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

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

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

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

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

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government office buildings because the federal workforce is still taking advantage of the Biden Administration’s outdated and detrimental pandemic-era telework policies," Comer told Fox News Digital.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

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

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

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

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

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

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

It’s safe to say Josh Allen doesn’t want his offensive coordinator, Joe Brady, to go anywhere this offseason with teams requesting to interview him for their head coaching vacancies.

A reporter asked Allen what Brady meant to him during a press conference on Wednesday.

"Nothing. He hasn’t done anything for us, teams should stay away from him," Allen said with a smile on his face. 

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

Then Allen took a more serious tone, praising his coach.

"He’s been fantastic, you know, coming into a situation last year, it’s not easy to switch play-callers’ mid-year, and he came in and from that day on, if you look at our splits, our success that we’ve had as a team, it’s noticeable. He’s one of the most positive guys in the building, he’s always got juice and energy for the guys. I think that’s something we love and appreciate about him, and he’s as real as they come," Allen said.

With the Buffalo Bills' success this season, offensive coordinator Brady is getting asked for head coaching interviews.

The Chicago Bears, New York Jets, New Orleans Saints and Jacksonville Jaguars have requested Brady in interview for their vacant head coaching positions, per numerous reports. 

The Bills fired offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey after the Bills dropped to 5-5 last season, and Brady took over play-calling duties. 

BROWNS' MYLES GARRETT HAS HEARTWARMING MOMENT WITH RAVENS ROOKIE AFTER JERSEY SWAP ASK

After Brady took over, the Bills went 6-1 down the stretch and won the AFC East.

With last season’s success, Brady remained as offensive coordinator, and his explosive offense, led by Allen, had the Bills at 13-4 going into the playoffs with Allen a favorite for the MVP award.

The Bills average 30.9 points per game, which is second in the NFL to only the Detroit Lions, who average 33.2 points per game.

Under Brady this season, Allen has played some of the best football of his career. The Bills star has completed 63.6% of his passes for 3,731 yards with 28 touchdowns and just six interceptions. 

Allen has also been dynamic with his legs, rushing for 531 yards with 12 touchdowns on the ground, averaging over five yards per attempt. 

Brady will have an opportunity to further entice teams when the Bills take on the Denver Broncos in the Wild Card Round at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday, 

The Broncos pose a good test for the Bills, as they give up the third-fewest points per game in the NFL, giving up just 18.3 points per game. 

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• In "Squid Game," people who are in debt compete for money in survival contests inspired by children's games.

• Both seasons have had a high death count.
• Here are the most shocking deaths ranked

Warning: Spoilers ahead for "Squid Game" seasons one and two.

"Squid Game" is Netflix's biggest success — and it has a pretty high death toll, at over 700 in two seasons. 

 The story of characters in debt competing, and often dying, in gratuitously violent games inspired by children's games to win money had viewers hooked from its premiere in 2021, and quickly became Netflix's most-watched show of all time.

Season two is equally violent and has beat Netflix's record for the TV series with the most views in its first week on the platform.

Season two follows Seong Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae) as he competes in the survival competition for a second time after winning the contest in season one. 

This time, Gi-hun tries to shut down the games for good but is unable to stop more people getting killed.

Here are the most significant deaths from the first two seasons of "Squid Game," ranked from least to most shocking.

• Cover Corp, a top virtual influencer company, is expanding its business in the US.
• Its creators, known as VTubers, use digital avatars and are gaining popularity on YouTube.
• The company is using sold-out live events and collaborations with traditional media to grow abroad.

Japan-based Cover Corporation is betting on the US as the next big market for growing its virtual anime-style influencer fan base.

The company manages creators who use technology to appear in videos and other online posts as digital avatars, often resembling anime characters. These influencers are most popular on YouTube. The VTubers, as they're known, typically livestream. Many make music or play games.

Their popularity is small but on the rise. From January 2023 to June 2023, VTubers comprised 1.4% of the active YouTube live gaming community but captured 9.6% of all viewer hours, according to data from the game-marketing platform GameSight. VTuber viewership increased by 28% during the period, while that of other gaming creators on YouTube Live fell by 6%.

Cover is one of several companies that exclusively work with VTubers to expand their businesses. Its agency division, Hololive Production, manages VTubers in Japan, Indonesia, and English-speaking countries, which have been a major area of expansion for the company since 2023.

Last year, Cover opened an office in Los Angeles through its first overseas subsidiary.

Hololive's popular VTubers in the US include Mori Calliope (2.49 million YouTube subscribers) and Nerissa Ravencroft (805,000 YouTube subscribers). Globally, its talent includes some of the most-watched and subscribed VTuber channels on YouTube.

The company's international expansion has helped boost revenue and earnings. Cover's revenue rose 50% year over year to 10,688 million yen ($67.6 million) during its last reported quarter, which ended in October. It posted a profit of 1,500 million yen during the period.

Motoaki Tanigo, CEO of Cover, spoke to Business Insider in an interview conducted through translators. In 2025, he said the company plans to focus on gaming collaborations, pop-up shops, and live events like concerts to grow its business in the US.

Hololive collaborated last year with the Los Angeles Dodgers on exclusive merchandise, for instance. VTuber Gawr Gura (4.5 million YouTube subscribers) also sang "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" on screens throughout the stadium.

Inside the business model of a top VTuber company

While Hololive primarily manages livestreamers, several of the company's creators sing and make their own music. That has opened up avenues for revenue and growth.

Mori Calliope, for instance, is scheduled to headline a solo concert in February in Los Angeles. Hololive's VTuber talent uses 3D technology to bring its digital avatars to the stage.

Tanigo said music is one of the top ways its talent reaches new audiences.

In 2023, Cover held a concert at the 6,000-seat YouTube Theater in LA, which sold out in 30 minutes, the company said. Its August concert at the Kings Theater in New York, another 6,000-seat venue, sold out in 10 minutes.

"The popularity of these events proves that North American audiences have a tremendous appetite for VTuber content," Tanigo said. "Our goal is to elevate VTubers alongside popular Japanese exports like manga, anime, and games."

Cover's top revenue drivers are merchandise, such as made-to-order items and a collectible card game; streaming revenue from super chats and channel memberships; concerts and live events; and licensing and collaborations, per its earnings report. Licensing and collaborations was the fastest-growing segment.

Hololive's international expansion

In 2025, the company is making a behind-the-scenes shift that it hopes will make its VTubers more engaging.

Until now, Hololive's VTuber models had been created through the gaming software Unity. Tanigo said the company is switching to another platform, Unreal Engine, which it believes will create "better quality" models.

The company is also working on finding better ways to sell tickets to and improve its in-person events. Tanigo said he'd love to see a function on YouTube or Twitch for ticket sales and better real-time translation for live videos, for example.

Hololive's international expansion has faced roadblocks.

Tanigo said the company has struggled with music copyright outside Japan, including getting the rights for talent to cover a song.

One of his priorities for the year ahead is to make inroads into traditional US media.

In Japan, the company has placed its talent on TV shows and other traditional media spots, and the team is working on animation projects based on its talent.

"We'd like to have that opportunity in the US as well and try to have more exposure in a TV show and different types of mediums," Tanigo said.

• The Palisades and Eaton Fires have razed thousands of homes and burned tens of thousands of acres.
• Some buildings have survived though, like the Getty Villa art museum in Pacific Palisades.
• The Villa isn't your average home, but homeowners can learn from what Getty staff have been doing all year.

As the Palisades and Eaton Fires burned through thousands of acres on Tuesday, razing nearly 2,000 homes, the iconic Getty Villa remained standing with minor damage. Meanwhile, homes and trees around it went up in flames.

"We deeply appreciate the tireless work and dedication of the Los Angeles Fire Department, Los Angeles County Fire Department, and other agencies," the museum said in a statement Wednesday morning.

The Getty Villa is part of the J. Paul Getty Trust, which includes the largest endowment of any museum in the world, estimated at more than $8 billion in 2023. It houses the Trust's collection of Ancient Greek and Roman art.

Fire departments used "state-of-the-art air handling systems" to help protect the building, President and CEO of the Getty Trust, Katherine E. Fleming, told USA Today.

Moreover, builders designed the galleries with double-walled construction, which also helped protect the precious art inside.

However, it wasn't just expensive architecture and state-of-the-art firefighting that helped. Getty staff have been consistently clearing brush from the surrounding area all year as part of its fire mitigation efforts, the museum said.

That is a crucial lesson for homeowners in fire-risk areas.

Yard work to save your home

The Palisades Fire has become the most destructive ever to hit Los Angeles, CNN reported, citing CalFire data.

One reason is abundant rainfall over the past two winters, which spurred an explosion of grasses and brush that dried out as virtually no rain fell over the last few months.

Cities, fire departments, and community members can proactively clear dried grasslands around residential areas.

Even individual homeowners can protect their properties by clearing a five-foot perimeter around their house, removing flammable materials like ornamental plants, bark mulch, or deck furniture.

"This is an urban fire. We're burning urban fuels," said Pat Durland, a wildfire-mitigation specialist and instructor for the National Fire Protection Association with 30 years of federal wildfire management experience.

Keeping gutters and roofs clear can also prevent the spot ignitions that send entire structures up in flames.

"People believe that they're helpless," Durland told Business Insider in 2023. But they're not, he insisted: "Nine out of 10 times, this boils down to two words: yard work."

Homeowners can also install non-combustible 1/8-inch mesh screening on any vents to a crawl space or attic, to prevent embers from entering the home through those routes.

"You are where the rubber meets the road. The things you do on your house and around your house are going to make the difference," Durland said.

• Kate Middleton became the Princess of Wales in September 2022.
• She's shown off different facets of her style while taking on new royal responsibilities. 
• Kate has embraced pantsuits, and for her two public appearances in 2024, she wore chic dresses. 

Kate Middleton became the Princess of Wales after Queen Elizabeth II died in September 2022. 

The mom of three, who celebrated her 43rd birthday on Thursday, has had fun with her fashion since her title changed, showing off a sleeker side of her style.

Following her abdominal surgery and chemotherapy treatment in 2024, Kate made a handful of appearances, and her recent royal looks seemed to blend the best of royal tradition with modern trends.

Business Insider looked back at some of the best ensembles Kate has worn since becoming the Princess of Wales. 

• LA's Palisades Charter High School was damaged by a wildfire on Tuesday.
• The school has a rich pop culture legacy, with J.J Abrams, Will.i.am, and Forest Whitaker among its alumni.
• "Carrie," "Teen Wolf," "Freaky Friday," and an Olivia Rodrigo music video were filmed on its campus.

A wildfire partially destroyed an iconic Los Angeles high school with A-list alumni, which was used as a set for iconic films including "Freaky Friday" and "Carrie."

According to the California Department of Education, 335 schools closed as numerous fires raged across the greater Los Angeles area, affecting more than 211,000 students.

Palisades Charter High School, which was set to start a new term next week, set on fire on Tuesday evening. Some of the school's athletic facilities and bungalow structures at the back of its campus were burned, The LA Times reported.

A representative for PCHS did not immediately respond to a comment request from Business Insider about the extent of the damage.

Staff members and student athletes who were at the school when the fire broke out were quickly evacuated from the premises, the outlet reported.

The main building is still standing, and PCHS' principal, Pam Magee, told the parents of the approximately 3,000 students that 70% of the campus structures may have survived, the LA Times reported.

The school's website said updates would be provided on a new term date start.

Palisades Charter High School has a rich pop culture legacy

PCHS, which opened in 1961 and became an independent charter school in 2003, has appeared in multiple TV shows and movies.

It was one of the many schools used as a location to represent Bates High School in the original 1976 film adaptation of Stephen King's novel "Carrie." The film received two Oscar nominations and has been referenced many times in movies, TV series, and by musicians.

All the school scenes for 2003's "Freaky Friday," starring Lindsay Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis, were filmed at PCHS. A sequel is currently in the works and due to premiere in August.

Seasons three to seven of "Teen Wolf," a supernatural teen drama released in the mid-2010s, uses PCHS for the outside shots of Beacon Hills High School. The first two seasons were filmed in Atlanta. The LA Times reported in 2012 that the production moved to LA to take advantage of the tax relief system there.

In 2021, Grammy-winning pop star Olivia Rodrigo recorded part of her "Good 4 U" music video in the school's locker room and sports facilities.

The PCHS website also states that 2012's "Project X," a found-footage teen comedy, was filmed there.

Palisades Charter High School's alums is full of stars

J.J. Abrams, the co-creator of the Emmy-winning show "Lost" and father of newcomer pop star Gracie Abrams, is one of several stars who attended PCHS.

In 2015, Abrams told the community news outlet the Palisadian Post that he based "Star Wars" character Maz Kanata on Rose Gilbert, his former English teacher at PCHS, when he cowrote and directed "Star Wars: The Force Awakens."

"We really wanted the story to feel authentic, despite being a wild fantasy. I mentioned Rose in an early story meeting as a sort of timeless, wise figure that I'd actually known in my life," Abrams said of Gilbert, who worked at PCHS for over 50 years and died in 2017 at 95.

Forest Whitaker, another PCHS alum, is an Oscar-winning actor, who has starred in "Black Panther," "Star Wars: Rogue One" and "The Butler."

He began acting in high school, and told Collider in 2020 that he starred in two school musical productions, "Jesus Christ Superstar" and "Cabaret."

The Oscar-nominated actor Jennifer Jason Leigh, Whitaker's costar in the 1982 movie "Fast Times at Ridgemont High," also attended PCHS.

Will.i.am, the seven-time Grammy winning member of the Black Eyed Peas, A. Scott Berg, a Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer, and Steve Kerr, the head coach of the Golden State Warriors, are some of the other successful alums who attended PCHS.

• I started pulling my kids out of school for travel when they were little.
• Traveling out of regular vacation meant I spent less money on tickets and hotels.
• Now that they are in high school, academics and sports are more important.

Growing up, I did not miss school. Maladies like Chickenpox and raging stomach bugs that didn't respond to ginger ale and saltines were the only acceptable reasons for being absent. Vacations were for summer and the occasional Christmas visits to grandparents.

My kids — the youngest two are in high school — have had unarguably cooler traveler experiences. Pulling them out of school to see the world was never the goal; it just sort of happened.

It started with living in Europe while my daughter was in elementary school. I discovered low-budget air carriers with cheap weekday flights from Frankfurt to London. I decided that seeing the crown jewels with our eyes was better than seeing pictures in a book and that missing a few days of third grade wouldn't hurt anything.

Traveling during the school year means extra savings

When my sons were in first grade, I learned I could save a substantial chunk of change by traveling to the Caribbean in early fall instead of late summer. Cruise lines, theme parks, and other vacation spots catering to families charge more in the summer, and I found I could save almost $3,000 by moving my early August cruise to late September. I decided my kids would probably still get into college if they missed a week of first grade. The verdict is still out on that one — they're halfway through their freshman year, but things are looking good.

Offseason vacations are just better. Resorts and flights are less chaotic, and we escaped the really hot part of the summer. Missing school in the elementary years was easy to navigate, and my kids did well with keeping up with their classes. Our travels were usually well-received by teachers, and we worked to keep the communication flowing and stay on everyone's good side, although sometimes only just. Our district policy allows up to nine unexcused absences per semester — anything above that, and we'd have to make our case to the administration.

We were close to the limit on the number of absences a couple of times but never hit the magic number nine.

They started asking not to miss school

But, as my kids got older, we encountered more teachers who were less than thrilled with our way of managing family travel. We managed to smooth things over when necessary and taught our kids to be proactive about requesting work in advance. When that wasn't possible, we helped them stay on top of their makeup work.

As they hit middle school, I noticed my "Hey kids guess where we're going!" announcements weren't being met with as much enthusiasm. Instead of excitement about seeing someplace new, the first question became, "Do we have to miss school?"

We now prioritize academics over travel

As my kids got older, they worked harder in school. Teachers are more heavy-handed with homework and projects, and once they hit high school, each grade becomes part of the bigger picture.

My kids became more aware of the ripple effects of not getting a good grade and began understanding the importance of cumulative learning. Missing a week of algebra and having to catch up on what you missed without falling further behind the rest of the class caused my kids stress. My kids don't struggle academically, but playing catchup wasn't easy after a certain point.

My boys are also athletes, and absences weren't winning them any points with their coaches. One of my sons is a starting pitcher and missed practice due to travel, and was subsequently benched for one game. These things started to take a little bit of the shine out of exploring the world together, and I realized we needed to change how we planned to travel.

I don't love that my kids talk about how their performance in ninth grade will impact getting into their college of choice. Part of me wants to whisk them away to Disneyland, the Canadian Rockies, or the Great Barrier Reef and tell them they have lots of time to worry about being adults. But really, they don't.

Now, I plan travel during school breaks, just like everyone else

I lament that I'm now a "regular mom" and not a "cool mom." Now, I plan our family vacations around school vacations, just like everyone else. Mostly. I'll still tack the occasional Friday onto a holiday Monday, but I'm more thoughtful about it now.

I'm not going to lie; I miss the days when I could pull them out of school because I saw a great deal on airfare. They've learned about fine art and architecture by visiting an art museum with a moveable sunscreen on the roof and practical things like how to exchange currency and navigate a major airport. They're also not timid about trying food that's not mac and cheese.

Most importantly, travel has taught my kids that the world is big and helped them be more open-minded about other cultures and viewpoints. Traveling as a family has strengthened our bond and taught us cooperation and problem-solving skills. I wouldn't have done things differently.

• A vast majority of dealers surveyed have "no trust" in Stellantis.
• The Jeep owner is prioritizing its relationship with dealers after a recent change in CEO.
• Some dealers are heading into this year a bit more optimistic.

Stellantis wants to earn back the trust of its US dealers after a tumultuous year. It won't be easy.

The Jeep owner topped the list of least-trusted franchises among dealers in Kerrigan Advisors's annual dealer survey, with a whopping 72% of Chrysler-Dodge-Jeep-Ram dealers reporting they have "no trust" in Stellantis.

The dismal result for Stellantis — the highest rate of "no trust" responses in the survey's history — comes after a tumultuous year for the global automotive giant. Aggressive cost-cutting measures rankled US dealers, many of whom wrote an open letter criticizing the company's product decisions over the summer.

Amid slowing sales and shrinking dealer profits, the letter accused former CEO Carlos Tavares of "reckless short-term decision-making" that had "devastating, yet entirely predictable, consequences in the US market."

CFO Doug Ostermann told investors that rebuilding trust with dealers is a top priority for the next management team.

Following Tavares's abrupt exit last month, Stellantis dealers were relieved. Kevin Farrish, the Stellantis dealer body president and Chrysler-Dodge-Jeep-Ram owner in Virginia, told Business Insider at the time that he was encouraged by how swiftly executives were making changes after Tavares's exit.

"We needed change, so provided the changes are correct — and they are thus far — it shows their commitment to fix things," Farrish said.

A Stellantis spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

A big rift

The results of the annual Kerrigan Dealer Survey are often in line with what dealers say publicly throughout the year. In 2023, for example, Ford was the least-trusted company among dealers after the parties disagreed over EV strategies.

But the results of this year's survey, based on more than 635 anonymous responses from dealers in Kerrigan Advisors database between June and November, offer the first concrete look at the rift between Stellantis and its dealers. And the divide is stark.

For context, about 46% of dealers reported "no trust" in Ford last year, showing that a slim majority still had trust in the Detroit automaker. That makes the 72% of dealers who reported "no trust" for Stellantis all the more alarming, Kerrigan told Business Insider in an interview.

While Ford and its dealers disagreed over EV strategies, Stellantis dealers felt more betrayed by their company, Kerrigan said. Efforts by the company to raise prices after the pandemic cut deeply into dealers' profit margins

"The difference here is numbers-based," Kerrigan said of the stark difference between Ford and Stellantis's divide with dealers. "Stellantis saw dealer profit margins during the pandemic and wanted a piece of that."

In addition to losing trust in their brands' strength, more than 64% of dealers surveyed said they expect their franchise values to decline in the next 12 months.

The Falcons are comfortable moving forward with Kirk Cousins as their backup quarterback behind Michael Penix Jr. next season, general manager Terry Fontenot said Thursday.

"You hit the pup jackpot!" one user said. Another said: "You cannot watch this and not smile."

European markets rose modestly while Asian markets mostly dropped on Thursday.

The SALT deduction is a federal tax break for filers who itemize to deduct up to $10,000 of some taxes from their taxable income.

Approximately 90 percent of Gaza's 2.3 million residents have been displaced, Gaza's Health Ministry reports.

According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the earthquake had a magnitude of 5.8.

With many homes in Los Angeles being threatened by wildfires, several celebrities have lost residences to the damage.

Californians who didn't find new homeowners coverage after being dropped by their insurers stand to lose everything from the fires.

The newly rebranded Cope has some interesting comparisons for his latest feud.

Multiple celebrities slammed Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass over her response to multiple wildfires burning in the city.

The Los Angeles Dodgers and Minnesota Twins are reportedly in agreement on a trade that would send a young catcher to the Twins.