FIRST ON FOX: As fires rage in California, the largest firefighter union in North America threw its support behind South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem for secretary of the Department of Homeland Security after notably remaining politically neutral in the 2024 election cycle. 

"We support President Trump’s nomination of Governor Kristi Noem for Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security. As a Governor, nominee Noem understands emergency management and the importance of government response to emergencies both natural and manmade. 

"She has earned broad support from law enforcement unions, and we join many other organizations in calling for her speedy confirmation," International Association of Firefighters General President Edward Kelly wrote in a letter to senators Rand Paul and Gary Peters, the respective chair and ranking member on the Senate Committee on Homeland Security.

The IAFF's letter of endorsement for Noem comes as multiple fires rip through Los Angeles County, causing at least five deaths, widespread damage and the evacuation of more than 100,000 residents. Fox News Digital exclusively obtained the IAFF's endorsement Thursday. 

'NO TIME TO PLAY': SENATE MUST QUICKLY CONFIRM NOEM AS DHS CHIEF IN WAKE OF TERROR ATTACK, SAYS LOUISIANA GOV

"There is no greater government service than public safety. The members of IAFF are proud to serve our communities, and we look forward to working with Governor Noem and the Department of Homeland Security in the years ahead," the union chief said. 

The IAFF represents 353,000 members who protect more than 85% of the communities living in both the U.S. and Canada. The DHS oversees a number of national security and law enforcement agencies, including U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the U.S. Secret Service and the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

NOEM BOASTS OUTPOURING OF POLICE, BORDER UNION SUPPORT FOR DHS CHIEF: CURRENT LEADERS 'BETRAYED US'

The IAFF's endorsement of Noem comes after the union notably decided against endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris or Trump ahead of the general election. 

"The IAFF Executive Board determined that we are better able to advocate for our members and make progress on the issues that matter to them if we, as a union, are standing shoulder-to-shoulder. This decision, which we took very seriously, is the best way to preserve and strengthen our unity," Kelly said in an October statement declaring the union would remain neutral during the election. 

A source familiar with Noem's nomination process highlighted the timing of the IAFF'S endorsement amid the raging California fires, saying the urgency behind its Noem support shows firefighters know "it’s important that President Trump have his whole team in place as quickly as possible to keep America safe from all threats."

WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT KRISTI NOEM, THE 'BORDER HAWK' NOMINATED BY TRUMP TO LEAD DHS

"The whole country can see the horrible wildfires ravaging Southern California, and so it really says something that the firefighters union felt the urgency to stand up for Gov. Noem at this moment in time," the source said.

"These firefighters are the bravest of the brave, and they know that it’s important that President Trump have his whole team in place as quickly as possible to keep America safe from all threats, and to be in place for disaster response.

"Their endorsement solidifies the public safety support around Gov. Noem, since she’s also been endorsed by police organizations and the border patrol union. The message is clear — she should be confirmed as rapidly as possible." 

Noem's Senate confirmation hearing with the Committee on Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs is scheduled for Jan. 15, kicking off at 9 a.m. 

Noem is heading into the final leg of the confirmation process armed with support from law enforcement unions and groups. At least eight police groups or unions have sent letters to Sen. Paul calling for a speedy confirmation process, including a union that represents thousands of Border Patrol agents. 

EX-TRUMP OFFICIAL PREDICTS ‘ENTIRE MINDSET CHANGE’ AT SOUTHERN BORDER, HAILS ‘FANTASTIC’ PICK TO LEAD DHS 

"On behalf of the men and women of the National Border Patrol Council (NBPC) who protect our nation's borders, we are excited to provide our support for President-elect Trump’s nominee, Governor Kristi Noem, to be the next Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security," National Border Patrol Council President Paul Perez wrote in a letter last month in support of Noem. 

TRUMP'S ‘BORDER CZAR’ WARNS DEM GOVS REJECTING TRUMP DEPORTATION PLAN: ‘GET THE HELL OUT OF THE WAY’

Law enforcement groups that have endorsed Noem include the National Fraternal Order of Police, the largest organization of sworn law enforcement officers in the U.S.; the National Association of Police Organizations; the International Union of Police Associations; the Toledo Police Patrolman’s Association; International Union of Police Associations Local 6020; the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association, the Police Officers Association of Michigan; and the National Border Patrol Council. 

Republican Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry also called on Senate lawmakers, most notably Democrats, to swiftly confirm Noem after a terrorist attack that shook New Orleans New Year's Day. 

"This is no time to play around," Landry said earlier this week. "Which is why I am also calling on Senate Democrats on the Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs Committee to allow Kristi Noem to get to work on Day 1 as our Secretary of Homeland Security. There should be no gap in leadership. In the wake of the Bourbon Street and Las Vegas attacks, our nation’s security depends on her quick confirmation."

Trump announced Noem as his pick to lead DHS shortly after his decisive win over Harris at the ballot boxes, citing the Republican governor's efforts to secure the southern border, which has been overwhelmed by illegal crossings under the Biden administration. 

"Kristi has been very strong on Border Security. She was the first Governor to send National Guard Soldiers to help Texas fight the Biden Border Crisis, and they were sent a total of eight times. 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 wrote in his announcement Nov. 12. 

Vice President Kamala Harris and Second Gentleman Douglas Emhoff appeared to ignore the two most recent former presidents at the late President Jimmy Carter's funeral at the Washington National Cathedral.

A uniform officer led Harris and Emhoff in to their seats on the first row; stage left, but as Harris entered the row, she paused to let Emhoff pass her to sit on the end, closest to the Trumps.

TRUMP CHATS UP OBAMA WHILE CLINTONS, HARRIS IGNORE PRESIDENT-ELECT AT CARTER WAKE

Unlike when former President George W. Bush arrived and received greetings from the Quayles, Al Gore, and the Pences, there was not much movement when Harris and Emhoff arrived.

Trump and former President Barack Obama, who shared several minutes of conversation as the other first and second families arrived, remained facing generally forward as the current second couple arrived.

Former First Lady Laura Bush could be seen seated behind Harris as well.

JIMMY CARTER DEAD AT 100

As Harris took her seat, she appeared to notice Obama speaking behind her, and turned to see her fellow Democrat engaging with the Florida man who defeated her in November.

Harris appeared to grimace, before facing forward again with briefly a strained look on her face.

At first, Harris paged through her funeral program as Emhoff looked around and briefly at the rafters of the majestic Episcopal church.

Harris later whispered in Emhoff's ear as she looked at her program. As the outgoing first family arrived, Harris appeared to offer a brief word to First Lady Jill Biden.

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The only other second lady in attendance was Marilyn Quayle; seated on the aisle in the third row behind the Clintons. 

Both Lynne Cheney and Michelle Obama were absent. Tipper Gore has been separated from her Tennessee Democrat husband for more than a decade, and also was not seen at the wake.

President-elect Donald Trump and his former Vice President Mike Pence shook hands at former President Jimmy Carter’s funeral on Thursday in their first public interaction in four years.

Pence was seen standing up to shake Trump’s hand as the former president arrived inside Washington, D.C.’s National Cathedral for the funeral. After the two acknowledged each other and appeared to say a few words, Pence shook the hand of former First Lady Melania Trump.

Former Second Lady Karen Pence, who was seated next to her husband, did not stand up, shake Trump’s hand, nor did she appear to acknowledge him.

Trump and Pence have not been seen publicly together since the two left the White House on rocky terms four years ago after not seeing eye to eye on the results of the presidential election and what legal recourse Trump had to contest it. 

FORMER PRESIDENT JIMMY CARTER REMEMBERED AND PRAISED AS A HUMANITARIAN AROUND THE WORLD

Pence briefly ran unsuccessfully for president against Trump in the 2024 presidential primary — dropping out in Oct. 2023 — and did not endorse Trump at any point leading up to the November election. 

The two have publicly criticized each other over the past few years, including in 2023 when Trump called Pence "delusional" and the former vice president said last year he could not "in good conscience" endorse Trump.

JIMMY CARTER MEMORIAL: SUSPECT ACCUSED IN CAPITOL HILL SECURITY BREACH DURING TRUMP VISIT IDENTIFIED

All five living men who once occupied the White House — the so-called presidents’ club — President Biden and former presidents Clinton, George W. Bush, Obama and Trump were in the same room on Thursday for the first time since the 2018 funeral of former President George H.W. Bush.

Former Vice Presidents Dan Quayle and Al Gore were also in attendance. 

Following the funeral, Carter's remains will be flown to Georgia by the U.S. Air Force aboard Special Air Mission 39 for a private ceremony in his hometown of Plains.

Carter, the 39th president, died on Dec. 29 at the age of 100 after he was admitted to hospice care in 2023.

House Republicans on Thursday introduced a bill for the United States to repurchase the Panama Canal after President-elect Trump raised concerns that the critical waterway is under Chinese control. 

The bill, named the Panama Canal Repurchase Act, was introduced by Rep. Dusty Johnson, R-S.D., a member of the Select Committee on China and the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. 

"President Trump is right to consider repurchasing the Panama Canal," Johnson said in a statement. "China’s interest in and presence around the canal is a cause for concern. America must project strength abroad – owning and operating the Panama Canal might be an important step towards a stronger America and a more secure globe."

The bill has 15 other Republican co-sponsors: Reps. Dan Crenshaw, Randy Weber, Troy Nehls and Brian Babin of Texas; Mike Collins, Barry Loudermilk and Andrew Clyde of Georgia; Barry Moore of Alabama; Jack Bergman of Michigan; Mike Rulli of Ohio; Neal Dunn and Aaron Bean of Florida; Erin Houchin of Indiana; Abraham Hamadeh of Arizona; and Mike Lawler of New York. 

PANAMA CANAL CEO DENIES TRUMP CLAIM THAT CHINA IN CONTROL, SAYS END OF CARTER NEUTRALITY TREATY MEANS 'CHAOS'

If it becomes law, the bill would give the president authority to act in coordination with the secretary of state, to "initiate and conduct negotiations with appropriate counterparts of the Government of the Republic of Panama to reacquire the Panama Canal."

From the date the measure is enacted, the president has 180 days to submit a report to Congress detailing the progress of the negotiations, potential challenges and anticipated outcomes.

The U.S. Department of State estimates around 72% of all vessels that travel through the Panama Canal are coming from or going to a U.S. port. 

Noting the canal's strategic importance to the United States, Johnson's office also noted how the waterway is a key transit point for U.S. Coast Guard and Department of Defense vessels. 

Without access to the canal, ships would be forced to travel 8,000 additional miles around South America. 

"More than 10,000 ships use the Panama Canal each year, generating billions of dollars of tolls which would economically benefit America," Johnson's office said. 

At a press conference from his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida, on Tuesday, Trump was asked if he would assure the world he would not use "military or economic coercion" to gain control of the Panama Canal, as well as Greenland. 

"No, I can't assure you on either of those two. But, I can say this. We need them for economic security. The Panama Canal was built for our military," Trump said. "Look, the Panama Canal is vital to our country. It's being operated by China. China. And we gave the Panama Canal to Panama. We didn't give it to China. And they've abused it. They've abused that gift. It should have never been made." 

TRUMP: CARTER WAS A 'VERY FINE' PERSON BUT PANAMA CANAL MOVES WERE 'A BIG MISTAKE'

The Panamanian government has denied that China is controlling the Panama Canal, which the United States relinquished on the last day of 1999 under a treaty negotiated decades before by the late former President Jimmy Carter. 

Johnson's office referenced China's growing influence in the region around the Panama Canal. 

"In 2018, Panama was the first country in Latin America to join the People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) Belt and Road Initiative, and investments from PRC firms in canal infrastructure has only increased since. Further, PRC companies have managing rights for the two ports on either side of the canal," the congressman's office wrote. 

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Two seaports on either side of the Panama Canal have been run for decades by the Hong-Kong-based company Hutchison Ports PPC, the New York Times reported. 

The newspaper highlighted how the Chinese government has increasingly implemented its national security laws on the island of Hong Kong that can force companies to comply with intelligence-gathering and military operations. 

Congressional Republicans campaigned on border security last year. 

So it should be of little surprise that their initial legislative action of 2025 focused on illegal immigration and tightening up the border. 

One can argue about whether Congressional Republicans appropriated the murder of Georgia nursing student Laken Riley for political gain. The 22-year-old Riley went for a run last February and never returned. Jose Antonio Ibarra murdered Riley. He entered the country illegally from Venezuela.

"He bashed her head in with a rock. This is one of the most heinous crimes imaginable. People need to know what this animal did to her," said Rep. Mike Collins, R-Ga., the main sponsor of the immigration bill.

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

Republicans seized on the episode. To the right, the Laken Riley case symbolized everything which was wrong about the border and the Biden Administration. Days after Riley’s death last year, the House approved the Laken Riley Act. The bill requires federal detention for anyone in the country illegally who is arrested for shoplifting or theft. Republicans argued that Riley would be with us today had such a policy been in place to pick up Ibarra. 

It will take months for Congressional Republicans to get on the same page when it comes to President-elect Donald Trump’s demand for a combined "big, beautiful bill" on tax policy, federal spending and immigration. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., says the aim is to pass that reconciliation package in early April. 

Approving a border security package by itself would be challenging enough – and that’s to say nothing of the cost. So Congressional Republicans are targeting low-hanging fruit. Hence, the GOP turned to an old standby as their primary legislative effort for the new year: The Laken Riley Act. 

Progressive Democrats pounced, accusing Republicans of race-baiting.

"It is simply an attempt to score cheap political points off of a tragic death," said Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., during the floor debate. "This is the Republican playbook over and over again. Scare people about immigrants."

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"Their bill today is an empty and opportunistic measure," said Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., the top Democrat on the Judiciary Committee. "Pick a crime. Paste into it a template immigration law covering convicted criminals and then require detention or deportation of certain persons merely accused of committing the crime or arrested for committing the crime."

"It's very clear that House Republicans are going to push an anti-immigrant agenda," said House Democratic Caucus Chairman Pete Aguilar, D-Calif. "I personally voted against it because this would open a path for individuals with DACA, to be deported, even if they are just around someone who committed a crime."

Republicans clapped back.

"To my Democratic colleagues, I ask you how many more laws with names attached to them do we need to pass before you take this crisis seriously?" asked Rep. Tom McClintock, R-Calif., during a debate on the House floor.

The majority of Democratic criticisms emanated from the left-wing of the party and progressives. 

But there’s an evolution underway in the Democratic Party. A practicality when it comes to border security, immigration and how the party mostly ignored the issue in the last election. And likely paid the price. 

LAKEN RILEY ACT PASSES HOUSE WITH 48 DEMS, ALL REPUBLICANS

Thirty-seven House Democrats voted in favor of the Laken Riley Act when the House approved the initial version of the bill last year. That figure ballooned to 48 Democratic yeas this week when the House approved the 2025 Laken Riley Act in its first legislative vote of 2025.

An examination of the vote matrix demonstrates how dozens of moderate Democrats or those representing swing districts voted yes. Six Democrats who voted nay last year flipped their vote to yea this time.

That includes Reps. Brendan Boyle, D-Penn., Val Hoyle, D-Ore., Lucy McBath, D-Ga., Joe Morelle, D-N.Y., Ritchie Torres, D-N.Y., and Terri Sewell, D-Ala.

"I'm concerned about what happened to Miss Riley." said Morelle, the top Democrat on the House Administration Committee. "I want to make sure it doesn't happen to other people."

Other yeas came from longtime conservative Democrats like Rep. Henry Cueller, D-Tex. He represents a border district. When asked why he voted aye, Cueller responded, "That’s an easy one. We won’t welcome people that break the law."

Other moderates representing swing districts who voted yes included Reps. Angie Craig, D-Minn., Don Davis, D-N.C., Jared Golden, D-Maine and Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, D-Wash. 

HOUSE, SENATE REPUBLICANS REVIVE TRUMP-BACKED PUSH TO CRACK DOWN ON NONCITIZEN VOTING

So were Democrats getting religion after the election?

"There was criticism that Democrats didn't take immigration seriously," yours truly asked House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y. "Was there regret and that's why some of these votes changed?"

Jeffries attributed it to new members joining the Democratic Caucus. 

"It’s my understanding that there were approximately eight to ten additional Democratic votes this year as compared to last year. There are 30 new members of the House Democratic Caucus," said Jeffries.

But even though the bill passed the House, there’s always the Senate. And the Senate never considered the Laken Riley Act last year.

"The Senate," lamented Collins. "[The bill] got bogged down and never showed up anywhere. It fell into the black hole of the Senate. Like much of our legislation that we sent over there."

LEARNING CURVE: THE NEW PLAYERS IN CONGRESS

But Republicans now control the Senate. Not the Democrats. New Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., made sure his body also made the Laken Riley Act its primary focus for early 2025.

"Senate Democrats uniformly opposed (the Laken Riley Act) last year, despite the bill receiving bipartisan support in the House of Representatives," said Thune. "We'll see what they do when the new Senate majority brings it up for a vote."

Sen. John Fetterman, D-Penn., who often bucks his party, quickly signed on to the Laken Riley Act.

"It's not xenophobic to want a secure border," said Fetterman. "It's not xenophobic if you don't want people with criminal records and that are actively breaking the law to remain here in the nation."

Fetterman brushed off liberal concerns about violating the civil rights of undocumented persons who may be detained.

"If they’re here," said Fetterman, "Technically, they're already breaking the law."

Sen. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., a freshman who represents a battleground border state, was among them. He argues that Democrats fouled up the border security issue in the election. 

"There was inaction all together. It certainly cost the Democratic Party. And I'd say potentially, the White House," said Gallego. "I think we have to take the lessons from that."

The Senate votes today to break a filibuster to begin debate on the Laken Riley Act. It will be set for passage next week if it clears that procedural hurdle today.

Republicans will offer other border security/immigration bills in the next few months. Watch to see if Democrats join them. The lesson culled from the Laken Riley Act is that Democrats who represent competitive turf believe the party messed up when it came to border security. They’re seeking to inoculate themselves on that issue. And even if it’s not all Democrats, this marks a different approach from the party on the border compared to last year. 

Washington, D.C. – Former President Jimmy Carter will be remembered for his kind spirit, faith and humanitarian efforts, viewers standing outside his funeral at the National Cathedral tell Fox News Digital.

Carter died on Dec. 29 at the age of 100, the only American president to have reached the century mark. Several memorials have been held for the 39th president, in both D.C. and Georgia, since his passing.

Continuing with a long-held tradition, a memorial service was held for Carter at the Washington National Cathedral in Washington, D.C., on Thursday, where Fox New Digital spoke to people gathered outside the funeral about the late president's lasting legacy. 

One woman recalled meeting Carter when she was just 7 years old, telling Fox News Digital that the fond interaction sparked her lifelong love for politics.

JIMMY CARTER WAS A MAN OF FAITH AND THAT'S HOW WE SHOULD REMEMBER HIM

"My mom was a delegate to the '76 convention representing Arkansas. And he came to Arkansas to campaign, and I met him. And I just remember him being very sweet," she told Fox News Digital.

AMERICANS FLOCK TO THE CAPITOL TO PAY RESPECTS TO FORMER PRESIDENT CARTER AHEAD OF FUNERAL: ‘JOB WELL DONE’

"I think that was the beginning of my love of politics and I know he's just a really good man. And so we wanted to walk down and see if we could pay our respects," she said.

The woman's husband also reflected on Carter's legacy.

"What I find interesting about President Carter is that he had a very short political career, right. So no more than 8 to 10 years. But then his lifelong legacy was all the humanitarian efforts that he did to help other people. And he made no one a stranger," another individual told Fox. "I want to have a life that kind of reflects the life that he lived, really just supporting people and being there for them and making sure that everyone felt a part and no one was other."

President Biden declared Thursday to be a National Day of Mourning, meaning many Americans had the day off from work. Several of them spent the morning waiting outside the memorial to pay their respects.  

"I grew up when he was president, I was basically a kid. But also I followed him over the years for all the work he's done with the homeless and the house building," one viewer told Fox. "I had some good friends in Wisconsin who were part of his church. So I thought I would, on my day off, take a walk down and see if I could see anything."

A younger D.C. resident told Fox that while he did not experience Carter as president, he had followed his work during his post-presidency years.

"I think he was definitely president before my lifetime. But I think, like I've always heard a lot about his post-presidency work and kind of what he's done after the fact. I think, like that's been something that's really been meaningful just with Habitat for Humanity and stuff like that. I think like that generally is something that I'll be remembering him for."

Following the D.C. memorial, Carter will be transported back to his home state of Georgia, where he will be buried next to his wife of 77 years, Rosalynn Carter.

Biden, President-elect Trump and former Presidents Obama and Clinton attended Thursday's funeral service in D.C., the first time all living presidents have come together since former President H.W. Bush's funeral in 2018.

FIRST ON FOX: The House Oversight Committee is holding its first hearing of the new Congress next week focused on prolonged pandemic-era telework for federal employees, with Chairman James Comer telling Fox News Digital that his priority is to bring federal workers back into office. 

The hearing, titled the "Stay-at-Home Federal Workforce: Another Biden-Harris Administration Legacy," is scheduled to take place on Wednesday, Jan. 15 at 10 a.m. 

SENATE DOGE LEADER ERNST TO TAKE ON GOVERNMENT TELEWORK ABUSE AT FIRST MEETING WITH MUSK, RAMASWAMY

Martin O’Malley, the former commissioner of the Social Security Administration; Rachel Greszler of the Economic Policy Innovation Center; and president of the board of the Federal City Council Tom Davis are set to testify. 

O’Malley, before the end of his tenure, locked in telework agreements for 42,000 Social Security employees until 2029. 

"President Donald Trump and his incoming Administration is set to be greeted by largely vacant federal government office buildings because the federal workforce is still taking advantage of the Biden Administration’s outdated and detrimental pandemic-era telework policies," Comer told Fox News Digital. "Not only do these telework policies jeopardize the ability of agencies to deliver vital services to the American people, but reports indicate the Biden Administration is now working with federal employee unions to cement long-term guarantees of telework." 

Comer told Fox News Digital that President-elect Donald Trump’s "agenda and critical services provided by the federal government should not be hindered or prevented because of unchecked federal workforce unions that are striking deals with the Biden Administration to stay at home." 

NATION'S LARGEST LABOR UNION FOR FEDERAL EMPLOYEES REBUKES GOP'S EFFORTS TO END TELEWORK

"It’s past time for the federal workforce to get back to work in-person for the American people," he said. "The House Oversight Committee remains committed to ensuring federal employees show up for the American people they serve." 

According to a Senate report authored by Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, the federal government currently owns more than 7,000 vacant buildings and nearly 2,500 buildings that are partially empty. 

The report states that government buildings currently average an occupancy rate of 12%. 

During the hearing, the committee plans to examine how the Biden-Harris administration "failed to return federal workers to the office," and said that failure could "hinder" the incoming Trump administration’s ability to bring them back, due to long-term guarantees of telework in deals signed with federal employee unions. 

President-elect Trump and future First Lady Melania Trump paid their respects to former President Jimmy Carter at his funeral in Woodley Park, D.C. on Thursday, where he and one of his most prominent political foes appeared to put politics aside.

Seated at the end of the second row of presidential and vice-presidential families, Trump and former President Barack Obama shared several minutes of chatting and chuckling as the rest filed in.

Dressed in a dark suit and more subtle blue tie, versus his trademark red ‘Trump tie', Trump filed in a little before 10 a.m. ET.

As he entered his row, former Vice President Al Gore smiled and quickly stood up and was the first to greet him. 

CARTER'S DEATH SPURS OUTPOURING OF TRIBUTES FROM STATE LEADERS OF BOTH PARTIES: ‘A SERVANT’S HEART'

Gore, a Tennessee Democrat, did not have a significant other with him at the ceremony. He has been separated from former First Lady Tipper Gore since 2010. 

Also notably absent were former Vice President Dick Cheney and former First Lady Lynne Cheney. Trump has notably clashed with his fellow Republican leader, and Cheney notably called him a "coward" during his daughter ex-Rep. Liz Cheney's doomed 2022 reelection bid in Wyoming.

As Trump entered his row, he shared a brief moment with his onetime ally and running-mate, former Vice President Mike Pence. The two men's relationship soured following the Capitol Riot on January 6, 2021, when supporters of Trump threatened to hang the Indiana Republican.

JIMMY CARTER DEAD AT 100

It was unclear what Pence said to Trump, but a rough reading of his lips appeared to say "good to see you." 

Former Second Lady Karen Pence notably remained seated and did not engage when her husband and Gore stood to greet Trump.

After the Trumps were seated, Obama arrived without Michelle Obama by his side. Obama paused to share a quick jovial comment with former Vice President Dan Quayle. 

Quayle – the first of the two Indiana Republican vice presidents of this generation – was seated on the aisle with former First Lady Marilyn Quayle, who also sat next to Gore.

Soon after, former President George W. Bush and former First Lady Laura Bush arrived.

Bush appeared to receive the largest greeting of the living presidents assembled.

Pence, former First Lady Karen Pence, Gore and the Quayles reached over to greet Bush. Meanwhile, Obama and Trump could be seen continuing their conversation unimpeded.

When former President Bill Clinton and 2016 presidential runner-up Hillary Clinton arrived, Trump and Obama largely ignored them as they chatted.

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George Bush appeared to be the first to stand up when Hillary Clinton took her seat. Bill Clinton, who was recently hospitalized, appeared lively and healthy at the funeral.

Vice President Kamala Harris and Second Gentleman Douglas Emhoff arrived next.

Trump did not visibly acknowledge Harris, nor Harris to him. 

Emhoff looked straight ahead as Harris briefly looked over her shoulder and appeared to grimace when she saw Obama conversing with Trump.

Emhoff and Harris shared a brief smile before focusing on the somber event once more, as the Clintons could be seen reading through their programs.

When President Biden and First Lady Jill Biden arrived, Trump and Obama did not appear to greet them – as Trump soon began chatting with Melania.

Jill Biden sat first, taking Joe's program off of his chair so he too could sit.

President Biden appeared to wipe a mark from his pantleg and lightly brushed his brow before looking straight ahead. None of the other families appeared to greet the Bidens.

Screenshots posted to X also showed outgoing Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau watching Trump as the president-elect filed in.

Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra warned against the impact of a preemptive presidential pardon for people like Dr. Anthony Fauci just hours after President Biden said in an interview that he was still considering it.

"It sinks my heart to think that we’re going to use the pardon process in a way that will follow the whims of whoever’s in the White House," Becerra, who previously served as California's attorney general before taking his post at HHS, said in an interview with The New York Times on Wednesday. Becerra noted that he was speaking from his legal background as opposed to his position in Biden's Cabinet.

"I think we should hold that power, that only a president has, in very high regard," he continued. "Because otherwise it becomes pedestrian, and it’s used anywhere, and I don’t think that should be the case."

When the HHS secretary was asked directly if he meant that the president should not pardon Fauci, who was Biden's former chief medical adviser during the pandemic and served as the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases for several decades, Becerra declined to clarify.

 BIDEN SETS RECORD WITH FIRST-TERM CLEMENCY GRANTS, HERE'S HOW OTHER PRESIDENTS RANK

"I won’t try to interpret what you’re hearing; I just told you what I think," he replied. 

Becerra's comments came hours after Biden's final interview as president with a print publication, during which he said preemptive pardons for Trump's political targets were still under consideration.

President-elect Trump's nominees for director of the FBI and attorney general, Kash Patel and Pam Bondi, respectively, have previously indicated they are in favor of using the Justice Department to go after people they believe unfairly targeted Trump. 

Meanwhile, Republicans in Congress and some of Trump's top transition advisers, such as Elon Musk, have argued that Fauci should be prosecuted over his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Trump's nominee to be the successor to Becerra, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., said while he was running for president – before joining Trump's team – that he would prosecute Fauci if he won the November election and his attorney general determined that crimes had been committed in Fauci's handling of the coronavirus. During the pandemic, Fauci was accused of working to evade public records laws and lying to Congress in apparent efforts to conceal the origins of the virus.  

Democrats are split on whether Biden should offer preemptive pardons to public officials who may be politically targeted by Trump.

BIDEN COMMUTES 1,500 JAIL SENTENCES, GRANTS PARDONS FOR 39 OTHERS: ‘LARGEST SINGLE-DAY GRANT OF CLEMENCY’

"If we’re serious about stopping Trump’s authoritarian ambitions, we need to act decisively and use every tool at our disposal. Norms and traditions alone won’t stop – Trump has shown time and again that he’s willing to ignore them to consolidate power and punish his opponents," Rep. Brendan Boyle, D-Pa., said in a statement last month calling on Biden to issue a blanket pardon for Trump's political foes. "The time for cautious restraint is over. We must act with urgency to push back against these threats and prevent Trump from abusing his power."

Legal experts have said that Biden has the authority to issue premptive pardons, citing precedent set by former President Gerald Ford when he granted a blanket pardon to Richard Nixon for any crimes committed while in office, even though Nixon had not been charged with anything after resigning following the Watergate scandal.

Fox News Digital reached out to HHS for comment but did not receive a response in time for publication.

The state funeral for former President Jimmy Carter on Thursday at the Washington National Cathedral included every living former president as well as various dignitaries from around the world. 

Also notable were some VIPs not in attendance.

Former Vice President Dick Cheney was not seen at the funeral inside Washington, D.C.'s National Cathedral. The 83-year-old, who has had health issues, was the only living vice president who did not make the trip as former Vice Presidents Al Gore, Joe Biden, Mike Pence and Dan Quayle were in attendance.

Also missing from the ceremony was former first lady Michelle Obama, who was not seated alongside her husband, former President Barack Obama.

"Mrs. Obama sends her thoughts and prayers to the Carter family, and everyone who loved and learned from the remarkable former President," Crystal Carson, a spokesperson for Michelle Obama, told Politico.

JIMMY CARTER WAS A MAN OF FAITH AND THAT’S HOW WE SHOULD REMEMBER HIM 

The outlet reported that Michelle Obama, who would have sat next to Trump at the funeral, had a scheduling conflict and is in Hawaii.

Former first lady Hillary Clinton was in attendance alongside her husband, former President Bill Clinton.

Also spotted at the funeral were former first ladies Karen Pence, Laura Bush and Melania Trump, who sat alongside their husbands. First lady Jill Biden was seated alongside President Biden.

AMERICANS FLOCK TO THE CAPITOL TO PAY RESPECTS TO FORMER PRESIDENT CARTER AHEAD OF FUNERAL: 'JOB WELL DONE'

 All five living men who once occupied the White House — the so-called presidents’ club — President Biden and former presidents Clinton, George W. Bush, Obama and President-elect Trump came together for the first time since the 2018 funeral of former President George H.W. Bush.

Other notable attendees included Vice President-elect JD Vance, Pennsylvania GOP Sen. Dave McCormick, Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, first son Hunter Biden and Ted Mondale, the son of late Vice President Walter Mondale.

Following the funeral, Carter's remains will be flown to Georgia by the U.S. Air Force aboard Special Air Mission 39 for a private ceremony in his hometown of Plains.

Carter, the 39th president, died on Dec. 29 at the age of 100 after he was admitted to hospice care in 2023.

Fox News Digital's Morgan Phillips contributed to this report.

Hardline conservative Reps. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., and Eric Burlison, R-Mo., have introduced legislation that would abolish the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).

The one-page bill would eliminate the law enforcement agency, which regulates firearms and prosecutes federal gun crimes, in addition to crimes involving explosives, acts of arson, bombings, acts of terrorism and illegal activity related to alcohol and tobacco products.

In statements, the Republican lawmakers argue ATF regulations violate the Second Amendment rights of Americans to keep and bear arms.

ABOLISH THE ATF?: REP. BURLISON WANTS TO ELIMINATE ‘DISASTER AGENCY’ HE SAYS HAS BEEN VIOLATING 2ND AMENDMENT

"I cannot imagine under any circumstance or administration where the ATF serves as an ally to the Second Amendment and law-abiding firearm owners across America," said Boebert.  

"The ATF is emblematic of the deep-state bureaucracy that believes it can infringe on constitutional liberties without consequence," added Burlison. "If this agency cannot uphold its duty to serve the people within the framework of the Constitution, it has no place in our government."

CONGRESSMAN ERIC BURLISON: IN THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION, ‘THE INMATES ARE RUNNING THE PRISON’

The bill to abolish ATF has seven co-sponsors in the House of Representatives, including Reps. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., Mike Collins, R-Ga., Bob Onder, R-Mo., Andy Ogles, R-Tenn., Mary Miller, R-Ill., Keith Self, R-Texas and Paul Gosar, R-Ariz.

ATF did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.

MATT GAETZ URGES COLLEAGUES TO ABOLISH THE ATF BEFORE IT STRIPS AMERICANS OF GUN RIGHTS: ‘CANNOT BE TRUSTED’

In a previous interview with Fox News Digital, Burlison argued that the law enforcement responsibilities handled by ATF would be better left to the states.

"There's very few ATF officials," he said, accusing the agency of "co-opting or commandeering [local] law enforcement to enforce laws" which state lawmakers did not pass.

In a statement to Fox News Digital, ATF spokesperson Kristina Mastropasqua said, "ATF provides enormous benefits to the American public through all of its efforts fighting violent crime every day."

Burlison also said the Department of Education and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) should be abolished.

As wildfires ravage California, leaving a trail of devastation in their wake, Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., is facing pushback for promoting climate alarmism.

Sanders asserted that "Climate change is real" and that President-elect Donald Trump must tackle the "existential crisis."

"80,000 people told to evacuate. Blazes 0% contained. Eight months since the area has seen rain. The scale of damage and loss is unimaginable. Climate change is real, not 'a hoax.' Donald Trump must treat this like the existential crisis it is," Sanders declared in the tweet on Wednesday morning.

Mike Solana, editor-in-chief of Pirate Wires, mocked the senator's comments, writing in a post on X, "'[G]lobal warming ate my homework' doesn't work anymore. literally every single politician in california responsible for the catastrophic failure to prepare for this, from water management and controlled burns to the fire department's budget, is a democrat."

ELON MUSK ANNOUNCES SPACEX WILL PROVIDE FREE STARLINK TERMINALS IN LA AMID RAGING FIRES

Conservative commentator and author Justin Haskins, director of the Socialism Research Center at the Heartland Institute, noted, "Wildfires, including ones much larger than this, have been happening in California forever." 

Nicole Shanahan — who was Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s presidential running mate last year before the pair dropped out and supported GOP candidate Donald Trump — was also among those who responded to Sanders' comments. 

"State mismanagement is real, Bernie," she noted.

Sanders has long issued such dire warnings.

CALIFORNIA WILDFIRES DEVASTATE LOS ANGELES COUNTY, KILLING 5 AND THREATENING THOUSANDS OF HOMES

"Climate change is an existential disaster facing the entire world," he asserted in a tweet nearly six years ago in February 2019. "We must transform our energy system away from fossil fuels to energy efficiency and sustainable energy. A Green New Deal can save the planet and create millions of new jobs."

Business tycoon Elon Musk has asserted that regulations prevent steps from being taken to avoid California wildfires.

"Climate change risk is real, just much slower than alarmists claim. The immense loss of homes in LA is primarily due to: 1. Nonsensical overregulation that prevented creating fire breaks and doing brush clearing. 2. Bad governance at the state and local level that resulted in a shortage of water," Musk opined in a post on X.  

Sanders was not the only left-wing lawmaker deploying the climate narrative amid the disaster.

NEWSOM CALLS TRUMP'S CLAIMS ‘PURE FICTION’ AFTER PRESIDENT-ELECT POINTS FINGER OVER CALIFORNIA FIRE TRAGEDY

"I’m so heartbroken at the devastation that’s continuously inflicted upon our country & the world & elected 'leaders' are ignorant, impotent, or just incompetent to doing the smart thing, which is to acknowledge that climate change is real & start to solve it," Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, lamented in a tweet. "California, stay safe. First responders, we thank you for your selflessness. I join the chorus of prayers for all, but as an elected, I want to actually work!"

Freshman Rep. Sarah McBride, D-Del., the first transgender-identifying member of Congress, described the fire as a climate catastrophe.

"I’m praying for the victims of the raging fires around Los Angeles. The loss of life, homes, businesses and entire neighborhoods is devastating. I stand ready to work with my colleagues representing these communities to guarantee they have the resources they need to contain these fires, recover, rebuild, and prevent these climate catastrophes in the future," McBride declared in a post on X.

Trump has declared that California Gov. Gavin Newsom should resign.

"One of the best and most beautiful parts of the United States of America is burning down to the ground. It’s ashes, and Gavin Newscum should resign. This is all his fault!!!" Trump declared in a Truth Social post late Wednesday night.

Earlier on Wednesday evening, Newsom noted in a post on X, "People are literally fleeing. Kids have lost their schools. Communities have lost their churches. Families have lost their homes. Some have even lost their lives. And the President-Elect’s response is to politicize it. We’ll continue to focus on what matters: saving lives and putting out these unprecedented fires."

The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) currently reports partial containment of the Lidia and Hurst fires, while others are listed at 0% containment on fire.ca.gov. 

Fox News Digital's Danielle Wallace contributed to this report

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass is facing major backlash for being in Ghana while her city battled devastating wildfires. Now, a 2021 tweet in which she criticized Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, for going to Cancun, Mexico, with his family as his state dealt with a severe winter storm.

Social media users were quick to accuse the mayor of being hypocritical. While Bass left for Ghana before the wildfires started, she still faced condemnations over the trip and fierce criticism of her leadership.

CALIFORNIA WILDFIRES DEVASTATE LOS ANGELES COUNTY, KILLING 5 AND THREATENING THOUSANDS OF HOMES

Several social media users said the mayor’s tweet did not "age well," and urged her to delete the nearly 4-year-old post.

President-elect Trump took to Truth Social to condemn the mayor, blaming the wildfires' spread on "gross incompetence" by Bass and Gov. Gavin Newsom.

NEWSOM CALLS TRUMP'S CLAIMS 'PURE FICTION' AFTER PRESIDENT-ELECT POINTS FINGER OVER CALIFORNIA FIRE TRAGEDY

Multiple wildfires are raging across California, claiming five lives, and putting thousands under evacuation orders. As of Thursday morning, more than 2,000 homes, businesses and other structures were either damaged or destroyed by the devastating fires.

Upon her return from Ghana, Bass was confronted by a reporter about her trip, but she remained silent. Bass also refused to say whether she had any "regret" about slashing the city’s Fire Department’s budget last year. However, during a news conference on Wednesday, Bass said she took the "fastest route back, which included being on a military plane." She also said that she was "able to be on the phone the entire time of the flight."

Cruz flew to Mexico as Texans faced a deadly winter storm that left millions without power.

"With school canceled for the week, our girls asked to take a trip with friends," Cruz said at the time. "Wanting to be a good dad, I flew down with them last night and am flying back this afternoon. My staff and I are in constant communication with state and local leaders to get to the bottom of what happened in Texas. We want our power back, our water on, and our homes warm. My team and I will continue using all our resources to keep Texans informed and safe."

Cruz later admitted that the trip was a "mistake."

Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, Tyler Olson and Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.

The House passed legislation sanctioning the International Criminal Court on Thursday in protest of its arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. 

In one of the new Congress' first acts, the bill passed 243-140, with 45 Democrats joining Republicans in support of it. 

The bill now heads to the Senate, where Republican Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., has promised a swift vote to have it on President-elect Donald Trump’s desk by the time he takes office. 

Libertarian-minded Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., who has not been afraid to break with his colleagues on Israel-related bills, questioned why the legislation was a week-one priority for the new congressional term. Massie was the only Republican "present" vote - none opposed the legislation. 

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

"The United States is a sovereign country, so I don’t assign any credibility to decisions of the International Criminal Court. But how did a bill to protect Netanyahu make it into the House rules package to be voted on immediately after the Speaker vote? Where are our priorities?!" he wrote on X last week. 

The legislation was reintroduced by Texas Reps. Chip Roy, and Foreign Affairs Chairman Brian Mast, both Republicans. 

On May 20, ICC prosecutor Karim Khan requested arrest warrants for Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, as well as Hamas leaders Yahya Sinwar, Ismail Haniyeh and Mohammed Deif. All three Hamas leaders were killed in the past year. 

Netanyahu fired Gallant shortly after the U.S. presidential election. 

TRUMP REINFORCES 'ALL HELL WILL BREAK OUT' IF HOSTAGES NOT RETURNED BY INAUGURATION

Khan’s application was unprecedented – the first time the criminal court had sought arrests for Western-allied officials. 

The judges on the ICC panel in November granted the warrants, finding that Netanyahu and Gallant had "committed the war crime of using starvation as a method of warfare and crimes against humanity of murder, persecution, and other inhumane acts, as a direct perpetrator, acting jointly with others. The Chamber also found reasonable grounds to believe that they are each responsible for the war crime of intentionally directing attacks against civilians as a superior." 

"The ICC is an illegitimate body that has no business interfering with our sovereignty or that of our allies," said Roy. 

LINDSEY GRAHAM DEMANDS ICC REVEAL DETAILS OF PROBE INTO PROSECUTOR KHAN'S MISCONDUCT ALLEGATIONS

"The ICC’s attempt to obstruct Israel’s right to defend itself has only prolonged the war and prevented the release of American hostages by boosting Hamas’ morale," Mast said in a statement. 

Israel has carried out a vicious campaign to eliminate Hamas in Gaza since Hamas' bloody attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. Trump has warned both sides to wrap up the conflict, and Hamas to return the hostages by the time he takes office on Jan. 20. 

The Illegitimate Court Counteraction Act would sanction any foreigner working to investigate, arrest, detain or prosecute U.S. citizens or those of an allied country. 

It spans the 32-member NATO security alliance and 19 major non-NATO countries, including Israel. 

It would also claw back any funds the U.S. has designated for the ICC and prohibit any future money from going to the court. 

Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., has introduced companion legislation in the Senate. When the legislation passed the House last during the Congress, then-Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., did not take it up for a vote in the upper chamber. With Republicans in charge, Thune is intent on passing the legislation and getting it to the president’s desk by the time he is inaugurated. 

FIRST ON FOX: New Republican Sen. Jim Banks of Indiana laced into Democrats over what he said are attempts to delay confirmation hearings for Trump nominees, in particular that of the Department of Defense pick Pete Hegseth. 

Banks urged Senate Committee on Armed Services Chairman Roger Wicker, R-Miss., to move forward with Hegseth's scheduled confirmation hearing on Jan. 14 as planned and not to be swayed by Democrats' requests. 

"As you are aware, Senators who are going to oppose the Hegseth nomination no matter what are seeking to delay and deny President Trump his Secretary of Defense being confirmed quickly. If they are successful, this will harm America’s national security during the crucial transition of power later this month," he wrote to Wicker on Wednesday. 

TRUMP DETAILS STRATEGY TO GET NECESSARY VOTES WITH ONE-BILL APPROACH TO BORDER, TAXES

The Republican's letter comes after fellow committee member, Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., sent his own correspondence to Wicker, arguing the committee needs more information and documentation from the nominee to properly consider him. 

"I am deeply concerned that the Senate Armed Services Committee is considering the nomination of Pete Hegseth for this critically significant position without full information regarding his capacity and experience to lead our military and steward a budget of nearly $850 billion," Blumenthal said, referencing allegations that Hegseth mismanaged finances while leading a veterans' nonprofit. 

The Connecticut Democrat added, "I do not see how this committee can, in good conscience, consider Mr. Hegseth's nomination without a full review of his conduct while leading these organizations - the only civilian management experience of his career."

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

Blumenthal said he requested additional documents of Hegseth's be reviewed, "including credit card transactions and other uses of resources." 

Additionally, the Democrat claimed Hegseth "refuses to make himself available to meet with me and my Democratic colleagues in advance of his nomination hearing." 

However, a source familiar told Fox News Digital that Hegseth reached out to Democrats in early to mid-December to meet. The only Democrat who was willing to was Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., who sat down with him last month. 

BORDER STATE DEMOCRAT RUBEN GALLEGO BACKS GOP'S LAKEN RILEY ACT AHEAD OF SENATE VOTE

The others, the source said, waited until days before the scheduled Jan. 14 hearing to respond. As is the case for these types of nominees, Hegseth is scheduled to be in hearing preparation in the days leading up to it. 

In his letter to Wicker, Banks blasted Blumenthal's request. "Senator Blumenthal’s letter to you and the rest of the Committee is the latest attempt to accomplish their goal. In his letter, he raises unsubstantiated and anonymous accusations against Mr. Hegseth about his time as a leader of two organizations that advocated for America’s veterans. Senator Blumenthal’s letter purposely omits the fact that veterans who have worked with Mr. Hegseth professionally are on the record supporting his nomination," he wrote. 

RFK JR. TO MEET WITH SLEW OF DEMS INCLUDING ELIZABETH WARREN, BERNIE SANDERS

The Republican acknowledged that Blumenthal has the right to question Hegseth on the floor and ultimately oppose his confirmation. But, "He does not have the right to delay the Armed Services Committee’s important work for the national security of the United States," Banks said. 

Wicker did not immediately provide comment to Fox News Digital.

After meeting with President Biden at the White House on Monday, Edmundo Gonzalez, the man who won Venezuela's presidential election in July, traveled to Argentina and then Panama with the ballots to prove that he, not Nicolás Maduro, is Venezuela's democratically elected leader.

"We elected by a landslide, a good man and Edmundo Gonzalez. We have the proof of that victory, and the whole world knows it," María Corina Machado, a top leader in the Venezuelan opposition, told Fox News. "We won."

Maduro's inauguration is slated for Friday. The Venezuelan opposition has called for massive street protests to peacefully demand that Maduro, whose mafia-style autocratic leadership has nearly bankrupted the oil-rich nation, not be inaugurated.

2 AMERICANS ARRESTED IN VENEZUELA ON EVE OF MADURO INAUGURATION OVER ‘TERRORISM’ CLAIMS

"What we need is for all American institutions understand that Venezuela is the most important conflict in the Western Hemisphere for national security of the U.S.," Machado said via Zoom from her safe house in Venezuela.

"We can be the best ally the United States will have in the Americas, first of all, because we also are desperate to solve the migration problem in our region. We want those Venezuelans to come back in billions and voluntarily. And that will happen when they'll see there's a future in their country."

Machado had the following message for President-elect Donald Trump: "Venezuela has a huge energy potential that will never be taken advantage of… We're going to turn Venezuela from the criminal hub of the Americas into the energy hub of the Americas and have a strong partnership with the United States."

Gonzalez, who Venezuela elected president in July, also met with incoming National Security Advisor Cong Michael Waltz of Florida while in Washington. Maduro has warned Gonzalez will be arrested if he returns to Venezuela. 

VENEZUELA'S MADURO TO START THIRD TERM IN OFFICE AMID RIGGED ELECTION: ‘BLATANT VIOLATION’

"I want you to know how important it is also for the safety of the American people," Machado explained. "Solving this conflict in Venezuela, I believe that what happens in the next days in Venezuela depends not only the democracy, the future of our democracy, but the future of democracy in the region."

Machado said the fall of the Assad regime in Syria is a cautionary tale for those in the military and judiciary who still support Maduro. The regime has sent secret police units to encircle her family members’ homes, sent a drone over her mother’s house and kidnapped President-elect Gonzalez's brother-in-law on Tuesday.

"Maduro has lost everything but fear and repression. Maduro lost all popular support, all legitimacy, and even he's weakened or isolated internationally. What has he left? Russia, Iran, Hezbollah," Machado, a former member of Venezuela’s National Assembly, asked.

The Maduro regime also arrested two Americans one day after Gonzalez met with President Biden at the White House, accusing them of being mercenaries sent by the U.S. government. 

The State Department issued the following statement: "We are concerned about the reports of U.S. citizens detained in Venezuela. We are working to gather more information.  Due to privacy and other considerations, we have no further comment on these cases. Any claims of U.S. involvement in a plot to overthrow Maduro are categorically false. The United States continues to support a democratic solution to the political crisis in Venezuela."

The State Department spokesman went on to warn U.S. citizens not to travel to Venezuela, because "Maduro and his associates have shown in the past, they may detain and jail, without justification or due process, U.S. citizens who enter Venezuela."

FIRST ON FOX: A group of more than 60 former Democratic and Republican attorneys general sent a new letter to Senate leaders Thursday urging the confirmation of Pam Bondi to head up the Department of Justice, praising what they described as Bondi’s wealth of prosecutorial experience— including during her eight years as Florida’s top prosecutor—that they said makes her especially qualified for the role. 

The letter was previewed exclusively to Fox News Digital and includes the signatures of more than 20 Democratic attorneys general or attorneys general appointed by Democratic governors. 

The group praised Bondi’s work across the party and state lines during her time as Florida’s attorney general and as a state prosecutor in Hillsborough County, where she worked for 18 years. 

"Many of us have worked directly with Attorney General Bondi and have firsthand knowledge of her fitness for the office," the former attorneys general said in the letter. "We believe that her wealth of prosecutorial experience and commitment to public service make General Bondi a highly qualified nominee for Attorney General of the United States." 

MORE THAN 100 FORMER JUSTICE DEPT OFFICIALS URGE SENATE TO CONFIRM PAM BONDI AS AG

The letter praised what signatories described as Bondi’s "unwavering" commitment to public safety and the rule of law in her time in the Sunshine State, where she sought to crack down on violent crime, protect consumers and combat the opioid crisis— which was at its height when she was elected as attorney general in 2010.

Bondi "was and remains a valued and respected member of the State Attorney General community," they wrote. "Thus, we are confident that she will serve with distinction as United States Attorney General."

The letter comes just hours after the Senate Judiciary Committee announced the official dates for Bondi's confirmation hearing later this month.

TRUMP'S AG PICK HAS ‘HISTORY OF CONSENSUS BUILDING’

Bondi is expected to be confirmed in the Republican-majority chamber. Earlier this week, a group of more than 100 former Justice Department officials sent a letter to the Senate Judiciary Committee urging her confirmation.

Still, the new letter of support from the state attorneys general comes just hours after the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., issued a statement Wednesday evening expressing fresh reservations about Bondi following their meeting — citing in particular Bondi’s work defending President-elect Donald Trump in his impeachment proceedings and following the 2020 election.

"The role of the Attorney General is to oversee an independent Justice Department that upholds the rule of law and is free of undue political influence," Durbin said in a statement. 

"Given Ms. Bondi’s responses to my questions, I remain concerned about her ability to serve as an Attorney General who will put her oath to the Constitution ahead of her fealty to Donald Trump." 

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) says that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is looking to expand its migrant detention facilities with the start of the new Trump administration just days away, according to a report. 

Trump has vowed to carry out the largest deportation operation in the history of the U.S. and part of that program is expected to involve the use of ICE detention facilities, some of which the ACLU says raise concerns over migrant safety. 

ICE detains approximately 37,000 people each day via a network of more than 120 immigration detention facilities nationwide, per an ACLU Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit, citing ICE documents. The ACLU says that the Trump administration plans to ramp up those numbers to 100,000 per day. 

NEW YORK VOTERS WANT STATE TO SUPPORT TRUMP DEPORTATIONS, POLL FINDS

Although ICE owns five detention facilities of its own, the ACLU says ICE relies on other entities such as non-profits and inter-governmental agreements with private prison companies to hold the majority of people in its custody.

In the ACLU FOIA lawsuit filed in September, the ACLU sued ICE for information on a possible expansion of migrant detention facilities around the country.

According to Border Report, citing documents received by the ACLU, facilities in six states responded to the ICE request, including facilities in and around Harlingen and El Paso, Texas, as well as in San Francisco, Seattle, Chicago, Nevada and Salt Lake City, Utah.

The facilities that are being considered in Texas’ Rio Grande Valley include the Willacy County Jail in Raymondville, which is run by the GEO Group; the Brooks County Detention Facility in Falfurrias; the Coastal Bend Detention Center in Robstown; and the East Hidalgo Detention Center in La Villa.

RACHEL MORIN'S MOM PLEADS SENATORS ‘HEAR OUR CRIES FOR HELP’ IN MASS DEPORTATIONS HEARING TESTIMONY

ACLU senior attorney Eunice Cho told Border Report that it’s important for the American public to know exactly what ICE is planning to do, both in terms of enforcement and in terms of detention of people from our immigrant communities.

The GEO Group and CoreCivic operated the South Texas Family Residential Center in Dilley, Texas, which was shut down last year, but Cho says CoreCivic says it would be willing to reopen the facility, a potential move that worries migrant advocates who have alleged mistreatment of immigrants at the facility.

"We have serious concerns about expanding immigration detention in South Texas. Many of these facilities… have very serious histories of conditions, violations and abusive conditions in those detention facilities," Cho told Border Report. 

She says the ACLU wants more information on exactly what ICE plans to do.

"We are concerned, of course, with the potential growth of the immigration detention system," Cho said.

Fox News Digital has reached out to ICE and the ACLU for comment. 

The exact details of President-elect Trump’s deportation plan aren’t exactly clear, although both he and incoming "Border Czar" Tom Homan have said that criminal migrants will be targeted first. Trump has also appointed hardliner South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem to serve as secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

Homan, meanwhile, has said that family detention centers for migrants are also "on the table."

Family detention ended in 2021, soon after President Biden took office, and that included closing three ICE facilities with about 3,000 beds, according to Fox 5 DC.

MAGA Republicans are offering an outpouring of support for TikTok ahead of a ban looming over the social media platform that is set to take effect later this month. 

"Trump won the election because he listened to first-time voters like myself and joined TikTok to get his message to us directly," RNC Youth Advisory Council Chair Brilyn Hollyhand told Fox News Digital of the impending ban. "He didn’t need paid influencers or cringey trends like his failed opponent. All he had to do was go where Gen Z was, TikTok, and lay out his plan."

Representatives of TikTok, which is owned by Chinese tech company ByteDance, are set to deliver arguments before the U.S. Supreme Court on Friday to request the nation’s highest court to delay a ban on the app that is set to take effect a day ahead of the inauguration. President Biden signed legislation into law in April that gave TikTok's parent company until Jan. 19 to sell it or face a U.S. ban.

If the Supreme Court does not halt the ban, U.S. TikTok users will no longer be able to download the app, and internet providers will be prohibited from allowing access to the site. 

WILL TRUMP WHITE HOUSE RESCUE TIKTOK FROM LOOMING BAN? PRESIDENT-ELECT HAS DONE A 180 ON THE APP

The looming ban originated out of concern that American users’ data is gathered by the Chinese government, but MAGA Republicans and content creators who spoke with Fox Digital balked at the reasoning as insincere. 

"I have done, if not, the deepest possible dive on all of the concerns associated with the platform, especially for my daily show when I share my opinions and commentary on what's going on in culture and politics," TikTok creator and TPUSA commentator Isabel Brown, who has more than 500,000 followers on TikTok, told Fox Digital in a phone interview. "And we've confronted this potential ban of the platform for at least nine months to a year now … the complaints that I'm hearing, from particularly politicians, largely center around national security."

TRUMP SAYS FATE OF TIKTOK SHOULD BE IN HIS HANDS WHEN HE RETURNS TO WHITE HOUSE

"But I have a very hard time believing that the true argument to censor TikTok is based in a national security concern when we still have documented evidence of virtually every single American social media company. Meta, Twitter, YouTube, etc, selling your data under the table to your own government and/or the Chinese Communist Party and even the Russian government as well." 

"Heck, we even have records of Airbnb selling American data to the Chinese Communist Party. So there doesn't seem to be a lot of willingness to truly protect the cyber and personal information security of American citizens from the government en masse, it seems to only be focused on TikTok as a platform itself," Brown continued. 

TIKTOK DIVESTMENT COULD BE ‘DEAL OF THE CENTURY’ FOR TRUMP, HOUSE CHINA COMMITTEE CHAIR SAYS

President-elect Donald Trump's supporters praising TikTok comes after the former and upcoming president made big inroads with Gen Z, especially young male voters, in the last cycle. A Fox News Voter Survey published after the election found that men aged 18-44 supported Trump at 53% compared to Vice President Kamala Harris at 45%. 

"​​We're talking about an app that nearly 200 million Americans, 75% of whom are Gen Z, use every single day as our primary source of news, and according to some studies, even as our primary web browser search tool, so more than Google … and I have found that the opportunity for virality – to have a conversation with as many people as possible – on Tiktok is unparalleled on any other social media platform," Brown said. 

A Republican strategist told Fox News Digital that TikTok is by all intents and purposes a "conservative platform." 

"By all means, TikTok is a conservative platform now - if you take a look at how Trump dominated his competition, there’s no argument against the value this platform has, and I don’t think there’s a world where Trump doesn’t fulfill his promise to save it," the strategist said. 

The GOP insider added that "the fact that [Sen. Mitch] McConnell and [former Vice President Mike] Pence want to ban this thing means it needs to be saved." 

Ahead of the new year, Sen. Mitch McConnell filed an amicus brief with the Supreme Court, urging justices to reject ByteDance’s request to delay the ban. 

"The topsy-turvy idea that TikTok has an expressive right to facilitate the CCP censorship regime is absurd," McConnell’s counsel Michael A. Fragoso wrote in the friend of the court brief. "Would Congress have needed to allow Nikita Khrushchev to buy CBS and replace The Bing Crosby Show with Alexander Nevsky?" 

While former Vice President Mike Pence’s nonprofit, Advancing American Freedom, filed a similar amicus brief with the U.S. Supreme Court last month. 

"The CCP does not respect free speech, either in China or in America. The First Amendment is not, and should not be read as, a means of granting the Chinese government the power to do what the American government could not: manipulate what Americans can say and hear," the group wrote.  

Advancing American Freedom President Tim Chapman told Fox News Digital that Trump's first administration "had this right the first time" when Trump initially worked to ban TikTok before the former and upcoming president reversed his opinion on the app. 

"The Trump administration had this right the first time when they planned to ban TikTok through executive authority for the very same concerns that exist today. Political strategists salivating over clicks and followers does not mean that the national security implications have changed," Chapman said. 

TRUMP JOINS TIKTOK, THE APP HE ONCE TRIED TO BAN AS PRESIDENT

Emily Wilson, political commentator and host of podcast "Emily Saves America," told Fox News Digital that she can see both sides of the argument surrounding the looming TikTok ban but that instituting a ban would be "hypocritical against free speech."

"The TikTok ban is controversial, I see two sides to it. I see it as an app that’s very left leaning and consumes way too much of people’s time but it is sometimes the only place I get info about stories that should be breaking world wide. At the same time it can be dangerous. It can radicalize young people. One day you wake up on TikTok and young Americans are saying they’re supportive of Osama bin Laden," Wilson told Fox Digital. 

"It seems to be an app leaning towards being anti-American and brainwashing young kids. At the end of the day, if I say to ban it it’s hypocritical against free speech. I just don’t want it harming young people," she added. 

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Trump himself has made a 180-degree turn on TikTok. Under his first administration, in 2020, Trump tried to ban the app from the U.S. market over national security concerns. His executive order, however, was eventually blocked in federal court.

Fast-forward to 2024 amid the campaign cycle, and Trump joined the app in June during the campaign cycle and has since racked up nearly 15 million followers and 107 million likes as supporters flocked to his content on the platform. Trump also filed an amicus brief with the Supreme Court last month, which supported neither party in the case, arguing the fate of the platform should be left up to his administration. 

"Today, President Donald J. Trump has filed an amicus brief in the U.S. Supreme Court asking the Court to extend the deadline that would cause TikTok’s imminent shutdown, and allow President Trump the opportunity to resolve the issue in a way that saves TikTok and preserves American national security once he resumes office as President of the United States on January 20, 2025," Trump spokesman and incoming White House Communications Director Steven Cheung told Fox News Digital last month. 

"President Donald J. Trump (‘President Trump’) is the 45th and soon to be the 47th President of the United States of America," the brief states. "On January 20, 2025, President Trump will assume responsibility for the United States’ national security, foreign policy, and other vital executive functions." 

Fox News Digital’s Brooke Singman, Paul Steinhauser and Morgan Phillips contributed to this report. 

A former FBI informant who prosecutors say fabricated a phony story of President Biden and his son Hunter Biden accepting $10 million in bribes from the Ukrainian gas company Burisma was sentenced Wednesday to six years in federal prison. 

Alexander Smirnov, a dual U.S.-Israeli citizen, has been behind bars since he was arrested last February on charges of making false statements to the FBI. 

The indictment came in connection with special counsel David Weiss’ investigation into Hunter Biden. Weiss later indicted Hunter on tax and gun-related charges, but President Biden granted him a sweeping pardon in December before his son was to be sentenced. 

The Justice Department tacked on additional tax charges against Smirnov in November, alleging he concealed millions of dollars of income he earned between 2020 and 2022, and Smirnov pleaded guilty in December to sidestep his looming trial.  

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Smirnov was accused of falsely telling his FBI handler that executives from the Ukrainian energy company Burisma had paid then-Vice President Biden and his son $5 million each around 2015. Smirnov's explosive claim in 2020 came after he expressed "bias" about Joe Biden as a presidential candidate, according to prosecutors. The indictment says investigators found Smirnov had only routine business dealings with Burisma starting in 2017 — after Biden's term as vice president.

Prosecutors noted that Smirnov's claim "set off a firestorm in Congress" when it resurfaced years later as part of the House impeachment inquiry into President Biden. The Biden administration dismissed the House impeachment effort as a "stunt."

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Before Smirnov’s arrest, Republicans had demanded the FBI release the unredacted form documenting the unverified allegations, though they acknowledged they couldn’t confirm if they were true.

"In committing his crimes he betrayed the United States, a country that showed him nothing but generosity, including conferring on him the greatest honor it can bestow, citizenship," Weiss' team wrote in court papers. "He repaid the trust the United States placed in him to be a law-abiding naturalized citizen and, more specifically, that one of its premier law enforcement agencies placed in him to tell the truth as a confidential human source, by attempting to interfere in a Presidential election."

Prosecutors agreed to pursue no more than six years against Smirnov as part of his plea deal. In court papers, the Justice Department described Smirnov as a "liar and a tax cheat" who "betrayed the United States," adding that his bogus corruption claims against the Biden family were "among the most serious kinds of election interference one can imagine." 

In seeking a lighter sentence, Smirnov's lawyers wrote that both Hunter Biden and President-elect Trump, who was charged in two since-dropped federal cases by Special Counsel Jack Smith, "have walked free and clear of any meaningful punishment."

His lawyers had asked for a four-year prison term, arguing that their client "has learned a very grave lesson," had no prior criminal record and was suffering from severe glaucoma in both eyes. Smirnov's sentencing Wednesday in Los Angeles federal court concluded the final aspects of Weiss’s probe, and the special counsel is expected to submit a report to Attorney General Merrick Garland in accordance with federal regulations. Garland can decide whether to release it to the public. 

Smirnov will get credit for the time he has served behind bars since February. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report.