Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk will likely claim office space at the White House as he prepares to lead the newly created Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), according to a new report.

Musk may occupy space in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building right next to the West Wing that houses the bulk of office space for White House staffers, the New York Times reports.

Musk and transition officials have talked about what Musk’s access to President-elect Trump will look like after the inauguration, but solidified plans are pending, according to the outlet, which noted that usually special passes are required for those to freely visit the West Wing.

Musk is heading up DOGE with tech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy as they target ways to eliminate government spending, waste and streamline efficiency and operations.

However, the paper reported that it’s uncertain whether Ramaswamy is also expected to occupy White House office space.

DOGE is not part of the federal government but rather is a blue-ribbon committee that is expected to suggest executive orders for the Trump administration and work alongside the Office of Management and Budget to execute reforms.

DOGE’s objective is to cut $2 trillion from the federal government budget through efforts to slash spending, government programs and the federal workforce.

However, Musk recently cast doubt on the likelihood of eliminating $2 trillion from the federal budget and said there was a better chance at cutting $1 trillion.

“I think we’ll try for $2 trillion. I think that’s like the best-case outcome,” Musk said during tech trade show CES last week in Las Vegas.

“But I do think that you kind of have to have some overage. I think if we try for $2 trillion, we’ve got a good shot at getting $1 [trillion].”

The Washington Post reported this month that aides for Musk and Ramaswamy had started interviewing staffers from government agencies for DOGE, including the Treasury Department and Internal Revenue Service, as well as the Departments of Veterans Affairs, Homeland Security and Health and Human Services.

Approximately 50 people are part of DOGE’s team, which is seeking to expand to roughly 100 staffers by the inauguration. These staffers are working from SpaceX’s offices in Washington, D.C., according to the Washington Post.

Those close to Musk, who donated millions of dollars to Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign, said he is still determining whether he will take on the role of leading DOGE as a special government employee and, therefore, be required to file financial disclosure forms, the New York Times reports.

But certain restrictions could apply if Musk chooses to forgo special government employee status, such as requiring public meetings and sharing DOGE documents with the public, according to the outlet.

Musk, along with other tech industry titans and venture capitalists, are slated to meet in Washington, D.C., this week for a dinner to discuss global innovation in artificial intelligence and entrepreneurship with incoming Trump administration officials.

Outside the Box Ventures, a firm founded last year by journalist-turned-investment banker Katherine Tarbox and French Ambassador to the U.S. Laurent Bili, is sponsoring the dinner.

“This gathering represents more than discussion. We hope it symbolizes a new chapter in public-private collaboration to harness technology’s transformative power for the nation’s future,” a source close to the planning told Fox News Digital.

The schedule for President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration was released on Jan. 13.

Jan. 18

– Reception and fireworks will be held at Trump National Golf Club in Sterling, Virginia.

–  Reception for Cabinet nominees and a dinner will be hosted by Vice President-elect JD Vance.

Jan. 19

– Trump will lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery, where members of the military are buried.

– Victory rally will be held at Capital One Arena, home of the Washington Wizards and Washington Capitals.

– Trump will host a candlelight dinner.

Jan. 20, Inauguration Day

– The day will begin with a service at St. John’s Church.

– After the church service, Trump will have tea at the White House with President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden.

– At noon, Trump will take the oath of office at the U.S. Capitol. The oath reads, “I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States.”

– After saying goodbye to Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, the president will hold a signing ceremony near the Senate chamber, where he will likely sign nominations so that his Cabinet selections can be confirmed expeditiously.

– A lunch will be hosted by the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies, which organizes the inauguration events, including the swearing-in ceremony.

– Before the parade from the Capitol to the White House, the president will review the troops.

– Parade down Pennsylvania Avenue.

– At the White House, Trump will hold a signing ceremony, where he is expected to sign a flurry of executive orders.

– Trump will attend and address three inaugural balls: the Commander in Chief’s Ball, the Liberty Inaugural Ball, and the Starlight Ball.

Jan. 21

– Trump will attend the National Prayer Service, concluding inaugural activities.

President-elect Donald Trump announced Tuesday he will create an external revenue office upon his return to the White House that will collect all foreign-sourced revenue, such as tariffs.

“For far too long, we have relied on taxing our Great People using the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Through soft and pathetically weak Trade agreements, the American Economy has delivered growth and prosperity to the World, while taxing ourselves,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

“I am today announcing that I will create the EXTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE [ERS] to collect our Tariffs, Duties, and all Revenue that come from Foreign sources.”

The incoming president added that the ERS would be established on Jan. 20 to “begin charging those that make money off of us with Trade, and they will start paying, FINALLY, their fair share.”

Trump, 78, has already threatened to raise tariffs on foreign countries that do not comply with his hard-line immigration policies.

The president-elect has singled out Mexico and Canada with a threat of a 25% tariff, and has also said he will stop “business” with countries who refuse to take back illegal migrants who have been deported.

The Republican has also said he will levy a 10% to 20% tariff on all foreign goods and up to a 60% tariff on Chinese imports.

Trump also vowed on the campaign trail to upend the current tax structure, promising no taxes on tips, overtime or Social Security — even floating the elimination of federal income tax due to the revenue that his tariff policy would theoretically generate.

Tariff collection currently falls under the authority of US Customs and Border Protection (CBP), which is part of the Department of Homeland Security.

The creation of a separate ERS department will in theory need congressional support, though Trump could try to establish the department within a different existing agency.

Trump ally Steve Bannon told Politico earlier Tuesday that the ERS should be established under the Treasury Department to take the burden off the IRS.

But Bryan Riley from the National Taxpayers Union pointed out that the “federal government collects duties from US importers,” raising questions about how the proposed agency would even work.

“It does not collect duty revenue from foreign sources, so it is not clear what the point of a new External Revenue Service would be,” Riley told The Post.

“A better priority would be to improve the operation of the Internal Revenue Service to better serve US taxpayers.”

Alternatively, economist EJ Antoni of the Heritage Foundation told The Post that “I really, really love this idea.”

“Anything that gets us away from income taxes and towards tariffs is a great idea,” added Antoni, saying that the ERS will likely come about through the “transformation” of a current agency into one that “would better serve” the American people.

Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa, who had been seen as a key Republican skeptic of Pete Hegseth’s nomination to lead the Defense Department, said she will support him after his performance at Tuesday’s confirmation hearing.

“Our next commander in chief selected Pete Hegseth to serve in this role, and after our conversations, hearing from Iowans, and doing my job as a United States Senator, I will support President Trump’s pick for Secretary of Defense,” Ernst said in a statement.

“As I serve on the Armed Services Committee, I will work with Pete to create the most lethal fighting force and hold him to his commitments of auditing the Pentagon, ensuring opportunity for women in combat while maintaining high standards, and selecting a senior official to address and prevent sexual assault in the ranks,” she added.

Ernst had indicated her plans to support Hegseth’s bid in an interview Tuesday on Simon Conway’s radio show.

“I figured you would ask this, so yes, I will be supporting President Trump’s pick for secretary of defense, Pete Hegseth,” Ernst told Conway.

Ernst’s support is a huge boost to Hegseth’s odds, all but assuring his confirmation to lead the Pentagon barring twists in the Republican-led Senate.

She telegraphed her intentions during her friendly questioning of Hegseth at Tuesday’s hearing, which she began by entering into the record a letter from a Hegseth supporter arguing for his nomination.

As a sexual assault survivor and combat veteran who sounded initially skeptical of Hegseth, Ernst was seen as the linchpin of his path to confirmation.

Hegseth has been accused of sexual assault — an allegation he denies — and previously said women shouldn’t serve in combat.

Republicans control 53 seats in the Senate and need 50 votes to confirm Hegseth. That means at least four GOP senators must defect to sink him, even if all 47 Democrats vote against him.

There is no 60-vote threshold for nominations. So far, no Republicans have come out against Hegseth. Two others being watched closely are the two moderates — Lisa Murkowski, of Alaska, and Susan Collins, of Maine — but their defections wouldn’t be enough to defeat him even if they oppose him.

Ernst faces re-election in 2026, and some allies of President-elect Donald Trump have threatened in recent weeks to recruit a primary challenge in Iowa, a red state, if she were to oppose Hegseth.

Trump supporters have sought to rally GOP senators in favor of his nominees after they quietly scuttled his initial nominee for attorney general, the scandal-plagued former Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida.

South Korean authorities arrested impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol on Wednesday over insurrection accusations related to his Dec. 3 martial law declaration, investigators said.

A motorcade was seen leaving the gates of his hillside residence where Yoon has been holed up for weeks behind barbed wire barriers and a small army of personal security.

Earlier more than 3,000 police officers and anti-corruption investigators had gathered there before dawn, pushing through throngs of Yoon supporters and members of his ruling People Power Party protesting attempts to detain him.

Yoon’s lawyers have argued attempts to detain Yoon are illegal and are designed to publicly humiliate him.

The warrant investigators secured for his arrest is the first ever issued against an incumbent South Korean president.

As local news broadcasters reported that Yoon’s detention may come soon, some minor scuffles broke out between tearful pro-Yoon protesters and police near the residence, according to a Reuters witness at the scene.

Yoon’s declaration of martial law stunned South Koreans and plunged one of Asia’s most vibrant democracies into an unprecedented period of political turmoil.

Lawmakers voted to impeach him and remove him from duties on Dec. 14.

Separately, the Constitutional Court is deliberating over to uphold that impeachment and permanently remove him from office.

A French woman was swindled out of over $800,000 by scammers posing as Brad Pitt who made her believe she was dating him and that he needed help paying for medical care.

U.K. paper The Times and French outlets AFP and BFM TV reported that the woman, identified only as Anne, spoke to French television outlet TF1, which has since removed the interview from its website after a flood of online ridicule sparked by the report.

Anne reportedly told the French station that she was first contacted online by someone claiming to be Pitt’s mother saying, “It’s a woman like you that my son needs,” The Times reported.

Despite expressing skepticism, the woman kept in contact before being messaged by someone posing as the actor.

“At first I said to myself that it was fake, that it’s ridiculous,” Anne told TF1, according to BFM TV. “But I’m not used to social media and I didn’t really understand what was happening to me.”

The woman first sent nearly €10,000 when the fake account said it needed her to pay customs tariffs so she could receive gifts he claimed to have sent her, according to the reported interview with the woman.

“There are so few men who write you this kind of thing,” Anne said, according to the report from BFM TV. “I liked the man I was talking to. He knew how to talk to women, it was always very well done.”

After reportedly telling the scammer that she had recently divorced her husband, Anne sent almost all of her €775,000 divorce settlement — about $798,000 — after the fake Pitt said he had developed kidney cancer and needed a loan because his bank accounts were locked as a result of his ongoing divorce proceedings with Angelina Jolie.

BFM TV reported that the woman was sent AI-generated images of Pitt’s face over men in hospital beds.

When Anne read that Pitt was in a relationship with Ines De Ramon, the scammers reportedly sent something denying the reports. Eventually, The Times reported, Anne told TF1 that she read more about Pitt and De Ramon and accepted that she had been scammed.

Anne has since filed a lawsuit and a police inquiry has been opened, the outlets reported.

TF1 has since removed the interview, with The Times reporting that the outlet did so to protect her from a “wave of harassment” she has received online.

A Missouri high school teacher was taken into custody on child sex crime charges. Seth Brummond, 37, of Greenwood, has been accused of distributing and uploading at least 12 images of child pornography in recent months. He teaches at Lee’s Summit High School and was placed on administrative leave following his arrest, the school district said.

According to the Department of Justice, Brummond has been charged with one count of distributing child pornography over the internet and one count of possessing child pornography between September 1 and December 18, 2024. He was arrested on December 19 and is being prosecuted by the US District Court in Kansas City, Missouri.

Ngo scoop: A liberal LGBTQ+ activist teacher at Lee’s Summit West High School @lswestonline in Missouri has been federally charged over child s—x crimes.

Seth Brummond, 37, of Greenwood, Mo., is accused of possessing and distributing child s—x abuse content. He was arrested on… pic.twitter.com/V4fmSGyS6u

— Andy Ngo (@MrAndyNgo) January 14, 2025

On September 8, 2024, Lee’s Summit police officers received a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children that a user had uploaded 12 videos of child pornography via the Kik Messenger application. The user was later identified as Brummond. Authorities initiated an investigation into Brummond and placed his home under surveillance on December 19 to serve federal search warrants, KSHB 41 News reported.

Brummond left his home in a vehicle around 6 am and officers followed. Police initiated a traffic stop and took Brummond into custody. Officers seized his iPhone and a computer tower that was located in the trunk of his car.

During an interview with detectives, Brummond allegedly confessed to using Kik for child pornography purposes. He reportedly told authorities that he knew it “was immoral and wrong to view and share” the images and videos.

In a statement to the network, the Lee’s Summit School District said Brummond has been placed on administrative leave. The district believes none of its students were involved in the allegations against Brummond, but encourages parents and guardians to contact the police if they have any concerns. He is no longer listed on the school’s website.

“These charges are serious and we are being fully responsive to this situation,” the district said. “Our focus right now is supporting the well-being of students who may be distressed by this news with counseling and community resources, in addition to making plans to ensure that learning is not disrupted when students return from winter break.”

Brummond describes himself on social media as a father, math teacher, and ally to minority groups.

This case was brought as part of the Department of Justice’s Project Safe Childhood, which is a nationwide initiative to address the escalating epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.

Annual deaths are expected to exceed annual births in the United States by 2033, a new report estimates.

Population growth in the U.S. is expected to stagnate between 2025 and 2055 as fertility rates continue to decline, a report released Tuesday by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) found.

A predicted significant decline in illegal immigration as well as many women choosing to delay motherhood are two contributing factors.

After peaking at 2.12 births per woman in 2001, fertility rates have been slowly decreasing, dropping to 1.62 births per woman in 2023, according to CBO’s data. The report estimates this number to fall to 1.60 by 2035 and remain steady through 2055.

The report estimates women will continue to delay motherhood, predicting the fertility rate for women under the age of 30 to drop to 0.79 births per woman in 2025 and 0.62 in 2055, according to CBO. Meanwhile the rate for women over the age of 30 is expected to increase from 0.84 births per woman in 2025 to 0.98 by 2055.

Despite the report predicting the mortality rate to decline and life expectancy to increase, annual deaths are still expected to outpace births, according to the report’s findings. Life expectancy in the U.S. is predicted to rise from 78.9 years in 2025 to 82.3 years by 2055.

One major factor contributing to the report’s findings is immigration. While the number of people entering the country minus the number of people leaving the country skyrocketed to 3.3 million in 2023, that number is expected to drop drastically to 2.0 million in 2025, 1.5 million in 2026, and an average of 1.1 million per year from 2027 through 2055.

Illegal immigration soared to unprecedented levels under the Biden-Harris administration, with migrant encounters along the U.S.-Mexico border reaching a staggering 8.5 million within the four fiscal years.

President-elect Donald Trump has promised to enforce border security and dramatically decrease immigration into the country as well as end birthright citizenship for children born to illegal immigrants.

Abortions in the United States meanwhile have increased since the Supreme Court returned to states the ability to regulate their own laws regarding the act in 2022, according to an Oct. 2024 report by the Society of Family Planning.

A large contributor to this rise is attributed to telehealth, which allows for women to obtain abortion prescriptions online even in states that ban the procedure.

President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Department of Defense, Pete Hegseth, faced a Senate grilling on Tuesday as lawmakers determine whether they will vote in support of the nominee.

Hegseth faced intense questioning from Democrats in his Armed Services Committee hearing, including his previous comments related to women serving in military combat roles, and was also interrupted by protesters who disturbed the hearing at some points.

Trump nominated Hegseth in November, just days after his decisive election win over Vice President Harris, lauding him “as a Warrior for the Troops, and for the Country.”

Here’s the top 5 moments from Pete Hegseth’s senate confirmation hearing:

Hegseth’s emotional opening remarks

Hegseth became emotional during his opening remarks on Tuesday morning while thanking his wife and other family members for supporting him through the nomination process.

“Thank you to my incredible wife, Jennifer, who has changed my life and been with me throughout this entire process. I love you, sweetheart, and I thank God for you,” he said, beginning to choke up.

“And as Jenny and I pray together every morning, all glory, regardless of the outcome, belongs to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,” he said.

“His grace and mercy abounds each day. May His will be done.”

Hegseth, a former Fox News host, married Jennifer in 2013, with the couple sharing a blended family of seven children.

“Thank you to my father, Brian and Mother Penny, as well as our entire family, including our seven wonderful kids: Gunner, Jackson, Peter Boone, Kensington, Luke, Rex … Gwendolyn. Their future safety and security is in all of our hands,” he said.

Sen. Hirono claims Hegseth would lead a military invasion of Greenland if confirmed

Democrat Hawaii Sen. Mazie Hirono was slammed on social media Tuesday during the hearing for asking Hegseth if he would lead a military invasion of Greenland if confirmed as the secretary of defense.

“[The] president-elect has attacked our allies in recent weeks, refusing to rule out using military force to take over Greenland and the Panama Canal and threatening to take, to make Canada the 51st state. Would you carry out an order from President Trump to seize Greenland, a territory of our NATO ally Denmark, by force? Or would you comply with an order to take over the Panama Canal?” Hirono asked on Tuesday.

Trump has said in recent weeks that he hopes to purchase Greenland from Denmark, referred to Canada as the U.S.’s “51st state” and outgoing Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as Canada’s “governor,” and he has also vowed to “demand that the Panama Canal be returned to the United States of America in full, quickly and without question.”

Hegseth brushed off Hirono’s question during the hearing, saying, “Trump never strategically tips his hand.”

“I would never publicly state one way or another to direct the orders of the president,” Hegseth responded.

Viewers of the exchange erupted on social media after Hirono’s question, including labeling her the “least intelligent Member of Congress” and others calling the grilling a “clown show.”

“Hirono was playing judge, jury, and executioner based on lies and stupidity,” Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., wrote in a post on X.

BREAKING: Senator Mazie Hirono (D-HI) accuses Pete Hegseth of planning to use the military to take over Greenland and the Panama Canal.

Lmao.

HIRONO: Would you use the military to take over Greenland or an ally?

HEGSETH: Trump never strategically tips his hand. I would… pic.twitter.com/36a5Y88ZXv

— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) January 14, 2025

Mazie Hirono might be the least intelligent Member of Congress, and that’s saying something.

This line of questioning is unbecoming of her position as a United States Senator.

I stand with Pete Hegseth. pic.twitter.com/vqp0G0w5kj

— Brigitte Gabriel (@ACTBrigitte) January 14, 2025

Hearing erupts into protests

Hegseth’s opening remarks during the hearing were interrupted by a handful of protesters as they shouted at the nominee about the war in Israel and called him a “Christian Zionist” and a “misogynist.”

“Veterans are committing suicide and are homeless, but we send money to bomb children in Gaza,” one female protester in fatigues shouts as she’s escorted from the hearing, Fox News Digital video shows.

At least three protesters were seen being hauled out of the hearing in zip ties or with their hands behind their backs.

“You are a misogynist,” one protester shouts at Hegseth.

“Thank you for figuratively and literally having my back,” Hegseth said after he was interrupted, returning to his opening statement. “I pledge to do the same for all of you.”

Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., asked Hegseth about the protesters during his hearing, including the war in Israel that has been ongoing since October 2023.

“Another protester, and I think this one was a member of Code Pink, which, by the way, is a Chinese communist front group these days, said that you support Israel’s war in Gaza. I support Israel’s existential war in Gaza. I assume, like me and President Trump, you support that war as well,” Cotton said.

“I support Israel destroying and killing every last member of Hamas,” Hegseth responded.

“And the third protester said something about 20 years of genocide. I assume that’s our wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Do you think our troops are committing genocide in Iraq and Afghanistan?” Cotton continued.

“Senator, I do not. I think … our troops, as you know, as so many in this committee know, did the best they could with what they had. … And tragically, the outcome we saw in Afghanistan under the Biden administration put a stain on that, but it doesn’t put a stain on what those men and women did in uniform, as you know full well, Senator,” Hegseth responded.

Hegseth repeatedly grilled on support of women in combat roles

The nominee was repeatedly grilled by senators regarding his previous comments on women serving in combat roles, including by Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., and Joni Ernst, R-Iowa.

“You say we need moms, but not in the military, especially in combat units. So specific to Sen. Cotton’s question, because Sen. Cotton was giving you layups to differentiate between different types of combat, specifically as secretary, would you take any action to reinstitute the combat arms exclusion for female service members, knowing full well you have hundreds of women doing that job right now?” Gillibrand asked.

Her question referred to Hegseth’s 2024 book, which states, “Dads push us to take risks. Moms put the training wheels on our bikes. We need moms. But not in the military, especially not in combat units.”

Hegseth pushed back that his argument related to women serving in the military focuses on military standards not eroding.

“Senator, I appreciate your comments. And I would point out I’ve never disparaged women serving in the military. I respect every single female service member that has put on the uniform, past and present. My critiques, senator, recently and in the past, and from personal experience, have been instances where I’ve seen standards lowered,” he responded.

Ernst, a veteran and Republican who initially did not publicly support Hegseth’s nomination, also questioned the nominee’s views on women in the military, saying he had a platform to make his opinions “very clear.”

“I want to know, again, let’s make it very clear for everyone here today, as secretary of defense, will you support women continuing to have the opportunity to serve in combat roles?” Ernst asked.

Hegseth again redirected the conversation back to his concerns over ensuring military standards remain high.

“Senator, first of all, thank you for your service. As we discussed extensively as well, and my answer is yes, exactly the way that you caveated it. Yes, women will have access to ground combat roles, combat roles given the standards remain high, and we’ll have a review to ensure the standards have not been eroded,” Hegseth responded.

Ernst also pressed Hegseth on what efforts he would take to combat sexual assault within the ranks, noting it as one of her top three concerns surrounding the military.

“A priority of mine has been combating sexual assault in the military and making sure that all of our service members are treated with dignity and respect. This has been so important,” Ernst said. “Sen. Gillibrand and I have worked on this, and we were able to get changes made to the uniform code of military justice to make sure that we have improvements and on how we address the tragic and life-altering issues of rape, sexual assault. It will demand time and attention from the Pentagon under your watch, if you are confirmed.”

“So, as secretary of defense, will you appoint a senior level official dedicated to sexual assault prevention and response?” she asked.

Hegseth said that, as they had previously discussed, he would appoint an official to such a role.

Dem Sen. Kaine grills SecDef nominee over infidelity in front of young daughter

Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., hit Hegseth with a handful of personal questions, including the timing of his extramarital affairs, as Hegseth’s 7-year-old daughter sat feet away during the hearing.

“I want to return to the incident that you referenced a minute ago that occurred in Monterey, California, in October 2017. At that time, you were still married to your second wife, correct?” Kaine asked, referring to a 2017 accusation of sexual assault against Hegseth. The nominee was investigated and cleared of wrongdoing.

“I believe so,” Hegseth responded.

“And you had just fathered a child by a woman who would later become your third wife,” Kaine pressed. Hegseth has been married three times.

“Senator, I was falsely charged, and I [was] fully investigated and completely cleared,” Hegseth said.

Kaine shot back, “So you think you are completely cleared because you committed no crime? That’s your definition of cleared?”

“You had just fathered a child two months before by a woman that was not your wife,” he continued before citing that Hegseth’s daughter was in the audience. “I am shocked that you would stand here and say you are completely cleared. Can you so casually cheat on a second wife and cheat on the mother of a child who had been born two months before?”

“Senator, her child’s name is Gwendolyn Hope Hegseth, and she’s a child of God,” Hegseth responded.

“She’s 7 years old, and I am glad she’s here,” he added.

On Tuesday, the GOP-led House once again passed legislation that aims to protect women’s sports leagues by trying to keep male athletes who identify as females from competing.

Two Democrats — Reps. Henry Cueller (D-TX) and Vicente Gonzalez (D-TX) — joined with 206 Republicans in voting for the Protection of Women and Girls Act. Another 206 Democrats, some of whom argued the bill would have invasive consequences and is supported by “bigoted folks,” voted against the legislation.

Only 2 members on the Left voted to protect women’s sports.

The Left really hates women don’t they? https://t.co/ZOcyeZIyik

— Rep. Nancy Mace (@RepNancyMace) January 14, 2025

“Only 2 members on the Left voted to protect women’s sports,” Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) said in a post to X, responding to former collegiate swimmer Riley Gaines celebrating passage of the legislation. “The Left really hates women don’t they?”

If enacted, the bill would “amend the Education Amendments of 1972 to provide that for purposes of determining compliance with title IX of such Act in athletics, sex shall be recognized based solely on a person’s reproductive biology and genetics at birth,” adding language that says it would be a violation for recipients of federal aid to allow a person whose sex is male to participate in a sports program for women or girls.

Also included in the legislation is a provision directing the comptroller general to conduct a study that would look at “the adverse psychological, developmental, participatory, and sociological results to girls of allowing males to compete, be members of a sports team, or participants in athletic programs, that are designed for girls.”

Rep. Greg Steube (R-FL) reintroduced the Protection of Women and Girls Act this month after it previously had passed the House in 2023 with no Democrats supporting it and never got a vote in the Democrat-led Senate in the last Congress.

“The radical left is not in step with the American people on the issue of protecting women’s sports,” Steube declared in a statement.

“Americans have loudly spoken that they do not want men stealing sports records from women, entering their daughters’ locker rooms, replacing female athletes on teams, and taking their daughters’ scholarship opportunities.”

Now the bill has better odds as Republicans control both chambers of Congress and, as of next week, the White House as well. President-elect Donald Trump suggested during a Fox News town hall in October that he was in favor of banning transgender athletes from women’s sports.

“My legislation stands for truth, safety, and reality: men have no place in women’s sports,” Steube said. “Republicans have promised to protect women’s sports, and under President Trump’s leadership, we will fulfill this promise.”

Hamas has accepted a draft agreement for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and the release of dozens of hostages, two officials involved in the talks said Tuesday.

Mediators the United States and Qatar said Israel and the Palestinian militant group were at the closest point yet to sealing a deal to bring them a step closer to ending 15 months of war.

The Associated Press obtained a copy of the proposed agreement, and an Egyptian official and a Hamas official confirmed its authenticity.

An Israeli official said progress has been made, but the details are being finalized. All three officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the talks.

“I believe we will get a ceasefire,” U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said during a speech Tuesday, asserting it was up to Hamas.

“It’s right on the brink. It’s closer than it’s ever been before,” and word could come within hours, or days.

The United States, Egypt and Qatar have spent the past year trying to mediate an end to the war and secure the release of dozens of hostages captured in Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack that triggered it.

Nearly 100 people are still captive inside Gaza, and the military believes at least a third are dead.

Any deal is expected to pause the fighting and bring hopes for winding down the most deadly and destructive war Israel and Hamas have ever fought, a conflict that has destabilized the Middle East and sparked worldwide protests.

Draft of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire deal

PHASE 1: (42 days)

• Hamas releases 33 hostages, including female civilians and soldiers, children and civilians over 50
• Israel releases 30 Palestinian prisoners for each civilian hostage and 50 for each female soldier
• Halt to fighting, Israeli forces move out of populated areas to the edges of the Gaza Strip
• Displaced Palestinians begin returning home, more aid enters the strip

PHASE 2: (42 days)

• Declaration of “sustainable calm”
• Hamas frees remaining male hostages (soldiers and civilians) in exchange for a yet-to-be-negotiated number of Palestinian prisoners and a full withdrawal of Israeli troops from the Gaza Strip.

PHASE 3:

• Bodies of deceased Israeli hostages exchanged for bodies of deceased Palestinian fighters
• Implementation of a reconstruction plan in Gaza
• Border crossings for movement in and out of Gaza are reopened

MSNBC boss Rashida Jones announced she is stepping down as president of the embattled left-leaning network — days before President-elect Donald Trump returns to the White House.

Jones, who was in charge of the NBC Universal-owned cable network for four years, broke the news that she is relinquishing her position, effective immediately, in a memo to staffers.

“After four incredible years at the helm of MSNBC and 11 years at NBCU, I have made the decision to pursue new opportunities,” Jones wrote.

Jones, the first black woman to run a major TV news network, will be replaced on an interim basis by Rebecca Kutler, senior vice president of content strategy, the company said.

Her exit comes as MSNBC has been engulfed in turmoil — both from cratering ratings following the election of Donald Trump as president and last month’s announcement by parent company Comcast that it was planning to spin off its cable assets into a new publicly traded entity, SpinCo.

The formation of the new entity, which would be led by NBCU executive Mark Lazarus, could lead to MSNBC getting booted from its headquarters at 30 Rock, as The Post previously reported — and sparked speculation that Jones would flee the sinking ship.

Lazarus has said in private conversations that he was looking for “strong hands” to lead the network as it enters its next chapter — and expressed concerns that Jones was not up to the task, a source with knowledge of those talks told The Post on Tuesday.

An MSNBC spokesperson pushed back on that characterization.

“Mark never questioned if Rashida was up for the task. Full stop.” the rep said.

Some at the network have griped that Jones was “hands-off” as a leader, the source insisted.

But a second source who worked closely with Jones said she was a well-liked leader who “had wanted out anyway.”

The source said the network likely offered Jones an attractive exit package and that the timing made sense for her.

“She worked at NBC News and MSNBC for some time — she did all that already and made history,” the source said. “It’s time to go amid uncertainty.”

In her memo, Jones wrote that Lazarus has asked her to stay on for a few more months “to help guide the network during this transitional period.”

Lazarus had nothing but praise for Jones in his own memo to shell-shocked staffers, crediting her for having “expertly navigated MSNBC through a years-long, unrelenting and unprecedented news cycle, all while driving the network to record viewership and making investments in nonlinear businesses.”

“MSNBC is well-positioned for the future, and I am grateful that she will continue to support us during this transition,” he added.

The rabid anti-Trump network has been saddled with declining viewership since Vice President Kamala Harris was handily defeated in the Nov. 5 election.

Network brass on Monday raced to rush its biggest and highest-paid star, Rachel Maddow, back on the air five days a week during the first 100 days of the second Trump administration.

Maddow had reduced her schedule to just once a week on Mondays at 9 p.m. ET.

This temporary schedule will continue until April 30, after which Maddow will revert to her current Monday-only routine.

Alex Wagner, who hosts the 9 p.m. hour from Tuesday to Friday, will undertake various assignments during the first 100 days of the administration.

After April 30, Wagner will return to her normal schedule.

During Jones’ tenure, she helped MSNBC surpass CNN as the second-most watched all-news cable channel, behind Fox News.

Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) has been removed from the House Rules Committee after being the lone vote against Speaker Mike Johnson’s (R-La.) reelection.

Massie’s departure from the influential panel could make it easier for Johnson to get legislation to the House floor.

He has been replaced with Rep. Morgan Griffith (R-Va.), a low-key member of the right-wing House Freedom Caucus who rarely joins his colleagues’ rebellions against leadership.

Johnson often had to bypass the panel last Congress and rely on Democratic votes to pass key legislation.

Massie, a hardline conservative libertarian, said after voting against Johnson on Jan. 3 that he would step off the panel voluntarily.

The House Republican conference voted in a closed-door meeting Tuesday morning to approve a new committee roster that excludes Massie.

Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.), the former chair of the Education and Workforce Committee, was picked as the new chair of the panel, replacing retired Rep. Michael Burgess (R-Texas).

Rep. Guy Reschenthaler (R-Pa.), the House GOP’s chief deputy whip, was also taken off the panel and replaced with freshman Rep. Brian Jack (R-Ga.).

Massie and Freedom Caucus members Chip Roy (R-Texas) and Ralph Norman (R-S.C.) were appointed in 2023 as part of a deal with then-Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) to obtain his gavel.

In multiple instances, the trio sided with Democrats to block legislation from coming to the House floor in protest of McCarthy’s and Johnson’s moves on government spending or foreign aid.

Griffith told Axios he is a “rules guy” and that “if the rules are set up in accordance with the House rules, precedent and Jefferson’s manual, then I don’t look at the policy, I look at the rules.”

“Step out of line of the general policy of parliamentary history in this country and elsewhere, then I might have a question or two to raise,” he said.

Massie, Griffith said, was “pretty much a rules guy too.”

During a press conference on Monday, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis slammed the H-1B program that has facilitated companies bringing in foreign laborers to the US. Disney, and others have been documented as replacing American workers with foreign hires. H-1B work visas have been part of a national conversation surrounding legal immigration policy.

DeSantis brought up his issues with some of the legal immigration programs, including the H-1B visa program, when he announced a special legislative session to address illegal immigration in Florida at Trump takes office.

Governor DeSantis goes off on H-1B visa program:

“Companies will bring in H-1B [workers], the Americans train the H-1B, and then they fire the Americans and hire the H-1B. How would that even remotely be acceptable?”
pic.twitter.com/aaEYaCADOY

— The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) January 13, 2025

“We’ve got some big problems with some of of the legal immigration programs that we have. We’ve seen this H-1B program, how companies will bring in H-1B [workers], the Americans train the H-1B, and then they fire the Americans and hire the H-1B. How would that even remotely be acceptable?”

Ron DeSantis calls for a special legislative session in Florida to enforce immigration policies of the incoming Trump administration.pic.twitter.com/PDpCQBdqGB

— The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) January 13, 2025

DeSantis also sounded off on what he called “chain immigration,” or when immigrants come into the United States following their relatives who have already made the journey.

DeSantis added that there should be limits on some of the immigration programs such as H-1B as well as H-2A visa programs.

Additionally, with respect to immigration laws already on the books, DeSantis said that he may suspend public officials who do not enforce immigration laws from the federal government as necessary, per First Coast News. “I have the authority, with respect to certain officials, to suspend them from office if they are neglecting their duties,” he said.

DeSantis emphasized that there will be a “sea change” in immigration policy as Trump takes office, and that Florida needs to be prepared to “get it right.”

Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos and Mark Zuckerberg will attend President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration on Monday, according to an official involved with the planning of the event.

They will have a prominent spot at the ceremony, seated together on the platform with other notable guests including Trump’s Cabinet nominees and elected officials.

The three tech titans have all made attempts to earn favor with Trump in the past year, led by Musk donating more than a quarter-billion dollars in campaign funds to help elect Trump.

The CEO of Tesla and SpaceX — and the co-lead of a new Trump administration advisory body called DOGE — Musk has frequently been at Trump’s side since endorsing him for president in July.

Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta, this month reshuffled his lobbying staff and his content moderation policies to align with the incoming Republican administration. Meta also gave $1 million to the Trump inaugural fund.

Bezos, the founder of Amazon and the company’s executive chair, decided last fall that The Washington Post, which he owns, would not endorse in the presidential race, overruling opinion staff who wanted to endorse Vice President Kamala Harris. Amazon also contributed $1 million to Trump’s inaugural fund.

The three men are among the wealthiest people in the world with fortunes based on the tech boom of the past two decades.

Musk ranks No. 1, Bezos No. 2 and Zuckerberg No. 3, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.

All three men have supported Democrats and Republicans over the years, according to federal records.

Musk, Zuckerberg and Bezos are frequent rivals in the tech industry, dueling for influence on subjects such as artificial intelligence, space exploration and media.

Bezos is trying to compete with Musk’s dominance in rocket launches with his space company Blue Origin, though on Monday Blue Origin called off its inaugural launch attempt.

Zuckerberg and Musk are longtime rivals in AI research and are each pouring billions of dollars into new AI models. In 2022, Musk also started competing with Zuckerberg on social media when he bought X, which was then Twitter.

Bezos and Zuckerberg compete through the dueling advertising and shopping businesses of Amazon and Meta.

The Biden administration on Tuesday is notifying Congress of its intent to lift the U.S. designation of Cuba as a state sponsor of terrorism, the White House announced, as part of a deal facilitated by the Catholic Church to free political prisoners on the island.

Senior U.S. administration officials, who previewed the announcement on the condition of anonymity, said ”many dozens” of political prisoners and others considered by the U.S. to be unjustly detained would be released by the end of the Biden administration at noon on Jan. 20.

The U.S. would also ease some economic pressure on Cuba, as well as a 2017 memorandum issued by then-President Donald Trump toughening U.S. posture toward Cuba.

The determination by the outgoing one-term Democrat is likely to be reversed as early as next week after Trump, the Republican who is now president-elect, takes office and Secretary of State-designate Marco Rubio assumes the position of America’s top diplomat.

Rubio, whose family left Cuba in the 1950s before the communist revolution that brought Fidel Castro to power, has long been a proponent of sanctions on the communist island. Rubio will appear before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Wednesday for his confirmation hearing and is expected to address his Cuban roots in his testimony.

In the final days of Trump’s first administration, on Jan. 11, 2021, the White House reinstated the designation, which had been reversed during the period of rapprochement between Cuba and the United States during President Barack Obama’s second term in office.

In doing so, the Trump administration cited Cuba’s support for Venezuela’s leader, Nicolas Maduro, and its refusal to extradite Colombian rebels to Colombia, among other issues, including its continued harboring of wanted Americans.

The move to designate Cuba by Trump was one of several foreign policy moves he made in the final days of his first term.

Human rights groups and activists, including the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, have been pressing the Biden administration to lift the designation.

Congress and the incoming Trump administration will have the opportunity to review and potentially reverse Biden’s actions, though the senior U.S. administration officials said the Biden administration had determined there was “no credible evidence” that Cuba was currently engaged in supporting international terrorism.

There was no immediate comment from the Trump transition team or from Rubio or his office, but one of his Republican colleagues on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, quickly denounced the Biden administration move.

“Today’s decision is unacceptable on its merits,” Cruz said in a statement.

“The terrorism advanced by the Cuban regime has not ceased. I will work with President Trump and my colleagues to immediately reverse and limit the damage from the decision.”

A recall attempt to knock California Gov. Gavin Newsom out of office is underway as he faces sharp criticism for his handling of the Los Angeles wildfires – with opponents labeling his leadership as a “series of catastrophic failures.”

Organizers against Newsom vowed to file papers in the next two weeks in hopes of jumpstarting the process that could lead to the Democrat’s ouster in the middle of his second term in the governor’s mansion.

The state leader – along with Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass – is fighting for his political life as the wildfires have torched more than 40,000 acres, destroyed more than 12,000 structures and killed at least 24 people.

“Under the reign of Governor Newsom, living in California has become impossible for average people through years of poor policies which have increased the costs of living, increased crime, increased drug use and homelessness, increased the cost of burden [sic] on small businesses and communities, while decreasing our professional standards, education standards, the disappearance of billions of taxpayers’ dollars to failed pet programs, and our public services,” one recall organizer, Randy Economy, said in a statement.

“This was most recently demonstrated by the woefully unprepared and incompetent response to the fires currently ravaging the Los Angeles area.”

He told Newsweek on Monday plans for a recall were in the works before the wildfires started, but the chaos has “shortened our time frame and changed things.”

A notice of intent needs to be filed first and then recall supporters must collect about 1.3 million signatures in five months, according to the outlet.

Economy, who led a recall against Newsom in 2021, started the organization “Saving California” in late 2024 which boasts of a mix of professionals, working families and community advocates.

“Governor Gavin Newsom’s governance has been marked by a series of catastrophic failures, particularly his mismanagement of the recent wildfires, which have led to unprecedented displacement and destruction,” Dr. Houman David Hemmati, another organizer, also argued.

“Wildfires are a common and well-known issue in California. The fact that Governor Newsom has not been able to come up with any plan or prep after six years as governor and eight years as lieutenant governor shows that he is completely unprepared and lacks the compassion and will to lead California any longer,” Hemmati added.

Newsom, 57, easily survived the 2021 recall vote in a state where Democrats hold a clear advantage in voter registration over Republicans.

A spokesperson for Newsom dismissed the latest attempt to throw the Dem out of office, insisting to Newsweek the governor is “100 percent focused on the fires, ongoing rescue efforts and the recovery process – not politics.”

“Readers still should have the context that the same group of far-right Trump acolytes have launched six different recall attempts against the governor since he’s taken office, each of which have failed spectacularly,” the spokesperson Nathan Click said in a statement.

“Even Republican Party leaders have criticized these repeated attempts as a brazen campaign finance ‘grift,’ and the recall organizers have been sued by their own donors for pocketing funds raised previously.”

Meanwhile, an online petition calling for Bass, who was in Ghana when the fire erupted last week, to be removed from office has grown to nearly 130,000 signatures.

“We . . . urgently call for the immediate recall of [Bass] due to her gross mismanagement and failure to effectively respond to the devastating 2025 fires in and around the city,” part of the petition reads.

Special counsel Jack Smith’s long-awaited report on Donald Trump’s 2020 election interference case argues that the president-elect would’ve been convicted at trial had he not won the 2024 presidential election.

The 174-page report, obtained by multiple outlets Tuesday after lawyers for the incoming president failed to stop its release, outlines the investigative process Smith took in his case against Trump after being appointed special counsel by Attorney General Merrick Garland shortly after Trump launched his 2024 White House bid.

“The department’s view that the Constitution prohibits the continued indictment and prosecution of a president is categorical and does not turn on the gravity of the crimes charged, the strength of the government’s proof or the merits of the prosecution, which the office stands fully behind,” Smith wrote in the report’s conclusion.

“Indeed, but for Mr. Trump’s election and imminent return to the presidency, the office assessed that the admissible evidence was sufficient to obtain and sustain a conviction at trial,” he added.

The report was delivered to Congress by the Justice Department just after midnight Tuesday after a last-ditch attempt by Trump’s legal team to block its release was rejected by South Florida US District Judge Aileen Cannon late Monday night.

It is one of two volumes put together by Smith detailing the federal investigations into Trump.

The second volume, which relates to the classified documents case dismissed by Cannon last July, has not been made public as Smith is still pursuing charges against Trump’s two former co-defendants in the case – Walt Nauta and Carlos De Oliveira.

Chinese officials are evaluating a potential option that involves Elon Musk acquiring the US operations of TikTok if the company fails to fend off a controversial ban on the short-video app, according to people familiar with the matter.

Beijing officials strongly prefer that TikTok remains under the ownership of parent ByteDance Ltd., the people say, and the company is contesting the impending ban with an appeal to the US Supreme Court. But the justices signaled during arguments on Jan. 10 that they are likely to uphold the law. Senior Chinese officials had already begun to debate contingency plans for TikTok as part of an expansive discussion on how to work with Donald Trump’s administration, one of which involves Musk, said the people, asking not to be identified revealing confidential discussions.

A potential high-profile deal with one of Trump’s closest allies holds some appeal for the Chinese government, which is expected to have some say over whether TikTok is ultimately sold, said the people. Musk spent more than $250 million supporting Trump’s re-election, and has been tapped for a prominent role in improving government efficiency after the Republican takes office.

Under one scenario that’s been discussed by the Chinese government, Musk’s X — the former Twitter — would take control of TikTok US and run the businesses together, the people said. With more than 170 million users in the US, TikTok could bolster X’s efforts to attract advertisers. Musk also founded a separate artificial intelligence company, xAI, that could benefit from the huge amounts of data generated from TikTok.

Chinese officials have yet to reach any firm consensus about how to proceed and their deliberations are still preliminary, the people said. It’s not clear how much ByteDance knows about the Chinese government discussions or whether TikTok and Musk have been involved. It’s also unclear whether Musk, TikTok and ByteDance have held any talks about the terms of any possible deal.

Musk posted in April that he thinks TikTok should remain available in the US. “In my opinion, TikTok should not be banned in the USA, even though such a ban may benefit the X platform,” he wrote on X. “Doing so would be contrary to freedom of speech and expression. It is not what America stands for.”

The talks in Beijing suggest that TikTok’s fate may no longer be in ByteDance’s sole control, said the people. Chinese officials recognize they will face tough negotiations with the Trump administration over tariffs, export controls and other issues, and they see the TikTok negotiations as a potential area for reconciliation, they said.

The Chinese government holds a so-called golden share in a ByteDance affiliate that gives it influence over the company’s strategy and operations. TikTok maintains that the control only applies to the China-based subsidiary Douyin Information Service Co., and has no bearing on ByteDance operations outside China. Still, Beijing’s export rules prevent Chinese companies from selling their software algorithms, like the one integral to TikTok. Because the Chinese government would have to approve of a sale that includes TikTok’s valuable recommendation engine, it has a significant voice in any possible deal.

TikTok’s US operations could be valued at around $40 billion to $50 billion, Bloomberg Intelligence analysts Mandeep Singh and Damian Reimertz estimated last year. That’s a substantial sum even for the world’s richest person. It’s not clear how Musk could pull off such a transaction, whether it would require the sale of other holdings, or whether the US government would approve. He paid $44 billion for Twitter in 2022, and is still paying off sizable loans.

Musk has a positive reputation among many ByteDance employees in China, according to a person familiar with the matter. He is seen as a very successful entrepreneur, who has experience engaging with the Chinese government through his Tesla Inc. business, the person added.

ByteDance’s leaders have repeatedly said their priority is to fight US legislation that requires the Beijing-based company sell or shut down the US operations because of national security concerns. TikTok’s lawyers have argued the legislation violates free speech laws under the Constitution’s First Amendment.

A majority of the Supreme Court justices suggested the security concerns take priority over free speech, although they have yet to issue a formal decision. President-elect Trump, who takes office Jan. 20, has sought to delay the TikTok ban — which takes effect Jan. 19 — so he can work on the negotiations. He has said he wants to “save” the app and there’s been speculation he could take last-minute action to sidestep the ban.

On a practical level, spinning off TikTok’s US business would be highly complex, affecting shareholders in China as well as the US. Lawyers for TikTok argued before the Supreme Court that separating the US portions of the product would be “extraordinarily difficult.”

It’s unclear if US TikTok would be sold off in a competitive process, or if a sale would be arranged by the government. Billionaire Frank McCourt and “Shark Tank” investor Kevin O’Leary are part of a bid through Project Liberty to acquire TikTok, which O’Leary has said he discussed with Trump. In the past, Microsoft Corp. had sought to acquire the business, and Oracle Corp. has a deep technology partnership with the company.

One alternative for TikTok would be to move its existing US customers over to a similar app — with different branding — to potentially sidestep the ban, one of the people said. It’s not clear how effective such a move would be.

One person close to the company, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the strategy, said before the Supreme Court hearing that the legal battle is still the focus of top executives and they would prefer to keep fighting in the US rather than sell TikTok US and cede control for good.

Musk is in a position to influence the China-US relationship as the world’s richest person with businesses that straddle the world’s two largest economies. Tesla, where Musk is chief executive officer, erected a sprawling factory in Shanghai in 2019 and has since expanded the facility into the company’s largest production base. The effort helped Tesla expand its market share in China despite tough local competition, and build goodwill with government officials.

While Trump is staffing his incoming administration with China hawks like Secretary of State nominee Marco Rubio, Musk has spoken out against some recent China trade policies, including the Biden administration’s tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles.

Negotiators will meet in Doha on Tuesday seeking to finalise details of a plan to end the war in Gaza after U.S. President Joe Biden said a ceasefire and hostage release deal he has championed was on “the brink” of coming to fruition.

Mediators gave Israel and Hamas a final draft of an agreement on Monday, an official briefed on the negotiations said, after a midnight “breakthrough” in talks attended by envoys of both the outgoing U.S. president and President-elect Donald Trump.

“The deal … would free the hostages, halt the fighting, provide security to Israel and allow us to significantly surge humanitarian assistance to the Palestinians who suffered terribly in this war that Hamas started,” Biden said in a speech on Monday to highlight his foreign policy achievements.

If successful, the ceasefire deal would cap over a year of start-and-stop talks and lead to the biggest release of Israeli hostages since the early days of the conflict, when Hamas freed about half of its prisoners in exchange for 240 Palestinian detainees held by Israel.

The official briefed on the talks, who did not want to be identified, said the text for a ceasefire and release of hostages was presented by Qatar to both sides at talks in Doha.

“I think there is a good chance we can close this … the parties are right on the cusp of being able to close this deal,” Biden’s national security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters on Monday.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the ball was in Hamas’ court. Hamas said it was keen to reach a deal.

An Israeli official said negotiations were in advanced stages for the release of up to 33 hostages as part of the deal. Ninety-eight hostages remain in Gaza, according to Israeli authorities.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar told reporters: “There is progress, it looks much better than previously. I want to thank our American friends for the huge efforts they are investing to secure a hostage deal.”

“The negotiation over some core issues made progress and we are working to conclude what remains soon,” a Hamas official said.

Israel launched its assault in Gaza after Hamas fighters stormed across its borders in October 2023, killing 1,200 people and taking more than 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies.

Since then, more than 46,000 people have been killed in Gaza, according to Palestinian health officials, with much of the enclave laid to waste and most of its population displaced.

The warring sides have broadly agreed for months on the principle of halting the fighting in return for the release of hostages held by Hamas and Palestinian detainees held by Israel. But Hamas has always insisted a deal must lead to a permanent end to the war and an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, while Israel has said it will not end the war until Hamas is dismantled.

Trump’s Inauguration Seen as Deadline

Trump’s Jan. 20 inauguration is now widely seen as a de facto deadline for a ceasefire agreement. Trump has said there would be “hell to pay” unless hostages held by Hamas are freed before he takes office.

Blinken said negotiators wanted to make sure Trump would continue to back the deal on the table so the attendance at the ceasefire talks of Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, along with Biden’s envoy Brett McGurk, has been “critical.”

An Israeli official who briefed reporters on the proposed deal said its first stage would see 33 hostages set free, including children, women, some of whom are female soldiers, men above 50, and the wounded and sick.

On the 16th day of the ceasefire, negotiations would start on a second stage during which the remaining living hostages – male soldiers and men of military age – would be released and the bodies of dead hostages returned.

The deal would see a phased troop withdrawal, with Israeli forces remaining in the border perimeter to defend Israeli border towns and villages. There would be security arrangements in the Philadelphi corridor, along the southern edge of Gaza, with Israel withdrawing from parts of it after the first few days of the deal.

Unarmed North Gaza residents would be allowed back, with a mechanism to ensure no weapons are moved there. Israeli troops will withdraw from the Netzarim corridor in central Gaza.

The Israeli official said Palestinian militants convicted of murder or deadly attacks would also be released but numbers would depend on the number of live hostages, which was still unknown, and they would not include fighters who took part in the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel.