National security adviser Jake Sullivan claimed in an interview Sunday that Russia, China and Iran are “weaker” and the United States is “safer” after four years under President Biden’s leadership. 

“Our alliances are stronger than where we found them four years ago,” Sullivan said on CNN’s State of the Union, referring to President-elect Trump’s first term. “They’re stronger than they’ve been in decades. NATO was more powerful, purposeful and bigger. Our alliances in the Asia Pacific are at all-time highs. And our adversaries and competitors are weaker across the board. Russia’s weaker, Iran’s weaker, China’s weaker, and all the while we kept America out of wars.”

“I think that the American people are safer, and the country is better off than we were four years ago, and we’re handing off that to the next team, as well as having the engines of American power humming,” Sullivan said. “Our economy, our technology, our defense industrial base, our supply chains. So the United States is in a stronger, more secure position, and our competitors and adversaries are weaker and under pressure.” 

Biden’s presidency was mired by the botched 2021 Afghanistan withdrawal, Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine and the Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attacks on Israel, as the Pentagon monitors the rising threat of Islamic extremism worldwide. 

TRUMP’S DESIGNATED SPECIAL ENVOY FOR UKRAINE AND RUSSIA SETS LONGER TIMETABLE THAN ’24 HOURS’ FOR ENDING WAR

Much of Trump’s promise to voters while campaigning for a second term in 2024 centered on justice for the families of the 13 U.S. service members killed at Abbey Gate and promising peace through strength on the world stage. 

Sullivan defended Biden’s handling of the withdrawal on Sunday. 

“If we were still in Afghanistan today, Americans would be fighting and dying, Russia would have more leverage over us, we would be less able to respond to the major strategic challenges we face,” Sullivan said. 

“We have not seen, although the investigation continues, any connection between Afghanistan and the attacker in New Orleans,” he added, referring to the New Year’s Day truck-ramming attack on Bourbon Street. “Now the FBI will continue to look for foreign connections, maybe we’ll find one, but what we’ve seen is proof of what President Biden said, is that the terrorist threat has gotten more diffuse and more metastasized elsewhere, including homegrown extremists here in the United States – not just under President Biden, but under President Trump in his first term, and that is part of why we had to move our focus from a hot war in Afghanistan to a larger counterterrorism effort across the world.” 

During the final weeks of his presidency, Biden has been rushing billions of dollars more in U.S. aid for Ukraine before Trump takes office.

Meanwhile, the Republican president-elect has claimed the war in Ukraine would never have started under his leadership and vowed to broker a deal to stop the fighting between Moscow and Kyiv. 

ISRAELI PM OFFICE DENIES REPORTS THAT HAMAS FORWARDED LIST OF HOSTAGES TO RELEASE IN EVENT OF DEAL

At a press conference from his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida, last week, Trump warned Hamas terrorists that “all hell will break out” in the Middle East if the remaining hostages aren’t released before he takes office on Jan. 20. 

On the status of the negotiations, Sullivan said, “We are very, very close, and yet being very close still means we’re far because until you actually get across the finish line, we’re not there.” 

Sullivan stressed how President Biden’s top Middle East adviser, Brett McGuirk, had been in Doja for a week “hammering out with the mediators the final details of a text to be presented to both sides.” 

“And we are still determined to use every day we have in office to get this done,” Sullivan said. 

Gov. Gavin Newsom defended his handling of the raging fires in the Los Angeles area with a new website intended to combat “misinformation” that also links to Democratic Party fundraising giant ActBlue, Fox News Digital found. 

Fires have been raging in the Los Angeles area since Tuesday, destroying thousands of acres and homes and leaving more than a dozen people dead in its wake. Newsom, amid criticisms of his handling of the fires, unveiled a new website this weekend to combat “misinformation” on California fire prevention and emergency efforts, linking to a website that raises donations through ActBlue. 

“A lot of misinformation out there. Just launched a new site to ensure the public has access to fact-based data around the Southern CA wildfires,” Newsom posted to X on Saturday. 

“The TRUTH:- CA did NOT cut our firefighting budget. We have nearly doubled the size of our firefighting army and built the world’s largest aerial firefighting fleet.

“- CA has INCREASED forest management ten-fold since we took office.

“- California will NOT allow for looting. Get the facts: http://californiafirefacts.com,” the post concluded. 

CALIFORNIANS ‘ANGRY’ AMID DEVASTATING WILDFIRES, ASKING WHERE HIGH TAX DOLLARS WENT: LOCAL RESEARCHER

Californiafirefacts.com lists a handful of “lies” promoted on social media and by the media and Newsom’s “facts” responding to the claims, before touting a donation button at the bottom of the website, Fox News Digital found early Sunday morning. 

“Contribute to the California Fire Foundation,” the website says, identifying the fundraising effort as part of ActBlue, which will deliver donations to firefighters and devastated communities. 

“Please make a contribution to the California Fire Foundation. It is a tax-deductible donation and the money will go directly to supporting firefighters and the communities they serve, including direct financial support to impacted residents,” the fundraising section of the website adds. 

POWER GRID FAULTS SURGED RIGHT BEFORE LOS ANGELES WILDFIRES BEGAN: EXPERT

When the donation button is clicked, the user is brought to an ActBlue URL where people can make donations from $25 to $1,000 – or a self-determined number. The donation page also boasts Newsom’s Campaign for Democracy political action committee, saying it will sign donors up for text updates from the PAC.

Newsom’s PAC was launched in 2023 and promoted as an effort to boost Democrats in “extremist” GOP-led states. ActBlue is a massive Democratic PAC focused on small dollar donations that has bolstered Democratic elections and efforts to the tune of more than $16 billion since its founding in 2004, according to its website. 

ESSENTIAL PHONE NUMBERS FOR LOS ANGELES-AREA RESIDENTS AND HOW YOU CAN HELP THEM

The ActBlue URL promoting donations for the fires details again that any donations made will be delivered “directly” to “supporting firefighters and the communities they serve, including direct financial support to impacted residents.”

Newsom’s team told Fox News Digital that none of the donations made will be directed to the Democratic governor or his PAC. 

“Not a cent of these donations go to Gavin Newsom or his PAC. Gov. Newsom is proud to have raised $450,000 for the Fire Foundation in small dollar contributions during these fires and is grateful for the people across the nation who have come together to help Californians in their time of need,” Newsom spokesperson Nathan Click told Fox News Digital on Sunday. 

The ActBlue website states that donations made via the platform include a 3.95% processing fee, which is passed on “to the groups using our platform.” The New York Post reported that ActBlue waived the fees for fire donations, though the fundraising behemoth did not immediately respond to Fox Digital’s request for comment on the reported waived fees. 

Contributions made through ActBlue to charities are processed by AB Charities, and include a 3.95% fee that goes toward the cost of processing contributions, according to ActBlue. Processing fees from AB Charities do not go to political candidates, according to the group. 

Democratic Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren also called on the public to make donations to those affected by the fires through an ActBlue link. 

“To help support the communities around L.A. being devastated by wildfires, can you split a donation between the Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation and United Way of Greater Los Angeles? 100% of your donation will go directly to these organizations,” Warren posted to X on Saturday. 

LOS ANGELES WILDFIRES DEATH TOLL RISES TO 16 AS GAVIN NEWSOM FACES NEW FIREFIGHTING FUNDING SCRUTINY

X community notes ripped the senator, saying, “This is not a link to charity. It is a link to a Democrat fundraising platform. They take 3.95% of all transactions. secure.actblue.com/pricing.”

Fox Digital reached out to Warren’s office on Sunday morning for comment, but did not receive a response. 

Conservatives and critics of the governor sounded off on social media about the donation link through ActBlue, calling the move “disgraceful.”

The wildfires have destroyed at least 12,300 homes around the Los Angeles area over five days, and left at least 16 people dead, while thousands of others were forced to evacuate. Residents, including Hollywood stars, have railed against Newsom for his handling of the devastation, including the fire hydrants that ran out of water amid the blaze.

NEWSOM RESPONDS TO THOSE ANGRY OVER WILDFIRE RESPONSE BY POINTING FINGER AT LOCAL LEADERS, TRUMP

“Why was there no water in the hydrants?” one resident who confronted Newsom last week asked, according to Fox 11. “What are you going to do and is it going to be different next time, and I will fill up the hydrants myself.”

President-elect Trump, who has a years-long history of criticizing Newsom for the state’s repeated devastating fires, called on the governor to step down over the fires. 

“One of the best and most beautiful parts of the United States of America is burning down to the ground. It’s ashes, and Gavin Newscum should resign. This is all his fault!!!” the president-elect declared in a Truth Social post this week.

CALIFORNIA GOV. GAVIN NEWSOM ORDERS INDEPENDENT INVESTIGATION AFTER HYDRANTS RUN DRY: ‘WE NEED ANSWERS’

Earlier in the week, Trump pinned blame for the LA County fires on Newsom and his environmental policies. 

“Governor Gavin Newscum refused to sign the water restoration declaration put before him that would have allowed millions of gallons of water, from excess rain and snow melt from the North, to flow daily into many parts of California, including the areas that are currently burning in a virtually apocalyptic way,” Trump posted to Truth Social on Wednesday. 

FLASHBACK: TRUMP HAS LONG HISTORY OF WARNING NEWSOM OVER ‘TERRIBLE’ WILDFIRE PREVENTION

“He wanted to protect an essentially worthless fish called a smelt, by giving it less water (it didn’t work!), but didn’t care about the people of California. Now the ultimate price is being paid. I will demand that this incompetent governor allow beautiful, clean, fresh water to FLOW INTO CALIFORNIA! He is the blame for this. On top of it all, no water for fire hydrants, not firefighting planes. A true disaster!”

Newsom sent a letter to Trump, who will be inaugurated the nation’s 47th president on Jan. 20, over the weekend inviting him to the scene of the fires. 

“In the spirit of this great country, we must not politicize human tragedy or spread disinformation from the sidelines. Hundreds of thousands of Americans – displaced from their homes and fearful for the future – deserve to see all of us working in their best interests to ensure a fast recovery and rebuild,” Newsom wrote.

“With respect and an open hand,” he wrote.

Former Vice President Mike Pence revealed his brief exchange with President-elect Trump, which was caught on camera at former President Carter’s state funeral.

The pair have not been seen publicly together since leaving the White House in disagreement over the 2020 election results. At the service at the National Cathedral, Pence stood up to shake Trump’s hand, and they appeared to exchange pleasantries. 

Former second lady Karen Pence, who was seated next to her husband, did not stand up or acknowledge Trump.

JIMMY CARTER MEMORIAL: SUSPECT ACCUSED IN CAPITOL HILL SECURITY BREACH DURING TRUMP VISIT IDENTIFIED

In an interview with Christianity Today, Pence said he “welcomed” the opportunity to speak with Trump.

“He greeted me when he came down the aisle. I stood up, extended my hand. He shook my hand. I said, ‘Congratulations, Mr. President,’ and he said, ‘Thanks, Mike,’” Pence said.

Pence also recalled one of his final conversations with Trump in 2021, when he told Trump he would continue to pray for him. Trump responded, “Don’t bother,” the outlet reported. 

“I said, ‘You know, there’s probably two things that we’re never going to agree on. … We’re probably never going to agree on what my duty was under the Constitution on Jan. 6.’ And then I said, ‘And I’m never going to stop praying for you,'” Pence told Christianity Today. “And he said, ‘That’s right, Mike, don’t ever change.'”

He said he kept his word.

RFK JR. SAYS HE PLANS TO ALSO MEET WITH DEMS IN BID TO GET CONFIRMED AS TRUMP HHS HEAD

While the two appeared to remain cordial at the service for Carter, Pence told the outlet he doesn’t think Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. is the right fit to manage Health and Human Services and was concerned about former U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard serving as national intelligence director.

Fox News Digital reached out to Trump and Advancing American Freedom, a public policy advocacy organization founded by Pence, for comment, but did not immediately receive a response.

Fox News Digital’s Andrew Mark Miller contributed to this article.

As fires wreak havoc in California, Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., claimed in a post on X the catastrophe is “what a climate emergency looks like.” In another tweet, he took aim at President-elect Trump, asserting the incoming president has been bought off by the oil industry.

“Trump has been bought for $1 billion by Big Oil. Just a payoff to kill the IRA and the Green New Deal. We know what will happen. More fires, more climate disasters, more death. The LA fires are preview of coming atrocities,” Markey declared in a post on X.

Markey, who claims there is a “climate crisis,” has also warned about the potential effects of artificial intelligence (AI).

DEM CLAIMS TRUMP WIELDING NUCLEAR STRIKE AUTHORITY ‘SHOULD TERRIFY YOU’ — THEN PEOPLE POINT OUT THE OBVIOUS

He suggested rising use of AI could result in “doubling data center electricity demand by 2026,” “increased carbon emissions,” “water supply shortages” and “electronic waste.” 

“We are already facing a climate crisis. We can’t let AI make it worse,” Markey warned.

ESSENTIAL PHONE NUMBERS FOR LOS ANGELES-AREA RESIDENTS AND HOW YOU CAN HELP

Trump is slated to take office Jan. 20.

“In his first term, President Trump advanced conservation and environmental stewardship while promoting economic growth for families across the country,” incoming White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement.

TRUMP REPORTEDLY PLANS TO UNLEASH AROUND 100 EXECUTIVE ORDERS AFTER TAKING OFFICE

“America’s energy agenda under President Trump produced affordable, reliable energy for consumers along with stable, high-paying jobs for small businesses — all while dropping U.S. carbon emissions to their lowest level in 25 years. In his second term, President Trump will once again deliver clean air and water for American families while Making America Wealthy Again.”

California Gov. Gavin Newsom invited President-elect Trump to visit the Golden State to witness the destruction wildfires have wrought, meet with victims and thank first responders.

The governor’s message to Trump Friday came as fires continued ravaging parts of California.

Newsom urged against politicizing “human tragedy” and disseminating “disinformation.”

NEWSOM CALLS TRUMP’S CLAIMS ‘PURE FICTION’ AFTER PRESIDENT-ELECT POINTS FINGER OVER CALIFORNIA FIRE TRAGEDY

“In the spirit of this great country, we must not politicize human tragedy or spread disinformation from the sidelines. Hundreds of thousands of Americans — displaced from their homes and fearful for the future — deserve to see all of us working in their best interests to ensure a fast recovery and rebuild,” Newsom wrote.

“With respect and an open hand.”

Fox News Digital reached out to Newsom’s office to request comment Saturday, but no comment was provided. Trump’s camp did not respond to a comment request.

NEWSOM RESPONDS TO THOSE ANGRY OVER WILDFIRE RESPONSE BY POINTING FINGER AT LOCAL LEADERS, TRUMP

Trump has been excoriating Newsom, even asserting that he should step down as governor.

“One of the best and most beautiful parts of the United States of America is burning down to the ground. It’s ashes, and Gavin Newscum should resign. This is all his fault!!!” the president-elect declared in a Truth Social post this week.

TRUMP ACCUSES NEWSOM OF PRIORITIZING ENDANGERED FISH SPECIES OVER PROTECTING RESIDENTS FROM WILDFIRES

In another post, Trump accused “Gavin Newscum” and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass of “Gross incompetence.”

Special counsel Jack Smith resigned from his position at the Department of Justice Friday, Fox News has learned.

The resignation, which had already been expected since President-elect Trump was elected in November, was quietly announced in the footnote of a court filing Saturday. 

“The Special Counsel completed his work and submitted his final confidential report on January 7, 2025, and separated from the Department on January 10,” the note said.

Smith was appointed by Attorney General Merrick Garland in November 2022 to investigate the 2020 election interference case against Trump related to Jan. 6 and the Mar-a-Lago classified documents case. In 2017, Smith served as acting U.S. attorney for the Middle District of Tennessee during the first Trump administration.

TRUMP PLANS TO ‘IMMEDIATELY’ REVERSE BIDEN’S ‘RIDICULOUS’ BAN ON NEW OIL AND GAS DRILLING ALONG US COAST

The news came as the country waits for Smith’s report on the election interference case to be released. A recent court filing showed Garland plans to release the investigative report soon, possibly before Trump takes office Jan. 20. 

On Friday, a judge from a federal appeals court ruled against blocking the release of Smith’s report.

“As I have made clear regarding every Special Counsel who has served since I took office, I am committed to making as much of the Special Counsel’s report public as possible, consistent with legal requirements and Department policy,” Garland wrote in a recent letter to House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, and ranking member Jamie Raskin, D-Md.

TRUMP PRESSES GOP TO SWIFTLY SEND ‘ONE POWERFUL BILL’ FOR HIS SIGNATURE ASAP

Once Trump won the 2024 presidential election, Smith filed motions to wind down his cases against the president-elect. At the end of November, Smith asked a judge to drop the charges against President-elect Trump in the D.C. case against him. 

Before asking to drop the case, Smith filed a motion to vacate all deadlines in the 2020 election interference case against Trump in Washington, D.C., a decision that was widely expected after Trump’s win. After the cases were dropped, Trump responded to the move by arguing the investigations “should never have been brought.”

“These cases, like all of the other cases I have been forced to go through, are empty and lawless, and should never have been brought,” Trump in a Truth Social post. “It was a political hijacking, and a low point in the History of our Country that such a thing could have happened, and yet, I persevered, against all odds, and WON. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”

Fox News Digital’s Brooke Singman and Chris Pandolfo contributed to this report.