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President-elect Donald Trump gave his “complete” and “total” endorsement of Mike Johnson ahead of next month’s expected fight to hold onto the House speakership. 

“The American people need IMMEDIATE relief from all of the destructive policies of the last Administration. Speaker Mike Johnson is a good, hard working, religious man,” Trump wrote on Truth Social Monday. “He will do the right thing, and we will continue to WIN. Mike has my Complete & Total Endorsement. MAGA!!!”

Trump, championing the GOP as “the Party of COMMON SENSE,” also included a warning to Republicans.

“We ran a flawless campaign, having spent FAR LESS, with lots of money left over. They ran a very expensive ‘sinking ship,’ embracing DOJ & FBI WEAPONIZATION against their political opponent, ME. BUT IT DIDN’T WORK, IT WAS A DISASTER!!!” Trump wrote, adding: “LETS NOT BLOW THIS GREAT OPPORTUNITY WHICH WE HAVE BEEN GIVEN.” 

JOHNSON ALLIES URGE TRUMP TO INTERVENE AS MESSY SPEAKER BATTLE THREATENS TO DELAY 2024 CERTIFICATION

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., talks to President-elect Donald Trump as they attend the 125th Army-Navy football game at Northwest Stadium on Dec. 14, 2024, in Landover, Maryland.  (Getty Images)

Deeming his win as the culmination of a “magnificent and historic Presidential Election of 2024,” Trump reiterated how he and Vice President-elect JD Vance picked up seven swing states, 317 electoral college votes and the popular vote by millions of voters. Trump also decried how it took several weeks after Election Day before the state of California certified its results. 

THE HITCHHIKER’S GUIDE TO FAILING TO ELECT A HOUSE SPEAKER QUICKLY

After last week’s government funding fight, Fox News projected that anywhere from four to 10 Republicans could oppose Johnson in the speaker’s race slated for Jan. 3.

Congress balked at a staggering, 1,500-page spending bill, then defeated a narrow, 116-page bill – which Trump endorsed. Things got worse when the House only mustered a scant 174 yeas for the Trump-supported bill, with 38 Republicans voting nay. Circumstances grew even more dire when the House actually voted to avert a holiday government shutdown – but passed the bill with more Democrats (196) than Republicans (170). Thirty-four Republicans voted nay.

Republican Party divisions reared their head over the past week on another issue – immigration, as Trump’s DOGE co-leaders Vivek Ramaswamy and Elon Musk advocated for H1-B visas to hire foreign specialized workers. 

Trump listens as House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., holds a press conference at Mar-a-Lago on April 12, 2024, in Palm Beach, Florida. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Though Trump saw a decisive victory in November, Republicans hold the majority in the House by only five seats. 

Trump’s post Monday also repeated allegations that Vice President Kamala Harris’ failed presidential campaign shelled out millions of dollars for celebrity endorsements. 

“Republicans are being praised for having run a ‘legendary’ campaign! Democrats are being excoriated for their effort, having wasted 2.5 Billion Dollars, much of it unaccounted for, with some being used to illegally buy endorsements,” he wrote. 

“($11,000,000 to Beyoncé, who never even sang a song, $2,000,000 to Oprah for doing next to nothing, and even $500,000 to Reverend AL, a professional con man and instigator, who agreed to ‘interview’ their ‘star spangled’ candidates, Kamala and Joe),” Trump added. 

Beyoncé’s mother, Tina Knowles, took to Instagram in November to deny reports that her daughter accepted upward of $10 million to endorse Harris at a Texas rally. 

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., shakes hands with Trump onstage at a House Republicans Conference meeting on Nov. 13, 2024, in Washington, D.C. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

“The lie is that Beyonce was paid 10 million dollars to speak at a rally in Houston for Vice President Kamala Harris. When In Fact: Beyonce did not receive a penny for speaking at a Presidential candidate Vice President Kamala Harrris’s Rally in Houston,” Tina Knowles wrote at the time. 

Campaign finance records confirm that the Harris campaign paid Oprah Winfrey’s production company, Harpo Productions, $1 million. 

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Harris sat down for a friendly interview on Oct. 20 with MSNBC host Al Sharpton, an open supporter of Harris and the Democratic Party. Following Harris’ defeat by Trump, FEC filings revealed the Harris campaign gave two $250,000 donations to Sharpton’s nonprofit organization in September and October. MSNBC later said it was “unaware” that Harris’ presidential campaign paid $500,000 to Sharpton’s National Action Network. 

Fox News’ Chad Pergram and Joseph A. Wulfsohn contributed to this report. 

German government officials accused Tesla founder Elon Musk on Monday of attempting to interfere in the country’s upcoming parliamentary elections on behalf of the country’s far-right political party, citing recent social media posts and a weekend op-ed doubling down on his endorsement.

Musk has attempted to bill the German Alternative for Germany (AfD) political party as the party best positioned to usher in a fiscally responsible economy in Germany—praising the party’s approach to regulations and taxes, while also strenuously defending against allegations of radicalism and neo-Nazi ties.  

His comments have sparked the ire of top German government officials, who noted Monday that the timing comes just weeks ahead of Germany’s snap parliamentary elections—and are, in their view, clearly intended to influence a German audience, regardless of whether Musk’s messaging accomplishes that goal. 

RUSSIAN GOVERNMENT SAYS IT IS WILLING TO IMPROVE TIES—BUT ONUS IS ON TRUMP TO MAKE FIRST MOVE

(Co-leader of German far-right party AfD Alice Weidel attends an AfD election campaign in front of the cathedral in Magdeburg, Germany, Monday, Dec. 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi))

“It is indeed the case that Elon Musk is trying to influence the federal election,” German government spokesperson Christiane Hoffmann told reporters at a press briefing Monday. 

Hoffmann said that Musk is free to express his opinion, adding: “After all, freedom of opinion also covers the greatest nonsense.”

Musk has come under sharp criticism for his apparent endorsement for the Alternative for Germany political party just weeks before it holds snap parliamentary elections in February.

Musk has railed against German Chancellor Olaf Scholz this fall as a “fool.” 

Musk also praised the AfD last week on his social media platform, X, writing: “Only the AfD can save Germany.”

Tesla CEO Elon Musk arrives on Capitol Hill.  (Anna Moneymaker/Getty)

Musk doubled down on his endorsement in an op-ed published in the German center-right newspaper, Welt am Sonntag.

“The portrayal of the AfD as right-wing extremist is clearly false, considering that Alice Weidel, the party’s leader, has a same-sex partner from Sri Lanka! Does that sound like Hitler to you? Please!” Musk said of AfD co-chair Alice Weidel.

He added that in his view, the AfD “can lead the country into a future where economic prosperity, cultural integrity and technological innovation are not just wishes, but reality.”

Those remarks have sparked criticism from current and former U.S. lawmakers, and from leaders in Berlin, who noted the party’s reputation as a neo-Nazi group. 

Hoffman, the German government spokesperson, said Monday that Musk’s endorsement of the AfD was “a recommendation to vote for a party that is being monitored [by domestic intelligence] on suspicion of being right-wing extremist,” and “which has already been recognized as partly right-wing extremist.” 

German health minister Karl Lauterbach, also a member of the Social Democratic party (SPD), criticized Musk’s intervention as “undignified and highly problematic.”

TRUMP URGED TO STEP IN TO UNITE GOP AS LAWMAKERS FEAR SPEAKER SHOWDOWN COULD DELAY ELECTION CERTIFICATION

Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with House Republicans at the Hyatt Regency hotel in Washington, D.C. (Allison Robbert/AFP/via Getty Images)

All mainstream German political parties have ruled out working with the AfD, and its youth wing was designated as a “confirmed extremist” group by Germany’s domestic intelligence agency earlier this year. 

The AfD, for its part, has rejected that characterization.

The pushback from U.S. and German officials has done little to deter Musk, who used his op-ed to argue that the German economy is crippled by regulatory overreach and bureaucracy, describing the Alternative for Germany (AfD) as “the last spark of hope for this country.”

“The traditional parties have failed in Germany,” Musk wrote in the op-ed of Germany’s SPD and other mainstream parties. “Their policies have led to economic stagnation, social unrest, and the erosion of national identity.”

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The decision to run Musks’s op-ed in a center-right newspaper was heavily criticized and prompted Welt am Sonntag’s opinion editor, Eva Marie Kogel, to announce her resignation. 

Every two years, the period between the November election and when the new Congress begins is often the busiest swath of time for covering Congress.

Reporters are trying to figure out who won their elections and who lost. The existing Congress is back, attempting to prevent a government shutdown and often plowing through a landscape of other major legislation. There are often leadership elections. For instance, Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., defeated Sen. John Cornyn, R-Tex., and Rick Scott, R-Fla., to succeed outgoing Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., as the top GOP leader in the Senate. Thune begins as Majority Leader Friday afternoon. We still don’t know how much of a struggle House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., faces returning to the Speaker’s suite. It took former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., 15 rounds before he claimed the Speaker’s gavel in 2023.

Time management is a problem for me with so much going on. The new Congress starts at noon on January 3. So I spend the time between the election and the beginning of the new Congress learning, studying and memorizing the faces and biographies of as many incoming lawmakers as possible.

It’s time-consuming. It’s a challenge distinguishing some rookies from one another. Even getting the names and pronunciations right.

REP. VICTORIA SPARTZ DEMANDS ‘ASSURANCES’ SPEAKER JOHNSON ‘WON’T SELL US OUT TO THE SWAMP’

It’s quite a learning curve.

This process intensifies during the holidays. It’s the final ramp-up to the launch of things on January 3.

Some people are easier to learn than others. Sens. Andy Kim, D-N.J., and Adam Schiff, D-Calif., were household names in the House before joining the Senate. In fact, they’ve already become senators. Other new senators are high-profile because they ran in competitive races. Think Sens.-elect Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, Tim Sheehy, R-Mont., and Dave McCormick, R-Penn. Sen.-elect Jim Justice, R-W.V., didn’t face a challenging race to join the Senate. But Justice cut a national profile before winning – as did his constant canine companion Babydog.

But the real adventure is learning all of the new House Members.

BURBANK, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 04: Democratic Senate candidate U.S. Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) speaks during a Get Out The Vote meet and greet at IATSE Local 80 on March 04, 2024, in Burbank, California. Rep. Schiff continues to campaign ahead of the March 5th Super Tuesday primary.  (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

The House is an enormous place. 435 people. Some new faces stand out in the House. But many are obscure. And it’s especially hard to learn some of them if they didn’t encounter a competitive race or were relative unknowns.

The House begins with 62 new Members plus non-voting delegates on Friday. My mission is to learn them all. 

My daily workout routine is a good opportunity for this. After all, the pace of Congress is kind of like a treadmill. But for my purposes, learning the freshman class is more like an elliptical. I go through the list of faces and names over and over again – as my legs churn each morning. I rotate through the entire House roster at least twice. I then carry the list to the stationary bike and study more there.

Some names are more prominent than others. For instance, Rep.-elect Nick Begich III, R-Alaska, was known before the election. He defeated Rep. Mary Peltola, D-Alaska, in a close race this fall. In addition, his surname is steeped in American political history – but mostly with the Democratic Party. His uncle is former Sen. Mark Begich, D-Alaska. His grandfather, the late Rep. Nick Begich, D-Alaska, was killed in a 1972 plane crash with late House Majority Leader Hale Boggs, D-La. Boggs is the father of late ABC and NPR journalist Cokie Roberts.

TRUMP GIVES JOHNSON ‘COMPLETE AND TOTAL ENDORSEMENT’ AHEAD OF SPEAKERSHIP FIGHT

I try to meet as many Members of the incoming freshman class as possible. But as I wrote earlier, bandwidth is limited. The freshmen all descend on the Capitol complex during this zany period after the election for orientation. There just aren’t enough minutes in the day.

But I was grabbing a drink with a good friend at The Monocle, a legendary Capitol Hill watering hole, a few weeks ago. I saw former Sen. Begich walk in – but couldn’t get his attention to say hello. A few moments later, the Congressman-elect walked by. I grabbed him by the arm, introduced myself and gave him a business card. 

Trust me: it is easier to memorize the freshman class if you meet members in person. And I was proud of myself for being able to pick out Rep.-elect Begich in a crowd – based on my studies.

Sen. Joe Manchin (I-WV) walks with staffers on the east front of the U.S. Capitol on June 5, 2024 in Washington, DC. Both chambers of Congress have a short week as members will be traveling to France for the 80th anniversary of the D-Day invasion in Normandy. (Photo by Kent Nishimura/Getty Images) (Kent Nishimura)

I spent a little time chatting with Reps.-elect Julie Fedorchak, R-N.D., and Dave Taylor, R-Ohio. So I’m confident in knowing those members.

Then there are people who left Congress – and are back. Such is the case with former Reps. Marlin Stutzman, R-Ind., and Cleo Fields, D-La. Stutzman served in Congress just a few years ago and is returning. Fields served in the House nearly three decades ago in the 1990s when he was in his thirties.

I mentioned delegates a bit earlier.

Del.-elect Kimberlyn King-Hinds, R-Northern Mariana Islands, comes to Washington as a freshman in a few days. She succeeds retiring Del. Kilili Sablan, D-Northern Mariana Islands. I have not met King-Hinds yet. But multiple photos passed around show her wearing a tropical floral headpiece. I don’t know if that’s what King-Hinds wears all the time. But such apparel would make it easier to recognize King-Hinds.

For instance, the signature cowboy hat worn by Rep. Frederica Wilson, D-Fla., makes her stand out. 

GERMANY ACCUSES ELON MUSK OF TRYING TO INTERFERE IN ITS NATIONAL ELECTIONS

Then there are the pronunciations. Not every name is as easy as Rep.-elect Tim Moore, R-N.C., or Rep.-elect Gabe Evans, R-Colo. Try Rep.-elect Suhas Subramanyam, D-Va. It’s pronounced soo-bruh-MAHN—yum. The surname of Rep.-elect Abe Hamadeh, R-Ariz., is pronounced HAMM-uh-day. And the aforementioned Julie Fedorchak says her last name fedd-ORR-check. 

I conscripted Fox News Radio reporter Ryan Schmelz to quiz me on the backgrounds of some of the freshman – as well as match photos with names. I had no problem guessing correctly when Schmelz showed me the photo of Rep.-elect Sarah Elfreth, D-Md. She succeeds retiring Rep. John Sarbanes, D-Md. 

But I stumbled when Schmelz pointed to a picture of Rep.-elect Maxine Dexter, D-Ore. I immediately knew the Congresswoman elect was named “Maxine.” I was positive she was a Democrat and hailed from Oregon. I even knew who she was succeeding: retiring Rep. Earl Blumenauer, D-Ore. But I didn’t get the last name. I wanted to say “Deeter.” But I knew that wasn’t right.

Democratic Mule and Republican Elephant statues in front of Willard Hotel in Washington, D.C. (Visions of America/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

So, Schmelz stumped me there.

But that’s the learning process. And even though I didn’t know Dexter then, you can bet I won’t forget her now.

And look forward to meeting her. I have known her predecessor for years. 

But frankly, you don’t really learn the Members by studying a book. You learn them by seeing them in the hall. Chatting with them in the Speaker’s Lobby. Interacting with them in interviews. Seeing how they do in hearings. You watch how they handle themselves on the floor.

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And the best way to learn them?

Observing how they vote and perform as a Member of Congress.

A federal appeals court on Monday upheld a jury’s verdict finding Donald Trump liable for sexually abusing the writer E. Jean Carroll in the 1990s—delivering a blow to the president-elect, and leaving him on the hook for the $5 million payout ordered by the jury.

A three-judge panel for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit said Monday in an unsigned opinion that Trump had failed to demonstrate “that the district court erred in any of the challenged rulings” and “has not carried his burden to show that any claimed error or combination of claimed errors affected his substantial rights as required to warrant a new trial.”

A federal jury ordered former President Donald Trump to pay E. Jean Carroll more than $83 million in damages after he denied allegations he had raped her in the 1990s. (Getty Images)

The decision comes after a New York jury last year found Trump liable for sexually abusing Carroll, a former Elle magazine advice columnist, in the dressing room of a Bergdorf Goodman store in the mid-1990s—and for subsequently defaming her when she came forward with her story during his first term in office.

In a separate case, Trump was also ordered by a jury to pay Carroll more than $80 million in damages for the defamatory statements made in his first term in the White House, though the president-elect’s appeal of that decision is still pending.

The decision was praised by Carroll’s attorney, Roberta Kaplan.

“Both E. Jean Carroll and I are gratified by today’s decision,” Kaplan said in a statement. “We thank the Second Circuit for its careful consideration of the parties’ arguments.” 

The Trump transition team were quick to respond to the decision Monday, which they vowed to appeal. They also took aim at what they described as the “political weaponization” of the courts.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK – MAY 09: Writer E. Jean Carroll leaves a Manhattan court house after a jury found former President Donald Trump liable for sexually abusing her in a Manhattan department store in the 1990’s on May 09, 2023 in New York City. The jury awarded her $5 million in damages for her battery and defamation claims. Carroll has testified that she was raped by former President Trump, giving details about the alleged attack in the mid-1990s. Trump had stated that the attack never happened and has denied meeting her. He did not taken the stand during the trial.  (Spencer Platt/Getty Images))

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“The American People have re-elected President Trump with an overwhelming mandate, and they demand an immediate end to the political weaponization of our justice system and a swift dismissal of all of the Witch Hunts, including the Democrat-funded Carroll Hoax, which will continue to be appealed,” Trump transition spokesman and incoming White House communications director Steven Cheung told Fox News in a statement Monday.

“We look forward to uniting our country in the new administration as President Trump makes America great again,” Cheung added.

This is a breaking news story. Check back soon for updates.

EXCLUSIVE: Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has ended two programs that provide social services to illegal immigrants who are released into the U.S. interior, telling lawmakers that one brings “immense cost with little improvement” and that another is out of line with ICE’s mission.

The agency responded to Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., and 15 members of Congress, who wrote to ICE in May asking for more information about the “Alternatives to Detention” program, which monitors illegal immigrants not in ICE detention. The agency defended the program and said it was “an efficient and effective” program for monitoring a segment of illegal immigrants on ICE’s non-detained docket.

ICE only has around 40,000 beds available to it at one time, while it has a non-detained docket of nearly 7.7 million people – a number that has soared during the Biden administration. Of those, just over 181,000 are enrolled in Alternatives to Detention monitoring program, where migrants are monitored either by an app check-in or a GPS monitor.

ICE DEPORTATIONS CATCH UP TO TRUMP-ERA NUMBERS IN FY 2024 AS BIDEN ADMIN COMES TO A CLOSE

This photo shows migrants at the southern border encountered in Arizona. (U.S. Border Patrol)

But in recent years, the agency has also created separate programs to offer various services and assistance to those not in detention. In the letter, the agency says that some of those programs are ending. One is the Wraparound Stabilization Service (WSS), which ICE says began in February 2020 and involves working with NGOs to offer “services that provide psychosocial and behavioral health support for vulnerable participants and their families who would benefit from additional stabilization services.”

ICE says the program stopped referrals in July, and that the program was ineffective in what it sought to do, having only a 2% higher compliance rate from those who took part in services compared to those who did not.

TRUMP’S TRANSITION TEAM EYES EXPANSION OF ANKLE MONITORS FOR ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS NOT IN CUSTODY

“ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations [ERO] notes the challenge with the WSS was its immense cost with little improvement,” it says. “As a result, ERO determined WSS was not cost effective enough to continue paying for these services when they did not benefit ICE or help the agency further its mission.”

ICE had previously cited difficulties with the program including a cumbersome identification and referral process, a substantial increase in participants and a lack of resources.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF THE BORDER SECURITY CRISIS

Migrants wait in line to enter the shelter set up by the authorities for migrants as migrants wait for an appointment through the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) one application in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico on May 23, 2023. (Christian Torres Chavez/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

The agency also says it had decided in June not to continue a vendor contract for the Young Adult Case Management (YACMP) program. That program offered 18-and 19-year-old migrants legal services, screenings, referrals to social service programs and human trafficking screenings. It started in 2023 and was present in 16 cities.

“In addition to fiscal limitations, a review of the program revealed that YACMP does not align with ERO’s mission or priorities. In short, ERO took steps to realign or stop using programs to address the budget challenges facing the agency,” the agency’s letter says.

The letter also provided information about the operation of the ATD tracking by app or GPS, known as the Intensive Supervision Appearance Program (ISAP). ICE said that 98.6% of those with court tracking appeared at their court hearings overall, while 90.4% appeared for final hearings.  As of September, 13.2% of participants were being tracked by a GPS ankle or wrist device, and the average length on the program was 511.9 days.

Lawmakers had also asked about those who were charged or convicted of crimes while enrolled in ATD. The agency said that in FY 2024, there were 3,913 charges and 688 convictions for those in the program, including 10 sex offense convictions, 364 traffic offense convictions, two homicide convictions, four kidnapping convictions and 65 assault convictions.

The incoming Trump administration is eyeing a substantial increase in deportations, with President-elect Trump having promised a “historic” mass deportation operation. Fox Digital also reported this month that it wants to reduce numbers not in detention, while also increasing the use of ankle monitors on those who cannot be detained. 

Conservatives responded to the information provided to lawmakers by calling on the new administration to scrap even more programs providing services for illegal immigrants.

“ICE is a law enforcement agency not a charity. The billions of dollars DHS has wasted to bring millions of illegal aliens into the country and provide them excessive amenities should be redirected to getting every illegal alien safely back to their home country,” Lora Ries, director of The Heritage Foundation’s Border Security and Immigration Center, told Fox News Digital.

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Ries called the services a “boondoggle” and said “there are several other similar initiatives that must meet the same fate under President Trump.” 

“Instead of wasting taxpayer dollars in conflict with an agency mission, we should see a massive increase in resources for detaining and deporting illegal aliens. If you don’t support the agency’s mission, you shouldn’t get a dime,” she said.

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…

–2028 Watch: Here are the Democrats who may eventually jump into the next White House race

-U.S. appeals court upholds Trump verdict in E. Jean Carroll defamation case

-Biden admin suppressed intel officials’ views that supported COVID-19 lab leak theory

‘Complete and total endorsement’

President-elect Donald Trump gave his “complete” and “total” endorsement of Mike Johnson ahead of next month’s expected fight to hold onto the House speakership. 

“The American people need IMMEDIATE relief from all of the destructive policies of the last Administration. Speaker Mike Johnson is a good, hard working, religious man,” Trump wrote on Truth Social Monday. “He will do the right thing, and we will continue to WIN. Mike has my Complete & Total Endorsement. MAGA!!!”

Trump, championing the GOP as “the Party of COMMON SENSE,” also included a warning to Republicans…Read more

PALM BEACH, FLORIDA – APRIL 12: Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump listens as Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) speaks during a press conference at Mr. Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate on April 12, 2024, in Palm Beach, Florida. They spoke about  “election integrity,” which has been one of the former president’s top issues.  (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Remembering President Carter

(Original Caption) 3/24/1979-Elk City, Okla.: Closeup of President Jimmy Carter, addressing a town meeting. American flag in background. (Getty Images)

PICTURES OF A LIFE: Jimmy Carter: His life in pictures…Read more

AIR TRAVEL FOR ALL: How former President Jimmy Carter transformed the airline industry…Read more

TOP 10: Jimmy Carter nears the top of America’s ‘Most Admired Man’ list, according to Gallup…Read more

HUMANITARIAN WORK: Former President Jimmy Carter remembered and praised as a humanitarian around the world…Read more

Carter received the Nobel Peace Prize. Oslo City Hall, Dec. 10, 2002. (The Carter Center)

‘NIGHTMARE’: Jimmy Carter attacked by ‘killer rabbit’ highlighted presidency struggles…Read more

‘A SERVANT’S HEART’: Carter’s death spurs outpouring of tributes from state leaders of both parties: ‘A servant’s heart’…Read more

White House

‘THANK YOU HILLARY!’: Trump hails Florida Dem’s decision to ditch party, join GOP…Read more

PRICEY PROTECTION: Biden’s Defense Department announces new multi-billion-dollar aid packages for Ukraine…Read more

TOPSHOT – (L-R) Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky shakes hands with US President Joe Biden during an event with world leaders launching a Joint Declaration of Support for Ukrainian Recovery and Reconstruction on the sidelines of the 79th Session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York on September 25, 2024. (Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP) (Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images) (Andrew Cabalero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images))

World Stage

ACHTUNG, ELON: Germany accuses Elon Musk of interfering in election…Read more

Capitol Hill

‘NOTHING WAS GAINED’: Trump accuses former Speaker Kevin McCarthy of ‘one of the dumbest political decisions made in years’…Read more

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy and U.S. President Donald Trump attend a legislation signing rally with local farmers on February 19, 2020 in Bakersfield, California. ( David McNew/Getty Images)

HOUSE BATTLE: Trump’s convincing 2024 victory sets House GOP up for homefield advantage in 2026 midterm elections…Read more

UNCONVINCED: Rep. Victoria Spartz demands ‘assurances’ Speaker Johnson ‘won’t sell us out to the swamp’…Read more

Across America

PARENTAL GUIDANCE SUGGESTED: Kentucky to consider bill that would hold parents accountable for children’s gun crimes…Read more

‘OZEMPIC SANTA’: Elon Musk admits to taking controversial weight loss drug previously opposed by RFK Jr...Read more

Elon Musk, left, and RFK Jr, right (AP)

BORDER HORROR: Smugglers abandon two migrant girls at southern border with note to authorities…Read more

DEI: These six states banned or limited DEI at colleges and universities in 2024…Read more

**NOTE: We are publishing tomorrow, New Year’s Eve, but will not publish on New Year’s Day, Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025.**

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

After announcing his citizen law enforcement group, the “Guardian Angels,” would be returning to patrol the New York subway, Curtis Sliwa is pushing back against New York Mayor Eric Adams and slamming the city’s migrant sanctuary policies, saying: “We’re in a crime crisis.” 

Sliwa announced the Guardian Angels would be resuming safety patrols on New York subway trains after a woman was burned to death on the New York City subway during Christmas week. The New York Post reported Sliwa saying the group would resume its patrols of the subway, walking up and down the inside of the trains “day and night.”

The Guardian Angels founder called the brutal subway murder the “deadly consequences of NYC remaining a sanctuary city.”  

“We have 56,000 migrants identified as criminals by ICE roaming our streets, and vulnerable homeless folks left sleeping on our subways because shelters are filled and dangerous,” he said on X. “But Adams and City Hall pretend the city is safe and under control! While everyday New Yorkers see disturbing crime right before our eyes every single day!”

CRITICS SPECULATE WHY BYSTANDERS FAILED TO SAVE WOMAN BURNING ON NYC SUBWAY: ‘DANIEL PENNY FACTOR’ | FOX NEWS VIDEO

Guardian Angels founder Curtis Silwa, who was the New York City Republican mayoral nominee that lost to Eric Adams in 2021, believes the mayor is helping migrant families over the people who voted him into office.  (REUTERS/Mike Segar)

Recognizable by their distinctive red berets and jackets, Sliwa founded the Guardian Angels in 1979, and the group became a regular presence on the subway during many of the city’s most crime and homicide-ridden years. 

Currently, murders on the New York City subway are up by 60%, according to the New York Post. The outlet reported in September that eight people had been killed on subway trains in New York City, up from five during the same period in 2023.

After last week’s brutal killing, Sliwa announced the Guardian Angels would be making a return to the New York subway and beefing up its presence on trains throughout the city. He said group members would be conducting wellness checks on homeless individuals and alerting police and subway authorities when there are problems.

“We’re going to have to increase our numbers, increase the training and increase our presence as we did back in 1979,” said Sliwa. “We went from 13 to 1,000 back then within a period of a year. Because the need was there. The need is here now once again. We’re going to step up. We’re going to make sure we have a visual presence just like we had in the ’70s, 80’s and ’90s.”

SUSPECT ACCUSED OF BURNING WOMAN TO DEATH ON NYC SUBWAY IS PREVIOUSLY DEPORTED ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT

Members of the Guardian Angels participate in a safety patrol at a subway stop for preventing crime June 11, 2021 in New York, New York. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

Despite this, Adams’ office slammed the Guardian Angels’ announcement.

Kayla Mamelak Altus, a representative for Adams, told Fox News Digital that the mayor has “surged 1,000 police officers per day into the subways, has brought down overall crime, and transit crime, delivering real action — not theatrics.”

“Mayor Adams is committed to improving the lives of New Yorkers, which is why he frequently rides the subway to speak directly with everyday riders about how we can make it safer,” said Altus. 

“But he knows there’s still more work to be done,” Altus added. “Unlike others who only seek attention with meaningless stunts, Mayor Adams remains focused on real solutions.”

MAYOR ADAMS CALLS FOR THE ‘INVOLUNTARY REMOVAL’ OF PEOPLE WHO ARE ‘A DANGER TO OTHERS’ ON THE STREETS

New York City Mayor Eric Adams speaks during a press conference at City Hall following a meeting with President-elect Donald Trump’s incoming “border czar” Tom Homan, Thursday, Dec. 12, 2024, in New York.  (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura, File)

In response, Sliwa urged Adams to station more police officers in the subway and challenged the mayor to join him in doing regular daily patrols on the subway to see how bad the problems have gotten since the surge in migrants in the city. 

“Head into the subway and patrol yourself,” Sliwa said, speaking directly to Adams. “I’ll match him. I go four hours a day, even with my busy schedule. The mayor has a busy schedule. He can run one patrol with his police. I’ll run a patrol with the Guardian Angels. That’s two more patrols we will have that we didn’t have before.” 

“We’re in a crime crisis, and the mayor should be happy to accept anybody’s help at this time,” he told Fox News Digital. “So, if we’re willing to patrol on the subways where it’s desperately needed in the cars as they’re moving, why would the mayor or anyone say it’s theatrics?”

“The mayor and the governor have not met their primary responsibility, which is to provide public safety to the people in the subway,” he went on. “So, if you’re unwilling to do the job or maybe you can’t and won’t admit it, they should be welcoming all the help they can get from an organization that is renowned for 46 years of service to New Yorkers, asking nothing in return.” 

DR. PHIL WITNESSES TENSE HOMELESS ALTERCATION WHILE TOURING SUBWAY WITH MAYOR ADAMS

Two people have been wounded after a knife-wielding maniac went on a stabbing rampage in New York City’s Grand Central Station on Christmas Eve.  (FOX 5 NYC)

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He said that most of the attacks are being carried out by “emotionally disturbed people” who live in the subways. 

“These attacks can occur anytime, anywhere, any place, to anybody, in any part of this city, and especially the subway,” he explained. “Shame on us for letting that happen. We need to rescue these people and get them mental health care. Shame on the fact that the mayor spent billions of our tax dollars housing migrants, but not our own citizens who live in the subways. The subway trains have become moving hotels.

“If the mayor was doing a good job… nobody would be asking for the Guardian Angels to patrol the subways,” he added. “The people want police, and if they don’t have police, they’re more than happy to accept the service of the volunteer Guardian Angels.”

Following the death of former President Jimmy Carter, President Biden on Monday signed an executive order closing all executive departments and agencies of the federal government on Jan. 9.

The closures, which Biden described as a “mark of respect” for the 39th president, will be in effect on the day of the late former president’s funeral.

Carter will lie in state in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., before being buried at the Washington National Cathedral, according to statements from the White House and Carter Center.

Biden signed a proclamation on Sunday, declaring Jan. 9 as a National Day of Mourning and ordering all American flags to fly at half-staff for the next 30 days.

JIMMY CARTER, 39TH PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, DEAD AT 100

President Jimmy Carter addressing a town meeting.

“I call on the American people to assemble on that day in their respective places of worship, there to pay homage to the memory of President James Earl Carter, Jr.,” Biden wrote in a statement. “I invite the people of the world who share our grief to join us in this solemn observance.”

Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter speaks to the congregation at Maranatha Baptist Church before teaching Sunday school in his hometown of Plains, Georgia on April 28, 2019.  (Paul Hennessy/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Carter, whose family owned a peanut farm in Plains, Georgia, attended the United States Naval Academy and served in both the Atlantic and Pacific fleets. 

He was later elected state senator, Georgia’s 76th governor and president of the United States — playing key roles in the creation of the modern Department of Education and the Department of Energy, conservation efforts, and nuclear nonproliferation.

JIMMY, ROSALYNN CARTER’S HABITAT FOR HUMANITY LEGACY WILL CONTINUE, ORGANIZATION SAYS

Jimmy Carter, Democratic presidential candidate, and his wife, Rosalynn, share a moment aboard his campaign plane

“As President, he understood that Government must be as good as its people — and his faith in the people was boundless, just as his belief in America was limitless and his hope for our common future was perennial,” according to a statement from the White House. “Guided by an unwavering belief in the power of human goodness and the God‑given dignity of every human being, he worked tirelessly around the globe to broker peace; eradicate disease; house the homeless; and protect human rights, freedom, and democracy.”

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Carter’s late wife, Rosalynn, stood by his side for more than 77 years.

Billionaire entrepreneur and top adviser to President-elect Donald Trump, Elon Musk, touted that he has reaped the benefits of a controversial class of weight-loss drugs, after fellow top Trump adviser, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., said the trendy new class of drugs is bad for Americans’ health. 

“Ozempic Santa” Musk posted to X, formerly Twitter, on Christmas Day, alongside an image of himself in front of a well-decorated Christmas tree dressed as Santa Claus — but without his signature big belly. “Like Cocaine Bear, but Santa and Ozempic!”

In a follow-up post, Musk clarified that he is taking the brand-name version called Mounjaro, but said the clunky name didn’t “have the same ring to it.”

‘MRS. DOUBTFIRE’ STAR DOWN 120 POUNDS AFTER WEIGHT-LOSS DRUG MAKES HIM FEEL ‘LIKE A NORMAL PERSON’

Musk has been tapped by Trump — along with former GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy — to head the soon-to-be Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) aimed at cutting down on wasteful government spending and red tape. Meanwhile, Kennedy is Trump’s pick to lead the Department of Health and Human Services and, if confirmed, Trump has given Kennedy permission to “go wild on health” as long as he doesn’t interfere with Trump’s domestic energy goals.

Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk speaks with Donald Trump during a campaign event at the Butler Farm Show, Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024, in Butler, Pa.  (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

Musk’s social media post over the holidays turned heads, considering Kennedy has expressed opposition to semaglutide. Originally developed as a diabetes medication, semaglutide has been used more widely in recent years for its appetite-suppressing effects.

“There’s a huge push to sell this to the American people,” Kennedy said of the semaglutide medication Ozempic when asked about his thoughts on the medication in October by Fox News’ Greg Gutfeld. “They make this drug in Denmark, and in Denmark they do not recommend it for diabetes, or for obesity. They recommend dietary and behavioral changes.” 

“They’re counting on selling it to Americans because we are so stupid and so addicted to drugs,” Kennedy added. He also concluded that the U.S. could solve the obesity crisis in America “overnight” if they just had access to, and ate, better quality food.

WEIGHT LOSS DRUGS COULD SHAKE UP FOOD INDUSTRY

Kennedy has run on a platform to “Make America Healthy Again,” but Ozempic, he says, will not help in those efforts. Musk, however, has said that “nothing would do more to improve public health” than making Ozempic more widely available.

During President Joe Biden’s final days in office, his administration proposed expanding Medicare and Medicaid coverage for semaglutides to make them more widely available for those who want to reap the weight-losing benefits of the drug.   

President-elect Trump shared a McDonald’s meal with Elon Musk, Donald Trump Jr., House Speaker Mike Johnson and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (Donald Trump Jr./X)

Besides Musk, Kennedy could also potentially clash with Trump’s pick to lead the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Dr. Mehmet Oz, who has also expressed support for drugs like Ozempic. 

“I think the amount of good done by these medications by helping people lose weight and improve their cardiovascular system — and it might have long-term benefits in a lot of other areas as well, where obesity causes inflammation — is massive,” Oz said last year in a video posted to his Instagram account.

CHEAP OZEMPIC KNOCK-OFFS HAVE RISEN IN POPULARITY – BUT ARE THEY SAFE?

Kennedy, who very well could become Oz’s boss if they are both approved by the Senate, appeared to scale back his criticism of the new weight-loss drug amid his efforts to court support for his nomination from members of Congress.

Former Presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. gives remarks at the Renaissance Phoenix Downtown Hotel on Aug. 23, 2024 in Phoenix, Arizona, ahead of his decision to drop out of the 2024 presidential race and throw his support behind Trump. (Rebecca Noble/Getty Images)

“The first line of response should be lifestyle. It should be eating well, making sure that you don’t get obese,” Kennedy said during a quick interview with CNBC on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, before adding that anti-obesity drugs like Ozempic “have a place” in the American medical community.  

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Representatives for Musk, Kennedy and the Trump transition team did not provide a comment to Fox News Digital for this story.

The Department of Defense (DoD) announced two weapons packages for Ukraine on Monday, totaling $2.47 billion. 

The first of the two, the Presidential Drawdown Authority package, with an “estimated value” of $1.25 billion, is meant to “provide Ukraine additional capabilities to meet its most urgent needs, including: missiles for air defense; munitions for rocket systems and artillery; and anti-tank weapons,” the DoD stated in a press release.

“In addition, DoD announced an approximately $1.22 billion Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI) package to provide Ukraine with additional air defense, air-to-ground, Unmanned Aerial Systems, and other capabilities to fight Russian aggression.”

The aid packages come as the national debt tracker stands at more than $36 billion as of Dec. 26. 

PUTIN ‘SEES MORE BENEFIT TO HIMSELF BY CONTINUING WAR THAN BY STOPPING,’ RETIRED GENERAL SAYS

Ukrainian servicemen participate in a training exercise in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine, on Dec. 15, 2024. (Wolfgang Schwan/Anadolu via Getty Images)

The DoD outlined the packages’ capabilities, including missile systems, missiles, munitions, ammunition, anti-armor systems, medical equipment and more.

BIDEN WHITE HOUSE TO SEND $1.25 BILLION IN WEAPON AID TO UKRAINE BEFORE TRUMP TRANSITION: REPORT

President Biden welcomes Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the South Lawn at the White House in Washington, D.C., on Dec. 21, 2022. The Biden Administration announced billions in security assistance for Ukraine on Dec. 30, 2024. (REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque )

The Department of Defense announced two weapons packages for Ukraine on Monday, totaling $2.47 billion. (Celal Gunes/Anadolu via Getty Images)

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“This is the Biden Administration’s twenty-third USAI package and seventy-third tranche of equipment to be provided from DoD inventories for Ukraine since August 2021,” the statement reads. 

“The United States continues to work together with some 50 Allies and partners through the Ukraine Defense Contact Group and its associated Capability Coalitions to provide the support Ukraine needs to prevail in its fight against Russian aggression.”

FOX News’ Eric Revell and Liz Friden contributed to this report. 

As House Speaker Mike Johnson seeks to retain his grip on the gavel, Rep. Victoria Spartz, R-Ind., is demanding “assurances” that Johnson “won’t sell us out to the swamp.”

Johnson, who secured the speaker’s gavel last year, got a major boost on Monday when Trump endorsed him to remain in the role.

“I understand why President Trump is endorsing Speaker Johnson as he did Speaker Ryan, which is definitely important. However, we still need to get assurances that @SpeakerJohnson won’t sell us out to the swamp,” Spartz noted in a post on X. 

“President Trump will be able to save America only if we have a speaker with courage, vision and a plan – also public commitment to the American people how he will help deliver President Trump’s agenda to drain the swamp,” she added in another tweet.

Spartz had previously issued a statement on Monday in which she called out Congress’s profligate spending and demanded a plan to accomplish President-elect Donald Trump’s agenda, something which she said she has not seen from current House Speaker Mike Johnson.

TRUMP GIVES JOHNSON ‘COMPLETE AND TOTAL ENDORSEMENT’ AHEAD OF SPEAKERSHIP FIGHT

Rep. Victoria Spartz, R-Ind., left, and Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La. (Left: Win McNamee/Getty Images; Right: Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

“Congress has abandoned its constitutional duty to the American people to properly oversee the spending of their hard-earned money paid as taxes,” Spartz declared in the statement. “Our next speaker must show courageous leadership to get our country back on track before this ‘Titanic’ strikes an iceberg at any moment.”

Fox News Digital reached out to Johnson’s office but no comment was provided.

THE HITCHHIKER’S GUIDE TO FAILING TO ELECT A HOUSE SPEAKER QUICKLY

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson shakes hands with President-elect Donald Trump onstage at a House Republicans Conference meeting at the Hyatt Regency on Capitol Hill on Nov. 13, 2024, in Washington, D.C. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

In a post on Truth Social, Trump described Johnson as “a good, hard working, religious man,’ and declared, “He will do the right thing, and we will continue to WIN. Mike has my Complete & Total Endorsement. MAGA!!!”

Speaker Johnson thanked Trump in a post on X, noting, “Together, we will quickly deliver on your America First agenda and usher in the new golden age of America. The American people demand and deserve that we waste no time. Let’s get to work!”

Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., who has said that he will not vote for Johnson to remain speaker, maintained his position on Monday after Trump’s endorsement.

MASSIE COMES OUT AGAINST JOHNSON RETAINING SPEAKER’S GAVEL: ‘HE DOES NOT HAVE MY VOTE’

Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., is seen outside the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2024. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

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“I respect and support President Trump, but his endorsement of Mike Johnson is going to work out about as well as his endorsement of Speaker Paul Ryan. We’ve seen Johnson partner with the democrats to send money to Ukraine, authorize spying on Americans, and blow the budget,” Massie tweeted.

After the passing of 100-year-old former President Jimmy Carter, many are recalling the “killer rabbit” incident in which Carter had to fight off a berserk swamp creature while fishing in his hometown of Plains, Georgia.

The bizarre incident occurred in April 1979 but was not known to the public until months later when, according to an account by then White House Press Secretary Jody Powell, the press official shared the story with reporter Brooks Jackson. After the story broke, it captured the American imagination and came to be seen as emblematic of the Carter presidency, which many perceived as ineffective and flailing.

Sensationalized headlines ran across the country such as the Washington Post’s “Bunny Goes Bugs. Rabbit Attacks President” and the New York Times’s “A Tale of Carter and the ‘Killer Rabbit.’”

TRIBUTES POUR IN FROM CONGRESSIONAL LAWMAKERS AFTER JIMMY CARTER’S DEATH: ‘A GREAT HUMANITARIAN’

Former President Jimmy Carter discusses his cancer diagnosis during a press conference at the Carter Center on August 20, 2015, in Atlanta, Georgia.  (Jessica McGowan/Getty Images)

The story, which is backed by a photograph taken by a White House staffer, goes that Carter, while fishing near Plains, suddenly noticed a large swamp rabbit swimming quickly toward him. Powell said that “this large, wet animal, making strange hissing noises and gnashing its teeth, was intent upon climbing into the Presidential boat.” Carter used a paddle to splash water at the creature, causing it to change course and swim away.

The New York Times reported in August 1979 that the rabbit had “penetrated Secret Service security and attacked President Carter,” forcing him to “beat back the animal with a canoe paddle.” The outlet reported one White House staffer saying, “the President was swinging for his life.”

The picture, which was not released by the White House until after Carter lost his re-election effort to Ronald Reagan in 1980, shows the now-deceased president splashing water as a large rabbit, its ears poking out of the water, swims away.

JIMMY CARTER, FORMER US PRESIDENT, REMEMBERED IN SPORTS WORLD AFTER DEATH

President of the United States Jimmy Carter in a boat in Plains, Georgia, chasing away a swamp rabbit (Sylvilagus aquaticus). This led to the “Jimmy Carter rabbit incident.” Photo source: Jerry Callen. President Jimmy Carter and the “killer rabbit.” Narsil.org. Archived from the original on June 10, 2015. Photograph courtesy of the Jimmy Carter Library. (Public Domain photo courtesy of the Jimmy Carter Library)

Carter’s account of the incident is somewhat less dramatic. The deceased president said: “A rabbit was being chased by hounds and he jumped in the water and swam toward my boat. When he got almost there, I splashed some water with a paddle and the rabbit turned and went on and crawled out on the other side.”  

However, that did not stop national and local media outlets from running the story about the “killer rabbit” far and wide.

In 1979, Carter was in the middle of his one-term presidency. He was facing several difficulties both at home and abroad, including an energy crisis and economic issues and the Iran hostage crisis. Amid these troubles, Carter’s approval ratings took a dramatic dip, and he reached some of the highest disapproval numbers of his entire presidency.

BIDEN USES FORMER PRESIDENT JIMMY CARTER’S DEATH TO CRITICIZE TRUMP IN A VERBAL SPAR AND MORE TOP HEADLINES

U.S. President Jimmy Carter announces new sanctions against Iran in retaliation for taking U.S. hostages, at the White House in Washington, April 7, 1980. Library of Congress/Marion S. Trikosko/Handout via Reuters.

While newspaper accounts of the “banzai bunny” and cartoons of giant, bucktoothed rabbits were clearly fanciful, many came to see the whole story as a sort of metaphor for Carter’s struggling presidency.

Powell, who originally thought of the incident as an innocent, comical story, later said he had come to regret his decision to share it with the press because of the way it was used to portray the president as so weak and inept that he was even afraid of a bunny.

Powell described the events as a “nightmare” in his 1985 memoir “The Other Side of the Story.”

“It still makes my flesh crawl to think I could have been so foolish, I thought it was funny,” he wrote. “Had I been doing my job, I would have stopped the President at that moment, pointed out the dangers to him and his administration if such a story ever got out. . . . Sadly, I did nothing of the kind.”

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March 24, 1979-Elk City, Oklahoma: President Jimmy Carter addressing a town meeting. 

Carter, a Democrat, served as the nation’s 39th president from 1977 to 1981. He was the longest-living president in U.S. history, passing away at the age of 100 in his home in Plains on Dec. 29 at 3:45 p.m. An outspoken Christian, Carter was known for his significant humanitarian efforts after his presidency and was awarded a Nobel Peace Prize in 2002. 

Smugglers abandoned two migrant children at the southern border in Texas this week, fleeing back to Mexico as Texas authorities came to the little girls’ rescue, amid continued concerns about the numbers of unaccompanied minors coming across the border.

The Texas Department of Public Safety said that its troopers had recovered the two little girls, who are five and nine years old, after the smuggler had abandoned them and fled back to Mexico.

The girls, from El Salvador, carried only a note with an address and phone number, and were then referred to U.S. Border Patrol.

ICE DEPORTATIONS CATCH UP TO TRUMP-ERA NUMBERS IN FY 2024 AS BIDEN ADMIN COMES TO A CLOSE 

Texas troopers rescued two girls abandoned at the southern border. (Texas Department of Public Safety.)

The incident taps into ongoing concerns about unaccompanied migrant children coming across the border, with numbers increasing significantly during the recent migrant crisis.

There have been a number of incidents of abandoned children being rescued, often with phone numbers or addresses of relatives or others written on paper or stitched into clothing. When children arrive unaccompanied, they are transferred eventually to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and released to sponsors in the U.S.

A National Guard soldier stands guard on the banks of the Rio Grande at Shelby Park on January 12, 2024, in Eagle Pass, Texas.  (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)

The issue made headlines earlier this year when the DHS Office of Inspector General sent a report to Congress finding that, over the past five years, more than 32,000 unaccompanied migrant children [UCs] had not shown up for immigration court hearings, and that Immigration and Customs Enforcement could not account for the location of all of those who did not appear. 

“During our ongoing audit to assess ICE’s ability to monitor the location and status of UCs who were released or transferred from the custody of the Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), we learned ICE transferred more than 448,000 UCs to HHS from fiscal years 2019 to 2023,” the internal watchdog reported. 

TRUMP’S TRANSITION TEAM EYES EXPANSION OF ANKLE MONITORS FOR ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS NOT IN CUSTODY

“However, ICE was not able to account for the location of all UCs who were released by HHS and did not appear as scheduled in immigration court. ICE reported more than 32,000 UCs failed to appear for their immigration court hearings from FYs 2019 to 2023,” it said.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF THE BORDER SECURITY CRISIS

The watchdog also found that approximately 291,000 unaccompanied migrant children have not yet been marked for removal proceedings, because ICE has routinely failed to schedule immigration court dates and serve notices.

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ICEs FY 2024 report found that, despite the surge of more than 500,000 unaccompanied migrant children into the U.S. during the Biden administration, just 411 were removed in FY 2024, an increase from the 212 in FY 2023. For comparison, more than 4,000 were removed in FY 2022.

President-elect Donald Trump congratulated and thanked Florida state Rep. Hillary Cassel after the Sunshine State lawmaker announced her decision to dump her Democratic Party affiliation and join the GOP.

“Today, I am announcing my decision to change my party affiliation from Democrat to Republican,” Cassel said in a statement. “I will be joining the Republican Conference of the Florida House of Representatives because I believe in their vision for a better, more prosperous Florida.”

In a statement hailing the move, Trump urged more Democrats to defect.

DESANTIS WELCOMES FLORIDA STATE LAWMAKER TO REPUBLICAN PARTY AS SHE DITCHES DEMOCRATS

Left: Republican presidential nominee and former U.S. President Donald Trump smiles during a Hispanic roundtable at Beauty Society on Oct. 12, 2024 in North Las Vegas, Nevada; Right: Florida state Rep. Hillary Cassel (Left: Ethan Miller/Getty Images; Right: flhouse.gov)

“Congratulations to Hillary Cassel for becoming the second State Representative from the Great State of Florida to switch her Party affiliation from Democrat to Republican, once more expanding the GOP Supermajority in the State House! I would further like to invite other Disillusioned Democrats to switch Parties, and join us on this noble quest to Save our Country and, Make America Great Again – GREATER THAN EVER BEFORE. THANK YOU HILLARY!” Trump exclaimed in a Truth Social post.

Cassel’s announcement came after fellow Florida state Rep. Susan Valdés announced earlier this month that she was switching her registration from Democrat to Republican.

While seeking office in 2022, Cassel described herself as a “proud Democrat,” “pro-choice champion,” and “faithful ally of the LGBTQ+ community.” 

FLORIDA BANS CHILDREN UNDER 14 FROM SOCIAL MEDIA

Florida state Rep. Susan Valdés (flhouse.gov)

She also pledged that she would “stand up to #ClimateChange deniers” and “stand up to the NRA and fight for a ban on military style assault rifles and the high capacity ammunition that make them so lethal.”

But now Cassel says the Democratic Party does not reflect her values.

“As a mother, I want to help build a world where our children are judged on their character and their actions not on their labels,” she noted in her statement. “As a proud Jewish woman, I have been increasingly troubled by the Democratic Party’s failure to unequivocally support Israel and its willingness to tolerate extreme progressive voices that justify or condone acts of terrorism. I’m constantly troubled by the inability of the current Democratic Party to relate to everyday Floridians. I can no longer remain in a party that doesn’t represent my values.

TRUMP-BACKED CANDIDATE AIMING TO REPLACE MATT GAETZ WANTS FLORIDA TO ADOPT GOLD AND SILVER AS LEGAL TENDER

Florida state Rep. Hillary Cassel (flhouse.gov)

“I know I won’t always agree on every detail with every Republican, but I do know that I will always have input, collaboration, and respect. The House Republican Conference empowers members to find common sense solutions to real issues facing all Floridians. They welcome different ideas and collaboration, which is the cornerstone of effective government. Those are my values,” Cassel noted.

When it comes to Gallup’s “Most Admired Man list,” Jimmy Carter is number three in the top 10 finishes, behind only Rev. Billy Graham and Ronald Reagan. 

From 1946 to 2020, Carter made the list 29 times, according to Gallup.  

Carter, the nation’s 39th president, died Sunday, Dec. 29, at the age of 100. He served a single term as president, and will also be remembered for his decades of humanitarian work.

“When Gallup asked Americans to retrospectively evaluate Carter’s presidency in June 2023, 57% said they approved of the job he did, and 36% disapproved,” a Gallup blog reads. “His retrospective approval ranks in the bottom half of presidents, better than Nixon and Trump, but similar to George W. Bush and Bill Clinton.”

JIMMY CARTER, 39TH PRESIDENT, REMEMBERED FOR HIS INTEGRITY AND DEVOTION TO HUMANITY

Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter passed away on Dec. 29, 2024. (Paul Hennessy/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Carter earned a Nobel Peace Prize in 2002 “for his decades of untiring effort to find peaceful solutions to international conflicts, to advance democracy and human rights, and to promote economic and social development,” its website states. 

The Plains, Georgia, native undertook peace negotiations, campaigned for human rights and worked for social welfare while President George W. Bush was planning war on Iraq in the fall of 2002.

BIDEN TAKES JAB AT TRUMP WHILE APPLAUDING JIMMY CARTER’S DECENCY, SHARES FONDEST MEMORY WITH LATE PRESIDENT

Egyptian President Anwar Sadat, left, President Jimmy Carter, center, and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin clasp hands on the North Lawn of the White House after signing the peace treaty between Egypt and Israel in Washington on March, 26, 1979.  (AP Photo/Bob Daugherty, File)

“According to the Chairman of the Nobel Committee, Carter ought to have been awarded the Prize as early as in 1978, when he successfully mediated a peace agreement between Egypt and Israel,” the Nobel Prize website says. “As ex-President, Carter conducted an active peace and mediation campaign which sometimes seemed to run counter to official US policy.”

The Carter Center, which Carter opened with his wife, Rosalynn, in 1982, has been a pioneer of election observation, monitoring at least 113 elections in Africa, Latin America, and Asia since 1989. In perhaps its most widely hailed public health effort, the organization recently announced that only 14 human cases of Guinea worm disease were reported in all of 2021, the result of years of public health campaigns to improve access to safe drinking water in Africa.

Former President Jimmy Carter is seen here at the starting day of the 24th Jimmy Carter Work Project in Los Angeles, California, on Oct. 29, 2007. (Mario Anzuoni/File Photo)

For his humanitarian work, Craig Shirley, a Reagan biographer and historian, said Carter will be remembered as “one of the best ex-presidents of the 20th century.” 

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“We’re going to remember him kindly. He was a terrific former president with what he did with the Carter Center and the various initiatives around the country. His book writing stands out [as does] his charitable works. So, he goes down in his history as an extraordinarily good former president.”  

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

President-elect Donald Trump took aim at former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, describing the debt ceiling suspension approved in 2023 as “one of the dumbest political decisions made in years.”

But while targeting the former top House GOP lawmaker, Trump tempered the criticism by describing McCarthy as a friend and a good person.

“The extension of the Debt Ceiling by a previous Speaker of the House, a good man and a friend of mine, from this past September of the Biden Administration, to June of the Trump Administration, will go down as one of the dumbest political decisions made in years. There was no reason to do it – NOTHING WAS GAINED, and we got nothing for it – A major reason why that Speakership was lost. It was Biden’s problem, not ours. Now it becomes ours,” Trump declared in the post. 

DEBT CEILING IS ‘LAST TOOL’ IN DEMOCRATS’ TOOLBOX TO OBSTRUCT TRUMP AGENDA: KAROLINE LEAVITT

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy and U.S. President Donald Trump attend a legislation signing rally with local farmers on Feb. 19, 2020, in Bakersfield, California. ( David McNew/Getty Images)

“I call it ‘1929’ because the Democrats don’t care what our Country may be forced into. In fact, they would prefer ‘Depression’ as long as it hurt the Republican Party. The Democrats must be forced to take a vote on this treacherous issue NOW, during the Biden Administration, and not in June. They should be blamed for this potential disaster, not the Republicans!” he added.

A deal passed by Congress and signed by President Joe Biden last year suspended the debt limit through Jan. 1, 2025, but Trump has been calling for the ceiling to be increased before he takes office. 

“In June 2023, the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 was enacted, suspending the debt limit through January 1, 2025.  On January 2, 2025, the new debt limit will be established at the amount of outstanding debt subject to the statutory limit at the end of the previous day,” Treasury Sec. Janet Yellen wrote in a recent letter to congressional leaders. “Treasury currently expects to reach the new limit between January 14 and January 23, at which time it will be necessary for Treasury to start taking extraordinary measures. I respectfully urge Congress to act to protect the full faith and credit of the United States.”

PRESIDENT BIDEN SIGNS STOPGAP FUNDING BILL INTO LAW, NARROWLY AVERTING SHUTDOWN

Earlier this month, Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance pressed for the limit to be raised as part of a stopgap government spending proposal.

“The most foolish and inept thing ever done by Congressional Republicans was allowing our country to hit the debt ceiling in 2025. It was a mistake and is now something that must be addressed,” the two men said in a statement. “Increasing the debt ceiling is not great but we’d rather do it on Biden’s watch. If Democrats won’t cooperate on the debt ceiling now, what makes anyone think they would do it in June during our administration?”

But the measure that eventually passed did not raise the ceiling.

Responding to Trump’s post about McCarthy, Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, wrote in a post on X, “Sadly, this bad debt ceiling extension was opposed by only 71 House Republicans 18 months ago (notably opposed by virtually the entire @freedomcaucus).”

TRUMP-BACKED SPENDING BILL TO AVERT GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN FAILS HOUSE VOTE

Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, walks through a hallway during a Republican House Conference meeting at the U.S. Capitol on Dec. 20, 2024, in Washington, D.C.  (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

“Democrats did vote on the recent debt ceiling increase proposal on 12/19: 197-2 against it (their price to support is very high – more spending/taxes),” Roy added. “Yes, we can & should address the debt ceiling – thru reconciliation in January with mostly GOP votes – but with real, meaningful spending cuts.”

As Democrats aim to rebound following stunning setbacks in the 2024 elections, the race for Democratic National Committee chair is very publicly heating up.

Getting less attention, but also starting to quietly commence, are moves by Democratic politicians who may have national ambitions in the next White House race.

And while 2028 may seem like a long way away, recent history shows that the early moves in the next White House race start, well, very early.

The unofficial starting gun for the 2024 race was fired by then-former President Donald Trump less than two months after leaving the White House, with a CPAC speech that teased his eventual 2024 presidential campaign.

BUTTIGIEG FUELS 2028 SPECULATION BY DOING THIS

The sign outside the New Hampshire capitol in Concord honors the state’s cherished century-old tradition of holding the nation’s first presidential primary in the race for the White House. (Fox News — Paul Steinhauser)

A few weeks later, the first visits to the key early voting states of Iowa and New Hampshire by potential GOP presidential contenders were also underway.

Fast-forward four years, and expect similar actions by Democratic politicians who may harbor national ambitions. With the soon-to-be 82-year-old President Biden exiting the national stage, and Vice President Kamala Harris, in the wake of her defeat by Trump, in no immediate rush to decide her political future, the road to the 2028 nomination may be wide open.

VANCE IN ‘CATBIRD SEAT,’ BUT HERE ARE THE OTHER REPUBLICANS WHO MAY ALSO RUN IN 2028 

“The jockeying for 2028 took a brief pause when Harris became the nominee and looked to be in a strong position, which would have meant shutting out potential candidates for the next four to eight years. Now, though, it’s wide open, and it won’t be long before we see clear maneuvering from a litany of candidates,” seasoned Democratic political strategist Chris Moyer told Fox News.

Moyer, a veteran of a handful of presidential campaigns, noted that “this will include travel to states like New Hampshire and South Carolina and Nevada, presumably under the auspices of helping candidates in the midterms. Democratic voters in the early states will soon want to find someone they can get excited about and a future to look forward to in the midst of the misery of another four years of Trump in the White House. These potential candidates will be more than happy to oblige.”

The results of the 2026 midterm elections will have a major impact on the shape of the next White House race.

For now, however, here is an initial look at Democratic Party politicians considered to be potential 2028 presidential contenders.

Vice President Kamala Harris

Vice President Harris gave a speech on Dec. 17, 2024 during a visit to Prince George’s Community College in Maryland.  (Fox 5 Washington DC YouTube channel)

As the 60-year-old Harris finishes up her final weeks as the nation’s vice president, early polling in the 2028 Democratic nomination race indicates that she would be a front-runner, thanks in part to her name recognition within her party.

While any decisions on her next political steps are months away, sources in the vice president’s orbit confirm to Fox News that top aides are divided on whether Harris should run again for the White House in 2028, or instead launch a 2026 gubernatorial campaign in her home state of California, which would likely prevent her from seeking the presidency two years later.

While there are plenty of voices within the party who would like to move on from the Biden/Harris era following Trump’s sweeping victory, and there is little history of Democrats yearning for past defeated presidential nominees, Trump has re-written the rules when it comes to defeated White House contenders making another run. 

And potential buyers’ remorse of a second Trump administration could boost Harris in the years to come.

Gov. Gavin Newsom of California 

Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom of California, a top surrogate for President Biden, speaks with voters during a stop at a highway rest area in Hooksett, New Hampshire, on July 8, 2024. (Fox News — Paul Steinhauser)

California Gov. Gavin Newsom was a top surrogate for President Biden during the president’s re-election bid. With the blessing of the White House, the two-term California governor debated then-Republican presidential candidate and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis last year on Fox News. 

Newsom’s travels on behalf of Biden brought him to New Hampshire and South Carolina, two crucial early voting states on the Democratic Party’s nominating calendar.

After the vice president, his friend and fellow Californian, replaced Biden atop the Democrats’ 2024 ticket, the governor continued — after a pause — his efforts to keep Trump from returning to the White House.

With Trump’s election victory last week, Newsom became one of the Democratic Party leaders getting ready to lead the opposition. The governor announced that California state lawmakers would meet to quickly take legislative action to counter Trump’s likely upcoming agenda.

The 57-year-old Newsom’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.

Gov. JB Pritzker of Illinois

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker is interviewed by Fox News Digital at the Democratic National Convention on Aug. 22, 2024, in Chicago. (Fox News — Paul Steinhauser)

Illinois Gov JB Pritzker, similar to Newsom, is already taking steps to Trump-proof his state.

“You come for my people, you come through me,” Pritzker told reporters of his efforts to protect Illinois.

Pritzker was also a high-profile surrogate on behalf of Biden and then Harris during the 2024 cycle. Those efforts brought Pritzker to Nevada, a general election battleground state and an early-voting Democratic presidential primary state, and New Hampshire.

However, before he makes any decision about 2028, the 59-year-old governor must decide whether he will run in 2026 for a third term steering Illinois.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer campaigns on behalf of then-presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris at a house party in Durham, New Hampshire, on July 25, 2024. (Fox News — Paul Steinhauser)

Two-term Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer grabbed plenty of attention and became a Democratic Party rising star in 2020 when she feuded with then-President Trump over COVID pandemic federal assistance and survived a foiled kidnapping attempt.

Trump, at the time, called her “that woman from Michigan.”

Along with Newsom and Pritzker, Whitmer’s name was floated as a possible replacement for Biden following his disastrous debate performance against Trump in late June, before the president endorsed Harris and the party instantly coalesced around the vice president.

Whitmer was a leading surrogate for Biden and then for Harris and made a big impression on Democratic activists during a stop this summer in New Hampshire on behalf of Harris.

The governor is term-limited and will leave office after the end of next year.

Gov. Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro speaks before Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, during a campaign event in Philadelphia on Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Joe Lamberti)

Gov. Josh Shapiro, the 51-year-old first-term governor of Pennsylvania, was on Harris’ short-list for vice presidential nominee.

Even though the vice president named Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate, Shapiro remained a top surrogate on behalf of his party’s 2024 national ticket. 

However, his two-day swing in New Hampshire during the final full week ahead of Election Day did raise some eyebrows and 2028 speculation.

After Harris lost battleground Pennsylvania to Trump, there was plenty of talk within the party that Harris had made the wrong choice for her running mate.

Shapiro, who has a track record of taking on the first Trump administration as Pennsylvania attorney general, is expected to play a similar role with the former president returning to the White House.

The governor will be up for re-election in 2026.

Gov. Wes Moore of Maryland

Gov. Wes Moore of Maryland speaks with the New Hampshire delegation at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago on Aug. 22, 2024. (Fox News — Paul Steinhauser)

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore is considered by many to be another Democratic Party rising star.

The 46-year-old Army veteran, Rhodes Scholar and CEO of the charitable organization the Robin Hood Foundation during the coronavirus pandemic was elected two years ago.

Moore will be up for re-election in 2026.

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg speaks on day three of the Democratic National Convention at the United Center in Chicago on Aug. 21, 2024. (REUTERS/Mike Segar)

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, who surpassed expectations during his 2020 Democratic presidential nomination run, was a very active surrogate on behalf of Biden and later Harris, during the 2024 cycle.

He helped raise a lot of money for the Democratic Party ticket, including heading a top-dollar fundraiser in New Hampshire.

The 42-year-old former South Bend, Indiana, mayor and former naval officer who served in the war in Afghanistan, is considered one of the party’s biggest and brightest stars. He was known as a top communicator for the administration, including making frequent appearances on Fox News.

Gov. Andy Beshear of Kentucky

Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear speaks during the 2024 Democratic National Convention at the United Center in Chicago on Monday, Aug. 19, 2024. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc. via Getty Images)

The 46-year-old Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, who was elected governor in 2019 and then re-elected in 2023 in red-state Kentucky, was also on Harris’ larger list for running mate.

Beshear made plenty of new friends and contacts as he ventured to New Hampshire last month to headline the state Democratic Party’s annual fall fundraising gala.

Beshear served as Kentucky’s attorney general before running for governor.

Sen. Raphael Warnock of Georgia

Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., speaks with Fox News Digital following a campaign rally in Tifton, Georgia, on Nov. 29, 2022. (Brandon Gillespie/Fox News)

Georgia Sen. Raphael Warnock, 55, will likely be a major player in Washington as the Democratic minority in the Senate fights back against the second Trump administration.

Warnock, who won Senate elections in 2020 and 2022 in battleground Georgia, served as senior pastor at the famed Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, where Martin Luther King Jr. once preached.

He is up for re-election in the Senate in 2028.

Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey

Democratic Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey speaks at a Biden campaign/DNC news conference in Milwaukee near the Republican National Convention on July 16, 2024. (Fox News — Paul Steinhauser)

New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker, who ran for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination, is considered one of the party’s most talented orators.

Thanks to his 2020 run, Booker made plenty of friends and allies in such early states as New Hampshire and South Carolina.

The senator is up for re-election in 2026.

Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut

FILE — Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut speaks at the National Safer Communities Summit at the University of Hartford in West Hartford, Conn., Friday, June 16, 2023. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)

Since the November election, Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut has been very vocal about the steps Democrats need to make to win back working-class voters.

First elected to the House in 2006 and to the Senate in 2012, Murphy cruised to re-election this year by nearly 20 points, which means he won’t have to decide between a re-election bid and a White House run in 2028.

Rep. Ro Khanna of California

Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna of California speaks with voters after taking part in a debate with GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy at the New Hampshire Institute of Politics on Nov. 1, 2023, in Manchester, New Hampshire. (Fox News — Paul Steinhauser )

Rep. Ro Khanna, 48, was a tireless surrogate on behalf of Biden and then Harris. 

He has been a regular visitor to New Hampshire in the past couple of years, including a high-profile debate last year against then-GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York

U.S. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) speaks on day one of the Democratic National Convention (DNC) in Chicago, Illinois, on August 19, 2024.  (REUTERS/Elizabeth Frantz)

The progressive rock star and best-known lawmaker among the so-called Squad of diverse House Democrats in October turned 35, the minimum age to run for president.

Some Democrats argue that a riveting messenger with star power is needed as the party’s next nominee, and Ocasio-Cortez is guaranteed to grab plenty of attention if she ultimately decides to run.

Mark Cuban

Mark Cuban spoke at a campaign rally for Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris at the University of Wisconsin La Crosse, in La Crosse, Wis., Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr) (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

Another potential contender with plenty of star power is Mark Cuban.

The billionaire business mogul and part-owner of the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks’ was a high-profile surrogate for Harris during her presidential election campaign.

Gov. Roy Cooper of North Carolina

North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper speaks in support of Democratic presidential candidate Vice President Kamala Harris at the Hendrick Center For Automotive Excellence on August 16, 2024, in Raleigh, North Carolina. (Photo by Grant Baldwin/Getty Images) (Getty Images)

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, 67, who is finishing up his eighth and final year as governor, took his name out of the Harris running mate speculation early in the process this summer.

Cooper served 16 years as North Carolina’s attorney general before winning election as governor.

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham of New Mexico

Democratic New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham speaks on Aug. 9, 2023, in Belen, New Mexico. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)

New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, 65, is halfway through her second term steering New Mexico.

The governor, a former member of Congress, was a high-profile and busy surrogate on behalf of Harris during the final weeks of the 2024 campaign.

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Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz speaks during a campaign rally at Tucson High Magnet School on Nov. 2, 2024, in Tucson, Arizona. (Mario Tama/Getty Images)

The 60-year-old Minnesota governor, who served as Harris’ running mate, has two years remaining in his second term in office.

While the vice presidential nominee’s energy and enthusiasm on the campaign trail this year impressed plenty of Democratic strategists, the final results of the election will make any potential future national run for Walz difficult.

Two other names keep coming up — Gov. Phil Murphy of New Jersey and former Chicago mayor, former congressman, former White House chief of staff and current ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel.

The returning head of the House Republican campaign committee says that “the battlefield is really playing out to our advantage” as he works to defend the GOP’s razor-thin majority in the chamber in the 2026 midterm elections.

While House Republicans held on to control of the House in November’s elections, the Democrats made gains, and the GOP will hold a fragile 220-215 majority when at full strength.

The party in power traditionally loses House seats in the ensuing midterm elections.

But thanks to President-elect Trump’s popular vote victory and sweep of all seven key battleground states as he won back the White House, National Republican Congressional Committee chair Rep. Richard Hudson looks forward to some home-field advantage on the campaign trail.

VANCE TO LIKELY BE 2028 GOP PRESIDENTIAL FRONT-RUNNER, BUT RNC CHAIR ALSO LIKES PARTY’S ‘BENCH’

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)

“There are 14 Democrats who won seats also carried by Donald Trump. There are only three Republicans in seats that were carried by Kamala Harris. So that tells me we’re going to be on offense,” Hudson emphasized in a recent Fox News Digital interview.

Eight years ago, when Trump first won the White House, and the GOP held onto their House majority, Democrats targeted roughly two-dozen Republicans in the 2018 midterms in districts that Trump lost in the 2016 election.

The Democrats, in a blue-wave election, were successful in flipping the House majority. 

SENATE REPUBLICAN CAMPAIGN COMMITTEE CHAIR SPELLS OUT HIS 2026 MISSION

Fast-forward eight years, and it’s a different story, as this time Republicans will be defending seats on friendly turf in districts that the president-elect carried. And Hudson argues that home-field advantage will help the GOP cut through the traditional midterm headwinds.

“There’s a whole lot more opportunity for us to go on offense,” Hudson, who’s represented a congressional district in central North Carolina for a dozen years, touted.

Hudson also made the case that House Republicans who will once again be targeted by the Democrats in the upcoming election cycle are “really battle-tested. I mean, they’re folks who’ve been through the fire before. They’ve gone through several cycles now with millions of dollars spent against them.”

Rep. Richard Hudson of North Carolina, the chair of the National Republican Congressional Committee, is interviewed by Fox News Digital, on Dec. 11, 2024 in Washington, D.C.  (Fox News – Paul Steinhauser)

“They’ve been able to succeed because they work very hard in their districts. They’ve established very strong brands, as you know, people who know how to get things done and how to deliver for their community,” he emphasized. “The Republicans who are in tough seats are our best candidates.”

The three House Republicans who are in districts that Harris carried last month are Reps. Don Bacon of Nebraska, Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania and Mike Lawler of New York.

But there will be a big difference in 2026: Trump, who helped drive low-propensity voters to the polls this year, won’t be on the ballot in the 2026 midterms. 

“I certainly would rather have him on the ballot, because he turns out voters that don’t come out for other candidates,” Hudson acknowledged.

But he argued, “If you look at the way this race is shaping up, we campaigned on a key set of issues of things that we promised we would deliver. If we deliver those things and have Donald Trump there with us campaigning with our candidates, I believe we can drive out a higher percentage of those voters than we have in midterms in the past.”

Hudson said that Trump “was a great partner” with House Republicans this year and will be again in the upcoming election cycle.

“[Trump] cares deeply about having a House majority, because he understands that a Democrat House majority means his agenda comes to a grinding halt. And so he’s been very engaged, was a very good partner for us this last election, and I anticipate that continuing.”

Rep. Suzan DelBene of Washington State, chair of the rival Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, says she wants “to build on” the “things we did right” as she aims to win back the House majority Democrats lost in the 2022 midterms.

“We won in tough districts, outperformed across the country,” DelBene emphasized in a recent Fox News Digital interview.

DelBene, who is also sticking around for a second straight tour of duty steering her party’s House campaign committee, said that the 2024 successes are “a good example of what we need to continue to follow, heading into 2026.”

“Number one, have great candidates who are independent-minded, focused on the needs of their communities,” DelBene said as she listed her to-do list. “Those candidates and their voices were critically important in this election.”

DelBene said that “making sure that they [the candidates] have the resources they need to get information out to voters and to continue to address, head-on, the issues that are most important to their communities, lowering costs, making sure there’s economic opportunity” are also top priorities.

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With Trump returning to the White House and the GOP in control of both chambers of Congress, DelBene said Republicans are “going to be accountable for what they do in this country and the impact that has on working families.”

“We’re going to hold them accountable for their votes and the actions they take, especially if they aren’t supporting working families,” she emphasized. “I think people want to see governance work. So, if Republicans aren’t willing to work in a bipartisan way to get things done, that’s going to be a key part of the 2026 election as well.”

Looking to the 2026 map, DelBene touted that Democrats will have “opportunities across the country.”

And she said it’s the DCCC’s job to “reach voters where they are and make sure they’re getting accurate information about where our candidates stand.”

Fox News’ Emma Woodhead contributed to this report.

Former President Jimmy Carter, who died Sunday at 100, is expected to lie in state in the Capitol Rotunda in January, Fox News has learned.

Though the specific dates have not yet been released, President Biden said in a White House statement Sunday night that Carter’s funeral at the Washington National Cathedral is scheduled for Jan. 9, deeming the day a National Day of Mourning.

“I call on the American people to assemble on that day in their respective places of worship, there to pay homage to the memory of President James Earl Carter, Jr. I invite the people of the world who share our grief to join us in this solemn observance,” the president said.

Biden also ordered that all American flags fly at half-staff for the next 30 days.

JIMMY CARTER, 39TH PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, DEAD AT 100

Former President Jimmy Carter discusses his cancer diagnosis during a press conference at the Carter Center on Aug. 20, 2015, in Atlanta. (Jessica McGowan/Getty Images)

The 39th president is expected to lie in state in both the Georgia State Capitol and the U.S. Capitol before the state funeral in Washington, D.C., The New York Times reported.

Former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid was the most recent statesman to lie in state in January 2022. Twelve U.S. presidents have lain in state, beginning with former President Abraham Lincoln and most recently with former President George H.W. Bush, who died in November 2018.

LIVING US PRESIDENTS REACT TO DEATH OF FORMER PRESIDENT JIMMY CARTER

Multiple observances of Carter’s death are expected in coming days in Atlanta, Georgia, and Washington, D.C., the Carter Center said.

“The final arrangements for President Carter’s state funeral, including all public events and motorcade routes, are still pending,” the center noted.

The former president will be interred privately in his hometown of Plains, Georgia, to which he returned after serving as president from 1977 to 1981. His death came after years of health problems, including cancer that spread to his liver and brain. He entered hospice care in February 2023. 

Carter outlived his wife of 77 years, Rosalynn Carter, who died in November 2023 at the age of 96. His death inspired an outpouring of sympathy from both sides of the political aisle, with President-elect Trump writing that Americans “owe [Carter] a debt of gratitude.”

JIMMY, ROSALYNN CARTER’S HABITAT FOR HUMANITY LEGACY WILL CONTINUE, ORGANIZATION SAYS

Carter served two terms as a Georgia state senator from 1963 to 1967, one term as governor of Georgia from 1971 to 1975 and one term as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. (Archive Photos)

“Those of us who have been fortunate to have served as President understand this is a very exclusive club, and only we can relate to the enormous responsibility of leading the Greatest Nation in History,” Trump said in a Truth Social post on Sunday. “The challenges Jimmy faced as President came at a pivotal time for our country and he did everything in his power to improve the lives of all Americans.”

In a statement released on Sunday, the late president’s son, Chip Carter, called his father a “hero.”

“My father was a hero, not only to me but to everyone who believes in peace, human rights, and unselfish love,” the statement read. “My brothers, sister, and I shared him with the rest of the world through these common beliefs.”

“The world is our family because of the way he brought people together, and we thank you for honoring his memory by continuing to live these shared beliefs.”

Former President Jimmy Carter speaks to the congregation at Maranatha Baptist Church before teaching Sunday school in his hometown of Plains, Ga., on April 28, 2019. (Hennessy/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

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More information about the funeral and ceremony plans for Carter is expected to emerge in the coming days.

Former President Jimmy Carter, who died Sunday at 100, is expected to lie in state in the Capitol Rotunda in January, Fox News has learned.

Officials have not yet released the specific dates when Carter’s body will be in the Rotunda. The New York Times reported that the 39th president is expected to lie in state in both the Georgia State Capitol and the U.S. Capitol before a state funeral takes place at Washington National Cathedral.

Former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid in January 2022 was the most recent statesman to lie in state. Twelve U.S. presidents have lain in state, beginning with former President Abraham Lincoln. The last U.S. president to lie in state was former President George H.W. Bush, who died in November 2018.

Multiple observances of Carter’s death are expected in coming days. The Carter Center said on Sunday that events are expected in Atlanta and Washington, D.C. Carter was from Plains, Georgia.

JIMMY CARTER, 39TH PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, DEAD AT 100

Former President Jimmy Carter discusses his cancer diagnosis during a press conference at the Carter Center on Aug. 20, 2015, in Atlanta. (Jessica McGowan/Getty Images)

“The final arrangements for President Carter’s state funeral, including all public events and motorcade routes, are still pending,” the center noted.

The former president will be interred privately in his hometown, to which he returned after serving as president from 1977 to 1981. His death came after years of health problems, including cancer that spread to his liver and brain. He entered hospice care in February 2023. 

Carter outlived his wife of 77 years, Rosalynn Carter, who died in November 2023 at the age of 96. His death inspired an outpouring of sympathy from both sides of the political aisle, with President-elect Trump writing that Americans “owe [Carter] a debt of gratitude.”

JIMMY, ROSALYNN CARTER’S HABITAT FOR HUMANITY LEGACY WILL CONTINUE, ORGANIZATION SAYS

Carter served two terms as a Georgia state senator from 1963 to 1967, one term as governor of Georgia from 1971 to 1975 and one term as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. (Archive Photos)

“Those of us who have been fortunate to have served as President understand this is a very exclusive club, and only we can relate to the enormous responsibility of leading the Greatest Nation in History,” Trump said in a Truth Social post on Sunday. “The challenges Jimmy faced as President came at a pivotal time for our country and he did everything in his power to improve the lives of all Americans.”

In a statement released on Sunday, the late president’s son, Chip Carter, called his father a “hero.”

“My father was a hero, not only to me but to everyone who believes in peace, human rights, and unselfish love,” the statement read. “My brothers, sister, and I shared him with the rest of the world through these common beliefs.”

“The world is our family because of the way he brought people together, and we thank you for honoring his memory by continuing to live these shared beliefs.”

 CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Former President Jimmy Carter speaks to the congregation at Maranatha Baptist Church before teaching Sunday school in his hometown of Plains, Ga., on April 28, 2019. (Hennessy/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

More information about the funeral and ceremony plans for Carter is expected to emerge in the coming days.