NationalWatch

California is set to revoke commercial driver’s licenses (CDLs) issued to 17,000 immigrants after pressure from the Trump administration. 

The licenses that are expected to be revoked would have expired after the driver was legally allowed to be in the country.

“After weeks of claiming they did nothing wrong, Gavin Newsom and California have been caught red-handed. Now that we’ve exposed their lies, 17,000 illegally issued trucking licenses are being revoked,” Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said in a statement. “This is just the tip of the iceberg. My team will continue to force California to prove they have removed every illegal immigrant from behind the wheel of semi-trucks and school buses.”

The Transportation Department said that those impacted by the decision have been notified that their licenses no longer meet federal requirements and will expire in 60 days. However, California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office said in a post on X that the federal requirements referenced were not in effect when the licenses were issued.

EXPERT REVEALS HOW ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT TRUCKER MAY HAVE GOTTEN COMMERCIAL LICENSE BEFORE FATAL FLORIDA CRASH

In the scathing social media post, Newsom’s office slammed Duffy over the Transportation Department’s statement on the matter, highlighting each point that it deemed to be a “lie.”

The first point that Newsom’s office pushed back on was the department’s assertion that the California Department of Motor Vehicles “admitted to illegally issuing” the 17,000 CDLs in question. Newsom’s office claims that the licenses were withdrawn because they were inconsistent with California law.

Newsom’s office also rejected the department’s statement that the drivers who received the licenses were illegal immigrants, saying that they were present in the U.S. legally and “had been granted work authorization by the federal government.”

Additionally, Newsom’s office disputed the claim that the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s (FMCSA) analysis showed that “more than one in four of the non-domiciled CDL records sampled in California failed to comply with federal regulations.” The California governor’s office claimed that FMCSA’s analysis was “based on retroactive application of its new rules” and said “FMCSA also faults California for following guidance explicitly approved by DHS.”

Duffy, however, hit back, saying, “We’ve said all along, [DOT] is reprimanding California for violating [FMCSA’s] ORIGINAL rules.”

“My emergency rule came as a consequence in part for California’s total disregard of those federal laws — it was THAT BAD,” Duffy added.

BLUE STATES DEFLECT BLAME IN TRUMP PROBE AFTER ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT TRUCKER CRASH KILLS 3 IN FLORIDA

California’s move to revoke the licenses came just one day before Harjinder Singh, who crossed into the United States illegally in 2018 and is accused of causing a fatal accident that left three people dead, faced a docket call hearing as the court reviews discovery issues and interpreter concerns.

Singh was charged with three counts of vehicular homicide after he allegedly attempted to make an illegal U-turn through an “Official Use Only” access point in Fort Pierce, Fla. When making the turn, Singh allegedly caused what Homeland Security called a “brutal wreck.” In August, Singh was extradited from California to Florida, where the accident took place.

Just days after the accident, officials investigating the wreck said that Singh failed English and road sign tests.

BLUE STATE INVESTIGATES HOW ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT TRUCKER GOT LICENSE BEFORE DEADLY FLORIDA CRASH

“During [FMCSA’s] interview with the driver, investigators administered an English Language Proficiency (ELP) assessment in accordance with FMCSA guidance,” the Department of Transportation said in a statement. “The driver failed the assessment, providing correct responses to just 2 of 12 verbal questions and only accurately identifying 1 of 4 highway traffic signs.”

In another instance, Jashanpreet Singh, an illegal immigrant from India who received a CDL from California, was charged with vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated and driving under the influence after allegedly driving while intoxicated and causing a crash that left three people dead.

Multiple federal law enforcement sources told Fox News that Singh was first encountered by Border Patrol agents in California’s El Centro Sector in March 2022 and released into the interior of the country pending an immigration hearing.

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Police say Singh never hit the brakes before slamming into the traffic jam, citing toxicology tests that confirmed impairment.

Fox News Digital’s Peter D’Abrosca and Jasmine Baehr and Fox News’ Bill Melugin contributed to this report.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on Thursday handed out bonus checks to Transportation Security Administration (TSA) agents who worked during the government shutdown. 

Noem was in Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport where she announced that TSA workers who worked during the 43-day shutdown would receive a $10,000 bonus. 

“We will be looking at every single TSA official that helped serve during this government shutdown to do what we can to recognize that and help them financially with a bonus check to help them and their family get back on their feet,” she said during a press conference.

AMERICANS COULD FACE AIRPORT CHAOS IF DEMS DON’T END SHUTDOWN, TRUMP OFFICIAL WARNS

Noem then handed out the checks to about 20 agents. Whether 100% attendance at work was required to receive the bonus wasn’t made clear. 

“The Democrats’ decision to shut down the government – over demands to give free health care to illegal aliens – deprived many Americans of their paychecks, including TSA officers,” a White House spokesperson told Fox News Digital. “The Trump Administration is grateful to the hardworking TSA officers who continued to work, without pay, to ensure America stayed safe in spite of the Democrat Shutdown.”  

President Donald Trump has floated a similar gesture for air traffic controllers after criticizing those who called out sick during the shutdown. 

All Air Traffic Controllers must get back to work, NOW!!! Anyone who doesn’t will be substantially ‘docked.'”

SEAN DUFFY WARNS OF RECORD STRAIN ON AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLERS AHEAD OF FIRST MISSED PAYCHECK

“For those Air Traffic Controllers who were GREAT PATRIOTS, and didn’t take ANY TIME OFF for the ‘Democrat Shutdown Hoax,’ I will be recommending a BONUS of $10,000 per person for distinguished service to our Country,” he wrote Monday on Truth Social.

In a Thursday post on X, Noem thanked DHS employees for showing up to work during the shutdown. 

“Thank you to every @DHSgov team member for your dedication and resilience throughout the Democrats’ Shutdown—43 days without pay for many of you—a hardship on your families. Your continued work and dedication to protecting our homeland are a testament to your patriotism. You made America safer during the longest shutdown in American history.”

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“Thanks to @POTUS Trump, our government is open,” she added. “Together, we will continue to deliver on our promise to the American people: securing our homeland.”

Seventeen transgender Air Force members discharged under the Trump administration’s transgender ban are suing the federal government for revoking their pensions and benefits after their forced early retirement.

The transgender members, who served between 15 years and 18 years in the Air Force, are asking for retirement benefits that had previously been offered to them.

The lawsuit, filed on Monday, comes after the Air Force said in August that transgender service members who have served between 15 and 18 years would not be offered the option to retire early and apply for benefits, a reversal of an earlier decision.

The service members impacted by the new policy now face a loss of up to $2 million owed for their service over the course of their lifetimes, on top of the loss of health insurance benefits, according to GLAD Law, one of the advocacy groups that helped bring the lawsuit.

FEDERAL JUDGE STRIKES DOWN BIDEN-ERA TRANSGENDER REGULATIONS

A staff attorney with the group, Michael Haley, said the revocation of the early retirement benefits was part of “the general cruelty in attacking transgender people,” adding that several of the plaintiffs had received orders allowing their retirements and that some had already started the process of leaving the military.

“These are folks who are going to move on with their lives, have received the OK to do so, and then have that taken away from them once again,” Haley said.

A master sergeant in the Air Force with 15 years of service, including a deployment to Afghanistan, joined the lawsuit after having early retirement rejected, saying “the military taught me to lead and fight, not retreat.”

PENTAGON STOPPING GENDER TRANSITION TREATMENT FOR TRANSGENDER TROOPS

“Stripping away my retirement sends the message that those values only apply on the battlefield, not when a service member needs them most,” Logan Ireland told The Associated Press.

This is just the latest legal challenge against the administration’s policies that seek to force transgender troops out of the military. In May, the U.S. Supreme Court allowed the ban on transgender troops to move forward while legal challenges proceed.

President Donald Trump and Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth have targeted transgender service members as part of their efforts to root out diversity, equity and inclusion in the military.

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On top of revoking retirement benefits, the Air Force moved in August to deny transgender members the opportunity to argue before a board of their peers for the right to continue serving.

The Pentagon also recently revealed a similar version of that policy across the military.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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

-Justice Department withdraws SNAP appeal from Supreme Court as funding resumes

-From carpools to motorcycles, House lawmakers overcome air travel chaos to end shutdown

-Newsom vows to block Trump’s reported energy plan in California, experts push back

6 House Democrats explain breaking with party to end shutdown

The six House Democrats who broke ranks with party leadership by voting in favor of legislation that ended the government shutdown are now opening up about their actions, with one saying, “The last several weeks have been a case study in why most Americans can’t stand Congress.”

Reps. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez of Washington, Jared Golden of Maine, Adam Gray of California, Don Davis of North Carolina, Henry Cuellar of Texas and Tom Suozzi of New York were the six who voted with all but two Republicans to pass the bill by a 222 to 209 margin. President Donald Trump then signed the legislation late Wednesday night, putting an end to the longest shutdown in U.S. history.

“Americans can’t afford for their Representatives to get so caught up in landing a partisan win that they abandon their obligation to come together to solve the urgent problems that our nation faces,” Gluesenkamp Perez wrote on X. “The last several weeks have been a case study in why most Americans can’t stand Congress. None of my friends who rely on SNAP would want to trade their dinner for an ambiguous D.C. beltway ‘messaging victory,’ and I’m glad this ugly scene is in the rearview mirror.”…READ MORE.
 

White House

JUSTICE SHOWDOWN: Comey and James challenge Trump appointee’s legitimacy in federal court hearing

ENEMIES UNITE: Clinton bashes Pentagon’s America First reset as a ‘disaster’

TERROR LIST GROWS: State Dept to designate Antifa groups as foreign terrorist organizations

POLITICAL SPYING: Jack Smith targeted then-House Speaker McCarthy’s private phone records in J6 probe, FBI docs reveal

World Stage

‘BARBARIAN’: Colombia’s president calls Trump a ‘barbarian’ in latest rift over drug vessel strikes: report

Capitol Hill

BALLOT BRAWL: Democrat civil war erupts after moderate accuses progressive of undermining ‘free and fair elections’

CAPITOL CASHOUT: Congress to hold hearing on member stock trading amid Pelosi’s reported $130 million windfall

CAUCUS CLASH: Democratic senator calls for ‘more effective leadership’ as Schumer faces mounting pressure

Across America 

HEALTH SCARE: Fetterman hospitalized after fall near home in Pennsylvania

‘FLED THE SCENE’: DOJ seeking suspect after attack on US Attorney Alina Habba’s office

‘SEE YOU IN COURT’: New York AG Letitia James threatens to take Condé Nast to court over ‘Fired Four’

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

The Department of Justice under President Donald Trump has opened a probe into Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., over alleged mortgage fraud, Fox News has confirmed.

In response, Swalwell said he was not surprised to be targeted by Trump and vowed to keep speaking out while pursuing his lawsuit.

“As the most vocal critic of Donald Trump over the last decade and as the only person who still has a surviving lawsuit against him, the only thing I am surprised about is that it took him this long to come after me,” the California lawmaker said.

“Like James Comey and John Bolton, Adam Schiff and Lisa Cook, Letitia James and the dozens more to come – I refuse to live in fear in what was once the freest country in the world.

SWALWELL THREATENS ‘ACCOUNTABILITY’ TO PRIVATE ACTORS WHO DEAL WITH TRUMP, HOPE IT ‘DETERS PEOPLE’

“Of course, I will not end my lawsuit against him. And I will not stop speaking out against the President and speaking up for Californians,” he continued. “As Mark Twain said, ‘Patriotism is supporting your country all the time, and your government when it deserves it.’ Mr. President, do better. Be better.”

The probe, which was first reported by NBC, will investigate allegations of millions of dollars in loans and refinancing were based on Swalwell declaring that his primary residence was in Washington, D.C., a person familiar with the referral told the news organization.

According to the report, the director of the Federal Housing Agency, Bill Pulte, sent Attorney General Pam Bondi a letter on Wednesday accusing Swalwell of possibly making false or misleading statements on loan documents.

HOW JAMES COMEY’S INDICTMENT COULD GO SOUTH FOR THE DOJ

The source also reportedly told NBC the investigation is into possible mortgage fraud, tax fraud at the state and local level, insurance fraud and any related crimes.

Fox News Digital has reached out to the Department of Justice for comment on the matter.

The news comes the same day that MSNBC reported that two sources confirmed Swalwell is looking at a run for governor in California.

The two sources reportedly told the news agency Swalwell has all but decided on the move, and one source even said the lawmaker could make an announcement as early as next week.

Fox News Digital has reached out to Swalwell’s office for confirmation on the matter.

MSNBC reported that Swalwell declined to comment on his gubernatorial ambitions.

SWALWELL, NEHLS CLASH AT CHILD MIGRANT HEARING OVER ALLEGED CHINESE SPY TIES: ‘YOU DON’T GET TO SAY THAT S—‘

Swalwell has been one of Trump’s most outspoken critics, and last month he faced scrutiny over a “bizarre inconsistency” in his campaign’s Federal Election Commission filings that list several different reasons for payments to a Haitian American staffer totaling more than $360,000.

FEC filings from Swalwell for Congress and his Remedy PAC, dating back to 2021, show more than 75 payments to staffer Darly Meyer, ranging from $53 to more than $12,000 for various reasons.

Meyer received 27 payments last year totaling more than $120,000 and is on pace to earn a similar amount in 2025. The filings list multiple explanations for the disbursements, including travel, car and security services, and salary, as well as reimbursements for personal travel expenses, event flowers, and postage.

Over the years, Swalwell’s campaign has reported numerous expenditures on luxury car services, expensive restaurants, and high-end hotels in international cities such as Dubai, Berlin, Paris and London.

Swalwell also claimed there was strong evidence of collusion between Russia and Trump, but those claims have since been contradicted.

Durham’s report, released in 2023, found intelligence agencies lacked “actual evidence of collusion” to justify launching the Trump-Russia probe. The findings echoed Robert Mueller’s 2019 report, which found no criminal conspiracy between Trump’s campaign and Russia.

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This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.

FIRST ON FOX: Former Vice President Kamala Harris’ pick for Massachusetts’ 6th Congressional District, Dan Koh, is facing scrutiny for owning a million-dollar home hundreds of miles from the district in Washington, D.C.

Koh, who held several senior roles in former President Joe Biden’s White House, is running in a crowded race to replace Democratic Rep. Seth Moulton, who is running for the Senate. He has received the endorsement of Harris, who called him a “fighter” who “knows how to get things done.”

Though running in a suburban Massachusetts district, Koh and his wife own a $1.3 million home in a swanky neighborhood by Capitol Hill, which they purchased in 2022, according to the website for the D.C. Office of Tax and Revenue.

The two also own a home in Andover, Massachusetts, which sits within the 6th Congressional District, according to the North Essex Registry of Deeds. The Massachusetts home was purchased in 2019 for $810,000.

KAMALA HARRIS SAYS DEMOCRATS TOOK BLACK WOMEN FOR GRANTED IN 2024

Amy Carnevale, chair of the Massachusetts Republican Party, knocked Koh over the home, telling Fox News Digital that “living full-time in D.C. with a no-show house in Massachusetts seems to be a family tradition amongst MassDems.”

She also criticized another Massachusetts Democrat, Sen. Ed Markey, who she said is “known in the Bay State as the ‘Senator from Chevy Chase,’” because he “is rarely seen in his alleged hometown in Massachusetts.”

“Dan Koh is now looking to follow in that tradition. What a shame for actual residents of Massachusetts who deserve better,” added Carnevale.

In response, a spokesperson for Koh’s campaign told Fox News Digital that “Dan lives full-time at his home in Andover, which he and his wife have owned for over 6 years.”

DEM SENATOR, 79, DRAWS PRIMARY CHALLENGE FROM REP. SETH MOULTON

The spokesperson said that Koh “lived in D.C. during his time as a senior official in the White House during the Biden-Harris administration with his family.”

Tax documents available on the district’s Office of Tax and Revenue’s website show that Koh and his wife still own the D.C. home as of August.

Harris endorsed Koh on Oct. 28, saying: “During our time in the White House, I saw Dan’s steadfast drive to make life better — and more affordable — for working people.”

“He knows how to get things done, will be the fighter you deserve, and is ready on day one,” said Harris, adding, “I’m proud to endorse him and encourage everyone in Massachusetts’ 6th District to support his campaign.”

FORMER VP KAMALA HARRIS ADVOCATES FOR LOWERING THE VOTING AGE

A statement by Koh’s campaign said that he is among the first candidates Harris has endorsed in the 2025-26 campaign cycle, which the campaign said demonstrates “the critical importance of electing a strong, effective Democratic leader to represent the 6th District.”

Koh said he is “honored that Vice President Harris has endorsed our campaign for Massachusetts’ 6th District,” adding, “I personally witnessed the Vice President’s tireless dedication to the American people every day in the administration.”

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He added, “I’ll be ready on day one to bring the same brand of leadership to Capitol Hill, getting to work to deliver results for families of our commonwealth and our country.”

Fox News Digital reached out to Harris for contact but did not immediately receive a response.

EXCLUSIVE: U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz told the U.N. that President Trump’s historic Middle East peace plan is “the only way forward” as he negotiates a resolution that would codify the Trump administration’s Gaza deal in the international body in a way that is “fully consistent with an America First agenda.”

Fox News Digital spoke exclusively to Waltz after he convened partners and allies to discuss the United States’ intention to present a resolution to the U.N. Security Council on Gaza.

The resolution will endorse the Board of Peace, set parameters for Gaza’s transitional governance and launch the International Stabilization Force outlined in the president’s 20-point Gaza peace plan.

MIKE WALTZ SEES TRUMP’S GAZA PLAN AS ‘ONCE-IN-A-GENERATION OPPORTUNITY FOR PEACE’

“Only President Trump has the ability to bring all sides together, just as he did at Sharm El-Sheik,” Waltz told Fox News Digital. “He’s the only person who can truly bridge the divides between the Israelis, the Palestinians and others in the region.”

AS TRUMP ADMIN PUSHES GAZA PEACE PLAN, HISTORY SHOWS UN PEACEKEEPING’S MIXED RECORD

Waltz said the president’s plan is “the best chance for real peace in the Middle East in a generation.”

“And, frankly, it’s a real test for the United Nations — to step up, support the president’s plan and start implementing it,” Waltz told Fox News Digital.

“We’ve seen the death and destruction the war in Gaza caused,” Waltz said. “If we can rally the international community to come together and resolve it using the tools of the U.N., that’s absolutely the right thing to do, and it’s fully consistent with an America First agenda.

“This process of securing peace in Gaza with a Security Council resolution is really about getting the U.N. back to basics,” Waltz continued. “That’s what we’re calling it — back to basics. It’s about strictly focusing on establishing and keeping peace and, in this case, supporting what the president has already set in motion.”

President Trump’s plan to end the Gaza conflict calls for Gaza to be a de-radicalized, terror-free zone that does not pose a threat to its neighbors. It also calls for Gaza to be redeveloped for the benefit of the people of Gaza and more.

Under the peace plan, Israeli forces would withdraw from the region, and a temporary transitional governance of a technocratic, apolitical Palestinian committee, responsible for delivering the day-to-day running of public services and municipalities for the people of Gaza will be created.

US MILITARY TO OVERSEE NEXT PHASE OF PEACE DEAL FROM COORDINATION BASE IN ISRAEL

That government will be under the oversight of a new international transitional body called the “Board of Peace,” chaired by President Trump and other members and heads of state.

The resolution would essentially make the plan international law, a U.N. source said.

As for timing, a U.N. source told Fox News Digital that negotiations typically take months in the United Nations, but the U.S. Mission is hoping to get this done in “weeks.” 

“We are looking to move quickly,” the source said. “The ceasefire is fragile. We don’t want things to fall apart in any way, shape or form. The sooner we get this resolution done, the sooner countries can begin contributing troops to the stabilization force.”

The source also told Fox News Digital that representatives from the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Qatar — not members of the Security Council — presented the resolution with Waltz and the U.S. Mission to the broader Security Council.

“We think that’s really strong,” the source said. “This is about getting humanitarian aid in, stabilizing, governing and rolling up our sleeves and getting to work and having the international community pay for it.” 

EXPERTS URGE TRUMP TO BAN TERROR-LINKED UN AGENCY FROM HIS GAZA PEACE PLAN

The source said the resolution would create a mechanism, led by Jared Kushner, Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and Secretary of State Marco Rubio that would ensure “the dollars are going to be used efficiently with a private sector mentality in mind.”

Rubio has said the Trump administration is “seeing things we never thought we’d see before, like the number of countries willing to participate in this effort, be it through money or personnel, or both or expertise.

“We’ve never seen this sort of international cohesion behind something,” Rubio said.  “So, we have to be pursuing those opportunities because they’re really great, historic and important.” 

Meanwhile, the source said the U.S. is “in the thick of negotiations” but is “moving lightening-fast by U.N. terms.” 

“They do not want to be part of opposing the best chance we’ve had for peace in a generation,” the source said. “And they don’t want to play the part of bureaucratizing and then being responsible for the fighting resuming.”

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The president has described the peace plan as “the start of a grand concord and lasting harmony for Israel and all the nations of what will soon be a truly magnificent region.”

“I believe that so strongly,” Trump said of the plan. “This is the historic dawn of a new Middle East.” 

Democratic National Committee employees were mercilessly mocked this week after news came out that staffers were very unhappy with a recent directive from DNC Chairman Ken Martin  end to remote work for employees who will now be required to show up to the office five days a week.

Leadership of the union representing DNC employees put out a statement following news of the new directive, describing it as “callous.” Reports from those on the staff-wide call also described an immediate flurry of thumbs-down emojis and other signs of anger upon news of the new requirement.

“It was shocking to see the DNC chair disregard staff’s valid concerns on today’s team call,” they wrote. “D.N.C. staff worked extremely hard to support historic wins for Democrats up and down the ballot last Tuesday, and this change feels especially callous considering the current economic conditions created by the Trump administration.” Martin reportedly told employees that if they don’t like the new policy, they should go find a job elsewhere. 

And Martin wasn’t the only Democrat who had some harsh and pointed words for the Democratic Party staffers. Neera Tanden, former President Joe Biden’s domestic policy advisor, had a similar message for DNC staffers, suggesting there were many eager folks waiting in line who would likely be more than willing to go into the office. 

PROGRESSIVE DEMOCRATS TURN ON PARTY LEADERSHIP AFTER GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN ENDS WITHOUT HEALTHCARE GUARANTEES

“If you think democracy is on the line – working in the office is not a big ask,” Tanden wrote in a post on X. “And there are plenty of other people willing to step up. Get yourselves together people.”

A left-wing group, the Center for New Liberalism, echoed the view that the staffers “should look elsewhere” if working from home is a “must-have.”

“When you accept a job on a campaign, or with an org like the DNC, DCCC, etc, your single purpose is to win the election. It is a demanding job that requires long hours & sacrifices,” the group wrote on X. “The other part of this is that I suspect [work from home] staff are probably losing opportunities for themselves by not being in the office. Campaigns require a lot of personal sacrifice, but the people who are good at their job and work to make themselves noticed in the office usually tend to go on to do big things!”

One Florida-based Democratic strategist, Steve Schale, who led Barack Obama’s statewide efforts in Florida in 2008 and returned to help his campaign in 2012, said the DNC should implement a “requirement” to ensure those who want to work at the DNC really have what it takes.   

“There should be a requirement that to work at the DNC that you’ve done at least two cycles on an actual battleground campaign, where terms like flex hours & hybrid work don’t exist,” Schale wrote on X.

6 HOUSE DEMOCRATS EXPLAIN BREAKING WITH PARTY TO END SHUTDOWN

Meanwhile, Republicans did not spare the opportunity to slam Democratic Party staffers as well.  

“You can’t make this up — the DNC union is pissed that the Chairman is calling staff back into the office 5 days a week,” former Trump White House press secretary, Sean Spicer, said after learning of the anger. GOP strategist, Matt Gorman, quipped that the image of DNC staffers logging onto a Zoom call in their pajamas amid all the chaos of Biden’s reelection “is hilarious.”

“The best part is that they still get two full months before they actually have to get out of bed 5 days week,” GOP National Press Secretary Kiersten Pels said. “Is this a political committee or a daycare?”

Martin reportedly told his employees that the work-from-home policy the DNC implemented during COVID was never meant to be permanent, describing it as a “Band-Aid” that has long needed to be ripped off. He did say that remote work would still be allowed on a case-by-case basis, however.

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The staffer’s union said it is considering all options in terms of challenging the measure. The group previously ratified a collective bargaining agreement with the DNC over the summer that “reaffirms its commitment to making hybrid work available,” but also includes language that allows for a full return to in-person working as long as there is a 60-day notice period, according to the New York Times.     

Earlier this year, the Congressional Progressive Staff Association sent a letter to top House and Senate leaders proposing a rotating 32-hour work week for congressional staffers, arguing it would be a more “sustainable approach to work on a national level.”

The proposal was widely mocked, however. 

“Why not be bold and ask for a 0-hour workweek?” quipped Rep. Ritchie Torres, D-N.Y., at the time. “I wonder how blue-collar Americans would feel about white-collar workers demanding a 32-hour workweek.”

President Donald Trump paused a busy Oval Office day to greet visiting children, handing out small gifts and saying, “My name is Donald,” in a sweet moment captured and shared online by communications advisor Margo Martin.

The short clip, viewed hundreds of thousands of times within hours of being posted, struck a lighter note during a packed news cycle after the government shutdown, giving supporters and critics alike a glimpse of the president’s softer side.

The video racked up nearly 500,000 views within two hours of being posted to Martin’s X account. Martin often shares behind-the-scenes footage of Trump that can’t be seen anywhere else.

In the video, a speaker off camera says, “He wants to know what your name is.”

ANDREA BOCELLI GIVES TRUMP IMPROMPTU OVAL OFFICE PERFORMANCE DURING WHITE HOUSE VISIT”

The president then responded, “My name is Donald,” with a grin.

In the video, Trump offers challenge coins to the children, journalist Salena Zito’s grandchildren. The White House told Fox News Digital the children had stopped by to say hello.

The video is the latest in a pattern of sweet moments Trump has shared with some of his youngest supporters, including coloring with kids at the Easter Egg Roll earlier this year. He is the grandfather of eleven grandchildren.

TRUMP DANCES WITH MALAYSIAN PERFORMERS AS HE KICKS OFF ASIA TOUR IN LIVELY FASHION

“She said yes — she’s smart,” Trump said in the video, laughing before adding with a grin, “She’s so cute.”

One commenter said under the video, “that’s a grandpa doing grandpa stuff,” and another added, “kindness transcends politics” with a folded hands emoji.

Moments like this have routinely dominated social feeds, as viral interactions caught on camera can break through the news cycle and deliver massive digital reach for the White House.

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The video ended with the president offering pens to Zito’s grandchildren.

“OK, do you want a pen?” President Trump asked. “One of them. One, two, three.”

An American Airlines flight carrying four members of Arizona’s congressional delegation to Washington, D.C., diverted Tuesday to Kansas City, Missouri, after a passenger became disruptive.

The airline told Fox News Digital that Flight 1218 left Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport on Nov. 11, 2025, and was rerouted because of “a disruptive customer.”

“On Nov. 11, American Airlines flight 1218, with service from Phoenix (PHX) to Washington, D.C. (DCA), diverted to Kansas City (MCI) due to a disruptive customer,” American Airlines told Fox News Digital. “Law enforcement met the flight and removed the customer, and the flight later re-departed for DCA, where it landed normally.”

“We thank our customers for their patience and our crew members for their professionalism,” the airline added.

WITH THE GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN THREATENING AIR TRAVEL, A GOP BILL SEEKS TO KEEP FLIGHTS RUNNING

Rep. Greg Stanton, a Democrat from Arizona, posted on X that he and three Republican colleagues — Reps. Eli Crane, Andy Biggs, and Paul Gosar — were aboard when the incident occurred.

“Flying to DC rn to vote no on CR that fails to lower health care costs. @RepEliCrane, @RepAndyBiggsAZ & @RepGosar all on this flight. We’re making emergency stop in Kansas City to remove disruptive passenger. None of my colleagues is the disruptor. Freedom Caucus losing its mojo,” Stanton wrote.

HOUSE DEMOCRAT SIDES WITH TRUMP OFFICIALS ON AIR TRAFFIC CUTS AMID SHUTDOWN CHAOS

Flight data shows the Airbus A320 had been airborne for roughly two hours and forty minutes before diverting to Kansas City International Airport around 6:15 p.m. local time.

Video posted to X by another passenger shows Kansas City police officers boarding the plane to remove a woman who apologized as she was led away, saying, “We live in a fascist state.”

AMERICAN AIRLINES PASSENGER RESTRAINED, KNOCKED TO FLOOR WHILE BARGING INTO COCKPIT: VIDEO

The flight departed again about an hour later and landed at Reagan National Airport shortly after 10 p.m.

“On a serious note, thank you Kansas City police for handling the situation professionally and without incident,” Stanton later wrote.

Stanton said he was headed to Washington to vote against the Republican continuing resolution to end the government shutdown, while his GOP colleagues supported the plan.

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President Trump signed the legislation Wednesday, formally reopening the federal government after a 43-day shutdown — the longest in U.S. history.

The House passed the Senate’s funding bill 222-209, restoring federal paychecks, funding air traffic controllers, and replenishing nutrition programs.

EXCLUSIVE: Former Rep. Louie Gohmert blasted ex-Special Counsel Jack Smith for allegedly targeting his personal phone records as part of his investigation into the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riots, telling Fox News Digital in an exclusive interview that his action “destroys the checks and balances that the founders counted on.”

Fox News Digital exclusively reported Thursday morning that Smith targeted then-House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s personal, private phone records, as well as Gohmert’s. 

JACK SMITH SOUGHT THEN-HOUSE SPEAKER MCCARTHY’S PRIVATE PHONE RECORDS IN J6 PROBE, FBI DOCS REVEAL

Fox News Digital exclusively reviewed the document that FBI Director Kash Patel recently shared with Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley and Sen. Ron Johnson containing the explosive revelations. Grassley and Johnson have been leading a joint investigation into Smith’s “Arctic Frost” probe.

According to the document, Smith, on Jan. 24, 2023, allegedly sought the “toll records for the personal cell phones of U.S. Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy (AT&T) and U.S. Representative Louie Gohmert (Verizon.)”

The information was included as part of a “significant case notification” drafted by the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division May 25, 2023.

“It is astounding that Jack ‘Frost’ Smith went on this persecution,” Gohmert told Fox News Digital Thursday. “Apparently, this guy has never read the Fourth Amendment because you have to describe with particularity what it is you’re going after — there should be probable cause, and they had no probable cause. They were going on a witch hunt.”

Smith had sought Gohmert’s personal cellphone records from November 2020 through the end of January 2021.

“They don’t have any regard for the Fourth Amendment,” he said. “It makes Watergate look like school yard folly.”

But Gohmert said it is the “principle.”

“It is the separation of powers that is the problem,” Gohmert explained. “People and whistleblowers contacted me regularly from within the DOJ and the FBI about overreach within the FBI and DOJ. By grabbing my records, they could stifle reporting of potential crimes by people within the agencies.”

JACK SMITH TRACKED PRIVATE COMMUNICATIONS, CALLS OF NEARLY A DOZEN GOP SENATORS DURING J6 PROBE, FBI SAYS

“You can’t just go seize members of Congress’ records even with a warrant because of that separation of powers,” Gohmert said. “There has to be a wall and that’s what troubles me more than anything.”

Gohmert told Fox News Digital that he didn’t remember who he spoke with during the time period Smith sought records, but said that “the last thing I want is for someone who trusted me to keep their name private to have some jack-booted thug like Jack ‘Frost’ Smith grab my records and find out who is tattle tailing on him.” 

He added: “It violates and destroys the checks and balances that the founders counted on.”

Gohmert, though, told Fox News Digital that he trusts the current Justice Department and FBI leadership.

“I trust the DOJ and trust the people running the FBI,” he said. “We’ll see if there were any crimes committed and, if following the Constitution, they can be properly prosecuted.” 

HAGERTY PRESSES VERIZON OVER FBI’S ACCESS TO HIS PHONE RECORDS DURING JACK SMITH PROBE

Meanwhile, McCarthy said he will take legal action against Smith. 

“Jack Smith’s radical and deranged investigation was never about finding the truth,” McCarthy told Fox News Digital. “It was a blatant weaponizing of the Justice Department to attack political opponents of the Biden administration. Perhaps no action underscores this point more than the illegal attempt to access the phone records of sitting members of the House and Senate — including the Speaker of the House.” 

“His illegal targeting demands real accountability,” McCarthy continued. “And I am confident Congress will hold hearings and access documents in its investigation into Jack Smith’s own abuses.” 

HAGERTY PRESSES VERIZON OVER FBI’S ACCESS TO HIS PHONE RECORDS DURING JACK SMITH PROBE

“At the same time, I will ask my own counsel to pursue all areas of redress so this does not happen to anyone else,” McCarthy said. 

The revelations come after Fox News Digital exclusively reported in October that Smith and his “Arctic Frost” team investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riots were tracking the private communications and phone calls of nearly a dozen Republican senators as part of the probe, including Sens. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, Josh Hawley of Missouri, Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming, Bill Hagerty of Tennessee, Dan Sullivan of Alaska, Tommy Tuberville of Alabama and GOP Rep. Mike Kelly of Pennsylvania.

An official told Fox News Digital that those records were collected in 2023 by Smith and his team after subpoenaing major telephone providers. 

Smith has called his decision to subpoena and track Republican lawmakers’ phone records “entirely proper” and consistent with Justice Department policy.

“As described by various Senators, the toll data collection was narrowly tailored and limited to the four days from January 4, 2021 to January 7, 2021, with a focus on telephonic activity during the period immediately surrounding the January 6 riots at the U.S. Capitol,” Smith’s lawyers wrote in October to Grassley.

Grassley, R-Iowa, and Johnson, R-Wis., have been investigating the matter. 

An FBI official told Fox News Digital that “Arctic Frost” is a “prohibited case,” and that the review required FBI officials to go “above and beyond in order to deliver on this promise of transparency.” The discovery is part of a broader ongoing review, Fox News Digital has learned.

Smith, after months of investigating, charged President Donald Trump in the U.S. District Court for Washington, D.C., in his 2020 election case, but after Trump was elected president, Smith sought to dismiss the case. Judge Tanya Chutkan granted that request. 

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Smith’s case cost taxpayers more than $50 million. 

Smith did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

Former Trump U.N. ambassador Nikki Haley warned Thursday that President Donald Trump’s plan to allow 600,000 Chinese students to study in the United States would be a “massive mistake.”

“That would be a huge gift to China and a threat to the United States,” Haley wrote on X.

Haley’s criticism surprised many conservatives who said they did not expect her to take a harder line than Trump on China and immigration.

“I did not have Nikki Haley being to Trump’s right on immigration issues on my 2025 bingo card,” wrote X user S.A. McCarthy, an editor at The American Spectator magazine. 

TRUMP’S CHINESE STUDENT VISA PUSH SETS OFF ALARM BELLS AMID RISING CCP ‘INFLUENCE’ IN US

“I rarely agree with Nikki Haley. I think she is far too much of a throwback to failed George W. Bush era thinking,” wrote conservative analyst Greg Lawson. “BUT, on this specific issue, she is right.” 

Others questioned the economic logic behind the policy. 

“America has a shortage of workers in tech and we are training foreign nationals?” one user asked.

“Holy s—! I haven’t agreed with anything Nikki Haley has said in I don’t remember when,” wrote another. “It is insane for the Trump administration to allow 600K foreigners into American colleges — not because they are Chinese, but because the cost of college is already too high. Reduce demand = reduce costs.”

“When Nikki Haley is to the right of you, you’re making a big mistake,” another user quipped. 

“Ladies and gentlemen, Trump is now to the left of Nikki Haley,” added another.

Trump first floated the 600,000 figure in August, alarming critics who have long warned about Chinese espionage at U.S. universities. More than 277,000 Chinese students studied in the U.S. during the 2023–2024 academic year, according to federal data.

The White House later clarified that the 600,000 figure referred to two years’ worth of visas, meaning the proposal represented a continuation of current policy rather than a doubling of admissions.

REP. GREENE RAISES RED FLAG AFTER TRUMP INDICATES US WILL ACCEPT 600,000 CHINESE STUDENTS

Trump defended the plan Monday on Fox News.

“We do have a lot of people coming in from China. We always have — China and other countries,” he said. “We also have a massive system of colleges and universities. And if we were to cut that in half, which perhaps makes some people happy, you would have half the colleges in the United States go out of business.

“I actually think it’s good to have outside countries. Look, I want to be able to get along with the world — not the French, though.”

Fox News host Laura Ingraham pushed back. “The Chinese, they spy on us, they steal our intellectual property,” she said.

“Do you think the French are better?” Trump replied.

“Yeah,” Ingraham shot back.

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“I’m not so sure,” Trump said, citing French tariffs. “It’s not that I want them, but I view it as a business. One thing you don’t want to do is cut half the students from all over the world who are coming into our country and destroy our entire university system. I don’t want to do that.”

China’s 2017 National Intelligence Law requires all citizens and organizations to assist the Chinese Communist Party’s intelligence efforts in the name of national security, a key concern among U.S. lawmakers warning that Chinese students and researchers can be pressured to steal sensitive data on behalf of Beijing.

The Department of Justice intervened Thursday in a lawsuit against Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom that is challenging California’s efforts to redraw the state’s congressional map in time for the next election.

DOJ Civil Rights Division lawyers argued in a complaint that race was “used as a proxy” in California to justify creating districts favorable to Democrats, a move that served to offset the redistricting showdown in Texas that resulted in more Republican-leaning districts.

“In the press, California’s legislators and governor sold a plan to promote the interests of Democrats in the upcoming midterm elections,” the DOJ lawyers wrote. “But amongst themselves and on the debate floor, the focus was not partisanship, but race.”

CALIFORNIA REPUBLICANS SUE TO STOP NEWSOM, DEMOCRATS FROM PUSHING REDISTRICTING PLAN

They added the Constitution “does not tolerate this racial gerrymander” and cited several remarks from lawmakers and others involved in the process about how they prioritized creating a Latino-majority district to counter Texas’ perceived attempt to “silence the voices of Latino voters.”

The federal government has authority to enforce the Voting Rights Act, which has a provision designed to make sure voters are not disenfranchised based on their race. But the law’s language has long been a point of controversy and is now under review by the Supreme Court in a separate redistricting case about Louisiana’s map.

California’s ballot measure, called Proposition 50, passed on Election Day, and clears the way for the state legislature to redraw districts that could flip five Republican seats. Newsom said in celebratory remarks after the measure’s passage that it was California’s answer to Trump “trying to rig the midterm elections before one single vote is even cast.”

‘DERANGED OBSESSION’: NEWSOM HIT WITH LAWSUIT OVER ‘RETALIATORY’ CALIFORNIA REDISTRICTING PUSH

“One thing he never counted on, though, was the state of California,” Newsom said. “Instead of agonizing over the state of our nation. We organized in an unprecedented way, in a 90-day sprint.”

California Assembly member David Tangipa, a Republican, responded by suing, and the DOJ joined in that lawsuit Thursday.

A spokesperson for Newsom told Fox News Digital: “These losers lost at the ballot box and soon they will also lose in court.”

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The legal battle comes as redistricting fights have intensified in the lead-up to the 2026 midterm elections. In addition to Texas and California, Louisiana’s fight before the Supreme Court could affect its map by the next election, depending on when the high court rules. In Utah, Republicans were just dealt a blow by a state judge who approved a new map that will tip one of the state’s four districts in favor of Democrats.

Jack Schlossberg struck a serious tone in his campaign launch video this week, but his digital footprint tells a different story.

As former President John F. Kennedy’s only grandson, Schlossberg is practically political royalty. But to New York City’s chronically online electorate, he is better known as the star of hundreds of satirical, and often absurd, viral videos.

Sometimes he sings bizarre love songs to Second Lady Usha Vance or trolls her husband, Vice President JD Vance. As a surrogate for former President Joe Biden and former Vice President Kamala Harris in 2024, Schlossberg teamed up with Democratic candidates nationwide, including former Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa., who lost to Sen. Dave McCormick, R-Pa., last year.

Between satirical renditions of Taylor Swift’s “Love Story” and answering a lobster like a phone in a spoof news bit, Schlossberg has cultivated a following any aspiring influencer would envy, with close to 850,000 TikTok followers and nearly 770,000 on Instagram.

NEW JERSEY DEMOCRAT BREAKS RANKS TO SUPPORT REPUBLICAN JACK CIATTARELLI FOR GOVERNOR

“True or false: Usha Vance is way hotter than Jackie O,” Schlossberg said on X earlier this year, referencing his grandmother, former First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis.  

JOE KENNEDY III BLASTS RFK JR. AFTER FIERY SENATE HEARING, FUELING KENNEDY FAMILY INFIGHTING: ‘HE MUST RESIGN’

He later described his own comments as “weird” and “creepy” on former White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki’s podcast “The Blueprint.” 

“The internet is a place where it’s difficult to break through, and it’s difficult to break through if you are not saying something controversial or at least somehow unexpected,” Schlossberg explained. “I see that Democrats play that game not as well as we could, and I think I use my judgment to make posts that I think are funny or silly but have a purpose…”

Despite the followers and the Kennedy connections, Schlossberg has a slim résumé. He most recently served as a political correspondent for Vogue during the 2024 presidential election.

He was also a Democratic National Committee delegate in 2024 and worked as a staff assistant at the U.S. Department of State in 2016. He is a graduate of Yale University and Harvard Law and Business Schools.

According to his LinkedIn, Schlossberg has worked for the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation for 12 years, first as chair of the New Frontier Award, and now as chair of the Profiles in Courage Award.

Schlossberg is the son of former U.S. Ambassador Caroline Kennedy.

Schlossberg honored former Vice President Mike Pence with the Profiles in Courage Award earlier this year for defying President Donald Trump’s request to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election.

The 32-year-old Kennedy heir is a frequent Trump critic. And while he often experiments with accents in his online skits, Schlossberg did not mince words about the president in his campaign launch video.

In the vertical walk-and-talk style video, Schlossberg clipped a mini microphone to his crisp, blue button-down shirt and accused Trump of turning his second term into “cronyism, not capitalism, and a constitutional crisis with one dangerous man in control of all three branches of government.”

Earlier this year, fellow New Yorker Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer appointed Schlossberg to the America 250 Commission, claiming there was “no better person to push back” on Trump’s “ego” dominating the celebrations.

Schlossberg has also been a vocal critic of his cousin, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who ran a failed presidential campaign last year before endorsing Trump and securing a cabinet position as secretary of Health and Human Services. 

Schlossberg accused Trump of dismantling the Kennedy legacy and called RFK Jr. a “dangerous person” on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” Wednesday.

While it’s clear that Schlossberg rejects Trump, his campaign priorities are not so obvious.

In his campaign launch video, Schlossberg said he is running to replace the retiring Rep. Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., because New York’s 12th Congressional District “should have a representative who can harness the creativity, energy and drive” of the city and translate it into “political power and drive in Washington.”

His campaign website includes a short biography and donation links, but no policy proposals, only a list of “12 promises” to the district’s residents.

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“I’m a big believer that if you don’t have something else to say in the race, you shouldn’t really jump in,” Democratic commentator Kaivan Shroff, a 2016 Hillary Clinton campaign alum, told Fox News Digital. “It’s unclear because he doesn’t have that policy page.”

Fox News Digital reached out to Schlossberg for comment but did not immediately receive a response.

Incumbent Mayor of Seattle Bruce Harrell’s attempt to win reelection fell short after a razor-thin loss to local progressive activist and community organizer Katie Wilson.

Harrell conceded Thursday as the vote totals all but guaranteed a win for Wilson, who, like Zohran Mamdani, identifies as a democratic socialist. Wilson has become the latest self-described socialist to win elected office, but unlike many of the other socialist candidates who won their elections last week, but similar to Mamdani, Wilson will end up in a post charged with leading one of the country’s largest metropolitan areas.

Wilson beat Harrell by less than 2,000 votes, according to the latest tally on the King County Elections website that was updated yesterday.

SEATTLE RESPONSE TO HOMELESSNESS DIVIDES PROGRESSIVES IN UPCOMING MAYORAL RACE

“I just spoke with mayor-elect Katie Wilson to congratulate her on a hard fought victory,” Harrell said at the top of his speech, adding that his team was standing by to help with the transition “without hesitation.”

“I feel very good about that conversation,” Harrell said of the phone call. “And I feel very good about the future of this city, of this country still.”

Wilson, perceived as the less experienced candidate, operates a small nonprofit called the Transit Riders Union, for which her work has included advocating for policies around minimum wage increases, better access to public transit and affordable housing. 

Prior to her establishment of the Transit Riders Union in 2011, Wilson worked several jobs in various unrelated industries, including as a barista, boatyard worker, apartment manager, lab technician, baker, construction worker, and legal assistant. 

Wilson has credited her parents with helping her run her campaign for mayor.

MAMDANI’S MOTHER IN UNEARTHED 2013 INTERVIEW: ‘HE IS NOT AN AMERICAN AT ALL’ 

“They send me a check periodically to help with the childcare expenses,” Wilson told Seattle’s PubliCola, noting daycare for her kids cost about $2,200 per month. Wilson did not share precisely how much her parents contribute, pointing out that she does not keep track. However, when pressed for more details, Wilson reportedly said the money comes in every few months.

“Before I decided to run for office, my husband and I were just kind of juggling our kid back and forth,” Wilson continued about the childcare costs her parents assist with. “We didn’t have her in daycare because it’s so expensive. But then when I decided to run, we’re like, we really need childcare.”

Meanwhile, prior to moving to Seattle in 2004, Wilson lived in upstate New York. After graduating from high school in Binghamton, Wilson studied physics and philosophy at Oxford University, thanks to financial assistance from her parents living in New York. 

Wilson ultimately left Oxford debt-free, Wilson credits to her parents. However, she also left without a degree either, dropping out just six weeks before her graduation.

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Leading up to Tuesday night’s election, Wilson pledged to “Trump-proof” the City of Seattle and has been likened to New York City’s Mamdani by political pundits.

Wilson, like Mamdani, has proposed policies like implementing government-run grocery stores. She pledged to explore government-backed grocery stores if elected this fall after accepting the endorsement from grocery workers union UFCW 3000, Washington’s largest private sector union. New York voters, meanwhile, saw a similar pitch from Mamdani as well. 

Other priorities listed on Wilson’s campaign page include environmental justice, equity, housing affordability, “progressive” tax reforms, and action on homelessness.

Wilson, during the lead up to the election, sparked controversy after she was unwilling to commit to removing homeless encampments in the city. 

Wilson’s victory Tuesday night marks a win for those on the far-left base of the Democratic Party. She will serve a four-year term until 2029, unless Wilson resigns or is otherwise removed before the term is over.

Colombian President Gustavo Petro reportedly called President Donald Trump a “barbarian” this week, days after he ordered his country’s security forces to stop sharing intelligence with the U.S. until Washington halts its strikes on suspected drug vessels in the Caribbean.

Petro made the remark during an interview published Thursday by NBC News, which also quoted the Colombia president as saying his country would not “pass on the information because we would be collaborating with a crime against humanity.” 

A White House official reiterated to Fox News Digital on Thursday that Trump has stated that Petro “is an illegal drug leader strongly encouraging the massive production of drugs, despite large scale payments and subsidies from the USA that are nothing more than a long term rip off of America.” 

“As we have said many times, the President directed these actions consistent with his responsibility to protect Americans and United States interests abroad and in furtherance of United States national security and foreign policy interests, pursuant to his constitutional authority as Commander in Chief and Chief Executive to conduct foreign relations,” the White House official continued.

TRUMP DOUBLES DOWN ON COLOMBIA CRACKDOWN, CALLS PETRO A ‘LUNATIC’

The official added that “despite billions of U.S. taxpayer dollars invested in Colombia’s counterdrug efforts, cartels are thriving under Petro’s failed policies” and stated that “it’s hardly surprising that President Petro is opposed to President Trump’s successful operations to halt the flow of drugs to our country.” 

In a message on X earlier this week, Petro wrote that Colombia’s military must immediately end “communications and other agreements with U.S. security agencies” until the U.S. ceases its attacks on speedboats suspected of carrying drugs. 

Petro wrote that “the fight against drugs must be subordinated to the human rights of the Caribbean people.”

US CARRIES OUT MORE ‘LETHAL’ STRIKES ON ALLEGED DRUG BOATS IN INTERNATIONAL WATERS, HEGSETH SAYS

On Wednesday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio pushed back on recent media reporting claiming the United Kingdom also reportedly stopped sharing some intelligence with the U.S. in response to the strikes on suspected drug trafficking vessels.

Reuters cited Rubio as telling reporters that Britain had not raised concerns directly with him. 

“This is a counter-drug operation. The president has ordered it in defense of our country. It continues, it’s ongoing. It can stop tomorrow if they stopped sending drug boats,” Rubio added on Wednesday. 

“The Maduro regime is a narco-terrorist regime indicted in the Southern District of the United States for narco-terrorism, but more importantly, they’re also a transshipment organization that allows these groups to operate from their national territory,” Rubio said about Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro.

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“I don’t think the European Union gets to determine what international law is. What they certainly don’t get to determine is how the United States defends its national security. The United States is under attack from organized criminal narco-terrorists in our hemisphere and the president is responding in the defense of our country,” Rubio also said. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

Attorney General Pam Bondi announced Thursday that, “Last night, an individual attempted to confront one of our U.S. Attorneys — my dear friend Alina Habba — destroyed property in her office, and then fled the scene.”

“Thankfully, Alina is ok,” Bondi added. “Any violence or threats of violence against any federal officer will not be tolerated. Period. This is unfortunately becoming a trend as radicals continue to attack law enforcement agents around the country.”

“We will find this person, and the individual will be brought to justice. Our federal prosecutors, agents, and law-enforcement partners put their lives on the line every day to protect the American people, and this Department will use every legal tool available to ensure their safety and hold violent offenders fully accountable,” Bondi also said.

The Justice Department, on its website, said, “As Acting U.S. Attorney and Special Attorney to the United States Attorney General,” Habba “is responsible for overseeing all federal criminal prosecutions and the litigation of all civil matters in New Jersey in which the federal government has an interest. 

“Including the offices in Newark, Camden, and Trenton, Ms. Habba supervises a staff of approximately 155 federal prosecutors and approximately 130 support personnel,” according to the Justice Department.

Further details about the attack were not immediately available.

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

The longest government shutdown in history finally ended on Wednesday night after nearly every member of the House of Representatives raced to Washington to cast their vote.

The threat of air travel delays — fueled in no small part by the fiscal standoff — as well as bad weather in parts of the country forced some lawmakers to find more unconventional routes to ensure they arrived on time.

First-term Rep. Addison McDowell, R-N.C., for example, found himself carpooling more than five hours alongside House Rules Committee Chairwoman Virginia Foxx, R-N.C. — a powerful GOP lawmaker more than 50 years his senior.

“It dawned on me that, for a while there, I was one of the most powerful people in America, because I had the Rules chair, who — we couldn’t start the process of passing this bill until she got here,” McDowell told Fox News Digital. “We had a one-seat majority, and there was two of us. So, you know, there was a lot of pressure to make sure she got here on time.”

TRUMP SIGNS BILL ENDING LONGEST GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN IN US HISTORY

Foxx’s committee was responsible for preparing federal funding legislation for a House-wide vote, which it did from just before 7 p.m. Tuesday until around 2 a.m. Wednesday.

“She just kind of asked, ‘Hey, would you be willing to carpool?’ And I was like, ‘Yeah, not a problem at all.’ I’ve got a truck, so I’ve got plenty of room. We could have taken the whole delegation up, just put all the guys in the back,” McDowell joked.

He also knew that driving Foxx up earlier than most lawmakers had to be there came with sacrifices.

“Neither of us got to participate in any Veterans Day events in our district, which was a real bummer. But we had an important job to do, and that was make sure our government services and our current troops are getting paid,” he said.

McDowell said he spent the roughly five-and-a-half-hour drive asking Foxx questions about her work and her own life, which she happily answered.

And the senior House Republican told Fox News Digital that she appreciated the experience herself.

BILL TO END GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN SURVIVES KEY HURDLE BEFORE HOUSE-WIDE VOTE

“I have never had a chance to really sit down with him for a long period of time, so I really welcome the opportunity to get to know him better,” Foxx said. “He told me a lot about experiences he’s had. We talked about things from my side, mostly policy issues, but I did tell him a little bit more about my background.”

Foxx said it was a combination of bad weather in the North Carolina mountains and concerns about flight delays that moved her to contact colleagues about driving up — until she found her schedule most aligned with McDowell’s, and she drove herself to meet him before the long ride.

“I have to say he’s an excellent driver,” Foxx said. “We stopped in Henderson, North Carolina, and got Chick-fil-A sandwiches — of course, what else would we get? We left there at 11 [a.m.] and we got here at about 4:40 [p.m.].”

Asked if she would do it all again, Foxx said, “In a heartbeat.”

Rep. Randy Feenstra, R-Iowa, also opted to drive instead of fly — a trip that spanned more than 1,000 miles across 15 hours overnight.

Feenstra said he and two staffers “took turns driving” through the night, stopping only for gas and arriving in Washington some time on Wednesday morning before the vote.

MIKE JOHNSON SPEAKS OUT AFTER SENATE BREAKTHROUGH ON GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN

“I had a lot of Veterans Day events. I wanted to make sure that I was in my district for that. And then, once that was completed at 5 last night, we headed this way,” he said. “When that’s your only option, you do it. This job — you’ve got to do whatever you have to.” 

And Midwestern Rep. Derrick Van Orden, R-Wis., also took to the roads, but in a different vehicle.

“Democrats shut the government down over 40 days ago now. And I could not count on air travel,” he told Fox News Digital. “So I talked to my wife for about five seconds and said, ‘I’m getting on the motorcycle and leaving.’ So I did, and I got here on time.”

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Van Orden, who first told The Hill of his plans, said he rode through sub-zero temperatures and had to navigate black ice on the roads. At one point, he stopped at a hotel “for four or five hours” when the environment appeared “sketchy,” he said.

“Someone asked me, ‘Why don’t you just drive a car?’ Here’s why. We only have one car. And I wasn’t going to inconvenience my wife, because she is one of my constituents, and she happens to be my favorite constituent,” he said.

“People around here don’t seem to understand that the mission is more important than their personal security or comfort. And if more people in this building took their job more seriously and realized it’s about the American people than not, then we will be a better country.”

The State Department will designate four Antifa-linked groups operating in Europe as Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs) and Specifically Designated Global Terrorists (SDGTs) — putting them among the likes of ISIS, al-Qaeda and Hezbollah — Fox News Digital has learned.

The decision marks the first time the U.S. government has applied foreign terrorist designations to Antifa-linked groups, expanding President Donald Trump’s previous domestic terrorism directive to an international scale.

The four Antifa-aligned cells active in Europe — in Germany, Italy and Greece — are accused of organizing or carrying out bombings, shootings and other politically motivated attacks.

The designation requires U.S. financial institutions to freeze assets of FTOs and SDGTs and ban entry of the group’s members into the U.S. It allows the U.S. to criminally prosecute those under U.S. jurisdiction who offer material support to FTOs or conspire to offer such support.

TRUMP TO DESIGNATE ANTIFA A ‘MAJOR TERRORIST ORGANIZATION

One of the groups — Antifa Ost — is a left-wing cell that has been linked to attacks between 2018 and 2023 in Germany. German prosecutors have charged seven individuals linked to the group.

In September 2025, the Hungarian government designated the group as terrorists after nine members allegedly assaulted people with hammers, batons and pepper spray in Budapest in 2023.

The International Revolutionary Front, also known as the Informal Anarchist Federation, is an Italy-based coalition of groups that endorse revolutionary armed conflict against the state. The group has been tied to dozens of violent and criminal incidents over the past two decades: letter bombs to government and industrial targets, small explosive devices, shootings, including the 2012 shooting of a nuclear engineering executive.

TRUMP CALLS ANTIFA ‘TERRORIST GROUP,’ FUELING FIGHT OVER FREE SPEECH AND LIMITS OF LAW ENFORCEMENT

Two other Greece-based groups: Armed Proletarian Justice and Revolutionary Class Self Defense, have carried out attacks on government buildings throughout Greece, most recently attacking the headquarters of Hellenic Railway in a bombing in April.

Revolutionary Class Self Defense dedicated the bombing to “the Palestinian people and their heroic resistance.”

“The anarchists, Marxists, and violent extremists of Antifa have waged a terror campaign in the United States and across the Western world for decades, carrying out bombings, beatings, shootings, and riots in service of their extreme agenda,” said principal deputy spokesperson Tommy Piggot.

“The State Department is committed to identifying and dismantling these terror networks that conspire to ruthlessly suppress the will of the people and violently undermine the very foundations of the United States and Western Civilization.”

Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., who had written to Rubio advocating for the designation, praised the move.

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“I’m grateful to Secretary Rubio and the Trump administration for working with me on this critical issue — holding these radical groups who enable, fund and support political violence in the United States and across the world accountable.”

The designation marks a rare use of foreign terrorism sanctions against far-left extremist groups, which are typically handled as domestic security threats by European governments rather than as international terrorist networks.

As President Donald Trump redirects U.S. resources toward operations closer to home, former Secretaries of State Hillary Clinton and Mike Pompeo warned that America’s adversaries could benefit from a reduced global footprint.

Clinton told an audience Wednesday that she’d heard of internal Pentagon discussions advocating a “spheres of influence” model that would focus U.S. power in the Western Hemisphere while allowing Russia to dominate Eastern Europe and China to control much of East Asia.

“There seems to be a group within the Pentagon who are advocating for these spheres of influence … I think that’s a disaster. And I think it weakens us vis-à-vis our principal problem, which is… the Chinese Communist Party,” she said during a discussion at Columbia University.

The remarks come as the Pentagon increases counter-narcotics and maritime security missions across the Caribbean and eastern Pacific, expanding the U.S. military presence in the Southern Command region to its largest level in decades — a shift that reflects Trump’s renewed emphasis on prioritizing the Western Hemisphere. 

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The U.S. last week said it would withdraw a rotational infantry brigade largely based in Romania, with some forces in Slovakia, Hungary and Bulgaria.

Clinton, who was an early architect of the Obama administration’s “pivot to Asia” strategy during her 2009–2013 tenure at the State Department, said any retreat from the Indo-Pacific would invite instability and signal weakness to U.S. adversaries.

Pompeo largely agreed, saying the United States should strive for global “American hegemony” rooted in Western values and must never concede leadership to rivals.

“I agree with almost everything Secretary Clinton said there,” Pompeo said. “I want American values to dominate the world for the next 250 years … I want to influence every sphere of influence.”

Even as the War Department has prioritized a focus on the Western Hemisphere, Secretary Pete Hegseth has promised the U.S. would “stoutly defend” its interests in the Indo-Pacific. 

Pompeo directed particularly harsh words at China, even as U.S.–China relations show tentative signs of easing after Trump’s recent meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

“We shouldn’t use the word competition and the Chinese Communist Party in the same sentence… The Chinese Communist Party wants to cut our heads off,” he said, adding, “They killed 10 million people and didn’t lose a moment’s sleep when a virus was foisted around the world.”

Pompeo, who served as secretary of state and CIA director in the first Trump administration, also claimed that China had given its blessing to North Korea to send troops to assist Russia in its war on Ukraine.

“There are 13,000 North Koreans on the ground inside of that conflict today,” he said. “They did not go there without Xi Jinping asking Chairman Kim… to go.”

Clinton, meanwhile, accused congressional Republicans of staying silent when the White House oversteps its power, citing Trump’s repeated extensions of a deadline for TikTok to divest or face a U.S. ban.

“Their tongues must be totally bitten off because they don’t speak out,” Clinton said.

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She warned that social media is now shaping — and in some cases distorting — public opinion, posing “a huge danger to democracy.” Clinton also said TikTok was “found by a bipartisan decision of Congress to be controlled by the Chinese Communist Party.”

Pompeo echoed that concern. “I’m worried about the fact that we’ve got social influencers on TikTok that are shaping your minds, and that that’s controlled by the Chinese Communist Party to a significant degree,” he said. 

The pair of former officials found common ground years after Pompeo vowed to release more of her emails in the run-up to the 2020 election. Trump had expressed disappointment that Pompeo’s State Department had not released more of the emails Clinton famously sent from a private server during her time leading the department.

“We’re doing it as fast as we can” Pompeo told Fox News at the time, while predicting “there will be more to see before the election.”

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“It’s pathetic,” Clinton had told The New York Times of Pompeo’s promise.

Pompeo has also been critical of Clinton’s “failures” related to Benghazi and “rampant corruption.”