NationalWatch

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.

President Donald Trump on Tuesday ordered a total blockade of oil tankers entering or leaving Venezuela, declaring the Nicolás Maduro regime a foreign terrorist organization and accusing it of using stolen U.S. assets to finance terrorism, trafficking and other criminal activity.

“Venezuela is completely surrounded by the largest Armada ever assembled in the History of South America,” Trump said on Truth Social. “It will only get bigger, and the shock to them will be like nothing they have ever seen before – Until such time as they return to the United States of America all of the Oil, Land, and other Assets that they previously stole from us.

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

US–VENEZUELA SHOWDOWN THREATENS TO JOLT GAS PRICES — WHAT COULD SPARK A SURGE

“Therefore, today, I am ordering A TOTAL AND COMPLETE BLOCKADE OF ALL SANCTIONED OIL TANKERS going into, and out of, Venezuela,” Trump added. “The Illegal Aliens and Criminals that the Maduro Regime has sent into the United States during the weak and inept Biden Administration, are being returned to Venezuela at a rapid pace. America will not allow Criminals, Terrorists, or other Countries, to rob, threaten, or harm our Nation and, likewise, will not allow a Hostile Regime to take our Oil, Land, or any other Assets, all of which must be returned to the United States, IMMEDIATELY.”

Trump announced Wednesday that the U.S. had seized an oil tanker called the “Skipper” off the coast of Venezuela, sharply escalating U.S. tensions with the nation. The tanker was seized for allegedly being used to transport sanctioned oil from Venezuela and Iran, according to Attorney General Pam Bondi.

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The “Skipper” is a vessel that secretly ferries oil in defiance of sanctions, while also being part of an armada of roughly 1,000 tankers that quietly navigate global sea routes to move oil from sanctioned countries like Russia, Iran and Venezuela, according to the administration.

Fox News Digital’s Amanda Macias contributed to this report.

President Donald Trump on Tuesday expanded a travel ban by adding five more countries and imposing limits on others.

The move came as the Trump administration continues to tighten U.S. entry requirements and immigration standards. 

“The restrictions and limitations imposed by the Proclamation are necessary to prevent the entry of foreign nationals about whom the United States lacks sufficient information to assess the risks they pose, garner cooperation from foreign governments, enforce our immigration laws, and advance other important foreign policy, national security, and counterterrorism objectives,” the proclamation states. 

Through his actions on Tuesday, citizens from five countries – Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, South Sudan and Syria, as well as individuals holding Palestinian-Authority-issued travel documents – will face a ban on travel to the United States, the White House said. In addition, existing partial bans on Laos and Sierra Leone were expanded into full suspensions of entry.

TRUMP ADMIN PAUSES IMMIGRATION FROM 19 COUNTRIES

Another 15 countries – Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Cote d’Ivoire, Dominica, Gabon, The Gambia, Malawi, Mauritania, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, Tonga, Zambia and Zimbabwe – will face partial restrictions.

The proclamation also “narrows broad family-based immigrant visa carve-outs that carry demonstrated fraud risks, while preserving case-by-case waivers,” the White House said. 

DHS LAUNCHES ‘WORST OF THE WORST’ WEBPAGE TARGETING ALLEGED CRIMINAL ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS NATIONWIDE

In its announcement, the Trump administration said many of the countries on the travel ban suffer from “widespread corruption, fraudulent or unreliable civil documents and criminal records, and nonexistent birth-registration systems,” which makes it difficult to perform accurate vetting. Others refuse to share law-enforcement data, while others permit “Citizenship-by-Investment schemes that conceal identity and bypass vetting requirements and travel restrictions.”

In June, Trump announced a U.S. entry ban on citizens of 12 countries – Afghanistan, Burma, Chad, the Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen – while also tightening restrictions on others: Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela.

Tuesday’s decision follows the arrest of an Afghan national suspected of shooting two National Guard soldiers in Washington D.C. over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. 

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At the time of the killing, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Rahmanullah Lakanwal was one of the many unvetted Afghans who were mass paroled into the U.S. under Operation Allies Welcome under the Biden administration.

Lakanwal is accused of shooting U.S. Army Spc. Sarah Beckstrom, who later died, and U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, who is recovering.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., all but hammered a nail into the coffin of the Senate trying to address healthcare in 2025 today.

“We’re not going to pass anything by the end of this week. But I do think there is a potential pathway in January,” said Thune. 

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

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., nixed an idea from GOP moderates for a temporary extension of expiring Obamacare subsidies because it didn’t comply with Congressional budgetary rules.

But this afternoon, Johnson reversed himself and is willing to entertain a plan from Rep. Nick LaLota, R-N.Y.

Rather than simply extending the subsidies on an interim basis – which means that insurance companies receive the money – LaLota’s plan provides a two-year tax deduction for those who previously received the Obamacare aid.

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

President Trump said he would not sign a bill which continued to send money to the insurance companies. So the LaLota approach cuts out insurance companies from the equation and policyholders score the tax credit.

LaLota and others are due to present their plan in the House Rules Committee later this hour. It was believed that Johnson and the Rules panel would block the older plan to renew the subsidies. But Johnson said afternoon that “there’s a real possibility they get a vote on it.”

SENATE REPUBLICANS UNVEIL PLAN TO REPLACE OBAMACARE SUBSIDIES WITH HEALTH SAVINGS ACCOUNTS

That said, a vote is far from a guarantee of a fix. And it’s far from certain that the House would adopt the amendment and copy it onto the underlying GOP health care bill.

The House is set to debate and vote on a bill tomorrow to allow for “association” healthcare plans. That would permit groups of people to pool their money together to purchase insurance plans, and conceivably, save money.

Some moderates from swing districts are still not satisfied and worried about the political consequences in the 2026 midterms if Republicans fail to address healthcare.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., appeared skeptical that Congress could address the skyrocketing premiums ex post facto in 2026.

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“You can’t do it after January first,” said Schumer. “It’s expired already. It’s not the same as it was before. Once it expires, the toothpaste is out of the tube.”

Also today, Schumer refused to commit to Democrats using the same tactics with healthcare to lord over Republicans as the next government funding deadline approaches January 30.

The Department of State announced Tuesday that the United States is designating Clan del Golfo, one of Colombia’s largest illegal armed groups, as a terrorist organization.

The move marks the latest step by Washington to bolster counter-narcotics and security efforts near the Colombia–Venezuela border. Tensions in the region have significantly escalated after President Donald Trump accused Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro of facilitating criminal operations tied to drug trafficking.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement that Clan del Golfo has been responsible for numerous terrorist attacks, primarily funded through drug trafficking.

“Today, the Department of State is designating Clan del Golfo as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) and a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT),” Rubio said.

MADURO SINGS, DANCES AND THREATENS TO ‘SMASH THE TEETH’ OF THE ‘NORTH AMERICAN EMPIRE’

“Based in Colombia, Clan del Golfo is a violent and powerful criminal organization with thousands of members. The group’s primary source of income is cocaine trafficking, which it uses to fund its violent activities. Clan del Golfo is responsible for terrorist attacks against public officials, law enforcement and military personnel, and civilians in Colombia.”

US SET TO SEIZE TENS OF MILLIONS IN VENEZUELAN OIL AFTER TANKER INTERCEPTION, WHITE HOUSE SAYS

The group, also known as the Gaitanist Self-Defense Forces of Colombia, has been involved in criminal activities for well over a decade. It primarily operates in Colombia, known as the world’s largest producer of cocaine, and traffics drugs across borders, including into the United States.

“The United States will continue to use all available tools to protect our nation and stop the campaigns of violence and terror committed by international cartels and transnational criminal organizations,” Rubio added. “We are committed to denying funding and resources to these terrorists.”

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The designation underscores the group’s threat to U.S. national security and may raise penalties for individuals and entities who support the network.

Over the past several months, the Trump administration has carried out dozens of lethal strikes against boats suspected of smuggling drugs. The operations aim to dismantle narco-terrorist networks, such as U.S.-designated terrorist groups Tren de Aragua in Venezuela and Colombia’s Ejército de Liberación Nacional.

Sen. Lindsey Graham warned that the U.S. mission in Venezuela must end with Nicolás Maduro removed from power, arguing that leaving the embattled leader in place after a major U.S. show of force would be a “fatal mistake to our standing in the world.”

“If after all this, we still leave this guy in power… that’s the worst possible signal you can send to Russia, China, Iran,” Graham, R-S.C., told reporters after a classified all-senator briefing with War Secretary Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

Trump administration officials did not say whether a series of narco-strikes in the Caribbean could escalate into direct strikes against Venezuelan territory or a broader campaign to oust Maduro. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., told Fox News Digital the briefing was “absent of specificity and detail” and left “more questions than answers.”

“I want to reassert, again, you cannot allow this man to be standing after this display of force, and I did not get a very good answer as to what happens,” Graham said. “What I want is some clarity going forward. Is that in fact the goal?… If it’s not the goal, it is a huge mistake.”

MADURO SINGS, DANCES AND THREATENS TO ‘SMASH THE TEETH’ OF THE ‘NORTH AMERICAN EMPIRE’

Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., said he heard from briefers that there is a “very good process of determining if something’s a target or not” before striking narco-trafficking boats, but the administration did not clarify its broader strategy toward the Maduro regime. 

“Right now the focus has been on the boats,” Bacon said. “I don’t know what we’re doing yet with Venezuela writ large.”

Rep. Gregory Meeks, D-N.Y., said the classified session also failed to address core questions. 

“I actually think that was, for me, more of an exercise in futility. I really have no answers. Really didn’t gain anything more than what the public already has gotten,” he said. He added that there was “really no conversation about why… we got 15,000 troops there,” arguing the deployment “doesn’t seem to be just about narcotics trafficking.” 

Meeks said briefers provided “no real rational decision or real answers” about whether the U.S. is preparing for “a war in Venezuela,” raising what he described as a pressing war powers issue. He said he plans to bring forward legislation this week addressing the recent strikes “in the Pacific, in the Caribbean” as well as any potential move by Trump “to go into Venezuela.”

Rubio told reporters the mission is “focused on dismantling the infrastructure of these terrorist organizations that are operating in our hemisphere, undermining the security of Americans, killing Americans, poisoning Americans.”

Hegseth told reporters the War Department would not release video footage of the Sept. 2 narco-strikes — in which Adm. Frank Bradley ordered a “double tap” strike to kill survivors — to the public. The video will instead be shown to the House and Senate Armed Services Committees.

LEAVITT DEFENDS TRUMP’S DRUG BOAT STRIKES, SAYS DEMOCRATS ATTACKING U.S. MILITARY ‘STOOPED SO LOW’

Graham dismissed the footage as “the least of my concerns” but said he urged Hegseth to release it so Americans could “make your own decisions.”

Hegseth and Rubio’s briefing came as the U.S. undertakes its largest military buildup in the region in decades: 15% of all naval assets are now positioned in the Southern Command theater. Graham cited the deployment as evidence that anything short of Maduro’s removal would undermine U.S. credibility. 

“It got, yeah, 15% of the Navy pointed to this guy,” he said.

Graham also pointed to historical precedent, arguing the U.S. has acted similarly when confronting hostile or destabilizing regimes. 

“We have legal authority, in my view, to do in Venezuela what we did regarding Panama and Haiti,” he said, recalling that in 1989 the U.S. “literally invaded Panama… took the president in power and put him in jail.”

He said he believes Trump intends a comparable outcome. 

“Every indication by President Trump is that the purpose of this operation is to shut down the (Maduro) regime and replace it with something less threatening to the United States,” Graham said.

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Pressed on whether he meant regime change or lethal force, Graham replied: “I don’t care as long as he leaves.”

The public is now waiting to see whether the Trump administration will turn to direct strikes on Venezuelan territory as a means of pressuring Maduro to leave power — a step Graham argued is necessary for the operation to succeed.

Vice President JD Vance sparred with Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield, whose state is leading a multistate lawsuit against the Trump administration over President Donald Trump‘s order to impose a $100,000 fee for H1B skilled-worker visas.

In September, Trump ordered the Department of Homeland Security to restrict decisions on petitions for H-1B visa applicants outside the U.S. for a period of one year – while allowing current visa holders to seek renewals under the previous, lower-cost framework.

Rayfield, a Democrat, announced on Friday that Oregon and 18 other states allege the new $100,000 fee is unlawful, claiming the “massive” amount being outside congressional authorization and intent for its establishment of the visa program.

“You might try hiring Americans,” Vance said in a social media reply to Rayfield’s announcement.

DOJ CALLS FOR TIPS ON EMPLOYERS FAVORING FOREIGN WORKERS IN HIRING PRACTICES

In his tweet that drew Vance’s attention, Rayfield said the H-1B visa system allows employers – including Oregon’s colleges – to hire “skilled foreign workers in specialized roles like physicians, researchers, & nurses.”

Vance’s view was previously boosted by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who called the H-1B system a “scam” that is “used to import cheap foreign labor at the expense of Americans.”

Vance later added to his criticism, saying the situation is “instructive” of why the visa issue is important.

STATE DEPARTMENT REPORTEDLY ORDERS VISA DENIALS TIED TO SPEECH CENSORSHIP AS TRUMP TEAM SLAMS EUROPE

“While I know there are many people in our coalition who – rightly — are angry about immigration fraud in our visa system, ‘America Last’ Republicans and Democrats are teaming up to stop our efforts to address these issues,” he said.

“Don’t black pill. Fight back,” he added.

In announcing the lawsuit, Rayfield’s office said the $100,000 fee exceeds the authority granted the executive branch by the Administrative Procedure Act of 1946 – a law that sponsor Sen. Patrick McCarran, D-Nev., characterized as the “bill of rights” for entities regulated by the federal government.

ARE AMERICAN WORKERS BEING REPLACED? INSIDE THE H-1B VISA CONTROVERSY

Rayfield’s office calculated the average H-1B visa fees range froom $960 and $7,600 – and faulted the administration for not advertising the fee through the typical notice-and-comment process under McCarran’s law.

It also suggested the fee undermines Trump’s stated purpose for it: addressing labor shortages in critical business fields.

“Oregon’s colleges, universities and research institutions rely on skilled international workers to keep labs running, courses on track and innovation moving forward,” Rayfield said in a statement.

TRUMP’S H-1B VISA REFORM PLAN NEEDS TO PUT AMERICANS FIRST

“This enormous fee would make it nearly impossible for these institutions to hire the experts they need, and it goes far beyond what Congress ever intended. This threatens Oregon’s ability to compete, educate, and grow.”

In announcing the original order, the White House said that the H-1B Nonimmigrant Visa Program was “created to bring temporary workers into the United States to perform additive, high-skilled functions, but has been deliberately exploited to replace, rather than supplement, American workers with lower-paid, lower-skilled labor.”

Other states, including Delaware and California also joined the suit, with Delaware Attorney General Kathy Jennings calling Trump’s order an “unserious idea that threatens a deeply serious crisis.”

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Former Maryland Republican Gov. Larry Hogan also pressed for an increase in the similar H-2B visas in 2021, given the Old Line State’s massive crabbing and seasonal fishing sectors.

Fox News Digital reached out to Rayfield as well as Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek for comment on Vance’s remarks.

President Donald Trump will give an address to the nation live from the White House on Wednesday night, he announced on social media Tuesday.

“My Fellow Americans: I will be giving an ADDRESS TO THE NATION tomorrow night, LIVE FROM THE WHITE HOUSE, at 9 P.M. EST. I look forward to “seeing” you then. It has been a great year for our Country, and THE BEST IS YET TO COME!” Trump wrote.

This is a developing story. Check back soon for updates.

One Senate Republican is making the case that lawmakers aren’t using all the tools at their disposal to tackle affordability in the United States.

Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., wants Republicans to take another crack at budget reconciliation, the grueling, monthslong process used earlier this year to pass President Donald Trump’s crowning legislative achievement of 2025, and one that tested the unity of congressional Republicans.

Kennedy wants to see the process used to eat into the cost of living in the country, which has proven a thorny issue for the GOP after Trump’s promises on the campaign trail to hack away at skyrocketing inflation that proved politically fatal, among other issues like immigration, for Democrats in last year’s election.

SENATE MULLS NEXT STEPS AFTER DUELING OBAMACARE FIXES GO UP IN FLAMES

But it’s a Pandora’s box that lawmakers have been hesitant to reopen after narrowly advancing the colossal tax package over the summer.

“I have been preaching as persuasively as I can for months now that we need to do another reconciliation, and in that bill, we need to address things like rules and regulations, which add about $2 trillion to the cost of goods and services,” Kennedy said.

He acknowledged that the process could be tricky, given that it is governed by the Byrd Rule, which nixes any provisions that don’t have a budgetary impact, but noted that lawmakers have at least two more attempts to take advantage of the process while Republicans still control both chambers of Congress.

TRUMP INSISTS PRICES ARE ‘COMING DOWN,’ BLAMES BIDEN — BUT VOTERS SAY THEY’RE STILL GETTING SQUEEZED

“And I am at a loss to understand why our leadership will not agree to another reconciliation,” he said. “If you went to Senator [Chuck] Schumer right now and said, ‘Schumer, Senator Schumer, you have the chance to pass anything you want to pass today within the parameters of Byrd, without having to depend on a single Republican vote,’ what do you think Chuck would do? He’d take a dozen, and I just don’t understand why we are not doing that.”

Affordability and the cost of living have become a central focus for many on the Hill, particularly after dueling partisan proposals to tackle the impending hike to healthcare premiums and expiring Obamacare subsidies went down in flames last week.

Lawmakers are still searching for a path forward on that front, with a bipartisan group led by Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, meeting on Monday night to build a consensus between the parties.

GOP ACCUSES DEMOCRATS OF MANUFACTURING AFFORDABILITY CRISIS AS OBAMACARE SUBSIDY FIGHT NEARS DEADLINE

Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., one of the architects of Senate Republicans’ healthcare proposal that failed last week, told reporters, “The calendar precludes getting something done this week,” but was still optimistic about finding a way to deal with rising costs on the healthcare front.

“But, still, a commitment to work together is a lot of progress,” he said.

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Still, Kennedy was ardent that lawmakers had spent little time since passing Trump’s “big, beautiful bill,” taking advantage of their majority in Congress.

“Yes, we passed the ‘one big, beautiful bill,’ that was July 1, five months ago, now, almost six months ago,” he said. “We need to act. And I’m hoping that after the holidays, my friend, Senator [John] Thune, and he is a friend, and I think he’s doing a great job, but I think Senator, I hope Senator Thune will relent and agree to another reconciliation bill that addresses the cost-of-living issue.”

EXCLUSIVE: The FBI did not believe it had probable cause to raid President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home in 2022, but moved forward amid pressure from the Biden Justice Department, with an official saying he didn’t “give a damn about the optics” of the search, newly declassified documents reviewed by Fox News Digital reveal.

Fox News Digital reviewed emails between FBI and Justice Department officials in the months leading up to the August 2022 raid of Mar-a-Lago, with FBI officials expressing concerns about a lack of probable cause to execute the search warrant on the then-former president’s residence in Palm Beach, Florida. 

EXCLUSIVE: FBI SEIZES PRIVILEGED TRUMP RECORDS DURING RAID; DOJ OPPOSES REQUEST FOR INDEPENDENT REVIEW: SOURCES

“Very little has been developed related to who might be culpable for mishandling the documents,” an FBI official serving as an assistant special agent in charge, wrote to another FBI official, Anthony Riedlinger. “From the interviews, WFO has gathered information suggesting that there may be additional boxes (presumably of the same type as were sent back to NARA in January) at Mar-a-Lago.”

“WFO has been drafting a search warrant affidavit related to these potential boxes, but has some concerns that the information is single source, has not been corroborated, and may be dated,” the official continues. “DOJ CES opines, however, that the SW’s meet the probable cause standard.”

“Even as we continue down the path towards a search warrant, WFO believes that a reasonable conversation with the former president’s attorney, (stating that the FBI and DOJ are readying a search warrant, and have developed information that there are more documents at Mar a Lago), ought not to be discounted,” the official wrote.

“At a minimum, even if the former president’s attorney is correct and the documents were all declassified (or believed to be declassified), it can be reasonably argued that the documents remain sensitive and should be properly secured until the matter of classification is sorted out,” the official continued. “This conversation could easily be accomplished at the same time that WFO presses forward with the investigation and continues building out the search warrant.” 

Weeks later, an FBI agent writes an email stating: “We haven’t generated any new facts, but keep being given draft after draft after draft.”

“Absent a witness coming forward with recent information about classified on site, at what point is it fair to table this?” the agent writes. “It is time consuming for the team, and not productive if there are no new facts supporting PC (probable cause)?”

Another email revealed that the FBI’s Washington Field Office did “not believe (and has articulated to DOJ CES), that we have established probable cause for the search warrant for classified records at Mar a Lago.”

DOJ ASKS COURT TO UNSEAL MAR-A-LAGO RAID WARRANT; AG MERRICK GARLAND PERSONALLY SIGNED OFF ON TRUMP SEARCH

“DOJ has opined that they do have probable cause, requesting a wide scope including residence, office, storage space,” an agent wrote.

The FBI believed that a raid would be “counterproductive,” and suggested “alternative, less intrusive and likelier quicker options for resolution” to reclaim any potential classified records.

The process moved forward, regardless of concerns.

Another email on Aug. 4, 2022, revealed the plan for the execution of the warrant.

“The FBI intends for the execution of the warrant to be handled in a professional, low key manner, and to be mindful of the optics of the search,” an agent writes.

The agent quotes then-Deputy Assistant Attorney General George Toscas in a meeting.

TRUMP HIGHLIGHTS BIDEN ADMIN AUTHORIZING ‘DEADLY USE OF FORCE’ IN MAR-A-LAGO RAID

“Since we heard Mr. Toscas say yesterday in the call that he ‘frankly doesn’t give a damn about the optics’ and Mr. Bratt has already built an antagonistic relationship with (Trump) attorneys…I think it is more than fair to say that the DOJ contact with (Trump attorney) just prior to the execution of the warrant will not go well. DOJ said as much yesterday,” the agent writes. “I also think that it is fair to say that if FBI calls, having in mind officer safety, to the optics of the search, and the desire to conduct this search in a professional and low key manner, there is a far better chance that the execution will go more smoothly and we may actually gain some measure of cooperation, which could go some way to resolving the mishandling of classified records investigation that is being conducted.”

The agent added: “I understand that this request may not go well at DOJ, however, it is the FBI serving and executing the search and it will be our personnel who will have to deal with the reaction to that first contact.”

The FBI, in August 2022, raided Trump’s Mar-a-Lago, executing the search warrant as part of an investigation into his alleged improper retention of classified records after leaving the White House.

Fox News Digital reported in 2024 that the Biden administration authorized the use of deadly force during the FBI’s raid on Mar-a-Lago. That language was also used during the search of then-President Joe Biden’s residence for potential classified documents in 2023. 

An “Operations Order” produced in discovery as part of Special Counsel Jack Smith’s investigation into Trump’s alleged improper retention of classified records revealed that the “FBI believed its objective for the Mar-a-Lago raid was to seize ‘classified information, NDI, and US Government records,’” as described in the search warrant.

The order, according to a court filing, contained a “Policy Statement” regarding “Use of Deadly Force,” which stated, for example, “Law Enforcement officers of the Department of Justice may use deadly force when necessary.”

According to the filing, the DOJ and FBI agents “planned to bring ‘Standard Issue Weapons,’ ‘Ammo,’ ‘Handcuffs,’ and ‘medium and large sized bolt cutters,’ but they were instructed to wear ‘unmarked polo or collared shirts’ and to keep ‘law enforcement equipment concealed.” 

TRUMP TARGETED: A LOOK AT THE INVESTIGATIONS INVOLVING THE FORMER PRESIDENT; FROM RUSSIA TO MAR-A-LAGO

Fox News Digital first reported that during the raid, FBI agents seized boxes of documents containing records and materials potentially protected by attorney-client and executive privilege, leading to legal disputes over the handling of those documents by a taint team.

Trump attorneys, at the time, told Fox News Digital they were not permitted into the rooms as FBI agents conducted the search, raising major concerns about the procedures surrounding the raid. Attorneys said that the FBI agents executing the search were in no position to decide unilaterally where to search and what were Trump’s personal records and what were not.

Trump was charged out of former Special Counsel Jack Smith’s investigation into his retention of classified materials. Trump pleaded not guilty to all 37 felony charges from Smith’s probe, including willful retention of national defense information, conspiracy to obstruct justice, and false statements.

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Trump also was charged with an additional three counts as part of a superseding indictment out of the investigation: an additional count of willful retention of national defense information and two additional obstruction counts.

Trump pleaded not guilty. The charges were dropped by Smith after Trump won the 2024 presidential election.

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

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser criticized an interim House Oversight Committee report on the city’s crime statistics, saying the findings were driven by politics rather than a complete investigation.

Fox News Digital obtained a letter Bowser sent on Monday to House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer and Ranking Member Robert Garcia.

“Since the outset, my Administration has fully cooperated with the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform (Committee) investigation into allegations concerning publicly reported crime statistics by the District of Columbia’s Metropolitan Police Department,” Bowser said in part.

“That cooperation was intended to educate the Committee about the complex subject of crime reporting, address the public misrepresentations about crime in the nation’s capital, and identify policies and processes that could be improved to ensure transparent, high-quality crime data. The Committee’s interim report is a disappointing rejection of that good faith approach and instead reflects a rush to judgement in order to serve a politically motivated timeline and release a report whose outcome appears to have been determined before the investigation began.”

RANK-AND-FILE DC OFFICERS ACCUSE SUPERIORS OF DOWNGRADING CRIMES TO MASK REAL LEVELS: REPORT

The committee’s 22-page report claims that outgoing Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) Chief Pamela Smith, who announced her resignation on Dec. 8, oversaw an unprecedented system of intervention in crime reporting.

It alleges that Smith, who is expected to remain in the position through the end of the year, pressured commanders on numerous occasions, and at times instructed them to downgrade offenses and avoid classifications that would appear on the city’s Daily Crime Report.

The findings, based on eight transcribed interviews with MPD district commanders, describe a toxic management environment in which accuracy was sacrificed for optics, and career officials faced public humiliation or demotion for presenting Smith with unfavorable crime statistics.

FIGHT OVER POLICING DC MOVES TO CONGRESS AS PARTIES SPLIT ON CONTROL

Bowser defended Smith in her letter as an integral figure in helping reduce a 2023 spike in violent crime and homicides. She also noted that the committee did not interview Smith or any of MPD’s assistant chiefs before issuing its findings.

“Even a cursory review of the report reveals its prejudice: of the 22 block quotes presented as complaining about Chief Smith’s management style, 20 of them were made by only two command officials interviewed,” Bowser wrote.

The House Oversight investigation unfolded against the backdrop of President Donald Trump’s federal crime crackdown in the nation’s capital. In August, Trump issued an executive order to address the “epidemic of crime” in the district and deployed federal law enforcement personnel, including the National Guard.

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Bowser said the District is committed to publishing accurate, high-quality crime statistics.

“The pressure public leaders should all feel to reduce crime and the fear of crime in our communities will never be an acceptable excuse to intentionally alter and downgrade crime, and any police official who believes otherwise will be held accountable,” she added.

The Obamas were scheduled to meet Rob Reiner and his wife, Michele, on the night they were killed, former first lady Michelle Obama revealed on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” on Monday.

Michelle Obama said she and her husband, former President Barack Obama, were close friends with the late couple and described them as “some of the most decent, courageous people you ever want to know.”

“My God. We’ve known them for many, many years, and we were supposed to be seeing them that night — last night. And we got the news,” she said.

“And let me just say this: unlike some people, Rob and Michele Reiner are some of the most decent, courageous people you ever want to know,” she continued.

ROB REINER AND WIFE MURDERED: TIMELINE SHOWS ARGUMENT WITH SON NIGHT BEFORE DEATHS

“They are not — they’re not deranged or crazed,” the former first lady added in what appeared to be a jab at President Donald Trump. “What they have always been are passionate people in a time when there’s not a lot of courage going on.”

Trump on Monday called Rob Reiner “a tortured and struggling, but once very talented movie director and comedy star” and suggested — without evidence — that he died “due to the anger he caused others” because of what Trump described as “Trump derangement syndrome.”

Rob Reiner, 78, and Michele Reiner, 68, were discovered stabbed to death in their Los Angeles home on Sunday. Their son, Nick Reiner, was arrested on suspicion of murder in connection with their deaths, according to the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department. He is being held without bail after it was previously set at $4 million.

Michelle Obama went on to say the Reiners “were the kind of people who were ready to put their actions behind what they cared about.”

2 PEOPLE FOUND DEAD INSIDE HOME OF HOLLYWOOD DIRECTOR ROB REINER IN AFFLUENT LOS ANGELES NEIGHBORHOOD

“And they cared about their family, and they cared about this country, and they cared about fairness and equity,” she said. “And that is the truth. I do know them.”

Earlier Tuesday, former President Barack Obama released a statement expressing his condolences on the couple’s deaths.

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Obama wrote that he and Michelle are “heartbroken by the tragic passing of Rob Reiner and his beloved wife, Michele.”

“Rob’s achievements in film and television gave us some of our most cherished stories on screen,” he said. “But beneath all of the stories he produced was a deep belief in the goodness of people — and a lifelong commitment to putting that belief into action. Together, he and his wife lived lives defined by purpose. They will be remembered for the values they championed and the countless people they inspired. We send our deepest condolences to all who loved them.”

The commander of U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM), whose area of operations includes the Caribbean waters where the strikes against the alleged drug boats have been conducted, retired Friday as scrutiny surrounding the attacks mounts. 

Navy Adm. Alvin Holsey, who became the head of Southern Command in November 2024, announced suddenly in October that he would retire from the military as operations heated up in the region that the administration claims is part of President Donald Trump’s crusade against the influx of drugs into the U.S.  

The Trump administration designated drug cartel groups like Tren de Aragua, Sinaloa and others as foreign terrorist organizations in February, and bolstered its naval assets in the region in recent months under Holsey’s leadership — including signing off on the unprecedented step of sending the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford to the region.

WAR DEPARTMENT LAUNCHES NEW COUNTER-NARCOTICS TASK FORCE UNDER TRUMP DIRECTIVE TO CRUSH CARTELS

“We have worked hard and tirelessly to build relationships and understand requirements across the region,” Holsey said during the retirement ceremony, according to a news release. “To be a trusted partner, we must be credible, present and engaged.”

Holsey commissioned in 1988, and flew both SH-2F Seasprite and SH-60B Seahawk helicopters. Holsey’s previous assignments include serving as the deputy commander of Southern Command, as well as deputy chief of Naval personnel and the commander of the aircraft carrier Carl Vinson’s carrier strike group.

Air Force Lt. Gen. Evan Pettus also took over the reins from Holsey Friday, after previously serving as the command’s military deputy commander. His experience includes more than 2,700 hours as a pilot in the Air Force’s F-15E Strike Fighter jet and the A-10 “Warthog” aircraft, has participated in combat missions for Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Inherent Resolve, among others. 

TRUMP UNLEASHES US MILITARY POWER ON CARTELS. IS A WIDER WAR LOOMING?

Holsey’s retirement less than a year into his tenure leading the combatant command is highly unusual. In comparison, former SOUTHCOM commander, Army Gen. Laura Richardson, served in the role from 2021 to 2024.

Holsey did not give a reason for his departure in October, and didn’t share any additional details Friday. 

However, Holsey had raised “concerns” about the strikes, attracting the ire of Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, The New York Times reported. Hegseth already believed that Holsey wasn’t cracking down on the alleged drug traffickers more aggressively, and Holsey’s concerns prompted the relationship between the two leaders to unravel even further, the Times said. 

As a result, Hegseth pressured Holsey to step down, according to the Times. 

The Pentagon referred Fox News Digital to Hegseth’s original post on social media in October after news of Holsey’s retirement broke, where the secretary of war thanked Holsey for his service. 

“The Department thanks Admiral Holsey for his decades of service to our country, and we wish him and his family continued success and fulfillment in the years ahead,” Hegseth said in the post. 

CAPITOL HILL REVOLT THREATENS TRUMP’S VENEZUELA PLAYBOOK AMID CARIBBEAN STRIKE OVERSIGHT 

Meanwhile, the strikes have attracted increased scrutiny from Democrats and some Republicans on Capitol Hill. While some lawmakers have always challenged the legality of the strikes — particularly after revelations in recent weeks that a second strike was conducted against a vessel after the first one left survivors in September — the Trump administration has routinely stated it has the authority to conduct those attacks. 

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

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In total, the Trump administration has conducted more than 20 strikes in Latin American waters since September targeting alleged drug smugglers in an effort to combat the flow of drugs into the U.S. Additionally, Trump has signaled for months that strikes on land could be next, and the U.S. seized an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela on Wednesday. 

“We’re knocking out drug boats right now at a level that we haven’t seen,” Trump said Dec. 3. “Very soon we’re going to start doing it on land too.”

Tensions are boiling within the House GOP as lawmakers are set to begin their final legislative week of 2025.

More than a dozen House Republicans who spoke with Fox News Digital over the last week gave different answers on where tensions lie, with frustrations directed toward Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., the White House, their Senate counterparts and even each other.

Most of the issues they discussed were varied as well, but several people acknowledged concerns over whether there could be any defining legislative issues Republicans could coalesce around in 2026 to follow up on their signature achievement with the “one big, beautiful bill” last summer.

“Right now, we don’t have a focused agenda that we’re moving towards like we did with the one big, beautiful bill,” one House GOP lawmaker told Fox News Digital. “That brought all of our energy together in a focused manner.”

HOUSE GOP SPLITS OVER OBAMACARE FIX AS COSTS POISED TO SPIKE FOR MILLIONS

Rep. Rich McCormick, R-Ga., said he was not frustrated with any one leader in Congress specifically, but lamented that the institution did not better allow House Republicans to tackle the issues in front of them.

“The problem is, because of the nature of the beast, we’re always fighting against the next big emergency, right? So, instead of being proactive and doing good solutions — I mean, healthcare. Healthcare has been the number one expense for families for a decade,” McCormick said.

He said Republicans “did nothing” on healthcare when they first came to power earlier this year and were now left “in this position” where they were scrambling for a solution to the looming health insurance premium hikes early next year.

House Republicans unveiled a bill aimed at lowering healthcare costs on Friday evening, but it’s unclear as of now if it has enough support to pass.

Rep. Michael Cloud, R-Texas, told Fox News Digital broadly, “I’m always gonna want to see more action. My job isn’t to come here and be satisfied.”

But he said of House GOP leadership, “When you’re in charge you get more blame and more praise than you probably deserve, but it’s gonna take the whole conference to come together, remembering what brought us here.”

CONGRESS MELTS DOWN: MEMBERS UNLEASH PERSONAL ATTACKS AFTER WEEKS OF SHUTDOWN DRAMA

Still, a fair share of GOP lawmakers have directed their anger at Johnson in recent weeks.

“I think there’s a lot of concerns about the way things have been handled the last several months, starting with leadership, let this redistricting war break out, which is gonna upend the districts of dozens of our members. And then the fact we just weren’t here for two months,” Rep. Kevin Kiley, R-Calif., told Fox News Digital. “And then the way that the House is really not in the driver’s seat on a lot of the key issues around here — I think all of that is pretty frustrating to a swath of the conference.”

Others are frustrated at Johnson over more personal issues. Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, R-N.Y., told Fox News Digital she believed Johnson was blocking her efforts to build a National Women’s Museum, an effort she said had President Donald Trump’s support.

REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK: HOUSE EXODUS THREATENS JOHNSON’S GRIP ON POWER AS OVER 40 MEMBERS HEAD FOR EXIT

“It’s been stalled by the speaker, in committee, despite having 165 sponsors from both parties,” Malliotakis said.

Rep. Greg Steube, R-Fla., meanwhile, was angered last week by the way Johnson handled the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).

“We’re getting shoved, and we just have to eat it, or, you know, vote against increasing pay to our military service members. It’s a very unfortunate situation to be in, that the speaker keeps putting us in,” Steube said. “I think getting Trump’s signature piece of legislation through is excellent, and everybody should be commended for that, because that was just a huge accomplishment, and it’ll do great things for the country next year. Now that we’ve gotten over that … now you’re kind of, like, what can we do next?”

MIKE JOHNSON SAYS HOUSE GOP WORKING FULL STEAM AHEAD ON TRUMP’S ‘AFFORDABILITY AGENDA’

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., has notably been one of Johnson’s loudest critics and recently become a political enemy of Trump’s as well.

Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., who Johnson promoted to House GOP leadership chairwoman after the White House took her out of the running for ambassador to the United Nations, publicly accused Johnson of kowtowing to Democrats over a provision in the NDAA before walking the anger back when she won that battle.

And Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., recently wrote a scathing op-ed in The New York Times, where she wrote, “Here’s a hard truth Republicans don’t want to hear: Nancy Pelosi was a more effective House speaker than any Republican this century.”

“Speaker Mike Johnson is better than his predecessor. But the frustrations of being a rank-and-file House member are compounded as certain individuals or groups remain marginalized within the party, getting little say,” Mace wrote.

Mace told Fox News Digital she had spoken with Johnson the same week the op-ed was published. While she declined to go into detail about their private conversation, Mace said she did not feel heard by the speaker.

A second House Republican who spoke with Fox News Digital anonymously said, when asked if there was wider frustration with Johnson, “Yeah, I would say so. Especially rank-and-file people.”

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But three others accused those criticizing Johnson publicly of doing so for their own personal gain.

A senior House Republican said those complaining were “people whose modus operandi is about showing their opposition for their own purposes.”

A fourth House Republican said, “Some people have been frustrated, but we have some people who are in Congress now that care more about their own personal headlines when they’re running for other offices or whatever, so they’re trying to push things out.”

Meanwhile, Rep. Mary Miller, R-Ill., released a public statement supporting Johnson when frustrations first emerged from GOP women earlier this month. 

“Speaker Mike Johnson has led our House majority with God-given courage, clarity and remarkable patience. Under his leadership, House Republicans are delivering real results and advancing President Trump’s America First agenda every single day,” she said.

The fourth unnamed House Republican conceded, however, that there were frustrations at fellow Republicans in the White House.

“I believe we’re aligned as far as intentions, but you know, sometimes we’ve got to do our job, and we want participation, but we don’t want to be told what to do,” they said. “It’s always great to have an interplay between [Congress and the White House].”

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The first House Republican noted in this story also said there was “definitely” angst over how the White House has treated Congress’ role as a co-equal branch.

On the intra-GOP tensions targeting Johnson, however, they said, “I think these are natural ebbs and flows … I don’t think there’s anything to worry about.”

Another Republican, Rep. Mark Amodei, R-Nev., said his frustrations lie with the Senate as a member of the House Appropriations Committee.

“We move very fast in the House, and we’ve been ready to keep moving. We just can’t move without the Senate,” Amodei said.

He said he was satisfied with the House’s work this year, but “you can’t do anything without bicameral action. And that right now is a challenge.”

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A fifth House Republican agreed that a number of House GOP achievements have stopped “at the foot of the Senate, where they need 60 votes.”

The House alone has moved significant amounts of Trump’s agenda this year, however. House Republicans voted to codify roughly 100 of his executive orders so far, more than 60% of the total executive orders former President Joe Biden introduced during his entire term.