Cities across the globe wrap up 2024, ring in new year with celebrations

President-elect Trump held a New Year's Eve celebration at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, on Tuesday night, which included several of his closest associates.

Guests included Elon Musk, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and Marla Maples, who was married to Trump from 1993 to 1999. JD Vance, Trump's running mate, was also in attendance with his wife Usha.

Tiffany Trump and her husband Michael Boulos were also seen at the event, along with Lara and Eric Trump.

When asked what he most looks forward to in the new year, Trump replied that he predicts 2025 will be "a great year."

"We’re going to do fantastic as a country," the Republican said. "People aren’t respecting us as much, and they will be."

Fox News' Matt Finn contributed to this report.

A montage of the biggest events in 2024 aired on "The Story" on Tuesday, recapping a year filled with unforgettable political moments.

The montage included host Martha MacCallum's coverage of the year's most significant political events, ranging from the July 13 assassination attempt against President-elect Trump to the presidential debates.

MacCallum also anchored coverage of the 2024 presidential race in November, along with Fox News host Bret Baier.

"A year of truly extraordinary political moments with Martha," guest host Jonathan Hunt said after the montage aired.

NYSE trader Peter Tuchman spoke about the state of the stock market and his 2025 predictions on Tuesday's episode of "Your World."

Tuchman, who is known as "The Einstein of Wall Street" and has decades of trading experience, emphasized the uniquity of the market in what he described as a "post-COVID world."

"It's hard for me to predict that after, what an extraordinary year," he conceded. "This was not an easy year. We had so much going on between interest rates and inflation."

"Obviously, we had two major wars going on around the nation, around the world, you know, involving oil to a commodity that affects markets," Tuchman added. "We obviously had a lot of the polarity around the election and we came through it trading at record highs across the board."

Tuchman also doubted reports that the stock market would fare poorly under the incoming Trump administration.

"He plays hardball," the trader said. "But I don't think he's going to dismantle it... he's being given handed an extraordinary market this that we've never seen anything like it over these years."

On Tuesday's episode of "The Five," Fox News Channel co-hosts reacted to the thousands of people lining up for the New Year's Eve ball drop in Manhattan.

While some co-hosts expressed disdain for the idea of standing in Times Square for a full day, co-host Katie Pavlich said she admired the dedicated tourists.

"I admire these people for actually dedicating themselves...they're ready to ring in the new year," she said. "They're committed. They have their gear like us in here."

"But it's kind of fun to see people from foreign countries doing this. I think it's great. And, you know, the only worst place to be in Times Square is the day after," she joked. "Like, don't go there tomorrow."

Later in the segment, the group discussed New Year's resolutions, and Dr. Nicole Saphier explained why she does not participate in yearly resolutions.

"I don't like resolutions because it puts a lot of pressure on you," she explained. "Just like I don't like trends and fads because they're usually short-lived."

Saphier explained that she prefers making daily resolutions instead of annual ones.

"This is just going to sound silly, but I really just do try [to make resolutions] every day of the year. Like, what can I be doing?" she described. "And I don't put pressure on myself or something big because we all know by the end of January, probably gonna forget about it."

Ret. NYPD inspector Paul Mauro offered advice for tourists attending New Year's Eve celebrations in New York City on the Tuesday episode of "Your World."

Mauro explained that most crime that takes place in Times Square is property crime as opposed to violent crime, but that it still warrants special attention.

"A lot of that is property crime, but that's something that you do want to be cognizant of if you're out there today," Mauro said. "It's a prime event, but things like pickpocketing, you want to be cognizant of that."

The retired inspector advised that tourists should always stick together when using public transit, and should remain aware of their surroundings.

"If you're on the subway, stick together," Mauro said. "Don't be looking at your phone. Stay alert when the trains are pulling in. Those are things that the police concern themselves with every year."

"I don't really think this year's event is going to be that different," he added. "[The] police department's been doing this a long time. They know how to run this event."

For the last time before the New Year, the stunning colors of the aurora borealis might be visible for those who live in the northern border of America.

Solar storms, a result of two bursts of plasma hurtling towards Earth, may bring the Northern Lights into view early this week, according to the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

"A flurry of activity occurred the weekend of 28-29 December as active regions and (sun) spot groups became unstable," the NOAA'S Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) reported.

Read the full article about the Northern Lights by Sydney Borchers

A blackout in Puerto Rico left nearly 1.3 million clients in the dark on Tuesday as the U.S. territory began preparations to celebrate New Year’s Eve, and according to officials, it may take up to two days to restore power.

The Associated Press reported that power went dark at dawn, sending the entire island into silence when electrical appliances and air conditioners were cut off before generators from those who could afford them turned on.

Luma Energy, a private company that oversees the transmission and distribution of electricity, said nearly 90% of 1.47 million clients in Puerto Rico were left in the dark.

Read the full article about Puerto Rico by Greg Wehner

Nearly everyone is familiar with the "ball drop" in Times Square in Manhattan each year on New Year's Eve — the event draws thousands of people to New York City, while millions more across the country watch the spectacle on TV channels and streaming platforms.

But plenty of other, smaller yet no less festive celebrations are taking place with giant versions of foods "dropped" to help ring in and celebrate the New Year — including potatoes in Idaho, tacos in Tucson, Arizona, and cheese in various cities in Wisconsin.

Here's a close look at four other food-focused events around the nation. 

Click here to read the full article about food drops by Christine Rousselle

Chinese President Xi Jinping rang in the New Year with a national address from Beijing on Tuesday.

Xi notably asserted that "no one can stop" the reunification of Taiwan with China. Xi's government has routinely made threats to forcibly take over the self-governed island.

"The people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait are one family. No one can sever our family bonds, and no one can stop the historical trend of national reunification," Xi said in a speech televised on China's state broadcaster CCTV.

Russians are celebrating New Year's Eve in Moscow on Tuesday as Russian President Vladimir Putin gave his end-of-year address.

"And now, on the threshold of the new year, we are thinking about the future. We are confident that everything will be fine, we will only move forward. We know for sure that the absolute value for us was, is and will be the fate of Russia, the well-being of its citizens," Putin said.

Sydney, Australia was among the first major cities to ring in 2025 on Tuesday, celebrating the New Year with a massive firework show.

More than a quarter of the world has entered 2025 as of press time.

More than one million people crowded around the Sydney Harbor for the event, which featured a number of musical performances, including British pop star Robbie Williams.

Retired NYPD Lt. Darrin Porcher joined 'America's Newsroom' on Tuesday to analyze the NYPD operating in a "heightened threat environment" on New Year's Eve.

Porcher detailed that police could be using sniper teams, drones, K-9 units and other teams to keep an eye out for security threats. He said police are on particularly high alert for "lone wolf" attacks, but he is confident the celebration will go off "without a hitch, as it has for years on end."

"The NYPD has been doing this for years," Porcher said, before highlighting a key consent agreement that helps cops operate on the big night.

"The NYPD has a consent agreement with the commercial properties in that particular area," Porcher said, referring to Times Square. "That allows the NYPD to log-in to those commercial cameras, not just the NYPD cameras."

Porcher said that a "lone wolf" attack is the threat he would be most worried about at an event like the Times Square party. He also said "radioactive materials" or a "dirty bomb" are also concerns that the NYPD would monitor for.

Several political figures on both sides of the aisle increased their profile in 2024 and are primed to become key voices in their respective parties in 2025 and beyond.

Democrats suffered a major blow in 2024, in a year that saw President Biden bow out of the political race and be replaced by VP Kamala Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, who lost both the Electoral College and popular vote in November. Going forward, several Democrats are expected to fill that leadership void heading into the midterms.

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro

Shapiro was widely considered to be the strongest vice presidential candidate to join the Harris ticket this summer, and Harris received criticism for her decision to select Walz instead. Shapiro, viewed as a moderate by some, has been governor of the state since January 2023 and will face a re-election test in 2026 before any potential 2028 run.

Pennsylvania’s 19 electoral votes make it a key state in presidential elections, making Shapiro’s position as governor of that state an appealing attribute for any presidential candidate.

"Probably the biggest winner on election night," Mike Manzo of Triad Strategies told ABC 27 last month. "If 2026 turns out to be a bad midterm for the Republicans, (Shapiro’s) sitting on the top of the ticket for in Pennsylvania. You know, so if he runs away with that the following January, he’s in Iowa."

House Rep. Pat Ryan 

Ryan, who represents New York’s 18th Congressional District, was considered one of the most vulnerable incumbents heading into the November election but defeated his Republican challenger by 14 points in a swing district.

Since the election, Ryan has been one of the most outspoken Democrats on the subject of what went wrong for his party in November.

"First and foremost, if you're using the words ‘moderate’ or ‘progressive’ you're missing the whole f***ing point," Ryan wrote on X. "It's not ideological. It's about who fights for the people vs. who further empowers and enables the elites."

"Most importantly, I told folks exactly who it was that was ripping them off, and I grounded it locally. It's the billionaires and big corporations making record-breaking profits while the rest of us struggle."

Ryan wrote, "It's not enough to throw these seemingly disparate policies at people. We must articulate a unifying principle, and clearly tell folks who’s at fault.  For me, it was Freedom. and Patriotism. And the fault lies with the same elites, in both parties, who've run this country for far too long."

This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News' Andrew Mark Miller

Immigration and border security were two issues that dominated news coverage and political debate in 2024, likely helping to decide the presidential election, as both candidates sought to present themselves as the best to tackle a historic border crisis and the consequences of the crisis were felt across the country.

In January, the U.S. remained in the throes of a migrant crisis that had exploded in 2021 and continued to roil the country throughout 2022 and 2023. In December 2023, encounters at the southern border hit a new record with more than 250,000 encounters in a single month.

It was a month that saw top Cabinet officials head to Mexico to attempt to persuade Mexican officials to do more to stop the flood of migrants heading north. As the presidential race, as well as congressional races, got into full swing in the early months of 2024, it became clear that the issue was likely to dominate the news cycle. Then-candidate Donald Trump promised to launch a mass deportation operation if elected, while President Biden touted a sharp drop in encounters since the beginning of the year as he also signed an executive order limiting asylum entries in June.

Border deal on the table?

A potential breakthrough emerged in February when Republicans and Democrats announced a border security bill in the Senate. The package gained the support of the Biden administration but quickly drew opposition from conservatives as well as some liberal Democrats.

The bill included increased funding for border agencies as well as an emergency authority to shut down entries at the southern border when encounters exceed a rolling seven-day average of 5,000 encounters. It would also expedite work permits for migrants and tighten asylum screening language.

Conservatives said the bill would codify high-border encounters, but the Biden administration and both the Biden and Harris campaigns would cite the bill as a bipartisan solution to the crisis that former President Donald Trump was rejecting for political purposes. 

This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News' Adam Shaw

As 2024 comes to an end, there are lots of moments in the world of sports to reflect on after 365 days, and many of them are great. 

However, controversy was also seen throughout the days and months. 

Let's take a look at some of 2024's biggest controversial moments in sports, starting in Paris at the Olympic Games. 

Imane Khelif wins gold medal in Paris

The most-Googled athlete of the year was at the center of controversy at the Paris Olympics, as Algeria’s Imane Khelif became the gold medalist in her weight class for boxing, despite questions about gender eligibility. 

Khelif was disqualified from the 2023 International Boxing Association World Championships after IBA president Umar Kremlev said the boxer had "XY chromosomes," which are associated with biological males. 

However, the IOC defended Khelif, as well as Taiwan’s Lin Yu-ting, who also won gold in a different women’s weight class despite related outrage. 

"These two athletes were the victims of a sudden and arbitrary decision by the IBA," the IOC said. "Towards the end of the IBA World Championships in 2023, they were suddenly disqualified without any due process."

Khelif went on to never lose a single round in Paris on her way to gold. One boxer, Angela Carini, even forfeited against Khelif in Paris, saying that "one punch hurt too much."

Caitlin Clark roughed up during historic rookie season

Clark made WNBA history in her first season as part of the Indiana Fever, while headlining a rookie class that changed the landscape of women's sports, let alone women's basketball. 

But this rookie season to remember didn't come without its own controversy, especially when she was playing. 

Clark was a part of national headlines after the Chicago Sky's Chennedy Carter checked her down on the court early in the season, which was deemed a Flagrant-1 foul. 

It wasn't a necessary physical play, hence the foul call, but it became much more than that as talk shows and media outlets began discussing whether players are being too harsh on Clark, who had taken a beating on the court with some hard fouls prior to that as well. Race was also brought up as part of the discussions. 

Clark would endure more moments of physicality, including from fellow rookie Angel Reese, who whacked her in the head during a layup attempt. However, both Reese and Clark agreed it had just been a basketball play that didn't work out at that moment. 

This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News' Scott Thompson

CBS News correspondent Jan Crawford said the most underreported story in 2024 was concerns around President Biden's age, which came to a tipping point after members of his own party forced him to withdraw from the campaign.

"That would be, to me, Joe Biden's obvious cognitive decline that became undeniable in a televised debate," Crawford said on "Face the Nation," the CBS Sunday show. "Unquestioned."

Reports from The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times and other outlets have revealed that some advisers close to the president have been concerned about Biden's health since the early days of his administration. The White House frequently dismissed questions about his abilities and even called videos that appeared to show Biden confused or out of step "cheap fakes."

"We should have much more forcefully questioned whether he was fit for office for another four years," Crawford continued, arguing that the added media pressure "could have led to a primary for the Democrats." 

"We should have much more forcefully questioned whether he was fit for office for another four years," Crawford continued, arguing that the added media pressure "could have led to a primary for the Democrats." 

"It could have changed the scope of the entire election," she said. "Yet still, incredibly, we read in The Washington Post, that his advisers are saying that he regrets that he dropped out of the race, that he thinks he could have beaten Trump, and I think that is either delusional or they're gaslighting him." 

Biden said that he was "feeling terrible" on the night of the debate with Trump in June, telling ABC News host George Stephanopoulos that more serious concerns over his cognitive health should not have been believed in a post-debate interview.

"I was feeling terrible," Biden said. "Matter of fact, the docs with me, I asked if they did a COVID test because they were trying to figure out what's wrong. They did a test to see whether or not I had some infection, you know, a virus. I didn't. Just had a really bad cold."

This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News' Jeffrey Clark

Some big-name companies and their CEOs have parted ways this year. 

The departures have come in industries ranging from aerospace and fitness to apparel and tech, among others.

The Boeing, Nike, Peloton, WeightWatchers, Nike and Intel are among companies with CEO exits in 2024.

David Calhoun

Calhoun revealed in March that he had plans to stop serving as Boeing’s CEO, just over four years after he first took on the position.

"I have been considering for some time, in discussion with our board of directors, the right time for a CEO transition at Boeing," he said in a message to employees at the time. "I want to share with you that I have decided this will be my last year as CEO of our great company, and I have notified the board of that decision."

He said Boeing would "remain squarely focused on completing the work we have done together to return our company to stability after the extraordinary challenges of the past five years, with safety and quality at the forefront of everything that we do" during the transition. 

The company has been working to recover from headwinds stemming from a pair of 737 MAX 8 crashes several years ago and, more recently, a Boeing 737 MAX plane’s door plug panel detaching mid-flight in January.

Kelly Ortberg had led the aerospace company since the late summer. His first day as CEO was Aug. 8. 

Barry McCarthy

Barry McCarthy stopped being Peloton’s CEO in May, prompting the fitness company to tap Karen Boone and Chris Bruzzo as interim Co-CEOs while it looked for a permanent successor.

Following a surge in business during the pandemic, Peloton battled to remain relevant as people returned to traditional gym workouts when social distancing restrictions eased. To combat the declining sales, it deployed various efforts to cut costs and expand its customer base.

Ford executive Peter Stern will take over as CEO at the beginning of January, Peloton said in October. Bruzzo stepped down from his interim CEO role in early November, with Boone continuing to run the company in the meantime.

Peloton is known for its exercise bikes, treadmills and rowing machines.

Sima Sistani

Sistani exited WW International in late September, marking the end to her 2.5-year stint as CEO.

At the same time, WeightWatchers named Tara Comonte its interim CEO. The company said she was taking on the job "at a time when the Company is focused on improving its operational and financial performance while continuing to build on its product innovation and solutions for members." 

The company has been around since 1963. It has long offered weight-loss and weight-management programs and, more recently, has delved into access to weight-loss medications. 

This is an excerpt from an article by Fox Business' Aislinn Murphy

People looked up a slew of financial topics on Investopedia over the course of the year, with searches for some emerging as particularly popular.

Ten topics stood out as the ones that Investopedia readers searched for the most in 2024, the finance-focused site reported earlier in the month. 

Investopedia editor-in-chief Caleb Silver discussed the findings of the "2024 Investopedia Terms of the Year" during a recent appearance on "The Claman Countdown." 

"We look every day, we look every week and we look throughout the year at what people are searching for, what trends, terms or topics," he explained to host Liz Claman.

Inflation ranked No. 1 for the year, according to Investopedia. 

"That was top of mind for everybody in this year, and it actually bled through into the election," Silver said. "It wasn’t just the fact that people were noticing that the growth rate was slower, but things didn’t feel cheaper to them."

The Consumer Price Index rose 0.3% month-over-month and 2.7% year-over-year in November, the month with the most-recently available data, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. 

Second-place on Investopedia’s annual list was "tariffs." 

Silver linked that topic’s appearance on the ranking to the presidential election.

"So you were making a choice for a lot of people. ‘I’m not comfortable with the fact that prices are still high. On the flip side, we know tariffs will come our way if they elect President Trump into office.’ That’s what happened," he explained. "Tariffs is trending very hard right now."

The No. 3 and No. 4 spots went to "Nvidia" and "stock split," respectively. 

This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News' Aislinn Murphy

It’s nearly time for the world-renowned Times Square ball drop to ring in the New Year of 2025.

Each year, over a million people gather together in Times Square to witness the coveted moment with their own eyes. 

Along with them, billions tune in to ring in the New Year from the comfort and warmth of their own homes. 

The dazzling crystal ball that sits high above Times Square begins its 60-second descent at 11:59 p.m. 

This short but monumental moment is made possible by the work of many.

So how does the Times Square ball get its sparkle? 

Waterford Crystal, a glass-making brand established in Ireland in 1783, has been hands-on with the Times Square ball since 2000.

Times Square has witnessed the evolution of seven distinct ball designs since 1907. 

From the inaugural wooden ball to dazzling crystals introducing the new millennium, every iteration represents a fusion of innovation and tradition, encapsulating the spirit of each passing era in a shimmering spectacle that captivates the world.

In 2022, ahead of the New Year celebration, Waterford Crystal master artisan Tom Brennan gave Fox News Digital some keen insight on what goes into the annual installation at the top of One Times Square, where artisans and architects piece together the glittering globe.

This is an excerpt from an article by Angelica Stabile and Ashlyn Messier