Blackburn demands investigation into Justice Jackson over Grammy appearance applauding anti-ICE rhetoric
Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., is urging U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts to launch an investigation into Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson over her attendance at the Grammy Awards on Sunday amid anti-ICE rhetoric from celebrities and artists at the event. Jackson was in attendance at this year’s politically-charged event because of her nomination for narrating the audiobook version of her memoir, “Lovely One.” However, critics said Jackson clapped as various speakers criticized U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). CRUZ DEMANDS IMPEACHMENT OF BOASBERG AND JUDGE WHO SENTENCED KAVANAUGH’S ATTEMPTED ASSASSIN “While it is by no means unheard of or unusual for a Supreme Court justice to attend a public function, very rarely—if ever—have justices of our nation’s highest Court been present at an event at which attendees have amplified such far-left rhetoric,” Blackburn wrote in a letter to Roberts. Blackburn, who sits on the Senate Judiciary Committee, called for an investigation into whether Jackson’s actions violate the high court’s Code of Conduct and would require her to recuse herself from certain cases. “To that end, in the interest of a fair-minded, impartial, and independent federal judiciary, I urge you to initiate an investigation into Justice Jackson’s attendance at this event and if her participation in any way would require recusal from matters that will come before the Court,” her letter states. BARRETT SAYS JUSTICES ‘WEAR BLACK, NOT RED OR BLUE’ IN RESPONSE TO PARTISAN CRITICS IN FOX NEWS INTERVIEW Attendees at the awards were seen wearing “ICE Out” lapel pins, and some winners spewed anti-ICE rhetoric such as “No one is illegal on stolen land” and “F— ICE.” Jackson’s appearance at the event raises questions considering the court is slated to take on cases revolving around the Trump administration, including birthright citizenship and immigration. Fox News Digital has reached out to Blackburn’s office and the Supreme Court. In her letter, Blackburn noted that Democrats and the news media have smeared Republican-appointed justices to the court as “corrupt” and “partisan.” She recalled how Sens. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., and Sheldon Whitehouse, D-RI., wrote a letter to Roberts urging him to ensure that conservative Justice Samuel Alito would recuse himself from cases related to the 2020 election and Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol riot because his wife put up a Revolutionary War-era flag at their home. “Unlike these meritless claims against Justice Alito and Justice Thomas, there are serious questions regarding Justice Jackson’s participation in such a brazenly political, anti-law enforcement event and her ability to remain an impartial member of the Supreme Court,” Blackburn wrote.
Trump jokes he ‘hangs around’ Mike Johnson because he feels ‘protected’ at Prayer Breakfast
President Donald Trump joked about House Speaker Mike Johnson’s religious devotion during remarks at the National Prayer Breakfast on Thursday, recounting how Johnson asks to pray before meals, even during lunch, as Trump described it. The 74th annual bipartisan event was held in Washington and attended by lawmakers, faith leaders and dignitaries. “Did you know that, Mr. Speaker, you know, Mike Johnson’s a very religious person, that he does not hide it?” Trump said. “He’ll say to me sometimes at lunch, ‘Sir, may we pray?’ I say, ‘Excuse me, we’re having lunch in the Oval.’ It’s okay with me. But, he’s a very religious person and he is popular, and he’s doing an unbelievable job.” Trump followed the joke with praise for Johnson, saying, “I think God is watching over you. God is watching over him.” EL SALVADOR’S BUKELE SAYS VIOLENT GANG BANGERS ARE LITERAL SATAN WORSHIPPERS IN SHARP IMMIGRATION WARNING “I don’t know about me,” Trump added, before continuing: “So I hang around with him because I feel I’m protected a little bit.” The comments came as Trump used the annual gathering, according to his remarks, to emphasize what he described as a renewed embrace of religion in public life. “In 2025, more copies of the Holy Bible were sold in the United States than at any time in the last 100 years,” Trump said. He also claimed that, in the last year, “young Americans attended church at nearly twice the rate as they did four years ago.” TRUMP GETS IT: PRAYER ISN’T THE PROBLEM. SILENCING IT IS Trump also announced plans for a national prayer gathering on the National Mall later this year. “I’m pleased to announce that on May 17th, 2026, that we’re inviting Americans from all across the country to come together on our National Mall, to pray, to give thanks, and to return,” Trump said. “We’re going to rededicate America as one nation under God.” Johnson, a Louisiana Republican and evangelical Christian, has frequently spoken publicly about the role of faith in his personal life and leadership since becoming speaker. “Today, President Trump will unite our country through the power of prayer at the 74th National Prayer Breakfast,” White House spokeswoman Taylor Rogers told Fox News Digital leading up to the event. “President Trump has made unprecedented strides to protect our God-given rights and has delivered on his promise to reverse Joe Biden’s divisive policies that weaponized the federal government against men and women of faith. President Trump has secured major victories for religious freedom – from defending innocent life to restoring biological truth and protecting parents’ fundamental rights.” The office of House Speaker Mike Johnson and the White House did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. Fox News Digital’s Emma Colton contributed to this report.
White House says murder rate plummeted to lowest level since 1900 under Trump administration
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said murders in major U.S. cities plunged to their lowest level since at least 1900 as federal arrests, gang takedowns and deportations surged under President Donald Trump’s promise to “restore law and order.” Speaking to reporters at Thursday’s briefing, Leavitt said newly released data shows Trump is “delivering overwhelmingly on his promise.” “A study from the Council on Criminal Justice (CCJ) shows that the murder rate across America’s largest cities plummeted in 2025 to its lowest level since at least 1900,” she said. “Let me repeat to put this in perspective, this marks the largest single-year drop in murders in recorded history.” “This dramatic decline is what happens when a president secures the border, fully mobilizes federal law enforcement to arrest violent criminals and aggressively deport the worst of the worst illegal aliens from our country,” she added. LEAVITT SAYS TRUMP WILL NOT ‘WAVER’ ON ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION CRACKDOWN DESPITE DEMOCRATIC BACKLASH According to the CCJ’s report, nationwide homicide data released later this year could show killings in 2025 falling to roughly 4.0 per 100,000 residents – the lowest rate ever recorded in law enforcement or public health data dating back to 1900 and the largest single-year percentage drop on record. The report found homicides fell 21% from 2024 to 2025 in the 35 cities that reported data, amounting to 922 fewer killings. Thirty-one of those cities saw declines, with Denver, Washington, D.C., and Omaha, Nebraska, each posting drops of around 40%. Other major crimes also fell sharply in the cities studied. TRUMP SAYS CRIMINAL ILLEGAL ALIENS ‘MAKE HELLS ANGELS LOOK LIKE THE SWEETEST PEOPLE ON EARTH’ Robbery declined 23%, carjackings dropped 43% in cities that reported that data, aggravated assaults fell 9%, and motor vehicle theft decreased 27%. CCJ cautioned that its findings are based on a limited group of cities and preliminary police data that could change, and said the report documents crime trends rather than proving that any single policy caused the declines. “The numbers don’t lie,” Leavitt said. “Under President Trump in 2025, the FBI increased violent crime arrests by 100% compared to the prior year. The FBI also conducted more than 67,000 arrests from Inauguration Day 2025 to Jan. 20, 2026, which is 197% more arrests than the same period previously.” TRUMP SAYS IMMIGRATION CRACKDOWN NEEDS ‘SOFTER TOUCH’ WITH ‘TOUGH’ STANCE AFTER DEADLY MINNEAPOLIS SHOOTINGS She also highlighted a drop in crime in Washington, D.C., saying as of last week, homicides were down 62% and motor vehicle theft down 53%. Leavitt argued that the drop in crime is the direct result of Trump’s leadership and willingness to empower law enforcement, rejecting media skepticism and saying rising violence under Democratic leadership was the product of deliberate policy choices. “It’s a choice to put violent criminals ahead of innocent Americans, a choice to force us all to live in fear because of soft on crime, liberal politicians, prosecutors and judges who lack the basic willingness to do their jobs and put dangerous people behind bars,” Leavitt said.
Leavitt flips script on media for balking at Fulton election probe after years of promoting Russia claims
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt hit back at media outlets questioning the FBI’s seizure of ballots and other documents related to the 2020 election in Fulton County, Georgia, after years of the media claiming that Russia influenced the 2016 election. The FBI executed a search warrant in the Georgia county home to Atlanta in January, which included Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard deploying on the ground to carry out an election security assessment. Gabbard’s presence has sparked outrage and questions from Democrats and the media over what they characterize as an unusual, politicized show of force. “As the director of national intelligence, it is a part of Miss Gabbard’s role to make sure that American elections are free of foreign interference and that American elections are safe and secure,” Leavitt said of Gabbard’s presence in Fulton County. “And so the ODNI director is working with the FBI on this effort, and the president wholeheartedly supports both Kash Patel and Tulsi Gabbard in ensuring that American elections are safe, secure, and free of foreign intervention.” GEORGIA’S FULTON COUNTY FILES MOTION SEEKING RETURN OF 2020 ELECTION MATERIALS SEIZED BY FBI The reporter pushed back, “Is there any indication that there’s foreign influence?” Leavitt began taking another question before circling back to remind the reporter of the media’s focus on claims Russia influenced the 2016 presidential election, when President Donald Trump ran against former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. PATEL DOUBLES DOWN ON FBI ELECTION HUB RAID, SAYS TRUMP CALLED AGENTS DIRECTLY TO THANK THEM FOR OPERATION “Excuse me one second. It’s the media who has said that there’s Russian interference in American elections. You guys have been saying that for many, many years,” Leavitt shot back. FULTON COUNTY, GEORGIA TO SUE AFTER FBI SEIZES 2020 ELECTION RECORDS “The people in this room, considering that you all, you all said for many years that Russia interfered in the 2016 election to help Donald Trump, you should all be very happy that we finally have an administration that is looking into that, and we’ll be happy to keep you posted,” she continued. Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into claims Trump’s 2016 campaign colluded with Russia to secure the election wrapped up in March 2019, determining there was no evidence of collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia.
Tuberville warns mayor over anti-ICE activism: ‘You won’t like me very much’
Irondale Mayor James Stewart, Jr. cited Martin Luther King Jr. as justification for protecting illegal immigrants and pledged funds to train activists to track ICE agents. However, his actions may prompt federal blowback, as Alabama’s senior senator warned the mayor he “won’t like me very much” if he follows through. Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala. — who is also running to succeed term-limited Gov. Kay Ivey this year — warned Stewart that the Democrat will have no such luck circumventing the feds. “When I’m governor, Alabama will have a zero-tolerance policy when it comes to rogue mayors trying to go around federal law,” Tuberville, the ex-Auburn football coach, told Fox News Digital. “Like it or not, federal law says that illegal immigrants must be deported. If mayors don’t like that, they should run for Congress.” ANTI-ICE LEGISLATION HEADS TO DESK OF RISING STAR DEMOCRAT GOVERNOR, TESTING HIS PRESIDENTIAL AMBITIONS Fox News Digital reached out to Stewart’s office after he said in his February mayoral newsletter that “watching ICE operations tear families apart in Irondale highlights the urgent need to address immigration policies affecting our community, which brings me back to King’s final speech, the one where he said he’d seen the Promised Land but might not get there.” “I understand that now. This may be my last term. But I still have to do God’s will. Every single day. When Dr. King said, ‘I just want to do God’s will’ the night before they killed him, it brings me to tears. Because I know what that means now,” Stewart said. Stewart said ICE operations are “following the same pattern” King described in his letter from jail in Birmingham, adjacent to Irondale. Tuberville further took issue with reporting from Alabama news outlet 1819 News – so named for the state’s founding year – that Irondale has contracted with the Alabama Coalition for Immigrant Justice (ACIJ) to aid programs such as a “warning system to track [ICE] agents at the behest of the city’s mayor.” In that regard, Stewart said in his newsletter his King-inspired work is not done while “families who built this community are being hunted.” Days after Stewart’s newsletter publication, knife-wielding Mexican illegal immigrant Jose Ba-Ruiz was arrested and charged Monday by the Justice Department for assaulting an ICE agent in the Birmingham area. MINNEAPOLIS MAYOR AVOIDS QUESTION ON OPPOSING OBAMA-ERA IMMIGRATION POLICY NOW PUSHED BY TRUMP In comments to Fox News Digital, Ivey backed up Tuberville, saying Montgomery will always work with DHS: “Unlike Minnesota, in Alabama, we enforce the law,” Ivey said. “We are proud to work with ICE to do just that: Enforce the laws and protect our citizens from criminals and lawbreakers.” While Stewart did not respond to Fox News Digital by publication time, he told Fox’s Birmingham affiliate that Irondale is not a sanctuary city and will not hide criminals from the law, and then claimed he won’t actually interfere with ICE operations. “A lot of the things that we see now are the things that were going on 300 to 400 years ago,” he told the outlet. “We want to be a law-abiding city, but we also know our role.”
Feds shift to targeted immigration enforcement in Minneapolis under Homan
The Trump administration is shifting its approach to cracking down on illegal immigration in Minneapolis after federal agents’ actions drew scrutiny and sparked protests, sources told Fox News. Minneapolis has become a flash point for clashes between federal immigration enforcement agents and agitators, particularly after the shooting deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti. Local leaders slammed the Trump administration’s actions in Minneapolis, with Mayor Jacob Frey calling on Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to “get the f— out” of his city after Good was fatally shot. Amid the unrest, President Donald Trump moved to change his administration’s approach and sent border czar Tom Homan to manage the situation. A White House official appeared to dismiss rumors of tension between Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem and Homan, saying that the two were working together to carry out the president’s agenda. HOMAN ANNOUNCES DRAWDOWN OF FEDERAL PRESENCE IN MINNESOTA, HAILS ‘UNPRECEDENTED COOPERATION’ FROM LOCAL POLICE “Thanks to Tom Homan’s tireless work, an unprecedented number of counties in Minnesota have agreed to coordinate with ICE to transfer custody of criminal aliens upon their release. This is one of the conditions President Trump set for a drawdown,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told Fox News Digital. “These commitments have been made by local officials and will continue to be monitored for compliance,” Not all of Homan’s changes have been kept behind closed doors. The border czar announced the immediate drawdown of 700 personnel from Minnesota, effective Wednesday, 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.” MINNEAPOLIS MAYOR TO VISIT DC TO PUSH FOR END OF ‘UNLAWFUL ICE OPERATIONS’ AFTER TRUMP’S BLUNT WARNING Homan has reportedly changed how Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) operates and interacts with suspected illegal immigrants. The border czar has reportedly increased the threshold for making arrests and shifted entirely to targeted operations as opposed to rover patrols, which were done under Border Patrol commander Gregory Bovino, according to sources. Under Homan’s leadership, CBP agents have been instructed not to approach anyone they suspect to be in the country illegally unless they are a target, according to sources. CBP agents will instead be partnered with ICE officers to make targeted arrests, sources said. Additionally, sources told Fox News that Homan gave agents a warning that there would be consequences for stepping out of line. A White House official confirmed to Fox News Digital that while officers on the ground in Minnesota will be making targeted arrests, they will also “enforce federal immigration law” if, during an operation, they “come across additional illegal aliens.” Fox News has been told there are thousands of targets in Minnesota and that targets are being identified through public records, which are run through a DHS database that provides criminal history, immigration history, invalid immigration documents and information on whether they have failed to appear for any immigration court hearings. Sources say that fingerprints have been used to identify targets because anyone who entered the country illegally under the Biden administration and encountered CBP was fingerprinted. If an illegal immigrant is arrested by a local police department, DHS gets an alert on where they were fingerprinted and what the arrest was for. DHS did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
UK ex-envoy’s ties to Epstein spark political storm
NewsFeed UK PM Keir Starmer says he regrets appointing Peter Mandelson as ambassador to the US after documents showed Mandelson maintained a close relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, shared sensitive information, and received payments linked to Epstein. Police are investigating. Published On 5 Feb 20265 Feb 2026 Click here to share on social media share2 Share Adblock test (Why?)
New Trump administration rule makes it easier to fire career civil servants
The Office of Personnel Management’s new rule would reclassify high ranking officials as at-will and they could be fired for ‘intentionally subverting Presidential directives’. By Reuters Published On 5 Feb 20265 Feb 2026 Click here to share on social media share2 Share The administration of United States President Donald Trump has finalised its overhaul of the US government’s civil service system, according to a government statement, giving the president the power to hire and fire an estimated 50,000 career federal employees. The US Office of Personnel Management (OPM) on Thursday is set to create a new category for high-ranking career employees involved in carrying out administration policies, the Wall Street Journal reported. Personnel in that category would be exempted from longstanding civil service protections that make federal workers difficult to fire. Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of list OPM officials said the rule is aimed in part at “disciplining” federal workers who stand in the way of Trump’s policies, the paper reported. It added that the new category applies to senior positions that are policy-determining, policy-making or policy-advocating in nature. “People can’t be conscientious objectors in the workforce in a way where it interferes with their ability to carry out their mission,” OPM’s director Scott Kupor said in an interview with the WSJ. “These positions will remain career jobs filled on a non-partisan basis. Yet they will be at-will positions excepted from adverse action procedures or appeals. This will allow agencies to quickly remove employees from critical positions who engage in misconduct, perform poorly, or obstruct the democratic process by intentionally subverting Presidential directives,” the more than 250-page directive from OPM claimed. The federal government has long been seen as a stable employer, with staff commonly spending decades working at US agencies. Trump and his team sought to change that at the start of his second term, as he argued that the federal government was bloated and inefficient. Advertisement In 2025, the White House made aggressive cuts to the federal workforce, with more than 300,000 people leaving the nation’s largest employer. The OPM did not respond to Al Jazeera’s request for comment. Adblock test (Why?)
Starvation by design: How Israel turned food into a weapon of war in Gaza
In the first three months of Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza in 2023, only four deaths were officially attributed to starvation by health officials in Gaza. By 2024, that number rose to 49. But it was in 2025 – the year the siege reached its suffocating zenith – that the death toll exploded, reaching 422 deaths in a single year. This represents a staggering 760 percent increase in starvation deaths in just 12 months. UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food Michael Fakhri told Al Jazeera in August 2025 that the global standard for famine analysis, known as the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), tends to be “conservative”. “The reality on the ground was unequivocal. We raised the alarm when we started seeing the first children dying,” Fakhri explained, noting that the crisis met the strict technical criteria for famine. The Health Ministry in Gaza gave the breakdown of the victims: 40.63 percent were elderly (over 60), and 34.74 percent were children. In 2025 alone, cases among children under five spiked from 2,754 in January to 14,383 in August. Legal experts said that what occurred in Gaza wasn’t just “food insecurity”; it met the strict technical criteria for famine, a designation often delayed by political bureaucracy. “In the human rights community, we don’t wait as long … we don’t have to focus on measuring pain, suffering, and death,” Fakhri explained. “We raised the alarm when we started seeing the first children dying … because when a parent is holding their child in their arms, and that child is wasting away, that means an entire community is under attack.” Anatomy of a strategy Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and other parts of the occupied Palestinian territory have accused consecutive Israeli governments of a decades-old policy to use food and aid as a weapon of war. Advertisement Suleiman Basharat, a Palestinian commentator and researcher on Israeli affairs, traces this strategy to the blockade of Gaza imposed by Israel in 2007. “It was based on the idea of starvation and narrowing daily life,” Basharat noted. This doctrine was infamously summarised in 2006 by Dov Weisglass, an adviser to the Israeli prime minister, who said the goal was “to put the Palestinians on a diet, but not to make them die of hunger”, adding that the war marked a shift from “management” to “elimination”. Senior Israeli ministers made their intentions clear at the very start of the genocidal war on Gaza. Former Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant had declared a complete siege against “human animals“. His remarks were quickly reinforced by far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who argued that blocking aid to Gaza was “justified and moral“, even if it meant starving millions. Israel’s moves to ramp up this policy were thorough. Before the war on Gaza began in 2023, the United Nations said 500 trucks carrying aid and food were needed to keep the people in Gaza sustained. But during the war, an average of 19 trucks a day were allowed in the Strip – a 96 percent reduction – which some Israeli media have referred to as the “calorie collapse”. The Calorie Collapse: Before the war, 500 trucks sustained Gaza daily. During the conflict, this dropped to an average of 19 trucks a day – a 96 percent reduction. The Thirst War: Water availability plummeted from 84 litres per person to just 3 litres during the siege. Scorched Earth: Israel systematically destroyed infrastructure for agricultural production. By August 2025, 90 percent of agricultural land was razed, 2,500 chicken farms were destroyed (killing 36 million birds), and the fishing port was obliterated. “If Israel wanted to do it, every child in Gaza could have breakfast tomorrow,” de Waal observed. “All they need to do is to open the gates”. [Al Jazeera] In addition to food, people in Gaza witnessed a sharp decrease in water releases from Israel. Rights group Oxfam said that, 100 days into the “ceasefire”, Gaza is still deliberately deprived of water as aid groups are forced to scavenge under an illegal blockade. Israel also employed a “scorched earth” policy, systematically destroying the infrastructure for agricultural production. By August 2025, estimates suggest that the Israeli army had destroyed 90 percent of agricultural land and 2,500 chicken farms. The army focused its campaign on areas near the security barrier in the north, south and east of the Gaza Strip. Advertisement The spokesperson for Gaza’s Ministry of Agriculture, Mohammed Abu Odeh, has warned that the Israeli army’s destruction and control of the farmland will affect the chain of food and supply of vegetables for nearly two million people in the Strip. The illusion of aid Palestinian officials and analysts suggest Israel has had a strategy of blocking aid and, at times, manipulating how it is delivered. Political analyst Abdullah Aqrabawi told Al Jazeera Arabic that Israel and the US have tried to create their own aid-delivering system, such as the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), but failed. Hundreds of Palestinians were killed at GHF sites trying to access food. “The United States came with a pier and contracted companies … and failed,” Aqrabawi said. He noted that these initiatives were attempts to “support criminal pockets” or specific families to distribute aid, “thereby isolating Hamas – the resistance”. Re-engineering society Analysts say that the starvation tactics were used, not just for military leverage, but also to create an “anti-resistance” sentiment in Gaza. “The goal is to break the Palestinian resistance by affecting the social base that embraces it,” Basharat explained. He argues that Israel aimed to “re-engineer the Palestinian human” into a being whose sole cognitive focus is basic survival, rendering them incapable of political thought. Analysts described a host of policies adopted by Israeli officials to push Palestinians out of Gaza, cloaking them in misleading terms, such as encouraging “voluntary migration“. Israeli affairs expert Mohannad Mustafa said this was a cynical euphemism for forced displacement. “You starve the people, destroy the infrastructure … and in the end, you ask them: ‘Do
MEA clarifies India’s stance on Venezuelan, Russian oil purchases amid US claims: ‘Consistent with our approach to…’
While the situation remains unclear, with conflicting statements from the US and Russia, MEA Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal stated that Venezuela remain long-standing partner for India in the area of energy.