NationalWatch

Nearly half of voters in Vice President Kamala Harris’ home state of California say they would be open to supporting her if she decided to run for governor in two years.

Forty-six percent of Golden State registered voters said they would be very likely or somewhat likely to back Harris for governor, according to a poll from the University of California at Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies co-sponsored by the Los Angeles Times.

Forty-two percent of respondents said they would be very unlikely or somewhat unlikely to support the vice president.

WHAT BIDEN TOLD TRUMP WHEN THEY MET AT THE WHITE HOUSE

Vice President Kamala Harris gestures as she delivers a concession speech for the 2024 presidential election on Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024 on the campus of Howard University in Washington, D.C. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

The poll, released on Wednesday, was conducted Oct. 22-29, before former President Donald Trump’s sweeping Electoral College and popular vote victory over Harris in the White House race.

Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom is term-limited and cannot seek a third term in 2026.

HERE ARE THE DEMOCRATS WHO MAY RUN FOR THE WHITE HOUSE IN 2028

The race to succeed Newsom in steering the nation’s most populous state is expected to grab plenty of national attention. In a state where Democrats outnumber Republicans by a roughly two-to-one margin and where no Republican has been elected governor in nearly two decades, the race is expected to draw interest from top politicians.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks at a press conference where he signed legislation related to oversight of oil and gas wells, and community protections on Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2024 in Los Angeles. (Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

Harris, a California resident, served as San Francisco district attorney and state attorney general before winning election in 2016 to the U.S. Senate representing her home state.

The vice president and Democratic Party presidential nominee easily captured California’s 54 electoral votes in last week’s election, and with nearly 87% of the vote counted in her home state, she leads Trump by just over 20 points.

After replacing President Biden on the Democrats’ 2024 ticket in July, Harris was repeatedly criticized by Trump as he blamed the vice president for the crime, high prices and other ailments facing California. Additionally, he repeatedly argued that Harris and her policies had contributed to the ruin of San Francisco.

Trump held a large rally last month in California, which has not voted for a Republican in a presidential election in more than 35 years.

Former President Donald Trump gestures while walking onstage for a campaign rally on Oct. 12, 2024 in Coachella, California. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)

Harris, who grew up in the state’s Bay Area, keeps a home in the West Los Angeles neighborhood of Brentwood with her husband, second gentleman Doug Emhoff.

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There has been plenty of speculation about what Harris will do when she leaves office in two months, but the vice president has not publicly discussed any potential future plans.

Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis of California, a longtime Harris ally, is already running to succeed Newsom. Kounalakis launched her 2026 gubernatorial bid over a year ago.

President-elect Donald Trump’s senior adviser and attorney Alina Habba says she is not considering the role of press secretary, despite “support and speculation.”

Habba addressed the rumors on the social media platform X early Thursday morning, adding that “this administration is going to be epic!”

“Although I love screaming from a podium I will be better served in other capacities,” she said. 

Names under consideration include Trump campaign national press secretary Karoline Leavitt, former Trump administration official Monica Crowley, former ESPN host Sage Steele, CNN contributor Scott Jennings and RNC spokeswoman Elizabeth Pipko, according to Axios. 

The press secretary role is one of the most visible at the White House, typically holding daily press briefings with the White House press corps to speak on behalf of the president.

His new administration plans to challenge longstanding traditions that favor mainstream outlets like major broadcast and cable news networks, national newspapers and wire services, like The Associated Press, in the James Brady Press Briefing Room, according to Axios. 

TRUMP APPOINTS TULSI GABBARD AS DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE: ‘FEARLESS SPIRIT’

Alina Habba has served as President-elect Donald Trump’s legal advisor. (Getty Images)

Trump’s new administration is considering giving MAGA-friendly outlets access to the press briefings, Axios reports, which have traditionally featured cable news, print and wire service reporters.

MATT GAETZ RESIGNS FROM CONGRESS OVER TRUMP NOD TO BE ATTORNEY GENERAL, JOHNSON SAYS

Trump campaign senior advisor Alina Habba and president-elect President Donald Trump. (Getty Images)

Trump continues making his cabinet picks ahead of his inauguration as the 47th president of the U.S. in January.

Some congressional Republicans told Fox News Digital Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., who resigned from Congress on Wednesday as Trump tapped him to be his attorney general, may face a tough confirmation path because he was previously under Department of Justice (DOJ) investigation into sex trafficking allegations. Last year, Gaetz’s office said the DOJ ended their investigation and determined he would not be charged with any crimes. 

A House Ethics Committee investigation into Gaetz was also expected to be released soon, but Gaetz’s resignation means it may not become public.

Rep. Matt Gaetz, wearing a Laken Riley pin, is seen in the Capitol Building in Washington, D.C., on March 7, 2024, ahead of President Biden’s State of the Union address. (Aaron Schwartz/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

President-elect Donald Trump shakes hands with former Democratic Rep. Tulsi Gabbard at the National Guard Association of the United States’ 146th General Conference on Monday, Aug. 26, 2024 in Detroit. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

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Tulsi Gabbard, who served as a Democratic congresswoman from Hawaii from 2013 to 2021 before becoming an independent in 2022 and joining the GOP last month, has been selected by Trump to serve as director of national intelligence in his new Cabinet. 

Fox News’ Elizabeth Elkind, Julia Johnson, Kelly Phares and Andrea Margolis contributed to this report. 

Former and incoming first lady Melania Trump rolled out a digital photography series to highlight her life on the campaign trail and at home. 

Trump rolled out her “On The Move” limited-edition digital photo series, which includes 16 digital images showcasing Trump in various settings, including her office, the campaign trail and at her home. 

The photographs were captured by Belgian photographer Regine Mahaux and offer a glimpse into the first lady’s “fast-moving life.” 

MELANIA TRUMP QUESTIONS ‘WHETHER JILL’S CONCERN WAS GENUINE’ FOLLOWING TRUMP ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT

Melania Trump’s digital photography series, “On the Move.” (Regine Mahaux/Melania Trump)

“I am pleased to share my journey — through photographs — with fans and collectors,” Trump told Fox News Digital. 

“On the Move” costs $195 and is being sold on the former first lady’s website. It also will be minted on the Solana blockchain, which is an “eco-friendly proof-of-state blockchain protocol.” 

MELANIA TRUMP REVEALS HOW SHE STAYS CALM, COOL, FOCUSED AND HEALTHY: ‘GUIDING PRINCIPLE’

Melania Trump’s “On the Move” limited digital image series is being sold for $195. (Regine Mahaux/Melania Trump)

Trump has used Solana blockchain in the past — most recently for her “1776 Collection,” which was a range of Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) digital collectibles comprised of images across the U.S. She also released a line of limited-edition handcrafted Christmas ornaments in 2022, along with corresponding animated NFTs to celebrate the season. 

A portion of the proceeds will go toward Fostering the Future, a Be Best initiative that helps to secure educational opportunities and scholarships for children in the foster care community.

MELANIA TRUMP TO RELEASE ‘COLLECTOR’S EDITION’ OF MEMOIR FEATURING IMAGES PHOTOGRAPHED BY FORMER FIRST LADY

Her Fostering the Future is aimed at granting computer science scholarships to children aging out of the foster care system and giving them the academic foundation needed to secure technology-based jobs.

Trump told Fox News Digital in an interview last year that if she had the privilege to serve as first lady again — which she will, beginning on Jan. 20, 2025 — she would continue to prioritize initiatives focused on the well-being and development of children to ensure they have the “support and resources they need to reach their full potential.” 

Melania Trump’s digital photography series. (Regine Mahaux/Melania Trump)

“My focus would continue to be creating a safe and nurturing space for children to learn, grow and thrive,” she said.  

Last month, the former first lady rolled out her first-ever memoir, “Melania,” and a special collector’s edition containing exclusive images she photographed at the White House. That special edition features 256 pages in full color, with each copy signed by Trump. 

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“Writing my memoir has been an amazing journey filled with emotional highs and lows,” she told Fox News Digital. “Each story shaped me into who I am today.” 

She said that “although daunting at times, the process has been incredibly rewarding, reminding me of my strength, and the beauty of sharing my truth.” 

President-elect Donald Trump congratulated Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., after the lawmaker won election to serve as the next Senate Republican leader.

Republicans won the majority in the House and Senate during the 2024 elections.

“Congratulations to Senator John Thune, the Newly Elected Senate Majority Leader. He moves quickly, and will do an outstanding job,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social.

RICK SCOTT KNOCKED OUT OF SENATE LEADER RACE ON FIRST BALLOT AS THUNE AND CORNYN ADVANCE

President-elect Donald Trump, left, and Sen. John Thune, R-S.D. (Left: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images; Right: Nathan Posner/Anadolu via Getty Images)

GOP Sens. Rick Scott of Florida and John Cornyn of Texas had also been vying for the role.

“While it isn’t the result we hoped for, I will do everything possible to make sure John Thune is successful in accomplishing President Trump’s agenda,” Scott said in a statement.

“We are united and prepared to enact President Trump’s agenda on day one, and I look forward to working alongside my colleagues to take advantage of the opportunities we will have next year to confirm nominees, address our national debt, extend the Trump tax cuts, and reverse the Biden-Harris administration’s disastrous border policies,” Cornyn said in a statement.

MITCH MCCONNELL SINGS TRUMP CAMPAIGN PRAISES: ‘SHARPER OPERATION THIS TIME’

Outgoing U.S. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., arrives for the Senate Republican leadership elections at the U.S. Capitol on Nov. 13, 2024 in Washington, D.C. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

Thune will succeed current Senate Republican Leader Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., next year. McConnell, who has long occupied the post, did not seek another term in the role.

Trump noted that he looks forward to working with Thune and the other senators selected for various Senate Republican leadership roles.

“I look forward to working with him, and Senators John Barrasso (Senate Majority Whip), Tom Cotton (Senate Republican Conference Chairman), Shelley Moore Capito (Senate Republican Policy Committee Chairman), James Lankford (Republican Conference Vice Chairman), and Tim Scott (National Republican Senatorial Committee Chairman) to, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!” he said in the post.

SENATE LEADER CONTENDER JOHN THUNE RESPONDS TO NEW TRUMP LITMUS TEST AHEAD OF ELECTION

Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., newly elected Senate Majority Leader for the upcoming 119th Congress, speaks to reporters at the U.S. Capitol on Nov. 13, 2024 in Washington, D.C. (TING SHEN/AFP via Getty Images)

Thune indicated during remarks on Wednesday that Republican senators will work with House colleagues to implement Trump’s agenda.

Election Day has come and gone, but officials in every state still have several important dates ahead to verify the final vote tally. The process for this election differs from in the past. Several changes were made because of the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol.

“We will never give up. We will never concede. It doesn’t happen,” then-President Donald Trump said before protesters stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6.

When Congress passed its government spending bill in December 2022, it included the Electoral Reform and Presidential Transition Improvement Act. The bill included changes to the process in which presidential election results are transferred from the states to Congress. Both Republican and Democratic lawmakers backed the measure.

HOUSE REPUBLICANS TO ELECT NEW TRUMP-ERA LEADERSHIP WITH MAJORITY STILL UNDECIDED

“I was so pleased to see Democrats and Republicans work together to pass the Electoral Reform Act,” President Biden said on Jan. 6, 2023. “America is a land of laws and not chaos, a nation at peace and not violence.”

Protesters storm the U.S. Capitol following a rally with then-President Donald Trump on Jan. 6, 2021, in Washington, D.C. (Samuel Corum/Getty Images)

The new law updates legislation from nearly 130 years ago. After the election of 1876, when Rutherford B. Hayes defeated Samuel Tilden, both parties were accused of committing fraud. Republicans stuffed ballot boxes, and Democrats intimidated Black voters, who at the time overwhelmingly supported the Republican Party. Both parties claimed victory after fraudulent incidents were reported. Around 20 electoral votes were contested, but the Constitution contained no guidance on how to handle a contested election.

An electoral commission eventually decided each contested state in favor of Hayes, and about a decade later, Congress passed the Electoral Count Act of 1887. The law provided a system for certifying elections, but remained unchanged until 2022.

“You’ve got literally a group of insurrectionists trying to overturn the election based on an 1887 law from the Rutherford Hayes days that had not been updated,” said Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn.

“I Voted” stickers sit on the table on the second day of early voting in the 2024 presidential election at the Board of Elections Loop Super Site in Chicago on Oct. 4, 2024. (KAMIL KRZACZYNSKI/AFP via Getty Images)

The 1887 law did not include a hard deadline for states to certify their appointment of electors or any guidance on how federal courts could resolve disputes over a state’s appointment of electors.

“It is vague and ambiguous and contributed to some of the confusion on Jan. 6,” said Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine.

Dec. 11

State Certification Deadline

The Electoral Reform and Presidential Transition Improvement Act now creates a deadline for when states must certify their appointment of electors. This must happen six days before the electors meet to vote.

Dec. 16

Legal Challenges Deadline

The new law also includes an expedited procedure for courts to resolve disputes over state’s appointment of electors. Any challenges must be addressed before the state electors meet.

Dec. 17

State Electors Vote

Members of the Electoral College meet in each state to cast votes for president and vice president.

President-elect Donald Trump arrives to speak during an election night event at the Palm Beach Convention Center on Nov. 6, 2024 in West Palm Beach, Florida. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Dec. 25

Electoral Votes Arrive

The electoral votes must be received by the president of the Senate and the archivist no later than the fourth Wednesday in December.

Jan. 6

Congress Counts Electoral Votes

Congress will once again count the votes on Jan. 6, but several clarifications have been made to the process. If any members object to the votes, it must be submitted in writing and signed by at least one-fifth of the House and one-fifth of the Senate.

“The Congress still has options in case of a truly extraordinary circumstance. But we avoid an arms race or objections with almost no support,” said Senate Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky, during a hearing on the bill in September 2022.

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While the 1887 law did not explicitly state the vice president could decide on the electoral count, the 2022 language clarifies the role of the vice president. It states:

“The President of the Senate shall have no power to solely determine, accept, reject, or otherwise adjudicate or resolve disputes over the proper certificate of ascertainment of appointment of electors, the validity of electors, or the votes of electors.”

President-elect Donald Trump spent much of his time on the 2024 campaign trail pledging to restore U.S. energy dominance through bolstering oil and gas production, expanding fracking and lifting a pause on liquefied natural gas exports, a sharp contrast with his predecessor and prompting new questions over how he will move to enact some of these sweeping changes. 

Trump vowed at a Pennsylvania rally last month that he would lift the Biden administration’s “war on energy” and “disastrous” energy policies that he argued permeated the current administration.

“They annihilated your steel mills, decimated your coal jobs, assaulted your oil and gas jobs and sold off your manufacturing jobs to China and other foreign nations all over the world,” Trump said of the Biden administration.

It’s not the first time Trump has used energy and climate issues to cut a sharp contrast with his predecessor. 

BIDEN ADMIN TOUTS JOB WELL DONE REPLENISHING OIL RESERVES DESPITE DEPLETING THEM BY HALF OVER LAST 4 YEARS

Women cheer as Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump arrives to speak at a campaign rally in Reading, Pa., on Nov. 4, 2024. (Ed Jones/AFP)

The Republican president-elect has vowed to use his second White House term to re-exit the Paris climate accord, undo strict emissions standards for vehicles and power plants, and bolster production of U.S. oil and gas, including through fracking, which is the controversial technology by which pressurized fluids are used to extract natural gas from shale rock.

In the days after his victory, industry groups representing the nation’s biggest oil and gas producers told Fox News Digital they have little doubt Trump will make good on these promises in a second term.

“Energy was on the ballot” in the 2024 elections, American Petroleum Institute President and CEO Mike Sommers said in a statement.

In electing Trump, Sommers said voters “sent a clear signal that they want choices, not mandates, and an all-of-the-above approach that harnesses our nation’s resources and builds on the successes of his first term.”

But some areas will be more difficult for Trump to act on unilaterally.

EPA’S NEW RULE TO CHARGE OIL AND GAS COMPANIES FOR EMISSIONS COULD FACE A TRUMP RECKONING

Excess natural gas is burned off at an oil refinery in Sinclair, Wyo. (Marli Miller/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images/File)

Trump has for months vowed to “undo” the Inflation Reduction Act, the Democrats’ marquee climate and clean energy spending legislation that allocates $369 billion in subsidies aimed at reshoring investments for electric vehicle manufacturing and battery production as well as new utility-scale wind and solar projects.

Trump has described the law as the “greatest scam in history,” but on his own it’s unclear what actions he could take to undo the legislation.

Though Trump now enjoys majority Republican support in both the House and Senate, it’s unlikely he would move to completely overturn the Inflation Reduction Act, in part because a large chunk of the funds designated under the law to help subsidize the build-out of clean energy projects and manufacturing plants has already been awarded.

Much of the funding, in fact, has gone to Republican-led states.

TRUMP’S ELECTION WIN SIGNALS A SHIFT IN US ENERGY: PAUL DABBER

Trump has vowed to end the Biden administration’s “war on energy” and “disastrous” energy policies. (Mario Tama/Getty Images/File)

Other hurdles also exist. Since the IRA is a law, Trump could not move on his own to undo the legislation. 

But he could take certain steps to restrict eligibility for certain tax credits or incentives.

As president, Trump could tighten restrictions for automakers eligible for the electric vehicle tax credit, ramping up manufacturing costs and in turn making electric vehicles more expensive for consumers.

Trump is also likely to introduce new tariffs on certain Chinese-made EVs and other products in a bid to incentivize Beijing to build more of its EVs in the U.S.

On that front, Trump said this year he is considering tariffs of “60% or higher” on Chinese-made EVs to prevent their vehicles from saturating the U.S. market.

But this could backfire, some experts warn. The Tax Foundation’s Center for Federal Tax Policy estimated that even a 10% tariff on Chinese-made EVs could raise taxes for U.S. consumers by more than $300 billion per year.

It could also threaten retaliatory measures from Beijing and other trading partners, including retaliatory tariffs on U.S. goods, the group said.

Still, Republicans and industry groups are unlikely to let up on the pressure to act. 

TRUMP SELECTING ZELDIN FOR EPA ROLE SHOWS HE IS PREPARING TO ‘LAWYER UP’ THE AGENCY, JOURNALIST SAYS

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally in Savannah, Ga., on Sept. 24, 2024. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)

The American Petroleum Institute published a five point “policy road map” this week, seeking to influence the incoming administration’s actions in the auto manufacturing sector. Among its asks: Rolling back the Biden administration’s stringent fuel economy standards for vehicles, which target an 8% reduction in tailpipe pollution for both 2024 and 2025 model years and then increase to 10% in 2026.

It also asked Trump to issue a five-year plan to expand offshore oil and gas drilling leases.

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“Our country has a generational opportunity to fully leverage U.S. energy leadership to improve the lives of all Americans and bring stability to a volatile world,” Sommers said in a letter that API sent to Trump alongside its plan.

“It has never been more vital that America control its energy future.”

But others doubt Trump will renege on an industry that has already seen billions of dollars of investments from automakers. 

“Presidents come and go, but the auto industry motors on,” Mark Schirmer, director of industry insights and corporate communications at Cox Automotive, told reporters this week.

The newly confirmed chief of the Los Angeles Police Department made it clear during a recent hearing that his department will “not assist” with the “mass deportations” in comments that sparked social media backlash.

“Since my appearance before the committee on public safety, the national election has caused many Angelenos to feel a deep, deep fear, especially in the immigrant community,” new LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell said at a November 8 city council meeting before being sworn in as the department’s 59th chief. 

“I have met with members of the community and heard that fear. We also heard some of that just now at public comment. I know we’ll speak more about immigration later in this hearing, but I want to be unequivocally clear here in my opening comments,” McDonnell continued. “LAPD will protect our immigrant community, LAPD officers will not take action to determine a person’s immigration status, and will not arrest someone for their status, and LAPD will not assist with mass deportations.”

McDonnell went on to say that Los Angeles is a “city of immigrants.”

PRESIDENT-ELECT TRUMP’S DEPORTATION PLAN TOUTED AS A ‘COST SAVINGS’ OPPORTUNITY FOR AMERICANS

“I know immigrants are being disparaged right now,” McDonnell said. “But I want the people of Los Angeles to know my viewpoint. Our nation was built by immigrants and L.A. is such an extraordinary city because of people here from literally all over the world.”

McDonnell’s comments sparked criticism from conservatives on social media and a clip of the hearing was posted on X by the popular conservative account LibsofTikTok.

“Who wants to tell him that they’re getting deported whether he likes it or not,” the account posted.

“Time to send in the Feds,” conservative influencer Harrison Krank posted on X.

“Get out of California while you still can!” political commentator Gunther Eagleman posted on X.

McDonnell, while previously serving as LA County Sheriff during Trump’s first term, worked with federal immigration agents to deport illegal alien criminals, Los Angeles Times reported, but said during the hearing he would not do so in his current role while pointing to specific policy, including Special Order 40, that prohibits it.

McDonnell was pressed in the hearing by Los Angeles City Councilwoman Monica Rodriguez on the issue of immigration pointing to the “seismic shift in the national landscape” and asked him to talk about what “protections are guaranteed” for Los Angeles residents illegally living in the United States.

TRUMP SAYS MASS DEPORTATIONS ‘NOT A QUESTION OF A PRICE TAG’

Migrants are processed by the U.S. Border Patrol near the Jacumba Hot Springs after crossing the US-Mexico border on June 13, 2024 in San Diego, California.  (Qian Weizhong/VCG via Getty Images)

“We don’t stop somebody, we don’t arrest somebody, we don’t deal with people based on their immigration status, everybody gets to be treated equally across the city and so we will continue with that as part of who we are,” McDonnell said in the hearing.

“That’s also bolstered in recent years by the Trust Act and California Values Act in more recent years so the path forward is very clear,” McDonnell said. “LAPD is here to serve all of our communities, immigration is not a factor in how we deal with any individual or any group of people in any of our communities, the way we’re successful as a police organization is if when a crime occurs people are willing to come forward as a witness, as a victim, and be able to be part of the criminal justice process to hold people accountable for their crimes.

The Trust Act became law in California in 2014, after being signed by then Democratic Gov. Jerry Brown, and limits the amount of time and reasons ICE hold requests can be honored by local jails.

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Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump pumps his fist as he arrives to speak at a campaign event at Nassau Coliseum, Wednesday, Sept.18, 2024, in Uniondale, N.Y.  (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

A Cato Institute report in 2018 concluded that deportations went down in the city of Los Angeles after the Trust Act and dropped 39% while the rest of the country experienced a 9% drop.

McDonnell told Rodriguez he will be “very clear” about these immigration positions to whoever he talks to, regardless of “what we hear as part of the rhetoric of political discourse.”

Fox News Digital reached out to the LAPD asking whether McDonnell believes it is “wrong” to deport criminal illegal aliens and whether his department would assist in that effort but did not receive a response.

“If they’re not willing to help, then get the hell out of the way because [Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)] is going to do their job,” Tom Homan, who was acting ICE director during the first Trump administration and was recently named “border czar” under Trump, told Fox News Digital in an interview on Friday about jurisdictions that oppose a deportation effort.

Homan also pledged that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) would be empowered to go after the 425,000 illegal immigrants convicted of crimes and currently roaming free in the United States, according to a recent ICE report.

“We’re going to go get them,” Homan told Fox News’ Sean Hannity. 

“And I saw today numerous governors from sanctuary states saying they’re going to step in the way. They better get the hell out of the way. Either you help us or get the hell out of the way, because ICE is going to do their job. We’re going to take the handcuffs off ICE that the Biden Administration put on them and let ICE do what they do, what they do best,” he added.

Fox News Digital’s Kristine Parks contributed to this report

There’s growing chatter that it may be time to play taps for the purveyors of traditional media.

Much of the presidential campaign played out on television. But TV, along with print, is being written off as old news, a horse-and-buggy relic, the last of the dinosaurs to inhabit the earth.

Now this is the point in the narrative where I say that podcasts and digital media are the hot new players, that the candidates made all kinds of news on these outlets, and that they’re more entertaining than organizations built around actual journalism. All true. I’m a podcaster myself. It’s a freewheeling forum.

But the phrase making the rounds in conservative circles is this: “You are the media now.”

TRUMP, DEFYING MEDIA PREDICTIONS, MAINLY PICKS SEASONED CAPITOL HILL VETERANS SUCH AS MARCO RUBIO

A side-by-side of President-elect Donald Trump and Joe Rogan. (Getty Images)

And what that means is that anyone can have a voice. The average person can start a Substack page or a blog or a podcast and draw a following. The average person can sound off on TikTok, Instagram, Threads, Facebook and X. The corporate barbarians no longer control the gates.

And this is a healthy thing. It opens up the national conversation and allows for unconventional and unorthodox ideas to circulate – such as that the Covid lockdown was not such a great idea and that the Hunter Biden laptop was not Russian disinformation.

Elon Musk, in a pitch for X, has embraced the concept: “Something’s wrong with the press, guys. Journalism is dead. What the heck is going on? It’s bizarre.”

But the mirror image of everyone being the media is that everyone has to be a media consumer. The online world, as everyone knows, is filled with vitriol and conspiracy theories. It’s up to each person to filter that out (or not), and whether to stay in a cocoon that reinforces his or her opinions.

WHY THE MEDIA WAITED TILL NOW TO ADMIT HARRIS RAN A LOUSY CAMPAIGN

This is especially true in the Trump era, given his attacks on “fake news” and a basic disagreement on fundamental facts. Despite the president-elect’s stunning margin of victory, this is still a fiercely divided country with two diametrically opposed views of reality. 

Charlie Warzel at the Atlantic has written smartly about this:

“Media institutions were somehow failing to meet the moment, but it was also unclear if they still had any meaningful power to shape outcomes at all.

Elon Musk attends Exploring the New Frontiers of Innovation: Mark Read in Conversation with Elon Musk session during the Cannes Lions International Festival Of Creativity 2024 – Day Three on June 19, 2024, in Cannes, France.  (Marc Piasecki/Getty Images)

“News sites everywhere have seen traffic plummet in the past two years. That’s partly the fault of technology companies and their algorithmic changes, which have made people less likely to see or click on articles when using products like Google Search or Facebook.”

But, says Warzel, “audiences are breaking up with news, too. An influencer economy has emerged on social-media platforms. It’s not an ecosystem that produces tons of original reporting, but it feels authentic to its audience.”

Yet the obituaries for traditional media are premature. Sure, it was a great idea for Trump to spend three hours with Joe Rogan and for Kamala Harris to appear on “Call Her Daddy.”

MEDIA LIBERALS SAVAGE KAMALA AS TRUMP PICKS EXPERIENCED HARD-LINERS

But when Harris spent a month hiding from the media, the pressure grew for her to do a sitdown television interview. She eventually did with CNN’s Dana Bash.

Another major event was the vice president’s contentious interview with Fox’s Bret Baier.

Meanwhile, the leaks on Trump’s appointees have mainly been to the big newspapers and cable networks.

“Special Report” anchor Bret Baier’s interview with Harris drew a staggering 9.2 million total viewers, making it the most-watched non-primetime interview in cable news history. (Fox News Channel)

So-called “legacy” outlets – which, by the way, all have major websites – do reporting as well as commentary. For all their flaws, they are slower because journalism takes time and mistakes are embarrassing. And even those who don’t trust these news organizations will cite them when it’s politically convenient: “Even the New York Times says–”

In fact, for all of Trump’s use of Truth Social and self-posted videos, he cares about the legacy media as much as anyone. He talks to reporters virtually every day, even those he doesn’t like, and monitors the TV and newspaper coverage, so he can hit back at anything he deems inaccurate or unfair. And, as the campaign showed, he is impervious to the avalanche of negative coverage, and the consistently glowing coverage of Kamala didn’t help her in the end.

Newspapers, while largely abandoned by younger people staring at their phones, also have an echo-chamber influence. The other day, The New York Times reported that lawyers at the Justice Department are worried about a Trump purge. The story was covered on cable all day long.

Says Warzel: “Independent online creators aren’t encumbered by any of this hand-wringing over objectivity or standards: They are concerned with publishing as much as they can, in order to cultivate audiences and build relationships with them. For them, posting is a volume game. It’s also about working ideas out in public. Creators post and figure it out later; if they make mistakes, they post through it. Eventually people forget.”

The old run-and-gun approach.

So I’m not buying the notion that traditional journalism is washed up, especially those outlets that do investigative reporting. They still play a pretty central role, which is why the campaigns spent zillions on TV ads.

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But it may also be telling that Chris Wallace, with his three-year CNN contract expiring, is leaving to start a podcast.

My takeaway is that those of us in the news business now have to share the microphone with millions of other voices. And I’m not losing any sleep over that.

President-elect Trump’s latest selection for his next administration is facing immediate backlash from some within the Senate GOP, as they say his attorney general pick, Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., will not get confirmed. 

“He will never get confirmed,” a Republican senator, granted anonymity to speak freely, told Fox News Digital. 

One Senate Republican source simply said, “Ain’t gonna happen,” about the prospect of Gaetz’s confirmation. 

THUNE WINS SECRET BALLOT TO BECOME NEW SENATE GOP LEADER, SUCCEEDING MCCONNELL

Republicans told Fox News Digital that Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., will not get confirmed. (Aaron Schwartz/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Gaetz’s office referred Fox News Digital to his response on X, “It will be an honor to serve as President Trump’s Attorney General!” and did not comment on the GOP criticism about his potential confirmation. 

Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, told reporters, “I think we have to consider any nominee by the president seriously, but we also have a constitutional responsibility.” 

He was prompted about whether the House Ethics investigation currently being conducted into Gaetz would factor in to his confirmation, to which the senator replied: “That might come up.”

The allegations being probed by the committee include sexual misconduct, illicit drug use and accepting improper gifts. 

RICK SCOTT KNOCKED OUT OF SENATE LEADER RACE ON FIRST BALLOT AS THUNE AND CORNYN ADVANCE

President-elect Trump announced his selection of Gaetz on Wednesday. (Getty )

Responding to the announcement of Gaetz’s selection for attorney general, Rep. Michael Guest, R-Miss., who chairs the Ethics Committee, said that “once a member is no longer a member of Congress, then ethics has no jurisdiction. So if Matt Gaetz were to be appointed as the Attorney General, the ethics investigation [which] is currently ongoing would cease at that point.”

However, Senate Republicans were not explicitly supportive. “He’s under investigation by the House Committee on Ethics,” Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, acknowledged. “Obviously, the president has the right to nominate whomever he wishes, but this is why the background checks that are done by the FBI and the advice and consent process in the Senate, and public hearings are also important.”

“He will go through the nomination process just like everyone else,” said Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla.

Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala., told reporters, “I got nothing for you on that,” when asked about Trump’s choice.

TED CRUZ GETS BEHIND RICK SCOTT FOR LEADER, IN BLOW TO FELLOW TEXAN JOHN CORNYN

Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, noted the importance of the Senate’s advice and consent on nominations.  (Samuel Corum/Getty Images)

“I think what we can tell you right now is that we always allow the President to have the benefit of the doubt, but we still have to do our role in terms of due diligence,” said Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., when asked if he would vote to confirm Gaetz. 

In addition to the ethics investigation, Gaetz was at one point being investigated by the Department of Justice (DOJ) in a yearslong probe into sex trafficking allegations. But last year, Gaetz’s office said the DOJ ended their investigation and determined he would not be charged with any crimes. 

While Republicans could very well be poised not to confirm Gaetz, who has proven controversial among his own party, Trump could look to appoint him through a recess appointment. The president-elect made an appeal to Senate Republican leader candidates earlier this week, telling them they must agree to allow him to make such appointments. 

REPUBLICANS TO HUDDLE BEHIND CLOSED DOORS TO ELECT MCCONNELL’S SUCCESSOR WEDNESDAY

Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., didn’t commit to Trump’s request for recess appointments. (Eric Lee/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Senate Minority Whip John Thune, R-S.D., who won the leader election on Wednesday morning, signaled being open to this in an exclusive statement to Fox News Digital. However, he didn’t commit to it. 

“We must act quickly and decisively to get the president’s cabinet and other nominees in place as soon as possible to start delivering on the mandate we’ve been sent to execute, and all options are on the table to make that happen, including recess appointments,” he said. 

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If Trump were successful in appointing a cabinet member through a recess appointment, they would be able to serve in the role for nearly two years, according to the Congressional Research Service. The appointment would expire once the next session of Congress, following the recess, adjourns. 

“Recess appointments expire at the end of the next session of the Senate,” according to a recent CRS report. “As a result, a recess appointment may last for less than a year or nearly two years, depending on when the appointment is made.”

Rep. Juan Ciscomani, R-Ariz., will keep his seat in Arizona after fending off a challenge from Democrat Kirsten Engel, according to The Associated Press’ race call Wednesday night.

The race for the 6th Arizona Congressional District seat was tight, with Ciscomani receiving 49.6% of the vote compared to Engel’s 47.9%. Unofficial election results on the state’s website show he only leads Engel by 7,020 votes.

Democrats were hoping to flip the seat after a tight race between the same candidates in 2022.

Ciscomani’s win completed the congressional races in Arizona and secured a Republican majority in the U.S. House by hitting the 218 threshold.

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

Rep. Juan Ciscomani, R-Ariz., will keep his seat in Arizona’s 6th Congressional District after beating Democrat Kirsten Engel in a closely watched race. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call via Getty Images/File)

Ciscomani has brandished bipartisan credentials and fought off a conservative challenger in July, where he touted the endorsement of President-elect Donald Trump.

“Congressman Juan Ciscomani is doing an incredible job representing the great people of Arizona’s 6th Congressional District,” Trump said on Truth Social in May. “Juan is working hard to Secure our Border, Defend our Wonderful Military and Veterans, Promote Election Integrity, and Expand American Jobs and the Economy.”

REP. CISCOMANI FENDS OFF PRIMARY CHALLENGE FROM FELLOW REPUBLICAN AHEAD OF TIGHT ELECTION

Ciscomani had embraced border security as a key issue, with the state being at the front of the historic crisis at the southern border.

“I have been consistent in my willingness to work with anyone – on either side of the aisle – to address the crisis at the border,” Ciscomani told Fox News Digital in September. “However, Vice President Harris’ visit to the border smells like nothing more than a photo opportunity to try and score political points.”

Engel had hit Ciscomani on the question of abortion, and in a recent debate revealed that she has experienced a miscarriage.

Kirsten Engel speaks during a campaign rally in support of Democrat presidential candidate Kamala Harris in Tucson, Ariz., on Oct. 18, 2024. (Rebecca Noble/AFP/Getty Images)

“I’m a woman. I’ve had complications. I’ve had miscarriages,” she said in October, according to Arizona Central. “This is not something that we leave to politicians. Last time I checked, Juan, you’re not a doctor. I don’t trust you with my health care. I’m sorry, I don’t trust you with my daughter’s health care. We need to leave this to women and their doctors.”

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She also challenged his claim to be a moderate.

“You present yourself as a moderate, but you cave to the extremists in your party. The extremists are driving the dysfunction. They are scaring seniors because if they are in control, they will do these things,” she said.

Arizona, which had a number of close House and Senate races, was also seen as a key swing state for the presidential election.

Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.

The Biden administration is moving to charge oil and gas companies a new fee on methane emissions, but opponents of the rule suggest such efforts could be short-lived under incoming Republican leadership.

On Tuesday, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced it will try to “incentivize” the oil and gas industry to reduce methane emissions by imposing a Waste Emissions Charge, allowed under the Inflation Reduction Act. 

Under the Biden administration’s new rule, certain oil and gas facilities would be charged $900 per metric ton of “wasteful” emissions in CY 2024, $1,200 for CY 2025 and $1,500 for CY 2026.

The charge would be applied to high-emitting facilities and those with emissions of “more than 25,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent per year to the Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program,” according to the EPA.

TRUMP TAPS FORMER NEW YORK REP LEE ZELDIN TO LEAD EPA

A flag with the Environmental Protection Agency logo flies at its headquarters in Washington, D.C. (Robert Alexander)

Opponents of the new rule are already making plans to avert the proposed methane fee.

In a press release Tuesday, the American Petroleum Institute released a policy road map for the incoming Trump administration and hit back against the EPA’s final rule.

TRUMP TO INSTALL ‘ENERGY CZAR’ TO DISMANTLE BIDEN CLIMATE RULES: REPORT

Included in the suggested plan was for the Trump administration to “end EPA’s methane fee that misinterprets Congressional intent and does little beyond increasing the cost of production for American oil and natural gas.”

Pumpjacks operate in the Belridge oil field near McKittrick, California, on Nov. 3, 2021. (Mario Tama)

The Western Caucus also slammed the charge, but highlighted that the incoming administration will make changes to the current EPA’s agenda.

“The lame-duck Biden Administration will do everything they can to sabotage traditional energy sources in their final days,” said Rep. Dan Newhouse, R-Wash. “The EPA’s Waste Emissions Charge rule will further increase energy costs by placing an effective tax on America’s oil and gas industry that will be passed directly to consumers. Luckily, this administration’s days are numbered, and I look forward to helping a unified Republican government reduce energy costs across rural and Western America.”

President-elect Trump recently tapped former New York Rep. Lee Zeldin to head the EPA under his administration, which is likely to derail many of the Biden administration’s energy policies.

President-elect Trump selected former New York Rep. Lee Zeldin to head his administration’s Environmental Protection Agency. (Al Drago)

The EPA has suggested, meanwhile, that the Waste Emissions Charge will improve the vital industry.

“The final Waste Emissions Charge is the latest in a series of actions under President Biden’s methane strategy to improve efficiency in the oil and gas sector, support American jobs, protect clean air, and reinforce U.S. leadership on the global stage,” EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan said in a statement. 

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Maggie Coulter, a lawyer at the Center for Biological Diversity, also praised the rule, saying that “while we expect the next administration to recklessly greenlight fossil fuel extraction, it’s heartening to see this effort to make polluters pay for their leakage of the super climate pollutant methane.”

U.S. Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., described President-elect Trump’s choice of Rep. Matt Gaetz to serve as his next attorney general as a “God tier kind of trolling.” 

Speaking with reporters, Fetterman acknowledged some of Trump’s picks were good but stopped short of putting Gaetz in that category. 

“It’s just kind of like a God tier kind of trolling just to trigger a meltdown,” he said. “But, really, the Dems’ opinions on Gaetz, that’s not really what’s interesting. The good ones are going to come by my colleagues on the other side, the GOP, on how they can justify voting for that j— off.”

TED CRUZ GETS BEHIND RICK SCOTT FOR LEADER IN BLOW TO FELLOW TEXAN JOHN CORNYN

President-elect Trump and Matt Gaetz (Getty )

Aside from Gaetz, Trump has nominated Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., to serve as secretary of state and Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., for ambassador to the United Nations. Those were serious picks, Fetterman said. 

He also noted that Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., served as attorney general of Missouri before being elected to Congress.

“He would have been a solid pick. And then you put out someone like that,” Fetterman said of Gaetz’s selection. “That’s just nothing but trolling. The interesting answers are going to come from my colleagues on the GOP that they’re going to vote or justify voting for that mess.”

Gaetz could face an uphill battle to get confirmed by the Senate. 

REPUBLICANS TO HUDDLE BEHIND CLOSED DOORS TO ELECT MCCONNELL’S SUCCESSOR WEDNESDAY

U.S. Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., criticized President-elect Trump’s pick of Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., to become the U.S. attorney general.  (Getty Images)

“He will never get confirmed,” a Republican senator, granted anonymity to speak freely, told Fox News Digital. Another Senate Republican source said, “Ain’t gonna happen.”

Gaetz resigned from the House of Representatives Wednesday after Trump announced his nomination. 

The House Ethics investigation is investigating Gaetz over allegations of sexual misconduct, illicit drug use and accepting improper gifts. 

Rep. Michael Guest, R-Miss., who chairs the Ethics Committee, said that “once a member is no longer a member of Congress, then ethics has no jurisdiction. So, if Matt Gaetz were to be appointed as the attorney general, the ethics investigation [which] is currently ongoing would cease at that point.”

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In addition to the ethics investigation, Gaetz was at one point being investigated by the Department of Justice (DOJ) in a yearslong probe into sex trafficking allegations. 

Last year, Gaetz’s office said the DOJ ended its investigation and determined he would not be charged with any crimes.

Fox News Digital’s Elizabeth Elkind, Julia Johnson and Kelly Phares contributed to his report.  

President-Elect Donald Trump has proposed a dramatic shakeup in American education: “disbanding” or drastically reducing the power of the Department of Education (DOE), a move that would shift control and funding of public schools back to local communities.

While Trump’s specific plan and choice of secretary have yet to be announced, Neal McCluskey, the director for educational freedom at libertarian think tank Cato Institute, said there’s a high likelihood Trump’s agenda of shuttering the DOE could be carried out through “block granting.”

“Block granting is a little easier for people to understand, because it takes money and it doesn’t just suddenly go away from states and districts, it keeps it,” McCluskey told Fox News Digital in an interview. “It just gives them more control over it.”

TRUMP’S FORMER EDUCATION SECRETARY SAYS SHE IS ‘VERY OPEN’ TO DISCUSSION ABOUT RETURNING TO PREVIOUS POST

US President Joe Biden, right, and President-elect Donald Trump shake hands during a meeting in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, US, on Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

“This would be a pretty big change if it went from the federal government giving out money with all kinds of rules and regulations through a whole bunch of different programs, to the federal government consolidating almost every K-12 and giving them the money,” he said.

McCluskey noted a shift in the federal government’s role in education, moving from funding support to more direct control, particularly until the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) in 2015, which rolled back some federal oversight due to backlash against standardized testing and federal mandates. While ESSA reduced federal intervention, he believes funding pressures keep pushing Washington to influence school operations.

“I think that higher education, the Department of Education, has proved itself to be just a bad administrator,” McCluskey said. “The bungling of simplifying FAFSA, the student aid for. It’s sort of ironic that it’s making it easier, making the form easier that they just couldn’t handle.”

“I also think the programs are really bad,” he added.

BETSY DEVOS JOINS TRUMP’S CALL TO ‘DISBAND’ THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION AND ‘RE-EMPOWER’ FAMILIES

President-Elect Donald Trump has proposed a dramatic shakeup in American education. (iStock)

While McCluskey acknowledged a legitimate role for federal civil rights enforcement, he argued it should be housed within the Department of Justice, not education. He cautioned against overreach, particularly with “Dear Colleague” letters from the Office of Civil Rights, which, he argued, altered policies unilaterally without formal changes in the law.

In 1979, Congress passed and President Jimmy Carter signed the Department of Education Organization Act, leading to the creation of the department, which began its operations in May 1980 under the Carter administration. In his 1982 State of the Union address, former President Reagan called for shuttering the department.

McCluskey said the DOE started largely as a political move to gain National Education Association support and initially focused on K-12 and student-aid funding.

Although intended to equalize funding between low- and high-income communities, its role expanded over time to include accountability measures, especially from the Reagan era onward, as concerns grew about educational quality and outcomes. 

DEM REP RUBEN GALLEGO BEATS KARI LAKE IN BATTLE FOR ARIZONA SENATE SEAT

Former Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos, Rep. Byron Donalds, Cade Brumley, Rep. Virginia Foxx, Tiffany Justice, Oklahoma public education superintendent Ryan Walters and Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin could be possible contenders for the DOE secretary role.  (iStock)

This push for accountability led to the “A Nation at Risk” report in 1983 and eventually to the No Child Left Behind Act in 2002, positioning the federal government as a major driver of standards and test-based accountability. 

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However, backlash against centralized standard testing like Common Core led to a retreat from heavy oversight, and today the department’s primary roles are K-12 funding support, federal student aid management, and civil rights enforcement, he said.

So far, Fox News Digital has learned former Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos, Rep. Byron Donalds, Cade Brumley, Rep. Virginia Foxx, Tiffany Justice, Oklahoma public education superintendent Ryan Walters and Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin could be possible contenders for the DOE secretary role.

Fox News Digital has reached out to the Trump-Vance transition team for comment.

Fox News Digital’s Joshua Comins contributed to this report.

House Republicans have reached an agreement on raising the motion to vacate threshold.

Currently, House GOP Conference rules dictate that just one lawmaker is needed to call for a motion to vacate the chair, which would trigger a chamber-wide vote on removing the speaker.

But the deal, brokered during a meeting hosted by Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and involving lawmakers from the ultra-conservative House Freedom Caucus and the pragmatic Main Street Caucus, would raise the one-person threshold to nine.

JOHNSON BLASTS DEM ACCUSATIONS HE VOWED TO END OBAMACARE AS ‘DISHONEST’

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., may get some breathing room with some new rules agreements. (Getty Images)

In exchange, Main Street Caucus members agreed to withdraw several proposed changes to House GOP rules that would have punished Republicans who vote against the will of the majority.

The one-person threshold was part of a deal that ex-Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., struck with conservatives in January 2022 in order to win the gavel.

That eventually came back to haunt him when Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., triggered the vote that ultimately led to his ouster by all House Democrats and eight Republicans in October 2023.

It’s also been a threat over Johnson’s head since he took over for McCarthy.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., notably triggered a vote to oust Johnson using the same rule in March. Enough House Democrats helped Republicans block the House-wide vote, however, by voting to “table” it indefinitely.

HOUSE LEADERS MOVE QUICKLY TO CONSOLIDATE POWER IN SHOW OF CONFIDENCE FOR REPUBLICAN MAJORITY

Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., left, triggered ex-Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s, R-Calif., ouster via motion to vacate. (Getty)

House Freedom Caucus Chairman Andy Harris, R-Md., and Main Street Caucus Chairman Dusty Johnson, R-S.D., confirmed the deal in brief comments to reporters on Wednesday evening.

“ This started because Dr. Harris reached out this morning. He said, ‘Listen, we’ve got to cut a deal. We need to come together.’ Unity is important,” Johnson said.

“We spent more than an hour together. We made good progress. We understood that we had an opportunity to set the motion to vacate at a higher number…the motion to vacate will be set at nine, and in return for getting rid of some amendments that probably would have divided this conference.”

 The Main Street Caucus chair said Harris “did a good job of explaining to mainstream leadership why those amendments would have divided the Republican conference.”

Moderate and rank-and-file Republicans have been pushing to raise the threshold since late last year, arguing it would just continue to fuel chaos within the House GOP.

But GOP hardliners insisted it empowered members who were not in House Republican leadership.

A fifth person who spoke with Fox News Digital stressed the deal was tentative, categorizing it as a “proposed” deal and adding, “It isn’t over until it is.”

House Republicans are expected to vote on proposed changes to their conference rules on Thursday.

DEMS PRIVATELY FRET ABOUT LOSING HOUSE AFTER GOP VICTORY IN WHITE HOUSE, SENATE

Johnson was chosen as speaker after McCarthy was ousted. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

The news comes just after Johnson won a unanimous vote by House Republicans to be their speaker again, two more sources told Fox News Digital.

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Conservative critics of Johnson’s handling of foreign aid and government spending had threatened to delay his victory by forcing a secret ballot vote rather than awarding him unanimous consent.

But they appeared to back off from that threat after the meeting, which delayed leadership elections by roughly an hour and a half.

Fox News Digital reached out to Johnson’s office for comment.

Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., resigned from the House of Representatives on Wednesday, Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., announced.

Gaetz gave House GOP leaders his resignation notice on the same day President-elect Trump tapped him to be his Attorney General.

“I think out of deference to us, he issued his resignation letter effective immediately,” Johnson said. “That caught us by surprise a little bit. But I asked him what the reasoning was, and he said, well, you can’t have too many absences.”

The speaker pointed out that Florida state law gave the governor “about an eight-week period” to fill a House vacancy and that by doing so, “we may be able to fill that seat as early as Jan. 3.”

Johnson said he’s already in contact with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis on the matter.

This is a breaking story and will be updated…

Special counsel Jack Smith is asking an appeals court to halt his appeal against President-elect Trump for his alleged mishandling of classified and top-secret documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida.

Smith did the same in the D.C. election interference case last week.

Special counsel Jack Smith speaks to members of the media at the Department of Justice building in Washington, D.C. (Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images)

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The news comes after Fox News confirmed that Smith will be stepping down before Trump takes office.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

President-elect Trump announced Tuesday he had chosen South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem to lead the Department of Homeland Security, an agency that addresses border security, emergency relief and cybersecurity.

In his announcement Tuesday evening, Trump emphasized Noem’s moves as governor to send National Guard soldiers to the southern border in Texas, arguing she is “very strong” on border security.

“She will work closely with ‘Border Czar’ Tom Homan to secure the border and will guarantee that our American homeland is secure from our adversaries. I have known Kristi for years and have worked with her on a wide variety of projects. She will be a great part of our mission to make America safe again,” Trump said in a statement.

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

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem gestures as she speaks at the Calvin Coolidge Foundation conference at the Library of Congress Feb. 17, 2023, in Washington, D.C.  (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

Noem said she was “honored and humbled” by the selection.

“With Donald Trump, we will secure the border and restore safety to American communities so that families will again have the opportunity to pursue the American dream,” she said.

Noem, a former member of Congress, was elected governor of the state in 2018 and won re-election in 2022. She has three children with her husband, Byron.

TRUMP’S ‘BORDER CZAR’ WARNS DEM GOVS REJECTING TRUMP DEPORTATION PLAN: ‘GET THE HELL OUT OF THE WAY’

Noem’s selection came as a surprise to some political watchers, but a source familiar with the appointment told Fox News Digital Noem had set a precedent for other states by sending National Guard soldiers, rather than more generic assistance, to the border. She also brings experience of other parts of the agency’s mission.

Noem banned TikTok from state-owned devices in 2022, citing the company’s ties to China. Separately, Dakota State University has one of the top cyber units in the country, and cybersecurity is the fastest growing industry in South Dakota, an expansion encouraged by Noem. The governor’s website says the state has invested $90 million to equip DSU in expanding cyber programs and allowing high school students to take classes for college credit. The state said last year the sector has added thousands of jobs in a few years and grown by 25%.

Noem has in-depth experience with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) because the state has dealt with flooding, including in June when there were record-setting floods in the state. FEMA sparked controversy over its handling of hurricanes this year and is likely to be under significant scrutiny in the months and years ahead.

A group claiming to be from India sits in the shade of the border wall to be picked up by Border Patrol after crossing through the border fence in the Tucson Sector of the U.S.-Mexico border, Aug. 29, 2023, in Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument near Lukeville, Ariz.  (AP Photo/Matt York, File)

With respect to border security, Noem has backed a pause on accepting migrants from terrorist hot spots. As governor, she pledged in 2021 not to take any more migrants from the Biden administration. She is particularly in line with President-elect Trump on border security and prioritizing national security and public safety threats for deportations, a source noted to Fox News Digital.

“My message to illegal immigrants is — Call me when you’re an American,” she said on Facebook in 2021. 

CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF THE BORDER SECURITY CRISIS

Noem briefly sparked controversy this year when she revealed in a memoir she had shot and killed a family dog that she said had become a danger to people. 

While her appointment was a surprise to some, she has received backing from major figures, including former acting DHS Secretary Chad Wolf.

“Gov. Noem is a fantastic pick,” he said. “She has been a successful governor and has been forward-leaning and helping to support the Border security mission with her National Guard. She also has extensive experience working with FEMA on natural disasters. I’m certain she will succeed.”

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, who has been on the front lines of the crisis, said it was an “excellent selection.”

“Governor Noem is a border hawk who has worked with me to secure the Texas border,” he said on X.

“She has a no nonsense, rule of law approach, that will repair America from the carnage caused by Biden‘s open border policies.”

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The pick follows a number of other hawkish appointments to Trump’s administration. This week, he announced former Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Director Tom Homan will be the “border czar.”

On Wednesday, Trump officially announced that Stephen Miller, who spearheaded many immigration policies in Trump’s first term, will serve as assistant to the president and deputy chief of staff for policy and homeland security adviser. 

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., was selected to lead the GOP conference again during a closed-door vote on Wednesday.

It comes after President-elect Donald Trump addressed House Republicans earlier in the day and said he was “100%” behind Johnson, multiple sources in the room told Fox News Digital.

Several hard-line GOP members are still holding out their support, however, over his handling of government spending and foreign aid in the current Congress.

JOHNSON BLASTS DEM ACCUSATIONS HE VOWED TO END OBAMACARE AS ‘DISHONEST’

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., talks with reporters in the U.S. Capitol after the last votes of the week on Thursday, September 12, 2024.  (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

It’s been a meteoric rise for the Louisiana Republican, who was a relatively little-known lawmaker when he was elected to succeed former Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., after he was ousted by all House Democrats and eight fellow Republicans.

Johnson has endured much of the same chaos as McCarthy while presiding over a razor-thin House majority, with GOP rebels weaponizing the small margin in efforts to force the conference to pass more conservative policy.

SHUTDOWN STANDOFF LOOMS IN CONGRESS’ FINAL WEEKS BEFORE TRUMP’S RETURN TO WHITE HOUSE

Former Speaker Kevin McCarthy was ousted last year. (Getty Images)

But Johnson did not face any significant challengers on Wednesday, nor was he expected to with House Republicans on track to hold onto the chamber majority in the 119th Congress.

It could be a different story in January, when he will need a majority of the entire House chamber to be elected speaker.

McCarthy infamously had to endure 15 rounds of House votes and was forced to make concessions to a small group of holdouts in exchange for their support.

HOUSE LEADERS MOVE QUICKLY TO CONSOLIDATE POWER IN SHOW OF CONFIDENCE FOR REPUBLICAN MAJORITY

President-elect Trump has endorsed Johnson. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

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With Johnson projected to win just a slim single-digit majority again, he can afford little opposition – or risk paralyzing the House under a new Trump administration.

House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., and Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., ran uncontested for their current roles and are expected to win.

West Palm Beach, Fla.— President-elect Donald Trump has announced more than a dozen Cabinet picks just a week after he was declared victorious in his race against Vice President Kamala Harris, reflecting his commitment to putting “America first,” the campaign told Fox News Digital. 

“The American people re-elected President Trump by a resounding margin, giving him a mandate to implement the promises he made on the campaign trail — and his Cabinet picks reflect his priority to put America First. President Trump will continue to appoint highly qualified men and women who have the talent, experience and necessary skill sets to Make America Great Again,” Trump-Vance transition spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt told Fox News Digital when asked about Trump’s speedy roll-out of Cabinet picks. 

Trump sailed to victory last week after securing electoral votes from toss-up states such as Pennsylvania and Georgia. All in, he earned 312 electoral votes — sweeping all seven of the battleground states — and won the popular vote. 

“America first” and “Make America Great Again” were hallmarks of Trump’s campaign, including during his historic rally at Madison Square Garden in Manhattan last month.

“We stand on the verge of the four greatest years in the history of the U.S.A. With your help from now until Election Day, we will restore America’s promise. We will put America first, and we will take back the nation that we all love,” he said at MSG. “We bleed the same blood. We share the same home, and we salute the same great American flag. We are one people, one family and one glorious nation under God. We will never give in. We will never give up. We will never ever back down, and we will never, ever, ever surrender. Together, we will fight, fight, fight, and we will win, win, win.”

TRUMP PICKING CABINET AT BREAKNECK SPEED COMPARED TO 2016

President Joe Biden meets with President-elect Donald Trump in the Oval Office of the White House, Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024, in Washington. (Evan Vucci/Associated Press)

Shortly after his win at the ballot box, Trump began rolling out his picks for his Cabinet. As of Wednesday afternoon, Trump has announced 17 names for his administration, including Susie Wiles as his chief of staff, longtime ally Dan Scavino as his deputy chief of staff and Fox News co-host Pete Hegseth as secretary of defense.

Trump has announced the picks via emails to the media and supporters, coming at a faster pace than in 2016, when he was elected to his first term in the Oval Office, Fox News Digital found earlier this week.  

Trump announced on Nov. 11, for example, that New York Rep. Elise Stefanik will serve as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. During the 2016 transition cycle, Trump announced then-Gov. Nikki Haley of South Carolina would fill that same role on Nov. 23. Haley went on to run unsuccessfully in 2024 for the GOP presidential nomination.

LOYALTY MATTERS: TRUMP PICKS ALLIES AND SUPPORTERS TO FILL OUT HIS ADMINISTRATION

Representative Elise Stefanik, a Republican from New York, speaks to members of the media ahead of a campaign event with former US President Donald Trump, not pictured, at Madison Square Garden in New York, US, on Sunday, Oct. 27, 2024. The Republican presidential nominee returns to his hometown on Sunday for an event at an iconic venue that has been a magnet for celebrities and the center of some of the nation’s biggest cultural moments- an attempt to command the media spotlight and mobilize supporters about a week before Election Day on Nov. 5.  (Adam Gray/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

He also tapped Rep. Mike Waltz, R-Fla., to serve as his national security adviser, announcing that pick on Tuesday, about three days ahead of his announcement for the same role in 2016, when he chose former Army Gen. Mike Flynn for the position about 10 days after Election Day. 

Rep. Michael Waltz (R-FL) attends the 2024 Concordia Annual Summit on September 23, 2024 in New York City. (John Nacion/Getty Images)

Trump also announced he chose former New York Republican Rep. Lee Zeldin to lead the Environmental Protection Agency, a pick Trump didn’t make until Dec. 7, 2016, when he tapped Scott Pruitt to serve in the role.

ELON MUSK, VIVEK RAMASWAMY TO LEAD TRUMP’S DEPARTMENT OF GOVERNMENT EFFICIENCY

Trump’s first pick for his administration, Susie Wiles for chief of staff, was announced the day after the election, while his 2016 announcement of Reince Priebus as chief of staff was made five days after the election. 

Former US President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump greets his campaign manager Susie Wiles (L) during an election night event at the West Palm Beach Convention Center in West Palm Beach, Florida, on November 6, 2024. (Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images)

“Susie is tough, smart, innovative, and is universally admired and respected. Susie will continue to work tirelessly to Make America Great Again. It is a well deserved honor to have Susie as the first-ever female Chief of Staff in United States history. I have no doubt that she will make our country proud,” Trump said after the selection of Wiles.

Trump briefly traveled to Washington, D.C., Wednesday, where he met with congressional Republicans and then went to the White House for a meeting with President Biden before heading back home to Florida.

“I look forward… to having a smooth transition. We’ll do everything we can to make sure you’re accommodated, what you need,” Biden said during a short portion of the meeting when reporters were granted access to the Oval Office. 

Trump added that “politics is tough, and in many cases it’s not a very nice world, but it is a nice world today.”

“I appreciate very much the transition that’s so smooth. It will be as smooth as it can get, and I very much appreciate that,” Trump continued.

President Joe Biden meets with President-elect Donald Trump in the Oval Office of the White House, Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024, in Washington. (Evan Vucci/Associated Press)

Trump was joined by high-profile officials on his transition team and upcoming administration, including Wiles and tech billionaire Elon Musk. 

TRUMP’S PICKS SO FAR: HERE’S WHO WILL BE ADVISING THE NEW PRESIDENT

Musk endorsed Trump over the summer and soon began campaigning for him, most notably in the key battleground state of Pennsylvania. Trump announced on Tuesday evening that Musk and former GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy will lead a new task force he is calling the Department of Government Efficiency. 

“I am pleased to announce that the Great Elon Musk, working in conjunction with American Patriot Vivek Ramaswamy, will lead the Department of Government Efficiency (“DOGE”). Together, these two wonderful Americans will pave the way for my Administration to dismantle Government Bureaucracy, slash excess regulations, cut wasteful expenditures, and restructure Federal Agencies – Essential to the ‘Save America’ Movement,” Trump said in his announcement. 

Trump announced Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy would be leading the Department of Government Efficiency (“DOGE”) on Tuesday, November 12, 2024.  (Getty Images)

“It will become, potentially, ‘The Manhattan Project’ of our time. Republican politicians have dreamed about the objectives of “DOGE” for a very long time. To drive this kind of drastic change, the Department of Government Efficiency will provide advice and guidance from outside of Government, and will partner with the White House and Office of Management & Budget to drive large scale structural reform, and create an entrepreneurial approach to Government never seen before,” the announcement continued. 

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Trump is expected to continue quickly announcing his Cabinet picks as he continues establishing his administration ahead of Jan. 20. Trump had pledged throughout the campaign to “make America great again” for voters of all political stripes, putting emphasis on gutting some federal agencies and even dismantling them altogether, such as the Department of Education. 

Fox News’ Michael Lee, Brooke Singman and Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.