Jill Biden’s apparent cold shoulder for Kamala Harris ignites social media
Social media erupted following what many characterized as first lady Jill Biden’s icy reception for Vice President Kamala Harris as the now-former Democratic presidential nominee took an adjacent seat at Arlington Cemetery on Tuesday. Harris and second gentleman Douglas Emhoff approached their row of seats from the first lady’s right as the vice president greeted and shook hands with those around her — except Biden. “It’s safe to say that Jill Biden hates Kamala Harris’ guts,” conservative commentator Steve Cortes said while sharing a video snippet of the non-interaction. As Harris took her seat, Biden appeared to look straight ahead through dark sunglasses. BIDEN ADMIN HIT WITH FOIA SUIT SEEKING 25TH AMENDMENT-RELATED COMMS “Jill Biden refused to even look at Kamala,” claimed the popular X account ‘End Wokeness’. Journalist Andy Ngo shared a closer-up shot of the second family and first lady, describing Biden as “stone face[d]” and commenting that Harris supporters have been, in part, blaming President Biden for their candidate’s loss last Tuesday. The interaction, or lack thereof, also received international media attention as Italian TV journalist Leonardo Panetta wrote on X in Italian that Harris was “ignored” by Biden after her defeat. “Jill Biden… did not get up to greet her and then remained seated next to the vice president wearing sunglasses without deigning to look at her,” Panetta said. “Good climate in America.” “They’re not taking the loss well,” remarked right-wing commentator Benny Arthur Johnson. “Watch Jill Biden evidently give Kamala the cold shoulder as she arrives at Arlington National Cemetery. Kamala shook everyone’s hand before swiftly racing past Jill as the cameras were rolling.” JILL BIDEN TELLS AZ COMMENCEMENT CROWD COMMUNITY COLLEGE SHOULD BE FREE IN AMERICA Fellow commentator Dave Rubin added in a separate post that he hasn’t “seen two chicks that hated each other that much since Dorothy stole all the men at the Rusty Anchor from Blanche in season 7 of ‘The Golden Girls’.” “Whoever seated them together hates them both,” one user replied to Rubin. Conservative author David Harris Jr. suggested there appears to be a “rift” within the party following Harris’ blowout loss to President-elect Donald Trump. The first and second families were at the Virginia cemetery to watch the president lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in remembrance of Veterans Day. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP The first lady reportedly did greet Emhoff “enthusiastically,” according to a recounting by the Daily Mail, but she appeared more stoic when Harris arrived. During the campaign, the first lady did campaign for Harris and spoke of how they bonded over the loss of close family members to cancer and other connections. On Wednesday, the first lady will travel to her home region of Philadelphia to deliver remarks at a gala for the Philadelphia250 organization that is preparing to celebrate America’s semiquincentennial next year. Fox News Digital reached out to a representative for the first lady, the White House and Harris’ office for comment.
Trump picks former intel director John Ratcliffe to head the CIA
John Ratcliffe, who served as President-elect Trump’s principal intelligence advisor during his first presidential term, will serve as the director of the Central Intelligence Agency when Trump moves back into the White House. Ratcliffe is one of several appointees announced in the past week who will fill key positions during Trump’s second term. “From exposing fake Russian collusion to be a Clinton campaign operation, to catching the FBI’s abuse of Civil Liberties at the FISA Court, John Ratcliffe has always been a warrior for Truth and Honesty with the American Public,” Trump said in a statement. “When 51 intelligence officials were lying about Hunter Biden’s laptop, there was one, John Ratcliffe, telling the truth to the American People.” Trump honored Ratcliffe in 2020 with the National Security Medal, the highest honor for distinguished achievement in the field of intelligence and national security. Ratcliffe previously served under Trump as Director of National Intelligence (DNI). “In that role, Ratcliffe served as the leader of the U.S. intelligence community and principal intelligence advisor to President Trump. Before that role, Ratcliffe served in Congress for over five years as the U.S. representative for the 4th Congressional District of Texas.
William McGinley tapped as Trump’s White House Counsel
William McGinley is returning to the Trump White House to serve as his White House Counsel, President-elect Trump announced. “I am pleased to announce that William Joseph McGinley will serve as my White House Counsel,” the appointment announcement noted. “Bill is a smart and tenacious lawyer who will help me advance our America First agenda while fighting or election integrity and against the weaponization of law enforcement.” TRUMP’S PICKS SO FAR: HERE’S WHO WILL BE ADVISING THE NEW PRESIDENT The White House Counsel typically plays a key behind-the-scenes role in vetting Supreme Court candidates and nominees. Having already picked three Supreme Court justices in his first term, Trump will have appointed a majority of the court if he lands two more in his second term. McGinley served in the first administration for Trump as the White House Cabinet secretary as well as serving as General Counsel at the National Republican Senatorial Committee. Prior to his political appointments, he was a partner at two international law firms. Fox News’ William Mears Jr. contributed to this report.
ICE nabs another illegal immigrant in Mass. charged with child sex crime, as gov snubs Trump deportations
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has arrested another illegal immigrant charged with child sex offenses in Boston, just as the Massachusetts governor has said she won’t assist in a mass deportation operation by the incoming Trump administration. ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Boston announced this month that they had apprehended a Colombian illegal immigrant on Oct. 29. He had been arrested by the Boston Police Department on charges of enticing a child under 16, distribution of obscene matter, and lascivious posing and exhibiting a child in the nude. ICE had lodged a detainer — a request that an illegal immigrant be detained until ICE can take them into custody — but the detainer was not honored by local authorities and he was released from custody. The man, Mateo Hincapie Cardona, had been encountered in April by Border Patrol in Arizona and released on his own recognizance. DEM GOVERNOR THREATENS TO USE ‘EVERY TOOL’ TO FIGHT BACK AGAINST TRUMP-ERA DEPORTATIONS “This individual is charged with committing heinous crimes against a child, which show him to be a distinct threat to our Massachusetts community,” said ERO Boston acting Field Office Director Patricia Hyde. It’s one of a number of incidents whereby ICE’s Boston unit have had to go after illegal immigrants released from local custody in the city and surrounding areas. “Sanctuary” jurisdictions typically do not honor ICE detainers, arguing that doing so encourages illegal immigrants to come forward and work with police if they are victims or witnesses to crimes. Massachusets is not a sanctuary state as it does not have a sanctuary law on the books, but a number of its cities — including Boston — are sanctuary cities. In September, ICE announced it had arrested an illegal Salvadoran immigrant who was charged with several sex crimes against a child. He was one of a number of “egregious” illegal immigrant sex offenders caught in an operation in Nantucket. The same month, ICE announced the arrest of a “gotaway” migrant in Lynn, Massachusetts. He had been charged with rape, indecent assault and battery of a person over 18, but had been released on bail without notifying immigration officials. WEALTHY, LIBERAL NANTUCKET, MARTHA’S VINEYARD SEES 6 ICE ARRESTS IN ONE MONTH In August, ICE arrested a Brazilian illegal immigrant in Wakefield, Massachusetts, who was charged with assault to rape, indecent assault and battery, and domestic assault and battery in Massachusetts. A law enforcement source confirmed to Fox News that despite having an active arrest warrant for domestic violence, the local bail commissioner allowed him to be released back on bond. In March, Fox News embedded with ICE officers in Boston and saw them make five arrests, including four alleged child rapists and a member of MS-13, a group of potential dangerous criminals the officers say were allowed on the streets because of local sanctuary policies that denied the agency’s detainer requests. While ERO Boston Field Office Director Todd Lyons praised the work of local officers to remove the potential threats to the community from the streets, he admitted the sanctuary policies in Boston are “frustrating” and make it more difficult for the agency to do its job. But those sanctuary policies are likely to come more into focus with the looming Trump administration. ‘LIBERATION DAY’: WHAT TO EXPECT FROM PRESIDENT-ELECT TRUMP ON BORDER SECURITY, IMMIGRATION President-elect Trump has promised to carry out a mass deportation operation, and this week tapped former acting ICE Director Tom Homan as the “border czar.” Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey has said state police would “absolutely not” assist agents in their deportation operations, and hinted at potential action to push back against the administration. “Some realities need to be noted, and that is in 2016, we had a different situation in the courts, and I am sure there may be litigation ahead. There is a lot of other ways people are going to act and need to act for the sake of their states and residents,” Healey said. “There’s regulatory authority and executive powers and the like. There’s legislation also within our state. “So I think the key here is that, you know, every tool in the tool box has got to be used to protect our citizens, to protect our residents and protect our states and to hold the line on democracy and the rule of law as a basic principle.” A source at ICE Boston was unimpressed by Healey’s comments. “Governor Healey’s sanctuary policies protect the criminals and endanger law enforcement officers everyday,” they said. “Her policies do not protect the citizens of the communities to which she took an oath.”
Trump announces pick of real estate tycoon Steven Witkoff for Middle East envoy
President-elect Trump has appointed a longtime ally, New York businessman Steven Witkoff, as his Special Envoy to the Middle East. Witkoff is a real estate investor, landlord, and the founder of the Witkoff Group, which he started in 1977. TRUMP’S PICKS SO FAR: HERE’S WHO WILL BE ADVISING THE NEW PRESIDENT In his announcement, Trump said that Witkoff would be an “unrelenting Voice for PEACE” in the highly-contentious region. “Steve is a Highly Respected Leader in Business and Philanthropy, who has made every project and community he has been involved with stronger and more prosperous,” the announcement on Tuesday evening said. “Steve will be an unrelenting Voice for PEACE, and make us all proud.”
Fired FEMA employee says instructions to skip Trump homes were part of ‘colossal avoidance’ policy
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) supervisor fired for instructing subordinates to skip over houses with Trump signs and banners now says her actions were consistent with agency guidance and were not isolated to her team alone. The supervisor, Marn’i Washington, was fired by FEMA after outrage erupted that she had instructed disaster relief workers canvassing in Lake Placid, Florida, after Hurricane Milton to “avoid homes advertising Trump.” The Daily Wire first reported that government employees told the outlet at least 20 homes with Trump signs or flags were bypassed from the end of October into November due to “best practices” guidance from Washington. The houses were skipped over by the workers, who wrote messages such as “Trump sign no entry per leadership” in a government system, per the outlet. On Saturday, FEMA’s administrator on employee misconduct, Deanne Criswell, confirmed to Fox News Digital that Washington had been fired and called her actions “reprehensible” and a clear violation of FEMA’s core values and principles to help people regardless of political affiliation. FEMA OFFICIAL SAID TO AVOID HOMES WITH TRUMP SIGNS: ‘TO SAY I WAS SURPRISED WOULD BE A LIE’ A FEMA spokesperson told Fox News Friday the agency was “deeply disturbed” by Washington’s actions but insisted it was an “isolated incident.” The spokesperson said “the employee who issued this guidance had no authority and was given no direction to tell teams to avoid these homes, and we are reaching out to the people who may have not been reached as a result of this incident.” Speaking on an episode of the “Roland Martin Unfiltered” podcast Monday, Washington said her instructions complied with FEMA protocol to avoid homes determined to be hostile or dangerous to workers. “They all allege that these actions were made in my own recognizance and that it was for my own political advances. However, if you look at the record, there is what we call a ‘community trend,’ and, unfortunately, it just so happened that the political hostility that was encountered by my team … they just so happened to have the Trump campaign signage,” said Washington. Washington claimed that her instructions were given after team members had been verbally and physically threatened by hurricane victims with signs in support of the former president. She said her instructions followed FEMA’s “avoidance” and de-escalation policy. ‘INSANE’: ‘FOX & FRIENDS WEEKEND’ CO-HOSTS REACT TO REPORT OF FEMA OFFICIAL’S POLITICAL BIAS In contrast to FEMA’s assertion the incident was isolated, Washington said there were similar “avoidance” protocols in place not only in Florida but also in North Carolina. “Senior leadership will lie to you and tell you that they do not know, but if you ask the DSA [disaster survivor assistance] crew leads and specialists what they are experiencing in the field, they will tell you,” she said. “FEMA always preaches avoidance first and then de-escalation, so this is not isolated. This is a colossal event of avoidance not just in the state of Florida, but you will find avoidance in the Carolinas.” Last week, Republican Rep. James Comer, chair of the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability, called for a hearing on the incident to be held Nov. 19. Washington said she would welcome an investigation by Republicans in Congress. “Please do [investigate]. They will find this is not isolated. I state this over and over again. This is colossal,” she said. “Demand for FEMA to give you those incident reports. They will substantiate what we are experiencing in the field.” FEMA responded to Fox News Digital’s request for comment by forwarding a Nov. 9 statement by Criswell condemning Washington’s actions. “One FEMA employee departed from these values to advise her survivor assistance team to not go to homes with yard signs supporting President-elect Trump,” Criswell said in the statement. “I want to be clear to all of my employees and the American people, this type of behavior and action will not be tolerated at FEMA, and we will hold people accountable if they violate these standards of conduct.”
Senator-elect Jim Justice’s team clarifies report claiming famous pooch Babydog banned from Senate floor
Senator-elect Jim Justice’s team is clearing the air after it was reported earlier Tuesday that his famous pooch Babydog was banned from the Senate floor. “Even though I wasn’t in D.C. today, I got the most headlines,” said Babydog and her team in an exclusive statement to Fox News Digital. “However, I hope that we really focus on bringing the things to this nation to fix our problems.” Axios reported that Babydog Justice, the unofficial mascot of Justice’s campaign for Senate, was banned from the Senate floor. However, the Senator-elect has corrected the record. In their reporting, Axios claimed that Justice asked if he could bring his pup on the Senate floor. BABYDOG GOES TO WASHINGTON: WEST VIRGINIA’S JUSTICE FLIPS SENATE SEAT RED Justice’s office clarified in an email that “the Senator-Elect has never had any intention of asking about or attempting to bring Baby Dog to the floor of the Senate.” The confusion began over a well-meaning joke overheard during Tuesday’s Senate orientation between Senators-elect touring the Capitol grounds. One unidentified Senator-elect asked if children were allowed on the Senate floor. It was clarified that babies up to one year are allowed, in accordance with rules in the House of Representatives. According to Justice’s office, Senator-elect Moreno of Ohio then asked in jest if dogs were allowed to visit the Senate floor. Dogs are regularly allowed on Capitol premises, including elected officials’ offices, but not on the Senate floor. ALL ABOUT BABYDOG: THE GOVERNOR’S PET THAT STOLE THE SHOW AT THE RNC At no point during this interaction did Senator-elect Justice request to bring the popular pooch Babydog alongside him to the Senate floor, Justice’s office clarified. The celebrity hound first made waves on a national scale over the summer at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee where she joined her dad, then-Governor Jim Justice, in a dog-sized chair on stage. “I know that a lot of you want to meet my little buddy,” said Justice. “So if Babydog could come on out here.” She has been a fixture in West Virginia politics since she was given to Justice by his children for Christmas in 2019. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “Babydog will be with me frequently in Washington, and we welcome everyone to come by my office and say hello and meet Babydog when she is there,” said Senator-elect Justice in a release. “Just like she has loved and made so many people smile in West Virginia, she will do that in Washington too.”
Senator-elect Jim Justice’s famous pooch, Babydog, reportedly banned from Senate floor
It’s been a ruff day for Senator-elect Jim Justice of West Virginia and his famous pooch, Babydog. Babydog Justice, the unofficial mascot of Justice’s campaign for Senate, has reportedly been banned from the voting floor, according to reporting from Axios. Axios reports that dogs are not allowed on the Senate floor unless they are verifiable service animals, and even then require additional screening for potential allergies. Justice was reportedly informed of the decision during Tuesday’s orientation for Senators-elect at the Capitol Rotunda. Dogs are regularly allowed on Capitol premises, including elected officials’ offices. This ban appears to only apply to the Senate floor, where the legislative body votes. BABYDOG GOES TO WASHINGTON: WEST VIRGINIA’S JUSTICE FLIPS SENATE SEAT RED The celebrity hound first made waves on a national scale over the summer at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee where she joined her dad, then-Governor Jim Justice, in a dog-sized chair on stage. ALL ABOUT BABYDOG: THE GOVERNOR’S PET THAT STOLE THE SHOW AT THE RNC “I know that a lot of you want to meet my little buddy,” said Justice. “So if Babydog could come on out here.” She has been a fixture in West Virginia politics since she was given to Justice by his children for Christmas in 2019. “Since then, she has become a favorite among West Virginians across the state. Babydog travels with the Governor to nearly every stop and is the only one who rivals his popularity. She has truly become a mainstay in West Virginia politics,” a spokesperson for Justice said to Fox News Digital. It is unclear if any resolutions may pass to make an exception for Babydog Justice or other Senate pooches to make appearances on the floor. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Representatives for Senator-elect Jim Justice did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Justice Alito plans to remain on Supreme Court, resisting pressure to step aside: report
Justice Samuel Alito has no plans to retire from the Supreme Court anytime soon, a source close to the justice told the Wall Street Journal, halting a flurry of speculation among some Republican leaders that Alito, 74, could vacate the bench to make room for a younger, more conservative jurist. Rumors about Alito’s retirement began swirling almost immediately after Trump’s victory in the 2024 election, which also saw Republicans set to take back control of the Senate and retain control of the House in January. ‘EXTRAORDINARY CIRCUMSTANCES’: NY JUDGE IN TRUMP CASE PAUSES ALL COURT DEADLINES, SENTENCING With no filibuster allowed on Supreme Court appointments, the GOP majority would allow Trump to face little if any resistance in confirming his picks for high court justices, should the court’s two oldest conservative justices, Alito and Clarence Thomas, retire. Alito, for his part, has made clear he has no plans to do so. “Despite what some people may think, this is a man who has never thought about this job from a political perspective,” a person close to Alito told the Wall Street Journal, which first reported the news of his intention to remain on the bench. “The idea that he’s going to retire for political considerations is not consistent with who he is,” this person added. SUPREME COURT TEMPORARILY HALTS LOWER COURT RULING ORDERING 1,600 VOTERS BACK ON VIRGINIA VOTER ROLLS Alito was appointed to the Supreme Court in 2006 by President George W. Bush. At 74, Alito is the second-oldest justice on the bench behind Justice Clarence Thomas, 76, who was appointed to the court by President George H.W. Bush in 1991. Sonia Sotomayor, appointed by President Obama in 2009, is 70. But pressure for Alito and Thomas to step aside to make way for younger, Trump-picked candidates could prove to be deeply polarizing at a time when public approval of the Supreme Court is in the mid 40s, according to a Gallup survey in September. Conservatives currently hold a 6-3 majority on the Supreme Court. Trump named three justices to the Supreme Court during his first term, preserving its conservative majority. President Biden, for his part, most recently named Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson to the court in 2022 after the retirement of Justice Stephen Breyer. If Alito and Thomas were to retire from the bench, Trump could become the first president since Eisenhower, also a Republican, to name a majority of the justices of the Supreme Court.
Trump’s first Cabinet picks decidedly not isolationists: Ukraine, Israel breathe a sigh of relief
Despite his own isolationist musings, the first picks of President-elect Donald Trump’s incoming administration hail from a decidedly more traditionalist wing of the Republican Party. On Tuesday, Trump formally announced that Rep. Michael Waltz, R-Fla., would be his national security adviser. Sources have said Trump is set on tapping Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., for secretary of state. Together with New York Rep. Elise Stefanik — set for the role of ambassador to the United Nations — the trio is expected to further a staunchly pro-Israel agenda. Ukrainian advocates are also somewhat relieved. “Kyiv looks at these appointments with some quiet relief — they clearly know there’s room for engagement,” one source familiar with Ukrainian operations told Fox News Digital. They added that after a Biden administration that they believe has been overly fearful of escalating U.S. involvement in the war with Russia, “a not insignificant number of senior Ukrainian officials are cautiously optimistic about what a change of pace might look like. Waltz, who once served as a counterterrorism adviser to former Vice President Dick Cheney, is widely regarded as a hawk on China and Iran. He was vociferously opposed to President Joe Biden’s withdrawal from Afghanistan. THESE ARE THE TOP NAMES IN CONTENTION FOR DEFENSE SECRETARY UNDER TRUMP “What no one can ever do for me, including this administration right now, is articulate a counterterrorism plan that’s realistic without us there,” Waltz said in an interview days after the withdrawal. The former Army Green Beret officer and ex-CEO of a defense contracting company introduced legislation during the first Trump administration that would have prevented a mass troop drawdown in Afghanistan unless the director of national intelligence certified that the Taliban would not associate with al-Qaeda. “I think we’re in for a long haul and I think our nation’s leadership needs to begin telling the American people, ‘I’m sorry. We don’t have a choice. We’re 15 years into what is going to be a multi-generational war because we’re talking about defeating an idea,’” Waltz said about Afghanistan at the Conservative Political Action Conference in 2017. Waltz voted for keeping the Iraq War Authorization on the books in 2021 and voted against ending U.S. support for the Saudi war in Yemen. In an interview with NPR last week, Waltz said the war between Russia and Ukraine can end if the U.S. applies some leverage. GOP REP. MIKE WALTZ TAPPED TO BE TRUMP’S NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER Russia’s “war machine will dry up very quickly” with U.S. economic sanctions, Waltz said, as well as “taking the handcuffs off of the long-range weapons we provided Ukraine.” Biden has long refused to allow Ukraine to use U.S. weapons to strike deep inside Russia. Last month, when Israel conducted a counterstrike on Iran’s military targets, Waltz bemoaned that it hadn’t gone after Iran’s oil and nuclear facilities. “Did Biden/Harris pressure Israel once again to do less than it should?” he questioned. Rubio, meanwhile, is a noted hawk on China, Iran and Venezuela, where he has been working to unseat dictator Nicolas Maduro. Rubio, at one time, supported U.S. aid to Ukraine, but when the matter came up again earlier this year, he was one of 15 Republicans to vote against a supplemental funding package, citing insufficient border provisions. He’s been a strong proponent of U.S. support for Taiwan. When Trump raised concerns about the U.S.’s support for Taiwan and suggested the island should pay the U.S. for its defense, Rubio predicted Trump would “continue to support Taiwan” if he reclaimed the White House. Like Trump, both Waltz and Rubio have been critical of NATO allies for not spending enough on defense. Rubio has insisted Europe should “take the lead” on its defense: “Germany, France, and the United Kingdom are more than capable of managing their relationship with the nuclear-armed belligerent to their east. But they’ll never take ownership so long as they can rely on America.” Rubio cosponsored legislation last year that would bar any president from pulling the U.S. from NATO without congressional approval, a measure that was seen as a precaution if Trump were to win the presidency and follow through with his frequent threats to abandon the alliance. His pick triggered some backlash from some Trump die-hards who view him as too hawkish. “Apparently there hasn’t been a SOS pick yet FYSA [for your situational awareness],” posted Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) late Monday on X, after news outlets began reporting Trump had settled on Rubio. Libertarian-minded comedian Dave Smith said Tuesday that Rubio is “a disaster.” “Might as well give Liz Cheney the State Department,” Smith wrote. “Awful sign.” Stephen Wertheim, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, said that Waltz and Rubio signal “above all, a hard line toward China not only on economics but across the board — on political, military, and ideological competition.” “The picks leave me wondering whether Trump will deliver on his sometimes restrained foreign policy promises, including his stated desire to end the war in Ukraine sooner rather than later and to see Israel wrap up its wars,” he said. “I’m getting flashbacks to the first Trump administration.” But, he added, “Rubio is no longer quite the Rubio many remember from 2016.” “Rubio seems to understand that the United States faces resource constraints and needs to set strategic priorities in an increasingly competitive world.” And some restraint-minded thinkers hold out cautious optimism. “If [Rubio] channels Trump’s approach rather than pursuing his own agenda, he could redefine the state department’s role in a way that is both respected and effective abroad. Rubio knows that his future prospects are tied to his ability to execute Trump’s policy, not personal ambitions,” said Jason Beardsley, senior coalitions adviser for Concerned Veterans for America. “Having worked closely with Waltz, I can vouch for his deep understanding of America’s strategic priorities. He’s passionate about reforming the DoD from within and ensuring national security without overextending our military in costly, unnecessary engagements.”