‘Side-by-side’: Texas deploys hundreds of troops, choppers to help Trump tackle border crisis
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Monday announced that he is deploying troops and helicopters to the southern border in order to help the Trump administration with its new ramped-up efforts to crack down on illegal immigration. Abbott announced that he has ordered the deployment of the Texas Tactical Border Force to the Rio Grande Valley “to coordinate with U.S. Border Patrol under the Trump administration to secure the border.” The force will send 400 additional soldiers, as well as C-130s and Chinook helicopters. That is in addition to the Texas National Guard soldiers already stationed at the border as part of Operation Lone Star, which Abbott launched in 2021 to tackle the then-rising border crisis. COLOMBIAN LEADER QUICKLY CAVES AFTER TRUMP THREATS, OFFERS PRESIDENTIAL PLANE FOR DEPORTATION FLIGHTS “Texas has a partner in the White House we can work with to secure the Texas-Mexico border,” Abbott said in a statement. He contrasted the Trump administration’s more aggressive stance on the southern border with what he saw as inaction by the Biden administration. “For the past four years, Texas held the line against the Biden Administration’s border crisis and their refusal to protect Americans. Finally, we have a federal government working to end this crisis,” he said. “I thank President Donald Trump for his decisive leadership on the southern border and look forward to working with him and his Administration to secure the border and make America safe again.” The efforts come amid a flurry of moves by the Trump administration to push back against illegal immigration and secure the southern border. Trump ordered the deployment of the military to the border in a day one executive order, along with a slew of other border measures. Troops began arriving in Texas and California on Thursday evening, with approximately 1,500 troops adding to the already 2,500 service members stationed there in response to the border crisis in 2023. TRUMP DHS MAKES KEY MOVE AGAINST MIGRANTS ALLOWED IN VIA CONTROVERSIAL BIDEN PAROLE PROGRAMS “This represents a 60% increase in active-duty ground forces since President Trump was sworn-in Monday,” acting Defense Secretary Robert Salesses said in a statement late Wednesday. The new stance on the border was on display on Sunday when a diplomatic spat occurred between the U.S. and Colombia on deportations. Colombian President Gustavo Petro refused to accept deportation flights, but later backtracked after Trump threatened tariffs and other measures. CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE American officials sent two flights of Colombian illegal aliens as part of Trump’s deportation program. Petro rejected the flights, writing that the U.S. cannot “treat Colombian migrants as criminals.” The White House confirmed on Sunday that the Colombia’s president had caved “to all of President Trump’s terms, including the unrestricted acceptance of all illegal aliens from Colombia returned from the United States, including on U.S. military aircraft, without limitation or delay,”
‘Bumbling idiot’: Freshman GOP senator unleashes on blue city mayor, Dems opposing Trump’s deportations
Ohio GOP Sen. Bernie Moreno ripped Chicago’s Democratic Mayor Brandon Johnson as the “worst mayor in American history” and called on liberal mayors across the country to focus on making life better for their citizens, as opposed to blocking President Donald Trump’s immigration efforts. “My message to the mayors of those cities is, why don’t you do this for a change, why don’t you actually advocate for the American citizens that live in your communities, help them with better schools, better housing and better security rather than protecting criminal illegals that shouldn’t even be in this country in the first place,” the freshman senator told Fox News Digital. “And I think when the voters of those cities see what these mayors are doing, they’re going to throw them out.” “The mayor of Chicago is probably the worst mayor in American history,” Moreno continued. “He’s just going for extra credit. The guy is a total and complete bumbling idiot. So, hopefully, the voters of Chicago take care of that pretty quickly.” Johnson has been one of the more outspoken mayors calling for resistance to Trump’s immigration and deportation efforts, saying recently that his city is “going to protect undocumented individuals” from ICE raids. INDIANA ATTORNEY GENERAL FILES LAWSUIT AGAINST SHERIFF FOR DEFYING FEDS ON ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION The Chicago mayor’s office acknowledged Fox News Digital’s inquiry by labeling Moreno’s comment “ad hominem criticism,” but did not expand on their response. Some Chicago residents have voiced frustration with Johnson’s public opposition to Trump, including P Rae Easley, a Chicagoan and host of “Black Excellence Hour,” in an interview with “Fox & Friends First.” “We understand that we are in the middle of an invasion,” Easley said. “Every single person who came across that border came with an invoice on their back for the Chicago taxpayer.” Despite calls from Johnson and other mayors pledging to block Trump’s efforts, ICE agents across the country have deported hundreds of illegal immigrants in the first few days of Trump’s administration. Moreno praised Trump’s efforts and said he anticipates the flurry of immigration moves from Trump in recent days to continue. “It’s amazing,” Moreno told Fox News Digital. “I mean, President Trump knows the urgency that we need to get safety and security back to our cities. Look, these criminal aliens should never have been allowed to be in this country in the first place. Joe Biden put this country in jeopardy for four years and President Trump’s going to clean it up really fast.” UP TO 250,000 CHILDREN BORN TO ILLEGAL MIGRANTS IN 2023: PRELIMINARY REPORT The new administration’s efforts to roll back illegal immigration has gained support from Democrats in certain situations, including the passage of the Laken Riley Act, which had the support of 48 Democrats in the House. Moreno, when asked if that vote shows Democrats are becoming increasingly more open to addressing the illegal immigration issue, said, “Absolutely.” “I mean, look, this should be an American issue, like we want legal immigrants to come here safely, securely in a way that benefits this country, not by breaking into this country, paying drug cartel members who rape them and beat them along the journey,” Moreno said. “It’s the most disgusting way to welcome migrants to this country, especially fake asylum claims. We have a bill that’s going to stop that.” “Look, if you’re a true refugee, we’re going to have a safe process for you to come to this country. If you’re an economic migrant, you got to wait in line. You can’t use asylum as a way to skip a line ahead of millions of people, which is fundamentally unfair. And I think a lot of Democrats will come on board with my bill.” Moreno recently introduced the Refugees Using Legal Entry Safely (RULES) Act, which aims to reform the way asylum seekers enter the United States.
First lady Melania Trump’s new official portrait revealed
Strike a pose. That’s exactly what first lady Melania Trump is doing in her new official White House portrait that was released Monday afternoon. The first lady is seen in a striking power pose – leaning slightly forward with her hands resting on a table. The black and white portrait was captured by esteemed photographer Régine Mahaux. It was taken on January 21, 2024, in the Yellow Oval Room of the White House, according to the office of the first lady. Trump, a former fashion model, is seen posing in business attire – opting for a dark-colored suit with a crisp white shirt underneath.
Republican state AGs await Trump-brokered TikTok deal, remain skeptical on app safety
President Donald Trump signaled Saturday a deal could be underway soon to “save” TikTok from a looming ban, and Republican state attorneys general – many skeptical of the app’s security – are waiting to see if it comes to fruition. “I have spoken to many people about TikTok and there is great interest in TikTok,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One on a flight to Florida, Reuters reported. The reported deal Trump is working on involves partnering with software company Oracle and a group of outside investors to take control of the app’s operations. According to sources familiar with the matter, ByteDance, TikTok’s Chinese parent company, would maintain a stake in the platform under the proposed deal. However, Oracle would take control of data management and software updates, leveraging its existing role in supporting TikTok’s web infrastructure, two sources told Reuters. ‘NO BETTER DEALMAKER’: TRUMP REPORTEDLY CONSIDERING EXECUTIVE ORDER TO ‘SAVE’ TIKTOK “President Trump has repeatedly expressed his desire to save TikTok, and there’s no better dealmaker than Donald Trump,” Trump’s national press secretary Karoline Leavitt previously told Fox News Digital. Several Republican state attorneys general have actively pursued actions to ban TikTok, citing national security concerns and potential data privacy issues. In December 2024, 22 attorneys general, including those from Virginia and Montana, filed an amicus brief urging the U.S. Supreme Court to uphold the “divest-or-ban” law against TikTok. The law mandates that TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, divest its U.S. operations or face a potential ban due to national security concerns. TRUMP’S ‘BLACKLIST’: PRESIDENT-ELECT DESCRIBES THE TYPE OF PEOPLE HE DOESN’T WANT TO HIRE Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton also initiated legal action against TikTok earlier this month, alleging “TikTok lied about its safety standards and concealed the truth about the prevalence of inappropriate and explicit material,” according to his office’s news release. Paxton’s lawsuit doesn’t mention the app’s ban. A source close to several Republican state attorneys general told Fox News Digital on Monday that they’re confident if anyone can make a deal to protect the U.S. from the Chinese Communist Party, it’s Trump, but if it poses a threat to national security, then it should be banned. FROM TIKTOK TO TULSI: HOW MIKE PENCE IS TAKING AIM AT TRUMP 2.0 Republicans aren’t the only ones concerned about TikTok. Several Democratic state attorneys general have actively pursued legal actions against the social media app, too. In October 2024, California Attorney General Rob Bonta and New York Attorney General Letitia James, along with 12 other states and the District of Columbia, filed a lawsuit alleging that TikTok exploits and harms young users and deceives the public about the social media platform’s dangers. While Trump tried to ban the app from U.S. access during his first administration, he credited TikTok for reaching young voters during the 2024 presidential campaign. TikTok went dark earlier this month after ByteDance had nine months to sell TikTok to an approved buyer but opted, along with TikTok, to take legal action against the law. The U.S. Supreme Court upheld the law, citing national security risks because of its ties to China. The app was reinstated for U.S. users the following day, with Trump promising an executive order to extend TikTok’s sale. “Welcome back!” the TikTok message read. “Thank you for your patience and support. As a result of President Trump’s efforts, TikTok is back in the U.S.!” Fox News Digital has reached out to TikTok for comment. Fox Business’ Alexandra Koch, Bradford Betz and Landon Mion contributed to this report.
Justice Department fires more than a dozen key officials on former Special Counsel Jack Smith’s team
EXCLUSIVE: The Justice Department is firing more than a dozen key officials who worked on Special Counsel Jack Smith’s team prosecuting President Donald Trump, after Acting Attorney General James McHenry said they could not be trusted in “faithfully implementing the president’s agenda,” Fox News Digital has learned. McHenry has transmitted a letter to each official notifying them of their termination, a Justice Department official exclusively told Fox News Digital. TRUMP TO TAKE MORE THAN 200 EXECUTIVE ACTIONS ON DAY ONE It is unclear how many officials received that letter. The names of the individuals were not immediately released. “Today, Acting Attorney General James McHenry terminated the employment of a number of DOJ officials who played a significant role in prosecuting President Trump,” a DOJ official told Fox News Digital. “In light of their actions, the Acting Attorney General does not trust these officials to assist in faithfully implementing the President’s agenda.” This action “is consistent with the mission of ending the weaponization of government,” the official told Fox News Digital. The move comes after the Justice Department reassigned more than a dozen officials in the first week of the Trump administration to a Sanctuary City task force and other measures. DOJ RELEASES FORMER SPECIAL COUNSEL JACK SMITH’S REPORT ON INVESTIGATION INTO TRUMP ELECTION INTERFERENCE CASE It also comes after Trump vowed to end the weaponization of the federal government. Former Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed Smith, a former Justice Department official, as special counsel in November 2022. Smith, a former assistant U.S. attorney and chief to the DOJ’s public integrity section, led the investigation into Trump’s retention of classified documents after leaving the White House and whether the former president obstructed the federal government’s investigation into the matter. HOUSE WEAPONIZATION PANEL RELEASES 17,000-PAGE REPORT EXPOSING ‘TWO-TIERED SYSTEM OF GOVERNMENT’ Smith was also tasked with overseeing the investigation into whether Trump or other officials and entities interfered with the peaceful transfer of power following the 2020 presidential election, including the certification of the Electoral College vote on Jan. 6, 2021. Smith charged Trump in both cases, but Trump pleaded not guilty. The classified records case was dismissed in July 2024 by U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida Judge Aileen Cannon, who ruled that Smith was unlawfully appointed as special counsel. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Smith charged Trump in the U.S. District Court for Washington D.C. in his 2020 election case, but after Trump was elected president, Smith sought to dismiss the case. Judge Tanya Chutkan granted that request. Both cases were dismissed.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams limits public schedule for ‘routine medical tests’
Democratic New York City Mayor Eric Adams will have a limited public schedule this week, with his office saying that he will be undergoing medical tests. “Over the last few days, Mayor Adams hasn’t been feeling his best,” New York City Deputy Mayor for Communications Fabien Levy said in a statement. Levy did not specify a condition or medical concern. ADAM SAYS NYC IS COORDINATING WITH ICE AS MASS MIGRANT DEPORTATIONS LOOM “As a result, this week, the mayor will have a number of doctors’ appointments and undergo routine medical tests,” Levy continued. “While Mayor Adams will continue to communicate constantly with staff and ensure city business continues undeterred, during this time, the mayor will have a limited public schedule.” Adams’ office said that New Yorker City Hall would continue its everyday functions as Adams focuses on his health this week. NYC MAYOR ADAMS TO ATTEND INAUGURATION AT TRUMP TEAM’S REQUEST “New Yorkers can rest assured that their local government will continue to deliver for them every day as our committed workforce at City Hall, and more than 300,000 employees at dozens of city agencies, continue to show up on the most important issues,” Levy said. “Like every other New Yorker, Mayor Adams has a right to privacy when it comes to personal matters, but we will continue to communicate in the unlikely event he is unable to fully discharge his duties on any particular day.” Adams has cozied up to President Donald Trump this month, visiting West Palm Beach for a lunch meeting and then accepting Trump’s invitation to the Inauguration in Washington. Last week, the Democratic mayor agreed to work with the Trump administration on deporting migrants who commit violent crimes in New York City, earning a nod from President Trump’s own border czar Tom Homan. Adams was indicted in Sept. 2024 for corruption and bribery charges. President Trump said Adams was treated “pretty unfairly” and that he was targeted for his tough stance on illegal immigration. Trump said he would consider a pardon for the New York City mayor.
Large crowds of displaced Palestinians head to northern Gaza
NewsFeed Thousands of displaced Palestinians walked along the main roads leading to northern Gaza, carrying what they can as they return to their homes. Israel opened the roadblocks along the Netzarim Corridor following a deal between Hamas and Israel for the release of six more captives. Published On 27 Jan 202527 Jan 2025 Adblock test (Why?)
Israeli air strike kills two Hamas fighters in the occupied West Bank
The attack in Tulkarem comes as Israeli raids on the nearby Jenin area of the occupied West Bank entered a seventh day. An Israeli air strike has killed two Hamas fighters in the city of Tulkarem, the Palestinian group said, underscoring Israel’s renewed focus on the occupied West Bank since the start of the ceasefire deal in Gaza. Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, said that the two men killed on Monday were members of its armed wing. The Israeli military said that it targeted a man who served as Hamas’s leader in Tulkarem, who it said was behind numerous attacks on Israelis, in addition to another Hamas member. Meanwhile, witnesses in Tulkarem told the Reuters news agency that an Israeli raid was under way in the city. That operation comes as Israeli raids on the nearby Jenin area continued into a seventh day. Backed by armoured vehicles and drones, Israeli forces launched a series of attacks on Jenin – a crowded township to the north of Tulkarem – on January 21 as part of Israel’s “Iron Wall” campaign. Since the start of the operation, at least 16 Palestinians have been killed in Jenin and the surrounding areas, according to Palestinian health authorities. Advertisement Mohammad Jarrar, the mayor of Jenin, said on Sunday that some 15,000 people have been forced to flee the camp due to Israeli attacks. He added that according to initial estimates, the Israeli army has completely demolished between 30 and 40 homes in Jenin, and hundreds of others have been partially damaged. “The Israeli army is bulldozing and destroying streets and infrastructure, creating pathways for its vehicles through the rubble of demolished Palestinian homes,” Jarrar said. Last week, the Israeli military said in a statement that it carried out aerial attacks on “terror infrastructure sites” in Jenin, adding that “numerous explosives planted on the routes” were “dismantled”. Late on Saturday, Israeli forces shot a two-year-old girl during a raid on the village of Ash-Shuhada, just to the south of Jenin, Palestinian officials said. “They started to shoot at us through the windows without any warning,” Reuters quoted Ghada Asous, grandmother of Laila Muhammad al-Khatib, the infant girl, as saying. “All of a sudden, the special forces raided us and were shooting through the windows.” The Israeli military said troops on a “counterterrorism” operation had fired at a structure where suspected militants had barricaded themselves. It was reviewing reports that uninvolved civilians were injured, it said in a statement. The Palestinian Health Ministry says Israeli forces have killed at least 838 Palestinians in the occupied West Bank since the war on Gaza began on October 7, 2023. Advertisement Adblock test (Why?)
China’s DeepSeek causes rout among AI-linked stocks
Wall Street’s superstars are tumbling as a competitor from China threatens to upend the artificial-intelligence frenzy that has created a spending bonanza. The S&P 500 was down 1.7 percent in midday trading on Monday and heading for its worst day in more than a month. Big Tech stocks took some of the heaviest losses with Nvidia down 14.4 percent, and they dragged the Nasdaq composite down 2.8 percent. Stocks outside AI-related industries held up much better, though, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average was down just 54 points, or 0.1 percent, as of 11:05 am in New York (16:05 GMT). The Dow, whose companies have much less of an emphasis on tech than the S&P 500 and Nasdaq, had briefly been on track for a small gain earlier in the morning. The shock to financial markets came from China, where a company called DeepSeek said it had developed a large language model that can compete with United States giants at a fraction of the cost. DeepSeek’s app had already hit the top of Apple’s App Store chart by Monday morning, and analysts said such a feat would be particularly impressive given how the US government has restricted Chinese access to top AI chips. Advertisement Marc Andreessen, a Silicon Valley venture capitalist, said in a post on X on Sunday that DeepSeek’s R1 model was AI’s “Sputnik moment”, referencing the Soviet Union’s launch of a satellite that marked the start of the space race with the US in the late 1950s. “DeepSeek R1 is one of the most amazing and impressive breakthroughs I’ve ever seen — and as open source, a profound gift to the world,” he said in a separate post. Scepticism, though, remains about how much DeepSeek’s announcement will ultimately shake the AI supply chain from the chipmakers making semiconductors to the utilities hoping to electrify vast data centres gobbling up computing power. “It remains to be seen if DeepSeek found a way to work around these chip restrictions rules and what chips they ultimately used as there will be many sceptics around this issue, given the information is coming from China,” according to Dan Ives, an analyst with Wedbush Securities. DeepSeek’s announcement nevertheless rocked stock markets worldwide. In Amsterdam, Dutch chip supplier ASML slid 6.6 percent. In Tokyo, Japan’s Softbank Group Corp lost 8.3 percent to pull closer to where it was before leaping on an announcement trumpeted by the White House that it was joining a partnership to invest up to $500bn in AI infrastructure. And on Wall Street, shares of Constellation Energy sank 19 percent. The company has said it would restart the shuttered Three Mile Island nuclear power plant to supply power for data centres for Microsoft. Advertisement All the worries sent investors towards bonds, which can be safer investments than any stock. ‘Magnificent seven’ It’s a sharp turnaround for the one-time AI winners, whose stocks had soared in recent years on hopes that all the investment pouring in would remake the global economy and deliver gargantuan profits along the way. Before Monday’s drop, Nvidia’s stock, for instance, had soared from less than $20 to more than $140 in less than two years. Other Big Tech companies had also joined in the frenzy, and their stock prices had benefitted too. It was just on Friday that Meta Platforms CEO Mark Zuckerberg was saying he expected to invest up to $65bn this year while talking up a datacentre Meta is building in Louisiana that is so large it would cover a significant part of Manhattan. A small group of such companies has become so dominant that they’ve come to be known as the “Magnificent Seven”. These companies — Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Meta Platforms, Microsoft, Nvidia and Tesla — alone accounted for more than half of the S&P 500’s total return last year, according to S&P Dow Jones Indices. Their immense sizes in turn have also given them huge sway over the S&P 500 and other indexes that give more weight to bigger companies. It shows the risk of betting too much on just a few winning stocks, something that market experts call “concentration risk”. That “can feel good when those few names or ideas are on the ascent, but it is even more dangerous when disruptions take place”, said Brian Jacobsen, chief economist at Annex Wealth Management. Advertisement Still, he suggested not overreacting to Monday’s sharp swings. “It is possible that the news out of China could be overstated, and then we could see a reversal of the recent market moves,” Jacobsen said. “It is also possible that the news is true, but then that would present new investment opportunities.” Adblock test (Why?)
Air Force reinstates Tuskegee Airmen training following backlash from Pete Hegseth and Katie Britt
The Air Force has resumed a course on the first Black pilots unit that was temporarily yanked in what officials claim was an effort to ensure compliance with President Donald Trump’s executive order banning DEI in the federal government. Following backlash from legislators and even the new Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, the Air Force claimed reports it had yanked a course teaching new recruits about the 15,000 Black pilots, mechanics and cooks in the segregated Army of World War II known as the Tuskegee Airmen were “inaccurate.” However, Hegseth wrote on X Sunday that the course’s removal had been “immediately reversed.” Lt. Gen. Brian Robinson, Air Education and Training Command commander, said in a statement that the segment that included videos on the Tuskegee Airmen was temporarily yanked on Jan. 23 because a section of it that included DEI material was directed to be removed. A video on the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP), a paramilitary group of female pilots in World War II, was also temporarily removed. “We believe this adjustment to curriculum to be fully aligned with the direction given in the DEI executive order,” he said. “No curriculum or content highlighting the honor and valor of the Tuskegee Airmen or Women Air Force Service Pilots has been removed from Basic Military Training.” TRUMP’S CRACKDOWN ON TRANS TROOPS: NEW ORDER NIXES PREFERRED PRONOUNS AND RESTRICTS FACILITY USE “No Airmen or Guardians will miss this block of instruction due to the revision, however, one group of trainees had the training delayed. The revised training, which focuses on the documented historic legacy and decorated valor with which these units and airmen fought for our nation in World War II and beyond will continue on 27 January.” Gen. David Allvin, Air Force chief of staff, explained further, “Allow me to clearly dispel a rumor – while we are currently reviewing all training courses to ensure compliance with the executive orders, no curriculum or content highlighting the honor and valor of the Tuskegee Airmen or Women Air Force Service Pilots has been removed from Basic Military Training.” “From day one, I directed our Air Force to implement all directives outlined in the Executive Orders issued by the president swiftly and professionally – no equivocation, no slow-rolling, no foot-dragging. When policies change, it is everyone’s responsibility to be diligent and ensure all remnants of the outdated policies are appropriately removed, and the new ones are clearly put in place,” he went on in a statement. “Despite some inaccurate opinions expressed in reporting recently, our Air Force is faithfully executing all the president’s executive orders. Adhering to policy includes fully aligning our force with the direction given in the DEI executive order. Disguising and renaming are not compliance, and I’ve made this clear. If there are instances of less-than-full compliance, we will hold those responsible accountable.” Before the Air Force announced it would resume training on the airmen on Monday, Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala., had accused it of “malicious compliance.” “I have no doubt Secretary Hegseth will correct and get to the bottom of the malicious compliance we’ve seen in recent days. President Trump celebrated and honored the Tuskegee Airmen during his first term,” she said. PETE HEGSETH CONFIRMED TO LEAD PENTAGON AFTER VP VANCE CASTS TIE-BREAKING VOTE “Amen! We’re all over it, Senator. This will not stand,” Hegseth echoed. WASP were vital to ferrying warplanes throughout World War II. The Tuskegee Airmen, an active fighter unit from 1940 to 1952, were the first soldiers who flew during World War II. The group destroyed more than 100 German aircraft. The nation’s armed forces were not desegregated until 1948, under an executive order from then-President Harry Truman. Trump is expected to issue a new executive order focused on rooting out DEI in the military on Monday, in addition to one restricting accommodations for transgender troops. Another executive order will reinstate service members who were fired over refusing the COVID-19 vaccine.