New York judge sets Trump sentencing days before inauguration
President-elect Trump’s bid to toss his conviction in his New York criminal hush money case was denied on Friday. New York Judge Juan Merchan rejected Trump’s request to vacate the verdict in the case based on the Supreme Court’s presidential immunity decision. Merchan noted that he is still reviewing the other motions filed by Trump to dismiss the case. Sentencing will be January 10 at 9:30 a.m, with the president-elect having the option to appear in person or virtually.
GOP rebels switch vote to Johnson after Trump’s 11th hour calls, pushing him over the finish line
President-elect Trump appears to have helped Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., avoid a messy, drawn-out fight to lead the House of Representatives. Trump spoke by phone with both Reps. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., and Keith Self, R-Texas, after they had initially voted for people other than Johnson for speaker, two knowledgeable sources told Fox News Digital. Self and Norman were seen disappearing into a side room with Johnson and others after the roll call vote was complete, but before the vote was formally closed. They emerged minutes later and announced they would both vote for Johnson – cementing the Louisiana Republican’s victory. JOHNSON BLASTS DEM ACCUSATIONS HE VOWED TO END OBAMACARE AS ‘DISHONEST’ Self then confirmed to reporters that he had spoken with Trump by phone multiple times on Friday. “I talked to him a couple of times today,” Self said. “We had a lively discussion.” Self did not elaborate much further on the contents of the discussion. But the two people who spoke with Fox News Digital said Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., connected Trump with Self and Norman by phone after they voted against Johnson. REPUBLICANS GIVE DETAILS FROM CLOSED-DOOR MEETINGS WITH DOGE’S MUSK, RAMASWAMY Mace would not comment, but Fox News Digital saw her and Johnson share a hug on the House floor after they and others were in the side room with the holdouts. She was also seen in intense talks with Norman off the House floor earlier. Norman also later confirmed to reporters that he spoke with Trump on Friday. “He just made his point about how Mike is the only one who could get elected,” Norman said, adding that Trump did not change his vote but rather a “commitment that things are gonna change” from Johnson. Johnson won the House speakership in the first round of voting, after it initially appeared he was poised to lose. Self, Norman and Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., each voted for people other than Johnson, appearing to put the speaker’s gavel out of reach. But House leaders did not formally close the vote while figuring out a path forward. Meanwhile, GOP lawmakers were told to be on the House floor immediately in preparation for a second vote. That second vote did not occur, however, and Johnson was sworn in as speaker on Friday afternoon.
Trump cheers Johnson winning speaker vote: ‘America is back’
FIRST ON FOX: President-elect Trump reacted to Mike Johnson’s re-election as speaker of the House, telling Fox News Digital the process brought House Republicans “even closer together,” and said it is a continuation of “Make America Great Again.” Johnson was re-elected speaker of the House Friday. Sources told Fox News Digital that the president-elect was in “constant communication” with House Republicans throughout the process. In an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital, Trump said it was “a great honor to have helped.” “It is all a great continuation of ‘Make America Great Again,’” Trump said. MIKE JOHNSON RE-ELECTED HOUSE SPEAKER AS GOP MUTINY THREAT DISSOLVES “Mike Johnson will do a fabulous job as speaker,” Trump said. “House Republican membership was fantastic.” “This process has brought them even closer together,” he said. “It is all a reflection of the great presidential election of 2024 where we won all seven swing states, the popular vote and everything else there is to win.” “We will all be working together with total benefit going to the people of our nation,” he said. “Our country will be run with strength and common sense again.” He added: “America is back.”
Mike Johnson re-elected House speaker as GOP mutiny threat dissolves
Speaker-designate Mike Johnson, R-La., was re-elected to lead the House of Representatives on Friday. The Louisiana Republican won along party lines during the first round of voting, a stark contrast to his predecessor’s drawn-out, 15-round battle in 2023. It comes despite saber-rattling by some conservatives who threatened to withhold support from Johnson in protest of his handling of government funding and several other issues in the 118th Congress. TRUMP GIVES JOHNSON ‘COMPLETE AND TOTAL ENDORSEMENT’ AHEAD OF SPEAKERSHIP FIGHT Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., who was part of an unsuccessful push to oust Johnson last year, was the speaker-designate’s most vocal critic leading up to the Friday vote. He told former Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., on his new One America News Network program, “You can pull all my fingernails out, you can shove bamboo up in them, you can start cutting off my fingers.” “I am not voting for Mike Johnson tomorrow, and you can take that to the bank,” Massie said. JOHNSON BLASTS DEM ACCUSATIONS HE VOWED TO END OBAMACARE AS ‘DISHONEST’ Other detractors included members of the House Freedom Caucus like Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, who has expressed interest in chairing the influential House Rules Committee, the panel that directs terms for House-wide votes on legislation. Johnson’s allies warned in return that a prolonged House Speaker fight could delay Congress’ joint session to certify President-elect Donald Trump’s victory, slated for Jan. 6. Johnson also had a key backer in Trump, who emphasized his support for the GOP leader hours before the midday vote. “Good luck today for Speaker Mike Johnson, a fine man of great ability, who is very close to having 100% support. A win for Mike today will be a big win for the Republican Party, and yet another acknowledgment of our 129 year most consequential Presidential Election!!” Trump wrote on his Truth Social app. Johnson wrote on X in response, “Thank you, President Trump! Today is a new day in America. Congressional Republicans must stay united to quickly deliver President Trump’s America First agenda. Let’s get it done.” His victory marks the start of his first full term as speaker. Johnson won the gavel in October 2023 after three weeks of closed-door talks following the ouster of ex-Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif.
Washington state Democrats accidentally email their ‘radical’ tax plan to entire Senate
Washington state Democrats appeared to have accidentally emailed their sweeping revenue plans and internal talking points on tax hikes to the entirety of the upper chamber’s members in Olympia, Fox News has learned. Property tax hikes and a new double-digit tax on firearms are among proposals Washington state Democrats are considering, according to materials originally disseminated to all members by Washington Senate Deputy Floor Leader Noel Frame, D-Seattle, in late December and later obtained by Fox News Digital. A document entitled “2025 Revenue Options” and a PowerPoint presentation describing how to talk to constituents in defense of the plan were included in the messages. The document lists proposed figures for an 11% tax on ammunition and firearms, reclassifying storage unit rentals as a retail transaction and a lift on the property tax levy lid for certain Washingtonians. A PowerPoint slide, highlighted by Seattle radio host Jason Rantz, described the “Best way to talk taxes” – with a chart of do’s and don’ts for lawmakers. DEMOCRAT ATTORNEYS GENERAL PREPARE FOR LEGAL BATTLES WITH TRUMP Do say: “Pay what they owe” – but Don’t say: “Tax the rich” or “pay their fair share” because “taxes aren’t a punishment” the graph read. It also suggested using the terms “funding” “providing” and “ensuring” when describing the apparent benefits of tax hikes, rather than the term “investing in [X].” “Avoid centering the tax or talking in vague terms about ‘the economy’ or ‘education’.” One of the new proposals is that of a “capital assets ownership tax.” It is described as similar to property taxes, but instead would extend the real estate-type tax to holdings in stocks, bonds and other financial instruments. “We can ensure that extremely wealthy Washingtonians are taxed on their assets just like middle-class families are already taxed on theirs,” the slide reads. Another line directs lawmakers to proverbially “identify the villain” that is blocking “progress” and lay out “how we can take action to solve the issue.” “We have an upside-down tax code that benefits big corporations and the wealthiest few, that was written 100 years ago and desperately needs an update for the 21st century. If we ensure Washington’s wealthiest pay what they truly owe in taxes, the rest of us will have what we need — like affordable health care, housing, and food.” FLASHBACK: NYPD WARNS ANTI-ISRAEL PROTESTERS THAT A ‘SEATTLE-STYLE OCCUPATION ZONE’ WON’T BE TOLERATED Rantz said in a column for MyNorthwest.com that the plans accidentally shared present a “direct contradiction” to promises from Democrats during the election cycle and lay out 10 total new taxes on residents. “These proposals come at a time when the state has seen years of record revenue,” Rantz said, going on to claim some of the “tax schemes” may also be unconstitutional. He added that capital gains taxes actually discourage growth and potentially lead to reduced job opportunities for the same workers pro-tax Democrats claim to want to help. One example he presented was the departure of Amazon founder Jeffrey Bezos from Washington state. Upon establishing his new Florida residency, one of America’s richest men saved about $1 billion in taxes that also no longer go toward funding the Evergreen State’s programs. Rantz added that the Washington state Democratic electorate often decries the affordability crisis but then goes on to re-elect the same politicians that exacerbate it. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Additionally, as Democratic Gov.-elect Robert Ferguson is set to take office later this month, State Rep. Travis Couture, R-Allyn, slammed outgoing Gov. Jay Inslee’s 2025 budget proposal. “This budget is not a serious proposal,” said Couture, the House budget panel’s top Republican. “Our state has a spending problem, not a revenue problem,” he said. Fox News Digital has reached out to Frame for comment but did not hear back by publication time.
Federal courts will not make criminal referrals to DOJ over separate ethics complaints against Justice Thomas
Separate ethics complaints filed by members of Congress and an advocacy group against Justices Clarence Thomas and Ketanji Brown Jackson will not be referred to the Justice Department, federal court officials announced. The U.S. Judicial Conference said Thomas has agreed to follow updated guidelines on listing free private travel and gifts from friends, following previous reporting on undisclosed hospitality. For her part, Jackson has amended her financial disclosures following complaints about her husband’s consulting income as a physician. Democratic Sens. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Ron Wyden (D-OR), along with Rep. Hank Johnson (D-GA), had asked for an investigation by the judiciary itself into undisclosed hospitality provided to Thomas by billionaire friend Harland Crow. ProPublica reported on several instances of private travel and lodging over the years. SUPREME COURT CHEIF JUSTICE ROBERTS ISSUES WARNING ON ‘JUDICIAL INDEPENDENCE’ WEEKS BEFORE TRUMP’S INAUGURATION Judge Robert Conrad, who heads the judicial conference policymaking body, said in letters to the lawmakers that Thomas had filed amended financial disclosures “that address several issues identified in your letter.” Additionally, Conrad said that it was not clear whether the judiciary itself could make criminal referrals against a sitting Supreme Court member. “Because the Judicial Conference does not superintend the Supreme Court and because any effort to grant the Conference such authority would raise serious constitutional questions, one would expect Congress at a minimum to state any such directive clearly. But no such express directive appears in this provision,” Conrad said. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE SPENT OVER $100 MILLION ON DEI EDUCATION PROGRAMS OVER LAST FOUR YEARS Conrad noted that Whitehouse and Wyden had separately asked Attorney General Merrick Garland to name a special counsel to investigate then-former President Donald Trump. Garland has not acted yet on that request. Whitehouse, in a statement, criticized the Judicial Conference’s decision. “By all appearances, the judicial branch is shirking its statutory duty to hold a Supreme Court justice accountable for ethics violations,” said Whitehouse. The complaint filed against Jackson came from Citizens for Renewing America, led by Russ Vought, who was nominated by President-elect Trump to lead the Office of Management and Budget. Questions over ethics, including unreported private travel by some justices, have led the court to adopt its first code of ethics last year. However, compliance is left to each of the nine justices, leading to concerns the court is not taking its own ethics enforcement standards seriously. A two-year investigation by Senate Democrats released last week found additional luxury travel by Justice Thomas in 2021 was not noted on his annual financial disclosure form. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Fix the Court, a group which advocates for greater judicial transparency, urged Congress to act. “The Conference’s letters further underscore the need for Congress to create a new and transparent mechanism to investigate the justices for ethics violations since the Conference is unwilling to act upon the one method we had presumed existed to do that,” said Executive Director Gabe Roth.
Potential 2028 Dem hopeful follows Biden lead, commutes 15 death-row sentences on final day as governor
On his way out the door, then-North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper commuted the sentences of 15 individuals on the Tarheel State’s death row. Cooper, a Democrat whose name has been floated as one of the party’s topline names for the 2028 presidential contest, acted similarly to outgoing President Biden – who caught heat last week for commuting sentences for almost all federal death row inmates. “These reviews are among the most difficult decisions a governor can make and the death penalty is the most severe sentence that the state can impose,” Cooper said in a statement. “After thorough review, reflection, and prayer, I concluded that the death sentence imposed on these 15 people should be commuted, while ensuring they will spend the rest of their lives in prison.” NC TO OVERRIDE DEM VETO OVER COOPERATION WITH ICE AS TRUMP HINTS AT AGENCY REFORM No executions have occurred in North Carolina since 2006 due to ongoing litigation. One of the inmates who saw his sentence commuted to life was felony murder inmate Hasson Bacote. Bacote had originally filed suit in 2010 challenging his death sentence under North Carolina’s Racial Justice Act – which reportedly allows defendants to challenge sentences if they can determine racial bias. Bacote, who is Black, had been convicted of shooting an 18-year-old by a White-majority Johnston County jury. Rayford Burke, an Iredell County murder convict who received a commutation, also reportedly sought relief under the Racial Justice Act, according to WCNC. Another commutation recipient, Christopher Roseboro, has been in prison for about 30 years. In 1994, Roseboro was indicted on first-degree rape and other charges stemming from allegations he and another man robbed an elderly neighbor who was later found dead along with evidence she had been sexually assaulted. The co-defendant, Roger Bell, is already serving a life sentence. A Union County man, Darrell Strickland, was convicted of manslaughter following a tragic Jan. 1, 1995 argument. He also saw his sentence commuted to life without parole. PA LAWMAKERS DEMAND SCRANTON STRIP ‘BIDEN EXPY’ NAME, CALLING IT A ‘SCAR’ FOLLOWING ‘KIDS-4-CASH’ SCANDAL Vincent Wooten, a Pitt County man sentenced for the 1993 murder of Edward Wilson, also saw his sentence commuted, according to the Greenville Daily Reflector. Wooten, then 20, saw evidence presented at his trial alleging he shot Wilson with a modified-to-automatic AR-15 rifle after a safe, filled with cocaine and cash, was stolen from the mother of Wooten’s girlfriend. Another commuted convict, Guy T. LeGrande, had been sent to prison following a murder-for-hire incident. LeGrande was later diagnosed with a mental disorder, according to Mother Jones, and had previously claimed to be able to communicate with Oprah Winfrey through a television. Cooper’s commutations follow Biden’s flurry of orders reclassifying death sentences to life without parole for 37 convicts. “President Biden has dedicated his career to reducing violent crime and ensuring a fair and effective justice system,” the White House said in a December statement. “He believes that America must stop the use of the death penalty at the federal level, except in cases of terrorism and hate-motivated mass murder – which is why today’s actions apply to all but those cases.” A man sentenced to death for a 2003 Tennessee shooting said he was surprised Biden commuted so many convicts’ terms. “I resolved not to squander this act of mercy, this grace of life. I resolved to be part of Biden’s legacy—by the way I contribute to the betterment of society and prisons,” Rejon Taylor told Newsweek. “Biden doesn’t realize this now, but his act of mercy will resound through me, bearing fruit that will outlive his time on this earth.” Some of Biden’s other commutations, including a Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, judge jailed in a “kids-for-cash” scandal where juveniles were aggressively prosecuted and sent to for-profit prisons, have sparked bipartisan outrage. Cooper’s 77 total pardons and commutations over his two terms, however, are dwarfed by the nearly 700 from fellow Democratic Gov. James B. Hunt Jr., who served four terms in two non-consecutive eight-year periods, according to NC Newsline. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Only three men remain on federal death row after Biden’s actions: Robert Gregory Bowers, Dzhokar Anzorovich Tsarnaev and Dylann Storm Roof. Bowers was convicted in the 2018 Pennsylvania synagogue shooting, Roof massacred several Black churchgoers in South Carolina and Tsarnaev – along with his now-deceased brother Tamerlan — masterminded the Boston Marathon bombing. Then-North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein, a Democrat, was sworn into the governor’s office to succeed Cooper in Raleigh on Wednesday.
FBI declines to say whether it will fire, discipline agent who said attack was ‘not a terrorist event’
The FBI has remained silent on whether it will fire or discipline the agent who initially told the media and public that the shocking New Year’s Day attack in New Orleans was “not a terrorist event,” before the agency quickly backtracked and reported the attack was in fact under investigation as a terror incident. Fox News Digital reached out to the FBI’s press office and press secretary on Thursday and Friday, inquiring whether New Orleans field office FBI Assistant Special Agent in Charge Alethea Duncan would face termination or disciplinary action over her initial claim the attack was not connected to terrorism, but did not receive replies. Fox Digital also called the FBI press office on Friday morning but could not leave a message regarding the inquiry as the voicemail box was full. After chaos unfolded on Bourbon Street early Wednesday morning as New Year’s revelers celebrated the holiday, Duncan spoke during a press conference, declaring the attack was not connected to terrorism. “We’ll be taking over the investigative lead for this event. This is not a terrorist event,” Duncan said during the presser. FLASHBACK: BIDEN DOWNPLAYS ISIS THREAT TO US, REPEATEDLY SAYS WHITE SUPREMACY ‘MOST LETHAL’ DANGER During that same press conference, however, the mayor of New Orleans told the media and public that the city did in fact suffer a terror attack. “Know that the city of New Orleans was impacted by a terrorist attack. It’s all still under investigation,” Mayor LaToya Cantrell, a Democrat who has served in the role since 2018, said at the presser. On Thursday, the FBI responded to Fox Digital’s request for comment regarding criticisms surrounding Duncan’s initial assessment that the attack was not connected to terrorism, detailing to Fox Digital that, on the day of the attack, the FBI released three different statements that all said that the FBI was investigating the incident as an act of terrorism. THE 6 BIGGEST FBI SCANDALS UNDER THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION “This morning, an individual drove a car into a crowd of people on Bourbon Street in New Orleans, killing a number of people and injuring dozens of others. The subject then engaged with local law enforcement and is now deceased. The FBI is the lead investigative agency, and we are working with our partners to investigate this as an act of terrorism,” the FBI said in one of the statements provided to Fox Digital. Duncan also said in subsequent press conferences that the attack is being investigated as an act of terror. The FBI confirmed this week that the suspect, Shamsud-Din Jabbar, 42, had an ISIS flag in his truck at the time of the attack. The FBI added Thursday that Jabbar had been “inspired” by ISIS but that they have not found any evidence that he was directed by ISIS to carry out the rampage. Jabbar, a 42-year-old Army veteran from Texas, was killed after exchanging gunfire with police after plowing a truck through crowds of people. ‘WHEN THEY FAIL, AMERICANS DIE’: TRUMP SOURCE BLASTS FBI, URGES SWIFT CONFIRMATION OF KASH PATEL AS DIRECTOR Conservative lawmakers, Trump allies and voters have slammed the FBI for its handling of the investigation, including Republican Tennessee Sen. Marsha Blackburn, arguing that the FBI has put a heightened focus on DEI practices rather than fighting crime. “The FBI has a no-fail mission. There is no room for error. When they fail, Americans die. It’s a necessity that Kash Patel gets confirmed ASAP,” a source close to President-elect Donald Trump added in criticism to Fox News Digital on Thursday morning.
‘Radical’ FBI practices on DEI ‘endangered’ Americans, Blackburn says in letter demanding answers from Wray
FIRST ON FOX: Republican Sen. Marsha Blackburn sent a letter to FBI Director Christopher Wray on Friday demanding answers regarding the top federal law enforcement agency’s “radical” DEI practices following the shocking New Year’s Day terrorist attack in New Orleans. “While the facts surrounding this unconscionable attack continue to emerge, what we know is deeply troubling: the suspect was in possession of weapons, improvised explosive devices, and an ISIS flag. This horrific incident constitutes a blatant act of terror on the American homeland, and the people of our country deserve to know whether federal law enforcement agencies can sufficiently prevent and respond to such incidents,” Blackburn wrote in her letter to Wray on Friday, which was exclusively obtained by Fox News Digital. “To that end, I am deeply concerned that—under your leadership—the Bureau has prioritized Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives over its core mission of protecting the American people,” the Tennessee senator continued. Chaos broke out on New Orleans’s famed Bourbon Street just after 3 a.m. on New Year’s Day, when a truck plowed through crowds of revelers celebrating the holiday. At least 14 people were killed and 30 others injured. FLASHBACK: BIDEN DOWNPLAYS ISIS THREAT TO US, REPEATEDLY SAYS WHITE SUPREMACY ‘MOST LETHAL’ DANGER The suspect, Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a twice-divorced Army veteran from Texas, was armed with a Glock and a .308 rifle during the attack. He was killed after opening fire on police. After the attack unfolded on Wednesday morning, Blackburn took to social media to call for the confirmation of President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to lead the FBI, Kash Patel, and to admonish current leadership at the agency for allegedly putting a greater focus on DEI practices than “fighting criminals and terrorists.“ In her letter to Wray on Friday, Blackburn cited a recent report from a group of retired FBI agents who found “law enforcement and intelligence capabilities of the FBI are degrading because the FBI is no longer hiring ‘the best and the brightest’ candidates,” as well as the hiring of a Chief Diversity Officer at the FBI in 2021, as well as the New Orleans field office hosting a “Diversity Agent Recruiting Event” in July as evidence of the agency’s heightened focus on DEI. “Most recently, in a striking example of tone deafness, the New Orleans FBI Field office thought it important to brag on X about how many bracelets its agents had collected. Your decision to prioritize politics, pop culture, or almost anything else over your mission to protect the public has put Americans in harm’s way, and the January 1 terror attack was the inevitable consequence,” Blackburn wrote in her letter. THE 6 BIGGEST FBI SCANDALS UNDER THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION “Put simply, your focus on woke DEI initiatives at the FBI has endangered our national security and the lives of all Americans. Americans now feel increasingly unsafe because of incidents like the January 1 terror attack, and the FBI’s prioritization of diversity over competence shows that their concerns are well founded. Fortunately, the American people have spoken, and President Trump will soon bring law and order back to our nation,” Blackburn continued. ‘WHEN THEY FAIL, AMERICANS DIE’: TRUMP SOURCE BLASTS FBI, URGES SWIFT CONFIRMATION OF KASH PATEL AS DIRECTOR The FBI took the lead on the case Wednesday, first landing in hot water with Trump allies and voters, including for initially reporting to the public that the attack was not an instance of terrorism. “We’ll be taking over the investigative lead for this event. This is not a terrorist event,” said New Orleans field office FBI Assistant Special Agent in Charge Alethea Duncan during a Wednesday morning press conference. During that same press conference, however, the Democratic mayor of New Orleans contradicted Duncan’s comment and minced no words in detailing that the city faced an act of terror. When asked about Duncan’s comment, the FBI directed Fox News Digital on Thursday to three press releases published the day before, detailing that the attack was being investigated as a terror incident. The press releases also detailed that an ISIS flag was found in the suspect’s truck. “This morning, an individual drove a car into a crowd of people on Bourbon Street in New Orleans, killing a number of people and injuring dozens of others. The subject then engaged with local law enforcement and is now deceased. The FBI is the lead investigative agency, and we are working with our partners to investigate this as an act of terrorism,” the FBI said in one of its three statements provided to Fox Digital. BIDEN BLASTED FOR CALLING ‘WHITE SUPREMACY’ ‘MOST DANGEROUS TERRORIST THREAT’ AT COLLEGE SPEECH: ‘PURE EVIL’ Blackburn continued in her letter to Wray with five questions surrounding the FBI’s DEI hiring practices, including: How many FBI employees have been hired based on the Bureau’s DEI initiatives; how the DEI initiatives are funded and if any of the FBI’s funds were reallocated to such initiatives; as well as how many individuals were hired during the New Orleans field office’s Diversity Agent Recruiting Event in July. NEW ORLEANS ATTACK: INVESTIGATION CONTINUES FOR POTENTIAL LINKS BETWEEN BOURBON STREET AND TRUMP HOTEL BOMBING “Has the Bureau recently terminated the employment of any FBI agents who assist the FBI’s National Security Branch counterterrorism and intelligence components?” Blackburn asked in her final questions. “In the online posting about the July 17 event, FBI New Orleans Special Agent in Charge Lyonel Myrthil is quoted as stating that “the diversity of our staff is the most valuable resource we have in . . . keeping Americans safe.” Do you agree with that statement?” Wray announced that he would step down from the FBI at the end of President Biden’s term this month, after Trump nominated Kash Patel to the role. Wray was first nominated under the first Trump administration and was in the midst of a 10-year term that would not have ended until 2027. “Until the President-Elect’s nominee to lead the FBI is confirmed, the American people deserve to know the full extent
Significant majority believe Trump will ‘control illegal immigration’: poll
A strong majority of Americans believe that President-elect Donald Trump will control illegal immigration, as the president-elect eyes a historic mass deportation campaign and additional border security measures when he takes office this month. A Gallup poll released Thursday found that 68% of Americans predict that Trump will control illegal immigration. Just 28% of those polled said he would not. Trump made tackling illegal immigration the cornerstone of his presidential bid, as the country reeled from a historic migrant crisis at the southern border. TRUMP SAYS HE’S NOT CHANGED HIS MIND ON H-1B VISAS AS DEBATE RAGES WITHIN MAGA COALITION “We’re going to fix our borders. We’re going to fix everything about our country,” he said after winning the election in November. Trump has promised to launch the “largest domestic deportation operation in American history.” The former president has also promised to invoke the Alien Enemies Act to “remove all known or suspected Gang Members, drug dealers, or Cartel Members from the United States” and shift law enforcement to immigration enforcement. He has also promised to resume construction of a wall at the southern border. Construction started in his first administration but was largely stopped by the Biden administration. Fox Digital has previously reported on plans to increase the use of ankle monitors among those unable to be detained and the possibility of expanding immigration detention near major metropolitan areas. Trump has appointed former acting ICE Director Tom Homan as border czar and nominated South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem to be the next Homeland Security secretary. DEMS URGE BIDEN TO EXTEND CONTROVERSIAL IMMIGRANT PROGRAM; TRUMP SAYS HE’LL CUT IT Other issues which those polled believe Trump will find success with include reducing unemployment (60%), keeping the U.S. safe from terrorism (60%), improving the economy (58%) and keeping the country out of war (55%). Majorities also believe that Trump will cut taxes, reduce the crime rate and “increase respect for the United States abroad.” CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF THE BORDER SECURITY CRISIS Those polled were less convinced, however, that Trump will improve healthcare (40%), improve the environment (35%) and heal political divisions in the country (33%). A Fox News Poll in December found that a majority of voters were excited about the incoming administration. At least half said they were hopeful (54%) or relieved (50%), and just under half feel excited (48%). The survey found the economy remains the most important issue (34%), with immigration and border security a distant second (21%). No other issue reached double digits, including abortion (7%), which was a top issue all year.