President-elect Trump dished out a fiery Christmas message on Wednesday in which he wished a "Merry Christmas" to "Radical Left Lunatics," told the 37 prisoners whose death row sentences were recently commuted by President Biden to "GO TO HELL!," and more.
"Merry Christmas to the Radical Left Lunatics, who are constantly trying to obstruct our Court System and our Elections, and are always going after the Great Citizens and Patriots of the United States but, in particular, their Political Opponent, ME. They know that their only chance of survival is getting pardons from a man who has absolutely no idea what he is doing," Trump declared on Truth Social.
"Also, to the 37 most violent criminals, who killed, raped, and plundered like virtually no one before them, but were just given, incredibly, a pardon by Sleepy Joe Biden. I refuse to wish a Merry Christmas to those lucky "souls" but, instead, will say, GO TO HELL! We had the Greatest Election in the History of our Country, a bright light is now shining over the U.S.A. and, in 26 days, we will, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN. MERRY CHRISTMAS!" he added.
Biden recently announced that he commuted the sentences of 37 prisoners on federal death row to life sentences without the potential for parole.
"Make no mistake: I condemn these murderers, grieve for the victims of their despicable acts, and ache for all the families who have suffered unimaginable and irreparable loss," the president said in a statement, but noted that he is "more convinced than ever that we must stop the use of the death penalty at the federal level."
In a separate post, Trump declared, "Merry Christmas to all, including to the wonderful soldiers of China, who are lovingly, but illegally, operating the Panama Canal (where we lost 38,000 people in its building 110 years ago), always making certain that the United States puts in Billions of Dollars in 'repair' money, but will have absolutely nothing to say about 'anything.'
He also discussed Canada, referring to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as the "Governor" of America's northern neighbor, while suggesting that Canadian businesses would boom if the nation became a U.S. state.
"Also, to Governor Justin Trudeau of Canada, whose Citizens’ Taxes are far too high, but if Canada was to become our 51st State, their Taxes would be cut by more than 60%, their businesses would immediately double in size, and they would be militarily protected like no other Country anywhere in the World. Likewise, to the people of Greenland, which is needed by the United States for National Security purposes and, who want the U.S. to be there, and we will!" Trump declared.
With former president and now President-elect Trump term-limited and constitutionally unable to run again for the White House in 2028, Vice President-elect JD Vance is on a glide path to be the heir apparent to the America First movement and the Republican Party's powerful MAGA base.
It was a point driven home by Donald Trump Jr., the former and future president's eldest son and powerful ally of the vice president-elect.
"We are getting four more years of Trump and then eight years of JD Vance!" Trump Jr. said on the campaign trail in Ohio a few weeks ahead of November's election.
Plenty of Republican politicians, strategists and pundits agree that Vance, who was elected to the Senate in Ohio just two years ago, will likely be the clear frontrunner in the next Republican presidential nomination race.
David Kochel, another longtime GOP strategist with plenty of presidential campaign experience, told Fox News that Vance is the frontrunner due to "the size and the scope of last week's victory and the implied passing of the torch from Donald Trump."
"There will be no shortage of people looking at it. But most people looking at it are seeing the relative strength of the Trump victory and the movement," Kochel said.
And with Trump's support in a party firmly in the president-elect's grip, the 40-year-old Vance will be extremely hard to knock off.
However, Kochel noted that "nobody will completely defer to JD Vance. There will be a contest. There always is."
Carney added that "there may be other people who challenge him [Vance]… there’s a lot of people who want to be president, but it will be a very hard lane other than the Trump lane."
He added that a possible rough four years for the Trump/Vance administration would give potential Vance challengers "opportunities."
However, he praised the vice president-elect's messaging and accessibility on the campaign trail and that "he is the guy to beat, regardless of whether it’s a good four years or a rough four years."
Carney also touted that the Republican Party has a "deep bench."
Republican National Committee chair Michael Whatley, a top Trump ally, said in a recent Fox News Digital interview that he's "very excited about the bench that we have in the Republican Party right now."
Pointing to Trump's remaking of the GOP, Whatley added that "as we go into 2028, we are in a great position to be able to continue the momentum of this agenda and this movement."
But he also emphasized that regardless of Vance's likely frontrunner status as 2028 nears, the RNC will hold to its traditional role of staying neutral in an open and contested presidential primary.
Here's a look at some of those on the bench that may have national aspirations and ambitions in 2028, or beyond.
The conservative governor of Florida was flying high after a landslide re-election in 2022, but an unsuccessful 2024 presidential primary run and a bruising battle with Trump knocked Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis down in stature.
However, the term-limited 46-year-old governor, who has two years left in office steering Florida, proved over the past few years his fundraising prowess and retains plenty of supporters across the country.
DeSantis was also able, to a degree, to repair relations with Trump, helped raise money for the GOP ticket during the general election, and earned a prime time speaking slot at July's convention.
It's likely that DeSantis, who sources say Trump has considered as a plan B for Defense secretary if his nominee Pete Hegseth runs into trouble, has his eyes on another White House run.
The popular conservative governor is one of the few in the GOP who can claim he faced Trump's wrath and not only survived, but thrived.
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, who is term-limited, has two years left in office and enjoys strong favorable ratings in a crucial battleground state.
Expect to see the 61-year-old Kemp on the campaign trail across the country for fellow Republicans in 2026, as his national profile expands.
With his 2021 gubernatorial victory – the first by a Republican in Virginia in a dozen years – Gov. Glenn Youngkin instantly became a GOP rising star.
In Virginia, governors are limited to one four-year term, which means Youngkin has one year left in office.
The 58-year-old governor, who hails from the Republican Party's business wing but has been able to thrive in a MAGA-dominated party, likely harbors national ambitions.
A first step could be a Cabinet post in the second Trump administration after his term as governor ends.
The controversial conservative firebrand passed on challenging Trump again in 2024, as he ran for what was thought to be another difficult re-election bid, after narrowly surviving his 2018 re-election.
However, the 53-year-old senator ended up winning a third six-year term in the Senate by nearly nine points.
The Army veteran, who served in combat in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars before becoming a rising star in Republican Party politics, was considered to be on the larger list of potential Trump running mates.
The now-47-year-old Sen. Tom Cotton seriously mulled a 2024 White House run of his own before deciding against it in late 2022, putting his young family ahead of political ambitions. However, he did not rule out a future presidential bid.
Cotton is currently bidding for the GOP conference chair, the number three leadership position in the incoming Senate Republican majority.
The 44-year-old Sen. Josh Hawley, along with Cotton, is another rising conservative star in the Senate.
Hawley is also a strong defender of Trump's America First agenda and is thought to have national aspirations.
The former two-term South Carolina governor, who served as U.N. ambassador in Trump's first term, was the first GOP challenger to jump into the race against the former president in the 2024 nomination race.
While the 52-year-old Haley ended up backing Trump in the general election, her earlier clashes with the now president-elect during the primaries left their mark. Even though she addressed the GOP faithful at the convention, her political future in a party dominated by Trump is uncertain.
The first-term conservative governor of Arkansas is a well-known figure in MAGA world, thanks to her tenure as Trump's longest-serving White House press secretary during his first administration.
The 42-year-old Sanders, the daughter of former Arkansas governor and former two-time presidential candidate Mike Huckabee, has also grabbed national attention for delivering the GOP's response to President Biden's 2023 State of the Union address.
The multimillionaire biotech entrepreneur, anti-woke crusader and first-time candidate was one of the biggest surprises during the GOP presidential nomination race.
The now 39-year-old Vivek Ramaswamy, who touted during his campaign that he and Trump were the only two "America First candidates" in the large field of contenders, eventually dropped out of the race and became a major backer and surrogate for the former president.
He's now teaming up with billionaire Trump supporter and pal Elon Musk to steer DOGE, the new presidential advisory commission that will look to make massive cuts in the federal budget.
Others to keep your eyes on include Sen. Marco Rubio, who ran for the 2016 nomination and was nominated to serve as secretary of state in the second Trump administration; Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina, who ran unsuccessfully for the 2024 nomination but remains very popular; and Sen. Rick Scott of Florida and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who both mulled but decided against presidential runs this past cycle.
Also, not to be ignored – top Trump supporters Rep. Byron Donalds of Florida and Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York, whom Trump picked to serve as U.S. ambassador to the U.N., and South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, who was named to head the Department of Homeland Security
Then there is Donald Trump Jr., the president-elect's eldest son and MAGA warrior. However, the younger Trump is very close to Vance, which would likely prevent him from making any White House bid in the next cycle.
Oregon’s top law enforcement officer rolled out what she called bilingual "Sanctuary Promise Community Toolkit" to help residents refresh their knowledge of the Beaver State’s relevant laws.
"Every person has the right to live, work, play, and learn safely in Oregon, period," Oregon Democratic Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum said in a statement announcing the toolkit.
In 1987, Oregon lawmakers passed then-Rep. Rocky Barilla’s HB 2314 in response to several raids by INS – the U.S. Immigration & Naturalization Service, which transformed into USCIS, DHS and ICE in 2003.
The law is largely considered the first "sanctuary state" policy in the country.
Rosenblum explicitly acknowledged Oregon’s place in that regard, noting the law prohibits state and local law enforcement resources from being used to apprehend suspects charged solely with being present in the U.S. without papers.
A press release from the attorney general’s office noted Barilla’s bill passed "nearly unanimously" in 1987 but that by 2024, sanctuary laws have become an "intensely partisan issue."
"I asked my Civil Rights Unit here at the Oregon DOJ to do whatever we could to provide the people, businesses, and local governments of our state with easy-to-read materials to help them know their rights and educate others, and I’m so pleased with what they’ve put together," Rosenblum said in her statement.
In the toolkit, documents relating to the 1987 law’s passage are available for easy public consumption, along with a "conversation" with figures involved in getting the law passed.
The toolkit includes several FAQs, including "how do I prepare myself and my family for encounters with ICE or other federal immigration authorities?" – "Is there a place I can call to report ICE or other federal immigration authorities active right now in my community?" and "After an encounter with ICE or other federal immigration authorities, what information should I write down?"
Oregon also hosts a statewide "hotline" to report sanctuary law violations.
There are also links to press coverage, as well as a separate "law enforcement bias response" toolkit.
Rosenblum said she also recommends Oregonians discuss the issue with family in the next few weeks to "know your rights… and make a plan for what to do if immigration officials come to your home or place of business."
"Knowing your rights in advance is essential," she said.
President-elect Trump tapped former ICE Director Thomas Homan as his "border czar" – succeeding Vice President Kamala Harris.
President-elect Trump picked Miami-Dade County Commissioner Kevin Marino Cabrera to serve as ambassador to Panama.
Calling the Miami-Dade County Commissioner a "fierce fighter," Trump said that he would advance the "MAGA agenda" to the Central American country.
"Kevin is a fierce fighter for America First principles. As a Miami-Dade County Commissioner, and Vice Chairman of the International Trade Consortium, he has been instrumental in driving Economic growth, and fostering International partnerships," Trump wrote in the Wednesday announcement. "In 2020, Kevin did an incredible job as my Florida State Director and, this year, advanced our MAGA Agenda as a Member of the RNC Platform Committee."
"Few understand Latin American politics as well as Kevin - He will do a FANTASTIC job representing our Nation’s interests in Panama!" he said.
The announcement came after Trump said that Panama was "a Country that is ripping us off on the Panama Canal, far beyond their wildest dreams."
In a post on Truth Social on Wednesday, Trump also accused Chinese soldiers of illegally operating the canal and "always making certain that the United States puts in Billions of Dollars in 'repair' money but will have absolutely nothing to say about 'anything.'"
As a change in presidential administrations approaches, President-elect Trump and President Biden both marked the Christmas holiday, with Biden acknowledging that it would be his last time as president to wish the nation a merry Christmas.
Trump, who will be sworn in on Jan. 20, exclaimed in a post on Truth Social, "MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL!" In another post he shared a photo of himself and his wife Melania — the photo bore the message "MERRY CHRISTMAS!"
In a post on the @POTUS presidential X account, Biden said: "For the last time as your president, it's my honor to wish all of America a very Merry Christmas. My hope for our nation, today and always, is that we continue to seek the light of liberty and love, kindness and compassion, dignity and decency. May God bless you all."
A post on the @JoeBiden X account that features a photo of the president and first lady Jill Biden reads, "Merry Christmas, everyone!"
Trump — who defeated Vice President Kamala Harris in the November election — made history this year by becoming the second president ever to win election to two non-consecutive terms. The first was Grover Cleveland in the 19th century. While the new year will mark a new chapter in Trump's political career, it also marks the end of Biden's decades-long stint at the top levels of Washington politics.
Biden, the oldest president in U.S. history, bowed out of the 2024 presidential contest earlier this year in the face of tremendous pressure from within his party after a widely panned debate performance against Trump.
President Biden’s age — and whether he should stay or go — nearly tore Democrats apart this summer.
In fact, a decision for the president to bow out earlier — and give other candidates, along with Vice President Kamala Harris, the chance to run for the Oval Office — may have salvaged the election for the party.
The divide between old and new and the direction of the party is threatening to drive a wedge through the Democratic coalition. In fact, the race between Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va., and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., to serve as the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee represented a microcosm of that skirmish.
The 74-year-old Connolly, recovering from esophageal cancer, bested the 35-year-old Ocasio-Cortez for the high-profile spot in the Democratic Caucus recently. The ranking Democrat on that panel will duel daily with Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky. Connolly is also expected to serve as the party’s lead attack dog for looming tangles with the incoming Trump administration.
Comer was rooting for Ocasio-Cortez. He knew selecting her would amplify her positions as to the direction of the party.
"I hope they put her on there because she symbolizes what the Democrats stand for. She's a socialist. She's the architect of the Green New Deal in the House," said Comer.
It was a generational choice for Democrats.
Youth versus experience.
But what about the future of the party?
Ocasio-Cortez is an icon of the progressive movement. She’s one of the highest wattage stars in Congress — albeit sometimes a lightning rod.
Does the party want to tout liberal pols like Ocasio-Cortez — which would resonate in the left-leaning, multicultural precincts of Jackson Heights and College Point in New York? Or figure out how to speak to swaths of swing voters and even moderate Democrats in Omaha, Nebraska, parts of Ohio and the Dakotas?
It wasn’t that long ago that Democrats represented many of these places. The entire North and South Dakota delegations — House and Senate — were comprised of Democrats. Former Sens. Ben Nelson, D-Neb., and Bob Kerrey, D-Neb., were political icons in the Cornhusker State. Ohio was a swing state at the presidential level.
Connolly is by no stretch a "conservative" Democrat. He lacks the political allure of Ocasio-Cortez. That is neither a good thing nor a bad thing. Connolly is a workhorse. He’s a serious legislator with a nimble mind and can go toe-to-toe with the best of them verbally on the committee dais or on the House floor.
The question is: Did House Democrats again stiff the progressives? Did they again shut out youth and vigor?
Unclear.
An Ocasio-Cortez victory would have signaled that Democrats veered left. That was one of the problems for the party in the election. But when it comes to "youth" and "turning the page" in the party, few have more currency on this subject than outgoing Rep. Dean Phillips, D-Minn. Certain quarters of the Democratic establishment excoriated Phillips when he made a quixotic challenge to President Biden in the party. Now Phillips is retiring from Congress.
"It is time to elevate the best and brightest. We have literally kept them from ascending to leadership positions, which means they go elsewhere," lamented Phillips. "And when we lose that kind of talent of ambitious, competent, patriotic young Americans, we're in trouble."
Democrats are trying to figure out where they will land after a brutal election loss. The path to rebuild a viable coalition is a challenge. Especially after President-elect Trump figured out a way to grow the GOP base and lure disaffected voters in his direction.
"It's quite apparent that the Democratic caucus has long valued people who have been here a long time," said Phillips, criticizing how the party doesn’t recruit "young, talented Americans." He said that Democrats "will continue losing" if they do not "open up" to younger voters.
For his part, Connolly argued the old versus young debate was a "false narrative, frankly, propounded by the media."
But even as Connolly won, the party selected several younger lawmakers (and keep in mind that "younger" is a relative term when it comes to Congress) to serve as the ranking members on several committees.
Rep. Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., who is 77, stepped aside as the top Democrat on the Judiciary Committee in favor of the practically spright 62-year-old Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md. Raskin just recovered from lymphoma.
Rep. Raul Grijalva, D-Ariz., a 78-year-old, was absent for much of the year suffering from cancer. Grijalva has served as the leading Democrat on the House Natural Resources Committee. He stepped away from that role, while 60-year-old Rep. Jared Huffman, D-Calif., defeated a newcomer to Congress — 45-year-old Rep. Melanie Stansbury, D-N.M., — to serve as ranking member of that panel.
"Only in Congress do I get to be young at 60 years old," quipped Huffman. "So it's like the fountain of youth."
Like Grijalva, 79-year-old Rep. David Scott, D-Ga., was absent for chunks of time over the past year due to health problems. He is the ranking Democrat on the Agriculture Committee. Scott declined to step down. Rep. Jim Costa, D-Calif., who is 72, and 52-year-old Rep. Angie Craig, D-Minn., challenged Scott, as Democrats clashed over age and experience.
"I don't know that it's a clash," said Costa before the vote. "We’ve got a terrific group of members in our Democratic Caucus. Members that have been elected in recent classes. But certainly we've got on spectrum, tremendous experience and a solid bench."
The younger Craig defeated both Scott and Costa to claim the ranking position on Agriculture.
After prevailing, Craig did not focus on age. She addressed political practicalities instead.
"Democrats overall are not connecting with rural communities. That's something we've been able to do in my district. I represent a D-plus one district and I just won it by about 14 percentage points," said Craig.
In other words, her district in southeastern Minnesota nominally favors Democrats, but the moderate Craig whipped her opponent.
"(When) we show up, we listen to people and they know that we care about them and about their lives," said Craig. "And I think the Democratic Party needs to do more of that. Show up. Listen. And make sure that people know they care about them."
As Democrats sorted out their committee leaders, yours truly spotted 78-year-old Rep. Marcy Kaptur, D-Ohio, near a Capitol stairway.
Kaptur is an anomaly in Congress, in so many ways.
First elected in 1982, Kaptur is the longest-serving woman in Congressional history. She’s a pro-life Democrat. And despite her seniority — and one might argue gender — Kaptur has never gotten to chair or serve as the top Democrat on any House committee.
Much of that is due to her stance on abortion. But Kaptur’s experience and Ocasio-Cortez’s experience bring this debate full circle. Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., advocated for Connolly over the New York Democrat. And for years, Kaptur asserts that the powerful Pelosi blocked her ascension, too.
"In the case of the Appropriations Committee, the people that get elected in my party tend to come from the coasts," observed Kaptur, saying it took her a decade to even get a slot on the Appropriations roster. "I had to defeat Nancy Pelosi to do that on about five ballots. I began to understand the way this organization called ‘Congress’ functions."
Kaptur says that most Democratic ranking members on committees are "all from the coasts. They’re not from our region of America."
Kaptur believes the party must focus on "bread-and-butter issues at home" if they’re going to reclaim the voters who President-elect Trump scored in November.
"The President-elect was correct when he talked about prices when he went to a McDonald’s. That’s where so many of my constituents work and eat," said Kaptur.
She added that Trump’s ride in a garbage truck sealed the deal with working-class Americans.
"He artfully identified with their plight," said Kaptur.
That characterization from Kaptur is the quintessential distillation of the entire presidential race. It explains many of the reasons why Trump won. It underscored how Democrats struggle to speak to "working class" Americans and those who reside in the middle of the country.
The tug-of-war will continue for Democrats as moderates and progressives — plus newcomers and the older guard — scrap over the future of the party.
But it’s hard to argue with Kaptur — both from electoral experience and politics. She won re-election in a state carried by Trump. That’s to say nothing of Sen.-elect Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, winning statewide, as well.
When it comes to choice spots on key committees, Democrats have ignored lawmakers like Kaptur and shut them out. Ocasio-Cortez lost to Connolly. Raskin, Huffman and Craig are now the top Democrats on several committees. It’s a mixture of younger members, but more pragmatism. Does it mean Democrats got the message? Not necessarily.
Check back in six months to see if these maneuvers represent a major course correction.
As millions of Americans gather together with loved ones to celebrate the Christmas holiday and ring in the new year, hundreds of thousands of American men and women in uniform will mark the holidays away from family in decidedly less festive corners of the world.
As of June, 165,830 U.S. service members were on deployment across the Middle East, Indo-Pacific region and Europe. That figure has likely ticked higher amid recent unrest across the Middle East, and it doesn’t include service members working at U.S. bases over the holidays and civilian personnel on overseas contracts.
Here’s a look at where service members will spend the holidays on deployment across the world:
Around 43,000 troops are stationed across the Middle East as of October, an increase from the usual 34,000 amid the recent unrest and outbreak of war between Israel and Iranian proxy forces Hamas and Hezbollah.
The Pentagon announced in October it would be moving troops into Cyprus to prepare for escalating unrest in Lebanon. And last week the Pentagon divulged that some 2,100 troops were in Syria — not the 900 they had long claimed. Another 1,000 troops are in Iraq carrying out missions to thwart ISIS.
U.S. forces are stationed across Europe to support NATO forces and deter any potential Russian aggression.
Major areas of deployment include Germany (34,894), Italy (12,319) and the United Kingdom (10,180).
Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin thanked U.S. troops for serving over the holiday season in a Christmas message.
"We know firsthand the holidays can be especially hard if you're far away from your loved ones. So for our troops stationed around the globe, we deeply appreciate your sacrifice," he said. "We know that your families serve too, and our military families are the foundation of America's strength."
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., is calling for the swift trial, conviction, and execution of the man charged in connection with the gruesome murder of a woman burned alive on a New York City subway.
The outspoken Republican took to social media on Tuesday to address the incident, in which Guatemalan national Sebastian Zapeta, 33, is accused of setting a woman on fire while on a train in Brooklyn.
"Death penalty, don’t waste money on a lengthy trial. Convict him and finish him. What he did is so incredibly evil," Greene declared in a post on X. "I can’t watch the video anymore. And how it seems like no one tried to save her is beyond me. Maybe they did but it doesn’t seem like it."
Zapeta faces charges of first- and second-degree murder, and first-degree arson, with a maximum sentence of life imprisonment with no parole.
Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., declared in a post on X, "A woman was intentionally lit on fire on the subway today. Democrats’ soft-on-crime policies do not work."
New York City Police Department Commissioner Jessica Tisch noted during remarks on Sunday that Zapeta allegedly "used what we believe to be a lighter to ignite the victim's clothing, which became fully engulfed in a matter of seconds." Assistant District Attorney Ari Rottenberg alleged in court on Tuesday that the suspect fanned the fire with a shirt.
Zapeta's next court appearance is scheduled for Friday, according to online records.
A U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) spokesperson said in a statement that Zapeta had been removed from the U.S. in 2018 and then re-entered the country illegally at some point "on an unknown date and location."
Fox News' Bill Melugin and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
As the smell of pine fills the air and the stockings are hung with care, some liberal media outlets served up advice that’s as hard to swallow as a dry fruitcake. Their mission? Equipping you to survive holiday conversations with Trump-supporting relatives.
From suggested scripts that sound more like hostage negotiations to icebreakers better suited for therapy sessions than a festive family gathering, here are five of the most over-the-top ideas mainstream media is dishing out to keep your Christmas "Trump-proof."
For one HuffPost contributor, the election of Trump wasn't just a political turning point — it was a holiday deal-breaker. Faced with the knowledge that her husband and his family voted for the former president, she decided to cancel both Thanksgiving and Christmas altogether. No lights, no carols, no awkward family dinners.
"But I will not give thanks and hold hands in a circle with people who voted for a party that wants to take rights away from LGBTQ people," guest contributor Andrea Tate wrote. "I will not pass the turkey to someone who supports people who have signaled they will cause harm to people with disabilities and the elderly. I will not sit by a Christmas tree celebrating the birth of Jesus and sipping eggnog when I know how many people may now find themselves in grave – even deadly — danger because they cannot get the reproductive care they need. I will not unwrap gifts given to me by people who voted for a party that has talked about building internment camps and mass deportation."
After a psychologist made headlines last month arguing people should avoid Trump-supporting relatives this holiday season, "The View" co-host Sunny Hostin agreed, saying many people feel "someone voted not only against their families but against them."
Shortly after the election, Yale University chief psychiatry resident Dr. Amanda Calhoun spoke to MSNBC host Joy Reid about how liberals who are devastated by Trump’s re-election can cope with the news, including separating from loved ones.
"There is a push, I think just a societal norm that if somebody is your family, that they are entitled to your time, and I think the answer is absolutely not," Calhoun told the talk show host. "So if you are going to a situation where you have family members, where you have close friends who you know have voted in ways that are against you, like what you said, against your livelihood, it’s completely fine to not be around those people and to tell them why, you know, to say, ‘I have a problem with the way that you voted, because it went against my very livelihood and I’m not going to be around you this holiday.’"
If your holiday feast feels more like a political debate than a festive gathering, Time magazine has your back with a list of 11 carefully crafted phrases to defuse family tension.
The top pick? A simple yet stern declaration: "I won’t be talking about politics today." Framed as a way to create a politics-free safe zone, the advice encourages setting boundaries with relatives whose views you loathe — so you can focus on what really matters.
"Emphasize that you want to keep the focus on the festivities at hand, and ask for a commitment to avoid polarizing topics. If the conversation still ends up turning in that direction, shut it down: ‘OK, that’s enough of that,’ or, ‘We’re not talking about that here today,’" the Time article states.
The Associated Press has a simple solution: take a breather. Whether the conversation veers into a political minefield or Uncle Bob just won’t stop, the AP suggests calmly excusing yourself from the fray. No need for a dramatic exit — just a composed stroll to the kitchen, the porch, or anywhere that isn’t the battlefield of your family table.
"Things getting intense? Defuse the situation. Walk away. And it doesn’t have to be in a huff. Sometimes a calm and collected time out is just what you — and the family — might need," the article recommends.
In a searing MSNBC op-ed, writer Amira Barger challenges the notion that family gatherings should always be sacred if they have different beliefs. The author doesn't differentiate between Trump-supporting family members and liberal voters.
"I have come to realize that being related by blood doesn’t necessarily mean that those gathered will protect you," Barger wrote. "Finding family isn’t always about unity, or forcing yourself to remain in a place that causes you harm. Sometimes, it’s about clarity, and the difficult choices that come with it.
"This fall, after a conversation that spanned more than 1,000 texts in various family group chats, my husband and I made the difficult decision to hold a hard and fast boundary with much of my immediate family, whose stated values and votes made it clear to us that we could not feel comfortable around them."
She adds, "These were decisions we did not make lightly or hastily, but sometimes the best course of action is, in fact, to ban the bad actors."
Fox News Digital's Alexander Hall contributed to this report.
The traditional English carol "The Twelve Days of Christmas" has long been a favorite during the holiday season, standing the test of time through the centuries and inspiring amusing parodies like Bob Rivers' "Twelve Pains of Christmas."
But the song – which counts up from Christmas to Epiphany on Jan. 6 – has also become the peg for a whimsical way to gauge year-over-year inflation. Pennsylvania-based PNC Bank and other financial institutions have tracked the costs of each set of gifts from "Twelve Drummers Drumming" to a "Partridge in a Pear Tree" to see exactly how much it might cost a man to deliver each to his true love.
PNC’s Christmas Price Index indicated the overall cost of the song’s gifts increased 5.4% since 2023, totaling just under $50,000.
Meanwhile, the Texas-based business company Swyft Filings noted in 2023 that costs would also vary depending on each state. Taxes, regulations and other factors would be the most likely variables. The company found California, Hawaii and Washington to be the most expensive and Arkansas, Mississippi and Alabama to be the least expensive, given that variation.
Here's a breakdown of the costs counting down from the 12th day.
12 Drummers Drumming
PNC Bank cited wage inflation as the driving factor behind the increase in renting a 12-piece drum corps this year. Their estimated cost was $4,017; an increase of 15.6% over 2023.
Several websites estimated the average cost of a drummer for two hours was between $250 and $500, depending on the set. Taking the median of that rate and multiplying by a dozen drummers places the cost around $4,500, plus gratuity, of course.
11 Pipers Piping
Eleven flutists, or hiring an 11-piece wind ensemble, bear a similar cost-per-head as drummers.
In that regard, PNC Bank estimated the same 15.6% increase as the dozen drummers, with a final cost of $3,715.
10 Lords-a-Leaping
In the British political system, a lord is a title of peerage or nobility dating back to feudal England, and the House of Lords is the current name for the upper chamber of Parliament.
Placing the phrase in an American context, it remains illegal to physically or proverbially purchase a senator for any purpose including leaping, and public corruption has often been a topic in the media.
However, some estimates have been published on what the cost would be to pay 10 senators or lords to jump.
PNC reported 10 lords-a-leaping would be the most expensive purchase of the 12, with an estimated 2024 cost of $15,579.65 – an increase of 7.2% since 2023.
Nine Ladies Dancing
According to the website GigSalad, the average cost of a dance troupe for a 30-minute performance is between $200 and $400. The freelancing platform UpWork listed dancers for hire ranging from $30 per hour to more than $100 per hour.
The median cost per dancer per hour multiplied by nine comes out to $405 for a half-hour.
In PNC’s tracking, nine ladies dancing in the form of a professional troupe would cost $8,557 for an undisclosed set time, up 3% in the past year.
Eight Maids-a-Milking
Milk prices are back on the upswing in recent months, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. In November, the average price-per-gallon of whole milk was $4.14, an increase from a flat $4 that time last year.
The ubiquitous beverage saw a spike during COVID and settled in the two years since, but is on the increase once more.
Adding milkmaids to the equation, PNC Bank estimated a cost of $58, unchanged from 2023.
Seven Swans-a-Swimming
One Midwest swan farm listed the price-per-bird at $400. In 2020, the city of Lakeland, Florida, was dealing with an overpopulation of about 80 swans on a lake in the community outside Tampa. The going price then was also $400, according to CNN.
Listings on BirdsNow ranged from $400 to $2500, with a pair being markedly more expensive than two individuals. Altogether, PNC estimated the total cost to exceed $13,000, with no increase over 2023.
Six Geese-a-laying
While a South Dakota goose farm listed the price of an 8- to 10-pound goose for consumption at $140 each – calculating to $8,400 for a half-dozen, the cost of live geese that can lay eggs was different.
Prices for live goslings averaged $40 each online, or $240 for six.
PNC’s Christmas index, however, calculated the full cost at $900, or 15% higher than 2023.
Five Gold Rings
On Monday, gold futures hovered around $2,600 per ounce. While PNC estimated the total cost of five gold rings to be $1,245, the actual value may vary depending on the carats, size of ring and other factors.
There is some debate over whether the original lyric is really "four colly birds" versus "four calling birds." A colly bird is a blackbird in English vernacular. The term "colly" has its roots in how something looks when blackened by coal dust.
The cost of a live blackbird is between $150 and $225, and PNC estimates four to cost just under $600 – which indicates the lower end of that price spectrum. The bank estimated the cost remained unchanged since 2023.
Three French Hens
The French Bresse hen is considered one of the most sought-after chickens in the world.
Butchers in Paris were selling French hens for €40 per kilo or about $92 per pound. Live poults purchased from farms in the United States ranged from a few dollars up to about $250 as of Monday.
In PNC’s index, the cost of three French hens increased 5% from 2023 to about $347.
Two Turtledoves
In 1992’s "Home Alone 2: Lost in New York," Macaulay Culkin’s Kevin McCallister visits "Duncan’s Toy Chest" – a play on Manhattan’s iconic FAO Schwarz department store.
The elderly owner, played by Eddie Bracken, offers Kevin any one of his store’s Christmas tree’s ornaments.
Mr. Duncan tells Kevin he should keep one turtledove and give the second to "a very special person."
"Turtledoves are a symbol of friendship and love," he explains. "As long as you each have a turtledove, you’ll be friends forever."
Kevin ultimately gives the second turtledove to Brenda Fricker’s "Pigeon Lady" at the end of the film after she helps capture the movie's villains, Daniel Stern’s Marv and Joe Pesci’s Harry.
While that cinematic pair may have been priceless, PNC’s index placed the price of a pair at $750, and European turtledoves themselves are considered a threatened species.
And a Partridge in a Pear Tree
The Home Depot listed Bartlett pear trees at about $58 this week.
Additionally, in an American context, Alaska’s state bird – the Willow Ptarmigan – is a more common type of western partridge.
"Huns" or Hungarian gray partridges were also introduced in the Lower 48’s northwest in the early 20th century.
Costs of both live ptarmigan and ptarmigan meat were unavailable on Monday, but PNC estimated the combined cost as $160. The bank reported the cost of the bird remained the same, but the pear tree increased in price since 2023.
In its reporting on its own estimations, PNC officials said on the bank’s website that the internet has made the calculation and potential availability of the items in the ancient English carol much more accessible in the 40 years it has calculated their costs.
"Believe it or not, we're still seeing the cause and effect of the pandemic-inflation hangover, even nearly five years later," PNC Asset Management Group chief investment officer Amanda Agati said in a statement.
"With years of steep price increases, we'd think inflation has nowhere to go, but we'd be wrong. This latest PNC CPI is an accurate reflection of what we're seeing in the market."
Online purchases of the lyrical items were calculated to be more expensive online than at a brick-and-mortar store due to shipping costs.
The overall cost of the 12 Days of Christmas increased 133% in the past four decades, with factors such as minimum wage increases particularly affecting the for-hire gifts such as pipers and drummers.
If an enterprising fellow were to purchase his beau the song's 364 total gifts from the 12-day giving spree, it would rise from 2023 by 3.6% to an estimated cost of $209,272.
Christmas Day is a time for Americans and others across the world who celebrate the holiday to spend time with loved ones while participating in time-honored traditions – and members of Congress are no exception.
Far away from the bustle and drama of Capitol Hill, lawmakers opened up to Fox News Digital about their favorite ways to spend the Christmas holiday, both past and present.
"Jacquie and I are excited to have the whole crew under one roof for an ice cold Minnesota Christmas, complete with four grandkids who're getting a crash course in the joy (and noise!) of an Emmer family holiday," House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., told Fox News Digital. "The Christmas Village is all set up, and ugly sweaters are a must."
In South Dakota, Republican Sen. Mike Rounds has more than 100 members of his family in attendance each year for Christmas Eve to eat homemade chicken noodle soup, his office told Fox News Digital.
"Senator Rounds’ late wife Jean was also very talented at making cross stitch and needlework art, and Senator Rounds and his children decorate the whole house with all of her handmade Christmas art," his office said.
Rep. Claudia Tenney, R-N.Y., recalled a Christmas scavenger hunt that her parents orchestrated.
"My parents always set up a treasure hunt on Christmas Eve. My four siblings and I had to de-code a series of clues that led us to various parts of the house to find the next clue, that eventually led us to the final clue, which was where the presents we opened were found," Tenney said.
She said locations included "the trunk of the car, the dryer, or a storage closet."
"It was really fun, and my parents made the clues more and more clever and challenging each year," Tenney said. "Then we went to our neighbor's across the street for their annual Christmas Eve party. The entire neighborhood was invited. Afterward, many of us, including our Jewish neighbors, went to midnight mass at the Presbyterian Church."
Sen. Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo., meanwhile, said her favorite Christmas tradition was skiing with her grandchildren in Star Valley in western Wyoming.
And for Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., Christmas means family dinners and board games.
"We go to Christmas Eve Mass at the parish I grew up in and go to dinner at my parents' house," Schmitt told Fox News Digital. "Larger family gets together after Christmas for [an] epic game of RISK."
Presidents have historically developed their own Christmas traditions as they make their unique marks on the White House during their terms. In recent years, Christmases have been spent in an array of places by commanders in chief, from Hawaii, to Texas to Mar-a-Lago.
President Joe Biden opted in 2021 to move his family's Christmas celebration to the White House, rather than its usual location in his home state of Delaware. The extended Biden family reportedly attended Mass on Christmas Eve and then returned to the White House where they enjoyed a pasta dinner and had a sleepover, which are traditions in the family.
Before him, former President Donald Trump — who will soon take office again — spent Christmases in Florida at his Mar-a-Lago estate, per reports. During their holidays in Florida, Trump and first lady Melania Trump attended Christmas services at a local Episcopal church in Palm Beach, where the two married in 2005.
Former President Barack Obama established a tradition as president of spending the Christmas holiday with his family in Hawaii. As reported, the president's Christmases in the state were relatively quiet, spent with friends and family. However, they established a tradition of visiting a local Marine base to thank soldiers for their service on Christmas Day.
Prior to Obama, President George Bush chose to spend his Christmases near to the nation's capital at the Camp David presidential retreat. This was something first established by his father, former President George H. W. Bush. In 2008, the Bush family reportedly celebrated what was their 12th Christmas at Camp David.
Further back, U.S. presidents have held a variety of events to mark the Christmas season at the White House, some more elaborate than others. In 1835, President Andrew Jackson famously hosted an indoor "snowball" fight for children at his "frolic" party. The party included games, dancing and a festive dinner and ended with a snowball fight, during which the participants used specially made cotton balls.
President Franklin Roosevelt had his own tradition of reading Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol" aloud after a Christmas Eve meal.
According to the White House Historical Association, there is a popular myth suggesting that President Theodore Roosevelt banned trees from being cut down and placed in the White House as decoration. This was prompted in part by the fact that the Roosevelts did not mark the holiday with a tree.
The WHHA noted that Christmas trees in every home is a relatively modern tradition.
Per the association, Roosevelt's son Archie started his own tradition by sneaking a small tree into the White House and placing it in a closet. He decorated it before revealing the tree to his family and starting a new holiday tradition.
The White House announced on Christmas Eve President Joe Biden signed a bill officially designating the bald eagle as the national bird.
The bill, signed Monday after being passed unanimously by Congress, amends Title 36 of the United States Code, officially appointing the predator one of the country's national symbols.
The bald eagle, which has been featured on the Great Seal of the United States since 1782 and has its own holiday and protection act, was never technically assigned the title of "national bird."
It was, however, designated as the national emblem by the U.S. Congress in 1782, according to USA.gov. In addition to its appearance on the Great Seal, it is featured on official documents, the presidential flag, military insignia, and currency.
A document previously published by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to VA.gov improperly noted the bird as the national bird.
"Thank you to Senators Klobuchar, Lummis, Mullin and Smith, and Representatives Finstad, Craig and Emmer for their leadership," the White House wrote in a statement Tuesday announcing the signing of the bill.
"John is a highly successful entrepreneur in the automotive industry, and a champion golfer. For over thirty years, he has been an incredible leader in business in West Palm Beach, and is respected by all," Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform. "I have known John for a long time. He will do an incredible job for our Country, and always put America FIRST."
Arrigo has been a longtime associate of Trump's, a Business Insider report said in 2021.
Farkas, a model and philanthropist, would serve America's interests in the island nation of Malta.
Farkas previously served on Trump's Commission on White House Fellowships.
In his announcement, Trump said she "has raised Millions of Dollars for charity, including for the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, the Alzheimer’s Associate (sic), Lighthouse Guild, the New York Women’s Foundation and, as a Trustee of the New York City Police Foundation where she has always BACKED THE BLUE."
California Gov. Gavin Newsom is reportedly considering a plan to help illegal immigrants and their families threatened by president-elect Trump's mass deportation plan.
A draft of the plan obtained by POLITICO, titled "Immigrant Support Network Concept," proposes the creation of an Immigrant Support Network comprised of regional hubs to "connect at-risk individuals, their families, and communities with community systems — such as legal services, schools, labor unions, local governments, etc."
Fox News Digital has reached out to Trump's representatives. Newsom's office told Fox News Digital that the draft was prepared by the California Department of Social Services and has not yet been reviewed in Sacramento.
"This document is an internal and deliberative draft document meant for internal discussions as part of a number of possible considerations given the incoming federal administration’s public remarks," Scott Murray, the Deputy Director, Public Affairs and Outreach Programs for the Department of Social Services, told Fox News Digital in a statement. "It is not a final proposal."
The draft is part of an effort by California leaders to prepare for a second Trump administration. After Trump was elected, Newsom called a special legislative session and talked of a $25 million "Trump-proof" legal defense fund.
In addition, state lawmakers were lobbying for additional funds.
Senate Budget Chair Scott Wiener proposed legislation seeking $60 million, including funds to create an immigrant detention representation and coordination program, Politico reported.
Under the draft, the state Social Services Department would give state funds to eligible nonprofits and take on administrative duties for the hubs.
The draft does not indicate how much funding the plan requires. However, it said the funds would go toward "community outreach, partnership, legal services staffing positions, and approved administrative costs associated with hub operations," the Politico report said.
California currently faces a $68 billion budget deficit, according to the state's Legislative Analyst's Office. However, in November, the LAO said the state budget was roughly balanced.
On Tuesday, a spokesperson for the state Finance Department said November revenues came in $1 billion below the month's forecast.
"But it's not a lump of coal (it's a timing issue w/cash receipts)," H.D. Palmer, the principal spokesman on fiscal and financial issues for the Newsom Administration, posted on X. "Year to date, still nearly $4.3 billion above projections - and $7.5 billion up since April."
"The administration continues to collaborate with the Legislature to finalize a thoughtful special session funding proposal, which is on track to be signed into law before January 20, 2025," department spokesperson Theresa Mier told the publication.
President Biden on Monday vetoed a bill that would have added 66 federal district judgeships over a span of more than a decade, a once-bipartisan effort designed so that neither political party would have an advantage in molding the federal judiciary.
Three presidential administrations, beginning with the incoming Trump administration, and six Congresses would have had the opportunity to appoint the new trial court judgeships, according to the legislation, which had support from organizations representing judges and attorneys.
Despite arguments from the organizations that additional judgeships would help with cases that have seen serious delays in resolution and ease concerns over access to justice, the White House said that Biden would veto the bill.
In a statement, Biden said he made his decision because the "hurried action" by the House of Representatives left open questions about "life-tenured" positions ...Read More
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BOARDING CALL CA Dems urge feds to fund high-speed rail before DOGE ...Read more
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Get the latest updates on the Trump presidential transition, incoming Congress, exclusive interviews and more on FoxNews.com.
President-elect Trump on Monday pledged to seek the death penalty for certain federal criminal defendants, days after President Biden controversially commuted the death sentences for 37 inmates.
Biden's move to reclassify the death sentences to life without the possibility of parole was heavily criticized by Republicans and many Democrats.
"As soon as I am inaugurated, I will direct the Justice Department to vigorously pursue the death penalty to protect American families and children from violent rapists, murderers, and monsters," Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform. We will be a Nation of Law and Order again!"
In his message announcing the move, the White House said Biden's actions would prevent the incoming Trump administration from "carrying out the execution sentences that would not be handed down under current policy and practice."
Only three men on federal death row failed to meet Biden's requirements for having their sentences commuted.
They are: Robert Bowers, the Tree of Life Synagogue shooter who killed 11 people in 2018; Dylann Roof, a White supremacist who killed nine Black parishioners at Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina, in 2015; and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, who worked with his now-dead brother to carry out the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing that killed three people and injured hundreds.
Trump spokesman Steven Chueng on Monday said Biden's action was a "a slap in the face to the victims, their families, and their loved ones."
During Trump's first term, 13 federal prisoners were put to death, the most under any president in a century. Upon taking office in 2021, Biden declared a moratorium on federal executions.
A Pennsylvania woman was arrested on felony forgery, public records tampering and voter registration-related charges based on allegations she tried to fraudulently register dead people, including her own father, to vote in the 2024 election.
Jennifer Hill, from the Chester area, was arrested Thursday and accused of attempting to add four ineligible individuals to the voter rolls, including her late father.
Delaware County's Democratic district attorney, Jack Stollsteimer, said in public remarks that Hill used an app to register 324 people as a staffer for a group called the New Pennsylvania Project.
Stollsteimer said the Pennsylvania Department of State makes the app available for legal voter registration drives. He said Hill successfully registered 181 people, but 129 other names – which he called a "big number" – were not successful.
"Literally what this woman did was to pad the numbers for her employment. She started registering people that were dead. One of them was her father."
Hill allegedly tried to register a second deceased individual, whom Stollsteimer said Hill knew was dead because they passed away in 2011 in the house she is currently living in.
"She knows that because she was the person who called the police to come when he died in her house."
"She did register a fraudulent person," Stollsteimer said, adding that particular registrant did not vote this year. The fake person’s identity was a portmanteau of her grandmother’s name and a different birthday, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.
In addition, prosecutors charged an 84-year-old man named Philip Moss with voting both in Florida and by mail in Delaware County.
In a statement obtained by Fox News Digital, an executive at the New Pennsylvania Project called the allegations "heartbreaking" and said the group does not provide financial incentives or bonuses for additional voter registrations.
"Our employees have no quota to meet, and hourly wages paid to part-time canvassing employees remain the same no matter the number of voter registration applications collected," Kadida Kenner said.
Kenner added that the Pennsylvania Department of State notified the group about potential issues with a canvasser and the person – believed to be Hill – was immediately suspended.
"Due to the hard work of many individuals to prevent disruptive actions by bad actors, our voting rolls and elections are secure, and no fraudulent ballots were cast," she said.
"As a nonpartisan organization, our year-round voter registration efforts are not directed, in coordination, or aligned with any political party or candidate. Our registration efforts are not and will never be dictated by an election cycle," Kenner went on.
Of the nearly 10,000 applicants the group successfully canvassed for, 48% registered as Democrats, 34% as unaffiliated or third-party and 18% as Republicans.
Hill reportedly faces up to 10 counts for each of the four registrations that led to the indictment by prosecutors in Media.
The Democratic-majority Philadelphia suburb was once more a "swing" county – often voting Democratic on the presidential level while electing state legislative Republicans like then-Senate leader Dominic Pileggi in the 2000s.
But, "Delco," as it is often called, along with neighboring Chester and Montgomery Counties, has swung heavily leftward in the age of Donald Trump.
Vice President Kamala Harris won the county with 61% of the vote.
A hostage rescue operator in Syria offered a glimmer of holiday hope in the case of a missing U.S. journalist, telling Fox News Digital he believes Austin Tice is alive and is hopeful that he will be found soon.
While refusing to divulge sensitive details, Grey Bull Rescue’s Bryan Stern asserted that he has intelligence that leads him to believe the 43-year-old Marine veteran and reporter who was kidnapped in Syria in 2012 is alive, or at least was up until recently.
"I would say 100%, I would bet that he is alive, or at least was as of two weeks ago," Stern told Fox News Digital from his hotel room in Syria. "I would bet that he's being cared for and tended to," he went on.
"I further submit that, he's findable," he went on. "We don’t recover dead bodies. Not to say that we wouldn’t, but we’re a nonprofit, we wouldn’t be putting resources toward that, freezing to death, missing my fourth Christmas with my family, if I didn’t believe he was alive and findable."
Stern has led high-level rescue missions in some of the most dangerous corners of the world, including Ukraine, Russia, Sudan, Israel, Haiti, Lebanon and the U.S. during natural disasters.
"We have done 12 jailbreaks from Russia," said Stern. "That is 12 more than the CIA."
The ousting of Bashar al-Assad and subsequent takeover of Syria by HTS has offered the Biden administration and Tice’s family a renewed sense of hope that the journalist could be found.
"He could have died of a stomach bug three years ago. And we just don't know. I don't think that that's the case," said Stern. "I have no reason to believe that that's the case. There's not a single piece of information, circumstantial or otherwise, that indicate anything near that. In fact, everything I have is counter to that."
The Syrian government for more than a decade refused to negotiate the release of Tice, who was abducted while reporting on the uprising against the Assad regime during the early stages of the Syrian civil war, which ultimately ended earlier this month after the Syrian president was ousted and fled to Moscow.
The mood in Syria is "cautiously happy" after decades of brutal oppression, according to Stern, and while the new governing force HTS is "not standing in the way" of finding Tice, they’re more preoccupied with learning how to govern than assisting in the search efforts.
The most likely scenario, according to Stern, is that Tice is being detained in a home in a neighborhood, looked after by Assad-friendly Alawites, the same branch of Islam as the former leader. Many of the country's prisons have now been searched or emptied and he doesn't believe President Vladimir Putin would hold Tice in Russia.
"The relationship between Assad and Putin is significantly overblown. [Assad] has been there over two weeks and they haven't even seen each other," said Stern.
"The Russians are like we don't need this problem, that is a great way to p--- off soon-to-be-President Trump, I mean who was obsessed with the Austin Tice case years ago."
Investigators believe Tice escaped years ago but was found in just such a neighborhood in Damascus and thrown back in detainment.
The State Department’s Rewards for Justice office is offering a $10 million reward for any information leading to the finding of Tice, but Stern said he believes anyone with information is more driven by tribal loyalty than monetary reward.
"Assad is living the good life in the tower in Moscow. But make no mistake, he still has reach inside of Syria," said Stern. "Half of the new government were Assad guys last week."
"That tribal nexus plus the fear of Bashar Assad being able to reach out and touch people still in Syria, why would they come forward?"
Another group working with Grey Bull asserted this week that they believe Tice is alive.
"We have data that Austin is alive till January 2024, but the president of the U.S. said in August that he is alive, and we are sure that he is alive today," Nizar Zakka, president of Hostage Aid Worldwide, said Tuesday, according to multiple reports.
"We are trying to be as transparent as possible and to share as much information as possible."
Zakka offered little evidence to back up its statements made from a press conference in Damascus, though he reportedly used an image to demonstrate the locations where Tice was held from November 2017 to February 2024.
U.S. Hostage Aid Worldwide has engaged with Tice’s family and U.S. authorities in the hunt for Tice, and the Biden administration has echoed a message of hope that Tice is alive, despite months of little word about his whereabouts.
FIRST ON FOX: A top diplomat of the Chinese Communist Party, who recently replaced a controversial official with deep ties to top New York Democrats, recently touted his relationship with an American university president and former top education official in New Jersey.
Chen Li, who assumed the role of consul general of the People’s Republic of China in New York last month, took to social media last week to praise the "warm hospitality" he received from Kean University President Lamont Repollet.
"Absolutely overwhelmed by the warm hospitality from President Repollet. I truly felt at home on this campus," Li wrote on X. "The commitment to bilateral educational exchange and people to people connections is key to the success of Wenzhou-Kean University, a Chinese-American joint institution."
Repollet, who served as New Jersey's commissioner of education under Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy for more than two years, was seen smiling in two of the photos that Li posted. According to Repollet's Kean University biography, he was in charge of "overseeing the shift to remote education amid the COVID-19 pandemic and playing a key role in planning for the 2020-2021 school year."
Despite Biden and Trump administration officials warning about the influence of the CCP, Repollet has developed deep ties to China dating back several years, a Fox News Digital review found. He most recently visited Beijing in October of this year to give a keynote speech at the Triennial Conference of the International Association of University Presidents, which was held in Beijing.
Press releases from the conference emphasized how Repollet was passionate about equity in education and that his keynote speech highlighted how "AI is a revolutionary tool that can foster equity and transform how we engage with students and support their success."
"AI has the power to help close achievement gaps and ensure that every student, no matter their challenges, has access to high-quality educational resources," he continued. "By offering personalized learning experiences, AI empowers historically marginalized students with the tools they need to succeed."
Months earlier, Chinese state media amplified China President Xi Jinping's letter to Repollet, which was in response to a letter he sent to Xi, according to state media.
"Recently, President Xi Jinping replied to a letter from Lamont Repollet, president of Kean University of the United States, encouraging Chinese and American universities to strengthen exchanges and cooperation and contribute to China-U.S. friendship," the Chinese government said in a press release.
"Recalling witnessing the signing ceremony of the China-U.S. cooperation agreement on jointly establishing Wenzhou-Kean University in 2006 at Kean University, Xi Jinping said he is pleased to see that with the joint efforts of both sides, Wenzhou-Kean University has achieved remarkable results and become a landmark project in China-U.S. educational cooperation."
"Xi expressed appreciation for what Repollet said in his letter about deepening cooperation with Wenzhou-Kean University and encouraging American students to come to China for exchange and study, and called on universities of the two countries to step up exchanges and cooperation through different modalities to cultivate young envoys who know both countries well, and build more bridges to promote China-U.S. friendship," the statement continued.
Additionally, a press release from Wenzhou-Kean University touted Repollet's "momentous" visit to China in April 2023.
"Kean University President Lamont O. Repollet and his delegation embarked on a momentous visit to Wenzhou, marking the first visit in three years," the press release said. "This visit presented a unique opportunity to strengthen the interactions between the two universities, foster people-to-people exchanges between Zhejiang province and New Jersey in the United States, and enhance the long-standing friendship between the two countries."
The press release said Repollet arrived in China on March 20, 2023, and he "wasted no time" meeting with Wenzhou Party Secretary Shuji Liu Xiaotao.
"Mr. Liu Xiaotao expressed his hope that the two sides would continue to build a model of Sino-US cooperation in education and foster a bridge of friendly exchanges, with a bright future ahead for the university," the press release states. "President Repollet extended his heartfelt gratitude to the Wenzhou government for its unwavering support toward the construction and development of WKU."
Xiaotao has been a member of the Chinese Communist Party since 1991 and has served in various roles over the last few decades.
Additionally, a Chinese state media company held an event in New York City in September of this year that listed Repollet as a speaker where, according to a press release, he "emphasized the importance of cultural exchange and people-to-people diplomacy in fostering mutual understanding between nations."
The slate of speakers included several Chinese officials, including Xie Feng, Chinese ambassador to the U.S., and Shen Haixiong, the deputy minister of the publicity department of the CPC Central Committee. Haixiong also serves as the head of the China Media Group, which is a crucial media conglomerate that plays a major role in the country's state media apparatus.
While Repollet's ties to China have become stronger since he became the president of Kean University, his Facebook profile shows that he made multiple visits to China before he became the top administrator at Kean.
For example, a 2016 Facebook post shows Repollet attending Wenzhou-Kean University's inaugural commencement in China as a member of the university's board of trustees. He attended the 2017 commencement in China also, according to another Facebook post.
Prior to Chen Li taking over the top position in China's New York consulate, that position was held by Huang Ping, who has a long history of promoting CCP propaganda and calling the CCP a "great party," denying the alleged Uyghur genocide, and meeting with officials across the United States at universities, media companies and in elected office.
Ping repeatedly met with New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, Sen. Chuck Schumer, and New York City Mayor Eric Adams, all Democrats. Earlier this year, Ping was referenced dozens of times in an indictment involving one of Hochul's former top aides.
Repollet also has ties to Ping dating back to 2021, according to a press release from the New York Chinese consulate. Ping and Repollet met virtually in December 2021, where Ping congratulated him on his appointment at Kean University and commended "the university for setting a good example for China-U.S. educational cooperation by its 10-year successful campus in Wenzhou, China."
"[Repollet] highly agrees that education cooperation plays a unique role in people-to-people exchange and in enhancing understanding and friendship between the Chinese and American people," the consulate's press release said. "[Repollet] confirms that the university highly values globalization and diversity, and firmly supports cooperation with China."
Months earlier, Repollet recorded a video on behalf of the New York Chinese consulate celebrating "the 72nd anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China." In the video, he touted his university's "strong ties" to China and said he was "immensely grateful to our Chinese partners and to the people at Kean USA who continues to work together to help this university and especially our students thrive."
"I look forward to continuing to collaborate with our partners in China to further develop this great institution and to celebrate events like National Day In China together [and] well into the future," Repollet continued.
A 2023 Facebook post also shows Repollet participating in an event marking the final day of the Chinese New Year, which featured Ping.
Michael Sobolik, the author of "Countering China’s Great Game: A Strategy for American Dominance," sounded the alarm about this close relationship between Repollet and China, telling Fox News Digital this relationship is a "cautionary tale."
"The university hosts a Human Rights Institute, but it makes no mention of Beijing's ongoing genocide of Uyghurs, its cultural genocide in Tibet, its political crackdown in Hong Kong, or its broader oppression of the Chinese people at home and abroad," Sobolik continued. "This is what happens when American universities partner with the Chinese Communist Party: money and market access incentivize Americans to ignore the party's atrocities and remain silent."
China's New York consulate, which has previously toed the line on the CCP's narrative while responding to multiple Fox News Digital inquiries, dismissed Sobolik's analysis by calling him a "so-called ‘expert’" that "lacks a basic understanding of China."
"The statements regarding Xinjiang, Xizang, Hong Kong, and human rights are factually incorrect and represent typical disinformation. We firmly opposes such slander and smear," the consulate continued. "Educational exchange and cooperation between China and the U.S. align with the laws and common interests of both sides, and are transparent and beyond reproach."
"Kean University is known for promoting educational equity and inclusivity, and its cooperation with China will provide more learning and development opportunities for students of all ethnic backgrounds in the U.S.," the consulate added. "We urge some people in the U.S. to remove their ‘colored glasses,’ view the cooperation objectively and positively."
Fox News Digital reached out to Kean University for comment, but did not receive a response.
