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It’s been a turbulent few months at the Disney-owned ABC News. 

The news division has been rocked by a series of tragic deaths and public relations nightmares in recent weeks, with an extramarital affair by “GMA3” co-host Amy Robach and T.J. Holmes emerging as national tabloid fodder and “The View” co-host Whoopi Goldberg doubling down on past Holocaust remarks that had already gotten her suspended. 

ABC News’ “This Week with George Stephanopoulos” executive producer Dax Tejera also died suddenly last month and his widow, Veronica Tejera, was arrested hours later and charged with child endangerment when it was revealed the couple left two young children unattended in a hotel room prior to his tragic death. 

BARBARA WALTERS, JOURNALISTIC PIONEER, DEAD AT 93

The most publicized scandal involving ABC News talent is arguably the high-profile, marriage-wrecking affair by Holmes and Robach, who co-host “GMA3,” a midday extension of the network’s flagship show “Good Morning America.” 

The lovebirds are sidelined pending an internal investigation as their infidelity continues to dominate industry gossip and tabloid news. But being pulled off the air hasn’t stopped Robach and Holmes from putting on public displays of affection, and the New York Post recently published video of them canoodling headlined, “T.J. Holmes and Amy Robach make out like teenagers on Miami vacation.” 

ABC insiders initially insisted that Holmes and Robach would not be disciplined for their affair, but the couple then appeared to downplay the scandal on air Dec. 2 while joking about having a “great week.” By the following Monday, ABC News President Kim Godwin informed staffers the “distraction” had become too significant, and she pulled them off the air “while we figure this out.” 

Nearly a month later, they remain off the air. ABC News did not immediately respond to a request for comment. 

Until Robach became tabloid fodder, she was perhaps best known as the ABC News anchor caught on a hot mic claiming executives at the Disney-owned network refused to air a story that would have exposed the now-deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein three years before it was reported. ABC News downplayed the significance of the video at the time, telling Fox News Digital that the Epstein story wasn’t fit to air. 

ABC, NPR, CNN, NBC, WASHINGTON POST AMONG MEDIA OUTLETS THAT HAD GAFFES, SCANDALS AND DEBACLES IN 2022

Goldberg has been another cause of headaches inside the Mouse House, as “The View” co-host showed little remorse for her past rhetoric that landed her in hot water. 

Last year, Goldberg went viral when she argued that the Holocaust “isn’t about race,” stunning her colleagues at the table. The “Sister Act” star insisted estimated 6 million Jews who were systematically killed was more about “about man’s inhumanity to man” since Jewish people and Nazis are both “White groups of people.”

ABC News suspended Goldberg for two weeks, but 10 months later she appeared to double down in an interview with the British outlet The Sunday Times. Goldberg also claimed that the Nazis targeted people of African descent in addition to Jews because they were physically different, and Goldberg went as far as to suggest that Jews had an easier time blending in with White people and hiding from the Nazis than Black people did at the time of the Holocaust.

“You could not tell a Jew on a street. You could find me. You couldn’t find them. That was the point I was making,” Goldberg said. “But you would have thought that I’d taken a big old stinky dump on the table, butt naked.”

Despite her defiance, she apologized again when her comments drew bipartisan outrage.

As for Tejera, the 37-year-old producer and family man dying suddenly of a heart attack is a tragedy, not a scandal. However, another ABC News-related tabloid nightmare has surfaced with news that his wife was arrested after the couple left their two children — who are five months and two years old – unattended in a New York City hotel room the night he collapsed outside a posh steakhouse.

“We had two cameras trained on my children as they slept, and I monitored them closely in the time I was away from them. While the girls were unharmed, I realize that it was a poor decision,” Tejera told the New York Post. 

She is due in Manhattan Criminal Court on January 12, according to the Post. 

DISNEY SELLING ABC NEWS’ LONGTIME HEADQUARTERS AS TROUBLE LOOMS FOR EMBATTLED TV STARS, JOURNALISTS

Amidst the drama gripping the network, ABC News legend Barbara Walters died last week at age 93. An ABC News insider believes old footage of Walters used in tribute montages puts a spotlight on how badly the network has fallen in recent years.

“Barbara Walters’ passing is a reminder that ABC News, believe it or not, was once the gold standard of TV news. Sadly, it’s now largely irrelevant and consumed by sordid scandals involving its talent. What remains now of what made ABC News great? Only Diane Sawyer, and she’s 77 and barely on the air anymore,” the insider told Fox News Digital. 

In 2014, ABC News dedicated its headquarters to Walters, naming the 47 West 66th Street landmark the “The Barbara Walters Building” in her honor with a glitzy ceremony helmed by Disney CEO Bob Iger. In another sign that things have dramatically changed over the last few years, the building has since been sold and is expected to be demolished and turned into luxury condos. 

ABC News famed “murderer’s row” of superstar talent, assembled by the late Roone Arledge, is gone. Walters, Peter Jennings and David Brinkley are deceased. Ted Koppel departed in 2005 after disagreements with Disney about “Nightline’s” future. Diane Sawyer, once ABC News’ biggest star, has been largely marginalized after years of strained relations with ABC brass and the 77-year-old now contributes just a few hours of TV a year.

The current group of George Stephanopoulos, David Muir, Michael Strahan and Robin Roberts are respected in the industry, but they have been overshadowed by the likes of Robach, Holmes and Goldberg in recent weeks. 

Fox News’ Yael Halon contributed to this report. 

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Jeremy Renner underwent surgery Monday after being involved in a snow-plow incident in Reno, Nevada on Sunday.

The “Hawkeye” actor suffered blunt chest trauma and orthopedic injuries as he remains in critical but stable condition, a representative for Renner has said.

“Jeremy’s family would like to express their gratitude to the incredible doctors and nurses looking after him, Truckee Meadows Fire and Rescue, Washoe County Sheriff, Reno City Mayor Hillary Schieve” and others, read the statement. “They are also tremendously overwhelmed and appreciative of the outpouring of love and support from his fans.”

JEREMY RENNER SHARES PHOTO FROM HOSPITAL BED AFTER SNOWPLOW ACCIDENT: ‘THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR KIND WORDS’

Renner was injured in an area near Mt. Rose Highway, a road linking Lake Tahoe, which straddles the Nevada-California border, and south Reno.

During a press conference on Tuesday, Jan. 3, Washoe County Sheriff Darin Balaam recalled the New Year’s Day incident when deputies responded to reports of a traumatic injury just before 9 a.m. 

Balaam said the Mt. Rose area got three feet of snow the previous night, and “multiple cars” had been abandoned overnight. 

“While it was not snowing at the time of the accident, Mt. Rose Highway was closed,” he said. By 9:30 a.m., first responders arrived. At 9:56 a.m., “Mr. Renner was taken via care flight” to a hospital.

Balaam also described how the accident involving the “Mission: Impossible” actor happened. Per Balaam, a personal vehicle of Renner’s, which was being driven by a family member, became stuck. Renner subsequently retrieved his PistenBully, a 14,000-pound snowcat.

MARK RUFFALO SENDS PRAYERS TO JEREMY RENNER, ASKS FANS FOR WELL WISHES AFTER SNOWPLOWING ACCIDENT

After successfully towing his own vehicle out of his driveway, Renner got out of the snowcat, and the massive snow groomer started to roll. “In an effort to stop the rolling PistenBully, Mr. Renner attempted to get back into the driver’s seat,” Balaam said. “Based on our investigation, it’s at this point Mr. Renner is run over by the PistenBully.”

He was reportedly the “only involved party in the incident.”

“We believe this was a tragic accident,” Balaam said. “This investigation is ongoing. We do not suspect any foul play.” Balaam also noted, “After Mr. Renner was run over by the PistenBully, neighbors ran out to help Mr. Renner.”

He said the department was keeping Renner and his family in “our thoughts and prayers” while he recovers.

JEREMY RENNER EXITS SURGERY AFTER SUFFERING BLUNT CHEST TRAUMA AND ORTHOPEDIC INJURIES IN ACCIDENT: REPORT

“Jeremy is making positive progress and is awake, talking and in good spirits,” Renner’s representative told Fox News Digital Tuesday. “He remains in ICU in critical but stable condition. He is overwhelmed by the showing of love and support. The family asks for your continued thoughts while he heals with his close loved ones.”

Shortly after the press conference, Renner shared a glimpse of his recovery efforts on Instagram. “Thank you all for your kind words,” he wrote. “Im too messed up now to type. But I send love to you all.”

Renner owns a home in Washoe County, which includes Reno, and told the Reno Gazette Journal in 2019 that he chose the area because Reno was the right-sized city for him, it has impressive scenery, and it allowed him and his family to ski frequently.

“In a big city, it’s hard to find community and even know your neighbors in a big city, but with Reno, I find I know quite a few people here. It’s just big enough, and it’s just small enough for me, and I love it,” Renner told the outlet.

The “Hurt Locker” star characterized the city as “majestic.”

“There’s no traffic, clean air, clean water, friendly, smiling faces here. I think it’s a majestic place.”

Renner has been married once to ex-wife Sonni Pacheco. The two married in 2014 after welcoming a daughter the year before.

However, shortly after Renner confirmed their marriage Pacheco filed for divorce citing “irreconcilable differences,” according to People magazine. Pacheco also requested the prenuptial agreement be voided because it was based on “fraud.”

The two seemed to have settled their issues and agreed to joint custody of their daughter, Ava.

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In 2019, Pacheco filed again for sole custody and accused Renner of attempting to kill her and himself, the outlet reported.

Renner denied the allegations during an interview with Men’s Health and refused to address them specifically.

“I don’t respond publicly or privately to nonsense,” he said at the time. “It only empowers it. …If you respond to it, you give it gas. I don’t fuel sh-t fires. I just don’t do it. I refuse to.”

Renner began his career in theater and studied at the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco. He eventually moved to Los Angeles where he pursued theater until he became a household name for his role in the 2002 film “Dahmer.”

From there, he was cast in the 2008 film “Hurt Locker.” Renner’s performance earned him an Academy Award nomination for best performance by an actor in a leading role.

Later, he was nominated for best performance by an actor in a supporting role for the film “The Town.”

Renner also starred alongside Tom Cruise in 2011’s “Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol” and 2015’s “Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation.” However, Renner is arguably most well known for his role as Hawkeye in “The Avengers” franchise.

Renner also recently completed filming for season two of “Mayor of Kingstown.” The second season of the Taylor Sheridan created thriller series is set to premiere on Jan. 15.

The actor had also set out to start a TV show titled “Rennervations” which would follow Renner “re-imagining unique purpose-built vehicles” in communities across America, according to IMDB.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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On New Year’s Day, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul was sworn in for her first full term. In the speech that followed she said “We must and will make our state safe … we have to make our state more affordable … And we must reverse the trend of people leaving our state in search of lower costs and opportunities elsewhere.” 

The governor of New York is choosing not to understand why people are fleeing her state. 

I know because I was one of them. 

A year ago, my husband and three children got on an airplane, moved to Florida and never looked back. Our move had made the news. I’m a columnist at New York’s storied newspaper, the New York Post, but more than that I had long been New York’s greatest champion. 

I AM LEAVING NEW YORK CITY FOR FLORIDA. I NEVER THOUGHT I WOULD

My family had arrived in Brooklyn in 1978 from the Soviet Union. Raised in Flatbush and then Bensonhurst, I returned to Brooklyn after college to live in Greenpoint. I made the big move to “the city” when my career started taking off and lived on the Upper East Side. 

I moved to the Upper West when I married my husband, also a lifelong New Yorker with a similar story about an immigrant family (from Israel) growing up in the boroughs (Queens.) 

We eventually moved back to my Brooklyn, to Park Slope, and planned to raise little New Yorkers in the dream home we built for ourselves. Ours was the classic story of the American dream and making it in America’s gateway, New York City. 

Then COVID hit. We saw a lot of people flee in the early days but we never considered leaving. This was our home and fear of a virus would not push us out. We had survived 9/11, the blackout of 2003, Hurricane Sandy. New York would bounce back, we believed, of course it would. 

It wasn’t the virus that killed our New York dream. It was the political reaction to that virus. The George Floyd riots in the summer of 2020 shook us but not nearly as much as the response from public health officials saying the protests were OK or the politicians covering for the destruction of cities across the country with woke platitudes. 

Every conversation seemed to take a similar path. COVID was a giant danger, we were constantly told, so you must do what we say. 

Schools in New York City couldn’t open, obviously. Well, except private schools. Only public school kids needed to be kept extra safe. And masks needed to be worn all the time. It was necessary! Yes, even outdoors! But then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo was almost never photographed in one and his successor Hochul, who kept masks on toddlers until the middle of 2022, was rarely seen in one either. 

‘FIGHT WE MUST’: RON DESANTIS FLAMES DAVOS ‘JETSETTERS,’ ‘TECHNOCRATIC ELITES’ IN FIERY INAUGURATION SPEECH

My husband and I sat on a Long Island beach that summer of 2020 and said words we could never have imagined: we’ve got to go. We have to get our children out of this. 

But we didn’t go. Because leaving the place you had loved for so long, where your family lives and where your dream of your life was supposed to take place is harder than it sounds. When schools went from their ridiculous part-time model to fully closed in November of 2020, that’s when we got semi-serious about getting out. 

We got a vacation rental in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, an area we hadn’t heard of before, and enrolled our three children in the local public school. 

For nearly five months, we lived a life New Yorkers like us could not imagine. The kids went to school every day. We went out to dinner. We never wore masks outdoors. It was normal and normal was glorious. 

During that stay, I interviewed Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for the first time. He said words my New York leaders would not say. 

He talked about putting children first, how important it was for him personally that schools opened for Florida kids, and how he was ready to fight for these kids. Meanwhile, in New York, the politicians were also fighting…to give Teachers Unions whatever they wanted at the expense of kids. 

We went back in May of 2021 and we still were not ready to abandon New York. We had one foot out the door but one foot still in our dream Brooklyn home. Maybe we could make it work? 

DESANTIS: SOFT-ON-CRIME POLICIES, ‘WOKE IDEOLOGY’ SPARKED ‘MASS EXODUS’ TO FLORIDA FROM DEMOCRAT-RUN CITIES

Schools did open for full-time learning in fall of 2021. But masks were required, even outside, even though Dr. Anthony Fauci himself had said that was unnecessary. 

My kids ate lunch on the ground outdoors, urged to mask between bites, while the elderly Gov. Hochul traipsed the state, maskless, eating as a normal person living a normal life. 

Meanwhile, crime was continuing to spike. But conversations around the crime wave were much like the conversations around COVID. There was correct language and correct ideas. 

The multi-million dollar townhouses on my block still had their “Defund Police” signs in the windows. Police were bad and crime, well, did it even really exist? 

Talking about crime was racist, talking about ideas on how to fight crime was racist, it was better to not speak at all. So many people did just that. Why have a fight in a Facebook group to say you were worried about crime when people would just shut you down with numbers saying that crime wasn’t even that bad yet or that concern about crime showed your privilege. It was easier to just be quiet and move away. Many people did just that. 

There wasn’t one moment that broke us, and severed our ties to our home city, but a million little moments. My middle son struggled with masking and would often get in trouble for having it under his nose. Again, outside, in nearly 2022. 

DESANTIS TO BE SWORN IN FOR SECOND TERM AS FLORIDA GOVERNOR, BUT EVERYONE IS WAITING FOR HIS 2024 PLANS

Our youngest was falling behind academically. The mask was stunting his verbal skills. He was hard to understand and was having trouble understanding his teacher. 

In November of 2021, American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten was photographed maskless indoors. In her defense she tweeted “I wear a mask most of the time indoors. We took them off as people were having a hard time hearing us.” 

Well, yes, that’s the problem with masking. My son had a hard time being heard in school for years. For years. And she did not care whatsoever. But, again, hypocrites will be hypocrites. It was the silence from my fellow New Yorkers about stuff like this that was impossible for us to take. 

There wasn’t one moment that broke us and forced us to finally make the move. We made the decision in late November of 2021 and by early January we were on a plane to Florida. We landed in our short-term rental and the kids started school, maskless, for the second half of the school year. 

We were done. We are free. A few months later Gov. Hochul would urge Republican New Yorkers to “jump on a bus and head down to Florida.” She included the dig that they’re not New Yorkers. 

DESANTIS CALLS FLORIDA ‘LAND OF SANITY,’ SLAMS BIDEN POLICIES IN HIS INAUGURAL ADDRESS

Her spiteful, hateful, leadership caused people to do just that. Now, as the news hit in the New York Post last week that over 2000 millionaires left New York during the pandemic, she has to beg for people to stay. These millionaires didn’t leave “in search of lower costs and opportunities elsewhere,” they left because of her leadership. 

They didn’t suddenly realize Florida had no state income tax. They saw the writing on the wall for New York just as we did. I appreciate the poetics of Hochul’s latest comments and I appreciate even more that I get to do that from afar. 

A question I get asked a lot is if I have any regrets about the move “now that COVID is over.” New York continues to have COVID restrictions aimed specifically at children. 

My sons’ Brooklyn public school continues to do all of their school events outdoors. A recent one was held while it was 45 degrees. 

Parents who haven’t been vaccinated for COVID-19 are not allowed inside the school buildings. 

It’s 2023, we know the vaccine doesn’t control spread, and yet some parents haven’t been inside their kid’s classroom since 2020. It’s madness and it continues. 

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There’s also the additional fear that masking could be reimplemented at any time. 

When Philadelphia and Boston discuss masking in schools, New York City parents tell me they worry their schools will be next. It’s a worry Miami parents simply don’t have because of Gov. DeSantis. Leadership matters. 

Because our move was so public, I’ve heard from people all across the country. I’ve heard their struggles in leaving their families, their hometowns, their dreams of a certain life for themselves and their families. 

It wasn’t just New Yorkers fleeing. People across the country left for similar reasons. They didn’t just end up in Florida either. Texas, North Carolina and many other states picked up the refugees yearning for a better life. 

Not everyone I hear from is fully happy with their move. Some aren’t sure they landed in the right place. But I have yet to hear from anyone who is going back. 

The great majority of people who contact me are like us: full of gratitude and happiness that we got to sanity, to safety, to normalcy. We’ll always love New York and wish for it to return to its former glory. But we’ll do that wishing from the Sunshine State that has become our family’s home. 

Every year, our family celebrates the day we came to America. July 20th is our Americaversary. 

On January 3rd our family will celebrate one year as Floridians. The concept is similar. Pursue freedom and celebrate where you find it.

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An outraged mother took to TikTok recently to vent her frustration and anger about a toy purchased as a Christmas gift for her nine-month-old son that spewed off-color jokes instead of the expected baby-friendly songs and sounds. 

“I was just coming on here because I need TikTok to do its thing,” said user Ashley Lynn, who shares content on TikTik under the handle @mamabearash, in the video she shared on the platform on Christmas Day.

The toy, a colorful pretend TV remote control made by the Linsay toy company, was a gift for her young son from her grandmother, who purchased it at Walmart, Lynn said in her video.

MAINE MOM RAISES THE ALARM AFTER HER BABY DAUGHTER NEARLY DIES FROM SWALLOWING A WATER BEAD 

The Linsay toy company’s website lists its location as Tokyo, Japan.

Soon after the mom opened the colorful toy for her child and loaded in the batteries, the baby to begin to play with it, Lynn said.

She said her baby son was soon “going to town chewing on” the toy, and “pressing the buttons.”

However, Lynn’s mom soon alerted her that the colorful toy “just said something about a drive-by shooting,” the frustrated mom said on TikTok.

She then played that “joke” for her social media audience by pushing a colorful button on the toy. Right after that came a sexually themed joke about priests.

“What? What?” Lynn said in the video. 

It’s “a kid’s toy,” she added. “There’s a baby on the box.”

4-YEAR-OLD GIRL GETS STUCK INSIDE CLAW MACHINE: SEE THE VIDEO

A third joke could be heard coming from the baby toy: “Tom told his friend he has a job with 10,000 people under him,” as Lynn demonstrated by pushing a button on the toy and playing the joke in her video.

The toy’s audio continued, “His friend replied, ‘Wow, he must be the CEO of a corporation.’”

Then, the joke’s punchline: “Tom said, ‘No, he cuts the grass in a cemetery.'”

Lynn said that joke was “kind of funny — but still, for a baby?” 

She then played the drive-by shooting joke for her TikTok followers.

Lynn ended her video by looking into the camera and saying, “Walmart, explain this. Linsay Toys, explain this.”

In a directive to her TikTok followers, Lynn said, “Blow this up. Do I have a lawsuit? Lawyers, help me out.”

NEW YEAR, NEW DRAMA: GRIEF-STRICKEN WOMAN WONDERS IF SHE CAN ‘SNEAK OUT’ OF A FRIEND’S FATHER-DAUGHTER DANCE

The description for the toy on the ShopHQ website reads, “Light up toy remote for toddlers and kids with ABC songs, stories, music and fun sound effects and buttons with different shapes and textures.”

It continues, “Baby remote control toy lets baby’s curiosity take itself [sic] to develop its exploration … to learn the world.”

It also says, “Colorful buttons introduce colors, numbers to keep your child’s attention. Learning remote helps baby discover cause and effect, develop his cognitive and thinking ability.”

The toy, which also retailed on the ShopHQ site for $29.95, is listed there as both “sold out” and “not available.”

KIDS AT RISK: NUMBER OF CHILDREN ACCIDENTALLY CONSUMING MARIJUANA EDIBLES AT HOME IS SKYROCKETING, STUDY SAYS

In an update to her TikTok story posted on Dec. 31, Lynn shared that she had reached out by email to the Linsay toy company, sending the firm a photo of the toy and saying she felt the audio was “very inappropriate.”

She says she asked the company, “What are you going to do about it?”

The company got back to her promptly, Lynn said.

It apparently told her that it had “opened an investigation” into the issue and that the toy “would stop being sold.”

The mom then listed the five online retailers she had checked — including Lowe’s, Macy’s and Office Depot — and said that the toy was not currently available on any of them. 

The toy, as of publication time, does not appear on the Linsay toy company’s website.

“To my knowledge, this [toy] is done being sold,” she said.

Fox News Digital reached out the Linsay toy company for comment.

MOST CREEPY IPHONE SETTING NEEDS TO BE ADJUSTED

Fox News Digital also reached out to Walmart for comment. 

In a statement, a Walmart spokesperson told Fox News Digital, “This item was listed by an outside third-party seller and removed from our site because it does not comply with our prohibited products policy.”

The Walmart spokesperson also said, “Like other major retailers, we operate an online marketplace that allows third-party sellers to offer merchandise through our eCommerce platform. Walmart strives to maintain a marketplace that customers can trust.”

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One TikTok user commented on Lynn’s video. 

The person wrote, “WOW! This world will seriously do anything to corrupt a child’s brain. I didn’t realize they were literally starting with babies … TV, too!”

Yet another user commented, “I got a similar toy for my kid on Amazon. It was an activity table and as soon as I heard those ‘jokes,’ I got rid of it! Definitely freaked me out.” 

The person followed that comment with a “nervous face” emoji.

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EXCLUSIVE: Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg traveled to Europe on a military aircraft to attend the Fifth Invictus Games with his husband Chasten Buttigieg last spring, according to an internal calendar reviewed by Fox News Digital.

On April 15, Buttigieg traveled from Joint Base Andrews to Rotterdam, Netherlands, via “MilAir Flight” before returning two days later on military aircraft, the calendar obtained by Americans for Public Trust (APT) and shared with Fox News Digital showed. According to photos from the event and media reports, the transportation secretary traveled to the Netherlands with his husband.

President Biden announced that Buttigieg would lead a presidential delegation, which included lawmakers and fellow administration officials, to the Invictus Games days prior to the event in April. The event was founded by Prince Harry in 2014 as a multi-sport competition for wounded, injured or sick soldiers and military veterans. Buttigieg joined the U.S. Navy Reserve in 2009 and was deployed to Afghanistan in 2014.

“It’s standard practice for military aircraft to be provided for White House organized Cabinet-level presidential delegations,” a spokesperson for the White House National Security Council told Fox News Digital in a statement.

BUTTIGIEG BATTERED BY CRISES IN FIRST TWO YEARS AS TRANSPORTATION SECRETARY: ‘PRIME EXAMPLE OF FAILING UP’

Previous administrations also sent presidential delegations to the Invictus Games in 2014, 2016, 2017 and 2018.

In a separate statement, a Department of Transportation spokesperson reiterated the importance of the Invictus Games, but didn’t answer questions about the cost to taxpayers and whether Buttigieg plans on reimbursing the government for costs associated with his husband’s travel.

“The Secretary was proud to be asked to be part of the Presidential Delegation that the State Department organized for the Invictus Games — an international event supporting wounded, injured and sick servicemen and women, both serving and veterans,” the spokesperson told Fox News Digital. “The delegation met with the U.S. team of wounded veterans and active service members as part of the visit.”

But in 2017, former President Donald Trump accepted the resignation of then-Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Tom Price after it was reported the Cabinet official had cost taxpayers more than $1 million using government-funded private jets and military aircraft. Following reports that Price’s wife had accompanied him on military aircraft during overseas trips, the former HHS secretary reimbursed the government for her travel costs.

It remains unclear whether Buttigieg has reimbursed the government for his husband’s travel costs.

Overall, Price’s international flights on military aircraft alone cost more than $500,000, Politico reported in 2017. Kathleen Sebelius, a former Cabinet official who served during the Obama administration, told Politico she never flew on a military plane for an international trip.

In the aftermath of the 2017 report about Price’s travels, the White House said at the time that “use of military aircraft for Cabinet and other essential travelers is sometimes an appropriate and necessary use of resources,” echoing the statement from the National Security Council shared Wednesday with Fox News Digital.

PETE BUTTIGIEG OFTEN FLIES ON TAXPAYER-FUNDED PRIVATE JETS, FLIGHT DATA SHOW

“Secretary Buttigieg’s travel woes keep piling up with this newest revelation that he and his husband took a private jet for a European trip,” APT executive director Caitlin Sutherland told Fox News Digital. “Taxpayers, who just had their holiday plans completely upended because of Buttigieg’s travel mismanagement, should be furious.” 

“Buttigieg manages to avoid all the problems he has created by flying private military jets around the world for non-military purposes, while everyday Americans bear the brunt of his detachment from their travel realities,” she continued.

Fox News Digital reported in December that Buttigieg has used government private jets on at least 18 occasions since taking office. Buttigieg, who has argued for aggressive climate change policies and carbon emission reductions, was blasted following the report for hypocrisy. Private jet travel is by far the most carbon-intensive mode of transportation.

Price and Buttigieg’s predecessor, Elaine Chao, who served throughout the Trump administration, were sharply criticized for similar uses of the jets managed by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The FAA has previously charged federal agencies about $5,000 per hour to use its fleet, according to reports.

In response to the report last month, Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., wrote a letter to Department of Transportation Inspector General Eric Soskin, urging an investigation into the matter.

“I have long worked to ensure effective controls regarding leadership and staff travel and reducing the risk of fraud, waste, and abuse,” Rubio wrote on Dec. 16. “Therefore, I ask that you conduct a review to determine whether Secretary Buttigieg’s travels were in compliance with all applicable regulations, policies, and procedures.”

Meanwhile, during Buttigieg’s tenure, the Transportation Department has dealt with multiple crises related to widespread commercial airline delays and cancelations. Southwest, one of the largest airlines in the nation, canceled about 15,000 flights in late December amid the peak holiday travel season.

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Republicans failed three times on Tuesday to elect a House speaker, but they’ll convene the House again at noon Wednesday to try again.

Tuesday’s failure marked the first time the House failed on the first vote for speaker since 1923, which was the only instance since the Civil War. 

But it was more than a historical oddity. It forced a hasty adjournment aimed at giving GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy’s camp and members of the House Freedom Caucus a chance to see if they can find some way forward.

By late Tuesday night, more than a dozen pizzas were wheeled into McCarthy’s office, a sign of ongoing strategizing on how to deliver at least 218 votes to McCarthy. 

HOUSE DEMOCRATS CHEER AS MCCARTHY FAILS TO CLINCH SPEAKERSHIP MULTIPLE TIMES

The would-be speaker topped out at 203 during the day, compared to the 19 and 20 votes collected by the preferred alternative of GOP hardliners, Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio.

The House GOP caucus was set to meet early Wednesday morning in the hopes of finding some kind of agreement.

Agreement between the two GOP camps may end up being a necessary ingredient if a way forward is to be found. Tuesday showed how little progress could be made when both sides were content to force a series of votes and hope the other side would give in. There was evidence early Tuesday that turning the vote into a game of chicken wasn’t going to be enough.

McCarthy told reporters prior to a Tuesday morning meeting that “we are going to have a good day.” But the meeting marked the start of a sharp conflict in the party. A spokesperson for Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., confirmed to Fox News Digital that she muttered “this is bulls—” under her breath as McCarthy explained how he has earned the right to lead the caucus.

HOUSE SPEAKER BATTLE: PROFANITIES FLY AS REPUBLICAN FACTIONS GET HEATED OVER MCCARTHY SPEAKERSHIP BID

At that point, even McCarthy knew he wouldn’t win the vote on the first try but said he was in it for the long haul.

“I’m not going anywhere,” McCarthy told reporters ahead of the first vote. “We did have an intense conference, and it’s intense for a purpose.”

He added to reporters that he didn’t mind setting a record for the number of votes needed to win the gavel, and soon after noon, that prediction came true.

Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., nominated McCarthy the first time. 

“Under Kevin McCarthy’s leadership, House Republicans crafted a bold vision to put America back on track,” Stefanik said. “No one in this body has worked harder for this Republican majority than Kevin McCarthy.”

But Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., was nominated as an alternative Republican candidate to McCarthy in the first round, which followed his challenge to McCarthy in a GOP conference meeting late last year.

Nineteen Republicans voted for a member besides McCarthy in the first round: ten for Biggs, six for Jordan and three for others.

THE VOTE FOR HOUSE SPEAKER: LIVE UPDATES

Jordan nominated McCarthy in the second round in a show of solidarity. But Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., then nominated Jordan.

“Maybe the right person for the job of speaker of the House isn’t someone who wants it so bad,” Gaetz said. “Maybe the right person for the job of speaker of the House isn’t someone who has sold shares of himself for more than a decade to get it.”

Nineteen Republicans voted for Jordan in the second round.

Rep. Steve Scalise, R-La., nominated McCarthy in the third round of votes, but the result was slightly worse for McCarthy. Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., joined the 19 Republicans in favor of Jordan in the third round. The flip, he said, was because McCarthy does not have the votes.

“The reality is Rep. Kevin McCarthy doesn’t have the votes,” Donalds tweeted after his decision. “I committed my support to him publicly and for two votes on the House floor. Two hundred and eighteen is the number, and currently, no one is there. Our conference needs to recess and huddle and find someone or work out the next steps.”

But McCarthy’s opponents are so far facing the same problem. They have yet to win anything above 20 votes, and McCarthy’s backers appear to be holding firm.

There is no precedent in House history for a nominee for speaker to withdraw, Fox News was told. If history is any guide, McCarthy and his allies will have to find the right combination of concessions to bring along 15 hesitant Republicans, or lose to a candidate that can somehow emerge from the infighting as a consensus candidate.

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Democrats appeared to be enjoying the spectacle and delivered unanimous support for Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., three times in a row. By the time Jeffries was nominated for the third time, Democrats chanted “Hakeem” over and over, enjoying a unity that is so far eluding the GOP.

Fox News’ Chad Pergram and Tyler Olson contributed to this report.

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Last year the United States witnessed the third year in a crime wave raging since 2020, coupled with a number of deadly natural events that took their toll in lives and property. But amid instances of robberies, violent physical attacks and other dangerous scenarios, brave Americans stepped up and ended violent attacks or helped prevent further tragedy – with some even losing their lives to protect a stranger in need. 

A restaurant owner in swanky Hollywood earned the title of good Samaritan in August when he tackled a robber who allegedly sucker-punched an elderly man. 

Shocking video of the incident showed a homeless man punch an elderly man sitting at a restaurant table and swiping the man’s wallet and cellphone. 

Tim Ratcliff, owner of restaurant Shin in Hollywood, is seen on video pursuing the suspect as he walks away from the scene and ultimately tackling him at the intersection of La Brea and Hollywood.

HOLLYWOOD RESTAURANT OWNER TURNS GOOD SAMARITAN BY TAKING DOWN ROBBERY SUSPECT WHO PUNCHED ELDERLY MAN: REPORT

“I took him down and just waited there until the police arrived,” Ratcliff told Fox 11 at the time. 

Ratcliff held the suspect for over nine minutes until police responded. 

“I was not gonna lie, the adrenaline was a lot at that point, and afterward it was exhausting. It felt like I had worked out the next day for quite a bit,” he said.

In a tragic incident this year, a straphanger in the Bronx on New Year’s 2022 was killed after he jumped onto the subway tracks to try to rescue a complete stranger as a train approached the station. 

NEW YORK CITY GOOD SAMARITAN DIES TRYING TO SAVE VICTIM OF ALLEGED SUBWAY GANG ASSAULT

Roland Hueston, 38, jumped into action after victim Noel Soto, 36, was knocked unconscious when alleged gang members threw him onto the tracks. Hueston was able to move the unconscious Soto from the direct path of an oncoming train, but was unable to get himself out of the way before the subway car fatally struck him. 

“He didn’t even know me,” Soto tearfully told the New York Post in an interview following the incident. “He gave his life to save mine.”

Police ultimately arrested a handful of teenage suspects in the case.

A California grocery store was the site of a shocking attempted sexual attack on a teenage girl in September, but the attack was thwarted when three men intervened. 

“The screams were just terrifying,” a witness at the Stater Bros grocery store in Whittier told Fox 11. “She was actually screaming saying, ‘Help, help! I need help. My daughter’s in the bathroom with a guy.’”

GOOD SAMARITANS THWART ALLEGED NEAR-SEXUAL ASSAULT ON TEEN IN CALIFORNIA GROCERY STORE BATHROOM

Suspect Steven Daniel Magdalen, 39, reportedly followed a 16-year-old girl into the grocery store’s bathroom, locked the door, pushed the young girl and tried to sexually assault her while she was on the ground, the LA County Sheriff’s Office said at the time. 

Store employees rushed to open the doors to the bathroom, allowing three men to pin Magdalen to the ground until police arrived, according to Fox 11. 

The Atlantic hurricane season 2022 brought 14 named storms, including Category 4 Hurricane Ian in September, which marked Florida’s most deadly hurricane in nearly 100 years. 

Almost 150 people were killed in Florida alone by Ian, but for one elderly woman who had lost her cellphone, saw her landline phone go down, and was missed by an evacuation team, a good Samaritan came to her rescue.

Las Vegas resident Christine Bomlitz, the daughter of Shirley Affolter, 84, became desperate as she went hours without hearing any updates from her mom and posted a plea on social media asking for someone to go check on her. Affolter was unable to try to find safety beyond her own home as she relies on a walker to get around. 

GOOD SAMARITAN BRAVES HURRICANE IAN TO CHECK ON STRANGER’S 84-YEAR-OLD MOM

Her social media plea was answered by Cheynne Prevatt, 26, who waded into the swelling waters to check on the elderly woman.

“I didn’t know who she was, but she was really kind of surprised to see me,” Prevatt said of initially making contact with Affolter. 

Affolter was found safe in her home and was able to speak briefly with her daughter on the phone before her hearing aids stopped working. Prevatt was able to send Bomlitz a photo of her elderly mom smiling.

“I’m thankful for this stranger,” Bomlitz said, “a total stranger. People are amazing.”

The Willoughby police chief in Ohio personally thanked four good Samaritans in September for intervening when a man who was pulled over by a female cop for speeding began attacking the officer. 

“I am so proud of our community and the tremendous support we receive on a day-to-day basis,” Willoughby Police Chief Jim Schultz wrote in a Facebook post. “Saturday was another awesome example. I greatly appreciate it!! Thank you!”

OHIO GOOD SAMARITANS RUSH TO HELP POLICE OFFICER IN ROADSIDE STRUGGLE: ‘YOU DON’T DO THAT TO A WOMAN’

Suspect David Koubeck, 64, was pulled over for going 57 in a 35 mph zone by Officer Stacee Wright, 30, in the Cleveland suburb. Koubeck was seen on camera refusing Wright’s orders, including to remain in his vehicle or to sit on the curb next to his car. 

After the suspect further declined multiple orders from Wright to put his hands behind his back or on the vehicle, a “physical struggle” ensued.

Then four good Samaritans stepped in to defend Wright. 

“You don’t do that to a woman. Do you understand me?” one person is heard yelling at Koubeck. 

The four people remained on the scene until backup officers arrived and arrested Koubeck.

The Associated Press and Fox News Digital’s Sarah Rumpf contributed to this report. 

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