President Biden on Tuesday signed an ambitious executive order that he says will keep both national security and climate change in mind while fast-tracking large-scale artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure in the United States. 

Biden said in a statement released by the White House that the executive order will ‘accelerate the speed at which we build the next generation of AI infrastructure here in America, in a way that enhances economic competitiveness, national security, AI safety, and clean energy.’ It directs the Department of Defense and the Department of Energy ‘to lease federal sites where the private sector can build frontier AI infrastructure at speed and scale.’ 

‘The United States leads the world at the frontier of artificial intelligence (AI). Cutting-edge AI will have profound implications for national security and enormous potential to improve Americans’ lives if harnessed responsibly, from helping cure disease to keeping communities safe by mitigating the effects of climate change. However, we cannot take our lead for granted,’ Biden said. ‘We will not let America be out-built when it comes to the technology that will define the future, nor should we sacrifice critical environmental standards and our shared efforts to protect clean air and clean water.’ 

The order will ‘ensure that the infrastructure needed for advanced AI operations—including large-scale data centers and new clean power infrastructure—can be built with speed and scale here in the United States,’ Biden said, adding, ‘These efforts are designed to accelerate the clean energy transition in a way that is responsible and respectful to local communities, and in a way that does not impose any new costs on American families.’ 

‘Building AI infrastructure in the United States is a national security imperative,’ Biden said. ‘As AI’s capabilities grow, so do its implications for Americans’ safety and security. Domestic data centers for training and operating powerful AI models will help the United States facilitate AI’s safe and secure development, harness AI in service of national security, and prevent adversaries from accessing powerful systems to the detriment of our military and national security.’ 

‘It will also help prevent America from growing dependent on other countries to access powerful AI tools,’ he added.

Vice President Harris, who attended the first-ever global AI summit hosted in London in November 2023, said in a statement on Tuesday the ‘significant electrical power needs of large-scale AI operations also present a new opportunity for advancing American leadership in clean-energy technology, which will power our future economy.’ ‘By activating the full force of the federal government to speed up and scale AI operations here in the United States, we are securing our global leadership on AI, which will have a profound impact on our economy, society, and national security for generations to come,’ she added. 

Under the new rules, the departments of Defense and Energy will each identify at least three sites where the private sector can build AI data centers. The agencies will run ‘competitive solicitations’ from private companies to build AI data centers on those federal sites, senior administration officials said.

Developers building on those sites will be required, among other things, to pay for the construction of those facilities and to bring sufficient ‘clean power’ generation to match the full capacity needs of their data centers. Although the U.S. government will be leasing land to a company, that company would own the materials it creates there, officials said.

Developers selected to build on government sites will be required to pay all costs of building and operating AI infrastructure so that development does not raise electricity prices for consumers, the administration said.

The orders also direct construction of AI data centers on federal sites to be done with public labor agreements. Some of the sites are reserved for small and medium-sized AI companies, according to government officials.

Government agencies will also complete a study on the effects of all AI data centers on electricity prices, and the Energy Department will provide technical assistance to state public utility commissions regarding electricity tariff designs that can support connecting new large customers with clean energy.

As part of the order, the Interior Department will identify lands it manages that are suitable for clean energy development and can support data centers on government sites, administration officials said.

‘The volumes of computing power, electricity needed to train and operate frontier models are increasing rapidly and set to surge even more,’ Tarun Chhabra, deputy assistant to the president and coordinator for technology and national security, told the Associated Press. ‘By around 2028, we expect that leading AI developers will be seeking to operate data centers with as much as five gigawatts of capacity for training AI models.’

Deploying AI systems at scale also requires a broader network of data centers across different parts of the country, he said.

The executive order comes on the heels of the Biden administration’s proposed new restrictions on exports of artificial intelligence chips, an attempt to balance national security concerns about the technology with the economic interests of producers and other countries. The Biden White House announced its ‘final rule’ on AI diffusion Monday, receiving blow-back from chip industry executives as well as officials from the European Union over export restrictions that would affect 120 countries.

‘We’re trying to strike the right balance between ensuring that the frontier of AI stays in the United States of America and our close allies, while also ensuring that the rest of the world can benefit from AI and get the hardware that they need to power AI applications going forward,’ National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters at the White House Monday. ‘We think this is, in a bipartisan spirit, the way to best preserve and protect America’s lead when it comes to artificial intelligence.’ 

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

The Congressional Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) Caucus is holding its second-ever meeting on Wednesday, where its leaders are expected to unveil a set of ‘principles’ to guide the group in its mission to cut government waste.

They outlined eight goals, some practical while others more symbolic, in a bid to ensure the caucus is in sync with the DOGE advisory panel set up by President-elect Donald Trump.

‘The federal government must serve the interests of taxpayers, and taxpayers are best served by a lean, efficient, transparent, and accountable bureaucracy,’ the first principle read, according to a draft memo obtained by Fox News Digital.

The document also suggested both lofty and smaller-scale goals. ‘No amount of waste, fraud, abuse, duplication, or administrative bloat is too small or too large to fix.’ DOGE Caucus leaders had previously put an emphasis on ‘low-hanging fruit’ to start their mission with, like unused federal office space held by agencies with remote work policies.

The memo puts such employees on notice, noting that they and any federal regulations or agencies ‘must demonstrate effectiveness for and responsiveness to taxpayers while also not creating unnecessary costs or burdens.’

Rep. Aaron Bean, R-Fla., who co-founded the caucus, told Fox News Digital, ‘We’ve articulated our vision in a transparent manner that is both concise and consumable for every American.’

Co-founder Rep. Pete Sessions, R-Texas, said, ‘The mandate is clear: every dollar spent in Washington must deliver a direct benefit to the people it serves, while prioritizing transparency, accountability, and efficiency.’

The caucus also called for the elimination of ‘existing federal agencies, programs, rules, regulations, or functions that do not provide value to taxpayers,’ if they cannot be reformed.

DOGE Caucus leaders are also signaling a significant focus on rolling back the regulatory state with the point, ‘All rules and regulations should be grounded in statute. Congress enacts public policy, not unelected bureaucrats.’

The group’s third co-chair, Vice Chair of the House GOP Conference Blake Moore, R-Utah, said of their outline, ‘The DOGE Caucus has wasted no time organizing our members and crafting a clear vision for what we hope to achieve, and these principles underscore how we plan to get there. The time is now to rein in wasteful federal spending, streamline our bureaucracy, and make Washington work better for Americans.’

Caucus members gathered for their first meeting in mid-December, which lawmakers said was largely introductory.

The push to slash government waste has been met with surprising enthusiasm by members on both sides of the political aisle. Several Democrats have already joined the caucus, and at least three were said to have attended the first meeting.

Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy were on Capitol Hill late last year to discuss goals for their DOGE panel with lawmakers.

A nonprofit organization with the goal of ‘preserving freedom and bringing ideological balance back to public corporations’ released a database outlining a list of Fortune 100 companies that are financially dependent on China and could lose large sums of money if sanctions were ever put in place.

‘In this current political climate, there are discussions of the imposition of severe trade tariffs on Chinese goods,’ 1792 Exchange explained in a new report released this week. ‘In addition to tariffs, American sanctions may be placed on American companies doing business in China. For example, if China invades Taiwan, it may result in sanctions like the ones imposed on Russia after the Ukraine invasion. If imposed, our assessment is that American businesses, and investors, could lose a substantial amount of funds.

‘This raises a number of serious questions that beg for clear answers. What would the financial impact to these companies be if the U.S. imposes sanctions or tariffs that put both assets and revenue streams at risk? What compromises are being exacted by the CCP in order for these companies to invest in China and do business there? How do those conditions influence their U.S. policies and operations? How do companies reconcile potential moral incongruence when their public policy stance in China is at odds with their U.S.-based behavior?’

The report highlights over 80 companies that currently operate in China and estimates the amount of sanctions they could potentially face in the future, which was calculated ‘based on balance sheet data, trade data, and sanctions calculation.’

Dozens of companies are included in the report, including Citigroup, Intel, Boeing, Disney, Nike and John Deere.

While many of the companies listed have not fully disclosed the full scope of their China business dealings, some have and in those cases, 1792 Exchange estimated the potential financial liability those companies face from potential sanctions in China during the upcoming Trump administration. 

In Boeing’s case, the report states that the company earns just under $5 billion annually from China and could face $1 billion in sanctions over a three-year period on average.

Intel, according to the report, earns $18 billion per year from China, which represents 26.54% of its total annual revenue. Sanctions in China could mean $5 billion in penalties for Intel over a three-year period on average, the report concludes.

Citigroup is listed in the database as potentially facing $16 billion per year in sanctions on average from its almost $5 billion per year revenue in China. 

Fox News Digital spoke to Daniel Cameron, former Kentucky Republican attorney general and 1792 Exchange CEO, about the report, and he said he hopes people take away from the data the ‘staggering amount of money our Fortune 100 companies could lose in the event of sanctions imposed on China.’

Cameron told Fox News Digital he is optimistic that the incoming Trump administration will implement policies that drive American independence from China. 

‘My hope is that we’re able to bring a lot of jobs back to this country and more businesses and then make a judgment, a decision to park their operations within the United States,’ Cameron said. ‘That’s good for the American worker and I think particularly through some of the information that we’ve been able to share as it relates to this China risk database, I’m hopeful that again, yes, optimistic that President Trump is going to do right by the United States. He’s going to do right by the American worker and consumer and I’m hopeful that the information that we’ve provided will help the administration, but it will also help CEOs and board leadership and investors be wise about their relationship with China.’

Overall, the companies listed in the report generate over $600 billion in revenue from China on average and would face sanctions totaling over $150 billion on average. 

‘Far too many of America’s largest corporations are shielding from the public their involvement with an oppressive communist regime. This failure to provide any corporate transparency is a glaring threat to America’s future,’ Cameron said about the data in the report. ‘Enough is enough. American workers, consumers, and investors should be aware of where these major liabilities lie.’

: Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., is rolling out several new bills to help forward the Department of Government Efficiency’s (DOGE) mission once President-elect Donald Trump enters office. 

The senator’s six bills would target telework for federal employees, require agency guidances to clarify they are not laws and mandate early notice ahead of new major policy proposals from federal agencies, among other measures. 

‘The American people gave Washington a mandate in November—waste less, save more. Today I’m introducing a first set of bills to follow through on their mandate by prioritizing streamlined regulations, rule-making, and record keeping. It’s time to put government waste in the doghouse and let DOGE get to work,’ Lankford said in a statement to Fox News Digital. 

DOGE was previously announced by Trump, who tapped billionaire Elon Musk and former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy to lead the new advisory board looking to cut government waste. 

Several of Lankford’s DOGE bills focus on federal agencies and their perceived shortcomings. The ‘Improving Federal Financial Management Act’ would address agencies’ performances and evaluate how they stack up when weighed against their financial metrics. 

The ‘TRUE Accountability Act’ would charge agencies with coming up with plans to operate internally if there is ever a crisis. 

Additionally, Lankford is including the ‘ACCESS Act,’ which would prohibit minimum education requirements when it comes to government contractor personnel during certain federal contract discussions. 

The Oklahoma Republican’s slew of bills are just the latest from senators in the GOP eager to get involved with DOGE. 

The Senate DOGE caucus is being led by Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, who has been a vocal critic of federal agencies and their telework policies in particular. 

Republicans have sought to introduce many bills ahead of Trump’s inauguration with the hope of getting the process started, so that certain policies can be put in motion shortly after he takes office. 

The Justice Department made public Volume One of former Special Counsel Jack Smith’s final report on his now-closed investigations into President-elect Donald Trump, days before he is set to be sworn into office. 

Attorney General Merrick Garland released the first volume, which focuses on the election case against Trump, of Smith’s report on Tuesday at midnight after back-and-forth in the federal court system. The report was released at midnight because that was when the original hold on Volume One expired.

An opening letter from Smith, who resigned last week, to Garland said that it is ‘laughable’ that Trump believes the Biden administration, or other political actors, influenced or directed his decisions as a prosecutor, stating that he was guided by the Principles of Federal Prosecution.

‘Trump’s cases represented ones ‘in which the offense [was] the most flagrant, the public harm the greatest, and the proof the most certain,’’ Smith said, referencing the principles.

In the lengthy report, Smith said his office fully stands behind the decision to bring criminal charges against Trump because he ‘resorted to a series of criminal efforts to retain power’ after he lost the 2020 election.

Smith said in his conclusion that the parties were determining whether any material in the ‘superseding indictment was subject to presidential immunity’ when it became clear that Trump had won the 2024 election. The department then determined the case must be dismissed before he takes office because of how it interprets the Constitution.

‘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,’ the report stated.

In an early Tuesday morning post on Truth Social, Trump called Smith ‘desperate’ and ‘deranged’ for releasing his ‘fake findings’ in the middle of the night.

Garland appointed former Justice Department official Jack Smith as special counsel in November 2022. 

Smith, a former assistant U.S. attorney and chief to the DOJ’s public integrity section, led the investigation into Trump’s retention of classified documents after leaving the White House and whether the former president obstructed the federal government’s investigation into the matter. 

Smith was also tasked with overseeing the investigation into whether Trump or other officials and entities interfered with the peaceful transfer of power following the 2020 presidential election, including the certification of the Electoral College vote on Jan. 6, 2021. 

Smith charged Trump in both cases, but Trump pleaded not guilty.

The classified records case was dismissed in July 2024 by U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida Judge Aileen Cannon, who ruled that Smith was unlawfully appointed as special counsel. 

Smith charged Trump in the U.S. District Court for Washington D.C. in his 2020 election case, but after Trump was elected president, Smith sought to dismiss the case. Judge Tanya Chutkan granted that request. 

This month, though, Cannon temporarily blocked the release of Smith’s final report. A federal appeals court reversed her ruling, allowing the Justice Department to make Smith’s report public. 

In the classified records probe, Smith charged Trump with 37 federal counts including willful retention of national defense information, conspiracy to obstruct justice and false statements. Trump pleaded not guilty. 

Trump was also charged with an additional three counts as part of a superseding indictment out of the investigation: an additional count of willful retention of national defense information and two additional obstruction counts. 

In the 2020 election case, Smith charged Trump with conspiracy to defraud the United States; conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding; violation of an official proceeding; and conspiracy against rights. Trump pleaded not guilty. 

The cases brought by Smith against Trump never made it to trial in either jurisdiction. 

Despite efforts by Trump attorneys to prevent the report’s release, Attorney General Merrick Garland had maintained that he would make at least one volume of Smith’s report public.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates. 

With less than a week left until President Biden’s tenure in the White House sunsets, a new national poll indicates many Americans do not think history will be kind to him.

According to a USA Today/Suffolk University survey released on Tuesday, 44% of voters nationwide say history will assess Biden as a failed president, with another 27% saying he will be judged as a fair president.

Twenty-one percent of those questioned said history will view Biden as a good president, with only 5% saying he will be seen as a great president.

The president’s single term in the White House ends next Monday, Jan. 20, as President-elect Donald Trump is inaugurated as Biden’s successor.

However, according to the poll, 44% also say that Trump will be seen by history as a failed president. 

One in five say that Trump, who begins his second term next week, will be viewed as a great president, with 19% saying good and 27% saying he would be judged a fair president.

Trump ended his first term in office with approval ratings in negative territory, including 47% approval in Fox News polling from four years ago.

However, opinions about Trump’s first term have risen in polling conducted since his convincing victory in November’s presidential election over Vice President Kamala Harris. The vice president succeeded Biden in July as the Democrats’ 2024 standard-bearer after the president dropped out of the race following a disastrous debate performance against Trump.

According to the USA Today/Suffolk poll, 52% of those surveyed say they approve of the job Trump did during his first term in office, with 45% giving him a thumbs down.

Suffolk University Political Research Center director David Paleologos noted that the change over the past four years was particularly significant among independent voters.

‘Donald Trump essentially wiped out his overwhelming negative personal popularity between December 2020 and today among independents,’ Paleologos said. ‘Trump went from a whopping minus 22 (35% favorable ‒ 57% unfavorable) to a negligible minus 5 (42% favorable ‒ 47% unfavorable)’ among the group that typically swings elections.

Looking ahead, 31% said they were excited Trump was returning to the White House, with 18% saying they were satisfied. However, 12% said they were depressed and 31% are afraid of a second Trump presidency.

According to the poll, 43% say they approve of the job Biden’s done as president as he leaves office, with 54% disapproving.

Biden’s approval rating hovered in the low to mid 50s during his first six months in the White House. However, the president’s numbers started sagging in August 2021 in the wake of Biden’s much-criticized handling of the turbulent U.S. exit from Afghanistan and following a surge in COVID-19 cases that summer, mainly among unvaccinated people.

The plunge in the president’s approval was also fueled by soaring inflation – which started spiking in the summer of 2021 and remains to date a major pocketbook concern with Americans – and the surge of migrants trying to cross into the U.S. along the southern border with Mexico. 

Biden’s approval ratings slipped underwater in the autumn of 2021 and never reemerged into positive territory.

According to the USA Today/Suffolk University poll, nearly a quarter of respondents were undecided when asked to name Biden’s biggest achievement as president. Nineteen percent said investing in infrastructure. Ten percent said fighting the COVID-19 pandemic, which was the top health and economic concern among Americans when Biden took office four years ago.

As for his biggest failure as president, just over three in ten pointed to Biden’s handing of immigration, with 20% offering the chaotic withdrawal of U.S. military forces from Afghanistan in the summer of 2021.

The poll questioned 1,000 registered voters nationwide by phone. It was conducted Jan. 7-1, and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points.