According to Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott, the state’s efforts to crack down on illegal immigration and Tren de Aragua (TdA) migrant gang activity have reduced illegal crossings by nearly 90% and resulted in close to 50,000 criminal arrests.
Abbott’s office said that the Texas-led campaign called "Operation Lonestar," which was first launched in March 2021 and has seen the participation of over a dozen other Republican states, has led to 530,400 illegal immigrant apprehensions and over 49,900 criminal arrests, with more than 42,900 felony charges.
During this operation, Texas also became the first state to build a border wall on its own, continuing border wall construction at strategic points despite President Biden putting a stop to it in the early days of his administration.
"Our top priority is the safety and security of Texans, including against the growing threat of Tren de Aragua," Abbott said on X. "We will not allow this gang to operate or gain a foothold in Texas."
The governor’s office also said that during Operation Lonestar, Texas law enforcement seized over 620 million lethal doses of fentanyl, which they said is "enough to kill every man, woman, and child in the United States, Mexico, and Canada combined."
The office noted that Abbott designated TdA, whose violent crime has been sweeping across the nation, a foreign terrorist organization and launched a strike team to target, identify and arrest members of the group.
Texas Department of Public Safety troopers arrested four TdA members crossing the border on New Year's Eve, one of whom was identified as a possible high-ranking member of the gang.
The statement also said that Texas has transported a total of 119,400 migrants to Washington, D.C., New York City, Chicago, Philadelphia, Denver and Los Angeles, all of which have migrant sanctuary policies in place.
Andrew Mahaleris, a spokesperson for Abbott, told Fox News Digital that Operation Lone Star has cost Texas more than $11 billion, all of which was spent on efforts to secure the border, including deploying thousands of Texas National Guard soldiers and DPS troopers, transporting migrants to sanctuary cities, installing strategic barriers, cracking down against violent gangs like TdA, and building new border wall.
"Because of these efforts, Texas has decreased illegal crossings into the state by 87%," said Mahaleris. "Texas has held the line against the Biden-Harris border crisis for the past four years, and Governor Abbott looks forward to continuing to work closely with President Trump and his incoming administration to protect our state and the nation."
Gov. Ron DeSantis is sending Florida attorney general Ashley Moody from Tallahassee to Washington, D.C. to fill Marco Rubio’s seat in the U.S. Senate.
Rubio is in the midst of the confirmation process to serve as President-elect Donald Trump's secretary of state.
A 49-year-old mother of two, Moody has served as the state’s top prosecutor since 2019, having previously worked as an assistant U.S. attorney and a circuit court judge.
The Republican state attorney general has supported lawsuits to invalidate the Affordable Care Act, known as Obamacare, and pushed against restoring voting rights for felons and marijuana legalization.
Her husband, Justin Duralia, serves as the deputy chief of the Plant City Police Department in Hillsborough County.
As senator, Moody promised to work to undo regulations instituted by government agencies and shrink the federal budget.
"The only way to return this country to the people, the people who govern it, is to make sure we have a strong Congress doing its job, passing laws and actually approving the regulations that these unelected bureaucrats are trying to cram down on the American people," she said.
"I've got the backs of the American people," Moody went on. "I am driven by many things in life. I will bring the influence of many things, in my life, my experiences certainly, but I am driven by my faith in God. First and foremost. I am driven by the fact that I am a mother and I still have a kid in school … I'm a trained accountant, so I can shrink the bloat of the federal government."
Initially, Trump and Sens. Katie Britt, R-Ala., and Rick Scott, R-Fla., endorsed Trump's daughter-in-law and former RNC Co-Chair Lara Trump to succeed Rubio. But last month, she said she withdrew her name from consideration.
Moody will have to run to keep the seat in a 2026 special election, and House Rep. Cory Mills, R-Fla., has already said he will run for the seat.
Moody has worked in tandem with DeSantis to promote his agenda. Most recently she filed a lawsuit against the Department of Justice for what she claimed was a federal government effort to block Florida’s investigation into the second Trump assassination attempt, which occurred at his Mar-a-Lago golf course.
Last year, she sued the Biden administration for a rule she argued would force doctors to provide gender transition care.
In 2024, she also petitioned the Supreme Court to disqualify a Florida ballot measure to expand abortion access by arguing its language could mislead voters.
Former Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif, plans to skip President-elect Trump's inauguration next week, her office told ABC News on Thursday.
Pelosi has attended 11 inauguration ceremonies, including Trump's first in 2017. Her office has not provided an explanation for her absence, but she has a history of dramatic displays of opposition to the president-elect.
Trump has also made no attempts to play nice with the former speaker, frequently calling her out as an "enemy" at his campaign rallies.
"She's a crooked person. She's a bad person, evil. She's an evil, sick, crazy," Trump said before appearing to mouth the word "b*tch," at a campaign rally in Michigan. "Oh no. It starts with a B– but I won't say it. I want to say it. I want to say it."
Former first lady Michelle Obama also plans to skip Trump's inauguration, though her husband, the former president, plans to attend. Michelle was also absent from the funeral for President Jimmy Carter last week, where Trump was also present.
Former presidents Trump, Bush and Clinton and their spouses all attended Carter's funeral on Jan. 9 at the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C., as did former President Barack Obama. Vice President Kamala Harris and her husband also attended, along with former Vice President Mike Pence and his wife.
Former President Bill Clinton will attend next week’s swearing-in ceremony, a person familiar with the former president’s schedule confirmed to the AP. Former first lady Hillary Clinton will also attend, a spokesperson said. The Office of George W. Bush said he and former first lady Laura Bush are attending.
All three former presidents and their wives attended Trump’s first inauguration in 2017, including Hillary Clinton, after she lost the 2016 presidential election to Trump. Carter also attended.
President-elect Trump and former first lady Melania Trump did not attend President Biden's inauguration in 2021.
Fox News' Michael Dorgan contributed to this report.
FIRST ON FOX: A group of House Republicans is urging the Senate to act fast on confirming President-elect Trump's Cabinet nominees amid dramatic hearings and some recent delays in the process.
"As elected officials, Congress is tasked with reflecting the will of the American people. The results of last November make clear that the country wants to see a departure from the past four years of failed Biden-Harris leadership," the letter said.
"We all have a role to play, and for this reason I respectfully urge my Senate colleagues to proceed swiftly with the confirmation of President Trump's executive branch nominees."
The letter is led by Rep. Pat Fallon, R-Texas, and signed by at least 16 House Republican lawmakers, though more may join.
It comes after former Fox News Channel host Pete Hegseth clashed with Democrat senators during a hearing on his nomination to be defense secretary on Tuesday. Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., and others grilled Hegseth on allegations of infidelity and sexual misconduct, which he emphatically denied.
The following day, multiple Senate confirmation hearings were interrupted by protesters.
Hearings for South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem to be Homeland Security secretary, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum to be Interior secretary and former Rep. Doug Collins to be Veterans Affairs secretary were all delayed, reportedly for various procedural reasons.
"President Trump has selected these nominees based on their shared, strong, and demonstrated commitment to restoring American values and pursuing the best interests of the nation," Fallon's letter read. "When it comes to President Trump's slate of nominees, the sum of the whole is even greater than its parts – we need a united executive branch if we are to right the ship."
"Thank you for the strong support that many of you have already espoused for President Trump's nominees. We cannot falter nor rebuke the mandate of the American people as we turn the page on the past four years of failed executive leadership."
The letter closed by urging Senate Republicans to give Trump's nominees their "full and unwavering support."
As Fallon's letter noted, the majority of Senate Republicans are expected to fall in line behind Trump's choices. But with just a 53-seat majority, they can afford little dissent to still get the nominees over the line.
First-term Sen. John Curtis, R-Utah, said Wednesday that he intends to support Hegseth's confirmation after hearing his testimony to the Senate Armed Services Committee. But at a Politico event on Tuesday, he raised doubts about Trump's nominee to be director of national intelligence, former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii.
Hegseth, meanwhile, managed to clear a key hurdle on Tuesday when Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, said on local Iowa radio station WHO News Radio 1040 that she would support his nomination after previously signaling she had some concerns.
Trump’s transition team has reportedly asked three senior career diplomats to step down from their roles, according to Reuters. Dereck Hogan, Marcia Bernicat and Alaina Teplitz, the career diplomats who were allegedly asked to leave their roles, oversee the State Department’s workforce and internal coordination. This request could signal the Trump team’s desire to implement major changes within the department.
"There's a little bit of a concern that this might be setting the stage for something worse," a U.S. official familiar with the matter told Reuters.
All three of the career diplomats named in the report have worked under Democratic and Republican administrations, Reuters noted. Unlike political appointees, diplomats do not typically resign when a president leaves office.
Throughout his political career, Trump has gone after the "deep state," and this move could be seen as part of his efforts to fundamentally change the government on a bureaucratic level.
"It is entirely appropriate for the transition to seek officials who share President Trump's vision for putting our nation and America's working men and women first. We have a lot of failures to fix and that requires a committed team focused on the same goals," Trump’s team told Reuters in response to a request for comment.
This report comes as the world sees itself in the middle of a chaotic period with wars between Ukraine and Russia, and Israel and Hamas raging.
While there are those who are skeptical at best when it comes to Trump’s foreign policy plans, others see shifts on the world stage as early signs of success.
One of the hallmark foreign policy moves of Trump’s first term was the Abraham Accords, which saw peace break out in the Middle East. After more than a year of fighting, Israel and Hamas have come close to ending their war. In fact, Biden White House national security communications adviser John Kirby recognized Trump’s incoming Middle East special envoy Steve Witkoff as a key figure in brokering the potential deal.
"The president made it clear to us on the national security team that we needed to make sure that the Trump team, in particular Mr. Witkoff, were part and parcel and fully invested in everything we were doing because they were going to own it when we left office," Kirby told "Your World" on Wednesday.
A spokesperson for the Trump transition team did not respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.
More than 140 Democrats voted against a House bill to deport illegal immigrants convicted of sex crimes on Thursday.
The legislation passed along bipartisan lines in a 274 to 145 vote. All present Republicans supported the bill, while the opposition was all made up of Democratic lawmakers.
The bill was first introduced by Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., in the 118th Congress but was not taken up by the formerly Democrat-controlled Senate. At the time, 158 Democrats voted against the bill.
"Our country has been ravaged by a horror of illegal immigrants…violently raping American women and girls," Mace said during debate on the bill. "I know the lifelong scars, the irreversible scars, these heinous crimes leave behind."
Elon Musk has notably been among the bill’s most ardent supporters, even calling for lawmakers who voted against it to lose their House seats.
"There is no excuse. Please post the list of people who opposed this law and want to keep illegals who are convicted sex offenders in America," Musk wrote on X in response to a conservative influencer discussing the bill. "They all need to be voted out of office. Every one of them."
In addition to deporting immigrants convicted of sex crimes, the legislation would also deem illegal immigrants who admit to domestic violence or sex-related charges — or are convicted of them — to be inadmissible in the U.S.
However, Democrats argued the bill would harm domestic abuse victims who fight back against their partners and broaden the definition of domestic violence to the detriment of survivors.
During debate on the bill Thursday morning, progressive Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., said the bill "does absolutely nothing to address the needs of the American people" and "widens the highway to Donald Trump’s mass deportation plans."
Jayapal said it would "create a chilling effect for reporting future crimes" and "empower abusers to go after immigrant women and children."
Mace wrote on X during debate on the bill, "The Left justifying why they are against deporting r*pists, p*deophiles, and m*rderers who are here ILLEGALLY, never ceases to amaze me."
House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., the No. 3 House Republican, also criticized Democrats who voted against the bill.
"House Democrats' votes against H.R. 30 should be seen for what they are: Prioritizing criminal illegal immigrants over the safety and well-being of their constituents. It's unconscionable that we have to pass legislation like this, much less have members oppose it," Emmer told Fox News Digital.
Rep. Randy Feenstra, R-Iowa, one of the Republicans who voted for the bill, argued the Biden administration’s border policies made the bill necessary and said the legislation would "ensure that any illegal immigrant who commits a sex crime or domestic violence offense is swiftly detained and deported."
President-elect Trump is seeking to "save" the popular Chinese-owned social media app TikTok, according to his transition team – even if the Supreme Court looks to enforce a federal law that could essentially outlaw it in the U.S.
When questioned on Wednesday about a Washington Post report claiming that Trump might issue an executive order to prevent TikTok from being banned, Rep. Mike Waltz, R-Fla., Trump’s pick for national security adviser, suggested that Trump could consider the move.
"If the Supreme Court rules in favor of the law, President Trump has been very clear. First, TikTok is a widely used platform by many Americans and has been instrumental in his campaign and in spreading his message," Waltz told Fox News' Bret Baier. "But number two, he’s going to protect their data. He’s a dealmaker. I don’t want to get ahead of our executive orders, but we’re going to create this space to put that deal in place."
Karoline Leavitt, the Trump-Vance transition spokeswoman, echoed that sentiment on Thursday.
"President Trump has repeatedly expressed his desire to save TikTok, and there’s no better dealmaker than Donald Trump," Leavitt told Fox News Digital.
A recent law giving the company nine months to either divest from its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, or be removed from U.S.-based app stores and hosting services was the subject of oral arguments heard by the Supreme Court in January.
Trump's attorneys filed an amicus brief in the case in December, urging the Supreme Court to delay a potential ban until Trump takes office.
The Supreme Court's decision on the fast-tracked case will determine whether the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act – a law signed by President Biden that passed Congress in April with bipartisan approval – would be enforced and restrict U.S. access to the app.
There are roughly 170 million active American users on the social media app, data shows.
While Trump tried to ban the app from U.S. access during his first administration, he credited TikTok for reaching young voters during the 2024 presidential campaign.
Fox News Digital reached out to TikTok for comment and did not receive a response by time of publication.
Fox News Digital's Breanne Deppisch contributed to this report.
Gov. Ron DeSantis, R-Fla., revealed on Thursday who he plans to appoint to the Senate once Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., resigns, as he is expected to be confirmed to be President-elect Donald Trump's Secretary of State after his inauguration.
The governor selected Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody to be the next senator.
Moody has been a key ally of DeSantis in the state and worked in tandem with him to facilitate his agenda as governor.
During his Thursday announcement, DeSantis said "So this is something that I thought about long and hard. We did a lot of research. We got a number of great candidates throughout the state of Florida, and many of them, I think, could have done a good job. But the final criteria I used was because you can say all those things and say you stand for it—I wanted somebody with a demonstrated record of delivering results on those important issues. Talk is cheap."
"We need people that have demonstrated fidelity to these principles with their actions. So that is why today I'm proud to announce that I am selecting our Attorney General, Ashley Moody, to serve as our next U.S. Senator," he told attendees.
Moody accepted the challenge and thanked the governor for choosing her. "Thank you so much. I will bring the same persistence and passion and tenacity as a United States Senator that I have brought as Florida's Attorney General," she said.
"If you have worked with me and fought with me over the last six years, you know, I don't think of this as a job. I think of it as a calling," she explained.
When asked about potentially taking on the role on "Fox and Friends First" in November, Moody previously said, "I have my hands full here as attorney general, and I'm incredibly focused on this job, working on behalf of Floridians, making sure I'm protecting the autonomy of the state and pushing Washington out of our business and holding them accountable. Of course, I love … being in leadership, working with President Trump, working with Governor DeSantis. And I hope to continue working on behalf of Floridians."
Initially, Trump and Sens. Katie Britt, R-Ala., and Rick Scott, R-Fla., endorsed Trump's daughter-in-law and former RNC Co-Chair Lara Trump to succeed Rubio. However, she later withdrew her name from consideration.
"After an incredible amount of thought, contemplation, and encouragement from so many, I have decided to remove my name from consideration for the United States Senate," she wrote on X.
Following Thursday's announcement, Scott congratulated Moody on X. "I welcome @AGAshleyMoody to the United States Senate! Ashley has done an incredible job fighting for Floridians and keeping our communities safe as Attorney General. I have no doubt she will do an incredible job as senator!" he said.
DeSantis added on Thursday that he expects to appoint Moody to the Senate the afternoon of January 20, after Trump is sworn in to office.
"We anticipate Senator Rubio to get confirmed very quickly after the inauguration of the 47th president, President Trump," he said.
He further thanked Rubio for his service as a senator. "I want to thank Senator Rubio for his service in the United States Senate. I think he will serve the country ably as Secretary of State and, we need it because, the last four years has been a total disaster, under the Biden-Harris administration," the governor said.
The Trump-Vance Transition Team unveiled on Thursday the administration's official portraits of President-elect Donald Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance.
"In just four days, Donald J. Trump will be sworn in as the 47th President of the United States and JD Vance as the 50th Vice President of the United States — and their official portraits are here," the team said in a statement.
"Official Portraits Released -- And They Go Hard," the statement added.
In the new portrait, Trump is seen with no expression, compared to his first official portrait in which he was smiling.
Both Trump and Vance will be sworn-in to office on Monday, Jan. 20, in Washington, D.C.
President Biden is warning Americans of an "ultra-wealthy" "oligarchy" taking shape that is presenting a danger to the country, but did not mention in his farewell speech Wednesday night the numerous billionaires that have supported his campaigns in recent years.
Biden spoke about the "dangerous concentration of power in the hands of a very few, ultra-wealthy people" and said "an oligarchy is taking shape in America of extreme wealth, power and influence that literally threatens our entire democracy, our basic rights, freedoms, and a fair shot for everyone to get ahead."
Here are five billionaires who have recently supported President Biden:
George Soros, a left-wing billionaire, investor and philanthropist, sent $250,000 to the Biden Victory Fund in September 2023, filings reviewed by Fox News Digital show.
Soros' check followed a maxed-out contribution directly to Biden's campaign that summer. Soros and his son Alex, who recently took control of the Open Society Foundations network that funnels large amounts of money to left-wing nonprofits and causes, both pushed $6,600 to Biden's campaign on June 30.
During the last presidential election, George provided $500,000 to the Biden Victory Fund while sending millions more to super PACs backing him. Alex added $721,300 to the Biden Victory Fund in 2020.
On Thursday morning, Alex Soros shared an Instagram story with a caption of Biden and the message "Joe Biden warns an ‘oligarchy’ is emerging in America in his final White House address."
LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman donated $699,600.00 on April 26, 2023, to the Biden Victory Fund, the campaign’s joint fundraising vehicle, according to Federal Election Commission (FEC) records.
Biden attended a fundraiser that Hoffman hosted on behalf of the super PAC at the private residence of Shannon Hunt-Scott and Kevin Scott in Los Gatos, California, in June 2023.
Former New York City mayor, billionaire entrepreneur and media magnate Michael Bloomberg contributed nearly $20 million to help boost President Biden in his 2024 election rematch with former President Trump, sources confirmed to Fox News last year.
Bloomberg, a one-time Republican-turned-independent-turned-Democrat, wrote a massive $19 million check to the Future Forward PAC, known as the FF PAC, which was the leading super PAC supporting Biden's bid for a second term in the White House.
Former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz announced in 2020 that he would be voting for Biden that year and would be contributing to the former vice president’s campaign.
"In my view, our choice this November is not just for one candidate over another," Schultz wrote in a letter to supporters at the time. "We are choosing to vote for the future of our republic."
Schultz went on to say, "What is at risk is democracy itself: Checks and balances. Rigorous debate. A free press. An acceptance of facts, not 'alternate facts.' Belief in science. Trust in the rule of law. A strong judicial system. Unity in preserving all of our rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness."
The virtual event was held by Climate Leaders for Biden, a group of environmental activists that includes billionaire and former Democratic presidential candidate Tom Steyer, according to an invitation.
Moritz, a billionaire Democrat mega-donor and venture capitalist, contributed at least $7.8 million to pro-Biden and anti-Trump causes during the last election cycle, according to The New York Times.
However, in July last year, Moritz called on Biden to drop out of the race following his debate performance against Trump in June.
"He can either condemn the country to dark and cruel times or heed the voice of Father Time. The clock has run out," Moritz told the newspaper at the time.
"I would vote for Biden, but I would not give another penny to any fund-raising appeals from Democrats," he added in a statement.
FIRST ON FOX: A pair of Republicans are introducing legislation that would offer service members who were fired over the military’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate a chance to get their jobs back and receive back pay.
The AMERICANS Act, put forth by Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and freshman Rep. Pat Harrigan, R-N.C., bans the Pentagon from instituting any additional COVID-19 vaccine mandates without congressional approval.
It would offer reinstatement to any service member discharged solely for their refusal of the COVID vaccine and credit them for the time of their involuntary separation for retirement pay,
It would also restore the rank of anyone who was demoted over the vaccine mandate, offering them back pay and benefits for any compensation they lost as a result of their demotion.
For those who do not want to rejoin service, it would restore their discharge to "honorable" to restore their GI Bill and health care benefits.
In August 2021, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced a requirement that troops take the COVID-19 jab for "readiness" purposes. That order was rescinded in January 2023 after lawmakers directed the Pentagon to do so in the annual defense policy bill Congress passed for that year.
More than 8,400 troops were separated in the year and a half that the order was in effect. Thousands of others sought religious or medical exemptions.
Austin’s repeal did not require the Pentagon to reinstate troops separated because of the mandate and stipulated that commanders would still have the authority to consider troops’ immunization status when making decisions on deployments or other assignments. He added that 96% of U.S. forces had taken the vaccine.
"Our military is still dealing with the consequences of the Biden administration’s wrongful COVID-19 vaccine mandate," Cruz said in a statement. "The AMERICANS Act would provide remedies for servicemembers whom the Biden Department of Defense punished for standing by their convictions. It’s the right thing to do."
"The Biden Administration’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate wasn’t about science or readiness—it was about control," said Harrigan. "As a Green Beret, I’ve seen the sacrifices our service members make firsthand, and I will not stand by while their honor is tarnished."
The legislation is in line with a pledge President-elect Donald Trump's nominee for Defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, made on Tuesday to re-recruit those who parted ways with the military over the vaccine.
"Service members who were kicked out because of the experimental vaccine," Hegseth told lawmakers, "they will be apologized to. They will be reinstituted with pay and rank."
Trump told supporters over the summer he would "rehire every patriot who was fired from the military" because of the mandate.
Pentagon leadership considered offering back pay to troops after the vaccine mandate was rescinded in early 2023, but it never came to fruition.
Republicans have long railed against the vaccine mandate and the separations it caused, arguing it was a detriment to morale at a time of major recruitment issues. Pentagon leaders argued that their forces had been required to get vaccines for years, particularly if they deployed overseas.
TikTok CEO Shou Chew is expected to accept an invitation from President-elect Donald Trump to attend his inauguration.
Chew will be seated front and center on the dais with other VIP guests and fellow tech executives Mark Zuckerberg, Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk.
A source familiar with the plans confirmed to Fox News Digital that the inaugural committee had extended the invite to Chew after The New York Times first reported it.
The inauguration on Jan. 20 will come one day after TikTok plans to shut down operations within the U.S.
Trump is now considering an executive order to suspend enforcement of the law requiring TikTok to divest from Chinese-owned ByteDance or face a ban in the U.S. for 60 to 90 days, according to the Washington Post, to buy time to negotiate a sale or some other solution.
Trump’s defense of TikTok marks a reversal from his position in 2020, when he tried to block the video-sharing app in the U.S. and force its sale to a U.S. company.
"I have a warm spot in my heart for TikTok," Trump said last month. The incoming president has more than 14 million followers on the app. He met with the company's executives in Mar-a-Lago last month.
In wide, bipartisan fashion, Congress passed a law last year implementing the ban-or-sale policy, arguing the CCP uses the app to spy on Americans and spread propaganda, and ByteDance has long said TikTok is not for sale.
Reports have emerged of U.S. billionaires like Musk and Kevin O'Leary lining up to put in offers for TikTok's U.S. operations.
Last week, the Supreme Court considered a challenge to the law that will take effect on Jan. 19. It has not yet issued a decision but is expected to allow the law to go forward. If the court upholds the law — as a lower court did last month — TikTok's days in the U.S. would be numbered.
Trump could also push Congress to repeal the law, or direct his Department of Justice not to enforce it. His attorney general nominee Pam Bondi declined to say whether she would enforce the ban during a confirmation hearing this week.
Trump took U.S. foreign policy watchers by surprise last month when he invited Chinese President Xi Jinping to his inauguration, though Xi is not expected to attend the inauguration.
Despite chronic hacking by the Chinese, Trump seems to be coming in with a diplomatic tone toward Xi and his government, keeping them on their toes about Trump’s longtime promise to institute tariffs as high as 60% on their exports to the U.S.
"We have a good relationship with China. I have a good relationship," Trump told CNBC last month. "We've been talking and discussing with President Xi some things."
President Biden warned in his farewell speech of an "ultra-wealthy" "oligarchy" posing a threat to America as big tech CEOs have been warming up to President-elect Trump in recent months — despite his own administration accepting donations from Democratic mega-donors.
Biden spoke Wednesday as reports emerged this week that Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos and Mark Zuckerberg – the three most wealthy people in the world who collectively are worth more than $850 billion, according to Forbes – will be seated next to Trump’s Cabinet picks and elected officials next Monday at his inauguration.
"I have no doubt that America is in a position to continue to succeed. That's why in my farewell address tonight, I want to warn the country of some things that give me great concern. And that's the dangerous concentration of power in the hands of a very few, ultra-wealthy people. And the dangerous consequences if their abuse of power is left unchecked," Biden said from the Oval Office.
"Today, an oligarchy is taking shape in America of extreme wealth, power and influence that literally threatens our entire democracy, our basic rights, freedoms, and a fair shot for everyone to get ahead," Biden continued. "We see the consequences all across America, and we've seen it before, more than a century ago. But the American people stood up to the robber barons back then and busted the trust. They didn't punish the wealthy, they just made the wealthy play by the rules everybody else had to."
Musk, the CEO of SpaceX and Tesla, Bezos, the founder of Amazon, and Zuckerberg, the CEO of Meta, have all met with Trump at his Mar-a-Lago home in Florida following his election victory in November.
During the election cycle, Musk gave at least $277 million in donations to help get Trump and other Republicans elected, according to The Washington Post, which cited filings from the Federal Election Commission.
Tech giants including Amazon, Meta, Apple, Google and Microsoft are reported to have donated $1 million each to Trump’s inauguration on Jan. 20.
In 2023, George Soros and other prominent billionaires bolstered Biden's re-election efforts during the third quarter, filings reviewed by Fox News Digital show.
The deep-pocketed donors each cut six-figure contributions to the Biden Victory Fund — a joint fundraising venture that consists of Biden's campaign, the Democratic National Committee (DNC), all 50 state Democratic parties and Washington, D.C.'s Democratic committee — between July and September.
Later in 2023, Fox News Digital confirmed that a Soros-funded group pushed $15 million to a nonprofit tied to Biden's main outside super PAC for the 2024 elections to evaluate crucial policy matters, records reveal.
Tax documents provided to Fox News Digital showed that the Open Society Policy Center, an advocacy nonprofit in the Soros-bankrolled Open Society Foundations network, funneled $15.18 million to Future Forward USA Action in 2022 for research and "content testing on critical policy issues."
That same year, billionaire Reid Hoffman, LinkedIn co-founder, dropped amassive six-figure donation backing Biden's re-election bid.
As far back as 2020, billionaires Howard Schultz, former Starbucks CEO, former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and investor Tom Steyer made substantial donations to the Biden campaign.
For his part in the incoming Trump administration, Musk has been tasked with heading up the newly created Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which will examine issues of government spending, waste, efficiency and operations.
In order to do that, Musk may occupy space in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building right next to the West Wing that houses the bulk of office space for White House staffers, the New York Times reported.
Biden also said in his farewell speech that American leadership and technology is an "unparalleled source of innovation that can transform lives," but "we see the same dangers, the concentration of technology, power and wealth."
"You know, in his farewell address, President Eisenhower spoke of the dangers of the military industrial complex. He warned us then about, and I quote, the potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power, end of quote. Six decades later, I'm equally concerned about the potential rise of a tech industrial complex that could pose real dangers for our country, as well," Biden added.
"Americans are being buried under an avalanche of misinformation and disinformation, enabling the abuse of power. The free press is crumbling. Editors are disappearing. Social media is giving up on fact checking. The truth is smothered by lies told for power and for profit," the president continued. "We must hold the social platform accountable to protect our children, our families and our very democracy from the abuse of power.
"Meanwhile, artificial intelligence is the most consequential technology of our time, perhaps of all time. Nothing offers more profound possibilities and risks for our economy and our security, our society, for humanity. Artificial intelligence even has the potential to help us answer my call to end cancer as we know it. But unless safeguards are in place, AI could spawn new threats to our rights, our way of life, to our privacy, how we work and how we protect our nation. We must make sure AI is safe and trustworthy and good for all humankind," Biden said.
Fox News’ Andrew Mark Miller, Joe Schoffstall, Jessica Chasmar and Diana Stancy contributed to this report.
Days away from his upcoming Jan. 20 inauguration, President-elect Trump declared in a Truth Social post that the incoming administration had already hired more than 1,000 people to work for the U.S. government.
He also indicated that individuals who have worked with or been backed by "people suffering from Trump Derangement Syndrome," are not desirable job candidates.
Trump named former national security adviser John Bolton, former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley, former Vice President Mike Pence and others, noting that those who have worked with or been endorsed by those individuals should not be floated as job candidates.
"As of today, the incoming Trump Administration has hired over 1,000 people for The United States Government. They are outstanding in every way, and you will see the fruits of their labor over the coming years. We will MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN, and it will happen very quickly!" the incoming commander-in-chief said in the post.
"In order to save time, money, and effort, it would be helpful if you would not send, or recommend to us, people who worked with, or are endorsed by, Americans for No Prosperity (headed by Charles Koch), "Dumb as a Rock" John Bolton, ‘Birdbrain’ Nikki Haley, Mike Pence, disloyal Warmongers Dick Cheney, and his Psycho daughter, Liz, Mitt Romney, Paul Ryan, General(?) Mark Milley, James Mattis, Mark Yesper, or any of the other people suffering from Trump Derangement Syndrome, more commonly known as TDS. Thank you for your attention to this matter!" he added.
Haley and Pence each mounted bids for the GOP presidential nomination during the recent election cycle, but both ultimately dropped out. While Haley endorsed Trump, Pence did not.
Cheney, who was one of the 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach Trump in the wake of the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol riot, has been a vociferous Trump critic over the years. Last year she backed Vice President Kamala Harris, and campaigned with the 2024 Democratic presidential nominee.
Ryan, a former House speaker, told Yahoo Finance last year that he would not vote for Trump, but planned to write in a Republican, as he had done the last time.
Romney was one of the seven GOP senators who voted to convict Trump after the 2021 House impeachment. In 2020, Romney voted to convict on one of the two impeachment articles the House levied against Trump in late 2019. Romney, who has indicated that he did not vote for Trump in 2016 or 2020, declared last year that he would not vote for Trump in 2024.
Bolton, an outspoken Trump detractor, said last year on BBC's "HARDtalk" that he did not think the candidates were fit to serve as president, and he would not vote for either one.
Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey is hardening her approach to the state’s migrant crisis in the face of mounting safety concerns and just days before President-elect Trump is sworn into office.
Healey, a Democrat, is proposing drastic changes to how the state houses migrants by proposing that all families staying in emergency shelters be in the country legally, with rare exceptions. The move would effectively prevent new migrants from staying in state shelters.
The change, which comes after a review of the state’s right-to-shelter law, would see all shelter applicants be required to show that they are either a U.S. citizen, a lawful permanent resident or are here "under the color of law." Exceptions are made for households that include children who are U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents.
The governor is also looking to strengthen background checks for anyone staying at a shelter by requiring them to disclose criminal convictions in the state and elsewhere.
Her proposal would require applicants to verify their identity, residency and immigration status before being housed. Currently, shelter applicants are allowed to be housed before providing any documentation.
It would also limit those qualifying due to evictions to the state, not anywhere in the country. For instance, this would eliminate a scenario where a migrant is evicted in another state and then comes to Massachusetts and gets shelter benefits.
"I believe these changes are appropriate and needed to ensure the long-term sustainability of the state shelter system in a way that aligns with the original intent of the law," Healey said in a statement. "In addition, these proposed changes will allow us to continue to ensure the safety of our system, support cities and towns in addressing the needs of unhoused families in their communities and put us on the path toward a more fiscally sustainable shelter system."
The moves come amid safety concerns at the state’s shelters and various crimes being linked to illegal migrants in the state. Records from the state indicate there have been hundreds of serious incidents at the shelters, including rapes.
Last month, an illegal immigrant was allegedly caught with an AR-15 and about $1 million worth of fentanyl in a state-subsidized hotel room. An El Salvadoran illegal immigrant was arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting a child while Immigration and Customs Enforcement has seen a recent spike in illegal immigrants arrested for sex crimes in the Boston area and throughout Massachusetts.
Healey said in November that her state police will "absolutely not" be cooperating with the expected mass deportation effort by the incoming Trump administration, warning that she will use "every tool in the toolbox" to "protect" residents in the blue state.
Healey’s new proposals about after a review of the state’s right to shelter law, "continued inaction by Congress and no assistance from the federal government."
The proposals need to be approved by the legislature, and Healey outlined her recommendations in a letter to the Senate President, Speaker, and House and Senate Ways and Means Chairs, urging the changes to be in the Emergency Assistance (EA) Supplemental Budget.
She recently announced that the administration will phase out the use of hotels and motels as shelters by the end of 2025.
Massachusetts adopted its Right to Shelter law 40 years ago, which was designed to provide housing for families in need, specifically pregnant women and children experiencing homelessness.
In recent years, migrants have sought shelter under this law which has overwhelmed its shelter system. Last year, Healey declared a state of emergency in the state due to the surge and called for federal action. She also acknowledged that the state’s policies may be a draw for migrants.
Migrants were even sleeping on the floors of Boston's Logan International Airport as the shelter system became overcrowded.
About 50,000 migrants have come to the state since 2021, according to. July report by the Center for Immigration Studies.
Democratic House Speaker Ronald Mariano said the new proposal is in line with what lawmakers have been trying to do.
"From the outset of the shelter system crisis, the House has consistently led the effort to ensure that the Commonwealth’s emergency assistance program could remain financially viable in the long-term, resulting in reforms that capped the maximum length of stay, and that required job training for individuals in the shelter system," he said in a statement, per The Associated Press.
Senate Minority Leader Bruce Tarr also welcomed the proposal.
"With the growing consensus not only on Beacon Hill, but throughout the Commonwealth, that major changes are needed urgently, we have the opportunity to at last take actions that will make the system safer, more accountable and transparent, and more sustainable," Senate Minority Leader Bruce Tarr said in a statement.
Massachusetts' Republican Party in August accused Healey of quietly having spent over $1 billion on the state’s migrant crisis.
"The Healey-Driscoll Administration has shrouded nearly $1 billion spent in secrecy, leaving Massachusetts residents in the dark," Massachusetts Republican Party Chair Amy Carnevale said in a statement at the time.
"They have withheld critical information on 600 incidents involving police, fire, and EMTs. Blocking journalists at every turn, the administration has obstructed the flow of information to the public."
