also offers “toolkits” showing Americans how to mark the milestone in their own communities, including a toolkit for teachers, one for state fairs and another tailored to rodeos. UFC WHITE HOUSE PLANS REVEALED, INCLUDING WEIGH-INS AT LINCOLN MEMORIAL: REPORT Another section highlights America’s natural beauty, 250 years of innovation and how many Americans say the nation’s fabric has been woven with prayer and faith. The nation already has held a series of events tied to the 250th milestone, including a June 14 military parade Trump hosted in Washington, D.C., for the U.S. Army’s 250th anniversary. Tanks rolled through the streets, military jets roared overhead and fireworks lit up the National Mall. The parade fell on Flag Day, which also marked Trump’s 79th birthday. Among the lengthy list of upcoming events celebrating the anniversary is the highly anticipated White House UFC fight, which first daughter Ivanka Trump is helping facilitate, Fox News Digital previously reported. Trump revealed in his video message on Thursday that the UFC fight will be held on Flag Day, June 14. “And on Flag Day, We will have a one-of-a-kind UFC event here at the White House. It’ll be the greatest champion fighters
NY Gov. Hochul to sign bill to legalize physician-assisted suicide: ‘Who am I to deny you?’
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said she plans to sign a measure to legalize medically assisted suicide for terminally ill patients under a deal reached with state legislative leaders. The governor intends to sign the bill next year after working to add a series of “guardrails,” she wrote in an op-ed in the Albany Times Union announcing her plans. The measure, approved by state lawmakers during their regulation session earlier this year, will go into effect six months after it is signed. Hochul, who is Catholic, said she listened to New Yorkers in the “throes of pain and suffering,” as well as their children, while also hearing out “individuals of many faiths who believe that deliberately shortening one’s life violates the sanctity of life.” “I was taught that God is merciful and compassionate, and so must we be,” she wrote. “This includes permitting a merciful option to those facing the unimaginable and searching for comfort in their final months in this life.” NEW JERSEY’S MEDICALLY-ASSISTED SUICIDE LAW ONLY COVERS STATE RESIDENTS, APPEALS COURT RULES New York will join a dozen other states and Washington, D.C., in adopting laws allowing physician-assisted suicide for terminally ill adults, including Delaware and Illinois, which each approved legislation this year that will go into effect in 2026. Several other countries, including Canada, Germany, Belgium, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Australia and Colombia, have also legalized so-called death with dignity. New York’s bill, dubbed the Medical Aid in Dying Act, requires a terminally ill person who is expected to die within six months to make a written request for life-ending drugs. Two witnesses must sign the request to ensure the patient is not being coerced, and the request would need to be approved by the patient’s attending physician and a consulting physician. The bill’s sponsors and legislative leaders have agreed to add provisions to mandate that a medical doctor affirms that the person “truly had less than six months to live,” along with confirmation from a psychologist or psychiatrist that the patient is capable of making the decision without being under duress. “The Medical Aid in Dying Act will afford terminally ill New Yorkers the right to spend their final days not under sterile hospital lights but with sunlight streaming through their bedroom window,” Hochul wrote. “The right to spend their final days not hearing the droning hum of hospital machines but instead the laughter of their grandkids echoing in the next room. The right to tell their family they love them and be able to hear those precious words in return,” she added. Hochul said the bill will include a mandatory five-day waiting period in addition to a written and recorded oral request to “confirm free will is present.” Outpatient facilities linked to religious hospitals may choose not to offer medically-assisted suicide. The governor also said she wants the bill to only apply to New York residents. Earlier this month, a federal appeals court ruled that a similar law in New Jersey only covers state residents and that people from other jurisdictions cannot seek medical aid-in dying in the Garden State. “Death brings good things to an end, but rarely neatly,” U.S. Circuit Court Judge Stephanos Bibas wrote in the opinion. “Many terminally ill patients face a grim reality: imminent, painful death. Some may want to avert that suffering by enlisting a doctor’s help to end their own lives. New Jersey lets its residents make that choice—but only its residents.” Hochul said on Wednesday that supporting the New York bill was one of the toughest decisions she has made as governor. DELAWARE’S ASSISTED SUICIDE BILL SIGNED INTO LAW, MAKING IT THE 11TH STATE WITH SUCH A STATUTE “Who am I to deny you or your loved one what they’re begging for at the end of their life?” she said. “I couldn’t do that any longer.” The legislation was first introduced in 2016 but failed to receive approval for years as religious groups such as the New York State Catholic Conference sought to block the measure, arguing that it would devalue human life and undermine the physician’s role as a healer. Cardinal Timothy Dolan and New York’s bishops said in a statement after Hochul’s announcement that her support for the bill “signals our government’s abandonment of its most vulnerable citizens, telling people who are sick or disabled that suicide in their case is not only acceptable, but is encouraged by our elected leaders.” But supporters of the legislation contended that it would reduce suffering for terminally ill people and allow them to die on their own terms. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Trump drops receipts on US savings since Biden’s Oval Office exit
President Donald Trump rattled off how his economic policies have pulled America from “the brink of ruin” following former President Joe Biden’s tenure during his primetime address to the nation on Wednesday. “Here at home, we’re bringing our economy back from the brink of ruin,” Trump said Thursday. “The last administration and their allies in Congress looted our Treasury for trillions of dollars, driving up prices and everything at levels never seen before. I am bringing those high prices down and bringing them down very fast.” Trump said that under the Biden administration, car prices rose by at least 22%, gasoline rose 30% to 50%, hotel rates by 37% and airfares by 31%, and mortgage prices up $15,000 under “Democrat rule.” “Now, under our leadership, they are all coming down and coming down fast,’” Trump continued. “Democrat politicians also sent the cost of groceries soaring, but we are solving that too.” TRUMP SET TO ADDRESS THE NATION IN PRIMETIME WHITE HOUSE SPEECH AS AMERICANS REPORT ECONOMIC SQUEEZE The president announced his primetime address Tuesday as his administration zeroes in on its economic messaging following Democrats latching onto a winning campaign strategy of “affordability” while slamming Trump and Republicans for allegedly rolling out policies that have caused the housing crisis to worsen and costs at the checkout lines to rise. Following a handful of high-profile elections in November handing wins to Democrats who campaigned on the platform, Trump has turned up the heat that Biden administration policies continue to haunt the current economy. “11 months ago, I inherited a mess. And I’m fixing it. When I took office, inflation was the worst in 48 years. And some would say in the history of our country, which caused prices to be higher than ever before, making life unaffordable for millions and millions of Americans. This happened during a Democrat administration, and it’s when we first began hearing the word affordability,” Trump said at the start of his speech. TRUMP TO TOUT ACCOMPLISHMENTS SINCE TAKING OFFICE IN PRIMETIME ADDRESS While costs rose under Biden, Trump touted the savings Americans are seeing under his leadership. “The price of a Thanksgiving turkey was down 33% compared to the Biden last year,” Trump said. “The price of eggs is down 82% since March, and everything else is falling rapidly. And it’s not done yet. But boy, are we making progress. Nobody can believe what’s going on.” “Under Biden, real wages plummeted by $3,000. Under Trump, the typical factory worker, we’re seeing a wage increase of $1,300. For construction workers, it’s $1,800. For miners, e’re bringing back clean, beautiful coal, is $3,300. And for the first time in years, wages are rising much faster than inflation,” he continued. GAS PRICES ARE FALLING — SO WHY ISN’T TRUMP REFILLING THE OIL RESERVE FASTER? WH BLAMES BIDEN-ERA ‘DAMAGE’ Trump’s address included announcing the rollout of “Warrior Dividends” to all U.S. military members in honor of the 250th anniversary of the U.S.’ founding in 1776. “We are sending every soldier $1,776. Think of that,” he said. “And the checks are already on the way.”
Trump touts bringing country back from ‘brink of ruin’
President Donald Trump touted the work his administration has done since January in an address to the nation on Wednesday night as he labeled the U.S. the “hottest country in the world.” Trump blamed his predecessor Joe Biden and reiterated claims that his administration inherited a “mess” as he praised the work done since taking office to improve the economy, curb the influx of drugs into the U.S., and support the U.S. military. “Here at home, we’re bringing our economy back from the brink of ruin,” Trump said. “The last administration and their allies in Congress looted our treasury for trillions of dollars, driving up prices and everything at levels never seen before. I am bringing those high prices down and bringing them down very fast.” Trump also said that Americans would start to see the benefits of his massive tax and domestic policy bill that was signed into law in July. The bill included key provisions that permanently established individual and business tax breaks included in Trump’s 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, and incorporated new tax deductions to cut duties on tips and overtime pay. TRUMP SAYS ECONOMY WILL ‘ROCKET’ AFTER SIGNING ‘BIG BEAUTIFUL BILL’: ‘IT’S GOING TO BE REALLY GREAT’ “Next year, you will also see the results of the largest tax cuts in American history that were really accomplished through our great, big, beautiful bill, perhaps the most sweeping legislation ever passed in Congress,” Trump said. Trump also touted the strength of the U.S. military under his administration, citing strong recruitment numbers across the services. As a result, Trump said that military service members will receive a new so-called “Warrior Dividend” before Christmas to send troops $1,776 in honor of America’s founding in 1776. “We are sending every soldier $1,776. Think of that,” Trump said. “And the checks are already on the way.” TRUMP SET TO ADDRESS THE NATION IN PRIMETIME WHITE HOUSE SPEECH AS AMERICANS REPORT ECONOMIC SQUEEZE Trump signed off his address claiming that the U.S. is respected once again, and is the “envy of the entire globe” as he wished Americans a “Merry Christmas.” “Our nation is strong. America is respected and our country is back stronger than ever before,” Trump said. “We’re poised for an economic boom, the likes of which the world has never seen. Soon we will host the World Cup and the Olympics, both of which I got. But most importantly, we will celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.” The speech comes as Trump has launched a new effort focusing on his economic policies, amid criticism surrounding how his administration has handled messaging on economic issues. Scrutiny intensified following the November elections that delivered Democrats wins in several key elections – including the New York mayoral race, and the Virginia and New Jersey gubernatorial races – where Democrats focused on “affordability.” While Trump told Politico in December that he would grade his economy an “A+++++,” voters don’t share the same optimism. For example, 76% of voters reported that they view the economy negatively, an increase from 67% who reported the same in July and the 70% who said so following former President Joe Biden’s term, a November Fox News national survey found. Trump has previously held several White House addresses, including in November after two members of the National Guard were shot in Washington, and another in June after the U.S. military launched strikes targeting Iranian nuclear facilities. Fox News’ Emma Colton contributed to this report.
Trump gives service members special Christmas gift: ‘Warrior dividend’
President Donald Trump said during his address to the nation Wednesday night before Christmas that nearly 1.5 million military service members will be receiving a Christmas bonus. While touting his administration’s agenda from the White House, Trump said the nation’s more than 1,450,000 military service members will receive a “warrior dividend” in honor of our nation’s founding roughly 250 years ago. “And the checks are already on the way,” Trump said. “Nobody deserves it more than our military. And I say congratulations to everybody.” TRUMP GETS FRESH DIGS IN AT BIDEN, OBAMA WITH NEW PLAQUES ADDED TO WHITE HOUSE PRESIDENTIAL WALK OF FAME Trump also touted “record enlistment” in the military under his leadership, adding that last year, under Joe Biden, the military saw some of “the worst” annual recruitment numbers “in our military’s history.” “What a difference a year makes,” Trump quipped. Trump’s address from the White House Wednesday night was a tour de force of the president’s accomplishments since retaking the White House. DEFENSE BILL BANS MALES FROM WOMEN’S SPORTS AT MILITARY ACADEMIES In addition to economic achievements, Trump also zeroed in on victories with immigration, crime, women’s rights, healthcare costs, slimming down the federal bureaucracy and more. “After just one year, we have achieved more than anyone could have imagined,” Trump said during his address. “We just needed a new president.”
Border Patrol chief, progressive mayor caught on camera in tense street showdown: ‘Excellent day in Evanston’
A heated confrontation unfolded Wednesday in Evanston, Illinois, where city Mayor Daniel Biss — a progressive Democrat and congressional candidate — confronted Border Patrol Cmdr. Gregory Bovino during a street-level Title 8 immigration enforcement operation that drew “a couple dozen” protesters and quickly turned chaotic, according to video and accounts posted on X. The standoff occurred around 11:30 a.m. near Green Bay Road and Dodge Avenue in the city outside Chicago, where an 11-vehicle Border Patrol convoy had arrived to detain multiple individuals. Eyewitness Mark Weyermuller wrote that agents “appeared to detain at least two” people as the crowd formed. Video shared by FOX 32 Chicago reporter Paris Schutz shows Biss, dressed in a dark tailored coat and dress shoes, visibly standing out from the bundled-up crowd, stepping directly toward Bovino as protesters yell and blow whistles around them. Biss confronted him immediately, declaring, “The abuse has not been acceptable. The racism has not been acceptable. The violence has not been acceptable.” DHS: CHICAGO CRIME DROPS SHARPLY AFTER FEDERAL OPERATION TARGETING CRIMINAL ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS Bovino, surrounded by agents wearing protective masks and tactical gear, fired back, “Yeah, that’s why we’re here in your community.” A nearby protester then shouted repeatedly at the commander, “Hey Bovino, we don’t want you here, bro! We don’t want you!” As the shouting intensified, multiple protesters tried to block the roadway while police from Evanston and Chicago worked to keep a corridor open for vehicles to leave the area. DHS TORCHES ‘BAMBOOZLED’ DEMS FOR CALLING ICE CRACKDOWN ‘VICIOUS LIES’ Biss, who is running for Congress as a “pragmatic progressive,” later amplified his criticism in a post on X, writing, “The only ‘violent mob’ in Evanston today was Greg Bovino and his masked thugs, terrorizing innocent people and then lying about our city to try and sow chaos.” He added that Evanston is “safe in spite of ICE/CBP, not because of it,” praised residents who “chased you out of town” and concluded with, “Don’t come back.” Bovino disputed Biss’ claims and described the encounter as productive. ICE ACCUSES DEM LAWMAKER OF JOINING ‘RIOTING CROWD’ IN ARIZONA, INTERFERING IN MASS ARREST He wrote that agents were in Evanston “to make his city a safer place through Title 8 immigration enforcement” and said the mayor “fell back into the divisive talking points that we’ve heard ad nauseam.” Bovino called it an “excellent day in Evanston.” The Evanston Police Department and Chicago Police Department assisted with crowd control and ensuring federal vehicles could exit safely, according to Bovino’s account. In the video, officers directed traffic and created space as protesters attempted to approach the convoy. Title 8 is the federal legal framework for immigration enforcement and can involve operations far from the border when agents are conducting investigations or targeting specific individuals. Wednesday’s confrontation reflects growing tensions between federal immigration enforcement and leadership in Democrat-run communities. Fox News Digital reached out to Biss’ office and U.S. Customs and Border Protection for comment.