Federal court rules ATF age limits on handgun sales violate Second Amendment
A federal appeals court on Thursday ruled a nationwide ban on handgun sales to young adults is unconstitutional. A three-judge panel of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans found a federal law that prohibits adults aged 18-20 from buying handguns violates the Second Amendment. The ruling comes as key firearms regulations have been struck down across the country following a landmark Supreme Court decision that expanded gun rights in 2022. “Ultimately, the text of the Second Amendment includes eighteen-to-twenty-year-old individuals among ‘the people’ whose right to keep and bear arms is protected,” the opinion of the court states. The decision refers the case back to a lower court judge. MASSIE AND OTHER REPUBLICANS PUSH ‘NATIONAL CONSTITUTIONAL CARRY ACT’ TO PROTECT AMERICANS’ GUN RIGHTS Previously, the appeals court had upheld the requirement that adults must be at least 21 to purchase a handgun. But since the Supreme Court’s decision in New York State Rifle and Pistol Association v. Bruen, judges are required to determine if a firearm restriction being challenged is firmly rooted in the nation’s historical traditions. Judges in Minnesota, Virginia and Texas have already found that state laws restricting handgun sales to young adults do not pass that test. The Biden administration fought those rulings, but the Trump administration is expected to be friendlier towards gun rights. At a National Rifle Association event last year during the presidential campaign, President Donald Trump said, “no one will lay a finger on your firearms.” Constitutional law attorney and Fox News contributor Jonathan Turley observed that the Trump administration may not appeal the fifth circuit’s decision, which could mean the Supreme Court will not have a chance to review it. “For gun rights advocates, it may have been better if this decision had been handed down during the Biden Administration,” Turley posted on X. “The Trump Administration will likely support the ruling and not appeal to the Supreme Court. Such an appeal could have extended this precedent nationally.” BIDEN ADMIN DROPS ITS ‘ZERO TOLERANCE’ POLICY TARGETING GUN DEALER LICENSES OVER PAPERWORK ERRORS The Supreme Court, meanwhile, decided to keep a federal gun law on the books last year. The high court overturned a different ruling from the 5th Circuit and upheld a law intended to protect victims of domestic violence. “Today’s ruling is yet another critical FPC win against an immoral and unconstitutional age-based gun ban,” said Firearms Policy Coalition President Brandon Combs in a statement. Two FPC members sued to overturn the law, along with the Second Amendment Foundation and the Louisiana Shooting Association. SUPREME COURT MAKES DECISION ON GUN LAW CHALLENGES IN DELAWARE, MARYLAND “We look forward to restoring the Second Amendment rights of all peaceable adults throughout the United States,” Combs added. Federal law requires a person to be 21 to purchase a handgun from a licensed firearm dealer and 18 to buy a long gun from a dealer, according to Everytown for Gun Safety. There is an 18-year-old minimum for handgun purchases from unlicensed sellers and no minimum age for long guns, according to the group’s research. “The law that prohibits dealers from selling handguns to those under twenty-one is both constitutional and crucial for public safety,” said Janet Carter, senior director of issues and appeals at Everytown Law. “Firearms are the leading cause of death for children and teens, and 18-to-20-year-olds commit gun homicides at triple the rate of adults 21 and over, according to FBI statistics.” “We hope the federal government will fight this reckless ruling by seeking rehearing en banc, or taking the case directly to the Supreme Court. We look forward to supporting the defense of this common sense law.”
Homan, lawmakers signal cooperation on ‘overlooked’ northern border amid migrant spike: ‘Same vision’
EXCLUSIVE: Republican lawmakers representing the Northern Border Security Caucus are looking to meet with border czar Tom Homan about the “overlooked” northern border — with Homan telling Fox News Digital he is keen to work with them “ASAP.” Reps. Mike Kelly, R-Pa., and Ryan Zinke, R-Mont., have written to Homan, congratulating him on his new role as border czar in the new Trump administration. “As this new administration begins, we, as co-chairs of the Northern Border Security Caucus, want to highlight the importance of protecting the Northern border, which as you well know has been overlooked considering the ongoing crisis at our Southwest border,” they write to Homan, in a letter obtained by Fox News Digital. BIDEN ANNOUNCES NEW NORTHERN BORDER DEAL, FENTANYL COALITION WITH CANADA AS IMMIGRATION CRISIS RAGES While the overall numbers of migrant encounters are vastly outnumbered by the southern border, with just under 200,000 encounters for FY 2024, it has seen a sharp increase in numbers during the Biden administration. In FY 23, there were more apprehensions than the prior 10 years combined. “The Northern border has faced an unprecedented rise in encounters during the last administration with FY2024 encounters rising nearly 82% over FY2022. The number of unaccompanied children encountered skyrocketed 262% in the same period,” the lawmakers say. “The Swanton Sector, where a Border Patrol agent was shot and killed on January 20th, has seen an outrageous 1,720% increase in encounters from FY2022 to FY2024.” NORTHERN BORDER SECTOR SEES 550% INCREASING IN MIGRANT APPREHENSIONS LAST FISCAL YEAR Kelly and Zinke announced the reintroduction of the caucus earlier this month for the 119th Congress. The 24-member caucus calls for secure borders and looks to raise awareness of the immigration issues facing the states at the border with Canada. Telling Homan that he has made it clear that he shares “our same vision for a more safe and secure Northern border,” they invited him to a meeting with the caucus on how “Congress and the new Administration can work together to secure the Northern Border.” In response to a request for comment from Fox News Digital, Homan said he will “engage with them ASAP on ways to secure the northern border to decrease illegal crossings of aliens and narcotics and address the national security vulnerabilities.” The caucus was founded in 2023 as numbers were spiking at the northern border, and the members have raised concerns about the number of migrants on the terror watchlist who have crossed via the border. They have noted that 87% of all terror watchlisted individuals encountered at ports of entry were apprehended at the northern border. CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE
‘Essential to our nation’s sovereignty’: Noncitizen voter crackdown led by GOP ahead of 2026 midterms
FIRST ON FOX: House Republicans are rolling out a new package of election security legislation this week, with GOP lawmakers already setting eyes on 2026. Republican Study Committee Chairman August Pfluger, R-Texas, introduced the bills this week, with four lawmakers co-sponsoring the entire package and various other members supporting specific pieces. The three pieces of legislation are a bill to prohibit noncitizen residents of Washington, D.C., from voting in local elections, a bill to block noncitizens from helping administer elections and a constitutional amendment to prevent noncitizens from voting. KASH PATEL ENRAGES ADAM SCHIFF IN CLINTONIAN BATTLE OVER THE WORD ‘WE’ AND A JANUARY 6 SONG It is currently illegal for noncitizens to vote in federal elections. Though the law does not apply to state and local elections, there is currently no state in the U.S. that allows noncitizens to vote in statewide elections. Some areas, however, allow for noncitizens to vote in local-level elections – including Washington, D.C. “Free and fair elections are the cornerstone of our democracy, which is why protecting them from noncitizen influence is essential to our nation’s sovereignty and will ensure America has a flourishing democracy for decades to come,” Pfluger told Fox News Digital. “These bills are three commonsense steps we can take to ensure noncitizens are not influencing our elections by voting in them or administering them. We must safeguard the integrity of our electoral system, and these bills will work to do just that.” Earlier this year, House Republicans passed the Safeguarding American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, which requires proof of citizenship in the voter registration process. The majority of Democrats have cried foul at GOP-led efforts to crack down on noncitizen voting, with progressive lawmakers accusing Republicans of trying to spread doubt about the country’s election processes by targeting something that’s already illegal in most cases. Democrats also criticized Republicans for pushing bills like the SAVE Act just weeks before the November election. MAJOR CHANGES KASH PATEL COULD MAKE ON DAY 1 AT FBI However, Pfluger and his GOP allies are now side-stepping that criticism by introducing the bills well ahead of the 2026 midterm races, when historical precedent suggests that House Republicans face an uphill battle to keeping their majority. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Among the co-sponsors of the entire package is House Budget Chairman Jodey Arrington, R-Texas, who is playing a critical role in congressional Republicans’ efforts to pass a massive conservative policy overhaul via the budget reconciliation process. Border security and immigration reform are expected to be a significant part of that forthcoming legislation.
After stinging election defeats, DNC eyes rural voters as key to 2026 midterm success
FIRST ON FOX— The Democratic National Committee (DNC) plans to focus much of its campaign efforts on winning over rural voters in the 2026 midterm elections, according to the party’s outgoing chairman— a sprawling effort they hope will help the party engage with and educate new voters, and loosen what many see as President Donald Trump’s ironclad grip on many red state voters. The new strategy was previewed exclusively to Fox News Digital by outgoing DNC Chair Jaime Harrison ahead of the DNC’s slated vote Saturday to select his successor as next party leader. In an interview, Harrison said the strategy, which has been weeks, if not months in the making, is designed to refute many of Trump’s campaign trail claims on the economy, health insurance and taxes for average Americans. Rather, Harrison said the aim is to tie Trump more closely to these policies and to make the case to voters directly that Trump is “using rural America, and giving rural voters nothing in return.” “An examination of Trump’s second term agenda and first administrative actions reveals that rural families and the resources they rely on are in greater jeopardy than ever before,” the DNC said in a preview of its new election strategy memo, shared exclusively with Fox News. “One can conclude, Donald Trump is using rural America and giving rural voters nothing in return,” the memo continued. TRUMP’S ULTIMATUM TO FEDERAL WORKERS: RETURN TO OFFICE ‘OR BE TERMINATED’ Trump’s rhetoric has long been praised as refreshing by voters, who resonate with what many said they see as his unorthodox, anti-establishment bona fides. However, there is a difference between Trump as a presidential candidate and Trump as president. It is “him just saying things and not having the power to implement them,” compared to being back in the Oval Office, Harrison said. The DNC’s effort, however, will seek to challenge that assumption by highlighting victories secured by former President Joe Biden in his first term, including tightening CAFE fuel economy standards for gas-fired vehicles, investing in EV manufacturing and battery supply chains, cracking down on PFAS contaminants and pollution, and allocating billions of dollars in clean energy and climate spending. Trump has vowed to undo many of these policies after retaking control of the Oval Office. To date, he has made good on his promise. Trump used his first week in office to sign hundreds of executive orders and actions, a dizzying flurry of orders that, among other things, sought to crack down on immigration, unleash U.S. liquefied natural gas exports and freeze all congressionally approved spending, if only temporarily. Democrats, for their part, have sought to use Trump’s vice-grip on the post-inauguration news cycle to double down on their efforts to appeal to voters and prepare for the midterms, no matter how far-off they might seem. This includes focusing on issues like healthcare coverage and medical providers, both of which have suffered “major” disparities in rural America, and where doctors have exited en masse amid a flurry of hospital closures and a dearth of insured patients. WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY DEFENDS TRUMP’S FIRING OF INSPECTORS GENERAL Many of the Republican-led states that did not opt to expand Medicaid saw wide hospital closures, higher out-of-pocket costs for prescriptions and much more limited access to opiod recovery or substance abuse programs, Harrison said. Rural communities are also seeing more limited access to doctors, emergency treatment centers and a lack of access to important medication, as Biden-era programs wane. “These things are going to have a detrimental impact on rural America,” he said. Still, Harrison acknowledged that the Democratic Party also needs to do its part to meet voters where they are at in 2026, just months after the party’s humbling defeat in the 2024 presidential election. SWING STATE’S SUPREME COURT ISSUES PIVOTAL RULING ON MAIL-IN BALLOTS SENT WITHOUT POSTMARK However, changing hearts and minds will not happen overnight, he said. Rather, it will require many conversations from state party leaders at the local level, who can both identify key issues for voters and help recruit good candidates for the upcoming election cycle. “I think what we have to do is paint a picture for the American people of all the things that we rely upon— all the things that are necessary and needed in these communities, and that sometimes we don’t even know are [programs] that the federal government is funding,” Harrison said. “Those things are in jeopardy under this administration.” “We want to let people know these things aren’t just happening by happenstance. It’s happening because Donald Trump is taking this radical right wing extremist agenda and trying to implement and therefore impacting the quality of your life.” The DNC’s effort will also spell out to voters what they say will happen if these policies are rolled back, in accordance with Trump’s plans, Harrison said. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “The second thing is having our cannons— we go out, and we work with our state parties, and recruit candidates to run in 2026,” he said of candidates who are well-positioned to speak to the communities they are representing. In Harrison’s view, this will also help explain to voters how Trump’s drastic cuts or reductions will impact their communities specifically. “And then we continue to have that conversation, one-on- one, in small and larger groups with the people in those communities,” he said. “And that is how we put ourselves on a much stronger foot going into the 2026 midterm election. “
BIG setback for Arvind Kejriwal as seven AAP MLAs resign from party ahead of Delhi assembly polls
With less than a week before the assembly polls in Delhi, at least seven outgoing AAP MLAs have resigned from the party.
Rashtrapati Bhavan slams Sonia Gandhi amid row on her ‘Poor Thing’ remark on President Murmu, calls it..
Rashtrapati Bhavan criticized Sonia Gandhi’s “poor thing” remark on President Murmu, calling it “unfortunate” and clarifying she was not tired during her speech.
‘Insult to 10 Crore Tribals’: PM Modi criticizes Congress for ‘Poor Thing’ remark on President Droupadi Murmu
PM Modi criticized Congress over Sonia Gandhi’s “poor thing” remark on President Droupadi Murmu, calling it an insult to the tribal community.
Pete Buttigieg blasts Trump after president excoriates him during press briefing
Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg fired back at President Donald Trump on Thursday after the commander in chief blasted the Democrat during a press briefing about the deadly midair collision between a military helicopter and a passenger airplane that occurred on Wednesday night. Trump sarcastically called Buttigieg “a real winner.” “He’s a disaster. He was a disaster as a mayor. He ran his city into the ground. And he’s a disaster now. He’s just got a good line of bulls—,” the president said. PETE BUTTIGIEG GIVING ‘SERIOUS LOOK’ TO 2026 SENATE RUN IN TRUMP-WON MICHIGAN Buttigieg, the former South Bend, Indiana Mayor who served as secretary of the Transportation Department under former President Joe Biden, sounded off in a post on social media. “Despicable. As families grieve, Trump should be leading, not lying. We put safety first, drove down close calls, grew Air Traffic Control, and had zero commercial airline crash fatalities out of millions of flights on our watch,” Buttigieg declared in a post on X. “President Trump now oversees the military and the FAA. One of his first acts was to fire and suspend some of the key personnel who helped keep our skies safe. Time for the President to show actual leadership and explain what he will do to prevent this from happening again,” he added. Buttigieg mounted a presidential bid in 2019, but dropped out the next year and endorsed Biden. Buttigieg is reportedly “taking a serious look” at the possibility of running for U.S. Senate in in Michigan. “Pete is exploring all of his options on how he can be helpful and continue to serve,” a source familiar with Buttigieg’s thinking told Fox News Digital. “He’s honored to be mentioned for this, and he’s taking a serious look.” Fox News Digital’s Julia Johnson contributed to this report
Amid debate on work-life balance, economic survey flags concern for mental health: ‘Spending long hours at…’
The pre-budget economic survey 2024-25, tabled in the Parliament by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday, i.e., January 31, flagged concerns for mental health and highlighted the adverse effects of working over 60 hours a week, citing multiple studies.
Abbott expected to promote vouchers and other highlights of his 2025 agenda in Sunday speech
After successful campaigns for House allies, the governor is in a position to set an ambitious course for the legislative session.