President Biden issued five more pardons on Sunday on his last full day in office, including for political activist and Black nationalist Marcus Garvey.
"America is a country built on the promise of second chances," Biden said in a statement. "As President, I have used my clemency power to make that promise a reality by issuing more individual pardons and commutations than any other President in U.S. history. Today, I am exercising my clemency power to pardon 5 individuals and commute the sentences of 2 individuals who have demonstrated remorse, rehabilitation, and redemption. These clemency recipients have each made significant contributions to improving their communities."
In addition to Garvey, the clemency recipients are Marcus Mosiah Garvey, Ravidath "Ravi" Ragbir,Don Leonard Scott, Jr., and Kemba Smith Pradia. Garvey was granted the pardon posthumously.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
President-elect Donald Trump will have his hand on two Bibles during his swearing-in ceremony on Monday, the culmination of the 60th Presidential Inauguration.
Trump will use his Bible, given to him by his mother in 1955, to "mark his Sunday Church Primary School graduation at First Presbyterian Church, in Jamaica, New York," a press release from his inaugural committee states.
The religious text is a 1953 revised standard version that was published by Thomas Nelson and Sons in New York. Trump's name is embossed on the lower portion of the front cover, and inside the cover are signatures of church officials, an inscription of the president's name and details of when it was presented to him.
In addition to the sentimental Bible, the Lincoln Bible, first used in 1861 to swear-in the 16th U.S. president, will be used.
"It has only been used three times since, by President Obama at each of his inaugurations and by President Trump at his first inauguration in 2017," Trump's team states. "The burgundy velvet-bound book is part of the collections of the Library of Congress."
President Obama also took the oath of office on two Bibles back in 2013, the Associated Press reported. One was owned by Martin Luther King Jr. and the other was the Lincoln Bible.
When Trump is sworn in as the 47th President of the United States inside the Capitol’s rotunda, he will do so facing a bust of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. on the federal holiday commemorating King’s legacy.
During a busy week in the nation's capital, far from the action, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis had no trouble keeping his name in the political spotlight.
"This is a time for action. And a time for Washington, D.C., to deliver results to the American people. There are no more excuses for Republicans," the conservative two-term governor and 2024 Republican presidential candidate said Thursday as he named Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody to succeed Sen. Marco Rubio in the Senate.
Two days earlier, President-elect Trump gave his onetime bitter GOP primary rival a shout-out after the governor called for a special state legislative session to implement Trump's expected immigration crackdown.
"Thank you Ron, hopefully other governors will follow!" the president-elect said in a social media post.
Due to the national profile he's built over the past four years, the governor of one of the country's most important states will likely continue to stay in the headlines as he takes a lead on some of the nation's most consequential issues.
The spotlight should help DeSantis if he ends up launching a second straight GOP presidential nomination run in 2028, a race in which soon-to-be Vice President JD Vance will be considered the clear early frontrunner as the perceived America First and MAGA heir apparent to Trump.
"He needs to do what he did in 2022, which is pick good fights. And he’s shown a lot of capability to pick good fights with the left both in Florida and nationally," longtime Republican strategist David Kochel said of DeSantis.
"I think he’ll be in demand to come do stuff in Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina," Kochel, a veteran of numerous GOP presidential campaigns, predicted, pointing to the three key early voting states in the Republican presidential primaries.
"I wouldn’t change a lot from how he did the run-up to his 2024 campaign. The problem was he basically ran against an incumbent president. He didn’t have the wrong playbook. He had the wrong cycle."
While the initial moves in the 2028 White House run will likely start in the coming months, including some early state visits, most Americans won't be paying a lick of attention until after the 2026 midterms, when the next presidential campaign formally gets under way. And that's when DeSantis will be wrapping up his second and final four-year term steering Florida, allowing him to concentrate 100% on a White House run if that's in his cards.
But what about another high-profile Republican governor who likely has national ambitions in 2028?
The Virginia Constitution doesn't allow for incumbent governors to run for a second consecutive term, so Gov. Glenn Youngkin will be out of office in Richmond in a year.
Compared to DeSantis, who also enjoys large GOP majorities in his state legislature, which will allow him to continue to enact a conservative agenda, Virginia is a purple state where Democrats have a slight upper hand in the legislature.
"It might be a little tougher for Youngkin, a little tougher for him to find ways to stay in the news" after he leaves office in a year, Kochel suggested.
But, Younkin predicted, "You’re going to see me a lot."
"We’ve got a very aggressive agenda for being governor in the last 14 months," he said in a Fox News Digital interview in November. "But part of that agenda that I have is to make sure that we have [Lt. Gov.] Winsome Sears as our next governor. [Virginia Attorney General] Jason Miyares is back as our attorney general and a super lieutenant governor who we will pick at our primaries."
Youngkin, who energized Republicans nationwide in 2021 as a first-time candidate who hailed from the party’s business wing, edged former Democratic Gov. Terry McAuliffe to become the first GOP candidate in a dozen years to win a gubernatorial election in the one-time swing state that had trended toward the Democrats over the previous decade. He could also potentially end up in the Trump administration after his term in Richmond sunsets in a year.
"I told the president when I called him and told him that I wanted to finish my term that I would be available to help him at any time while I’m governor and afterwards," Youngkin told Fox News Digital, referring to a call he held with Trump right after the November election.
But if he doesn't enter the Trump administration, another route for Youngkin to stay in the spotlight in 2026 would be criss-crossing the country on behalf of fellow Republicans running in the midterm elections. It's a role Youngkin previously played in 2022, helping fellow Republican governors and gubernatorial candidates.
"He’s got to do the blocking and tackling, go state by state, help a lot of candidates, raise a lot of money for them. Get a bunch of governors elected," Kochel suggested. "That’s the playbook for him."
What about NIkki Haley, the former two-term Republican governor of South Carolina and former U.S. ambassador to the U.N. in Trump's first administration, who was the last rival standing against Trump in the 2024 GOP presidential primaries?
Out of office and shut out of the Trump world while still facing social media zingers by the president-elect, Haley's ability to grab attention should she seek the presidency again may be a more difficult climb within a party once again on bended knee to the former and future president.
Haley does have a weekly national radio show on Sirius XM, where she noted a few weeks ago, "I had no interest in being in [Trump's] Cabinet."
But a lot can happen in the two years until the next White House race officially gets under way. There could be some buyer's remorse among voters if the new administration is not successful in enacting some of its goals.
"While JD Vance starts as the presumed frontrunner right now, there’s a million miles to go between now and then," seasoned Republican strategist Colin Reed told Fox News.
And Kochel added that for some Republicans mulling a 2028 presidential bid, "I think a little strategic distance is not a bad idea. Because you don’t know what’s going to happen over the next two years."
But holding statewide office — either as a governor or senator — doesn't guarantee favorable coverage.
"Having a day job cuts both ways. It gives you a platform, a megaphone, and an ability to make news whenever you want. But it also carries with it the responsibilities of governing or legislating or being part of government bodies, whether it’s Congress or the state you are running, where things can go wrong and end up on your doorstep and become political baggage," Reed noted.
Reed warned that "history is littered with those officeholders who ran and won for a second term only to have political baggage at home become political headaches on the campaign trail."
EXCLUSIVE: Private citizens — right up to the governor himself — are primed to be part of a new Alaskan initiative aimed at promoting policies that have been effective in Juneau at a national level as a new administration signals a willingness to listen and adapt to new strategies.
Just as Florida's education policy under Gov. Jeb Bush served as a blueprint for national education reform, the nonprofit Future 49 aims to position Alaska as today's model, focusing primarily on national security and energy.
Its top funders are a group of Alaskans of all stripes as well as a few Washington, D.C.-based advocates. It is nonpartisan and simply pro-Alaskan, according to one of its proponents.
It also seeks to dispatch with what one source familiar with its founding called the "out of sight, out of mind" feeling of some in the Lower 48 when it comes to how far-flung Alaska can translate its own successes in the cold north to a federal government that could benefit from its advice.
One of Future 49's founders is a commercial airline pilot whose family has lived in Alaska for more than 125 years. He said he wanted to show Washington issues Alaska deals with every day.
Bob Griffin's family has lived in Alaska since 1899, he said, remarking he is an example of grassroots support behind showcasing Alaska’s potential to be the driving force in key sectors for the rest of the country.
Griffin said while there has not been any direct contact yet with the new administration, Gov. Mike Dunleavy is an ally of Trump’s and, in turn, primed to have a role in the group.
"We’re focused on not only the Trump administration, but other decision makers, to just highlight and advertise that the successes we've had in Alaska in energy, natural resources and other policy priorities are a good fit and benefit to all Americans."
He noted the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge region spans the size of West Virginia, but the part of it federally budgeted for exploration in a recent fiscal year was only an area half the size of Ted Stevens International Airport in Anchorage, illustrating how Juneau must guide Washington.
A source familiar with the founding of Future 49 told Fox News Digital how the group's launch comes at a key juncture as one advice-averse administration transitions into one that has signaled its openness to undertake recommendations from states and local groups.
"The resources our nation needs to be energy-dominant are in Alaska, not in unfriendly nations like Russia and Iran who despise what we stand for and commit egregious environmental offenses on a daily basis," the source said.
While the group is primed to express a pro-development approach to energy, it will remain nonpartisan and offer Washington successful strategies to develop both green and traditional energy based on work done in Alaska.
Dunleavy has offered a similarly two-fold approach, saying in a recent interview that opening the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to responsible development may yield just as much economic growth for the nation as emerging green technology, such as a proposal to harness the second-strongest tides in the world churning in Cook Inlet outside Anchorage.
Those parallels show why Future 49's advent is coming at the right time, a source told Fox News Digital.
Future 49's plan to use Alaska's long-term goal to utilize its energy resources as a roadmap was a sentiment also voiced in another confirmation hearing Thursday. Interior nominee Doug Burgum highlighted the need for domestic "energy dominance" for both economic and security reasons.
With Russia having invaded Ukraine, Dunleavy said most sensitive national defense assets are housed in Alaska, so the state has a deep background in what is needed to deter malign actors.
Lessons learned from managing a National Guard force so closely tied to top-level national security concerns is another avenue Future 49 will likely seek to aid Washington in.
The group plans to commission a survey of Lower 48 Americans on their view of the Last Frontier and how they perceive Alaska from thousands of miles away, said Alaska pollster Matt Larkin.
Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, a Republican, ordered flags to temporarily fly at full-staff for President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration on Monday.
"I hereby order that the flags of the United States of America and the Commonwealth of Virginia are to be flown at full-staff on all state and local buildings and grounds in the Commonwealth in recognition of the inauguration of the 47th President of the United States," Youngkin said on Saturday.
Youngkin's directive comes despite President Biden's order after the death of former President Jimmy Carter on Dec. 29 that flags at all government and public buildings and grounds across the country should fly at half-staff for a 30-day mourning period, which just happens to include Inauguration Day.
It is a tradition when a former president dies to order a 30-day mourning period and order flags to be displayed at half-staff.
Biden said the U.S. flag "should be displayed at half-staff at the White House and on all public buildings and grounds, at all military posts and naval stations, and on all naval vessels of the Federal Government in the District of Columbia and throughout the United States and its Territories and possessions."
Flags in Virginia will return to half-staff to honor Carter on Tuesday following the presidential inauguration, Youngkin said.
"The flags will be lowered back to half-staff the following day to continue honoring former President James Earl Carter, Jr. and remain at half staff through January 28, 2025," the governor wrote.
Youngkin joins several Republican governors who have also broken tradition and ordered flags to be raised on Monday, including Idaho Gov. Brad Little, North Dakota Gov. Kelly Armstrong, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey, Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee, Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott.
A trio of Democratic governors — California Gov. Gavin Newsom, Colorado Gov. Jared Polis and Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson — have also ordered flags to fly at full-staff for Trump's inauguration before the mourning period ends Jan. 28.
House Speaker Mike Johnson also ordered flags at the U.S. Capitol to be flown at full-staff on Inauguration Day.
Trump has criticized the idea of flags being displayed at half-staff for his inauguration following Carter's death.
"The Democrats are all 'giddy' about our magnificent American Flag potentially being at 'half mast' during my Inauguration," Trump wrote on Truth Social on Jan. 3. "They think it’s so great, and are so happy about it because, in actuality, they don't love our Country, they only think about themselves."
"Look at what they’ve done to our once GREAT America over the past four years - It’s a total mess! In any event, because of the death of President Jimmy Carter, the Flag may, for the first time ever during an Inauguration of a future President, be at half mast," he continued. "Nobody wants to see this, and no American can be happy about it. Let’s see how it plays out. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!"
Flags were flown at half-staff when former President Nixon was sworn-in for his second term in 1973 after Nixon ordered the flags to be lowered following the death of former President Truman.
Fox News Channel and Fox News Digital will be your home for wall-to-wall coverage of the 60th Presidential Inauguration – the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump.
Start your day with "Fox & Friends First" at 5AM ET when hosts Todd Piro and Carley Shimkus will preview the events of the day, including the latest updates since Trump ordered most inaugural events be held indoors due to the Arctic chill forecasted to overtake the District of Columbia on Monday.
Follow up with "Fox & Friends" at 6 AM ET.
Hosts Steve Doocy, Brian Kilmeade, Lawrence Jones and Ainsley Earhardt will have up-to-the-minute coverage of the lead-up to Trump’s inauguration.
Dana Perino and Bill Hemmer take the reins at 9 AM ET for "America’s Newsroom."
Hemmer will broadcast live from Capitol Hill and Perino will co-host from elsewhere in the District.
Fox News Channel’s Washington, DC-based coverage will continue at 11 AM ET when Harris Faulkner hosts "The Faulkner Focus" – with last-minute news and updates ahead of the constitutionally prescribed 12 NOON ET inauguration.
At 11:30 AM ET, Fox News chief political anchor Bret Baier and anchor Martha MacCallum will begin Fox News Channel’s main inauguration coverage.
They will be joined by Faulkner and Hemmer as well as Sandra Smith and former Rep. Harold Ford Jr., D-Tenn.
Trump will be inaugurated from inside the Capitol, a rare occurrence over the past few decades.
Only Presidents Ronald Reagan – for his second inaugural – and John F. Kennedy had their oath of office administered indoors in the contemporary era.
Ford and his regular colleagues will host "The Five" at 5PM ET with the latest reaction to the historic events of the day.
Baier anchors "Special Report" from Washington at 6 PM ET and hands off to Laura Ingraham at 7PM ET.
Ingraham’s "The Ingraham Angle" will broadcast live from the Commander-in-Chief Ball, as will "Jesse Watters Primetime," and its eponymous host, at 8PM ET.
At 9PM, Sean Hannity will take over Fox News Channel coverage and offer both his own and his guests’ reaction and analysis from inside the Liberty Ball.
Greg Gutfeld will host "Gutfeld!" at 10PM ET from the Daughters of the American Revolution Constitution Hall just southwest of the White House at 10PM ET.
Anchor Trace Gallagher wraps up Fox News Channel’s live coverage of Trump’s Second Inauguration at 11PM ET – broadcasting from Washington instead of Los Angeles.
Former presidents, politicians, tech giants, world leaders and others will convene in Washington, D.C., on Monday for President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration – while a few key figures will skip the event altogether.
Traditionally, most departing presidents do attend the inauguration of those taking over the White House. Outgoing President Biden told MeidasTouch network last month he would attend Trump’s second inauguration – even though Trump didn't show up to Biden’s inauguration four years ago. Additionally, the White House confirmed first lady Jill Biden will attend.
Likewise, all three living former presidents, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama, confirmed they will partake in the inauguration festivities, the Associated Press reports. Former first ladies Laura Bush and Hillary Clinton will also join their spouses for Trump’s second inauguration.
But some prominent Democrats will not appear at the inauguration. Former first lady Michelle Obama and former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., announced this week that they will skip the event.
A spokesperson for the Obamas did not provide additional information to the AP regarding Michelle Obama’s absence, although the former first lady also did not attend former President Jimmy Carter’s funeral earlier this month.
Likewise, tech giants including Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and TikTok CEO Shou Chew will attend and sit up front on the dais alongside other VIP guests.
A source familiar with the plans told Fox News Digital Chew received an invitation from the Inaugural Committee. The New York Times broke the news that Chew would attend.
Trump also extended invites to several world leaders – including Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Incoming White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told "Fox & Friends" in December that Xi had received an invitation after Trump said that he would "love to have" the Chinese leader there at the inauguration.
"This is an example of President Trump creating an open dialogue with leaders of countries that are not just our allies but our adversaries and our competitors, too. We saw this in the first term, before," Leavitt said. "He is willing to talk to anyone, and he will always put America’s interests first."
Although Jinping will not attend, China’s Foreign Ministry announced on Friday that Chinese Vice President Han Zheng would visit Washington for the occasion.
The AP also reported that Trump had invited Javier Milei, the president of Argentina, and Nayib Bukele, the president of El Salvador. Likewise, CBS first reported that Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orbán was invited to the inauguration, but Hungarian media reported he would not make the trip, according to Politico.
However, Milei is expected to attend, as is Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Politico reports.
Such appearances are unique. The AP previously reported that no foreign leaders have attended any U.S. inaugurations, according to State Department historical records.
Musical performances by Carrie Underwood, the Village People and Lee Greenwood are also scheduled for the inauguration. Underwood is slated to perform "America the Beautiful" during the swearing-in ceremony for Trump and President-elect JD Vance, a Trump Transition spokesperson told Fox News Digital.
Trump and former first lady Melania Trump skipped Biden’s inauguration in 2021. Other presidents have also missed their successors’ inaugurations. Six other former presidents, dating back to John Adams, also skipped inaugurations for the incoming president, according to the White House Historical Association.
Fox News’ Michael Dorgan, Brooke Singman, and Morgan Phillips contributed to this report.
Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson, a Democrat, has ordered flags to fly at full-staff on Monday for President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration.
"I hereby direct that Washington State and United States flags at all state agency facilities be raised to full-staff on Monday, January 20, 2025, in honor of Inauguration Day," Ferguson said.
This, despite the official order by President Biden after the death of former President Jimmy Carter on Dec. 29 that flags at all government and public buildings and grounds across the country fly at half-staff for a 30-day mourning period, which just happens to include Inauguration Day.
It is a tradition when a former president dies to order a 30-day mourning period and order flags at half-staff.
Biden said the U.S. flag "should be displayed at half-staff at the White House and on all public buildings and grounds, at all military posts and naval stations, and on all naval vessels of the Federal Government in the District of Columbia and throughout the United States and its Territories and possessions."
Flags will return to half-staff in Washington state on Tuesday to continue the mourning period for Carter.
"Flags should return to half-staff at sunrise on Tuesday, January 21, 2025, and should remain at half-staff until the close of business or sunset on Wednesday, January 29, 2025, in continuance of honoring former President Jimmy Carter for 30 days following his death," Ferguson said.
Ferguson joins California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Colorado Gov. Jared Polis as the Democrats who have broken tradition and ordered flags to be raised for Trump's inauguration before the mourning period ends Jan. 28.
The orders from the Democratic governors follow several Republicans who have directed flags to be raised on Monday, including Idaho Gov. Brad Little, North Dakota Gov. Kelly Armstrong, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey, Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee, Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott.
House Speaker Mike Johnson also ordered flags at the U.S. Capitol to be flown at full-staff on Inauguration Day.
Trump has criticized the possibility of flags being displayed at half-staff for his inauguration following Carter's death.
"The Democrats are all 'giddy' about our magnificent American Flag potentially being at 'half mast' during my Inauguration," Trump wrote on Truth Social on Jan. 3. "They think it’s so great, and are so happy about it because, in actuality, they don't love our Country, they only think about themselves."
"Look at what they’ve done to our once GREAT America over the past four years - It’s a total mess! In any event, because of the death of President Jimmy Carter, the Flag may, for the first time ever during an Inauguration of a future President, be at half mast," he continued. "Nobody wants to see this, and no American can be happy about it. Let’s see how it plays out. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!"
Flags were flown at half-staff when former President Nixon was sworn-in for his second term in 1973 after Nixon ordered the flags to be lowered following the death of former President Truman.
President-elect Trump is discussing the possibility of visiting China again as president with aides, according to a report.
The incoming president, who takes office on Monday, visited Beijing during his first term in 2017, and spoke to Chinese President Xi Jinping over the phone on Friday.
Trump has been threatening China with tariffs but has told advisers that he wants to strengthen ties with the communist country with the visit, possibly even traveling there within his first 100 days in office, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing sources familiar with the matter.
"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 wrote on Friday 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!"
Xi also met with Trump at Mar-a-Lago in Florida in 2017.
Xi was invited to Trump’s Monday inauguration – no senior Chinese official has ever attended a U.S. presidential inauguration – but Chinese Vice President Han Zheng will be attending instead, in a first.
Trump and Xi plan to establish a strategic communication channel, China said of their Friday phone call, adding that Trump said he was "looking forward to meeting with President Xi as soon as possible."
President-elect Trump boarded a special Air Force plane Saturday afternoon for his historic return to Washington, D.C.
Trump, his wife, Melania, and youngest son, Barron, embarked on their trip from West Palm Beach, Florida, to the nation's capital, waving to crowds before ascending the steps.
A few hours later, they landed in Sterling, Virginia, where Trump will host an evening reception and fireworks show at Trump National Golf Club.
Trump's daughter, Ivanka, and son-in-law, Jared Kushner, joined them on the Air Force Special Air Mission plane.
Trump's middle son, Eric, and daughter-in-law, Lara, departed Florida separately, on the president-elect's private plane.
During the plane ride, Eric Trump took to X, sharing his "renewed hope and spirit for [the] country."
"The past 10 years have been a constant fight — countless rallies, TV appearances, subpoenas, depositions, and weeks in cold courtrooms," Eric Trump wrote in the post. "Through endless attacks on my family, the company I run, and the employees I care for, we faced slander, fake news, home raids, and countless games designed to break us."
His immediate family - including wife, Lara, and children, Luke and Carolina - joined him on the trip to D.C.
Eric Trump wrote that "every ounce of [his] fight" has been for his children and the future of their generation. "This time, America won," he added.
"Against all odds, we did it—together, with the incredible people of this nation and the greatest political movement in history," Eric Trump wrote. "I’ve never been prouder of anyone than I am of [Donald Trump]. He stood unwavering, truly having the courage of steel. Our country is in great hands. The madness is over. America is in an age of renewal."
On Sunday, Trump will attend a wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery and a "Make America Great Again" rally, followed by a candlelit dinner.
The inauguration will take place at noon Monday in the Capitol Rotunda, due to frigid temperatures in the area. Then Trump, just the second president in history to win non-consecutive terms, will give his inaugural address.
Hours before the Trump family boarded the plane, thousands of protesters on Saturday descended on the streets of Washington, D.C., to protest.
The "People's March," originally referred to as the "Women’s March," had three meeting locations, each championing a different cause.
Some topics included "gender justice," democracy and immigration, and local Washington issues.
Demonstrators carried posters that read "Feminists v. Fascists" and "People over politics," Fox News Digital reported.
Fox News Digital's Michael Dorgan contributed to this story.
Fox News has learned that House and Senate offices are growing increasingly frustrated about who may be allowed to attend President-elect Trump’s inauguration inside the Capitol Rotunda Monday.
Fox is told that member offices were asked to "resubmit" paperwork about whether a lawmaker wants to attend and if the lawmaker's spouse wants to attend. However, there are no "plus-ones." And Fox was told the attendance of spouses could be "iffy."
One lawmaker said members were trying to get governors or other state officials into the Capitol Rotunda. But it was far from clear if officials could accommodate those requests.
There is an effort to get a small group of people into the Capitol Rotunda who were slated to be seated down in front but were not House and Senate members. One official refused to identify to Fox who those with "special status" could be.
This likely means very few dignitaries or others are allowed inside for the inauguration. One Trump-supporting lawmaker was "happy" it was moving inside so the lawmaker didn’t have to sit outside in the cold "for an hour-and-a-half." The lawmaker also noted that House members would likely have had the most uncomfortable experience had the inauguration been outside. That’s because of the way the wind blows across the platform and where House members were to be seated on the West Front.
One lawmaker told Fox about having 700 people traveling to Washington for the inauguration, and now none of them would be seated anywhere. But the lawmaker had "not heard one complaint" from people traveling to see the inauguration in person who now can’t.
President Reagan’s 1985 inauguration, moved inside because of extreme cold and a temperature of 7 degrees, accommodated a crowd of 1,000 in the Capitol Rotunda. Fox colleague Aishah Hasnie reports the grand total allowed inside the Capitol Rotunda for this inauguration will likely be 600. In addition, Fox is told that "600 is pushing it" due to fire concerns. One source says the figure may be closer to 500 before all is said and done.
Fox is told that there were concrete plans for inaugurations in 2017 and 2021 to move ceremonies indoors. Officials even rehearsed those scenarios. In addition, Fox is told there was serious discussion about moving the 2017 inauguration inside because of rain and concern about umbrellas.
While the weather is the primary reason for moving the inauguration indoors, multiple sources close to the planning of the event have expressed concerns about security.
"My Spidey senses are up," said one lawmaker who asked not to be identified and is steeped in the planning of this event. But when Fox pressed various lawmakers and other sources, no one could identify a specific threat.
That said, more than one lawmaker contacted by Fox noted there were multiple outdoor events with the President-elect prior to the July assassination attempt, and every other event since has been indoors.
Fox is told that security officials will erect what was described as a "geo-fence" around the Capitol to interfere and jam nefarious communications and/or drones. At one point, there was talk of shutting off all cell communications during the time period when President-elect Trump was on the platform.
That said, a forecast of about four inches of snow in Washington Sunday night began to change thinking around this year’s inauguration. There is genuine concern about thousands of people on the National Mall standing in cold, fresh snow for hours. There was worry about emergency personnel being able to reach those who may have medical emergencies while on the National Mall because of the inclement weather. Another issue is how snow that melted today could refreeze, creating significantly slick surfaces around the Capitol.
And then there is another factor: snowball fights.
One senior source tells Fox there was actual discussion about snowball fights interfering with the event if Washington got a fresh coating of snow. One source said planners worried it could "get out of hand" and could contribute to injuries.
Inside or out, this could be the snowiest inauguration since the swearing-in day was moved to Jan. 20 in 1937. The previous record for snow on inauguration day came in 1961, for the swearing-in of President John F. Kennedy. Washington received seven-tenths of an inch of snow that day.
And considering the weather, perhaps it was only appropriate that the poet Robert Frost spoke at JFK’s inauguration.
As wildfires wreaked devastation across Los Angeles, the city official in charge of the fire department was out of the picture – placed on administrative leave in December while he remains under investigation for an alleged bomb threat against City Hall earlier this year.
LA Deputy Mayor Brian Williams’ Pasadena, California home was raided by the FBI last month in connection to the investigation of a bomb threat which was made against City Hall in September. The Los Angeles Police Department referred the case to the FBI after it determined Williams was likely the "source of the threat," FOX 11 Los Angeles reported.
"Due to the department’s working relationship with Mr. Williams, the investigation was referred to the FBI," the LAPD said in a statement at the time. "The FBI remains the investigating agency."
Embattled Mayor Karen Bass' office said Williams was placed on administrative leave immediately after the FBI notified the mayor of the search. That happened three weeks before the fires erupted in Los Angeles County, scorching nearly four square miles of urban area, according to the Associated Press.
The Palisades and Eaton Fires are still burning, though heroic efforts by firefighters and calming winds have greatly reduced the rate of spread. At least 27 people have been killed and more than 12,000 buildings and homes destroyed in the blazes. The fires are likely to be among the most destructive in California history, the state fire agency CalFire said.
When the first flames ignited, Bass, 71, was overseas on a diplomatic mission to Ghana. She was part of a delegation President Biden sent to the African nation for the inauguration of Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama. She hurried home on a military plane soon after news of the fire emergency reached her, but she did not return to Los Angeles for a full 24 hours after disaster struck.
Her initial absence has prompted harsh criticism from LA residents, who are questioning Bass' leadership amid the crisis. In that context, her decision to put Williams on administrative leave is also under fresh scrutiny.
The Los Angeles mayor's office did not respond to requests for comment.
Bass appointed Williams to be deputy mayor in February 2023 and charged him with overseeing public safety in the city.
Williams was placed in charge of the city's police department, fire department, the Port of Los Angeles Police, the Los Angeles World Airport Police and the city's Emergency Management Department, local news station KABC reported. Williams previously served seven years as the executive director of the Los Angeles County Sheriff Civilian Oversight Commission.
He also served as deputy mayor under Mayor James Hahn, during which time he oversaw the Department of Transportation, Public Works and Information Technology Agency.
Williams' attorney Dmitry Gorin did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Gorin previously released a statement denying that his client had anything to do with the bomb threat made against City Hall.
"Mr. Williams strongly maintains his innocence and intends to vigorously fight the allegations. Importantly, he has not been arrested, nor charged, and will continue cooperating with the investigation through attorneys. He has a lengthy career of public service and is presumed innocent of these allegations. We urge the public to allow the investigation process to play out and not to prejudge the facts of this case before they are known," Gorin said last month.
President-elect Trump announced on Saturday he has picked Penny Schwinn, the former commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Education, as deputy secretary of the U.S. Department of Education.
While in Tennessee, Schwinn oversaw the department's response to the coronavirus pandemic, implemented Gov. Bill Lee's school voucher program and overhauled the state's school funding formula, the Associated Press reported.
Schwinn previously worked at the Texas Education Agency as the deputy commissioner of standards and engagement, deputy commissioner of special populations and monitoring, and chief deputy commissioner of academics.
Trump congratulated Schwinn on Saturday in a post on Truth Social.
"A former teacher herself, Penny became the founding principal of a charter school, because she believes in the power of School Choice, and is committed to delivering the American Dream to the next Generation by returning Education BACK TO THE STATES," Trump wrote. "Congratulations to Penny and her wonderful family!"
Schwinn holds a master’s degree from Johns Hopkins, and a Ph.D. from Claremont.
Thousands of mainly female protesters descended on Washington, D.C. to protest President–elect Trump’s inauguration on Monday. However, the crowd is only a tenth of the half a million who turned out for the "Women’s March" in 2017.
Saturday’s march, rebranded as the "People’s March," is taking place at three different locations with demonstrators advocating for a wide range of left-wing causes and showcasing a united front to the new administration.
This morning, a kickoff event took place in Franklin Park for "gender justice" and bodily autonomy, and then demonstrators walked downtown before making their way towards the Lincoln Memorial for the day's main event.
"It’s really healing to be here with all of you today in solidarity and togetherness, in the face of what’s going to be some really horrible extremism," Mini Timmaraju, the head of advocacy group Reproductive Freedom for All, told the crowd as events kicked off.
Other protesters gathered at two other parks also near the White House, with one group focused on democracy and immigration and another on local Washington issues,
Vendors hawked buttons that said #MeToo and "Love trumps hate," and sold People's March flags for $10. Demonstrators carried posters that read "Feminists v. Fascists" and "People over politics."
Lillian Fenske, 31, drove six hours from Greensboro, North Carolina, to participate. Her signs expressed concern over oligarchs and the disunity. "America is not for sale," said one, while another said simply, "Divided We Fall."
There is a heavy police presence, although law enforcement is not expecting a repeat of the violent scenes seen across the city ahead of Inauguration Day in 2017, where protesters shattered glass storefronts and torched cars, with police arresting more than 200 people in demonstrations that spanned several days.
The enthusiasm behind the so-called resistance movement to Trump has waned somewhat, with many progressive voters expressing feelings of exhaustion and disappointment following Trump’s landslide win in November. He dominated both the Electoral College and the popular vote to defeat Vice President Kamala Harris after a historic campaign cycle.
The 2017 Women’s March took place on the day after Trump’s inauguration. Celebrities like America Ferrera, Madonna, Ashley Judd, Cher, Katy Perry, Amy Schumer, Scarlett Johansson, Julianne Moore, Michael Moore, Debra Messing, Patricia Arquette and others attended the march.
President-elect Trump is expected to leave Mar-a-Lago later today and head to Washington.
Trump’s advisers have not detailed how he will spend the first part of the day, and the only public event on Trump’s schedule is an evening reception and fireworks show at Trump National Golf Club in Sterling, Virginia.
On Sunday, there will be a wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery and a "Make America Great Again" rally, at which Trump will deliver remarks, followed by a candlelit dinner.
Monday is Inauguration Day when Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance will participate in the swearing-in ceremony, which has been moved indoors due to the forecasted frigid temperatures.
Fox News’ Brooke Singman, The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
A Georgia state senator has had his ban from entering the state House chamber revoked following an ugly incident on Thursday which saw him flung to the floor, arrested and subsequently hospitalized.
State Sen. Colton Moore, a hardline supporter of President-elect Trump who previously tried to have Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis impeached for indicting the former president, was involved in a heated exchange at the entrance to the House chamber where officials refused him entry to attend Gov. Brian Kemp's State of the State Address.
Moore, of Trenton in Dade County, ended up being pushed to the floor by Keith Williams, a lawyer for House Speaker Jon Burns' office, who was trying to enforce a ban placed on Moore by the speaker. Moore was banned from entering the chamber after he blasted the state Senate's decision last year to consider a resolution to name a building at the University of North Georgia after the now-deceased former house speaker David Ralston.
Moore on Thursday made several attempts to brush past House staffers but was pushed back on several occasions. Then, at one point, William sent Moore flying, with the senator falling awkwardly to the floor. After another attempt to enter, Moore was arrested by state troopers and led away.
Later in the evening, Moore posted a video of himself sitting on a hospital bed with a blood pressure monitor strapped to one of his arms. His other arm was elevated on the bed’s guard rail.
"I did take a bit of a beating; my hand, it’s a bit swollen and purple; we’re waiting to get some X-rays to check it out," Moore said.
"Today they took my freedom and liberty away as I was fighting for your freedom and liberty. But I tell you what, we still have a constitutional duty to do work, and I’ll still be in that legislature tomorrow morning. Thank you all for the support."
Burns initially said that the incident was "incredibly unfortunate and said that Moore had "created a dangerous situation when he chose to use force against our law enforcement officers, dedicated doorkeepers and House staff." Burns said that the integrity and decorum of this House was "non-negotiable—period."
On Friday, Burns, a Republican from Newington, lifted his ban after state Senate and Republican Party leaders lined up to support Moore.
He said that Moore’s desire to "cause a disturbance and gain notoriety in the press broke longstanding rules and precedents of decorum that each member of the General Assembly has a responsibility to uphold." But he said he’d admit Moore for joint sessions without an apology because Ralston wouldn’t have wanted the legislature’s work to be hindered.
"For this reason, the Ralston family has expressed to their family here in the House that they desire for our chamber to resume business as normal — with all members of the General Assembly present — for any future joint sessions with or without the apology they and the House deserve," Burns said.
Moore’s ban had stemmed from a speech he gave last year blasting former speaker Ralston, who was also a Republican.
Moore accused Ralston of using his office to delay court cases for criminal defendants he had represented as an attorney. Ralston claimed in 2019 that his actions were entirely legal.
"This body is about to memorialize, in my opinion, one of the most corrupt Georgia leaders that we are ever going to see in my lifetime," Moore exclaimed at the time.
It’s not the first time Colton, a self-described "RINO wrangler," has clashed with his Republican colleagues.
In 2023, Georgia’s Republican Senate Caucus suspended Moore for attacking them for opposing his plan to impeach Willis for indicting Trump in an election interference case.
Moore was the most prominent backer of a special session to impeach and remove Willis or defund her office, winning Trump’s endorsement. Kemp denounced the call as "some grifter scam" to raise campaign contributions for Moore.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is fighting to uphold a Texas law he says is keeping the pornography industry from targeting children with harmful content.
Passed in 2023 and signed into law by Texas Governor Greg Abbott, the law requires porn sites to verify users’ ages through official documentation such as a driver’s license or government-issued I.D. Under the law, failure to implement this age verification results in fines.
Meanwhile, a collection of porn sites calling itself the Free Speech Coalition argues that the Texas law curbs their First Amendment rights and places an undue burden on Texas adults from accessing their content.
The two sides finally came face to face this Wednesday to make their case before the Supreme Court.
For its part, the nation’s highest court appeared united in agreeing with Paxton’s argument that states have a vested interest in limiting children’s access to pornographic content. Some justices, however, seemed to still have concerns about whether the Texas law’s prohibitions were too broad and could impact other areas of free speech expression.
The question before the court now is whether the Texas law should be subject to "rational basis" or "strict scrutiny" review, the latter of which would require Texas to meet the narrowest standards to uphold the age verification requirement.
Whichever way the court rules will likely impact not only the Texas law but also the over a dozen other porn site age verification laws in states across the country.
In an interview with Fox News Digital after the hearing, Paxton said he feels confident that the Supreme Court will rule in Texas’ favor.
"Hearing the questions and seeing the comments by the justices I feel very optimistic, I think we’re going to win this," he said. "I really feel good about it. I think most of the justices are going to come down on the right side."
"Even the other side making their arguments admitted that we have an interest in protecting minors," he went on. "They just said that the way we were doing that was some type of overburden on adults, and so they offered up other suggestions, those suggestions don’t actually work and that’s probably why they offered them up, they don’t want age verification because it actually works, and it affects their bottom line."
In response to criticisms about the law potentially violating free speech, Paxton said: "Look I’m a huge free speech advocate. I see very few limitations on free speech. However, we have recognized that we need to protect children in all kinds of different ways. We don’t let them sign contracts, we don’t let them get married until they’re 18, we don’t let them be served alcohol, we don’t let them get tobacco, we have protected children, it’s been [throughout] our entire history."
"If you look anywhere in the developed world or anywhere [else], children are protected," he added. "It’s my job to enforce Texas law. In this case I feel very comfortable protecting our children from having this put in front of them."
The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) debarred EcoHealth Alliance Inc. and its former President Dr. Peter Daszak, formally blocking both the firm and the doctor from receiving federal funds for five years. EcoHealth allegedly failed to report dangerous gain-of-function experiments to the government, which eventually led to the debarment. In the notice of debarment for Daszak, an HHS official wrote that the actions taken were "necessary" to protect US government business interests.
House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., cheered on the debarment in a statement, calling it "justice for the American people." Comer went on to slam "bad actor" EcoHealth and "its corrupt former president" for using taxpayer dollars to carry out "dangerous gain-of-function research in China."
In May, the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic, which is under the House Oversight Committee, issued an interim report detailing the findings of its investigation into government funding and lack of oversight on gain-of-function research.
The subcommittee noted in the report that it had found "significant evidence" that Daszak "repeatedly violated the terms of the NIH grant awarded to EcoHealth." In light of the findings, the committee ultimately recommended EcoHealth and Deszak be formally debarred and blocked from receiving "any" federal funding.
Additionally, in its review, the committee accused EcoHealth of failing to submit an annual research update, only to file it in August 2021, nearly two years after the September 2019 deadline.
"EcoHealth Alliance President Dr. Peter Daszak is not a good steward of US taxpayer dollars and should never again receive funding from the US taxpayer," committee chairman Brad Wenstrup, R-Oh, said in the May 2024 memo.
"Dr. Daszak and his organization conducted dangerous gain-of-function research at the [Wuhan Institute of Virology], willfully violated the terms of a multi-million-dollar NIH grant, and placed US national security at risk. This blatant contempt for the American people is reprehensible."
The period of debarment for EcoHealth Alliance is set to end on May 14, 2029, and Dr. Daszak’s debarment is set to end six days later on May 20, 2029.
It was revealed in May that the disgraced research firm received nearly $100 million from the federal government over the last decade and a half.
From FY 2008 to FY 2024, the US government provided EcoHealth Alliance an estimated $94.3 million in taxpayer funds through contracts, grants, direct payments, loans and other financial assistance, according to a Fox News Digital review of government spending data provided by USAspending.gov.
A spokesperson for EcoHealth did not respond to a request for comment.
Californians may have a "reawakening" that could trigger a "political shock" among the nation's top decision-makers after the state's highly criticized response to the Los Angeles wildfires brought to light the state's vulnerability and leadership failures, historian Victor Davis Hanson predicts.
"So, there is a group of people in California that could fuel a revolt of liberals or Democrats," Hanson, a Hoover Institution public policy think tank senior fellow, told Fox News Digital in an interview on Tuesday.
That group of people could include the wealthy on the coastal line whose homes were destroyed or damaged by the wildfires that broke out Jan. 7. Several celebrities, including filmmaker Mel Gibson and actor Michael Rapaport, openly blasted California leadership for its response to the crisis as the blaze destroyed several Los Angeles districts.
"So, the shock of LA is most of the people that were burned out in Pacific Palisades or on the areas around it were very, very left-wing and very wealthy," Hanson said. "And this was what's shocking politically, because the consequences of their votes and their ideology had never really personally affected them to this degree.
"This is going to be an accelerant or a force multiplier. That's because it affects two different groups of people," Hanson explained. "It affects the very wealthy. For the first time, they got firebombed. Looks like Dresden, and that's going to be $300 or $400 billion when it's all over. And they're going to have to deal with the Coastal Commission, the Los Angeles Planning Commission and permits for building. And they're going to be irate when they have to do that.
"The net result is, I don't think any California politician is going to have a national profile after this."
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass' absence during the first 24 hours of the inferno, coupled with empty hydrants, a malfunctioning reservoir, a defunded fire department and a lack of new water infrastructure — despite Gov. Gavin Newsom's backing of billions for new reservoirs — highlighted severe flaws in the state's response, noted by lawmakers and experts.
The state’s response to the crisis has fueled further criticism, particularly regarding its bureaucracy. In response, Newsom signed an executive order Sunday to suspend certain state commission requirements, aiming to speed up the rebuilding process for homeowners.
"Goodbye, red tape," Newsom wrote in a post on X. "Through an executive order, we are making it easier for victims of the SoCal fires to quickly rebuild their homes and lives."
"If he could do it now, why didn't he do it before the fire?" Hanson said of the order.
Another issue that has been a multiyear problem is California's loss of residents to red states. Dubbed the "California exodus" by experts, California has lost hundreds of thousands of residents over the past few years, many of them citing high taxes, unaffordable housing, crime and difficult business regulations.
Many former California residents have relocated to states with lower taxes and more business-friendly environments, such as Texas, Florida, Tennessee and North Carolina. Top companies — Tesla, Oracle, Charles Schwab and Chevron — have also moved to other states.
Nearly 240,000 people moved out of California between 2023 and 2024, according to the Census Bureau. This was the largest net domestic migration loss in the country during that time period. Between April 2020 and July 2022, the state saw a net loss of more than 700,000 residents.
"They're getting very, very angry that it's hard to do business … and they are angry at the gasoline prices," Hanson said. "And so I think there's the potential, if there were a clever, adroit, enlightened Republican candidate or political figure that could capitalize on. So far, the Republican Party doesn't know what to do. They don't know whether to go left and try to accommodate this left-wing population or go further right and galvanize it.
"There's no dissenting voices … and I think that's going to change after what we saw."
