NationalWatch

Socialist New York Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani announced on Tuesday that he is appointing controversial lawyer Ramzi Kassem, who defended al Qaeda terrorist Ahmed al-Darbi in court, as the city’s top attorney.

Mamdani, who will take office on Jan. 1, announced he was appointing Kassem as New York City’s chief counsel, the top legal role in the city. He also shared that he is appointing Steven Banks a self-proclaimed “social justice attorney” as corporation counsel and Helen Arteaga as deputy mayor for health and human services.

Kassem’s record includes serving as a senior policy advisor for immigration on the White House Domestic Policy Council under former President Joe Biden.

Kassem served as lead counsel in al-Darbi’s defense. In 2014, al-Darbi pled guilty before a U.S. military commission to conspiracy in connection with an al Qaeda terrorist plot to bomb the French oil tanker MV Limburg off the coast of Yemen. One civilian was killed in the attack and several others were injured. He was convicted of the crime in 2017 and was transferred by the Trump administration in 2018 to Saudi Arabia’s custody.

FLASHBACK: INSIDE THE POLITICAL MOVEMENT THAT PUT A SOCIALIST IN CHARGE OF NEW YORK CITY

“While it may not make him whole, my hope is that repatriation at least marks the end of injustice for Ahmed,” Kassem said at the time of the transfer, adding he had “16 long and painful years in captivity.”

In 2025, Kassem represented anti-Israel activist and Columbia student Mahmoud Khalil who was arrested by ICE for his alleged role in leading antisemitic demonstrations on campus. Khalil has since been released, though his legal case is ongoing.

Announcing the appointment, Mamdani said, “I will turn to Ramzi for his remarkable experience and his commitment to defending those too often abandoned by our legal system.”

The mayor-elect said that “City Hall will be stronger with him in it, and our work of building a more prosperous city for all will have a powerful advocate.”

AOC TO DELIVER OPENING REMARKS AT MAMDANI’S INAUGURATION, BERNIE SANDERS TO ADMINISTER OATH OF OFFICE

“My sincere hope is that New Yorkers who have long felt on the margins of this city, the homeless veteran straining to survive, the patient searching for the care that they need, an immigrant trying to get by will feel that they now have leaders in their corner who understand their struggles and care to fight for them,” Mamdani went on, adding, “That is the city I want to build. The prosperity I intend to deliver and the leadership that has too long been lacking.”

Kassem thanked Mamdani for the appointment, saying he considers it a “call of duty to serve the city that I’ve called home, the city that embraced me.”

“I grew up in war-torn countries in the Middle East, authoritarian regimes, and New York City was really my first stable and permanent home,” said Kassem. “This is an opportunity for me to repay that debt. I’ve been trying to repay that debt ever since I came to this country, ever since I immigrated.”

20% OF NYC MAYOR-ELECT MAMDANI TRANSITION APPOINTEES HAVE ANTI-ZIONIST TIES: ADL

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Kassem is the founder of the Creating Law Enforcement Accountability & Responsibility (CLEAR) law clinic, a project that, according to its website, has a mandate “to support Muslim and all other client, communities, and movements in the New York City area and beyond that are targeted by local, state, or federal government agencies under the guise of national security and counterterrorism.”

The Trump administration is suing Virginia over a law that allows some illegal immigrants to pay in-state tuition rates to attend universities and colleges.

Federal law prohibits states from providing illegal immigrants postsecondary education benefits that are denied to U.S. citizens. 

The Justice Department, which filed the lawsuit in Richmond, argues that Virginia state law discriminates against American citizens who can’t afford the same reduced tuition rates, scholarships or subsidies and that it incentivizes illegal immigration. 

“This is not only wrong but illegal. The challenged act’s discriminatory treatment in favor of illegal aliens over citizens is squarely prohibited and preempted by federal law,” the 13-page complaint states. “There are no exceptions. Virginia violates it nonetheless.”

TRUMP ADMINISTRATION BANS ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS FROM TAXPAYER-FUNDED SERVICES, INCLUDING HEAD START

Under state law, students who establish residency in Virginia for one year could be eligible for in-state tuition, regardless of their immigration status. 

The complaint urges Virginia to stop providing illegal immigrants with in-state tuition rates, financial aid or other state benefits.

TRUMP ADMIN SUES COLORADO, DENVER OVER ‘SANCTUARY LAWS,’ ALLEGED INTERFERENCE IN IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT

“This is a simple matter of federal law: in Virginia and nationwide, schools cannot provide benefits to illegal aliens that they do not provide to U.S. citizens,” said U.S. Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “This Department of Justice will not tolerate American students being treated like second-class citizens in their own country.”

Fox News Digital has reached out to the office of Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares for comment. 

The Trump administration has filed tuition lawsuits against several other states, including Texas, Kentucky, Illinois, Oklahoma, Minnesota and California. 

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Upon taking office, President Donald Trump signed two executive orders to ensure illegal immigrants can’t obtain taxpayer benefits or preferential treatment.

A federal judge ordered the Trump administration to produce documents related to its decision to investigate and bring criminal charges against Salvadoran migrant Kilmar Abrego Garcia while he was detained at a maximum-security prison in El Salvador earlier this year – signaling what is sure to be an action-packed evidentiary hearing in Nashville next month. 

The order, filed by U.S. Judge Waverly Crenshaw earlier this month and released to the public Tuesday afternoon, requires the Justice Department to produce all relevant documents to defense lawyers pertaining to its decision earlier this year to open an investigation and seek criminal charges against Abrego Garcia for conduct stemming from a 2022 traffic stop. 

ABREGO GARCIA REMAINS IN US FOR NOW AS JUDGE TAKES CASE UNDER ADVISEMENT

The Justice Department opened the criminal investigation and presented the case to a grand jury earlier this year, when Abrego Garcia was detained at CECOT, and at the same time as lawyers for the Trump administration officials were telling a separate federal judge in Maryland that they were powerless to bring him back from Salvadoran custody. 

The new order stops short of compelling any government witnesses to testify for next month’s hearing, including testimony from Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, whose remarks – for months – have been at the center of the vindictive prosecution effort pursued by Abrego Garcia’s defense team in Tennessee.

Abrego Garcia’s attorneys have argued Blanche played “a leading role” in the decision to prosecute him, a notion Blanche’s office has vehemently dismissed.

They had also honed in on the involvement of Blanche’s associate, Aakash Singh. 

“The cornerstone of Abrego’s motion to dismiss is that the decision to prosecute him was in retaliation for his success in the Maryland District Court,” Crenshaw said in the newly unsealed ruling. 

“Indeed, at the time of Abrego’s arrest, Blanche linked Abrego’s criminal charges to his successful civil lawsuit in Maryland. Specifically, some of the documents suggest not only that McGuire was not a solitary decision-maker, but he, in fact, reported to others in DOJ and the decision to prosecute Abrego may have been a joint decision, with others who may or may not have acted with improper motivation.” 

U.S. District Judge Waverly Crenshaw had ruled in October that Abrego Garcia had established a “reasonable likelihood” that the criminal case against him was the result of vindictive prosecution by the Justice Department, a determination that shifted the burden to the government to rebut ahead of the criminal trial, and ordered the Trump administration to produce for the court internal documents and government witnesses to testify about its decision to bring the case. 

SCOTUS TO REVIEW TRUMP EXECUTIVE ORDER ON BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP

Lawyers for the Justice Department fiercely resisted efforts to produce government witnesses or documents, arguing that the documents should be protected by attorney-client privilege and work-product privilege, among other things. 

The evidentiary hearing is slated to take place on Jan. 28.

Crenshaw separately canceled the criminal trial date for Abrego Garcia, though the update is likely more a procedural one than a reflection of the status of the case.

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Abrego Garcia’s status has been at the center of a legal and political maelstrom for nearly 11 months, after he was arrested and deported to his home country of El Salvador, in violation of a 2019 withholding of removal order. 

This is a breaking news story. Check back for updates.

SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk did not mince his words describing Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, as Minnesota faces investigations into multiple alleged fraud schemes plaguing the state’s social services system.

Walz has faced increased scrutiny in recent weeks amid these investigations, while President Donald Trump has labeled Minnesota a “hub of fraudulent money laundering activity.”

“Traitor Tim Walz,” Musk said in a Tuesday post on X. 

Musk’s comments came in response to another post on social media joking about a caller informing personal finance expert Dave Ramsey on his radio program about Walz’s leadership as governor.

FEDS LAUNCH ‘MASSIVE’ INVESTIGATION AFTER VIRAL VIDEO ALLEGES MINNESOTA DAYCARE FRAUD 

Specifically, the post pointed out that Walz raised taxes and burned through billions in a state surplus, and now is under scrutiny stemming from several key fraud schemes targeting the state’s Medicaid program and other federally funded programs that feed children.

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

The Trump administration and lawmakers have launched probes into Minnesota’s “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.

LOEFFLER: VAST NETWORK OF SOMALI NONPROFITS RIPPED OFF MINNESOTA’S WELFARE STATE 

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

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.

HHS PROBES MINNESOTA’S USE OF BILLIONS IN FEDERAL SOCIAL SERVICE FUNDS AMID FRAUD CONCERNS: REPORT

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. 

Additionally, the Department of Homeland Security announced Tuesday that it was spearheading a major operation to arrest and remove those involved in the fraud. 

“Our investigative agents are conducting a massive operation to identify, arrest, and remove criminals who are defrauding the American people. We will root out this rampant fraud plaguing Minnesota,” the Department of Homeland Security wrote on X.

COMER SUMMONS MINNESOTA OFFICIALS AS HOUSE PROBES MASSIVE SOCIAL SERVICES FRAUD

Even so, state officials have pushed back against fraud accusations, especially after a video YouTuber Nick Shirley posted Friday went viral, putting the spotlight on alleged fraud involving Minnesota childcare and learning centers. 

In response to the video, a spokesperson for Walz said that the governor had worked for years to “crack down” on fraud, and has “strengthened oversight” of these state programs. 

Likewise, Minnesota Department of Children, Youth and Families Commissioner Tikki Brown said Monday during a press conference that previous inspections of the centers did not detect fraud and that regulators are administering more unannounced visits to investigate the situation further.

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“We are aware of a video that’s being circulated that has gained local and national attention about childcare centers in Minnesota,” Brown said. “While we have questions about some of the methods that were used in the video, we do take the concerns that the video raises about fraud very seriously.”

Fox News’ Louis Casiano and The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

Bipartisan lawmakers on the Select Committee on China accused Beijing of escalating tensions in the region on Tuesday, warning that Capitol Hill had taken notice of their military display around Taiwan.

“As the world turns toward a new year, the People’s Liberation Army’s live-fire military exercises around Taiwan represent a deliberate escalation by Beijing,” the committee’s chairman, Rep. John Moolenaar, R-Mich., and ranking member Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-Ill., said in a joint press release.

CHINA SURROUNDS TAIWAN WITH WARSHIPS, FIGHTER JETS IN LARGEST MILITARY DRILLS ON RECORD

“These drills are intended to intimidate Taiwan and other democracies in the region and to undermine peace and stability across the Indo-Pacific.” 

Moolenaar and Krishnamoorthi’s statement comes as China conducts a two-day show of force in the Taiwan Strait. The country fired rockets into the international waters around Taiwan and deployed amphibious assault ships, bombers, drones and other vessels to the area. 

China is conducting exercises on all four sides of Taiwan, grounding international flights. 

MOST SHOCKING EXAMPLES OF CHINESE ESPIONAGE UNCOVERED BY THE US THIS YEAR: ‘JUST THE TIP OF THE ICEBERG’ 

This is not the first time China has engaged in saber-rattling around Taiwan, which Beijing claims as part of its territory.

President Donald Trump, in a statement on Monday, said he was not worried about China’s display of force, adding that he has a “great relationship” with Chinese President Xi Jinping. Trump noted that China has been conducting naval and military exercises in the region for 20 years.

CHINA, RUSSIA CONDEMN US PRESSURE ON VENEZUELA

Lawmakers in the House said China’s displays of power are intended to extend the CCP’s influence beyond its borders.

“By rehearsing coercive military scenarios and projecting force beyond its borders, the Chinese Communist Party is seeking to reshape the regional order through aggression and intimidation,” the committee said.

Lawmakers added that they would continue to support Taiwan.

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“The United States stands with Taiwan and fellow democracies and will continue to work with partners to preserve Taiwan’s security and uphold a free, open, and stable Indo-Pacific,” their statement said. 

Sen. Jim Justice, R-W.V., believed that Republicans had accomplished numerous feats in 2025, but he and his party had fallen woefully short of truly understanding what the everyday American thinks.

“We, as Republicans, and I have said this so many times, we’re lousy,” Justice told Fox News Digital. “We’re great at doing the good things, but we’re lousy at really knowing what Toby and Edith are thinking. And that causes a lot of problems.”

“Toby” and “Edith” are the names Justice gives to the average voter, a group he said that he knows well from his time as West Virginia’s governor for eight years before joining the Senate after scoring an easy victory in the 2024 election.

SEN MURPHY WARNS ‘PEOPLE ARE GOING TO DIE’ AS CONGRESS PUNTS ON EXPIRING OBAMACARE SUBSIDIES

Justice’s frustration came as Congress was readying to leave Washington, D.C., until the new year. Lawmakers had failed to tackle one last remaining issue after scores of legislative victories in the upper chamber: extending, or replacing, expiring Obamacare premium subsidies.

Those tax credits are set to lapse Wednesday, and tens of millions of Americans will see their out-of-pocket costs for healthcare double, triple and in some cases skyrocket by more than 300%.

Justice said that, as governor, there was understanding the credits would expire, given that Democrats under former President Joe Biden both enhanced the subsidies and set an expiration date for the end of the year. 

REPUBLICANS CONSIDER USING RECONCILIATION AGAIN AFTER TRUMP’S BIGGEST LEGISLATIVE WIN

But to Toby and Edith, the political machinations and fights that dominated the latter part of the year mattered little. It’s the end result that they’re paying attention to, Justice said.

“They’re thinking, ‘Well, you know, I know [former President Barack] Obama started all this stuff, and I know it didn’t work, and everything, but the Republicans are pretty much in charge right now,’” Justice said. “‘So, you know, if they’re in charge, why don’t they fix it?’”

Effectively, he said, the extra money that people had to work with thanks to the subsidies would vanish, putting families and the Tobys and Ediths in the country under more financial strain.

“That’s how they think, you know,” Justice said. “And so what I would say to you is, if Republicans aren’t concerned about that, they’re making a bad move on the chessboard.”

SENATE QUIETLY WORKS ON BIPARTISAN OBAMACARE FIX AS HEALTHCARE CLIFF NEARS

What a fix could look like is in the air, for now. Senate Republicans’ plan to convert the subsidies into health savings accounts failed. So did Senate Democrats’ push for a three-year extension.

There are options bubbling from the House, including the GOP’s package that doesn’t address the subsidies, and a bipartisan plan that, similar to Senate Democrats’ proposal, would extend the subsidies for three years. The latter is expected to get a vote in early January.

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Justice lauded President Donald Trump and Republicans’ work throughout the year, arguing that the GOP trifecta had “almost pitched nine perfect games,” but the healthcare issue was one that would sting, politically and on the ground.

“I think just an extension doesn’t work,” Justice said. “We need to fix it. We need to fix it all. And I think that’s what President Trump is really trying to do. He’s trying to get the money in their hands, instead of the money to insurance companies. All that’s great and everything, but I’m telling you, our messaging is, as Republicans, is not great in my book.”

A host of performers have canceled upcoming shows at the Kennedy Center — after the White House announced President Donald Trump’s name would be added to the performing arts institution in Washington. 

The Cookers, a jazz septet, was slated to perform twice on New Year’s Eve at the Kennedy Center’s Terrace Theater. However, the group announced Monday that it would no longer be performing those shows. 

“Jazz was born from struggle and from a relentless insistence on freedom: freedom of thought, of expression, and of the full human voice,” the Cookers said in a Monday statement. “Some of us have been making this music for many decades, and that history still shapes us. We are not turning away from our audience, and do want to make sure that when we do return to the bandstand, the room is able to celebrate the full presence of the music and everyone in it.” 

Additionally, the band’s drummer, Billy Hart, told The New York Times that the addition of Trump’s name to the performing arts center “evidently” played a factor in the group’s decision to withdraw.

KELSEY GRAMMER CALLS TRUMP ‘ONE OF THE GREATEST PRESIDENTS WE’VE EVER HAD’ AT KENNEDY CENTER HONORS

Likewise, Doug Varone and Dancers also unveiled plans Monday that the New York dance company would no longer perform in shows at the Kennedy Center originally scheduled for April. 

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

Meanwhile, Kennedy Center President Richard Grenell said that those who have canceled their upcoming shows were booked under the former, “far left leadership.”

CHEAP TRICK DEFENDS TRUMP-HOSTED KENNEDY CENTER PERFORMANCE AS A TRIBUTE TO KISS

“The artists who are now canceling shows were booked by the previous far left leadership,” Grenell said in a post on social media Monday. “Their actions prove that the previous team was more concerned about booking far left political activists rather than artists willing to perform for everyone regardless of their political beliefs. Boycotting the Arts to show you support the Arts is a form of derangement syndrome. The arts are for everyone and the left is mad about it.” 

The cancellations come days after the Kennedy Center’s board voted unanimously to rename the institution the “Trump–Kennedy Center” on Dec. 18. Additionally, Trump’s name was added to the Kennedy Center’s exterior, and its website header was updated to “The Trump Kennedy Center.”

Other musical guests also have canceled their performances at the Kennedy Center recently, following the name change. For example, longtime jazz musician Chuck Redd announced earlier in December he was pulling out of his Christmas Eve performance. 

“When I saw the name change on the Kennedy Center website and then hours later on the building, I chose to cancel our concert,” Redd told The Associated Press Wednesday.

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Trump removed leadership at the Kennedy Center in February, and is now currently serving as the Kennedy Center board chair. Members serving on the Kennedy Center Board of Trustees include second lady Usha Vance, White House chief of staff Susie Wiles and White House deputy chief of staff Dan Scavino. 

Fox News’ Michael Sinkewicz contributed to this report. 

The No. 2 Republican in the House of Representatives believes it’s time to deport Somalis who participated in expansive fraud in Minnesota – even if they hold citizenship. 

“I have three words regarding Somalis who have committed fraud against American taxpayers: Send them home,” Rep. Tom Emmer, R-Minn., said in a press release Monday evening.

LOEFFLER: VAST NETWORK OF SOMALI NONPROFITS RIPPED OFF MINNESOTA’S WELFARE STATE

“If they’re here illegally, deport them immediately; if they’re naturalized citizens, revoke their citizenship and deport them quickly thereafter. If we need to change the law to do that, I will.”

Emmer’s statement comes after recent revelations that fraud schemes targeting government benefit programs in the North Star State may have robbed taxpayers of up to $9 billion. 

In recent months, investigators have uncovered sweeping fraud schemes masquerading as daycare centers, medical providers and food assistance programs, siphoning millions in government funds by fabricating services or inflating the number of people they claimed to serve.

According to Emmer, 90% of the people charged with fraud have a Somali background.

“Our nation will not tolerate those who take advantage of our charity and refuse to assimilate into our culture,” Emmer said.

STATE OFFICIALS AND DAYCARE MANAGER PUSH BACK ON VIRAL VIDEO FRAUD ALLEGATIONS IN MINNESOTA

While federal and congressional investigations continue to work through numerous schemes, one of the more troubling questions about the fraud is about where the money could end up. City Journal, a national magazine, first reported that some of those funds could have gone to Al-Shabaab – an Islamic terror group with ties to al Qaeda.

While the group also operates out of Kenya and Ethiopia, Al-Shabaab is primarily concentrated in Somalia.

“If any naturalized Somalis had undisclosed ties to terrorist organizations like Al-Shabaab, I want to see their citizenship revoked and their a–es sent back immediately. Same goes for anyone who is found to have committed marriage fraud during the immigration process,” Emmer said.

Under current law, U.S. citizens born into the country may not have their citizenship revoked as a penalty for crimes they commit. Naturalized citizens can have their status revoked, but only in a handful of scenarios.

Under the Immigration and Nationality Act, naturalized immigrants can only have their citizenship revoked if they misrepresented their record in the application, such as hiding criminal histories or using a fake identity.

UNEARTHED SURVEILLANCE EXPOSES HOW PARENTS WERE ALLEGEDLY INVOLVED IN MINNESOTA’S DAYCARE FRAUD SCHEME

Earlier this month, the Supreme Court announced it would review the constitutionality of an executive order from President Donald Trump that aims to exclude children born to parents with temporary or unlawful status from U.S. citizenship.

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The court will hear that case in spring 2026. 

President Donald Trump granted clemency this year to a range of figures he viewed as victims of an unfair justice system. Some were tied to his newfound interest in cryptocurrency or shared in his 2020 election grievances, while another was simply brought up during a round of golf.

While presidents of both parties have long used their pardon power in controversial ways, Trump’s clemency activity in 2025 stood out for its volume and for the deal-making style that has been a defining feature of his approach to power. 

What follows is a list of some of the president’s most controversial pardons in 2025. 

Jan. 6 defendants

The day Trump took office, he issued mass clemency to nearly all his supporters who had been convicted of federal offenses related to the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot.

Trump said at the time they had been “treated very unfair” by prosecutors and the courts.

Roughly 1,600 people faced charges over the Capitol attack, and the Department of Justice secured guilty pleas or convictions for more than 1,200 of them, according to federal data. About 200 pleaded guilty to felonies that included assaulting officers, and more than 200 others were convicted in trials of offenses that included attacking law enforcement.

Trump singled out 14 of the defendants, some of whom received prison sentences that stretched beyond a decade, and commuted their sentences instead of pardoning them. They included numerous Oath Keepers and Proud Boys leaders.

BOASBERG REVERSES COURSE ON JAN. 6 DEFENDANTS PARDONED BY TRUMP

The president also directed the DOJ to drop pending cases for all the remaining defendants. The grand act of clemency wiped out one of the DOJ’s largest and most resource-intensive law enforcement operations in history. Cases were brought throughout all four years of the Biden administration.

Changpeng Zhao

The founder and former CEO of Binance, the largest cryptocurrency platform, was convicted of anti-money laundering violations and received a full pardon in October 2025.

The pardon came one week after Donald Trump Jr. introduced a lobbyist for Zhao to Trump while on stage at Charlie Kirk’s memorial.

Critics observed that Binance has boosted the Trump family’s cryptocurrency company, but a lawyer denied any business reasons for the pardon, instead telling The Wall Street Journal Zhao was “pardoned for justice.”

George Santos

The former U.S. representative who was found to be a serial fabulist after his congressional run had his seven-year prison sentence commuted in October 2025.

Santos pleaded guilty to federal fraud and identity-theft charges, admitting to using campaign funds to buy luxury products and pay off his credit card debt.

Fellow Long Island Republicans who had previously called for his resignation reacted angrily to the commutation, with Rep. Andrew Garbarino, R-N.Y., calling it “not justice” and unfair to the people Santos defrauded.

HONDURAS ISSUES WARRANT FOR FORMER PRESIDENT PARDONED BY TRUMP

Trump said Santos, who became an outspoken supporter of the president prior to receiving the pardon, was mistreated in jail. Santos “has been in solitary confinement for long stretches of time and, by all accounts, has been horribly mistreated,” Trump said.

Tim Leiweke

Leiweke, a sports executive, was charged by the Trump DOJ’s Antitrust Division with rigging a bid to build an arena at the University of Texas.

The DOJ accused Leiweke of violating the Sherman Act by gypping the university and taxpayers out of a fair bidding process to benefit his own company.

Former Rep. Trey Gowdy, who represented Leiweke, persuaded Trump to grant his client the pardon after a round of golf at Mar-a-Lago, The Wall Street Journal first reported.

Juan Orlando Hernandez

Trump issued a heavily criticized pardon to Hernandez, the former president of Honduras, who had been convicted in a U.S. federal court on drug-trafficking and firearms charges and sentenced to 45 years in prison for helping cocaine traffickers move hundreds of tons of narcotics into the U.S.

Trump’s pardon, granted in December, freed Hernandez from prison in West Virginia just days before Honduras’s presidential election. Honduras responded by issuing a warrant for Hernandez’s arrest.

Trump claimed Hernandez had been unfairly prosecuted by the Biden administration. Critics observed that Trump has pushed legal boundaries to carry out one of his top agenda items, cracking down on drug trafficking, and that Hernandez’s release was counterproductive to that mission.

The Chrisleys

Todd and Julie Chrisley, reality TV stars from “Chrisley Knows Best,” were convicted in 2022 of bank fraud and tax evasion and both serving prison sentences when Trump pardoned them in May. Trump cited “pretty harsh treatment” as his reason for the clemency.

Their daughter, Savannah, endorsed Trump during the Republican National Committee convention ahead of the 2024 election. The daughter revealed in December she is stepping into a cohost role on “The View.” Incidentally, Savannah Chrisley’s future cohosts had slammed her parents’ pardon as unethical.

NEW MOTION SEEKS COLORADO CLERK TINA PETERS’ RELEASE, CHALLENGING STATE AFTER TRUMP PARDON

“If you are a reality star with a lot of money, and a tax cheat, and you commit fraud, then that’s good. We’re going to give you a pardon,” anti-Trump host Joy Behar had said.

Devon Archer

Trump granted a full pardon to Archer, who was convicted in a federal fraud case, in March 2025. Archer was a longtime business partner of Hunter Biden but became an ally to House Republicans as they investigated the Bidens for what they said were corrupt foreign business dealings.

Henry Cuellar and his wife

The Democratic congressman from Texas and his wife were pardoned after the Biden DOJ brought federal bribery charges against them.

Trump claimed they were unfairly targeted because Henry Cuellar, a moderate who represented a battleground district in South Texas, supported more border security than many of his Democratic colleagues. However, when Cuellar filed for reelection as a Democrat after Trump’s pardon, the president said he was displeased.

“Such a lack of LOYALTY,” Trump wrote on social media. “Oh well, next time, no more Mr. Nice guy!”

Tina Peters

Trump announced in December that he pardoned Tina Peters, the former Mesa County, Colorado, elections clerk who was serving a 9-year state prison sentence for orchestrating a data-breach scheme to advance fraud claims related to the 2020 election.

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Trump framed the pardon as support for her efforts to “expose voter fraud,” but because her convictions were in Colorado state court, legal experts and state officials say the president has no authority to pardon state-level convictions, and her sentence has not been automatically erased or resulted in her release.

Minnesota Republican senatorial candidate David Hann is calling on one of his potential Democratic opponents to apologize after a video of her wearing a hijab and supporting the Somali community amidst a massive fraud scandal went viral on social media.

“It’s emblematic of the way she and other Democrat politicians in Minnesota have behaved over the past decade or so. They’re very political,” said former Minnesota state Sen. David Hann, who is running for Senate in the Republican primary, of Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan’s video wearing a hijab and defending the Somali community amid a massive fraud scandal that has rocked Minnesota over the past several years.

“They just are pandering to political constituencies, and they’re not doing the job that they were elected to do.”

In the video, which was widely criticized by conservatives on social media last week, Flanagan can be seen donning a hijab while talking to Somali constituents.

MINNESOTA GOP LAWMAKERS CITE CONSTITUTION IN CALL FOR WALZ TO RESIGN OVER FRAUD CRISIS

“Salam alaikum,” Flanagan says in the video giving an Arabic greeting before saying, “The Somali community is part of the fabric of the state of Minnesota.”

“I am here shopping today and just encouraging other folks to show up, support our Somali businesses, support our immigrant neighbors, and I know that things are scary right now,” Flanagan added in the video that was aired on Somali TV.

“Being part of Minnesota and growing up here, the Somali community has always been a part of my Minnesota,” Flanagan added, while telling residents to “show up and support our Somali businesses and our immigrant neighbors.”

 “We’ve got your back,” Flanagan said. 

Flanagan, who has not spoken out in response to the viral investigation from journalist Nick Shirley highlighting the alleged fraud problem in Minnesota, faced criticism over the video from those who accused her of downplaying the scandal.

MEDIA ‘COMPLICITY’ BLAMED AS FEDS SAY MINNESOTA FRAUD CRISIS COULD REACH $9B: ‘SHOWN THEIR TRUE COLORS’

“This is what political performance looks like — symbolism over accountability — while billions in taxpayer dollars vanish,” Fox News anchor Laura Ingraham posted on X. “Minnesota Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan wears hijab in solidarity with Somalis as feds probe multibillion-dollar fraud scandal.”

Hann told Fox News Digital that Flanagan should apologize for and retract the video.

“They did not do their duty out of concern that they would offend a political constituency,” Hann said. “So they haven’t done anything to take responsibility for what the public expects them to do. So yes, she should apologize.”

“She certainly should not be sent to Washington to oversee federal dollars being spent. But it’s emblematic of the way Democrats have governed in this state. They like to posture, they like to tell people how compassionate they are. They tell us our high taxes are helping people, but they really haven’t demonstrated a concern for helping people. They’re more interested in just spending.”

Fox News Digital has extensively reported in recent weeks on the Minnesota fraud scandal, including concerns that the fear of being called “racist” helped provide cover for the fraud, which primarily occurred within the state’s Somali community.

LAWMAKERS PROBE SBA LOANS LINKED TO MINNESOTA’S $9B FRAUD SCANDAL: ‘RECKLESS DECISION MAKING’

“The Somali voting block is significant in the Minneapolis area, of course, and they’re concerned about that,” Hann told Fox News Digital. “And yes, I’ve seen those reports as well, that there were concerns about how this would appear. Most of the fraud was conducted by Somalis who put up these shell companies and looted the public treasury and I think the Democrats were concerned that if they went after that, they would appear to be picking on the Somali community when, in fact, they needed to enforce the law.”

“I think every community wants to see the laws enforced and people in Minnesota want to see laws enforced. And this is why this is so terrible. They are just failing to do the duty that they were elected to do.”

The lieutenant governor, who has been in office since 2019, is challenging two other Democratic candidates in the Senate primary race to fill the seat of outgoing Democratic Sen. Tina Smith. Former Democratic presidential candidate and current Sen. Amy Klobuchar serves as the other senator from the state.

In a statement to Fox News Digital, Flanagan spokesperson Alexandra Fetissoff said the focus should be on the Trump administration’s efforts to deport illegal immigrants in Minnesota.

 “While the Lt. Governor was showing her support for small businesses and communities being terrorized by ICE, she was handed a scarf by a friend and briefly wore it out of respect,” Fetissoff said. “The real outrage should not be a scarf, but masked men throwing American citizens into vans and violating the constitution.”

Flanagan’s team also clarified that while many on social media have claimed she said Somalis “built” Minnesota, “she does not say that in the video.”

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Last week, Fox News Digital first reported on legislation introduced by GOP Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks named after Tim Walz that is aimed at addressing future fraud like what has occurred in Minnesota and could total as much as $9 billion, according to federal prosecutors.

If elected to the Senate, Hann told Fox News Digital he would push for more “safeguards.”

“But I think we should also be looking at, how can we reform the whole welfare establishment?” Hann explained. 

“Are there better ways to help people? We should be more concerned about trying to make sure people’s lives are improved, rather than just spending money. It seems to me that the Waltz administration has been focused on just handing out money, Democrats in Washington just hand out the money and no accountability and no attempt to figure out the effectiveness of the programs that we have, we need to take a hard look at that.”

Fox News Digital’s Preston Mizell contributed to this report

Back on Inauguration Day, few in Washington would have believed that the highly publicized friendship between President Donald Trump and Elon Musk would implode before the year’s end.

No political partnership burned brighter or fizzled faster than Trump and Musk’s in 2025. What began as a joint crusade to cut federal spending through the newly minted Department of Government Efficiency quickly devolved into a public falling out that unfolded in a full-blown social media feud.

As 2025 comes to a close, here’s a look back at the biggest political breakup of the year.

MUSK, TRUMP COME TOGETHER AT CHARLIE KIRK MEMORIAL

October 2024 — First public appearance together

The 2024 presidential campaign was the driving force for the high-profile partnership that ensued.

‘GONE TOO FAR’: GOP LAWMAKERS RALLY AROUND TRUMP AFTER MUSK RAISES EPSTEIN ALLEGATIONS

After the first Trump assassination attempt at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13, 2024, Musk endorsed Trump in an X post. Musk went on to donate more than $200 million to Trump’s presidential campaign through his super PAC, America PAC.

While the two appeared together for a virtual town hall that August, the X owner and Tesla CEO made his first public appearance with Trump on Oct. 5, as the soon-to-be president returned to Butler three months after the shooting and one month before Election Day.

Musk was jumping for joy as he joined Trump on stage.

November 2024 — Musk appointed to lead DOGE

After Trump won the 2024 presidential election, Musk was appointed to lead the Department of Government Efficiency.

On stage in Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, after winning the election, Trump said of Musk, “A star is born!”

Two weeks after the election, Trump and his family attended the SpaceX “Starship” launch with Musk.

January 2025 — Inauguration Day

Trump made DOGE official on Inauguration Day by signing an executive order to cut waste, fraud and abuse in the federal government with a mandate to modernize “Federal technology and software to maximize governmental efficiency and productivity.”

Musk joined fellow tech moguls Jeff Bezos, Tim Cook and Mark Zuckerberg for Trump’s inauguration.

Early 2025 — DOGE cleans house

As the Trump administration got settled, DOGE got to work pursuing Musk’s ambitious goal of cutting up to $2 trillion from the federal budget.

As of Oct. 2025, DOGE has saved approximately $214 billion through a combination of asset sales, contract or lease cancellations, fraud and improper payment deletions, grant cancellations, interest savings, programmatic changes, regulatory savings and workforce reductions, according to the DOGE website.

When tens of thousands of federal workers were laid off, protests began erupting across the United States, rejecting Musk’s leadership and Trump’s sweeping, second-term agenda.

March 2025 — Trump buys a Tesla 

Amid growing discontent directed at Musk and DOGE, Tesla stocks began seeing a drop earlier this year.

Meanwhile, Musk’s political involvement prompted push back from protesters. Tesla vehicles, charging stations and dealerships were targeted in a string of vandalism attacks.

In a show of support for Musk, Trump turned the White House South Lawn into a Tesla showroom and bought a red Tesla Model S.

“He’s built this great company, and he shouldn’t be penalized, because he’s a patriot,” Trump said.

May 2025 — Musk departs DOGE

By May, Musk began paring back his hours leading the controversial agency.

According to the Office of Government Ethics, “special government employees” like Musk can work for the federal government no more than 130 days a year, which in Musk’s case was May 30.

On his last day at DOGE, Musk joined Trump in the Oval Office for a press conference celebrating the billionaire’s legacy.

June 2025 — Musk torches OBBB

Soon after Musk left the White House, Trump and Musk had their “big, beautiful” breakup, fueled by congressional negotiations for Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill.

“I’m sorry, but I just can’t stand it anymore,” Musk said in a post on June 3. “This massive, outrageous, pork-filled Congressional spending bill is a disgusting abomination. Shame on those who voted for it: you know you did wrong. You know it.”

Trump’s megabill included tax cuts, green energy spending cuts and Medicaid reform, but fiscal conservatives, like Musk, argued it didn’t do enough to reduce the nation’s $38 trillion debt crisis.

Trump told reporters he was “very disappointed” in Musk’s criticism of his marquee megabill.

“Elon and I had a great relationship. I don’t know if we will anymore,” Trump said.

Musk then fired back on X, arguing that, “Without me, Trump would have lost the election, Dems would control the House and the Republicans would be 51-49 in the Senate.”

The Tesla CEO urged Trump to “keep the EV/solar incentives cuts in the bill.”

After Musk fired off several posts on X, Trump started firing back on his own social media platform, writing on Truth Social that Musk was “wearing thin” and claiming that he asked Musk to leave the White House.

“I took away his EV Mandate that forced everyone to buy Electric Cars that nobody else wanted (that he knew for months I was going to do!), and he just went CRAZY!” Trump said.

The president then threatened to “terminate Elon’s Government Subsidies and Contracts.”

Musk fired back with a “really big bomb,” accusing Trump of being “in the Epstein files.”

“This is an unfortunate episode from Elon, who is unhappy with the One Big Beautiful Bill because it does not include the policies he wanted. The President is focused on passing this historic piece of legislation and making our country great again,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in response.

July 2025 — Fall-out fireworks

Congress narrowly passed Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill by a self-imposed July 4 deadline.

Ahead of its final passage, Musk renewed his criticism of the reconciliation bill on social media.

In response, Trump threatened to use DOGE to investigate Musk’s government subsidies for his companies.

September 2025 — Brought together at Charlie Kirk’s memorial service

Months later, Trump and Musk reunited to honor the conservative activist Charlie Kirk, who was assassinated during a Turing Point USA event in Orem, Utah, on Sept. 10.

Trump and Musk were spotted shaking hands at Kirk’s memorial service in a box at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.

“For Charlie,” Musk later responded to the photo on X.

October 2025 — Trump offers kind words

Aboard Air Force One on Oct. 27, Trump seemed to bury the hatchet when asked about Musk.

“During Charlie’s beautiful tribute, Elon came over. It’s good with Elon. I like Elon. I have always liked Elon. Elon’s good,” Trump said.

When asked if he had spoken to Musk since Kirk’s memorial, Trump said the two have spoken “on and off, a little bit, very little, nothing much.”

“Look, he’s a nice guy, and he’s a very capable guy. I have always liked him. He had a bad spell. He had a bad period. He had a bad moment. Stupid moment in his life. Very stupid. I’m sure he’d tell you that, but I like Elon, and I suspect I will always like him,” Trump added.

November 2025 — Musk back at the White House

On Nov. 18, Musk attended a White House dinner as Trump hosted Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. 

December 2025 — Moving forward

The dust seemed to settle on Trump and Musk’s “big, beautiful” breakup as 2025 came to a close. 

FOX Business’ Edward Lawrence asked Trump during a cabinet meeting on Dec. 2 whether Musk was “back in [his] circle of friends” after their falling-out.

“Well, I really don’t know. I mean, I like Elon a lot,” Trump responded. 

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

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

President Donald Trump and his administration are reviving the Monroe Doctrine — more than a decade after former President Barack Obama’s Secretary of State John Kerry said the centuries-old policy was dead. 

The restoration of the Monroe Doctrine, which sought to limit European influence in Latin America and to protect U.S. influence in the region, comes as the Trump administration released its National Security Strategy this month that redirects U.S. attention to the Western Hemisphere in an intentional effort to better prioritize protecting the U.S. homeland amid the Trump administration’s crusade against the influx of drugs into the U.S. from Latin America. 

“President Trump has prioritized enforcing the Monroe Doctrine unlike any other President in decades,” White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “He was elected on his promise to eliminate the scourge of drug deaths in our country, including his commitment to secure the southern border and take on the cartels. He has delivered on both fronts by stopping the flow of drugs by land and by sea.”

TRUMP SAYS US SEIZES MASSIVE VENEZUELAN OIL TANKER AS SHOWDOWN WITH MADURO ERUPTS INTO NEW PHASE

“The President will continue to put Americans first by securing our Hemisphere, protecting our homeland, and striking designated narcoterrorists bringing deadly poison to our shores, just as he was elected to do,” Kelly said. 

The Monroe Doctrine, first introduced in 1823 by then-President James Monroe, specifically cautioned European nations against further colonization in Central and South America. Later, it was used to justify U.S. actions in the region as an “international police power” under former President Theodore Roosevelt, according to the National Archives. 

The Trump administration’s approach is a stark departure from precedent laid out during the Obama administration, where Kerry ripped the longstanding policy to shreds. Then, Kerry claimed that the policy wasn’t necessary as the U.S. sought a more equal relationship with Latin American countries — rather than one hinging upon interventionism.

“The era of the Monroe Doctrine is over,” Kerry said in 2013 at the Organization of American States. 

“The relationship that we seek and that we have worked hard to foster is not about a United States declaration about how and when it will intervene in the affairs of other American states,” Kerry said. “It’s about all of our countries viewing one another as equals, sharing responsibilities, cooperating on security issues, and adhering not to doctrine, but to the decisions that we make as partners to advance the values and the interests that we share.” 

The Trump administration’s National Security Strategy explicitly calls for reviving the Monroe Doctrine as a means of reasserting U.S. influence in the Western Hemisphere. The document dubs the effort the “Trump Corollary,” a nod to Roosevelt’s expansion of the original doctrine.

TRUMP TARGETS MADURO AS WESTERN HEMISPHERE BECOMES ‘FIRST LINE OF DEFENSE’ IN NEW STRATEGY 

“After years of neglect, the United States will reassert and enforce the Monroe Doctrine to restore American preeminence in the Western Hemisphere, and to protect our homeland and our access to key geographies throughout the region,” the National Security Strategy said. 

“We will deny non-Hemispheric competitors the ability to position forces or other threatening capabilities, or to own or control strategically vital assets, in our Hemisphere,” the document said. “This ‘Trump Corollary’ to the Monroe Doctrine is a common-sense and potent restoration of American power and priorities, consistent with American security interests.” 

The Trump administration has taken an aggressive approach toward cracking down on the entry of drugs into the U.S., and it has designated drug cartel groups like Tren de Aragua, Sinaloa and others as foreign terrorist organizations. 

Additionally, Trump announced that he had declared Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro’s regime a foreign terrorist organization, as the Trump administration has conducted more than 20 strikes in Latin American waters since September targeting alleged drug boats.

“The illegitimate Maduro Regime is using Oil from these stolen Oil Fields to finance themselves, Drug Terrorism, Human Trafficking, Murder, and Kidnapping,” Trump said in a social media post on Dec. 16. “For the theft of our Assets, and many other reasons, including Terrorism, Drug Smuggling, and Human Trafficking, the Venezuelan Regime has been designated a FOREIGN TERRORIST ORGANIZATION.”

GRAHAM ISSUES ‘FATAL’ WARNING IF MADURO STAYS IN POWER AS US BUILDUP RAISES STAKES 

The strikes have put even more pressure on Maduro to step down, and Trump said on Dec. 22 that he believed it would be “smart” for Maduro to depart his post. The Trump administration has routinely said it does not consider Maduro a legitimate head of state and claims he is the leader of a drug cartel.  

Additionally, the strikes have attracted increased scrutiny from Democrats and some Republicans on Capitol Hill. While some lawmakers questioned the strikes’ legality from the outset, scrutiny has intensified in recent weeks after reports revealed a second strike was carried out on a vessel that initially left survivors in September.

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For example, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Sens. Tim Kaine, D-Va.; Adam Schiff, D-Calif.; and Rand Paul, R-Ky., introduced a war powers resolution on Dec. 3 to bar Trump from using U.S. armed forces to engage in hostilities within or against Venezuela.

The Trump administration has routinely stated it has the authority to conduct those attacks. 

FIRST ON FOX: A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security said that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers “continued delivering the American people the greatest gift of 2025” by keeping up operations over Christmas weekend, arresting a murderer and child predators.

In a statement to Fox News Digital, DHS said that “while Americans celebrated the Christmas season and prepare for the new year,” ICE “continued arresting the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens across the country.”

Among those arrested on Sunday was a Cuban criminal illegal alien named Julio Miguel Gonzalez, who was convicted of homicide-willful kill in Miami.

Another, Juan Perez-Tello, from Mexico, was arrested by ICE and had been convicted of lewd and lascivious acts with a child under 14 years old in Santa Barbara, California.

‘WORST OF THE WORST’: THE 10 MOST VIOLENT ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS NABBED IN 2025

Jose Barrera-Bolanos, another criminal illegal alien from Mexico, was arrested on Sunday. He has a conviction for sexual assault of a child in Denver.

A third Mexican illegal arrested by ICE this weekend was Carlos Esqueda-Ortega, who has multiple convictions, including illegal re-entry after deportation, possession of a controlled substance for sale, inflicting corporal injury of a spouse/cohabitant, and felon/addict in possession of a firearm in San Diego, Santa Rosa, Stockton and Manteca, California. 

In Texas, Mexican illegal alien Gustavo Benitez-Barrueta was arrested by ICE. He has been convicted of possession of cocaine with intent to distribute/sell in Austin.

DHS UNLEASHES SCATHING RESPONSE AFTER WALZ ASKS AGENCY TO ‘REASSESS’ ENFORCEMENT

“While Americans across the country spent time with their families this Christmas season, ICE continued delivering the American people the greatest gift of 2025: getting criminals out of our neighborhoods and protecting our families,” DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told Fox News Digital.

“ICE officers arrested heinous criminal illegal aliens yesterday, including monsters who sexually abused children and murderers,” McLaughlin continued, adding, “Under President Trump and Secretary Noem criminal illegal aliens have NO PLACE in our country.” 

Earlier this month, Fox News Digital reported that more than 2.5 million illegal immigrants have left the United States over the past year, including more than 605,000 deportations since President Donald Trump took office in January.

EXPERT REVEALS KEY FACTOR THAT LED TO MASSIVE MINNESOTA FRAUD SCHEME

In addition to the deportations, DHS has been encouraging illegal immigrants in the U.S. to return to their native countries using the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Home Mobile App, through which users can receive a complimentary plane ticket home and a $1,000 exit bonus upon their return.

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In the agency’s statement to Fox News Digital, DHS said that “those in the U.S. illegally will receive the $3K stipend and a free flight home if they sign up to self-deport through the CBP Home app by the end of the year.”

Fox News Digital’s Louis Casiano contributed to this report.

Outgoing New York City Mayor Eric Adams argued that the Biden administration’s Justice Department engaged in “lawfare” against the former president’s political opponents, including himself on corruption allegations and President Donald Trump over issues such as mishandling classified documents.

“I think what we have witnessed under President Biden’s Justice Department, Americans should never have to live through that again,” Adams said on Monday during an appearance on Fox News’ “The Story.”

“You saw everyday Americans who fought for the education of their children being put on watch lists, I think that you saw what happened with Charlie Kirk, when you saw the raiding of President Trump’s home. Debates should have happened … I think that you’re seeing the clear indication that the Justice Department under the previous administration used lawfare to go after those who disagree with them,” he added.

ERIC ADAMS WARNS NYC ‘NOT FINE’ AFTER MAMDANI’S WIN, SAYS IF HE WAS JEWISH HE’D BE WORRIED FOR HIS CHILDREN

Asked if he felt as angry about the alleged weaponization of the DOJ before he was targeted, Adams said “personal experience allows us to see firsthand the abuse.”

“I spent my entire life, not only as a police officer, but as a state senator and borough president fighting against injustices,” Adams said. “There’s a real history, a rich history, of me standing up and fighting what the criminal justice system should never be. Yes, that anger was there long before I was a target, but what I saw happen while I was the mayor is really deplorable, and we saw what happened to President Trump‘s family as well.”

NYC MAYOR ERIC ADAMS’ INDICTMENT DISMISSED WITH PREJUDICE

“If you were to go back and look at my life story on criminal justice reform and not abuse, it goes back to being a young man who was abused at the hands of law enforcement,” he continued. “And so I’ve always been a clear voice, and it really personalized it of what I was fighting for years because I experienced the lawfare myself.”

Adams was indicted in September 2024 on federal corruption charges related to bribery, wire fraud and accepting illegal foreign campaign contributions from Turkish officials and businessmen. He pleaded not guilty to all charges.

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The mayor has insisted that the case was politically motivated over his criticism of how the Biden administration handled illegal immigration, but prosecutors in the Southern District of New York said in court filings that the investigation began in September 2021, before Adams’ public criticism of the government’s immigration policies or his mayoral election win.

The charges were dropped earlier this year at the request of the Trump administration.

Adams is set to leave office at the turn of the new year, when Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani will be sworn in.

Fresh attention is being drawn to a Minnesota election policy that allows a registered voter to “vouch” for up to eight people seeking same-day registration. 

The scrutiny comes as the Walz administration confronts hundreds of millions of dollars lost to social services fraud tied to the state’s Somali immigrant community. Critics pointed to a further wrinkle in Minnesota state law – signed by Gov. Tim Walz in 2023 – that provided for “Driver’s Licenses For All” regardless of immigration status. The policy also stipulates that the licenses carry no markings indicating citizenship, even though such IDs are commonly used to register to vote.

Under Minnesota law, a registered voter can “vouch” for up to eight other voters’ residency who want to sign up for same-day voter registration without an ID.

MISSPELLED ‘LEARNING’ CENTER, NO CHILDREN INSIDE: EMMER PRESSES WALZ OVER MINNESOTA DAYCARE TIED TO $4M

The registered voter must go with the person or people to the polling place and sign an oath verifying their address, according to an official fact sheet from the Office of the Minnesota Secretary of State.

“A registered voter can vouch for up to eight voters. You cannot vouch for others if someone vouched for you,” the department said in the fact sheet.

Unvouched-for residents who want to vote same-day must provide at least one form of identity verification; including a valid Minnesota license or learner’s permit, a “receipt” for them, or a tribal identification card that includes a photo and signature.

ONE CHART LAYS BARE THE SPRAWLING FRAUD NETWORK MINNESOTA OFFICIALS MISSED

So long as the prospective voter can prove residency, the proof-of-ID can be a driver’s license or learner’s permit from any of the 50 states, a passport, an expired ID, military ID, or Minnesota university or high school identification card.

If a person is registered to vote in a precinct but changed their name or moved within the precinct, they can also vote as long as they inform the precinct election judge of their previous name or address.

The situation drew the attention of a top Republican in the Senate who has persistently advocated for secure elections.

ILHAN OMAR’S SOMALILAND STANCE SLAMMED AS MINNESOTA FRAUD SCANDAL DEEPENS

Sen. Mike Lee of Utah cited voting rights activist Scott Presler’s accounting of the voter “vouching” policy and said his SAVE Act – Safeguarding American Voter Eligibility – would require proof-of-citizenship when registering to vote in federal elections.

The bill could stymie Minnesota’s current policy, as Lee’s language establishes criminal penalties against election officials who register applicants to vote that fail to present documentary proof of citizenship.

“The Senate should send it to President Trump’s desk for signature ASAP,” Lee said.

FBI SURGES RESOURCES TO MINNESOTA AS PATEL CALLS $250M FRAUD SCHEME ‘TIP OF ICEBERG’

The SAVE Act passed the House in April but awaits further action in the GOP-controlled Senate.

Presler told Fox News Digital he was inspired by conservative YouTuber Nick Shirley to further investigate fraud in Minnesota.

“I thought, ‘why not use this opportunity to expose potential voter fraud as Minnesota is trending’,” he said.

Of the vouching policy laid out on Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon’s official website, Presler commented, “Does this allow for potential fraud and abuse of our elections? Absolutely – Especially when you consider that MN has same-day voter registration.”

He noted that “Saturday Night Live” alum and former Democratic Sen. Al Franken won his 2008 election by only 312 votes, while adding that about 542,000 or 19% of Minnesota voters took advantage of same-day registration.

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

Several measures are in place to help keep the election system in Minnesota secure under the vouching policy, according to deputy communications director Cassondra Knudson.

SOCIAL MEDIA ERUPTS AFTER MINNESOTA AG POSTS ABOUT CRACKING DOWN ON FRAUD: ‘YOU’RE KIDDING RIGHT?’

“Vouching can only be used to provide proof of a potential voter’s residence in the precinct. The potential voter must still provide their Minnesota driver’s license or ID card number or the last four digits of their Social Security number for identity verification,” Knudson said.

“Vouching is most commonly used in senior living facilities by residents who have not updated their driver’s licenses to reflect their current residence. It is also sometimes used in cases where an eligible voter has recently moved to a new address and lacks identification indicating the new address.”

The statute in question provides for election judges to fill out a form to record the number of vouching voters – which then is affirmed through the oath of the voter-applicant.

GOP LAWMAKER UNVEILS WALZ ACT AFTER BILLIONS LOST IN MINNESOTA FRAUD SCANDAL

Knudson also shared a web page with information detailing Minnesota’s election security measures, which include the prevalence of election judges at each polling place, cross-checking ballots cast for the number of voters recorded each election night, and safeguards to prevent absentee voters from casting more than one ballot.

Bill Glahn of the Center for the American Experiment – a Twin Cities-based conservative public policy organization – said of proponents who talk of safeguards, “it’s like murder’s illegal, but it happens all the time.”

“It’s a penalty of perjury,” he said. “You signed an oath, but if you signed as Mickey Mouse, they’re not going to find you.”

HHS PROBES MINNESOTA’S USE OF BILLIONS IN FEDERAL SOCIAL SERVICE FUNDS AMID FRAUD CONCERNS: REPORT

“Early on in my residency in Minnesota, I went to vote. And I saw this firsthand. I saw somebody doing this – somebody vouching in half a dozen people, and they were laughing and giggling like, ‘I can’t believe this is working.’ And I was infuriated seeing this.”

In response to Glahn, Knudson told Fox News Digital that anyone claiming to be “Mickey Mouse,” in his example, would have to confirm their previous voter registration under the name of the Disney character – and that both the person vouching and being vouched for would be recorded at the time and verified after election day for any criminal referral that would arise from potentially unlawful vouching.

Some Minnesota lawmakers have taken issue with voter verification policies at the state level, with the subject of illegal immigrants being able to vote – whether through loopholes or otherwise – drawing a contentious exchange during a state House hearing.

Minnesota Elections Director Paul Linnell – a Simon appointee – was challenged on the state’s election security posture during a hearing before the House Fraud Prevention and State Agency Oversight Committee.

RED STATE GOVERNOR TOUTS MEDICAID SAVINGS AS MINNESOTA GRAPPLES WITH WIDESPREAD FRAUD ALLEGATIONS

State Rep. Patti Anderson, R-Eagan, told Linnell that Minnesota gives driver’s licenses to “anyone here – you don’t have to be a citizen,” and suggested they may try to register to vote with an incorrect Social Security number and have their registration be considered “incomplete.”

“But, if they walk into vote with their driver’s license, does that make them all of a sudden now, OK?”

Linnell replied that the “designation on the roster for someone whose registration had been incomplete if they present the election judge with that acceptable identification document, that would clear the challenge from the roster and they would be permitted to cast a ballot.”

‘NO WAY’ WALZ ADMINISTRATION WAS UNAWARE OF MINNESOTA FRAUD SCANDAL, EMMER SAYS

“Well, OK, there’s your problem, potentially,” Anderson replied.

Chairwoman Kristen Robbins, R-Maple Grove, summed up the issue as “someone who is not a citizen but who presents a driver’s license at that point in the process could be permitted to vote.”

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Fox News Digital reached out to Walz for comment.

EXCLUSIVE: Senator Jim Banks, R-Ind., is pushing for a federal investigation after sending a letter to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) calling for the agency to construct investigative reports of Somali networks as the roughly $9 billion fraud scandal in Minnesota continues to unfold. 

Banks serves on the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP), which oversees major areas of healthcare funding and policy. 

The Indiana senator pointed out that the Minnesota Child Care Assistance Program is administered by the state government, but is largely funded by federal tax dollars through two programs that provide roughly $300 million in federal childcare subsidies to Minnesota.

On Sunday, Banks sent a letter to Alex J. Adams, the Assistant Secretary for Family Support, leading the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) at HHS.

TRUMP OFFICIAL FREEZES MILLIONS IN SBA AID TO MINNESOTA, SLAMS WALZ’S POLICIES AS BREEDING ‘ENDEMIC’ FRAUD

“I urge ACF to investigate reports of Somali networks creating fake ‘daycare centers’ as vehicles to steal millions of dollars from Minnesota’s Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP), which administers hundreds of millions of dollars in federal childcare subsidies each year,” Banks’ letter to HHS reads. 

“Clearly, the Walz administration has failed to meet the most basic benchmarks required by ACF,” Banks explained. “Any unlawful behavior uncovered in ACF’s investigation must be immediately referred to the proper federal authorities including ICE, the Department of Homeland Security, and Federal prosecutors.”

The Department of Homeland Security’s HSI and ICE agents were on the ground in Minnesota on Monday, and Secretary Kristi Noem posted to X that the agency was “conducting a massive investigation on childcare and other rampant fraud.”

TIM WALZ PUSHES BACK ON MINNESOTA FRAUD ALLEGATIONS FOLLOWING VIRAL DAYCARE VIDEO

Noem noted there’s more information coming as to the DHS investigation. 

Federal authorities in Minnesota opened a separate probe in 2022 into Feeding Our Future, a nonprofit that prosecutors later said played a central role in what would become one of the most extensive COVID-era relief fraud cases ever uncovered.

As the case unfolded, investigators identified roughly $250 million in false claims, with 78 people ultimately facing criminal charges. Prosecutors have indicated the broader fraud tied to the scheme could reach as high as $9 billion.

GOP LAWMAKER UNVEILS WALZ ACT AFTER BILLIONS LOST IN MINNESOTA FRAUD SCANDAL

A significant number of those charged were members of Minnesota’s Somali community.

The scandal also sparked internal backlash within the state government. More than 400 Minnesota employees raised concerns that Gov. Tim Walz, who later became the Democratic vice presidential nominee on the Kamala Harris ticket, failed to respond adequately to repeated warnings about fraud and allowed retaliation against whistleblowers who tried to bring the misconduct to light.

Banks notes the importance of ensuring everyone behind the scandal is brought to justice, as well as holding elected officials and those who had responsibility over the matter accountable.

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“Minnesota’s childcare system relies on American taxpayer dollars,” Banks told Fox News Digital. “As a member of the HELP Committee, I am calling for an investigation into the fake childcare centers run by Somali crime networks. 

“I will not stand by while tax dollars meant to support hardworking families are stolen and state officials refuse to act,” Banks added.

Fox News Digital reached out to DHS, HHS and Gov. Tim Walz 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

Several Republican lawmakers in Minnesota released a statement officially calling on the state’s Democratic governor, Tim Walz, to resign in light of the unfolding fraud scandal that has spiraled during his tenure. 

“Minnesotans have been watching the fraud crisis get worse and worse for years. It has gone on long enough,” Minnesota state Senators Bill Lieske and Nathan Wesenberg, along with state Reps. Marj Fogelman, Drew Roach and Mike Wiener, said in a Monday press release.

“This is not about politics or stunts, and we do not make a call like this lightly. The office of the governor deserves respect, and we have tried to give Gov. Walz time to act.”

The group cites Article 8, Section 6 of the Minnesota Constitution, which lists serious malfeasance in the performance of official duties, as the reason to recall executive and interior officers, but stopped short of calling for an official recall effort. 

INSIDE MINNESOTA’S $1B FRAUD: FAKE OFFICES, PHONY FIRMS AND A SCANDAL HIDING IN PLAIN SIGHT

The lawmakers explained that “leadership means doing the right thing even when it is difficult, which is why we are calling on Gov. Walz to resign.”

“We are talking about billions of dollars in fraud that should have gone to vulnerable Minnesotans. The red flags were everywhere. Yet, year after year, the fraud kept growing, and year after year, nothing changed.”

HOW FEARS OF BEING LABELED ‘RACIST’ HELPED ‘PROVIDE COVER’ FOR THE EXPLODING MINNESOTA FRAUD SCANDAL

Earlier this month, federal prosecutors revealed that the fraud scandal in Minnesota, primarily found within the state’s Somali community, could cost taxpayers as much as $9 billion dollars. 

The Monday call from Republicans for Walz to resign comes shortly after a viral video by journalist Nick Shirley, seen more than 100 million times on X, highlighting suspected fraudulent daycare locations prompted even more scrutiny on Walz.

Walz’s office pushed back on the criticism shortly after the video went viral.

“The governor has worked for years to crack down on fraud and ask the state legislature for more authority to take aggressive action,” a Walz spokesperson said. “He has strengthened oversight — including launching investigations into these specific facilities, one of which was already closed.”

The spokesperson added that Walz has “hired an outside firm to audit payments to high-risk programs, shut down the Housing Stabilization Services program entirely, announced a new statewide program integrity director, and supported criminal prosecutions.”

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Calls for Walz to resign have increased in recent weeks, including from Trump’s Education Secretary Linda McMahon, Fox News Digital first reported earlier this month.

The lawmakers said in their statement that the fraud scandal is the “number one” issue they hear from their constituents, along with questions about why no one in power has been held accountable.

“What we are seeing from the governor is what nonfeasance looks like,” the lawmakers wrote. “When a governor fails to do what he is required to do, when he watches a crisis spiral out of control and does nothing to stop it, that is nonfeasance. The governor had a duty to oversee his administration and protect these programs. He failed. There needs to be consequences.

“For the good of the state, Gov. Walz should step aside. Minnesota needs accountability, a reset, and new leadership that can get us back on the right track.”

The Trump administration announced a $2 billion pledge for United Nations humanitarian aid Monday and warned that agencies must “adapt, shrink, or die” under its overhaul, according to a statement from the Department of State.

The new package comes as the administration reins in traditional foreign assistance and pushes humanitarian organizations to meet stricter standards on efficiency, accountability and oversight.

“Individual U.N. agencies will need to adapt, shrink, or die,” the statement said after outlining what it called “several key benefits for the United States and American taxpayers.”

TRUMP MUST MAKE UN FUNDING CONDITIONAL ON REAL REFORMS, EX-DIPLOMAT URGES

“The United States is pledging an initial $2 billion anchor commitment to fund life-saving assistance activities in dozens of countries,” the State Department said.

The administration also said that the contribution is expected to shield tens of millions of people from hunger, disease and the devastation of war in 2026 alone, with a new model significantly reducing costs. 

“Because of enhanced efficiency and hyper-prioritization on life-saving impacts, this new model is expected to save U.S. taxpayers nearly $1.9 billion compared to outdated grant funding approaches,” the statement said.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the approach is intended to force long-standing reforms across the U.N. system and reduce the U.S. financial burden.

RUBIO UNLOADS ON ‘ALARMISTS,’ TOUTS STATE DEPT DISASTER RESPONSE AFTER USAID CLOSURE

“This new model will better share the burden of U.N. humanitarian work with other developed countries and will require the U.N. to cut bloat, remove duplication, and commit to powerful new impact, accountability, and oversight mechanisms,” Rubio said in a post on X.

The pledge is smaller than previous U.S. contributions, which officials said had grown to between $8 billion and $10 billion annually in voluntary humanitarian funding in recent years.

Administration officials said those funding levels were unsustainable and lacked sufficient accountability.

TRUMP ADMIN WEIGHS TERRORISM SANCTIONS AGAINST UN PALESTINIAN AID AGENCY OVER HAMAS ALLEGATIONS

Jeremy Lewin, the State Department’s senior official overseeing foreign assistance, underscored the administration’s position during a press conference in Geneva.

“The piggy bank is not open to organizations that just want to return to the old system,” Lewin said in the statement. “President Trump has made clear that the system is dead.”

The funding commitment is part of a newly signed Memorandum of Understanding between the U.S. and the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

The agreement replaces project-by-project grants with consolidated, flexible pooled funding administered at the country or crisis level.

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Tom Fletcher, the U.N.’s top humanitarian official and head of OCHA, welcomed the agreement, calling it a major breakthrough. “It’s a very significant landmark contribution,” Fletcher said, according to The Associated Press.

U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz also said the deal would deliver more focused, results-driven aid aligned with U.S. foreign policy interests, while the State Department warned future funding will depend on continued reforms.

As federal authorities investigate reports of massive fraud taking place in Minnesota daycares, an unearthed video from a 2018 fraud case shows parents and providers involved in a fraud scheme dating all the way back to 2015.

The video, taken from a local Fox report from 2018, shows parents checking their children into a daycare center in Hennepin County, Minnesota, only to leave with their children minutes later.

The video was taken from a surveillance camera as part of a case prosecuted by Hennepin County, according to the 2018 Fox 9 report. Under the scheme, low-income parents would sign in their children for daycare services so that providers could then claim reimbursement for services that were never truly provided, per Fox 9. The outlet said that, according to surveillance video, some days no families would show up, but that the daycares would claim reimbursements from the government nonetheless.

The time stamp on the surveillance video shows March 2015.

MAGNITUDE ‘CANNOT BE OVERSTATED’: FEDS SAY MINNESOTA FRAUD MAY BE MORE THAN $9B 

Another video in the broadcast showed a man handing an envelope to a parent with an alleged kickback payment for participation in the scheme.

This comes amid widespread outrage over a viral video posted by Nick Shirley on Friday showing visits to multiple childcare centers in Minnesota, including one that allegedly received millions of dollars in state funding despite appearing largely inactive.

The video has sparked widespread backlash, drawing criticism of Minnesota Democratic Gov. Tim Walz throughout the weekend from several high-profile figures, including Vice President JD Vance, Donald Trump Jr. and Elon Musk.

LABOR SECRETARY ANNOUNCES ‘STRIKE TEAM’ GOING TO MINNESOTA TO INVESTIGATE RAMPANT FRAUD

The White House on Sunday reposted an X post from Education Secretary Linda McMahon, who called the alleged fraud a “breathtaking failure.”

At the time of the video’s release, Walz was already under heavy fire amid the scandal enveloping his administration that notably included at least $1 billion lost to alleged social services fraud largely tied to Minneapolis’ Somali community.

Commenting on the resurfaced video, conservative strategist Greg Price wrote on X, “Somali fraudsters have been stealing from taxpayers for years and it’s clear that the entire Somali community is in on it.”

HHS PROBES MINNESOTA’S USE OF BILLIONS IN FEDERAL SOCIAL SERVICE FUNDS AMID FRAUD CONCERNS: REPORT

A TIMELINE OF THE ‘LARGEST COVID-19 FRAUD SCHEME’ IN THE UNITED STATES

FBI Director Kash Patel said the agency has surged additional personnel and investigative resources to Minnesota as part of an ongoing effort to “dismantle large-scale fraud schemes exploiting federal programs.”

Patel said Sunday that the bureau moved resources into the state before recent online attention intensified, pointing to the Feeding Our Future investigation, which uncovered a $250 million scheme that siphoned federal food aid intended for children during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The case has already resulted in 78 indictments and 57 convictions, with prosecutors also charging defendants in a separate plot to bribe a juror with $120,000 in cash, Patel said, adding that the investigation remains ongoing.

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“The FBI believes this is just the tip of a very large iceberg. We will continue to follow the money and protect children, and this investigation very much remains ongoing,” he wrote on X. “Furthermore, many are also being referred to immigration officials for possible further denaturalization and deportation proceedings where eligible.”

Fox News Digital’s Ashley Carnahan, Sophia Compton and Louis Casiano contributed to this report.

A trucker who allegedly killed three in a reckless driving incident in Virginia immigrated to the U.S. illegally in the nineties, according to a federal law enforcement source.

El Hadji Karamoko Ouattara, a 58-year-old immigrant from Africa, is being charged in connection with the fatal crash after running his tractor-trailer off the side of Interstate 81 and striking a minivan, killing three individuals, including a two-year-old child, and injuring three others, according to local outlet WFXR.

The outlet reported that the victims were transported to a nearby hospital. 65-year-old Lorraine Renee Williams, 49-year-old Ebony Latasha Williams and 2-year-old Shazziyah Lesley died of their injuries. A 63-year-old male, a 73-year-old male and a 10-year-old female were also injured but survived, according to the outlet.

WFXR reported that Ouattara was originally charged with reckless driving.

DHS REVEALS ILLEGAL ALIEN BEHIND FATAL CRASH WAS GIVEN LICENSE BY DEEP BLUE STATE

However, according to the Roanoke County Sheriff’s Office, Outtara is now being charged with three counts of involuntary manslaughter as a result of the incident, which took place on Dec. 22. The office said he is a resident of Montgomery Village, Maryland.

A federal law enforcement source told Fox News that Ouattara is a naturalized U.S. citizen from the Ivory Coast. The source stated that, despite originally entering the United States illegally in the 1990s, Ouattara was eventually able to obtain a green card and become a naturalized citizen.

This comes amid heightened awareness and national concern about untrained, unqualified illegal immigrant drivers on U.S. roads.

DAVID MARCUS: ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT TRUCKERS ARE AN INSULT TO AMERICANS WHO PLAY BY THE RULES

Earlier this month, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy offered an update on his agency’s work alongside the Department of Homeland Security in cracking down on an influx of illegal immigrants given a non-domiciled commercial driver’s license (CDL) without proper vetting, which has led to several deaths on America’s highways.

Duffy sprang into action earlier this year after an Indian national named Harjinder Singh, who authorities said was issued a CDL by California, allegedly killed a carload of people after he attempted an illegal U-turn on Florida’s Turnpike.

Duffy said that DOT has pressed for compliance from problem states offering illegals CDLs, sharing that California has since revoked 17,000 problematic non-domiciled CDL licenses. 

CONVICTED MURDERER, CHILD PREDATORS ROUNDED UP IN CHRISTMAS WEEKEND ICE CRACKDOWN: ‘GREATEST GIFT’

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“We are going to use every resource, every tool that we have at DOT, to make sure that we have the right people on our road that are well qualified, well licensed. That are proficient in the English language to make sure we’re maximizing safety,” Duffy said.

Fox News Digital’s Charles Creitz contributed to this report.