Texas Democrats hope to benefit after boosting Dustin Burrows to House speaker
The Democrats’ short list of possible benefits: A leader who learned to keep promises, a chance at chairing committees, and what they see as more chances for a fairer playing field.
DOGE co-leader Ramaswamy planning 2026 run for governor in Ohio: sources
Vivek Ramaswamy, the multi-millionaire biotech entrepreneur and former Republican presidential candidate, plans to launch a bid for Ohio governor, multiple sources confirm to Fox News Digital. The sources add that Ramaswamy, who along with Elon Musk is co-leader of President-elect Donald Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) initiative, is expected to make an announcement on a gubernatorial run “shortly.” “Vivek’s base plan remains [the] same: to get accomplishments at DOGE and then announce a run for governor shortly,” said an Ohio operative familiar with Ramaswamy’s thinking who asked to remain anonymous to speak more freely, told Fox News on Friday. CLICK HERE FOR THE LATEST FOX NEWS REPORTING ON VIVEK RAMASWAMY Current Ohio Republican Gov. Mike DeWine is term-limited and cannot seek re-election in 2026. DeWine on Friday announced that Lt. Gov. Jon Husted would fill the U.S. Senate seat held by former Sen. JD Vance until earlier this month, when the vice president-elect stepped down ahead of Monday’s inauguration. MUSK AND RAMASWAMY IGNITE MAGA WAR OVER SKILLED WORKER IMIMGRATION Before the Senate announcement, Husted had long planned to run for governor in 2026 to succeed DeWine. The now-39-year-old Ramaswamy, who launched his presidential campaign in February 2023, saw his stock rise as he went from a long-shot to a contender for the Republican nomination. Ramaswamy campaigned on what he called an “America First 2.0” agenda and was one of Trump’s biggest supporters in the field of rivals, calling Trump the “most successful president in our century.” He dropped his White House bid a year ago after a distant finish in the Iowa caucuses. Ramaswamy quickly endorsed Trump and became a top surrogate on the campaign trail. Ramaswamy, an Ohio native, was named along with Musk, the world’s richest person, to lead DOGE, in an announcement in November by Trump. Ohio, which was once a top general election battleground, has shifted red over the past decade as Republicans have dominated statewide elections.
Biden’s official X account draws mockery with reference to constitutional amendment that doesn’t exist
President Biden doesn’t appear to be resting during his final weekend in the White House. Instead, he’s pushing for a new amendment to the Constitution that would make the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) “the law of the land.” In a statement released by the White House, Biden demanded that the United States “affirm and protect women’s full equality once and for all.” While his point is clear in the statement, a post on his official X account had users mocking the president. The post references the 28th Amendment to the Constitution. However, the US Constitution only has 27 amendments, the last of which was ratified in 1992. In a post on X calling the ERA the “law of the land,” implying that it is already part of the Constitution, which is not the case. Social media users were quick to point this out, with some calling the president a “dictator.” DANA PERINO KNOCKS BIDEN’S CONTROVERSIAL FAREWELL ADDRESS Others online also brought up Biden’s past rhetoric about Trump being a “threat to democracy,” accusing the president of trying to “declare” an amendment into existence. Citing the American Bar Association in the statement, Biden argued that the ERA has “cleared all necessary hurdles to formally be added to the Constitution.” Biden added that he agreed with “the ABA and with leading constitutional scholars that the Equal Rights Amendment has become part of our Constitution.” However, despite Biden’s argument, the National Archives disagreed. In its own December statement on the ERA, the National Archives said that “at this time, the Equal Rights Amendment cannot be certified as part of the Constitution due to established legal, judicial, and procedural decisions.” ERA: WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT THE EQUAL RIGHTS AMENDMENT The ERA, a proposed amendment to the constitution that would guarantee “equal rights under the law” to all Americans regardless of sex. Its latest iteration was a rapid response by New York Democrats to the Supreme Court’s Dobbs v. Jackson’s Women’s Health Organization decision in June 2022. “It is long past time to recognize the will of the American people. In keeping with my oath and duty to Constitution and country, I affirm what I believe and what three-fourths of the states have ratified: the 28th Amendment is the law of the land, guaranteeing all Americans equal rights and protections under the law regardless of their sex,” Biden said in the White House statement. The assertion triggered a community note, which read, “Readers added context they thought people might want to know. The Archivist of the United States, charged with officially publishing ratified amendments, has confirmed that the ERA was not ratified and based that analysis on binding legal precedent. There is no 28th Amendment.” A spokesperson for the Biden administration did not respond to a request for comment. Over the last few years, America’s divide over women’s rights has grown larger. Some celebrated the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision, while others saw it as a fundamental attack on freedom. Additionally, the inclusion of transgender athletes in women’s sports has turned into a heated debate about fairness and equality.
Privacy groups, experts, parents laud SCOTUS TikTok ban while others slam decision as ‘anti-democratic’
Legal experts, privacy groups and parents alike applauded the Supreme Court’s Friday ruling upholding a federal law banning TikTok unless it is divested from its Chinese parent company ByteDance, while others deemed it as “anti-democratic.” The ban is set to go into effect on Sunday. “There is no doubt that, for more than 170 million Americans, TikTok offers a distinctive and expansive outlet for expression, means of engagement, and source of community,” the court wrote in the unsigned ruling. “But Congress has determined that divestiture is necessary to address its well-supported national security concerns regarding TikTok’s data collection practices and relationship with a foreign adversary.” SUPREME COURT APPEARS SKEPTICAL OF BLOCKING US BAN ON TIKTOK: WHAT TO KNOW Former Vice President Mike Pence turned to X and called the decision “a victory for the privacy and security of the American people.” “This law was the result of a bipartisan cooperation and I commend it’s authors and supporters in Congress for enacting this vital law for our national security,” he continued. The CCP has been put on notice that the American people’s data is no longer for the taking. The incoming Trump administration must be prepared to uphold this TikTok divestment law and put the privacy and security of America first.” Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., likewise said the Supreme Court “correctly rejected TikTok’s lies and propaganda masquerading as legal arguments” in a post on X. “ByteDance and its Chinese Communist masters had nine months to sell TikTok before the Sunday deadline,” the senator wrote. “The very fact that Communist China refuses to permit its sale reveals exactly what TikTok is: a communist spy app. The Supreme Court correctly rejected TikTok’s lies and propaganda masquerading as legal arguments.” Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Tex., said the decision was “unsurprising, and the answer is that the Chinese government needs to give up control of TikTok.” Carrie Severino, President of Judicial Crisis Network, echoed Cotton’s sentiments, also saying in a statement that the high court “rightly recognizes the danger of the Chinese Communist Party being able to access and maliciously deploy the data of hundreds of millions of Americans.” READ THE SUPREME COURT RULING ON TIKTOK LAW – APP USERS, CLICK HERE President Biden notably maintained his stance that he would enforce the law banning the social media app and would instead punt the implementation to President-elect Donald Trump and his incoming administration. Severino stated she hopes “that President Trump’s incoming administration vigorously enforces this important national security law.” Executive Director of American Parents Coalition Alleigh Marré also posted on X reacting to the holding. “This is a huge win for parents! Kids will be free from TikTok’s poison, its powerful, dangerous algorithm and compromising influences.” “I am incredibly proud to see that the highest court in the land has agreed that our elected officials hold the power to protect our national security from our most powerful foreign adversaries,” said Michael Lucci, Founder and CEO of State Arumor, in a statement. “This decision is a vindication of the tireless work of so many patriotic groups, including State Armor, have done over the last year to make the public and lawmakers aware of the dangers that TikTok poses.” Lucci continued on to call for TikTok’s sale to an American company “or immediately cease all operations within the United States, per the Supreme Court’s decision.” Others reacted to the Supreme Court’s decision with disappointment, including Electronic Frontier Foundation Civil Liberties Director David Greene who called the holding “anti-democratic.” TRUMP SAYS FATE OF TIKTOK SHOULD BE IN HIS HANDS WHEN HE RETURNS TO WHITE HOUSE “Shutting down communications platforms or forcing their reorganization based on concerns of foreign propaganda and anti-national manipulation is an eminently anti-democratic tactic, one that the U.S. has previously condemned globally,” he said in a statement released. Likewise, Dean of UC Berkeley School of Law Erwin Chemerinsky told Fox News Digital in a statement that he believes the Court was “wrong” in its decision. “Although unanimous, I think the Court was wrong,” Chemerinsky said. “It accepted uncritically the government’s argument that China being able to gather information would harm national security; it never explained what kind of information is likely to be gathered to what effect. “The impact on speech is staggering to ban a platform used by 173 million people in this country,” he continued. Just last year, Congress required that TikTok’s China-based parent company ByteDance divest the company by Jan. 19. The law was subsequently signed by Biden. When the law was passed, Congress specifically noted concerns over the app’s Chinese ownership, which members said meant the app had the potential to be weaponized or used to amass vast amounts of user data, including from the roughly 170 million Americans who use TikTok. Fox News Digital’s Breanne Deppisch contributed to this report.
Trump DHS pick Noem pledges to end controversial app used by migrants on ‘day one’
Kristi Noem, President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the Department of Homeland Security, told lawmakers that she will end the controversial CBP One app, and a related migrant parole program that has allowed nearly 1.5 million immigrants into the US. “Yes, Senator, if confirmed and I have the opportunity to be secretary, on day one CBP One will be shut down,” Noem told Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., at her confirmation hearing before the Senate Homeland Security Committee. Noem was first asked by Hawley if the southern border was secure. NOEM BOASTS OUTPOURING OF POLICE, BORDER UNION SUPPORT FOR DHS CHIEF “Senator, no, the southern border is not secure today. But in just three days, we will have a new president in this country, President Donald J. Trump. And he will secure our border,” she said. She was then asked about the use of the CBP One app, which allows immigrants to be paroled into the U.S. The app was created during the first Trump administration to assist with scheduling cargo inspections. However, it was controversially expanded in 2023 to allow migrants to make an appointment at a port of entry to be allowed in, initially due to an exception from the Title 42 public health order and then, since May, to be paroled into the U.S. as part of the Biden administration’s expansion of “lawful pathways.” WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT KRISTI NOEM, THE ‘BORDER HAWK’ NOMINATED BY TRUMP TO LEAD DHS As of the end of December, more than 936,500 individuals had made appointments to be paroled through the app, according to Customs and Border Protection. Connecting to that was a parole process for Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans (CHNV), which allows up to 30,000 nationals a month from those countries to receive travel authorization to enter the U.S. after a vetting process. As of the end of December, about 531,000 nationals had been allowed in through the program. It was first applied to Venezuelans in October 2022 and expanded to the other three nationalities in January 2023. While the Biden administration said it was a part of an effort to encourage legal, rather than illegal, immigration and had been part of a slowing down of nationals entering illegally from those groups, opponents condemned it as a “concierge service” for otherwise illegal mass migration. TRUMP DHS PICK NOEM LIKELY TO FACE SCRUTINY OVER DEPORTATION, BORDER PLANS AT CONFIRMATION HEARING Noem said she would end CBP One on the first day in office, although the agency will keep some information. “There’s data and information in there that we will preserve so that we can ensure we know who’s coming into this country and who’s already here, that we need to go find,” she clarified. She then pointed to CHNV, “where our federal government actually paid to fly people into this country directly from other countries without any vetting or knowing who they are.” “So there’s several of these programs that need to be eliminated, and we need to ensure that we’re following legal immigration laws,” she said. Hawley followed up, asking if she would put an end to “abuse” in the parole system. “We will go back to case by case evaluation of these parole cases and ensure that we have more resources, if you will partner with us, to make sure that our legal immigration system is fully utilized, that we have more judges, more immigration courts, so that we can process people legally and make sure that they are, going through that process rather than, like Joe Biden has done, use this as an excuse to allow people to come into our country with no consequences,” she said. Noem, if confirmed, will oversee DHS at a time when the agency is expected to launch a historic mass deportation operation targeting illegal immigrants within the U.S., while also attempting to expand border security at the southern and northern borders. She will work with “border czar” Tom Homan, who was picked by Trump in November to head the operation and border security efforts.
Activist dragged out of Blinken’s final press conference: ‘you’re hurting me!’
Secretary of State Antony Blinken‘s final press conference quickly devolved into chaos Thursday after reporters had to be forcibly removed from the event, including one, an activist, who was physically carried out. The men were upset that a cease-fire deal between Hamas and Israel had not been reached sooner, accusing Blinken of “genocide” and being a “criminal.” Writer and activist Sam Husseini had to be dragged out of the event by security. Another reporter, Grayzone News’ Max Blumenthal, left more peacefully but still had to be escorted out after shouting questions at Blinken about why he had kept “the bombs flowing when we had a deal in May?” ISRAEL-HAMAS CEASE-FIRE, HOSTAGE RELEASE DEAL REACHED: ‘Americans will be part of that’ “You pontificate about a free press?” Husseini erupted. “I’m asking questions after being told by Matt Miller that he will not answer my questions, and so I ask them. Wasn’t – wasn’t the point of the May 31st statement to block the ICJ orders? You blocked the ICJ orders!” Blumenthal questioned Blinken on why he had allowed “the Holocaust of our time,” as he was escorted out, but that didn’t stop the uproar. Blinken kept trying to get back on course amid the interruption, at one point asking people to “respect the process,” but Husseini refused. “Oh, respect the process?” Husseini yelled as he was being carried away. “Respect the process while everybody – everybody from the International – from Amnesty International to the ICJ’s saying that Israel’s doing genocide and extermination, and you’re telling me to respect the process. Criminal! Why aren’t you in The Hague?” Three security guards ultimately had to grab Husseini in an attempt to remove him from the room. Husseini shouted as he clasped the table he was sitting at while he continued shouting at Blinken: “You are hurting me. You are hurting me!” The United States, Egypt, Qatar, Israel and Hamas agreed this week to a cease-fire deal – the basis of which was proposed by President Joe Biden in May. Israel still has to fully ratify the agreement, but it is a three-phase process that is expected to commence as early as Sunday. The deal marks the first reprieve in fighting since a short truce took place in November 2023, but fighting resumed several days later with both sides arguing violations of the agreed upon deal. HAMAS USES BODIES AS ‘NEGOTIATION CHIPS,’ SAYS FATHER OF AMERICAN HOSTAGE IN GAZA “Three hundred reporters in Gaza were on the receiving end of your bombs. Why did you keep the bombs flowing when we had a deal?” Blumenthal shouted at Blinken, after the secretary of state thanked members for their “hard questions” during the past four years of his tenure. “You all knew we had a deal. Everyone in this room knows we had a deal, Tony, and you kept the bombs flowing.” HAMAS’ GAZA DEATH TOLL QUESTIONED AS NEW REPORT SAYS ITS LED TO ‘WIDESPREAD INACCURACIES AND DISTORTION’ A spokesperson for the State Department told Fox News Digital that it is committed to advancing press freedom and values the opportunity to regularly communicate with members of the press. But they said the State Department also follows agency norms, which posit that anyone attending department press briefings must act in a professional manner, observe restrictions that may be laid out in advance and not impede other speakers. Blinken defended the Biden administration’s policy approach to the fighting in Gaza during his final press conference as Ssecretary of state on Thursday. He did acknowledge that the war in Gaza posed a “uniquely challenging situation” due to the humanitarian issues that Palestinians faced after Hamas launched their attack on Oct. 7, 2023. He also acknowledged that the U.S. had “real differences with Israel on the way it’s gone about the necessary defense of its people and its country.” But, according to President Joe Biden’s National Security Advisor, Jake Sullivan, the Biden administration does “not believe what is happening in Gaza is a genocide,” he said earlier this year. The deal reached this week hit a quick snag when Hamas sought to push last-minute demands into the deal. Additionally, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has faced pressure from far-right politicians not to go through with it. Still, on Friday morning, Netanyahu said that, pending approval by Israel’s security cabinet and government, the proposed cease-fire and hostage deal was still on and expected to commence on Sunday.
DNA TV Show: Case of attack on Saif Ali Khan still shrouded under mystery?
Over 42 hours have passed since the attack on Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan at his Bandra West-based apartment in Mumbai. Yet, the case is going entangled with a series of questions.
Trump to be inaugurated inside: Last ceremony held indoors was Reagan’s in 1985
President Donald Trump’s inauguration will now take place inside the U.S. Capitol due to cold weather forecast for Monday, the first indoor inauguration since Ronald Reagan’s second inauguration in January 1985. On that frigid January 20th 40 years ago, the air temperature was 7 degrees, with a windchill of -40. Monday’s forecast is a high of 23 degrees and a low of 10, but brutal winds are expected to whip across the city, making the temperature feel more like single-digit temperatures. President Thomas Jefferson was inaugurated inside the Capitol in 1801, as was custom in the nation’s early history. Organizers moved President James Monroe’s inauguration outside, because the Capitol was so badly damaged after the War of 1812 when the British burned it, which kicked off the custom of swearing in a president outside in front of the National Mall. TRUMP SWEARING-IN TO MOVE INDOORS DUE TO COLD WEATHER President John F. Kennedy’s inauguration in 1961 had similar temperatures – a high of 26 and a low of 19. It was held outside, even after a storm dumped eight inches of snow the previous day. “The weather forecast for Washington, D.C., with the windchill factor, could take temperatures into severe record lows,” Trump posted on Truth Social, addressing the expected cold. “There is an Arctic blast sweeping the Country. I don’t want to see people hurt, or injured, in any way. It is dangerous conditions for the tens of thousands of Law Enforcement, First Responders, Police K9s and even horses, and hundreds of thousands of supporters that will be outside for many hours on the 20th (In any event, if you decide to come, dress warmly!).” Trump said D.C.’s Capital One Arena will be open Monday for live viewing of his inauguration “and to host the Presidential Parade.” “I will join the crowd at Capital One, after my Swearing in,” Trump wrote.
Saif Ali Khan attacked: Another photo of accused surfaces, had changed clothes after attack, seen at…
Another CCTV grab of the accused who attacked Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan at his Mumbai-based apartment has surfaced, NDTV reported citing sources.
Midwest state’s DEI department nixed in new governor’s 1st major act
Only days after Indiana Gov. Mike Braun was sworn-in in Indianapolis, the former Republican senator officially rid the state government of its Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI) apparatus. Instead, Braun – who grew a small Jasper truck-body business called Meyer Distributing into a major player with 700 product lines – said on Friday it takes a politician who “signed the front side of a paycheck” to understand what economic priorities actually matter, and DEI is not one of them. “At the [Indiana] inaugural, which was over the weekend for me, there was so much excitement knowing something is afoot even in a good red state like Indiana, mostly because of what’s going to happen out in D.C. and the partnership that can happen between enterprising states like ours has always been,” Braun said on “Fox & Friends.” “We’ve never really had somebody from Main Street… be our own governor here.” BRAUN DEMANDS FULL AUDIT OF MEDICARE AFTER FRAUD DISCOVERY Braun contrasted the conservative economic vision with that of President Biden and other Democrats, whose platform is “built on big government.” “Rahm Emanuel said ‘never let a crisis go to waste’,” he said in that respect, referring to the former President Barack Obama confidant’s motto during the 2008 financial crisis. The line was seen as a suggestion to use tough moments to force through tenets of one’s personal agenda. In comments to Fox News Digital, Braun said that in nearly 40 years of running a business, he knows what works and what does not. Instead of DEI, Indiana needs “MEI” – or Merit, Excellence and Innovation – to be a priority, he said. “Government should be laser-focused on one thing: getting results for the people they serve. We’re replacing the divisive DEI ideology with a level playing field of MEI — the same reason we’re eliminating college degree requirements where they’re not essential and adding key performance metrics for accountability,” Braun said. “[That is] because everyone should be judged on what they do, not who they are.” Braun noted his business background and reiterated how his guiding principle of growing Meyer into the expansive business it is today has been “results – above everything else.” DEMS TRYING TO CONVERT ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS INTO VOTERS WAS A ‘BIG MISCALCULATION’: MIKE BRAUN “That’s exactly what we’re putting first in my administration.” In his order, Braun cited the Supreme Court’s ruling in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard – which found affirmative action programs violate the Equal Protection Clause – and said state resources would not be used to “support [DEI] positions, departments, activities, procedures or programs if they grant preferential treatment based upon one person’s particular race…” It also bans requirements of Indianans to have to disclose their personal pronouns or for employers to mandate job applicants to provide a DEI-related statement. “We’ve grown the federal government to a place that I hope DOGE… brings it down because you’ve got a lot of anxious governors that want to double down on [DOGE] – we’re going to do it anyway,” Braun said separately on Fox News Channel. Braun said that since COVID-19, too many Indiana bureaucrats are still teleworking and that the DEI-nixing effort is also another way to streamline government to be more effective, just like Meyer. The state’s DEI office had been established by Braun’s predecessor, Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb. After the George Floyd incident in Minnesota, Holcomb addressed Indianans on the issue of “getting to the root causes of inequities and not just reacting to the symptoms.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Holcomb, who first ascended to the governorship when Mike Pence became vice president in 2017, appointed then-University of Notre Dame public affairs director Karrah Herring to lead the new DEI department. Braun also received some pushback on his decision: The Indiana legislature’s minority leader said he respects Braun’s right to position his new administration how he wants but questioned his chosen hierarchy. “Thinking of the myriad issues Hoosiers are facing, though, I can’t understand why this is a top priority,” State Rep. Phil GiaQuinta, D-Fort Wayne, said in a statement. GiaQuinta added a recent caucus meeting with the DEI office was “insightful and helpful” to their work addressing Indianans’ needs, and called the department’s sunset a “distraction from the real issues.”