Social media users are criticizing a Democratic senator for claiming that Secretary of Defense nominee Pete Hegseth would lead a military invasion of Greenland if nominated.
A confirmation hearing for Hegseth was held by the Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday, where lawmakers were given the opportunity to question Trump's defense pick. One Democrat in particular, Sen. Mazie Hirono of Hawaii, caused a firestorm of social media reactions to her asking Hegseth whether he would invade Greenland or take over the Panama Canal.
"Trump never strategically tips his hand. I would never publicly state one way or another to direct the orders of the president," Hegseth responded to the question.
"Hirono was playing judge, jury, and executioner based on lies and stupidity," Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., wrote in a post on X.
Brigette Gabriel, ACT for America founder and chairman, wrote that "Mazie Hirono might be the least intelligent Member of Congress, and that's saying something."
"This line of questioning is unbecoming of her position as a United States Senator," Gabriel said on X. "I stand with Pete Hegseth."
During the hearing, Hirono claimed that President-elect Trump ordered guards to "shoot protesters in the legs" during a protest at Layfayette Square in Washington D.C. in 2020, and asked if Hegseth would carry out such an order.
"I was in the Washington, D.C. National Guard unit that was in Lafayette Square during those events, holding a riot shield on behalf of my country," Hegseth responded. "I saw 50 Secret Service agents get injured by riot agents."
Hirono also asked Hegseth about allegations of sexual assault and claims that he was drinking on the job - both of which he has repeatedly denied.
"Clown show," wrote Eric Daughtery, Assistant News Director of Florida's Voice.
"Mazie Hirono peddles the discredited anonymous sources from NBC who claimed that Pete Hegseth was constantly drunk at work," wrote Greg Price.
President Biden on Tuesday signed an ambitious executive order that he says will keep both national security and climate change in mind while fast-tracking the build out of large-scale artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure in the United States.
Biden said in a statement released by the White House that the executive order will "accelerate the speed at which we build the next generation of AI infrastructure here in America, in a way that enhances economic competitiveness, national security, AI safety, and clean energy." It directs the Department of Defense and the Department of Energy "to lease federal sites where the private sector can build frontier AI infrastructure at speed and scale."
"The United States leads the world at the frontier of artificial intelligence (AI). Cutting-edge AI will have profound implications for national security and enormous potential to improve Americans’ lives if harnessed responsibly, from helping cure disease to keeping communities safe by mitigating the effects of climate change. However, we cannot take our lead for granted," Biden said. "We will not let America be out-built when it comes to the technology that will define the future, nor should we sacrifice critical environmental standards and our shared efforts to protect clean air and clean water."
The order will "ensure that the infrastructure needed for advanced AI operations—including large-scale data centers and new clean power infrastructure—can be built with speed and scale here in the United States," Biden said, adding, "These efforts are designed to accelerate the clean energy transition in a way that is responsible and respectful to local communities, and in a way that does not impose any new costs on American families."
"Building AI infrastructure in the United States is a national security imperative," Biden said. "As AI’s capabilities grow, so do its implications for Americans’ safety and security. Domestic data centers for training and operating powerful AI models will help the United States facilitate AI’s safe and secure development, harness AI in service of national security, and prevent adversaries from accessing powerful systems to the detriment of our military and national security."
"It will also help prevent America from growing dependent on other countries to access powerful AI tools," he added.
Vice President Harris, who attended the first-ever global AI summit hosted in London in November 2023, said in a statement on Tuesday the "significant electrical power needs of large-scale AI operations also present a new opportunity for advancing American leadership in clean-energy technology, which will power our future economy." "By activating the full force of the federal government to speed up and scale AI operations here in the United States, we are securing our global leadership on AI, which will have a profound impact on our economy, society, and national security for generations to come," she added.
Under the new rules, the departments of Defense and Energy will each identify at least three sites where the private sector can build AI data centers. The agencies will run "competitive solicitations" from private companies to build AI data centers on those federal sites, senior administration officials said.
Developers building on those sites will be required, among other things, to pay for the construction of those facilities and to bring sufficient "clean power" generation to match the full capacity needs of their data centers. Although the U.S. government will be leasing land to a company, that company would own the materials it creates there, officials said.
Developers selected to build on government sites will be required to pay all costs of building and operating AI infrastructure so that development does not raise electricity prices for consumers, the administration said.
The orders also direct construction of AI data centers on federal sites to be done with public labor agreements. Some of the sites are reserved for small and medium-sized AI companies, according to government officials.
Government agencies will also complete a study on the effects of all AI data centers on electricity prices, and the Energy Department will provide technical assistance to state public utility commissions regarding electricity tariff designs that can support connecting new large customers with clean energy.
As part of the order, the Interior Department will identify lands it manages that are suitable for clean energy development and can support data centers on government sites, administration officials said.
"The volumes of computing power, electricity needed to train and operate frontier models are increasing rapidly and set to surge even more," Tarun Chhabra, deputy assistant to the president and coordinator for technology and national security, told the Associated Press. "By around 2028, we expect that leading AI developers will be seeking to operate data centers with as much as five gigawatts of capacity for training AI models."
Deploying AI systems at scale also requires a broader network of data centers across different parts of the country, he said.
The executive order comes on the heels of the Biden administration’s proposed new restrictions on exports of artificial intelligence chips, an attempt to balance national security concerns about the technology with the economic interests of producers and other countries. The Biden White House announced its "final rule" on AI diffusion Monday, receiving blow-back from chip industry executives as well as officials from the European Union over export restrictions that would affect 120 countries.
"We're trying to strike the right balance between ensuring that the frontier of AI stays in the United States of America and our close allies, while also ensuring that the rest of the world can benefit from AI and get the hardware that they need to power AI applications going forward," National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters at the White House Monday. "We think this is, in a bipartisan spirit, the way to best preserve and protect America's lead when it comes to artificial intelligence."
FIRST ON FOX NEWS DIGITAL: The state of Oklahoma is suing to hold the Biden administration accountable for unleashing "massive chaos" on the public school system in the state through four years of open border policies.
The suit, launched by the Oklahoma State Department of Education and Oklahoma Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters, targets President Joe Biden’s Department of Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency. It demands the Biden administration refund Oklahoma for the approximately $470 million it had to spend on educating thousands of illegal immigrant children over the last four years.
Walters, who filed the suit in the Western District Court of Oklahoma today, told Fox News Digital that public schools are "overrun with illegal immigrants" who are stretching the system’s resources thin and limiting opportunities for the children of taxpaying citizens.
According to data gathered by the Oklahoma State Department of Education, the state spends approximately $11,000 per student annually and the number of unaccompanied migrant children placed in the state is nearly 3,000.
Walters said that Oklahoma schools are struggling to provide adequate resources for immigrant children, such as certified teachers for students with limited English proficiency, transportation and individualized education plans, and that these challenges have a long-term impact on school budgets and the quality of education for all students in the state.
"It truly is chaos in the school system. And who's suffering here? It's the students," said Walters. "Joe Biden and Kamala Harris did this intentionally and we've got students caught in the crossfire here. We have got to protect them and we've got to get our states back on track in educating our kids."
Though President-elect Donald Trump is set to take office next week he said that Oklahoma taxpayers are still being saddled with the costs of the Biden administration’s failed border policies.
"Last week we had Joe Biden's top ICE director admit that they allowed this to happen, that they allowed the law to be broken … and frankly, they're crystal clear these orders came from the top, they came from Joe Biden and the border czar Kamala Harris," he said. "We cannot just allow them to skate off into the sunset and say, ‘President Trump, here you go, states, sorry, we just caused this massive chaos across your schools, across your state, into your communities.’ Those individuals have to be held accountable for the chaos they brought to our kids and our families. And that's what this lawsuit will do."
Walters called on other states to join Oklahoma’s suit against the Biden administration, saying that "every state has to get a grasp of what illegal immigration has done to their school system, has done to their states."
"This is the future we're talking about; we're trying to get education back on track," he said.
"This is how you change this trajectory. This is how you get the Trump administration the support that they need by holding the current administration accountable, getting this data, getting this information," he went on, concluding: "In Oklahoma, we're not going to tolerate Kamala Harris and Joe Biden allowing our schools to be overrun with illegal immigrants and with this lawsuit, we will hold them accountable to the taxpayers of the state of Oklahoma."
A Los Angeles council member, whose district has been devastated by the recent historic wildfires, is demanding accountability from city and state officials after empty reservoirs hindered firefighting efforts, raising questions about how ready the city will be to host world-stage events in the next few years.
"This fire was unlike anything we have ever seen before, but there is no secret that we have chronically underinvested in critical infrastructure and public safety in Los Angeles," Council member Traci Park told Fox News Digital in a Monday interview.
"And I think there are a lot of questions about what more could have been done or could have been done differently, and what it's going to take in Los Angeles to make sure this never happens again," she said.
Following the devastating wildfires that began in the Los Angeles mountains last week, concerns arose over dysfunctional fire hydrants and significant multimillion-dollar reductions of the fire department's budget.
Gov. Gavin Newsom responded on Friday by calling for an independent review of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power to investigate the water supply issues during the emergency.
"The ongoing reports of loss of water pressure to some local fire hydrants during the fires and the reported unavailability of water supplies from the Santa Ynez Reservoir are deeply troubling to me and to the community," Newsom wrote to LADWP Chief Executive Officer and Chief Engineer Janisse Quiñones and L.A. County Public Works Director Mark Pestrella in a letter.
"Obviously, I have a lot of concerns about the water," said Park, whose district encompasses the Pacific Palisades, the area which was one of the first and hardest hit by the wildfires.
"I was personally at the command post at Will Rogers as this Volcano of Fire came over our mountain, through our town, all the way to Pacific Coast Highway, and throughout those events into the night, I was anecdotally hearing about our firefighters not having enough water," she said. "And I think we all have questions about the expectations, how are our firefighters supposed to fight fire without the thing they need to do it, that's water?"
Park, who has been collecting critical aid at her Westchester neighborhood office to distribute to her constituents, said she's also concerned about disaster preparedness, as Los Angeles sets itself to host the 2026 World Cup and the 2028 Olympic Games.
"I was concerned about our level of preparation for those events before this happened," Park said, in regard to the wildfires. "And I certainly think that over the last several days, we have seen some of those gaps on full display."
While Park expressed her gratitude for Newsom and "his support at the state level," as well as county and Cal Fire partners, "The reality is, as we are hosting millions of people in our city, and our resources are already spread so thin, it is clear that we have a lot of work to do a lot of strategic planning to continue our preparations for those big events that are coming."
In the months leading up to the wildfires, Los Angeles city officials reduced the fire department's budget by just under $18 million, according to the department.
At the state level, experts and lawmakers are pointing fingers at the top leaders' handling of the state's forestry management and a lesser-known problem: the state's outdated water reserves system. California's existing reservoirs can only hold so much water, and many were built in the mid-20th century.
In 2024, the state experienced record-breaking rainfall after an atmospheric river event, but the existing water infrastructure faced difficulties managing the sudden influx of water. A significant portion of that rainfall was dumped into the ocean.
In 2014, California voters passed Proposition 1, also known as the Water Quality, Supply and Infrastructure Improvement Act, which authorized $2.7 billion in bonds to increase the state's water storage capacity through building new reservoirs and groundwater storage facilities. Yet, no new reservoirs have been completed under Prop. 1, according to local reports.
FIRST ON FOX: The Congressional Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) Caucus is holding its second-ever meeting on Wednesday, where its leaders are expected to unveil a set of "principles" to guide the group in its mission to cut government waste.
They outlined eight goals, some practical while others more symbolic, in a bid to ensure the caucus is in sync with the DOGE advisory panel set up by President-elect Donald Trump.
"The federal government must serve the interests of taxpayers, and taxpayers are best served by a lean, efficient, transparent, and accountable bureaucracy," the first principle read, according to a draft memo obtained by Fox News Digital.
The document also suggested both lofty and smaller-scale goals. "No amount of waste, fraud, abuse, duplication, or administrative bloat is too small or too large to fix." DOGE Caucus leaders had previously put an emphasis on "low-hanging fruit" to start their mission with, like unused federal office space held by agencies with remote work policies.
The memo puts such employees on notice, noting that they and any federal regulations or agencies "must demonstrate effectiveness for and responsiveness to taxpayers while also not creating unnecessary costs or burdens."
Rep. Aaron Bean, R-Fla., who co-founded the caucus, told Fox News Digital, "We’ve articulated our vision in a transparent manner that is both concise and consumable for every American."
Co-founder Rep. Pete Sessions, R-Texas, said, "The mandate is clear: every dollar spent in Washington must deliver a direct benefit to the people it serves, while prioritizing transparency, accountability, and efficiency."
The caucus also called for the elimination of "existing federal agencies, programs, rules, regulations, or functions that do not provide value to taxpayers," if they cannot be reformed.
DOGE Caucus leaders are also signaling a significant focus on rolling back the regulatory state with the point, "All rules and regulations should be grounded in statute. Congress enacts public policy, not unelected bureaucrats."
The group's third co-chair, Vice Chair of the House GOP Conference Blake Moore, R-Utah, said of their outline, "The DOGE Caucus has wasted no time organizing our members and crafting a clear vision for what we hope to achieve, and these principles underscore how we plan to get there. The time is now to rein in wasteful federal spending, streamline our bureaucracy, and make Washington work better for Americans."
Caucus members gathered for their first meeting in mid-December, which lawmakers said was largely introductory.
The push to slash government waste has been met with surprising enthusiasm by members on both sides of the political aisle. Several Democrats have already joined the caucus, and at least three were said to have attended the first meeting.
Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy were on Capitol Hill late last year to discuss goals for their DOGE panel with lawmakers.
The carriers, named after former President Bill Clinton and former President George W. Bush, will begin construction in the "years ahead" as part of the latest class of aircraft carriers, according to the White House.
"When I personally delivered the news to Bill and George, they were deeply humbled," Biden said in a statement Monday. "Each knows firsthand the weight of the responsibilities that come with being Commander-in-Chief. And both know well our duty to support the families and loved ones who wait and worry for the safe return of their servicemember."
The Navy currently has 11 operational aircraft carriers, some of which are nearly 50 years old and will be retired in upcoming years. Of these carriers, eight bear the names of former presidents: USS George Washington, USS Abraham Lincoln, USS Theodore Roosevelt, USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, USS Harry S. Truman, USS Ronald Reagan, USS George W. Bush, and USS Gerald R. Ford.
Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said that the future carriers Clinton and Bush will "serve as lasting tributes to each leader’s legacy in service of the United States."
"Aircraft carriers are the centerpiece of America’s naval forces, and they ensure that the United States can project power and deliver combat capability anytime, anywhere in defense of our democracy," Austin said in a statement Monday.
"Like their namesakes, these two future carriers, and the crews who sail them, will work to safeguard our national security, remind us of our history, and inspire others to serve our great republic," Austin said.
The future carriers Clinton and Bush are part of the Ford-class carriers to join the fleet.
These newest carriers are outfitted with more than 20 new technologies in comparison to the previous, Nimitz-class carriers that the Navy started using in 1975. Technology upgrades include a new Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System, known as EMALS, that launches aircraft from the ship electronically, rather than using steam-powered equipment.
President-elect Donald Trump previously called for a 12-carrier Navy during his first term as president in 2017 and has signaled interest recently in possibly expanding the sea service’s force in his second term as well.
"We’re going to be announcing some things that are going to be very good having to do with the Navy," Trump told radio host Hugh Hewitt this month. "We need ships. We have to get ships. And you know, everybody said, ‘Oh, we’ll build them.’ We may have to go to others, bid them out, and it’s okay to do that. We’ll bid them out until we get ourselves ready."
President Biden said the federal government will provide one-time payments of $770 to people impacted by the ongoing California wildfires, so they can pay for essentials like baby formula, prescriptions, clothes and food.
Biden made the announcement Thursday evening during a briefing from the Oval Office on the situation in Southern California. According to the president, nearly 6,000 people had been approved to receive the payments thus far, leading to a total of $5.1 million that has already gone out through this program.
"We're not waiting until those fires are over to start helping the victims. We're getting them help right now," Biden said from the Oval Office.
The president approved California's disaster declaration on Jan. 8, opening up federal funding to affected individuals in Los Angeles for the purposes of temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses, and other programs to help individuals and business owners recover from the wildfires. Additionally, the president pledged that the federal government would cover 100% of the cost of California's disaster response for a period of six months.
Meanwhile, during the Monday evening briefing, Biden called on Congress to step up with more funding for the wildfire and its victims.
"It’s going to cost tens of billions of dollars to get Los Angeles to what it was," Biden said during a briefing with Vice President Kamala Harris and emergency officials. "We are going to need Congress to step up with the funding."
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Administrator Deanne Criswell indicated during the Monday briefing that a total of 33,000 people impacted by the California fires had requested federal assistance. She said the number continues to rise, and they don't expect it to slow down in the near term.
Criswell added during the Monday Oval Office briefing that about 700 to 800 people were currently staying in eight emergency shelters as a result of the wildfire, noting that meant a lot of folks had found shelter with family and friends, or in hotel rooms. Criswell said that through the federal government's disaster declaration, people staying in hotels could be reimbursed for the costs.
In addition to FEMA, the Department of Defense and National Guard have also deployed federal resources to help fight the fires that have claimed at least 24 lives so far.
The high profile 2026 gubernatorial race to succeed term-limited Democratic Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is kicking into gear.
Republican state Senate Minority Leader Aric Nesbitt on Tuesday announced his candidacy, becoming the first major party candidate to launch a gubernatorial campaign.
"Michigan deserves so much better than what we’re getting out of Lansing right now," Nesbitt said in a launch video posted on social media. "I'm going to be running a campaign that concentrates on Michigan first, families first and workers first. I’m in the fight."
Highlighting his conservative philosophy, Nesbitt emphasized that "I trust families over government."
"I want to go ahead and empower the taxpayers instead of the tax-takers here in the state — and that’s part of this Michigan First agenda where you have to expect so much more out of Lansing and expect that there’s actually value for money," he emphasized.
Additionally, Nesbitt, who highlighted his "small town farm boy" heritage in his video, also pledged to "stand with President Trump to bring back a renaissance on manufacturing here in Michigan."
Nesbit is the first Republican in Michigan to jump into a race that will likely attract a large field.
Former GOP state Attorney General Mike Cox has formed a committee to explore a gubernatorial bid. Other Republicans believed to be considering a run include Rep. John James, former state House Speaker Tom Leonard, Oakland County businessman Kevin Rinke, 2022 GOP gubernatorial nominee Tudor Dixon, and former gubernatorial and presidential candidate Perry Johnson.
Among the Democrats mulling a run for governor are Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, Pete Buttigieg, the 2020 presidential candidate who has served as Transportation secretary in President Biden's administration the past four years, and state Sen. Mallory McMorrow.
Detroit's Democratic Mayor Mike Duggan made headlines recently when he announced his 2026 gubernatorial campaign as an independent.
Michigan is a crucial general election battleground state.
President Biden carried the state by a razor-thin margin in the 2020 election. President-elect Trump narrowly won the state in November's election, but Democrats held onto a highly contested open Senate seat.
House Oversight Chairman James Comer ripped Special Counsel David Weiss' final report on his years-long investigation into Hunter Biden as "incomplete" due to President Biden's sweeping pardon of his son.
"Special Counsel David Weiss just released an incomplete 27-page report because President Joe Biden issued his son an unprecedented pardon. This sweeping pardon prevents the Special Counsel from holding Hunter Biden accountable for the international influence peddling racket only made possible by Joe Biden," Rep. Comer, R-Ky., said in a statement Monday evening following the release of Weiss' final report.
"Let’s be clear: the Biden DOJ was never going to prosecute the Biden Crime Family. The House Oversight Committee’s investigation of the Bidens’ influence peddling schemes revealed how Joe Biden knew about, participated in, and benefited from his family cashing in on the Biden name," Comer continued.
The Department of Justice released Weiss' report to Congress on Monday evening, which detailed his roughly six-year investigation into first son Hunter Biden's taxes and purchase of a firearm in 2018 while he was addicted to controlled substances – namely, crack cocaine.
Hunter Biden was convicted in both cases last year, with a jury of his peers finding him guilty of three felony firearm offenses, and entering a surprise guilty plea regarding the failure to pay at least $1.4 million in taxes across a four-year period.
Amid the legal saga, President Biden repeatedly vowed he would not pardon his son, but reversed course last month when he announced he would grant his son a blanket pardon that applies to any offenses against the U.S. that Hunter Biden "has committed or may have committed" from Jan. 1, 2014, to Dec. 1, 2024.
Comer continued in his blistering response to the report by citing two IRS whistleblowers who sounded the alarm on Hunter Biden's tax issues and said they were handcuffed from "following evidence that could have led to Joe Biden."
"Two brave whistleblowers, Gary Shapley and Joseph Ziegler, blew the whistle on DOJ’s misconduct and politicization in the Hunter Biden criminal investigation and revealed they were prevented from following evidence that could have led to Joe Biden. Joe Biden will be remembered for using his last few weeks in office to shield his son from the law and protect himself. The president’s legacy is the same as his family’s business dealings: corrupt," Comer continued.
The two whistleblowers, who previously slammed Biden for pardoning his son last month, also took issue with the Weiss report and again blasted Biden for the pardon.
"The Weiss report leaves too many questions unanswered, and the American people deserve answers. DOJ, FBI, and IRS leadership should have done the right thing from the beginning. We should not have had to risk our careers to end the preferential treatment being given to the President's son. Years later, we are still facing whistleblower retaliation," Shapley and Ziegler wrote in a message shared by Empower Oversight, the legal group representing the whistleblowers.
"Why are we the only ones suffering any consequences? It's time for a serious investigation and it's time for accountability," they concluded.
Weiss' report also took issue with the president's pardoning of Hunter Biden, specifically with how President Biden characterized prosecutions of Hunter Biden as "selective" and "unfair."
"This statement is gratuitous and wrong," Weiss wrote in his report. "Other presidents have pardoned family members, but in doing so, none have taken the occasion as an opportunity to malign the public servants at the Department of Justice based solely on false accusations."
"Politicians who attack the decisions of career prosecutors as politically motivated when they disagree with the outcome of a case undermine the public's confidence in our criminal justice system," Weiss wrote in another section of the report. "The President's statements unfairly impugn the integrity not only of Department of Justice personnel, but all of the public servants making these difficult decisions in good faith."
Weiss' report also determined that the first son's previous and well-documented addiction to substances such as crack cocaine could not explain why he failed to pay taxes on millions of dollars of income earned off of his "last name and connections."
"As a well-educated lawyer and businessman, Mr. Biden consciously and willfully chose not to pay at least $1.4 million in taxes over a four-year period. From 2016 to 2020, Mr. Biden received more than $7 million in total gross income, including approximately $1.5 million in 2016, $2.3 million in 2017, $2.1 million in 2018, $1 million in 2019 and $188,000 from January through October 15, 2020," Weiss wrote in his final report, which was released Monday.
"Mr. Biden made this money by using his last name and connections to secure lucrative business opportunities, such as a board seat at a Ukrainian industrial conglomerate, Burisma Holdings Limited, and a joint venture with individuals associated with a Chinese energy conglomerate. He negotiated and executed contracts and agreements that paid him millions of dollars for limited work," Weiss continued.
Weiss continued in his report that Hunter Biden "spent millions of dollars on an extravagant lifestyle rather than paying his tax bills," and that he "willfully failed to pay his 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019 taxes on time, despite having access to funds to pay some or all of these taxes."
"These are not 'inconsequential' or ‘technical’ tax code violations," Weiss wrote. "Nor can Mr. Biden's conduct be explained away by his drug use – most glaringly, Mr. Biden filed his false 2018 return, in which he deliberately underreported his income to lower his tax liability, in February 2020, approximately eight months after he had regained his sobriety. Therefore, the prosecution of Mr. Biden was warranted given the nature and seriousness of his tax crimes."
Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment on the report and Comer's response, but did not immediately receive a response.
Hunter Biden's attorney, Abbe Lowell, released a statement Monday evening following the report, "David Weiss’ 27-page report continues to ignore some of the major mysteries of his 7-year investigation."
"Mr. Weiss conveniently omits his proposal to resolve this investigation in 2023 with a pair of misdemeanors and a diverted gun charge recommended by career prosecutors. Mr. Weiss also fails to explain why he reneged on his own agreement, a reversal that came at the 11th hour in court as he and his office faced blistering attacks from Republicans and his then filing unprecedented charges for someone with no aggravating gun factors who had paid his taxes in full years before the charges were filed," Lowell said in the statement.
"Finally, and most curious, Mr. Weiss fails to clarify why he and his prosecutors pursued wild – and debunked – conspiracies about Mr. Biden by a Russian agent that prolonged this investigation and ultimately cost taxpayers millions of dollars. What is clear from this report is that the investigation into Hunter Biden is a cautionary tale of the abuse of prosecutorial power."
A nonprofit organization with the goal of "preserving freedom and bringing ideological balance back to public corporations" released a database outlining a list of Fortune 100 companies that are financially dependent on China and could lose large sums of money if sanctions were ever put in place.
"In this current political climate, there are discussions of the imposition of severe trade tariffs on Chinese goods," 1792 Exchange explained in a new report released this week. "In addition to tariffs, American sanctions may be placed on American companies doing business in China. For example, if China invades Taiwan, it may result in sanctions like the ones imposed on Russia after the Ukraine invasion. If imposed, our assessment is that American businesses, and investors, could lose a substantial amount of funds.
"This raises a number of serious questions that beg for clear answers. What would the financial impact to these companies be if the U.S. imposes sanctions or tariffs that put both assets and revenue streams at risk? What compromises are being exacted by the CCP in order for these companies to invest in China and do business there? How do those conditions influence their U.S. policies and operations? How do companies reconcile potential moral incongruence when their public policy stance in China is at odds with their U.S.-based behavior?"
The report highlights over 80 companies that currently operate in China and estimates the amount of sanctions they could potentially face in the future, which was calculated "based on balance sheet data, trade data, and sanctions calculation."
Dozens of companies are included in the report, including Citigroup, Intel, Boeing, Disney, Nike and John Deere.
While many of the companies listed have not fully disclosed the full scope of their China business dealings, some have and in those cases, 1792 Exchange estimated the potential financial liability those companies face from potential sanctions in China during the upcoming Trump administration.
In Boeing’s case, the report states that the company earns just under $5 billion annually from China and could face $1 billion in sanctions over a three-year period on average.
Intel, according to the report, earns $18 billion per year from China, which represents 26.54% of its total annual revenue. Sanctions in China could mean $5 billion in penalties for Intel over a three-year period on average, the report concludes.
Citigroup is listed in the database as potentially facing $16 billion per year in sanctions on average from its almost $5 billion per year revenue in China.
Fox News Digital spoke to Daniel Cameron, former Kentucky Republican attorney general and 1792 Exchange CEO, about the report, and he said he hopes people take away from the data the "staggering amount of money our Fortune 100 companies could lose in the event of sanctions imposed on China."
Cameron told Fox News Digital he is optimistic that the incoming Trump administration will implement policies that drive American independence from China.
"My hope is that we're able to bring a lot of jobs back to this country and more businesses and then make a judgment, a decision to park their operations within the United States," Cameron said. "That's good for the American worker and I think particularly through some of the information that we've been able to share as it relates to this China risk database, I'm hopeful that again, yes, optimistic that President Trump is going to do right by the United States. He's going to do right by the American worker and consumer and I'm hopeful that the information that we've provided will help the administration, but it will also help CEOs and board leadership and investors be wise about their relationship with China."
Overall, the companies listed in the report generate over $600 billion in revenue from China on average and would face sanctions totaling over $150 billion on average.
"Far too many of America’s largest corporations are shielding from the public their involvement with an oppressive communist regime. This failure to provide any corporate transparency is a glaring threat to America’s future," Cameron said about the data in the report. "Enough is enough. American workers, consumers, and investors should be aware of where these major liabilities lie."
FIRST ON FOX: Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., is rolling out several new bills to help forward the Department of Government Efficiency's (DOGE) mission once President-elect Donald Trump enters office.
The senator's six bills would target telework for federal employees, require agency guidances to clarify they are not laws and mandate early notice ahead of new major policy proposals from federal agencies, among other measures.
"The American people gave Washington a mandate in November—waste less, save more. Today I’m introducing a first set of bills to follow through on their mandate by prioritizing streamlined regulations, rule-making, and record keeping. It’s time to put government waste in the doghouse and let DOGE get to work," Lankford said in a statement to Fox News Digital.
DOGE was previously announced by Trump, who tapped billionaire Elon Musk and former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy to lead the new advisory board looking to cut government waste.
Several of Lankford's DOGE bills focus on federal agencies and their perceived shortcomings. The "Improving Federal Financial Management Act" would address agencies' performances and evaluate how they stack up when weighed against their financial metrics.
The "TRUE Accountability Act" would charge agencies with coming up with plans to operate internally if there is ever a crisis.
Additionally, Lankford is including the "ACCESS Act," which would prohibit minimum education requirements when it comes to government contractor personnel during certain federal contract discussions.
The Oklahoma Republican's slew of bills are just the latest from senators in the GOP eager to get involved with DOGE.
The Senate DOGE caucus is being led by Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, who has been a vocal critic of federal agencies and their telework policies in particular.
Republicans have sought to introduce many bills ahead of Trump's inauguration with the hope of getting the process started, so that certain policies can be put in motion shortly after he takes office.
EXCLUSIVE: The Biden administration gave nearly 7,000 exemptions, mostly to refugees, for foreign nationals who otherwise could be ineligible for admission into the U.S. due to terrorism-related entry restrictions -- a significantly higher number than in recent years.
Fox News Digital reviewed a draft of the agency’s FY 2024 report to Congress on the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) secretary’s application of his power to exempt foreign nationals from terrorism-related inadmissibility grounds (TRIG). Foreign nationals who seek entry to the U.S. can be deemed inadmissible from entry and for immigration benefits if they have associated with, supported or worked with terrorist organizations.
However, the DHS secretary can exempt certain foreign nationals from that inadmissibility, including if they have provided support under duress, if they have provided medical care, and they meet other standards for exemptions.
According to the draft report, there were 6,848 TRIG exemptions in FY 2024. The majority (6,653) were for refugees, but the report does not break down the number by country. The Biden administration has significantly increased the refugee cap to 125,000, up substantially from the 18,000 set in the last year of the Trump administration.
The 6,848 number is significantly higher than the 2,085 waivers issued in FY 2023, which in turn was higher than previous years. There were 603 waivers distributed in FY 2022, 191 in FY 2021 and 361 in FY 2020, according to DHS reports.
In 2022, DHS announced an exemption for Afghan evacuees who worked as civil servants or individuals who provided "insignificant or certain limited material support" to a designated terror group. DHS said that could apply to many occupations, including teachers, doctors and engineers, and those who used their position to mitigate Taliban repression. That exemption came amid a mass evacuation effort of nationals from Afghanistan as the Taliban took control of the country in 2021.
The FY24 report said that 29 waivers were provided for Afghan allies who supported U.S. interests in Afghanistan, and 374 were for civil servants. Meanwhile, 3,134 were for those who provided certain limited support or insignificant material support to a Tier I or Tier II terror organization, under the 2022 exemption announced by DHS. Most of the remaining exemptions (2,946) were given under a 2007 exercise of authority for support given under duress.
Of those who received exemptions who are not refugees, 155 were for asylum applicants, 22 were for green card holders and four were applicants for Temporary Protected Status,
The increase in TRIG exemptions comes ahead of a Trump administration that is expected to significantly reduce refugee admissions, while also increasing deportations of illegal immigrants and increasing security at the southern border.
Republicans and former Trump administration officials have frequently criticized the Biden administration for its expansion of immigration pathways and release of migrants into the interior, in part over concerns about the potential risk of terrorism.
"Joe Biden and his administration have viciously targeted parents at school board meetings, pro-life Americans, Catholics, and Trump supporters—designating some as 'domestic terrorists'—instead of catching actual terrorists and keeping them out of the country." Michael Bars, a former Trump DHS deputy assistant secretary and White House senior communications adviser, told Fox News Digital. "In fact they've been helping potential threats move in, waiving national security safeguards to admit individuals who've provided varying degrees of material support to Islamic terrorist organizations in extraordinary numbers.
"Islamic terrorism is not 'homegrown'—it's been imported to the U.S. through our broken immigration system and open border. The Biden administration has not only failed its duty to address this rising threat, but precipitated it," he said.
DHS did not respond to requests for comment from Fox News Digital, but the report stresses that all applicants are subject to a thorough and "rigorous" security vetting process.
"All applicants considered for exemptions were subject to a thorough and rigorous security vetting process," the report says. "[U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services] procedures require that the biographic and biometric data of all applicants be screened against a broad array of law enforcement and intelligence community databases that contain information about individuals known to be security threats, including the terrorist watchlist. In addition to rigorous background vetting, the Secretary’s discretionary authority is applied only on a case-by case basis after careful review of all factors and after all security checks have cleared."
"These exemptions will allow eligible individuals who pose no national security or public safety risk to receive asylum, refugee status, or other legal immigration status, demonstrating the United States’ continued commitment to our Afghan allies and their family members," DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said in 2022.
The Biden administration has also previously noted prior usage of TRIG exemptions, including in 2019, to apply to those involved in the Lebanese civil war between 1975 and 1990. The USCIS website also says that the definition of terrorism-related activity "is relatively broad and may apply to individuals and activities not commonly thought to be associated with terrorism."
The use of TRIG exemptions has proven controversial with Republicans. In August 2022, a coalition of senators sounded the alarm on the 2022 exemptions, saying the exemption of those providing insignificant or limited support could permit was written in a way that isn’t limited to Afghans alone.
"Indeed, it is not limited to certain conflicts, terrorist organizations, geographic regions, or time periods at all," they said.
With less than a week left until President Biden's tenure in the White House sunsets, a new national poll indicates many Americans do not think history will be kind to him.
According to a USA Today/Suffolk University survey released on Tuesday, 44% of voters nationwide say history will assess Biden as a failed president, with another 27% saying he will be judged as a fair president.
Twenty-one percent of those questioned said history will view Biden as a good president, with only 5% saying he will be seen as a great president.
The president's single term in the White House ends next Monday, Jan. 20, as President-elect Donald Trump is inaugurated as Biden's successor.
However, according to the poll, 44% also say that Trump will be seen by history as a failed president.
One in five say that Trump, who begins his second term next week, will be viewed as a great president, with 19% saying good and 27% saying he would be judged a fair president.
Trump ended his first term in office with approval ratings in negative territory, including 47% approval in Fox News polling from four years ago.
However, opinions about Trump's first term have risen in polling conducted since his convincing victory in November's presidential election over Vice President Kamala Harris. The vice president succeeded Biden in July as the Democrats' 2024 standard-bearer after the president dropped out of the race following a disastrous debate performance against Trump.
According to the USA Today/Suffolk poll, 52% of those surveyed say they approve of the job Trump did during his first term in office, with 45% giving him a thumbs down.
Suffolk University Political Research Center director David Paleologos noted that the change over the past four years was particularly significant among independent voters.
"Donald Trump essentially wiped out his overwhelming negative personal popularity between December 2020 and today among independents," Paleologos said. "Trump went from a whopping minus 22 (35% favorable ‒ 57% unfavorable) to a negligible minus 5 (42% favorable ‒ 47% unfavorable)" among the group that typically swings elections.
Looking ahead, 31% said they were excited Trump was returning to the White House, with 18% saying they were satisfied. However, 12% said they were depressed and 31% are afraid of a second Trump presidency.
According to the poll, 43% say they approve of the job Biden's done as president as he leaves office, with 54% disapproving.
Biden’s approval rating hovered in the low to mid 50s during his first six months in the White House. However, the president’s numbers started sagging in August 2021 in the wake of Biden's much-criticized handling of the turbulent U.S. exit from Afghanistan and following a surge in COVID-19 cases that summer, mainly among unvaccinated people.
The plunge in the president’s approval was also fueled by soaring inflation – which started spiking in the summer of 2021 and remains to date a major pocketbook concern with Americans – and the surge of migrants trying to cross into the U.S. along the southern border with Mexico.
Biden's approval ratings slipped underwater in the autumn of 2021 and never reemerged into positive territory.
According to the USA Today/Suffolk University poll, nearly a quarter of respondents were undecided when asked to name Biden's biggest achievement as president. Nineteen percent said investing in infrastructure. Ten percent said fighting the COVID-19 pandemic, which was the top health and economic concern among Americans when Biden took office four years ago.
As for his biggest failure as president, just over three in ten pointed to Biden's handing of immigration, with 20% offering the chaotic withdrawal of U.S. military forces from Afghanistan in the summer of 2021.
The poll questioned 1,000 registered voters nationwide by phone. It was conducted Jan. 7-1, and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points.
President-elect Trump took one more dig at Jack Smith after the Justice Department released the former special counsel's report early Tuesday.
Attorney General Merrick Garland released the first volume, which focuses on the election case against Trump, of Smith’s report on Tuesday at midnight after back-and-forth in the federal court system. The report was released at midnight because that was when the original hold on Volume One expired. Nevertheless, the timing provoked a heated response from Trump.
"To show you how desperate Deranged Jack Smith is, he released his Fake findings at 1:00 A.M. in the morning. Did he say that the Unselect Committee illegally destroyed and deleted all of the evidence," Trump posted on Truth Social.
In another post, Trump dismissed Smith's report, claiming it was based on information gathered by the House Jan. 6 select committee, which was formed in July 2021 to investigate the breach of the U.S. Capitol earlier that year by Trump supporters who rioted ahead of President Biden taking office on Jan. 20. The Jan. 6 committee’s investigation was carried out when Democrats held control of the House and all of its members were appointed by then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.
Trump also repeated his claim that Smith, who resigned last week, acted on orders from President Biden to prosecute the president's political opponents.
"Jack is a lamebrain prosecutor who was unable to get his case tried before the Election, which I won in a landslide," Trump wrote.
In a letter to Garland last week, Smith called it "laughable" that Trump believes the Biden administration, or other political actors, influenced or directed his decisions as a prosecutor, stating that he was guided by the Principles of Federal Prosecution.
"Trump's cases represented ones ‘in which the offense [was] the most flagrant, the public harm the greatest, and the proof the most certain,’" Smith said, referencing the principles.
In the lengthy report, Smith said his office fully stands behind the decision to bring criminal charges against Trump because he "resorted to a series of criminal efforts to retain power" after he lost the 2020 election.
Smith said in his conclusion that the parties were determining whether any material in the "superseding indictment was subject to presidential immunity" when it became clear that Trump had won the 2024 election. The department then determined the case must be dismissed before he takes office because of how it interprets the Constitution.
"The Department's view that the Constitution prohibits the continued indictment and prosecution of a President is categorical and does not turn on the gravity of the crimes charged, the strength of the Government's proof, or the merits of the prosecution, which the Office stands fully behind," the report stated.
Smith, a former assistant U.S. attorney and chief to the DOJ's public integrity section, led the investigation into Trump's retention of classified documents after leaving the White House and whether the former president obstructed the federal government's investigation into the matter.
Smith was also tasked with overseeing the investigation into whether Trump or other officials and entities interfered with the peaceful transfer of power following the 2020 presidential election, including the certification of the Electoral College vote on Jan. 6, 2021.
Smith charged Trump in both cases, but Trump pleaded not guilty.
The classified records case was dismissed in July 2024 by U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida Judge Aileen Cannon, who ruled that Smith was unlawfully appointed as special counsel.
Smith charged Trump in the U.S. District Court for Washington D.C. in his 2020 election case, but after Trump was elected president, Smith sought to dismiss the case. Judge Tanya Chutkan granted that request.
Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin, D-Ill., declared in a statement that he intends to vote to confirm Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., to serve as Secretary of State.
"Senator Rubio and I share many similar views on foreign policy and as a result, have worked closely together in the Senate to move forward with legislation regarding human rights around the world, the continued threat of China, and the recent sham election in Venezuela," Durbin said in the statement.
"I believe Senator Rubio has a thorough understanding of the United States’ role on an international scale, has served with honor on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and is a good choice to lead the State Department. I plan to vote yes on his nomination when it comes before the Senate," the Democrat lawmaker noted.
Rubio's current Senate term runs through early 2029, so if he resigns to serve in the Trump administration, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis will tap a replacement to represent the Sunshine State in the U.S. Senate until voters select a replacement during a 2026 special election for the seat.
The Senate Committee on Foreign Relations is scheduled to hold a nomination hearing for Rubio on Wednesday.
Pete Hegseth is set to take the hot seat before the Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday in a hearing that is sure to break out into fireworks.
President-elect Donald Trump nominated Hegseth to shake up the Pentagon as his defense secretary, but the former Fox News host has been entangled in controversies that Democrats on the committee can be expected to question him about.
In his opening statement, Hegseth is expected to nod to his war-fighting experience and status as an outsider to the Pentagon establishment, telling committee members it's "time to give someone with dust on his boots the helm."
He intends to "restore the warrior ethos to the Pentagon," provide "new defense companies" with a better shot at winning contracts, and rapidly deploy emerging technologies.
"It is true that I don't have a similar biography to Defense secretaries of the last 30 years," he is to say, according to a copy of the opening statement obtained by Axios in advance of the hearing. "But, as President Trump also told me, we've repeatedly placed people atop the Pentagon with supposedly 'the right credentials' — whether they are retired generals, academics or defense contractor executives — and where has it gotten us?"
"He believes, and I humbly agree, that it's time to give someone with dust on his boots the helm," Hegseth will say. "A change agent. Someone with no vested interest in certain companies or specific programs or approved narratives."
The nominee will say his "only special interest is — the warfighter."
"[W]e are American warriors," Hegseth is expected to say in his opening statement. "Our standards will be high, and they will be equal (not equitable, that is a very different word)."
"We need to make sure every warrior is fully qualified on their assigned weapon system, every pilot is fully qualified and current on the aircraft they are flying, and every general or flag officer is selected for leadership based purely on performance, readiness and merit," Hegseth will continue, adding that he looks "forward to working with this committee — senators from both parties — to secure our nation."
Hegseth, who has been married three times, has admitted that he was a "serial cheater" before he became a Christian. He acknowledges his faith and current wife in his opening statement.
"Thank you to my incredible wife Jennifer, who has changed my life and been with me throughout this entire process," his opening statement says. "I love you, sweetheart, and I thank God for you. And as Jenny and I pray together each morning, all glory — regardless of the outcome — belongs to our Lord and savior Jesus Christ. His grace and mercy abound each day. May His will be done."
Hegseth also recognizes his "seven wonderful kids," adding: "Their future safety and security is in all our hands."
The confirmation process is expected to be contentious.
"Democrats certainly aren’t going to make this a walk in the park by any means," one Republican aide said.
"You'll see Democrats are pretty organized, they're thinking strategically to make sure everything is covered, and it's not a hearing that gets overly repetitive," one senior Democrat aide told Fox News Digital.
"I don't think it's going to be particularly hostile, but I do think it will be very tough. It's going to focus a lot just on what we should expect of a nominee for this job and where he falls short," the aide went on. "There are questions about the things he's done, his character and his leadership."
Hegseth will be the first of Trump’s controversial change agent picks to face questioning from lawmakers.
Republicans can be expected to play defense, framing Hegseth as a decorated combat veteran who will hold the military accountable after years of failed audits and DEI initiatives.
In his opening statement, Hegseth is expected to outline his three top missions for the Pentagon: "Restore the warrior ethos;" "Rebuild our military;" and "Reestablish deterrence."
"Restore the warrior ethos to the Pentagon and throughout our fighting force; in doing so, we will reestablish trust in our military — and address the recruiting, retention and readiness crisis in our ranks. The strength of our military is our unity — our shared purpose — not our differences," he'll tell the committee. "Rebuild our military, always matching threats to capabilities; this includes reviving our defense industrial base, reforming the acquisition process (no more 'Valley of Death' for new defense companies), modernizing our nuclear triad ... and rapidly fielding emerging technologies."
Hegseth also aims to "Reestablish deterrence." "First and foremost, we will defend our homeland," he'll tell the committee. "Second, we will work with our partners and allies to deter aggression in the Indo-Pacific from the communist Chinese. Finally, we will responsibly end wars to ensure we can prioritize our resources — and reorient to larger threats. We can no longer count on 'reputational deterrence' — we need real deterrence."
With little hope of winning any Democrat votes, Hegseth will have to woo moderate Republicans who have previously expressed skepticism about his nomination.
Democrats are expected to hammer him over his past conduct and his qualifications to lead the government’s largest agency, which employs 3 million people.
The 44-year-old Army National Guard veteran, who did tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, is relatively young and inexperienced compared to defense secretaries past, having retired as a major. But Republicans say they don’t want someone who made it to the top brass, who’s become entrenched in the Pentagon establishment.
Hegseth is sure to face questions about a sexual assault accusation from 2017. He’s acknowledged paying his accuser an undisclosed sum to keep quiet at the time for fear of losing his job, but he denies any non-consensual sex took place.
Former employees at veterans’ groups Hegseth used to run have accused him of financial mismanagement and excessive drinking, according to a New Yorker report, and NBC News reported that his drinking "concerned" colleagues at Fox News.
Hegseth denies the accusations and said he would not drink "a drop of alcohol" if confirmed to lead the Defense Department.
The hearing, which kicks off at 9:30 a.m., will be packed with veterans who traveled to Washington, D.C., to support Hegseth in the face of attacks.
In his opening statement, Hegseth is expected to acknowledge his supporters who have served, saluting "all the troops and veterans watching, and in this room — Navy SEALs, Green Berets, pilots, sailors, Marines, Gold Stars and more. Too many friends to name. Officers and enlisted. Black and white. Young and old. Men and women. All Americans. All warriors."
"This hearing is for you," Hegseth will say in front of the committee. "Thank you for figuratively, and literally, having my back. I pledge to do the same for you. All of you."
Taking a swipe at the Biden administration, Hegseth says the DoD under Trump's watch "will achieve peace through strength" and "will remain patriotically apolitical and stridently constitutional. Unlike the current administration."
"Leaders — at all levels — will be held accountable," his opening statement says. "And warfighting and lethality — and the readiness of the troops and their families — will be our only focus."
"That has been my focus ever since I first put on the uniform as a young Army ROTC cadet at Princeton University in 2001," Hegseth adds. "I served with incredible Americans in Guantanamo Bay, Iraq, Afghanistan and in the streets of Washington, D.C."
"This includes enlisted soldiers I helped become American citizens, and Muslim allies I helped immigrate from Iraq and Afghanistan. And when I took off the uniform, my mission never stopped."
For weeks, Hegseth has been visiting Capitol Hill to meet with senators, including those who are skeptical of him. Last Wednesday, he met with the top Armed Services Committee Democrat, Sen. Jack Reed of Rhode Island, and the meeting apparently didn’t go well.
"Today’s meeting did not relieve my concerns about Mr. Hegseth’s lack of qualifications and raised more questions than answers," Reed said in a statement.
Hegseth must first win a majority in a vote of the Armed Services Committee, made up of 14 Republicans and 13 Democrats, meaning one Republican defection could tank the vote.
He then needs to win a simple majority on the Senate floor, meaning he can afford to lose no more than three Republican votes.
"I think he kind of knows that all he needs is Republican votes to get from now into the job," said a Democrat aide. "His job is to just keep his head down and not say something that would create an opening for these [Republicans], many of whom I really don't think want to vote for him, to have a reason to revisit that. So I expect that he's going to try to say very little and say it very calmly and politely."
In committee, all eyes will be on Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, a veteran herself who at first seemed hesitant about Hegseth. After two meetings with the nominee, Ernst said she would support him through the confirmation process and looked forward to a fair hearing. She didn’t commit to voting for him.
Senators will also take a fine-toothed comb to Hegseth’s lengthy record of public comments on TV and across the five books he’s written.
One such belief is that women should not fight in combat roles.
"Dads push us to take risks. Moms put the training wheels on our bikes. We need moms. But not in the military, especially not in combat units," he wrote in his most recent book, "The War on Warriors," published in 2024.
"Men are, gasp, biologically stronger, faster and bigger. Dare I say, physically superior," Hegseth added.
On a Nov. 7 episode of the Shawn Ryan podcast, which aired mere days before Hegseth was tapped to serve as Defense Secretary, the nominee said, "I’m straight up just saying we should not have women in combat roles."
Hegseth later told Fox News in December that women are some of the U.S.’ "greatest warriors."
"I also want an opportunity here to clarify comments that have been misconstrued, that I somehow don't support women in the military; some of our greatest warriors, our best warriors out there are women," he said.
Female service members "love our nation, want to defend that flag, and they do it every single day around the globe. I'm not presuming anything," he added.
Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., is unveiling a new set of bills that could have child sexual predators facing the death penalty.
"If you are raping someone, if you're molesting someone, you are essentially murdering their soul. Those people never actually fully recover. I've actually sat on a committee with a very prominent [female House Democrat] who actually talked about the fact that she was molested as a child. And so you can see that it impacts and really hurts people," Luna said.
Two of her three bills, all of which are being introduced in the 119th Congress on Tuesday, would require sentences of death or at least life imprisonment for those charged with a wide range of crimes related to children.
A third bill would require guilty verdicts of rape and sexual abuse against adults to carry a mandatory minimum sentence of 30 years to life in prison.
Luna told Fox News Digital she broached the topic with President-elect Donald Trump over the weekend, who she suggested was enthusiastic about the idea.
"I got the impression that he absolutely is supportive of anything in this sector," Luna said.
The Florida congresswoman was among the members of the House Freedom Caucus who met with Trump over the weekend at Mar-a-Lago.
She said they also discussed Trump potentially signing an executive order levying the death penalty for pedophilia-related crimes but that it would likely be impossible to accomplish that way.
"He would be willing to sign an [executive order]. But the fact is, is that it has to go through Congress first. So it would have to come to his desk that way," she said.
Luna first introduced the bills in the last Congress when Democrats controlled half of Congress as well as the White House. They failed to get much traction, however, and ultimately never saw a House-wide vote.
She suggested that the death penalty aspect could have put some people off of an issue that otherwise could get wide bipartisan support, but she argued that child predators "cannot be rehabilitated."
"If you are going to continue to push forward in a moral society, [then] you need to ensure that people like this, that are predators, are taken off the streets permanently," Luna said.
