NationalWatch

President Donald Trump defended calling Venezuela’s airspace closed, saying the country is sending criminals into the U.S., but told reporters not to “read anything into it” when asked whether the warning suggested an imminent strike.

While speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday, Trump said Venezuela is “not a very friendly country” and claimed it has sent criminals, gang members and drug traffickers into the U.S.

On Saturday, Trump told airlines, pilots, drug dealers and human traffickers to “consider THE AIRSPACE ABOVE AND SURROUNDING VENEZUELA TO BE CLOSED IN ITS ENTIRETY.”

When asked Sunday if the warning meant an airstrike is imminent, Trump said: “Don’t read anything into it.”

WHITE HOUSE RESPONDS TO REPORTS OF TRUMP PREPARING TO HIT MILITARY TARGETS INSIDE VENEZUELA

Trump also confirmed a report from the New York Times that he spoke on the phone with President Nicolás Maduro, though he offered no details about the conversation.

“I wouldn’t say it went well or badly,” he said. “It was a phone call.”

The president’s comments come amid rising tensions between the U.S. and Venezuela over Venezuela’s failure to stop drug traffickers from sending narcotics into the U.S.

TRUMP’S STRIKE ON CARTEL VESSEL OFF VENEZUELA SENDS WARNING TO MADURO: ‘NO SANCTUARY’

Since September, the Trump administration has conducted over 20 strikes against alleged drug boats in Latin American waters and beefed up its military presence in the Caribbean as part of Trump’s effort to crack down on the flow of drugs into the U.S.

The strikes have brought the total number of suspected narco-terrorists eliminated to over 82, with three survivors.

But as the U.S. continues to bolster forces in the waters off Venezuela, Maduro has called for peace but also remained defiant against what he called “imperialist aggression.”

U.S. WARSHIPS TO PATROL INTERNATIONAL WATERS AROUND VENEZUELA AS TRUMP VOWS TO STOP CARTELS

Maduro delivered an address in Caracas last week while brandishing a sword and warning supporters to prepare for confrontation, saying the U.S. will “very soon” begin stopping suspected Venezuelan drug traffickers on land.

He appeared at a mass rally in the capital holding the sword of Simón Bolívar, the 19th-century independence leader regarded as the liberator of much of South America. Maduro told supporters the country was facing a decisive moment.

The Associated Press reported that he said, “For anyone, whether civilian, politician, military, or police –  Let no one make excuses. Failure is not an option. The homeland demands it! Our greatest effort and sacrifice. And with (Simón) Bolívar, I come to say that if the homeland demands it, the homeland will have our lives, if necessary,” he declared while raising Bolívar’s sword.

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Maduro framed the situation as a struggle against what he described as external threats, urging Venezuelans to mobilize against any foreign aggression.

Fox News Digital’s Diana Stancy and Efrat Lachter contributed to this report.

Steve Witkoff, the U.S. special envoy to the Middle East, will travel to Moscow on Monday, a U.S. official tells Fox News.

The trip comes as peace talks between Ukraine and Russia show signs of progress, with the White House pushing a peace plan to end the nearly four-year-long war.

On Sunday, Witkoff — a central figure in negotiating the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas — joined Secretary of State Marco Rubio and senior advisor Jared Kushner in Florida to meet with Ukrainian negotiators. 

Rubio described the meeting as “very productive.” In a statement, Rubio said that the end goal is “not just the end of the war.”

STATE DEPARTMENT SAYS UKRAINE READY TO ACCEPT 30-DAY CEASEFIRE DEAL: ‘BALL IS NOW IN RUSSIA’S COURT’

“Obviously, that’s essential and fundamental. We want to see the end of the killing and the death and the suffering, and I’m sure the Ukrainian side, I know they do as well,” Rubio said. 

“They want peace. But it’s also about securing an end to the war that leaves Ukraine sovereign and independent and with an opportunity at real prosperity.”

Last week, Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Moscow could reject the White House’s peace deal framework if it does not uphold the “spirit and letter” of what President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed to at the Alaska summit in August.

TRUMP: WE’RE GOING STRAIGHT TO RUSSIA-UKRAINE PEACE DEAL, ‘NOT A MERE CEASEFIRE’

He warned that if the terms of the “key understandings” are “extinguished” then the situation would become “fundamentally different.”

Despite Lavrov’s comments, Putin showed interest in Trump’s plans to end the war on Thursday, calling the drafted plans a starting point.

“We need to sit down and discuss this seriously,” Putin told reporters, according to The Associated Press.

Trump’s plan as “a set of issues put forward for discussion” rather than a draft agreement.

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“Every word matters,” Putin added.

Fox News Digital’s Sarah Tobianski, Kyle Schmidbauer and Ashley Carnahan contributed to this report.

President Donald Trump called on Tennesseans to vote for Matt Van Epps, the Republican nominee in the special election for the Volunteer State’s 7th Congressional District, in a Truth Social post on Sunday.

Just two days ahead of the election on Dec. 2, Trump urged “all America First Patriots in Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District, who haven’t voted yet, to please GET OUT AND VOTE.”

The president claimed that Van Epps’ Democratic opponent, state Rep. Aftyn Behn, “hates Christianity, will take away your guns, wants Open Borders, Transgender for everybody, men in women’s sports, and openly disdains Country music.”

“She said all of these things precisely, and without question — IT’S ON TAPE!” Trump claimed. “Do not take this Race for granted.”

MARK GREEN RESIGNS FROM CONGRESS, FURTHER SHRINKING HOUSE GOP MAJORITY

“The Radical Left Democrats are spending a fortune to beat one of the best Candidates we’ve ever had, Matt Van Epps!”

Trump concluded that Van Epps has his “Complete and Total Endorsement” and “WILL NEVER LET YOU DOWN!”

Van Epps, a lieutenant colonel in the Tennessee Army National Guard and a former Army helicopter pilot, was formally endorsed by Trump earlier this year and called his support “an incredible honor.”

TENNESSEE GOVERNOR BACKS MILITARY VETERAN JUST DAYS BEFORE CROWDED PRIMARY ELECTION

Trump’s post comes as Behn draws national attention for her past comments, ranging from anti-police rhetoric to her dislike of country music and Nashville’s drinking culture.

The Democrat was also once a frequent advocate for cutting police funding, even suggesting that the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department should be defunded.

Last week, Behn was asked to clarify her previous remarks during an episode of MS NOW’s “The Weekend.”

“In 2020, you made some tweets that have since been deleted that were very critical of police… 2020 was obviously a very fraught year. Do you still stand by those comments? And if not, is there anything you want to clarify?” host Catherine Rampell asked.

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“I’m not going to engage in cable news talking points, but what I will say is that, you know, our communities need solutions,” Behn responded. “We need local people deciding, solving local problems with local solutions. And that’s not the overreach of a federal government or state government of which we are dealing with in Nashville and our cities across the state of Tennessee.”

Fox News Digital’s Paul Steinhauser, Alec Schemmel and Hanna Panreck contributed to this report.

The Trump administration is taking an even firmer stance on immigration in the wake of a fatal shooting near the White House Wednesday, which took the life of one National Guard member and injured another. 

Additionally, the White House signaled it may ramp up its operations targeting alleged drug smugglers in the Caribbean, following months of strikes against vessels accused of trafficking drugs into the U.S.

Here’s what happened this week. 

Washington shooting

The Trump administration is moving to impose more limitations on migrants attempting to enter the U.S., after an Afghan national was identified as the suspect in Wednesday’s deadly shooting. 

Law enforcement officials identified the shooting suspect as Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, who entered the U.S. legally in 2021 under the Biden administration’s Operation Allies Welcome program, which aimed to facilitate resettling Afghan refugees in the U.S. 

The Department of State has paused all U.S. visas for individuals traveling on Afghan passports, the State Department and Secretary of State Marco Rubio posted to X Friday.

VANCE’S PAST WARNINGS REIGNITE AFTER AFGHAN NATIONAL NAMED AS SUSPECT IN DC GUARD SHOOTING

U.S. Army Spc. Sarah Beckstrom, 20, died Thursday due to injuries stemming from Wednesday’s shooting. U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe remains in critical condition as of Friday, per U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro. 

As a result of the shooting, Trump said in a social media post Thursday that he would permanently pause migration from “all Third World Countries.”

LIBERAL COMMENTATORS BLAME TRUMP FOR NATIONAL GUARD SHOOTING 

Likewise, the head of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, Joseph Edlow, said Thursday that in accordance with orders from Trump, he has “directed a full scale, rigorous reexamination of every Green Card for every alien from every country of concern.” 

The White House did not provide additional information regarding which countries would be impacted, and referred Fox News Digital to Trump’s social media post.

Venezuela operations 

Trump also signaled that his administration would start conducting land operations as it ramps up its operations targeting alleged drug traffickers in the Caribbean. 

LAW ENFORCEMENT RESPONDING AFTER 2 NATIONAL GUARD MEMBERS SHOT NEAR WHITE HOUSE

Since September, the Trump administration has conducted more than 20 strikes against alleged drug boats in Latin American waters, and has beefed up its military presence in the Caribbean as part of Trump’s effort to crack down on the influx of drugs into the U.S.

“You probably noticed that now people aren’t wanting to be delivering by sea, and we’ll be starting to stop them by land also,” Trump said Thursday. “The land is easier, but that’s going to start very soon.” 

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The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital regarding whether the White House was considering land strikes or deploying U.S. troops within Venezuela. However, Trump has previously refused to rule out dispatching U.S. ground troops into Venezuela.

The New York Times reported Friday that Trump spoke with Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro in the past week. 

Alexandra Koch contributed to this report. 

New Orleans Police Department Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick made waves earlier this week when she stated illegal immigration by foreign nationals in the U.S. is a “civil issue” and that therefore her agency will not enforce certain immigration laws — but would respond when ensuring public safety and that those involved in a federal operation are “not going to get hurt.”

Kirkpatrick made the remarks at a press conference marking the end of a 15-year consent decree between the city and federal government, after then-Mayor Mitch Landrieu invited the Obama Justice Department to probe the agency for alleged “pattern or practice” of civil rights-related misconduct.

During press questions, Kirkpatrick responded to one reporter by saying that to “be in the country undocumented is (a) civil issue.”

“We will not enforce civil law, and so our support is to make sure they’re not going to get hurt and our community is not in danger,” Kirkpatrick said.

ICE READIES SWAMP SWEEP: MISSISSIPPI PLEDGES TO AID, NOT BLOCK, FEDERAL CRACKDOWN

“Am I expecting them to come?” she said. “Yes I’m expecting them to come. But can I tell you they’re coming Friday? No, I can’t tell you that.” 

“If they call for help because they say they’re going to be hurt. We are going to be there in order to help anyone in danger. We are not enforcing — because we can’t.”

Kirkpatrick’s comments swiftly went viral on social media, with critics — largely from the right — lambasting her for claiming her agency cannot enforce certain immigration laws.

DENVER MAYOR SAYS HE’S PREPARED TO GO TO JAIL OVER OPPOSITION TO TRUMP DEPORTATIONS OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS

Commentator Chaya Raichik, better known as “LibsOfTikTok,” also responded to the superintendent’s comments.

“Anne Kirkpatrick… says that illegally invading the U.S. is a ‘civil issue’ and her police force ‘will not enforce the law.’”

“Illegally invading the country is a crime. This is who is in charge of the police.”

NOEM, IN ILLINOIS, CALLS OUT GOV. PRITZKER, CHICAGO’S MAYOR OVER THEIR HANDLING OF CRIMINAL ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS

“This is Law Enforcement 101. Every American knows this,” conservative commentator David Harris Jr. tweeted separately.

Florida journalist Eric Daugherty responded to a clip of Kirkpatrick, writing: “False. It is a crime.”

“How can you be the leader of a major police force and not know this? Arrest and deport. No exceptions,” Daugherty said.

CHICAGO POLICE ORDERED NOT TO RESPOND AFTER CAR-RAMMING ATTACK ON FEDERAL AGENTS: SOURCES

Louisiana Republican Attorney General Liz Murrill commented below Daugherty’s message saying that she spoke directly to Kirkpatrick about her comments.

“It is a state crime to obstruct ICE and federal immigration enforcement. Law enforcement should enforce the law,” Murrill said.

In response to Murrill, several other critics reamed Kirkpatrick for being in charge of the New Orleans Police Department the night a man mowed down revelers ahead of the Sugar Bowl on New Year’s Day, suggesting there were preventative measures on Bourbon Street, including installation of bollards and hardened temporary infrastructure that were missed.

JONATHAN TURLEY: WHY BLUE STATES’ NEW ANTI-ICE LAWS ARE UNCONSTITUTIONAL VIRTUE SIGNALING

Other critics cited 8 U.S. Code 1325, which criminalizes “improper entry by (an) alien.” That section describes how it is a criminal act to elude immigration inspection, provide false documentation or enter the U.S. illegally outside a port of entry.

Kirkpatrick’s reference to civil law referenced the fact there is a section in the code under the Immigration & Naturalization Act that says being unlawfully present in the U.S. for a visa overstay or other infraction is indeed civil, not criminal.

“Inadmissible aliens,” as described in law, also can face civil removal proceedings under 8 USC 1227 and 8 USC 1182.

DHS LAUNCHING MASSIVE IMMIGRATION OPERATION IN LOUISIANA, MISSISSIPPI: ‘SWAMP SWEEP’

In a separate statement, Murrill said she fully expects “all law enforcement and local officials will not obstruct federal authorities and will enforce state law to protect people and property.”

“I support ICE operations that ensure violent criminals are removed and ensure legal immigration policies are respected and followed,” she added.

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Fox News Digital reached out to the New Orleans Police Department for comment.

An official who picked up the phone indicated they would seek out the proper official to pass along any comment, but the inquiry was not returned.

In the wake of last year’s tumultuous presidential election, which exhausted many Americans, it was expected to be quiet on the 2025 campaign trail.

But with President Donald Trump back in the White House and Democrats itching to rebound after last year’s ballot box setbacks, 2025’s off-year elections were anything but sedate.

Here are five of the biggest moments that shaped the campaign trail.

5. Democrats overperform in special elections

Just eight days into Trump’s second term in the White House, demoralized Democrats had something to cheer about.

SETTING THE STAGE: WHAT THE 2025 ELECTIONS SIGNAL FOR NEXT YEAR’S MIDTERM SHOWDOWNS

Democrat Mike Zimmer defeated Republican Katie Whittington in a special state Senate election in Iowa, flipping a Republican-controlled vacant seat in a district that Trump had carried by 21 points less than three months earlier.

Zimmer’s victory triggered a wave of Democrats overperforming in special elections and regularly scheduled off-year ballot box contests.

In Iowa, Democrats in August flipped another Republican-held seat in a state Senate special election, breaking the GOP’s supermajority in the upper chamber for the first time in three years.

“Since the president was inaugurated back in January, there’s been 45 elections on the ballot. Democrats have overperformed in all of them to the tune of about 16 percentage points on average,” Democratic National Committee chair Ken Martin touted in a Fox News Digital interview days ahead of the 2025 elections.

4. Inflation persists, making affordability issue No. 1 on the campaign trail

It was the issue that boosted Trump and Republicans in the 2024 elections, as they won back the White House and Senate majority and kept control of the House.

But a year later, the economy, and everyday expenses in particular, are working against the president and his party in the 2025 elections.

FOX NEWS POLL: VOTERS SAY WHITE HOUSE IS DOING MORE HARM THAN GOOD ON ECONOMY

Democrats, with an across-the-board focus on affordability, enjoyed sweeping success at the ballot box earlier this month, with double-digit victories in the gubernatorial showdowns in blue-leaning but competitive New Jersey and Virginia, as well as major victories in high-profile contests in battlegrounds Georgia and Pennsylvania and solidly blue New York City and California.

“Voters are remarkably consistent in their priorities: the economy, the economy, the economy,” noted Wayne Lesperance, a veteran political scientist and president of New England College.

“When you win an election, voters expect you are going to do something to address those concerns and the reality is that the questions of affordability remain unchanged in their importance to the everyday voter.”

3. Jay Jones text messages revealed, rocking the Virginia elections

Virginia Democrats were cruising toward convincing victories in the commonwealth’s statewide elections when a scandal sent shockwaves up and down the ballot.

Democratic attorney general nominee Jay Jones instantly went into crisis mode after controversial texts were first reported earlier by the National Review in early October.

Jones acknowledged and apologized for texts he sent in 2022, when he compared then-Virginia House Speaker Todd Gilbert to mass murderers Adolf Hitler and Pol Pot, adding that if he was given two bullets, he would use both against the GOP lawmaker to shoot him in the head.

But Jones faced a chorus of calls from Republicans to drop out of the race.

KEY TAKEAWAYS FROM THE 2025 ELECTIONS 

And the GOP leveraged the explosive revelations up the ballot, forcing Democratic Party nominee, former Rep. Abigail Spanberger, back on defense in a campaign where she was seen as the frontrunner against Republican rival Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears.

Earle-Sears didn’t waste an opportunity to link Spanberger to Jones. And during last month’s chaotic and only gubernatorial debate, where Earle-Sears repeatedly interrupted Spanberger, the GOP gubernatorial nominee called on her Democratic rival to tell Jones to end his attorney general bid.

“The comments that Jay Jones made are absolutely abhorrent,” Spanberger said at the debate. But she neither affirmed nor pulled back her support of Jones.

While the scandal grabbed national headlines, in the end it didn’t slow down the Democrats, as Spanberger crushed Earle-Sears by 15 points. Democrats won the separate election for lieutenant governor by 11 points and Jones even pulled off a 6-point victory over Republican incumbent Jason Miyares.

2. Trump urges Texas to redistrict

Aiming to prevent what happened during his first term in the White House when Democrats reclaimed the House majority in the 2018 midterm elections, Trump in June first floated the idea of rare but not unheard of mid-decade congressional redistricting.

The mission was simple: redraw congressional district maps in red states to pad the GOP’s razor-thin House majority to keep control of the chamber in the 2026 midterms, when the party in power traditionally faces political headwinds and loses seats.

Trump’s first target: Texas.

A month later, when asked by reporters about his plan to add Republican-leaning House seats across the country, the president said, “Texas will be the biggest one. And that’ll be five.”

The push by Trump and his political team triggered a high-stakes redistricting showdown with Democrats to shape the 2026 midterm landscape in the fight for the House majority.

Republican Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas called a special session of the GOP-dominated state legislature to pass the new map.

ELECTION REFLECTION: ‘DEMOCRATS FLIPPED THE SCRIPT’ ON AFFORDABILITY IN BALLOT BOX SHOWDOWNS

But Democratic state lawmakers, who broke quorum for two weeks as they fled Texas in a bid to delay the passage of the redistricting bill, energized Democrats across the country.

Among those leading the fight against Trump’s redistricting was Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom of California.

California voters earlier this month overwhelmingly passed Proposition 50, a ballot initiative which will temporarily sidetrack the left-leaning state’s nonpartisan redistricting commission and return the power to draw the congressional maps to the Democratic-dominated legislature.

That is expected to result in five more Democratic-leaning congressional districts in California, which aimed to counter the move by Texas to redraw their maps.

Meanwhile, an opinion by two federal judges in Texas this month delivered a blow to Trump and Republicans, by ruling that the state can’t use the newly drawn map in next year’s elections. Texas Republicans say they’ll appeal the ruling to the Supreme Court.

But the fight has spread beyond Texas and California.

Right-tilting Missouri, North Carolina and Ohio have drawn new maps as part of the president’s push. And red-leaning Indiana, Florida and Kansas are also mulling redrawing their maps.

“We must keep the Majority at all costs,” Trump wrote on social media this month.

Illinois and Maryland, two blue states, and Virginia, where Democrats control the legislature, are also taking steps or seriously considering redistricting.

And in a blow to Republicans, a Utah district judge this month rejected a congressional district map drawn up by the state’s GOP-dominated legislature and instead approved an alternate that will create a Democratic-leaning district ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.

1. Mamdani wins NYC mayoral primary

Zohran Mamdani‘s convincing June 24 victory in New York City’s Democratic Party mayoral primary was the political earthquake that rocked the nation’s most populous city and sent powerful shockwaves across the country.

The capturing of the Democratic nomination by the now-34-year-old socialist state lawmaker over frontrunner former Gov. Andrew Cuomo and nine other candidates propelled Mamdani to this month’s general election victory.

While Mamdani’s 9-point general election victory is a shot in the arm for the rise of the socialist movement as it battles moderate Democrats for the future of the party, it also appears to be the political gift that keeps on giving for Republicans, as they aim to paint all Democrats as far-left radicals.

The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) was one of the first out of the gate to capitalize on the leftward lurch, firing off an email release minutes after Mamdani’s primary victory, arguing that “every vulnerable House Democrat will own him, and every Democrat running in a primary will fear him.”

And this month, immediately after Mamdani became mayor-elect, the NRCC claimed “the new face of the Democrat Party just dropped, and it’s straight out of a socialist nightmare.”

But Trump’s very chummy meeting with Mamdani recently at the White House seemed to undercut the GOP strategy to use the mayor-elect as a human cudgel.

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Democrats insist that the effort to link Mamdani is a distraction from Republicans’ inability to deal with the affordability issue.

“Republican operatives in D.C. know they can’t win on the issues, so we’re seeing them melt down in real time, resorting to ineffective boogeyman attacks. It’s embarrassing,” the rival Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee charged.

Congress will return to Washington, D.C., next week entering into a dead sprint to wrap up work before the year’s end, to cap off a blistering, often dramatic year on the Hill.

Both chambers will have three working weeks before again fleeing from the growing chill in Washington to their respective districts and states. And lawmakers have some of the biggest challenges of the year left to finish.

Perhaps the biggest looming legislative fight will be how lawmakers approach the expiring enhanced Obamacare subsidies, which dominated the recently-ended government shutdown.

SENATE REPUBLICANS, DEMS BLOCK DUELING ATTEMPTS TO REPEAL CONTROVERSIAL ARCTIC FROST PROVISION

Neither side has produced a fulsome plan on how to tackle the subsidies, though some solutions from Republicans, like funneling the subsidy funding into Health Savings Accounts (HSAs), have been floated.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., acknowledged last week that producing a solution would be a steep hurdle, and reiterated his commitment to Senate Democrats that they would get a vote on whatever proposal they produce no later than the second week in December.

Thune noted that “the one thing that unites” the GOP is the belief that the subsidies need to be reformed and that rising healthcare costs need to be dealt with.

“I think the affordability issue is a big issue,” Thune said. “I think it’s been exacerbated by the way that Obamacare has been structured through the years, including the way that enhanced subsidies were structured by going directly to insurance companies and incentivizing them to enroll people without their knowledge.”

And the White House also has its own plan, which was expected to be rolled out earlier this week, but sidelined over reportedly disgruntled Republicans who disliked the proposed language.

When asked about specifics of the plan, and it was scrapped, a White House official told Fox News Digital that “there was never a healthcare announcement listed on [Monday’s] daily guidance.”

But the rumblings of a plan from President Donald Trump and the administration have encouraged some Senate Democrats.

GRAHAM SAYS TRUMP WANTS TO ‘MOVE THE BILL’ ON RUSSIA SANCTIONS, BUT PROCEDURAL HURDLES AWAIT

Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., who originally proposed legislation to extend the subsidies, said that she was glad that the president was making an effort to ensure the credits don’t sunset by the end of the year.

“I’ve had constructive conversations with many of my Republican colleagues who I believe want to get this done,” Shaheen said in a statement. “They understand that the vast majority of people who benefit from these tax credits live in states the President won, and that the President’s own pollsters have underscored the enormous political urgency of Republicans acting.”

But the Obamacare issue is not the only issue Congress faces. Lawmakers are eyeing passage of the annual National Defense Authorization Act by the end of the year, the Senate is considering another package of Trump’s nominees and another package of spending bills is expected on the horizon, too.

That package of four bills, which is expected to include the Defense, Labor, Transportation and Commerce funding bills, would be a massive step toward averting yet another deadline to fund the government by Jan. 30, 2026.

Senate Appropriations Chair Susan Collins, R-Maine, said earlier this month that there was also an “interest on the House side” to move the bills.

“The more appropriations bills that we’re able to pass, the better off we’re going to be, the better off the American people will be served,” she said.

GOP WRESTLES WITH OBAMACARE FIX AS TRUMP LOOMS OVER SUBSIDY FIGHT

There are also some lingering issues that could pose surprises before the year’s end, including how Congress will handle Russia sanctions and the controversial provision in the package that reopened the government that would allow senators to sue for upwards of $500,000 if their records were requested without notification.

On the sanctions front, the Senate has overwhelmingly bipartisan legislation that Trump appears to support, but there’s a possible disconnect between Thune and House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., on where the legislation should originate.

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Thune believed it’d be better suited in the House given that it’s a revenue-geared bill, while Johnson warned that it would be time-consuming to pass the bill in the lower chamber because of how many different committees it would have to move through.

Some in the Senate are already looking ahead to next year, when lawmakers will be in full midterm election mode. Another crack at budget reconciliation, the process used to pass Trump’s marquee “big, beautiful bill,” has been floated, but whether there is broad buy-in from congressional Republicans remains in the air.

Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., said that it would be “legislative malpractice” to not undertake the grueling process once more.

“It’s just exquisitely dumb,” Kennedy said. “Why would you not take advantage of an opportunity to pass something with 51 votes? That doesn’t mean that our Democratic colleagues can’t join with us, but if they don’t, they can’t filibuster. Did I mention it’s exquisitely dumb?”

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., issued a sharp warning Saturday about President Donald Trump’s posture toward Venezuela, accusing him of edging the U.S. “closer and closer to another costly foreign war” without congressional approval.

In a blistering statement, Schumer criticized Trump’s recent escalation towards Venezuela and argued that the president had upended the Constitution.

“President Trump’s reckless actions towards Venezuela are pushing America closer and closer to another costly foreign war,” Schumer stated. “Under our Constitution, Congress has the sole power to declare war — not the President — and Congress has not authorized the use of military force against Venezuela.”

The minority leader cautioned the president to avoid entering into another overseas conflict, writing that “Americans are tired of endless foreign wars that cost the lives of countless American service members and drain precious resources.”

SENATE REPUBLICANS BLOCK BIPARTISAN EFFORT TO HALT MILITARY ACTION, DRUG BOAT STRIKES IN THE CARIBBEAN

“This is not an America First policy,” he added.

Schumer called for bipartisan pushback, urging his colleagues in Congress to “come together to return the power to declare war back to the people.”

The New York Democrat’s comments came after Trump wrote on Truth Social that Venezuela’s airspace should be considered “closed in its entirety.”

SENATORS LOOK TO BLOCK TRUMP FROM ENGAGING IN ‘HOSTILITIES’ IN VENEZUELA

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

That post came a week after the Federal Aviation Administration warned airlines of a “worsening security situation” in the area.

While speaking to U.S. service members on Thanksgiving, Trump said the U.S. will “very soon” begin stopping suspected Venezuelan drug traffickers “by land.”

DEM PRESSURE BUILDS FOR ANSWERS ON TRUMP’S CARIBBEAN STRIKES, COMMANDER’S SUDDEN EXIT

“In recent weeks, you’ve been working to deter Venezuelan drug traffickers, of which there are many,” Trump said. “Of course, there aren’t too many coming in by sea anymore. Have you probably noticed that?”

The president added that drug traffickers kill “hundreds of thousands of people a year” in the U.S. from the “poisons” they bring in.

Trump has not dismissed the idea of out sending American troops into Venezuela, stating on Nov. 17 that he hasn’t eliminated the possibility.

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

Asked whether he ruled out troop deployments, Trump responded, “No, I don’t rule out that, I don’t rule out anything.”

On Friday, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth defended the Trump administration’s strikes on alleged drug vessels in the Caribbean Sea.

“As we’ve said from the beginning, and in every statement, these highly effective strikes are specifically intended to be ‘lethal, kinetic strikes,” Hegseth wrote on X. “The declared intent is to stop lethal drugs, destroy narco-boats, and kill the narco-terrorists who are poisoning the American people. Every trafficker we kill is affiliated with a Designated Terrorist Organization.”

Hegseth’s statement followed reports from multiple news outlets, including The Washington Post and CNN, that claimed the U.S. military ordered a second strike on a suspected drug vessel in the Caribbean on Sept. 2 after the initial attack left two survivors.

“As usual, the fake news is delivering more fabricated, inflammatory, and derogatory reporting to discredit our incredible warriors fighting to protect the homeland,” Hegseth added in his post.

House Armed Services Committee Chair Mike Rogers, R-Ala., and Ranking Member Adam Smith, D-Wash., issued a joint statement Saturday reiterating that the committee is “committed to providing rigorous oversight of the Department of Defense’s military operations in the Caribbean.”

“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,” the lawmakers wrote.

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

Fox News Digital’s Sophia Compton, Brie Stimson, Greg Norman and Alexandra Koch contributed to this report.

President Trump on Saturday pointed to a federal law that grants the president broad authority to restrict immigration just days after unveiling a sweeping new immigration agenda. 

In a Truth Social post, Trump highlighted Section 212(f) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, which allows the president to “suspend the entry” of non-U.S. citizens whenever it is deemed “detrimental” to the national interest.

“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 aliens or any class of aliens as immigrants or nonimmigrants, or impose on the entry of aliens any restrictions he may deem to be appropriate,” Trump wrote, quoting the law.

CHICAGO PUBLIC SCHOOLS POLICY ALLOWS UNLIMITED ABSENCES FOR ILLEGAL ALIEN CHILDREN AMID ICE OPERATIONS

THEIR PLAN WAS A FLOOD OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION. OUR ANSWER IS AN IMMIGRATION MORATORIUM

The president posted amid intensifying immigration actions by his administration after the shooting of two National Guard members in Washington, D.C., Wednesday.

On Thursday, Trump vowed to halt immigration from “Third World countries,” reverse Biden-era admissions and remove foreign nationals he considers public threats, security risks or “non-compatible with Western Civilization.”

TRUMP HAS MADE THE BORDER SECURE AGAIN — BUT NOW THE HARD PART BEGINS

He argued that the U.S. immigration system has been overwhelmed and said his approach would allow it to “fully recover.” 

Trump also vowed to end federal benefits for noncitizens, denaturalize migrants accused of undermining “domestic tranquility” and expand deportations.

On Friday, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced it had halted all asylum decisions. 

Rahmanullah Lakanwal, a 29-year-old Afghan national, has been accused in the shooting of the two National Guard members in Washington, D.C.

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National Guard member Sarah Beckstrom, 20, died after the shooting. Andrew Wolfe, 24, remains in critical condition.

Fox News Digital’s Landon Mion and Michael Sinkewicz contributed to this report.

Rep. Troy Nehls, R-Texas, announced on Saturday that he will not seek re-election in 2026 so he can focus on his family, and his own twin brother subsequently revealed his candidacy to fill the open seat.

The congressman said he made the decision after speaking with his family over Thanksgiving. He has served in the U.S. House since 2021.

“After more than 30 years in law enforcement serving and protecting my community as a police officer, constable, Fort Bend County Sheriff, an Army veteran, and six years representing this district in Congress, I have made the decision, after conversations with my beautiful bride and my girls over the Thanksgiving holiday, to focus on my family and return home after this Congress,” he wrote on X.

An ally of President Donald Trump, Nehls said he notified the commander-in-chief of his plans before making his announcement public.

SENIOR REPUBLICAN SAYS HE’LL ‘MISS THE CLOWNS,’ NOT ‘THE CIRCUS’ AS HE EYES LIFE AFTER CONGRESS

“Before making this decision, I called President Trump personally to let him know of my plans,” Nehls said. “President Trump has always been a strong ally for our district and a true friend, and I wanted him to hear it from me first.”

“Serving this country in the military, serving our community in law enforcement, and serving this district in Congress has been the honor of my life,” he continued. “Thank you for your trust, your friendship, and your prayers.”

Nehls, 57, has been a big supporter of Trump’s mass deportation agenda. The House Judiciary Committee advanced his legislation earlier this month that would remove barriers to illegal migrant deportations. Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., introduced a similar measure in the Senate.

TEXAS RACE TO REPLACE DECEASED DEMOCRAT ADVANCES TO RUNOFF

The congressman also co-sponsored a bill to put Trump on the $100 bill to honor the president. He also called for renaming Dulles International Airport after Trump and for the Republican Party to support whatever Trump says or does.

Nehls previously served as a member of the U.S. Army Reserves and was deployed to combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. He also worked in law enforcement for many years.

The Texas congressman joins a growing list of Republican lawmakers who have decided not to retain their seat, including Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., who announced earlier this month amid her feud with Trump that she would step down in January.

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After Nehls announced his plans to retire, his identical twin brother, Trever Nehls, said he would be running for his brother’s seat.

“I am honored to announce my candidacy for Congressional District 22 to continue fighting for the people of this district,” he wrote on Facebook. “District 22 needs a Representative who will follow in Troy’s footsteps and stand shoulder-to-shoulder with President Trump to defend our conservative values, secure the border, protect our families, and oppose the reckless and radical agenda that Democrats continue to press upon the American people. I’m ready to take up that fight.”

Deep inside a command center that monitors everything from Russian bombers to North Korean missile launches, a handful of service members are preparing for a very different kind of flight pattern — one led by a jolly man in a red suit.

Each December, the North American Aerospace Defense Command — or NORAD — transforms part of its high-tech operations floor into a holiday command post dedicated to tracking Santa Claus. The same radar systems that protect North American airspace will soon be tuned to follow a sleigh moving at high speed from the North Pole.

The Santa mission, now approaching its 70th year, began by accident. In 1955, a Colorado Springs newspaper printed a phone number from a Sears advertisement inviting children to “call Santa.” The number, misprinted by one digit, rang the operations line of what was then the Continental Air Defense Command. When Col. Harry Shoup, the duty officer that night, realized kids were calling to talk to St. Nick, he played along — and a military tradition was born.

RUSSIAN AIRCRAFT FLY IN ALASKAN AIR DEFENSE IDENTIFICATION ZONE, US SAYS

Today, the Santa Tracker is a global phenomenon that draws millions of online visitors and calls from children in more than 200 countries. But behind the festive lights and holiday cheer, NORAD’s real mission continues without pause — scanning the skies and seas 24 hours a day for potential threats to the U.S. and Canada.

The North American Aerospace Defense Command doesn’t need special equipment to find Santa — it uses the same technology that guards the continent every day.

Tracking begins with the North Warning System, a network of radar stations stretching across Alaska and northern Canada. Those sensors detect everything entering the northern approaches to the U.S. and Canada — including, once a year, a fast-moving sleigh departing the Arctic.

From there, NORAD’s Space-Based Infrared System satellites pick up the heat signature — described tongue-in-cheek each year as Rudolph’s nose — and relay that data to the operations center at Peterson Space Force Base in Colorado Springs.

The same systems that track ballistic missile launches and foreign aircraft feed the Santa map millions of families follow each Christmas Eve. The website and app, NORADSanta.org, draw millions of visits worldwide, supported by partnerships with private-sector tech companies to handle the data load.

For the troops and civilians who staff NORAD’s operations center, the holiday season looks different from most. The command never shuts down; watch officers, radar technicians, and support staff work through Christmas Eve and Christmas Day just as they do any other time of year.

While much of the focus turns to Santa tracking, the real work continues in the background — scanning radar feeds, monitoring satellite data, and staying ready to respond to any threat that might appear. Most of the roughly 1,500 people assigned to NORAD and U.S. Northern Command at Peterson Space Force Base and nearby Cheyenne Mountain take at least part of a holiday shift, trading hours, so others can spend time with family.

SOME DRONES OVER US BASES MAY HAVE BEEN CONDUCTING SURVEILLANCE: NORTHCOM GENERAL

Still, the Santa operation brings a change of pace. Hundreds of volunteers — many of them military spouses, retirees, and local community members — come into the command center each year to answer calls and messages from children around the world. The phone lines open on Christmas Eve, and volunteers work in shifts to handle thousands of questions about Santa’s location.

The room looks a little different that night: screens glow with maps of the sleigh’s route, phones ring constantly, and there are cookies and coffee between the workstations. For a few hours, a command built for high-stakes warning and response turns into a small slice of holiday normalcy, even as the mission carries on.

That same command routine was recently dramatized in the new Netflix film “A House of Dynamite.” In the movie, a single unidentified missile triggers a cascade of decisions across the command center, highlighting how fragile the system can appear when seconds count.

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The Missile Defense Agency, however, pushed back on the film’s portrayal of a failed interceptor test. An internal memo noted a scene claiming a 50% chance of interception, arguing that, in reality, U.S. missile defense systems have “displayed a 100% accuracy rate in testing for more than a decade.”

So, yes, NORAD is tracking holiday cheer — and ensuring the foundation of American readiness stays intact. On the floor where the phones are answered, and the consoles stay lit, the message is simpler: someone always has the watch.

A conservative-aligned watchdog group has filed a bar complaint accusing New York Attorney General Letitia James of professional misconduct tied to her Norfolk, Virginia, mortgage, allegations that were also at the center of her recently dismissed federal charges.

The Center to Advance Security in America (CASA) filed the complaint with the state’s Attorney Grievance Committee, accusing James of engaging in “illegal and dishonest conduct” in connection with the mortgage she took out on the property, according to the New York Post.

According to the complaint and related public statements, the group alleges that James’ actions raise concerns under the state’s Rules of Professional Conduct, the ethical standards that govern lawyers in New York.

“Fraud, misrepresentation, honesty and trustworthiness are all factors that the Rules of Professional Conduct expressly consider when weighing whether to discipline an attorney,” Curtis Schube, the group’s director of research and policy, wrote in the four-page complaint, per the outlet.

A TALE OF TWO INDICTMENTS: TOP DEMS SAY ‘NO ONE IS ABOVE THE LAW’ ON TRUMP, BUT DECRY COMEY CASE

“The Committee, therefore, should immediately investigate the allegations against James and, if by ‘preponderance of the evidence’ the allegations are substantiated, she should be disciplined accordingly.”

A federal judge threw out the indictments against James and former FBI Director James Comey on Monday, finding they were illegitimate because they were brought by an unqualified U.S. attorney.

Judge Cameron Currie dismissed the bank fraud charges against James and the false statements charges against Comey without prejudice, meaning the charges could be brought again.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told Fox News’ Martha MacCaullum that the Department of Justice plans to appeal.

“We believe the attorney in this case, Lindsey Halligan, is not only extremely qualified for this position, but she was in fact legally appointed,” Leavitt said. “And I know the Department of Justice will be appealing this in very short order.”

LETITIA JAMES VOWS TO CONTINUE TARGETING TRUMP AFTER YEARS IN THE COURTROOM: ‘TRUMP DERANGEMENT SYNDROME’

Currie, a Clinton appointee based in South Carolina, was brought in from out of state to preside over proceedings about the question of Halligan’s authority because it presented a conflict for the Virginia judges. Comey’s and James’ challenges to Halligan’s appointment were consolidated because of their similarity.

Halligan acted alone in presenting charges to the grand juries shortly after Trump ousted the prior interim U.S. attorney, Erik Siebert, and urged Attorney General Pam Bondi to replace him with Halligan, a former White House aide and insurance lawyer. Bondi complied, but Currie found the interim U.S. attorney term had already expired under Siebert and that the Virginia judges were now responsible for appointing a temporary U.S. attorney to serve until Trump could get one confirmed in the Senate. 

James was indicted on Oct. 9 for allegedly falsifying mortgage documents to secure a $109,600 loan on the property. She was also charged with making false statements to a financial institution.

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James, a second-term Democrat, was accused of claiming the property as her principal residence in 2023 despite being a public office holder in New York at that same time.

She has denied wrongdoing. She previously said she made an error while filling out a form related to the home purchase but fixed it. She noted that she never tried to deceive the lender.

Fox News Digital reached out to both the New York attorney general’s office and CASA, but did not immediately receive a response.

Fox News’ Ashley Oliver and Louis Casiano contributed to this report.

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth wrote on X that “Biden coddled terrorists, we kill them,” in a post defending the Trump administration’s strikes on alleged drug vessels in the Caribbean Sea. 

The declaration came following reports from outlets such as The Washington Post and CNN claiming the U.S. military ordered a second strike on a suspected drug vessel in the Caribbean on Sept. 2 after the initial attack left two survivors.  

The commander overseeing that operation told colleagues on a secure conference call that the survivors were legitimate targets because they could still contact other traffickers for help and ordered the second strike to comply with a directive from Hegseth that everyone must be killed, according to The Washington Post. 

“As usual, the fake news is delivering more fabricated, inflammatory, and derogatory reporting to discredit our incredible warriors fighting to protect the homeland,” Hegseth wrote on X on Friday. 

TRUMP SAYS US WILL BEGIN STOPPING VENEZUELAN DRUG TRAFFICKERS BY LAND

“As we’ve said from the beginning, and in every statement, these highly effective strikes are specifically intended to be ‘lethal, kinetic strikes.’ The declared intent is to stop lethal drugs, destroy narco-boats, and kill the narco-terrorists who are poisoning the American people. Every trafficker we kill is affiliated with a Designated Terrorist Organization,” Hegseth continued. 

“The Biden administration preferred the kid gloves approach, allowing millions of people — including dangerous cartels and unvetted Afghans — to flood our communities with drugs and violence. The Trump administration has sealed the border and gone on offense against narco-terrorists. Biden coddled terrorists, we kill them,” he added. 

Hegseth also said, “Our current operations in the Caribbean are lawful under both U.S. and international law, with all actions in compliance with the law of armed conflict — and approved by the best military and civilian lawyers, up and down the chain of command.”

US FORCES KILL 3 NARCO-TERRORISTS IN EASTERN PACIFIC LETHAL STRIKE OPERATION TARGETING DRUG NETWORKS

In a separate post on his personal X account, Hegseth wrote, “We have only just begun to kill narco-terrorists.” 

Fox News Digital has reached out to a Biden spokesperson for comment.

President Donald Trump also said on Thursday said the U.S. will “very soon” begin stopping suspected Venezuelan drug traffickers “by land.” 

“From sending their poisons into the United States, where they kill hundreds of thousands of people a year — but we’re going to take care of that situation,” Trump said. “We’re already doing a lot … It’s about 85% stopped by sea.” 

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The president added, “You probably noticed that now people aren’t wanting to be delivering by sea, and we’ll be starting to stop them by land also. The land is easier, but that’s going to start very soon.” 

Fox News’ Sophia Compton contributed to this report. 

Vice President JD Vance has long cautioned about the U.S. refugee vetting process dating back to the U.S. withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan in 2021 and the refugees who came afterward. Vance’s previous remarks on the matter are resurfacing after two National Guard troops were shot in Washington Wednesday. 

Law enforcement officials identified the shooting suspect as Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, who entered the U.S. legally in 2021 under the Biden administration’s Operation Allies Welcome program, which sought to help resettle Afghan refugees in the U.S. 

In 2021, Vance posted a video to social media in response to then-Sen. Ben Sasse, R-Neb., who argued the U.S. had an obligation to assist refugees seeking to depart Afghanistan. 

“Yes, let’s help the Afghans that helped us, but let’s ensure that we’re properly vetting them, so that we don’t get a bunch of people who believe they should blow themselves up at a mall because somebody looked at their wife the wrong way,” Vance, a Marine Corps veteran, said in the video clip.

ALLEGED DC SHOOTER ENTERED US UNDER AFGHAN RESETTLEMENT PUSH MAYORKAS VOWED WOULD BE DONE ‘SWIFTLY AND SAFELY’ 

Vance also claimed that a Pew Research Center survey found that four in 10 Afghans believe suicide bombing is justified to protect Islam. 

Fox News Digital could not independently confirm the existence of the poll. However, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, an American state-funded media organization, reported on the poll in 2013 with the same statistics. 

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

Afghanistan’s top religious leaders who make up the Afghan Ulema Council have previously issued Islamic rulings to ban suicide attacks and have claimed such attacks aren’t in alignment with Islamic teachings. 

More recently, Vance voiced similar concerns in an interview with CBS’s Margaret Brennan in January, when he said, “We have vetting problems with a lot of these refugee programs. We absolutely cannot unleash thousands of unvetted people into our country.”

WHO IS THE DC NATIONAL GUARDSMEN SHOOTING SUSPECT? WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT AFGHAN NATIONAL RAHMANULLAH LAKANWAL 

Specifically, Vance pointed to an Afghan national, Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi, who at the time had been charged for allegedly planning a terrorist attack on or around Election Day in 2024. Tawhedi pleaded guilty to two terrorism-related charges in June. 

Tawhedi and co-conspirator Abdullah Haji Zada, also from Afghanistan, were arrested on Oct. 7, 2024, after they purchased guns and ammunition from undercover FBI agents, according to the Justice Department. Court documents claim that the two purchased two AK-47 rifles, 500 rounds of ammunition and 10 magazines with the intent to conduct a mass casualty attack within the U.S. 

Zada, 19, was sentenced earlier in November to 15 years in federal prison. 

Vance referenced his remarks from 2021 Wednesday after the shooting in Washington and signaled future action would emerge to crack down on the vetting process for refugees. 

“I remember back in 2021 criticizing the Biden policy of opening the floodgate to unvetted Afghan refugees,” Vance said Wednesday. “Friends sent me messages calling me a racist. It was a clarifying moment.

LAW ENFORCEMENT RESPONDING AFTER 2 NATIONAL GUARD MEMBERS SHOT NEAR WHITE HOUSE 

“Many of our voters will demand not just words, but action, and this is an entirely appropriate response,” Vance said Wednesday. “We will first bring the shooter to justice, and then we must redouble our efforts to deport people with no right to be in our country.” 

U.S. Army Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, 20, died Thursday of injuries from the Wednesday shooting, and U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe remains in critical condition, U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro said. 

Fox News Digital first reported that Lakenwal partnered with the U.S. government, including the CIA, as a member of a partner force in Afghanistan.

DETAILS EMERGE ON CIA UNIT ALLEGED NATIONAL GUARD SHOOTER SERVED WITH IN AFGHANISTAN 

In response to the shooting, Trump said in a social media post Thursday he would permanently pause migration from “all Third World Countries.” 

Additionally, the head of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, Joseph Edlow, said Thursday that, in accordance with orders from Trump, he has “directed a full scale, rigorous reexamination of every Green Card for every alien from every country of concern.”

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The White House did not provide additional information regarding which countries would be affected and referred Fox News Digital to Trump’s social media post.  

Fox News’ Brooke Singman contributed to this report. 

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced on Friday that it has halted all asylum decisions following the shooting in Washington, D.C., in which an Afghan national was accused of shooting two National Guard members, including one who died from her injuries.

USCIS Director Joseph B. Edlow said the asylum decisions would be suspended “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,” he wrote on X.

The pause comes amid a broader immigration crackdown signaled by President Donald Trump, who on Thursday vowed to halt migration from “Third World countries” and reverse Biden-era admissions.

STATE DEPARTMENT ‘IMMEDIATELY’ HALTS ALL AFGHAN PASSPORT VISAS FOLLOWING DEADLY NATIONAL GUARD ATTACK

Edlow said on Thursday that officials would reexamine green cards issued to immigrants from every “country of concern,” including Afghanistan. USCIS also implemented new national security measures to be considered while vetting immigrants from “high risk” countries.

“I have directed a full scale, rigorous reexamination of every Green Card for every alien from every country of concern,” he wrote.

The Department of Homeland Security also said it had already halted all immigration requests from Afghanistan and was in the process of reviewing all asylum cases approved under the Biden administration.

Additionally, the Department of State has paused all visas for people traveling on Afghan passports in response to the attack against the National Guard members.

“The Department of State has IMMEDIATELY paused visa issuance for individuals traveling on Afghan passports,” the agency wrote. “The Department is taking all necessary steps to protect U.S. national security and public safety.”

National Guard member Sarah Beckstrom, 20, of West Virginia, died after the shooting on Wednesday in the nation’s capital, while the second service member wounded in the attack, Andrew Wolfe, 24, is still in critical condition.

The alleged gunman, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, faces multiple charges, including one count of first-degree murder and two counts of assault with intent to kill while armed. Attorney General Pam Bondi said that the Justice Department would pursue the death penalty against the suspect.

WHO IS THE DC NATIONAL GUARDSMEN SHOOTING SUSPECT? WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT AFGHAN NATIONAL RAHMANULLAH LAKANWAL

Lakanwal entered the U.S. legally in 2021 under humanitarian parole as part of the Biden administration’s Operation Allies Welcome, following the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.

He was vetted by the CIA in Afghanistan for his work with the agency and again for his asylum application in the U.S. A senior U.S. official told Fox News he was “clean on all checks” in his background check.

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Lakanwal had his asylum application approved by the Trump administration earlier this year.

A report released by the Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General in June found there were “no systemic failures” in Afghan refugee vetting or subsequent immigration pathways.

Sen. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., remained silent Friday when asked about previous statements she made suggesting that government officials should be prepared to push back on President Donald Trump if he ordered the military to fire on civilians.

Slotkin and other Democrats now face a reversal of those worries as the country reels from a shooting Wednesday that left one National Guard member dead and another in critical condition in Washington. 

Her office did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

VIRGINIA DEM SAYS TRUMP ADMIN HAS ‘TAKEN ITS EYE OFF THE BALL’ ON PUBLIC SAFETY AMID NATIONAL GUARD SHOOTING

Slotkin’s alarm about the National Guard and other federal troops originally stemmed from comments Trump allegedly made to former Secretary of Defense Mark Esper during Trump’s first term.

“The president in the last administration asked then-secretary (Mark) Esper to send in the 82 Airborne into Washington, D.C. to try to quell peaceful protests here in the city. And he said, if necessary, can’t you just ‘shoot at their legs?’” Slotkin said during a January committee hearing. 

Esper recorded those quotes as part of the administration’s considerations of how to respond to protests over the death of George Floyd. Floyd’s 2020 killing by a Minneapolis police officer sparked nationwide protests and ignited the Black Lives Matter movement. 

The quotes were included in Esper’s book, “A Sacred Oath,” a highly critical memoir of the first Trump administration.

Trump has denied ever making the statement.

FORMER ARMY CAPTAIN WARNS DEMS’ ‘UNPATRIOTIC’ VIDEO TELLING TROOPS TO DEFY ORDERS COULD SPARK CHAOS

The statements Trump allegedly made to Esper — and other questions about Trump’s use of federal troops — prompted Slotkin and six other Democrat lawmakers to release a video earlier in November, calling for service members to “not give up the ship.” In it, they urged members of the military and intelligence community to disregard illegal orders.

“The threats to our Constitution aren’t just coming from abroad but from right here at home,” the lawmakers said in the video. “Our laws are clear: You can refuse illegal orders. You must refuse illegal orders. No one has to carry out orders that violate the law or our Constitution.” 

When asked what they meant by illegal acts, several lawmakers pointed to Trump’s comments about shooting protesters in the legs, an act that they said would go against the Uniform Code of Military Justice. 

Besides Slotkin, Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz.; Rep. Jason Crow, D-Colo.; Rep. Chris Deluzio, D-Pa.; Rep. Chrissy Houlahan, D-Pa.; and Rep. Maggie Goodlander, D-N.H., also appeared in the video. 

DEMOCRATIC SENATOR ‘NOT AWARE’ IF TRUMP GAVE ANY ILLEGAL MILITARY ORDERS AMID VIDEO CONTROVERSY

Wednesday’s shooter’s motives remain unclear. 

The FBI has identified him as 29-year-old Afghan national Rahmanullah Lakanwal, a former member of a counterterrorism team in Afghanistan. He is in custody and faces first-degree murder charges.

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The bureau has described his attack as targeted and is investigating it as an act of terrorism. 

President Donald Trump on Thursday slammed Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, calling him “seriously r——d” and accusing the governor of failing to address crime and immigration concerns in the blue state.

In a lengthy Truth Social post, Trump argued that immigration is fueling crime nationwide and straining public services. He pointed to Minnesota as a prime example, claiming that “Somalian gangs are roving the streets” of what he described as a “once great state.”

“A very Happy Thanksgiving salutation to all of our Great American Citizens and Patriots who have been so nice in allowing our Country to be divided, disrupted, carved up, murdered, beaten, mugged, and laughed at, along with certain other foolish countries throughout the World, for being ‘Politically Correct,’ and just plain STUPID, when it comes to Immigration,” Trump said.

WHITE HOUSE RIPS ‘IMBECILIC BUFFOON’ TIM WALZ AFTER TRUMP TARIFF CRITICISM

Trump said the nation’s 53 million foreign-born residents are largely “on welfare, from failed nations, or from prisons, mental institutions, gangs, or drug cartels” and argued that American taxpayers are being forced to shoulder the cost.

He further claimed that a migrant earning $30,000 with a green card receives “roughly $50,000 in yearly benefits for their family.”

“This refugee burden is the leading cause of social dysfunction in America,” Trump said, blaming it for issues including crime, urban decline, overcrowded hospitals, housing shortages and growing deficits.

Trump pointed to Minnesota, alleging that “hundreds of thousands of refugees from Somalia are completely taking over” the state and claiming that Governor Walz “does nothing” in response.

“Somalian gangs are roving the streets looking for ‘prey’ as our wonderful people stay locked in their apartments and houses hoping against hope that they will be left alone,” Trump said. “The seriously r——d Governor of Minnesota, Tim Walz, does nothing, either through fear, incompetence, or both.”

5 TIMES DEMOCRATS BLASTED ICE WITH HARSH RHETORIC

Walz responded on X to a screenshot of the Truth Social post, writing: “Release the MRI results.” 

Indiana state Senator Michael Bohacek, who has a daughter with Down syndrome, condemned Trump’s language as “insulting and derogatory,” saying the president’s “words have consequences.”

“I have been an unapologetic advocate for people with intellectual disabilities since the birth of my second daughter,” Bohacek said. “… This is not the first time our president has used these insulting and derogatory references and his choices of words have consequences. I will be voting NO on redistricting, perhaps he can use the next 10 months to convince voters that his policies and behavior deserve a congressional majority.”

In the post, Trump also targeted Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn, calling her the “worst congressman/woman in our Country.”

“Ilhan Omar, always wrapped in her swaddling hijab, and who probably came into the U.S.A. illegally in that you are not allowed to marry your brother, does nothing but hatefully complain about our Country, its Constitution, and how ‘badly’ she is treated, when her place of origin is a decadent, backward, and crime ridden nation, which is essentially not even a country for lack of Government, Military, Police, schools, etc,” Trump said.

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

The comments follow shortly after the Thanksgiving Eve shooting in Washington, D.C., that left one West Virginia National Guard member dead and another clinging to his life. 

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The suspect, Rahmahullah Lakanwal, is an Afghan national who reportedly worked with a CIA-operated unit that fought the Taliban on America’s behalf, Fox News Digital confirmed, which helped evacuate people during the fall of Kabul under then-President Joe Biden.

The White House, Governor Walz and Rep. Omar did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

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

EXCLUSIVE: Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., has opened a commanding lead in the New York Republican primary for governor, locking down endorsements from GOP county chairs, state lawmaker and Conservative Party leaders across the state, a consolidation of support that party officials say leaves Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman with virtually no path to the nomination.

Stefanik’s backing now accounts for more than 75% of the New York Republican Party’s weighted vote, an overwhelming advantage that makes her the presumptive nominee and would require any rival to petition his or her way onto the ballot.

Under New York’s rules, that means gathering at least 15,000 signatures from registered Republicans across the state, the Gothamist reported.

Party operatives describe the scale of Stefanik’s early support as unprecedented for a GOP gubernatorial race in recent cycles, especially this far ahead of the state convention.

POTENTIAL GOP CHALLENGER WARNS HOCHUL THAT A CORPORATE TAX HIKE WOULD BE A ‘DISASTER’ FOR NEW YORK’S ECONOMY

They say Stefanik’s name recognition, national fundraising network and county-level organizing have effectively closed the primary before it began, while Blakeman has failed to gain traction outside Long Island.

STEFANIK DECRIES HOCHUL AS ‘WORST GOVERNOR IN AMERICA’ IN FIERY 2026 CAMPAIGN LAUNCH

Stefanik enjoys a much broader-based candidacy across New York.

“Elise is honored to have earned endorsements from 58 GOP county party chairs representing over 75% of the New York Republican Party’s weighted vote at the convention,” Stefanik spokesperson Bernadette Breslin told Fox News Digital. 

“According to two independent polls, Elise is the strongest candidate against Hochul and has the highest name ID and most favorable polling. Her strong support across the state only continues to grow as she earns more endorsements from prominent GOP leaders, including 40 out of New York’s 45 Conservative Party organizations. New York Republicans are wholly united behind the common goal of firing Kathy Hochul to save New York, and they have entrusted their full confidence in Elise to do so.”

That consolidation extends well beyond the county chairs. Fourteen Republican state senators, including Senate Republican Leader Rob Ortt, have endorsed Stefanik for governor. So have 10 county executives from across New York, adding weight from suburban, upstate and rural regions that traditionally anchor GOP turnout. The upstate chairs who have met with both candidates say Blakeman’s attempts to shift the narrative have fallen flat.

STEFANIK TO RELEASE NEW BOOK ON COLLEGE ANTISEMITISM AS SHE EYES BID FOR NY GOVERNOR

“We appreciated County Executive Blakeman meeting with us during his visit Upstate, but nothing discussed at the meeting impacted our unwavering support for Elise Stefanik and her campaign to save New York,” said Liz Joy, chair of the Schenectady County GOP. “Elise has consistently delivered for our Upstate communities, and we trust she’s the right person to tackle the challenges New Yorkers face.”

Trish Turner, chairwoman of the Ontario County GOP and regional chair for the Finger Lakes, said Stefanik’s early organizing has impressed leaders statewide. 

“It was a great honor to host Congresswoman Elise Stefanik in my home for a gathering of county Republican chairs from the Finger Lakes, Western New York, Central New York and the Southern Tier,” Turner said. 

“The energy and enthusiasm in the room were inspiring, and it was clear that many leaders from across our regions are excited about her candidacy for NYS governor. Congresswoman Stefanik’s vision, leadership and deep commitment to New Yorkers were evident throughout our conversations. The Upstate Chairs who attended expressed not only strong support, but also genuine enthusiasm to get involved and help drive momentum in the months ahead.”

Dutchess County GOP Chairman Mike McCormack echoed that sentiment, telling Fox News Digital, “I’m with Elise, and that’s not changing. We need to focus on saving our state, and she’s the hope for New York.”

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Even as Stefanik’s margins grow, Blakeman has continued visiting counties upstate and has attempted to contrast himself as an executive-focused candidate who leads one of the state’s largest suburban counties. In prior public remarks, Blakeman has argued Stefanik’s national profile draws attention away from New York-specific issues. But GOP chairs say those arguments haven’t changed their “unwavering support” for Stefanik.

Blakeman’s electoral record has also become a talking point among Republican officials who describe Stefanik as a proven winner. Over the course of his multi-decade political career, Blakeman has lost a statewide comptroller race by more than 30 points in 1998, a Nassau County Legislature race in 1999, dropped out of the 2009 New York City mayoral contest, lost a 2010 U.S. Senate primary by more than 20 points and lost a 2014 congressional race in NY-14, the same year Stefanik won her seat.

Stefanik, by contrast, has never lost an election and raises annually what Blakeman has raised over multiple cycles. Stefanik secured more than 72% of the weighted vote on the very first day she launched her gubernatorial campaign and has only expanded her margin since.

With the backing of 40 of New York’s 45 Conservative Party organizations, which control their own separate ballot line, she is positioned to secure both the GOP and Conservative nominations long before either party’s convention. Early unity around Stefanik could allow Republicans to focus resources on the general election well ahead of schedule, a rare advantage for GOP candidates in deep blue New York.

The New York Republican Party’s convention is scheduled for early next year, with the petitioning period opening soon after. If Stefanik’s level of support holds through the convention, she would secure the nomination outright, leaving any challenger to attempt the 15,000-signature petition process instead of running through the party’s formal endorsement.

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For now, pollster James Johnson calls the primary a “done deal.”

“Stefanik seems to dominate the Republican vote. It’s a done deal,” Johnson said. 

President Trump announced Friday he intends to issue a “full and complete pardon” to former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández, while simultaneously reaffirming his support for presidential candidate Nasry “Tito” Asfura just days before Hondurans head to the polls.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump said Hernández. who was sentenced in New York last year to 45 years in prison for conspiring with drug traffickers to move over 400 tons of cocaine into the U.S., was “treated very harshly and unfairly.”

“I will be granting a Full and Complete Pardon to Former President Juan Orlando Hernandez who has been, according to many people that I greatly respect, treated very harshly and unfairly,” Trump said. “This cannot be allowed to happen, especially now, after Tito Asfura wins the Election, when Honduras will be on its way to Great Political and Financial Success.”

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Hernández was convicted in March 2024 on charges of conspiring to import cocaine into the U.S. and two related weapons offenses after a two-week trial, according to The Associated Press.

Trump also doubled down on his backing of Asfura, the National Party candidate and former mayor of Tegucigalpa, saying the U.S. would be “very supportive” if he wins because Washington has “so much confidence in him, his policies and what he will do for the great people of Honduras.”

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In a separate Truth Social post earlier Friday, Trump said he and Asfura “can work together to fight the narcocommunists and bring needed aid to the people of Honduras.”

He also sharply criticized Asfura’s rivals, including ruling party candidate Rixi Moncada and TV host Salvador Nasralla of the Liberal Party.

“His chief opponent is Rixi Moncada, who says Fidel Castro is her idol,” Trump said. “Normally, the smart people of Honduras, would reject her, and elect Tito Asfura, but the Communists are trying to trick the people by running a third Candidate, Salvador Nasralla.

“Nasralla is no friend of Freedom. A borderline Communist, he helped Xiomara Castro by running as her Vice President. He won, and helped Castro win. Then he resigned, and is now pretending to be an anti-Communist only for the purposes of splitting Asfura’s vote. The people of Honduras must not be tricked again.”

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Hondurans vote Sunday, and polls show Asfura virtually tied with Moncada and Nasralla, according to Reuters. 

The winner will govern from 2026 to 2030.

The Central American country has been led since 2022 by President Xiomara Castro, the country’s first female president.