NationalWatch

A Senate Republican intends to block President Donald Trump’s Department of Homeland Security (DHS) nominees until Secretary Kristi Noem appears on Capitol Hill.

Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., told reporters that he was putting holds on future nominees for the agency, because Noem had not yet committed to appearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee.

“My chairman has made two requests in this Congress to have the Homeland Security Secretary [Kristi Noem] come before the committee, and they have yet to confirm that they’re coming,” Tillis said. “That is unacceptable, and so I am putting a hold on anything related to Homeland Security measures until we get an agreement and a scheduled time to come for committee at the least.”

KRISTI NOEM FACES FIRST MAJOR HOMELAND SECURITY GRILLING AS LAWMAKERS PRESS HER ON TERROR THREATS

But he made clear that the blockade was not in response to the death of Renee Nicole Goode, whose fatal shooting by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent on Wednesday sparked protests.

“The only thing that moves through Homeland Security where I will consider an exception would be having anything to do with the disaster response,” he said.

His holds come after Grassley sent two separate invites for Noem to appear before the committee, one in June and the other in September.

5 GOP SENATORS JOIN DEMOCRATS TO STOP TRUMP FROM POLICING VENEZUELA

It also comes on the heels of Senate Republicans touting their blistering pace to confirm several hundred of Trump’s picks.

Still, the move to block Trump’s DHS picks is another instance of Tillis pushing back against the administration. Tillis announced last year that he would not support Trump’s crowning legislative achievement of his second term, the “big, beautiful bill,” over issues with cuts to Medicaid.

He also announced that he would not seek re-election shortly after, and has since on occasion broken ranks with Republicans to push back on the president’s agenda.

SENATE REPUBLICANS PUSH TO DEPORT, DENATURALIZE FRAUDSTERS AMID MINNESOTA SCANDAL

Most recently, he pushed back on recent rumblings from the White House and administration officials that military force was not off the table to advance Trump’s desire to control Greenland.

“I’m sick of stupid,” Tillis said on the Senate floor earlier this week. “I want good advice for this president, because I want this president to have a good legacy. And this nonsense on what’s going on with Greenland is a distraction from the good work he’s doing, and the amateurs who said it was a good idea should lose their jobs.”

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Still, Tillis voted against a related resolution on Thursday to curtail Trump’s future usage of the military in Venezuela, which ultimately advanced with the aid of five Senate Republicans. 

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

The U.S. seizure of the tanker formerly known as Bella I marks a rare escalation in sanctions enforcement against Russia’s so-called “dark fleet,” but experts say the move is unlikely to trigger a broader confrontation with Moscow, at least in the near term.

Analysts largely agree that the interdiction — one of the most direct U.S. actions against a vessel Russia claims was operating under its flag — comes at a moment when the Kremlin has limited appetite for escalation outside Europe and is focused primarily on its war against neighboring Ukraine.

“This is unique,” said Brent Sadler, senior research fellow at the Washington conservative Heritage Foundation think tank. 

The U.S. rarely boards foreign-flagged vessels on the high seas unless the ship’s nationality is in doubt, which he said was the case here due to rapid reflagging and a pattern of sanctions violations.

TREASURY TARGETS OIL TRADERS, TANKERS ACCUSED OF HELPING MADURO EVADE U.S. SANCTIONS

Peter Rough, a senior fellow and director of the Center on Europe and Eurasia at the Hudson Institute think tank, said that the seizure of the tanker reinforces the message that the U.S. is aiming to “call the shots in its own backyard.” Meanwhile, he said that Russia is bogged down fighting its war against Ukraine, meaning it will be challenging for it to engage in a significant way in Latin America. 

Likewise, Russia is also attempting to curry favor with the Trump administration for a favorable outcome in a peace deal ending the conflict with Ukraine, he said. 

“The Donroe Doctrine,” President Donald Trump has called it, fashioning the 1823 Monroe Doctrine warning against European expansion into Latin America after himself. 

The empty vessel was seized in international waters during an operation overseen by U.S. European Command. The Wall Street Journal reported that Russia dispatched a submarine to escort the tanker after the U.S. attempted to seize it off Venezuela, heightening the risk of a naval standoff between two nuclear-armed states.

‘GHOST SHIPS’ FERRYING ILLICIT OIL HAVE SAILED INTO TRUMP’S CROSSHAIRS

Russia has operated a so-called “shadow fleet” of oil tankers for years to evade sanctions imposed after its 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Wednesday’s seizure marks one of the most direct U.S. enforcement actions to date against a vessel tied to that network.

“There’s really not a whole lot of cards the Russians have to play at this point,” Sadler said, anticipating a muted response. 

US AND UKRAINE TARGET 1,000-VESSEL ‘DARK FLEET’ SMUGGLING SANCTIONED OIL WORLDWIDE

Rough also noted that similar actions like the one on Wednesday have not triggered major escalation previously. In October, French authorities boarded and detained a Russia-linked tanker suspected of being part of the shadow fleet off the coast of France without sparking a new crisis. 

In that instance, the tanker was not a Russian-flagged vessel. 

“The upshot is that in light of the administration’s determination to dictate terms on Venezuela-related issues like this and Putin’s desire to work with Trump on what matters most to the Kremlin — Ukraine — I’m inclined to say that Moscow’s response will consist mostly of protesting this action and lodging political and legal complaints,” Rough said in an email to Fox News Digital. “I don’t think it will lead to a full-blown political crisis in U.S.-Russian relations.”

John Hardie, deputy director of the Russia program at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, also predicted the seizure of the Bella I tanker wouldn’t dramatically impact relations between Washington and Moscow. 

“I suspect Moscow reacted the way it did because it worries about a precedent that could lead to U.S. interdiction of tankers moving Russian oil,” Hardie said. “That said, I don’t think the Bella incident alone will have significant impact on relations between the Trump administration and Moscow or the peace talks.”

US COAST GUARD PURSUES THIRD ‘DARK FLEET’ OIL TANKER AS TRUMP TARGETS VENEZUELAN SANCTIONS EVASION NETWORK

Russia has accused U.S. naval forces of illegally boarding the vessel — which had been reflagged as the Merinera under temporary Russian authorization Dec. 24 — arguing the action violated international maritime law. U.S. officials have not publicly detailed the legal justification for the seizure.

While Moscow’s response has so far been limited to diplomatic and legal objections, the incident has drawn attention because of how unusual the operation was. 

Mark Cancian, a senior adviser with the Center for Strategic & International Studies’ defense and security department, said that there are hundreds of sanctioned oil ships in the sea — with at least 100 of them belonging to Russia. If the U.S. started targeting more tankers, that would have a “huge” impact on countries like Russia and Iran, he said. 

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

“The one tanker will be an annoyance to Russia, and they’ll complain,” Cancian told Fox News Digital Wednesday. “I think the bigger issue is whether we or other countries, start going after other tankers with sanctioned oil.” 

FIRST ON FOX: A leading education watchdog group released a report this week alleging that a state-funded teacher preparation partnership in Minnesota explicitly limits eligibility based on race, possibly in violation of federal law.

According to a report released by Defending Education, the Minnesota Educators Partnership (MEP), a collaboration between MSU Mankato and several southern Minnesota school districts, operates multiple teacher pipeline programs that are restricted to Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) applicants despite being funded with taxpayer dollars through the Minnesota Department of Education.

The partnership in question, according to the report, received $1.5 million in state grants in 2023 as part of Minnesota’s “Grow Your Own” (GYO) program, which was designed to recruit and train teachers to work throughout schools in the state with the goal of diversifying the teaching workforce.

The report focuses on two MEP initiatives known as “Teachers of Tomorrow,” which targets high school students, and “Teaching Fellows,” an adult pathway designed to help participants earn teaching licenses.

GOT A SCOOP ON CAMPUS? SEND US A TIP HERE

Program documents obtained by Defending Education for the Teaching Fellows initiative state that it is “open to applicants who are Black, Indigenous, or People of Color (BIPOC)” and require participants to be “of color or American Indian.” Some application materials require applicants to affirmatively check a box stating they are BIPOC in order to apply. 

In addition to eligibility requirements, the report also highlights race-based rules governing how the partnership is run. According to program documentation, all project decisions for the Teaching Fellows initiative are made by a council that “must be majority individuals of color.”

The Defending Education report argues that state data backs up their concerns and references a 2024 Minnesota Department of Education report showing that in several participating districts, 100% of MEP participants identified as “People of Color or Indigenous.” 

WATCHDOG URGES DOJ PROBE OF TOP RESEARCH UNIVERSITY OVER ALLEGED ILLEGAL DEI PRACTICES: ‘DEFIES COMMON SENSE’

Erika Sanzi, Senior Director of Communications at Defending Education, told Fox News Digital that the actions may violate Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of race in programs receiving federal funding.

“Minnesota’s race-based programming for aspiring teachers is likely illegal and I wouldn’t be surprised if federal authorities decide to take a closer look,” Sanzi told Fox News Digital.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

“The goal of diversifying the teacher pipeline isn’t the problem; discriminating on the basis of race is the problem.” 

In a statement to Fox News Digital, a MSU-Mankato spokesperson told Fox News Digital that “access to education for all students is among Minnesota State University, Mankato’s core values as an institution, and we are proud of our institutional commitment to an inclusive environment where all are welcome.”

“Minnesota State University, Mankato follows all grant criteria established by the Minnesota Department of Education’s Grow Your Own program and Minnesota state law. Minnesota State Mankato’s website provides more information about the Minnesota Educators Partnership, Teachers of Tomorrow and more.”

The report comes as the Trump administration has made efforts to crack down on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) measures in schools across the country in the form of executive orders aiming to ensure federal funding isn’t allocated to jurisdictions or institutions that focus on race-based curriculum or hiring practices. 

President Donald Trump announced in an early Friday morning Truth Social post that he has “cancelled the previously expected second Wave of Attacks” against Venezuela in light of the nation’s “cooperation.”

“Venezuela is releasing large numbers of political prisoners as a sign of ‘Seeking Peace.’ This is a very important and smart gesture. The U.S.A. and Venezuela are working well together, especially as it pertains to rebuilding, in a much bigger, better, and more modern form, their oil and gas infrastructure. Because of this cooperation, I have cancelled the previously expected second Wave of Attacks, which looks like it will not be needed, however, all ships will stay in place for safety and security purposes,” Trump said in the post.

“At least 100 Billion Dollars will be invested by BIG OIL, all of whom I will be meeting with today at The White House. Thank you for your attention to this matter!” he added.

This is a breaking news story and will be updated

 

A Catholic legal group has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to block a California law that prevents public schools from notifying parents of transgender students’ gender identities.

The Thomas More Society filed an emergency appeal on Thursday asking the Supreme Court to reinstate a ruling issued last month by a federal judge who said parents with religious objections can opt out of the law’s restrictions. The challenged provisions bar teachers from informing parents if a student wishes to change their pronouns or gender identity, according to reporting by POLITICO.

“Parents only relinquish authority needed for the school to carry out its ‘educational mission’ … they do not delegate the authority to make decisions regarding whether their child is a boy or a girl,” attorneys for the Thomas More Society wrote in the appeal.

FEDERAL JUDGE STRIKES DOWN ‘GENDER SECRECY’ POLICIES IN CALIFORNIA PUBLIC SCHOOLS

The law, signed into law by California Gov. Gavin Newsom in 2024 and in effect for the past year, also bars teachers from disclosing a student’s sexual orientation. That provision, however, is not directly at issue in the current legal challenge. 

The measure was adopted after several school districts in the Golden State implemented policies requiring teachers to contact parents if students wanted to change their name, pronouns or gender identity – policies that critics labeled “forced outing.” 

The law allows disclosure of a student’s gender identity in “compelling” circumstances, a standard opponents argue is vague and insufficient. 

There are exceptions under the law allowing schools to disclose a student’s gender identity in “compelling” circumstances.

U.S. District Judge Roger Benitez issued a permanent injunction last month blocking parts of the law, siding with two Escondido Union School District teachers — Elizabeth Mirabelli and Lori Ann West — who argued their district’s policies violated their constitutional and religious rights.

OREGON EDUCATORS WIN 650K SETTLEMENT AFTER SCHOOL DISTRICT FIRED THEM OVER GENDER POLICY COMMENTS

“Parents have a right to receive gender information and teachers have a right to provide to parents accurate information about a child’s gender identity,” Benitez wrote in the ruling. “Parents and guardians have a federal constitutional right to be informed if their public school student child expresses gender incongruence.” 

The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals later paused Benitez’s ruling while California appeals the decision, keeping the law in effect for now.

In addition to seeking emergency relief from the nation’s highest court, lawyers challenging the law said they plan to ask a larger panel of Ninth Circuit judges to allow Benitez’s injunction to take effect.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta’s office said the state would continue defending the law.

“We look forward to continuing to make our case in court,” a spokesperson for Bonta’s office told POLITICO.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

The case comes amid broader scrutiny of California’s education policies. In March, the Trump administration announced the Education Department had launched an investigation into the state’s enforcement of the law.

The White House said Thursday that it was not feasible to save the East Wing due to severe structural problems, as officials defended its demolition while unveiling details of President Donald Trump’s planned $400 million ballroom.

Josh Fisher, the director of the White House Office of Administration, cited an unstable colonnade, water leakage and mold contamination, saying it was more economical to tear down the historic East Wing rather than renovate it.

“Because of this and other factors, the cost analysis proved that demolition and reconstruction provided the lowest total cost ownership and most effective long-term strategy,” Fisher said during a meeting with the National Capital Planning Commission, which is charged with approving the project.

The commission’s chairman, Will Scharf, who is also a White House official, told reporters he believes the project will ultimately be approved.

WHITE HOUSE RESPONDS TO REPORTS TRUMP NAMED NEW BALLROOM AFTER HIMSELF

Scharf argued during the meeting that the White House needed a large, elegant space for major functions. He said that when the president hosts distinguished guests like King Charles III of Great Britain, “more likely than not, he will be hosted in a tent on the South Lawn with porta-potties.”

In December, the National Trust for Historic Preservation sued to halt construction of the ballroom, accusing the Trump administration of skipping mandatory reviews and failing to seek congressional approval before demolishing the East Wing.

Carol Quillen, president and CEO of the Trust, said that Thursday’s presentation by the White House was a “good and necessary first step,” while urging the administration to comply with all legally required review and approval processes before commencing construction.

BILL MAHER SAYS HE DOESN’T ‘GIVE A S—‘ ABOUT TRUMP’S WHITE HOUSE REMODEL, SLAMS PRESS COVERAGE

A more formal review of the project, including public testimony and votes, is expected after the White House submits a more detailed proposal.

The project’s architect, Shalom Baranes, who was tapped by Trump in December to lead the next phase of the ballroom project, gave the commission a detailed presentation, including renderings of the ballroom and views of the White House complex with the addition.

Baranes suggested that the design could include adding a second story to the West Wing colonnade to help make the White House more uniform with the new ballroom on the east side, but he cautioned that it would dramatically impact the space outside the Oval Office.

MICHELLE OBAMA TAKES SWIPE AT TRUMP’S DEMOLITION OF WHITE HOUSE EAST WING

In addition to the planned ballroom, officials say the project will also streamline visitor access to the White House and involve improvements across the street at Lafayette Park.

Phil Mendelson, a Democrat on the commission and chairman of the D.C. Council, asked if the ballroom’s size and location were solidified, saying that the planned ceiling height of 38 to 40 feet would be “overwhelming” for the existing building.

Baranes replied that “anything’s possible,” but noted the plans had already been thoroughly reviewed.

Mendelson also asked why the idea wasn’t presented to the commission before the East Wing was demolished in October.

In response, Fisher said that some aspects of the project were of a “top secret nature” and had to be handled accordingly.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

The White House announced in July that a 90,000-square-foot space would be built at a then-estimated cost of $200 million. Trump has said the project is being privately funded.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, warned that nationwide protests will erupt unless an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer involved in a fatal shooting in Minneapolis, Minnesota, is identified and prosecuted, calling the incident a “state-sanctioned execution” as she accused Republicans and the administration of ignoring deadly misconduct.

Tensions flared during a House Judiciary Committee hearing on bail reform Thursday as Democrats criticized the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) following the fatal shooting of a woman by an ICE officer in Minneapolis the day before.

Crockett escalated her criticism during the hearing, warning lawmakers that protests would spread nationwide without criminal accountability.

“There are gonna be protests around this entire country because of the state-sanctioned execution that we all saw unfold unless there is some kind of justice that takes place, and we get the name of that officer and that officer is prosecuted,” Crockett said.

ICE DIRECTOR FIRES BACK AT ‘SQUAD’ LAWMAKERS OVER ‘POLITICAL RHETORIC’ AFTER FATAL MINNEAPOLIS SHOOTING

The remarks came amid sharp partisan exchanges as the committee debated public safety and bail reform.

Democrats used the hearing to press DHS officials over the shooting and the lack of publicly available information about the officer involved.

“Long story short, we are sitting in the judiciary and no one on that side of the aisle seems to care that this particular person, whose name we don’t know at this point, became the judge, jury, and executioner,” Crockett said, taking a dig at Republican lawmakers. “I don’t know how you square that.”

ENRAGED ANTI-ICE PROFESSORS SLAM AMERICA, DEMAND ‘NUREMBERG’ TRIALS FOR AGENTS: ‘MODERATE POSITION’

Crockett accused Republicans of minimizing the shooting and shielding federal law enforcement from scrutiny despite calls for transparency.

She argued that officers should be held to the same legal standards as civilians when deadly force is used.

“A child has lost her mom, and y’all want to pretend that it is okay,” Crockett said while becoming emotional. “Is there anyone that will stand for the very people that elected us and sent us to Congress?”

CBS ANCHOR GRILLS TRUMP BORDER CZAR OVER ICE CONDUCT AFTER FATAL SHOOTING, CALLING IT ‘NOT BELIEVABLE’

Her comments drew audible reactions in the hearing room as she described the impact of the shooting on the victim’s family.

Crockett framed the incident as a moral issue, urging lawmakers to prioritize accountability over politics.

“I remember when Charlie Kirk got killed. Do you remember what our response was?” Crockett asked. “Our response wasn’t to sit there and pretend like it was okay.”

VANCE DEMAND DEMOCRATS ANSWER WHETHER ICE OFFICER IN MINNEAPOLIS SHOOTING WAS ‘WRONG IN DEFENDING HIS LIFE’

She went on to question whether law enforcement officers are treated differently when lethal force is involved.

“Is it okay because you have a badge?” she asked. “Because the last time I checked, allegedly no one is above the law. Can y’all not just have a little bit of courage and humanity?”

Crockett later referenced comments made by Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, who sharply criticized ICE following the shooting while investigations remain ongoing.

NOEM ALLEGES WOMAN KILLED IN ICE SHOOTING ‘STALKING AND IMPEDING’ AGENTS ALL DAY

Fox News Digital has reached out to Crockett for comment on her remarks.

During a news conference Wednesday afternoon, Frey called DHS’s explanation that the officer fired his weapon in self-defense “bull—-” and told ICE to “get the f— out” of Minneapolis.

“The mayor of Minneapolis told y’all to get the f— out,” Crockett said. “Yet y’all are the ones — it is this administration — that is bringing crime to their streets.”

Crockett’s remarks prompted vocal objections from Republican lawmakers over the repeated use of profanity during the hearing.

Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., joined the exchange, asking one lawmaker, “Are your princess ears okay?”

“Are we offending your princess ears? Are they that soft?” Swalwell continued.

MINNESOTA BUREAU OF CRIMINAL APPREHENSION DROPS OUT OF ICE-INVOLVED SHOOTING INVESTIGATION

The exchange capped a tense hearing marked by repeated clashes over immigration enforcement and public safety.

The Department of Homeland Security has not publicly released the name of the officer involved or announced whether any disciplinary action has been taken.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Frey later appeared on CNN Wednesday night, where he doubled down on his remarks after being asked whether he was stoking discord in Minneapolis.

“I’m so sorry if I offended their Disney princess ears, but here’s the thing – if we’re talking about what’s inflammatory, on one hand you got someone who dropped an f-bomb, and you got someone who killed somebody else,” Frey said. “I think the most inflammatory action is killing somebody. And so, once again, let’s be real and just be honest and straight up about what’s happening here. This is not OK.”

The Supreme Court could rule as early as Friday on President Donald Trump’s use of an emergency law to unilaterally impose sweeping tariffs on most U.S. trading partners, a closely watched case with major implications for businesses and the president himself.

At issue is the president’s use of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) to impose two sweeping sets of tariffs, including the 10% global tariffs and the higher, so-called “reciprocal” tariffs in early April. 

Lower courts had ruled that Trump exceeded his authority in using IEEPA as a means of quickly enacting those import fees, prompting the Supreme Court to take up the case on an expedited basis last year. A decision is expected by June at the latest.

US COURT OF INTERNATIONAL TRADE SIDES WITH TRUMP IN TARIFF CASE

But justices on the high court, including Trump’s own appointees, appeared skeptical of the administration’s claim during oral arguments that the IEEPA gives a sitting president the authority to unilaterally impose tariffs, leaving open the question of what might happen if the high court rules against the president. 

Trump, for his part, has described the matter as “life and death,” and senior administration officials have warned for months of dire economic consequences if the high court were to undo the tariffs enacted by Trump, which have remained in place as the courts considered the case on its merits. 

But the short answer, experts told Fox News Digital, is that not much would change immediately, and it would almost certainly involve more litigation. 

In the months since the high court reviewed the consolidated case, Learning Resources, Inc, and V.O.S. Selections, Inc. v. Trump, hundreds of businesses have filed new cases against the Trump administration over IEEPA, aimed at clawing back the higher import duties they’ve shouldered since his tariffs took force. 

The U.S. collected more than $133 billion in IEEPA tariff duties as of mid-December, according to data published by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency last month.

And, assuming the Supreme Court does not specifically outline a remedy portion of its ruling for the executive branch to follow, the cases will be punted back to the lower courts to chart a path forward, lawyers for the new plaintiffs said. 

“There’s a group of us working with the Department of Justice on getting a case management plan implemented,” Erik Smithweiss, a trade lawyer representing some of the companies that have filed the new tariff lawsuits, told Fox News Digital in an interview. 

SUPREME COURT TO WEIGH TRUMP TARIFF POWERS IN BLOCKBUSTER CASE

“In the event the tariffs are found to be unlawful, the Court of International Trade (CIT) is going to manage these thousands of lawsuits and many more that may be coming.” 

Trump, for his part, has railed against that outcome, which he described in a Truth Social post as a “National Security catastrophe.”

Lawyers for the Trump administration argued in court that the IEEPA law in question allows a president to act in response to “unusual and extraordinary threats” and in cases where a national emergency has been declared. Trump has claimed that deep and “sustained” trade deficits amount to a national emergency, allowing him, in the lawyers’ view, to invoke IEEPA.

Plaintiffs counter that, in the 50 years since its passage, the law has never been used by a president to impose tariffs. They argue that permitting Trump to use the law to enact tariffs would drastically expand his powers at the expense of other branches of government. 

Others were more cautious about the possible impact.

TRUMP WARNS SUPREME COURT TARIFF SHOWDOWN IS ‘LIFE OR DEATH’ FOR AMERICA

“It’s a fascinating situation because it’s super important. But, in the short run, economically, this doesn’t matter a huge deal,” Philip Luck, the director of the economics program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), told Fox News Digital in an interview. 

“It matters in the sense that, yes, if this comes down, some goods will become cheaper,” Luck said when asked what would happen if the Supreme Court ruled against Trump’s use of IEEPA to impose his tariffs. “Some exporters will be able to export to the United States more cheaply.”

On its own, though, the ruling is unlikely to stop the Trump administration from imposing the tariffs via other mechanisms at its disposal, including Section 232, by which the administration can enact industry-wide tariffs for a set period of time, or under Section 301, which allows the U.S. Trade Representative’s office to enact tariffs at a president’s direction in response to countries that are determined to have “discriminatory” trade practices towards U.S. businesses.  

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP 

“More broadly, so long as this administration is intent on raising barriers to a broad set of important goods, they will be able to do that again,” Luck said. 

“A few sectoral tariffs onto very broad sectors and a few country-level tariffs — if you levy tariffs on our large trading partners — cover some 90% of our trade.”

President Donald Trump said on Thursday that he plans to meet with Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado in Washington next week.

During an appearance on Fox News’ “Hannity,” Trump was asked if he intends to meet with Machado after the U.S. struck Venezuela and captured its president, Nicolás Maduro.

“Well, I understand she’s coming in next week sometime, and I look forward to saying hello to her,” Trump said.

This will be Trump’s first meeting with Machado, who the U.S. president stated “doesn’t have the support within or the respect within the country” to lead.

According to reports, Trump’s refusal to support Machado was linked to her accepting the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize, which Trump believed he deserved.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

But Trump later told NBC News that while he believed Machado should not have won the award, her acceptance of the prize had “nothing to do with my decision” about the prospect of her leading Venezuela.

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…

-National security experts sound alarm over CCP-linked land ownership near US military bases: ‘Unthinkable’

-Mamdani adviser, Warren in the hot seat as collapse of Roomba maker shifts data to China

-Trump backs ICE agent, reviews video with NYT reporters after Minneapolis shooting

Jeffries calls Noem ‘stone-cold liar’ over Minneapolis shooting response, demands investigations

Democratic leaders in Congress condemned the fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis on Thursday, calling for immediate investigations and dismissing the narrative of the shooting provided by President Donald Trump’s administration.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., made the statement joined by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., during a Thursday morning press conference. Jeffries condemned Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem as a “stone-cold liar,” while Schumer said he doesn’t trust the current administration to adequately investigate the shooting.

“Let me first say that the killing of Renee Nicole Good was an abomination, a disgrace. And blood is clearly on the hands of those individuals within the administration who have been pushing an extreme policy that has nothing to do with immigration enforcement connected to removing violent felons from this country,” Jeffries said…READ MORE.
 

White House

HOLIDAY ROUNDUP: DHS nabs sexual abusers, drug dealers in worst-of-the-worst Christmastime operation

POLITICAL PILE-ON: Vance rips Walz after Civil War remarks following ICE shooting, claims governor ‘enabled fraud’

NATIONAL CRACKDOWN: JD Vance announces multi-state fraud task force in wake of Minnesota scandal

‘SIMPLE QUESTION’: Vance demand Democrats answer whether ICE officer in Minneapolis shooting was ‘wrong in defending his life’

RED LINE: AG Pam Bondi warns Minnesota protesters after ICE shooting: ‘Do not test our resolve’

LEVY LIMITS: Trump’s tariff boom hits record highs as Supreme Court showdown looms

World Stage

BIG BUILDUP: Trump calls for $1.5T defense budget to build ‘dream military’

Capitol Hill

GOP MUTINY: Dozens of House Republicans defy Trump, join Democrats in failed veto override effort

SHUTDOWN CLOCK: House passes nearly $180B funding package after conservative rebellion over Minnesota fraud fears

RULE OF LAW: House Dem introduces bill after Venezuela operation to block presidents from bypassing Congress

GOP MUTINY: Trump blasts GOP war powers defectors, says they ‘should never be elected to office again’

$9 BILLION GONE: Senate Republicans eye reconciliation to address Minnesota fraud scandal

DEM EXODUS: Hoyer won’t seek re-election, says House has strayed from founders’ vision

Across America 

‘NO RETREAT’: Top Republican with ‘army’ of supporters makes major announcement as Shapiro launches re-elect campaign

‘UNCLEAN’ WALZ: Blagojevich tells Walz if he didn’t do it, ‘go down fighting’ in fraud case: ‘He’s quitting/Makes me think his hands are unclean’

BILLION DOLLAR BIAS: Legal experts warn of ‘biggest scandal in litigation’ if SCOTUS doesn’t end ‘hometowning’ of lawsuits against US oil

NOT ‘LAWFUL’: Federal judge disqualifies US attorney, tosses subpoenas targeting NY AG Letitia James

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

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy on Thursday revealed that 54% of North Carolina’s non-domiciled commercial driver’s licenses (CDLs) issued to foreign nationals reviewed by federal officials were issued illegally.

The discovery came amid the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s (FMCSA) ongoing nationwide audit of the state’s truck licensing systems. 

If North Carolina does not revoke all illegally issued licenses, the Department of Transportation (DOT) will withhold nearly $50 million in federal funding.

“North Carolina’s failure to follow the rules isn’t just shameful — it’s dangerous. I’m calling on state leadership to immediately remove these dangerous drivers from our roads and clean up their system,” Duffy wrote in a statement. “President [Donald] Trump and I are committed to keeping you and your family safe on our roads.”

ICE ARRESTS ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT TRUCKER FROM UZBEKISTAN OVER ALLEGED TERROR TIES

In a letter to North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein and state Department of Public Safety Commissioner Paul Tine, the FMCSA said the state illegally issued non-domiciled CDLs to drivers who were ineligible, those whose licenses were valid long after their lawful presence in the U.S. expired and those whose lawful status in the U.S. was not verified by North Carolina.

FMCSA Administrator Derek Barrs said the level of noncompliance in North Carolina is “egregious.”

To retain its federal funding, North Carolina will be required to immediately pause issuance of non-domiciled CDLs, identify all unexpired non-domiciled CDLs that fail to comply with FMCSA regulations and revoke and reissue all noncompliant non-domiciled CDLs if they comply with the federal requirements.

DUFFY THREATENS TO YANK NEW YORK FEDERAL FUNDS OVER ILLEGALLY ISSUED COMMERCIAL DRIVER’S LICENSES

The state must also conduct a comprehensive internal audit to identify all procedural and programming errors, training and quality assurance problems, insufficient policies and practices and other issues that have resulted in the issuance of non-domiciled CDLs that did not meet federal rules. 

Duffy set his focus on CDL issues in early 2025 after an Indian national who held a California-issued CDL allegedly killed a car full of people on Florida’s turnpike.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

California has since revoked 17,000 problematic non-domiciled CDL licenses as DOT conducts a nationwide audit initiated by President Donald Trump’s executive order on truck driver roadway safety.

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

It was 1991. The Chicago Cubs were in Chavez Ravine for a three-game series against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Legendary Dodgers broadcaster Vin Scully was at the mic.

Cubs outfielder and former National League MVP Andre Dawson was out of the lineup.

“Andre Dawson has a bruised knee,” the golden-throated Scully declared to his radio congregation, tuning in from Pasadena to the San Fernando Valley. “He is listed as day-to-day.”

Then Scully paused for a moment. It was as though Scully was in deep reflection. Perhaps seized by the spirit of the national pastime in one of baseball’s most hallowed cathedrals, Dodger Stadium.

HOUSE GOP REP DOUG LAMALFA DEAD AT 65

“Then again, aren’t we all?” added Scully.

Aren’t we all.

You.

Me.

Andre Dawson and his knee.

The late Vin Scully.

Even late Rep. Doug LaMalfa, R-Calif.

REP LAMALFA’S DEATH FURTHER SHRINKS REPUBLICAN HOUSE MAJORITY

He died this week at age 65 during emergency surgery after an aortic aneurysm.

“It really shook us,” said House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., of LaMalfa’s sudden death.

The speaker said Rep. Tom McClintock, R-Calif., whose northern California district borders LaMalfa’s, called the late congressman “the kindest man I ever knew.” Johnson noted that McClintock didn’t say “one of the kindest.” But the kindest.

Seven House members have died since April 2024. The previous six were Democrats. LaMalfa is the first Republican to die since then. In fact, there’s a runoff between two Democrats — Christian Menefee and Amanda Edwards — in a special election to succeed late Rep. Sylvester Turner, D-Texas. Turner died in March after only two months in office.

House Republicans have had a tenuous hold on their majority for a while now. LaMalfa’s death — coupled with Monday’s resignation of former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga. — squeezes the GOP even further.

It’s about the math.

Counting LaMalfa and Greene, the GOP margin shrivels to 218-213 with 431 members and four vacancies. The Republican majority thins again when either Menefee or Edwards wins the Texas special election later this month. It’s then 218-214 with 432 members and three vacancies.

The margin is four. But, on the floor, Republicans can only lose one vote and still pass something on their own without Democratic assistance. Losing two votes produces a 216-216 tie. By rule, ties lose in the House.

Word of LaMalfa’s death came as we learned that 80-year-old Rep. Jim Baird R-Ind., was in the hospital after a car accident. Baird is fine but not on Capitol Hill to vote this week.

Just how fragile is the GOP’s grip on power in the House?

“We are one flu season away from losing the majority,” said Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn.

By the way, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say the U.S. is experiencing its worst flu season since 1997-98. The CDC just announced a new flu variant this week.

GEORGIA CALLS SPECIAL ELECTION IN MARCH TO FILL MTG VACANCY AFTER TRUMP RUPTURE AND RESIGNATION

A couple of points. The Constitution prohibits governors from appointing someone to the House. That only works in the Senate. Voters must elect House members. And control of the House of Representatives has never flipped in the middle of the Congress. The Senate has. But not the House.

It’s about the math.

“We’ve been working with a razor-thin majority since I became speaker. And, as you know, at many points in the last year, we had a one- or two-vote majority at any given moment,” said Johnson. “But this is the group that has demonstrated over and over and over and over that we defy expectations and make history.”

Conjecture still abounds around the Capitol that a few disgruntled House Republicans could resign. I asked Johnson about Burchett’s remark.

The speaker was philosophical.

“None of us are guaranteed tomorrow. None of us. We don’t know what’s going to happen. The Bible says you don’t worry about tomorrow. You focus on today,” replied Johnson. “I’m not worried about the numbers. I don’t get up in apprehension or anxiety in any day. I get up every day with hope.”

We’re all day-to-day.

So too is the House Republican majority. Things are day-to-day.

As stated earlier, the House has never flipped in the middle of a Congress. Frankly, it’s a lot harder than the Senate. It has more people. For the House to switch control, the GOP must lose two more seats. But those seats must also be filled immediately. That doesn’t happen. Special elections take months, depending on the state.

But even at a prospective nadir of 218-214, it takes a lot to change control of the House in the middle of a Congress. Even if Republicans lost three more members, they’d still hold a 215-214 majority. Things could become very interesting if the split went to 214-214. And don’t forget, these numbers will evolve in the coming months.

There’s a special election to succeed Greene March 10. There will likely be a special election to succeed LaMalfa in the spring or summer. There’s also a special election in the spring to fulfill the term of Democratic New Jersey Gov.-elect Mikie Sherrill, who resigned from the House last year.

So, don’t count on the House switching any time soon.

HEALTHCARE, ECONOMY AND THE ‘ONE BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL’: WELCOME TO THE MIDTERMS

But there is a historical anomaly.

Lawmakers are sworn in to begin the new Congress Jan. 3 of odd years of the election in November of the prior even year. However, the ratification of the 20th Amendment to the Constitution moved the swearing-in of the President to Jan. 20. Previously it was March 4. In those days, new Congresses began  Dec. 7. Not a month after the election. But an astonishing 13 MONTHS AFTER the election.

In other words, you would have an election in November of an even year. But the institution wouldn’t seat the new Congress until December of the FOLLOWING ODD year.

And they complain about a two-month lame duck Congress now.

The 1930 midterms hit during the Great Depression and the broken administration of President Herbert Hoover. Republicans held the House majority but lost 52 seats, clinging to a narrow majority. The breakdown was 218-216 with one “Farmer-Labor” member.

However, during the 13-month interregnum before the start of the 72nd Congress in December 1931, 14 “Representatives-elect” died. Democrats won enough special elections to seize the majority, 219-213, with one third-party member. One of the casualties was even late House Speaker Nicholas Longworth, R-Ohio.

So, this wasn’t a mid-session switch. But the House would have changed hands in the middle of the Congress under the contemporary operating calendar.

Lawmakers are mourning their late colleague, Doug LaMalfa. He was beloved on both sides of the aisle. LaMalfa was the House classmate of Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., both elected in 2012. Jeffries called LaMalfa a “great member of Congress” and led a moment of silence at a forum Democrats conducted about the Jan. 6 riot.

So, it’s doubtful the House could switch in mid-stream. But who knows?

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Andre Dawson was “day to day” with his knee injury.

And as Vin Scully would say, “Aren’t we all?”

Former first lady, Jill Biden, went to Minnesota in 2022 to highlight the billions of dollars in investments for childcare that were part of Democrats’ American Rescue Plan Act, where she stood next to Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and praised him for his leadership helping families. 

“We helped states like Minnesota safely keep open child care centers and family child care providers and boost pay for their workers,” Biden said during a February 2022 visit to the 
University of Minnesota’s Child Development Laboratory School, alongside Walz and then-Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra. “We supported high quality providers that enrich children’s lives and we helped make them more affordable.”

The 2021 American Rescue Plan Act, a $1.9 trillion COVID-era relief package, allocated nearly $40 billion for childcare after it was passed without any Republican support. Meanwhile, roughly 4 years after the first lady went to Minnesota to tout the Democrat-led investments in childcare, Walz and his state are facing immense blowback for allegedly failing to adequately monitor fraud within the state’s Medicaid program and its childcare sector. According to a local Fox affiliate, daycares in Minnesota received roughly $500 million in federal funds in 2021. 

BESSENT SAYS MINNESOTA FRAUD RECOVERY COULD HELP FUND TRUMP’S $1.5T DEFENSE PLAN

“Tim, you understand that childcare is not only critical to families, it’s critical to businesses and our economy,” the first lady said as she turned to Walz standing behind her as she addressed people at the school who were there to attend a listening session with a number of relevant lawmakers. “And Joe and I are so grateful for your leadership and for the friendship that you and Gewn– that we’ve had for so many years. And I’m excited to hear more today about what you’ve done here in Minnesota to help families recover from the uncertainties and the losses from the pandemic.”

Earlier this week, a major state audit in Minnesota conducted by the nonpartisan Office of the Legislative Auditor found widespread failures and internal control problems in the Minnesota Department of Human Services’ Behavioral Health Administration (BHA) grant program, reaffirming concerns about massive fraud issues in the state.

VANCE CALLS WALZ ‘A JOKE,’ CLAIMS MINNESOTA GOVERNOR ENABLED MASSIVE FRAUD

The report, released on Monday, found that between July 1, 2022, and Dec. 31, 2024, DHS dished out more than $425 million in grants to 830 organizations, the majority being nongovernmental, and did not show proper oversight in watching over those taxpayer funds, which in many cases were meant to help those with addiction and mental health issues. The audit found missing progress reports and discovered BHA could not show it had completed all required monitoring visits and had no documentation at all for some of them. 

The audit also found that when employees were surveyed, 73% of them said they did not receive the necessary training to properly administer manage grants, with one employee saying, “Executive leadership has repetitively shown staff that they won’t take the staff’s concerns or questions seriously until something serious happens or it makes the news.”

The scathing report comes as Minnesota’s government agencies and leaders face immense scrutiny amid a fraud scandal that prosecutors say could total as much as $9 billion and has already forced Gov. Tim Walz to drop his re-election bid. 

Some reports have indicated a handful of Minnesota’s Democrat leaders allegedly took donations from some of those accused of committing fraud in Minnesota, while others have suggested Walz retaliated against whistleblowers who tried to sound the alarm about the fraud.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Fox News Digital reached out to representatives for Jill and Joe Biden, but did not receive a response in time for publication. 

Fox News Digital’s Andrew Mark Miller contributed to this report.

With the national spotlight firmly on a fatal shooting in Minnesota involving an ICE agent, Gov. Gavin Newsom of California used a high-profile speech to target President Donald Trump over “citizens shot” and what the likely Democratic presidential contender claimed was “using American cities as training grounds for the United States military.”

Newsom’s comments on Thursday, in his final State of the State address as governor of the nation’s most populous state, came in the wake of the shooting death of 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good, after she confronted ICE agents from inside her car in Minneapolis.

Video of the incident has gone viral, and while Democrats have heavily criticized the shooting, the Trump administration is vocally defending the actions of the ICE agent.

“The woman driving the car was very disorderly, obstructing and resisting, who then violently, willfully, and viciously ran over the ICE Officer, who seems to have shot her in self-defense,” Trump said in a social media post.’

CLICK HERE FOR LIVE FOX NEWS UPDATES ON THE ICE SHOOTING IN MINNESOTA

And the president argued that “the reason these incidents are happening is because the Radical Left is threatening, assaulting, and targeting our Law Enforcement Officers and ICE Agents on a daily basis.”

Vice President JD Vance, at a Thursday White House briefing, claimed Good was “brainwashed” and suggested that she was tied to a “broader, left-wing network.”

Hours after the incident, Newsom charged it was “state-sponsored terrorism.”

PHOTOS RELEASED OF RENEE NICOLE GOOD, THE US CITIZEN KILLED BY ICE IN MINNESOTA

And a day later, in his address to the California legislature, the governor took aim at the president and his unprecedented moves during his first year back in the White House.

“The president believes that might makes right, that the courts are simply speed bumps, not stops. That democracy is a nuisance to be circumvented. Secret police, businesses being raided, windows smashed, citizens detained, citizens shot, masked men snatching, people in broad daylight, people disappearing,” Newsom charged.

And the governor, who has been arguably the most vocal and visible Democrat leading the resistance to Trump, accused the president of governing through fear by instigating “purposeful chaos emanating from 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.”

And he criticized what he called “a carnival of chaos” as he pointed to the Trump administration’s National Guard deployments to Democrat-governed cities, including Los Angeles, as well as cuts in key federal funding.

“None of this is normal,” Newsom emphasized.

Newsom said that California must stand up to Trump’s “assault on our values,” while warning that democracy is at stake.

Newsom and the president have repeatedly clashed in the first year of Trump’s second administration, from the National Guard deployment to Los Angeles to the federal government’s push to block California’s fuel standards and efforts to eventually ban new gas-powered cars.

And the two politicians have also taken aim at each other over the devastating Los Angeles-area wildfires that killed over 30 people and destroyed neighborhoods. Wednesday was the one-year anniversary of the outbreak of those wildfires.

Officially, Newsom’s State of the State address was designed to showcase his accomplishments as governor and lay out his agenda for his final year in office. “You’ve seen double-digit decreases in crime overall in the state of California,” the governor touted.

California Republican Party Chairwoman Corrin Rankin, responding in a statement, charged that “Governor Newsom told Californians that homelessness is down, crime is at record lows, schools are improving, and Los Angeles is recovering after the Palisades fires. Governor Newsom painted a picture of a California that exists in his imagination.”

Unofficially, the speech was an opportunity for Newsom to portray himself as a national leader of the Democratic Party ahead of what many expect will be a 2028 White House run.

And the governor didn’t waste the opportunity.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Newsom, who led the fight against Trump’s redistricting push ahead of November’s midterm elections, said, “We’re not retreating.”

And he described California as “a beacon” that is :providing a different narrative and operational model of policy for others to follow.”

California Gov. Gavin Newsom used his final State of the State address Thursday to spotlight the state’s court fights with the federal government, saying the state has filed dozens of lawsuits against the Trump administration.

The Democrat framed the legal battles as a dispute over presidential authority, telling lawmakers and attendees that “no one, particularly the president of the United States, stands above the law.”

“We’ve gone to court and, of course, protect our people, pushing back against this executive overreach,” Newsom said.

The governor pointed to litigation filed during a special session and tied the legal efforts to what he described as federal actions that harmed Californians.

NEWSOM INVOKES SCRIPTURE IN ATTACK ON GOP OVER SHUTDOWN AFFECTING FOOD ASSISTANCE: ‘CRUELTY IS THE POLICY’

“Fifty-two lawsuits have been filed, funded by you, by the way, in this special session that all of you led,” Newsom said, adding that the cases involved “about $168 billion in illegally frozen federal resources that belong to our schools, that belong to our hospitals, that belong to our seniors.”

Newsom said the court strategy has already produced results.

“We have won the request for emergency relief,” he said, adding that California has “affirmed the Constitution of the United States as the supreme law of the land.”

NEWSOM SAYS TRUMP IS ONE OF THE ‘MOST DESTRUCTIVE’ PRESIDENT OF HIS LIFETIME: ‘THIS GUY IS RECKLESS’

Addressing President Donald Trump, Newsom said, “You can’t cut off critical food assistance for millions of people,” adding, “You can’t send the military into American cities without justification, and you cannot cruelly and illegally cut off funding for medical research, homeland security, or disaster response.”

Newsom’s emphasis on legal challenges comes as the Trump administration has launched a federal probe into alleged fraud tied to California programs, including homelessness spending, with a top federal prosecutor publicly criticizing the state’s oversight. 

Newsom’s office has rejected those accusations, saying the governor has blocked fraud and protected taxpayers. Later in the address, Newsom turned to homelessness and urged counties to take a more aggressive approach.

TRUMP ADMIN SUES OVER CALIFORNIA LAW BANNING ICE FROM WEARING FACE MASKS TO SHIELD IDENTITIES

“So I say this with love and respect to the counties — no more excuses. It’s time to bring people off the streets and out of encampments,” he said.

Newsom defended California’s high-speed rail project as well, calling it “the nation’s first high speed rail system.”

“Full environmental clearance is done,” Newsom said, while claiming “more than 60 miles of guideway have been completed ready for immediate track lane in the Central Valley.”

On housing, Newsom criticized large investors, warning about “institutional investors that are snatching up homes by the hundreds and thousands at a time.”

“These investors are crushing the dream of homeownership,” he said, adding, “I think it’s shameful that we allow private equity firms… become some of the biggest landlords here in our cities.”

Republican leaders responded critically to Newsom’s remarks.

California Senate Minority Leader Brian Jones called the address an “airbrushed spin job,” accusing the governor of “working hard to pull the wool over the eyes of the nation.”

Assemblyman James Gallagher likewise dismissed the speech as “more of the same,” arguing it was time for what he described as a “third wave politics” of both parties working together to solve California’s problems.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

The statewide election to replace term-limited Gov. Newsom is scheduled for November 2026.

Newsom’s office did not provide additional comment beyond clarifying the lawsuit figure to Fox News Digital regarding Thursday’s State of the State address. 

Fox News Digital’s Madison Colombo contributed to this story.

The Trump administration is considering paying each Greenland resident thousands of dollars as part of a bid to encourage the territory to secede from Denmark and join the United States, according to Reuters. 

U.S. officials, including White House aides, have discussed payment figures ranging from $10,000 to $100,000, the outlet reported, citing sources. 

For an island with a population of roughly 57,000, the total cost could range from more than half a billion dollars to nearly $6 billion.

While discussions of a lump-sum payment are not new, Reuters reported that officials have become more serious in recent days and are considering higher amounts.

NOEM ANNOUNCES ARCTIC DEFENSE PACT WITH CANADA, FINLAND TO COUNTER RIVAL POWERS

The White House referred Fox News Digital on Thursday to remarks by Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, who said during a Wednesday briefing that buying Greenland would benefit U.S. national security.

“The acquisition of Greenland by the United States is not a new idea,” Leavitt said. 

“The president has been very open and clear with all of you and the world that he views it as in the best interest of the United States to deter Russian and Chinese aggression in the Arctic region,” she said. “That’s why his team is currently talking about what a potential purchase would look like.”

TRUMP TAPS REPUBLICAN GOVERNOR TO SERVE AS SPECIAL ENVOY TO GREENLAND

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Wednesday that he plans to meet with his Danish counterpart next week to discuss Greenland.

Trump has long contended that the U.S. should acquire Greenland, arguing that its mineral resources are vital in advancing U.S. military technologies and that the Western Hemisphere should broadly fall under Washington’s geopolitical influence.

On Sunday, Trump told reporters Greenland is surrounded by Russian and Chinese ships and that Denmark, which governs Greenland, lacks the capability to provide the level of defense and oversight that meets U.S. national security standards.

FROM CARACAS TO NUUK: MADURO RAID SPARKS FRESH TRUMP PUSH ON GREENLAND

“It’s so strategic,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One. “We need Greenland from the standpoint of national security, and Denmark is not going to be able to do it.”

Authorities in Greenland and Denmark insist that Greenland is not for sale, and European leaders have criticized the proposal, arguing that it undermines trust between the U.S. and Denmark as NATO allies. Under the NATO defense agreement, allies are obliged to support one another militarily if attacked, making the idea of a sale particularly sensitive.

“This is enough,” Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen wrote in a Facebook post on Sunday, responding to Trump’s Sunday remarks about acquiring the island. “No more pressure. No more hints. No more fantasies about annexation.”

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

On Tuesday, Nielsen added that Greenland will remain part of Denmark despite U.S. efforts.

“Our country isn’t something you can deny or take over because you want to,” he added. “Once again, I urge the United States to seek respectful dialogue through the correct diplomatic and political channels and utilizing pre-existing forums that are based on agreements already in place with the United States. The dialogue must take place with respect to the fact that Greenland’s status is rooted in international law and the principle of territorial integrity.” 

Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey on Thursday demanded that two private airline companies stop providing flights for ICE to quickly remove illegal immigrants who have been detained, citing the recent ICE-involved shooting in Minneapolis.

In a letter to top executives of GlobalX Airlines and Eastern Air Express, Healey criticized the companies for “sever[ing illegal immigrants] from their family, friends, community, and legal counsel without due process of law.”

“They are hard-working, productive, and beloved members of our community who have been indiscriminately targeted for deportation proceedings,” Healey wrote. “… Some have been United States citizens. Some have been children. And as we have seen in our communities and, most recently, in Minnesota, ICE’s tactics are increasingly chaotic, brutal, and even deadly. This doesn’t make our communities safer — it, in fact, makes us all less safe.”

DEM SENATE CANDIDATE MOCKED AFTER CLAIM ABOUT DISMANTLING ICE GOES VIRAL: ‘UNMASK THESE THUGS’

Twin Cities resident Renee Nicole Good, 37, was shot and killed Wednesday by an ICE agent after she allegedly accelerated her car toward him during an immigration operation.

Healey also alleged the Trump administration’s use of private jets for ICE activity is costing taxpayers, while private airlines profit.

“On behalf of American taxpayers, I also find it incomprehensible that the Trump administration is choosing to spend hundreds of millions of dollars on private jets to obstruct people’s due process at a time when they are denying hunger benefits, cutting health care access, and raising costs on everyone through costly tariffs,” she wrote. “This is not the justice we believe in or stand for in Massachusetts or as Americans. I hope your company agrees.”

WALZ PREPARES NATIONAL GUARD AFTER WOMAN KILLED IN ICE OPERATION: ‘NEVER BEEN AT WAR’ WITH FEDERAL GOVERNMENT

The letter comes after Healey demanded that ICE halt ICE flights out of Hanscom Field airport, which is located roughly 20 miles outside Boston in Bedford, Massachusetts.

Avelo Airlines, a company that was previously chartering flights for ICE in Massachusetts, recently announced they had cut ties with the administration.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

“One of your peer companies recently cut ties with ICE. It’s time for you to do the same,” Healey wrote in the letter.

Healey’s office did not provide additional comment to Fox News Digital.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and former Biden Federal Trade Commission Chair Lina Khan are taking heat for helping to kill a deal for Amazon to acquire Roomba creator iRobot, ultimately leading to the company going bankrupt and likely falling under Chinese control.

Michael Lucci, founder and CEO of State Armor, a U.S. national security watchdog group, ripped into Warren and Khan over their opposition to the deal. Lucci told Fox News Digital that Warren and Khan’s opposition directly contributed to China’s “growing espionage foothold inside American homes” and that “now it’ll be even harder for American families to avoid CCP spy devices.”

In January 2024, iRobot announced that its deal to be acquired by Amazon had collapsed. At the time, iRobot cited regulatory difficulties, especially in Europe, for the deal falling through. In a joint Amazon-iRobot statement, the companies said the merger had “no path to regulatory approval in the European Union.”

This followed intense opposition from progressive lawmakers, including Warren, over “concerns about Amazon’s anticompetitive practices that put consumers and their privacy at risk.”

FCC, STATE AGS TO JOIN FORCES IN CRACKDOWN ON CHINA-LINKED COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGY

The Massachusetts senator said, “I have serious concerns about the Amazon-iRobot deal – dominant companies like Amazon shouldn’t be allowed to just buy their way out of competing.”

“The FTC should oppose this proposed merger to protect competition, lower consumer prices, and rein in Amazon’s well-documented anticompetitive activities,” said Warren.

The FTC under Khan, who served as a top advisor to New York City socialist Mayor Zohran Mamdani‘s transition team, also opposed the deal.

At the time, the FTC released a statement after the Amazon-iRobot merger fell through in which it said, “We are pleased that Amazon and iRobot have abandoned their proposed transaction.”

EXAMINING THE NEXT THREAT FROM COMMUNIST CHINA: OUR HEALTHCARE SYSTEM

The commission said that its “investigation revealed significant concerns about the transaction’s potential competitive effects,” adding, “The FTC will not hesitate to take action in enforcing the antitrust laws to ensure that competition remains robust.”

Two years later, after filing for bankruptcy in December, iRobot is set to be acquired by Chinese company Shenzhen Picea Robotics and affiliated Santrum Hong Kong. This has given rise to new concerns about iRobot’s sensitive home mapping data falling into the Chinese Communist Party’s hands.

As Shenzhen Picea Robotics and Santrum Hong Kong are Chinese-controlled companies, they are subject to CCP laws. This means that any U.S. consumer data the companies gain control of may be subject to China’s national intelligence laws, which can compel firms to provide information to the government without judicial oversight or public disclosure.

“While Lina Khan and Elizabeth Warren congratulate themselves for blocking Amazon’s iRobot acquisition, the real winner is Communist China,” Lucci told Fox News Digital.

EX-TRUMP DHS OFFICIAL SOUNDS ALARM OVER NATIONAL SECURITY THREAT WITHIN CRITICAL US INDUSTRY

“iRobot collapsed into bankruptcy and now Beijing-linked buyers are snapping up its assets, including sensitive home-mapping data. That’s the end result of their so-called ‘consumer protection,’” he went on.

“In the end, American and European regulators played the role of useful idiots, handing China more access and leverage, and adding to a growing espionage foothold inside American homes,” he said. “Now it’ll be even harder for American families to avoid CCP spy devices.”

In a statement shared with Fox News Digital, Amazon Chief Global Affairs and Legal Officer David Zapolsky commented that “this is an unfortunate textbook example of regulators — in this case the European Commission and the FTC — losing the forest for the trees, resulting in the loss of an innovative American company, American jobs, and American IP.”

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

“When mergers are deterred, it can have long-lasting negative effects on companies and workers,” said Zapolsky, adding, “These are the very things regulators say they are trying to protect, but when the processes become overburdensome and disproportionate, companies, workers, and consumers lose out.”

In another statement, iRobot co-founder Colin Angle, who stepped down from company leadership in 2024, lamented its filing for bankruptcy, saying, “Innovation doesn’t fail only when ideas are wrong—it can fail when the path to scale is removed.”

“When companies that create categories are denied viable ways to grow, everyone pays the price: consumers, employees, and the broader innovation economy,” said Angle. 

Fox News Digital reached out to Warren, Khan and iRobot for comment but did not immediately receive a response. 

President Donald Trump called for defense spending to be raised to $1.5 trillion, a 50% increase over the current budget. 

“After long and difficult negotiations with Senators, Congressmen, Secretaries, and other Political Representatives, I have determined that, for the Good of our Country, especially in these very troubled and dangerous times, our Military Budget for the year 2027 should not be $1 Trillion Dollars, but rather $1.5 Trillion Dollars,” Trump wrote on Truth Social Thursday evening. 

“This will allow us to build the “Dream Military” that we have long been entitled to and, more importantly, that will keep us SAFE and SECURE, regardless of foe.” 

The president said he came up with the number after tariff revenues created a surplus of cash. He claimed the levies were bringing in enough money to pay for both a major boost to the defense budget “easily,” pay down the national debt, which is more than $38 trillion, and offer “a substantial dividend to moderate income patriots.”

SENATE SENDS $901B DEFENSE BILL TO TRUMP AFTER CLASHES OVER BOAT STRIKE, DC AIRSPACE

The boost likely reflects efforts to fund Trump’s ambitious military plans, from the Golden Dome homeland missile defense shield to a new ‘Trump class’ of battleships.

The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget found that the increased budget would cost about $5 trillion from 2027 to 2035, or $5.7 trillion with interest. Tariff revenues, the group found, would cover about half the cost – $2.5 trillion or $3 trillion with interest. 

The Supreme Court is expected to rule in a major case Friday that will determine the legality of Trump’s sweeping tariff strategy.

CONGRESS UNVEILS $900B DEFENSE BILL TARGETING CHINA WITH TECH BANS, INVESTMENT CRACKDOWN, US TROOP PAY RAISE

This year the defense budget is expected to breach $1 trillion for the first time thanks to a $150 billion reconciliation bill Congress passed to boost the expected $900 billion defense spending legislation for fiscal year 2026. Congress has yet to pass a full-year defense budget for 2026.

Some Republicans have long called for a major increase to defense spending to bring the topline total to 5% of GDP, as the $1.5 trillion budget would do, up from the current 3.5%.

Trump has ramped up pressure on Europe to increase its national security spending to 5% of GDP – 3.5% on core military requirements and 1.5% on defense-related areas like cybersecurity and critical infrastructure.

Trump’s budget announcement came hours after defense stocks took a dip when he condemned the performance rates of major defense contractors. In a separate Truth Social post he announced he would not allow defense firms to buy back their own stocks, offer large salaries to executives or issue dividends to shareholders. 

“Executive Pay Packages in the Defense Industry are exorbitant and unjustifiable given how slowly these Companies are delivering vital Equipment to our Military, and our Allies,” he said. 

“​Defense Companies are not producing our Great Military Equipment rapidly enough and, once produced, not maintaining it properly or quickly.”

He said that executives would not be allowed to make above $5 million until they build new production plants.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Stock buybacks, dividends and executive compensation are generally governed by securities law, state corporate law and private contracts, and cannot be broadly restricted without congressional action.

An executive order the White House released Wednesday frames the restrictions as conditions on future defense contracts, rather than a blanket prohibition. The order directs the secretary of war to ensure that new contracts include provisions barring stock buybacks and corporate distributions during periods of underperformance, non-compliance or inadequate production, as determined by the Pentagon.

The Supreme Court is expected to issue a ruling Friday in a case that could reshape President Donald Trump’s trade agenda.

At issue is the scope of presidential authority to impose tariffs under longstanding trade laws.

The cases stem from lawsuits filed by an educational toy manufacturer and a family-owned wine and spirits importer, with the court weighing whether the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) authorized the tariffs or whether the move exceeded constitutional limits.

SUPREME COURT EXPECTED TO RULE FRIDAY ON TRUMP’S POWER TO IMPOSE TARIFFS

The Trump administration has invoked the IEEPA to impose five separate tariff measures — including reciprocal tariffs, fentanyl-related tariffs, tariffs tied to Russian oil imports currently levied on Indian goods, Brazil-related tariffs, and trade agreements negotiated with foreign countries under the law — a sweeping use of emergency powers now under scrutiny by the court.

TRUMP SAYS US WOULD BE ‘DESTROYED’ WITHOUT TARIFF REVENUE

One of the most consequential of those measures came in April, when Trump announced his “Liberation Day” tariffs, a broad set of import taxes he said were designed to correct long-standing trade imbalances and reduce the U.S. reliance on foreign goods.

The effect was immediate: duty collections jumped from $9.6 billion in March to $23.9 billion in May. Total duty revenue reached $215.2 billion in fiscal year 2025, which ended Sept. 30, according to the Treasury Department’s “Customs and Certain Excise Taxes” report.

That momentum has carried into the new fiscal year, with more than $98 billion pouring into federal coffers since Oct. 1, Treasury data shows.

The tariff windfall has emerged as a central pillar of Trump’s economic agenda, with the president arguing that tariffs can serve as a major source of government revenue to support domestic priorities.

On Nov. 9, Trump proposed using revenue from trade duties to provide a $2,000 dividend to low- and middle-income Americans by mid-2026. 

TRUMP SAYS TARIFF-FUNDED DIVIDEND PAYMENTS FOR AMERICANS WILL BEGIN NEXT YEAR

Tariffs are taxes levied on imported goods. Although they are paid by companies at the border, the costs are often passed along through higher prices, leaving consumers to bear much of the burden.

He also said that any leftover funds could be used to pay down the nation’s debt, which stands just north of $38 billion.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

During oral arguments in November, both conservative and liberal justices expressed doubts about the legality of the Trump administration’s tariffs.

A ruling expected this week will decide whether the tariffs and the revenue they generate can remain in place.

The Trump administration has said it could turn to alternative legal authorities to preserve the tariffs if the court rules against it.