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Harris campaign officials explain what went wrong – and what Trump did right: report

Top Democrats in Vice President Harris’ campaign say their efforts to sway voters simply weren’t enough in the face of a general dissatisfaction with the direction of the country among the electorate.

Officials who worked on the campaign offered a post-mortem to the Washington Post on Thursday, saying that former President Trump also took advantage of new media opportunities that Harris left mostly untouched.

‘There are certain things we’re looking at to understand if we made the right call,’ campaign chair Jen O’Malley Dillon told the Post. ‘But fundamentally, there wasn’t just one audience of voters that would have impacted this, or one program. The headwinds were just too great for us to overcome, especially in 107 days. But we came very close to what we anticipated, both in terms of turnout and in terms of support.’

Campaign officials said their own internal models going into Election Day had Harris with slim leads in Wisconsin and Michigan, and virtually tied in Pennsylvania, according to the Post. Their models had Trump leading in Arizona, Georgia, Nevada and North Carolina.

‘We are very focused on understanding what happened,’ O’Malley Dillon said. ‘We were laser-focused on the battleground states. We knew it would be a margin-of-error race, but with the organization we had and the movement we saw, we thought it was possible.’

Campaign officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, also credited the Trump campaign and GOP in general for increasing their outreach to young men across the U.S.

‘I think what we have seen is that the folks on the other side, on Team Red, have been doing a lot of this work for years,’ the official told the Post. ‘And there’s just, like, a lot of ground for us to make up in … where young men in particular are going to receive their information, particularly young men who are explicitly not looking for political content.’

During the campaign, Trump and his running mate, Sen. JD Vance, made regular appearances on wide-reaching podcasts with major personalities, many of them comedians like Theo Von and Tim Dillon. That culminated with Trump and Vance having near back-to-back appearances on the largest podcast in the world, the Joe Rogan Experience, just before Election Day.

Harris made an attempt at similar forms of media with her appearance on the Call Her Daddy podcast, which appeals far more to young women.

‘We are not here to tell you everything was perfect,’ O’Malley Dillon said. ‘We lost. But some of the ascribing the loss to singular things, like if we had just done [an interview with] Joe Rogan, then that would have solved the problem with young men. That is too simplistic and doesn’t solve anything and certainly doesn’t solve the path forward.’

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Trump administration picks’ families have 1 thing in common

As President-elect Donald Trump has aggressively set to work on building his new administration, some have noticed that many of those being selected as his closest advisors are parents with families well above the national average.

The current national average for a family in the U.S. is 1.94, which is below the minimum 2.1 required to replace the population. Meanwhile, some of Trump’s Cabinet members and advisers are well above the replacement level.

Trump is a father of five adult children. Though he has divorced two times, he is said to be a devoted grandfather to his 10 grandchildren, even reportedly spending the morning after election night golfing with his granddaughter, Kai Trump.

Secretary of the Interior nominee Doug Burgum and Deputy Chief of Policy Stephen Miller each have three children. Trump’s picks for the CIA, John Ratcliffe, and Secretary of State pick Marco Rubio have four kids each. Though from several marriages, Health and Human Services nominee Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Department of Defense secretary nominee Pete Hegseth both have seven kids.

The grand prize goes to Sean Duffy, Trump’s pick for transportation secretary, who with wife Rachel Campos-Duffy has nine children. In 2019, Duffy stepped down from his role as a Wisconsin congressperson ahead of his ninth child’s birth to spend more time with his family.

‘Raising a family is hard work,’ he said in a social media post explaining his decision. ‘I have always been open to signs from God when it comes to balancing my desire to serve both my family and my country.’

By comparison, with four children, President Biden is more of an exception in his administration, which is mainly staffed by people with two or fewer children.

During the campaign, Vice President-elect JD Vance voiced his belief that the government needs to place a greater emphasis on being ‘pro-family’ and make it easier for Americans to have larger families and more kids.

At 40 years old, Vance and his wife, Usha, have three children, and he has voiced his desire to have more.

In his first big speech on the national stage at the Republican National Convention, Vance said ‘the American Dream that always counted most [to me] was not starting a business or becoming a senator or even being here with you fine people, it was becoming a good husband and a good dad and of giving my family the things I never had as a kid. And that’s the accomplishment I’m proudest of.’

He was hit repeatedly by the Kamala Harris campaign and the media over his 2021 criticism of the country being run by who he called ‘childless cat ladies.’ But the underlying problem of low birth rates in the U.S. poses an increasingly big worry to those paying attention.

Catherine Pakaluk, a social researcher and author, told Fox News Digital that the country’s low birth rate has gotten to a point where it is presenting real problems and dangers for the future.

‘We Americans are not having enough children to replace the population,’ she said. ‘What we’re seeing is an inversion of the normal population pyramid where we would think about the normal population pyramid would be a greater number of younger workers supporting a smaller number of older, retired workers.’

Though not yet at the level of countries like Japan and China, which are now facing shrinking populations, Pakaluk said the result is that there are ‘fewer and fewer workers,’ fewer people paying into the tax base, and government programs such as social security and Medicare are becoming increasingly unviable.

Because of this reality, Pakaluk said she appreciates people like Vance pushing for larger families.

‘I really value that Vice President-elect Vance is speaking positively about families and talking a lot about how much he would like to have a larger family. … I think a lot of what is very helpful to us today is to have role models talking about how having kids isn’t really all that bad and, in fact, might be better than you expected.’

Most crucial to Pakaluk, however, is advancing values that lead to people choosing to have bigger families. She recently published a book called ‘Hannah’s Children’ in which she did extensive interviews with mothers who decided to have five or more kids. The common denominator among these women, who came from a wide array of faith backgrounds, was a strong religious belief in children as blessings from God.

This led Pakaluk to believe that the solution to what she calls the ‘birth dearth’ is a return to religious convictions on the individual and societal level.

She pointed to Duffy, who is a practicing Catholic, as an example.

‘What I like to say is, I don’t know that you can get more children out of being pro-child. … But I think you can get more children if you’re pro-church or pro-religious community,’ she said. ‘If people encounter strong religious communities on a more regular basis, this can change in a generation.’

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Cy Young Awards: Lefties Chris Sale and Tarik Skubal win easily

When Tarik Skubal settled permanently into the Detroit Tigers’ rotation in 2021, Chris Sale was recovering from Tommy John surgery, just beginning a three-year stint in which he’d make just 11 starts and see his career viability wither.

Wednesday night, the two dominant left-handers claimed their first Cy Young Awards, a pair of honorees who a couple years ago looked equally unlikely yet are now undeniably deserving.

Sale’s career renaissance with the Atlanta Braves was rewarded in voting by the Baseball Writers Association of America, as he claimed 26 of 30 first-place votes to prevail over Philadelphia Phillies ace Zack Wheeler, who claimed the other four first-place votes in repeating his second-place National League Cy Young finish from 2021.

Skubal, who celebrated his 28th birthday Wednesday, was a unanimous choice in the American League, a just reward after leading the major leagues in strikeouts (239) and the AL in ERA (2.39) wins (18) and pitching WAR (6.3).

It was a definitive statement from a pitcher who essentially missed a year’s worth of starts after undergoing flexor tendon surgery in August 2022, delaying a promising start to his career. Skubal hadn’t exceeded 150 innings or 29 starts in a single season before this year’s master class, during which he gave up two or fewer runs in 24 of his 31 starts.

Follow every MLB game: Latest MLB scores, stats, schedules and standings.

Sale’s path was so different – finishing between second and sixth in AL Cy Young voting seven consecutive seasons from 2012 to 2018 yet facing massive obstacles in the past five years.

Tommy John surgery. A broken pinkie. A fractured wrist after a bicycling mishap. A stress reaction in his ribs. Shoulder inflammation.

In all, nine trips to the IL as a Boston Red Sox, his Cy Young bona fides fading after their World Series championship season of 2018. The Red Sox practically gave him away to Atlanta, acquiring struggling infielder Vaughn Grissom while sending along $17 million to defray Sale’s salary.

What a steal.

Sale led the majors in ERA (2.38), adjusted ERA (174), strikeouts per nine innings (11.4) and wins (18), while leading the NL with 225 strikeouts in 177 ⅔ innings. It was his first time topping the 200-strikeout mark since 2019, when he struck out 308 batters yet finished second in AL Cy voting to Corey Kluber.

Skubal and Sale are the first left-handed duo to sweep the Cy Youngs since Barry Zito and Hall of Famer Randy Johnson in 2002. And they did it dominantly, both winning their leagues’ pitching Triple Crown – leading in wins, strikeouts and ERA.

‘If you look at his career, it’s no surprise he’s winning this award. He’s an extremely talented baseball player,’ Skubal said Wednesday night on a conference call after his win. ‘I’d love to share a clubhouse with him because of what I’ve heard about him.

‘The list goes on with that guy. To be able to win the award this same year and share the pitching Triple Crown with him, that’s awesome and something I’ll be able to live with my entire life.’

DODGERS WIN WORLD SERIES: Celebrate with this commemorative coffee table book! 

2024 Cy Young Award voting results 2024

(Voting on 5-3-1 basis)

American League

Tarik Skubal, Tigers (30 first-place votes): 150
Seth Lugo, Royals: 93
Emmanuel Clase, Guardians: 66
Cole Ragans, Royals: 48
Corbin Burnes, Orioles: 47
Logan Gilbert, Mariners: 25
Framber Valdez, Astros: 17
Kirby Yates, Rangers: 2
Yusei Kikuchi, Astros; Cade Smith, Guardians: 1

National League

Chris Sale, Braves (26 first-place votes): 198
Zack Wheeler, Phillies (4 first-place votes): 130
Paul Skenes, Pirates: 53
Dylan Cease, Padres: 45
Shota Imanaga, Cubs: 38
Logan Webb, Giants: 18
Michael King, Padres: 14
Hunter Greene, Reds: 5
Ryan Hesley, Cardinals: 4
Cristopher Sanchez, Phillies: 2
Reynaldo Lopez, Braves; Sean Manaea, Mets; Aaron Nola, Phillies: 1

AL Cy Young winner: Tarik Skubal, Tigers

Tarik Skubal’s rise from Arizona truck-stop town to smaller-school draft pick to the best pitcher in the American League was completed Wednesday night.

The Detroit Tigers left-hander was unanimously named the AL Cy Young Award winner in balloting by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America. It was a just reward after Skubal, who turned 28 Wednesday, led the major leagues in strikeouts (228) and the AL in ERA (2.39), WAR (6.3) and wins (18).

That breakthrough came after Skubal missed roughly a full season worth of starts after August 2022 flexor tendon surgery. But he emerged in 2024 as a virtually unhittable ace, and eventually the near-automatic win the Tigers followed from trade-deadline seller in August to AL wild-card qualifier come October.

Kansas City Royals right-hander Seth Lugo finished second in voting, followed by Cleveland Guardians closer Emmanuel Clase.

NL Cy Young Award winner: Chris Sale, Braves

One of the game’s greatest recent comeback stories hit its peak as Atlanta Braves left-hander Chris Sale was awarded the NL Cy Young Award.

Sale, 35, wins his first Cy Young after so many near-misses – he finished between second and sixth seven consecutive years in AL balloting from 2012-2018. This time, his major league-best 2.38 ERA and 11.4 strikeouts per nine innings could not be denied.

Sale topped Philadelphia Phillies ace Zack Wheeler by earning 26 of 30 first-place votes in balloting by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America. Wheeler earned four first-place votes to finish second, while Pittsburgh’s Paul Skenes – already NL Rookie of the Year – was third.

2024 AL Cy Young finalists

Tarik Skubal, Tigers
Emmanuel Clase, Guardians
Seth Lugo, Royals

2024 NL Cy Young finalists

Chris Sale, Braves
Zack Wheeler, Phillies
Paul Skenes, Pirates

Cy Young Award winners

2023: Gerrit Cole (Yankees), Blake Snell (Padres)
2022: Justin Verlander (Astros), Sandy Alcantara (Marlins)
2021: Robbie Ray (Blue Jays), Corbin Burnes (Brewers)
2020: Shane Bieber (Cleveland), Trevor Bauer (Reds)
2019: Justin Verlander (Astros), Jacob deGrom (Mets)
2018: Blake Snell (Rays), Jacob deGrom (Mets)
2017: Corey Kluber (Cleveland), Max Scherzer (Nationals)
2016: Rick Porcello (Red Sox), Max Scherzer (Nationals)
2015: Dallas Keuchel (Astros), Jake Arrieta (Cubs)
2014: Corey Kluber (Cleveland), Clayton Kershaw (Dodgers)
2013: Max Scherzer (Tigers), Clayton Kershaw (Dodgers)
2012: David Price (Rays), R.A. Dickey (Mets)
2011: Justin Verlander (Tigers), Clayton Kershaw (Dodgers)
2010: Felix Hernandez (Mariners), Roy Halladay (Phillies)
2009: Zack Greinke (Royals), Tim Lincecum (Giants)

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MLB free agency rumors: What’s the latest?

We are less than a month removed from the Los Angeles Dodgers defeating the New York Yankees in the 2024 World Series, but teams are already plotting and scheming how they might be able to convince some of the game’s biggest superstars to join their squads in the near future.

Last year’s free agent pool featured MVP and Cy Young Award winners; can this year’s class match the excitement that surrounded the hot stove this time last year?

While no former MVPs are in the mix, there are a pair of MVP runner-ups in Yankees outfielder Juan Soto and Houston Astros third baseman Alex Bregman. Last year, we had a Japanese pitcher turning heads in Yoshinobu Yamamoto. This year, it’s Roki Sasaki. Last year, we had a reigning Cy Young winner, Blake Snell, on the market. This year, we’ve got former Cy Young winners available in Corbin Burnes, Shane Bieber, and, well, Snell again.

We’ve got sluggers, bullpen southpaws, innings eaters, World Series champions. All of it, anything your favorite team could want. But the question is whether or not your team will be able to land them?

Here are the latest rumors surrounding the biggest free agents in MLB this winter.

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Latest MLB Rumors:

Dodgers looking to land top pitchers

With so few top arms available in free agency this year, the salary each of these players will demand could be astronomical. That isn’t stopping a few teams from throwing caution to the wind, though.

Insider Jon Heyman believes the Dodgers will go after Snell. He claims the defending World Series champs ‘like Snell a lot,’ but that their priority is Sasaki. That said, Heyman still believes the Dodgers will attempt to land one of the other three big-name pitchers even if they spend a lot on Sasaki.

Chicago Cubs targeting Max Fried

The team most interested in Fried appears to be the Chicago Cubs. The Cubs are making a concerted effort to add pitching to their roster in 2025, and Fried has been linked to the team since the start of free agency, with three of four experts from MLB Trade Rumors naming Chicago the most likely destination for the former Atlanta Braves starter.

Juan Soto’s decision could come very soon

Remember last year when several of the league’s top free agents waited until the last possible moment to sign? That doesn’t appear to be the case this year, at least not for Soto. The former New York Yankees outfielder is expected to make his decision before the annual winter meetings on Dec. 9, per Mark Feinsand.

Soto has reportedly already met with several teams on the East Coast, including the Yankees, Mets, Red Sox, and Blue Jays, with a scheduled meeting with the Dodgers up next. Jon Heyman reports that no official offers have been made to Soto yet.

Feinsand also notes that there could be a mystery team in the mix for Soto this winter, citing that one of his sources claimed Soto has already met with another team that has been kept quiet. Feinsand says the Giants, Phillies, and Rays could all be interested in Soto, as well. Although the Rays would be a long shot to land a superstar like Soto given their unfortunate stadium situation following Hurricane Milton.

Orioles open to re-signing Corbin Burnes

Sports Illustrated’s John Conahan believes the Orioles are ‘ready to spend’ in order to maintain Burnes, who will command a massive salary in 2025. ESPN’s Jeff Passan backs this claim, noting that the Blue Jays, Red Sox, and Yankees are all expected to spend big this winter and that the Orioles, who already showed signs of regression in 2024, will need to match their aggressive spending in order to maintain pace.

Luckily for Orioles fans, in years past, this would have been a fool’s errand. Attempting to compete monetarily with New York or Boston wouldn’t have been possible, but new owner David Rubenstein has said, on multiple occasions, that he plans on spending big. In September, he was quoted saying he didn’t buy the team to make money, but to ‘make a great baseball team.’

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Diana Taurasi, Tara VanDerveer react to Geno Auriemma’s wins milestone

Geno Auriemma’s Hall of Fame resume includes 11 national championships and eight national coach of the year awards across his 40 seasons as the head coach of the University of Connecticut women’s basketball team.

Add all-time winningest coach in college basketball history to the list.

The UConn Huskies defeated Fairleigh Dickinson, 85-41, on Wednesday to secure Auriemma’s 1,217th career win. With the victory, Auriemma broke the all-time wins record for an NCAA college basketball coach by surpassing former Stanford women’s basketball coach Tara VanDerveer, who retired after last season with 1,216 career wins.

Many of Auriemma’s former players who helped him achieve the unprecedented feat returned to Storrs, Connecticut to witness history, including Sue Bird, Diana Taurasi and Maya Moore-Irons.,

‘You told me the things I needed to hear to be a better person, a better teammate, a better basketball player,’ said Taurasi, who played for UConn from 2000–04 and won three national championships under Auriemma. ‘As I see every one here, whether we played on the same team or decades apart, we always put this jersey on to represent you because we know how much you love this team, the game of basketball and your family.’

Taurasi continued: ‘Banners, Hall of Famers, MVPs, champions, players of the year, we always come back because of you, coach. … Don’t you ever forget that.’

Here’s how the basketball community reacted to Auriemma’s milestone:

Tara VanDerveer

 Former Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer, who broke the previous all-time wins record in January, said Auriemma’s success “will never be duplicated.” Auriemma is one of four coaches to have compiled 1,000 Division-I wins — VanDerveer, Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski and the late Pat Summitt of Tennessee are the others.

Rebecca Lobo

‘Tonight, Coach Auriemma broke the all-time wins record. He (and Chris Dailey) did it while changing 160 lives, including mine,’ wrote Lobo, a Basketball Hall of Famer who played for UConn from 1991 to 1995.

Lobo, in an article published by ESPN, where she serves as a basketball analyst, added: ‘The number to focus on is 160. That is how many Huskies have played for coach Geno Auriemma. One hundred sixty women stepped onto UConn’s campus as 18-year-old kids and had their lives changed forever. There is a bond among the 160, among players of different generations, even those who have never met. Because we have the shared life experience of playing for the best coach in the history of the game. We have been yelled at. Forced to tears. We have been pushed to the limits of what we thought was possible. … Through all of that, we learned how to win. But not just win. Win the right way. We learned to communicate, to push through mental and physical barriers and to always put the team first.’

Sue Bird

‘It was so simple — get better every day. That’s what you taught us,’ said Sue Bird, who played for Auriemma from 1998 to 2002. ‘You created a foundation for all of us to go on and achieve things beyond college, both on and off the court. For that I am definitely forever grateful.’

Maya Moore-Irons

‘You can’t make up family. Family is fought for. Family is forged. Family happens every day while trying to get better. I’m so grateful to be a part of this Huskies family,’ said Moore-Irons, a Husky from 2007 to 2011. ‘I don’t know where I would be if I wasn’t shaped in my young adulthood by (Auriemma and longtime associate head coach Chris Dailey).’

Dan Hurley

UConn men’s basketball coach Dan Hurley, who was on hand for Wednesday’s victory, said Auriemma is ‘one of the greatest to ever do it.’ Other coaches at the University of Connecticut joined in with praise.

DePaul University

The DePaul women’s basketball program sent congratulations to Auriemma. Doug Bruno, head coach of the DePaul women’s basketball team, told USA TODAY Sports that Auriemma ‘built his program from the ground up.’

‘People think he’s just this glamour puss walking around in front of TV cameras. No, he’s worked from the ground up, built his program from the ground up. Those great players weren’t just dropped on his doorstep — he established a program where they wanted to go.’

Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont

Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont said Auriemma displayed ’40 seasons of excellence.’ Lamont was part of the celebration in Storrs, Connecticut, and debuted a new road sign that will be put up around the state. It reads, ‘Welcome to Connecticut: Home of the Winningest Coach in Basketball History.’

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Winter Classic jerseys unveiled for Blues-Blackhawks outdoor game

Details were announced on Wednesday for two of the NHL’s biggest events of the 2024-25 regular season.

Fanatics put out a video unveiling the jerseys that will be worn by the St. Louis Blues and Chicago Blackhawks in the Winter Classic when the teams play outdoors at Wrigley Field on Dec. 31.

According to a news release:

‘The Blackhawks’ NHL Winter Classic uniform … features a classic lace-neck collar, reminiscent of hockey’s early days, complemented by a vintage cream color that captures the nostalgic spirit of the Original Six era. In unique design flourishes, the front crest includes stars from the Chicago flag and the back numbers incorporate subtle pinstripes, a thoughtful tribute to Chicago’s deep baseball tradition.

‘The Blues’ NHL Winter Classic uniform pays homage to the city’s hockey heritage. The jersey’s primary wordmark represents the first time in team history that a Blue Note is not the principal design element appearing on the chest. The font styling and numbers are inspired by an unworn prototype Blues uniform from 1966, and the jersey also includes a newly designed vintage-style ‘Blue Note’ on the shoulder. Lastly, fleur-de-lis designs are featured on the inside back neck and hem loop labels to honor the city of St. Louis.’

The Winter Classic is returning to the home of the Chicago Cubs for the first time since 2009.

Meanwhile, the league and the NHL Players’ Association said that the roster reveal for the 4 Nations Face-Off will be on Dec. 4. Six players have already been named and the remainder of the 20 skaters and three goalies will be announced that day.

Rosters for Finland and Sweden will be announced at 2 p.m. ET (NHL Network, ESPN’s SportsCenter). The USA (TNT) and Canada (Sportsnet) rosters will be revealed at 6:30 p.m. ET.

The tournament will be played from Feb. 12-20 in Montreal and Boston.

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Comer to create DOGE subcommittee chaired by Marjorie Taylor Greene to work with Elon Musk, Vivek Ramaswamy

: House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer is expected to establish a subcommittee that will work with the newly formed Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) led by Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy to eliminate government waste, Fox News Digital has learned. 

A source familiar told Fox News Digital that Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., will chair the Delivering on Government Efficiency Subcommittee, which will focus on rooting out waste, fraud and abuse in the federal government. 

The subcommittee is expected to investigate wasteful spending, examine ways to reorganize federal agencies to improve efficiency and identify solutions to eliminate bureaucratic red tape.

A source familiar told Fox News Digital that Comer had a meeting with Ramaswamy and his incoming DOGE team.

The source said Ramaswamy is ‘supportive of the Oversight Committee’s endeavor and are already working together.’ 

Comer told Fox News Digital that President Trump’s ‘landslide victory reflects a clear mandate to address inflationary spending that’s driving up the cost of living for hardworking Americans.’ 

‘Wasteful government spending must end, and taxpayers deserve to see their money used effectively and efficiently,’ he said. 

Comer told Fox News Digital that the new Subcommittee on Delivering on Government Efficiency ‘will align with the Trump administration’s priorities to eliminate government waste, streamline the federal government’s operations and cut red tape that’s stifling jobs and increasing costs for the American people.’ 

‘I look forward to working with Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy to deliver on these goals to Make America Great Again,’ Comer said.

Greene told Fox News Digital that the House Oversight Committee ‘is the perfect place to support the DOGE mission.’

‘I’m excited to chair this new subcommittee designed to work hand in hand with President Trump, Elon Musk, Vivek Ramaswamy and the entire DOGE team,’ Greene said. ‘We will identify and investigate the waste, corruption and absolutely useless parts of our federal government.’

Greene said the subcommittee will provide ‘transparency and truth to the American people through hearings.’

‘No topic will be off the table,’ she said. ‘The goal of DOGE is to bring accountability and GUT useless government agencies.’ 

Greene said she expects the subcommittee’s work ‘will expose people who need to be fired.’

‘The bureaucrats who don’t do their job, fail audits like in the Pentagon and don’t know where billions of dollars are going, will be getting a pink slip,’ Greene said. ‘Chairman Comer and I are focused on delivering the mandate voters sent on Nov. 5th, and I can’t wait to get to work.’

Trump this month tapped Musk and Ramaswamy to lead DOGE, which Musk, the Tesla and SpaceX CEO, has widely touted. DOGE has already started soliciting civilian help in the agency.

Trump said last week he hopes DOGE will become the ‘Manhattan Project of our time,’ in reference to J. Robert Oppenheimer’s secretive atom bomb endeavor during World War II.

‘Republican politicians have dreamed about the objectives of DOGE for a very long time,’ Trump said.

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Iran hiding missile, drone programs under guise of commercial front to evade sanctions

— Iran has turned to its commercial sector to conceal its development of ballistic missiles in a move to circumvent international sanctions, turning private companies into fronts for its illicit military dealings. 

Sources embedded within the Iranian regime and its Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), and who are also affiliated with the Iranian resistance group called the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran, have collected months of information on how the civilian workforce is unknowingly fueling Tehran’s war machine.

According to a report by the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) exclusively obtained by Fox News Digital, civilian companies involved with oil, gas, petrochemicals and electronic components are susceptible to Tehran’s determination to bolster its missile and drone programs, especially as tensions with the West continue to mount over its aid to Russia’s war efforts in Ukraine as well as Iran’s direct and indirect attacks on Israel.

The NCRI is sounding the alarm that at least three companies in Iran, including the Kaveh Mobadel Industrial Co., also known as Kaveh Machinery Co. (KMC), Sanaye Garma Gostar (SGG), also dubbed the Garma Gostar Industries, as well as the Sana Bargh Tavan Co., also known as SBT Electric, are tasked with producing items used to develop missile and drones.

‘The Iranian regime’s missile program is not limited to the dozens of known military sites of the Aerospace Force of the IRGC or the Ministry of Defense,’ Alireza Jafarzadeh, deputy director of the NCRI in the U.S., told Fox News Digital. ‘It has built a sophisticated network of commercial companies to cover up the true extent of Tehran’s missile and drone programs, as well as evading sanctions and accountability.’

Fox News Digital could not reach any of the mentioned companies for comment, but according to findings provided by embedded sources, these companies are not only subject to inspection by the Iranian Ministry of Defense but also hold contracts with the IRGC and the regime.

Despite evidence to suggest that while company executives are aware of how their businesses are being used to circumvent sanctions, the workers within the companies apparently remain uninformed despite dubious production demands.

The NCRI said it had obtained information indicating that certain items have entered the companies’ production lines that are incompatible with the business platforms.

One example highlighted in the NRCI report pointed to dozens of aluminum tanks allegedly being produced for the ‘dairy industry,’ though the report also pointed out that ‘using aluminum for dairy purposes is prohibited.’

While there is a strong indication that the Iranian regime is doing what it can to keep its efforts to circumvent sanctions secret, even within its own borders, some products being manufactured have likely not escaped notice. 

The Sana Bargh Tavan Co., a collection of electronic factories situated in an area known as Pardis Technology Park and produces elevator drives, was reportedly discovered to be manufacturing ‘electronic boards for missiles and drones under the guise of other industrial products for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.’

The complex was also reported to be ‘under the control of the IRGC, and visitors’ access is regulated.’

Iran’s attempts to circumvent sanctions are nothing new, and despite heavy sanctions by the U.S., U.K. and the European Union (EU), Iran has continued to develop its nuclear and missile programs. 

In October 2023, U.N. sanctions on Iran, which prohibited its ability to import or export missiles, drones and other related technology without prior U.N. Security Council approval under Resolution 2231, expired.

Though the sanctions were believed to have slowed Iran’s ability to develop its missile and drone programs, it did not halt it altogether. 

‘The Iranian regime has relied on the expansion of its missile program to make up for its near-zero air power and minimal air defense capabilities,’ Jafarzadeh told Fox News Digital.

‘The missile program serves two purposes for the regime: one is arming its regional proxies, such as Hezbollah, and the second, which is of strategic significance, is building missiles capable of carrying a nuclear warhead,’ he added.

The U.S. last year deemed that Iran’s ‘missile program remains one of the greatest challenges to international nonproliferation efforts,’ and it has since implemented several rounds of targeted sanctions.

The U.K. and the EU on Monday announced fresh sanctions on Tehran over its support for Russia, targeting its shipping industry that is allegedly used to transfer drones and missiles.

Iran has repeatedly denied sending missiles or drones to Russia for its war against Kyiv, but the use of Iranian-made Shahed drones to target soldiers and civilians alike has been well documented in Ukraine.

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Trump team ‘confident’ Senate Republicans will approve cabinet selections

President-elect Trump’s team is confident that Senate Republicans will approve his cabinet selection – despite some of the picks raising eyebrows from Republicans and Democrats alike.

A Trump transition official confirmed to Fox News that the president-elect is ‘confident that Senate Republicans will hold the line.’

‘President Trump is confident that Senate Republicans will hold the line and respect the will of the American people by approving his cabinet nominees,’ the official said.

The official said that Trump is ‘very happy’ with the vice president-elect, saying that Vance is ‘laser focused on already getting the ball rolling on his highly-qualified nominees.’

Trump’s nominees and administration picks during his second administration are being publicly announced at a much faster pace than during his first administration in 2016, which the transition team attributed to Trump’s commitment to putting ‘America first.’

‘The American people re-elected President Trump by a resounding margin, giving him a mandate to implement the promises he made on the campaign trail, and his Cabinet picks reflect his priority to put America First. President Trump will continue to appoint highly qualified men and women who have the talent, experience and necessary skill sets to Make America Great Again,’ Trump-Vance transition spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt previously told Fox News Digital when asked about Trump’s speedy rollout of Cabinet picks. 

Trump’s most contentious choice so far has been Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., for attorney general. The pick came as a surprise to many since the firebrand does not have any prior law enforcement experience and faces misconduct allegations.

Gaetz was under investigation by the House Ethics Committee, which subpoenaed him as recently as September for an ongoing investigation into alleged sexual misconduct with a minor. 

Gaetz has denied any wrongdoing and had told the panel he would ‘no longer voluntarily participate’ in its probe. Gaetz resigned from Congress shortly after Trump made the announcement. 

On Wednesday, Vance and Gaetz were spotted leaving the Capitol.

A source familiar previously told Fox News Digital that Gaetz is ‘working the phones’ to address concerns from GOP senators ahead of his confirmation hearings next year. He is also making the rounds with Vance on Capitol Hill to meet with senators directly. 

‘The meetings have been productive with AG nominee Gaetz listening to senators’ thoughts on the role of the DOJ and the confirmation process. Gaetz is looking forward to meeting with more senators throughout this process on the Hill,’ a Trump transition official told Fox News Digital. 

Fox News Digital has reached out to the Trump transition team for comment.

Fox News Digital’s Emma Colton and Andrea Margolis contributed to this report.

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS
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Sports

LeBron James is taking a break from social media. Why?

Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James is taking a break from social media.

The 39-year-old made the announcement on X Wednesday, writing to his 52 million followers, ‘I’ll holla at y’all! Getting off social media for the time being. Y’all take care.’ He also shared his announcement on Instagram to his 159 million followers.

James didn’t elaborate on what prompted his hiatus, but the four-time NBA champion shared a post on X minutes before his departure that appears to offer insight into his decision. James shared a post from Rich Kleiman, the longtime agent and business partner of Kevin Durant, that criticized the negativity of sports media.

‘With so much hate and negativity in the world today, it confuses me why some of National sports media still think that the best way to cover sports is through negative takes,’ Kleiman wrote on Oct. 24. ‘We can all acknowledge that sports is the last part of society that universally brings people together. So why can’t the coverage do the same? It’s only click bait when you say it. When the platform is so big, you can make the change and allow us all an escape from real life negativity. I for one find it all a waste of breath. The Olympics and JJ and Bron’s show was the future of what this can and should all be.’

James reposted the message Wednesday, adding, ‘AMEN!! @richkleiman.’ James also shared Kleiman’s post on Instagram, writing, ‘Damn shame what it’s come to!’ 

All things Lakers: Latest Los Angeles Lakers news, schedule, roster, stats, injury updates and more.

Five minutes later, James announced his social media break on X.

One day before his online departure, James chatted with the media following the Lakers’ 124-118 win over the Utah Jazz and noted that ‘everybody on the internet calls me a liar all the time.’ He dropped the quote while speaking about his teammate Dalton Knecht’s 37-point performance, saying he’s known how good the rookie is since his collegiate days

‘They say I lie about every (expletive) thing. So what am I now? I’ve been said it. I watched him, I watched Tennessee a lot,’ James said. ‘I did not think he was going to fall to us. I thought it would be impossible. I have no idea how that happened but very grateful and very happy that he’s here. I knew exactly what we was getting when he fell to 17.’

This is not the first time James has logged off for a period of time. He went dark online during the 2018 NBA playoffs after activating ‘Zero Dark Thirty-23.’The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast. Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.

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