House Republicans rejoice over quick speaker vote with only one defector
Republicans in the House of Representatives cheered the re-election of Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., during the first round of votes Friday, after successfully avoiding the lengthy speaker vote process former Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., endured ahead of the 118th Congress in early 2023. “Congratulations to my friend @SpeakerJohnson! We’re fired up and ready to work with President Trump to Make America Great Again!” House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., wrote on X after the successful vote. Johnson was elected to serve as speaker again by a vote of 218-215-1, with Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., the only Republican who opposed Johnson’s election. ‘LIVES DEPEND ON IT’: REPUBLICANS PUSH FOR PROMPT TRUMP CONFIRMATIONS IN WAKE OF NEW ORLEANS ATTACK House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., said on X: “Congratulations to @SpeakerJohnson on his re-election to lead our conference through the 119th Congress. Under his leadership, House Republicans are ready to work with President @realDonaldTrump to fix our economy, secure our borders, unleash American energy, and lower taxes for hardworking families. The American people are counting on us, and the @HouseGOP will deliver.” Initially, it looked like Johnson would fall short of the necessary votes to be elected on the first ballot after Republican representatives Keith Self of Texas and Ralph Norman of South Carolina first voted for different candidates. However, the two ultimately switched their votes for Johnson before the tally was officially closed. Several Republicans pointed out their ability to get it done on the first ballot after it took 15 ballots in 2023 to elect McCarthy. MIKE JOHNSON GETS PUBLIC GOP SENATE SUPPORT AHEAD OF TIGHT HOUSE SPEAKER VOTE “Victory on the first ballot. As the Chairwoman of the unified House Republican Conference, I can say proudly, that we are ready to govern,” House GOP conference Chairwoman Lisa McClain, R-Mich., said on X. In his own post, Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., wrote, “First day. First ballot. Time to get to work on behalf of the American people.” While Johnson was able to win re-election on the first ballot, it didn’t come without significant uncertainty. A number of Republicans, including members of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, did not initially cast votes when their names were called, putting Johnson’s speakership at risk. HEALTHY LIVING, PARTY UNITY, AND ‘TIME TO SMELL THE ROSES’: CONGRESSIONAL REPUBLICANS’ NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS Reps. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz.; Michael Cloud, R-Texas; Andrew Clyde, R-Ga.; Paul Gosar, R-Ariz.; House Freedom Caucus Chairman Andy Harris, R-Md.; Chip Roy, R-Texas; and Mike Waltz, R-Fla., did not vote at first during the roll call. After the initial roll call, each of the representatives voted in favor of Johnson, to the surprise of some. “Today, we voted for Mike Johnson for Speaker of the House because of our steadfast support of President Trump and to ensure the timely certification of his electors,” Harris wrote on X afterward. Rep. Scott Perry, R-Pa., a member and former chairman of the HFC, said on X, “While I maintain my reservations about Speaker Johnson’s leadership record, today I voted in support of President Trump’s Agenda. BERNIE SANDERS PLANS TO SPEARHEAD LEGISLATION ON KEY TRUMP PROPOSAL “We will hold Speaker Johnson accountable to accomplish the Republican Agenda. He must: – Secure our southern border – Institute commonsense House rules – Cut unbridled federal spending – Eliminate harmful and costly regulations – Reverse insane Biden policies like Green New Deal handouts – Implement a Congressional stock trade ban. We have a mandate from the American People. These policies are necessary to save our Country.” “Congratulations, @SpeakerJohnson. I look forward to working with you to accomplish the legislative goals of President Trump in the coming days,” Rep. Andy Ogles, R-Tenn., another HFC member, wrote on X.
Fox News Politics Newsletter: One and Done
Welcome to the Fox News Politics newsletter, with the latest updates on the Trump transition, exclusive interviews and more Fox News politics content. Here’s what’s happening… – New York judge sets Trump sentencing for Jan. 10 – Carter appointees reshaped federal benches across the country – Federal courts will not make criminal referrals to DOJ over separate ethics complaints against Justice Thomas Rep. Mike Johnson, R-La., was re-elected to lead the House of Representatives on Friday. The Louisiana Republican won along party lines during the first round of voting, a stark contrast to his predecessor’s drawn-out, 15-round battle in 2023. It comes despite saber-rattling by some conservatives who threatened to withhold support from Johnson in protest of his handling of government funding and several other issues in the 118th Congress…Read more HORROR ON BOURBON: New Orleans truck-ramming attack: Terror suspect seen on eerie surveillance hour before Bourbon Street carnage…Read more NEW YEAR’S NIGHTMARES: New Orleans terrorist, man in Las Vegas Cybertruck explosion shared more links in attacks just hours apart…Read more ‘TARGET’ FOR TERRORISM: New Orleans barricade oversight in ‘target area for terrorism’ during prime season raises concerns…Read more PATH OF DESTRUCTION: 7 times ISIS has inspired terror attacks on US soil…Read more JABBAR’S ‘WAR’: New Orleans terrorist chose Bourbon Street for maximum carnage: timeline…Read more NEW YEAR’S ESCAPE: New Orleans revelers narrowly escape path of speeding truck in ‘tactic of choice among terrorists’…Read more ‘GLOBAL THREAT’: Diplomat says New Orleans terror attack injured Israeli reservists on leave from Hamas war…Read more OLD TEXTS: Las Vegas suspect’s ex-girlfriend shares days-old texts of him bragging about Tesla Cybertruck…Read more GLOBAL THREAT: ISIS increasingly unopposed following US withdrawal from Afghanistan, collapse of Syria…Read more ‘MEDIEVAL CRIMES’: Iran executes over 1,000 prisoners in 2024, highest total in 30 years, report says…Read more ‘HARDWORKING PATRIOTS’: Trump taps team to work with US Treasury nominee Scott Bessent…Read more MASSIVE SUPPORT: Significant majority believe Trump will ‘control illegal immigration’…Read more ‘PUT ASIDE OUR PRIDE’: Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene to vote for Johnson after seeking to oust him from speakership last year…Read more ‘AMERICA IS BACK’: Trump reacts to Johnson winning speaker vote….Read more SHAMPOO, ABORTION & TAXES: Shampoo rules and immigrant care: A look at some ‘draconian’ state laws, tax hikes taking effect in 2025…Read more FIRST ON FOX: ‘Radical’ FBI practices on DEI ‘endangered’ Americans, Blackburn says in letter demanding answers from Wray…Read more ‘REPLY-ALL’ MOMENT: Washington State Democrats accidentally email their ‘radical’ tax plan to entire Senate…Read more Get the latest updates on the Trump presidential transition, incoming Congress, exclusive interviews and more on FoxNews.com
GOP lawmaker, 81, receives medical attention after fall at US Capitol
Republican Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-N.C., is receiving medical attention after suffering a fall at the U.S. Capitol on Friday, Fox News has learned. Foxx, who chairs the House Education Committee, reportedly fell on the grand staircases on the GOP side of the Capitol, shortly after the House voted to re-elect Rep. Mike Johnson as Speaker of the House. The congresswoman, 81, was bleeding after the incident and was seen being treated by the Capitol’s medical personnel. MIKE JOHNSON RE-ELECTED HOUSE SPEAKER AS GOP MUTINY THREAT DISSOLVES The congresswoman appeared to have a bloody nose, but it is unknown at this time if she suffered any serious injuries from the fall. Foxx was seen walking after the incident, reportedly being guided by medical attendants to the Capitol physicians office.
‘Colonies problem’: Delegate’s mic cut after outcry during House speaker vote
U.S. Virgin Islands Delegate Stacey Plaskett protested the nonvoting status of the Virgin Islands and other U.S. territories Friday— sparking mixed reactions after she accused the U.S. in House floor remarks of having a “colonies problem.” The exchange occurred after Plaskett, a Democrat, stood after the first roll call vote to note what she said was a parliamentary inquiry. Plaskett then asked the House clerk why she and other delegates from the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and the District of Columbia were not asked to participate in the House speaker vote. Combined, she noted that the delegates excluded represent some four million Americans and what she said was “the largest per capita of veterans in this country.” Speaking over Republican cries of “order!” that could be heard in the background, the House clerk then explained to Plaskett that delegates-elect and the resident commissioner-elect are not qualified to vote in the House speaker election. “Representatives-elect are the only individuals qualified to vote in the election of a speaker, as provided in Section 36 of the House Rules and Manual,” the clerk said. That response prompted an impassioned response from Plaskett. “This body, and this nation, has a territories and a colonies problem,” she said, prompting some Democrats to give a standing ovation. Republicans, for their part, began booing. “What was supposed to be temporary has now effectively become permanent,” she said. “We must do something about this problem.” Her mic appeared to have been cut off shortly thereafter. Plaskett has served as a non-voting delegate to the U.S. Virgin Islands since 2015, during which time the chamber has voted to elect seven separate House speakers.
New York judge sets Trump sentencing days before inauguration
President-elect Trump’s bid to toss his conviction in his New York criminal hush money case was denied on Friday. New York Judge Juan Merchan rejected Trump’s request to vacate the verdict in the case based on the Supreme Court’s presidential immunity decision. Merchan noted that he is still reviewing the other motions filed by Trump to dismiss the case. Sentencing will be January 10 at 9:30 a.m, with the president-elect having the option to appear in person or virtually.
GOP rebels switch vote to Johnson after Trump’s 11th hour calls, pushing him over the finish line
President-elect Trump appears to have helped Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., avoid a messy, drawn-out fight to lead the House of Representatives. Trump spoke by phone with both Reps. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., and Keith Self, R-Texas, after they had initially voted for people other than Johnson for speaker, two knowledgeable sources told Fox News Digital. Self and Norman were seen disappearing into a side room with Johnson and others after the roll call vote was complete, but before the vote was formally closed. They emerged minutes later and announced they would both vote for Johnson – cementing the Louisiana Republican’s victory. JOHNSON BLASTS DEM ACCUSATIONS HE VOWED TO END OBAMACARE AS ‘DISHONEST’ Self then confirmed to reporters that he had spoken with Trump by phone multiple times on Friday. “I talked to him a couple of times today,” Self said. “We had a lively discussion.” Self did not elaborate much further on the contents of the discussion. But the two people who spoke with Fox News Digital said Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., connected Trump with Self and Norman by phone after they voted against Johnson. REPUBLICANS GIVE DETAILS FROM CLOSED-DOOR MEETINGS WITH DOGE’S MUSK, RAMASWAMY Mace would not comment, but Fox News Digital saw her and Johnson share a hug on the House floor after they and others were in the side room with the holdouts. She was also seen in intense talks with Norman off the House floor earlier. Norman also later confirmed to reporters that he spoke with Trump on Friday. “He just made his point about how Mike is the only one who could get elected,” Norman said, adding that Trump did not change his vote but rather a “commitment that things are gonna change” from Johnson. Johnson won the House speakership in the first round of voting, after it initially appeared he was poised to lose. Self, Norman and Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., each voted for people other than Johnson, appearing to put the speaker’s gavel out of reach. But House leaders did not formally close the vote while figuring out a path forward. Meanwhile, GOP lawmakers were told to be on the House floor immediately in preparation for a second vote. That second vote did not occur, however, and Johnson was sworn in as speaker on Friday afternoon.
Trump cheers Johnson winning speaker vote: ‘America is back’
FIRST ON FOX: President-elect Trump reacted to Mike Johnson’s re-election as speaker of the House, telling Fox News Digital the process brought House Republicans “even closer together,” and said it is a continuation of “Make America Great Again.” Johnson was re-elected speaker of the House Friday. Sources told Fox News Digital that the president-elect was in “constant communication” with House Republicans throughout the process. In an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital, Trump said it was “a great honor to have helped.” “It is all a great continuation of ‘Make America Great Again,’” Trump said. MIKE JOHNSON RE-ELECTED HOUSE SPEAKER AS GOP MUTINY THREAT DISSOLVES “Mike Johnson will do a fabulous job as speaker,” Trump said. “House Republican membership was fantastic.” “This process has brought them even closer together,” he said. “It is all a reflection of the great presidential election of 2024 where we won all seven swing states, the popular vote and everything else there is to win.” “We will all be working together with total benefit going to the people of our nation,” he said. “Our country will be run with strength and common sense again.” He added: “America is back.”
Mike Johnson re-elected House speaker as GOP mutiny threat dissolves
Speaker-designate Mike Johnson, R-La., was re-elected to lead the House of Representatives on Friday. The Louisiana Republican won along party lines during the first round of voting, a stark contrast to his predecessor’s drawn-out, 15-round battle in 2023. It comes despite saber-rattling by some conservatives who threatened to withhold support from Johnson in protest of his handling of government funding and several other issues in the 118th Congress. TRUMP GIVES JOHNSON ‘COMPLETE AND TOTAL ENDORSEMENT’ AHEAD OF SPEAKERSHIP FIGHT Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., who was part of an unsuccessful push to oust Johnson last year, was the speaker-designate’s most vocal critic leading up to the Friday vote. He told former Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., on his new One America News Network program, “You can pull all my fingernails out, you can shove bamboo up in them, you can start cutting off my fingers.” “I am not voting for Mike Johnson tomorrow, and you can take that to the bank,” Massie said. JOHNSON BLASTS DEM ACCUSATIONS HE VOWED TO END OBAMACARE AS ‘DISHONEST’ Other detractors included members of the House Freedom Caucus like Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, who has expressed interest in chairing the influential House Rules Committee, the panel that directs terms for House-wide votes on legislation. Johnson’s allies warned in return that a prolonged House Speaker fight could delay Congress’ joint session to certify President-elect Donald Trump’s victory, slated for Jan. 6. Johnson also had a key backer in Trump, who emphasized his support for the GOP leader hours before the midday vote. “Good luck today for Speaker Mike Johnson, a fine man of great ability, who is very close to having 100% support. A win for Mike today will be a big win for the Republican Party, and yet another acknowledgment of our 129 year most consequential Presidential Election!!” Trump wrote on his Truth Social app. Johnson wrote on X in response, “Thank you, President Trump! Today is a new day in America. Congressional Republicans must stay united to quickly deliver President Trump’s America First agenda. Let’s get it done.” His victory marks the start of his first full term as speaker. Johnson won the gavel in October 2023 after three weeks of closed-door talks following the ouster of ex-Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif.
Al Jazeera in Palestine: A timeline of coverage against all odds
EXPLAINER The network has continued to report on the plight of Palestinians, despite intimidation. Al Jazeera Media Network has strongly condemned the Palestinian Authority (PA) ban on its operations in the occupied West Bank this week, calling it an action that “aligns with Israeli occupation practises”. Since its launch in 1996, Al Jazeera’s reporters have covered the Middle East, from the Arab Spring to Israeli settler violence in the West Bank and the brutal war on Gaza, even when other news organisations pulled their journalists out. From the start, Al Jazeera has faced attempts to silence its reporting through arrests, imprisonment and attacks on its journalists. And since Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza began in October 2023, the channel has faced even more attempts to stifle its reporting on Palestine. Al Jazeera’s determination to provide round-the-clock, firsthand reporting on the horrors in Gaza and the deadly raids in the occupied West Bank has come at a high cost, with at least six Al Jazeera journalists killed in the Palestinian territory since 2022. The PA’s decision to ban Al Jazeera mirrors Israel’s announcement last year that the channel would be banned in Israel and then its closure of the bureau in Ramallah. Advertisement Here’s a breakdown of how Al Jazeera has been targeted by both the PA and Israel: Israeli soldiers raid and order the closure of the Al Jazeera office in Ramallah, September 22, 2024 [Screengrab/Al Jazeera] When did Al Jazeera start reporting from the West Bank and Gaza? Al Jazeera has been reporting in Palestine since 2000, marking Al Jazeera Arabic’s first attempt to launch a foreign bureau. There are Al Jazeera bureaus in Ramallah and occupied East Jerusalem in the West Bank, although both have now been suspended by the Israeli government or the PA. In 2021, Israeli forces bombed the Gaza bureau. How many times has the PA shut Al Jazeera down? The PA controls parts of the occupied West Bank and has suspended Al Jazeera’s operations there three times: In March 2001, the PA, led at the time by President Yasser Arafat, invaded Al Jazeera’s Ramallah offices and prevented staff from accessing the building. No official reasons were provided. However, bureau chief Walid Al-Omari said at the time that a security official had called the bureau and accused the network of airing footage “offensive” to Arafat, demanding that it be removed. On July 15, 2009, PA security officials stormed Al Jazeera’s Ramallah offices and banned its 35 employees from broadcasting. Officials alleged the network had broadcast “false information” because late Palestinian politician Farouk Kaddoumi, in an interview, accused PA President Mahmoud Abbas of involvement in an Israeli plot to kill Arafat. The office was allowed to reopen four days later following an outcry from journalists’ rights groups. Advertisement In December 2024, Fatah, the Palestinian party that dominates the PA, banned Al Jazeera from reporting from the governorates of Jenin, Qalqilya and Tubas in the occupied West Bank, citing its coverage of clashes between the Palestinian security forces and Palestinian armed groups. Since mid-December, PA security forces have cracked down on the armed groups in what analysts say is an attempt to endear the PA to the Israelis and the United States. The crackdown has led to the killing of several civilians as well as the West Bank journalist Shatha Sabbagh, 22. On January 2, 2025, the PA suspended all Al Jazeera broadcasts from the West Bank and placed restrictions on anyone working for the network. How many times has Israel shut Al Jazeera down? Israeli authorities have repeatedly attempted to muzzle Al Jazeera. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has long accused the network’s coverage of “inciting violence”. The network refutes these claims as “arbitrary and hostile”. In July 2017, Netanyahu threatened to close Al Jazeera’s Jerusalem office in a Facebook post because the network covered a fallout between Palestinians and Israeli authorities over Al-Aqsa Mosque. In May 2021, Israel bombed Al Jazeera’s Gaza office. Israeli forces gave Al Jazeera and other media organisations in the same building just one hour to evacuate the tower. In May 2024, Al Jazeera’s occupied East Jerusalem bureau was raided and closed after the Israeli parliament passed a law allowing the government to suspend the operations of foreign media that pose a “threat”, for 45 days at a time. The ban, including a ban on Al Jazeera’s website in Israel, has been renewed multiple times and remains in place. Al Jazeera now reports from Amman, Jordan. In September 2024, heavily armed and masked Israeli security forces raided Al Jazeera’s office in Ramallah at 3am and shuttered its operations as the bureau was broadcasting live. Israeli officials alleged that the network supported “terrorism” and ordered operations to be closed for 45 days. Al Jazeera staff were forced to stand on the street and were threatened with a laser weapon during the raid. Solidarity gathering at Al Jazeera for journalists killed in Gaza [Al Jazeera] How many Al Jazeera journalists have been killed or injured in the West Bank and Gaza? At least six Al Jazeera journalists have been killed by Israeli authorities in the West Bank and Gaza while on duty. In most cases, the journalists were wearing marked press vests or were in clearly marked cars. Advertisement Shireen Abu Akleh: Veteran journalist Abu Akleh was shot and killed by a bullet to the head on May 11, 2022, while reporting on an Israeli raid on Jenin, in the occupied West Bank. Despite the fact she was wearing a helmet and a vest clearly marked with “Press”, the bullet from an Israeli sniper penetrated just below her helmet. Israeli forces at first tried to blame “crossfire” from Palestinian fighters but were forced to backtrack when ample video evidence proved no Palestinian fighters were nearby. No action has been taken against the sniper. Israeli forces attacked her funeral procession attended by thousands of Palestinians paying their respects – at one point causing her coffin to slip and nearly hit the ground. Samer Abudaqa:
Panama reports sharp drop in irregular migration through Darien Gap
The number of migrants and asylum seekers traversing the Darien Gap — the treacherous strip of jungle connecting South and North America — has fallen by nearly 41 percent in the last year. On Thursday, Panama’s right-wing President Jose Raul Mulino announced the decline, touting it as a success for the country’s efforts to limit irregular migration. “We have achieved a 41 percent reduction in the flow of migrants crossing the Darien jungle,” Raul Mulino told Panama’s Congress in a speech. “We work every day to ensure that illegal migration does not reach [Panama City] or the rest of the country.” Panama faced pressure to crack down on irregular migration in recent years, as the number of migrants and asylum seekers travelling north hit record highs. In fiscal year 2023, the United States reported 2.48 million “encounters” with migrants and asylum seekers at its southern border with Mexico. That was a new high-water mark for the US, and it led to a political backlash, with immigration featuring prominently in the country’s general elections in 2024. Advertisement For instance, President-elect Donald Trump — the victor in the 2024 presidential race — has pledged to pursue a “mass deportation” campaign upon taking office on January 20. Likewise, in Panama, 2023 broke records for migrants and asylum seekers navigating the Darien Gap. An estimated 520,085 people passed through the perilous jungle, known for its steep terrain, swift rivers and criminal networks. But in 2024, Panama’s immigration authorities saw a steep drop in the number of people risking their lives in the jungle. Some 302,203 crossed the Darien Gap last year. The US has similarly seen falling numbers at its southern border. In the fiscal year 2024, US Customs and Border Protection documented 2.14 million irregular “encounters” with migrants and asylum seekers, down 14 percent. November alone saw the lowest monthly total of irregular border crossings in the four years of US President Joe Biden’s term. But the US has attempted to clamp down on irregular migration in recent months. Last year, Biden implemented stiff measures limiting asylum access to those who cross the US-Mexico border outside official channels. Penalties included a five-year ban from the US and possible criminal prosecution. Biden also threatened to suspend asylum petitions altogether if the average daily number of irregular border crossings reached 2,500 per day. Critics warned these measures could violate international and US humanitarian law, by limiting the ability of asylum seekers to urgently flee persecution. Advertisement But supporters of the new policies argued they were necessary to rein in irregular migration. The US has also pushed its allies in South and Central America to limit irregular migration northwards. Panama and the US, for instance, signed an agreement in July to “close the passage of illegal migrants” through the Darien Gap, with the US offering to fund deportation flights and other logistics. Approximately 1,548 migrants and asylum seekers have since been repatriated on US-backed deportation flights from Panama. The US also established “Safe Mobility Offices” in countries like Costa Rica, Guatemala and Colombia in an effort to dissuade would-be migrants and asylum seekers from making the dangerous trek to the border. Mulino revealed in December that at least 55 migrants and asylum seekers had died while navigating the Darien Gap in 2024, and an estimated 180 children were abandoned. Given the inhospitable nature of the terrain, some bodies are never reported or found. Critics point out that efforts to stamp out irregular migration often overlook the fundamental issues that spur migrants and asylum seekers to make life-threatening trips in the first place. This past year, for instance, an estimated 69 percent of the migrants and asylum seekers documented in the Darien Gap were from Venezuela. There, human rights experts warn of government abuses, particularly in the wake of a contested presidential race that saw 2,000 arrested and 23 killed in post-election protests. Advertisement Venezuela has also suffered from economic turmoil that has put access to basic supplies like food and medicine out of reach for many residents. Some 7.7 million people have fled the country. Adblock test (Why?)