Biden announces names of future aircraft carriers: USS William J Clinton, George W Bush
President Biden announced the names of the newest aircraft carriers that will join the U.S. Navy: USS William J. Clinton and USS George W. Bush. The carriers, named after former President Bill Clinton and former President George W. Bush, will begin construction in the “years ahead” as part of the latest class of aircraft carriers, according to the White House. “When I personally delivered the news to Bill and George, they were deeply humbled,” Biden said in a statement Monday. “Each knows firsthand the weight of the responsibilities that come with being Commander-in-Chief. And both know well our duty to support the families and loved ones who wait and worry for the safe return of their servicemember.” The Navy currently has 11 operational aircraft carriers, some of which are nearly 50 years old and will be retired in upcoming years. Of these carriers, eight bear the names of former presidents: USS George Washington, USS Abraham Lincoln, USS Theodore Roosevelt, USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, USS Harry S. Truman, USS Ronald Reagan, USS George W. Bush, and USS Gerald R. Ford. UNIDENTIFIED DRONES SPOTTED OVER US BASES IN THE UK DO NOT APPEAR TO BELONG TO ‘HOBBYISTS’ Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said that the future carriers Clinton and Bush will “serve as lasting tributes to each leader’s legacy in service of the United States.” “Aircraft carriers are the centerpiece of America’s naval forces, and they ensure that the United States can project power and deliver combat capability anytime, anywhere in defense of our democracy,” Austin said in a statement Monday. 2 US AIRCRAFT CARRIER STRIKE GROUPS ORDERED TO STAY IN MIDDLE EAST WITH TENSIONS HIGH “Like their namesakes, these two future carriers, and the crews who sail them, will work to safeguard our national security, remind us of our history, and inspire others to serve our great republic,” Austin said. The future carriers Clinton and Bush are part of the Ford-class carriers to join the fleet. HEGSETH WAS ‘INCREDIBLY TALENTED, BATTLE-PROVEN LEADER,’ MILITARY EVALUATIONS SHOW These newest carriers are outfitted with more than 20 new technologies in comparison to the previous, Nimitz-class carriers that the Navy started using in 1975. Technology upgrades include a new Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System, known as EMALS, that launches aircraft from the ship electronically, rather than using steam-powered equipment. President-elect Donald Trump previously called for a 12-carrier Navy during his first term as president in 2017 and has signaled interest recently in possibly expanding the sea service’s force in his second term as well. “We’re going to be announcing some things that are going to be very good having to do with the Navy,” Trump told radio host Hugh Hewitt this month. “We need ships. We have to get ships. And you know, everybody said, ‘Oh, we’ll build them.’ We may have to go to others, bid them out, and it’s okay to do that. We’ll bid them out until we get ourselves ready.”
Biden announces $770 checks for residents impacted by California wildfires
President Biden said the federal government will provide one-time payments of $770 to people impacted by the ongoing California wildfires, so they can pay for essentials like baby formula, prescriptions, clothes and food. Biden made the announcement Thursday evening during a briefing from the Oval Office on the situation in Southern California. According to the president, nearly 6,000 people had been approved to receive the payments thus far, leading to a total of $5.1 million that has already gone out through this program. “We’re not waiting until those fires are over to start helping the victims. We’re getting them help right now,” Biden said from the Oval Office. FEMA ADMINISTRATOR URGES HURRICANE HELENE VICTIMS TO TAKE ACTION AMID RISK OF LOSING TEMPORARY HOUSING The president approved California’s disaster declaration on Jan. 8, opening up federal funding to affected individuals in Los Angeles for the purposes of temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses, and other programs to help individuals and business owners recover from the wildfires. Additionally, the president pledged that the federal government would cover 100% of the cost of California’s disaster response for a period of six months. Meanwhile, during the Monday evening briefing, Biden called on Congress to step up with more funding for the wildfire and its victims. NEWSOM DEFENDS FIRE RESPONSE WITH FACT-CHECK SITE LINKING TO DEM PARTY FUNDRAISING PLATFORM “It’s going to cost tens of billions of dollars to get Los Angeles to what it was,” Biden said during a briefing with Vice President Kamala Harris and emergency officials. “We are going to need Congress to step up with the funding.” Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Administrator Deanne Criswell indicated during the Monday briefing that a total of 33,000 people impacted by the California fires had requested federal assistance. She said the number continues to rise, and they don’t expect it to slow down in the near term. Criswell added during the Monday Oval Office briefing that about 700 to 800 people were currently staying in eight emergency shelters as a result of the wildfire, noting that meant a lot of folks had found shelter with family and friends, or in hotel rooms. Criswell said that through the federal government’s disaster declaration, people staying in hotels could be reimbursed for the costs. In addition to FEMA, the Department of Defense and National Guard have also deployed federal resources to help fight the fires that have claimed at least 24 lives so far.
Top lawmaker 1st Republican to launch gubernatorial campaign in race to succeed Michigan’s Whitmer
The high profile 2026 gubernatorial race to succeed term-limited Democratic Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is kicking into gear. Republican state Senate Minority Leader Aric Nesbitt on Tuesday announced his candidacy, becoming the first major party candidate to launch a gubernatorial campaign. “Michigan deserves so much better than what we’re getting out of Lansing right now,” Nesbitt said in a launch video posted on social media. “I’m going to be running a campaign that concentrates on Michigan first, families first and workers first. I’m in the fight.” Highlighting his conservative philosophy, Nesbitt emphasized that “I trust families over government.” THESE ARE THE TOP ELECTIONS TO WATCH IN 2025 “I want to go ahead and empower the taxpayers instead of the tax-takers here in the state — and that’s part of this Michigan First agenda where you have to expect so much more out of Lansing and expect that there’s actually value for money,” he emphasized. POPULAR GOP GOVERNOR REVEALS WHAT’S NEXT AFTER 8 YEARS STEERING KEY SWING STATE Additionally, Nesbitt, who highlighted his “small town farm boy” heritage in his video, also pledged to “stand with President Trump to bring back a renaissance on manufacturing here in Michigan.” Nesbit is the first Republican in Michigan to jump into a race that will likely attract a large field. Former GOP state Attorney General Mike Cox has formed a committee to explore a gubernatorial bid. Other Republicans believed to be considering a run include Rep. John James, former state House Speaker Tom Leonard, Oakland County businessman Kevin Rinke, 2022 GOP gubernatorial nominee Tudor Dixon, and former gubernatorial and presidential candidate Perry Johnson. 2026 BATTLE FOR THE SENATE: WHAT THE DEMOCRATS’ CAMPAIGN COMMITTEE CHAIR TOLD FOX NEWS Among the Democrats mulling a run for governor are Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, Pete Buttigieg, the 2020 presidential candidate who has served as Transportation secretary in President Biden’s administration the past four years, and state Sen. Mallory McMorrow. Detroit’s Democratic Mayor Mike Duggan made headlines recently when he announced his 2026 gubernatorial campaign as an independent. Michigan is a crucial general election battleground state. President Biden carried the state by a razor-thin margin in the 2020 election. President-elect Trump narrowly won the state in November’s election, but Democrats held onto a highly contested open Senate seat.
‘Incomplete’ Hunter Biden report, protection of ‘Biden Crime Family’ shredded by Comer, IRS whistleblowers
House Oversight Chairman James Comer ripped Special Counsel David Weiss’ final report on his years-long investigation into Hunter Biden as “incomplete” due to President Biden’s sweeping pardon of his son. “Special Counsel David Weiss just released an incomplete 27-page report because President Joe Biden issued his son an unprecedented pardon. This sweeping pardon prevents the Special Counsel from holding Hunter Biden accountable for the international influence peddling racket only made possible by Joe Biden,” Rep. Comer, R-Ky., said in a statement Monday evening following the release of Weiss’ final report. “Let’s be clear: the Biden DOJ was never going to prosecute the Biden Crime Family. The House Oversight Committee’s investigation of the Bidens’ influence peddling schemes revealed how Joe Biden knew about, participated in, and benefited from his family cashing in on the Biden name,” Comer continued. The Department of Justice released Weiss’ report to Congress on Monday evening, which detailed his roughly six-year investigation into first son Hunter Biden’s taxes and purchase of a firearm in 2018 while he was addicted to controlled substances – namely, crack cocaine. WEISS REPORT: HUNTER’S DRUG USE CAN’T EXPLAIN AWAY NOT PAYING TAXES ON MONEY EARNED BY ‘LAST NAME’ Hunter Biden was convicted in both cases last year, with a jury of his peers finding him guilty of three felony firearm offenses, and entering a surprise guilty plea regarding the failure to pay at least $1.4 million in taxes across a four-year period. DOJ RELEASES SPECIAL COUNSEL DAVID WEISS’ REPORT ON HUNTER BIDEN Amid the legal saga, President Biden repeatedly vowed he would not pardon his son, but reversed course last month when he announced he would grant his son a blanket pardon that applies to any offenses against the U.S. that Hunter Biden “has committed or may have committed” from Jan. 1, 2014, to Dec. 1, 2024. Comer continued in his blistering response to the report by citing two IRS whistleblowers who sounded the alarm on Hunter Biden’s tax issues and said they were handcuffed from “following evidence that could have led to Joe Biden.” HUNTER BIDEN: A LOOK AT HOW THE SAGA SPANNING OVER SIX YEARS UNFOLDED “Two brave whistleblowers, Gary Shapley and Joseph Ziegler, blew the whistle on DOJ’s misconduct and politicization in the Hunter Biden criminal investigation and revealed they were prevented from following evidence that could have led to Joe Biden. Joe Biden will be remembered for using his last few weeks in office to shield his son from the law and protect himself. The president’s legacy is the same as his family’s business dealings: corrupt,” Comer continued. The two whistleblowers, who previously slammed Biden for pardoning his son last month, also took issue with the Weiss report and again blasted Biden for the pardon. BIDEN PARDONS SON HUNTER BIDEN AHEAD OF EXIT FROM OVAL OFFICE “The Weiss report leaves too many questions unanswered, and the American people deserve answers. DOJ, FBI, and IRS leadership should have done the right thing from the beginning. We should not have had to risk our careers to end the preferential treatment being given to the President’s son. Years later, we are still facing whistleblower retaliation,” Shapley and Ziegler wrote in a message shared by Empower Oversight, the legal group representing the whistleblowers. “Why are we the only ones suffering any consequences? It’s time for a serious investigation and it’s time for accountability,” they concluded. BIDEN WON’T PARDON HUNTER, WHITE HOUSE REAFFIRMS, BUT CRITICS AREN’T SO SURE Weiss’ report also took issue with the president’s pardoning of Hunter Biden, specifically with how President Biden characterized prosecutions of Hunter Biden as “selective” and “unfair.” “This statement is gratuitous and wrong,” Weiss wrote in his report. “Other presidents have pardoned family members, but in doing so, none have taken the occasion as an opportunity to malign the public servants at the Department of Justice based solely on false accusations.” HUNTER BIDEN FOUND GUILTY ON ALL COUNTS IN GUN TRIAL “Politicians who attack the decisions of career prosecutors as politically motivated when they disagree with the outcome of a case undermine the public’s confidence in our criminal justice system,” Weiss wrote in another section of the report. “The President’s statements unfairly impugn the integrity not only of Department of Justice personnel, but all of the public servants making these difficult decisions in good faith.” Weiss’ report also determined that the first son’s previous and well-documented addiction to substances such as crack cocaine could not explain why he failed to pay taxes on millions of dollars of income earned off of his “last name and connections.” “As a well-educated lawyer and businessman, Mr. Biden consciously and willfully chose not to pay at least $1.4 million in taxes over a four-year period. From 2016 to 2020, Mr. Biden received more than $7 million in total gross income, including approximately $1.5 million in 2016, $2.3 million in 2017, $2.1 million in 2018, $1 million in 2019 and $188,000 from January through October 15, 2020,” Weiss wrote in his final report, which was released Monday. DOJ RELEASEES FORMER SPECIAL COUNSEL JACK SMITH’S REPORT ON INVESTIGATION INTO TRUMP ELECTION INTERFERENCE CASE “Mr. Biden made this money by using his last name and connections to secure lucrative business opportunities, such as a board seat at a Ukrainian industrial conglomerate, Burisma Holdings Limited, and a joint venture with individuals associated with a Chinese energy conglomerate. He negotiated and executed contracts and agreements that paid him millions of dollars for limited work,” Weiss continued. Weiss continued in his report that Hunter Biden “spent millions of dollars on an extravagant lifestyle rather than paying his tax bills,” and that he “willfully failed to pay his 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019 taxes on time, despite having access to funds to pay some or all of these taxes.” TRUMP CALLS JACK SMITH ‘DESPERATE’ AFTER SPECIAL COUNSEL REPORT IS RELEASED AFTER MIDNIGHT “These are not ‘inconsequential’ or ‘technical’ tax code violations,” Weiss wrote. “Nor can Mr. Biden’s conduct be explained away by his drug use –
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‘Enough is enough’: New report warns top US companies at risk of hefty fines from possible China sanctions
A nonprofit organization with the goal of “preserving freedom and bringing ideological balance back to public corporations” released a database outlining a list of Fortune 100 companies that are financially dependent on China and could lose large sums of money if sanctions were ever put in place. “In this current political climate, there are discussions of the imposition of severe trade tariffs on Chinese goods,” 1792 Exchange explained in a new report released this week. “In addition to tariffs, American sanctions may be placed on American companies doing business in China. For example, if China invades Taiwan, it may result in sanctions like the ones imposed on Russia after the Ukraine invasion. If imposed, our assessment is that American businesses, and investors, could lose a substantial amount of funds. “This raises a number of serious questions that beg for clear answers. What would the financial impact to these companies be if the U.S. imposes sanctions or tariffs that put both assets and revenue streams at risk? What compromises are being exacted by the CCP in order for these companies to invest in China and do business there? How do those conditions influence their U.S. policies and operations? How do companies reconcile potential moral incongruence when their public policy stance in China is at odds with their U.S.-based behavior?” The report highlights over 80 companies that currently operate in China and estimates the amount of sanctions they could potentially face in the future, which was calculated “based on balance sheet data, trade data, and sanctions calculation.” ONE STATE’S NATURAL RESOURCES CAN FINALLY PUT AN END TO AMERICA’S RELIANCE ON CHINA Dozens of companies are included in the report, including Citigroup, Intel, Boeing, Disney, Nike and John Deere. While many of the companies listed have not fully disclosed the full scope of their China business dealings, some have and in those cases, 1792 Exchange estimated the potential financial liability those companies face from potential sanctions in China during the upcoming Trump administration. OPENAI REVEALS AI POLICY PROPOSALS TO BEST CHINA, PROTECT KIDS: ‘THIS IS A RACE AMERICA CAN AND MUST WIN’ In Boeing’s case, the report states that the company earns just under $5 billion annually from China and could face $1 billion in sanctions over a three-year period on average. Intel, according to the report, earns $18 billion per year from China, which represents 26.54% of its total annual revenue. Sanctions in China could mean $5 billion in penalties for Intel over a three-year period on average, the report concludes. Citigroup is listed in the database as potentially facing $16 billion per year in sanctions on average from its almost $5 billion per year revenue in China. Fox News Digital spoke to Daniel Cameron, former Kentucky Republican attorney general and 1792 Exchange CEO, about the report, and he said he hopes people take away from the data the “staggering amount of money our Fortune 100 companies could lose in the event of sanctions imposed on China.” Cameron told Fox News Digital he is optimistic that the incoming Trump administration will implement policies that drive American independence from China. “My hope is that we’re able to bring a lot of jobs back to this country and more businesses and then make a judgment, a decision to park their operations within the United States,” Cameron said. “That’s good for the American worker and I think particularly through some of the information that we’ve been able to share as it relates to this China risk database, I’m hopeful that again, yes, optimistic that President Trump is going to do right by the United States. He’s going to do right by the American worker and consumer and I’m hopeful that the information that we’ve provided will help the administration, but it will also help CEOs and board leadership and investors be wise about their relationship with China.” Overall, the companies listed in the report generate over $600 billion in revenue from China on average and would face sanctions totaling over $150 billion on average. “Far too many of America’s largest corporations are shielding from the public their involvement with an oppressive communist regime. This failure to provide any corporate transparency is a glaring threat to America’s future,” Cameron said about the data in the report. “Enough is enough. American workers, consumers, and investors should be aware of where these major liabilities lie.”
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‘Waste less, save more’: DOGE caucus member rolls out expansive bill package ahead of Trump inauguration
FIRST ON FOX: Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., is rolling out several new bills to help forward the Department of Government Efficiency’s (DOGE) mission once President-elect Donald Trump enters office. The senator’s six bills would target telework for federal employees, require agency guidances to clarify they are not laws and mandate early notice ahead of new major policy proposals from federal agencies, among other measures. MEET LEADER JOHN THUNE’S ALL-STAR CABINET AS REPUBLICANS TAKE OVER SENATE MAJORITY “The American people gave Washington a mandate in November—waste less, save more. Today I’m introducing a first set of bills to follow through on their mandate by prioritizing streamlined regulations, rule-making, and record keeping. It’s time to put government waste in the doghouse and let DOGE get to work,” Lankford said in a statement to Fox News Digital. DOGE was previously announced by Trump, who tapped billionaire Elon Musk and former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy to lead the new advisory board looking to cut government waste. SCHUMER DIRECTS DEMS TO PUT PRESSURE ON TRUMP NOMINEES AHEAD OF CONFIRMATION HEARINGS Several of Lankford’s DOGE bills focus on federal agencies and their perceived shortcomings. The “Improving Federal Financial Management Act” would address agencies’ performances and evaluate how they stack up when weighed against their financial metrics. The “TRUE Accountability Act” would charge agencies with coming up with plans to operate internally if there is ever a crisis. SENATE GOP TEES UP CONFIRMATION HEARING BLITZ IN EFFORT TO MEET AMBITIOUS TRUMP TARGETS Additionally, Lankford is including the “ACCESS Act,” which would prohibit minimum education requirements when it comes to government contractor personnel during certain federal contract discussions. The Oklahoma Republican’s slew of bills are just the latest from senators in the GOP eager to get involved with DOGE. TULSI GABBARD CHANGES TUNE ON CONTROVERSIAL INTELLIGENCE TOOL FOLLOWING GOP LOBBYING The Senate DOGE caucus is being led by Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, who has been a vocal critic of federal agencies and their telework policies in particular. Republicans have sought to introduce many bills ahead of Trump’s inauguration with the hope of getting the process started, so that certain policies can be put in motion shortly after he takes office.