A Georgia state senator has had his ban from entering the state House chamber revoked following an ugly incident on Thursday which saw him flung to the floor, arrested and subsequently hospitalized.

State Sen. Colton Moore, a hardline supporter of President-elect Trump who previously tried to have Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis impeached for indicting the former president, was involved in a heated exchange at the entrance to the House chamber where officials refused him entry to attend Gov. Brian Kemp's State of the State Address.

Moore, of Trenton in Dade County, ended up being pushed to the floor by Keith Williams, a lawyer for House Speaker Jon Burns' office, who was trying to enforce a ban placed on Moore by the speaker. Moore was banned from entering the chamber after he blasted the state Senate's decision last year to consider a resolution to name a building at the University of North Georgia after the now-deceased former house speaker David Ralston.

STATE SENATOR PUSHED TO THE GROUND, ARRESTED WHILE TRYING TO ENTER GEORGIA HOUSE CHAMBER

Moore on Thursday made several attempts to brush past House staffers but was pushed back on several occasions. Then, at one point, William sent Moore flying, with the senator falling awkwardly to the floor. After another attempt to enter, Moore was arrested by state troopers and led away.

Later in the evening, Moore posted a video of himself sitting on a hospital bed with a blood pressure monitor strapped to one of his arms. His other arm was elevated on the bed’s guard rail. 

"I did take a bit of a beating; my hand, it’s a bit swollen and purple; we’re waiting to get some X-rays to check it out," Moore said.

"Today they took my freedom and liberty away as I was fighting for your freedom and liberty. But I tell you what, we still have a constitutional duty to do work, and I’ll still be in that legislature tomorrow morning. Thank you all for the support."

Burns initially said that the incident was "incredibly unfortunate and said that Moore had "created a dangerous situation when he chose to use force against our law enforcement officers, dedicated doorkeepers and House staff." Burns said that the integrity and decorum of this House was "non-negotiable—period."

On Friday, Burns, a Republican from Newington, lifted his ban after state Senate and Republican Party leaders lined up to support Moore.

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He said that Moore’s desire to "cause a disturbance and gain notoriety in the press broke longstanding rules and precedents of decorum that each member of the General Assembly has a responsibility to uphold." But he said he’d admit Moore for joint sessions without an apology because Ralston wouldn’t have wanted the legislature’s work to be hindered.

"For this reason, the Ralston family has expressed to their family here in the House that they desire for our chamber to resume business as normal — with all members of the General Assembly present — for any future joint sessions with or without the apology they and the House deserve," Burns said.

Moore’s ban had stemmed from a speech he gave last year blasting former speaker Ralston, who was also a Republican. 

Moore accused Ralston of using his office to delay court cases for criminal defendants he had represented as an attorney. Ralston claimed in 2019 that his actions were entirely legal.

"This body is about to memorialize, in my opinion, one of the most corrupt Georgia leaders that we are ever going to see in my lifetime," Moore exclaimed at the time. 

It’s not the first time Colton, a self-described "RINO wrangler," has clashed with his Republican colleagues.

In 2023, Georgia’s Republican Senate Caucus suspended Moore for attacking them for opposing his plan to impeach Willis for indicting Trump in an election interference case.

Moore was the most prominent backer of a special session to impeach and remove Willis or defund her office, winning Trump’s endorsement. Kemp denounced the call as "some grifter scam" to raise campaign contributions for Moore.

The Willis case eventually unraveled, in part because she was in a romantic relationship with a prosecutor she had hired.

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Moore was booked into Fulton County jail on a misdemeanor charge of willful obstruction of law enforcement officers.

After Moore took a mug shot imitating one Donald Trump famously took at the same jail, a supporter posted Moore’s $1,000 bail.

Lt. Edward Starling, a troopers spokesperson, said he had no update on whether charges would be dropped.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is fighting to uphold a Texas law he says is keeping the pornography industry from targeting children with harmful content.

Passed in 2023 and signed into law by Texas Governor Greg Abbott, the law requires porn sites to verify users’ ages through official documentation such as a driver’s license or government-issued I.D. Under the law, failure to implement this age verification results in fines.

Meanwhile, a collection of porn sites calling itself the Free Speech Coalition argues that the Texas law curbs their First Amendment rights and places an undue burden on Texas adults from accessing their content.   

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Pornhub, the country’s most popular adult content website, went so far as to disable access to their website for all users in Texas after the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled to uphold the law.

The two sides finally came face to face this Wednesday to make their case before the Supreme Court.

For its part, the nation’s highest court appeared united in agreeing with Paxton’s argument that states have a vested interest in limiting children’s access to pornographic content. Some justices, however, seemed to still have concerns about whether the Texas law’s prohibitions were too broad and could impact other areas of free speech expression.

The question before the court now is whether the Texas law should be subject to "rational basis" or "strict scrutiny" review, the latter of which would require Texas to meet the narrowest standards to uphold the age verification requirement.

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Whichever way the court rules will likely impact not only the Texas law but also the over a dozen other porn site age verification laws in states across the country.

In an interview with Fox News Digital after the hearing, Paxton said he feels confident that the Supreme Court will rule in Texas’ favor.

"Hearing the questions and seeing the comments by the justices I feel very optimistic, I think we’re going to win this," he said. "I really feel good about it. I think most of the justices are going to come down on the right side."

"Even the other side making their arguments admitted that we have an interest in protecting minors," he went on. "They just said that the way we were doing that was some type of overburden on adults, and so they offered up other suggestions, those suggestions don’t actually work and that’s probably why they offered them up, they don’t want age verification because it actually works, and it affects their bottom line." 

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In response to criticisms about the law potentially violating free speech, Paxton said: "Look I’m a huge free speech advocate. I see very few limitations on free speech. However, we have recognized that we need to protect children in all kinds of different ways. We don’t let them sign contracts, we don’t let them get married until they’re 18, we don’t let them be served alcohol, we don’t let them get tobacco, we have protected children, it’s been [throughout] our entire history."

"If you look anywhere in the developed world or anywhere [else], children are protected," he added. "It’s my job to enforce Texas law. In this case I feel very comfortable protecting our children from having this put in front of them."

The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) debarred EcoHealth Alliance Inc. and its former President Dr. Peter Daszak, formally blocking both the firm and the doctor from receiving federal funds for five years. EcoHealth allegedly failed to report dangerous gain-of-function experiments to the government, which eventually led to the debarment. In the notice of debarment for Daszak, an HHS official wrote that the actions taken were "necessary" to protect US government business interests.

House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., cheered on the debarment in a statement, calling it "justice for the American people." Comer went on to slam "bad actor" EcoHealth and "its corrupt former president" for using taxpayer dollars to carry out "dangerous gain-of-function research in China."

In May, the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic, which is under the House Oversight Committee, issued an interim report detailing the findings of its investigation into government funding and lack of oversight on gain-of-function research.

HHS MOVES TO DEBAR ECOHEALTH ALLIANCE PRESIDENT OVER FAILURE TO COMPLY WITH GRANT PROCEDURES

The subcommittee noted in the report that it had found "significant evidence" that Daszak "repeatedly violated the terms of the NIH grant awarded to EcoHealth." In light of the findings, the committee ultimately recommended EcoHealth and Deszak be formally debarred and blocked from receiving "any" federal funding.

Additionally, in its review, the committee accused EcoHealth of failing to submit an annual research update, only to file it in August 2021, nearly two years after the September 2019 deadline.

"EcoHealth Alliance President Dr. Peter Daszak is not a good steward of US taxpayer dollars and should never again receive funding from the US taxpayer," committee chairman Brad Wenstrup, R-Oh, said in the May 2024 memo.

"Dr. Daszak and his organization conducted dangerous gain-of-function research at the [Wuhan Institute of Virology], willfully violated the terms of a multi-million-dollar NIH grant, and placed US national security at risk. This blatant contempt for the American people is reprehensible."

The period of debarment for EcoHealth Alliance is set to end on May 14, 2029, and Dr. Daszak’s debarment is set to end six days later on May 20, 2029.

DISGRACED ECOHEALTH ALLIANCE REAPED NEARLY $100M IN TAXPAYER FUNDS SINCE 2008

It was revealed in May that the disgraced research firm received nearly $100 million from the federal government over the last decade and a half.

From FY 2008 to FY 2024, the US government provided EcoHealth Alliance an estimated $94.3 million in taxpayer funds through contracts, grants, direct payments, loans and other financial assistance, according to a Fox News Digital review of government spending data provided by USAspending.gov.

A spokesperson for EcoHealth did not respond to a request for comment.

Kyle Morris contributed to this report.

Californians may have a "reawakening" that could trigger a "political shock" among the nation's top decision-makers after the state's highly criticized response to the Los Angeles wildfires brought to light the state's vulnerability and leadership failures, historian Victor Davis Hanson predicts.

"So, there is a group of people in California that could fuel a revolt of liberals or Democrats," Hanson, a Hoover Institution public policy think tank senior fellow, told Fox News Digital in an interview on Tuesday. 

That group of people could include the wealthy on the coastal line whose homes were destroyed or damaged by the wildfires that broke out Jan. 7. Several celebrities, including filmmaker Mel Gibson and actor Michael Rapaport, openly blasted California leadership for its response to the crisis as the blaze destroyed several Los Angeles districts. 

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"So, the shock of LA is most of the people that were burned out in Pacific Palisades or on the areas around it were very, very left-wing and very wealthy," Hanson said. "And this was what's shocking politically, because the consequences of their votes and their ideology had never really personally affected them to this degree.

"This is going to be an accelerant or a force multiplier. That's because it affects two different groups of people," Hanson explained. "It affects the very wealthy. For the first time, they got firebombed. Looks like Dresden, and that's going to be $300 or $400 billion when it's all over. And they're going to have to deal with the Coastal Commission, the Los Angeles Planning Commission and permits for building. And they're going to be irate when they have to do that.

"The net result is, I don't think any California politician is going to have a national profile after this."

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass' absence during the first 24 hours of the inferno, coupled with empty hydrants, a malfunctioning reservoir, a defunded fire department and a lack of new water infrastructure — despite Gov. Gavin Newsom's backing of billions for new reservoirs — highlighted severe flaws in the state's response, noted by lawmakers and experts.

The state’s response to the crisis has fueled further criticism, particularly regarding its bureaucracy. In response, Newsom signed an executive order Sunday to suspend certain state commission requirements, aiming to speed up the rebuilding process for homeowners.

"Goodbye, red tape," Newsom wrote in a post on X. "Through an executive order, we are making it easier for victims of the SoCal fires to quickly rebuild their homes and lives."

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"If he could do it now, why didn't he do it before the fire?" Hanson said of the order. 

Another issue that has been a multiyear problem is California's loss of residents to red states. Dubbed the "California exodus" by experts, California has lost hundreds of thousands of residents over the past few years, many of them citing high taxes, unaffordable housing, crime and difficult business regulations. 

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Many former California residents have relocated to states with lower taxes and more business-friendly environments, such as Texas, Florida, Tennessee and North Carolina. Top companies — Tesla, Oracle, Charles Schwab and Chevron — have also moved to other states.

Nearly 240,000 people moved out of California between 2023 and 2024, according to the Census Bureau. This was the largest net domestic migration loss in the country during that time period. Between April 2020 and July 2022, the state saw a net loss of more than 700,000 residents.

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"They're getting very, very angry that it's hard to do business … and they are angry at the gasoline prices," Hanson said. "And so I think there's the potential, if there were a clever, adroit, enlightened Republican candidate or political figure that could capitalize on. So far, the Republican Party doesn't know what to do. They don't know whether to go left and try to accommodate this left-wing population or go further right and galvanize it.

"There's no dissenting voices … and I think that's going to change after what we saw."

A New York Times reporter sparked controversy this week after suggesting in an article that President-elect Trump’s nominee to head the Office of Management and Budget, Russell T. Vough, helped promote a "unitary executive theory" ahead of Trump’s second term.

It drew sharp criticism on social media and among conservative analysts who argued the description of the theory was fundamentally untrue.

The report in question by Alan Rappeport focused on Vought’s nomination to head up OMB during Trump’s second presidency, a position he also held during Trump’s first term, and the work Vought did after Trump left office.

In the years after Trump's first term, the Times report says, Vought founded a conservative think tank and served as an architect of Project 2025, described in the report as an effort by conservative groups to help advance executive branch power. 

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The report says the legal underpinning of Project 2025 is "a maximalist version of the so-called unitary executive theory that rejects the idea that the government is composed of three separate branches" and "argues that presidential power over federal agencies is absolute." 

Though the article has since been updated to describe the unitary executive theory as three "separate but equal branches," the article was panned by conservatives and others who disagreed with the Times' characterization of the legal theory.

It was the second part of the statement in particular that sparked backlash from conservative commentators, including National Review editor Charles Cooke, who argued in an op-ed that the Constitution and its wording, in his view, is explicit about how the executive, legislative and judicial branches can exercise power and about the limitations of the executive branch. 

"The United States is a democratic republic in which elected officials are held accountable for their decisions," Cooke wrote in an op-ed for the National Review. 

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"The only elected official who holds power within the executive branch is the president. For anyone else to exercise power without the permission or endorsement of the sole electee would be to create a fourth branch of government, unmoored from oversight, and thereby to undermine the whole apparatus."

Others also took aim at the article on social media, arguing the Times reporter fundamentally misunderstood the unitary executive theory. 

"This is bad, even for the New York Times," Iowa law school professor Andy Grewal wrote in a widely-shared post on X.

The New York Times did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for a response. 

A federal appeals court on Friday ruled against an Obama-era policy that provides amnesty and a pathway to citizenship for illegal immigrants who entered the U.S. as children.

A three-judge panel of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans ruled unanimously that a new version of the policy issued by President Biden in 2022 overstepped the executive branch's authority. The decision by two Republican-appointed judges and one Democratic-appointed judge is the latest blow to the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program in a string of legal challenges that has kept 500,000 so-called Dreamers waiting for a resolution for more than a decade.

The decision Friday does not immediately change the status quo. Program beneficiaries can still renew temporary permits to live and work in the United States without fear of deportation. But the federal government remains prohibited from issuing new applications.

However, Friday's decision does create an opportunity for DACA to be appealed to the Supreme Court for a third time. And it comes just three days before President-elect Trump assumes office with his promise to begin mass deportations of illegal immigrants.

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In his first term, Trump attempted to end DACA, but he also made statements expressing his desire for Dreamers to be permitted to stay in the U.S.

Obama introduced DACA in 2012, citing inaction by Congress on legislation aimed at giving those brought to the U.S. as children a path to legal status. Legal battles followed, including two trips to the Supreme Court.

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Biden's 2022 update to the policy did not change much substantively, but it was subject to public comment as part of a formal rule-making process intended to improve its chances of surviving in court.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paton, who led the challenge on behalf of Republican-led states, called Friday's ruling "a major victory." 

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"I look forward to working with President-elect Donald Trump to ensure that the rule of law is restored, and the illegal immigration crisis is finally stopped," Paxton said.

The Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.

In 2016, with one vacancy on the Supreme Court, the justices deadlocked 4-4 over an expanded DACA and a version of the program for parents of DACA recipients, keeping in place a lower court decision for the benefits to be blocked. In 2020, the high court ruled 5-4 that the Trump administration improperly ended DACA by failing to follow federal procedures, allowing it to stay in place.

President-elect Trump appointed three Supreme Court justices during his first White House term, significantly reshaping the nation's top court. But President Biden appointed more federal judges than Trump in the past four years.

According to fresh data from the Federal Judiciary Center, Biden is slated to end his tenure having installed 228 judges to U.S. district and appellate courts, including record numbers of female and minority judges to district courts across the country. 

That total was aided in part by a flurry of eleventh-hour confirmations by Senate Democrats, who scrambled to approve Biden's judicial nominees last month in the final days of the 118th Congress and while they still held a narrow majority in the chamber.

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Trump appointed 226 federal and appellate court judges during his first White House term, just under Biden's total.

Biden also placed one justice on the Supreme Court, Ketanji Brown Jackson, the first Black woman on the nation's highest court.

Sixty percent of the judges appointed by Biden are Black, Hispanic, Asian or part of another racial or ethnic minority group, according to data compiled by the Pew Research Center, the highest percentage for any U.S. president. 

Biden's federal judge appointments, both in their diversity and scope, bear similarities to another single-term Democratic president, Jimmy Carter.

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Unlike Biden, Carter did not appoint anyone to the Supreme Court. But he appointed more than 260 federal and appellate court judges during his four years in office, including record numbers of women and minority judges, helping the courts better reflect the populations they represented. The appointments helped reshape the federal bench and paved the way for women and minorities to serve on the Supreme Court.

Most notably, Carter is credited with installing Ruth Bader Ginsburg on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, a decision that set her up later for promotion when Democratic President Clinton tapped her for the nation's highest court in 1993.

Presidential inaugurations mark some of the most defining moments in U.S. history, allowing presidents to establish traditions and reinvigorate the American people.

Some inaugurations make history, while others are remembered for comical blunders and even brawls.

Before President-elect Donald Trump is sworn into office for a second time on Monday, here are some of the most momentous Inauguration Day moments in U.S. history.

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No tradition's story is complete without its origin. President George Washington delivered the first-ever inaugural address on April 30, 1789, just two weeks after Congress unanimously elected him to serve as the nation's leader.

His 10-minute speech noted the "divine blessing" of the nation's founding, expressing gratitude to "the benign parent of the human race" for the deliberations that led to the founding and the unity of the American people.

President Andrew Jackson had some 20,000 of his supporters attend a celebration around the White House following his first inauguration in 1829.

The mob quickly grew rowdy, however, with fights breaking out and furniture being destroyed. Jackson ultimately fled out a window to the safety of a nearby hotel, according to the National Archives.

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Staff at the White House then resorted to filling bathtubs with whiskey and orange juice outside the White House in order to get the crowd to leave the building.

President William Henry Harrison delivered his inaugural address on a bitterly cold day in March 1841. He refused to wear a coat and traveled to and from the inauguration on open horseback. His address is also the longest in U.S. history, with Harrison speaking for more than two hours.

Several weeks after Inauguration Day, Harrison caught a cold, which then developed into pneumonia, and he died on April 4, barely a month after taking office.

President Franklin D. Roosevelt first took the oath of office in 1933 in the midst of the Great Depression.

It was during his first inaugural address that he delivered a line now known to virtually all Americans, telling the people, "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself."

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Roosevelt's steadfast leadership would see Americans through both the Great Depression and World War II.

President John F. Kennedy assumed office on Jan. 20, 1961, and he too delivered a line that would enter the American pantheon.

"Ask not what your country can do for you—ask what you can do for your country," he urged.

Kennedy's words led the country to the moon and back, and to this day, polls rank him as the most beloved recent president.

President Barack Obama's first inauguration is notable not only because he was the first Black American to become president, but also for the historical quirk that he had to be sworn in twice.

Obama and Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts briefly spoke to one another as Roberts was administering the oath of office. As a result, Roberts misspoke and stated, "That I will execute the office of president to the United States faithfully."

Obama then repeated that phrasing, which is incorrect. The oath's correct wording in the Constitution is, "That I will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States."

While the ceremony moved forward regardless, Obama and Roberts met again the following day at the White House to administer the oath correctly.

President Biden's half-century political career comes to a close on Monday, as President-elect Trump is inaugurated and succeeds Biden in the White House.

While the longtime Democratic senator from Delaware, two-term vice president and one-term president can point to a plethora of legislative victories and other achievements during his four years in the White House, Biden leaves office as one of the most unpopular presidents in the nation's history.

And Biden, who successfully defeated Trump in the 2020 election as he pledged to turn a page on his predecessor, is facing a legacy tarnished by his inability to prevent Trump from returning to the presidency.

Biden, in an open letter to the American people on Wednesday, appeared to acknowledge that he wasn't able to follow through on the integral pledge from his 2020 campaign.

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"I ran for president because I believed that the soul of America was at stake. The very nature of who we are was at stake," Biden wrote. 

But he lamented "that’s still the case."

"President Biden ran on and was elected on a platform of a return to normalcy in 2020. And while voters appear to have wanted that in principle, history will remember Biden as having been unable to deliver on his promise," veteran political scientist Wayne Lesperance, the president of New England College, told Fox News.

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Biden, in a farewell address to the nation this past week, aimed to cement his legacy as a president who pushed to stabilize politics at home while bolstering America's leadership abroad, and as a leader who steered the nation out of the COVID-19 pandemic, made historic investments in infrastructure and clean energy, pumped up the economy and made historic gains in job creation, and lowered prescription drug prices for millions of American.

But he also used his speech "to warn the country" that "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 ends his single term in the White House with approval ratings that remain well underwater.

He stood at 42% approval and 57% disapproval in the latest Fox News national poll, which was conducted Jan. 10-13 and released on Thursday.

Just 36% of Americans approved of the job Biden has been doing in the White House, according to the latest CNN poll, which matched the president's previous low mark in the cable news network's polling during Biden's White House tenure.

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And Biden's approval rating stood at 43% – slightly higher but still in negative territory – in national polls by USA Today/Suffolk University and Marist College. All of the polls were conducted in early and mid-January.

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 that was mainly among unvaccinated people.

The plunge in the president’s approval rating 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.

Biden's approval ratings slipped underwater in the autumn of 2021 and never reemerged into positive territory.

The latest polls also indicate that many Americans view Biden's presidency as a failure.

Sixty-one percent of adults nationwide questioned in the CNN survey said they see Biden’s presidency overall as a failure, with 38% viewing it as a success. 

According to the USA Today/Suffolk University survey, 44% of registered voters said history will assess Biden as a failed president, with 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.

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Just over a third of adults nationwide questioned in the Marist poll said Biden will be remembered as one of the worst presidents in American history, with 19% saying he will be considered a below-average president.

Twenty-eight percent of participants offered that Biden's legacy will be considered average, with 19% saying he would be regarded as above average or one of the best presidents in the nation's history.

Biden, in one of his last interviews in office, told MSNBC in an acknowledgment of regret that "ironically, I almost spent too much time on the policy, not enough time on the politics."

Also weighing on Biden's legacy - his ill-fated re-election run.

In April 2023, the then-80-year old Biden announced his re-election bid. Fourteen months later, Biden was losing ground to Trump in 2024 election polling when he suffered a disastrous debate performance against the former president, which reignited deep concerns among voters over his physical and cognitive ability to handle another four years in the White House.

Less than a month later, following an outcry from fellow Democrats, Biden announced he was ending his campaign and endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris to serve as the party's 2024 standard-bearer.

Two and a half months after Trump's convincing victory over Harris, Biden is still facing plenty of blame for the Democrats' electoral setbacks in November.

Longtime Democratic strategist James Carville told Fox News that "the Joe Biden story is one of the great tragedies of American politics. I really mean that. He should be having a glorious, well deserved, highly acclaimed retirement. And he’s not."

And Carville, a political mastermind behind former President Bill Clinton's historic 1992 White House victory, argued that "it’s hard to blame anybody but him." 

But Biden’s friends and supporters feel that the negative views of the soon-to-be former president will shift over time.

"Biden, because of some of the legislation that he was able to muscle through, is going to look pretty good," John MacNeil, a longtime Democratic consultant, Biden supporter, told Fox News. "The fruits of some of what Biden accomplished are only going to become visible over the next few years."

But MacNeil, a founding director of Unite the Country, the super PAC that boosted the then-former vice president through the 2020 Democratic primaries, also acknowledged that Biden may be "seen as just a hiccup between Trump one and Trump two. That is something that historians will talk about."

President-elect Donald Trump’s second inauguration is just two days away, and excitement for the celebrations is building throughout Washington, D.C., and across the nation. 

Celebrities and top business leaders are rallying around the incoming 47th president of the United States – a stark contrast to the inaugural ceremonies in 2017. 

Trump, in November, won the 2024 presidential election in a landslide. He dominated both the Electoral College and the popular vote to defeat Vice President Kamala Harris after a historic campaign cycle. 

Since his massive victory, the president-elect has seen support from his traditional allies – including Republicans in Congress and GOP governors across the nation – as he builds out his incoming administration. 

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However, he has also been embraced by top executives in the business world and Silicon Valley – individuals who had not been particularly cozy with Trump or his allies during and after his first administration. 

Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg and other tech leaders paid visits to Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida, throughout the transition period. 

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Leading up to the inauguration, Bezos, Zuckerberg, Apple CEO Tim Cook and executives from Google, Microsoft, Boeing, Ford Motor Co. and more, committed at least $1 million each to Trump’s inaugural fund – a total about-face from the first Trump inauguration. 

Trump will also have union leaders at his inauguration, representing the broad coalition of support he has seen since his victory, including International Brotherhood of Teamsters President Sean O'Brien and members of the Firefighter's Union. 

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Celebrities, too, are showing up for the president-elect. Country music star and "American Idol" winner Carrie Underwood will perform "America the Beautiful," and will be joined by the Armed Forces Choir and the United States Naval Academy Glee Club.  

Underwood’s performance will come just before Trump takes the presidential oath of office for the second time. 

Joining Underwood during the swearing-in ceremony will be opera singer Christopher Macchio, who is expected to perform the national anthem. 

TRUMP ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT VICTIMS 'HONORED' TO ATTEND 47TH PRESIDENT'S INAUGURATION

Reports suggest other top music acts will make their way to Washington, D.C., for performances, including Jason Aldean, Rascall Flatts, Kid Rock, Billy Ray Cyrus, Village People and more. 

Last time, Trump struggled to attract big-name support, and even high-profile entertainers for his inauguration in 2017. The entertainment program was tame compared to his predecessor, President Obama’s 2013 inauguration, which included performances by Beyoncé and Kelly Clarkson.

Additionally, the 2017 inauguration weekend was also marred by protests across Washington, D.C. 

ELON MUSK, AI AND TECH TITANS, VENTURE CAPITALISTS INVITED TO PRE-INAUGURATION DINNER AT DAWN OF TRUMP ERA

Protesters created chaos across the city ahead of Inauguration Day in 2017, shattering glass storefronts and torching cars, with police arresting more than 200 people in demonstrations that spanned several days.

Trump’s actual swearing-in on Capitol Hill and the parade to the White House happened, however, without any incident.

FLASHBACK: HUNDREDS OF PROTESTERS ARRESTED IN INAUGURATION DAY CLASHES

Despite the chaos, Trump, in his inaugural address, called for a "new national pride" to heal divisions and asked for unity.

However, the day after Trump was sworn into office as the 45th president of the United States, several hundred thousand people from across the country descended on the nation’s capital to protest his presidency in the "Women’s March on Washington."

FLASHBACK: 'DEPLORABALL' GUESTS MET BY PROTESTERS IN CHAOTIC SCENE

Many of the protesters were indeed women and were largely peaceful compared to the rioters who wreaked havoc in Washington, D.C., days earlier. The march moved from the National Mall to the streets while the newly inaugurated president attended a National Prayer Service after waking up in the White House for the first time.

Celebrities like America Ferrera, Madonna, Ashley Judd, Cher, Katy Perry, Amy Schumer, Scarlett Johansson, Julianne Moore, Michael Moore, Debra Messing, Patricia Arquette and others attended the march.

Madonna, during that protest, said she had "thought an awful lot about blowing up the White House."

However, Trump’s second inauguration is expected to be a celebration – the official Inauguration weekend will begin with a large fireworks display Saturday night. 

FLASHBACK: DAY AFTER TRUMP SWORN IN, HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS PROTEST PRESIDENCY IN CELEB-STUDDED MARCH

On Sunday, there will be a wreath laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery and a "Make America Great Again" rally, where Trump will deliver remarks, followed by a candlelit dinner. 

Monday is Inauguration Day, when Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance will participate in the swearing-in ceremony; say "farewell" to President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris; participate in the president’s Signing Room Ceremony on Capitol Hill; and lead the Presidential Parade down Pennsylvania Avenue and to the White House. 

The president will then attend three official inaugural balls and is expected to deliver remarks at each. 

"President Trump is dedicated to uniting the country through the strength, security, and opportunity of his America First agenda," Trump Vance Inaugural Committee, Inc. Co-Chairs Steve Witkoff and Kelly Loeffler said. "The 2025 inaugural celebrations will reflect President-elect Trump’s historic return to the White House and the American people’s decisive vote to Make America Great Again."

The incoming Trump administration is eyeing immigration arrests of illegal immigrants across the country as soon as day one, as top officials say they are ready to "take the handcuffs off" Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

The Wall Street Journal reported that the administration is planning a large-scale raid in Chicago on Tuesday, targeting those with criminal backgrounds in particular.

Incoming border czar Tom Homan was asked by Fox News’ Jesse Watters about the media reports of a "big raid" on Tuesday in Chicago, but Homan said ICE will be working across the country.

DEM SENATOR QUIZZES NOEM ON HOW SHE WILL WORK WITH HOMAN: ‘WHO IS IN CHARGE?’

"There’s going to be a big raid across the country. Chicago is just one of many places. We’ve got 24 field offices across the country. On Tuesday, ICE is finally going to go out and do their job. We’re going to take the handcuffs off ICE and let them go arrest criminal aliens, that’s what’s going to happen," he said.

"What we’re telling ICE, you’re going to enforce the immigration law without apology. You’re going to concentrate on the worst first, public safety threats first, but no one is off the table. If they’re in the country illegally, they got a problem," he said.

The administration has promised a mass deportation operation, as well as increased border security. Officials have said they intend to target those with criminal histories and convictions, but have also stressed that they will potentially arrest anyone in the U.S. illegally. There are currently more than 7 million individuals on ICE's non-detained docket.

TRUMP DHS PICK NOEM PLEDGES TO END CONTROVERSIAL APP USED BY MIGRANTS ON ‘DAY ONE’

"The administration has been clear that we're going to start arresting people on day one, and Chicago's probably not going to be the only place that arrests are going to be made," a source familiar told Fox News Digital.

The administration is expected to see significant pushback from "sanctuary" cities that refuse to allow state and local law enforcement to honor ICE detainers – requests that ICE be notified when illegal immigrants in custody are being released.

Some Democratic officials in Chicago, as well as Massachusetts and Arizona have said they will not co-operate with the administration.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF THE BORDER SECURITY CRISIS

But New York City Mayor Eric Adams has met with Homan about how they can work together on removing illegal immigrants who have been convicted of violent crimes.

DHS nominee Kristi Noem testified to Congress on Friday, and threw her support behind the mass deportation operation and increasing border security. She also said the administration will immediately end the use of the CBP One app, which currently allows migrants to be paroled into the U.S.

Pete Hegseth has picked up another key vote for confirmation as President-elect Trump's secretary of defense.

Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., on Friday said he will vote to confirm Hegseth, an Army combat veteran whose nomination was under question because of his remarks questioning women's roles in the military, sexual misconduct allegations, as well as allegations that he drank alcohol while working previous jobs.

Hegseth appeared before the Senate Armed Services Committee this week relatively unscathed amid questions from lawmakers. 

DEM SENATOR'S 'LIES AND STUPIDITY' AT HEGSETH HEARING ROASTED ON SOCIAL MEDIA: 'CLOWN SHOW'

"The President’s pick for Secretary of Defense, Mr. Hegseth, has impressive academic qualifications, conducted himself very well in the Senate Armed Services hearing, and has a commendable record of service in uniform. He assured me he will surround himself with a strong support team," Cassidy said in a statement. "I will vote for his confirmation."

Hegseth has seen a wave of support from Republicans, including Sen. Joni Ernst, of Iowa, who previously expressed concerns about his nomination.

PETE HEGSETH SAYS HE HASN'T HEARD FROM WEST POINT SINCE EMPLOYEE 'ERROR' DENYING HIS ACCEPTANCE

Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., said Hegseth passed his confirmation hearing with "flying colors."

"They tried to rattle him. They brought out all these anonymous allegations. He had an answer for every one of them," Tuberville said at the time. 

During his proceedings, protesters were hauled out in zip ties after interrupting the hearing. 

Democratic lawmakers also grilled Hegseth about his stance on women in combat roles, prompting him to push back that his argument related to women serving in the military focuses on military standards not eroding. 

"I would point out I've never disparaged women serving in the military," he told Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y. "I respect every single female service member that has put on the uniform, past and present. My critiques, senator, recently and in the past, and from personal experience, have been instances where I've seen standards lowered."

New York City Mayor Eric Adams and President-elect Trump met in Palm Beach, Florida, Friday, three days before Trump's return to the White House.

"President Trump and I had a productive conversation about New York’s needs and what’s best for our city and how the federal government can play a more helpful role in improving the lives of New Yorkers," Adams said in a statement shared by his spokesperson, Fabien Levy.

"While we briefly touched on a number of issues, we specifically focused on the cease-fire agreement between Israel and Hamas and how it will have a positive impact on public safety in our country; how we can bring manufacturing jobs back to New York, particularly in the Bronx; and how we can continue to make federal investments in New York City, especially when it comes to infrastructure." 

The Democratic mayor, who is awaiting trial on federal corruption charges in April, said the pair didn’t discuss his legal issues in the meeting. 

NYC MAYOR ERIC ADAMS BELIEVES FEDERAL CHARGES AGAINST HIM ARE POLITICALLY MOTIVATED: ‘DID NOT BREAK THE LAW’

As president, Trump would have the power to pardon Adams. 

Adams faces charges he accepted luxury travel perks and illegal campaign contributions from foreign nationals in exchange for corrupt acts.

Trump, who was convicted in a New York court last year for falsifying business records, has defended Adams in the past, claiming the charges against the mayor may have been brought because he criticized President Biden over the border. 

Trump said he would consider a pardon for Adams. 

"To be clear, we did not discuss my legal case, and those who suggest the mayor of the largest city in the nation shouldn’t meet with the incoming president to discuss our cities' priorities because of inaccurate speculation or because we’re from different parties clearly care more about politics than people," Adams said.

"Like I’ve always done, I will take every opportunity possible to advocate for New Yorkers and our city. And, after our discussion, I strongly believe there is much our city and the federal government can partner on to make New York City safer, stronger and more affordable. I thank President Trump for his time and attention and look forward to working with him to benefit all New Yorkers."

Fox News Digital has reached out to Trump for comment.

FBI RAIDS HOMES OF TOP AIDES FOR NEW YORK CITY MAYOR ERIC ADAMS

Adams had been criticized by other New York politicians for the meeting. 

"The Trump agenda is not going to help move our city or the country forward. This pilgrimage is clearly about something else," state Sen. Zellnor Myrie wrote on X this week. 

New York City Comptroller Brad Lander wrote on X that "Eric Adams should state immediately that he will not seek or accept a pardon from Donald Trump. New Yorkers deserve to know that their Mayor is putting their interests ahead of his own — and whether our tax dollars, or Turkish Airlines, will be financing his trip to Florida."

"Who is this meeting for, New Yorkers or Eric Adams? Our city has too many problems right now for us to worry about if he's fighting for New Yorkers or a hypothetical pardon for himself," Scott Stringer, the former city comptroller, posted on X. 

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Lander and Stringer are running for mayor against Adams.

A former fighter pilot will serve as the next United States Undersecretary of the Air Force, President-elect Donald Trump announced Friday night.

Lt. Col. Matthew Lohmeier, a former U.S. Space Force commander, appeared on Fox News to discuss military readiness in July, after claiming he was fired for criticizing the "Marxist" DEI complex.

Lohmeier, a 2006 graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy, was in the military for more than a decade before joining the Space Force in 2020, where he specialized in missile warning systems.

SPACE FORCE COMMANDER WHO SAYS HE LOST PENSION FOR CRITICIZING DEI IN MILITARY OPENS UP ON BEING ‘BETRAYED’

He was fired less than a year later, losing his pension, after appearing on The Steve Gruber Show to discuss his bestselling book, "Irresistible Revolution: Marxism's Goal of Conquest & the Unmaking of the American Military."

Lohmeier was relieved of his command and subjected to an Inspector General investigation launched by the Pentagon, according to a biography posted on Congress.gov.

After separating from active duty in September 2021, he became a public speaker and consultant on "matters of Marxist ideology and tactics, CRT, military culture, and the preservation of liberty," according to the biography.

Trump commended Lohmeier in the nomination announcement, writing Lohmeier "devoted his life to serving our Great Nation."

"Matthew will work with the GREAT Secretary of Defense Nominee, Pete Hegseth, to end the devastating "woke" policies that have destroyed our Military, and make our Country STRONG AGAIN," Trump wrote on Truth Social. "Congratulations Matthew!"

Lohmeier responded on X, thanking Trump for the nomination.

"I’m grateful for your trust, and am very much looking forward to continuing my service to our great men and women in uniform," he wrote. "To all men and women with a desire to serve your country in uniform, come join us now! We want the best, brightest, and strongest of you at this critical juncture in American history."

Lohmeier has master's degrees in military operational art and science, and military strategy, according to his biography. He lives with his wife and children in Idaho.

The U.S. Space Force and Department of Defense did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital requests for comment.

Fox News Digital's Hannah Grossman and Alba Cuebas-Fantauzzi contributed to this story.

President Biden's final list of commutations was released Friday afternoon, laying out the names and registration numbers of nearly 2,500 inmates whose sentences were reduced by the president's action.

This latest round of commutations cements Biden's spot as the president with the largest number of pardons and commutations granted to individuals. The people on the list, according to a statement from President Biden, were determined to have received disproportionately harsh sentences for drug crimes, compared to sentences they would have received today.

"Today’s clemency action provides relief for individuals who received lengthy sentences based on discredited distinctions between crack and powder cocaine, as well as outdated sentencing enhancements for drug crimes," Biden said in a statement Friday. "As Congress recognized through the Fair Sentencing Act and the First Step Act, it is time that we equalize these sentencing disparities."

WV DEMOCRATS SAY BIDEN'S ‘EGREGIOUS’ PARDON CHOICES ARE ‘WHAT WE WOULD EXPECT FROM TRUMP’

The new list of commutations comes after Biden already set a record for the largest single-day act of presidential clemency last month, when he commuted the sentences of nearly 1,500 individuals who were placed on home confinement during the coronavirus pandemic and were largely accused of committing non-violent drug offenses, according to the White House. 

BIDEN CLEMENCY FOR CONVICTED FRAUDSTERS MET WITH OUTRAGE: ‘SLAP IN THE FACE’

Following last month's commutations, several Democrats urged Biden to issue even more pardons and commutations for people serving long sentences. Rep. Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass., who was among those pressing Biden to take action, applauded the president Friday for his action. 

"Today, President Biden is taking another historic, transformative, and compassionate step toward healing and reuniting families by commuting the sentences of thousands of individuals serving unjustified lengthy sentences—a direct result of the failed policies of the War on Drugs," Rep. Pressley said. 

"With this action, President Biden … is demonstrating the power of clemency to address the injustices of our criminal legal system. I thank President Biden for acting boldly and continuing to use clemency to change and save lives. This is what we’ve been calling for and this is the type of leadership the moment demands. This will be a defining part of President Biden’s legacy."

FIRST ON FOX: Ohio's new Senator-designate, Lt. Gov. Jon Husted, wants to get the country "to a more fiscally responsible path" and is bringing his years of state government experience to the upper chamber. 

"Look, as a fiscal conservative, I always want to move America on to a more fiscally responsible path, and I want to get government out of people's lives," he told Fox News Digital in an exclusive first interview after being appointed by Ohio Republican Gov. Mike DeWine to be the next senator. 

Husted will take over Vice President-elect JD Vance's vacated Senate seat and run in a special election in 2026 to determine who will serve the remainder of his term. 

DOGE CAUCUS PLANS FOR BIGGEST IMPACT, EYEING KEY TOOLS TO EXPEDITE CUTTING WASTE

The lieutenant governor said he plans to run both in 2026 and again when Vance's seat is up for re-election in 2028. 

As a "fiscal conservative," one issue sure to test Husted upon arriving at the Senate is President-elect Trump's desire to raise the debt ceiling. 

"Look, I'll get into all of those issues once I take the oath," he said. 

"In state government, we have to balance our budget," Husted explained.  

OHIO GOV DEWINE PICKS LT GOV TO FILL VICE PRESIDENT-ELECT JD VANCE'S VACANT SEAT

"If you want to cut taxes, you got to cut spending. And that's what I'm accustomed to. And that's the attitude I'll take into the process of being a U.S. senator."

He acknowledged that America's debt and spending problem can't be remedied with a "magic wand," but added, "you've got to start somewhere." 

Husted's appointment comes as the Trump transition team is currently pressing forward with key nominees for his Cabinet. Many of them have been meeting with senators for months ahead of their confirmation hearings and committee votes. 

Asked about coming in right in the middle of this process, he told Fox News Digital, "I think it's a good list of nominees."

DESANTIS ANNOUNCES CHOICE FOR SENATE APPOINTMENT AFTER RUBIO'S EXPECTED RESIGNATION

"Remember, you know, I'm taking Vance's seat. I'm an ally of the Trump administration, and I'm going to help support those nominees and get them confirmed as quickly as we can," the senator-designate emphasized. 

The first confirmation votes for Trump nominees are expected to take place on Monday evening following the inauguration. 

It's unclear who will run against Husted in the 2026 special election, but the seat is expected to be one of the Democrats' top targets after losing former Sen. Sherrod Brown's seat in November. 

CONFIRMATION DELAYS STACK UP FOR TRUMP NOMINEES AS PAPERWORK LAGS IN FEDERAL OFFICES

Brown has been speculated as a candidate for Vance's seat, and he previously dismissed questions from Fox News Digital about whether he'd launch a campaign for it. 

Following the news of Husted's appointment on Friday, Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) spokesman David Bergstein said in a statement, "The start of the 2026 cycle has quickly been defined by new weak spots emerging in Senate Republicans’ already challenging map. Ohio’s special election adds another seat and another controversial candidate the GOP will have to protect — and it means Senate Republicans are starting the cycle having to play even more defense." 

Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., drilled into a migrant rights activist in a heated moment during a Senate hearing on the "Remain in Mexico" policy on Thursday for what he said amounted to downplaying the murder of Laken Riley and for saying migrant crime is "not an actual issue."

"In March of 2024, you wrote: ‘The murder of a nursing student in Georgia has a lot of people on the right talking about migrant crime like it's an actual issue,’" said Hawley. 

Riley was a 22-year-old nursing student at Augusta University who was found dead on the University of Georgia's campus in February. Jose Ibarra, a 26-year-old illegal immigrant, was found guilty of 10 total counts, including felony murder. He initially pleaded not guilty but was ultimately sentenced to life without the possibility of parole in November.

"Here's Laken Riley," said Hawley as her picture was posted behind him. "Her murder, her horrific murder at the hands of this illegal migrant who was also unlawfully paroled in the United States. [Is] her death not an actual issue?"

LAKEN RILEY ACT OVERCOMES FILIBUSTER IN SENATE AS DEMS GIVE GOP HELPING HAND

The activist, Adam Isacson, who works as director of defense oversight at the Washington Office on Latin America, responded by saying: "Of course it’s an issue, it’s a tragedy."

"I didn’t say that Laken Riley’s death was not an actual issue, I said that migrant crime is not an actual issue," said Isacson. "Migrant crime is much less of an issue than U.S. citizen-committed crime."

To which Hawley answered, "[Riley] is dead because of migrant crime."

Hawley also pointed to the case of a St. Louis-area 12-year-old named Travis Wolfe who was killed in a car crash involving an illegal immigrant.

"I happen to think that their violent murders are actual issues," he said. "And the fact that you would say otherwise, sit here and advise the Senate that the Laken Riley Act is a bad idea, that the whole thing is not an actual issue, it’s all just, what, made up? I think [it] is outrageous. I think it's absolutely outrageous."

SENATE DEMS TO JOIN REPUBLICANS TO ADVANCE ANTI-ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION BILL NAMED AFTER LAKEN RILEY

Isacson, who said he was invited to testify in the hearing by a Democratic member of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, said that the bipartisan Laken Riley Act, which has already passed in the House and would require ICE to arrest and detain illegal immigrants that have committed a crime, "could do a lot of harm" and "would allow me to say: ‘oh, this person shoplifted.’ And that would be enough probable cause to get somebody deported."

Hawley shot back: "I want the record to be clear on this, that migrant crime is a real issue."

CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE

"I think the Laken Riley Act is absolutely necessary," he said. "In fact, I propose an amendment to the Laken Riley Act that will cover people like Travis Wolfe. I think that ICE ought to be detaining, ought to be required to detain, those illegal migrants who commit violent crimes against children like Travis Wolfe."

Speaking to Fox News Digital after the hearing, another one of the experts testifying, Andrew Arthur, a former immigration judge and law and policy expert at the Center for Immigration Studies, said that Hawley was "voicing the frustration that very many Americans feel about migrant crime in the United States."

FOX NEWS POLL: MAJORITIES SUPPORT MEASURES TO STRENGTHEN BORDER SECURITY AS THE ISSUE INCREASES IN IMPORTANCE

"We've seen many not only high profile but shocking crimes that have been carried out in the United States by migrants who were stopped at the border and then released into the United States," he said. "It's called the Department of Homeland Security for a reason; the purpose of this department is to ensure that citizens of the United States and aliens who are lawfully here are protected from criminal predation. Unfortunately, on this at the border, the Biden-Harris administration dropped the ball."

"Individuals who are criminals, who by law should not be allowed into the United States at all, were actually released into this country and now they are free to prey on both migrant and citizen communities in this country," Arthur added. "So, job one for Tom Homan — Donald Trump's border czar — and the president himself is going to be rounding up, detaining and removing all the criminal aliens, all the individuals who are preying upon both migrant and citizen communities in this country."

Despite the theatrics, Arthur said it was a "good hearing" because there was "a lot of bipartisan agreement on the need to secure the border." 

ARIZONA RANCHER SUFFERING IN DEMS' BORDER CRISIS SAYS TRUMP DHS PICK NOEM SHOULD IMMEDIATELY DO 4 THINGS

"Customs and Border Protection referred to Remain in Mexico as indispensable for border security the first time that it was used under the Trump administration," he said. "I think that when you look at the amount of money that has flowed into the cartels' pockets over the last four years, you know, as we've seen, 8 million, 10 million people come unlawfully into the United States and you contrast that to the number of people who were sent back to Mexico, I think that the balance is definitely in favor of enforcing the border and potentially re-implementing Remain in Mexico.

"As long as the migrants continue to come to the United States in large numbers, the cartels are going to get rich, they're just going to expand their capabilities and they're just going to ship more drugs into the United States." 

Welcome to the Fox News Politics newsletter, with the latest updates on the Trump transition, exclusive interviews and more Fox News politics content.

Here's what's happening…

- Trump swearing-in to move indoors due to cold weather

- Trump DHS pick Noem pledges to end controversial app used by migrants on 'day one’

- FBI agent who said New Orleans attack was 'not a terrorist event' has been reassigned

The Supreme Court on Friday upheld a federal law that would ban the Chinese-owned social media platform TikTok just two days before the bipartisan divestiture law is slated to take effect.

"There is no doubt that, for more than 170 million Americans, TikTok offers a distinctive and expansive outlet for expression, means of engagement, and source of community," the court wrote in the unsigned ruling. "But Congress has determined that divestiture is necessary to address its well-supported national security concerns regarding TikTok’s data collection practices and relationship with a foreign adversary. 

"For the foregoing reasons, we conclude that the challenged provisions do not violate petitioners’ First Amendment rights. The judgment of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit is affirmed."…Read more 

READ IT AND WEEP: Biden's official X account draws mockery with reference to constitutional amendment that doesn't exist…Read more

MORE TO COME?: Harris says she won’t go ‘quietly into the night’: ‘Our work is not done’…Read more

BIDEN HIS TIME: Biden maintains he will not enforce TikTok ban, plans to punt to Trump administration…Read more

HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Obama wishes wife Michelle happy birthday as she stays away from key public events…Read more

FRIGID TEMPS: Trump inaugural moves indoors; last time that happened was Reagan's second in 1985….Read more

TRUMP'S CHAIR: RNC chair Whatley vows to be 'tip of the spear' to protect Trump after coasting to reelection victory…Read more

'STAY TUNED!': Trump needs 'time to review' SCOTUS decision, teases action in 'not too distant future'…Read more

HOMEGROWN BACKING: 400-plus farmers and growers groups urge Senate to confirm Trump USDA pick…Read more

TECH ALLIES: Elon Musk to speak at Trump pre-inauguration rally: report…Read more

BEIJING CALLING: Trump, China's Xi speak on phone ahead of inauguration…Read more

'WHO IS IN CHARGE?': Dem senator quizzes Noem on how she will work with Homan…Read more

FINISH THE JOB: Comer requests Trump DOJ prosecute James Biden for making 'false statements' during impeachment inquiry…Read more

CLEANING HOUSE: Trump won't wait for Senate confirmations to shake up State Department…Read more

SIZE MATTERS: Trump likely to avoid inaugural crowd-size controversy with swearing-in moved indoors…Read more

COUNTERING BELT AND ROAD: New set of bills would challenge CCP initiative: 'We can mute China's siren song'…Read more

REPORTER DRAGGED OUT: Security drags journo out of Blinken's final presser: 'Why aren’t you in The Hague!'…Read more

SLASH SPENDING: DOGE eyeing suggestions to slash federal DEI programs: report…Read more

LAKEN RILEY: Bill in her honor overcomes filibuster in Senate as Dems give GOP helping hand…Read more

VANCE VACANCY: Ohio Gov. DeWine chooses his Lt. Governor to fill JD Vance's vacant seat…Read more

EMOTIONALLY TAXING: House Dems threaten to block Trump's big tariff plans: 'Unacceptable'…Read more

‘TAKE THE GLOVES OFF’: Top border lawmaker pushes to declare bloodthirsty gang a terrorist organization…Read more

DEI DIES: Midwest state’s DEI department nixed in new governor’s first major act…Read more

BAD COMMUTE: City bus comes within inches of disaster on elevated overpass during rush hour…Read more

'DISAPPOINTED': Top NJ watchdog official abruptly resigns, is removed from state voter rolls following residency flap…Read more

Get the latest updates on the Trump presidential transition, incoming Congress, exclusive interviews and more on FoxNews.com

OpenAI has partnered with a new AI initiative led by a group co-founded with outgoing Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry that has pushed left-wing causes and has several board members aligned with Democrats. 

OpenAI, led by CEO Sam Altman, is backing an initiative known as AI 2030, which is aimed at shaping "public dialogue about U.S. competition against China on AI," Politico reported in October.

The initiative is led by the "non-partisan" think tank American Security Project (ASP), where Kerry was a founding member and served two stints on the board of directors. 

ASP has promoted the idea that climate change is a national security threat, and argued on its website that pulling out of the Iran Nuclear Deal was a bad idea that "harms national security." The group previously received a $500,000 grant from the Rockefeller Foundation "for use by its World War Zero initiative, an effort to achieve action and mobilization through awareness and public education to halt the increase of global carbon emissions."  The Rockefeller Foundation has dished out tens of millions of dollars to left-wing causes.

BIDEN ISSUES SECOND AI ACTION DURING FINAL WEEK IN OFFICE WITH EXECUTIVE ORDER FAST-TRACKING US INFRASTRUCTURE

Kerry’s former chief of staff David Wade, who gave Hunter Biden rapid response help as the Burisma scandal swirled, currently sits on the board of directors and recently authored an op-ed in The Hill explaining how AI in the U.S. has reached its "Sputnik moment," outlining the need to compete with China on AI.

Former Obama Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel, who called then-President Trump an "embarrassment" in 2018, also sits on the board of ASP.

ELON MUSK, AI AND TECH TITANS, VENTURE CAPITALISTS INVITED TO PRE-INAUGURATION DINNER AT DAWN OF TRUMP ERA

Rep, Don Beyer, D-Va., who is also on the board at ASP, has publicly opposed Trump's tariff policies, calling them "idiotic" and "illegal" in a 2023 press release.

In 2018, ASP promoted an op-ed by Board Member Matthew Wallin in which he criticized Trump's diplomatic tactics against Russian President Vladimir Putin. 

In 2017, Wallin amplified the debunked media narrative in a post on X, then Twitter, that Trump called White supremacists at the deadly Charlottesville rally "good people."

Chris Lehane, who serves as OpenAI’s Head of Global Policy, is the author of the infamous and controversial "Vast Right Wing Conspiracy" memo promoted by then-first lady Hillary Clinton dismissing the Monica Lewinsky scandal as part of a right-wing media conspiracy. 

Along with being a longtime Democratic Party consultant, Lehane has recently contributed money to help former Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa., and Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif. 

Altman recently followed other tech titans and made a substantial $1 million gift to Trump’s inauguration in his personal capacity, but has faced scrutiny for previous high-dollar donations to left-wing efforts, including a $250,000 donation to a Democratic super PAC and opposition research firm American Bridge during the 2020 election. 

OPENAI CEO SAM ALTMAN RINGS IN 2025 WITH CRYPTIC, CONCERNING TWEET ABOUT AI'S FUTURE

Altman has donated to hundreds of Democrats in recent years compared to just one Republican, Newsweek reported this past summer. He was also recently tapped to be a co-chair for the incoming Democratic mayor of San Francisco’s transition team. 

In addition to hosting a fundraiser for Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang at his San Francisco home in late 2019, Altman has donated over $1 million to Democrats and Democratic groups, including $600,000 to the Sen. Chuck Schumer-aligned Senate Majority PAC, $100,000 to the Biden Victory Fund and over $150,000 to the Democratic National Committee (DNC). He also gave thousands to state Democratic parties and top Democrats in the House and Senate.

In 2014, Altman co-hosted a fundraiser for the DNC at Y Combinator’s offices in Mountain View, California, which was headlined by then-President Obama.

Following Trump's victory in November, Altman posted on X, "congrats to President Trump. i wish for his huge success in the job."

"It is critically important that the US maintains its lead in developing AI with democratic values," he added. 

During Altman’s tenure from 2014 to 2019 as the CEO of Y Combinator, an incubator startup that launched Airbnb, DoorDash and DropBox, he talked about China in multiple blog posts and interviews. In 2017, Altman said that he "felt more comfortable discussing controversial ideas in Beijing than in San Francisco" and that he felt like an expansion into China was "important" because "some of the most talented entrepreneurs" that he has met have been operating there. 

Altman’s résumé and AI efforts have drawn the ire of Trump ally Elon Musk in recent years. Musk said last year, "I don’t trust OpenAI. I don’t trust Sam Altman. And I don’t think we ought to have the most powerful AI in the world controlled by someone who is not trustworthy."

Musk, who has been involved with a highly publicized legal tussle with Altman, has also said that OpenAI's ChatGPT function is infected with the "woke virus."

ChatGPT is an AI chatbot whose core function is to mimic a human in conversation. Users across the world have used ChatGPT to write emails, debug computer programs, answer homework questions, play games, write stories and song lyrics, and much more. 

"It is going to eliminate a lot of current jobs, that’s true. We can make much better ones. The reason to develop AI at all, in terms of impact on our lives and improving our lives and upside, this will be the greatest technology humanity has yet developed," Altman said in a 2023 interview with ABC News. "The promise of this technology, one of the ones that I'm most excited about, is the ability to provide individual learning — great individual learning for each student."

WHAT IS ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI)?

In recent months, OpenAI has reportedly been quietly pitching its products to the U.S. military and pursuing defense contracts, Forbes reported.

In a statement to Fox News Digital, a spokesperson for OpenAI said, "America has to win the AI race, and that is why Americans from both sides of the aisle are united in supporting policies that help the US maintain its competitive edge against China." 

"ASP is a nearly twenty-year-old bipartisan organization that works with legislators, retired flag officers, subject matter experts, and groups from across the political spectrum to produce high quality research and forge bipartisan consensus on emerging threats to our national security," an ASP spokesperson told Fox News Digital in a statement. 

"While OpenAI is one of many donors for AI Imperative 2030, we ensure an equal balance of opinions informed by independent experts and Consensus for American Security members, including Julia Nesheiwat, Ph.D., former Trump Homeland Security Advisor, and Neil Chatterjee, former Chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission under Trump. We also recently hosted a roundtable featuring Nazak Nikakhtar, another former Trump official."

The statement continued, "The primary objective of AI Imperative 2030 is to ensure that the U.S., not China, wins the race for AI supremacy. China aims to surpass the U.S. and lead the world in AI by 2030. We can’t let that happen. President Trump has been a leader in creating bipartisan consensus that the U.S. needs to compete more vigorously with China, and we look forward to working with his administration and the Republican Congress to design effective and cost-efficient policies towards this goal."

Fox News Digital's Nikolas Lanum, Cameron Cawthorne and Joe Schoffstall contributed to this report.

Border Patrol Chief Jason Owens is stepping down from his role as head of the agency – telling Fox News that his agents have given 100% in difficult conditions, including some of the worst conditions he’s seen in his entire career.

Owens, who was promoted to Border Patrol Chief in 2023, is retiring in April. Texas Border Czar Mike Banks will be tapped to be the next chief. 

Owens spoke to Fox News about his time as chief during some of the most intense moments of the crisis at the southern border. He said it was "bittersweet" because it is the end of a chapter in his life.

TOP BORDER LAWMAKER PUSHES TO DECLARE BLOODTHIRSTY GANG A TERRORIST ORGANIZATION: ‘TAKE THE GLOVES OFF’ 

"But at the same time, it's a happy one because I feel like I made my difference, and it's time to hand it off to the next generation."

Fox asked him about the surge in border crossings his men and women dealt with – including the surge in 2021 in Del Rio and overwhelming numbers at Eagle Pass, Texas. 

"I hadn't seen anything like that. And it's that was as bad as I had seen it in my entire career. And at every moment, the men and women are trying to find a way to take care of that so that they could get back out there on patrol and keep the bad actors from coming in," he said.

He described how Border Patrol agents would go from performing CPR on babies to going after a gang member or convicted felon.

"That takes a toll on anybody. And what I saw was those men and women deal with that not just once in a while, but daily and every single day. No matter how frustrated they got, they get up the next morning, they put that uniform on and they went out there and they give 100%. I owed them 100% as well," he said.

As for Banks, Owens said he considers him a friend and said that he is "confident and optimistic about our future with him at the helm."

"He loves the Border Patrol just like I do. And he's going to keep his focus on the mission of keeping this country safe from harm," he said.

Owens also said he has "never seen a situation where I would say the border is secure."

CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF THE BORDER SECURITY CRISIS

"Because for me, a secure border means if something bad tries to come into this country, I'm going to be able to detect it and stop it. There's too many gaps and vulnerabilities today that still exist on our border," he said.

Outgoing DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas praised Owens in a statement, saying he "embodies the ethos of the United States Border Patrol – ‘Honor First.’ 

"Chief Owens has dedicated his life to public service. Throughout his career in the Border Patrol – from his first assignment at Calexico Station to his command of the elite BORTAC unit in El Paso, from his leadership of the USBP Academy to the Laredo Sector, Del Rio Sector, Washington, D.C., and many duty stations in-between – he has always stepped up and stepped in whenever the challenges have been greatest, and wherever his talents have been most needed. He rose through the ranks of the Border Patrol by virtue of his extraordinary leadership and his bravery, integrity, and decency," he said.

"It is these qualities that made Chief Owens the best and right person to lead the Border Patrol during an intensely difficult time. I am grateful that he accepted the challenge, just as he has accepted so many others throughout his distinguished law enforcement career. The Border Patrol, and the Department of Homeland Security, are stronger today because of Chief Owens," he said.

The announcement comes days before President-elect Trump will take office, and is expected to launch a mass deportation operation as well as renewed efforts to ramp up border security. On Friday, Kristi Noem, Trump’s pick to lead the Department of Homeland Security, faced her confirmation hearing. 

During that hearing, she also pledged to secure the border, including promising to end the use of the CBP One app and related parole programs introduced by the Biden administration.