Republicans line up behind Trump after US strikes Venezuela, Maduro arrested: ‘Changed the course of history’
Republican lawmakers are emphatically backing President Donald Trump’s administration after the U.S. struck Venezuela and captured its leader, Nicolás Maduro. Rep. Carlos Gimenez, R-Fla., a member of the House Armed Services Committee whose district is home to a significant number of Venezuelan refugees, said he spoke with Secretary of State Marco Rubio after the operation was carried out. “President Trump has changed the course of history in our hemisphere. Our country & the world are safer for it. Today’s decisive action is this hemisphere’s equivalent to the Fall of the Berlin Wall,” Gimenez wrote in a statement on X. LIVE UPDATES: TRUMP CONFIRMS OVERNIGHT STRIKES IN VENEZUELA, SAYS US HAS ‘CAPTURED’ MADURO Rubio had apparently briefed multiple members of Congress after the operation was carried out as well. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., praised Maduro’s capture after speaking with Rubio and said he expected senators to be briefed when Congress is back from its two-week holiday recess starting Monday. “President Trump’s decisive action to disrupt the unacceptable status quo and apprehend Maduro, through the execution of a valid Department of Justice warrant, is an important first step to bring him to justice for the drug crimes for which he has been indicted in the United States. I am grateful for the brave men and women of our armed forces who carried out this necessary action,” Thune said. “I spoke to Secretary Rubio early this morning, and I look forward to receiving further briefings from the administration on this operation as part of its comprehensive counternarcotics strategy when the Senate returns to Washington next week.” House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., confirmed in a statement that the Trump administration “is working to schedule briefings for Members as Congress returns to Washington next week.” “Today’s military action in Venezuela was a decisive and justified operation that will protect American lives,” Johnson said. “President Trump is putting American lives first, succeeding where others have failed, and under his leadership the United States will no longer allow criminal regimes to profit from wreaking havoc and destruction on our country.” VENEZUELA ARRESTS MORE AMERICANS AS TRUMP RAMPS UP PRESSURE ON MADURO: REPORT A member on the Senate’s Armed Services panel, Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., said he also spoke with Rubio, who confirmed Maduro was in custody “and will face justice for his crimes against our citizens.” “The interim government in Venezuela must now decide whether to continue the drug trafficking and colluding with adversaries like Iran and Cuba or whether to act like a normal nation and return to the civilized world. I urge them to choose wisely,” Cotton said in a statement. Even Republicans who appeared skeptical at first seemed eased after conversations with Rubio. Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, for instance, said he was keen to learn “what, if anything, might constitutionally justify this action in the absence of a declaration of war or authorization for the use of military force.” He later said Rubio “informed me that Nicolás Maduro has been arrested by U.S. personnel to stand trial on criminal charges in the United States, and that the kinetic action we saw tonight was deployed to protect and defend those executing the arrest warrant.” “This action likely falls within the president’s inherent authority under Article II of the Constitution to protect U.S. personnel from an actual or imminent attack,” Lee wrote. The majority of GOP lawmakers who spoke out on Saturday morning did so with emphatic backing of the administration, however. That includes both House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Brian Mast, R-Fla., and House Intelligence Committee Chairman Rick Crawford, R-Ark. “The operation carried out last night capturing Nicolás Maduro is another win by President Trump to protect our homeland and clean up the backyard of the United States,” Mast told Fox News Digital. Crawford said in a statement, “This is a historic day in the Western Hemisphere, 36 years after the capture of Manuel Noriega, when the U.S showed we will not allow cartels to take over countries in our shared neighborhood. The arrest of Cartel De Los Soles leader Nicolás Maduro shows this clearly.” House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., the No. 3 GOP leader in the lower chamber, told Fox News Digital, “Maduro worked with our greatest adversaries, supported dangerous cartels, and infiltrated our country with drugs, killing Americans. President Trump took on this threat head-on today and Maduro was indicted in a U.S. court for his actions leading to the death of innocent Americans. God bless our troops and law enforcement who conducted this mission.” House GOP Leadership Chairwoman Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., a senior member of both committees, said, “l am grateful for our brave troops, intelligence officers, and law enforcement who ensured a successful military operation in Venezuela leading to the arrest and indictment of the illegitimate narco terrorist Nicolás Maduro.” It’s a stark departure from the majority of Democrats who largely accused Trump of violating the U.S. Constitution and entering an illegal conflict with Venezuela. It comes after Trump announced on Truth Social that the U.S. had “successfully carried out a large-scale strike against Venezuela” and its leader. He said Maduro and his wife were captured and flown out of the country. Attorney General Pam Bondi subsequently said both were indicted in the Southern District of New York, one of the largest federal prosecutorial offices in the U.S.
Minnesota faces funding deadline after Trump administration freezes childcare payments
Minnesota officials have until next week to turn over information on childcare providers and parents receiving federal funds or risk losing federal childcare funding, according to a notice sent to providers. Minnesota’s Department of Children, Youth and Families (DCYF) told childcare providers in an email Friday that information about funding recipients must be sent to the federal government by Jan. 9, The Associated Press reported. The notification came after the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) said Tuesday it will freeze all childcare payments to Minnesota following fraud allegations involving some childcare centers. “We recognize the alarm and questions this has raised,” DCYF said in the email. “We found out about the freezing of funds at the same time everyone else did on social media.” MINNESOTA FRAUD COMMITTEE CHAIR CLAIMS WALZ ‘TURNED A BLIND EYE’ TO FRAUD WARNINGS FOR YEARS The DCYF instructed providers and families relying on the frozen funds to continue the program’s “licensing and certification requirements and practices as usual.” The email does not say if recipients need to take any action or provide any information. The state agency said it “did not receive a formal communication from the federal government until late Tuesday night,” after the DHS announced it would freeze all childcare payments to Minnesota. All states must submit additional verification before receiving more childcare funding. CNN ROASTED FOR ‘EFFORT TO DISCREDIT’ SHIRLEY’S VIRAL REPORTING ON ALLEGED FRAUD AT MINNESOTA DAYCARE CENTERS On Friday, the DCYF said the state Office of Inspector General conducted on-site compliance checks this week at nine childcare centers referenced in a viral video by independent journalist Nick Shirley, who was accusing them of committing fraud. In his video, Shirley visited several Minnesota childcare facilities, including the Quality Learning Center in Minneapolis, which he said appeared inactive despite receiving state childcare assistance funds. Investigators found the centers operating “as expected,” according to DYCF, and children were present at all sites except for one, which it said was not yet open for families at the time of the visit. The department said it has ongoing investigations at four of the centers, and has 55 open investigations involving providers receiving funding through the Child Care Assistance Program. INDEPENDENT JOURNALIST SAYS HE’S GOTTEN DEATH THREATS, TOLD HE’LL BE ‘KIRKED’ OVER MINNESOTA FRAUD VIRAL VIDEO At a news conference Monday, Minnesota DCYF Commissioner Tikki Brown said prior inspections of the centers did not uncover fraud, noting that regulators are conducting unannounced visits in response to concerns raised by the video. “We are aware of a video that’s being circulated that has gained local and national attention about childcare centers in Minnesota,” Brown said. “While we have questions about some of the methods that were used in the video, we do take the concerns that the video raises about fraud very seriously.” Fox News Digital has reached out to Minnesota’s Department of Children, Youth, and Families for comment. Fox News Digital’s Greg Wehner, Louis Casiano and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Trump-aligned super PAC enters 2026 midterms with nearly $300M war chest
A super PAC aligned with President Donald Trump has nearly $300 million in its war chest heading into the 2026 midterms, according to records filed with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) on Thursday. MAGA Inc. reported $294 million in cash on hand in its latest campaign finance disclosure, which the super PAC said will be used to support candidates aligned with the president’s agenda. “Thanks to President Trump’s leadership, MAGA Inc will have the resources to help candidates who support President Trump’s America First agenda of securing our border, keeping our streets safe, supercharging our economy, and making life more affordable for all Americans,” a MAGA Inc. spokesperson said in a statement, according to the New York Post. The super PAC raised $102 million in the second half of 2025, including 25 donations of at least $1 million. NC SENATE SHOWDOWN ESCALATES AS TRUMP RALLIES BEHIND WHATLEY TO KEEP GOP SEAT The largest contribution came from OpenAI president and co-founder Greg Brockman, who donated $25 million in September. Brockman said in a post on X this week that he had become more politically active in 2025, including through political contributions that reflect “support for policies that advance American innovation and constructive dialogue between government and the technology sector.” The fundraising haul came even though Trump is not on the ballot this year, underscoring the super PAC’s focus on supporting Republicans in upcoming races. HOUSE GOP CAMPAIGN CHAIR WANTS TRUMP ‘OUT THERE ON THE TRAIL’ IN MIDTERM BATTLE FOR MAJORITY MAGA Inc. did not play a significant role in the 2022 midterms, opting instead to save its money for Trump’s 2024 campaign. The super PAC spent $456 million supporting Trump’s bid to return to the White House, according to OpenSecrets, a nonprofit organization that tracks campaign finance data. MAGA Inc. launched ads in November backing Republican candidate Matt Van Epps, who was endorsed by Trump and went on to defeat Democrat Aftyn Behn in a Tennessee congressional race. Elon Musk, the billionaire technology entrepreneur and chief executive of SpaceX and Tesla, has signaled an openness to supporting Republican candidates in the midterms. “America is toast if the radical left wins,” he posted on X on Thursday. “They will open the floodgates to illegal immigration and fraud.” Fox News Digital’s Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.
Key takeaways from Jack Smith’s testimony to House Judiciary Committee
Former special counsel Jack Smith used a closed-door deposition with House Republicans last month to defend his investigations into Donald Trump’s alleged effort to subvert the 2020 presidential election and his alleged retention of certain classified documents, using the hours-long testimony to forcefully dispute the notion that his team had acted politically, and citing what he described as ample evidence to support the indictments that had been levied against Trump. “I made my decisions in the investigation without regard to President Trump’s political association, activities, beliefs or candidacy in the 2024 presidential election,” Smith told members of the House Judiciary Committee in the Dec. 17 interview. The interview was Smith’s first time appearing before Congress since he left his role as special counsel in 2024. And while much of the information was not new, the exchange was punctuated by sharp exchanges with Republicans on the panel, both on the strength of the case and on his own actions taken during the course of the probe — most recently, on the tolling records his team sought from a handful of Republican lawmakers over the course of the investigation. Republicans have assailed the records as being at odds with the speech or debate clause of the Constitution. “I made my decisions in the investigation without regard to President Trump’s political association, activities, beliefs, or candidacy in the 2024 presidential election,” Smith told the committee. “We took actions based on what the facts, and the law required — the very lesson I learned early in my career as a prosecutor.” Republicans on the panel ultimately opted to publish the redacted transcript on New Year’s Eve, a decision that may have helped dull the impact of any news the 255-page document may have generated amid the broader hustle and bustle of the holiday season. Here are some of the biggest moments and notable exchanges from the eight-hour hearing. TRUMP STRIPS SECURITY CLEARANCES FROM LAW FIRM TIED TO JACK SMITH CASES Smith was tapped by former Attorney General Merrick Garland in 2022 to investigate the alleged effort by Trump and his allies to overturn the results of the 2020 election, as well as Trump’s keeping of allegedly classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Palm Beach after leaving office in 2020. Smith had brought charges against Trump in both cases. The charges were dropped after Trump’s election, in keeping with a longstanding Justice Department policy that discourages investigating sitting presidents for federal criminal charges, and Smith resigned from his role shortly afterward. If nothing else, Smith’s Dec. 17 testimony underscored just how much has changed since Trump’s reelection in 2024. Trump, for his part, has used his first year back in office to follow through on his promises to go after his perceived political “enemies,” including by revoking security clearances of many individuals, including employees of a D.C.-based law firm that represents Smith, and taking other punitive measures to punish or fire FBI agents involved in the Jan. 6, 2021, investigation. During his testimony last month, Smith fiercely disputed the notion that Trump’s remarks about the 2020 election results would be protected by the First Amendment. “Absololutely not,” he said in response to a lawyer for Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee. The lawyer then ticked through a “long list of disputed elections” in U.S. history and former presidents who have spoken out about “what they believed to be fraud,” or other issues regarding election integrity. “I think you would agree that those types of statements are sort of at the core of the First Amendment rights of a presidential candidate, right?” “There is no historical analog for what President Trump did in this case,” Smith said immediately. JACK SMITH SUBPOENAED FOR DEPOSITION WITH HOUSE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE Smith told members that the special counsel ultimately gathered evidence against Trump that was, in his view, sufficient to secure a conviction. “He made false statements to state legislatures, to his supporters in all sorts of contexts and was aware in the days leading up to Jan. 6th that his supporters were angry when he invited them, and then he directed them to the Capitol,” Smith said of Trump’ actions in the run-up to Jan. 6. “Now, once they were at the Capitol and once the attack on the Capitol happened, he refused to stop it. He instead issued a tweet that, without question in my mind, endangered the life of his own vice president,” Smith added. “And when the violence was going on, he had to be pushed repeatedly by his staff members to do anything to quell it.” Other possible co-conspirators had not been charged, as Smith noted at one point during the interview. But Smith said in the testimony that his team had developed “proof beyond a reasonable doubt” that Trump had “engaged in a criminal scheme to overturn the results of the 2020 election and to prevent the lawful transfer of power.” They’d also developed what he described as “powerful evidence” that Trump had willfully retained highly classified documents after leaving office in January 2021 at his private Mar-a-Lago residence, and had been obstructing the government’s efforts to recover the records. Smith said that, when the special counsel wound down in the wake of the 2024 elections, his team had not determined whether to charge the key Trump allies who may or may not have acted as co-conspirators, including Rudy Giuliani, Sidney Powell and John Eastman. “As we stated in the final report, we analyzed the evidence against different co-conspirators,” Smith said. Smith reiterated his allegation that Trump was “the most culpable” and “most responsible” person for the alleged attempts to subvert the 2020 election results. He said the special counsel had “determined that we did have evidence to charge people at a certain point in time.” But at the time the investigation was wound down, they had not made “final determinations about that at the time that President Trump won reelection, meaning that our office was going to be closed down.” FBI
Supreme Court tariffs case, Fed chair pick loom as twin tests for Trump’s economic agenda in 2026
Two key economic policy decisions are on the horizon in Washington: a Supreme Court ruling on tariffs and the White House’s expected announcement of the next Federal Reserve chair. Both developments carry significant implications for trade, markets and the future of U.S. monetary policy. At the Supreme Court, two cases, which President Donald Trump has called “life or death” for the U.S., have forced the nation’s highest court to confront how far a president can go in redirecting U.S. trade policy. The suits — Learning Resources Inc. v. Trump and Trump v. V.O.S. Selections Inc. — were brought by an educational-toy manufacturer and a family-owned wine and spirits importer challenging Trump’s tariffs. ‘PERCEPTION VS. REALITY’: TRUMP’S ECONOMY PICKS UP SPEED — BUT VOTERS AREN’T BUYING IT YET Both cases turn on a central question: whether the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) gave the president authority to impose the tariffs, or whether that move crossed constitutional lines. TRUMP DEFENDS TARIFFS, SAYS US HAS BEEN ‘THE KING OF BEING SCREWED’ BY TRADE IMBALANCE Tariffs are taxes the government places on imported goods. Although companies pay these taxes at the border, they often cover the added cost by raising prices, which means consumers ultimately shoulder much of the burden. Since Trump announced sweeping “Liberation Day” tariffs in April, total duty revenue has climbed to $215.2 billion in fiscal year 2025, which ended Sept. 30, according to the Treasury Department’s Customs and Certain Excise Taxes report. That revenue strength has carried well into the new fiscal year. Since Oct. 1, the government has collected $96.5 billion in duties, according to Treasury’s latest statement. Meanwhile, two candidates are vying for a role that would shape the direction of U.S. monetary policy: Kevin Hassett and Kevin Warsh. The appointment to lead the world’s most powerful central bank comes as persistently high living costs test Trump’s economic agenda. The Federal Reserve, which sets borrowing costs and influences inflation, remains one of the most consequential institutions for Americans’ day-to-day affordability. FROM MORTGAGES TO CAR LOANS: HOW AFFORDABILITY RISES AND FALLS WITH THE FED The next Fed chair would assume one of the most influential posts in U.S. economic policymaking, overseeing interest-rate decisions and the central bank’s efforts to keep inflation in check. Warsh, a former Morgan Stanley banker, has emerged as a vocal critic of current Fed leadership, sharpening his attacks as he positioned himself as a potential replacement for Chair Jerome Powell. He became the youngest person to serve on the Federal Reserve Board of Governors in 2006. A LOOK AT THE UNFOLDING BATTLE BETWEEN TRUMP AND POWELL OVER FED POLICY Hassett is Trump’s top economic adviser and a loyal defender of the administration’s policies. He currently serves as director of the White House’s National Economic Council, and held two senior roles during Trump’s first term and advised the president on economic policy during the 2024 campaign. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who helped shape Trump’s shortlist for the Fed’s top job, said he has known Warsh and Hassett for more than 20 years and views both as equally qualified. Trump has called for sharp rate cuts and urged the Federal Reserve to bring its benchmark interest rate down to 1% to jump-start economic growth. Trump’s criticism of Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell, whom he appointed to the role in 2017, has at times turned personal, with the president giving the Fed chair mocking nicknames. Powell is set to finish his term in May 2026, when the next chair will take over.
DOGE says agencies cut $1.6B in federal contracts, flags spending on Somalia, HHS web services
The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) said Friday that federal agencies have terminated or reduced 55 contracts over the last three days with a combined ceiling value of $1.6 billion, claiming $542 million in savings. DOGE, whose name nods to Elon Musk’s high-profile involvement, was launched during the opening days of President Donald Trump’s second administration as part of a broader effort to reshape federal spending and bureaucracy. While Musk has since stepped back from the project, elements of the DOGE framework remain active across federal agencies. In a post on X, the department wrote: “Contracts Update! Over the last 3 days, agencies terminated and descoped 55 wasteful contracts with a ceiling value of $1.6B and savings of $542M.” WHITE HOUSE SENDING $9.4 BILLION DOGE CUTS PACKAGE TO CONGRESS NEXT WEEK The post listed several examples, including what it described as “a $47M State Dept. program support contract for ‘Africa / Djibouti, Somalia armored personnel carriers and Somalia National Army crew’,” and “a $19.5M HHS IT Services contract for support for National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences in designing, creating, updating, maintaining, and archiving online communications.” DOGE also referenced “a $151k DoW education services contract for ‘Director’s Development Program in Leadership – Partnership course to be held at Northwestern University’,” according to the post. Screenshots shared with the DOGE post show federal contract records matching the descriptions and dollar amounts cited. DOGE WILL GO ON: HILL PORK HAWK SAYS ROOTING OUT GOVERNMENT WASTE WILL CONTINUE AFTER ELON One screenshot shows a contract record tied to Somalia, listing professional program management support under a federal services code and identifying the country of service origin as Somalia. The contract description references support related to armored personnel carriers and Somalia National Army crews in Djibouti and Somalia. A second screenshot shows an IT management support services contract based in the United States, categorized under computer systems design services. The description outlines work for the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences focused on maintaining and managing online communications, including websites, webpages, mobile tools and social media platforms. The DOGE post did not provide additional details about when the contracts were originally awarded, how much funding had already been obligated or spent, or which agency actions produced the savings figure cited in the post. The announcement comes amid heightened scrutiny this week over several Somali-owned, government-funded daycare facilities in Minnesota that have been accused of fraudulently collecting millions of dollars worth of taxpayer funds. Fox News Digital has reached out to the White House, DOGE, the State Department and HHS for additional information.
Hochul orders NY landmarks, including One World Trade Center, lit green for Muslim American Heritage Month
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul on Friday issued a proclamation declaring January Muslim American Heritage Month across the state and directed 16 state landmarks, including NYC’s One World Trade Center, to be illuminated green Friday night in “celebration of the heritage and culture of Muslim Americans.” “Home to the largest Muslim American population in the nation, New York is proud to join in this month-long celebration, recognizing the values, faith and traditions of our Muslim American communities,” Hochul said in a statement. “New York remains committed to being a beacon of hope, tolerance, and inclusivity that celebrates the diversity of its Muslim American population and protects them from Islamophobia, hate, bias, and harm.” MAMDANI DISPUTES ANTISEMITISM DEFINITION AMID BLOWBACK FROM JEWISH COMMUNITY ABOUT DAY 1 EXECUTIVE ORDERS One World Trade Center stands on the site of 6 World Trade Center, which was heavily damaged by debris during the collapse of the North Tower in the 9/11 attacks. The terrorists who carried out the 9/11 attacks were Muslim and members of al Qaeda, a violent militant group. The move came just one day after New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani was sworn in with the Quran as the first Muslim mayor of the city. “While I was proud to be sworn in as our city’s first Muslim mayor [Thursday], Muslims have been part of New York for centuries,” Mamdani said in a statement. “We have built small businesses, raised our families, pursued every profession, enriched our culture and cuisine, and been a part of what makes our city what it is today. “I am grateful for Governor Hochul’s leadership in recognizing these many contributions and ensuring that every January, Muslim New Yorkers can see ourselves reflected and recognized in a city and state that is also our home.” Other Muslim politicians, including New York State Assembly Deputy Majority Leader Charles Fall, state Sen. Robert Jackson, New York City Councilmember Shahana Hanif and New York City Councilmember Yusef Salaam applauded the designation, thanking Hochul for honoring the community and promoting inclusivity. SOCIALIST MAYOR MAMDANI INAUGURATED ALONGSIDE BERNIE SANDERS AND AOC ON NEW YEAR’S DAY Council of Peoples Organization CEO Mohammad Razvi noted the Muslim community has “demonstrated resilience in the years following 9/11 while continuing to strengthen New York through immigrant contributions, civic leadership and service. This recognition affirms our place in the social, cultural and civic life of our state. … This moment reflects New York’s continued commitment to civil rights, religious freedom, unity and interfaith solidarity and to ensuring that people of all backgrounds are seen, valued and included.” While anti-Muslim hate crime increased after the 9/11 attacks, Jews were targeted more frequently than all other groups combined in New York City in 2024, with anti-Jewish incidents accounting for 54% of all hate crimes, according to a report from The Times of Israel. The Institute for Social Policy and Understanding reported the Muslim community in New York City makes up 12.5% of pharmacists, 40% of taxi drivers and more than 57% of street food vendors. Fox News Digital has reached out to organizations supporting 9/11 victims, survivors and their families for comment.
US appeals court strikes down California’s open-carry ban in major Second Amendment ruling
A federal appeals court on Friday struck down California’s ban on openly carrying guns across most of the state. In a 2–1 decision, the San Francisco-based Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit ruled California’s ban on open carry in counties with more than 200,000 people — covering roughly 95% of the state’s population — violates the Second Amendment, according to Reuters. U.S. Circuit Judge Lawrence VanDyke, writing for the majority, said the ban conflicts with the Supreme Court’s 2022 decision in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen, which requires gun regulations to be consistent with the nation’s “historical tradition of firearm regulation,” Reuters reported. NRA SUES CALIFORNIA OVER BAN ON GLOCK-STYLE FIREARMS: ‘VIOLATES THE SECOND AMENDMENT’ “The historical record makes unmistakably plain that open carry is part of this Nation’s history and tradition,” VanDyke wrote. “It was clearly protected at the time of the founding and at the time of the adoption of the Fourteenth Amendment.” VanDyke also noted that California previously allowed residents to openly carry holstered handguns for self-defense without penalty until 2012. CALIFORNIA’S CRACKDOWN ON ‘LESS-LETHAL’ WEAPONS SPARKS 2A LAWSUIT TARGETING NEWSOM ADMINISTRATION “That changed only when California enacted its urban open-carry ban barely over a decade ago in 2012,” he said. “In doing so, California joined a tiny minority of states to have adopted such severe restrictions on open carry.” The decision overturned part of a 2023 ruling by a lower court that had dismissed a lawsuit filed in 2019 by gun owner Mark Baird, while rejecting his challenge to open-carry licensing in smaller counties, according to Reuters. FEDERAL APPEALS COURT RULES CALIFORNIA AMMUNITION BACKGROUND CHECKS UNCONSTITUTIONAL In October, the National Rifle Association (NRA) and other gun groups said they were suing California over the state’s ban on Glock-style guns with features known as switches that allow them to be converted to fully automatic weapons. The NRA was joined by the Firearms Policy Coalition, Second Amendment Foundation, Poway Weapons & Gear, and two NRA members in challenging the state’s ban. Fox News Digital’s Landon Mion contributed to this report.
Mamdani announces new Office of Mass Engagement, says he needed a ‘clean slate’ to govern New York City
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said Friday his first executive order as mayor was meant to draw a line after former Mayor Eric Adams was indicted while also launching a new City Hall office aimed at changing how the public is involved in decision-making. “In the first executive order, you, as the new mayor of a city, have to sign a continuation of all prior executive orders or a revocation or an amendment of all of them,” Mamdani said during a question-and-answer session focused on what he called the city’s revived Office of Mass Engagement. Mamdani said his administration chose to continue the executive orders that came before Adams’ 2024 indictment on federal corruption charges, which were later dropped by the Justice Department and dismissed by a federal judge in April. “And, so, what we did was to sign an executive order that continued every executive order that predated the moment when our former mayor was indicted,” Mamdani said, calling it “a moment when many New Yorkers lost even more faith in New York City politics and the ability of city government to actually prioritize the needs of the public, as opposed to the needs of the person.” MAMDANI PICKS EDUCATOR WHO WORKED TO DISMANTLE GIFTED & TALENTED PROGRAM AS NYC SCHOOLS CHANCELLOR “And what we will now do is showcase that new era to protect each and every New Yorker and to deliver for those same New Yorkers in a manner that they have not seen under prior administrations,” he added. The executive order revoked or required reissuance of mayoral directives issued after Sept. 26, 2024, giving the Mamdani administration control over which policies would carry forward. Mamdani made the remarks as he described the purpose of a new Office of Mass Engagement, which he said is intended to bring together civic outreach work already happening across city government. BISHOP ROBERT BARRON SLAMS ZOHRAN MAMDANI’S ‘WARMTH OF COLLECTIVISM’ LINE: ‘FOR GOD’S SAKE’ Mamdani said the new Office of Mass Engagement will be led by Tascha Van Auken, an organizer whose background includes national Democratic campaigns and New York City’s Democratic Socialists of America (DSA). “Since President Obama’s first campaign in 2008 to her leadership in New York City DSA, Tascha has spent more than a decade organizing at scale,” Mamdani said. Mamdani credited Van Auken with building the volunteer operation behind his mayoral campaign, saying she mobilized more than 100,000 volunteers who knocked on more than 3 million doors across the city. “The work of civic engagement has existed before today. It has been a part of city government,” Mamdani said. “However, it has often been siloed in different parts of city government infrastructure, sometimes under different offices, sometimes through different initiatives. “Part of the intent of this executive order is not just to create a new Office of Mass Engagement, but also to cohere all of the work that is already being done into one place so that we can ensure that it’s not duplicative, and it’s actually fulfilling its intent.” MAMDANI DISPUTES ANTISEMITISM DEFINITION AMID BLOWBACK FROM JEWISH COMMUNITY ABOUT DAY 1 EXECUTIVE ORDERS Mamdani said he wants the new office to change when public engagement happens in the policy process. “Oftentimes, the outreach and engagement of city government is done with an intention to justify a decision that’s already been taken,” he said. “The point of this office is, however, to make decisions with a large part being what the public actually thinks about those decisions.” Asked about budget and staffing, Mamdani said the office will initially draw from existing city employees. “There are a number of employees within this office that are already working for the city, within previously existing offices. And then the specifics of how it will expand beyond that is something that we will be sharing later,” he said. Mamdani rejected the idea that the office was built around re-election politics, saying it is aimed at “delivering for New Yorkers today, delivering for New Yorkers every single day. … We have an opportunity in this moment where New Yorkers are allowing themselves to believe in the possibility of city government once again. That is not a belief that will sustain itself in the absence of action,” Mamdani said. Mamdani also pointed to another appointment announcement, saying the engagement office aligns with his decision to name Ali Najimy to lead recruitment and outreach for the Mayor’s Advisory Committee on the Judiciary. “Too often, the ability for a New Yorker to become a judge has been determined by who they know, as opposed to the work that they do,” Mamdani said, adding that the goal is to ensure the judicial system reflects the city and “a commitment to excellence and an application of the law in a universal manner.” Najimy said the position would expand recruitment citywide and shape criminal and family court appointments, saying that candidates should be evaluated “on the merits of their experience, their qualifications, their commitment to public service.” Mamdani said he does not want the new office judged by activity alone. “We should not be measured on the number of meetings we hold or the number of surveys that are filled out,” he said. “We should, in fact, be measured by the way in which we incorporate that feedback into the decisions that we make. Mamdani’s office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for additional comment.
New York Republicans call for independent fraud investigation following Minnesota revelations
Republican state senators in New York on Friday wrote a letter to Gov. Kathy Hochul urging her to launch an independent investigation into possible fraud involving government programs in response to similar allegations in Minnesota. “We write to you concerning disturbing reports of widespread fraud involving taxpayer dollars in the state of Minnesota, including schemes that reportedly involved sham daycare centers and other illegitimate entities,” the letter, signed by 12 Republican state senators, said. The letter added that the “revelations” in Minnesota “raise serious concerns about the vulnerability of publicly funded programs to abuse.” TRUMP TARGETS MINNESOTA FRAUD ALLEGATIONS, SAYS ‘WE’RE GOING TO GET TO THE BOTTOM OF IT’ The senators urged Hochul to “immediately retain an independent private professional services firm to conduct a comprehensive audit of comparable programs in New York State.” MINNESOTA FRAUD COMMITTEE CHAIR CLAIMS WALZ ‘TURNED A BLIND EYE’ TO FRAUD WARNINGS FOR YEARS The letter said that the audit was necessary “to ensure that public funds are being distributed solely to legitimate organizations and eligible individuals and to identify and address any instances of fraud, waste or abuse.” “Given that New York administers comparable programs involving billions of taxpayer dollars it is imperative that proactive measures be taken to ensure similar abuses are not occurring here,” the letter said. The senators noted $68 million in Medicaid fraud that the U.S. Department of Justice said it uncovered at a Brooklyn operator of social adult daycare centers in July. “At a time when resources are strained, it is essential that available funds are protected and directed exclusively to those who truly need assistance,” they added. The senator said that with reports that Hochul’s office plans to advance a proposal for universal pre-kindergarten in the next legislative session, “ensuring these programs are efficient, transparent and free from fraud should be a shared priority for all New Yorkers.” The Small Business Administration announced Thursday that it had suspended 6,900 Minnesota borrowers after uncovering what it says is widespread suspected fraud in the state. SBA Administrator Kelly Loeffler sent a letter Tuesday to Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz on Dec. 23, telling him that her agency will “halt” more than $5.5 million in annual support to resource partners in the state “until further notice.” “I am notifying you that effective immediately and until further notice, the SBA is halting the disbursement of federal funds to SBA resource partners operating in the state of Minnesota, totaling over $5.5 million in annual support,” Loeffler wrote. The SBA said that at least $2.5 million in PPP and EIDL funds issued during the pandemic era were connected to a Somali fraud scheme based in Minneapolis. Loeffler told Walz that $430 million in PPP funds tied to roughly 13,000 loans were flagged as potentially fraudulent but were still funded anyway, including some that were forgiven during the Biden administration. “The volume and concentration of potential fraud is staggering, matched in its egregiousness only by your response to those who attempted to stop it,” she wrote. Hochul’s office told Fox News Digital in response to the letter: “This is a rich political stunt coming from the lawmaker who spent months fighting the Governor’s efforts to route out waste, fraud and abuse in the state’s Medicaid program,” referencing GOP State Sen. Robert Ortt. “Instead of suggesting we spend taxpayer dollars to do the jobs of the State Comptroller and State Inspector General, the Minority Leader should focus on supporting the many longstanding initiatives that the Governor has advanced to stop fraud and protect taxpayers.”