Trump warns Canada of 100% tariffs if it becomes China’s ‘drop off port’ with new potential trade deal
President Donald Trump threatened on Saturday that he would implement 100% tariffs on Canada if it strikes a deal to become a “drop off port” for China. “If Governor Carney thinks he is going to make Canada a “drop off port” for China to send goods and products into the United States, he is sorely mistaken. China will eat Canada alive, completely devour it, including the destruction of their businesses, social fabric, and general way of life,” Trump wrote earlier on Truth Social. “If Canada makes a deal with China, it will immediately be hit with a 100% tariff against all Canadian goods and products coming into the U.S.A.,” the president added. Trump referred to Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney as a “governor,” echoing comments he made while campaigning for a second term about annexing America’s northern neighbor. He previously used the same term when speaking about Carney’s predecessor, Justin Trudeau. US TRADE REP SHRUGS OFF WORLD LEADERS’ SWIPES AT TRUMP AMID DAVOS BACKLASH In a follow-up post, Trump asserted, “The last thing the World needs is to have China take over Canada. It’s NOT going to happen, or even come close to happening! Thank you for your attention to this matter.” Carney made his first official visit to China earlier this month as he and Chinese President Xi Jinping work together to forge an improved bond between their countries. During the Jan. 14-17 visit, the leaders of the two nations reached an agreement that would allow up to 49,000 Chinese electric vehicles to enter the Canadian market at a lower tariff rate of 6.1%, Carney’s office announced. “At its best, the Canada-China relationship has created massive opportunities for both our peoples. By leveraging our strengths and focusing on trade, energy, agri-food, and areas where we can make huge gains, we are forging a new strategic partnership that builds on the best of our past, reflects the world as it is today, and benefits the people of both our nations,” Carney said in the statement. Additionally, by March 1, China is expected to drop its tariff on Canadian canola seed to a combined rate of 15%. Carney’s office said that Canada expects that its canola meal, lobsters, crabs, and peas will not be subject to relevant anti-discrimination tariffs beginning March 1 “until at least the end of this year.” CANADIAN PM CARNEY FIRES BACK AT TRUMP OVER CLAIM THAT ‘CANADA LIVES BECAUSE OF THE UNITED STATES’ It is unclear what deal would trigger a response from Trump in the wake of the ones made during Carney’s trip to China. Tensions between Carney and Trump have flared in recent days, as the leaders took swipes at one another at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland — and at home after the conference. Carney, fresh off his trip to China, delievered a speech that garnered international attention. While he did not mention Trump by name, he made a reference to the U.S., saying that “rules-based order is fading.” Many, including the U.S. president, saw this as a jab at Trump. “Every day we’re reminded that we live in an era of great-power rivalry,” Carney said. “That the rules-based order is fading. That the strong can do what they can, and the weak must suffer what they must.” TRUMP ANNOUNCES ESCALATING TARIFFS ON DENMARK AND OTHER EUROPEAN NATIONS TO FORCE GREENLAND PURCHASE DEAL He admitted that there were benefits to U.S. leadership on the world stage, but painted the entire concept of a rules-based international order as a falsity that is actively failing. Additionally, in his address, Carney urged middle powers, like Canada, to assert themselves and take the opportunity to “build a new order that embodies our values.” “Middle powers must act together because if you are not at the table, you are on the menu,” Carney said. When delivering his address on Wednesday, Trump did not shy away from taking aim at Carney. He said that Canada “should be grateful” because the country gets “a lot of freebies” from the U.S., though he did not say what he was referring to. “I watched your prime minister yesterday. He wasn’t so grateful,” Trump said. “Canada lives because of the United States. Remember that, Mark, the next time you make your statements.” In another apparent swipe at Carney, Trump issued an “open letter” to the Canadian leader on Truth Social revoking Canada’s invitation to join the Board of Peace, a U.S.-led council tasked with managing Gaza’s post-war future. “Please let this Letter serve to represent that the Board of Peace is withdrawing its invitation to you regarding Canada’s joining, what will be, the most prestigious Board of Leaders ever assembled, at any time. Thank you for your attention to this matter!” Trump wrote on Truth Social. The inauguration of the Board of Peace took place after Carney had already departed, according to The Associated Press. Upon his return to Canada, Carney addressed a cabinet retreat and took the opportunity to reject Trump’s claim. “Canada and the United States have built a remarkable partnership in the economy, in security, and in a rich cultural exchange,” Carney said on Thursday while speaking in Plains of Abraham, Québec, during a cabinet retreat. “But Canada doesn’t ‘live because of the United States’,” he said, referencing Trump’s remark. “Canada thrives because we are Canadian. We are masters in our own house. This is our country. This is our future. The choice is ours.” Fox News Digital reached out to the White House and Carney’s office for comment. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Trump takes aim at Senate ‘blue slip’ tradition as GOP resists change
President Donald Trump is waging war against a century-old tradition in the Senate that both Republicans and Democrats don’t want to touch. Trump has ebbed and flowed in his disdain for the blue slip tradition in the upper chamber, taking out his frustrations on Senate Judiciary Chair Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, and other Republicans who have drawn a firm line in the sand for their support of the practice. Much of his anger stemmed from the blue slip’s role in derailing a pair of his hand-picked U.S. attorney nominees — Alina Habba and Lindsey Halligan — last year. SENATE DEMOCRATS REBEL AGAINST THEIR OWN LEADERSHIP OVER DHS FUNDING PACKAGE, INCREASING SHUTDOWN ODDS Trump sounded off on the practice late last year in the Oval Office, arguing that the GOP should “get rid of blue slips, because, as a Republican President, I am unable to put anybody in office having to do with US attorneys or having to do with judges.” But the practice, which has been around since World War I, is likely not going anywhere, given that it’s been a valuable tool for minority parties to block nominees. The tradition allows for home state senators to weigh in on judicial nominees, giving them a say on who does and doesn’t move forward. Returning a blue slip is the equivalent of giving a thumbs up to the nominees moving forward, while keeping the slip effectively blocks the process. While the tradition was used to block both Halligan and Habba, both of whom served as Trump’s attorneys while in between stints in the White House, Republicans have still been successful in confirming several of the president’s judicial picks. REPUBLICANS NARROWLY REJECT EFFORTS TO HANDCUFF TRUMP’S WAR POWERS IN VENEZUELA Grassley noted in a post on X that “nearly 1/5 of the 417 nominees who were confirmed this [year] went” through his committee. “I’m ready to process even more in the new [year] just need materials from WH and DOJ so [committee] can continue contributing to Senate’s historic nominations progress,” he said. While Senate Democrats tried to block as many of Trump’s nominees throughout last year, Republicans changed the rules to ram more through. That resulted in the upper chamber confirming 36 U.S. attorneys and 26 federal judges. Four of those were from Democratic senators with blue slips in Pennsylvania, New Hampshire, Michigan and Minnesota, where the Trump administration’s usage of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents has faced legal challenges. Both of Minnesota’s Democratic Sens. Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith, who aren’t quiet critics of Trump and his administration, returned their blue slips for U.S. Attorney Daniel Rosen last year. “Putting aside political differences, he is respected across the board in Minnesota, and so I thought he would be a good U.S. attorney,” Smith said. And notably, the blue slip tradition was used by Republicans to ensure that Trump would have 15 judges to appoint once he took office, blocking several of former President Joe Biden’s nominees in the process. There is also not a single blue slip holding up a judicial nominee currently making its way through the process. HOUSE JAMS SENATE BY ATTACHING REPEAL OF JACK SMITH PROVISION TO $1.2T FUNDING PACKAGE There have also been several Senate Republicans who have pushed back against Trump’s demand to decimate the tradition, including Sens. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., and John Kennedy, R-La., both members of the Judiciary Committee. They argued that the entire point of the blue slip was to ensure that individual senators got to have a say on the matter, and that the “issue cut both ways.” “I would urge my colleagues to respectfully tell the president that we would do damage to this institution, and we would do damage to the power of individual senators if we were to rescind the blue slip,” Tillis said on the Senate floor last year. Like many instances of Trump’s desire to take a sledgehammer to Senate tradition or procedure, Republicans largely aren’t biting. And neither are members of Senate GOP leadership, including Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., who last year argued that there was more of an “intense feeling about preserving the blue slip maybe even than there is the filibuster.” Thune noted that he and fellow South Dakota Republican Sen. Mike Rounds both took advantage of the blue slip process to ensure that their state had a Republican-appointed district court judge for the first time since former President Ronald Reagan’s presidency. “There were two vacancies,” Thune said. “They wanted one Dem, we gave them a Dem, we got a Republican person into that position in South Dakota. So it’s — there are examples of how that process, I think, works to our advantage, and that’s what most senators hang on to when it comes to a discussion about the blue slip.”
House candidate predicts historic rise of ‘new generation’ in Congress as parties target key demographic
After making historic inroads with Hispanic voters in the last several election cycles, the Republican Party is going all in on winning the Latino vote this midterm election. The party, which currently holds a razor-thin majority in the House of Representatives, is confident that Hispanic voters will help it retain and shape the future of its majority both this November and in the years to come. Longtime South Texas Democratic Judge Tano Tijerina told Fox News Digital during an interview that he and Hispanics are ready to buck the Democrats and embrace a “new generation” of political leadership. Alongside former assistant U.S. attorney Eric Flores and former California mayor Kevin Lincoln, Tijerina is one of three Hispanic Republicans running to unseat Democrats in Congress who have been endorsed by President Donald Trump. There are eight other Hispanic Republicans running in competitive, heavily Latino districts in border states, Texas, New Mexico and California. If elected, these candidates will join an already influential group of Hispanics in Congress, including Reps. Maria Salazar, R-Fla., Monica De La Cruz, R-Texas, Nicole Malliotakis, R-N.Y., Juan Ciscomani, R-Ariz., and Gabe Evans, R-Colo. HEALTHCARE, ECONOMY AND THE ‘ONE BIG BEAUTIFUL BILL’: WELCOME TO THE MIDTERMS Tijerina is running to unseat longtime Democratic Rep. Henry Cuellar in a district along the Texas-Mexico border. He said that despite long being a Democratic stronghold, the Biden administration’s mismanagement of the border and prioritization of DEI “really opened up a lot of eyes of the Hispanics down here in South Texas.” “Being a Democrat after so many years, I’m just sick and tired of seeing all the social issues that the Democrats are [promoting]. And I’m not the only one. That’s why Webb County, that’s why South Texas, voted for Trump plus 10 numbers.” “We have always been conservative, everybody knows it,” he went on, adding, “Down here in South Texas, the only thing that we care about is good-paying jobs [and] making sure that we’re getting protected.” Cuellar also counts himself as one of the last “blue dog” conservative Democrats in the House of Representatives. He was highly critical of the Biden administration’s handling of the border and immigration issues. Cuellar has said that it was this stance that led to him being indicted by the Biden Department of Justice on foreign bribery charges. He was later given an unconditional pardon by Trump, who also posited that the charges were politically motivated. Though there was much speculation that Cuellar would switch parties after his pardon, he rebuffed those rumors, saying he would remain a blue dog Democrat. Tijerina said that it is just as well because the people of South Texas “deserve somebody that’s actually going to go fight for them and not fight for themselves.” “[Cuellar] comes around and says, ‘I’m your money guy, I’m the one that brings the money.’ When in all reality, I, as a county judge, know that we’ve gone through commissioner’s court, we’re the ones with the ideas, we’re are the ones that ask for the federal funding, we’re the ones who do the cash match,” said Tijerina. “Henry’s been for Henry all these years, and it’s very obvious,” he went on. “It’s time for a new generation.” CALL TO DUTY: IN BATTLE FOR HOUSE, REPUBLICANS AND DEMOCRATS LOOKING TO VETERANS In response, Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Spokesperson Madison Andrus told Fox News Digital that “during his time in office, Congressman Cuellar has brought billions of dollars back home to South Texas through his powerful position on the House Appropriations Committee.” Andrus knocked Tijerina for “fighting for a controversial $10 million spending project in Webb County” to purchase property for a new tax office. “Tano should focus on his own backyard and do his homework on how members bring money back to their districts,” she said. A national Democratic strategist told Fox News Digital that Tijerina’s assertion that Cuellar has failed to bring money back to the district stems from a “misunderstanding” of how the House appropriations process works. “Just based on how the House works, Tano will not be able to bring as much money to the district as Cuellar is,” said the strategist, adding, “It is exceedingly rare that a freshman member of Congress gets a seat on the Appropriations Committee. So, Tano would not be able to sit on it, that just wouldn’t happen. And so, that would necessarily lead to a significant decrease in the federal funding that Texas 28 would get.” SENATE MAJORITY LEADER JOHN THUNE PREVIEWS REPUBLICAN MIDTERM MESSAGE HEADING INTO 2026 Tijerina, however, is not the only candidate forecasting that the Democrats’ hold on the Hispanic vote is nearing its end. “For too long, Democrats took South Texas for granted, assuming our votes were virtually guaranteed, while they turned their backs on our values,” said Flores, an Army veteran running as a Republican in the Texas Rio Grande Valley. Flores asserted that Democrats have “traded the needs of hardworking families for a radical agenda that has left our borders open and our economy in shambles.” Lest one think this phenomenon is isolated to the Texas border, this sentiment was further echoed by Lincoln, a Marine veteran who is also running in California. Lincoln told Fox News Digital that Hispanic families in the California Central Valley are “feeling the crushing pressures of the affordability crisis driven by Democrats from Sacramento to Washington who put political ideology ahead of kitchen table issues.” “Generations of families like mine came to America in pursuit of the American Dream, and the Republican Party is earning their trust by working to restore the affordability and opportunity that allows working families to get ahead again,” said Lincoln. GOP SEIZES ON DEM CIVIL WAR AS PROGRESSIVES JUMP INTO KEY 2026 SENATE RACES: ‘THEY’RE IN SHAMBLES’ Despite this, the Democratic Party is also leaning into the affordability message and remains confident that Hispanic voters will stand by them. “While Republicans are pushing policies that make everyday life unaffordable, Democrats are focused on lowering costs, creating
Cruz back in Texas after photo of him boarding plane sparks backlash ahead of winter storm
Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, returned to the Lone Star State Friday after a photo went viral on social media of him boarding a plane as the state prepares for a potentially historic winter storm. The senator appeared to poke fun at himself on Friday as online chatter swirled over the past few days about whether he would once again be absent as his constituents hunkered down during a major weather event. “I’ve returned home from my work trip. It’s 66 degrees & beautiful. A storm is expected tomorrow night,” Cruz wrote in an X post Friday. “But I am reliably informed by Twitter that if I simply raise up my hand on Texas soil, the storm will turn around & sunshine, rainbows & unicorns will emerge. Let it be,” he continued. TRUMP MOCKS ‘ENVIRONMENTAL INSURRECTIONISTS’ AS AMERICANS BRACE FOR MASSIVE WINTER STORMS: ‘GLOBAL WARMING?’ In 2021, Cruz was slammed for traveling to Cancun, Mexico, with his family the same week that Texas dealt with a winter storm that left millions of people without power and ultimately caused 246 deaths, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services. Cruz later admitted that the decision was “obviously a mistake.” His comments Friday came after a photo was posted on X on Tuesday showing Cruz aboard a plane that was reportedly heading to Laguna Beach, California. FOX WEATHER TO PROVIDE EXTENDED LIVE COVERAGE OF WINTER STORM IMPACTING THE NATION The post quickly went viral, gaining more than 9 million views, with users both defending and blasting the senator. “I’m noticing a pattern,” one person responded. A spokesperson for Cruz confirmed to FOX 4 Dallas-Fort Worth that the senator had left Tuesday on a pre-planned trip, vowing that the senator would return ahead of the inclement weather. The winter storm is expected to impact 235 million Americans across 40 states this weekend, according to FOX Weather, and many areas will experience life-threatening cold weather, heavy snow and crippling ice.
Johnson warns House Republicans to ‘stay healthy’ as GOP majority shrinks to the edge
Republicans are clinging to a razor-thin 218-213 House majority. But House Speaker Mike Johnson shouldn’t expect many reinforcements anytime soon. This month’s shocking early House retirement of MAGA firebrand Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia and the unexpected death of Republican Rep. Doug LaMalfa of California further shrunk the GOP’s margins in the chamber. And that has House GOP leaders keeping a tight leash on the party’s rank and file members. DEMOCRATIC TAKEOVER FEARS SOAR AS HOUSE REPUBLICANS CLING TO FRAGILE MAJORITY “They’d better be here,” Johnson recently said of his members. “I told everybody, and not in jest, I said, no adventure sports, no risk-taking, take your vitamins. Stay healthy and be here.” And House Majority Whip Tom Emmer’s office confirmed it is advising members that “outside of life-and-death circumstances,” they expect Republican lawmakers to be on Capitol Hill. REP. LAMALFA’S DEATH FURTHER SHRINKS REPUBLICAN HOUSE MAJORITY There are currently four vacant House districts, which means four special elections to fill the seats. But it’s the Democrats rather than the Republicans who will likely benefit more from the ballot box results in the short run. Here’s a look at the special elections that are on deck: Voters in Texas’ Democrat-dominated 18th Congressional District, which is anchored by downtown Houston and surrounding areas, head to the polls on the last day of January to choose a successor to fill the seat left vacant when Rep. Sylvester Turner died last March. Democrats Christian Menefee, a former attorney for Houston’s Harris County, and former Houston City Council member Amanda Edwards are facing off in the special election. They were the top two finishers in a field of 16 candidates that faced off in an initial election in November. While Texas has redrawn its congressional maps for the 2026 midterms, as part of the high-stakes redistricting battle between President Donald Trump and Republicans versus Democrats, the special election will use the state’s current district lines. FORMER HOUSE SPEAKER MCCARTHY WARNS MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE IS ‘THE CANARY IN THE COAL MINE’ The winner of the special election will give the Democrats one additional House member, giving Republican leadership further headaches. Eleven candidates are running in the Democratic Party primary in New Jersey’s 11th Congressional District. The seat was left vacant after now New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill stepped down after winning November’s gubernatorial election in the Garden State. The winner of the Democratic primary will face off with Randolph Mayor Joe Hathaway, the only Republican to file for the special election, which will be held on April 16. The suburban district in northern New Jersey leans to the left, with Sherrill winning re-election in 2024 by 15 points, the same margin she carried the district in November’s gubernatorial showdown. REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK: HOUSE EXODUS THREATENS JOHNSON’S GRIP ON POWER AS OVER 40 MEMBERS HEAD FOR EXIT But then-Vice President Kamala Harris won the district by just eight points in the 2024 presidential election, giving the GOP some hopes of possibly flipping the seat. A whopping 22 candidates, including 17 Republicans, are running in a special election in the 14th Congressional District, in the race to succeed Greene. According to Georgia state law, all the candidates will run on the same ballot. If no contender tops 50% of the vote, a runoff election between the top two finishers will take place on April 7. The district in northwestern Georgia is solidly Republican, with Greene winning re-election in 2024 by nearly 30 points and Trump carrying the district by 37 points. Primary Day in California for the 2026 elections will also include a primary for the special election in the state’s 1st Congressional District, in the race to fill LaMalfa’s seat. The general election will be held on Aug. 4. The district, in northeastern California, is solidly Republican. Similar to Texas, California is also altering its congressional maps as part of the redistricting wars, but the special election will be held under the current district lines. The White House and congressional Republicans criticized the decision by Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom to not hold a special election to fill LaMalfa’s seat until August, six months after the late congressman’s death. But Democrats similarly complained about Republican Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas not scheduling the special election to fill Turner’s seat until eight months after the late lawmaker died. Fox News’ Elizabeth Elkind contributed to this story.
Navy Under Secretary Hung Cao says personnel discharged over vaccine mandate were ‘failed’
The Department of the Navy issued an apology letter Friday to former military personnel “unjustly removed” from service because of the COVID vaccine mandate during the Biden administration. Under Secretary of the Navy Hung Cao emphasized that the Department of War is committed to “righting past wrongs” and welcoming back former service members who were dismissed during the pandemic. “To the sailors and marines who were wrongfully discharged during COVID, we failed you,” Hung said in a video posted on X. “We will never allow this to happen again, not on my watch. We are ready for you to come back, and we want to correct your records.” Cao, the Department of the Navy’s chief operating and chief management officer, overseeing roughly one million Navy, Marine Corps and civilian personnel, acknowledged the impact of the mandate on those it forced out. HEGSETH ORDERS ABOUT FACE ON PENTAGON’S SLIPPING GROOMING STANDARDS “We are righting this wrong and it starts with this formal letter of apology,” he said. President Donald Trump signed Executive Order 14184 shortly after returning to office last January, directing federal agencies to identify service members affected by the former vaccine requirement and take steps to reinstate them or restore certain benefits. The order applies to former members of the Army, Air Force, Marine Corps, Navy, Space Force and Coast Guard who were discharged solely for refusing the COVID-19 vaccine. VA REVERSES BIDEN ADMIN POLICY PROVIDING ABORTION SERVICES AGENCY CALLS CONTRARY TO FEDERAL LAW The former secretary of defense mandated in 2021 that all service members receive the COVID-19 vaccine, a policy that was rescinded in 2023. “The military unjustly discharged those who refused the vaccine, regardless of the years of service given to our Nation, after failing to grant many of them an exemption that they should have received,” Trump’s executive order states. The Department of War issued guidance to all the secretaries of military departments to contact former service members with information about potential reinstatement and to correct their discharge records. TRUMP DECLARES ‘REAWAKENING’ OF ‘WARRIOR SPIRIT,’ UNWAVERING SUPPORT FOR MILITARY: ‘I HAVE YOUR BACKS’ According to the Department of Veterans Affairs, more than 8,000 service members were separated after the Biden administration’s Department of Defense issued the vaccination mandate. “It is unconscionable that thousands of former Service members who held true to their personal and religious convictions were not just separated, but separated with general (under honorable conditions), rather than honorable, discharge characterizations,” Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said in a December memo. “While many have applied for and received relief from our Military Department review boards, I believe the onus is on us to make this right.” Hegseth said he directed a proactive review of personnel records to identify individuals involuntarily discharged solely for refusing the COVID-19 vaccine and facilitate appropriate discharge upgrades. Fox News Digital has reached out to the Navy for additional information.
Pentagon plans to give South Korea primary role in deterring North Korea threats under new strategy
The Pentagon said in an unclassified national defense strategy document titled “Restoring peace through strength for a new golden age of America” on Friday, that it plans to shift more of the responsibility of deterring North Korea to South Korea. The U.S. would take a “more limited” role in keeping North Korea in line, the Pentagon said in the document obtained by Fox News Digital. “With its powerful military, supported by high defense spending, a robust defense industry, and mandatory conscription, South Korea is capable of taking primary responsibility for deterring North Korea with critical but more limited U.S. support,” the document said. It added, “South Korea also has the will to do so, given that it faces a direct and clear threat from North Korea. This shift in the balance of responsibility is consistent with America’s interest in updating U.S. force posture on the Korean Peninsula. In this way, we can ensure a stronger and more mutually beneficial alliance relationship that is better aligned with America’s defense priorities, thereby setting conditions for lasting peace.” IRAN ALLEGEDLY AIRS 97 ‘COERCIVE’ CONFESSIONS’ AMID RECORD-BREAKING NORTH KOREA-STYLE INTERNET BLACKOUT The new policy plan on North Korea followed similar strategies for other parts of the world, with the wide-ranging document adding that the department will “no longer be distracted by interventionism, endless wars, regime change, and nation building. Instead, we will put our people’s practical concrete interests first.” The document clarified the policy doesn’t mean “isolationism,” but rather a “strategic approach to the threats our nation faces.” Further down it added, “We will insist our allies and partners do their part and lend them a helping hand when they step up.” NORTH KOREA TEST LAUNCHES HYPERSONIC MISSILE SYSTEM IN FRONT OF KIM, NATION SAYS The document said under a section titled “Increase Burden-Sharing with U.S. Allies and Partners” that it plans to deter China “through strength, not confrontation,” and as the “Department rightly prioritizes Homeland defense and deterring China, other threats will persist, and our allies will be essential to dealing with all of them. Our allies will do so not as a favor to us, but out of their own interests.” On Russia, it said the country “will remain a persistent but manageable threat to NATO’s eastern members for the foreseeable future,” and on Iran, it stated that President Donald Trump has made it clear that Iran won’t be allowed to obtain a nuclear weapon. This year, South Korea raised its military budget by 7.5% while around 28,500 U.S. troops are stationed there in defense of North Korea.
Minnesota ‘on the clock’ as HHS threatens penalties over childcare fraud scandal
Minnesota’s alleged fraud scandal continues with the blue state now “on the clock” to comply with federal officials. “We asked Minnesota for evidence that child care funding goes to legitimate providers,” Jim O’Neill, deputy secretary for the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), wrote in an X post video alongside HHS Assistant Secretary Administration for Children and Families (ACF) Alex Adams. “Six weeks later, they still have not sent this information.” FEDERAL JUDGE BLOCKS TRUMP FROM CUTTING CHILDCARE FUNDS TO DEMOCRATIC STATES OVER FRAUD CONCERNS The ACF sent a “preliminary notice of non-compliance” to the state, according to O’Neill. “We are no longer asking, we are demanding,” Adams said. “Since Minnesota refused to comply with their federally approved state plan and regulations, ACF has sent a preliminary notice of non-compliance to Minnesota.” O’Neill said the state has 60 days to send the desired documents to federal officials. “We put Minnesota on the clock,” O’Neill said in the video. “If their response is insufficient, we’ll pursue full penalties under the law against the state.” O’Neill said HHS sends approximately $20 billion to the state annually. HOUSE REPUBLICANS CALL MINNESOTA FRAUD PROBE ‘TIP OF THE ICEBERG’ AS MORE BLUE STATES FACE SCRUTINY “Every dollar that the state diverts into fraud is stolen from the intended Minnesota recipient. The status quo was to trust the state to stop fraud. That clearly did not work,” O’Neill said. On Dec. 30, O’Neill and Adams announced a childcare payment freeze to the state after an alleged fraud scandal was exposed, involving daycare centers in the state. “Intrepid journalists have made shocking, incredible allegations of extensive fraud in Minnesota’s childcare programs,” O’Neill said in a Dec. 30 video posted on X. “We believe the state of Minnesota has allowed scammers and fake daycares to siphon millions of taxpayer dollars over the past decade.” Last month, O’Neill demanded Gov. Tim Walz turn over a comprehensive audit of certain daycare centers, including attendance records, licenses, complaints, investigations and inspections. MINNESOTA’S WELFARE FRAUD DISASTER EXPOSES A NATIONAL SYSTEM DESIGNED TO FAIL A spokesperson for Walz’s office told Fox News in December that they felt the investigation was politically motivated. “Fraud is a serious issue. But this is a transparent attempt to politicize the issue to hurt Minnesotans and defund government programs that help people,” the spokesperson said. Adams said the ACF has a team on the ground in the state conducting an “on-site monitoring visit,” where the department plans to attempt to gather records the state has not provided. “We will continue to pursue every credible lead, and we will restore integrity to programs that serve America’s most vulnerable people,” O’Neill concluded. The ACF and the state Department of Health office of the inspector general did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Anonymous letter to California GOP chapter calls for war on ICE, urges agents be sent ‘home in a body bag’
A letter delivered to a Republican Party chapter in Northern California called for an all-out war against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, including the use of homemade explosives to send them “home in a body bag.” The 12-page letter, titled “A Real American Response to Foreign Terrorist Invasions,” was sent to the Sonoma County Republican Party. The lengthy document mocks ICE agents for “living out their ‘Call of Duty’ fantasy army roles, only with real assault weapons.” No name or return address was listed, and there was no mention of Sonoma County in the document, the local GOP said. NEW JERSEY TWINS CHARGED IN THREATS TO KILL DHS OFFICIAL, ‘SHOOT ICE ON SIGHT’ “NOTE: No official of any party had anything to do with the composing or distributing of this document; it is strictly a private ‘patriotic effort,’ like Donald Trump’s January 6th Washington, D.C., insurgents,” the letter states on page seven. The letter’s opening line mentions the shooting death of Renee Nicole Good, who was fatally shot by an ICE agent in Minneapolis earlier this month. The Department of Homeland Security said Good was trying to ram her vehicle into an ICE agent when he opened fire in self-defense. “It is clear that every private citizen’s life, immigrant or not, is at risk of annihilation by these low-IQ, trigger-happy domestic terrorists, with no restraints from their commanders in the field. NO ONE IS SAFE NOW,” the letter states. The sender also accused ICE of inflicting a “real foreign invasion–style war” on unarmed men, women and children. WHITE HOUSE BLAMES DEMOCRATS FOR ICE VIOLENCE AS MINNEAPOLIS ERUPTS, INSURRECTION ACT THREAT LOOMS “They now need to feel real war, just as any foreign invading army would,” the letter said, condemning Republican congressional lawmakers for backing the Trump administration’s crackdown on illegal immigration. The letter then went on to urge violence against ICE personnel. “Since ICE-DHS make so light of our innocent citizens’ lives, then it is time to show ICE how light and worthless their lives are,” the letter said, calling those who support the agents “fair game.” “ICE agents and their backers need to become the targets,” the letter continued. “IED’d, run over with vehicles, shot at by snipers, sprayed with toxic chemicals.” ANTI-ICE THREAT SPRAY-PAINTED ON VEHICLE BELIEVED TO BE USED BY FEDERAL OFFICERS DURING MINNEAPOLIS UNREST Several Trump administration officials are also mentioned, including Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, White House deputy chief of staff for policy Stephen Miller and Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., who has been sharply critical of ICE and the Trump administration’s crackdown on criminal illegal immigrants. Pages two and three give detailed instructions on how to make a chemical improvised explosive device (IED) in a section of the letter titled, “Carrying the War Back to the ICE Invader Murderers and Protecting Our Personnel.” The anonymous person or group responsible for the letter included several images of ICE agents carrying out their duties. “A shrapnel device guaranteed to shred the legs, genitals, face, eyeballs, and hands of murdering ICE agents and their bosses,” one note said. The Sonoma County GOP reported the letter to the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Department, which has not responded to a request for comment from Fox News Digital. Earlier this month, DHS said ICE is facing a 1,300% increase in assaults and an 8,000% increase in death threats toward its agents.
Mamdani clarifies NYC won’t check immigration status for universal childcare enrollees
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani clarified Friday that the city wouldn’t check the immigration status of children enrolling in his administration’s universal pre-K and 3-K programs. “Just to put it very clearly, these are programs for every single New Yorker,” Mamdani, who took office at the beginning of the year, said in a media roundtable discussion. “These are not programs that are going to ask the immigration status of any one of the children. “All of those children are New Yorkers. They should all be enrolled in 3-K and pre-K, no matter where they were born or where they come from. And we are also proud to be a sanctuary city.” He said that means ICE agents are denied access to schools, hospitals and city properties “unless those ICE agents can present a judicial warrant signed by a judge. We know that the vast majority of the time, ICE agents are not presenting that kind of documentation. If they’re presenting any kind of documentation, it tends to be an administrative warrant. And, a lot of times, there isn’t any kind of documentation provided.” MAMDANI TELLS ‘THE VIEW’ HE FAVORS ABOLISHING ICE The mayor said earlier that the program is open to any New Yorkers who have children turning 3 or 4 anytime in 2026, adding the program could save New Yorkers tens of thousands of dollars a year “by providing them with free childcare.” MAMDANI CALLS ICE DETENTION OF NYC EMPLOYEE ‘ASSAULT ON OUR DEMOCRACY’ Mamdani added, “So, we want to make clear the rights of every New Yorker, that they have in this city. This program is being made available to all, and the fact that we are proud of our values, we are proud of our laws. They keep us safe, and they are also part and parcel of who we are.” Mamdani made the statement after a reporter asked what the city would do to keep families safe from ICE agents. The plan to expand free and affordable childcare in New York was unveiled by Mamdani this month in partnership with New York Gov. Kathy Hochul.