NationalWatch

President Donald Trump took some not-so-subtle swipes at his predecessors with new plaques under their portraits in the new White House “Presidential Walk of Fame.” 

Former President Joe Biden had already been mocked in the installation, which was unveiled in September, with Trump using a photo of the autopen to represent the 46th president. Now, there are two plaques that include Trump’s nicknames for Biden.

“Sleepy Joe Biden was, by far, the worst President in American History,” the top plaque reads. “Biden oversaw a series of unprecedented disasters that brought our Nation to the brink of destruction. His policies caused the highest Inflation ever recorded, leading the U.S. Dollar to lose more than 20% of its value in 4 years.”

WHITE HOUSE UNVEILS PRESIDENTIAL WALK OF FAME WITH BIDEN PORTRAIT REPLACED BY AUTOPEN IMAGE

“Nicknamed both ‘Sleepy’ and ‘Crooked,’ Joe Biden was dominated by his Radical Left handlers. They and their allies in the Fake News Media attempted to cover up his severe mental decline, and his unprecedented use of the Autopen,” the second plaque reads. “Following his humiliating debate loss to President Trump in the big June 2024 debate, he was forced to withdraw from his campaign for re-election in disgrace.”

Trump also took jabs at former President Barack Obama, calling him “one of the most divisive political figures in American History.”

“As President, he passed the highly ineffective ‘Unaffordable’ Care Act, resulting in his party losing control of both Houses of Congress, and the Election of the largest House Republican majority since 1946,” the first of two plaques reads.

EXCLUSIVE: TRUMP WHITE HOUSE TORPEDOES BIDEN ATTEMPT TO SHIELD ‘AUTOPEN PRESIDENCY’ FILES

“Obama also spied on the 2016 Presidential Campaign of Donald J. Trump, and presided over the creation of the Russia, Russia Hoax, the worst political scandal in American History,” the second plaque reads. “His handpicked successor, Hillary Rodham Clinton, would then lose the Presidency to Donald J. Trump.”

Despite not ever being president, and therefore not being pictured in the “walk of fame,” Hillary Clinton is referenced more than once.

Beneath the picture of former President Bill Clinton, a plaque says, “In 2016, President Clinton’s wife, Hillary Clinton, lost the Presidency to President Donald J. Trump!”

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In November, Trump gave Fox News Channel’s Laura Ingraham a tour of the walk of fame and told her that “beautiful bronze plaques” were going to be installed. He said the plaques would describe the presidents, but did not tease the political jabs written on them.

Senate Republicans blocked an attempt by Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., to force the release of unedited footage to Congress and the public of the U.S. military’s controversial Sept. 2 double-tap strike on an alleged drug boat in the Caribbean.

Schiff’s move Wednesday afternoon followed passage of the annual National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which included a provision to require the Pentagon to release all unedited footage of the strikes in the Caribbean to Congress in exchange for full funding of the Department of War’s travel expenses.

His bill went a step further and was specifically geared toward the early September double strike against an alleged drug boat that has divided lawmakers in recent weeks, particularly over whether the strikes were legal.

PENTAGON WON’T RELEASE ‘TOP SECRET, FULL, UNEDITED’ VIDEO OF SEPTEMBER DRUG BOAT STRIKE, HEGSETH SAYS

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio briefed every senator on the strikes Tuesday, but Senate Democrats left unsatisfied because they weren’t shown the footage of the strikes. Hegseth argued that the Pentagon has a longstanding policy to not release unedited, top-secret footage.

“The public should see this, and I hope that we’ll have support to make it public,” Schiff said after the meeting. “I found the legal explanations and the strategic explanations incoherent, but I think the American people should see this video. And all members of Congress should have that opportunity. I certainly want it for myself.”

But the push was blocked by Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., who argued on the floor that Schiff’s motives may have been politically influenced and that when former President Barack Obama used drones during his administration, there wasn’t near the same level of hand-wringing. 

SENATE SENDS $901B DEFENSE BILL TO TRUMP AFTER CLASHES OVER BOAT STRIKE, DC AIRSPACE

Schiff’s legislation would have given Hegseth 10 days to make the unedited footage available to all members of Congress and 15 days to fully release the footage to the public.

Broadly, Senate Republicans support the release of the footage, either directly to the Senate Armed Services or Senate Intelligence committees, but some have stopped short of demanding a wide rollout.

Mullin argued that only certain lawmakers should get access to the footage who are on the proper committees and who have the necessary security clearances to view it.

DID A MILITARY LAWYER WITNESS THE VENEZUELA ‘DOUBLE-TAP’ BOAT STRIKE? EXPERTS SAY ONE SHOULD HAVE

“There’s a lot of members that are going to walk out of there, that are going to leak classified information, and there’s got to be certain ones that you hold accountable. So, not everybody can go through the same background checks that need to be able to get cleared on this,” he said.

But there is still a desire among the GOP for all of Congress and the public to see the footage.

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Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., contended that the administration has released every other video related to the strikes and that “they brag about killing these people, unarmed people.”

“They brag about how mighty they are and how powerful they are, and they show us the clips almost instantaneously when they blow people up,” he said. “They don’t want to show the image of blowing up people clinging to wreckage, destroying their entire narrative.”

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., was not satisfied by the classified briefing lawmakers received on Tuesday regarding the Trump administration’s boat strikes. 

“Oh, hell no. That was a joke,” she told Migrant Insider editor Pablo Manríquez. 

MeidasTouch Network senior digital editor Acyn Torabi shared video on X showing the congresswoman respond to questions from Manríquez outside the Capitol after leaving the briefing.

“There was not a single piece of intelligence that was shared that even rises to the level of any other briefing that we’ve seen on Ukraine, China, anything,” Ocasio-Cortez said, adding that it “was not a serious intelligence briefing. This was a communication of opinion.”

PENTAGON WON’T RELEASE ‘TOP SECRET, FULL, UNEDITED’ VIDEO OF SEPTEMBER DRUG BOAT STRIKE, HEGSETH SAYS

She said if President Donald Trump’s “administration wants to go to war… they need to go get it from Congress. And if Republicans want to defend this argument that cocaine is a weapon, they can go vote on that. But… this is just conjecture at this point.”

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

TRUMP DECLARES ‘VENEZUELAN REGIME’ A FOREIGN TERRORIST ORGANIZATION, ORDERS OIL TANKER BLOCKADE

The administration’s policy of blowing up vessels of alleged narcoterrorists trafficking drugs has been controversial.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth were involved in providing briefings to Senate and House members on Tuesday.

AOC’S LUXURY SPENDING BINGE IN PUERTO RICO REIGNITES QUESTIONS ABOUT ‘SOCIALIST’ BRAND: ‘PEAK HYPOCRISY’

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Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., said during a Tuesday appearance on the Fox News Channel that his takeaways from the briefing included that the strikes “are legal” and “effective,” that they are based on “exquisitely good” intelligence, and that “checks and balances” are in place to ensure “innocent people who just happen to be in a boat are not hurt.”

The Senate sent a colossal defense package to President Donald Trump’s desk on Wednesday, checking off one of the last remaining items of the year in the process.

Lawmakers banded together to pass the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), a roughly $901 billion package crammed to the brim with defense policy that unlocks funding for several of the Trump administration’s national defense priorities.

The measure passed through the upper chamber on a 77-20 bipartisan vote. It’s a perennial legislative exercise lawmakers undertake, and one that normally comes and goes with little fuss, given that Congress typically bookends the year with it.

SENATE ADVANCES $901B DEFENSE BILL AS CONGRESS RACES INTO YEAR-END LEGISLATIVE SPRINT

But this year, the NDAA hit some snags in the House that threatened its survival. And while the drama was not as fiery in the Senate, there were still lingering issues with certain provisions that gave lawmakers heartburn.

Bipartisan frustration erupted over a provision that would roll back some safety standards in the Washington, D.C., airspace. It comes on the heels of the collision between a Black Hawk helicopter and passenger jet near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport earlier this year that killed 67 people.

Senate Commerce Committee Chair Ted Cruz, R-Texas, sought an amendment to the package that would have stripped the provision and instead included his ROTOR Act that would mandate technology in aircraft to boost awareness of air traffic.

CONGRESS UNVEILS $900B DEFENSE BILL TARGETING CHINA WITH TECH BANS, INVESTMENT CRACKDOWN, US TROOP PAY RAISE

But any amendment to the package would have sent it back to the House. Cruz instead plans to tack on his legislation to spending bills down the line.

“I’m seeking a vote on the ROTOR Act as part of any appropriations measure before the current continuing resolution expires at the end of next month,” Cruz said.

Other provisions, like a requirement for the Pentagon to release the unedited footage of boat strikes in the Caribbean in exchange for fully funding the Department of War’s travel fund, raised eyebrows but didn’t slow down the package’s success.

That provision comes as lawmakers demand more transparency in the Trump administration’s strikes against alleged drug boats, and in particular, as they seek the release of the footage from a Sept. 2 double-strike on a vessel.

MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE SAYS SHE WILL VOTE ‘NO’ ON PROPOSED NDAA, BLASTS FOREIGN AID SPENDING

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio briefed all senators on the strikes this week. Senate Republicans left largely satisfied, while Senate Democrats charged that Hegseth wouldn’t show the unedited footage to every lawmaker in the upper chamber.

“He refused,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said. “The administration came to this briefing empty-handed. That’s the major question that we face, and if they can’t be transparent on this, how can you trust their transparency on all the other issues swirling about in the Caribbean.”

Still, the package is filled with several provisions that both sides agree to, including guarantees for Ukrainian assistance, and repeals of the 1991 and 2002 authorizations of use of military force (AUMFs) for the Gulf War and Iraq War, respectively, among several others.

With the NDAA now headed for Trump’s signature, the Senate still has more on its agenda before fleeing Washington until the new year.

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Senate Republicans want to ram through nearly 100 of Trump’s nominees, and both sides are eyeing a five-bill spending package that could alleviate some concerns heading into the looming Jan. 30 deadline to fund the government.

“This defense authorization act, although it doesn’t have as much in there for defense as a lot of us would like, is a step in the right direction,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said. “And I think the defense appropriations bill, which hopefully we’ll vote on later this week, is another example of the investment that we need to be making, to ensure that in a dangerous world, we are prepared to defend America and American interests.”

A terrorist assault on a Hanukkah celebration in Sydney, combined with Germany’s arrest of five suspected Islamist militants accused of plotting a Christmas-market attack, is renewing fears that Western democracies are entering a more volatile era marked by ideologically driven violence. 

The incidents, striking symbolic holiday gatherings on opposite sides of the world, have intensified debate across the United States and Europe over whether open societies are prepared for a resurgence of extremist threats.

The sense of unease deepened further after an ISIS-affiliated gunman in Syria killed two U.S. service members and wounded an American civilian working alongside American forces. While the attack took place overseas, national security analysts say it reflects a pattern troubling Western governments: individuals able to inflict harm quickly with minimal planning, animated by broader ideological movements rather than directed by terrorist networks.

TRUMP ENCOURAGES JEWISH AMERICANS TO ‘CELEBRATE PROUDLY’ DURING HANUKKAH AFTER DEADLY BONDI BEACH SHOOTING

In Australia, the Bondi Beach shooting shocked a nation unaccustomed to mass-casualty attacks. Two gunmen opened fire at a public Hanukkah event known as “Chanukah by the Sea,” killing at least 15 people and injuring dozens. 

Police said the younger of the two attackers had previously drawn scrutiny for potential extremist ties but was not considered a current threat. Authorities recovered improvised explosive devices that failed to detonate, prompting Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to condemn the shooting as “pure evil” and declare it an antisemitic terrorist attack.

Hours later, German authorities announced the arrest of five suspected militants accused of planning an attack on a Christmas market in Bavaria — a soft target with deep cultural resonance and a painful history of extremist violence. Investigators said the suspects were inspired by global jihadist movements and had progressed to advanced planning stages.

And over the same weekend, federal authorities in the United States said they disrupted a credible terrorist plot of their own. The FBI arrested four alleged members of a radical pro-Palestinian extremist group accused of planning coordinated New Year’s Eve bombings across Los Angeles using improvised explosive devices. 

A fifth suspect was arrested in New Orleans in what officials described as a separate but ideologically aligned plot.

Together with the killing of American troops in Syria, the incidents have revived a central question: Is the West prepared for a new era of diffuse extremist violence capable of erupting in multiple theaters at once — from major cities to remote patrol bases?

Political pressure is mounting. Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., said the Sydney attack underscored the consequences of permissive migration policies. 

“The mass migration of Islamic extremists destroyed Europe. Now, we are witnessing it destroy Australia,” he warned. “We CANNOT allow it to destroy America.”

President Donald Trump has long argued that unrestricted immigration from countries with values he says conflict with the West poses a homeland security risk. During his first term, he designated chapters of the Muslim Brotherhood a foreign terrorist organization. 

Secretary of State Marco Rubio framed the threat as ideological rather than geographic, saying last week on Fox News: “Radical Islam has shown that their desire is not simply to occupy one part of the world … they want to expand.” 

Elon Musk amplified the debate further, writing: “Either the suicidal empathy of Western civilization ends or Western civilization will end.”

ISRAELI KNESSET MEMBER SAYS AUSTRALIAN OFFICIALS ‘DID NOTHING’ AMID RISE OF ANTISEMITISM BEFORE SYDNEY ATTACK

Extremism researchers note that the recent incidents reflect a familiar model of modern Islamist violence: attackers exploiting soft targets, acting with limited preparation, and drawing inspiration from global ideological movements even when they lack direct operational ties. The shootings in Sydney, the foiled plots in Germany and the U.S., and the gunman in Syria each demonstrated how quickly such violence can surface, even in countries with strong counterterrorism systems.

Michael Makovsky, president of the Jewish Institute for National Security of America, said the Sydney, Germany and Syria incidents reflect a broader trend Western leaders have been slow to confront. 

“Clearly, the threat hasn’t diminished,” Makovsky said, adding that extremist networks appear more energized in the wake of recent Middle Eastern conflicts. 

He criticized governments that he believes underestimated the risks.

“People have been warning the Australian government … there’s a spike in Islamic extremism, and they just didn’t do anything,” he said of the Sydney attack, questioning how such a large public Jewish event lacked stronger security. “I don’t know where the security was in all this and why it took the police so long to respond.”

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Makovsky praised the Trump administration’s efforts to confront a rise in antisemitism but warned that the U.S. may be overlooking risks inherent in its partnership with Syria’s new leader Ahmed al-Shaara, a former wanted terrorist. 

“The administration is very invested right now in Shaara, and seems to want to minimize that the killer was from Shaara’s security forces,” he said. “There are a lot of bad people still around Shaara.”

As investigators in three countries piece together motives and networks, policymakers are confronting a possibility many had hoped was receding: that extremist violence, driven by global ideological currents rather than coordinated plots, may be entering a new phase — one that challenges assumptions Western nations have relied on to keep their citizens safe.

Former special counsel Jack Smith told House lawmakers during a closed-door deposition Wednesday that politics played no role in his investigations and prosecutions of President Donald Trump, directly countering accusations leveled at him by Republicans.

Smith, speaking to House Judiciary Committee members on Capitol Hill during the deposition, also took full ownership of the two criminal cases he brought against Trump regarding the 2020 election and alleged retention of classified documents, according to portions of his opening statement obtained by Fox News Digital.

“The decision to bring charges against President Trump was mine, but the basis for those charges rests entirely with President Trump and his actions, as alleged in the indictments returned by grand juries in two different districts,” Smith said.

He added: “If asked whether to prosecute a former President based on the same facts today, I would do so regardless of whether the President was a Republican or Democrat.”

Smith’s closed-door confrontation with lawmakers could stretch for hours. He is expected to face heated questions from Republicans about seeking gag orders against Trump during his presidential campaign, attempting to fast-track court proceedings and subpoenaing phone data of some GOP members of Congress.

Upon exiting the committee room, Rep. Jared Moskowitz, D-Fl., told reporters the deposition was “boring” so far.

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This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

Jessica Sonkin contributed to this report.

Rep. Dan Newhouse, R-Wash., one of the few Republicans who voted to impeach President Donald Trump in 2021, announced on Wednesday that he will not seek re-election in 2026.

“This decision comes with no reservations or remorse, only gratitude for the tremendous opportunity to have represented my home state in Congress,” Newhouse wrote in a statement.

“After over 25 years of public service, including more than a decade in the House, I am grateful to the Washingtonians who put their faith in me, as well as the colleagues I have served with on both sides of the aisle,” he added.

Newhouse’s incoming departure means that Rep. David Valadao, R-Calif., is the only remaining House Republican who voted in favor of Trump’s impeachment in 2021.

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Newhouse was one of 10 House Republicans who supported the impeachment effort. In addition to Valadao, the others were Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming; Rep. Anthony Gonzalez of Ohio; Rep. Jamie Herrera-Beutler of Washington; Rep. John Katko of New York; Rep. Adam Kinzinger of Illinois; Rep. Peter Meijer of Michigan; Rep. Tom Rice of South Carolina and Rep. Fred Upton of Michigan.

The latter eight all left Congress before January 2023.

Newhouse won re-election in 2024 despite Trump making an effort to oust him.

“Newhouse has to go! He wished he didn’t do what he did, but it’s too late,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform Tuesday morning, just a week before Election Day.

MODERATE REPUBLICAN ERUPTS ON HOUSE GOP LEADERS, SAYS NOT HOLDING OBAMACARE VOTE IS ‘ABSOLUTE BULLS—‘

Trump also emphasized his support for Newhouse’s rival. “Jerrod Sessler is a fantastic Candidate and will be a GREAT Congressman for Washington State’s 4th Congressional District.”

“He is running against a Weak and Pathetic RINO named Newhouse, who voted to, for no reason, Impeach me,” Trump wrote at the time.

HOUSE GOP TENSIONS ERUPT AS REPUBLICANS TURN ON EACH OTHER HEADING INTO YEAR’S END

Sessler, a Navy veteran, unsuccessfully challenged  Newhouse for Washington’s 4th Congressional District. In addition to Trump, he is also backed by the ultra-conservative House Freedom Caucus.

At the time, Newhouse argued his vote to impeach Trump wouldn’t be a problem.

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“I worked very closely and successfully with President Trump and his first administration and I feel very confident that I can do that again,” he told the Yakima Herald-Republic.

Fox News’ Elizabeth Elkind contributed to this report.

President Donald Trump has largely stayed out of the picture as lawmakers on Capitol Hill scramble to find a healthcare proposal that Republicans can get behind.

It’s a notable contrast from past direction-setting stances from the White House — one that Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., jokingly noted seems out of character for a president known for weighing in on just about any picture.

“I mean, he’s a pretty quiet guy. He just doesn’t get engaged in things much, does he?” Scott quipped.

MODERATE REPUBLICAN ERUPTS ON HOUSE GOP LEADERS, SAYS NOT HOLDING OBAMACARE VOTE IS ‘ABSOLUTE BULLS—‘

Trump’s silence on legislative affairs doesn’t just extend to healthcare. Lawmakers have received little word from the White House in recent months on issues like codifying cuts to government spending, the potential for a second reconciliation package and legislation on affordability.

To Rep. Aaron Bean, R-Fla., the chair of the once hyperactive House DOGE Caucus, that doesn’t mean Trump is absent.

“That’s not my perception,” Bean said when asked if Trump had pulled off a disappearing act. “He’s been there. His people are here; they’re in the room — they were here tonight.”

Although Trump’s direction may ultimately prove necessary to bring the party together on any of those topics, Republicans across both chambers of Congress believe the president is giving legislators latitude to work on key issues while staying plugged in behind the scenes.

Trump’s hands-off approach comes as lawmakers wrestle with whether to extend COVID-19-era federal subsidies used by the vast majority of Obamacare policyholders, let them expire at the end of the year and let health insurance costs jump overnight, or attempt broader reforms to bring the costs of the program down.

HOUSE GOP TENSIONS ERUPT AS REPUBLICANS TURN ON EACH OTHER HEADING INTO YEAR’S END

Republicans have just two weeks to come up with a solution before the subsidies expire. 

“My sense is I think he’s trying to give some room for negotiators to come to something that could get consensus and seize that as a way to be helpful,” Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D., said.

Rep. Andy Harris, R-Md., chairman of the House Freedom Caucus, a group that’s known for its breaks with party leadership, said he expected Trump to get involved eventually to help build consensus when it’s needed. 

“I think that if we get to comprehensive reform in the beginning of the year, then I suspect the White House will get granular,” Harris said.

That’s also the view of Matthew Dickinson, a professor of political science at Middlebury College. Dickinson studies the American presidency and its relationship with Congress. He observed that while it’s unusual for Trump to remain quiet, it’s not outside the norm for other presidents facing legislative forks in the road.

“Typically, presidents like to do so when it is clear their involvement may prove decisive. It may be a bit too early in the process for that to be the case. At this point, Republicans can’t even agree on the outlines of a healthcare proposal,” Dickinson said.

Others view Trump’s relative silence as a more cautious stance brought about by past blunders — especially when it comes to healthcare.

Jon Rogowski, a professor of political science at the University of Chicago, said that’s a legislative area that’s left Trump wounded before.

“Trump was not particularly successful in uniting the Republican conference behind major legislative initiatives when his party controlled Congress in his first term. Taking an aggressive posture on a particular bill risks splintering the Republican conference and will make it difficult for Democrats to support the bill,” Rogowski said.

That’s also the view of Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky.

“You know, in his first term, that’s the first thing he took up — healthcare,” Massie said. “And that bill was junk. Maybe he learned something from that, you know, to not get on board too quickly.”

HOUSE GOP UNVEILS HEALTHCARE PLAN AHEAD OF VOTE NEXT WEEK AS COST HIKE LOOMS FOR MILLIONS

Massie posited the White House may also just not have direction to give for now. When it comes to something as politically charged as extending the enhanced premium tax credits being utilized by 90% of Obamacare’s 24 million enrollees, does the president know what he wants? 

“Probably not. I don’t know,” Massie said.

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The White House did not respond to a request for comment. 

Gutting the filibuster was once a taboo notion among Senate Republicans, but the idea is gaining traction thanks to President Donald Trump’s repeated calls to throw out the longstanding procedure.

The Senate filibuster is the 60-vote threshold that applies to most bills in the upper chamber, and given the nature of the thin majorities that either party has commanded in recent years, that means legislation typically has to be bipartisan to advance.

It proved a key barrier to reopening the government and advancing several other Republican priorities in recent weeks, like the GOP’s Obamacare fix that was torpedoed by Senate Democrats.

TWO KEY SENATE REPUBLICANS JOIN PUSH TO OVERTURN TRUMP’S FEDERAL UNION ORDER

For years, it’s been viewed as a tool of the minority party in the Senate meant to prevent majorities from ramming through partisan legislation that both Republicans and Democrats have taken advantage of.

But near-monthly prodding from Trump and recent frustration with the 43-day government shutdown has some Republicans rethinking their position on the filibuster.

“It’s something I’m giving serious consideration to now,” Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., told Fox News Digital.

Marshall previously told Fox News Digital, “Never, never, ever, never, none,” when asked if he would consider changing the rules after Trump called on Republicans to nuke the filibuster in October.

Just a few months later, Marshall is reconsidering his position.

KENNEDY URGES GOP TO RESTART SPENDING BATTLE AMID SOARING COST OF LIVING, WARNS AGAINST WASTING MAJORITY

“I think between the last government shutdown and the threat of this one, it makes me pause,” he said. “It seems like the appropriations process is being slowed down. It feels like, with healthcare, that the Democrats, really the Democratic Party, doesn’t want to get anything done. So eliminating the filibuster ends all that.”

He echoed Trump, who on Monday told reporters that he wanted Senate Republicans to “knock out” the filibuster.

“You wouldn’t have January 30th looming, because you have the 30th of January looming, you know that, right? And if we knocked out the filibuster it would be just a simple approval,” he said. “But you have some Republicans — they’re unable to explain why, you know if you ask them why they’re unable to explain, they cannot win the debate, but they should knock out the filibuster.”

The likelihood that such a change crosses the floor in the Senate is low, given that Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., has routinely remained rooted in his position that the filibuster shouldn’t be touched.

Still, Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., a member of Thune’s leadership team, said that his position had also changed on the filibuster.

TRUMP’S ‘NUCLEAR’ DEMAND NOT LANDING FOR SENATE REPUBLICANS AMID SHUTDOWN

Mullin told Fox News’ Will Cain that during a recent meeting with Senate GOP leadership, he asked the room if they truly believed that Senate Democrats wouldn’t try to get rid of the procedural safeguard when they regained a majority again.

“If we believe that they’re going to do it, then why don’t we just go ahead and get it done,” he said.

Other Republicans are more skeptical about the odds of the filibuster getting axed. Some, like Mullin, think it could be narrowly tailored to only apply to spending bills, while others see the move as fantasy. 

“That’s not gonna happen,” Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, told Fox News Digital.

And Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., said that lawmakers weren’t even “using the tools we have right now” to pass Republicans’ agenda.

Kennedy has pushed for another round of budget reconciliation, given that Republicans have two more attempts at the grueling process, to tackle the growing affordability issues in the country.

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He argued that’s how Republicans passed Trump’s signature legislation, the “one, big beautiful bill,” earlier this year.

“Yes, you can’t do everything, but you can do a lot, and that’s what I would be concentrating my energies on,” Kennedy said. “And I’ve said respectfully to the president that I don’t think the United States Senate is going to give up the filibuster or the blue slip. He obviously disagrees, and I respect that reasonable people disagree sometimes, but I’m a pragmatist. I deal with the world as it is, not as I want it to be.”

Former special counsel Jack Smith is set to appear Wednesday on Capitol Hill, where House lawmakers plan to question Smith directly for the first time about his investigations and prosecutions of President Donald Trump.

Smith will meet with House Judiciary Committee members behind closed doors for a deposition, during which both parties will interview him in one-hour increments.

His appearance comes amid the committee’s ongoing probe into his special counsel work and as Republicans have broadly accused Smith of overzealously pursuing Trump over his efforts to challenge the 2020 election results and his alleged retention of classified documents.

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

JACK SMITH SUBPOENAED FOR DEPOSITION WITH HOUSE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE

Smith, for his part, plans to address what he views as mischaracterizations about his work, including the subpoenas, sources familiar with the matter told Fox News Digital. Smith will decline to answer questions he believes are covered by grand jury secrecy rules or Judge Aileen Cannon’s seal on certain material related to the classified documents case, the sources said.

House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, is aiming to eventually release a full transcript of the deposition, another source familiar told Fox News Digital, but that could take time because rules surrounding depositions require Republicans and Democrats to agree to release it or the committee to vote on the release. Smith’s team must also have a chance to review it.

Smith previously told Congress he was willing to appear for a public hearing; however, Jordan subpoenaed him for the private testimony anyway. The chairman told Fox News’ Maria Bartiromo he preferred that format because lawmakers and House lawyers would have more time to question Smith.

DEMOCRATS RAMP UP CALLS TO RELEASE JACK SMITH’S SPECIAL COUNSEL REPORT ON TRUMP CLASSIFIED DOCUMENTS CASE

Trump has echoed Smith’s preference for a public hearing, telling reporters the former special counsel is a “sick man” and that he would “rather see him testify publicly because there’s no way he can answer the questions.” Jordan said he was open to Smith testifying publicly at a later date.

For several years, Jordan has criticized Smith’s work as a “weaponization” of prosecutorial authority. When he meets with Smith, among the topics Jordan plans to raise are Smith’s subpoenas of the Republican senators and House members who were in contact with Trump around the time of the Jan. 6, 2021, riot. Those subpoenas were issued as part of Arctic Frost, the FBI probe that led Smith to charge Trump over the 2020 election.

“We want to bring in Jack Smith, ask him all kinds of questions, not the least of which is this whole idea that he was going after what appears to be almost half the stinkin’ Republicans in Congress, getting their phone logs, and a bunch of other Americans,” Jordan said.

The targeted lawmakers have blasted the subpoenas as scandalous and a breach of the Constitution’s separation of powers, while Smith has defended them as narrowly tailored and “entirely proper.”

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Smith faced significant obstacles while pursuing the two cases against Trump and ultimately dismissed the charges after Trump won the 2024 election, citing a DOJ policy that discourages prosecuting sitting presidents. Trump has denied any wrongdoing and has repeatedly labeled Smith “deranged” and a “thug” and called for his imprisonment.

The deposition is set to begin at 10 a.m.

As Capitol Hill braces for a tense, off-camera deposition with special counsel Jack Smith, Democrats in the House of Representatives are pushing the DOJ to publish the unreleased half of his report detailing President Donald Trump’s handling of classified material.

Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., the top Democrat on the committee, said Smith should have the chance to have his complete work speak for itself ahead of what’s likely to be a contentious closed-door meeting with lawmakers on Wednesday.

JACK SMITH SUBPOENAED FOR DEPOSITION WITH HOUSE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE

“They are afraid of the embarrassment of what is contained within the report,” Raskin told Fox News Digital on Monday evening.

Smith submitted his final report to the attorney general in January after Trump won re-election to the presidency in 2024. The DOJ released Volume I of Smith’s report earlier this year, which covers the investigation into whether Trump coordinated efforts to overturn the 2020 election. 

According to that report, Volume II deals with whether Trump unlawfully retained classified information in the wake of his first term. 

Lawmakers will likely probe Smith over the collection of lawmaker phone records as a part of his investigation into Trump. Smith allegedly used the FBI to collect thousands of phone records from lawmakers without their knowledge.

Raskin believes Republicans will likely use the closed-door hearing as a basis for prosecution against Smith. 

“They should allow Jack Smith to testify in public. Every special counsel report has been released. And every special counsel or independent counsel has testified in public. So, yeah, they are trying to get him on the fast road to one of their ridiculous prosecutions,” Raskin said.

JIM JORDAN ACCUSES DOJ OF ‘SPYING’ ON HIM FOR YEARS THROUGH SECRET PHONE RECORD SUBPOENAS

“Republicans don’t want to go along with it because they want to get him into a backroom and then cherry-pick statements, distort them, leak them, spin them,” Raskin added.

When asked whether there was a reason why the DOJ shouldn’t publish Smith’s full work, Republicans pointed to the order that had originally blocked Volume II, as well as ongoing adjudication over its release.

“Attorney General Bondi is simply following the order of the federal judge who sealed Volume II of Jack Smith’s report. Judge Cannon will decide by January 2026 whether Volume II should be released,” Russell Dye, a spokesperson for the committee, said in a statement to Fox News Digital.

“Of course, ranking member Raskin knows all of this but despises President Trump so much that he would rather mislead the American people than get the facts straight,” Dye said.

Dye’s reasoning echoes the wording used by the DOJ. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said its release would propagate an incomplete review of Trump’s handling of classified information and enable partisan attacks on the president.

“By his own admission, Smith has not concluded his mission. [Releasing Volume II] in order to justify preparation of one last long-winded, inaccurate, and unlawful smear of the President-elect and others would violate the Special Counsel Regulations,” Blanche wrote in an addendum to Volume I. 

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

In response to claims of the investigation’s findings, Raskin said that’s a difficult determination to make.

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“Well, it’s hard to, it’s hard to say why we need to know the things that we don’t know,” Raskin said.

Lawyers for the Trump administration and a historic preservation group are slated to appear in court Tuesday afternoon in a bid to halt — at least temporarily — President Donald Trump‘s plan to continue building out a $300 million White House ballroom on the site of the now-demolished East Wing. 

“No president is legally allowed to tear down portions of the White House without any review whatsoever — not President Trump, not President Biden, and not anyone else,” the National Trust said in its lawsuit, filed late last week with U.S. District Judge Richard Leon.

The group argued that Trump’s project has already caused “irreversible damage” to the White House, and asked Leon to grant both a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction to block the Trump administration from commencing or continuing further work on the ballroom project until the necessary federal commissions have reviewed and approved the plans.

The suit alleges violations of multiple statutes, including the Administrative Procedure Act and the National Environmental Policy Act, and says the ballroom cannot move forward without authorization from Congress, the National Capital Planning Commission and the Commission of Fine Arts. Trump fired all six members of the CFA in October; the panel remains vacant.

US APPEALS COURT HALTS TRUMP CONTEMPT PROBE ORDERED BY BOASBERG, FOR NOW

Meanwhile, lawyers for the Justice Department argued in a separate filing on Monday that Trump does have the statutory authority to modify the structure as president.

“The President possesses statutory authority to modify the structure of his residence, and that authority is supported by background principles of Executive power,” the Justice Department told the court on Monday in a separate filing. 

They cited Trump’s personal involvement in the project, and noted that he has regularly taken part in meetings and discussions “regarding design and footprint and personally selecting the architect for the project,” among other things. 

TRUMP UNVEILS VISION FOR EISENHOWER EXECUTIVE OFFICE BUILDING MAKEOVER

Lawyers for the Trump administration also argued that abruptly halting construction on the project would create “security concerns” at the White House, an argument it is expected to seize on further during Tuesday afternoon’s hearing. 

They also included a declaration from Secret Service deputy director Matthew Quinn that said improvements to the site “are still needed before the Secret Service’s safety and security requirements can be met.”

“Any pause in construction, even temporarily, would leave the contractor’s obligation unfulfilled in this regard and consequently hamper the Secret Service’s ability to meet its statutory obligations and protective mission.”

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Trump in July first announced his plans to proceed with constructing the sprawling, 90,000-square-foot ballroom, which he estimated at the time would cost around $200 million. Trump has insisted it will be funded “100% by me and some friends of mine.”

President Donald Trump isn’t offended by White House chief of staff Susie Wiles’ comments in Vanity Fair describing him as someone with “an alcoholic’s personality.”

On Tuesday, Vanity Fair published the first part of a two-part story about Wiles and the second Trump administration — which White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt claimed featured comments that were “wildly” taken out of context. 

In response, Trump and his allies have come to dish out praise for Wiles, following the publication of a story where Wiles issued some unsavory remarks about Trump and others in his orbit. Hours after the Vanity Fair story was published, Trump told the New York Post that he wasn’t insulted by Wiles’ description of his personality. 

“No, she meant that I’m — you see, I don’t drink alcohol. So everybody knows that — but I’ve often said that if I did, I’d have a very good chance of being an alcoholic. I have said that many times about myself, I do. It’s a very possessive personality,” Trump told the Post. 

“I’ve said that many times about myself. I’m fortunate I’m not a drinker. If I did, I could very well, because I’ve said that — what’s the word? Not possessive — possessive and addictive type personality,” Trump said. “Oh, I’ve said it many times, many times before.”

The White House referred Fox News Digital to the Post’s reporting when asked for comment. 

Included in the Vanity Fair story were several quotes from Wiles describing others within Trump’s orbit in an unflattering manner. In addition to the remarks about Trump, Wiles was quoted claiming that Vice President JD Vance has been a “conspiracy theorist for a decade,” and that Attorney General Pam Bondi “completely whiffed” how she handled the release of documents pertaining to the late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. 

TRUMP CHIEF OF STAFF SUSIE WILES RECOUNTS BUTLER ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT, THOUGHT PRESIDENT WAS DEAD AT FIRST 

Likewise, she described the Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought as “a right-wing absolute zealot,” and claimed that SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who headed up the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), was an “odd duck” and an “avowed ketamine (user).” 

Even so, Wiles was also quoted praising Trump’s Cabinet, claiming that they are “a world-class Cabinet, better than anything I could have conceived of.”

In response to the story, Wiles claimed that the story was a “disingenuously framed hit piece on me and the finest President, White House staff, and Cabinet in history.”

INSIDE DAN BONGINO’S TENSE MEETING WITH WHITE HOUSE OFFICIALS OVER JEFFREY EPSTEIN FALLOUT 

“Significant context was disregarded and much of what I, and others, said about the team and the President was left out of the story,” Wiles said in a post on X Tuesday. “I assume, after reading it, that this was done to paint an overwhelmingly chaotic and negative narrative about the President and our team.” 

Meanwhile, other members of the Trump administration also swiftly came to Wiles’ defense — including some of those who were mentioned in an unfavorable way. 

Vance dismissed Wiles’ comments during an event in Allentown, Pennsylvania, where he claimed that he and Wiles have privately joked that the vice president is a conspiracy theorist. 

TRUMP ADMIN SETS THE RECORD STRAIGHT ON REPORTS OF MUSK ‘BODY-CHECKING’ TREASURY SECRETARY AT WHITE HOUSE 

“Sometimes I am a conspiracy theorist, but I only believe in the conspiracy theories that are true,” Vance said. 

Bondi also issued some praise for Wiles, and asserted that “any attempt to divide this administration will fail.”

SCOTT BESSENT CALLS OUT NY TIMES’ TRUMP REPORTING DURING PAPER’S SUMMIT, SAYS IT’S NOT PAPER OF RECORD 

“Any attempt to undermine and downplay President Trump’s monumental achievements will fail,” Bondi said in a post on X Tuesday. “We are family. We are united.” 

Vought, who also served as director of the Office of Management and Budget during Trump’s first term, said that Wiles is an “exceptional” chief of staff and that this is the most seamless era he’s experienced in his two terms working for Trump. 

“In my portfolio, she is always an ally in helping me deliver for the president,” Vought said about Wiles. “And this hit piece will not slow us down.”

TRUMP CABINET WIVES REVEAL RARE GLIMPSE INTO PRESIDENT’S ‘ONE BIG TEAM’ APPROACH 

Meanwhile, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth claimed the piece was a playbook from the left to “trash & smear our best & most effective people.” 

“They do it to President Trump daily — and now to Chief Susie Wiles. Susie is the most TRUSTED, most PROFESSIONAL & most EFFECTIVE Chief of Staff of my lifetime,” Hegseth said in a post on X Tuesday. “Absolutely nobody better!” 

United Nations Ambassador Mike Waltz, who previously served as the national security advisor at the White House, said he’d known Wiles for over a decade and that she “exemplifies integrity & dedication to our incredible President and country.”

‘SWISS ARMY KNIFE’: INSIDE VP VANCE’S FIRST 5 MONTHS IN OFFICE AS ‘ENFORCER’ OF TRUMP’S MAGA AGENDA 

“The Queen of Florida politics – the architect of multiple successful governor’s and Presidential campaigns – she’s calm under fire, forthright, & results focused. Period,” Waltz said in a post on X on Tuesday.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent also weighed in, describing Wiles as “the single most effective operator whom I have ever met.” 

“Susie is an exceptional Chief of Staff, and her tireless dedication, loyalty, and commitment to the President are beyond reproach,” Bessent said in a post on X on Tuesday. “Powerful leadership often works quietly – never seeking credit and always relentlessly driving results. Our Chief exemplifies that.”

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“No one is more insightful, effective, and loyal,” Bessent said. “She never loses sight of the big picture while managing the daily agenda.” 

Bessent also challenged Vanity Fair’s portrayal of the Trump administration in the piece, claiming that the faulty characterization is “precisely why the insular chattering classes in America lose their minds as we notch victory after victory for the American people.”

Musk did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital. 

Conde Nast, which owns Vanity Fair, did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital. 

Two hundred and one House Democrats voted against a bill that Republicans say would prevent dangerous migrants who came to the U.S. illegally as children from walking free on the streets.

The legislation passed in a 225-201 vote. Just seven Democrats voted with Republicans in favor of the bill: Reps. Adam Gray, D-Calif.; Jared Golden, D-Maine; Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, D-Wash.; Don Davis, D-N.C.; Vicente Gonzalez, D-Texas; Laura Gillen, D-N.Y., and Henry Cuellar, D-Texas.

The Kayla Hamilton Act is named after a 20-year-old woman with autism who was killed by a 16-year-old from El Salvador, Walter Javier Martinez, in 2022. Martinez pleaded guilty to first-degree murder in April.

Martiez came to the U.S. illegally as an unaccompanied minor and was a member of the notorious MS-13 gang, according to a press release from the Maryland State Attorney’s Office in Hartford County.

REP JASMINE CROCKETT REFERS TO YOUNG WOMAN MURDERED BY AN MS-13 ILLEGAL MIGRANT AS A ‘RANDOM DEAD PERSON’

The bill, led by Rep. Russell Fry, R-S.C., would heighten screening requirements for unaccompanied migrant children (UAC) who come to the U.S. undocumented in ways that Republicans argue could prevent future tragedies like Hamilton’s.

“I think in this one instance, a simple phone call to El Salvador would have kept him in a secure facility. An eyeball check on gang tattoos on his body would have kept him in the secure facility, because he had both. He would have never been on our streets. He would have been in a security facility pending his immigration hearing, which happens pretty quickly,” Fry told Fox News Digital Tuesday afternoon.

His bill would mandate that the Health and Human Services Department (HHS) screen unaccompanied minors for gang tattoos and place UACs who have such indicators in secure federal facilities rather than letting them go to a sponsor somewhere in the U.S.

It would also prohibit unaccompanied minors from going to sponsors who are also undocumented in the U.S.

HOUSE UNANIMOUSLY VOTES TO MEMORIALIZE TEXAS GIRL ALLEGEDLY SLAIN BY ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS

Regarding the sponsors they are placed with, the federal government would be required to do a background check on all adults in the household, which would include fingerprint scans and an immigration status check.

Progressives who argued against the bill on the House floor said it would harm already vulnerable children.

“Republicans are treating unaccompanied migrant children like criminals,” Rep. Delia Ramirez, D-Ill., said. “We must use every tool at our disposal to protect vulnerable children. … This bill criminalizes children and creates dangerous precedent that only makes them more vulnerable.”

Rep. Luz Rivas, D-Calif., said it “undermines and strips critical rights from vulnerable children” and “subjects children as young as 12 to strip searches.”

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Fry said in response, however, “We already do medical evaluations of children when they come into this country. It already is in practice. All we’re saying is if there’s a tattoo on your shoulder, on your forehead, that’s a gang tattoo, we’re saying, ‘Hey, maybe we shouldn’t let them out onto the streets.”

“I think some intellectual honesty is really important for them,” Fry told Fox News Digital after the debate. “They want to complain about medical evaluations for kids. That was a Democrat proposal. That was the Democrat law that they did. But if they want to misrepresent what this bill is about, just because they don’t like Trump, I think kids and their safety are more important than being mad at the president.”

FIRST ON FOX: Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., is being sued by the People’s Republic of China (PRC) for tens of billions of dollars in damages for a lawsuit he filed against the country during his time as Missouri’s attorney general.

Schmitt is being sued by the People’s Government of Wuhan Municipality, the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Wuhan Institute of Virology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences for roughly $50 billion, several years after the lawmaker sued the country during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The lawsuit, first obtained by Fox News Digital, accused Schmitt, FBI co-deputy director Andrew Bailey, and the state of Missouri of damaging the reputations of China, Wuhan and the associated research facilities through “malicious vexatious litigation, fabricating enormous disinformation, and spreading stigmatizing and discriminating slanders.”

CRUZ SAYS REP ILHAN OMAR COULD FACE JAIL TIME, DEPORTATION IF MARRIAGE ALLEGATION PROVES TRUE

Schmitt said in a statement to Fox News Digital that he’d been “banned from Communist China, and now I am being sued and targeted by Communist China in a $50 billion lawfare campaign, and I’ll wear it like a badge of honor.” 

“China’s sinister malfeasance during the COVID-19 pandemic led to over a million Americans losing their lives, economic turmoil that rocked our country for years, and an enormous amount of human suffering, and as Missouri Attorney General I filed suit to hold them accountable,” Schmitt said. “Instead of trying to defend its indefensible behavior, Communist China responded with frivolous lawfare, attempting to absolve themselves of all wrongdoing in the early days of the pandemic.” 

“This novel lawsuit is factually baseless, legally meritless, and any fake judgment a Chinese court issues in this lawsuit we will easily beat back and keep from being enforced against the people of Missouri or me,” he continued. “This is their way of distracting from what the world already knows, China has blood on its hands.”

TRUMP’S SENATE CLOSER: REPUBLICAN FRESHMAN EMERGES AS KEY WHITE HOUSE ALLY

Schmitt, who served as attorney general for the Show-Me state from 2019 to 2023, sued the PRC, several Chinese government ministries, the Communist Party of China, the Wuhan Institute of Virology and the Chinese Academy of Sciences in early 2020, shortly after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.

At the time, Schmitt accused the Chinese government of withholding information on the COVID-19 virus, failing to contain the outbreak of the virus, and actively hoarding high-quality personal protective equipment (PPE) while producing and selling lower-quality PPE for the rest of the world.

SENATE ADVANCES $901B DEFENSE BILL AS CONGRESS RACES INTO YEAR-END LEGISLATIVE SPRINT

That case resulted in an eventual $24 billion judgment earlier this year.

Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway said in a statement that the state stood “undeterred in our mission to collect on our $24 billion judgment that was lawfully handed down in federal court.”

 “I find it extremely telling that the Chinese blame our great state for ‘belittling the social evaluation’ of The Wuhan Institute of Virology,” Hanaway said. “This lawsuit is a stalling tactic and tells me that we have been on the right side of this issue all along.” 

The lawsuit against Schmitt, Bailey, who resigned as Missouri’s attorney general after he was tapped by President Donald Trump to serve as co-deputy FBI director in September, and Missouri contended that the preceding lawsuit, and statements published across a variety of media outlets, led to severe reputational and economic harm.

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They’re demanding that apologies be published in several outlets, including The New York Times, CNN, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post and Chinese media outlets. The apologies come with a price tag, too.

Wuhan and the Chinese government demanded compensation of over 356 billion Chinese Yuan, which converts to just over $50 billion dollars.

A federal judge on Tuesday said he was “inclined to deny” a bid to force the Trump administration to halt construction of the White House ballroom but warned officials not to undertake any irreversible work before a January hearing that could still stop the project.

U.S. District Judge Richard Leon said he will hold another hearing during the second week in January and hinted he may still order a pause.

“Any below ground construction” in the coming weeks that dictates above-ground work should be avoided, Leon said, adding, “be prepared to take that down.”

Lawyers for the National Trust for Historic Preservation in the U.S. argued the case is not about the need for a ballroom but about the need to follow the law.

WALZ REPEATS DEBUNKED CLAIM THAT TRUMP CONSIDERS WHITE HOUSE BALLROOM ‘TOP PRIORITY’

They said any construction on federal land requires congressional approval.

Lawyers representing the National Park Service countered that President Trump has authority to direct construction at the White House, saying “work must continue for national security issues.”

“See you in January,” Leon said as he warned the government not to pursue anything irreversible.

WHITE HOUSE RESPONDS TO REPORTS TRUMP NAMED NEW BALLROOM AFTER HIMSELF

Attorney General Pam Bondi weighed in Tuesday evening.

“Today @TheJusticeDept attorneys defeated an attempt to stop President Trump’s totally lawful East Wing Modernization and State Ballroom Project,” she wrote on X. “President Trump has faced countless bad-faith left-wing legal attacks – this was no different. We will continue defending the President’s project in court in the coming weeks.”

On Monday, the Trump administration argued in a court filing that pausing construction would undermine national security, citing a Secret Service declaration warning that halting work would leave the site unable to meet “safety and security requirements” necessary to protect President Donald Trump.

TRUMP TAPS NEW ARCHITECT TO RESHAPE WHITE HOUSE AS $300M BALLROOM BUILD ACCELERATES

The declaration said the East Wing, demolished in October and now undergoing below-grade work, could not be left unfinished without compromising essential security measures.

The National Trust for Historic Preservation sued last week to stop the project, arguing the government had to follow federal review procedures before any irreversible work began.

The group said the proposed 90,000-square-foot addition, now estimated at more than $300 million, would overwhelm the Executive Residence and permanently alter the White House’s historic design.

The administration countered that the lawsuit was premature, noting regulatory reviews were still coming and above-grade construction was not scheduled to begin until April 2026.

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The National Trust said early intervention was necessary, citing warnings from architectural historians who said the ballroom would mark the most significant exterior change to the White House in more than 80 years.

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

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

-ICE rejects Omar claim son was pulled over by feds, pressed for citizenship proof: ‘Absolutely zero record’

-EXCLUSIVE: Trump White House torpedoes Biden attempt to shield ‘autopen presidency’ files

-FBI doubted probable cause for Mar-a-Lago raid but pushed forward amid pressure from Biden DOJ, emails reveal

Democrats push DOJ to reveal hidden half of Jack Smith report as GOP prepares tense deposition

As Capitol Hill braces for a tense, off-camera deposition with special counsel Jack Smith, Democrats in the House of Representatives are pushing the DOJ to publish the unreleased half of his report detailing President Donald Trump’s handling of classified material.

Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., the top Democrat on the committee, said Smith should have the chance to have his complete work speak for itself ahead of what’s likely to be a contentious closed-door meeting with lawmakers on Wednesday.

“They are afraid of the embarrassment of what is contained within the report,” Raskin told Fox News Digital on Monday evening…READ MORE.

White House

HIRE AMERICAN: Vance tells blue state they ‘might try hiring Americans’ before suing over Trump’s visa fee explosion

NO HARD FEELINGS: JD Vance brushes off Susie Wiles calling him conspiracy theorist in new Vanity Fair report

ECONOMIC SAFEGUARDS: CBP announces record-breaking $200 billion in tariff revenue amid Trump administration enforcement push

HOUSE DIVIDED: Trump admin in court over WH ballroom construction

‘THE BEST IS YET TO COME’: Trump announces primetime address to the nation

World Stage

STILL CLASSIFIED: Pentagon won’t release ‘top secret, full, unedited’ video of September drug boat strike, Hegseth says

Capitol Hill

BREAKING RANKS: Two key Senate Republicans join push to overturn Trump’s federal union order

SCAM PROBE: House GOP probes alleged Obamacare broker fraud as Jordan presses major insurers for answers

PARTY TENSIONS: Kennedy urges GOP to restart spending battle amid soaring cost of living, warns against wasting majority

POOR HEALTH: Moderate Republican erupts on House GOP leaders, says not holding Obamacare vote is ‘absolute bulls—‘

Across America 

‘SHAME ON YOU’: Trump Cabinet official calls on Walz to resign over massive fraud scandal in scathing letter: ‘Shame on you’

SPORTS TO POLITICS: Former NFL sideline star poised to shake up crowded GOP field in high-stakes Minnesota race

‘NOT DERANGED’: Obamas planned to meet Reiners on night they were killed, former first lady reveals

SHE SAID YES: Donald Trump Jr announces engagement to Bettina Anderson

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

Democrats have been dealing with declining voter rolls in a number of states, but one key battleground state in particular appears to be on the verge of flipping from a state that, for decades, has had more registered Democrat voters to one with more registered Republicans. 

There were almost three-quarters of a million more registered Democrats in North Carolina than Republicans 10 years ago. As of today, that difference is just over 1,000, according to the latest count by the North Carolina State Board of Elections.

“Voters across North Carolina are rejecting the Democrats’ failed agenda and choosing Republican leadership,” Rep. Richard Hudson, R-N.C., said. “This shift didn’t happen overnight, it’s the result of years of good common sense Republican governance and our focus on offering serious solutions on the issues that matter to the people.”

CONGRESSIONAL DEMOCRATS WIDEN 2026 BATTLEFIELD, ZERO IN ON NEW HOUSE REPUBLICAN TARGETS 

Earlier this year, ahead of the slate of elections that took place in November that saw Democratic Party wins virtually across the board, including multiple candidates who ran under the ‘socialist’ banner, a New York Times analysis found that between 2020 and 2024 Democrats lost about 2.1 million registered voters across 30 different states that keep track of voter registration data. Meanwhile, the analysis found that Republicans gained about 2.4 million. In total, this amounted to a deficit for the Democratic Party of 4.5 million registered voters just over the last four years.

In North Carolina, specifically, between 2005 and 2015, the difference in the number of registered Republicans and Democrats in North Carolina remained mostly steady, with a difference of about 670,000 give or take in 2005 and 2015, respectively. But, beginning in 2015, that deficit started to shrink.   

Five years later, in 2020, the difference was a little under 380,000 in favor of Democrats, before their lead shrunk to just 1,216, according to the North Carolina Board of Elections’ latest voter roll records. 

“The reality is that bad Democrat policies coming out of Washington are driving voters away from the party here at home,” former Republican National Committee chairman and North Carolina Republican Senate candidate Michael Whatley said. 

DESANTIS WARNS GOP FACES ‘ISSUE’ KEEPING TRUMP VOTERS ENGAGED IN FUTURE ELECTIONS

“Insane policies supported by Roy Cooper and pushed by DC Democrats like Bernie Sanders and Kamala Harris are completely out of step with North Carolinians,” he said. “Democrats couldn’t win Senate races here even when they had a cash advantage and a huge voter-registration edge. Now they’ve lost that registration advantage too, and voters are making it clear they’re done with failed Democrat leadership.”

In response to North Carolina’s trend of growing Republican voters, versus its decline in Democrat voters, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) pointed to the GOP’s overall share of registered voters, which has statistically declined, while the number of unaffiliated voters has increased. However, the increase in unaffiliated voters has impacted both Republicans and Democrats’ overall vote share, with Democrats witnessing a much sharper drop in overall registered voters across the last decade, compared to Republicans, the data shows.  

“Despite their repeated attempts at gerrymandering the state to subvert the will of the voters, Republicans have not managed to increase their share of registered voters in nearly four decades,” Madison Andrus, the DCCC’s regional spokesperson covering North Carolina, told Fox News Digital when reached for comment on North Carolina’s changing voter rolls.

“Now, with this latest scheme top of mind, voters across the state are souring on Republicans’ failing agenda that has led to higher grocery prices, more expensive health care, and greater difficulty making ends meet. Republicans have abandoned North Carolina’s working families and people are taking notice.”

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But according to Republican National Committee Chairman Joe Gruters, North Carolina “is undergoing a historic shift” and Democrats’ advantage has “crumbled.”

“Voters rejected Kamala Harris last year, and they’re continuing that trend as they turn away from the failed policies of Roy Cooper and Josh Stein,” Gruters said.

A senior Border Patrol commander who became the face of the Trump administration’s aggressive immigration crackdown returned to Chicago Tuesday, prompting protests as agents fired pepper balls and detained several people.

Border Patrol chief Gregory Bovino’s appearance in Chicago marks the most visible escalation in Operation Midway Blitz since early fall, drawing backlash from immigrant advocates and state leaders who said the Trump administration failed to warn them that the commander or additional agents were being redeployed to the area.

Border agents were captured on video Tuesday in the predominantly Mexican-American neighborhood of Little Village deploying pepper balls and detaining a man, according to The Associated Press.

Bovino’s emergence in Chicago came a month after he was reassigned to enforcement missions in New Orleans and North Carolina.

HOMAN CONFIRMS TEXAS NATIONAL GUARD ‘ON THE GROUND’ IN ILLINOIS, WARNS ANTI-ICE RHETORIC FUELING ‘BLOODSHED’

Operation Midway Blitz was launched in September in honor of Katie Abraham, who was killed in a drunk driving hit-and-run allegedly caused by Julio Cucul-Bol, an illegal immigrant from Guatemala. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said the goal of the operation was to “target criminal illegal aliens terrorizing Americans in sanctuary Illinois.”

“As we said a month ago, we aren’t leaving Chicago, and operations are ongoing,” said DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin, according to The Associated Press.

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker told reporters Tuesday he was not notified that Bovino and additional Border Patrol agents were returning to Chicago, adding he doesn’t know how long the agents will stay.

DHS BLASTS CHICAGO MAYOR FOR COMPARING RAID LEADER TO SEGREGATIONISTS, ACCUSING HIM OF ‘TERROR’

“I’m so proud of the people of Illinois for doing as they have, which is to protect their neighborhoods and their neighbors, to do the right thing,” Pritzker said. “And, so, I think we’re in a much better position.”

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson said he was aware that Bovino had returned to Chicago.

“We have learned that federal agents are once again indiscriminately targeting individuals — without warrants — and intentionally showing up in public spaces to intimidate and instill fear, including at a Teamster picket line and a Little Village community organization,” Johnson wrote on X, adding that “these tactics are destabilizing, wrong, and must be condemned.”

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Last week, Pritzker signed a bill aimed at protecting illegal immigrants in the state from deportation by creating new safeguards at several locations, including courthouses, hospitals, college campuses and other public buildings.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has launched a review into how Minnesota used billions of dollars in federal social service funding, requesting detailed records from Gov. Tim Walz’s administration and other state entities after reports raised questions about whether portions of the money were misused, according to letters first obtained by the New York Post.

The letters were sent Monday by Alex Adams, assistant secretary for the Administration for Children and Families, to Walz, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and a nonprofit involved in administering Head Start programs, the Post reported.

According to the Post, Adams said HHS is attempting to determine whether federal safety-net funds were diverted or mismanaged and whether such misuse might have “been used to fuel illegal and mass migration” into Minnesota.

Adams told the outlet the review is focused on “accountability for American taxpayers” and on ensuring federal benefit programs were not compromised.

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

The Post reported that Minnesota received more than $8.6 billion in ACF funding between fiscal years 2019 and 2025 through more than 1,000 federal grants. In fiscal year 2025 alone, the state received over $690 million for safety-net programs under President Biden, according to federal spending records reviewed by the Post.

In the letters, Adams requested what the Post described as a “comprehensive list” of all state entities that received ACF funding during that period, along with detailed administrative data. The information sought includes recipient names, addresses, dates of birth and, where applicable, Social Security numbers and immigration A-numbers, the Post reported.

Adams told the Post that HHS has “legitimate reason to think that they’ve been using taxpayer dollars incorrectly,” citing recent fraud investigations and allegations involving Minnesota’s Department of Human Services. According to the Post, the letters referenced public statements from hundreds of DHS employees alleging warnings of fraud were disregarded and whistleblowers faced retaliation.

TRUMP CABINET OFFICIAL CALLS ON WALZ TO RESIGN OVER MASSIVE FRAUD SCANDAL IN SCATHING LETTER: ‘SHAME ON YOU’

The review comes amid heightened scrutiny of Minnesota’s handling of federal funds following multiple high-profile fraud cases. Federal prosecutors have charged dozens of individuals in connection with the Feeding Our Future scheme, in which more than $250 million intended for child nutrition programs was diverted for luxury purchases and real estate. Many of those charged had ties to nonprofits serving Minnesota’s Somali community.

The Post also cited Pew Research Center data showing Minnesota’s unauthorized migrant population increased by roughly 40,000 people between 2019 and 2023, reaching an estimated 130,000 residents, or about 2% of the state’s population.

According to the Post, the ACF review includes several major federal programs, including the Community Services Block Grant, Social Services Block Grant, Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program, Title IV-E Foster Care, Refugee Cash and Medical Assistance, the Child Care and Development Fund, and Parents in Community Action, a Head Start grantee.

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“The Trump Administration has made clear its commitment to rooting out fraud, protecting taxpayer dollars, and ensuring program integrity across all federal benefit programs,” Adams wrote in the letters, according to the Post. “This information is necessary for ACF to conduct a thorough review of program operations and to assess the extent of any irregularities that may have occurred.”

Fox News Digital reached out to Gov. Walz, Mayor Jacob Frey and HHS for comment but did not receive an immediate response.