U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar says three migrants are dead near Eagle Pass park after Border Patrol was denied access
Texas officers took control over Shelby Park against the city’s wishes on Wednesday and have since blocked U.S. Border Patrol agents from entering.
Congressional leaders strike deal to punt government shutdown deadlines
Congressional leaders have reached a deal for a short-term federal funding extension until early March, a source familiar told Fox News Digital, assuaging fears of a partial government shutdown at the end of next week. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., will have to bring another continuing resolution (CR) for a vote in their respective chambers this week to avoid a partial shutdown on Jan. 19. The deal would extend funding for some agencies and departments through March 1, while the remainder would be funded through March 8. That would keep intact Speaker Johnson’s “laddered” CR approach that passed Congress in mid-November. HOUSE GOP ERUPTS IN DIVISION OVER CALL TO PUSH JOHNSON OUT OF SPEAKERSHIP: ‘WORKING FOR JOE BIDEN’ The two-step proposal funded part of the government until Jan. 19, and the rest until Feb. 2. The first tranche of deadlines in that plan reckoned with historically less controversial appropriations bills concerning military construction and Veterans Affairs; Agriculture; Energy and Water; Transportation and Housing and Urban Development. The remaining eight appropriations bills, including those dealing with the Justice Department and Homeland Security, were to be worked out by the February deadline. HOUSE, SENATE RELEASE BIPARTISAN AGREEMENT ON GOVERNMENT FUNDING AS SHUTDOWN DEADLINES LOOM The goal of separating the two deadlines is to make it impossible for Congress to pass an all-in-one “omnibus” spending bill, something Republicans across the board have opposed. The House GOP has pledged to return to “regular order” by passing 12 single-subject appropriations bills instead. It’s not immediately clear if the details remain the same in the new CR, and legislative text is not yet available. The March CR plan was first reported by Punchbowl News. A short-term government funding patch is almost certain to be opposed by Johnson’s right flank, who have been calling on him to leverage a government shutdown in exchange for extracting conservative border policy wins for the Democrat-run Senate and White House. House Republicans have started off the year with many of the same divisions and grievances, chiefly over government spending, that the conference saw last year. WHERE NO CONGRESS HAS GONE BEFORE: FACING GALACTIC-SCALE FISCAL CLIFF AND BORDER SECURITY THREATS Johnson announced a bipartisan deal with Schumer earlier this month to set the government’s discretionary spending levels at $1.59 trillion for fiscal year 2024. They would also honor a side-agreement for an extra $69 billion struck between ex-Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., and President Biden, minus $16 billion in added cuts that Johnson negotiated to offset that. It’s invoked the ire of GOP hardliners who have accused Johnson of continuing the McCarthy policies they opposed. Conservatives have been pushing Johnson to go back on the Schumer topline deal. But the speaker said as recently as Friday that the deal remained in place – a position backed by much of the rank-and-file in the House GOP.
UN says all peacekeepers will leave DR Congo by end of 2024
In first phase of the withdrawal, about 2,000 UN troops will leave the restive eastern areas by the end of April. The United Nations peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which has helped in the fight against rebels for more than two decades, will completely withdraw from the country by December. “After 25 years of presence, MONUSCO will definitively leave the DRC no later than the end of 2024,” Bintou Keita, head of the mission known as MONUSCO said at a media briefing in the Congolese capital Kinshasa on Saturday. The announcement comes after the Congolese government – which was just re-elected in a disputed vote – called for the UN mission to leave the country, saying it had failed to protect civilians from armed groups. Numerous armed groups, including the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) and M23, are active in restive eastern areas such as North Kivu, South Kivu and Ituri provinces, where civilians face violence and displacement. The withdrawal will take place in three phases. In the first phase, about 2,000 UN troops will leave South Kivu by the end of April, taking the currently 13,500-strong MONUSCO force to 11,500, Keita said. Fourteen UN bases in the province will be taken over by Congolese security forces, she explained. After that, forces in North Kivu and Ituri will also leave. Not the ‘end of the fight’ Congolese Foreign Minister Christophe Lutundula confirmed to a news conference in Kinshasa that the remaining UN forces are expected to be out of the country by December 31. “The withdrawal of MONUSCO does not necessarily mean the end of the fight we are undertaking to protect the territorial interests of our country, we must continue to struggle,” Lutundula said. MONUSCO took over from an earlier UN operation in 2010 to help quell insecurity in the east of the Central African country, where armed groups fight over territory and resources. But in recent years, its presence has become increasingly unpopular. In December, the UN’s Security Council voted unanimously in favour of gradually phasing out its peacekeeping operations. Keita said on Saturday that the end of the mission will not be “the end of the United Nations” in the country. The Congolese government has also directed an East African regional force, deployed last year to help end the fighting, to leave the country for similar reasons as the UN peacekeeping mission. More than seven million people have been displaced due to conflicts in DRC, mostly in the three eastern provinces where a myriad of armed groups continue to operate. Adblock test (Why?)
Blue state Democrat puts Lloyd Austin on blast, said he would fire Defense Sec. ‘in five minutes’
A Democrat in deep-blue Massachusetts said Friday that if he were President Biden, he would fire Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin “in about five minutes” following his lack of transparency surrounding his hospital stay and surgery to remove cancer. “I would fire him in about five minutes,” Rep. Seth Moulton, D-MA, told NewsNation on Friday. Moulton, a member of the House Armed Services Committee, said that the scandal over Austin’s failure to promptly notify key officials in the Biden administration of his hospitalization was “completely unacceptable.” “I can’t imagine that happening at the lowest levels of the military chain of command, like where I was, as a mere lieutenant platoon commander in Iraq,” Moulton said. “I can’t even imagine it happening when I was a 15-year-old busboy. If I was going to be out for a week, I had to tell my boss.” DEFENSE SEC. LLOYD AUSTIN IN ‘GOOD CONDITION’ AS HOSPITALIZATION APPROACHES TWO-WEEK MARK: PENTAGON OFFICIALS The Democratic lawmaker said that while it’s the president’s decision whether to keep Austin as the head of the Pentagon, Biden needs to “send a decisive message.” “It’s up to the president as to whether he fires Secretary Austin, but I tell you what, he needs to send a decisive message that this is never gonna happen again,” Moulton added. BIDEN SAYS AUSTIN HAD LAPSE IN JUDGMENT FOLLOWING HOSPITALIZATION DEBACLE, SAYS HE STILL HAS CONFIDENCE IN HIM Moulton said he felt “terrible for Secretary Austin and his family” and wished the secretary a swift recovery. “But what’s most important is that America gets the national security that it needs, and its troops get the supervision that they need,” he said. “That’s the secretary’s job.” President Biden has continued to stand behind Austin amid his hospital stay, saying that he still has confidence in the defense secretary’s leadership. During a visit to small businesses outside Allentown, Pennsylvania on Friday, Biden answered “yes” when asked by reporters if it was a lapse in judgment for Austin not to tell him about his condition. When a reporter asked him if he still has confidence in Austin’s leadership following his hospitalization debacle, Biden replied, “I do.” Austin, 70, remains hospitalized as he is being treated for complications following prostate cancer surgery. The Pentagon publicly revealed on Jan. 5 that Austin had been in the hospital since Jan. 1 due to complications from elective surgery. PENTAGON OFFICIALS STUNNED BY DEFENSE SECRETARY KEEPING CANCER DIAGNOSIS SECRET FROM BIDEN But it was later revealed that not only was the media kept in the dark, the highest levels of the White House and top officials in the Pentagon itself were not aware until Jan. 4 that Austin was in the hospital. The non-disclosure prompted a flurry of bipartisan concern, with top Democrats and Republicans on the House and Senate Armed Services committees calling for more transparency about the incident. Austin’s hospital stay began on New Year’s Day. Details of his visit remain slim, beyond that he was there for an elective procedure. Rep. Seth Moulton’s office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Utah mayor secures first Senate endorsement in bid for Romney’s seat
FIRST ON FOX: Utah GOP Senate hopeful Trent Staggs is snagging a key endorsement from Alabama Senator Tommy Tuberville as he competes for retiring Senator Mitt Romney’s seat. Tuberville is the first Senator to throw his support behind the Senate candidate and weigh in on the race for Romney’s vacant seat. The Riverton, Utah, Mayor has already secured more than 30 endorsements from current and former elected officials in the Beehive State. “I’m proud to endorse Trent Staggs for United States Senate. We don’t just need Republicans in Washington,” said Tuberville. “We need conservatives who aren’t afraid of a fight.” “I look forward to having Mayor Staggs join myself and Senator Mike Lee in taking on corruption, defending the unborn and fighting for the America First agenda,” said Tuberville. Staggs, who said he would support term limits, tax cuts and immigration reform in Congress, has represented a town of about 45,000 people in Salt Lake Valley since 2018. While in office, Staggs says he helped establish Riverton’s own police department and grew the area’s economy. MAYOR TRENT STAGGS SUGGESTS KYRIE IRVING LOOK FOR ‘NEW LINE OF WORK’ IF HE FOUND JAZZ FAN’S SIGN DISTRACTING “I’m honored to have the endorsement of Senator Tuberville. I look forward to joining him in fighting against the radical left and defending liberty in Washington,”said Staggs. UTAH REPUBLICAN ANNOUNCES BID TO REPLACE ROMNEY AFTER SAYING HE WOULD NOT ENTER RACE AMID UNFINISHED WORK Staggs is up against nearly a dozen contenders in the GOP Senate primary, namely Republican Utah Congressman John Curtis, who threw his hat in the race just days ago, telling Salt Lake City radio station KSL TV that he had an “aha moment” after teasing a Senate bid this September. “After many Utahns from across the state reached out and urged him to run, John decided it was the right thing to do,” a Curtis campaign spokesperson told Fox News Digital. RACE TO REPLACE ROMNEY IN SENATE HEATS UP AS ANOTHER REPUBLICAN LAUNCHES CAMPAIGN: ‘STRONG CONSERVATIVE WOMAN’ Former Utah state House Speaker Brad Wilson, Roosevelt Mayor Rod Bird Jr. and former GOP Sen. Mike Lee’s staffer Carolyn Phippen are among the other prominent contenders for the seat. Although Romney has not endorsed his successor, he said that Washington needs “a new generation of leaders” and slammed both President Biden and former President Trump’s policies in his retirement announcement. “Utah is fortunate to have several candidates who are interested in serving in the Senate, and Senator Romney appreciates their willingness to serve. He is staying out of the race,” Liz Johnson, Romney’s chief of staff, told Fox News Digital. CLICK TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP The Republican Senate primary election in Utah will be held on June 25, 2024. The general election will be on November 5, 2024.
White House accuses Abbott of trying to ‘politicize the border’ after Texas seizes park along Rio Grande
The White House is taking aim at Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and accusing him of trying to “politicize the border” after the state this week seized control of a park near the southern border and has blocked Border Patrol from entering. “Governor Abbott continues his extreme political stunts that not only seek to demonize and dehumanize people, but that also make it harder and more dangerous for Border Patrol to do their job,” a spokesperson said in a statement on Friday. The Texas National Guard seized Shelby Park in Eagle Pass, Texas, on Thursday and set up razor wire and fences to block off the area along the Rio Grande River. Eagle Pass has been one of the busiest spots for migrant crossings in the three-year border crisis, and Shelby Park has been a key staging area for processing during the enormous migrant surges the state has seen. DOJ RENEWS SCOTUS PUSH TO ACT AFTER TEXAS SEIZES BORDER AREAS, BLOCKS BORDER PATROL FROM ENTERING “The Texas Military Dept said the move was to prepare for future illegal immigrant surges and to restrict access to organizations that perpetuate illegal immigrant crossings in the park and greater Eagle Pass area.” Customs and Border Protection later confirmed that it had been blocked from entering the area, and the DOJ immediately complained to the Supreme Court about the move. Texas has been feuding with the federal government over border security, with Texas saying that it is stepping in to solve a vacuum left by the federal government and its “open border” policies. The Biden administration has claimed that Texas is interfering with the operations of the federal government. The Biden administration was recently blocked by an appeals court from cutting or damaging razor wire set up by Texas, and it asked the Supreme Court to intervene as a result. Meanwhile, it has sued Texas over its establishment of buoys along the Rio Grande and a recent anti-illegal immigration law, S.B. 4 that allows for state and local police to arrest illegal immigrants. “Whether it is leaving migrants on the side of the road in the dead of winter, installing razor wire to make Border Patrol’s job more dangerous, promoting extreme and unconstitutional laws like S.B. 4, or his latest actions in Eagle Pass, Governor Abbott has repeatedly proven that he is not interested in solutions and only seeks to politicize the border,” the White House statement said. TEXAS SEIZES CONTROL OF PARK, BLOCKS BORDER PATROL FROM ENTERING, AS PART OF ANTI-ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION EFFORTS “The President has been clear that we need adequate resources and policy changes, and that our immigration system is broken. That is why on his first day in office he presented Congress with a comprehensive immigration reform plan, and that is why he is working to find a bipartisan agreement with Congress that includes funding and meaningful reforms,” they added. Texas, meanwhile, has stood by its policies and said that it intends to continue with them. “Texas is holding the line at our southern border with miles of additional razor wire and anti-climb barriers to deter and repel the record-high levels of illegal immigration invited by President Biden’s reckless open border policies. Instead of enforcing federal immigration laws, the Biden administration allows unfettered access for Mexican cartels to smuggle people into our country,” Abbott spokesperson Renae Eze said on Thursday. BIDEN LAWSUIT OVER TEXAS IMMIGRATION LAW LATEST ATTEMPT TO STIFLE STATE’S MOVES TO STOP ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION In a separate Supreme Court filing, responding to one filed by the DOJ, Texas also argued that Border Patrol had ceased large-scale operations there and had left the area abandoned as large-scale crossings had not taken place for some weeks. “Leaving the area abandoned created a risk to anyone who might try to climb over obstacles that have been in place for years and also invited tampering with Texas’s equipment stored at the Park. To ensure the safety of recreational users as well as aliens and to ensure the integrity of the State’s equipment, Governor Abbott exercised his authority under Texas law to commandeer the Park,” the filing said, also saying it had offered to help Border Patrol retrieve equipment and supplies. Fox News’ Bill Melugin and Bill Mears contributed to this report.
Pritzker urges Abbott to stop busing migrants to Chicago due to storm: ‘I plead with you for mercy’
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker is urging Texas Gov. Greg Abbott to stop sending migrants to Chicago due to incoming winter storms, an appeal that drew pushback from the Lone Star State. “While action is pending at the federal level, I plead with you for mercy for the thousands of people who are powerless to speak for themselves,” Pritzker said in a letter, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. “Please, while winter is threatening vulnerable people’s lives, suspend your transports and do not send more people to our state.” Temperatures are due to plunge in the coming days in the city, and Pritzker claimed that the buses and planes transporting migrants to Chicago during such conditions are “now life-threatening to every one of the arrivals.” TEXAS HITS MAJOR MILESTONE FOR MIGRANTS SENT TO SANCTUARY CITIES DESPITE LIBERAL FURY “Hundreds of children’s and families’ health and survival are at risk due to your actions,” he said, according to the Sun-Times. Abbott has sent over 30,000 migrants to Chicago since the middle of 2022, as part of a project to relieve overwhelmed border towns by sending migrants to “sanctuary” cities that also include Washington D.C., New York City and others. The numbers seen by those cities are a fraction of the millions of migrants that have hit the southern border. Abbott says he has bused over 100,000 migrants to the cities. There were 2.4 million migrant encounters in FY 23 alone and over 302,000 in December. NYC MAYOR ADAMS SUES TEXAS BUS COMPANIES FOR TRANSPORTING MIGRANTS TO SANCTUARY CITY, SEEKS $700 MILLION Chicago and other cities have appealed for help from the federal government, including billions in financial aid. Chicago has also placed restrictions on when and where buses may drop off migrants. In a statement to Fox News Digital, Abbott spokesperson Andrew Mahaleris noted that Pritzker had previously called Illinois “the most welcoming state in the nation.” “Instead of complaining about migrants sent from Texas, where we are also preparing to experience severe winter weather across the state, Governor Pritzker should call on his party leader to finally do his job and secure the border — something he continues refusing to do,” Mahaleris said. TEXAS MIGRANT FLIGHT HEADING TO NEW YORK CITY DIVERTED TO PHILADELPHIA “Until President Biden steps up and does his job to secure the border, Texas will continue transporting migrants to sanctuary cities to help our local partners respond to this Biden-made crisis,” he said. Meanwhile, Abbott has also been battling with the federal government over moves it has taken to secure the southern border by itself, including the seizure of a park near the Rio Grande River this week.
John Kerry to step down as Biden admin climate czar: report
U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry is reportedly planning to leave the White House in the coming months and join President Biden’s presidential campaign. The new was first reported by Axios on Saturday. Kerry, who ran for president in 2004, is the first person to serve as the U.S. special presidential envoy for climate, as the position was created when Biden was inaugurated in January 2021. Kerry endorsed Biden for president in 2019. “I believe Joe Biden is the President our country desperately needs right now, not because I’ve known Joe so long, but because I know Joe so well,” Kerry said at the time. TOP ENERGY LOBBY GROUP UNLEASHES 8-FIGURE AD CAMPAIGN IN SUPPORT OF US PRODUCTION AHEAD OF 2024 ELECTION CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “Through it all, I’ve seen Joe tested in public service and tested in life itself,” the statement added. “I know his character.” This story is developing, check back for updates.
Defense Sec. Lloyd Austin in ‘good condition’ as hospitalization approaches two-week mark: Pentagon officials
The Pentagon confirmed Saturday that Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin remains hospitalized, nearly two weeks after he was admitted due to complications from surgery for prostate cancer. Providing an update on the health of Austin, who has been hospitalized at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center since Jan. 1, Pentagon press secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said the defense secretary is “in good condition” and that it’s still unknown when he will be released. “He’s in contact with his senior staff and has full access to required secure communications capabilities and continues to monitor DOD’s day-to-day operations worldwide,” Ryder said of Austin. “We do not have a specific date for Secretary Austin’s release from the hospital at this time but will continue to provide daily updates until then.” The Pentagon publicly revealed Jan. 5 that Austin had been in the hospital since Jan. 1 due to complications from elective surgery. LLOYD AUSTIN HOSPITALIZATION: HOUSE REPUBLICANS DEMAND MORE DETAILS AS PRESSURE BUILDS ON PENTAGON But it was later revealed that not only was the media kept in the dark, but the highest levels of the White House and top officials in the Pentagon itself were not aware until Jan. 4 Austin was in the hospital. The non-disclosure prompted a flurry of bipartisan concern, with top Democrats and Republicans on the House and Senate Armed Services committees calling for more transparency. In a recent statement to Fox News White House correspondent Peter Doocy, the White House confirmed President Biden continued to have “full trust and confidence” in the Pentagon’s leader. BIDEN SAYS AUSTIN HAD LAPSE IN JUDGMENT FOLLOWING HOSPITALIZATION DEBACLE, SAYS HE STILL HAS CONFIDENCE IN HIM “The president has full trust and confidence in Secretary Austin. He’s looking forward to him being back at the Pentagon,” the official said. The Pentagon echoed the White House sentiment in a statement to Fox News Digital earlier this week, saying Austin also has no plans to resign. “Secretary Austin has no plans to resign,” Pentagon press secretary Major General Pat Ryder said. “He remains focused on conducting his duties as secretary of defense in defense of our nation.” Details emerged Wednesday indicating Austin’s chief of staff, Kelly Magsamen, was aware of her boss’s hospitalization Jan. 2 but did not inform Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks, who took on some of the defense secretary’s duties during the initial hospital stay. Ryder told reporters this delay was in part due to Magsamen having the flu. A senior U.S. defense official told Fox News Wednesday a military assistant from Austin’s office notified a counterpart in Hicks’ office of the transfer of authority to her Jan. 2. Then, on Jan. 4, it was Magsamen who notified the chief of staff for Hicks that Austin had been hospitalized Jan. 1 and that his condition was improving. When asked by Fox News if it was senior military assistant Lt. Gen. Ron Clark who spoke to the military assistant in Hicks’ office on Tuesday, the senior U.S. defense official did not have an answer and said a 30-day review will cover exactly who the military assistant was. PENTAGON SLAMMED FOR CALLING LLOYD AUSTIN’S SURGERY TO REMOVE CANCER ‘ELECTIVE’: ‘ARGUING SEMANTICS’ During a visit to small businesses outside Allentown, Pennsylvania, Biden said “yes” when asked by reporters if it was a lapse in judgment for Austin not to tell him about his condition. When a reporter asked him if he still has confidence in Austin’s leadership following his hospitalization debacle, Biden replied, “I do.” Walter Reed National Military Medical Center revealed Tuesday that Austin was diagnosed with prostate cancer in early December and underwent a prostatectomy on Dec. 22. The hospital added that the 70-year-old recovered uneventfully from his surgery and was released the following morning. His prostate cancer was detected early, and the prognosis was “excellent,” according to the hospital. Several House Republicans are going directly to Austin for more information on the decision-making that led to senior officials in the White House and Pentagon reportedly being in the dark for days about his recent hospitalization. Rep. Claudia Tenney, R-N.Y., led a group of two dozen GOP lawmakers in writing a letter to Austin with questions about who was part of the decision to delay disclosure, how Austin would respond “if one of your combatant commanders was unable to discharge the duties of their office for three or four days and you were not informed” and who was in the loop about his situation from the beginning, among other details. In a post to X on Saturday, New York Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik wrote, “Secretary Austin and anyone who lied for him will be held accountable.” The Associated Press, Fox News’ Anders Hagstrom, Greg Norman, and Sarah Rumpf-Whitten contributed to this report.
Dozens killed in Colombia landslide, including children
Officials say at least 33 people have died in mudslides brought on by heavy rains in the province of Choco. At least 33 people have been killed in a landslide brought on by heavy rains in northwestern Colombia, officials have said. “I deeply regret the death of 33 people in this tragedy, mostly children, according to preliminary reports from the territory,” Vice President Francia Marquez wrote on the social media platform X on Saturday. “At this time, search and rescue actions continue for the people who remain trapped,” she said. The mudslide, which happened on Friday afternoon, covered a roadway that connects the cities of Quibdo and Medellin in the Pacific province of Choco, authorities said. En estos momentos continúan las acciones de búsqueda y rescate de las personas que permanecen atrapadas bajo el deslizamiento de tierra en la vía Quibdó-Medellín, en Carmen del Atrato. Lamento profundamente el fallecimiento de 33 personas en esta tragedia, en su mayoría niñas y… — Francia Márquez Mina (@FranciaMarquezM) January 13, 2024 Dozens were also injured on a busy highway, and some people were missing after mud engulfed several cars on the road. A specialised rescue group from the Colombian police rescued survivors and retrieved bodies on Saturday. Authorities in Medellin said that, as of early Saturday, 17 bodies had been transported there and that forensic examiners had identified three of them, the AFP news agency reported. No names were released. With several road closures, rescue crews and firefighters struggled to reach the hardest-hit area. “Since last night, we have been working hand-in-hand with emergency and relief organisations on the Quibdo-Medellin road,” the police said. “We deployed all our capabilities to rescue and help those affected.” About 50 soldiers also arrived to assist, and images released by the army showed mud-covered men struggling through swampy terrain. “All the help available [is being sent] to Choco in this horrible tragedy,” President Gustavo Petro said on social media on Friday. The landslide in Choco, which lies on the Pacific Ocean and is home to a vast tropical forest, followed more than 24 hours of intense rain. Images on social media showed the moment a large piece of land dislodged from a mountain and fell on top of several cars that were moving along the flooded road below. The road has been closed by Colombia’s National Unit for Disaster Risk Management (UNGRD). A landslide in the same part of Colombia in December 2022 killed at least 27 people, trapping people in a bus and other vehicles. While much of Colombia is suffering a period of drought, the Institute of Hydrology, Meteorology and Environmental Studies has warned of the risk of heavy rains in the Amazon and in several departments bordering the Pacific. Adblock test (Why?)