What to know about DOGE and its quest to slash government waste, spending
The newly created Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is preparing to roll out once the Trump administration is sworn in with the stated goal of slashing government waste and providing increased transparency when it comes to government spending. DOGE is not a Cabinet-level department but rather a blue-ribbon committee outside of the government that will be tasked with examining issues of government spending, waste, efficiency and operations. Proponents of DOGE, headed by Tesla and Space X CEO Elon Musk and tech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, have suggested that $2 trillion dollars in government waste can be cut from the federal budget through the reduction of spending, eliminating government programs and trimming the federal workforce. Although the commission does not have formal authority, it has pledged to work closely with the Office of Management and Budget to reform regulatory recissions, administrative reductions and cost savings. GOP REP-ELECT OUTLINES HOW DOGE, TRUMP AGENDA WILL GET COUNTRY ‘BACK ON TRACK’: ‘NO MORE BUSINESS AS USUAL’ In addition to a working relationship with certain government agencies, DOGE will likely suggest executive actions that may be taken by President Trump. Several House Committees and caucuses have already expressed the intention and willingness to work with DOGE until it ceases operations on July 4, 2026, the 250th anniversary of 1776’s Independence Day, to accomplish the goal of slashing government waste. “Our national debt has surpassed a staggering $36 trillion and should be a wakeup call for all Americans,” House Delivering Outstanding Government Efficiency Caucus Co-Chair Rep. Aaron Bean (R-Fla.) has explained. “We must take action to avoid diving headfirst off the cliff of fiscal ruin. I’m thrilled with President-elect Trump’s appointment of Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy to lead DOGE, but taking on Crazy Town will be no easy task—they will need partners. “Our DOGE Caucus, will work closely with the Department of Government Efficiency to help rein in reckless spending and stop the abuse of taxpayer dollars.” VIRGINIA DEMOCRATS ‘ASKING THE WRONG QUESTION’ AMID OUTRAGE OVER DOGE FEDERAL WORKFORCE CUTS, GOP LEADER SAYS House Oversight Chair James Comer (R-Ky.) intends to establish a new subcommittee next, led by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) that will oversee Delivering on Government Efficiency. The subcommittee will be tasked with coordinating with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) through investigating wasteful spending, looking at how to reorganize federal agencies with an eye to improving efficiency and identifying solutions to eliminate bureaucratic “red tape.” “It is time to cut red tape, hold the unchecked federal workforce accountable, ensure programs are efficient, & work with @DOGE to tackle waste, fraud, & abuse,” Comer posted on X in December. On the Senate side, GOP Sen. Joni Ernst will chair the Senate Delivering Outstanding Government Efficiency Caucus. “’Iowans elected me with a mandate to cut Washington’s pork!” Ernst said about the DOGE efforts. “From billion-dollar boondoggles to welfare for politicians and trillion-dollar slush funds, my decade-long investigations have exposed levels of abuse that are almost too insane to believe. ‘EFFICIENT AND ACCOUNTABLE’: GOP-LED DOGE BILL AIMS TO SLASH OUTFLOW OF FEDERAL DOLLARS “The tables are finally turning, the knives are out, and waste is on the chopping block. As President Trump, Elon Musk, and Vivek Ramaswamy prepare to take action, the Senate DOGE Caucus is ready to carry out critical oversight in Congress and use our legislative force to fight against the entrenched bureaucracy, trim the fat, and get Washington back to work for Americans.’” Several historical examples exist in American history, with mixed results and less ambitious goals, of government-led efforts to cut back on unnecessary spending and staffing. President Theodore Roosevelt, in 1905, set up the Keep Commission, which attempted to “place the conduct of the Government on the most economical and effective basis in the light of the best modern business practice” and has been hailed as the “first of the orderly examinations into [Federal] administrative problems.” DOGE CAUCUS LEADER JONI ERNST EYES RELOCATION OUT OF DC FOR THIRD OF FEDERAL WORKERS Five years later, President William Howard Taft was appropriated $100,000 by Congress to “inquire into the methods of transacting the public business of the government in the several executive departments and other government establishments, with the view of… changing old methods…so as to attain greater efficiency… and recommend to Congress what changes in law may be necessary.” President Bill Clinton’s administration launched the National Partnership for Reinventing Government (NPR), led by Vice President Al Gore, with the goal to make the federal government “work better, cost less, and get results Americans care about.” Gore said, “We are turning some of today’s agencies into smaller, sleeker organizations that won’t look like government at all. They will be like private companies, with a real CEO on contract to cut costs, and a free hand when it comes to the remaining government rules.” President Obama signed an executive order in June 2011 establishing the Campaign to Cut Government Waste that created an 11-member Oversight and Accountability Board with a stated mission to give “taxpayers the same ability to track where their dollars are going and to have the same confidence that the dollars are not being lost to waste, fraud, or abuse, not just for Recovery Act dollars, but more broadly.” Steve Davis, president of Boring Co., Musk’s tunneling operation, and Michael Kratsios, former US chief technology officer, are among those leading interviews of potential DOGE employee candidates, according to people familiar with the effort. DOGE is believed to have hired roughly 10 individuals so far and is seeking software engineers as well as people with experience in artificial intelligence. Other high-profile names believed to be associated with getting DOGE off the ground include Palantir co-founder and investor Joe Lonsdale, investor Marc Andreessen, hedge fund manager Bill Ackman and former Uber chief executive Travis Kalanick. For now, DOGE is operating out of glass-walled office space in Washington leased by SpaceX, another Musk-owned company, about four blocks away from the White House. Some other key areas that DOGE hopes to make progress in, Musk and Ramaswamy have previously outlined, include
Trump: Carter was a ‘very fine’ person but Panama Canal moves were ‘a big mistake’
President-elect Trump said on Tuesday that negotiating away the Panama Canal was a “very big mistake” by former President Jimmy Carter – ahead of Carter’s state funeral later this week. Trump said at a press conference that he believes the canal, which he would like the the U.S. to reclaim, is why Carter lost the 1980 presidential election to Ronald Reagan, who also opposed the treaty Carter negotiated to hand over the canal. “It’s a bad part of the Carter legacy,” Trump said. “He was a good man. I knew him a little bit, and he was a very fine person. But that was a big mistake.” LIVE UPDATES: JIMMY CARTER REMEMBRANCES, FUNERAL SERVICES “Giving the Panama Canal to Panama was a very big mistake. We lost 38,000 people. It cost us the equivalent of a trillion dollars, maybe more… They say it was the most expensive structure… ever built. And giving that away was a horrible thing. And I believe that’s why Jimmy Carter lost the election, even more so than the hostages,” he said. Speaking in Palm Beach, Florida, Trump lamented the fact Carter purportedly “gave” the canal lands back to the Panamanians “for $1.” According to reports, no part of the treaty mentioned a $1 sale. “I thought [giving the canal back] was a terrible thing to do,” Trump said. When reporters pressed Trump on criticizing Carter on the day of his Washington wake, the president-elect said he was a “very fine person” but that his politics left something to be desired. Trump has also sparred verbally with Panamanian President Jose Raul Mulino about his plans for the canal. However, more than a century ago, another Republican – Theodore Roosevelt – celebrated the way the United States spearheaded the canal project in part through some diplomatic maneuvering. HOW CARTER TRANSFORMED THE AIRLINE INDUSTRY In the early 1900s, as the Colombian Senate balked at a treaty favoring U.S. control, Panama was in the process of declaring its independence from Bogota – and America quickly recognized the new nation and effectively circumvented the Colombians. In 1903, President Roosevelt boasted of the accomplishment. “Fortunately, the crisis came at a period when I could act unhampered [by Congress]. Accordingly, I took the Isthmus, started the canal and then left Congress not to debate the canal, but to debate me,” he said. Trump’s plans to retake the canal have earned him praise from otherwise regular critics. Meghan McCain, daughter of the late Sen. John McCain – with whom Trump often sparred – backed the man she otherwise tends to critique. “Trump is right about the Panama Canal. This is very personal – my dad was born in the Panama Canal Zone.” The elder McCain was born in 1936 at the then-Coco Solo U.S. Navy installation – as a U.S. citizen since the canal zone was controlled by Americans. The late Sen. Strom Thurmond of South Carolina also expressed reservations about canal negotiations in the 1970s. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP In a letter to then-President Ford, Thurmond warned the Panamanians were cozying up to the Communist Cuban government, and that “any action on the part of the United States that indicates the slightest position of weakness or a willingness to accommodate anti-American sentiment in Panama, would result in many other Latin American countries moving in the same leftward direction.” Thurmond led 35 senators in crafting a resolution opposing what he called the surrender of U.S. sovereignty in the PCZ. “Any loss of control of the Canal would be extremely detrimental to our vital interests, especially in Latin America. We should make it clear that U.S. vital interests there are not negotiable.” Carter’s negotiations led to Panama taking full control of the canal by 1999. His other major diplomatic negotation – peace accords between Egypt and Israel – also remain intact today.
House Republican’s bill would rip federal funds from states that give illegal immigrants driver’s licenses
FIRST ON FOX – Rep. Claudia Tenney, R-N.Y., introduced a bill that would pull federal highway funding from states such as New York that issue driver’s licenses and identification cards to illegal immigrants. Tenney, who co-chaired the House Election Integrity Caucus amid the 2024 race that ended in President-elect Trump’s victory, re-introduced her bill – named the Red Light Act – at the start of the new Congress. The proposal says it aims to “withhold federal highway funds from States that provide drivers licenses or identification cards to aliens who are unlawfully present in the United States, and for other purposes.” “Our nation is grappling with an unprecedented migrant crisis, yet some states, like New York, are incentivizing and rewarding criminals with driver’s licenses and identification cards,” Tenney said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “In New York, the Green Light Law has given licenses to illegal immigrants, allowing these dangerous individuals to roam freely in our country, brutally attacking, raping, and murdering members of our community. In addition, this law also restricts law enforcement from accessing DMV records, preventing the enforcement of our nation’s immigration laws. This legislation ensures states that refuse to comply with our nation’s immigration policies are not rewarded with federal funding.” TRUMP BORDER CZAR BLASTS NY GOVERNOR FOR TOUTING SUBWAY SAFETY HOURS AFTER HORRIFIC MURDER: ‘SHAME ON YOU’ Passed by the state legislature in 2019 and signed by former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, the Green Light Law allows New York to issue driver’s licenses to undocumented individuals. As part of a sanctuary policy intended to block deportations, it also directed the state Department of Motor Vehicles to withhold records from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) or other federal law enforcement without a court order or judicial warrant signed by a judge for such information. Law enforcement leaders have blasted the law as legislating obstruction. Trump’s incoming border czar Tom Homan, a native of upstate New York, floated the idea of blocking vehicles with New York license plates from entering the U.S. from the Canadian border if the state does not repeal the Green Light Law. “To me, this is a high priority,” Homan told the Buffalo News. “I grew up in New York state, I still own a home in the state. What happens in New York means a lot to me.” TOM HOMAN TOUTS MAYOR ADAMS’ COMMITMENT TO WORKING WITH TRUMP ADMIN ON BORDER CRISIS “That would be bizarre to me that anyone thinks that stopping our vehicles from coming in and out of our country, keeping New Yorkers in a foreign country, is a smart path forward,” New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said at an unrelated press conference on Monday, responding to Homan’s proposal. “I’d like to sit down and have that conversation.” Tenney’s bill would grant the secretary of transportation authority to withhold 100% of the amount required to be apportioned to a state’s federal highway system for fiscal year 2025 and each fiscal year afterward. The measure also allows the secretary to reapportion the funding to states that repeal any such laws that provide driver’s licenses or identification cards to aliens who are unlawfully present in the U.S.
Judge denies Trump motion to stop NY criminal case sentencing
A judge in New York has denied a motion filed by President-elect Donald Trump to stay the Jan. 10 sentencing in the New York v. Trump case. Trump was found guilty of 34 counts of falsifying business records in the Manhattan case in May 2024. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office worked to prove that Trump falsified business records to conceal a $130,000 payment to former porn star Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 election to quiet her claims of an alleged affair with Trump in 2006. New York Judge Juan Merchan set Trump’s sentencing date in the case earlier this month, ahead of his inauguration as president on Jan. 20. The former and upcoming president had requested the verdict in the case be vacated based on the Supreme Court’s presidential immunity decision last year, which was denied by Merchan. Fox News Digital learned yesterday that Trump filed a motion to stay the Jan. 10 sentencing. TRUMP FILES MOTION TO STAY ‘UNLAWFUL SENTENCING’ IN NEW YORK CASE “Today, President Trump’s legal team moved to stop the unlawful sentencing in the Manhattan D.A.’s Witch Hunt. The Supreme Court’s historic decision on Immunity, the state constitution of New York, and other established legal precedent mandate that this meritless hoax be immediately dismissed,” said Trump spokesman and incoming White House communications director Steven Cheung on Monday. “The American People elected President Trump with an overwhelming mandate that demands an immediate end to the political weaponization of our justice system and all of the remaining Witch Hunts. We look forward to uniting our country in the new administration as President Trump makes America great again,” Cheung continued. However, Associate Justice Ellen Gesmer issued a filing Tuesday saying that “after consideration of the papers submitted and the extensive oral argument, movant’s application for an interim stay is denied.” Trump remains set to be sentenced on Friday, Jan. 10, at 9:30 a.m. He plans to attend virtually. Trump has maintained his innocence in the case and repeatedly railed against it as an example of lawfare promoted by Democrats in an effort to hurt his election efforts ahead of November. Fox News’ Emma Colton and Brooke Singman contributed to this report.
‘Beautiful name’: Trump announces Gulf of Mexico will get new, pro-America revamp
President-elect Trump announced the Gulf of Mexico is getting a new name. “We’re going to be changing the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America, which has a beautiful ring. That covers a lot of territory,” Trump said on Tuesday. “The Gulf of America. What a beautiful name. And it’s appropriate.” Trump made the announcement in his first press conference since Congress certified his election win over Vice President Kamala Harris on Tuesday from Mar-a-Lago. He opened the press event by announcing DAMAC Properties will invest $20 billion in new data centers across the country in addition to previewing a bevy of policy issues ahead of his inauguration this month. TRUMP ANNOUNCES $20 BILLION IN NEW DATA CENTERS IN POST-CERTIFICATION ADDRESS The Gulf of Mexico is a partly enclosed sea that borders states such as Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida, as well as Mexico. DONALD TRUMP JR TAKES PERSONAL TRIP TO GREENLAND AFTER PRESIDENT-ELECT FLOATS PURCHASING COUNTRY Trump did not detail how his administration would go about renaming the body of water, but went on to slam Mexico for the immigration woes in the U.S. under the Biden White House. “Mexico has to stop allowing millions of people to pour into our country. They can stop them. And we’re going to put very serious tariffs on Mexico and Canada, because Canada, they come through Canada too, and the drugs that are coming through are at record numbers, record numbers. So we’re going to make up for that by putting tariffs on Mexico and Canada, substantial tariffs,” he said. BIDEN MOVING TO BAN OIL AND GAS LEASES FOR 20 YEARS IN NEVADA REGION, JUST WEEKS BEFORE TRUMP INAUGURATION Trump’s pledge is his latest remark regarding land territories, including potentially expanding the U.S. MISS. LAWMAKER: ‘GULF OF AMERICA’ BILL WAS A JOKE Trump has referred to Canada as the nation’s “51st state,” while his son and other Trump allies traveled to Greenland this week following Trump repeatedly calling for the U.S. to acquire the autonomous territory under the Kingdom of Denmark. “As someone who has traveled to some fascinating places across the globe as an outdoorsman, I’m excited to stop into Greenland for a little bit of fun this week,” Donald Trump Jr. told Fox News Digital of his trip to Greenland. A source familiar told Fox News Digital that Trump Jr. is “popping in for a quick day-long trip to shoot some fun video content for podcasting.” Trump Jr. is not meeting with government officials while in Greenland, Fox Digital previously reported. Fox News Digital’s Anders Hagstrom and Brooke Signman contributed to this report.
Donald Trump Jr arrives in Greenland as his father says Denmark ‘give it up’
Donald Trump Jr. arrived in Greenland on Tuesday as his father, President-elect Trump, made remarks that sparked speculation that the U.S. may seek to acquire the Danish territory. Trump Jr. landed in Nuuk, the Arctic territory’s capital, to meet with locals, visit cultural sites and shoot video for a podcast. The president-elect posted a video showing a plane emblazoned with the word “TRUMP” landing in Nuuk. “Don Jr. and my Reps landing in Greenland,” Trump wrote. “The reception has been great. They, and the Free World, need safety, security, strength, and PEACE! This is a deal that must happen. MAGA. MAKE GREENLAND GREAT AGAIN!” Trump also spoke with locals over speakerphone in video that supporters shared online. TRUMP ESCALATES PLANS TO ACQUIRE GREENLAND AFTER RESIDENT PLEADS: ‘DENMARK’S USING US’ A source familiar told Fox News Digital on Monday that Trump Jr. is “popping in for a quick day-long trip to shoot some fun video content for podcasting. He will not be meeting with any government officials or political figures.” The trip comes as President-elect Trump seeks to buy the mineral-rich, geographically important territory. At a press conference at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate on Tuesday afternoon, the president-elect again said that “Denmark should give it up.” “We need Greenland for national security purposes,” Trump said. CANADA’S TRUDEAU ANNOUNCES RESIGNATION FOLLOWING PARTY PRESSURE AMID CRITICISMS OF TRUMP, BUDGET HANDLING American interest in Greenland dates back to the 1800s. But Greenland Prime Minister Mute Egede said last week that the country is not interested. “Greenland is ours,” he said. “We are not for sale, and will never be for sale. We must not lose our long struggle for freedom.” Fox News Digital’s Brooke Singman and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Biden ripped for ‘slap in the face’ to crime victims after awarding Soros Medal of Freedom: ‘Disgusting’
President Biden’s recent move to award the prestigious Medal of Freedom to progressive megadonor George Soros has sparked criticism both on social media and from one crime expert who spoke to Fox News Digital. “President Biden’s decision to award George Soros the Medal of Freedom is a slap in the face to the citizens and crime victims suffering under the policies and politicians he has promoted,” Zack Smith, Heritage Foundation legal fellow and co-author of “Rogue Prosecutors: How Radical Soros Lawyers Are Destroying America’s Communities,” told Fox News Digital after a weekend ceremony awarding the Medal of Freedom to Soros, via his son Alex, who has taken over the family’s $25 billion empire. “Soros has been a major donor to far-left politicians and has promoted policies that undermine the rule of law in our country. Given Biden’s embrace of these policies and the funding Soros has provided, this looks like nothing more than an effort to reward and keep happy one of the Left’s major donors (and his family). It cheapens what should be a prestigious award and gives everyday Americans yet another reason to be disgusted by the current Administration’s actions.” The award, the nation’s highest civilian honor, is given to individuals who have made exemplary contributions to the prosperity, values or security of the United States, world peace or other significant societal, public or private endeavors, the White House said in a statement. ‘FAILED EXPERIMENT’: EXPERTS REVEAL WHY SOROS-BACKED POLICIES TOOK BEATING IN DEEP BLUE STATE Soros, a mega-Democrat donor, runs a web of non-profits that bankroll various candidates around the world who align with his progressive agenda, including his Open Society Foundations. Soros has given over $32 billion to Open Society Foundations since 1984, according to its website. The White House said that Soros’ philanthropy across the world has strengthened democracy, human rights, education and social justice. NFL LEGEND BRETT FAVRE LEFT ‘SPEECHLESS’ AS BIDEN HONORS SOROS, CLINTON WITH MEDAL OF FREEDOM Conservatives on social media disagreed and made the case that giving the medal to Soros sent the wrong message given the alleged effects Soros-backed policies have had on crime. “Police officers deserve the Medal of Freedom for dealing with violent criminals set free by Soros prosecutors,” GOP Sen. Tom Cotton posted on X. “George Soros is responsible for the breakdown of American society,” conservative lawyer Marina Medvin posted on X. “His goal is the destruction of the West. He supports illegal immigrants, Antifa, Palestinian terror enthusiasts, campus disrupters, etc. Of course this is all wonderful in Biden’s world. So he’s giving Soros the highest civilian honor.” “A travesty that Biden is giving Soros the Medal of Freedom,” Tesla and Space X CEO Elon Musk posted on X. “A clear sign Joe Biden lost his mind or he’s not in control, for awarding George Soros a Presidential Medal of Freedom,” political commentator Richie Greenberg, who led the effort to recall Soros-backed San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin from office, posted on X. “Few have risen to the level of criminal justice arch-nemesis as Soros has. This is a slap to countless victims of crime enabled by Soros DAs. Truly disgusting.” Fox News Digital reached out to the White House and Open Society Foundations but did not receive a response. Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was also awarded the Medal of Freedom on Saturday, prompting similar outrage from conservatives. Clinton, the White House said, made “history many times over decades in public service,” becoming the first female senator from New York and the first first lady to hold elected office. Fox News Digital’s Michael Dorgan contributed to this report
Trump blasts ongoing ‘lawfare’ in 1st public remarks since Congress certified his election
President-elect Donald Trump railed against the ongoing “lawfare” against him during his first public remarks since Congress certified his decisive election win over Vice President Kamala Harris. “They’re playing with the courts, as you know, they’ve been playing with the courts for four years. Probably got me more votes because I got the highest number of votes ever gotten by a Republican by far, actually, by a lot. And, you know, we had a great election, so I guess it didn’t work. But even to this day, they’re playing with the courts and they’re friendly judges that like to try and make everybody happy .. It’s called lawfare, it’s called weaponization of justice,” Trump said Tuesday during a press conference at Mar-a-Lago. Trump held the press conference, which was his first since Congress certified his election win on Monday, to announce DAMAC Properties will invest $20 billion in new data centers across the country. DAMAC’s owner, Hussain Sajwani, said the investment is aimed at facilitating the development of AI and cloud-based technologies. JUDGE MERCHAN DENIES TRUMP’S REQUEST TO DELAY SENTENCING Trump took aim at the legal battles he has faced in the last four years during the address, slamming special counsel Jack Smith as well as New York Judge Juan Merchan. “I call it the Injustice Department. What they’ve done is so bad, the whole world has watched that. And, it took work, but it got me a lot of votes, because when explained, we have a judge in New York is a very crooked judge,” he said, referring to Justice Juan Merchan who presides over the New York v. Trump case. “I’m under a gag order. I can’t even talk about aspects of the case that are the most vital aspects I’m going to do. You know that I’m the president-elect of the United States of America. I’m a former very successful president.” Merchan announced earlier this month that he will sentence Trump in the New York v. Trump case on Jan. 10, ahead of his inauguration as president on Jan. 20. Trump’s legal team filed a motion to delay sentencing, which Merchan denied on Monday afternoon. TRUMP FILES MOTION TO STAY ‘UNLAWFUL SENTENCING’ IN NEW YORK CASE “Today, President Trump’s legal team moved to stop the unlawful sentencing in the Manhattan D.A.’s Witch Hunt. The Supreme Court’s historic decision on Immunity, the state constitution of New York, and other established legal precedent mandate that this meritless hoax be immediately dismissed,” Trump spokesperson and incoming White House communications director Steven Cheung told Fox Digital on Monday morning. “The American People elected President Trump with an overwhelming mandate that demands an immediate end to the political weaponization of our justice system and all of the remaining Witch Hunts. We look forward to uniting our country in the new administration as President Trump makes America great again,” Cheung continued. Trump was found guilty of 34 counts of falsifying business records in the Manhattan case in May. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office worked to prove that Trump falsified business records to conceal a $130,000 payment to former porn star Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 election to quiet her claims of an alleged affair with Trump in 2006. Trump has maintained his innocence in the case. NEW YORK JUDGE SETS TRUMP SENTENCING DAYS BEFORE INAUGURATION Smith, who led the investigation into Trump’s handling of classified documents after his first term in the White House, is set to release a final report on the investigation. Two of Trump’s former co-defendants in the classified documents case, Walt Nauta and Carlos De Oliveira, filed an emergency motion on Monday in an effort to block the report’s release. “These Defendants will irreparably suffer harm as civilian casualties of the Government’s impermissible and contumacious utilization of political lawfare to include release of the unauthorized Report,” Nauta and De Oliveira’s attorneys wrote in an emergency motion filed on Monday. “The Final Report relies on materials to which Smith, as disqualified special counsel, is no longer entitled access— making his attempt to share such materials with the public highly improper.” The judge presiding over the case blocked Smith’s efforts to release the report on Tuesday. Trump slammed Smith as “deranged” during his Tuesday remarks while taking a victory lap that the court cases brought against him since the 2020 election have fizzled out since the 2024 election. Trump has maintained his innocence in the various state and federal cases brought against him, arguing they were examples of “lawfare” intended to hamper his campaign to reclaim the White House. NY JUDGE ANNOUNCES UNCONDITIONAL DISCHARGE SENTENCING FOR TRUMP ON JAN 10 “I defeated deranged Jack Smith. He’s a deranged individual. I guess he’s on his way back to The Hague. And we won those cases. Those were the biggest ones. And, the press made such a big deal out of them. But we did nothing wrong. We did nothing wrong on anything. And the people saw that, you know, when they vote to when you went to Republicans,” he said. Fox News Digital’s Anders Hagstrom and Brooke Singman contributed to this report.
Trump trolling Canada as 51st state could boost Democrats with ‘blue-state behemoth’
President-elect Donald Trump is keeping up his push to make Canada the United States’ 51st state. “Canada and the United States. That would really be something,” Trump said Tuesday at a news conference at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida. “They should be a state.” A day earlier, the president-elect argued in a social media post that “many people in Canada LOVE being the 51st State.” Trump emphasized that “if Canada merged with the U.S., there would be no Tariffs, taxes would go way down, and they would be TOTALLY SECURE from the threat of the Russian and Chinese Ships that are constantly surrounding them. Together, what a great Nation it would be!!!” WHAT TRUMP IS SAYING ABOUT CANADA BECOMING THE 51ST STATE In recent weeks, the former and now president-elect has trolled the United States’ neighbor to the north, musing about it becoming the 51st state, and posting a doctored photo of him standing beside a Canadian flag high atop a mountain. Additionally, his recent mocking of longtime Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau, repeatedly referring to him as “governor,” along with his threat to impose massive tariffs on Canada, was likely a contributing factor in Trudeau’s resignation announcement this week. Trump’s fixation on Canada comes as he also turns up the volume on his calls for Denmark to sell the sparsely populated but massive North Atlantic island of Greenland to the U.S. CANADA’S TRUDEAU ANNOUNCES RESIGNATION FOLLOWING PARTY PRESSURE AMID CRITICISMS OF TRUMP, BUDGET HANDLING However, what if the unlikely expansionist scenario of Canada joining the U.S. actually came to fruition? Hypothetically, it could be a massive political boon for Democrats at the expense of Republicans. Canada’s modern political history points to the left. “The Liberals have been in charge of the Canadian federal government for the majority of the time since World War Two,” longtime Republican strategist Dave Carney noted to Fox News. It is likely the voters supporting those governments would vote for Democrats rather than Republicans if Canada became the 51st state. With a population of slightly more than 40 million, Canada would become the most populous state in the U.S., edging out blue-state California for the honors. Canada’s addition to the U.S. as the nation’s largest state could give a big boost to the Democrats in the battle for Congressional majorities and the electoral vote count in presidential elections. Rich Lowry, editor-in-chief of the prominent conservative magazine National Review, warned in an opinion piece for the New York Post that “Canada would be a blue-state behemoth, matching California in population…and, presumably, in reliably Democratic politics.” “We might think we’d annex Canada and make it more like us, but — with two Democratic senators and a huge tranche of electoral votes for Democratic presidential candidates — Canada would surely make us more like it,” Lowry predicted. Veteran political scientist Wayne Lesperance agreed, noting that “Canada as a state would bring millions of voters more likely to align with the Democrats’ agenda and ideology. And with 40 million voters, the new 51st state would be the largest state in the union with a congressional delegation much more likely to oppose Trump and his party’s political agenda.” Lesperance, president of the New Hampshire-based New England College, said if Trump “is serious, and does bring a proposal forward, I would expect tremendous support for his initiative…especially from Democrats.” Democratic strategist and political analyst Van Jones, on CNN, said that Canada would “be a huge blue state” and that “if Canada wants to come here and rescue us, I am more than happy.” However, Carney, noting that the likelihood of Canada joining the U.S. is extremely slim, said that it is a great negotiating strategy by Trump when it comes to negotiations with America’s northern neighbor. “He has an ability to use tools that no one would have ever thought of,” Carney said. “He has the ability and the willingness to use every tool in his toolbox.” Carney, the top political adviser to Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, a veteran of numerous Republican presidential campaigns, added that Trump “uses the soft power of the presidency to get people to pay attention and get what he wants.”
Republican lawmakers push to abolish ‘unconstitutional’ ATF
FIRST ON FOX: House Republicans are pushing to abolish the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) ahead of President-elect Donald Trump taking office later this month. Rep. Eric Burlison, R-Mo., is unveiling the bill on Tuesday and already has several co-sponsors in Reps. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., Mike Collins, R-Ga., Bob Onder, R-Mo., Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., Mary Miller, R-Ill., Keith Self, R-Texas, and Paul Gosar, R-Ariz. Burlison argued that the ATF was an “unconstitutional agency” and that its mission and goals are duplicates of existing state and local regulations. DANIEL PENNY TO BE TAPPED FOR CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL BY HOUSE GOP LAWMAKER “The Constitution makes it very clear that when it comes to the federal government, there shall be no laws restricting firearms,” he told Fox News Digital. “It’s in the purview of the states, and so I don’t think it belongs on the federal level.” “But here’s the thing I want to reiterate – they don’t have the manpower to enforce the laws that they implement. So they go and they solicit help from every local state law enforcement official to help them implement their stupid new rules.” He said assisting the ATF “takes them out of the things they should be prioritizing to keep the community safe.” Burlison said he has not spoken with members of President-elect Trump’s orbit on the bill, but added, “I’m sure there’s quite a few people in Trump world that would be open to this.” One possible supporter the bill could find is Vice President-elect JD Vance, who previously called for abolishing the ATF and vowed to fight toward that goal in the Senate. REPUBLICANS GIVE DETAILS FROM CLOSED-DOOR MEETINGS WITH DOGE’S MUSK, RAMASWAMY The ATF makes federal regulations for firearm handling and storage, gun licenses and other matters. It also assists in law enforcement investigations like the recent New Orleans attack. The modern iteration of the ATF was formed as a bureau under the Treasury Department in 1972. It was transferred to the Department of Justice in 2003 as a law enforcement agency after laws on gun control and explosives were added to the ATF’s purview in the 1990s. Supporters of the ATF’s existence include gun control advocates who argue it does important work to fight gun violence. However, opponents like Burlison argue its regulations are unnecessary. ATF Director Steven Dettelbach warned earlier this week that he believes curbing the ATF will result in more unnecessary deaths. “People who don’t think that law enforcement, including ATF, has anything to do with driving down violent crime are just wrong — it didn’t happen by accident,” he told the New York Times. “What I am concerned about is that people will take their eye off the ball, that they’ll either get complacent or political, or some combination of those things.” The ATF has gotten public blowback for its handling of the infamous standoffs in Ruby Ridge and Waco, Texas, however. Trump previously promised to fire Dettelbach on his first day in office. He told an audience at a National Rifle Association event that the Biden administration appointee was a “radical gun-grabber.” It is not clear if he would abolish it altogether, however. Fox News Digital reached out to Trump and the ATF for comment.