After dozens of tweets from billionaire Elon Musk, lawmakers killed a federal spending bill that would have funded the government until March. What role might Musk play in Trump’s government?
Embattled Illinois mayor declares ‘I am your Rosa Parks’
Controversial Dolton, Illinois “super mayor” and Thornton Township supervisor Tiffany Henyard compared herself to multiple historical figures amid a struggle to maintain power.
Within the Thornton Township in Illinois, an ongoing insurance dispute between supervisor Henyard and local board members Carmen Carlisle and Chris Gonzalez has escalated into a government shutdown. As a result, many services are unavailable due to a lack of liability insurance, including access to pay bills amid the gridlocked government.
ABC7 reported that the core of the feud is that the two trustees “say they’re boycotting to prevent Henyard from appointing a tie-breaking trustee.”
“Our hesitation is that if there’s a person in there that will just say yes to everything, it will set us back,” Carlisle said.
Embattled Illinois politician Tiffany Henyard compared herself to multiple figures associated with civil rights. (ABC 7 Chicago YouTube channel)
When Henyard was asked in an interview by the local news outlet whether she indeed would have the power to appoint such a person, she disputed the trustees’ claims.
“I do not. I do not have sole power to appoint anybody,” Henyard said. “When you gonna say, ‘Hey, it’s neglect.’ You’re neglecting your duties as an elected official.”
The area is still reeling from a controversial Democratic caucus where State Sen. Napoleon Harris replaced Henyard at the top of the ticket.
State Senator Napoleon Harris told ABC7 that “everything was done above board” with the recent caucus. (ABC 7 Chicago YouTube channel)
Henyard reacted to the shakeup by declaring, “We didn’t have our opportunity to be heard,” and that “On Dec. 3, 2024, your right to vote was hijacked by your committeeman, Sen. Napoleon Harris.”
Harris disputed this narrative when he spoke to ABC7.
“No one was denied entry, everything was done above board,” he said. “We need to respect the rule of law.”
EMBATTLED DOLTON MAYOR TIFFANY HENYARD ACCUSED OF ‘POLITICALLY TARGETING’ TOWN’S OWN PARK DISTRICT
Henyard disputed the shakeup again by declaring to the same news outlet, “I am history. I am the 21st Century History,” Henyard said. “I am your Rosa Parks, your Harriet Tubmans. [sic] I am that person. Somebody has to say never, never ever give up.”
The town’s shutdown is taking a toll on local residents like Tom Olejniczak, who showed up early on Wednesday morning to hand in paperwork for an assistance program.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
“OK, here I am, and they disappeared now,” Olejniczak observed. “So now what? What do you do now?”
Advocates want Biden to spare the lives of the 40 prisoners on federal death row
Anti-death penalty advocates hope President Biden will grant clemency to 40 people on federal death row. He has already commuted the sentences of nearly 1,500 people and pardoned 39 others.
Chilling Google searches lead police to arrest active-duty Marine in alleged murder of escort
An active-duty Marine was recently arrested after Google searches led Florida investigators to suspect he murdered a reality TV star and dumped her body in an Alabama pond.
Willie Ellington, 20, who was stationed onboard the Naval Air Station Pensacola, was arrested on Wednesday and charged with first-degree murder and possession of child pornography, according to the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office.
Tshey Ronaie Bennett, 26, who was last seen meeting Ellington at the Sweet Dream Inn, was reported missing Saturday, according to the sheriff’s office.
Authorities identified Bennett as an “escort,” but did not elaborate on the purpose of the meet-up.
MEDICAL EXAMINER SAYS SUBWAY MADMAN HAD DRUGS IN SYSTEM IN MARINE VET’S CHOKEHOLD TRIAL
U.S. Marine Willie Ellington is facing first-degree murder and possession of child pornography charges. (Lee County Sheriff’s Office Alabama)
Bennett appeared on the first season of HollyHoodTV’s series “Skrippa Bootcamp,” which premiered earlier this year, according to her Facebook biography.
The show centered around a dozen “aspiring and elite dancers” living together while working to perfect their craft, according to the show’s website.
Due to the “suspicious circumstances” surrounding her disappearance, investigators worked the case as a potential homicide, authorities said.
Tshey Ronaie Bennett was reported missing Saturday, and her body was found Wednesday. (Escambia County Sheriff’s Office)
Bennett’s car and phone remained at the inn, but the bedding was missing, according to a report from Military.com.
Her body was found Wednesday inside a pond in an abandoned neighborhood in Mobile, Alabama, according to the sheriff’s office.
CAMP LEJEUNE MARINE IN CUSTODY AFTER FELLOW SERVICE MEMBER FOUND DEAD
The report noted Ellington attempted to skip town via bus and had Google searches on his phone “pertaining to ‘can someone scream when they’re strangled? What is the statistic of prostitutes homicides being solved …’ and ‘How does a dead body look in two days?'”
The sheriff’s office has not publicly commented on Bennett’s cause of death, as of Thursday afternoon.
Fox News Digital reached out to the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office for comment, but did not immediately receive a response.
The Pensacola Naval Air Station in Florida. (U.S. Navy)
The District One Medical Examiner’s Office has not released Bennett’s cause of death, as of Friday afternoon.
One of Bennett’s friends, Muranda Newson, posted to Facebook, noting Bennett was a mother.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
“I hate that I’m typing this,” Newson wrote in part. “I hate that handsome boy is hurting. I really really hate someone did this to you baby you didn’t deserve this at all.”
Fox News Digital reached out to HollyHood TV on Friday for comment.
Driver Plows a Car Into a Christmas Market in Germany
At least two people were killed and dozens were wounded after a car rammed into a Christmas market in the city of Magdeburg in central Germany on Friday evening.
What 'election integrity advocates' have planned for 2025
The 2024 election was widely considered to be run fairly by majorities of political parties. But so-called “election integrity advocates” who think 2020 was stolen are already making plans for 2025.
NBA players ejected after squaring up to fight
A pair of NBA opponents were ejected Thursday night after an altercation.
After the Detroit Pistons got a bucket in the third quarter, Paul Reed bumped into Jordan Clarkson of the Utah Jazz.
Clarkson had some words for Reed, who nudged him out of the way in an effort to get back on defense.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM
Ron Holland II (00) of the Detroit Pistons looks at Jordan Clarkson (00) of the Utah Jazz after an altercation between the two during the third quarter of a game at Little Caesars Arena Dec. 19, 2024, in Detroit. (Mike Mulholland/Getty Images)
But Reed’s teammate, Ron Holland II, took exception and stepped up to Clarkson. Clarkson pushed Holland, and the two squared up but were separated before either could throw punches.
However, that did not stop referees from ejecting them both from the game.
Ron Holland II (00) of the Detroit Pistons is held back after an altercation with Jordan Clarkson (not pictured) of the Utah Jazz during the third quarter of a game at Little Caesars Arena Dec. 19, 2024, in Detroit. (Mike Mulholland/Getty Images)
LEBRON JAMES OFFERS THEORY FOR DECLINING NBA RATINGS: ‘WE GOTTA DO SOMETHING’
The Pistons attempted to fight back after trailing by as many as 29 points. They made it a five-point game late in the fourth, but Utah pulled away to take home a 126-119 win.
Collin Sexton scored 30 points and Lauri Markkanen had 27 points and 14 rebounds to lead the Jazz to the victory. For Utah, it was just their sixth victory in 26 games this season. Detroit fell to 11-17.
Jordan Clarkson (00) of the Utah Jazz is pulled away after an altercation with Ron Holland II of the Detroit Pistons during the third quarter of a game at Little Caesars Arena Dec. 19, 2024, in Detroit. (Mike Mulholland/Getty Images)
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
NBA ratings have declined by roughly 25% from last year.
Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
Police Respond to Vehicle Ramming Attack at German Christmas Market
Emergency responders attended to an incident at a Christmas market in Magdeburg, Germany, on Friday.
What happens if there is a government shutdown? : NPR
A stop sign is seen near the White House during a government shutdown in Washington in December 2018.
Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images
hide caption
toggle caption
Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images
Congress is in a familiar situation: on the brink of a government shutdown without a clear plan to avoid it.
Lawmakers are scrambling to find a way forward after President-elect Donald Trump and his adviser Elon Musk destroyed plans to pass a bill to fund the government until March 14 over the size and scope of the bill’s other provisions. The bill also included must-pass items like funding for farmers and communities hit by natural disasters.
Lawmakers have until midnight on Friday to avoid a shutdown. If they can’t reach an agreement, here’s what could happen:
Federal workers face furloughs, no pay
Federal workers that are designated ‘essential’ would stay on the job and face a delay in payment, just ahead of the holidays. Hundreds of thousands of federal workers would be furloughed — essentially suspended from work.
Federal agencies began notifying their employees of potential furloughs on Friday, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters.
“We believe there’s still time for Congress to prevent a partial shutdown,” Jean-Pierre said. “But in the interests of prudent planning, we want to be prudent here, agencies did start notifying their employees of their potential furlough today at noon.”
Agencies last updated their shutdown plans in the fall of 2023. Those plans detail how many employees would be furloughed in the event of a shutdown, and how many are exempt, like jobs deemed essential to safety or related to the president’s constitutional duties and powers.
Some furloughs only begin if a shutdown lasts longer than five days.
“A government shutdown would deliver a devastating blow to hardworking federal employees and the millions of citizens who rely on essential government services,” said Everett Kelley, the president of the American Federation of Government Employees, which represents 800,000 civilian federal employees. “Over 642,000 of them are veterans of our armed services. Allowing them to go without a paycheck over the holidays is unacceptable.”
All active-duty military remain on the job but the Department of Defense has more than 700,000 civilian employees, many of whom would be furloughed during a shutdown.
Most workers at science agencies like National Institutes of Health would also be furloughed.
In previous shutdowns, the IRS prepared for roughly two-thirds of its employees to be furloughed, meaning the agency stopped responding to taxpayer questions or auditing tax returns.
Federal contractors not directly employed by the federal government would go unpaid. While federal employees typically receive backpay once the government reopens, contractors do not. Those contractors include janitors, food service workers and other support staff.
Closures, delays and interruptions
Other changes to expect during a shutdown include:
- Closed national parks and museums, which has happened during previous shutdowns
- Delay of federal lending to businesses and people trying to buy homes
- A pause in new Pentagon contracts, although the Pentagon could place orders for supplies that are essential to protect national security
- Interruptions to Head Start, which supports education for 3- and 4-year-olds across the country, and Meals on Wheels, which brings food to elderly people. Last year, the White House said 10,000 children from low-income families would lose access to the Head Start program if a shutdown occurred
- No new loans from the Small Business Administration
Essential government functions continue
- Social Security recipients would still receive monthly payments
- Medicare and Medicaid benefits would remain, but there could be delays in processing new applications
- Veterans would continue to receive benefits
- The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and other nutrition programs would continue but could be interrupted during a lengthy shutdown
- Federal law enforcement agencies, like the FBI, would keep working
- Air traffic and airport personnel would still be on the job, even if without pay, unless employees begin to call in sick to work — as they did during the last shutdown
- Members of Congress would keep getting paychecks, but non-essential staffers would be furloughed
- The post office would still function
- Automated tax collection would continue
Biden admin withdraws proposed rule that would outlaw bans on trans athletes in girls’ sports
President Joe Biden’s Department of Education has given up on a proposed rule change that would have punished schools for preventing trans athletes from competing in women’s sports.
The Department of Education released a docket on Friday announcing its withdrawal of the proposition. The Biden administration had proposed the rule change in April 2023. The proposition was titled “Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Sex in Education Programs or Activities Receiving Federal Financial Assistance: Sex-Related Eligibility Criteria for Male and Female Athletic Teams”
The rule would have officially outlawed individual states from banning participation in single-sex sports by gender identity rather than just sex. There are 23 states in the U.S. that have legislation in place to restrict trans athletes from competing as females in public school sports.
The docket claims that the original intent of Biden’s proposal was to “propose a regulatory standard under Title IX that would govern a recipient’s adoption or application of sex-related criteria that would limit or deny a student’s eligibility to participate on a male or female athletic team consistent with their gender identity.”
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM
The department claims that its decision to withdraw comes after hearing testimony during the comment period, but that ongoing lawsuits have also played into the decision.
“The Department recognizes that there are multiple pending lawsuits related to the application of Title IX in the context of gender identity, including lawsuits related to Title IX’s application to athletic eligibility criteria in a variety of factual contexts. In light of the comments received and those various pending court cases, the Department has determined not to regulate on this issue at this time,” the docket read.
The withdrawal comes at the end of an election year when the current administration suffered multiple blows to its effort to enable trans inclusion in women’s sports.
Multiple states filed lawsuits and enacted their own laws to address the issue after the Biden-Harris administration issued a sweeping rule that clarified that Title IX’s ban on “sex” discrimination in schools covers discrimination based on gender identity, sexual orientation and “pregnancy or related conditions.”
The administration insisted the regulation does not address athletic eligibility. However, multiple experts presented evidence to Fox News Digital in June that it would ultimately put more biological men in women’s sports.
In August, The Supreme Court ruled 5-4 to deny the administration an emergency request to enforce portions of a new rule that includes protection from discrimination for transgender students under Title IX. The request would have permitted biological men in women’s bathrooms, locker rooms and dorms in 10 states where there are state-level and local-level rules in place to prevent it. Associate Justice Neil Gorsuch was the only conservative justice to dissent in that decision.
Democrats have proposed other federal legislation that would allow for more transgender inclusion in women’s sports. This record of support became a subject of nationwide backlash during the election cycle, that Republicans and President-elect Donald Trump seized on as a key campaign issue.
Past Democratic support for trans inclusion includes the Equality Act, which was proposed in 2019 and has seen revisions that “would force public schools to allow biologically male athletes who identify as transgender on girls’ sports teams.”
In March 2023, Democrats advocated for a transgender bill of rights, proposing a resolution “recognizing that it is the duty of the Federal Government to develop and implement a Transgender Bill of Rights.” The resolution specifically called for federal law to ensure that biological men can “participate in sports on teams and in programs that best align with their gender identity; [and] use school facilities that best align with their gender identity.”
On the other side of the aisle, Idaho’s Republican Gov. Brad Little issued an executive order in August to enforce the “Defending Women’s Sports Act,” which would require schools and colleges to prohibit transgender athletes in women’s sports.
In an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital, Little acknowledged concern that his order could have resulted in public schools in his state losing federal funding if Kamla Harris had become the 47th president.
“We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it,” Little said. “From a national standpoint, there are radical little groups that want to implement changes in the rules that we have already. I’m confident in what we have, and we will aggressively (act), as the state of Idaho, both legally and legislatively, to protect women’s athletes and the great advances they’ve made because of Title IX.”
But even states with those laws in effect have had to endure it continuing within their borders due to the interference of liberal federal judges.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Multiple Obama-era federal judges have passed rulings that allow transgender inclusion in girls’ sports. Judges Landya McCafferty in New Hampshire and M. Hannah Lauck of Virginia each passed rulings this year that enabled biological males to play on high school girls’ soccer and tennis teams. Both judges were appointed by Obama in the early 2010s.
However, Democrats slowly backpedaled in their support for trans inclusion as the year went on. Multiple Democrats, including Texas Rep. Collin Allred, backtracked on past support for transgender inclusion in women’s sports.
That trend continued after the election when Massachusetts Democratic Rep. Seth Moulton spoke out against his party’s stance and actions in enabling transgender inclusion in multiple interviews, inciting fierce backlash and even a massive pro-transgender rally outside his office.
Now, in the Biden administration’s final weeks, it too has issued a major surrender on the issue as the party continues to debate what its stance will be, moving forward.
Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.