Officials at the Department of the Interior are pushing to finalize a new “implementation handbook” to guide agency decision makers on how to “apply indigenous knowledge” in their day-to-day work. 

The notion of “indigenous knowledge” puts forward that Native groups possess an understanding about the natural world that others do not, due to their ethnic background.

The Interior Department’s new handbook supplements a Departmental Manual chapter added last year, entitled “Departmental Responsibilities for Consideration and Inclusion of Indigenous Knowledge in Departmental Actions and Scientific Research, 301 DM 7.” 

The aim of the new chapter in the agency-wide manual is to “equitably promote the inclusion of indigenous knowledge,” but this new supplemental handbook lays out methods for “applying” indigenous knowledge into departmental practices, such as scientific research, environmental compliance work, community resiliency and more. 

“This Handbook is not a step-by-step guide,” a draft version of the handbook states. “Instead, it includes context, approaches, and ways of engaging along with references to numerous existing resources where employees can learn more about a specific topic. The goal is for employees to have a foundation of knowledge to draw upon to create individualized processes as each situation arises in a respectful, equitable, and lasting way.”

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One approach laid out in the handbook instructs employees to seek out indigenous “knowledge holders” to supplement their scientific research, including ensuring that there is enough project time allocated to adequately consider indigenous knowledge and compensating any “knowledge holders” for their participation. The guide also implores hiring mangers to consider employing these indigenous knowledge experts. 

When it comes to scientific research, some laws require the consideration of scientific information, methods and practices. However, the handbook points out that in some cases these statutes allow the inclusion of indigenous knowledge.

“In these cases,” the handbook posits, “Bureaus and Offices should include [indigenous knowledge] as an aspect of best available science when it is generally considered authoritative by the Indigenous Peoples who possess it.”

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The nearly 150-page handbook includes a litany of other “approaches” to applying indigenous knowledge into the agency’s practices, including how to create “an ethical space to receive indigenous knowledge” and information about how to shield “sensitive” indigenous knowledge from public disclosure laws.

“President Biden came into office loudly stressing scientific integrity and creating new rules to supposedly ensure government scientific findings were never ‘distorted or influenced by political considerations.’ No matter how well-intentioned, elevating indigenous knowledge to being on a par with results obtained through rigorous application of the scientific method opens a Pandora’s box whereby desired results, even if at odds with reality, can be imposed to serve political ends,” Michael Chamberlain, director of the conservative nonprofit Protect The Public’s Trust, told Fox News Digital. 

Chamberlain and his nonprofit dug into how the Biden administration has implemented indigenous knowledge across the federal government, including through the use of public disclosure laws.   

“We’ve already seen [indigenous knowledge] in action as the Department of the Interior elevated indigenous knowledge that supported their position over indigenous knowledge that didn’t in canceling oil and gas leases in Alaska,” Chamberlain pointed out. “The fact that the administration explored ways to exempt indigenous knowledge from FOIA adds to the potential for misuse.”

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Officials from the Department of the Interior declined to comment on the record for this story.

In 2022, the Biden administration’s Office of Science and Technology Policy unveiled federal guidance on utilizing indigenous knowledge across various sectors of the government. The guidance was also accompanied by an “implementation memorandum,” both of which the White House said, work to “value and, as appropriate, respectfully include Indigenous Knowledge” throughout government practices in order to “make the best scientific and policy decisions possible.”

President Biden delivers remarks at the 2022 White House Tribal Nations Summit at the Department of the Interior on Nov. 30. (Pete Marovich/Getty Images)

From the sidelines of the 29th Conference of the Parties (COP29) in Baku, the Interior Department’s Acting Deputy Secretary Laura Daniel-Davis highlighted the agency’s commitment to incorporating indigenous knowledge and pointed out that the agency will be conducting consultations with tribal leaders and other indigenous knowledge holders in December to help finish fleshing out the details of the handbook before it is formally released. 

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President-elect Trump nominated North Dakota Republican Gov. Doug Burgum to be the next head of the U.S. Interior Department, which manages public lands and minerals, national parks, wildlife refuges and any federal responsibilities to recognized Native American tribes across the country.

Instagram users appear to have questions and concerns after actress Jenny Mollen shared a video revealing her itchy head lice discovery while on an airplane.

Mollen, who appeared in the film “My Best Friend’s Girl” and is the wife of actor Jason Biggs, said she was mid-flight from Los Angeles to New York when she realized she had lice that was pointed out by a friend.

Her Instagram announcement, along with a follow-up post, was shared by Mollen late last month but has made recent headlines and prompted users to sound off. 

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“The people on that flight. Ugh… poor them,” one woman wrote under Mollen’s initial post.

Another user commented, “Itching…from here….”

“I hope you told the crew,” said another.

Mollen, who was seen with a plastic bag on her head in the video, said she had been scratching her head for two weeks.

In a more recent video, Mollen is seen getting lice removal treatment and clearing up the controversy about flying with lice.

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“The airplane seat that’s a bummer for whoever sits there next,” Mollen said on Instagram, where she tagged the New York City-based lice removal company, Licenders.

She said, “I wanted to be clear, I did not know I had lice until I was on the airplane.”

One user commented, “You should be banned from flying.”

“The world in its oversharing era,” said another. 

Jenny Mollen, pictured here, says she did not know she had lice when she boarded the plane. (Photo by Jason Mendez/Getty Images)

“Calm down, People! It’s just lice,” one user commented on the video update.

Another said, “I hope you told the airline.” 

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Lice are parasitic insects found on people’s heads and bodies and can spread by close person-to-person contact that move by crawling and cannot hop or fly, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Lice move by crawling and cannot hop or fly, according to the CDC. (iStock)

Christine Bonanno is the owner of Fairy LiceMothers, a professional lice removal service that has been in business for more than 18 years with locations on Long Island in New York and in Austin, Texas. 

Bonanno told Fox News Digital via email that the most common way to catch lice is through head-to-head contact.

“It is possible to catch lice while traveling on an airplane. You would not get it from the airplane seat itself, you would have to sit next to someone who actually has it,” said Bonanno.

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Bonanno added, “the only place lice can live is on a human head… An adult bug will crawl from one head to another – you cannot catch an egg – only a bug.”

Bonanno told Fox News Digital that you can get lice while traveling on an airplane, but not from a seat, since the bugs only live on people’s heads. (iStock)

She said the most effective way to treat lice is to comb out all the bugs, and it is very important to communicate with those you are around so they can be checked and treated.

“The hair acts as a bridge for lice to crawl from one head to another. So the less hair exposed the better. Hair tied back in a braid or bun helps,” said Bonanno.

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Bonanno, who is a certified head lice removal clinician, said certain scents such as lavender, peppermint, coconut and tea tree oil could help repel the bugs.

Treatments at removal service companies like Fairy LiceMothers typically take between one and two hours but may take longer if it is done by someone themselves.

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“We tell clients, ‘once a week take a peek,’ meaning check yourself for lice weekly, so even if you do get [lice] it will be manageable and easy to treat,” Bonanno said.

Anti-Israel protesters chanting “Free Palestine” were arrested during a demonstration inside a U.S. Senate office building in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday.

The large group of protesters was captured on video inside the Philip A. Hart Senate Office Building as they shouted their demand for an end to the war in Gaza between Israel and Hamas.

Many of the protesters were seen wearing red T-shirts emblazoned with the words “STOP ARMING ISRAEL.” 

Demonstrators were seen on multiple floors of the building, with some throwing sticky notes bearing that same phrase from the upper floor balconies into the atrium. Some were hanging banners that said, “time to act” and “fund Life not genocide.”

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Three protesters in red T-shirts were seen exiting an elevator with police. The protesters, whose hands were zip tied behind their backs, continued to chant as they were arrested.

It was unclear how many arrests police made related to the protest.

Police arrested three protesters from inside the Philip A. Hart Senate Office Building. (Fox News)

Hamas ignited the war in Gaza when its fighters stormed into Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting around 250. Around 100 hostages are still inside Gaza, and at least a third of them are believed to be dead.

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The Biden administration has spent months trying to broker cease-fires on both fronts, though talks for a deal in the Gaza war have stalled. On Monday, President Biden called on G-20 leaders to increase “pressure on Hamas,” who rejected the latest deal offer.

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President-elect Trump has vowed to end the wars in the Middle East, although he has not outlined how.

Fox News’ Kelly Phares and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Arizona’s Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs says the border state, which voted for President-elect Donald Trump in the presidential election this month, will not be aiding the incoming administration with its “misguided” plan to launch a mass deportation operation.

Hobbs was asked by ABC News about whether the Trump administration will bring a reset on the border, and she responded by focusing on current partnerships with the federal government to secure the border. 

“I am very hopeful that that partnership can continue, and that the incoming administration will listen to, not only my administration, but the experts here on the ground, the people that are doing the work about what is most needed, and what we can continue to do that will be most helpful in securing our border,” she said.

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She then added, “What I will unequivocally say is that, as governor, I will not tolerate efforts that are part of misguided policies that harm our communities, that threaten our communities, that terrorize our communities, and Arizona will not take part in those.”

Trump made launching a mass deportation operation a key part of his 2024 presidential campaign, and his transition team has already started making plans on the logistics of the operation. On Monday, Trump said he was open to declaring a national emergency and using military assets to make it happen.

When pressed on the deportations, Hobbs’ was asked if state police and National Guard would help with deportations.

“We will not be participating in misguided efforts that harm our communities, and I’ve been incredibly clear about that,” she said.

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Arizona Secretary of State and Democratic gubernatorial candidate Katie Hobbs speaks at a press conference calling for abortion rights outside the Evo A. DeConcini U.S. Courthouse on Oct. 7, 2022 in Tucson, Arizona. (Mario Tama/Getty Images)

She cited the diversion of resources and law enforcement as one of the reasons she opposes those operations.

“I think the diversion of law enforcement from the work that they do every day to keep our communities safe, people hiding in fear – we saw that under previous state policies here – and it it harms communities. It tears families apart. And we’re not going to…that’s not going to happen on my watch,” she said.

She is the latest Democratic official to promise not to assist the Trump administration with deportations. Earlier this week, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu said the sanctuary city would not be cooperating with the deportation operation, after Mass. Gov. Maura Healey has promised to use “every tool in the toolbox” to protect residents.

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Officials elsewhere across the U.S. have made similar claims, but Hobbs’ comments are significant since it is not only a border state, but also a swing state that voted for Trump in the recent election.

Trump’s team have indicated they will carry out the plan, even without the support of those Democratic officials.

Tom Homan, who was appointed to be the “border czar” by President-elect Trump, said recently that those officials should get out of the way.

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“If you don’t want to work with us, then get the hell out all the way. We’re going to do it,’ he said.

A Midwestern state party chair is off to a fast start in his bid to chair the Democratic National Committee (DNC). 

“I am running to serve as the Chair of the Democratic National Committee,” Ken Martin, head of the Minnesota Democratic Farmer-Labor Party, announced Tuesday in a social media post.

Martin becomes the second candidate to launch a bid to succeed current DNC Chair Jaime Harrison, who is not expected to seek a second four-year term early next year in the wake of this month’s major election setbacks for the Democrats up and down the ballot.

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Former two-term Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley, a 2016 Democratic presidential candidate who for the past year has served as Social Security administration commissioner in President Biden’s administration, announced his candidacy on Monday.

Martin, who has led the Minnesota Democrats for a dozen years, serves as a DNC vice chair and is also the leader of the association of state Democratic Party chairs.

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“When I took over @MinnesotaDFL, we were in debt and disarray. But we brought people together, built a winning coalition, and delivered results. I’m ready to get to work to rebuild our party,” Martin said in his social media post.

In an accompanying video, Martin emphasized, “if you’re looking for a creature of D.C., that’s not me. But I do know how the DNC works and how it isn’t working.”

Democratic National Committee Chair Jaime Harrison speaks at the DNC’s winter meeting, in Philadelphia on Feb. 4, 2023. (Fox News )

He stressed that Democrats “need to reconnect our ideas — which we know are popular in red, blue and purple states across this country — back to our party and to our candidates.”

Martin said he started his bid for DNC chair with the backing of over 80 DNC members. The next DNC chair will be chosen by the roughly 450 voting members of the national party committee.

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O’Malley, in launching his bid, highlighted that “we must connect our Party with the most important place in America — the kitchen table of every family’s home. Jobs, Opportunity, and Economic Security for all. Getting things done. Hope. A 50 state strategy. Now,” O’Malley emphasized in a social media post.

Former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley speaks at the New Hampshire Institute of Politics on April 24, 2018 in Manchester, New Hampshire. (Fox News – Paul Steinhauser)

While O’Malley and Martin are the first two candidates to launch bids, others are expected to follow, as the Democrats try to rebound after losing the White House and Senate in the 2024 elections and failing to recapture the House of Representatives.

Another potential contender is Ben Wikler, chair of the Wisconsin Democratic Party.

President Biden was not pictured among other world leaders in the traditional “family photo” at the final Group of 20 summit of his presidency on Monday.

Biden arrived along with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau after photographers had already finished with the other smiling leaders, who had been positioned on a riser. A senior Biden official said the president did not participate because of “logistical issues.” 

“Due to logistical issues, they took the family photo early before all the leaders had arrived. So a number of leaders weren’t actually there when they took the photo,” the official said. 

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The official emphasized Biden missed the photo because of bad timing, not because he wanted to avoid taking a picture with some of the U.S.’ top rivals, including Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov or Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Biden’s absence left Jinping front and center among the rows of leaders poised against blue skies and blue water in Rio de Janeiro.

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Leaders attending the G-20 Summit pose for a group photo in Rio de Janeiro on Monday, Nov. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)

Lavrov stood in the back row, less visible.

Biden and Trudeau arrived together at the designated spot for the photo, standing and looking about for a time. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni also did not join in the group photo, a set piece of such summits.

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Backdropped by Sugar Loaf mountain, leaders attending the G-20 Summit pose for a group photo in Rio de Janeiro on Monday, Nov. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)

Notably, Biden did not arrive via the red carpet ramp used by other world leaders. Instead, he was seen taking a sharp right turn on his way to the gathering, declining to use the ramp which led to the entrance of the building. 

The official said the president did not use the ramp “due to security concerns.” 

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China’s President Xi Jinping talks after joining a group photo during the G-20 Summit in Rio de Janeiro on Monday, Nov. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)

“Several leaders from high threat — from countries that face high threats did not take the open ramp and instead took a different red carpet route,” the official said. 

The G-20 summit is a gathering of leaders from the world’s largest economies, who meet to discuss efforts to combat hunger and poverty. In remarks at the summit Monday, Biden called on those present to increase investments in the World Bank, provide debt relief to struggling countries and end conflicts around the world that have contributed to starvation, including the wars in Ukraine and Gaza. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report.