Newsom stop in key presidential primary state sparks more 2028 speculation
California Gov. Gavin Newsom‘s book tour will take him early next month to New Hampshire, the state that’s traditionally held the nation’s first presidential primary for a century. The Portsmouth Music Hall announced on Thursday that California’s two-term Democratic governor will present his new book, “Young Man in a Hurry,” on Thursday, at their theater on March 5. It’s a sure bet that the stop along New Hampshire’s Seacoast will generate more buzz about Newsom’s national ambitions and the likelihood that he’ll launch a bid for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2028, in the race to succeed term-limited President Donald Trump. Newsom’s stature in his own party has soared over the past year, thanks to his very vocal and visual pushback against the president, including his viral social media trolling of Trump and his successful California push to counter the Republican congressional redistricting effort. THE 2028 WHITE HOUSE RACE IS ALREADY UNDERWAY “Newsom has shown an ability to stand up to Trump in a bold and highly effective manner without shying away from core democratic values,” veteran Democratic strategist Joe Caiazzo told Fox News Digital. Newsom was treated like a VIP as he held meetings and mingled with party delegates during the opening day of the Democratic National Committee’s (DNC) winter meeting, which was held in Los Angeles in December. And Newsom held meetings with the Democratic Party chairs from New Hampshire and Nevada, another crucial early voting state. “We had a great discussion on a wide range of issues,” longtime New Hampshire Democratic Party Chair Ray Buckley told Fox News Digital. DEMOCRATIC HEAVYWEIGHTS TURN HEADS, SPARK 2028 SPECULATION Newsom has acknowledged that he’s mulling a presidential bid, telling CBS News last year he would “seriously consider” following the 2026 midterms and that he’d be “lying” if he said otherwise. Newsom is one of more than a dozen Democrats viewed as potential 2028 White House contenders. And many of them have been paying visits to New Hampshire, Nevada, and South Carolina, which held the first sanctioned Democratic presidential primary in the 2024 election cycle. Newsom stopped in South Carolina last summer. A New Hampshire-based Democratic strategist who asked to remain anonymous to speak more freely shared that he and other activists in the state for months have been receiving fundraising emails on a regular basis from some of the White House hopefuls. “Every week I receive a dozen,” the strategist said. VANCE AMPLIFIES HIS 2026 MESSAGE WHILE LANDING KEY 2028 BACKING Kathy Sullivan, a former New Hampshire Democratic Party chair and former DNC committee member, told Fox News Digital that “successful candidates in New Hampshire start early here and get to know the activists. They find out what issues are important to people in New Hampshire.” Sullivan said the early trips to New Hampshire by the potential contenders “show that they’re putting the work in to take the whole process seriously and know they need to do the hard work to win the primary.” The California governor was last in New Hampshire in July 2024, to support then-President Joe Biden in the days after Biden’s disastrous debate performance against Trump. Newsom was a top surrogate for Biden, and later for then-Vice President Kamala Harris, who replaced Biden as the party’s standard-bearer after Biden dropped his re-election run amid questions about his physical and mental durability. Harris, a fellow Californian who is also currently on a book tour, is also mulling a potential 2028 presidential run. Among the other Democrats seen as possible presidential candidates are Govs. JB Pritzker of Illinois, Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania, Andy Beshear of Kentucky, Wes Moore of Maryland and Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan; Sens. Cory Booker of New Jersey, Ruben Gallego and Mark Kelly of Arizona, and Chris Murphy of Connecticut; progressive superstar Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and Rep. Ro Khanna of California, another leading progressive; and two moderate Democrats, former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and former White House chief of staff and former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel.
Noem slams Dems blocking DHS funding bill citing TSA, FEMA, Coast Guard: ‘I hope they come to their senses’
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem warned Thursday that a lapse in funding for her department could disrupt airport security, disaster response and counterterrorism operations, escalating a partisan standoff in Congress over immigration policy. Senate Democrats demanded stringent reforms to immigration enforcement and blocked multiple attempts Thursday to keep the agency open, though Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) only accounts for 11% of the bill’s funding, according to Noem. Noem’s comments came as she joined U.S. Border Patrol Chief Mike Banks and Executive Commissioner of Customs and Border Protection Diane Sabatino in Otay Mesa, California, to discuss ongoing drug seizure operations. Noem accused Democrats of sending “the wrong message,” arguing that failing to fund DHS undermines national security. Democrats have said the dispute centers on immigration enforcement policies, not disaster response or transportation security. NOEM RIPS DEMS FOR USING FAMILIES AS ‘POLITICAL WEAPONS’ AS DHS FUNDING FIGHT THREATENS LIFE BEYOND ICE She warned other DHS-funded agencies will see the impacts of the shutdown, including the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). “If we had some kind of an attack or a terrible disaster that hit our country, FEMA is the agency that’s responsible for running our government, for stabilizing our country — and the Democrat Party is choosing not to fund FEMA and putting us in jeopardy in that situation.” According to DHS, disaster grant funding could be stuck due to the FEMA GO system being offline, National Fire Academy classes will be canceled, and preparedness exercises will be paused nationwide. The housing market could also see disruptions, as federally-backed mortgages require national flood insurance, managed by FEMA. Noem added that Transportation Security Administration (TSA) employees, who keep the skies safe, will not be paid after Friday — leading to increased wait times at airports and safety concerns. SENATE REPUBLICANS WEIGH DEM DEMAND TO SPLIT DHS BILL, TURN TO SHORT-TERM EXTENSION TO AVOID SHUTDOWN “They’re expected to still show up. How long would you continue to show up for a job that you’re not being paid for,” she said. “These TSA employees just went through a 43-day shutdown where they weren’t paid. How often do you expect these good patriots to keep showing up and to do their job, knowing that their salaries won’t be taken care of and their families’ bills won’t be taken care of.” The U.S. Secret Service (USSS), which is tasked with protecting current and former administration officials and visiting dignitaries, will also go unfunded, along with the U.S. Coast Guard, which is addressing winter weather impacts on the East Coast. “The Coast Guard right now is keeping rivers open on the East Coast so that critical food and energy sources can get to our largest cities,” Noem said. “… What you’re saying by not funding the Coast Guard, is that the Democrat Party doesn’t think it’s important that people eat, or that they stay warm, or that our national security is protected.” “This is a dangerous situation that we’re in, that the Democratic Party has chosen to shut down the department that was created after 9/11. This department was created recognizing that we are vulnerable to terrorist attacks,” she continued. “… We have responsibility for cyber operations … and going after terrorists who would attack our critical infrastructure, our electrical grid, our water systems, that would come in and hack into our intelligence agencies and our national security operations.” KENNEDY CLAIMS ‘KAREN WING’ WILL PUNISH ANY DEMOCRAT WHO VOTES TO KEEP DHS OPEN AMID BUDGET STALL The Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction (CWMD) Office lacks legal authority to operate during the lapse, leaving biodetection and mail screening disrupted. “The Democrat Party is choosing not to fund [DHS] and making us very vulnerable to those terrorists being successful here in our homeland,” Noem said. “I hope that they will come to their senses, recognize that the American people need to come first, and have a policy discussion.” During Noem’s plea for critical funding, anti-ICE protesters gathered nearby chanting, “shame, shame” through megaphones, while blowing horns. House Appropriations Committee Chairman Tom Cole, R-Oklahoma, released a statement Thursday afternoon, emphasizing the urgency of a deal. SCHUMER ROLLS OUT LIST OF ICE DEMANDS AS WHITE HOUSE SAYS DEMS ‘BLOCKED’ DEAL-MAKING SESSION “There will be a burden shouldered, and the cost will be paid by people who never asked to be part of the fight,” Cole wrote. “… And while all these consequences are slated to start tomorrow at midnight, Senate Democrats are still readying to get on a plane out of town — instead of focusing on completing the job they were elected to do. Flying home or abroad while leaving TSA in limbo isn’t the message of leadership I’d want to send.” He added the House has “acted in good faith at every turn,” as the House and Senate previously struck a bipartisan and bicameral deal to finalize all Fiscal Year 2026 appropriations bills. After helping negotiate the deal, Senate Democrats altered it at the last minute, undermining DHS funding. “The consequences are real, and the responsibility for them in this moment is clear,” Cole wrote. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and his caucus have demanded a list of reforms to ICE. “The administration doesn’t actually want to reform ICE,” Schumer said. “They never do it on their own. That is why we need — we are fighting for — legislation to rein in ICE and stop the violence.” The Democratic Strategic Communications Committee did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Vulnerable Dem senator slammed for requiring photo ID at rally, but not to vote
A new attack ad from Republicans targeting U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., is slamming the vulnerable Democrat senator for requiring entrants at his political rallies to show proof of identification, but arguing that identification requirements for voting are a form of voter suppression. “Want to get into a Jon Ossoff rally?” the advertisement’s narrator begins, before it goes into a montage of staffers at Ossoff’s Feb. 7 rally asking for entrants’ IDs. “Don’t forget your ID” rally staff can be heard saying as folks walked into the Georgia International Convention Center located in metro Atlanta. JEFFRIES ACCUSES REPUBLICANS OF ‘VOTER SUPPRESSION’ OVER BILL REQUIRING VOTER ID, PROOF OF CITIZENSHIP “Also, do you have your ID with you?” another staffer can be heard asking entrants in the video captured by a GOP tracker. “I’ll just grab your ID from you. Thank you so much,” another said. “Please have your IDs ready, please, thank you.” Meanwhile, Ossoff has referred to attempts to establish stricter photo-identification rules for voting and voter registration in federal elections as “nakedly partisan, totally unworkable, [and] bad faith.” Ossoff’s team declined to comment for this story. On Wednesday, Republicans in the House of Representatives passed the latest iteration of a voter integrity law aiming at requiring stricter in-person documentation requirements, such as needing a photo-ID to vote. This bill is a broader and stricter version of the 2025 version of the bill which focused predominantly on registering to vote as opposed to the act of voting itself. ONLY ONE HOUSE DEM VOTED IN FAVOR OF VOTER ID, PROOF OF CITIZENSHIP IN US ELECTIONS Ahead of the vote’s passage, one of Ossoff’s Republican challengers in the upcoming U.S. Senate race in Georgia, Rep. Buddy Carter, R-Ga., called out the incumbent Democrat Senator for “once [saying] that voter ID was ‘right and appropriate,’ [but] now supports his party as reframing it as ‘voter suppression.’” “The law didn’t change. Public opinion didn’t change. What changed was he – and other Democrat politicians like him – realized that illegal immigrants could no longer vote to keep Democrats in office,” Carter asserted. “They oppose this bill because it chips away at their voting base; plain and simple.” Despite Ossoff’s previous opposition to voter integrity laws, his campaign event framed the requirement for photo ID as a security measure. “Due to security requirements … be ready to show ID that matches our RSVP list and these arrival instructions (printed or on your phone),” the campaign event’s confirmation email said.
Tim Walz demands federal government ‘pay for what they broke’ after Homan announces Minnesota drawdown
Minnesota Democratic Gov. Tim Walz is demanding the federal government “pay for what they broke” after the Trump administration announced it would draw down its immigration enforcement presence in the Twin Cities. During a news conference after Border Czar Tom Homan’s announcement that the administration would be ending its Operation Metro Surge in Minnesota, Walz said federal law enforcement’s presence in the state was leaving “deep damage” and “generational trauma.” “The federal government needs to pay for what they broke here,” said Walz. “There [is] going to be accountability on the things that happened, but one of the things is the incredible and immense costs that were borne by the people of this state. The federal government needs to be responsible. You don’t get to break things and then just leave without doing something about it. “So, we’re going to be asking the federal delegation to be investing and doing the things necessary.” TRUMP DHS HAMMERS DEM GOVERNOR’S PORTAL TO TRACK ICE AGENTS: ‘ENCOURAGES VIOLENCE’ Walz, best known for being former Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate in the 2024 election, has been at odds with the administration throughout much of the operation, which was meant to crack down on rampant fraud and abuse in the state. Regarding the federal drawdown, Walz said, “We are cautiously optimistic … that this surge of untrained, aggressive federal agents are going to leave Minnesota, and I guess they’ll go wherever they’re going to go. “The fact of the matter is they left us with deep damage, generational trauma. They left us with economic ruin in some cases. They left us with many unanswered questions: Where are our children? Where and what is the process of the investigations into those that were responsible for the deaths of Renee and Alex? “So, while the federal government may move on to whatever next thing that they want to do, the State of Minnesota and our administration is unwaveringly focused on the recovery of what they did.” HOUSE DEM EXPLODES ON TOP TRUMP IMMIGRATION OFFICIAL, SAYS HE ‘BETTER HOPE’ FOR PARDON FROM PRESIDENT Homan announced Thursday that the administration will conclude Operation Metro Surge in Minnesota. Homan told reporters during a news conference at the Bishop Whipple Federal in Minneapolis that the operation succeeded in reducing public safety threats with “unprecedented levels of coordination” from state officials and local law enforcement. “As a result of our efforts here, Minnesota is now less of a sanctuary state for criminals,” Homan said. “I have proposed, and President Trump has concurred, that this surge operation conclude.” Homan said “a significant drawdown” of immigration agents was already underway and will continue through next week. The border czar announced last week that 700 federal officers would leave Minnesota, though 2,000 officers will remain. He cited improved cooperation with jails and said a complete drawdown was the goal, but it was “contingent upon the end of illegal and threatening activities against ICE.” ICE ARRESTS MURDERERS, PEDOPHILES DURING SUPER BOWL WEEKEND AS AGENTS SAY HALFTIME SHOW ‘DEMONIZED’ THEM He said only a “small footprint of personnel” will remain for a period of time, while he will also remain on the ground to oversee the operation’s drawdown and success. “Additionally, federal government personnel assigned to conduct criminal investigations into the agitators, as well as the personnel assigned here for the fraud investigations, will remain in place until the work is done,” Homan said.
Americans may have to pay to bring back alleged members of ‘foreign terrorist cartel’ to US
Alleged members of “foreign terrorist cartel” Tren de Aragua may be brought back to the U.S. after their deportations in 2025, and it could come at taxpayers’ expense. U.S. District Judge James Boasberg, who has repeatedly butted heads with the Trump administration, ordered the Trump administration Thursday to facilitate the return of 137 migrants deported to a notorious prison in El Salvador, CECOT, in 2025. Boasberg stipulated in his ruling that the government pay for the migrants’ airfare back to the U.S., meaning taxpayers are likely footing the bill. Boasberg argued that it’s “unclear why Plaintiffs should bear the financial cost of their return in such an instance,” noting that “this situation would never have arisen had the Government simply afforded Plaintiffs their constitutional rights before initially deporting them.” FEDERAL JUDGE ORDERS DEPORTED VENEZUELANS TO BE RETURNED TO US The ruling comes as part of a nearly year-long saga during which the federal judge attempted to halt the Trump administration’s deportation of migrants to El Salvador under the Alien Enemies Act in March 2025. The Supreme Court ultimately allowed the Trump administration to continue using the Alien Enemies Act to carry out deportations in April but ordered that detainees receive notice and an opportunity to challenge allegations. Boasberg has since been wading through legal avenues with the men in El Salvador, issuing a ruling in December that the Trump administration denied them due process. It is unclear how many of the men will actually take the offer and return to the U.S., with Boasberg noting that the noncitizens “would be detained upon arrival” back to the U.S. Similar to Boasberg’s ruling, another federal judge this month ordered the Trump administration to pay for the return of three migrant families the judge ruled ICE unlawfully deported by a 2023 humanitarian parole settlement. TRUMP ADMIN ASKS BOASBERG FOR MORE TIME TO DETAIL CECOT PLANS AFTER MADURO OUSTER DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told Fox News Digital Thursday in response to the ruling that the illegal aliens in El Salvador were removed under proper legal authority, before taking a shot as Boasberg. “Nothing has changed; in addition to being in our country illegally, these aliens are foreign terrorists designated as alien enemies by the president,” McLaughlin told Fox News Digital. TRUMP ADMIN SAYS MADURO CAPTURE REINFORCES ALIEN ENEMIES ACT REMOVALS “They were removed under the proper legal authorities. This case is no longer about the facts or law but about Judge Boasberg’s crusade to stop President Trump from doing the will of the American People. He has been shut down by appellate courts again and again on this case.” Boasberg has become a prime target for Republicans over a string of rulings tied to Trump-era policies, including the Trump administration backing a potential judicial impeachment of the judge and other “rogue” judges in January. The migrants in El Salvador were removed under The Alien Enemies Act, which is a 1798 wartime immigration law the Trump administration invoked to deport violent gang members with alleged ties to criminal organizations, such as Tren de Aragua (TdA). TdA, as well as MS-13, were designated as foreign terrorist organizations by the Trump administration’s State Department in February 2025. The administration has described those deported to the notoriously secure prison in El Salvador as “violent savages” and terrorists who pose a threat to U.S. security. A previous analysis of 238 migrants deported to El Salvador found six faced attempted murder, assault, armed robbery, gun possession or domestic battery charges in the U.S., the Texas Tribune reported in May 2025. Thirty-two other deportees had been convicted in the U.S. of crimes, many of which were nonviolent, according to the outlet. DHS has said deportees labeled “‘non-criminals” by the media are “terrorists, human rights abusers, gang members and more — they just don’t have a rap sheet in the U.S.”
Democrats salivate at GOP’s near zero-vote margin as shutdown looms over ICE reform gridlock
Democrats believe a one-vote GOP margin for error in the House of Representatives would give them newfound leverage in negotiations over the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and other priorities as rumors circulate that yet another Republican may cut his time in office short. A Republican majority hangs by a thread as questions continue to circulate over whether Rep. Neal Dunn, R-Fla., will resign his seat in the coming days. To members like Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., that prospect strengthens Democrats’ hand. “Look, yeah, the less of a majority they have, the better it is for us to actually get real stuff done that benefits the country,” Jayapal said Wednesday evening. SENATE REPUBLICANS TEE UP KEY SHUTDOWN TEST VOTE AS DEMOCRATS DIG IN ON DHS FUNDING It’s unclear when Dunn, who has wrestled with health concerns in the past, might come to a decision. If Dunn steps aside, Republicans will have just a one-seat majority and almost no margin for error that will prevent them from passing most pieces of legislation with just one vote to spare among their own party or secure help from Democrats. With persistent rebels like Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., in the mix, Democrats are willing to bet they’ll be asked for help. Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., believes that even just one less vote changes how Republicans have to think about DHS funding and the list of demands Democrats have made for reforms to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). “This place runs on numbers,” DeLauro said. “I think what I’ll do is take the circumstance and, for me, we need to be bold, transformational but do what is attainable.” Democrats led by House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., have made a list of 10 demands for ICE reform that, among other items, include a ban on masks, an end to racial profiling, stiffer warrant requirements and an end to paramilitary policing practices. Gridlock over those demands looks poised to force a partial government shutdown as lawmakers run up against a funding deadline Friday without a compromise in sight. “Let’s look at what we can get done,” DeLauro said. DHS FUNDING FIGHT DRIVES SENATE SCRAMBLE TO AVOID GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY: LITTLE LOVE IN THE AIR AS UNCERTAINTY SWIRLS ON THE HILL While control of what legislation goes to the floor likely won’t change with an even tighter majority, Rep. Johnny Olszewski, D-Md., believes Democrats could press their priorities through the amendment process. Most bills have what’s called a “closed” rule process by which only preapproved amendments are considered. Olszewski hopes that’s one area Republicans could allow some give. “I have, in good faith, tried to offer amendments to make bills better and potentially able to support,” Olszewski said. “I know that many of my colleagues have done that. And, so, I guess, you know, if we’re serious about coming together and finding solutions — especially on the cost of living crisis that’s crushing America — maybe we’ll see that. “I don’t think that’s a good way to get Democratic support for anything to continue to shut them out of the process.” When asked if he sees Democrats locking down legislative efforts Republicans can’t unite on, Olszewski said he hopes that’s not how things play out. “It doesn’t have to be that way,” Olszewski said. “Since I’ve been sworn in, I’ve been pleading to Speaker Johnson and the Republican majority to strike a more bipartisan tone.” Jayapal believes previous votes Republicans and Democrats have forced together indicate that there’s more room for collaboration. “I mean, you’ve seen the success with discharge petitions,” Jayapal said, referring to the legislative process Republican rebels have used to force votes over the objection of the chamber’s leadership. Notably, the legislation that forced the release of the Epstein files came about through a discharge petition effort. SENATE REPUBLICANS WEIGH DEM DEMAND TO SPLIT DHS BILL, TURN TO SHORT-TERM EXTENSION TO AVOID SHUTDOWN Lawmakers have filed 16 discharge petitions this Congress. Of those, four have reached the needed 218 signatories to advance. While Dunn’s picture remains uncertain, Republicans can expect to add to their razor-thin majority when Georgia holds its special election to replace Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., March 10. Greene resigned from Congress in January. The heavily Republican district was last won by Greene by a 28.8% margin of victory.
Cruz targets Minnesota-style fraud with bill requiring proof before federal childcare payouts
EXCLUSIVE: A trio of Republican senators are moving to overhaul how federal childcare funds are distributed after what they call “mass fraud” in Minnesota exposed a system that paid providers before verifying children were ever in the room. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, joined by senators Mike Lee, R-Utah, and Rick Scott, R-Fla., is introducing the Payment Integrity Act, legislation that would require states to distribute federally funded childcare dollars based on verified attendance, not enrollment claims. “Programs in Minnesota for welfare and childcare were designed to channel resources into protecting vulnerable children but were treated like an open ATM by criminals,” Cruz told Fox News Digital. “The mass fraud in Minnesota shows that American taxpayers can no longer rely on local and state politicians to prevent abuses because those politicians often have electoral and partisan incentives to look the other way. My legislation reduces the risk of the waste and fraud we’ve seen and ensures that resources are provided to children and families who need it.” WALZ’S MINNESOTA MESS COULD SPARK THE TOUGHEST FRAUD REFORMS IN DECADES The bill would reverse a 2024 Biden administration rule requiring states to pay childcare providers before attendance verification. Under Cruz’s proposal, providers would be paid only after services are confirmed, shifting from enrollment-based payments to attendance-based billing. Cruz’s bill comes as the outspoken Texan led a Senate Judiciary Subcommittee hearing on alleged Somali fraudsters last week. There, lawmakers heard directly from David Hoch, a journalist who accompanied blogger Nick Shirley to sites claiming to be Somali daycare centers. HOUSE OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE WIDENS INVESTIGATION INTO ALLEGED MINNESOTA FRAUD “There are few crimes more morally repugnant than stealing from vulnerable children. Every dollar stolen is a meal not eaten, a doctor’s visit missed and a future diminished,” Cruz said, adding that such fraud “plunders our children’s potential.” Gesturing toward a photo of the “Quality Learing Center” in Minneapolis during the hearing, an alleged fraudulent childcare provider Cruz called “emblematic” of the crisis, he said the fraud was occurring not in “some distant or lawless place, but in the heart of America’s Midwest.” Co-sponsor Lee said support for childcare should “go to real kids, not empty rooms.” “Fake childcare operations are stealing funding from the ones who are actually taking care of America’s children in need. Our bill will address this massive fraud by granting funding based on actual attendance rather than reported enrollment and allowing states to pay retroactively instead of in advance,” Lee said, adding such “diligence” should have been the law all along. PAM BONDI DISPATCHES FEDERAL PROSECUTORS TO MINNESOTA FOLLOWING SOMALI FRAUD ALLEGATIONS The Payment Integrity Act also puts into law the January rule from Health and Human Services that established attendance-based billing procedures. That rule, according to Secretary Robert F. Kennedy’s deputy, Jim O’Neill, was also spurred by what has been happening in Minnesota. “We’ve seen credible and widespread allegations of fraudulent daycare providers who were not caring for children at all. The reforms we are enacting will make fraud harder to perpetrate,” O’Neill said in a statement. The Payment Integrity Act amends the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act signed into law by President George H.W. Bush, to include such “attendance-based billing.” “Nothing in this subchapter shall be construed to require a lead agency to make a payment to a child care provider prior to the provision of child care services,” the bill states in a direct reversal of the prepayment system Cruz says allowed fraud to flourish.
‘Like Eid’: Bangladeshis hail landmark election, many vote after 17 years
Dhaka, Bangladesh – Standing in a long queue at a government school in the capital Dhaka, Hasan Hoque, a former teacher, laughs and chats with a group of men who just arrived to cast their ballots. “It’s been a while standing in this line, but nothing matches the feeling of casting my own vote. It feels like a festival,” Hoque told Al Jazeera, smiling. Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of list The last time he voted was in 2008 – the year former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina returned to power and allegedly rigged subsequent elections until her autocratic 15-year regime was challenged by a student-led uprising in 2024, toppling her government and forcing her into exile in India. “The elections we had after 2008 were farcical and one-sided under Awami League,” Hoque said, referring to Hasina’s political party, which was barred from elections after the uprising. “They would cast our votes themselves, so we were not even needed at the polling centres in those years.” That changed on Thursday as Bangladesh held its first parliamentary election since the 2024 uprising, with the country of 173 million people seeking a return to democracy after years of turmoil. Alongside choosing a new parliament, people also voted in a referendum to endorse the so-called “July Charter”, a document born out of the 2024 uprising that proposes sweeping constitutional reforms in order to save the country from future authoritarian rule. ‘Eid-like atmosphere’ Like Hoque, Jainab Lutfun Naher had also returned to the polling booth after 17 years. Advertisement “I was pregnant with my daughter in 2008. Today I voted again, and my daughter is now 17,” the voter from Dhaka’s Gulshan area told Al Jazeera. “It feels absolutely great to vote.” Naher said the day felt emotional and empowering – and allowed her hope. “I want this country to prosper,” she said. “I want it to be democratic, where everyone has rights and freedoms.” The people’s hopes are pinned on two alliances that were in the fray in Thursday’s vote – the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), led by Tarique Rahman, and the Jamaat-e-Islami-led coalition of 11 parties, which includes the National Citizen Party (NCP), founded by the youth activists who ousted Hasina. Voting took place in 299 of 300 constituencies, with polling in one seat cancelled following the death of a candidate. The Election Commission declared a turnout of around 48 percent up until 2pm local time (08:00 GMT). A finally tally of the turnout is awaited. Polls closed at 4.30pm (10:30 GMT) on Thursday and official results are expected early Friday morning. Across polling stations in Dhaka, home to 20 parliamentary constituencies, a similar picture emerged: long queues snaking outside school gates and community centres that were turned into polling centres. At one such school, first-time voter Nazmun Nahar said she “was so excited I could hardly sleep last night”. “It felt like Eid,” she told Al Jazeera, referring to the Muslim religious festival and expressing a sentiment also shared by Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin, who told reporters that people were voting in an exuberant “Eid-like atmosphere”. Reports from elsewhere in the country suggested a similarly festive mood, as the government declared a three-day holiday for the election and millions of voters travelled to their hometowns – many on train rooftops – to cast their vote. Abdur Rahman, a voter in northern Bangladesh who travelled on one such crowded train, said almost everyone he knew — from neighbours to extended family — had returned home to cast their ballots. “We were robbed of the joy of voting for so long,” Rahman said. “None of us wanted to miss this opportunity.” ‘Birthday of a new Bangladesh’ After casting his vote at Gulshan Model High School and College in Dhaka, BNP chairman Tarique Rahman, who is a frontrunner for the post of prime minister, said that if he comes to power, he will “prioritise improving law and order in the country so that people feel secure”. “I am confident of winning the election,” Tarique Rahman told reporters. Advertisement Muhammad Yunus, the head of the interim government formed after the 2024 uprising, cast his ballot at the same centre. “Today is the birthday of a new Bangladesh,” he said. “Through today’s process, people have rejected the past. From today, at every step, we have gained the opportunity to build a new Bangladesh.” Shafiqur Rahman, leader of the Jamaat-e-Islami party, cast his vote at another polling centre in Dhaka. “Through this vote, we hope a government will be formed that does not belong to any individual, family or party, but to the [millions] of people of this country,” he told reporters, calling the election a “turning point” for Bangladesh. Analysts said that while there were scattered allegations of poll malpractices, the election process had largely been peaceful. Asif Mohammad Shahan, professor of development studies at Dhaka University, told Al Jazeera the election did not see “reports of major irregularities”. “Some isolated incidents have occurred, which are of course unwanted, but every election in Bangladesh has had some irregularities. Unless those are serious enough to change the overall result, they do not cross a critical threshold,” he said. Political analyst Dilara Choudhury said a relatively peaceful election is a first step in Bangladesh’s long transition towards democratic normalcy. “Minimal violence in the election is good,” she told Al Jazeera. “If both parties accept the results, it would be a first step for Bangladesh towards a new kind of politics or democratic transition,” she added. But Choudhury cautioned that an election “does not mean a full transition to democracy”, arguing that the next phases would depend on whether governing and opposition forces jointly pursue reforms outlined in the July Charter and institutionalise them – including commitments to accountability, rule of law, and good governance. Meanwhile, Mazeda Begum, a voter at Dhaka’s Civil Aviation School and College polling centre, said she hopes the new government — whoever forms it — will work for the country’s progress,
How Israel used discriminatory laws to strip Palestinians of citizenship
Israel’s announcement to revoke the citizenship of two Palestinians accused of carrying out attacks has drawn condemnation from Palestinians, who said that the move “constitutes a grave and alarming precedent” that paves the way for targeting thousands of detainees and former prisoners. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu signed an order on Tuesday revoking the citizenship of two Palestinians, who will be deported from Israel. This is the first time that a 2023 discriminatory law is being used to physically deport Palestinians from Israel. Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of list Why is Israel stripping Palestinians of their citizenship? Netanyahu wrote in an X post on Tuesday: “This morning I signed the revocation of citizenship and deportation of two Israeli terrorists who carried out stabbing and shooting attacks against Israeli civilians and were rewarded for their heinous acts by the Palestinian Authority.” Referring to Ofir Katz, a Knesset member from the Likud party, Netanyahu added: “I thank the Coalition Chairman @OfirKatzMK for leading the law that will deport them from the State of Israel, and many more like them on the way.” One of these men was released from prison for security-related offences in 2024 after serving 23 years, while the other is currently serving an 18-year sentence following a 2016 conviction, according to Adalah – The Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel. The Commission of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs and the Palestinian Prisoner’s Society (PPS) released a joint statement on Wednesday saying that the decision is based on a discriminatory law, legislation passed by the Israeli parliament in February 2023. Advertisement The 2023 law made it easier for authorities to strip citizenship or residency from Palestinians jailed for what Israel defines as “acts of terror”. The law targets Palestinian citizens of Israel, and Palestinians in the occupied and illegally annexed East Jerusalem who hold Israeli residency. It states that the Palestinians can lose their citizenship or residency after being convicted or charged for an “act of terrorism” and receiving money from the Palestinian Authority, which governs the occupied West Bank. Hassan Jabareen, general director of Adalah, dubbed it “a very, very dangerous law”. “This will be a very hard precedent against Palestinian citizens. It will open the way to transfer them based on political reasons,” Jabareen told Al Jazeera. “This is the first law that we know in any Western democracy that allows the state to revoke the citizenship of their citizens only for political reasons. “As Netanyahu said, this is just the beginning. This means that they are going to revoke more and more citizenships. This is a way of transferring Palestinian citizens,” who make up about 20 percent of Israel’s overall population of about 10 million people. Jabareen added that the Israeli government has done this to stoke tension between Palestinian citizens and the state ahead of the October legislative elections. The Israeli “right wing” wants to be seen as attacking Palestinians for “populist reasons and for electoral reasons”, Jabareen said. Prior to the 2023 legislation, the Citizenship Law of 1952 already allowed for the revocation of citizenship or residency of Palestinians in Israel and Jerusalem on the grounds of “breach of loyalty to the State of Israel”. “Breach of loyalty” is defined to include carrying out an “act of terror,” aiding or soliciting such an act, or “taking an active part” in a “terrorist organisation,” among other activities. ‘Apartheid’: Which other Israeli laws discriminate against Palestinians? The 2023 citizen revocation law is aimed primarily at Palestinians and adds to a longstanding body of legislation that is applied differently to Palestinians in Israel than to Jewish Israelis. There are currently about 100 Israeli laws that discriminate against Palestinian citizens in Israel and Palestinian residents of the occupied Palestinian territory, according to Adalah. In 2018, Israel’s parliament adopted a controversial “Jewish nation-state” law defining the country as a Jewish homeland, further marginalising Palestinian citizens of Israel. The law stipulates that Jewish people have “an exclusive right to national self-determination”. Advertisement Last November, Israel passed a first draft of a death penalty bill, introducing capital punishment for those convicted of killing Israelis if they had “racist” motives or were doing it “with the aim of harming Israel”. The bill is under discussion in the Knesset. Legal experts say the law is discriminatory in how it defines “terrorism”. Palestinians’ attacks will most likely be dubbed “racist”, attracting the death penalty. In a statement on February 3, Amnesty International called on Israel to abandon the bill, warning that the measures would violate international law and “further entrench Israel’s apartheid system” against Palestinians. Amnesty’s statement said: “If adopted, these bills would distance Israel from the vast majority of states which have rejected the death penalty in law or in practice, while further entrenching its cruel system of apartheid against all Palestinians whose rights Israel controls.” Last week, the Israeli cabinet passed measures aimed at expanding its power across the occupied West Bank, making it easier to seize Palestinian land illegally. This has come despite the 2024 UN resolution calling for an end to the illegal Israeli occupation of the West Bank. How many Palestinians live in Israel? There are about 1.9 million Palestinians with Israeli citizenship as of 2019, according to Israel’s census. Most are descendants of Palestinians who remained inside Israel when it was founded in 1948. About 750,000 Palestinians were expelled or fled, and thousands more were killed by the Zionist militias, in the lead-up to Israel’s creation. Israel continues to block their right of return while granting Jews from across the world the right to immigrate to Israel, as well as to the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem. More than 750,000 Israelis live in illegal settlements built on Palestinian-owned land in the occupied West Bank. In very limited cases, Palestinians who hold residency in East Jerusalem can apply to obtain Israeli citizenship. They have to undergo a difficult naturalisation process, and a small number can apply via family links – but for most Palestinians in
US border chief says Trump agrees to end deportation surge in Minnesota
US border chief announces the conclusion of a federal operation with 700 immigration agents set to leave Minnesota. Listen to this article Listen to this article | 3 mins info Published On 12 Feb 202612 Feb 2026 Click here to share on social media share2 Share Tom Homan, the US border security chief, says that the immigration crackdown in Minnesota that led to mass detentions, protests and two deaths is coming to an end. “As a result of our efforts here, Minnesota is now less of a sanctuary state for criminals,” Homan said at a news conference on Thursday. Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of list “I have proposed, and President [Donald] Trump has concurred, that this surge operation conclude.” US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) launched Operation Metro Surge in Minnesota on December 1 as Trump frequently rebuked the state and its seizable Somali community. Homan said ICE operations would continue as they did before the operation began. “Through targeted enforcement operations based on reasonable suspicion, and prioritising safety and security, ICE will continue to identify, arrest, and remove illegal aliens who pose a risk to public safety, as we’ve done for years,” he said. Federal authorities say the sweeps focused on the Minneapolis-St Paul metro area have led to the arrest of more than 4,000 people. While the Trump administration has called those arrested “dangerous criminal illegal aliens”, many people with no criminal records, including children and US citizens, have also been detained. Minnesota Tim Walz said on Thursday he was “cautiously optimistic” after the Trump administration’s announcement of drawing down the immigration crackdown in his state. “They left us with deep damage, generational trauma,” Walz told reporters. “They left us with economic ruin in some cases.” Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey also welcomed the announcement, likening the immigration operation to military occupation. Advertisement “They thought they could break us, but a love for our neighbors and a resolve to endure can outlast an occupation,” Frey wrote on X “These patriots of Minneapolis are showing that it’s not just about resistance — standing with our neighbors is deeply American.” Reporting from the White House House Al Jazeera’s Alan Fisher said the operation of Minnesota proved to be a public relations “disaster” for Trump, citing opnion polls that showed public opposition to ICE’s tactics. “It was bad publicity for Donald Trump, and he was getting a great deal of criticism, not just from Democrats, not just from people in the state, but from Republicans around the country as well – that this was not the image that they wanted to portray,” Fisher said. Holman’s announcement came as US legislators were holding hearings questioning government officials over the immigration crackdown in Minnesota, which saw mass protests and the killing of Alex Pretti and Renee Good by federal agents. Adblock test (Why?)