NationalWatch

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

USDA IMMEDIATELY SUSPENDS ALL FEDERAL FUNDING TO MINNESOTA AMID FRAUD INVESTIGATION 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Fox News Digital has reached out to HHS for comment.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Trump explained that the pin was a gift.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates

Welcome to the Fox News Politics newsletter, with the latest updates on the Trump administration, Capitol Hill and more Fox News politics content. Here’s what’s happening…

-Hawley breaks with Trump on Venezuela as policy rift continues

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

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

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

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

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

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

White House

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

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

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

World Stage

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

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

Capitol Hill

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

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

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

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

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

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

Across America 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

CELLPHONE VIDEO RELEASED IN DEADLY MINNEAPOLIS ICE AGENT SHOOTING

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

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

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

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

The FBI declined to comment on the investigation.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

MINNESOTA SCHOOLS SHUT DOWN, TEACHERS UNION DEMANDS ICE LEAVE CITY

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

US MAY BE INVOLVED IN VENEZUELA FOR YEARS, TRUMP SAYS

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

SUPREME COURT FREEZES ORDER TO RETURN MAN FROM EL SALVADOR PRISON

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

In addition to the Treasury Department, lawmakers have launched probes into Minnesota’s alleged “Feeding Our Future” $250 million fraud scheme that allegedly targeted a children’s nutrition program the Department of Agriculture funded and that Minnesota oversaw during the COVID-19 pandemic.

At least 77 people have been charged in that scheme, which took advantage of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s decision to waive certain Federal Child Nutrition Program requirements.

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

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

The bulk of those charged are part of Minnesota’s Somali population, prompting Trump to announce in November that he was ending the Temporary Protected Status for Somali migrants in Minnesota that offers protections against deportation.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

OBAMA PRESIDENTIAL CENTER BREAKS SILENCE OVER CONTROVERSIAL BUILDING DESIGN

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

THUNE PREVIEWS SENATE REPUBLICANS’ MIDTERM MESSAGE 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

A Senate Republican intends to block President Donald Trump’s Department of Homeland Security (DHS) nominees until Secretary Kristi Noem appears on Capitol Hill.

Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., told reporters that he was putting holds on future nominees for the agency, because Noem had not yet committed to appearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee.

“My chairman has made two requests in this Congress to have the Homeland Security Secretary [Kristi Noem] come before the committee, and they have yet to confirm that they’re coming,” Tillis said. “That is unacceptable, and so I am putting a hold on anything related to Homeland Security measures until we get an agreement and a scheduled time to come for committee at the least.”

KRISTI NOEM FACES FIRST MAJOR HOMELAND SECURITY GRILLING AS LAWMAKERS PRESS HER ON TERROR THREATS

But he made clear that the blockade was not in response to the death of Renee Nicole Goode, whose fatal shooting by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent on Wednesday sparked protests.

“The only thing that moves through Homeland Security where I will consider an exception would be having anything to do with the disaster response,” he said.

His holds come after Grassley sent two separate invites for Noem to appear before the committee, one in June and the other in September.

5 GOP SENATORS JOIN DEMOCRATS TO STOP TRUMP FROM POLICING VENEZUELA

It also comes on the heels of Senate Republicans touting their blistering pace to confirm several hundred of Trump’s picks.

Still, the move to block Trump’s DHS picks is another instance of Tillis pushing back against the administration. Tillis announced last year that he would not support Trump’s crowning legislative achievement of his second term, the “big, beautiful bill,” over issues with cuts to Medicaid.

He also announced that he would not seek re-election shortly after, and has since on occasion broken ranks with Republicans to push back on the president’s agenda.

SENATE REPUBLICANS PUSH TO DEPORT, DENATURALIZE FRAUDSTERS AMID MINNESOTA SCANDAL

Most recently, he pushed back on recent rumblings from the White House and administration officials that military force was not off the table to advance Trump’s desire to control Greenland.

“I’m sick of stupid,” Tillis said on the Senate floor earlier this week. “I want good advice for this president, because I want this president to have a good legacy. And this nonsense on what’s going on with Greenland is a distraction from the good work he’s doing, and the amateurs who said it was a good idea should lose their jobs.”

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Still, Tillis voted against a related resolution on Thursday to curtail Trump’s future usage of the military in Venezuela, which ultimately advanced with the aid of five Senate Republicans. 

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

The U.S. seizure of the tanker formerly known as Bella I marks a rare escalation in sanctions enforcement against Russia’s so-called “dark fleet,” but experts say the move is unlikely to trigger a broader confrontation with Moscow, at least in the near term.

Analysts largely agree that the interdiction — one of the most direct U.S. actions against a vessel Russia claims was operating under its flag — comes at a moment when the Kremlin has limited appetite for escalation outside Europe and is focused primarily on its war against neighboring Ukraine.

“This is unique,” said Brent Sadler, senior research fellow at the Washington conservative Heritage Foundation think tank. 

The U.S. rarely boards foreign-flagged vessels on the high seas unless the ship’s nationality is in doubt, which he said was the case here due to rapid reflagging and a pattern of sanctions violations.

TREASURY TARGETS OIL TRADERS, TANKERS ACCUSED OF HELPING MADURO EVADE U.S. SANCTIONS

Peter Rough, a senior fellow and director of the Center on Europe and Eurasia at the Hudson Institute think tank, said that the seizure of the tanker reinforces the message that the U.S. is aiming to “call the shots in its own backyard.” Meanwhile, he said that Russia is bogged down fighting its war against Ukraine, meaning it will be challenging for it to engage in a significant way in Latin America. 

Likewise, Russia is also attempting to curry favor with the Trump administration for a favorable outcome in a peace deal ending the conflict with Ukraine, he said. 

“The Donroe Doctrine,” President Donald Trump has called it, fashioning the 1823 Monroe Doctrine warning against European expansion into Latin America after himself. 

The empty vessel was seized in international waters during an operation overseen by U.S. European Command. The Wall Street Journal reported that Russia dispatched a submarine to escort the tanker after the U.S. attempted to seize it off Venezuela, heightening the risk of a naval standoff between two nuclear-armed states.

‘GHOST SHIPS’ FERRYING ILLICIT OIL HAVE SAILED INTO TRUMP’S CROSSHAIRS

Russia has operated a so-called “shadow fleet” of oil tankers for years to evade sanctions imposed after its 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Wednesday’s seizure marks one of the most direct U.S. enforcement actions to date against a vessel tied to that network.

“There’s really not a whole lot of cards the Russians have to play at this point,” Sadler said, anticipating a muted response. 

US AND UKRAINE TARGET 1,000-VESSEL ‘DARK FLEET’ SMUGGLING SANCTIONED OIL WORLDWIDE

Rough also noted that similar actions like the one on Wednesday have not triggered major escalation previously. In October, French authorities boarded and detained a Russia-linked tanker suspected of being part of the shadow fleet off the coast of France without sparking a new crisis. 

In that instance, the tanker was not a Russian-flagged vessel. 

“The upshot is that in light of the administration’s determination to dictate terms on Venezuela-related issues like this and Putin’s desire to work with Trump on what matters most to the Kremlin — Ukraine — I’m inclined to say that Moscow’s response will consist mostly of protesting this action and lodging political and legal complaints,” Rough said in an email to Fox News Digital. “I don’t think it will lead to a full-blown political crisis in U.S.-Russian relations.”

John Hardie, deputy director of the Russia program at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, also predicted the seizure of the Bella I tanker wouldn’t dramatically impact relations between Washington and Moscow. 

“I suspect Moscow reacted the way it did because it worries about a precedent that could lead to U.S. interdiction of tankers moving Russian oil,” Hardie said. “That said, I don’t think the Bella incident alone will have significant impact on relations between the Trump administration and Moscow or the peace talks.”

US COAST GUARD PURSUES THIRD ‘DARK FLEET’ OIL TANKER AS TRUMP TARGETS VENEZUELAN SANCTIONS EVASION NETWORK

Russia has accused U.S. naval forces of illegally boarding the vessel — which had been reflagged as the Merinera under temporary Russian authorization Dec. 24 — arguing the action violated international maritime law. U.S. officials have not publicly detailed the legal justification for the seizure.

While Moscow’s response has so far been limited to diplomatic and legal objections, the incident has drawn attention because of how unusual the operation was. 

Mark Cancian, a senior adviser with the Center for Strategic & International Studies’ defense and security department, said that there are hundreds of sanctioned oil ships in the sea — with at least 100 of them belonging to Russia. If the U.S. started targeting more tankers, that would have a “huge” impact on countries like Russia and Iran, he said. 

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“The one tanker will be an annoyance to Russia, and they’ll complain,” Cancian told Fox News Digital Wednesday. “I think the bigger issue is whether we or other countries, start going after other tankers with sanctioned oil.” 

FIRST ON FOX: A leading education watchdog group released a report this week alleging that a state-funded teacher preparation partnership in Minnesota explicitly limits eligibility based on race, possibly in violation of federal law.

According to a report released by Defending Education, the Minnesota Educators Partnership (MEP), a collaboration between MSU Mankato and several southern Minnesota school districts, operates multiple teacher pipeline programs that are restricted to Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) applicants despite being funded with taxpayer dollars through the Minnesota Department of Education.

The partnership in question, according to the report, received $1.5 million in state grants in 2023 as part of Minnesota’s “Grow Your Own” (GYO) program, which was designed to recruit and train teachers to work throughout schools in the state with the goal of diversifying the teaching workforce.

The report focuses on two MEP initiatives known as “Teachers of Tomorrow,” which targets high school students, and “Teaching Fellows,” an adult pathway designed to help participants earn teaching licenses.

GOT A SCOOP ON CAMPUS? SEND US A TIP HERE

Program documents obtained by Defending Education for the Teaching Fellows initiative state that it is “open to applicants who are Black, Indigenous, or People of Color (BIPOC)” and require participants to be “of color or American Indian.” Some application materials require applicants to affirmatively check a box stating they are BIPOC in order to apply. 

In addition to eligibility requirements, the report also highlights race-based rules governing how the partnership is run. According to program documentation, all project decisions for the Teaching Fellows initiative are made by a council that “must be majority individuals of color.”

The Defending Education report argues that state data backs up their concerns and references a 2024 Minnesota Department of Education report showing that in several participating districts, 100% of MEP participants identified as “People of Color or Indigenous.” 

WATCHDOG URGES DOJ PROBE OF TOP RESEARCH UNIVERSITY OVER ALLEGED ILLEGAL DEI PRACTICES: ‘DEFIES COMMON SENSE’

Erika Sanzi, Senior Director of Communications at Defending Education, told Fox News Digital that the actions may violate Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of race in programs receiving federal funding.

“Minnesota’s race-based programming for aspiring teachers is likely illegal and I wouldn’t be surprised if federal authorities decide to take a closer look,” Sanzi told Fox News Digital.

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“The goal of diversifying the teacher pipeline isn’t the problem; discriminating on the basis of race is the problem.” 

In a statement to Fox News Digital, a MSU-Mankato spokesperson told Fox News Digital that “access to education for all students is among Minnesota State University, Mankato’s core values as an institution, and we are proud of our institutional commitment to an inclusive environment where all are welcome.”

“Minnesota State University, Mankato follows all grant criteria established by the Minnesota Department of Education’s Grow Your Own program and Minnesota state law. Minnesota State Mankato’s website provides more information about the Minnesota Educators Partnership, Teachers of Tomorrow and more.”

The report comes as the Trump administration has made efforts to crack down on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) measures in schools across the country in the form of executive orders aiming to ensure federal funding isn’t allocated to jurisdictions or institutions that focus on race-based curriculum or hiring practices. 

President Donald Trump announced in an early Friday morning Truth Social post that he has “cancelled the previously expected second Wave of Attacks” against Venezuela in light of the nation’s “cooperation.”

“Venezuela is releasing large numbers of political prisoners as a sign of ‘Seeking Peace.’ This is a very important and smart gesture. The U.S.A. and Venezuela are working well together, especially as it pertains to rebuilding, in a much bigger, better, and more modern form, their oil and gas infrastructure. Because of this cooperation, I have cancelled the previously expected second Wave of Attacks, which looks like it will not be needed, however, all ships will stay in place for safety and security purposes,” Trump said in the post.

“At least 100 Billion Dollars will be invested by BIG OIL, all of whom I will be meeting with today at The White House. Thank you for your attention to this matter!” he added.

This is a breaking news story and will be updated

 

A Catholic legal group has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to block a California law that prevents public schools from notifying parents of transgender students’ gender identities.

The Thomas More Society filed an emergency appeal on Thursday asking the Supreme Court to reinstate a ruling issued last month by a federal judge who said parents with religious objections can opt out of the law’s restrictions. The challenged provisions bar teachers from informing parents if a student wishes to change their pronouns or gender identity, according to reporting by POLITICO.

“Parents only relinquish authority needed for the school to carry out its ‘educational mission’ … they do not delegate the authority to make decisions regarding whether their child is a boy or a girl,” attorneys for the Thomas More Society wrote in the appeal.

FEDERAL JUDGE STRIKES DOWN ‘GENDER SECRECY’ POLICIES IN CALIFORNIA PUBLIC SCHOOLS

The law, signed into law by California Gov. Gavin Newsom in 2024 and in effect for the past year, also bars teachers from disclosing a student’s sexual orientation. That provision, however, is not directly at issue in the current legal challenge. 

The measure was adopted after several school districts in the Golden State implemented policies requiring teachers to contact parents if students wanted to change their name, pronouns or gender identity – policies that critics labeled “forced outing.” 

The law allows disclosure of a student’s gender identity in “compelling” circumstances, a standard opponents argue is vague and insufficient. 

There are exceptions under the law allowing schools to disclose a student’s gender identity in “compelling” circumstances.

U.S. District Judge Roger Benitez issued a permanent injunction last month blocking parts of the law, siding with two Escondido Union School District teachers — Elizabeth Mirabelli and Lori Ann West — who argued their district’s policies violated their constitutional and religious rights.

OREGON EDUCATORS WIN 650K SETTLEMENT AFTER SCHOOL DISTRICT FIRED THEM OVER GENDER POLICY COMMENTS

“Parents have a right to receive gender information and teachers have a right to provide to parents accurate information about a child’s gender identity,” Benitez wrote in the ruling. “Parents and guardians have a federal constitutional right to be informed if their public school student child expresses gender incongruence.” 

The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals later paused Benitez’s ruling while California appeals the decision, keeping the law in effect for now.

In addition to seeking emergency relief from the nation’s highest court, lawyers challenging the law said they plan to ask a larger panel of Ninth Circuit judges to allow Benitez’s injunction to take effect.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta’s office said the state would continue defending the law.

“We look forward to continuing to make our case in court,” a spokesperson for Bonta’s office told POLITICO.

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The case comes amid broader scrutiny of California’s education policies. In March, the Trump administration announced the Education Department had launched an investigation into the state’s enforcement of the law.