Trump admin ramps up key border security move that is expected to run over 1,400 miles: ‘Important tool’
FIRST ON FOX: The Trump administration announced it had awarded five new contracts to help continue building a high-tech “Smart Wall” along the southern U.S.-Mexico border in Texas and Arizona, bringing the total spent on constructing the border barrier to $8 billion. In total, when completed, the border wall is expected to include 1,418 miles of new “Primary Smart Wall,” 536 miles of a “Waterborne Barrier System,” and 708 miles of “Secondary Border Wall.” Approximately 536 miles of the U.S.-Mexico border without barrier will be covered by detection technology “due to unfavorable terrain or remoteness of location,” U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) notes. Meanwhile, CBP is also deploying roughly 549 miles of technology in locations with previously constructed barriers, according to the agency. “Securing our border is key to protecting our country, keeping our communities safe, and making sure our immigration system works the way it should. A border wall with the right technology – a Smart Wall – is an important tool to stop illegal activity and to help agents do their job, which is critical in keeping America safe,” said CBP Commissioner Rodney Scott. BORDER PATROL CHIEF URGES ILLINOIS TO FOLLOW LOUISIANA BLUEPRINT AS THREATS AGAINST AGENTS SURGE The Smart Wall includes various technological innovations. It has a steel bollard wall, accompanying roads, special detection technology, cameras, lighting and, in some cases, waterborne barriers or secondary barriers to ensure extra protection. The five new contracts being awarded will cost $3.3 billion, with the money originating from Republicans’ One Big Beautiful Bill Act spending package. They will add 97 miles of the primary border wall system, 19 miles of secondary border, and 66 miles of a waterborne barrier system. DEMOCRATIC LEADERS PUSH BACK AGAINST IMMIGRATION CRACKDOWN IN CHICAGO The contracts will also add 149 miles of detection technology around pre-existing border structures where the Smart Wall construction is not complete. In addition to the new contracts, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem issued nine new waivers to fast-track construction efforts in several sectors. These waivers were published in the Federal Register in October, November and this month.
Trump launches massive ‘Freedom 250’ push to ignite America’s 250th birthday celebration
FIRST ON FOX: President Donald Trump is kicking off America’s monthslong birthday bash celebrating the 250th anniversary of the country’s founding with a new nonpartisan organization dubbed Freedom 250 that will lead the administration’s celebrations, Fox Digital learned. The year “2026 will mark a celebration of America unlike anything we have ever done, and I am grateful to President Trump for the opportunity to execute his vision for Freedom 250,” Keith Krach, former undersecretary of state under the first Trump administration, who was named CEO of Freedom 250, said in a press release of the new organization. “By working alongside states, businesses, and organizations across the country, Freedom 250 will reignite the pioneering spirit that defines America to strengthen the foundation for the next 250 years of independence, opportunity, and freedom.” The new initiative brings together states, companies and organizations to plan and participate in events celebrating the nation’s 250th birthday “by mobilizing partners and communities in all 50 states and around the world,” Fox News Digital learned. It will work in coordination with the White House Task Force 250, federal departments, and the America250 Commission to plan and deliver on the events nationwide. TOP AUTOMAKER UNLEASHES 250 LIMITED-EDITION CORVETTES INSPIRED BY AMERICA’S FOUNDING “This means so much to him personally, as it does to every single American,” Ambassador Monica Crowley told “Fox & Friends” on Thursday. She likened the commemoration to America’s bicentennial, saying that the organizers of America 250 were looking to recapture the feeling of the 1976 celebration. “Some of us might remember 1976 and the bicentennial. We may not remember the details of every bit of that, but we remember how we felt,” she said. “And so, what we are planning with Freedom 250 is this massive monumental celebration that President Trump promised back in his first term, a celebration that really creates that feeling of a renewal of pride and patriotism.” Trump shared a video message on Thursday morning announcing the initiative, as well as previewing a handful of high-profile events celebrating the milestone. “To help carry out these exciting plans, we have created a new public-private partnership. It’s called Freedom 250. Working with states, companies, and organizations across the country, we will renew the patriotism, pride, and pioneering spirit of America and lay the groundwork for the next 250 years of independence and freedom. This will be a time like you’ve never had in your lives, America 250. Thank you, I love you all,” he said in the video message. Trump touted that Americans will “never see anything like it, and you’ll ever see anything like it again” of the line-up of events. “As we ring in 2026, Americans across the nation will see the iconic Washington Monument illuminated with festive birthday lights to honor the start of this historic anniversary year. Then from June 25th to July 10th of next year, we will host the Great American State Fair on the National Mall, featuring pavilions from all 50 states, highlighting breathtaking innovations and celebrating America’s exceptional history and culture,” Trump said. The line-up will include the first “Patriot Games,” Trump said, which is a four-day athletic event “featuring the greatest high school athletes, one young man and one young woman from each state and territory.” The games will be held in the fall, according to the president. “But I promise there will be no men playing in women’s sports. You’re not gonna see that. You’ll see everything but that,” he quipped. “Celebrating the Triumph of the American Spirit,” Freedom 250’s website, launched on Thursday morning, declares of the group’s focus. The website touting the year of celebrations includes engaging Americans with videos crafted in part by Hillsdale College, which tell “the remarkable story of American independence.” The site’s calendar is packed with patriotic events, including an ongoing freedom tour hitting all 50 states in the order they joined the union. The tour features Cabinet officials and local and state leaders visiting schools to highlight America’s history. The events will kick off with the Washington Monument illuminated from Dec. 31 through Jan. 5 that will mark “the start of this once-in-a-generation anniversary year.” Trump has been eyeing the 250th birthday for years and pledged on the 2024 campaign trail to celebrate it in grand fashion. “The president promised in his first term, and going into this term, even as a candidate, the most monumental celebration of America for our big 250th birthday, and through Freedom 250 and so many other elements, he is delivering on these promises,” Crowley told “Fox & Friends.” IVANKA TRUMP RE-ENTERS DC RING FOR UPCOMING KNOCKOUT UFC WHITE HOUSE FIGHT “As a nation, we should be preparing for the most spectacular birthday party. We want to make it the best of all time,” Trump said in a 2023 campaign video. The new website also offers “toolkits” showing Americans how to mark the milestone in their own communities, including a toolkit for teachers, one for state fairs and another tailored to rodeos. UFC WHITE HOUSE PLANS REVEALED, INCLUDING WEIGH-INS AT LINCOLN MEMORIAL: REPORT Another section highlights America’s natural beauty, 250 years of innovation and how many Americans say the nation’s fabric has been woven with prayer and faith. The nation already has held a series of events tied to the 250th milestone, including a June 14 military parade Trump hosted in Washington, D.C., for the U.S. Army’s 250th anniversary. Tanks rolled through the streets, military jets roared overhead and fireworks lit up the National Mall. The parade fell on Flag Day, which also marked Trump’s 79th birthday. Among the lengthy list of upcoming events celebrating the anniversary is the highly anticipated White House UFC fight, which first daughter Ivanka Trump is helping facilitate, Fox News Digital previously reported. Trump revealed in his video message on Thursday that the UFC fight will be held on Flag Day, June 14. “And on Flag Day, We will have a one-of-a-kind UFC event here at the White House. It’ll be the greatest champion fighters
NY Gov. Hochul to sign bill to legalize physician-assisted suicide: ‘Who am I to deny you?’
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said she plans to sign a measure to legalize medically assisted suicide for terminally ill patients under a deal reached with state legislative leaders. The governor intends to sign the bill next year after working to add a series of “guardrails,” she wrote in an op-ed in the Albany Times Union announcing her plans. The measure, approved by state lawmakers during their regulation session earlier this year, will go into effect six months after it is signed. Hochul, who is Catholic, said she listened to New Yorkers in the “throes of pain and suffering,” as well as their children, while also hearing out “individuals of many faiths who believe that deliberately shortening one’s life violates the sanctity of life.” “I was taught that God is merciful and compassionate, and so must we be,” she wrote. “This includes permitting a merciful option to those facing the unimaginable and searching for comfort in their final months in this life.” NEW JERSEY’S MEDICALLY-ASSISTED SUICIDE LAW ONLY COVERS STATE RESIDENTS, APPEALS COURT RULES New York will join a dozen other states and Washington, D.C., in adopting laws allowing physician-assisted suicide for terminally ill adults, including Delaware and Illinois, which each approved legislation this year that will go into effect in 2026. Several other countries, including Canada, Germany, Belgium, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Australia and Colombia, have also legalized so-called death with dignity. New York’s bill, dubbed the Medical Aid in Dying Act, requires a terminally ill person who is expected to die within six months to make a written request for life-ending drugs. Two witnesses must sign the request to ensure the patient is not being coerced, and the request would need to be approved by the patient’s attending physician and a consulting physician. The bill’s sponsors and legislative leaders have agreed to add provisions to mandate that a medical doctor affirms that the person “truly had less than six months to live,” along with confirmation from a psychologist or psychiatrist that the patient is capable of making the decision without being under duress. “The Medical Aid in Dying Act will afford terminally ill New Yorkers the right to spend their final days not under sterile hospital lights but with sunlight streaming through their bedroom window,” Hochul wrote. “The right to spend their final days not hearing the droning hum of hospital machines but instead the laughter of their grandkids echoing in the next room. The right to tell their family they love them and be able to hear those precious words in return,” she added. Hochul said the bill will include a mandatory five-day waiting period in addition to a written and recorded oral request to “confirm free will is present.” Outpatient facilities linked to religious hospitals may choose not to offer medically-assisted suicide. The governor also said she wants the bill to only apply to New York residents. Earlier this month, a federal appeals court ruled that a similar law in New Jersey only covers state residents and that people from other jurisdictions cannot seek medical aid-in dying in the Garden State. “Death brings good things to an end, but rarely neatly,” U.S. Circuit Court Judge Stephanos Bibas wrote in the opinion. “Many terminally ill patients face a grim reality: imminent, painful death. Some may want to avert that suffering by enlisting a doctor’s help to end their own lives. New Jersey lets its residents make that choice—but only its residents.” Hochul said on Wednesday that supporting the New York bill was one of the toughest decisions she has made as governor. DELAWARE’S ASSISTED SUICIDE BILL SIGNED INTO LAW, MAKING IT THE 11TH STATE WITH SUCH A STATUTE “Who am I to deny you or your loved one what they’re begging for at the end of their life?” she said. “I couldn’t do that any longer.” The legislation was first introduced in 2016 but failed to receive approval for years as religious groups such as the New York State Catholic Conference sought to block the measure, arguing that it would devalue human life and undermine the physician’s role as a healer. Cardinal Timothy Dolan and New York’s bishops said in a statement after Hochul’s announcement that her support for the bill “signals our government’s abandonment of its most vulnerable citizens, telling people who are sick or disabled that suicide in their case is not only acceptable, but is encouraged by our elected leaders.” But supporters of the legislation contended that it would reduce suffering for terminally ill people and allow them to die on their own terms. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Trump drops receipts on US savings since Biden’s Oval Office exit
President Donald Trump rattled off how his economic policies have pulled America from “the brink of ruin” following former President Joe Biden’s tenure during his primetime address to the nation on Wednesday. “Here at home, we’re bringing our economy back from the brink of ruin,” Trump said Thursday. “The last administration and their allies in Congress looted our Treasury for trillions of dollars, driving up prices and everything at levels never seen before. I am bringing those high prices down and bringing them down very fast.” Trump said that under the Biden administration, car prices rose by at least 22%, gasoline rose 30% to 50%, hotel rates by 37% and airfares by 31%, and mortgage prices up $15,000 under “Democrat rule.” “Now, under our leadership, they are all coming down and coming down fast,’” Trump continued. “Democrat politicians also sent the cost of groceries soaring, but we are solving that too.” TRUMP SET TO ADDRESS THE NATION IN PRIMETIME WHITE HOUSE SPEECH AS AMERICANS REPORT ECONOMIC SQUEEZE The president announced his primetime address Tuesday as his administration zeroes in on its economic messaging following Democrats latching onto a winning campaign strategy of “affordability” while slamming Trump and Republicans for allegedly rolling out policies that have caused the housing crisis to worsen and costs at the checkout lines to rise. Following a handful of high-profile elections in November handing wins to Democrats who campaigned on the platform, Trump has turned up the heat that Biden administration policies continue to haunt the current economy. “11 months ago, I inherited a mess. And I’m fixing it. When I took office, inflation was the worst in 48 years. And some would say in the history of our country, which caused prices to be higher than ever before, making life unaffordable for millions and millions of Americans. This happened during a Democrat administration, and it’s when we first began hearing the word affordability,” Trump said at the start of his speech. TRUMP TO TOUT ACCOMPLISHMENTS SINCE TAKING OFFICE IN PRIMETIME ADDRESS While costs rose under Biden, Trump touted the savings Americans are seeing under his leadership. “The price of a Thanksgiving turkey was down 33% compared to the Biden last year,” Trump said. “The price of eggs is down 82% since March, and everything else is falling rapidly. And it’s not done yet. But boy, are we making progress. Nobody can believe what’s going on.” “Under Biden, real wages plummeted by $3,000. Under Trump, the typical factory worker, we’re seeing a wage increase of $1,300. For construction workers, it’s $1,800. For miners, e’re bringing back clean, beautiful coal, is $3,300. And for the first time in years, wages are rising much faster than inflation,” he continued. GAS PRICES ARE FALLING — SO WHY ISN’T TRUMP REFILLING THE OIL RESERVE FASTER? WH BLAMES BIDEN-ERA ‘DAMAGE’ Trump’s address included announcing the rollout of “Warrior Dividends” to all U.S. military members in honor of the 250th anniversary of the U.S.’ founding in 1776. “We are sending every soldier $1,776. Think of that,” he said. “And the checks are already on the way.”
Trump touts bringing country back from ‘brink of ruin’
President Donald Trump touted the work his administration has done since January in an address to the nation on Wednesday night as he labeled the U.S. the “hottest country in the world.” Trump blamed his predecessor Joe Biden and reiterated claims that his administration inherited a “mess” as he praised the work done since taking office to improve the economy, curb the influx of drugs into the U.S., and support the U.S. military. “Here at home, we’re bringing our economy back from the brink of ruin,” Trump said. “The last administration and their allies in Congress looted our treasury for trillions of dollars, driving up prices and everything at levels never seen before. I am bringing those high prices down and bringing them down very fast.” Trump also said that Americans would start to see the benefits of his massive tax and domestic policy bill that was signed into law in July. The bill included key provisions that permanently established individual and business tax breaks included in Trump’s 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, and incorporated new tax deductions to cut duties on tips and overtime pay. TRUMP SAYS ECONOMY WILL ‘ROCKET’ AFTER SIGNING ‘BIG BEAUTIFUL BILL’: ‘IT’S GOING TO BE REALLY GREAT’ “Next year, you will also see the results of the largest tax cuts in American history that were really accomplished through our great, big, beautiful bill, perhaps the most sweeping legislation ever passed in Congress,” Trump said. Trump also touted the strength of the U.S. military under his administration, citing strong recruitment numbers across the services. As a result, Trump said that military service members will receive a new so-called “Warrior Dividend” before Christmas to send troops $1,776 in honor of America’s founding in 1776. “We are sending every soldier $1,776. Think of that,” Trump said. “And the checks are already on the way.” TRUMP SET TO ADDRESS THE NATION IN PRIMETIME WHITE HOUSE SPEECH AS AMERICANS REPORT ECONOMIC SQUEEZE Trump signed off his address claiming that the U.S. is respected once again, and is the “envy of the entire globe” as he wished Americans a “Merry Christmas.” “Our nation is strong. America is respected and our country is back stronger than ever before,” Trump said. “We’re poised for an economic boom, the likes of which the world has never seen. Soon we will host the World Cup and the Olympics, both of which I got. But most importantly, we will celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.” The speech comes as Trump has launched a new effort focusing on his economic policies, amid criticism surrounding how his administration has handled messaging on economic issues. Scrutiny intensified following the November elections that delivered Democrats wins in several key elections – including the New York mayoral race, and the Virginia and New Jersey gubernatorial races – where Democrats focused on “affordability.” While Trump told Politico in December that he would grade his economy an “A+++++,” voters don’t share the same optimism. For example, 76% of voters reported that they view the economy negatively, an increase from 67% who reported the same in July and the 70% who said so following former President Joe Biden’s term, a November Fox News national survey found. Trump has previously held several White House addresses, including in November after two members of the National Guard were shot in Washington, and another in June after the U.S. military launched strikes targeting Iranian nuclear facilities. Fox News’ Emma Colton contributed to this report.
Trump gives service members special Christmas gift: ‘Warrior dividend’
President Donald Trump said during his address to the nation Wednesday night before Christmas that nearly 1.5 million military service members will be receiving a Christmas bonus. While touting his administration’s agenda from the White House, Trump said the nation’s more than 1,450,000 military service members will receive a “warrior dividend” in honor of our nation’s founding roughly 250 years ago. “And the checks are already on the way,” Trump said. “Nobody deserves it more than our military. And I say congratulations to everybody.” TRUMP GETS FRESH DIGS IN AT BIDEN, OBAMA WITH NEW PLAQUES ADDED TO WHITE HOUSE PRESIDENTIAL WALK OF FAME Trump also touted “record enlistment” in the military under his leadership, adding that last year, under Joe Biden, the military saw some of “the worst” annual recruitment numbers “in our military’s history.” “What a difference a year makes,” Trump quipped. Trump’s address from the White House Wednesday night was a tour de force of the president’s accomplishments since retaking the White House. DEFENSE BILL BANS MALES FROM WOMEN’S SPORTS AT MILITARY ACADEMIES In addition to economic achievements, Trump also zeroed in on victories with immigration, crime, women’s rights, healthcare costs, slimming down the federal bureaucracy and more. “After just one year, we have achieved more than anyone could have imagined,” Trump said during his address. “We just needed a new president.”
Border Patrol chief, progressive mayor caught on camera in tense street showdown: ‘Excellent day in Evanston’
A heated confrontation unfolded Wednesday in Evanston, Illinois, where city Mayor Daniel Biss — a progressive Democrat and congressional candidate — confronted Border Patrol Cmdr. Gregory Bovino during a street-level Title 8 immigration enforcement operation that drew “a couple dozen” protesters and quickly turned chaotic, according to video and accounts posted on X. The standoff occurred around 11:30 a.m. near Green Bay Road and Dodge Avenue in the city outside Chicago, where an 11-vehicle Border Patrol convoy had arrived to detain multiple individuals. Eyewitness Mark Weyermuller wrote that agents “appeared to detain at least two” people as the crowd formed. Video shared by FOX 32 Chicago reporter Paris Schutz shows Biss, dressed in a dark tailored coat and dress shoes, visibly standing out from the bundled-up crowd, stepping directly toward Bovino as protesters yell and blow whistles around them. Biss confronted him immediately, declaring, “The abuse has not been acceptable. The racism has not been acceptable. The violence has not been acceptable.” DHS: CHICAGO CRIME DROPS SHARPLY AFTER FEDERAL OPERATION TARGETING CRIMINAL ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS Bovino, surrounded by agents wearing protective masks and tactical gear, fired back, “Yeah, that’s why we’re here in your community.” A nearby protester then shouted repeatedly at the commander, “Hey Bovino, we don’t want you here, bro! We don’t want you!” As the shouting intensified, multiple protesters tried to block the roadway while police from Evanston and Chicago worked to keep a corridor open for vehicles to leave the area. DHS TORCHES ‘BAMBOOZLED’ DEMS FOR CALLING ICE CRACKDOWN ‘VICIOUS LIES’ Biss, who is running for Congress as a “pragmatic progressive,” later amplified his criticism in a post on X, writing, “The only ‘violent mob’ in Evanston today was Greg Bovino and his masked thugs, terrorizing innocent people and then lying about our city to try and sow chaos.” He added that Evanston is “safe in spite of ICE/CBP, not because of it,” praised residents who “chased you out of town” and concluded with, “Don’t come back.” Bovino disputed Biss’ claims and described the encounter as productive. ICE ACCUSES DEM LAWMAKER OF JOINING ‘RIOTING CROWD’ IN ARIZONA, INTERFERING IN MASS ARREST He wrote that agents were in Evanston “to make his city a safer place through Title 8 immigration enforcement” and said the mayor “fell back into the divisive talking points that we’ve heard ad nauseam.” Bovino called it an “excellent day in Evanston.” The Evanston Police Department and Chicago Police Department assisted with crowd control and ensuring federal vehicles could exit safely, according to Bovino’s account. In the video, officers directed traffic and created space as protesters attempted to approach the convoy. Title 8 is the federal legal framework for immigration enforcement and can involve operations far from the border when agents are conducting investigations or targeting specific individuals. Wednesday’s confrontation reflects growing tensions between federal immigration enforcement and leadership in Democrat-run communities. Fox News Digital reached out to Biss’ office and U.S. Customs and Border Protection for comment.
Federal employees in the hot seat as GOP senator pushes transparency proposal: ‘Historic opportunity’
FIRST ON FOX: Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, introduced legislation that would compel the United States Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to create a public directory of federal government employees, including their salaries, job descriptions and other details. Ernst’s introduction of the Where’s the Workforce At Listed by Duties and Office (Where’s WALDO) Act follows a report from conservative fiscal watchdog group Open The Books showing that the swamp has gotten bigger, richer and more secretive since 2020. “Besides raking in massive paychecks, including close to 800,000 non-War Department employees who make $100,000 or more per year, hundreds of thousands of government workers’ names and information were redacted from the information Open The Books was able to obtain for it’s “Mapping The Swamp” report,” Ernst said. DEPT OF ED SPENDING SOARED 749% DESPITE DOWNSIZING, NEW DOGE-INSPIRED INITIATIVE REVEALS “Like a twisted game of reverse Secret Santa, taxpayers are gifting paychecks to bureaucrats who remain anonymous. “The American people should not be forced to play ‘Where’s Waldo’ when it comes to figuring out where federal workers are during the workday. I will be embracing the Christmas spirit by creating a list, that anyone can check twice, to clearly state where every federal employee is and how much they are being paid.” Open The Books, a project of American Transparency, a 501(c)3 nonprofit, nonpartisan charitable organization, closely tracks government spending and released an expansive report last month that analyzed all publicly disclosed federal salaries for fiscal year 2024. The group found a total of 2.9 million civil service employees with a total payroll of $270 billion, plus an additional 30% for benefits. According to the data, while the total number of employees rose by 5% since 2020, payroll grew nearly five times as much. The current federal workforce is costing American taxpayers $673,000 per minute, $40.4 million per hour and just under $1 billion per day, according to Open The Books. This includes almost 1,000 workers who are making more than the president’s $400,000 per year salary, 31,452 non-War Department federal employees who made more than every governor of all 50 states and 793,537 people making $100,000 or more. Those making $300,000 or more have seen an 84% increase since 2020, while there has similarly been an 82% increase in those earning $200,000 or more, the report points out. During Open The Book’s investigation, the fiscal watchdog group also found that the names of 383,000 federal workers from 56 different agencies were redacted, amounting to a total of $38.3 billion in pay. AOC’S CAMPAIGN POURS MASSIVE CASH INTO LUXURY PUERTO RICO HOTELS, PRICEY CATERING AND BAD BUNNY VENUE RENTAL “The Trump administration has a historic opportunity to bring transparency to the administrative state. While federal employees don’t add as much to the debt as safety net programs or defense spending, they do cost us a billion dollars per day. Their performance for taxpayers can be the difference between efficient, effective services and a vicious cycle of administrative bloat,” Open The Books CEO John Hart told Fox News Digital. “Our investigators found far too many redactions and blind spots, including a vast ecosystem of contractors, that DOGE could have fixed. Accountability for taxpayers is impossible without real-time transparency. Making these disclosures a routine responsibility of OPM is an excellent step toward the real-time transparency our founders would have written into the Constitution had they been alive today.” When reached for comment, an OPM spokesperson told Fox News Digital that it “is proud to support” Ernst’s new bill, describing the legislation’s suggested measures as “common sense.” “Transparency and accountability in the federal workforce are essential to maintaining public trust,” the spokesperson said. “Providing the public with clear, standardized information about federal positions, duties and compensation while appropriately protecting employee privacy is an important part of good government.” Ernst’s Where’s WALDO Act would include both employees of the government and federal contractors. Once the bill has passed, OPM will have 18 months to develop the directory. The directory, according to the bill, must include each worker’s name, job title, description of duties, agency of employment, primary duty station, annual rate of pay including bonuses and the date at which the individual started working.
Senate GOP moves 97 Trump nominees closer to historic milestone
Senate Republicans inched closer to history on Wednesday after blowing past yet another procedural obstacle on their way to confirming nearly 100 of President Donald Trump’s nominees. As part of their mad dash from Washington ahead of the upcoming holiday recess, Senate Republicans advanced a tranche of 97 of Trump’s picks. The successful party-line vote puts the GOP one step away from confirming the batch of nominees. The final confirmation vote is expected on Thursday, barring an agreement with Senate Democrats to speed up the process. SENATE GOP BARRELS PAST BLOCKADE TO ADVANCE NEARLY 100 TRUMP NOMINEES And if that vote is successful, which it is expected to be, Senate Republicans will have confirmed more of Trump’s picks than any other president in one year. The current nominees package would place Trump at 415 total confirmed during the first year of his second term, which leapfrogs his total of 323 during his first term. It also blows past former President Joe Biden, who, at the same period at the end of his first year in office, had 365. Senate Republicans have rapidly confirmed hundreds of Trump’s picks since changing the Senate’s rules surrounding the confirmation process in September in a bid to smash through Senate Democrats’ blockade against advancing even the most low-level positions throughout the Trump administration. SENATE REPUBLICANS PUSH MAJOR RULE CHANGE TO FAST-TRACK TRUMP NOMINEES IN BATCHES THIS WEEK The GOP went nuclear — the fourth time in the Senate’s history — to lower the threshold for certain picks to just a simple majority, rather than the typical, 60-vote filibuster. That change has allowed Republicans to quickly move through sub-cabinet level positions at a brisk pace and to tee up Trump’s expected historic moment. Among the list of nominees are former Rep. Anthony D’Esposito, R-N.Y., to serve as inspector general at the Department of Labor and two picks for the National Labor Relations Board, James Murphy and Scott Mayer, along with several others across nearly every federal agency. TRUMP RENOMINATES MUSK ALLY JARED ISAACMAN TO LEAD NASA AFTER EARLIER REVERSAL Lawmakers also separately confirmed Trump’s choice to run the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), billionaire Jared Isaacman, and his pick for a spot on the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Douglas Weaver. Isaacman’s confirmation sailed through on a bipartisan 67-30 vote but served as the second go-round for the upper chamber to ruminate on his ascension atop NASA. Trump had previously nominated him to run the nation’s space agency in December last year, but he was pulled earlier this year after a “thorough review of prior associations.” But Isaacman was later renominated in November for the same post, where Trump lauded his “passion for space, astronaut experience, and dedication to pushing the boundaries of exploration, unlocking the mysteries of the universe, and advancing the new space economy.”
Over 200 House Dems vote against criminalizing transgender surgery for kids
More than 200 House Democrats voted against a bill aimed at criminalizing transgender medical treatment for minors on Wednesday evening. The bill passed in a 216 to 211 vote that had some bipartisan crossover. Three Democrats, Reps. Vicente Gonzales, D-Texas, Don Davis, D-N.C., and Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, voted with Republicans for the bill. Four Republicans, Reps. Mike Kennedy, R-Utah, Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pa., Gabe Evans, R-Colo., and Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., voted against it. TRANS DEM REP. MCBRIDE SUGGESTS PARTY WENT TOO FAR WITH TRANSGENDER AGENDA BEFORE PUBLIC WAS READY It was widely opposed by most Democrats, however. Forty-five House Republicans signed on to formally back the legislation before the vote. And while the majority of Republicans supported it on the House floor, it’s unclear as of now if it will be taken up in the GOP-led Senate. Transgender issues, particularly related to minors, have been one of the topics driving a wedge between moderate and progressive Democrats. But the severity of the bill’s language appears to have turned off a significant number of Democrats in the House. The bill creates new federal crimes that carry up to 10 years in prison for doctors performing transgender-affirming surgeries on minors, while also making it a crime to prescribe puberty blockers. GENDER DYSPHORIA TREATMENTS POSE ‘SIGNIFICANT RISKS’ TO KIDS AND TEENS, HHS REPORT REVEALS Parents or guardians of children under 18 could also be held criminally liable if they consent to or otherwise facilitate transgender treatment for them. “This extreme bill puts the threat of prosecution between hundreds of thousands of families and their doctors and would put doctors behind bars for exercising their best medical judgment,” said Mike Zamore, National Director of Policy & Government Affairs at the American Civil Liberties Union. “Passing this bill would be a grave escalation of an already severe effort to not only push transgender people out of public life but also allow the state to control our bodies and our lives further.” Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., who argued in favor of the bill on the House floor, said on Wednesday, “It is obscene. It is disgusting. You’re seeing in real time Democrats wanting and defending grooming of children. And it is abhorrent.” “There is a lie at the heart of the debate we’re having today that I have to correct — no child is born in the wrong body. There are only two sexes, male and female. There are no others,” Mace said.