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How feminism hijacked the conversation on masculinity
Is feminism hijacking the conversation about men and masculinity?
Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., and Adam Lane Smith discussed the thorny subject in exclusive interviews with Fox News Digital.
Hawley wrote the book "Manhood: The Masculine Virtues America Needs" to his sons about "what it means to be a man" and more specifically, a Christian man. Smith is a self-described "attachment specialist" who was formerly a licensed family and marriage therapist and now specializes in helping people build secure and loving relationships as a speaker and author. Both Hawley and Smith discussed the effects of feminism on the conversation about masculinity.
Although feminism is defined as the belief in equality on behalf of women's rights and interests, critics in the 21st century accuse the feminist movement of being woke and anti-men.
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"I think modern feminism is built on the lie that no man is ever going to be reliable or ever wants to care about his family," Smith said. He argued that extremes on both sides, citing some "red pill" circles who are on the far-opposite side of feminism, are hijacking the conversation for both men and women. However, Smith believes masculinity matters and denies that there is such a thing as "toxic masculinity."
Hawley rejected the idea that masculinity itself is the issue.
"I don't know how many times I heard that masculinity is a social construct, we need to deconstruct it. No, we don't. We don't need to reconstruct it. We need to rebuild it," he said.
Smith believes feminism is at the roots of the far-left ideology Marxism.
"What we need to do is go back and have the conversation we should have had 100 years ago, before feminism was intruding into our system under the guise of Marxism, and have the real conversation of how do we value the human dignity of every person, whether it's man, woman, child, anybody, and preserve their dignity in a system where there is trust, there is safety, and there is peace and prosperity for everybody involved. That's what a family system is supposed to be."
Smith cited fractures in the American family, "I believe women have been used as stepping stones to create a much worse ideology, which is the destruction of the family."
The narrative that Hawley and Smith are fighting against has been seen in the media over the last few years.
"The Nuclear Family Was a Mistake," read an article published by The Atlantic in 2020.
"We Can’t Have a Feminist Future Without Abolishing the Family," read the title of a Vice piece, also from 2020.
"Rethinking masculinity to build healthier outcomes," an American Psychological Association report said in 2025.
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Smith continued, "Modern feminism says that a family itself is an evil, destructive thing, so we have to destroy families, that we can't have roles within those families, that taking care of children is slavery, and it's beneath somebody, that motherhood is not the most sacred calling on the planet for pretty much every human being to aspire to or to facilitate. Feminism has completely degraded the concept of raising a human being and said anyone, anywhere can do it."
Smith added that modern feminism now suggests there is no distinction between a man and a woman.
In 2022, a Planned Parenthood doctor told a House hearing that men could get pregnant and have babies.
"Men can have pregnancies, especially trans men," said Dr. Bhavik Kumar, medical director for primary and trans care at Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast.
Hawley, who went viral on Wednesday questioning a doctor at a Senate hearing about whether men can get pregnant, also credits "wokeism" for contributing to the negative conversations around masculinity.
"It's gone under different banners for many years, but the crux of it is they deny any real value to masculinity," he said.
Hawley said men need to utilize traits that were designed by God.
"We need men who are good men, who are strong men, and they want to use their strength. For what it was meant for, what God designed it for, to protect, to empower, to build, to defend," he said.
Hawley said men have been told that "they're responsible for every ill, real or imagined."
"I think that is a hugely destructive and totally false narrative, but it's one that I think has been, frankly, very, very harmful for an entire generation of men, who, on the one hand, want to be strong men, they want to be good men."
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Hawley said houses of worship can provide an example for the type of man that younger men should aspire to be.
"Churches, synagogues — these are home bases for men learning how to be men," he said.
Hawley also encouraged mentorship.
"I think it's time that we reclaimed the stories from our heritage as Americans, the stories from our founding documents and documents like the Bible, which are so foundational to our civilization, to show men that actually, you know what? Good, strong men are vital to the success of liberty, to the success of civilization, to the protection of families and children and the flourishing of women too, by the way. And that message needs to be heard again," Hawley said.
Smith said the role for masculinity is to provide safety for others and to lay a strong foundation for future generations.
Hawley shared a similar view, saying, "I think the message we need to send to men is we need you. We really do. You are extremely important. You're important for our economy, you're important to the future of the country, you're important to your family, you're important to the community."
Fox News' Alba Cuebas-Fantauzzi and Peter Kasperowicz contributed to this report.
Prince William pushes to exile disgraced uncle Andrew from royal family permanently: expert
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor is preparing to vacate his 30-room mansion for good, and one royal expert told Fox News Digital that his furious nephew — the future king — is determined to push him as far from the House of Windsor as possible.
"Prince William, in particular, is the strongest proponent of distancing Andrew from the royal family," British royals expert Hilary Fordwich told Fox News Digital. "He wants his wayward uncle as far away as possible."
"He doesn’t want his reign overshadowed by such scandals — let alone living in constant fear of another damaging revelation with lurid headlines," Fordwich claimed.
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"The last thing William wants, while focusing on duty and modernizing the monarchy, is to have the liability of Andrew around," she shared. "He wants distance in every sense. He’s also in tune with public sentiment, and the issue is trust in the monarchy."
Fox News Digital has reached out to Kensington Palace for comment. A spokesperson for Buckingham Palace previously said they don't speak for Andrew, 65, as he is not a working royal.
Fordwich’s comments came after royal biographer Robert Jobson told People magazine that Andrew could face exile abroad.
"The king saw the King of Bahrain the other day," the author of "Windsor Legacy" pointed out. "One never knows — it could be a place where Andrew gets the recognition of being the second son of Queen Elizabeth, rather than this."
Jobson noted that Spain’s former King Juan Carlos I has lived in Abu Dhabi since 2020, after stepping back from public life amid financial scandals.
"Other disgraced people have gone to the Middle East," said Jobson. "Andrew did a lot of business in Bahrain, and he’s still relatively young."
Royal expert Ian Pelham Turner told Fox News Digital that Andrew has connections in Abu Dhabi, which could make it a desirable destination.
But Turner warned that it wouldn’t necessarily be a scandal-free refuge for the former Duke of York.
"Robert Jobson is saying that this would be a much better solution for the royal family without Andrew being seen in the U.K.," said Turner.
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"However, he is forgetting that the paparazzi would have a field day taking regular photographs of Andrew in a luxury retreat, reminding the British public that the royal family still allegedly look after their own. It would be far safer to keep him cloistered on a farm in Sandringham, where he could not return to his tastes of life with Epstein in the past."
British photographer and broadcaster Helena Chard told Fox News Digital that Prince William and his father would likely welcome Andrew being kept as far away as possible.
"The monarchy comes first," Chard said. "It’s far easier for the royals to distance themselves from Andrew and his scandals if he relocates abroad — out of sight, out of mind. We hear King Charles and Prince William plan to travel to the U.S. this year, and they don’t want controversies overshadowing their diplomatic visit."
On Oct. 30, King Charles stripped his disgraced brother of his princely title and evicted him from Royal Lodge after weeks of pressure to act over his ties to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Andrew is expected to move to a property on the king’s Sandringham estate and receive private financial support from his brother. Multiple reports say he is expected to leave his home by Easter.
"A source confirmed that Abu Dhabi’s royal family holds Andrew in high esteem," Chard said.
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"Andrew already has an invitation to live a luxurious lifestyle in the UAE if life becomes too challenging in the U.K. You never know — he could set up his own court as King Charles’ brother. I imagine this would appeal to him, helping offset his fall from grace and restoring some of the prestige he craves. He’s also a big fan of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix."
Royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams told Fox News Digital that the idea of Andrew going abroad would appeal to the royal family.
"Revelations about his and his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson’s links to the deceased pedophile have been extremely damaging to the institution’s image," he said. "There are reports that Abu Dhabi could give him a home and, undoubtedly, a refuge. The FBI is keen to speak to him about his links to Epstein, and it is unclear what else may surface."
"Andrew was in Bahrain for investment schemes and networking projects," Fordwich said. "Qatar and Saudi Arabia are other possibilities."
Royal biographer Andrew Lownie also told People magazine that a move to the Middle East could be possible for the late queen’s favored son.
"He doesn’t like the sound of being on the Sandringham estate," the "Entitled" author told the outlet. "I think he wants to go somewhere where he can just get away from everything."
"I just can’t see him being on an isolated farm in Sandringham," Jobson added.
Chard previously told Fox News Digital that William and his wife Kate Middleton are quietly enforcing a stricter "zero-tolerance" approach within the monarchy following Andrew’s scandals. Their approach to the monarchy’s future began before Andrew was stripped of his title.
"Prince William, in particular, is not satisfied with how the Andrew situation has been handled," Chard claimed. "He is looking into the future with a solution-focused lens. He is far more ruthless than his father. He always takes the harder line. He can see reputational damage escalating for the royal family and is reviewing a decisive way forward to combat further scandals."
"He realizes it’s harder for the king to deal with his brother than it will be for him to deal with his uncle in due course," said Chard.
"However, he feels his father has teetered too long with the kid gloves approach. Prince William and the whole royal family are fully supportive of King Charles taking a stronger stance against his brother. William would prefer a swift, clean break with Andrew before things decline further. He also hopes to shield the king from the damage."
"Prince William and Princess Catherine’s zero-tolerance blueprint is already transforming royal family dynamics," said Fordwich. "They’re proactive behind the scenes to specifically address scandals, enforcing a far better level of discipline, all intended to protect the monarchy’s future by excluding those who threaten its reputation in any way, shape or form."
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Andrew stepped down from public life in 2019 over his association with Epstein, despite his denials of wrongdoing. Virginia Giuffre, an American woman who died in April, alleged she was trafficked by Epstein and had sex with Andrew when she was 17.
In 2021, Giuffre sued Andrew, who denied her claims and said he didn’t recall meeting her. The case was settled in 2022 for an undisclosed sum. According to court documents, the prince acknowledged that Giuffre was "an established victim of abuse."
"These censures are deemed necessary, regardless of his continued denial of the allegations," the palace said when announcing that Andrew had been stripped of his title. "Their Majesties wish to make unequivocally clear that their thoughts and deepest sympathies have been, and will remain, with the victims and survivors of all forms of abuse."
Unearthed filing shows top teachers union funneling millions to far left orgs: 'Social justice unionism'
FIRST ON FOX: One of the nation’s most prominent teachers unions funneled millions of dollars in union funds to far-left activist groups, ballot initiatives, and social justice organizations, according to federal labor filings.
A November Form L-2 disclosure from the National Education Association (NEA) filed in November and obtained by the North American Values Institute (NAVI) shows 2024 fiscal year spending that involved millions given to social justice-oriented groups and far-left causes.
The NEA, which boasts more than 3 million members, sent $300,000 to the Sixteen Thirty Fund, a liberal dark money group Fox News Digital has reported on extensively, and tens of thousands of dollars to the Tides Foundation network, which Fox News Digital previously reported has ties to anti-Israel protests and a variety of far left causes.
Among the largest expenditures was more than $3.5 million sent to Education International, a global teachers federation where NEA President Becky Pringle serves as a vice president. The filing also details hundreds of thousands of dollars flowing to organizations backing ballot initiatives aimed at reshaping education policy and election laws in states, including Ohio, Massachusetts, Arizona, and Wisconsin.
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The union reported spending $500,000 to support a campaign to end standardized testing in Massachusetts, another $500,000 to back an anti-gerrymandering amendment in Ohio, and nearly $500,000 to a progressive political consulting firm specializing in ballot initiatives and canvassing.
In addition to electoral spending, the NEA paid more than $166,000 to Imagine Us LLC, a consulting firm focused on racial equity training and tens of thousands more to groups promoting what they describe as "social justice education," including curriculum materials centered on race, gender identity, and activism in K-12 classrooms.
NEA sent $350,000 to the Schott Foundation, which describes itself as "a BIPOC-led public fund that pools philanthropic funding and fuels racial and education justice movements."
"This is the upshot of social justice unionism," NAVI Director of Research Mika Hackner told Fox News Digital. "Instead of focusing on member's working conditions, unions spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on pet political projects completely divorced from the needs and wants of most teachers but perfectly in line with the political agenda the union has been co-opted to serve."
Fox News Digital reached out to the NEA for comment but did not receive a response.
The NEA has long-faced criticism for focusing on political advocacy and far-left ideology rather than the best interests of students.
In November, Fox News Digital reported on uncovered documents showing the NEA instructing members on how to go through a gender transition at work, including best practices for using gender pronouns and combating transphobia, while also being provided with literature labeling conservative opposition as "villains."
Erika Sanzi, senior director of communications for Defending Education, suggested to Fox News Digital at the time that the union's federal charter should be re-evaluated.
Sanzi said, "Their federal charter was granted because they promised to ‘elevate the character and advance the interests of the profession of teaching; and to promote the cause of education in the United States.’ Seeing as their leadership — and by extension, the organization itself — has morphed into a far-left insane asylum that is actively destroying the cause of education, that charter is no longer defensible."
Fox News Digital's News Quiz: January 16, 2026
Test your news knowledge with this week's Fox News Digital News Quiz, in which a GOP lawmaker spars with Dr. Nisha Verma during a congressional hearing, and a brawl breaks out between parents at a Catholic youth basketball game.
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William DeFoor, accused of vandalizing Vice President JD Vance's home, demanded a specific name, as U.S. forces captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife in last week's News Quiz.
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A prosecutor’s child witnessed Charlie Kirk’s assassination — can he take part in the case?
PROVO, Utah — Defense attorneys for the Utah electrician accused of assassinating Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk want the Utah County Attorney’s Office disqualified from handling the case because a member of the prosecution team had an adult child who was present for the murder.
But legal experts are split on whether the connection constitutes an actual conflict of interest.
"This is one of those motions I find ridiculous," said Donna Rotunno, a Chicago criminal defense attorney and Fox News contributor. "Normally I like to see a vigorous defense and attorneys doing everything they can to protect their client, but this is one that I find frivolous in nature."
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It would be a conflict if the relative’s presence had some way of influencing the case, she told Fox News Digital. "If the family member was the victim, then maybe this is an issue," Rotunno said. "If Erika Kirk was related to a prosecutor, they would have more ground to stand on."
Typically, a prosecutor can be recused or disqualified from a case if there is a conflict of interest that would jeopardize the defendant’s right to a fair trial. With such a high-profile shooting at a public event in a small town, the connection may not be so unusual.
"The legal system takes conflicts of interest seriously, but a prosecutor isn’t automatically disqualified just because someone in their family witnessed a traumatic event connected to the case," said Randolph Rice, a Baltimore-based attorney and legal analyst. "The key issue is whether that relationship creates a real risk that decisions are being driven by emotion instead of evidence."
Courts usually require "a clear, direct conflict that threatens the defendant’s right to a fair trial" before disqualifying an entire prosecutor’s office from a case, he said.
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"At the same time, prosecutors also have a duty to avoid even the appearance of impropriety, especially in a high-profile capital case where public trust is already on edge," he said.
The capital case is as high-stakes as it can get for a defense team, and if Robinson’s lawyers are successful, new prosecutors on the case may have different views about the death penalty, he said.
"I have had cases in the past where we had to bring in a different prosecutor because we were prosecuting an individual who was tangentially related to an employee in the office," he said. "Also had situations where we had to bring in different judges from different jurisdictions who were unfamiliar with a lawyer's family member who was being prosecuted."
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However, there’s also the chance that federal prosecutors add new charges to make sure the potential death penalty remains on the table.
"Getting this prosecutor or prosecutor's office kicked off the case opens the possibility of a different state agency coming in and evaluating this case differently and possibly not seeking the death penalty — which would be a huge win for Tyler Robinson's team and for him," he said.
The state countered that the prosecutor in question does not have a personal conflict of interest — and that even if he did, it would not extend to the entire office. Utah County Attorney Jeff Gray, who campaigned for office on a platform of seeking the death penalty where appropriate and justified, also argued that the deputy prosecutor’s connection to a witness played no role in his decision to file a notice of intent to seek capital punishment against Robinson.
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Thousands of other people saw the murder, according to court filings, and prosecutors don’t need to rely on the relative, who they added had no personal knowledge of "the actual murder." The adult child had no direct line of sight to the rooftop sniper’s perch, only to where Kirk was sitting, according to a prosecution filing.
During the chaos, however, the witness was texting with family, including the prosecutor.
"CHARLIE GOT SHOT," read one harrowing message.
Judge Tony Graf will hear arguments on the case at 1 p.m. MT.
Fox News’ Stepheny Price contributed to this report.
Why Americans can't stop coming back for coffee, even as dining budgets tighten
As Americans tighten their wallets, consumers are cutting back on some everyday luxuries — but not coffee.
A Dec. 18 report from Placer.ai, an analytics platform, found that coffee chains recorded year-over-year visit growth in 2025, even as restaurants struggled to achieve the same success.
The report mentions Scooter's Coffee, a drive-thru coffee chain headquartered in Nebraska, noting the chain saw a 3.1% year-over-year increase in average visits per location in the third quarter of 2025.
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Also noted in the report: Nearly one in four customers of Aroma Joe's, a New England-based chain, visited at least four times in October 2025 — a sign of high loyalty.
The reason for coffee chains' success? It comes down to affordable indulgences, Placer.ai found.
Americans may be packing lunches for work and cutting back on expensive dinners, but a small or medium cup of coffee — rarely priced above $10 in most parts of the country — remains a feasible, everyday treat to many people.
Part of it is regional. The report found coffee chains are moving toward underserved regions, such as the Southeast, Sun Belt and Texas.
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"[In] these regions where branded coffee still represents a relatively small share of dining visits," the report said, "operators across dining segments can learn from coffee's approach and identify markets with low category penetration to lean into those whitespace opportunities."
Many coffee chains have also delved into pop culture collaborations — which Placer.ai said drove growth.
The firm cited Dunkin's limited-time "Wicked" collaboration as an effort that "generated a significant multi-day traffic spike."
"Dunkin's 'Wicked' surge shows that when executed well, cultural relevance can also significantly move the needle," the report stated.
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"Other dining segments may also lean into thoughtful collabs to create outsized excitement and traffic lift — even without deep discounts or free offers."
The report suggested that dining chains take a lesson from coffee places, saying that the sector's 2025 performance "offers a blueprint for dining success."
"Chains are expanding smartly into underpenetrated regions, successfully implementing both hyper-efficient and hyper-personal service models, using recurring [limited-time offers] to build seasonal and monthly rituals, and leveraging merch and pop culture partnerships to reshape demand."
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Fox News Digital reached out to the National Restaurant Association for comment.
Alex Tchekmeian, the Florida-based founder and president of Foxtail Coffee, told Fox News Digital he wasn't surprised by the report.
His chain is expanding across multiple states, including Georgia, North Carolina, Michigan, Virginia and Nevada.
"Overall, coffee has generally held up better than many other dining categories as consumers tighten their spending, and we expect that resilience to continue into 2026," Tchekmeian said.
"National industry data show coffee's broad appeal and steady consumption patterns, supported by a large and loyal base of regular drinkers who often prioritize that daily ritual even in tighter economic times."
Lindsey Graham returns to Israel for talks with Netanyahu amid Middle East tensions
Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, who visited with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem less than a month ago, said in a Thursday post on X he was going to Israel to meet with the foreign leader and his team.
"I am traveling to Israel to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his team at this crucial time in the history of the Middle East. The goal is to build on the historic opportunities created by President Trump’s unprecedented leadership, to stand up to evil, and to support the people who are sacrificing for freedom," Graham wrote in the post.
"The Trump-Netanyahu alliance has thus far been one of the strongest partnerships in the history of the U.S.-Israel relationship, and I am hopeful it will pay dividends in the near future. We live in a time of great consequence with the Middle East on the verge of previously unimaginable change. Standing together and following through on our commitments only makes us stronger," he added.
Graham's announcement comes less than a month after he met with Netanyahu in Israel in December.
In a video posted to X on December 21, Netanyahu welcomed the senator, calling Graham "a great friend of Israel" and "great personal friend."
The lawmaker has been advocating for U.S. President Donald Trump to attack Iran.
"President Trump's resolve is not the question: Question is, when we do an operation like this, should it be bigger, or smaller? I'm in the camp of bigger," Graham said in footage he highlighted in a Thursday post on X. "Time will tell. I'm hopeful and optimistic that the regime days are numbered."
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In a Wednesday post on X, Graham wrote, "People often ask me what should we do next when it comes to the murderous, religious Nazi regime in Iran. It’s pretty simple. Stand by the protesters demanding an end to their oppression. But it’s going to take more than standing by them. We must stop those who are responsible for killing the people by any means necessary ASAP. Make The Iranian People Safe Again."
California billionaires flee state’s wealth tax in the most-predictable result ever
It’s a political earthquake. The wealthiest Californians are fleeing the state and taking their capital, resources and companies with them.
The SEIU United Healthcare Workers West, a statewide union of service employees in California, introduced a ballot measure called the Billionaire Tax Act, to implement a one-time 5% tax on the net worth over $1 billion on any California resident. The tax is on total net worth, not income, and would snag rich people who have the bulk of their wealth in stock or property.
The idea has yet to be voted on, and supporters of the measure will need nearly a million signatures by late June to get it on the ballot for November 2026.
But wealthy Californians are already running for the door because the language in the draft of the measure sets the tax retroactively to January 1, 2026, and they know they can’t rely on their fellow Californians to vote down the absurd proposal.
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Suzanne Jimenez, a chief of staff for SEIU-UHW who introduced the measure, calls it "a very minor tax."
Larry Page and Sergey Brin, co-founders of Google, are the latest to bail on California. Garry Tan, president & CEO of Y Combinator and self-described "San Francisco Democrat" explained on X that the wealth tax wouldn’t actually end up being "5%" of a billionaire’s net worth.
"Larry and Sergey can’t stay in California since the wealth tax as written would confiscate 50% of their Alphabet shares. Each own ~3% of Alphabet's stock, worth about $120 billion each at today's ~$4 trillion market cap. But because their shares have 10x voting power, the SEIU-UHW California billionaire tax would treat them as owning 30% of Alphabet (3% × 10 = 30%). That means each founder's taxable wealth would be $1.2 trillion. A 5% wealth tax on $1.2 trillion = $60 billion tax bill, each. That's 50% of their actual Alphabet holdings—wiped out by a '5%’ tax."
This language isn’t an accident. Asset seizure is the ultimate plan of the socialists writing these proposals. Wealth isn’t to be permitted in the socialist utopia and must be redistributed.
Chamath Palihapitiya, a tech billionaire and one of the hosts of the "All-In" podcast, hasn’t left yet but is weighing his options. Palihapitiya puts the number of billionaire wealth that has left California in just the last month "in excess of $700B." He explains that the amount of wealth the proposal hoped to tax has already significantly decreased.
"That means the $2T of California wealth they expected to tax is now down to $1.3T and falling quickly. I would not be surprised if 2026 ended with less than $1T of billionaire wealth in California and decades and hundreds of lawsuits. A complete and total unforced error. Where was the Governor? Where are our leaders??"
That’s a good question, and billionaires who specifically supported Democrat Gov. Gavin Newsom and the rest of the Democratic political apparatus in California should be demanding an answer.
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Palihapitiya is hoping the measure is voted down and California will work to "entice those folks to come back" or, he warns, "the California budget will be massively upside down." But why would they return? Billionaires are human and moving their entire lives, often uprooting their kids and moving them to new schools, isn’t so simple to undo. And anyway, a measure like this could be introduced again at any time and, in fact, Assemblymember Alex Lee, D-San José, has for years pushed a similar wealth tax albeit at only a modest 1.5% confiscation rate.
When the billionaires don’t return, because they’ve set up their lives elsewhere and realized a whole world exists outside California, the politicians will have to make up the shortfall elsewhere. Non-billionaires are paying attention. Jesse Tinsley, CEO and founder of several companies including Mainstreet.com, announced on Sunday, Jan. 11, "Add me to the list…headed to Florida." Tinsley, who openly supported President Donald Trump in the last presidential election, isn’t a billionaire but he sees the writing on the wall. If all the billionaires bail to avoid the potential tax, the class of wealthy below them will be targeted next.
Those who supported the terrible politicians and backward policies that led to this moment should have to stay and deal with the consequences of what they’ve done. Reid Hoffman, a co-founder of LinkedIn and a billionaire famous for supporting Democrats, is about to become the living embodiment of the internet joke, "I never thought leopards would eat MY face,' sobs woman who voted for the Leopards Eating People's Faces Party." Hoffman considered leaving the United States after Trump was elected in 2024 so he can’t exactly bolt for a red state to help protect his assets from the very people he helped elect.
Bad ideas have consequences and California has played a game of chicken with the far left and it looks like the far left is winning. As the billionaire exodus continues, those exiting should internalize what went wrong in their home state and aim not to repeat it in their new locale. California has become synonymous with failure. Leave that failure at home.
Trump knows good real estate — and he knows Greenland's value to national security
"The United States needs Greenland for the purpose of National Security. It is vital for the Golden Dome that we are building," President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social on Wednesday.
Trump is right. Grab a globe and look down from the North Pole, or check out this official Pentagon map. You will see that Greenland is pivotal to the Arctic front. Greenland’s eastern coast guards the Greenland-Iceland-United Kingdom or GIUK. This is the entry gate to the Atlantic for Russian President Vladimir Putin’s nuclear-armed submarines. Greenland hosts important early warning radar sites because its field of view covers so much of the bomber and missile flight routes from Russia and China. No Greenland, no Golden Dome missile shield.
That’s why Trump lit a bonfire under Denmark and NATO to spur much-needed progress to counter aggressive moves by Russia and China.
Trump does have an eye for prime real estate. And the fastest, easiest solution would be for the U.S. to take over. There’s a good business case for buying Greenland. Especially if you throw in the critical minerals mining there. And Trump has run the numbers. Back in 2019, he estimated the carrying costs of Greenland at about $770 million per year.
No, there probably won’t be an invasion. The one sure way for Greenland to lose its home rule sovereignty is to get too close to China. In 2017, Greenland’s prime minister flew to Beijing and asked China to bankroll new airports, according to the Wall Street Journal. Denmark stopped the deal. If anything like that happens again, Greenland will be flying a U.S. flag.
Officially, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte is not about to get in between Trump and Greenland. "I never, ever comment when there are discussions within the Alliance," Rutte told Danish business executive and Member of the European Parliament Christine Bosse after a speech Jan. 13.
Behind the scenes, NATO and Denmark will step up. Rutte grasps the importance of the High North and so do NATO militaries. Rutte, on January 13, praised Denmark’s investment in ice-breakers, Boeing P-8 surveillance planes for anti-submarine warfare and enhanced missile defenses.
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So for Trump, Greenland will probably turn out to be a bit like that house on your block you covet, but can’t actually purchase. But he’s going to keep the pressure on. Here’s why.
Protecting America
Greenland is the center of U.S. defenses against Russian or Chinese nuclear missile attacks. At Pituffik Space Base they have a runway, a seaport and a lot of radars and gigantic satellite dishes. U.S. Space Force Guardians operate the early-warning radar system to spot intercontinental ballistic missile threats and sea-launched missiles coming out of Russia, China or anywhere else. The squadrons also provide tracking and command and control for U.S. satellites and all other objects up in space, such as China’s 1,300 satellites. America would be blind without this surveillance.
EUROPEAN ALLIES WORKING ON PLAN IF US ACTS ON ACQUIRING GREENLAND: REPORT
China Wildcard
China sent three icebreakers to the Arctic in 2024 and last summer a "research submarine" ventured under the Arctic ice cap. In 2025, China, for the first time, sent a container ship from China to Britain via the "Polar Silk Road." The design for China’s newest Type 096 nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine appears to have a stronger hull for operating amidst ice. Put Chinese submarines in the Arctic and U.S. military bases, data centers and more are suddenly in range. The U.S. will do whatever it takes to halt that threat.
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Denmark is a Capable Ally
Denmark comes through when it matters. Denmark deployed aircraft and special forces to Afghanistan and their soldiers fought in Helmand province. Denmark’s air force already flies US-made F-35 stealth fighters and put in an order for 16 more back in October. Speaking of space, the Danes bravely waded into the regulatory mess that is the new European Union Space Act, offering a more balanced plan to treat American commercial space companies fairly as they build out low earth orbit constellations. Keep in mind, Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen faces tough elections in October, so resolving a dust-up over Greenland could be a feather in her cap.
NATO Will Step Up
NATO is not breaking up over this. The world situation is too dangerous. Putin launched another nuclear-capable Oreshnik missile at Ukraine on Jan. 10. Besides, NATO partners are well aware of the High North problem. "Britain is stepping up on Arctic security," said Britain’s Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper in a Jan. 14 press release. Britain has been training with Norwegian commandos for decades and wrapped up Operation Tarrassis in October, exercising with 9 other NATO nations across the Baltic Sea and Arctic. As Cooper said: "Coming together as an alliance allows us to unify and tackle this emerging threat."
RNC chair bets on ‘secret weapon’ to defy midterm history, protect GOP majorities
EXCLUSIVE — Republican National Committee (RNC) Chair Joe Gruters says he has "one goal" this year — to make sure the GOP holds its fragile House majority and narrow control of the Senate in November's midterm elections.
Making Gruters' mission more difficult: the party in power, which is clearly the Republicans right now, traditionally faces political headwinds and usually loses congressional seats in the midterms.
But the RNC chair, a longtime ally of President Donald Trump, who the president picked last summer to steer the national party committee, says he has a "secret weapon" in order to "defy history" and pick up seats in the 2026 elections.
"I think the President of the United States is our secret weapon... He's laser focused," Gruters touted in a national digital exclusive sit-down interview with Fox News.
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Pointing to Trump's unprecedented agenda during his first year back in the White House, Gruters argued, "I think it's going to pay huge dividends across the board, whether you're running for governor, Senate, House, or whether you're running for a local seat."
Democrats see it differently, as they spotlight Trump's underwater approval ratings and deep concerns by Americans over continued high prices.
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The GOP is also dealing with a low propensity issue: MAGA voters who don't always go to the polls when Trump's name isn't on the ballot.
But Gruters noted that Trump's made stops in recent weeks in three key midterm election battlegrounds and said that the president's "going to barnstorm the country with our candidates."
The RNC chair also spotlighted the party's formidable fundraising advantage over the rival Democratic National Committee (DNC), noting that "we're raising a ton of money."
But he cautioned: "We got to do everything right. We got to make sure we turn our voters out, and we got to make sure that we have people energized. And there's nobody that can energize our base more than President Trump."
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Gruters, who was interviewed ahead of next week's RNC winter meeting, also argued that "there's been nobody that's been more focused on affordability than President Trump. Look at gas prices, the lowest prices since 2021 look at egg prices, real pocketbook issues that impact everyday Americans, the president is focused on, and he's not done."
Deep concerns over inflation boosted Trump and Republicans to sweeping victories at the ballot box in 2024, as they won back the White House and Senate and keep their House majority.
But Democrats say their decisive victories in November's 2025 elections, and their overperformances in special elections and other ballot box showdowns last year, were fueled by their laser focus on affordability.
"One year into his second term, Donald Trump has made one thing unmistakably clear: He doesn’t care about everyday Americans — he only cares about himself and his billionaire donors. As working families struggle to afford groceries, utilities, and health care, and worry about finding a job, Trump is busy meddling in foreign countries and palling around with executives, failing to address Americans’ top concerns on the economy," DNC Rapid Response Director Kendall Witmer argued in a statement.
And pointing to November's midterm elections, Witmer predicted, "Voters won’t forget Trump’s betrayal come midterms — and Republicans will have to answer for it."
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But Gruters, who was a certified public accountant (CPA) before taking over the RNC, highlighted the series of tax cuts in the "One Big Beautiful Bill Act," Trump's signature domestic policy achievement so far during his second term.
"I will tell you that people are very excited about filing their taxes this year. This should be some of the biggest refunds that anybody has gotten," he said.
The cost of living has been a key issue at the ballot box the past couple of years. And an overwhelming majority questioned in a Fox News national poll conducted last month expressed concern about high prices.
Gruters, promoting Trump's agenda, told Fox News Digital that from "an affordability standpoint, I think we win hands down based on the policies this president has pushed."
Democrats disagree.
Gruters' rival, DNC Chair Ken Martin, put it bluntly last month at the national party's winter meeting.
"S*** is too expensive," Martin emphasized.