President Biden still regrets dropping out of the 2024 presidential race last summer after mounting pressure from Democrats to step aside, according to a report.
The president recently told people that he still believes he could have beaten Trump in the November election, despite his rough debate performance in June and his low approval numbers that forced him to leave the race, according to the Washington Post, citing people familiar with the conversations.
Following the June 27 debate, more and more Democrats began to call for him to drop out every day, so another person could run in his place.
The president also saw much of his funding dry up last summer as donors began to doubt his chances of beating Trump.
Even when he dropped out, Biden still believed he could beat Trump – whom he defeated for his first term in 2020, according to the New York Times in September.
Rep. James Clyburn, D-S.C., may disagree.
Clyburn, who met with Biden earlier this year, told the Post that he had told the president, "Your style does not lend itself well to the environment we’re currently in," while speaking of style versus substance.
Biden national security advisor Jake Sullivan told the Post: "How to govern at this moment to set the U.S. up for long-term success has one answer, and how to govern to deal with midterm and presidential elections in the very short-term might have a different answer. The president went with doing the things that really put America in a strong position."
Among acknowledgments of other mistakes – including his debate performance – Biden has also said that he regrets picking Merrick Garland as attorney general, the Post reported.
Convinced to do so by aides who said that Garland would be a consensus pick, Biden has privately said that he feels Garland moved too slowly on prosecuting Trump, while also claiming his son Hunter had been prosecuted too aggressively.
Fox News Digital has reached out to the White House for comment.
President-elect Trump appeared to agree with Elon Musk in support of H-1B visas for skilled workers in the U.S., as the right spars on the ongoing immigration debate.
"I’ve always liked the visas, I have always been in favor of the visas. That’s why we have them," Trump told the New York Post Saturday.
Trump said that he recognizes the visas on his properties, saying, "I've been a believer in H-1B. I have used it many times. It’s a great program."
Trump's comments come as the right clashes over immigration and the place of foreign workers in the U.S. labor market.
Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, who have been tapped by Trump to lead his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), argued earlier this week that American culture has not prioritized education enough, and therefore that foreign workers are needed for tech companies like Musk’s SpaceX and Tesla.
Many tech companies have embraced the H-1B visa program, which allows U.S. companies to hire foreign workers in specialty occupations, but critics of the program say H-1B holders are often chosen over U.S. citizens for jobs.
One such critic, Laura Loomer, set off a firestorm on X when criticizing Trump’s selection of Sriram Krishnan, an Indian American venture capitalist, to be an adviser on artificial intelligence policy.
In a post, she said she was concerned that Krishnan, a U.S. citizen, would have an influence on the Trump administration’s immigration policies.
"It’s alarming to see the number of career leftists who are now being appointed to serve in Trump’s admin when they share views that are in direct opposition to Trump’s America First agenda," she wrote.
Musk has doubled-down on his position, taking to X on Friday to blast a user who showed a video of him discussing SpaceX processes to go after the billionaire’s stance on the visa program.
"The reason I’m in America along with so many critical people who built SpaceX, Tesla and hundreds of other companies that made America strong is because of H1B," Musk wrote on X.
He then went on to quote the 2008 action-comedy movie, "Tropic Thunder," which was a box office hit.
"Take a big step back and F--- YOURSELF in the face," Musk railed.
Ramaswamy has similarly been pro-H-1B visa, writing: "American culture has venerated mediocrity over excellence."
Fox News Digital has reached out to the Trump Transition Team for comment.
Fox News Digital's Michael Dorgan contributed to this report.
Michelle Obama provoked a wave of online criticism Friday after she shared a New Year's message with her followers on Instagram.
The former first lady posted a video wishing her followers "Happy Holidays" and highlighting the work of the Obama Presidential Center as 2024 comes to a close. But critics noted with disapproval that her video begins on a sour note.
"Happy holidays, everyone. I know it's been a difficult few months for so many of us, and that folks are feeling a little bit anxious and uncertain," Obama says in the video.
"But even during these tough times, there are plenty of reasons to stay hopeful," she adds, before mentioning programs operated by the Obama Foundation.
Hundreds of Instagram users commented on Obama's video within hours after it went live. While many thanked her for the message and showed support for the Obama Foundation, several supporters of President-elect Trump read into Obama's comments. Their takeaway was that she had Trump's victory in mind when she spoke about "a difficult few months," and they made their objections known.
"Michelle, America is excited about what’s to come: a new horizon and prosperity for the nation. 2025-2029! No anxiety here," one user replied.
"A difficult few years from the damage the Biden administration has caused!" wrote another commenter. "Things have never looked better since Trum won the election! The people have the power! Not even all those celebrities could change that!"
"We are certain it won't be worse than your husband's administration or the Biden administration," said a third. "That we are CERTAIN."
Obama's supporters, on the other hand, expressed gratitude for her video and shared heart emojis and other positive comments.
"Thank you for your message of hope," one user replied. "It is so much needed."
The Obamas were top surrogates for Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris during the 2024 campaign. Michelle Obama spoke at several rallies for Harris and delivered a speech in Pennsylvania three days before the election, alluding to Trump as a "skilled con man" who has poured gasoline "on other people's genuine pain and anger and fear."
"We don't always get it right, but here in America, we rise more than we fall," Obama said in Norristown, Penn., on Nov. 2.
In dark and difficult times, she said the country needs leaders who will "connect with people's pain and address the systemic issues at their root, not leaders who stoke our fears and focus our fury on one another."
But after the election, the Obamas released a joint statement that congratulated Trump on his victory while acknowledging, "this is obviously not the outcome we hoped for."
"In a country as big and diverse as ours, we won't always see eye-to-eye on everything," the Obamas said. "But progress requires us to extend good faith and grace – even to people with whom we deeply disagree."
New York State Sen. Dan Stec, a Republican and Navy veteran, is running for Congress.
Stec has tossed his hat in the ring to succeed Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., who will vacate her seat in the House of Representatives to become the next U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. A special election for New York's 21st Congressional District will take place once Stefanik officially leaves Congress.
"At the end of the day, it’s about representing the district, and for the last 12 years in Albany, I know what it means to represent the district and if I can do that in Albany I am certain I can do that in Washington," Stec told WWNY in an interview on Dec. 24.
The North Country native, whose state senate district lies within Stefanik's congressional district, argued he is the best candidate to win the seat for Republicans because he has the highest name recognition there.
"My argument is that I am the most electable. If we are concerned about holding this seat and the Republican majority in the House of Representatives, you want to put your most likely-to-win candidate forward and no one can compare the numbers like I do with how much of the district I already represent," Stec told the outlet.
He pointed to his record in the New York legislature and the 104,000 votes he won in the previous election for state senate, which is nearly half of the total Stefanik won in her bid for re-election, in support of his argument that he's best positioned to defeat the Democratic candidate in the special election.
"I am proud of my track record, my resume, and my principles. I don’t have any votes that I am embarrassed that I would have to explain like maybe someone from the other side of the aisle I have worked with would have to explain," Stec said.
Stefanik won a sixth term to represent the district which encompasses North County, New York, but President-elect Donald Trump chose her in November to fill the U.N. ambassadorship in his new cabinet.
In the campaign to be the Republican nominee to succeed Stefanik, Stec joins Sticker Mule CEO Anthony Constantino, a political outsider whose claim to fame is a 100 ft. "Vote for Trump" sign he installed in upstate New York. Constantino is self-funding his campaign and has pledged $2.6 million to the effort.
Other Republicans mentioned as possible candidates include state Assemblymen Robert Smullen and Christopher Tague; and Rensselaer County Executive Steven McLaughlin, according to WWNY. Possible Democratic candidates include Assemblyman Billy Jones, whose state district falls just east of St. Lawrence County, as well as past unsuccessful challengers to Stefanik such as Matt Castelli and Paula Collins.
There will not be a traditional Republican primary for the special election. Instead, both the GOP and Democratic nominees will be chosen by party chairs in the district.
New York State Sen. Dan Stec, a Republican and Navy veteran, is running for Congress.
Stec has tossed his hat in the ring to succeed Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., who will vacate her seat in the House of Representatives to become the next U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. A special election for New York's 21st Congressional District will take place once Stefanik officially leaves Congress.
"At the end of the day, it’s about representing the district, and for the last 12 years in Albany, I know what it means to represent the district and if I can do that in Albany I am certain I can do that in Washington," Stec told WWNY in an interview on Dec. 24.
The North Country native, whose state senate district lies within Stefanik's congressional district, argued he is the best candidate to win the seat for Republicans because he has the highest name recognition there.
"My argument is that I am the most electable. If we are concerned about holding this seat and the Republican majority in the House of Representatives, you want to put your most likely-to-win candidate forward and no one can compare the numbers like I do with how much of the district I already represent," Stec told the outlet.
He pointed to his record in the New York legislature and the 104,000 votes he won in the previous election for state senate, which is nearly half of the total Stefanik won in her bid for re-election, in support of his argument that he's best positioned to defeat the Democratic candidate in the special election.
"I am proud of my track record, my resume, and my principles. I don’t have any votes that I am embarrassed that I would have to explain like maybe someone from the other side of the aisle I have worked with would have to explain," Stec said.
Stefanik won a sixth term to represent the district which encompasses North County, New York, but President-elect Donald Trump chose her in November to fill the U.N. ambassadorship in his new cabinet.
In the campaign to be the Republican nominee to succeed Stefanik, Stec joins Sticker Mule CEO Anthony Constantino, a political outsider whose claim to fame is a 100 ft. "Vote for Trump" sign he installed in upstate New York. Constantino is self-funding his campaign and has pledged $2.6 million to the effort.
Other Republicans mentioned as possible candidates include state Assemblymen Robert Smullen and Christopher Tague; and Rensselaer County Executive Steven McLaughlin, according to WWNY. Possible Democratic candidates include Assemblyman Billy Jones, whose state district falls just east of St. Lawrence County, as well as past unsuccessful challengers to Stefanik such as Matt Castelli and Paula Collins.
There will not be a traditional Republican primary for the special election. Instead, both the GOP and Democratic nominees will be chosen by party chairs in the district.
The presidential election generated numerous high-profile political gaffes this year, including President Biden’s widely-panned debate performance and him calling Trump supporters "garbage" in the closing days of Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign.
Here are six of the biggest political gaffes of 2024:
A disastrous performance by President Biden during his debate with former President Trump on June 27 appeared to be the beginning of the end for Biden's 2024 re-election campaign.
He struggled with a raspy voice and delivered rambling answers during the debate in Atlanta, sparking doubts about his viability at the top of the Democratic Party’s presidential ticket.
Biden’s campaign blamed the hoarse voice on a cold and the 81-year-old admitted a week later that he "screwed up" and "had a bad night," yet that didn’t stop a chorus of Democrats from making calls for him to drop out of the race.
In a shocking move, Biden then pulled the plug on his campaign on July 21 and endorsed Harris, who would go on to lose to Trump in November.
Trump’s rally in Madison Square Garden in New York City on Oct. 27 made headlines when a comedian mocked different ethnic groups, calling Puerto Rico a "floating island of garbage."
Then, during a conference call with the Voto Latino group on Oct. 30, Biden said, "The only garbage I see floating out there is his supporters."
Biden and the White House then tried to clean up his words in the days afterward. However, the remark was quickly likened to Hillary Clinton’s labeling of half of Trump supporters as belonging in "a basket of deplorables" in 2016, a comment that was widely seen as undermining her campaign.
Vice President Kamala Harris’ answer to a question during an Oct. 8 appearance on "The View" may have been a turning point in the 2024 presidential election.
Co-host Sunny Hostin asked Harris, "If anything, would you have done something differently than President Biden during the past four years?" Harris paused for a moment and then said, "There is not a thing that comes to mind in terms of — and I’ve been a part of most of the decisions that have had impact."
Hostin had given Harris a clear opportunity to differentiate herself from Biden, but Harris instead effectively cut an ad for Trump's campaign by allowing it to tie her directly to an unpopular administration.
Harris’ running mate Tim Walz raised eyebrows during his vice presidential debate with Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, on Oct. 1, when he declared he had "become friends with school shooters."
The poorly timed mishap occurred when the Minnesota governor was asked about changing positions on banning assault weapons.
"I sat in that office with those Sandy Hook parents. I’ve become friends with school shooters. I’ve seen it," Walz said.
Walz presumably meant he had become friendly with parents who lost children during horrific school shootings.
Trump appeared to confuse then-Republican presidential primary opponent Nikki Haley with former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi during a rally in New Hampshire on Jan. 20.
Speaking in Concord, Trump said that Haley, his former ambassador to the United Nations, had been responsible for the collapse of Capitol Hill security during the Jan. 6, 2021, riot. Trump has previously blamed Pelosi for turning down National Guard support before the riot.
"You know, by the way, they never report the crowd on January 6, you know, Nikki Haley. Nikki Haley, Nikki Haley, you know, they — did you know they destroyed all the information and all of the evidence. Everything. Deleted and destroyed all of it, all of it, because of lots of things, like Nikki Haley is in charge of security. We offered 10,000 people, soldiers, National Guard. So whatever they want, they turned it down. They don't want to talk about that. These are very dishonest people," Trump said.
Harris found herself in the headlines repeatedly this year for making confusing verbal statements.
"I grew up understanding the children of the community are the children of the community, and we should all have a vested interest in ensuring that children can go grow up with the resources that they need to achieve their God-given potential," the vice president once said in September.
"We are here because we are fighting for a democracy. Fighting for a democracy. And understand the difference here, understand the difference here, moving forward, moving forward, understand the difference here," she then said at a campaign event in November.
The remarks drew criticism and ridicule from conservatives online.
President Biden mistakenly introduced Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as "President Putin" during a NATO conference in Washington, D.C., in July.
"And now I want to hand it over to the president of Ukraine, who has as much courage as he has determination," Biden said, before starting to leave the podium. "Ladies and gentlemen, President Putin."
"He’s going to beat President Putin. President Zelenskyy. I’m so focused on beating Putin," Biden then said, appearing to realize the verbal stumble. "We got to worry about it. Anyway, Mr. President."
Fox News’ Paul Steinhauser, Joseph A. Wulfsohn, Jacqui Heinrich, Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, David Rutz, Brian Flood and Chris Pandolfo contributed to this report.
The White House said Friday that a ninth U.S. telecommunications company has been hacked as part of a Chinese espionage campaign that gave the country's officials access to private texts and phone conversations of Americans.
The Biden administration said earlier this month that at least eight telecommunications companies and dozens of nations had been impacted by the Chinese hacking operation known as Salt Typhoon.
On Friday, deputy national security adviser Anne Neuberger told reporters that a ninth victim had been identified after the administration released guidance to companies about how to locate Chinese hackers in their networks.
The hackers compromised the networks of telecommunications companies to gather customer call records and access the private communications of a limited number of people, officials said.
The FBI has not publicly identified any of the victims, but officials believe senior U.S. government officials and prominent political figures are among the victims whose communications were accessed.
Neuberger said officials did not yet have a precise sense of how many Americans overall were targeted by Salt Typhoon, in part because the hackers were careful about their methods, but she said that a "large number" of the victims were in Washington, D.C., and Virginia.
Officials said they believe the hackers wanted to identify who owned the devices and spy on their texts and phone calls if they were "government targets of interest," Neuberger said.
Most of the victims are "primarily involved in government or political activity," the FBI said.
Neuberger said the hacking showed the need for required cybersecurity practices in the telecommunications industry, which the Federal Communications Commission is set to look at during a meeting next month.
She also said, without offering details, that the government was planning further action in the coming weeks in response to the hacking campaign, though she did not say what they were.
"We know that voluntary cybersecurity practices are inadequate to protect against China, Russia and Iran hacking of our critical infrastructure," she said.
The Chinese government has denied responsibility for the hacking campaign.
RYE, N.H. - EXCLUSIVE - Scott Brown is on the move.
The former senator from neighboring Massachusetts and 2014 Republican Senate nominee in New Hampshire, who later served four years as U.S. ambassador to New Zealand in President-elect Trump's first administration, is seriously considering a 2026 run to return to Congress.
If Brown moves ahead and launches a campaign in the months ahead, it would potentially set up a high-profile rematch with Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, in what would likely be a competitive and expensive Senate clash in a key swing state.
The 65-year-old Brown, who competed in nine triathlons this year and who on average performs around 40–50 gigs a year as lead singer and guitarist with the rock band Scott Brown and the Diplomats, is doing more than just thinking about running to return to the Senate.
He's been meeting in recent weeks with various Republican and conservative groups in New Hampshire.
Brown, in a national exclusive interview with Fox News Digital, said he's doing his "due diligence, meeting with anybody and everybody. So you'll be seeing me a lot around, whether it's parades, triathlons, my rock band, meeting and getting out and really learning."
And Brown is taking aim at New Hampshire's all-Democrat congressional delegation.
"The thing that really ticks me off is how they've basically covered up for [President] Joe Biden for the last four years, what they've done or not done on the border, what they've done and not done in inflation, and they're just completely out of touch with what we want here in New Hampshire. And the more I think about it, I think we can do better," Brown argued.
Brown made headlines in 2010 as the then-state senator in blue-state Massachusetts won a special U.S. Senate election to serve the remainder of the term of the late longtime Democratic Sen. Ted Kennedy.
After losing re-election in 2012 to now-Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Brown eventually moved to New Hampshire, the state where he had spent the first years of his childhood and where his family had roots dating back to the colonial era. He launched a Senate campaign months later and narrowly lost to Shaheen in the 2014 election.
After hosting nearly all the Republican presidential candidates in the 2016 cycle at speaking events he termed "No BS backyard BBQs," Brown eventually endorsed Trump in the weeks ahead of New Hampshire’s first-in-the-nation primary. After Trump was elected president, he nominated Brown as U.S. ambassador to New Zealand, where the former senator served for four years.
Returning to New Hampshire at the end of the first Trump administration, Brown supported his wife Gail, a former television news reporter and anchor, as she ran for Congress in 2022.
And the Browns also stayed politically active in other ways, once again hosting many of the Republican presidential candidates, as well as Robert F. Kennedy Jr., at their "Backyard BBQs" during the 2024 presidential cycle.
This time around, he emphasized, "I have a long runway. I didn't have that obviously the first time, and I'm going to do what I have been doing for almost a decade now, going around, meeting with people participating in the process."
During his first Senate run, which came months after he changed his residency to New Hampshire, he repeatedly faced carpetbagger accusations.
Last week, a progressive group in New Hampshire took aim at Brown.
Amplify NH claimed in a release that "the gentleman from Massachusetts is clawing for another chance at power, framing himself once again as a Senate candidate for New Hampshire."
Brown says he's not concerned.
"We've had a house here for over three decades, and we've been fully engaged full-time here for over a decade. So now I think that's old news."
And he argued that New Hampshire's congressional delegation "votes 100% with Massachusetts."
While Shaheen cruised to re-election in 2020, winning by roughly 16 points, and Democratic Sen. Maggie Hassan won re-election in 2022 by nearly nine points, Senate Republicans are eyeing New Hampshire in 2026 as they aim to expand their incoming 53-47 majority in the chamber. New Hampshire, along with Georgia and Michigan, will likely be heavily targeted by Senate Republicans.
Trump lost New Hampshire last month, but he cut his deficit to just three points in his face-off with Vice President Kamala Harris, down from a seven-point loss to President Biden in the Granite State in 2020.
And the GOP kept an open gubernatorial seat in party hands – former Sen. Kelly Ayotte succeeded longtime Gov. Chris Sununu – while expanding their majorities in the New Hampshire state House and Senate.
Asked if he'd like Trump to join him on the Granite State campaign trail if he decides to run, Brown said "if he's got the time, of course."
And pointing to Trump, Brown said "not only did he help obviously, nationally, he helped here in New Hampshire."
Shaheen has yet to announce if she’ll seek another term in the Senate. That decision will likely come early in the new year.
But Shaheen, a former three-term New Hampshire governor, is taking over next month as the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, the first woman to hold one of the top two positions on the powerful panel.
Shaheen also turns 78 next month.
Asked if age would be a factor in a potential Shaheen-Brown rematch, Brown said he likes Shaheen and really appreciated her support during his confirmation as ambassador to New Zealand, but added that "that's certainly up to her."
"I'm 65. I can't believe it. I feel like I'm 40. My wife says I act like I'm like 12, he added.
Virginia's top legislative Democrat sounded an alarm over President-elect Trump's Department of Governmental Efficiency (DOGE) plan to tell a portion of the federal workforce "you're fired" for efficiency's sake.
The state Senate's top Republican responded Thursday by saying the majority party is "asking the wrong question."
Earlier this week, House Speaker Don Scott Jr. wrote a letter to the commonwealth's unemployment agency warning of the fallout from such a plan and a potential uptick in unemployment claims.
"We should all be concerned about what these changes mean for the employees raising their families in Virginia, paying taxes in Virginia and calling Virginia home," Scott wrote to Virginia Employment Commissioner Demetrios Melis in a letter reported by the Richmond Times-Dispatch.
"Taking President-elect Trump at his word that he will immediately move to downsize the workforce and relocate agencies, we can safely assume that a large portion of our workforce that resides in the commonwealth will be negatively affected," added Scott, D-Portsmouth.
Scott reportedly said he believes Northern Virginia and the Hampton Roads area he represents would be hardest-hit.
"I have concerns that, in the coming months, not only will our nation experience a mass increase in unemployment due to the proposed changes to our government. But, more importantly, those changes will have a detrimental effect on Virginians, our commonwealth’s unemployment rate and our economy overall," he told the Times-Dispatch.
However, Senate Minority Leader Ryan McDougle, R-New Kent, said the concept of DOGE addresses a greater concern for Virginians and U.S. taxpayers when it comes to fiscally responsible governance.
"That's the wrong question," McDougle said in an interview Thursday.
"The question should be whether we are taking dollars that Virginians are earning and paying to the federal government and whether they are being spent wisely.
"If the federal government is paying people to do jobs they shouldn't be doing, then that's spending taxpayer dollars unwisely."
Trump's DOGE co-leader, Vivek Ramaswamy, previously told Fox Business, "We expect mass reductions … [and] certain agencies to be deleted outright."
Ramaswamy's counterpart, Elon Musk, has expressed similar sentiments, including a tweet stating, "Delete CFPB," a reference to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
Additionally, Sen. Joni Ernst, the Iowa Republican seen as the top DOGE lawmaker in the upper chamber, is spearheading a bill to relocate about one-third of federal workers outside the District of Columbia-Maryland-Virginia area. The legislation proposed by Ernst has a lengthy acronym, the DRAIN THE SWAMP Act.
Ernst also demanded answers from Biden agency heads about work-from-home policies their staffs enjoy.
In his remarks Thursday, McDougle added that if Democrats were so concerned about the subject, they should have balked at plans to funnel Virginia taxpayer funds to the Washington-area Metro system to "subsidize" the lack of ridership from telework policies criticized by Ernst.
"I didn't feel our Democratic friends were as concerned with the millions of dollars going to fund Metro amid [federal workers not being required to] go into the office and having to subsidize them," McDougle said.
Virginia's 2024 budget included about $144 million in Metro funding. Metro CEO Randy Clarke said in June the transit agency found an additional $50 million in efficiencies for its nearly $5 billion budget, according to multiple reports.
Earlier this month, a top Democrat on the state House Labor Committee, said she was "very disappointed" with a response from representatives for Gov. Glenn Youngkin when she voiced concerns about potential federal workforce cuts.
State Delegate Candi Mundon King, D-Dumfries, noted in November that thousands of federal workers live in the state and in her district and called DOGE's plan "disastrous" after the Virginia Republican Party touted the "streamlin[ing of] government bureaucracy" as "good for all Americans, including Virginians."
Mundon King's district sits in the Washington exurb of Prince William County, which, for many years, was led by high-profile conservative Corey Stewart but has recently swung heavily Democratic.
"No wonder Northern Virginia has lost faith in Virginia Republicans," Mundon King said.
Youngkin, a successful business executive before entering politics, previously said anyone who leaves the private sector to work in government will immediately recognize it needs drastic adjustments.
"Whether it's me coming into state government in Virginia or President Trump coming back into the federal government, [we] know it is inefficient. It does not work with the same efficiency you would expect out of a business," he told The Daily Progress of Charlottesville.
Government efficiency plans "may result in some job losses for the federal government. … The great thing about the Commonwealth of Virginia is we have nearly 300,000 jobs that are unfilled," he added.
Melis similarly told Scott Virginia is "well prepared" to adapt to changes in employment figures and reassured Mundon King earlier this month that some of the concerns voiced were premature, according to The Roanoke Times.
Youngkin earlier this month invited workers in Trump's incoming administration to choose Virginia as their place of residence over Maryland or the District of Columbia, citing, in part, lower taxes and better-ranked schools.
In a statement to Fox News Digital, Youngkin spokesman Christian Martinez said Virginia's economy was "stagnant" and the unemployment system "in shambles" when the Republican took office after eight years of Democratic governorship.
"Commonsense policies to lower the cost of living and bring real business-like efficiency to government have helped fix both," Martinez said.
"The governor appreciates Speaker Scott’s recent commitments to support further tax relief, which, along with a roaring economy and over 300,000 open jobs, means Virginia is in a great position as the president works to shrink the bloated federal government."
The Biden administration on Friday said it would stop selling off materials slated to be used to build a border wall ahead of the incoming Trump administration, which has promised to bring back tougher efforts to combat illegal immigration.
The Biden administration confirmed to a court that it will agree to a court order preventing it from disposing of any further border wall materials over the next 30 days, allowing President-elect Trump to use those materials, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said.
The Biden administration has been auctioning off border wall parts since at least 2023, with parts listed for sale on auction marketplaces, after it abruptly shut down most border wall construction in 2021.
President-elect Donald Trump then urged the Biden Administration to stop.
"We have successfully blocked the Biden Administration from disposing of any further border wall materials before President Trump takes office," Paxton said.
"This follows our major victory forcing Biden to build the wall, and we will hold his Administration accountable for illegally subverting our Nation’s border security until their very last day in power, especially where their actions are clearly motivated by a desire to thwart President-elect Trump’s immigration agenda," he added.
In a news release, Paxton's office said that if the Biden administration disposes of border wall materials purchased with funds subject to that injunction in violation of a court order, it would constitute unethical and sanctionable conduct and officials could be held in contempt of court.
Texas has said it intends to do all it can to help the incoming administration build the wall at the southern border when Trump enters office.
The Biden administration abruptly ended border wall construction in January 2021 after 450 miles had been built in the first Trump administration. While border hawks say a wall is a critical tool to stopping illegal immigration, some Democrats have said a wall project is xenophobic and ineffective.
The auctioning off of border wall parts began in 2023 with parts listed for sale on GovPlanet.com, an online auction marketplace. The Defense Department's logistics agency told media outlets that the excess material had been turned over for disposition by the Army Corps of Engineers and was now for sale.
Those auctions have continued, with officials in Arizona telling Fox News Digital that auctions have been occurring weekly for some time. The practice drew attention last week when The Daily Wire published video showing unused wall parts being transported on flatbed trucks in Arizona, even though the materials could be used in the next Trump administration.
Trump previously called Biden's efforts to sell unused border wall materials at a discounted rate "almost a criminal act."
Trump said the auctions would cost taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars to re-purchase the large steel bollards and concrete. He called on President Biden to "please stop selling the wall" and suggested his team would obtain a restraining order to halt the sales.
"What they're doing is really an act, it's almost a criminal act," he said. "They know we're going to use it and if we don't have it, we're going to have to rebuild it, and it'll cost double what it cost years ago, and that's hundreds of millions of dollars because you're talking about a lot of, a lot of wall."
Fox News Digital's Adam Shaw contributed to this report.
In a final push ahead of the impending Trump Administration, the Biden White House is set to announce an additional $1.25 billion in military assistance to Ukraine.
The large package of aid includes a significant number of munitions, including for the National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems and the HAWK air defense system. The package will also include Stinger missiles and 155 mm and 105 mm artillery rounds.
The officials are expected to make the announcement on Monday, the Associated Press reported.
The recent funding came after Biden earlier this month announced a $988 million aid package to Ukraine to ensure it "has the tools it needs to prevail in its fight against Russian aggression."
"This administration has made its choice. And so has a bipartisan coalition in Congress. The next administration must make its own choice," Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin previously said during a speech at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in California. "But, from this library, from this podium, I am confident that President Reagan would have stood on the side of Ukraine, American security and human freedom."
The Biden administration has been committed to giving Ukraine as much aid as possible before Trump takes office in January.
During the campaign, President-elect Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance heavily criticized the Biden administration’s support for Ukraine after Russia’s 2022 invasion.
Trump also said he would end the war before even entering office without offering further details. Vance suggested earlier this year that the best way to end the war was for Ukraine to cede the land Russia has seized and for a demilitarized zone to be established, a proposal Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy flatly rejected.
Since the campaign trial, Trump met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy while at a ceremony commemorating the reopening of the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris on Saturday after a devastating fire there in 2019.
This latest announcement marks the administration’s 22nd aid package through the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative.
Earlier in December, House Speaker Mike Johnson rejected a request by the administration for Congress to authorize $24 billion in additional funding.
"It is not the place of Joe Biden to make that decision now," Johnson previously said. "We have a newly elected president, and we’re going to wait and take the new commander in chief’s direction on all that. So, I don’t expect any Ukraine funding to come up now."
President-elect Trump says he should be the one to make the decision on whether TikTok can continue operating in the United States due to the unique national security and First Amendment issues raised by this case, he said in an amicus brief Friday.
Trump’s argument comes in an amicus brief "supporting neither party," filed Friday, weeks before the Supreme Court is expected to hear oral arguments on Jan. 10, 2025 on the law that requires a divestment of TikTok from foreign adversary control.
TikTok is owned by ByteDance, a company based in Beijing and connected to the Chinese Communist Party.
"Today, President Donald J. Trump has filed an amicus brief in the U.S. Supreme Court asking the Court to extend the deadline that would cause TikTok’s imminent shutdown, and allow President Trump the opportunity to resolve the issue in a way that saves TikTok and preserves American national security once he resumes office as President of the United States on January 20, 2025," Trump spokesman and incoming White House Communications Director Steven Cheung told Fox News Digital.
"President Donald J. Trump ("President Trump") is the 45th and soon to be the 47th President of the United States of America," the brief states. "On January 20, 2025, President Trump will assume responsibility for the United States’ national security, foreign policy, and other vital executive functions."
Trump argues that "this case presents an unprecedented, novel, and difficult tension between free-speech rights on one side, and foreign policy and national-security concerns on the other." "As the incoming Chief Executive, President Trump has a particularly powerful interest in and responsibility for those national-security and foreign-policy questions, and he is the right constitutional actor to resolve the dispute through political means.
President Trump also has a unique interest in the First Amendment issues raised in this case," the brief states. "Through his historic victory on November 5, 2024, President Trump received a powerful electoral mandate from American voters to protect the free-speech rights of all Americans—including the 170 million Americans who use TikTok."
"President Trump is uniquely situated to vindicate these interests, because ‘the President and the Vice President of the United States are the only elected officials who represent all the voters in the Nation,’" the brief continues.
Trump argues that due to his "overarching responsibility for the United States’ national security and foreign policy— President Trump opposes banning TikTok in the United States at this juncture, and seeks the ability to resolve the issues at hand through political means once he takes office."
"On September 4, 2024, President Trump posted on Truth Social, ‘FOR ALL THOSE THAT WANT TO SAVE TIK TOK IN AMERICA, VOTE TRUMP!’" the brief states.
Trump argues that he "alone possesses the consummate dealmaking expertise, the electoral mandate, and the political will to negotiate a resolution to save the platform while addressing the national security concerns expressed by the Government—concerns which President Trump himself has acknowledged."
"Indeed, President Trump’s first Term was highlighted by a series of policy triumphs achieved through historic deals, and he has a great prospect of success in this latest national security and foreign policy endeavor," the brief states.
Trump notes that the 270-day deadline imposed by the new TikTok law "expires on January 19, 2025—one day before President Trump will assume office as the 47th President of the United States."
That legislation, which was signed into law in the spring, requires a sale of TikTok from ByteDance by Jan. 19. If ByteDance does not divest by the deadline, Google and Apple are no longer able to feature TikTok in their app stores in the U.S.
"This unfortunate timing interferes with President Trump’s ability to manage the United States’ foreign policy and to pursue a resolution to both protect national security and save a social-media platform that provides a popular vehicle for 170 million Americans to exercise their core First Amendment rights," the brief states. "The Act imposes the timing constraint, moreover, without specifying any compelling government interest in that particular deadline."
Trump points to the law, which "contemplates a 90-day extension to the deadline under certain specified circumstances."
Supreme Court Justices said they will hold a special session on Jan. 10 to hear oral arguments in the case -- an expedited timeline that will allow them to consider the case just nine days before the Jan. 19 ban is slated to take effect. The law allows the president to extend the deadline by up to 90 days if ByteDance is in the process of divesting.
"President Trump, therefore, has a compelling interest as the incoming embodiment of the Executive Branch in seeing the statutory deadline stayed to allow his incoming Administration the opportunity to seek a negotiated resolution of these questions," the brief states. "If successful, such a resolution would obviate the need for this Court to decide the historically challenging First Amendment question presented here on the current, highly expedited basis."
TikTok and ByteDance filed an emergency application to the high court earlier this month asking justices to temporarily block the law from being enforced while it appealed a decision from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.
Lawyers for TikTok have argued that the law passed earlier this year is a First Amendment violation, noting in their Supreme Court request that "Congress's unprecedented attempt to single out applicants and bar them from operating one of the most significant speech platforms in this nation" and "presents grave constitutional problems that this court likely will not allow to stand."
TikTok, last year, created its "Project Texas" initiative, which is dedicated to addressing concerns about U.S. national security.
TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew says "Project Texas" creates a stand-alone version of the TikTok platform for the U.S. isolated on servers in Oracle’s U.S. cloud environment. It was developed by CFIUS and cost the company approximately $1.5 billion to implement.
Chew has argued that TikTok is not beholden to any one country, though executives in the past have admitted that Chinese officials had access to Americans' data even when U.S.-based TikTok officials did not. TikTok claims that the new initiative keeps U.S. user data safe, and told Fox News Digital that data is managed "by Americans, in America."
Trump has signaled support for TikTok. Earlier this month, he met with Chew at Mar-a-Lago, telling reporters during a press conference ahead of the meeting that his incoming administration will "take a look at TikTok" and the looming U.S. ban.
"I have a warm spot in my heart for TikTok," Trump told reporters.
The New York Police Department Special Victims Unit is searching for a man suspected of groping a 5-year-old girl near a government-funded migrant shelter in Midtown Manhattan.
New York local news source 1010 WINS reported the girl and her mother, who have not been identified by authorities, are residents of a migrant shelter funded by the City of New York at the old Roosevelt Hotel.
A representative from the New York Police Department’s Deputy Commissioner of Public Information office confirmed the investigation to Fox News Digital. The representative told Fox News Digital the incident occurred about a block away from the Roosevelt Hotel at 5th Avenue and 46th Street at about 7 p.m. Dec. 24.
The representative declined to give any information about the identity of the suspect and did not say whether he was also a resident of the Roosevelt Hotel migrant shelter. However, according to 1010 WINS, the suspect knows the girl and her mother.
The radio station reported that after the alleged groping, the girl was taken to Bellevue, a hospital in Manhattan.
Referred to by some as a "modern Ellis Island," the Roosevelt Hotel was converted into a migrant shelter and processing hub by the City of New York in May 2023 amid a surge in migrants flocking to the city. The hotel has become the epicenter of much of the migrant gang activity in New York City, resulting in violence and crime reportedly spiking in the area.
The New York Police Department has not said whether the suspect they are searching for is a member of the notorious Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua or any other gang. Tren de Aragua has had a heavy presence in the hotel’s vicinity.
On Dec. 5, a 17-year-old, Yeremi Colino, allegedly a member of the Tren de Aragua-affiliated gang "Diablos de la 42" (Devils of 42nd Street), was stabbed to death during what is believed to have been a confrontation with a rival gang.
Another migrant, 18-year-old Alan Magalles Bello, was also stabbed alongside Colino but survived.
Arizona’s top law enforcement officer said in a recent interview she is unafraid to stand up to President-elect Trump on immigration enforcement.
Democratic Attorney General Kris Mayes told the U.K.'s Guardian any plans to construct deportation centers, which she previously called "concentration camps," in the Grand Canyon State would be a nonstarter.
Mayes defended Dreamers, beneficiaries of the Obama-era DACA program, saying any federal attempts to send them to their home countries would be "a bright red line for me."
"I will not stand for an attempt to deport them or undermine them," Mayes said. "I will do everything I can legally to fight [family separation or construction of deportation camps].
The Dreamer moniker originates from the DREAM Act — Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors. It was first proposed by Sen. Richard Durbin, D-Ill., and the late Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, in 2001 and has been reintroduced in several succeeding sessions of Congress by Durbin but has never become law.
Most recently, it was proposed in 2023 by Durbin and his Republican counterpart in Senate Judiciary Committee leadership, Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina.
Former President Obama borrowed pieces of the legislation when he instituted DACA, the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program.
Trump previously tried to get rid of DACA but was stopped by the Supreme Court in DHS v. University of California.
"I think the Supreme Court will ultimately see the merits of protecting them," Mayes said of Dreamers.
"We want to give the courts the opportunity to make the right decision here, and we’ll be making very strong arguments on that proposition."
In previous comments reported by the Arizona Mirror, Mayes said the issue with mass deportation proposals from people like Trump and "border czar"-designate Tom Homan is that they can lead to abuses of the system.
Mayes has said she wants to see violent criminal offenders and drug cartel members removed from the U.S.
In the Guardian interview, Mayes credited near-complete border-state cooperation on the matter of immigration.
New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez, California Attorney General Rob Bonta and Mayes are "united," she said, adding Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is the one border state lawman who is not.
"[W]e are going to fight for due process and for individual rights," she said of herself, Torrez and Bonta.
Mayes also acknowledged the fentanyl crisis and a porous border, saying Arizonans rightly want it rectified.
She reportedly said more federal resources should be spent on additional Border Patrol and prosecutions of cartel-connected people, as opposed to Trump’s idea of using the National Guard to help deport illegal immigrants.
"[W]hen Arizonans voted for Donald Trump, they did not vote to shred the Arizona and U.S. Constitution [and] I strongly believe that," she told the Guardian.
Fox News Digital reached out to Team Trump and some members of Arizona’s Republican congressional delegation for comment on Mayes’ Guardian interview but did not receive a response by press time.
A Georgia judge has ruled that state lawmakers can subpoena Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis as part of an inquiry into whether she engaged in misconduct during her prosecution of President-elect Donald Trump.
In his Dec. 23 order, Fulton County Superior Court Judge Shukura Ingram gave Willis until Jan. 13 to file a list of claimed privileges and objections to anything that has been subpoenaed.
Willis plans to appeal the decision.
"We believe the ruling is wrong and will appeal," former Georgia Gov. Roy Barnes, who is representing Willis in the case, wrote in an email to The Associated Press.
Earlier this month, an appeals court removed Willis from the Georgia election interference case against Trump and others, citing an "appearance of impropriety." The panel also cited the romantic relationship between Willis and special prosecutor Nathan Wade.
"This is the rare case in which disqualification is mandated and no other remedy will suffice to restore public confidence in the integrity of these proceedings," the court said.
At the time, Trump called the case a "disgrace to justice."
"It was started by the Biden DOJ as an attack on his political opponent, Donald Trump," he said, "They used anyone and anybody, and she has been disqualified, and her boyfriend has been disqualified, and they stole funds and went on trips."
In August, the Republican-led Senate committee sent subpoenas to Willis seeking to compel her to testify in September. She skipped a hearing that month when lawmakers hoped to question her.
The committee was formed to examine misconduct allegations against Willis during her prosecution of Trump over efforts to overturn the former president’s 2020 election loss in Georgia.
Barnes, Willis’ attorney, argued the subpoenas were overly broad and not related to a legitimate legislative need and that the Senate committee didn't have the power to subpoena her in the first place.
One issue raised is that the Georgia legislative term will end when lawmakers are sworn in for their new term on Jan. 13. Republican state Sen. Greg Dolezal said last week that he plans to file legislation to re-establish the committee at the beginning of the 2025 legislative session.
"The law is clear, and the ruling confirms what we knew all along," Dolezal wrote in a text Friday. "Judge Ingram rejected every argument made by Willis in her attempt to dodge providing testimony to the committee under oath. I look forward to D.A. Willis honoring the subpoena and providing documents and testimony to our committee."
Following President Biden's move to commute the sentences of 37 prisoners on federal death row, Sen. Joe Manchin, I-W.Va., called the clemency granted to two of the individuals "horribly misguided and insulting."
In the 37 cases, Biden commuted the sentences to life sentences without the potential for parole.
Manchin — a Democrat-turned-independent senator who will soon leave office — said he felt a responsibility to speak out on behalf of the parents of Samantha Burns, who was slain in 2002 at the age of 19, according to reports.
"After speaking to Samantha Burns’ parents, I believe it is my duty to speak on their behalf and say President Biden’s decision to commute the death sentences for the two men convicted in her brutal murder is horribly misguided and insulting," the lawmaker declared in a statement posted on X.
"Particularly since Samantha’s family wrote letters to President Biden & the Department of Justice, pleading for them not to do this, but their concerns were unheard. I can’t imagine the grief that Kandi and John Burns are reliving and dealing with during the holiday season," Manchin continued. "As their U.S. Senator and a father, I want to express my deepest sympathy for their continued suffering. Please know that Samantha will forever be in our prayers."
"On November 4, 2002, cellmates Chadrick Fulks and Brandon Basham escaped from a county detention facility in Kentucky" and "unleashed a criminal rampage that lasted seventeen days and zigzagged across several states," according to the court, which noted that the men "admitted to killing Burns and pleaded guilty to carjacking resulting in death in the Southern District of West Virginia."
In a fiery Christmas Day post on Truth Social, President-elect Trump told the 37 individuals who escaped capital punishment to "GO TO HELL!"
In a statement about the commutations, President Biden said, "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."
But he also said that he was "more convinced than ever that we must stop the use of the death penalty at the federal level."
"These commutations are consistent with the moratorium my Administration has imposed on federal executions, in cases other than terrorism and hate-motivated mass murder," Biden said.
A law passed last week as Congress narrowly averted a partial government shutdown to address cuts in Social Security for some public sector workers was praised by law enforcement groups, despite criticism from opponents who said the cost would speed up the program's insolvency.
The Senate on Saturday overwhelmingly approved the Social Security Fairness Act, bipartisan legislation to repeal two little-understood rules: the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and Government Pension Offset (GPO). The legislation effectively revokes 1980 rules that reduced benefits for public employees receiving state pensions.
The bill was sent to President Biden.
In the House, 327 members, and 76 Senators voted to stand with around 3 million retired firefighters, police officers, teachers, and other public sector workers who also receive pension payments, Mick McHale, president of the National Association of Police Organizations, told Fox News Digital.
"For over 40 years, the men and women, especially in the area of public safety… have been penalized as a result of the pension system that they belong to," McHale said.
Firefighters, police officers, postal workers, teachers, and others with a public pension have collected decreased Social Security benefits for jobs they held in the private sector because of WEP, which was designed to prevent so-called double-dipping from a government pension and Social Security.
The GPO ensures spousal benefits are adjusted to reflect income from public pensions in an effort to prevent Social Security overpayments.
"This is a victory for thousands of teachers, first responders, and public servants in Maine who, through service to their communities, have been forced to forego their earned retirement benefits," said Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine., the lead sponsor of the measure.
Critics of the bill argued it would cause more problems for Social Security moving forward. The legislation will add $196 billion to the federal deficit over the next 10 years, according to the Congressional Budget Office.
Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah., called the bill "fundamentally unfair," saying it would impact millions who have paid into Social Security.
"This bill would force those workers, 96% of them in America, to subsidize overly generous benefits for the 4% of the workforce, those who have not participated in Social Security and instead contribute to non-covered pensions," Lee said on the Senate floor.
"The men and women that are in Congress clearly recognized the unfairness that was being applied when it comes to a Social Security benefit, which was richly deserved and earned," he said.
He acknowledged that many retirees sometimes continue to work in other areas that pay into Social Security.
"However, that time period that we were in the law enforcement profession is where the penalty is applied when we reach the golden years and we should be enjoying the benefits of our efforts," he said.
Guatemala may accept more foreign nationals deported from the United States by the incoming Trump administration in an effort to strengthen ties to the U.S., according to a report.
Officials who spoke to Reuters said Guatemala is willing to receive deported citizens of other Central American countries – such as Nicaragua, Venezuela and Haiti – which have strained relationships with the U.S. and have not accepted deportees in the past.
"There has to be a regional response," one Guatemalan official told Reuters. "And we want to be part of the solution."
The expectation is that Trump will keep his campaign promise to begin the largest mass deportation of illegal immigrants in American history, and Guatemala wants to be in the president's favor throughout that process. The officials are bracing for deportations to increase in the fall, reasoning that it will take time for the Trump administration ramp up its operations, according to Reuters.
"We aren't ready for it, but we know it's coming," a second Guatemalan government official told the outlet.
Guatemala currently receives 14 deportation flights per week under President Biden's administration.
The Trump transition team did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.
Trump's team has reportedly reached out to other Central and South American countries to gauge their appetite for accepting deportations from the U.S. Several governments, including Mexico and the Bahamas, have said they do not want to take in foreign nationals from third countries.
In 2022, more than 40% of illegal immigrants living in the U.S. came from Mexico, amounting to 4.8 million of 11 million overall, according to a U.S. Department of Homeland Security report. That was followed by Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras, which together accounted for over one-fifth of the total.
Guatemala has reportedly been proactive in courting the incoming Trump administration, relative to neighbors El Salvador and Honduras, according to Reuters. Trump transition team members have met with Guatemalan officials, including Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., before he was nominated to serve as secretary of state, along with several employees from the conservative Heritage Foundation think tank who specialize in immigration, border security, drug trafficking and policy towards China.
Guatemala would prioritize Guatemalans for re-integration, the second official said, adding that every country should take responsibility for its citizens, but also highlighting a regional pact among Honduras, Guatemala, Nicaragua and El Salvador that allows free movement.
The hope is that deportees from the U.S. would put skills learned in the states to work in Guatemala's private sector.
"These are people who have worked in construction, in the service industry, in various sectors, and many speak English. We want to harness that," the official said.
Officials who spoke to Reuters also noted that more deportations could put pressure on Guatemala's economy.
In 2023, remittances made up 24% of El Salvador's gross domestic product and nearly 30% of Honduras' GDP.
Officials told Reuters they were not immediately worried about the economic impact of a decline in remittances, but shared concerns over Trump's proposed tariff hikes or increased taxes on remittances.
"We don't have a financial plan yet, there are just too many unknowns," said the second official.
Russia is willing to work with President-elect Trump to help improve relations with Ukraine so long as the U.S. makes the first move, Kremlin officials said this week, adding fresh momentum for the possibility of peace talks as its war in Ukraine threatens to stretch into a third year.
Speaking to reporters Thursday in Moscow, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov reiterated that Russia could be ready to come to the negotiating table regarding its "special military operation" in Ukraine — echoing the phrasing used by the Kremlin to describe its war in Ukraine — so long as the U.S. acted first.
"If the signals that are coming from the new team in Washington to restore the dialogue that Washington interrupted after the start of a special military operation [the war in Ukraine] are serious, of course, we will respond to them," Lavrov said in Moscow.
But he stressed that the U.S. should move first, telling reporters that "the Americans broke the dialogue, so they should make the first move."
His remarks come after Trump's pick for Ukraine envoy, retired Lieutenant-General Keith Kellogg, told Fox News in an interview this month that both Russia and Ukraine appear to be willing to negotiate an end to the war — citing heavy casualties, damage to critical infrastructure, and a general sense of exhaustion that has permeated both countries as the war drags well past the thousand-day mark.
"I think both sides are ready," Kellogg said in the interview. "After a thousand days of war, with 350,000, 400,000 Russian [soldiers] down, and 150,000 Ukrainian dead, or numbers like that — both sides are saying, ‘okay, maybe this is the time, and we need to step back.’"
To date, Russia has lost tens of thousands of soldiers in the war. As of this fall, an average of 1,200 soldiers were killed or injured per day, according to U.S. estimates.
In Ukraine, the country's energy infrastructure has seen extreme damage as the result of a protracted Russian bombing campaign, designed to collapse portions of the power grid, plunge the country into darkness, and ultimately, wear down the resolve of the Ukrainian people.
Most recently, Russia launched a Christmas Day bombardment against Ukraine's power grid, directing some 70 cruise and ballistic missiles and 100 strike drones to hit critical energy infrastructure in the country.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the Christmas Day timing was a "deliberate" choice by Putin. "What could be more inhuman?" he said in a statement.
Meanwhile, Ukraine's military has lost around 40% of the land it seized in Russia's Kursk region — a loss that could further erode morale.
Lavrov's remarks also come as Kellogg prepares to travel to Ukraine in January for what he described to Fox News as an information-gathering trip.
He declined to elaborate further on what he will aim to accomplish during the visit, saying only that he believes both countries are ready to end the protracted war — and that incoming President Trump could serve as the "referee."
"Think of a cage fight. You've got two fighters, and both want to tap out. You need a referee to kind of separate them."
Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday that he is open to having the peace talks in the third country of Slovakia, citing an offer made by the country's prime minister during a visit to the Kremlin earlier this week.
It is unclear whether Ukraine would be willing to have the talks held in Slovakia, a country whose leaders have been vehemently opposed to sending more EU military aid to Ukraine.
Ukraine did not immediately respond to Fox News's request for comment on the peace talks, or whether it would be open to Slovakia's offer to host.
West Virginia Republican Gov. Jim Justice announced that he would delay his U.S. Senate swearing-in, thereby preventing a whirlwind of four governors in a 10-day period due to coinciding changes in Charleston's legislative leadership.
In doing so, it leaves federal Republicans' Senate majority briefly at two instead of three seats. Justice alluded to such in remarks late Thursday, saying he wants to do what’s best for Mountaineers.
"My whole thinking behind all of this is that the continuity of government is essential during transitions. . . . When I took this job, I took this job to serve the people of West Virginia."
Justice said he doesn’t expect much to happen between Jan. 3 – when Congress is sworn in – and Jan. 20 – when President-elect Donald Trump is inaugurated, but that in Charleston, many things might transpire.
West Virginia is one of seven states that does not have an independently-appointed or elected lieutenant governor. In Charleston, it is instead a statutory title given to the state Senate leader.
So, if Justice were to join the U.S. Senate on-schedule, current state Senate President Craig Blair would initially assume the role.
However, Blair lost the GOP primary for his Martinsburg seat in April, and therefore leaves office on Jan. 8 when the new legislature is sworn in.
On Jan. 8, the newly-selected leader, Sen. Randy Smith from Tucker County, would assume the governorship until Gov.-elect Patrick Morrisey took office on Jan. 13.
"Between January 3rd and when President Trump takes office, there'll be some things that happen, but there won't be anything happening [in the U.S. Congress] really until when President Trump takes office," Justice said Thursday.
"I'm in constant contact with President Trump about my feelings about his selections for his appointments, my feelings about where we're going to go on all kinds of issues like energy and on and on and on and everything," he added.
"So, I don't think that there's anything there that is going to rise to the level of what could happen here [in my absence]."
Republicans also flipped the Senate by a comfortable-enough 53-47 margin that Justice’s absence will still allow a two-member buffer.
"I don't think that West Virginia needs to have four governors in 10 days," he said.
Justice said Thursday he made the decision after speaking about the situation with both the House Speaker and Senate Majority Leader-designate.
"Senator Thune is really a good man. He's going to do a great job as our leader and everything. And we had this discussion, and at the end of the day, I think you'll find that everyone totally understands the complexities and everything and totally understands [my decision]," Justice said.
Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.V., Justice’s counterpart next session, said she looks forward to serving with him and working together to advance Trump’s agenda.
"I very much respect Governor Justice’s decision to honor his commitment to complete his term as Governor of the State of West Virginia," she said in a statement.
"I believe this with all my soul," Justice further told reporters. "The people of West Virginia elected me to this office, and they expected me to do right by them always . . . t has been an honor beyond belief being their governor."
A billionaire coal businessman who also owns The Greenbrier in White Sulphur Springs, Justice was originally elected as a Democrat but changed parties during a 2017 rally with Trump in his first term in Charleston – and was re-elected as a Republican.
Justice’s turn to the GOP and the retirement of Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.V., completes a full shift from the blue state that for decades elected Sen. Robert Byrd and Rep. Nick Joe Rahall to a deep-red state that Democratic presidential candidates since Hillary Clinton have lost by double-digits.
Bearing the wait until Jan. 13, Justice reiterated, will be worth it because he loves Trump "with all my soul."
"I think the world of his family and everything. And I'm going to be there [and] super supportive of what he's doing. And we're going to try in every way to . . . put this nation back on the right track."
"The people of West Virginia will know exactly where I stand with them."
