NationalWatch

FIRST ON FOX: House Freedom Caucus leaders are drawing battle lines as lawmakers return to Capitol Hill for the second half of the 119th Congress.

The conservative group’s board of directors is sending a seven-page letter to Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., outlining proposed policy goals on a vast array of topics from American elections, to immigration, to federal spending, taking on “rogue” judges, and housing affordability.

It comes ahead of a policy forum that Johnson is hosting on Tuesday to lay out the House GOP’s agenda for 2026. Republicans are expected to huddle from 9:30am to 6pm at the Trump Kennedy Center where they’ll hear from committee leaders and President Donald Trump.

Trump’s remarks are expected to rally Republicans around passing their legislative goals for the year, but several people told Fox News Digital they also anticipate him focusing heavily on the U.S. government’s recent operation in Venezuela.

CONGRESS ROLLS OUT $174B SPENDING BILL AS JAN 30 SHUTDOWN FEARS GROW

The first policy goal listed by the Freedom Caucus is forcing the Senate to take up the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, which passed the House early last year.

They’re also calling on Congress to pass legislation limiting early voting and reforming the census to only count American citizens.

On fiscal year (FY) 2026 appropriations, conservatives are calling on the House to “reduce or – at bare minimum – keep flat total federal discretionary spending levels” according to the document first obtained by Fox News Digital.

The recently-released $174 billion spending bill that the House is expected to vote on this week would reduce current funding levels for the agencies it covers if passed.

Congress has yet to release information on six of its 12 remaining spending bills, however, while lawmakers face a Jan. 30 deadline to avert a government shutdown.

The Freedom Caucus is also urging Congress to crack down on the recent fraud scandal taking over Minnesota’s social programs by eliminating “all programs exposed as rampant with fraud and place punitive measures on states such as Minnesota that have allowed rampant fraud.”

“Federal prosecutors have estimated that widespread fraud in Minnesota tied to Somali day care centers, COVID-era meal programs, housing, and special needs assistance programs alone could exceed $9 billion,” the document said. “These revelations are startling, but just a drop in the bucket for a federal government that’s estimated to lose between $233 and $521 billion annually to fraud, according to government watchdog agencies.”

The document called for the denaturalization and deportation of “anyone who has committed fraud against the American taxpayer,” specifically naming Minnesota’s Somali community, though doing so would likely require court intervention.

Conservatives’ policy roadmap also called on Congress to “freeze all immigration to the U.S., except for (very) temporary tourist visas” for a temporary amount of time in order to revamp the U.S. immigration system as a whole.

In a section called “Stop Rogue, Activist Judges,” the House Freedom Caucus urged the House to move forward on impeaching U.S. Federal Judge James Boasberg “such as Judge Deborah Boardman, for reducing the sentence of a man who plotted and took steps to kill a Supreme Court Justice due to her indefensible views about transgenderism.”

An earlier push by conservatives to impeach Boasberg failed to gain traction among the wider House GOP conference, though the chamber passed “The No Rogue Rulings Act” to limit the ability of district judges like Boasberg to issue nationwide injunctions.

The policy roadmap also called to radically shift America’s global priorities by completely removing the U.S. from the United Nations and halting all funding to the international body.

HOUSE GOP TENSIONS ERUPT AFTER MODERATE REPUBLICANS’ OBAMACARE ‘BETRAYAL’

“The UN is openly hostile to the United States, yet we remain its biggest source of funding. President Trump has significantly reduced wasteful spending on dangerous UN entities like UNRWA, and now Congress should go even further by enacting legislation such as H.R. 1498, the DEFUND Act, to completely withdraw the United States from the United Nations (UN) and end all funding and participation,” the passage read.

Another section calls for banning stock trading for members of Congress, which Johnson said he would be in favor of last year.

The push to ban stock trading has gained rare bipartisan support among both Republicans and Democrats, but no such bill has yet seen a House floor vote.

Banning Sharia Law in the U.S. is also listed as one of the group’s policy goals, an effort that’s been led by Texas-based Freedom Caucus members like Reps. Chip Roy, R-Texas, and Keith Self, R-Texas, so far this Congress.

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While it was founded as a group that was frequently adversarial to Republican leaders for not being conservative enough, the House Freedom Caucus has gradually gained influence within the House GOP during the 119th Congress.

Its chairman, Rep. Andy Harris, R-Md., has frequently stood alongside Johnson in his push for conservative legislative goals.

Johnson notably spoke at the group’s 10th anniversary celebration late last year. Harris and Roy also made a public show of unity alongside House GOP leaders during the recent government shutdown.

Republicans are going into this year, however, grappling with a razor-thin House majority and what’s expected to be a tough November election cycle.

It is the perpetual question in Congress.

Was the Speaker briefed?

When will they give you a briefing?

I don’t know anything about that because I haven’t been briefed yet.

DEFIANT MADURO DECLARES HE IS A ‘PRISONER OF WAR’ IN FIRST US COURT APPEARANCE

A Congressional “briefing” is supposed to shed light on unanswered questions.

And the questions are legion after the U.S. military mission to extract Nicolás Maduro from Caracas.

That initial “briefing” unfolded Monday night at the Capitol. Granted, not for every lawmaker. But the bipartisan House and Senate leadership, top members of the House and Senate Intelligence Committees, leaders of the Armed Services Committees, and the chairs and ranking members of the Foreign Affairs/Foreign Relations Committees. Democrats seethed that the White House did not notify Congress in advance of the operation. Granted, “notification” is different from a briefing. And it’s a far cry from Congress voting to authorize or suspend an operation under its Article I “war powers.” Democrats – and some Republicans – contend that only Congress can bless an operation like the one in Venezuela. But regardless, both sides wanted to know what comes next.

It’s all in the eye of the beholder.

“This is a military operation. We all know that,” said Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., the top Democrat on the Intelligence Committee, on CNN.

“This was not an act of war or an invasion. This was the lawful apprehension of a fugitive from justice,” countered Rep. Laurel Lee, R-Fla., on Fox. 

SCHUMER BLASTED TRUMP FOR FAILING TO OUST MADURO — NOW WARNS ARREST COULD LEAD TO ‘ENDLESS WAR’

Most Democrats say the administration violated the Constitution, dispatching U.S. forces abroad without Congressional permission.

“The President literally dropped into a sovereign nation, executed on this warrant, pulled the leader out with no plan for the next day,” said Rep. Madeleine Dean, D-Penn., on CNN.

Some lawmakers fretted about President Trump’s future intentions and wondered if Venezuela was just a precursor.

“Now he’s doubling down on this reckless policy,” said Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., on MSNOW. “He’s thinking about Colombia and thinking about Cuba and Greenland. I mean, the average American is going to say, ‘What is going on in the White House?’”

But at least one Democrat broke with some of his colleagues.

“This wasn’t a war. This wasn’t boots on grounds and in that kind of a way. This was surgical and very efficient. And I want to celebrate our military,” said Sen. John Fetterman, D-Penn., on Fox.

At this briefing, lawmakers heard from Attorney General Pam Bondi, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Dan Caine, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

Democrats questioned what the administration told them in previous briefings.

“Marco Rubio personally, explicitly lied to me,” charged Rep. Pat Ryan, D-N.Y., on CNN. “We asked over and over, ‘What is the larger plan? Is there an effort at regime change being planned?’”

However, most Republicans dismissed Democrats’ concerns and extolled the success of the mission.

“This is one of the most complicated and exquisite military operations that has ever been conducted in the history of warfare,” said Rep. Derrick Van Orden, R-Wis., a former Navy SEAL, on Fox. “This is the stuff that legends are made of.”

“If President Trump won the battle against cancer and cured cancer, the Democrats would take the side of cancer,” said Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo. “It’s insane.”

FETTERMAN DEFENDS TRUMP’S VENEZUELA MILITARY OPERATION AGAINST CRITICISM FROM FELLOW DEMOCRATS

The calendar flipped to 2026. It’s a midterm year. And Democrats are already trying to use Venezuela against Republicans. Democrats believe the GOP’s focus on the Caribbean and South America gives them a political opening as they focus on pocket book issues.

“The American people did not sign up for this kind of military adventurism when they voted for Donald Trump. They wanted a president focused on America first. Focused on lowering the cost of living. Lowering health care costs. Lowering grocery prices,” said Schumer.

Democrats are now looking for parliamentary methods to impede potential future maneuvers – in Venezuela. Or perhaps elsewhere.

“The reality is that to fund these operations, to fund nation-building, they need the approval of Congress,” said Rep. Suhas Subramanyam, D-Va., on CNN.

Most funding for the federal government expires in a little more than three weeks. That includes separate bills to fund the Pentagon and the State Department. Few want a government shutdown. In fact, work on other spending bills has gone quite well. Expect a vote on a mini-spending package later this week. But military and foreign operations spending bills are among the nine measures left incomplete ahead of this next funding round.

The ultimate power in Congress is that of the purse. It’s possible Democrats – and some Republicans who are skeptical of what the U.S. is doing in Venezuela – could limit or cut off funds for any operations there.

Lawmakers will question what’s needed from the military or diplomats. All of that involves money from Capitol Hill. There’s uncertainty about what the endgame is.

“I don’t know what ‘run the country’ means,” said Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kan. “I would think that the United States does not want to be somebody running another country. Even in an interim.”

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

Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, R-Iowa, represents a battleground district in eastern Iowa. She won in 2020 by six votes. 967 votes in 2024.

“We don’t want to have troops on the ground. Iowans don’t want that. We do not want nation building,” said Miller-Meeks on Fox. “We’ve got enough problems to clear up.”

If lawmakers don’t like what they’re hearing, they could make the Defense Appropriations bill and the State/Foreign Operations measure tricky to pass. And, if Congress limits such funds, any continued operations in Venezuela must cease under the law.

Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., is pushing a vote later this week on a war powers resolution. If approved, it would mandate Congressional approval for future interventions. Only GOP Sens. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, and Rand Paul, R-Ky., joined Democrats in voting yes on a similar resolution last fall.

So this was the first briefing. Other briefings will soon follow about the future of Venezuela. Likely for months if not years. South America and the Caribbean are the latest frontier to follow on the global stage.

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But questions – and answers – will circulate through Capitol Hill. And it will hinge on whether or not lawmakers are “briefed.”

Democratic Gov. Tim Walz announced on Monday he is scrapping his re-election campaign for another term amid a massive fraud scandal in the state, but Republican lawmakers in Minnesota are calling the move an empty one. 

“Don’t mistake Gov. Walz’s retirement for accountability,” Minnesota state Sen. Mark Koran said in a statement to Fox News Digital after Walz’s Monday announcement. 

“It’s an attempt to avoid it. Republicans will keep holding ALL elected Democrats accountable for Minnesota’s fraud mess, spending every dollar of the $18 billion surplus, and raising taxes by $10 billion.”

Accountability for Walz, according to several Republican lawmakers, involves him resigning as governor, which many have called for in recent months. 

CRITICS WARN MINNESOTA LEGISLATION NOW TAKING EFFECT IS SETTING UP THE ‘NEXT BILLION-DOLLAR FRAUD’

“The Governor is taking the easy way out, but it’s not good enough,” state Sen. Michael Holmstrom said in a statement. “Minnesotans deserve and demand an IMMEDIATE resignation.”

“Governor Walz couldn’t take the FRAUD heat so he’s getting out of the kitchen, but I’m going to keep holding ALL Democrats accountable for Minnesota’s fraud mess, blowing through the entire $18 billion surplus, raising taxes by $10 billion, and making life less affordable for all Minnesotans while rejecting Republican efforts to stop fraud. I’ll keep exposing these failures and holding Democrats accountable for what they’ve done to Minnesotans.”

Walz launched his bid for a third four-year term as Minnesota governor in September, but in recent weeks has been facing a barrage of incoming political fire from President Donald Trump and Republicans, and some Democrats, over the large-scale theft in a state that has long prided itself on good governance.

HOW FEARS OF BEING LABELED ‘RACIST’ HELPED ‘PROVIDE COVER’ FOR THE EXPLODING MINNESOTA FRAUD SCANDAL

More than 90 people — most from Minnesota’s large Somali community — have been charged since 2022 in what has been described as the nation’s largest COVID-era scheme. How much money has been stolen through alleged money laundering operations involving fraudulent meal and housing programs, daycare centers, and Medicaid services is still being tabulated. But the U.S. attorney in Minnesota said the scope of the fraud could exceed $1 billion and rise to as high as $9 billion.

GOP state Sen. Rich Draheim accused Walz in a statement of simply “passing the buck” with his “retirement” announcement while “blaming Republicans for his failures.”

Minnesota Republican Sen. Andrew Lang echoed the messaging from his state party in a statement concluding that “retirement isn’t accountability.”

“It’s him trying to wipe his hands clean of the fraud mess. But ALL elected Democrats own this. They fought Republican efforts to stop the fraud, failed to hold Walz’s agencies accountable, and let Minnesotans’ tax dollars get siphoned off by fraudsters.”

Walz met Sunday with Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota to discuss his decision to drop his re-election bid, a source familiar confirmed to Fox News’ Alexis McAdams.

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Word of their meeting comes amid speculation that Klobuchar, a former Hennepin County attorney who’s been elected and re-elected four times to the U.S. Senate, may now run to succeed Walz.

“Make no mistake, I don’t want Tim Walz to be our governor,” Minnesota Republican state Sen. Andrew Mathews said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “But rather than swapping Democrat governor candidates, I want to FIX the damage Gov. Walz has done: Blew through an $18 billion surplus, Raised taxes by $10 billion, Oversaw one of the largest fraud scandals in the country, Left Minnesota for months chasing a failed VP bid, Now decides to leave office.”

“This isn’t accountability. It’s avoiding it.”

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

Lawyers for the Trump administration asked a federal judge for additional time this week to detail its plans to provide due process for nearly 150 Venezuelan migrants that it deported to the Salvadoran CECOT prison in March, citing the removal of Nicolás Maduro, the Venezuelan leader who was captured by U.S. troops during a surprise raid in Caracas. 

In the motion for an extension, submitted to U.S. District Judge James Boasberg, lawyers for the Justice Department cited the “substantial changes on the ground in Venezuela” and the “fluid nature of the unfolding situation” in the wake of the U.S. capture of Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores.

They requested an additional seven days to comply with the court’s order.

Boasberg, in response, told the Justice Department in a minute order that it had not complied with a local court rule requiring defendants in a civil case to first notify opposing counsel before asking the court for a delay – leaving the matter temporarily unresolved.

The update comes after months of tension-filled status hearings between lawyers for the Trump administration and lawyers for the 252 Venezuelan migrants who were deported to El Salvador’s CECOT prison in March under the Alien Enemies Act, a 1798 immigration law, despite an emergency court order that sought to block the administration from immediately using the law to quickly remove certain migrants. 

The status of the migrants, who were removed again to Venezuela from CECOT in July as part of a prisoner exchange, further complicated the case. 

The exchange and U.S. involvement appeared to indicate at least some level of constructive custody of the migrants, as the court observed, prompting additional status hearings in the case. It also made it more difficult for lawyers representing the plaintiffs to track down all 252 CECOT migrants, some of whom had fled Venezuela due to persecution in their home country, and who have since remained in hiding.

BOASBERG SAYS TRUMP MUST PROVIDE DUE PROCESS TO CECOT MIGRANTS IN US OR ELSEWHERE

The Trump administration proceeded with the deportation flights, kicking off a complex legal fight over the status of the migrants, the U.S. ability to facilitate their return – or at least to provide the migrants with due process protections – and an ability to challenge their alleged gang member status. 

Trump officials had argued that the people deported to CECOT were members of the violent Venezuelan Tren de Aragua gang, though the evidence they used to justify their designations has been disputed in many cases, and in many cases determined to be lacking. 

Since March, Boasberg has attempted to determine the status of the hundreds of CECOT plaintiffs, what ability the U.S. has to facilitate their return, or to provide the class of migrants with due process and habeas protections, including the ability to challenge their alleged gang status.

Last month, Boasberg ordered the Trump administration to submit to the court in writing its plans to provide due process to a class of Venezuelan migrants deported to El Salvador. 

He said the Justice Department must submit to the court by Jan. 5 its plan to provide due process protections to the CECOT class – which he said the Trump administration could do by either returning the migrants to the U.S. to have their cases heard in person – or to otherwise facilitate hearings abroad with members of the class that “satisfy the requirements of due process.”

“On the merits, the Court concludes that this class was denied their due-process rights and will thus require the Government to facilitate their ability to obtain such a hearing,” Boasberg said at the time. “Our law requires no less.”

APPEALS COURT BLOCKS TRUMP ADMIN’S DEPORTATION FLIGHTS IN ALIEN ENEMIES ACT IMMIGRATION SUIT

The Justice Department’s request for a seven-day extension did not challenge the underlying merits of the order. Instead, they cited only the changing circumstances on the ground in Venezuela, which they said necessitate the additional time.

“Over the weekend, the United States apprehended Nicolás Maduro,” lawyers for the Justice Department said in their request for additional time. “As a result, the situation on the ground in Venezuela has changed dramatically. Defendants thus need additional time to determine the feasibility of various proposals,” they added. 

“Defendants therefore request a 7-day extension to evaluate and determine what remedies are possible.”

SCOTUS TO REVIEW TRUMP EXECUTIVE ORDER ON BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP

Boasberg responded in a terse minute order, noting only that the Justice Department’s request “fails to comply” with the local rule in question, which requires parties to first confer with opposing counsel. He ordered the DOJ to file the relevant notice to opposing counsel by the end of the day. 

The update further stalls an ongoing court inquiry that has been on ice for months as the result of appeals court rulings, efforts to shield certain information from the court for national security purposes, and a separate, but related, contempt inquiry.

The CECOT migrants were again moved in July from the Salvadoran prison to Venezuela, as part of a broader prisoner exchange that involved the return of at least 10 Americans detained in Venezuela. 

Their role in the prisoner exchange further complicated efforts to ascertain the status of the CECOT class plaintiffs, including some migrants who had fled Venezuela in the first place due to fears of persecution, including from gangs.

That has made it difficult to contact the migrants from the CECOT class and determine how many of them still wished to proceed with their due process cases, as ACLU attorney Lee Gelernt, the lawyer representing the plaintiffs, previously told Boasberg in court. 

Some of them remain in hiding, Gelernt said, further complicating efforts to make contact.

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The ACLU lawyers told the court in December that, of the 252 Venezuelan migrants that were deported in March to CECOT, 137 still wish to move forward with their due process cases.

Just two days after posting a social media video signaling his freedom from government office, former New York Mayor Eric Adams slammed fellow Democrats over their response to President Donald Trump’s operation to capture Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro.

Adams previously posted a video of himself with a cigar and what appeared to be bourbon, smiling as he lambasted the government as “slow as s—” filled with people trying to throw “sand in the gears” and predicting an “unforgettable, bada–, no bull—- 2026” – before issuing a starkly different message on Maduro than his mayoral successor.

By the weekend, Adams followed through, openly weighing in by thanking Trump for “hit[ting] the cartels where it hurts” through Maduro’s detention and sharply criticizing former Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Joe Biden’s approach to the Venezuelan strongman.

“I have seen firsthand how Nicolás Maduro destroyed Venezuela and turned it into a narco-state. Millions fled. Thousands landed in New York City,” he said.

GREGG JARRETT: NO, TRUMP’S ORDER TO SNATCH MADURO WAS NOT ILLEGAL OR UNCONSTITUTIONAL

“Now in U.S. custody, the man who helped flood our streets with fentanyl is finally being held accountable. American lives were destroyed because of him.”

Turning to those in his party, Adams said that days before Biden and Harris left office, they increased the bounty on Maduro to $25 million from an Obama-era $10 million.

Harris had said that Trump’s detaining of Maduro “do[es] not make America safer” and that the despot being an “illegitimate dictator does not change the fact that this action was both unlawful and unwise … The American people do not want this, and they are tired of being lied to.”

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“Public safety is not a political game,” Adams replied to Harris.

“You do not label someone a narco-dictator one year and then pretend he is no longer a threat the next simply because a different president is in office – that is cynical and irresponsible,” Adams said, citing Harris’ lengthier critique of the overnight operation.

Adams went on to cite real-life cases of fentanyl deaths in New York as proof of Maduro’s dangerous reach, including a two-year-old Bronx boy named Nicholas Feliz-Dominici whom he said was poisoned while in daycare.

UN AMBASSADOR WALTZ DEFENDS US CAPTURE OF MADURO AHEAD OF SECURITY COUNCIL MEETING

“America is safer today because Maduro is no longer in power,” the former NYPD officer turned mayor said.

“Welcome to New York, Nicolás.”

Adams’ comments also directly contradicted the position of his successor, socialist Zohran Mamdani, who told reporters he personally telephoned Trump to “register my opposition.”

“I was briefed this morning on the U.S. military capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, as well as their planned imprisonment in federal custody here in New York City,” Mamdani said in a statement.

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“Unilaterally attacking a sovereign nation is an act of war and a violation of federal and international law. This blatant pursuit of regime change doesn’t just affect those abroad, it directly impacts New Yorkers, including tens of thousands of Venezuelans who call this city home.”

“My focus is their safety and the safety of every New Yorker, and my administration will continue to monitor the situation and issue relevant guidance,” the former Queens state assemblyman said.

A Hilton-branded hotel in Minneapolis is facing scrutiny after allegedly canceling reservations made by federal immigration agents, prompting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to publicly question the decision.

Emails that ICE shared on social media appear to show staff at the Hampton Inn by Hilton Lakeville Minneapolis informing individuals associated with reservations for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) that the property would not allow ICE or other immigration agents to stay.

Hilton did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

“We have noticed an influx of GOV reservations made today that have been for DHS, and we are not allowing any ICE or immigration agents to stay at our property. If you are with DHS or immigration, let us know as we will have to cancel your reservation,” an email from a staff member at the Hilton-branded hotel allegedly reads.

KAROLINE LEAVITT WARNS ‘PEOPLE WILL BE IN HANDCUFFS’ AS FEDS ZERO IN ON MINNESOTA FRAUD SCANDAL

“Please pass on this info to your coworkers that we are not allowing any immigration agents to house on our property.”

A follow-up email several hours later then allegedly stated, “After further investigation online, we have found information about immigration work connected with your name and we will be cancelling your upcoming reservation. You should see a proper cancellation email in your inbox shortly from Hilton.”

DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told Fox News Digital in a statement: “Hilton has launched a coordinated campaign in Minneapolis to REFUSE service to DHS law enforcement. When officers attempted to book rooms using official government emails and rates, Hilton Hotels maliciously CANCELLED their reservations.”

“This is UNACCEPTABLE,” said McLaughlin. “Why is Hilton Hotels siding with murderers and rapists to deliberately undermine and impede DHS law enforcement from their mission to enforce our nation’s immigration laws?”

The exchange prompted the official ICE account on X to post screenshots of the conversation.

DHS REVIEWS CITIZENSHIP CASES FROM SOMALIA, OTHER HIGH RISK COUNTRIES FOR POSSIBLE FRAUD

“Hey @HiltonHotels — why did your team in Minneapolis cancel our federal law enforcement officer and agents’ reservations?” the post asked.

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The revelation of the alleged hotel cancellations comes as CBS News reported Monday that the Trump administration has begun a large-scale deployment of DHS personnel in Minnesota as part of an expanded federal crackdown tied to a widening fraud scandal in the state.

CBS News reported the crackdown could involve roughly 2,000 agents and officers from ICE’s deportation branch and Homeland Security Investigations.

Minnesota lawmakers in the U.S. House of Representatives applauded Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz’s decision to not pursue re-election but doubled down on demands for accountability.

“Governor Walz’s decision to not seek re-election is the only acceptable outcome after the large-scale fraud that was permitted under his watch,” Rep. Michelle Fischbach, R-Minn., said. 

Fischbach, a member of the powerful House Rules Committee, previously served as lieutenant governor of the North Star State in 2018. 

NICK SHIRLEY GLOATS HE ‘ENDED TIM WALZ’ AFTER MINNESOTA GOVERNOR SCRAPS RE-ELECTION BID AMID FRAUD SCANDAL

“His career is ending because Walz and the Democrats allowed Minnesota to become a national playground for fraudsters, and his radical negligence has cost Minnesotans billions,” Fischbach said.

Minnesota first elected Walz as governor in 2018 and then re-elected him in 2022. Walz ran briefly for the White House as a part of Vice President Kamala Harris’ ticket in 2024, but, after he was unsuccessful, announced plans to pursue a third term as governor.

His decision to drop out of that race comes as new revelations about fraud in Minnesota show the state could have lost as much as $9 billion under Walz’s leadership through abuse of its government assistance programs.

DAVID MARCUS: TIM WALZ’S WHITE GUILT FINALLY ENDS HIS CAREER AS MINNESOTA’S FRAUD EXPLODES

In recent months, investigators have discovered sweeping fraud schemes masquerading as daycare centers, medical providers, food assistance programs and more. By fabricating services or misrepresenting the number of people they claimed to serve, the schemes siphoned billions in government funds.

Walz’s current term ends in January 2027. Rep. Pete Stauber, R-Minn., believes it should end sooner.

“Governor Walz’s decision not to seek re-election doesn’t let him off the hook,” Stauber said. “Minnesotans deserve to see full accountability. Under Tim Walz’s leadership, at least $9 billion was stolen from taxpayers by fraudsters, the state’s $18 billion surplus was squandered, taxes were increased by $10 billion and illegal immigrants were given free college, health care and driver’s licenses.” 

“If Walz is unfit to seek re-election, he is unfit to serve as governor. The news this morning should have been ‘Tim Walz resigns,’” Stauber added.

COMER WARNS WALZ ABSENCE AT MINNESOTA FRAUD HEARING WOULD BE ‘ADMISSION TO GUILT’ BY GOVERNOR

With an eye toward the future, Rep. Brad Finstad, R-Minn., lamented that the fraud rings in Minnesota would take time to unwind and that the state would have a long road ahead toward healing.

“Unfortunately, it will take years to undo the damage he has done to the state of Minnesota. The next Governor of Minnesota will have a massive task ahead of them to root out systemic waste, fraud and abuse. I am committed to working with my fellow Minnesotans to ensure we elect a Republican governor who will restore trust in state government and the reputation of our great state,” Finstad said in a post to X.

Despite Walz’s announcement, Fischbach said that Republican efforts to investigate fraud and abuse in Minnesota would continue.

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“The era of looking the other way is over. Minnesota Democrats: Take note. We are coming for accountability and will continue to investigate until every stolen dollar is accounted for,” Fischbach said. 

President Donald Trump was photographed with a signed “Make Iran Great Again” hat alongside Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., as nationwide demonstrations in Iran continued against the regime’s political and economic corruption.

In a photo posted Monday morning on Graham’s X account, the senator could be seen flashing a thumbs up next to Trump as the president holds the black hat emblazoned with his signature.

“Another great day with @POTUS who has brought America back, stronger than ever, at home and abroad,” Graham wrote. “God bless our Commander in Chief and all of the brave men and women who serve under him.”

“I’m proud to be an American,” the post continued. “God bless and protect the brave people of Iran who are standing up to tyranny.”

IRAN CRACKDOWN RATTLES MIDDLE EAST AS ANALYSTS WEIGH US OPTIONS SHORT OF MILITARY INTERVENTION

Demonstrations have spread to more than 220 locations across 26 of Iran’s 31 provinces, the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency reported early Monday. At least 20 people have been killed, the group said, and more than 990 have been arrested.

What began as protests over economic hardship quickly escalated, with demonstrators chanting anti-government slogans.

Iran’s collapsing currency has fueled a deepening economic crisis. Prices for staples such as meat and rice have surged, while the country grapples with inflation of around 40%.

IRANIAN PROTESTERS CLASH WITH SECURITY FORCES AS TEAR GAS FILLS TEHRAN STREETS AMID NATIONWIDE UNREST

In December, the government introduced a new pricing tier for its heavily subsidized gasoline, raising the cost of some of the world’s cheapest fuel and adding to public anger. Tehran has signaled that further increases may follow, with officials now set to review fuel prices every three months.

The protests have continued even after Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Saturday said that “rioters must be put in their place.”

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Khamenei’s branding of the pro-democracy activists as “rioters” came a day after Trump’s unprecedented message of solidarity to the demonstrators.

Fox News Digital’s Benjamin Weinthal and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

The Democratic Socialists of America, the nation’s largest socialist group with ties to left-wing leaders such as New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, published a lengthy rebuke of the U.S. capture of Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro, demanding he and his wife be returned to power as they face criminal charges on U.S. soil. 

“The Trump Administration has started an illegal war against Venezuela,” the DSA published in a rebuke Saturday. “This is a nakedly imperialist war to install a US puppet government that will give Venezuela’s oil resources over to US corporations and to force US hegemony over Latin America — the new ‘Trump Corollary’ to the Monroe Doctrine. This war is illegal both under international law and the laws governing the declaration of war within the United States.”

President Donald Trump confirmed a successful strike on Venezuela Saturday morning in a military operation that did not kill any U.S. military personnel, did not damage U.S. military equipment, and yielded the arrests of Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, on sweeping narcotics charges. 

The dictatorial president of Venezuela, who was first elected in 2013, is accused of working with cartels and narco gangs in South America and Mexico to distribute millions of pounds of cocaine to the U.S. Trump had vowed to curb the flow of illicit drugs into the U.S. while on the campaign trail. When he took office for his second term nearly a year ago, he imposed tariffs on nations such as China over deadly fentanyl or boat strikes in the Carribean targeting suspected drug traffickers from Venezuela.

CAPTURED VENEZUELAN DICTATOR MADURO FACES NEW YORK FEDERAL JUDGE AFTER DRAMATIC PALACE RAID

The DSA hit back in its statement, saying, “Trump’s war has nothing to do with drug trafficking.”

“There is no substantiated evidence that high-level members of the Venezuelan government are ‘narco-terrorists,‘” the DSA wrote. “Yet, the Trump administration is using this claim as the pretext for this illegal war. This is another regime-change war to steal another country’s oil, just like the failed war against Iraq, and to crush any resistance to US imperialism. Trump’s war will only impoverish the people of Latin America.”

Trump called the strike a massive success over the weekend, celebrating to the media that Maduro and his wife were swiftly captured while commending the military for its execution of the operation. 

“The United States military is the strongest and most fearsome military on the planet. By far. With capabilities and skills our enemies can scarcely begin to imagine. We have the best equipment anywhere in the world,” he said Saturday during a press conference on the strike. 

The DSA is supported by a handful of left-wing politicians and lawmakers. Most recently, longtime DSA member Mamdani rose through the ranks of New York politics and was elected mayor of the Big Apple in the November election. Lawmakers such as New York Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Michigan Rep. Rashida Tlaib are also prominent members of the left-wing group and have received its endorsement in previous elections. 

TRUMP’S MADURO TAKEDOWN RESETS THE GLOBAL CHESSBOARD AND REASSERTS AMERICAN POWER

The DSA listed seven demands following the capture of the dictator, including that Maduro and his wife be returned to Venezuela, “an end to the failed ‘war on drugs,'” an “immediate end to the war,” including the removal of all military presence in the “Caribbean and an end to any operations with intervention purposes driven by SOUTHCOM.”

Maduro and his wife are being held at the federal Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn. Maduro is expected to be arraigned on Monday afternoon. 

“Democratic Socialists of America calls on the people of the United States to protest and resist this illegal war and to stand in solidarity with the sovereign people of Venezuela,” the DSA added. 

Left-wing political leaders such as Mamdani have railed against the U.S. operation in Venezuela, with the newly minted mayor telling the public that he spoke directly with Trump following the strike. 

TRUMP SAYS CUBA IS ‘READY TO FALL’ AFTER CAPTURE OF VENEZUELA’S MADURO

“I called the president and spoke with him directly to register my opposition to this act and to make clear that it was an opposition based on being opposed to a pursuit of regime change, to the violation of federal international law and a desire to see that be consistent each and every day,” Mamdani said Saturday. “I registered my opposition, I made it clear and we left it at that.”

Fox News Digital reached out to the mayor’s office Monday morning inquiring if Mamdani supports the DSA’s rebuke of the operation and list of seven demands, but did not immediately receive a reply. 

More moderate Democrats have also taken issue with the strike as unjustified and for failing to notify Congress ahead of the attack, while Republicans have for the most part backed the operation. 

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“Nicolas Maduro wasn’t just an illegitimate dictator; he also ran a vast drug-trafficking operation. That’s why he was indicted in U.S. court nearly six years ago for drug trafficking and narco-terrorism,” Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., posted on X. “I just spoke to @SecRubio, who confirmed that Maduro is in U.S. custody and will face justice for his crimes against our citizens. I commend President Trump and our brave troops and law-enforcement officers for this incredible operation.”

EXCLUSIVE: Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., will receive a formal censure letter and that he has directed Secretary of the Navy John Phelan to review the retired Navy captain’s retirement rank and pay and provide a recommendation in 45 days, sharply escalating an investigation alleging he made “seditious statements” that undermined military operations.

“Six weeks ago, Senator Mark Kelly — and five other members of Congress — released a reckless and seditious video that was clearly intended to undermine good order and military discipline,” Hegseth said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “As a retired Navy Captain who is still receiving a military pension, Captain Kelly knows he is still accountable to military justice. And the Department of War — and the American people — expect justice.”

The review of Kelly’s rank could result in a downgrade from the rank at which he officially retired. As a result, his retirement pay, which is tied to rank, may also be reduced. 

A censure letter will also be issued outlining the “totality of Captain Kelly’s reckless misconduct,” Hegseth said.

PENTAGON LAUNCHES FULL COMMAND INVESTIGATION INTO SEN. MARK KELLY OVER ‘SERIOUS MISCONDUCT’ ALLEGATIONS

Such a letter typically calls out figures for wrongdoing and can be used to justify reductions in rank, pay or benefits. It also serves as an official warning that future misconduct could result in harsher consequences.

KELLY SHRUGS OFF TRUMP COURT-MARTIAL THREAT, SAYS GROWING UP IN TONY SOPRANO’S HOMETOWN MADE HIM ‘RESILIENT’

HEGSETH RIPS MARK KELLY’S POST ABOUT HIS SERVICE: ‘YOU CAN’T EVEN DISPLAY YOUR UNIFORM CORRECTLY’

“This Censure is a necessary process step, and will be placed in Captain Kelly’s official and permanent military personnel file,” Hegseth said.

The department added that Kelly’s status as a sitting U.S. senator “does not exempt him from accountability, and further violations could result in further action.”

SEN BLACKBURN FIRES BACK AT DEMOCRATS OVER ‘DISTURBING’ VIDEO URGING TROOPS TO DEFY ‘ILLEGAL’ ORDERS

Kelly was notified of the basis for the actions and has 30 days to submit a response, according to Hegseth. 

The department added that such actions against Kelly are based on his public statements from June through December 2025, in which he “characterized lawful military operations as illegal and encouraged members of the Armed Forces to refuse lawful orders.”

This comes after a group of Democratic lawmakers with military and intelligence backgrounds, including Kelly; Sen. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich.; Rep. Chris Deluzio, D-Pa.; Rep. Maggie Goodlander, D-N.H.; Rep. Chrissy Houlahan, D-Pa.; and Rep. Jason Crow released a video directed at service members and intelligence officers stating: “Our laws are clear. You can refuse illegal orders.”

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All the lawmakers in the video highlighted their former service in the military and intelligence community.

Members in the video had worked to limit Trump’s ability to deploy National Guard members domestically or launch military action against suspected narcoterrorists without congressional approval. However, none of that context appears in the video, titled “Don’t Give Up the Ship.” Instead, the video framed the appeal as a warning to military members to “stand up for our laws” and “refuse unlawful orders.” 

Fox News Digital’s Rachel Wolf and Madison Colombo contributed to this report.

Democrats’ anger over President Donald Trump’s weekend operation in Venezuela is now turning into demands for his impeachment by some members of the party’s leftmost flank.

Several progressives have now called for proceedings against Trump after the administration carried out strikes in Caracas and captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife. 

“Many Americans woke up to a sick sense of déjà vu. Under the guise of liberty, an administration of warmongers has lied to justify an invasion and is dragging us into an illegal, endless war so they can extract resources and expand their wealth,” Rep. Delia Ramirez, D-Ill., a member of the House’s “Squad,” posted on X over the weekend.

“We must pass Congresswoman Ilhan Omar’s War Powers Resolution that asserts Congress’ authorities, and Trump must be impeached.”

GREENE HITS TRUMP OVER VENEZUELA STRIKES, ARGUES ACTION ‘DOESN’T SERVE THE AMERICAN PEOPLE’

Ramirez was referring to a resolution led by Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., aimed at blocking Trump from carrying out military action against Venezuela.

Meanwhile, Rep. Dan Goldman, D-N.Y., who is facing a primary challenge from his left, criticized Trump for bypassing Congress to launch what he called a “war” with Venezuela, and he argued the administration failed to give lawmakers “any satisfactory explanation.”

“This violation of the United States Constitution is an impeachable offense,” Goldman said in a statement. “I urge my Republican colleagues in the House of Representatives to finally join Democrats in reasserting congressional authority by holding this president accountable for this gross violation of the Constitution.”

HOUSE DEMOCRAT CALLS TRUMP’S MADURO CAPTURE ‘WELCOME NEWS’ AS LEFT ACCUSES HIM OF ‘ILLEGAL ACTIONS’

Rep. April McClain Delaney, D-Md., did not mention Trump by name, but she posted on X, “Let’s be clear, invading and running another country without a congressional declaration of war is an impeachable offense. Whether it makes sense to pursue impeachment as the best strategy to end this lawlessness is a tactical judgment that our Caucus needs to seriously deliberate.”

And Golden State gubernatorial hopeful Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., did not rule out supporting Trump’s impeachment when asked at a press conference in California, according to local outlet Pleasanton Weekly.

Progressive House candidates also spoke up, including Kat Abughazaleh, who is running for an open seat in Illinois.

“I demand that Congress exercise its power, halt this conflict, and impeach this war criminal president,” Abughazaleh posted on the Bluesky app.

Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for a response.

HOUSE GOP CRITICS BREAK WITH TRUMP OVER VENEZUELA OPERATION THAT CAPTURED MADURO

Republicans and Democrats have, for the most part, been sharply divided in their responses to the operation in Venezuela.

Democrats have accused Trump of running afoul of U.S. laws to launch an illegal invasion of a sovereign country.

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Republicans, meanwhile, have defended it as a successful move to take out a dictator and longtime hostile actor to the U.S. and in the region as a whole.

Top GOP lawmakers have also argued there was no need to notify Congress prior to what they called a law enforcement action rather than a military operation.

President Donald Trump on Sunday issued warnings about Colombian President Gustavo Petro’s political future, and renewed threats to annex Greenland.

Trump, speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, was initially responding to questions about a U.S. military operation in Caracas that resulted in the capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, as well as the future of Venezuela, when he shifted his focus to another South American country.

“Columbia’s very sick too, run by a sick man who likes making cocaine and selling it to the United States. And he’s not going to be doing it very long. Let me tell you,” Trump said.

When pressed by a reporter to clarify his remarks, Trump claimed that Petro has “cocaine mills and cocaine factories.”

TRUMP VOWS US ‘IN CHARGE’ OF VENEZUELA AS HE REVEALS IF HE’S SPOKEN TO DELCY RODRÍGUEZ

“So there will be an operation by the U.S. in Colombia?” the reporter asked.

“It sounds good to me,” Trump responded.

His attention then turned to Greenland, where he once again expressed an interest in acquiring the Danish territory.

TRUMP SAYS CUBA IS ‘READY TO FALL’ AFTER CAPTURE OF VENEZUELA’S MADURO

“We need Greenland from the standpoint of national security, and Denmark is not going to be able to do it,” Trump said.

“We need Greenland from a national security situation. It’s so strategic,” he added.

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen sharply rebuked Trump’s comments, urging him to cease what she described as baseless threats against a close ally.

“The Kingdom of Denmark – and thus Greenland – is part of NATO and is thus covered by the alliance’s security guarantee. We already have a defense agreement between the Kingdom and the USA today, which gives the USA wide access to Greenland. And we have invested significantly on the part of the Kingdom in the security of the Arctic,” said Frederiksen in a press release.

COLOMBIA’S PRESIDENT CALLS TRUMP A ‘BARBARIAN’ IN RIFT OVER DRUG VESSEL STRIKES: REPORT 

“I would therefore strongly urge that the U.S. stop the threats against a historically close ally and against another country and people who have said very clearly that they are not for sale,” Frederiksen added.

Finnish President Alexander Stubb, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, and Denmark’s Ambassador to the United States Jesper Møller Sørensen all voiced strong support for Denmark’s sovereignty over Greenland after Trump’s comment, stressing that Greenland’s future should be determined by Greenland and Denmark alone.

Greenlandic Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen condemned Trump’s remarks as deeply “disrespectful” in a statement posted on Facebook.

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“Our country is not an object of superpower rhetoric. We are a people. A land. And democracy. This has to be respected. Especially by close and loyal friends,” Nielsen wrote in part.

“Threats, pressure and talk of annexation do not belong anywhere between friends,” he added. “That’s not how you talk to a people who have repeatedly shown responsibility, stability and loyalty. This is enough.”

A man is in custody after damaging property at Vice President JD Vance’s home in Cincinnati on Monday morning, the U.S. Secret Service said.

Secret Service agents physically detained the adult male shortly after midnight, the agency told Fox News in a statement.

The individual, whose identity was not immediately provided, allegedly caused property damage, including breaking windows on the exterior of a personal residence, the Secret Service said.

After being detained, the man was taken into custody by the Cincinnati Police Department.

JD VANCE SKIPS TRUMP’S VENEZUELA SPOTLIGHT, BUT AIDE SAYS HE WAS ‘DEEPLY INVOLVED’ BEHIND THE SCENES

“The residence was unoccupied at the time of the incident, and the Vice President and his family were not in Ohio,” the agency said.

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The U.S. Secret Service is working with the Cincinnati Police Department and the U.S. Attorney’s Office as prosecutors review possible charges.

This is a developing story; check back for updates.

Here is what is known so far as Minnesota and the administration of Democratic Gov. Tim Walz continue to grapple with a burgeoning fraud scandal that has metastasized into a series of different, costly alleged money laundering operations at times tied to the Somali community in the Twin Cities.

With so many moving parts, the following will present a summary of what has transpired so far in terms of each branch of alleged scandal in Minnesota since the stories first made front-page news one month ago — as potentially upward of $1 billion being lost collectively, with some monies in one respect being remitted overseas and potentially into the hands of Islamic terrorists.

For his part, Walz eventually took responsibility for his state’s safety net allegedly being bilked out of millions, saying in December, “This is on my watch, I am accountable for this and, more importantly I am the one that will fix it.”  

Walz said his administration had been taking action to stop some suspected fraudulent payments over the summer, and that his office referred some for prosecution.

INDEPENDENT JOURNALIST SAYS HE’S GOTTEN DEATH THREATS, TOLD HE’LL BE ‘KIRKED’ OVER MINNESOTA FRAUD VIRAL VIDEO

However, Walz said that a figure of $9 billion in lost taxpayer monies due to fraud stated by a federal prosecutor was “sensationalized” and invented by the White House, according to the Minnesota Reformer.

President Donald Trump also labeled Walz a slur for developmentally disabled people shortly before the fraud story blew up in earnest, leading to the governor firing back at critics driving by his home and shouting the slur at the edifice.

FEEDING OUR FUTURE

By mid-December the Justice Department announced at least 78 people had been charged in what became dubbed the “Feeding Our Future” scandal, so named for the Somali-linked nonprofit whose alleged bilking of St. Paul’s and Washington’s coffers brought the case to the fore. Nearly 40 people had by then pleaded guilty.

Defendants charged in the larger scheme were accused of faking invoices, attendance records and distribution of meals in low-income and other affected areas around Minnesota — utilizing COVID-era waivers the U.S. Department of Agriculture granted for requirements in child nutrition programs that allowed for, in some cases, food distributors for children not be necessarily linked to an accredited school.

FBI Director Kash Patel pegged one figure at $250 million stolen “from hungry kids during a pandemic to fund mansions and luxury cars,” calling the fraud “as shameless as it gets.”

Documents allege about 300 registered food-distribution “sites” served little or no food, while the vendors cited used the program to launder money meant for the kids.

Officials from the right-leaning public policy group Manhattan Institute also purported to discover the remittance of monies allegedly being bilked in Somali-heavy Minneapolis and entities in Somalia itself, including the terrorist group al-Shabab.

Statistics cited by the institute showed that 40% of Somali households in Africa received remitted funds from abroad, of which $1.7 billion overall in 2023 were sent from the U.S. That reported figure is larger than the Mogadishu government’s budget.

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

While some in the mainstream media kept mum about the burgeoning fraud reports — including only seconds on broadcast network nightly news shows, according to the Media Research Center — The Washington Post’s editorial board scorched Walz for “refusing to take responsibility for the welfare fraud that happened in plain sight during the pandemic.”

“Residents, mostly of Somali descent, targeted established Medicaid programs. They opened fake food distribution centers and autism centers to funnel resources away from the neediest. The numbers alone made clear what was happening,” the Post wrote.

The FBI’s Minnesota lead, Alvin Winston Sr., told Fox News Digital that “the egregious fraud unveiled in the Feeding our Future case epitomizes a profound betrayal of public trust.”

“The magnitude (of the fraud) cannot be overstated,” added U.S. Attorney Joseph Thompson, who added that the overall network of fraudulent behavior is “swamping Minnesota and calling into question everything we know about our state.”

HOUSING SUBSIDIES & AUTISM SERVICES

As the Feeding Our Future scandal enveloped the news cycle, federal prosecutors in mid-December announced yet another Minnesota program that had been taken advantage of by fraudsters — including outside the state itself — to the tune of millions once more.

Thompson quipped Dec. 19 that every time his office “looks under a rock,” another “$50 million” scheme pops up, according to the Minneapolis Star-Tribune.

At least five people have been charged for allegedly defrauding the state’s Housing Stabilization Services program, which helps Minnesotans find and upkeep housing, or for allegedly bilking an early-autism services program, according to the paper.

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

In the case of the autism services program, invoices allegedly were submitted for services allegedly never rendered, an allegation that was backed up by congressional findings later in the month.

Of those charged, Thompson’s office leveled allegations against Anthony Jefferson and Lester Brown of Philadelphia, who, according to the Reformer, heard that the housing subsidy was “easy money.”

The men went to Minnesota, enrolled their companies in the program, then filed fraudulent claims from Pennsylvania amounting to $3.5 million in Medicaid payments through what Thompson called “fraud tourism,” the paper said.

MINNESOTA’S NEW MEDICAID FRAUD PREVENTION FIX WON’T MAKE ‘ANY DIFFERENCE,’ FORMER FBI AGENT SAYS

In October, Walz’ office also had paused payments in as many as 14 state programs viewed as “high risk,” according to the Reformer.

By December, the House Oversight Committee honed in on the alleged fraud, launching its own probe and faulting Walz for inefficient oversight.

“The Committee has serious concerns about how you as the Governor, and the Democrat-controlled administration, allowed millions of dollars to be stolen. The Committee also has concerns that you and your administration were fully aware of this fraud and chose not to act for fear of political retaliation,” Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., wrote to the governor in relation to the fraud’s larger scope, as federal dollars were likely involved.

DAY CARE FRAUD

The latest wrinkle in the burgeoning fraud scandal enveloping the Land of 10,000 Lakes involves numerous alleged day cares — many linked to or owned by members of the Somali community in the Twin Cities.

Entities who registered their day care with the state were reportedly billing for care that was not provided. The state’s agency responsible for childcare oversight were already dealing with integrity issues within the social services bureaucracy, but did have mechanisms in place to stop payments or cut off provider-companies found to be ineligible or fraudulent.

Months before blogger Nick Shirley began visiting addresses of Somali-run alleged day cares, local media reported on at least 62 active state probes into providers.

TRUMP SLAMS WALZ AND NEWSOM AS ‘CROOKED GOVERNORS,’ ASSERTING THEIR STATES ARE AWASH WITH FRAUD

The cases received national attention after Shirley visited a storefront labeled “Quality Learing Center” (sic), whose owner later defended it and quickly had the viral spelling error corrected.

Shirley and his partner, known only as “David”, spent 45 minutes filming themselves visiting several childcare addresses only to find an assortment of vacant or non-operational storefronts, closed businesses, or angry Somali occupants who refused to answer questions or entertain the pair’s mock efforts to “register” a child with the supposed daycare.

Minnesota’s DCYF, the childcare agency, later said they take all allegations seriously and its administrator, Tikki Brown, said that her team regularly inspects such addresses.

The ensuing firestorm briefly crashed the state’s childcare licensing lookup site, including part of the time that Fox News Digital attempted to access it. The number listed in licensing documents for the “Learing” center was disconnected.

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At another allegedly fraudulent day care site, the owner called a press conference to reveal purported vandalism in which burglars stole his application and registration information, while online sleuths claimed the position of broken drywall made such claims impossible, beside critics’ incredulity at bandits strictly targeting licensing documents.

Fox News Digital’s Hanna Panreck, Rachel Wolf and Breanne Deppisch contributed to this report.

President Donald Trump said the U.S. is now in control of Venezuela following the arrest of longtime leader Nicolás Maduro, outlining a plan to run the country, rebuild its economy and delay elections until what he described as a recovery is underway.

Trump made the remarks during a gaggle with reporters as questions mounted about who is governing Venezuela after a U.S. military operation led to Maduro’s arrest early Saturday.

“Don’t ask me who’s in charge because I’ll give you an answer, and it’ll be very controversial,” Trump told a reporter.

He was then asked to clarify, to which Trump replied, “It means we’re in charge.”

US CAPTURE OF MADURO CHAMPIONED, CONDEMNED ACROSS WORLD STAGE AFTER SURGICAL VENEZUELA STRIKES

Trump was also asked whether he had spoken directly with Venezuela’s newly sworn-in Vice President Delcy Rodríguez amid uncertainty about how the new government is functioning and what role the U.S. is playing.

While Trump said he has not personally spoken with Rodríguez, he suggested coordination is already underway between U.S. officials and the new leadership.

During the gaggle, Trump repeatedly portrayed Venezuela as a failed state that cannot immediately transition to democratic rule, arguing the country’s infrastructure and economy had been devastated by years of mismanagement.

TRUMP ISSUES DIRECT WARNING TO VENEZUELA’S NEW LEADER DELCY RODRÍGUEZ FOLLOWING MADURO CAPTURE

He compared Venezuela’s collapse to what he claimed would have happened to the U.S. had he lost the election, using the comparison to underscore his argument for intervention.

“We have to do one thing in Venezuela. Bring it back. It’s a dead country right now,” Trump said. “It’s a country that, frankly, we would have been if I had lost the election. We would have been Venezuela on steroids.”

Trump said rebuilding Venezuela will center on restoring its oil industry, which he said had been stripped from the U.S. under previous governments, leaving infrastructure decayed and production crippled.

UN AMBASSADOR WALTZ DEFENDS US CAPTURE OF MADURO AHEAD OF SECURITY COUNCIL MEETING

He stressed that American oil companies – not U.S. taxpayers – will finance the reconstruction, while the U.S. oversees the broader recovery.

“The oil companies are going to go in and rebuild this system. They’re going to spend billions of dollars, and they’re going to take the oil out of the ground, and we’re taking back what they sell,” Trump said. “Remember, they stole our property. It was the greatest theft in the history of America. Nobody has ever stolen our property like they have. They took our oil away from us. They took the infrastructure away. And all that infrastructure is rotted and decayed.”

Trump said elections will not take place until the country is stabilized, arguing that rushing a vote in a collapsed state would repeat past failures.

TRUMP REVEALS VENEZUELA’S MADURO WAS CAPTURED IN ‘FORTRESS’-LIKE HOUSE: ‘HE GOT BUM RUSHED SO FAST’

He said the U.S. will manage Venezuela’s recovery process, including addressing inflation, revenue loss and infrastructure collapse.

“We’re going to run everything,” Trump said. “We’re going to run it, fix it. We’ll have elections at the right time.”

When asked whether the operation in Venezuela was motivated by oil interests or amounted to regime change, Trump rejected both characterizations and instead cast the effort as part of a broader security doctrine.

VENEZUELAN LEADER MADURO LANDS IN NEW YORK AFTER BEING CAPTURED BY US FORCES ON DRUG CONSPIRACY CHARGES

He tied the intervention to long-standing U.S. policy in the Western Hemisphere, invoking historical precedent.

“It’s about peace on Earth,” Trump said. “You gotta have peace, it’s our hemisphere. The Monroe Doctrine was very important when it was done.”

Trump went on to criticize past presidents for failing to enforce that doctrine, arguing his administration has restored it as a guiding principle.

RUBIO DEFENDS VENEZUELA OPERATION AFTER NBC QUESTIONS LACK OF CONGRESSIONAL APPROVAL FOR MADURO CAPTURE

“And other presidents, a lot of them, they lost sight of it,” Trump added. “I didn’t. I didn’t lose sight. But it really is. It’s peace on Earth.”

Trump said the U.S. role in Venezuela will ultimately focus on rebuilding the country while caring for Venezuelans displaced by years of economic collapse.

He said that includes Venezuelans currently living in the U.S., many of whom he said were forced to flee.

“We’re gonna cherish a country,” Trump said. “We’re going to take care of, more importantly, of the people, including Venezuelans that are living in our country that were forced to leave their country, and they’re going to be taken very good care of.”

Trump made clear the comments on Venezuela were part of a broader foreign policy outlook, using the gaggle to issue warnings about instability elsewhere in the Western Hemisphere and overseas. He suggested the U.S. is prepared to respond forcefully to threats he said could endanger American security interests.

Trump singled out Colombia, describing the country as a growing security concern and accusing its leadership of enabling large-scale drug trafficking into the U.S.

“Colombia’s very sick too, run by a sick man who likes making cocaine and selling it to the United States, and he’s not going to be doing it very long,” Trump said.

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When asked whether that meant U.S. action, Trump replied, “It sounds good to me.”

Trump also addressed ongoing protests in Iran, warning that the U.S. is closely monitoring the situation and would respond if the Iranian government uses violence against demonstrators.

“We’re watching it very closely,” he said. “If they start killing people like they have in the past, I think they’re going to get hit very hard by the United States.”

President Donald Trump and Elon Musk appear to have repaired their once-strained relationship, according to a post shared by the billionaire Tesla founder on X.

In a post shared Sunday, Musk wrote, “Had a lovely dinner last night with @POTUS and @FLOTUS,” before adding, “2026 is going to be amazing!”

The photo, taken from a Saturday evening event at Mar-a-Lago in Florida, sparked speculation that the pair’s bromance may be back on after months of tension.

After the 2024 campaign, Musk became one of the Republican Party’s biggest political donors, contributing hundreds of millions of dollars, according to Reuters.

TRUMP LAYS OUT WHERE HE STANDS WITH ELON MUSK AFTER BIG BEAUTIFUL BILL BLOWUP

Trump later tapped Musk to advise the government efficiency effort and set up DOGE, focused on reducing federal spending and streamlining operations – but Musk stepped back from the role in mid-2025 amid mounting criticism. 

Tensions also resurfaced when Musk publicly criticized Trump-backed spending proposals and raised concerns about the size of federal outlays.

TRUMP TEASES MUSK AT FORUM AS ONCE-FROSTY DYNAMIC SEEMS TO TAKE A TURN

“I’m sorry, but I just can’t stand it anymore,” Musk said in a June 3 post about Trump’s “big beautiful bill.”

“This massive, outrageous, pork-filled Congressional spending bill is a disgusting abomination. Shame on those who voted for it: you know you did wrong. You know it,” Musk complained.

Trump shot back that he was “very disappointed” in Musk’s criticism of his bill at the time before adding, “Elon and I had a great relationship. I don’t know if we will anymore.”

MUSK SIGNALS POTENTIAL SOFTENING OF FEUD WITH SIMPLE ONE EMOJI RESPONSE TO CLIP OF TRUMP WISHING HIM WELL

Musk shot back on X saying, “Without me, Trump would have lost the election, Dems would control the House and the Republicans would be 51-49 in the Senate.”

At one point, Musk suggested he could form a new political party. But by late 2025, both sides appeared to strike a more conciliatory tone.

In September, the two were seen shaking hands at Charlie Kirk’s memorial service in a box at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.

Musk was also seen at a White House dinner in November as Trump hosted Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. 

TRUMP AND MUSK’S UNEXPECTED TRUCE COULD BE AMERICA’S SECRET WEAPON IN THE GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY RACE

FOX Business’ Edward Lawrence asked Trump at a Cabinet meeting on Dec. 2 if Musk was “back in [his] circle of friends” after their falling out.

“Well, I really don’t know. I mean, I like Elon a lot,” Trump replied.

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Fox News Digital has reached out to the White House for comment.

President Donald Trump issued a pointed warning to Venezuela’s new leader on Sunday, suggesting severe consequences if she continues to resist U.S. demands following the American-led operation that resulted in the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.

In an interview with The Atlantic, Trump said Delcy Rodríguez would “pay a very big price, probably bigger than Maduro” if she fails to “do what’s right,” adding that his administration would not tolerate what he described as her defiant rejection of the U.S. intervention.

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

Defending that approach, Trump said, “Rebuilding there and regime change, anything you want to call it, is better than what you have right now.” Can’t get any worse,” he added.

The White House did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. 

Trump’s remarks followed a stunning predawn announcement Saturday that U.S. operators had carried out a mission to capture Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife.

VENEZUELA HOLDS THE WORLD’S LARGEST OIL RESERVES. HERE’S HOW OTHERS COMPARE

Speaking at a news conference at Mar-a-Lago, Trump said a U.S.-appointed team would “run Venezuela” until the country’s political leadership was stabilized.

He also pledged a return of U.S. energy investment to the cash-strapped Latin American country which sits atop of the world’s largest oil reserves. 

Trump framed his foreign policy approach, according to The Atlantic, through what he described as a modernized version of the Monroe Doctrine, the 19th-century policy opposing European colonial influence in the Western Hemisphere. 

Trump referred to his approach as the “Donroe Doctrine.”

Trump also hinted that Venezuela would not be the last nation to face U.S. pressure, raising the prospect of additional interventions beyond Latin America.

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As an example, he reiterated his long-standing interest in Greenland, a semiautonomous territory of Denmark, a NATO ally.

“We do need Greenland, absolutely,” Trump told the magazine, citing U.S. national security interests and strategic location.

As President Donald Trump  vows to return U.S. energy investment to Venezuela, the Latin American country remains on the hook for billions of dollars owed to American energy companies following years-old legal battles over oil contracts.

Once a key supplier to global oil markets, Venezuela reshaped its relationship with international energy companies in the mid-2000s, as then-President Hugo Chávez tightened state control over the oil industry.

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Between 2004 and 2007, Chávez effectively forced foreign companies to renegotiate their contracts with the government. The new terms sharply reduced the role and profits of private firms while strengthening Venezuela’s state-owned oil company, Petróleos de Venezuela, S.A. (PDVSA).

The move drove some of the world’s largest oil companies out of the country.

ExxonMobil and ConocoPhillips exited Venezuela in 2007 and later filed claims against the government in international arbitration courts. Those courts ultimately ruled in favor of the companies, ordering Venezuela to pay ConocoPhillips more than $10 billion and ExxonMobil more than $1 billion.

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PDVSA also issued a bond that was supposed to be repaid in 2020, backed by a majority ownership stake in U.S.-based refiner Citgo as collateral. The state-run oil company later defaulted on that payment, putting Citgo in the legal crosshairs of creditors seeking to recover billions they are owed.

The cash-strapped country, which sits atop of the globe’s largest oil reserves, has paid only a fraction of those awards.

Chevron, however, remained in the country, becoming the only U.S. energy company still operating in Venezuela amid years of sanctions, economic collapse and political turmoil.

In a statement to Fox News Digital, Chevron said the firm was following “relevant laws and regulations” but declined to comment on future investment plans in Venezuela.

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“Chevron remains focused on the safety and well-being of our employees, as well as the integrity of our assets,” the statement added.

On Saturday, Trump told reporters at Mar-a-Lago that he wanted U.S. oil companies to “spend billions of dollars, fix the badly broken oil infrastructure and start making money for the country.”

He added that the United States “built Venezuela’s oil industry with American talent, drive and skill,” and said that once the country’s energy sector is revived, the U.S. would sell that oil to markets around the world.

Venezuela’s heavy financial liabilities underscore the hurdles U.S. energy companies would face in committing new investment, despite Trump’s pledge to reengage.

Dan Bongino returned to private life on Sunday after serving as deputy director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) for less than a year.

Bongino said on X that Saturday was his last day on the job before he would return to “civilian life.”

“It’s been an incredible year thanks to the leadership and decisiveness of President Trump. It was the honor of a lifetime to work with Director Patel, and to serve you, the American people. See you on the other side,” he wrote.

The former FBI deputy director announced in mid-December that he would be leaving his role at the bureau at the start of the new year.

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President Donald Trump previously praised Bongino, who assumed office in March, for his work at the FBI.

“Dan did a great job. I think he wants to go back to his show,” Trump told reporters.

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Bongino spoke publicly about the personal toll of the job during a May appearance on “Fox & Friends,” saying he had sacrificed a lot to take the role.

“I gave up everything for this,” he said, citing the long hours both he and FBI Director Kash Patel work.

“I stare at these four walls all day in D.C., by myself, divorced from my wife — not divorced, but I mean separated — and it’s hard. I mean, we love each other, and it’s hard to be apart,” he added.

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Bongino’s departure leaves Andrew Bailey, who was appointed co-deputy director in September 2025, as the bureau’s other deputy director.

Former Vice President Kamala Harris on Saturday evening condemned the Trump administration’s capture of Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro and his wife, calling the operation both “unlawful” and “unwise.”

In a lengthy post on X, Harris acknowledged that Maduro is a “brutal” and “illegitimate” dictator but said that President Donald Trump’s actions in Venezuela “do not make America safer, stronger, or more affordable.”

“Donald Trump’s actions in Venezuela do not make America safer, stronger, or more affordable,” Harris wrote. “That Maduro is a brutal, illegitimate dictator does not change the fact that this action was both unlawful and unwise. We’ve seen this movie before.

“Wars for regime change or oil that are sold as strength but turn into chaos, and American families pay the price.”

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Harris made the remarks hours after the Trump administration confirmed that Maduro and his wife were captured and transported out of Venezuela as part of “Operation Absolute Resolve.”

The former vice president also accused the administration of being motivated by oil interests rather than efforts to combat drug trafficking or promote democracy.

“The American people do not want this, and they are tired of being lied to. This is not about drugs or democracy. It is about oil and Donald Trump’s desire to play the regional strongman,” Harris said. “If he cared about either, he wouldn’t pardon a convicted drug trafficker or sideline Venezuela’s legitimate opposition while pursuing deals with Maduro’s cronies.”

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Harris, who has been rumored as a potential Democratic contender in the 2028 presidential race, additionally accused the president of endangering U.S. troops and destabilizing the region.

“The President is putting troops at risk, spending billions, destabilizing a region, and offering no legal authority, no exit plan, and no benefit at home,” she said. “America needs leadership whose priorities are lowering costs for working families, enforcing the rule of law, strengthening alliances, and — most importantly — putting the American people first.”

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Maduro and his wife arrived at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn late Saturday after being transported by helicopter from the DEA in Manhattan after being processed.

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Earlier in the day, Trump said that the U.S. government will “run” Venezuela “until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition.”

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

Fox News Digital’s Jasmine Baehr contributed to this report.