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I’m a tech expert: 10 AI prompts you’ll use all the time
It’s AI this and AI that everywhere you turn. ChatGPT and DeepSeek are dominating headlines, Google slaps AI results at the top of every search, and there are smarter options in the apps and services you use every day.

Freebie alert: I’m giving away my latest ebook, “50 Smart Ways to Use AI” (a $9.95 value). Hope it helps you!

I hear from folks all the time on my national radio show who have no idea where to start. That’s why you have me. AI isn’t going away, so let’s dive into a few things you need to know and prompts to get you started.

5-MINUTE CLEANUP FOR YOUR PHONE AND COMPUTER

First, get to know the tools of the trade

There are so many options. I recommend you start with one of the big names. They’re easy to use, intuitive and have free options. I’ve been most impressed with:
- ChatGPT: It’s my go-to. Type in what you need and it can help you generate ideas, break down tasks, clean up your writing, fix your spreadsheets — whatever. Use it on the web or download it for iPhone or Android. You’ll need to create an account. The free tier works for most people.
- Perplexity: It’s built for research and learning, and it’s my go-to for questions like “How do black holes work?” or “Explain the Ninth Amendment.”
- DeepSeek: A newcomer out of China with a model that outperforms OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Meta’s Llama and Google Gemini. If you’re going to use it, make sure you’re doing so the secure, private way. Steps at the bottom.
Another AI tool worth checking out is Google NotebookLM. Upload audio, notes, documents or any other files, then you can search them, find citations (from your own docs) or even produce a snazzy podcast based on your files.

A listener, Bob, told me after he heard about it on my radio show, he used NotebookLM to create training modules for his employees.

Needless to say, AI is here to stay — and it’s everywhere. Here’s how to make the most of it. (Thomas Trutschel/Photothek via Getty Images)

How to get the best results out of AI chatbots

In reality, using AI is as simple as using Google. Still, it doesn’t hurt to know a few things about how it works. You’ll spend less time feeling like you’re fighting the algorithms and get results you want more reliably.

“Priming” is the insider term for telling a chatbot exactly what you want from it. With ChatGPT or any other, the more constraints you give, the better your answer. You might say, “Limit your response to 250 words,” “Give me the list in bullet points” or “Format the results as a table.”

Remember, AI can’t read your mind. Chatbots feed us the answers they think we want based on our prompts, how they’re trained and what they know about us. Here’s an easy way to give direction: Use “do” and “don’t” in your prompts.

Say you’re cooking for friends, and some have allergies. Say, “Create a recipe for six people. Do include protein, fruits, vegetables and carbs. Don’t include dairy products, shellfish or nuts.”

AI ISN’T GOING ANYWHERE: PROMPTS TO MAKE LIFE EASIER

10 AI prompts to try
1. “How can I make this better?” Then, add in anything you’ve written. This prompt works wonders for polishing your work and pointing out improvements.
2. “You’re an English professor. Find any typos or grammatical errors in my blog post.” Change up the persona you’re asking it to assume and the specific instructions based on what you need. You can use this formula for just about anything. Try, “You’re a life coach. Help me create a plan to achieve my goal of meditating every day for a month.”
3. “Explain this like I’m 10.” AI is surprisingly good at making complex topics simple to understand. Use it for anything from a science lesson to finances.
4. “Remember that … ” In ChatGPT, go to Settings > Personalization and toggle on Memory. The same thing is available on Google Gemini for Advanced (paid) subscribers. Tell it something like, “Remember, I’m a tea drinker, not a coffee drinker,” and it’ll save that info.
5. “Analyze this information. Explain any trends or insights you find.” Plug in a list of numbers or any other data. Uploading a picture works, too.
6. “What is missing?” This works for everything from your vacation packing list to an important work report. The more information you provide on what should be included, the better the answer you’ll get back.
7. “Who are their competitors? You’re researching a new service for your business and don’t know who to compare it to, or maybe you’re looking for new sales prospects. Take the list with a grain of salt; some results could be outdated.
8. “Give me five creative ideas for…” Stuck in a rut? Ask for new ideas for birthday gifts, business names or dinner recipes.
9. “Summarize this in three sentences.” Try it for breaking down long articles, contracts or reports into takeaways. You can also ask for bullet points if your brain processes info better that way.
10. “Explain both sides of this argument.” This works for politics, trends, personal dilemmas or anything else you can throw at a chatbot.
Want more? Get “50 Smart Ways to Use AI” free right now.

AI is a great way to brainstorm, expedite work, and even help you learn new things — however, it doesn’t come without flaws. ( Fabian Sommer/picture alliance via Getty Images)

Think of AI as your first step, not your last

AI is a fantastic tool to help you brainstorm, speed up your work and even teach you new things — but it’s not perfect. It doesn’t think for itself; it just predicts the next best response based on the data it’s been trained on.

AI tools can make mistakes, provide outdated information or totally miss the mark. Always double-check anything important, especially when it comes to work, finances or legal matters.

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Award-winning host Kim Komando is your secret weapon for navigating tech.

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February 3, 2025
Biden gave Trump new mission on border security and immigration, expert says

Much of President Donald Trump’s immigration and border security agenda has been driven by the actions of former President Joe Biden, causing Trump to take even more steps during his second term in the White House.

“What Biden did, I’d say, is the primary cause of the open borders and the millions he led in, including the bad actors who came along with them,” Lora Ries, director of the Heritage Foundation’s Border Security and Immigration Center, told Fox News Digital. “It requires quick and drastic steps to stop the flow and find those people and get them out of the country.”

The comments come as Trump has unleashed a slew of new orders related to immigration and border security during his first two weeks in office, introducing new ideas such as seeking to end birthright citizenship.

According to Ries, many of Trump’s early actions on immigration were aimed at returning to the policies of his first administration. Others, Ries said, were a direct reaction to policies implemented during the previous administration.

TRUMP ADMIN ENDS DEPORTATION PROTECTIONS FOR MASSIVE NUMBER OF VENEZUELANS AMID ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION CRACKDOWN

President Trump quickly moved to end mass parole and suspend a refugee admissions program shortly after returning to the Oval Office. (Getty Images)

“Ending mass parole, ending the CBP mobile one application,” Ries used as an example, two policies implemented under Biden that Trump quickly ended upon reentering the White House.

But Ries also argued that Trump has taken a more aggressive approach to the issue than he did when entering office in 2017, noting that some of the orders were not tried in 2017 or are a reaction to a Biden policy.

“Suspending the U.S. refugee admissions program, birthright citizenship… creating a Homeland Security task force in all 50 states for intel and logistics,” Ries listed as examples of new ideas brought by Trump in his second term in office.

Ries also noted that Trump took the step of requiring all aliens to register, something allowed under current immigration statutes that will likely help with enforcement.

“We have no idea who is all here, how many people… so requiring them to register with DHS is a smart move,” Ries said.

President Donald Trump’s second administration has more decisive executive actions on immigration than his first term’s early days in part because many are responding to Biden administration actions, an expert tells Fox. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

COLOMBIAN PRESIDENT URGES ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS IN US TO RETURN HOME DAYS AFTER DIPLOMATIC SPAT

Yet there is still more work for Trump to do as he continues his push for reform, Ries argued, including pausing funds for non-governmental organizations (NGOs) from the Department of Health and Human Services and the State Department.

Ries also mentioned that Trump could still work to clear the backlog of immigration cases at the Department of Homeland Security and the Justice Department, where over 13 million combined cases are pending.

“Getting those down to a manageable level year after year, and I had proposed in a report I put out in December that if the backlog gets too high, pausing intake of applications until the backlog gets down to a manageable level.”

Migrants are apprehended near the border wall in New Mexico in April 2024. (Fox News)

CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE

“Then the other still needed is more on the unaccompanied alien children front. I think he could declare an emergency regarding the missing children and the sex trafficking,” Ries added. “Working to find those kids, but also pursuing the first part of the law that says it should be the policy to return children back to their home country versus bringing them in and giving them immigration benefits.”

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But Ries also noted there are limitations to what Trump can do through executive action, arguing that Congress will need to “step in” on some issues.

“Congress needs to very quickly, drastically fund increased resources for ICE to continue detaining… ICE needs at least 100,000 beds,” Ries said. “Congress also needs to close all the loopholes that the Biden administration exploited if we want long-term integrity around this. Otherwise, the next Democrat president will issue executive orders to undo all this.”

Michael Lee is a writer for Fox News. Prior to joining Fox News, Michael worked for the Washington Examiner, Bongino.com, and Unbiased America. He has covered politics for more than eight years.

February 3, 2025
Expert puts onus on FAA for American Airlines, helicopter crash: ‘Bad management’ is ‘putting us at risk’

Boyd Group International President and aviation expert Mike Boyd discusses the FAA’s role in the plane crash near Reagan National Airport as the investigation transitions into a recovery mission.

As more than 60 people are feared dead following a tragic midair plane collision over Ronald Reagan National Airport, one aviation expert is sending a “wake-up call” to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

“It’s our system that is bad and that’s what has to be looked at. To be honest with you… we need to take a bulldozer to the front of the FAA. This is bad management, and it’s putting us at risk,” Boyd Group International President Mike Boyd said in reaction on “Mornings with Maria,” Thursday.

“This is a problem we have with air traffic control. Mr. Duffy has to do something about this,” he continued. “We messed around with air traffic control for 30 years. Now we have deaths in the Potomac because of it. So this is a wake-up call for the new administration, which means, fix the FAA and fix it soon before more people die.”

An American Airlines plane carrying 60 passengers and four crew members collided with an Army Black Hawk helicopter outside Reagan National Airport near Washington, D.C. on Wednesday evening. Three soldiers were onboard the helicopter and a massive search and recovery operation is now unfolding in the Potomac River.

AMERICAN AIRLINES C.E.O. SAYS COMPANY IS FOCUSED ON NEEDS OF PASSENGERS, FAMILIES AND CREW AFTER MIDAIR COLLISION

John Donnelly, chief of the District of Columbia Fire Department, said Thursday that “we don’t think there are any survivors from this accident,” adding that at least 27 bodies have been recovered.

A helicopter flies near the crash site of the American Airlines plane on the Potomac River after the plane crashed on approach to Reagan National Airport on January 30, 2025 in Arlington, Virginia. (Getty Images)

The Army told Fox News Digital that the UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter was “from Bravo Company, 12th Aviation Battalion, out of Davison Army Airfield, Fort Belvoir” and was conducting a “training flight.” They were a “fairly experienced” crew and reportedly had night vision googles aboard the helicopter.

As federal investigators prepare to review communications between the two aircraft, Boyd expanded on how the FAA holds the majority of responsibility for the crash.

“We had two flying machines run into each other over the Potomac. That is the FAA’s job to avoid those things,” he argued. “We have all kinds of human issues here. But the fact is, we’ve had near-miss after near-miss for the past 20 years. Now we’ve had a collision. The collision is the responsibility of the FAA and the air traffic control system. Somebody failed.”

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy provides details during an update on the midair collision between an American Airlines jet and an Army Helicopter.

“There was a major failure here, and that helicopter shouldn’t have been there. The airplane should have, but not the helicopter.”

Newly-appointed U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy stated in a Thursday morning press conference that both the American Airlines plane and Army helicopter were in a “standard flight pattern” when they collided in midair. Duffy also told reporters: “Do I think this was preventable? Absolutely.”

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Aviation expert Captain Mike Coffield breaks down the response process and investigation following a midair collision between a regional airline jet and an Army Black Hawk helicopter.

“Something was wrong with the system, and that means people died because of it. Which means Mr. Duffy has to turn around and say, ‘Something was really wrong here. We have to change it and change it right now,’” Boyd said.

“I fear he’s just going to warm that seat like his predecessors did. And I hope I’m real wrong. But he never even mentioned that at his hearings. He never said anything about the dangers in air traffic control or other things. So this is a wake-up call for the Trump administration.”

READ MORE FROM FOX BUSINESS

Fox News staff contributed to this report.

January 30, 2025
Trump order ending birthright citizenship for illegal immigrants is constitutional, claims expert

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While nearly two dozen states are suing to stop President Donald Trump’s executive order ending birthright citizenship for the children of illegal immigrants, some legal experts, such as Hans von Spakovsky with the Heritage Foundation, say the order is perfectly legal under the 14th Amendment and should be upheld by the courts.

“I strongly believe that Donald Trump is correct, that we need to enforce the 14th Amendment as it was originally intended,” Spakovsky told Fox News Digital. “No doubt there will be lawsuits against it, it’ll get to the U.S. Supreme Court, and if the court follows the actual legislative intent and history, they will uphold what Donald Trump has done.”

As Trump has moved quickly to clamp down on illegal immigration, his most controversial move yet was to issue an executive order ending birthright citizenship for children of illegal immigrants.

The order titled the “Protecting the Meaning and Value of American Citizenship” states that “the privilege of United States citizenship does not automatically extend to persons born in the United States” when that person’s parents are either unlawfully present in the U.S. or when the parents’ presence is lawful but temporary.

TRUMP ADMIN HITS BACK AS ACLU LAUNCHES LAWSUIT ON BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP: ‘READY TO FACE THEM’

Migrants in Brooklyn; President Trump (Getty Images)

Twenty-two Democrat-led states and the ACLU are suing to stop the order, arguing that it violates the 14th Amendment, which states, “All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside.”

The lawsuit argues that “the President has no authority to rewrite or nullify a constitutional amendment or duly enacted statute. Nor is he empowered by any other source of law to limit who receives United States citizenship at birth.”

However, Spakovsky, who is a senior legal fellow at the Heritage Foundation and an authority on civil rights and immigration, told Fox News Digital that the 14th Amendment was never meant to include the children of individuals in the country illegally or temporarily and that this broad interpretation has led to widespread “birth tourism” and abuse.

He said the key phrase often overlooked today is “subject to the jurisdiction thereof,” which necessitates the immigrants’ loyalties be to the U.S., not to some foreign power.

TRUMP’S HOUSE GOP ALLIES PUSH BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP BILL AFTER PROGRESSIVE FURY AT PRESIDENTIAL ORDER

A man plays with a child while waiting with other migrants from Venezuela near a bus station after being released from U.S. Border Patrol custody in El Paso, Texas, Sept. 13, 2022. (REUTERS/Jose Luis Gonzalez)

“The 14th Amendment has two key clauses in it. One, you have to be born in the United States, but you also have to be subject to the jurisdiction of the United States. All those who push birthright citizenship just point to that first phrase and ignore the second,” he said. “I’ve done a lot of research on this. I’ve looked at the original passage of the 14th Amendment and what that phrase meant subject to the jurisdiction of the United States. According to the original sponsors of the 14th Amendment in Congress was that you owed your political allegiance to the United States and not a foreign government.”

CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE

“That means that children born of aliens who are in this country, and it doesn’t matter whether they’re here legally, illegally, as diplomats; if their parents are foreign citizens when they are born they are citizens of their parents’ native land, they owe their political allegiance to and are subject to the jurisdiction of those native lands, not the United States. So, they are not citizens of the U.S.,” he said.

According to Spakovsky, the 14th Amendment, which was ratified after the Civil War to acknowledge citizenship for former slaves and their descendants, was not used to confer birthright citizenship to illegal aliens until more than 100 years after it was adopted by Congress.

PRESIDENT TRUMP’S BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP EXECUTIVE ORDER FACES LEGAL CHALLENGES FROM 22 STATES

President Donald Trump participates in a ceremony commemorating the 200th mile of border wall at the international border with Mexico in San Luis, Ariz., on June 23, 2020. (SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images)

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As Democrats and left-wing groups prepare to launch a legal war with the Trump administration over the order, Spakovsky said he is confident the Supreme Court will rule in Trump’s favor.

“The problem with birthright citizenship is it gives rights as an American citizen to individuals who have absolutely no loyalty to and no connection to the U.S. government, our culture, our society,” he said. “The Supreme Court should uphold it because the original meaning of the 14th Amendment is clearly not recognizing birthright citizenship.”

January 27, 2025
Taxpayers leaving thousands of dollars on the table at tax time: expert

Sen. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, unpacks the tax code and tariffs proposal under President-elect Donald Trump on Kudlow.

Tax season officially begins Monday when the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) will begin accepting returns for the 2024 tax year, but taxpayers should be aware of deductions and credits that could be worth thousands before they file, a tax expert warns.

Karla Dennis, CEO and founder of KDA, Inc., a tax strategy agency, told FOX Business that taxpayers run the risk of leaving upwards of $2,500 to $5,000 on the table due to a lack of awareness of certain tax credits and deductions that they may be eligible to claim and reduce the amount of taxes they’re on the hook for.

“Many taxpayers are leaving money on the table,” Dennis said. “I’ve been in the industry for 30-plus years and when I work with individuals taxes and talk with them, I realize they’re very unaware of a lot of the various tax credits that they can use to offset their tax liability.”

Various tax credits and deductions are available to taxpayers who’ve spent money on certain activities such as education, medical expenses, state and local taxes and more.

IRS ANNOUNCES START OF TAX SEASON – WHAT TO KNOW

Taxpayers should familiarize themselves with tax credits and deductions they may be eligible for prior to filing their tax return. (Michael Bocchieri/Getty Images / Getty Images)

“Many taxpayers are changing careers, they’re going back to school, they’re getting higher education, and they’re not familiar with the lifetime learning credit, the American opportunity credit, and these can help to reduce their overall tax liability,” Dennis said.

She added that the American opportunity credit can be refundable for up to $1,000 which can be helpful for people looking to pay for classes and other expenses while in school.

Dennis said that taxpayers should monitor their spending on healthcare activities over the course of the year because they can be eligible for the medical expense deduction if that spending exceeds 7.5% of their adjusted gross income. For example, based on an income of $50,000 the taxpayer can deduct expenses above $3,750.

IRS TO SEND UNCLAIMED TAX REBATES TO 1M AMERICANS

Tax credits and deductions can help taxpayers minimize their tax liability. (iStock / iStock)

“They need to take advantage of writing off their insurance premiums if they’re not pre-tax through an employer,” Dennis explained.

“There’s the long-term care premiums that are a write-off, in addition to the co-pay for going to the doctor, to the emergency room, to the office visit, the pharmaceutical payment you make to the pharmacy to get prescriptions filled,” she added. “Even driving to and from the doctor you can take the mileage as a write off.”

The state and local tax (SALT) deduction is available up to a cap of $10,000 for taxpayers who itemize their returns. Dennis said taxpayers claiming the deduction should make sure they’re aggregating their income taxes, property taxes and DMV fees.

IRS INCREASES 401(K), OTHER 2025 RETIREMENT PLAN CONTRIBUTION LIMITS

The IRS’ tax filing season for the 2024 tax year begins Monday, Jan. 27. (Photo by J. David Ake/Getty Images / Getty Images)

Dennis said that individual taxpayers should “be mindful and realize that taxes are all year from January to December” so they should consider talking to a tax advisor earlier in the year to plan ahead.

She recommends that taxpayers do what she calls her “12 by 12” in which they look at their expenses for each month of the year one at a time over the course of a 12-day period, which she believes helps taxpayers avoid feeling overwhelmed at the last minute and forgetting things that could’ve saved them money when they filed their taxes.

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Dennis added that taxpayers may benefit from pausing before filing their return once it’s ready to be filed so that they can think about something they may have forgotten so that they can add it before filing and avoid having to amend their return.

January 27, 2025
Trump administration ‘uniquely qualified’ to solve housing problem, real estate expert says

The Connor Group founder and managing partner discusses what needs to happen to unleash the housing market and the impact of regulations on rebuilding California following the wildfires.

The key to America’s housing problem may lie within the Trump administration, according to one real estate expert.

Larry Connor, The Connor Group founder and managing partner, explained how the new administration could tackle the persistent problems plaguing the housing industry during his appearance on “FOX Business Live,” Thursday.

“The reality is, across America we have an affordable housing problem, in some cases [a] crisis. You can solve it. I think the Trump administration is uniquely qualified to do so,” he expressed.

Connor said the first step in solving the country’s housing issue is through “common sense regulations.”

“You can’t have 30 or 40% of your total costs in permits and red tape,” he stressed.

LOOKING TO BUY YOUR FIRST HOME? THESE MARKETS ARE YOUR BEST BET IN 2025

On Wednesday, President Donald Trump issued an emergency order directing the heads of all executive departments and agencies to “deliver emergency price relief,” which he emphasized would include lowering the cost of housing and expanding supply.

The Trump administration cited regulatory requirements as a main driver behind why so many Americans are unable to purchase homes. In his first term, Trump reduced regulatory costs by almost $11,000 per household, the White House said in a fact sheet.

‘Kudlow’ panelists Steve Forbes, David Bahnsen and Jackie DeAngelis unpack the state of the U.S. economy heading into the new year.

Despite being against the tight regulations restricting growth in the housing sector, Connor suggested putting “tight regulations” on developers, “in terms of the quality of the build and the quality of how they maintain them.”

“You can’t ask a developer to spend $70 million building this affordable housing. And when they finish, it’s worth 65 million,” he argued.

HOW EXTREME WEATHER, HIGH HOME PRICES COULD AFFECT THE 2025 HOUSING MARKET

“The economics have to work,” Connor told FOX Business’ Cheryl Casone.

The Connor Group founder continued, arguing that the next step in curing the affordable housing market is by creating low-interest rate loans at the federal level.

‘Making Money’ Charles Payne discusses the return of ‘animal spirits’ since Trump won the election.

Trump echoed that sentiment during his remarks at the World Economic Forum on Thursday, arguing that he’ll “demand that interest rates drop immediately” and that they “should be dropping all over the world.”

Finally, the last effort to combat the problem, Connor said, is through tax credits.

“You do all those. You unleash the full power of the free enterprise system,” he explained.

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FOX Business’ Daniella Genovese contributed to this report.

January 25, 2025
‘Unusual order’ barring commuted J6 defendants from DC, Capitol raises constitutional implications: expert

An order barring commuted Jan. 6 defendants from entering Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Capitol could raise constitutional challenges, one legal expert says.

In a filing Friday, Judge Amit P. Mehta specified the order applied to “Defendants Stewart Rhodes, Kelly Meggs, Kenneth Harrelson, Jessica Watkins, Roberto Minuta, Edward Vallejo, David Moerchel, and Joseph Hacket,” whose sentences were commuted. Those pardoned are not subject to the order.

Rhodes, founder of the Oath Keepers, was previously seen in the Capitol complex’s Longworth House Office Building. He was convicted of seditious conspiracy.

PRO-LIFE PROTESTERS PARDONED BY TRUMP, FOX CONFIRMS

The order states, “You must not knowingly enter the District of Columbia without first obtaining the permission from the Court.” It adds, “You must not knowingly enter the United States Capitol Building or onto surrounding grounds known as Capitol Square.”

An order barring commuted Jan. 6 defendants from entering Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Capitol could raise constitutional challenges, one legal expert says. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

The filing says the order is effective as of Friday at noon. Later that day, the Justice Department filed a motion seeking to lift the order.

“If a judge decided that Jim Biden, General Mark Milley, or another individual were forbidden to visit America’s capital — even after receiving a last-minute, preemptive pardon from the former President— I believe most Americans would object. The individuals referenced in our motion have had their sentences commuted — period, end of sentence,” Acting U.S. Attorney Edward Martin said in a statement.

“This is a very unusual order,” Jonathan Turley, Fox News Media contributor and the Shapiro Professor of Public Interest Law at George Washington University, told Fox News Digital. “The judge is relying on the fact that the sentences were commuted, but the defendants did not receive full pardons.”

COMMUTED JAN. 6 DEFENDANTS BARRED FROM DC, CAPITOL BUILDING BY FEDERAL JUDGE

Ron Coleman, counsel at Dhillon Law Group, called the order “novel.”

Stewart Rhodes, founder of the Oath Keepers was convicted of seditious conspiracy. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)

“It is unclear what basis the court would have to assert jurisdiction over someone who has been pardoned for the conviction that is presumably the basis for the order or what the legal grounds are for making Washington, D.C., the kind of national capital, like Moscow in the old USSR, that a citizen needs permission to enter,” Coleman said.

NANCY PELOSI SLAMS TRUMP’S ‘SHAMEFUL’ PARDONS OF JAN. 6 DEFENDANTS

Turley said that although the new order could “prove a factor” in President Donald Trump extending a full pardon to those with commuted sentences, “it’s not clear whether an order will prompt Trump to reconsider his decision to offer only commutations.”

Turley noted that the order could raise constitutional challenges, including First Amendment implications.

Trump pardoned nearly all Jan. 6 defendants earlier this week after promising to do so at his inaugural parade. (Reuters/Carlos Barria)

“I think the court is effectively barring these individuals from being able to associate or petition government officials without the prior approval of the court,” Turley said. “That could raise questions under the First Amendment.

“I expect this will be challenged by these individuals.”

Trump pardoned nearly all Jan. 6 defendants earlier this week after promising to do so at his inaugural parade.

DOJ CONSIDERS CHARGING 200 MORE PEOPLE 4 YEARS AFTER JAN. 6 CAPITOL ATTACK

Trump signed off Monday on releasing more than 1,500 people charged with crimes from the Jan. 6, 2021, attack at the U.S. Capitol. The order required the Federal Bureau of Prisons to act immediately on receipt of the pardons.

Those pardoned in his initial order included Enrique Tarrio, the former Proud Boys chairman who faced a sentence of 22 years in prison for seditious conspiracy.

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Fox News’ David Spunt, Diana Stancy and Jamie Joseph contributed to this report.

Haley Chi-Sing is a Writer for Fox News Digital. You can reach her at @haleychising on X.

January 24, 2025
President Trump’s executive order ‘first step’ in eliminating Tren de Aragua, says expert

In one of the first moves of his administration, President Donald Trump signed an executive order taking drastic steps to crack down on the violent Venezuelan migrant gang “Tren de Aragua,” which has been terrorizing American cities in recent months.

Also known as “TdA,” Tren de Aragua is a Venezuelan criminal group present in over a dozen U.S. cities. The group has ties to the socialist Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro and according to experts, is being used as a tool of asymmetric warfare to sow chaos and discord in the U.S.

Jose Gustavo Arocha, a former high-ranking Venezuelan military official and senior fellow at the U.S.-based Center for a Secure Free Society, told Fox News Digital that Trump’s order was an “extraordinary move” that is the “first good step in the route to neutralize TdA.”

The order – which is titled “Designating Cartels And Other Organizations As Foreign Terrorist Organizations And Specially Designated Global Terrorists” – instructs newly confirmed Secretary of State Marco Rubio to move to designate Tren de Aragua, as well as Mexican gang MS-13 and other migrant gangs as “foreign terrorist organizations.”

WHO IS TREN DE ARAGUA? VICIOUS VENEZUELAN GANG ‘FOLLOWING IN THE PATH OF MS-13’ IN AMERICA

On his first day in office, January 20th, 2025, President Donald Trump signed an executive order instructing the State Department and other executive departments to take steps to label “Tren de Aragua” and other migrant gangs “foreign terrorist organizations.” (Reuters/Getty)

A foreign terrorist designation expands the government’s ability to crack down on criminal groups operating in the U.S., allowing all government agencies, including the Department of the Treasury, to target that group from every angle.

The order states that these groups “present an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States,” and invokes the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEP) to declare a national emergency to “deal with those threats.”

“It is the policy of the United States to ensure the total elimination of these organizations’ presence in the United States and their ability to threaten the territory, safety, and security of the United States through their extraterritorial command-and-control structures, thereby protecting the American people and the territorial integrity of the United States,” reads the order.

The order gives Rubio 14 days to make policy recommendations – in consultation with the secretaries of the Treasury and Homeland Security as well as the U.S. attorney general and director of National Intelligence – to make a recommendation regarding the designation of TdA, MS-13 and any other group as a foreign terrorist organization.

TEXAS GOV. ABBOTT DESIGNATES VENEZUELAN GANG, TREN DE ARAGUA, AS A FOREIGN TERRORIST ORGANIZATION

Marco Rubio speaks after he is sworn in as Secretary of State by U.S. Vice President JD Vance at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building in Washington, U.S., January 21, 2025. (REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque)

According to Arocha, this move could spell the beginning of the end for TdA’s reign of terror in the United States.

“This executive order that Trump signed is perfect to neutralize unconventional tools that were made by the Venezuela regime,” he said. “The TdA is an asymmetrical and unconventional tool to harm the United States, [and] not only the United States, all the region … [so] you have to use unconventional tools, too.”

Joseph Humire, executive director of the Center for a Secure Free Society who in 2024 authored a report on how to dismantle TdA, explained to Fox News Digital that designating these groups as foreign terrorist organizations places them “at the highest level” of U.S. national security interest, meaning their funding and any organizations enabling them can be targeted as well.

“Trump just put all of them on notice,” said Humire. “This said: ‘We know you’re here; we know you’re up to no good and we’re going to come after you.’”

TREN DE ARAGUA BELIEVED TO BE BEHIND MURDER OF IMMIGRATION OFFICIAL NEAR BORDER

Tren de Aragua (TdA) members arrested in Texas (Tren de Aragua (TdA) members arrested in Texas)

“Now critics may say, well, he’s going to create a war on terror or drugs, and it’s really a reaction of fear. They say: ‘Oh, you know, these guys are so dangerous.’ And what you know about criminality, whether it’s terrorism or any kind of criminality, is that they only respond to strength. They prey on fear. If they think you’re scared to attack you more,” he said. “So, by showing this strength, it’s the first action of deterrence.”

In addition to sending a message of strength, Humire said the executive order signals that there will be “meaningful action taking place really, really soon to start to arrest and dismantle” TdA’s presence in the U.S.

Andrew Arthur, a law and policy expert at the Center for Immigration Studies, told Fox News Digital that one of the most important aspects of designating TdA a foreign terrorist organization is enabling the U.S. government to target TdA’s funding, which he said can essentially “bleed them dry.”

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Map of Tren de Aragua presence in the United States as of December 2024. (Fox News Digital)

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“Money is the lifeblood of these organizations,” he said. “It’s really the funding element of all this that is crucial to going after a terrorist organization, because if you cut them off from the money, they’re not going to be able to pay people. They’re not going to be able to pay bribes to corrupt officials, they are not going to be able to pay their foot soldiers, are not going to be able to buy the big guns and the things that they used to operate.“

“It’s not just the guy with the AK-47 or the guy with the IED that’s a terrorist. It’s all those people that helped to make that possible,” he went on. “So, when you designate them as terrorist organizations, in addition to going after the keepers or the kingpins of these organizations and the various foot soldiers that they employ, you can also go after the individuals who provide material support.”

Peter Pinedo is a politics writer for Fox News Digital.

January 24, 2025
VA Dems reject Youngkin’s antisemitism expert pick from George Mason Univ board amid troubling incidents

As George Mason University grapples with the latest incident of antisemitism linked to its Fairfax, Virginia, campus, Democrats in the Virginia State Senate rejected Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s nomination of one of the nation’s preeminent antisemitism scholars to its Board of Visitors.

Kenneth Marcus, the Brandeis Center’s founder and a former undersecretary in the Education Department’s civil rights division, was one of a few Youngkin nominees who were struck from consideration by the Senate Privileges & Elections Committee on a party-line vote.

Marcus has been described by The New York Times as “the man who helped redefine campus antisemitism,” and told Fox News Digital in a Wednesday interview he had hoped to continue that work at GMU.

“It was disappointing to see Democratic senators moving to block my nomination at precisely the same time that we were achieving a fairly significant victory over antisemitism in our Harvard University case,” Marcus said, noting he had served without incident on the GMU board since mid-2024.

HARVARD SETTLES TWO LAWSUITS DEALING WITH ALLEGATIONS OF ANTISEMITISM

George Washington University students take part in a Gaza solidarity encampment in conjunction with other Wasington, D.C.-area universities. (Getty)

“There’s really nothing that I can think of that I have done that would stir any controversy other than working to protect George Mason students from antisemitism,” he said, noting the school has struggled with the issue as of late.

A GMU freshman IT major and Egyptian national is being investigated by the FBI on charges of distributing information on weapons in furtherance of a violent crime and threats against a foreign official, according to NBC News.

Abdullah Ezzeldin Taha Mohamed Hassan, 18, of Falls Church, Virginia, was allegedly trying to orchestrate a bombing of the Israeli Consulate in New York City.

Leaders from Students for Justice in Palestine were also banned from campus after police found “Death to Jews” and “Death to America” signage along with firearms.

“This is a huge issue right now at George Mason with some very disturbing high-profile issues happening,” Marcus said.

A person familiar with Youngkin’s thoughts on the situation said the governor has “kept his cool” and is not engaging publicly but is incensed about the Democrats’ move.

“He is quietly working in hopes Democratic senators are seeing the error of their ways,” the person told Fox News Digital.

YOUNGKIN ‘PERSONALLY INVITES’ NEW TRUMP ADMIN WORKERS TO SETTLE IN VA OVER DC, MD

Marcus said he worked hard to combat antisemitism on campus in the seven months he has been on campus. “I have been very pleased to have the opportunity to work with the administration and board of that institution to address a very serious problem going on here.”

Marcus said one item he had been working on was incorporating antisemitism definitions into GMU’s anti-discrimination policy.

“Since I joined the board, the most significant thing I’ve done has been to work with the administration to incorporate the idea of a working definition of antisemitism into George Mason’s anti-discrimination policy. That was a huge advance, and it’s been very influential. It was disappointing to see members of the General Assembly respond as they have,” he said.

GMU has also been subject to anti-Zionist vandalism. As of last February, GMU President Gregory Washington said there had been at least 70 antisemitism incident reports to administrators and acknowledged a federal probe into reported malign activity.

“I have been asked on numerous occasions to stop the student protests. Even when you’re protesting against me, I still support it because I support freedom of speech,” Washington told the Fourth Estate student newspaper.

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The Virginia State Capitol. (Getty)

The Senate P&E Committee also removed nominations for former Vice President Mike Pence Chief of Staff Marc Short and Nina Rees, a senior official for the George W. Bush Presidential Library, as well as an education attorney from the Richmond firm McGuire-Woods.

Richmond Republicans are hoping to add Marcus’ name back to the legislation listing confirmed nominees on Thursday, but a source suggested their path remains unlikely without any Democrat defections in the 21-19 Senate.

Fox News Digital reached out to both Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell, D-Alexandria, and Senate P&E Committee Chair Aaron Rouse, D-Virginia Beach, about Marcus’ rejection.

Charles Creitz is a reporter for Fox News Digital.

He joined Fox News in 2013 as a writer and production assistant.

Charles covers media, politics and culture for Fox News Digital.

Charles is a Pennsylvania native and graduated from Temple University with a B.A. in Broadcast Journalism. Story tips can be sent to [email protected].

January 23, 2025
Mental Health Trends For The New Year 2025 Expert Predictions

The rise of micro-wellness: Micro-wellness practices will gain prominence as people seek manageable ways to maintain mental health. Unlike traditional hour-long meditation sessions or therapy appointments, these brief 3-5 minute interventions, scattered throughout the day, help individuals reset their emotional state. This approach particularly appeals to the increasingly time-conscious workforce who find it challenging to commit to longer wellness sessions. (Image Source: Canva)

Environmental psychology takes center stage: Environmental psychology will emerge as a crucial focus area in mental health treatment. The growing recognition of climate anxiety and its impact on mental well-being has led to the development of specialized therapeutic approaches. These methods help individuals cope with environmental concerns while channeling their anxiety into constructive community action. (Image Source: Canva)

Structured digital detox: Digital detox scheduling will become mainstream, with mental health platforms incorporating mandatory offline periods into their wellness programs. Rather than complete technology abstinence, these structured breaks help users develop a healthier relationship with their devices. The approach acknowledges the essential role of technology while preventing its negative impact on mental health. (Image Source: Canva)

AI-powered emotional pattern recognition: Advanced artificial intelligence systems will help identify subtle emotional patterns and potential mental health triggers before they manifest as full-blown symptoms. These systems will analyze voice patterns, digital communication habits, and daily routines to provide early intervention recommendations. (Image Source: Canva)

Memory-emotion reprocessing therapy: A groundbreaking therapeutic approach will gain prominence, focusing on reprocessing emotional memories through targeted neuroplasticity exercises. This method helps individuals reshape their emotional responses to past experiences without necessarily revisiting traumatic memories directly. (Image Source: Canva)

Social connection as treatment: Social connection prescriptions will become a standard part of mental health treatment plans. These structured recommendations help individuals build meaningful relationships and combat loneliness, which continues to be a significant factor in mental health challenges. (Image Source: Canva)

Inputs By: Dr Chandni Tugnait, MD (A.M) Psychotherapist, Life Alchemist, Coach & Healer, Founder & Director, Gateway of Healing. (Image Source: ABP Live AI)

Published at : 02 Jan 2025 12:40 PM (IST)

January 2, 2025