NationalWatch

President-elect Donald Trump has a new game plan for Herschel Walker, his longtime friend, ally and former football star.

Three years after Trump handpicked Walker to run for the Senate in his home state of Georgia in a crucial, combative, expensive and high-profile Senate race, the president-elect is now selecting his friend to serve as the U.S. ambassador to the Caribbean nation of the Bahamas.

“Herschel has spent decades serving as an ambassador to our nation’s youth, our men and women in the military, and athletes at home and abroad,” Trump said in a statement Tuesday night on social media, as he pointed to Walker’s resume, which includes serving as co-chair of the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition during Trump’s first term in the White House.

HERSCHEL WALKER PROVES THAT IT’S NEVER TOO LATE

Former college football star Herschel Walker, right, speaks at a political rally as former President Donald Trump applauds, in Perry, Georgia, on Sept. 25, 2021. (REUTERS/Dustin Chambers)

Walker is a former professional and college football star running back who won a Heisman Trophy and helped propel the University of Georgia to a national championship.

His friendship with the former and future president goes back to his days playing for the Trump-owned New Jersey Generals USFL football team in the 1980s. Walker also was a major Trump supporter and surrogate in the 2020 presidential election.

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In August 2021, Walker launched a Republican Senate campaign in Georgia after months of support and encouragement from Trump to run for office.

Walker, a first-time politician, was dogged during his Senate run by controversial statements and damaging revelations about his personal life and business career.

Republican Senate nominee Herschel Walker of Georgia holds a campaign rally on Oct. 27, 2022 in Cumming, Georgia. (Fox News – Paul Steinhauser)

The race between Walker and Democratic incumbent Sen. Raphael Warnock ended up being one of the most closely watched Senate battles in the 2022 midterms. The contest went into overtime, with Walker ending up narrowly losing to Warnock in a runoff election in December of that year.

MEET TRUMP’S CABINET AND OTHER TOP ADMINISTRATION PICKS

This year, Walker joined Trump on the campaign trail in Georgia days before Election Day, as the former president carried the key southeastern battleground state after narrowly losing it to President Biden four years ago.

Former NFL running back and former Republican candidate for U.S. Senate Herschel Walker addresses the crowd at a rally for former President Donald Trump, on Nov. 3, 2024 in Macon, Georgia. (John Moore/Getty Images)

Walker becomes the third Republican who lost a recent Senate race in Georgia to be nominated by Trump for a post in his second administration.

Former Sen. David Perdue, who lost his seat to Democrat Sen. Jon Ossoff in the 2020 cycle, was selected by Trump to serve as ambassador to China, and former Sen. Kelly Loeffler, who lost to Warnock in the 2020 cycle, was picked by Trump to run the Small Business Administration.

Trump’s naming of Walker as ambassador to the Bahamas is the second time this month the former football star made headlines.

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This past weekend, Walker graduated from the University of Georgia, 42 years after he last attended the school.

Billionaire and key Trump ally Elon Musk came out in opposition to House Speaker Mike Johnson’s proposed bill to keep the government funded on Wednesday.

Musk attacked the bill on social media, arguing the 1,547-page document is full of “pork.” The legislation is designed to avoid a Friday government shutdown and fund the government through March.

“This bill should not pass,” Musk wrote bluntly on X.

Republican congressional leaders have defended their plan for a stopgap spending bill, arguing it would allow President-elect Trump to have a greater influence on spending when the question comes up again in the spring.

MIKE JOHNSON WINS REPUBLICAN SUPPORT TO BE HOUSE SPEAKER AGAIN AFTER TRUMP ENDORSEMENT

Vivek Ramaswamy, another ally of Trump, expressed skepticism of the bill Tuesday night, but did not oppose it outright.

“Currently reading the 1,547-page bill to fund the government through mid-March. Expecting every U.S. Congressman & Senator to do the same,” Ramaswamy wrote on X.

Trump himself has not weighed in on the budget battle, but several GOP lawmakers had expressed skepticism of a large funding package earlier this week.

DANIEL PENNY TO BE TAPPED FOR CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL BY HOUSE GOP LAWMAKER

“We talked with the speaker up until this weekend, the only discussion was ‘How long is this clean CR going to be?’ And suddenly we find out – I heard rumors over the weekend – they’re negotiating with a health care package that included PBM stuff,” Rep. Eric Burlison, R-Mo., told Fox News Digital before the bill released on Tuesday.

“PBM stuff” refers to a provision in the bill lessening the influence of pharmacy benefit managers.

SpaceX and Tesla founder Elon Musk speaks during an America PAC town hall on Oct. 26, 2024, in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. (Samuel Corum/Getty Images)

Johnson has given lawmakers three days to read the bill, setting up a vote for Friday. He has argued that the bill’s massive bulk is due to natural disasters and other incidents that must be paid for but are out of the government’s control, rather than the omnibus spending plans of previous years.

REPUBLICANS GIVE DETAILS FROM CLOSED-DOOR MEETINGS WITH DOGE’S MUSK, RAMASWAMY

The bill includes $100 billion in disaster relief for Hurricanes Milton and Helene, as well as $8 billion for the rebuilding of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore.

Speaker Mike Johnson proposed his continuing resolution to avoid a government shutdown on Tuesday. (Getty Images)

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The GOP currently holds just a one-seat majority in the House, meaning Johnson will likely have to rely on Democratic votes to pass the bill. The legislation must also pass the Senate by the Friday deadline to avoid a shutdown.

Fox News’ Elizabeth Elkind contributed to this report.

FIRST ON FOX: Republicans are looking to stop welfare and other benefits from going to illegal immigrants paroled into the U.S. — and they are angling to pass it through the budget reconciliation process, bypassing the Senate’s 60-vote legislative filibuster.

Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) is introducing the “America First Act” on Wednesday, which would change the requirements outlined in the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act to explicitly exclude people in the country illegally, including those granted asylum, those who are paroled into the country or people being withheld from deportation. 

FARM STATE REPUBLICANS APPEAR SKEPTICAL ABOUT RFK JR AMID HIS QUEST FOR HHS CONFIRMATION

Lee is hoping to pass the measure through budget reconciliation.  (Tierney L. Cross/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

These individuals would not be eligible to receive welfare benefits, including participation in programs such as Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), Medicaid, Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) or certain housing benefits. 

“For years, Americans have been told that illegal immigrants are barred from receiving federal benefits to distract from Washington’s complete failure to secure our borders,” said Lee in a statement. “This is a lie. Millions of illegal immigrants ‘paroled’ into the United States, many for fraudulent asylum claims, have gained the ability to access welfare and aid programs originally designed to help American families, not attract and support massive populations of foreign citizens. The America First Act pulls the plug on this criminal redistribution scheme forced upon the American people by Joe Biden and generations of dishonest politicians.”

The bill is also being introduced in the House of Representatives by Reps. Chip Roy, R-Texas and Jodey Arrington, R-Texas. 

RFK JR. SAYS HE PLANS TO ALSO MEET WITH DEMS IN BID TO GET CONFIRMED AS TRUMP HHS HEAD

Border Patrol picks up a group of asylum seekers from an aid camp at the US-Mexico border near Sasabe, Arizona, US, on Wednesday, March 13, 2024. (Justin Hamel/Getty Images)

Many bills have met their doom in the Senate as a result of the legislative filibuster, which can block measures that fail to reach 60 votes on a cloture motion.

However, when a policy is passed through budget reconciliation, which Republicans are set to use in the new Congress to pass key priorities of President-elect Donald Trump, it can be advanced with just a simple majority. 

ELIZABETH WARREN WANTS ANSWERS FROM TRUMP OVER ELON MUSK ‘CONFLICTS OF INTEREST’

This is how Lee, Roy and Arrington are hoping to get their legislation over the finish line. The Utah senator is currently negotiating to have the policy included in the upcoming budget reconciliation package, where it would act as a “pay-for” for other items, such as border security. 

Lee’s office pointed to the Congressional Budget Office’s (CBO) July report on the “Effects of the Immigration Surge on the Federal Budget and the Economy.” As the senator’s team highlighted, the CBO revealed, “The immigration surge adds $0.3 trillion to outlays for federal mandatory programs and net spending for interest on the debt over the 2024–2034 period in CBO’s projections.” 

DOGE CAUCUS FOUNDING MEMBER DEBUTS 2 BILLS TO KICK-START WASTE CUTS IN TRUMP TERM

Roy and Arrington are introducing the bill in the House.  (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

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The Republican bill would additionally remove eligibility of these outlined non-citizens for various educational, healthcare and housing benefits, disaster aid or tax credits. 

The White House did not provide comment to Fox News Digital in time for publication. 

President-elect Trump continued with his trolling of Canada early Wednesday, slamming U.S. subsidies to its northern neighbor and again claiming that Canadians supposedly want to become the 51st U.S. state. 

In a post on his social media platform, Trump wrote: “No one can answer why we subsidize Canada to the tune of over $100,000,000 a year?” 

“Makes no sense! Many Canadians want Canada to become the 51st State. They would save massively on Taxes and military protection,” Trump wrote.

The post comes amid heightened tensions between the U.S. and Canada over the incoming president’s plans to impose 25% tariffs on Canada for failing to address trade and immigration issues.  

TRUMP WEIGHS IN ON POLITICAL TURMOIL IN THE ‘GREAT STATE OF CANADA,’ TROLLS ‘GOVERNOR JUSTIN TRUDEAU’

Republican presidential nominee, former U.S. President Donald Trump delivers remarks during a campaign rally at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre on October 15, 2024 in Atlanta, Georgia.  (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau flew to Mar-a-Lago in an effort to discuss the issue. Sources say that Trump became animated when it came to the U.S. trade deficit with Canada, which he estimated to be more than $100 billion. 

TRUMP MAKES A BLIZZARD OF NEWS, SHOWS RESTRAINT AT PRESSER, EVEN WHILE SLAMMING MEDIA

Trump reportedly suggested to Trudeau that if tariffs on Canada would kill its economy, then perhaps Canada should become the 51st U.S. state. 

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau attends a fireside chat with the Halifax Chamber of Commerce in Halifax Monday Dec. 9, 2024.  (Riley Smith/The Canadian Press via AP)

Trump’s threats to impose tariffs on Canadian imports, meanwhile, as unnerved Canada, which is highly integrated with the U.S. economy. 

About 60% of U.S. crude oil imports are from Canada, and 85% of U.S. electricity imports as well. 

A Canadian Customs and Fisheries officer watches over the U.S.-Canada border between Blaine, Washington and White Rock, British Columbia.

Canada is also the largest foreign supplier of steel, aluminum and uranium to the U.S. and has 34 critical minerals and metals that the Pentagon is eager for.

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Nearly $3.6 billion Canadian – or $2.7 billion U.S. – worth of goods and services cross the border each day. Canada is the top export destination for 36 U.S. states.

Fox News Digital’s Greg Wehner and The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

The FBI field office in Newark urged New Jersey residents this week not to shoot down drones or point lasers at manned aircraft, taking to social media to warn against the dangerous — and possibly deadly — activity, which comes amid an uptick in reported drone sightings along the U.S. East Coast.

The drone sightings have prompted a collective sense of panic among residents, who have taken to social media to share photos and videos of believed drones captured in the darkened U.S. skies. The shared sense of fear-mongering has also prompted some vigilante-like responses, with some social media users documenting efforts to take matters into their own hands, including via laser beam. 

In the statement, released by the FBI and New Jersey State Police, authorities expressly warned against such activities, citing an increase in pilots of manned aircraft in the area who have been hit in the eyes with lasers after being misidentified as a drone by someone on the ground. 

‘DRONE’ SIGHTINGS IN THE NORTHEAST SPARK ‘UNFOUNDED’ PANIC, SAYS EXPERT

New Jersey State Assemblyman Paul Kanitra took a photo of what appears to be multiple drones hovering in the New Jersey sky on Thursday, Dec. 13. (Paul Kanitra / “Fox News @ Night”)

Officials said there is also a concern that people on the ground could also mistakenly fire weapons at what they believe to be an Unmanned Aircraft Systems, or UAS, but is in fact a manned aircraft.

“FBI Newark, NJSP, and dozens of other agencies and law enforcement partners have been out every night for several weeks to legally track down operators acting illegally or with nefarious intent and using every available tool and piece of equipment to find the answers the public is seeking,” the authorities said in the statement. “However, there could be dangerous and possibly deadly consequences if manned aircraft are targeted mistakenly as UAS.”

They also noted how easy it can be for an individual on the ground to mistake a manned aircraft for a UAS. 

“Misidentification often occurs when UAS are mistaken for more familiar objects such as manned aircraft, low-orbit satellites, or celestial bodies like planets or stars,” they said. 

“To improve accuracy and prevent false sightings, a variety of tools and techniques can be used to assist with the visual identification of suspected UAS. Accurate identification is critical for maintaining safety and ensuring appropriate responses to UAS activity.”

MORE THAN 20 DAYS INTO PHENOMENON, PENTAGON STILL HAS NO ANSWERS ABOUT ORIGINS OF MYSTERIOUS NJ DRONES

Rep. Jim Himes, D-Conn., called for FISA reforms. (House Select Committee on Economic Disparity and Fairness in Growth )

The statement from the FBI field office and state police comes as New Jersey residents and lawmakers have voiced frustrations about the uptick in drone sightings and what they view as a lack of answers they have been given by the federal government in response.

Still, U.S. officials have sought to emphasize that the aircraft in question are not, in fact, a national security threat. Maj. Gen. Patrick S. Ryder, the Pentagon press secretary, stressed to reporters during a briefing Tuesday that the drones are any sort of government asset, and ruled out the notion that they were any part of “experimental program” being tested by the U.S.

In a joint statement Monday, the Department of Homeland Security, the FBI, the Federal Aviation Administration and the Department of Defense said that, while they “recognize the concern” from the general public, there is no evidence that the drones are “anomalous” or a threat to public safety or to U.S. national security.

Separately, senior officials from the CIA, FBI, and DOD traveled to Capitol Hill Tuesday afternoon to brief lawmakers on the House Intelligence Committee on the uptick in drone sightings.

A social media user said she filmed several drones hovering over Fairfield, Connecticut on Thursday night.  (Lucy Biggers)

It is unclear, however, how far these efforts have gone to thwart the rise in public concerns.

The FBI said Monday that it has received more than 5,000 reports of alleged drone sightings in the last “few weeks” — reflecting the rise in panic from some residents, including many who have taken to social media to document their sightings on social media. 

Connecticut Rep. Jim Himes, R-Conn., used an interview on “Fox News Sunday” to call on more federal agencies — including the Federal Aviation Administration — to share more information about the drone sightings with the public.

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“The FAA in particular, which is the agency of jurisdiction through the domestic skies, ought to be out Saturday morning saying, ‘Let’s show you a picture at the number of aircraft, commercial and private and military, that go over New Jersey in any 24-hour period,’” Himes said.

“Just putting information out there to fill that vacuum would be helpful,” he added.

I’m not thrilled that Donald Trump has renewed his attack on the “corrupt media.”

Fresh off his $15-million victory over ABC and George Stephanopoulos, Trump yesterday sued the Des Moines Register and gold-standard pollster Ann Selzer over a bad survey. She projected him losing by 4 points, and he won the state by 13 points. He called this “brazen election interference.”

Trump is also pursuing legal action against CBS for the “60 Minutes” blunder in substituting a crisper Kamala Harris response to a different question than was asked. But the network can argue that this was normal television editing.

Trump is unlikely to win those suits, but he doesn’t care. Just putting his perceived opponents through the ordeal and considerable expense of defending themselves is reward enough.

A KINDER, GENTLER TRUMP? PRESIDENT-ELECT TAKING A MORE MODERATE STANCE

Most legal experts say ABC could have won its suit, involving Stephanopoulos’ repeatedly saying Trump was found liable for “rape,” as opposed to “sexual abuse,” in the E. Jean Carroll suit, because of the malice standard for a public figure. Trump would have to prove the network knowingly showed reckless disregard for the truth. But ABC would have endured the embarrassment of turning over emails, texts and cell-phone records.

What surprised me, though, was that the president-elect shifted to attack mode just days after saying he had “tamed” the press and was getting better coverage. So much for the cease-fire.

But some of Trump’s more positive aspects were on display during the hourlong presser, a seriousness of purpose that I saw in our New York interview two weeks before the election.

Following his $16 million legal victory over ABC, President-elect Trump appears to once again have the so-called “corrupt media” in his crosshairs. (Getty Images)

I’ve known Donald Trump for more than three decades, interviewed him twice this year, and now that we’re done with the sometimes incendiary rhetoric of the campaign, he sounds different.

With apparently boundless energy at 78, he deliberately speaks a bit more slowly and softly, while moderating his positions on a number of divisive issues. He knows how to deflect questions he shouldn’t answer, such as “Will you retaliate against Iran.” He threw in phrases like “maybe it was my fault,” deflating any superhuman image. He recently admitted it would be hard to get grocery prices down.

The incoming president was asked whether Republican senators who oppose his nominees should be primaried. His response was carefully composed.

TRUMP THREATENS MORE LAWSUITS AGAINST MEDIA AS ABC TO PAY $15 MILLION TO SETTLE CASE

“If they are unreasonable, I’ll give you a different answer. An answer that you’ll be shocked to hear. If they’re unreasonable, if they’re opposing somebody for political reasons or stupid reasons, I would say it has nothing to do with me. I would say they probably would be primaried, but, if they’re reasonable, fair, and really disagree with something or somebody, I could see that happening.”

Of course it’s Trump who determines what’s reasonable or fair.

Asked about the parade of Silicon Valley executives who have come or are coming to Mar-a-Lago – the leaders of Meta, Amazon, Google, Apple and others – Trump noted they were “very hostile” in his first term (“and maybe that was my fault, but I don’t really think so”). It doesn’t hurt that Mark Zuckerberg and Jeff Bezos are kicking in a million bucks for his inauguration.

“One of the big differences” is that “everybody was fighting me” in the first term. Now, “everybody wants to be my friend. I don’t know, my personality changed or something.” That was tongue in cheek.

What was striking about the press conference was how much news Trump made on a wide range of subjects, some of which barely got mentioned. 

He weighed in on the bogus Duke rape accuser, who finally admitted that she lied back in 2006, saying life would never be the same for the lacrosse players who did nothing wrong. He talked about how the Biden team was not leveling with the public about the drones. He described the “sickness” of those who positively view the alleged murderer of the UnitedHealthcare CEO. He backed the polio vaccine. He defended Pete Hegseth. He talked Venezuela and Syria and Turkey and North Korea and Bibi. He ruminated about TikTok. 

Round-the-clock Trump coverage looks like it’s making its comeback – and a month early, to boot. (Oleg Nikishin/Getty Images)

There was a sense of deja vu, a stark reminder of how Trump was a round-the-clock source of news in the first term, even when he was talking to reporters he disliked, sometimes denigrating them or counterpunching against their coverage. The contrast with the soon-to-be Former Guy, who made no news on the weekends that he usually spent in Delaware or at Camp David, could hardly be greater.

So beyond the full-throated attack on the media, long his favorite foil, the Incoming Guy actually showed restraint and nuance and was clearly enjoying himself.

Now maybe Trump has just been in a bad mood the last couple of days. After Judge Juan Merchan refused to toss out the hush money conviction on grounds that his private actions were not covered by the recent Supreme Court ruling on official acts, the incoming president yesterday posted this:

SUBSCRIBE TO HOWIE’S MEDIA BUZZMETER PODCAST, A RIFF ON THE DAY’S HOTTEST STORIES

“Merchan, who is far worse and even more corrupt than [Jack] Smith in his fight for my hopeless political opponents, just cannot let go of this charade. Is it because of his conflicts and relations that he keeps breaking the Law? This has to stop!… 

“In a completely illegal, psychotic order, the deeply conflicted, corrupt, biased, and incompetent Acting Justice Juan Merchan has completely disrespected the United States Supreme Court, and its Historic Decision on Immunity. But even without Immunity, this illegitimate case is nothing but a Rigged Hoax.”

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Now there’s the Donald we all came to know during the trial.

President-elect Trump weighed in on the political turmoil in the “great state of Canada” after the finance minister resigned from her post amid a disagreement with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau over how to handle possible U.S. tariffs under the incoming Trump administration. 

Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland resigned from her post Monday. 

“The Great State of Canada is stunned as the Finance Minister resigns, or was fired, from her position by Governor Justin Trudeau,” Trump posted to his Truth Social Tuesday, trolling Trudeau, after previously suggesting Canada should become the 51st state in the USA. 

“Her behavior was totally toxic, and not at all conducive to making deals which are good for the very unhappy citizens of Canada. She will not be missed!!!” 

TRUMP SUGGESTS CANADA BECOME 51ST STATE AFTER TRUDEAU SAID TARIFF WOULD KILL ECONOMY: SOURCES

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau met with President-elect Trump at Mar-a-Lago in Florida Friday to discuss topics like the economy, illegal immigration and a proposed 25% tariff. (Justin Trudeau X)

Freeland’s resignation raises questions about Trudeau’s political future, amid concerns about inflation and immigration.

Now, Trudeau is facing calls to resign from critics. However, a no-confidence vote in the government is not imminent. 

Trudeau last month traveled to Mar-a-Lago unannounced after Trump threatened to impose sweeping tariffs on Canadian products. Specifically, Trump is threatening to impose 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico over their failures to curb the flow of illegal immigrants and illicit drugs from those countries into the U.S.

Trump called the meeting “very productive.” The president-elect told the prime minister if Canada cannot fix the border issues and trade deficit, he will levy a 25% tariff on all Canadian goods his first day back in office.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau  (Chandan Khanna/AFP via Getty Images)

Trudeau told Trump he cannot levy the tariff because it would kill the Canadian economy. Trump replied, asking something along the lines of, “So, your country can’t survive unless it’s ripping off the U.S. to the tune of $100 billion?”

TRUMP BOASTS OF ‘VERY PRODUCTIVE MEETING’ WITH CANADIAN PM TRUDEAU AT MAR-A-LAGO

Trump then suggested to Trudeau that Canada become the 51st state, prompting the prime minister and others to laugh nervously, sources told Fox News.

But he continued, telling Trudeau that prime minister is a better title, though he could still be governor of the 51st state.

Sources told Fox News someone at the table chimed in and advised Trump that Canada would be a liberal state, which received even more laughter. Trump suggested Canada could become two states, a conservative and a liberal one.

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While sources say the exchange got many laughs, Trump delivered the message that he expected change by Jan. 20.

The nearly three-hour conversation continued about various other topics. By the end, the Canadian guests called the dinner “very friendly and very positive,” though no reference was made to becoming the 51st state.

Fox News Digital’s Greg Wehner contributed to this report. 

EXCLUSIVE – Ahead of President-elect Trump’s inauguration, conservatives in the most populous red state in America are launching a new Texas Republican Leadership Fund (TRLF) to elect “true” conservatives to crucial leadership roles.

Despite being led by a strongly conservative Republican governor and having a commanding majority in the legislature, the last four Texas House speakers have been elected through the support of Democrats. The result has been Democrats exercising an outsized level of power and influence in the largest Republican state in the nation. An inside track with the Texas speaker also gives Democrats significant control over some of the most important issues affecting the nation, such as enforcement of Texas’ more than 1,250 miles of border.

Alex Fairly, the TRLF’s principal donor, told Fox News Digital it is time for that to change.

TRLF, which is officially registering with the Texas Ethics Commission Tuesday and launching with $20 million of initial funding, has the support of many of Texas’ most influential leaders who are intent on making the state the definitive leader in conservative politics.

ELON MUSK MOVES TO MAKE STARBASE, TEXAS, THE OFFICIAL ‘GATEWAY TO MARS’

A Texas flag attached to a bike waves in downtown Austin with the state Capitol dome in the background. (Reuters)

While he hopes that all Republicans in the Texas House will stand with the caucus to elect a conservative leader, Fairly said the $20 million will be available for use in the primaries and upcoming 2026 general election to hold elected officials “accountable” if they side with a Democratic-backed speaker.

According to Fairly, Texas conservatives are fed up with lukewarm Republicans cutting backroom deals with Democrats in the state legislature. And as Trump prepares to return to the White House in January, he said it will be more important than ever for Texas to support the new administration’s agenda through strong conservative leadership at the state level.

“Texas leads the way on many of the biggest conservative issues,” he said. “I don’t think there’s any question that having a Republican majority in the House… has a massive impact on what happens across the country and supporting President Trump and his agenda.”

This comes amid an ongoing battle in the Texas legislature over who will be the next speaker of the House. The most recent speaker, Rep. Dade Phelan, who came to power in 2021, dropped out from consideration after facing intense criticism from Republicans for failing to pass key conservative priorities such as school choice and for his role in the unsuccessful impeachment effort against vocal Trump ally Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.

TEXAS BLOCKS SCHOOL CHOICE AS OTHER REPUBLICAN-LED STATES GO ALL-IN

Speaker Dade Phelan presides over the House, Aug. 26, 2021, in Austin, Texas. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

Now, the Texas House of Representatives is set to elect a new speaker on Jan. 14. There are two frontrunners: Phelan ally Rep. Dustin Burrows and Rep. David Cook, who is backed by more hardline conservatives.

After going to the Democratic side of the aisle to help him secure the necessary 76 votes to win the speakership, Burrows declared the race over.  

However, Burrows’ attempt to bargain with Democrats has caused outrage from many conservatives, even including Donald Trump Jr., who said the move was not in line with voters’ election night “mandate” to Republicans. 

“It’s unbelievable what is happening in Texas right now,” he said on X. “There is a group of so-called Republicans cutting a deal with liberal Democrats to elect a speaker instead of uniting behind the Republican nominee, @DavidCookTexas! Unbelievable! Republicans have a mandate!”

LONGTIME DEMOCRAT TEXAS JUDGE SWITCHES PARTIES IN MONUMENTAL MOVE

Fairly said that Texas Gov. Greg Abbott “carried the load for most of the nation” on the border security issue during the “darker years” of the Biden administration. (Shelby Tauber/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Fairly, who is an entrepreneur and health care executive who has been a vocal supporter of school choice, says the race for the speakership is not set in stone. This time, he believes there is strong resolve among Texas Republicans to stop moderates from handing over control to the Democrats.

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“In spite of the progress made in this past election cycle toward… conservative priorities, there may still be work to do in the next primary cycle,” he said. “These funds will be available to help expand a true Republican majority.”

“Democrats don’t give their votes away for free, they want things in return,” he went on. “So, we end up with a House that’s not really run by the majority, it’s co-run by Democrats and a minority of Republicans. It just puts Texas in just such a weak position to accomplish what we could if we really were led by a majority of Republicans.”

“This time we’re bringing this out into the light.”  

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. told Fox News Digital he plans to meet with Senate Democrats, in addition to Republicans, as he looks to shore up support for confirmation as secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in President-elect Trump’s incoming administration. 

Asked by Fox News Digital whether he would be meeting with Democrats on the Hill as well, Kennedy, a former Democrat himself, said, “Oh yeah.” 

ELIZABETH WARREN WANTS ANSWERS FROM TRUMP OVER ELON MUSK ‘CONFLICTS OF INTEREST’

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. speaks to reporters at the Nassau County Supreme Court in Mineola, New York, on Aug. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Stefan Jeremiah, Pool)

However, the former independent presidential candidate didn’t say which Senate Democrats he would meet. 

“I don’t know,” he said when asked by reporters. 

Kennedy kicked off his Capitol Hill meetings for his HHS bid on Monday, meeting with several Republicans. No Democratic senators were included in a list of dozens of lawmakers that he was set to meet with at the beginning of the week. 

DOGE CAUCUS FOUNDING MEMBER DEBUTS 2 BILLS TO KICK-START WASTE CUTS IN TRUMP TERM

Former President Trump shakes hands with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. at a campaign rally at the Desert Diamond Arena, Aug. 23, 2024, in Glendale, Arizona. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Last month, Trump announced Kennedy as his HHS pick. The two were initially running against each other in the 2024 election before Kennedy dropped out and endorsed Trump. 

Kennedy’s confirmation could face several obstacles, particularly when it comes to vaccines, agriculture and abortion. 

TOM COTTON DEMANDS DOD RECORDS ON BORDER-WALL MATERIAL SALES BE PRESERVED

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services building in Washington on July 13, 2020. (Caroline Brehman/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

He has been an outspoken skeptic of vaccinations, which some Republican and Democrat senators have pointed to as a concern. 

Kennedy is also pro abortion rights and has supported abortion access throughout his life, which has left some Republicans with questions, as HHS has some authority over regulations that apply to abortion and those who provide them. 

JUDGES BACKING OUT OF RETIREMENT AHEAD OF TRUMP TERM LEAVE GOP SENATORS FUMING

RFK Jr has been a top vaccine critic. (iStock)

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His critiques of the food industry and farming have given him some appeal with Democrats, but at the same time, Republicans representing agricultural states have stressed that they want to protect farmers and ranchers from certain burdensome policies and regulations.  

It’s unclear what exactly the coalition supporting Kennedy will look like in the Senate, whether he will have the support of all Republicans or if some Democrats will be needed to get him over the finish line. 

President-elect Trump dropped his most recent round of ambassador nominations on social media Tuesday night, before issuing a warning to Senate Republicans about any potential deals with Democratic lawmakers.

The Republican leader began by nominating Herschel Walker as his choice for U.S. ambassador to the Commonwealth of the Bahamas. Walker, a staunch Trump ally, ran for the U.S. Senate in 2022 as a candidate from Georgia.

“I am pleased to nominate Herschel Walker as United States Ambassador to the Commonwealth of the Bahamas,” Trump’s post began. “Herschel has spent decades serving as an Ambassador to our Nation’s youth, our men and women in the Military, and athletes at home and abroad.”

Trump went on to call Walker, a former National Football League (NFL) player, a “successful businessman, philanthropist, former Heisman Trophy winner, and NFL Great.” The president-elect also commended Walker’s previous work in the first Trump administration.

TIDE TURNS FOR HEGSETH AS TRUMP’S DEFENSE SECRETARY NOMINEE GOES ON OFFENSE

Former football player and political candidate Herschel Walker interacts with former president of the United States Donald Trump prior to Game Four of the World Series between the Houston Astros and the Atlanta Braves Truist Park on October 30, 2021 in Atlanta, Georgia.  (Michael Zarrilli/Getty Images)

“During my First Term, he served as Co-Chair of the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition. Herschel has traveled to over 400 Military installations around the World, removing the stigma surrounding mental health,” Trump added. “He represented the United States at the 1992 Winter Olympics as a member of the U.S. bobsled team.”
 
“Congratulations Herschel! You will make Georgia, and our entire Nation, proud, because we know you will always put AMERICA FIRST!”

Trump followed up his post about Walker to announce Nicole McGraw as his pick for U.S. ambassador to Croatia. The president-elect described McGraw as a “philanthropist, businesswoman, and World renowned art collector.”

GET TO KNOW DONALD TRUMP’S CABINET: WHO HAS THE PRESIDENT-ELECT PICKED SO FAR?

Former NFL running back and former Republican candidate for U.S. Senate Herschel Walker addresses the crowd at a rally for Republican presidential candidate and former President Donald Trump at the Atrium Health Ampitheater on November 03, 2024 in Macon, Georgia. (John Moore/Getty Images)

“Nicole has brought fine art to the People through her work leading CANVAS Art Charities, and raised Millions of Dollars for neglected and abused children as a Board Member of Place of Hope,” Trump wrote. “She is a graduate of Southern Methodist University with a BFA in Art History and Studio Art. Congratulations Nicole!”

After issuing the nominations, Trump ended with a note warning Senate Republicans not to make deals with Democrats to “fast track” nominations this month.

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Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump arrives at a campaign rally at Santander Arena, Monday, Nov. 4, 2024, in Reading, Pa. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

“To all Senate Republicans: NO DEAL WITH DEMOCRATS TO FAST TRACK NOMINATIONS AT THE END OF THIS CONGRESS,” Trump wrote. “I won the biggest mandate in 129 years. I will make my appointments of Very Qualified People in January when I am sworn in.”

Welcome to the Fox News Politics newsletter, with the latest updates on the Trump transition, exclusive interviews and more Fox News politics content.

Here’s what’s happening…

-Red state reveals plan to purchase auctioned border wall materials to store for Trump

–Electoral College vote moves Trump another step toward officially becoming president

-Vance will likely be 2028 front-runner, but RNC chair ‘excited about the bench that we have’

‘Numerous Federal Laws Were Likely Broken’

Former Rep. Liz Cheney is facing calls from GOP legislators that the FBI investigate her for “potential criminal witness tampering” related to her former role on the Jan. 6 House Select Committee, a report released Tuesday by the House Administration Subcommittee on Oversight chairman, Rep. Barry Loudermilk, R-Ga., details.

“Based on the evidence obtained by this Subcommittee, numerous federal laws were likely broken by Liz Cheney, the former Vice Chair of the January 6 Select Committee, and these violations should be investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Evidence uncovered by the Subcommittee revealed that former Congresswoman Liz Cheney tampered with at least one witness, Cassidy Hutchinson, by secretly communicating with Hutchinson without Hutchinson’s attorney’s knowledge,” the report, which was provided to Fox Digital, found. 

Cheney, in comments provided to Fox News Digital on Tuesday afternoon, defended her former committee’s investigation, while arguing Loudermilk’s report “intentionally disregards the truth and the Select Committee’s tremendous weight of evidence.”

“January 6th showed Donald Trump for who [he] really is – a cruel and vindictive man who allowed violent attacks to continue against our Capitol and law enforcement officers while he watched television and refused for hours to instruct his supporters to stand down and leave,” Cheney said to Fox News Digital….Read more

Former U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY) speaks at a town hall with Democratic presidential nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris, at the Royal Oak Music Theatre on October 21, 2024 in Royal Oak, Michigan. Cheney joined Vice President Harris for stops Monday in Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin. (Photo by Sarah Rice/Getty Images)

White House

SCHOOL’S OUT: Jill Biden leaves job at Virginia community college ahead of White House departure…Read more

‘ALMOST A CRIMINAL ACT’: Biden taken to task for selling border wall materials …Read more

‘DEEPLY DISTURBING’: Biden administration pressuring African country to adopt lax abortion laws in exchange for foreign aid: report…Read more

‘SLAP IN THE FACE’: Biden clemency for convicted fraudsters met with outrage…Read more

THE BIG C: Biden’s clemency for doc in chemotherapy fraud scheme contrasts with longtime ‘Cancer Moonshot’ advocacy…Read more

LAST-DITCH EFFORT: Two new student debt relief programs from Biden barrel toward imminent release…Read more

Trump Transition

PUBLIC SHOWDOWN: Pete Hegseth may release sexual assault accuser from confidentiality agreement, setting up public showdown…Read more

‘UNOFFICIAL CO-PRESIDENT’: Elizabeth Warren wants answers from Trump over Elon Musk ‘conflicts of interest’…Read more

(KENA BETANCUR/AFP via Getty Images)

EXCITEMENT AND WORRY: Majority of Americans optimistic about Trump agenda, poll finds, despite tariff concern…Read more

Capitol Hill

‘PHENOMENALLY BAD IDEA’: Dems push drastic move that Mike Lee calls ‘a phenomenally bad idea’…Read more

IN THE DOGE HOUSE: Top Republican touts ‘real motivation’ behind House DOGE Caucus’ mission before first meeting…Read more

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE: House AI task force says ‘unreasonable’ to expect immediate congressional action on AI in 250-page report…Read more

WHAT HAPPENED?: Republican demands info from State Department on delayed Afghanistan flights….Read more

Afghan people climb atop a plane as they wait at the Kabul airport in Kabul on August 16, 2021, after a stunningly swift end to Afghanistan’s 20-year war, as thousands of people mobbed the city’s airport trying to flee the group’s feared hardline brand of Islamist rule. (Getty Images)

SPARTZ FLY: House GOP lawmaker rejects committee assignments to dedicate time to DOGE…Read more

GETTING STARTED: DOGE Caucus senator introduces 2 bills to kick-start waste cuts in Trump term…Read more

BLOW TO SQUAD: AOC loses bid to be top Democrat on powerful House Oversight Committee…Read more

‘CONSEQUENCES’: GOP rebels plot mutiny against Johnson over government shutdown drama…Read more

Across America 

SWING-STATE CURVEBALL: Swing state governor’s race sees a twist as top Dem will run as independent…Read more

‘WE NEED SOLUTIONS’: Chicago community activist sounds off on migrant crisis: ‘I welcome’ Trump border czar…Read more

MOVING TO SANCTUARY CITIES: TN lawmaker proposes sending illegal migrants accused of minor crimes to sanctuary cities instead of deporting…Read more

NO TAX ON TIPS: Virginia Gov. Youngkin calls for end to taxes on tips ahead of legislative session…Read more

Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin speaks during the Faith & Freedom Coalition’s Road to Majority Policy Conference at the Washington Hilton on June 22, 2024 in Washington, DC. (Samuel Corum/Getty Images)

LOOKING AHEAD: ‘America First’ group says its voter-targeting made a difference as Trump picks several leaders for WH…Read more

‘UNDERMINED CLIMATE PROGRESS’: Environmental group launches six-figure battleground state ad buy against Newsom’s ‘climate leadership’…Read more

DRONES: Government agencies say joint investigation into drone sightings reveals no threat: ‘We recognize the concern’…Read more

Get the latest updates on the Trump presidential transition, incoming Congress, exclusive interviews and more on FoxNews.com.

Congressional leaders are unveiling their plan to avoid a partial government shutdown by the Friday federal funding deadline.

House Republicans released the 1,547-page text of a short-term extension of fiscal year (FY) 2024 government funding levels to give lawmakers more time to agree on funding the rest of FY 2025.

It’s the second such extension, called a continuing resolution (CR), since FY 2024 ended on Sept. 30.

The bill extends FY 2024 government funding levels through March 14, while also including more than $100 billion in funding for disaster relief after storms Helene and Milton battered the U.S. Southeast just months ago. A further $10 billion in economic assistance for farmers is also included.

REPUBLICANS GIVE DETAILS FROM CLOSED-DOOR MEETINGS WITH DOGE’S MUSK, RAMASWAMY

Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer unveiled a deal to avoid a partial government shutdown. (Kent Nishimura/Getty Images/Eric Lee/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

The legislation has health care provisions aimed at lessening the influence of Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs), and legislation aimed at revitalizing Washington, DC’s RFK Stadium and the surrounding area.

The bill will also make way for outbound investment legislation, to crack down on the flow of U.S. dollars benefitting Chinese military and technology firms overseas.

Recent drone activity on the Eastern Seaboard that’s alarmed private citizens and lawmakers alike also inspired negotiators to include a reauthorization and extension of the government’s Unmanned Aircraft Systems program.

To offset some of that funding, House leadership staff said the bill will allow the Treasury to recoup some of the funds the federal government spent rebuilding the Baltimore Key Bridge.

It must pass the GOP-controlled House and Democrat-controlled Senate by Friday and hit President Biden’s desk by midnight that day to avoid a partial government shutdown.

DANIEL PENNY TO BE TAPPED FOR CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL BY HOUSE GOP LAWMAKER

It includes more than $100 billion in disaster relief aid (Adam Eugene Willis for Fox News Digital)

Last-minute negotiations delayed the bill’s expected Sunday release to Tuesday evening.

Meanwhile, GOP hardliners are crying foul at Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., for stacking what they anticipated would be a “clean” CR with unrelated policy riders.

“We talked with the speaker up until this weekend, the only discussion was ‘How long is this clean CR going to be?’ And suddenly we find out – I heard rumors over the weekend – they’re negotiating with a health care package that included PBM stuff,” Rep. Eric Burlison, R-Mo., told Fox News Digital.

“I think it’s absolutely disgusting to bring forward a several-thousand-page bill that nobody’s read, even today, nobody’s even seen it, and then they expect us to vote on it without any debate.”

MIKE JOHNSON WINS REPUBLICAN SUPPORT TO BE HOUSE SPEAKER AGAIN AFTER TRUMP ENDORSEMENT

Rep. Eric Burlison, R-Mo., was among the conservatives criticizing the bill. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

Allies of President-elect Trump had pushed for a short-term extension into the new year to give his administration, and a fully Republican Congress, more control over government funding.

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But some GOP lawmakers worried that fighting the previous year’s battles will risk derailing the forward-facing agenda Republicans hope to enact in Trump’s first 100 days.

“His agenda is going to be subject to a one-seat majority for some time, in the best case scenario, he gets about three or four seats. So we don’t have much margin for error,” one House Republican said.

Some lawmakers in the new Congressional DOGE Caucus are eyeing a crackdown on federal agencies work-from-home policies when Republicans take over the levers of power in Washington DC next year.

The group’s name is an acronym for Delivering Outstanding Government Efficiency, coinciding with the Department of Government Efficiency – also DOGE for short – a new advisory panel commissioned by President-elect Trump and led by Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy.

The caucus held its first meeting on Tuesday, which lawmakers described to Fox News Digital as largely “organizational.”

DOGE Caucus co-chair Rep. Aaron Bean, R-Fla., told Fox News Digital the room was full of interested lawmakers.

MIKE JOHNSON WINS REPUBLICAN SUPPORT TO BE HOUSE SPEAKER AGAIN

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

“We had 29 sign up to come, so we met in a small conference room. But it was packed – we had over 60 members attend,” Bean said.

That included three Democrats – Reps. Steven Horsford, D-Nev., Val Hoyle, D-Ore., and the first Democrat to join the DOGE Caucus, Rep. Jared Moskowitz, D-Fla.

Documents given to attendees and shared with Fox News Digital encouraged lawmakers to think of what kind of DOGE goals would be “worthwhile lifts,” “quick wins,” “lower priority,” and “low-hanging fruit” and other ways to organize and prioritize initiatives.

Asked about what some “low-hanging fruit” for the panel would be, Bean said, “People going back to work.”

REP. JARED MOSKOWITZ FIRST DEMOCRAT TO JOIN CONGRESSIONAL DOGE CAUCUS

“We have a problem,” Bean said. “[Federal workers] do a large amount of work from home. Which, that’s a debate – whether or not they’re productive working from home. But if they are working from home, we have between a 6 and 15% occupancy of billions of square foot of commercial buildings that we are spending billions on to upkeep and whatnot. Do we still need that much space if people aren’t using their offices?”

That was echoed by Rep. Beth Van Duyne, R-Texas, who also attended the meeting.

Rep. Aaron Bean, R-Fla., co-founded a corresponding caucus in the House ( (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images))

“You know, when you take out security, you’ve got one percent of the federal government workers who are going in to work on a regular basis, and we’re paying for 100% of them all to have office space,” Van Duyne said. “There’s lots of low hanging fruit. I just hope we can identify what those are.”

Bean also dismissed accusations from critics of Musk and Ramamswamy’s DOGE push that it was a way for Republicans to cut Social Security and Medicare benefits

“That is not the intent,” Bean emphasized. “It is not the intent [to be] cutting benefits, of either health or [veterans] or Social Security. But those benefits…have limited shelf life, unless we make reductions elsewhere. So the purpose is not to cut those things, but to safeguard them.”

REPUBLICANS GIVE DETAILS FROM CLOSED-DOOR MEETINGS WITH DOGE’S MUSK, RAMASWAMY

Other lawmakers who attended said they came away enthusiastic about the group’s cost-cutting and efficiency goals.

“It was a good introductory meeting of the caucus, kind of challenging us all to think about our expectations and how we can help, you know, take ideas and move them in to bill form and work through the normal committee process to do that,” Rep. Nick Langworthy, R-N.Y., said.

“I’ve even gotten a lot of ideas from constituents…I think this is a really great grassroots effort.”

Fox News Digital previewed the DOGE Caucus’s new logo, along with an email hotline for Americans to send suggestions on government efficiency. (Fox News Digital)

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House GOP Conference Vice Chair Blake Moore, R-Utah, another DOGE Caucus co-chair alongside Bean and Rep. Pete Sessions, R-Texas, said “there’s a billion and a half ideas, and we need to make it so it’s actually actionable for Vivek and Elon.”

Both Bean and Moore indicated that the next steps for the caucus would be to split up into working groups targeting various aspects of DOGE’s mission.

The next caucus meeting is expected in January, Bean said.

An attorney advising Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is slamming a New York Times report last week that claimed the Trump HHS secretary nominee sought to revoke the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) approval for the polio vaccine.

“Contrary to hysterical media reports that the petition sought to make sure no polio vaccines would be available, the scope of the petition was quite narrow,” Aaron Siri, a close RFK Jr. adviser and partner at Siri & Glimstad LLP, told Fox News Digital. “It simply asked the FDA to require a proper trial for licensure for children of a novel polio vaccine.”

The New York Times reported Friday that Siri is “waging a war” against all vaccines, but Siri said the report “falsely claimed the petition sought to eliminate” the polio vaccine, “as if there is only one, and that our client sought to leave Americans without the choice to get vaccinated for polio.” 

RFK JR SET TO FACE ABORTION, VACCINE SCRUTINY IN SIT-DOWNS WITH SENATORS ON CAPITOL HILL

Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. endorsing former President Donald Trump set off a wave of intense reactions from the mainstream media.  (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

“In reality, the petition sought to ensure the safety of one of the six existing licensed polio vaccines that we inject into our children three times before their first birthday,” he said.

The report came just days before RFK Jr. headed to Capitol Hill this week to meet with Senators, seeking support for his HHS confirmation.

The petition, filed in 2022 on behalf of the Informed Consent Action Network (ICAN) and not as an individual action by Siri, urged the FDA to suspend the polio vaccine IPOL for infants and children. ICAN’s request stems from concerns that IPOL, licensed in 1990 by Sanofi, was approved based on pediatric trials that, according to the FDA, evaluated safety for only three days after injection.

This is not the traditional polio vaccine developed by Jonas Salk or Albert Sabin that many people are familiar with, Siri added. Instead, it is a product utilizing a different technology, where the polio virus is grown on monkey kidney cells that have been genetically altered to replicate indefinitely, similar to cancer cells. Traces of these cells are present in each vaccine dose.

BIDEN CLEMENCY ANNOUNCEMENT GETS MIXED REVIEWS ON CAPITOL HILL: ‘WHERE’S THE BAR?’

Nurse Lydia Fulton prepares to administer the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine as well as a vaccine used to help prevent the diseases of diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus, and polio at Children’s Primary Care Clinic in Minneapolis, MN, Friday April 28, 2017.  (Courtney Perry/For the Washington Post)

Another petition filed on behalf of ICAN in 2021 addresses 13 childhood vaccines containing aluminum adjuvants. According to the petition, a peer-reviewed study found discrepancies between the aluminum levels in these vaccines and the amounts listed on their FDA-approved labels. The petition calls on the FDA to verify and publicly release documentation proving the accuracy of the aluminum content or halt distribution until resolved — an issue critics say should not be controversial for products injected into infants.

“Currently, political labeling (pro-vaccine, anti-vaccine) is inadequate to encompass the realities of medical ethics, regulatory capture, and the influence of corporate money on health policy,” Siri said. “We must be able to raise valid questions about vaccine safety, efficacy and policy without fear that any deviation from the mantra ‘safe and effective’ will be smeared with epithets and outrage.”

‘OF COURSE I SUPPORT THE PARDON OF MY SON,’ JILL BIDEN TELLS REPORTER

U.S. Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, listens as President Donald Trump speaks during a listening session on youth vaping of electronic cigarette on Nov. 22, 2019 in the Cabinet Room of the White House in Washington, D.C. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

In the days since media outlets have reported about Siri’s petition, both Trump and RFK Jr. have said they support the polio vaccine, without specifying which one. RFK Jr. has expressed his skepticism of some vaccines, while supporting the use of others, in interviews during his 2024 presidential campaign run as part of his “Make America Healthy Again” (MAHA) slogan. 

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“Mr. Kennedy believes the Polio Vaccine should be available to the public and thoroughly and properly studied,” Katie Miller, the transition spokeswoman for Kennedy, said in response. 

Meanwhile, Trump said “everything should be looked at,” adding that he’s a “big believer in the polio vaccine,” during a Mar-a-Lago press conference Monday morning. 

Fox News Digital reached out to the New York Times for comment but did not receive an immediate reply.

Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. will be asked to explain some of his beliefs about farming and food production by Republicans who are protective of the agricultural industry in their states. This could stand in the way of a smooth confirmation if he doesn’t manage to address their concerns. 

“They’ve got to be able to use modern farming techniques, and that involves a lot of things, not only really sophisticated equipment, but also fertilizers and pesticides. So, we have to have that conversation,” Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D., told reporters. 

“I’m always going to stand up for farmers and ranchers.”

ELIZABETH WARREN WANTS ANSWERS FROM TRUMP OVER ELON MUSK ‘CONFLICTS OF INTEREST’

Some Senate Republicans want answers from RFK Jr. on agricultural beliefs before confirming him. (Reuters)

Hoeven told Fox News Digital he would need certain assurances from Kennedy to support him. 

Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, told reporters he wants Kennedy “to understand that when I started farming in 1960, we raised 50 bushels of corn to the acre. Now, we raise on an annual average about 200 in Iowa. A lot more than that.

Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D., speaks May 4, 2022, on Capitol Hill in Washington (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib, File)

“And you can’t feed 9 billion people on the face of the earth [if] we don’t take advantage of genetic engineering.”

Before meeting with Trump’s pick to lead the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Tuesday, Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., told reporters he planned to ask him about pesticide use. 

Afterward, it seemed Kennedy addressed any concerns, because Tuberville wrote on X, “Our meeting reaffirmed what I already knew: RFK Jr. is the right man to make sure our food is safe, bring transparency to vaccines and health care, and Make America Healthy Again.”

DOGE CAUCUS FOUNDING MEMBER DEBUTS 2 BILLS TO KICK-START WASTE CUTS IN TRUMP TERM

Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. visits “The Story With Martha MacCallum” at Fox News Channel Studios Sept. 25, 2024, in New York City. (Jason Mendez/Getty Images)

While some Republicans are worried about the agricultural implications of Kennedy’s positions, his food safety stances are providing some level of appeal to certain Democrats, whose votes he could potentially need to be confirmed. 

A number of Democratic senators told Fox News Digital their interest was piqued by Kennedy’s thoughts on food regulations, but none said they had meetings scheduled yet. 

TOM COTTON DEMANDS DOD RECORDS ON BORDER-WALL MATERIAL SALES BE PRESERVED

John Hickenlooper expressed some interest in RFK Jr.’s food production beliefs.  (Anna Moneymaker)

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“His approach to food and nutrition is more direct and perhaps might be more successful than continuing the way we’ve been doing it,” Sen. John Hickenlooper, D-Colo., told Fox News Digital.

“I’m definitely looking forward to him coming in and testifying.”

A representative for Kennedy did not provide comment to Fox News Digital in time for publication.

FIRST ON FOX: A top Republican senator is introducing legislation to block the federal government from disposing of border wall materials after a controversy over the auctioning of border wall parts made headlines again.

Sen. Bill Hagerty, R-Tenn., is introducing legislation to prohibit the use of federal funds “to deconstruct, dismantle, or otherwise render inoperable any segment of the physical barrier along the international border between the United States and Mexico.”

The bill would also bar the use of funds “to auction, sell, transfer, or otherwise dispose of any materials or supplies purchased or otherwise acquired by the Federal Government for the purpose of constructing, maintaining, or reinforcing a physical barrier along such border.”

‘STANDING BY TO HELP’: RED STATE REVEALS PLAN TO PURCHASE AUCTIONED BORDER WALL MATERIALS TO STORE FOR TRUMP

Sen. Bill Hagerty, R-Tenn., speaks during a Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee hearing in Washington, D.C., March 7, 2023. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

The bill comes in response to the ongoing controversy over the auctioning of border wall materials by the Biden administration.

The Biden administration abruptly ended border wall construction in January 2021 after 450 miles had been built during the first Trump administration.

The auctioning of border wall parts began in 2023 with parts listed for sale on GovPlanet.com, an online auction marketplace. The Defense Department’s logistics agency told media outlets the excess material had been turned over for disposition by the Army Corps of Engineers and was for sale.

Those auctions have continued, with officials in Arizona telling Fox News Digital that auctions have been occurring weekly for some time. The practice made headlines last week when The Daily Wire published video showing unused wall parts being transported on flatbed trucks in Arizona even though the materials could be used by the next Trump administration. 

A furious President-elect Trump called the moves “almost a criminal act” and called on President Biden to “please stop selling the wall.” 

TRUMP CALLS FOR END TO BORDER WALL AUCTIONS: ‘ALMOST CRIMINAL ACT’ 

Sen. Bill Hagerty tours the southern border in Eagle Pass, Texas, Feb. 19, 2024. (Senate Republican Conference)

The president-elect also said he is working with Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and other Texas leaders to reacquire the materials.

“What they’re doing is really an act, it’s almost a criminal act,” he said. “They know we’re going to use it, and if we don’t have it, we’re going to have to rebuild it. And it’ll cost double what it cost years ago, and that’s hundreds of millions of dollars because you’re talking about a lot of, a lot of wall.”

CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF THE BORDER SECURITY CRISIS

A defense official told Fox News last week that the Pentagon has been disposing of excess wall construction in accordance with the fiscal year 2024 National Defense Authorization Act, which required the defense secretary to submit a plan to use, transfer or donate all remaining wall material purchased with Pentagon funds. That plan was submitted in March.

The official said that border states, including Texas, were given preference for materials and that the materials no longer belong to the U.S. government, adding the Defense Department has no legal authority to recall the material or stop further resale of it.

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“Through our reutilization, transfer and donation process, nearly 60% of those materials were transferred to authorized recipients, including U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the states of Texas and California,” the official said. “The remaining 40% was sold to GovPlanet under a competitive sales contract process beginning in June 2024. The material currently being sold through GovPlanet online auctions no longer belongs to the U.S. Government, and DOD has no legal authority to recall the material or stop further resale of material it no longer owns.”

Hagerty’s bill would supersede any existing law, including the NDAA. His office says the NDAA provision was intended to encourage border wall construction.

Fox News’ Jennifer Griffin and Peter Pinedo contributed to this report.

With just over a month left in office, top members of President Biden’s Cabinet are standing behind their past statements expressing support for his leadership and their belief that he is still fit for office — despite a year of controversy and debate over Biden’s ability to serve out his term.

Fox News Digital reached out to Cabinet officials and their departments, asking them if they believed President Biden was fit to serve, and if they stood by past statements of confidence in his ability to continue.

DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, in a statement in September, said that he has “full confidence in President Biden’s ability to carry out his job. 

“As I’ve said before, I come fully prepared for my meetings with President Biden, knowing his questions will be detail-oriented, probing, and exacting. In our exchanges, the President always draws upon our prior conversations and past events in analyzing the issues and reaching his conclusions,” he said.

BIDEN’S PRESIDENCY WILL BE REMEMBERED AS THE ‘MAN THAT WAS TOO OLD,’ SAYS BYRON YORK

On Monday, DHS said that the secretary stands by those comments.

President Joe Biden in attendance at the U.S. National Christmas Tree Lighting held outside the White House on December 05, 2024 in Washington, DC. (Getty Images)

Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo has called Biden “one of the most accomplished presidents in American history and continues to effectively lead our country with a steady hand.”

“As someone who is actually in the room when the President meets with the cabinet and foreign leaders, I can tell you he is an incisive and extraordinary leader,” Raimondo said.

A spokesperson said this week that Raimondo stands by those comments.

Sabrina Singh, deputy Pentagon press secretary told Fox in September: “As Secretary Austin has said before, he has watched President Biden make tough national security decisions and seen his commitment to keeping our troops safe – he has nothing but total confidence in our Commander-in-Chief.”

This week, Singh said those comments still stand.

Biden’s mental acuity was a subject of speculation even preceding him being sworn into office, but discussion about its implications came to a head this year after what was widely seen as a disastrous debate performance against former President Donald Trump that seemingly initiated the process to replace him on the Democratic ticket in the race for the presidency.

BIDEN’S AGE MUCH MORE OF A LIABILITY THAN TRUMP’S, POLL FINDS AHEAD OF PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE

Biden eventually dropped out of the race, handing the nomination to Vice President Kamala Harris, who would in turn go on to lose in the November election against President-elect Trump. But while Biden said he would not seek re-election, he chose not to step down from office. 

The subject of Biden’s acuity re-emerged in September when he handed over the reins of a Cabinet meeting to first lady Jill Biden. But it was then that Cabinet members backed Biden and said they had no concerns about his ability to serve. 

U.S. first lady Jill Biden speaks while attending her first cabinet meeting during her husband President Joe Biden’s administration at the White House on September 20, 2024 in Washington, DC. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra — one of Biden’s staunch defenders — said Biden “has done more as president for this country than any other president whom I have worked with since 1992.”

“So yes, not only can he do the job, but he has been doing it,” he said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “And we are fortunate to have someone who continues to use all of his experience to take us further. If you recall where we were four years ago, the depth of a pandemic, Americans losing their jobs, Americans losing their health care. Today, more Americans are employed than ever before. Today, more Americans have health coverage than ever before. No President in the history of this country has ever placed 700 million vaccines in the arms of Americans to keep them alive and keep them healthy. The result? Our economy is healthy.”

“Is he fit? He’s proving it,” Becerra added. 

An HHS spokesperson said that Becerra’s comments stand.

BIDEN IS SAYING ‘SCREW YOU’ TO THE AMERICAN PEOPLE, BEN FERGUSON ARGUES

Spokespersons for other agencies that had previously commented, including the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Energy and the Department of Agriculture, also said they stood by those comments.

As it stands, President Biden will finish his term on Jan. 20 when President-elect Trump is sworn into office.

President Joe Biden and his successor President-elect Donald Trump.  (Brandon Bell/Getty Images; Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Biden spoke this week at a DNC holiday celebration in Washington, D.C. During his remarks he argued that the country is in a “resoundingly” better position today than when he and Harris entered the White House.

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“The one thing I’ve always believed about public service, and especially about the presidency, is the importance of asking yourself, have we left the country in better shape than we found it? Today, I can say with every fiber of my being, of all my heart, the answer to that question is a resounding yes,” he said.

He went on to encourage staffers to “stay engaged” in the years ahead.

“You’re not going anywhere, kid,” Biden said of Harris. “Because we’re not gonna let you.”

An environmental group is calling out Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom’s climate leadership in a six-figure battleground state ad buy which claims his policies in California have “significantly undermined climate progress.”

While running for governor in 2018, Newsom said he would shut down the Aliso Canyon Natural Gas Storage Facility in California – the location of the largest methane leak in U.S. history. “I’m fully committed to doing that,” Newsom told a reporter when asked if he would shut down the facility. “The question is how quickly can we do that, but my commitment is to make that happen. We need to be more aggressive than we have been.”

Newsom added that he was “unequivocally” committed to shutting it down, but environmental groups are calling out the governor after allowing the facility to remain open six years later. 

Food & Water Action, the political and lobbying arm of Food & Water Watch advocating against climate change, announced on Monday a $100,000 ad buy against Newsom across four battleground states – Nevada, South Carolina, New Hampshire and Michigan.

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Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks at a press conference where he signed legislation related to oversight of oil and gas wells. (Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times)

The ad buy specifically targets Newsom’s leadership on the climate, specifically for not following through on his campaign promise regarding the Aliso Canyon facility.

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“Americans are looking for leadership to resist Trump’s assault on our climate. Someone who follows through and won’t back down,” the ad says. “Gov. Newsom promised to shut down Aliso Canyon, the site of the largest gas blowout in U.S. history. A public health disaster. But his public utilities commission is considering keeping it open indefinitely – just like the oil and gas industry wants. Climate leadership? We’re looking for it.” 

However, in a statement shared with Fox News Digital, Daniel Villaseñor, spokesperson for Newsom, said that “the Governor’s energy policy is ambitious, not reckless.” 

“We are committed to safely closing Aliso Canyon without harming working families with skyrocketing utility bills,” the spokesperson said. “No governor has done more to accelerate our transition to clean and renewable energy, but it would be irresponsible to close Aliso Canyon before demand for natural gas declines. That’s a recipe for precisely the same price spikes we’ve seen in the gasoline market.”

A woman holds a sign while attending a public hearing on a massive natural gas leak, on Jan. 16, 2016, in Granada Hills, near Porter Ranch, California. (David McNew/Getty Images)

Villaseñor added that Newsom “wants to see Aliso Canyon phased out, but not at the cost of enormous price increases for working families and our ability to keep the lights on.” The California Public Utilities Commission is planning to meet on Dec. 19 to discuss the future of the facility.

The environmental group claims that Newsom is trying to appear as a climate change champion, but that his record in California suggests otherwise.

“Governor Newsom wants to position himself as a national leader on climate and in opposing Trump, but he can’t be a credible national leader if his own house is not in order,” Mitch Jones, deputy director of Food & Water Action, said in a press release. 

“While Newsom has taken some important steps on oil drilling, other policies have significantly undermined climate progress. These include undermining rooftop solar, embracing industry-backed plans like dirty biogas and carbon capture, and failing so far to keep his promise to close Aliso Canyon,” Jones added.

While there is still a push from environmental groups to shut down the facility, it remains California’s largest underground natural gas storage facility and its operation has helped the state avoid potential energy price increases, according to the Energy Information Administration.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom was a top surrogate for the Biden campaign. (Don Campbell/The Herald-Palladium)

The ads were notably launched in battleground states amid months of speculation that Newsom could potentially launch a presidential bid in 2028.

Newsom was a top surrogate for President Biden during his re-election bid, and was floated as a leading candidate to replace him at the top of the Democratic ticket before the president dropped out of the race. 

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The governor’s second term in Sacramento will finish at the end of next year, right around the time the 2028 presidential election will start to heat up.

A majority of Americans say they are optimistic about the polices President-elect Trump will pursue in his incoming administration, according to a new poll from Monmouth University.

The poll found that 53% of Americans are either very or somewhat optimistic about Trump’s second term. That is a slight rise from the weeks prior to his first term, when just 50% of Americans said they were optimistic. The only segment of Americans who are less optimistic about Trump’s second term than they were about his first are Democrats, with just 10% saying they look forward to the next four years.

“It should come as no surprise there is a stark partisan divide on the Trump agenda. The real question is how these policies will affect American families, especially among those who voted for Trump in 2024,” Patrick Murray, director of the independent Monmouth University Polling Institute, said in a statement.

The poll also found that Trump’s least popular policy is his tariff agenda, with 47% of respondents saying they expect tariffs will hurt their family and just 23% saying they expected it to help. One of Trump’s most popular polices is his plan to eliminate income tax for certain wages, with 48% of respondents saying the plan would help their family, compared to just 15% who say it would hurt.

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President-elect Donald Trump speaks during a news conference at Mar-a-Lago on Monday, Dec. 16, 2024, in Palm Beach, Florida.  (AP/Evan Vucci)

Monmouth conducted the poll from Dec. 5-10, surveying 1,006 U.S. adults via phone interviews and online surveys. The poll advertises a margin of error of 3.9%.

The poll comes as Trump is cruising toward his second inauguration and has begun targeting perceived enemies in the media. Trump on Tuesday filed a lawsuit against the Des Moines register and pollster Ann Selzer. The lawsuit claims the plaintiffs committed “brazen election interference” and fraud by publishing a final 2024 presidential poll showing Vice President Kamala Harris leading him in Iowa. Trump ultimately won the state by 13 points.

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Pollster J. Ann Selzer announced she was ending her career of election polling after President-elect Donald Trump’s win. (Getty Images/ The Bulwark Podcast via YouTube screenshot)

The lawsuit was filed Monday night in Polk County, Iowa under the Iowa Consumer Fraud Act and related provisions. It says it seeks “accountability for brazen election interference committed by” the Des Moines Register (DMR) and Selzer “in favor of now-defeated former Democrat candidate Kamala Harris through use of a leaked and manipulated Des Moines Register/Mediacom Iowa Poll conducted by Selzer and S&C and published by DMR and Gannett in the Des Moines Register on Nov. 2, 2024.” The lawsuit is also against the parent company of the Des Moines Register, Gannett, which also owns other publications, including USA Today.

Trump attorneys said Selzer had “prided herself on a mainstream reputation for accuracy despite several far less publicized egregious polling misses in favor of Democrats” and said she “would have the public believe it was merely a coincidence that one of the worst polling misses of her career came just days before the most consequential election in memory, was leaked and happened to go against the Republican candidate.”

President-elect Donald Trump will be inaugurated a second time on Jan. 20, 2025. (Oleg Nikishin/Getty Images)

“The Harris Poll was no ‘miss’ but rather an attempt to influence the outcome of the 2024 Presidential Election,” the lawsuit states, adding that “defendants and their cohorts in the Democrat Party hoped that the Harris Poll would create a false narrative of inevitability for Harris in the final week of the 2024 Presidential Election.” 

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“Instead, the November 5 election was a monumental victory for President Trump in both the Electoral College and the Popular Vote, an overwhelming mandate for his America First principles, and the consignment of the radical socialist agenda to the dustbin of history.” 

The lawsuit notes that Selzer, after more than 35 years in the industry, “retired in disgrace from polling less than two weeks after this embarrassing rout.”

Fox News’ Brooke Singman contributed to this report.