NationalWatch

Over the past year, Fox News Digital has reported extensively on far-left curriculum and courses at universities across the country, many of which have sparked pushback from conservatives and parents’ rights groups.

This month, leaked PowerPoint lessons from a first-year education course at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign showed extreme left-wing bias on the topic of illegal immigration, as well as race and gender along with material that blamed President Trump for “white supremacy.”

Fox News Digital reported in early October on another college classroom controversy at the University of Oklahoma where a student who received a zero out of 25 on an assignment regarding gender norms says she was targeted for her Christian beliefs, citing a scathing response from the teacher’s assistant who doled out the grade.

This week, that teacher’s assistant was fired by the university.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE CAMPUS RADICALS COAST TO COAST

At the University of Minnesota, Fox News Digital was first to report on a situation uncovered by Defending Education in which the university hosted a webpage warning against a “whiteness pandemic” that provides “resources” on how to “halt and reverse” the issue.

“If you were born or raised in the United States, you have grown up in the Whiteness Pandemic, and you can play a role in halting and reversing this pandemic, especially if you are White because of the power and privilege you hold in this racialized society,” explains the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities webpage, which is part of the Institute of Child Development.

“If you were socialized into the culture of Whiteness during childhood, it is not your fault, but as an adult it is now your responsibility to self-reflect, re-educate yourself, and act. If you are a White adult, antiracist action involves an ongoing process of self-reflection in order to develop a healthy positive White identity while engaging in courageous antiracist parenting/caregiving.”

WATCH: HIDDEN CAMERA CATCHES RED-STATE UNIVERSITY ADMINS ADMITTING HOW THEY ‘CLEVERLY’ DISGUISED DEI AGENDA

The university stood by the curriculum, citing a “commitment to the principles of academic freedom.”

The Texas A&M University System Board of Regents released a statement in September, Fox News Digital reported, calling for an audit of all of its courses after a student was allegedly removed from a class for questioning transgender-related course content. 

In the deep red state of Arkansas, Fox News Digital reported that a public university offers an interdisciplinary writing course in its English department called “Queer Childhoods,” according to the school’s course directory.

The course focuses on “evaluating academic arguments and on writing papers that make an argument and that utilize scholarly sources,” says a vague description of the offering on the University of Central Arkansas’ website. “The course is thematic, with instructors choosing topics and choosing an interdisciplinary set of readings focused on that topic.”

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

At Princeton University earlier this year, Fox News Digital reported, the school offered a course where students would study the intersection of gender studies and what the course called the “genocide” in Gaza.

“This seminar explores genocide through the analytic of gender, with a central focus on the ongoing genocide in Gaza,” said the course description on Princeton’s website. “Drawing on decolonial, Indigenous, and feminist thought, we examine how genocidal projects target reproductive life, sexual and familial structures, and community survival.”

A student at the University of North Georgia spoke out to Fox News Digital, saying that an assigned textbook for one of her courses labeled Christianity as a “U.S.-based white supremacist group.”

Kelbie Murphy, a senior at the university, paid roughly $100 for an assigned textbook in her International Public Relations course. In Chapter 8, the opening passage reads: “An internet search produces the following modifier for identity: corporate, sexual, digital, public, racial, national, brand, and even Christian (a U.S.-based white supremacist group).” 

“The way it was worded, it listed several marginalized groups, but then only called Christians to be White supremacists,” Murphy told Fox News Digital in an exclusive interview. “But the scariest thing is that the book was written in 2007.”

At the start of the year, Fox News Digital reported exclusively that the Department of Education has awarded over $200 million since 2021 to forty-eight universities injecting DEI content into counseling courses that include topics on antiracism, microaggressions, White privilege and Whiteness.

Fox News Digital’s Peter D’Abrosca and Preston Mizell contributed to this report.

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has spent the first year of President Donald Trump’s second administration trying to implement his Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) vision. But his mission hit a roadblock during the holiday season when an Obama-appointed judge issued a ruling siding with a conglomerate of dye companies to stifle a landmark ban on artificial food additives.

During his first trip as America’s lead healthcare official in March, Kennedy spoke in Martinsburg, W.V., alongside Gov. Patrick Morrisey, who said his state’s ban plan and the Democrat scion’s choice to visit the area first shows the “MAHA” movement “begins right here in West Virginia.”

By Wednesday, a federal judge in the Mountain State, Judge Irene Berger of the Southern District of West Virginia, blocked those plans, siding with food dye manufacturers and issuing a preliminary injunction halting Charleston’s ability to enforce the policy Morrisey championed at Kennedy’s event.

Berger issued a 30-page ruling blocking enforcement of HB 2354, a law drafted by Del. Adam Burkhammer, R-Upshur, which bans food and pharmaceuticals that have been “adulterated” with artificial compounds including butylated hydroxyanisole, Red 3, Red 40, Yellow 5, Yellow 6, Blue 1, Blue 2 and Green 3.

GUT IMBALANCE MAY BE DRIVING AMERICA’S FOOD ALLERGY EPIDEMIC, EXPERTS WARN

Knowingly contaminating food with such artificial dyes and compounds would have resulted in a potential misdemeanor charge and $500 fine, according to the Wheeling News-Register.

Red 3 is already banned by the FDA, in part due to lab tests on rats that found development of thyroid issues and cancerous side effects, according to NIH and HHS documents.

The case was brought by the International Association of Color Manufacturers, a K Street organization that alleged the bill causes economic harm to its member companies, that it lets Charleston “usurp” Washington’s power to regulate food safety and also interferes with interstate commerce, a federal concern.

PEPSICO TO REMOVE ARTIFICIAL INGREDIENTS FROM POPULAR FOOD ITEMS BY END OF 2025

“The statute arbitrarily and irrationally targets color additives no U.S. agency — state or federal — nor any court has ever found to be unsafe,” IACM said in a statement announcing its suit, adding that the ban also lacks “scientific evidence.”

While Berger ruled in IACM’s favor, she also rejected their claim that the policy was an unlawful bill-of-attainder, or law singling out a person or group, according to the News-Register.

In a statement, Morrisey said he “respectfully disagree[s] with [the] ruling.”

LEADING ‘BIOHACKER’ REVEALS WHY RFK JR.’S HEALTH CRUSADE ‘COULDN’T COME AT A BETTER TIME’

“[W]e believe this decision is premature and incorrectly decided. West Virginia will continue to defend its authority to protect the health and well-being of our citizens, especially children,” he said.

“We are reviewing our legal options and will continue to press forward with our efforts to get harmful crap out of our food supply.”

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

POPULAR SNACK BRAND MAKES BIG CHANGE TO FAVORITE PRODUCT AMID ‘NATURAL SOURCE’ INGREDIENTS PUSH

In her ruling, Berger wrote that while several food additives were specifically named in the law, its use of the term “poisonous and injurious” lacked “criteria guiding its determination” — an omission that could unfairly harm dye manufacturers.

“If a parent notifies [the West Virginia Department of Health] that they believe their child is sensitive to a color additive, is that a sufficient basis for a color additive to be deemed ‘poisonous and injurious,’ or must the WVDOH conduct a further investigation? It is far from clear,” Berger said, according to West Virginia MetroNews.

She also argued that since the law has not taken effect yet, it will not harm Charleston’s ability to regulate public health and safety.

JUNK FOOD BANNED FROM SNAP BENEFITS IN 6 MORE STATES, A WIN FOR MAHA ADVOCATES

Republicans slammed the ruling, with Del. David Elliott Pritt of Thurmond faulting “Big Food” for challenging the law in the first place.

“Imagine being so addicted to profit that you would go to court to fight for your company’s ability to willingly and knowingly continue to poison the kids of this state and nation because you refuse to alter your formulas,” Pritt said, calling that viewpoint “pretty evil.”

Some in the private sector have heeded Kennedy’s warnings about the dangers of food additives, with Walmart planning to remove synthetic dyes and some artificial sweeteners and fats from its generic store brands in the U.S. by January, according to Fortune.

West Virginia House Health and Human Resources Committee Chairman Evan Worrell, R-Huntington, told MetroNews that the law was never about politics but protecting children from “unnecessary chemical additives” that are already banned in other countries.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

During his Martinsburg appearance, Kennedy said that the increasing epidemic of social loneliness and “dispossession,” as well as the “crises we have in mental health, in suicide, in ADD, ADHD” are all linked.

“And [linked] particularly to the dyes. It’s very clear the dyes that Governor Morrisey is banning … are linked in very strong studies to ADHD and to cancers.”

California, Virginia, Utah and Arizona have since sought to enact similar bans largely focused on school lunches.

Minnesota Lt. Gov. and U.S. Senate candidate Peggy Flanagan was seen on a Somali TV station wearing a hijab at a mall, as a widespread fraud scandal implicating some Somalis plagues the state.

“The Somali community is part of the fabric of the state of Minnesota,” Flanagan said, looking into the camera.

For Muslim women, wearing a hijab is typically a sign of obedience to God and worn to show modesty. 

Flanagan has previously stated that she is Catholic and says on her campaign website that her “view on immigration is grounded in her Catholic faith.”

ILHAN OMAR DEFENDS MEALS ACT DESPITE TIES TO MASSIVE MINNESOTA FRAUD SCHEME

The lieutenant governor is challenging two other Democratic candidates in the primary race to fill the seat of outgoing Democratic Sen. Tina Smith. Former Democratic presidential candidate and current Sen. Amy Klobuchar serves as the other senator from the state.

Flanagan’s far-left views also prompted her to wear a “Protect Trans Kids” shirt with a knife on it in August in a viral video telling parents: “When our children tell us who they are, it’s our job as grown-ups to listen and believe them.”

In 2022, federal prosecutors in the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Minnesota began probing a nonprofit called Feeding Our Future, an organization which fueled what the Justice Department said is one of the largest pandemic relief fraud schemes in history.

‘EPICENTER OF FRAUD’: MINNESOTA’S EMPTY STOMACHS, FAKE AUTISM THERAPY AND A SCANDAL THAT COULD TOP $2 BILLION 

Since the investigation began, $250 million in fraudulent claims have led to 78 individuals charged as part of what prosecutors say is a sizable $9 billion fraud scheme. 

Many of the individuals charged come from the Somali community in Minnesota.

More than 400 Minnesota state employees spoke out about the issue, pointing fingers at former presidential candidate and Democratic Gov. Tim Walz for negligence in acting on warnings and indicators of fraud and retaliation against whistleblowers who attempted to expose the scandal.

LAWMAKERS PROBE SBA LOANS LINKED TO MINNESOTA’S $9B FRAUD SCANDAL: ‘RECKLESS DECISION MAKING’ 

Walz has been pushed to address the issue on several occasions, admitting in a New York Times interview that the programs may have been overly generous.

“The programs are set up to move the money to people,” Walz said last month. “The programs are set up to improve people’s lives, and in many cases, the criminals find the loopholes.”

Walz set up a new anti-fraud task force as part of a crackdown. “The message here in Minnesota is if you commit a crime, if you commit fraud against public dollars, you are going to go to prison,” he told the Times.

The House Oversight Committee launched an investigation into Walz’s handling of the relief program at the beginning of December. 

“This massive amount of fraud is affecting and impacting every citizen of Minnesota because they’re having to cut services because so much of the money for social programs was wasted and defrauded by this Somali population,” House Oversight Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., told Fox News’ “America’s Newsroom” earlier this week. 

Comer plans to subpoena testimony and records, setting the stage for a potential blockbuster hearing.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP 

President Donald Trump took swift action when the news broke and terminated deportation protections for Somali nationals living in Flanagan’s state “effectively immediately” in November after news of the fraud scandal broke. 

“Send them back to where they came from,” Trump posted to Truth Social. “It’s OVER!”

Fox News Digital reached out to Flanagan and Walz but did not receive responses.

Fox News’ Adriana James-Rodil contributed to this report.

EXCLUSIVE: A pro-police group will request the Justice Department investigate a Virginia prosecutor accused of being unfairly lenient to illegal immigrant suspects, using an oversight law the Biden administration used to scrutinize police departments like one in Kentucky after the Breonna Taylor incident.

The law enforcement “pattern-or-practice” provision, under 34 USC 12601, was previously used to investigate alleged civil rights violations during the Biden era by police departments — including in Louisville after a no-knock warrant was served, leading to a shootout that killed Taylor.

It has also been used against departments in New Jersey, Mississippi and Tennessee, as well as a division of the NYPD, for allegations ranging from excessive use of force, to gender bias and allegedly unlawful traffic stops.

VIRGINIA AG CALLS DEM PROSECUTOR’S ACTIONS ‘WEAPONIZED INCOMPETENCE’ IN SCATHING REPORT

On Wednesday, the Law Enforcement Legal Defense Fund (LELDF) told Fox News Digital it would ask the Trump Justice Department to use the same law in a different respect to investigate progressive Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano in Virginia.

Descano, who received at least $600,000 from a George Soros-funded political action committee during his first election bid in Virginia’s largest jurisdiction in 2019, came under fire recently for the nonprosecution of an illegal immigrant who allegedly murdered someone the day after he was released.

LELDF’s request “seeks to use established federal civil-rights tools to test whether a prosecutor’s office is operating a discriminatory system that endangers the public and erodes equal justice under law,” the group’s president, Jason C. Johnson told Fox News Digital. LELDF officials will formally ask Deputy Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon to investigate Descano’s office under the same “pattern-or-practice” concerns as Biden’s DOJ had in Louisville.

The group alleged the Fairfax Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office “violat[ed] the civil rights of US citizens by favoring illegal aliens and non-citizens in charging, plea bargaining, and sentencing decisions.”

They cited Descano’s “official policy” to consider “immigration consequences” when prosecuting cases.

“As a federal prosecutor, Steve protected immigrants from criminals who targeted them due to their immigration status… Steve knows that regardless of immigration status, all our neighbors deserve equal protection of, and equal access to, the law,” a passage on Descano’s campaign page reads.

 “The fear of law enforcement that Donald Trump has fostered in immigrant communities does nothing but lead to increased crime,” Descano claimed in backing up his policy.

“In addition to providing a safe place, Steve’s office will take immigration consequences into account when making charging and plea decisions. Although prosecutors typically refer to immigration consequences as ‘collateral consequences,’ avoiding the unnecessary destruction of families and communities will be a top priority for Steve as Commonwealth’s Attorney. Wherever possible, Steve will make charging and plea decisions that limit or avoid immigration consequences.”

That type of prosecutorial discretion runs afoul of the law, LELDF claimed in their letter to Dhillon.

SEARS DEMANDS RECALL OF FAIRFAX PROSECUTOR AFTER ATTEMPTED KIDNAPPING CASE

They pointed to the case of Marvin Morales-Ortez, who reportedly had first-degree murder charges stemming from a 2019 incident dropped by Descano’s office — which in turn told Washington’s ABC affiliate their evidence showed it was “clear that he was ultimately not the perpetrator who had killed Mr. [Jose] Guillen Mejia.”

Nick Minock, a reporter for the outlet, later obtained a transcript of Morales-Ortez’ preliminary hearing where Descano’s office posited that Morales-Ortez was present when Guillen Mejia was murdered and had ambushed the man on a walking path.

A short time after he was released, Morales-Ortez allegedly went to a home on Fan Shell Court in Reston, Va. — near John F. Dulles International Airport — and allegedly shot a man inside.

That chain of events enraged the Trump administration, with Assistant DHS Secretary Tricia McLaughlin saying that “Fairfax County politicians [who] push[ed] pushing policies that released this illegal alien from jail” have “blood on their hands.”

In the letter, LELDF argued that “dozens of illegal aliens like Morales-Ortez have repeatedly received excessive leniency from [Fairfax] under Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano.”

They pointed directly to a passage in a 2020 memo from Descano laying out similar to his campaign page that “[Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorneys] shall consider immigration consequences where possible and where doing so accords with justice.”

LELDF claimed the memo and the policy it forwards directly violates the Constitution and denies U.S. citizens equal protection under the law versus illegal immigrants.

“It is both immoral and unlawful for a government agency to engage in systemic discrimination against U.S. citizens to the benefit of those illegally present,” the group told Dhillon.

The memo represents the necessary predicate for a federal investigation, they argued, while also taking issue with Fairfax’s “explicit policy directing prosecutors to weigh immigration consequences, including deportation’s ‘detrimental impact’ on families and communities, while ensuring no better outcomes than for non-immigrants.”

In a fuller excerpt from the memo, Descano says that when the seriousness of an offense and its harm is significant, the weight of “potential adverse immigration consequences” should be “minimal,” while the opposite is true for “less serious” offenses and those with “no identifiable victim.”

In those cases, subordinate prosecutors should “have greater latitude in negotiating a resolution that takes adverse immigration consequences into account.”

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

While his office did not respond to a request for comment, Descano has also bristled at the notion of being tied to Soros — recently hitting back at a top Youngkin administration official who blamed prosecutors linked to the Hungarian-American financier for the crime crisis.

“I’m not a ‘Soros funded prosecutor’, I’m the CA for Fairfax County – where the murder rate is 75% lower than the entire Commonwealth’s. Maybe [she] should look at the numbers (especially since she works in public safety) before making such a ridiculous claim,” Descano tweeted in 2022.

Sen. Cory Booker and the top U.S. counter-terrorism official sparred Tuesday over DNI Tulsi Gabbard’s reference to Paterson, New Jersey’s Muslim community during her speech to AmericaFest earlier this week.

Booker, D-N.J., took issue with part of director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard’s speech to AmericaFest in Phoenix over the weekend, where she called out threats to the U.S. homeland from Islamist ideology.

Booker ripped Gabbard for name-dropping his state’s third-largest city, Paterson. The city, between New York City and the Delaware Water Gap, is named for Irish immigrant and Constitution signatory William Paterson, but has a sizable, growing Arab Christian and Muslim community.

TEXAS GOV ABBOTT DECLARES CAIR, MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD AS TERRORIST GROUPS, PREVENTING LAND PURCHASES

“Paterson is one of New Jersey’s oldest cities and has always embodied the best American values — industry, perseverance, and diversity,” Booker tweeted Tuesday.

“Tulsi Gabbard’s dangerous attempt to sow fear, pit people against each other, and smear the Muslim Americans of Paterson, NJ is dishonest, cruel, and un-American — it endangers an entire community,” said Booker, who hails from nearby Newark.

Paterson reportedly has the second-highest percentage of Muslims behind Muslim-majority Hamtramck, Michigan. Paterson’s sister city is Ramallah, in the Palestinian West Bank, according to WKXW.

MUSLIM CIVIL RIGHTS GROUP CAIR SUES TEXAS OVER ABBOTT’S ‘TERRORIST’ DESIGNATION

“In Jersey, we know our state’s diversity is our strength, and we stand up for our own,” Booker said.

During her speech, Gabbard warned that Islamist ideology both fuels terror groups that should be defeated “militarily” but also presents a “direct threat to freedom” because it is effectively “political” thought.

Gabbard warned that such ideology is both political and a direct threat to freedom because it seeks to “create a global caliphate that governs us here in America” and seeks enforcement of Sharia Law governance.

2021 AFGHAN REMARKS HAUNT GOP LAWMAKER’S SENATE BID AFTER DC GUARD SHOOTING

“If you fail to comply, if you fail to adhere to this ideology, if you dare to exercise your God-given right to free speech, censorship is not what we face. They will use violence or any means they deem as necessary to silence us,” Gabbard warned during her Phoenix address, before noting that German cities have canceled Christmas festivals due to the threat of radical Islamists; warning some may be taking root in America.

“In places like Dearborn, Michigan, and Minneapolis, Minnesota, Islamist clerics are openly pushing this Islamist ideology, trying to recruit and radicalize young people,” she went on, saying that advocacy-group-backed efforts to institute Sharia law are already in place in Houston, Texas, and Paterson, New Jersey.

“Paterson is proud to call themselves the first Muslim city. They are working to implement in their own governments these Islamic principles that are forced on people through the use of laws or violence,” she said.

BONDI WARNS OF VETTING FAILURES AFTER ‘FRIGHTENING’ ARREST OF AFGHAN NATIONAL FOR BOMB THREATS IN TEXAS

“The bottom line is this. When we talk about the threat of Islamism, this political ideology, there is no such thing as individual freedom or liberty. As Charlie [Kirk] said over and over again, it is fundamentally incompatible with our nation’s foundation of freedom.”

Paterson, which has struggled for years with crime and corruption problems — including the indictment of Councilman Michael Jackson and others on pending election fraud charges, collectively rebuked Gabbard’s claim that its Muslim community posed any kind of threat.

Mayor Andre Sayegh, a Democrat, called Gabbard “egregiously misinformed” at a press conference called to rebuke the former Hawaii congresswoman.

CRUZ ‘CANNOT SUPPORT’ TRUMP’S KUWAIT AMBASSADOR PICK OVER MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD REMARKS

“We’re a better city because Muslims call Paterson home. It’s a point of pride that they contribute to the social and economic fabric of Paterson,” he said.

In terms of laws passed in Paterson, in 2020, the city council approved an ordinance allowing the Adhan — or Muslim call to worship — to be broadcast in the city. Imam Quddoos Farra’d told the Paterson Times that it is no different than Christians using churchbells or Jews using a Shofar.

However, National Counterterrorism Center Director Joe Kent, a Washington state Republican nominated by President Donald Trump, staunchly defended Gabbard and slammed Booker.

DNI GABBARD WARNS ‘ISLAMIST IDEOLOGY’ THREATENS WESTERN FREEDOM AT AMFEST

“The insane policies championed by Booker and the Democrat Party under the Biden administration have allowed a staggering 18,000 known and suspected terrorists to enter our nation, many through the botched Afghanistan withdrawal and the open southern border,” Kent said.

“This disastrous approach has put American lives at risk, prioritizing unchecked borders over national security.”

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

“In the last year, Muslim jihadis have carried out successful attacks in New Orleans, Colorado, and Washington D.C., spreading terror from coast to coast, while our dedicated law enforcement heroes have thwarted over a dozen more jihadist plots, preventing even greater devastation.”

Kent said it was Gabbard who exposed threats from 2,000 Afghan evacuees under Biden’s Operation Allies Welcome who had ties to terrorism — and that the DNI is “confronting the dangers recklessly inflicted on our nation by cowards like Booker and Biden.”

Capitol Hill is a ghost town with both the House and Senate out of session until a few days into the new year.

Lawmakers left town the week before Christmas, and with their departure have left several key fights unresolved — with deadlines looming large for both Republicans and Democrats.

Government funding

Congress voted to end the longest-ever government shutdown in history last month after 43 days of gridlock.

But lawmakers did not strike a deal on federal funding for the rest of fiscal year (FY) 2026, which they’re expected to do annually. Instead, they passed a portion of FY 2026 funding while punting the deadline for the majority of areas to Jan. 30.

CONGRESSIONAL DEMOCRATS WIDEN 2026 BATTLEFIELD, ZERO IN ON NEW HOUSE REPUBLICAN TARGETS

Senate Republicans had hoped to strike a deal on the vast majority of the remaining funds before leaving town, but various objections from senators on both sides of the aisle delayed an actual vote. 

Now, that legislation will have to be reckoned with in early January. During that month, the House and Senate will only have a total of eight days in session together before the Jan. 30 deadline.

The Senate will have 15 total days in session, while the House will have 12.

Healthcare

Millions of people across the country are expected to see an increase in how much they pay for healthcare premiums every month starting in January.

Congress, meanwhile, has failed to pass a compromise between the House and Senate to help Americans deal with the rising cost.

For some Americans on Obamacare, part of that is due to COVID-19 pandemic-era enhanced subsidies expiring at the end of 2025. 

Republicans have largely rejected the notion of extending those subsidies, at least without significant reforms. But a small group of moderate GOP lawmakers are pushing for a short-term extension to give Congress time to create a more permanent system for lowering costs.

THE HITCHHIKER’S GUIDE TO WHERE WE STAND WITH A HEALTHCARE PACKAGE

The House passed a healthcare reform bill aimed at expanding options in the commercial insurance marketplace the week before leaving town. In the Senate, however, dueling plans by Republicans and Democrats failed to advance.

It will now be an issue for GOP congressional leaders to tackle in 2026 — while Democrats are likely to seize on it as an election-year issue.

Redistricting

Mid-decade redistricting has upended state and federal politics across the U.S. this year, with President Donald Trump pushing multiple GOP-controlled states to change their congressional lines in order to give Republicans an advantage in the 2026 midterms.

Democrat-led states like California have responded by moving to redraw their own maps to give the left an advantage. It’s resulted in prolonged court battles on both sides.

In Texas, where new maps could give Republicans as many as five new House seats, the Supreme Court granted an emergency stay on a lower court’s order allowing the GOP-led initiative to move forward.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

The federal court battle over the Golden State’s new map is likely to draw into the new year. Meanwhile, states like Virginia, Illinois, Alabama, and Louisiana could still move to make new lines before next November.

Multiple House lawmakers have introduced legislation to ban mid-decade redistricting, but to no avail so far.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., warned at a press conference earlier this month, “Republicans may have started this redistricting battle. We as Democrats plan to finish it.”

Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., by contrast, has taken a largely hands-off approach, preferring to leave the matter to state legislatures and the courts.

Former President Joe Biden shared a family photo on social media on Christmas Eve, sparking online criticism after he appeared partially visible in the image while son Hunter stood front and center.

The photo shows several members of the Biden family standing in front of a decorated Christmas tree, with Hunter positioned prominently in the foreground.

Former first lady Jill Biden is also in the image, standing in front of the former president with her head partially obstructing his face. All other family members appear fully framed and clearly visible.

In the X post accompanying the image, Biden wrote, “Wishing you a peaceful and joyful Christmas Eve filled with joy.”

INSIDE THE WHITE HOUSE CHRISTMAS CARD TRADITION – FROM COOLIDGE TO TRUMP

The post did not address the framing of the photo, and representatives for Biden did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The image circulated widely on social media following its release, with users commenting on the positioning and composition of the family members shown.

One person posted a close-up of Biden’s face, writing, “Took me a while to find ya, champ.”

TRUMP LISTS ACCOMPLISHMENTS, SAYS ‘RADICAL LEFT SCUM’ ARE ‘FAILING BADLY’ IN CHRISTMAS MESSAGE

Another commenter wrote, “I think it’s disrespectful to put the eldest family member in the back of a photo taken for the former president’s social media.”

Appearing to compare the image to a Where’s Waldo? scene, one person wrote, “Where’s Joe?“

Another user asked Biden in the comments, “Why are you in the back, blocked by Jill?”

TRUMP AND FIRST LADY GO ALL BLACK FOR OFFICIAL WHITE HOUSE CHRISTMAS PORTRAIT PHOTO

Other users questioned why Hunter was positioned so prominently in the photo, with some comments focusing specifically on his placement.

One person wrote, “Hunter is the alpha now.”

Additional posts shared altered versions of the image, depicting Hunter either shirtless or with a white substance under his nose.

“Wishing you and your entire family (specially your son) a white Christmas,” one user wrote.

Not all the comments were critical of the photo or the former president.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

One person wrote, “Wishing you and your family a peaceful and joyful Christmas. Your strength and love inspire us all.” 

Another added, “Wishing you a peaceful Christmas Eve too, Mr. President. Let’s hope the spirit of goodwill extends into the new year and helps bridge some of the divides we’ve seen. The image is a nice reminder of simpler times.”

Several others shared similar sentiments, including a message that said, “Merry Christmas to the whole Biden family!”

Congress has done nil to fix NIL in college sports.

Lawmakers get another chance to tackle NIL in early 2026. 

Let’s start with terms.

“NIL” refers to “name, image, likeness.” College athletes have made bank over the past few years, marketing themselves as their own product. They skip from school to school for more playing time. A bigger spotlight. And that leads to a better NIL deal.

Translation: You’ll probably make more from your NIL contract if you play for Ohio State and not North Dakota State.

TRUMP RIPS NIL ‘DISASTER’ IN OVAL OFFICE, WARNS IT’S KILLING COLLEGE SPORTS

As everyone watches bowl games and the College Football Playoff this holiday season, fans inevitably crow about the lack of parity for schools from the Big 10 and SEC compared to the Mid-American Conference and Sunbelt Conference.

James Madison, we’re looking at you.

The NCAA appears incapacitated to act to rein in NIL and issue nationwide rules. So, they’ve turned to Congress for a fix. 

Good luck with that.

The House tried to advance a bill in early December. But that legislation plunged into a toxic political scrum. First of all, many Democrats opposed the bill. The legislation then lacked the votes thanks to some GOP defections. The timing of the legislation was in question, too. The House wasn’t addressing annual spending bills or health care, but college sports. Some Republicans thought this was a bad optic.

This commotion came just as former Ole Miss head football coach Lane Kiffin defected to SEC rival Louisiana State University (LSU) for a king’s ransom. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., wasted no time noting that House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., are both LSU graduates and superfans of the school’s athletic programs. Jeffries questioned whether well-moneyed alumni connected to the school advocated for Johnson and Scalise to push the NIL bill at that time. Jeffries then anointed the legislation the “Lane Kiffin Protection Act.”

“People are asking the question, ‘Why did you decide to bring this bill this week?’ with all the other issues that the country is demanding that we focus on, led by the affordability crisis that they claim is a scam and a hoax,” posited Jeffries.

The controversy created a maelstrom too challenging for the House to handle. So the GOP brass yanked the legislation off the floor.

NATIONAL CHAMPION COACH WANTS TRUMP ‘MORE INVOLVED’ IN NIL REGULATION: ‘OUR SPORT IS GETTING KILLED’

House leaders hope to try again to regulate NIL and manage money in college sports in 2026.

“I think we need to do it sooner rather than later,” said House Budget Committee Chairman Jodey Arrington, R-Texas.

“We need a national framework,” said Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Mich., at a House session to prepare a NIL bill over the summer. “One with clarity and real enforcement to bring fairness, transparency, and equity to the new NIL era.”

Lawmakers are now revising the NIL bill to set national standards — and coax enough lawmakers to support it. It’s possible Congress could vote around the same time the nation crowns the next college football champion.

“We want to get it right to really do what we can to save college sports,” said Rep. Gus Bilirakis, R-Fla., the main author of the legislation.

The measure in question is known as the Student Compensation and Opportunity through Rights and Endorsements (SCORE) Act.

The bill would cap money schools can use from athletic revenue to pay athletes at 22 percent. Most Republicans support the measure. But Democrats believe the plan favors schools. Not athletes. Especially when it comes to labor rights – and treating athletes as university workers. 

“Passing the SCORE Act as it stands would only eliminate students’ abilities to collectively bargain,” said Rep. Emilia Sykes, D-Ohio.

HOUSE VOTE ON NIL REGULATION ACT CANCELED DESPITE TRUMP’S BACKING AS SOME REPUBLICANS STILL NOT ON BOARD

From a labor perspective, is a running back the same as a physics professor?

“I do not think they should be granted employee status,” said Sen. Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo., of student-athletes.

Some lawmakers aren’t sure whether Congress should even mettle in intercollegiate athletics. Rep. Frank Pallone, D-N.J., the top Democrat on the Commerce Committee, questioned the wisdom of addressing this issue in higher education compared to more pressing topics.

“You have to have a college to have college sports,” said Pallone as that panel prepped the bill over the summer. “And the way we’re going with this administration, I don’t even know if there’s going to be any colleges or universities left fighting for.”

Pallone says lawmakers should focus instead on “very real threats to our nation’s colleges and universities.”

Opponents of the legislation contend that the bill bends over backwards for major conferences. Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, has problems with that. He demands overall better governance of college athletics. 

“We need to have a better structure around what is currently in NCAA. I think we need to have some reforms and some of the guardrails in what we’re doing. These coaches are getting these massive buyouts,” said Roy.

Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., is pushing NIL regulation. But with a completely different approach. Hawley wants something which stretches far beyond the lines of the athletic fields and basketball arenas. Hawley advocates universal NIL rules — because of Big Tech and AI.

“We ought to give name, image and likeness rights to every single American. You should be able to control your image online. Control your data. Control your kids data,” said Hawley. “[It would be a] great thing to do for parents.”

So expect the House to try again on NIL in a few weeks. But consider the legislative agenda. A coalition of Democrats and four Republicans are deploying a gambit to go around the Speaker and force a vote to renew health care subsidies. That vote likely ripens around January 8 or 9. Obamacare subsidies expired. So that issue isn’t going away. And we haven’t even talked about trying to avoid a partial government shutdown in late January. The House and Senate have approved precisely zero additional spending plans after they ended the government shutdown in mid-November. Oh, there are the Epstein files and potential bipartisan action on accountability for Attorney General Pam Bondi.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

You think they’re going to deal with college sports? An issue which has simmered on the Congressional backburner for years? And frankly, one which is just as complex and divisive as health care?

If lawmakers fail, they can say they gave it the old, college try.

As temperatures drop in the nation’s capital and politicians hunker down for the holidays, here’s a look back at some of the political controversies that sent a chill through Washington, D.C., this year.

1. Shutdown showdown: 43 days that froze Washington

The government was shut down for 43 days in 2025, setting the record for the longest shutdown in U.S. history.

Republicans blamed Democrats and Democrats blamed Republicans, leaving Capitol Hill at a standstill for a staggering stretch that put Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, federal paychecks and even air-traffic safety in jeopardy.

TRUMP SAYS ECONOMY WILL ‘ROCKET’ AFTER SIGNING ‘BIG BEAUTIFUL BILL’: ‘IT’S GOING TO BE REALLY GREAT’

Congress failed to find common ground on a short-term spending bill as Senate Democrats refused to support any plan that did not include extensions of enhanced Obamacare subsidies set to expire at year’s end.

Ultimately, eight Senate Democrats broke with leadership to reach a bipartisan deal to reopen the government, and six House Democrats followed suit — ending the shutdown without securing the subsidies their party had demanded.

TRUMP SAYS ECONOMY WILL ‘ROCKET’ AFTER SIGNING ‘BIG BEAUTIFUL BILL’: ‘IT’S GOING TO BE REALLY GREAT’

2. DOGE days: Trump & Musk take on the bureaucracy

President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Inauguration Day establishing the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) with a mandate to cut waste, fraud and abuse across the federal government.

Trump tapped Tesla CEO Elon Musk as a “special government employee” to spearhead spending reductions.

According to DOGE, the agency has saved approximately $214 billion through asset sales, contract cancellations, improper payment recoveries, grant terminations, regulatory rollbacks, and workforce reductions.

As Musk slashed spending, the agency overhauled federal operations, laying off tens of thousands of workers, cutting foreign-aid programs, including the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), and shaking up global health efforts such as the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR).

3. No Kings Days: Protest movements erupt nationwide

The DOGE disruptions and Trump’s sweeping second-term agenda triggered a wave of protest movements across the country.

In February, the 50501 Movement, a coalition of activists rejecting Trump’s “executive overreach,” organized nationwide “Not My President’s Day,” or “No Kings Day,” demonstrations. From Austin to Orlando and Boston to Phoenix, crowds marched with handmade signs, chanting and singing in protest. More than a thousand gathered at the Capitol Reflecting Pool in Washington, D.C., on President’s Day.

As Musk led efforts to slash government spending, some protesters targeted Tesla cars, dealerships, and showrooms as Attorney General Pam Bondi labeled the attacks as “domestic terrorism.”

By Oct. 18, millions of Americans joined another “No Kings Day,” as the protest movement showed no signs of fading throughout Trump’s second term.

4. ICE unleashed: Backlash on deportations

During Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign, he promised to carry out the largest mass deportation operation in American history.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement delivered on that pledge this year, launching an aggressive nationwide effort to deport illegal immigrants.

While Republicans celebrated what they viewed as a long-overdue restoration of security at the southern border, many Americans rejected the crackdown, protesting mistaken removals, due-process concerns and ICE’s enforcement surge.

Democratic lawmakers and local officials joined demonstrations at ICE processing centers and immigration courts, urging constituents to know their legal rights.

Trump deployed the National Guard to Los Angeles as anti-ICE protests escalated into riots in June. It was the first time in more than 60 years that a president overrode a governor and federalized a state’s National Guard for a domestic law-enforcement mission.

5. Troops in the streets: Trump’s crime crackdown

After federalizing the National Guard in Los Angeles in June, Trump deployed troops to the nation’s capital in August as part of the administration’s nationwide crime crackdown.

The White House then moved to deploy the Guard to other Democratic-led cities, including Chicago and Memphis, and attempted a similar rollout in Portland before courts intervened.

Democrats and progressive activists denounced the strategy as dangerous federal overreach, arguing that importing troops into local jurisdictions would escalate tensions rather than calm them.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Tensions reached a boiling point on Nov. 26, when two National Guardsmen — U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, 24, and Spc. Sarah Beckstrom, 20 — were shot just blocks from the White House. Beckstrom later died from the injuries. Federal authorities are investigating the attack as a potential act of terrorism.

“God bless our Great National Guard, and all of our Military and Law Enforcement. These are truly Great People. I, as President of the United States, and everyone associated with the Office of the Presidency, am with you!” Trump said in response.

President Donald Trump used his Christmas Eve Truth Social post to tout his administration’s accomplishments and to bash those on the left whom he accused of trying to “destroy” the U.S.

“Merry Christmas to all, including the radical left scum that is doing everything possible to destroy our country, but are failing badly,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “We no longer have open borders, men in women’s sports, transgender for everyone, or weak law enforcement. What we do have is a record stock market and 401K’s, lowest crime numbers in decades, no inflation, and yesterday, a 4.3 GDP, two points better than expected.”

“Tariffs have given us trillions of dollars in growth and prosperity, and the strongest national security we have ever had. We are respected again, perhaps like never before. God Bless America!!!,” the president added.

In the first year of Trump’s second term, the administration launched a sweeping crackdown on illegal immigration, introduced controversial tariffs, worked to cut DEI from government programs and took steps toward fulfilling other campaign promises.

TRUMP TAKES NORAD SANTA CALLS WITH CHILDREN, PRAISES ‘CLEAN, BEAUTIFUL COAL’ AND ‘HIGH IQ’ PERSON

The Department of Homeland Security announced Wednesday that it had arrested 17,500 criminal illegal immigrants since Trump signed the Laken Riley Act in January 2025. In a separate DHS announcement, the department unveiled the “2025 Worst of the Worst Criminal Illegal Aliens,” saying that 70% of all ICE arrests are of illegal immigrants “convicted or charged with a crime in the U.S.”

DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said in a statement on the results of the Laken Riley Act that “President Trump has empowered us to arrest and remove the millions of violent criminal illegal aliens unleashed on the United States by the previous administration. Now, these criminals will face justice and be removed from our country.”

Trump’s Christmas Truth Social post on his administration’s accomplishments was also backed up by recent economic data. On Tuesday, the Bureau of Economic Analysis released its initial estimate of the third-quarter GDP, which showed the economy grew at an annualized rate of 4.3% in the three-month period including July, August and September.

OPINION: MELANIA TRUMP’S WHITE HOUSE CHRISTMAS IS A SHINING BEACON OF AMERICA

“Compared to the second quarter, the acceleration in real GDP in the third quarter reflected a smaller decrease in investment, an acceleration in consumer spending, and upturns in exports and government spending. Imports decreased less in the third quarter,” the BEA said.

While the president issued a cutting Christmas Eve statement on Truth Social, his official Christmas Day message was softer and more focused on the meaning of the holiday and the season.

In the statement, which was released by the White House on Thursday, Trump and first lady Melania Trump relayed their warm wishes to Americans while emphasizing the religious significance of Christmas.

MELANIA TRUMP GIVES UPLIFTING MESSAGE ABOUT SANTA TO YOUNG KIDS AT HOSPITAL

“The First Lady and I send our warmest wishes to all Americans as we share in the joy of Christmas Day and celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ,” the message reads.

Trump went on to recount the biblical story of Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem, calling it “the perfect expression of God’s boundless love and His desire to be close to His people.” The president then tied the story to the founding principles of the U.S.

“For nearly 250 years, the principles of faith, family, and freedom have remained at the center of our way of life. As President, I will never waver in defending the fundamental values that make America the greatest country in the history of the world—and we will always remain one Nation under God.”

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

The president also paid homage to U.S. servicemembers who are overseas and are unable to be with their families for the holiday. Trump thanked them for their service and sacrifice and their dedication to protecting Americans.

“We are grateful for their devotion, and we keep them and their loved ones close in our hearts.”

Trump ended his official message with a prayer for peace in the U.S. and across the globe, extending Christmas wishes to Americans and the world.

“During the Christmas season, we pray for an outpouring of God’s abiding love, divine mercy, and everlasting peace upon our country and the entire world,” he said.. “To every American, and to those celebrating around the globe, we wish you a very Merry Christmas!”

A group of 19 Democrat-led states and Washington, D.C., filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration over a declaration that aims to restrict gender transition treatment for minors.

The lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; its secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr.; and its inspector general comes after the declaration issued last week described treatments such as puberty blockers, hormone therapy and gender surgeries as unsafe and ineffective for children experiencing gender dysphoria.

The declaration also warned doctors they could be excluded from federal health programs, including Medicare and Medicaid, if they provide these treatments to minors.

The move seeks to build on President Donald Trump’s executive order in January calling on HHS to protect children from “chemical and surgical mutilation.”

HHS UNLEASHES SWEEPING CRACKDOWN ON CHILD ‘SEX-REJECTING PROCEDURES,’ THREATENS HOSPITAL, MEDICAID FUNDING

“We are taking six decisive actions guided by gold standard science and the week one executive order from President Trump to protect children from chemical and surgical mutilation,” Kennedy said during a press conference last week.

HHS has also proposed new rules designed to further block gender transition treatment for minors, although the lawsuit does not address the rules, which have yet to be finalized.

The states’ lawsuit, filed Tuesday in Eugene, Oregon, argues that the declaration is inaccurate and unlawful and urges the court to prevent it from being enforced.

“Secretary Kennedy cannot unilaterally change medical standards by posting a document online, and no one should lose access to medically necessary health care because their federal government tried to interfere in decisions that belong in doctors’ offices,” New York Attorney General Letitia James, who led the lawsuit, said in a statement.

The lawsuit claims the declaration attempts to pressure providers into ending gender transition treatment for young people and circumvent legal requirements for policy changes. The complaint said federal law requires the public be given notice and an opportunity to comment before substantively amending health policy and that neither of these were done before the declaration was released.

The declaration based its conclusions on a peer-reviewed report that the department conducted earlier this year that called for more reliance on behavioral therapy rather than broad gender transition treatment for minors with gender dysphoria.

The report raised questions about standards for the treatment of transgender children issued by the World Professional Association for Transgender Health and brought concerns that youths may be too young to give consent to life-changing treatments that could result in future infertility.

Major medical groups and physicians who treat transgender children have criticized the report as inaccurate.

HHS also announced last week two proposed federal rules — one to cut off federal Medicaid and Medicare funding from hospitals that offer gender transition treatment to children and another to block federal Medicaid money from being used for these procedures.

HOUSE APPROVES MTG-SPONSORED BILL TO CRIMINALIZE GENDER TRANSITION TREATMENT FOR MINORS

The proposals have not yet been made final and are not legally binding because they must go through a lengthy rulemaking process and public comment before they can be enforced.

Several major medical providers have already pulled back on gender transition treatment for youths since Trump returned to office, even those in Democrat-led states where the procedures are legal under state law.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Medicaid programs in just under half of states currently cover gender transition treatment. At least 27 states have adopted laws restricting or banning the treatment, and the Supreme Court’s decision this year upholding Tennessee’s ban likely means other state laws will remain in place.

Democrat attorneys general from California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Wisconsin, Washington state and Washington, D.C., as well as Pennsylvania’s Democrat governor, joined James in the lawsuit.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump spoke with several children on Christmas Eve, as Santa Claus makes the rounds across the globe, where he praised “clean, beautiful coal” and told one child they must be a “high IQ person.”

The pair joined the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) Santa Tracker hotline from Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Fla., where they fielded calls from kids about what they hoped St. Nick would bring them for Christmas. 

One child told Trump they wanted a Kindle, the e-reader designed and marketed by Amazon. 

INSIDE THE WHITE HOUSE CHRISTMAS CARD TRADITION – FROM COOLIDGE TO TRUMP

“That’s pretty good. You must be a high IQ person. We need more high IQ people in the country,” he replied. 

One 8-year-old North Carolina girl asked if Santa would be upset if she didn’t leave him cookies. 

“I think he won’t get mad, but I think he’ll be very disappointed,” said Trump. “Santa tends to be a little on the cherubic side.”

Trump asked one child in Kansas what they would like Santa to bring.

“Um, not coal,” the child replied.

MELANIA TRUMP GIVES UPLIFTING MESSAGE ABOUT SANTA TO YOUNG KIDS AT HOSPITAL

“Not coal, no you don’t want coal. You mean clean, beautiful coal. I had to do that, I’m sorry,” Trump said. 

“No, coal is clean and beautiful. Please remember that at all costs,” he added. “But you don’t want clean, beautiful coal, right? What would you like?”

Trump has frequently referred to coal and “clean” and “beautiful” amid an effort to boost its use. 

During a call with a child in Oklahoma, he said he was fond of the state, which he won in the 2024 presidential election. 

“Santa loves you. Santa loves Oklahoma like I do. You know, Oklahoma was very good to me in the election. So I love Oklahoma. Don’t ever leave Oklahoma, OK?” he said.

During the same call, Trump talked about tracking Santa.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

“We track Santa all over the world… We want to make sure that he’s not infiltrated — that we’re not infiltrating into our country a bad Santa,” he said. “We found that Santa is GOOD!”

Few White House traditions are quite as time-honored or cherished as the annual Christmas celebrations it hosts – which stretch back more than a century and transcend partisan politics, imbuing the president’s official residence with a feeling of continuity and warmth. 

But the sense of togetherness and cheer need not stop at the gates of 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. Like most families, U.S. presidents and first ladies have long used annual Christmas cards to share their holiday greeting to friends both near and far – communicating well-wishes, gratitude and, at times, subtle political statements. 

Here’s a look at how the tradition of the White House Christmas card began, and how it has evolved throughout the years.

FIRST LADY MELANIA TRUMP DECORATES THE WHITE HOUSE FOR CHRISTMAS: ‘HOME IS WHERE THE HEART IS’

Historians aren’t quite sure when presidents began sending out Christmas cards, though many acknowledge that the practice probably began in an unofficial capacity in the late 1800s, with the recipients likely limited to a smaller group.

In fact, it was not until 1927 that President Calvin Coolidge wrote what would become the first “official” Christmas card to the American people. Coolidge, in response to multiple requests for a holiday greeting, penned a short, simple message, “Season’s Greetings,” by hand in the distinctive, elegant form of cursive he was known for.

The missive was published by every major newspaper in the country, kicking off what would become a larger, more elaborate tradition that continues to this day.  

In the years that followed, the Christmas greetings took the form of individual cards, and the list of recipients grew longer and more expansive. Presidents Dwight Eisenhower and Richard Nixon each sought to make it a more formal tradition, with Eisenhower adding Cabinet secretaries, members of Congress, and U.S. ambassadors overseas to the list of recipients.

MELANIA TRUMP GIVES TOUR OF 2018 WHITE HOUSE CHRISTMAS DECOR

Under Nixon, the cards were mass printed for the first time, and sent to a much broader audience – some 40,000 people – an undertaking that would have been unimaginable in Coolidge’s time, when the hand-printed “Season’s Greetings” message was drafted by hand with painstaking care and detail. 

Today, the Republican and Democratic national parties are responsible for printing the Christmas cards; as a result, the lists include (but are not limited to) party donors and campaign supporters, among others.

WHITE HOUSE UNVEILS CHRISTMAS DECOR WITH ‘SPIRIT OF AMERICA’ THEME

While neither party has released an official count of the cards it has sent out on behalf of recent presidents, the RNC is estimated to have printed some 1.5 million White House Christmas cards during George W. Bush’s presidency – a number that grew under Presidents Barack Obama, Joe Biden, and Trump in his first term and this year.

Other technological advances allow even those without deep pockets to share in the Christmas joy.

The White House social media accounts have embraced the rise of social media in recent years to share the official Christmas photos, expanding the reach and message of the commander in chief, and often the rest of his family.

The White House accounts on Tuesday shared the official 2025 Christmas portrait of President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump. 

This year’s printed White House Christmas card expands on Melania Trump’s 2025 White House Christmas theme, “Home Is Where the Heart Is,” which she said was inspired by the “joys, challenges, and frequent motion derived from motherhood and business.”

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP 

“This Christmas, let’s celebrate the love we hold within ourselves, and share it with the world around us,” she said in a statement announcing the theme. “After all, wherever we are, we can create a home filled with grace, radiance, and endless possibilities.”

The Department of Justice said Wednesday it may have more than a million more documents related to the late Jeffrey Epstein that it needs to review and that the process could take weeks to complete.

The DOJ said two of its components, the FBI and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, had just handed over the missing tranche of files, days after the Epstein Files Transparency Act deadline had passed.

“We have lawyers working around the clock to review and make the legally required redactions to protect victims, and we will release the documents as soon as possible,” the DOJ wrote in a statement on social media.

EPSTEIN FILE DROP INCLUDES ‘UNTRUE AND SENSATIONALIST CLAIMS’ ABOUT TRUMP, DOJ SAYS

The “mass volume of material” could “take a few more weeks” to review, the DOJ said.

“The Department will continue to fully comply with federal law and President Trump’s direction to release the files,” the department wrote.

The DOJ has been sharing on a public website since Friday tens of thousands of pages of files related to Epstein’s and Ghislaine Maxwell’s sex-trafficking cases as part of its obligation under the transparency bill. 

President Donald Trump signed the bill into law Nov. 19, giving the DOJ 30 days to review and release all unclassified material related to the cases.

The file rollout has stirred controversy as critics have blasted the DOJ for what they say are excessive redactions and the law’s lapsed deadline Friday. Initially, the DOJ said it would miss the deadline by a couple of weeks, but Wednesday’s announcement signals that might extend further into the new year than the administration had anticipated.

SCHUMER ACCUSES DOJ OF BREAKING THE LAW OVER REDACTED EPSTEIN FILES

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said on “Meet the Press” Sunday there was “well-settled law” that supported the DOJ missing the bill’s deadline because of a need to meet other legal requirements, like redacting victim-identifying information.

The transparency bill required the DOJ to withhold information about victims and material that could jeopardize open investigations or litigation. Officials could also leave out information “in the interest of national defense or foreign policy,” the bill said. 

The bill also explicitly directed the DOJ to keep visible any details that could be damaging to high-profile and politically connected people.

The Pentagon is deploying 350 National Guard troops in New Orleans through Mardi Gras in an effort to curb crime in the city.

The troops will support federal authorities, including the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security, as they enforce federal law and help counter high rates of violent crime in New Orleans and other metropolitan areas in Louisiana, Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said Tuesday.

“Operating under Governor Landry’s command and control, this mission will directly enhance the safety of Louisiana’s residents and the enforcement of federal laws, reaffirming the Department of Defense’s commitment to supporting our interagency partners and the safety and security of our nation,” he said.

DHS LAUNCHING MASSIVE IMMIGRATION OPERATION IN LOUISIANA, MISSISSIPPI: ‘SWAMP SWEEP’

The soldiers will remain in the city through Feb. 28 and will assist with security in the French Quarter for New Year’s Eve, the Sugar Bowl, and Mardi Gras events, Fox 8 Live reported.

“We know how to make cities safe, and the National Guard complements cities that are experiencing high crime,” Landry said during an appearance on The Will Cain Show. “Look at what the president has done in Washington, D.C. When he wanted to send the National Guard into Washington, D.C., Louisiana was one of the first to raise its hand and say our troops will go there and help. And the city is so much better.”

TRUMP’S WEEK SHAPED BY CRIME AGENDA, POTENTIAL GUARD DEPLOYMENT TO CHICAGO

National Guard members currently serving in Washington, D.C., are expected to return to Louisiana, the news outlet reported.

“Our Louisiana National Guardsmen are highly trained professionals. Many of them supported law enforcement efforts in Washington, D.C., and are ready to support our home state,” Maj. Gen. Friloux, the adjutant general of Louisiana, told Fox 8 Live. “We’ve mobilized multiple times this year to support efforts in New Orleans and are ready to do so again for the next two months.”

Fox News Digital has reached out to the office of New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell and the Louisiana National Guard.

New Orleans had 97 murders as of Nov. 1. In September, Landry asked President Donald Trump to deploy National Guard troops to Louisiana amid concerns about crime.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

In early 2025, a U.S. Army veteran driving a pickup truck bearing the flag of the Islamic State group slammed into New Year’s revelers before being shot and killed by police.

Justice Samuel Alito criticized the Supreme Court’s majority in a sharp dissent Tuesday after the high court decided 6–3 to temporarily block President Donald Trump from deploying the National Guard in Chicago.

Alito said the high court’s majority made “unwise” and “imprudent” determinations to reach its decision. The majority also did not give enough deference to Trump after the president found that agitators were hindering immigration officers and other federal personnel from doing their jobs in Chicago and that the National Guard needed to step in to help.

“Whatever one may think about the current administration’s enforcement of the immigration laws or the way ICE has conducted its operations, the protection of federal officers from potentially lethal attacks should not be thwarted,” Alito wrote.

WHERE THE TRUMP ADMIN’S COURT FIGHT OVER DC NATIONAL GUARD STANDS IN WAKE OF SHOOTING

The lawsuit stemmed from Trump invoking a rarely used federal law to federalize about 300 members of the National Guard and deploy them to protect federal personnel and buildings.

The Trump administration argued that protesters were obstructing, assaulting and threatening ICE officers, and the National Guard was needed because Illinois’ resistant Democratic leaders and local law enforcement were not adequately addressing the matter, the administration said.

Illinois sued, and the lower courts blocked the National Guard’s deployment, finding that Trump had not satisfied criteria in the law that said the president could only use the reserved forces when he was “unable with the regular forces to execute the laws of the United States.” The Supreme Court’s decision upheld that finding while the case proceeds through the courts.

The Supreme Court’s majority said in an unsigned order that “regular forces” meant the U.S. military, not ICE or other civilian law enforcement officers. The majority said that since Trump had not identified any justification for using the regular military for domestic purposes in Chicago, there was no way to exhaust that option before using the National Guard.

JUDGE BLOCKS TRUMP NATIONAL GUARD DEPLOYMENT IN LOS ANGELES

Alito, who was joined by Justice Clarence Thomas, objected, saying the majority prematurely raised and accepted an “eleventh-hour argument” about the meaning of “regular forces.” Justice Neil Gorsuch issued a separate dissent.

The majority also took issue with the statute’s language about executing laws, saying that if the National Guard soldiers were simply protecting federal officers, that would not amount to executing laws.

And, if the National Guard were executing laws, that could violate the Posse Comitatus Act, which says that the military cannot generally act as a domestic police force unless Congress authorizes it to, the majority said.

Alito, an appointee of President George W. Bush, said he found it “puzzling” that the majority thought the Posse Comitatus Act was so relevant, saying the president could use the military for a “range of domestic purposes.” The Constitution allows the president to use the military to respond to war, insurrection or “other serious emergency,” Alito wrote.

The conservative justice also warned of broader implications of the majority’s decision, as Trump has attempted to deploy the National Guard in other cities as part of a crackdown on immigration enforcement and street crime. The president has also been met with legal pushback in California and Portland, Oregon, but the Chicago case was the farthest along in the court system.

Requiring Trump to exhaust use of other military forces before using the National Guard would lead to “outlandish results,” Alito said.

“Under the Court’s interpretation, National Guard members could arrest and process aliens who are subject to deportation, but they would lack statutory authorization to perform purely protective functions,” Alito wrote. “Our country has traditionally been wary of using soldiers as domestic police, but it has been comfortable with their use for purely protective purposes.”

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Illinois had argued that ICE protests were mostly peaceful and that local law enforcement had unrest under control. The state would suffer irreversible harm if the courts did not block Trump from using the National Guard, state attorneys argued.

“The planned deployment would infringe on Illinois’s sovereign interests in regulating and overseeing its own law enforcement activities,” the attorneys wrote, adding that Illinois’ “sovereign right to commit its law enforcement resources where it sees fit is the type of ‘intangible and unquantifiable interest’ that courts recognize as irreparable.”

Congressional Democrats are voicing alarm at the fact that the U.S. might soon begin selling cutting-edge chips to one of its greatest geopolitical adversaries.

Rep. Gregory Meeks, D-N.Y., joined by Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., wrote a letter to Under Secretary for Industry and Security Jeffrey Kessler on Monday, demanding answers as to why the Trump administration had green-lit the sale of the H200 Chip to China.

“The President directing you to approve licenses of the H200 falls within a deeply concerning pattern that undercuts our nation’s security,” the pair of Democrats wrote.

TRUMP SAYS EVERY AI PLANT BEING BUILT IN US WILL BE SELF-SUSTAINING WITH THEIR OWN ELECTRICITY

Meeks said the basis of his request is found in the Export Control Reform Act (ECRA), the 2018 law governing the federal government authority over technology-related exports. The ECRA states that the Department of Commerce must supply Congress with answers to concerns raised by the ranking member of the foreign affairs and armed services committees. 

“In ECRA, Congress stated the policy of the United States is ‘to restrict the export of items which would make a significant contribution to the military potential of any other country,'” Meeks wrote.

“Approving licenses for items like NVIDIA’s H200 chips, which the Justice Department recently described as ‘integral to modern military applications,’ would be deeply at odds with the policy that Congress articulated in ECRA.”

CHINA RACES AHEAD ON AI —TRUMP WARNS AMERICA CAN’T REGULATE ITSELF INTO DEFEAT

The H200 chip, one of the world’s most advanced computational devices, is NVIDIA’s crème of the crop. It plays a key role in the processing needed for increasingly sophisticated AI. 

The company was first ordered to halt sales to China in 2022 under the Biden administration. 

“The [government] indicated that the new license requirement will address the risk that the covered products may be used in, or diverted to, a ‘military end use’ or ‘military end user’ in China,” the company said in a filing.

Like Meeks, several lawmakers worry that allowing their sale to China will only further empower an adversary that has had no qualms weaponizing technology. In recent years, Congress has banned the use of Chinese-made Huawei devices for government employees and, last year, passed a law forcing the divestment of TikTok, fearing China’s far-reaching insight through the data collected by the popular social media app.

To Meeks, the decision to resume sales of the H200 chip — to China and to other potential rivals — seems incongruent with that past wariness.

“Just last month, you approved the export of tens of thousands of advanced AI chips, worth an estimated $1 billion, to the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, despite significant concerns about these countries’ human rights records and their close relationships with the [People’s Republic of China],” Meeks wrote.

KEVIN O’LEARY WARNS CHINA ‘KICKING OUR HEINIES’ IN AI RACE AS REGULATORY ROADBLOCKS STALL US

While some Republicans share Meeks’ hesitation, others have said that the Trump administration’s reversal fits into a larger plan to ensure American competitiveness in future years.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Meeks and Warren have requested answers from the administration about what factors led to the decision by Jan. 12, 2026.

It’s never a dull moment in Washington during the holiday season — featuring multiple holiday celebrations at the White House itself for lawmakers and Cabinet secretaries. 

The White House has hosted Christmas parties dating back to 1800 when then-President John Adams and then-first lady Abigail Adams hosted several government officials and their families to celebrate on behalf of their granddaughter, Susanna Boylston Adams, according to the White House Historical Association. 

Now, government officials make their rounds to celebrate the season — both in their official capacity serving the government and privately with their families.

For example, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent attended the White House Congressional Ball in December. First lady Melania Trump hosted the annual event at the White House for Republican and Democratic members of Congress.

TRUMP AND FIRST LADY GO ALL BLACK FOR OFFICIAL WHITE HOUSE CHRISTMAS PORTRAIT PHOTO 

President Donald Trump also indicated that other Cabinet members also attended, claiming that “we’ve got them all sort of here” after singling out Rubio and Bessent. However, he refrained from identifying others because “they’re not names that are going to get huge applause from this very substantially Democrat audience.” 

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth also kicked off the first-ever Christmas worship service at the Pentagon, featuring American evangelist Franklin Graham, and musicians Anne Wilson and Matthew West. 

Additionally, Hegseth’s wife, Jen, hosted a Christmas Tea Party for Gold Star families at the Pentagon. A Gold Star Family is the family of a service member who died during active-duty military service.

MELANIA TRUMP GIVES UPLIFTING MESSAGE ABOUT SANTA TO YOUNG KIDS AT HOSPITAL 

Outside of official holiday events in Washington, the secretaries and their families enjoy their own holiday traditions as well. The White House shared a video Dec. 13 detailing how the secretaries and their families celebrate the holidays, with activities ranging from baking to holding a talent show. 

Jeanette Rubio, who is married to Secretary of State Rubio, said that their family attends midnight Mass together during Christmas. The couple shares four children together. 

“We, as a family, we go to midnight Mass, that’s something that’s very important to us,” Rubio said in the video. “We celebrate it together, because we want to keep what the purpose of Christmas is.”

FIRST LADY MELANIA TRUMP DECORATES THE WHITE HOUSE FOR CHRISTMAS: ‘HOME IS WHERE THE HEART IS’

Allison Lutnick, who is married to Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick, said that their favorite way to celebrate the holidays is lighting Hanukkah candles with their four children. 

“My favorite holiday tradition is lighting Hanukkah candles with my children,” Lutnick said in the video. “They’re approaching 30 now, so we don’t do chocolate dreidels or eight nights of gifts anymore though.” 

Kathryn Burgum, the wife of Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum, said that their family celebrates Christmas by making a Norwegian flatbread called lefse.

TINSEL, TRADITION AND MESSAGING: THE POLITICS BEHIND WHITE HOUSE HOLIDAY DECORATIONS 

“Our favorite holiday tradition is making lefse,” Burgum said in the video. “And some people don’t have any idea what that is, but that’s actually a Norwegian flatbread that’s a tradition around the holidays.” 

Cheryl Hines, who is married to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., said that their family is large, which makes the holiday season extra fun. 

“We like to have a talent show,” Hines said in the video. “Not everybody is as talented as they wish they were, but that doesn’t stop us from singing at the top of our lungs or doing some crazy dance. We always have a really good time together.”

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Lisa Collins, who is married to Secretary of Veterans Affairs Doug Collins, said their family enjoys decorating their Christmas tree with ornaments they’ve collected for nearly 40 years. 

“Our favorite holiday tradition is collecting Christmas ornaments, everywhere we’ve been in 37 years,” Collins said in the video. We “have a special tree for those places, and they’re all dated as a remembrance of where we’ve been, and how far we’ve come.” 

EXCLUSIVE: More than 17,500 illegal immigrants in 2025 have been arrested for crimes requiring mandatory detention under the Laken Riley Act — the first law President Donald Trump signed in his second term.

The act is named for Laken Riley, a Georgia college student allegedly murdered by a Venezuelan illegal immigrant and member of the designated terrorist gang Tren de Aragua who had been previously arrested and released before her death. 

The act mandates that illegal immigrants arrested — but not necessarily yet convicted — for several specific crimes must be held for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention and processing.

DHS RIPS DEM-RUN COUNTY AFTER ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT MURDERER RELEASED: ‘BLOOD ON THEIR HANDS’

Qualifying crimes include theft-related offenses, DUI or DWI, and violent crimes including murder, rape, sexual abuse, assault on police and firearms infractions.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem also announced Monday that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) had concluded “Operation Angel’s Honor,” a two-week nationwide endeavor launched in Riley’s honor to strictly target Laken Riley Act offenders.

That operation alone netted an average of dozens of criminal illegal immigrants per day.

DHS TAKES VICTORY LAP AFTER ARRESTING OVER 10K ILLEGAL ALIENS IN DEEP BLUE CITY DESPITE VIOLENT RIOTS

“In honor of Laken Riley, ICE launched Operation Angel’s Honor — in the last 2 weeks alone arresting more than 1,000 criminal illegal aliens under the authority of the Laken Riley Act,” Noem told Fox News Digital.

Noem credited Trump for empowering her agency to go after millions of criminal illegal immigrants residing in the U.S., including those “unleashed” into the interior by previous administrations.

“We can never bring Laken back, but we can do everything in our power to bring these heinous criminals to justice,” Noem said.

DHS ARRESTS ‘WORST OF THE WORST’ ILLEGAL MIGRANTS, INCLUDING MURDERERS AND PEDOPHILES, IN WEEKEND OPERATION

Some of the Laken Riley Act offenders captured during “Operation Angel’s Honor” include Sergio Luis Hernandez Gonzalez of Cuba, convicted on 17 counts of larceny, two counts of selling cocaine, along with vehicle theft and other offenses.

Jersson Andrey Poveda Delgado of Colombia was convicted of assaulting a police officer, while Dominican national Yaser Garcia Ramirez netted a slew of charges including conspiracy to manufacture and distribute heroin, domestic violence and obstruction of law enforcement.

Another illegal immigrant, Santos Chim-Diego from Guatemala, had been convicted of resisting plus assault on an officer, DUI and child cruelty.

An Iraqi national named Hamid Abdulimam Al Nassar was captured during Operation Angel’s Honor after he was convicted of procuring a prostitute who is a minor, several drug offenses, fraud, embezzlement and aggravated assault.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Another criminal illegal immigrant, Nathaniel Sterling from Jamaica, was detained after convictions for carnal abuse, weapons possession and disorderly conduct.

Mexican national Omar Barojas-Arenas’ recent arrest also fell under the Laken Riley Act, after he was convicted of kidnapping, while Jorby Joel Escuraina-Suarez from Venezuela was convicted of aggravated assault with a weapon.  

While DHS has called the Laken Riley Act’s enforcement a success, several critics have said the law forces deportation proceedings on people who may not pose safety risks — with some pointing to the law’s usage of arrest versus conviction as pretext for the feds to take custody of a subject.

“This bill does nothing to improve safety or fix our broken immigration system,” said Nayna Gupta, policy director for the American Immigration Council.

“Under the guise of preventing violence, the bill forces immigration officers to indefinitely detain and deport non-citizens who pose no public safety risk, without access to basic due process,” she said in a statement after the law passed.

“The bill also gives state attorneys general unprecedented power over immigration policy. The bill strips people of their basic rights and upends how the U.S. government enforces immigration law,” Gupta concluded.

White nationalist Nick Fuentes vowed to campaign against Vivek Ramaswamy in a slur-laced rant denouncing the Republican’s Ohio governor bid. 

The declaration came just days after Ramaswamy called out Fuentes during a speech at Turning Point USA’s AmericaFest conference in which he criticized Fuentes over some of his inflammatory remarks. 

“I think I’m going to go to Ohio and the word that we are looking for is denial. We have to deny Vivek Ramaswamy the governorship. This is the only race I care about in ‘26. It’s the only one I care about,” Fuentes said during a Tuesday livestream. He also used a slur to describe Ramaswamy and said he does not care if a Democrat defeats him in the governor’s race.

When asked by Fox News Digital for a response, a spokesperson for Ramaswamy’s campaign said on Wednesday, “We’re focused on the issues that matter most to Ohioans, not fringe voices that prefer a far-left Democrat to the Trump-endorsed conservative.”

VIVEK RAMASWAMY TURNS TO CONSERVATIVE YOUTH TO SHAPE THE MOVEMENT’S NEXT PHASE, ANALYZES 2026 RACES 

Ramaswamy laid out his vision for what it means to be an American during remarks Friday at AmericaFest. 

“What does it mean to be an American in the year 2026? It means we believe in those ideals of 1776,” he said at the Turning Point USA event. “It means we believe in merit, that the best person gets the job regardless of their skin color.”

“It means we believe in free speech and open debate,” he added. “Even for those who disagree with us, from Nick Fuentes to Jimmy Kimmel, you get to speak your mind in the open without the government censoring you.”

RAMASWAMY REVEALS MAIN LESSON LEARNED BY REPUBLICANS AFTER DEMOCRATS’ BIG WINS ON ELECTION DAY

Ramaswamy then said, “If you believe in normalizing hatred toward any ethnic group, toward Whites, toward Blacks, toward Hispanics, toward Jews, toward Indians, you have no place in the future of the conservative movement, period.” 

“And I will not apologize for that. I will not hedge when I say it,” Ramaswamy continued. “If you believe, and you will forgive me for giving you an exact quote from our online commentator, Nick Fuentes. If you believe that Hitler was pretty f—— cool, you have no place in the future of the conservative movement. You can debate foreign aid, Israel all you want. That’s fine. That’s fair. But you have no place with that level of hatred.” 

Ramaswamy declared his candidacy for the Ohio governorship in late February.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP  

Current Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, who is also a Republican, is term-limited and will be departing office in January 2027. 

Fox News Digital’s David Rutz contributed to this report.