DOT cracks down on thousands of illegal immigrant truckers as agency looks to holiday travel: Duffy
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy offered an update on his agency’s work alongside the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in cracking down on an influx of illegal immigrants given a non-domiciled commercial driver’s license (CDL) without proper vetting, which has led to several deaths on America’s highways. Duffy was set to speak this weekend at AmericaFest and also touched on his special friendship with Turning Point USA (TPUSA) founder Charlie Kirk, who was murdered Sept. 10 during an event in Utah. “First off, President [Donald] Trump has been a remarkable leader. What he cares about is making government work better, making sure he’s implementing the right policies for the American people. Not the rich, not the powerful, but average, everyday Americans,” Duffy said when asked about the Department of Transportation’s (DOT) crackdown on the trucking crisis. Duffy sprang into action earlier this year after an Indian national who authorities said was issued a CDL by California allegedly killed a carload of people after he attempted an illegal U-turn on Florida’s Turnpike. FLORIDA CFO ROLLS OUT NEW PUSH TO BLOCK ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS FROM TAPPING STATE SYSTEMS: ‘LIVES HAVE BEEN LOST’ Duffy expanded his efforts, warning Pennsylvania’s PennDOT and other agencies after illegal immigrants captured out of state were found to have non-domiciled CDLs issued by blue state agencies. In PennDOT’s case, an agency official told Fox News Digital a Philadelphia resident named in the sweep had not drawn any red flags in a federal database it used to verify him. “As you’ve seen, Homeland Security focused on the border and illegal migrants in the country. What we found at DOT is a different set of problems,” Duffy said, adding that too many states have offered licenses to ineligible foreigners. “They’re not qualified to get a license. And under [former President] Joe Biden’s tenure, [former Transportation Secretary] Pete Buttigieg’s tenure, millions of people have come into the country. And it seems like states across the country have offered commercial driver licenses to many of those people,” he said. AN ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT KILLED MY DAUGHTER. KATIE AND ILLINOIS ARE BOTH GETTING JUSTICE “The problem is that you endanger the safety of everyday Americans who use our roadways. And, so, what we’ve done at DOT is say, ‘Listen, unless you comply with our rules, we are going to take money away from your state.’” He added that DOT has pressed for compliance from problem states, sharing that California has since revoked 17,000 problematic non-domiciled CDL licenses. On the other side of the country, Duffy said that more than half of the non-domiciled CDLs issued by NYSDOT were “issued illegally.” ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT CAUGHT AND RELEASED BY BIDEN ADMINISTRATION NOW CHARGED IN WASHINGTON VEHICULAR HOMICIDE Those New York drivers, he said, may not even be legally present in the U.S., or they may have had a work permit for a few months but wrongfully parlayed that into a truck or school bus driving license with a seven-year expiry date. “So, we are going to use every resource, every tool that we have at DOT, to make sure that we have the right people on our road that are well qualified, well licensed. That are proficient in the English language to make sure we’re maximizing safety.” He noted that while many people are focused on non-domiciled CDL holders driving big rigs, many are also qualified to therefore drive school buses, potentially putting children in danger. SHAPIRO RESPONDS TO ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT TRUCKER FIASCO, SAYS DRIVER WAS IN FED DATABASE FIRST As the Florida tragedy showed, those drivers also don’t just stay in the states with lax policies. “We are going to maximize everyone’s safety on American roadways, and that means going after states, pulling money from states. We 100% under Donald Trump‘s leadership will,” Duffy said. Speaking about his friendship with Kirk, Duffy said AmFest shows the impact Kirk had on America’s youth, drawing them into the conservative movement. SEAN DUFFY ACCUSES ‘NO-SHOW’ PETE BUTTIGIEG OF TRYING TO ‘REWRITE HIS RECORD’ AFTER TRUMP CRITICISM “To be here with my wife at this event and the meaning behind it is incredibly honoring for us and to be able to talk to the young people who are here to honor Charlie and have our voices heard,” he said. “It couldn’t be more thrilling and exciting, and I’m looking forward to taking the main stage but also having a chance to talk to a lot of the … young people, but people of all ages, are here to come and celebrate Charlie in this movement.” Duffy later said Friday was to be the busiest travel day of the year, and that 51,000 flights took off, a reminder of the sacrifices air traffic control and other DOT subdivision workers make at Christmastime. ICE ARRESTS UZBEK TERROR SUSPECT WORKING AS TRUCK DRIVER AS HOMAN BLAMES BIDEN ADMIN’S LACK OF VETTING “They’re going to work overtime. We appreciate their service. But I think what’s also important is when there are a lot of flights like this, so many people are traveling, I think the American traveler has to pack their best attitude, their best perspective as they go to the airport,” he said. “[They should] know there could be some mishaps because it’s so busy. But if you have that little angel on your shoulder and saying, ‘I’m going to roll with the flow, and I’m going to do my best as a person who’s going to get on an airplane and travel with multiple of the people,’ I think the experience is going to be great.” Suggesting the DOT or FAA could receive complaints as they tend to during holiday seasons, Duffy said travelers should remember an important maxim when it comes to his agency’s work. “If there’s any issue in any of those spaces —whether it’s the controllers, the weather, mechanical — we will slow down traffic or we will stop traffic because we want you to be safe when you travel,” he said. “I don’t want your flight delayed, but I’ll
Second tanker seized near Venezuela as US enforces oil blockade
A U.S. Coast Guard Maritime Special Response Team (MSRT) assisted by the U.S. Navy, seized a second oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela Saturday, a U.S. official confirmed to Fox News. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem took to X to share further details of the operation: “In a pre-dawn action early this morning on Dec. 20, the US Coast Guard with the support of the Department of War apprehended an oil tanker that was last docked in Venezuela.” “The United States will continue to pursue the illicit movement of sanctioned oil that is used to fund narco terrorism in the region,” Noem said. “We will find you, and we will stop you.” Noem also praised the service members involved in the operation, thanking the “brave men and women” of the U.S. Coast Guard and the Department of War for carrying out the interdiction. BONDI SHARES HEART-POUNDING FOOTAGE OF US SEIZING VENEZUELAN OIL TANKER IN RARE ACTION LAST SEEN IN 2014 The operation involved a U.S. Coast Guard Maritime Special Reaction Team assisted by the U.S. Navy, marking the latest enforcement action tied to President Donald Trump’s announced blockade of sanctioned oil tankers. The seizure comes days after Trump announced a “total and complete blockade” of sanctioned oil tankers entering and leaving Venezuela on Tuesday. The first tanker seized this week occurred on Wednesday, with video released by the Justice Department showing agents rappelling onto the vessel with weapons drawn. WORLD’S BIGGEST OIL RESERVE HOLDER FACES US CHOKEHOLD AS TRUMP TARGETS VENEZUELA’S SHADOW TANKER FLEET Attorney General Pam Bondi took to X to share details of the seizure, writing, “for multiple years, the oil tanker has been sanctioned by the United States due to its involvement in an illicit oil shipping network supporting foreign terrorist organizations.” “This seizure, completed off the coast of Venezuela, was conducted safely and securely—and our investigation alongside the Department of Homeland Security to prevent the transport of sanctioned oil continues,” Bondi concluded. China is the world’s greatest user of Venezuelan crude oil, Reuters reported. Before this month, the last time Venezuelan oil tankers were seized by the U.S. military was in 2014, under President Barack Obama. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP 15% of U.S.-deployed Navy ships are currently in the Caribbean region, the Navy confirmed to Fox News Wednesday. The Pentagon referred Fox News Digital to the White House, who did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Fox News Digital’s Alex Koch contributed to this reporting.
Meet Minnesota’s fraud ‘mastermind’ accused of playing ‘God,’ wielding ‘fake’ racism claims in Somali scandal
The alleged “mastermind” behind Minnesota’s $250 million Feeding Our Future fraud scandal tied to the Somali community is accused of wielding extraordinary power through threats and what the government described as “fake claims of racism.” Aimee Bock, who founded the Feeding Our Future nonprofit in 2016, used her growing authority to silence dissent, discourage scrutiny from state regulators and cut off operators who refused to comply, prosecutors said. While other defendants splurged on luxury homes, cars and overseas property, prosecutors said, Bock instead controlled the levers of approval and reimbursement that allowed the scheme to flourish. One witness even recently described Bock as a “God” in how she enforced her authority. Court records show that more than $1 million flowed to Bock’s longtime boyfriend, who appeared in trial exhibits posing inside a Rolls-Royce with Bock standing nearby, underscoring her alleged proximity to the wealth generated by the scheme. BESSENT TURNS UP HEAT ON SPRAWLING MINNESOTA FRAUD SCHEMES AS TREASURY PERSONNEL DEPLOY ON THE GROUND Trial evidence painted a picture of a dramatic rise, with Bock going from running a little-known nonprofit to overseeing one of the largest federal meal sponsors in Minnesota as she gained influence, visibility and access to powerful political circles. For years, Feeding Our Future operated modestly, handling roughly $3 million to $4 million annually in federal child nutrition reimbursements, according to prosecutors. That trajectory changed abruptly during the COVID-19 pandemic, when emergency rule changes loosened oversight and allowed sponsors to submit claims without normal verification. As executive director of Feeding Our Future, Bock approved meal sites, some of which were fake, and then certified the claims, signing off on the reimbursements from the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE). She would soon preside over a network that claimed to have served 91 million meals, for which prosecutors say the scammers fraudulently received nearly $250 million in federal funds, a scale of growth that far outpaced the nonprofit’s pre-pandemic size and internal capacity. Later filings and sentencing releases described the total impact as closer to $300 million. To keep the scheme going, prosecutors said, Bock used her authority to intimidate and control operators, approving implausible meal counts and cutting off those who refused to comply. “Aimee Bock was a God,” cooperating witness Hanna Marekegn testified, according to trial exhibits, which were used to describe how much power Bock allegedly held over the network. Marekegn was the owner of Brava Café, a meal site sponsored by Feeding Our Future. INSIDE MINNESOTA’S $1B FRAUD: FAKE OFFICES, PHONY FIRMS AND A SCANDAL HIDING IN PLAIN SIGHT Marekegn told jurors Bock had the power to make operators rich but also the ability to shut off the cash spigot entirely if they did not comply with unrealistic numbers being submitted. Prosecutors said site operators like Marekegn paid kickbacks to Feeding Our Future employees or intermediaries to avoid being cut off, a system witnesses described as necessary to keep money flowing. Refusing to comply, they testified, meant losing all payments. Operators also told jurors they understood that rejecting demands, including submitting implausible meal counts or paying kickbacks, would cost them their contracts and leave them with no money at all. Qamar Hassan, who operated S&S Catering, testified bluntly, “If I say no, I’m not getting any more money.” The Department of Justice also introduced slides showing emails and communications in which Bock accused the MDE of racism when regulators questioned suspicious claims. In 2021, when the MDE grew suspicious and tried to stop the flow of funds, Feeding Our Future sued, alleging racial discrimination. A judge ordered an injunction blocking the state from terminating Feeding Our Future as a sponsor, after which reimbursements — a ruling that prosecutors said enabled the scheme to escalate. “Bock lied to MDE and falsely accused state officials of racism to keep the money flowing,” one of the slides says. Earlier in the trial, prosecutors had shown how she approved 21 meal sites along a 1.8-mile stretch of Lake Street, which together claimed to serve as many kids as there were in the entire Minneapolis school district. Bock testified that the concentration of sites was justified because several grocery stores in the area were damaged during the George Floyd riots. “This large area became what’s known as a food desert,” she testified, according to FOX 9 Minneapolis. A federal jury found Bock guilty on all counts she faced, including wire fraud, conspiracy and bribery. Her co-defendant, Salim Said, was also convicted on multiple charges, including wire fraud, bribery and money laundering. At least 78 people have now been indicted in the ongoing investigation. HOW FEARS OF BEING LABELED ‘RACIST’ HELPED ‘PROVIDE COVER’ FOR THE EXPLODING MINNESOTA FRAUD SCANDAL Court documents revealed that many of those convicted spent their ill-gotten gains on large homes, luxury vehicles and property in Kenya. However, one witness testified that Bock warned beneficiaries not to spend the ill-gotten gains lavishly. The only money movement directly tied to Bock in the exhibits was a picture of her making a $30,000 cash withdrawal, which prosecutors said was evidence she was involved in a kickback scheme by accepting cash payments from meal site operators in exchange for site approvals and reimbursements. A series of reimbursement checks she signed for alleged fraud sites were also shown, evidence prosecutors said captured her role as the scheme’s “gatekeeper,” though not a big personal spender. While prosecutors did not accuse Bock of buying mansions or luxury cars herself, public records show that more than $1 million flowed to her longtime boyfriend, Empress Malcolm Watson Jr., who spent the money on travel, jewelry, vehicles and cash withdrawals. Watson appears in some of the exhibits. One showed him inside a Rolls-Royce with Bock standing next to him. He’s pictured in another photo standing in front of a Lamborghini, and that exhibit also shows designer bags, jewelry and a white Mercedes-Benz, items prosecutors labeled as “Handy Helpers Spending” to illustrate the lavish lifestyle surrounding Bock’s network. Watson has not been charged in the Feeding Our Future
Conservatives need to embrace ‘fusion’ of populism, top leader says, calling AmFest scenes ‘encouraging’
The future of the conservative movement rests on the ability of candidates and activists to embrace the best tenets of populism while addressing issues that are uncomfortable in “establishment Washington,” the leader of one of America’s oldest conservative policy groups told Fox News Digital. Heritage Foundation President Kevin Roberts, in Phoenix for the first AmericaFest following the murder of Charlie Kirk, said that despite a wave of recent losses for conservatives, there is great hope for the future. The event was packed with thousands of conservatives from around the nation. “I was expecting to be really encouraged, and I am,” Roberts said of people he has engaged with at AmericaFest. “There’s a lot of passion and encouragement in that room. And I think we have to keep in mind, moving on to a second point, that you have to ignore sort of the naysayers and the doomsayers about conservative politicians losing the midterms.” He said that despite bad press and wipeouts for the right in Virginia, New Jersey, Florida and Pennsylvania, conservatives “ought to be more optimistic” after what he called a great first year of the Trump-Vance administration and House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., working together. VIVEK RAMASWAMY CRITICIZES POCKETS OF ‘ONLINE RIGHT’ FIXATED ON HERITAGE IN TURNING POINT ADDRESS “What we’ve got to do for 2026 is articulate to the American people — starting with this crowd here at AmFest — what those policy priorities need to be; not just for the short term but for the long term and Heritage certainly is in the middle of that conversation.” To keep conservatism at the fore in 2026, given recent setbacks, conservatives must run on an “aspirational vision” he said was lacking in several 2025 races – while noting Jack Ciattarelli’s failed bid for governor of New Jersey bid as one of the better-run campaigns. Looking to the new year, Roberts said Heritage is interested in seeing policymakers asking those uncomfortable questions inside the Beltway, like what the future of the American family looks like, whether the workplace is one where Americans earn dignity and not just a paycheck, and more directly, “what it means to be an American.” TIM SCOTT TELLS MAGA VOTERS TRUMP ‘IS ON THE BALLOT’ AS GOP FIGHTS TO GROW SENATE MAJORITY IN 2026 “[That’s] to say something, of course, that establishment Washington doesn’t like to talk about,” he said. “What’s the future, not just of immigration policy, but how can we assimilate the highest percentage of foreign-born population we’ve had in modern American history? This is important for all of us if in fact we’re going to have a healthy society,” he said. “The bottom line is this, if establishment Washington talks about just sort of sidebar issues in this campaign, then the midterms are going to be a disaster. “ WHY 2026 SHOULD TERRIFY REPUBLICANS AFTER TENNESSEE SPECIAL ELECTION “They, to state the obvious, have to talk about what the American people are asking, and they actually have to offer policy solutions where I happen to think Heritage has some good things to say.” In 2028, Trump will be term-limited and a new conservative leader will have to rise. The best way for conservatives to move forward, he said, is to embrace a “good fusion of the best elements of populism.” SETTING THE STAGE: WHAT THE 2025 ELECTIONS SIGNAL FOR NEXT YEAR’S MIDTERM SHOWDOWNS “Namely, exercising popular will over longstanding conservative principles like diminishing the size of the administrative state, but also making sure that we’re sustaining our longstanding, conservative principles,” Roberts said. “Whoever the standard-bearers are for conservatism in 2028, 2032, 2036, their policy ideas are going to sound a lot like Trump’s, but of course they are going to bring their own imprint into that.” “Those of us who focus on ideas and policy for a living need to do our jobs zealously well to keep offering not just the long-standing policy ideas, but some innovative ones as well,” he added. Looking ahead to Heritage’s work in 2026, Roberts said the think tank will focus on family, the future of free enterprise, national security, and citizenship. “And then we’re also focused, especially on the side of our enterprise that works on advocacy and campaigns, “Heritage Action [For America]“, what those particular places are where we can tell that story to the American people. And hopefully, people running for office will take those issues and run with them,” he said.
2028 lines being drawn among conservatives as two top names emerge among AmericaFest activists
The 2028 presidential election will potentially be a rumble in the Rust Belt if AmericaFest attendees’ predictions come to pass, with Vice President JD Vance the odds-on favorite to succeed President Donald Trump, and Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro surpassing California Gov. Gavin Newsom as the most-predicted Democrat nominee. Such a contest would also pit two younger figures against each other – with Shapiro at 52 and Vance at 41 — while also potentially reshaping the idea of the “blue wall” that Trump shattered in 2024 as Shapiro’s name recognition in Pennsylvania could return the state to the Democrats’ column. For his part, Shapiro has dismissed any curiosity about a White House run, recently telling HBO’s Bill Maher he’s “not an expert” on Beltway politics and “live[s] in the real world in Pennsylvania where we have to balance budgets.” But, that sentiment didn’t keep him from being considered more viable for the role than the more gregarious Newsom. ‘OBAMA BRO’ PODCASTER RAILS AGAINST JD VANCE’S CHANCES IN 2028, CLAIMS ‘NO ONE LIKES HIM!’ Barbara, from Camarillo, Calif., said she hopes Vance is able to step into President Donald Trump’s shoes, calling him a “great candidate” who comes from the “team that Trump built.” “I think we’re in a good place right now,” she said. Barbara also named Shapiro as the most likely Democrat to take that party’s mantle. REPUBLICAN POPULISM CRATERS AS TRUMP STUMBLES, DEMOCRATS SURGE “I think he’s going to have the most effect because I don’t think anybody else has any credibility.” If Shapiro went up against Newsom, she said, “he would wipe the floor with” the Californian. Shapiro has occasionally broken with the far-left, particularly on the issue of antisemitism. But, when New Jersey gubernatorial candidate Jack Ciattarelli wished aloud that the Garden State would be run more like its neighbor across the Delaware, Shapiro hit back that he was fully supporting Gov-elect. Mikie Sherill. TRUMP SAYS JD VANCE WOULD BE ‘PROBABLY FAVORED’ FOR 2028 REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL NOMINATION Nick from Nashville also named Shapiro as the most viable Democratic prospect. While he predicted Newsom or Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y. may be the nominee chosen by the base, the Democratic National Committee would be smart if it facilitated a Shapiro nomination, he said. Speaking about the future of post-Trump conservatism, Nick said he expects a lot of competing yet largely ideologically unified voices. “I think the conservative party will kind of conglomerate over somebody like Trump. I think Trump’s going to have a very big hand and who’s going to be the nominee in 2028. But I think the conservative [movement] is still going to be alive. But I think that it’s mostly going to be whoever Donald Trump kind of wants, because, you know, he basically built the conservative movement,” he said. SPECULATION SWIRLS AS AOC IS RUMORED TO HARBOR 2028 ASPIRATIONS: ‘SAVVY POLITICIAN’ “I’m very much hoping [Republicans choose] JD Vance or Marco Rubio,” Karen from Wisconsin told Fox News Digital. “We have so many good conservatives that could come in and take over. And I hope that we get another eight, 16 more years of Republicans that have put our country in the right direction.” “I hope after Charlie Kirk that especially the youth get involved more … because you know, that’s how I got involved and I just hope that someone brings up the whole [conservative] program a lot more.” GAVIN NEWSOM DECLARED AS THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY’S 2028 ‘FRONTRUNNER’ BY POLITICO On the Democratic side in 2028, Karen predicted Newsom would be Democrats’ pick. “I seriously don’t think [Kamala Harris] is going to get the money-backing, but Newsom probably will try really hard. I hope [the GOP chooses] JD Vance. Ron DeSantis already cleaned the carpet with Newsom [on “Hannity”], so I don’t think JD Vance will have much problem because he is a very well spoken, intelligent, smart man.” Amy from Michigan also predicted the Pennsylvanian as the Democrats’ top pick in 2028, envisioning a battle between Vance and Shapiro for the presidency. Elizabeth from San Diego said she hopes it won’t be her governor who gets named the nominee in 2028, but feared it is trending his way moreso than Shapiro or Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, the Hyatt Hotels heir whose name has also been mentioned. “I’m hoping that other Latinos see another Latina being in a position where I support [Homeland Security Investigations agents] going out and looking at all of the illegal immigrants and taking them out because of the fact that it gives us (Latinos and Latinas) more opportunities,” said Elizabeth, who is Latina. Ed, who was also from San Diego, predicted Vance or Secretary of State Marco Rubio would take the Republican mantle after Trump.
Inside Stefanik’s exit and how the Trump endorsement that never came was ‘biggest piece’ of the ‘puzzle’
FIRST ON FOX: Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik’s surprise announcement on Friday night that she is dropping out of the race for New York governor and leaving her seat in Congress was partly due to lack of full support from President Trump, Fox News Digital has learned. “The biggest piece of this puzzle was Donald Trump and the fact that he passed three times on endorsing her candidacy, including in the Oval Office with the Miracle on Ice Team last week,” a GOP source close to the situation told Fox News Digital. “I think [that] played the largest role in this decision,” Stefanik’s original thought process when she jumped into the race last month, according to the source, was that she would have a “clear shot” at current New York Gov. Kathy Hochul. But once Trump ally and Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman announced his candidacy earlier this month, “it became clear that was not going to happen.” “When you start to add these things up, and you see a contested primary, you see an assumed ally in the president who passes on endorsing, and it does not seem that you’re going to have the wind to your back in this cycle, I think [it] all played into this,” the source said. STEFANIK EXITS NY GOVERNOR RACE, WILL NOT RUN FOR RE-ELECTION TO US HOUSE Stefanik’s decision to also leave Congress was based on a feeling that it was time to “move on,” the source said. “I am truly humbled and grateful for the historic and overwhelming support from Republicans, Conservatives, Independents, and Democrats all across the state for our campaign to Save New York,” Stefanik posted on X Friday afternoon. “However, as we have seen in past elections, while we would have overwhelmingly won this primary, it is not an effective use of our time or your generous resources to spend the first half of next year in an unnecessary and protracted Republican primary, especially in a challenging state like New York.” Stefanik has been a staunch ally of President Trump during her time in Congress, including defending him during both of his impeachments. Trump nominated Stefanik to serve as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, a high-profile cabinet-level position, before the nomination was pulled to protect the GOP’s razor-thin majority in the House and amid worries Republicans could lose Stefanik’s seat to the Democrats in a special election. FBI TO BE UNDER HARSH NEW MICROSCOPE AS STEFANIK SCORES VICTORY IN ANNUAL DEFENSE BILL After Blakeman joined the race for governor, Trump opted to stay neutral, telling reporters at the White House after Blakeman announced his candidacy that “Elise is fantastic and Bruce is.” “Two fantastic people, and I always hate it when two very good friends of mine are running, and I hope there’s not a lot of damage done,” the president added. Hochul’s re-election campaign released a statement on Friday shifting its attention to Blakeman. “Elise Stefanik has finally acknowledged reality: If you run against Governor Kathy Hochul, you are going to lose,” Hochul’s campaign said in a press release Friday. “As Donald Trump raises costs on New Yorkers and targets this state relentlessly, Governor Hochul has cut middle-class taxes, put money back in New Yorkers’ pockets, and fought this administration and won when New York has come under attack.” “The fact is, ‘100% MAGA’ Bruce Blakeman traveled all the way to D.C. to celebrate Trump’s tariffs, he ran Long Island’s safety net hospital into the ground by appointing corrupt cronies to run it, and let violent crime in Nassau County spike to its highest level in a decade. Governor Hochul’s message to him or whichever lackey Trump picks to run against her is simple: Bring it on.” The source confirmed to Fox News Digital that “multiple county leaders are reaching out to Congressman Mike Lawler” as a potential candidate, adding it is “premature” to assume the New York GOP is “coalescing around Blakeman.” “Very fluid. Many folks are taking time to regroup.” The source did say that Blakeman “can be a strong candidate” and that the “Mamdani effect” is something Hochul will still have to combat in a general election. “I wish Congresswoman Stefanik nothing but success as she pursues her priorities and continues her service to our nation,” Blakeman posted on X Friday. “At this pivotal moment for New York, it is essential that Republicans and all New Yorkers come together in unity.” Lawler responded to the news in a post on X saying that Stefanik “has been a terrific Congresswoman” and “would have been a great governor.” “As her friend and colleague, I respect her decision and wish her and her family all the best as she moves forward.” The White House directed Fox News Digital to the social media reactions from the president and his press secretary, Karoline Leavitt. In a Truth Social post on Friday, Trump responded to Stefanik’s announcement, writing, “Elise Stefanik, a fantastic person and Congresswoman from New York State, has just announced she won’t be running for Governor. Elise is a tremendous talent, regardless of what she does. She will have GREAT success, and I am with her all the way!” Leavitt also posted praise of Stefanik on social media. “Elise Stefanik has been an incredible advocate for the people of her district in Upstate New York, and she will always be a true friend to President Trump,” Leavitt posted on X. “On a personal note, Elise is my former boss. She is a great leader, and an even better person. We love you, @EliseStefanik!” Fox News Digital’s Louis Casiano contributed to this report
Sen Murphy warns ‘people are going to die’ as Congress punts on expiring Obamacare subsidies
A bipartisan Obamacare fix remains out of reach in the Senate, for now, and lawmakers can’t agree on who is at fault. While many agree that the forthcoming healthcare cliff will cause financial pain, the partisan divide quickly devolved into pointing the finger across the aisle at who owns the looming healthcare premium spikes that Americans who use the healthcare exchange will face. Part of the finger-pointing has yielded another surprising agreement: Lawmakers don’t see the fast-approaching expiration of the Biden-era enhanced Obamacare subsidies as Congress failing to act in time. “Obviously, it’s not a failure of Congress to act,” Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., told Fox News Digital. “It’s a failure of Republicans to act. Democrats are united and wanting to expand subsidies. Republicans want premium increases to go up.” DEMOCRATS’ LAST-MINUTE MOVE TO BLOCK GOP FUNDING PLAN SENDS LAWMAKERS HOME EARLY Senate Republicans and Democrats both tried, and failed, to advance their own partisan plans to replace or extend the subsidies earlier this month. And since then, no action has been taken to deal with the fast-approaching issue, guaranteeing that the subsidies will lapse at the end of the year. A report published last month by Kaiser Family Foundation, a nonprofit healthcare think tank, found that Americans who use the credits will see an average increase of 114% in their premium costs. The increase can vary depending on how high above the poverty level a person is. The original premium subsidies set a cap at 400% above the poverty level, while the enhanced subsidies, which were passed during the COVID-19 pandemic, torched the cap. For example, a person 60 years or older making 401% of the poverty level, or about $62,000 per year, would on average see their premium prices double. That number can skyrocket depending on the state. Wyoming clocks in at the highest spike at 421%. SENATE MULLS NEXT STEPS AFTER DUELING OBAMACARE FIXES GO UP IN FLAMES In Murphy’s home state of Connecticut, premiums under the same parameters would hike in price by 316%. “When these do lapse, people are going to die,” Murphy said. “I mean, I was talking to a couple a few months ago who have two parents, both with chronic, potentially life-threatening illnesses, and they will only be able to afford insurance for one of them. So they’re talking about which parent is going to survive to raise their three kids. The stakes are life and death.” Both sides hold opposing views on the solution. Senate Republicans argue that the credits effectively subsidize insurance companies, not patients, by funneling money directly to them, and that the program is rife with fraud. Senate Democrats want to extend the subsidies as they are, and are willing to negotiate fixes down the line. But for the GOP, they want to see some immediate reforms, like income caps, anti-fraud measures and more stringent anti-abortion language tied to the subsidies. Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., who produced his own healthcare plan that would convert subsidies into health savings accounts (HSAs), argued that congressional Democrats “set this up to expire.” SENATE REPUBLICANS LAND ON OBAMACARE FIX, TEE UP DUELING VOTE WITH DEMS But he doesn’t share the view that the subsidies’ expected expiration is a life-or-death situation. “I’m not taxing somebody who makes 20 bucks an hour to pay for healthcare for somebody who makes half a million dollars a year, that’s what they did,” he told Fox News Digital. “All they did was mask the increase in healthcare costs. That’s all they did with it.” Sen. Jim Banks, R-Ind., similarly scoffed at the notion, and told Fox News Digital, “The Democrat plan to extend COVID-era Obamacare subsidies might help less than half a percent of the American population.” “The Republican plan brings down healthcare costs for 100% of Americans,” he said. “More competition, expands health savings accounts. That needs to be the focus.” Democrats are also not hiding their disdain for the partisan divide between their approaches to healthcare. Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, told Fox News Digital that the idea that this “is a congressional failure and not a Republican policy is preposterous.” “They’ve hated the Affordable Care Act since its inception and tried to repeal it at every possible opportunity,” he said, referring to Obamacare. “The president hates ACA, speaker hates ACA, majority leader hates ACA, rank-and-file hate ACA. And so this is not some failure of bipartisanship.” While the partisan rancor runs deep on the matter of Obamacare, there are Republicans and Democrats working together to build a new plan. Still, it wouldn’t deal with the rapidly approaching Dec. 31 deadline to extend the subsidies. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., predicted that the Senate would have a long road to travel before a bipartisan plan came together in the new year, but he didn’t rule it out. “It’s the Christmas season. It would take a Christmas miracle to execute on actually getting something done there,” he said. “But, you know, I think there’s a potential path, but it’ll be heavy lift.”
Dem Senate candidate faces backlash after violent fantasy against conservative SCOTUS justices goes viral
A Michigan Democratic Senate candidate is facing backlash after a clip went viral Thursday revealing what she would do if she saw Supreme Court Justices Amy Coney Barrett and Brett Kavanaugh out in public. Mallory McMorrow, who is running in the crowded Democratic Senate primary, ignited social media backlash from conservatives after her comments to supporters last month surfaced. McMorrow was asked by a female attendee at a Huron Valley Indivisible event on Nov. 12 whether there “was any sense in dealing with the Supreme Court,” adding that she “blame[s] them for a lot.” “So, I’m a Notre Dame grad, and Amy Coney Barrett coming out of my university makes me furious. Just on a personal level. I talked to somebody yesterday who said they saw her and Brett Kavanaugh at a tailgate last weekend,” McMorrow said last month. “I would not have been able to control myself. That would be bad. There would be beers thrown in peoples’ faces.” DEMOCRATS’ ‘UNITY’ DINNER DRAWS BACKLASH OVER ANTI-TRUMP ‘86 47’ SIGN LINKING MAGA TO NAZIS Conservatives immediately slammed McMorrow on social media for her violent rhetoric, including the National Republican Senatorial Committee, who said, “She needs help.” “It’s impossible for a Democrat candidate to not be a crazed and violent radical,” Club for Growth President David McIntosh wrote on X. “Sounds as if she shouldn’t be in the Senate, then,” Charles Cooke, a senior editor at National Review, wrote on X. “I really don’t understand political figures who openly brag about being overcome by emotions such as disgust as though this were an asset,” Wall Street Journal columnist Kyle Smith wrote on X. “Pattern of Democrat politicians up to and including Chuck Schumer openly encouraging violence against Supreme Court justices,” The Federalist’s editor-in-chief Molly Hemmingway wrote on X. “Sounds like she should seek professional help and consider therapy instead of a Senate run,” conservative writer A.G Hamilton wrote on X. “Democrats are now openly threatening Supreme Court justices with violence,” GOP operative Steve Guest wrote on X. Fox News Digital reached out multiple times to the McMorrow campaign about the clip but did not receive a response. Several people online likened the comments to those said by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. in 2020 when he targeted Kavanaugh and Neil Gorsuch, both conservative Supreme Court justices, and said, “You have released the whirlwind, and you will pay the price. You will not know what hit you if you go forward with these awful decisions” during an abortion rights rally. Schumer would later walk back the quote, saying, “I should not have used the words I used yesterday. They did not come out the way I intended to.” This isn’t the first time that McMorrow has received scrutiny this year. Back in October, McMorrow was a headliner at the “John D. Dingell Unity Dinner,” which featured a sign with coded language threatening President Donald Trump and equating his supporters with Nazis. The sign, displayed by local Democrats, said “MAGA=NAZI” and “86 47.” The number “86” originated in restaurants to mean “cancel” or “throw out,” but in underworld slang it is frequently used as a call sign for murdering someone. The number “47” is commonly interpreted as denoting the 47th president of the United States, Trump. “This sign was wrong. Especially now, we each have a responsibility to choose our words and signs carefully, and avoid anything that may be interpreted as a call to violence,” Andrew Mamo, a spokesman for McMorrow for Michigan, told Fox News Digital at the time. She has also come under scrutiny for fundraising with far-left radicals, including a blogger who mocked the assassination of Charlie Kirk. The month-old clip of McMorrow dropped as news spread that Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent had been verbally harassed in public at a luxury Washington, D.C., restaurant and wine bar on Wednesday night by Code Pink, a radical left-wing group. DC DINNER TURNS CHAOTIC AS CODEPINK ACTIVISTS CORNER TREASURY SECRETARY SCOTT BESSENT: ‘BLOOD ON YOUR HANDS’ “We want to make an announcement! We have a special guest here, and we want to make a toast for the Secretary of the Treasury, Scott Bessent!” DiNucci said after striking her glass to get everyone’s attention. “So let’s give it up for the man who is eating in peace as people starve across the world based on his sanctions, which are economic warfare.” “He oversees the deaths of 600,000 people due to sanctions annually,” she added. “How many people are going to die because of the blood that’s on your hands?”
Democrats reveal whether Walz should testify and be held accountable for massive fraud under his watch
Amid backlash over the wide-scale Minnesota Medicaid fraud scandal that has occurred under the leadership of Democratic Governor Tim Walz, some Democrats are dodging responsibility, but others have said Walz should be held accountable. “I think any instance of fraud should be investigated and prosecuted to the fullest extent, and so the federal government should play an oversight role in federal dollars,” Rep. Johnny Olszewski, D-Md., told Fox News Digital. “States have an obligation though to make sure that they’re administering these programs. Any instance should be investigated. Where there’s fraud, people should be prosecuted for that fraud.” When pressed on whether he thinks Walz should be compelled to testify for letting so much money be lost to fraud under his watch, Olszewski said “anyone” involved in large-scale fraud “should come before Congress and tell us what happened.” ILHAN OMAR DEFENDS MEALS ACT DESPITE TIES TO MASSIVE MINNESOTA FRAUD SCHEME Olszewski wasn’t the only Democrat Fox News Digital heard from who suggested Walz should face the music, but others dodged the question and some pointed the finger at President Donald Trump and Republicans. “It is not a partisan issue. I just wish that we could focus on really looking at where the facts take us and not have it be that one side is trying to fight waste, fraud, abuse, and the other isn’t,” said Rep. Becca Balint, D-Vt., when asked if anything should be done to prevent such wide scale fraud – as was seen in Minnesota – from happening in the first place. ‘EPICENTER OF FRAUD’: MINNESOTA’S EMPTY STOMACHS, FAKE AUTISM THERAPY AND A SCANDAL THAT COULD TOP $2 BILLION “There’s always a fraud issue. That’s why the Department of Justice had a huge civil fraud division that did a lot of great work, and that’s why we have [Inspector Generals] and the like throughout the federal government. The elimination of those, firing that cadre of people was one of the worst things the Trump administration could do if they’re serious about fighting waste, fraud, and abuse,” said Rep. Glenn Ivey, D-Md. “Oh, I don’t know that you need the governor to do it. Certainly somebody from Minnesota that has the best insight into what went wrong should,” Rep. Don Beyer, D-Va, told Fox News Digital on whether Walz should testify. In a Thursday press conference, federal authorities in Minnesota announced new charges in the fraud scandal that has grabbed national headlines and spoke on the scope of the crisis, saying that it goes beyond what has previously been reported. According to one report, Minnesota Democratic lawmakers received over $50,000 in campaign donations by fraudsters who ripped off taxpayer funds meant to help feed children.
Trump’s Venezuela oil blockade puts Chevron in the middle of a high-stakes sanctions crackdown
The Trump administration’s escalating crackdown on Venezuela’s sanctioned oil shipments has thrust Chevron into an unusually precarious position. As the last U.S. oil company left in Venezuela, Chevron is operating in the high-tension space between Washington’s pressure campaign and the world’s largest oil reserves. That campaign was on full display on Dec. 10, when U.S. authorities seized a nondescript tanker that had been quietly moving Venezuelan crude, just one ship in a shadow fleet that keeps sanctioned oil flowing. This week, Trump pushed the campaign to a new level, ordering a “total and complete blockade of all sanctioned oil tankers” bound for or departing Venezuela. ‘GHOST SHIPS’ FERRYING ILLICIT OIL HAVE SAILED INTO TRUMP’S CROSSHAIRS And while Chevron isn’t the target of the blockade, the order still introduces fresh uncertainty for the company’s operations in Venezuela’s tightly controlled oil sector. “In the case of Chevron, the U.S. government allows that oil to move, but it’s certainly a very sensitive place to be,” explained Vanda Felbab-Brown, senior fellow at the Strobe Talbott Center for Security, Strategy and Technology at Brookings. But Chevron’s position is only one part of the equation. Felbab-Brown noted that the administration faces significant limits in how aggressively it can enforce a tanker blockade. “This is a major undertaking. The U.S. has the assets and the political willingness to do this to some extent in Venezuela,” she said, adding that “it would be very resource-consuming for the U.S. to seize every ship or locate them.” VENEZUELA HOLDS THE WORLD’S LARGEST OIL RESERVES. HERE’S HOW OTHERS COMPARE Chevron, for its part, said its operations have not been affected by the latest escalation. “Chevron’s operations in Venezuela continue without disruption and in full compliance with laws and regulations applicable to its business, as well as the sanctions frameworks provided for by the U.S. government,” Bill Turenne, Chevron’s Head of Public Policy Communications, wrote in a statement to Fox News Digital. Chevron offered no assessment of the broader security environment, saying only: “Any questions about the security situation in Venezuela should be directed to the appropriate authorities in the U.S. government.” The U.S. energy titan has operated in Venezuela for a century and is the only American company to remain after the government forced Western firms into minority partnerships with the state oil company, Petróleos de Venezuela, SA (PDVSA). For the Maduro government, disruptions to oil shipments strike at the heart of its economic survival. “Venezuela is wholly dependent on oil,” explained Benjamin Jensen, who heads the Futures Lab at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. “Anything you do that puts pressure on their ability to bypass sanctions and trade in oil is a direct threat to the economy and by extension the regime,” he added. Diana Furchtgott-Roth, director of the Center for Energy, Climate and Environment at The Heritage Foundation, framed the blockade as a warning beyond Venezuela. “President Trump is sending the message that this attempt to escape sanctions and use the oil of rogue regimes will no longer stand,” she said. “I don’t know how many ships it is going to take to be seized before that message gets through,” she added. How aggressively the administration enforces the blockade and how effectively Venezuela adapts will determine whether the latest move delivers a decisive economic blow or becomes another costly game of sanctions cat and mouse.