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Newly sworn-in Virginia Attorney General Jay Jones drew swift online mockery Thursday after his office released a statement referring to him as “Attoney General,” an error that critics seized on as emblematic of his first major move in office.

The error appeared in a graphic accompanying Jones’ announcement defending Virginia’s in-state tuition law for undocumented students.

Former Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares, Jones’ predecessor, struck a lighter tone in a post that quickly gained traction online.

“Go easy folks,” Miyares wrote on X with a screengrab of the faux-pas circled in red. “Perhaps someone on the staff was just saying ‘Hey, Tony’ in a Jersey accent?”

JAY JONES OVERCOMES MOUNTING SCANDALS TO DEFEAT JASON MIYARES FOR VIRGINIA ATTORNEY GENERAL

The Virginia GOP offered a sharper jab, saying it “took him a whole day to fix this,” suggesting the mistake lingered longer than it should have.

The Republican National Lawyers Association (RNLA) mocked both Jones’ error and the timing of the correction.

“Jay Jones is struggling,” RNLA posted. “This time he moved so quickly to change the letterhead from his last embarrassment that he forgot how to spell his new title.”

SPANBERGER TAKES SWIPE AT TRUMP ADMIN, SAYS VIRGINIANS WORRIED ABOUT ‘RECKLESSNESS COMING OUT OF WASHINGTON’

National Review senior editor Jim Geraghty argued the typo barely registered compared to Jones’ broader record.

“The thing is, misspelling ‘attorney’ probably isn’t even in the worst 200 things that Jay Jones has ever sent electronically,” Geraghty quipped.

Other users leaned into sarcasm, including one account that joked Jones was “the Valedictorian of the Quality Learing Center.”

A newly updated post now sits on Jones’ official government X page, the graphic’s typo scrubbed.

Jones began his term under heightened scrutiny after facing backlash on the campaign trail over resurfaced text messages where he fantasized about the death of political opponent House Speaker Todd Gilbert and his children.

Despite the controversy, Jones was elected in what was considered a blue wave election last November alongside Democrat Gov. Abigail Spanberger.

The misspelling appeared to overshadow Jones’ announcement that he was moving to defend Virginia’s in-state tuition law, framing the decision as resistance to the Trump administration.

“On day one, I promised Virginians I would fight back against the Trump Administration’s attacks on our Commonwealth, our institutions of higher education, and most importantly – our students,” Jones said in the release. “Virginians deserve leaders who will put them first, and that’s exactly what my office will continue to do.”

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Critics argued the optics of the typo undercut Jones’ message, with the error quickly becoming an easy target amid a contentious fight over in-state tuition and immigration policy.

When reached by Fox News Digital, Jones’ office did not acknowledge the typo.

“In his first week in office, Attorney General Jay Jones has gotten to work protecting the Commonwealth from Donald Trump’s actions that would raise costs on Virginia families and defending Virginians’ rights from the Trump administration’s attacks,” a spokesperson for the Attorney General wrote in an email to Fox News Digital. “He has acted quickly to block overreach and stand up for the people of Virginia. Attorney General Jones is already scoring wins on affordability and accountability while delivering real results for the Commonwealth.”

FIRST ON FOX — The Republican National Committee (RNC) is taking a big step towards holding its first ever midterm convention.

The RNC on Thursday advanced a change to the party’s rules which would allow chairman Joe Gruters “to convene a special ceremonial convention outside a presidential election cycle,” according to a memo shared first with Fox News Digital.

National political conventions, where party delegates from around the country formally nominate their party’s presidential candidates, normally take place during presidential election years.

But with Republicans aiming to protect their narrow control of the Senate and their razor-thin House majority in this year’s elections, President Donald Trump announced last September that the GOP would hold a convention ahead of the midterms “in order to show the great things we have done” since recapturing the White House.

SHOWDOWN FOR THE HOUSE: DEMOCRATS, REPUBLICANS BRACE FOR HIGH-STAKES MIDTERM CLASH

The new memo highlights “the possibility of an America First midterm convention-style gathering aligned with President Trump’s vision for energizing the party this fall.”

The party in power, which is clearly the Republicans, normally faces stiff political headwinds in the midterms. And the hope among Trump and top Republicans is that a midterm convention would give the GOP a high-profile platform to showcase the president’s record and their congressional candidates running in the midterms.

The RNC’s rules are currently based around holding a convention every four years. The proposed rule change will allow the RNC to hold a midterm convention. If adopted, the rule states that the convention must be called at least 60 days in advance and no business would be conducted during the gathering.

RNC CHAIR BETS ON ‘SECRET WEAPON’ TO DEFY MIDTERM HISTORY, PROTECT GOP MAJORITIES

The proposed change was adopted Thursday evening by the RNC’s Rules Committee, as the party holds its winter meeting in Santa Barbara, California.

It’s unclear if the full RNC membership will vote on the rule change when they gather Friday at the confab’s general session. If the rule isn’t adopted by the full RNC, it’s expected to be approved at the party’s spring meeting.

Gruters, in a statement to Fox News Digital, highlighted that the RNC’s winter meeting “shows how completely united Republicans are behind President Trump and our efforts to win the midterms. The RNC has been aggressively focused on expanding our war chest, turning out voters, and protecting the ballot in this fall’s elections. We’re building the operation needed to protect our majorities and give President Trump a full four-year term with a Republican Congress.”

Details on the date and location of the midterm convention will come at a later date, and will likely be announced by the president.

But a Republican source told Fox News Digital that it’s probable that the convention would be held at the same time as the RNC’s summer meeting, which typically occurs in August.

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The rival Democratic National Committee (DNC) may also hold a midterm convention. Sources confirmed to Fox News Digital last summer that DNC chair Ken Martin and other party leaders were quietly pushing the idea of a convention ahead of the midterms.

Democrats held a handful of midterm conventions in the 1970s and 1980s.

EXCLUSIVE: From the music, to the cinematography, to the lighting, the marketing and beyond, first lady Melania Trump has planned “every element” of her upcoming first film, “MELANIA,” with her agent and exclusive senior advisor telling Fox News Digital that her involvement in bringing her vision to life has been “unparalleled.” 

“MELANIA,” a 104-minute film, is set to hit the big screen globally Jan. 30, appearing in theaters across North America, South America, Asia, Europe, Israel, the United Arab Emirates and more.

TRUMP, FIRST LADY SET FOR WASHINGTON TRUMP–KENNEDY CENTER PREMIERE OF ‘MELANIA’ AHEAD OF GLOBAL RELEASE

But the night before, on Jan. 29, premiere events will be hosted across the nation, as Amazon brings the film to theaters.

Fox News Digital has learned that President Donald Trump and the first lady will attend the premiere event at the newly renamed Trump–Kennedy Center in Washington Jan. 29.

Premiere events also will be held in New York; Phoenix; Salt Lake City; Chicago; Miami; San Diego; Nashville, Tennessee; Orlando, Florida; Orange County, California; San Francisco/Palo Alto; Minneapolis; Philadelphia; Denver; Detroit; Kansas City, Missouri; Boston; Austin, Texas; Houston; Las Vegas; Dallas; and Los Angeles.

Fox News Digital has learned that Amazon executives will attend premiere events for the film.

Marc Beckman, the first lady’s agent and exclusive senior advisor — and her right-hand-man — told Fox News Digital that the first lady has been hands-on from day one. 

“The first lady’s involvement and her participation in this film is unparalleled,” Beckman said. “She is fully committed from ideation of the concept itself to the creative direction across all touchpoints.”

“As everyone knows, the first lady is a very visual person — she is best in class when it comes to style and design,” Beckman said. “She had the idea of getting into the film industry for many, many years.”

Beckman said that from the get-go, the first lady’s idea was “to create a very rich, cinematic experience unlike anything that has been created before. This is not a documentary. This is a film.”

“It is to give her fans, and Americans, and people around the world the opportunity to look into the life of a first lady who has been very, very private,” he explained.

The film will give the audience a look into the first lady’s business, her philanthropic efforts and her family life, “all as she prepares to be the first lady of the United States again.”

“She brings the audience into certain moments — interacting with her husband; the U.S. Secret Service for security; geopolitical moments; moments with world leaders; and — of course, for those who want it — there is tons of fashion here.”

Beckman added: “I call it a fashion explosion. Vogue can’t keep up with the first lady’s fashion. She is undeniably the most fashionable first lady in history.” 

“She brings the audience into incredible meetings that no one has ever seen before of a first lady and a president of the United States going into office — this is unprecedented access that all Americans, and people all over the world, would love to see.”

Beckman said that the film, on one hand, is about Melania Trump.

“But on the other hand, it is about what a first lady of the United States has to do to get her family ready, on the personal side, to retake the office, on a professional side,” he said.

Beckman detailed the original negotiations he led with major companies like Amazon, who ultimately bought the rights, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Paramount, Netflix and Disney.

EXCLUSIVE: FIRST LOOK AT ‘MELANIA’ FILM

Fox News Digital has learned that Disney sought to obtain the exclusive rights to the film, as well as Netflix and Paramount. Amazon and MGM had the highest bid, purchasing the license for the film for $40 million — the largest documentary deal in history.

Beckman stressed that he negotiated the deal on behalf of the first lady while dealing with “all the studios directly.”

“Effectively, we created a bidding war,” he said. “I was able to have a very competitive bidding process between best-in-class companies.”

Beckman said the decision to select Amazon was “not only for their financial offer, but because they had the most impressive team for what the first lady wanted to create — a quality film in theaters, and later, the docuseries.”

“The docuseries will allow the first lady to unpack these stories in a much bigger, detailed way,” he said.

As for the deal, Beckman said it was structured in a way that made “both sides very enthusiastic.” 

“Amazon has been incredible,” he said. “They have been so great and so committed to the first lady and the success of this film. We’re very grateful.”

The film is directed by Brett Ratner, director of the “Rush Hour” film series, who worked hand-in-hand with Melania Trump to bring her vision to life.

“Brett Ratner has been amazed — he says it is as if Mrs. Trump has been working in Hollywood for her whole life — she’s a natural,” Beckman explained. “She has been involved in setting the tone with regard to, not just the concept, but lighting and filming.”

Post-production, the first lady was very hands-on alongside the director with editing, color-correcting and hand-selecting all the songs for the film.

“Beyond that, the first lady is also involved in the developing of all of the marketing elements,” Beckman said, noting that she built the trailer with the director and the Amazon team, commercials, and the ad and print campaign as well.

Meanwhile, the first lady’s team tapped famous fashion photographer Ellen von Unwerth for the photography of the film.

“This is something the fashion industry will not expect,” Beckman said. Ellen is at the top of her game — a modern legend.

Unwerth works on some of the biggest fashion campaigns for Chanel, Dior and more. She has been featured in Vanity Fair and Vogue.

“They worked together years ago on a campaign and, for obvious reasons, we thought it would be amazing to have Ellen involved,” Beckman said. “Ellen and Melania have an incredible relationship.”

MELANIA TRUMP, AMAZON PARTNER TO RELEASE NEW FILM ABOUT HER LIFE IN THEATERS WORLDWIDE

Unwerth will travel to Washington, D.C., from Europe for a private viewing of the film at the White House, Beckman said.

“Ellen personally was an orphan when she was young, and she is very fond of Melania’s work for the foster care community,” Beckman said. “It is just an interesting part of their relationship — a sensitive component which makes their relationship even stronger.”

Meanwhile, the film is launching in the United States, but also around the globe in 30 countries, including Italy, Japan, Korea, Spain, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Canada, Israel, Mexico, Hungary, Slovenia and more.

“All 30 countries have an ad campaign in different languages,” Beckman said. “Melania supervised the campaign in every region of the world.” 

One ad campaign, in Florence, Italy, features the movie images on the Duomo church, he said.

MELANIA TRUMP TO RELEASE ‘COLLECTOR’S EDITION’ OF MEMOIR FEATURING IMAGES PHOTOGRAPHED BY FORMER FIRST LADY

As for the premieres, on Jan. 29 in multiple cities, Beckman said the first lady has planned “every element” of the events, from the gifts being given to guests, to the seating, the food, the menus and more.

“She has even created amazing packaging designs for collectible popcorn tubs,” he said. “It is all her.”

Fox News exclusively obtained the trailer in December 2025, which opens with the first lady walking into the U.S. Capitol rotunda ahead of her husband’s second inauguration. She looks to the camera in her now-iconic inauguration outfit, and says, “Here we go again.”

The trailer jumps from the first lady and president at the inauguration; to standing together outside of Mar-a-Lago; behind-the-scenes of the inauguration showing Barron Trump and Melania Trump’s father; to a series of images of the first lady; Air Force One; the presidential seal and more.

The famous Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer lion roars and takes over the screen. 

The launch of the film comes a year after the release of her book, “Melania.” The memoir presents an intimate portrait of Melania Trump and includes personal stories and family photos she had not previously shared with the public. 

“Melania” has been at the top of The New York Times’ bestsellers list since its release to the public. 

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Upon the release of the memoir in 2024, the first lady told Fox News Digital that writing her story was “an amazing journey filled with emotional highs and lows.”

“Each story shaped me into who I am today,” she said. “Although daunting at times, the process has been incredibly rewarding, reminding me of my strength, and the beauty of sharing my truth.” 

The first lady released the original “Melania” book along with a special collector’s edition that includes photos she hand-selected, many of which she took herself, of her home and of various trips she has taken around the world. 

A majority of House Republicans banded together on Thursday to defeat a bipartisan war powers resolution that could have restricted President Donald Trump from taking future military action in Venezuela.

The House GOP managed to defeat the measure with its razor-thin majority in a victory for Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and the White House.

The resolution failed in a 215-215 vote, falling short of securing a majority needed to succeed. Only two Republicans, Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., and Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., voted in favor of the package. 

RAND PAUL BREAKS WITH TRUMP ON VENEZUELA, CALLS ACTION ‘WAR’ AS SENATE PREPARES CONSTITUTIONAL SHOWDOWN

Speaker Johnson held the vote for over 20 minutes, buying Republicans time to vote against the resolution. Eventually one Republican latecomer, Rep. Wesley Hunt, R-Tx., arrived at the chamber, breaking the stalemate and dooming the measure.

“Close the vote!” Rep. Pat Ryan, D-N.Y., yelled as Republicans struggled to solidify their opposition. “This is serious s—!” 

The bill was sponsored by Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass., and Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky.

The resolution directs Trump to remove troops deployed to Venezuela and mirrors a similar effort in the Senate aimed at restricting the administration from taking future military action in the country.

Administration officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, say there are currently no U.S. armed forces in Venezuela, although Trump has ordered a naval blockade off the country’s coast.

The White House sharply rebuked the legislation when asked by Fox News Digital on Thursday.

“It’s a shame that these members of Congress want to usurp the authority of the commander in chief to take vital actions to strengthen our national security and stop drugs and criminals from entering our homeland,” White House spokesperson Anna Kelly said.

Ahead of Thursday’s vote, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said he expected Republicans would stick together to defeat the resolution.

LOOMING WAR POWERS SENATE VOTE RAMPS UP PRESSURE ON HAWLEY AFTER MAGA BACKLASH

“I don’t think we will have any breaks on that,” Johnson told Fox News Digital that morning.

“We are the last great superpower, and we have to allow the president the authority to use what is his under the Constitution,” Johnson said, referring to Trump’s role as commander in chief of the U.S. armed forces. “I don’t think we need to get in the way of that.”

The McGovern-Massie resolution comes after Trump ordered the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro earlier this month in what the administration has framed as a narrowly tailored law enforcement operation.

The White House contends that the U.S. has simply detained an alleged criminal. Maduro and his wife were indicted in a New York court for allegedly facilitating drug trafficking in the U.S.

“The entire Trump administration coordinated to execute the arrest of Nicolás Maduro, who headed a major narco-trafficking foreign terrorist organization and was a fugitive of American justice,” Kelly said.

Democrats like McGovern have pushed back on the GOP’s portrayal, raising concerns that the U.S. may carry out more military operations in Venezuela.

But the bipartisan House duo’s resolution was slightly different from a similar piece of legislation by Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., also dealing with Trump’s power in Venezuela.

The House version would require the Trump administration to remove any U.S. forces in the region, despite officials telling lawmakers that there were no boots on the ground in the country following the surprise strikes and capture of Maduro.

The likelihood that Massie and McGovern’s resolution would survive in the Senate is made more difficult given that lawmakers in the upper chamber already killed Kaine’s push to require congressional authorization for any future military activities in the region.

REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK: REPUBLICANS SEEK EXIT FROM VENEZUELA WAR POWERS DEBATE AFTER RECENTLY VOTING FOR IT

Sens. Todd Young, R-Ind., and Josh Hawley, R-Mo., flipped their votes to kill the resolution after assurances and guarantees from administration officials, most notably Rubio, that there were no boots on the ground in the country.

Still, Rubio is set to appear before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee next week to lay out the administration’s plan in the region. His appearance also comes amid uncertainty about Trump’s plans with Greenland.

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Rubio already teased that plan after one of several classified briefings with lawmakers on Capitol Hill. For now, the administration is considering a three-pronged plan in the region focused on stabilization, recovery and transition.

The White House is experiencing a baby boom. 

At least three women with close ties to the White House are pregnant, including second lady Usha Vance, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt and Katie Miller, who is married to White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller. 

The Vances announced Tuesday that they are expecting their fourth child in July. The couple share three children together: Ewan, Vivek and Mirabel. 

“Usha and the baby are doing well, and we are all looking forward to welcoming him in late July,” the Vances wrote in a statement shared on social media.

VICE PRESIDENT JD VANCE DECLARES MARRIAGE TO WIFE USHA ‘IS AS STRONG AS IT’S EVER BEEN’

“During this exciting and hectic time, we are particularly grateful for the military doctors who take excellent care of our family and for the staff members who do so much to ensure that we can serve the country while enjoying a wonderful life with our children,” they said. 

The Vances have been married since 2014, and met while they were students at Yale Law School. 

Leavitt announced Dec. 26, 2025, that she and her husband Nick were expecting their second child, who is due in May. Leavitt and her husband welcomed their first child, Niko, in July 2024.

VANCE UNLEASHES PROFANITY-LACED TWO-WORD MESSAGE FOR CRITICS OF HIS WIFE USHA

“My husband and I are thrilled to grow our family and can’t wait to watch our son become a big brother,” Leavitt told Fox News Digital. “My heart is overflowing with gratitude to God for the blessing of motherhood, which I truly believe is the closest thing to Heaven on Earth.”

Leavitt told Fox News Digital in December 2025 that she is “extremely grateful to President Trump and our amazing Chief of Staff Susie Wiles for their support, and for fostering a pro-family environment in the White House.”

“Nearly all of my West Wing colleagues have babies and young children, so we all really support one another as we tackle raising our families while working for the greatest president ever,” Leavitt said.

FORMER DOGE ADVISER KATIE MILLER LAUNCHES NEW PODCAST AIMED AT BUSY MOMS

Leavitt is the first press secretary to be pregnant, and is remaining press secretary, according to a senior White House official. 

Likewise, Katie Miller, a conservative podcast host, and Stephen Miller shared a joint Instagram post Dec. 31, 2025, celebrating the new year and depicting Katie holding her baby bump. The couple shares three children: Mackenzie, Jackson and Hudson.

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The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital. 

Fox News’ Brooke Singman and Alexandra Koch contributed to this report. 

FBI Director Kash Patel shared a picture of what he said was a “self-awarded” trophy made by former FBI officials to celebrate Operation Arctic Frost – an investigation launched after the 2020 election, targeting President Donald Trump and his allies.

The bizarre metallic-colored, 3D-printed award featured “AF” with a lightening bolt and dollar sign printed along its body and a raised map of the U.S. on its base, which also included miniature buildings and infrastructure. “CR-15” was printed along the base. CR-15 is a now-disbanded FBI unit that served as a public corruption squad. 

“People ask why I said the old FBI was a diseased temple,” Patel wrote on X. “This is what corruption looks like when it thinks no one is watching.”

“I disbanded CR-15 and removed the corrupt actors involved,” he continued. “So when legacy media cries that President Trump’s FBI fired people and made sweeping changes, I have one response: You’re damn right we did.”

FBI FIRES AGENTS, DISMANTLES CORRUPTION SQUAD AFTER PROBE UNVEILS MONITORING OF GOP SENATORS, PATEL SAYS

Patel’s comments come as Republican lawmakers continue to raise alarms about the FBI’s Arctic Frost probe, which later fed into former Special Counsel Jack Smith’s work.

JACK SMITH MEETING WITH THEN-FBI DIRECTOR WRAY RECORDED AS ‘SIGNIFICANT CASE NOTIFICATION’ IN J6 PROBE

In October, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, and Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., unveiled 197 subpoenas they said the Biden-era FBI used to seek testimony and documents from hundreds of Republicans and GOP entities.

Johnson called the subpoena list “nothing short of a Biden administration enemies list,” arguing Arctic Frost was used to improperly investigate the Republican political apparatus.

BIDEN DOJ SUBPOENAED JIM JORDAN’S PHONE RECORDS COVERING MORE THAN TWO YEARS

Smith, whose team used Arctic Frost in mounting charges tied to the 2020 election that were later dismissed after Trump’s victory in 2024, has defended his work and appeared on Capitol Hill to face questions from the House Judiciary Committee.

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Republicans have criticized Smith for seeking gag orders against Trump during his presidential campaign, fast-tracking court proceedings, subpoenaing records and phone data of Trump-aligned individuals and entities – including members of Congress – and approving $20,000 in payments to an FBI confidential human source to gather intelligence on Trump, a source familiar told Fox News Digital.

Fox News Digital’s Ashley Oliver contributed to this report.

Arizona’s Democratic Attorney General Kris Mayes emphasized the state’s stand-your-ground laws while criticizing ICE operations, saying that people could shoot agents if they’re wearing masks and can’t be identified as law enforcement.

During an interview with 12 News anchor Brahm Resnik on Monday, Mayes explained why ICE agents could be shot at under Arizona law.

“You know, it’s kind of a recipe for disaster because you have these masked federal officers with very little identification, sometimes no identification, wearing plain clothes and masks,” Mayes explained. 

“We have a stand-your-ground law that says if you reasonably believe your life is in danger, and you’re in your house or your car or on your property, that you can defend yourself with lethal force,” Mayes added.

LA COUNTY EYES ‘ICE-FREE ZONES’ ON GOVERNMENT PROPERTY DESPITE $1B IN FEDERAL FUNDING AT RISK

The host interjected to ensure that the AG wasn’t imploring people to shoot at federal officers.

“I want to be careful with that and understand what you’re saying because you know how that could be interpreted,” the host clarified.

Mayes asserted she wasn’t directly encouraging individuals to shoot officers, but said if law enforcement couldn’t be identified that, under the law, people could fire.

NOEM PRAISES DHS OFFICERS ON LAW ENFORCEMENT APPRECIATION DAY AS ATTACKS ON FEDERAL AGENTS SPIKE NATIONWIDE

“Well, it’s the fact,” Mayes responded. “We have a stand-your-ground law, and we have, in other states, un-uniformed masked people who can’t be identified as police officers.”

The host again asks the AG if she is telling Arizonans to shoot ICE agents, to which Mayes responds, “Well… no, but again, if you’re being attacked by someone who is not identified as a peace officer, how do you know? I mean if somebody comes at me wearing a mask, by the way, I’m a gun owner, and I can’t tell whether they’re a police officer, what am I supposed to do?”

The attorney general is also leading an initiative to report ICE behavior, launching a portal on her government website for individuals to report “an incident where ICE engages in assault, or murder, or unlawful imprisonment” that her office will use for investigations.

Mayes clarified she is not telling people to take up arms, but noted that stand-your-ground laws would permit someone to shoot an officer if they are not identifiable as law enforcement. 

“No, I am not suggesting people pull out their guns, but this is a don’t tread on me state,” Mayes added.

‘CRINGE’ SOROS-BACKED PHILLY DA BRUTALLY TORCHED FOR DROPPING ‘FAFO’ IN CHEST-THUMPING WARNING TO ICE

Mayes was elected attorney general of Arizona in 2022 and is up for re-election in 2026.

Rodney Glassman, a Republican running against Mayes for the seat, told Fox News Digital that she is “openly suggesting how to kill ICE officers and avoid prosecution under Arizona’s stand-your-ground law” and accused her of betraying the oath of office of the attorney general.

“From running the Attorney General’s Office like an anti-Trump law firm, to now saying ICE ‘isn’t real law enforcement’ and suggesting plain-clothed ICE officers can lawfully be shot,” Glassman told Fox News Digital. “Kris Mayes is more interested in building a resistance resume, instead of working for Arizonans. Arizonans deserve an attorney general who works for them — not one who trashes law enforcement and is maniacally obsessed with taking down a president Arizona just elected.”

MINNESOTA AGITATORS STALK, PELT BORDER PATROL AGENTS WITH FOOD AND SPIT AT GAS STATIONS, DHS SAYS

U.S. Rep. David Schweikert, an Arizona Republican gubernatorial candidate, also called Mayes’ comments “dangerous” and “attention-seeking.”

“Kris Mayes’ dangerous comments on Arizona’s stand-your-ground law were an outrageous and attention-seeking provocation done to pander to her radical leftist supporters,” Schweikert told Fox News Digital. “Her comments not only jeopardized the safety of federal law enforcement agents, but state and local law enforcement as well.”

ICE has been active in the Grand Canyon State, reporting in December that 46 illegal aliens were arrested in Tucson, Arizona, and an additional 2 individuals were arrested for impeding law enforcement.

PHILADELPHIA’S THREAT TO PROSECUTE ICE COULD TRIGGER LANDMARK COURT FIGHT OVER AUTHORITY, EXPERTS WARN

The special agent in charge of the operation addressed mass protests that involved assaults on ICE agents as well as federal vehicles having their tires slashed and barricades being built to impede operations. 

“These enforcement actions have unequivocally disrupted this criminal organization’s ability to exploit our lawful labor and system of commerce,” Special Agent in Charge Ray Rede said in a statement.

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“This agency will not stand for it and those seeking to continue such practices are on notice — there will be more enforcement operations in Arizona,” Rede added.

Fox News Digital reached out to the Department of Homeland Security and Mayes but did not receive responses in time for publication. 

Preston Mizell is a writer with Fox News. Story tips can be sent to Preston.Mizell@fox.com and on X @MizellPreston

Longtime Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar on Thursday made her first move ahead of likely launching a 2026 race for governor in her home state of Minnesota.

The senator’s first steps came a couple of weeks after the stunning announcement by Democratic Gov. Tim Walz to end his re-election bid amid political fallout from the blue-leaning state’s massive fraud scandal.

Klobuchar, who less than 15 months ago was handily re-elected to a fourth six-year term in the U.S. Senate, filed preliminary paperwork with the Minnesota Campaign Finance Board.

“This is a preliminary step necessary for any candidate considering a run. The senator will make an announcement of her plans in the coming days,” a source close to Klobuchar told Fox News Digital.

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

Since Walz’s announcement earlier this month 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.

And sources also confirmed that the senator met with Walz, who was the Democratic Party’s 2024 vice presidential nominee, on the eve of his announcement to discuss his decision to drop his re-election effort.

Klobuchar didn’t weigh in on her future political plans in the hours after Walz’ blockbuster news. But she said the governor “made the difficult decision to focus on his job and the challenges facing our state rather than campaigning and running for re-election.”

A day later, Klobuchar emphasized to CNN, “I love my job, I love my state, and I’m seriously considering it.”

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, faces 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 the past couple of months had been facing a barrage of incoming political fire from President Donald 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 in what has been described as the nation’s largest COVID-era scheme. How much money has been stolen through alleged money laundering operations involving fraudulent meal and housing programs, daycare centers and Medicaid services is still being tabulated. But the U.S. attorney in Minnesota said the scope of the fraud could exceed $1 billion and rise to as high as $9 billion.

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 last month, as he took responsibility for the scandal.

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But the fraud scandal was eclipsed earlier this month by the fatal shooting by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent of Renee Good, a Minnesota woman and mother of three, who was protesting an ICE operation.

Video of the shooting went viral, sparking protests and a national debate over the agency’s efforts to carry out Trump’s push for the mass deportation of millions of undocumented migrants. And with a massive deployment this month of ICE agents to Minnesota, it’s made the state ground zero in the political battle over the Trump administration’s aggressive efforts to combat illegal immigration.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned Thursday that global inaction toward Iran and other authoritarian regimes is fueling mounting security threats, accusing Europe of relying on symbolism instead of real power at a moment of escalating danger.

“Europe still feels more like geography, history, tradition — not a real political force, not a great power,” he said during an address at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, just after meeting with President Donald Trump on negotiations over the war with Russia. Trump’s envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Russia Thursday.

Zelenskyy criticized leaders who talk about standing strong while waiting for others to define the limits.

“Many say, ‘We must stand strong,’ but they want someone else to tell them how long they need to stand strong — preferably until the next election,” Zelenskyy said.

ZELENSKYY HOLDING UP RUSSIA-UKRAINE PEACE PROCESS, TRUMP SAYS

Without decisive action, he warned, Europe will remain reactive.

“If Europe’s actions don’t scare bad actors, Europe will always be reacting, always catching up,” he said.

The Ukrainian leader also criticized global inaction in Iran amid a mass protest movement against its regime.

‘OUR POSITION IS CLEAR:’ ZELENSKYY AND EU DISMISS CEDING UKRAINIAN LAND TO RUSSIA

“As for Iran, everyone is waiting to see what America will do,” Zelenskyy said. “And Europe offers almost nothing.”

He warned that refusing to support people fighting for freedom carries long-term consequences, arguing that Western delay repeatedly empowers hostile regimes.

“When you refuse to help people fighting for freedom, the consequences always come back — and they are always negative,” Zelenskyy said.

Zelenskyy pointed to Belarus as a warning of what happens when Europe fails to act early. After mass protests against Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko in 2020, Western governments declined to intervene decisively. Russia later deployed missiles to Belarusian territory, now within range of major European capitals.

“No one helped their people,” Zelenskyy said. “Now Russian missiles are deployed in Belarus.”

He said the continent “still remains in Greenland mode,” pointing to symbolic military gestures that fail to deter adversaries.

“If you send 30 or 40 soldiers to Greenland, what message does that send — to Russia, to China, and even to Denmark?” Zelenskyy asked. “Forty soldiers will not protect anything.”

Zelenskyy said European leaders privately question whether NATO, and especially the United States, would respond decisively if Russia attacked a NATO member state such as Poland.

“To believe that the United States will act — that it will not stand aside and will help,” he said. “But what if it doesn’t? This question is everywhere in the minds of European leaders.”

ZELENSKYY CLAIMS TRUMP SAID US WILL CONSIDER GIVING UKRAINE DECADES OF SECURITY GUARANTEES

Relying on faith rather than preparedness, he warned, is dangerous.

“Faith in a lucky turn of events cannot stop force,” Zelenskyy said.

He warned that Russia’s missile production depends on foreign components, even from those aiding Ukraine.

“Russia would not be able to build ballistic or cruise missiles without critical components from other countries,” Zelenskyy said. “It’s not only China. Russia gets components from companies in Europe, the United States and Taiwan.”

“How many are investing in stability around Taiwan to avoid war?,” he asked. “But can Taiwanese companies stop building electronics for Russia’s war?”

“Europe says almost nothing. America says nothing. And Putin makes missiles.”

Cutting off those supply chains, he argued, would be more effective than relying solely on missile defenses.

“It would be cheaper and easier to stop the components than to keep intercepting missiles,” Zelenskyy said.

Zelenskyy concluded by framing Ukraine as Europe’s frontline defense, warning that European security is inseparable from Ukraine’s survival.

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“You need Ukraine’s independence too, because tomorrow you may have to defend your own way of life,” he said.

“You can’t build a new world order out of words,” Zelenskyy added. “Only actions build a real order.”

EXCLUSIVE: House Administration Chairman Bryan Steil sent oversight letters to election officials in 10 states, including Minnesota, seeking details on voter roll maintenance and safeguards against noncitizen voting.

The move puts Minnesota’s election system under renewed scrutiny as Republicans press states for compliance with federal election law.

Steil, R-Wis., wrote to both red and blue states — including Minnesota, Illinois, Maine, Indiana, Tennessee, Kansas, California, Ohio and Florida, noting that his committee has broad oversight of federal elections — and that public confidence in such elections is a “compelling interest of Congress and the states.”

“When illegal aliens are found on state voter rolls, it significantly undermines Americans’ confidence in our elections,” Steil told Fox News Digital Thursday.

TEXAS SENDS VOTER ROLLS TO DOJ TO LOOK FOR INELIGIBLE REGISTRATIONS

“I will continue to seek answers on how frequently this happens and what states are doing to address the issue. American elections are for American citizens only.”

Such concerns made national headlines when illegal immigrant Ian Roberts, serving as a high-paid school superintendent in Iowa, was found to be allegedly fraudulently registered to vote in Maryland.

Steil said at the time that Annapolis, Maryland, failed to provide him complete answers on the matter and left serious concerns unresolved, including whether Roberts ever received a live ballot or if the Old Line State drew the line with new protocols to verify citizenship.

In his letter to Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon, Steil wrote that his panel will be conducting oversight to review the state office’s compliance with federal election laws and potential legislative reforms.

OREGON ELECTION SYSTEM FACES SCRUTINY AS STATE MOVES TO ADDRESS 800,000 INACTIVE VOTERS: ‘ASTOUNDING’

Steil noted Simon previously said that Minnesota’s elections are “free, fair and secure,” but that the state’s “driver’s license for all” initiative may belie that.

He gave Simon, and the other secretaries of state, a two-week deadline to provide a series of datapoints to aid in the congressional investigation, including how often the states conduct general voter list maintenance, sources used to identify ineligible voter registrants, whether they utilize free data provided to states by United States Citizenship and Immigration Services known as the “systematic alien verification for entitlements database,” and whether they have data-sharing agreements with other states as an added safeguard.

The chairman’s letters also demanded information on how states remove deceased and relocated registrants to prevent fraud, and how they notify ineligible registrants already on the rolls.

A carbon copy of each letter was also sent to House Administration Committee ranking member Joe Morelle, D-N.Y.

Minnesota’s voting system also came under scrutiny over its “vouching” policy, which allows a registered voter to “vouch” for up to eight other people seeking same-day registration.

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An official in Simon’s office told Fox News Digital that the vouching policy has been intact for “more than 50 years.”

Simon deputy communications director Cassondra Knudson said at the time that several measures are in place to help keep the election system in Minnesota secure under the vouching policy, and that “vouching can only be used to provide proof of a potential voter’s residence in the precinct.”

Democrats hold a slight advantage heading into the midterm elections in a new poll from The New York Times and Siena University.

The poll found that 48% of registered voters would support a Democratic candidate if the midterm elections were held today, compared to just 43% for a Republican candidate. The poll also showed skepticism toward President Donald Trump‘s policies, with 47% of registered voters saying they “strongly disapprove” of how he is handling his job as president.

The poll surveyed 1,625 registered voters nationwide from Jan. 12 to 17 and advertised a margin of error of 2.8%.

A 51% majority of Americans also say that Trump’s policies have made their lives less affordable.

TIM SCOTT TELLS MAGA VOTERS TRUMP ‘IS ON THE BALLOT’ AS GOP FIGHTS TO GROW SENATE MAJORITY IN 2026

In total, 49% of registered voters say the country is worse off now than it was a year ago, compared to 32% who say it is better.

The polling lines up with other recent surveys that have found many Americans souring on the president and his agenda.

The president’s approval rating stands at 45% in the latest Wall Street Journal poll, at 41% in Reuters/Ipsos, and an average of all the most recent national polls compiled by Real Clear Politics puts Trump’s approval at 42%, with 55% giving him a thumbs down on the job he’s doing.

VANCE ACKNOWLEDGES VOTERS ‘IMPATIENT’ ON AFFORDABILITY, REJECTS ‘TOTALLY BULLS— NARRATIVE’

Trump started his second term in positive territory, but his approval ratings sank below water last March and have slowly edged deeper into negative territory in the ensuing months.

The percentage of registered voters saying the country is on the right track has held steady since April, according to the survey. And Trump continues to hold support from Republicans, with four in five GOP registered voters saying the U.S. is on the right track.

Deep concerns over inflation boosted Trump and Republicans to sweeping victories at the ballot box in 2024, as they won back the White House and Senate and kept their House majority.

But Democrats say their decisive victories in November’s 2025 elections, and their overperformances in special elections and other ballot box showdowns last year, were fueled by their laser focus on affordability amid persistent inflation.

Trump’s approval ratings on the economy are, on average, slightly lower than his overall approval ratings.

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The president’s numbers on the issue of illegal immigration, another issue that helped lift him to a re-election victory, have also eroded over the past year. The issue is once again front-and-center, following this month’s fatal shooting of a Minnesota woman by an ICE agent as she protested the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement efforts.

Fox News’ Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., claimed that President Donald Trump has been exhibiting “increasingly erratic” behavior.

She made the comment in response to a question from Migrant Insider editor Pablo Manríquez, who asked, “How big of a factor is Donald Trump’s cognitive decline, given what we’re seeing at Davos?” 

“I think that the president has been acting in increasingly erratic ways,” Ocasio-Cortez replied, according to the video shared on X.

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

“I think it is really damning when we think about the degree to which mass media outlets reported on Joe Biden,” she said, pointing to how the Democratic Party ultimately nominated Kamala Harris in the 2024 race.

“Yet, we are seeing behavior from Donald Trump that is increasingly erratic and alarming,” she said, asserting that “everyone’s pretending that this is normal.”

The congresswoman said America’s “global partners” are seeing “the entire government apparatus and a party that is willing to watch someone decompensate in front of the world and do nothing about it.”

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

“While deranged Democrats like Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez push these blatant lies, President Trump is dominating on the world stage and brokering historic deals to advance the interests of the American people,” White House spokesperson Liz Huston said in a statement.

“Don’t forget that after Joe Biden’s brain unraveled on the 2024 presidential debate stage and nearly the entire Democrat party subsequently panicked and demanded Biden drop out of the race, Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez was one of the few delusional holdouts backing and pleading for Joe Biden to remain as their presidential nominee as late as July 8, 2024,” she added.

TRUMP CLAIMS WHITE HOUSE DOCTORS REPORT HIM IN ‘PERFECT HEALTH,’ SAYS HE ‘ACED’ THIRD STRAIGHT COGNITIVE EXAM

“Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez’s peanut-sized brain either forgot this happened or she thinks the American people are too stupid to remember,” Huston said.

In July 2024 — after President Joe Biden’s disastrous debate performance against Trump, but before Biden dropped out of the presidential race later in July — Ocasio-Cortez expressed her support for the incumbent. 

“Joe Biden is our nominee. He is not leaving this race. He is in this race, and I support him,” she said at the time.

Earlier this year, Trump declared in a Truth Social post, “The White House Doctors have just reported that I am in ‘PERFECT HEALTH,’ and that I ‘ACED’ (Meaning, was correct on 100% of the questions asked!), for the third straight time, my Cognitive Examination, something which no other President, or previous Vice President, was willing to take.”

“P.S., I strongly believe that anyone running for President, or Vice President, should be mandatorily forced to take a strong, meaningful, and proven Cognitive Examination. Our great Country cannot be run by ‘STUPID’ or INCOMPETENT PEOPLE!” he added.

TRUMP PITCHES COGNITIVE TESTS FOR LEADERS, QUESTIONS IF HARRIS, WALZ, NEWSOM COULD PASS

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In a Truth Social post last year, Trump referred to Ocasio-Cortez as “one of the ‘dumbest’ people in Congress.”

FIRST ON FOX: The State Department is finalizing an expansion of the Mexico City Policy Friday that will bar U.S. foreign assistance from subsidizing abortion and, in a major broadening, from supporting what the administration calls gender and diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs, Fox News Digital learned Thursday.

The Mexico City Policy is a Reagan-era U.S. rule that conditions foreign aid on recipient groups certifying they will not provide or promote abortion as a method of family planning. Former President Ronald Reagan first rolled the policy out in 1984 at a United Nations population conference to prevent U.S. foreign aid from being used to promote abortion in other nations. 

The State Department Friday is expected to finalize three rules to expand the Mexico City Policy to protect foreign assistance from subsidizing not only abortion as a method of family planning, but also gender ideology, equity and DEI ideology and abortion as a method of family planning, Fox News Digital learned. 

PRO-LIFE LEADERS FIRMLY REJECT TRUMP’S CALL FOR HYDE AMENDMENT ‘FLEXIBILITY’ IN HEALTHCARE TALKS 

Under previous iterations of the Mexico City Policy, U.S. funding was barred from supporting organizations that provide or promote abortion as a method of family planning. During President Donald Trump’s first term, the policy was expanded to cover roughly $8 billion in global health assistance. 

The newly finalized rules go further, and cover all nonmilitary foreign assistance to the tune of more than $30 billion. 

Foreign nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and international organizations receiving U.S. assistance will be required to certify that they do not provide or promote abortion as a method of family planning, promote gender ideology, promote discriminatory equity ideology, or engage in unlawful diversity, equity and inclusion–related discrimination, according to the policy framework. 

TRUMP URGES GOP TO BE ‘FLEXIBLE’ ON HYDE AMENDMENT, IGNITING BACKLASH FROM PRO-LIFE ALLIES

U.S.-based NGOs operating overseas will face similar certification requirements, Fox Digital learned. 

Democrat presidents typically rescind the rule, such as former President Joe Biden’s days after taking office in 2021, with Republican presidents typically reinstating the rule, as did Trump in January 2025. 

“These excessive conditions on foreign and development assistance undermine the United States’ efforts to advance gender equality globally by restricting our ability to support women’s health and programs that prevent and respond to gender-based violence,” Biden said in 2021 when defending rescinding the rule after the first Trump administration wrapped up. 

PRO-LIFE GROUPS WARN TRUMP HYDE AMENDMENT IS ‘NON-NEGOTIABLE’ AFTER FLEXIBILITY REMARKS

The expected new rules come as the annual March for Life will be held in Washington, D.C., Friday, which attracts thousands of pro-lifers in the cold winter months to march through the streets of the nation’s capital to champion protecting the unborn. Vice President JD Vance is slated to join the pro-lifers and deliver remarks. 

Trump repeatedly has touted the policy, saying in 2017 that his first administration was working “to protect the unborn” by reinstating the Mexico City Policy. The addition of gender and DEI ideology to the framework follows the Trump administration’s year of work to roll back what it describes as the use of federal policy and funding to advance progressive social ideology.

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“We’ve ended the tyranny of so-called diversity, equity and inclusion policies all across the entire federal government,” Trump celebrated back in March 2025. “Our country will be woke no longer.”

Republicans set up a House-wide vote on a $1.2 trillion spending package on Thursday, including funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), after Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., worked overnight to quell a rebellion over Midwestern Republican energy demands.

The House Rules Committee voted 9-4 to advance two spending bills needed to avoid a government shutdown that is set to begin on Jan. 30. 

While a compromise appears to have eased concerns for GOP lawmakers in the Midwest, the DHS funding portion is still causing ire among progressives and conservatives alike over its measures on U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

One bill would fund the departments of War, Education, Labor and Health and Human Services and the second is aimed at DHS — including ICE.

According to comments from lawmakers made to Fox News Digital, as many as 20 Republicans had threatened to kill the spending package during a key procedural vote later on Wednesday. They demanded the inclusion of a provision to allow the year-round sale of E15 ethanol, a type of gasoline blend. 

Under the current Clean Air Act, E15’s sales are limited due to failing to overcome Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulations.

Johnson, emerging from the Rules Committee early on Thursday, said he had reached an agreement with the would-be rebels.

“It’s a very positive development,” Johnson told Fox News Digital. 

“We decided among a good representation of the conference late last night that we would create the E15 Domestic Energy Council. It will be composed not just of members from across the conference with different views but also stakeholders — refiners, people in the industry.”

That council, Johnson also explained, would take a closer look at the demands made by Midwest Republicans and weigh them against the environmental protections the country has in place. He said he expected those talks to be a “worthwhile endeavor” but didn’t expand on what kind of resolution he expects to see. 

A source close to the matter told Fox News Digital that the agreement would mandate the working group meet regularly next month with the goal of recommending legislation by Feb. 25.

SENATE ADVANCES $174B PACKAGE AS MINNESOTA ICE SHOOTING FUELS DHS FUNDING FIGHT

The bill will next face a procedural vote known as a “rule vote,” when the entire House weighs whether to allow for debate and final consideration of a given measure or set of bills.

Rule votes traditionally fall along party lines even if the underlying bills have bipartisan support, meaning Johnson can afford to lose no more than two GOP votes and still advance the legislation.

If passed, the two separate spending packages will later be joined together for consideration in the Senate.

ICE FUNDING BILL DRAWS FIRE FROM LEFT AND RIGHT AS SHUTDOWN DEADLINE NEARS

Questions remain whether House GOP leadership will be able to unite Republicans around other aspects of the legislation, as concerns have emerged among conservatives about new requirements for ICE. Those provisions, demanded by Democrats, include requiring ICE agents to wear body cameras and undergo additional training on how to interact with the public.

It also keeps funding levels largely flat over levels from FY2025 and even reduces some of the allocations for ICE’s removal activities.

But that’s not enough for a significant number of Democrats. Many made it clear they won’t support the bill, claiming that the legislation doesn’t do enough to rein in ICE’s operations after Renee Nicole Good was killed in a fatal confrontation with ICE agents in Minnesota earlier this month.

“All the guardrails in the world don’t make sense if the administration isn’t going to follow the law and the language that we pass. Members have to take that into account,” House Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar, D-Calif., said. “Ultimately, members are going to vote [for] what’s in the best interest of their districts.”

Democrats attempted to shoehorn left-wing priorities into the legislation during the House Rules Committee meeting, including measures targeting President Donald Trump’s agenda on Greenland, Venezuela, and ICE.

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

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Among them are amendments to prevent any of the funding in the bill from being used to invade a NATO-protected country and a measure to prohibit federal funds from being used in military actions against Venezuela after Trump executed a military operation to capture the country’s president, Nicolás Maduro.

Amendments to the DHS bill also sought to reduce the salary of DHS Secretary Kristi Noem to one dollar or eliminate the funding of the agency altogether.

Those amendments were largely symbolic protests, however, and were not included in the final bill.

Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., accused President Donald Trump of working to push the U.S. and the rest of the globe in the direction of “authoritarianism.”

“Trump’s hostility toward Europe has little to do with his absurd and irrational arguments over Greenland. It has everything to do with his efforts to undermine democracy and move this country and the world toward authoritarianism. Trump does not like free elections, a free media or the right of people to dissent,” Sanders claimed in a statement posted on X.

“That is why he hates Europe, with its strong democratic governance, social safety net, and commitment to peacefully resolving disputes. That is why he is sending ICE to invade American cities,” the left-wing lawmaker continued.

BERNIE SANDERS IMPLIES CBS IS PART OF ‘OLIGARCHY’ CONTROLLING US WHILE ON NETWORK’S ‘LATE SHOW’

Sanders claimed the president would prefer a world controlled by wealthy “oligarchs.”

“Let’s be clear. Trump would prefer the world to be ruled by his fellow multi-billionaire oligarchs, like his good friends in Saudi Arabia and Russia. These dictators crush political dissent, jail their opponents, and engage in massive kleptocracy,” he asserted.

CANCER-STRICKEN CHILDREN URGE BERNIE SANDERS TO BACK LIFE-SAVING PEDIATRIC HEALTHCARE BILL

“As patriotic Americans who believe in our Constitution and the rule of law, we will stand with those heroes and heroines who gave their lives to defend our freedoms. Now, in this dangerous moment in American history, it is imperative that all of us, regardless of our political views, come together to confront the grave threat of authoritarianism,” he declared.

SANDERS-BACKED BILL JABS TRUMP’S ‘NARCISSISM’ WITH BAN ON SELF-NAMED FEDERAL BUILDINGS

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

President Donald Trump unveiled his Board of Peace on Thursday, with world leaders signing on to pursue a lasting agreement for Gaza.

Trump inaugurated the board during a speech and signing ceremony at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

“Once this board is completely formed, we can do pretty much whatever we want to do. And we’ll do it in conjunction with the United Nations,” Trump said in a statement.

“This isn’t the United States, this is for the world,” he added. “I think we can spread it out to other things as we succeed in Gaza.”

BERNIE SANDERS IMPLIES CBS IS PART OF ‘OLIGARCHY’ CONTROLLING US WHILE ON NETWORK’S ‘LATE SHOW’

Trump noted that most of the 59 leaders signed onto the deal are “very popular,” but others were “not so popular.”

“That’s the way it goes,” he said.

CANCER-STRICKEN CHILDREN URGE BERNIE SANDERS TO BACK LIFE-SAVING PEDIATRIC HEALTHCARE BILL

Notably absent from the board was Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has said Moscow is discussing membership with Russia’s “strategic partners.”

The U.K. also has yet to join the board because the legal treaty “brings up much broader issues,” the country’s foreign secretary said.

“And we do also have concerns about President Putin being part of something which is talking about peace, when we have still not seen any signs from Putin that there will be a commitment to peace in Ukraine,” U.K. foreign secretary Yvette Cooper told the BBC.

IRAN LOCKS NATION INTO ‘DARKER’ DIGITAL BLACKOUT, VIEWING INTERNET AS AN ‘EXISTENTIAL THREAT’

Norway and Sweden have indicated that they also won’t participate, after France also declined membership. French officials stressed that while they support the Gaza peace plan, they were concerned the board could seek to replace the U.N. as the main venue for resolving conflicts.

Trump himself has spoken about the board potentially making the U.N. obsolete.

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The president was more conciliatory during his remarks in Davos, however, assuring attendees that “We’ll do it in conjunction with the United Nations.”

Canada and China also have not signed on to the board.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Former special counsel Jack Smith is set to appear Thursday on Capitol Hill for a televised hearing, during which he will face questions from House Judiciary Committee Republicans and Democrats about his two prosecutions of President Donald Trump.

Republicans, led by Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, are expected to level allegations at Smith that he brought politicized criminal charges against a leading presidential candidate to interfere with the 2024 election.

Smith’s appearance will mark the second time in as many months that he has answered questions before the Republican-led committee after he sat for an eight-hour deposition behind closed doors in December.

JACK SMITH SUBPOENAED FOR DEPOSITION WITH HOUSE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE

Smith has long wanted to speak publicly about his work, and Trump, who has said Smith is a “thug” who belongs in jail, said in the Oval Office last year that he wanted the same.

“I’d rather see him testify publicly because there’s no way he can answer the questions,” Trump had said upon learning that Smith would first be testifying behind closed doors.

The public hearing featuring Smith is set to begin at 10 a.m. and comes as part of the committee’s ongoing probe into his special counsel work.

Republicans have specifically criticized Smith for seeking gag orders against Trump during his presidential campaign, attempting to fast-track court proceedings and subpoenaing records and phone data of hundreds of Trump-aligned people and entities, including numerous members of Congress.

The Republicans will likely broach the controversial subpoenas for the phone records, a source familiar with the hearing told Fox News Digital.

Republicans are also likely to raise questions about Smith’s team approving $20,000 in payments to an FBI source, known as a confidential human source, to gather intel on Trump, the source said.

Smith charged Trump with attempting to illegally overturn the 2020 election and with retention of classified documents, but he dropped both cases after Trump won the 2024 election, citing a DOJ policy that discourages prosecuting sitting presidents.

In his opening statement for the hearing, obtained by Fox News Digital, Smith plans to state unequivocally that he stands by his decision to charge Trump.

“Our investigation developed proof beyond a reasonable doubt that President Trump engaged in criminal activity,” Smith plans to say. “If asked whether to prosecute a former President based on the same facts today, I would do so regardless of whether that President was a Republican or a Democrat.”

BIDEN DOJ SUBPOENAED JIM JORDAN’S PHONE RECORDS COVERING MORE THAN TWO YEARS

According to Smith’s team, the former special counsel plans to emphasize that his indictments were appropriate and that he carefully followed the DOJ manual, including the DOJ’s policies about interfering with elections.

Smith’s team also said the former special counsel does not plan to respond to questions that could reveal legally protected grand jury information or details in the second volume of his final special counsel report, which pertains to his classified documents case about Trump. Judge Aileen Cannon has sealed that report through February.

One persisting point of contention has been that Smith sought phone data belonging to numerous Republican senators and House members as part of his investigation into the 2020 election. He has repeatedly defended that decision, saying it was not driven by partisanship.

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“If Donald Trump had chosen to call a number of Democratic senators, we would have gotten toll records for Democratic Senators,” Smith said during his deposition last month. “So responsibility for why these records, why we collected them, that’s — that lies with Donald Trump.”

The Republicans who were targeted, including Sens. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., Josh Hawley, R-Mo., and Ron Johnson, R-Wis., have said the subpoenas violated their constitutional rights because of added layers of immunity that the Constitution affords to lawmakers.

A rare filing from economic heavyweights could shape how Supreme Court justices view the limits of presidential control over the Federal Reserve and U.S. monetary policy.

On Wednesday, the nation’s highest court heard oral arguments for two hours on whether President Donald Trump has the authority to remove Lisa Cook from the Federal Reserve’s Board of Governors. 

That debate has drawn an extraordinary amicus brief from some of the most influential figures in U.S. economic policy. An amicus brief is a submission from a group not directly involved in a suit that offers information, expertise, or arguments to help a court decide the matter.

SUPREME COURT SET TO HEAR CASE IN TRUMP FIGHT OVER LISA COOK’S FED SEAT

Signed by every living former chair of the Federal Reserve, Alan Greenspan, Ben Bernanke and Janet Yellen, as well as six former Treasury secretaries who served presidents of both parties.

The group, which also includes seven former White House economic advisers, spans roughly five decades of U.S. economic policymaking.

Such intervention is almost unheard of, as former Fed chairs and Treasury secretaries typically steer clear of public legal battles.

In the 32-page amicus brief, the group argues that allowing the Trump administration to remove a sitting Fed board member would “erode public confidence in the Fed’s independence and threaten the long-term stability of the economy.”

WHO IS LISA COOK? THE FED GOVERNOR AT THE CENTER OF TRUMP’S SUPREME COURT FIGHT

Expanding the president’s power over Fed board membership is “neither necessary nor appropriate” and would be counterproductive, the group writes, because it would weaken the central bank’s independence and lead to higher inflation and economic instability.

That concern, the group argues, is already playing out in real time. 

“Sectors that pay close attention to the Federal Reserve — including the financial markets, the public, employers and lenders — are watching the current dispute over the President’s removal of Governor Cook to judge how credible the Fed will be going forward.”

FEDERAL RESERVE CHAIR POWELL UNDER CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION OVER HQ RENOVATION

John Sauer, the solicitor general, said Cook’s amici filing did not address the “legal issues at the heart of this case.”

“Most of Cook’s amici emphasize policy arguments, touting the perceived benefits of the Federal Reserve Board’s independence in setting monetary policy,” Sauer wrote, adding that “policy preferences are not the law, and these particular preferences lack any logical limit.”

In deciding Cook’s case, the justices could also shape Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell’s future at the Fed.

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

In a notable departure from his typically measured and low-profile approach, Powell attended the oral arguments at the Supreme Court. His appearance comes amid a criminal investigation by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Washington, D.C., related to his congressional testimony on a multi-billion dollar renovation of the Fed’s headquarters. 

Powell described the investigation as “unprecedented,” calling it another instance of the Trump administration using legal threats to pressure the central bank on policy decisions.

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Cook’s ascent to the Federal Reserve was historic from the start. 

Now, she stands at the center of an even more consequential moment, as President Donald Trump moves to fire her—a step that would be unprecedented in the Fed’s 112-year history.

The court is expected to issue a ruling on Cook’s case by the summer.

President Donald Trump said Wednesday he will not impose tariffs that were set to take effect Feb. 1, citing a “framework of a future deal” with NATO involving Greenland and the Arctic region.

“Based upon a very productive meeting that I have had with the Secretary General of NATO, Mark Rutte, we have formed the framework of a future deal with respect to Greenland and, in fact, the entire Arctic Region,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

Trump said the deal, if finalized, “will be a great one for the United States of America, and all NATO Nations,” adding that the agreement led him to halt the planned tariffs.

“Based upon this understanding, I will not be imposing the Tariffs that were scheduled to go into effect on February 1st,” he said.

TRUMP CHALLENGES CARNEY AT DAVOS, ASSERTS CANADA SHOULD BE ‘GRATEFUL’ FOR GOLDEN DOME MISSILE DEFENSE

Trump added that talks are continuing, saying, “Additional discussions are being held concerning The Golden Dome as it pertains to Greenland,” and said Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and special envoy Steve Witkoff will lead negotiations and “report directly to me.”

In a spray later in the afternoon at the World Economic Forum in Davos, the president said the proposed deal framework “gets us everything we need to get.”

“The deal is going to be put out pretty soon, we’ll see. It’s right now a little bit in progress, but pretty far along,” Trump said to reporters. “It gets us everything we need it to get.”

NATO CHIEF PRAISES TRUMP AT DAVOS, SAYS HE FORCED EUROPE TO ‘STEP UP’ ON DEFENSE

After being asked by another reporter about what NATO Secretary Rutte had to say during their meeting, Trump simply referred to him as “a great leader” and “fantastic.”

“The Secretary General was representing the other side, which is really us too, because, you know, we’re a very important member of NATO,” he said. “I’ve done a lot for NATO. And it’s really nice. I mean, it’s a deal that everybody’s very happy with.”

NATO confirmed to Fox News Digital in a statement from Spokesperson Allison Hart that negotiations are aimed “at ensuring Russia and China never gain a foothold” in Greenland.

“The Secretary General had a very productive meeting with President Trump during which they discussed the critical significance of security in the Arctic region to all Allies, including the United States,” Hart said in a statement.

“Discussions among NATO Allies on the framework the President referenced will focus on ensuring Arctic security through the collective efforts of Allies, especially the seven Arctic Allies. Negotiations between Denmark, Greenland, and the United States will go forward aimed at ensuring that Russia and China never gain a foothold – economically or militarily – in Greenland,” Hart added.

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“If this deal goes through, and President Trump is very hopeful it will, the United States will be achieving all of its strategic goals with respect to Greenland, at very little cost, forever,” White House Spokeswoman Anna Kelly said to Fox News Digital. “President Trump is proving once again he’s the Dealmaker in Chief. As details are finalized by all parties involved, they will be released accordingly.”

EXCLUSIVE: Sen. Ted Cruz has three New Year’s resolutions — and he’s making it his 2026 mission to stick to them.

In an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital, Cruz, R-Texas, laid out his 2026 promises.

PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP SHARES HIS NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTION

“The first is one that a lot of people make in the New Year, which is hard to deliver on — to lose some weight,” Cruz said. “In particular, to drop 30 pounds this year.”

Cruz told Fox News Digital he weighed in at 236 pounds Jan. 1, 2026.

“My goal by January of next year is to be 206,” he said.

“When I graduated from college I was 135 — skinny as a rail,” Cruz continued, joking that some say he is “twice the man I used to be.”

“Dropping 30 pounds is something that would be good to do, so I’m going to work on diet and exercise,” Cruz said.

Cruz told Fox News Digital he is focusing on a ketogenic diet to start.

“I’m cutting out carbs and focusing on eating meat and cheese and vegetables,” he said. “Keto can be tough to do, but it can produce real effects.” 

Cruz’s second New Year’s resolution is to stick to “dry January,” meaning no alcoholic beverages for the month of January.

“I’ve long enjoyed red wine with dinner, and you can have fun at dinners and laugh a lot, but at the same time, wine is filled with calories, and if you’re trying to drop 30 pounds, pouring grape juice into your midsection is not exactly conducive to that objective.” 

Cruz said he’s replaced that red wine with sparkling water with lime, vitamin water and more.

“You know, drinks that taste good and that I enjoy,” he said. 

“I’ve been amazed at how many friends of mine are doing dry January,” Cruz said. “We had good friends who came to the house. They brought a six-pack of nonalcoholic beer, and we had that beer and cheese and meat charcuterie board. It was just a good chance hanging out with friends, but I didn’t know they were doing that, but it turns out, we all were.” 

And finally, Cruz’s third resolution for 2026 is to read the Bible every day.

SEN. TED CRUZ BREAKS DOWN THE HIGH-STAKES STRATEGIC FIGHT FOR GREENLAND

“This is something I’ve done during different times of my life. With all the demands of work and family and kids, it is easy to get pulled in different directions and lose that discipline,” Cruz said.

Cruz recalled that he and his wife, Heidi, would do an “evening devolution” when his daughters, now 17 years old and 15 years old, were younger, but told Fox News Digital that as they have gotten older, it has been more difficult to stick to.

“I want to read the word and reflect on it and have your spirit open to listen — listen to the Holy Spirit. Let the words of Jesus impact your daily life,” Cruz said. “It is something I’ve always wanted to do, and in fact, after I made my resolutions, my pastor texted me and suggested we’d spend a Sunday afternoon a month and spend some time together in prayer and in Bible study together.”

Cruz said faith and Bible study has “been a part of my life since I was a kid.”

“There are different times in life where you have more or less discipline and consistency,” he said.

“Every day, we should start with Jesus first, and that has remained true in my prayer life, but at times, the demands of the moment have distracted me from reading the word consistently every day and I’m going to return to that.” 

It’s been 21 days into 2026 and Cruz says he is going strong.

“Its going well,” he said.

SUCCEEDING TRUMP IN 2028: SIX REPUBLICANS TO KEEP YOUR EYES ON

As for the diet, he said he has been “keeping to it,” and is going to be working more exercise into his routine.

“I already play basketball twice a week,” he said. “I’m going to be working in daily pushups.”

As for other priorities for the new year, Cruz said he and his wife are focused on their daughters.

“Our girls are 15 and 17 — one is a senior in high school and one is a freshman. They are teenagers getting ready to go off to school,” he said. “You reflect on the limited number of days they’re going to be home much longer.”

He added: “When they leave for school, I’ll go into their bedrooms and just cry. I love my girls.”

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“The days that the girls are home and not out in the world are rapidly dwindling, and that makes you want to make sure you’re carving out time right now,” he said. “Because the time right now, today, will never be back tomorrow.” 

As for a potential 2028 presidential run, Cruz told Fox News Digital that his “focus right now is representing 31 million Texans, and it is an incredible privilege to serve them and represent the great state of Texas in the U.S. Senate.” 

“That is my priority right now and my sole focus,” Cruz said.