$174B spending package to avert shutdown clears key hurdle in Senate
The Senate advanced a three-bill spending package through its final procedural hurdle on Thursday, teeing up a final vote later in the day. Lawmakers are in a mad dash to avert a partial government shutdown after just exiting the longest closure in history a few short months ago, and they have a deadline on Jan. 30 to beat. Thursday’s first vote was a key test of whether the warring parties could come together or again fall victim to political divisions as they did in September. The overwhelmingly bipartisan vote proved, for now, that Senate Republicans and Democrats have a truce in the government funding battle. DHS FUNDING FIGHT DRIVES SENATE SCRAMBLE TO AVOID GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN The roughly $174 billion package, which cruised through the House last week, includes funding bills for commerce, justice, science and related agencies; energy and water development and related agencies; and interior, environment and related agencies. If passed later on Thursday, it’ll mark six total spending bills that lawmakers have put on President Donald Trump’s desk. But it’s only halfway to the magic dozen that are needed to fund the government. Many lawmakers acknowledge that given the short amount of time left before the deadline, and lingering issues with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) funding bill, a short-term funding extension, known as a continuing resolution (CR), will be needed to prevent a shutdown. DHS AT CENTER OF PROGRESSIVE REVOLT AS HOUSE ADVANCES $80B SPENDING PACKAGE Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., was hopeful that another round of funding bills brewing in the House could solve the DHS issue. But he didn’t shut down the possibility that lawmakers may need to use a CR just for that agency as political divisions bubble up. “That will be the hardest one for sure,” Thune said. “And I can’t predict what happens, but I think you have to, you know, reserve some optionality.” Congressional Democrats have put their foot down on the DHS funding bill, demanding restrictions on Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in the wake of the shooting of Renee Nicole Good by an ICE agent. SENATE ADVANCES $174B PACKAGE AS MINNESOTA ICE SHOOTING FUELS DHS FUNDING FIGHT But it’s unlikely Republicans will play ball with that request, meaning the bill will stay in limbo for the time being. That divide won’t be an easy mountain to climb, and the Senate is gearing up to leave for a week, returning to Washington, D.C., the week of the funding deadline. Senate Democrats also don’t want to turn to a year-long CR, a good sign that Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and his caucus are serious about finishing the work of funding the government. Earlier this week, Schumer lauded Democratic negotiators who worked on the package, and noted that it was full of their own spending priorities meant to push back against Trump. “Their leadership stopped the worst of Donald Trump’s devastating cuts, protected investments that millions of Americans depend on, from education to housing to jobs,” Schumer said. “Though this isn’t the finish line, it’s a good step in the right direction.”
Congress has two dozen lawmakers 80 or older; more than half seeking re-election in 2026: report
While some prominent elderly members of the House of Representatives and Senate have announced that they will not pursue re-election, others in the 80 or older age bracket are aiming to keep their jobs even longer. Out of 24 figures from the Silent Generation serving in Congress, 13 have opted to run again in 2026, according to a review by NBC News. The outlet appears to be including Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton, of Washington, D.C., in that tally of 13. NBC News assesses that the 119th Congress is the third-oldest in U.S. history. A few of the senators in the batch of two dozen lawmakers have terms that stretch beyond this year, so they have time to decide on their political futures. REPUBLICAN SENATOR CONDEMNS ALLEGED SYRIAN ARMY ABUSES AS CEASEFIRE FOLLOWS ALEPPO FIGHTING It seems to remain unclear whether Rep. James Clyburn, D-S.C., will run again. The congressman has said he will decide in the coming weeks, according to NBC. “I don’t know what the Silent Generation is. I didn’t know that we were silent,” Sen. Jim Risch, R-Idaho quipped, according to the outlet. “You got to like the job, and you got to have enough time to spend with your family, and you got to have your health, and if you’ve got your health, and you’re doing what you want to do, why not?” The senator will turn 83 later this year and would be 89 by the end of another six-year Senate term. Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., will turn 88 later this year prior to Election Day. REP. MAXINE WATERS CALLS FOR USING THE 25TH AMENDMENT TO FIND OUT WHAT’S ‘WRONG’ WITH DONALD TRUMP “My work is not finished, and I don’t know if it will ever be finished,” the congresswoman told the outlet. NBC News reported that 88-year-old Rep. Hal Rogers, R-Ky., noted, “As long as I can be helpful to the constituents I represent, I’ll keep working.” NANCY PELOSI WILL NOT SEEK RE-ELECTION, ENDING DECADES-LONG HOUSE CAREER But some longtime congressional figures, like Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., a former House speaker, have announced that they will not run for re-election.
RFK Jr: Dr Oz says Trump has ‘highest testosterone level’ he’s seen in a man older than 70
President Donald Trump has the highest testosterone levels of any man older than the age of 70 that Dr. Mehmet Oz has ever seen, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. recounted during a podcast interview providing a handful of updates on the president’s health. “He’s got — he’s in incredible health,” Kennedy said on Katie Miller’s podcast Tuesday. “Dr. Oz looked at his medical records and said he’s got the highest testosterone level that he’s ever seen for an individual over 70 years old.” “I know the president will be happy that I’ll repeat that,” Kennedy quipped. Oz serves as administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, an agency within the Department of Health and Human Services. BROOKE ROLLINS, ROBERT KENNEDY JR: NEW DIETARY PLAN RECOMMENDS REAL FOOD FOR ALL AMERICANS Kennedy joined Miller, who is the wife of White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller, as the media and Democrats continue fanning the flames of concern surrounding Trump’s health, citing bruises on Trump’s hands, swollen legs and allegations he has fallen asleep during public events. The White House has fiercely pushed back against the claims, citing Trump’s packed daily schedule and medical reports that have found the president in normal and “exceptional health.” Kennedy has long cast himself as a public-health advocate, and he repeatedly has urged Americans to eat “real,” minimally processed foods, steering people away from ultra-processed packaged snacks and toward meals built around fruits, vegetables and other nutrient-dense staples. Trump has a long and well-established history of enjoying fast-food, notably McDonald’s meals, and frequently downs Diet Coke — putting him at odds with his Cabinet official’s health calls. Kennedy celebrated that despite Trump “pumping himself full of poison all day long,” he has the “constitution of a deity.” “He eats really bad food, which is McDonald’s, and candy and Diet Coke. But he drinks the Diet Coke at all times,” Kennedy said. “I don’t know how he’s alive, but he is. … He says that the only time that he eats the junk food is when he’s on the road and he wants to eat food from big corporations.” While Trump is known for fast food snacking and cracking open a Diet Coke, he has famously steered clear of alcohol throughout his life. The White House backed Kennedy’s remarks when approached for additional comment on Trump’s health Thursday morning. “Secretary Kennedy is right: as his golf championships and flawless physical report results indicate, President Trump has the constitution and energy levels most young people could only dream of having,” White House spokesman Kush Desai told Fox Digital. Fox News Digital reached out to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services for additional comment on Oz’s review of Trump’s health records Thursday morning. RFK JR.’S BARNYARD RINGTONE INTERRUPTS WHITE HOUSE MAHA BRIEFING, SPARKS LAUGHS Democrats and liberal media outlets increasingly have questioned Trump’s fitness in recent months, citing his 79 years of age, bruising on his hands and reports of swollen ankles. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in July that Trump’s swollen legs were part of a “benign and common condition” for individuals older than age 70, while the bruising on his hands was attributable to “frequent handshaking and the use of aspirin.” Trump has received two medical check-ups since his inauguration nearly a year ago, received a CT scan — which originally was reported as the president receiving an MRI — as well as celebrating that he has “aced” a series of cognitive tests, including celebrating new results earlier in January. TRUMP PITCHES COGNITIVE TESTS FOR LEADERS, TAKES AIM AT HARRIS, WALZ, NEWSOM “The White House Doctors have just reported that I am in ‘PERFECT HEALTH,’ and that I ‘ACED’ (Meaning, was correct on 100% of the questions asked!), for the third straight time, my Cognitive Examination, something which no other President, or previous Vice President, was willing to take,” Trump posted to Truth Social Jan 2. The heightened focus on Trump’s health follows the media overwhelmingly downplaying concern over former President Joe Biden’s mental acuity until his final year in office. Biden ultimately dropped out of his 2024 re-election effort to hold control of the Executive Branch in July of that year, amid pressure from longtime Democrat allies and media pundits that he bow out of the race and pass the proverbial torch to a younger generation.
Democrats’ dilemma: Progressive push to ‘Abolish ICE’ sparks fresh divide in party
Calls to abolish ICE by some progressive Democrats are sparking a new divide in the party, as center-left groups warn about a political backlash and instead urge messaging to reform the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency. “We must reform ICE. But it looks at this stage, folks, ICE is beyond reform,” Democratic Rep. Shri Thanedar told reporters on Wednesday. “ICE is totally out of control, and this week I intend to introduce a bill to abolish ICE.” Thanedar spoke one week after a fatal shooting of a Minnesota woman by an ICE agent went viral, sparking protests and a national debate over the agency’s efforts to carry out President Donald Trump’s push for the mass deportation of millions of undocumented migrants. Trump on Thursday warned that if Minnesota’s political leaders don’t stop what he argued were “professional agitators and insurrectionists from attacking the Patriots of I.C.E., who are only trying to do their job, I will institute the INSURRECTION ACT, which many Presidents have done before me, and quickly put an end to the travesty that is taking place.” TRUMP’S WARNING TO MINNESOTA AMID PROTESTS OVER ICE SHOOTING The center-left think tank The Third Way cautions Democrats to avoid calls to abolish ICE. “The impulse is emotional,” reads their memo. “The slogan is simple. But politically, it is lethal. Every call to abolish ICE risks squandering one of the clearest opportunities in years to secure meaningful reform of immigration enforcement — while handing Republicans exactly the fight they want.” And Adam Jentleson, president and founder of the center-left Searchlight Institute and former chief of staff for Democratic Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, took to social media to emphasize that any call to abolish ICE “is and always will be a political albatross. I don’t care if it gets a bump into positive territory given the horrific stuff we’ve seen — it’ll fall back and remain a drag.” PROTESTERS CLASH WITH FEDERAL OFFICERS AFTER ANOTHER ICE SHOOTING IN MINNEAPOLIS An ICE agent shot and killed the 37-year-old Renee Good last week during a federal enforcement operation in south Minneapolis. Federal officials have said agents were attempting to make arrests when the woman tried to use her vehicle as a weapon against officers, prompting an ICE agent to fire in self-defense. Top Democrats, including Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, criticized the federal account of the incident and rejected the claim that the officer acted in self-defense. Minnesota has since sued the Trump administration, claiming the immigration enforcement surge in the state is “unlawful” and “unprecedented.” Good’s death sparked widespread protests in Minneapolis and across the nation, with demonstrators calling for changes to federal immigration enforcement. “I believe it should be abolished,” Democratic Rep. Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts reiterated in an MS NOW interview on Sunday, as she referred to ICE. Calls by politicians on the left to abolish ICE are not new. Progressive champion Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, in a fundraising email obtained last year by Fox News Digital, wrote: “I believe that ICE, an agency that was just formed in 2003 during the Patriot Act era, is a rogue agency that should not exist.” And Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota urged, “Abolish ICE,” in a social media post last September. VOTERS SHARPLY DIVIDED OVER ICE SHOOTING IN MINNESOTA: POLL But the Third Way compared the phrase to calls to “defund the police” amid massive nationwide protests in 2020 after the fatal shooting of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer. Calls by Democratic politicians to “defund the police” were later seen as explosive ammunition for Republicans to use as a cudgel to bash Democrats at the ballot box. “The lesson is clear: when the debate sinks into polarizing slogans that read as anti-law or anti-safety, space for practical reform disappears,” The Third Way memo argued. The Third Way emphasized that Democrats should focus on ending what it called the “unaccountable uses of force” by ICE agents rather than disbanding the agency. “Immigration laws are meaningless if they are not enforced. And they can be enforced in ways that protect public safety, respect legal norms, and uphold civil liberties. Voters understand this. They responded strongly to what they saw as a lack of enforcement under President Biden. But they are also recoiling from Trump’s excessive force,” the memo read. And making the case for putting ICE on a leash rather than scuttling the agency, Jentleson wrote, “Retraining, fixing the culture. Good. All these things are more popular than ‘Abolish ICE.’” Rather than call for the outright dismantling of the agency, leadership of the Congressional Progressive Caucus this week emphasized it would “oppose all funding” for ICE in any upcoming government appropriations bills without substantial reforms to the agency. Omar, a vocal Trump critic and frequent target of the president, said that “calling for systematic reforms is not extreme … this is the bare minimum required to restore safety and justice back to our communities.” As they negotiate with the Republican majority over 2026 funding for the Department of Homeland Security ahead of a Jan. 30 government shutdown deadline, top Democrats are demanding new mandates for ICE agents, including forcing them to wear body cameras and stop wearing masks. “House Democrats want accountability and oversight of ICE,” Rep. Pete Aguilar of California, who is number three in Democratic congressional leadership, told reporters Tuesday. Pointing to ICE, Aguilar charged, “They are terrorizing people in the streets of this country.” Rep. Angie Craig of Minnesota, who is running this year to keep the state’s open Senate seat in Democrat hands, during a MS NOW interview likened ICE’s efforts in her home state to the “1930’s in Germany” under Nazi rule. Polls suggest many Americans may agree with the Democrats’ efforts to put some political handcuffs on ICE agents. Four in 10 questioned in a Quinnipiac University poll conducted late last week through Monday said they approved of the way ICE is enforcing immigration laws, while 57% gave the
US military seizes another fugitive oil tanker linked to Venezuela
The U.S. military has seized another fugitive oil tanker linked to Venezuela in the Caribbean, U.S. Southern Command announced Thursday. The U.S. has now seized six oil tankers since ramping up a campaign against illicit oil trade by Venezuela. “In another pre-dawn action, Marines and Sailors from Joint Task Force Southern Spear, in support of the Department of Homeland Security, launched from USS Gerald R. Ford and apprehended Motor/Tanker Veronica without incident. The Veronica is the latest tanker operating in defiance of President Trump’s established quarantine of sanctioned vessels in the Caribbean, proving the effectiveness of Operation Southern Spear yet again,” U.S. Southern Command said in a statement. “These operations are backed by the full power of the U.S. Navy’s Amphibious Ready Group, including the ready and lethal platforms of USS Iwo Jima, USS San Antonio, and USS Fort Lauderdale. The only oil leaving Venezuela will be oil that is coordinated properly and lawfully. The Department of War, in coordination with interagency partners, will defend our homeland by ending illicit activity and restoring security in the Western Hemisphere,” the statement continued. TRUMP SIGNS ORDER TO PROTECT VENEZUELA OIL REVENUE HELD IN US ACCOUNTS The operation comes as President Donald Trump is set to meet with Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado at the White House on Thursday. The vessels intercepted so far have been either under U.S. sanctions or part of a “shadow fleet” of unregulated ships that disguise their origins to move oil from major sanctioned producers such as Iran, Russia and Venezuela. Trump has said the U.S. will “run” Venezuela after U.S. forces captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro earlier this month. TRUMP PLANS TO MEET WITH VENEZUELA OPPOSITION LEADER MARIA CORINA MACHADO NEXT WEEK Trump told The New York Times in an interview that was published Wednesday that “only time will tell” how long the U.S. will be running the country, but said it would be “much longer” than a year. Additionally, Trump announced recently that Venezuela would hand over up to 50 million barrels of oil to the U.S. and that the oil would be sold “immediately.” “We will rebuild it in a very profitable way,” Trump told the Times. “We’re going to be using oil, and we’re going to be taking oil. We’re getting oil prices down, and we’re going to be giving money to Venezuela, which they desperately need.” Likewise, Trump shared a doctored image that looked like a Wikipedia page that identified him as “Acting President of Venezuela” since January 2026. Fox News’ Diana Stancy and Reuters contributed to this report.
Trump to meet with Venezuela’s opposition leader after praising ‘terrific’ Maduro loyalist
President Donald Trump is slated to meet with Venezuela’s opposition leader and 2025 Nobel Peace Prize recipient María Corina Machado at the White House Thursday. Trump announced Jan. 3 that the U.S. had captured dictator Nicolás Maduro and that the U.S. would be running Venezuela until a safe transition could occur. But instead of endorsing Machado, Trump cast doubt on her abilities to lead the country. “I think it would be very tough for her to be the leader,” Trump told reporters Jan. 3. “She doesn’t have the support within or the respect within the country. She’s a very nice woman, but she doesn’t have the respect.” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the administration chose not to support Machado because the U.S. didn’t want to make similar mistakes to the ones it made in the Middle East in Latin America, although he said he had “tremendous admiration” for Machado. TRUMP SIGNALS LONG ROAD AHEAD IN VENEZUELA IN HIS BOLDEST INTERVENTIONIST MOVE YET “But there’s the mission that we are on right now.… A lot of people analyze everything that happens in foreign policy through the lens of Iraq, Libya or Afghanistan,” Rubio said Jan. 4 in an interview with CBS. “This is not the Middle East. This is the Western Hemisphere, and our mission here is very different.” A classified CIA assessment, which senior policymakers requested and presented to Trump, evaluated who would be the best fit to oversee an interim government in Venezuela following the overthrow of Maduro, a source familiar with the intelligence told Fox News Digital. Ultimately, it was determined that Maduro’s vice president, Delcy Rodríguez, would be best situated to lead the country. Although The Washington Post reported that Trump was annoyed Machado won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2025 — an award he had hoped to receive and that Machado dedicated to him — the White House claimed Trump’s choices were based on “realistic decisions.” As a result, Trump has put his support behind Rodríguez who is now serving as interim president. On Wednesday, Trump shared he had a call with Rodríguez, and later described her as a “terrific” person. “We are making tremendous progress, as we help Venezuela stabilize and recover,” Trump said in a social media post Wednesday. RUBIO LAYS OUT THREE-PHASE PLAN FOR VENEZUELA AFTER MADURO: ‘NOT JUST WINGING IT’ “This partnership between the United States of America and Venezuela will be a spectacular one FOR ALL,” Trump said. “Venezuela will soon be great and prosperous again, perhaps more so than ever before!” Specifically, Trump said he and Rodríguez discussed oil, minerals and national security matters. On Jan. 7, Trump announced that Venezuela would provide the U.S. with 50 million barrels of oil that would be sold “immediately.” Rodríguez voiced similar sentiments, saying their “courteous” call “addressed a bilateral work agenda for the benefit of our peoples, as well as pending matters between our governments.” Meanwhile, Machado has praised Trump for his role overthrowing Maduro, and told CBS News that the president and the U.S. have “done much more than anybody thought was possible.” On Thursday, the White House referred Fox News Digital to Trump’s previous comments to Reuters, when asked what the president planned to discuss with Machado. “I think we’re just going to talk,” Trump told Reuters Wednesday. “And I haven’t met her. She’s a very nice woman. I think we’re just going to talk basics.” Fox News’ Morgan Phillips contributed to this report.
Israel will honor the late Charlie Kirk with award for opposing antisemitism
Israel will reportedly honor slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk with an award for his efforts battling antisemitism. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office indicated that this recognition will take place at the International Conference on Combating Antisemitism, The Associated Press reported. Kirk, who founded the conservative organization Turning Point USA, was assassinated while holding an event at Utah Valley University in September. “A lion-hearted friend of Israel, he fought the lies and stood tall for Judeo-Christian civilization,” Netanyahu said in a post on X on the day Kirk was fatally shot. GRAND THEFT AUTO BLACKLISTS ‘CHARLIE KIRK’ AS PLAYERS TRY TO RECREATE HIS KILLING IN THE GAME In the post, the Israeli leader called Kirk “an incredible human being” whose “boundless pride in America and his valiant belief in free speech will leave a lasting impact.” Kirk asserted in a post on X less than a month before he was killed, “Jew hate has no place in civil society. It rots the brain, reject it.” NETANYAHU AND RUBIO DISCUSS US MILITARY INTERVENTION IN IRAN AMID ONGOING NATIONWIDE PROTESTS: REPORT Kirk, who was a supporter of Israel, indicated last year on “The Megyn Kelly Show” that some in the pro-Israel camp had unfairly criticized him. “The behavior by a lot, both privately and publicly, are pushing people like you and me away. Not like we’re gonna be pro-Hamas,” he said. “But we’re like, honestly, the way you are treating me is so repulsive.” TYLER ROBINSON PROSECUTORS SAY CHARLIE KIRK SHOOTING TEXTS SHOW CONFUSION, NOT BIAS, TO REBUT CONFLICT CLAIM CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “I have text messages, Megyn, calling me an antisemite. I am learning biblical Hebrew and writing a book on the Shabbat. I honor the Shabbat, literally the Jewish sabbath. I visit Israel and fight for it,” he noted at the time. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Democrats push anti-ICE bills nationwide after deadly Minneapolis shooting
Democratic legislators are proposing legislation to block federal authorities from carrying out immigration enforcement across the country. While some of the legislation is being pushed in red states where it is unlikely to find purchase, the wave of bills is also pushing blue states further to the left. In New York, Gov. Kathy Hochul is pushing for a bill to allow people to sue federal officers alleging violations of their constitutional rights. Other New York Democrats are pushing to require federal authorities to secure warrants to search schools, hospitals and houses of worship. Oregon Democrats plan to introduce a bill to allow residents to sue federal agents for violating their Fourth Amendment rights against unlawful search and seizure. New Jersey Democrats have sent a trio of bills to Gov. Phil Murphy’s desk that, if passed, would establish New Jersey as a “sanctuary state.” ILLINOIS LAWMAKERS PASS BILL BANNING ICE IMMIGRATION ARRESTS NEAR COURTHOUSES The three bills would ban local police from assisting in federal immigration raids, prohibit law enforcement from stopping someone based on their suspected immigration status, and prohibit government entities and healthcare facilities from sharing private data with ICE without a judicial warrant. President Donald Trump‘s administration has said that non-cooperation policies in sanctuary jurisdictions only make immigration enforcement more dangerous and difficult. California lawmakers are seeking to block immigration officials from making arrests at court appearances as well as ban state and local law enforcement from accepting roles with the Department of Homeland Security. DEM-BACKED ‘DIGNITY’ BILL COULD STRIP ICE OF DETENTION POWERS, ERASE IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT, CRITICS WARN Democrats in red states are also sounding off, though their legislation is unlikely to go the distance. In Georgia, Democrats are pushing a four-bill package that would drastically limit federal immigration enforcement in the state. Republicans are fending off similar efforts in New Hampshire and Tennessee. Meanwhile, the Trump administration has threatened to file lawsuits against sanctuary cities and states. The administration points out that immigration arrests in normal jurisdictions typically see federal authorities take custody of migrants at jails. It is only in sanctuary areas where federal authorities must track down migrants after they are released. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
More Democrat reps involved in ‘refuse illegal orders’ video report receiving inquiry from US attorney
Three more Democratic lawmakers who participated in a video message encouraging service members to “refuse illegal orders” said they are being investigated by federal prosecutors. Reps. Jason Crow, of Colorado, Chrissy Houlahan, of Pennsylvania, and Maggie Goodlander, of New Hampshire, all indicated Wednesday that they received inquiries from U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro asking for an interview with them or their attorneys, according to The New York Times. “Trump’s political cronies at the Justice Department are trying to threaten and intimidate us,” Crow said in a post on X. “Well, he’s picked a fight with the wrong people. I will always uphold my oath to the Constitution.” “We are not going to back away,” he added in a video message. “Our job, our duty is to make sure that the law is followed. We will not be threatened, we will not be intimidated, and we will not be silenced. I am more emboldened than ever to make sure that I am upholding my duty and I will not back down.” DEM SENATOR SAYS SHE’S UNDER FEDERAL INVESTIGATION OVER ‘UNLAWFUL ORDERS’ VIDEO The controversial video, which was posted in November, featured Crow, Houlahan, Goodlander, Sen. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., and Rep. Chris Deluzio, D-Pa. All the Democrats who participated in the video, which was slammed as a call to defy President Donald Trump and his Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, had military and intelligence backgrounds. The video was released amid a nationwide debate about Trump’s deployment of the National Guard to various cities across the country. Trump criticized the video and said in multiple Truth Social posts that the lawmakers who participated in it had engaged in “seditious behavior.” “It’s called SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL. Each one of these traitors to our Country should be ARRESTED AND PUT ON TRIAL. Their words cannot be allowed to stand — We won’t have a Country anymore!!! An example MUST BE SET,” the president wrote on Nov. 20. The same day, Trump wrote in a separate Truth Social post, “SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR, punishable by DEATH!” DEMOCRATIC SENATOR ‘NOT AWARE’ IF TRUMP GAVE ANY ILLEGAL MILITARY ORDERS AMID VIDEO CONTROVERSY The Times reported earlier this week that Pirro’s office sent an email to the Senate’s sergeant-at-arms requesting an interview with Slotkin or her private counsel. “Facts matter little, but the threat matters quite a bit,” Slotkin told the Times. “The threat of legal action; the threat to your family; the threat to your staff; the threat to you.” Pirro’s office would not confirm or deny the existence of the probe. “No matter the threats, I’m not backing down,” Goodlander said in a video posted to X on Wednesday. “It is sad, telling and downright dangerous that simply stating a bedrock principle of American law caused the President, our Commander in Chief, to threaten violence against me and to weaponize the Department of Justice against me.” “Like my colleagues, I was contacted by federal prosecutors who are investigating me for making a video reminding servicemembers not to follow illegal orders,” Houlahan said in another X post. “The six of us are being targeted not because we said something untrue, but because we said something President Trump and Secretary Hegseth didn’t want anyone to hear.” Fox News Digital’s Rachel Wolf and Louis Casiano contributed to this report.
GOP senator pushes Trump’s 10% credit card rate cap as party leaders push back
FIRST ON FOX: A Senate Republican wants to codify President Donald Trump’s desire to cap credit card interest rates, but it’s an idea that’s already been met with resistance among top Republicans. Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., plans to introduce legislation that would make good on Trump’s push to cap credit card interest rates at 10% for one year. However, Republican leadership in both chambers has already pushed back against the idea, arguing that it could lead to credit scarcity. Marshall’s bill, the Consumer Affordability Protection Act, would limit the amount that credit card companies could charge for one year, capping the ceiling at Trump’s desired rate of 10%. TRUMP OPENS DOOR TO LIZ WARREN ON CREDIT CARD RATES AS GOP WEIGHS AFFORDABILITY FIGHT That cap would only apply to banks and financial institutions with over $100 billion in assets, with the idea being that smaller community banks and most credit unions would not be affected. Marshall said in a statement to Fox News Digital that the legislation was about “giving families breathing room, restoring fairness in the marketplace, and making sure the American Dream is still within reach for everyone who works hard and plays by the rules.” “Credit cards were meant to be a tool — not a trap,” Marshall said. “Right now, millions of hard-working Americans are getting crushed by outrageous interest rates that make it nearly impossible to pay down debt and get ahead.” The bill follows Trump’s demand that Americans no longer be “‘ripped off’ by credit card companies that are charging interest rates of 20 to 30%, and even more, which festered unimpeded during the Sleepy Joe Biden Administration.” REPUBLICAN SENATOR VOWS TO BLOCK TRUMP FED NOMINEE OVER POWELL INVESTIGATION He set a target date for the cap of Jan. 20, the one-year anniversary of his inauguration to his second term in office. “AFFORDABILITY! Effective January 20, 2026, I, as President of the United States, am calling for a one year cap on Credit Card Interest Rates of 10%,” Trump said on Truth Social. Marshall’s push isn’t his first foray into the world of credit — he and Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin, D-Ill., have a long-simmering bill that would boost competition among credit card payment networks. Trump endorsed that legislation earlier this week, and the bipartisan duo reintroduced it in the Senate shortly after. Durbin and Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vt., are co-sponsors of Marshall’s latest bill. Trump and Marshall also have an unlikely ally in Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass. The progressive lawmaker spoke with the president earlier this week about affordability, and both found middle ground on their desire to cap credit card interest rates. But she was wary that any real action, either from the White House or the GOP-controlled Congress, would come to fruition. “I supported it for years,” Warren said. “And when he first floated the idea over a year ago, I said, ‘I’m all in,’ and so far, Trump hasn’t done anything.” FEDERAL RESERVE CHAIR POWELL UNDER CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION OVER HQ RENOVATION But despite Trump’s edict and the patchwork of bipartisan support, the top Republicans in Congress aren’t completely sold on the idea. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., warned that capping credit card interest rates could “probably deprive an awful lot of people of access to credit around the country.” “Credit cards will probably become debit cards,” Thune said. “So, yeah, I mean, that’s not something I’m out there advocating for.” And House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., warned of “unintended consequences” of such a change. “One of the things that the president probably had not thought through is the negative secondary effect: they would just stop lending money, and maybe they cap what people are able to borrow at a very low amount,” Johnson said.