NationalWatch

FIRST ON FOX: An expansive liquefied natural gas (LNG) project in the Arctic took a big step forward this week while officials at the Energy and Interior Departments heralded it as key to President Donald Trump’s “American energy dominance” agenda.

Alaska LNG, a branch of the New York City and Anchorage-based Glenfarne energy company, and energy technology giant BakerHughes announced an alliance that will bring to reality and accelerate plans for a nearly 1,000-mile, 42-inch LNG pipeline down the middle of the Last Frontier, and a corresponding terminal on the Kenai peninsula.

The 807-mile pipeline is projected to begin near Prudhoe Bay on the Arctic Ocean and run down to Nikiski – a village halfway between Anchorage and Homer.

Secretary of Energy Chris Wright and Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum announced the agreement, with Glenfarne CEO Brendan Duval saying that BakerHughes’ partnership on the project is a big deal due to the company’s expertise in LNG compression technology.

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Duval said the deal reflects an increased momentum toward the mega-project’s future realization and praised the project’s ability to attract “global partners [in order] to achieve national and state energy objectives.”

“Alaska LNG has the potential to be one of the most significant energy infrastructure projects in our nation’s history,” Wright said in a statement to Fox News Digital.

“Today’s investment announcement is an important step forward for the project, prosperity in Alaska, and the energy security of America and our allies. The Trump administration remains committed to unleashing Alaska’s energy potential, including by supporting Alaska LNG.”

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Interior Secretary Doug Burgum added that U.S. LNG is “not just an energy source [but] a strategic asset that powers our economy.”

Burgum, who chairs the National Energy Dominance Council, added that Glenfarne and BakerHughes working together will undoubtedly bear fruit in terms of new energy infrastructure that will create long-term affordable power for Americans that is based in America.

BakerHughes chairman Lorenzo Simonelli said in a statement that natural gas provides secure and reliable energy at an affordable rate to consumers. Simonelli also touted its lower carbon output than other fuels.

BURGUM, ZELDIN, WRIGHT: THIS IS HOW AMERICA WILL ACHIEVE ENERGY DOMINANCE

According to reports, the project will include a carbon-capture plant on Alaska’s remote North Slope that will have the capacity to remove seven million tons of carbon dioxide from the project annually.

Alaska’s energy potential has been repeatedly touted by Gov. Mike Dunleavy, who previously told Fox News Digital he is interested in an all-of-the-above approach devoid of politics that instead focuses on what will work and what will keep energy jobs in Alaska and the U.S. writ large versus overseas.

Dunleavy and Alaska officials battled the Biden administration over what they called intentional roadblocks against natural resources exploration in places like Ambler and the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge’s Section 1002; commonly dubbed ANWR.

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Outside the Last Frontier’s ubiquitous natural gas and oil prowess, Dunleavy previously told Fox News Digital he would also be open to exploring the power-generating potential of tides in Cook Inlet – said to be the second-strongest lunar-powered ebb and flow in the world.

“That basin in Cook Inlet is the most energy-rich basin on the planet: onshore wind, offshore wind, coalfields, oil, gas, tidal, geothermal — all right there,” he said, noting a separate wind farm on Anchorage’s Fire Island is easily visible from planes taking off at Ted Stevens International Airport.

He said, however, the major issue surrounding any green project is energy-storage capability, pointing to Germany as an example of where that problem has come up.

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“You have to have something; a baseline power, which should be gas.”

“What people need to know is that Alaska’s got this enormous renewable potential that we’re going to capitalize on – but you also have to be able to pay for the capital projects in renewables, such as hydro, solar, wind, and the storage — whether that’s going to be pumped-hydro up here or some other way to store the energy — but you need to have oil and gas to help pay for that,” Dunleavy said.

EXCLUSIVE: After Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson put Border Patrol commander Gregory Bovino on blast for his “Operation Midway Blitz” immigration raids in the Windy City, DHS hit back saying the Democrat should worry more about Chicagoans being maimed by illegal immigrant gangbangers and drug traffickers.

At his latest press conference, Johnson appeared to equate Bovino’s behavior with terrorism, saying the North Carolina native is someone who “provokes terror on people,” and condemned immigration enforcement raids and their spread on federal social media as akin to “grotesque” imagery of racist behavior like lynchings and anti-desegregation scenes from the 20th century.

“Mayor Brandon Johnson is once again demonizing ICE and CBP law enforcement are facing a more than 1,000% increase in assaults and 8,000% increase in death threats against them,” DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told Fox News Digital when asked about Johnson’s comments.

“Mayor Johnson has shown time and time again he does not care about the innocent American lives taken at the hands of gang members, murderers, drug traffickers, and rapists who have no right to be in this country,” McLaughlin said.

OPERATION MIDWAY BLITZ COMMANDER REBUTS PRITZKER’S ‘CRAZY RHETORIC,’ WARNS IT COULD LEAD TO VIOLENCE

After a reporter joked about Bovino’s “Operation Midway Blitz” team posing at Chicago’s “Bean” sculpture — and another quipped that agents were saying “Little Village” instead of “cheese” while taking photos in the heavily Hispanic neighborhood — Johnson scoffed, saying the commander “should just go away.”

“Here’s someone who has provoked terror on people,” Johnson said, before condemning the way Bovino comported himself as he left Illinois federal court swarmed by protesters screaming, “F— you, Greg,”, “F— you, fascist,” and calling him a “p—y.”

Johnson also shared a photo of Bovino posing with agents at the “Bean” and called the picture “wicked and vile.” DHS responded by sharing images of recently-arrested violent illegal immigrants and proverbially corrected the mayor, saying they should be the ones considered “wicked and vile.”

BORDER PATROL CHIEF FIRES BACK AFTER CHICAGO MAYOR CALLS HIM ‘BARBARIC’ OVER TEAR GAS CLASH

“I’ve seen a lot of bad behavior from human beings over the course of my study of just history,” Johnson told reporters.

“Even when he was on his way into federal court, he paraded down the street and saluted individuals,” he added, furrowing his brow.

“And then [DHS goes] on social media and put hip-hop music to their terror in Black and Brown communities. That’s not even a dog whistle anymore. That’s some real racist jacked-up stuff that he is engaged in.”

BORDER PATROL CHIEF FIRES BACK AFTER PRITZKER CALLS FEDERAL OPERATIONS ‘UNCONSTITUTIONAL INVASION’

Johnson went on, claiming President Donald Trump is a “brittle man” and that Bovino is acting “under the direction of his king.”

“This president has unleashed Bovino to unleash tear gas on police officers and babies. And then they have the temerity to take a picture in front of one of our public assets,” he said of the “Bean” scene.

“There are horrific pictures that exist within America, in American society, graphic ones, from lynchings to Black children being prevented from entering into a public institution,” Johnson said.

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Former Arkansas Democratic Gov. Orval Faubus and ex-Alabama Democratic Gov. George Wallace both barricaded schoolhouses to prevent desegregation in the mid 20th century, leading Presidents Dwight Eisenhower and John F. Kennedy, respectively, to federalize the National Guard.

“What Bovino and the Border Patrol are executing right now have the same grotesque proclivity as those who have worked incredibly hard to dehumanize, historically, people who have been placed in the margins.”

Five months after Israel and the U.S.’ bombardment of Iran’s military and nuclear facilities, Iran claims it now has more missile capacity than even before the 12-Day War.

That buildup would have implications far beyond the Middle East: renewed Iranian production could threaten American forces stationed across the region and test Israel’s missile defense limits, potentially pulling Washington into another confrontation if Tehran resumes strikes or proxy attacks.

“Iran’s missile power today far surpasses that of the 12-Day War,” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi recently declared, touting what he described as the regime’s rapid recovery from the massive U.S. and Israeli bombardment that struck dozens of military and nuclear sites in June. “The enemy in the recent 12-day war failed to achieve all its objectives and was defeated,” he said.

His comments were echoed by Defense Minister Brig. Gen. Aziz Nasirzadeh, who claimed that Iran’s defense industry has not only rebounded but expanded. “Iran’s defense production has improved both in quantity and quality compared to before the 12-day Israeli-imposed war in June,” Nasirzadeh said Monday, insisting that new missiles are rolling off production lines faster than ever.

IRAN PRESIDENT ACCUSES US OF ‘GRAVE BETRAYAL’ WITH NUCLEAR STRIKES IN UNGA SPEECH

The June conflict — later dubbed the 12-Day War — began when Israel launched a sustained bombing campaign on Iran’s nuclear and missile infrastructure. The United States joined the operation days later with a series of precision strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities. 

Behnam Ben Taleblu, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told Fox News Digital that Iran’s renewed emphasis on missile production is no surprise given what it learned during the June conflict.

“There’s no doubt that after the 12-Day War, Tehran understands the missiles constitute the long pole in its ability to deter and punish attacks,” Taleblu said. “Expect Tehran to therefore concentrate on building back better when it comes to its missile program, which pre-war was already the largest in the region.”

He warned that Iran’s accelerating focus on missile development could be the spark for the next regional conflict. “It’s for this reason that the next likely conflict between Israel and Iran may well be brought about by missile concerns, not nuclear,” Taleblu said.

TRUMP’S IRAN GAMBLE PAYS OFF AS WWIII DOOMSAYERS NOW PRAISE ISRAEL-HAMAS CEASEFIRE

“Moving forward, I’d pay attention to the ‘missile math’ between Israel and Iran,” he added. “Much now depends on rates of production between Israeli interceptors and Iranian medium-range ballistic missiles.”

Brig. Gen. (res.) Yossi Kuperwasser, head of the Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security, said Tehran’s post-war threats reflect both internal pressure and an effort to regain leverage.

After the U.S. bombed Iran’s nuclear sites, Tehran said talks on a renewed nuclear deal were off. Washington has insisted Iran must give up all enrichment capacity, while Tehran claims it will continue enrichment for civil purposes.

TRUMP’S IRAN ULTIMATUM STARTED A 60-DAY CLOCK TICKING FOR DECISIVE JUNE STRIKES, BOMBER COMMANDER REVEALS

Kuperwasser said Iran’s hardliners are using missile rhetoric to test international resolve. “They are attempting to pressure the international community to ease sanctions and diplomatic isolation by issuing threats of escalation,” he said. “To make these threats credible, and drawing lessons from the war in June, they are working intensively to replenish their arsenal of long-range missiles.”

Kuperwasser warned that while Iran’s nuclear ambitions remain, its focus on missile production shows the regime’s priority is deterrence. “Their threats should not be dismissed,” he said. “They must be taken seriously.”

Meanwhile, Tehran has already tested several satellite launch vehicles that use the same multi-stage propulsion and guidance systems needed for an intercontinental ballistic missile. Washington has repeatedly accused Iran of using its civilian space program as cover for developing technologies that could deliver nuclear payloads at intercontinental range.

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Israeli defense officials, in turn, have been racing to expand production of interceptors across the country’s multi-layered air-defense network. The Iron Dome, David’s Sling and Arrow systems were all pushed to their limits during the 12-Day War, when Iran launched hundreds of ballistic and cruise missiles toward Israeli cities and military installations.

Part of the Israeli response goes beyond replenishing interceptors. The country is now fielding one of the world’s first operational high-power laser air-defense systems. The Iron Beam system has completed acceptance testing and is being delivered to the Israel air force for operational deployment, Fox News Digital reported last month. The system is designed to intercept rockets, mortars, drones and other aerial threats “at a fraction of the cost of conventional interceptors.”

For Israel and the U.S., Iran’s latest boasts serve as a warning that the 12-Day War may not have settled much at all: both militaries are now racing to prepare for what they see as the next test of regional defenses, one measured in missile ranges and response times.

The end of the longest government shutdown in U.S. history is finally in sight, with the House of Representatives set to vote on a federal funding bill later Wednesday evening.

House lawmakers are set to take a procedural vote in the 5 p.m. hour on whether to allow debate on the measure. If the legislation survives, a final vote is expected in the 7 p.m. hour.

The government has been shut down for 43 days as Democrats and Republicans hotly debated the merits of the GOP’s initial federal funding bill, a short-term extension of fiscal year (FY) 2025 spending levels through Nov. 21.

The vast majority of Democrats are still against the legislation, including House Democratic leadership, but GOP lawmakers across several ideologically diverse factions have signaled confidence in a nearly unified Republican vote.

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House Freedom Caucus Policy Chairman Chip Roy, R-Texas, said he heard no dissent on the bill from his band of fiscal hawks.

“I’m not going to speak for everybody, but I think there’s general support. So you know, I’m unaware of any opposition of significance,” he told reporters Tuesday night.

House Appropriations Committee Chairman Tom Cole, R-Okla., said, “Nothing’s ever easy around here. But, look, I didn’t notice any dissent … I think the votes will be there on our side.”

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

But with a razor-thin majority, House GOP leaders can only afford to lose two Republican votes at most to pass the bill without relying on any Democrats.

“I’m very hopeful,” House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., told Fox News Digital when asked if Republicans had the votes to pass the bill. “I think you’re seeing just a few Democrats come to their senses. It should be a lot more.”

Meanwhile, the shutdown’s effects on the country have grown more severe by the day.

Many of the thousands of air traffic controllers and Transportation Security Administration (TSA) agents who had to work without pay were forced to take second jobs, causing nationwide flight delays and cancellations amid staffing shortages at the country’s busiest airports. Millions of Americans who rely on federal benefits were also left in limbo as funding for critical government programs ran close to drying out.

At the heart of the issue was Democratic leaders’ refusal to back any funding bill that did not also extend COVID-19 pandemic-era enhanced Obamacare subsidies that are set to expire at the end of this year. Democrats argued it was their best hope of preventing healthcare price hikes for Americans across the U.S.

Republicans agreed to hold conversations on reforming what they saw as a broken healthcare system, but they refused to pair any partisan priority with federal funding.

The initial bill passed the House on Sept. 19 but stalled in the Senate for weeks, when Democrats sank the bill more than a dozen times.

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However, after weeks of stalemate and the clock running down on their Nov. 21 bill, a new compromise emerged that got support from eight Senate Democrats to carry it across the finish line.

The new legislation would extend FY 2025 federal funding levels through Jan. 30, to give negotiators more time to strike a longer-term deal for FY 2026.

It would also give lawmakers some headway with that mission, advancing legislation to fund the Department of Agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration; the Department of Veterans Affairs and military construction; and the legislative branch.

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In a victory for Democrats, the deal would also reverse federal layoffs conducted by the Trump administration in October, with those workers getting paid for the time they were off.

A side deal struck in the Senate also guaranteed Senate Democrats a vote on legislation extending the enhanced Obamacare subsidies. Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., however, has made no such promise in the House.

If passed on Wednesday night, the legislation heads to President Donald Trump’s desk for a signature.

When asked about the bill on Tuesday, a White House official told Fox News Digital, “President Trump has wanted the government reopened since the first day Democrats shut it down. The action in the Senate is a positive development, and we look forward to seeing it progress.”

President Donald Trump on Wednesday morning made a formal request to Israeli President Isaac Herzog to pardon Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is on trial for corruption and fraud charges.

Trump asked Herzog to consider fully pardoning Netanyahu in a letter that Herzog’s office shared. Trump wrote that Netanyahu has been a “formidable and decisive” leader for Israel in a time of war and has led Israel “into a time of peace.”

“Prime Minister Netanyahu has stood tall for Israel in the face of strong adversaries and long odds, and his attention cannot be unnecessarily diverted,” reads the letter.

Trump wrote that while he “absolutely” respects the independence of the Israeli judicial system, he believes the case against Netanyahu is a “political, unjustified prosecution.”

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Netanyahu is currently standing trial on charges of bribery, fraud, and breach of trust in three separate corruption cases. The trial, which began in 2020, marked the first time a sitting Israeli prime minister testified as a criminal defendant.

Trump wrote that “it is time to let Bibi unite Israel by pardoning him, and ending that lawfare once and for all.”

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Herzog declined to take a position on the matter, with his office issuing its own statement that a presidential pardon request must go through the proper channels, which includes the person who wants a pardon making a formal request. 

The statement said that Herzog holds Trump in the “highest regard” and “continues to express his deep appreciation” for Trump’s support of Israel and his “tremendous” role in the return of hostages from Gaza.

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Trump previously urged Herzog to pardon Netanyahu during a speech in the Israeli Knesset last month.

Fox News’ Yonat Friling contributed to this report.

John F. Kennedy’s grandson, Jack Schlossberg, announced on Tuesday that he’s launching a campaign for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives to replace longtime New York Democratic Rep. Jerry Nadler, who is set to retire.

Schlossberg, 32, a Democrat, told supporters in an email that he would officially launch his campaign Wednesday, though he made his case to constituents in a campaign video he posted to social media late Tuesday.

“This district should have a representative who can harness the creativity, energy and drive of this district and translate that into political power in Washington,” Schlossberg said in the video.

Schlossberg blasted President Donald Trump in the campaign video, accusing Trump of corruption and creating what he called a “constitutional crisis.”

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“It’s a corruption crisis,” he said. “The President has made almost a billion dollars this year. He’s picking winners and losers from inside the Oval Office. It’s cronyism, not capitalism.”

“It’s a constitutional crisis with one dangerous man in control of all three branches of government,” he continued. “He’s stripping citizens of their civil rights and silencing his critics.”

Schlossberg is no stranger to criticisms of the Trump administration, having drummed up a large following on social media with frequent posts weighing in on national issues, including taking aim at his cousin, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

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Last month, he posted on Instagram an image of a Halloween costume for “MAHA Man,” in reference to Kennedy’s Make America Healthy Again message, and described it as including such things as measles.

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Nadler, who currently represents New York’s 12th District, is serving his 17th term in Congress. He announced in September that he will not run for re-election next year, suggesting to The New York Times that a younger Democratic lawmaker in his seat “can maybe do better, can maybe help us more.”

The district includes Manhattan’s Upper West Side, Upper East Side and Midtown.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

An inexperienced, far-left radical mayoral candidate, who has conceded that financial support from her parents has allowed her to run her campaign in the expensive city of Seattle, is on track to take down the incumbent Democratic mayor who has worked in city politics for almost two decades.

Katie Wilson, a self-proclaimed “socialist,” is out front of incumbent Bruce Harrell by just under 100 votes as of Tuesday, according to the latest election results from Seattle’s King County. The lead has ping-ponged back-and-forth between the two candidates since last week’s Tuesday general election.

The race was held alongside a slate of other top races around the country, including gubernatorial races for New Jersey and Virginia, as well as the New York City mayoral race. The elections were largely seen as a win for Democrats and, in particular, for the far-left faction of the base, which saw local socialist candidates, like Mamdani and others, come away with victories. 

Wilson, who has been likened to Mamdani, could become the latest self-described socialist to win elected office if she maintains her lead. However, 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. Seattle’s metropolitan residency is among one of the largest in the United States with over 4 million residents.

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“Yes, I am a socialist,” Wilson said earlier this year. “I’m not out here waving a socialist flag, because I’m not a super ideological person. I’m also not sure that label will help me in the general election. But yes, I’m fine with being called a socialist”

Wilson, like Mamdani, has proposed the idea of implementing government-run grocery stores. She has also refused to commit to reducing Seattle’s growing tent encampments, which have long been a growing problem for the city. Instead, Wilson has proposed moving the encampments on a “case-by-case” basis. Meanwhile, Wilson also pledged to “Trump-proof” the city of Seattle. 

The far-left candidate is juxtaposed to a more established and experienced politician in Harrell, who was a member of the city council beginning in 2008 before eventually becoming mayor. Much of Harrell’s attacks targeting Wilson, who describes herself as a policy nerd, have hinged on her lack of experience. 

“She’s really not even qualified to do the job. She hasn’t had the experiences,” Harrell said of Wilson during an interview leading up to last week’s elections. 

“The fact of the matter is, while my opponent has ideas, she hasn’t done anything,” Harrell added during a debate before the election as well. “She has no experience or training or ability to manage a budget. And what we think the voters will see is that running a major city like Seattle is a big job. And she’s advancing some plans, like our 4,000 emergency housing, or shelter units, that just can’t be done in how she’s describing it. So you’ll see the weakness in her platform – just complaints with no solutions.”

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In response to criticism about her alleged lack of experience, Wilson has acknowledged that she is “an outsider” in the sense she has not held elected office before. However, Wilson has contested that she is “an outsider who comes with an insider’s knowledge and experience.”

Wilson’s background includes the operation of 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. 

“These early experiences grounded her in the everyday realities of working people and shaped her lifelong commitment to improving people’s lives,” Wilson’s campaign website says of the candidate’s work history. 

Prior to moving to Seattle in 2004, just four years before Harrell was elected to Seattle’s city council, 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, dropping out just six weeks before her graduation.

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Meanwhile, the financial assistance from Wilson’s parents living in New York continues for her today, she says, crediting them with allowing her to live in a city as expensive as Seattle. 

“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 assisted 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.”

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Wilson began getting paid a full-time paycheck from her Transit Riders Union nonprofit in 2019, seven years after it was founded in 2011. Tax records show that Wilson brought in $72,669 in 2022 for 55-hours of work. There are no records of Wilson’s salary for 2023 or 2024, reportedly due to the fact the nonprofit changed tax preparers recently, according to PubliCola. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) does not require nonprofits to disclose salaries of employees making under $100,000 per year. 

Wilson reported earning between $60,000 and $99,000 in a financial statement to the city upon declaring her candidacy for mayor. Wilson also reported income “less than $30,000” from PubliCola, The Urbanist and The Stranger, respectively, for work as a “columnist” for the left-wing online news outlets. 

Wilson’s campaign did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment on this article.  

Rep. Melanie Stansbury, D-N.M., ripped into the reasoning that led eight Senate Democrats to seal the fate of the government shutdown on Sunday. 

As the top Democrat on the House Oversight Subcommittee overseeing government efficiency, Stansbury said the bill’s promise of job protections for federal employees was a safeguard that Congress should not have needed to spell out.

“While I appreciate the bipartisan effort that provided additional protection for our federal workers in the bill, it shouldn’t have been necessary in the first place,” Stansbury said.

SENATE VOTE TO END GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN IGNITES DEMOCRAT CIVIL WAR

Stansbury, like many Democrats, has opposed the Trump administration’s blanket dismissal of federal employees as a way to cut government spending through the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), arguing that the orders violate employment laws.

“The president’s actions in conducting mass firings during the shutdown and threatening to withhold back pay are both illegal under current law,” Stansbury said.

Her comments highlight ongoing Democrat division over the shutdown’s end and the party priorities that went unresolved.

With key Democrats’ help, the Senate overcame the threat of a filibuster on Sunday before finally passing the short-term spending deal on Monday evening in a 60-40 vote. That bill, which now heads to the House of Representatives, will end the ongoing 42-day government shutdown if passed.

The package would fund the government through Jan. 30 of next year. It includes three of the government’s 12 spending bills: appropriations for the legislative branch, agriculture and Veterans Affairs and military construction. 

Notably, its language also forbids the Trump administration from conducting mass reductions in force (RIFs) and would reinstate federal employees fired during the shutdown with back pay. Just hours before Sunday’s vote, the language on RIFs clinched the needed support for the package’s success.

Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., was one of the eight Democrats who helped advance the bill over the possibility of a filibuster. When asked if the government shutdown had been worth it, Kaine said he thought so, pointing to its language on federal workers. 

“To federal employees who are not going to be traumatized by RIFs going forward? Yeah,” Kaine said.

MIKE JOHNSON SPEAKS OUT AFTER SENATE BREAKTHROUGH ON GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN

Kaine, who helped secure the inclusion of that language, said that some sort of deal on federal employees had been a key consideration for him since the outset of the shutdown on Oct.1. 

“I went to Sen. Schumer at the start of this and told him, ‘Here’s where I am, and here’s where I’m likely to be. I’m with you for a long time, but if there’s a path forward that can help this federal workforce, which is so huge in Virginia, you [have to] know I’m going to be real sensitive to that.’” 

Virginia has the country’s third-largest concentration of federal workers, according to the Library of Congress. 

Stansbury, who has also outspokenly opposed the Trump administration’s mass firings as a way to cut government funding, disagreed sharply with Kaine and argued that the fight over federal workforces — and healthcare for that matter — could have taken place outside a shutdown.

“This shutdown and the impending healthcare crisis were both completely avoidable,” Stansbury said. “The president and GOP careened us towards a shutdown with the passage of the Big Ugly Bill this summer,” she added, referring to the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.

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She noted that the key demand Democrats had made during the shutdown, an extension of COVID-era Obamacare healthcare subsidies, had gone completely unaddressed — even in the wake of over a month of gridlock.

“A failure to pass appropriations bills, an unwillingness to negotiate and six weeks of a complete lockout of the House have failed to resolve the healthcare crisis as millions of Americans are facing the prospect of losing their health insurance or being able to put a roof over their head,” Stansbury said.

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With the spending bill having cleared the Senate, the House of Representatives will likely consider the Senate spending bill on Wednesday. 

The Senate deal to end the longest federal government shutdown in the nation’s history is not only dividing Democrats, it’s also causing a split in one well-known political family.

Democratic congressional candidate Stefany Shaheen, who’s running in a crowded primary for a Democrat-controlled open House seat in swing state New Hampshire, says she “cannot support” the agreement, which was brokered in part by her mother, Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen.

The elder Shaheen, a former governor who is retiring next year rather than seek re-election to a fourth six-year term in the Senate, was one of seven Democrats who voted with Republicans on Monday evening to end the shutdown.

The split between the mother and daughter underscores the divide in their party over ending the shutdown without firmer commitments from the Republicans who control Congress.

SHUTDOWN SHOWDOWN: DEMOCRATIC SENATOR STANDS FIRM AFTER DEFYING PARTY 

Stefany Shaheen, in a social media post on Monday, said she would only support a deal if it included extending the expiring subsidies that make health insurance coverage through the Affordable Care Act, known as the ACA or Obamacare, more affordable to millions of Americans.

The deal to end the shutdown does not include such a provision, but only a promise by the majority Republicans to hold an upcoming vote on extending the subsidies.

SCHUMER FACES FURY FROM THE LEFT OVER DEAL TO END SHUTDOWN

“We need to both end this shutdown and extend the ACA tax credits,” Stefany Shaheen wrote. “Otherwise, no deal. It’s essential to ensure people have access to healthcare and it’s past time to put paychecks back into people’s pockets and food back on families’ tables.”

The younger Shaheen, whose eldest daughter Elle nearly lost her life after being diagnosed at the age of 8 with Type 1 diabetes, emphasized, “Improving health care has been the cause of my life. It’s why I am running for congress.”

And pointing to a lack of commitment from Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson to hold any vote on extending the ACA subsidies, Shaheen added, “I cannot support this deal when Speaker Johnson refuses to even allow a vote to extend health care tax credits.”

The ACA subsidies expire at the end of the year, with health insurance premiums set to surge if there’s no extension.

Sen. Shaheen, who previously supported a bill to extend the subsidies, on Monday defended breaking with her party to support the deal, which has been heavily criticized not only by the progressive wing of the party but also by center-left Democrats.

“We’re making sure that the people of America can get the food benefits that they need, that air traffic controllers can get paid, that federal workers are able to come back, the ones who were let go, that they get paid, that contractors get paid, that aviation moves forward,” Shaheen said in a “Fox and Friends” interview.

And she pledged that “we are going to be able to continue to fight about healthcare because we’re going to have a vote in December.”

Asked about her split with her mother over the shutdown deal, Stefany Shaheen told WMUR in New Hampshire that “every family has differences of opinion and views, and here, we just have very different views about the best way to approach this.”

“I think my mom and Senator Hassan did what they believe was right,” she said. She also pointed to New Hampshire’s other Democrat in the Senate, Sen. Maggie Hassan, who also supported the deal.

The senator told WMUR that she and her daughter “talk every day. So, she knew where I was, and I knew where she was.”

And the senator, who is a top supporter of her daughter’s bid for Congress, added, “Stefany is very independent. That’s what’s going to make her an excellent congresswoman.”

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The younger Shaheen is one of seven Democrats running in New Hampshire’s First Congressional District, in the race to succeed Democratic Rep. Chris Pappas.

Pappas is running for the Senate in the race to succeed the elder Shaheen.

A group of climate-minded Democrats wrote Monday to EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin, accusing the agency of improperly moving to terminate a federal greenhouse gas-tracking program that blue states have used as a model for their own carbon tax and cap-and-trade systems.

The Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program, or GHGRP, was created under a congressional appropriation during the Obama administration. It funded an EPA rule requiring large energy producers and other high-emission industries to report their greenhouse gas output levels.

Rep. Sean Casten, D-Ill., a green-energy engineer who had a key role in crafting the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) praised in blue states and criticized by conservatives, led the letter to Zeldin in his role as vice chair of a House caucus focused on sustainable energy.

“We write to inform you that the Environmental Protection Agency is violating clear congressional directives by proposing to end the EPA’s Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program,” Casten’s letter read.

TRUMP ADMIN SCORES LEGAL WIN IN $16B CLIMATE FIGHT AS FEDERAL APPEALS COURT LIFTS BLOCK ON GRANT TERMINATIONS

“For more than a decade, this program has been the most important source of transparent and verifiable climate pollution data in the federal government, and the EPA has clear authority and obligation to continue maintaining it.”

The letter, also signed by key energy coalition members Reps. Donald Beyer of Virginia, Paul Tonko of New York, Mike Quigley of Illinois, and Doris Matsui of California, all Democrats, said ending the program would undermine “evidence-based governance” at a key moment in climate change “challenges.”

Casten’s group told Zeldin the move appears to be the latest strike in “scientific data censorship” by President Donald Trump and his administration, accusing the feds of restricting, hiding or defunding data-centered operations across the various agencies.

EPA URGED TO AXE FUNDS FOR ‘RADICAL’ CLIMATE PROJECT ACCUSED OF TRAINING JUDGES, STATE AGS RALLY

Reached by Fox News Digital, an EPA official confirmed receipt of Casten’s letter and said the agency will respond through appropriate channels.

A source familiar with the situation argued the GHGRP has no material impact on improving human health or protecting the environment, and is instead just another onerous regulation for the federal government to pass on to energy producers who would rather focus on providing efficiency to American consumers.

Removing the rule and the program would save the private sector up to $2.4 billion in regulatory costs connected to reporting and statutory obligations, critics have said.

California and New York have similar programs at the state level, and the Empire State’s DEP disclosed in a fact sheet that its version of GHGRP aims to be helpful in creating cap-and-trade — or as critics call cap-and-tax — levies.

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Facilities emitting more than 25,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide per year must report their outputs to the EPA under the current rule. That rubric tends to envelop power plants, oil refineries, large-scale metallurgy, and waste management landfills.

Elements considered reportable also include methane, nitrous oxide, hydrofluorocarbons and sulphur hexafluoride.

The House will vote on reopening the federal government Wednesday after lawmakers’ funding bill survived a key hurdle earlier in the morning.

The bipartisan deal to end the 42-day government shutdown advanced through the House Rules Committee overnight Wednesday, with all Republicans supporting the measure and all Democrats against.

It now moves to the full House for consideration, where multiple people familiar with GOP leaders’ conversations told Fox News Digital they believe it will pass with nearly all Republicans on board.

Passage through the House Rules Committee is a meaningful step toward ending the shutdown, now the longest in U.S. history by roughly a week.

MIKE JOHNSON SPEAKS OUT AFTER SENATE BREAKTHROUGH ON GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN

The panel’s hearing to advance the bill lasted more than six hours, kicking off Wednesday evening and ending shortly after 1 a.m. on Thursday.

Democrats attempted to force votes on amendments dealing with COVID-19-era enhanced Obamacare subsidies that are set to expire at the end of this year and other issues opposed by the GOP, though all failed.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., made a notable surprise appearance at one point, testifying in favor of his own amendment to extend those subsidies for another three years.

The lengthy hearing saw members on opposite sides of the aisle clash several times as well, with Democrats repeatedly accusing Republicans of robbing Americans of their healthcare and taking a “vacation” for several weeks while remaining in their districts during the shutdown.

“I am sick and tired of hearing you all say we had an eight-week vacation,” House Rules Committee Chairwoman Virginia Foxx, R-N.C., said at one point. “I worked every day. I don’t know about you. I don’t want to hear another soul say that.”

Democrats and some Republicans also piled on a provision in the funding bill that would allow GOP senators to sue the federal government for $500,000 for secretly obtaining their phone records during ex-Special Counsel Jack Smith’s investigation.

“I think there’s gonna be a lot of people, if they look and understand this, they’re going to see it as self-serving, self-dealing kind of stuff. And I don’t think that’s right,” Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, said.

“I’m trying to figure out what we can do to force the Senate’s hand to say, ‘You’re going to repeal this provision and fix it,’ without amending it here.”

The bill will now get a House-wide “rule vote,” a procedural test that, if it passes, allows lawmakers to debate the legislation itself.

Lawmakers are expected to then hold a final vote sometime on Wednesday evening on sending the bill to President Donald Trump‘s desk for his signature.

Trump signaled he was supportive of the legislation in comments to reporters on Monday.

THE 5 LONGEST GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWNS IN HISTORY: WHAT HAPPENED, HOW THEY ENDED

“We’ll be opening up our country very quickly,” Trump said when asked if he backed the deal.

The Senate broke through weeks of gridlock on Monday night to pass the legislation in a 60-40 vote, with eight Democrats joining the GOP to reopen the government.

Meanwhile, travel disruptions have been causing chaos at U.S. airports, with air traffic controllers and Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers being forced to work without pay since last month. Many of those employees had been forced to take on second jobs to make ends meet, fueling staffing shortages and flight delays that threatened to overshadow the Thanksgiving holiday.

Millions of Americans who rely on federal food benefits were also left in limbo amid a partisan fight over whether and how to fund those programs during the shutdown.

The bill would extend fiscal year (FY) 2025 federal funding levels through Jan. 30 to give negotiators more time to strike a longer-term deal for FY 2026.

It would also give lawmakers some headway with that mission, advancing legislation to fund the Department of Agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration; the Department of Veterans Affairs and military construction; and the legislative branch.

They are three of 12 individual bills that are meant to make up Congress’ annual appropriations, paired into a vehicle called a “minibus.”

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In a victory for Democrats, the deal would also reverse federal layoffs conducted by the Trump administration in October, with those workers getting paid for the time they were off.

A side-deal struck in the Senate also guaranteed Senate Democrats a vote on legislation extending Obamacare subsidies that were enhanced during the COVID-19 pandemic, which are set to expire at the end of this year.

Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., however, has made no such promise in the House.

A senior federal judge in Massachusetts who was appointed by former President Reagan announced he has resigned in protest against President Donald Trump, who he says has been “using the law for partisan purposes.”

U.S. District Judge Mark L. Wolf, 78, resigned on Friday and explained that the Trump administration’s actions that he described as threatening the rule of law compelled him to speak out.

In a piece for The Atlantic, Wolf wrote that he had looked forward to serving for the rest of his life when Reagan appointed him in 1985 but decided to step down last week because of Trump’s “assault on the rule of law” that he finds “so deeply disturbing.”

“I no longer can bear to be restrained by what judges can say publicly or do outside the courtroom,” the former judge wrote. “President Donald Trump is using the law for partisan purposes, targeting his adversaries while sparing his friends and donors from investigation, prosecution, and possible punishment. This is contrary to everything that I have stood for in my more than 50 years in the Department of Justice and on the bench. The White House’s assault on the rule of law is so deeply disturbing to me that I feel compelled to speak out. Silence, for me, is now intolerable.”

REAGAN-APPOINTED JUDGE, ONCE REBUKED BY SUPREME COURT, CONTINUES TO LAMBASTE TRUMP

“When I accepted the nomination to serve on the U.S. District Court in Massachusetts, I took pride in becoming part of a federal judiciary that works to make our country’s ideal of equal justice under law a reality,” he continued. “A judiciary that helps protect our democracy. That has the authority and responsibility to hold elected officials to the limits of the power delegated to them by the people. That strives to ensure that the rights of minority groups, no matter how they are viewed by others, are not violated. That can serve as a check on corruption to prevent public officials from unlawfully enriching themselves. Becoming a federal judge was an ideal opportunity to extend a noble tradition that I had been educated by experience to treasure.”

Wolf added that he now wants to do “everything in my power to combat today’s existential threat to democracy and the rule of law.”

The former judge noted that Trump cannot replace him with a nominee of his own, as former President Obama named Judge Indira Talwani as his successor in 2013.

Wolf criticized the Department of Justice’s prosecutions of former FBI Director James Comey and Democrat New York Attorney General Letitia James. The former judge also took issue with Trump’s social media post in which he asked Attorney General Pam Bondi to prosecute Comey, James and Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif.

He also said that even if a prosecution ends in an acquittal, it “can have devastating consequences for the defendant.”

Wolf also wrote that the DOJ must ensure prosecutors do not seek an indictment unless they have “sufficient admissible evidence to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.”

“Trump has utterly ignored this principle,” Wolf wrote.

Wolf blasted Trump’s “unconstitutional or otherwise illegal” executive orders, criticized the president’s calls for judges to be impeached for ruling against him, said there was “corruption by [Trump] and those in his orbit” and emphasized that attacks on the courts have led to actual threats against judges.

“I resigned in order to speak out, support litigation, and work with other individuals and organizations dedicated to protecting the rule of law and American democracy,” Wolf wrote. “I also intend to advocate for the judges who cannot speak publicly for themselves.”

TRUMP’S US ATTORNEYS IN BLUE STATES FACE LEGAL CHALLENGES THAT COULD UPEND KEY PROSECUTIONS

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“I cannot be confident that I will make a difference,” he added. “I am reminded, however, of what Senator Robert F. Kennedy said in 1966 about ending apartheid in South Africa: ‘Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope.’ Enough of these ripples can become a tidal wave.”

The U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts said Wolf’s “steadfast commitment to the rule of law, determination in wrestling with novel issues of fact and law, and dedication to making fair, equitable and legally sound decisions without fear or favor are the hallmarks of his time on the bench.”

“His many opinions on complex issues of law in notable cases have had a great impact on jurisprudence,” Chief Judge Denise J. Casper said in the statement. “In addition, his tenure as Chief Judge led to the increased engagement with the bar and community, including the initiation of the Court’s bench/bar conference and his continued support of the Court’s Fellowship Programs. I, along with my colleagues and this Court community, applaud his years of dedicated service.”

California Gov. Gavin Newsom was the most prominent American official to attend the COP30 global climate conference in Belém, Brazil, this week — using the platform to criticize the absent Trump administration.

The White House mocked the trip, noting California’s continued rank among the highest in U.S. energy costs.

Newsom’s office put out a summary of his visit to the conference, saying it shows California is “leading by example” and proving that “climate action and economic growth go hand in hand.”

“As Donald Trump abandons American climate leadership, California continues and accelerates its climate action, urging global investors to embrace the technologies and infrastructure driving the clean energy future,” his office said in the release.

NEWSOM SET TO RALLY TEXAS DEMS WITH VICTORY LAP DAYS AFTER PROP 50 PASSES: ‘CALIFORNIA STEPPED UP’

On Tuesday, Newsom was scheduled to deliver remarks in his role as co-chair of America Is All In, which describes itself as a broad coalition of non-federal actors in the U.S. committed to ambitious climate action. Later, he was scheduled to attend a state-governor’s coalition called U.S. Climate Alliance, and then travel into the Amazon rainforest to meet with “community stewards.”

“While Donald Trump is handing the future to China, California is proving that climate action, business growth, supporting workers, and good-paying jobs go hand in hand,” Newsom said.

“We’re not turning backwards to the failed policies of the past — California is fighting for a clean-energy future, even as President Trump bends the knee to his Gulf-State patrons and takes a nap as the world burns.”

NEWSOM SAYS TRUMP HAS ‘RELENTLESS, UNHINGED’ OBSESSION WITH CALIFORNIA DURING STATE OF THE STATE ADDRESS

Newsom made the case during remarks at the coinciding Milken Institute Global Investors Symposium in Sao Paulo that California has proved it can balance climate and environmental stewardship with economic growth.

“We’re running the fourth-largest economy in the world [on] 67%; two-thirds clean energy,” he said.

Newsom claimed that nine out of 10 days this year, California operated on 100% non-fossil-fuel energy for at least part of the day:

TRUMP OFFICIALS URGED TO BOYCOTT UN CLIMATE SUMMIT AS TRUMP SEETHES CLIMATE CHANGE IS A ‘CON JOB’

“I don’t know if there’s another jurisdiction in the world that can lay claim to that.”

“We are proving the paradigm: The genius of ‘and,’ not the tyranny of ‘or’,” he said in remarks to Milken CEO Rich Ditizio.

Meanwhile, back in Washington, White House spokesperson Taylor Rogers cited California’s consumer energy costs, and claimed that Newsom would not be attending such a summit if he was sincere about the issue as thousands of acres reportedly had to be cleared for a “special purpose highway” into the rainforest.

NEWSOM WARNS AMERICANS ‘YOU WILL LOSE YOUR COUNTRY’ UNDER TRUMP AT CALIFORNIA SUMMIT

Belem officials denied the highway, Avenida Liberdade, was built expressly for the summit, according to reports.

“Governor Newscum (sic) flew all the way to Brazil to tout the Green New Scam, while the people of California are paying some of the highest energy prices in the country: Embarrassing,” Rogers said.

“It’s time for Newscum and other countries to drop the climate façade. President Trump will not allow the best interest of the American people to be jeopardized by the Green Energy Scam. These Green Dreams are killing other countries, but will not kill ours thanks to President Trump’s commonsense energy agenda,” she added.

NEWSOM UNVEILING CALIFORNIA REDISTRICTING EFFORT TO COUNTER TRUMP-BACKED PUSH IN TEXAS

At the conference, former Washington Gov. Jay Inslee claimed to the COP30 conference that the U.S. has not pulled out of the Paris climate accords.

“One part of the United States has, and that’s the federal government,” he told Germany’s Deutsche Welle.

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At a business conference in Greece this week, Energy Secretary Chris Wright commented on the Trump administration’s absence, calling the confab “essentially a hoax.”

“It’s not an honest organization looking to better human lives,” Wright said, adding that he may drop in on the 2026 conference to deliver some “common sense.”

President Donald Trump issued a “Complete and Total” endorsement of Lone Star State Gov. Greg Abbott on Tuesday.

Abbott, a Republican, launched his reelection campaign at an event in Houston on Sunday.

In a Truth Social post on Tuesday evening, Trump called Abbott “an exceptional Governor and man,” declaring, “HE WILL NEVER LET YOU DOWN!”

“Greg Abbott is the strong and highly respected Governor of Texas, a State I love and WON BIG three times, including with 6.4 Million Votes in 2024 (The most Votes in History, BY FAR)!” Trump wrote.

ABBOTT DEPLOYS ‘ELITE TEXAS NATIONAL GUARD’ AFTER TRUMP CALLS FOR REINFORCEMENTS: ‘EVER READY’

He credited Abbott’s leadership for the successful passage of the Texas mid-decade redistricting bill that will potentially give Republicans an additional five congressional seats in the 2026 Midterm Elections.

“Thanks to Greg’s bold and effective Leadership, the wonderful people of Texas will have the opportunity to elect 5 new MAGA Republicans in the 2026 Midterm Elections with the passage of their new, fair, and much improved, Congressional Map — A BIG WIN for Republicans in The Lone Star State, and across the Country! ” wrote Trump.

The president went on to tout many of Abbott’s priorities, saying, “As Governor, Greg is also fighting tirelessly to Champion Texas Values, Grow the Economy, Cut Taxes and Regulations, Support our Amazing Farmers and Ranchers, Advance MADE IN THE U.S.A., Unleash American Energy Dominance, Promote School Choice, Keep our now very Secure Border, SECURE, Stop Migrant Crime, Murderers, and other Criminals from illegally entering our Country, Ensure LAW AND ORDER, Protect our Brave Military, Veterans, and Law Enforcement, and Defend our always under siege Second Amendment.”

“Greg Abbott has my Complete and Total Endorsement for Re-Election,” he concluded.

TRUMP BACKS HUCKABEE SANDERS AND A BUNCH OF HOUSE REPUBLICANS FOR RE-ELECTION WITH MIDTERMS ON THE HORIZON

Abbott responded to the endorsement by calling it an “honor.”

“Together, we’ve worked to secure our border and defend the values that keep Texas strong. President Trump has always been a champion for Texas,” wrote Abbott, adding, “I look forward to our ongoing work to build a stronger, safer, more prosperous Texas and America.”

Abbott is seeking a fourth term in the Lone Star State. At his campaign launch on Sunday, Abbott outlined a sweeping property tax reform plan, addressing what has become one of the state’s most pressing, hot-button issues.

“It’s time to drive a stake through the heart of local property tax hikes for good,” Abbott said. “We are going to turn the tables on local taxing authorities, put the power with the people, and put an end to out-of-control property taxes in Texas.”

Despite much speculation of Texas turning purple or even blue in recent years, Abbott has won each of his three previous elections by decisive margins. In 2022, he defeated the once-rising star, former Rep. Robert Francis “Beto” O’Rourke by over ten percentage points.

TEXAS GOVERNOR REVEALS REASON WHY HE AND TRUMP HAVE BEEN WORKING TOGETHER SO CLOSELY

In an interview with Fox News Digital in October, Abbott, whose National Guard troops were deployed in support of Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations in Chicago, revealed the “substantive reason” why he has such a good working relationship with the president: “We both believe in the rule of law.”

“President Trump and I have a good, long-standing, working relationship, and there’s a substantive reason behind that. We both believe in the rule of law. We both believe in public safety. We both believed in securing the borders,” he explained.

Abbott said that he and President Donald Trump are “operating very closely aligned in ensuring that our country’s going to be safe.”

Abbott emphasized that the Trump administration shares a common vision with Texas, making them apt partners.

ABBOTT VOWS TO IMPOSE A ‘100% TARIFF’ ON ANYONE MOVING FROM NYC TO TEXAS AFTER ELECTION DAY

“What Texas is trying to do is the same thing the United States is trying to do. And that is very simply, carrying out the functions of the federal government. One of them is immigration enforcement, and another is public safety. The National Guard from Texas [is] not there to police the city of Chicago or any other place. They are there to ensure the safety and security of the ability of federal officials to fulfill their constitutional duty to enforce the laws of the United States.”

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Though he gave no indication of what other collaborations Texas might undertake with the Trump administration in the future, he said that Texas remains ready for whatever is needed.

“No one can accurately predict exactly what’s going to happen in the future. What I can predict is how Texas will respond. And that is, whenever the country is in time of need, Texans will step up and help out any way we possibly can.”

President Donald Trump said Tuesday that violent crime in Chicago has fallen sharply since the start of a federal crackdown known as “Operation Midway Blitz,” crediting the Department of Homeland Security-led effort with driving shootings and robberies down across the Windy City.

The president’s Truth Social post claimed that shootings are down 35%, robberies down 41% and carjackings nearly 50% since the operation began several weeks ago.

“This has been achieved despite the extraordinary resistance from Chicago and Illinois Radical Democrat leadership,” Trump wrote.

The post marks the president’s first public update on the initiative since late October, when DHS confirmed nine arrests, including three illegal immigrants, following what officials described as “one of the most violent days” of the operation.

DHS ‘BLITZES’ CHICAGOLAND, NETTING ‘MANY ARRESTS’ AS NOEM ONSITE FOR IMMIGRATION CRACKDOWN

According to DHS statements obtained by Fox News Digital, agents faced multiple assaults and vehicle rammings during coordinated Oct. 22 raids in the Chicago suburbs of Cicero and Glendale Heights.

DHS assistant secretary Tricia McLaughlin called it “one of the most violent days we’ve had,” confirming that one agent was injured and several patrol units were damaged. The raids targeted violent offenders and previously deported foreign nationals with criminal records.

The operation’s namesake honors Katie Abraham, a Chicago-area resident killed in September in a hit-and-run involving a suspected illegal immigrant.

DHS MARKS ‘ONE OF THE MOST VIOLENT DAYS’ OF OPERATION MIDWAY BLITZ WITH SEVERAL ARRESTS

“Midway Blitz,” launched in September, is part of a broader DHS initiative aimed at “criminal illegal aliens terrorizing Americans in sanctuary Illinois,” according to DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, who said suspects who attacked agents “will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”

Trump’s post also reignited tensions with Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, both of whom have previously opposed large-scale immigration raids. The president accused them of obstructing enforcement and “encouraging violent resistance against ICE officers.”

HUNDREDS OF FEDERAL AGENTS IN CHICAGO CARRY OUT OPERATION TARGETING SUSPECTED TREN DE ARAGUA GANG MEMBERS

Trump said the next phase of “Midway Blitz” will include a “full surge” of federal agents in Chicago and Memphis, claiming the first wave has already delivered measurable results.

“As we ramp up more assets, these numbers will continue to drop,” he wrote Tuesday.

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The Illinois governor’s office and the Chicago mayor’s office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s requests for comment. The White House directed Fox News Digital back to the President’s comments on Truth Social.

Fox News Digital’s Rachel Wolf contributed to this report.

Democrats will attempt to attach a three-year extension of expiring Obamacare subsidies to spending legislation that looks poised to end the ongoing government shutdown.

Jeffries and a handful of other Democrats at a press conference on Tuesday said the last-gasp effort would be submitted as an amendment. 

“Before the Rules Committee this evening, House Democrats will give the Republicans another opportunity to extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits by introducing an amendment that will extend these tax credits for a three-year period of time,” Jeffries said.

SCREAMING MATCH ERUPTS BETWEEN HAKEEM JEFFRIES, MIKE LAWLER AS GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN CHAOS CONTINUES

“Republicans have created a healthcare crisis all across America. You now have an opportunity to actually take some action by working with Democrats before the Rules Committee this evening to extend the Affordable Care Act tax credit.”

Democrats have also introduced several other amendments including a prohibition on blanket firings of federal workers until 2029, a prevention to cuts to Medicaid or Medicare, a restriction to cuts for several federal safety-net programs and more.

Those amendments are almost certain to fail.

The government entered a 42-day shutdown on Oct 1 when Democrats rejected a Republican-led short-term spending bill over unrelated healthcare demands. Democrats led by Jeffries and Senate Minority leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., demanded Congress first consider extending temporary, COVID-era Obamacare subsidies that lawmakers passed in 2021 as an emergency response to the pandemic.

MIKE JOHNSON EYES WEDNESDAY VOTE WITH END OF GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN IN SIGHT

Now that those subsidies are set to sunset at the end of the year, Democrats have raised alarms that their expiration could leave millions of Americans paying significantly higher healthcare premiums overnight.

Republicans rejected those demands out of hand and now look poised to re-open the government without having made any concessions on the subsidies. 

The short-term spending bill before the House would extend government funding through Jan. 30, 2026 and advances three of the twelve annual spending bills. It also prohibits the Trump administration from conducting mass layoffs to its federal workforce through January 30. 

DEMOCRATS, LEFT EMPTY-HANDED IN SHUTDOWN, TURN FURY ON SCHUMER

Democrats at Tuesday’s press conference framed Democrats’ stand on the Obamacare subsidies as a longstanding prioritization of healthcare issues.

“Democrats have been fighting Republicans in a long struggle to provide healthcare to Americans. We have been fighting Republicans when we created Medicare, when we created Medicaid, when we created the Affordable Care Act, and we’re not going to give up that fight,” Rep. Teresa Fernández said. 

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The House of Representatives is set to consider the spending package on Wednesday evening as lawmakers rush back to Washington, D.C. from across the country.

President Donald Trump declared victory in Chicago after a weeks-long showdown with pro-sanctuary Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker and Mayor Brandon Johnson over immigration enforcement operations in the city.

In a Truth Social post on Tuesday night, Trump wrote, “I am proud to announce that Chicago, Illinois, despite all of the radical opposition and obstruction we have from the Mayor and the Governor, has seen Car Theft, Shootings, Robberies, Violent Crime, and everything else, drop dramatically.”

Trump said that since the launch of the immigration enforcement push, dubbed “Operation Midway Blitz,” by the Department of Homeland Security, “shootings are down 35%, Robberies are down 41%, and Carjackings are down almost 50%.”

He noted that these numbers follow “just a small initial Federal Force, not the full ‘surge’” of federal resources.

DHS ‘BLITZES’ CHICAGOLAND, NETTING ‘MANY ARRESTS’ AS NOEM ONSITE FOR IMMIGRATION CRACKDOWN

“As we ramp up more assets, these numbers will continue to drop,” he added.

All this, Trump said, “has been achieved despite the extraordinary resistance from Chicago and Illinois Radical Democrat ‘Leadership,’ and the constant Violent Leftwing Terrorism against ICE Officers and Federal Agents that Insurrectionist Democrat Officials refuse to stop or prosecute, including constant physical assault and attempted assassination.”

Launched on Sept. 8, Operation Midway Blitz has seen federal law enforcement from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Border Patrol and others flood the Chicago area, resulting in thousands of illegals being arrested, including violent criminals and gang members.

The operation, however, has simultaneously been met with fierce resistance from Pritzker, Johnson and members of the public. There have been several instances of violent confrontations with members of the public attempting to interfere with operations, including people blocking ICE vehicles, ramming federal officials and shooting at Border Patrol agents.

TRUMP SAYS CHICAGO MAYOR, ILLINOIS GOVERNOR ‘SHOULD BE IN JAIL FOR FAILING TO PROTECT’ ICE OFFICERS

The shooting happened Saturday in the city’s Little Village neighborhood as federal agents were conducting immigration enforcement operations. An illegal immigrant with a criminal history has since been arrested in connection with the shooting. The unidentified suspect, a Mexican citizen, was in a Jeep that drove up near the agents and fired shots before driving away, federal sources told Fox News. At the time of his arrest, he was found with a firearm, sources said.

“This incident is not isolated and reflects a growing and dangerous trend of violence and obstruction,” a Department of Homeland Security statement said. “Over the past two months, we’ve seen an increase in assaults and obstruction targeting federal law enforcement during operations. These confrontations highlight the dangers our agents face daily and the escalating aggression toward law enforcement.”

Pritzker, meanwhile, has continued to criticize the federal agents conducting the operations.

Commenting on a picture of Border Patrol officials posing in front of Chicago’s famous “Bean” sculpture, Pritzker said, “Making fun of our neighborhoods and communities is disgusting.”

CHICAGO-AREA MAYOR, CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATE BRAGS ABOUT LENGTHS HE’S GONE TO FLUMMOX ICE

Pritzker said that U.S. Border Patrol Commander Greg Bovino “and his masked agents are not here to make Chicago safer” and “as children are tear gassed and U.S. citizens detained, they are posing for photo ops and producing reality TV moments.”

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Johnson signed a mayoral executive order in October establishing “ICE-free zones” by prohibiting the use of city parking lots and garages for civil immigration enforcement staging areas, processing locations or operations bases.

Fox News Digital reached out to Pritzker and Johnson for comment, but did not immediately receive a response.

Fox News Digital’s Louis Casiano contributed to this report.

The Supreme Court on Tuesday agreed to extend its temporary stay of a lower court order that the Trump administration immediately pay the full Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits for the month of November, delivering a near-term win to the administration, just hours after it appealed the matter to the high court for emergency intervention.

Trump officials had urged the Supreme Court in a supplemental brief Monday afternoon to keep in place an emergency stay handed down by Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson last week. The new action keeps the stay in place through 11:59 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 13.  

U.S. Solicitor General D. John Sauerhad asked the Supreme Court Monday to grant an emergency stay ordering them to resume full SNAP payments before the end of the government shutdown in Congress.

At issue was whether the Trump administration must resume full SNAP benefit payments for the month of November, after they lapsed at the start of the month during the government shutdown.

States sued last month to keep the benefits in place, arguing that suspending the aid would disproportionately harm some tens of millions of vulnerable and low-income Americans in their states. 

“Because of USDA’s actions, SNAP benefits will be delayed for the first time since the program’s inception,” they said.

TRUMP, STATES BACK IN COURT OVER SNAP AS BENEFITS REMAIN IN LEGAL LIMBO

Lower courts had sided with the states in ordering the SNAP benefits to be paid in full, prompting the Trump administration to appeal the issue to the Supreme Court for emergency intervention.

In appealing the case, Trump’s legal team had argued that the lower court judges overstepped their powers, and urged the Supreme Court to keep in place an emergency stay handed down late last week by Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson.

They cited the progress Congress has made towards resolving the ongoing shutdown, and added that, in their view, “the answer to this crisis is not for federal courts to reallocate resources without lawful authority.” 

“The only way to end this crisis — which the Executive is adamant to end — is for Congress to reopen the government,” they added.

DOJ ACCUSES FEDERAL JUDGE OF MAKING ‘MOCKERY OF THE SEPARATION OF POWERS’ IN SNAP APPEAL

States, for their part, accused the Trump administration of playing politics with SNAP benefits, or the food aid that provides benefits to roughly one in eight Americans. 

“Any further stay would prolong that irreparable harm and add to the chaos the government has unleashed, with lasting impacts on the administration of SNAP,” they told the Supreme Court in a filing of their own Tuesday morning.

“The government has offered no defensible justification for that result,” they added. “The administrative stay should be terminated, and no further stay should be granted.”

The U.S. Department of Agriculture issued a directive Saturday ordering that states “immediately undo any steps taken to issue full SNAP benefits,” in compliance with the court order just 24 hours earlier, and to instead allocate only the partial 65% SNAP payments for the month that the administration had agreed to.

Trump officials said that states that failed to comply would face steep economic penalties, prompting emergency intervention from U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani, who agreed on Monday afternoon to pause the USDA guidance, citing confusion over the guidance.

New Jersey Attorney General Matt Platkin described the actions to reporters Monday as the “most heinous thing” he had seen while in office. 

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“There are more children in New Jersey on SNAP than consists of the entire population of our state’s largest city,” he said in a press conference Monday, in an effort to contextualize the number of people in the Garden State alone who receive SNAP benefits.

This is a breaking news story. Check back soon for updates.

FIRST ON FOX: Federal Election Commission filings show that progressive Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, spent nearly $75,000 on luxury hotels, transportation and security this year in cities across the U.S.

Crockett’s filings show luxury hotel and transportation expenses in Martha’s Vineyard, Chicago, New York City, Las Vegas, San Francisco, Los Angeles, among other major cities despite representing Texas’s 30th Congressional District, which includes Dallas.

In total, Crockett’s filings show her campaign spending $25,748.87 since January on high-end hotels and limousine services.

The hotel expenses include $4,175.01 at the Ritz-Carlton and $2,304.79 at The Luxury Collection. Other hotel expenses include $5,326.52 to the West Hollywood Edition in Los Angeles, $1,173.92 to the Times Square Edition in New York City, over $2,000 to the Cosmopolitan and Aria resort in Las Vegas and $2,703.14 to the Edgartown Inn and $3,160.93 at The Coco, both in Martha’s Vineyard.

JASMINE CROCKETT DOWNPLAYS JAY JONES’ MURDEROUS TEXTS AS A ‘DISTRACTION’

Additionally, Crockett’s campaign paid Chicago-based limousine service Transportation 4 U $2,728.00 for travel, as well as $2,310.30 to DCA Car LLC, a premium car and limousine service, and $1,254.00 to Bay Area Limousine.

In its client gallery on Yelp, Transportation 4 U, which says it specializes in providing “top-tier limousine experiences tailored to your needs,” posted a picture of Crockett with the caption: “We were honored to provide transportation services for Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett during her visit to Chicago.” Crockett is pictured smiling and dressed casually in a red sweater.

In that same time frame, Crockett’s campaign also spent nearly $50,000 on security expenses despite repeatedly calling for defunding the police. In 2021, while Crockett was serving in the Texas House of Representatives, she said, “The Defund movement seeks to actually bring about healing and finally invest in our communities to make them safer, addressing the root causes of crime and by allowing the professionals to do their respective jobs. Defund is about finally being smart on crime. Defund is about lightening the load for our offices of all things they didn’t sign up for. Defund is about finally being fiscally responsible when it comes to policing in this state.”

Fox News Digital reached out to Crockett for comment on the expenses but did not receive a response by the time of publication.

TEXAS REP JASMINE CROCKETT WEIGHS SENATE BID AFTER REDISTRICTING THREATENS HOUSE SEAT

Crockett, one of the most recognizable and outspoken members of the Democratic Party, has said she is “seriously weighing” a possible run for the U.S. Senate against Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas.

Speaking with Politico in October, Crockett said, “I am seriously weighing it to the extent that I’m about to spend a lot of money to get data.”

Crockett said she has already had conversations with a possible campaign leader and that her decision on whether to run will depend on what the data is and who the Republican nominee will be.

Currently, Cornyn, who is running to serve a fifth term, is in a bitter primary battle against Texas Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton and Houston-area Rep. Wesley Hunt.

Crockett has been embroiled in several controversies this year, perhaps most notably her attacking Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott, who is paraplegic and wheelchair-bound, “Governor Hot Wheels.”

‘VERY TALENTED’: HARRIS REVEALS JASMINE CROCKETT WAS PART OF ‘SECRET PROJECT’ OF LAWMAKERS SHE WAS MENTORING

“Y’all know we got Governor Hot Wheels down there – come on now! And the only thing hot about him is that he is a hot a– mess, honey,” Crockett said.

Crockett later said her statements were misinterpreted and that she was not mocking Abbott’s disability.

She said in a statement posted on X, “I wasn’t thinking about the governor’s condition—I was thinking about the planes, trains, and automobiles he used to transfer migrants into communities led by Black mayors, deliberately stoking tension and fear among the most vulnerable.”

This statement surfaced as Crockett was already facing heavy criticism for other recent statements calling for Elon Musk to be “taken down” and for Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, to be “knocked over the head, like hard.”

In addition to that comment, Crockett recently came to the defense of Jay Jones, the Democratic Virginia Attorney General-elect who ignited a firestorm after his texts that privately fantasized about murdering a Republican lawmaker surfaced.

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“And I was very excited to see that he was able to pull off the win. Not that I know him – I’ve never met him, I’ve never talked to him – but because it seems like people did not get caught up in the distractions,” Crockett told host Roland Martin.

“Listen, there were still Democrats that were talking about it,” she continued. “And my deal was, say what you got to say, denounce what he did, but in this moment, do you trust this Republican attorney general to stand up when it is the state legislature that decides that they need to fight fire with fire and give us more seats out of Virginia to go to the U.S. House because they’re trying to balance out this power struggle that Trump is on?”

Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., struck back at President Donald Trump after he took a swipe at her understanding of the Constitution. 

While the two have gone head-to-head for years dating back to Trump’s first term, they have reignited their longstanding quarrel in recent weeks as Trump has suggested she should return to Somalia, where she was born. Omar’s comment comes a day after the White House shared an image on X of Trump waving goodbye through a McDonald’s drive-thru window in 2024, replying to a video of Omar saying she wasn’t uneasy about being deported.

On Tuesday, Omar took a jab at Trump in response to a video where he questioned her Constitutional knowledge. 

“Unlike you, I can read and that’s why I know what the constitution says,” Omar said in a post on X. 

OMAR CELEBRATES CENSURE VOTE FAILURE, ALLEGES ‘EMERGENCY’ NEED TO GET MACE ‘HELP’ BEFORE SHE HARMS SOMEONE

Although Trump did not mention Omar by name, Trump took a shot at Omar as he criticized other Democrats like Rep. Jasmine Crockett of Texas in a Monday interview with Fox News.

“I look at somebody who comes from Somalia where they don’t have anything, they don’t have police, they don’t have military, they don’t have anything. All they have is crime,” Trump said in the clip. “And she comes in and tells us how to run our country. ‘The Constitution says this, the Constitution says that.’ The whole thing is crazy.”

‘SQUAD’ MEMBER, NANCY MACE CLASH ON SOCIAL MEDIA: ‘YOU BELONG IN REHAB’

“I have no worry, I don’t know how they’d take away my citizenship and like deport me,” Omar said in the clip the White House responded to, which originally was made on “The Dean Obeidallah Show” in October. “But I don’t even know like why that’s such a scary threat. Like I’m not the 8-year-old who escaped war anymore. I’m grown, my kids are grown. Like I could go live wherever I want.”

Trump repeatedly has indicated that Omar should return to Somalia, but told reporters in September that Somalia didn’t want her back.

“You know, I met the head of Somalia, did you know that?” Trump said. “And I suggested that maybe he’d like to take her back. He said, ‘I don’t want her.’”

ILHAN OMAR REFUSES TO CREDIT TRUMP FOR GAZA CEASEFIRE

However, Omar said that the story was not true.

“From denying Somalia had a president to making up a story, President Trump is a lying buffoon,” Omar said. “No one should take this embarrassing fool seriously.”

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

When asked for comment about Omar’s statement, White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson told Fox News Digital: “President Trump is right.”

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Omar’s family fled Somalia for a refugee camp in Kenya during the Somalian Civil War in 1991. The U.S. granted her family asylum, and they lived in Arlington, Virginia, starting in 1995. The congresswoman obtained citizenship in the United States in the year 2000.

She was elected to Minnesota’s House of Representatives in 2016 and then in 2018 was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. She is the first Somali–American woman and one of the first Muslim women to serve in Congress.