The House of Representatives rejected a bid by Democrats to force the release of an ethics report into former Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., on Thursday evening. 

Rep. Sean Casten, D-Ill., filed a measure known as a “privileged resolution” to make the Gaetz report public, a maneuver that forces House leaders to take up a resolution within two legislative days.

House lawmakers voted to refer Casten’s resolution to the relevant committee for consideration. It’s highly unlikely a GOP-controlled committee would take it up, however, meaning the move essentially defeated the Democrat’s effort.

HACKER OBTAINS HOUSE ETHICS TESTIMONY ON MATT GAETZ AS TRUMP MAKES CALLS FOR AG NOMINEE

Gaetz abruptly resigned from Congress last month in a now-failed bid to be President-elect Donald Trump’s next attorney general.

His resignation also came just before the House Ethics Committee was set to consider the release of its report into the Florida Republican.

The panel had been conducting a years-long investigation into accusations against Gaetz that involved sex with a minor and illicit drug use.

GET TO KNOW DONALD TRUMP’S CABINET: WHO HAS THE PRESIDENT-ELECT PICKED SO FAR?

President-elect Donald Trump tapped Gaetz to be his attorney general, but that has since collapsed. (Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)

But its jurisdiction ended when Gaetz left Congress, and Republicans have shown little appetite to buck tradition and release a report on someone who has departed Congress.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., told reporters last month that he was against releasing the report.

“I do not believe that that is an appropriate thing. It doesn’t follow our rules and traditions and there is a reason for that. That would open up Pandora’s box and I don’t think that’s a healthy thing for the institution,” he said.

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., was against releasing the report. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

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Meanwhile, the House Ethics Committee has met twice since Gaetz’s resignation and failed to come to an agreement both times on whether to release the report.

The most recent meeting occurred hours before Thursday’s vote.

Gaetz, for his part, has consistently denied any wrongdoing. A federal investigation into the allegations ended without charges against Gaetz.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressional Republicans are planning to work closely with Tesla CEO Elon Musk and former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, the pair co-leading Trump’s newly formed spending cuts project, the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

The DOGE duo made their rounds with lawmakers in Washington, D.C. on Thursday, spending the morning with members of the Senate DOGE Caucus before heading to a meeting with House GOP leaders and House DOGE Caucus representatives.

The pair, who will spearhead efforts under President-elect Trump to slash government spending and strengthen government efficiency under the incoming Trump administration, wrapped up their day on Capitol Hill by addressing a joint meeting with Republicans of both chambers.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., incoming chair of the DOGE House subcommittee, revealed that, during the meeting, Musk said there would be a “naughty list” and a “nice list” for lawmakers.

GOP SENATORS ‘VERY IMPRESSED’ WITH MUSK, RAMASWAMY DOGE FRAMEWORK AMID MEETINGS ON CAPITOL HILL

“There will be a lot more that is expressed in the days ahead,” Johnson said as he left the meeting. “Stay tuned for more to come.”

Co-chairs of the DOGE House caucus said there was a “big discussion” during the meeting with Musk and Ramaswamy about education and the redundancy of government workers.

“There is so much waste, fraud and abuse. There is so much inefficiency. Where do we begin?” DOGE Caucus co-chair Rep. Aaron Bean, R-Fla., said.

He suggested there was already “low-hanging fruit” for improving government efficiency that Republicans could agree on that included the issues of education and the federal workforce.

“There was a big discussion about education. There was a big discussion about redundancy of government workers as they exist in programs across the country. This was not a ‘pick your program and select it and get agreement.’ This was the idea forum,” said co-chair Rep. Pete Sessions, R-Texas.

REP. JARED MOSKOWITZ FIRST DEMOCRAT TO JOIN CONGRESSIONAL DOGE CAUCUS

Vivek Ramaswamy, chairman and co-founder of Strive Asset Management, center, arrives to meet with lawmakers on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, on Thursday, Dec. 5, 2024. (Al Drago)

Sessions also highlighted how the timeframe for DOGE, which is expected to conclude no later than July 4, 2026, on the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence’s signing, will help ensure agency efficiency.

Rep. Troy Nehls, R-Texas, walking out of the meeting, told reporters that “we’re going to gut the fish.”

Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, however, was skeptical of them relying on the new department to cut costs. 

“It’s a little rich to go, ‘Oh DOGE, save us.’ What, from ourselves?” Roy told reporters. “What I told them is, their best role is to expose the absolute stupidity coming out of this body.”

President-elect Donald Trump tapped Elon Musk to co-lead DOGE next year. (Brandon Bell)

But Rep-elect Mike Haridolopos, R-Fla., argued it was good to have an outside eye looking at how the federal government is run.

“The lowest-hanging fruit, one overall thing we need to do is eventually pass a balanced budget amendment,” he said of where Congress could help cut waste. “I think the second one is that people have to show up to work. Everybody else in America, they don’t show up to work, they don’t get paid. And so these government employees need to show up to work.”

Ahead of the meeting with Congress, Musk was asked if he wanted Democratic members to be part of DOGE conversations, to which he was heard answering “yes.”

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Musk sat down with incoming Senate Majority Leader John Thune on Thursday morning, while Ramaswamy met with the Senate DOGE Caucus to hear from chair Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa., who unveiled a 60-page proposal for potential spending cuts.

NBC News chief political analyst Chuck Todd blasted President Biden for pardoning his son Hunter Biden this week, saying it has done “real damage” to the country.

Todd argued the point during a Wednesday segment on “Meet The Press NOW,” a daily show aired on the network’s streaming service, NBC News NOW, stating that Biden’s move sets the precedent for a deluge of future presidential pardons, and his words that the U.S. justice system unfairly targeted his son will further undermine the country’s faith in its institutions.

“You have the leading Democrat in America and the leading Republican in America both agreeing on one thing: the Justice Department has been politicized. That is absolutely – that is long-term damaging,” he told show host Ali Vitali.

Todd appeared on the program to talk about his recent column, “The Trumpification of Joe Biden,” which provided his theory on the damage Biden’s pardon has done to the rule of law in America.

HUNTER BIDEN PARDON: MEDIA TAKES LATEST BLOW TO CREDIBILITY WITH BOTCHED COVERAGE OF BROKEN PROMISE

Biden announced on Sunday evening that he pardoned his son from any crimes against the U.S. that he “has committed or may have committed” from Jan. 1, 2014 to Dec. 1, 2024.

In his statement, Biden accused the Department of Justice of targeting his son “unfairly.” He wrote, “From the day I took office, I said I would not interfere with the Justice Department’s decision-making, and I kept my word even as I have watched my son being selectively, and unfairly, prosecuted.”

During his “Meet The Press NOW” appearance, Todd began by lamenting that the president’s move gives future presidents – namely Trump – a “permission slip” to exercise pardons.

“Now you’ve given him a permission slip,” the analyst said. “Unprecedented acts – any presidential act becomes a permission slip for the next president. And we have seen this through history, through our own history and how the presidency has worked: once one thing has happened, suddenly it becomes, ‘Well, we’ve done it before. So we can do it again’ type of thing.”

He then pointed to two aspects of the pardon as “extraordinarily troubling,” the first being Biden “using the exact same rhetoric” as President-elect Donald Trump in his regular attacks stating the DOJ is weaponized against him.

“I could have said to you, ‘Did Donald Trump say this, or did Joe Biden say this?’ And a lot of people might have said, ‘Oh this is something Trump would say.’ It’s not something we were used to Joe Biden saying about the rule of law and about the justice system.”

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Hunter Biden (L), son of President Joe Biden, and his wife Melissa Cohen, leave court after his guilty plea in his trial on tax evasion in Los Angeles, California, on September 5, 2024.  (ROBYN BECK/AFP via Getty Images)

The second troubling aspect, he said, was the fact that subsequent presidents will each get their “security blanket pardon.”

“So now we’re in a situation where every party is going to come in, and as they leave, everybody gets their security blanket pardon. ‘OK, how long do you want it? You want a 10-year window?’” he said, slamming the decade-long window of Biden’s pardon for Hunter. 

“Because we now have established this 10-year window of whatever you can make – you know, this get out of jail free card,” he said, marveling at the notion. 

“Guess what? There’s now a precedent for it and that’s what’s so damaging about this decision,” Todd declared. 

He briefly expressed some sympathy for Biden having to make this hard decision, but concluded, “This has done real damage to the country.”  

Chuck Todd suggested that President Biden is ’emotionally incapable’ of being president after pardoning his son, Hunter.  (Michael Reynolds/EPA/Bloomberg/William B. Plowman/NBC via Getty Images)

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Todd’s NBC comments on the pardon come after he talked about it in a Substack.com interview with commentator Chris Cillizza. During the conversation, Todd said he “knew 100%” that Biden would pardon his son, noting that he was “not going to leave office without doing everything he could to protect his son.”

Todd added that Biden “probably never should have run” for president, stating his family drama rendered him “emotionally incapable.”

College basketball fans aren’t too pleased with Loyola Chicago men’s basketball after players were seen snubbing team chaplain Sister Jean Dolores Schmidt following their dominant win over Eastern Michigan on Tuesday night. 

The Ramblers remained undefeated with a 76-54 win over the Eagles at home, but fans on social media were left unimpressed after a viral video showed several players walking right past the beloved Sister Jean as they left the court. 

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Sister Jean, who turned 105 on Aug. 21, was sitting in a wheelchair right in front of the tunnel with her fist raised. But, as some on social media pointed out, the players left her “hanging.” 

“How can you leave Sister Jean hanging like this?!?’ Barstool personality Dan Katz, known as “Big Cat,” said in a post on X. 

“There’s 1 rule in college basketball that must be followed: You NEVER ignore Sister Jean,” another person wrote online. 

NEW MEXICO BASKETBALL PLAYER ALLEGEDLY PUNCHED WALK-ON TEAMMATE OVER PLANE SEAT: REPORTS

Loyola Ramblers fan Sister Jean looks on as the Ramblers receive the Missouri Valley Trophy after defeating the Drake Bulldogs in the finals of the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament at Enterprise Center on March 6, 2022.  (Jeff Curry-USA Today Sports)

“I know she probably didn’t care but that hurts my feelings,” another post read. 

Sister Jean began her career at Loyola Chicago in 1991 as an academic advisor, but she is best known for her role as the team chaplain, which she began just a few years later in 1994. Since then, she has not only become a household name in Chicago, but for all college basketball fans. 

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FILE – Aundre Jackson, #24 of the Loyola Ramblers, celebrates with Sister Jean Dolores Schmidt after defeating the Nevada Wolf Pack during the 2018 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament South Regional at Philips Arena on March 22, 2018, in Atlanta, Georgia.   (Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

Loyola Chicago is currently second in the Atlantic 10 with a 7-0 record. They take on the 5-3 South Florida Bulls on Saturday. 

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One of five girls aged 12 to 15 involved in the beating death of disabled Reggie Brown, 64, of Washington, D.C., will be behind bars until she is 21 years old, reports say. 

The 13-year-old was sentenced to roughly seven years in prison Wednesday, according to FOX 5 DC. She apologized in court prior to being sentenced, the local TV station said. 

“It saddens me that these young girls could be so brutal and do something so severe,” Malda Brown, one of the victim’s sisters, said in court during sentencing. “I’m just grateful that the judge did give them the time that D.C. commits until to 21, so we are grateful for that. It’ll make my mom feel so much better once we get home to let her know that that did take place.”

“DYRS is letting these kids back out with no consequences, in and out the door and get slapped on the wrist and come back out and do the same thing again. Committing more violent crimes?  I mean it’s sad that our children have to be incarcerated, but it’s also sad that the danger that they pose to the community — what they do to people and the things that they do to people,” another one of Brown’s sisters, Nasia Israel, said, according to FOX 5. “My brother didn’t deserve that. Nobody deserves that.”

FAMILY OF DISABLED DC MAN REGGIE BROWN CALLS FOR CHILD SUSPECTS IN DEADLY BEATING TO BE CHARGED AS ADULTS

Back in October, one of the teen suspects testified after pleading guilty that she and the other suspects committed the assault because they “were bored” and looking for something to do when Brown was attacked in October 2023. 

The Metropolitan Police Department said officers responded to the 6200 block of Georgia Avenue just before 1 a.m. Oct. 17, 2023 because of a report of a man down. Upon arrival, officers found Brown with trauma consistent with an assault. He died at the scene.

DISABLED DC MAN BEATEN TO DEATH ON VIDEO, 3 YOUNG GIRLS ARRESTED

One of five girls accused in the beating death of 64-year-old Reggie Brown reportedly said the girls were bored, so they decided to “find someone to beat up.” (Getty)

The oldest suspect, a 15-year-old, was sentenced to three years in prison for assault with a dangerous weapon after pleading guilty along with two of the other suspects. She had testified that it was her idea to attack the man, whose family said he was frail and had battled cancer shortly before his death.

At about 11 p.m., the group of girls walked toward Georgia Avenue and Sheridan Street in the Brightwood neighborhood of Washington, D.C.

A 13-year-old convicted of beating disabled Washington, D.C., resident Reggie Brown last year has been sentenced behind bars until she turns 21 years old. (iStock)

When they reached the intersection, the girl said, they came across an unknown man who was already attacking Brown as he was lying on the ground. The 15-year-old testified that she asked the man if they could help beat up Brown, and he agreed to let them.

Then, she told the court, they began chasing Brown, who attempted to flee as the man was speaking to the teens.

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The local Washington, D.C., CBS station reported the prosecutor asked the 15-year-old if she realized what they had done.

“Do you remember what you were thinking when you walked back to the alley,” prosecutor Gabrielle LoGaglio asked the teenager.

“He’s dead,” she responded.

Fox News’ Greg Wehner and Mike Emanuel contributed to this report. 

Meet the Toronto Tempo, the WNBA’s newest team.

More than 10,000 people submitted ideas and inspiration for the name, which was revealed on Thursday alongside the team’s logo. 

The team said its brand identity is based on the energy of the people who call Canada home. 

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“Tempo is pace. It’s speed. It’s a heartbeat. And it’s what you feel when you step into the streets of this city, and in the energy of the people who call Canada home,” Teresa Resch, president of the Toronto Tempo, said in a press release. “As Canada’s WNBA team, I know the Tempo will set our own pace, move at a championship cadence, and inspire people across this country.”

The Tempo logo reflects the team’s values instilled in the name.

The logo’s forward leaning motion represents the team’s desire for progress. The sharp angles and round curves are a nod to a team’s dynamic nature.

WNBA STAR JEWELL LOYD REQUEST TRADE FROM STORM AFTER TEAM’S BULLYING PROBE ENDS: REPORTS

The WNBA announced the Toronto Tempos name and logo on Thursday. (Toronto Tempo)

The six lines in the logo represent the five players on the court, with the sixth line representing the fans, the sixth player in the game. 

“Tempo reflects what fans can expect from this team – including, of course, the in-game experience at the arena,” Resch continued. “The sounds of the court. The beat of the music. The passion of the fans around you and the intensity of the players on the floor. Capturing all that energy, excitement and feeling was crucial as we chose the name for Canada’s WNBA team.”

The WNBA awarded Toronto an expansion team back in May. The Tempo will be the league’s 14th team, and they will begin playing at Toronto’s Coca-Cola Coliseum in 2026. 

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The Toronto Tempo are the WNBAs 14th franchise and will tip off in 2026. (Toronto Tempo)

The Golden State Valkyries, the WNBA’s 13th franchise, will begin selecting players to fill out their roster in the expansion draft on Friday. 

The expansion draft for the Valkyries will be the first expansion draft held in the WNBA in 16 years. 

The league will hold another expansion draft next year, as the Tempo are one of two franchises making their debut in 2026. Portland was also awarded an expansion team in September. 

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LSU gymnast Olivia Dunne appeared to take a shot at social media influencer Breckie Hill in a video posted to her TikTok on Wednesday.

Hill had been the rumored reason as to why pop star Sabrina Carpenter and Irish actor Barry Keoghan broke up, according to Page Six. Hill was accused of fueling rumors that Keoghan had a wandering eye, leading to the demise of his relationship with Carpenter.

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Page Six pointed to a few Snapchat photos and blind item posts in Deux Moi lining up. The photos appeared to make reference to Keoghan’s first name and the movie he was in, “Saltburn.”

Hill didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.

As the rumor mill churned faster, Dunne posted a video on her TikTok appearing to take delight in the scrutiny around the social media influencer.

“When her true colors are finally revealed in the national media,” Dunne’s screen caption read.

OLIVIA DUNNE REVEALS ‘FRUSTRATING’ PART OF SOCIAL MEDIA FAME WHILE COMPETING IN NCAA GYMNASTICS

Olivia Dunn reacts on the field after her boyfriend, Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Paul Skenes, made his major league debut against the Chicago Cubs at PNC Park on May 11, 2024. (Charles LeClaire-USA Today Sports)

She further explained herself in the comments.

“I love Sabrina… it’s about who homewrecked her relationship.”

The Dunne-Hill rivalry apparently started when TikTok fans of both personalities started to notice the resemblance between the two. Hill apparently started to post photos in the same fashion as Dunne, according to the Sporting News.

Hill said in an appearance on YouTuber Lofe’s video last year that she “had beef” with Dunne.

“She’s such a b—-,” Hill said in the video. “Also, every single person that’s met her has been like, ‘Oh, she’s so mean in person.’”

Hill said Dunne got mad about comments between friends of each other and it appeared to spiral out of control. Lofe said in the video that Dunne and Hill should compete in a YouTube gymnastics competition.

Hill was asked if she would “slap” Dunne if she was “here right now,” and she replied, “Yes.”

Hill later told Barstool Sports’ “BFFs Pod” she wouldn’t have done it and the comments were just made “for the YouTube video.”

Breckie Hill attends a Paramount Pictures event for “Transformers: Rise of the Beasts” on June 1, 2023, in West Hollywood, California. (Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images for Paramount Pictures)

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“I can understand why she would be upset about that.”

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Rep. Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., has bowed out of the race for ranking member on the high profile House Judiciary Committee, according to a Dear Colleague letter he sent Wednesday.

Nadler’s decision opens a pathway for Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., to take over as the top Democrat on the committee. Raskin had launched a bid to challenge Nadler.

“As our country faces the return of Donald Trump, and the renewed threats to our democracy and our way of life that he represents, I am very confident that Jamie would ably lead the Judiciary Committee as we confront this growing danger,” Nadler wrote, endorsing Raskin to succeed him.

HOUSE ETHICS COMMITTEE TO MEET WITH VOTE ON RELEASING GAETZ REPORT LOOMING

“Although I will not be Ranking Member, I will still be an active member of the Committee, and I am eager to work alongside its new leadership in the battle to protect our most vulnerable communities and our most precious democratic ideals,” the 17-term New York Democrat added.

Nadler steps aside as several younger House Democrats have ambitions to unseat older, but established, party leaders in the next Congress. 

DEM REP. NADLER PICTURED WITH HEAD DOWN, EYES CLOSED DURING TESTIMONY FROM OTHERS OF MIGRANT CRIME VICTIMS

Raskin speaks during a House Committee on Oversight and Accountability hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 28, 2023.  (Photo by MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)

Rep. Raúl Grijalva, D-Ariz., earlier this week withdrew from the race for the top Democratic spot on the Natural Resources Committee after Rep. Jared Huffman, D-Calif., announced his bid. A handful of lawmakers are also challenging Agriculture Committee ranking member Rep. David Scott, D-Ga., for his job, Politico reported.

Nadler’s ` did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

NY DEM CALLS ON ‘CEASEFIRE NOW CAMP’ TO DEMAND PEOPLE STOP TEARING DOWN ISRAELI HOSTAGE POSTERS

Representative Jim Jordan, a Republican from Ohio and chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, during a hearing in Washington, DC, US, on Thursday, June 13, 2024.  (Tierney L. Cross/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Raskin thanked Nadler for his endorsement in a post on X.

“Jerry Nadler is an extraordinary lawyer, patriot and public servant. His dogged defense of civil rights and civil liberties is a great inspiration to our people. I am honored and humbled to have his support in the battles ahead,” the Maryland Democrat wrote.

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His presumptive elevation to the Judiciary Committee creates an opening for the ranking member position on the House Oversight Committee. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., has voiced interest in that role, among others.

“I’m having a lot of conversations with my colleagues,” Ocasio-Cortez told reporters Wednesday. “It’s incredibly important that we prepare ourselves fully for an incoming Trump administration as well as fighting for everyday working Americans.”