NationalWatch

Two Republicans running for Illinois governor this year are calling for Springfield to clean up its act in the wake of Minnesota’s rampant fraud scandal, citing multiple areas of alleged vulnerability under incumbent Gov. JB Pritzker.

The Democrat and Hyatt Hotels heir defended Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz after Walz declined a third term amid his state’s fraud scandal, calling Walz a “friend” and saying he was “thankful for his service and sacrifice.”

Current GOP frontrunner Darren Bailey announced plans for a “DOGE for Illinois,” and fellow Republican Ted Dabrowski publicly demanded that Pritzker submit to a full audit of social services, including SNAP.

“At the bottom of all these crazy budgets, all these deficits, all these tax hikes are everyday Illinoisans who are just getting whacked,” Dabrowski said at a recent press conference on the matter of Illinois’ tax woes and Pritzker’s oversight of state programs.

TRUMP ADMIN PUTS MINNESOTA ON NOTICE, MOVES TO AUDIT MEDICAID AND CLAW BACK FUNDS TO PROTECT TAXPAYERS

Dabrowski, the former president of Chicago-based financial research firm Wirepoints, said Illinois has seen disbursements to childcare social services funding spike nearly 300% since 2019, and wondered aloud, “Is that fair?”

“They were just burning their tax bills on the West and South Side [of Chicago],” he said, referencing reports of people literally lighting their tax forms on fire in November after witnessing 100% increases at times.

Calling for a true forensic audit of Springfield’s books, Dabrowski said Illinois cannot print money like the U.S. Treasury can, but may only keep borrowing on the backs of taxpayers.

VP VANCE SAYS TIM WALZ SHOULD RESIGN’ OVER MASSIVE MINNESOTA WELFARE FRAUD SCANDAL INVESTIGATION

Similarly, Bailey announced this week that his running mate, Palatine city legislator Aaron Del Mar, will also be named “Illinois DOGE Czar” if his ticket is successful against Pritzker in November.

“This will be a transparency-first project,” Bailey, a recently departed state senator for the Effingham area, said in a statement.

Del Mar would be in charge of “putting waste, fraud and abuse on public display,” he said.

JASON CHAFFETZ: DEMOCRATS TURNED OUR TREASURY INTO A ‘PIGGY BANK FOR FRAUDSTERS’

Nodding to how former federal DOGE chief Elon Musk opened his office, Bailey said Illinois DOGE would not be done with a chainsaw but with “an X-Acto knife.”

“It needs to be audited. It needs to be opened up so that people know where the money’s coming from. I am very confident there is going to be a lot of waste discovery in that,” he told Peoria’s CBS affiliate.

Pritzker campaign spokesman Alex Gough rejected the premise, telling the outlet that Bailey “echoes Trump’s lies, copies Trump’s dangerous ideas and wants to bring Trump’s chaos to Illinois.”

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

Gough also returned a Fox News inquiry about Pritzker’s comment on Dabrowski’s plan by quipping, “Good luck with that.”

“Just so we’re clear, Ted Dabrowski is saying he does not want the state to provide support to and care for people with disabilities?” Gough said of Dabrowski’s audit plan.

“This is such an extreme, ludicrous position that members of his own party don’t even support it.”

BESSENT BLAMES WALZ AS TREASURY PROBES WHETHER MINNESOTA FRAUD FUNDS REACHED TERROR GROUP AL-SHABAB

After the federal Department of Health and Human Services froze funding for childcare services in Illinois, Pritzker defended Springfield’s existing controls, saying state agencies “operate within robust procedures and protocol to prevent, report and address alleged fraud,” according to the Jacksonville Journal-Courier.

Other Illinois lawmakers also chimed in on the thought of pursuing fraud in Illinois to curb any Minnesota-like issues.

Rep. Mary Miller, R-Ill., was asked by St. Louis’ FOX News Radio affiliate how much fraud she believes can be found “in the Land of Lincoln.”

‘TIP OF THE ICEBERG’: SENATE REPUBLICANS PRESS GOV WALZ OVER MINNESOTA FRAUD SCANDAL

“I think it would be stunning,” Miller replied.

“And I think the fact that JB Pritzker refuses to release the voter rolls, the SNAP rolls, the Medicaid rolls [shows] he doesn’t want us to uncover the layers of corruption and abuse of taxpayers that is going on in Illinois.”

Miller said she hopes state Republicans’ plans come to pass, saying she will also put pressure on the Hyatt Hotels heir.

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“We control the purse — Congress does. We are going to cut off funding to any states that refuse to comply,” Miller said.

USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins also previously called for every state to allow the feds to audit their SNAP rolls, in particular. Most Democratic governors balked at the demand.

There is a nexus between congressional spending, the Minnesota ICE shooting and military operations related to Venezuela.

It is argued that the power of the purse is one of the most hallowed powers of Congress. This is why a number of progressives are imploring Democrats to use the next government funding round to defund ICE or impose strictures to hamstring ICE in the next government funding round. 

Some liberal Democrats even want to force a government shutdown over the shooting in Minnesota. That’s to say nothing of some Democrats wanting to use the power of the purse to hem in the administration on maneuvers in Venezuela or potential future operations in Cuba, Mexico, Colombia or Greenland.

Congress has not yet addressed the funding bills for the Pentagon or State Department for fiscal year 2026.

KAINE TELLS CONGRESS TO ‘GET ITS A– OFF THE COUCH,’ RECLAIM WAR POWERS

Funding for nine distinct sections of the federal government expires at the end of the day on Jan. 30. One of those sections is DHS. It’s possible the House could debate that bill in the coming days. This comes as an increasing number of Democrats are demanding that the House impeach Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.

The House this week approved a “minibus” spending package, tackling appropriations for energy and water programs, the Department of Interior and the departments of Commerce and Justice and science programs. The plan is for the Senate to align with the House on these bills. But, regardless, Congress would probably have to approve another continuing resolution (CR) to keep the lights on in all other quarters of the federal government after Jan. 30. 

A CR simply renews all federal funding at present levels. So, it’s likely Congress would OK whatever spending bills they’ve worked out and put everything else in the CR to avoid a shutdown.

CROCKETT WARNS OF NATIONWIDE PROTESTS OVER ICE SHOOTING: ‘STATE-SANCTIONED EXECUTION’

But some progressives have other ideas. They want to use this government funding deadline as “leverage” over ICE and operations related to Venezuela.

“We should use every means at our disposal to do it, including the appropriations process,” said Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md.

But there is a schism inside the Democratic Party. The House and Senate Democratic leadership made a decision not to push for a shutdown this time. They know that a tentative agreement on all of this is fragile as Jan. 30 approaches.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., sidestepped my question when I asked him about using appropriations to undercut ICE.

“Our focus right now, in terms of the appropriations bill, are getting the three bills that are going to be on the floor today over the finish line, and then we’ll turn to the Homeland Security,” said Jeffries.

I pressed further.

AOC ACCUSES VANCE OF BELIEVING ‘AMERICAN PEOPLE SHOULD BE ASSASSINATED IN THE STREET’

Jeffries snapped back at me about ICE and DHS funding.

“No, what I’m focused on right now, Chad, is to make life better for the American people,” said an angry Jeffries.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., is in a similar boat.

“I have lots of problems with ICE,” said Schumer.

“Why is there resistance to use the appropriations process, either for Venezuela or now certainly for ICE? I mean, are you afraid of another government shutdown?” I asked.

Schumer ignored the question.

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Even Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., gave Jeffries and Schumer some slack on not taking up the cause to handcuff ICE through the appropriations process.

“They’re responsible for leading an entire caucus that elects members from across their country. So they’re in a different position,” Ocasio-Cortez said of the Democratic leaders.

But she noted that funding for ICE “exploded virtually overnight, and we are seeing the ramifications of it in terms of the abuse of power that is happening.” 

Ocasio-Cortez noted that Democrats could pursue cutting ICE funding in another funding round.

House Speaker Mike Johnson met on Thursday at the Capitol with Ahmed Al-Ahmed, a Syrian-born Australian Muslim, who disarmed one of the attackers during the deadly shooting at a Hanukkah event at Sydney’s Bondi Beach.

“Ahmed is the brave hero who stopped the vicious antisemitic terrorist attacker in Australia on the first night of Hanukkah. He is still recovering from his wounds,” Johnson wrote on X. “Antisemitism must be confronted and defeated wherever it appears, and we continue to pray for those who grieve the loss of their loved ones because of the horrific attack at Bondi Beach.”

Johnson posted a photo of himself with Al-Ahmed and three other individuals, including Rabbi Levi Shemtov, a longtime Chabad-Lubavitch leader in Washington, D.C. Chabad-Lubavitch, often referred to as “Chabad,” has emissaries across the globe who aim to strengthen Jews’ connection with their own faith. Another individual in the photo was Rabbi Yehoram Ulman of Sydney, Australia, a senior rabbi who lost his son-in-law, Rabbi Eli Schlanger, in the Hanukkah attack at Bondi Beach.

FUNDRAISER FOR ‘AUSTRALIAN HERO’ WHO DISARMED TERRORIST DURING BONDI BEACH MASS SHOOTING SURPASSES $2.6M

A Chabad spokesperson told Fox News Digital that Ulman invited Al-Ahmed to accompany him to the U.S. so they could promote shared community values and tell stories of the heroes of the day, many of whom did not survive their confrontations with the gunmen.

During their visit to the U.S., Ulman and Al-Ahmed visited the Ohel Chabad Lubavitch in Queens, N.Y., where the late leader of the movement, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, is buried. The site has been visited by numerous politicians, including President Donald Trump.

Ulman presided over many of the funerals for the Bondi Beach victims, as they were members of his community. In the weeks since the tragedy, he has become a prominent voice for the Jews of Australia..

Chabad was the organization hosting the Dec. 14 Hanukkah event that turned deadly when two gunmen opened fire at the crowd of people gathering to celebrate the Festival of Lights. At least 15 people were killed in the attack.

ISRAELI DIASPORA MINISTER SAYS AUSTRALIA SHOULD HAVE SEEN ‘WRITING ON THE WALL’ BEFORE TERROR ATTACK

As details of the attack emerged, a video of Al-Ahmed confronting the gunmen surfaced and quickly went viral. During the confrontation, Al-Ahmed was shot and was later hospitalized. He is still wearing a sling nearly one month after the attack. As word of Al-Ahmed’s story spread, he garnered praise from people across the globe for his act of heroism. A GoFundMe set up in his honor raised more than $2.6M with donations from nearly 45,000 people.

“In a moment of chaos and danger, Ahmed al-Ahmed stepped forward without hesitation,” the fundraiser states. “His actions were selfless, instinctive, and undeniably heroic, taken without regard for his own safety. Early reports indicate he was shot twice in the process while protecting others.”

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Al-Ahmed was in attendance at the annual Colel Chabad where he was honored by the organization. Al-Ahmed was introduced by Ulman, who hailed him as a hero. Additionally, Al-Ahmed received an award at the gala, which was a Hanukkah menorah in a glass case with a plaque that read “Light Will Win.” It was presented to Al-Ahmed by billionaire hedge fund manager Bill Ackman.

Fox News Digital reached out to Johnson’s office for comment.

The NAACP took to social media Thursday to share a contentious split image of a masked ICE agent and a hooded Ku Klux Klan (KKK) member, comparing the government agency to a White supremacist terrorist group.

Along with the shocking photo, the NAACP posted, “Different mask, same agenda.” “Fear. Terror. Division. Unlawful arrests. No due process. Now Murder. Quit hiding. Your agenda is being exposed,” the post read. “The PEOPLE have a clear response: No Fear. No Failure. No Division.”

Nearly 70,000 people reacted to the photo on Facebook, which garnered nearly 10,000 comments and 30,000 shares.

The KKK was founded in 1865 in Pulaski, Tennessee, following the South’s defeat in the Civil War, and targeted Black freedmen and their allies.

CROCKETT WARNS OF NATIONWIDE PROTESTS OVER ICE SHOOTING: ‘STATE-SANCTIONED EXECUTION’

Members used threats and violence in an attempt to restore White supremacy, spreading terror across the South with little risk of prosecution, according to the National Park Service (NPS) website.

Congress took action to prosecute Klansmen in the 1870s, but there was a resurgence in 1915, near Atlanta, Georgia, with a new focus on anti-immigration, anti-Catholicism, prohibition and antisemitism.

Researchers estimate that there are as many as 150 Klan chapters currently active in the U.S., with between 5,000 and 8,000 members nationwide, according to the NPS.

PHILADELPHIA SHERIFF RIPS ICE AS ‘FAKE, WANNABE LAW ENFORCEMENT,’ THREATENING ARRESTS: ‘DON’T WANT THIS SMOKE’

The NAACP’s post came amid protests related to the death of 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good, a mother of three, who was shot and killed by an ICE agent Wednesday after allegedly attempting to drive into the officer during an immigration operation.

Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officials described the shooting as an act of “self-defense,” noting Good was a member of the immigration activist group “ICE Watch,” which aims to monitor, track, interfere and oppose ongoing federal immigration enforcement operations.

ICE Watch-style networks have been linked to multiple confrontations with federal law enforcement, including incidents where vehicles were used to block or strike officers.

JONATHAN TURLEY SLAMS MINNEAPOLIS MAYOR’S ‘RECKLESS’ RESPONSE TO ICE SHOOTING

Footage taken by the agent who was allegedly targeted by the SUV showed another ICE agent approaching Good’s stopped SUV, attempting to open the driver’s side door, before the car lunged forward toward him.

“After nearly 10 vehicle rammings targeting ICE and CBP officers this week, the NAACP is smearing and demonizing ICE law enforcement, likening them to the KKK,” DHS assistant secretary Tricia McLaughlin wrote in a statement to Fox News Digital. “Our officers wear masks to protect themselves from being doxxed and targeted by known and suspected terrorist sympathizers. Not only is ICE law enforcement facing a more than 1,300 percent increase in assaults against them, but we’ve also seen thugs launch websites to reveal officers’ identity.” 

“The men and women at CBP, ICE, and all of our federal law enforcement agencies put their lives on the line every day to arrest violent criminal illegal aliens to protect and defend the lives of American citizens,” McLaughlin added. “Make no mistake, this type of demonization is contributing to the surge in assaults of law enforcement officers.”

Democrats initially claimed the woman was not trying to hit the federal agent, labeling the shooting a “murder.”

“[The ICE agent] properly defended himself from being run over by organized leftist protesters who were impeding an active law enforcement operation,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt wrote in a social media post, referencing the newly released video. “The reason trust in the media is at an all-time low is because they intentionally lie to the public to advance the Democrats’ narrative. That’s exactly what they did in this case in Minnesota.”

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

Fox News Digital’s Julia Bonavita and Alexic McAdams contributed to this report.

President Donald Trump warned Friday during a meeting with nearly two dozen oil executives that Russia and China will not move in on the nations of Venezuela or Greenland on his watch. 

“We are going to do something on Greenland, whether they like it or not,” Trump said Friday. “Because if we don’t do it, Russia or China will take over Greenland, and we’re not going to have Russia or China as a neighbor.”

Trump’s comments came as he hosted nearly two dozen oil executives at the White House to discuss investments in Venezuela after the capture of dictatorial president Nicolás Maduro Saturday morning.

“We don’t want to have Russia there,” Trump said of Venezuela Friday when asked if the nation appears to be an ally to the U.S. “We don’t want to have China there. And, by the way, we don’t want Russia or China going to Greenland, which, if we don’t take Greenland, you can have Russia or China as your next-door neighbor. That’s not going to happen.” 

SENATE DEM JOHN FETTERMAN SUPPORTS PROSPECT OF US GREENLAND PURCHASE, CITING ‘MASSIVE STRATEGIC BENEFITS’

Trump added that he would like to make a deal with Denmark, saying, “if we don’t do it the easy way, we’re going to do it the hard way.” 

Greenland is an autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark. 

“And, by the way, I’m a fan of Denmark, too, I have to tell you. … But, you know, the fact that they had a boat land there 500 years ago doesn’t mean that they own the land. I’m sure we had lots of boats go there also,” he said. 

The U.S. military carried out a successful operation in Veneuzla Saturday morning, capturing Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, on sweeping narco-terrorism conspiracy and drug trafficking charges.

The operation was swiftly followed by Trump putting “anyone who would threaten American sovereignty or endanger American lives” on notice. Trump has for years floated the U.S. acquiring Greenland due to its strategic position between North America and Europe in the Arctic Circle, and he was pressed about revisiting such plans after the Venezuela operation. 

Both nations are also rich in resources, including oil and rare earths. Trump defended the desire to own Greenland even when the U.S. already has a military presence on the island, saying, “When we own it, we defend it.”

US MAY BE INVOLVED IN VENEZUELA FOR YEARS, TRUMP SAYS

“We need Greenland from a national security situation. It’s so strategic. Right now. Greenland is covered with Russian and Chinese ships all over the place,” Trump said from Air Force One Sunday as he traveled back to Washington from his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida. 

China has shown a growing ambition in the Arctic, including publishing its first Arctic policy white paper in 2018, when it labeled itself a “near-Arctic state.” Greenland played a pivotal role during the Cold War because it was along the shortest routes between North America and the Soviet Union and conducted missile detection. 

“If you take a look outside of Greenland right now, there are Russian destroyers, there are Chinese destroyers and bigger. There are Russian submarines all over the place. We’re not going to have Russia or China occupy Greenland, and that’s what they’re going to do if we don’t. So, we’re going to be doing something with Greenland either the nice way or the more difficult way,” he added. 

Trump told the media Sunday that “we’ll worry about Greenland in about two months,” but global discussions surrounding the Danish territory have intensified since. 

European leaders, including in Denmark, have recoiled at Trump’s calls to acquire Greenland, arguing that NATO allies work together to ensure the Arctic is secure. 

WHITE HOUSE SAYS US WILL SHAPE VENEZUELA’S FUTURE AS TRUMP EMBRACES ‘AMERICAN DOMINANCE’

Arctic security must be “achieved collectively, in conjunction with NATO allies, including the United States, by upholding the principles of the U.N. Charter, including sovereignty, territorial integrity and the inviolability of borders. These are universal principles, and we will not stop defending them,” the top leaders from the U.K., France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain and Denmark said in a joint statement. 

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“Greenland belongs to its people. It is for Denmark and Greenland, and them only, to decide on matters concerning Denmark and Greenland.”

Trump added Friday that “NATO has got to understand” that “we’re not going to allow Russia or China to occupy Greenland, and that’s what’s going to happen if we don’t.”

Anti-ICE agitators have erupted en masse in Minneapolis following the fatal shooting of a protester who the Trump administration says tried to run over an agent.

Video of the chaotic scenes unfolding in Minneapolis shows agitators harassing federal agents, with some throwing snowballs at them and some shouting phrases such as “We’re going to f—ing kill you” and “I hope you suffer.”

One video shows several federal vehicles driving down a Minneapolis street surrounded by protesters on either side of them. Many of the protesters can be seen lobbing snowballs at the vehicles while the crowd chants, “ICE out now.”

In another video, reposted by the White House’s official rapid response X account, a protester outside the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building can be seen confronting a law enforcement vehicle, shouting, “We’re going to f—ing find you, and we’re going to f—ing kill you! You’re going to f—ing die, b–ch!”

TRUMP DEFENDS ICE AGENT, SHOWS NYT REPORTERS VIDEO OF DEADLY MINNEAPOLIS SHOOTING

The White House referred to these individuals as “left-wing agitators.”

Another video posted on X shows a protester telling U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commander Gregory Bovino, “I hope you suffer, I hope you suffer a long, terrible death.”

In response, Bovino informs the protester that federal law enforcement is conducting “Title 8 enforcement, ma’am.”

Title 8 enforcement involves civil immigration arrests of illegal aliens without criminal offenses.

Other videos show protesters cursing federal officials. In one instance, a protester whacks an official with a sign as he shoves a protester back. The protester is then grabbed by several officers and taken to the ground.

ICE DIRECTOR FIRES BACK AT ‘SQUAD’ LAWMAKERS OVER ‘POLITICAL RHETORIC’ AFTER FATAL MINNEAPOLIS SHOOTING

In response, Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLauglin told Fox News, “We are seeing a coordinated campaign of violence against our law enforcement, particularly in Minneapolis.”

McLaughlin said federal officials in the city have seen five instances of protesters ramming law enforcement vehicles with their cars and an “8000 percent increase in death threats.”

DHS wrote on X that “dangerous criminals – whether they be illegal aliens or U.S. citizens – are turning their vehicles into weapons to attack ICE.”

“The brave men and women of DHS law enforcement will not be deterred and will continue arresting the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens,” wrote DHS.

This comes after an anti-ICE protester, later identified as 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good, was shot and killed by a federal official after she allegedly attempted to run him over.

WALZ PREPARES NATIONAL GUARD AFTER WOMAN KILLED IN ICE OPERATION: ‘NEVER BEEN AT WAR’ WITH FEDERAL GOVERNMENT

Federal authorities said Good had tried to run over ICE agents who were part of a 2,000-strong team sent to the Twin Cities to investigate fraud in the state and deport illegal immigrants.

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“This appears to be an attempt to kill or to cause bodily harm to agents, an act of domestic terrorism,” DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said during a news conference late Wednesday in Minneapolis. “The ICE officer, fearing for his life and the other officers around him and the safety of the public, fired defensive shots. He used his training to save his own life and that of his colleagues.”

Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said Good was shot in the head and later pronounced dead at Hennepin County Medical Center.

A federal judge Friday temporarily blocked the Trump administration from stopping subsidies on childcare programs in five states, including Minnesota, amid allegations of fraud.

U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian, a Biden appointee, didn’t rule on the legality of the funding freeze, but said the states had met the legal threshold to maintain the “status quo” on funding for at least two weeks while arguments continue.

On Tuesday, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) said it would withhold funds for programs in five Democratic states over fraud concerns.

The programs include the Child Care and Development Fund, the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program, and the Social Services Block Grant, all of which help needy families.

USDA IMMEDIATELY SUSPENDS ALL FEDERAL FUNDING TO MINNESOTA AMID FRAUD INVESTIGATION 

“Families who rely on childcare and family assistance programs deserve confidence that these resources are used lawfully and for their intended purpose,” HHS Deputy Secretary Jim O’Neill said in a statement on Tuesday.

The states, which include California, Colorado, Illinois, Minnesota and New York, argued in court filings that the federal government didn’t have the legal right to end the funds and that the new policy is creating “operational chaos” in the states.

In total, the states said they receive more than $10 billion in federal funding for the programs. 

HHS said it had “reason to believe” that the programs were offering funds to people in the country illegally.

‘TIP OF THE ICEBERG’: SENATE REPUBLICANS PRESS GOV WALZ OVER MINNESOTA FRAUD SCANDAL

New York Attorney General Letitia James, who is leading the lawsuit, called the ruling a “critical victory for families whose lives have been upended by this administration’s cruelty.”

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Fox News Digital has reached out to HHS for comment.

FBI veteran Christopher Raia has been named co-deputy director of the federal law enforcement agency, the bureau confirmed Friday to Fox News Digital.

Raia, who runs the bureau’s New York City field office, will move to Washington, D.C., and begin his job on Monday serving as co-deputy director with Andrew Bailey.

Raia’s elevation comes after Dan Bongino announced he was leaving the position and returning to “civilian life.” His last day on the job was Jan. 3.

Bongino was a conservative commentator and podcaster before President Donald Trump nominated him for the position.

DAN BONGINO OFFICIALLY LEAVES FBI DEPUTY DIRECTOR ROLE AFTER LESS THAN A YEAR, RETURNS TO ‘CIVILIAN LIFE’

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

Bongino made the announcement he was leaving last month, thanking Trump, Patel and U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi “for the opportunity to serve with purpose.”

BONDI, PATEL TAP MISSOURI AG AS ADDITIONAL FBI CO-DEPUTY DIRECTOR ALONGSIDE BONGINO

Bongino and Bondi had previously clashed over the release of the Epstein files, and a source told Fox News over the summer he had considered resigning over the Justice Department’s handling of the situation.

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Bongino didn’t give a reason for his resignation less than a year after he started as deputy director, but Trump said last month the 51-year-old “wants to go back to his show.”

President Trump sported a unique accessory at the White House on Friday, a custom lapel pin depicting what he called a “happy Trump.”

The president wore the small pin, which appeared to be a cartoon-style depiction of Trump in a navy suit and red tie just beneath his customary American flag lapel pin, while meeting with oil and gas executives in the East Room of the White House.

Fox News’ Senior White House Correspondent Peter Doocy noticed the accessory and asked the president about it. 

“I see the American flag lapel pin,” Doocy said. “What is the other lapel pin?”

FOX NEWS POLITICS NEWSLETTER: 3 KEY TAKEAWAYS FROM TRUMP’S PUSH TO PUT US OIL FIRMS BACK IN VENEZUELA

Trump explained that the pin was a gift.

“Somebody gave me this. You know what that is? That’s called a ‘happy Trump,'” the president said, holding up the pin. 

“And consider the fact that I’m never happy. I’m never satisfied. I will never be satisfied until we make America great again. But we’re getting pretty close.”

TRUMP PAUSES OIL EXEC SUMMIT TO PEEK AT WHITE HOUSE BALLROOM’S PROGRESS

Trump added, “Somebody gave it to me. I put it on.”

The lighthearted moment quickly gained traction on social media, with users on X praising the pin and the president’s sense of humor.

“Trump is wearing a ‘Happy Trump’ pin today,” one user wrote, alongside laughing emoji. “How can you not love this guy?”

“Where can I get a happy Trump pin?” another asked.

“Only our wonderful President Trump! He is wearing a “Happy Trump” pin because he says he’ll never be happy until America is Great Again…but we’re getting close! Hilarious!” a third user wrote.

TRUMP ANNOUNCES VENEZUELA IS TURNING OVER MILLIONS OF BARRELS OF OIL TO US GOVERNMENT “IMMEDIATELY”

The exchange came as Trump hosted nearly two dozen oil executives at the White House Friday to discuss investment in Venezuela after the U.S. military’s successful capture of the nation’s dictatorial president, Nicolás Maduro.

The lineup of oil companies included Chevron, Exxon, ConocoPhillips, Continental, Halliburton, HKN, Valero, Marathon, Shell, Trafigura, Vitol Americas, Repsol, Eni, Aspect Holdings, Tallgrass, Raisa Energy and Hilcorp.

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Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of Energy Chris Wright and Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum also attended the meeting. 

Fox News Digital’s Emma Colton contributed to this report.

The Trump administration announced on Thursday it is suspending all U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) funding to Minnesota, effective immediately, as a large-scale fraud investigation is underway.

“Enough is enough! The Trump administration has uncovered MASSIVE fraud in Minnesota and Minneapolis—billions siphoned off by fraudsters. And those in charge have ZERO plan to fix it,” Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins wrote in a social media post.  

The USDA will suspend federal financial awards to the state “until sufficient proof has been provided that the fraud has stopped,” according to Rollins.

“No more handouts to thieves!” she wrote in the post. “Time to drain the Minnesota swamp and put American taxpayers first.”

Earlier this week, the Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) froze funding for several childcare grant programs in the state, including the Child Care and Development Fund, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families and Social Services Block Grant programs.

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Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Friday said Minnesota tax dollars may have been filtered to terrorist group al-Shabab.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates

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…

-Hawley breaks with Trump on Venezuela as policy rift continues

-Bessent blames Walz as Treasury probes whether Minnesota fraud funds reached al-Shabab

-Grassley presses FBI over Trump Arctic Frost probe name, calls change ‘anything but random’

AOC accuses Vance of believing ‘American people should be assassinated in the street’

Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is leveling a stunning accusation at Vice President JD Vance amid the national furor over this week’s fatal shooting in Minnesota involving an ICE agent.

“I understand that Vice President Vance believes that shooting a young mother of three in the face three times is an acceptable America that he wants to live in, and I do not,” the four-term federal lawmaker from New York and progressive champion argued as she answered questions on Friday on Capitol Hill from Fox News and other news organizations.

Ocasio-Cortez spoke in the wake of Wednesday’s shooting death of 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good after she confronted ICE agents from inside her car in Minneapolis…READ MORE.
 

White House

1798 LAW INVOKED: Trump admin says Maduro capture reinforces Alien Enemies Act removals

‘SMART GESTURE’: President Trump says there won’t be a ‘second Wave of Attacks’ against Venezuela due to their ‘cooperation’

‘LET LOOSE’: Dem narrative challenged after DHS exposes identity of ‘married couple’ in CBP-related shooting

World Stage

POWER AND PETROLEUM: Trump’s Venezuela push runs into hard realities for US energy giants

SHADOW SHIPS: Inside the sea war to contain ‘dark fleet’ vessels — and what the US seizure signals to Russia

Capitol Hill

COURAGE OVER HATE: Johnson meets with Muslim man who confronted, disarmed Bondi Beach attacker

REIN IT IN: House Dem backs the idea of reining in DHS funding in wake of ICE-involved shooting in Minnesota

LANGUAGE WARNING: Dem levels ‘state-sponsored terrorism’ accusation after Portland shooting: ‘Stop f—ing with us’

PARTY-LINE SPLIT: House Republicans defend ICE agent in fatal shooting, say use of force was justified

ROAD TRIP: Republican senators hit border trail, touting tax relief and tougher security, in 2026 kickoff

CONFIRMATION BLOCK: GOP senator blocks Trump DHS nominees until Noem testifies before Senate

Across America 

TITLE IX SHOWDOWN: Supreme Court to review state bans on transgender athletes’ participation in school sports

SHOW US THE BOOKS: Pritzker challengers demand audit, plan ‘DOGE for Illinois’ as lawmaker predicts ‘stunning’ results

CULTURE SIGNAL: Obama Presidential Center job listings push ‘anti-racism’ pledge ahead of opening

‘LIKELY ILLEGAL’: Watchdog exposes taxpayer-funded teacher program for banning White applicants: ‘Likely illegal’

VOTE WAR ERUPTS: EXCLUSIVE: DNC joins Supreme Court voting case, blasts RNC effort as ‘wholly un-American’

PARENTS’ RIGHTS WAR: Catholic group asks SCOTUS to block California law against revealing students’ gender identities to parents

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

The FBI has asserted authority over the investigation into a shooting by an ICE agent in Minnesota, effectively sidelining the state’s Bureau of Criminal Apprehension and spurring questions about who has jurisdiction in the case.

Federal officials have said the FBI’s jurisdiction is clear when a federal officer’s actions are being reviewed, but state leaders in Minnesota insisted Friday that they will pursue their own parallel inquiry into the incident.

The dispute arose after the Minnesota BCA revealed after the incident that the FBI had shut the BCA out of the investigation. The incident involved an ICE agent appearing on video to shoot and kill 37-year-old Renee Good as she accelerated her vehicle in his direction.

CELLPHONE VIDEO RELEASED IN DEADLY MINNEAPOLIS ICE AGENT SHOOTING

It is common for the FBI and state and local agencies to pool resources to investigate crimes that could fall under all their jurisdictions, but Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Thursday the federal government did not view the shooting as one of those cases.

“They have not been cut out; they don’t have any jurisdiction in this investigation,” Noem said.

Noem framed the incident as an attack on a federal agent, a point Democratic Gov. Tim Walz criticized as a predetermined outcome to an ongoing probe. Democrats have widely condemned the shooting as murder and an improper use of lethal force, but Noem and others in the Trump administration disagreed.

“The officer feels as though his life was in jeopardy,” Noem said. “[The vehicle] was used to perpetuate a violent act. This officer took action to protect himself and to protect other law enforcement officers.”

The FBI declined to comment on the investigation.

A federal law enforcement source told Fox News Digital the incident was a textbook example of a federal case that the FBI had jurisdiction over.

The source also pointed to a letter Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche wrote to California’s leaders in October asserting that federal officers acting in their job capacity could not face state charges.

“The Department of Justice views any arrests of federal agents and officers in the performance of their official duties as both illegal and futile,” Blanche wrote. “Numerous federal laws prohibit interfering with and impeding immigration or other law-enforcement operations. … Further, the Supremacy Clause of Article VI of the United States Constitution precludes a federal officer from being held on a state criminal charge where the alleged crime arose during the performance of his federal duties.”

The supremacy clause protects federal officials from state prosecution when those officials are performing their job duties, though the officials do not have complete immunity, which has long been a point of contention.

Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said during a press conference Friday that she felt Minnesota prosecutors did have authority over the ICE agent’s case.

“We do have jurisdiction to make the decision with what happened in this case,” Moriarty said. “It does not matter that it was a federal law enforcement agent.”

Moriarty did, however, acknowledge “complex legal issues” involved in cases involving a federal law enforcement officer.

Moriarty, who was joined by Democratic Attorney General Keith Ellison, called on the public to provide any evidence or tips to state prosecutors, saying the FBI deprived them of even reviewing evidence and that Minnesota prosecutors would conduct their own investigation.

Ellison cast doubt on the FBI’s ability to conduct a fair inquiry and said a state probe was necessary. Ellison wanted, “to the degree that it’s possible, to set forth a process which, when it’s over, fair-minded people can say, ‘Well as good and just of a job that could be done was done,’” he said.

MINNESOTA SCHOOLS SHUT DOWN, TEACHERS UNION DEMANDS ICE LEAVE CITY

Blanche said in a statement Thursday that “following any officer-involved shooting, standard protocols ensure that evidence is collected and preserved.”

Multiple sources also told Fox News Digital the federal government was skeptical of Minnesota’s desire to conduct a good-faith investigation. They cited remarks from state leaders, including Democratic Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, who said that claims that the ICE agent acted in self-defense were “bull—-.”

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One retired agent who worked at the FBI for two decades told Fox News Digital in a recent interview about the Brown University shooting investigation, which initially was being conducted at the local level, that the bureau can take the reins of an investigation once it identifies a federal violation.

“It just comes down to what kind of crime it is,” the retired agent said. “If they can’t tie a federal nexus to it, the bureau doesn’t have a dog in the fight.”

President Donald Trump briefly paused his meeting with nearly two dozen oil executives Friday afternoon to walk over to a window at the White House to check out updates on the ballroom’s construction.

“Today I’m delighted to welcome almost two dozen of the biggest and most respected oil and gas executives in the world to the White House,” he said. “It’s an honor to be with them. We have many others that were not able to get in. I said, ‘If we had a ballroom, we’d have over a thousand people.'” 

“I never knew you had that many people in your industry. But, here we are. And if you’re in fact, if you look, come to think of it. Well, I gotta look at this myself,” Trump said as he got up from his chair to peek out of a window in the East Room, looking out to where the upcoming ballroom is under construction.

PRESIDENT TRUMP SAYS THERE WON’T BE A ‘SECOND WAVE OF ATTACKS’ AGAINST VENEZUELA DUE TO THEIR ‘COOPERATION’

“Wow. What a, what a view. This is the door to the ballroom,” he continued. 

Trump remarked that it was an “unusual time to look” out in the ballroom, which earned chuckles, and then invited the “fake news” to check out the progress. 

Trump announced in October 2025 that construction had begun on the ballroom, following months of the president floating the planned project to modernize the White House. The project does not cost taxpayers and is privately funded, the White House reported.

US MAY BE INVOLVED IN VENEZUELA FOR YEARS, TRUMP SAYS

Photos of the demolition crew dismantling the East Wing’s facade circulated on social media and in news reports back in October 2025, sparking outrage from Democrats and other Trump critics who argued the president was “destroying” the White House. 

Trump continued Friday that the construction is ahead of schedule. The White House said the ballroom will be “completed long before the end of President Trump’s term” in 2029. 

“We’re ahead of schedule in the ballroom and under budget. It’s going to be, I don’t think they’ll be anything like it in the world, actually. … This is, as you know, our biggest room, which would seat 100 for dinner, maybe, if you’re lucky, if you’re a nice and tight.”

“And the ballroom will seat many, and it’ll also take care of the inauguration with bulletproof glass, drone proof ceilings and everything else, unfortunately, that today you need,” he continued. 

The president repeatedly has remarked that the White House’s current rooms do not accommodate large crowds for dinners and other public events. 

Trump hosted nearly two dozen oil executives at the White House Friday to discuss investment in Venezuela following the U.S. military’s successful capture of the nation’s dictatorial president, Nicolás Maduro, Saturday. 

VENEZUELAN OIL’S RETURN COULD IMPACT TEXAS REFINERIES AND GAS PRICES NATIONWIDE

The lengthy lineup of oil companies includes Chevron, Exxon, ConocoPhillips, Continental, Halliburton, HKN, Valero, Marathon, Shell, Trafigura, Vitol Americas, Repsol, Eni, Aspect Holdings, Tallgrass, Raisa Energy and Hilcorp.

Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of Energy Chris Wright and Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum also attended the meeting. 

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“The plan is for them (oil companies) to spend at least $100 billion to rebuild the capacity and the infrastructure necessary,” Trump said during the meeting. “Venezuela has also agreed that the United States will immediately begin refining and selling up to 50 million barrels of Venezuelan crude oil, which will continue indefinitely. We’re all set to do it. We have the refining capacity was actually based very much on the, Venezuelan oil, which is a heavy oil, very good oil.”

The Trump administration cited the U.S. indictment of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in a new court filing this week, in an effort to support its argument that it had the authority to deport hundreds of Venezuelan migrants to a Salvadoran prison under a 1798 wartime immigration law. 

In the new filing, submitted earlier this week to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, the Justice Department argued that the U.S. indictment against Maduro “reinforces the Proclamation’s findings that the Maduro regime and TdA have formed a ‘hybrid criminal state’ directed by the regime,” and which they argued justified the decision to use the 1798 Alien Enemies Act law to quickly deport the class of migrants from the U.S. to El Salvador’s maximum-security confinement center, CECOT.

TRUMP OUSTING OF MADURO DRAWS PARALLELS TO US RAID IN PANAMA – BUT THERE ARE SOME MAJOR CONTRASTS

“These new developments underscore the Maduro Regime’s control over TdA and TdA’s violent invasion or predatory incursion on American soil. As a result, it is even clearer that the President’s invocation of the Alien Enemies Act was part of a high-level national security mission that exists outside the realm of judicial interference.”

Prior to the Trump administration’s use of the Alien Enemies Act in March, the law had only been used three times in U.S. history – most recently, during World War II. 

Lawyers for the Justice Department argued that Maduro, who was indicted on charges of narco-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine importation conspiracy, and weapons charges in the Southern District of New York, had worked with Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua to form what they argued was a “hybrid criminal state.”

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

The filing was submitted by the Justice Department in the 5th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals, and comes as the Trump administration has continued to fight in court over the status of Venezuelan migrants that were deported from the U.S. to El Salvador in March.

The Supreme Court said in an April order that individuals targeted for removal under the law must also have the ability to contest their removal, and have meaningful opportunity and notice before they are deported. 

Meanwhile, lawyers for the ACLU argued the opposite – saying Maduro’s indictment “confirms that, even in the government’s view, Maduro’s alleged actions were not military, but rather criminal offenses properly handled through the justice system.” 

SUPREME COURT FREEZES ORDER TO RETURN MAN FROM EL SALVADOR PRISON

“The government also fails to address why the Proclamation’s assertions are not fatally undermined by Maduro’s ouster given that the Proclamation specifically says that ‘Maduro’ and the ‘Maduro regime’ – not Venezuela as a ‘foreign nation’-direct TdA,” lawyers for the ACLU added.

The filing also previews what is almost certain to be the Trump administration’s arguments – as they continued to spar over the Alien Enemies Act removals in the U.S. District Court for D.C.

There, U.S. District Judge James Boasberg in March had issued a temporary restraining order blocking the Trump administration from its use of the Alien Enemies Act to immediately deport 252 Venezuelan migrants and alleged gang members to CECOT. (The alleged gang member status of many of the individuals has been called into question.)

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Boasberg has since ordered the administration to facilitate due process for the CECOT plaintiffs who still wish to challenge their removal, as well as the ability to challenge their gang member designation.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said it’s possible that Minnesota tax dollars could have been filtered to terrorist group al-Shabab, and cast blame on Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as Minnesota faces investigations into multiple alleged fraud schemes plaguing the state’s social services system.

Bessent said that the Treasury Department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) that money service businesses believed to have been connected to the fraud scheme, although he did not name which financial institutions are suspected to be involved. 

“We are thoroughly investigating the fraud, including funds sent to Somalia through money service businesses, which provide financial services outside of a formal bank,” Bessent said during a virtual press conference Friday. “These funds could have potentially been diverted to the terrorist organization al-Shabab. We have traced where the money went and are examining that.” 

“These businesses had an obligation to comply with anti-money money laundering laws, and they will be held responsible for any crimes they committed,” Bessent said.

COMER SAYS WALZ ‘RETALIATED’ AGAINST WHISTLEBLOWERS WHO WARNED OF MINNESOTA FRAUD FOR YEARS

In December 2025, Bessent announced that his agency was spearheading an investigation evaluating whether Minnesota’s funds were potentially diverted to al-Shabab, which is based in Somalia. So far, more than 75 people have been charged in connection with alleged fraud in the state — most of whom are part of Minnesota’s Somali population. 

Bessent previously has said that a significant portion of the funds obtained through the alleged fraud schemes were transferred overseas. 

Likewise, Bessent said Friday that the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Civil Enforcement is auditing financial institutions that allegedly supported the laundering of Minnesota funds, and that the IRS is planning to unveil the “formation of a task force to investigate any fraud and abuse involving pandemic-era tax incentives and misuse of 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status by entities implicated in the Minnesota based social services fraud schemes.”

EMMER WARNS WALZ COULD END UP ‘IN CUFFS’ AMID MINNESOTA FRAUD CLAIMS

Additionally, Bessent said that the Treasury is issuing training to Minnesota law enforcement on “how to utilize financial data such as suspicious activity reports to better combat these fraud schemes.” 

Bessent also blamed Walz for his lack of oversight of the state’s funds, and said that the Treasury has yet to determine the full extent of the alleged fraud schemes. 

“It’s clear that Governor Walz has been negligent in his fiduciary duties as a chief executive of the state of Minnesota, that this would happen on his watch,” Bessent said. “And we are actively pursuing all leads to see the level of involvement, whether it’s limited to just negligence and incompetence or is something more than that.”

VANCE CALLS WALZ ‘A JOKE,’ CLAIMS MINNESOTA GOVERNOR ENABLED MASSIVE FRAUD

“We do not know the depth, breadth, and collusion in this financial calamity that Governor Waltz has allowed to have happen,” Bessent said. “Was this directed from overseas? Is it the endogenous flourishing of these fraudsters that Governor Waltz allowed to grow right here in the backyard and take advantage of hard working people of Minnesota? We’ll see. So we are going to track this everywhere, from top to bottom.” 

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

Walz, who announced Monday he wouldn’t run for re-election, has recently come under fire from Republicans and President Donald Trump, who has labeled Minnesota a “hub of fraudulent money laundering activity.”

TRUMP ADMIN PUTS MINNESOTA ON NOTICE, MOVES TO AUDIT MEDICAID AND CLAW BACK FUNDS TO PROTECT TAXPAYERS

In addition to the Treasury Department, lawmakers have launched probes into Minnesota’s alleged “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.

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

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The Justice Department so far has charged less than a dozen people for allegedly defrauding the program that runs through Minnesota’s Medicaid service, but more charges are expected.

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 protections against deportation.

Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is leveling a stunning accusation at Vice President JD Vance amid the national furor over this week’s fatal shooting in Minnesota involving an ICE agent.

“I understand that Vice President Vance believes that shooting a young mother of three in the face three times is an acceptable America that he wants to live in, and I do not,” the four-term federal lawmaker from New York and progressive champion argued as she answered questions on Friday on Capitol Hill from Fox News and other news organizations.

Ocasio-Cortez spoke in the wake of Wednesday’s shooting death of 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good after she confronted ICE agents from inside her car in Minneapolis.

RENEE NICOLE GOOD PART OF ‘ICE WATCH’ GROUP, DHS SOURCES SAY

Video of the incident instantly went viral, and while Democrats have heavily criticized the shooting, the Trump administration is vocally defending the actions of the ICE agent.

HEAD HERE FOR LIVE FOX NEWS UPDATES ON THE ICE SHOOTING IN MINNESOTA

Vance, at a White House briefing on Thursday, charged that “this was an attack on federal law enforcement. This was an attack on law and order.”

“That woman was there to interfere with a legitimate law enforcement operation,” the vice president added. “The president stands with ICE, I stand with ICE, we stand with all of our law enforcement officers.”

And Vance claimed Good was “brainwashed” and suggested she was connected to a “broader, left-wing network.”

Federal sources told Fox News on Friday that Good, who was a mother of three, worked as a Minneapolis-based immigration activist serving as a member of “ICE Watch.”

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Ocasio-Cortez, in responding to Vance’s comments, said, “That is a fundamental difference between Vice President Vance and I. I do not believe that the American people should be assassinated in the street.”

But a spokesperson for the vice president, responding to Ocasio-Cortez’s accusation, told Fox News Digital, “On National Law Enforcement Appreciation Day, AOC made it clear she thinks that radical leftists should be able to mow down ICE officials in broad daylight. She should be ashamed of herself. The Vice President stands with ICE and the brave men and women of law enforcement, and so do the American people.”

The Obama Presidential Center is just months away from opening in Chicago, officially accepting job applications for individuals who share the organization’s commitment to “anti-racism and equity,” according to its website. 

“When people come here, we want them to feel what makes the South Side so special,” former President Barack Obama said in a video message posted to social media Tuesday announcing the job openings. “The mix of warmth and grit, the sense of humor that can brighten any day, the creativity that turns challenges into opportunities, and the joy that shows up in every block, every place of worship and every family reunion.”

The presidential center, which is expected to open on Chicago’s South Side in June, is looking to fill 150 job positions stretching from custodians to “ambassadors of hope” who greet visitors. Applications are open until Jan. 31. 

The Obama Foundation’s website underscores its commitment to being an “anti-racist” organization throughout its main web page focused on careers, as well as within the job descriptions for the available roles. 

DEI AND WOKE IDEOLOGY ARE ON LIFE SUPPORT UNDER TRUMP’S RETURN TO DC, BUT COULD COME ROARING BACK WITH REBRAND

Within its job description advertising for a full-time security officer, for example, the website notes that it is an equal opportunity employer that is “deeply committed to creating an actively anti-racist organization, leveraging our global reach to combat systemic racism and inequity wherever it exists.”

The center describes its team as “equal parts dreamers and doers” and who “care as much about how we achieve our goals as we do about the goals themselves.”

“We are also committed to creating an anti-racist organization in order to do our part to help combat racism and inequity in all forms, in communities across our nation and around the world,” the Obama Foundation’s main webpage for careers states. 

TAXPAYERS ON THE HOOK FOR LAWN CARE, FIXING HINGES AT PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARIES. TRUMP-LED REFORMS AIM TO STOP IT

The Obama Foundation directed website visitors and potential hires to read its lengthy statement on anti-racism and equity, which highlighted that the organization is working to build a network committed to addressing systemic racism and gender discrimination, stressing that combating inequity requires not just policy changes but sustained cultural and institutional commitment. 

“That’s why our goal is to make sure every member of the Foundation team is committed to anti-racism, sets expectations for how we will engage, and makes space for the work,” the statement said. “We’re focused on making sure our actions match our intent – removing barriers for diverse vendors, building anti-racism and equity into our hiring practices, and recruiting diverse cohorts for our leadership programs. We also want to be strong partners, working with members of the predominantly Black community that is our home, and the future home of the (Obama Presidential Center).”

OBAMA PRESIDENTIAL CENTER BREAKS SILENCE OVER CONTROVERSIAL BUILDING DESIGN

Fox News Digital reached out to the Obama Foundation Friday morning inquiring if there’s a mechanism or process to determine a potential hire is aligned with their “anti-racist” vision, and if it will accept applications from noncitizens, but did not immediately receive a reply. 

Obama’s presidential center underscoring its commitment to anti-racist policies comes after President Donald Trump took a hatchet to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) within the federal government upon his return to the Oval Office, which has had a cascading effect throughout private industry. 

Trump signed an executive order on day one of his second administration, for example, titled “Ending Radical and Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Preferencing,” which directed federal agencies to stamp out DEI-style programs across the federal government. The following day, Trump signed a second order aimed at “restoring merit-based opportunity,” including changes to federal contracting and related compliance.

“We’ve ended the tyranny of so-called Diversity, Equity and Inclusion policies all across the entire federal government and indeed the private sector and our military. And our country will be woke no longer,” Trump said in March during a joint address to Congress celebrating his early wins of the administration. 

PROTESTERS RAGED, CRITICS MOCKED — NOW OBAMA SAYS HIS LIBRARY’S ACTUALLY OPENING

Obama’s presidential center is set to open its doors in June after years of delays, including lawsuits and federal reviews that pushed the timeline back from its initial 2021 expected opening. The center will include a handful of attractions, including the presidential library, a museum, auditorium, a Chicago Public Library branch, a garden, athletic facility and other attractions on its roughly 20-acre campus. 

The building has faced sharp scrutiny and mockery from some locals, who have previously lampooned the design of the massive, mostly window-less building, with the New York Post reporting some Chicagoans refer to it as the “Obamalisk.”

Obama Foundation Deputy Director Kim Patterson defended the architecture in December 2025, telling CBS News that the design of the building was intentional, including to protect artwork within the building. 

“The shape of the building was actually meant to mimic four hands coming together to show the importance of our collective action,” Patterson told the outlet. 

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“There are not a lot of windows on the building, but that’s intentional, because sunlight is just not a friend to the artwork and the artifacts that are going inside of the building,” Patterson added of why the building has few windows. 

A bipartisan cohort of senators is nearing a final plan to tackle rising healthcare costs, but the issue of more-stringent restrictions preventing taxpayer-funded abortions remains a major hurdle in the way to sealing the deal.

The working group, led by Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, has held several meetings since dueling, partisan proposals to either extend or replace expired enhanced Obamacare premium subsidies failed late last year.

Now, they’re on the verge of unveiling their plan and have started sharing what exactly the rough framework would look like. But while selling the bones of the latest idea to tackle healthcare will be one thing, overcoming the issue of taxpayer-funded abortions will be another.

EXPIRED OBAMACARE SUBSIDY DEAL INCHES TOWARD SENATE FLOOR VOTE AMID BIPARTISAN TALKS

The Hyde Amendment, which dictates that taxpayer dollars can’t fund abortions, has proven a sticking point on both sides of the aisle. Senate Republicans argue that Obamacare doesn’t completely follow the law, while Senate Democrats contend that no modifications need to be made to the longstanding statute.

“There’s no disagreement that there should not be federal funding for abortion,” Moreno said. “Nobody on either side is wanting to relitigate that question. So we’re past that mountain. The next mountain is a dispute as to whether that is actually happening today through [Obamacare].”

“A group of people, very good people, say that it is happening, and there’s a group of other people who have good people, too, that say it’s not happening,” he continued. “So we have to resolve that.”

CONGRESS BLOCKS OBAMACARE SUBSIDIES AFTER SHUTDOWN FIGHT, PREMIUMS SET TO SURGE

That wrinkle, in particular, was further amplified by President Donald Trump, who earlier this week urged that House Republicans “have to be a little flexible” when it comes to the Hyde Amendment. That edict was met with backlash from Senate Republicans, who argued there was no room for flexibility on the issue. 

Moreno didn’t say whether the current plan addressed the Hyde issue, but he laid out what the skeletal framework that senators have built would look like.

It would play out over two years and act as more of a temporary fix than a permanent bridge, which Moreno noted would be crucial in selling the plan to his Republican colleagues.

SEN JIM JUSTICE SAYS REPUBLICANS ARE ‘LOUSY’ AT KNOWING WHAT EVERYDAY AMERICANS THINK ABOUT HEALTHCARE

“That’s a key thing that I got to convince my colleagues to understand, who hate Obamacare, they hate the policy, and say, ‘Let’s take two years to actually deliver for the American people truly affordable healthcare and solve this problem for the people who are going to suffer as a result of not having these enhanced premium tax credits,’” Moreno said. “They didn’t cause the problem, politicians caused that problem.”

Up front, their plan would extend the subsidies for two years and prolong the open enrollment period for the Obamacare marketplace until March 1.

During the first year, an income cap would be added, which was blown away when the subsidies were enhanced under former President Joe Biden, at 700% of the federal poverty level. There would also be a requirement of either a $5 or $60 minimum premium payment as a fraud prevention method. That would be coupled with a $100,000 fine for insurance companies that are “deliberately causing fraud, and signing [someone] up without their consent.”

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In the second year, people would have a choice to either stick with the subsidies or switch their coverage plan in favor of a health savings account (HSA) — a key demand from Republicans and Trump.

Their plan would also reinstate cost-sharing reduction payments, “which, according to [Congressional Budget Office], would reduce premiums for everybody on the exchange by 11%,” Moreno said.

Aiming to not only hold but expand their 53-47 majority in November’s midterm elections, top Senate Republicans are showcasing the plummeting rates of border crossings during a stop Friday at the nation’s southern border with Mexico.

And the group, led by Senate Majority Leader John Thune, is also highlighting how President Donald Trump and Republican lawmakers are “putting more money in Americans’ pockets.”

The stop at the border, hosted by One Nation, a nonprofit outside group closely aligned with Thune, is seen as an unofficial kickoff by Senate Republicans ahead of the midterms to tout the sweeping “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” Trump’s signature domestic achievement last year that was passed nearly entirely along party lines in the GOP controlled Congress.

At the event at the border, which was a regular stop for Republicans amid the surge in border crossings during then-President Joe Biden’s administration, the GOP senators are teaming up with members of the National Border Patrol Council. And they are highlighting how the passage of the domestic policy measure “secured transformational border security funding,” according to One Nation.

THUNE PREVIEWS SENATE REPUBLICANS’ MIDTERM MESSAGE 

But with Democrats enjoying decisive victories and overperformances in the 2025 elections and in a slew of special elections and other ballot box showdowns last year, which were fueled by their laser focus on affordability amid persistent inflation, the Republican senators are also using Friday’s trip to spotlight the tax cut and energy policy provisions in the bill, which they rebranded as the “Working Families Tax Cuts.”

“The Working Families Tax Cut will make buying groceries more affordable for working Americans this year,” the Senate Republicans touted on social media on the eve of the border stop. “Every Democrat voted against it.”

DOUBLING DOWN: TOP HOUSE DEMOCRAT SAYS FOCUS ON HIGH PRICES ‘ABSOLUTELY GOING TO CONTINUE’

And they also highlighted that “Senate Republicans have worked closely with President Trump to lower energy prices and make life more affordable — and the results speak for themselves.”

But Democrats see the cost of living as their winning issue heading into the midterms.

“If the Republican agenda actually made life more affordable for working Americans, then they wouldn’t be desperately flailing as families struggle to afford groceries, health care, and housing,” Lauren French, communications director at Senate Majority PAC, the top Senate Democrat-aligned outside group, told Fox News Digital. “Instead of focusing on working people, Trump and Senate Republicans are focused on bringing chaos and instability into our communities.”

Joining Thune, the longtime senator from South Dakota, at the border is Sen. John Barrasso of Wyoming, number two in Senate Republican leadership.

There are also Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, who faces a bruising GOP primary showdown in March against challengers Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and Rep. Wesley Hunt; and Republican Sens. Jon Husted of Ohio and Ashley Moody of Florida, who were appointed last year and will face voters this November.

HEALTHCARE, ECONOMY AND THE ‘ONE BIG BEAUTIFUL BILL’: WELCOME TO THE MIDTERMS

GOP Sens. Pete Ricketts of Nebraska and Mike Rounds of South Dakota, who are up for re-election this year, are also on the trip, as are former Rep. Mike Rogers and former Republican National Committee chair Mike Whatley, the GOP Senate candidates in battlegrounds Michigan and North Carolina who are backed by Thune and the National Republican Senatorial Committee.

“We’re seeing signs already that the economy is starting to tick up and is starting to take hold as the President’s policies are getting in place,” Whatley argued last month in a Fox News Digital interview. “We need to make sure that we have the trade policies, the tax policies, the regulatory policies from this administration that are going to help our small businesses, our manufacturers and our farmers across North Carolina.”

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But Democrats are energized as the midterm year begins, as they continue to keep their focus on the issue of affordability.

“Donald Trump has lost the economy, is losing his mind, and is going to lose the midterms,” Democratic National Committee chair Ken Martin claimed in a recent statement.

New York state Assemblymember Claire Valdez, an ally of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, has mounted a bid for the U.S. House of Representatives.

“I’m a union organizer, Assemblymember, and democratic socialist running for Congress in NY-07. I came to politics through low-wage jobs and the labor movement. That’s the perspective I’ll bring to Washington to take on oligarchy, fascism, and war — and win for working people,” she wrote in a post on X.

Valdez has called for the abolition of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

‘THE PEOPLE’S QUR’AN’: MAMDANI ANNOUNCES NYC QURAN EXHIBIT WITH BOOK BELONGING TO REVOLUTIONARY ACTIVIST

“When we called this administration fascist last year, we were called hyperbolic. We were called hysterical,” she said in recent public remarks. 

“We must abolish ICE at the federal level,” she asserted, calling it a “militarized terrorist organization that is destroying our country.”

Her campaign website makes clear that she is an advocate for “Medicare for All.”

NYC MAYOR ZOHRAN MAMDANI SET TO EARN NEARLY $260K, ABOUT 80% MORE THAN HIS PRIOR SALARY

“Claire will fight to pass Medicare for All, paid for by taxing billionaires and corporations that have rigged the system, and deliver universal health care for every New Yorker,” the site notes.

“Housing is a human right — but Congress has chosen to side with landlords and speculators instead of working people. Claire will fight to guarantee safe, affordable housing for all, because housing is not a commodity. It’s a necessity,” the site also states.

NOEM REPORTS MAMDANI-DHS TALKS HAVE ‘NOT BEEN PRODUCTIVE,’ SAYS NYC MAYOR ‘CHOSE TO STAND WITH ILLEGALS’

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Valdez will compete in a Democratic primary in June for the seat being vacated by Rep. Nydia Velazquez, D-N.Y.

Velazquez, who currently represents the Empire State’s 7th Congressional District, is not seeking re-election in 2026. Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso already announced his 2026 primary bid for the House seat last year.