The Battle for the Gavel
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A battle for the gavel, Gianna Gelosi, Fox News, Mike Johnson's future as House Speaker is at risk with Republicans divided on supporting him ahead of a vote next week. And House turmoil could lead to a delay in certifying President-elect Trump's victory. Fox's Madeline Rivera. Congress convenes at noon on January 3rd. The first order of business for the House is electing a speaker without one of the House's paralyzed.

It cannot swear in members. It can't pass legislation. And it can't certify the results of the Electoral College on January 6th. So here are the Speaker election rules. The House clocks in with 434 members with one vacancy, thanks to former Republican Congressman Matt Gaetz. The breakdown is 219 Republicans to 215 Democrats. The Speaker of the House must win an outright majority of all members. That number is 218 of all 434 members vote.

The State Department will be shutting down a center used to combat propaganda. Fox's Ryan Schmelz. The Global Engagement Center was used to combat misinformation and propaganda, especially from Russia and China. The GEC, though, has come under scrutiny from conservatives. Elon Musk considered it a major offender of government censorship.

State Department officials say the center stopped operations on December 23rd. The GEC had a roughly $60 million budget and about 120 employees. It was established in 2016 under the Obama administration. Funding for the GEC was not included in the recent government funding bill. In Washington, Ryan Schmelz, Fox News.

Two top Canadian ministers are at President-elect Trump's home in Palm Beach, Florida to talk about border security and trade today. They're going to meet with Tom Holman, Trump's incoming border czar, to discuss Canada's plan to secure the border as part of a bid to avoid sweeping tariffs. Last month, Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau met with President-elect Trump at Mar-a-Lago. America's listening to Fox News.

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Jay-Z and his lawyers fail in their legal bid to expose the identity of a woman accusing him of sexual assault. Fox's Shanley Painter has more. So not only did the lawyers for Jay-Z, whose real name is Sean Carter, fail to convince the judge that the accuser should be named publicly, the judge, in her order,

calling out Jay-Z's attorney for being overly aggressive in his legal maneuvering, writing, quote, Carter's lawyers' relentless filing of combative motions containing inflammatory language and ad hominem attacks is inappropriate and a waste of judicial resources and a tactic unlikely to benefit his client. The court will not fast-track the judicial process merely because counsel demands it.

Earlier this month, a rap mogul was sued by a woman who alleges he and Sean Diddy Combs raped her in 2000 at an after party for the MTV Video Awards. Jay-Z denied the allegations. The judge noted the victim may be required to reveal their identity later on.

Americans spent more this holiday season. Fox's Laura Cantor has the report. Holiday shoppers were feeling merry with their wallets this holiday season, increasing their spending by 3.8% despite higher prices, as well as five fewer days between Thanksgiving and Christmas. MasterCard's spending pulse, which tracks various methods of

payments, releasing the data Thursday. It covers the beginning of November through Christmas Eve. The largest growth was seen in clothing sales thanks to online shopping, while electronics, jewelry, and restaurant sales also experienced a bump.

MasterCard Economics Institute says the data shows that consumers are focused on value, as shown by the amount of online spending during the largest discount offer periods. Laura Cantor, Fox News. And most Americans believe health insurance profits and coverage denials share responsibility for the killing of UnitedHealthcare's CEO, although not as much as the person who actually pulled the trigger. That, according to a new poll from a

The NRC Center at the University of Chicago, about eight in 10 U.S. adults say the person who committed the killing bears most of the responsibility. I'm Guy Benson. Join me weekdays at 3 p.m. Eastern as we break down the biggest stories of the day with some of the biggest newsmakers and guests. Listen live on the Fox News app or get the free podcast at Guy Benson show dot com.