Georgia GOP Rep Barry Loudermilk to retire, adding to wave of House exits
Rep. Barry Loudermilk, R-Ga., announced Wednesday that he will not seek re-election to a seventh term, becoming the latest Republican lawmaker to step aside amid a growing wave of GOP retirements ahead of the next election cycle. Loudermilk released a statement announcing his retirement, saying it has been a “tremendous honor” to represent the people of Northwest Georgia for six terms. He also said that during his tenure, he focused on upholding the U.S. Constitution and representing the 11th Congressional District. “I first ran for election to Congress in 2014 and, as I stated then, representing the people in Congress is a service, not a career; and although I continue to have strong support from the people of the 11th Congressional District, I believe it is time to contribute to my community, state, and nation in other ways,” he said. “Therefore, I have decided not to seek reelection at the end of my current term in Congress.” HOUSE GOP MAJORITY ON THE BRINK AS ALL-DEMOCRAT TEXAS SPECIAL CONGRESSIONAL ELECTION UNDERWAY Loudermilk said he learned throughout his life that doing what is right is not always easy, popular or convenient, and that he and his wife prayed and discussed the decision extensively. “This is not an easy decision, but we believe it is the right one,” he said. “While serving my constituents in Congress ranks among my greatest honors, being a husband, a father and a grandfather holds even greater importance to me, and at this time I wish to spend more dedicated time with my family.” He concluded by thanking the people of his district for allowing him to serve, as well as his staff for their “outstanding service” to the district, state and nation. REP. LAMALFA’S DEATH FURTHER SHRINKS REPUBLICAN HOUSE MAJORITY Loudermilk’s decision comes as lawmakers in both parties consider the toll of another election cycle, with redistricting, an early primary calendar and an increasingly national political climate influencing decisions ahead of the next midterm elections. Loudermilk is at least the 29th Republican to announce plans not to seek re-election at the end of the current term, part of a broader wave of departures from the House. Twenty-one House Democrats have also announced they will not seek re-election. REP. LAMALFA’S DEATH FURTHER SHRINKS REPUBLICAN HOUSE MAJORITY Last Tuesday, Rep. Vern Buchanan, R-Fla., said he would not seek re-election, ending a two-decade career in Washington at age 74. “After 20 years of service, I believe it’s the right time to pass the torch and begin a new chapter in my life,” Buchanan said in a statement. Other Republicans not seeking re-election include Reps. Neal Dunn, R-Fla., Jodey Arrington, R-Texas, and Troy Nehls, R-Texas. Fox News Digital’s Elizabeth Elkind contributed to this report.
Hochul primary challenger picks democratic socialist, once arrested for harassment, as running mate
New York Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado, who is mounting a longshot Democratic primary challenge against his boss, Gov. Kathy Hochul, as she runs for re-election, is choosing a far-left politician with a history of legal and financial troubles as his running mate. Delgado on Wednesday named former Buffalo mayoral candidate India Walton, a member of the Democratic Socialists of America, as his running mate in an effort to beef up his support among progressives as he runs from the left against Hochul, a moderate Democrat. “India Walton represents exactly the kind of transformational and morally courageous leadership New Yorkers are hungry for,” Delgado said in a statement. “She has never been afraid to challenge the status quo, stand up to powerful interests and put working families first.” Walton grabbed national headlines in 2021 by pulling off an upset victory over Buffalo Mayor Bryon Brown in the Democratic primary. Her primary victory was seen as a sign at the time of the rise of the progressive movement. But she ended up losing in a landslide in the general election to Brown, who ran as a write-in candidate. WHERE THE NEW YORK GUBERNATORIAL SHOWDOWN STANDS IN THE POLLS It was during that heated campaign battle that her past troubles, including a 2014 arrest, in which she was charged with second-degree harassment, grabbed attention. Walton said at the time that the charge was due to a disagreement with a fellow student at a children’s hospital. “When I politely told them I’d like to speak with them personally and handle the situation like adults, one claimed that they were threatened by me and feared for their life despite the fact that I am (4-foot-11) and was going on disability for surgery,” Walton told WIVB-TV. The case was later dismissed in court. A year later, Walton was ticketed for aggravated unlicensed operation during a traffic stop. And Walton had two earlier legal controversies. The Erie County Department of Social Services brought a fraud case against her over food stamp assistance in 2003, and, a year later, Walton and her husband at the time appeared on a tax warrant issued by state officials over unpaid back taxes. Documents show it took them five years to pay off the penalties and interest owed. Fox News Digital reached out to the Delgado campaign for comment but did not receive a response before publication. TRUMP TAKES SIDES IN NEW YORK’S RACE FOR GOVERNOR Delgado launched his bid for governor in June, a rare instance of a lieutenant governor taking on a sitting governor. His move to name Walton as his running mate will likely be overshadowed later this week if New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, a democratic socialist, endorses Hochul. The governor backed Mamdani, the Democratic nominee, in September as he battled former Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa in the mayoral race in the nation’s most populous city. Politico reports that Mamdani will return the favor and endorse Hochul later this week. The latest public opinion poll in the Democratic primary race from Siena University indicated Hochul has a massive 53-point lead over Delgado. HEAD HERE FOR THE LATEST FOX NEWS REPORTING FROM THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL Hochul also named her running mate on Wednesday, choosing Adrienne Adams, who served as New York City Council speaker from 2022 to 2025. The all-female ticket is a first for a major party in the Empire State. And if elected, Adams would make history as New York State’s first Black lieutenant governor. “I’m grateful to begin building the next chapter of New York’s future with Adrienne Adams, our next Lieutenant Governor,” Hochul said in her announcement on Wednesday. “Raised by two union workers, Adrienne knows what it means to work hard and stand up for those who need it most.” Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman is the all-but-certain GOP gubernatorial nominee. President Donald Trump endorsed Blakeman in December after Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik dropped her bid for governor. Blakeman, in a statement, took aim at Hochul’s running mate. “Leave it to Kathy Hochul to select a radical running mate that welcomed the migrant crisis, defunded the NYPD by a billion dollars, and chased away thousands of jobs to other states,” Blakeman argued.
Democrats say Clintons’ agreement to testify undercuts subpoena push, won’t bring new Epstein answers
Democrats believe Bill and Hillary Clinton’s decision to appear before the House Oversight Committee will put to bed accusations of noncompliance with congressional investigations on Jeffrey Epstein while strengthening precedents related to subpoena power that Democrats could use down the line. At the same time, lawmakers cast doubt that their testimony would provide answers that Republicans are looking for. “I think House Republicans want this to be performative and a public show,” Rep. Pete Aguilar, D-Calif., the No. 3 Democrat in the chamber, said. “I think it satisfies the [subpoena] requirements … as long as they are indicating that they are willing to answer questions,” he added, referring to the congressional request compelling their testimony. HILLARY CLINTON EXPECTED TO DEFY EPSTEIN PROBE SUBPOENA, RISKING CRIMINAL CHARGES Republicans hope to learn more about the relationships Bill and Hillary Clinton may have had with Epstein, the disgraced financier who killed himself while incarcerated on charges of sex trafficking minors in 2019. Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will appear before the House Oversight Committee for a deposition Feb. 26, while former President Bill Clinton will appear Feb. 27. The Clintons’ decision to testify follows Republican efforts to hold them in contempt of Congress. The Oversight Committee teed up contempt resolutions along bipartisan lines last month after the pair failed to appear for scheduled depositions in January. If put to the House and passed, the resolution would have referred the Clintons to the Department of Justice for criminal prosecution, and, if convicted, they could have faced a $100,000 fine and up to a year behind bars. Notably, even a handful of progressive members of the “Squad” joined to support teeing up consideration of the contempt resolution, revealing bipartisan frustrations about their absence. Aguilar said he believes the Clintons have now nixed that possibility. BILL, HILLARY CLINTON RISK CRIMINAL CONTEMPT CHARGES AFTER DEFYING HOUSE SUBPOENAS IN EPSTEIN PROBE “If people receive a lawful subpoena, they should comply, and they should share [testimony],” Aguilar said. “There’s absolutely no way that contempt can move forward if they’re cooperating.” He noted that the mere use of contempt resolutions to compel testimony might play into Democrats’ hands in the future. “It sets an interesting precedent on who is subject to come into Oversight, and we will see what the next year holds for Trump Inc. and the Trump family,” Aguilar said, alluding to the requests Democrats might make if they hold a majority in 2027. Maxwell Frost, D-Fla., was one of the nine Democrats who voted to advance contempt considerations out of committee. He said that while he probably would have opposed the measure had it reached the floor, he had voted for it in committee, hoping to reinforce the congressional subpoena power. “I think no matter who you are, if Congress wants you to testify, you should testify,” Frost said Wednesday. Like Aguilar, he believes a new bar has been set by Oversight Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., on whom the committee can request an appearance from. “It sets new standards. It’s a new precedent that will follow for anyone — former presidents, their family, their spouse, whoever — depending on investigations that we do in the future,” Frost said. CLINTONS AGREE TO TESTIFY AFTER HOUSE THREATENS CONTEMPT IN JEFFREY EPSTEIN PROBE Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., a top Democrat in the House of Representatives, echoed his colleagues’ thinking on the Clintons’ compliance with the subpoenas. “I think it’s a positive development. You know, they had a chance to look it over, and they made the choice that ‘I’ll come testify,’ and I applaud them for doing it,” Thompson said. “No,” Thompson said simply when asked if he expected their testimony to reveal new information about the pair’s relationship with Epstein. “I don’t think they have anything to be worried about. I look forward to hearing what they have to say.”
Baltimore’s progressive mayor calls reporter ‘racist’ in heated exchange over luxury taxpayer vehicle
Brandon Scott, the Democratic mayor of Baltimore, is facing questions about the taxpayer funds he uses for his transportation as well as social media pushback over a press conference where he suggested racism was a factor. Scott, a progressive who has served as mayor since 2020, is facing pressure over a Fox Baltimore report showing his primary vehicle, a 2025 Jeep Grand Wagoneer, is the most expensive government-issued vehicle operated by any mayor, governor, county executive or county commissioner in the state, costing taxpayers $163,495. Scott has responded to the report, which claims his SUV costs nearly twice as much as the next most expensive taxpayer vehicle in the state, by pointing to the cost of President Donald Trump’s “Beast” vehicle, arguing that inflation is not being factored in and suggesting politics are at play. Scott, after being pressed by a reporter in a back-and-forth exchange, called the question “idiotic” and part of a “right-wing” effort to discredit him. BALTIMORE MAYOR DOUBLING DOWN ON DEI WITH ‘DEFINITELY EARNED IT’ CAMPAIGN “Just because you didn’t get the answer that you wanted in your racist slant, that’s one thing,” the mayor said. Scott has championed himself as a fighter against the “status quo” as the city faces an $85 million budget deficit and has also been an advocate against climate change despite choosing a Jeep Wagoneer, a vehicle with modest gas efficiency at 14 MPG, to get around. Scott’s exchange with the reporter made waves on social media from the mayor’s conservative critics. GOP SENATOR’S ‘FEDERAL FUMBLES’ REPORT HIGHLIGHTS $240M SPENT ON TRANSGENDER RAT TESTING “Mayor Scott could not defend using tax dollars to buy his luxury vehicle, so he called the reporter a racist,” Maryland Republican state Delegate Kathy Szeliga posted on X. “Classic deflection. His gas guzzling $165K Jeep Grand Wagoneer must be a sweet ride!” “When a reporter simply asks about the outrageous cost? Scott immediately screams ‘racism’ and accuses the station of a ‘severe right-wing effort,’” social media commentator Officer Lew posted on X. “Classic deflection. Waste money, play the race card, dodge accountability. This is what happens when identity politics runs City Hall.” “Cry racism to dodge the grift,” conservative commentator Brandon Tatum posted on X. “Unqualified virtue-signaler supreme.” “Can’t make this up,” conservative influencer account LibsofTikTok posted on X. Scott has repeatedly criticized the “old way” of Baltimore politics, which he associated with prioritizing image over substance. “For too long, corrupt and inept leaders of this city have prioritized flashy, yet unsuccessful transportation options that have done nothing to substantially improve the safety and quality of our transportation network,” Scott wrote as a mayoral candidate in 2020. A spokesperson for the mayor’s office told Fox News Digital the 2020 quote has “no relevance whatsoever” to the city’s government vehicle fleet and is “clearly a response to a question about utilizing state and federal resources for Baltimore’s public transportation system.” The spokesperson also pushed back on the Fox Baltimore report, saying the vehicle was procured in February 2025 at a normal MSRP through the normal procurement procedure, and “the supplier contract was approved without incident by the Board of Estimates on September 18, 2024.” “First, I want to clarify that the vehicle did not cost $163,495. That figure is the total project cost, which includes the cost of the vehicle and the cost of necessary safety modifications. As with any executive vehicle, which is utilized by the Baltimore Police Department’s Executive Protection Unit (EPU), the vehicle is required to be compatible with police operations. This means that the vehicle needed to be fitted with appropriate safety, security, and communications features (emergency vehicle lights, sirens, a microphone, etc.). “According to best practices for reliability and safety, the City budgets to purchase a new mayoral vehicle every four years. This vehicle replaced a previous executive vehicle originally purchased in 2016. These vehicles are scheduled to be replaced every four years because they are used far more often through their official duties than an average personal vehicle; as such, they accumulate miles quicker and require more regular maintenance and replacement. Once the vehicles are replaced, the old vehicles are either repurposed for other official duties or sold at auction to ensure cost effectiveness.” The spokesperson also pushed back on the reporting that the mayor’s vehicle is the most expensive taxpayer vehicle in the state for an executive, saying the reporting “does not actually provide the evidence to fully support that assertion.” “The story admits that they did not receive documentation from all jurisdictions in the state and utilizes comparisons to vehicles that are substantially older or from jurisdictions that work on a different vehicle replacement cycle or have different executive protection protocols. It also did not include context that the 2016 vehicle served beyond the standard replacement cycle,” the spokesperson said. The spokesperson’s statement did not address Scott’s comment about a “racist slant.”
Joseph Gordon-Levitt slams Big Tech for sextortion, threats to children while calling for key internet reform
Standing alongside parents who lost their children to online abuse, actor and filmmaker Joseph Gordon-Levitt blasted tech companies on Capitol Hill, accusing them of hiding behind Section 230 to evade accountability. Gordon-Levitt appeared alongside Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin to back the Illinois senator’s bipartisan Sunset Section 230 Act, legislation that would dismantle the decades-old legal shield protecting social media companies from liability over user content. “I just heard a couple of stories that left me trying to keep myself together,” Gordon-Levitt said, standing alongside parents who lost their children to online abuse. “These photos remind me of my kids,” added Gordon-Levitt, the father of three children under the age of 12. BIG TECH’S TOBACCO MOMENT IS HERE — AND THE TRUTH ABOUT HARMING KIDS IS OUT “The harm that was done to these kids online might have been prevented if certain Big Tech companies knew that they could be sued. But under Section 230, they cannot be. So, these amoral companies, they just keep allowing these awful things to happen on their platform, and they don’t do anything about it because they will always prioritize profits over the public good, even when it comes to kids,” he said, visibly emotional. Alongside Gordon-Levitt, parents recounted their experiences, including South Carolina state Rep. Brandon Guffey. “I lost my 17-year-old son, Gavin Guffey, to suicide,” Guffey said. “We learned days later that he had been the victim of sextortion. It started around midnight, and by 1:40 a.m., he had taken his life. He was living his best life, there were no warning signs and I had never even heard the term ‘sextortion.’ “Days later, I received a call from an aunt who lives about an hour away. Her 14-year-old daughter, Gavin’s cousin, was being extorted by the same person who targeted my son,” he explained. “Meta removed one profile but left another active. Because that account remained online, the predator went on to extort at least 13 more children. Meta knew this was a criminal, yet the account remained online.” Other parents shared that they lost their children from cyberbullying and dangerous connections made over social media. Gordon-Levitt urged lawmakers to repeal Section 230, a provision of federal law that protects social media companies from being sued over content posted by users. “I have a message for all the other senators out there. I want to see this thing pass 100-0. There should be nobody voting to give any more impunity to these tech companies. Nobody. It’s time for a change. Let’s make it happen,” Gordon-Levitt said.
New York subway hearing erupts as MTA boss snaps ‘shut up’ amid grilling over guards letting fare jumpers walk
A joint New York State budget hearing devolved into a shouting match when a Long Island Republican challenged the MTA’s Hochul-appointed chairman over a $35 million security deal, questioning why contracted guards appear to be letting fare evaders walk amid claims the agency is rife with waste. State Sen. Mario Mattera, R-St. James, sharply questioned Janno Lieber over a $35 million contract for private security guards at subway stations as the transit authority grapples with rising fare evasion amid higher fares for paying straphangers. Mattera previously spoke out in opposition to the major contract with Allied Security Services of Conshohocken, Pennsylvania, as the latest example of systemic waste from the transit agency’s coffers. Lieber initially objected to the line of questioning, saying that anyone working as a gate guard for Allied is a New Yorker: “It’s not a bunch of Pennsylvanians.” THE ROAD AHEAD FOR TRANSIT IN NEW YORK CITY IN 2026 INCLUDES FARE HIKES Mattera pointed to reports in the New York Post and elsewhere citing guards letting people essentially jump the turnstiles, including when riders have issues scanning in amid the city’s post-MetroCard era. “Why do we have people helping people avoid tolls? We have videos,” he said. Lieber became similarly angry after Mattera spoke over him: “Let me finish. Let me finish.” “You’re rambling,” Mattera said. “Why do we have this?” Lieber replied that Allied’s guards reduced fare evasion by more than one-third since the contract was signed, but the two kept shouting over each other before Lieber could be heard yelling, “shut up.” “Be quiet,” he said, before Mattera demanded — and received — an apology from the Hochul appointee. NY GOVERNOR POURS COLD WATER ON MAMDANI FREE BUS PLAN Committee Chairman J. Gary Pretlow, D-Mount Vernon, soon slammed his gavel and was also heard yelling, “shut up,” admonishing both men: “Raising voices will not be tolerated,” he was quoted by the South Shore Press amid the crosstalk. One guard interviewed by the New York Post said that a lot of people don’t want to pay their fare. “They say, ‘you’re not a cop, you can’t stop it’,” Romuald Zampou told the paper. One of New York City’s few Republicans in the state Senate — Sen. Steve Chan of Bensonhurst, Brooklyn — said in a statement before the hearing that the guards are no better than “scarecrows.” “Instead of paying outrageous salaries to people who stand around like scarecrows and do absolutely nothing to stop fare evasion, the MTA and the City must take the handcuffs off our police officers,” said Chan, who is a former cop himself. “Let them issue summonses, make arrests, and pressure district attorneys to prosecute fare evaders. We’ve done it before. We know it works.” State Sen. Bill Weber, R-Clarkstown, whose suburban commuters often rely on MTA heavy rail out of Suffern, Spring Valley and Tarrytown, said the security guard expenditure is just the latest transit boondoggle. “It’s clear the MTA needs a full audit — and now, so do its subcontractors,” Weber said in a statement.
Bernie Sanders spent over $550K in 2025 campaign funds on private jets, filings show
FIRST ON FOX: Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., who crisscrossed the country last year on a Fighting Oligarchy tour with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., spent over $550,000 in 2025 on private jet travel for himself using campaign funds, a Fox News Digital review of Federal Election Commission (FEC) filings found. The majority of the spending came in the first two quarters, which cover up until July. That is also when Sanders and AOC had the majority of their tour stops across the country. In April, between stops on the tour, Fox News Digital exclusively obtained a photo of Sanders boarding a luxury Bombardier Challenger private jet at the Meadows Field Airport in Bakersfield, California. The source also indicated seeing the New York congresswoman boarding the private jet as well. The pair were subsequently also seen in footage obtained by Fox News Digital exiting the plane in Sacramento later that evening, near where the self-identified democratic socialists hosted a second rally in one day. AOC’S CAMPAIGN POURS MASSIVE CASH INTO LUXURY PUERTO RICO HOTELS, PRICEY CATERING AND BAD BUNNY VENUE RENTAL The Bombardier Challenger private jet the pair flew on was operated by Ventura Air Services, which touts “one of the widest cabins of any business jet available today” and provides “superior cabin comfort for its passengers.” According to its website, the private jet can cost up to $15,000 an hour. In 2025, according to Sanders’ FEC filings, he spent at least $354,000 in campaign funds to pay for private jet services through Ventura Jets. The other private jet companies Sanders spent campaign funds on included N-Jet and Cirrus Aviation Services. According to N-Jet’s website, the company prides itself on its “personal touch,” adding that customers will “arrive in style with your luxury, comfort and safety always top of mind.” Sanders, who has been a vocal supporter of the Green New Deal, the aggressive climate change policy targeting carbon emissions and fossil fuel production, and has called climate change an “existential threat” to the world, was pressed about his private jet use last year, prompting him to tell Fox News’ “Special Report” host Bret Baier that “that’s the only way to get around.” “You run a campaign, and you do three or four or five rallies in a week. [It is] the only way you can get around to talk to 30,000 people. You think I’m gonna be sitting on a waiting line at United … while 30,000 people are waiting?” Sanders said. “That’s the only way to get around. No apologies for that. That’s what campaign travel is about. We’ve done it in the past. We’re gonna do it in future.” SWALWELL IN THE HOT SEAT AFTER SPENDING OVER $200K IN CAMPAIGN CASH ON CHILDCARE: ‘SLIPPERY SLOPE’ Sanders has a long history of using private jets on the campaign trail. During his failed 2020 presidential campaign, the Sanders campaign spent over $1.9 million on private jets, including Apollo Jets and the Advanced Aviation Team, a Virginia-based private jet company. Private jets have faced the ire of Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez’s fellow climate activists. According to the 2021 Transport and Environment report, private jets are up to 14 times more polluting than commercial planes. “For real, how many private jets do these CEOs need? It is insatiable. It is unacceptable,” Ocasio-Cortez said in 2023, in one example of the New York congresswoman herself railing against private jets. Fox News Digital reached out to Sanders’ office and his campaign for comment on the spending but did not receive a response in time for publication. “You don’t expect a socialist to fly commercial do you?” quipped conservative political communications consultant Matt Gorman. “There’s no bigger hypocrite than the liberal who chastises us for eating meat and using gas stoves, yet flies in private jets.” In addition to Sanders’ hefty private jet spending that came during his tour with AOC, the New York democratic socialist also spent big sums of campaign dollars at luxury and “boutique” hotels in states where the pair held their Fighting Oligarchy tour. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP For example, AOC’s campaign paid The Leo Kent Hotel, a boutique high-rise in Tucson, $3,165.76, around the time of a Fighting Oligarchy rally that was held there, according to an FEC filing from April 25. In 2025, AOC also spent thousands at luxury hotels like the Asher Adams Hotel in Salt Lake City, the Hotel Vermont in Burlington, The Langham-Huntington hotel in Pasadena, Calif., Hotel El Convento in San Juan, Puerto Rico, the Lansdowne Resort & Spa in rural Virginia and others. Fox News Digital asked representatives for AOC if the congresswoman felt like she needed to explain her more than $53,000 in campaign spending on upscale hotels across the country in 2025 but did not receive a response. Fox News’ Deirdre Heavey and Andrew Mark Miller contributed reporting
Happy Valentine’s Day: Little love in the air as uncertainty swirls on the Hill
“We’ll have the votes,” said House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., as the House approached a vote to end a three-day, partial government shutdown Tuesday morning. “That was never in doubt.” Oh really? Well, Johnson was right. Republicans finally conjured up the votes to pass a retooled spending package to end the brief shutdown. Certainly better than the record 43-day shutdown in the fall. But it wasn’t necessarily easy. SHUTDOWN AVERTED FOR NOW, BUT SENATE WARNS DHS FIGHT COULD TRIGGER ANOTHER IN DAYS Passing bills in the House is a challenge for Republicans with their narrow majority. What’s increasingly becoming even more problematic is a procedural vote known as the “rule.” Adopting the rule to set the terms of debate is essential before bringing a bill to the floor. And conservatives who are upset with the GOP leadership are regularly converting what was a routine preliminary vote into a regular adventure. “That’s where you’re going to see some friction,” predicted Rep. Kat Cammack, R-Fla., on Fox. She was right. While there was drama passing the bill, the rule was a roller coaster. GROUNDHOG DAY AND FRIDAY THE 13TH Democrats said they would not help Republicans adopt the rule. They argued that the rule is the responsibility of the majority. It’s historically been that way in the House for decades. “On rare occasion, have we stepped in to deal with Republican dysfunction,” said House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y. When the vote started, Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., was quick to vote no for the GOP. It’s about the math. With the House at 218-214, Republicans could only adopt the rule with one defection if all Members voted. Two defections would produce a 216-216 tie. By rule, ties lose in the House. Colleague Kelly Phares tracked the procedural vote from the House gallery. After a few moments, Rep. John Rose, R-Tenn., became the second GOP nay. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., swooped in to converse with Rose. On X, Rose declared he wanted the GOP to attach the SAVE Act to the revised spending bill. Note that Rose is running against Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., for Tennessee governor. The SAVE Act requires proof of citizenship to vote. Latching such a provision to the bill would only prolong the shutdown. That’s because the House and Senate would remain out of alignment, having approved different bills. Moreover, there was no pathway to break a filibuster on the issue in the Senate. So the rule was failing with two GOP nays and four Republicans who hadn’t voted yet: Reps. Andy Ogles, R-Tenn., Byron Donalds, R-Fla., Troy Nehls, R-Texas and Victoria Spartz, R-Ind. The Republican brass would need all four nonvoters to switch to yes. Plus, they’d need Massie or Rose to change. The vote froze at 216 nays to 212 yeas. If this blew up, the partial government shutdown would continue. HOUSE SENDS BILL ENDING GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN TO TRUMP’S DESK AFTER 21 DEMS BREAK WITH JEFFRIES Donalds and Spartz then went up on the board as yeas. That made the tally 214 yeas to 216 noes. Nehls voted yea a few moments later. So 215 yeas to 216 noes. Massie and Rose remained the only Republican nays. And Ogles remained on the sidelines. But then Rose changed his vote to yes. Ogles finally voted and was a yea. Rep. G.T. Thompson, R-Penn., presided over the vote. He rapped the gavel, closing the vote at 217-215. The House approved the rule, paving the way for the House to debate the spending plan and end the shutdown. Massie was the only GOP no. Things were also tight on passage of the bill. The yeas ran behind the nays for most of the allotted time before barely passing at 217-214. 21 Republicans voted nay. But 21 Democrats voted yea, making up the difference. Had one more Member voted no, the tally would have been 216-215. The bill would have failed had an additional two Members voted no. But with that, the second government shutdown since autumn ended. “We have fully 96% of the federal government funded. So that’s a that’s a good win,” bragged Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., more than four months after Congress was supposed to have funded everything. But that remaining four percent is the Department of Homeland Security. Democrats demand changes at ICE before funding expires – on Valentine’s Day. How do I love thee? Let me count the appropriations bills. 11 of the 12 are done. And unless lawmakers can craft an agreement, another shutdown looms, albeit just for DHS. “A shutdown of Homeland Security. I’m okay with that,” declared Rep. Madeleine Dean, D-Penn. A DHS-centric shutdown means no pay for TSA. And more volatility at ICE – even though its operations are funded through the Big, Beautiful Bill. Rep. Ed Case, D-Hawaii, had a message for DHS employees. “You will be paid because this continues your pay. But the uncertainty – until we get this resolved – you must live with,” warned Case. PARTIAL GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN ENDS AS DHS FUNDING FIGHT CONTINUES Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., is the top Democrat on the Homeland Security Committee. He’s one of 193 Democrats who opposed the bill. “This is an opportunity to demonstrate your opposition,” said Thompson. But former House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., was one of those 21 Democrats who voted to re-open the government. He represents thousands of sidelined federal workers in his district not far from the nation’s capital. “Today is a time to fund the majority of government for the American people,” said Hoyer. But negotiating an agreement on such a nettlesome issue in a week-and-a-half is nearly impossible in Congress. House and Senate Democrats will release their concrete demands Thursday. Republicans have their requests, too. “I’m not willing to just give them every reform they ask for. Or even some without getting some reforms ourselves,” said Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D. Some Republicans want an end to sanctuary cities. Others want to include the SAVE Act. Republicans are
Russia, China squeeze US Arctic defense zone as Trump eyes Greenland
EXCLUSIVE: After U.S. officials detected a sharp rise in Russian and Chinese military incursions near Alaska — including a growing number of joint operations — Sen. Dan Sullivan is warning that the Arctic has become an active security front. And he’s pushing Congress to accelerate icebreaker construction, reopen Cold War–era bases and bolster U.S. defenses in the region. Sullivan’s warning comes as new data show foreign military traffic near Alaska climbing sharply, a trend he says has gone largely unnoticed outside the region even as Moscow and Beijing coordinate more closely. He argues the activity has exposed how thin U.S. Arctic capabilities have become and why Washington is now scrambling to catch up. “Let’s just say the world’s largest fleet of oceanographic survey ships wasn’t off the coast of Alaska to ‘save the whales,’” Sullivan told Fox News Digital in an interview. President Donald Trump’s ongoing friction with Denmark over Greenland reflects the growing importance of the Arctic for the administration, Sullivan said. As melting ice opens new shipping lanes, energy access and military routes, Alaska is becoming a front line in the contest for economic and strategic dominance. TRUMP SAYS GREENLAND’S DEFENSE IS ‘TWO DOG SLEDS’ AS HE PUSHES FOR US ACQUISITION OF TERRITORY Plans to reboot far-flung military operations off Russia’s back door — recently revisited in Tom Cruise’s latest “Mission: Impossible” installment — along with crucial new port infrastructure and a major cash infusion to the U.S. Coast Guard are all efforts to demonstrate the only thing America’s adversaries respect, Sullivan said: “Power.” Sullivan, R-Alaska, recently chaired a Senate Commerce Subcommittee hearing examining the U.S. Coast Guard’s Arctic presence and discussed a new U.S.-Finnish deal to secure crucial new icebreaker craft and funding from the recent tax-cut law funding for at least three USCG Arctic security cutters amid a record $25 billion total investment in Coast Guard prowess. The U.S. currently has two, one of which is out of service, while the Russians have 54 icebreaker craft, “nuclear-powered and weaponized,” he said. Sullivan shared data with Fox News Digital showing a sharp rise in Russian, Chinese and joint Sino-Russian military aircraft and maritime incursions into the U.S. Air Defense Identification Zone, or ADIZ, a security buffer stretching beyond 12-nautical-mile sovereign U.S. airspace where foreign craft are required to identify themselves. Since 2019, there have been more than 100 Russian aircraft, four Chinese vessels and, most alarmingly, more than a dozen joint operations that have entered the ADIZ, Sullivan said. Trump’s recent focus on Greenland underscored the urgency of Arctic national security, Sullivan said, echoing warnings from NATO commander USAF Gen. Alexus Grynkewich that China’s expanding “research” presence in the region is becoming increasingly aggressive. NATO CHIEF PRAISES TRUMP AT DAVOS, SAYS HE FORCED EUROPE TO ‘STEP UP’ ON DEFENSE While the Russians identify with the Arctic, China’s self-moniker of a “near-Arctic power” is confounding and concerning, he added, pointing to its actual location on the globe. Sullivan said the situation is reminiscent of Vladimir Lenin’s mantra that when you probe an enemy with a bayonet, “if you find mush, you push. If you find steel, you withdraw.” The U.S., he said, must steel itself against these threats, and Congress must be on the front lines, ensuring the resources and defenses are ready and in service. WHY TRUMP ZEROED IN ON GREENLAND AND WHY IT MATTERS IN 3 MAPS “The only thing authoritarian regimes that are our adversaries understand is power. That’s U.S. energy security, Coast Guard, military assets and infrastructure.” As the chairman of the Senate Commerce Coast Guard subcommittee, Sullivan said he is working hard to ensure that is what Moscow and Beijing will see, noting the new Storis icebreaker vessel received funding to home port in Juneau, along with 16 more icebreakers and $4.5 billion in shorefront infrastructure. In addition, a World War II-era base on far-flung Adak in the Aleutian Chain is on track to be reopened, Sullivan revealed. AMERICA DOESN’T NEED TO OWN GREENLAND — THERE’S A BETTER, MORE PEACEFUL WAY The base, somewhat dramatized in “Mission: Impossible: Dead Reckoning,” which featured a counter-Soviet listening post on nearby St. Matthew Island, was key to Allied defenses as Japan bombed present-day crabbing port Dutch Harbor and invaded Attu and Kiska islands, events less remembered than the Axis’ other Pacific attack at Pearl Harbor. Adak’s Base largely closed down in 1994 after the end of the Cold War. Sullivan revealed he secured $115 million to begin rebuilding Adak, paired with $500 million to establish a deepwater port in Nome, one of the closest cities to both Russia and the Arctic Ocean. NATO CHIEF WARNS EUROPE CAN’T DEFEND ITSELF WITHOUT US AS TENSIONS RISE OVER GREENLAND The state of Alaska matched that Nome investment and put $30 million of its own funds toward the new Adak project, Sullivan said. Gov. Mike Dunleavy separately told Fox News Digital that enhancing Alaska’s icebreaking capabilities and expanding the Coast Guard’s presence to safeguard the state’s coastline are key. “[Further,] supporting life-saving missions and countering foreign influence in the Arctic are vital not only to our state but to the nation as a whole. Alaska stands ready to receive these icebreakers and leverage our geostrategic position to advance Trump’s America First agenda,” Dunleavy said. Brent Sadler, a naval warfare expert and veteran at the Heritage Foundation, said the Arctic — and Antarctic — are also critical for space-based sensors detecting long-range missile attacks. US COMMANDER SAYS RUSSIA AND CHINA’S ARCTIC PATROLS ARE ‘NOT FOR PEACEFUL PURPOSES’ “China and Russia have impacted our fishermen’s livelihoods with military exercises in our EEZ (exclusive economic zone) … (and) should be viewed as a threat. It needs to be deterred and pushed back on appropriately with an increased Coast Guard presence,” Sadler said. Many of Russia’s incursions lately have originated in Anadyr, directly across the Bering Strait from Nome, and Adak sits just a few hundred miles east of Kamchatka, Russia. Paired with Trump’s Golden Dome security initiative, Sullivan said now is the
Greg Abbott threatens arrests for violent student protesters, funding cuts for schools allowing walkouts
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott fired back at anti-immigration enforcement student protesters on Tuesday, claiming they should be arrested if school walkouts turn violent. Abbott shared a video of law enforcement arresting one of two students charged after a school walkout demonstration Monday in Kyle, Texas. “It’s about time students like this were arrested. Harming someone is a crime—even for students,” Abbott wrote in the post. “Disruptive walkouts allowed by schools lead to just this kind of chaos.” Roughly 500 students participated in anti-ICE walkouts from five different schools within the Hays Consolidated Independent School District on Monday, walking to the downtown area, according to a statement from the Kyle Police Department. GUN-WIELDING ICE AGENTS BRUSH BACK MINNEAPOLIS AGITATORS Authorities said officers were present to monitor traffic and pedestrian safety. During the demonstration, a student was caught with alcohol, leading to two arrests. Police said one of the students is charged with assault on a public servant, resisting arrest, interfering with public duties, and consumption and possession of alcohol by a minor. BLOCKING ICE COOPERATION FUELED MINNESOTA UNREST, OFFICIALS WARN AS VIRGINIA REVERSES COURSE The other student is charged with resisting arrest and interfering with public duties. Additional charges may be forthcoming, officials said. “We are aware of concerns that these arrests were related to the walkout activity; however, we would like to clarify that they are unrelated,” the department wrote in the statement. Abbott doubled down in his post, claiming that schools and staff who allow criminal behavior “should be treated as co-conspirators and should not be immune.” He added his office is also looking into stripping the funding of schools that “abandon their duty to teach our kids the curriculum required by law.” It is unclear if the warning refers to schools hosting anti-ICE walkouts. Abbott’s office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. The protests come after the fatal shootings of Minneapolis residents Renee Good and Alex Pretti by federal agents last month. The shootings spurred nationwide protests, with state and local leaders calling for immigration authorities to end operations in their jurisdictions. The First Amendment does not consider walkouts protected speech, and students can be disciplined for unexcused absences or disrupting school functions, according to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).