Montana governor launches sanctuary crackdown, probes capital city over ICE limits
A western state’s governor and attorney general are launching an investigation into potential violations of a statewide ban on sanctuary cities and sanctuary-jurisdictional policies, pledging zero tolerance for failure to cooperate with federal immigration authorities. Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte told Fox News Digital that he and Attorney General Austin Knudsen, both Republicans, will investigate the capital city of Helena under SB 200, which permits civil legal action and enforcement of fines against jurisdictions found in violation. “In Montana, we don’t tolerate defiance and we support our law enforcement officers,” Gianforte told Fox News Digital. DEM GOVERNOR IN DEEP-RED STATE CALLS FOR ICE PULLOUT, TRIGGERING CLASH OVER ENFORCEMENT AUTHORITY “While the attorney general’s initial investigation will focus on the city of Helena, we’re really sending a message to all local governments across the state: If you are found to be in violation of state law, there will be penalties.” In response to Helena City Commissioners’ vote to prevent local coordination with federal immigration enforcement, Gianforte and Knudsen announced the decision will be investigated as a potential violation of the sanctuary city ban originally authored by state Rep. Kenneth Holmlund, R-Miles City. Gianforte said he has “serious concerns” about the resolution’s compliance with state law and said that under the sanctuary city ban, no state or local agency may refuse to cooperate with DHS. THIS IS HOW TRUMP CAN BREAK DEFIANT SANCTUARY CITIES In a letter to Knudsen formally requesting his office’s cooperation, Gianforte laid out how “securing the border has been a top priority of President Donald J. Trump after the previous administration let nearly 11 million illegal immigrants enter freely into the United States under their watch.” He referenced Trump’s mass deportation efforts and said that it is unfortunate to see “recent events” elsewhere in the U.S. that have put immigration agents in danger. In that regard, he described a recent Helena City Council vote as ordering local officers not to get involved in actions to assist other agencies nor to detain or stop a person based on suspicion of immigration law or status infractions. JD VANCE, ICE FLIP SCRIPT ON SANCTUARY CITY LEADERS AS ‘CHAOS’ ERUPTS ACROSS MN: ‘THIS IS DANGEROUS’ “This resolution is clearly designed to obstruct federal law enforcement operations,” Gianforte said. Knudsen told the Flathead Beacon that Helena appears to be “thumbing its nose to the Montana Legislature” and must understand it does not make state law. “I encourage [the city] to retain counsel [and] get a lobbyist…” he said in part. A spokeswoman for the city of Helena told Fox News Digital it had not received any formal communication on the matter from Gianforte, and added that “as a general practice, the City does not provide comment on pending or potential litigation matters.” “[Helena’s] resolution was drafted with careful consideration of applicable local, state, and federal law, and the City believes the resolution is consistent with those legal requirements,” she said. “The City remains committed to upholding all applicable federal and state laws. Knudsen’s office signaled it is only officially looking at Helena, but local reports also pointed to concerns about Missoula — the state’s second-largest behind Billings. A spokesperson for Missoula told the Montana Free Press it has never been and is not currently a sanctuary city, while adding that its police officers do not inquire about immigration status in public interactions.
‘At some point, you age out’: Obama urges Democrats to pass torch to younger candidates
Former President Barack Obama says the Democratic Party needs to elevate a younger generation of candidates if it wants to win at the ballot box in the 2026 midterm elections and beyond. Obama, who was 47-years-old when first elected president in 2008, is warning that older politicians can “age out” and lose a crucial connection to a younger electorate. “I’m not making a hard and fast rule here, but I do think that Democrats do well when we have candidates who are plugged into the moment, to the zeitgeist, to the times and the particular struggles that folks are thinking about as they look towards the future, rather than look backward toward the past,” Obama said in an interview with YouTuber Brian Tyler Cohen that was published this weekend. 87-YEAR-OLD CALIFORNIA LAWMAKER FACES PRIMARY CHALLENGE FROM YOUNGER RIVAL There’s been plenty of discontent this decade among younger Democrats with some of their party’s aging politicians who have resisted bowing out and passing the torch. NEW DEMOCRATIC GROUP PUSHES FRESH FACES AS PARTY’S BRAND SINKS TO HISTORIC LOWS That sentiment was amplified by former President Joe Biden’s decision to run for re-election in 2024 before dropping out of the race amid serious questions about the then-81-year-old president’s physical and mental acuity after a disastrous debate with now-President Donald Trump. “I’m a pretty healthy 64, feel great, but the truth is, half of the references that my daughters make about social media, TikTok and such, I don’t know who they’re talking about,” Obama said in the interview. “There is an element of, at some point, you age out. You’re not connected directly to the immediate struggles that folks are going through.” Younger Democrats primary challenging older incumbents is grabbing attention in this year’s midterm elections. AS CONGRESS GROWS OLDER, DEBATE HEATS UP OVER WHEN TO STEP ASIDE Myla Rahman is aiming to use Rep. Maxine Waters‘ 35 years in Congress as political ammunition as she challenges the longtime Democratic congresswoman. The nonprofit executive, Los Angeles native and cancer survivor, who is 34 years younger than the 87-year-old lawmaker, highlighted generational change as she launched a primary challenge last week against Waters. “People are sick and tired of the same old thing,” Rahman told the California Post in an interview. Waters, who has been in Congress since 1991, hasn’t faced a serious primary challenge in over a decade in California’s solidly-blue 43rd District, which is anchored in South Los Angeles. Waters isn’t the only long-serving House Democrat from California facing challenges from younger rivals. So are Democratic Reps. Brad Sherman and Mike Thompson. In Massachusetts, 47-year-old Rep. Seth Moulton is spotlighting the generational argument as he tries to oust 79-year-old Sen. Ed Markey in the Democratic primary. Former South Carolina governor and former ambassador Nikki Haley made plenty of headlines during her 2024 bid for the Republican presidential nomination when she proposed mandatory mental competency tests for politicians over age 75, which would have included the now 79-year-old Trump. Trump ended up winning the 2024 election, defeating then-Vice President Kamala Harris, who was 18-years younger than her rival for the White House. And Trump’s victory was fueled in part by a better-than-expected performance among younger voters. Obama said he’s hoping to energize younger voters through his presidential center, which is scheduled to open later this year in Chicago. “That spirit, that energy, it’s out there, and you can feel it, but it’s bottled up,” he said. “We haven’t given enough outlets for young people to figure out, ‘How do I become a part of that?’ That’s this enormous, untapped power that we have to get back to.”
Schumer pushes bill to give Pride flag same status as US, military flags
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., is making a push to have the Pride flag considered on the same level as the U.S. flag in the eyes of the federal government. Schumer announced plans to introduce legislation that would make the flag, a symbol of the LGBTQ movement, a congressionally authorized flag. The distinction would enshrine the flag with similar protections as the U.S. flag, military flags, POW/MIA flags and others recognized by Congress. His move comes after the Trump administration removed a Pride flag from a national monument outside the Stonewall Inn earlier this month. A clash between police and patrons at a gay bar in the 1960s is widely considered the birth of the gay rights movement. TRUMP ADMIN RIPS MAMDANI, LOCAL DEMS AS ACTIVISTS OVERRIDE GOV’T MOVE AT NYC MONUMENT: ‘FOCUSED ON THEATRICS’ “Stonewall is sacred ground and Congress must act now to permanently protect the Pride flag and what it stands for,” Schumer said. “Trump’s hateful crusade must end.” The flag has since been reinstalled atop the pole outside the Stonewall Inn, and Schumer’s legislative push would prevent it from being taken down in the future. President Donald Trump has not explicitly targeted the Pride flag but previously signed an executive order restricting what types of flags may be displayed on federal property to ensure only the U.S. flag is prominently flown. SCHUMER SAYS DEMS WILL FIGHT VOTER ID PUSH ‘TOOTH AND NAIL,’ BALKS AT DHS ROLE IN ELECTIONS The Pride flag was taken down from the monument following an internal memo from the Department of the Interior ordering “non-agency” flags at national parks be removed. The directive, signed by National Park Service Acting Director Jessica Bowron in late January, included certain exceptions to the rule, including historical flags, military flags and federally recognized flags from tribal nations. COLLINS BOOSTS REPUBLICAN VOTER ID EFFORT, BUT WON’T SCRAP FILIBUSTER The Stonewall National Monument, first designated by former President Barack Obama in 2016, falls under the agency’s supervision. The Pride flag atop a large flagpole outside the famous gay bar did not fall under the list of protected flags and pennants. “The very core of American identity is liberty and justice for all — and that is what this legislation would protect: each national park’s ability to make its own decision about what flag can be flown,” Schumer said. “Attempts to hurt New York and the LGBTQ community simply won’t fly, but the Stonewall Pride flag always will.”
ICE assaults spike 1,500% as Dems draw ‘hard red line’ to unmask agents in DHS battle
Senior Trump administration officials defended the use of masks and other facial coverings by federal immigration enforcement officers, citing a sharp increase in assaults and violent threats against agents amid the administration’s hard-line immigration crackdown. White House border czar Tom Homan on Sunday defended the use of masks and other facial coverings by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers as necessary to protect agents from a rise in assaults and violent threats reported by the Department of Homeland Security. “I don’t like the masks, either,” Homan said in an interview Sunday on CBS News’ “Face the Nation.” Still, he said, “these men and women have to protect themselves.” His remarks come as Democrats in Congress have sharply criticized ICE agents’ actions in recent months, including the deployment of officers to major U.S. cities — Los Angeles, Chicago and Minneapolis — as part of Trump’s broader immigration enforcement effort. MINNESOTA DRAGS TRUMP’S ICE TO COURT IN EFFORT TO PAUSE IMMIGRATION CRACKDOWN Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries urged Republicans earlier this month to order the unmasking of ICE agents, describing the step as one of many “guardrails” needed to protect the public and earn their support in resolving the DHS shutdown. Jeffries last week told reporters in the Capitol that unmasking federal agents is a “hard red line” for Democrats as Congress debated funding for DHS and ultimately failed to come to an agreement, the Associated Press reported. The Trump administration has cited concerns about the number and severity of threats against ICE officers and has vowed to aggressively prosecute individuals who target agents or solicit violence. Homan pointed to DHS reports from January citing a 1,500% increase in assaults against ICE personnel. Violent threats against ICE officers have also soared by a staggering 8,000%, according to data shared by the Department of Homeland Security in October. The release from DHS ticked through a number of violent threats that have been made against ICE personnel and their family members, including a voicemail left for the spouse of a Texas-based immigration officer. “I don’t know how you let your husband work for ICE, and you sleep at night … I hope your kids get deported by accident,” the voicemail said. “How do you sleep? …. Did you hear what happened to the Nazis after World War II? Because it’s what’s going to happen to your family.” MINNESOTA AG KEITH ELLISON DENIES DON LEMON, ANTI-ICE PROTESTERS VIOLATED FACE ACT AS DOJ MULLS CHARGES “From bounties placed on their heads for their murders, threats to their families, stalking, and doxxing online, our officers are experiencing an unprecedented level of violence and threats against them and their families,” DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement at the time. DHS did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment on the time frames it used to measure the 1,500% and 8,000% increases in assaults and threats, respectively. The Justice Department has vowed to aggressively prosecute individuals found to be targeting immigration officers or soliciting violent behavior. Federal prosecutors in October announced the arrest of Eduardo Aguilar, an illegal immigrant living in Dallas, for allegedly posting TikTok videos soliciting individuals to “murder ICE agents,” according to a copy of the federal criminal complaint reviewed by Fox News Digital. Aguilar also allegedly offered a reward of $10,000 “for each ICE agent,” according to information shared by the Justice Department. If convicted, he faces up to five years in federal prison. GOP SEN. CASSIDY BREAKS WITH TRUMP OVER DEADLY SHOOTING BY BORDER PATROL AGENT IN MINNEAPOLIS Months earlier, Alan W. Filion, a California teenager, was sentenced to 48 months in federal prison for allegedly placing 375 “swatting,” hoaxing, or doxxing calls that involved ICE and other federal officers. Fillon’s “serial doxxing” campaign involved falsely reported bomb threats or imminent mass shootings at public schools and religious institutions across the country, according to the Justice Department — prompting an emergency response from myriad federal agencies and first responders, and diverting their ability to respond to real crises. The Justice Department has cited Fillon’s case as a benchmark of sorts for how it will prosecute other individuals found to be weaponizing law enforcement response systems. The remarks come as Democrats continued to assail ICE as the DHS funding shutdown drags on. Schumer blasted ICE on CNN’s “State of the Union” Sunday as “rogue” forces that appear almost “trained to be nasty and mean and cruel, and go way beyond what ordinary police departments do.” “They need to be reined in, and they need to stop the violence,” Schumer added.
Trump unveils maritime action plan as China dominates global shipbuilding
The Trump administration unveiled a sweeping maritime action plan Friday, aimed at reclaiming U.S. maritime dominance and reducing America’s reliance on foreign-built and foreign-flagged ships that carry the vast majority of its international trade. Senior administration officials warned in a call with reporters that nearly 99% of U.S. international maritime trade “moves on foreign-built, foreign-owned and foreign-flagged” vessels, a dependence they described as a national and economic security vulnerability as global competition intensifies. “Roughly 50% of our trade moves through the maritime domain, and 99% of that moves on foreign-built, foreign-owned and foreign-flagged ships,” one senior administration official said during a call with reporters. “That’s the market we’re trying to tap.” The initiative, ordered by President Donald Trump in an April executive order, lays out what officials describe as the first comprehensive federal effort in decades to rebuild the nation’s commercial shipbuilding industry, expand the U.S.-flagged fleet and strengthen maritime supply chains. TRUMP’S $12B RARE EARTH PLAN TARGETS CHINA AS EXPERTS WARN US IS ‘ONE CRISIS AWAY’ The push comes as China now produces more than half of the world’s commercial ship tonnage, while U.S. shipyards account for only a sliver of global output — a disparity that has widened over decades as American commercial shipbuilding declined. Administration officials also linked that erosion to rising Navy shipbuilding costs. “The cost of building U.S. Navy warships has gone up, far outpacing inflation,” one senior administration official said, arguing that rebuilding commercial shipyards, suppliers and skilled labor pools could help stabilize long-term defense procurement costs. Officials argued that rebuilding commercial shipbuilding capacity would have ripple effects beyond global trade, strengthening the broader industrial base that underpins U.S. naval power. Throughout the past several decades, as American commercial shipyards shuttered or downsized, the domestic supplier network, skilled workforce and naval design expertise that support both commercial and military vessels also contracted, officials said. That contraction, they argued, has left Navy shipbuilders more dependent on smaller supplier pools and single-source components, contributing to rising costs and production delays. “The cost of building U.S. Navy warships has gone up, far outpacing inflation,” one senior administration official said, attributing part of the increase to the loss of adjacent commercial shipbuilding activity. By expanding commercial orders and modernizing shipyard infrastructure, officials said, the government hopes to create economies of scale that would benefit both commercial operators and the Navy. GULF SHIPPING OPERATIONS GRIND TO HALT NEAR IRAN, US QUIETLY PREPARES FOR POSSIBLE STRIKE: ‘HEIGHTENED RISK’ Historically, some U.S. shipyards operated as dual-use facilities, building commercial vessels alongside Navy ships — a model that officials said helped sustain a larger workforce and more resilient supply chain. While the maritime action plan focuses primarily on commercial shipping, administration officials said they expect downstream benefits for military shipbuilding as the industrial base expands. The decline in U.S. shipbuilding capacity has been decades in the making. Following World War II, the United States maintained dozens of major commercial shipyards. Today, only a small number remain capable of building large oceangoing vessels. In the defense sector, production has consolidated into a handful of primary shipyards. Just two shipbuilders — Huntington Ingalls Industries’ Newport News Shipbuilding in Virginia and General Dynamics’ Electric Boat in Connecticut and Rhode Island — construct the Navy’s nuclear-powered aircraft carriers and submarines. Surface combatants such as destroyers are built at only a few additional yards. The strain on U.S. shipbuilding has drawn increasingly blunt warnings from Navy leadership. Secretary of the Navy John Phelan has cautioned that American shipyards must “act like we’re at war” as China rapidly expands its fleet and modernizes its production lines. According to the Office of Naval Intelligence, China’s shipbuilding capacity now exceeds that of the United States by more than 200 times — a gap analysts say reflects Beijing’s heavy state investment in automated, AI-enabled shipyards capable of producing vessels at a pace the U.S. industrial base has struggled to match. Meanwhile, the Navy continues to face submarine production delays and supply-chain bottlenecks that have slowed delivery of key programs, underscoring the challenges officials say must be addressed if the United States is to regain maritime competitiveness.
DNC Chair Ken Martin boasts ‘win after win,’ shrugs off massive Trump, Republican money lead
PORTSMOUTH, N.H. — Democrats are spotlighting their “positive momentum” at the ballot box since President Donald Trump returned to the White House, as they work to win back House and Senate majorities in this year’s midterm elections. “We had a record of victories across the country over the last year,” Democratic National Committee (DNC) Chair Ken Martin touted this weekend in an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital. “We’re winning up and down the ballot, big statewide elections, of course, and county races, local races, state legislative races, one after another.” Democrats are hoping for a blue wave similar to the one they rode in 2018, the last time they won back the House from the GOP, and they’re energized. But Republicans are not sold on whether special elections are a good barometer of things to come in the midterms. “Special elections are very strange because turnout is often stifled,” House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., told Fox News Digital late last year. ‘FICTION’ – HOUSE REPUBLICAN CAMPAIGN CHAIR SCOFFS AT DEMOCRATS MOVE TO EXPAND GOP TARGET LIST A stunning setback for Republicans two and a half weeks ago in a special state Senate election for a ruby-red district in Texas grabbed tons of national attention, and was seen by some in the GOP as a “wakeup call.” The Democrats’ victory in Texas, and two more ballot box wins since then, were fueled in part by continued concerns by Americans over high prices, and came amid backlash over the Trump administration’s unprecedented crackdown on illegal immigration and, as the latest polling indicates, the president remains mired in negative numbers. Thanks in part to their laser focus on the issue of affordability amid persistent inflation, Democrats scored decisive victories in the 2025 elections, and have overperformed at the ballot box in other off-year and special elections since the start of Trump’s second administration. “There’s certainly positive momentum for the Democratic Party. There’s wind at our back. We’re seeing win after win, and that’s continued unabated into this new year,” Martin emphasized. REPUBLICAN ‘WAKE-UP CALL’ – SPECIAL ELECTION SHOCKER HIGHLIGHTS GOP TURNOUT AND MIDTERM RISKS The DNC chair was interviewed in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, as he made his way up to Maine this weekend to help organize local Democrats ahead of an upcoming special legislative election later this month. Martin said he’s anything but complacent, and is ignoring the latest national polling that indicates that Democrats hold a mid-single digit advantage over the Republicans in the battle for Congress. “We’re not going to rest on our laurels; we’re not going to believe those polls. We’re just going to keep organizing and talking to voters.” Republicans are facing traditional political headwinds in the midterms, when the party in power usually loses House and Senate seats. But Democrats also face obstacles, including polling that indicates their party’s brand remains deeply unpopular. Martin acknowledged in a Fox News Digital interview last summer that the party had hit “rock bottom,” but added that “there’s only one direction to go, and that’s up, and that’s what we’re doing.” PLAYING CATCHUP TO REPUBLICANS, DEMOCRATS LAUNCH ‘LARGEST-EVER’ PARTISAN NATIONAL VOTER REGISTRATION CAMPAIGN The rival Republican National Committee (RNC) and Trump’s fundraising organizations hold a massive cash advantage over the Democrats. But Martin says the party’s success at the ballot box is boosting fundraising. “Our fundraising so far this year has really been gangbusters. People are starting to realize that the Democratic Party has a plan to win. They’re winning around the country, and they’re investing again,” he highlighted. And he added, “What I’ve always said is we don’t need to outraise the Republicans, right? We just need to be able to raise enough money to actually compete, to be in the ring so we can fight, and that’s what we’re doing.” The RNC isn’t buying Martin’s narrative. “While Republicans are focused on preparing for the midterms, Ken Martin is bragging about spending money the DNC doesn’t even have on deep-blue races and touting those easy wins as if they’re a serious national strategy,” RNC National Press Secretary Kiersten Pels charged in a statement to Fox News Digital. “As Democrats openly question his leadership and the party fractures, they’re broke, divided, and without a coherent plan — and voters will send that message loud and clear at the midterms.” While economic concerns have played into the Democrats’ political narrative, better-than-expected unemployment and inflation reports last week are giving Republicans something to brag about. “We just had a fantastic report on inflation. Way down. Cost of products way down. We inherited a mess, a total mess. And now it’s really coming along. We have the greatest numbers that we’ve ever had,” Trump emphasized Friday in a speech in North Carolina. But Martin says Trump has “a long ways to go to repair this economy.” “A couple good reports, and they’re not even that great right now,” Martin argued. “They’re going to have to string together a lot of reports to actually repair this economy and make it work for working people.”
Transit funding hits record highs as ridership languishes, new report questions return on billions
FIRST ON FOX: A new report is raising fresh questions about whether billions in federal transit spending are delivering results, as funding climbs to record highs while bus and rail commuting remains below pre-pandemic levels. Released by the Committee to Unleash Prosperity, the analysis argues the disconnect reflects structural flaws in how federal transit dollars are allocated — particularly as remote work reshapes commuting patterns and budget pressures intensify. Wendell Cox, a senior fellow with the group and the report’s author, traces the federal transit program to its 1960s origins, when it was intended to expand mobility for low-income residents and reduce traffic congestion and air pollution. AMTRAK ADDING OVER 80 NEW TRAINS IN MASSIVE OVERHAUL OF FLEET; TRAVELERS REACT Since then, federal support has grown steadily — but transit’s commuter share has moved in the opposite direction, according to the report. “Transit’s commute market share in the U.S. has dropped from 12% in 1960 to under 4% in 2024,” Cox told Fox News Digital. Today, roughly 3.8% of American workers — about one in 25 — commute by mass transit, according to Cox’s analysis of federal data. By comparison, three times as many Americans now work from home. While transit use has edged down, 88 million more Americans drive to work than in 1960, the report notes, alongside a 17 million increase in remote workers. SEAN DUFFY: THIS TRANSPORTATION CRISIS WAS FORESEEABLE Cox argues transit struggles to compete with the automobile on speed and access. “Generally, transit travel times are slower than commuting by car,” he said. The average one-way commute is about 26 minutes by car, compared with 48 minutes by transit. The report also highlights disparities in job access. Researchers examined how many workplaces a person could physically reach in a 30-minute commute. Because cars offer direct, door-to-door travel, drivers can typically access far more job locations than transit riders, whose trips may involve walking to stops, waiting, and making transfers. Across the nation’s 50 largest metropolitan areas, workers can reach 58 times as many jobs by car as by transit, the report finds — a gap that persists even in New York, which has the country’s most extensive public transport network. Those findings, Cox writes, underscore what he sees as a need for a broader reassessment of federal transit policy. With federal debt at historic highs and remote work reshaping how Americans commute, Cox argues it may be time to rethink how Washington funds public transit. The question, he suggests, is not whether public transport has a role — but whether federal spending is aligned with how Americans actually travel today.
Rubio seals civil nuclear cooperation agreement with Hungary
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio signed a civil nuclear cooperation agreement involving the U.S. and Hungary on Monday. During remarks at the signing ceremony, Rubio indicated that the U.S.-Hungary relationship, and the relationship between President Donald Trump and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, is very close. The American diplomat described the relationship between the two nations as being “as close as I can possibly imagine it being.” RUBIO BLASTS ‘WORLD WITHOUT BORDERS’ FANTASY, WARNS MASS MIGRATION THREATENS WESTERN CIVILIZATION Rubio, during remarks delivered alongside Orbán, asserted, “Your success is our success.” He noted that if Hungary ever faces financial problems, impediments to growth or threats to national stability, he knows “President Trump will be very interested” in “finding ways” to help. HUNGARY’S ORBAN SAYS BUDAPEST IS EUROPE’S SAFEST CITY FOR JEWS AS ANTISEMITISM SURGES Trump has praised Orbán and backed him for re-election. “Highly Respected Prime Minister of Hungary, Viktor Orbán, is a truly strong and powerful Leader, with a proven track record of delivering phenomenal results. He fights tirelessly for, and loves, his Great Country and People, just like I do for the United States of America. Viktor works hard to Protect Hungary, Grow the Economy, Create Jobs, Promote Trade, Stop Illegal Immigration, and Ensure LAW AND ORDER!” Trump declared on Truth Social this month. THE ONE SENTENCE IN RUBIO’S MUNICH SPEECH THAT REVEALED TRUMP’S RED LINE FOR EUROPE CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “Relations between Hungary and the United States have reached new heights of cooperation and spectacular achievement under my Administration, thanks largely to Prime Minister Orbán. I look forward to continuing working closely with him so that both of our Countries can further advance this tremendous path to SUCCESS and cooperation. I was proud to ENDORSE Viktor for Re-Election in 2022, and am honored to do so again. Viktor Orbán is a true friend, fighter, and WINNER, and has my Complete and Total Endorsement for Re-Election as Prime Minister of Hungary — HE WILL NEVER LET THE GREAT PEOPLE OF HUNGARY DOWN!” Trump added.
Nancy Mace proposes bill to make aliens deportable, inadmissible for animal cruelty
Republican Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina has introduced legislation that would make illegal immigrants who engage in animal cruelty inadmissible to the United States and subject to deportation. The measure is called the “Illegal Alien Animal Abuser Removal Act of 2026.” “If you come here illegally, you’re already a criminal. Add animal cruelty to the list and you’re on the next flight back to where you came from,” Mace said, according to a press release. NANCY MACE RIPS TRANS ATHLETE’S ATTORNEY FOR REFUSING TO DEFINE SEX AT SCOTUS WOMEN’S SPORTS HEARING “We have a duty to protect the voiceless from torture and abuse. Animal cruelty is a proven red flag for violence against people. These criminals escalate. Our bill makes it crystal clear: commit these sick acts and you’re deported. Immediately. No second chances,” she added. Mace, who has served in the House since 2021, is currently running for South Carolina governor. REP NANCY MACE SLAPS DOWN EARLY RETIREMENT RUMOR: ‘BIG FAT NO FROM ME’ “The message is clear: abuse animals, get deported. America will not be a sanctuary for animal abusers, especially ones who broke into our country illegally in the first place. Pack your bags,” she noted, according to the release. Under the legislation, an alien convicted under state, tribal or local laws related to animal cruelty, abuse or animal fighting would be deemed inadmissible and deportable. The bill also specifies that convictions under certain federal animal welfare statutes would carry the same immigration consequences. ‘TR*NSGENDER ANTIFA’ EXTREMIST CHARGED WITH ATTEMPTED MURDER AFTER SKATING ON DEATH THREAT, REP MACE SAYS CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP The proposal further states that an alien who admits to committing acts that constitute such offenses could also be deemed inadmissible.
Partial government shutdown drags on as DHS funding talks stall
The partial government shutdown stretched into another week after negotiators failed to reach a deal to fund the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) over the weekend. Congress is on a weeklong recess and is not scheduled to return to Washington, D.C., until next week, leaving the shutdown’s end in limbo as both parties remain far apart on key provisions. Senate Democrats are demanding a series of reforms to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), a position they have maintained since the fatal shootings of Alex Pretti and Renee Nicole Good during ICE operations in Minnesota. FETTERMAN BUCKS DEMOCRATS, SAYS PARTY PUT POLITICS OVER COUNTRY IN DHS SHUTDOWN STANDOFF Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and his caucus are standing by a list of 10 proposed reforms, including requiring ICE agents to obtain judicial warrants and limiting the use of face coverings — proposals Republicans have described as red lines. “Americans are tired of masked agents conducting warrantless operations in their communities — secret police,” Schumer said. “They’re tired of chaos, secrecy and zero accountability. That is not what law and order looks like, and Republicans simply cannot pretend that this outrage does not exist.” However, ICE received additional funding under previously passed legislation, and core enforcement operations are expected to continue. Other DHS agencies, including the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Coast Guard, remain affected by the shutdown. GOVERNMENT TO SHUT DOWN AT MIDNIGHT AFTER DEMS, WHITE HOUSE FAIL TO STRIKE DHS DEAL The White House has led negotiations for Senate Republicans and offered Senate Democrats a proposal that they have rejected. Details of that proposal have not been made public. “This is a Democrat-driven shutdown caused by their intransigence and desire to use government funding for services all Americans rely on as a hostage in order to achieve an unrelated political goal,” a senior White House official said. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said lawmakers would receive 24 hours’ notice to return if a deal is reached. DHS SHUTDOWN EXPLAINED: WHO WORKS WITHOUT PAY, WHAT HAPPENS TO AIRPORTS AND DISASTER RESPONSE “I think all those reasonable efforts and requests have been overshadowed by the fact that the Democrats don’t seem to want to play ball,” Thune said. On the House side, Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., told lawmakers they would receive 48 hours’ notice to return if the Senate passes a bill. The House is also in recess until Feb. 23. Johnson and other Republicans have expressed support for the original DHS funding bill crafted by House and Senate appropriators, but the speaker said he does not want further delays in DHS funding to be attributed to the House. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., has said Democrats will not accept a funding bill that does not include significant reforms to ICE.