Wyoming Supreme Court rules laws restricting abortion violate state constitution
The Wyoming Supreme Court ruled on Tuesday that a pair of laws restricting abortion access violate the state constitution, including the country’s first explicit ban on abortion pills. The court, in a 4-1 ruling, sided with the state’s only abortion clinic and others who had sued over the abortion bans passed since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, which returned the power to make laws on abortion back to the states. Despite Wyoming being one of the most conservative states, the ruling handed down by justices who were all appointed by Republican governors upheld every previous lower court ruling that the abortion bans violated the state constitution. Wellspring Health Access in Casper, the abortion access advocacy group Chelsea’s Fund and four women, including two obstetricians, argued that the laws violated a state constitutional amendment affirming that competent adults have the right to make their own health care decisions. TRUMP URGES GOP TO BE ‘FLEXIBLE’ ON HYDE AMENDMENT, IGNITING BACKLASH FROM PRO-LIFE ALLIES Voters approved the constitutional amendment in 2012 in response to the federal Affordable Care Act, which is also known as Obamacare. The justices in Wyoming found that the amendment was not written to apply to abortion but noted that it is not their job to “add words” to the state constitution. “But lawmakers could ask Wyoming voters to consider a constitutional amendment that would more clearly address this issue,” the justices wrote. Wellspring Health Access President Julie Burkhart said in a statement that the ruling upholds abortion as “essential health care” that should not be met with government interference. “Our clinic will remain open and ready to provide compassionate reproductive health care, including abortions, and our patients in Wyoming will be able to obtain this care without having to travel out of state,” Burkhart said. Wellspring Health Access opened as the only clinic in the state to offer surgical abortions in 2023, a year after a firebombing stopped construction and delayed its opening. A woman is serving a five-year prison sentence after she admitted to breaking in and lighting gasoline that she poured over the clinic floors. Attorneys representing the state had argued that abortion cannot violate the Wyoming constitution because it is not a form of health care. Republican Gov. Mark Gordon expressed disappointment in the ruling and called on state lawmakers meeting later this winter to pass a constitutional amendment prohibiting abortion that residents could vote on this fall. An amendment like that would require a two-thirds vote to be introduced as a nonbudget matter in the monthlong legislative session that will primarily address the state budget, although it would have significant support in the Republican-dominated legislature. “This ruling may settle, for now, a legal question, but it does not settle the moral one, nor does it reflect where many Wyoming citizens stand, including myself. It is time for this issue to go before the people for a vote,” Gordon said in a statement. APPEALS COURT SIDES WITH TRUMP ON BUDGET PROVISION CUTTING PLANNED PARENTHOOD FUNDS One of the laws overturned by the state’s high court attempted to ban abortion, but with exceptions in cases where it is needed to protect a pregnant woman’s life or in cases of rape or incest. The other law would have made Wyoming the only state to explicitly ban abortion pills, although other states have implemented de facto bans on abortion medication by broadly restricting abortion. Abortion has remained legal in the state since Teton County District Judge Melissa Owens blocked the bans while the lawsuit challenging the restrictions moved forward. Owens struck down the laws as unconstitutional in 2024. Last year, Wyoming passed additional laws requiring abortion clinics to be licensed surgical centers and women to receive ultrasounds before having medication abortions. A judge in a separate lawsuit blocked those laws from taking effect while that case moves forward. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Trump admin expands visa bond requirement to 38 countries, with fees up to $15K
The Trump administration is dramatically expanding a policy requiring some foreign travelers to post bonds of up to $15,000 before entering the United States. The State Department on Tuesday added 25 countries to its visa bond list, nearly tripling the total shortly after adding seven more as part of the Trump administration’s moves to tighten immigration enforcement. There are now 38 countries subject to the requirement, most of them in Africa with others in Latin America and Asia, a move that could make obtaining a U.S. visa unaffordable for many travelers. The bond requirement for the latest additions, including Venezuela, will take effect Jan. 21. TRUMP STATE DEPARTMENT ORDERS GLOBAL VISA CRACKDOWN UNDER REVIVED ‘PUBLIC CHARGE’ RULE Travelers eligible for a B1/B2 visa from countries on the list must post a bond of $5,000, $10,000 or $15,000, with the amount set during the visa interview, according to a notice posted on the State Department’s website. Paying the bond will not guarantee a visa’s approval, but the amount will be refunded should the visa be denied, or when a visa holder demonstrates compliance with the terms of the visa. The expansion follows a pilot program launched by the State Department in August that requires certain visa applicants from countries with high overstay rates and deficient document security controls to post a bond. HOMELAND SECURITY MOVES TOWARD SCRUTINIZING FOREIGN TOURISTS’ SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNTS BEFORE ENTRY The Trump administration rolled out numerous immigration policy changes last year, impacting the way people travel, obtain visas and become citizens in the United States, with some measures scheduled to take effect in 2026. The Trump administration requires citizens from all countries that require visas to sit for in-person interviews and disclose years of social media history, along with information about their families’ previous travel and living arrangements. STATE DEPARTMENT YANKS VISAS FROM MEXICAN EXECUTIVES IN MIGRANT SMUGGLING CRACKDOWN The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) implemented a new rule on Dec. 26, 2025, expanding facial recognition for non-citizens entering and leaving the United States. President Donald Trump also recently announced the launch of the much-anticipated “Trump Gold Card,” an immigration initiative designed to provide a new, streamlined path to U.S. citizenship, which he has said could generate billions of dollars. The new countries added to the visa bond requirement beginning Jan. 21 are Algeria, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Bangladesh, Benin, Burundi, Cape Verde, Cuba, Djibouti, Dominica, Fiji, Gabon, Ivory Coast, Kyrgyzstan, Nepal, Nigeria, Senegal, Tajikistan, Togo, Tonga, Tuvalu, Uganda, Vanuatu, Venezuela and Zimbabwe. Countries already on the list include Bhutan, Botswana, the Central African Republic, the Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Malawi, Mauritania, Namibia, São Tomé and Príncipe, Tanzania, Turkmenistan and Zambia. Fox News Digital has reached out to the State Department for comment. Fox News Digital’s Greg Norman, Greg Wehner and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Vance reposts sombrero meme mocking Democrats’ Jan 6 candlelight vigil
Vice President JD Vance shared a meme of congressional Democrats attending a candlelight vigil Tuesday marking the fifth anniversary of Jan. 6, reposting content that added sombreros to images of House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., as they held candles on the steps of the U.S. Capitol. Vance posted the image from his verified X account without commentary, showing Democratic leaders, including Schumer and Jeffries, prominently from a video clip below. The original video clip was posted by the “End Wokeness” X account, which had the caption: “BREAKING: Congressional Dems just held a candlelit vigil to honor the 5th January 6th anniversary.” The vigil itself featured remarks from Schumer and Jeffries, who described the ceremony as an effort to remember the events of the Jan. 6, 2021, breach of the U.S. Capitol, and honor law enforcement officers and others who died in connection with the riot. WHITE HOUSE TORCHES DEMOCRATS’ JAN 6 ‘GASLIGHTING’ CLAIMS IN ANNIVERSARY TAKEDOWN “We are here today because we must never forget what happened on Jan. 6 five years ago,” Schumer said, adding that future generations should remember it. “The day democracy was placed at greater risk than it has been in a century, and more than a century.” Schumer recalled being evacuated during the breach, saying he and others were “within 20 feet of those rioters of those insurrectionists” as they were moved to safety. “On Jan. 6, our Capitol Police officers were heroes. Our DC police were heroes,” Schumer said. “…We will make sure that your sacrifices that day are never forgotten, nor will we ever, ever forget the lives of those we lost in the connection with the attack.” Jeffries called Jan. 6 a “violent insurrection incited by Donald Trump to overturn the results of a free and fair election” and praised law enforcement who defended the Capitol. “We owe these heroes an eternal debt of gratitude and will never forget their service and their sacrifice,” Jeffries said. JD VANCE RESPONDS TO HAKEEM JEFFRIES’ CLAIM SOMBRERO MEME IS ‘RACIST’ Jeffries later asked attendees to observe a moment of silence “to remember those whose lives were lost as a result of the tragic and horrific events of Janu. 6, 2021.” Following the moment of silence, attendees sang “God Bless America,” with Schumer’s voice carrying above the group. Vance did not reference the victims or the vigil’s remarks in his repost, instead sharing the altered image without commentary. Some social media users who supported the repost framed it as criticism of what they described as political theater rather than an attack on the victims of Jan. 6. “These people and their theater antics are so embarrassing,” one user wrote in response to the post. “I’d laugh more often at them were it not for the very real authoritarian danger they pose which hides in plain sight.” Another commenter criticized Democratic leadership for focusing on symbolic gestures rather than governance, writing, “I wish they put the same effort into their states and cities.” Democrat leaders have previously faced criticism from conservative commentators over what they described as performative displays during moments of national tension. In 2020, several lawmakers, including then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., drew attention for kneeling while wearing traditional Ghanaian Kente cloth stoles during Capitol events following the death of George Floyd; actions that were praised by supporters and criticized by opponents as political theater. Variations of the sombrero meme targeting Jeffries have circulated online since the federal government shutdown last year amid criticism of Democratic leadership. The imagery has since reemerged periodically in online political satire. Vance’s, Schumer’s and Jeffries’ offices did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
‘The People’s Qur’an’: Mamdani announces NYC Quran exhibit with book belonging to revolutionary activist
Socialist Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced Tuesday that one of the Qurans he used to be sworn in as the city’s first Muslim leader will be kept on display at the main branch of the New York Public Library. In an X post, Mamdani wrote the Quran belonged to an 18th-century Black scholar and revolutionary activist named Arturo Schomburg. “When I swore in at midnight at the old City Hall subway station last week, I had the honor of doing so on Arturo Schomburg’s 18th-century Qur’an,” said Mamdani. He said that “this manuscript was copied in Ottoman Syria, and is written in black ink with red highlighting the text’s divisions — no ornate decoration, it belonged to the everyday reader, and it now belongs to all New Yorkers as part of our City’s next chapter.” HOCHUL ORDERS NY LANDMARKS, INCLUDING ONE WORLD TRADE CENTER, LIT GREEN FOR MUSLIM AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH The new mayor shared a photo of the library display, which features slogans such as “The People’s Qur’an” and “Making history at City Hall.” In addition to the book, the display features an image of Mamdani and his wife, Rama Duwaji, at his private New Year’s midnight oath-of-office ceremony, in which he was sworn in by New York State Attorney General Letitia James. The display also features a close-up of the Quran with Mamdani’s hand on it as well as an image of Schomburg. According to the New York Public Library, the Quran is part of its collection retained by the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. SOCIALIST MAYOR MAMDANI INAUGURATED ALONGSIDE BERNIE SANDERS AND AOC ON NEW YEAR’S DAY The library wrote that, after the “history-making moment [of Mamdani’s swearing-in] with one of the Schomburg Center’s treasured collection items,” it would be displayed beginning Jan. 6 in the McGraw Rotunda at the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building on 42nd Street. The library identifies Schomburg as a Puerto Rican–born bibliophile, historian and journalist who devoted much of his life to collecting and studying books and manuscripts about Black history and culture. The library also identifies him as the co-founder of Las Dos Antillas, a revolutionary anti-colonialist political organization that advocated for Cuban and Puerto Rican independence. The group’s activities included sending weapons, money and medical supplies to aid the independence struggles of Cuba and Puerto Rico, according to the library. Commenting on Mamdani’s use of the Schomburg Quran at his swearing-in, New York Public Library President Anthony Marx wrote, “This specific Qur’an, which Arturo Schomburg preserved for the knowledge and enjoyment of all New Yorkers, symbolizes a greater story of inclusion, representation, and civic-mindedness.” MAMDANI’S TOP HOUSING PICK ONCE CALLED HOMEOWNERSHIP A ‘WEAPON OF WHITE SUPREMACY’ Hiba Abid, New York Public Library curator of Middle Eastern and Islamic studies, also commented that “the significance of this Qur’an extends far beyond the beauty of its pages. “It is a Qur’an close to the people, not only because of its simple craftsmanship, but also because it is part of the collections of the nation’s largest public library system. Its importance lies not in luxury, but in accessibility, and we hope it inspires more New Yorkers to explore the rich diversity of our Middle Eastern and Islamic collections.”
Trump announces Venezuela is turning over millions of barrels of oil to US government ‘immediately’
President Donald Trump announced Tuesday that the interim authorities in Venezuela will be turning over between 30 million and 50 million barrels of “high-quality,” sanctioned oil to the U.S. The move comes after U.S. forces on Saturday captured Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro and his wife, hauling them to New York City to face criminal drug charges. Trump said the oil will be sold at market price, and he will control the proceeds to ensure it is “used to benefit the people of Venezuela and the United States!” The oil will be transported directly to unloading docks in the U.S. via storage ships, the president said. TRUMP OUSTING OF MADURO DRAWS PARALLELS TO US RAID IN PANAMA, BUT THERE ARE SOME MAJOR CONTRASTS Energy Secretary Chris Wright has been tasked with executing the plan “immediately.” The announcement comes as America’s oil titans are set for high-stakes meetings with Trump at the White House to discuss the future of Venezuela’s oil industry. Companies like Chevron, ConocoPhillips and ExxonMobil are expected to meet with Trump later this week to discuss the possibility of investing billions of dollars to get the country’s operations back up and running. Following strikes on the capital and Maduro’s subsequent capture, Trump said the U.S. will run Caracas, Venezuela, until a safe transition can occur, warning he was “ready to stage a second and much larger attack” on Caracas if needed. In an interview with MS NOW host Joe Scarborough Tuesday, Trump said the difference between the disaster in Iraq and the recent action in Venezuela was that former President George Bush “didn’t keep the oil.” TRUMP EMBRACES US INTERVENTION IN VENEZUELA, OPENS DOOR TO BROADER LATIN AMERICA PUSH “‘We’re going to keep the oil,’” Scarborough said, quoting Trump. “‘We’re going to rebuild their broken-down oil facilities, and this time we’re going to keep the oil.’” Venezuela holds more than 300 billion barrels of proven oil reserves, nearly quadruple those of the U.S. Though the country in the late 1990s was capable of pumping about 3.5 million barrels a day, mismanagement, corruption and the rising cost of extraction caused production to fall to roughly 800,000 barrels a day, according to energy analytics firm Kpler. SWITZERLAND IMPOSES 4-YEAR ASSET FREEZE LINKED TO MADURO, ASSOCIATES FOLLOWING VENEZUELAN LEADER’S CAPTURE Trump said he plans to mobilize major U.S. oil companies to invest billions in fixing Venezuela’s broken oil infrastructure. “We are going to have our very large United States oil companies go in, spend billions of dollars, fix the badly broken oil infrastructure and start making money for the country,” Trump said. American firms have not yet confirmed plans to return to Venezuela. Fox News Digital’s Amanda Macias contributed to this report.
US gains leverage over Canadian oil, weakens China amid US plans to overhaul Venezuelan oil market
The Trump administration’s plans to revitalize the Venezuelan oil market puts the United States at an advantage over Canada and serves to weaken China, according to energy experts. Conservative politicians, including the leader of Canada’s conservative opposition party, are calling on Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney to approve a new Pacific coast pipeline to help aid the country’s oil exports to overseas markets, amid fears that the United States’ involvement in Venezuela’s market will significantly impact the competitiveness of Canadian oil. Canadian lawmakers are concerned that increased oil exports from Venezuela to the United States, which is Canada’s largest oil purchaser, will displace oil from Canada, forcing the country to drop its prices in order to stay competitive. Meanwhile, experts have added that the U.S. involvement in Venezuela’s oil market will also serve to weaken China. “This is going to be bad for all petrostates, and Canada is basically a petrostate,” Energy and Environment Legal Institute’s Steve Milloy, a former fossil fuel industry lobbyist, told Fox News Digital. TRUMP TELLS SCARBOROUGH US WILL KEEP VENEZUELA OIL WHEN PRESSED ON IRAQ COMPARISONS A “petrostate” is a term used to describe a nation whose government and economy heavily rely on revenue from oil and natural gas exports. “Canada, like all petrostates — Iran, all of OPEC, all those people — are going to be at our mercy,” Milloy added. The leader of Canada’s conservative opposition party, Pierre Poilievre, said in a letter to Carney Tuesday, that the country needs to “move millions of barrels a day to overseas markets” in order to reduce Canada’s “dependence” on the United States’ oil market. “Venezuela’s re-entry to American markets means time is running out,” Poilievre told Carney in his letter, arguing “our sovereignty depends” on buffering the Canadian oil markets from the United States’ influence amid its plans to go into Venezuela and overhaul its oil. “Recent events surrounding Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro emphasize the importance that we expedite the development of pipelines to diversify our oil export markets, including a new Indigenous co-owned bitumen pipeline to BC’s northwest coast to reach Asian markets,” Alberta Premier Danielle Smith also said Monday. But, according to Carney, Canadian oil will remain “competitive,” citing its “clearly low risk” and “low cost” due to the country’s stable governance, Reuters reported Tuesday. “That makes Canadian oil competitive for the medium and long term,” Carney said. “We welcome the prospect of greater prosperity in Venezuela, but we also see the competitiveness of Canadian oil.” 3 KEY TAKEAWAYS FROM TRUMP’S PUSH TO PUT US OIL FIRMS BACK IN VENEZUELA However, Milloy argued that if Canada is “forced to sell cheaper oil” it will significantly impact the country’s ability to generate revenue. But, Milloy also noted, it is also slightly “premature to say what’s going to happen just yet” as it will take time for the impact of the United States’ intervention in Venezuela’s oil market to take shape. “There’s a lot yet to be worked out,” Milloy said. In addition to Canada, Milloy suggested that President Donald Trump’s decision to go into Venezuela and take over its oil market also helps the United States’ leverage over China. “Another important factor is that a lot of Venezuelan oil went to China,” he pointed out. “China is basically oil poor, and that’s why China has been trying to electrify everything. They have a lot of nuclear power there, they’re running as much solar and wind as they can because they’re oil poor, they don’t have natural gas and and they need to insulate themselves when they do something stupid like invade Taiwan,” Milloy said. “If they’re dependent on oil and gas, the global market will just shut down. There will be an embargo, and they’ll be screwed. So they’re trying to electrify everything as much as possible — the trucks, the cars, just everything. And this is just another lever on China … They were buying their oil from Venezuela, probably at a cut-price, and that’s going to end. Trump said he would sell oil in China, but it’s not going to be a cut-price.” That sentiment was also echoed by U.S. Oil and Gas Association President Tim Stewart. “Long term, what this does now, is it puts 40% of the entire production in the world under the U.S. security umbrella — that’s from Alberta to Argentina. And it completely resets the global geopolitical world in terms of the U.S.’s ability to project its interests across the world. We can do things internationally without having an immediate price spike in crude,” Stewart told Fox News. “Venezuela is the poster child for the Belt and Road Initiative. The numbers I saw with Venezuela now is about $20 billion to China over just the course of the last few years, and that’s largely backed by crude shipments,” Stewart continued. “What this says to China is ‘I’m sorry, but your failure to plan with good borrowing partners does not constitute our financial obligation.’ It also sends a message to China, ‘Hey get out of our hemisphere.’ … (China) takes about 80% of Venezuela’s crude right now so it’s going to have a big impact on them.”
WATCH: Horse-mounted officers capture previously deported child predator at border
Horse-mounted Texas Department of Public Safety officers captured a previously deported illegal alien child predator close to the border. In a statement Tuesday, the state agency said officers from its Border Mounted Patrol Unit made “multiple” illegal immigrant apprehensions on New Year’s Day as part of an effort called Operation Lone Star. The agency said the operation took place in Maverick County along the U.S. border with Mexico, just south of the town of Del Rio, Texas. Among those arrested by Texas DPS officers was Marcio Steven Izaguirre, a 41-year-old Honduran illegal alien and child predator, according to the agency. DPS shared body camera video of the arrest in which horse-riding troopers discovered Izaguirre hiding in thick desert brush. VIDEO SHOWS 23 ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS FOUND HIDDEN IN TRUCK CAB DURING TENSE TRAFFIC STOP: POLICE The video shows two mounted troopers riding quickly through rocky desert terrain and eventually discovering Izaguirre. The officers shouted commands for Izaguirre to exit the brush and handcuffed him and led him away in front of their horses. The agency said it was alerted to the illegal’s presence by a drawbridge camera set off on a private ranch around 10:30 a.m. New Year’s Day. DPS said, through further investigation, troopers learned that Izaguirre was a previously deported felon with multiple deportations dating back to 2004. The agency said Izaguirre also has a lengthy criminal history, including convictions from 2008 for furnishing alcohol to a minor, contributing to the delinquency of a minor and child molestation out of Cobb County, Georgia. TWO ARRESTED AFTER DOZENS OF GUNS, INCLUDING ‘COP-KILLER’ MODEL, FOUND IN SPARE TIRE AT SOUTHERN BORDER: DPS The agency said it has since referred Izaguirre to U.S. Border Patrol. Lt. Chris Olivarez, a Texas DPS spokesperson, said in an X post Jan. 1 that mounted officers, along with Border Patrol and aided by K-9 “Bona,” apprehended five illegal immigrants on New Year’s Day. Olivarez said the operation prevented gotaways and was a way of “keeping Texas safe.” TEXAS WOMAN TRIES TO FLEE TO MEXICO ACROSS RIO GRANDE WITH INFANT AFTER HUMAN SMUGGLING BUST, AUTHORITIES SAY Texas makes up well over half of the U.S. border with Mexico, around 1,254 miles. It is the only southern border state to explicitly ban sanctuary jurisdictions. Texas also requires state and local law enforcement to cooperate with federal immigration authorities. Texas law also mandates that local sheriffs cooperate with federal immigration enforcement by seeking to enter federal 287(g) agreements under the federal Immigration and Nationality Act.
Trump says he’s backing Cuellar’s GOP rival despite pardoning him after daughters’ ‘heart-wrenching’ plea
President Donald Trump on Tuesday backed Republican challenger Tano Tijerina against Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, just weeks after pardoning the longtime Democrat in a corruption case Trump said was driven by Biden-era political retaliation. Trump pardoned Cuellar in December after the Department of Justice, under the Biden administration, indicted him and his wife for allegedly taking roughly $600,000 in bribes from an Azerbaijan-owned energy company and a Mexican bank. “Nobody knows Henry Cuellar better than Donald J. Trump,” Trump wrote in a fiery Truth Social post Tuesday afternoon. “I studied his records, learned about his financing, and listened to his two wonderful daughters beg me to help the mother and father that they love.” Trump described Cuellar’s daughters’ letters as “heart-wrenching and beautiful,” noting only he could “solve” their father’s “problems.” HOUSE DEM PARDONED BY TRUMP REVEALS WHETHER HE WILL SWITCH POLITICAL PARTIES “He and his wife were headed to jail for up to 20 years because he was ‘stupid’ in what he did but, above all, because the Biden Administration practiced Political Weaponization on Cuellar and his wife because they didn’t agree with his policies on the Southern Border,” Trump wrote. “He was a weak and incompetent version of me, who wanted the Border closed to criminals, drug dealers, people from mental institutions and, above all, murderers and heavy-handed criminals that were sitting in jails and mental institutions, and should never have been given the right to be released into our Country.” The president added Cuellar’s views were “not strong,” but alleged Democrats retaliated against him in an effort to jail him for life. “Being an expert on Political Weaponization, based on what the Biden Losers had done to me, and without having ever met Henry Cuellar, and in particular because of the magnificence of the letter drawn by his daughters asking me to help ‘Mom and Dad,’ I gave him and Mrs. Cuellar a full and unconditional Pardon,” Trump wrote. “In doing so, I never assumed he would be running for Office again, and certainly not as a Democrat.” WATCH: DEM LAWMAKER THANKS TRUMP FOR PARDON, SAYS IT CAME AS A SURPRISE AMID RE-ELECTION BID Trump said “despite doing [Cuellar] by far the greatest favor of his life, 20 years of FREEDOM,” he will endorse Tijerina for Congress because Cuellar’s views are “not nearly as good or strong.” The Justice Department previously said Cuellar’s alleged bribe payments were laundered through a series of front companies and middlemen into shell companies owned by his wife, Imelda, who performed “little to no legitimate work under the contracts.” In exchange, the DOJ said Cuellar allegedly agreed to use his office to influence U.S. foreign policy in favor of Azerbaijan. Tijerina, who was drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers in 1993, served three terms as Webb County judge after retiring from baseball.
Seven US service members injured in Venezuela raid to capture Maduro, official says
Seven U.S. service members were injured in the Venezuela operation to capture Nicolás Maduro, an administration official told Fox News Digital Tuesday. Five service members already have returned to duty and two are still recovering from the operation. “They are receiving excellent medical care and are well on their way to recovery,” the official said. “The fact that this extremely complex and grueling mission was successfully executed with so few injuries is a testament to the expertise of our joint warriors.” On Saturday, service members landed in Caracas, Venezuela, during a secretive mission to strike Venezuelan territory and capture Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, known as Operation Absolute Resolve. The mission was led by the Army’s elite special operations unit Delta Force. DEFIANT MADURO DECLARES HE IS A ‘PRISONER OF WAR’ IN FIRST US COURT APPEARANCE Officials said Tuesday that 24 Venezuelan security officials were killed during the raid, along with 32 Cuban military and police officers, who were responsible for guarding Maduro. Venezuelan officials have claimed the operation also killed civilians, but those claims have not been independently verified. Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Trump ordered the “apprehension mission” Friday night, and it involved 150 planes, including B-1 Lancer bombers and helicopters from 20 bases. MOBS OF MOTORCYCLE-RIDING ARMED MILITIA HUNT VENEZUELAN STREETS FOR TRUMP SUPPORTERS AS CRACKDOWN INTENSIFIES U.S. intelligence officers had reportedly tracked Maduro’s whereabouts for months ahead of the operation. One helicopter was hit during the operation, which began at 2:10 a.m. local time and lasted around two and a half hours, but remained flyable. At the same time, a U.S. cyber attack had rendered much of Caracas, Venezuela, powerless, leaving the city and its communication lines in the dark. Maduro and his wife were flown to New York to face federal charges of drug trafficking and narco-terrorism.
Georgia calls special election in March to fill MTG vacancy after Trump rupture and resignation
Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger on Tuesday called a special election to fill the House seat vacated by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., after the lawmaker resigned following a very public break with President Donald Trump. Raffensperger’s office said the special election will be held March 10 to fill the vacancy in Georgia’s 14th Congressional District, with a special runoff election scheduled for April 7, if needed. “Notice is hereby given that a Special Election shall be held on March 10, 2026, in Catoosa, Chattooga, Dade, Floyd, Murray, Paulding, Polk, Walker, Whitfield, and portions of Cobb counties for U.S. House of Representatives, District 14, to fill a vacancy due to the resignation of Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene. A Special Runoff Election, if needed, shall be held on April 7, 2026,” the call stated. According to the state’s Secretary of State office, candidate qualifying will be held at the secretary’s elections division in Atlanta on Jan. 12, through Jan. 14. The qualifying fee for interested candidates is $5,220. MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE RETURNING TO ‘THE VIEW’ JUST DAYS AFTER SHE’LL LEAVE CONGRESS The office also set key voter deadlines. Feb. 9 is the final day to register to vote for those not already registered, and advance in-person absentee voting will begin Feb. 16. Greene’s resignation followed Trump’s decision in November to publicly withdraw his endorsement of the outspoken Georgia Republican. Trump announced in a Truth Social post in November that he was withdrawing his support and endorsement of Greene, calling her a “ranting lunatic,” accusing her of “complaining,” and claiming she told people she was upset he no longer returned her calls. Trump also gave Greene the nickname “Wacky Marjorie” and vowed “Complete and Unyielding Support” to any conservative primary challenger. FORMER HOUSE SPEAKER MCCARTHY WARNS MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE IS ‘THE CANARY IN THE COAL MINE’ Greene responded at the time on X, writing: “President Trump just attacked me and lied about me.” Greene later announced she would resign, citing what she called the “Political Industrial Complex” and saying Americans are used as “pawns.” “Americans are used by the Political Industrial Complex of both political parties, election cycle after election cycle, in order to elect whichever side can convince Americans to hate the other side more,” Greene wrote in a lengthy statement posted to X. “And the results are always the same — nothing ever gets better for the common American man or woman.” Greene also shared her faith in the statement, writing: “My heart remains filled with joy, my life is filled with happiness, and my true convictions remain unchanged because my self worth is not defined by a man, but instead by God who created everything in existence.” “I will be resigning from office with my last day being January 5, 2026,” Greene wrote. “I’m going back to the people I love.” Trump responded to Greene’s resignation with another Truth Social post, writing that “Marjorie ‘Traitor’ Brown, because of PLUMMETING Poll Numbers, and not wanting to face a Primary Challenger with a strong Trump Endorsement (where she would have no chance of winning!), has decided to call it ‘quits.’” He also claimed Greene “went BAD” after he “refused to return her never ending barrage of phone calls.” Asked later whether he was willing to forgive Greene, Trump told reporters, “Forgive for what? No. We just — I just disagreed with her philosophy. … And once I left her, she resigned because she would never have survived a primary. But I think she’s a nice person.”‘ The Cook Political Report rates Georgia’s 14th Congressional District as “Solid R.” After Greene’s resignation Monday and the death of Rep. Doug LaMalfa, R-Calif., on Tuesday, the House has a narrow Republican majority of 218-213 heading into the 2026 midterms. Fox News Digital’s Liz Elkind and Greg Norman contributed to this reporting.