NationalWatch

In the predawn hours on Saturday, President Donald Trump announced the stunning capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro — a dramatic development for a nation that, despite sitting atop the world’s largest oil reserves, has been hobbled by years of economic collapse and political turmoil.

Trump accused Venezuela’s socialist government of seizing American energy assets and dismantling an industry built with U.S. investment.

“Venezuela unilaterally seized and sold American oil, American assets and American platforms, costing us billions and billions of dollars,” Trump said during a news conference at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida. “They took all of our property.”

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“We built Venezuela’s oil industry with American talent, drive and skill, and the socialist regime stole it from us,” he added. Trump added that U.S. energy companies would play a key role in rebuilding the Latin American country’s oil sector.

“We are going to have our very large United States oil companies go in, spend billions of dollars, fix the badly broken oil infrastructure and start making money for the country,” he said.

Roughly twice the size of California, Venezuela holds the world’s largest proven oil reserves. At an estimated 300 billion barrels, about 20% of the global total and nearly four times U.S. reserves, that endowment dwarfs that of any other nation.

Much of that oil, however, is difficult and expensive to produce. Venezuela’s reserves are dominated by heavy and extra-heavy crude that requires specialized equipment, constant maintenance and advanced refining capacity — much of which has deteriorated after years of underinvestment and skilled labor losses.

‘WE BUILT VENEZUELA’S OIL INDUSTRY:’ TRUMP VOWS US ENERGY RETURN AFTER MADURO CAPTURE

Beyond technical challenges, Venezuela’s crisis-stricken economy and persistent political instability have further limited its ability to convert those reserves into sustained production. Similar dynamics have played out in countries such as Iran and Libya, where turmoil and sanctions constrain output despite vast resource wealth.

“Venezuela under Maduro and under his predecessor have wrecked Venezuela’s economy,” said Diana Furchtgott-Roth, director of the Center for Energy, Climate and Environment at The Heritage Foundation. She said the country’s communist system has hollowed out its industrial base.

“That’s why Maduro relies almost entirely on oil — it’s the only profitable source of revenue for him,” she added.

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Venezuela’s stockpile, now larger than those of energy titans like Saudi Arabia, has become a central flashpoint in the geopolitical struggle surrounding the country’s future.

Trump has said his administration will continue to enforce its embargo on Venezuelan oil, keeping pressure on the country’s primary source of revenue.

Whether Venezuela’s oil wealth can be unlocked now hinges not only on political change, but on whether years of underinvestment, decaying infrastructure and technical challenges can be reversed — a costly and complex task that would require billions of dollars and sustained stability.

President Donald Trump revealed during an exclusive interview with “Fox & Friends Weekend” that Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro was captured in a “fortress”-like house, where he got “bum rushed so fast” by American special forces. 

Trump said he huddled with generals inside a room at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida as they “watched every aspect” of the “extremely complex” operation unfold. The president said the initial plan was for Maduro to be captured earlier this week, but U.S. forces had to wait for the right weather conditions. 

“We waited four days. We were going to do this, four days ago, three days ago, two days ago. And then all of a sudden it opened up, and we said, ‘go,’” the president said, describing how Maduro was in a “very highly-guarded” house at the time he was confronted. 

“He was in a house that was more like a fortress than a house. It had steel doors. It had what they call a safety space, where it’s, you know, solid steel all around. He didn’t get that space closed. He was trying to get into it, but he got bum rushed so fast that he didn’t get into that,” Trump said. “We were prepared. We had, you know, massive blowtorches and everything else that you need to get through that steel. But we didn’t need it. He didn’t make it to that area of the house.”

LIVE UPDATES: MADURO COULD MAKE NY FEDERAL COURT APPEARANCE AS SOON AS MONDAY

A U.S. official briefed on the matter told Fox News on Saturday that the U.S. Army’s Delta Force physically captured Maduro, with the CIA providing intelligence to the Department of War to help track down the dictator’s location. 

“Everything was pinpoint… everything they practiced. They actually built a house which was identical to the one they went into with all the safes, all the steel all over the place,” Trump told “Fox & Friends Weekend,” describing the military planning that went into the operation. 

Trump said he believes no U.S. forces were killed during the operation. He added that, “a couple of guys were hit, but they came back, and they’re supposed to be in pretty good shape.”

TRUMP CONFIRMS US STRIKE IN VENEZUELA, SAYS PRESIDENT MADURO HAS BEEN CAPTURED

Trump also said Maduro and his wife were taken by helicopter to the U.S.S. Iwo Jima, and that they were heading to New York to face an indictment on charges including narco-terrorism conspiracy. 

When asked about what the future of Venezuela holds with Maduro no longer in the country, Trump said, “we’re making that decision now.” 

“We can’t take a chance of letting somebody else run and just take over where he left off. So we’re making that decision now,” Trump told Fox News on Saturday morning. “We’ll be involved in it very much, and we want to do liberty for the people. We want to, you know, have a great relationship. I think the people of Venezuela are very, very happy because they love the United States. You know, they were run by essentially a dictatorship or worse.” 

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Trump also said the U.S. military operations in Venezuela “is saving lives because the drug trafficking is so bad, it’s gotten so out of control.” 

Fox News’ Rachel Wolf and David Spunt contributed to this report. 

Vice President JD Vance was not physically present at President Donald Trump’s news conference announcing the capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro because of heightened security and secrecy concerns, according to a spokesperson, despite being closely involved in the planning and execution of the operation.

Trump briefed the press on the mission hours after Maduro was taken into U.S. custody, flanked by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, War Secretary Pete Hegseth and chairman of the joint chiefs, Gen. Dan Caine. 

Vance publicly praised the operation on X but did not attend the briefing. Vance did meet with Trump at Mar-a-Lago on Friday to discuss the strikes, but was not at Trump’s golf club Friday night where senior Trump officials monitored the mission because the national security team “was concerned a late-night motorcade movement by the Vice President while the operation was getting underway may tip off the Venezuelans.” 

“The Vice President joined by secure video conference throughout the night to monitor the operation. He returned to Cincinnati after the operation concluded.”

TRUMP VOWS US WILL ‘RUN’ VENEZUELA UNTIL ‘SAFE’ TRANSITION OF POWER

Due to “increased security concerns,” Trump and Vance are limiting the “frequency and duration” of time they spend together outside of the White House, the Vance spokesperson told Fox News Digital. 

“Maduro is the newest person to find out that President Trump means what he says,” Vance wrote on X after the operation was made public. 

“And PSA for everyone saying this was ‘illegal’: Maduro has multiple indictments in the United States for narco-terrorism. You don’t get to avoid justice for drug trafficking in the United States because you live in a palace in Caracas,” he wrote in a separate post. 

Trump, during his news conference, revealed that the U.S. will “run” Venezuela until a “safe, orderly” transition of power can take place. 

Pressed on whether U.S. forces would remain inside the country, Trump did not rule out a sustained troop presence. “They always say boots on the ground – so we’re not afraid of boots on the ground if we have to,” he said, confirming U.S. troops were already involved “at a very high level” during the operation. 

Trump noted Venezuela’s vice president had been “picked by Maduro,” but said U.S. officials were already engaging with her. “She’s essentially willing to do what we think is necessary to make Venezuela great,” Trump said, adding that the issue was being handled directly by his team.

Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriguez has been sworn in as Maduro’s successor, and Trump did not say whether the U.S. will move to install opposition leaders Maria Corina Machado and Edmundo Urutia-Gonzalez. 

Vance, in the past, has voiced skepticism of U.S. interventions. 

In a Signal chat leaked after the Houthi strikes last March, Vance told a group of Trump Cabinet officials, “I think we are making a mistake.”

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“[Three] percent of U.S. trade runs through the Suez Canal. Forty percent of European trade does. There is a real risk that the public doesn’t understand this or why it’s necessary,” Vance said. 

“I am not sure the president is aware how inconsistent this is with his message on Europe right now.”

President Donald Trump said the United States is “going to run the country” in Venezuela until what he described as a safe, proper and judicious transition can take place.

Trump framed the role as temporary but necessary, saying the U.S. does not want to allow “somebody else get in” before conditions are stable. He said the goal is peace, liberty and justice for Venezuelans, including those who have fled to the United States and hope to return home.

“We’re going to run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition,” Trump said. 

He also warned the U.S. is prepared to escalate further if needed, saying, “We are ready to stage a second and much larger attack,” and that American forces remain in position. “We’re there now, and we’re going to stay until such time as the proper transition can take place,” Trump said.

Trump spoke during a news conference Saturday hours after U.S. special forces bombed Caracas and captured dictator Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores, taking them to New York to face drug trafficking charges. 

LIVE UPDATES: TRUMP CONFIRMS OVERNIGHT STRIKES IN VENEZUELA, SAYS US HAS ‘CAPTURED’ MADURO

Trump said the U.S. plans to directly manage Venezuela alongside partners while rebuilding the country’s oil sector. “We’re going to be running it with a group, and we’re going to make sure it’s run properly,” Trump said. “We’re going to rebuild the oil infrastructure, which will cost billions of dollars. It’ll be paid for by the oil companies directly… and we’re going to get the oil flowing the way it should be.” He said the U.S. would ensure Venezuelans are “taken care of,” including those “forced out of Venezuela by this thug.”

Pressed on whether U.S. forces would remain inside the country, Trump did not rule out a sustained troop presence. “They always say boots on the ground — so we’re not afraid of boots on the ground if we have to,” he said, confirming U.S. troops were already involved “at a very high level” during the operation. 

Trump repeated that the U.S. intends to stay and retain control, saying, “We’re there now. We’re ready to go again if we have to. We’re going to run the country… very judiciously, very fairly.” He added that the U.S. was prepared to launch another attack if necessary and accused Venezuela’s former leadership of stealing American-built oil infrastructure, saying, “We’re late, but we did something about it.”

Asked whether the U.S. would back opposition leader María Corina Machado or work with Venezuela’s newly sworn-in vice president, Trump signaled flexibility. He noted the vice president had been “picked by Maduro,” but said U.S. officials were already engaging with her. “She’s essentially willing to do what we think is necessary to make Venezuela great,” Trump said, adding that the issue was being handled directly by his team.

Trump continued, “She was quite gracious, but she really doesn’t have a choice. We’re going to have this done right. We’re not going to just do this when they leave like everybody else, leave and say, you know, let it go to hell. If we just left, it has zero chance of ever coming back. We’ll run it properly. We’ll run it professionally. We’ll have the greatest oil companies in the world go in and invest billions and billions of dollars and take out money. Use that money in Venezuela. And the biggest beneficiary are going to be the people of Venezuela.”

MADURO MET CHINESE ENVOY HOURS BEFORE US CAPTURE FROM CARACAS AS BEIJING SLAMS OPERATION

Trump was asked by another reporter, “Why is running a country in South America ‘America first’?”

Trump replied: “We want to surround ourselves with good neighbors. We want to surround ourselves with stability. We want to surround ourselves with energy. We have tremendous energy in that country. It’s very important that we protect it.”

U.S. efforts to run or oversee political transitions in foreign countries have frequently encountered setbacks in recent years, highlighting the uncertainty surrounding Trump’s approach to Venezuela.

The last time the U.S. intervened militarily to remove a leader in Latin America was Panama in 1989, when American forces ousted dictator Manuel Noriega. While the operation succeeded quickly, it was followed by long-term challenges in stabilizing governance.

While the invasion quickly removed Manuel Noriega, it resulted in significant civilian harm. Estimates of civilian deaths vary widely, and entire neighborhoods — most notably El Chorrillo in Panama City — were heavily damaged, leaving thousands homeless. This complicated post-invasion stabilization and fueled lingering resentment among parts of the population.

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But after years of soaring hyperinflation that wiped out savings, hollowed out wages and fueled mass migration, some U.S. officials — and many Venezuelans — believe virtually anyone who comes to power would be better than Nicolás Maduro. Venezuelans inside the country and those who fled to the United States were seen celebrating in the streets during moments of heightened U.S. pressure, according to videos that circulated widely on social media.

Venezuelan opposition leaders Edmundo González Urrutia and his running mate Machado have positioned themselves as the alternative to President Nicolás Maduro, insisting they won last year’s presidential election despite the government’s declaration of Maduro as the victor.

Machado, who was barred from holding office by the Maduro-appointed high court, threw her support behind González as a unity candidate, while the opposition and several international observers rejected the official results as fraudulent.

González has since left Venezuela amid pressure from the Maduro government, while Machado’s present whereabouts is unknown, urging continued domestic and international pressure to force a political transition.

After the capture, Machado called on Venezuela’s armed forces to recognize opposition candidate Edmundo González Urrutia as the country’s “legitimate president” and commander-in-chief, while declaring the opposition is prepared to “assert our mandate and take power.” In a defiant statement, she said “the hour of freedom has arrived,” argued President Nicolás Maduro now faces international justice, and urged Venezuelans at home and abroad to mobilize as what she described as the final phase of a democratic transition.

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Asked about the U.S.’s track record of ousting dictators, Trump replied: “That’s when we had different presidents … That’s not with me. We’ve had a perfect track record of winning. We win a lot and we win. If you look at Soleimani, you look at al-Baghdadi, you look at the Midnight Hammer, Midnight Hammer was incredible … So, with me, you’ve had a lot of a lot of victory. You’ve had only victories, you’ve had no losses yet.”

The U.S. military carried out a “large-scale strike” on Venezuela Saturday morning, capturing the nation’s dictatorial leader, Nicolás Maduro, who will face sweeping criminal charges on U.S. soil, according to an unsealed indictment released by Attorney General Pam Bondi. 

Maduro, who was elected in 2013 and served as Hugo Chavez’s vice president, is facing charges of narco-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine importation conspiracy, possession of machine guns and destructive devices, and conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices against the U.S.

“It’s just it was an amazing thing, the amazing job that these people did. There’s nobody else could have done anything like it,” Trump said of the operation.

REPUBLICANS LINE UP BEHIND TRUMP AFTER US STRIKES VENEZUELA, MADURO ARRESTED: ‘CHANGED THE COURSE OF HISTORY’

The unsealed indictment focuses on how Maduro allegedly enriched himself and “political elites” by reportedly partnering with vicious gangs and drug cartels that have established syndicates across the Western Hemisphere, including in the U.S., such as New York. The indictment lists six individuals as defendants, including Maduro, his wife, his son and Héctor Rusthenford Guerrero Flores, the leader of a vicious Venezuelan gang, Tren de Aragua. 

The indictment alleges that Maduro “sits atop a corrupt, illegitimate government that, for decades, has leveraged government power to protect and promote illegal activity, including drug trafficking.”

President Donald Trump has railed against drug cartels for spreading deadly narcotics such as fentanyl in U.S. communities, leading to hundreds of thousands of overdose deaths since 2000. Trump has directed his ire at gangs such as Tren de Aragua, which Trump designated a Foreign Terrorist Organization last year. 

The indictment accuses Maduro and his co-conspirators — including Venezuelan Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello and former Interior Minister Ramón Rodríguez Chacín — of partnering with narco-terrorists, including the Tren de Aragua gang and its leader, to distribute cocaine since at least 1999.

FROM BUS DRIVER TO DICTATOR: NICOLÁS MADURO’S RISE AND FALL IN VENEZUELA

“In sum, MADURO MOROS and his co-conspirators have, for decades, partnered with some of the most violent and prolific drug traffickers and narco-terrorists in the world, and relied on corrupt officials throughout the region, to distribute tons of cocaine to the United States,” the indictment states. 

The indictment alleges that Maduro “participates in, perpetuates, and protects a culture of corruption in which powerful Venezuelan elites enrich themselves through drug trafficking and the protection of their partner drug traffickers.” The indictment describes that defendants worked in coordination with cartels and gangs such as Mexico’s the Zetas, Mexico’s Sinaloa Cartel, Colombian group ELN, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia—People’s Army, and Tren de Aragua. 

“TdA has expanded its criminal network throughout the Western Hemisphere and established a presence in the United States, including New York,” the indictment said. “TdA’s criminal activities include human smuggling and other illicit acts. TdA has developed additional revenue sources through a range of other criminal activities, including drug trafficking, firearms trafficking, commercial sex trafficking, kidnapping, robbery, theft, fraud, and extortion. TdA members also commit murder, assault, and other acts of violence to enforce and further the organization’s criminal activities.”

MADURO SAYS VENEZUELA IS ‘READY’ TO MAKE DEAL WITH US ON DRUGS AND OIL AFTER MILITARY STRIKES

Trump has repeatedly accused Maduro of working with cartels, while underscoring how the foreign gangs have infiltrated the U.S. and spread violence and addiction. 

“TdA operates in conjunction with Cártel de los Soles, the Nicolás Maduro regime-sponsored, narco-terrorism enterprise based in Venezuela, and commits brutal crimes, including murders, kidnappings, extortions, and human, drug, and weapons trafficking,” Trump wrote in a March 2025 presidential proclamation. 

He doubled down in his press conference on Saturday, warning that “all political and military figures in Venezuela should understand what happened to Maduro can happen to them.”

Venezuela has argued that Tren de Aragua is no longer an active cartel and was effectively wiped out in 2023, Reuters previously reported. 

Maduro and 14 other current and former Venezuelan officials were previously charged by U.S. federal prosecutors in 2020 on narco-terrorism, corruption and drug trafficking allegations. The January 2025 indictment expands on the 2020 document, including adding Maduro’s son and wife as defendants. 

The Venezuelan government said in a statement following the Saturday strike that “the civilian and military localities of the city of Caracas, capital of the Republic, and the states of Miranda, Aragua and La Guaira” were impacted by the attack.

The nation accused the U.S. of committing a “very serious military aggression” against Venezuela and carrying out “imperialist aggression.”

“The objective of this attack is none other than to seize Venezuela’s strategic resources, particularly its oil and minerals, attempting to break the Nation’s political independence by force,” the Government of Venezuela said in a statement. “They will not succeed. After more than two hundred years of independence, the people and their legitimate Government remain steadfast in defense of sovereignty and the inalienable right to decide their own destiny.”

Trump said on Fox News that Maduro and his wife were flown by helicopter to a U.S. military ship. The couple will be transported to New York City, where the dictator is expected to stand trial. 

“Yes, the Iwo Jima,” Trump said on Saturday morning on Fox News. “They’ll be heading into New York. The helicopters took them out, and they went by helicopter on a nice flight. I’m sure they loved it, but they’ve killed a lot of people.”

The president said he watched the operation from Mar-a-Lago, where he spent the Christmas holiday, and praised the military for its efforts.

Democrats have taken issue with a lack of notice to Congress over the strike, while MAGA Republicans have rallied around Trump’s decision. 

Trump held a press conference from Mar-a-Lago on Saturday, where he said the U.S. will “run” Venezuela until there is a safe transition of power. 

“We’re going to run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition. So we don’t want to be involved with having somebody else get in. And we have the same situation that we had for the last long period of years. So we are going to run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition. And it has to be judicious because that’s what we’re all about. We want peace, liberty and justice for the great people of Venezuela,” he said.

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The capture and strike follows the U.S. military carrying out dozens of strikes on suspected narco-boats since September. Trump campaigned in-part on ending the flow of deadly narcotics such as fentanyl from other nations – which has lead to surges in overdose deaths across the last two decades – including leveling tariffs on China to curb the flow of such drugs and strengthening the U.S. borders. 

Democrats have slammed the Trump administration over its strikes on the suspected narco-boats, with Trump defending that the U.S. is engaged in an “armed conflict” with drug cartels after the groups evolved into transnational terror organizations. Officials previously argued the strikes were necessary to curb the flow of opioid deaths in the U.S., while experts said the pressure campaign on Venezuela is likely aimed to also oust Maduro as leader of the oil-rich nation.

“We’ve knocked out 97% of the drugs coming in by sea … each boat kills 25, on average, 25,000 people. We knocked out 97%. And those drugs mostly come from a place called Venezuela,” Trump said on Saturday of the boat strikes. 

US MILITARY DESTROYS NARCO-TERROR CONVOY OF THREE VESSELS AT SEA IN KINETIC STRIKES

Foreign adversaries condemned the U.S. over the strike, including the Chinese Foreign Ministry, which reported Saturday that the country is “deeply shocked and strongly condemns the use of force by the U.S. against a sovereign country and the use of force against the president of a country.” 

Russia, which is a crucial ally to Venezuela, also condemned the strike and capture in public statements. 

“This morning, the United States committed an act of armed aggression against Venezuela. This is deeply concerning and condemnable,” the Russia Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Saturday. “The pretexts used to justify such actions are unfounded. Ideological animosity has prevailed over business pragmatism and the willingness to build relationships based on trust and predictability.”

Bondi warned on X that Maduro and his wife “will soon face the full wrath of American justice on American soil in American courts.”

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“On behalf of the entire U.S. DOJ, I would like to thank President Trump for having the courage to demand accountability on behalf of the American People, and a huge thank you to our brave military who conducted the incredible and highly successful mission to capture these two alleged international narco traffickers,” Bondi wrote. 

Fox News Digital’s Michael Sinkewicz contributed to this report. 

At least one House Democrat is praising President Donald Trump’s capture of Nicolás Maduro after the U.S. conducted surprise strikes in Venezuela overnight Saturday night.

“The capture of the brutal, illegitimate ruler of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, who oppressed Venezuela’s people is welcome news for my friends and neighbors who fled his violent, lawless, and disastrous rule. However, cutting off the head of a snake is fruitless if it just regrows,” Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla., wrote on X.

“Venezuelans deserve the promise of democracy and the rule of law, not a state of endless violence and spiraling disorder. My hope is it offers a passage to true democracy and liberation. This action offers beleaguered Venezuelans a chance to seat their true, democratically elected president, Edmundo González.”

She criticized the GOP administration for apparently failing to notify Congress beforehand, however.

“I’ll demand answers as to why Congress and the American people were bypassed in this effort. The absence of congressional involvement prior to this action risks the continuation of the illegitimate Venezuelan regime. Congress must be properly informed and hold hearings on this invasion. As always, I will work to bring about the promise of a liberated Venezuela,” she wrote.

Wasserman Schultz’s home state of Florida is notably home to a significant number of Venezuelan refugees, as well as refugees from other communist Latin American dictatorships like Cuba.

Her response to the U.S. operation is far different from the majority of her colleagues on the left, however.

Congressional Democrats are largely accusing Trump of green-lighting illegal actions in Venezuela after the U.S. carried out multiple strikes and captured Maduro and his wife.

While some responses were more muted than others, the majority of Democratic lawmakers argued that the Trump administration undermined U.S. law with the operation.

“The Trump administration launched a large-scale military attack on a sovereign nation and kidnapped its sitting president, without congressional approval and without consideration of any of the consequences their illegal actions may bring,” Rep. Yvette Clarke, D-N.Y., wrote on X. “This act of aggression is unconstitutional, un-American, and a direct threat to our democracy.”

Sen. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., who served with the U.S. Marine Corps during the Iraq War, echoed a similar line.

LIVE UPDATES: TRUMP CONFIRMS OVERNIGHT STRIKES IN VENEZUELA, SAYS US HAS ‘CAPTURED’ MADURO

“There is no justification for the United States to be at war with Venezuela. I lived through the consequences of an illegal war sold to the American people with lies. We swore we would never repeat those mistakes. Yet here we are again,” Gallego said in his own statement.

Rep. Eugene Vindman, D-Va., another military veteran, accused Trump of running afoul of the Constitution.

“Let there be no mistake, President Trump has started a war in Venezuela, without any congressional approval, and in violation of the Constitution. Over the past 2 decades, we have learned the hard way that wars are easy to start and hard to finish,” Vindman wrote on X.

“A plan rarely survives first contact. Having served in Iraq, I’ve seen this firsthand. Trump is wrong to start a war in Venezuela. It is not what the American people want, it is not putting America first, and it is not worth American blood and treasure.”

Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., was more blunt in his assessment.

“When I talk to Californians, you know what ranks lowest on their priorities? Illegally going to war with Venezuela. Just lower the damn prices,” Swalwell wrote on X.

Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., wrote, “Trump’s illegal and unprovoked bombing of Venezuela and kidnapping of its president are grave violations of international law and the U.S. Constitution. These are the actions of a rogue state.”

Other Democrats were more muted in their criticism, instead focusing on calling for more information from the White House.

VENEZUELA ARRESTS MORE AMERICANS AS TRUMP RAMPS UP PRESSURE ON MADURO: REPORT

“While I strongly oppose the illegitimate regime of Nicolás Maduro, President Trump’s military action was a serious constitutional violation,” said Rep. Adriano Espaillat, D-N.Y. “The Trump administration does not have sole authority to commit such acts, and I reaffirm my position that Congress must be fully informed before the U.S. engages in hostilities towards another nation. I urge for an immediate and full briefing for Members of Congress following ongoing developments in Venezuela and the subsequent long-term consequences in the region.”

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It comes after Trump announced on Truth Social that the U.S. had “successfully carried out a large-scale strike against Venezuela” and its leader.

He said Maduro and his wife were captured and flown out of the country.

Attorney General Pam Bondi subsequently said both were indicted in the Southern District of New York, one of the largest federal prosecutorial offices in the U.S.

After a year in which U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement dramatically increased its operations under President Donald Trump and simultaneously faced an increase in attacks against officials, the agency is highlighting the “best of the best” agents for particularly heroic actions in the line of duty.

In a Friday statement, ICE said that “despite the obstacles they face, including record numbers of violent anti-ICE rioters assaulting law enforcement, terrorist attacks, and bounties placed on their heads, our courageous officers have proven their commitment to upholding the rule of law in the United States and making America safe again.”

According to the agency, agents faced an increase of 1,347 percent in assaults and an 8,000 percent increase in death threats against them. ICE blamed these increases on “lies and smears from sanctuary politicians and radical activists, and hoaxes spread by the media.”

“Despite that, their heroic efforts have led to historic results, helping DHS remove more than 622,000 illegal aliens,” ICE said, noting that tens of thousands of those removals were of criminal offenders, including murderers, rapists, child sex abusers, terrorists and gang members.

WAVE OF CAR ATTACKS ON ICE AGENTS FOLLOWS INCENDIARY RHETORIC FROM TARGET-CITY LEADERS

“That, coupled with more than 2 million illegal aliens who chose to self-deport, has created a cycle that benefits the American public,” the agency said, adding, “As ICE continues to remove more illegal aliens, more illegal aliens wisely choose to self-deport and avoid arrest.”

Among the stories highlighted by the agency was a July 11 incident in Philadelphia in which two ICE officers encountered a truck that had veered off the road and crashed into a tree. The agency said the pair “sprang into action, rescuing the driver and extinguishing an engine fire while waiting for emergency responders to arrive.”

In Dallas, the agency said that ICE officers witnessed a pickup truck lose control after losing a tire, causing it to roll seven times and land upside-down. ICE said its officers and two bystanders pried open the truck’s door and pulled the driver to safety.

On Sept. 25, ICE said that members of its Denver special response team saved another man’s life by pulling him from a burning car along the highway. The agency said the team was en route to the Broadview, Illinois, processing facility on Sept. 25 when they approached the fiery aftermath of a multi-car highway collision.

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ICE said that “as smoke billowed from the small car, the officers responded quickly and discovered a man with his legs pinned under the dashboard inside, unconscious and covered in blood.”

The agents broke the vehicle’s window, extracted the man, and provided first aid before emergency responders arrived at the scene and transported him to a hospital.

In Nuevo, California, the agency said that on Oct. 2, an off-duty ICE officer discovered a man suffering from a serious neck wound and quickly provided lifesaving aid to him while instructing his son to call 911.

ICE said the officer used his own first-aid kit and applied a pressure bandage to control the heavy bleeding and stabilize the victim before first responders arrived to transport the victim to a hospital.

Just weeks later, on Oct. 21, the agency said that an ICE deportation officer was conducting enforcement actions in Philadelphia when he heard multiple gunshots nearby. According to the agency, the officer then saw three juveniles fleeing the area and discovered a man who had been shot in the left thigh. ICE said that he and officers from the Philadelphia Police Department applied a tourniquet, and local police drove the man to a nearby hospital for treatment.

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Commenting on these stories, Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons said that “courage is measured by actions, not words.”

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“Every day, ERO [Enforcement and Removal Operations] officers show up knowing the risks they face — and they choose to serve anyway,” said Lyons. “And throughout the year, officers across the agency demonstrated professionalism, restraint and courage in moments that demanded all three.”

“These stories remind us that law enforcement is about responsibility to the communities we serve, and I’m incredibly proud to be part of this organization,” he added.

Republican lawmakers are emphatically backing President Donald Trump’s administration after the U.S. struck Venezuela and captured its leader Nicolás Maduro.

Rep. Carlos Gimenez, R-Fla., a member of the House Armed Services Committee whose district is home to a significant number of Venezuelan refugees, said he spoke with Secretary of State Marco Rubio after the operation was carried out.

“President Trump has changed the course of history in our hemisphere. Our country & the world are safer for it. Today’s decisive action is this hemisphere’s equivalent to the Fall of the Berlin Wall,” Gimenez wrote in a statement on X.

LIVE UPDATES: TRUMP CONFIRMS OVERNIGHT STRIKES IN VENEZUELA, SAYS US HAS ‘CAPTURED’ MADURO

Rubio had apparently briefed multiple members of Congress after the operation was carried out as well.

A member on the Senate’s Armed Services panel, Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., said he also spoke with Rubio, who confirmed Maduro was in custody “and will face justice for his crimes against our citizens.”

“The interim government in Venezuela must now decide whether to continue the drug trafficking and colluding with adversaries like Iran and Cuba or whether to act like a normal nation and return to the civilized world. I urge them to choose wisely,” Cotton said in a statement.

Even Republicans who appeared skeptical at first seemed eased after conversations with Rubio.

VENEZUELA ARRESTS MORE AMERICANS AS TRUMP RAMPS UP PRESSURE ON MADURO: REPORT

Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, for instance, said he was keen to learn “what, if anything, might constitutionally justify this action in the absence of a declaration of war or authorization for the use of military force.”

He later said Rubio “informed me that Nicolás Maduro has been arrested by U.S. personnel to stand trial on criminal charges in the United States, and that the kinetic action we saw tonight was deployed to protect and defend those executing the arrest warrant.”

“This action likely falls within the president’s inherent authority under Article II of the Constitution to protect U.S. personnel from an actual or imminent attack,” Lee wrote.

The majority of GOP lawmakers who spoke out on Saturday morning did so with emphatic backing of the administration, however.

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Meanwhile, Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart, R-Fla., who leads the House subcommittee panel responsible for State Department funding, said in a statement, “[Unabated] for years, Maduro has sent drugs into our country, killing an untold number of Americans, kidnapped innocent Americans, flooded our country with violent cartel members from Tren de Aragua and the Cartel de los Soles, while destabilizing regional security.”

“While others dithered, President Trump recognized this threat for what it is and acted with resolve,” Diaz-Balart said.

Two key economic policy decisions are on the horizon in Washington: a Supreme Court ruling on tariffs and the White House’s expected announcement of the next Federal Reserve chair. Both developments carry significant implications for trade, markets and the future of U.S. monetary policy.

At the Supreme Court, two cases, which President Donald Trump has called “life or death” for the U.S., have forced the nation’s highest court to confront how far a president can go in redirecting U.S. trade policy.

The suits – Learning Resources Inc. v. Trump and Trump v. V.O.S. Selections Inc. – were brought by an educational-toy manufacturer and a family-owned wine and spirits importer challenging Trump’s tariffs.

‘PERCEPTION VS. REALITY’: TRUMP’S ECONOMY PICKS UP SPEED — BUT VOTERS AREN’T BUYING IT YET

Both cases turn on a central question: whether the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) gave the president authority to impose the tariffs, or whether that move crossed constitutional lines.

TRUMP DEFENDS TARIFFS, SAYS US HAS BEEN ‘THE KING OF BEING SCREWED’ BY TRADE IMBALANCE

Tariffs are taxes the government places on imported goods. Although companies pay these taxes at the border, they often cover the added cost by raising prices, which means consumers ultimately shoulder much of the burden. 

Since Trump announced sweeping “Liberation Day” tariffs in April, total duty revenue has climbed to $215.2 billion in fiscal year 2025, which ended Sept. 30, according to the Treasury Department’s Customs and Certain Excise Taxes report.

That revenue strength has carried well into the new fiscal year. Since Oct. 1, the government has collected $96.5 billion in duties, according to Treasury’s latest statement.

Meanwhile, two candidates are vying for a role that would shape the direction of U.S. monetary policy: Kevin Hassett and Kevin Warsh.

The appointment to lead the world’s most powerful central bank comes as persistently high living costs test Trump’s economic agenda. The Federal Reserve, which sets borrowing costs and influences inflation, remains one of the most consequential institutions for Americans’ day-to-day affordability.

FROM MORTGAGES TO CAR LOANS: HOW AFFORDABILITY RISES AND FALLS WITH THE FED

The next Fed chair would assume one of the most influential posts in U.S. economic policymaking, overseeing interest-rate decisions and the central bank’s efforts to keep inflation in check.

Warsh, a former Morgan Stanley banker, has emerged as a vocal critic of current Fed leadership, sharpening his attacks as he positioned himself as a potential replacement for Chair Jerome Powell. He became the youngest person to serve on the Federal Reserve Board of Governors in 2006.

A LOOK AT THE UNFOLDING BATTLE BETWEEN TRUMP AND POWELL OVER FED POLICY

Hassett is Trump’s top economic adviser and a loyal defender of the administration’s policies. He currently serves as director of the White House’s National Economic Council, held two senior roles during Trump’s first term and advised the president on economic policy during the 2024 campaign.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who helped shape Trump’s shortlist for the Fed’s top job, said he has known Warsh and Hassett for more than 20 years and views both as equally qualified.

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Trump has called for sharp rate cuts and urged the Federal Reserve to bring its benchmark interest rate down to 1% to jump-start economic growth. 

Trump’s criticism of Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell, whom he appointed to the role in 2017, has at times turned personal, with the president giving the Fed chair mocking nicknames.

Powell is set to finish his term in May 2026, when the next chair will take over.

Former special counsel Jack Smith used a closed-door deposition with House Republicans last month to defend his investigations into Donald Trump’s alleged effort to subvert the 2020 presidential election and his alleged retention of certain classified documents, using the hours-long testimony to forcefully dispute the notion that his team had acted politically, and citing what he described as ample evidence to support the indictments that had been levied against Trump. 

“I made my decisions in the investigation without regard to President Trump’s political association, activities, beliefs, or candidacy in the 2024 presidential election,” Smith told members of the House Judiciary Committee in the Dec. 17 interview.

The interview was Smith’s first time appearing before Congress since he left his role as special counsel in 2024. And while much of the information was not new, the exchange was punctuated by sharp exchanges with Republicans on the panel, both on the strength of the case, and on his own actions taken during the course of the probe — most recently, on the tolling records his team sought from a handful of Republican lawmakers over the course of the investigation. Republicans have assailed the records as being at odds with the speech or debate clause of the Constitution.  

“I made my decisions in the investigation without regard to President Trump’s political association, activities, beliefs, or candidacy in the 2024 presidential election,” Smith told the committee. “We took actions based on what the facts, and the law required — the very lesson I learned early in my career as a prosecutor.”

Republicans on the panel ultimately opted to publish the redacted transcript on New Year’s Eve, a decision that may have helped dull the impact of any news the 255-page document may have generated amid the broader hustle and bustle of the holiday season.

Here are some of the biggest moments and notable exchanges from the eight-hour hearing. 

 TRUMP STRIPS SECURITY CLEARANCES FROM LAW FIRM TIED TO JACK SMITH CASES

New political tensions 

Smith was tapped by former Attorney General Merrick Garland in 2022 to investigate the alleged effort by Trump and his allies to overturn the results of the 2020 election, as well as Trump’s keeping of allegedly classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Palm Beach after leaving office in 2020. Smith had brought charges against Trump in both cases.

The charges were dropped after Trump’s election, in keeping with a longstanding Justice Department policy that discourages investigating sitting presidents for federal criminal charges, and Smith resigned from his role shortly after.

If nothing else, Smith’s Dec. 17 testimony underscored just how much has changed since Trump’s reelection in 2024. 

Trump, for his part, has used his first year back in office to follow through on his promises to go after his perceived political “enemies,” including by revoking security clearances of many individuals, including employees of a D.C.-based law firm that represents Smith, and taking other punitive measures to punish or fire FBI agents involved in the Jan. 6, 2021, investigation.

During his testimony last month, Smith fiercely disputed the notion that Trump’s remarks about the 2020 election results would be protected by the First Amendment. 

“Absololutely not,” he said in response to a lawyer for Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee.

The lawyer then ticked through a “long list of disputed elections” in U.S. history and former presidents who have spoken out about “what they believed to be fraud,” or other issues regarding election integrity. “I think you would agree that those types of statements are sort of at the core of the First Amendment rights of a presidential candidate, right?”

“There is no historical analog for what President Trump did in this case,” Smith said immediately. 

JACK SMITH SUBPOENAED FOR DEPOSITION WITH HOUSE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE

‘Powerful’ evidence

Smith told members that the special counsel ultimately gathered evidence against Trump that was, in his view, sufficient to secure a conviction.

“He made false statements to state legislatures, to his supporters in all sorts of contexts and was aware in the days leading up to Jan. 6th that his supporters were angry when he invited them, and then he directed them to the Capitol,” Smith said of Trump’ actions in the run-up to Jan. 6. 

“Now, once they were at the Capitol and once the attack on the Capitol happened, he refused to stop it. He instead issued a tweet that, without question in my mind, endangered the life of his own vice president,” Smith added. “And when the violence was going on, he had to be pushed repeatedly by his staff members to do anything to quell it.”

Other possible co-conspirators had not been charged, as Smith noted at one point during the interview. 

But Smith said in the testimony that his team had developed “proof beyond a reasonable doubt” that Trump “engaged in a criminal scheme to overturn the results of the 2020 election and to prevent the lawful transfer of power.”

They’d also developed what he described as “powerful evidence” that Trump willfully retained highly classified documents after leaving office in January 2021 at his private Mar-a-Lago residence, and was obstructing the government’s efforts to recover the records.

Smith’s team had not determined how to proceed for possible ‘co-conspirators’

Smith said that, when the special counsel wound down in the wake of the 2024 elections, his team had not determined whether to charge the key Trump allies who may or may not have acted as co-conspirators, including Rudy Giuliani, Sidney Powell and John Eastman.

“As we stated in the final report, we analyzed the evidence against different co-conspirators,” Smith said. Smith reiterated his allegation that Trump was “the most culpable” and “most responsible” person for the alleged attempts to subvert the 2020 election results. 

He said the special counsel had “determined that we did have evidence to charge people at a certain point in time.” 

But at the time the investigation was wound down, they had not made “final determinations about that at the time that President Trump won reelection, meaning that our office was going to be closed down.”

FBI OUSTS FORMER ACTING DIRECTOR, AGENT INVOLVED IN J6 PROSECUTIONS, WITH MORE EXPECTED

He lamented the ousting of DOJ, FBI officials 

Smith used his opening remarks to lament the ousting of FBI agents and Justice Department officials involved in the Jan. 6 investigations.

“I am both saddened and angered that President Trump has sought revenge against career prosecutors, FBI agents, and support staff simply for doing their jobs and for having worked on those cases,” Smith said.

His remarks came after the FBI in recent months ousted a handful of personnel involved in the Jan. 6 investigations, an effort individuals familiar with the action described to Fox News at the time as an act of “retaliation.”

Thousands of FBI personnel in February were forced to fill out a sprawling questionnaire asking employees detailed questions about any role they may have played in the investigation into the Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol riots — ranging from whether they had testified in any criminal trials to when they last participated in investigation-related activity.

FBI AGENTS SUE TRUMP DOJ TO BLOCK ANY PUBLIC IDENTIFICATION OF EMPLOYEES WHO WORKED ON JAN. 6 INVESTIGATIONS

Smith’s team didn’t tell the courts that subpoenaed phone records belonged to lawmakers

Smith was grilled during the deposition about the highly scrutinized subpoenas his team issued to phone companies for data belonging to House and Senate lawmakers as part of his investigation, saying they aligned with the Justice Department’s policy at the time.

Smith said the Public Integrity Section signed off on the subpoenas, a point corroborated by records previously released by Grassley’s office. 

Those records also showed that the Public Integrity Section told prosecutors to be wary of concerns lawmakers could raise about the Constitution’s speech or debate clause, which gives Congress members added protections.

The subpoenas to the phone companies were accompanied by gag orders blocking the lawmakers from learning about the existence of the subpoenas for at least one year. Smith said the D.C. federal court, which authorized the gag orders, would not have been aware that they applied to Congress members.”I don’t think we identified that, because I don’t think that was Department policy at the time,” Smith said.

Asked during the deposition about who should be held accountable for lawmakers who felt that the seizure of a narrow set of their phone data was a constitutional violation, Smith said Trump should be held accountable.

“These records are people, in the case of the Senators, Donald Trump directed his co-conspirators to call these people to further delay the proceedings,” Smith said.

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“He chose to do that. If Donald Trump had chosen to call a number of Democratic Senators, we would have gotten toll records for Democratic Senators. So responsibility for why these records, why we collected them, that’s — that lies with Donald Trump,” he said.

A super PAC aligned with President Donald Trump has nearly $300 million in its war chest heading into the 2026 midterms, according to records filed with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) on Thursday.

MAGA Inc. reported $294 million in cash on hand in its latest campaign finance disclosure, which the super PAC said will be used to support candidates aligned with the president’s agenda.

“Thanks to President Trump’s leadership, MAGA Inc will have the resources to help candidates who support President Trump’s America First agenda of securing our border, keeping our streets safe, supercharging our economy, and making life more affordable for all Americans,” a MAGA Inc. spokesperson said in a statement, according to the New York Post.

The super PAC raised $102 million in the second half of 2025, including 25 donations of at least $1 million.

NC SENATE SHOWDOWN ESCALATES AS TRUMP RALLIES BEHIND WHATLEY TO KEEP GOP SEAT

The largest contribution came from OpenAI president and co-founder Greg Brockman, who donated $25 million in September.

Brockman said in a post on X this week that he had become more politically active in 2025, including through political contributions that reflect “support for policies that advance American innovation and constructive dialogue between government and the technology sector.”

The fundraising haul came even though Trump is not on the ballot this year, underscoring the super PAC’s focus on supporting Republicans in upcoming races.

HOUSE GOP CAMPAIGN CHAIR WANTS TRUMP ‘OUT THERE ON THE TRAIL’ IN MIDTERM BATTLE FOR MAJORITY

MAGA Inc. did not play a significant role in the 2022 midterms, opting instead to save its money for Trump’s 2024 campaign.

The super PAC spent $456 million supporting Trump’s bid to return to the White House, according to OpenSecrets, a nonprofit organization that tracks campaign finance data.

MAGA Inc. launched ads in November backing Republican candidate Matt Van Epps, who was endorsed by Trump and went on to defeat Democrat Aftyn Behn in a Tennessee congressional race.

Elon Musk, the billionaire technology entrepreneur and chief executive of SpaceX and Tesla, has signaled an openness to supporting Republican candidates in the midterms.

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“America is toast if the radical left wins,” he posted on X on Thursday. “They will open the floodgates to illegal immigration and fraud.”

Fox News Digital’s Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.

Ahead of the rapidly approaching 2026 midterms, Republicans and Democrats in states across the country are engaged in heated redistricting battles. What started with Texas’ effort to redraw its congressional map earlier in 2025 has led to other states, including California and Missouri, to do the same.

Now, redistricting battles are shaping up in Florida, Illinois, Kansas, Maryland and Virginia.

Florida

Florida Republicans are engaged in a fight over the creation of a House map that has the potential to net the GOP several seats, The Hill reported. Currently, Republicans hold 20 of Florida’s 28 congressional districts.

Despite the fact that a Florida House redistricting panel has already met twice to begin the process, Gov. Ron DeSantis, R-Fla., and state Senate Republican leadership appear to be interested in holding off on the discussion until a special session in spring. However, some fear that this could be too late, as April 20 is the deadline for federal candidates to qualify and file paperwork.

Florida Republicans are also facing challenges because of language in the state’s constitution that puts tight restrictions on gerrymandering, NBC News noted.

INDIANA SENATE REPUBLICANS REJECT TRUMP-BACKED REDISTRICTING PUSH, DECLINE TO MEET IN DECEMBER

Illinois

Democrats could possibly pick up more seats in Illinois, but the move has gained little ground. Black lawmakers have expressed concerns that a new map could undermine minority representation, according to NBC News.

Gov. JB Pritzker, D-Ill., said his state could be forced to respond if neighboring Indiana were to move forward with its own redistricting effort. However, he later applauded Indiana when it rejected a new map.

“Our neighbors in Indiana have stood up to Trump’s threats and political pressure, instead choosing to do what’s right for their constituents and our democracy,” Pritzker wrote on X. “Illinois will remain vigilant against his map rigging — our efforts to respond and stop his campaign are being heard.”

After Indiana rejected their map, Illinois state Sen. Willie Preston, D, urged Pritzker to drop the idea, The Hill reported, noting that others have suggested that the Prairie State is still mulling the move.

Jon Maxson, a spokesperson for Illinois House Speaker Emanuel Chris Welch, told The Hill in an email that “all options remain on the table in Illinois.”

Illinois faces a larger issue, as the November candidate filing deadline has already passed.

TRUMP’S REDISTRICTING PUSH GAINS STEAM IN ANOTHER KEY STATE: ‘WE WILL STAND WITH THE PRESIDENT’

Kansas

Kansas is the other major redistricting target for Republicans.

GOP lawmakers in the Sunflower State have said that they would discuss redrawing the map when they reconvene this month. However, just last year, lawmakers tried but failed to bring the issue forward.

Kansas Republicans need two-thirds support in the Legislature to hold a special session to address the map. While State House members didn’t have enough support for the issue, Republicans were able to secure enough signatures in the state Senate, The Hill reported. Additionally, they will need to override a veto by Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly.

Kelly recently told the Kansas Reflector that she would be “surprised if they even really bring it up.”

“I don’t think a lot has changed in terms of where legislators stand on the issue,” she added.

In November, Kansas Senate President Ty Masterson (R), who’s running for Kansas governor, claimed in a statement that “California Democrats are working overtime to silence Republicans and steal the House majority.”

“Even Governor Laura Kelly admitted that there’s a bigger risk in doing nothing. On that, we agree. States across America are standing up, and Kansas will be part of that fight,” he added.

SCOTUS ALLOWS TEXAS TO USE TRUMP-PUSHED REDRAWN CONGRESSIONAL REDISTRICTING MAP FAVORING REPUBLICANS

Maryland

Maryland Democrats have resisted pressure to redraw maps. In November, Gov. Wes Moore, a Democrat, formed a redistricting commission to explore the issue despite a lack of appetite for the move within his own party. The commission voted in secret to move forward with the plan, to the dismay of Democrat critics.

Maryland Senate President Bill Ferguson, a Democrat, has been a vocal opponent of redistricting.

“The overwhelming majority do not want a new congressional map,” Ferguson said in a statement, according to The Hill. “They want their government focused on fostering growth, affordability, and real protections against this lawless federal Administration.”

The commission is asking the public about congressional map proposals ahead of the state’s Feb. 24 candidate filing deadline.

Virginia

In late October, just before the state’s gubernatorial election, Virginia Democratic lawmakers took a major first step in a complex political maneuver aimed at redrawing the state’s congressional map.

Democrats were able to pass an amendment to the state’s Constitution to allow lawmakers to temporarily redistrict mid-decade by 2030, The Hill noted. The amendment will need to be passed again in the spring or summer before voters can have their say. The lawmakers now have the help of additional Democrats in the state’s Legislature following the November 2025 elections.

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“Our congressional delegation is 6-5 — six Democrats, five Republicans. Ten-1 is not out of the realm,” Virginia House Speaker Don Scott said in early December, according to NBC News.

If voters approve of the referendum, lawmakers would be able to pass a new map ahead of the 2026 midterms. The Hill noted that Republicans are highly likely to challenge a new map in court.

President Donald Trump’s Justice Department is demanding records from Minnesota related to its voter registration practices, raising concerns about the state’s same-day “vouching” policy.

The policy allows a registered voter to “vouch” for up to eight people seeking same-day registration, and it has come under fresh scrutiny amid broader concerns about election integrity in the wake of Minnesota’s massive welfare fraud scandal.

Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon wrote to Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon on Friday, requesting unredacted records covering the March 2024 primary and the November 2024 general election.

Dhillon called on the state to hand over digital records related to same-day registrations, votes cast by same-day registrants and audit and compliance records under the Help America Vote Act (HAVA).

TRUMP OFFICIAL FREEZES MILLIONS IN SBA AID TO MINNESOTA, SLAMS WALZ’S POLICIES AS BREEDING ‘ENDEMIC’ FRAUD

“The basis and purpose of this demand is to ensure Minnesota’s registration and voting practices are in compliance with federal law, particularly the minimum requirements under HAVA,” Dhillon wrote in the letter she shared on X.

“The Department of Justice is particularly concerned with votes and registrations accepted on the basis of ‘vouching’ from other registered voters or residential facility employees, as well as other same-day registration procedures.”

Minnesota’s election system has drawn scrutiny after legislation signed by Gov. Tim Walz in 2023 that provided for “Driver’s Licenses for All,” allowing state-issued licenses regardless of immigration status. The policy also stipulates that the licenses carry no markings indicating citizenship, even though such IDs are among the forms of identification accepted during voter registration.

Minnesota law separately allows same-day voter registration through a process known as “vouching,” under which a registered voter can attest to the residency of up to eight other voters who want to register on Election Day and do not present qualifying identification.

According to an official fact sheet from the Minnesota Secretary of State’s Office, the registered voter must accompany the person or people to the polling place and sign an oath verifying a home address.

MINNESOTA FRAUD COMMITTEE CHAIR CLAIMS WALZ ‘TURNED A BLIND EYE’ TO FRAUD WARNINGS FOR YEARS

“A registered voter can vouch for up to eight voters. You cannot vouch for others if someone vouched for you,” the department said in the fact sheet.

Residents who are not vouched for and who want to vote on the same day must provide at least one form of identity verification, including a valid Minnesota driver’s license or learner’s permit, a receipt for either or a tribal identification card that includes a photo and signature.

So long as the prospective voter can prove residency, the proof of ID can include a driver’s license or learner’s permit from any state, a passport, an expired ID, a military ID or a Minnesota college or high school identification card.

If a person is registered to vote in a precinct but changed his name or moved within the precinct, the voter may still vote after informing the precinct election judge of a previous name or address.

Simon’s office did not immediately respond to a Fox News Digital request for comment.

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Dhillon’s move was praised by Republican activist Scott Presler, who leads voter registration efforts nationwide.

“WOW! This is huge. Thank you so, so much,” Presler wrote in response to Dhillon’s X post sharing her letter.

If you’re still unpacking results from the 2024 election, it’s time to give up.

2026 is an election year.

Welcome to the midterms. 

Health care. The economy. The “One Big, Beautiful Bill.” All are factors as voters go to the polls this fall.

Democrats are trained on kitchen table issues this year. They hope that voters will forget about culture wars and have buyer’s remorse, perhaps flipping the House — and even the Senate.

REDISTRICTING BATTLES BREWING ACROSS THE COUNTRY AS PARTIES COMPETE FOR POWER AHEAD OF 2026 MIDTERMS

“They just don’t have enough money in their pockets to pay the bills to buy the medicine they need,” said Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. “Costs are skyrocketing. And in 2026, you’ll be hearing from us about costs over and over and over again.”

However, Republicans are bullish on maintaining Senate control.

“I think you’re going to see a remarkable 2026. I mean we’re excited about the prospects for the economy,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., told Bret Baier.

But Thune is cautious.

“Typically there are headwinds in a midterm election,” said Thune. “You can’t convince people of something they don’t feel.”

Retirements by Sens. Gary Peters, D-Mich., and Tina Smith, D-Minn., could create challenges for Democrats to hold those seats. Take, for example, why Republicans are spending so much time railing against Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., and the state’s welfare scandal and childcare questions. This fuels optimism that Republicans can prevail in the Gopher State.

“President Trump was very close in Minnesota. It’s a four-point race. We know with the right candidate, we will be successful,” said Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., head of the National Republican Senatorial Campaign (NRSC) to Fox News Digital’s Paul Steinhauser.

Republicans hope that Democrats nominate controversial candidates.

HERE ARE THE KEY 2026 HOUSE AND SENATE RACES TO WATCH THAT COULD DECIDE CONTROL OF CONGRESS

“If I didn’t know better, I would say that some of these folks are Republican plants. They’re clearly from the loon wing of the Democratic Party,” said Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., about some Democratic Senate hopefuls. 

Republicans are rooting for a radioactive Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, to secure the Democratic nod over a more moderate Democrat James Talarico — to potentially face Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton or Rep. Wesley Hunt, R-Texas, for the Texas Senate race.

“They tell us that Texas is red. They are lying. We’re not,” said Crockett. “Y’all ain’t never tried it the J.C. way.”

Graham Platner is a Democratic populist in Maine. He hopes to face Sen. Susan Collins, R-Me. — if he’s able to defeat Gov. Janet Mills in the primary. Platner has a history of inflammatory posts online.

“The candidate for Senate in Maine for the Democrats calls me a Nazi, which is rich, coming from a guy who literally has a Nazi tattoo on his chest,” said Vice President JD Vance.

Platner claims he didn’t know the symbolism of the tattoo at the time. He’s since covered it up.

Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., is perhaps the most vulnerable Democrat facing re-election this cycle. Ossoff won a runoff as President Trump challenged the 2020 Georgia election results. Republicans intend to target Ossoff with his votes against re-opening the government during the shutdown.

But Democrats think they can swipe some seats from the GOP.

Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., is retiring. The Tar Heel State may represent the best overall pickup opportunity for Democrats.

Former North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper is expected to face former Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley in a barnburner.

And Democrats think former Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, might be able to return to Washington by winning the state’s other Senate seat this fall. 

Brown likely faces Sen. Jon Husted, R-Ohio. Gov. Mike DeWine appointed Husted to the Senate to succeed Vance when he left the Senate and became vice president. A former Ohio lieutenant governor, Husted has never campaigned statewide for Senate.

DEMOCRATS’ SURGE IN TENNESSEE THROWS NEW UNCERTAINTY ONTO GOP’S 2026 HOUSE MAP

This is why Democrats are focused on your pocketbook and health care in 2026.

“We’re going to get it done by getting it on some piece of legislation, or we’re going to get it done by marching through into the midterms and winning,” predicted Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn.

And the biggest factor may be who’s not on the ballot this year: President Donald Trump. Republicans saw examples of that in 2018 and 2022. Voters often see midterms as a presidential report card. 

That’s possibly working against Republicans as they attempt to cling to power in the House. History is against the GOP in 2026. The President’s party customarily loses about 26 seats in the first midterm. But House Republicans aim to run on their accomplishments.

“So far, House Republicans have passed 413 bills. This year, we’ve codified 68 of President Trump’s America First executive orders,” said House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La. “We look forward to continuing all that work when we return in 2026, and we go into an epic midterm election cycle.

Epic is right.

Republicans tried to erect a political heat shield to deflect midterm norms. Republicans drew new, GOP-friendly districts in Texas and Missouri. But those districts are a lighter shade of red. That could dilute the GOP base vote as these districts as battlegrounds.

“We have to make sure that we’ve got an edge. This is a big deal, and we’ve gotta be politically smart. And I hate to say this, for a change,” Rep. Jeff Van Drew, R-N.J. said on Fox News Channel. 

Democrats countered the Republican maneuvering with redistricting of their own. Particularly in California.

“Our focus is on the swing districts, the purple districts across the country,” said Rep. Suzan DelBene, D-Wash., head of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC). “It’s why we expanded our map of offensive opportunities.”

But it’s risky if Democrats run candidates who are too progressive for certain seats.

Democrats plan investigations and subpoenas of the Trump administration if they win the House. One Democrat is eyeing the Pentagon.

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“When we take back the House in 2026, every single one of their actions is going to be under an MRI. We’re going to evaluate them up against the laws of war. And they will be held accountable for violating those laws of war,” Rep. Jake Auchincloss, D-Mass., told ABC News.

But House control could hinge on the Supreme Court. Around 20 House seats could shift toward the GOP if the high court unwinds part of the Voting Rights Act. That law gave Democrats an edge in multiple districts populated by minorities. 

A ruling requiring new districts could drastically upset the balance of power for this year’s House contests.

The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) said Friday that federal agencies have terminated or reduced 55 contracts over the last three days with a combined ceiling value of $1.6 billion, claiming $542 million in savings.

DOGE, whose name nods to Elon Musk’s high-profile involvement, was launched during the opening days of President Donald Trump’s second administration as part of a broader effort to reshape federal spending and bureaucracy.

While Musk has since stepped back from the project, elements of the DOGE framework remain active across federal agencies.

In a post on X, the department wrote: “Contracts Update! Over the last 3 days, agencies terminated and descoped 55 wasteful contracts with a ceiling value of $1.6B and savings of $542M.”

WHITE HOUSE SENDING $9.4 BILLION DOGE CUTS PACKAGE TO CONGRESS NEXT WEEK

The post listed several examples, including what it described as “a $47M State Dept. program support contract for ‘Africa / Djibouti, Somalia armored personnel carriers and Somalia National Army crew’,” and “a $19.5M HHS IT Services contract for support for National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences in designing, creating, updating, maintaining, and archiving online communications.”

DOGE also referenced “a $151k DoW education services contract for ‘Director’s Development Program in Leadership – Partnership course to be held at Northwestern University’,” according to the post.

Screenshots shared with the DOGE post show federal contract records matching the descriptions and dollar amounts cited.

DOGE WILL GO ON: HILL PORK HAWK SAYS ROOTING OUT GOVERNMENT WASTE WILL CONTINUE AFTER ELON

One screenshot shows a contract record tied to Somalia, listing professional program management support under a federal services code and identifying the country of service origin as Somalia. The contract description references support related to armored personnel carriers and Somalia National Army crews in Djibouti and Somalia.

A second screenshot shows an IT management support services contract based in the United States, categorized under computer systems design services. The description outlines work for the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences focused on maintaining and managing online communications, including websites, webpages, mobile tools and social media platforms.

The DOGE post did not provide additional details about when the contracts were originally awarded, how much funding had already been obligated or spent, or which agency actions produced the savings figure cited in the post.

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The announcement comes amid heightened scrutiny this week over several Somali-owned, government-funded daycare facilities in Minnesota that have been accused of fraudulently collecting millions of dollars worth of taxpayer funds.

Fox News Digital has reached out to the White House, DOGE, the State Department and HHS for additional information.

A Department of Justice official took a jab at a California state senator on Friday after the lawmaker, a Democrat running to succeed retiring Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., erroneously claimed his state began enforcing a mask ban against federal immigration officers.

Jesus Osete, the No. 2 official in the DOJ Civil Rights Division, pointed out that Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration agreed in court to temporarily hold off on enforcing the ban while a lawsuit over it plays out.

Osete’s remark came in response to San Francisco-based state Sen. Scott Wiener, who posted a video Thursday boasting that the ban was active.

“That’s not what @CAgovernor told a federal judge, my man,” Osete wrote on X.

CALIFORNIA LAUNCHES MISCONDUCT PORTAL FOR REPORTING FEDERAL AGENTS DURING ICE DEPORTATION OPERATIONS

The Trump administration sued California in November, arguing that two bills, including the No Secret Police Act introduced by Wiener, violated the Constitution’s supremacy clause, which says that when federal and state laws conflict with one another, federal laws win out.

The No Secret Police Act attempted to bar ICE officers from wearing masks in certain circumstances after a series of high-profile immigration raids in the state that involved some officers fully concealing their faces with ski masks. 

As part of the lawsuit, California officials agreed in December to hold off on enforcing the mask ban against ICE agents until the court could hear arguments in the case.

Wiener claimed the mask ban went into effect on Jan. 1 in a video he shared online, contradicting what California’s attorneys told the court.

NEWSOM ON COURTROOM COLLISION COURSE WITH TRUMP OVER ICE MASK BAN

“It’s now illegal for ICE and other law enforcement to cover their faces in the state of California. Starting today, my new anti-masking law goes into effect,” Wiener said.

A federal judge is weighing whether to grant the Trump administration’s request for a preliminary injunction against the mask ban. But the briefing schedule stretches through next week, and a hearing on the matter is set for Jan. 12.

The judge could make a decision soon after the hearing, and if he were to rule in favor of California, the state could begin enforcing its ban at that point.

Bill Essayli, the first assistant U.S. attorney in central California, also chided Wiener for his claim that the state law was enforceable.

“This isn’t true. California has no authority to regulate federal agents. This state law violates the federal Supremacy Clause. … California has agreed to put the law on hold and not enforce its unconstitutional mask ban, which is designed to allow radical leftists to dox federal agents enforcing immigration laws,” Essayli said.

Wiener doubled down on his remarks in a statement to Fox News Digital, saying Essayli was a “clueless Trump Administration lackey” making a “meaningless royal decree.”

“While the agents of the state did agree to hold off on enforcing the law until the injunction hearing, the No Secret Police Act is still very much in effect, and ICE agents who appear masked in California are still subject to civil suits for violating the laws of our state,” Wiener said.

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California attorneys have been fighting the lawsuit, arguing in court papers that “armed, masked individuals” carried out arrests of alleged illegal immigrants and, in doing so, “caused terror throughout California, with the public unsure whether they were interacting with legitimate law enforcement or impostors.”

The Trump administration’s lawsuit “ignores [the] careful balance of power between the federal and state governments, seeking to invalidate two California laws. … Each law exercises the State’s historic and long-established police power,” state attorneys wrote.

Welcome to the Fox News Politics newsletter, with the latest updates on the Trump administration, Capitol Hill and more Fox News politics content. Here’s what’s happening…

-Washington officials blast conservatives for Minnesota-style day care fraud claims in new state

-Hours after taking office, NYC Mayor Mamdani targets landlords, moves to intervene in private bankruptcy case

-Trump says October scan was a CT, not MRI — and he regrets it after giving Dems ‘ammo’ despite healthy results

Israel accuses Mamdani of pouring ‘antisemitic gasoline’ after he revokes Adams executive orders

Israel tore into New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani after he revoked a pair of executive orders signed by former Mayor Eric Adams that supported the Jewish state. 

“On his very first day as New York City mayor, Mamdani shows his true face: He scraps the IHRA definition of antisemitism and lifts restrictions on boycotting Israel,” Israel’s Foreign Ministry wrote in a post on X. 

“This isn’t leadership. It’s antisemitic gasoline on an open fire.”…READ MORE.
 

White House

CLEAN UP CREWS: Here’s the top US cities Trump could target with National Guard deployments in 2026

COURT WARS: Inside Trump’s first-year power plays — and the court fights testing them

REVAMPING THE SYSTEM: 5 big immigration changes taking effect across the U.S.

World Stage

‘LOCKED AND LOADED’: Iran crackdown rattles Middle East as analysts weigh US options short of military intervention

WAR GAMES: China’s global aggression check: Taiwan tensions, military posturing, and US response in 2025

Capitol Hill

AGAINST THE TIDE: These House mavericks defied their own parties more than anyone else in 2025

MIDTERMS IN FOCUS: Here are the key 2026 House and Senate races to watch that could decide control of Congress

Across America 

‘PREPARING FOR JIHAD’: What we know about the ISIS-inspired New Year’s Eve terror suspect

‘MARTYRDOM OP’: FBI disrupts alleged ISIS-inspired New Year’s Eve attack plot targeting North Carolina grocery store

GLOVES OFF: Bernie Sanders ditches iconic mittens look while swearing in socialist Zohran Mamdani as NYC mayor

AGAINST THE ODDS: Unsung heroes of 2025: First responders and everyday Americans who saved lives across US

TIPPING POINT: Charlie Kirk’s killing, Idaho murders plea and Karen Read verdict: Inside 2025’s biggest crime moments

Get the latest updates on the Trump administration and Congress, exclusive interviews and more on FoxNews.com.

Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-California., on Wednesday promised to revoke the driver’s license of federal immigration agents who wear masks. 

Swalwell, who is running for governor, appeared on MS NOW where he was asked about what he brings to the table as leader of the state. 

In response, Swalwell said one of the governor’s duties is to protect the state’s most vulnerable populations. 

WAVE OF CAR ATTACKS ON ICE AGENTS FOLLOWS INCENDIARY RHETORIC FROM TARGET-CITY LEADERS

“If the president is going to send ICE agents to chase immigrants through the fields where they work, what I’m going to is make them take off their masks and show their faces, that they show their identification, and if they commit crimes, that they’re going to be charged with crimes,” he said. 

“If the governor has the ability to issue driver’s licenses to people in California, if you’re going to wear a mask and not identify yourself, you’re not going to be eligible to drive a vehicle in California,” Swalwell added.  

Fox News Digital has reached out to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

The White House noted that California has issued driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants, some of whom have been involved in deadly collisions. 

“Fang Fang’s former lover wants to give drivers licenses to criminal illegal aliens and simultaneously punish law enforcement officers for enforcing the law?” White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson told Fox News Digital, referencing Swalwell’s connection to alleged Chinese spy, Christine Fang, who worked on his congressional campaign and targeted up-and-coming politicians in California.

What an absolute clown.”

A California law banning ICE officers from wearing masks while conducting operations was supposed to go into effect on Thursday.

The Department of Homeland Security has vowed not to comply with the measure and the Trump administration is suing the state over the issue. The law is on hold and a hearing is scheduled for Jan. 12. 

NEWSOM ON COURTROOM COLLISION COURSE WITH TRUMP OVER ICE MASK BAN

Critics of the immigration operations argue that masked agents pose a danger to communities and could result in brutal law enforcement tactics while failing to hold authorities accountable. 

Federal authorities have said that ICE and other immigration officers have faced death threats, as well as their families, and doxxing. 

On Friday, Bill Essayli, the first assistant U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California, said the state doesn’t have the authority to regulate federal authorities. 

“In the meantime, California has agreed to put the law on hold and not enforce its unconstitutional mask ban, which is designed to allow radical leftists to dox federal agents enforcing immigration laws,” he wrote on X. 

Harmeet K. Dhillon, the assistant attorney general for civil rights at the Justice Department, criticized Salwell over his remarks. 

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“What’s even dumber about this is that Swalwell has a law degree and he even once made a living as a prosecutor,” she wrote on X. “He knows about federal supremacy and that it is not possible for a state prosecutor to do any of the things he is promising. Oh, and he won’t ever be governor, either.”

Republican state senators in New York on Friday wrote a letter to Gov. Kathy Hochul urging her to launch an independent investigation into possible fraud involving government programs in response to similar allegations in Minnesota.

“We write to you concerning disturbing reports of widespread fraud involving taxpayer dollars in the state of Minnesota, including schemes that reportedly involved sham daycare centers and other illegitimate entities,” the letter, signed by 12 Republican state senators, said.

The letter added that the “revelations” in Minnesota “raise serious concerns about the vulnerability of publicly funded programs to abuse.”

TRUMP TARGETS MINNESOTA FRAUD ALLEGATIONS, SAYS ‘WE’RE GOING TO GET TO THE BOTTOM OF IT’

The senators urged Hochul to “immediately retain an independent private professional services firm to conduct a comprehensive audit of comparable programs in New York State.”

MINNESOTA FRAUD COMMITTEE CHAIR CLAIMS WALZ ‘TURNED A BLIND EYE’ TO FRAUD WARNINGS FOR YEARS

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The Small Business Administration announced Thursday that it had suspended 6,900 Minnesota borrowers after uncovering what it says is widespread suspected fraud in the state.

Billionaire tech mogul Elon Musk gave a strong response to a perceived threat on his life by a Somali TikToker after she said on a livestream, “He [is] about to die.”

In a viral livestream posted by a since-deleted account, a Somali TikToker who went by the name “Dowza.z” said in reference to Musk, “I wouldn’t worry too much about him, he about to die.”

Though the streamer switched back and forth from speaking in Somali and English, her statement on Musk was said in English. She was discussing Musk’s recent criticisms of Somali-run businesses engaged in rampant fraud in Minnesota.

The comment prompted immediate backlash from conservatives who took the statement as a threat to Musk’s life.

FBI SURGES RESOURCES TO MINNESOTA AS PATEL CALLS $250M FRAUD SCHEME ‘TIP OF ICEBERG’

Musk himself appeared to take the statement as a threat, responding to the video in an X post in which he wrote, “Then it is war.”

Popular conservative account Libs of TikTok also commented on the clip, saying the FBI “should definitely look into this.”

X account DogeDesigner wrote, “Protect Elon Musk at all costs.”

Conservative commentator Eric Daugherty wrote, “When fraud is exposed – it’s always the fraudsters who yell and complain the loudest. Their THEFT will come to an end.”

Utah Republican Sen. Mike Lee posted on his personal X account, “Deport her immediately,” adding, “She shouldn’t be here.”

The Trump administration and lawmakers have launched probes into Minnesota’s “Feeding Our Future” $250 million fraud scheme that allegedly targeted a children’s nutrition program the Department of Agriculture funded and that Minnesota oversaw during the COVID-19 pandemic.

FEDS LAUNCH ‘MASSIVE’ INVESTIGATION AFTER VIRAL VIDEO ALLEGES MINNESOTA DAYCARE FRAUD

At least 77 people have been charged in that scheme, which took advantage of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s decision to waive certain Federal Child Nutrition Program requirements.

Likewise, another fraud scheme in the state stems from the Housing Stability Services Program, which offered Medicaid coverage for housing stabilization services in an attempt to help those with disabilities, mental illnesses and substance-use disorders receive housing.

The bulk of those charged are part of Minnesota’s Somali population, prompting Trump to announce in November that he was ending the Temporary Protected Status for Somali migrants in Minnesota that offers protection against deportation.

Additionally, the Department of Homeland Security announced Tuesday that it was spearheading a major operation to arrest and remove those involved in the fraud. 

GOP LAWMAKER DEMANDS MINNESOTA FRAUD BE TREATED AS ‘ORGANIZED CRIME’ SCHEME

Musk has been highly vocal about the fraud being uncovered in Minnesota, repeatedly calling attention to it on his official X account, which has over 230 million followers.

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In a post on Saturday, Musk said the fraud scheme going on in Minnesota is “one of many” and that while leading the Department of Government Efficiency under President Donald Trump, his team “found hundreds of fraud schemes.”

“There was massive fraud in every government program, especially Federal funds sent as block grants to the states,” said Musk.

Fox News Digital’s Diana Stancy contributed to this report.