Jeffrey Epstein, who died in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex-trafficking charges, returned to national infamy this year after a federal judge ordered the unsealing of hundreds of documents about allegations against him in a civil lawsuit. 

While Epstein’s brother, Mark, is not alone in questioning the government’s conclusion that he died of suicide in federal custody, there is also great public interest in the disgraced financier’s associates, clients and potential accomplices.

Here are some of the biggest Epstein revelations of 2024:

The Jeffrey Epstein list: Court unseals names in Ghislaine Maxwell lawsuit

Nearly 200 names that had previously been redacted from court documents in a lawsuit against Jeffrey Epstein’s former lover and accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell were made public on orders of a federal judge in New York. Hundreds of documents were released in multiple waves in January.

Epstein had many high-profile connections, including former U.S. presidents, foreign prime ministers and Britain’s Prince Andrew, as well as Hollywood stars, leading academics, people in the modeling and fashion industries and other public figures. Some of the names were previously known through other means despite having been withheld from the public’s eye in the lawsuit.

Many of the names belong to people who have not been accused of wrongdoing, like former President Bill Clinton, who could have asked the court to have his name remain sealed but declined. A spokesperson for Clinton also denied claims in one of the documents that alleged the former president and Epstein had a “close personal relationship.”

Other names unsealed included billionaire Glenn Dubin and his former private chef, Rinaldo Rizzo, the magician David Copperfield, Tony Figueroa, Limited Brands founder and former Victoria’s Secret CEO Les Wexner, and Epstein accusers such as Johanna Sjoberg and Annie Farmer.

Bill Clinton denies visiting Epstein island in new memoir

Former President Clinton, who had a brief business relationship with Epstein, wrote in his new memoir that he wishes he “had never met him.”

Clinton took flights on Epstein’s private jet on trips for the Clinton Foundation. He wrote that they only discussed “politics and economics” and that he never traveled to Epstein’s infamous Little St. James Island.

“Traveling on Epstein’s plane was not worth the years of questioning afterward,” he wrote in “Citizen,” a new book about his life after leaving the White House.

In a deposition from Epstein accuser Johanna Sjoberg, which was unsealed during the January document dump, she said Epstein bragged about knowing the former president.

“I knew he had dealings with Bill Clinton,” she said. “I did not know they were friends until I read the Vanity Fair article about them going to Africa together.”

Under questioning, she later added, “He said one time that Clinton likes them young, referring to girls.”

Clinton has not been accused of wrongdoing in connection with Epstein, and spokesperson Angel Urena has denied claims in the documents that Clinton and Epstein had any kind of personal relationship.

“I had always thought Epstein was odd but had no inkling of the crimes he was committing,” the former president wrote in his book.

Former model recounts Jeffrey Epstein abuse on his private island

Lisa Phillips, a former model-turned-talent scout and agent, was seeing her career take off when she encountered Jeffrey Epstein.

The former cover girl, who said she was abused by the late convicted sex offender on his private island, recounted her alleged harrowing ordeal on a podcast in October, “From Now On,” aiming to raise awareness of human trafficking and how it can impact anyone.

On a free day after a photo shoot in the Virgin Islands, another model invited her to visit Epstein’s private island, Little St. James. 

Epstein asked her for a massage, then slowly escalated the situation into an outright sex assault, she said.

“It wasn’t a straight, ‘Let me pull you into a room and abuse you,’” Phillips recalled. “He eases into things, like, ‘It’s just a massage, right?’ The girl went along with it and brought me into the room to do this massage with him. It was a slow thing that escalated into abuse. The whole process was very confusing to me.”

Over the years, she’s met other victims who were attacked in the same way, she said.

“I was on an island,” she said. “I wasn’t in a house where I could say, ‘Excuse me, I need to leave,’ and grab my stuff. I was far away from home on an island I should never have been on.”

Epstein grand jury records released

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a new anti-trafficking law that cleared the way for state investigators to release confidential grand jury records from the slap-on-the-wrist punishment Epstein received for child sex trafficking in the 2000s. Hours after the law took effect, Palm Beach County Court Clerk and Comptroller Joseph Abruzzo announced the release.

Palm Beach police initially opened the case after a fight between girls at a local high school, according to the transcripts. One, just 16, had been accused of prostitution by a classmate, and a school official later found $300 in her purse, which originally came from Epstein.

She testified that she had been instructed to concoct a fake life story and pretend to be 18 to get $200 to give Epstein a massage before the first time she met him. Then she revealed she was asked to strip down to her underwear and had a graphic sexual encounter with him.

In a court order authorizing the release of the documents, Circuit Judge Luis Delgado warned that the contents were disturbing.

“It is widely accepted that Epstein is a notorious and serial pedophile,” the order reads. “The testimony taken by the Grand Jury concerns activity ranging from grossly unacceptable to rape – all of the conduct at issue is sexually deviant, disgusting, and criminal.   The details in the record will be outrageous to decent people.”

Fox News’ Stephanie Nolasco contributed to this report.

Elizabeth Taylor was notorious for receiving extravagant gifts from her seven husbands, but the Hollywood icon didn’t hesitate to spoil her pals.

The screen legend and AIDS activist, one of the last icons of Hollywood’s golden era, passed away in 2011 at age 79. Her estate has participated in two new documentaries exploring her life and legacy, titled “Elizabeth Taylor: The Lost Tapes” for HBO and “Elizabeth Taylor: Rebel Superstar,” which was produced by Kim Kardashian. The estate also launched an apparel line.

Tim Mendelson, her longtime executive assistant and pal, told Fox News Digital that his boss liked to go big with gift-giving.

“In 1991, she got married to a man she met at the Betty Ford Center, which you’re not supposed to do, but they fell in love,” said Mendelson, referring to Taylor’s last husband, Larry Fortensky.

“They married at Michael Jackson’s Neverland Ranch,” Mendelson shared. “As a thank-you gift, she gave him an elephant named Gypsy.”

“Sure, she got people cars, but she presented that elephant to Michael Jackson at Neverland Ranch as a surprise,” Mendelson chuckled.

In return, Taylor received a titanium elephant purse.

When it came to her family, Taylor loved spoiling them, too. And if they inherited her dazzling eyes, they got a special collection from her.

“She had these amazing blue eyes that people always said were violet,” Mendelson explained. “Both her sons and her brother Howard had these dazzling turquoise blue eyes. She would always buy them the best cashmere sweaters to match their eyes. And they needed to be the softest cashmere sweaters. They must have had a whole shelf in their closet full of that color because of their eyes.”

“She wasn’t afraid to push the pocketbook to give someone the perfect gift that would only come from her,” he shared. “If someone lost a dog, she was the first to get them a new pet. Dog, cat, whatever animal they wanted – she would give them one.”

If anyone wanted to impress the movie star, they simply had to give her jewels. Mendelson recalled how one of Taylor’s favorite pastimes was to have him fetch her boxes containing her various diamonds, just to look at them.

“She had a jewelry closet,” Mendelson recalled. “She was like a little girl admiring her gifts. And she absolutely had beautiful pieces, especially from the two great loves of her life – Mike Todd and Richard Burton.”

“She had a lot of sentimental pieces from [Burton],’” Mendelson added about the man Taylor married twice.

According to Taylor’s website, Burton showered her with “just because” presents over the years. During their affair in Rome, while bringing the 1963 film “Cleopatra” to life, he often took her shopping for emeralds and diamonds.

“I can’t deny that Richard gave me some spectacular gifts on birthdays and Christmas, but in truth, he was so romantic that he’d use any excuse to give me a piece of jewelry,” Taylor recalled in her book, “My Love Affair with Jewelry.”

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“He’d give me ‘It’s Tuesday, I love you’ presents,” Taylor wrote. “’It’s a beautiful day’ presents. ‘Let’s go for a walk. I want to buy you something’ presents. Over the years, I’ve come to think of these as my, ‘It’s Tuesday, I love you’ jewelry. And I never knew when he would come up with the most extraordinary ring or something very sweet and simple.”

It was also Burton who bought her several of her magnificent jewels, including the pear-shaped 69-carat diamond that came to be called the Burton-Taylor Diamond. She later auctioned it off to fund a hospital in Botswana.

Taylor would go on to possess one of the most important private collections of jewelry in America, Vanity Fair reported. It featured rare pearls, diamonds, rubies and emeralds. Many of Taylor’s prized pieces were put on the auction block by Christie’s.

Taylor didn’t discriminate when it came to jewels, said Mendelson.

“When I first started working for her, it was her 60th birthday,” Mendelson recalled. “I saw these earrings that looked like something she would like. They had amethyst and they were sparkly. They weren’t expensive – like a hundred dollars. She was so impressed that I got those for her because they looked like her style. She appreciated them so much. It just made her feel so excited, to be thought of.”

When Taylor received damehood in 2000, she returned the favor.

“I remember I wanted this watch, which was called The Black Watch, and I thought it was so cool,” said Mendelson. “I didn’t ask her for it. But while she was watching for jewelry, she bought two and said she was going to give them to her sons. We got back to LA, and we were just goofing around. She then turned around and gave me the watch. She said, ‘This was always going to be for you.’”

“The thing is, the Black Watchmen are the men that guard the queen,” said Mendelson. “She gave the other watch to another dear friend of hers, Jose, her hairdresser. She felt, ‘These are the guys that watch over me, just like the Black Watchmen watch over the Queen of England.'”

Kyle MacLachlan, Taylor’s co-star in the 1994 film “The Flintstones,” recently claimed that the actress “had to have a gift every day” while bringing the live-action version of the cartoon to life.

Jesse Tyler Ferguson, host of the “Dinner’s on Me” podcast, exclaimed, “Wait, wait, stop. She had to have a gift?”

“A gift every day,” the “Sex and the City” alum repeated.

“And in the dressing room, the trailer, she had to have greenery around her. And I said those are going right into my contract… A gift every day.”

MacLachlan, 65, gave the example of “jewelry” as the kind of gift the “National Velvet” star would expect.

“This is secondhand now,” he added, saying he had heard the story from producer Bruce Cohen. “Bruce probably told me and said, ‘Don’t ever tell anybody that.’ I’m like too late. It’s too late.”

“The Flintstones” marked Taylor’s final film, although she continued to do TV, including the TV movie “These Old Broads” in 2001.

In “The Flintstones,” Taylor played Wilma Flintstone’s mother, Pearl Slaghoople.

After she died in 2011, “The Flintstones” producer Bruce Cohen told The Hollywood Reporter, “The moment she said yes, we wanted to make it a special experience for her.”

“Lavender was her favorite color, so we made lavender stairs up to her trailer, and we filled the trailer with lavender flowers for her first day of work. I had also been told it was a tradition that you gave her lavish gifts for the first day of production, so we wanted to do that as well.”

Cohen said when he went to her house for a wardrobe fitting before production started, she whispered to him, “‘Darling, you know that I like gifts on the first day of photography.’ I said, ‘Yes, I’ve heard of this tradition.’ And then she whispered, ‘I like Cartier, darling.’”

“We didn’t have an Elizabeth Taylor gift allotment in the budget, so I went to Mr. Spielberg, who was the executive producer, and I said, ‘Steven, I need you to write me a personal check, so I can go shopping for Elizabeth Taylor.’ He loved that idea and understood why we couldn’t put it in the budget.”

Fox News Digital’s Brie Stimson and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Cynthia Horner, along with the rest of the world, was stunned to hear that Doreen Lioy had developed a relationship with the “Night Stalker.”

The magazine editor for Tiger Beat married Richard Ramirez in 1996 in a visiting room at San Quentin Prison.

The serial killer, who died in 2013 at age 53 while awaiting execution, is the subject of a new true-crime docuseries on Peacock, “Richard Ramirez: The Night Stalker Tapes.” 

The special, available for streaming, is based on 25 hours of audio prison recordings of Ramirez from death row, as well as new sit-downs with relatives and loved ones of the victims.

“People always ask me about Richard Ramirez because they’re still fascinated, even 40 years later,” Horner explained to Fox News Digital. “They’re fascinated and horrified at the same time.”

“I think we can all learn some lessons from this story. Just because someone is incarcerated, and they’re willing to write to you, that doesn’t mean that you need to give your life to them.”

Lioy, whose past televised interviews are featured in the docuseries, didn’t participate. The 69-year-old didn’t immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

Horner was working as an editor for Right On! Magazine in the late ‘70s when she met Lioy. Both women worked at the same publishing company.

“Right On! focused heavily on Michael Jackson,” Horner shared. “And of course, Tiger Beat featured all the teen idols that were on different television shows like ‘The Partridge Family.’ We had a photo studio on the company premises where all the stars came to do their shoots. We were all very friendly with each other at the office. Some of us even hung out at night.”

One day at the office, Horner noticed that many colleagues were visibly upset. She learned that Lioy had become pen pals with Ramirez. 

Before Lioy began writing to Ramirez, she believed he was innocent and had publicly defended him, People magazine reported. 

According to the outlet, she wrote to Ramirez in February 1988 and met him that year.

“It was not a good look,” said Horner. “We all worked on teen magazines… And so, for her to strike up a relationship with Richard Ramirez of all people was just not a good look for us… She was a superfan.”

“A superfan, in my opinion, is a ride or die chick, somebody who is going to go really hard. She’s someone who will go the extra mile to be the biggest supporter that could exist.

“…Doreen went the extra mile. Not only did she write letters to Richard Ramirez when he was in prison, but she also tried to contact the media because of the fact she felt that he was innocent. She was trying to be like a publicist in a way, trying to change the trajectory of what was going on.”

“The whole world saw him as someone who was committing horrific crimes – murdering people, harming people,” Horner continued. “But that wasn’t the way she saw him. She looked at him as somebody who needed help. She was willing to put her name out there and try to help him whenever she could.”

Ramirez was convicted of 13 murders that terrorized Southern California in 1984 and 1985, as well as charges of rape, sodomy, oral copulation, burglary and attempted murder.

The killing spree reached its peak in the summer of 1985, as the nocturnal killer entered homes through unlocked windows and doors. He murdered men and women with gunshot blasts to the head or knives to the throat, sexually assaulted female victims, and burglarized residences.

There were also signs of devil worship. He drew a pentagram at one crime scene and survivors also described being ordered to “swear to Satan” by the killer.

He was dubbed the “Night Stalker” by the press, while residents were warned to lock their doors and windows.

Ramirez was finally chased down and beaten in 1985 by residents of a blue-collar East Los Angeles neighborhood as he attempted a carjacking. They recognized him after his picture appeared that day in the news media.

The trial of Ramirez took a year, but the entire case — bogged down in pretrial motions and appeals — lasted four years, making it one of the longest criminal cases in U.S. history. He was sentenced to death.

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Inexplicably, Ramirez had a following of young women admirers. His groupies came to the courtroom regularly and sent him love notes.

Horner said Lioy “knew how to push herself to the top of the line.”

“When you are a magazine editor… you know what’s going to work and what won’t work,” Lioy explained. “She knew what she could write in a letter that might attract his attention… And I think he liked the fact that she worked for a magazine company. 

“The magazines we published featured some of the most famous people in the world, and this man had a huge ego. I think he was enthralled by the kind of relationship he developed with her.”

“He probably found it amusing at first,” she reflected. “And then he realized how helpful she could be because she was falling in love with him.”

Relatives called Lioy a recluse who lived in a fantasy world. That didn’t stop her from expressing her devotion to Ramirez. Horner claimed that a jealous Lioy would make sure she arrived early in prison to see Ramirez, knowing there were many other women eager to see him.

“I know she was concerned because a lot of these groupies were really gorgeous,” said Horner. “And these were women who would try to visit once or twice a week, sometimes even regularly. So, she made sure that she stayed on his radar.”

A friend of Lioy’s said that Ramirez locked eyes on her because she said she was a virgin, SFGate reported.

According to the Los Angeles Times, Lioy would visit Ramirez four times a week and was often among the first in the visiting line.

“She fell in love with him,” said Horner. “Sometimes when you’re in the working world, you don’t have… relationships because you’re so consumed with your career, especially the kind of career we had… That’s why a lot of people didn’t stay in our industry because, at some point, some people wanted to get married, have kids.”

Ramirez was “a nice, safe boyfriend” for someone like Lioy, said Horner.

“He was somebody she could write to, to confide in,” she said. “He could also confide in her. That’s how it all began.”

Ramirez’s crimes, which were grisly beyond imaging, didn’t stop wide-eyed admirers, including Lioy, from flocking to him.

“I understood how this could happen,” said Horner. “We didn’t have social media… We had televisions, photographs and print media. And when people saw these photos of him, they would go crazy over him because he looked like a rock star. He didn’t seem like somebody who was really in prison. I think a lot of people just honed in on his appearance.

“Now today, some people might not think his look was that great, but that’s how it was back in the ‘80s. If you look at photos of different celebrities from the ‘80s, rock stars and all that, you’ll see that they all had that… bad boy swagger. And people went crazy over that.”

When Ramirez and Lioy said, “I do,” no one from her family attended the event. According to reports, they were not afforded conjugal visits.

Two years after his arrest, San Francisco police said DNA linked Ramirez to the 1984 killing of 9-year-old Mei Leung. She was murdered in the basement of a residential hotel in San Francisco’s Tenderloin neighborhood where she lived with her family.

Ramirez had been staying at nearby hotels.

According to the docuseries, Lioy distanced herself after police made the announcement. Her whereabouts were unknown at the time of Ramirez’s death, and she was not listed as his next of kin. 

According to the documentary, Lioy does not want to be recognized.

Horner hasn’t been in touch with Lioy in recent years. But she would like the chance to sit down with her once more.

“It’s been quite a long time,” she said. “But I would like to get in touch because I have some questions… and I’d like to find out what kind of answers I get.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Google has long been a go-to tool for many who have health-related questions – and 2024 was no different. 

Americans across the country turned to the search engine for answers to their medical concerns throughout the year.

Soliant Health, a health care job search site based in Georgia, analyzed 2024 Google search data to identify popular questions from each state, as well as a few of the most generally Googled medical queries.

Below are seven of the top-searched questions, along with answers from Australia-based registered nurse Karen Stockdale.

1. Is bronchitis contagious?

Bronchitis is not contagious, but Stockdale revealed to Soliant that the virus that causes it could be.

Illnesses like colds, influenza and RSV can all lead to bronchitis, which can be contagious for a few days to a week, she said.

2. Is pneumonia contagious?

While there are many types of pneumonia, the most common are either viral or bacterial, according to Stockdale.

“Bacterial pneumonia is usually caused by bacteria that already live in the upper respiratory tract, and it develops after a cold or the flu,” she said. “These types of pneumonia can be contagious, but are not as easily spread.”

Viral pneumonia can result from other viruses, such as COVID-19, influenza, RSV and other contagious illnesses.

“These respiratory conditions are easily spread to others via respiratory droplets in the air, meaning the underlying viral infections are contagious,” the nurse added.

3. What is lupus?

Lupus is an autoimmune disease that causes a person’s own immune system to malfunction and attack healthy tissues, according to Stockdale.

“It is a long-term disease that causes inflammation and pain in many parts of the body, such as the skin, joints and internal organs,” she said.

Since lupus can impact different parts of the body, symptoms may vary. The disease is most common in women aged 15 to 44, Stockdale noted.

4. How much water should I drink each day?

Americans were curious about how much water they should be drinking.

While hydration is key to good health, the specific amount varies per person depending on gender, weight and other factors, Stockdale said.

“For example, a petite female’s intake requirements would vary considerably from a male bodybuilder’s,” she said. “The best way to determine your optimum water intake is to [consider] body weight and activity levels.” 

Stockdale referenced Penn Medicine’s recommendation of drinking 0.5 to 1 ounce of water per pound of body weight, depending on the amount of physical activity.

“If you are not doing strenuous activity, 0.5 ounces per pound should be sufficient,” she said. 

“If you are working outside, playing a sport or are otherwise very active, 1 ounce of water per body weight will be needed to replenish your body.”

5. Is strep throat contagious?

The group of bacteria that causes strep throat, called group A Streptococcus, is “very contagious,” Stockdale cautioned.

These bacteria can spread through droplets when an infected person sneezes or coughs, as well as from sharing drinks or food.

“A person with untreated strep throat can be contagious for up to three weeks, infecting others,” the registered nurse warned.

6. How long does the flu last?

The flu can be extremely uncomfortable, and cases can last longer than expected.

The average influenza case lasts five to seven days, according to Stockdale. Common symptoms include fever, body aches, fatigue, congestion, diarrhea, coughing and sore throat. 

“Those with compromised immune systems may experience a longer period of symptoms,” the nurse said.

7. What causes high blood pressure?

High blood pressure, also known as hypertension, usually develops “slowly over time,” Stockdale stated.

The condition can be caused by various medical conditions, unhealthy lifestyle choices and genetics.

“People with obesity, diabetes and low levels of physical activity are more likely to develop high blood pressure,” Stockdale said. 

“Some women can also experience high blood pressure during pregnancy.” 

Looking for a sweet new cocktail recipe for the New Year?

The owner of an Alabama chocolate shop has shared her s’mores martini recipe with Fox News Digital.

Michelle Novosel is the owner and executive chocolatier of Pizzelle’s Confections in Huntsville, Alabama.

It was voted the No. 1 chocolate shop in the nation by USA Today’s “10Best Readers’ Choice Awards.”

Novosel called her cocktail a “chocolatey, indulgent martini that’s perfect for the holidays.”

She said the drops of chocolate bitters are optional, but 10 drops work best for that “extra chocolate” taste.

The “finishing touch” is a “toasted honey vanilla marshmallow,” though a regular marshmallow “is perfectly great,” she said.

“This is the perfect garnish for your perfect martini,” she added.

Ingredients

Martini or coupe glass, rimmed with dark chocolate sauce and crushed graham cracker

1.5 ounces vodka

.5 ounces coffee liqueur

.5 ounces chocolate liqueur

10 drops chocolate bitters

1 ounce heavy cream (can use an alternative milk)

2 ounces chocolate sauce (“Ours is a blend of dark and milk chocolate, but you can use whatever you have on hand.”)

1 marshmallow, toasted

Ice

Directions

1. Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with some ice cubes. 

2. Shake until smooth. 

3. Pour into prepared glass. 

1. Top with a toasted marshmallow.

2024 was a particularly momentous year in news between the historic victory of President-elect Donald Trump, the two assassination attempts against him and the sidelining of President Biden from the White House race in addition to devastating hurricanes, mysterious drones and unrest around the world.  

It was, however, also a big year in news about the news industry. 2024 was filled with newsroom turmoil, scrutinized editorial decisions, and even an inappropriate election romance.   

Here are ten of the biggest media controversies of 2024:

NBC’s hiring (and firing) of Ronna McDaniel

NBC News was engulfed in a firestorm fueled by its own staffers after the network announced in March it had hired former Republican National Committee chair Ronna McDaniel as a contributor.

The practice of major news organizations hiring ex-lawmakers, government officials and political insiders has existed for decades and has largely been non-controversial. But a chorus of NBC talent, particularly from its liberal cable arm MSNBC, publicly disavowed McDaniel’s hiring, citing her support for Trump and alleged actions in trying to block the certification of Michigan’s election results in 2020.

“We weren’t asked our opinion of the hiring, but if we were, we would have strongly objected to it for several reasons including, but not limited to, as lawyers might say, Ms. McDaniel’s role in Donald Trump’s fake elector scheme and her pressuring election officials to not certify election results while Donald Trump was on the phone,” MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough said on “Morning Joe” at the time.

Rachel Maddow, MSNBC’s biggest star, blasted NBC’s “inexplicable” decision to hire McDaniel and expressed hope that the network would reverse its decision.

The network’s liberal talent, including Chuck Todd, Nicolle Wallace, Joy Reid and Jen Psaki, also spoke out against the move in a coordinated on-air campaign. Todd memorably fumed on “Meet the Press” right after colleague Kristen Welker interviewed McDaniel, in what turned out to be her only appearance as a contributor.

“I think our bosses owe you an apology for putting you in this situation, because I don’t know what to believe,” he said.

One insider told Fox News Digital at the time, “I haven’t spoken to a single person who thinks it’s a good idea.”

Just four days after McDaniel’s hiring, she was terminated, putting an end to the embarrassing saga.

“There is no doubt that the last several days have been difficult for the News Group,” NBCUniversal News Group Chairman Cesar Conde told staff in a memo. “After listening to the legitimate concerns of many of you, I have decided that Ronna McDaniel will not be an NBC News contributor.”

Conde acknowledged McDaniel’s hiring had undermined the goal of a “cohesive and aligned” newsroom and offered an apology to his staff. 

“I want to personally apologize to our team members who felt we let them down,” Conde wrote. “While this was a collective recommendation by some members of our leadership team, I approved it and take full responsibility for it.”

Veteran NPR editor blows whistle on left-wing takeover of newsroom

One of the most stunning media sagas of 2024 came courtesy of Uri Berliner, a veteran NPR editor who blew the whistle on the liberal dogma that had captured his news organization. 

In a tell-all essay published in The Free Press in April, Berliner wrote about how NPR turned a “blind eye” to the Hunter Biden laptop scandal, its rejection of the COVID lab leak theory, its “troubling” avoidance of the growing antisemitism following the Oct. 7 terrorist attack against Israel, and how it turned to Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., as an “ever-present muse” during Russiagate. 

Berliner also put a spotlight on the lack of ideological diversity among its editorial staff, claiming registered Democrats outnumber Republicans in its Washington newsroom 87-0 according to his research of voting records. A spokesperson for NPR previously disputed his characterization and methodology to draw such conclusions.

Berliner was initially suspended for violating NPR’s policies on seeking permission to speak to the press. However, his colleagues lashed out against him and he was publicly rebuked by his boss, NPR CEO Katherine Maher, prompting his resignation. 

Berliner has since joined The Free Press as a senior editor.

ABC debate moderators’ slanted fact-checking against Trump

All eyes were on ABC News on Sept. 10 as it secured the first and only presidential debate between former President Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris.

Debate moderators David Muir and Linsey Davis fact-checked Trump on five separate occasions while letting everything Harris said go unchallenged. 

At one point, Muir even challenged Trump on whether the former president was being sarcastic as he claimed after he was asked about past comments admitting his 2020 defeat. 

“I did watch all of these pieces of video. I didn’t detect the sarcasm,” Muir said to Trump. 

Critics blasted the debate for appearing like a 3-on-1 sparring match. Even the liberal writers of NBC’s “Saturday Night Live” teased their rival network for being “biased.” 

Olivia Nuzzi’s ‘sexting’ relationship with RFK Jr.

In September, New York magazine’s star reporter Olivia Nuzzi found herself at the center of a media controversy after it was discovered that she had been personally involved with Robert F. Kennedy Jr., whom she covered during his independent presidential bid. RFK Jr. is married to actress Cheryl Hines. 

The alleged “sexting” relationship emerged as tabloid fodder, dominating media industry gossip when it became public knowledge. Among the chatter was a much-circulated Puck report that Nuzzi sent “demure” nude photos to Kennedy. 

“Earlier this year, the nature of some communication between myself and a former reporting subject turned personal,” Nuzzi said in her initial statement. “I did not directly report on the subject nor use them as a source. The relationship was never physical but should have been disclosed to prevent the appearance of a conflict. I deeply regret not doing so immediately and apologize to those I’ve disappointed, especially my colleagues at New York.”

A Kennedy spokesperson also previously denied any sort of physical relationship and said he had only met Nuzzi once.

It was also revealed that Nuzzi’s engagement with Politico’s chief Washington correspondent and Playbook co-author Ryan Lizza was called off amid the revelations. Lizza had taken a leave of absence from Politico. 

Nuzzi was suspended by New York magazine as it conducted an investigation into whether her coverage of the 2024 presidential race was affected by her inappropriate relationship with RFK Jr. Both the magazine and an enlisted law firm concluded they found “no inaccuracies nor evidence of bias.”

Nuzzi and the magazine parted ways in October. 

CBS News’ internal uproar over the Dokoupil-Coates interview

In October, left-wing staffers at CBS News lashed out at their colleague, “CBS Mornings” co-host Tony Dokoupil, over his tough interview exchange with progressive author Ta-Nehisi Coates. 

Dokoupil, who is Jewish and has children living in Israel, grilled Coates, whose vehemently anti-Israel book “The Message” has been rebuked by the Jewish state’s defenders for its shallow analysis of a complicated conflict.

“The content of that section would not be out of place in the backpack of an extremist,” Dokoupil told Coates about one portion about his trip to Israel and the Palestinian territories, asking him, “Why leave out so much,” and “What is it that so particularly offends you about the existence of a Jewish state that is a Jewish safe place?” 

CBS leadership reassured offended staff members that following a review, they concluded that the interview did not meet the company’s “editorial standards,” the Free Press reported, which obtained audio of the staff meeting. 

While a source familiar with the matter told Fox News Digital that Dokoupil would not be punished over the interview, he was forced to meet with the network’s in-house Race and Culture Unit following complaints. According to The New York Times, the conversation “focused on Mr. Dokoupil’s tone of voice, phrasing and body language” during the interview.

The New York Post also reported that Dokoupil expressed regret to staffers at a meeting, with one network insider describing it, “There were tears. [People were] very upset.”

Some rallied to his defense, like CBS News legal correspondent Jan Crawford, who went to bat for him during a network conference call, and Shari Redstone, chair of CBS News’ parent company Paramount Global, who called the network’s handling of Dokoupil a “mistake.” CBS CEO George Cheeks issued a memo standing by the news network’s leadership. 

‘60 Minutes’ sparks confusion with Kamala Harris interview

CBS’ long-running magazine show “60 Minutes” was plagued by a strange controversy involving its interview in October with Vice President Kamala Harris and the two responses she appeared to give to the same question.

In an exchange with veteran correspondent Bill Whitaker, Harris was asked why it seemed like Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wasn’t listening to the U.S. as the Gaza conflict rages. A preview clip that aired on “Face The Nation” showed one response, which was mocked by conservatives as “word salad.” The primetime election special that aired the following night showed an entirely different answer.

“Well, Bill, the work that we have done has resulted in a number of movements in that region by Israel that were very much prompted by, or a result of, many things, including our advocacy for what needs to happen in the region,” Harris responded in the “Face the Nation” clip that aired Oct. 6.

A shorter, more focused answer from the vice president was shown to the same question the following night.

“We are not going to stop pursuing what is necessary for the United States to be clear about where we stand on the need for this war to end,” Harris said in the primetime special. 

CBS News has not offered answers to the discrepancy and refused to release the full transcript of the Harris interview. Trump called for CBS to lose its broadcasting license and even filed a lawsuit accusing the network of election interference. 

“Former President Donald Trump is accusing 60 Minutes of deceitful editing of our Oct. 7 interview with Vice President Kamala Harris,” the show said in a statement in October. “That is false. 60 Minutes gave an excerpt of our interview to Face the Nation that used a longer section of her answer than that on 60 Minutes. Same question. Same answer. But a different portion of the response.”

LA Times and Washington Post implode over non-endorsements 

Some of the country’s most prominent newspapers made their own headlines by ending their decades-long practice of endorsing presidential candidates, much to the chagrin of progressive staffers.

The Los Angeles Times kicked off the movement with a decision made by its owner, Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong, for the paper to not make any endorsement in the 2024 race. That led to a slew of resignations, including by Times editorials editor Mariel Garza and editorial board members Robert Greene and Karin Klein.

Times columnist Harry Litman offered his resignation in December, citing the paper’s “shameful capitulation” to Trump after Soon-Shiong made overtures to moderate the paper, like bringing aboard conservative commentator Scott Jennings to its revamped editorial board. 

Days after the Times, The Washington Post announced it would no longer make endorsements in presidential races. The paper’s billionaire owner Jeff Bezos halted the editorial board’s planned endorsement of Harris as well – the Post had endorsed the Democrat in every presidential election since 1976, except for when it omitted any endorsement at all in 1988.

That move sparked outrage from the Post’s union to its prominent columnists, 20 of whom signed an open letter denouncing the paper’s decision. Multiple editorial board members stepped down, and the Post’s editor-at-large Robert Kagan resigned. 

The paper also reportedly lost 250,000 paid subscribers as a result, another financial blow after it was already on track to lose $77 million this year. 

Bezos penned an op-ed defending the decision, citing growing distrust in the media. 

“By itself, declining to endorse presidential candidates is not enough to move us very far up the trust scale, but it’s a meaningful step in the right direction,” he wrote. “I wish we had made the change earlier than we did, in a moment further from the election and the emotions around it. That was inadequate planning, and not some intentional strategy.”

Sharpton’s ‘pay to play’ scheme ahead of Harris interview on MSNBC

MSNBC host Rev. Al Sharpton raised eyebrows after it was discovered that his nonprofit National Action Network had received $500,000 from the Harris campaign ahead of a friendly Oct. 20 interview with the Democratic nominee just weeks before the election. 

Following Harris’ defeat to President-elect Donald Trump, FEC filings revealed the Harris campaign gave two $250,000 donations to Sharpton’s nonprofit organization in September and October. However, the MSNBC weekend host did not disclose to viewers the apparent conflict of interest before or after the interview. Neither did he disclose the donations to his bosses at the network, according to the Washington Free Beacon. 

MSNBC told the Washington Free Beacon that the network was “unaware” of the payments to Sharpton’s nonprofit. 

Despite being caught in what’s been dubbed a “pay to play” scheme, Sharpton continues to host his weekend show and make regular appearances on other MSNBC programs.

MSNBC’s ‘Morning Joe’ hosts face backlash over Trump meeting

In the days following the presidential election, Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski, the co-hosts of MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” shocked their liberal audience by revealing they met with President-elect Trump at Mar-a-Lago, the first time they had done so in seven years.

“For those asking why we would go speak to the president-elect during such fraught times, especially between us, I guess I would ask back — why wouldn’t we?” Brzezinski said. “Five years of political warfare has deeply divided Washington and the country. We have been as clear as we know how in expressing our deep concerns about President Trump’s actions and words in the coarsening of public debate.”

The disclosure by the MSNBC stars ignited a firestorm from their liberal viewers, many of them vowing to boycott the show. Even their own colleague, MSNBC contributor Jennifer Rubin, fueled the movement and trashed the co-hosts. 

Scarborough and Brzezinski remained defiant, defending the Trump meeting after one of their frequent guests, The Atlantic’s David Frum, suggested they were living in “fear” with Trump returning to the White House. 

“Let me tell you something, you can talk to anybody that’s worked in the front office of NBC and MSNBC over the past 22 years, [they’ll] tell you I’m not fearful. You talk to anybody who served with me in Congress, they will tell you, not fearful of leadership. Now? Not fearful,” Scarborough said.

ABC News pays Trump $15 million in defamation settlement 

ABC News was forced to pay Trump a whopping $15 million and issue an apology as a result of a landmark defamation settlement. 

Trump sued the Disney-owned network earlier this year after an exchange anchor George Stephanpoulos had with Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., on the Sunday morning news program “This Week” in March. 

During the interview, Stephanopoulos claimed ten separate times Trump was found “liable for rape,” when the jury in the E. Jean Carroll civil case actually determined him to be liable for “sexual abuse,” which has a distinct definition under New York law.

Initially, Stephanopoulos was defiant in the face of Trump’s lawsuit, telling CBS late-night host Stephen Colbert that he wouldn’t be “cowed out of doing my job because of a threat.”

“Trump sued me because I used the word ‘rape,’ even though a judge said that’s in fact what did happen. We filed a motion to dismiss,” Stephanopoulos told Colbert. 

A judge ultimately tossed ABC News’ motion to dismiss Trump’s lawsuit and settled with the president-elect in December before entering a costly trial. 

According to the settlement, ABC News will pay $15 million as a charitable contribution to a “Presidential foundation and museum to be established by or for Plaintiff, as Presidents of the United States of America have established in the past.” Additionally, the network will pay $1 million in Trump’s attorney fees.  

Stephanopoulos and ABC News also had to issue statements of “regret” as an editor’s note at the bottom of an article on ABC News’ website. The note reads, “ABC News and George Stephanopoulos regret statements regarding President Donald J. Trump made during an interview by George Stephanopoulos with Rep. Nancy Mace on ABC’s This Week on March 10, 2024.”

Liberal critics from rival networks including CNN, NBC and MSNBC accused ABC News of “bending the knee” to Trump and setting a bad precedent. 

“This was stunning to me and absolutely a gut punch to anybody that works at a major media company, because I think it does set a precedent that is going to be very difficult to get out from under potentially,” NBC’s Chuck Todd said in an interview.

Most Republicans prefer not to hear celebrities’ political takes as Americans seem to be experiencing “information overload” post-election, a poll released Thursday showed. 

AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research published a poll titled, “Most adults feel the need to limit political news consumption due to fatigue and information overload.”

Sixty-one percent of Republicans strongly/somewhat disapproved of celebrities speaking out about political issues, while 27% neither approved nor disapproved and 11% strongly/somewhat approved. For Democrats, however, 20% strongly/somewhat disapproved, while 40% neither approved nor disapproved and 39% strongly/somewhat approved.

Much of America is still reeling from a contentious election, to the point where many are apparently burned out on political news altogether. 

“Sixty-five percent of adults have felt the need to limit their media consumption about the government and politics due to information overload, fatigue, or similar reasons and half feel the same for overseas conflicts,” according to the poll’s summary of findings. “Around four in ten adults feel the same way about news on the economy and climate change.”

Democrats are more likely than Republicans to claim they feel the need to limit their media consumption of stories about government and politics overall, at 72% vs. 59%.

“People are not eager for politics to mix with their entertainment or commerce experiences,” according to the summary. “Forty-three percent of adults approve of small businesses speaking out on political issues and 20% disapprove. But, only a quarter approve of celebrities, professional athletes, or large companies speaking out, while 4 in 10 disapprove.”

The study noted that “Democrats are more likely than Republicans to approve of celebrities, professional athletes, and large companies speaking out about politics. Small businesses speaking out on political issues is viewed similarly by Democrats and Republicans.”

One of the major takeaways of the 2024 election was that podcasts that focus on political and cultural commentary, like the “Joe Rogan Experience,” seemingly influenced voters more than endorsements from celebrity entertainers like Taylor Swift.

When she endorsed the Harris-Walz campaign in 2024, it was deemed a blow to the Trump campaign, but President-elect Donald Trump’s victory over Vice President Kamala Harris indicates that Swift’s endorsement might not have had the actual impact Democrats were hoping for.

According to AP VoteCast, 44% of women between ages 18 and 44 voted for Trump, while 48% of women 45 and older supported him.

The AP/NORC poll was conducted between Dec. 5 and 9 using a probability-based panel of NORC at the University of Chicago. Online and telephone interviews were conducted among 1,251 adults. 

The overall margin of sampling error for the poll was +/- 3.7 percentage points. 

Fox News Digital’s Kendall Tietz contributed to this report.

JonBenet Ramsey’s father, John Ramsey, says he plans to meet with the Boulder Police Department chief in Colorado next month, alongside a representative from an independent genetic genealogy research lab, as he pushes local authorities to allow an outside lab to test crime-scene evidence from his daughter’s unsolved 1996 murder case.

Thursday marks 28 years since 6-year-old JonBenet was found strangled and bludgeoned to death in the basement of her family’s Boulder home on Dec. 26, 1996, and her killer remains unknown.

“We have requested a meeting with [Boulder Police Department] Chief [Stephen] Redfearn in January. He said yup, absolutely, let’s get together,” John Ramsey, 80, told Fox News Digital. “We haven’t scheduled the day yet, but we’ll get that figured out. That’s an important meeting. We’re going to have a representative with us for one of these cutting-edge labs to explain what they can and can’t do. Hopefully, he will accept their help.”

Ramsey added that if the BPD chief agrees to allow an independent lab to conduct testing on the nearly three-decades-old crime scene items — something he’s been pushing to do for years — he will feel “comfortable we’ve got things moving.”

“The reason I’ve done these media interviews — Netflix, that documentary — is to keep pressure on the police. We’re not going to go away, folks,” Ramsey said.

“Colorado has over a thousand unsolved homicides, and we’re not going to be one of them.”

— John Ramsey

Ramsey wants police to retest certain evidence for traces of DNA, including external male DNA that federal officials disclosed in 1997, and test other items for the first time. 

Private genetic genealogy databases have grown significantly over the last decade, and the technology used to identify and link DNA to specific individuals is more advanced than it has ever been, making the possibility of identifying a suspect in JonBenet’s murder using genetic evidence more promising than ever before. 

There are more than 20 items in the case that have never been tested, including, but not limited to, a garrote found around JonBenet’s neck, a ransom note found in the Ramsey house on the morning of the murder, a suitcase found in the basement that authorities believe the killer used to escape out a window, an unknown flashlight found on the Ramsey family’s kitchen counter the morning of the murder and unknown rope found in brother Burke Ramsey’s room that day, according to public records initially obtained by journalist Paula Woodward, who has published two books about the Ramsey case.

While it is unclear if officials will be able to find or identify any suspects in the case by partnering with an independent lab with access to private databases, Ramsey is hopeful that it is the next step for him in his pursuit for justice for his daughter, whether it yields results or not.

“DNA is pretty complicated stuff. I have learned that,” Ramsey said, “but that’s the reason that needs to be retested. That’s the one step that we’re asking the police to do is engage one of these one or two cutting-edge labs in the world and see what we come up with … and we come up empty-handed, then I’ll say, ‘Thank you. You tried. That’s the best we can do right now with today’s technology. Thank you.’ But until we do that, we haven’t done everything that could be done.”

Ramsey said he finally feels hopeful that he and BPD are making “progress” in the case 28 years after his daughter’s murder.

BPD told Fox News Digital that the department has “regularly met with the family and plans to do so in 2025.”

Chief Redfearn is the fifth police chief to take on the case since 1996, and he was officially appointed in September after serving as the interim chief for the Boulder Police Department starting in January. BPD detectives have followed up on more than 21,000 tips, emails and letters and traveled to 19 states to interview or speak with more than a thousand people in connection with the case.

“The killing of JonBenet was an unspeakable crime and this tragedy has never left our hearts,” Redfearn said in a November statement reflecting on 28 years since JonBenet’s murder. “We are committed to following up on every lead and we are continuing to work with DNA experts and our law enforcement partners around the country until this tragic case is solved. This investigation will always be a priority for the Boulder Police Department.”

Local authorities have partnered with federal officials — including the FBI — and DNA experts from across the country, according to BPD.

“The murder of JonBenet Ramsey is a terrible tragedy and sparked years of unanswered questions and theories. Our office has successfully prosecuted other cold case homicides and many murder cases,” District Attorney Michael Dougherty said. “In every one of those cases, it was the evidence that proved the defendant(s) guilty. Whether it is DNA or other evidence, more is needed to solve this murder. I appreciate the collaboration with CBI, the FBI, and the Boulder Police Department.”

Officials have sorted through 2,500 pieces of evidence and approximately 40,000 reports with more than a million pages documenting the investigation. The Colorado Cold Case Review team has also provided BPD with a list of tips for the department to pursue, according to Redfearn. 

Legacy media outlets spent much of the first half of 2024 insisting President Biden was still sharp and claimed videos suggesting otherwise were “cheap fakes” until his disastrous debate performance forced an immediate about-face. 

In one of the biggest media stories of the year, multiple legacy outlets were left with egg on their faces after creating yet another credibility crisis for the fourth estate.

The media largely seethed in February after the release of Special Counsel Robert Hur’s damning report on Biden’s handling of classified documents that described him as a “sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory.” 

The New York Times went with the “Republicans pounce” framing when covering Biden’s reported memory issues, Jeffrey Toobin returned to CNN to insist Hur made “unnecessary points” about Biden’s advanced age, and MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow gushed that everything is fine because Biden still “rides a bike.” 

Hours after the damning report, the president held a last-minute White House press conference and remained defiant — becoming clearly agitated when he faced questions about his age and memory. Declaring his memory was “fine,” Biden then referred to Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi as the “president of Mexico.” Biden then went off script and took questions from reporters at random, prompting a combative exchange with CNN correspondent MJ Lee, who asked about Americans who are concerned about his age. 

Vice President Kamala Harris later attacked Hur’s report as “politically motivated” and “gratuitous, inaccurate and inappropriate,” and the word “gratuitous” caught on as a liberal media talking point.

In June, The Wall Street Journal irked liberal pundits when it published a bombshell, “Behind Closed Doors, Biden Shows Signs of Slipping,” that detailed interviews with more than 45 people over the course of several months who felt the president had lost a step.

The report was promptly dismissed by much of the mainstream press. Democrats, including Nancy Pelosi, who later helped lead the behind-the-scenes charge to take Biden off the ticket, lashed out at the story. MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” declared the report was a “Trump hit piece on Biden,” and left-wing media watchdog group Media Matters called the report “comically weak.”

Then-CNN media reporter Oliver Darcy was furious, writing in his left-leaning newsletter that the “story questioned Biden’s mental acuity, playing into a GOP-propelled narrative that the 81-year-old president lacks the fitness to hold the nation’s highest office.”

“The Wall Street Journal owes its readers — and the public — better,” Darcy fumed, repeating the White House narrative that such concerns about Biden’s fitness were simply laundered GOP talking points. Biden was out of the race less than two months later.

Later in June, White House officials insisted a series of videos that appeared to show Biden freezing up or appearing lost were actually “cheap fake” smears pushed by bad actors. Biden has been plagued with videos from various events that appear to show him “confused.” 

One video showed him turning away from the group of world leaders at a D-Day anniversary event in France to speak to a parachuter. Another video appeared to show him being uncertain of when it was time to sit down, and another video showed him being led off the stage by former President Obama at a fundraising event. According to the White House, it was all just bad-faith efforts to discredit Biden. 

But Biden had nowhere to hide during his disastrous performance at the presidential debate against then-candidate Donald Trump on June 27. He appeared confused, pale, repeatedly struggled to articulate his message and lost his train of thought mid-sentence on multiple occasions. 

The debate forced Biden’s media allies to turn on him, and everyone from pundits on CNN and MSNBC to the New York Times’ editorial board called for him to step aside after years of insisting he was sharp as a tack. 

Biden and his allies blamed the debate disaster on having a cold, jet lag, being tired and even that he was distracted by Trump speaking into a muted microphone. They ultimately landed on a “bad night” as the talking point to justify the debacle. 

Following weeks of adamant declarations from Biden and his campaign that he was staying in the race, the president eventually dropped out and endorsed Harris for president. She swiftly wrapped up the nomination, setting off a furious race to the campaign finish.

The press that spent weeks calling for him to step aside in the wake of the debate suddenly showered him with praise. Late-night host Stephen Colbert enthused he was a “great president.” CNN’s Van Jones nearly became emotional on the air. And the excitement of liberal media figures on the air over Harris’ ascendance was impossible to deny. 

“What a man, what a patriot. What an act of selfless devotion to your country,” MSNBC’s Maddow said, setting the tone for how liberal pundits would react. 

While the ordeal came to a head in 2024, the press had dismissed concerns about Biden’s fitness for office for years. 

In 2022, one of the more memorable examples came when White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre laughed off a question about Biden’s physical and mental well-being during an interview with CNN. Then-host Don Lemon asked, “Does the president have the stamina, physically and mentally, do you think to continue on even after 2024?”

“Don, you’re asking me this question,” a visibly stunned Jean-Pierre exclaimed. “Oh my gosh. He’s the President of the United States.”

The press secretary then laughed and said she sometimes struggles to even keep up with Biden.

“That is not a question that we should be even asking,” she added. “Just look at the work he does. And look how he’s delivering for the American public.”

After several gaffes in 2023 — including Biden falling at the Air Force Academy commencement ceremony in June, referring to the Grand Canyon as one of the “nine” wonders of the world and claiming he was at Ground Zero the day after 9/11 in September despite records showing he was in Washington, D.C., that day — Harris was asked about whether the president’s age is a concern.

“I would say that age is more than a chronological fact,” Harris said in an interview for the New York Times’ Dealbook Summit in November 2023, adding that he is “absolutely authoritative” during his meetings.

Harris went on to lose to Trump on Election Day after she emerged as the Democratic nominee without any true primary process.

How much have things changed in a momentous 2024? The New York Times published a lengthy piece on Dec. 18 about the frailty of Biden as he prepares to leave office.

“He looks a little older and a little slower with each passing day. Aides say he remains plenty sharp in the Situation Room, calling world leaders to broker a cease-fire in Lebanon or deal with the chaos of Syria’s rebellion,” the Times reported. “But it is hard to imagine that he seriously thought he could do the world’s most stressful job for another four years.”

Fox News Digital’s Joseph A. Wulfsohn, Andrew Mark Miller, Aubrie Spady, Jamie Joseph, Lawrence Richard and Emma Colton contributed to this report. 

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger once said that “government’s first duty and highest obligation is public safety.” He was right.

Less than a decade later though, progressive Democrats in Sacramento passed California’s now infamous “sanctuary state” law, throwing aside public safety for what they viewed as a more righteous and important cause; ensuring that immigrants here illegally wouldn’t face deportation when they committed crimes.

Instead of removing illegal immigrant criminals from our communities by releasing them to federal agents for deportation, law enforcement agencies throughout the state have since been forced to release them back on to our streets where they all too often re-offend, sometimes with catastrophic consequences.

In 2021, federal immigration officials tried to pick up an illegal immigrant already flagged for deportation when he was arrested for domestic violence after beating the mother of his three-year-old child. Instead, thanks to these “sanctuary” policies, he was released the next day. He went on to shoot her dead in front of their daughter.

Earlier this year, I visited our southern border and spoke with immigration officers who warned of the danger these illegal immigrant criminals pose. They voiced grave concerns about the increasing number of young men crossing the border, with fear that some may have unknown criminal histories back home. But in San Diego, even if these illegal immigrants do go on to commit crimes, our law enforcement agencies are hamstrung by these reckless “sanctuary” policies.

These rules have hurt Californians and will continue to do so. But now, in their infinite wisdom, the Democrat-majority San Diego County Board of Supervisors has decided to take things a step further.

Current law allows local law enforcement to cooperate with federal immigration officers in extreme cases like murder and gang violence, but the board thought even that was too harsh for these criminals. Last week, they voted to make San Diego County a “super sanctuary” where under no circumstances can local law enforcement cooperate with the federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency without a federal judge’s order.

In their race for the title of who hates Trump the most, three Democrats on the board voted to make sure that even if illegal immigrants are arrested for murder, rape, child abuse or drug sales, they will not be deported. That means if a case falls through because a witness disappears or decides not to testify, as often occurs, illegal immigrants who have killed San Diegans will be freed to kill again in our communities even if ICE requests them for deportation.

They claim it’s a stand against Trump policies that might allow more of these criminal illegal immigrants to be deported, but in reality it is a step much, much further. It amounts to full aiding and abetting of hardened, violent criminals who are in our country illegally and committing heinous and violent crimes in our communities.

And to what end? To poke and antagonize an incoming president for progressive brownie points? To be seen as standing up to a perceived boogeyman by protecting and surrounding yourself with real-life ones right here in our communities?

This is despicable. Our job as elected officials is to protect the people we represent. The families and communities who elected us. It is to look out for their interests and safety above all else. This, is not that.

There is some hope, however, as San Diego County Sheriff Kelly Martinez announced she will not adhere to the new “super sanctuary,” citing her position as an independently elected official whose policy is not set by the County Board. I commend her for rejecting this partisan virtue signaling and prioritizing public safety.

Meanwhile, myself and other San Diego Republican elected officials are working to find solutions to combat the board’s folly at the state level.

We must return to an era when elected leaders put serving the best interests of their constituents over engaging in political battles for headlines. To a time when politicians prioritized keeping hardworking, everyday people safe instead of protecting criminals here illegally who seek to do them harm.

I call today on the Board of Supervisors to reconsider this new “super sanctuary” policy and I call on the people of San Diego to speak up and have your voices heard. If this “super sanctuary” policy is not what you want for your community, call your supervisor and let them know. Because, as Governor Schwarzenegger put it, your safety is meant to be their first duty and highest obligation.