Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine will announce on Friday Lt. Governor Jon Husted as his pick to fill the Senate vacancy left by Vice President-elect JD Vance ahead of his inauguration on Monday, Fox News has learned.
The announcement will be made at approximately 1 p.m.
Vance gave the Senate notice of his forthcoming resignation on Jan. 9, which became official on the following day. He officially resigned 10 days prior to his and President-elect Trump's swearing in.
"To the people of Ohio, I extend my heartfelt gratitude for the privilege of representing you in the United States Senate. When I was elected to this office, I promised to never forget where I came from, and I’ve made sure to live by that promise every single day," Vance said in a statement.
"The American people have granted President Trump an undeniable mandate to put America first, both at home and abroad. Over the next four years, I will do all that I can to help President Trump enact his agenda. Together, we will make America stronger, safer, and more prosperous than ever before."
After Vance's resignation, new Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, said in his own statement, "Ohio couldn’t be prouder of JD Vance! He has served our country with great honor, first in the Marines, then in the US Senate, and now as our 50th Vice President! I’m extremely thankful to JD for his early and unwavering support. A truly amazing journey for an outstanding guy!"
Once the new senator is sworn in, Republicans will officially have a 53-vote majority.
On Thursday, Gov. Ron DeSantis, R-Fla., announced his pick to replace Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., in the upper chamber. He picked Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody.
Moody cannot be sworn in until Rubio officially resigns, which he is expected to do after his likely confirmation to be Secretary of State on Monday.
The Biden administration on Friday maintained that it will not actively enforce a federal law set to ban the Chinese-owned social media app TikTok, instead punting any action to the incoming Trump administration.
"The Administration, like the rest of the country, has awaited the decision just made by the U.S. Supreme Court on the TikTok matter. President Biden’s position on TikTok has been clear for months, including since Congress sent a bill in overwhelming, bipartisan fashion to the President’s desk: TikTok should remain available to Americans, but simply under American ownership or other ownership that addresses the national security concerns identified by Congress in developing this law," White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement shortly after the decision was handed down.
She added: "Given the sheer fact of timing, this Administration recognizes that actions to implement the law simply must fall to the next Administration, which takes office on Monday."
A U.S. official told the Associated Press on Thursday that Biden would not enforce the ban that is set to take effect the day before he is to leave office. Such a move inadvertently leaves the social media app's fate in the hands of President-elect Donald Trump and his incoming administration.
"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 Supreme Court wrote in its unsigned Friday 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."
The court continued: "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."
Just last year, Congress required that TikTok's China-based parent company ByteDance divest the company by Jan. 19. The law was subsequently signed by Biden.
When the law was passed, Congress specifically noted concerns over the app's Chinese ownership, which members said meant the app had the potential to be weaponized or used to amass vast amounts of user data, including from the roughly 170 million Americans who use TikTok.
During oral arguments, Biden administration lawyers argued that the app's Chinese ownership posed a "grave" national security risk to American users. TikTok's lawyers, on the other hand, argued that such a ban restricted free speech protections under the First Amendment.
First Amendment challenges must be analyzed under strict scrutiny, which places a higher burden of proof on the government when attempting to justify the constitutionality of a law. In this case, the First Amendment protections in question must be crafted to serve a compelling government interest, narrowly tailored to achieve that interest.
Fox News Digital's Breanne Deppisch contributed to this report.
FIRST ON FOX: The Monroe Doctrine is back in full swing – both with President-elect Donald Trump’s push for a takeover of the Panama Canal and new legislation from Rep. Mark Green to encourage investment in Latin America.
The Homeland Security chairman and Tennessee Republican put forth a pair of bills on Friday – one to use tariffs to create a low-interest loan program for companies to relocate from China to Latin America.
Another would use tariffs collected on Chinese goods to offer a tax incentive to offset moving costs for U.S. companies to bring their operations back to U.S. soil.
The Western Hemisphere Nearshoring Act would institute a program through the International Development Finance Corporation to buy down interest rates with tariff money.
Under the Bring American Companies Home Act, amounts paid to move inventory, equipment or supplies used in a trade or business from China to the U.S. would be allowed as a deduction on taxes. The program would be funded through a trust fund of tariffs collected.
"Communist China's malign influence continues to spread throughout the Western Hemisphere. It's time for us to take a stand. By rebuilding infrastructure and manufacturing jobs in this region, we can mute China's siren song," Green told Fox News Digital.
The U.S. has long invested heavily in Latin America and the Carribean, but China is South America’s biggest trading partner and benefactor. As part of its Belt and Road initiative, it is increasingly flexing its muscle with grants and loans across the continent. China in November unveiled a megaport in Peru.
Lawmakers have begun to float ideas to "reshore" supply chains from China and reassert hegemony in the western hemisphere with trade partnerships throughout the Americas.
Vice President Kamala Harris, tapped to lead the border response, focused on the "root causes" of immigration by attempting to bring investment to Latin America to improve conditions for locals so they would not make the dangerous trek to the U.S. border.
Trump has signaled that he will re-prioritize the western hemisphere, a priority dating back to the Monroe Doctrine of 1823, through calls for the U.S. to take back the Panama Canal.
"Look, the Panama Canal is vital to our country," Trump said. "It's being operated by China — China! — and we gave the Panama Canal to Panama, we didn't give it to China. They've abused that gift."
China is the second-largest user of the canal after the U.S. and a major investor in the country. Two of the canal’s ports of entry are owned by a subsidiary of a Hong Kong-based company, CK Hutchison. Beijing also helped finance a new bridge over the waterway.
House Democrats are trying to block President-elect Donald Trump from implementing his wide-ranging tariff plans just days before he is set to take office.
A new bill led by Reps. Suzan DelBene, D-Wash., and Don Beyer, D-Va., and backed by 11 other Democrats, would block Trump from using presidential emergency powers to roll out higher import taxes.
During his campaign, Trump promised to levy a 60% tariff on goods from China and as much as 20% on other countries the U.S. trades with.
He most recently pledged on Truth Social to create an "External Revenue Service" to "collect our Tariffs, Duties, and all Revenue that come from Foreign sources."
Trump and his allies have argued that the plan would bolster American manufacturing while making it more difficult for adversaries like China to "export their way out of their current economic malaise," as Treasury Secretary nominee Scott Bessent told senators this week.
In theory, the commander in chief is able to bypass Congress to impose sweeping tariffs by declaring an emergency under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act.
However, Democrats argue the cost of the tariffs would just be passed on to American consumers.
"The American people have clearly and consistently said that the high cost of living is one of their top concerns," DelBene said in a statement. "Not only would widespread tariffs drive up costs at home and likely send our economy into recession, but they would likely lead to significant retaliation, hurting American workers, farmers, and businesses."
Beyer said, "Trump’s tariff proposals would misuse emergency authorities to raise prices on the American people, which is unacceptable."
However, not all Democrats have rejected the plan.
Rep. Jared Golden, D-Maine, a moderate Democrat known to often break from his own party, introduced his own bill this week to impose a universal 10% tariff on all imports.
The 10% level would be reassessed each year, with room for a 5% increase or decrease depending on current U.S. economic conditions.
He argued in a statement to the Maine Morning Star, "The universal tariff — along with other policies to support domestic energy production, unions and manufacturing — is designed to reorient our economy from one focused on cheap goods and consumption to one centered on production and innovation."
Fox News Digital reached out to the Trump transition team for comment on both bills.
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."
There were no noted dissents.
At issue was the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, a law passed by Congress last April with wide bipartisan support. The law gave TikTok nine months to either divest from its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, or be removed from U.S.-based app stores and hosting services.
In passing the law, Congress cited concerns over the app's Chinese ownership, which members said meant the app had the potential to be weaponized or used to amass vast amounts of user data, including from the roughly 170 million Americans who use TikTok.
TikTok, ByteDance and several users of the app swiftly sued to block the ban in May, arguing the legislation would suppress free speech for the millions of Americans who use the platform. After a lower court upheld the ban, the Supreme Court agreed to hear TikTok's emergency request to either block or pause implementation of the law under a fast-track timeline just nine days before the ban was slated to go into effect.
During oral arguments, lawyers for the Biden administration reiterated the argument that TikTok’s Chinese ownership poses a "grave" national security risk for American users.
U.S. Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar cited risks that China could weaponize the app, including by manipulating its algorithm to prioritize certain content or by ordering parent company ByteDance to turn over vast amounts of user data compiled by TikTok on U.S. users.
TikTok’s lawyers, meanwhile, sought to frame the case primarily as a restriction on free speech protections under the First Amendment, which the company has argued applies to TikTok’s U.S.-based incorporation.
Noel Francisco, TikTok’s lawyer, argued that the U.S. government has "no valid interest in preventing foreign propaganda," and reiterated TikTok's position that the platform and its owners should be entitled to the highest level of free speech protections under the U.S. Constitution.
Francisco also argued TikTok cannot divest from its Chinese parent company, citing portions of its source code and intellectual property that are housed in China.
First Amendment protections must be considered under strict scrutiny, which requires the government to sustain a higher burden of proof in justifying a law's constitutionality.
More specifically, laws that deal with First Amendment protections must be crafted to serve a compelling government interest, narrowly tailored to achieve that interest.
It's a difficult legal test to satisfy in court. But the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit used it last month in considering the divestiture law, and still voted to uphold it— outlining a way that the Supreme Court could have theoretically considered the case under strict scrutiny and still opted to uphold the law.
During oral arguments at the Supreme Court, several justices appeared skeptical of the company's core argument, which is that the law is a restriction of speech.
"Exactly what is TikTok's speech here?" Justice Clarence Thomas asked in the first moments of oral arguments in an early sign of the court's apparent doubt that the law is in fact a First Amendment violation.
The Supreme Court and its 6-3 conservative majority have been historically deferential to Congress on matters of national security.
The divestiture law in question passed Congress last year under the guidance of top Justice Department officials, who worked directly with House lawmakers to write the bill and help it withstand possible legal challenges.
But it also comes at a time when President-elect Trump has signaled apparent support for the app in recent months.
In December, Trump hosted TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew at his Mar-a-Lago resort, and later told reporters that his incoming administration will "take a look at TikTok" and the divestiture case.
Attorneys for the president-elect also filed a brief with the Supreme Court last month, asking justices to delay any decision in the case until after Trump's inauguration on Jan. 20.
The brief did not signal how Trump might act, but cited his request for the court to pause the ban from taking effect until Trump's inauguration.
Fox News' Bill Mears and Shannon Bream contributed to this report.
Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk is slated to speak at President-elect Donald Trump’s pre-inauguration rally on Sunday, according to a new report.
Musk, who is poised to lead the newly created Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) once Trump takes office, will provide remarks during Trump's "Make America Great Again Victory Rally" at the Capitol One Arena in Washington, D.C., NBC News reports.
Other speakers on the agenda for the event include Vice President-elect JD Vance, conservative media personality Megyn Kelly, as well as members of Trump’s immediate family.
The Trump transition team did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.
Musk, who donated millions of dollars to Trump’s presidential campaign, has cozied up to Trump and spoken at official events with the incoming president. For example, Musk delivered remarks at a Trump campaign rally in October at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
Musk is also expected to influence the incoming administration and is spearheading efforts with tech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy to slash government spending under DOGE.
However, Musk recently said eliminating $2 trillion from the federal budget might be too ambitious, and that it was more realistic to cut $1 trillion.
"I think we’ll try for $2 trillion. I think that’s like the best-case outcome," Musk said during tech trade show CES this month in Las Vegas. "But I do think that you kind of have to have some overage. I think if we try for $2 trillion, we’ve got a good shot at getting $1 [trillion]."
FIRST ON FOX: A Republican congressman, whose district covers part of the southern border, is introducing legislation that would take a step closer to declaring Tren de Aragua (TdA) and Mexican cartels foreign terrorist organizations.
Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-Texas, is introducing the "Security First Act" which would require the secretary of state to consider designating Mexican drug cartels and TdA as Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs).
An FTO designation allows for targeted action against members, including financial penalties. It is illegal for anyone to provide support or resources to an FTO, and financial institutions must report those funds to the Treasury. According to the State Department, designations also deter donations and support efforts to curb financing.
Gonzales’ bill would also increase funding to Operation Stonegarden, which is a federal grant to provide resources to states and local law enforcement for border security. It would also demand a report on technology needed at the border to stop terrorists entering the U.S., and another report on Customs and Border Protection hiring practices.
The crisis at the southern border saw a sharp increase in the presence of TdA, a gang that is believed to have originated in Venezuelan prisons and moved north. Border officials told Fox last year that they see the gang as a top priority, as its presence has been felt in states like Texas, Colorado and New York.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced in September that he was declaring TdA an FTO and establishing a database to verify if arrestees are TdA members. Now, Gonzales wants to see more action from the incoming administration on the bloodthirsty gang.
"It's time to call them what they are, they're terrorist organizations, and they terrorize our community," he said. "I'm grateful President Trump is in there, and it's time for us to not only take the gloves off, but put some teeth in the legislation. So that way we throw the book at these guys."
While the bill does not itself declare TdA an FTO, and would require the secretary of state to consider it, Gonzales said he is confident that it would be in line with the administration’s thinking.
"Those of us that live along the border, you know, we don't need a commission to to tell us that we're being terrorized, but some people do, but I feel very confident with this administration, with the way Trump has handled things and talked about it, is they would go along with that route," he said.
Pam Bondi, Trump's pick to lead the Department of Justice, said this week at her confirmation hearing that she is in favor of designating Mexican cartels as FTOs.
"I personally went to Mexico. I personally dealt with these cartels when I was a state prosecutor. And they are a grave and violent threat to our country," she said.
Gonzales also stressed that the threat from the gang is not merely a border issue.
"They're not staying in Texas. One thing that I suspect is TDA is in all 50 states. So this isn't a border issue. This is an American issue," he said. "And how do we get TDA out of all 50 states? You label them as a terrorist organization, and you turn law enforcement loose to go after and scoop them up."
Gonzales has a record of bipartisanship over border security, often sponsoring bills that pick up Democratic support. He says that he is hopeful this bill will have a similar effect given a change in the temperature on immigration among some Democrats -- who have recently put their support behind bills like the Laken Riley Act.
"I think you're seeing the shift on that," Gonzales said. "House Democrats have seen, Democrats in general have seen, they lost the Senate, they lost the House, they lost the White House, and a big part of that is because of their positions on the border and on border security."
This bill already has the backing of sheriff groups in the area.
"The Security First Act will be a tremendous tool in bolstering the functionality and effectiveness of Operation Stonegarden, as well as designating cartels as terrorist organizations, and using new and updated technology to police and patrol areas of our southern border that are difficult to reach in a vehicle. We are in support of this bill," Clint McDonald, a retired sheriff and Executive Director of the Southwestern Border Sheriff's Coalition and Texas Border Sheriff's Coalition, said in a statement.
President-elect Trump confirmed Friday that he spoke with Chinese President Xi Jinping days before Trump will be inaugurated into office.
"I just spoke to Chairman Xi Jinping of China. The call was a very good one for both China and the U.S.A.," Trump posted on Truth Social.
"It is my expectation that we will solve many problems together, and starting immediately. We discussed balancing Trade, Fentanyl, TikTok, and many other subjects. President Xi and I will do everything possible to make the World more peaceful and safe!"
This is a breaking news story. Check back for updates.
Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody, who is slated to become a U.S. senator, is calling for an audit of the Federal Reserve, pledging to vocally oppose government spending, and declaring that she will fight to bolster the border and remove individuals who enter the U.S. illegally.
With Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., poised to soon leave office to serve as Secretary of State in the new Trump administration, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Moody as his pick to replace Rubio in the U.S. Senate.
"As Florida’s next U.S. Senator, I will work tirelessly to reduce the bloat of Washington and speak out loudly against government spending," she noted in another post. "Like we've done in Florida, this country needs to cut spending and get fiscally responsible. I look forward to working with DOGE, and I will work hard to leave the next generation of our country on a much stronger financial footing."
When discussing her role in confirming judges and justices, she specifically mentioned Supreme Court Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito.
"As a former judge, I will take my role confirming judges and justices seriously to ensure that, like Justices Thomas and Alito, they share the values and concepts of law as our Founding Fathers understood them," she said in a tweet. "I will work through the Senate confirmation process to ensure those who get confirmed are strong nominees and know that it is their duty to interpret the Constitution as it is written."
Sharing Moody's post, DeSantis called Alito and Thomas "the gold standard."
"In the U.S. Senate, I will support President @realDonaldTrump and fight for legislation that strengthens the border, builds the wall, and removes those who entered unlawfully," Moody noted in a tweet.
EXCLUSIVE: House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer is requesting President-elect Trump’s Justice Department investigate and prosecute President Biden’s brother, James Biden, for allegedly making false statements to Congress, Fox News Digital has learned.
Fox News Digital exclusively obtained a letter that Comer, R-Ky., sent to Trump’s nominee for attorney general, Pam Bondi, encouraging the DOJ to "hold James Biden accountable for lying to Congress to protect his brother, the soon-to-be-former President Biden."
House Republicans in June sent criminal referrals for James Biden and Hunter Biden to the Justice Department recommending they be charged with making false statements to Congress about "key aspects" of the impeachment inquiry of President Biden.
Specifically, Comer at the time said the alleged false statements implicated President Biden’s "knowledge and role in his family’s influence-peddling schemes" and that they appeared "to be a calculated effort to shield Joe Biden from the impeachment inquiry."
Comer, along with House Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, and Ways & Means Committee Chair Jason Smith, R-Mo., led the impeachment inquiry into President Biden and found that he engaged in "impeachable conduct," "abused his office" and "defrauded the United States to enrich his family."
Comer, in his letter to Bondi this week, pointed to Biden’s "full and unconditional pardon" for his son, Hunter Biden.
"President Biden’s latest scheme to cover his family’s grift cements his legacy as leading the most corrupt political family to attain the presidency in American history," Comer wrote to Bondi. "But it also appears incomplete. President Biden has displayed to the American people that his son is beyond accountability in a court of law for his crimes."
But Comer said he wanted to "remind incoming Department of Justice leadership of Hunter Biden’s main accomplice in his influence peddling schemes (aside from Joe Biden himself), whom the House Committees on Oversight, the Judiciary, and Ways and Means previously identified to Attorney General Merrick Garland as having misled Congress regarding Joe Biden’s participation in his family’s influence peddling and deserving of prosecution under federal law: James Biden, the President’s younger brother."
Comer reminded Bondi that he and House Republicans referred James Biden to the Justice Department for criminal prosecution, saying the president’s brother "made materially false statements to the Oversight and Judiciary Committees."
"The nature of both his and Hunter Biden’s false statements is not lost on the Committees: every instance implicates Joe Biden’s knowledge of and role in his family’s influence peddling," Comer wrote. "James Biden’s denial of Joe Biden’s meeting with James Biden, Hunter Biden, and Hunter Biden’s business associate for a Chinese transaction, Tony Bobulinski — despite evidence being placed in front of him and being given multiple opportunities to amend his response — appears to be a clumsy attempt to protect Joe Biden from the reality that Joe Biden has indeed met with his family’s business associates."
Comer and House Republicans in June said James Biden "stated unequivocally during his transcribed interview that Joe Biden did not meet with Mr. Tony Bobulinski, a business associate of James and Hunter Biden, in 2017 while pursuing a deal with a Chinese entity, CEFC China Energy."
"Specifically, James Biden stated he did not attend a meeting with Joe Biden, Hunter Biden, and Tony Bobulinski on May 2, 2017 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel," Comer, Jordan and Smith said in their criminal referral to Attorney General Merrick Garland last year. "These statements were contradicted not only by Mr. Bobulinski, but Hunter Biden."
They also noted that Bobulinski "produced text messages that establish the events leading up to and immediately following his meeting with Joe Biden on May 2, 2017."
In his letter to Bondi, Comer blasted President Biden, claiming he obstructed the committee’s impeachment inquiry and that in itself was "impeachable conduct."
"The legacy President Biden leaves behind is having led the most dishonest and corrupt administration in American history," Comer wrote.
Biden, last month, made the decision to grant his son a "Full and Unconditional Pardon" covering nearly 11 years of conduct, including conduct related to both convictions Special Counsel David Weiss obtained.
Hunter Biden was found guilty of three felony firearm offenses stemming from Weiss’ investigation. The first son was also charged with federal tax crimes regarding the failure to pay at least $1.4 million in taxes. Before his trial, Hunter Biden entered a surprise guilty plea.
Weiss released his highly anticipated report on his yearslong investigation into Hunter Biden last week and blasted Biden for having "unfairly" maligned Justice Department public servants and casting doubt on the U.S. justice system with "wrong" claims that his probe was political.
"President Biden repeatedly told—or used White House personnel to tell—the American people he would not pardon his son. That was a lie," Comer wrote to Bondi. "President Biden continues to lie, now falsely claiming ‘[n]o reasonable person who looks at the facts of Hunter’s cases can reach any other conclusion than Hunter was singled out only because he is my son – and that is wrong.’"
Comer added, "Though President Biden’s saccharine (and wholly ironic) rantings of political persecution and weaponized prosecution of Hunter Biden are specious, they are inapplicable to the non-prosecution of his brother, James Biden, who has lied to the United States Congress and has faced no accountability to date."
"I write to encourage the Department under your leadership to hold James Biden accountable for lying to Congress to protect his brother, the soon-to-be-former President Biden," Comer continued. "No one should be above the law, regardless of his last name."
FIRST ON FOX: Securing the nation's border will feature large in South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem's opening remarks to Senate lawmakers on Friday as she works to lock down her confirmation as the country's next secretary of homeland security, Fox News Digital exclusively learned.
"Securing our homeland is a serious, sacred trust that must be relentlessly pursued and can never be taken for granted. Being safe within our borders is an American right, yet Americans feel less safe than they have in decades. For the first time in 30 years, more than 40% of Americans are afraid to walk alone at night within a mile of their home," Noem is expected to tell the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee on Friday morning in her opening remarks.
"President-Elect Trump is going to change that."
Fox News Digital exclusively obtained a copy of the South Dakota Republican's opening statement, which is set to not only showcase Noem's vision for a secure and safe nation, but also underscore her rural roots and life in the Mount Rushmore State.
"I’m a wife, mother, a grandmother, a farmer, a rancher, a businesswoman, and a governor," a copy of the remarks states. "I have spent my life in rural America. I understand what it means to work hard every day to build a better future for our kids and our communities. I come before you today with a deep sense of responsibility and humility as the nominee to lead the Department of Homeland Security. And also a commitment to the more than 330 million Americans, whom we will serve to work to keep them safe and secure in their homes, their communities and their country."
President-elect Donald Trump announced NOem as his pick to lead DHS shortly after his decisive win over Harris in November, pointing to her efforts to secure the southern border amid the immigration crisis under the Biden administration.
The DHS oversees U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the U.S. Secret Service and the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Noem's opening remarks heavily focus on securing the border, including highlighting that she was the first governor to deploy National Guard troops to border states in 2022. She has since repeatedly deployed South Dakota National Guard troops to the southern border in Texas to help stem illegal border crossings as part of Gov. Greg Abbott's Operation Lone Star.
"As a nation, we have the right and responsibility to secure our borders against those who would do us harm. And we must create a fair and lawful immigration system that is efficient and effective and that reflects our values. President Trump was elected with a clear mandate to achieve this mission. Two thirds of Americans support his immigration and border policies, including the majority of Hispanic Americans."
"I was the first Governor to send National Guard troops to Texas when they were being overwhelmed by an unprecedented border crisis. If confirmed as Secretary, I will ensure that our exceptional, extraordinary f agents have ALL the tools, resources, and support they need to carry out their mission effectively. The same is true of my commitment to the outstanding men and women of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. They are responsible for apprehending, detaining, and deporting illegal immigrants. Getting criminal aliens off the streets and out of the country will help make American communities safe again. The bravery and dedication of the Border Patrol and ICE are unmatched, and I will restore dignity to their work," the copy of her remarks states.
Noem is also set to tout her leadership skills in the remarks, including leading the Mount Rushmore State for the last six years, including overseeing thousands of state employees.
"I have led South Dakota for the last 6 years with a focus every day on making our state safer, stronger, and freer. I have focused every day on making the best decisions not just for right now, but for generations to come. I have overseen a state budget of over $7 billion and a state employee workforce of more than 13,000, including more than 7,000 reporting to the Governor. I have addressed important issues like cybersecurity, human trafficking, drug interdiction, and natural disasters – the same challenges facing so many of you here and the people you represent back at home."
Noem will join the Senate committee with a bevy of high-profile endorsements under her belt, including at least eight police groups and unions throwing their support behind the South Dakota governor for DHS.
Crises have also broken out in the waning days of the Biden administration, including a terrorist attack that shook New Orleans early New Year's Day and raging fires in the Los Angeles area. Following the attack, Noem picked up an endorsement from Republican Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry, who warned now is "no time to play around" while calling on Senate lawmakers to swiftly confirm Noem. While the massive and historically Democrat firefighter union, the International Association of Firefighters, also endorsed Noem while the California wildfires first raged earlier this month.
Noem is expected to note that, if confirmed, she will emphasize resiliency in the face of disaster.
"I recognize that homeland security is not only about prevention but also about resilience. When disasters strike, as we know they will, the Department of Homeland Security must be ready to respond swiftly, efficiently, and effectively to protect the lives and property of Americans. As governor, I have worked with FEMA in response to a dozen natural disasters in South Dakota. These have included historic floods, tornados, blizzards, wildfires, a derecho, and even a global pandemic. As Secretary, I will enhance our emergency preparedness and strengthen FEMA’s capabilities. We will ensure that no community is left behind and that life-saving services like electricity and water are quickly restored," she said.
She is set to also turn her attention to cybersecurity in the nation, vowing to prioritize protecting the nation's energy grids and financial systems from "foreign adversaries and criminal actors."
"In the coming days, we have to think and plan bigger, faster, and smarter. I fully acknowledge that we in Washington do not have all the answers. Therefore, I will leverage public-private partnerships and advance cutting-edge, state-of-the-art technologies to protect our nation’s digital landscape. I have a proven track record doing this in South Dakota. I have helped make Dakota State University a global leader in cybersecurity education because we recognize the need to address this emerging threat. I will take this proactive approach if given the opportunity to serve as Secretary," the copy of the remarks states.
Noem has served as South Dakota's governor since 2019, gaining national attention and praise from conservatives during the pandemic when her state eschewed lockdown orders and mask mandates common in liberal states such as California and New York.
"I am committed to working with this committee, with Congress, and with the dedicated men and women of the Department of Homeland Security to fulfill our mission. Together, we can ensure that the United States remains a beacon of freedom, safety, and security for generations to come. Thank you for the opportunity and honor to appear before you today. I look forward to your questions. I hope to earn your trust and, hopefully, your vote as we embark on this critical work together," she is expected to say on Friday morning.
President Biden announced Friday morning he is commuting the sentences of nearly 2,500 inmates as the end of his presidency draws near.
The commutations are for people convicted of non-violent drug offenses "who are serving disproportionately long sentences" compared to what they would receive if sentenced under today's law.
"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.
The president said now is the time to "equalize these sentencing disparities" as recognized through the Fair Sentencing Act of 2010 and the First Step Act of 2018.
"This action is an important step toward righting historic wrongs, correcting sentencing disparities, and providing deserving individuals the opportunity to return to their families and communities after spending far too much time behind bars," he continued.
The decision puts Biden thousands of cases ahead of all other presidents who have issued acts of clemency during their terms.
"With this action, I have now issued more individual pardons and commutations than any president in U.S. history," Biden said.
While granting clemency is not uncommon for a president, Biden has come under bipartisan fire for who he has decided to pardon or commute sentences for.
At the end of December, he chose to commute the sentences of 37 of the 40 men on federal death row – helping them escape execution and sending them to prison for life without parole instead.
He was also criticized for pardoning his son, Hunter, of all crimes he "has committed or may have committed" against U.S. law from Jan. 1, 2014, to Dec. 1, 2024. Hunter was convicted last year of gun and tax crimes in two separate federal cases.
Biden also boasted about completing the "largest single-day grant of clemency" on Dec. 12 when he commuted sentences for 1,500 people and pardoned 39 others, most of whom were already serving time in home confinement because of decisions made during the COVID-19 era.
The president added that he is "proud of [his] record on clemency" and said he will "continue to review additional commutations and pardons" ahead of his final full day in office on Jan. 19.
There are 1,947 people awaiting to be pardoned once they complete their sentence and around 6,625 cases awaiting commutation after Friday's decision, according to Jan. 13 statistics from the Department of Justice.
There were many things that preceded the "nonsensical" response from Los Angeles and California state leaders to the devastating wildfires that continue to blaze across the region, according to historian and political commentator Victor Davis Hanson.
"To mitigate you have to know what went wrong, and there were short-term and long-term problems," Davis, a Hoover Institution public policy think tank senior fellow, told Fox News Digital in a Tuesday interview. "And I don't think climate change played a role, at least a non-immediate role."
Davis described the situation as a "woke green hydrogen bomb" — from Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass' absence during the critical first 24 hours of the inferno to empty fire hydrants, a dysfunctional reservoir, a defunded fire department and a lack of new water infrastructure despite Gov. Gavin Newsom's support of the billions of dollars earmarked to address it.
"It's a very fragile system," Hanson said. "What Gavin Newsom did not do is he did not take the allotted money and build the reservoirs that would have accommodated the increased population. Number two, that water that is being pumped across the [Sacramento-San Joaquin River] Delta, he let go out into the bay under the demands of environmentalists. He said in his defense that the reservoirs are full. That's not true. If you look at the biggest one, it's only 75% full, and we are in a semi-drought right now."
Newsom told NBC News in a pretaped interview that aired Sunday, "The reservoirs are completely full — the state reservoirs here in Southern California. That mis- and disinformation, I don’t think, advantages or aids any of us."
But as of Tuesday, Shasta Lake, California's largest reservoir, was at 77% capacity, holding approximately 3.52 million acre-feet of water out of its total capacity of 4.55 million acre-feet, according to the Bureau of Reclamation.
Fox News Digital reached out to Newsom's office for comment and has not yet received a response.
California's existing reservoirs can only hold so much water, and many were built in the mid-20th century.
In 2014, Golden State voters passed Proposition 1, also known as the Water Quality, Supply and Infrastructure Improvement Act, which authorized $2.7 billion in bonds to increase the state's water storage capacity through building new reservoirs and groundwater storage facilities. Yet as of January, no new reservoirs have been completed under Prop. 1.
In 2024, the state experienced record-breaking rainfall after an atmospheric river event, but the existing water infrastructure faced difficulties managing the sudden influx of water. A significant portion of that rainfall was dumped into the ocean as the state struggles to properly store water, multiple California agencies said.
"There was a roughly 120 million gallon reservoir that could have been used because they only had three million in reserve — that would have probably made the difference," Hanson said. "That had been idle for almost a year, and it was because the cover was torn. It was just nonsensical."
The out-of-order reservoir Hanson referred to, known as the Santa Ynez Reservoir in Pacific Palisades, has been closed for repairs since February due to a tear in its covering, which was designed to maintain the water quality, the Los Angeles Times first reported Tuesday.
Hanson has a Central Valleyfarm that relies on snowmelt from the Sierra Nevada Mountains, he explained.
In California’s Central Valley, farming water typically comes from the Sierra, mainly through the San Joaquin River system, which is supported by major dams like Shaver, Huntington and Pine Flat. That water is often released into the Sacramento River, which flows into the Delta. Despite increasing demand, no new dams have been built on the San Joaquin system in decades.
On the west side of the valley, water comes from snowmelt in northern California’s Cascade Range and northern Sierra, filling larger reservoirs like Oroville and Folsom. These reservoirs were designed to store water during wet years, ensuring a steady supply in average years and a backup for drought years.
However, California has faced a prolonged dry spell, with little rain or snow in recent weeks, causing reservoir levels to drop.
"So when Gavin Newsom says, well, 'they're full,' they're not all full, but they're descending at a rapid rate, because he will not stop the releases to the ocean," Hanson said. "They're still going on, as you and I speak, and they're not pumping 100% of it to the aqueduct, which serves agriculture in Los Angeles."
Newsom, meanwhile, has shifted the blame to local management and ordered an independent review of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power.
"We need answers to how that happened," Newsom wrote to the department's director and the director of Los Angeles County Public Works on Jan. 10, regarding reports of lost water supply.
For his part, Newsom also proposed allocating at least $2.5 billion in additional funding to bolster California's emergency response and recovery efforts in Los Angeles, his office announced on Monday.
The proposed funding would support recovery and cleanup operations, enhance wildfire preparedness and assist in reopening schools closed due to the fires. The funding would come from the state's Disaster Response Emergency Operations Account, with $1.5 billion coming from speeding up the use of climate bond funds for immediate use, according to his office.
There has been a slight increase in containment for the deadly Palisades and Eaton fires burning in Los Angeles County, according to a Wednesday night update from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
The Palisades fire, the larger of the two at 23,713 acres burned as of Wednesday, is at 21% containment after its ignition in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood more than a week ago, according to the department.
The Eaton Fire in the Altadena/Pasadena area was at 45% containment as of Wednesday night. Both fires broke out on Jan. 7.
Fox News Digital has reached out to Bass' office for comment.
Fox News Digital's Elizabeth Pritchett contributed to this report.
South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem heads to Capitol Hill on Friday for her confirmation hearing to lead the Department of Homeland Security -- a hearing where border security and plans to launch a massive deportation operation are likely to take center stage.
Noem, nominated by President-elect Trump to lead DHS, will appear before the Senate Homeland Security Committee at 9 a.m. ET.
The governor has largely stayed out of the spotlight, with more controversial nominees drawing attention from politicians and the media. But, if confirmed, she will play an important role in the next administration, leading the agency involved not only with border security but also cybersecurity, response to natural disasters and counterterrorism.
That broad role has been highlighted in recent days with wildfires engulfing Los Angeles, where the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) plays a key role in response. FEMA’s importance was also on display late last year during the hurricane season.
She will also be engaged in the battle for cybersecurity, including against threats from communist China.
Dealing with natural disasters and cybersecurity are both areas where Noem has experience. As governor, she banned TikTok from state-owned devices in 2022, citing the company’s ties to China. Separately, Dakota State University has one of the top cyber units in the country, and cybersecurity is the fastest growing industry in South Dakota, an expansion encouraged by Noem.
Noem has in-depth experience with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) because the state has dealt with flooding, including in June when there were record-setting floods in the state.
Noem, a former member of Congress, was elected governor of South Dakota in 2018 and won re-election in 2022.
But it is likely to be border security, and the promise by Trump to launch a historic deportation operation, which will feature in any contentious exchanges.
Trump, nominating Noem, had argued that she is "very strong" on border security.
"She will work closely with ‘Border Czar’ Tom Homan to secure the border and will guarantee that our American homeland is secure from our adversaries. I have known Kristi for years and have worked with her on a wide variety of projects. She will be a great part of our mission to make America safe again," Trump said in a statement.
"With Donald Trump, we will secure the border and restore safety to American communities so that families will again have the opportunity to pursue the American dream," Noem said.
While Homan has been charged with leading the deportation operation, Noem will be in charge of DHS agencies, including Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE.)
Democrats may choose to quiz Noem on their objections to mass deportations, although a number of Democrats have indicated their openness to border security and legislation mandating ICE detention for some illegal immigrants -- after a historic border crisis during the Biden administration that only recently subsided, and which was a top issue in the 2024 election.
Noem previously backed a pause on accepting migrants from terrorist hot spots. As governor, she pledged in 2021 not to take any more migrants from the Biden administration and also deployed National Guard to the border in Texas.
"My message to illegal immigrants is — Call me when you're an American," she said on Facebook in 2021.
Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., the new chairman of the Senate Homeland Security Committee, told McClatchy that he believes there will be a quick confirmation of Noem, and that she will likely have a few Democrats voting in favor.
"I think the bar is so low that any kind of attempt to slow down the mass illegal migration would be an improvement," Paul said. "I think they’re going to be very aggressive, not only her but the entire [Trump] administration."
EXCLUSIVE – Republican National Committee (RNC) chair Mike Whatley says his job going forward in the 2025 elections and 2026 midterms is straightforward.
"It's really critical for us to make sure that the Trump voters become Republican voters," Whatley said in an exclusive national digital interview with Fox News on the sidelines of the RNCs' winter meeting, which is being held in the nation's capital.
Republicans enjoyed major victories November's elections, with President-elect Trump defeatingVice President Kamala Harris to win back the White House, the GOP flipping control of the Senate from the Democrats, and holding on to their razor-thin majority in the House.
Whatley, who was interviewed on Thursday on the eve of the formal vote by the RNC for the chair to continue in his position steering the national party committee, said the GOP needs "to cement those gains" made in the 2024 elections.
"We're going to go right back to the building blocks that we had during this election cycle, which is to get out the vote and protect the ballot," Whatley emphasized.
The RNC chair pointed to "the lessons that we learned" in the 2024 cycle "about going after low propensity voters, about making sure that we're reaching out to every voter and bringing in new communities," which he said helped Republicans make "historic gains among African American voters, among Asian American voters, among Hispanic voters, young voters and women voters."
Speaking a couple of days before the president-elect's inauguration, Whatley emphasized that once Trump's in the White House, "we're going to go right back to the RNC. We're going to roll up our sleeves and get to work. We've got a couple of governor's races…that we're going to be working on in ‘25."
But Whatley said "everything is focused on ‘26," when the party will be defending its majorities in the House and Senate, "because that is going to determine, from an agenda perspective, whether we have two years to work with or four. And America needs us to have a four-year agenda."
"What we're going to be doing is making sure that we are registering voters," Whatley said. "We're going to be…communicating with the folks that we need to turn out."
Pointing to the 2024 presidential election, he said "it's the same fundamentals."
But he noted that "it's not just seven battleground states" and that the 2026 contests are "definitely going to be a very intense midterm election cycle."
While Democrats would disagree, Whatley described today's GOP as "a common sense party…this is a party that's going to fight for every American family and for every American community."
Referring to former Democrats Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, whom Trump has nominated to serve in his second administration's cabinet, Whatley touted "the fact that we have two former Democratic presidential candidates who are going to be serving in the president's cabinet. That shows you that this is a commonsense agenda, a commonsense team, that we're going to be moving forward with."
Last March, as Trump clinched the 2024 GOP presidential nomination, he named Whatley to succeed Ronna McDaniel as RNC chair. Whatley, a longtime Trump ally and a major supporter of Trump's election integrity efforts, had served as RNC general counsel and chair of the North Carolina Republican Party.
In December, Trump asked Whatley to continue during the 2026 cycle as RNC chair.
"I think we will be able to talk when we need to talk," Whatley said when asked if his lines of communication with Trump will be limited now that the president-elect is returning to the White House. "We're going to support the president and his agenda. That does not change. What changes is his ability from the White House to actually implement the agenda that he's been campaigning on."
Trump is term-limited and won't be able to seek election again in 2028. Vice President-elect Sen. JD Vance will likely be considered the front-runner for the 2028 GOP nomination.
Whatley reiterated what he told Fox News Digital in December, that the RNC will stay neutral in the next race for the GOP nomination and that the party's "got an amazing bench."
"You think about the talent on the Republican side of the aisle right now, our governors, our senators, our members of Congress, people that are going to be serving in this administration. I love the fact that the Republican Party is going to be set up to have a fantastic candidate going into '28," he highlighted.
Unlike the DNC, which in the 2024 cycle upended the traditional presidential nominating calendar, the RNC made no major changes to their primary lineup, and kept the Iowa caucuses and the New Hampshire primary as their first two contests.
Asked about the 2028 calendar, Whatley reiterated to Fox News that "I have not had any conversations with anybody who wants to change the calendar, so we will wait and see what that looks like as we're going forward. We're at the RNC meetings this week and having a number of conversations with folks, but that is not a huge push."
"I don't think that changing the calendar really helped the Democrats at all," Whatley argued. "And I think that us, making sure that we are working our system the way that we always have, is going to be critical."
Yesterday — 16 January 2025Latest Political News on Fox News
President Biden on Thursday thanked service members for their "strength" and "integrity" while giving his farewell address in Virginia.
"There's never been a time in history when we've asked our military to do so many different things so many places, all at the same time," the president said at Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall in Virginia. "And I want to be clear: You have done all these missions with strength and, maybe even importantly, integrity."
Biden’s address to troops came the morning after his farewell address to the nation in which he said it was his "great honor" to serve as the 46th president.
"You all represent what America is: character, honesty, integrity, commitment," Biden told the troops. "You are simply the greatest fighting force in the history of the world."
The president said the troops "rose to the occasion" when he asked for the war in Afghanistan to end, "evacuating Americans, allies and our Afghan partners, accomplishing the largest airlift in military history and ending a war. The same courage is defined by American service in Afghanistan for over 20 years."
He said he believes "history will reflect that was the right thing to do, but I know, I know, it was hard after decades of losing your brothers and sisters, including [during the] withdrawal. The pain was still real. And it was for me as well. Every day I still carry, every single day."
Biden has been criticized for his handling of the messy Afghanistan withdrawal, when 13 U.S. service members were killed.
He added that six months after American troops withdrew from Afghanistan, "when Russia began its largest war in Europe since World War II, I asked you to help defend Ukraine. You didn't hesitate. You kept Ukraine in the fight, trained Ukrainian soldiers and pilots, troops, bolstered NATO's eastern flank. And, above all, you showed the world America stands up for freedom, stands with our friends."
He also touted the Israel-Hamas cease-fire deal, which was announced Wednesday and first mentioned in his farewell address to the nation.
"The road to that deal was not easy," he admitted, saying he "laid down the elements of that deal eight months ago."
President-elect Trump has also taken credit for the cease-fire.
"This EPIC ceasefire agreement could have only happened as a result of our Historic Victory in November, as it signaled to the entire World that my Administration would seek Peace and negotiate deals to ensure the safety of all Americans, and our Allies," Trump wrote on Truth Social Wednesday. "I am thrilled American and Israeli hostages will be returning home to be reunited with their families and loved ones."
Biden also thanked military families who "sacrifice so much" in his speech.
"Most Americans never see the sacrifices that you make every single day," he continued. "Don't ever see all those holidays and birthdays with an empty seat at the dinner table because mom or dad was deployed. Never see all the moves you had to make to new states, to new schools, to new jobs."
He added near the end of his speech, "You're truly the finest fighting force in the history of the world," adding that the American military has the best training, weapons, ships and planes.
"But that alone is not what makes us strong," he said. "It’s our values. American values. Our commitment to honor, to integrity, to unity, to protecting and defending. Not a person or a party or a place, but an idea."
Before Biden's speech, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Air Force Gen. CQ Brown, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, thanked Biden for his service in their own remarks, which were part of the commander in chief farewell tribute to the president.
Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., appears to be getting more vocal about running for Florida governor in 2026 in the race to succeed term-limited Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis.
Donalds, a leading friend, ally and supporter of President-elect Trump in the House of Representatives, in recent days has been telling potential donors and Florida political players that he intends to run for governor, Republican sources confirm to Fox News.
Some of those conversations occurred last weekend in Orlando at the Florida GOP's annual meeting.
"He’s serious," a source with knowledge told Fox News.
Another signal came a week ago when Donalds hired prominent Republican pollster Tony Fabrizio's research firm. Fabrizio was a top pollster in Trump's 2016 and 2024 presidential campaigns.
The conservative former state lawmaker who has represented parts of southwest Florida's 19th District in Congress for four years has been eyeing a potential gubernatorial bid for months.
"I’ve thought about it. I don’t really rule anything out," Donalds said in a Fox News Digital interview last spring when asked about a possible run for governor.
Donalds, who was a top surrogate on the campaign trail last year for Trump, was interviewed a few days after Trump, at a closed-door fundraiser in New York City, suggested that if Donalds ran for Florida governor in 2026, he'd have "many friends in the race."
"It’s really cool that people back home in Florida consider me to be able to be the state’s next governor. It’s really an honor. It’s honestly surreal thinking about it because I’m 45 and my journey through politics has been a really fruitful one," Donalds said at the time. "It’s really humbling and an honor, but I just focus on doing the job I have."
Another prominent Florida Republican who’s believed to be considering a run is state Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson, the former president of the state Senate.
And former Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., who was Trump's first choice for attorney general in his second administration before dropping out amid controversy, has also said he’s thinking of running.
Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody was also thought to be mulling a run to succeed DeSantis, her ally in Tallahassee, but the governor on Thursday named Moody to succeed Sen. Marco Rubio, Trump's nominee for secretary of state, who is likely to be one of the president-elect's first Cabinet picks to be confirmed by the Senate.
And Florida's chief financial officer, Jimmy Patronis, who was also believed to be interested in a potential gubernatorial campaign, is considered the front-runner in this month's special congressional election to fill Gaetz's seat.
"With Moody going to the Senate, should he choose to run for governor, Donalds would be the clear favorite over Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson, who is the Tallahassee establishment's choice," Fabrizio said. "We'll see if the Tallahassee establishment smartens up after betting and losing badly in 2010 against [former two-term governor and current Sen.] Rick Scott and in 2018 against Ron DeSantis."
With Florida, which was once a top general election battleground state, now firmly red, the slowly emerging gubernatorial battle may be determined by whom Trump, the GOP's kingmaker in his adopted home state of Florida and across the country, may eventually back.
But not to be discounted is any possible endorsement by DeSantis in the race to succeed the governor.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) this week released the final nationwide crime statistics under the Biden administration as the president prepares to leave office.
Following an uptick in violent crime in 2021 during the pandemic, it began to trend down significantly in 2023, "including double-digit drops in homicide rates across many major cities," according to the DOJ.
In 2024, violent crime continued to go down, according to preliminary DOJ data from 85 major cities.
That included a 17.5% decrease in murder rates. There was also a 7.1% decrease in rape, 3.6% decrease in aggravated assault and 7.8% decline in robbery over the first three quarters of the year.
Between 2021 and 2022, violent crime decreased by 1.7%, which became a 3% decrease between 2022 and 2023, and through the second quarter of 2023 to 2024 it went down by 10.3%.
In the same time spans, the murder rate went down by 6.1% starting from 2021 to 2022, by 11.6% in 2023 and finally by 22.7% in 2024.
"Since launching the Violent Crime Reduction Strategy in 2021, the Department has made historic progress against the most significant drivers of violent crime," Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco said in a statement.
She added, "This report details the Department’s many successes in implementing its violent crime strategy and serves as a testament to the work of law enforcement officers around the country who have done so much to keep our communities safe."
"Recognizing that every jurisdiction — large, small, rural, urban — faces unique challenges that cannot be addressed by a one-size-fits-all policy — the strategy was data-driven and deployed federal resources, including cutting-edge tools, in the most effective way: to act as a force multiplier for state and local law enforcement on the front lines of the fight against violent crime," the report said.
Of the 85 cities included in the statistics, violent crime went up in 23 and down in 62, and murder rates went up in 19 and down in 64, the report said.
The report said that while there is "no single cause" for the decline or increase in violent crime, "the work of law enforcement across the country — a partnership between federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies — has no doubt played a leading role."
The DOJ said its strategy was to "focus on the most significant drivers of violent crime — including gun violence and repeat offenders."
It also prioritized building trust in communities and investing in community-based prevention and intervention programs.
"Since the start of this administration, this Department has been laser-focused on targeting the most significant drivers of violent crime — with gun violence at the top of that list," Monaco said. "Our strategy is data-driven and focuses on doing what we do best: acting as a force multiplier with our state and local law enforcement partners — who are on the front lines of the fight against violent crime — and deploying technology and other cutting-edge tools to go after the individuals most responsible for crime in our communities."
She added, "We are seeing returns on our efforts. After a peak during the pandemic, violent crime is on a downward trajectory — including double-digit drops in homicide rates across many major cities."
President-elect Trump on Thursday announced multiple nominations just days before his inauguration on Jan. 20.
In a series of posts on Truth Social on Thursday afternoon, Trump congratulated his picks.
Nominees include a former test engineer of missile defense systems for secretary of the Air Force, as well as a trade partnership CEO for secretary for trade and foreign agriculture affairs.
Trump selected Chris Stallings to be assistant administrator for disaster recovery and resilience of the Small Business Administration.
Stallings currently serves as the director of the Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency and will work closely with Kelly Loeffler, the incoming small business administrator.
"[Stallings and Loeffler will] make sure that when disasters happen, our Government responds quickly and capably to protect our Small Businesses, which are the backbone of our Economy," Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Trump tapped Luke Lindberg as U.S. undersecretary for trade and foreign agriculture affairs at the Department of Agriculture.
During Trump's first term, Lindberg served as chief of staff and chief strategy officer at the Export-Import Bank, where he earned the Distinguished Service Award.
He is currently the president and CEO of South Dakota Trade and a member of the board of directors of the National Association of District Export Councils.
South Dakota Trade is a 501(c)(6) public-private partnership that navigates international trade for the state, according to the organization's website.
Lindberg has been featured on Fox News and other outlets for his "Thought Leadership" on international affairs and agricultural policy.
Trump wrote on Truth Social that Lindberg would make sure American farmers and ranchers get the "smart" trade deals they deserve.
Troy Meink has been picked to serve as secretary of the Air Force.
Meink is serving as the principal deputy director of the National Reconnaissance Office, and he began his career as a KC-135 tanker navigator, according to Trump's post.
He later worked as a test engineer for missile defense systems.
"Troy will work with our incredible Secretary of Defense Nominee, Pete Hegseth, to ensure that our Nation’s Air Force is the most effective and deadly force in the World, as we secure PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH," Trump wrote. "Congratulations Troy!"
Dudley Hoskins was selected as undersecretary for marketing and regulatory programs at the Department of Agriculture.
He currently holds the title of "counsel" on the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, and he previously spent four years at the Department of Agriculture during Trump's first term as the chief of staff for marketing and regulatory programs and senior adviser to the secretary, according to Trump's post.
"[Hoskins] will work with our great Secretary of Agriculture Nominee, Brooke Rollins, to make sure American food is the safest and healthiest in the World," Trump wrote. "Congratulations Dudley!"
While President-elect Trump and President Biden are jockeying for credit for a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas, some Republicans are wary of the deal and whether it will stick.
"There's no part of me that trusts Hamas, Hezbollah, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Al-Aqsa martyrs Brigade, Fatah or the rank-and-file people that voted for Hamas," Rep. Brian Mast, R-Fla., the House's new Foreign Affairs Committee chair, told Fox News Digital.
"There's no part of me that trusts them in any way whatsoever. I do trust there's a fear of God in them from the fact that President Trump is coming in, Secretary Rubio and Stefanik, others, [and] what's not going to continue with programs like UNRWA," he added, referring to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency. "I trust that there is a chilling effect, you know, how they see the world going forward. But there's no part of me that trusts them in any way."
Asked if he was celebrating the deal itself alongside some of his colleagues, Mast said, "I'm skeptical, like anything."
"If it gets Americans home, I'm happy about getting Americans home," Mast went on. "That's been a problem for me that, you know, if there's Americans detained abroad, I would have every expectation that there's an American coming to get them. And, to me, unfortunately, that hasn't been the result."
The cease-fire is meant as a way to bring home the remaining hostages taken from Israel and provide a path to peace for the 2 million Palestinians who have been living in a war zone since Hamas' bloody attack in Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.
The deal has implications for the U.S.: Seven hostages who remain in Hamas’ clutches are Americans.
"Why is lame duck Joe Biden trying to cram down a bad deal on Israel on his way out the door?" Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., wrote on X. "The only ‘deal’ should be unconditional surrender by Hamas—which is already nearly destroyed—and return of ALL hostages. Instead, we hear reports that Biden is demanding that Israel withdraw from key terrain in Gaza, release dozens of hardened terrorists for every one hostage, and get back only SOME hostages?"
Sources confirmed Israeli reporting to Fox News Digital that it was Trump’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, who traveled to Doha, Qatar and strong-handed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu into sitting down to finalize the deal that had evaded the Biden administration’s mediation for the better part of the past year.
The first cease-fire in November 2023 lasted only one week, with both sides accusing the other of breaking it. In that time, 105 hostages were released, as were 240 Palestinian prisoners.
Trump had promised there would be "hell to pay" if a cease-fire was not reached by the time he took office, which will be on Jan. 20. His surrogates developed close relationships with Arab leaders in swing states like Michigan throughout the campaign, promising Trump would bring peace to the Middle East.
The deal, brokered by Qatari negotiators, with the help of mediation from both the outgoing Biden administration and Witkoff, is set up in three phases. It will see three hostages released on the first day – Sunday – with new hostages released each week. That phase will entail a withdrawal of Israeli troops from the Philadelphi corridor on Egypt’s border and the so-called buffer zone in the Gazan territory bordering Israel.
Women, children and men over 50 will be prioritized initially. Over the course of the 42-day first phase, 33 of the remaining Israeli hostages will be released in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.
That group is likely to include some who have been convicted of murder. On Thursday, Netanyahu delayed ratification of the deal over disagreements about whether he would get a veto over which prisoners convicted of murder would be released. Israel’s Cabinet will now meet Friday to ratify the deal.
"This EPIC ceasefire agreement could have only happened as a result of our Historic Victory in November, as it signaled to the entire World that my Administration would seek Peace and negotiate deals to ensure the safety of all Americans, and our Allies," Trump wrote on social media.
Biden said from the White House that "my diplomacy never ceased in their efforts to get this done."
He added, "This plan was developed and negotiated by my team and will be largely implemented by the incoming administration."
