NationalWatch

President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance hit Democrats during a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, saying that the current administration is working to fix the mess left by former President Joe Biden. 

“The word ‘affordability’ is a Democrat scam. They say it, and then they go into the next subject and everyone thinks they had lower prices. No, they had the worst inflation in the history of our country,” Trump said during his opening remarks at the meeting. He also said affordability was a “con job by the Democrats.”

The president boasted that since he took office, his administration has “stopped inflation in its tracks,” but said their work is not over. He said that while inflation is at “a very good level” now, he would like to see it drop even further without putting the country at risk of seeing deflation.

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

On Saturday, when boasting on Truth Social about lowering drug prices, Trump declared himself to be the “affordability president,” possibly signaling his administration’s focus on reclaiming the term.

Vance, who spoke later in Tuesday’s Cabinet meeting, touted the administration‘s work on the economy and predicted that “2026 is going to be the year when this economy really takes off.”

“I think for congressional Democrats in particular, if they want to talk about affordability, they ought to look in the mirror. We are fixing what [they’ve] broken,” Vance said.

The vice president also pointed out that under the Biden administration, the American family lost over $3,000 of household income, while they gained over $1,000 of household income under Trump.

TRUMP FLIPS DEMS’ ‘AFFORDABILITY’ SCRIPT, TURNING BUZZWORD INTO MAGA MATERIAL AS MAMDANI VISIT LOOMS

Several leading Democrats, including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., have increasingly centered their message on affordability in recent months, even pointing to the issue as a decisive factor in last month’s Democratic victories across the country.

“Republicans have failed the American people on the economy. The cost of living in the United States of America is completely and totally out of control,” Jeffries said during a news conference last month. “Republicans promised to lower the high cost of living on day one. Costs have not gone down, they’ve gone up.”

Jeffries’ remarks came one day after Schumer made similar comments about what Senate Democrats called the “Republican Affordability Crisis.” He said that affordability was “the most important issue keeping Americans up at night” and that Trump and Republicans made it worse.

“Donald Trump may think affordability is some kind of Democratic ‘con job,’ as he recently called it, but the opposite is true. Americans are fed up with high costs, and they need a lifeline, while Donald Trump is tossing them an anchor,” Schumer said.

NEWT GINGRICH: THE SIMPLEST WAY TO MAKE AMERICAN LIFE AFFORDABLE AGAIN

In November, the Democrats saw a string of major victories, including New Jersey Gov.-elect Mikie Sherrill, Virginia Gov.-elect Abigail Spanberger and New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani. All three candidates focused on affordability in their campaigns. After Sherrill and Spanberger’s victories, the Democratic Governors Association (DGA) said that they “ran and won on the economy.”

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“With cost-of-living concerns top-of-mind for Americans nationwide, Sherrill and Spanberger were laser-focused on affordability, releasing their Affordability Agenda and Affordable Virginia Plan, respectively, as they ran on platforms centered around bringing down the costs of health care, housing, and energy costs,” the DGA statement read.

Mamdani’s campaign was focused on affordability in the city. 

After his meeting with Trump, Mamdani said he would work with the administration — not against it — to make life more affordable for New Yorkers, citing his and the president’s mutual love of the city.

Observations on Republican Matt Van Epps defeating Democratic rival Aftyn Behn in Tuesday’s special election to represent Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District:

Flipping seats in special elections for House seats is hard. 

The party challenging the seat sometimes makes a race of it. That often signals a weakness in the party in power or even the president as you approach the next election.

Democrats came close in multiple special elections in 2017, but didn’t win any. There have truly only been four major “flips” in House special elections in the past 18 years.

TRUMP-BACKED REPUBLICAN KEEPS CRUCIAL CONGRESSIONAL SEAT IN GOP HANDS WITH SPECIAL ELECTION VICTORY

Should Democrats have run a moderate? Behn was progressive. A centrist may have won a district like this based on Abigail Spanberger winning the Virginia gubernatorial race.

Van Epps’ win may encourage other Republicans to quit. 

The House majority will be 220-214, but some Republicans are itching to leave. They may think there’s enough of a cushion, even though Georgia GOP Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene departs in January.

TRUMP-BACKED REPUBLICAN TOUTS ‘GREAT TURNOUT FOR US’ IN MUST-WIN SPECIAL ELECTION FOR GOP

Moderate Republicans may look at this race and insist on the party addressing healthcare, seeing a competitive race as in a district with a plus-20 in favor of the GOP.

Moderate Republicans in California, New York and elsewhere should be worried in the midterms considering the Democratic strength in this race.

Dems flipped the House in 2018 after coming close in several special elections.

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The Van Epps win underscores the point that gerrymandering/redistricting works.

Tennessee Republicans drew former Democratic Rep. Jim Cooper, and any other Democrat, out of a Nashville area district a few years ago.

The GOP trifurcated Nashville and the suburbs, diluting the Democratic vote among several GOP districts, which helped the GOP win Tuesday night.

Chad Pergram currently serves as Chief Congressional Correspondent for FOX News Channel (FNC). He joined the network in September 2007 and is based out of Washington, D.C.

EXCLUSIVE: First lady Melania Trump is launching a Spanish-language edition of the audiobook of her memoir using artificial intelligence (AI) audio technology to bring her story to millions of Spanish-speaking listeners, Fox News Digital has learned.

The first lady released her first memoir, “Melania,” last year and released the English-language audiobook in May.

On Tuesday, the first lady released her first foreign-language edition of the audiobook—powered by AI. Fox News Digital has learned that additional foreign-language AI audiobooks will be announced in the coming weeks.

AI MELANIA: FIRST LADY EMBARKS ON ‘NEW FRONTIER’ IN PUBLISHING WITH AUDIOBOOK OF MEMOIR

“Today, we launch the very first foreign-language version of my audiobook, beginning with Espanol, built with artificial intelligence,” the first lady told Fox News Digital. “This release is inspired directly by the Spanish-speaking community, whose enthusiasm and heartfelt requests encouraged me to make my story accessible to Spanish speakers everywhere.”

The Spanish language edition features an AI-generated voice of Mrs. Trump—expertly created by ElevenLabs—to deliver the audiobook in a way that maintains the first lady’s “mannerism, purpose, and authenticity,” while bringing her story to millions of Spanish-speaking listeners.

Meanwhile, billboards to promote the audiobook will be up in Times Square in New York City. 

Upon the release of the English audiobook, the first lady told Fox News Digital she was “proud to be at the forefront of publishing’s new frontier – the intersection of artificial intelligence technology and audio.”

MELANIA TRUMP TO RELEASE ‘COLLECTOR’S EDITION’ OF MEMOIR FEATURING IMAGES PHOTOGRAPHED BY FORMER FIRST LADY

The first lady said ElevenLabs AI developed “an AI-generated replica of my voice under strict supervision, which will establish an unforgettable connection with my personal story, in multiple languages for listeners worldwide.”

ElevenLabs AI CEO Mati Staniszewski told Fox News Digital earlier this year that they are “excited that Melania Trump trusted our technology to power this first-of-its-kind audiobook project.”

The Spanish and English versions of the audiobook are available on MelaniaTrump.com.

Upon the release of the memoir last year, the first lady told Fox News Digital that writing her story was “an amazing journey filled with emotional highs and lows.”

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“Each story shaped me into who I am today,” she said. “Although daunting at times, the process has been incredibly rewarding, reminding me of my strength, and the beauty of sharing my truth.” 

“Melania” is the first lady’s first book. She released the original book along with a special collector’s edition that includes photos hand-selected by the first lady, many of which she photographed herself of her home and of various trips she has taken around the world. 

Meanwhile, “MELANIA,” the film, will debut exclusively in theaters worldwide on Jan. 30, 2026.

The first lady will be the subject of the upcoming documentary.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., have indicated that if President Donald Trump pursues military action against Venezuela, they will seek to prohibit U.S. attacks against the foreign nation.

During a Senate floor speech on Monday, Schumer said he, Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., and Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., “will immediately file a war powers resolution to force congressional action to block the use of troops in Venezuela” should Trump move to carry out strikes against the South American country.

“Americans do not want a pointless war in Venezuela,” he declared. 

During a Monday appearance on CNN’s “The Lead with Jake Tapper,” Schumer said, “First, the bill is bipartisan — it’s Rand Paul, Tim Kaine, myself, and, I think now, Sen. [Adam] Schiff.” 

TRUMP SAYS ‘DON’T READ ANYTHING INTO IT’ WHEN ASKED ABOUT DECLARING VENEZUELA’S AIRSPACE CLOSED

Schiff is a Democrat from California.

Kaine indicated during an appearance Sunday on CBS News’ “Face the Nation” that if the U.S. conducts military action against Venezuela, he will “immediately” move with Schumer, Paul and Schiff.

When asked about the U.S. potentially attacking Venezuela directly, the White House instead appeared to reference the War Department’s ongoing campaign striking suspected narco-terror boats in the Caribbean.

“On the campaign trail, President Trump promised to take on the cartels, and he has taken unprecedented action to stop the scourge of narco-terrorism that has resulted in the needless deaths of innocent Americans. All of these decisive strikes have been against designated narco-terrorists bringing deadly poison to our shores, and the president will continue to use every element of American power to stop drugs from flooding into our country,” White House spokesperson Anna Kelly said in a statement. 

Earlier this year, Kaine, Paul and Schiff pushed a joint resolution to prohibit the president from unilaterally attacking Venezuela, but the effort was stymied when all but two Republican senators — Paul and Sen. Lisa Murkowsk of Alaska — voted against advancing the proposal past a procedural hurdle.

US ESCALATION WITH MADURO HALTS DEPORTATION FLIGHTS TO VENEZUELA

“Pursuant to section 1013 of the Department of State Authorization Act, Fiscal Years 1984 and 1985 (50 U.S.C. 1546a), and in accordance with the provisions of section 601(b) of the International Security Assistance and Arms Export Control Act of 1976, Congress hereby directs the President to terminate the use of United States Armed Forces for hostilities within or against Venezuela, unless explicitly authorized by a declaration of war or specific authorization for use of military force,” the proposal stated.

“Nothing in this section shall be construed to prevent the United States from defending itself from an armed attack or threat of an imminent armed attack.”

TRUMP GAVE MADURO ULTIMATUM TO FLEE VENEZUELA AS LAND OPERATIONS LOOM: REPORT

In a Truth Social post Saturday, Trump suggested Venezuelan airspace should be considered closed.

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“To all Airlines, Pilots, Drug Dealers, and Human Traffickers, please consider THE AIRSPACE ABOVE AND SURROUNDING VENEZUELA TO BE CLOSED IN ITS ENTIRETY,” he declared in the post.

FRANKLIN, Tenn. – The Republican congressional nominee in a special election for a hotly contested GOP-controlled vacant U.S. House seat in ruby-red Tennessee says he’s getting “incredible reports back all across the district.”

Matt Van Epps touted “great turnout for us” as he spoke with Fox News Digital Tuesday morning after greeting supporters outside a polling station. “We were up in early voting, and we’re just going to keep pressing forward to win today.”

Van Epps is facing off against Democratic nominee Aftyn Behn in the race to succeed former GOP Rep. Mark Green, who resigned from office in June to take a private sector job.

With the GOP clinging to a razor-thin majority in the House, the election is seen as a must-win for Republicans.

DECISION DAY: TRUMP, SPEAKER JOHNSON, AOC BLITZ CAMPAIGN TRAIL ON EVE OF KEY SHOWDOWN

President Donald Trump carried the 7th Congressional District — which is located in central and western Tennessee, stretches from Kentucky to Alabama, and includes parts of Nashville — by 22 points in last year’s presidential election. And Green won the district by over 20 points in his 2022 and 2024 re-elections.

But Democrats are energized following the 2025 elections, and public opinion surveys suggested a close contest between Van Epps and Behn in a showdown that’s seen as a key barometer ahead of next year’s midterm elections, when the GOP will be defending its majority.

WATCH: WHAT AFTYN BEHN TOLD FOX NEWS DIGITAL ON ELECTION EVE

Asked by Fox News Digital if he needed to win the election by a certain margin, Van Epps said, “a win is a win.”

But the military combat veteran and former commissioner of the Tennessee Department of General Services added that “we’re going to press as hard as we can to win by the biggest margin we can, and then we’re going to hold the majority in ’26.”

Behn, a state representative and former healthcare community organizer, who’s been dubbed the “AOC of the South” in a comparison to progressive champion Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, told supporters at a local Democratic Party office in Nashville on Tuesday morning that “whatever happens, win or lose, you’ve inspired a country. You’ve shown people the South has something to say.”

“For me, we’ve already won over the hearts and minds of so many Tennesseans and across the country,” Behn told Fox News Digital minutes later when asked if she’s a winner even without an election victory. “What starts here changes this country.”

And she added, “I think the electorate is shifting to accept a candidate like me that has a progressive track record.”

With so much on the line, outside groups aligned with both parties shelled out millions of dollars to run ads in the race. And the Democratic National Committee (DNC) and the rival Republican National Committee (RNC) each poured resources into the showdown, which included dispatching staffers onto the campaign trail.

DEMOCRATS, REPUBLICANS, GO ALL IN ON FINAL 2025 CONGRESSIONAL BALLOT BOX SHOWDOWN

House Speaker Mike Johnson spent the entire day on Election Eve with Van Epps, joining the GOP nominee at a slew of rallies and stops across the district. He was joined by RNC chair Joe Gruters.

“We’re going to win this seat, but we cannot take anything for granted,” Johnson said in an interview with Fox News Digital.

“Special elections are strange because a lot of people take for granted in a deep red district like this that the Republican is just going to win automatically. Nothing’s automatic. So we’re here to help turn out the vote and make sure we get this great candidate right over that line,” Johnson said.

Aiming to motivate low-propensity Trump supporters, who often don’t vote when the president’s not on the ballot, Johnson emphasized that “we need everybody to turn out.”

Before introducing Van Epps at Monday’s first rally, Johnson called Trump on his cell phone, and the president spoke to the crowd for over four minutes.

“Let’s make it a sweeping victory,” Trump said. “The whole world is watching Tennessee right now. And they’re watching your district. The whole world. It’s a big vote. It’s going to show something.  It’s got to show that the Republican Party is stronger than it’s ever been.”

Trump joined Van Epps later in the day for an evening tele rally.

In another sign of the importance of holding the seat, Republican Gov. Bill Lee, GOP Sens. Marsha Blackburn and Bill Hagerty, as well as Republican members of Congress from Tennessee, state GOP lawmakers and rival candidates who lost to Van Epps in last month’s primary, showed up in support.

Behn also enjoyed last minute support from high-profile surrogates.

Ocasio-Cortez; Rep. Pramila Jayapal of Washington state, who chaired the Congressional Progressive Caucus the past four years; Black Voters Matter Fund co-founder LaTosha Brown and former Vice President Al Gore, a Tennessee native, all spoke at an Election Eve virtual rally.

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“The reason this race is competitive is because I have been at community gatherings, potlucks, funerals, weddings, with the voters in the seventh district, and they remember that,” Behn told Fox News Digital.

But Van Epps, pointing to his Election Eve appearances with Johnson, told Fox News, “I think we were at probably 10 events yesterday to have him here with us and campaigning, the momentum is real. Been endorsed by over 50 local leaders across the district. We’ve built momentum from the primary, and we’re going to carry this forward.”

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem sharply criticized President Donald Trump’s predecessor during a Cabinet meeting Tuesday at the White House.

During Trump’s ninth Cabinet meeting of his second term — matching the number former President Joe Biden held across his entire four-year tenure — Noem spoke near the end of the panel-style session.

Noem remarked to Trump that he had given her a “very interesting job.”

NOEM BLAMES ‘SANCTUARY’ POLICIES FOR MIGRANT ACCUSED OF SHOOTING OFF-DUTY CBP OFFICER

“If you think about what Joe Biden did with the Department of Homeland Security, he used this department to invade the country with terrorists. He opened up the borders, let anybody come in that wanted to,” Noem fumed.

“He put ’em on airplanes, he let them through our airports, where if they could figure out a way to get to our shores and in our country, he just opened the door and invited them in. So it’s our job to get ’em out.”

Noem added that every other Cabinet member had, in some way, helped her in her role leading DHS over the past year.

NOEM SAYS ‘WORST OF THE WORST’ ARRESTED IN NYC RAID TARGETING CRIMINAL ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS

She used the example of Secretary of State Marco Rubio negotiating with other countries on travel documents and intergovernmental relationships – including when DHS seeks out “third-countries” to send deportees.

“And we’re gonna send more home for the holidays, too, and make sure that they get to be with their families in their countries,” she said. “Yes. Mostly the bad ones. That’s right. And there are a lot of them.”

Attorney General Pam Bondi, she said, has helped DHS by fighting on behalf of the U.S. in court as the administration has been barraged by liberal states and entities for its immigration enforcement operations.

TIM WALZ FIRES BACK AT TRUMP ACCUSATION OF ‘INCOMPETENCE,’ DODGES ON RESPONSIBILITY FOR FRAUD IN MINNESOTA

Noem also announced the upcoming hiring of the 10,000 ICE officer brought onboard since Trump took office.

As Tropical Storm Chantal was the only named Atlantic cyclone to make landfall stateside – while Hurricane Melissa separately devastated Jamaica – Noem also quipped that FEMA helped, and “kept the hurricanes away.”

She credited Trump with stemming the fentanyl trade across the southern border and War Secretary Pete Hegseth with blowing up narcoterrorists’ boats in the Caribbean Sea.

FIREBRAND GOP LAWMAKER DEMANDS MAYORKAS PRESERVE BORDER CRISIS RECORDS FOR TRUMP ADMIN: ‘UNDO THE DAMAGE DONE’

Noem also said DHS is scrutinizing Minnesota programs involved in bringing immigrants into the state.

“Which means that wacko governor, Walz, is either an idiot or he did it on purpose.”

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“And I think he’s both, sir – he brought people in there illegally that never should have been in this country, said they were somebody that they’re not. They said they were married to somebody who was their brother or somebody else; fraudulent visa applications, signed up for government programs, took hundreds of billions of dollars from the taxpayers, and we’re going to remove them, and we’re going to get our money back.”

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz told The New York Times that the programs “are set up to move money to people.”

“The programs are set up to improve people’s lives, and in many cases, the criminals find the loopholes,” he said.

Fox News Digital reached out to representatives for Biden for comment.

FIRST ON FOX: The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is seeking to reform the funding structure for presidential libraries in an effort to reduce reliance on taxpayer funding for operational costs and allow NARA to focus more on preserving and providing access to records. 

Fourteen presidential libraries fall under the National Archives system, and that number is expected to jump to 16 for presidential libraries dedicated to Trump and former President Joe Biden. 

While NARA and the presidential foundations have their own individual agreements outlining cost-sharing burdens for these presidential libraries, taxpayer funding is going toward maintenance costs, including mowing lawns, painting walls and cleaning toilets at nearly all these buildings, according to NARA. 

Additionally, the government contracting process for quick repairs like broken door hinges filters through an approval process in Washington and can take weeks or months to be addressed, the agency said. 

DEMOCRATIC DONORS RELUCTANT TO GIVE TO BIDEN’S PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY: REPORT 

As a result, NARA is in the process of negotiating with each presidential foundation on an individual basis so they can take greater ownership of the operational responsibilities for their specific library, Jim Byron, senior advisor to the archivist, told Fox News Digital.

“Despite decades of well-intentioned oversight and stewardship of America’s presidential libraries by the National Archives, reality now dictates that operational changes can and should be made to ensure the long-term health of these American treasures,” Byron said in a statement to Fox News Digital Monday. 

“Presidential libraries have grown in scope and purpose, and with that growth — and with anticipated future additions to the system — comes increased expenditures to be borne by the American taxpayers.” 

NARA spends $91 million annually on presidential libraries from appropriations, and the deferred maintenance costs across the entire library system total roughly $123 million. 

Under current negotiations that launched in the spring between NARA and the presidential foundations, shifting some of the costs to the presidential foundations is expected to save NARA $27 million. These funds will then be shifted toward NARA’s primary mission of preserving and sharing records, including digitizing and releasing more files, Byron said.

WHITE HOUSE MAKEOVERS HAVE LONG SPARKED CONTROVERSY, WELL BEFORE PRESIDENT TRUMP’S $200M BALLROOM 

In the event that changes aren’t made to shift more operational costs to presidential foundations, NARA’s ability to focus on its mission will be jeopardized, according to Byron. 

“The alternative is to do nothing and allow NARA’s appropriations to go to lawn care and toilet cleaning at the expense of FOIA processing, to close all presidential libraries when the government shuts down, to allow a deferred maintenance backlog to grow and to regret that presidential library structures were not addressed,” Byron said. “The National Archives is committed to making sure that doesn’t happen while delivering for the American people.”

Luke Nichter, a history professor at Chapman University who said he averages 100 days annually for research and interviews with former government officials, told Fox News Digital that, given the constraints of the federal budget, it’s necessary for presidential foundations to shoulder more of the cost for upkeep of these presidential libraries.

TRUMP REVEALS ARC DE TRIOMPHE-STYLE MONUMENT FOR AMERICA’S 250TH ANNIVERSARY 

“It now takes about as much money to build a presidential library as it does to run for president — about a billion dollars,” Nichter said in an email to Fox News Digital Tuesday. “The American taxpayer should not bear that. The administration deserves credit for starting an important conversation about the future of these cherished institutions.

“In the future, the National Archives will have to focus more closely on what it does well — the preservation of federal and presidential records — and leave other functions to the presidential foundations.” 

This most recent effort aligns with other initiatives underway at the National Archives aimed at redirecting efforts to the agency’s mission, including working with other agencies to release the John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King Jr., and Amelia Earhart files. 

The presidential library structure varies, and NARA and each presidential foundation have their own separate public-private agreements. Typically, though, private funds are used to create a presidential library, which NARA then oversees using federal funding.

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But this isn’t always the case. For example, the Obama Foundation is an entirely private entity and did not choose to construct a library for NARA to store documents, instead opting to build a private presidential center and private museum. As a result, NARA digitized and stored Obama presidential records at an existing NARA site and still oversees preserving and providing access to those records. 

Previous efforts to revamp the funding partnership between government and private entities successfully occurred in 2018, when NARA coordinated with each presidential foundation to discuss which operations it could take on amid increased budget constraints. Ultimately, those negotiations led to NARA and the George W. Bush Foundation securing a new deal splitting operational costs. 

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Republicans will hold onto a GOP-controlled vacant congressional seat in ruby-red Tennessee after winning a hotly contested special election that grabbed plenty of national attention.

Republican nominee Matt Van Epps on Tuesday defeated Democratic rival Aftyn Behn, according to the Associated Press, in the high-stakes race to succeed former GOP Rep. Mark Green, who resigned from office in June to take a private sector job.

“This race was bigger than just one campaign,”Van Epps said in a statement after declaring victory. “It represented a defining moment for Tennessee and for the direction of the country.” 

With the GOP clinging to a razor-thin majority in the House, the special election was seen as a must-win for Republicans.

DECISION DAY: TRUMP, SPEAKER JOHNSON, AOC BLITZ CAMPAIGN TRAIL ON EVE OF KEY SHOWDOWN

President Donald Trump carried the 7th Congressional District — which is located in central and western Tennessee, stretches from Kentucky to Alabama, and includes parts of Nashville — by 22 points in last year’s presidential election. And Green won the district by over 20 points in his 2022 and 2024 re-elections.

But Democrats were energized following their decisive victories in last month’s 2025 elections, and public opinion surveys suggested a close contest between Van Epps and Behn in a showdown that was seen as a key barometer ahead of next year’s midterm elections, when the GOP will be defending its majority.

With votes still being counted, Van Epps was on track for an upper single digit victory.

WATCH: WHAT AFTYN BEHN TOLD FOX NEWS DIGITAL ON ELECTION EVE

Asked by Fox News Digital on Tuesday morning if he needed to win the election by a certain margin, Van Epps said, “a win is a win.”

But the military combat veteran and former commissioner of the Tennessee Department of General Services added that “we’re going to press as hard as we can to win by the biggest margin we can, and then we’re going to hold the majority in ’26.”

Behn, a state representative and former healthcare community organizer, who’s been dubbed the “AOC of Tennessee” in a comparison to progressive champion Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, said in her concession speech, “Although tonight is not the final result of what we wanted…it is the beginning of something so powerful in Tennessee and across the South.”

She delivered a similar message to supporters at a local Democratic Party office in Nashville on Tuesday morning.

“Whatever happens, win or lose, you’ve inspired a country. You’ve shown people the South has something to say,” Behn said.

“For me, we’ve already won over the hearts and minds of so many Tennesseans and across the country,” Behn told Fox News Digital minutes later when asked if she’s a winner even without an election victory. “What starts here changes this country.”

And she added, “I think the electorate is shifting to accept a candidate like me that has a progressive track record.”

Behn was laser focused during her campaign on two key issues, affordability and health care.

But National Republican Congressional Committee chair Rep. Richard Hudson, in congratulating Van Epps, emphasized that “Tennesseans know they can trust Van Epps to fight for their safety, security, and prosperity. No one is better positioned to take up the mantle and deliver results for Tennessee families, workers, and small business owners.”

Trump, whose endorsement of Van Epps helped the candidate win a crowded and competitive primary last month, took to social media to congratulate “Van Epps on his BIG Congressional WIN.”

“Another great night for the Republican Party!!!” the president said in his social media post.

And Van Epps, in his victory speech, said “Our victory was powered by a movement of Tennesseans that are ready for change. We are grateful to the President for his unwavering support that charted this movement and catapulted us to victory. President Trump was all-in with us. That made the difference. In Congress, I’ll be all-in with him.” 

But Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin said in a statement, “What happened tonight in Tennessee makes it clear: Democrats are on offense and Republicans are on the ropes.” 

“Aftyn Behn’s overperformance in this Trump +22 district is historic and a flashing warning sign for Republicans heading into the midterms,” Martin argued. “The fact that Republicans spent millions to protect this Trump +22 district and still lost so much ground should have the GOP shaking in their boots. Democrats are all gas and no brakes as we head into next year, organizing everywhere and competing in elections across the country. “

And House Majority PAC, the top super PAC supporting congressional Democrats, claimed, “Tonight’s results make it clear: No House Republican’s re-election should be considered safe next November.”

DEMOCRATS, REPUBLICANS, GO ALL IN ON FINAL 2025 CONGRESSIONAL BALLOT BOX SHOWDOWN

With so much on the line, outside groups aligned with both parties shelled out millions of dollars to run ads in the race. And the Democratic National Committee (DNC) and the rival Republican National Committee (RNC) each poured resources into the showdown, which included dispatching staffers onto the campaign trail.

House Speaker Mike Johnson spent the entire day on Election Eve with Van Epps, joining the GOP nominee at a slew of rallies and stops across the district. He was joined by RNC chair Joe Gruters.

“We’re going to win this seat, but we cannot take anything for granted,” Johnson said in an interview with Fox News Digital.

“Special elections are strange because a lot of people take for granted in a deep red district like this that the Republican is just going to win automatically. Nothing’s automatic. So we’re here to help turn out the vote and make sure we get this great candidate right over that line,” Johnson said.

Aiming to motivate low-propensity Trump supporters, who often don’t vote when the president’s not on the ballot, Johnson emphasized that “we need everybody to turn out.”

Before introducing Van Epps at Monday’s first rally, Johnson called Trump on his cell phone, and the president spoke to the crowd for over four minutes.

“Let’s make it a sweeping victory,” Trump said. “The whole world is watching Tennessee right now. And they’re watching your district. The whole world. It’s a big vote. It’s going to show something.  It’s got to show that the Republican Party is stronger than it’s ever been.”

Trump joined Van Epps later in the day for an evening tele rally.

In another sign of the importance of holding the seat, Republican Gov. Bill Lee, GOP Sens. Marsha Blackburn and Bill Hagerty, as well as Republican members of Congress from Tennessee, state GOP lawmakers and rival candidates who lost to Van Epps in last month’s primary, campaigned with him on Monday.

Behn also enjoyed last-minute support from high-profile surrogates.

Ocasio-Cortez; Rep. Pramila Jayapal of Washington state, who chaired the Congressional Progressive Caucus the past four years; Black Voters Matter Fund co-founder LaTosha Brown and former Vice President Al Gore, a Tennessee native, all spoke at an Election Eve virtual rally.

“The reason this race is competitive is because I have been at community gatherings, potlucks, funerals, weddings, with the voters in the seventh district, and they remember that,” Behn told Fox News Digital.

Behn faced repeated attacks that she’s out of step with voters in the district.

“She does not represent the values of Tennessee or of America. She is as far left as you can get. She’s a radical,” Van Epps claimed in his Fox News Digital interview. “We have to reject that ideology. And we’re going to do that tomorrow.”

Johnson argued on Monday that Behn was a “radical” and “a dangerous far leftist. And she will be a rubber stamp for Hakeem Jeffries and AOC and all the radicals in Congress.”

And Trump, repeating comments he made over the weekend on social media, charged that Behn “hates Christianity” and “hates country music.”

Trump was referring to past comments Behn made from a 2020 podcast.

“I hate the city, I hate the bachelorettes, I hate the pedal taverns, I hate country music, I hate all of the things that make Nashville apparently an ‘it’ city to the rest of the country. But I hate it,” she said in the podcast.

TENNESSEE DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATE CAUGHT SAYING ‘I HATE NASHVILLE’ AND ‘COUNTRY MUSIC’ IN RESURFACED CLIP

The district is solidly red, but includes parts of the Democratic stronghold of Nashville, Tennessee’s capital and its most populous city, and a major national center for the country music industry. The district encompasses parts of north and west Nashville, including the downtown area which has long been a very popular tourist destination.

Behn, in a CNN interview on Sunday, noted that she was a “private citizen” when she made the comments. “Nashville is my home. Do I roll my eyes at the bachelorette parties and the pedal taverns that are blocking my access to my house? Yeah. Every Nashvillian does. But this race has always been about something bigger. It’s about families across middle Tennessee that are getting crushed by rising prices.”

Republicans also took aim at Behn over an op-ed titled, “Tennessee is a racist state, and so is its legislature,” that appeared in a 2019 edition of The Tennessean newspaper.

The RNC, pointing in a recent social media post to the six-year-old opinion piece, asked, “If Behn hates Tennessee so much, why is she trying to represent it?”

Also resurfacing in recent weeks are anti-police comments Behn made on a now-deleted social media account.

“Clearly, I’m living rent-free in President Trump’s mind,” Behn told supporters on Monday.

And asked by Fox News Digital about the incoming verbal fire from Republicans, Behn joked, “I always love to hear from my fans.”

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She touted that “I have a track record of showing up in the hard fights and small fights in between, not only as an organizer and as an activist, but as a legislator.”

And sticking to her key issue of tackling the high cost of living, Behn said she’s “running on a very simple message of addressing the affordability crisis that Tennesseans are facing, and they [Republicans] don’t have a remedy for it. 

Fox News’ Asher Redd contributed to this story

The Justice Department filed lawsuits Tuesday against six blue states: Delaware, Maryland, New Mexico, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington, accusing them of violating federal law by refusing to provide statewide voter registration rolls upon request.

The complaints, filed by the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division, argue the states failed to meet their legal obligations under the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA), the Help America Vote Act (HAVA), and the Civil Rights Act of 1960, three federal statutes that require states to maintain accurate voter rolls and make those records available for inspection.

Attorney General Pam Bondi said state refusals to disclose the lists undermine the transparency and accountability those laws were designed to guarantee.

“Accurate voter rolls are the cornerstone of fair and free elections, and too many states have fallen into a pattern of noncompliance with basic voter roll maintenance,” Bondi said in a statement announcing the lawsuits. “The Department of Justice will continue filing proactive election integrity litigation until states comply with basic election safeguards.”

NEWSOM’S FIERY CLAIM DOJ HAS ‘NO BUSINESS’ MONITORING CA ELECTION BLASTED BY TRUMP OFFICIAL: ‘CALM DOWN BRO’

According to the DOJ, the agency formally requested each state’s current, statewide voter registration roll and did not receive the required records. In each lawsuit, the department argues that Congress gave the attorney general clear authority to demand the production, inspection, and analysis of voter registration data to ensure compliance with federal law.

Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon, who leads the Civil Rights Division, said the department is escalating enforcement efforts ahead of the 2026 election cycle.

“Our federal elections laws ensure every American citizen may vote freely and fairly,” Dhillon said. “States that continue to defy federal voting laws interfere with our mission of ensuring that Americans have accurate voter lists as they go to the polls, that every vote counts equally, and that all voters have confidence in election results. At this Department of Justice, we will not stand for this open defiance of federal civil rights laws.”

FIRST TIME VOTING? HERE IS THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO BALLOT BOXES, CRITICAL ISSUES ON ELECTION DAY

The DOJ says the lawsuits are part of a broader effort to enforce voter-registration transparency requirements that Congress put in place to ensure public confidence in election administration. NVRA requires states to maintain accurate voter lists and produce them upon request; HAVA mandates states modernize and safeguard voter registration systems; and the Civil Rights Act of 1960 authorizes the government to inspect and copy certain election records, including voter rolls.

Fox News Digital has reached out to elections officials in all six states for comment.

Federal officials have increasingly pressed states on voter roll compliance issues in recent years, arguing that transparency around registration lists is essential to maintaining accurate records, preventing administrative errors and ensuring voters have confidence in election outcomes. The DOJ says the six states named in these new suits have repeatedly failed to meet the department’s requests.

The cases will now move forward in federal court, where judges could order the states to turn over the voter lists, impose compliance deadlines, or issue injunctions requiring adherence to federal law.

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Election law disputes over voter roll access and maintenance have escalated nationwide as states prepare for the 2026 midterms and the DOJ’s latest actions show an aggressive legal posture toward states that fail to meet federal disclosure rules.

The department says it will “continue filing proactive election integrity litigation until states comply,” and has left open the possibility of additional lawsuits.

President Donald Trump called a bloc of Somali migrants to Minnesota “garbage” who rely too heavily on the U.S. welfare state, as ICE reportedly eyes ramped-up immigration enforcement in the Twin Cities.

Speaking at his ninth Cabinet meeting of 2025 on Tuesday, Trump said that Somalis have made a mess of Minneapolis-St. Paul, and characterized Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., as their political figurehead.

His comments come as a New York Times report claimed ICE is prepared to launch an “intensive immigration enforcement operation” targeting the Twin Cities. The paper claimed it would target the Somali population, but a top DHS official told Fox News Digital the agency never prosecutes based on race – only immigration status.

FALSE RUMORS OF MINNEAPOLIS ICE RAID SPARK PROTEST AS POLICE DECRY ‘IRRESPONSIBLE’ INFO FROM ELECTED OFFICIALS

At the White House, Trump lambasted Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz over a burgeoning scandal in St. Paul over what the Times said were “several fraud schemes proliferated in parts of Minnesota’s Somali community.”

According to the report, multiple individuals allegedly created companies that billed the state for millions in fraudulent payments.

“Walz is a grossly incompetent man; there’s something wrong with him,” Trump said of the Box Butte, Nebraska native who was also Kamala Harris’ 2024 running mate.

ICE CAPTURES ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT WANTED FOR ALLEGEDLY KILLING MOTHER IN DUI CRASH

Walz defended himself to The New York Times, saying the programs under scrutiny “are set up to move money to people.”

“The programs are set up to improve people’s lives, and in many cases, the criminals find the loopholes,” he said.

Trump, meanwhile, said Somalia “is barely a country, where they run around killing each other.”

ILHAN OMAR FIRES BACK AFTER TRUMP’S CONSTITUTION DIG: ‘UNLIKE YOU, I CAN READ’

“Ilhan Omar is garbage – her friends are garbage,” he said.

“When they come from hell, and they complain and do nothing but bit** — we don’t want them in our country. Let ’em go back to where they came from and fix it,” he said.

Trump also revisited allegations that Omar, who is from Mogadishu, allegedly “married her brother” to obtain U.S. citizenship.

ICE DETAINS UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA INTERNATIONAL GRADUATE STUDENT NEAR TWIN CITIES CAMPUS

After her 2016 Democratic State House primary upset that launched her political career, Omar told Minnesota Public Radio that she married Ahmed Hirsi – with whom she has three children – but is also separated from a second man who lives in England.

A conservative blog at the time claimed Omar was simultaneously married to Ahmed Nur Said Elmi, and claimed the man could also be her brother – but the congresswoman called such claims “absurd and offensive.”

In 2020, Omar married political consultant Tim Mynett, and wrote on Instagram that she had gone from “partners in politics to partners in life – so blessed. Alhamdulillah.”

Of claims ICE is going to target Somalis in the Twin Cities, Assistant DHS Secretary Tricia McLaughlin dismissed such claims:

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“Every day, ICE enforces the laws of the nation across the country. What makes someone a target of ICE is not their race or ethnicity, but the fact that they are in the country illegally.”

“We do not discuss future or potential operations,” she said.

In response to Trump, Omar said the president’s “obsession with me is creepy.”

“I hope he gets the help he desperately needs,” she said on X.

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…

-White House Press corps fixates on Trump’s ‘perfect’ MRI after years downplaying Biden health fears

–Afghan evacuee arrested before DC shooting federally charged with threatening terror attack

-A shortage of workers is making the housing affordability crisis even worse

State Department yanks visas from Mexican executives in migrant smuggling crackdown

FIRST ON FOX: The State Department is yanking visas from Mexican executives it says helped move unlawful migrants toward the U.S. border, Fox News Digital has learned.

The department revoked visas and imposed travel restrictions on six individuals who worked at an air travel company, along with their immediate family members. U.S. officials say the group collaborated with smuggling networks to coordinate transportation and provide fraudulent travel documents for migrants — including minors — from the Caribbean and other regions, routing them through Central America before many attempted to reach the United States.

The department did not name the company involved…READ MORE.

White House

PAPERS PLEASE: How a green card can be revoked — and where Trump’s new review order fits into the process

WALLET WARS: Trump torches Dems’ ‘fake affordability’ pitch – but GOP panic in deep red state hints voters aren’t buying it

CHA CHING!: White House unveils ‘Trump accounts’ for children with $6.25B Dell investment

WAR ON DEFENSE: Hegseth erupts over WaPo ‘fake stories’ smear, vows to stop ‘poisoning of the American people’

TERRORISTS ‘INVADED’: DHS’ Noem: Biden ‘used this department to invade the country with terrorists’

RECORDS FIRST: Taxpayers on the hook for lawn care, fixing hinges at presidential libraries. Trump-led reforms aim to stop it

STATUS CHECK: Trump lays out where he stands with Elon Musk after Big Beautiful Bill blowup

‘AMAZING JOURNEY’: AI Melania: First Lady rolls out audiobook of first memoir in Spanish

World Stage

FAITH UNDER SIEGE: Experts challenge Nigerian government’s claims as Congress investigates attacks on Christians

Capitol Hill

PRESSLEY SENATE PASS: Squad member Ayanna Pressley announces decision on challenging Ed Markey in primary

Across America 

RED WAVE RETREAT: Virginia GOP Chair steps down after crushing 2025 loss — vows to rally party against Democrats’ ‘power grab’

ELIGIBILITY UPROAR: Legal threat cracks open voter records for illegal school superintendent nabbed by ICE

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

President Donald Trump announced in a Truth Social post on Tuesday that he would “fully and completely” terminate any documents signed by former President Joe Biden’s autopen, including pardons and commutations.

“Any and all Documents, Proclamations, Executive Orders, Memorandums, or Contracts, signed by Order of the now infamous and unauthorized ‘AUTOPEN,’ within the Administration of Joseph R. Biden Jr., are hereby null, void, and of no further force or effect,” Trump wrote.

“Anyone receiving ‘Pardons,’ ‘Commutations,’ or any other Legal Document so signed, please be advised that said Document has been fully and completely terminated, and is of no Legal effect. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”

TRUMP TO VOID ALL DOCUMENTS ALLEGEDLY SIGNED BY BIDEN VIA AUTOPEN, THREATENS PERJURY CHARGE

The post confirms Trump is doubling down on potential action after announcing last week he would void any executive orders signed using the autopen from former President Biden.

Fox News Digital confirmed that the list of possibly voided pardons does not include former President Biden’s son Hunter, as that was signed by hand. The New York Times reported that the alleged autopen pardon list includes Dr. Anthony Fauci and brother Joe Biden.

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Fox News Digital has reached out to the White House for more details. 

This is a developing story, check back later for updates.

An expert warned that the U.S. immigration crisis in America will continue so long as the country’s elite reject the idea of the “Americanization” of immigrants.

Mark Krikorian, who is the executive director of the Center for Immigration Studies, told Fox News Digital during an interview that one of the core drivers of declining assimilation in America is not only mass immigration itself but an ongoing “identity problem” in which the country’s elite have made assimilation a “dirty word” by rejecting American identity and exceptionalism.

“It’s not the immigrants’ doing, it’s a problem we have where our leadership classes, whether it’s government, business, education, religion, everything, aren’t really sure about whether it is even a good thing to be an American,” Krikorian, one of the country’s most notorious authorities on immigration policy, continued.

“The idea basically here is that there is no meaning to nationhood or to peoplehood that living in the United States is kind of like living in Northern New Jersey as opposed to Southern New Jersey. You live in the United States, or you live in Mexico or you live in Swaziland, it doesn’t mean anything,” he explained.

OVER 100 CALIFORNIA COLLEGES ACCUSED OF DISCRIMINATING AGAINST US-BORN STUDENTS IN NEW DOJ COMPLAINT

“The left increasingly, even at the mainstream level, they see immigration law itself as a kind of Jim Crow, that it’s immoral to keep anyone from moving to the United States if they want to. And everything stems from that,” he continued. “Because if that’s your worldview, then obviously law enforcement coming to round up and remove people who have no right to be here, no legal right to be here, is immoral.” 

“So, in that context, how could we expect immigrants to Americanize successfully?” Krikorian said, adding,”What’s different today from, say, 100 or 200 years ago, is we now have a leadership class that doesn’t even believe in assimilation. They think Americanization is a dirty word.”

“My mother was a daughter of immigrants, went to public school in the 30s and 40s outside Boston, and she was taught to memorize the Gettysburg Address and George Washington was the father of our country and they sang Hail Columbia in school. You think they’re doing that in the L.A. Unified School District now, or in New York, or in the school district outside of Boston my mother went to? No!” he said. “They teach American kids to, at best, be ambivalent about America, depending on the school district, even hate America.”

“Until that changes,” he went on, “admitting large numbers of people, even legally, is frankly a bad idea.”

President Donald Trump and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem have embarked on an intensive immigration enforcement agenda. With over 515,000 illegal aliens deported since Trump took office in January, the administration is on track to significantly exceed the record number of illegals deported out of the United States.

However, Krikorian warned that deportations will not be a complete solution to the problem.

“We now have the largest percentage of our population foreign-born ever recorded in American history. It’s close to 16% now. That’s more than it was during even the Ellis Island era … we’ve never been here before,” Krikorian said.

TRUMP’S ‘BORDER CZAR’ WARNS DEM GOVS REJECTING TRUMP DEPORTATION PLAN: ‘GET THE HELL OUT OF THE WAY’

This is further coupled with the rise of technology, which Krikorian said makes it less important for immigrants to integrate into their new communities.

“Newcomers don’t have to really cut off ties in the way that they had to do in the past,” he said. “In the old days, immigrating meant you had no choice but to reorient your emotional and psychological attachments to the new country … Nowadays, you can FaceTime home every day. You can hop on a plane and go to your cousin’s wedding in Bogota for a three-day weekend.”

The solution, in Krikorian’s estimation, is U.S. leaders, from the president to schoolteachers, embracing American identity. With the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence coming in 2026, Krikorian said there is a “real opportunity” for “a whole year-long process of starting to change the narrative and have that narrative percolate down to local institutions, individual schools, individual congregations, individual businesses, and kind of reverse this idea that America stinks and you shouldn’t want to become part of it.”

TRUMP FREEZES AFGHAN VISAS AFTER DC SHOOTING — AS HE QUIETLY EYES LAND STRIKES IN VENEZUELA

“We have succeeded in Americanizing large numbers of people in the past from very different societies,” he said.

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“It’s harder to do now, but we can do it,” he went on. “We have a real serious challenge ahead of us, but they’re challenges that we can meet if we respond.”

President Donald Trump said Tuesday he still likes “Elon a lot,” despite their high-profile split earlier this year over the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.

At the end of the administration’s monthly Cabinet meeting, FOX Business’ Edward Lawrence asked Trump whether Musk was “back in [his] circle of friends” after their falling-out.

Trump responded: “Well, I really don’t know. I mean, I like Elon a lot.” He praised Musk’s endorsement during the 2024 campaign before noting their disagreement over electric-vehicle policy.

Musk was a fixture in the White House in the early days of the second Trump administration as he took on the role as the Department of Government Efficiency’s de facto leader. He served as a special government employee with the Trump administration to help lead DOGE, frequently attending Cabinet meetings and joining Trump during public events. Musk’s tenure with DOGE wrapped up at the end of May. 

TRUMP TEASES MUSK AT FORUM AS ONCE-FROSTY DYNAMIC SEEMS TO TAKE A TURN

Musk had also championed Trump during the 2024 election cycle, criss-crossing battleground states that ultimately all voted for the Republican candidate over former Vice President Kamala Harris. 

Trump repeatedly celebrated Musk for his efforts at DOGE to remove potential federal overspending, fraud and mismanagement – an effort assailed by government employees and Democrats who protested both the Trump administration and Musk repeatedly earlier this year. 

TRUMP RENOMINATES MUSK ALLY JARED ISAACMAN TO LEAD NASA AFTER EARLIER REVERSAL

The cozy friendship fell to pieces in June, however, when Musk began publicly ridiculing the “One Big Beautiful Bill,” which was a massive piece of legislation Trump signed into law in July that advances his agenda on taxes, immigration, energy, defense and the national debt. 

Musk railed against the legislation, which Trump had been rallying Republican lawmakers to pass since the beginning of his second term, posting on X that it would be the “BIGGEST DEBT ceiling increase in HISTORY” and also claimed in a personal attack on Trump that “@RealDonaldTrump is in the Epstein files.” 

Trump previously told the media that his relationship with Musk changed when he began discussing plans to eliminate the electic vehicle mandate, which would affect Musk’s signature electric company, Tesla. Trump signed a trio of congressional resolutions in June ending California’s restrictive rules for diesel engines and mandates on electric vehicle sales, with Trump celebrating that his signature “will kill the California mandates forever.”

WHITE HOUSE TAUNTS LIBERALS WITH PROVOCATIVE MEME-FILLED DEBUT ON BLUESKY

The pair abruptly parted ways in June, with Musk weeks later offering some support to Trump’s presidential actions on social media, such as praising a ceasefire deal between Israel and Gaza in July.

Musk was seen physically back in Trump’s orbit in September during the memorial service for Charlie Kirk, Turning Point USA’s founder who was assassinated on Sept. 10. The pair was seen sitting next to each other and chatting during the ceremony. 

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Musk most recently attended a Trump event on Nov. 18 at the White House for a dinner with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia, as well as dozens of high-profile business leaders. 

Trump’s latest remarks on Musk unfolded during his Cabinet meeting, which marked his ninth such meeting since the start of his second administration and matched the total number of full Cabinet meetings former President Joe Biden held across his four-year tenure. 

Senate Republicans are divided on their view of the deadly Sept. 2 strikes in the Caribbean as congressional inquiries into the matter mount, with some arguing that subduing suspected drug boats is the right move while others question the legality of the so-called double-tap attacks.

The Senate and House Armed Services committees are gearing up for hearings into the strikes after reports that Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, later confirmed by the White House, authorized a second strike to eliminate survivors on a suspected drug boat in the Caribbean.

But there is a growing tension among Republicans over what to do. Some support Senate Armed Services Committee Chair Roger Wicker’s, R-Miss., desire for stringent oversight of the incident, while others see the strikes as part of the Trump administration’s crackdown on drugs flowing into the country.

JOHNSON POINTS TO OBAMA-ERA DRONE PRECEDENT AS CONGRESS PROBES DEADLY CARIBBEAN STRIKE

Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, told Fox News Digital he was “very, very, very supportive of killing drug dealers. I think the more narco-terrorists that we kill, that we save American lives.”

“I’m not concerned about killing people whose intent was to kill Americans at all,” Moreno said.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed that Hegseth gave the green-light for the second strike, but noted that it was Adm. Frank Bradley, the head of U.S. Special Operations Command, who ordered and directed it.

That confirmation came after a report from The Washington Post claimed Hegseth had ordered to “kill them all,” which some on the Hill have disputed.

HEGSETH BACKS SPECIAL OPS CHIEF’S ‘COMBAT DECISIONS’ IN DEADLY CARIBBEAN STRIKE AHEAD OF CLASSIFIED BRIEFING

Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., said that he read the article and charged that there “wasn’t an exact quote from Secretary Hegseth. There was an anonymous source paraphrased what the secretary allegedly said.”

“So, here we’ve got a story in The Washington Post, which is known to hate Trump and Republicans, by a reporter who is citing an anonymous source that supposedly is saying that Hegseth said it before the strike even happened, but they don’t know exactly what he said,” Kennedy said. “That is a waste of your time and mine.”

When pressed about Leavitt’s confirmation of the authorization, Kennedy said, “I don’t care what the White House press secretary said.”

Still, some Republicans want answers to what exactly happened.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., reiterated that he believed that the Senate and House Armed Services committees’ impending probes into the matter was a “natural place” to look at what happened with the strikes, but he stopped short of weighing in on whether a second strike was right or wrong. 

“Well, I don’t know the particulars yet, and that’s why we’re gonna have the — we’ll look,” Thune said. 

BIPARTISAN SENATORS CALL ON HEGSETH TO RELEASE STRIKE ORDERS ON ALLEGED DRUG BOATS IN CARIBBEAN

Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., said that since the report came out, “We want to get to the facts.”

“Obviously, if there was a direction to take a second shot and kill people, that’s a violation of an ethical, moral or legal code,” Tillis said. “We need to get to the bottom of it. But right now, it could be, I think, was it Oxford that the word of the year is ‘rage bait?’ Could be rage bait too. So we want to get to the facts.”

Senate Democrats are demanding a fulsome dive into the incident, and toeing the line of whether what transpired was a war crime.

Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I. and the top-ranking Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, said that he expected to have a briefing with Bradley this week.

When asked what unanswered questions he’d seek answers for, Reed said that the top priority was to find out whether the strikes comported with “the law of war and [Uniform Code of Military Justice] and international law.”

“I think one of the easiest ways to begin to dispel the question is to make public the video of the strikes,” Reed said.

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Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., has, time and again this Congress, remained a staunch critic of action taken in Iran and in the Caribbean and moved to curtail the administration’s actions through resolutions that would stymie President Donald Trump’s war powers.

He said lawmakers needed to get to the bottom of “whether a war crime has been committed.”

Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., was cautious not to fully paint the incident as a war crime before getting more facts about what happened and said he hoped that the reports of the strikes were “not accurate.”

“I will say, though you know as somebody who has sunk two ships myself, that folks in the military need to understand, you know, the law of the sea, the Geneva Conventions, what the law says,” Kelly said. “And I’m concerned that if there were, in fact, as reported, you know, survivors clinging to a damaged vessel, that could be, you know, over a line. I hope it’s not the case.”

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth chastised the press following media reports that he signed off on a second strike against an alleged drug boat after the first one left survivors. 

The Trump administration has come under renewed scrutiny for its strikes in the Caribbean targeting alleged drug smugglers, after the Washington Post reported on Friday that Hegseth verbally ordered everyone onboard the alleged drug boat to be killed in a Sept. 2 operation. The Post reported that a second strike was conducted to take out the remaining survivors on the boat. 

On Monday, the White House confirmed that a second strike had occurred, but disputed that Hegseth ever gave an initial order to ensure that everyone on board was killed, when asked specifically about Hegseth’s instructions.

Hegseth said that he watched the first strike live, but did not see any survivors at that time amid the fire and the smoke — and blasted the press for their reporting.

HEGSETH BACKS SPECIAL OPS CHIEF’S ‘COMBAT DECISIONS’ IN DEADLY CARIBBEAN STRIKE AHEAD OF CLASSIFIED BRIEFING 

“This is called the fog of war. This is what you in the press don’t understand,” Hegseth told reporters at a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday. “You sit in your air-conditioned offices or up on Capitol Hill and you nit pick, and you plant fake stories in the Washington Post about ‘kill everybody’ phrases on anonymous sources not based in anything, not based in any truth at all. And then you want to throw out really irresponsible terms about American heroes, about the judgment that they made.” 

Hegseth said that after watching the first strike, he left for a meeting and later learned of the second strike. The White House said Monday that Hegseth had authorized Adm. Frank “Mitch” Bradley to conduct the strikes, and that Bradley was the one who ordered and directed the second one. 

At the time of the Sept. 2 strike, Bradley was serving as the commander of Joint Special Operations Command, which falls under U.S. Special Operations Command. He is now the head of U.S. Special Operations Command.

TRUMP SAYS HE BELIEVES HEGSETH ‘100%’ ON VENEZUELAN DRUG BOAT STRIKE DENIAL AMID ALLEGATIONS 

According to Hegseth, carrying out a subsequent strike on the alleged drug boat was the right call. 

“Admiral Bradley made the correct decision to ultimately sink the boat and eliminate the threat,” Hegseth said Tuesday. 

Meanwhile, reports of the second strike have attracted even more scrutiny from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle on Capitol Hill and calls for greater oversight, amid questions about the strikes’ legality. 

“This committee is committed to providing rigorous oversight of the Department of Defense’s military operations in the Caribbean,” Reps. Mike Rogers, R-Ala., and Adam Smith, D-Wash., who lead the House Armed Services Committee, said in a statement on Saturday. “We take seriously the reports of follow-on strikes on boats alleged to be ferrying narcotics in the SOUTHCOM region and are taking bipartisan action to gather a full accounting of the operation in question.”

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Hegseth said Tuesday that although there has been a pause in strikes in the Caribbean because alleged drug boats are becoming harder to find, the Trump administration’s campaign against the influx of drugs will continue. 

“We’ve only just begun striking narco-boats and putting narco-terrorists at the bottom of the ocean because they’ve been poisoning the American people,” Hegseth said. 

The Trump administration has carried out more than 20 strikes against alleged drug boats in Latin American waters, and has bolstered its military presence in the Caribbean to align with Trump’s goal to crack down on the influx of drugs into the U.S.

The Department of Homeland Security is calling on New York Attorney General Letita James to take action against New York City over its handling of illegal immigrants.

“New York City’s failure to honor ICE detainers has resulted in the release of 6,947 criminal illegal aliens since January 20. There are another 7,000 still in the custody of a New York jurisdiction with an active detainer,” DHS wrote on X.

“We are calling on NY Attorney General Letitia James to stop this dangerous derangement and commit to honoring our ICE arrest detainers. It’s common sense.”

In response to a request for comment, James’ office referred Fox News Digital to a letter that the state attorney general sent to Acting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Director Todd Lyons in September. The letter from James was sent in response to a Sept. 10 message from Lyons. First, she stated that the New York Attorney General’s Office does not receive detainer requests “as we rarely take custody of individuals.”

ICE OFFICERS IN ILLINOIS TARGETED BY ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS WHO USED ‘VEHICLES AS WEAPONS,’ OFFICIALS SAY

She said “detainer requests are sent to a variety of entities within the State of New York, many of them local police department and local jails, each of which may have applicable laws and policies with respect to whether, to what degree, and under what circumstances to respond to federal detainer requests.”

“This creates a range of lawful practices that we cannot address in our capacity as the attorney general,” James’ letter reads.

On Monday, Lyons sent a fresh letter to James. In the letter, which was obtained by Fox News Digital, he included details about criminals in New York’s custody and examples of instances in which ICE was able to capture illegal immigrants accused of criminal activity.

“These are people who are not only in the country illegally but who have committed additional crimes, including heinous crimes like murder, rape, possession of child pornography, armed robbery, and many others. Virtually all Americans agree that people like this should be swiftly removed from the United States when they leave New York’s custody and not be returned to our streets to wreak havoc on law-abiding citizens,” Lyons wrote.

RIOTERS ARRESTED AFTER ATTACKING ICE VEHICLES IN NEW YORK CITY; OFFICIALS SAY GROUP ORGANIZED ON SOCIAL MEDIA

One of the men mentioned in Lyons’ letter was Steven Daniel Henriquez Galicia, who was arrested by local authorities for attempted murder and criminal possession of a weapon. ICE later nabbed him in the Bronx, New York, and he remains in federal custody pending the outcome of immigration proceedings.

Vyacheslav Danilovich Kim, who was also featured in Lyons’ letter, was arrested by New York State Police for “use of a child less than 17 years of age in a sexual performance; rape in the second degree; disseminate indecent materials to minors; and patronizing a person for prostitution in the second degree of a person less than 15 years of age.”

Lyons said Kim was convicted in February 2013 and was sentenced to time served as well as five years’ probation. He also alleged that “Albany County and New York Probation refused to assist ICE in locating and/or arresting Kim.” However, ICE was able to arrest him in September 2024 as he was leaving an appointment with his probation officer. He was deported, according to the letter.

Another man mentioned in the letter was Anderson Smith Satuye-Martinez, an accused Crips gang member. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) noted that Satuye-Martinez had a conviction for assault. He was arrested in August for criminal possession of a weapon and possession of a controlled substance. Despite having an active ICE detainer, Satuye-Martinez was released. However, ICE arrested him in September. He remains in federal custody.

US ATTORNEY NARROWLY ESCAPES KNIFE ATTACK BY ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT, BLAMES NEW YORK’S SANCTUARY POLICIES

“Attorney General James and her fellow New York Sanctuary politicians are releasing murderers, terrorists, and sexual predators back into our neighborhoods and putting American lives at risk,” DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement provided to Fox News Digital.

“We are calling on Letitia James to stop this dangerous derangement and commit to honoring the ICE arrest detainers of the more than 7,000 criminal illegal aliens in New York’s custody. It is common sense,” she added. “Criminal illegal aliens should not be released back onto our streets to terrorize more innocent Americans.”

McLaughlin also directed her ire at New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, writing in a post on X, “Under [Gov. Hochul] New York has refused to honor [ICE] detainers and RELEASED back onto New York’s streets 6,947 criminal illegal aliens since January 20.”

McLaughlin said that the crimes committed by the nearly 7,000 illegal immigrants include 29 homicides, 2,509 assaults, 207 sexual predatory offenses, 199 burglaries, 305 robberies, 392 dangerous drug offenses and 300 weapons offenses.

There are currently 7,113 illegal immigrants with active retainers in custody in New York, according to DHS. The individuals who are locked up are accused of committing 148 homicides, 717 assaults, 134 burglaries, 106 robberies, 235 dangerous drug offenses, 152 weapons offenses and 260 sexually predatory offenses.

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ICE has faced challenges in New York City as it engages in a crackdown on illegal immigrants in Chinatown. The operation has sparked protests in the area for over a month.

On Saturday, police confirmed officers made multiple arrests during a protest in Lower Manhattan. 

The NYPD told Fox News Digital that upon arriving at the scene, officers found agitators blocking the street and its exits at different locations. Video footage showed rioters pushing large potted plants in front of ICE vehicles, throwing trash at officers and screaming obscenities. They were also spotted hurling trash cans and recycling bins and pushing barricades against officers. Many were arrested after failing to comply with police demands that they disperse.

Fox News Digital reached out to Hochul’s office for comment.

Fox News Digital’s Alexandra Koch and Fox News’ CB Cotton contributed to this report.

President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that the mother of the wounded National Guardsman insisted to him that her son will survive, as the 24-year-old continues “fighting for his life” after being shot just blocks from the White House last week.

Trump remarked on the condition of Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe during a Cabinet Meeting at the White House, giving reporters details of a conversation he had with Wolfe’s mother following Wednesday’s attack in the nation’s capital. Wolfe was critically injured, while another National Guardsman, Spc. Sarah Beckstrom, was killed.

“And we have one young man who’s fighting for his life. He’s fighting very hard,” Trump said, adding that while medical professionals “said he didn’t have a chance,” Wolfe’s mother remained adamant that her son would live.

“I spoke to his mother, ‘Sir, he’s going to be okay, I’m telling you.’ No doctor thought that. Nobody thought that. He was at bad places. And she was like, so positive. It was incredible. … It would be amazing if he lives. It would be amazing. A miracle, actually.”

Trump told reporters that Wolfe was still “fighting for his life” as of Tuesday.

This is a developing news story; check back for updates.

Virginia’s Republican Party (RPV) chair was praised Tuesday, as he announced his resignation after a short but electorally tumultuous tenure, promising a renewed personal focus on fighting Democrats’ redistricting “power grab.”

RPV Chairman Mark Peake, who is also a state senator representing Lynchburg, Bedford and Forest, will have held the role for about eight months – taking the reins in April after previous chairman, Col. Rich Anderson [Ret.], resigned to accept President Donald Trump’s nomination as Assistant Secretary of the Air Force.

Peake’s resignation comes after the GOP suffered crippling election losses in November, including a total flip of statewide offices and the loss of about a dozen House of Delegates seats.

Virginia Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears lost in her quest to succeed outgoing Gov. Glenn Youngkin, while Attorney General Jason Miyares was ousted by scandal-plagued Norfolk Democrat Jay Jones. More than a dozen Republican delegates in both swing districts like Del. Geary Higgins of Lovettsville and friendlier districts like Del. Chris Obenshain of Blacksburg also lost reelection.

In a lengthy letter to Virginia Republican leaders obtained by Fox News Digital, Peake wrote that he made his decision after much “reflection, prayer and conversations with my family.”

WINSOME SEARS BLASTS VIRGINIA DEMS’ SURPRISE REDISTRICTING SESSION AS A ‘STUNT’ TO PULL HER OFF THE TRAIL

“While my time as chairman will soon come to an end, my work on behalf of Virginians will not. I will continue serving in the State Senate, where I remain committed to standing firmly against radical Democratic policies and fighting for a brighter future for every corner of the commonwealth,” Peake said.

Peake suggested his resignation from leading the party and simultaneously serving in Richmond would allow him to focus completely on combating Virginia Democrats’ full-scale attempts to shift the commonwealth far to the left.

His decision was praised by the Senate’s top Republican, Sen. Ryan McDougle of Hanover, who told Fox News Digital that Peake stood up to lead the party when “no one else would.”

“I’m proud of the work he’s done this past year to protect your paycheck and keep Virginia the best place to live, work, and raise a family,” McDougle said Tuesday.

“I’m glad to have him on my team in the Senate as we keep fighting to put more money in your pocket and reduce costs for Virginia families.”

Peake noted the October 31 resolution — heralded by Senate Leader L. Louise Lucas, D-Portsmouth, which may redraw congressional maps and potentially leave just Rep. Morgan Griffith in the far southwest as Virginia’s only Republican in Washington – saying it will “destroy our constitutional process.”

“The Democrats are intent on setting a state-wide referendum for April 2026, which will include 45 days of early voting. As a state senator, I will be fully engrossed in our legislative session, which lasts from January to March,” he said.

RAMASWAMY ENDORSES WINSOME EARLE-SEARS FOR VIRGINIA GOVERNOR, RALLY PLANNED NEXT WEEK IN SWING SUBURB

During session, RPV must have a leader who can fully focus on his role at the state party level, versus someone like himself who would have to keep one eye on the party and its 2026 elections – where all state senators, state delegates, congressmen and Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., are up — and one eye on elected Democrats and their “power grab,” Peake wrote to GOP officials.

He thanked Youngkin, Earle-Sears and Miyares for their partnership as they prepare to leave office.

Peake also credited McDougle and state House Minority Leader Terry Kilgore, R-Cumberland Gap, for their work together, as he looks to pivot back to working alongside them in Richmond.

Turning to the state of the commonwealth, Peake remarked that while it feels like the “cold, dark depths of winter” in more ways than one, he is confident RPV and the elected Republicans it supports will continue to fight for “values embodied in the Republican Creed, which can lead us to a victorious spring.”

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“Our ideas are strong, our voters are energized, and our mission – to secure a freer, safer, more prosperous Virginia – endures. I believe that the foundations of our party remain strong, and that this organization is filled with passionate individuals who have proven their loyalty to our commonwealth and to the conservative movement,” he said.

Fox News Digital reached out to Kilgore as well as Lucas for comment.

After an Afghan asylee allegedly shot two West Virginia National Guardsmen on Wednesday, President Donald Trump ordered U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Director Joseph Edlow to commence a “full-scale, rigorous reexamination” of green-card holders from “countries of concern.”

The directive highlights the legal avenues through which a green card — lawful permanent residence granted through an Adjustment of Status application — can be withdrawn, and those through which it cannot.

There are several major ways lawful permanent residency can be revoked.

Several immigration law firms — including Sedki and Rebecca Black — cite similar orders and descriptions on their sites, and related details appear across various federal webpages, but Fox News Digital did not find any single official source that consolidates them.

First, green-card holders can be placed in removal proceedings if they are convicted of certain crimes – including “aggravated felonies” such as murder, some serious sex and drug-trafficking offenses, as well as crimes involving moral turpitude like certain theft, fraud or violent-offense convictions, depending on the sentence and timing.

TRUMP BANS TRAVEL TO US FROM SEVERAL COUNTRIES TO BLOCK ‘DANGEROUS FOREIGN ACTORS’

They can also lose their green cards over convictions connected to terrorism or espionage for foreign governments. Green-card holders also cannot vote in federal elections, and convictions connected to attempts to do so can also result in revocation of their residency status.

A second basis for withdrawal is evidence that the noncitizen obtained the green card through fraud or misrepresentation.

HOMELAND SECURITY TO SCAN MIGRANTS’ SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS FOR ANTISEMITISM: ‘NO ROOM FOR TERRORIST SYMPATHIZERS’

Examples include foreign nationals who used identity theft, lied on their applications, or omitted parts of their criminal history or prior contact with U.S. immigration authorities.

USCIS may also revisit Adjustment of Status applications for lawful permanent residents who became such through a marriage that ends in divorce within two years. The agency can revoke a green card if it is found the foreign national married a U.S. citizen strictly in order to achieve residency.

VETERANS GROUPS URGE TRUMP ADMIN TO CONTINUE AFGHAN ALLY SUPPORT PROGRAM AMID BUDGET CUT CONCERNS

Home address issues and questions arising out of where – including in which country – a green-card holder truly resides can also be grounds for revocation.

Lawful permanent residents must be just that: people residing permanently in the U.S. with a primary residence stateside.

Leaving the country for more than a year without obtaining a reentry permit can lead the feds to consider a green card abandoned. Changes of address within the U.S. must also be reported to USCIS.

While most people who would fall under the subsection have since died or would be in their 90s at the least, a Cold War provision in the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) bars any noncitizen who, between March 1933 and May 1945, participated in or ordered persecutions under Germany’s Nazi regime or in German-occupied territories.

Relatedly, any immigrant who has been affiliated with communism or any “totalitarian party” in another country, is also banned from holding a green card.

One avenue the Trump administration, however, may pursue as it commences a full-scale review of green-card holders from Afghanistan and other “countries of concern” is the final major way residency status may be questioned or revoked: what some firms describe as the public charge rule.

FEDERAL JUDGE IN MAJOR BLUE CITY BLOCKS KEY TRUMP MOVE ON REFUGEES: ‘NOT LIMITLESS’

According to various immigration law firms’ websites, such residents relying too heavily on public assistance and government programs may find themselves in removal proceedings if they are “deemed a public charge” under the law – but with a key caveat.

Under the INA, simply receiving public benefits does not make a noncitizen deportable. They must have become a public charge within five years of admission “from causes not affirmatively shown to have arisen since entry.” This standard is rarely invoked.

Additionally, relevant to Trump’s Afghan example, any noncitizen previously arrested or deported from the U.S., or removed as an “enemy” or at government expense in lieu of deportation, may not hold a green card.

‘HE IS DELIVERING’: TRUMP’S FIRST MONTH FLIPS SCRIPT ON RADICAL BIDEN-HARRIS BORDER POLICIES

Sections of the INA finalized in 1995 and 2025 also list other grounds of inadmissibility or deportability.

A noncitizen with a communicable disease of “public health significance” can be denied status, as can those with a “mental disorder” posing a threat, or individuals deemed “drug addicts.” Polygamy is also a disqualifying factor.

TRUMP’S BORDER GROUND GAME IS OFF TO A FAST START. TO GUARANTEE CHANGE CONGRESS MUST DO 3 THINGS

While many of the Afghan refugees reportedly came with little to no documentation at the time of the mass withdrawal from Kabul, the INA also prescribes that foreign nationals who were never qualified to obtain full citizenship for various reasons are also ineligible for lawful permanent residence.

The administration could, potentially, investigate whether any of the largely unvetted noncitizens have disqualifying history and enforce that subsection of the INA against them.

While former President Joe Biden’s Operation Welcoming Heroes was an official mission, 8 USC Sec 1182(a) 5(d) also lays out how “any alien who is a stowaway is excludable.” That definition would likely be up to legal interpretation, as the current administration signals a no-holds barred audit of current green-card holders.

UP TO 1M MIGRANTS WHO USED BIDEN’S CBP ONE APP ORDERED TO DEPORT BY TRUMP ADMIN

Federal law states that immigration officers must state the negative determination to the green-card holder, and list the specific provision under the law that their disqualification or rescission falls under.

Fox News Digital reached out to the White House, DOJ, DHS and officials at USCIS for comment and clarification on any of the major grounds collected for a green card’s withdrawal.

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In comments to CBS News, Edlow said his agency has followed the president’s order and “halted all asylum decisions until we can ensure that every alien is vetted and screened to the maximum degree possible. The safety of the American people always comes first.” 

Trump quoted the INA inasmuch as: “Whenever the president finds that the entry of any aliens or of any class of aliens into the United States would be detrimental to the interests of the United States, he may, by proclamation, and for such period as he shall deem necessary, suspend the entry of all or any class of aliens as immigrants or nonimmigrants, or impose on the entry of aliens any restrictions he may deem to be appropriate.”