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Republicans on the House Ways & Means Committee, the House’s chief tax writing committee, pointed out during a Tuesday hearing that if Congress lets President-elect Trump’s tax cuts from his first term expire, millions of small businesses in the United States will see a top tax rate that is higher than what small businesses in communist China pay.   

Tuesday’s hearing launched debate in the new Congress over how to handle Trump’s expiring tax credits, key provisions of which are slated to expire later this year. Among those key provisions is a new 20% tax deduction ushered in by Trump in 2017, known as Section 199-A, which provides tax relief for qualified trade or business expenses incurred by taxpayers that are not corporations. 

But, if Trump’s Section 199-A deduction expires later this year, small business owners could see their top tax rate more than double to 43.4%, which is roughly 20 points higher than what businesses in communist China face, Ways & Means Chairman Rep. Jason Smith, R-Mo., laid out in a report earlier this month and reiterated during Tuesday’s hearing. 

“If Congress fails to act … 26 million small businesses will be hit with a 43.4 percent top tax rate, more than 20 points higher than what businesses pay in Communist China,” Smith said Tuesday. 

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Chairman of the House Ways & Means Committee Rep. Jason Smith, R-Mo., talks during Tuesday’s hearing about making Trump’s tax cuts permanent.  (House Ways & Means)

Smith’s concerns were also echoed by other Republicans on the committee during Tuesday’s hearing.

“I guess my colleagues want to go back to when we had higher tax rates than communist China,” said Rep. Jodey Arrington, R-Texas. “What’s pro-American about that? How are we going to unleash economic growth, job creation, and prosperity with that kind of tax rate? We reduced it to 21% and we’re not even in the top quarter of the most competitive tax rates. So, I guess my colleagues want to go back to the highest business tax rate in the free world. It makes no sense.”

“The 21% rate in the United States of America – when you add the average state rate across the United States – is at 25%,” added Rep. Kevin Hern, R-Okla. “Our greatest adversary in the world economically – no one is even close – is China at 25%.”

Congressman Jodey Arrington speaks at Tuesday’s full Ways & Means Committee on what to do about the expiring Tax Cuts and Jobs Act passed under Trump in 2017. (Ways & Means Committee)

Allison Couch, the founder of Ignite Accounting and one of the witnesses present at Tuesday’s hearing, referred to 199-A as “the single most beneficial deduction for small business owners.”

“Allowing this deduction to lapse when it has been in place for so many years will not feel like a sunset, but a tax increase,” said Couch, who also submitted a report into the congressional record during Tuesday’s hearing from global accounting firm Ernst & Young, which indicated 25.9 million small businesses in the United States utilize the 199-A deduction.

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Other provisions that Republicans and the pro-TCJA witnesses at the hearing called on to become permanent included Trump’s beefed up child tax credit, which doubled parents’ eligible deduction, his death tax reforms, which doubled the amount heirs could pass on before being taxed, and lower marginal tax rates for individuals, a move that one witness said Tuesday has helped workers earn more take-home pay.  

Closeup woman filling form of Individual Income Tax Return. (iStock)

However, Democrats at the hearing argued that an extension of Trump’s tax cuts will benefit the ultra wealthy more than anyone else. They also argued that Republicans are ignoring the deficit impact, and not providing adequate solutions for how to pay for the extended cuts, noting that increased deficits could result in increased interest rates, a grater cost burden for middle-class people and less economic growth.  

“There’s no free lunch here,” said Brendan Duke, senior director of economic policy at the left-leaning Center for American Progress. “The tax cuts will likely be paid for eventually in the form of spending cuts or tax increases down the line. In the meantime, continued, or even higher deficits could mean continued or even higher interest rates. That makes housing, student loans and credit card debt less affordable for working people.”

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“Republican reliance on tariff taxes to off-set their tax breaks for the super wealthy will continue to shift the tax burden to some of the very type of businesses that [Republicans want to protect]” warned Democratic Texas Rep. Lloyd Doggett. “The biggest loser of their plan overall will be our debt, but the impact that that has on the solvency of Social Security, and Medicare and other investments, is also very critical. So, as we move forward we need to consider all of these impacts and look for a tax code that is mor fair for working Americans and less of a gift to those at the top.”

Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Texas, stops to speak with a reporter inside the underground tunnels underneath the U.S. Capitol ((Photo by Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images))

In response to the battle in Congress over the expiring tax cuts, a fiscally conservative political advocacy group, Americans for Prosperity, launched a $20 million campaign to urge lawmakers on Capitol Hill “to protect prosperity” by renewing Trump’s tax cuts. 

The campaign will include ads in all 50 states as the group says Congress is “facing a countdown to crisis that threatens the family budgets of virtually every American.” Notably, Americans for Prosperity, endorsed Trump’s presidential contender Nikki Haley prior to Trump becoming the GOP’s nominee. 

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Expect a traffic jam in the Senate soon as the race is on to confirm President-elect Trump’s cabinet nominees.

In short, nothing can happen until President-elect Trump takes office on Jan. 20.

Yes, there will be plenty of Trump loyalists attending various inaugural balls around town.

But once the inauguration festivities conclude at the Capitol, the Senate will get down to business. A handful of committees are already angling to schedule “markups” to potentially discharge or send various nominations to the floor. The Senate Foreign Relations Committee has already teed up a meeting for 3:15 pm et on January 20 for the nomination of Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) to be Secretary of State. And if the custom holds, the Senate will confirm at least a few of Mr. Trump’s nominees just hours after he takes the oath of office.

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Let history be our guide:

The Senate confirmed Trump’s Defense Secretary James Mattis and Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly on the evening of January 20, 2017. The next confirmation didn’t come until January 31, 2017. That was Elaine Chao, wife of former Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), to be Transportation Secretary.

In 2021, the Senate confirmed one of President Biden’s nominees shortly after he was sworn-in. Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines was the first Biden nominee confirmed – on the night of January 20, 2021. The first, full cabinet-level vote did not come until January 22, when the Senate confirmed Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.

The coming weeks are littered with confirmation hearings for President-elect Trump’s Cabinet picks – but the pace at which we can expect them to be confirmed and take office is an entirely different animal. (All photos via Getty Images)

So, while everyone is trying to squeeze into their tux on Monday night, look for the Senate to potentially vote on a nominee or two on the evening of January 20th.

Fox is told that the most likely candidates might include Rubio – since he is a known quantity in the Senate and has bipartisan support. Another possibility would be CIA Director nominee John Ratcliffe. The Senate previously confirmed Ratcliffe as the Director of National Intelligence during the first Trump Administration. He is also a known entity in the halls of Congress and served as a Republican congressman from Texas. His hearing is on for tomorrow.

Frankly, the ambitious timetable of approving several of the nominees quickly could be challenging.

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The Senate Energy Committee had to postpone Tuesday’s confirmation hearing for Interior Secretary Doug Burgum from Tuesday until Thursday due to delays over paperwork. Veterans Affairs Secretary nominee Doug Collins is not controversial. He is a former GOP congressman from Georgia. But his confirmation hearing for Tuesday was pushed back until next week. Collins may have been one figure who could have been confirmed quickly.

Attorney General nominee Pam Bondi is also one who could secure relatively speedy confirmation. Her hearing is Wednesday and Thursday. So maybe next week for her? Unclear.

But let’s examine the track record of the Senate confirming President Biden’s nominees and place it against expectations for the new Trump Administration.

Attorney General pick Pam Bondi is one of a few Trump nominees who may enjoy comparatively speedy confirmation, though vote delays are far from uncommon. (MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)

After Lloyd Austin, the Senate confirmed Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen on January 25, 2021, and Secretary of State Antony Blinken on January 26. Most cabinet officials weren’t confirmed until February or March. The Senate did not confirm Interior Secretary Deb Haaland until March 15, 2021, Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra until March 18, 2021, and Labor Secretary Marty Walsh until March 22, 2021.

You get the idea.

Every nominee must go through a hearing. Committees have different rules about how they discharge a nomination to the floor. So that could consume some time as well. Some nominees could be bottled up in committee, depending on opposition or attendance problems. Then there may be debate on the floor.

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If Democrats filibuster a nominee, Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) may need to tee up a procedural gambit to break filibusters. The process of just initiating a procedural vote to break a filibuster consumes parts of three days alone. If a nominee’s opponents still don’t relent, it’s possible that senators could drag out debate on a nominee for day or two – even though the Senate has broken a filibuster.

In February 2017, Mike Pence became the first Vice President to break a tie to confirm a cabinet official. He did so to confirm former Education Secretary Betsy DeVos.

In other words, floor time is at a premium. There are various parliamentary “meridians” for when the Senate can take certain procedural votes to advance a nominee. That’s why the Senate took a procedural vote at 7 am on the DeVos nomination in February 2017. The Senate also confirmed then Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price around 2 am one morning.

Mike Pence was the first Vice President whose vote was needed to break a tie in a Cabinet secretary’s confirmation – that secretary being former Department of Education head Betsy DeVos. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

And we haven’t even gotten to other nominations which are important to the Administration – such as Pete Hoekstra to be Ambassador to Canada or Mike Huckabee to serve as Ambassador to Israel. There are more than 800 positions which require Senate confirmation.

To accelerate things, the Senate could confirm some swaths of non-controversial nominees “en bloc.” That means the Senate clears the nominees on both sides to make sure there are no objections. If there are none, the Senate compiles a list and confirms a group of nominees together in one fell swoop.

But this is a long and tedious process. Confirming various positions in the Trump administration is going to take months. It consumes hours of floor time. That’s the most precious commodity in the Senate. Keep in mind that the push to confirm Trump nominees comes as the Senate is trying to work out a time agreement and amendments to pass the Laken Riley Act and a bill to sanction the International Criminal Court over its arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

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This is a monster process. And it will likely consume some early mornings, very late nights and even some weekend sessions before this is settled.

President Biden on Tuesday signed proclamations to establish the Chuckwalla National Monument and the Sáttítla Highlands National Monument, which will protect hundreds of thousands of acres of land in California, during his last week in office. 

The event was delayed by a week due to the destructive wildfires raging in Southern California, and Biden revealed that he had wanted to do the ceremony in the state, but it had to be moved to the White House. 

“We’ve been carrying out the most aggressive climate agenda ever in the history of the world,” the president said in the East Room of the White House, before discussing the national monuments. “Our natural wonders are the heart and soul of our nation.” 

He said in his second week as president he signed an executive order “establishing the first ever conservation goal to protect 30% of all our lands and waters everywhere in America by 2030 … I call this national campaign America the Beautiful … And over the last four years, we’ve delivered … putting America on track to meet that bold goal, restoring it, creating new national monuments, conserving hundreds of millions of acres of land and waters all across America, from New England to Minnesota, Texas to Colorado, Arizona, Alaska.” 

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Biden signed a proclamation to establish Chuckwalla National Monument and Sáttítla Highlands National Monument in California on Tuesday.  (Anna Rose Layden/EPA/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

He added, “Over the past four years, I’m proud to have kept my commitment to protect more land and water than any president in American history.” 

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President Biden on Tuesday signed proclamations to establish the Chuckwalla National Monument and the Sáttítla Highlands National Monument, which will protect hundreds of thousands of acres of land in California, during his last week in office.  (Roberto Schmidt/AFP via Getty Images)

The Chuckwalla National Monument will protect more than 600,000 acres of public land in the California desert near Joshua Tree National Park and the Colorado River, according to the National Parks Conservation Association. 

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Biden listens to California officials update him on the wildfires on Jan. 10.  (eigh Vogel/UPI/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

The Sáttítla Highlands National Monument will protect more than 224,000 acres of land in Northern California in the Modoc, Shasta-Trinity, and Klamath national forests and “provides protection to tribal ancestral homelands, historic and scientific treasures, rare flora and fauna, and the headwaters of vital sources of water,” according to the U.S. Forest Service.

Them’s fightin’ words. 

The House Oversight Committee devolved into chaos on Tuesday after Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., challenged Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, to a fight. 

“If you wanna take it outside, we can do that,” Mace said.

The squabble was sparked when Crockett said “child, listen” during a back-and-forth about civil rights, women’s rights and transgender rights.

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Reps. Nancy Mace and Jasmine Crockett shared a heated exchange over trans rights and women’s rights. (Fox News)

“Somebody’s campaign coffers are struggling right now. So she gon’ keep sayin’ ‘trans, trans trans’ so that people will feel threatened and child, listen,” Crockett said. 

Mace erupted in anger. 

“I’m no child! Do not call me a child! I’m no child. Don’t even start,” Mace said, interrupting Crockett. “I’m a grown woman. I’m 47 years old. I’ve broken more glass ceilings than you ever have… You will not do that. I’m not a child… If you wanna take it outside, we can do that.”

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The two talked over each other as House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., attempted to control the chaos as he slammed his gavel. 

“Order! Order! Order!,” members could be heard saying.

House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer attempted to get the meeting under control. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

Crockett later attacked Republicans, accusing them of going after “the most vulnerable in our country.” 

She said, “Trans people ain’t goin’ no where. Just like when the racists wanted to make sure that Black people somehow were going to be dismissed in this country. We ain’t left either.”

Mace later took to X to continue her war of words with Crockett. 

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“I’m no child. And if I wanted a physical fight, you’d know it. That’s not what this was,” she wrote. “I won’t be bullied by someone who wants to take away women’s rights while lecturing about civil rights. I won’t be bullied by someone who thinks being scared of rape is a ‘fantasy.’ This ain’t political, it’s personal.”

Mace further attempted to clarify her comments in a statement to Fox News Digital.

“There’s been a lot of speculation about my intentions during a heated exchange on women’s rights earlier today on Oversight,” she said in the statement. “Let me be clear: I wanted to take the conversation off the floor to have a more constructive conversation, not to fight. At no point was there any intention of causing harm to anyone. I was just assaulted by a pro tr*ns man a few weeks ago and am still in physical therapy for my injuries. I know firsthand how the Left is capable of doing real physical harm. I will not be bullied into submission, I will not be called names by my colleagues like I was today, I will not be belittled, or invalidated—especially as a rape survivor. I will always stand up for women and push back against left-wing extremism that seeks to silence our voices and dismiss our rights.”

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Crockett also took to X to address the exchange, writing, in part: “Today, I introduced an amendment to reinstate the Oversight Subcommittee on Civil Rights and Civil Liberties. My Republican colleague threatened to physically fight me about it. Bless her heart.”

Crockett’s office also fired back at Mace, claiming it was clear Mace was threatening physical violence against Crockett.

“It was clear that Rep. Mace was threatening physical violence against Congresswoman Crockett as part of her performative, ridiculous meltdown,” Crockett’s office said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “Her slur-ridden screed exemplifies exactly why the House Oversight Committee needs to pass Congresswoman Crockett’s amendment to reinstate the Subcommittee on Civil Rights and Civil Liberties. Congresswoman Crockett ignored her obvious, desperate baiting – if Rep. Mace wants to raise money off of the back of a qualified Black woman, she can try someone else.” 

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The brouhaha between Mace and Crockett happened on the same day the House passed a bill banning transgender athletes from participating in women’s sports at schools that receive federal funding. 

Two House Democrats voted alongside Republicans to pass the Protection of Women and Girls In Sports Act. Reps. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, and Vicente Gonzales, D-Texas, were the lone Democrats to vote for the bill when it passed 218 to 206. Rep. Don Davis, D-N.C., voted “present.”

Fox News Digital’s Elizabeth Elkind contributed to this report.

FIRST ON FOX: Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, officially endorsed Pete Hegseth for Secretary of Defense on Tuesday night, despite expressing some initial uncertainty following their first meeting. 

“After four years of weakness in the White House, Americans deserve a strong Secretary of Defense,” Ernst told Fox News Digital in an exclusive statement.

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Ernst officially announced her support of Hegseth on Tuesday.  (Photo by Samuel Corum/Getty Images)

“Our next commander in chief selected Pete Hegseth to serve in this role, and after our conversations, hearing from Iowans, and doing my job as a United States Senator, I will support President Trump’s pick for Secretary of Defense. As I serve on the Armed Services Committee, I will work with Pete to create the most lethal fighting force and hold him to his commitments of auditing the Pentagon, ensuring opportunity for women in combat while maintaining high standards, and selecting a senior official to address and prevent sexual assault in the ranks.”

President-elect Trump’s pick to lead the Department of Defense (DOD) went before the Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday morning, where he faced questions from both Democratic and Republican members. 

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WASHINGTON, DC – JANUARY 14: U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth testifies during his Senate Armed Services confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill on January 14, 2025, in Washington, DC. Hegseth, an Army veteran and the former host of “FOX & Friends Weekend” on FOX News will be the first of the incoming Trump administration’s nominees to face questions from Senators. ( (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images))

During the hearing, Ernst pressed Trump’s DOD choice on women in combat, sexual assault in the military and auditing the department. 

Ernst, a survivor of sexual assault herself, said, “A priority of mine has been combating sexual assault in the military and making sure that all of our service members are treated with dignity and respect. This has been so important. Senator Gillibrand and I have worked on this, and we were able to get changes made to the uniform code of military justice to make sure that we have improvements, and on how we address the tragic and life altering, issues of rape, sexual assault. It will demand time and attention from the Pentagon under your watch, if you are confirmed.”

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WASHINGTON, DC – JANUARY 14: Rep. Michael Waltz (R-FL) (L) introduces U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth during his Senate Armed Services confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill on January 14, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Getty Images)

“So, as secretary of Defense, will you appoint a senior level official dedicated to sexual assault prevention and response?” she asked Hegseth. 

Trump’s DOD choice told the senator that he would agree to do so. 

Ernst had previously expressed uncertainty about her support for Hegseth, agreeing with Fox News anchor Bill Hemmer when he suggested she wasn’t quite ready to say yes to his confirmation. “I think you are right,” she said on “America’s Newsroom.”

The senator’s support is a welcome development for Hegseth because, in order to be confirmed, its expected he will need nearly every Republican to back him, with room to lose only two of their votes. This is assuming that no Democratic senators choose to back him, in which case, he would have more flexibility with Republicans. 

Secretary of Defense nominee Pete Hegseth, left, and President Elect Donald Trump, right  (Getty)

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Hegseth took numerous pointed questions from Democrats, along with several criticisms. The senators prodded him over allegations regarding alcohol consumption, sexual assault and financial mismanagement. 

He has denied each of the allegations. However, Democratic senators emerged from the hearing unconvinced by Hegseth. 

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…

-GOP senator flips script on Dems for ‘hypocritical’ grilling of Hegseth: ‘So ridiculous’

–Massie removed from powerful House committee after vote against Johnson

-Speaker Johnson announces flags to fly full-staff at US Capitol during presidential inauguration

Grilled on the Hill

President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Department of Defense, Pete Hegseth, faced a Senate grilling on Tuesday as lawmakers determine whether they will vote in support of the nominee. 

Hegseth faced intense questioning from Democrats in his Armed Services Committee hearing, including his previous comments related to women serving in military combat roles, and was also interrupted by protesters who disturbed the hearing at some points. 

Trump nominated Hegseth in November, just days after his decisive election win over Vice President Harris, lauding him “as a Warrior for the Troops, and for the Country.”…Read more

Pete Hegseth, military analyst at Twenty-First Century Fox Inc. and US secretary of defense nominee for US President-elect Donald Trump, during a Senate Armed Services Committee confirmation hearing in Washington, DC, US, on Tuesday,  Photographer: Kent Nishimura/Bloomberg via Getty Images (Getty Images)

White House

‘LEAD THE WORLD’: Biden issues second AI action during final week in office with executive order fast-tracking US infrastructure…Read more

ANCHORS AWAY: Biden announces names of future aircraft carriers: USS William J Clinton, George W Bush…Read more

FEMA FUNDS: Biden announces $770  checks for residents impacted by California wildfires…Read more

Vehicles and a house burn as powerful winds fueling devastating wildfires in the Los Angeles area force people to evacuate, at the Eaton Fire in Altadena, California, U.S. January 8, 2025.  (REUTERS/David Swanson)

‘CASHING IN’: ‘Incomplete’ Hunter Biden report, protection of ‘Biden Crime Family’ shredded by Comer, IRS whistleblowers…Read more

World Stage

Trump Transition

COZY AT THE WHITE HOUSE: Elon Musk poised to take White House office space: report…Read more

LOUD NOISES: Hegseth interrupted by multiple protesters during Senate confirmation hearing…Read more

US Capitol Police officers remove a demonstrator during a Senate Armed Services Committee confirmation hearing in Washington, DC, US, on Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025. Photographer: Kent Nishimura/Bloomberg via Getty Images (Getty Images)

ABSENT AGAIN: Michelle Obama to skip Trump inauguration, 11 days after missing Carter funeral…Read more

‘I WANT TO KNOW…’: GOP Hegseth holdout presses defense secretary nominee on her top 3 issues in military…Read more

‘CLOWN SHOW’: Dem senator’s ‘lies and stupidity’ at Hegseth hearing roasted on social media…Read more

Capitol Hill

SPORTS: Two House Dems vote with GOP to ban biological males from girls’ school sports…Read more

House GOP Members And Female Athletes Mark Passage Of The Protection Of Women And Girls In Sports Act WASHINGTON, DC – APRIL 20: Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) (C) and Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-VA) (L) raise their hands when asked if they know a transgender woman during an event to celebrate the House passing The Protection Of Women And Girls In Sports Act outside the U.S. Capitol on April 20, 2023 in Washington, DC. President Joe Biden has promised to veto the legislation, which defines sex as ‘based solely on a person’s reproductive biology and genetics at birth’ and would ban all transgender women and girls from competing in female school sports.  (Chip Somodevilla)

WHO-DUNIT: Global health agency on chopping block as Republicans threaten to cut off funds…Read more

DOGE HOUSE: House DOGE Caucus eyes federal employees, government regulations in new goal-setting memo…Read more

Across America

‘SPREAD SO THIN’: LA councilwoman whose district ravaged by wildfires looks to hold leaders accountable for empty reservoirs…Read more

People watch the smoke and flames from the Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood on Jan. 7, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. Fueled by intense Santa Ana Winds, the Palisades Fire has grown to over 2,900 acres and 30,000 people have been ordered to evacuate while a second fire has emerged near Eaton Canyon.  (Tiffany Rose/Getty Images)

BORDER CRISIS COSTS: Oklahoma education superintendent suing for reimbursement of costs of education for illegal aliens…Read more

JUMPING IN: Top lawmaker first Republican to launch gubernatorial campaign in race to succeed Michigan’s Whitmer…Read more

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

FIRST ON FOX: A Kentucky judge declined to immediately sign a police reform consent decree forged by the Justice Department and city of Louisville during a hearing one courtroom participant described as a hasty attempt by the Biden administration to hamstring President-elect Donald Trump.

The Monday hearing was one of at least three instances of ongoing litigation in which the Biden administration is seeking to enshrine progressive policing policies in their 11th hour in a difficult-to-reverse manner.

Federal Judge Benjamin Beaton refused to be a “rubber stamp” for a 240-page reform plan spurred by the 2020 police-involved shooting of Breonna Taylor, Oversight Project counsel Kyle Brosnan said in a Tuesday interview.

Taylor had been killed in a hail of police gunfire after Louisville officers sought to serve a drug warrant at her boyfriend Kenneth Walker’s house, when her beau fired a “warning shot” through the door and struck Officer Jonathan Mattingly in the leg.

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Biden and Garland (Getty)

Brosnan noted a consent decree is different from other legal agreements — in that they cannot simply be reversed by presidential order or a change of heart by one of the parties involved.

Brosnan characterized the Kentucky decree’s reforms as “woke,” while his colleague, Oversight Project executive director Mike Howell, previously called them a “laundry list of BLM-type standards” the left has long called for.

The Law Enforcement Legal Defense Fund joined the amicus brief filed, as Brosnan noted LELDF’s leader Jason Johnson has “first-hand experience” with consent decrees following the Freddie Gray riots and ensuing investigation.

The consent decree alleged a pattern or practice of racial bias in Louisville policing, including in traffic stops, sexual assault probes or use-of-force.

“And the judge went through each of those topics and said, ‘OK, what is your basis for this?’,” Brosnan recounted.

In court, DOJ attorney Paul Killebrew was asked for data on lethal force incidents to better understand patterns alleged in the consent decree.

Killebrew reportedly replied that the DOJ could not provide such information in order to “maintain leverage” in any future litigation.

That dynamic was a theme during the marathon hearing, according to Brosnan.

However, it was not the only opportunity for the DOJ and city to convince Beaton to sign their decree, as the judge gave until Friday for additional documents to be filed, but time is of the essence.

While Inauguration Day is not necessarily a deadline for the Biden DOJ to get the decree approved, it won’t be long after that they will likely run out of time, Brosnan said.

He compared the dynamic to how Trump — early in his first term — fired Obama-holdover acting DOJ chief Sally Yates for refusing to enforce his “Muslim ban.”

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Outgoing administration officials at various levels will remain in “acting” roles until the Senate confirms incoming nominees. 

Therefore, the Biden DOJ effectively has until Pamela Bondi as attorney general or Harmeet Dhillon as head of the DOJ Civil Rights Division are in office to get their decree across the finish line, the attorney said.

Brosnan said there are at least two other police reform consent decrees matriculating through the legal process: in Maryland and Minnesota.

On Jan. 6, the DOJ reached an agreement with Minneapolis — that still requires court approval — to reform the department’s “unconstitutional and unlawful practices” allegedly counter to the Americans With Disabilities Act and 14th Amendment.

In October 2024, the feds sued the Maryland Department of State Police alleging Civil Rights Act violations.

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A side-by-side of President-elect Donald Trump and former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi. (Getty Images)

“The United States claims MDSP violated Title VII when it used a certain physical fitness test and a certain written test to hire entry-level Troopers because the tests disqualified more female and African-American applicants than others and were not job related,” a court document reads. 

Maryland police dispute the allegations.

Monday’s petitioners noted how the last Trump administration began with then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions reexamining Obama-era consent decrees.

“You are well within your power as judge to sort of pump the brakes and wait and see what the new administration has to say here,” Brosnan characterized their testimony to Beaton.

“Trump has a right to sort of not be handcuffed by the Biden administration — he won by-and-large because of the crime problems of urban America.”

Fox News Digital reached out to the DOJ for comment.

Reactions poured in on social media and elsewhere as Secretary of Defense nominee Pete Hegseth was grilled by Democrats on Capitol Hill following a tense confirmation hearing that often got personal.

“Pete Hegseth is crushing it,” Former White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer posted on X. “It is refreshing to hear someone relentlessly focus on warriors and lethality, without playing Washington’s word-salad game of forcing nominees to talk like social workers who run government agencies.”

“The Senate likes to claim that hearings as serious, deliberative acts of policy making and statesmanship, but many Senate Armed Service Committee Democrats’ behavior during Pete Hegseth’s confirmation hearing on Tuesday revealed the sad truth that most Senate hearings, confirmation or not, are kabuki theater,” Bradley Devlin, The Daily Signal politics editor, told Fox News Digital. 

Ned Ryun, President of ‘American Majority’, told Fox News Digital that Hegseth handled himself “magnificently.” 

DEM SENATOR’S ‘LIES AND STUPIDITY’ AT HEGSETH HEARING ROASTED ON SOCIAL MEDIA: ‘CLOWN SHOW’

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth testifies during his Senate Armed Services confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill on January 14, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

“He communicated a clear vision for a new day at the Pentagon where the Department of Defense leaves behind the weakness of woke and focuses on deterrence through strength,” Ryun said. “And when Democrats attempted to use the anonymously sourced attacks to undermine Pete, he handled those with grace. It really was a fantastic hearing for him and leaves little doubt in my mind that he’ll easily be confirmed.”

“They didn’t lay a glove on Hegseth today,” CNN political commentator Scott Jennings posted on X. “Why do Dems send their dumbest members to this important committee?”

THE TOP 5 MOMENTS FROM PETE HEGSETH’S SENATE CONFIRMATION HEARING

Pete Hegseth, US President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for Defense Secretary, testifies during his confirmation hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee on Capitol Hill (Allison Robbert)

“This hearing has made two things abundantly clear: 1. The left remains fully committed to the disastrous, woke, weak, and failed policies that were soundly rejected in November,” the account belonging to former HUD Secretary Ben Carson and his wife Candy posted on X. “It’s actually sad. 2. Pete Hegseth is going to be a fantastic Secretary of Defense. This is how it’s done.”

“While Democratic senators distracted with hearsay allegations and character assassinations, Pete Hegseth stayed the course on what the military is about: lethality,” Caroline Downey, National Review Staff Writer and visiting fellow with Independent Women’s Forum, told Fox News Digital. 

Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee to be defense secretary, makes his way to a meeting with Sen. Ted Budd, R-N.C., in Russell building on Tuesday, December 3, 2024. (Tom Williams)

“As the daughter of a West Point graduate and Army Captain who served in Vietnam, I can say that those prime objectives have fallen subservient to progressive political goals,” she continued. “The military academies have surrendered to woke ideology, jeopardizing their purpose which is to form upstanding leaders of intellectual, mental, and physical fortitude that can protect and defend the United States. Despite Democratic lawmakers accusing him of forsaking veterans, Hegseth proved that he has always been dedicated to their welfare not just in words but in deeds.”

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Sen. Jim Banks, R-Ind., said after the hearing that it is important that Hegseth is confirmed “immediately” and allowed to start as soon as possible.

“To me, it’s important he gets on the job immediately,” Banks told reporters.

“We can’t vote on confirming him out of the committee until President Trump is President Trump again. So January 20th, the committee will meet and we’ll pass him out of the committee… and hopefully he immediately goes to a vote on the floor because we can’t wait,” he continued.

Following the hearing, several Senate Democrats expressed a continued unwillingness to support Hegseth and claimed he wasn’t qualified.

Fox News Digital’s Morgan Phillips contributed to this report

Families who lost loved ones during the disastrous 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan are throwing their support behind Secretary of Defense nominee Pete Hegseth.

Hegseth, who Trump tapped to head the Defense Department, underwent questioning from the Senate Armed Services Committee during his confirmation hearing on Tuesday, where he faced over four hours of questioning from Republican and Democratic lawmakers.

The Abbey Gate Coalition, a group of the parents and families of those who tragically lost their lives in a terrorist attack after President Biden withdrew troops from Afghanistan, penned a letter to senators on Tuesday urging them to confirm President-elect Trump’s defense nominee and doubling down on their criticism of the current administration’s handling of the deadly event.

“We have been sitting by watching the current administration do nothing but attempt to take victory laps and thumb their noses at the sacrifice that our children made on that fateful day,” the letter reads. “They have had no interest in giving us any of those answers that we seek, and have attempted to put Afghanistan in the rear view mirror as was further evidenced yesterday in President Biden’s final address on his foreign affairs and his supposed successes.

DEM SENATOR’S ‘LIES AND STUPIDITY’ AT HEGSETH HEARING ROASTED ON SOCIAL MEDIA: ‘CLOWN SHOW’

WASHINGTON, DC – SEPTEMBER 9: A sign displaying photos and names of the 13 service members killed in a terrorist attack at Abbey Gate outside Kabul’s Hamid Karzai International Airport is seen during a news conference at the U.S. Capitol on September 9, 2024 in Washington, DC.  (Kent Nishimura/Getty Images)

The coalition has been critical of the Biden administration since the withdrawal, writing in the letter that they have been “stonewalled” by his administration.

GOP SENATOR FLIPS SCRIPT ON DEMS FOR ‘HYPOCRITICAL’ GRILLING OF HEGSETH: ‘SO RIDICULOUS’

“We have been stonewalled at every turn and only given ‘bread-crumbs’ to attempt to make us just go away! We feel that there has been a complete coverup at the department of Defense with the current Secretary of Defense leading the way,” the coalition wrote.

Pete Hegseth, US President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for Defense Secretary, testifies during his confirmation hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee on Capitol Hill on January 14, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Allison Robbert)

The families said that the process for accountability for Afghanistan begins with the confirmation of Hegseth to lead the defense department.

“We ask that you please hear our words and feel the pain that we do, knowing that it was avoidable in respect to what happened to our children,” the letter reads.

HARRIS LEAVES OUT DEADLY BOTCHED AFGHANISTAN WITHDRAWAL IN SOARING PRO-MILITARY DNC SPEECH

This image made available to AFP on August 20, 2021 by Human Rights Activist Omar Haidari, shows a US Marine grabbing an infant over a fence of barbed wire during an evacuation at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul on August 19, 2021.  (Photo by -/Courtesy of Omar Haidiri/AFP via Getty Images)

The Biden administration’s chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan led to the deaths of 13 U.S. service members defending the Kabul airport during the operation, while hundreds of Americans and tens of thousands of Afghan allies were left in the country under Taliban rule. Conservative critics, such as Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, said the withdrawal paved the way for adversaries such as Russia to invade Ukraine. 

The Taliban claimed control of Afghanistan following the withdrawal. 

GOLD STAR DAD SAYS BIDEN-HARRIS ‘DENIED’ SON’S SERVICE AS FALLEN AFGHANISTAN SOLDIERS HONORED IN CALIFORNIA

The families who lost loved ones during the botched withdrawal have previously and repeatedly slammed Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris over their deaths, including launching a scathing defense attack against Harris — when she was running for president – after the anniversary of the withdrawal last year. Parents and other loved ones claimed that the “administration killed my son” and that they “have not seen any support from you or your administration.”

Taliban fighters celebrate the third anniversary of the withdrawal of US-led troops from Afghanistan, in Kabul, Afghanistan, Wednesday, Aug. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Siddiqullah Alizai)

Trump, meanwhile, has repeatedly remembered the service members who died, and invited their families to the RNC in Milwaukee in July. 

TRUMP SUPPORTERS, GOLD STAR FAMILIES FLOOD HARRIS’ X ACCOUNT AFTER ARLINGTON ATTACK: ADMIN ‘KILLED MY SON’

Republican presidential nominee, former U.S. President Donald Trump stands alongside  Misty Fuoco, whose sister Sgt. Nicole Gee died in Abbey Gate Bombing, at a wreath laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery on August 26, 2024 in Arlington, Virginia.  (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

“Look at our faces. Look at our pain, and our heartbreak. And look at our rage. [The Afghanistan withdrawal] was not an extraordinary success,” said Cheryl Juels, the aunt of Marine Sgt. Nicole Gee, at the RNC. “Joe Biden owes the men and women who served in Afghanistan a debt of gratitude, and an apology.”

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​​”While Joe Biden has refused to recognize their sacrifice, Donald Trump spent six hours in Bedminster with us,” said the mother-in-law of Nicole Gee at the RNC. “He allowed us to grieve, he allowed us to remember our heroes. Donald Trump knew all of our children’s names, he knew their stories, and he spoke to us in a way that made us feel understood, like he knew our kids.”

The Biden administration reportedly plans to lift Cuba’s designation as a state sponsor of terrorism on Tuesday, reversing a move made by the Trump administration in 2021.

The Associated Press reported the news on Tuesday afternoon, though the White House has not yet denied or confirmed the reports. The move is reportedly part of a Catholic Church-sponsored deal to free political prisoners in Cuba.

 Cuba was given the designation in January 2021, shortly before Biden took office. At the time, the U.S. Embassy of Cuba accused the country of “repeatedly providing support for acts of international terrorism in granting safe harbor to terrorists.”

“The Trump Administration has been focused from the start on denying the Castro regime the resources it uses to oppress its people at home, and countering its malign interference in Venezuela and the rest of the Western Hemisphere,” the statement read. “With this action, we will once again hold Cuba’s government accountable and send a clear message: the Castro regime must end its support for international terrorism and subversion of U.S. justice.”

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The Biden administration lifted Cuba’s designation as a state sponsor of terrorism on Tuesday. (Getty Images)

The statement referenced Raul Castro, the then-first secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba and the brother of notorious dictator Fidel Castro. According to the State Department, Cuba was first named a state sponsor of terrorism in 1982, and the designation was rescinded in 2015.

“Cuba maintains close and collaborative ties with designated state sponsors of terror such as Iran and North Korea,” the State Department’s 2019 report read. “The Cuban regime continues to host ELN leaders associated with now-defunct peace talks to reside in Cuba, despite Colombia’s repeated requests for their extradition.  Cuba also continues to harbor multiple fugitives who committed or supported acts of terrorism in the United States.”

Trump, who will be inaugurated for his second presidential term next week, is expected to reverse Biden’s move. His incoming secretary of state, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, is of Cuban descent and has vocally criticized Cuba’s communist leaders.

In 2021, Rubio sponsored legislation that supported “courageous Cuban people as they lead historic protests throughout the island against six decades of repression and tyranny from the Castro and Díaz-Canel regime.”

 SULLIVAN CLAIMS BIDEN ADMIN LEAVES RUSSIA, CHINA AND IRAN ‘WEAKER,’ AMERICA ‘SAFER’ BEFORE TRUMP HANDOFF

Aerial view of the city of Havana on August 02, 2017 in Havana, Cuba. (Frédéric Soltan/Corbis via Getty Images)

“The Cuban people are courageously standing up for their freedoms after 62 years of subjugation under a communist dictatorship,” Rubio said of the 2021 protests. “This is truly a historic moment, and one that as a Cuban American I’m proud to witness. The people of Cuba have made their voices clear. We must stand in support of the Cuban people’s ongoing efforts to live in a nation free from tyranny and censorship.” 

Before Tuesday’s announcement was made, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz denounced the Biden administration’s move, calling it “unacceptable on its merits.”

“The terrorism advanced by the Cuban regime has not ceased,” Cruz said in a statement. “I will work with President Trump and my colleagues to immediately reverse and limit the damage from the decision.”

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President-elect Trump will succeed President Biden next week. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images, left, Tierney L. Cross/Bloomberg, right)

Fox News Digital reached out to the State Department for comment, but officials declined to comment. Fox News Digital also reached out to the White House for confirmation.

President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Department of Defense, Pete Hegseth, was interrupted by at least three protesters during his Senate confirmation hearing on Tuesday. 

“Veterans are committing suicide and are homeless, but we send money to bomb children in Gaza,” one female protester wearing fatigues shouted as she was escorted from the hearing, Fox News Digital video shows. 

Hegseth appeared before the Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday morning, when he was grilled by lawmakers ahead of a committee vote and final confirmation vote on his nomination as secretary of Defense. 

PETE HEGSETH HEADS TO CAPITOL HILL FOR FIERY HEARING ON HIS RECORD, PLANS TO SHAKE UP PENTAGON

A female protester wearing fatigues was removed from Pete Hegseth’s confirmation hearing in the Senate on Tuesday. (Fox Digital )

An elderly man who was handcuffed with zipties was also seen being escorted out of the hearing. Another man, also appearing to wear fatigues, was seen being carried out by Capitol Police. 

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A protester is escorted from Pete Hegseth’s confirmation hearing to serve as secretary of Defense. (Fox Digital )

Hegseth, a former Fox News host, has spent his days in recent weeks on Capitol Hill meeting with senators to rally support as he battled allegations of sexual misconduct, excessive drinking and mismanaging a veterans nonprofit organization. Hegseth has denied the allegations and vowed that he won’t drink “a drop of alcohol” if confirmed to Trump’s Cabinet.

PETE HEGSETH SAYS HE HASN’T HEARD FROM WEST POINT SINCE EMPLOYEE ‘ERROR’ DENYING HIS ACCEPTANCE

U.S. Capitol Police officers remove a demonstrator during a Senate Armed Services Committee confirmation hearing in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025. (Kent Nishimura/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

TRUMP NOMINEE PETE HEGSETH FENDS OFF DEMOCRATIC ATTACKS AT FIERY CONFIRMATION HEARING

Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., asked Hegseth about the protesters during his hearing, including regarding the war in Israel that has been ongoing since 2023. 

U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., questions President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, during his Senate Armed Services confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill on Jan. 14, 2025 in Washington, D.C. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

“Another protester, and I think this one was a member of Code Pink, which, by the way, is a Chinese communist front group these days, said that you support Israel’s war in Gaza. I support Israel’s existential war in Gaza. I assume, like me and President Trump, you support that war as well,” Cotton said. 

PETE HEGSETH SAYS HE WILL BE ‘STANDING RIGHT HERE IN THIS FIGHT’ AFTER MEETING WITH SENATORS

“I support Israel destroying and killing every last member of Hamas,” Hegseth responded. 

US Capitol Police officers remove a demonstrator during a Senate Armed Services Committee confirmation hearing in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025. (Photographer: Kent Nishimura/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

“And the third protester said something about 20 years of genocide. I assume that’s our wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Do you think our troops are committing genocide in Iraq and Afghanistan?” Cotton continued. 

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“Senator, I do not. I think … our troops, as you know, as so many in this committee know, did the best they could with what they had. … And tragically, the outcome we saw in Afghanistan under the Biden administration put a stain on that, but it doesn’t put a stain on what those men and women did in uniform, as you know full well, Senator,” Hegseth responded. 

FIRST ON FOX NEWS DIGITAL: The state of Oklahoma is suing to hold the Biden administration accountable for unleashing “massive chaos” on the public school system in the state through four years of open border policies.

The suit, launched by the Oklahoma State Department of Education and Oklahoma Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters, targets President Joe Biden’s Department of Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency. It demands the Biden administration refund Oklahoma for the approximately $470 million it had to spend on educating thousands of illegal immigrant children over the last four years.

Walters, who filed the suit in the Western District Court of Oklahoma today, told Fox News Digital that public schools are “overrun with illegal immigrants” who are stretching the system’s resources thin and limiting opportunities for the children of taxpaying citizens.

ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT HONDURAN GANG MEMBER KIDNAPPED US WOMAN, ‘GIGGLED’ AFTER THREATENING TO SELL ORGANS: REPORT

Oklahoma Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters speaks during a special state Board of Education meeting, April 12, 2023, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

According to data gathered by the Oklahoma State Department of Education, the state spends approximately $11,000 per student annually and the number of unaccompanied migrant children placed in the state is nearly 3,000. 

Walters said that Oklahoma schools are struggling to provide adequate resources for immigrant children, such as certified teachers for students with limited English proficiency, transportation and individualized education plans, and that these challenges have a long-term impact on school budgets and the quality of education for all students in the state.

“It truly is chaos in the school system. And who’s suffering here? It’s the students,” said Walters. “Joe Biden and Kamala Harris did this intentionally and we’ve got students caught in the crossfire here. We have got to protect them and we’ve got to get our states back on track in educating our kids.”

BIDEN EDUCATION DEPARTMENT SPENT OVER $1 BILLION ON DEI GRANTS: REPORT

FILE – A migrant carries his ICE paperwork after being dropped off at a church serving as a shelter for migrants who are seeking asylum, after they were released by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), on May 19, 2019 in El Paso, Texas.  (Mario Tama/Getty Images)

Though President-elect Donald Trump is set to take office next week he said that Oklahoma taxpayers are still being saddled with the costs of the Biden administration’s failed border policies.

He pointed to an NBC interview with outgoing ICE Director P.J. Lechleitner, who said the Biden administration “absolutely” should have acted sooner to shut down the border. 

Walters said: “They knew it was happening, and they didn’t do anything about it.”

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“Last week we had Joe Biden’s top ICE director admit that they allowed this to happen, that they allowed the law to be broken … and frankly, they’re crystal clear these orders came from the top, they came from Joe Biden and the border czar Kamala Harris,” he said. “We cannot just allow them to skate off into the sunset and say, ‘President Trump, here you go, states, sorry, we just caused this massive chaos across your schools, across your state, into your communities.’ Those individuals have to be held accountable for the chaos they brought to our kids and our families. And that’s what this lawsuit will do.”

BLUE STATE GOV CHANGES TUNE AFTER VOWING TO FIGHT TRUMP DEPORTATION EFFORTS, NOW HOPES HE FIXES BORDER

US President Donald Trump speaks with US Border Patrol Chief Rodney Scott (R) as they participates in a ceremony commemorating the 200th mile of border wall at the international border with Mexico in San Luis, Arizona, June 23, 2020. (Photo by SAUL LOEB / AFP) (Photo by SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images) (SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images)

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Walters called on other states to join Oklahoma’s suit against the Biden administration, saying that “every state has to get a grasp of what illegal immigration has done to their school system, has done to their states.”

“This is the future we’re talking about; we’re trying to get education back on track,” he said.  

“This is how you change this trajectory. This is how you get the Trump administration the support that they need by holding the current administration accountable, getting this data, getting this information,” he went on, concluding: “In Oklahoma, we’re not going to tolerate Kamala Harris and Joe Biden allowing our schools to be overrun with illegal immigrants and with this lawsuit, we will hold them accountable to the taxpayers of the state of Oklahoma.”

The high profile 2026 gubernatorial race to succeed term-limited Democratic Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is kicking into gear.

Republican state Senate Minority Leader Aric Nesbitt on Tuesday announced his candidacy, becoming the first major party candidate to launch a gubernatorial campaign.

“Michigan deserves so much better than what we’re getting out of Lansing right now,” Nesbitt said in a launch video posted on social media. “I’m going to be running a campaign that concentrates on Michigan first, families first and workers first. I’m in the fight.”

Highlighting his conservative philosophy, Nesbitt emphasized that “I trust families over government.”

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“I want to go ahead and empower the taxpayers instead of the tax-takers here in the state — and that’s part of this Michigan First agenda where you have to expect so much more out of Lansing and expect that there’s actually value for money,” he emphasized.

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Additionally, Nesbitt, who highlighted his “small town farm boy” heritage in his video, also pledged to “stand with President Trump to bring back a renaissance on manufacturing here in Michigan.”

Nesbit is the first Republican in Michigan to jump into a race that will likely attract a large field.

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat, is term-limited. Whitmer is seen standing for a Fox News Digital interview on July 25, 2024 in Durham, New Hampshire. (Fox News – Paul Steinhauser)

Former GOP state Attorney General Mike Cox has formed a committee to explore a gubernatorial bid. Other Republicans believed to be considering a run include Rep. John James, former state House Speaker Tom Leonard, Oakland County businessman Kevin Rinke, 2022 GOP gubernatorial nominee Tudor Dixon, and former gubernatorial and presidential candidate Perry Johnson.

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Among the Democrats mulling a run for governor are Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, Pete Buttigieg, the 2020 presidential candidate who has served as Transportation secretary in President Biden’s administration the past four years, and state Sen. Mallory McMorrow.

Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan, a Democrat, is running for governor of Michigan in 2026 as an independent. (Getty Images)

Detroit’s Democratic Mayor Mike Duggan made headlines recently when he announced his 2026 gubernatorial campaign as an independent.

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Michigan is a crucial general election battleground state. 

President Biden carried the state by a razor-thin margin in the 2020 election. President-elect Trump narrowly won the state in November’s election, but Democrats held onto a highly contested open Senate seat.

A nonprofit organization with the goal of “preserving freedom and bringing ideological balance back to public corporations” released a database outlining a list of Fortune 100 companies that are financially dependent on China and could lose large sums of money if sanctions were ever put in place.

“In this current political climate, there are discussions of the imposition of severe trade tariffs on Chinese goods,” 1792 Exchange explained in a new report released this week. “In addition to tariffs, American sanctions may be placed on American companies doing business in China. For example, if China invades Taiwan, it may result in sanctions like the ones imposed on Russia after the Ukraine invasion. If imposed, our assessment is that American businesses, and investors, could lose a substantial amount of funds.

“This raises a number of serious questions that beg for clear answers. What would the financial impact to these companies be if the U.S. imposes sanctions or tariffs that put both assets and revenue streams at risk? What compromises are being exacted by the CCP in order for these companies to invest in China and do business there? How do those conditions influence their U.S. policies and operations? How do companies reconcile potential moral incongruence when their public policy stance in China is at odds with their U.S.-based behavior?”

The report highlights over 80 companies that currently operate in China and estimates the amount of sanctions they could potentially face in the future, which was calculated “based on balance sheet data, trade data, and sanctions calculation.”

ONE STATE’S NATURAL RESOURCES CAN FINALLY PUT AN END TO AMERICA’S RELIANCE ON CHINA

Former Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron spoke to Fox News Digital about his new report on Fortune 100 companies invested in China. (Getty Images)

Dozens of companies are included in the report, including Citigroup, Intel, Boeing, Disney, Nike and John Deere.

While many of the companies listed have not fully disclosed the full scope of their China business dealings, some have and in those cases, 1792 Exchange estimated the potential financial liability those companies face from potential sanctions in China during the upcoming Trump administration. 

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A man waves the Chinese national flag as an amateur choir performs in a park in a residential neighborhood in Beijing. (REUTERS/Thomas Peter)

In Boeing’s case, the report states that the company earns just under $5 billion annually from China and could face $1 billion in sanctions over a three-year period on average.

Intel, according to the report, earns $18 billion per year from China, which represents 26.54% of its total annual revenue. Sanctions in China could mean $5 billion in penalties for Intel over a three-year period on average, the report concludes.

Citigroup is listed in the database as potentially facing $16 billion per year in sanctions on average from its almost $5 billion per year revenue in China. 

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Chinese President Xi Jinping. (Li Gang/Xinhua via Getty Images)

Fox News Digital spoke to Daniel Cameron, former Kentucky Republican attorney general and 1792 Exchange CEO, about the report, and he said he hopes people take away from the data the “staggering amount of money our Fortune 100 companies could lose in the event of sanctions imposed on China.”

Cameron told Fox News Digital he is optimistic that the incoming Trump administration will implement policies that drive American independence from China. 

“My hope is that we’re able to bring a lot of jobs back to this country and more businesses and then make a judgment, a decision to park their operations within the United States,” Cameron said. “That’s good for the American worker and I think particularly through some of the information that we’ve been able to share as it relates to this China risk database, I’m hopeful that again, yes, optimistic that President Trump is going to do right by the United States. He’s going to do right by the American worker and consumer and I’m hopeful that the information that we’ve provided will help the administration, but it will also help CEOs and board leadership and investors be wise about their relationship with China.”

Overall, the companies listed in the report generate over $600 billion in revenue from China on average and would face sanctions totaling over $150 billion on average. 

“Far too many of America’s largest corporations are shielding from the public their involvement with an oppressive communist regime. This failure to provide any corporate transparency is a glaring threat to America’s future,” Cameron said about the data in the report. “Enough is enough. American workers, consumers, and investors should be aware of where these major liabilities lie.”

FIRST ON FOX: Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., is rolling out several new bills to help forward the Department of Government Efficiency’s (DOGE) mission once President-elect Donald Trump enters office. 

The senator’s six bills would target telework for federal employees, require agency guidances to clarify they are not laws and mandate early notice ahead of new major policy proposals from federal agencies, among other measures. 

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Sen. James Lankford is a founding member of the DOGE caucus. (Reuters)

“The American people gave Washington a mandate in November—waste less, save more. Today I’m introducing a first set of bills to follow through on their mandate by prioritizing streamlined regulations, rule-making, and record keeping. It’s time to put government waste in the doghouse and let DOGE get to work,” Lankford said in a statement to Fox News Digital. 

DOGE was previously announced by Trump, who tapped billionaire Elon Musk and former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy to lead the new advisory board looking to cut government waste. 

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Elon Musk, left, and Vivek Ramaswamy will lead DOGE. (Getty Images)

Several of Lankford’s DOGE bills focus on federal agencies and their perceived shortcomings. The “Improving Federal Financial Management Act” would address agencies’ performances and evaluate how they stack up when weighed against their financial metrics. 

The “TRUE Accountability Act” would charge agencies with coming up with plans to operate internally if there is ever a crisis. 

SENATE GOP TEES UP CONFIRMATION HEARING BLITZ IN EFFORT TO MEET AMBITIOUS TRUMP TARGETS

President-elect Donald Trump announced DOGE to eliminate government waste. (Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)

Additionally, Lankford is including the “ACCESS Act,” which would prohibit minimum education requirements when it comes to government contractor personnel during certain federal contract discussions. 

The Oklahoma Republican’s slew of bills are just the latest from senators in the GOP eager to get involved with DOGE. 

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Sen. Joni Ernst is leading the DOGE caucus. (Getty Images)

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The Senate DOGE caucus is being led by Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, who has been a vocal critic of federal agencies and their telework policies in particular. 

Republicans have sought to introduce many bills ahead of Trump’s inauguration with the hope of getting the process started, so that certain policies can be put in motion shortly after he takes office. 

Boston ICE agents had to arrest a Brazilian illegal immigrant charged with rape and extortion twice because of sanctuary policies in the state of Massachusetts.

An ICE statement published last week said that Boston Enforcement and Removal Operations officials arrested 29-year-old Agnaldo Moreira da Cruz, for the second time in December.

This came after officials in Barnstable County, in Massachusetts’ Cape Cod, twice ignored ICE detainer requests against Moreira da Cruz.

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June 2, 2022: ICE agents conduct an enforcement operation in the U.S. interior. (Immigration and Customs Enforcement)

According to the ICE statement, the Barnstable County Superior Court not only ignored their detainer requests but also violated the terms of their own agreement by refusing to return Moreira da Cruz to ICE, after obtaining him through a “writ of habeas corpus.”

Moreira da Cruz was originally arrested in August 2023 by police in Yarmouth. He was arraigned in December 2023 and held at the Barnstable County Correctional Facility, which is run by the Barnstable Sheriff’s Office, until he was released on June 18, 2024, despite there being an ICE detainer against him. 

ICE tracked down and arrested Moreira da Cruz several months later on Oct. 16 and, after receiving a habeas corpus request, had to again turn him over to the Barnstable Superior Court on Nov. 27. The court then ignored the ICE detainer and released him on Dec. 5.

Moreira da Cruz is charged with a series of violent felonies, including rape and extortion with threat of injury.

BLUE STATE GOV CHANGES TUNE AFTER VOWING TO FIGHT TRUMP DEPORTATION EFFORTS, NOW HOPES HE FIXES BORDER

This split shows Mass. Gov. Maura Healey and a group of migrants at the southern border. (Qian Weizhong/VCG via Getty Images and Jessica Rinaldi/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)

“This is not someone you want to release into the community, but twice now our detainers have been ignored,” said ICE. “These decisions have repeatedly put the citizens of Massachusetts at risk of being victimized by an alleged dangerous offender.”

Asked why the ICE detainer was not honored, a spokesperson for the Massachusetts Trial Court sent Fox News Digital a copy of the policy followed by the court, which is based on a precedent set by a 2017 Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruling called “Lunn vs. Commonwealth.”

The policy stipulates that Trial Court employees “do not have authority to detain an individual based solely” on ICE detainers and those immigrants subject to these requests “shall be processed and handled in the same way that all other individuals coming before the court are processed and handled.”

The policy also states that no court officer or employee may “call or otherwise initiate communication with any ICE official” to notify them that an immigrant is in court custody and that “no ICE official shall be permitted to take an individual into custody pursuant to a civil immigration detainer in a courtroom.”

ICE NABS ILLEGAL MIGRANT ACCUSED OF HEINOUS CRIME AND RELEASED BY MASSACHUSETTS SHERIFF’S OFFICE

Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials looking to arrest an illegal immigrant with criminal record, raid a home on Thursday, Sept. 8, 2022 in Los Angeles, CA.  (Irfan Khan/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

Barnstable Sheriff Donna Buckley told Fox News Digital that Lunn vs. Commonwealth makes it so that “it is unlawful for state and local law enforcement agencies to arrest or detain people solely on the basis of an ICE detainer, beyond the time that the individual would otherwise be entitled to be released from State custody.”

“The Massachusetts sheriffs operate within the scope and parameters of federal, state and local laws and regulations,” said Buckley. “As such, the sheriffs are bound to follow the law of the Commonwealth, and therefore cannot hold an individual based on an ICE detention request alone, if that incarcerated individual is not subject to separate judicially issued detention orders.”

“The sheriffs do not make the law. The sheriffs enforce the law,” she added.

DEM GOVERNOR THREATENS TO USE ‘EVERY TOOL’ TO FIGHT BACK AGAINST TRUMP-ERA DEPORTATIONS

Gov. Maura Healey of Massachusetts has said that the state has reached its limit with respect to shelter space. (AP Photo/Steve LeBlanc)

Meanwhile, Andrew Arthur, a former immigration judge and law and policy expert at the Center for Immigration Studies, told Fox News Digital, though the Massachusetts courts have the final say in instances such as this, “it’s important to note that’s not necessarily the final word.”

“Immigration is the ultimate federal issue,” said Arthur. “When states interpose themselves in that process, they’re really getting into an area in which they have no expertise based upon anecdote and speculation.”

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He noted that states and localities receive billions of dollars in federal funding every year, which can be made dependent on complying with federal immigration authorities.

“On the one hand, they’re demanding money from the federal government, and on the other hand, they’re telling the federal government that they won’t assist them in a key government duty,” he said. “Congress can always place any conditions that they want on funding, and this is a reasonable condition for them to put in place.”

ICE ARRESTS ALLEGED CHILD SEX PREDATOR, MS-13 GANG MEMBER IN MASSACHUSETTS

L- U.S. Southern border R – President Trump (Getty Images)

Arthur said that he anticipates the Trump administration and incoming border czar Tom Homan will move quickly to push Congress to put such stipulations in place.

“The biggest issue with this is that it places ICE enforcement and removal officers in great danger because, rather than taking custody of a criminal in a secure location, a local jail or a state prison, they have to actually go out on the street. They have to find that person at their house, and that puts their lives at danger,” he explained. “It’s also important to note this is a community safety issue.”

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“If we really want to keep our streets safe,” he went on, “the best way to do that is to take the criminals off the street. And really, that’s what should be happening, and I anticipate you will see a movement, particularly under a second Trump administration, to make that happen.”

Despite the actions by Barnstable County officials, Moreira da Cruz is currently in ICE custody, pending immigration and criminal proceedings.

A Planned Parenthood chapter in Florida allegedly violated its tax-exempt status by providing workspace for the Harris-Walz presidential campaign, according to an IRS complaint filed by a pro-life organization.

40 Days for Life, one of the country’s leading pro-life organizations, filed the IRS complaint in December. It claims to have information about “potentially prohibited political activities that may impact the tax-exempt status” of Planned Parenthood Florida. 

“This is one of the many violations we’ve seen Planned Parenthood do, because we’re physically at these abortion facilities, holding peaceful vigils and offering medical alternatives to abortion. And so because we’re out there, you know, at over 1700 locations, we see a lot of things that Planned Parenthood does,” 40 Days for Life CEO Shawn Carney told Fox News Digital. 

Fox News Digital reached out several times to Planned Parenthood Florida, but did not hear back by the publication deadline.

PLANNED PARENTHOOD OFFERING FREE ABORTIONS, VASECTOMIES AT DNC

40 Days for Life filed an IRS complaint alleging Planned Parenthood may have violated its tax exempt status. (Paul Hennessy/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

“This was clearly noticeable. They were giving out flyers that said Tim Walz Tuesdays, which doesn’t sound like the greatest time in the world, but nevertheless, they were promoting all these events of hosting Walt Harris campaign events and providing their space to do that, which, of course, they did not do for the Republicans. And you just can’t do that as a 501c3. This is very, very basic.”

Last summer, Carney’s group filed a separate complaint about Planned Parenthood’s mobile abortion bus that was operating a few miles from where the Democratic National Convention was taking place. On day one of the DNC, abortion took center stage. Several speakers spoke at length about it being one of the central issues of the Democratic Party’s 2024 platform.

MASSACHUSETTS LAUNCHES $1 MILLION TAXPAYER-FUNDED CAMPAIGN WARNING OF ‘DANGERS’ OF PRO-LIFE PREGNANCY CENTERS 

Planned Parenthood Mobile Clinic outside the Democratic National Convention 2024 (Jamie Joseph/Fox News Digital)

“The pro-abortion angle of running on celebrating abortion was a dismal failure for the Harris-Waltz campaign, but when we filed that, we did get a response that they had received it, and we are hoping and pushing the Trump administration to take up that investigation, because now we have two violations, both of which were obviously against the Trump administration and were heavily politically partisan towards the Democrats, which, of course, as nonprofits, you just can’t do,” Carney said.

The 42-page  IRS complaint also alleges “Planned Parenthood’s activities, in this case, are starkly different from permissible lobbying.” 

MISSOURI LAW BANNING GENDER-CHANGING TREATMENTS FOR MINORS TAKES EFFECT

Enten argued that the only thing current swing state polls show is that the current presidential race is “too close to call.” (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

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“The provision of office space juxtaposes its tax-exempt privilege against a politically charged environment, serving as a clear indicator of political endorsement or opposition of particular candidates and parties,” the complaint reads.

Included in the complaint are photographs of campaign staffers walking inside what appears to be the Planned Parenthood office in Sarasota, Florida.

Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., is unveiling a new set of bills that could have child sexual predators facing the death penalty.

“If you are raping someone, if you’re molesting someone, you are essentially murdering their soul. Those people never actually fully recover. I’ve actually sat on a committee with a very prominent [female House Democrat] who actually talked about the fact that she was molested as a child. And so you can see that it impacts and really hurts people,” Luna said.

Two of her three bills, all of which are being introduced in the 119th Congress on Tuesday, would require sentences of death or at least life imprisonment for those charged with a wide range of crimes related to children. 

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

Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., is unveiling a new set of bills on Tuesday. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call via Getty Images)

A third bill would require guilty verdicts of rape and sexual abuse against adults to carry a mandatory minimum sentence of 30 years to life in prison.

Luna told Fox News Digital she broached the topic with President-elect Donald Trump over the weekend, who she suggested was enthusiastic about the idea.

“I got the impression that he absolutely is supportive of anything in this sector,” Luna said.

The Florida congresswoman was among the members of the House Freedom Caucus who met with Trump over the weekend at Mar-a-Lago. 

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

Luna said President-elect Trump backs her bill. (Valerie Plesch/Bloomberg via Getty Images/File)

She said they also discussed Trump potentially signing an executive order levying the death penalty for pedophilia-related crimes but that it would likely be impossible to accomplish that way.

“He would be willing to sign an [executive order]. But the fact is, is that it has to go through Congress first. So it would have to come to his desk that way,” she said.

Luna first introduced the bills in the last Congress when Democrats controlled half of Congress as well as the White House. They failed to get much traction, however, and ultimately never saw a House-wide vote.

Luna first introduced her bills in the 118th Congress, but they failed to gain traction. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call via Getty Images/File)

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She suggested that the death penalty aspect could have put some people off of an issue that otherwise could get wide bipartisan support, but she argued that child predators “cannot be rehabilitated.”

“If you are going to continue to push forward in a moral society, [then] you need to ensure that people like this, that are predators, are taken off the streets permanently,” Luna said.