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The Constitution dictates that the 119th Congress begins at noon et on Friday. 

And the first order of business in the House is to elect the Constitutional officer for the legislative branch of government: Speaker of the House.

Only the House votes for Speaker. And the House can’t do anything – I’ll repeat that, anything – until it chooses a Speaker. 

It can’t swear-in Members until the House taps a Speaker and he or she is sworn-in. The Speaker then swears-in the rest of the body, en masse. Then the House must adopt a rules package to govern daily operations. Only then can the House go about debating bills, voting and constructing committees for hearings. 

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If the House fails to elect a Speaker on the first ballot, it must proceed to a second ballot. 

And on and on.  

Consider for a moment that the House had never even taken a second vote for Speaker in a century before the donnybrook two years ago. It took four ballots to re-elect late House Speaker Frederick Gillett, R-Mass., in 1923. 

What is past is prologue for the House. Consider how the House consumed 15 rounds spread out over five days before electing former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., in January, 2023. The Speakership remained vacant – and thus, the House frozen – for 22 days after Republicans dumped McCarthy nine months later. House Republicans then tapped House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., for Speaker. Scalise withdrew his name before there was even a floor vote. House GOPers then tapped Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, to become Speaker. But Jordan lost three consecutive votes for Speaker on the House floor, bleeding support on each ballot. House Republicans then anointed House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., for Speaker. Emmer withdrew hours later. 

Fox News Digital briefly spoke with ex-Speaker Kevin McCarthy during a rare appearance on Capitol Hill

House Republicans finally nominated House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., for the job. The Louisiana Republican won on the floor. But some conservatives have been disappointed in Johnson ever since. They’ve flagged how he handled multiple, interim spending bills from last November on. They didn’t like that he allowed a bill on the floor to aid Ukraine. They opposed him doing yet another interim spending bill in September. They really didn’t like how he worked with Democrats on major, must-do pieces of legislation. And then there was the misstep of the staggering, 1,500-page interim spending package which Mr. Trump and Elon Musk pulverized from afar in December. Johnson then did President-elect Trump’s bidding with another spending package – which included a debt ceiling increase. But 38 House Republicans bolted on that bill. 

So Johnson’s tenure has been bumpy. And that’s why he’s on the hook come Friday afternoon during the vote for Speaker. Everyone on Capitol Hill is on tenterhooks when it comes to wrapping this up expeditiously. 

Here’s what will happen Friday at noon: 

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Acting House Clerk Kevin McCumber will preside until the House elects a Speaker. The first order of business is a “call of the House.” That’s where the House establishes how many of its Members-elect are there, simply voting “present.” The House should clock in at 434 members: 219 Republicans and 215 Democrats. There should be one vacancy. Former Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., resigned in the fall – and said he did not “intend” to serve in the new Congress, despite having won reelection. 

Watch to see if there are absences in that call of the House. Fox is told that Democrats who have struggled with health issues of late – including Reps. Raul Grijalva, D-Ariz., Dwight Evans, D-Penn., and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., will likely be there. But the Speaker’s election is about the math. How many lawmakers report to the House chamber will dictate margins in the Speaker’s vote.

Then it’s on to nominating speeches. Incoming House Republican Conference Chairwoman Lisa McClain, R-Mich., will nominate Johnson for Speaker. House Democratic Caucus Chairman Pete Aguilar, D-Calif., will nominate House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y. Anyone else can then place someone’s name in nomination.

Then, the House calls the roll of Members-elect alphabetically. Each Member rises and verbally responds, calling out their choice by name. Reps. Alma Adams, D-N.C., Robert Aderholt, R-Ala., and the aforementioned Aguilar are the first names out of the block.

(Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

But lawmakers can vote for anyone they want. That includes persons who aren’t House Members. That’s why there have been votes cast over the years for the late Gen. Colin Powell, Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., former Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., and former U.S. Comptroller General David Walker. 

This is what Johnson – or anyone else must do – to win the Speakership:

The winning candidate must secure an outright majority of all Members voting for a candidate by name. 

So let’s say there are 434 members and all vote for someone by name. The magic number is 218. If Johnson gets the votes of all 219 Republicans, he wins. If Johnson gets 218 votes, he also wins. But 217? No dice. Under those circumstances Johnson would have prospectively outpolled Jeffries, 217-215 – with two votes going to other candidates. But the “most votes” doesn’t win. 217 is not an outright majority of House Members voting for someone by name. The House must take ANOTHER ballot to elect a Speaker. 

Fox is told there are anywhere from 12 to 17 Republicans who could vote for someone besides Johnson. And some Republicans are being cagey about their votes. 

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Here’s something to watch: Members who vote “present.”

Rather than voting for someone besides Johnson, some Republicans may protest by simply voting “present.” A “present” vote does not count against Johnson. 

So let’s do some hypothetical math here:

Let’s say 434 Members cast ballots. Jeffries secures support from all 215 Democrats. Three Republicans vote “present.” In other words, not voting for any candidate by name. Johnson scores 216 votes. He has the most votes. But more importantly, only 431 Members voted for someone by name. 216 is an outright majority of 431. 434 doesn’t matter under these circumstances. So Johnson becomes Speaker. 

But there is serious danger in too many Republicans voting “present.” 

Consider this scenario: 

All 215 Democrats vote for Jeffries. But five Republicans vote “present.” Johnson records 214 votes. 429 Members cast ballots for someone by name. The magic number here is 215. Guess who’s Speaker? Jeffries. He marshalled an outright majority of all Members voting for a candidate by name.

(Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

As they say in the movies, “You play a very dangerous game, Mr. Bond.”

With such a thin margin in the House, Republicans are absolutely tinkering with fire if they get too cute by half. Yes. Some conservatives might not want to re-elect Johnson as Speaker. But they certainly don’t want Jeffries. 

So it’s hard to say what happens on Friday afternoon. If the House dithers too long, this could delay the certification of the Electoral College vote on Monday. The House and Senate must meet in a Joint Session of Congress on January 6 to certify the election results. No House Speaker? No Joint Session. 

But something else will likely unfold if this drags on. Johnson loyalists and mainstream Republicans have had it with right-wing ideologues, the Freedom Caucus and other freelancers. Expect a full-on brawl between those two factions if Republicans struggle to elect a Speaker.

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And as we wrote earlier, what is past is prologue. 

A protracted battle over the Speakership serves as prologue to the looming, internecine fights among Republicans when it comes to governing. That’s to say nothing of implementing a solitary plank of President-elect Trump’s agenda.

Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts issued a warning on Tuesday that the United States must maintain “judicial independence” just weeks away from President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration. 

Roberts explained his concerns in his annual report on the federal judiciary. 

“It is not in the nature of judicial work to make everyone happy. Most cases have a winner and a loser. Every Administration suffers defeats in the court system—sometimes in cases with major ramifications for executive or legislative power or other consequential topics,” Robert wrote in the 15-page report. “Nevertheless, for the past several decades, the decisions of the courts, popular or not, have been followed, and the Nation has avoided the standoffs that plagued the 1950s and 1960s.” 

“Within the past few years, however, elected officials from across the political spectrum have raised the specter of open disregard for federal court rulings,” Roberts said, without naming Trump, President Biden or any specific lawmaker. “These dangerous suggestions, however sporadic, must be soundly rejected. Judicial independence is worth preserving. As my late colleague Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg wrote, an independent judiciary is ‘essential to the rule of law in any land,’ yet it ‘is vulnerable to assault; it can be shattered if the society law exists to serve does not take care to assure its preservation.’”

“I urge all Americans to appreciate this inheritance from our founding generation and cherish its endurance,” Roberts said. 

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Roberts also quoted Chief Justice Charles Evans Hughes, who remarked that the three branches of government “must work in successful cooperation” to “make possible the effective functioning of the department of government which is designed to safeguard with judicial impartiality and independence the interests of liberty.”

U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts and Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor stand on the House floor ahead of the annual State of the Union address by President Biden before a joint session on March 7, 2024. (Shawn Thew-Pool/Getty Images)

“Our political system and economic strength depend on the rule of law,” Roberts wrote.

A landmark Supreme Court immunity decision penned by Roberts, along with another high court decision halting efforts to disqualify Trump from the ballot, were championed as major victories on the Republican nominee’s road to winning the election. The immunity decision was criticized by Democrats like Biden, who later called for term limits and an enforceable ethics code following criticism over undisclosed trips and gifts from wealthy benefactors to some justices.

A handful of Democrats and one Republican lawmaker urged Biden to ignore a decision by a Trump-appointed judge to revoke FDA approval for the abortion drug mifepristone last year. Biden declined to take executive action to bypass the ruling, and the Supreme Court later granted the White House a stay permitting the sale of the medication to continue. 

The Supreme Court is seen in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 5, 2024. (MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)

The high court’s conservative majority also ruled last year that Biden’s massive student loan debt forgiveness efforts constitute an illegal use of executive power. 

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Roberts and Trump clashed in 2018 when the chief justice rebuked the president for denouncing a judge who rejected his migrant asylum policy as an “Obama judge.”

In 2020, Roberts criticized comments made by Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer of New York while the Supreme Court was considering a high-profile abortion case.

Roberts introduced his letter Tuesday by recounting a story about King George III stripping colonial judges of lifetime appointments, an order that was “not well received.” Trump is now readying for a second term as president with an ambitious conservative agenda, elements of which are likely to be legally challenged and end up before the court whose conservative majority includes three justices appointed by Trump during his first term.

In the annual report, the chief justice wrote generally that even if court decisions are unpopular or mark a defeat for a presidential administration, other branches of government must be willing to enforce them to ensure the rule of law. Roberts pointed to the Brown v. Board of Education decision that desegrated schools in 1954 as one that needed federal enforcement in the face of resistance from southern governors.

Chief Justice John Roberts, left, and Associate Justice Samuel Alito are seated as they and the other Supreme Court members sit for a group photo at the Supreme Court building on Capitol Hill on Friday, Oct. 7, 2022 in Washington, D.C. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

He also said “attempts to intimidate judges for their rulings in cases are inappropriate and should be vigorously opposed.” 

While public officials and others have the right to criticize rulings, they should also be aware that their statements can “prompt dangerous reactions by others,” Roberts wrote. 

Threats targeting federal judges have more than tripled over the last decade, according to U.S. Marshals Service statistics. State court judges in Wisconsin and Maryland were killed at their homes in 2022 and 2023, Roberts wrote.

“Violence, intimidation, and defiance directed at judges because of their work undermine our Republic, and are wholly unacceptable,” he wrote.

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Roberts also pointed to disinformation about court rulings as a threat to judges’ independence, saying that social media can magnify distortions and even be exploited by “hostile foreign state actors” to exacerbate divisions.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Politics in 2024 was nothing short of unprecedented. 

Now that the U.S. has put a bow on the year, Fox News Digital looks back on the biggest political news stories that turned Washington, D.C., on its head. 

President Biden (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

Biden’s drops out of presidential race at 11th hour after increasing scrutiny of his mental acuity

The year kicked off with President Biden in the driver’s seat of the Democratic Party as he keyed up a re-election effort in what was shaping up to be a second matchup against now-President-elect Donald Trump. 

In February, however, Biden’s 81 years of age and mental acuity fell under public scrutiny after years of conservatives questioning the commander-in-chief’s mental fitness. Special counsel Robert Hur, who was investigating Biden’s alleged mishandling of classified documents as vice president, announced he would not recommend criminal charges against Biden for possessing classified materials after his vice presidency, calling Biden “a sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory.”

The report renewed scrutiny over Biden’s mental acuity, which rose to a fever pitch in June after the president’s first and only presidential debate against Trump. 

Biden faced backlash for a handful of gaffes and miscues in the days leading up to his debate against Trump, including former President Obama taking Biden’s wrist and appearing to lead him off a stage during a swank fundraiser, and also abroad when Italian Prime Minister Giogia Meloni guided Biden back to a group of world leaders when he appeared to wander off to give a thumbs-up to a parachutist during the G-7 summit. 

When the big debate day arrived, Biden missed his marks repeatedly, tripping over his responses and appearing to lose his train of thought as he squared up against Trump. The disastrous debate performance led to an outpouring of both conservatives and traditional Democrat allies calling on the president to bow out of the race in favor of a younger generation. 

CRITICISMS MOUNT THAT BIDEN IS A ‘SHADOW’ OF HIMSELF AFTER DISASTROUS DEBATE: ‘NOT THE SAME MAN’ FROM VP ERA

The White House for weeks defiantly insisted that Biden would “absolutely not” drop out of the race, with his communications team and campaign daily combating the claims and speculation.

On July 21, Biden issued a tweet that Sunday afternoon announcing he would bow out of the race.

The Washington Post Editorial Board argued that Vice President Harris and the Democratic Party’s cover-up of President Biden’s cognitive issues was part of the reason the party lost the 2024 election. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

Kamala Harris ‘installed’ as Democrat presidential nominee

Biden endorsed Vice President Harris to pick up the mantle shortly after dropping out of the race in a separate social media post published on X, formerly Twitter. 

Biden’s exit from the race, when there were only about 100 days left before Nov. 5, was the first time the presumptive nominee of a major political party withdrew from the election after winning primaries. 

Harris soon launched her truncated campaign, flanked by staffers from the Obama administration and campaigns and also a handful of holdovers from Biden’s campaign. 

Harris earned the nomination of the party despite not running in the primaries, sparking some calls, including from Democrats, that the process was “undemocratic.” High-profile Democrats from the Obamas to the Clintons threw their support behind Harris, while former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi said Harris’ nomination was fair by arguing the nomination process was “open” and Harris “won it.” 

“We do not live in a dictatorship,” left-wing group Black Lives Matter declared over the summer. “Delegates are not oligarchs. Installing Kamala Harris as the Democratic nominee and an unknown vice president without any public voting process would make the modern Democratic Party a party of hypocrites.”

Harris previously ran for the White House during the 2020 election cycle, but she dropped out in early December 2019, two months before the 2020 Iowa caucuses.

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President-elect Donald Trump spoke to Time magazine about the first assassination attempt on his life in Butler, Pa., in July. (Rebecca Droke/AFP via Getty Images)

Trump assassination attempts

Before Trump was elected president, he faced two assassination attempts in July and September that rocked voters and the election cycle. 

Trump took the stage at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13 for what was intended to be a rally in the crucial swing state. Then shots rang out. 

Trump was seen dropping to the ground during the rally before he quickly stood up, a bloodied ear apparent, while surrounded by Secret Service agents.

“Fight, fight, fight,” Trump was seen shouting to the crowd with a raised fist as he was escorted off the stage. 

One man, Corey Comperatore, lost his life while protecting his family from the attack, and two other people were seriously injured. 

The would-be assassin, Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, was shot and killed by a Secret Service sniper. 

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Donald Trump is seen with blood on his face surrounded by Secret Service agents as he is taken off the stage at a campaign event in Butler, Pa., on July 13, 2024. (Rebecca Droke/AFP via Getty Images)

The attack unfolded just days before the Republican National Convention kicked off in Milwaukee. Despite initial speculation the RNC would be upended by the attempt, Trump appeared throughout the week with a patch over his injured right ear before formally accepting the nomination in a speech. 

“The amazing thing is that prior to the shot, if I had not moved my head at that very last instant, the assassin’s bullet would have perfectly hit its mark and I would not be here tonight. We would not be together,” Trump said in his acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention. 

“Bullets were flying over us, yet I felt serene. But now the Secret Service agents were putting themselves in peril. They were in very dangerous territory,” Trump continued. “Bullets were flying right over them, missing them by a very small amount of inches. And then it all stopped. Our Secret Service sniper, from a much greater distance and with only one bullet used, took the assassin’s life, took him out.”

Weeks later, on Sept. 15, Trump faced an assassination attempt while golfing at his Trump International Golf Club in Florida. 

Trump was safely escorted from the green at his golf club in West Palm Beach that Sunday afternoon after suspect Ryan Routh allegedly pointed a rifle toward the 45th president just outside the perimeter of the club. Routh fled the scene but was apprehended shortly thereafter on I-95. 

Routh allegedly waited in the bushes near Trump’s golf course for 12 hours ahead of the attempt on the former president’s life.

Routh has pleaded not guilty in the case, which includes charges such as the attempted assassination of a presidential candidate and assault on a federal officer. His attorneys are reportedly considering an insanity defense as court proceedings continue. 

TRUMP AT HIGHER RISK OF ASSASSINATION THAN OTHER FORMER PRESIDENTS THANKS TO ‘PUBLIC ENEMY’ RHETORIC: EXPERT

Former President Trump speaks during an election night watch party at the South Carolina State Fairgrounds in Columbia, S.C., on Feb. 24, 2024. (Victor J. Blue/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Trump’s conviction and political ‘comeback’ 

While juggling his successful re-election effort, Trump spent much of the year battling criminal charges and legal cases, including sitting trial for weeks in the New York v. Trump case. 

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​​Trump was found guilty of 34 counts of falsifying business records in the Manhattan case in May. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office worked to prove that Trump falsified business records to conceal a $130,000 payment to former porn star Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 election to quiet her claims of an alleged affair with Trump in 2006.

Trump maintained his innocence in the case and called it a “sham” and “witch hunt.” The guilty verdict was slammed by both Trump and legal experts as an example of “lawfare” promoted by Democrats in an effort to hurt his election efforts ahead of November. 

Trump plowed ahead with his election effort despite the guilty verdict, completing a massive political comeback when he defeated Harris at the polls.

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President-elect Donald Trump celebrates beating Vice President Harris in the 2024 presidential race. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Heading into Election Day, the polls were tight and both Trump and Harris zeroed in on locking down votes in key battleground states, most notably Pennsylvania. Final results from the election were expected to take days, harkening back to the 2020 election cycle during the pandemic, but Trump’s decisive win was declared late on election night. 

Trump took the stage to accept victory after Fox News projected he would win Pennsylvania, which carries 19 electoral votes, as well as Wisconsin, Georgia and North Carolina. Trump ultimately notched 312 electoral votes to Harris’ 226 and also secured the popular vote. 

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“Every citizen, I will fight for you, for your family and your future. Every single day, I will be fighting for you. And with every breath in my body, I will not rest until we have delivered the strong, safe and prosperous America that our children deserve and that you deserve. This will truly be the golden age of America. That’s what we have to have. This is a magnificent victory for the American people that will allow us to make America great again,” he said just before 2:30 a.m. after the election. 

NYPD officers detain dozens of pro-Palestinian students at Columbia University on April 30, 2024. (Selcuk Acar/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Anti-Israel protests erupt on college campuses 

During last year’s college school year, agitators and student protesters flooded college campuses nationwide to protest the war in Israel, which also included spiking instances of antisemitism and Jewish students publicly speaking out that they do not feel safe on some campuses. 

Radicals on Columbia University’s campus in New York City, for example, took over the school’s Hamilton Hall building, while schools such as UCLA, Harvard and Yale worked to clear spiraling student encampments where protesters demanded their elite schools completely divest from Israel. 

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Terrorist organization Hamas launched a war in Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, which initially fanned the flames of antisemitism on campuses in the form of protests, menacing graffiti and students reporting that they felt as if it was “open season for Jews on our campuses.” The protests heightened to the point Jewish students at some schools, including Columbia, were warned to leave campus for their own safety. 

On Penn’s campus, Fox News Digital exclusively reported in May that anti-Israel radicals were passing around multiple guides directing agitators on how to break into buildings, “escalate” protests, create weapons and even administer first aid.

Anti-Israel protesters sparked campus unrest at the University of North Carolina. (Travis Long/News & Observer/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

IVY LEAGUE ANTI-ISRAEL AGITATORS’ PROTESTS SPIRAL INTO ‘ACTUAL TERROR ORGANIZATION,’ PROFESSOR WARNS

“Let repression breed more resistance. We will not disavow any actions taken to escalate the struggle, including militant direct actions. Our notion of ‘safety’ in the imperial core is built on centuries of corpses, and this liberal framing of ‘safetyism’ prevents us from escalating and winning, which is our duty to Palestine and us all. We keep us safe by escalating. Don’t hesitate to take more risk,” one how-to guide dubbed “FLOOD THE GATES: ESCALATE” read.

The college protests and war in Israel became a focal point of the presidential race as well as down-ballot races, with Republicans repeatedly condemning antisemitism on college campuses and demanding peace be restored to colleges.

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College administrators from top schools such as UCLA, Rutgers and Northwestern were grilled by lawmakers over their handling of antisemitism on campus, while Trump warned school leaders if they allow antisemitism to run rampant, they could lose accreditation.

Several “winners” and “losers” emerged in 2024 as the year comes to a close after Republicans took control of Congress in the November election and several prominent Democrats ended up on the losing side.

WINNER – President-elect Donald Trump

Pundits in the media largely wrote Trump off after he left office and argued his political career was over in the wake of the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot and House impeachments. That critique intensified after he found himself facing indictments in several different jurisdictions and battling with several prominent Republicans during the GOP primary. 

However, Trump weathered the political storm while surviving two assassination attempts and won back the White House in November in what many described as the greatest political comeback in American political history.

TOP POLITICAL GAFFES OF 2024

From left: VP Kamala Harris, Tesla CEO Elon Musk, Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown, VP-elect JD Vance

Trump will be sworn in as the 47th president of the United States on Jan. 20 for a term that will be bolstered by Republican control of the House and Senate for at least the next two years.

LOSER – VP Kamala Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz

President Biden made history this summer when he dropped out of the presidential race amid pressure from many within his own party and essentially handed the reins to his vice president despite calls to hold an open primary process.

After several months of campaigning along with a spending blitz of $1 billion, Harris ultimately failed to make the case to voters that the Biden-Harris administration policies should be continued with four years of a Harris presidency. 

Harris lost both the popular vote and the Electoral College to Trump, and Republicans down the ballot secured enough seats to keep control of the House and retake control of the Senate.

2024’S MOST ANNOYING PEOPLE. LEFT AND RIGHT CAN AGREE ON AT LEAST 2

Democrat presidential nominee Vice President Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, arrive at a campaign rally in Philadelphia on Aug. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Harris was widely criticized for her decision to select Walz as her running mate, with many political experts making the case that Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro was the optimal choice. Walz had been labeled by many media outlets as a personable and popular governor who brought “Midwestern charm” to the ticket but also consistently brought negative attention to the campaign with a series of gaffes and controversial statements about his past military service. 

“Historically, vice presidents have little impact on a presidential candidate’s fate,” Rob Bluey, president and executive editor of the Daily Signal, told Fox News Digital last month. 

“But in the case of Tim Walz, it proved to be a disastrous decision that doomed Kamala Harris from the moment she made it. Not only was Walz ill-prepared for the national spotlight and media scrutiny, but Harris passed over several better options. Given how little Americans knew about Harris or her policy positions, they were right to question her judgment on this big decision.”

WINNER – Elon Musk

The Tesla and SpaceX CEO officially threw his support behind Trump shortly after the former president survived being shot during a failed assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania, in July.

Musk quickly became a fixture on the campaign trail and spoke at a rally at the site of the assassination attempt. 

“As you can see, I am not just MAGA. I am Dark MAGA,” Musk joked at the rally in October, a nod to the Dark Brandon meme. He called the upcoming Nov. 5 election “the most important election of our lifetime.”

Over the past few months, Musk has positioned himself as a key voice in the Trump administration and has been seen at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida several times – some outlets have reported that he is living on the property – and his influence has grown to the point that liberal pundits are accusing him of being the “co-president.”

Musk, along with former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, was appointed by Trump to lead the newly formed Department of Government Efficiency, which has already made waves in Washington, D.C., with elected officials on both sides of the aisle supporting the agency’s stated goal of slashing government waste.

LOSER – George Soros

2024: THE YEAR PRO-TRUMP CELEBRITIES BECAME MAINSTREAM

Left-wing billionaire and philanthropist George Soros (Jason Alden/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

The Soros money machine that has propped up progressive lawmakers and district attorneys across the country suffered significant losses in blue California on election night as voters overwhelmingly rejected progressives on the issue of crime.

California voters overwhelmingly voted in favor of Prop 36 that rolled back key provisions of Proposition 47, which was advertised by Democrats in the state as progressive crime reforms that would make the state safer. 

When Proposition 47 passed in 2014, it downgraded most thefts from felonies to misdemeanors if the amount stolen was under $950, “unless the defendant had prior convictions of murder, rape, certain sex offenses, or certain gun crimes.”

Progressives suffered another major loss in Los Angeles, where District Attorney George Gascón, who co-authored Prop 47 and was backed by Soros, was defeated by former federal prosecutor Nathan Hochman as crime was seen as a top issue of the election cycle.

In another loss for Soros-backed prosecutors in the Golden State, Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price was recalled, less than two years after taking office, after backlash for her alleged soft-on-crime approach.

Oakland Democrat Mayor Sheng Thao, who faced heat from her constituents amid rising crime, was also ousted from office after her recall effort passed with 65% of the vote.

In San Francisco, where crime has been a major concern with voters, Democrat Mayor London Breed lost her re-election campaign.

“I think that this is broader than just a message from people who care about crime,” Cully Stimson, senior legal fellow at the Heritage Foundation and co-author of the book “Rogue Prosecutors: How Radical Soros Lawyers Are Destroying America’s Communities,” told Fox News Digital.

“This is a massive mandate and cry for help from the general population that we want our state back, we want our counties back, and we want our cities back and that our failed social experiments have had enough time, and they’re an absolute, abysmal failure.”

WINNER – Vice President-elect JD Vance

TRUMP’S CONVINCING 2024 VICTORY SETS HOUSE GOP UP FOR HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE IN 2026 MIDTERM ELECTIONS

Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, the vice president-elect, leaves the Senate chamber as lawmakers work on an interim spending bill at the Capitol on Dec. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

The popular narrative among left-wing pundits during the presidential election cycle was that Trump’s VP pick, Ohio GOP Sen. JD Vance, would alienate voters with a personality they deemed to be unlikable.

Contrary to that narrative, Vance solidified himself as a formidable force in conservative politics, appearing on a variety of podcasts, holding frequent press conferences and putting forward a debate performance that several polls suggested he won.

Vance held a 34% favorability rating when he joined Trump on the ticket. That number shot up over the next few months, and Real Clear Politics reported in mid-November that his favorability rating had shot up to 44%.

“I thought people would be more unnerved by JD Vance,” MSNBC host Rachel Maddow told Semafor this week.

Vance, 40, will be the third-youngest vice president in American history when he is sworn in next month. As Trump is prevented by the Constitution from seeking another term in office, Vance is already viewed as a front-runner for the 2028 Republican presidential nomination.

“We are getting four more years of Trump and then eight years of JD Vance,” Donald Trump Jr. said in October on the campaign trail. 

The younger Trump, who’s a powerful ally of the vice president-elect, is extremely popular with the MAGA base.

“The vice president will be in the catbird seat, no question about it,” longtime Republican consultant Dave Carney recently told Fox News Digital. 

LOSER – Democrat Senate incumbents

On their way to taking control of the Senate, Republicans successfully unseated several Democrats who had spent decades in the chamber.

Sen. Sherrod Brown had represented Ohio in the Senate since 2007 before falling in November to his Republican challenger, businessman Bernie Moreno. Brown, considered one of the most vulnerable members of the Senate heading into the election, had attempted to paint himself as a moderate to Ohio voters who ended up voting for Moreno in a state that Trump carried by 11 points.

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Democrat Sen. Bob Casey, who comes from a prominent family in Pennsylvania politics, has represented the state in the Senate since 2007 and had long been considered one of the toughest incumbents to defeat until he lost to GOP challenger Dave McCormick in November.

McCormick, a 59-year-old businessman, defeated Casey by a razor-thin margin of 0.2% after riding Trump’s endorsement and dissatisfaction with the economy that Biden and Harris presided over for four years.

“We heard a common refrain. The one message we heard over and over again is we need change. The country is headed in the wrong direction. We need leadership to get our economy back on track to get this horrific inflation under control,” McCormick said after the election.

Montana Sen. Jon Tester, who also joined the Senate as a Democrat in 2007, met a similar fate in November after losing his seat to former Navy SEAL Tim Sheehy.

Tester had taken up more moderate stances in recent years, openly breaking with the Biden-Harris administration on several issues throughout the years, but it was not enough to persuade voters in Montana, where Trump won by almost 20 points.

Fox News Digital’s David Rutz, Paul Steinhauser and Cortney O’Brien contributed to this report.

Most Americans look at the beginning of a new year as a fresh start, and an opportunity to set goals to better themselves over the next 12 months – and members of Congress are no exception.

Like millions of people across the U.S., lawmakers are setting their own New Year’s resolutions, ranging from the professional to the very personal. 

House Foreign Affairs Chairman Michael McCaul, R-Texas, who is stepping down from the top spot on the committee after being term-limited, said his resolution was to use his new role as chairman emeritus “to be a strong voice on foreign policy and national security issues.”

On a more individual level, McCaul told Fox News Digital he also set a New Year’s resolution for “daily exercise and spending my time on the things most important in life, like family. And taking time to smell the roses.”

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

Reps. Anna Paulina Luna and Michael McCaul, and House Freedom Caucus Chairman Andy Harris, all shared New Year’s resolutions with Fox News Digital. (Getty Images)

Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., said her New Year’s resolution involved cleaner eating.

“My New Year’s resolution is to not eat anything with seed oils. It’s going to be nearly impossible because they stick them in everything,” she said.

Meanwhile, Rep. Pat Fallon, R-Texas, shared a broader goal for unity in 2025 involving his fellow House Republicans – after a 118th Congress marked by historic levels of discord and infighting.

Rep. Pat Fallon shared a resolution for unity within the House GOP. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

“I always said that the Republican conference is a big family,” Fallon said. “We may be dysfunctional at times, but we’re still a family, and my New Year’s resolution is that we can all sing from the same sheet music enough times to make a difference for the American people.”

House Freedom Caucus Chairman Andy Harris, R-Md., said, “My New Year’s resolution is to help Make America Healthy Again by steering our nutrition policy toward promoting healthy food choices, starting with changes to the food stamp (SNAP) program.”

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

Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala., will provide the Republican response to President Biden’s State of the Union address on March 7. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

On the Senate side, lawmakers shared resolutions to forward the GOP agenda.

“With a new year, new Congress, and new President, I know we can get America back on track and usher in a new golden era. My 2025 resolutions are to help secure our southern border to make our families and communities safer; return to regular order to cut wasteful spending and ensure Congress is a responsible steward of taxpayer dollars; and pass pro-family tax reform that grows opportunity and prosperity across our nation,” Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala., told Fox News Digital.

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Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, said, “My New Year’s resolution is to become less tolerant of climate alarmism and hasten the demise of the administrative state.” The Republican will chair the energy committee in the new Congress. 

Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., revealed his resolution is to “confirm all of Trump’s nominees and secure our borders.”

A controversial immigration program that has been in place for decades has recently become a hot-button issue as it looks likely to be axed or severely limited by the incoming Trump administration, and Democrats are calling on President Biden to take moves to preserve it.

Temporary Protected Status is a program established in the 1990s that allows the government to designate countries unsafe for nationals to return to, granting nationals already in the U.S. work permits and protection from deportation if they are here illegally or if their legal status expires.

The Biden administration designated or re-designated a number of countries for TPS, including Venezuela, Haiti, Afghanistan and others, allowing hundreds of thousands of nationals to remain in the U.S. as a result. There are currently 17 countries designated for TPS.

‘LEGAL AUTHORITY’: SENATE DEMS DEMAND BIDEN EXTEND PROTECTIONS FOR ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS AHEAD OF TRUMP ADMIN 

Migrants board a city bus to a shelter intake center after traveling on a bus from Del Rio, Texas, to the Port Authority Bus Terminal in New York City on May 13, 2023. (Victor J. Blue)

The first Trump administration sought to wind down TPS for a number of countries, but it was caught up in a yearslong court battle launched by left-wing civil rights groups on the matter.

TPS again became a major issue in 2024 as Republicans and conservatives drew attention to mass migration via humanitarian parole from Haiti. Migrants were coming in via the use of the CBP One app and a program that allowed up to 30,000 migrants from four countries a month into the U.S. They could then be eligible for TPS if they arrived before the country was re-designated.

There were widespread reports of Haitian migrants flooding towns in Ohio and elsewhere, which were picked up by former President Trump and his running mate, Sen. JD Vance of Ohio. Trump promised to revoke TPS for Haiti earlier this year. 

“It’s been overrun. You can’t do that to people. I’d revoke [TPS], and I’d bring [the migrants] back to their country,” he told NewsNation when speaking about Springfield, Ohio.

Vance described TPS as a “government edict saying that you’re not allowed to deport people anymore.” Conservatives have long complained that continued extensions of TPS mean it is not “temporary” as it claims to be.

DEM SENATOR URGES BIDEN TO EXTEND PROTECTIONS FOR ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS BEFORE TRUMP ADMIN: ‘NOBODY IS SAFE’

President-elect Trump (Rebecca Noble/Getty Images/File)

Republicans have made moves to restrict the program in Congress. Sen.-elect Jim Banks, R-Ind., introduced a bill that restricts TPS designations by requiring Congress to approve them for 12-month terms and requiring additional moves by Congress to extend them. Trump has promised to launch a mass deportation operation, and restrictions on TPS and other immigration benefits are expected to accompany that.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF THE BORDER SECURITY CRISIS

With that looming, Democrats have been urging Biden to extend protections under TPS and other programs to blunt the impact of the incoming administration.

“We write now because the window to secure and finalize your administration’s policies is closing rapidly,” Democrats led by Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., told Biden in a letter this month.

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“We urge you to act decisively between now and the inauguration of the President-elect to complete the important work of the past four years and protect immigrant families.”

So far, however, there’s been no movement on TPS by the Biden administration nor any indication that redesignations or extensions are imminent.

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

**NOTE: The Fox News Politics Newsletter will take a break tomorrow for the New Year’s Day holiday. We will return Thursday, Jan. 2. From all of us at Fox News Politics, Happy New Year!**

Here’s what’s happening…

– Learning Curve: The new players in Congress

– How border security dominated US politics and 2024, and sealed an election

– 10 rising stars in Democratic, Republican parties expected to emerge in 2025

DC Mayor Finds ‘Common Ground’ with Trump 

Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser said Monday that she and President-elect Trump “had a great meeting to discuss our shared priorities” for his upcoming term, despite their previously contentious relationship that hit a fever pitch in 2020 during the George Floyd riots. 

“President Trump and I both want Washington, DC to be the best, most beautiful city in the world and we want the capital city to reflect the strength of our nation,” Bowser said. 

The Democratic mayor said she and Trump “discussed areas for the collaboration between local and federal government, especially around our federal workforce, underutilized federal buildings, parks and green spaces, and infrastructure.”…Read more

President Elect Donald Trump, left, and DC Mayor Muriel Bowser, right (Getty)

White House

RUBY MOUNTAINS: Biden moving to ban oil and gas leases for 20 years in Nevada region, just weeks before Trump inauguration…Read more

UNDER FIRE: Dems urge Biden to extend controversial immigrant program; Trump says he’ll cut it…Read more

World Stage

CHILL THROUGH EU: Ukraine receives US natural gas shipment for the first time amid fresh supply fears…Read more

An liquid natural gas (LNG) tanker is seen in Port Canaveral. (Malcom Denemark, Florida Today) ((Malcom Denemark/Florida Today))

Capitol Hill

VOTE OF CONFIDENCE: Trump gives Johnson ‘complete and total endorsement’ ahead of Speakership fight…Read more

DEBT DILEMMA: Bernie Sanders plans to spearhead legislation on key Trump proposal…Read more

Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump.  (Reuters)

Across America

VERDICT IS IN: North Dakota senator’s son to serve 28 years in prison for crash that killed deputy…Read more

ON ICE: ICE shuts down programs offering services to illegal immigrants, citing ‘immense’ costs…Read more

‘LAWFARE…MUST END’: Georgia AG urges state Supreme Court to reject DA Willis’ appeal in Trump case…Read more

Georgia AG Chris Carr urged the state Supreme Court to not consider an appeal from Fulton County DA Fani Willis in the election interference case against President-elect Trump. (Getty)

PENTAGON: The Pentagon chief loses bid to reject 9/11 plea deals…Read more

9/11 PLEA DEALS STAND: Military Appeals Court rules Defense Sec Austin cannot rescind 9/11 plea deals…Read more

‘COUNTERPRODUCTIVE’: Hochul’s polluters pay bill could result in regressive costs for working families: economists…Read more

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

China was behind a “major” hack of the Treasury Department, the Biden administration said Monday, gaining access to unclassified documents and the workstations of government employees. 

After a year fraught with hacking across all government agencies, China experts say it’s time to get serious about thwarting adversarial espionage. 

“The latest intrusion should not come as a surprise. For too long, the CCP has paid no real price for its increasingly aggressive intrusions into our homeland and networks,” Rep. John Moolenaar, R-Mich., chairman of the House China Select Committee, told Fox News Digital. 

“It is time for Congress and the incoming Trump administration to impose escalating costs to deter the CCP.” 

It’s not yet clear what exactly the hackers were seeking. The Treasury houses sensitive data about global financial systems, as well as estimates about China’s ailing economy. It also carries out sanctions on Chinese companies, as well as those aiding Russia in the war on Ukraine.

“Even though the Treasury says the Chinese only got unclassified documents, we’ve got to remember that a hack of the Treasury sends shudders not just across the U.S., but across the world. Countries rely on the dollar, can you rely on the stability of the American financial markets?” said China expert Gordon Chang. 

CHINA DIRECTS LARGEST MILITARY BUILD-UP SINCE 1930S NAZI GERMANY, EXPERT WARNS, CITING PENTAGON REPORT

“For too long, the CCP has paid no real price for its increasingly aggressive intrusions into our homeland and networks,” Rep. John Moolenaar told Fox News Digital (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Treasury was notified by a service provider of the breach on Dec. 8, and all systems affected were taken offline. China called the accusation that it was behind the act “baseless” and said it “consistently opposes all forms of hacking.”

Despite China’s denial, the Treasury insisted a Chinese state-sponsored actor was behind the attack. Chang suggested Xi may have intended to get caught to send a message to the world. 

“We can’t actually exclude the possibility that the Chinese wanted to be caught because they wanted to actually create uncertainty around the world. They wanted to show the world that the United States is not safe — their networks are not good, the Chinese control them at will.”

STATE ATTORNEYS GENERAL ASK SCOTUS TO UPHOLD TIKTOK DIVEST-OR-BAN LAW AMID TRUMP REQUEST TO PAUSE BAN

Just weeks ago, President-elect Donald Trump seemed to be making an attempt to smooth over relations with China with an invitation to President Xi Jinping for his inauguration. But the recent hacking attempt suggests such efforts might be futile, according to Chang. 

“American presidents had tried preemptive concessions to China for decades. They’ve not resulted in benefits to us. And the reason is because the Chinese don’t reciprocate them,” he said.

Earlier this year, Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo’s communications were intercepted by Chinese intelligence, just as she was making determinations about new export controls on semiconductors and other key technology. The same hacking group also targeted officials at the State Department and members of Congress.

Treasury was notified by a service provider of the breach on December 8, and all systems affected were taken offline (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

 China, led by President Xi Jinping, has denied involvement in the hack  (Florence Lo – Pool/Getty Images)

And the Treasury hack comes just as the Biden administration is grappling with one of China’s biggest attacks on American infrastructure in history, dubbed Salt Typhoon. 

A Chinese intelligence group infiltrated nine U.S. telecommunications giants and gained access to the private text messages and phone calls of Americans, including senior government officials and prominent political figures. 

The Salt Typhoon hackers also gained access to an exhaustive list of phone numbers the Justice Department had wiretapped to monitor people suspected of espionage, granting them insight into which Chinese spies the U.S. had caught onto and which they had missed.

The onslaught of cyberattacks has prompted frustration — and raised questions — about cybersecurity and why America’s adversaries are able to penetrate U.S. government systems with regularity.

“The American people should be angry at the Chinese for hacking us, but they should be outraged at our political leaders because our political leaders know what’s going on. They have the means to protect us, and they have decided not to do so,” said Chang. 

Last week, incoming national security adviser Rep. Mike Waltz, R-Fla., suggested the U.S. needed to not only play defense but go on offense to the attacks. 

Representative Mike Waltz, a Republican from Florida, speaks during a news conference following an all-member House briefing on Afghanistan at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Tuesday, Aug. 24, 2021.  (Stefani Reynolds/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

“We have to stop trying to just play better and better defense,” he told Fox Business’ Maria Bartiromo. “We need to start going on offense.”

“We need to start imposing consequences for those that are stealing our technology, spying on us, and now with a program called Volt Typhoon, is putting cyber time bombs on our critical infrastructure, like our water, our grid and our ports,” Waltz said.

“America can’t afford to just play defense on cyber anymore. We’ve got to go on the offensive and impose COSTS on those who are stealing our technology and attacking our infrastructure,” he added on X.

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Trump has proposed a 60% tariff on U.S. imports from China. Last month, the Biden administration issued its most stringent crackdown yet on China’s semiconductor industry with the intent of hindering its ability to develop AI for modern military uses.

California Republican leaders appeared to mock Gov. Gavin Newsom’s fiery response to a critical analysis of his handling of the Golden State’s homelessness crisis, saying that any increase in homelessness is not admirable.

State Senate Minority Leader Brian Jones criticized Newsom, calling the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s year-end Homelessness Assessment Report an indictment of his capabilities.

“Gavin Newsom literally lost track of the $27 billion he spent on the homeless crisis,” Jones said, citing the report as listing California first in homelessness, with an increase of 3% to 187,000.

CA VOTERS NARROWLY REJECT $18/HR MINIMUM WAGE

“Today’s HUD report makes it clear that instead of solving the problem, Newsom’s endless spending ‘solution’ has only made it worse,” said Jones, R-San Diego.

In a recent statement, Newsom’s office indicated the state “distributed $24 billion to local governments to address homelessness through numerous state programs.”

“All that money is accounted for,” the statement continued, appearing to reference the funds Jones had claimed were “lost.”

“The audit showed that previously not all state programs required locals to report how those dollars improved homelessness for the most recent years and lacked data to compare the effectiveness of one program versus another. That’s been fixed. 

“This administration has added strong accountability and reporting requirements for local governments that receive state funding. Any notion that we don’t know where the money went is preposterous, and that’s not what the audit reported,” the statement said.

The report also cited that Illinois, Wyoming, Hawaii and Colorado were the states where family homelessness doubled or worse.

BRIAN W. JONES: SUPER SANCTUARY IMMIGRATION POLICY THREATENS LIVES AND AIDS VIOLENT CRIMINALS

A statement from the Republican caucus of the California State Assembly keyed into Newsom’s recent thorough defense against an op-ed in the outlet CalMatters that made similar criticisms.

“In case you missed it, Governor Newsom’s office threw a tantrum over a column… that broke down his history of failure on homelessness,” the caucus, led by Assemblyman James Gallagher of Yuba City, collectively wrote.

The CalMatters op-ed claimed Newsom’s handling of the homelessness crisis will be a key point of attack for his prospective 2028 Democratic presidential primary challengers if he chooses to seek higher office then.

The column cited Newsom as saying “what’s happening on the streets has to be a top priority,” and reported he indicated a willingness to hold local officials accountable as well.

“People have to see and feel the progress and the change…” Newsom said, according to the column.

Gallagher’s caucus then cited Newsom’s response to the column, which consisted of a series of pointed posts.

“Given the sheer population size of California, to talk about homelessness without any of the broader context or how this administration’s efforts compare to the prior is a disservice to Californians, plain and simple,” Newsom’s office’s account wrote on X.

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

“As the Governor has said many times, the work is far from over and urgency and results at the local level are needed more than ever. It’s why new accountability tools have been put in place, for quicker results. It’s also a longer-term effort — through implementation of Prop 1, CARE Court, conservatorship reform, the just approved BH-Connect waiver all of which are aimed at addressing the systemic issues of homelessness but not yet fully online.”

Newsom’s office also posted that unsheltered homelessness grew four times faster during the waning years of Gov. Edmund “Jerry” Brown’s administration than under his.

“The number of unsheltered homeless increased by 13.83% during the Newsom Administration (2019-2023), compared to an increase of 51.79% in the five-year period prior to the administration (2015-2019),” the post read.

California’s 14% homelessness increase in 2023 also fell below the national increase of 21%, the governor’s office added in the statement released just before this year’s numbers.

In 2024, California saw a homelessness increase of 3%, according to a weekend statement released by Newsom’s office. The rate bests 40 other states, the release said. 

Assembly Republicans responded to Newsom’s original comments.

“Since the governor is committed to gaslighting on this issue, we’ll state the obvious: an increase of 20% is not progress,” their statement read.

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City of San Francisco workers remove a homeless encampment in the Bayview neighborhood in San Francisco, on Aug. 1. (David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Jones, the Senate minority leader, cited Friday that he co-sponsored bipartisan legislation to change California’s homelessness policies and focus on “compassionate enforcement” of encampment violations.

One of his proposals from this past term, which did not make it to Newsom’s desk, focused on existing state law deeming “lodging” in a public or private place without permission to be disorderly conduct.

The bill would have delayed any indictment on that count for 72 hours after first notice and imposed a “state-mandated local program” for homeless individuals in those situations.

In a separate statement, Newsom said no American should be without a place to call home:

“Homelessness continues to rise and increase at ever-higher numbers nationwide, but we are seeing signs of progress in California,” he said.

“We have turned the tide on a decades-long increase in homelessness – but we have more work to do. California‘s plan is ambitious and challenging but the data is proving that it is not impossible: our strategies are making a positive difference.”

Data also showed other large-population states like New York, Florida, Illinois and Texas also suffered a higher growth in unsheltered homelessness than California’s, which the governor’s office said was under one percent.

Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., said he will push forward new legislation to cap credit card interest rates to 10%, which is something President-elect Donald Trump said he wanted to do temporarily on the campaign trail. 

“During the recent campaign Donald Trump proposed a 10% cap on credit card interest rates. Great idea. Let’s see if he supports the legislation that I will introduce to do just that,” Sanders wrote on X. 

DEM SENATOR REVEALS HOW SHE NARROWLY WON KEY STATE THAT TRUMP FLIPPED: ‘BE PRACTICAL TO FIND RESULTS’

Sen. Bernie Sanders, left, and President-elect Donald Trump. (Reuters)

While campaigning in New York before winning the election against Vice President Kamala Harris, Trump threw his support behind a “temporary cap on credit card interest rates.” 

“We’re going to cap it at around 10%. We can’t let them make 25 and 30%.”

REPUBLICANS HAMMER BIDEN FOR FEDERAL DEATH ROW REPRIEVES AHEAD OF LEAVING OFFICE

Trump framed the temporary policy as something to help Americans as they “catch up.” 

The amount of credit card debt held by Americans rose to $1.17 trillion in the third quarter of 2024, per MarketWatch. 

According to data from Lending Tree, the average credit card interest rate in December was 24.43%, MarketWatch also reported. 

Regarding whether the president-elect still intends to implement this policy after he debuted it in September, transition spokesperson Karoline Leavitt told Fox News Digital in a statement, “The American people re-elected President Trump by a resounding margin giving him a mandate to implement the promises he made on the campaign trail. He will deliver.”

Sanders’ office did not answer whether the cap in his legislation would be temporary, as Trump said, when asked for comment by Fox News Digital. 

TOP TRUMP AIDES JOIN GROUP PREPPING TO SHORE UP SUPPORT FOR MAGA AGENDA DURING SECOND TERM

Sen. Bernie Sanders speaks on the second day of the Democratic National Convention at the United Center in Chicago on Aug. 20, 2024. (CHARLY TRIBALLEAU/AFP via Getty Images)

While Trump backed such a temporary cap, Republicans have often opposed policies that could be harmful to businesses and restrict the availability of credit cards. 

In fact, top Trump ally and incoming Senate Banking Committee Chairman Tim Scott, R-S.C., was a top opponent of efforts during the Biden administration to crack down on late fees and further regulate the credit card industry. 

SENATE PASSES BILL TO STOP SHUTDOWN, SENDING IT TO PRESIDENT BIDEN’S DESK

Sen. Tim Scott was a top opponent of efforts during the Biden administration to crack down on late fees and further regulate the credit card industry. (Reuters)

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Earlier this year, Scott explained that the administration’s rule to cap credit card late fees would “decrease the availability of credit card products for those who need it most, raise rates for many borrowers who carry a balance but pay on time, and increase the likelihood of late payments across the board.”

Scott’s office declined to comment on a potential 10% interest rate cap. 

Ukraine has received its first shipment of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the U.S., energy company officials confirmed this week— a positive development for Kyiv as it moves to ramp up its purchases of U.S. supplies and protect against broader supply concerns in the region.

Ukraine’s private energy company, DTEK, confirmed it has received some 100 million cubic meters of U.S. LNG in the shipment, which the U.S. shipped to an LNG regasification terminal in Greece. 

BIDEN’S DEFENSE DEPARTMENT ANNOUNCES NEW MULTIBILLION-DOLLAR AID PACKAGES FOR UKRAINE

An LNG tanker loaded with liquefied natural gas is moored at a floating terminal in Wilhelmshaven, Germany, in 2023. (Sina Schuldt/dpa via AP)

The news comes after Ukraine’s DTEK inked a supply deal with U.S.-based LNG supplier Venture Global in June.

The DTEK contract is the first significant LNG contract to be struck between Ukraine and the U.S. and will allow Ukraine to purchase an “unspecificed” amount of LNG from Venture Global through 2026. The companies also signed a separate 20-year agreement, in keeping with traditional longer-term LNG supply contracts.

The news comes just hours before Russian gas giant, Gazprom, is slated to halt all piped gas deliveries shipped through Ukrainian pipelines to other European countries, following the expiration of its five-year contract.

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

Then-President Donald Trump speaks at the Cameron LNG Export Terminal in Hackberry, Louisiana, in 2019. ( Scott Clause/USA Today)

Ukraine itself does not purchase Russian gas supplies. However, the European Union (EU) remains heavily dependent on imported gas, including from Russia.

Even after the abrupt throttling of the Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline, the EU depends on piped Russian gas for roughly 5% of its total gas imports— sparking fresh fears as to how the bloc might cope in the event of a supply emergency or colder-than-expected winter. 

A Belarusian worker on duty at a gas compressor station of the Yamal-Europe pipeline, southwest of the capital Minsk, Belarus. (AP Photo/Sergei Grits, File)

In the interim, Ukrainian officials said, they hope the additional U.S. supplies can help fill in the gap and help ease any near-term supply crises in the EU.

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“Cargoes like this are not only providing the region with a flexible and secure source of power, but are further eroding Russia’s influence over our energy system,” DTEK CEO Maxim Timchenko said in a statement. 

The Biden administration is attempting to implement last-minute restrictions on oil and gas drilling in the west just weeks before President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration.

On Monday, the Department of the Interior announced plans to pursue a 20-year ban on oil and gas leases in 264,000 acres of Nevada’s Ruby Mountains.

The administration submitted an application to withdraw the acreage from any potential leasing, which initiated a two-year ban on new mineral leases in the area during the approval process. The proposal now heads into a 90-day public comment period, which will fall under the Trump administration. 

“The Ruby Mountains are an iconic landscape with exceptional recreation opportunities and valuable fish and wildlife habitat worth preserving for the future,” Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said in a statement. “Today’s action honors the voices of Tribal communities and conservation and sportsmen’s groups and marks another important step to protect a treasured landscape.”   

‘WRONG-HEADED’: ENERGY INDUSTRY LEADERS BLAST BIDEN ADMIN REPORT ON NATURAL GAS EXPORTS

President Biden speaks at the Department of Labor on Dec. 16, 2024 in Washington, D.C. (Kevin Dietsch)

The Biden administration’s lease limitation does not put restrictions on mining in the region.

SCOTUS HEARS ARGUMENTS IN CASE THAT COULD RESHAPE ENVIRONMENTAL LAW

During Trump’s first administration, the Forest Service conducted a study to determine whether 54,000 acres could be leased for oil and gas drilling in the Ruby Mountains. 

The proposal was eventually rejected in 2019 after the public comment period saw “thousands of comments from the local area, the state of Nevada, and from across the nation” opposing the idea, according to William Dunkelberger, the forest supervisor who signed the decision.

Great Basin, Nevada, Elko County, Ruby Mountains, Lamoille Canyon. (Dukas/Universal Images Group)

Jenna Padilla, the geologist for the Humboldt-Toiyabe Ruby Mountains ranger district at the time, said that geological surveys “show there is low to no potential for oil” in the region, the LA Times reported in 2018.

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It is unclear whether the Trump administration will consider potential leases in the region, but such actions could face roadblocks following the Biden administration’s new proposal.

A New York democratic bill aimed at charging oil and gas companies for pollution could result in regressive costs for working families in the state, energy and economic experts tell Fox News Digital.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul recently signed the Climate Change Superfund Act, a bill that seeks to charge polluters up to $75 billion for pollution dating from 2000 to 2018. The money will reportedly be used to fund projects rebuilding infrastructure damaged by weather over the years.

While the bill seeks to fine large corporations, some economists say that such actions will result in higher prices for some New Yorkers.

“It’s heartwarming to see Governor Hochul finally acknowledge what energy advocates have long understood: the best way for humanity to thrive is through adaptation to a changing climate. By signing this bill, she’s effectively endorsed that philosophy—though in the most counterproductive way possible,” Jason Isaac, CEO and founder of The American Energy Institute, said in a statement shared with Fox News Digital. 

BIDEN SETS ECONOMY-WIDE CLIMATE TARGET: REDUCING EMISSIONS 66% IN 2035 FROM 2005 LEVELS

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul signed a bill to charge “polluters” for climate change. (John Lamparski)

“Instead of incentivizing innovation, this legislation piles billions in new costs onto energy producers, punishing the very industry that keeps the light and heat on for New Yorkers,” Isaac continued. “The real tragedy here isn’t just the higher energy costs for working families; it’s watching businesses and residents flee a state that refuses to adapt its own bloated policies to economic reality.”

“The result will be higher energy costs for households, families, and small businesses in one of the most expensive states to live in the country,” Trisha Curtis, economist at the American Energy Institute, said. “With no plan to address the broader economic consequences, this law will drive people, businesses, and state revenue out of New York and into other more competitive states.”

O.H. Skinner is the executive director of the Alliance for Consumers, a Phoenix-based nonprofit committed to ensuring consumer protection efforts, class action lawsuits, and attorney general enforcement actions are consistent with the rule of law. He is also a member of the Washington, D.C.-based Federalist Society. 

FIVE WAYS TRUMP COULD DISMANTLE BIDEN’S CLIMATE AGENDA

Skinner called the bill “the latest attempt by left-wing politicians in New York to drive reliable energy production out of existence and force everyone to abide by their preferred Progressive Lifestyle Choices.”

“This policy will do nothing except raise energy prices for hardworking Americans and decrease our standard of living, while progressive elites pat themselves on the back for punishing disfavored industries,” Skinner told Fox.

The sun rises on the skyline of Midtown Manhattan and the Empire State Building in New York City. (Gary Hershorn)

“Whether it’s charging citizens to drive into their own city, banning new gas appliances, or foisting a massive new tax bound to significantly raise the price of energy, hardly a day goes by that New York government doesn’t implement ESG policies that make their citizens’ lives quantifiably worse,” said Consumers’ Research Executive Director Will Hild.

Fox News contributor David Webb said that the bill is “going to cost New Yorkers.”

“If you’re an energy company, you’re already guilty. They’re just going to decide over the next decade how they’re going to charge you for your guilt,” Webb told “Fox & Friends First,” calling Hochul a “far left governor” that is “bound to this ideology.”

However, proponents praised the legislation for requiring companies to pay for fossil fuel pollution in the state.

“By signing the Climate Change Superfund Act, Gov. Hochul is addressing the financial burden placed on New Yorkers by the fossil fuel companies,” said Richard Schrader, Director of New York Government Affairs at Natural Resources Defense Council, a nonprofit environmental organization. “It’s a key example of what putting fiscal fairness and environmental justice front and center looks like.”

Gov. Kathy Hochul is up for re-election in 2026. (Lev Radin/Pacific Press/LightRocket)

In total, 38 firms reportedly deemed carbon polluters will be on the hook, such as American oil giants Exxon and Chevron, as well as the UK’s Shell and BP.

Vermont remains the only other state to adopt similar pieces of legislation.

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The bill comes just weeks after Hochul rolled out a plan to offer payments of up to $840 to New York residents who switch out their washing machines for a green alternative.

Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser said Monday that she and President-elect Trump “had a great meeting to discuss our shared priorities” for his upcoming term, despite their previously contentious relationship that hit a fever pitch in 2020 during the George Floyd riots. 

“President Trump and I both want Washington, DC to be the best, most beautiful city in the world and we want the capital city to reflect the strength of our nation,” Bowser said. 

The Democratic mayor said she and Trump “discussed areas for the collaboration between local and federal government, especially around our federal workforce, underutilized federal buildings, parks and green spaces, and infrastructure.” 

“I am optimistic that we will continue to find common ground with the President during his second term, and we look forward to supporting a successful inauguration on January 20,” she added. 

NYPD OPERATING IN ‘HEIGHTENED THREAT ENVIRONMENT’ IN ADVANCE OF NEW YEAR’S EVE CELEBRATION

D.C. Mayor Bowser appears to be warming up to working with President-elect Donald Trump ahead of his second term. (Getty Images)

The statement’s tone is a far cry from Bowser’s messaging related to Trump four years ago, when the mayor declared that a portion of the street leading up to the White House that protesters spray-painted to read “Defund the Police” would be officially recognized by the District of Columbia as “Black Lives Matter Plaza.” Bowser and Trump publicly sparred over the use of the federal law enforcement to quell the riots and protests that engulfed the nation’s capital, as well as other American cities. 

As for Bowser’s reference to the “federal workforce,” congressional staffers and even a member of Congress, have fallen victim to carjackings and other violent crimes over the past year.

Just weeks ago, a congressional staffer from Texas was targeted by a group of armed men who held up about a dozen other people during the morning commute in Washington, the Washington Post reported.

Trump made it a promise on the campaign trail this year that he would revitalize D.C. and other American cities that he says have deteriorated in recent years under progressive policies that have fueled violent crime and emboldened offenders.

“We will rebuild our cities, including our capital in Washington DC, which has become a very dangerous and badly managed place. We’re going to make them safe, clean and beautiful again. We will teach our children to love our country, to honor our history, and to always respect our great American flag,” Trump said at his sold-out rally at Madison Square Garden in New York City. 

D.C. saw the largest surge in violent crime between 2022 and 2023 compared to any other large city in the country, WUSA reported in June, citing Department of Justice data highlighted by the Major Cities Chiefs Association earlier this year.

People walk down 16th street after “Defund The Police” was painted on the street near the White House on June 8, 2020. DC Mayor Muriel Bowser has renamed that section “Black Lives Matter Plaza” after days of protests over George Floyd. (Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)

 DC VIOLENT CRIME DIPS 35% IN 2024, REACHES 30-YEAR LOW: US ATTORNEY

D.C. police and public safety officials on Monday, however, touted how violent crime in the capital in 2024 is on a record downward trajectory. 

Since 2023, homicides in Washington have declined by 32%, violent crime has dropped by 35% and overall crime is down 15%, DC Police Chief Pamela Smith and Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Lindsey Appiah announced. 

The 35% dip in year-over-year crime constitutes a new 30-year low for D.C., U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Mathew Graves noted earlier this month.

Bowser speaks at a homecoming event for The University of the District of Columbia on the main campus in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 15, 2024.  (Robb Hill for The Washington Post via Getty Images)

Smith on Monday championed better use of technology, crediting how “the mayor approved the increase of CCTV cameras across the city.” 

The chief also said a sweeping D.C. crime bill enacted earlier this year served as a “morale booster” for officers, who expressed how they feel like they “could police again” with returned or new tools to use on the streets. 

The bill also made it easier for judges to order pre-trial detention. 

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Appiah, meanwhile, admitted that holding suspects accused of violent crimes ahead of trial – as opposed to releasing them back onto the street to re-offend – has contributed to the about-face. 

“Those who commit violent crime, particularly with guns, sometimes need to be held pre-trial,” Appiah said, according to WRC-TV. 

Immigration and border security were two issues that dominated news coverage and political debate in 2024, likely helping to decide the presidential election, as both candidates sought to present themselves as the best to tackle a historic border crisis and the consequences of the crisis were felt across the country.

In January, the U.S. remained in the throes of a migrant crisis that had exploded in 2021 and continued to roil the country throughout 2022 and 2023. In December 2023, encounters at the southern border hit a new record with more than 250,000 encounters in a single month.

It was a month that saw top Cabinet officials head to Mexico to attempt to persuade Mexican officials to do more to stop the flood of migrants heading north. As the presidential race, as well as congressional races, got into full swing in the early months of 2024, it became clear that the issue was likely to dominate the news cycle. Then-candidate Donald Trump promised to launch a mass deportation operation if elected, while President Biden touted a sharp drop in encounters since the beginning of the year as he also signed an executive order limiting asylum entries in June.

HOW HARRIS WAS DOGGED BY BORDER CZAR LABEL, PAST IMMIGRATION VIEWS DURING FAILED CAMPAIGN

Donald Trump speaks at the U.S.-Mexico border on Aug. 22, 2024, south of Sierra Vista, Ariz. (Rebecca Noble/Getty Images)

Border deal on the table?

A potential breakthrough emerged in February when Republicans and Democrats announced a border security bill in the Senate. The package gained the support of the Biden administration but quickly drew opposition from conservatives as well as some liberal Democrats.

The bill included increased funding for border agencies as well as an emergency authority to shut down entries at the southern border when encounters exceed a rolling seven-day average of 5,000 encounters. It would also expedite work permits for migrants and tighten asylum screening language.

Conservatives said the bill would codify high-border encounters, but the Biden administration and both the Biden and Harris campaigns would cite the bill as a bipartisan solution to the crisis that former President Donald Trump was rejecting for political purposes. 

MIGRANT CRIME WAVE DURING BIDEN-HARRIS ADMIN UNDER SCRUTINY AMID SERIES OF ASSAULTS, MURDERS: A TIMELINE

Migrant crime makes headlines

Tragically, 2024 saw a number of high-profile crimes allegedly committed by illegal immigrants, bringing the issue to the radar of even more voters.

In February, the death of Laken Riley, a Georgia college student, would bring the issue of migrant crime back to the headlines. Jose Ibarra, a Venezuelan illegal immigrant who had been released into the U.S. in 2022, was charged with her murder.

In July, two illegal immigrants were arrested on capital murder charges in the death of 12-year-old Jocelyn Nungaray in Houston. The men are accused of luring her under a bridge, tying her up and killing her before throwing her body into a river. 

While immigration activists would point to stats suggesting that immigrants commit fewer crimes than American citizens, those talking points appeared to do little to stem the outrage about the deaths of people at the hands of illegal immigrants who conservatives argued shouldn’t have been let into the country in the first place.

Wish upon a czar

When President Biden announced he would not seek re-election, Vice President Harris became the nominee. Immediately, attention was drawn to her record leading the administration’s tackling of “root causes” of migration, a task that led her to be dubbed “the border czar” by some in the media and Republicans.

Vice President Harris visits the U.S.-Mexico border with Border Patrol Tucson Sector Chief John Modlin, right, in Douglas, Ariz., on Sept. 27, 2024. (REBECCA NOBLE/AFP via Getty Images)

She therefore became a target for questions over the Biden administration’s handling of the border crisis, but she faced additional pressure over her past radical positions on immigration she held during her 2019 presidential campaign. Her support for gender transition surgery for detained migrants hit the headlines and was used as a weapon against her by Republicans.

She would also move away from past statements in which she called for the decriminalization of illegal border crossings and for the closing of immigration detention centers. She had also mulled ICE starting again “from scratch.”

A Harris campaign adviser told Fox during the campaign that her positions have been “shaped by three years of effective governance as part of the Biden-Harris administration.”

Parole out of place

The Biden administration’s use of humanitarian parole to bring in thousands of migrants via the CBP One app, both at the southern border and by approving their travel into the U.S. from four countries, blew up during election season amid reports about how Haitian migrants were affecting towns throughout the U.S.

Trump repeated claims about Haitian migrants eating cats and dogs in Ohio during the presidential debate, marking one of the more viral moments of the debate with Harris.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF THE BORDER SECURITY CRISIS

While that claim was unsubstantiated, the impact of mass migration on towns in Ohio and elsewhere continued to be an issue until Election Day.

Trump holds his ground

With the Trump-Harris Election Day line-up set, polls consistently showed Trump with a yawning gap over Harris on suitability to handle the border crisis and illegal immigration, while voters also cited it as a top issue for them – often only second behind the economy.

Harris repeatedly hammered Trump on his failure to support the bipartisan border security bill, but the gap never really closed between the two as Trump continued to assign the border crisis to her leadership as “border czar.”

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Trump would ultimately win the November election, and as he accepted victory, he reiterated his promise to voters.

“We’re going to fix our borders. We’re going to fix everything about our country,” he said.

Several political figures on both sides of the aisle increased their profile in 2024 and are primed to become key voices in their respective parties in 2025 and beyond.

Democrats suffered a major blow in 2024, in a year that saw President Biden bow out of the political race and be replaced by VP Kamala Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, who lost both the Electoral College and popular vote in November. Going forward, several Democrats are expected to fill that leadership void heading into the midterms.’

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro

Shapiro was widely considered to be the strongest vice presidential candidate to join the Harris ticket this summer, and Harris received criticism for her decision to select Walz instead. Shapiro, viewed as a moderate by some, has been governor of the state since January 2023 and will face a re-election test in 2026 before any potential 2028 run.

HERE ARE THE DEMOCRATS WHO MAY EVENTUALLY RUN FOR PRESIDENT IN 2028

Rising stars in both parties are expected to emerge in 2025. (Getty Images)

Pennsylvania’s 19 electoral votes make it a key state in presidential elections, making Shapiro’s position as governor of that state an appealing attribute for any presidential candidate.

“Probably the biggest winner on election night,” Mike Manzo of Triad Strategies told ABC 27 last month. “If 2026 turns out to be a bad midterm for the Republicans, (Shapiro’s) sitting on the top of the ticket for in Pennsylvania. You know, so if he runs away with that the following January, he’s in Iowa.”

House Rep. Pat Ryan 

Ryan, who represents New York’s 18th Congressional District, was considered one of the most vulnerable incumbents heading into the November election but defeated his Republican challenger by 14 points in a swing district.

Since the election, Ryan has been one of the most outspoken Democrats on the subject of what went wrong for his party in November.

“First and foremost, if you’re using the words ‘moderate’ or ‘progressive’ you’re missing the whole f***ing point,” Ryan wrote on X. “It’s not ideological. It’s about who fights for the people vs. who further empowers and enables the elites.”

“Most importantly, I told folks exactly who it was that was ripping them off, and I grounded it locally. It’s the billionaires and big corporations making record-breaking profits while the rest of us struggle.”

GOP REP-ELECT OUTLINES HOW DOGE, TRUMP AGENDA WILL GET COUNTRY ‘BACK ON TRACK’: ‘NO MORE BUSINESS AS USUAL’

Josh Shapiro (Gilbert Carrasquillo/GC Images)

Ryan wrote, “It’s not enough to throw these seemingly disparate policies at people. We must articulate a unifying principle, and clearly tell folks who’s at fault.  For me, it was Freedom. and Patriotism. And the fault lies with the same elites, in both parties, who’ve run this country for far too long.”

Senator-elect Angela Alsobrooks 

Alsobrooks, who previously served as the chief executive of Prince George’s County in the suburbs of the nation’s capital, defeated popular Republican Larry Hogan by 11 points in the Maryland Senate race, becoming the first Black candidate to win a Maryland Senate race.

Alsobrooks campaigned heavily on gun control and abortion and won the clear support of women, Black and Latino voters, urban voters and college graduates over Hogan, according to AP VoteCast, a sweeping survey of more than 3,700 voters in the state. Even though Alsobrooks underperformed Vice President Harris among suburban and moderate voters, majorities backed her over Hogan in the heavily blue state.

“At times we struggle together, and we work to build a better future for all of our children,” Alsobrooks said after her victory in November. “And to those Marylanders whose support I have yet to earn, I may not have won your vote, but I want you to know that I hear your voice, and I will be your senator, too.”

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore

Maryland’s governor, Wes Moore, is also believed to be a rising voice in the Democratic Party after being elected as the state’s first Black governor in 2022.

Moore, a graduate of Johns Hopkins University and a Rhodes scholar, served as a captain in the Army before spending time as an investment banker and has labeled himself a “social moderate and strong fiscal conservative.”

‘UNIFIED GOVERNMENT’: INCOMING HOUSE REPUBLICAN REVEALS AGENDA FOR NEW CONGRESS AFTER OUSTING DEM INCUMBENT

California Gov. Gavin Newsom (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

Moore’s leadership was thrust into the national spotlight this year when a container ship slammed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge in the Baltimore harbor, causing a collapse that took the lives of six construction workers.

In a post on X after the disaster, Moore said, “We are Maryland tough. We are Baltimore strong. In the face of danger, we hold out. In the face of heartbreak, we come together, and we come back stronger. That is what we’ve always done. That’s what we will continue to do.”

California Gov. Gavin Newsom

While Newsom is not a political newcomer, he is expected to be one of the top candidates to run for president on the Democrat side in 2028 after establishing himself as one of the top surrogates for Biden and Harris during the last presidential cycle. 

Newsom, who has served as California governor since 2019, is term limited once his current tenure ends in January 2027. 

Republicans will enter the new year with control of the White House and Congress as the party prepares for four years of Trump’s leadership, while other Republicans will rise to become leaders in the party as the attention shifts to determining which voices will shape the party in the years to come during and post-Trump’s term.

KASPARIAN OF ‘YOUNG TURKS’ EXPLODES AT POSSIBILITY OF HARRIS BECOMING CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR: ‘I’M GONNA MOVE!’

JD Vance, R-Ohio (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Vice President-elect JD Vance

Vance, 40, will be the presumptive frontrunner for president in 2028 given his position as Trump’s vice president and is expected to be one of the more prominent voices in the Republican Party over the next few years.

“The vice president will be in the catbird seat. No question about it,” longtime Republican consultant Dave Carney told Fox News Digital last month. Carney, a veteran of numerous Republican presidential campaigns over the past four decades, said that Vance “is the guy to beat.”

David Kochel, another longtime GOP strategist with plenty of presidential campaign experience, told Fox News that Vance is the frontrunner due to “the size and the scope of last week’s victory and the implied passing of the torch from Donald Trump.”

House Rep. Byron Donalds

Donalds, who has represented Florida’s 19th Congressional District since 2019, was a top surrogate for Trump on the campaign trail in 2024 and many believed he was on the short list of vice presidential candidates.

The Florida congressman has been an outspoken voice on cable news promoting Trump’s agenda and has also been one of the most prominent voices pushing back against the media’s attacks on Trump, often appearing on liberal networks defending the president-elect in hostile environments.

Donalds served on the Financial Services Committee and the Committee on Government Oversight and Accountability in the 118th Congress and was a member of the Congressional Blockchain Caucus, Freedom Caucus, and Republican Study Committee.

Senator-elect Bernie Moreno

Cleveland area businessman Bernie Moreno ended Dem. Sen. Sherrod Brown’s 17-year tenure in the Senate in November in a state Trump carried by 11 points. 

Since being elected senator, Moreno has established himself as one of Trump’s most loyal allies and was the first freshman senator to publicly defend and support Trump’s Cabinet picks and is expected to be one of Trump’s top representatives in Congress. 

Moreno, a supporter of term limits, has pledged to only serve two six-year terms in the Senate.

Representative-elect Abraham Hamadeh

Hamadeh previously served as a prosecutor and Army intelligence officer before being elected to represent Arizona’s 8th Congressional District in November.

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Vivek Ramaswamy, chair and co-founder of Strive Asset Management, center, arrives to meet with lawmakers on Capitol Hill on Dec. 5, 2024. (Al Drago)

The 33-year old, born to Syrian immigrants, has been a vocal supporter of Trump and the “Make America Great Again Agenda” and he told Fox News Digital last month that he and fellow Republicans will “hit the ground running with something very historic in the first hundred days.”

Hamadeh is set to serve on both the Veterans Affairs Committee and Armed Services Committee in the 119th Congress. 

“I am honored to serve on the Veterans Affairs and Armed Services Committees—two assignments I intentionally sought because our veterans and military deserve leaders who will fight for them,” Hamadeh told Fox News Digital in a statement about his committee assignments. “Putting America first starts with defending our homeland and honoring our veterans and their families.”

“Throughout my campaign, I made a promise to bring veterans’ issues to the forefront of our national priorities, and today, I am proud to fulfill that promise. This is a ‘promises made, promises kept’ moment as I lead the charge to honor our military leaders, support those who have served our nation, and ensure our veterans receive the care and respect they’ve earned. Serving those who served us is not just my duty—it’s a privilege.”

Former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy

Ramaswamy, a biotech entrepreneur believed to have a net worth of around $1 billion, burst onto the political scene in 2023 after throwing his hat into the 2024 presidential race before dropping out in January 2024 and quickly becoming a top surrogate for Trump’s campaign.

Ramaswamy was appointed to co-lead, along with Space X and Tesla CEO Elon Musk, the Department of Government Efficiency, which will focus its efforts on trimming federal spending when the new administration takes over in January.

The 39-year-old native of southwest Ohio has been floated as a contender to replace outgoing Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine and Ramaswamy hasn’t ruled out that possibility and has said he is open to considering it. 

Fox News Digital’s Paul Steinhauser and the Associated Press contributed to this report.

As Rep. Annie Kuster of New Hampshire finishes up her tenure in the House of Representatives this week. After a dozen years of representing New Hampshire in Congress, she has a message for some of her older colleagues.

“Some of my colleagues in the House of Representatives who have been in Congress for decades, and they get very comfortable in districts that are deep, deep blue. They haven’t had a challenging election in a long time,” Kuster told Fox News Digital.

The 68-year-old Kuster, who won election and re-election six times in swing state New Hampshire’s competitive Second Congressional District, decided against running again for another term in 2024, partly because she felt it was time for a new generation of House Democrat leaders to take over and that she wanted to set an example.

“I did want to lead by example. I felt that 12 years was a good length of time to put my shoulder to the wheel and work hard for working families and veterans and farmers and save the planet and protect women’s rights. These were all important to me. But I think the generational change that is going on in the House Democratic Caucus is really important,” she emphasized.

TRUMP’S CONVINCING WIN SETS UP HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE FOR HOUSE REPUBLICANS IN 2026

Democrat Rep. Annie Kuster of New Hampshire marches in an Independence Day parade on July 4, 2022, in Amherst, N.H. (Fox News – Paul Steinhauser)

Kuster pointed to the generational shift among House Democrats with the overthrow of senior committee leaders in the weeks since November’s election, when the party lost control of the White House and Senate majority and narrowly failed to regain control of the House.

Pointing to some of her House Democrat colleagues in their 70s or 80s, Kuster said “they served their country well, but I don’t think there’s any shame in stepping down and saying there are other people that can do this job.”

HOUSE DEMOCRAT CAMPAIGN COMMITTEE CHAIR GOES ONE-ON-ONE WITH FOX NEWS

But Kuster highlighted that she was not referring to Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, who takes over in January as the top Democrat on the powerful Senate Foreign Relations Committee. The former governor, who turns 78 next month, is considering running for re-election for a fourth six-year term in the Senate when she’s up in 2026.

“Let me just clarify. I’m not talking about Sen. Shaheen. I hope she will run for another term,” Kuster said. “I think she’s at the top of her game and doing an extraordinary job.”

Rep. Annie Kuster, D-N.H. (Fox News – Paul Steinhauser)

Kuster says another reason she decided against seeking re-election was due to her time-consuming efforts as chair of the New Democrat Coalition.

“It’s sort of the center left, pragmatic, get the job done, work across the aisle; I call it the can-do caucus,” she said.

Kuster noted that the New Democrat Coalition has “both a policy arm and a political arm, and so one of the reasons that I was stepping down is that I was doing a great deal of travel all across the country recruiting candidates to run for the House, and then raising resources and supporting their campaigns with strategy and consultants and communications, and just spending a lot of time on it, myself, welcoming them and helping them.”

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

Kuster highlighted that while her party suffered major setbacks in the 2024 elections, “[A]mong the New Democrat candidates, we protected 20 out of 22 current members who were challenged in tough races. We call them the front line, and we will be welcoming 25 new members of the New Democrat coalition. It’s going to be up to 110 members.”

“We flipped nine seats from what we call red to blue, and most of those were won by [President-elect Donald] Trump, but our candidates outperformed the top of the ticket,” she said.

Rep. Annie Kuster, D-N.H. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call via Getty Images)

Kuster said “the message that we had was successful” and that the message focused on “lowering costs, about bringing people together to get the job done. We focused in on safety and security, not just immigration and the border, but crime in the community and non-violence in the schools.”

“We also talked about democracy, and we also talked about women’s reproductive health, but we really leaned in on costs and the economy and where the voters have the greatest concern. And so, it’s a message that I think will resonate,” she added.

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Kuster said she’s going to spend the next two years helping fellow Democrats as they reach for the House majority in 2026.

“My north star is for the Democrats to win back the House,” she said.

Kuster added that she wants to help “create the next generation of Democratic leaders” who advocate for a “center-left, pragmatic approach, working across the aisle getting the job done. I know from this cycle that that was very, very successful, and that’s where we won the seats.”

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.”

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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.

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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.

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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. 

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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.