NationalWatch

Longtime Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar on Thursday formally jumped into the 2026 race for Minnesota governor, three weeks after the stunning move by Gov. Tim Walz to drop his re-election bid amid political fallout from a massive fraud scandal.

Klobuchar, who just 15 months ago was handily re-elected to a fourth six-year term in the U.S. Senate, spotlighted the federal immigration crackdown in Minnesota in a video released on social media.

“These times call for leaders who can stand up and not be rubber stamps of this administration, but who are also willing to find common ground and fix things in our state,” she said.

Klobuchar’s campaign launch comes as Minnesota is firmly in the national spotlight, because of the ongoing fraud scandal, which has been described as the nation’s largest COVID-era scheme. 

And over the past month, the state has become the epicenter in the heated battle over President Donald Trump’s aggressive crackdown on illegal immigration, following the fatal shootings by federal agents of two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis who were protesting deportation operations.

WALZ ON GOP CALLS FOR HIM TO RESIGN OVER FRAUD SCANDAL: ‘OVER MY DEAD BODY’

Klobuchar’s campaign launch gives Democrats a high-profile candidate with fundraising prowess to defend the governor’s office as Republicans aim to end a two-decade-long losing streak in the blue-leaning state.

The move by Klobuchar was expected, after the senator two weeks ago filed preliminary paperwork with the Minnesota Campaign Finance Board in what sources in her political orbit told Fox News Digital was a “preliminary step.”

And since last month’s announcement by Walz, a fellow Democrat, that he was scrapping his bid for an unprecedented third term as Minnesota governor, Klobuchar had been receiving calls urging her to run, Democratic sources confirmed to Fox News Digital.

The senator has won all four of her Senate elections by healthy margins, including a nearly 16-point re-election in 2024.

But Klobuchar, who is currently number three in Senate Democratic leadership, faced hurdles to rise higher in party leadership in the chamber.

FRAUD FALLOUT FORCES WALZ TO ABANDON GUBERNATORIAL RE-ELECTION BID

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York is the top Democrat in the upper chamber and isn’t expected to leave his post.

Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin of Illinois, the number two Democrat in the chamber, is retiring from Congress, leaving an opening to fill in the leadership pecking order. But Sen. Brian Schatz of Hawaii is the expected heir apparent for that position.

Before serving in the Senate, Klobuchar was elected twice as county attorney in Hennepin County, Minnesota’s most populous. 

She also ran unsuccessfully for the Democratic Party’s 2020 presidential nomination. And a trip by Klobuchar last summer to the first-in-the-nation presidential primary state of New Hampshire sparked speculation that Klobuchar may be mulling another White House run in 2028.

Walz launched his re-election bid in September, but in December started facing a barrage of incoming political fire from Trump and Republicans, and some Democrats, over the large-scale theft, under his watch as governor, in a state that has long prided itself on good governance.

More than 90 people — most from Minnesota’s large Somali community — have been charged since 2022. 

How much money has been stolen through alleged money laundering operations involving fraudulent meal and housing programs, daycare centers and Medicaid services is still being tabulated. But the U.S. attorney in Minnesota said the scope of the fraud could exceed $1 billion and rise to as high as $9 billion.

INSIDE THE RISE AND FALL OF TIM WALZ

Prosecutors said some of the dozens that have already pleaded guilty in the case used the money to buy luxury cars, real estate, jewelry and international vacations, with some of the funds also sent overseas and potentially into the hands of Islamic terrorists.

“This is on my watch, I am accountable for this and, more importantly, I am the one that will fix it,” Walz told reporters in December, as he took responsibility for the scandal.

But the scandal went viral late last year following the release of a video by 23-year-old YouTube content creator Nick Shirley, who alleged widespread fraud at Somali-run daycare centers. Days later, the Trump administration froze federal childcare funding to Minnesota.

A defiant Walz vocally pushed back against calls by Republican state lawmakers to resign amid the state’s sweeping fraud scandal.

“I’m not going anywhere. And you can make all your requests for me to resign. Over my dead body will that happen,” the governor told reporters.

Nearly a dozen Republicans are vying to be the GOP’s gubernatorial nominee, including Minnesota House Speaker Lisa Demuth, state Rep. Kristin Robbins, former state Sen. Scott Jensen, and healthcare technology executive Kendall Qualls, a past congressional and gubernatorial candidate. And they’ve made the fraud scandal central to their campaigns.

But one of those candidates, a Republican outsider and Minneapolis lawyer who represented the federal immigration agent who fatally shot Renee Good in early January, ended his Republican bid for Minnesota governor after nurse Alex Pretti was shot and killed by federal agents a week and a half ago.

“I cannot support the national Republicans’ stated retribution on the citizens of our state,” Chris Madel said in a message posted on social media, as he announced he was dropping his outsider bid for the GOP gubernatorial nomination. “Nor can I count myself a member of a party that would do so.”

It’s been 20 years since Republicans have won a gubernatorial election in Minnesota. You have to go back to then-Gov. Tim Pawlenty’s 2006 re-election victory.

But Minnesota Republicans entered the new year “feeling assured of Republican wins in 2026 because of the fraud issue,” Amy Koch, a Minnesota-based Republican strategist and former state senator told Fox News Digital.

FALLOUT FROM MINNESOTA SHOOTINGS BY FEDERAL AGENTS PUT REPUBLICANS ON DEFENSE 

That was before the massive deployment of federal agents to Minneapolis as part of the Trump administration’s efforts to deport millions of undocumented migrants, and the fatal shootings of Good and Pretti.

“I think it’s going to make things more difficult… The images and the energy behind the ICE out movement will definitely play against Republicans,” said Koch, the first and only woman elected as Minnesota Senate majority leader. “Four weeks ago, I would have told you Republicans were going to do incredibly well statewide in Minnesota, and now I have a lot of questions.”

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Republican Governors Association communications director Courtney Alexander said in a statement last month that “Walz’s failed leadership is emblematic of Minnesota Democrats’ agenda and whoever Democrats choose to replace Walz with at the top of the ticket will need to defend years of mismanagement and misplaced priorities.”

But the Democratic Governors Association (DGA) chair, Gov. Andy Beshear of Kentucky, said last month,”No matter who decides to run or how much national Republicans want to spend, the DGA remains very confident Minnesotans will elect another strong Democratic governor this November.””

Democratic Sen. Tammy Duckworth of Illinois fired back at Vice President JD Vance after he likened her sparring session with Secretary of State Marco Rubio during a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing about America’s Venezuela policy to an argument between the fictional character Forrest Gump and Isaac Newton.

“Watching Tammy Duckworth obsessively interrupt Marco Rubio during this hearing is like watching Forest Gump argue with Isaac Newton,” Vance quipped in a Wednesday post on X.

Duckworth responded, “Forrest Gump ran toward danger in Vietnam. Your boss ran to his podiatrist crying bone spurs. Petty insults at the expense of people with disabilities won’t change the fact that you’re risking troops’ lives to boost Chevron’s stock price. It’s my job to hold you accountable.”

RUBIO SAYS US HAS NO PLAN TO USE FORCE IN VENEZUELA — BUT WARNS ‘IMMINENT THREAT’ COULD CHANGE THAT

Other Democrats also responded to Vance.

Democratic Rep. Shri Thanedar of Michigan shared Vance’s post and wrote, “Imagine watching Forrest Gump and your takeaway is to mock people with disabilities.”

“That’s a U.S. Senator doing her job. This is a random troll tweeting at her,” Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker wrote in a post on X.

RUBIO WARNS NATO ALLIES US IS ‘NOT SIMPLY FOCUSED ON EUROPE,’ DOESN’T HAVE UNLIMITED RESOURCES

“Comparing @SenDuckworth to Forrest Gump is classless and disgraceful. She’s a veteran who lost her legs fighting for this country. If you had any honor, you’d take this post down. But you work for Trump, so clearly you have none,” Democratic Rep. John Garamendi of California declared in a post.

Duckworth served in the Illinois Army National Guard and was deployed to Iraq in 2004, according to a biography on her Senate website, which notes that “On November 12, 2004, her helicopter was hit by an RPG and she lost her legs and partial use of her right arm.”

She noted in 2022 social media posts that an RPG “tore through the cockpit of the helicopter I was co-piloting. The blast cost me my legs, partial use of my right arm and nearly my life,” she noted.

CAPITOL POLICE ARREST RUBIO HEARING DISRUPTOR; REPUBLICAN SENATOR SAYS ‘OFF TO JAIL’

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Vance added in another post, “Thank God we have a Secretary of State who knows his facts AND has the patience of Job. Great job, @SecRubio.” 

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, a potential 2028 Democratic presidential contender, is criticizing former President Joe Biden and his administration for failing to deliver results for Americans.

“The Biden-Harris administration didn’t provide those specific tangible things that people could see or feel,” Shapiro said this week during an appearance on the “Raging Moderates” podcast that comes amid a slew of interviews the governor’s giving as part of the rollout of his new memoir, “Where We Keep the Light: Stories From a Life of Service.”

Shapiro, who is running for re-election this year in the crucial northeastern battleground state, has taken some jabs at Biden and former Vice President Kamala Harris, who may end up being a rival for the 2028 Democratic presidential nomination.

The governor, in his interview, gave what he called “a very specific, concrete example” of the Biden-Harris administration’s failing optics.

SHAPIRO REJECTS CLAIM HIS BOOK IS A RESPONSE TO KAMALA HARRIS CRITICISM

“One of the biggest things holding back our rural communities is a lack of high-speed, affordable internet,” Shapiro said as he pointed to his home state.

The governor added that he “was incredibly proud of President Biden when they got that infrastructure bill passed to provide the billions of dollars that were needed to plug everybody in, connect everybody in Pennsylvania.

But, he added, “Do you know how many people … this many years later, have been connected to high-speed affordable internet thanks to President Biden’s law in Pennsylvania? Zero. Because the dollars were never driven out.”

JOSH SHAPIRO ACCUSES HARRIS’ VETTING TEAM OF MAKING DISRESPECTFUL COMMENTARY TOWARDS HIS WIFE

Shapiro used the episode to contrast the former president’s style of governing with his own.

“That broadband example is just one where I think there’s a real difference in approach. I’m about concrete, get s— done, show your work and not just talking about it,” the governor added.

Fox News Digital reached out to the former president’s spokesperson for comment but hadn’t received a response by the time this story published.

But a longtime Democratic strategist and veteran of the Biden-Harris 2024 presidential campaign told Fox News Digital he found Shapiro’s comments “pretty weird and bizarre.”

“Every Democrat, including Josh Shapiro, has a long record of praising and defending Joe Biden and the same legislation that Shapiro is now taking issue with,” the strategist, who asked to remain anonymous to speak more freely, said.

Broadband funding for Pennsylvania was delayed in part due to federal rules changes, administrative bottlenecks and shifting technology focus.

IT’S JANUARY 2026, BUT THE 2028 WHITE HOUSE RACE IS WELL UNDERWAY

Shapiro, in his book, shared new details about briefly considering challenging Harris for the 2024 Democratic presidential nomination after Biden dropped out of the race one month after a disastrous debate performance against President Donald Trump.

But he wrote that he ultimately agreed with his wife that it wasn’t the right time to seek the presidency.

Shapiro was among a handful of top Democrats that Harris considered as a running mate before she chose Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz.

The former vice president alleged in “107 Days,” her memoir published last year, that, during the running mate vetting process, Shapiro insisted on being “in the room for every decision” if he were to become vice president.

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Shapiro in an interview late last year rejected her claims as “bulls—” and “blatant lies.”

And Shapiro’s book includes critiques of Harris, including the accusation that, during the Harris team’s vice-presidential vetting process, Shapiro was asked if he had ever been an agent of the state of Israel.

Fox News’ Alexander Hall contributed to this story.

The White House invited rank-and-file Senate Democrats to discuss government funding options, but they declined, instead opting to unveil a list of demands to rein in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in exchange for their votes to avert a shutdown. 

“The White House hopes to avoid another debilitating government shutdown, and invited Democrats for a listening session to better understand their position,” a senior White House official told Fox News Digital in a statement. “It’s unfortunate their leadership blocked the meeting.”

Meanwhile, Senate Democrats unveiled their laundry list of demands to rein in the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) immigration operations in exchange for their support to keep the government open. 

Democrats in the upper chamber have been quietly formulating a list of legislative demands to bring Republicans to corral DHS and ICE after another deadly shooting in Minnesota over the weekend. 

That incident, where Alex Pretti was fatally shot during an immigration operation in Minneapolis, spurred Democrats to reject the forthcoming six-bill funding package teed up for a key test vote on Thursday. 

SENATE REPUBLICANS TEE UP KEY SHUTDOWN TEST VOTE AS DEMOCRATS DIG IN ON DHS FUNDING

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., laid out three requirements for Democrats as the upper chamber hurtles toward a Friday deadline to fund the government. He noted that his entire caucus was unified on the “set of common sense and necessary policy goals that we need to rein in ICE and end the violence.”

Schumer’s first demand was an end to roving patrols, tightening the rules governing the use of warrants, and requiring that ICE coordinate with state and local law enforcement. 

Second on the list was a uniform code of conduct and accountability for federal agents, akin to the same standards applied to state and local law enforcement. Schumer contended that when those policies are broken, there should be independent investigations. 

And third, Democrats want “masks off, body cameras on,” and for federal agents to carry proper identification.

THUNE STEAMROLLS DEMS’ DHS REVOLT AS FETTERMAN DEFECTS, SCHUMER UNDER PRESSURE

“These are common sense reforms, ones that Americans know and expect from law enforcement,” Schumer said. “If Republicans refuse to support them, they are choosing chaos over order, plain and simple. They are choosing to protect Ice from accountability over American lives.”

Over the last few days, Senate Republicans have signaled their willingness to negotiate reforms to the agency beyond those baked into the existing DHS funding bill, but they have added the caveat that Senate Democrats have to actually produce a list, first. 

And Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., has made clear that Republicans would plow ahead with the current six-bill funding package, which among other bills includes funding for the Pentagon, for Thursday’s vote. However, he hasn’t entirely closed the door on stripping the DHS bill as Democrats have called for.

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

Though conversations are ongoing at the rank-and-file level across the aisle, Thune said that Schumer and Senate Democrats should bring their asks to the White House and President Donald Trump.  

“If there’s a way that the Democrats have things that they want the White House could accommodate, short of having to modify the bill, that would be, I think the best way to do what we need to do here, and that is to make sure the government gets funded,” Thune said. 

Plus, if the DHS bill were stripped from the broader package and advanced through the Senate as Schumer has promised Democrats would do, it would still need to return to the House. Lawmakers in the lower chamber are still on their week-long recess and aren’t slated to return until next week.

There is a possibility that Democrats’ demands could also be split into a separate bill, similar to what Republicans offered during the previous shutdown when Schumer and company demanded a clean, three-year extension to the expiring Obamacare subsidies. 

When asked if he would be amenable to that option, Schumer charged that the “White House has had no specific, good, concrete ideas.”

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“In terms of what we want, there’s two simple things to do to get this done, and we want to get it done, and we want to get it done quickly,” Schumer said. “Number one, Leader Thune has to separate the Homeland Security bill out from the other five. He can simply put an amendment on the floor to do that.” 

“So it’s simple to do, and I am quite confident it would pass overwhelmingly,” he continued. “Already I’ve seen 6 or 7 Republicans say they would vote for it. So that’s what we should do. And then we should sit down and go and come up with strong proposals to reform ICE and rein in ICE and end the violence.” 

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell warned Wednesday that a Supreme Court showdown over sitting Fed governor Lisa Cook could have far-reaching consequences for the central bank’s independence and the U.S. economy.

“I would say that that case is perhaps the most important legal case in the Fed’s 113-year history. As I thought about it, it might have been hard to explain why I didn’t attend,” Powell told reporters Wednesday at the Federal Reserve.

“Paul Volcker famously attended a Supreme Court case in, I guess, 1985 or so, so there is precedent,” Powell said, referring to the former Federal Reserve chair who served under Presidents Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan.

POWELL REVEALS WHAT IT WOULD TAKE TO STEP DOWN FROM THE FED AS PRESSURE MOUNTS

Last week, the nation’s highest court heard oral arguments for two hours on whether President Donald Trump has the authority to remove Cook from the Federal Reserve’s Board of Governors. The court is expected to issue a ruling in the case by summer.

Cook’s legal fight traces back to late August, when Trump said he was firing her from the board.

He alleged she misrepresented information related to a trio of mortgages she obtained before joining the central bank. Cook has denied any wrongdoing and has not been charged with a crime.

TRUMP VS THE FEDERAL RESERVE: HOW THE CLASH REACHED UNCHARTED TERRITORY

She sued Trump in federal court in Washington, D.C., to block her removal. On Sept. 9, a district court judge barred Trump from firing her while the case proceeds, a decision later upheld by a federal appeals court.

Her ascent to the Federal Reserve was historic from the start. Appointed by former President Joe Biden in 2022, she became the first Black woman to serve as a Fed board governor, the seven-member panel that sets national interest rates and oversees the banking system.

Now, she stands at the center of an even more consequential moment, as Trump seeks to fire her — a step that would be unprecedented in the Fed’s history.

What’s more, Powell’s long-standing insistence on finishing his term, which ends in May, now comes amid a Justice Department criminal investigation into his congressional testimony on the Federal Reserve’s headquarters renovation.

Powell confirmed the investigation and said he respected the rule of law and congressional oversight, but described the action as “unprecedented” and driven by political pressure.

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Asked by reporters at the Federal Reserve for further comment, Powell declined to discuss the Justice Department investigation, pointing instead to remarks he made in a video statement on Jan. 11.

His decision to address the issue so publicly, after days of private consultations with advisors, marked a sharp departure from the central banker’s typically measured approach.

What comes next remains unclear, as the Federal Reserve navigates largely uncharted territory.

The U.S. Department of Education announced on Wednesday that a California policy allowing school districts to keep students’ gender transition from their parents violates federal law.

Secretary of Education Linda McMahon said a federal investigation found that California education officials “egregiously abused” their authority by pressuring school districts to withhold information about students’ gender transitions from their parents.

“Under Gavin Newsom’s failed leadership, school personnel have even bragged about facilitating ‘gender transitions,’ and shared strategies to target minors and conceal information about children from their own families,” she said in a statement. “While the Biden Administration turned a blind eye to this deprivation of parental rights and endorsed the irreversible harms done to children in the name of radical transgender ideology, the Trump Administration will fight relentlessly to end it.”

“Children do not belong to the State—they belong to families. We will use every available mechanism to hold California accountable for these practices and restore parental rights,” the secretary added.

CATHOLIC GROUP ASKS SCOTUS TO BLOCK CALIFORNIA LAW AGAINST REVEALING STUDENTS’ GENDER IDENTITIES TO PARENTS

California Department of Education spokesperson Liz Sanders said in a statement to Politico that the department was reviewing the letter sent by McMahon but that “we do believe that we have addressed the essence of this letter in previous communications.”

State education officials told school districts in October that the state’s policy “does not mandate nondisclosure.”

The findings of the federal investigation could put at risk the nearly $8 billion in education funding the federal government gives the state each year if state officials do not work with the Trump administration to resolve the violations.

To resolve the violations, the federal government said California can take several actions, including issuing a notice to all superintendents and administrators that “gender support plans” or other related documentation directly related to a student are considered education records and are subject to parental inspection upon request and notifying superintendents and administrators that state laws should not be interpreted to undermine or contradict federal law.

School districts would need to affirm that they are complying with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, a federal law that gives parents the right to inspect their children’s records, while the state must add content approved by the federal government to its LGBTQ+ cultural competency training.

The state policy, AB 1955, signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom in 2024, banned the parental notification of transgender and gay students’ gender identity or sexual orientation without the student’s consent.

Last spring, the federal government opened an investigation into the state’s Department of Education, arguing state officials were helping “socially transition children at school while hiding minors’ ‘gender identity’ from parents.” 

The federal agency also claimed the state was violating the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act.

“AB 1955 does not prohibit LEA staff from sharing any information with parents,” state officials wrote to school districts in October, according to Politico. “Based on the plain language of both laws, there is no conflict between AB 1955 and FERPA, which both permit parental access to their student’s education records upon request.”

Newsom’s office said last year that “parents continue to have full, guaranteed access to their student’s education records as required by federal law,” according to Politico.

The Golden State’s policies are also facing scrutiny in the courts.

TRUMP ADMIN DETERMINES SJSU VIOLATED TITLE IX WITH HANDLING OF TRANS VOLLEYBALL PLAYER BLAIRE FLEMING

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A federal judge ruled last month that schools cannot prevent teachers from sharing information about a student’s gender identity with their parents, but an appeals court blocked that ruling earlier this month. A group of California parents who brought the case are asking the U.S. Supreme Court to reinstate the earlier decision.

The Trump administration is also pursuing legal action against California and threatening to withhold funding over a policy allowing biological males to compete in girls’ sports.

President Donald Trump’s campaign blitz to help Republicans in the 2026 midterm elections will bring him back to Iowa just a few months before the November races, a Republican gubernatorial hopeful there said.

Rep. Randy Feenstra, R-Iowa, was one of several House Republicans traveling with the president during his latest stop in the Hawkeye State Tuesday, which Trump capped off with a rally-style speech in Clive in the late afternoon. 

The conservative Republican is also the frontrunner in the Republican gubernatorial primary there and is expected to face off against Democrat state official Rob Sand in November.

SEN TIM SCOTT: REPUBLICANS JUST GETTING STARTED, BUT NEED TIME TO STOP RADICAL LEFTISTS

“He’s coming back. So, we have the 250th anniversary. That’s going to be at the state fair. He’s come down for that. We’re going to have a big bash. It’s going to be exciting. That’s gonna be a big deal,” Feenstra told Fox News Digital Wednesday. “Hopefully, he comes back a few more times.”

The Iowa State Fair will take place in Des Moines from Aug. 13-23, according to the event’s website.

That’s roughly three months ahead of what’s expected to be a tough midterm season for Republicans across the country. History dictates that the president’s party normally suffers political setbacks during the election cycle two years after power changes hands.

Meanwhile, Democrats across the country have fallen back into positioning Trump as a divisive political boogeyman. But Feenstra argued the opposite, saying Trump’s effort to stay active during the election cycle will “absolutely” benefit Republicans.

TRUMP SAYS DEMOCRATS ARE ‘MEANER’ THAN REPUBLICANS, WARNS OF IMPEACHMENT IF GOP LOSES MIDTERMS

“He carried Iowa by 13 points, and him engaging and stimulating the base — I mean, he turns out voters like nobody else. He had 77 million Americans that voted for him in the last election talking about making America great again. Now, he’s talking about lowering prices, making things more affordable,” Feenstra said.

“He’s lowered the price on gas. He lowered the price on eggs. He’s lowered the price on a lot of pharmaceuticals. He’s lowered the price on healthcare. I mean, people are going to get the biggest refund they’ve ever had through … the Working Families Tax Cuts Act. These are all things that are really relatable to people. I think that will help turn people out.”

Other House Republicans who traveled with Trump Tuesday were Reps. Zach Nunn, R-Iowa, and Ashley Hinson, R-Iowa, the latter of whom is running for U.S. Senate.

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Before the speech, they and Trump traveled to the Machine Shed, a restaurant near the rally venue, where they met with everyday Iowa voters.

“They wanted their hats signed. They want their napkins signed. They wanted to talk to him about, you know, how things were, and what he has done over the last year has truly benefited them,” Feenstra said. 

“We had one gentleman pray with him, which I found very interesting. He just said, ‘Hey, Mr. President, will you pray with me?’ And they prayed together. So, it was just the Iowa way of life.”

Conservative icon and academic Thomas Sowell unleashed on the current state of the education system, warning it has become a massive arm of “propaganda” with little incentive to improve as union power and friendly Democratic politics shield schools from accountability.

“It’s failing to teach students how to think,” the 95-year-old economist and historian said in a podcast interview published Tuesday. “It’s failing to give them a background of knowledge of history. And it’s failing to allow them to express views that are different from what is being propagandized.” 

“These have become propaganda agencies, more so than educational institutions,” he added. 

Sowell joined the Hoover Institution’s podcast “Uncommon Knowledge with Peter Robinson” in a more than hourlong interview that notably did not focus on Sowell’s economic expertise. Instead, it offered a sharp critique of the current education system, including reflecting on his own struggles as a youth in New York City schools before becoming one of the nation’s most treasured conservative minds. 

NEA INSIDER BLOWS WHISTLE ON ‘TOXIC’ CULTURE AND FAR-LEFT POLITICS INSIDE TEACHERS UNION: ‘IT’S A CULT’

Sowell’s core argument was that the education system is insulated from the kind of consequences that force correction in other arenas, such as private businesses facing punishment for poor performance with monetary losses. 

“Public school education, you have the almost inexhaustible amount of money from the taxpayers,” he said as to why school systems have failed students. “Private schools are becoming private more in name than in reality. They’re getting billions of dollars of taxpayers’ money and there’s very little following of what happens. So that they can keep on doing things that are wrong for generation after generation.” 

Basic math and reading scores among American students have been on a downward trajectory for years, with the COVID-19 pandemic and remote learning worsening the trends.

Nearly half of high school seniors, for example, scored below basic in math and reading, according to the Nation’s Report Card data published in 2025. An EdChoice’s 2025 Schooling in America Survey found that 68% of Americans and 60% of parents believe K–12 education was on the wrong path. 

HOUSTON SCHOOL DISTRICT TRYING TO WOO PARENTS WHILE LOSING STUDENTS AMID SCHOOL CHOICE COMPETITION

Sowell pointed to teachers’ unions as a major player keeping families trapped in a cycle of a failing education system. 

“Teachers’ unions collect billions of dollars in dues and then invest millions of dollars around the country to politicians who will protect the teachers’ unions from competition,” he said, agreeing with Robinson that the set-up is a “straightforward racket.”

“We think of (schools) as noble places. Their goals are noble, but it’s amazing how many people will sell that down the river,” he said of unions. 

In Sowell’s 2020 book “Charter Schools and Their Enemies,” he found that charter schools are the clearest proof that the same kids, from the same neighborhoods, who are even taught in the same building, can post dramatically better results than students from traditional public schools. A charter school is a publicly funded institution that operates under a performance contract, giving it more independence over curricula and operations than traditional schools.

Some Democrats, however, have stood in the way of promoting charter schools, which he said continues the cycle of promoting a failing U.S. school sytem beholden to the teachers’ unions. 

Sowell cited California as an example, pointing to a law he described as limiting charter schools’ ability to suspend or expel disruptive students. 

JOHNNY CAN’T READ — EVEN IN COLLEGE. I LEAD A UNIVERSITY AND IT’S TERRIFYING

“That law can’t even offer a pretense of doing something that is educationally worthwhile,” he said. “It is doing something worthwhile to keep the charter schools from attracting more people out of the teachers’ union.”

Democrats who oppose charter expansion often say charters pull students and funding from traditional district schools, weaken unionized teacher protections and raise alarms that they can operate with uneven oversight. 

Sowell’s critiques come as the nation celebrates National School Choice week. 

MAJOR CITY SCHOOL DISTRICTS LOSING STUDENTS AS PARENTS SEEK BETTER OPTIONS

The Trump administration is currently pushing states to “opt in” to a new federal K-12 scholarship tax credit created under the Working Families Tax Cut Act, otherwise known as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, warning families could miss out if their governors don’t take action. The tax credit is set to begin at the start of 2027. 

Taxpayers can get up to $1,700 back as a federal tax credit by donating that money to approved Scholarship Granting Organizations (SGOs) instead of sending it to Washington in income taxes. Those SGOs then turn the donations into K-12 scholarships and other education help families can use for a broad range of costs tied to public, private or charter schools.

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The Department of Education celebrated Monday that 23 states have so far opted in to a program the department called the “largest national expansion of education freedom in history and provides families with more affordable education options.”

Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., held a press conference alongside her fellow “Squad” lawmaker Rep. Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass., during which she continued to demand retribution against federal law enforcement in the wake of two agitators in Minneapolis being fatally shot by federal immigration officials.

The press conference was held one day after Omar was sprayed with an unknown substance at a town hall event she held Tuesday evening, garnering widespread news attention. 

In addition to calling for Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to be impeached and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to be abolished, Omar also demanded the federal immigration agents involved in the recent Minneapolis shootings be prosecuted and Democrats “vote no” on a bill to fund the Department of Homeland Security and ICE.

ILHAN OMAR HIT WITH UNKNOWN SPRAY AND OTHER KEY MOMENTS FROM CHAOTIC MINNEAPOLIS TOWN HALL

“Voting no on the funding bill is the bare minimum. Backing the resolution to impeach Kristi Noem is the bare minimum. Holding law-breaking ICE agents legally accountable is the bare minimum,” Omar told those in attendance at her presser held outside Karmel Mall in Minneapolis, where there are several Somali-owned businesses. “We must abolish ICE. This moment demands it.”

Omar’s signal that she is digging in on the DHS funding bill, illustrates a broader coalition of Democrats who are largely unified in their opposition to the legislation in the wake of the federal officer-involved shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti. 

If an agreement is not made by Saturday at midnight, a lapse in appropriations would incur, but because the date falls on a weekend, Congress will have some time to rectify any differences before the major impact of the appropriations lapse is truly felt. 

The White House invited Senate Democrats to discuss the various government funding options, Fox News learned, but instead of taking them up on the offer, Senate Democrat leadership unveiled a list of demands to rein in ICE agents in exchange for their votes to avert a shutdown.

SENATE REPUBLICANS TEE UP KEY SHUTDOWN TEST VOTE AS DEMOCRATS DIG IN ON DHS FUNDING  

During Omar’s Wednesday press conference, the progressive lawmaker described the federal government’s deportation enforcement as a “federal occupation” and “state-sanctioned violence and political retribution.”

“We know this is not about public safety or immigration enforcement. It is state-sanctioned violence and political retribution,” Omar said to a crowd of supporters. “What is unfolding in our state is not accidental. It is part of a coordinated effort to target black and brown immigrant and Muslim communities through fear, racial profiling and intimidation from this administration’s immigration agenda is not about law enforcement.”

During the press conference, Pressley praised Omar for her “steadfast leadership” and echoed some of Omar’s phrasing.

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“We have an occupant in the Oval Office who traffics in hate, is hellbent on inflicting hurt and harm and trauma on everyone who calls this country home with a laser focus on our most vulnerable,” Pressley said when given the microphone at the press conference. “He has governed with malice and used Ice agents to terrorize our cities for families apart, operating with impunity. Rogue masked agents who violate people’s rights in the name of so-called law and order. Yet they detain, deport and kill our neighbors in cold blood without due process.”

Fox News Digital’s Alex Miler contributed to this report.

President Donald Trump on Wednesday nominated federal prosecutor Colin McDonald to serve in the newly formed role of assistant attorney general for national fraud enforcement.

McDonald is currently serving as an associate deputy attorney general at the Department of Justice.

“I am pleased to nominate Colin McDonald to serve as the first ever Assistant Attorney General for National FRAUD Enforcement, a new Division at the Department of Justice, which I created to catch and stop FRAUDSTERS that have been STEALING from the American People,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

MINNESOTA FRAUD WHISTLE-BLOWER SAYS ‘LACK OF GUARDRAILS WAS PRETTY SHOCKING’

“My Administration has uncovered Fraud schemes in States like Minnesota and California, where these thieves have stolen Hundreds of Billions of Taxpayer Dollars,” he continued.

Trump praised McDonald as a “very smart, tough and highly respected America First federal prosecutor who has successfully delivered justice in some of the most difficult and high-stakes cases our country has ever seen.”

“Together, we will END THE FRAUD, and RESTORE INTEGRITY to our Federal Programs. Congratulations Colin — STOP THE SCAMS!” the president wrote.

McDonald has been serving in the office of Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, who said McDonald was “instrumental” in the federal government’s efforts to curb crime across the country.

“Colin is a rockstar, who was instrumental in our team’s mission of Making America Safe Again,” Blanche wrote on X. “He is a consummate prosecutor who loves God, family, and country and will serve the President and the American people well.”

HOUSE OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE WIDENS INVESTIGATION INTO ALLEGED MINNESOTA FRAUD

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Vice President JD Vance announced the new role and the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division at the Department of Justice during a White House press briefing earlier this month, as the administration seeks to pursue a crackdown on alleged systemic fraud in federal programs, including in Minnesota and California.

“Colin McDonald is widely regarded as a thorough and highly competent attorney. He has an exceptional prosecutorial track record, which we look forward to seeing him put to use in his new role as Assistant Attorney General,” Vance said at the time ahead of McDonald’s formal nomination.

Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., on Wednesday blamed President Donald Trump for an attack in which she was sprayed with a substance by a man during a news conference, saying the commander in chief was “obsessed” with her.

Speaking at the Karmel Mall in Minneapolis, Omar reiterated calls to abolish U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement the day after 55-year-old Anthony James Kazmierczak allegedly attacked the congresswoman with an unknown chemical spray.

“I think my presence here should tell you that the fear and intimidation doesn’t work on me,” Omar told reporters and her supporters during a news conference. 

“What the facts have shown since I’ve gotten into elected office is that every time the president of the United States has chosen to use hateful rhetoric to talk about me and the community that I represent, my death threats skyrocket.”

MAN ACCUSED OF SPRAYING OMAR HAS CRIMINAL RECORD AS CONGRESSWOMAN VOWS ‘A–HOLES’ WON’T WIN

The progressive lawmaker said the attacks from Trump began almost immediately upon her taking office in 2019 during his first term in the White House. 

“I became a freshman who nobody should have actually known I existed because I wielded no power to having the most death threats of any member of Congress,” she said. “To the point where I had to have six Capitol Police officers providing 24-hour detail to me and my family. And then Biden got elected, and for four years it almost plummeted. Then he came back into office, and he resumed his vitriol.

“And now my death threats are the highest of the members of Congress.” 

ABBY PHILLIP SAYS TRUMP IS ‘RESPONSIBLE FOR THE VITRIOL’ BEHIND ILHAN OMAR TOWN HALL ATTACKSHO

Trump has repeatedly criticized Omar and other progressive lawmakers over a number of their policy positions and their opposition to his agenda. 

Omar then recalled Tuesday’s incident in which Kazmierczak used a syringe to squirt liquid on Omar after she called for the abolition of ICE and the impeachment of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem after the fatal shootings of Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis by federal agents conducting immigration enforcement operations. 

Kazmierczak was immediately tackled by security and remains jailed on a preliminary third-degree assault charge, authorities said. 

When asked about the attack on Omar, Trump suggested it may have been staged. 

“No. I don’t think about her,” he reportedly told ABC News. “I think she’s a fraud. I really don’t think about that. She probably had herself sprayed, knowing her.”

Omar said her alleged attacker was “upset that Trump’s order to deport Somalis was not yielding enough deportations of Somalis.”

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“I wouldn’t be where I am at today, having to pay for security, having the government to think about providing me security if Donald Trump wasn’t in office and if he wasn’t so obsessed with me,” she said. 

“It is ironic that just last night he was on stage moments before I was attacked talking about me, and then when asked about my attack, he said, ‘I don’t think about her.'”

Fox News Digital has reached out to the White House. 

Turning Point USA and another nonprofit founded by Charlie Kirk will match the federal government’s $1,000 contribution to Trump Accounts, a program created with the intention of giving newborns a financial head start in life, for its employees. 

Erika Kirk, the CEO who leads the nonprofit that advocates for conservative causes, said Wednesday that TPUSA and Turning Point Action, a political advocacy group, would honor her late husband “through a company-sponsored dollar-for-dollar” match of the federal government’s $1,000 contribution established for every eligible employee’s newborn baby. 

“Charlie spoke so often about the importance of young families and having children, and his face would light up every time he learned about a Turning Point employee welcoming a newborn into their family,” she wrote on X. “We’re proud to stand with @POTUS in supporting families and investing in the future of America.”

DELL FOUNDER SAYS $6.25B ‘TRUMP ACCOUNTS’ DONATION IS ‘SMARTEST INVESTMENT’ IN CHILDREN’S FUTURES

Trump Accounts included in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) are slated to launch on July 4. Under the terms of the program, every American child born between Jan. 1, 2025, and Dec. 31, 2028, will receive $1,000 from the U.S. Treasury. 

That money is then invested in the stock market by private firms, and the child can access the funds when they turn 18.

“For the first time ever, we’re going to give every newborn American child a financial stake in the future, a head start in life and a fair shot at the American dream,” President Donald Trump said Wednesday at a Treasury Department event. 

TRUMP SAYS TARIFF-FUNDED DIVIDEND PAYMENTS FOR AMERICANS WILL BEGIN NEXT YEAR

The accounts can be established by an authorized adult, who can be a parent, guardian, adult sibling or grandparent, as long as they have a valid Social Security number. However, a Social Security number is not required to make contributions of up to $5,000 annually.

“Business leaders and philanthropists across the country are answering the President’s call to action by investing in America’s children via Trump Accounts. TPUSA, led by the wonderful Erika Kirk, continues to do what’s right for America by helping the next generation of Americans build wealth and realize the American Dream,” White House spokesperson Kush Desai told Fox News Digital. 

The accounts are an opportunity to give the next generation of Americans a nest egg and the proper financial footing once they grow into adulthood. 

He also called on employers to match Trump Account contributions. 

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“Every president in modern history has left our children with nothing but debt,” Trump said. “But under this administration, we’re going to leave every child with real assets and a shot at financial freedom.”

Fox News Digital has reached out to the White House. 

New year, same take. 

Voters say the economy is in bad shape, that President Donald Trump’s policies haven’t helped, that he isn’t spending enough time on the economy and that things are unlikely to get better this year. That’s according to a new Fox News survey released Wednesday.

The poll finds a 54% majority thinks the country is worse off today than it was a year ago compared to 31% who say it is better off. That 23 percentage-point deficit comes from most Democrats (84%) and independents (71%) saying the U.S. is worse off and a smaller majority of Republicans saying the country is better off (61%).

FOX NEWS POLL: VOTERS SAY GO SLOW ON AI DEVELOPMENT — BUT DON’T KNOW WHO SHOULD STEER

On a personal level, only one quarter of voters say they are better off financially than they were a year ago, and more than 4 in 10 say the administration’s economic policies have hurt them, about twice the share who say they’ve been helped. Another 4 in 10 think the policies have had no effect. 

While the number who say they’ve been hurt by Trump’s policies is down 3 points since November, it’s up 22 points compared to his first term (in December 2018).

Three in 10 give the economy positive ratings, but most, 7 in 10, say it is in bad shape. This is exactly how voters rated the economy last January.

To top it off, more voters think the economy will get worse this year rather than better by a 13-point margin (45% worse vs. 32% better). That contrasts with views from a year ago when they were more likely to see the economy getting better by 2 points. Part of the shift is driven by fewer Republicans feeling optimistic now (58% vs. 63% a year ago).

“The president faces two difficult obstacles — the virtually unanimous and intractable opposition of Democrats and the stubbornness of high prices,” says Republican pollster Daron Shaw, who helps conduct Fox News polls with Democrat Chris Anderson. “Republican officeholders think the economic benefits of the One Big Beautiful Bill will kick in later this year, which will be critical for GOP prospects in the midterm elections.”

Approval of Trump’s overall job performance stands at 44%, unchanged since December. He receives 85% approval among all Republicans and 97% among Republicans who identify as MAGA supporters. Disapproval of the president is at or near all-time highs among White voters (54%), moderates (70%), and independents (78%). Trump’s current approval rating is the same as former President George W. Bush’s at this point in his second term (44%) and two points higher than former President Barack Obama’s (42%).

Part of voter dissatisfaction comes from thinking the president is focused on the wrong things. About 4 in 10 say Trump is spending too much time on foreign policy and almost half feel the same about immigration and border security. By contrast, 7 in 10 think he is not spending enough time on the economy, including nearly half of Republicans and most Democrats and independents.

 FOX NEWS POLL: VIEWS ON THE YEAR ENDING ARE MERRIEST SINCE 2020

When asked to say in their own words what Trump’s top priority should be as president, voters are most likely to say the economy or prices. “Resigning” also comes in near the top, as that’s what the largest share of Democrats and many independents say should be his No. 1 task. Still, Democrats, Republicans and independents agree they want Trump to prioritize the economy over immigration and foreign policy.

That contributes to the president’s ratings remaining low on inflation (35% approve), tariffs (37% approve) and the economy (40% approve). His marks are also underwater on healthcare (37% approve-62% disapprove) and immigration (45-55%), as well as foreign policy (39-61%), Greenland (31-67%), Russia (38-61%), Ukraine (40-59%), Iran (41-57%) and Venezuela (42-57%).

Border security continues to be Trump’s only net positive job rating, as a majority of 52% approves. That’s about the same as it was in November (53%) and December (51%). However, it’s down from a high of 57% approval in September.

Poll-pourri

— Majorities oppose U.S. military intervention to affect regime change in Iran (59%) and Cuba (64%), and also oppose acquiring Greenland, whether by purchase (65%) or takeover (72%).

— Opinion divided on using military force to bring Venezuelan President Maduro to the U.S. to face drug charges; 51% of voters approve vs. 48% disapprove. Approval stands at 72% among those who have served in the military.

— Voters have a clear preference for checks and balances regarding military engagement, as 62% think the U.S. Congress should have the final say in authorizing any action, while 36% say that power should be with the president. Views among those who have served in the military are more closely divided: 52% say Congress should have the final say vs. 47% the president.

— Military veterans have positive views of Trump’s foreign policy as a whole (+16 net approve), as well as on his handling of Venezuela (+21), Iran (+15), Ukraine (+10) and Russia (+2).

— Fifty-five percent of voters say the U.S. position in the world is worse than it was a year ago, 30% think it’s better now, while 15% say it’s the same. Republicans (59% better), Trump voters (58%), and conservatives (54%) are the only groups with more than half saying the country’s position is better.

CLICK HERE FOR CROSSTABS AND TOPLINE

Conducted January 23-26, 2026, under the direction of Beacon Research (D) and Shaw & Company Research (R), this Fox News survey includes interviews with a sample of 1,005 registered voters randomly selected from a national voter file. Respondents spoke with live interviewers on landlines (106) and cellphones (645) or completed the survey online after receiving a text (254). Results based on the full sample have a margin of sampling error of ±3 percentage points. Sampling error for results among subgroups is higher. In addition to sampling error, question wording and order can influence results. Weights are generally applied to age, race, education, and area variables to ensure the demographics are representative of the registered voter population. Sources for developing weight targets include the most recent American Community Survey, Fox News Voter Analysis, and voter file data.

Fox News’ Victoria Balara contributed to this report.

While more than half of voters approve of the job President Donald Trump is doing on border security, a new Fox News survey finds a majority disapproves of how he is handling immigration and a growing number view the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency’s tactics as “too aggressive” — including significant portions of the president’s coalition.

In addition, there is disagreement about how well ICE is carrying out its core mission. Twenty-nine percent of voters say ICE’s enforcement practices “almost always” reflect Trump’s pledge to focus on illegal immigrants with criminal records, 25% think that happens “most of the time,” 19% say “sometimes,” and 27% “not very often.” More Republicans (45%) than Democrats (17%) and independents (15%) think ICE is “almost always” keeping the pledge.

At the same time, there is a backlash against the agency’s methods. Fifty-nine percent of voters characterize ICE as “too aggressive,” a 10-point increase since July 2025. This sentiment is increasingly defined by a shift in the center: the perception of ICE as too aggressive is up 14 points among Whites without a college degree, 19 points among moderates, and 22 points among independents. A similar shift is seen among right-leaning groups, including Trump voters (+9 more aggressive), Republican women (+14), and non-MAGA Republicans (+23).

FOX NEWS POLL: VOTERS SAY GO SLOW ON AI DEVELOPMENT — BUT DON’T KNOW WHO SHOULD STEER

When those saying ICE is too aggressive are asked to specify their concerns, they are more likely to point to tactics rather than targets: 44% say “using too much force,” while 23% say the agency is “targeting the wrong people.”  Another 29% volunteer it’s both.

FOX NEWS POLL: VIEWS ON THE YEAR ENDING ARE MERRIEST SINCE 2020

The survey was conducted from Friday through Monday (January 23-26); on Saturday, during a Minneapolis protest, federal agents fired shots that killed Alex Pretti.

Border security remains Trump’s best issue, and currently the only one where he receives a net positive job rating: 52% of voters approve. That’s up 1 point from 51% in December, but down from a record high of 57% approval in September. Some 17% of Democrats approve of Trump on border security compared to 9% on immigration. Among Republicans, it’s 89% and 85% approval respectively.

Forty-five percent of voters approve of the president’s job performance on immigration, while 55% disapprove. That’s unchanged since last month. His highest immigration approval was 48% in July 2025. In trends going back to early in Trump’s first term, only once has his disapproval rating on immigration been below 50% and that was 48% in April 2025.

“This poll demonstrates something we’ve noted for a long time — border security and immigration are often distinct issues,” says Republican pollster Daron Shaw, who conducts the Fox News Poll with Democratic counterpart Chris Anderson. “Republicans in general, and the president in particular, are seen as effective when it comes to border security. But public sentiment is more complicated when it comes to handling immigrants in the U.S. illegally.”

Currently, 44% approve of Trump’s overall job performance, while 56% disapprove — the same marks he received in December.

Support for abolishing ICE has doubled since 2018, rising from 18% to 36%. Much of the increase comes from White voters (+20 points), women (+21), independents (+22), and Democrats (+34). Opposition to abolishing the agency held steady at 42%, while the share saying they are unsure dropped from 39% to 22%.

Views are split on whether local governments should be required to collaborate with ICE: 49% favor requiring cooperation, 50% oppose it. The level of support for cooperation among Republicans (85%) is matched by opposition among Democrats (83%). Independents are against cooperation by a 30-point margin (34% favor, 64% oppose).

Conducted January 23-26, 2026, under the direction of Beacon Research (D) and Shaw & Company Research (R), this Fox News survey includes interviews with a sample of 1,005 registered voters randomly selected from a national voter file. Respondents spoke with live interviewers on landlines (106) and cellphones (645) or completed the survey online after receiving a text (254). Results based on the full sample have a margin of sampling error of ±3 percentage points. Sampling error for results among subgroups is higher. In addition to sampling error, question wording and order can influence results. Weights are generally applied to age, race, education, and area variables to ensure the demographics are representative of the registered voter population. Sources for developing weight targets include the most recent American Community Survey, Fox News Voter Analysis, and voter file data.

Fox News’ Victoria Balara contributed to this report.

One marker to often watch to divine the possible length of any government shutdown is the schedule on which federal workers are scheduled to be paid.

For instance, this potential partial shutdown, covering six areas of the government and addressing 78 percent of all federal spending, is set to begin at 12:00:01 am et on Saturday, January 31.

That’s where there would be a “lapse in appropriations” over the weekend.

DEMS RELENT, SENATE SENDS $174B SPENDING PACKAGE TO TRUMP’S DESK AS SHUTDOWN LOOMS OVER DHS FUNDING

For starters, that technically of a “lapse in appropriations” gives lawmakers some wiggle room to resolve the issue before 9 am et on Monday, February 2, when most federal workers return to the job.

But another important barometer to gauge is when federal workers miss paychecks.

Federal workers were last paid on January 21, one day later than usual because of the Martin Luther King federal holiday.

However, the next batch of checks is due to go out until Monday, February 2. They technically cover the work period which runs through Thursday, February 5. The checks are actually cut on February 2.

CONGRESS ROLLS OUT $80B SPENDING BILL AS DEMS THREATEN DHS FUNDING AMID SHUTDOWN FEARS

But Fox is told that workers would at least receive a partial paycheck, through work completed on Friday, January 30. That’s the last day that the government was funded. Those checks still go out on February 2.

Any money covering expenditures beginning on January 31 is illegal. It’s a violation of the Antideficiency Act where the executive branch is spending money not appropriated by Congress.

So the weekend gives lawmakers a bit of a breather to figure things out. And the next day to cut checks is Tuesday, February 17. That is one day later than usual because of President’s Day on Monday, February 16.

SENATE DEMS REVOLT AGAINST DHS FUNDING BILL AMID MINNEAPOLIS CHAOS, HIKING GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN RISK

In short, Congress and the executive branch have nearly three weeks to solve this before most federal workers would miss an ENTIRE paycheck.

However, there are some anomalies.

The FAA (which includes air traffic controllers but not TSA) are scheduled to be paid on Tuesday, February 3. Fox is told that FAA workers will receive a full paycheck. That’s because the FAA pay period ended on Saturday, February 24. Thus, that work was completed before the shutdown deadline, and Congress appropriated money for that pay. Therefore, payment on February 3 is NOT a violation of the Antideficiency Act. That said, the next FAA pay period ends on February 7 with paychecks due to be sent on February 17. FAA and air traffic controllers would receive a PARTIAL paycheck at that point. That’s because some work was performed before the shutdown. This scenario mirrors what happened during the fall shutdown. Air traffic controllers received a portion of their paycheck because of the staggered pay schedule.

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Lawmakers will watch these calendars closely if this gets to be a drawn-out fight. However, a minimal “partial” shutdown over the weekend gives lawmakers a bit of cushion to come to a resolution.

The U.S. will “very quickly” reopen its embassy in Venezuela and establish a diplomatic presence on the ground, according to Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

“We have a team on the ground there assessing it, and we think very quickly we’ll be able to open a U.S. diplomatic presence on the ground,” Rubio told members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Wednesday. 

The goal, he said, would be not just to interact with officials on the ground but also “civil society and the opposition.”

Such a move would mean restoring diplomatic relations with Venezuela, which were broken off in 2019 when the U.S. embassy’s doors shuttered.

VENEZUELA’S DELCY RODRÍGUEZ SNAPS AT WASHINGTON, DECLARES ‘ENOUGH’ OF US INFLUENCE

The Trump administration has been in dialogue with Delcy Rodríguez, Nicolás Maduro’s former vice president whom U.S. officials describe as an interim leader, since the capture of the wanted Venezuelan dictator.

Reopening the embassy would require the U.S. to acknowledge a governing authority in Caracas, Venezuela, capable of receiving diplomats — a step that would mark a clear shift from Washington’s long-standing refusal to engage Venezuela’s executive. 

The current Venezuelan leadership has “been very cooperative on that front,” Rubio said. “Obviously there’s been some hard asks along the way.”

Rubio said the administration is not seeking further military action in Venezuela but stressed that force has not been taken off the table. 

“The president never rules out his options as commander in chief to protect the national interest of the United States,” Rubio told lawmakers, while emphasizing that the U.S. is “not postured to, nor do we intend or expect to have to take any military action in Venezuela at any time.”

Rubio also offered details about the first $500 million of the U.S.-brokered sale of Venezuelan oil, saying $300 million went back to Venezuela to pay for public services, while $200 million remains in a U.S.-run account.

CIA DIRECTOR WAS IN VENEZUELA TO MEET WITH ACTING PRESIDENT DELCY RODRIGUEZ, OFFICIAL SAYS

He declined to share details on how long Rodríguez would remain in power, but said a diplomatic presence would help keep a check on the new government. 

“I can’t give you a timeline of how long it takes. It can’t take forever,” Rubio said. “But it’s not even been four weeks.”

His comments come amid mixed signals from Venezuela’s interim leadership. In recent days, Rodríguez has struck a defiant tone toward Washington, declaring she had “enough” of U.S. influence in Venezuelan politics during a speech to oil workers broadcast on state television.

The remarks appeared aimed largely at a domestic audience, even as Venezuela remains constrained by U.S. sanctions and dependent on American decisions over oil licenses and revenue controls.

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Rubio said the administration’s goal is to push Venezuela toward a democratic transition, describing the Maduro regime as “a base of operation for virtually every competitor, adversary and enemy in the world.” 

He said the U.S. is aiming for a “friendly, stable, prosperous Venezuela and democratic … with free and fair elections,” while acknowledging the process will take time.

Pressed on corruption concerns, Rubio said an audit mechanism is being established. 

“The audit will be on,” he told senators, stressing that spending would be restricted to approved public needs.

An Ecuadorian man was released by immigration authorities on Tuesday, one day after a federal judge said U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) had failed to comply with a court order requiring a bond hearing.

Graham Ojala-Barbour, an attorney for Juan Hugo Tobay Robles, told Fox News Digital that Robles was released from detention in Texas.

Chief U.S. District Judge Patrick Schiltz said in a three-page ruling on Monday that ICE had failed to comply with a Jan. 14 court order requiring a bond hearing for Robles within seven days.

The order also stated that Robles must be immediately released if ICE failed to provide the hearing.

FEDERAL JUDGE BLOCKS DEPORTATION OF 5-YEAR-OLD BOY AND FATHER TAKEN IN MINNESOTA IMMIGRATION OPERATION

Schiltz wrote that the failure was part of a broader pattern, saying the agency had disregarded dozens of court orders in recent weeks, causing significant hardship for detainees, including prolonged detention and forced transfers.

He said the court’s patience was “at an end,” and ordered Todd Lyons, the acting ICE director, to appear in person and explain why he should not be held in contempt.

ICE LEADERSHIP SHAKEUP EXPOSES GROWING DHS FRICTION OVER DEPORTATION TACTICS, PRIORITIES

“The Court acknowledges that ordering the head of a federal agency to personally appear is an extraordinary step, but the extent of ICE’s violation of court orders is likewise extraordinary, and lesser measures have been tried and failed,” the judge wrote.

CHICAGO TEACHER PLACED ON LEAVE AFTER FACEBOOK POST SUPPORTING ICE SPARKS OUTRAGE FROM ACTIVISTS

Because Robles has since been released, the court said Lyons will no longer be required to appear.

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Schiltz said the court had been “extremely patient” with the Trump administration, despite its decision to send thousands of immigration agents to Minnesota without putting adequate systems in place to handle the “hundreds of habeas petitions and other lawsuits that were sure to result.”

NBC News reported that Robles is a citizen of Ecuador who entered the United States “without inspection as a minor, in or around 1999,” according to court filings.

President Donald Trump celebrated the launch of Trump Accounts and issued a challenge to employers across the country to help their workers’ children’s accounts grow.

The event on Wednesday featured a star-studded lineup that included Shark Tank’s Kevin O’Leary and rapper Nicki Minaj, as well as several CEOs.

While speaking at an event celebrating Trump Accounts on Wednesday, the president invited Invest America founder Brad Gerstner and Dell CEO Michael Dell on stage to highlight their contributions to the program. He also gave shoutouts to several other CEOs whose companies invested in Trump Accounts.

DELL FOUNDER SAYS $6.25B ‘TRUMP ACCOUNTS’ DONATION IS ‘SMARTEST INVESTMENT’ IN CHILDREN’S FUTURES

To underscore the importance of investing in American children, Trump issued a call to U.S. employers to make matching contributions to their workers’ kids’ accounts.

“I’m officially calling on all employers all across America to follow the lead of many of these amazing companies and make matching Trump Account contributions to benefit for the American worker, and they’re going to benefit the American worker so much,” the president said at an event on Wednesday.

Trump Accounts were included in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) last year and are set to launch on July 4, 2026. Under the program, every American child born between Jan. 1, 2025, and Dec. 31, 2028, and will be funded with $1,000 from the U.S. Treasury. The accounts can be established by an authorized adult, including a parent, guardian, adult sibling or grandparent, as long as they have a valid Social Security number. However, a Social Security number is not required to make contributions of up to $5,000 annually.

BANK OF AMERICA TO MATCH $1,000 GOVERNMENT DEPOSITS FOR TRUMP ACCOUNTS

Several companies have already agreed to match contributions. On Wednesday, Bank of America announced that it will match the government’s $1,000 contribution to the newly established accounts for children born between Jan. 1, 2025, and Dec. 31, 2028 for all 165,000 U.S. employees.

There are also companies that are trying to encourage customers to make contributions, such as Visa, which is building a platform that will allow credit card holders to deposit their cash back rewards directly into Trump Accounts.

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The president painted the accounts as an opportunity for the next generation of Americans, saying that it would “ensure that Americans don’t just end their lives with a nest egg, but instead, all Americans will begin their lives with a beautiful nest egg.”

“For the first time ever, we’re going to give every newborn American child a financial stake in the future, a head start in life and a fair shot at the American dream,” Trump said on Wednesday.

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

The U.S. is not preparing to utilize additional military force in Venezuela, but won’t hesitate to employ such force in the event of an “imminent threat,” according to Secretary of State Marco Rubio. 

“The president never rules out his options as commander-in-chief to protect the national interest of the United States,” Rubio told lawmakers on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Wednesday. “I can tell you right now with full certainty, we are not postured to, nor do we intend or expect to have to take any military action in Venezuela at any time. The only military presence you will see in Venezuela is our Marine guards at an embassy.” 

That said, Rubio said that certain events could warrant military actions — pointing to a hypothetical scenario where an Iranian drone factory emerged in the region and threatened U.S. presence or allies there. 

“The president does reserve the option in self-defense to eliminate that threat,” Rubio said. “We don’t see that, we don’t anticipate that, but it could happen. We hope not … But I think it would require the emergence of an imminent threat of the kind that we do not anticipate at this time.” 

Rubio’s remarks came in response to questions about his prepared statement, which said that the U.S. is prepared to exert military force to ensure cooperation from Venezuela’s interim government if it defies Washington following the ouster of dictator Nicolás Maduro. 

“We are prepared to use force to ensure maximum cooperation if other methods fail,” Rubio’s prepared testimony had said, which he ultimately did not end up using. “It is our hope that this will not prove necessary, but we will never shy away from our duty to the American people and our mission in this hemisphere.”

Rubio’s prepared testimony also maintained that there are no U.S. troops in Venezuela, and that the operation did not amount to waging a war in Caracas.

POST TRUMP MEETING, VENEZUELAN OPPOSITION LEADER SAYS COUNTRY WILL HOLD ‘FREE AND FAIR’ ELECTIONS ‘EVENTUALLY’

“There is no war against Venezuela, and we did not occupy a country,” Rubio said in his prepared remarks. “There are no U.S. troops on the ground. This was an operation to aid law enforcement.”

The move to ouster Maduro has attracted scrutiny, mostly from Democrats, who have called into question the legality of the operation in Venezuela, which was conducted without Congress’ approval. 

But efforts in Congress to pass a war powers resolution that would have limited the Trump administration from conducting additional military action in Venezuela failed to pass earlier in January. Rubio previously has claimed Congressional approval wasn’t required because the operation was not an “invasion.”

On Wednesday, Rubio said that should U.S. military forces be involved in Venezuela in a “sustained” way, Congress would receive notification 48-hours after the fact, and would be required to receive Congressional approval if the engagement lasted longer than 60 days. 

Rubio also told lawmakers that Congress wasn’t consulted about the potential raid due to concerns from the Department of War about leaks, and because it wasn’t even a possibility to execute such a mission until late December 2025 after all negotiation efforts with Maduro had failed. 

“It was also a trigger-based operation. It may never have happened,” Rubio said. “It required a number of factors to all align at the right place, at the right time, in a very limited window, and it wasn’t even clear if it was ever going to be possible.” 

SEN TIM KAINE: TRUMP’S VENEZUELA STRIKE TRAMPLED CONGRESS’ WAR POWERS. CONGRESS MUST STOP IT

On Jan. 3, President Donald Trump announced that U.S. special forces had executed a “large-scale strike” against Caracas, Venezuela, and seized Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores. The two were transported to New York and appeared in a Manhattan federal court Jan. 5 on drug charges, where they each pleaded not guilty.

The raid followed months of pressure on Venezuela to squeeze out Maduro amid more than two dozen strikes in Latin American waters against alleged drug traffickers — which the Trump administration claimed aligned with Trump’s effort to curb the influx of drugs into the U.S.

Since Maduro’s capture, the U.S. has conducted at least one additional strike against alleged drug trafficking vessels in the region. 

The Trump administration had previously asserted that it did not recognize Maduro as a legitimate head of state and instead, claimed he was the leader of a drug cartel. Additionally, Trump said in December 2025, shortly before the operation, that he believed it would be “smart” for Maduro to step down.

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The Trump administration has so far backed Maduro’s vice president, Delcy Rodríguez, to lead Venezuela’s interim government. 

FIRST ON FOX: The White House unveiled a new website page and map of the U.S. showing which states have not opted into a federal school choice tax credit set to begin in 2027 — singling out a handful of Democrat governors labeled “failures” for resisting the new program. 

“President Trump is lowering the cost of education for American families, but children in your state will not benefit unless your governor takes action,” the new website states. “Thanks to the Working Families Tax Cut Act, parents choosing the private, charter, or public school that best meets the needs of their child will soon have financial help.” 

The Trump administration is pushing states to “opt in” to a new federal K-12 scholarship tax credit created under the “big, beautiful bill,” warning families could miss out if their governors don’t take action. The Department of Education celebrated Monday that 23 states have so far opted in to a program the department called the “largest national expansion of education freedom in history and provides families with more affordable education options.”

HOUSTON SCHOOL DISTRICT TRYING TO WOO PARENTS WHILE LOSING STUDENTS AMID SCHOOL CHOICE COMPETITION

Under the Education Freedom Tax Credit, taxpayers can get up to $1,700 back as a federal tax credit by donating that money to approved Scholarship Granting Organizations (SGOs) instead of sending it to Washington in income taxes. Those SGOs then turn the donations into K-12 scholarships and other education help families can use for a broad range of costs tied to public, private or charter schools.

“Beginning January 1, 2027, Americans can reduce their tax burden by contributing to an approved Scholarship Granting Organization,” the new website explains. “While anyone in America can take advantage of this tax credit next year, families cannot receive a scholarship if their governor blocks their state’s participation. Your voice is critical to ensure governors know about their responsibility to ensure that every family has affordable access to the best education for their child’s individual needs.”

Among the governors highlighted on the page as resisting include: Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek, North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein, New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham and Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers.

“Urge Your Governor to Opt-In to Your Child’s Future,” the new website continues, before listing a handful of Democratic state leaders branded with the label “failure.”

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis became the first Democrat to opt into the program in December 2025, telling local media he “would be crazy not to” while citing that “it’ll empower more parents to be able to afford that after-school program or the summer program that they want for their kid.”

Democrats have often resisted school-choice expansions, arguing they can siphon money from public schools and weaken accountability — concerns amplified by teachers unions and some education advocates. 

MAJOR CITY SCHOOL DISTRICTS LOSING STUDENTS AS PARENTS SEEK BETTER OPTIONS

The new website page also includes a map of the U.S. showing which 23 states have opted-in and which 27 have not. It was released amid National School Choice Week, which runs from Jan. 25 through Jan. 31. 

The Education Department said, as part of its celebrations for the week, that it’s making an aggressive school-choice push in Trump’s second term — including touting a record $500 million charter school investment, backing the Education Freedom Tax Credit, and nudging states to use federal funds and waivers to expand parent options and turn around low-performing schools.

TRUMP ADMIN CUTS RED TAPE AS IOWA JOINS EFFORT TO RETURN EDUCATION TO STATES

Trump has framed school choice and parental rights as a central priority of his second-term education agenda, which has worked to decentralize the federal government’s control of public education and shift power back to the states and parents. 

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“I want every parent in America to be empowered to send their child to public, private, charter, or faith-based school of their choice,” Trump said in 2025. “The time for universal school choice has come. As we return education to the states, I will use every power I have to give parents this right.”