Israel and the U.S. ‘have to get the hostages back’ who are ‘going through hell in the dungeons of Gaza,’ one of the country’s leaders told President Biden while visiting the White House Tuesday. 

‘I know that you’re working very hard to make sure that this war will end and that there will be, first and foremost, security for the people of Israel, as well as for the people of Lebanon,’ Israeli President Isaac Herzog told Biden, adding that 101 hostages have been held in the Gaza Strip for more than 400 days. 

‘I know, Mr. President … you’re day in, day out, actively seeking their safe return home as they are going through hell in the dungeons of Gaza. Clearly, you’re thinking and working about the day after as well, which perhaps should be a trajectory of hope to the people of the region and the ability to have our neighbors, as well as us, live in security and peace,’ Herzog continued. ‘But first and foremost, we have to get the hostages back.’ 

‘I agree,’ Biden responded. 

‘It all starts in Tehran,’ Herzog added. ‘It all starts in the empire of evil and, where in Tehran, with its proxies they are doing whatever they can to derail stability and security and peace, calling for their annihilation of the state of Israel and seeking nuclear weapons. And Mr. President, this has to be a major objective all throughout your term and the next term of the next president because we have to make sure that they cannot fulfill their evil intentions.  

‘They’re also a major engine of antisemitism, Mr. President, and I know how much you put a focus on fighting and combating antisemitism.’ 

Biden also told Herzog during the meeting his ‘commitment to Israel is ironclad.’ 

‘You’ve been an incredible friend of Israel and the Jewish people for decades, and we will never forget, ever in history, how you stood up with us in our darkest hour, which became our finest hour, how you came to Israel few days after the barbaric attack of Oct. 7,’ Herzog told Biden. 

‘How you helped us and supported us with words and deeds. And I want to express our heartfelt thanks to you, Mr. President, which is a great legacy that you stood up with the Jewish people and the state of Israel, as you always did.’ 

A top university is accused of severing ties with Democrat Rep. Seth Moulton’s office over the congressman’s comments expressing concern about transgender female students participating in school sports with biological females.

Tufts University, located in Massachusetts, said it would no longer facilitate student internships in Moulton’s office after the Massachusetts Democrat’s interview in The New York Times last week, a source familiar with the matter told Fox News Digital.

Moulton himself appeared to confirm the situation on Tuesday morning, but Tufts University has denied limiting internship opportunities with his office.

The source told Fox News Digital, however, that Moulton’s office was contacted by Tufts University Political Science Department Chair David Art on the matter.

Art said he had consulted with colleagues and that the college did not want Moulton’s office reaching out about possible internship opportunities, the source said.

Moulton was asked about the alleged issue with Tufts on MSNBC’s ‘Morning Joe.’

‘Imagine if one of these Tuft students actually wants to intern in a Republican office? I mean, what would these political science professors do then? This is just everything that is wrong with this cancel culture,’ Moulton responded.

Patrick Collins, the executive director of media relations for Tufts University, told Fox News Digital in response to the source’s claims, ‘We have reached out to Congressman Moulton’s office to clarify that we have not — and will not — limit internship opportunities with his office.’

‘We remain committed to fostering an inclusive environment that values diverse perspectives, and our Career Center will continue to provide students with a wide range of employment opportunities across the political and ideological spectrum,’ Collins said.

Moulton, a moderate Democrat and a military veteran, has been under fire by the progressive left after he told The Times, ‘Democrats spend way too much time trying not to offend anyone rather than being brutally honest about the challenges many Americans face.’

‘I have two little girls, I don’t want them getting run over on a playing field by a male or formerly male athlete, but as a Democrat I’m supposed to be afraid to say that,’ he said.

Local progressives in Massachusetts criticized Moulton’s comments, as did Congressional Progressive Caucus Chair Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., who called the remarks ‘offensive’ on CNN.

Moulton responded to the attacks in a statement, blaming Democrats for not tolerating dissenting views, arguing it cost them the election.

‘I stand firmly in my belief for the need for competitive women’s sports to put limits on the participation of those with the unfair physical advantages that come with being born male,’ Moulton told Fox News Digital last week.

‘I am also a strong supporter of the civil rights of all Americans, including transgender rights. I will fight, as I always have, for the rights and safety of all citizens. These two ideas are not mutually exclusive, and we can even disagree on them.

‘Yet there are many who, shouting from the extreme left corners of social media, believe I have failed the unspoken Democratic Party purity test. We did not lose the 2024 election because of any trans person or issue. We lost, in part, because we shame and belittle too many opinions held by too many voters and that needs to stop.’

National security minds in Washington, D.C., are awaiting President-elect Donald Trump’s decision for defense secretary.

Trump’s pick of Rep. Michael Waltz, R-Fla., as his national security adviser and his expected pick of Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., for secretary of state, set a tone for his foreign policy that is expected to be hawkish on China and Iran. 

Whoever Trump picks for defense secretary will oversee major changes within the Pentagon, both a reorienting of troop posture abroad and an across-the-board stripping of DEI provisions they believe caused the Pentagon to go ‘woke’ under President Biden. 

A litany of names has been tossed around for who could lead the government’s largest agency, with one running theme: while his pick needs to pass a Senate confirmation, Trump is expected to appoint a loyalist who will not undermine him. 

During his first term, five men held the job as Pentagon chief only to resign, be fired or serve briefly as a stopgap.

‘I don’t think [Trump] really knows yet who he wants for defense secretary,’ one source familiar with the transition process said. ‘I don’t think he’s decided.’

One possibility is Robert Wilkie, Trump’s former Veterans’ Affairs secretary. Prior to his VA confirmation in 2018, he served as undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness under Trump and served in both the Navy and Air Force Reserve. Wilkie has been leading the Trump transition team with Pentagon staffing. 

Wilkie is a fellow at the Trump-aligned America First Policy Institute and a military analyst for Newsmax. 

Another name is Robert O’Brien, Trump’s former national security adviser who has also been involved with the transition team. O’Brien told Fox News Digital that ‘of course’ he would return to a Trump administration. 

O’Brien has been outspoken about the need to pivot U.S. defenses to China. He said the way to force Russia to the negotiating table with Ukraine was through steeper sanctions – and bringing Ukraine into NATO ‘risks World War III.’ 

Richard Grenell, Trump’s former acting director of national intelligence and German ambassador, was also expected to land a national security role in this administration. With the state and national security adviser roles filled, he, too, could land at the Department of Defense. 

Throughout the campaign, Grenell advised Trump on foreign policy and political issues, and led outreach to Arab Americans in Michigan. He appeared with Trump in September when he met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Grenell was a pro-Trump antagonist to Europe during his time in Germany, with the former president joking about former German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s happiness when Grenell was moved to the national security role. 

Sen. Joni Ernst, the defense-minded Iowa Republican and current GOP conference chair, has also been floated as a possibility, a source confirmed to Fox News Digital, but she remains ‘laser-focused’ on her GOP conference chair race. She also served in the Army Reserve and Iowa Army National Guard. 

If picked, she would be the first female defense secretary. 

Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Ala., head of the House Armed Services Committee, was also under consideration and has been contacted by the transition team, a source familiar confirmed. 

However, two sources said that Trump is likely to pull from the private sector for this role. Picking from Congress would whittle away narrow GOP majorities in those chambers, at least until seats were filled. 

Rogers is also a staunch supporter of aiding Ukraine – a position that might put him at odds with Trump. 

Retired Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg, who held high-level national security posts during Trump’s first term, has also been named as a possibility. 

‘The president is going to make the call on who is in his administration,’ Kellogg recently told Fox News Radio’s Guy Benson, while suggesting he would say yes if the president called. ‘It’s going to be a very loyal team.’ 

Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., had been a lead contender for an administration role, likely defense secretary or CIA head, but pulled his name from the running, a source confirmed. He is running for Republican Conference chair and is likely to take over Rubio’s position as head of the Intelligence Committee.

Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had been floated, but on Saturday, Trump posted on Truth Social that Pompeo would not be joining this administration – and neither would former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley. 

Fox News’ Liz Elkind contributed to this report. 

President-elect Donald Trump’s selection of two House Republicans to serve in his administration could pose issues if the GOP’s majority in the chamber ends up critically thin.

Trump has selected House GOP Conference Chair Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., as his ambassador to the United Nations, while a source told Fox News Digital that he picked Rep. Mike Waltz, R-Fla., to be his National Security Adviser.

Both represent Republican stronghold districts that have little chance of falling into Democratic hands in special elections.

However, those special elections could take place weeks or months after the new term begins in January 2025, which could slow down Trump’s plans for an ambitious first 100-day agenda.

‘That’s an agenda we’ve been working on with President Trump for months now. We didn’t wait until the day after the election to start planning this, and this shows the relentless focus of Donald Trump,’ House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., said during a press conference on Tuesday.

‘I know he’s already pulled a few really talented people out of the House – hopefully no more for a little while until special elections come up, but it shows you the talent that we have and the ability we have.’

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., similarly said he did not believe Trump would select any more House members for his administration and said he and Trump broached the topic in discussions.

‘President Trump fully understands and appreciates the math here, and it’s just a numbers game. You know, we believe we’re going to have a larger majority than we had last time. It’s too early to handicap it, but we are optimistic about that,’ Johnson said.

‘But every single vote will count, because if someone gets ill or has a car accident or a late flight on their plane, then it affects the votes on the floor. So, I think he and administration are well attuned to that. I don’t expect that we will have more members leaving, but I’ll leave that up to him.’

House Republicans are on track to win a single-digit majority in the chamber.

It is not much different than it was during the 118th Congress, but GOP leaders will likely face more pressure to keep members in line when working to enact Trump’s will.

Vice President Kamala Harris’ failed presidential campaign spent more than $1 billion in three months, highlighted by several expenditures that have drawn intense criticism, including spending on celebrity influencers, radical activist groups and private jets.

FEC filings show the Harris campaign made two $500,000 payments to Oprah Winfrey’s production company, first reported by the Washington Examiner, on Oct. 15, a month after Winfrey appeared with Harris at a town hall event and weeks before Oprah was on stage with Harris at a Philadelphia rally before election day.

Conservatives on social media widely criticized the move, accusing Harris of buying the famous endorsement that ultimately did not yield a victory.

‘Unconscionable,’ GOP Rep. Greg Murphy posted on X. ‘Oprah, a billionaire, sells her soul for a measly $1M.’

‘Wolf of Wall Street’ Jordan Belfort told Fox News he was ‘shocked’ when he heard about the campaign contribution and likened the campaign’s actions to ‘money laundering.’

Oprah pushed back on the criticism when confronted by TMZ, saying she was ‘paid nothing.’

A Harpo spokesperson acknowledged that Harpo Productions took money from the campaign but claimed it was for ‘production costs’ and said, ‘Oprah Winfrey was at no point during the campaign paid a personal fee, nor did she receive a fee from Harpo.’

Giving money to prominent celebrities was a theme of the Harris campaign, which gave almost $4 million to Village Marketing Agency, a company that connects clients with social media influencers.

The long list of celebrities that joined Harris on the campaign trail included Beyoncé, Bon Jovi, Ricky Martin, Jennifer Lopez and Bruce Springsteen.

The Washington Examiner also reported that the Harris campaign spent over $12 million on digital media consultants and ‘spent six figures on building a set for Harris’s appearance on the popular Call Her Daddy podcast with host Alex Cooper.’

The campaign spent at least $15 million on ‘event production,’ FEC records show, with many payments lining up with high profile events and concerts with celebrity attendees or performers.

‘The truth is this is just an epic disaster, this is a $1 billion disaster,’ Lindy Li, Harris surrogate and DNC National Finance Committee member, told ‘Fox & Friends Weekend’ on Saturday.

The controversial spending habits of the campaign also included contributions to radical activist groups.

The Harris campaign cut multiple six-figure checks in September for left-leaning groups that have been vocal about defunding the police, reparations and are tied to radical activists who have supported notorious antisemite Louis Farrakhan, Fox News Digital previously reported.

The Black Voters Matter Fund, which received $150,000 from the Harris campaign on Sept. 19, has repeatedly called for defunding the police and has been vocal about pushing for reparations.

The Black Church PAC, which also received $150,000 from the Harris campaign in September, has multiple controversial religious leaders on its board and recent social media posts show it is partnering with a defund the police group to help with ‘Get out the vote’ efforts in Georgia, Pennsylvania and North Carolina.

Despite running a campaign warning of the effects of climate change, which she has previously called an ‘existential threat’, Harris gave over $4 million to Advanced Aviation to fly on private jets, FEC filings show.

The campaign, according to FEC filings, also spent north of $56 million on payroll and payroll taxes in just three months.

Filings also show the campaign gave in excess of $100 million to various consulting and marketing firms, including Gambit Strategies LLC, DuPont Circle Strategies LLC, and Bully Pulpit Interactive LLC. 

The Harris-Walz campaign is reportedly $20 million in debt, having raised more than $1 billion and had $118 million in the bank as of Oct. 16, according to Politico reporter Christopher Cadelago. 

News of the campaign debt sparked a social media troll from President-elect Donald Trump, who suggested he could cover the $20 million.

‘I am very surprised that the Democrats, who fought a hard and valiant fight in the 2020 (sic) Presidential Election, raising a record amount of money, didn’t have lots of $’s left over,’ Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth.

‘Now they are being squeezed by vendors and others. Whatever we can do to help them during this difficult period, I would strongly recommend we, as a Party and for the sake of desperately needed UNITY, do,’ Trump added.

‘We have a lot of money left over in that our biggest asset in the campaign was ‘Earned Media,’ and that doesn’t cost very much. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!’

The Harris campaign did not respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.

Fox News Digital’s Michael Dorgan contributed to this report. 

National security minds in Washington, D.C., are awaiting President-elect Donald Trump’s decision for Defense secretary.

Trump’s pick of Rep. Michael Waltz, R-Fla., as his national security adviser and his expected pick of Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., for secretary of state, set a tone for his foreign policy that is expected to be hawkish on China and Iran. 

Whoever Trump picks for Defense secretary will oversee major changes within the Pentagon, both a reorienting of troop posture abroad and an across-the-board stripping of DEI provisions they believe caused the Pentagon to go ‘woke’ under President Biden. 

A litany of names has been tossed around for who could lead the government’s largest agency, with one running theme: while his pick needs to pass a Senate confirmation, Trump is expected to appoint a loyalist who will not undermine him.  

During his first term, five men held the job as Pentagon chief only to resign, be fired or serve briefly as a stopgap.

One possibility is Robert Wilkie, Trump’s former Veterans’ Affairs secretary. Prior to his VA confirmation in 2018, he served as undersecretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness under Trump and served in both the Navy and Air Force Reserve. Wilkie has been leading the Trump transition team with Pentagon staffing. 

Wilkie is a fellow at the Trump-aligned America First Policy Institute and a military analyst for Newsmax. 

Another name is Robert O’Brien, Trump’s former national security adviser who has also been involved with the transition team. O’Brien told Fox News Digital that ‘of course’ he would return to a Trump administration. 

O’Brien has been outspoken about the need to pivot U.S. defenses to China. He said the way to force Russia to the negotiating table with Ukraine was through steeper sanctions – and bringing Ukraine into NATO ‘risks World War III.’ 

Richard Grenell, Trump’s former acting director of national intelligence and German ambassador, was also expected to land a national security role in this administration. With the state and national security adviser roles filled, he, too, could land at the Department of Defense. 

Throughout the campaign, Grenell advised Trump on foreign policy and political issues, and led outreach to Arab Americans in Michigan. He appeared with Trump in September when he met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Grenell was a pro-Trump antagonist to Europe during his time in Germany, with the former president joking about former German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s happiness when Grenell was moved to the national security role. 

Sen. Joni Ernst, the defense-minded Iowa Republican and current GOP conference chair, has also been floated as a possibility, a source confirmed to Fox News Digital, but she remains ‘laser-focused’ on her GOP conference chair race. She also served in the Army Reserve and Iowa Army National Guard. 

If picked, she would be the first female Defense secretary. 

Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Ala., head of the House Armed Services Committee, was also under consideration and has been contacted by the transition team, a source familiar confirmed. 

However, two sources said that Trump is likely to pull from the private sector for this role. Picking from Congress would whittle away narrow GOP majorities in those chambers, at least until seats were filled. 

Rogers is also a staunch supporter of aiding Ukraine – a position that might put him at odds with Trump. 

Retired Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg, who held high-level national security posts during Trump’s first term, has also been named as a possibility. 

‘The president is going to make the call on who is in his administration,’ Kellogg recently told Fox News Radio’s Guy Benson, while suggesting he would say yes if the president called. ‘It’s going to be a very loyal team.’ 

Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., had been a lead contender for an administration role, likely Defense secretary or CIA head, but pulled his name from the running, a source confirmed. He is running for Republican Conference chair and is likely to take over Rubio’s position as head of the Intelligence Committee.

Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had been floated, but on Saturday, Trump posted on Truth Social that Pompeo would not be joining this administration – and neither would former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley. 

Fox News’ Liz Elkind contributed to this report. 

President-elect Donald Trump’s selection of two House Republicans to serve in his administration could pose issues if the GOP’s majority in the chamber ends up critically thin.

Trump has selected House GOP Conference Chair Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., as his ambassador to the United Nations, while a source told Fox News Digital that he picked Rep. Mike Waltz, R-Fla., to be his National Security Adviser (NSA).

Both represent Republican stronghold districts that have little chance of falling into Democratic hands in special elections.

But those special elections could take place weeks or months after the new term begins in January 2025 – which could slow down Trump’s plans for an ambitious first 100-day agenda.

‘That’s an agenda we’ve been working on with President Trump for months now. We didn’t wait until the day after the election to start planning this, and this shows the relentless focus of Donald Trump,’ House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., said during a press conference on Tuesday.

‘I know he’s already pulled a few really talented people out of the House – hopefully no more for a little while until special elections come up, but it shows you the talent that we have and the ability we have.’

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., similarly said he did not believe Trump would select any more House members for his administration and said he and Trump broached the topic in discussions.

‘President Trump fully understands and appreciates the math here, and it’s just a numbers game. You know, we believe we’re going to have a larger majority than we had last time. It’s too early to handicap it, but we are optimistic about that,’ Johnson said.

‘But every single vote will count, because if someone gets ill or has a car accident or a late flight on their plane, then it affects the votes on the floor. So, I think he and administration are well attuned to that. I don’t expect that we will have more members leaving, but I’ll leave that up to him.’

House Republicans are on track to win a single-digit majority in the chamber.

It’s not much different than it was during the 118th Congress, but GOP leaders will likely face more pressure to keep members in line when working to enact Trump’s will.