NationalWatch

Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook doubled down on the legitimacy of her role on the nation’s central bank Wednesday, stressing what she said was the importance of keeping the bank insulated against political pressures — in direct response to President Donald Trump and his months-long effort to fire her.

“Research and experience show that Federal Reserve independence is essential to fulfilling the congressional mandate of price stability and maximum employment,” Cook said Wednesday following nearly two hours of Supreme Court oral arguments, centered on Trump’s attempt to fire her — and more narrowly, whether Cook can remain in her post pending review of her case on its merits.

“That is why Congress chose to insulate the Federal Reserve from political threats, while holding it accountable for delivering on that mandate,” Cook said in a statement. 

“For as long as I serve at the Federal Reserve, I will uphold the principle of political independence in service to the American people,” she added.

 SCOTUS SIGNALS SKEPTICISM IN ALLOWING TRUMP’S FED FIRING TO PROCEED

Cook’s statement, released shortly after arguments concluded, capped a day in which justices weighed the unprecedented question of whether a president can fire a sitting Federal Reserve governor “for cause” and what process, if any, must accompany such a move.

The case is the first attempt by a president to fire a sitting Fed governor in the 112-year history of the nation’s central bank.

Justices on the high court did not seem inclined to side with Trump’s request to immediately remove Cook from her post as arguments wrapped. 

They cited concerns not only about a lack of process and the precedent that could be created by her firing, including the notion of at-will removal, but also on the importance of protecting the independence of the Fed.

Justice Amy Coney Barrett cited issues with “public confidence,” should Trump be cleared to fire a sitting Fed governor without fully explaining or justifying the reasons. 

LAWYERS FOR COOK, DOJ TRADE BLOWS AT HIGH-STAKES CLASH OVER FED FIRING

“We have amicus briefs from economists who tell us that, if [Cook]” is fired, then it “can trigger a recession,” Barrett said. “How should we think about the public interest in a case like this?”

The Federal Reserve System was created by Congress in 1913 as a wholly independent entity, to insulate it from political influence, and from presidents “stacking the deck” with their own nominees.

Justices pressed the Trump administration’s lawyer over what process it believes Cook should be provided to challenge her removal, and cited concerns about the downstream effects of allowing Cook to be fired. 

Justice Brett Kavanaugh, meanwhile, stressed the importance of balancing Cook’s conduct and the independence of the Fed. “It’s less important that the president have full faith in every single governor, and it’s more important that the markets and the public have faith in the independence of the Fed from the president and from Congress,” he said.

SCOTUS POISED TO SIDE WITH TRUMP ON FTC FIRING — A SHOWDOWN THAT COULD TOPPLE 90-YEAR PRECEDENT

Though Trump administration officials have framed the case as narrowly focused on Cook’s removal, the oral arguments were widely expected to be closely watched by major players in financial markets, as several justices noted.

The short-term ripple effects could be felt sooner than later. The next Federal Open Market Committee meeting is slated for later this month, and Cook, barring any eleventh-hour intervention from the high court, will otherwise participate in the meeting as normal.

The fight over Cook’s status is part of a bigger clash looming between Trump and the Fed. 

It comes as Trump has repeatedly assailed Fed Chair Jerome Powell and other members of the central bank, criticizing its reluctance to lower benchmark interest rates as aggressively as he would like, deepening the fast-growing fault lines that have routinely pitted Trump against Fed leaders. 

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP 

Powell said the agency was subpoenaed by the Justice Department last week over allegations that he lied to Congress about the costs of a massive renovation of its headquarters. 

Powell also attended Wednesday’s hearing in a show of support for Cook. 

President Donald Trump blasted his predecessor’s policies from the dais in Davos, Switzerland, at the World Economic Forum in a warning to foreign leaders to buck old political playbooks and rally around the U.S., citing that “when America booms, the entire world booms.”

“Under the Biden administration, America was plagued by the nightmare of stagflation, meaning low growth and high inflation. A recipe for misery, failure and decline,” Trump said Wednesday in his speech before the forum. “But now, after just one year of my policies, we are witnessing the exact opposite. Virtually no inflation and extraordinarily high economic growth. Growth like I believe you’ll see very shortly. Our country has never seen before. Perhaps no country has ever seen before.”

Trump is in Switzerland Wednesday and Tuesday for the annual World Economic Forum, which attracts government leaders and business leaders from across the world to discuss the world’s economic outlook. Trump’s trip to Europe comes as he threatens to impose tariffs on a handful of European nations in an effort for the U.S. to acquire Greenland, heightening tensions at the forum. 

Trump mentioned former President Joe Biden by name at least a dozen times during his speech, highlighting how his administration overturned Biden’s left-wing policies as they relate to energy and the economy and immigration to strengthen the U.S. 

US TRADE REP SHRUGS OFF WORLD LEADERS’ SWIPES AT TRUMP AMID DAVOS BACKLASH

“Since my inauguration, we’ve lifted more than 1.2 million people off of food stamps,” Trump continued. “And after four years, in which Biden secured less than $1 trillion of new investment in our country, think of that $1 trillion. Substantially less than that in four years. We’ve secured commitments for a record breaking $18 trillion. And we think when the final numbers come out, they’ll be closer to $20 trillion of investment.”

He also revealed his “biggest surprise” since returning to the Oval Office a year ago as of Tuesday. 

AMERICAN FLAGS TORCHED, RIOT POLICE CLASH WITH PROTESTERS AHEAD OF TRUMP DAVOS ARRIVAL

“The USA is the economic engine on the planet. And when America booms, the entire world booms. It’s been the history. When it goes bad, it goes bad. … You all follow us down and you follow us up. … I never thought we could do it this quickly. My biggest surprise is I thought it would take more than a year, maybe like a year and one month. But it’s happened very quickly,” he said. 

Trump joined the White House press briefing in Washington, D.C., Tuesday, which marked his one year back in the Oval Office. Trump delivered a lengthy recap of his administration’s wins during the briefing, rehashing many of his points in Davos to the crowd of foreign leaders. 

NEWSOM WARNS ‘PATHETIC’ FOREIGN LEADERS TO GROW A BACKBONE IN BIZARRE TAKEDOWN LIKENING TRUMP TO A T.REX

“It became conventional wisdom in Washington and European capitals that the only way to grow a modern Western economy was through ever-increasing government spending, unchecked mass migration, and endless foreign imports,” Trump said. “The consensus was that so-called dirty jobs and heavy industries should be sent elsewhere, that affordable energy should be replaced by the Green New scam, and that countries could be propped up by importing new and entirely different populations from faraway lands.”

“This was the path that Sleepy Joe Biden’s administration and many other Western governments very foolishly followed, turning their backs on everything that makes nations rich and powerful and strong,” he added. 

Trump also scolded European leaders for transforming the continent into one he no longer recognizes, calling on them to set itself on the “right direction.”

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

“I don’t recognize it. And that’s not in a positive way. That’s in a very negative way. And I love Europe and I want to see Europe go good, but it’s not heading in the right direction,” he said.

Fox News Digital reached out to Biden’s office Wednesday morning for comment on the criticisms but did not immediately receive a reply. 

Two officers who were pushed out of the military during President Donald Trump’s first year back in the White House have launched new missions this week, running for Congress as Democrats.

A retired U.S. Space Force colonel who was forced out of the military under the Trump administration’s ban on transgender service members announced a run for Congress in Northern Virginia. 

And a senior Navy official removed from her post last year by War Secretary Pete Hegseth launched a congressional bid in South Carolina.

Their candidacies highlight a growing political backlash to Trump-era military policies, as former officers removed from service look to reenter public life through Congress.

PENTAGON SCORES COURT VICTORY IN TRANSGENDER BAN LEGAL FIGHT

Bree Fram, whose military career abruptly ended in December, pledged, “I’m not going to run away from my oath to the Constitution.”

“I served 23 years wearing the flag on my shoulder, reaching the rank of colonel. But then Donald Trump fired me, not because of my performance but because of who I am,” Fram noted Tuesday in a campaign launch video.

Fram said she’s running for Congress “because too many Americans are afraid of what the federal government will do to them instead of being confident of what it can do for them.”

Virginia is likely to redraw its congressional map ahead of November’s midterm elections as part of the high-stakes redistricting battle between Trump and Republicans against Democrats. And Fram plans to run in whichever district she lives in once the new congressional lines are finalized.

Fram’s hometown of Reston, Virginia, is in the state’s 11th Congressional District, which is represented by Democratic Rep. James Walkinshaw, who last year won a special election in a landslide to succeed the late Rep. Gerry Connolly, who died of cancer in May. Walkinshaw was a former Connolly chief of staff.

In South Carolina, former three-star admiral Nancy Lacore on Tuesday jumped into the race for an open seat in the state’s 1st Congressional District.

Lacore, a 35-year military veteran who served as a Navy helicopter pilot and later as chief of the Navy Reserve, a 60,000-person force, was removed last August as part of a high-profile leadership purge headed by Hegseth.

“After decades of service to our country, a career that started as a Navy pilot and finished as a three-star admiral, I was removed from my position without cause,” Lacore claimed in her campaign launch video.

HEGSETH FIRES TOP PENTAGON OFFICERS

“I still have more to give, more to fight for, more work to do. And I am not done serving.”

The War Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment when asked about Lacore’s claim.

Lacore joins a crowded field of Democrats and Republicans running to succeed three-term GOP Rep. Nancy Mace, who is running for South Carolina governor.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Democrats are aiming to flip the right-leaning coastal congressional district in the state’s Lowcountry.

“The South Carolina 1st isn’t a District that Democrats can concede if we’re going to build a lasting and winning coalition, and Nancy is the only candidate in a position to win,” said Matt Corridoni, a spokesperson for The Bench, a Democrat-aligned group that highlights that it is “building the next generation of Democratic leaders by recruiting and supporting great candidates in tough districts.”

A federal judge on Wednesday ruled that he lacks jurisdiction to appoint an outside expert to ensure the Justice Department complies with a law to make all files pertaining to the prosecution of Jeffrey Epstein available for public view.

The seven-page ruling by U.S. District Judge Paul Engelmayer halts an effort by Reps. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., and Thomas Massie, R-Ky., to participate in the Ghislaine Maxwell case. 

The pair wanted to participate as amici curia, or “friends of the court” in an effort to have the judge appoint a special master to oversee the release of files related to Epstein under the Epstein Files Transparency Act (EFTA).

CLINTON TEAM DEMANDS TRUMP DOJ RELEASE ‘ANY REMAINING’ DOCS RELATED TO FORMER PRESIDENT, EPSTEIN

Khanna and Massie believe that without oversight, the Justice Department will not produce all the files required by the EFTA, the ruling states. 

Engelmayer said that he can’t grant the congressmen’s request because they are not parties to the case that led to Maxwell’s December 2021 sex trafficking conviction, for which she was handed down a 20-year prison sentence for recruiting girls for the deceased financier. 

READ THE DECISION – APP USERS, CLICK HERE:

“The only parties to the case are Maxwell and the United States, the latter represented, as is always the case, by DOJ,” the judge wrote. “The Indictment against Maxwell brought charges under six federal criminal statutes. Those were not brought under the EFTA, which did not exist at the time and is not a criminal statute. And this case is now effectively closed.”

Fox News Digital has reached out to the DOJ. 

“We appreciate the judge’s thoughtful consideration of our letter and we remain determined to force the DOJ to follow our law using other avenues available to us and the survivors,” Massie said in a statement to Fox News Digital. 

Khanna told Fox News Digital that the pair will continue their effort to force the government to release all files related to Epstein. 

“We appreciate Judge Engelmayer’s timely response and attention to our request, and we respect his decision,” he said. “He said that we raised ‘legitimate concerns’ about whether DOJ is complying with the law. We will continue to use every legal option to ensure the files are released and the survivors see justice.”

MORE THAN 2M EPSTEIN FILES STILL UNPUBLISHED, DOJ CONFIRMS

Khanna and Massie spearheaded the EFTA, which was signed into law by President Donald Trump last year. It required the Justice Department to release all evidence gathered during decades of investigations into Epstein by Dec. 19. 

However, weeks after the deadline, a fraction of the files have been released, prompting criticism from officials on both sides of the aisle. 

The Justice Department has said the files’ release was slowed by redactions required to protect the identities of abuse victims.

“We are informing the Court of serious misconduct by the Department of Justice that requires a remedy, one we believe this Court has the authority to provide, and which victims themselves have requested,” Khanna said in a statement to The Associated Press about a letter U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton wrote to Engelmayer last week. 

“Our purpose is to ensure that DOJ complies with its representations to the Court and with its legal obligations under our law,” he added.

In their letter, Khanna and Massie wrote that the DOJ’s release of only 12,000 documents out of more than 2 million documents being reviewed was a “flagrant violation” of the law’s requirements.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

“Put simply, the DOJ cannot be trusted with making mandatory disclosures under the Act,” he said. 

Engelmayer acknowledged that Khanna and Massie raised “legitimate concerns,” but that his hands were tied. 

“The Representatives do not seek to opine on any live issue before the Court,” he wrote. “The appointment of a neutral to supervise DOJ’s compliance with the EFTA is far afield from any matter pending before the Court. It is thus not a permitted form of amicus participation.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

FIRST ON FOX: A “limited number” of U.S. personnel are operating in Caracas as Washington looks to resume diplomatic relations with Venezuela after the historic capture of Nicolás Maduro, Fox News has learned.

A senior State Department official told Fox News that the Trump administration plan to resume official diplomacy with Venezuela is under way. This is the first time a State Department official has commented on reporting about the diplomatic team on the ground.

“A limited number of U.S. diplomatic and technical personnel are in Caracas conducting initial assessments for a potential phased resumption of operations,” the official said.

The official did not specify exactly what “a limited number” meant, and it is not immediately clear exactly how many people are on the ground. The phased resumption of operations would include the re-opening of the U.S. embassy and consulate offices in Venezuela.

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

Since Maduro was captured, the Trump administration has been cautious in its approach to Venezuela. President Donald Trump initially said that the U.S. would “run” the country for an undetermined period of time. 

Since then, Trump has met with Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado, who he said he doubts has the support necessary to take over the country.

After her meeting with Trump, Machado spoke at a news conference hosted by the conservative think tank, the Heritage Foundation, in Washington, D.C. She said that Venezuela would hold “free and fair” elections “eventually.” However, she did not offer a timeline for how long the current interim government would be allowed to rule, only that elections would happen “as soon as possible.”

RUBIO LAYS OUT THREE-PHASE PLAN FOR VENEZUELA AFTER MADURO: ‘NOT JUST WINGING IT’

Machado also attempted to downplay the appearance of competition between herself and Maduro’s successor, interim Venezuelan President Delcy Rodriguez, for Trump’s support.

“This has nothing to do with a tension or decision between Delcy Rodríguez and myself,” Machado said when asked about Trump’s openness to working with the interim government. “This is about a criminal structure that is a regime and the mandate of the Venezuelan people.”

On Jan. 15, Rodriguez, who was sworn-in as Venezuela’s interim president following the capture of Maduro, met with CIA Director John Ratcliffe. A U.S. official told CBS News that the purpose of the meeting was to “deliver the message that the United States looks forward to an improved working relationship.”

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Rodriguez’s meeting with Ratcliffe took place one day after she had a phone call with Trump, who said the conversation was “very good.”

“We are making tremendous progress, as we help Venezuela stabilize and recover. Many topics were discussed, including oil, minerals, trade and, of course, national security,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “This partnership between the United States of America and Venezuela will be a spectacular one FOR ALL. Venezuela will soon be great and prosperous again, perhaps more so than ever before!”

Fox News Digital’s Morgan Phillips contributed to this report.

Both conservatives and progressives are venting frustrations with a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) funding bill expected to get a vote this week, potentially throwing Congress’ goal to avert a government shutdown by Jan. 30 into question.

The bill is part of a bundle of four spending bills the GOP hopes to pass before the end of the week, which also includes funding for the departments of War, Education, Labor and Health and Human Services, among others.

Where progressive Democrats believe the package should include far stronger measures to prevent future confrontations between Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and protesters, some Republicans believe the bill doesn’t go far enough to ensure DHS can carry out President Donald Trump’s immigration goals.

Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., one of the most vocal fiscal and border hawks in the House, said he’s still weighing whether he can support the measure.

CONGRESS UNVEILS $1.2T SPENDING BILL AS PROGRESSIVE REVOLT BREWS OVER ICE FUNDING

“Everything’s up in the air. If it’s full of garbage, I won’t vote for it,” Burchett said when asked about the full package.

The DHS bill is a product of bipartisan negotiation and includes a handful of safeguards that Democrats argue are necessary after Renee Nicole Good was fatally shot in a deadly encounter with ICE agents in Minnesota earlier this month.

In its current form, the bill requires DHS to equip ICE officers with body cameras, implements new training requirements for how agents should interact with the public, largely keeps last year’s funding flat and even reduces some funding for ICE’s removal operations.

“If it’s going to be a Republican product, it can be improved,” Rep. Scott Perry, R-Pa., said, though he declined to say if he planned to vote for the bill.

House Freedom Caucus Chairman Andy Harris, R-Md., took issue with language that prevents government agencies from exchanging data on unaccompanied minors.

“Data sharing has to occur,” the top conservative said. “It makes no sense to prohibit data sharing between departments.”

HOUSE DEM BACKS THE IDEA OF REINING IN DHS FUNDING IN WAKE OF ICE-INVOLVED SHOOTING IN MINNESOTA

Harris explained that under current law, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) oversees the status of unaccompanied children who cross the border — contrasting with the vast majority of illegal aliens who are tracked by DHS. He wants the bill to enable DHS and HHS to share information on children.

“We have to protect these children from human traffickers, sex traffickers, abuse — and I’m not sure with that provision in there that we can effectively protect them,” Harris said.

Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., told reporters on Wednesday morning he plans to introduce four amendments that he believes will address some Republican concerns. He declined to describe them but said they would suggest both funding and policy changes.

With the sudden death of Rep. Doug LaMalfa, R-Calif., and the resignation of Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., earlier this month, Republicans can afford to lose just two votes on any party-line consideration.

While it’s unclear if the DHS bill will draw any Democratic support, the Congressional Progressive Caucus, a group of more than 70 lawmakers, made it clear last week they would oppose legislation that didn’t come with meaningful guardrails and reforms on ICE.

Democratic lawmakers like Rep. Maxine Dexter, D-Ore., said the current bill falls well short of what she wanted to see.

“I think what we’re seeing right now is a clear lack of leadership and legal barriers or guardrails for the actions of ICE,” Dexter said.

“I will not vote to fund ICE further.”

When asked if she shared concerns voiced by other Democrats that tanking the DHS bill might punish other government operations beyond just ICE, Dexter said she believed lawmakers could consider those areas separately.

REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK: PROGRESSIVES EYE SHUTDOWN LEVERAGE TO REIN IN ICE, VENEZUELA OPERATIONS

“Obviously, FEMA and TSA and other parts of DHS’ budget would need to be made whole in some regard,” Dexter said, referring to the government’s disaster relief and transportation security operations. “But we have to be realistic about the impact that ICE’s operations are having across this country.”

Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar, D-Calif., the No. 3 Democrat in the House and a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, said individual members would have to make their own determinations on the bill.

For his part, Aguilar questioned whether the administration would comply with the new requirements even if they were passed.

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

Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., the deputy chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, announced last week the group would reject spending that didn’t also include substantial guardrails for ICE.

“This week, the House votes on DHS funding. I will not vote to give ICE a single cent. No more blank checks for a rogue agency that operates above the law, escalates violence and erodes our most basic freedoms,” she wrote on X.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

She declined to expand on her concerns when asked by Fox News Digital, stating, “I’ve already said what I have to say about this.”

The House is scheduled to consider the DHS funding bill on Thursday.

Europe should be happy President Donald Trump was elected — despite his threats to take Greenland — because without him, it would never have stepped up for its own defense, according to NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte. 

“I’m not popular with you now because I’m defending Donald Trump, but I really believe you can be happy that he is there because he has forced us in Europe to step up, to face the consequences that we have to take care of more of our own defense,” Rutte said Wednesday in remarks at Davos, Switzerland.

“No way, without Donald Trump, this would never have happened. They’re all on 2% now,” he went on during a panel at the World Economic Forum. 

US TRADE REP SHRUGS OFF WORLD LEADERS’ SWIPES AT TRUMP AMID DAVOS BACKLASH

In 2014, NATO allies agreed to spend 2% of GDP on defense, but many fell short until recent years. With the Russian invasion of Ukraine and Trump’s threats not to defend NATO countries, most allies are meeting or exceeding the benchmark. 

They’ve now agreed to spend 5% GDP on defense and national security infrastructure.

“I’m absolutely convinced without Donald Trump you would not have taken those decisions, and they are crucial, particularly for the European and the Canadian side of NATO to really grow up in the post-Cold War world.”

U.S. lawmakers previously criticized Rutte for his own country’s underspending on defense. Rutte was prime minister of the Netherlands from 2010 to 2024. 

Rutte argued the U.S. is still committed to Europe’s defense, and the nuclear umbrella is the ultimate defense guarantee.

“The Americans still have over 80,000 soldiers in Europe … including in Poland and Germany, and so they are still heavily invested in European defense. And yes, they have to pivot more towards Asia. So it is only logical for them to expect us, Europe, to step up over time,

He also added Greenland is not the “main issue” and Europe should not let it distract from Ukraine’s defense. 

“The risk here is that we focus, of course, on Greenland, because we have to make sure that issue gets solved in an amicable way,” he said. “But the main issue is not Greenland. Now, the main issue is Ukraine. I’m also a little bit worried that we might drop the ball focusing so much on these other issues.”

“This focus on Ukraine should be our top priority,” he said. “Ukraine has to come first because it is crucial to our European and American security.’

Rutte repeatedly has praised Trump, in June calling him “daddy” of the NATO alliance. 

“Daddy has to sometimes use strong language to get them to stop,” he said in reference to fighting between Israel and Iran.

TOP EU OFFICIAL WARNS TRUMP’S TARIFF THREAT OVER GREENLAND PUSHBACK IS ‘A MISTAKE’

Other European leaders have expressed more concern about Trump’s Greenland ambitions. On Wednesday Trump, for the first time, ruled out taking Greenland by force. 

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has said a U.S. takeover of Greenland would mean the “end of NATO,” the nearly 80-year-old defense alliance. 

Trump spoke at the Davos, Switzerland, conference Wednesday after threatening Europe with tariffs over the Greenland dispute.

This week the president told Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre in a text message he “no longer thinks purely of peace” in his desire to own Greenland.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Trump wrote: “Dear Jonas: Considering your Country decided not to give me the Nobel Peace Prize for having stopped 8 Wars PLUS, I no longer feel an obligation to think purely of Peace, although it will always be predominant, but can now think about what is good and proper for the United States of America.”

“I have done more for NATO than any other person since its founding, and now, NATO should do something for the United States,” Trump wrote. “The World is not secure unless we have Complete and Total Control of Greenland.”

President Donald Trump declared from Davos, Switzerland, Wednesday that the U.S. is the only nation that is in the position to control and secure Greenland. 

“All the United States is asking for is a place called Greenland,” Trump said Wednesday from his speech at the World Economic Forum. “Where we’ve already had it as a trustee, but respectfully returned it back to Denmark not long ago after we defeated the Germans, the Japanese, the Italians and others in World War II, we gave it back to them.”

Trump added that he does not want to use force as he pressures NATO allies on Greenland. 

“We never asked for anything,” Trump said of the U.S. working with NATO. “And we never got anything. We probably won’t get anything unless I decide to use excessive strength and force where we would be, frankly, unstoppable. But I won’t do that. Okay, now everyone say, ‘oh good.’ That’s probably the biggest statement I made because people thought I would use force. I don’t have to use force. I don’t want to use force. I won’t use force.”

DAVOS BRACES FOR TRUMP AMID TENSIONS OVER NATO, GREENLAND AND GLOBAL DEFENSE

Greenland — the world’s largest island — sits in the Arctic and governs its own domestic affairs while remaining within the Kingdom of Denmark.

The president said he has “tremendous respect for both the people of Greenland and the people of Denmark,” but that the U.S. must control the island from a national security standpoint. 

“And the fact is, no nation or group of nations is in any position to be able to secure Greenland other than the United States, with a great power much greater than people even understand,” he said.

The White House has reiterated that Trump views Greenland as a national security priority, and officials have not ruled out the use of the U.S. military as the administration weighs options for acquiring the territory.

Trump was asked Tuesday, the one-year anniversary of his inauguration, how far he would go to Greenland, responding with a terse “you’ll find out” response. 

The president described Greenland as a vast, almost entirely uninhabited and undeveloped territory that’s sitting undefended in a key strategic location between the United States, Russia and China. He pushed back that the U.S. is not seeking to acquire Greenland for its rare earths, but due to its location from a national security standpoint. 

“This enormous unsecured island is actually part of North America on the northern frontier of the Western Hemisphere,” he said. “That’s our territory. It is, therefore, a core national security interest of the United States of America.” 

Trump said securing Greenland would only strengthen NATO. 

“This would not be a threat to NATO,” he said. “This would greatly enhance the security of the entire alliance. The NATO alliance. The United States is treated very unfairly by NATO. I want to tell you that. And when you think about it, nobody can dispute it. We give so much, and we get so little in return. And I’ve been a critic of NATO for many years, and yet I’ve done more to help NATO than any other president by far, than any other person. You wouldn’t have NATO if I didn’t get involved.” 

NEWSOM WARNS ‘PATHETIC’ FOREIGN LEADERS TO GROW A BACKBONE IN BIZARRE TAKEDOWN LIKENING TRUMP TO A T.REX 

The president argued that U.S. control of Greenland would strengthen security for both the United States and Europe, framing the territory as a strategic necessity rather than a real-estate acquisition. “The European Union needs us to have it, and they know that,” he said, before pivoting to other topics.

Greenland has long carried outsized military importance in the Arctic. During the Cold War, the island sat along the shortest air and missile routes between North America and the Soviet Union. The U.S. expanded operations at the air base now known as Pituffik Space Base, using the site for early-warning radar and surveillance designed to detect incoming bombers and missiles.

“Now our country and the world face much greater risks than it did ever before. Because of missiles, because of nuclear, because of weapons, of warfare that I can’t even talk about,” Trump continued of Greenland. 

In more recent years, renewed U.S. interest has been tied to intensifying great-power competition in the Arctic. Officials and analysts have pointed to China’s effort to widen its regional footprint.

Trump underscored that the U.S. is “stronger” than ever and is in the position to finalize a Greenland deal following “two centuries” of previous presidents reportedly trying to do the same. 

“For two centuries they’ve been trying to do it. They should have kept it after World War II, but they had a different president. That’s all right. People think differently. Much more necessary now than it was at that time. However, in 2019, Denmark said that they would spend over $200 million to strengthen Greenland’s defenses. But as you know, they spent less than 1% of that amount. 1% is no sign of Denmark there,” the president continued. 

FORMER REP. MTG DUMPS COLD WATER ON TRUMP’S GREENLAND ACQUISITION AMBITIONS: ‘WE’VE HEARD THAT ONE BEFORE’

Trump first publicly raised the idea of acquiring Greenland in 2019. The Arctic’s geography makes it a key corridor for long-range threats from major adversaries, elevating Greenland’s value as a location for sensors and tracking systems intended to protect North America.

Trump put European allies on notice to reach a deal on the island by Feb. 1 or face consequences. Goods from Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and the United Kingdom will face a 10% tariff if no deal is reached by February, with the taxes increasing to 25% by June 1 if there is no deal. 

European leaders at Davos largely treated Trump’s Greenland-linked tariff threats as economic coercion. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, for example, said Greenland is “non-negotiable” and that the EU would show “full solidarity” with Greenland. 

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

“In politics as in business: a deal is a deal. And when friends shake hands, it must mean something,” von der Leyen added, referring to a trade deal the U.S. inked with the EU over the summer. 

The California Republican Party is aiming to get the U.S. Supreme Court to block the Golden State from using a new congressional map.

“If left uncorrected, this pernicious and unconstitutional use of race will irreparably harm Applicants and the public. Applicants therefore respectfully request an injunction pending appeal precluding California from conducting any congressional election under the map enacted through Proposition 50 (‘Proposition 50 Map’) and requiring it to use the prior map adopted in 2021 by the independent Citizens Redistricting Commission,” the emergency application declares.

In November, California voters approved Proposition 50 to temporarily adopt the new congressional map.

FEDERAL COURT CLEARS CALIFORNIA’S NEW HOUSE MAP BOOSTING DEMOCRATS AHEAD OF 2026 MIDTERMS

Those redrawn districts would apply during this year’s midterms.

If California elections are allowed to proceed according to the new map, Democrats would likely see an advantage during the 2026 contests as they seek to win the House majority.

FEDERAL JUDGE SCORCHES DEMS FOR PANDERING TO LATINOS WITH CALIFORNIA MAP IN FIERY DISSENT

“California cannot create districts by race, and the state should not be allowed to lock in districts that break federal law,” California Republican Party Chairwoman Corrin Rankin said, according to a post on X by the California Republican Party.

NEWSOM WARNS ‘PATHETIC’ FOREIGN LEADERS TO GROW A BACKBONE IN BIZARRE TAKEDOWN LIKENING TRUMP TO A T.REX

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

“Our emergency application asks the Supreme Court to put the brakes on Prop. 50 now, before the Democrats try to run out the clock and force candidates and voters to live with unconstitutional congressional districts,” Rankin said. “Californians deserve fair districts and clean elections, not a backroom redraw that picks winners and losers based on race.”

Mexico transferred 37 cartel members to the United States on Tuesday as the Trump administration intensifies pressure on foreign governments to dismantle drug trafficking networks.

Mexican Security Minister Omar García Harfuch said the detainees were “high-impact criminals” who posed “a real threat to the country’s security.” With this latest transfer, Mexico has now sent 92 cartel figures to the U.S., he said.

Video released by Mexican authorities showed handcuffed prisoners surrounded by heavily armed, masked officers as they were loaded onto a military jet near Mexico City.

The group includes members of several major criminal organizations, including the Sinaloa cartel, Jalisco New Generation cartel, Beltrán-Leyva cartel, the Northeast cartel and remnants of the Zetas based in Tamaulipas along the Texas border. Mexican officials said all had pending cases in U.S. courts.

VENEZUELAN PRESIDENT NICOLAS MADURO’S NARCO CASE ECHOES US HISTORY OF TARGETING ALLEGED FOREIGN DRUG KINGPINS

Among those transferred was María del Rosario Navarro Sánchez, the first Mexican national charged in the U.S. with providing material support to a terrorist organization after allegedly conspiring with a cartel.

“This is Mexico resorting to extraordinary measures as pressure from the White House increases,” David Mora, a Mexico analyst with the International Crisis Group, told The Associated Press.

The move comes as President Donald Trump has sharpened his rhetoric against drug cartels, even floating the possibility of U.S. military action, following a recent U.S. operation in Venezuela that removed former President Nicolás Maduro.

“We’ve knocked out 97% of the drugs coming in by water, and we are going to start now hitting land with regard to the cartels,” Trump told Fox News’ Sean Hannity this month. “The cartels are running Mexico—it’s very, very sad to watch, and see what’s happened to that country.”

MADURO-BACKED TdA GANG’S EXPANSION INTO US CITIES EMERGES AS KEY FOCUS OF SWEEPING DOJ INDICTMENT

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum spoke with Trump last week, saying U.S. intervention in Mexico was “not necessary,” while emphasizing continued cooperation between the two countries.

Mexico first sent 29 cartel figures to the U.S. last February, including notorious drug lord Rafael Caro Quintero, wanted for the 1985 killing of a U.S. DEA agent. A second transfer in August included 26 cartel members from multiple organizations.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

García Harfuch said the transfers were driven by public safety concerns, arguing that cartel leaders were continuing to run criminal operations from inside Mexican prisons.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

EXCLUSIVE – MINNEAPOLIS, MINN. – Saying that she wants to bring “sanity” and “normalcy” back to her home state of Minnesota, former longtime TV sports reporter turned political activist and conservative commentator Michele Tafoya on Wednesday formally launched a campaign for the Senate in a bid to flip a Democrat-held open seat.

“We are suffering a crisis here in Minnesota, and really, it’s a crisis of leadership. We have career politicians who have brought us to this place, and they’re not coming to save us. So, some of us are going to have to step up and clean up the mess ourselves,” Tafoya said in an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital, as she explained why she is running in the blue-leaning state.

Tafoya is bidding to win the seat currently held by retiring Democratic Sen. Tina Smith, which national Republicans are eyeing as they aim to not only defend but expand their current 53-47 majority in the chamber in this year’s midterm elections.

The announcement by Tafoya came as Minnesota is ground zero in the national battle over President Donald Trump‘s illegal immigration crackdown, with a massive deployment of agents by the Department of Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

DEMOCRATS DILEMMA: PROGRESSIVE PUSH TO ‘ABOLISH ICE’ SPARKS FRESH DIVIDE IN PARTY

The arrest of thousands of migrants and the fatal shooting by an ICE agent of Renee Good, a Minnesota woman demonstrating against the immigration crackdown, has fueled anti-ICE protests in Minneapolis and across the country.

And Minnesota is also reeling from a sweeping fraud scandal that at the beginning of the month forced Gov. Tim Walz, the Democratic Party’s 2024 vice presidential nominee, to drop his bid for re-election.

WHAT TRUMP SAID ABOUT MINNESOTA AS HE LEADS WHITE HOUSE BRIEFING

“We’ve got to decide not between right versus left, but right versus wrong, and we’ve got to decide, are we going to build up with the common sense that made this country great, or are we going to tear us apart with the corruption and the crazy that we’re seeing?” Tafoya emphasized. “I think people know the answer to that, and that’s why I’m running.”

Tafoya called the shooting of Good, a 37-year-old mother of three, “absolutely tragic.”

“My heart sincerely goes out to her family and all of those who loved her. It should not have happened,” Tafoya said.

But Tafoya added, “How did we get to this place? How did this environment get created where people feel it’s their duty to go put their cars or their bodies in front of federal law enforcement? And I would contend that Governor Tim Walz and Mayor Jacob Frey of Minneapolis have ginned this up.”

And she charged that Walz and Frey “are fanning the flames. We’ve got to have a change in leadership. We’ve got to have people who are willing to assuage the situation, to calm it down, not to stir it up, and get rid of the hate for law enforcement.”

SCATHING AUDIT REVEALS MORE MINNESOTA FRAUD

Tafoya spoke as the Justice Department sent subpoenas to Walz, Frey and other state leaders, in what sources told Fox News was an escalation of the federal investigation into whether state officials conspired to impede law enforcement amid the immigration operations.

Walz, in a statement, called the Justice Department investigation “a partisan distraction,” and that his “focus has always been protecting the people of this state.”

“Minnesota will not be intimidated into silence and neither will I,” the governor added.

Frey has also sharply criticized the Trump administration and accused the Justice Department of misusing its power.

The Justice Department said they are also investigating an anti-ICE protest that disrupted a service on Sunday at a Minnesota church where one of the pastors is an ICE acting field director in the St. Paul office.

“I think that incident in the church was horrific, awful, disgusting,” Tafoya argued. “To see that picture of that small child scared being hugged by a parent because in a place of worship, these people thought they were safe, and then they learned otherwise.”

And she argued that the ongoing demonstrations are “making the whole environment not only dangerous for law enforcement, but for citizens.”

GOP SENATE CAMPAIGN CHIEF AIMS TO EXPAND 2026 MAP IN THIS BLUE-LEANING STATE

Turning to Minnesota’s other crisis, Tafoya said, “this fraud scandal is epic, and it’s huge, and I don’t think we’ve seen the end of it.”

More than 90 people — most from Minnesota’s large Somali community — have been charged since 2022 in what has been described as the nation’s largest COVID-era scheme. How much money has been stolen through alleged money laundering operations involving fraudulent meal and housing programs, daycare centers and Medicaid services is still being tabulated. But prosecutors say it could total as much as $9 billion.

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

“I think if Minnesotans aren’t angry already, they need to look at their pay stubs, look at how much gets taken out in taxes, and ask themselves, what did that get me? Did that get me anything? Did that fill a pothole, or did I buy someone a Rolex?” Tafoya said. “I mean, that’s what, really what we’re talking about here.”

“This fraud is massive. We need to get to the bottom of it. We need to ask hard questions, get to the facts, make it stop, hold people accountable, and that’s why I’m running,” she added.

Tafoya grabbed national attention when she met last month with members of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, the Senate GOP’s campaign arm, which had been recruiting her to launch a campaign.

Republicans are hoping to break their nearly quarter-century-long losing streak in Senate elections in Minnesota.

Asked how she could break the losing streak, Tafoya told Fox News Digital, “I think people are really hungry for that change, and I think that’s what I represent. We’re going to go out, and we’re going to fight for every vote, every Republican vote. We’re going to fight for Democrat votes, and we’re going to certainly fight for the independents.”

DEMOCRATS EYE NARROW PATH TO SENATE MAJORITY, BUT ONE WRONG MOVE COULD SINK THEM

Tafoya joins a crowded GOP Senate primary field that already includes 2024 Senate nominee Royce White, a former NBA basketball player; retired U.S. Navy officer Tom Weiler, a 2022 GOP congressional nominee; former state Senator David Hann and former Navy SEAL Adam Schwarze.

Minnesota’s primary isn’t until August, and Trump has remained neutral to date in the race.

Tafoya said she “would be honored to have the endorsement of the President, for sure, but this is going to take me winning over Minnesotans, first and foremost.”

Minnesota Lt. Gov. Peggy Flannagan, a progressive, is facing off against more moderate Democratic Rep. Angie Craig, who appears to have the backing of Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, in the race for their party’s nomination.

Tafoya, a longtime NFL sideline reporter and announcer, gave up her career at NBC Sports in 2022 as she became more politically active, saying at the time that she wanted to pursue other opportunities. She served as co-chair of 2022 Republican gubernatorial nominee Kendall Qualls’ unsuccessful campaign against Walz.

Pointing to her successful career in TV sports, Tafoya said, “I gave that all up because I love this country, and I’m concerned about it, and it’s a country that I’m leaving to my two kids, and I felt that it was more important for me to be involved somehow in making this place better.”

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

“I certainly plan to let people know that my intentions are true, that I’m doing this for love of country and love of Minnesota,” Tafoya added. “I’m grateful for the career that I had, but this feels like a sense of duty to me. I just can’t turn my back on this state.”

And the first-time candidate said, “I’m jumping in with both feet, and I’m ready to go.”

The House Oversight Committee will consider whether to tee up House-wide votes on holding former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in contempt of Congress on Wednesday morning for missing their scheduled depositions in the House’s Jeffrey Epstein probe.

If passed by the committee, the resolutions would put the contempt findings’ consideration to the whole House of Representatives.

“President Clinton refused to appear for his scheduled deposition on Jan. 13, 2026. President Clinton’s unwillingness to comply with the subpoena, even after the Oversight Committee agreed to postpone his deposition date, at his request, for nearly a month, has substantially interfered with the Oversight Committee’s investigation,” the committee wrote in its findings.

JON STEWART SAYS CLINTONS SHOULD ‘ABSOLUTELY’ COMPLY WITH CONGRESSIONAL SUBPOENAS ON EPSTEIN

The committee had originally requested Bill and Hillary Clinton to appear before lawmakers on Oct. 14 and Oct. 9, 2025, respectively.

Epstein killed himself while incarcerated on charges of sex trafficking minors in 2019, cutting short a prosecution of his crimes.

Epstein was known to have rubbed shoulders with some of the world’s most powerful and wealthy figures, including Prince Andrew of the British royal family, now-President Donald Trump, Bill Gates and the Clintons.

In recent disclosures from the Department of Justice (DOJ) in compliance with the Epstein Files Transparency Act, several previously undisclosed images surfaced, revealing new details of Clinton’s relationship with Epstein.

‘THE VIEW’ HOSTS CALL ON CLINTONS TO COMPLY WITH SUBPOENA, TESTIFY ON EPSTEIN

While none of them, on their own, bear any proof of wrongdoing, they have raised new questions among Republicans about what the former president may have known about Epstein’s crimes.

“In particular, President Clinton possesses firsthand information regarding the activities of Mr. Epstein and Ms. Maxwell and their efforts to establish relationships and curry favor with influential individuals while operating a sex-trafficking ring,” the committee wrote in its findings.

“His testimony may inform the Oversight Committee’s consideration of legislative reforms designed to combat the operation of sex-trafficking rings, efforts to shield them from scrutiny and ethics reforms for current and former elected officials.”

The Clintons were two of 10 people subpoenaed by House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., as part of the panel’s investigation, but are the only two facing contempt threats so far for not appearing.

JONATHAN TURLEY: CLINTONS DARE HOUSE TO HOLD THEM IN CRIMINAL CONTEMPT. WILL IT WORK?

The subpoenas were issued pursuant to a bipartisan vote during an unrelated committee hearing over the summer.

Since then, the probe has fallen prey to partisan infighting, with both sides accusing the other of politicizing the investigation at the expense of Epstein’s victims.

Republicans are expected to advance the contempt resolutions out of committee largely along party lines.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP 

Comer told Fox News Digital last week that the House would likely vote on both resolutions within three legislative days. That would put the vote sometime in February, given the House’s planned recess next week.

President Donald Trump said criminal illegal aliens being removed from the U.S. are so violent, they “make the Hells Angels look like the sweetest people on Earth,” arguing tougher border enforcement is now driving what he called “reverse migration.”

Trump made the remarks during a White House press briefing Tuesday, where he displayed images of individuals ICE agents are targeting in U.S. cities, including Minneapolis.

The president said that for the first time in 50 years, more illegal immigrants are now leaving the country than entering it, blaming prior border policies under former President Joe Biden’s administration for allowing dangerous criminals into the U.S.

“You remember when they used to say the people who come into our country as immigrants are very nice people — they’re wonderful people — they don’t commit crime?” Trump said. “No. They make our criminals look like babies. They make our Hells Angels look like the sweetest people on Earth.”

ILLEGAL ALIEN WITH 24 CONVICTIONS AMONG ‘WORST OF THE WORST’ ARRESTED IN MINNESOTA ICE OPERATION: DHS

He added that the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club members are now considered “nice, high-quality person,” noting that he likes them because they voted for and protected him.

Trump continued, saying some of those being removed came from foreign prisons, including prisons in Congo.

“Some of the toughest, meanest people you’ll ever meet,” he said. “They allowed them to come into America. These are tough people.”

WHITE HOUSE BLAMES DEMOCRATS FOR ICE VIOLENCE AS MINNEAPOLIS ERUPTS, INSURRECTION ACT THREAT LOOMS

White House officials say the administration’s enforcement efforts are focused on removing illegal immigrants with violent felony records, gang affiliations, or outstanding warrants.

As part of the crackdown, ICE has expanded targeted operations in several major metropolitan areas, prioritizing individuals with serious criminal histories.

MINNESOTA DEM COMPARES ICE OPERATIONS TO 1930S GERMANY, ADDING ‘NOTHING SHOULD BE OFF THE TABLE’ TO STOP IT

That enforcement push has been particularly visible in Minnesota. 

Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem said Monday that more than 10,000 criminal illegal immigrants have been arrested in and around Minneapolis, underscoring the administration’s focus on interior enforcement.

The federal immigration enforcement effort in Minnesota — part of a broader nationwide crackdown — has become one of the administration’s most visible operations, with authorities emphasizing that many of those targeted have serious criminal records.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Tensions escalated after an ICE officer fatally shot Renee Good during a confrontation earlier this month, a case that has sparked protests and drawn national attention.

Demonstrations have continued for weeks, with faith groups, labor unions and community organizers planning coordinated actions — including an economic blackout protest — to voice their anger at the operation and to mourn the woman’s death.

Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., said she will oppose funding ahead of a House vote to fund the government before the Jan. 30 deadline, saying she will not approve of giving more money to the Department of Homeland Security. 

Omar voiced her opposition on X, saying she would not vote to financially support federal immigration agencies amid the ongoing enforcement operations in her state.

“I will not vote to give ICE a single cent,” she wrote. “No more blank checks for a rogue agency that operates above the law, escalates violence, and erodes our most basic freedoms.”

CALIFORNIA DEMOCRAT APPEARS TO CALL TO DEFUND ICE, RESTART IT FROM SCRATCH

Omar and many Democratic officials have repeatedly voiced anger at the Trump administration and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) because of their crackdown on illegal immigrant criminals and the shooting of Renee Good, who federal authorities said was trying to ram into an ICE officer with her vehicle. 

ICE has targeted illegal immigrants with criminal records but has been met with opposition from local officials and anti-ICE agitators who have confronted officers, sometimes violently. 

MINNEAPOLIS MAYOR FREY REFUSES TO WALK BACK ‘GET THE F— OUT’ MESSAGE TO ICE

Many Democrats have framed the operations as unlawful attacks on immigrants. However, the Trump administration has released the names and criminal offenses, including violent and child sex abuse convictions, of some of those arrested. 

On Tuesday, Congress unveiled a $1.2 trillion spending package that includes funding for multiple aspects of the federal government, but a partisan divide remains over funds for ICE. 

But progressives have threatened a rebellion over funding for ICE, which is included in the DHS portion of the bill.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

If passed by the House and Senate, the legislation, which combines four separate spending bills into a package called a “minibus,” would be the final way for Congress to avert another government shutdown.

Fox News Digital’s Alex Miller, Elizabeth Elkind and Leo Briceno contributed to this report. 

Federal immigration officials said Tuesday that Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) have faced escalating violence in Minneapolis, including vehicle ramming incidents as recently as “today” and “yesterday,” during a major enforcement operation targeting criminal illegal aliens in the Twin Cities.

“I believe we had a vehicle ramming today. We had one yesterday,” said Greg Bovino, who was identified to the assembled media during a scheduled Department of Homeland Security (DHS) news conference as the commander at large for Customs and Border Protection (CBP) assets in the Twin Cities.

Bovino said two suspects “decided that it would be a good idea to ram Border Patrol agents and then take off,” adding that a civilian vehicle was also struck during one of the incidents. He said both suspects were apprehended. No additional details were released.

The briefing came amid fiery protests, political pushback and scrutiny of federal immigration enforcement operations in Minneapolis after the death of Renee Nicole Good on Jan. 7.

OMAR, MINNEAPOLIS MAYOR ACCUSE TRUMP ADMIN OF UNLEASHING ‘POLITICAL RETRIBUTION,’ ‘INVASION’ WITH ICE ACTIVITY

Bovino appeared alongside Marcos Charles, acting executive associate director for ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations, as DHS officials outlined what they described as a sharp increase in arrests, mounting confrontations and resistance from local leaders during Operation Metro Surge.

Bovino said the operation is focused on public safety and violent offenders, rejecting claims that enforcement actions are random or politically motivated.

“Our operations are lawful, they’re targeted and they’re focused on individuals who pose a serious threat to this community,” Bovino said. “They are not random, and they are not political.”

WHITE HOUSE SAYS WALZ, FREY INCITED CHAOS AFTER ANTI-ICE MOB STORMS MINNEAPOLIS CHURCH

He accused Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey of using “heated rhetoric” that he said has contributed to a hostile environment for federal agents.

“Leaders like Tim Walz or Mayor Frey have relied on heated rhetoric and accusations that distract from the facts,” Bovino said. “The facts are that federal agents are arresting murderers, rapists, child predators, cartel-connected criminals.”

Bovino said federal officers have been “violently and aggressively assaulted,” with objects thrown and vehicles damaged since the operation began, though enforcement efforts have continued.

DOJ SERVES GRAND JURY SUBPOENAS TO MINNESOTA DEMS IN INVESTIGATION OF ICE OBSTRUCTION: SOURCES

Bovino listed several cases he said occurred as recently as the previous day, including what he described as a registered sex offender convicted of crimes against a child and other individuals charged with rape, domestic assault and other violent offenses.

Bovino also referenced the recent disruption of a church service during an anti-ICE protest.

“Do we like what happened with the church there a couple of days ago when individuals came in and disrupted almost violently a church service? Absolutely not,” Bovino said.

The Justice Department has launched a civil rights investigation into the disruption at a Minneapolis-area church after protesters stormed a service over a perceived ICE connection Sunday.

Bovino rejected a reporter’s claims during a Q&A, saying agents act in a manner he described as a “legal, ethical and moral” manner and arguing that confrontations often involve agitators rather than random civilians.

“Oftentimes, it’s agitators, rioters, anarchists that place mom-and-pop America near very tense situations when they shouldn’t even be,” Bovino said.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Asked about the status of the officer involved in the Jan. 7 shooting of Good, Charles said the officer is “recovering at home,” but he did not answer whether the officer remains on administrative leave or involved in the operation.

Walz and Frey’s offices, as well as the Minneapolis Police Department, did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s requests for comment.

Attorney General Pam Bondi warned Tuesday that “no one is above the law” as the Department of Justice (DOJ) increases its presence in Minnesota following weeks of unrest, escalating tensions tied to immigration enforcement and the disruption of a church service Sunday.

Bondi made the comments in an exclusive interview with Fox News in Minneapolis, where she met with federal prosecutors and law enforcement officials amid what she described as ongoing chaos in the state.

“No one is above the law in this state or in this country, and people will be held accountable,” Bondi told Fox News.

Bondi said conditions in Minnesota have deteriorated in past weeks, citing constant unrest and concerns for officer safety.

WHITE HOUSE SAYS WALZ, FREY INCITED CHAOS AFTER ANTI-ICE MOB STORMS MINNEAPOLIS CHURCH

“This state is a mess right now,” she said. “We’ve seen the chaos, and it’s constant. And our men and women in law enforcement deserve to be safe.”

Bondi said she met with federal agents from the FBI, DEA and ATF, as well as U.S. Attorney Daniel Rosen, emphasizing coordination among federal agencies as tensions continue.

“We have a great U.S. attorney, and we are all going to fight together,” she said. “That’s why it was so important to be here.”

NOEM HAMMERS WALZ, FREY FOR IGNORING 1,360 ICE DETAINERS FOR CRIMINAL ILLEGAL ALIENS

Bondi arrived after Minnesota officials, including the governor, mayor and state attorney general, confirmed they had received federal subpoenas. Asked whether those subpoenas signal an investigation into their offices, Bondi declined to provide details.

“I can’t confirm nor deny whether we have any investigation or what it is,” Bondi said. “I can’t discuss.”

When pressed on whether rhetoric from state and local leaders has contributed to unrest, Bondi said inflammatory language can have consequences but iterated that accountability applies universally.

“Rhetoric causes people to get hurt and injured, and that shouldn’t be happening,” she said. “Whether it’s a public official, whether it’s a law enforcement officer, no one is above the law in this state or in this country, and people will be held accountable.”

Bondi also addressed Sunday’s disruption of a church service in St. Paul, calling the incident “horrific” and saying such conduct should never occur at any place of worship.

MINNEAPOLIS PASTOR CALLS ON FAITHFUL TO BE ‘LIGHT IN THE DARK’ AFTER ANTI-ICE AGITATORS STORM CHURCH

“What happened in that church was horrific,” Bondi said. “That should not happen to any Christian, to any religion, to a synagogue, to a mosque, to any place of worship in our country.”

Bondi said she has spoken directly with Pastor Jonathan Parnell and plans to meet with him.

“That should not happen,” she said. “And it was horrific.”

In a statement after the Jan. 18 incident, Parnell said a group of agitators disrupted the worship service, accosted members of the congregation and frightened children, describing the conduct as “shameful” and “unlawful.”

“Invading a church service to disrupt the worship of Jesus — or any other act of worship — is protected by neither the Christian Scriptures nor the laws of this nation,” Parnell wrote, adding that church buildings are meant to be places of peace and refuge.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Parnell said the church is evaluating next steps with legal counsel and called on local, state and national leaders to protect the fundamental right to worship freely.

Asked whether Minnesotans should expect continued federal involvement following her visit, Bondi answered unequivocally.

“President Trump is committed to making Minnesota safe,” she said. “So, the answer is yes.”

Michigan’s Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said she believes America is ready for a woman president, pushing back on recent comments by former first lady Michelle Obama, who said U.S. voters were not ready to elect a woman to the White House.

In an interview with NPR released on Tuesday, Whitmer said she has “love” for the former first lady and “the last thing I want to do is disagree with her,” but that she has a different perspective.

“I think America is ready for a woman president,” Whitmer said. “The question comes down to a choice between two people, and what we saw in this last election, while Kamala Harris didn’t beat President Trump, we saw women get elected across the country.”

“We saw women win up and down the ballot in hard, important states to win, so I do think there’s an appetite,” she added. “I just, for whatever reason, we have not had a woman president yet. I think we will at some point in the near future.”

MICHELLE OBAMA SAYS AMERICA ‘NOT READY’ FOR WOMAN PRESIDENT: ‘WE SAW IN THIS PAST ELECTION’

The governor cited the election victories last year for Democratic Govs. Abigail Spanberger in Virginia and Mikie Sherill in New Jersey, as well as Sen. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., in 2024.

In November, Obama said Americans are “not ready” to elect a woman to the White House, pointing to former Vice President Kamala Harris’ election loss to President Donald Trump in the last presidential election.

“As we saw in this past election, sadly, we ain’t ready,” the former first lady said at the Brooklyn Academy of Music at the time while promoting her book, “The Look.”

NANCY PELOSI THINKS A WOMAN WILL BE ELECTED PRESIDENT, BUT ‘MAYBE NOT’ IN HER LIFETIME

“That’s why I’m like, don’t even look at me about running, because you all are lying. You’re not ready for a woman. You are not … We’ve got a lot of growing up to do, and there’s still, sadly, a lot of men who do not feel like they can be led by a woman, and we saw it,” she added.

Pressed on whether Harris lost to Trump in the presidential election because she is a woman, Whitmer responded: “I don’t think it was just gender, no.”

Whitmer, who is term limited and cannot seek a third term as governor, said she does not currently have plans to run for another office.

She has been floated as a potential presidential candidate in 2028, but the governor said her focus remains on serving Michigan and helping her party’s candidates win the upcoming midterm elections.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Asked about how Democrats could win in the midterms this year, Whitmer pointed to her gubernatorial campaign’s decision to remain “focused on the fundamentals.”

“I don’t think Michigan is unique in that,” Whitmer said. “I think every person in this country wants and expects government to make their lives better, and so that’s been our formula here in Michigan and I think that can be replicated everywhere successfully.”

Air Force One was forced to return to Joint Base Andrews shortly after takeoff Tuesday evening with President Donald Trump aboard, the White House said.

The crew experienced a “minor electrical issue” after takeoff and returned “out of an abundance of caution,” according to the White House.

Trump was en route to Davos, Switzerland, to attend the World Economic Forum.

The president is expected to board a different aircraft and continue on to Switzerland.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

Thousands of people across the country flooded the streets on Tuesday in a mass walkout protesting Immigration and Customs Enforcement, marking exactly one year since Donald Trump was sworn in for his second presidential term.

The walkout, dubbed the “Free America Walkout” is spearheaded by the Women’s March, the same group that mobilized millions of protesters against Trump’s first administration in 2017.

According to its website, organizers urged people to walk out of schools, workplaces and businesses around 2 p.m. local time as part of the “Free America” movement, with the aim to “withhold our labor, our participation, and our consent.”

Videos of the scene captured dozens of protesters converging in major metropolitan areas such as Atlanta, New York City, Minneapolis and Washington, D.C, as part of the coordinated demonstrations. 

ANTI-ICE AGITATOR WHO STORMED MINNESOTA CHURCH SERVICE ALSO HARASSED CONGREGANTS AT PETE HEGSETH’S CHURCH

In some areas, high school students walked out of school during snowy conditions, exercising their political voice despite being too young to vote. Ahead of the planned walkouts, principals at several schools reportedly notified parents and arranged supervision for the protests, according to the Virginia news outlet LoudounNow.

In other cities, crowds of demonstrators filled streets and public spaces in protests that were largely orderly and peaceful. In New York City, for example, demonstrators marched to the area outside Trump Tower, chanting slogans and holding signs calling for changes to federal policies.

Organizers accused the Trump administration of being “fascist” after the president deployed thousands of ICE agents and other federal troops to major cities in an escalated crackdown on illegal immigration. 

“One year into Trump’s second regime, we face an escalating fascist threat: ICE raids on our communities, troops occupying our cities, families torn apart, attacks on our trans siblings, mass surveillance, and terror used to keep us silent,” the group said on its website. “It is time for our communities to escalate as well.” 

PROMINENT CATHOLIC BISHOP SLAMS ANTI-ICE AGITATORS WHO DISRUPTED MN CHURCH SERVICE: ‘UNACCEPTABLE’

The organizers of the protest said that holding the walkout on a weekday allows the demonstration to have a greater impact by disrupting the normal routine of schools, workplaces and public life.

“A walkout interrupts business as usual,” the website for the march said. “It makes visible how much our labor, participation, and cooperation are taken for granted — and what happens when we withdraw them together.”

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Trump’s immigration agenda has sparked widespread outrage, particularly after an ICE agent fatally shot 37‑year‑old Renee Nicole Good while her vehicle blocked a Minneapolis immigration enforcement operation. The killing has since intensified scrutiny over the use of force in the administration’s crackdown. 

The interim U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia left her post after completing a 120-day appointment amid a legal standoff in which a federal judge questioned her authority, declined to appoint a successor and triggered an appeal over separation of powers.

Former Trump lawyer Lindsey Halligan announced her departure Tuesday, saying a federal judge ruled in November that her appointment was invalid and that only the district court had the authority to name an interim successor following Erik Siebert’s exit.

She said the ruling led the court to treat her appointment as disqualifying, including striking her name from court filings.

FEDERAL JUDGE CALLS COMEY INDICTMENT INTO QUESTION, ASKS IF HALLIGAN IS A ‘PUPPET’ FOR TRUMP

“I was subjected to baseless accusations of lying to a tribunal and making false or misleading statements,” Halligan wrote. “I was ordered to respond to sua sponte orders and to personally sign filings explaining why my name appeared on pleadings, diverting time and resources from public safety responsibilities. Assistant U.S. Attorneys were told in open court that I should resign.”

She said that even after declaring her appointment invalid, the district court did not take the step its own reading of the law required by appointing a new U.S. attorney to fill the role.

BONDI TARGETS JAMES COMEY, LETITIA JAMES IN LEGAL BATTLE: ‘HOLD…ACCOUNTABLE FOR UNLAWFUL CONDUCT’

Instead, she said the court treated her as though she had been removed by striking her name from filings and declaring her appointment unlawful, while taking no action to fill what it said was an existing vacancy.

“In short, the court took no action to fill the vacancy it said already existed,” Halligan wrote. “The result was a vacuum: the Executive Branch was told it lacked appointment authority, and the Judiciary declined to exercise the authority it claimed was exclusively its own. That contradiction is now on appealnow on appeal.”

COMEY AND JAMES CHALLENGE TRUMP APPOINTEE’S LEGITIMACY IN FEDERAL COURT HEARING

Attorney General Pam Bondi praised Halligan’s tenure as interim U.S. attorney, saying she served with distinction and focused on prosecuting violent offenders to protect Eastern Virginia’s more than six million residents.

“Democratic Senators weaponized the blue slip process, making it impossible for Lindsey’s term as United States Attorney to continue following the expiration of her 120-day appointment,” Bondi wrote on X. “Despite multiple, unnecessary legal obstacles placed in her path, Lindsey stepped forward at a critical juncture for our Nation and fulfilled her responsibilities with courage and resolve.”

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

“Her departure is a significant loss for the Department of Justice and the communities she served,” Bondi continued. “While we will feel her absence keenly, we are confident that she will continue to serve her country in other ways.”

Bondi said the circumstances surrounding Halligan’s departure were “deeply misguided,” adding that the Justice Department would continue seeking review of decisions she said, “hinder our ability to keep the American people safe.”