NationalWatch

The six Democrats who urged U.S. service members to “refuse illegal orders” are threatening a legal battle with President Donald Trump over what they see as a “weaponization” of the Department of Justice (DOJ).

On Wednesday, four House Democrats — Reps. Jason Crow, D-Colo.; Maggie Goodlander, D-N.H.; Chrissy Houlahan, D-Pa.; and Chris Deluzio, D-Pa. — hinted they had prepared for a case of their own after they escaped an indictment Tuesday evening.

“Yesterday, the Trump Department of Justice tried and failed to indict us on criminal charges based on a video that we filmed last year simply reminding our fellow service members to follow the law and the Constitution,” Crow said. “They failed, and they will always fail.

REPUBLICAN COMBAT VETERANS URGE TROOPS TO ‘STAND STRONG’ AFTER DEMOCRATS’ ‘ILLEGAL ORDERS’ MESSAGE

“We are taking names,” Crow said. “We are creating lists. My lawyers just sent a letter today to the Department of Justice, putting them on notice that there will be costs.” 

Crow did not expand on what kind of suit he would pursue.

The “Seditious Six,” as Secretary of War Pete Hegseth called the group of military veteran Democrats, posted a video to social media in November 2025 urging service members to ignore commands that violated the Constitution.

“Like us, you all swore an oath to protect and defend this Constitution. Right now, the threats coming to our Constitution aren’t just coming from abroad but from right here at home,” they urged. “Our laws are clear. You can refuse illegal orders. You must refuse illegal orders. No one has to carry out orders that violate the law or our Constitution.” 

In response, the Department of Justice launched a probe of the group, weighing whether their calls had amounted to sedition.

After those charges fell flat Tuesday, Democrats in the Senate who had also participated in the video similarly blasted the DOJ’s probe.

WASHINGTON DEMOCRAT SAYS HE BELIEVES TRUMP ISSUED ILLEGAL ORDERS TO THE MILITARY

“This is outrageous,” said Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz. “I want to be clear about something. This is not a good news story. This is a story about how Donald Trump and his cronies are trying to break our system in order to silence anyone who lawfully speaks out against them.” 

Sen. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., who also appeared in the video, echoed Kelly’s framing.

“The president has used our justice system to weaponize (it) against his perceived enemies,” Slotkin said. “I think that we’ve come to a really sad moment in America, where the paradigm of leadership has become completely reversed in 2026. Instead of looking to our elected leaders, like the president, as setting an example, it is now up to individual citizens in their private capacity to uphold the values of democracy, free speech, liberty, justice.” 

When asked how he would distinguish between political prosecution and a good-faith effort to uphold the law, Crow pointed to past statements from the administration but declined to offer a litmus test for future cases.

“I’ve learned to take Donald Trump’s words and to listen to him,” Crow said. “He actually came right out and said what he thought about this and said this is because he wants to silence political opposition. So, let’s actually just listen to what the man says.” 

DEM CONGRESSMAN PRESSED ON WHAT TRUMP ORDERS ‘SPECIFICALLY’ WERE ILLEGAL

Trump has accused the six lawmakers of being “traitors” who engaged in “sedition at the highest level” and “should be in jail.” 

He even suggested they should be executed over the video, although he later retracted that comment.

Crow declined to answer questions about when he would press his legal strategy and hinted that it might depend on what Trump does next.

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“So, that’s actually a ball that’s in the Trump administration’s court,” Crow said. “We’ve been very clear about our position and that it needs to stop. If it doesn’t stop, then we’ll take all necessary actions.”

The Department of Justice did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

FIRST ON FOX: The Department of Homeland Security is speaking out against immigration rhetoric from Democrats and launching an investigation after a U.S. citizen in Oregon was arrested and found with a manifesto stating his plans to kill U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials. 

Last week, the St. Helens Police Department north of Portland arrested an 18-year-old during a traffic stop after he was found with knives and materials used to manufacture Molotov cocktails, according to police, Fox 12 Oregon reported.

The individual, Rayden Coleman, is also alleged to have authored a manifesto outlining a plan to kill ICE agents at a Portland ICE office in an attack using Molotov cocktails and a gun. Additionally, Coleman reportedly told investigators about his plan and that he planned to pick up an AR-15 the next day from a licensed dealer to carry out the attack. He also reportedly admitted making statements about beheading ICE agents. 

“Every day there are more assaults, more vehicle-ramming attacks, more attempts to kill our officers,” Assistant DHS Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told Fox News Digital. “Now, we have an American citizen planning to kill ICE officers with Molotov cocktails and gun them down. It’s disturbing.

DEMOCRATIC CONGRESSWOMAN SPARKS ONLINE OUTRAGE OVER ‘DERANGED’ QUESTION TO ICE DIRECTOR ABOUT ‘GOING TO HELL’

“Sanctuary politicians comparing ICE day-in and day-out to the Nazi Gestapo, the Secret Police and slave patrols have real-world consequences. The men and women of ICE and CBP are fathers and mothers, sons and daughters. They get up every morning to try and make our communities safer. Like everyone else, they just want to go home to their families at night. The violence and dehumanization of these men and women who are simply enforcing the law must end.” 

The DHS statement comes the day after several House Democrats railed against ICE during a hearing with acting ICE Director Todd Lyons, comparing ICE agents to Nazis and the Gestapo as they slammed the Trump administration over the deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, two anti-ICE activists killed while opposing federal immigration authorities. 

ICE REVEALS ‘WORST OF THE WORST’ ARRESTS IN JUST ONE DAY AFTER ROUNDING UP ‘THUGS’ CONVICTED OF VILE CRIMES

DHS says there is an ongoing investigation into the Oregon arrest with ICE Homeland Security Investigations and that Coleman is facing state charges on six counts of manufacturing a destructive device and two counts of conspiracy to commit first-degree assault. 

Coleman is being held in the Columbia County jail, and his bail is listed at $400,000.

ICE officers are facing a more than 1,300% increase in assaults against them, according to DHS, along with an 8,000% increase in death threats. 

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As Democrats rally against ICE across the country, Congress has until Friday at midnight to fund DHS. Democrats are threatening to shut down the government if their demands for ICE reforms are not met, and, as days go by, the odds of doing so are becoming increasingly slim.

“I think they (Democrats) are using families as political weapons,” DHS Secretary Kristi Noem exclusively told Fox News Digital last week. “And this is a little bit different, because when it’s the whole government that they shut down, they’re not necessarily just attacking security.

“This feels like a direct attack on the security of our country, our homeland. And it’s almost as though they’ve gotten so extreme, they don’t care if we’re out there on the front lines keeping our country safe from terrorists, keeping our country safe from murderers and rapists.”

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

Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard announced she was ending the work of a task force that sought to reform the U.S. intelligence community, including rooting out what she described as the politicization of intelligence gathering, after less than a year since its creation.

Gabbard established the group in April, when it was also tasked with probing ways to reduce spending on intelligence and whether reports on high-profile topics such as COVID-19 should be declassified.

In a statement on Wednesday, Gabbard said the task force’s work was always intended to be temporary after she was tapped to oversee coordination of the 18 U.S. intelligence agencies.

“In less than one year, we’ve brought a historic level of transparency to the intelligence community,” Gabbard said in her statement. “My commitment to transparency, truth, and eliminating politicization and weaponization within the intelligence community remains central to all that we do.”

TULSI GABBARD DENIES WRONGDOING OVER DELAYED WHISTLE-BLOWER COMPLAINT REFERRAL TO CONGRESS MEMBERS: ‘BASELESS’

The number of officers assigned to the task force, as well as their identities, are classified, according to Gabbard’s office.

The officers will now return to other intelligence agencies to continue the work the group started, her office added.

The group sparked criticism against Gabbard after its creation, with Democrats and some intelligence insiders raising questions about whether it would be used to undermine intelligence agencies and bring them under tighter control of President Donald Trump.

Sen. Mark Warner, D-VA, vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said last year that the group appeared to be a “pass for a witch hunt” designed to target intelligence officers deemed disloyal to Trump.

TRUMP CLAIMS DNI TULSI GABBARD WAS AT GEORGIA ELECTION HUB SEARCH BECAUSE AG PAM BONDI WANTED HER THERE

“This seems to be just a pass for a witch hunt and that’s going to further undermine our national security,” Warner told Reuters at the time.

Gabbard has implemented significant changes to the country’s intelligence gathering in the last year, including by using agencies to back up Trump’s claims about alleged interference in the 2016 and 2020 elections.

In August, she revealed plans to cut her office’s workforce and slash more than $700 million from its annual budget. She also fired two top intelligence officials in May after concluding that they opposed Trump.

Since Gabbard took over as director, the federal government has revoked the security clearances of dozens of former and current officials, including high-profile political opponents of the president, which critics have panned as being a punishment for siding against Trump rather than posing security risks.

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Gabbard’s presence for a recent FBI search of a Georgia election office in connection to the 2020 election has led to criticism from Democrats who argue she is blurring the traditional lines between foreign intelligence collection and domestic law enforcement.

The CIA has also released additional information about its investigations into the origins of COVID-19, such as an assessment released last year that affirmed the position that it most likely originated in a lab in China.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

The House of Representatives passed a massive election integrity overhaul bill on Wednesday despite opposition from the vast majority of Democrats.

The House passed Rep. Chip Roy’s SAVE America Act, legislation that’s aimed at keeping non-citizens from voting in U.S. federal elections. All but one House Democrat — Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas — voted against the bill. It passed 218 to 213.

It is an updated version of the Safeguarding American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, also led by Roy, R-Texas, which passed the House in April 2025 but was never taken up in the Senate.

Whereas the SAVE Act would create a new federal proof of citizenship mandate in the voter registration process and impose requirements for states to keep their rolls clear of ineligible voters, the updated bill would also require photo ID to vote in any federal elections.

MURKOWSKI BREAKS WITH GOP ON VOTER ID, SAYS PUSH ‘IS NOT HOW WE BUILD TRUST’

It would also require information-sharing between state election officials and federal authorities in verifying citizenship on current voter rolls and enable the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to pursue immigration cases if non-citizens were found to be listed as eligible to vote.

Democrats have attacked the bill as tantamount to voter suppression, while Republicans argue that it’s necessary after the influx of millions of illegal immigrants who came to the U.S. during the four years of the Biden administration.

“If we want to rebuild confidence again in American elections, we need to pass the SAVE Act,” Rep. Mike Haridopolos, R-Fla., told Fox News Digital. “What better way to eliminate that distrust than to make sure that whoever votes in an American citizen who is truly eligible to vote?”

House Minority Whip Katherine Clark, D-Mass., accused Republicans of trying to make it harder for women to vote. She argued that the legislation would make it more difficult for married women to cast ballots if their surname is different from their maiden name on their birth certificate.

“Republicans aren’t worried about non-citizens voting. They’re afraid of actual American citizens voting. Why? Because they’re losing among women,” Clark said during debate on the House floor. “This is a minefield of red tape that you have put in front of women and American citizens and their right to vote.”

REPUBLICANS, TRUMP RUN INTO SENATE ROADBLOCK ON VOTER ID BILL

But House GOP Policy Committee Chairman Kevin Hern, R-Okla., emphasized that it was about keeping illegal immigrants from voting in U.S. elections.

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“This really is about feeding the narrative that Democrats want illegally from all over the world to come here to support them,” Hern said of Democrats’ opposition.

Republican Study Committee Chairman August Pfluger, R-Texas, told Fox News Digital, “The American people did not give Republicans a mandate to make excuses. They gave us one to deliver wins, and the SAVE America Act is exactly that. Every single Democrat who voted no today proved they would rather let illegal aliens tip the scales in our national elections than protect your vote.”

If implemented, the bill could see new requirements imposed on voters in this year’s November midterm elections.

But it would have to pass the Senate, where current rules dictate that at least several Democrats are needed to meet the 60-vote threshold to overcome a filibuster.

A federal judge in Louisiana has released four illegal immigrants with lengthy rap sheets that include convictions for murder and child sex crimes from law enforcement custody earlier this month.

On Feb. 6, Judge John deGravelles, an Obama appointee who sits on the bench for the Middle District Court of Louisiana, granted the four defendants release from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody, the Department of Homeland Security said. 

“The ramifications will only be the continued rape, murder, assault, and robbery of more American victims,” said Assistant DHS Secretary Tricia McLaughlin. “Releasing these monsters is inexcusably reckless. President Trump and Secretary Noem are now enforcing the law and arresting illegal aliens who have no right to be in our country.”

EXCLUSIVE: ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT RELEASED UNDER BIDEN ‘CATCH-AND-RELEASE’ ALLEGEDLY KILLS DRIVER IN POLICE CHASE

“We are applying the law as written,” she added. “If an immigration judge finds an illegal alien has no right to be in this country, we are going to remove them. Period.”

The four defendants include Ibrahim Ali Mohammed, an Ethiopian citizen convicted of sexual exploitation of a minor. An immigration judge issued him a final order of removal on Sept, 5, 2024. 

He was released into the United States by the Biden administration.

DHS HONORS ILLINOIS WOMAN WHOSE CORPSE WAS ALLEGEDLY ABUSED BY ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT FREED UNDER SANCTUARY LAWS

Luis Gaston-Sanchez, from Cuba, has convictions for homicide, assault, resisting an officer, concealing stolen property, and two counts of robbery. 

An immigration judge issued a deportation order for him on Sept. 24, 2001.

Ricardo Blanco Chomat, also a Cuban citizen, has convictions for homicide, kidnapping, aggravated assault with a firearm, burglary, robbery, larceny, and selling cocaine. 

A deportation order was issued for him on March 27, 2002.

Francisco Rodriguez-Romero was previously convicted of homicide and a weapons offense. He was ordered to be deported on May 30, 1995.

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In Sept. 2025, DHS announced a partnership with Louisiana to expand ICE detention space at the Louisiana State Penitentiary, also known as Angola Prison. The facility, dubbed the “Louisiana Lockup,” houses some of the criminal illegal immigrants arrested by ICE.

Fox News Digital has reached out to the Middle District Court of Louisiana for comment. 

The Internal Revenue Service improperly disclosed the confidential taxpayer information of thousands of people with the Department of Homeland Security as part of the agencies’ controversial agreement to share immigrant data to help identify those living in the country illegally, according to a new court filing.

The Treasury Department, the IRS and the Department of Homeland Security finalized a deal last spring to allow taxpayer data to be shared with immigration authorities to help them find illegal immigrants.

The agreement, which led to the resignations of top IRS officials, authorized Immigration and Customs Enforcement to submit names and addresses of illegal immigrants to the IRS for cross-verification against tax records.

In a declaration filed Wednesday, IRS Chief Risk and Control Officer Dottie Romo said the IRS was able to verify roughly 47,000 of the 1.28 million names ICE requested that were then disclosed to the immigration enforcement agency.

SECOND FEDERAL JUDGE BLOCKS IRS FROM SHARING ADDRESSES WITH ICE

The IRS gave ICE additional address information for under 5% of those names, potentially violating privacy rules created to protect taxpayer data.

The tax-collecting agency said it recently discovered the mistake and is working with other federal agencies to resolve the matter.

Romo said the Treasury notified DHS last month of the error and asked for its assistance in “promptly taking steps to remediate the matter consistent with federal law,” which includes “appropriate disposal of any data provided to ICE by IRS based on incomplete or insufficient address information.”

MINNESOTA SUES TRUMP ADMIN OVER SWEEPING IMMIGRATION RAIDS IN TWIN CITIES

The agreement last year between the IRS and DHS sparked litigation against the Trump administration and broke a longstanding IRS policy that encouraged immigrants to pay taxes even if they are not in the U.S. legally by assuring them that their data was safe.

A lawsuit was filed against Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on behalf of several immigrant rights groups shortly after the agreement was signed.

Last week, a federal judge ordered the IRS to stop disclosing residential addresses to ICE, marking the second ruling blocking the IRS-DHS agreement.

In November, a different federal judge blocked the IRS from sharing information with DHS, saying the IRS illegally disseminated the tax data of some migrants over the summer, violating a taxpayer confidentiality law.

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Advocate groups expressed concern that the potential unlawful release of taxpayer records could be used to maliciously target U.S. citizens and violate their privacy.

“Once taxpayer data is opened to immigration enforcement, mistakes are inevitable and the consequences fall on innocent people,” Tom Bowman, policy counsel for the Center for Democracy & Technology, told The Associated Press. “The disclosure of thousands of confidential records unfortunately shows precisely why strict legal firewalls exist and have — until now — been treated as an important guardrail.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Child sex charges continue to pile up against an illegal alien soccer coach accused of sexually attacking and murdering one of his players. 

Mario Edgardo Garcia-Aquino, 44, an illegal immigrant “gotaway” from El Salvador, faces more child sex charges after he was charged with raping and murdering a teen boy he coached. He was also charged with sodomy and oral copulation with a minor under 16.

Garcia-Aquino, after entering the United States, established himself in the San Fernando Valley as a soccer coach. His work managing these teams made him a visitor of Whitsett Fields Park in North Hollywood, where youth soccer games are played and where Garcia-Aquino allegedly met 13-year-old Oscar Hernandez, who he allegedly sexually assaulted and then murdered.

ICE ARRESTS MURDERERS, PEDOPHILES DURING SUPER BOWL WEEKEND AS AGENTS SAY HALFTIME SHOW ‘DEMONIZED’ THEM

The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office filed nine more child sex charges against Garcia-Aquino this week — eight counts of sodomy of a person under age 16 and one count of oral copulation of a minor under 16, according to an amended complaint obtained by Fox News Digital. 

Garcia-Aquino reportedly pleaded not guilty to the additional charges through his attorney, according to local media reports. Fox News Digital inquired with the LA County Public Defender’s Office but did not receive a response in time for publication. 

The LA County District Attorney’s Office, which is prosecuting the case against Garcia-Aquino, declined to comment further on the ongoing case.

A complaint from the Superior Court of the State of California for the County of Los Angeles indicates that, on March 28, Garcia-Aquino murdered 13-year-old Oscar Hernandez while sexually assaulting him. The same complaint also accuses Garcia-Aquino of a second sexual assault and rape of a child in December 2022.

PRITZKER JOINS CHORUS OF DEM GOVERNORS BOYCOTTING WHITE HOUSE DINNER AFTER SNUB IGNITES ‘CHAOS’ 

A separate case involving an alleged sexual assault by Garcia-Aquino on Feb. 22, 2024, was also reportedly added to the case later. He allegedly assaulted this minor numerous other times between September 2022 and July 2023, according to the complaint.

Now, as the charges pile up against the illegal immigrant soccer coach, he could face the death penalty. 

“Thirteen-year-old Oscar ‘Omar’ Hernandez was an innocent child who was exploited and killed by this depraved illegal alien who should have never been in this country,” the Department of Homeland Security said last year. 

“Under President Trump and Secretary Noem’s leadership, child predators, pedophiles and murderers will be hunted down and removed from America’s communities.” 

Hernandez was reportedly last seen leaving his home in Sun Valley to meet the soccer coach, according to family members, but he was later found dead along the side of a road. 

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In one of the other cases, involving the sexual assault of a 14-year-old boy, Garcia-Aquino reportedly “befriended” a family through a local soccer program and the teen’s parents eventually let the teen stay the night at Garcia-Aquino’s home, officials say.

The murdered boy’s brother told CBS News that he believed Garcia-Aquino targeted families who did not have the proper legal status to live in the United States.

President Donald Trump is threatening to back election challengers against the six House Republicans who joined Democrats in voting to reverse his tariffs on Canada.

The president sent out an ominous warning to GOP lawmakers in the House and Senate just before his agenda suffered a blow on Capitol Hill Wednesday evening.

“Any Republican, in the House or the Senate, that votes against TARIFFS will seriously suffer the consequences come Election time, and that includes Primaries!” Trump posted on Truth Social.

He argued that the trade deficit was reduced significantly while U.S. financial markets hit significant high points because of his tariff policies.

TRUMP’S TARIFFS COULD BE UNDONE BY ONE CONSERVATIVE DOCTRINE: ‘LIFE OR DEATH’

“In addition, TARIFFS have given us Great National Security because the mere mention of the word has Countries agreeing to our strongest wishes,” Trump continued. 

“TARIFFS have given us Economic and National Security, and no Republican should be responsible for destroying this privilege.”

Democrats successfully got a vote on a measure to reverse Trump’s national emergency at the northern border using a mechanism for forcing votes over the objections of House majority leadership called a privileged resolution.

TRUMP’S SIGNATURE TARIFFS HANG ON KEY QUESTION ABOUT CONGRESS’ POWER BEFORE SUPREME COURT

The six Republicans who voted in favor of the measure are Reps. Dan Newhouse, R-Wash., Kevin Kiley, R-Calif., Don Bacon, R-Neb., Jeff Hurd, R-Colo., and Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pa. 

One Democrat, Rep. Jared Golden, D-Maine, voted with the majority of Republicans on the matter. It passed 219-211.

It’s not clear how much impact Trump’s threat will have, however.

Both Newhouse and Bacon are not running for re-election in the 2026 midterms, and Trump is already endorsing a primary challenger against Massie.

Kiley, whose district was severely impacted by California Democrats’ new congressional map, has not yet said whether he will run for re-election or where he will do it.

Fitzpatrick and Hurd are both well-liked incumbents in their districts, which are top targets for Democrats come November.

Trump signed an executive order in February 2025, enacting an additional 25% tariff on most goods from Canada and Mexico. Energy from Canada was subject to an additional 15% tariff.

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At the time, the White House said it was punishment for those countries’ unwillingness to do more to stop the flow of illegal immigrants and illicit drugs into the U.S.

Opponents of Trump’s tariff strategy have criticized his moves against Canada in particular, arguing it was unjustly harming one of the closest allies of the U.S. and trading partners to the detriment of Americans themselves.

But Republicans who voted against the legislation pointed out that Trump said the fentanyl crisis was the reason for issuing the emergency in the first place, and said the drug was still killing Americans.

The legislation now heads to the Senate, where Republicans have voted to rebuke Trump’s tariff strategy in the past despite similar warnings from the president.

President Donald Trump signed an executive order Wednesday directing the Department of War (DoW) to work directly with coal-fired power plants on new long-term power purchasing agreements, arguing the move would ensure “more reliable power and stronger and more resilient grid power.”

“That’s why I’m also pleased to announce that in just a moment, I will sign an executive order that directs the Department of War to work directly with coal plants on the new power purchasing agreements, ensuring that we have more reliable power and stronger and more resilient grid power,” Trump said. 

“And we’re going to be buying a lot of coal through the military now, and it’s going to be less expensive and actually much more effective than what we have been using for many, many years.”

The executive order, titled “Strengthening United States National Defense with America’s Beautiful Clean Coal Power Generation Fleet,” states: “The United States must ensure that our electric grid … remains resilient and reliable, and not reliant on intermittent energy sources,” calling the grid “the foundation of our national defense as well as our economic stability.”

TRUMP ADMIN TO REPEAL OBAMA-ERA GREENHOUSE GAS FINDING IN LARGE-SCALE DEREGULATION

It adds: “It is the policy of the United States that coal is essential to our national and economic security.”

Under a section titled “Power Purchase Agreements with Federal Installations,” the order states that the Secretary of War, “in coordination with the Secretary of Energy, shall seek to procure power from the United States coal generation fleet by approving long-term Power Purchase Agreements … with coal-fired energy production facilities to serve DOW installations or other mission-critical facilities.”

Speaking at the White House and flanked by members of his cabinet, coal workers and GOP lawmakers, Trump framed coal as vital to defense and industrial production.

BIDEN’S GREEN ENERGY FIASCO, NOT TRUMP’S REFORMS, IS JACKING UP YOUR ELECTRIC BILL

“Coal is also critical to our national security,” he said. “Vital to everything from steel production to shipbuilding and artificial intelligence.”

He also pointed to winter storms as evidence of coal’s reliability.

“More than 200 million Americans across 35 states were impacted by the storm, and the only reason most were able to take a hot shower was thanks to the power provided by the most reliable, dependable of, and really dependable form of energy that we have,” Trump said. “And that’s clean, beautiful coal.”

Trump contrasted his approach with the prior administration.

“On day one of this administration, I ended the war on coal,” Trump said. “We terminated the green new scam and we withdrew from the unfair, one-sided Paris climate accord.”

He also criticized wind energy.

TRUMP TO HOST ‘CLEAN BEAUTIFUL COAL’ EVENT, CALLS IT AMERICA’S MOST RELIABLE ENERGY

“I’m not a big fan of those crazy windmills that are all made in China,” Trump said. “You know, they’re made in China but not used by China.”

Trump said the Tennessee Valley Authority was “taking action to save two major coal plants,” naming the Cumberland Fossil Plant and the Kingston Fossil Plant.

“These two plants were slated for termination,” Trump said, “but we’re going to save over 450 jobs by keeping them going and going strong.”

Trump said he was “directing the Department of Energy to issue funds” to coal plants in several states.

“In addition, I’m directing to the Department of Energy to issue funds to coal plants in West Virginia, Ohio, North Carolina and Kentucky to keep them online and keep those plants open,” Trump said.

On permitting, Trump said: “In one year of Trump, we’ve already approved over 70 permits for very big, very powerful mines that are going to be with us for many, many years to come.”

Trump said coal production and generation had increased during his tenure.

“Since I took office, coal production is up by nearly 4 million tons a month after falling for decades,” he said. “Coal power generation is up by nearly 15% in my first year.”

Late in the event, Peabody Energy CEO Jim Grech presented Trump with an award.

“Sir. Just to show our appreciation,” Grech said, “the trophy says the undisputed champion of beautiful, clean coal.”

Trump closed by returning to what he described as American energy dominance.

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“America is now the number one energy producer in the world,” he said. “We are by far number one.”

The Department of War did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

The House of Representatives passed legislation on Wednesday aimed at reversing President Donald Trump‘s tariffs on Canada after several Republicans joined Democrats for a rare rebuke of the GOP commander-in-chief.

Democrats successfully got a vote on a measure to reverse Trump’s national emergency at the northern border using a mechanism for forcing votes over the objections of House majority leadership, called a privileged resolution.

Trump signed an executive order in February 2025 implementing an additional 25% tariff on most goods from Canada and Mexico. Energy from Canada was subject to an additional 15% tariff.

At the time, the White House said it was punishment for those countries’ unwillingness to do more to stop the flow of illegal immigrants and illicit drugs into the U.S.

TRUMP’S TARIFFS COULD BE UNDONE BY ONE CONSERVATIVE DOCTRINE: ‘LIFE OR DEATH’

Opponents of Trump’s tariff strategy have criticized his moves against Canada in particular, arguing it was unjustly harming one of the U.S.’s closest allies and trading partners to the detriment of Americans themselves.

“In the last year, tariffs have cost American families nearly $1,700. And that cost is expected to increase in 2026,” Rep. Gregory Meeks, D-N.Y., who is leading the legislation, said during debate on Wednesday.

“And since these tariffs were imposed, U.S. exports to Canada have fallen by more than 21%. When I go home, my constituents aren’t telling me that they have an extra $1,700 to spare. They’re asking me to lower grocery prices, lower the price of healthcare, and make life more affordable.”

TRUMP’S SIGNATURE TARIFFS HANG ON KEY QUESTION ABOUT CONGRESS’ POWER BEFORE SUPREME COURT

Meeks also said, “Canada is our friend. Canada is our ally. Canadians have fought alongside Americans, whether it was in World War II or the war in Afghanistan, where 165 Canadians gave their lives after our country was attacked. There is no national emergency, there is no national security threat underpinning these threats.”

House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Brian Mast, R-Fla., argued the text of the resolution itself would end a national emergency related to fentanyl.

“The gentleman over here, 5,000 people per year die in his state alone from fentanyl,” Mast said of Meeks. “So if he wants to beg the question of who’s going to pay the price of him trying to end an emergency, that actually, for the first time, has Canada dealing with fentanyl because of the pressure being put on them — who’s going to pay the price? It’s going to be 5,000 more of his state’s residents. That’s who’s going to pay the price.”

SUPREME COURT TARIFF RULING HAS TRUMP ADMIN, US BUSINESSES BRACING FOR IMPACT

He said the resolution was “not a debate about tariffs” but rather Democrats trying to “ignore that there is a fentanyl crisis.”

The resolution was filed by Democrats months ago but was put on hold by an active measure by House GOP leaders that blocked the House from reversing Trump’s emergency declarations.

The president has used emergency declarations to bypass Congress on the subject of tariffs, a move that has drawn mixed reviews from Capitol Hill.

But that measure expired last month, and House GOP leaders’ bid to extend it through July 31 crashed and burned on Tuesday night when three Republicans joined Democrats to oppose it.

“It is time for Congress to make its voice heard on tariffs,” Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., one of the Republicans who voted in opposition to the Trump policy both on Tuesday and Wednesday, told Fox News Digital.

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The legislation now heads to the Senate, which has voted in the past to restrict Trump’s tariff authority.

Even if it succeeds there, however, it’s likely to be hit with a veto from the president.

Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., has been discharged from the hospital and will work from home this week on the advice of his doctors, according to his spokesman.

“Senator McConnell was discharged from the hospital [Tuesday] and is grateful for the outstanding care he received. He is feeling better and will be working from home this week on the advice of his doctors,” spokesman David Popp said in a statement.

His absence this week comes as lawmakers face a Friday deadline to fund the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Senate leaders are discussing a short-term continuing resolution to avoid a partial shutdown while negotiations continue.

McConnell, 83, was hospitalized last week after experiencing flu-like symptoms. His office said at the time that he had checked himself into a local hospital “in an abundance of caution” after feeling ill over the weekend.

PRO-REPARATIONS PROGRESSIVE DEMOCRAT WHO WANTS ICE ABOLISHED MOUNTS LONGSHOT SENATE BID TO SUCCEED MCCONNELL

“In an abundance of caution, after experiencing flu-like symptoms over the weekend, Senator McConnell checked himself into a local hospital for evaluation last night,” a spokesperson said Feb. 3. “His prognosis is positive, and he is grateful for the excellent care he is receiving. He is in regular contact with his staff and looks forward to returning to Senate business.”

McConnell has experienced several health scares in recent years, including falls at the Capitol.

Last October, McConnell stumbled and fell while walking down a hallway in the Capitol. He was helped up and continued walking.

SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL SEEN ON VIDEO FALLING INSIDE SENATE BUILDING

Nearly one year ago, he fell on a set of stairs while exiting the Senate chamber.

McConnell previously announced that he will not seek re-election in 2026, and plans to retire at the end of his current term, which runs through Jan. 3, 2027.

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He has served in the Senate for decades, including as Senate majority leader during President Donald Trump’s first administration.

McConnell is a survivor of childhood polio. 

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

Agency heads that operate under the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) warned a shutdown could cripple U.S. readiness across half a dozen areas as the agency looks poised to enter a funding lapse by the end of the week over Democrats’ demands to reform immigration enforcement operations.

Five agency leaders delivered that message before the House Appropriations Committee Wednesday.

Lawmakers entertained remarks from the directors of the Coast Guard, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Secret Service — all of which receive funding from the DHS bill.

SCHUMER, JEFFRIES MEND RIFT, PRESENT UNITED FRONT ON DHS REFORMS AS DEADLINE NEARS

Across the board, leaders said the shutdown would force the government to focus only on life-threatening missions at the cost of future preparedness.

Admiral Thomas Allen, who oversees the U.S. Coast Guard, said that would force his agency to eliminate much of its current work.

“A lapse in appropriations requires the Coast Guard to suspend all missions except those for national security or the protection of life and property,” Allen said.

“A funding lapse has severe and lasting challenges for our workplace, operational readiness and long-term capabilities.”

Other agency heads, such as acting TSA Director Ha Nguyen McNeill, echoed Allen’s framing, noting the compounding effects of the shutdowns on affected workers.

“Jonathan Abdullahi serves as a lead (technical standard officer) working at Tucson International Airport for eight years,” McNeill said, referring to one employee who went through the 43-day government shutdown in October 2025. 

“After missing multiple paychecks, he had no choice but to put everything on his credit cards, even after the government reopened and he received back pay,” McNeill said. “He’s still playing catch-up financially due to the high interest rates on the cards.” 

By contrast, some Democrats argued that, even in the middle of a shutdown, the most essential services would be preserved.

“The reality is that nearly 90% of the department will continue operating, even if Congress fails to complete its work by the end of the week,” Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, said of DHS.

Currently, DHS is running off a two-week funding extension lawmakers advanced in late January when an impasse over Democrats’ demands threatened a $1.2 trillion spending package.

SCHUMER, JEFFRIES TRASH TRUMP’S DHS PROPOSAL AS ‘INCOMPLETE AND INSUFFICIENT’

In the wake of two deadly confrontations between immigration enforcement and civilians, Democrats say they won’t support any DHS funding package that doesn’t come with substantive guardrails for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). 

They’ve demanded ten specific changes.

Among them, Democrats are asking for a ban on masks, stronger judicial warrant requirements, an end to racial profiling and eliminating paramilitary policing.

Republicans have rebuffed those demands, arguing they would hamper the agency’s operations.

Despite Democrat threats of a shutdown to DHS, ICE itself already has received ample funding through Trump’s “big, beautiful bill,” which became law in July 2025 — enough to fund operations at least into 2027.

“Congress made a historic investment in border security and immigration to the tune of $191 billion” in 2025, Rep. Mark Amodei, R-Nev., said at Wednesday’s hearing. “So, we will not focus on ICE and CBP. Those agencies’ missions will be largely unaffected by a shutdown.”

Instead, Amodei worried that other services like the country’s cybersecurity protections could lag.

That’s a concern shared by Madu Gottumukkala, the acting director of CISA, who believes the shutdown’s effects could extend beyond the government itself.

“I want to be clear. When the government shuts down, cyber threats do not and our adversaries work 24/7,” Gottumukkala said.

DEMS’ DHS SHUTDOWN THREAT WOULD HIT FEMA, TSA WHILE IMMIGRATION FUNDING REMAINS INTACT

Gottumukkala explained that, like the Coast Guard, CISA’s work in a shutdown is restricted to life-threatening situations. He noted that includes the support the agency would normally offer to partners across the country.

“A shutdown would degrade our capacity to provide timely and actionable guidance to help partners defend their networks,” Gottumukkala said.

“Even a brief lapse can have lasting consequences on small businesses, federal networks and American taxpayers. The adverse effects of the shutdown are not just felt by our agency alone but extend to the communities we serve.”

The life-saving restriction also would apply to FEMA — the country’s first line of defense against natural disasters, according to Gregg Phillips, the agency’s associate administrator.

Phillips said that’s of particular concern to him in the winter. He highlighted some of the work FEMA did during a recent snowstorm in January.

“FEMA funneled critical resources directly into the states in support of governors and emergency managers, staged more than 300 generators, 7 million meals, 3 million liters of water, and 650,000 blankets to sites across the country. FEMA ensured that its 28 urban search and rescue teams were not just on standby but ready for action on day one,” Phillips said.

“Had this winter storm happened under a lapsed appropriation, coordination with state partners and movement of resources would have lagged,” Phillips said.

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The DHS will enter a shutdown by Saturday morning.

Lawmakers are working to hammer out a short-term extension for DHS as negotiations continue, but it is unclear if Democrats will support another stopgap bill.

The Trump administration withdrew all federalized National Guard troops from U.S. cities as of earlier in 2026, following through on President Donald Trump‘s announcement in December 2025 that warned “we will come back” if crime spirals in left-wing cities once again.  

U.S. Northern Command — the military command responsible for homeland defense and coordinating defense support during domestic emergencies — states on its website that all Title 10 National Guard troops in Los Angeles, Chicago and Portland, Oregon, were demobilized as of Jan. 21. 

Trump federalized and deployed National Guard troops under Title 10 in June 2025, citing the need to protect Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and federal property amid immigration unrest. Troops were sent to cities that also historically have struggled with spiraling crime trends, including during the 2020 era when the nation saw the largest single-year increase in murders since the FBI began tracking such data in the 1960s.  

More than 5,000 troops in Los Angeles, approximately 500 in Chicago and 200 in Portland, Oregon, were demobilized, The Washington Post first reported Wednesday. 

WHITE HOUSE SAYS MURDER RATE PLUMMETED TO LOWEST LEVEL SINCE 1900 UNDER TRUMP ADMINISTRATION

The White House directed Fox News Digital to Trump’s announcement on the withdrawal back in December 2025 when approached for comment on the Washington Post’s report. 

“We are removing the National Guard from Chicago, Los Angeles, and Portland, despite the fact that CRIME has been greatly reduced by having these great Patriots in those cities, and ONLY by that fact,” Trump wrote Dec. 31, 2025. “Portland, Los Angeles, and Chicago were GONE if it weren’t for the Federal Government stepping in.” 

He added that the troops will return — but likely only when crime spirals in the left-wing cities, adding that he was puzzled by local liberal leaders who would want the troops to leave the city. 

“We will come back, perhaps in a much different and stronger form, when crime begins to soar again – Only a question of time!” he wrote. “It is hard to believe that these Democrat Mayors and Governors, all of whom are greatly incompetent, would want us to leave, especially considering the great progress that has been made???”  

Title 10 troops serve under federal active-duty orders, distinct from Guard forces deployed elsewhere and under different legal authorities. 

For example, there is still a National Guard presence in Washington, D.C., as service members there remain on duty under a nonfederal status, while National Guard troops in New Orleans and Memphis, Tennessee, also are still on the ground, as they are deployed under separate agreements between their governors and the administration. 

The thousands of National Guard troops deployed as Title 10 soldiers to Los Angeles, Chicago and Portland, Oregon, however, are no longer mobilized, according to Northern Command’s website. 

TRUMP SAYS IMMIGRATION CRACKDOWN NEEDS ‘SOFTER TOUCH’ WITH ‘TOUGH’ STANCE AFTER DEADLY MINNEAPOLIS SHOOTINGS

Local leaders and Democrat critics in Portland, Los Angeles and Chicago slammed the administration over the move, claiming it was an unnecessary and politically charged escalation that bypassed governors, leading to lawsuits and legal roadblocks. The Supreme Court in December 2025, for example, temporarily blocked a deployment to Chicago, citing the administration failed to “identify a source of authority that would allow the military to execute the laws in Illinois.”

TRUMP VOWS NOT TO HELP BLUE CITIES WITH RIOTS, INSTRUCTS ICE AND BORDER PATROL TO PROTECT FEDERAL PROPERTY

“President Trump turned the National Guard against the communities they swore to serve. This is unlawful and immoral,” California Gov. Gavin Newsom said in October 2025 as the state legally challenged the administration over the federalization. “The National Guard deserves better than being treated like Trump’s toy soldiers — and when they’re returned to California command, we’ll get them back to doing the real work they signed up to do.”

The withdrawal of the federalized troops comes as the administration touts cratering violent crime trends across the nation. 

The Major Cities Chiefs Association (MCCA) reported in February that, based on data from 67 of the nation’s biggest police departments, homicides overall fell 19% in U.S. cities, robberies by 20% and aggravated assaults by 10%.

MURDER RATE DROPS TO LOWEST LEVEL SINCE 1900 ACROSS MAJOR US CITIES NATIONWIDE

“This is the direct result of President Trump’s aggressive, no-nonsense approach to public safety,” the White House said Wednesday of the data.

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“By surging federal resources to Democrat-run cities that had devolved into war zones, removing savage criminal illegals from our streets, supporting police and prosecutors, and rejecting the Radical Left’s weakness, President Trump’s decisive actions have turned the tide, saved countless lives, and restored peace to communities long abandoned by Democrat politicians who prioritized criminals over citizens.”

Top U.S. military leaders are hosting more than 30 nations in Washington as the Trump administration moves to deepen security cooperation across the Western Hemisphere, prioritizing border control, drug trafficking and regional threats from global adversaries. 

“To put America First, we must put the Americas First,” War Secretary Pete Hegseth said Wednesday at the meeting, according to remarks shared by Joseph Humire, U.S. Acting Assistant Secretary of War for Homeland Defense and the Americas. 

NORAD AIRCRAFT TO ARRIVE IN GREENLAND FOR ROUTINE EXERCISES

“We must work together to prevent any adversary or criminal actor from exploiting your territory or using your infrastructure to threaten what a great former American president, Teddy Roosevelt, once called ‘permanent peace in this hemisphere.’”

The meeting, convened by Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine, comes amid a broader national security strategy that places heightened emphasis on threats closer to home: from fentanyl pipelines and transnational criminal networks to Arctic competition and instability in Venezuela.

The conference also coincides with U.S. action against Mexican cartel drones that breached American airspace near El Paso, Texas.

An administration official told Fox News that “Mexican cartel drones breached U.S. airspace. The Department of War took action to disable the drones. The FAA and DOW have determined there is no threat to commercial travel.”

The Federal Aviation Administration temporarily restricted flights in and out of El Paso International Airport for what it described as “special security reasons.” Federal officials have not released operational details, but the administration official said the action was directly tied to counter-drone measures along the southern border.

The incident underscores the growing use of unmanned systems by cartel networks and the increasing overlap between traditional criminal activity and homeland defense concerns — a theme expected to surface in discussions among defense leaders gathered in Washington.

Top military leaders from Denmark, Britain and France, nations that have territory in the western hemisphere, have also been invited, according to The New York Times.

FAA WARNS ABOUT FLYING IN CENTRAL, SOUTH AMERICA AND EASTERN PACIFIC, CITING POSSIBLE ‘MILITARY ACTIVITIES’

Gen. Francis Donovan, the new chief of Southern Command, which oversees Latin American and Caribbean operations, is expected to press regional counterparts to intensify cooperation against drug-trafficking organizations and transnational criminal groups that operate across borders and increasingly leverage advanced technology. U.S. officials have warned that cartel networks are using drones, encrypted communications and sophisticated smuggling routes to move narcotics and personnel.

Gen. Gregory M. Guillot, the head of U.S. Northern Command, which leads homeland and north of the U.S. defense including Greenland, is reportedly expected to talk about border controls and integration of advanced sensors across air, land, sea and space domains. 

Arctic security also us likely to feature prominently in discussions. The administration has pointed to increased Russian and Chinese activity in the Arctic as a long-term strategic concern and has emphasized the importance of Greenland’s geographic position for missile warning, maritime access and critical mineral resources.

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The summit comes on the heels of the dramatic U.S. military capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro in early January after months of counternarcotics boat strikes. 

As the hemisphere’s security landscape continues shifting, defense officials and regional allies alike will be watching to see how other governments with hostile policies toward the U.S. respond to Washington’s increasingly assertive posture.

Israel formally joined the Board of Peace on Wednesday ahead of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s meeting with President Donald Trump at the White House.

Netanyahu signed the document in the presence of Secretary of State Marco Rubio shortly before his scheduled talk with Trump, marking a diplomatic step as the two leaders prepare to discuss regional security and ongoing conflict in the Middle East.

The prime minister said on X that while the talks would cover several issues, including Gaza, they would “first and foremost” center on negotiations with Iran.

Leaders from 17 countries participated in the initial Gaza Board of Peace charter signing ceremony in Davos, Switzerland, in late January, including presidents and other senior government officials from Latin America, Europe, the Middle East, Central and Southeast Asia.

TRUMP SEEKS DAVOS SIGNING CEREMONY FOR GAZA BOARD OF PEACE

Netanyahu was not present at the ceremony, where world leaders signed the founding charter alongside Trump, who was seated at the center of the stage.

His office, however, said he would accept Trump’s invitation to join the Peace Board, following earlier concerns he had raised about the makeup of the Gaza executive board, particularly the roles of Qatar and Turkey.

ISRAELI BOBSLED TEAM APARTMENT ROBBED AHEAD OF WINTER OLYMPICS, COMPETITOR SAYS

A handful of other countries were also invited by the White House to join, including Russia, Belarus, France, Germany, Vietnam, Finland, Ukraine, Ireland, Greece and China, among others. Poland and Italy on Wednesday said they would not join.

Netanyahu’s visit to Washington comes as the U.S. expands its military presence in the Middle East while talks with Iran remain ongoing.

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Trump has deployed the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group and the USS Michael Murphy, a guided-missile destroyer, as his envoys meet with Iranian officials in Oman.

Other U.S. naval assets, including the USS Bulkeley, USS Roosevelt, USS Delbert D. Black, USS McFaul, USS Mitscher, USS Spruance and USS Frank E. Petersen Jr., are positioned across key waterways surrounding Iran, from the eastern Mediterranean and Red Sea to the Persian Gulf, and Arabian Sea.

Meta and Google returned to Los Angeles Superior Court on Tuesday for the second day of a landmark trial over claims their platforms were designed to addict young users — a closely watched case that could carry major consequences for hundreds of similar lawsuits nationwide.

The outcome could put the social media giants on the hook for significant damages in this case and others, should a Los Angeles jury side with the plaintiffs. The lawsuit is widely viewed as a bellwether for roughly 1,600 related cases across the country, underscoring the potential legal and financial ripple effects.

Still, much remains uncertain. Attorneys told the court the trial could stretch six to eight weeks, offering little early indication of how jurors might ultimately rule.

As day two nears a close, here’s an overview of where things stand.

SUPREME COURT APPEARS SKEPTICAL OF BLOCKING US BAN ON TIKTOK: WHAT TO KNOW
 

The lead attorney for the plaintiff, identified only as K.G.M, and for Meta presented dueling opening statements to jurors this week, offering an early preview of their most compelling arguments and points they are likely to revisit for the duration of the trial.

Mark Lanier, the attorney for the plaintiffs, told jurors that deciding in favor of his client, K.G.M. will be “as easy as ABC,” which he told the court stands for “addicting the brains of children.”

Lanier’s opening statement was neither short nor lacking in props, including a toy Ferrari, a bicycle hand brake, and eggs —introduced to the jury, one-by-one, over the course of his two-hour remarks.

He argued the selective tactics used by tech giants were the same tactics embraced by casinos, “borrowing heavily” from slot machines and tobacco companies in an attempt to “deliberately” develop design features that maximize youth engagement, target younger users — and make it difficult for them to disengage from the platforms compared to older users and adults.

“For a teenager, social validation is survival,” Lanier said, noting that Meta, Google, and others “engineered a feature that caters to a minor’s craving for social validation.” 

TRUMP SAYS FATE OF TIKTOK SHOULD BE IN HIS HANDS WHEN HE RETURNS TO WHITE HOUSE

Meta lawyer Paul Schmidt, for his part, starkly contrasted Lanier’s tactics in his own remarks to the jury. His presentation was more formal and buttoned-up, as he ticked carefully through the points denoted in a PowerPoint presentation. 

Schmidt argued that K.G.M.’s struggles existed largely independently of the platform, telling jurors that their responsibility is to determine only whether Meta played a “substantial factor” in her mental health struggles.

He cited excerpts from the plaintiff’s medical history, therapy sessions, and childhood to argue that the struggles she encountered appear to stem from other issues, including family problems, bullying, and issues with body image.

Schmidt also cited a 2025 interview in which K.G.M. said she continues to use Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok, which he said undercut the claim of substantial harm.

The outcome of the case could have a profound impact on hundreds of other cases in the U.S., including some that are slated to begin as early as this year.

It comes as parents, school districts, and other regulators have cited concerns about phone use among young people, including social media use.

Plaintiffs in the cases have argued that the companies themselves should be held liable for knowingly embracing design features that they say aim to keep children online.

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The majority of lawsuits filed to date against the companies have alleged similar harm, including addiction, depression, anxiety, or self-harm behaviors. 

Because the case is being heard in civil court, it is unclear how much a jury might award to the plaintiff, should they find in favor of K.G.M. 

But experts say these outcomes could have a far-reaching consequences beyond simply financial exposure, impacting the design and regulation standards for social media giants for years to come. 

A Senate Republican known for breaking with the Trump administration praised a grand jury’s decision not to indict several congressional Democrats who urged service members to refuse what they described as “illegal orders.”

Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., applauded a Washington, D.C., grand jury’s decision to reject an indictment against six congressional Democrats who last year called on service members to refuse what they characterized as illegal orders under the Trump administration.

“Political lawfare waged by either side undermines America’s criminal justice system, which is the gold standard of the world,” Tillis said in a post on X. “Thankfully in this instance, a jury saw the attempted indictments for what they really were. Political lawfare is not normal, not acceptable, and needs to stop.”

GRAND JURY REJECTS DOJ EFFORT TO INDICT DEMOCRATIC LAWMAKERS WHO URGED MILITARY TO DEFY ILLEGAL ORDERS

It’s not the first time Tillis has bucked the administration. He has placed holds on future Department of Homeland Security nominees, pledged to block President Donald Trump’s pick to replace outgoing Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, and has been a vocal critic of the president’s advisers, including White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller.

Meanwhile, U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro, the top federal prosecutor in the nation’s capital, sought to bring criminal charges against Sens. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., and Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., along with Reps. Maggie Goodlander, D-N.H.; Jason Crow, D-Colo.; Chris Deluzio, D-Pa.; and Chrissy Houlahan, D-Pa.

The group of Democrats — all of whom previously served in the military or as intelligence officers — last year said service members could “refuse illegal orders” and “must refuse illegal orders,” arguing that troops are not required to carry out commands they believe violate the Constitution.

DEM SENATOR SAYS SHE’S UNDER FEDERAL INVESTIGATION OVER ‘UNLAWFUL ORDERS’ VIDEO

Service members are obligated to follow lawful orders from their superiors, but they may refuse orders deemed illegal, according to the Uniform Code of Military Justice, the military justice system enacted in 1951.

Their video prompted Trump to accuse the group of seditious behavior “PUNISHABLE BY DEATH” in a fiery Truth Social post. 

GRAHAM DEMANDS DEMOCRATS EXPLAIN ‘REFUSE ILLEGAL ORDERS’ MESSAGE TO TROOPS

After the grand jury declined to indict them, the lawmakers praised the decision.

“Donald Trump wants every American to be too scared to speak out against him,” Kelly said in a statement. “The most patriotic thing any of us can do is not back down.”

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Slotkin added that no matter what comes next from the administration in its pursuit of legal recourse, “tonight we can score one for the Constitution, our freedom of speech, and the rule of law.”

Fox News Digital did not immediately hear back from Pirro’s office for comment. 

Attorney General Pam Bondi is set to testify Wednesday before the House Judiciary Committee, where lawmakers are expected to confront her over the Department of Justice’s handling of Jeffrey Epstein’s sex trafficking case files, numerous high-profile, politically charged indictments and broader structural changes at the department.

The hearing, beginning at 10 a.m., marks Bondi’s first appearance before the House panel since taking the helm of the DOJ.

While some Republicans are likely to praise Bondi for shifting the department’s focus to street crime, drug trafficking and illegal immigration, Democrats and other Republicans have signaled they will grill her on the department’s attempts to comply with the Epstein Files Transparency Act, a law that required the DOJ to publish all unclassified files related to Epstein’s case.

LAPSED EPSTEIN DEADLINE UNDERSCORES CHALLENGE OF REVIEWING TROVES OF FILES IN 30 DAYS

Republicans on the committee may highlight the DOJ’s efforts to combat transnational drug trafficking and the opioid epidemic, as well as violent crime and immigration, which the Trump administration has made clear are its top priorities.

In the most prominent of the drug cases brought during Bondi’s tenure, the DOJ brought a superseding indictment against Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and his wife, alleging narco-terrorism conspiracy and firearms charges. After his stunning capture last month, Maduro and his wife were brought to the Southern District of New York and are being detained there as they await trial.

Bondi could be forced to address upheaval in the U.S. attorney’s office in Minnesota, where a weeks-long surge in immigration enforcement has bogged down the federal court there and led to an exodus of prosecutors. 

TOP MINNESOTA FEDERAL PROSECUTORS OFFICIALLY TERMINATED AFTER DISPUTE OVER DOJ SHOOTING PROBE

Several recent controversial judicial developments are also likely to surface during the hearing, as the administration has faced hundreds of adverse rulings in the lower courts, including from some Trump-appointed judges.

Federal judges in Minnesota have put a spotlight on what they view as legal problems with the way the administration has detained alleged illegal immigrants. Meanwhile, other judges have rejected several of Trump’s choices to lead the country’s 94 U.S. attorney’s offices.

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A federal judge ruled, for instance, that the interim appointment of Lindsey Halligan, who was leading the U.S. attorney’s office in Eastern Virginia, was unlawful.

The move derailed the DOJ’s high-profile indictments of FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James, leading a judge to toss out the cases. The DOJ is now appealing them.

Vice President JD Vance warned Iran that there is “another option on the table” if the regime does not make a nuclear deal with the U.S.

Vance made the statement while speaking to reporters before boarding Air Force Two on Tuesday. A reporter referenced President Donald Trump‘s musings about potentially deploying a second aircraft carrier strike group to the Middle East.

“How confident are you in going the diplomatic route? Do you think that is still going to be successful or are we leaning more towards a military strike?” the reporter asked.

“The president has told his entire senior team that we should be trying to cut a deal that ensures the Iranians don’t have nuclear weapons,” Vance responded.

TRUMP, NETANYAHU TO MEET AT WHITE HOUSE IN HIGH-STAKES TALKS ON IRAN, GAZA PLAN

“But if we can’t cut that deal, then there’s another option on the table. So I think the president is going to continue to preserve his options. He’s going to have a lot of options because we have the most powerful military in the world. But until the president tells us to stop, we’re going to engage in these conversations and try to reach a good outcome through negotiation,” he continued.

Vance went on to downplay pushes for regime change in Iran, saying a removal of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei‘s regime would be up to “the Iranian people.”

He said the Trump administration’s only focus is preventing the current Iranian regime from obtaining a nuclear weapon.

NIKKI HALEY URGES TRUMP TO MAKE IRAN ACTION A ‘LEGACY-DEFINING MOMENT’ BEFORE LEAVING OFFICE

Vance’s comments come a day before Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to meet with Trump at the White House on Wednesday, with Iran expected to take center stage in the meeting.

In a phone interview with Axios, the president said Tehran “very much wants to reach a deal,” but warned, “Either we make a deal, or we’ll have to do something very tough — like last time.”

IRAN PUSHES FOR FRIDAY NUCLEAR TALKS IN OMAN AMID RISING TENSIONS WITH US FORCES: SOURCE

Netanyahu, speaking before departing Israel for Washington, said he intends to present Israel’s position. 

“I will present to the president our concept regarding the principles of the negotiations — the essential principles that are important not only to Israel but to anyone who wants peace and security in the Middle East,” he told reporters.

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U.S. and Iranian officials resumed talks in Oman this week for the first time since last summer’s 12-day war. The United States continues to maintain a significant military presence in the Gulf, a posture widely viewed as both deterrence and for holding leverage in negotiations with Tehran.

A video is going viral of a congressional candidate in North Carolina admitting she is truly a “progressive” even though she is running as a Republican. 

“Are you trying to trick people?” Katie Barr, who is running in North Carolina’s 14th Congressional District, was asked on a podcast called “The Hometown Holler.” 

“If you go on the campaign website, above the fold as they call it, is like, ‘I’m not a real Republican.’ Like, I am telling people the truth. I knock on a door and say, ‘I am running in the Republican primary, but I am not a Republican, I am a progressive,’” Barr responded. “I can’t claim a Democrat anymore.”

She added that her goal is not “to pull a fast one,” claiming she is just “being dead honest with people about what I would do if I win.”

SUSAN COLLINS SHRUGS OFF ATTACKS BY DEMOCRATS AND TRUMP, SAYS MAINE VOTERS ‘DON’T VOTE PARTY LINE’

On Nov. 6, Barr filed paperwork to challenge incumbent Rep. Tim Moore, R-N.C., to represent the state’s 14th Congressional District. 

Barr states on her website’s home page that she is running as a Republican because it’s “the only way to kick these corrupt cowards out of office.” She claims that Republicans have “rigged the maps” to ensure they will come out victors “every time.”

“The general election has already been decided. So – the primary is the only competition for this job,” Barr’s website explains.

FOREIGN BILLIONAIRES FUNNEL $2.6B TO US ADVOCACY GROUPS TO INFLUENCE POLICY, WATCHDOG REPORT CLAIMS       

Barr reiterated that she has been “honest” about who she is and how she plans to govern “from the start” in a statement to Fox News Digital.

“Tim Moore is terrible for the voters of district 14,” Barr continued. “He’s getting rich off of his position while voters struggle.  And Tim rigged this district to make sure he’d stay in office despite it all. That’s wrong. I’m running so voters have a real choice.”

While Barr has faced criticism online over her maneuver, with critics calling the move cheating and describing it as shameful, at least one conservative critic doesn’t think it is as big of a deal as some are making it out to be. 

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“I hate to burst the outrage bubble, but she’s not making a big secret out of this. It’s her whole schtick, and it’s front and center on her campaign website,” said Second Amendment activist Cam Edwards, on X, in response to the viral video of Barr.