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President-elect Trump expressed public support for embattled defense secretary nominee Pete Hegseth Friday, and the nominee said he had a “substantive conversation” with Sen. Joni Ernst. Hegseth, a former National Guard officer, has been meeting with Republican senators this week to rally support as allegations of sexual misconduct and excessive drinking have surfaced. He has denied any wrongdoing. Ernst has not committed to voting for Hegseth.

China is the most active and persistent cyberthreat to American critical infrastructure, but that threat has changed over the last two decades, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) says.”I do not think it is possible to design a foolproof system, but I do not think that should be the goal.

Conservatives on social media blasted former President Obama after his first speech since the presidential election in which he lamented polarization in politics.

Texas Democratic Rep. Greg Casar, the newly elected chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, spent years as a City Council member in Austin and led the charge to strip funding from local law enforcement — at one point bragging about it on social media.”We did it!!” Casar wrote on X after legislation he drafted in the Austin City Council passed, resulting in a more than $100 million cut in local police funding and an end to three incoming cadet classes.

President-elect Trump announced last week that he intends to nominate former White House aide and longtime ally Kash Patel to serve as FBI director, potentially making him the only U.S. president to have fired and installed two separate FBI directors in the middle of their 10-year terms.

President-elect Donald Trump has been aggressively rolling out his picks to serve in his Cabinet and other top roles. Thursday was no different as he focused on picks that would work hard to secure the border and carry out a mass deportation operation. Trump added nominees for homeland security and immigration, naming Rodney Scott as Commissioner of U.S.

President-elect Trump has tapped former Sen. David Perdue, R-Ga., to serve as U.S. Ambassador to China. In his announcement, Trump said Perdue “brings valuable expertise to help build our relationship with China,” citing his decades-long career in business.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom railed against President-Elect Trump’s proposal to impose 25% tariffs on goods from Mexico and Canada during a visit to the southern border to announce plans to finish constructing the Otay Mesa East Port of Entry on Thursday afternoon.Newsom described the tariffs as “one of the biggest tax increases in U.S. history” that would affect Californians’ wallets and small businesses, especially farmers across the Golden State.

President-elect Trump named former PayPal Chief Operating Officer David Sacks to be his White House artificial intelligence (AI) and cryptocurrency czar.”In this important role, David will guide policy for the Administration in Artificial Intelligence and Cryptocurrency, two areas critical to the future of American competitiveness,” Trump said in his announcement Thursday evening.”David will focus on making America the clear global leader in both areas,” he said.

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FIRST ON FOX: The ultra-conservative House Freedom Caucus is calling on Republican leaders to reject President Biden’s $98.4 billion disaster aid request.In an official position staked out by the GOP group on Wednesday evening, lawmakers are demanding a slimmed-down package covering what is “absolutely necessary,” to be offset with spending cuts elsewhere.

President-elect Trump announced Wednesday he is nominating former Missouri Rep. Billy Long to serve as commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) in his new administration.In a statement released Wednesday, Trump called the former congressman “an extremely hard worker, and respected by all, especially by those who know him in Congress.” The president-elect also referenced Long’s experience working as a tax adviser.

Welcome to the Fox News Politics newsletter, with the latest updates on the Trump transition, exclusive interviews and more Fox News politics content.

First son Hunter Biden was spotted on camera for the first time since his father, President Biden, pardoned him, smiling for the cameras as he picked up a fast-food order in California. Hunter was seen on Wednesday afternoon in Santa Barbara sporting a T-shirt, jeans and baseball cap while picking up food from an Arby’s. The media was heard asking Hunter in a short video outside the restaurant if he had any comment on the pardon.

Oklahoma will consider a new measure to make the role of school district superintendent an elected position in response to a spate of controversial situations involving scholastic leaders, Fox News Digital has learned.

Democrat Adam Gray has won California’s 13th Congressional District race, defeating incumbent Republican Rep. John Duarte, according to The Associated Press.California’s 13th Congressional District was the last seat to be called, with the district being one of the most competitive races in the Golden State. Republicans maintained the majority with 220, with Democrats trailing at 216.

The federal judge overseeing Hunter Biden’s tax case issued a sharp rebuke of President Biden’s claim that his son was unfairly treated as well as the president’s delivery method following the president’s last-minute pardon.U.S.

U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is considering a run to lead Democrats on the House Oversight Committee as younger members of the party seek to oust aging committee leaders. The New York Democrat may be looking to replace Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., if he vacates his seat to challenge Rep. Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., for the top Democratic spot on the House Judiciary Committee, Politico reported. Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va.

Attorneys for first son Hunter Biden filed a motion with the court arguing that the grand jury indictment against President Biden’s son be dismissed completely, though the special counsel assigned to the case says the dismissal should be denied.President Biden pardoned his son Hunter late Sunday evening, sparing him from being sentenced in a pair of separate court cases in which he was found guilty of illegally purchasing a gun and failing to pay $1.

President-elect Trump will travel to Paris this weekend to attend the re-opening of the Notre Dame Cathedral, five years after a devastating fire damaged the 12th-century structure. Trump announced the Dec. 7 visit on social media.

President-elect Trump suggested to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau last week that if a tariff for failing to address trade and immigration issues would kill the neighbor to the north’s economy, maybe it should become the 51st state, sources told Fox News.Last Friday, Trudeau flew to Mar-a-Lago unannounced after Trump threatened to impose sweeping tariffs on Canadian products.

President-elect Trump picked businessman and philanthropist Warren A. Stephens to serve as the U.S. ambassador to the Court of St. James, who, in simple terms, is the country’s representative to the U.K.”Over the last 38 years, while serving as the president, chairman, and CEO of his company, Stephens Inc., Warren has built a wonderful financial services firm, while selflessly giving back to his community as a philanthropist,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social.

President Joe Biden faced mounting criticism Monday for his decision to issue a sweeping pardon of his son, Hunter Biden, with detractors not only citing the breadth of the pardon itself but also the degree to which it breaks with the president’s history of extolling the virtues of the judiciary as a bulwark against executive abuses of power.

First son Hunter Biden said Sunday after his father, President Joe Biden, pardoned him that he has “taken responsibility” for his mistakes which have been “exploited to publicly humiliate and shame me and my family for political sport.

Lawmakers reacted with harsh criticism on Sunday after President Biden pardoned his son Hunter Biden, who earlier this year was convicted in two separate federal cases.The pardon comes after Biden and his communications team continued to insist the president’s son would not be pardoned.

President-elect Trump reacted to President Biden’s surprise decision to pardon his son Hunter on Sunday.Biden’s move to pardon – a decision he previously claimed he would not make – turned heads across the country. In a Truth Social post on Sunday night, Trump suggested that Biden should have pardoned Jan. 6 protesters.”Does the Pardon given by Joe to Hunter include the J-6 Hostages, who have now been imprisoned for years?” Trump wrote.