Providence, Rhode Island, officials have accepted a request to fly the Palestinian flag Friday at City Hall in the state's capital.

City officials emphasized that no American flags are being displaced by the display, adding there have been several other flags raised over the government office in the past.

"Providence City Hall displays many different flags throughout the year to mark different occasions and honor the many ethnic and cultural backgrounds and traditions that make our city strong," a spokesperson for Providence City Council told Fox News Digital Wednesday.

The spokesperson added the city has also flown the Dominican flag, Irish flag, Armenian flag and the Israeli flag in recent months.

JOHN FETTERMAN RECEIVES TOP US JEWISH COLLEGE'S HIGHEST AWARD

"Like those examples, this idea came to us from the community as part of a request to honor the important role Palestinian-Americans play in the fabric of our beautifully diverse city," the spokesperson said.

Council President Rachel Miller will display the flag during Thursday’s city council meeting and then outside City Hall Friday.

When asked about the decision, a representative for Democratic Mayor Brett Smiley suggested the ceremony was the city council’s prerogative.

FETTERMAN SPOKESWOMAN REAMED FOR REPORTEDLY CONTRADICTING BOSS ON ISRAEL: 'UNPARALLELED HUBRIS'

"In Providence, the executive branch and City Council are two separate branches of government. The Providence City Council, not Mayor Smiley’s office, will be raising the Palestinian flag on Friday," said Josh Estrella, a spokesman for Smiley.

A report from GoLocalProvidence added the Palestinian flag is reportedly becoming more prevalent at City Hall overall.

Typically, the indoor chamber only flies the state and national flags, the report said.

Fox News Digital reached out for comment from Rhode Island Democratic Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse and Senate Armed Services Committee ranking member Jack Reed, D-R.I.

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Fox News Digital contacted the State Department to ask where it stands on the flag debate given the ongoing Israel–Palestinian conflict.

A request for comment was also received by the office of Rep. Gabe Amo, D-R.I., who represents much of the Ocean State’s capital region.

President Donald Trump is facing a legal challenge to another one of his executive orders, this time over his temporary withdrawal of offshore wind energy leases and review of wind power permitting practices.

The District of Columbia and 17 states are suing Trump, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and a slew of other officials over the administration’s move to do what they describe as halting progress to undertake an "amorphous, redundant, extra-statutory, and multi-agency review of unknown duration."

"Citing unspecified ‘legal deficiencies’ and ‘inadequacies’ in past federal wind energy reviews, the Wind Directive orders the heads of relevant federal agencies to relinquish their congressionally imposed responsibilities," the suit alleged. 

"It orders that agency defendants instead ‘shall not issue new or renewed approvals, rights of way, permits, leases, or loans for onshore or offshore wind projects pending the completion of a comprehensive assessment and review of federal wind leasing and permitting practices’ — a review, grounded in no statute and duplicative of already required reviews…," the suit said.

TRUMP EXECUTIVE ORDER FORCES NJ TO CANCEL ITS FIRST OFFSHORE WIND FARM

The plaintiff states go on to warn against job loss, economic effects and a roadblock to the source of 10% of the U.S.'s energy generation.

Filed in Boston federal court Monday, the suit seeks to allow states like Massachusetts to continue their projects after hundreds of millions of dollars have already been invested in offshore wind and "well-paying green jobs," according to a statement from Bay State Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell.

"The president’s attempts to stop homegrown wind energy development directly contradict his claims that there is a growing need for reliable domestic energy," Campbell said.

"My colleagues and I will continue to challenge this administration’s unlawful actions to chill investment and growth of this critical industry." 

TRUMP HITS BIDEN ON LAST-MINUTE ENERGY CRACKDOWN, PROMISES DAY 1 REVERSAL

The White House pushed back, with spokesperson Taylor Rogers telling Fox News Digital that instead of working with Trump to "unleash American energy and lower prices for American families, Democrat attorneys general are using lawfare to stop the president’s popular energy agenda."

"The American people voted for the President to restore America’s energy dominance, and Americans in blue states should not have to pay the price of the Democrats’ radical climate agenda," Rogers said.

Meanwhile, California Attorney General Rob Bonta added separately that Trump’s directive is "reckless" and will "not only reverse America’s progress in clean energy initiatives, but our communities will also suffer the economic consequences of the president’s misguided lawlessness."

Bonta claimed Trump’s order and similar actions billed as aiming to lower energy costs will only do the opposite.

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy added in a statement that his state will continue to move toward its goal of 100% clean energy by 2035, and that wind power plays a key role in it.

"We are committed to reversing this disruptive action and will take every step necessary to get these projects back on track," he said.

Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha said the Ocean State will also continue to work toward its climate goals.

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"Despite its affinity for hot air, this administration’s attack on wind is not unexpected," Neronha said in statement. "Mere hours after taking office, this president issued an executive order reaffirming his commitment to dismantling substantial clean energy progress in this country."

• Marble House was completed in 1892 as a summer home for William K. Vanderbilt and Alva Vanderbilt.
• Built with half a million cubic feet of marble, it features 50 rooms and spans 140,000 square feet.
• Scenes from the HBO show "The Gilded Age" were filmed in the historic Rhode Island home.

Alva Vanderbilt's 39th birthday present from her husband was a 140,000-square-foot summer "cottage" on the shores of Newport, Rhode Island.

As heir to the Vanderbilt family fortune during the Gilded Age, William K. Vanderbilt spared no expense in building Marble House for his wife. It was designed by Richard Morris Hunt, the same architect who worked on The Breakers, another expansive Newport mansion. Construction cost around $11 million in 1892, or about $387 million in today's dollars. The home's 500,000 cubic feet of marble alone cost about $7 million, or around $246 million today.

The marriage didn't last, but Marble House remained in her possession after their divorce. In addition to throwing extravagant balls and dinner parties, Alva Vanderbilt also hosted women's suffrage rallies on the property and leveraged her wealth to champion the cause. She even wrote the libretto for an operetta about women's suffrage, which was performed at New York's Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in 1915.

In recent years, the HBO show "The Gilded Age" has used Marble House as a film set.

I visited the expansive home in August 2024. Take a look inside this historic Newport mansion.

Completed in 1892, Marble House is a 50-room, 140,000-square-foot summer home that belonged to William K. Vanderbilt and Alva Vanderbilt.

The Preservation Society of Newport Country acquired the home in 1963 and turned it into a museum open to the public. Self-guided tours cost $25 per adult ticket and can be purchased on the Preservation Society's official website.

During the winter months, the mansion is only open to the public on Saturdays and Sundays, with daily tours restarting in mid-February.

William K. Vanderbilt gifted the home to Alva Vanderbilt for her 39th birthday.

William K. Vanderbilt was Cornelius Vanderbilt's grandson and heir to the family's railroad and steamship fortune during the Gilded Age. Alva Vanderbilt was a popular hostess in Newport.

When Alva Vanderbilt divorced her husband in 1895, she survived the scandal and kept Marble House and custody of their three children, Consuelo, William Kissam Jr., and Harold Stirling. She then married one of her neighbors in Newport, a financier named Oliver H.P. Belmont, in 1896.

After Belmont died in 1908, she became a leader in the women's suffrage movement, funding the National American Woman Suffrage Association and serving as president of the National Woman's Party.

Marble House's foyer featured walls, ceilings, and a grand staircase made of solid Italian marble, which Alva Vanderbilt chose for its warm hue.

"It would have been impossible to have used a pure white marble for the interior without having a mausoleum effect too cold for living comfort and joy," Alva Vanderbilt wrote of Marble House. "The soft gold brown fading off into delicate cream catches the sunlight by day or electric sparkle at night with a warm living glow."

The marble entrance hall led out to a portico overlooking the ocean.

The French doors in the entryway stayed open during the summer to provide a cooling ocean breeze.

The Dining Room was modeled after the Salon of Hercules at the Palace of Versailles.

Alva Vanderbilt was born in Alabama and raised in France. Her French design sensibilities were evident throughout the house.

The purple marble used for the walls was imported from Algeria.

The walls were created from one solid slab of marble that was cut in half to create pieces with mirroring patterns, a technique called bookmatching.

Alva Vanderbilt commissioned dining-room chairs inspired by those used by King Louis XIV of France.

Crafted from bronze and covered in gold, the chairs weighed 75 pounds each and required the help of a footman to be seated in.

The Gothic Room displayed medieval and Renaissance art that Alva Vanderbilt acquired from Emile Gavet, a French art collector.

The ribbed ceiling, stone mantlepiece, and wood floors were all imported from Paris.

Alva Vanderbilt purchased the art collection "en bloc," or all together in a set.

Buying art collections "en bloc" was popular during the Gilded Age as a way to quickly acquire a status symbol instead of taking generations to build a collection.

The Morning Room also functioned as a library.

The wooden bookcases, built in Paris by Allard and Sons, held books on architecture and European history that were original to the Vanderbilt family's collection.

The Grand Salon was also called the Gold Room because of the 22-karat gold leaf covering every wall.

"This room is really the epitome of the Gilded Age," Caitlin Emery, the research and interpretation coordinator at the Preservation Society of Newport County, said on the audio tour. "It is coated in gold and you have to imagine guests coming in on a summer evening with the sun going down. And the light picking up on all these gilded surfaces. The feel and the essence of the room would have been absolutely remarkable."

The Vanderbilts used it as a ballroom.

In 1895, the Vanderbilts hosted a ball to celebrate their daughter Consuelo Vanderbilt's engagement to Charles Spencer-Churchill, the ninth Duke of Marlborough. The party featured 300 guests and lasted until 5 a.m.

Consuelo Vanderbilt was secretly engaged to another man and resisted the arrangement, but she wrote that her mother "would not hesitate to shoot" her lover if she tried to run away with him.

"Alva wanted to secure for her daughter the one thing that money couldn't buy — a title," Emery said in the audio tour.

Theirs was a loveless marriage. After 26 years, Alva Vanderbilt testified that she had forced her daughter to marry the duke, which allowed her to receive an annulment in 1921.

The tour continued up the grand staircase on the second floor.

The mezzanine level featured two private studies, one for William K. Vanderbilt and one for Alva Vanderbilt.

Consuelo Vanderbilt's bedroom appeared as George Russell's room on the HBO show "The Gilded Age."

Consuelo Vanderbilt moved to Marble House when she was 15. She described her room as "austere," writing that her mother had picked out every piece of furniture and "forbidden the intrusion of my personal possessions," according to the audio tour.

A wooden spiral staircase outside Consuelo Vanderbilt's bedroom led to the service areas at Marble House.

The Vanderbilts would never have used the servant staircase or gone into the service areas.

The Vanderbilts' youngest child, Harold Vanderbilt, was an award-winning sailor whose trophies were displayed in the Trophy Room.

When the Vanderbilts lived at Marble House, the Trophy Room was a set of two connected dressing rooms for Alva Vanderbilt and Consuelo Vanderbilt. The Preservation Society turned it into a room for Harold Vanderbilt's yachting trophies.

Decorated in the Louis XIV style, Alva Vanderbilt's bedroom featured a throne-like bed and silk wall hangings.

The carvings in the molding throughout the room featured nymphs and cherubs for a fairytale-like oasis.

The lilac silk wallpaper was an exact copy of the original.

The factory that made Alva Vanderbilt's original wallpaper is still in business in Lyons, France, and it kept the Marble House orders in its archives. In 1990, the Preservation Society ordered the exact same wallpaper from the factory to replace the room's existing fabric, which had faded to gold, according to the audio tour.

William K. Vanderbilt's bedroom was much smaller than his wife's.

His bedroom was decorated in the French Neoclassical style. After he and Alva Vanderbilt divorced, William K. Vanderbilt moved to France with his second wife.

The guest bed still featured its original 18th-century lace canopy.

Marble House only had one guest bedroom because it was mainly built for family use.

The guest room was connected to a guest sitting room.

The guest sitting room was furnished with 18th-century French art and furniture produced by Allard and Sons.

Downstairs, Marble House would receive deliveries of flowers, wine, and food through the service entrance.

The stairs leading up to the rest of the house were locked to protect the Vanderbilts and their priceless possessions.

The Vanderbilts hired a French chef to staff the kitchen, which burned 30 tons of coal each summer.

The Vanderbilts paid their French chef a salary of $10,000 per year, or around $375,000 in today's dollars.

Dishes were cleaned and stored in the scullery.

The sink was made of a soft mineral called soapstone to prevent the Vanderbilts' silver from being scratched or damaged during washing.

Alva Vanderbilt made a set of china emblazoned with "Votes for Women" which she used at women's suffrage rallies hosted at Marble House.

Alva Vanderbilt hosted women's suffrage conferences at Marble House in 1904 and 1914.

She is quoted as saying in her speeches: "Just pray to God. She will help you."

Replicas of the "Votes for Women" china were available for purchase in the Marble House gift shop.

A "Votes for Women" teapot cost $28 at the gift shop when I visited in August. The large plates cost $14.95 and the smaller plates retailed for $12.95.

The grounds of Marble House featured beautiful views of the ocean.

Marble House is located along Newport's Cliff Walk, a scenic walking tour of the area's famous mansions.

The grounds also included a Chinese Tea House which Alva Vanderbilt commissioned after the death of her second husband.

Designed by Richard and Joseph Howland Hunt, the Chinese Tea House is now a café that offers refreshments and afternoon tea to Marble House visitors.

European copper beech trees dotted the property in another nod to the European palaces that inspired the design of Marble House.

Imported from Europe, the trees can grow 35 to 45 feet wide.

Marble House is more than just an opulent Gilded Age mansion — it tells the story of Alva Vanderbilt's remarkable life.

Built during a time of economic and technological advancement, Marble House symbolized the beginning of a new era where women could leave loveless marriages with their reputations intact and fight for the right to participate in America's democracy.

With the upcoming departure of longtime Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., in 2026, a battle will soon commence for his coveted role as Senate minority whip, the second-highest leadership role in the caucus next to Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer.

"There comes a point in your career when the torch must be passed, and I’ve reached that point," Durbin said during a press conference in Springfield Thursday. "I will not be seeking re-election to this United States Senate seat."

Several names have already been floated for the whip job, including some typically vocal senators and others whose quiet policy chops appear just as attractive.

One candidate mentioned has been Hawaii Sen. Brian Schatz.

ZELDIN GRILLED BY DEMOCRATS ON CLIMATE CHANGE, TRUMP'S STANCE ON CARBON EMISSIONS DURING EPA HEARING

Schatz, 52, is in his third term and is Durbin’s current chief deputy whip as well as deputy conference secretary, a job involving communication and strategy for Senate Democrats.

He is also the top Democrat on the Senate Indian Affairs Committee, given the Aloha State’s heavy native population.

Schatz has been active behind the scenes for liberals, placing holds on hundreds of Trump nominees for State Department positions in response to the president’s efforts to shutter USAID.

A former member of the Green Party in Hawaii, he is also considered a bridge between progressives and mainstream liberals.

A former top aide to previous Senate mainstays Harry Reid, D-Nev., and Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., told The Hill it's hard to tell how leadership elections will go because they’re closed-door votes, but "as far as I can tell, Sen. Schatz seems to be in a pretty good position if he wants to take the leap."

DICK DURBIN, NO 2 SENATE DEMOCRAT, WON'T SEEK RE-ELECTION

Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., is rumored to be a possible successor to Durbin as chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, according to Politico.

Whitehouse has raised his profile as another one of President Donald Trump’s loudest critics, regularly creating viral clips of combativeness with administration nominees in the various hearings he's sat in on.

Another lawmaker mentioned is Washington Sen. Patty Murray, who had been third in line to the presidency until the GOP took back the Senate.

Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa., now holds that role, which is typically held by the longest-serving senator of the majority party.

Murray is also the top Democrat on the influential Senate Appropriations Committee.

Frequently called the "mom in tennis shoes" who ran for the Senate in 1992 as a relative political newcomer, Murray once said she and others "got into the U.S. Senate because we were mad."

She lobbied officials in Olympia to save an education program from budget cuts when she was told "you can’t make a difference," according to a biography from the Washington Secretary of State’s office.

That populist history, along with Murray’s long tenure and closeness with leadership, could also make her a lock to succeed Durbin.

Fox News Digital reached out to Schatz, Whitehouse and Murray for comment but did not immediately hear back.

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Durbin spoke tearfully about his decision to retire during a press conference outside the same Springfield home where he announced his first Senate run nearly 30 years ago.

He hearkened back to his risky move to give up a "safe House seat."

"So, for the last 29 years, I’ve been vindicated that that decision paid off," said Durbin.

"I love this job. I think it’s a terrific job, but I also know reality."

The top Democrat on the Senate Homeland Security Committee demanded answers from the Trump administration over potentially stranded American travelers once REAL ID requirements take effect May 7.

Rhode Island Sen. Jack Reed wrote to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem regarding plans to begin enforcement that day, after President Donald Trump gave DHS discretion on when to begin enforcement of the chronically delayed Bush-era law.

"Following the recommendations of the 9/11 Commission, Congress passed, and then-President George W. Bush signed, the REAL ID Act of 2005, which requires minimum security standards for driver’s licenses or other identification of anyone seeking to board a domestic flight," Reed wrote.

"Recognizing the time and complexity involved in switching to REAL ID-compliant driver’s licenses and identification cards, President Trump signed legislation in 2020 that confirmed the Secretary of Homeland Security’s discretion over when to begin enforcing this requirement."

REAL ID DEADLINE FOR TRAVELERS, SOME FEDERAL BUILDING ACCESS QUICKLY APPROACHING

Delays persisted through three presidential administrations due to concerns over the complexity of updating 50 state, seven territorial and one district’s DMV and other systems.

Then, when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, state agencies were given further leeway on enacting REAL ID until DHS finally settled on the May 7 date for this year.

"According to the TSA, around 20 percent of air travelers still use a form of identification that is not compliant with REAL ID requirements," Reed wrote to Noem.

"Indeed, millions of Americans still do not have a REAL ID-compliant license or an acceptable alternative form of identification, such as a passport or a military identification card."

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He cited the secretary’s public comment at the White House that she does not want to see anyone delayed or unable to board a flight – for which a REAL ID-compliant identification will be required.

"Since it seems likely that many travelers will not have a compliant ID by May 7th, please describe how you will ensure that there are not delays at TSA security checkpoints and what steps the TSA is taking to process travelers who arrive at airport security checkpoints without REAL ID compliant identification," Reed concluded.

AMERICANS GROUNDED WITHOUT REAL ID, LONG DMV WAITS TURN TO OTHER OPTIONS

After its 2005 passage, REAL ID became one of the few political issues that had cross-partisan support and opposition.

Conservative and anti-illegal immigration groups praised the Bush administration’s work, while gun rights groups and libertarian-minded lawmakers warned it expanded the proverbial omnipresent "Big Brother."

Labor groups and liberals like Hillary Clinton also expressed reservations about the law.

They found recent agreement from Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., who wrote on X that people who believe REAL ID is supposed to bolster election integrity will be "sorely disappointed."

"Someone has lied to you, or you’re engaged in wishful thinking. Please don’t shoot the messenger," Massie said.

In a statement on its website, DHS pushed back on claims REAL ID would be used to build a new "database" – in apparent response to Massie-like concerns.

"REAL ID is a national set of standards, not a national identification card," the agency wrote. 

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"REAL ID does not create a federal database of driver license information. Each jurisdiction continues to issue its own unique license, maintains its own records, and controls who gets access to those records and under what circumstances," it said.

"The purpose of REAL ID is to make our identity documents more consistent and secure."

DHS Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs, Tricia McLaughlin, told Fox News Digital in a statement: "Real IDs make identification harder to forge, thwarting criminals and terrorists. 81% of air travelers hold REAL ID-compliant or acceptable IDs. DHS will continue to collaborate with state, local, and airport authorities to inform the public, facilitate compliance, curb wait times and prevent fraud."

"DHS responds to official correspondence through official channels," McLaughlin added.

Fox News’ Elizabeth Elkind and Deirdre Heavey contributed to this report.

• In the early 2000s, artist Michael Townsend spotted an unused corridor inside a Rhode Island mall.
• Townsend and other artist friends moved into the space as a protest of the city's gentrification.
• Four years later, security guards discovered the hideout, which is the subject of a new documentary.

In the early 2000s, Adriana Valdez Young heard a radio commercial for the brand-new Providence Place mall, a then-groundbreaking development built to draw luxury shoppers to Rhode Island's capital.

In the ad, a woman breathlessly fawned over the shopping center, exclaiming she wished she could live there since it had everything she could ever need.

"I just had this idea: Oh, we should live in the mall," Valdez Young, an artist, said in a new documentary.

That idea grew into a four-year adventure spearheaded by Valdez Young and her then-husband Michael Townsend, also an artist. Slowly, their group of friends moved cinder blocks, a sofa, a dining table, rugs, and a PlayStation console into a hidden hallway deep within the mall's maze-like system of underground corridors and emergency exits.

The hideaway — and the art the group created there over four years — is documented in director Jeremy Workman's latest film, "Secret Mall Apartment," now screening in Providence and New York City. The film will have a wider release in Los Angeles and additional cities in April.

Local artists saw the secret apartment as a protest against a changing city

In the 1980s and 1990s, city officials were determined to revitalize Providence's downtown to make it a destination, and not just a stop on the way to other major cities like New York City and Boston.

The Providence Place mall was designed to be an economic engine, with higher-end department stores like Lord & Taylor and Nordstrom and its own movie theater.

When the mall finally opened in 1999, it prompted real-estate developers to reconsider building other new projects in surrounding areas. One target was the nearby abandoned factory known as Fort Thunder, which served as a performance space, playhouse, and artists' lofts.

Fort Thunder was demolished to make way for a planned strip mall and grocery store, which angered members of the creative community who felt steamrolled by the process.

"There was no effort to bring people along," Valdez Young said in the documentary.

The apartment was peaceful and felt like a television set

Providence Place Mall has a unique design. With a river cutting through the center and rounded edges to accommodate nearby interstate I-95, its odd floor plan created the perfect hidden alcove.

"The building has a bunch of weird interesting shapes. The space we discovered was really a negative space in between two planes of the building," Colin Bliss, one of the artists who helped build the apartment, said in the film.

The group of friends accessed the secret apartment in two ways. First, they could shimmy between open spaces within a stairwell in the parking garage.

Second, they could get to their hideout from inside the mall through a series of emergency exits and hidden hallways. Footage in the film shows the group letting the exit alarms blare until they eventually turn off while sneaking items into the space.

Over the years, the group bought an antique china cabinet, a sectional sofa, a glass-top dining table, and other domestic wares from the Salvation Army and snuck them into Providence Place. Sometimes they would make a purchase from the food court so they would have a receipt in case they were stopped.

The apartment even had its own waffle maker.

"It made you feel really relaxed," Valdez Young said in the documentary. "It's a little prison-like, because there's this cement wall and no natural light, and you could be discovered at any moment. There was this weird sense of freedom."

Mall security guards eventually foiled the artists

The group mostly used the apartment as a meeting space to brainstorm and plan various art projects, including custom installations in children's hospitals and a New York City portrait project honoring 9/11 victims.

They may have slept overnight there, but many of the artists said in the film that they also had other homes at the time.

After four years, the group started to suspect mall staff were onto them. Various items from the apartment, like photo albums and the Playstation console, went missing.

The group believed security guards had found the apartment and were using it as their own hangout when the artists weren't around. They decided to only visit the apartment after hours to avoid getting caught.

One day, Townsend broke the rule because he wanted to show the hideaway to a friend who was visiting from out of town. During their visit, security broke in and caught Townsend and his friend. He was banned from the mall for life and the apartment was permanently sealed.

The ban, however, has apparently been lifted. Townsend recently attended screenings of the "Secret Mall Apartment" documentary at Providence Place itself, according to local newspaper The Providence Journal.

• After visiting all 50 states, there are three I'd happily live in — including my current, New York.
• I love to spend time in the wide-open spaces of the Teton Mountain Range of Wyoming.
• With stormy seasons and beachside communities, Rhode Island is my ideal state for coastal living.

As a travel writer, I truly believe that every state in the US is worth visiting at least once.

Some states, as I've written before, deserve multiple trips. However, there are only a select few I'd consider living in full-time.

As a constitutionally (and professionally) nomadic individual, it takes a special part of the country to make me want to stay put for longer than a month.

From the mountains of the American West to the Atlantic Coast of New England, here are the three states I'd choose to live in every time.

I can't resist the cosmopolitan culture of New York's concrete jungle

After all of my travels, I stand by the idea that New York City is the only real "city" city.

I may seek out the serenity of nature on my travels, but when it comes to day-to-day living, I long for the 24-hour bodegas and 4 a.m. last calls in the city that never sleeps.

Plus, I appreciate how easy it is to leave the city and explore some of the state's other landscapes. When I tire of all those bright lights and big city action, seaside getaways to spots like Shelter Island or the Hamptons are a mere train ride away.

As a frequent traveler, one of the other big benefits of living in New York is that I have two major international airports with direct flights to almost anywhere.

I spent most of my post-college years living in Manhattan, so I also treasure that it's located close to many of my friends and family members. (Full disclosure: I am a New Jersey native).

I'm currently living in New York City, and I'd choose to do so over and over again.

I love the wildness and the wide-open spaces of the Cowboy State

Yes, I am transitioning from the most populated US city to the least-populated state: Wyoming. The state has great opportunities for horseback riding, skiing, hiking, and so much more.

In the past, I've spent several years cabin-dwelling in the Cowboy State — and I'd do it again. I found solace in the wide open spaces of Grand Teton National Park and grew accustomed to falling asleep to the howls of coyotes.

I long to return to that lifestyle of writing in the morning, skiing in the afternoon, and watching that western sunset in the evening with a bourbon in hand.

When I do hit one of New York's airports, the destination I often yearn to fly to the most is Wyoming's Jackson Hole. In my humble opinion, it's the most beautiful place in America.

The state's mountains are often calling me, and I can see myself answering again one day — permanently.

Rhode Island epitomizes my ideal of East Coast island living

As much as I adore the drama of the Tetons, there's nothing that quite compares to the sea.

I've spent many summers along the Atlantic shores of Rhode Island, and I can envision myself happily residing on its rocky coast year-round.

Although the Pacific has sandier beaches and sunnier days, I prefer New England's jagged coastline and stormier seasons.

Rhode Island is a thrill to explore, teeming with coastal communities that each have their own charm, from Narragansett to Jamestown, Little Compton to Block Island.

The combination of the farmlands in Portsmouth and the lively nightlife of Newport already makes its Aquidneck Island my favorite getaway every summer.

One day, I hope the Ocean State becomes my safe haven for all four seasons. By then, of course, I'll have to find a new vacation spot to escape to.

The Trump administration is appealing a federal judge's order to unfreeze federal funding in the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit. 

The motion comes hours after a federal judge from Rhode Island ordered President Donald Trump's administration to unfreeze federal funds once again, claiming the administration did not adhere to his previous order to do so. 

U.S. District Judge John McConnell filed a new motion Monday ordering the Trump administration to comply with a restraining order issued Jan. 31, temporarily blocking the administration’s efforts to pause federal grants and loans. 

McConnell’s original restraining order came after 22 states and the District of Columbia challenged the Trump administration’s actions to hold up funds for grants such as the Climate Pollution Reduction Grant and other Environmental Protection Agency programs. But the states said Friday that the administration isn’t following through and funds are still tied up.  

The Office of Management and Budget released a memo Jan. 27 announcing plans to issue a temporary pause on federal grants and loans. While the White House later rescinded the memo on Jan. 29, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said that the move didn’t equate a "recission of the federal funding freeze." 

Specifically, McConnell’s motion calls for the Trump administration to restore withheld funds appropriated in the Infrastructure Improvement and Jobs Act and the Inflation Reduction Act that passed during the Biden administration in 2021 and 2022, respectively. The motion also calls on the Trump administration to restore funding for institutes like the National Institutes of Health. 

‘CONSTITUTIONAL CRISIS’: THE IMPOUNDMENT ACT TAKES CENTER STAGE AFTER RUSSEL VOUGHT'S CONFIRMATION 

The motion filed Monday asserts that states have provided evidence that there are still instances where the federal government has "improperly" frozen funds and failed to distribute appropriated federal funds. 

While the motion says the Trump administration claims these actions were done to "root out" fraud, McConnell said that the "freezes in effect now were a result of the broad categorical order, not a specific finding of possible fraud."

"The broad categorical and sweeping freeze of federal funds is, as the Court found, likely unconstitutional and has caused and continues to cause irreparable harm to a vast portion of this country," the judge wrote on Monday. 

LEAVITT PUSHES BACK ON MEDIA'S ‘UNCERTAINTY’ ABOUT FEDERAL FUNDING FREEZE

McConnell said in his original order that evidence suggested the White House's rescission of the OMB memo may have been done in "name-only" in order to "defeat the jurisdiction of the court." 

As a result, McConnell said Monday that the Trump administration must "immediately restore frozen funding" until the court hears and decides the preliminary injunction request. 

"Each executive order will hold up in court because every action of the Trump-Vance administration is completely lawful," Harrison Fields, a White House spokesperson, said in a statement to Fox News. "Any legal challenge against it is nothing more than an attempt to undermine the will of the American people.

Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha praised McConnell’s ruling and said the order "confirmed what we have been saying from the beginning."

"It is now time for the Administration to come into full compliance," Neronha said in a statement Monday. "This is a country of laws. We expect the Administration to follow the law. Our Office and attorneys general across the country stand ready to keep careful watch on the actions of this Administration that follow, and we will not hesitate to go back to Court if they don’t comply."

Fox News' Jacqui Heinrich contributed to this report. 

As of Wednesday, 11 of President Donald Trump’s cabinet nominees have been successfully confirmed to their posts.

While some, like Secretary of State Marco Rubio, sailed through – others, like Attorney General Pam Bondi saw their confirmation process marred with pointed confrontations, and deep dives into their personal lives, as was the case for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

MARCO RUBIO: STATE

Rubio, a longtime Florida senator from Miami, and the son of Cuban immigrants, enjoyed a relatively calm confirmation hearing when it came to interactions with lawmakers.

However, several Code Pink protesters angry over what their shirts denoted as the "killing of children in Gaza" had to be removed from the room due to outbursts.

The final protester shouted at Rubio in Spanish, to which the now-secretary remarked that his protesters are at-times bilingual.

KASH PATEL ENRAGES ADAM SCHIFF IN CLINTONIAN BATTLE OVER WORD ‘WE’; JAN 6 SONG

Rubio was confirmed unanimously 99-0. At the time, Sen. Jon Husted, R-Ohio, was still lieutenant governor and had not been seated in Vice President JD Vance’s place.

PETE HEGSETH: DEFENSE

Veteran and former Fox News host Pete Hegseth laid a more contentious path through the confirmation process.

Hegseth earned two Bronze Stars and several other medals while serving in the Army National Guard. He joined Fox News Channel in 2014 and resigned upon his Pentagon nomination.

Questions arose about allegations he drank heavily at times and was abusive towards women. Several people in Hegseth’s orbit, including fellow Fox News personalities, rebuffed the claims against him.

While Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., offered praise for Hegseth’s confirmation – later telling reporters he clearly answered every question put to him – other lawmakers didn’t view the nominee the same way.

When protesters disrupted the hearing, Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., said they appeared to be from the "Chinese Communist [Party] front-group" Code Pink and upset about Hegseth’s support for Israel.

"I support Israel's existential war in Gaza. I assume, like me and President Trump, you support that war as well," Cotton said.

Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., also grilled Hegseth about his qualifications to lead America’s troops.

ZELDIN GRILLED IN CONFIRMATION HEARING

"I do not believe that you can tell this committee or the people of America that you are qualified to lead them. I would support you as a spokesperson for the Pentagon," he said.

Critics, including Fox News contributor Joe Concha claimed irony in the lawmaker’s grilling – as Trump previously dubbed Blumenthal "Da Nang Dick" after claims surfaced that Blumenthal had misrepresented his own military service during the Vietnam War.

In the end, a 50-50 split brought on by GOP Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska joining all Democrats in opposition led to Vance having to cast his first tie-breaking vote of the congressional session to confirm Hegseth.

DOUG BURGUM: INTERIOR

Interior Secretary Doug Burgum received substantive Democratic support in his final confirmation vote of 80-17 last week. Three Democrats did not vote.

His confirmation hearing’s tenor was also mixed, with fellow North Dakotan, Sen. John Hoeven, calling him the right man for the job.

Some Democrats, including Sens. Catherine Cortez-Masto and Mazie Hirono, however, offered pointed questions about environmental issues and other concerns during the hearing.

When Cortez-Masto asked about the Trump administration repealing EV credits, Burgum said he "support[s] economics and markets" and highlighted the comparatively high costs of electric vehicles.

Burgum grew up in eastern North Dakota, near a grain elevator his grandfather operated. He reportedly met future Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer in college and later "bet the farm" to invest a quarter million dollars in 1983 in a tech startup called Great Plains Software.

He eventually became president of the company, which was purchased by Microsoft around the turn of the century.

He served as North Dakota’s governor in recent years, briefly mounting a 2024 presidential bid before dropping out to endorse Trump.

SCOTT BESSENT: TREASURY

South Carolina billionaire Scott Bessent was confirmed as Trump’s second-term Treasury secretary on Jan. 28.

With the confirmation, Bessent became the highest ranking openly gay cabinet official in U.S. history.

Bessent was born in Conway, S.C., just inland from the famous "Calabash" seafood area in North Carolina and resort city of Myrtle Beach, S.C.

He previously worked for several global investment management companies for decades, notably including a stint as chief investment officer for Soros Fund Management; led by left-wing Hungarian-American billionaire George Soros.

His politics, however, appear to greatly differ from those of Soros himself – as Bessent once called Trump’s 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act "'single most important economic issue of the day."

During his confirmation process, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., was a noted foil. 

Warren reportedly sent Bessent more than 100 written questions on subjects spanning from housing to financial oversight ahead of his testimony, according to PBS.

He was confirmed by a relatively bipartisan 68-29, with one Republican and two Democrats not voting.

SEAN DUFFY: TRANSPORTATION

Former Rep. Sean Duffy, R-Wis., was confirmed in a comparatively more peaceful process than other nominees.

Duffy enjoyed a relatively cordial hearing before Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and the Senate Commerce Committee.

However, 22 Democrats still voted against his confirmation, with Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., not voting.

Within a day of his confirmation, Duffy was faced with a catastrophic midair collision over the Potomac River in Washington, D.C. involving a military helicopter and an American Airlines-sanctioned passenger flight from Kansas to Reagan National.

All of those aboard both crafts died as the fuselage crashed into the shallow but frigid Potomac, just yards shy of the Arlington, Va., airport’s runway.

Soon after, Duffy had to simultaneously handle the fallout from a medical plane crashing near the junction of US-1 and PA-73 in Northeast Philadelphia. 

The doomed plane spewed jet fuel as it crashed, setting a row of homes on Cottman Avenue ablaze. Six Mexican nationals onboard and one Pennsylvanian on the ground was killed, according to news reports.

CHRIS WRIGHT: ENERGY

Energy Secretary Chris Wright was confirmed Sunday in a 59-38 vote, with one Democrat and two Republicans not voting.

The energy company CEO from Colorado told lawmakers he would unleash U.S. energy potential as secretary.

He has been a critic of climate change regulations and was endorsed by American Energy Alliance chief Tom Pyle as well as Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo. – the former chairman of the natural resources committee.

DOUG COLLINS: VETERANS AFFAIRS

Former Rep. Doug Collins, R-Ga., was recently confirmed as Trump’s pick to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Collins saw wide bipartisan support in his 77-23 vote. In the Veterans Affairs Committee that heard his nomination, only Hirono voted against him.

Collins is a veteran of the U.S. Air Force Reserve, and will now lead the agency meant to care for veterans after their service.

"I do not come into this with rose-colored glasses. This is a large undertaking that I feel called to be at," Collins said. "When a veteran has to call a congressman or senator’s office to get the care they have already earned, it’s a mark of failure."

Collins notably garnered a pro-life streak in Congress, vociferously opposing the Affordable Care Act and remarking upon the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, "RIP to the more than 30 million innocent babies that have been murdered during the decades that Ruth Bader Ginsburg defended pro-abortion laws." 

KRISTI NOEM: HOMELAND SECURITY

Now-former South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem successfully made it through her confirmation hearing to become the nation’s homeland security chief.

As governor, Noem provided South Dakotan resources to Texas and Gov. Greg Abbott to help assuage the Biden border crisis.

As secretary, she has been on hand for immigration enforcement operations undertaken by Border Czar Thomas Homan, including one in The Bronx, N.Y.

Noem saw a relatively peaceful confirmation process, though only a handful of Democrats ultimately supported her.

"We must be vigilant and proactive and innovative to protect the homeland," she said at her hearing.

"The challenges in front of us are extremely significant, and we must secure our borders against illegal trafficking and immigration. We must safeguard our critical infrastructure to make sure that we're protected against cyberattacks, respond to natural disasters and also terrorism."

Noem was raised on a ranch near Hayti, S.D., before venturing into politics.

In 2012, Noem won South Dakota’s at-large U.S. House seat – a GOP flip from its previous officeholder, Rep. Stephanie Herseth-Sandlin, D-S.D.

From there, she moved on to the governor’s office in 2018.

LEE ZELDIN: EPA

Former New York Rep. Lee Zeldin sat for his confirmation hearing to lead the Environmental Protection Agency two weeks ago and was grilled by Democrats on his views of climate change.

Senate EPW Committee ranking member Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island questioned Zeldin on the effects of carbon dioxide and pollutants on the atmosphere.

"Is carbon dioxide a pollutant?" the Rhode Island Democrat asked, leading to a short back-and-forth.

Later, after Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., questioned Zeldin about climate change and other concerns, a cellphone that appeared to be Zeldin's rang loudly.

"That was the fossil fuel industry," Sanders quipped.

Later, Green New Deal co-sponsor Sen. Edward Markey of Massachusetts questioned Zeldin on comments from a 2016 congressional debate where he said it is the U.S.’ job to "reduce reliance on fossil fuels."

"I support all of the above energy," Zeldin replied before Markey cut in.

In the final vote, three Democrats joined Republicans to confirm him – Pennsylvania Sen. Fetterman and both Arizona senators – while three other Democrats did not vote.

JOHN RATCLIFFE: CIA

CIA Director John Ratcliffe was confirmed by a 74-25 margin on January 23, with Fetterman not voting.

Ratcliffe previously served as Trump's Director of National Intelligence (DNI) from May 2020 until January 2021, during Trump’s first term in office. 

While in Congress representing North Texas, Ratcliffe sat on the House Intelligence Committee, and notably garnered support in his confirmation from Virginia Sen. Mark Warner, the top Democrat on the Senate’s partner panel.

An Illinois native, Ratcliffe later became an attorney in Texas, was elected mayor of Heath, and later named by former President George W. Bush to lead counterterrorism efforts in the state’s Texarkana-based Eastern District.

PAM BONDI: JUSTICE

Former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi was confirmed to the federal version of her erstwhile role by a vote of 54-46 – with Fetterman being the lone Democrat in support.

Bondi’s hearing was one of those that was marred by tense moments, including an exchange with Rhode Island's Whitehouse.

Whitehouse grilled Bondi whether her Justice Department would seek to target individuals on a political basis and "look for a crime."

"It's a prosecutor's job to start with a crime and look for a name. Correct?" he asked.

"Senator, I think that is the whole problem with the weaponization that we have seen the last four years and what's been happening to Donald Trump," Bondi replied. 

"They targeted Donald Trump. They went after him, actually starting back in 2016. They targeted his campaign. They have launched countless investigations against him. That will not be the case. If I am attorney general, I will not politicize that office."

As her exchanges with Whitehouse continued, she pointed to Kevin Clinesmith – an ex-FBI lawyer sentenced to probation after he illegally altered a FISA document during a federal probe through which Trump’s 2016 campaign had been accused of colluding with Russia.

There have been several other confirmation hearings for other potential cabinet members.

Notably, FBI nominee Kash Patel’s clash with Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., made waves last week.

Patel enraged Schiff over his reported support for January 6 inmates and his reported work in concert with the production of a song sung by the inmates that featured an a capella Pledge of Allegiance from Trump.

The tit-for-tat devolved into a Clintonian spat when Patel riffed to Schiff that his response to the lawmaker hinged on his definition of the word "we" – as Clinton had told prosecutors in 1998 that a response to part of his Monica Lewinsky testimony centered on the independent counsel’s definition of "is."

Fox News' Adam Shaw, Caitlin McFall, Diana Stancy and Alec Schemmel contributed to this report.

The new federal Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) announced Friday that taxpayers will see just over a $1 billion savings through the elimination of 104 diversity, equity and inclusion-related (DEI) contracts.

As of Wednesday, DOGE had recorded the cancellation of 85 "DEIA" contracts from 25 federal agencies. By Friday afternoon, that number had grown to 104 contracts totaling $1,000,060,792, according to a DOGE news release.

Of note, 21 Department of the Treasury contracts were canceled, saving a total of $25,247,783. In second place was the Department of Health & Human Services, which canceled 15 contracts worth $28,187,448.

While the Office of Personnel Management only had three contracts canceled, the dollar figure was pinned at a whopping $494,956,233, an average of about $165 million per DEI contract.

TOP DOGE LAWMAKER SAYS TRUMP ‘ALREADY RACKING UP WINS FOR TAXPAYERS’ WITH EFFICIENCY INITIATIVES

The other agencies with the most contracts canceled by the Trump administration include Agriculture with 11 and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and Homeland Security with seven each.

According to a release Monday from the Department of Veterans Affairs, 60 employees whose roles were solely focused on DEI were placed on administrative leave, and spokesperson Morgan Ackley said the administration is "laser focused on providing the best possible care and benefits to Veterans, their families, caregivers and survivors."

"We are proud to have abandoned the divisive DEI policies of the past and pivot back to VA’s core mission," Ackley said.

The rapid-fire DEI contract eliminations come one week after President Donald Trump signed an executive order targeting the endeavors, officially described as "ending illegal discrimination and restoring merit-based opportunity."

‘DOGE’-MEETS-CONGRESS: GOP LAWMAKER AARON BEAN LAUNCHES CAUCUS TO HELP MUSK ‘TAKE ON CRAZYTOWN’

However, a consortium of liberal state attorneys general lambasted Trump with a warning that the moves "have nothing to do with combating discrimination."

A  joint statement led by Rhode Island AG Peter Neronha Friday called the executive orders that led to the dismantling of DEI policies and programs "unnecessary and disingenuous."

Neronha and his co-signers — attorneys general from California, Illinois, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Vermont and Washington state — said they would agree to be "willing partners" in cracking down on discrimination if Trump chose instead to utilize "longstanding civil rights laws" rather than the path he has chosen.

"Contrary to President Trump’s assertions, the policies he seeks to end do not diminish the importance of individual merit, nor do they mean that employers are lowering their standards, hiring unqualified candidates, or engaging in race-and-sex-based preferences," the statement said.

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"DEIA initiatives simply ensure that there are fair opportunities for everyone, helping to maximize contributions from all employees and enabling businesses and organizations to succeed in their missions."

In Congress, Rep. Aaron Bean and Sen. Joni Ernst have been leading DOGE efforts to further curtail government waste and abuse.

Bean, a Republican from Jacksonville, Florida, founded the Congressional DOGE Caucus in November, and Ernst, Iowa, has led the charge to lobby for return-to-work requirements for federal employees and sales of unused or underused federal office space.

• WalletHub released a report of the safest states in the US.
• It ranked states based on 52 safety indicators, including work safety and emergency preparedness.
• Vermont was ranked the safest state in the US, followed by New Hampshire and Maine.

With a rise in climate-related disasters — from hurricanes and storms to the recent wildfires in Los Angeles — one thing is clear: Safety is no longer limited to living in a crime-free neighborhood.

These days, safety has taken on a new meaning, encompassing a range of factors from emergency preparedness to financial stability.

Taking into account these evolving priorities, WalletHub released a report in October listing the safest states in the US based on 52 factors in five key areas: personal and residential safety, financial safety, road safety, workplace safety, and emergency preparedness.

Each state was given an overall score out of 100 based on its average rating across the five categories, and all the states were then ranked based on these scores.

The data used in the report was sourced from the US Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Federal Bureau of Investigation, TransUnion, and US Fire Administration, among other sources.

From Vermont and Maine to Utah and Wyoming, here are the 10 safest states in the US, according to WalletHub.

10. Wyoming

Wyoming, which also came 10th in 2023, ranked relatively high (15th) on both personal and residential and financial safety for 2024.

In all other categories — road and workplace safety and emergency preparedness — it ranked 21st. Casper, the second largest city in the state was also named the second safest city in the US in a separate study by WalletHub.

However, the state has the seventh-highest bullying incidence rate and the second-worst fatal occupational injuries per total workers, WalletHub reported.

9. Rhode Island

Rhode Island has also retained its ninth spot on the list.

The state ranked eighth on emergency preparedness scale and 11th on road safety. Its ranking for personal residential safety, though, dropped to 19, compared to eight in 2023.

Still, the state has the fewest fatalities per 100 million vehicle miles of travel, the fourth-fewest assaults per capita, the third-lowest bullying incidence rate, and the fourth-lowest share of uninsured residents, per WalletHub.

The state did not fare as well on the workplace safety ranking, standing 38th, despite having the fewest fatal occupational injuries per total workers.

8. Minnesota

Minnesota, too, has maintained its ranking from 2023, retaining the eighth position.

The Midwestern state scored highly under three categories: financial safety, where it ranked ninth among all states; road safety, where it ranked second; and workplace safety, where it stood sixth.

It also has the third lowest fatalities per 100 million vehicle miles of travel and the fifth-lowest share of uninsured residents and fatal occupational injuries per total workers.

7. Connecticut

Connecticut, which ranked sixth in 2023, has swapped spots with Hawaii, previously ranked seventh.

The Constitution State, has the second best personal and residential safety among all 50 states. It is also the 16th safest in terms of emergency preparedness and 20th in road safety.

In addition to its high rankings, when compared to other states, it has the third-fewest assaults per capita, third-highest percentage of adults with rainy day funds, and, like Rhode Island, the second fewest fatal occupational injuries per total workers.

6. Hawaii

Hawaii moved from seventh in 2023 to the sixth-safest state in the US in 2024.

This improvement is partly due to its strong performance in financial safety, where it ranked sixth, as well as in personal and residential safety and emergency preparedness, both ranking 11th.

The state also stands out for having the fifth-lowest rate of assaults per capita and the highest percentage of adults with rainy-day funds.

5. Utah

Utah, the fourth-safest state in 2023, moved down one spot, ranking fifth in 2024.

The Beehive State ranked No.1 among all states in workplace safety and fourth in emergency preparedness. It also fared well in road safety, ranking seventh overall.

Additionally, the state has the second-lowest per capita losses from climate disasters, which means it suffers relatively low monetary losses from events like hurricanes, floods, or wildfires when calculated per person.

4. Massachusetts

Massachusetts ranked among the top 10 in at least four categories, including third-highest in personal and residential and road safety.

It was also the fourth-best state in the US for financial safety and ranked 10th in emergency preparedness.

It's also the state with the second-fewest fatalities per 100 million vehicle miles of travel, the fifth-lowest bullying incidence rate, the lowest share of uninsured residents, and the fourth-highest percentage of adults with rainy-day funds, per WalletHub's report.

3. Maine

WalletHub ranked Maine as the third-safest state to live in the US because of its high financial, personal and residential safety rankings. The state has one of the lowest unemployment rates and one of the strongest job growth rates in the country.

According to the report, the state also has one of the lowest crime rates in the country, with the second-fewest aggravated assaults and third-fewest thefts per capita. Between June 2022 and June 2024, it also had the second-fewest mass shootings.

In addition to its strong safety ranking, the Pine Tree State also has a very low risk of natural disasters.

2. New Hampshire

The Granite State, known for its natural beauty, ranked second on WalletHub's safety index.

It topped the rankings in personal and residential safety thanks to its low rates of violence, a high number of neighborhood watch groups per capita, and strong financial safety.

New Hampshire also secured second place in financial safety and ranked third overall in emergency preparedness. It has the fewest assaults per capita and the lowest unemployment rate, alongside South Dakota, North Dakota, Vermont, and Hawaii.

However, the state also has the sixth-highest bullying incidence rate in the country.

1. Vermont

Vermont has been the safest state in the US on WalletHub's index for two years in a row.

The Green Mountain State has maintained its top position, in part because it is the No. 1 state in the country for financial safety — WalletHub reported it has one of the country's lowest employment rates and one of the strongest job growth rates.

Vermont also came second in workplace safety and fourth in road safety, with the report chalking this up, in part, to "good driving behavior": The state has the lowest percentage of drivers who've used a phone behind the wheel, per WalletHub.

It was also in the top 10 among the two other categories, ranking sixth in personal and residential safety and ninth in emergency preparedness.

In the 1942 film "Holiday Inn," legendary crooner Bing Crosby describes the stroke of midnight on New Year’s as "one minute to say goodbye before we say hello." In 2025, Americans in several states around the country are "saying hello" to many new laws and changes in tax codes.

In West Virginia, for example, residents saw an automatic 2% personal income tax cut taking effect on New Year's Day.

"If anybody says there’s something [else] that could drive more growth to West Virginia than that, you’re out of your mind," outgoing Republican governor and Sen.-elect Jim Justice quipped of that particular policy change.

However, other states’ residents may face more proverbially "draconian" policies and regulations. Here's a look at some of them.

"Congestion pricing"

The Empire State’s heavily-debated congestion pricing law will take effect on Sunday, Jan. 5. 

While Gov. Kathy Hochul and MTA Chair Janno Lieber have been supportive of the change, which charges the average driver crossing or entering Manhattan below Central Park a photo-enforced $9 toll, many New Yorkers remain outraged.

HOCHUL SPURS BIPARTISAN OUTRAGE OVER CONGESTION PRICING

"Congestion pricing, the latest in a long string of tyrannical taxes, has been pressed forward through consistent opposition about the burden on New York families and workers," several New York Republican federal lawmakers wrote in a December letter.

Meanwhile, Democrats like State Sen. Andrew Gounardes of Bay Ridge had urged the congestion-pricing plan to begin "immediately, before [Donald] Trump can block it."

Lather up

Visitors to one of the most popular tourism states in the country will no longer be welcomed by travel-sized shampoo and lotion bottles, as they will be prohibited come the New Year. 

The Empire State's ban took effect on Jan. 1, while a similar ban in Illinois goes into practice on July 1 for larger hotels and Jan. 1, 2026, for smaller ones.

While many hotels across the country have transitioned to affixing bulk shampoo dispensers into shower walls, many tourists still prefer the tiny bottles.

Tax hikes

California’s SB-951 of 2022 stipulated that workers will have slightly more money withheld from their paychecks in 2025. The state’s disability insurance program rate is to increase from 1.1% to 1.2%.

The average California worker will see $8 less per month in their net pay.

Gas prices

California Republicans estimated that new regulations taking effect in the New Year will cause "major sticker shock" for drivers in the Golden State.

"I’m concerned Californians will … be unprepared for the rapid gas spike in 2025, which could be an additional 90 cents per gallon," said state Senate Minority Leader Brian Jones.

CA LAWMAKERS SLAM ‘IVORY TOWER’ ENERGY ‘POLITBURO’ AS GAS PRICE HIKE LOOMS

Jones estimated Californians will pay $900 more over the course of the year for gasoline.

Parental rights

AB-1955, or the SAFETY Act, took effect Jan. 1.

The law prohibits schools from enacting policies that require parental notification if their child changes their gender identity.

In December remarks to FOX-11, bill sponsor Assemblyman Chris Ward said "politically motivated attacks on the rights, safety, and dignity of transgender, nonbinary and other LGBTQ+ youth are on the rise nationwide, including in California."

Ward, D-San Diego, said school districts had wrongly adopted policies to "forcibly out" students and that parents should love their children unconditionally in all cases.

Immigrant health insurance coverage requirements

A 2022 bill relating to health insurance coverage for Coloradans regardless of immigration status will take effect next month, according to the Denver Post.

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HB-1289 requires the state to provide "full health insurance coverage for Colorado pregnant people who would be eligible for Medicaid and the children's basic health plan (CHIP) if not for their immigration status and continues that coverage for 12 months postpartum at the CHIP federal matching rate," according to the bill text.

Abortion

As of July 2025, Delaware colleges will be required to provide emergency abortion access and contraception or direct the patient to an external facility, according to the Wilmington News-Journal.

A law is also primed to take effect in the First State that mandates insurance coverage and eliminates deductibles for abortion procedures, according to multiple reports.

State Sen. Bryant Richardson, R-Blades, ripped the new law after it passed the legislature earlier in 2024.

"This is a procedure you want my tax dollars to pay for. I’m sorry, I think this is evil," he said.

Stop light

Washington, D.C., will institute a ban on right-turns-on-red within District boundaries. The law is a rare regulation in a blanket context, with New York City being one of the few other major cities with a similar law.

Signage denoting the otherwise tacit law is typically posted when entering New York City from highways like Major Deegan or one of the city's many river crossings, but it is often lacking on the hundreds of small streets on the grid that traverse into Westchester or Nassau Counties.

In the same vein, the District of Columbia reportedly lacks funding for signage on most of the streets entering the nation’s capital from Maryland or Virginia, which may or may not affect enforcement, according to reports.

The $385,000 in district funds allocated to notifying residents and drivers of the law was never identified, a DDOT official told WTTG.

Bird watch

D.C.’s Migratory Local Wildlife Protection Act of 2023 imposes a new building restriction as of Jan. 1.

Permit applications or glazing alterations will require bird-friendly materials on exterior walls and fenestration within 100 feet of grade level, according to WTTG.

The district is also one of a handful of places where the sales tax will see an increase. In the capital’s case, it will rise to 6.5%.

Firearms

Minnesota will institute a ban on "binary triggers" on personally owned weapons, according to reports. That is, the function that allows a gun to fire multiple rounds with one press of the trigger.

Vaping ban

The Ocean State is set to enact a ban on sales of and possession-with-intent-to-sell flavored vape products in 2025. The law is currently facing litigation but will be able to preliminarily go into effect, according to the Providence Journal.

Global warming

Vermont’s Global Warming Solutions Act, which initiates limits on greenhouse gas emissions, will take effect in the New Year.

It requires a 26% reduction in 2025 emissions reduction versus 2005 levels, according to the Vermont Public.

The law, however, also opens the state up to legal action from green groups and more if it fails to reach the required reduction level. 

That aspect led Republicans to question the new law. Gov. Phil Scott vetoed the bill in 2020, saying it does not propose or create a good framework for "long-term mitigation and adaptation solutions to address climate change."

Meanwhile, Vermont Republican Party Chair Paul Dame recently said it opens up the state and taxpayers’ money to undue risk from such lawsuits.

"These goals were unattainable given the currently available technology, but now the state is getting dragged in to court for completely avoidable reasons," Dame told Fox News Digital.

No coal in your stocking

Oregon’s HB-4083 will direct the state onto a path toward divesting in coal firms and market instruments that include coal interests.

The laws that weren't

With many states, like those above, enacting tax hikes, new regulations and the like, Republicans in states with divided government are expressing cautious optimism that their trend of bucking liberal legislative interests can continue.

While Vermont’s Scott has seen key vetoes like the Global Warming Solutions Act overridden by the Democrat-dominated legislature, some states have the opposite dynamic where a Republican-majority chamber stymies the goals of Democrats.

With the state Senate in Republican hands, the State House one vote short of a 50-50 split and the governorship held by Democrats, Republicans expressed relief that legislation such as a 100% carbon-neutral 2050 Clean Energy Standard did not make it to Gov. Josh Shapiro’s desk.

In the gun control realm, both an assault weapons ban and proposed repeal of the state Stand Your Ground Law drafted by state Sen. Steve Santarsiero, D-Bristol, died in the legislature.

"It is time we take an evidence-based approach to our gun policy. ‘Stand Your Ground’ laws encourage gun violence. As such, it is time that we repeal ‘Stand Your Ground’ here in Pennsylvania," Santarsiero said in a memo.

Another bill enacting a firearms "Red Flag Law" languished through the legislative term.

A policy that would fund cost-free telephone calls from state prisoners also did not make it through, as did a bid for an "abortion protection package."

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Those and several other top-line "draconian" bill failures are a product of GOP persistence, said state Sen. Doug Mastriano, R-Gettysburg.

"With a Democrat governor and Democrat House, the state Senate is the last line of reason to prevent Pennsylvania from becoming like California," the 2022 Republican gubernatorial nominee told Fox News Digital on Monday.

"There has been a litany of extreme legislation coming from Democrats."

As chair of the Emergency Preparedness committee, Mastriano added that the "most egregious" no-pass in 2024 was legislation to address Pennsylvanian effects from the biohazardous East Palestine, Ohio, train derailment.

Mastriano, along with state Sens. Elder Vogel Jr., R-Beaver, and Michele Brooks, R-Pymatuning, drafted legislation in July to exempt disaster relief payments from state taxes in one case.

That bill did not make it out of the legislature.

Republicans in the state also lamented the failure of the latest effort to withdraw Pennsylvania from a national "RGGI" Greenhouse Gas pact entered into by former Gov. Tom Wolf.

"Leaving our environmental and economic destiny to the whims of RGGI’s New England states is just bad policy for Pennsylvania," State Sen. Gene Yaw, R-Williamsport, said after the Senate approved the eventually-failed bill.

"It is time to repeal this regulation and focus on putting forth commonsense, environmentally responsible energy policy that recognizes and champions Pennsylvania as an energy producer."

"Pennsylvania’s greatest asset is our ability to produce energy," State Senate Majority Leader Kim Ward, R-Latrobe, added in a statement.

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Minimum wage hikes are also primed to take effect in several states.

Washington, Connecticut and California are set to see $16 per hour or higher as the minimum wage for most workers. Rhode Island's will rise to $15, Maine's to $14.65, Illinois to $15 and Vermont will go to $14.

More than a dozen states, including Wyoming, Pennsylvania, Georgia, Utah, Tennessee and Mississippi, retain the federal minimum wage of $7.25.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries condemned several threats, mostly focused on lawmakers from Connecticut, targeting members of his caucus, just days after numerous threats were made against President-elect Trump's Cabinet selections.

Jeffries, D-N.Y., confirmed in a statement Friday that several Democrats were targeted with threats ranging from pipe bombs in their mailboxes to "swatting" — or filing a false police report on another person's behalf that often results in a SWAT team being dispatched.

All of the threatening messages were signed "MAGA," Jeffries said, adding law enforcement found no ordnance at any of the targeted lawmakers' homes.

"America is a democracy. Threats of violence against elected officials are unacceptable, unconscionable and have no place in a civilized society. All perpetrators of political violence directed at any party must be prosecuted to the full extent of the law," he said. "House Democrats will not be deterred or intimidated from serving the people by violent threats. We have been in close communication with the Sergeant at Arms office and it is imperative that Congress provide maximum protection for all Members and their families moving forward."

Later Friday, President Biden told reporters on Nantucket, Massachusetts, that his administration is working "hard" with the FBI on the threats to lawmakers and Trump nominees.

TOP DEM: ‘UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRATION’ IS A THREAT TO NATIONAL SECURITY

After Jeffries spoke out, Rep. Seth Magaziner, a Democrat from neighboring Rhode Island, announced on Friday afternoon that his home had been targeted, as well. Magaziner said Providence police responded quickly and no one was harmed.

Sen. Christopher Murphy, D-Conn., had his home targeted by a bomb threat. A spokesperson said it appeared to be part of a "coordinated effort."

Five other Democrats from the Constitution State received similar threats, including Reps. Joe Courtney, John Larson, Rosa DeLauro, Jahana Hayes and James Himes.

CT DEM SAYS IT'S CLEAR HUNTER BIDEN BROKE THE LAW

"There is no place for political violence in this country, and I hope that we may all continue through the holiday season with peace and civility," said Himes, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee who replaced Sen.-elect Adam Schiff, D-Calif.

Prior to that spate of threats, Trump's U.N. ambassador-designate Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., said she was traveling home to her North Country district for Thanksgiving when she was informed of a threat against her home.

Former Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla. — Trump's initial choice for attorney general — also received a threat.

Former Rep. Lee Zeldin, R-N.Y. — Trump's nominee to lead the Environmental Protection Agency — said his home was subjected to a "pro-Palestinian-themed" pipe bomb threat. Zeldin is Jewish.

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Former Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer, R-Ore., whom the president-elect tapped for Labor secretary, said her Oregon home was targeted, as was that of former San Diego Chargers cornerback Scott Turner, whom Trump named to lead the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Trump nominees including Cantor-Fitzgerald CEO Howard Lutnick, America First Policy Institute President Brooke Rollins and former Fox News host Pete Hegseth also received threats.

In a statement, the FBI said it is aware of "numerous bomb threats and swatting incidents targeting incoming administration nominees and appointees, and we are working with our law enforcement partners."

"We take all potential threats seriously and, as always, encourage members of the public to immediately report anything they consider suspicious to law enforcement," it said.

Fox News' Kevin Ward contributed to this report.

President-elect Trump flipped six highly competitive states in his election victory last week. But as a Fox News analysis showed last week, his gains with voters were not limited to the battlegrounds. 

This list covers the 10 states where Trump most outperformed his 2020 margins.

Notably, conservative strongholds aren’t the only states that made the list. The top 10 also includes deeply Democrat areas. Trump didn’t win these states, but they swung to the right.

Vote counting continues in some highly populated states on this list, including California and New York.

IN ELECTION VICTORY, TRUMP'S GAINS WENT BEYOND THE BATTLEGROUNDS

Note: As of this writing, approximately 3% of ballots have not yet been counted in New York.

So far, New York has swung 11 points toward Trump.

The president-elect posted a 6.3-point improvement on his 2020 vote share, while his Democrat opponent, Vice President Harris, slipped by five points.

He gained across the state, with his largest swings in New York City and Long Island.

On election night, the Fox News Decision Desk projected that Harris would win the state. With 97% of the vote counted, she is winning by 12 points.

TRUMP TRAIN CHUGS PAST 2020 MARGINS, PARTICULARLY AMONG HISPANICS, URBAN NORTHEASTERNERS

Note: As of this writing, approximately 1% of ballots have not yet been counted in New Jersey.

So far, New Jersey has swung 10 points toward Trump.

The president-elect posted a 4.7-point improvement on his 2020 vote share, while Harris slipped by 5.3 points.

He gained across New Jersey, with his largest swings in the northeast corner of the state. Hudson and Passaic counties lead the pack.

On election night, the Fox News Decision Desk projected that Harris would win the state. With 99% of the vote counted, she is winning by six points.

Florida swung 10 points toward Trump.

'FASCIST': LIBERAL CRITICS MELT DOWN AFTER FLORIDA VOTERS REJECT ABORTION RIGHTS AMENDMENT

The president-elect posted a 4.9-point improvement on his 2020 vote share; Harris slipped by the same amount.

He gained across the state. The most notable swing was in Miami-Dade County, which flipped to the GOP for the first time since 1988.

On election night, the Fox News Decision Desk projected that Trump would win the state. With the results certified, he won by 13 points.

Massachusetts swung nine points toward Trump.

The president-elect posted a 4.2-point improvement on his 2020 vote share and Harris slipped by 4.6 points.

ABORTION SUPPORTERS AT WOMEN'S MARCH IN BOSTON TURN OUT IN DROVES TO SUPPORT HARRIS PRESIDENCY

He gained across the state, with double-digit swings in Suffolk County, which includes Boston, and Bristol County.

On election night, the Fox News Decision Desk projected that Harris would win the state. With 99% of the vote counted, she is winning by 25 points.

Note: As of this writing, approximately 5% of ballots have not yet been counted in California.

So far, California has swung nine points toward Trump.

The president-elect posted a 3.8-point improvement on his 2020 vote share as Harris slipped by 4.8 points.

He gained in many areas across the state, including the two most populated cities, Los Angeles and San Francisco.

On election night, the Fox News Decision Desk projected that Harris would win the state. With 95% of the vote counted, she is winning by 21 points.

DEMOCRAT WINS HOUSE RACE TO RETAIN SEAT IN CALIFORNIA'S 21ST DISTRICT

Texas swung eight points toward Trump.

The president-elect posted a 4.2-point improvement on his 2020 vote share; Harris slipped by roughly the same amount.

He gained across Texas, with the largest swings concentrated in the southern parts of the state. Webb County, for example, home to Laredo, moved 25 points toward Trump. That gave Republicans their first win there in over a century.

On election night, the Fox News Decision Desk projected that Trump would win the state. With 99% of the vote counted, he is winning by 14 points.

Note: As of this writing, approximately 2% of ballots have not yet been counted in Mississippi.

So far, Mississippi has swung eight points toward Trump.

The president-elect posted a four-point improvement on his 2020 vote share; Harris slipped by roughly the same amount.

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

He gained across the state, including in Yazoo County, a majority-Black county that last voted for the GOP in 2004.

On election night, the Fox News Decision Desk projected that Trump would win the state. With 98% of the vote counted, he is winning by 24 points.

Rhode Island swung seven points toward Trump.

The president-elect posted a 3.3-point improvement on his 2020 vote share, while Harris slipped by four points.

He gained across the state, led by Providence, the city’s highest-populated area.

On election night, the Fox News Decision Desk projected that Harris would win the state. With 98% of the vote counted, she is winning by 14 points.

REPUBLICANS PROJECTED TO KEEP CONTROL OF HOUSE AS TRUMP PREPARES TO IMPLEMENT AGENDA

Tennessee swung 6.5 points toward Trump.

The president-elect posted a 3.5-point improvement on his 2020 vote share, while Harris slipped by three points.

He gained across the state, including a double-digit swing in Trousdale County, a rural area outside the Nashville metropolitan area.

On election night, the Fox News Decision Desk projected that Trump would win the state. With 99% of the vote counted, he is winning by 30 points.

Note: As of this writing, approximately 1% of ballots have not yet been counted in Illinois.

So far, Illinois has swung six points toward Trump.

The president-elect posted a 3.4-point improvement on his 2020 vote share; Harris slipped by 2.9 points.

He gained across Illinois, with a notable eight-point swing in Cook County, home to Chicago.

On election night, the Fox News Decision Desk projected that Harris would win the state. With 99% of the vote counted, she is winning by 11 points.