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A clearer picture emerged of who will serve in the Cabinet of America’s 47th President, with President-elect Trump assembling more of his top cabinet picks on Friday evening.

All of Trump’s Cabinet choices must be confirmed by the Senate, with the process set to begin in January. The confirmation process will be made easier by a 53-seat Republican majority, after GOP candidates flipped four seats in this election.

The president-elect chose a slew of key Trump supporters who assisted in his election.

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

President-elect Donald Trump on Friday announced his choices to lead the Food and Drug Administration, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as well as his pick for the surgeon general post.  (Getty Images)

Scott Bessent – Treasury Secretary 

Scott Bessent, founder of Key Square Group, was chosen for the coveted post of Treasury secretary. Bessent was a key economic policy adviser and fundraiser for the Trump campaign.

“Scott is widely respected as one of the World’s foremost International Investors and Geopolitical and Economic Strategists. Scott’s story is that of the American Dream,” Trump said on Friday.

TRUMP NOMINATES SCOTT BESSENT AS TREASURY SECRETARY; PICKS RUSS VOUGHT TO LEAD BUDGET OFFICE

He has been an advocate for economic policies like lower taxes, spending restraint and deregulation that have long made up the core of the Republican Party’s platform, and has also been supportive of Trump’s use of tariffs in trade negotiations.

Russ Vought, director of the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB), listens during an American Workforce Policy Advisory Board meeting in the East Room of the White House in Washington, D.C., June 26, 2020. 

Russ Vought – Office of Management and Budget

On Friday, Trump tapped Russ Vought to lead the White House’s Office of Management and Budget (OMB). Vought served OMB director during Trump’s first term. He also served as deputy OMB director and acting director.

“He did an excellent job serving in this role in my First Term – We cut four Regulations for every new Regulation, and it was a Great Success!” Trump wrote on Truth Social. 

Vought is a contributor to the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025 and a close Trump ally. 

Scott Turner, former executive director of the White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council, during the America First Policy Institute’s America First Agenda summit in Washington, D.C., US, on Monday, July 25, 2022.  (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Scott Turner – Secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development

Trump nominated Scott Turner as the secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Turner, who is chair of the Center for Education Opportunity and is a former professional football player, previously served as executive director of the White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council (WHORC).

TRUMP PICKS SCOTT TURNER AS SECRETARY OF DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT

“Scott is an NFL Veteran, who, during my First Term, served as the First Executive Director of the White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council (WHORC), helping to lead an Unprecedented Effort that Transformed our Country’s most distressed communities,” Trump said in a Friday statement. “Those efforts, working together with former HUD Secretary, Ben Carson, were maximized by Scott’s guidance in overseeing 16 Federal Agencies which implemented more than 200 policy actions furthering Economic Development. Under Scott’s leadership, Opportunity Zones received over $50 Billion Dollars in Private Investment!”

Turner, a former Texas state lawmaker, played nine seasons in the NFL as a member of the Washington Redskins, San Diego Chargers and the Denver Broncos.

Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer – Labor Secretary

Trump nominated Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer, R-Ore., on Friday for secretary of labor. 

“I am proud to hereby nominate Congresswoman Lori Chavez-DeRemer, from the Great State of Oregon, as United States Secretary of Labor,” Trump wrote in an official statement. “Lori has worked tirelessly with both Business and Labor to build America’s workforce, and support the hardworking men and women of America. I look forward to working with her to create tremendous opportunity for American Workers, to expand Training and Apprenticeships, to grow wages and improve working conditions, to bring back our Manufacturing jobs. Together, we will achieve historic cooperation between Business and Labor that will restore the American Dream for Working Families.”

Chavez-DeRemer was first elected to Congress in 2022, and lost re-election in a close race against Democrat Janelle Bynum earlier this month. Her candidacy was backed by the Teamsters union.

Dr. Dave Weldon – Director of CDC

President-elect Trump announced that former Rep. Dr. Dave Weldon, R-Fla., is his pick as the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

“In addition to being a Medical Doctor for 40 years, and an Army Veteran, Dave has been a respected conservative leader on fiscal and social issues, and served on the Labor/HHS Appropriations Subcommittee, working for Accountability on HHS and CDC Policy and Budgeting,” Trump said in the Friday evening announcement. 

Trump said that Dr. Wedlon would restore trust in the agency and transparency.

Dr. Janette Nesheiwat, a New York City-based double board-certified doctor, and, Dr. Marty Makary, a Johns Hopkins health policy expert and surgeon. (Fox News)

Dr. Marty Makary – FDA commissioner

Trump on Friday nominated Dr. Marty Makary, a pancreatic surgeon at Johns Hopkins University, as commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration.

Makary is the chief of Islet Transplant Surgery at Johns Hopkins, according to the university’s website, and was a Fox News medical contributor. 

“FDA has lost the trust of Americans, and has lost sight of its primary goal as a regulator. The Agency needs Dr. Marty Makary, a Highly Respected Johns Hopkins Surgical Oncologist and Health Policy Expert, to course-correct and refocus the Agency,” Trump said on Truth Social.

TRUMP PICKS DR. JANETTE NESHEIWAT AS NATION’S NEXT SURGEON GENERAL

“He will work under the leadership of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to, among other things, properly evaluate harmful chemicals poisoning our Nation’s food supply and drugs and biologics being given to our Nation’s youth, so that we can finally address the Childhood Chronic Disease Epidemic,” Trump said.

Janette Nesheiwat – Surgeon General

Trump also nominated Dr. Janette Nesheiwat as surgeon general, saying that she would be a “fierce advocate and strong communicator for preventative medicine and public health.”

“I am proud to announce that Dr. Janette Nesheiwat will be the Nation’s Doctor as the United States Surgeon General. Dr. Nesheiwat is a double board-certified Medical Doctor with an unwavering commitment to saving and treating thousands of American lives,” he said.

Nesheiwat is a former Fox News medical contributor.  

Sebastian Gorka and Alex Wong will serve under President-elect Trump for a second term.  (Getty Images; Department of State)

Sebastian Gorka – Deputy Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Counterterrorism

Trump announced Friday that his former White House adviser, Sebastian Gorka, will serve in his incoming administration. Gorka will serve as deputy assistant to the president and senior director for counterterrorism. 

Gorka, a former Trump aide, previously served as deputy assistant to the president during Trump’s first term. He’s also a former Fox News contributor.

“Since 2015, Dr. Gorka has been a tireless advocate for the America First Agenda and the MAGA Movement, serving previously as Strategist to the President in the first Trump Administration,” Trump said. 

Alex Wong – Assistant to the President and Principal Deputy National Security Advisor

Similarly to Gorka, Alex Wong served under Trump during his first term. 

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Wong served in the State Department as deputy special representative for North Korea, and the deputy assistant secretary for East Asian and pacific affairs. 

Fox News Digital’s Brie Stimson and Louis Casiano Jr. contributed to this report.

President-elect Trump nominated Scott Turner as the Secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

Turner, who is chair of the Center for Education Opportunity and is a former professional football player, previously served as executive director of the White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council (WHORC).

“Scott is an NFL Veteran, who, during my First Term, served as the First Executive Director of the White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council (WHORC), helping to lead an Unprecedented Effort that Transformed our Country’s most distressed communities,” Trump said in a Friday statement. “Those efforts, working together with former HUD Secretary, Ben Carson, were maximized by Scott’s guidance in overseeing 16 Federal Agencies which implemented more than 200 policy actions furthering Economic Development. Under Scott’s leadership, Opportunity Zones received over $50 Billion Dollars in Private Investment!”

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

Scott Turner, former executive director of the White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council, during the America First Policy Institutes America First Agenda summit in Washington, D.C., July 25, 2022.  (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Turner, a graduate of the University of Illinois, played cornerback for the Washington Redskins before winning a state house race in Texas. He served in the Texas House of Representatives from 2013 to 2017.

“Scott is the Founder & CEO of his Family’s Foundation, Community Engagement & Opportunity Council (CEOC), working to revitalize communities across America through Sports, Mentorship, and Economic Opportunity,” he said. “He is also on the Board of the American Cornerstone Institute, and an Associate Pastor at Prestonwood Baptist Church.”

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“Scott will work alongside me to Make America Great Again for EVERY American,” Trump said. “Congratulations to Scott, his wonderful wife, Robin, and his son, Solomon!”

President-elect Trump announced that former Rep. Dr. Dave Weldon, R-Fla., is his pick as the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

“In addition to being a Medical Doctor for 40 years, and an Army Veteran, Dave has been a respected conservative leader on fiscal and social issues, and served on the Labor/HHS Appropriations Subcommittee, working for Accountability on HHS and CDC Policy and Budgeting,” Trump said in the Friday evening announcement. 

“Dave also served in a leading role in Government Oversight and Reform Committee Hearings, addressing issues within HHS and CDC. Dave has successfully worked with the CDC to enact a ban on patents for human embryos,” Trump said.

President-elect Trump announced that former Rep. Dr. Dave Weldon, R-Fla., as his pick as the director of the CDC. (Scott J. Ferrell/Congressional Quarterly/Getty Images)

Trump said that Dr. Weldon will play a key part in “Making America Healthy Again,” saying that he will work on correcting “past errors.”

“Americans have lost trust in the CDC and in our Federal Health Authorities, who have engaged in censorship, data manipulation, and misinformation,” he said. 

“Given the current Chronic Health Crisis in our Country, the CDC must step up and correct past errors to focus on the Prevention of Disease. The current Health of Americans is critical, and CDC will play a big role in helping to ensure Americans have the tools and resources they need to understand the underlying causes of diseases, and the solutions to cure these diseases,” Trump added.

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

President-elect Trump announced that former Rep. Dr. Dave Weldon, R-Fla., as his pick as the director of the CDC. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

Trump said that Dr. Weldon “understands American Family Values.”

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“As a father of two and a husband of 45 years, Dave understands American Family Values, and views Health as one of utmost importance,” he said. “Dave will prioritize Transparency, Competence, and High Standards at CDC. Dave will proudly restore the CDC to its true purpose, and will work to end the Chronic Disease Epidemic, and Make America Healthy Again!”

President-elect Trump will take office just as Iran has the potential to become the world’s 10th nuclear-armed state, and it’s unclear if either side knows how it will approach the other. 

Judging by Trump’s last time in office, it would suggest he would come out the gate with a combative tone — having instituted a “maximum pressure” campaign to “bankrupt” the regime. His secretary of state pick, Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., has been an unyielding Iran hawk in the Senate. 

After the regime fired 200 missiles toward Tel Aviv last month, Rubio said: “Only threatening the survival of the regime through maximum pressure and direct and disproportionate measures has a chance to influence and alter their criminal activities.”

That could reinstate — and eliminate — any waivers for oil sanctions. It could mean threatening not to conduct business with countries that buy Iranian fuel products. 

Rep. Michael Waltz, R-Fla., Trump’s pick for national security adviser, is of a similar mind. 

Last month, when the Biden administration urged Israel to keep its counterstrikes “proportional,” Waltz slammed President Biden for pressuring Israel “once again to do less than it should.” 

A big banner depicting Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is placed next to a ballistic missile in Baharestan Square in Tehran, Iran. (Hossein Beris/Middle East Images/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images)

He suggested Israel strike oil facilities on Kharg Island and Iran’s nuclear plants in Natanz, a move the Biden team feared Iran would deem escalatory. 

Last month, Trump appeared to rule out the U.S. getting involved in any effort to take out Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khameini and his government. “We can’t get totally involved in all that. We can’t run ourselves, let’s face it,” he said.

“I would like to see Iran be very successful. The only thing is, they can’t have a nuclear weapon.”

Trump has said he does not want Iran to have nuclear weapons, but has not laid out how he would stop it from doing so. 

“I’m not looking to be bad to Iran, we’re going to be friendly, I hope, with Iran, maybe, but maybe not. But we’re going to be friendly, I hope, we’re going to be friendly, but they can’t have a nuclear weapon,” he said at a New Jersey press conference in August. 

Last month, Trump suggested Israel strike Iran’s nuclear facilities. 

Following the Iranian missile attacks, he suggested Israel should “hit the nuclear first and worry about the rest later.” 

On Thursday, Iran said it was activating “advanced” centrifuges after the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) board of governors censured it for failing to cooperate with the U.N. nuclear watchdog. Without cooperation, the world is in the dark about how quickly Iran is advancing its technological capabilities to use its uranium fuel for a bomb. 

“We will significantly increase enrichment capacity,” Behrouz Kamalvandi, Iran’s atomic energy organization spokesman, said after the censure. 

IRAN HIDING MISSILE, DRONE PROGRAMS UNDER GUISE OF COMMERCIAL FRONT TO EVADE SANCTIONS

What’s standing between Iran and a fully formed nuclear weapon is both a political and a technological question. 

While the nation has enough fissile material for a nuclear weapon, the process of turning that into a warhead could take anywhere from six to 12 months, according to Nicole Grajewski, nuclear policy expert at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. 

“That’s when Iran would be most vulnerable to attack,” she said. “Iran could probably make a dirty bomb from its current stockpile.” 

Over the years, Iran’s nuclear progress has been set back by international sanctions, COVID-19, high-profile assassinations of its nuclear scientists and attacks and sabotage on its nuclear facilities led by Israel’s intelligence agency Mossad. 

And announcing they have a nuclear weapon could threaten Iran’s longtime goal of regional hegemony. 

“Iran is less isolated than it was four years ago, but it’s still pretty isolated. Announcing they are nuclear would trigger an arms race in the Middle East,” predicted Simone Leeden, former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for the Middle East. 

“Saudi Arabia and the UAE would decide they will pursue nuclear weapons the minute Iran declares it has its own. Another action they could and would take is deepening ties with Israel.” 

IRAN VASTLY INCREASED NUCLEAR FUEL STOCKPILE AHEAD OF TRUMP RETURN, UN AGENCY FINDS

Iran also understands that producing a nuclear bomb would likely evoke a military response from Israel and the U.S. under Trump. 

Heavy weapons, including ballistic missiles, air defense systems and unmanned aerial vehicles, are displayed at Baharestan Square in Tehran, Iran on Sept. 26, during the 44th anniversary of the eight-year war with Iraq. (Fatemeh Bahrami/Anadolu via Getty Images)

After years of trying to assassinate Trump, the Iranians don’t seem to have figured out whether to approach the U.S. relationship under Trump with a combative or diplomatic tone. Just last month, they told President Biden they would not make any efforts to kill the president-elect going forward. 

“I think that there’s been a lot of mixed signaling from the kind of Trump transition team is, you know, you see Brian Hook being appointed, who was behind this maximum pressure and sanctions,” said Grajewski. But then, on the other hand, Trump envoy Elon Musk reportedly met with Iranian officials to discuss how the two nations could dial back tensions. 

“I think that he is being opaque on purpose,” said Leeden. “I don’t think he wants to show his cards as a negotiator.” 

“In all likelihood, maximum pressure is going to be restored,” said Behnam Taleblu, Iran expert at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. “U.S. partners are asking now, to what end? Is it towards regime collapse? Is it towards a deal? What if the Iranians don’t negotiate in good faith?”

Former Israeli officials have suggested Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu might be emboldened to strike Iranian nuclear facilities with the go-ahead from the Trump administration. But a lot of Iran’s centrifuge and enrichment facilities are deep underground, complicating a bombing campaign against them.

Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. (Atta Kenare/AFP via Getty Image)

To get to them, Israel would need the U.S.’ Massive Ordnance Penetrators (MOP), or “bunkbuster bombs.” 

“It would require U.S. involvement — either the direct transfer of this, which is currently not really discussed — that would be pretty escalatory — or Israel getting the United States to also conduct this mission,” said Grajewski. 

The Trump team will also place a high priority on bringing Saudi Arabia into the Abraham Accords, solidifying the Sunni Muslim alliance against Iran. But the Saudis have insisted the U.S. and Israel must recognize a Palestinian state for such a deal to get done. 

“The incoming administration wants to quiet down this kinetic energy in the Middle East quickly, because we have bigger fish to fry as a country,” said Leeden.

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The U.S. has long looked to pivot its military focus away from the Middle East and toward the Indo-Pacific. The outbreak of war between Israel and Hamas after Oct. 7 tore that focus back to the Arab world. 

Joe Sanberg, the entrepreneur and anti-poverty advocate who spearheaded a recently defeated state ballot measure to raise California’s minimum wage, said he felt “frustrated and disappointed” by the loss, but vowed to continue advocating for struggling Californians. 

Proposition 32, which would have raised the state’s minimum wage from $16 to $18 per hour by 2026, narrowly failed at the ballot box 50.8% to 49.2%.

The measure was pushed by Sanberg, a progressive business leader, investor and co-founder of the socially-conscious financial firm Aspiration.

OPPONENTS OF FAILED CALIFORNIA MEASURE TO RAISE MINIMUM WAGE SAY VOTERS ‘MADE THE RIGHT CALL’

Joe Sanberg spearheaded Proposition 32 in an effort to raise California’s minimum wage to $18 per hour.  (Fox News Digital)

“I thought it was going to pass by a narrow margin,” he told Fox News Digital. “I’m frustrated and disappointed that we lost by a narrow margin. I also recognize that… people are very angry and frustrated about inflation, and they don’t know who and where to blame.”

“We should all be able to agree that if you work full-time, you should be able to afford life’s basic needs,” he added. “And there are millions of Californians for whom that is not the case.” 

Advocates of Prop 32 said roughly 2 million workers, including hotel and grocery store employees, stood to benefit from the measure, The Associated Press reported.

In recent years, California has raised its minimum wage in an effort to offset increased costs for housing, gas and other necessities. In April, fast-food restaurants in the state with 60 or more locations were mandated to start paying their employees at least $20 per hour.

Business groups, including the California Chamber of Commerce, California Restaurant Association and California Grocers Association, opposed Prop 32, saying high labor costs would hurt small businesses, as well as lead to an increase in prices for customers. 

“It’s understandable that policymakers, and even many Californians, might be allured and attracted to the concept of a few extra dollars in someone’s pocket, but unfortunately, they did not seem to understand the economic fallout of that kind of concept,” John Kabateck, the California director for the National Federation of Independent Business, told Fox News Digital. 

GAVIN NEWSOM: CRITICS SAID CALIFORNIA’S MINIMUM WAGE INCREASE WOULD BE A JOB-KILLER. THE OPPOSITE HAPPENED

Proposition 32, which would have raised the state’s minimum wage from $16 to $18 per hour by 2026, narrowly failed at the ballot box 50.8% to 49.2%. (Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images)

Opponents also argued that raising the minimum wage too fast would result in job losses.

“When a worker loses a job, or the company goes out of business, the wage is ZERO DOLLARS PER HOUR,” business leaders wrote in their official ballot argument. 

Sanberg has spent years advocating for anti-poverty legislation and raising awareness about California’s tax credit that helps lift people out of financial uncertainty. Despite the loss at the ballot box, Sanberg said he remained optimistic.

He noted that in Imperial County, which sits east of San Diego on the California-Mexico border, President-elect Trump made significant gains with voters, despite Vice President Kamala Harris winning the overall vote count there. 

“It’s clear that working-class voters are in favor of raising the minimum wage. To me, that sends a message about how we can get both parties working toward making work pay better,” Sanberg said. 

Moving forward, Sanberg, who grew up with a single parent who struggled financially, said he plans to keep advocating for better pay for workers so they can at least afford the basics. 

“I’m open to every approach to get us to that outcome. But that’s the outcome that we ought to pursue. I just can’t imagine that we can be satisfied with anything less than that,” he said. “What is more American than the idea of working full-time and knowing that you can afford your house, your transportation, your food and your health care?”

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“That is not some aspiration. That’s a basic covenant that I think all Americans are taught to believe that we have with each other,” he added. “I think that covenant has been broken now for some time for tens of millions of working-class people around the country.”

In response to the Biden administration loosening key immigration restrictions, a spokesperson for New York City Mayor Eric Adams sounded off on the federal government, saying that New Yorkers and Americans are “fed up with our broken immigration system.”

The Biden Department of Homeland Security is launching an ICE Portal app in December that will allow migrants to skip their in-person check-ins at an ICE office and instead check in with immigration officials via an app on a phone or computer.

The app reportedly has severe glitching issues and does not track a migrant’s location if he or she is using an Android phone or laptop. Further, the app does not check migrants for past arrests or outstanding warrants and allows them to opt out of or contest government orders to undergo electronic tracking.

This comes after the Biden administration set the record for the highest number of illegal migrants entering the country in a single year in 2023, with 3.2 million entries. This surpassed the previous record of 2.7 million set the year before.

‘100% ON BOARD’: BORDER STATE OFFERS TRUMP MASSIVE PLOT OF LAND TO AID MASS DEPORTATION OPERATION 

A U.S. Customs and Border Protection border patrol agent talks to people on the Mexican side of the border wall at Border Field State Park in San Diego on Nov. 28, 2018. (Reuters/Chris Wattie)

Adams has said that New York, which has seen over 220,000 migrants arrive in the city since spring 2022, has been “devastated” by the surge of migrants.

Kayla Altus, a spokesperson for Adams, told Fox News Digital that “cities should not have to carry the cost and burden of a national problem.”

“For decades, Washington has endlessly talked about comprehensive reform, but delivered nothing of substance,” she said. “This election, the American people sent a resounding message: they are fed up with our broken immigration system.”  

1 IN 10 INMATES IN TEXAS’ HARRIS COUNTY JAIL WANTED BY ICE, RECORDS SHOW

An asylum seeker shows his documents to Army soldiers at the entrance of the historic Roosevelt Hotel, converted into a city-run shelter for newly arrived migrant families in New York City, on Sept. 27, 2023. (Selcuk Acar/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

She said the election, which saw a blowout victory for former President Trump and Republicans gaining unified control of Congress, gave the federal government a clear mandate to fix the immigration problem.

“Democrats and Republicans must come together to pass meaningful immigration reform for the first time in four decades,” she said. “That is what’s best for the American people, as well as the immigrants who come here, seeking the opportunity to build a better life and have a shot at the American Dream.”

In addition to the presidency, Republicans retained control of the House of Representatives and gained a majority in the Senate in the election earlier this month.  (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

Down in the border city of Laredo, Texas, Mayor Victor Trevino told Fox News Digital that he is working with state and Mexican authorities to prepare for the possibility of another migrant surge before Trump takes office. 

He said that although the city currently has “adequate” resources for everyday legal crossings, “no community is equipped enough to handle unnatural surges.” 

Trevino noted that the city is not equipped for a surge in migrant children as Laredo “does not have a pediatric intensive care unit.” 

The Rio Grande is seen from Laredo, Texas, on Sept. 19, 2020. (Reuters/Veronica G. Cardenas)

Steven Camarota, director of research at the Center for Immigration Studies, told Fox News Digital that other sanctuary cities like Chicago, Los Angeles and Denver are also struggling with the fiscal costs of the migrant surge. He said that in many instances, illegal migrants are even crowding out resources meant for citizens.

Camarota pointed to testimony he gave to the House Subcommittee on National Security, the Border, and Foreign Affairs in September, in which he listed the fiscal costs to individual sanctuary cities: $12 billion in New York over the next three years on housing, food, health care and other services for recently arrived illegal immigrants, $361 million in Chicago and $36.4 million in Washington, D.C., in 2023, and $180 million in Denver in 2024.

“The real policy that would save the cities’ money is robust enforcement that both increased removals, made people go home, and encourage people to go home on their own,” he said. “If you’re increasing removals and you’ve increased just normal outmigration, you could really cut into these numbers and start to save some real money.”

Laken Riley, a nursing student at the University of Georgia, was found dead near a lake on campus on Feb. 22. An illegal immigrant was convicted of her murder this week. (Laken Riley/Facebook)

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Jessica Vaughan, who works as director of policy studies at the Center for Immigration Studies, told Fox News Digital that while the murder of nursing student Laken Riley by an illegal immigrant has garnered lots of attention, she said that tragic stories like that are not isolated but rather part of a larger patten. 

“Only ICE knows for sure how often someone who’s released by a sanctuary has been subsequently arrested for another crime,” she said. “There’s a human cost to the sanctuary policies and there is no reasonable law enforcement or public safety or even community trust justification for having this policy. It is political and it has to stop.” 

President-elect Donald Trump tapped former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi on Thursday to head up the U.S. Department of Justice in his second term—a swift decision but one met with little surprise among many in Trump’s orbit.

That’s because Bondi, 59, has emerged as a close ally of the president-elect in recent years—including defending him in his impeachment proceedings, and more recently, in the run-up to Election Day, where she serves as the co-chair of the Center for Law and Justice at the America First Policy Institute (AFPI) a think tank set up by former Trump staffers.

Like former Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz, who withdrew his name from consideration for attorney general Thursday afternoon, Bondi is from Florida and is considered by many to be a staunch loyalist of the president-elect, dedicated to rooting out what the president-elect has described as the “weaponization” of the Justice Department. 

Beyond that, however, the two appear to have little in common. 

FLURRY OF PRE-ELECTION LEGAL CASES IS NOW ‘STANDARDIZED’ STRATEGY, EXPERTS SAY

Pam Bondi speaks during a press conference while on a break from former President Donald Trump’s hush money trial outside Manhattan Criminal Court in New York City. (Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images) (Getty)

A Florida native, Bondi has spent years as a prosecutor in the Sunshine State—spending 18 as a prosecutor in the Hillsborough County State Attorney’s Office before being elected in 2010 to serve as Florida’s first female attorney general. 

More recently, Bondi has used her perch at AFPI to voice concerns about election security—a major issue that Republicans sought to emphasize as they filed a flurry of re-election lawsuits, mainly in major swing states.

If confirmed, it is likely that Bondi will use her post to implement many of Trump’s tough-on-crime policy proposals, including cracking down on cartels, fentanyl, trafficking and more. 

A website for Trump’s Agenda47 called for policies such as extending the death penalty for human traffickers, ending welfare for migrants living in the U.S. illegally, and cracking down on violent crime in major cities, which Trump has described as having declined into “cesspools of bloodshed and crime.”

In the hours after her nomination, however, it remained unclear how—or whether—she planned to implement some of these proposals. 

One member of the Trump transition team pointed Fox News Digital to a widely circulated clip of CNN legal analyst Elie Honig highlighting Bondi’s qualifications for the role.

“Pam Bondi is, without a question, qualified to be attorney general,” Honig said in the clip, calling her experience “on par with, or better than, most United States attorneys general that we’ve seen over the past 50 years or so.”

“Even CNN is fawning over her qualifications,” a source familiar, who declined to be identified, told Fox News Digital.

MATT GAETZ SAYS HE WILL NOT SERVE IN THE UPCOMING SESSION OF CONGRESS

Former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi displays a court order granting Trump’s campaign more access to vote counting operations at the Pennsylvania Convention Center, Nov. 5, 2020, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

Those close to Bondi have praised her long record as a prosecutor, and her staunch loyalty to the president-elect, alongside whom she has worked since 2020—first, helping to represent him in his first impeachment trial, and currently in her post at AFPI.

Bondi is “all about integrity and the proper application of justice and fairness,” said Gianno Caldwell, the head of the Caldwell Institute of Public Safety, an organization designed to fight violent crime. Bondi serves on the advisory board of that group.

“I think she’s going to be able to root out a lot of the bad apples,” Caldwell added. “And return the Justice Department to its traditional focus, which is law and order, and fighting crime.”

MIKE ROGERS REPLACING WRAY AS FBI DIRECTOR IS NOT HAPPENING, TRUMP ADVISER SAYS
 

Pam Bondi, former attorney general of Florida, arrives at the Fiserv Forum on the second day of Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wis., on Tuesday, July 16, 2024.  (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

Like other top contenders for the role. Bondi has not been shy in going after Trump critics, including special counsel Jack Smith, who was tapped by Attorney General Merrick Garland in 2022 to investigate both an alleged effort by Trump and his allies to overturn the results of the 2020 election, and Trump’s keeping of allegedly classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida. 

Smith appears to be winding down his investigation—a welcome relief for the president-elect, who had vowed as a candidate to fire him “within two seconds” after taking office. 

Still, Bondi has shared in Trump’s criticisms, using a recent radio interview to describe Smith and his team of prosecutors as “horrible” people trying to make a name for themselves by “going after Donald Trump and weaponizing our legal system.”

“Attorney General nominee Bondi is looking forward to the confirmation process and answering any questions senators might have,” said Alex Pfeiffer, a spokesman for the Trump transition team.

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Bondi’s life “has been dedicated to keeping Americans safe,” he added. “She looks forward to continuing that work at the Department of Justice.” 

Senate Republicans faced criticism over several vote absences this week that allowed Democrats to confirm judges or agree to end debate on nominees that otherwise could have been blocked if each of the missing GOP lawmakers were there. 

One particularly crucial vote was on Monday for a lifetime appointment to the 11th U.S. Circuit Court, a coveted appeals court slot to which Democrats did not have the votes to confirm President Biden’s nominee, since outgoing Sen. Joe Manchin, I-W.Va., voted against. 

However, since Sens. Mike Braun, R-Ind., Steve Daines, R-Mont., Bill Hagerty, R-Tenn., JD Vance, R-Ohio, and Marco Rubio, R-Fla., did not vote, the nominee was confirmed by 49 votes to 45 votes. 

DSCC HOPEFUL GILLIBRAND SAYS DEMS SHOULD HAVE PUT IMMIGRATION FIX ON TABLE ‘2 YEARS AGO’

Joe Biden and Chuck Schumer scored judicial wins as a result of GOP Senate absences. (Reuters)

“This leftist judge would have been voted down and the seat on the important 11th circuit would have been filled by Donald Trump next year had Republicans showed up,” wrote Gov. Ron DeSantis, R-Fla., on X. “Now, the leftist judge will have a lifetime appointment and the people of FL, AL and GA will suffer the consequences.”

Mike Davis, the former chief counsel for nominations to former Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, told Fox News Digital, “A senator’s only job is to show up and vote.”

“President Biden is jamming through bottom-of-the-barrel radical left-wing judges for lifetime appointments to the federal bench after the American people voted for dramatic change. Senate Republicans must do everything they can to stop this lame-duck conveyor belt of radicals. But if these Senate Republicans cannot even show up to vote, let alone debate for four hours on each judge, why should we vote for these deadbeat senators?”

Davis is also founder and president of the Article III Project. 

GOP SENATOR DEBUTS BILL TO ABOLISH EDUCATION DEPARTMENT FOLLOWING TRUMP CAMPAIGN PROMISE

DeSantis criticized Republicans over a circuit court confirmation. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

A senior Senate source confirmed to Fox News Digital that there was irritation among the Republican conference about their colleagues’ absences. The most vocal about it was Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., they said.

In a statement, Vice President-elect Vance said, “As a co-chairman of the transition, it’s vital that I’m focused on making sure President Trump’s government is fully staffed with people who support his America First agenda and will be ready to hit the ground running on January 20th.”

“However, it’s also important to me to do everything in my power to block more radical judges from getting confirmed. So while it may be outside of the norm for an incoming VP to take Senate votes in the lame duck period, if my colleagues here in the Senate tell me that we have a real chance of beating one of these nominees, I’ll move heaven and earth to be there for the vote,” he added. 

SENATE SHOWDOWN: GOP SECURES DEAL WITH SCHUMER TO SAVE COVETED APPELLATE JUDGES FOR TRUMP

In a separate statement, Brian Hughes, Trump-Vance Transition spokesman said, “We cannot allow Chuck Schumer to play games with the transition’s ability to staff the incoming administration. Under no circumstances should we allow radical left judges to be jammed through the Senate at the 11th hour, but the Vice President-elect is needed for the transition to continue working ahead of schedule.” 

Vance is notably the first senator in over a century to vote on a judicial nomination after being elected to be vice president. 

The vice president-elect was at the Capitol during the latter part of the week facilitating meetings between senators and Trump selections for key administration posts. 

Vance was in attendance for pivotal votes on Wednesday, while some Republicans were still absent. 

A spokesperson for Daines pointed Fox News Digital to an X post from the senator, in which he detailed travel issues he ran into on his way to Washington, D.C. “Runway closed due to ice, then prolonged de-icing, then a medical emergency…then Delta flight attendants timed out. Landed DC at 10 pm and voting until ~ midnight,” he said. 

Vance said he would ‘move heaven and earth’ to be at crucial votes. (Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)

Daines’ office said he went immediately to the Senate floor to vote once he finally landed in the capital. 

The offices of Braun, Hagerty and Rubio did not provide comment to Fox News Digital in time for publication. Rubio was recently selected by Trump to be his nominee for Secretary of State.

While the circuit court confirmation was the most important vote that GOP absences helped to advance, it wasn’t the only case of it happening this week. 

Braun, Hagerty, Vance, Rubio and Sens. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., and Ted Cruz, R-Texas were absent for a vote on a district court nominee on Tuesday that was ultimately confirmed, despite Manchin opposing and Democrats not otherwise having enough votes. 

Cruz was in Texas on the day of the vote with Trump and billionaire Elon Musk for the launch of a SpaceX rocket. The senator is the soon-to-be chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and told reporters this week that space legislation “will be a significantly higher priority of the full committee.” 

DEMOCRAT TAMMY BALDWIN DETAILS RECIPE FOR RUNNING IN A SWING STATE AFTER VICTORY IN TRUMP-WON WISCONSIN

He cited his trip to the launch, saying, “My number-one priority is jobs. And commercial space generates tens of thousands of jobs across Texas and across the country.”

Cramer’s office did not provide comment in time for publication. 

On Wednesday, both Cruz and Braun missed another district judge confirmation that Manchin opposed, handing Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Biden another accomplishment. 

Braun further missed another Wednesday vote on a district judge that was opposed by outgoing Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, I-Ariz., allowing the nominee to be confirmed. 

Braun was elected to be Indiana’s next governor. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

On Wednesday, Tillis spoke on the Senate floor on the subject. “Schumer’s trying to ram through Biden’s liberal judicial nominees. We can block some of them, but it requires ALL GOP senators to be here. VP-elect [Vance] is a busy man right now, but he’s still here on the Senate floor holding the line, and so should all of our GOP colleagues,” he wrote on X. 

The outgoing Indiana senator returned on Wednesday evening before Republicans managed to make a deal with Schumer on further judicial confirmation votes, securing four vacancies on valuable circuit courts for Trump in exchange for allowing votes on a number of district court judges without further stalling. 

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One GOP senator told Fox News Digital that Senate Minority Whip John Thune, R-S.D., who was recently elected to be the next GOP Senate leader, applied pressure to absent senators such as Vance, Rubio and Braun, which resulted in the ultimate deal with Schumer. 

A senior Senate Republican source familiar told Fox News Digital that Thune underscored the importance of attendance at the GOP conference, especially concerning judicial confirmation votes. 

Former Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., resigned from the House last week. That is final. The precedent of the House is that once you bow out, it is done. So, Gaetz cannot revoke his letter of resignation last week. It declared he was stepping aside “effective immediately.”

As reported earlier, Gaetz could serve in the new Congress. He was duly re-elected to his seat for the new Congress to be seated on Jan. 3. In his letter to the clerk of the House, Gaetz declared, “I do not intend to take the oath of office for the same office in the 119th Congress to pursue the position of Attorney General in the Trump Administration.”

GAETZ WITHDRAWS AS ATTORNEY GENERAL

Reps. Matt Gaetz (R) and Andy Ogles listen as former President Donald Trump speaks to the media during his trial for allegedly covering up hush money payments at Manhattan Criminal Court on May 16, 2024, in New York City. (Angela Weiss-Pool/Getty Images)

However, Fox is told that Gaetz would have to inform the clerk of the House that he, in fact, does intend to serve in the new Congress – if he elects to do so. Gaetz has not signaled his future plans. That part of the Gaetz letter is not binding. 

Technically, the House Ethics Committee must wrap up its inquiry into Gaetz by the end of this Congress at 11:59:59 am EST on Jan. 3. However, there is precedent for the House Ethics Committee voting to carry over an inquiry from one Congress to another. So it’s not unheard of that this is a done deal.

PRESIDENT-ELECT TRUMP ANNOUNCE PAM BONDI AS HIS NEW PICK FOR US ATTORNEY GENERAL

Matt Gaetz heads to the House chamber as members of the US House of Representatives vote on the articles of impeachment against the US Homeland Security Secretary on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 6, 2024. (Brendan Smailowski/AFP via Getty Images)

The committee still wants to finish its current work. However, if Gaetz is not going to serve in the new Congress and has withdrawn his nomination for attorney general, this likely diminishes the importance of publicly releasing the report of a former member. Yes, there may be damning information in the report, but the House usually does not release reports about former members – even though there is precedent for doing so. Moreover, the Senate Judiciary Committee isn’t interested in the report, now that Gaetz is not before them as the attorney general nominee.  

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In addition, if Gaetz does elect to serve in the House, that would help the GOP with their numbers, with Reps. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., and Michael Waltz, R-Minn. – and maybe more – leaving to join the Trump administration. 

A new poll finds that Democrats are feeling glum about their party’s prospects after Republican President-elect Donald Trump won the 2024 presidential election.

Democratic pessimism about the party’s future is at its highest point in eight years, according to a new Pew Research Center survey. Republicans, on the other hand, are riding high and have the most optimistic outlook about their party recorded since the 2016 election, Trump’s last presidential victory.

For the first time since 2016, more Americans say the GOP, not the Democratic Party, represents the interests of “people like them” very or somewhat well, 50% to 43%.

Trump defeated Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 election, winning 312 Electoral College Votes to her 226 votes and sweeping all the battleground states. Republicans also flipped control of the Senate and managed to cling to their majority in the House of Representatives as well – guaranteeing full control of the federal government with a favorable 6-3 conservative majority on the Supreme Court.

DEMOCRATIC PENNSYLVANIA ELECTION OFFICIAL APOLOGIZES FOR CONTROVERSIAL COMMENTS AS SENATE RECOUNT BEGINS

President-elect Donald Trump waves to supporters in West Palm Beach, Florida. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Short of a filibuster-proof supermajority in the Senate, there is not much more Republicans could ask for in terms of power to enact their agenda at the federal level. So Democrats, understandably, are not thrilled about their party.

A majority of Democrats and Democrat-leaning independents, 51%, still say they are optimistic about the party’s future. However, 49% are pessimistic – an increase of 20 percentage points from how Democrats felt after the 2022 midterm election’s mixed results, according to the Pew Research Center. The number of pessimistic Democrats is also about 10 percentage points higher than when Hillary Clinton lost to Trump in 2016.

DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST HINTS AT RUNNING TO LEAD THE DNC IN ORDER TO MAKE ‘DEMOCRATS FUN AGAIN’

Vice President Kamala Harris gestures as she delivers a concession speech for the 2024 presidential election on Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024 on the campus of Howard University in Washington, D.C. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

Those who are under age 50 and those further to the left than conservative and moderate Democrats tended to be more pessimistic.

Republicans, however, are far more optimistic about their party today (86%) than they were after the 2022 midterms (65%) and Trump’s 2016 victory (79%).

WHAT WEARY SAN FRANCISCANS ARE SAYING AFTER VOTERS REJECTED ‘STRANGLEHOLD’ OF THE PROGRESSIVE LEFT

Chairs and trash sit in an empty field after the election night watch party for Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris at Howard University on Nov. 6, 2024 in Washington, D.C. (Kent Nishimura/Getty Images)

The Pew Research Center noted the partisan gap in Republican and Democratic views of their respective party’s futures is at 35 percentage points, the largest of any recent election.

Additionally, more Americans now say the GOP best represents their interests than those who say it is the Democratic Party who does so. About half of Americans say Republicans best represent “people like them” compared to 43% who say so about Democrats – a shift from recent years when the Democratic Party was believed to be more representative of “people like them.” 

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That swing of opinion is almost entirely among Republicans and Republican-leaning independents, 85% of whom now say the GOP represents them well or somewhat well. That is a 14-point gain from a previous Pew Research Center survey in June 2023.

Most Democrats, 72%, still say their party represents them at least somewhat well. A small minority on both sides say their respective parties do not represent their interests well.

FIRST ON FOX: A decision on whom President-elect Trump will nominate to lead Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is expected within the coming days, sources familiar with proceedings tell Fox News Digital – ahead of what could be significant opposition to mass deportations from some Democratic states next year.

Discussions have been held at Mar-a-Lago this week, and a decision could be made as early as Friday. Whoever is nominated will require Senate confirmation.

Who is in the running is unclear. One source said on Thursday that there are still multiple candidates being discussed and that the Trump team has yet to whittle the list down. 

WHO ELSE COULD BE ON PRESIDENT-ELECT TRUMP’S IMMIGRATION ‘DREAM TEAM?’ 

Then-Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump speaks during a campaign event, Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2024, in Mint Hill, N.C.  (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)

Sources had previously suggested that John Fabbricatore, a former ICE field officer, and Todd Lyons, currently leading the agency’s Enforcement and Removal Operation (ERO) unit in Boston, were among the top contenders. The transition team is understood to be looking for someone with a deep law enforcement background to lead the agency. 

But Fabbricatore is now understood to be out of the running to lead the agency. Lyons is believed to be held in high regard within the agency and by a number of people on the transition team, given his leadership of the Boston unit and his teams’ work in chasing down criminal illegal immigrants who had been released from custody in the sanctuary city.

‘100% ON BOARD’: BORDER STATE OFFERS TRUMP MASSIVE PLOT OF LAND TO AID MASSIVE DEPORTATION OPERATION

An ICE agent monitors hundreds of asylum seekers being processed upon entering the Jacob K. Javits Federal Building on June 6, 2023, in New York City. (David Dee Delgado/Getty Images)

Whoever leads the agency will be in the media and political spotlight in the next year as they spearhead what President-elect Trump has promised will be a historic mass deportation operation.

Trump has appointed former ICE Director Thomas Homan as “border czar,” and he is expected to take a leadership role in the efforts to secure the border and launch the mass deportation operation. He has also announced that South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem will be his nominee to lead the Department of Homeland Security.

The transition team has already been eyeing a significant expansion of detention in order to facilitate the operation, with an increase in beds and expanded detention capacity near major metropolitan areas.

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Those efforts are already drawing significant opposition from Democratic officials in some states. The governors of Illinois, Arizona and Massachusetts have said they won’t assist the administration in the operation. But some Republican states have offered support, with Texas offering more than 1,400 acres of land to stage mass deportations near the border.

Judge Juan Merchan on Friday granted President-elect Donald Trump’s request to file a motion to dismiss the charges in New York v. Trump and removed the sentencing date for the president-elect from the schedule. 

Merchan said Trump attorneys have until December 2 to file their motion for dismissal. Merchan said Bragg has until December 9 to respond. 

Merchan also confirmed the stay in sentencing for Trump, which was requested by both Trump and Bragg attorneys. The sentencing was scheduled for Nov. 26, but on Friday, Merchan said that date “is adjourned.” 

In a letter to Merchan on Wednesday, Trump defense attorney and now-nominee for Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche demanded the case against President-elect Donald Trump be tossed. 

“On November 5, 2024, the Nation’s People issued a mandate that supersedes the political motivations of DANY’s ‘People,’” Blanche wrote. “This case must be immediately dismissed.” 

Blanche said that “immediate dismissal of this case is mandated by the federal Constitution, the Presidential Transition Act of 1963, and the interests of justice, in order to facilitate the orderly transition of Executive power following President Trump’s overwhelming victory in the 2024 Presidential Election.” 

BRAGG CASE ‘EFFECTIVELY OVER’ IN ‘MAJOR VICTORY,’ TRUMP OFFICIALS SAY

Former U.S. President Donald Trump speaks alongside his attorney Todd Blanche as he arrives for his hush money trial at Manhattan Criminal Court on May 30, 2024, in New York City. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

Blanche’s pre-motion letter on Wednesday was sent in order to request permission to file a motion to dismiss by Dec. 20 and to request a stay on all deadlines, which Bragg and New York prosecutors had agreed to. 

The letter came after Bragg on Tuesday sent a letter to Merchan requesting a stay on the case until 2029. Bragg said he would oppose Trump’s motion to dismiss but said he would be open to receiving the defense argument. 

Blanche argued that Bragg “appears to not yet be ready to dismiss this politically-motivated and fatally flawed case, which is what is mandated by the law and will happen as justice takes its course.” Blanche pointed to Bragg’s own election campaign for another term as Manhattan district attorney. 

Former President Donald Trump appears in court for arraignment before Judge Juan Merchan following his surrender to New York authorities at the New York County Criminal Court.  (Seth Wenig-Pool Photo via USA TODAY)

Blanche argued that “continuing with this case would be ‘uniquely destabilizing’ and threatens to ‘hamstring the operation of the whole governmental apparatus, both in foreign and domestic affairs.’” 

“The Court must address these new issues and dismiss the case, prior to issuing a decision on the previously filed Presidential immunity motion,” Blanche explained. “Any other action would obviously violate the presidential immunity doctrine and the Supremacy Clause.” 

TRUMP LAWYERS DEMAND BRAGG CASE BE ‘IMMEDIATELY DISMISSED,’ SAY ELECTION ‘SUPERSEDES’ POLITICAL ‘MOTIVATIONS’

Blanche added that “even if the Court were to wrongly deny the new interests-of-justice motion, which it should not do, the appropriate forum for any additional proceedings must first be resolved in President Trump’s removal appeal.” 

Blanche said that if the court denies any aspect of relief, including by moving forward with any proceedings, Trump would request that the court stay the implementation of the ruling so that President Trump has “adequate time to pursue appellate review.” 

Left: Former President Donald Trump attends the first day of his trial at Manhattan Criminal Court in New York City on April 15, 2024. Right: Judge Juan Merchan poses for a picture in his chambers on March 14, 2024, in New York. (Angela Weiss/AFP via AP, POOL/AP)

Trump pleaded not guilty to 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree stemming from the yearslong investigation related to alleged hush money payments run by the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office. Former Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance initiated the investigation, and Bragg prosecuted Trump. 

After an unprecedented six-week trial in New York City, a jury found the president guilty on all counts. 

PROSECUTORS REQUEST STAY IN TRUMP NY CASE UNTIL 2029 AS DEFENSE PLANS MOTION FOR DISMISSAL ‘ONCE AND FOR ALL’

Merchan last week granted a stay on all deadlines associated with conviction proceedings against Trump in the final weeks before he is sworn in as the 47th President of the United States — including the Nov. 26 sentencing date. 

Trump officials on Tuesday argued that Bragg’s request was a representation of “a total failure of the prosecution,” and interpreted the case as being “effectively over.” 

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Meanwhile, Trump attorneys had requested that Merchan overturn the guilty verdict altogether, citing the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision that former presidents have substantial immunity from prosecution for official acts in office.

The Supreme Court’s 6-3 decision on presidential immunity came from a question that stemmed from charges brought against Trump in a separate, federal case brought by Special Counsel Jack Smith related to the events on Jan. 6, 2021, and any alleged efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election.

Trump pleaded not guilty to all charges in that case. 

Outgoing Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., announced that he will chair the Senate Rules Committee as well as the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense during the 119th Congress.

“America’s national security interests face the gravest array of threats since the Second World War. At this critical moment, a new Senate Republican majority has a responsibility to secure the future of U.S. leadership and primacy,” McConnell said in a statement. 

“I intend to play an active role in this urgent mission as Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, and I look forward to working closely with incoming Chair Susan Collins to accomplish our shared goal,” he noted.

Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, is currently the vice chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee and the ranking member of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense. 

RICK SCOTT OUTLINES CONSENSUS FOR ‘DRAMATIC CHANGE’ TO SENATE OPERATION IN POST-MCCONNELL ERA

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., takes a question from a reporter during a news conference following the weekly Senate Republican policy luncheon at the U.S. Capitol on Nov. 19, 2024 in Washington, D.C. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

“The Senate Rules Committee will also have important work to accomplish in the 119th Congress, and I look forward to leading it as Chairman,” McConnell said in the statement.

“Defending the Senate as an institution and protecting the right to political speech in our elections remain among my longest-standing priorities. Ranking Member Deb Fischer has done an outstanding job advancing these causes, and I know she will remain a key partner in the committee’s ongoing work,” he noted.

McConnell, 82, has served in the U.S. Senate since 1985, which means he will soon reach his 40-year-anniversary in the chamber. His current term ends in early 2027.

MITCH MCCONNELL STEPPING DOWN AS REPUBLICAN LEADER

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., concludes a news conference in the U.S. Capitol after the senate luncheons on Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2024. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

While he has helmed the Senate GOP since 2007, McConnell announced earlier this year that his current term as Senate Republican leader would be his last in the position.

Sen. John Thune, R-S.D. has been tapped to succeed McConnell in the role next year. 

Republicans won the Senate majority during the 2024 elections — Thune will be Senate majority leader.

THUNE SAYS TRUMP’S BORDER PLAN IS 1ST UP IN RIGOROUS PRIORITY LIST FOR NEW CONGRESS: ‘REAL WORK BEGINS’

Senate Minority Whip John Thune, R-S.D., listens alongside Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., during a news conference following the weekly Senate Republican policy luncheon at the U.S. Capitol on Sept. 10, 2024 in Washington, D.C. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

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“John Thune’s election is a clear endorsement of a consummate leader. The confidence our colleagues have placed in John’s legislative experience and political skill is well deserved,” McConnell said in a statement.

“The American people elected Republicans to restore stability and order after four years of Washington Democrats’ failure. John Thune will take the reins with a tremendous opportunity to lead this transformation, and Senate Republicans stand behind him, ready to get to work,” he added.

An incumbent Iowa Republican seeking re-election to the House has accused her Democratic opponent of “wasting taxpayer money” by pursuing a recount of their close contest.

The Associated Press has not yet called the race in Iowa’s 1st Congressional District, where Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, R-Iowa, leads Democratic challenger Christina Bohannan by just 801 votes. Bohannan requested a recount last week.

“Four counties in IA-01 have completed their recounts and I’ve gained 2 votes. Once again Christina Bohannan and the Dems are wasting taxpayer money,” Miller-Meeks posted on X Thursday. She has previously declared victory and her campaign is confident in her lead. 

CONGRESSIONAL ELECTION OBSERVERS DEPLOY TO IOWA FOR RECOUNT IN UNCALLED HOUSE RACE

Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, R-Iowa, leaves the U.S. Capitol after the last votes of the week on Thursday, May 25, 2023.  (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

Congressional election observers from the House Committee on Administration were deployed to Iowa to monitor the uncalled race this week.

Bohannan’s campaign said in a statement last week that they want to ensure “every voter is heard” and pledged to “accept the results regardless of outcome.” 

Republicans have already clinched a razor-thin House majority, but a GOP victory in Iowa would allow the factious conference some room for dissent without log jamming President-elect Trump’s agenda in the next Congress.

DEMOCRAT BOB CASEY CONCEDES PENNSYLVANIA SENATE RACE TO DAVE MCCORMICK, ENDING RECOUNT

FILE – Democratic nominee for Iowa’s 1st congressional district Christina Bohannan waves to supporters during an election night watch party at Big Grove Brewery in Iowa City, Iowa, Nov. 5, 2024.  (Nick Rohlman/The Gazette via AP File)

Republican incumbents held onto Iowa’s three other congressional seats, including the competitive 3rd District where Zach Nunn fended off a challenge from Democrat Lanon Baccam.

Republican incumbents Ashley Hinson in the 2nd District and Randy Feenstra in the 4th District won decisively. Hinson defeated Democrat Sarah Corkery. Feenstra defeated Democrat Ryan Melton.

DEMOCRATS ADVANCE 5 MORE BIDEN JUDICIAL NOMINEES

So far, Republicans have claimed 219 seats in the House of Representatives while Democrats have held on to 213. 

There are still two uncalled races in California’s 13th and 45th Congressional Districts, where Republican incumbents are defending their seats by extremely close margins. 

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The race in Iowa’s 1st Congressional District is a rematch. Miller-Meeks previously defeated Bohannan by a much larger margin of 7 percentage points in 2022. 

Miller-Meeks earned a first term in Congress representing Iowa’s 2nd District when she defeated Democrat Rita Hart by just six votes in 2020.

Fox News Digital’s Danielle Wallace and the Associated Press contributed to this report.

The Trump-Vance transition team has still not signed documents required to formally begin the transition of power, the White House says. 

Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters Thursday that “Our teams continue to stay in touch” and “as of now… the Trump-Vance transition team has not yet entered into the agreements with the White House and the General Service Administration (GSA).” 

Not signing the documents means the government can’t provide security clearances and briefings to incoming administration officials and the FBI can’t screen Trump’s picks for the Cabinet and other key posts. The agreements also provide “office space, IT equipment, office supplies, fleet vehicles, mail management, and payment of compensation and other expenses,” according to the GSA. 

“President Biden met with the president-elect to show that transition of power and obviously offering, any assistance, needed to make sure that happens in a way that is peaceful, obviously, and efficient,” according to Jean-Pierre. 

PRESIDENT-ELECT TRUMP ANNOUNCES PAM BONDI AS HIS NEW PICK FOR US ATTORNEY GENERAL 

President Joe Biden met with President-elect Donald Trump in the Oval Office of the White House on Nov. 13. (AP/Evan Vucci)

“So were going to continue to engage with the Trump transition team, to ensure that we do have that efficient, effective, transition of power,” she added. “And in those conversations, we certainly are stressing that the White House and the administration stand ready to provide assistance and that access to services and information certainly outlined in the GSA, and the White House memorandum of agreement. So, those conversations continue. And we want this to go smoothly, and that’s what we’re trying to get to.” 

The continued delay on agreeing to start the formal transition process may eventually force senators to vote on Trump’s Cabinet picks without the benefit of the usual background checks, the Associated Press reported. 

REPUBLICAN SENATOR DEBUTS BILL TO ABOLISH THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION FOLLOWING TRUMP CAMPAIGN PROMISE 

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre speaks during the daily briefing at the White House on Thursday, Nov. 21. She said the Trump-Vance transition team still hasn’t signed documents that can formally begin the transition of power. (AP/Ben Curtis)

That process is designed to uncover personal problems, criminal histories and other potential red flags that would raise questions about a nominee’s suitability for key jobs. 

It’s unclear why the documents haven’t been signed yet.  

President Joe Biden meets with President-elect Donald Trump in the Oval Office of the White House, Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024, in Washington. (AP/Evan Vucci)

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Transition spokesman Brian Hughes said earlier this month that the team’s “lawyers continue to constructively engage with” lawyers and officials from President Joe Biden’s outgoing administration and promised updates “once a decision is made.” 

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

FIRST ON FOX: Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, is urging the Biden administration to halt a $1.25 billion “Digital Equity” program, calling it unconstitutional for using race-based criteria to expand broadband access.

“I urge you to withdraw the unlawful [Notice of Funding Opportunity] NOFO and halt issuing Program grants before you cause real harm,” Cruz wrote to Alan Davidson, the assistant secretary of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) Thursday morning. “NTIA’s use of racial classifications, as set forth in the NOFO, does not serve a compelling governmental interest.”

The letter comes as Republicans push back against diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives as they gear up for the incoming Trump administration. Under the soon-to-be Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), headed by Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, such programs like the Digital Equity Competitive Grant Program could be examined as government waste.

“Any source of government waste is in scope for DOGE,” a Ramaswamy spokesperson told Fox News Digital. 

DEMOCRATIC LAWMAKER RANTS ABOUT ‘THE WHITE MAN’ DURING A HEARING ON THE DISMANTLE DEI ACT

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, on Capitol Hill on Tuesday, March 12, 2024 in Washington, D.C. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

The letter criticizes NTIA’s guidance for the Digital Equity Competitive Grant Program, as Cruz claims it violates the Fifth Amendment’s Due Process Clause, lacking evidence of racial discrimination in internet access and failing to provide clear metrics for its race-based criteria.

The program was a key initiative under the Digital Equity Act, which was authorized by President Biden’s Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021. It is the third of three digital equity programs established by the act.

Cruz asserts that the program requires grant applicants to prioritize “Covered Populations,” a category that explicitly includes racial and ethnic minorities in the program. He argued the approach includes impermissible racial discrimination, arguing that the federal government cannot use racial classifications without demonstrating a compelling interest and “narrowly tailored” measures. 

RAMASWAMY OUTLINES DOGE’S VISION

President-elect Donald Trump announced Elon Musk, left, and Vivek Ramaswamy, right, would be leading the Department of Government Efficiency on Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2024. (Getty Images)

“The NOFO provides no evidence racial minorities face discrimination in accessing the internet, let alone specific instances of discrimination that NTIA is seeking to address,” Cruz wrote. “And it does not attempt to make any claim that this discrimination is necessary to avoid a prison race riot.”

Cruz added that “the NOFO does not define ‘minority,’ making it impossible to determine whether it is underinclusive, but in any event, it is overinclusive because it includes anyone who falls into some racial group, without any determination that that specific group has faced discrimination in access to broadband.”

ELON MUSK, VIVEK RAMASWAMY TO LEAD TRUMP’S DEPARTMENT OF GOVERNMENT EFFICIENCY

Congress is racing to be ready to execute the recommendations of President-elect Donald Trump’s new DOGE commission. (Getty Images)

Cruz, the ranking member of the Senate Commerce, Science & Transportation Committee, urged the NTIA to respond by Dec. 12, either by confirming the withdrawal of the guidance or by providing a detailed explanation of how it complies with constitutional requirements.

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Fox News Digital has reached out to the NTIA for comment. 

President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Defense Department, Pete Hegseth, is facing a firestorm of backlash for voicing his belief that women should not serve in military combat roles. Although the media is largely united against him, opinions among combat and military experts are more split. 

Will Thibeau, a former Army Ranger with multiple combat deployments, told Fox News Digital that he agrees with Hegseth wholeheartedly.

“I think soon-to-be Secretary Hegseth stated simple truths that 12 years ago were commonly understood and affirmed by the senior-most leaders in the Pentagon, the rank and file of the military and the culture at large, that war and in particular units that are made and forged to fight in war with no other purpose are units meant for men and men only,” he said.

“Biological sex and relationships between men and women is a reality that you can’t avoid,” he added. “And when you induce stress, physical uncertainty, physical proximity and unique scenarios to that biological reality, you get a fracture of what would have been a typical military team, or a military unit forged for warfighting.”

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FILE – This Sept. 18, 2012 file photo shows female soldiers training on a firing range while wearing new body armor in Fort Campbell, Ky. Only a small fraction of Army women say theyd like to move into one of the newly opening combat jobs, but those few who do, say they want a job that takes them right into the heart of battle, according to preliminary results from a survey of the services nearly 170,000 women. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey, File)

Hegseth, 44, is a former Fox News host and Army infantry officer who served two combat deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan and an additional deployment to Guantánamo Bay, Cuba.

Trump tapped Hegseth for Secretary of Defense, one of the most influential positions in his cabinet, on Nov. 13, just over a week after he won the election. The president-elect said of Hegseth that “nobody fights harder for the Troops” and “with Pete at the helm, America’s enemies are on notice.”

However, Hegseth is facing a great deal of pushback from Democrats and the media, most especially for his comments on a Nov. 7 episode of the “Shawn Ryan Show” podcast in which he said, “I’m straight up just saying we should not have women in combat roles.”

Hegseth asserted that women serving in combat roles “hasn’t made us more effective, hasn’t made us more lethal” and “has made fighting more complicated.”

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Host Pete Hegseth during “FOX & Friends” at Fox News Channel Studios on May 27, 2022 in New York City.  (Roy Rochlin/Getty Images)

He did not argue against women serving in the military or even in non-ground combat roles such as in the Air Force. Rather, he made the point that the U.S. military has been lowering its physical standards to allow more women to be eligible to serve in combat roles, something that he said increases the risk of combat complications and fatalities.

He said, “I love women service members who contribute amazingly,” but asserted that “everything about women serving together makes the situation more complicated and complication in combat means casualties are worse.”

He also criticized the upper echelons of military leadership for changing standards and prioritizing filling diversity quotas above combat effectiveness. He pointed to a 2015 study by the Marine Corps that found that integrated male-female units did “drastically worse” in terms of combat effectiveness than all-male units.

“Between bone density and lung capacity and muscle strength, men and women are just different,” he said. “So, I’m ok with if you maintain the standards just where they are for everybody, and if there’s some, you know, hard-charging female that meets that standard, great, cool, join the infantry battalion. But that is not what’s happened. What has happened is the standards have lowered.”

Pete Hegseth and Kayleigh McEnany will be part of Fox News’ Independence Day programming.  (Fox News)

Hegseth noted that he was not necessarily advocating for making the change right now, commenting; “Imagine the demagoguery in Washington, D.C., if you were actually making the case for, you know, ‘We should scale back women in combat.’”

“As the disclaimer for everybody out there,” he added, “we’ve all served with women and they’re great, it’s just our institutions don’t have to incentivize that in places where … over human history, men are more capable.”

Despite this, Ellen Haring, a retired Army colonel, told Fox News Digital that many women and men in the military are concerned about Hegseth becoming secretary and instituting these changes.

“Women who are in these combat jobs and many of them have been there for six, eight years now, are very energized and concerned about the idea that they might lose their jobs,” she said.

According to Haring, there are 2,500 women currently serving in ground combat roles in Army infantry, armor, field artillery branches as well as special forces. She also said that 152 women have earned Army Ranger tabs and there are currently ten women in the Army’s 75th Ranger Regiment.

She said that despite women making up only a quarter of all West Point Academy graduates they accounted for a third of all lieutenants slotted to armor combat units.

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U.S. Army Fort Leonard Wood  (U.S. Army Fort Leonard Wood)

“There’s no indication that any of those units have been harmed by their presence,” she said. “So, Hegseth claims that adding women to these units is going to create a degree of complication and is somehow or another puts people at risk. That hasn’t happened at any unit that we’ve seen so far. So, I don’t know where he’s coming up with these notions.”

Beyond not harming units, Haring went on to say that women have helped to improve the professionalism of units, especially infantry units.

“Infantry units had a culture of hazing and kind of abuse of each other,” she said. “Their presence there has turned a spotlight on that kind of behavior and has actually eliminated a lot of it across the force. So, this kind of brutal behavior that infantry units engaged in amongst themselves is slowly being eradicated by the women’s presence.”

Similarly, Captain Micah Ables, an Army Infantry company commander, told Fox News Digital that women in his unit have improved the “team player” attitude of the company as well as broadened its capabilities when deployed.

U.S. Army Major General Laura J. Richardson, the first woman to serve as a deputy commander of a combat division, listens while seated behind Army Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Milley (L) during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on the implementation of the decision to open all ground combat units to women on Capitol Hill in Washington, February 2, 2016.  (Reuters/Kevin Lamarque)

Ables’ first deployment to Afghanistan was with an all-male unit, however, he later deployed with one of the first integrated companies in the infantry. He said that though there was some initial pushback and tension, the female soldiers in his unit quickly proved themselves as capable and the company adapted without too much issue.

He said that many of the women in his unit have proved to be some of the most physically and tactically capable leaders and soldiers under his command.

“Once I did take over the mixed-gender company, I didn’t really know what to expect,” he said. “But they dug in, and they did what they needed to do to be experts.”

X Soldiers giving feedback on autonomous equipment decontamination system  (U.S. Army)

On the other hand, Jessie Jane Duff, a retired female gunnery sergeant in the Marines, told Fox News Digital that allowing women to fill combat roles is a “lethal mistake.”

She also cited the study by the Marines that she said found that integrated units were only 60 percent as effective as all-male units and women were between 20 and 30 percent more prone to injury.

“From a biological level. We’re not equal,” she said. “With the lack of testosterone, women take a longer time to recover and rebuild muscle because they lack that testosterone. Whereas men who also get severely injured based upon the training have a higher rate of being able to come back into the combat unit and perform.”

“Why would you water down the effectiveness of our infantry units? You’re watering it down because you’re trying to reach a goal of equality,” she went on. “You can have the opportunity to pass, but you should not be accommodated because of your gender when a more qualified man could take that slot.”

US Marine Corps recruits take part in the traditional Eagle, Globe and Anchor medal ceremony. (Photo by Robert Nickelsberg/Getty Images) (Robert Nickelsberg/Getty Images)

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Finally, Anna Simons, a retired professor of defense analysis at the Naval Postgraduate School, told Fox News Digital that it comes down to diversity versus similarity.

“Women have been in combat from the beginning of time,” she said. “They’ve defended their children, they’ve defended their property, they’ve defended husbands, they’ve fought valiantly, that’s absolutely true. But the issue isn’t women in combat. The issue is women in combat units, small groups of individuals where everybody needs to be essentially interchangeable and equally proficient at certain combat skills.”

“The whole point of combat is to wield violence and to be able to absorb violence,” she said. “So there has to be a sameness or similarity to people so that they become easily interchangeable when it comes to fundamental skills, shoot, move and communicate skills.”

“Everybody needs a baseline of that, and you want the baseline to be as high as possible,” she concluded. “That means that people need to be less similar rather than more diverse in their capabilities.”

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., who is looking to head up the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) for the 2026 cycle, thinks Democrats waited too long to address the current immigration crisis. 

In an interview with Fox News Digital, the senator said, “For me, it would have been great if we could have gotten these commonsense, bipartisan ideas on the table two years ago, like really, a while ago, because the urgency has been very top of mind for certain communities in New York.”

One of the top takeaways drawn from data from the Fox News Digital Voter Analysis after the 2024 election was that immigration was one of the biggest issues in the country. When voters were asked about reducing the number of immigrants allowed to seek asylum, twice as many favored reducing the number of immigrants allowed to do so.

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The senator is hoping to lead the Democrat’s campaign arm for 2026. (Getty Images/File)

Democrats made their own case for addressing it, citing a border and immigration bill that was negotiated by a Republican senator, a Democrat senator and an independent border state senator. However, by the bill’s last appearance on the Senate floor, two of its three negotiators had abandoned it. Only one Republican chose to vote in favor of the measure.

On the campaign trail, Democrats pointed to this bill and their attempt to pass it when confronting concerns about the border, often criticizing their Republican colleagues and President-elect Donald Trump for standing against it. 

Gillibrand said immigration worries were some of the top concerns brought to her attention by voters.

“They wanted to make sure their kids were safe. So issues like immigration and fentanyl trafficking and gun trafficking were really important to them,” she said.

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People line up against a border wall as they wait to apply for asylum after crossing the border from Mexico, July 11, 2023, near Yuma, Ariz. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

This and the economy and cost of living, “were really more salient,” the senator said, reflecting on 2024 and how to win in red or purple areas comprised of swing voters.

When asked about abortion messaging in 2026, Gillibrand didn’t say what she would do in the 2026 cycle if she was selected to lead the DSCC, but she said that “people really wanted to talk about the cost of things” in this cycle. 

Whether identity politics played a role in Democrat losses and if the party should veer away from it, she didn’t agree with some of her fellow Democrats. 

“I think it was leaned in by Republican candidates to divide America, which I found to be really unfortunate,” she said.

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Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call via Getty Images/File)

To fight those efforts, Gillibrand said, “I think you just say it like it is. I mean, just be truthful about it. And, you know, on a lot of those issues, a lot of our state governments already take care of it.”

The New York senator said that even though the 2024 election occurred just weeks ago, the 2026 Senate cycle “really starts today.”

She said she wants to lead the DSCC so she can “help other candidates across the country to be in their community, not two months before the election but two years before the election, talking to voters about what they care most about.”

Notably, Gillibrand flipped a red House district to blue when she was first elected in 2006, unseating an incumbent.

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Gillibrand says Democrat North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, above, would be a good candidate to flip a Senate seat to blue in the state. (Getty Images/File)

Though the senator hasn’t officially been selected to take on the challenge of running the Democrat campaign arm yet, she is already eyeing some competitive candidates. In particular, Gillibrand said she thinks Democrat North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper would be a good candidate to try and flip a Senate seat to blue in the state.

“I haven’t talked to him yet, but he’s pretty impressive,” she said. 

The Senate seat in North Carolina is held by incumbent Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C.

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Gillibrand also noted that the Senate majority may not be something Democrats can earn back in 2026, telling Fox News Digital, “Sometimes it takes time to win back majorities, and it may take two cycles.”

“I just know there’s great races across the country and great candidates that, hopefully, I’ll be part of recruiting, and hopefully we can win our majority back.”

The Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) has agreed to cancel its requirement for schools to enforce teaching guidelines that were deemed “woke” in a recently settled lawsuit.

Pennsylvania officials were requiring schools to adopt a set of instructions on how to approach teaching under their “Culturally-Relevant and Sustaining Education Program Framework Guidelines” (CR-SE). 

The guidelines included mandating teachers to “design learning experiences and spaces for learners to identify and question economic, political, and social power structures in the school” and “disrupt harmful institutional practices, policies, and norms.”

The Thomas More Society, a faith-based legal group, filed a lawsuit against the PDE in April 2023 on behalf of a group of parents and public school districts who argued the mandate violated their First Amendment rights.

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Pennsylvania state Capitol building in Harrisburg. (John Greim/Getty Images)

The PDE agreed to settle the suit in November and rescind its CR-SE guidelines. 

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“We are incredibly pleased with this settlement agreement, which forces the Pennsylvania Department of Education to rescind the state’s ‘Culturally-Relevant and Sustaining Education’ guidelines – securing an important victory for Pennsylvania parents, students, and teachers,” Thomas Breth, special counsel for the Thomas More Society, said in a statement.

“Our agreement is a triumph against the Department’s blatantly ideological and illegal attempt to inject ‘woke’ activism into school curricula across Pennsylvania, which demanded educators affirm their belief in these ideological tenets and then impose the same upon their students,” Breth added.

Just days after the settlement, the department issued new suggestions under their new “Common Ground Framework,” though schools are no longer required to comply with the guidelines.

Pennsylvania was requiring schools to adopt a set of instructions on how to approach teaching under their “Culturally-Relevant and Sustaining Education Program Framework Guidelines” (CR-SE). (iStock)

Asked about the settlement, PDE highlighted their new guidelines in a statement shared with Fox News Digital.

“PDE is proud to offer this resource as an improvement on previously issued guidance, with an expanded focus on digital literacy, mental health, and trauma – real issues that impact those in all spaces of learning within every Pennsylvania community,” Erin James, PDE press secretary, said in a statement.

The new guidelines encourage educators to “understand the importance of differences in marginalized learners and historically underrepresented groups,” such as gender identity, according to the department’s website. 

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Additionally, teachers in the state are still encouraged to “create an equitable learning environment by challenging and debunking stereotypes and biases about the intelligence, academic ability, and behavior of historically marginalized learners.”

The Biden administration is loosening some key immigration restrictions ahead of President-elect Trump’s second term, opening the door for thousands more illegal immigrants to enter the country.

Trump has indicated that he could declare a national emergency and use military assets to carry out mass deportations. The Biden administration, however, is taking steps to make Trump’s plans for the border more difficult. The Biden Department of Homeland Security is launching an ICE Portal app in December that will allow migrants to skip their in-person check-ins at an ICE office and instead check in with immigration officials via an app on a phone or computer, according to reporting by The New York Post.

The app reportedly has severe glitching issues and does not track a migrant’s location if he or she is using an Android phone or laptop.

Further, the app does not check migrants for past arrests or outstanding warrants and allows them to opt out of or contest government orders to undergo electronic tracking.  

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President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris look on during a wreath laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia on Nov. 11. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

The Post reported that up to 100,000 migrants will be enrolled in the new program’s first wave.

This comes after the Biden administration set the record for the highest number of illegal migrants entering the country in a single year in 2023, with 3.2 million entries. This surpassed the previous record of 2.7 million set the year before.

Among the cities most impacted by this surge is New York, which has seen over 223,000 migrants arrive in the city since spring 2022. As a sanctuary city, New York spent $3.7 billion in housing, food and other costs in the 2024 fiscal year alone.

Migrants congregate in Tompkins Square Park as volunteers give away food and clothing in the East Village neighborhood of New York City on Jan. 27. (Andrew Lichtenstein/Corbis via Getty Images)

Joe Borelli, a Republican New York City council member, told Fox News Digital that many were hoping that with a second Trump presidency on the horizon, the crisis would “wind down.”

Instead, he said, “These actions taken during the death gargles of the Biden administration are disheartening, to say the least.”

“This doesn’t seem to be in the spirit of the peaceful transition Biden promised,” he added. “This is a last-ditch effort to usurp the will of the people who voted decisively against sanctuary city policies and unrestrained illegal immigration.”  

New York City Mayor Eric Adams speaks to the media about the arrest of illegal immigrants at the NYPD headquarters in Manhattan on Feb. 5. (Julia Bonavita/Fox News Digital)

Meanwhile, Congressman Mike Lawler, a Republican who represents the suburban New York District 17, told Fox News Digital that the administration’s decision to further loosen restrictions immediately after the murder trial of Laken Reilly’s killer “defies logic and all common sense.”

CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF THE BORDER SECURITY CRISIS

“For this news to come out just a day after Laken Reilly’s killer, Jose Ibarra was sentenced is astounding,” he said. “Mr. Ibarra lived in a taxpayer-funded hotel in Queens and received a taxpayer-funded airplane ticket to Athens, Georgia, where he committed the heinous murder of Ms. Reilly.”  

“It is appalling that in the waning days of the Biden administration, [Homeland Security Secretary] Alejandro Mayorkas is seeking to loosen restrictions on those who crossed the border illegally in the biggest sanctuary city in the country,” he added.