Flight passengers are battling over baggage, with flyers taking to social media to discuss where to stow carry-on bags and the policies behind it.

One traveler shared a recent experience on Reddit in the “r/unitedairlines” forum with the title, “Overhead bin “ownership”, and smaller carryon items.”

The user claimed they had a recent travel experience involving overhead bins, writing, “I was on a flight yesterday where the FA [flight attendant] announced your items do not have to go directly above your seat and to look for any overhead space.”

“The flight was packed and room ran out quickly and people were scrambling up and down the aisles. To help that, it was also asked that IF your carryon can fit under the seat please do so. That seems like a kind thing to do,” the user posted.

Fox News Digital reached out to United Airlines for comment.

Redditors took to the comments section to point out the sizing of carry-ons taking up too much space.

“Some of these ‘carry ons’ are monsters, let’s be honest,” said one user.

Another chimed in, “part of the problem is passengers ‘abusing’ their carry on allowances. Some people would max out on the size of their carry on, and bring along an oversized ‘personal item.’”

Other users drew attention to passengers traveling with multiple bags.

“This is a pet peeve of mine-passengers should only be allowed 1 carry on to be put overhead. I see people board with a carry on, a backpack and a snowboard in addition to their computer bag and purses,” said one.

One added, “Biggest frustration is when the early passengers board, but 2-3 items in the overhead bins then when group 3 boards there is no space left and bags have to be passed back out to be gate checked.”

“If I skip a carry on and only bring a personal backpack that bad boy goes up in the bin,” shared a user.

Another person shared a preference on where they place their bags.

“I always put my carry on in the bin across the aisle from where I am sitting. That way I can watch it to make sure other passengers don’t mess with it when they put their own luggage into the bin,” the user shared.

On United’s website it says, “You can bring a few items in addition to your carry-on bag and personal item for free,” listing items such as a jacket or coat. 

In another Reddit forum titled, “r/onebag,” a user titled a post “Overhead Bin Etiquette,” asking for others to weigh in on the proper placement of personal items.

“While I can fit either bag under my seat, I choose to put it in the overhead bin to enjoy all the leg/foot space,” said the user.

Adding, “I never really thought it was an issue until I had another traveler ask me to move my backpack to make room for their wheeled carryon on a full flight.”

One Reddit user commented, “If I’m paying for a ticket that includes overhead space, I won’t move my backpack.”

One said, “Every single plane I’ve been on they announce over the intercom that if your bag can fit under the seat, that’s where it should be.”

California-based etiquette expert Rosalinda Randall told Fox News Digital “overhead bins are for carry-on luggage, not your jacket, handbag, a book or snack you’ll later get up to retrieve.”

Randall shared the message that is often stated by flight attendants during the boarding process to allow usable space for everyone’s carry-on.

“If boarding early or in the first couple of boarding groups, you will probably have a spot in the overhead bin directly above your row, where your carry-on belongs,” she added.

Randall said it may be necessary to place a carry-on several rows behind an assigned seat due to occupied bins.

“If the inconvenience of waiting once you reach the gate is too much for you, politely request they check-it. Instead of waiting on the plane, you’ll wait for it at baggage claim,” said Randall.

Randall advised not to rush to retrieve carry-ons when the plane leaves.

“The courteous thing to do is wait until you can retrieve your carry-on without inconveniencing others.”

Randall said there are a few things that passengers may do with their carry-ons that may be considered rude and inconsiderate.

“Place it in a class you have not paid for. In the end, those passengers have priority, your bag will be checked if all bins are full,” she said. 

She also said it is in poor taste to place your carry-on in the front of the plane if your seat is in the back or to remove someone’s carry-on so that yours fits.

“This is not first-class behavior; it’s low class. Besides, what are they supposed to do with their carry-on,” said Randall.

She said passengers should be courteous when putting their luggage in an overhead bin instead of “carelessly [shoving] shopping bags or crushing them to fit your carry-on, the items could be fragile.”

She added that some people “thoughtlessly maneuver carry-ons or use someone’s seat as a step stool when trying to fit it into the bin.”

A young mother who transitioned from female to male as a troubled teenager before detransitioning shared the regret and permanent health problems she now faces as a result.

“I feel like I was an experiment and gender ideology has robbed me of my health in the future,” Prisha Mosley said in a new interview cautioning other young people who are considering making the same choice.

Mosley, 26, began transitioning to a male at 17 years old as she was struggling with anorexia, suicidal thoughts and trauma from being raped. She said transgender activists online convinced her that she was unhappy because her “body was fighting to be a boy.”

“I was a child, and I believed it. I thought: ‘My body’s not just horrible, it’s entirely wrong. All my problems are because I’m really a boy,’” she told The Daily Mail.

After sharing these thoughts with a nutritionist treating her anorexia, she was “almost immediately” put in touch with a gender therapist who diagnosed her with gender dysphoria and began prescribing her hormones to start transitioning to male.

She claims medical professionals misled her and her reluctant parents about the risks and pushed them into believing that becoming a boy would solve her problems.

“It was sold as this wonderful thing that would take away all the distress I was feeling,” Prisha told The Daily Mail. “But it didn’t help at all. It made me feel worse and I’m left with a lot of shame, guilt and anger.”

“I’d fully bought the lie that I was going to become this whole new person, with all my problems behind me. But my problems were still there and I was feeling worse,” she added.

She realized a few years later she had made a “terrible mistake,” and stopped taking testosterone in order to transition back to female. 

She’s now warning others about the chronic health problems she suffers from as a result of these gender treatments and how they have impacted her journey as a new mother.

After suffering a painful pregnancy as a result of the bodily changes resulting from taking puberty blockers, Mosley gave birth to a healthy baby boy six months ago. But she is unable to breastfeed her child after having a double mastectomy at 18, and she suffers from chronic pain and other health problems.

“The muscles on my neck and shoulders are big and disproportionate, and they burn all the time, like electric shocks,” she told The Daily Mail.

“I have to take medications because my pancreas is messed up, I’m insulin-resistant, and I’ve got polycystic ovary syndrome because of the years of taking testosterone,” she added. 

Sexual intercourse is also difficult, and she suffers from permanent changes to her voice, among other changes she says she’s experienced.

Mosley is not just sharing her story with the media but is also taking legal action against the medical professionals she claims pushed her into gender transition.

Fox News’ Lindsay Kornick contributed to this report.

On any given Saturday morning in the parking lot of the Boynton Beach Mall in Florida, hundreds of drivers line up in their vehicles, eager to receive a meal.

“These are everyday people. They have jobs,” Charles Bender told Fox News Digital. “They’re just not getting by.”

Bender is founding CEO of Place of Hope, a faith-based organization providing programs and services to children and families in five Florida counties.

“Every Saturday of the month, we serve families in desperate need of food and nutritional supplies – and that’s quite a number,” Bender said. “So, we’re out there every Saturday and just trying to meet their needs.”

The initiative started earlier this year. After about three months, Bender said, Place of Hope had served more than a million pounds of food. 

Through December, that number has grown to over 2 million.

Place of Hope volunteers gather for a few hours every Saturday morning to provide those waiting in line with essential food and drink – all for free.

“There’s no pre-vetting,” Bender said. “These are just people who have need … and volunteers are there to load their cars with donated goods.”

The donated items come from area businesses, grocery stores like Publix and Trader Joe’s and even the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Bender said.

“We’re talking solid, nutritious meals for families – produce and meats and chicken and all kinds of different things, some canned foods,” he said.

On one Saturday in late September, volunteers were sorting donation items that had been unloaded from refrigerated trucks and palates.

Among the donated food and drinks were cucumbers, squash, potatoes, meat, bread, cheese, milk and juice. There was even baby food.

Before the line opened, the volunteers gathered around a pastor who led them in prayer. Then it was time to go to work.

Volunteers work assembly line-style, filling each open trunk with breakfast, lunch and dinner foods, along with water and soft drinks, as vehicles slowly make their way along each designated stop. 

It takes about two-and-a-half minutes from start to finish.

Vehicles often line up before sunrise – hours before the distribution begins – just to secure a spot.

“People are hurting,” Bender said. 

“Who wants to wait in line for food on a Saturday? But if you have to, you will.”

The first driver who made it through the line that Saturday identified himself as Mike, declining to provide his last name. 

He told Fox News Digital that he’s disabled and was grateful to Place of Hope for lending a helping hand.

“I thank God they’re doing this,” he said. “It’s a good thing they’re doing. It really helps a lot.”

The great-grandfather called it “a blessing.”

Place of Hope isn’t just feeding families on Saturdays. 

The organization also provides meals throughout the week for foster families in the area.

“It’s just good people coming together to meet this need,” Bender said.

That need is most noticeable on Saturday mornings in an otherwise sparse mall parking lot. 

“These are everyday people of all walks of life [who] just need that little extra help because, four years ago, it didn’t look like this,” Bender said. 

“It didn’t feel like this.” 

Florence “Fireball Flo” Hackman, the Ohio woman who went viral last year after she received shots to celebrate her birthday, recently turned 106 – and she is still drinking Fireball. 

“Flo brightens our days and reminds us about all the fun and joy we can experience later in life,” Kristen Kelly, executive director of the Traditions of Deerfield senior living facility in Loveland, Ohio, where Hackman lives, told Fox News Digital. 

Hackman’s happy attitude is “such an inspiring way to live, and we love her for it,” Kelly said. 

Born on Dec. 16, 1918, “Fireball Flo” credits her long life to a positive attitude.

“I just try to be nice to people and try to go one day at a time – that’s all,” Hackman said in a quote published by Traditions of Deerfield.

“If you get that one day in, then you can go on to the next one,” she said. 

“So that’s what you’ve got to do – one day at a time – think what I’ve got to do today. You’ve got to keep moving as long as you can.”

There may also be a genetic component to her longevity: Her mother lived to be 104.

In a video posted on Hackman’s birthday, she can be seen thanking everyone for coming out to celebrate her and encouraging them to “have a lot of fun here.” 

Her family “always had a lot of fun, and I never got over that … So maybe that’s why I’m here so long,” she said with a chuckle. 

Hackman appeared to heed her own advice. 

She sang “Happy Birthday” and took a shot of liquor before blowing out the candles on her chocolate-frosted birthday cake. 

The Ohio native and diehard fan of the Cincinnati Bengals was also recognized by the team on her birthday. 

She hopes the Bengals, who are currently 6-8 and third in the AFC North, will make it back to the Super Bowl.

“Hope they go to the Super Bowl, and we sure would like that. That would be a big thing. And, I suppose, hopefully they do it while I’m still here,” Hackman said.

Last year, in honor of her 105th birthday, Fireball sent Hackman 105 shots of its Fireball Cinnamon Whisky, Fox News Digital reported at the time. 

Dr. Anthony Fauci joined Georgetown University’s faculty last year as a “distinguished university professor” but has yet to teach a single course, a new report says.

Georgetown announced in the summer of 2023 that Dr. Fauci, the former Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, would be serving as “a Distinguished University Professor in the School of Medicine’s Department of Medicine in the Division of Infectious Diseases,” as well as an appointment at the university’s McCourt School of Public Policy.

Georgetown calls the role bestowed on Fauci its “most significant professional honor” that is reserved for faculty members “whose extraordinary accomplishments in scholarship, teaching and service have earned them significant recognition in the Academy.”

However, as the College Fix reported on Friday, Fauci appears to have not taught any courses at the school since his appointment.

Fox News Digital reviewed the course catalog available on Georgetown’s website going back to the Summer 2023 semester and didn’t find any course listed with Fauci as an instructor since that time.

The private Jesuit college said Fauci would “participate in medical and graduate education and engage with students,” in its initial announcement.

Since his appointment, Fauci has “given lectures, seminars and fireside chats for undergrads and for students and others from the School of Medicine, School of Health, School of Public Policy, Law Center and Walsh School of Foreign Service,” instead of teaching, according to an August interview with The Georgetowner. He also “made himself available for one-on-one meetings.?”

Fauci also joined the O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law at Georgetown as a “Distinguished Senior Scholar” in April 2024. 

Georgetown said that Fauci would advance “the right to health” and provide “a critical perspective on identifying and responding to urgent national and global public health concerns” in this additional position.

As the public face of the federal government’s coronavirus pandemic response, Fauci has come under scrutiny for his handling of the pandemic. He faced renewed criticism this month after a report detailing the findings of a two-year congressional investigation into the pandemic was released.

The congressional subcommittee report found that the virus most likely emerged from a laboratory in Wuhan, China, and that social distancing and masking were not backed with scientific data.

The report said Fauci “played a critical role in disparaging the lab-leak theory” among top scientific circles early in 2020 and later to the public. His congressional testimony to Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., the report states, misled the public regarding National Institute of Health funding of gain-of-function research at coronavirus labs. 

Politico reported earlier this month that President Biden is considering preemptive pardons for Fauci and other political figures ahead of President-elect Trump’s return to the White House in January.

Georgetown did not respond to Fox News Digital’s questions about Fauci’s professor role or salary.

Pressure is building on the controversial U.N. agency UNRWA over its alleged and extensive ties with terror leaders that has propelled hatred for Israel and support for terror through its curricula. Even as 159 countries in the U.N. General Assembly voted in favor of a resolution affirming to “fully support” UNRWA, last week, Sweden announced on Friday that it has decided to end funding to UNRWA due to a ban placed on the agency by the Israeli government and will redirect Gaza aid to other organizations.

Yet, while the U.N. continues to show solidarity with UNRWA, two informed sources confirmed to Fox News Digital that in spite of the vocal solidarity, there is dissension among the ranks.

One U.N. source explained that “several agencies have had behind-the-scenes discussions” about who might “take over and run” UNRWA programming. “One of the main and most notable agencies doing so is the United Nations Development Programme,” the source claimed.

“The UNDP has come forward and said that they can take over from UNRWA to advance peace,” the source said. They noted that U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres “shot those requests down,” leading to an “internal conflict.” The source elaborated that recent events “show that there are elements of the U.N. that recognize the challenges and clear issues with UNRWA,” but that “even as other agencies are ringing the alarm bells,” their “offers are being shot down at the highest levels” of the U.N.

Israel Hayom newspaper also reported that Guterres has passed over the UNDP’s offer to take on increased work in the Palestinian territories. The newsaper quoted “fundamental opposition” from the Secretary-General to the UNDP’s “willingness to take on significant areas of responsibility, such as fuel distribution, waste removal and rubble clearance.” It also reported that “preparations are already underway among international aid organizations, led by UNDP, to expand their activities in the Strip.”

Fox News Digital asked Guterres’ spokesperson, Stéphane Dujarric, about Guterres’ position on the UNDP’s offer to take on UNRWA’s work and inquired about Guterres’ thoughts on recent reports of the agency’s leadership’s ties to terrorists and its difficulties raising funds after news arose that some UNRWA members had participated in the terror attacks of Oct. 7.

Dujarric told Fox News Digital that “many different U.N. agencies have a role to play, and are playing a role, in humanitarian and development support to the Palestinian people.” He reiterated that, “as we’ve said many times before, no other agency in the U.N. system can replace UNRWA given the scope of its work, notable in health and education. All U.N. agencies, including UNDP, have the same position.”

Dujarric explained that Guterres “will continue to do his utmost to work for an end to this conflict, the unconditional and immediate release of all hostages held by Hamas and other Palestinian groups in Gaza, and for full humanitarian access in Gaza. There are also needs to be a restoration of a political horizon for a two-state solution for the sake of Israelis and Palestinians.”

Fox News Digital asked the UNDP whether it had proposed that it could take on UNRWA’s role and asked how seamless that transfer could be and whether a UNDP-led effort might create an atmosphere in which peace and a two-state solution could be reached.

A UNDP spokesperson said that the “UNDP does not propose, nor does it support, being an alternative to UNRWA. UNDP’s position on UNRWA’s irreplaceability is aligned with the U.N. Secretary General’s and is a matter of public record.” 

The spokesperson also sent a statement standing by Guterres’ statement that UNRWA is the “principal means” for supporting Palestinian refugees and that “there is no alternative to UNRWA.” 

The “irreplaceability” of UNRWA has been questioned, including by senior fellow at the Tel Aviv Institute Hen Mazzig, who recently stated on X that only 13% of aid to the Palestinian people is distributed by UNRWA.

Fox News Digital asked UNRWA to confirm this figure. A spokesperson from the agency said that since October 2023, the agency “has provided over 6.8 million primary health care consultations,” claiming it represented “60% of primary healthcare consultations currently provided in the Gaza Strip.” The spokesperson also stated that UNRWA provides “50% of the food security response,” and “assisted hundred of thousands of people with essential mental health and psychosocial support services,” as well as providing “essential logistical and infrastructure support to the entire humanitarian system.”

Fox News Digital asked the Israel Defense Forces about the role UNRWA plays in relation to other humanitarian groups coordinating aid in Gaza. A security official said the agency is a “weak player,” compared with entities like World Food Program, World Central Kitchen, UNICEF, the World Health Organization, and American Near East Refugee Aid (ANERA), which “play a more central role.” The official said that these agencies “have their own logistical chains and can work independently from UNRWA.”

UNRWA’s fundraising ability has decreased since credible information emerged showing that members of UNRWA had infiltrated Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. The U.S. had provided $121 million to UNRWA between October 2023 and January 2024, but then cut funding to the agency through March 2025.

The UNDP is unhindered by these issues and provides a variety of services in the region. A UNDP spokesperson told Fox News Digital that UNDP has funded about a third of its Programme of Assistance to the Palestinian People’s $270 million Gaza Emergency Response and Early Recovery Programme.

The spokesperson told Fox News Digital that “as a lead development agency within the UN system, UNDP works closely with our sister humanitarian agencies to embed early recovery efforts – such as rehabilitating crucial infrastructure and cash-for work programs – into emergency responses.”

“In contexts such as the occupied Palestinian territory, Lebanon, and Syria, we have carried out a variety of early recovery initiatives tailored to specific needs and conditions on the ground,” the spokesperson continued.” This has entailed “working with local partners to deliver a range of activities including debris removal from roads to facilitate access to critical services, working closely with local service providers and the private sector to restore essential services such as solid waste management, supporting the rehabilitation and expansion of water supply networks to increase access to clean water, and has implemented solar-powered energy systems. We also strengthen government capacities on emergency response and recovery planning and support vocational training programmes for women.”

Hillel Neuer, Executive Director of U.N. Watch, told Fox News Digital that aside from UNRWA, there “are several agencies on the ground who are doing significant work in distributing humanitarian aid.” 

“Around the world, when there is a crisis of some kind,” Neuer said that “you get a whole cluster of U.N. agencies,” including the World Health Organization, World Food Programme, UNICEF … and UNDP, which combine forces to “distribute aid to millions of people.” Neuer said that “the notion that is put forward that for some reason a tiny strip of land on the Gaza Strip is the only place in the world where those agencies cannot operate” is “absurd and false.” 

UN Watch has raised the ire of UNRWA by beginning to release a 150-page dossier showing URNWA leaders meeting with representatives of terror groups. Though UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini referred to the reports as “disinformation,” Neuer explained that UNRWA simply “cannot handle the truth.” Neuer said that UN Watch assembled its dossier by screenshotting data and photographs that were “hidden in plain sight” on the internet and social media.” He added that more of UN Watch’s dossier is set to emerge the coming week.

The U.S. was among nine nations to dissent from the General Assembly’s resolution in support of UNRWA. 

Ambassador Robert Wood, the alternative representative for special political affairs, explained the dissension on Dec. 11, both noting that while URNWA is a “critical lifeline,” the “resolution on UNRWA operations also has serious flaws.” Wood cited how the proposal fails “to create a path forward for restoring trust between Israel and UNRWA,” and that the resolution “denigrates Israel’s actions in Gaza without addressing the central reason for them, namely Hamas’ unprovoked October 7 attack and the terrorist group’s deplorable behavior in the interim.”

“More than 14 months into this conflict, some delegations here in New York cannot bring themselves to acknowledge — let alone condemn — Hamas’ role in instigating a conflict that has visited so much pain, suffering, and anguish on the people of Gaza,” Wood wrote, adding that “we deeply regret that the drafters chose to try to score political points, rather than pursue a resolution which could have provided unanimous support to UNRWA, addressed credible allegations about the activities of some of its personnel, and ultimately bolsters UNRWA’s vital humanitarian mission.”

While voting on UNRWA’s future, the General Assembly did note the issues with the agency, explaining that URNWA needed to implement the recommendations set by an independent reviewer and that there must be “immediate efforts” to address UNRWA’s “financial and operational crises.” 

The General Assembly also emphasized that it “strongly warns against any attempts to dismantle or diminish the operations and mandate of the Agency,” noting the humanitarian consequences that millions of Palestinians would face if its work were interrupted or suspended.

In an effort to assert the primacy of his organization despite snowballing evidence that its members have hindered efforts to create peace in the region, UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini penned an op-ed imagining the possibly “dystopian” outcome of a decision to dismantle UNRWA. Supposing that a two-state solution hinges on the agency’s continued operations, Lazzarini urged that “we still have a window of opportunity to avert a cataclysmic future where firepower and propaganda construct the global order.” 
 

U.N. Watch’s Neuer disagreed, noting “UNRWA is an arsonist masquerading as a firefighter,” he said. “Only by ending this terror-infested agency with the pathological aim of perpetuating hatred, resentment and dependency, can Palestinians move forward to a future of hope and peace.”

A private liberal arts women’s college in Northampton, Massachusetts, is offering a course called, “White Supremacy in the Age of Trump” in the spring, as President-elect Trump returns to the White House.

“This course analyzes the history, prevalence and current manifestations of the white supremacist movement by examining ideological components, tactics and strategies, and its relationship to mainstream politics,” the course description says.

“Students research and discuss the relationship between white supremacy and white privilege, and explore how to build a human rights movement to counter the white supremacist movement in the U.S. Students develop analytical writing and research skills while engaging in multiple cultural perspectives. The overall goal is to develop the capacity to understand the range of possible responses to white supremacy, both its legal and extralegal forms,” it continues.

The four-credit course, offered by the college since 2019, is also available to students at Amherst College, Hampshire College, Mount Holyoke College and the University of Massachusetts Amherst through Massachusetts’ Five College Consortium program.

In previous years, the course syllabus included required readings from “antiracist” academics, Ta-Nehisi Coates and Robin DiAngelo. 

One paper assignment asked students to answer the question, “How did the ideology of white supremacy help elect Donald Trump and what did the 2016 election teach us?” and “Why is liberal democracy jeopardized by white supremacy?”

The course has been taught since 2019 by Loretta J. Ross, a visiting associate professor at Smith College. 

Ross, a social justice activist who was once the school’s “Activist-in-Residence,” has “dedicated many years to advocating for women’s rights and reproductive justice,” and is credited with helping coin the phrase, “reproductive justice,” according to the National Women’s History Museum.

Ross has previously blamed Trump’s 2016 election on backlash to the civil rights movement.

“What we are witnessing is what happened after the success of the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s. The people who felt they had lost control of this democracy and their determination to protect white privilege and white supremacy developed a multi-decade plan to regain power,” she wrote in a 2017 post on her website.

“To implement this plan, they pulled together not only people who had been resistant to the civil rights movement, the diehard segregationists, but they also thought that they needed to foment culture wars against LGBT rights, women’s rights, abortion rights, immigrants, workers’ rights, environmental justice. They just perfected the politics of white grievance against modernity,” the post continued.

Smith College and Professor Ross did not respond to a request for comment.

When asked what prompted the college to offer the course by Campus Reform, a spokesperson for the school cited its Statement on Academic Freedom and Freedom of Expression, stating that “The faculty of Smith College may pursue freely any subject of intellectual or artistic inquiry and shall not be subject to censorship, discipline or intimidation.”

“Faculty are entitled to full freedom in creative work and research, and in sharing the results through publication, performance and exhibition. In the classroom, faculty are similarly free to determine the relevant content and manner of learning for the subject matter of their expertise, consistent with professional standards,” the statement read.

The spokesperson also told Campus Reform that “faculty propose courses based on their own initiatives and interests, and courses are approved for addition to the catalog by the Committee on Academic Priorities.”

Donald Trump will not be president of the United States for another month, at least not literally. Yet, his recent victory in the battle of the budget shows that, for all intents and purposes, he is already the nation’s leader, and not a moment too soon.

In the space of just a few days, Trump’s pressure on the Congress, including siccing his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) attack dogs Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy on reckless spending, turned a 1,500 page monstrosity of a bill into a slim 120-page banger of basic necessities, including disaster relief and help for farmers.

Prior to the intervention by Trump, it looked for all the world like House Speaker Mike Johnson would stuff the Democrats’ stockings with pork and goodies to ensure that a shutdown did not mar next month’s inauguration.

Johnson believed that enough Republicans would simply sigh and go along with the continuing resolution that he negotiated with the Democrats, and there was some logic to allowing sleeping dogs to lie until Trump takes over 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue and Republicans take the senate in January.

But a funny thing happened on the way to the bill’s passage. At Trump’s behest, Musk and Ramaswamy began posting on X all the deep flaws of the legislation, and there were some doozies.

For example, the bill had continued funding for the State Department’s Global Engagement Center, an organization that seems to exist only to promote online censorship of conservatives under the guise of fighting so-called misinformation.

The bill also contained a self-serving pay hike for lawmakers, as well as billions to be spent on pet projects all over the country.

Within hours of the torrent of posts from the dynamic duo of DOGE, the American people began to wake up to what was in the bill and object. A trickle of GOP lawmakers flipped from yes to no on the bill, and with that, the stage was set for our soon-to-be commander in chief.

With the target softened, Trump tore into the bill, going so far as to threaten lawmakers who voted for it with primary challenges. Trump even indicated that Johnson’s speakership could be in doubt if he did not get in line.

And that was it. Ding dong the bill was dead, and the American people dodged, or should we say, “Doged,” a bullet. By Friday night, the cleaner and leaner bill passed the House and a shutdown was averted.

Guess who played no role whatsoever in getting all of this done? That’s right, Joe Biden. You remember him, he’s the president of the United States, or at least that’s what it says on his business cards.

You would have an easier time finding Waldo in a candy cane factory than finding Grandpa Joe’s fingerprints anywhere on this historic deal. 

Former GOP Speaker of the House, Newt Gingrich knows a thing or two about how the congressional sausage gets made, and here is what he had to say on X:

“Shrinking the continuing resolution from 1,547 pages to 118 pages is a major victory for President Trump and shows that the election did matter and he is really the de facto President while President Biden was absent and passive. A good start to real change in Washington!”

It was fascinating how people all week tried to paint the budget mess as Republicans in disarray with House members defying Trump and looming trouble between Trump and Musk. Yet, when the dust settled, we had shed 1,400 pages of blundering B.S. with nary a peep from Biden.

Trump’s first term as president, though a success in many ways, was marred by Democrats’ incessant and absurd investigations into nothing, but also, in fairness, by a bit of naïveté from Trump himself.

Trump was new to Washington and its mendacious machinations in 2017, but not anymore. Today, like a seasoned veteran, he is not only poised to lead the nation, let’s face it, he is already doing it.

Make no mistake, this fight was a risk. A shutdown could have blunted the sweeping sense of optimism across America after the election. But with risk comes reward and today, having slayed the dragon of out-of-control spending, that optimism is only set to grow.

That is what leaders do, they take risks to make life better, and they show up and explain themselves. We haven’t had that kind of leadership in four long years. 

Since Jan. 20, 2021, nobody has been very clear about who is actually running the country. Well, that is about to change. On Jan. 20 of next year, there will be no doubt, the country will be led squarely by Donald J. Trump. That is, if it isn’t already.

A Michigan man allegedly stabbed the president of the company he worked for in the middle of a meeting in a possible “copycat” attack that mirrors the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.

Erik Denslow, who heads the Anderson Express Inc. manufacturing company in Muskegon, was stabbed during a staff meeting Tuesday, the Fruitport Township Police Department said in a statement.

“We haven’t ruled out a copycat motive in regards to this,” police Deputy Chief Greg Poulson told News 8 on Wednesday. “I think that comes to everyone’s mind in this time.”

Denslow underwent surgery and remains in serious but stable condition, police said. 

The suspect, identified as Nathan Mahoney, 32, was at the staff meeting around 9:20 a.m. when he got up and left. He returned 10 minutes later, walked up to Denslow and allegedly stabbed him in his side, the news outlet reported. 

Mahoney fled in his vehicle but was stopped by police and arrested 15 minutes later, police said. He had only worked for the company a few weeks. 

Fellow employees described the suspect as having a quiet demeanor. Investigators have not determined a motive for the attack. However, they were not ruling out a possible copycat attack. 

“We’re going through all his social accounts, all his electronic media and trying to determine a motive for this act,” Poulson said. 

Denslow joined the company in January 2022 as vice president and general manager, according to his LinkedIn profile. He was promoted to president within a year. 

Anderson Express works with the automotive and defense sectors. Fox News Digital has reached out to the company. In a statement to Fox 17, the company said it was still in “shock” over the incident. 

“Our first thought is with our president, who has a good prognosis for a full and speedy recovery,” the statement said. “We are also focused on supporting our employees as they process this senseless assault.

Manhoney was charged with assault with intent to murder and fleeing. He is being held in the Muskegon County Jail on $501,000 bond. 

The incident had similarities to the Dec. 4 killing of Thompson, who was shot and killed in New York City. The suspected gunman, Luigi Mangione, was extradited from Pennsylvania to New York Thursday.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams is calling attention to something “happening below the surface” in young people following UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson’s murder in the Big Apple earlier this month. 

“There’s something that’s happening below the surface with our young people,” Adams told anchor Martha MacCallum during an exclusive interview on “The Story.”

Adams referred specifically to Luigi Mangione, an Ivy League grad student charged with murder in Thompson’s killing, as well as 15-year-old Natalie Rupnow, who killed two and wounded six in a Wisconsin school shooting before she died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

“Not only the assassination… of Brian, but also look what happened on our school grounds. You had a young girl that went in and took the life of innocent people,” Adams said.

“When you look at what’s happening on social media, and that is the real problem, because young people, we’ve always pushed back when we were youthful on government. But with social media and the proliferation of hate, of anger, suicide rates increased – suicidal ideation, the increase in depression.”

Mangione, a private high-school and Ivy League-educated young professional from the Baltimore area, is charged with multiple counts in both Pennsylvania and New York in the fatal ambush shooting of Thompson.

Since his arrest, internet sleuths have been digging through Mangione’s vast and documented social media presence, with many users praising the murder suspect for allegedly killing Thompson, who was a married father of two originally from a small town in Iowa.

Natalie Rupnow, 15, was identified as the shooter who opened fire inside a study hall inside Abundant Life Christian School in Madison, Wisconsin Monday. She killed a teacher and teen student, leaving six others wounded, according to authorities. Responding officers found Rupnow with a self-inflicted gunshot wound. She died on the way to a hospital.

Adams had previously said during a press conference Monday that “our children are being radicalized to hate America, to hate the country that put them where they are.”

The NYC mayor elaborated on the idea with MacCallum, warning “if we don’t take a serious look at it, [what] is lurking in our basements, our bathrooms, in their bedrooms. If we don’t take a look at it and have a real approach to it, we’re going to be in trouble.”