Top Dem fundraiser slammed for honoring Nazi officer in social media post: ‘Disturbing trend’
A top Democratic fundraiser in Michigan is taking heat for a Veteran’s Day social media post in which she honored her grandfather, who served as an officer in the Nazi military forces during World War II. Kelly Neumann, a fundraising host for Michigan Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jocelyn Benson and senatorial candidate Mallory McMorrow, honored her grandfather, Albert Neumann, a WWII German military officer whom she called “one of my best friends.” In a 2024 Veterans Day post on Facebook that features pictures of a man wearing a Nazi uniform, Neumann praised her grandfather, writing, “His story is a true testament that people can change and love can indeed win.” The post appears to have been removed from Neumann’s account following Fox News Digital’s request for comment. EXPERT WARNS DEMOCRATS RISK BACKLASH OVER FAILURE TO CONDEMN VIOLENT RHETORIC IN THEIR RANKS Neumann wrote in the post, “Happy Veterans Day to all my friends and family who serve/served! Without you, America would not be here today.” “I do not talk much about [him] much but my Grandfather, Albert Neumann was on the German side in WWI and WWII,” she went on. “He escaped to Brazil with my Father after Germany lost in WWII and then made their way to Detroit where they spoke no English and worked their way to provide a stable life for their family.” “My grandfather was one of my best friends,” she wrote. “He was one of the first people in my life that accepted me as gay when I was nervous and scared.” “I’ll never forget him embracing me and loving me for who I am,” Neumann continued, concluding, “His story is a true testament that people can change and love can indeed win.” The post sparked outrage online after resurfacing. Los Angeles rabbi and author David Wolpe commented, “This is so outrageous I had to double check it wasn’t a hoax.” Michigan Republican gubernatorial candidate Aric Nesbitt wrote, “I guess escaping justice for war crimes, death camps, genocide, and Nazi salutes is okay as long as you’re a far left extremist in the end.” “Michigan wants off this ride,” Nesbitt added. Rep. Lisa McClain, R-Mich., reacted, “When Democrats tell you who they are, believe them.” “Unsurprisingly, the party that falsely smears Republicans as ‘Nazis’ HONORS ACTUAL NAZIS,” wrote McClain. “That tells you everything about the state of the Democrat party today.” ARIZONA DEM TEARS INTO HER OWN PARTY OVER TREND THAT SHE DEEMS ANTISEMITIC: ‘SICK AND TIRED’ Neumann, Benson and McMorrow did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. Benson currently serves as Michigan secretary of state, and McMorrow is a state senator running for the U.S. Senate. In addition to being a fundraiser, Neumann has donated tens of thousands of dollars to Michigan Democrats, including Sens. Elissa Slotkin and Debbie Stabenow. Though she did not address Neumann’s Nazi Facebook post, McMorrow posted on X on Tuesday that “on International Holocaust Remembrance Day, 81 years since the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau on January 27, 1945, we remember the six million Jews and countless others killed by the Nazis.” “The Holocaust attempted to exterminate an entire people – their lives, culture, families – by perpetuating a cycle of hatred, antisemitism, dehumanization and lies,” wrote McMorrow. “Today we recommit to fighting against antisemitism and hate in all its forms so these horrors may never happen again.” Last October, both Benson and McMorrow were criticized for headlining a “unity dinner” event that featured equating supporters of President Donald Trump 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. TRUMP ADMIN MARKS INTERNATIONAL HOLOCAUST REMEMBRANCE DAY HONORING MILLIONS MURDERED BY NAZI REGIME McMorrow, who is running in the crowded Democratic Senate primary, also ignited social media backlash last year when she shared a violent fantasy about conservative Supreme Court justices. McMorrow was asked by an attendee at a Huron Valley Indivisible event on Nov. 12 whether there “was any sense in dealing with the Supreme Court.” The state senator answered, “So, I’m a Notre Dame grad, and Amy Coney Barrett coming out of my university makes me furious. Just on a personal level.” She went on, “I talked to somebody yesterday who said they saw her and Brett Kavanaugh at a tailgate last weekend,” saying, “I would not have been able to control myself. That would be bad. There would be beers thrown in peoples’ faces.” In a statement to Fox News Digital, Senate Leadership Fund spokesperson Chris Gustafson drew a line between the Facebook post and Maine Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Graham Platner. Platner, a progressive Democrat, stirred up his own controversy last year when it was discovered that he had a tattoo resembling the Nazi SS “Totenkopf” symbol. Platner has since had the tattoo covered over. “From Mallory McMorrow in Michigan to Graham Platner in Maine, the Democrat Party’s fondness for Nazi regalia is a sad and disturbing trend,” said Gustafson, adding, “The fact McMorrow is still silent is telling.”
House launches investigation into hospitals allegedly letting foreign patients jump organ transplant lines
House lawmakers are launching a congressional investigation into two major hospital systems amid allegations they allowed wealthy foreign patients to bypass U.S. organ transplant waiting lists, as more than 100,000 Americans remain on those lists and thousands die each year waiting for life-saving organs. Reps. Jason Smith, R-Mo., and David Schweikert, R-Ariz., who lead the House Ways and Means Committee’s oversight effort, sent letters Tuesday to the University of Chicago Medical Center and Montefiore Medical Center in New York demanding records by Feb. 10 and warning they will issue subpoenas if the hospitals fail to comply. The allegations, first reported by the New York Times, claim the tax-exempt hospitals transplanted organs procured from American donors into foreign nationals who traveled to the U.S. specifically to receive transplants, effectively jumping ahead of U.S. patients. Smith and Schweikert said the alleged conduct likely bypassed Americans on transplant waiting lists, potentially resulting in loss of life. Smith said the allegations strike at the core of what tax-exempt hospitals are supposed to represent and could trigger a broader review of whether those benefits should continue. BIDEN-ERA REGULATION ON THE CHOPPING BLOCK AS TRUMP-ALIGNED LEGAL GROUP WARNS OF ‘DEI LENS’ “If U.S. hospitals who enjoy lucrative taxpayer-funded benefits have prioritized foreign nationals for organ transplants over saving American lives, they should have their tax-exempt status terminated,” Smith said. “America First means prioritizing American lives, not your bottom line. The Ways and Means Committee will leave no stone unturned and is prepared to utilize every tool at our disposal, including subpoenas, in pursuit of the truth.” In the letter to University of Chicago Medical Center President Thomas Jackiewicz, lawmakers said they were particularly alarmed by the hospital’s transplant numbers. Foreign patients made up about 11% of the hospital’s heart and lung transplants, with 61 international patients receiving organs between 2020 and 2024 — more than at any other hospital in the U.S. Lawmakers also cited cases in which foreign patients allegedly received organs within days, while American patients waited far longer. ORGAN DONORS’ LIVES ENDANGERED BY RUSHED TRANSPLANT PROCEDURES, INVESTIGATION FINDS One case involved a wealthy Japanese woman who reportedly received a heart transplant just three days after being placed on the waiting list after an exception raised her priority. The patient was a self-pay international recipient, and a charity founded by her husband later donated money to a nonprofit linked to the transplant surgeon’s family, raising concerns about a possible quid pro quo. “The case raised alarms among transplant experts and has drawn scrutiny because it suggests that wealth, connections, and post-transplant charitable giving may have intersected with access to a scarce organ,” the letter said. Lawmakers also questioned whether the hospital violated its obligations as a tax-exempt institution by allegedly entering into contracts with foreign governments for transplant services. HUNDREDS OF MUTILATED BODIES FOUND IN SUSPECTED NIGERIAN ORGAN-HARVESTING RING “Contracting with a foreign government to provide these crucial services to foreign nationals over American citizens raises serious questions as to the nature of the community benefit that you are providing in order to maintain your tax-exempt status,” the letter continued. A separate letter sent to Montefiore Medical Center President and CEO Philip O. Ozuah detailed similar concerns. Lawmakers cited reporting that 20% of lung transplant recipients at Montefiore were overseas patients, generating tens of millions of dollars in revenue for the hospital. The letter alleges Montefiore advertised transplant services abroad by highlighting short wait times and concierge care, while whistleblowers claimed international patients were given preferential treatment, including altering or omitting medical records to speed up access to organs. PATIENT DIES FROM RABIES AFTER ORGAN TRANSPLANT FROM INFECTED DONOR The lawmakers said a former transplant financial coordinator told The New York Times that American patients were pushed aside, saying, “[W]e had patients who we’d been working with, who had been waiting their turn, and then someone from Kuwait would come and jump the line.” Smith and Schweikert noted that more than 100,000 Americans are currently waiting for an organ transplant and that approximately 5,600 die each year while on the waiting list. “Montefiore’s decision to provide foreign nationals with this critical service — and preferential treatment over American citizens — in return for massive payments far exceeding the market rate is completely inappropriate,” the letter said. The document demands come amid an ongoing congressional investigation into the U.S. organ transplant system. Schweikert said the investigation has already produced results, including the Trumpadministration’s decision to decertify a Miami organ procurement organization. He said testimony at a December hearing revealed “shocking stories of organ donations gone terribly wrong” and highlighted the need for more transparency in the transplant system.
Ilhan Omar hit with unknown spray and other highlights from chaotic Minneapolis town hall
Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., held a town hall Tuesday evening in her home district amid recent shootings involving federal immigration agents and local agitators in Minneapolis. The event started out mostly uneventful until someone attacked the congresswoman with some sort of chemical spray that had a foul odor, according to those close by. Those nearby Omar wanted her to leave, but Omar refused and continued on. “Please don’t let them have the show,” Omar could be heard saying after she was hit with the foul-smelling spray. “We will continue! These f—-ing a–holes are not going to get away with this.” “Here is the reality that people like this ugly man don’t understand,” Omar said as she returned to the microphone. “We are Minnesota strong and we will stay resilient in the face of whatever they might throw at us.” NEW DETAILS TO CONGRESS REVEAL GUNS USED, BODYCAM FOOTAGE IN FATAL BORDER PATROL SHOOTING OF MINNESOTA NURSE Omar and her fellow far-left Democrats spent a lot of time slamming federal immigration efforts and the Trump administration. Omar called for the impeachment or resignation of Homeland Secretary Kristi Noem directly before she was attacked with the foul-smelling spray towards the beginning of her address. “Everybody, everybody settle down. I’m going to finish my remarks,” Omar said following the attack. “It is important for me to continue to lead my Democratic colleagues in demanding [Noem’s] resignation.” At other points, Omar referred to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) as a “rogue agency” which “escalates violence.” “ICE is shooting people in broad daylight, beating up teenagers, spraying tear gas on peaceful, peaceful protesters, ripping people out of their cars and homes without warrants, racially profiling people based on their accent, taking kids from schools and abducting people, shipping them far away detention camps with brutal conditions and no due process,” Omar told the crowd of people at her town hall event. “We cannot treat this as business as usual.” She then accused ICE agents of having committed murder. “Murder … it’s not something that has a statute of limitation. And so, regardless of what these people think, we’re going to make sure that they are held accountable in every way that we can,” she said, while noting, “Obviously, there are investigations, even if the federal government has chosen not to fully comply, in having a transparent investigation.” TRUMP TO CONTINUE MINNESOTA OPERATIONS, PRAISES DHS SECRETARY KRISTI NOEM AMID FATAL SHOOTINGS However, despite Omar’s tense rhetoric towards federal immigration officials, she did list at least one thing ICE has done well – albeit somewhat sarcastically. “One thing that ICE has succeeded in doing is making Minneapolis residents love Minneapolis police,” Omar quipped after a woman in the crowd asked what Minneapolis residents can do to help their police department. “That’s the only thing they’ve succeeded at doing.” Omar also called on her Republican colleagues in Congress Tuesday night to “grow a backbone” and pass Congress’s war powers resolution. She discussed what she knew about ICE officials potentially leaving Minneapolis, noting she saw reporting that 800 had already left. And the congresswoman also discussed how local police are supposed to adhere to federal immigration detainers, describing the process as akin to “basically turn[ing] them over in the parking lot.” TRAVELERS TOLD TO AVOID MINNEAPOLIS DUE TO ‘VIOLENT CLASHES’ WITH IMMIGRATION AUTHORITIES Meanwhile, Omar also likened federal immigration operations to the atrocities many asylum seekers are trying to get away from. “People talk a lot about illegal immigration and criminals, but what this enforcement has truly done is frighten actual citizens and documented neighbors. The children that are afraid to go to schools, the mothers and fathers that are afraid to drop them off, the elderly shop owners, they’re all citizens, but they don’t want the trauma of seeing men with heavy machine guns, because that is what they escaped to come to the United States,” Omar said before concluding her Tuesday evening town hall. “They don’t want to go through a checkpoint, because that is what they escaped to come to the United States. They don’t want a gun drawn on them asking for their identification, because that’s what they escaped to come to the United States.”
Rubio scheduled to appear before Senate to outline Trump’s Venezuela policy
Secretary of State Marco Rubio will publicly testify on the Trump administration’s policy in Venezuela Wednesday morning after vowing to lawmakers that no more military action was expected in the region. Rubio’s return to the Hill, an increasingly frequent occurrence in recent months, comes after he, President Donald Trump, administration officials and Senate Republican leadership successfully killed a bipartisan push to rein in the president’s war authorities in Venezuela. His scheduled appearance before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Wednesday at 10 a.m. comes just weeks after he helped to convince two lawmakers, Sens. Todd Young, R-Ind., and Josh Hawley, R-Mo., to flip their votes and back the administration. SECRETARY RUBIO SCHEDULED TO FACE FORMER COLLEAGUES ON VENEZUELA POLICY Both were concerned about boots on the ground in Venezuela and Congress’ constitutional authority to weigh in on the matter. They were convinced by Rubio and the administration that no further military action would take place, and that if it were, President Donald Trump would come to Congress first. Young said at the time that the effort, spurred by Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., was ultimately just a messaging exercise that never would have survived in the House, nor evaded a veto from Trump. “I had to accept that this was all a communications exercise,” Young said. “I think we [used] this moment to shine a bright light on Congress’ shortcomings as it relates to war powers in recent history.” RUBIO LAYS OUT THREE-PHASE PLAN FOR VENEZUELA AFTER MADURO: ‘NOT JUST WINGING IT’ Rubio also wrote to Senate Foreign Relations Chair James Risch, R-Idaho, to spell out that the administration would clue in Congress should any future military action take place in the region. “Should there be any new military operations that introduce U.S. Armed Forces into hostilities, they will be undertaken consistent with the Constitution of the United States, and we will transmit written notifications consistent with section 4(a) of the War Powers Resolution (Public Law 93-148),” he said. However, Rubio’s appearance before the panel comes on the heels of unrest stateside following another fatal shooting in Minnesota, where Alex Pretti was killed in the midst of a Department of Homeland Security-led immigration operation in Minneapolis. KAINE VOWS NEW WAR POWERS FIGHTS AFTER SENATE BLOCKS TRUMP VENEZUELA CHECK While he won’t have to answer for that situation, it has drastically shifted the Senate’s attention over the last several days. It also follows Kaine’s vow to file several more war powers resolutions against Trump, specifically against action in Greenland, Iran and elsewhere. Kaine believed that he could take advantage of cracks that formed in Republicans’ unified front earlier this month, when five joined all Senate Democrats to advance his resolution to require any future military action in Venezuela would need Congress’ approval. “The way cracks grow is through pressure and the pressure campaign that I sort of decided to launch by use of these privileged motions,” Kaine said after his initial push failed. “I’m going to file every one I can to challenge emergencies, to challenge unlawful wars, to seek human rights reports, arms transfers if they’re wrong,” he continued.
Graham pushes back on Tillis’ criticism of Noem, Miller for labeling man killed by Border Patrol a ‘terrorist’
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., on Tuesday defended Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Homeland Security Advisor Stephen Miller after Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., criticized the pair for labeling the U.S. citizen killed by Border Patrol agents in Minneapolis as a “domestic terrorist.” Tillis was the first Senate Republican to call for Noem to be fired after the killing of Alex Pretti, 37, who was shot by federal agents as he was recording immigration enforcement operations in Minneapolis over the weekend. “What she’s done in Minnesota should be disqualifying. She should be out of a job,” Tillis told reporters earlier on Tuesday. “It’s just amateur-ish. It’s terrible. It’s making the president look bad on policy that he won on. [President Donald Trump] won on a strong message on immigration. Now, nobody’s talking about that. … They’re talking about the incompetence of the leader of Homeland Security.” Noem and Miller “told the president before they even had an incident report whatsoever that the person who died was a terrorist. That is amateur hour at its worst,” Tillis added. SENATE GOP CRITICS SAY NOEM ‘NEEDS TO GO’ AMID FALLOUT FROM MINNEAPOLIS SHOOTINGS Responding to Tillis, Graham said someone “must have a very high opinion of themselves” if they believe they can get President Donald Trump to distance himself from Miller. “I’ve known Stephen Miller for a very long time. We have our differences, but we have more in common. When the clock strikes midnight for President Trump, there will be very few by his side. One will be Stephen Miller. If you don’t get that, you’ve missed a lot. No one has helped Trump more than Stephen Miller,” Graham told Fox News’ Chad Pergram. “To convince yourself that you can get Trump to distance himself from Stephen Miller, you must have a very high opinion of themselves,” he continued. The South Carolina lawmaker added: “To my Republican colleagues, you need to understand that the President’s confidence in Stephen Miller has been rock solid and unshakable. And Miller is part of that group.” Alex Pretti, 37, was shot and killed on Saturday by Border Patrol agents while recording federal immigration operations in Minneapolis. An ICU nurse, Pretti appeared to be attempting to attend to a woman agents knocked down when he was sprayed with an irritant, pushed to the ground and beaten. An agent was seen pulling Pretti’s lawfully owned gun from his waistband before other agents fired several shots and killed him. Noem was quick to label Pretti a “domestic terrorist,” and Miller characterized him as things such as a “would-be assassin,” both of which are unsubstantiated claims that sparked bipartisan pushback. The White House has sought to distance itself from the comments by Noem and Miller, with White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt saying she has “not heard the president characterize” Pretti that way. But despite calls from Democrat and Republican lawmakers to oust Noem over her response to Pretti’s killing, Trump expressed confidence in the secretary to continue leading DHS. NY POST, WSJ, NY TIMES AND WASHINGTON POST ALIGN AGAINST TRUMP ADMIN OVER ICE OPERATION IN MINNEAPOLIS “I think she’s doing a very good job. The border is totally secure. You know, you forget we had a border that I inherited where millions of people were coming through. Now we have a border where no one is coming through. They come into our country only legally,” Trump told reporters on Tuesday. Asked if he agreed with Noem and Miller labeling Pretti as a “domestic terrorist” and an “assassin,” the president said he had not heard those remarks. “Well, I haven’t heard that. He shouldn’t have been carrying a gun,” Trump said. Trump also said the shooting was a “very sad situation” and he wants a “very honorable and honest investigation” that he wants to see for himself.
Border czar Homan meets with Minnesota officials following immigration operation tensions
Border czar Tom Homan met with Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey Tuesday as the Trump administration shakes up its federal immigration crackdown following two fatal shootings and subsequent protests in the Twin Cities. The meetings came after President Donald Trump on Monday replaced Border Patrol Commander Gregory Bovino with Homan to lead operations in Minnesota, days after 37-year-old Alex Pretti was fatally shot by a Border Patrol agent in Minneapolis. “Today I met with Governor Walz, Mayor Frey, and top law enforcement officials to discuss the issues on the ground in Minnesota,” Homan said in a post on X. “We all agree that we need to support our law enforcement officers and get criminals off the streets. While we don’t agree on everything, these meetings were a productive starting point and I look forward to more conversations with key stakeholders in the days ahead.” Homan added that Trump emphasized that he wants American cities to be “safe and secure for law-abiding residents — and they will be.” TRUMP HAS ‘VERY GOOD’ CALL WITH MINNEAPOLIS MAYOR FREY, ANNOUNCES BORDER CZAR HOMAN MEETING Following his meeting Tuesday morning with Homan, Walz said he reiterated the need for “impartial investigations” into the recent shootings in Minneapolis involving federal agents, while calling for “a swift, significant reduction in the number of federal forces in Minnesota” and “an end to the campaign of retribution against Minnesota.” “The Governor and Homan agreed on the need for an ongoing dialogue and will continue working toward those goals, which the President also agreed to yesterday,” Walz’s office said in a statement, adding that it tasked the Minnesota Department of Public Safety as the primary liaison to Homan to address his priorities. Frey said he and Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara had a “productive conversation” with Homan. JUDGE THREATENS CONTEMPT FOR ICE LEADER, ORDERS HIM TO APPEAR IN COURT “I reiterated that my main ask is for Operation Metro Surge to end as quickly as possible,” Frey wrote on X. “Public safety works best when it’s built on community trust, not tactics that create fear or division. I shared with Mr. Homan the serious negative impacts this operation has had on Minneapolis and surrounding communities, as well as the strain it has placed on our local police officers.” Frey said he also made it clear that “Minneapolis does not and will not enforce federal immigration laws, and that we will remain focused on keeping our neighbors and streets safe,” adding that city leaders “will continue to stay in conversation with Mr. Homan and his team.” Following the departure of Bovino in Minnesota — the face of the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown — a White House official told Fox News Digital earlier Tuesday that claims the administration is “backing down” in Minnesota are incorrect. TRUMP SAYS WALZ WANTS TO ‘WORK TOGETHER’ AS MINNEAPOLIS TENSIONS FLARE AFTER FEDERAL SHOOTING Trump said during an appearance on Fox News Tuesday that the shake-up is not a “pullback.” “I don’t think it’s a pullback. It’s a little bit of a change,” he said. “You know, Bovino is very good, but he’s a pretty out there kind of a guy. And in some cases that’s good, maybe it wasn’t good here.” Trump said Monday he spoke with Walz after Pretti was shot and killed on Saturday, noting that the Minnesota governor was “very respectfully” open to deporting “any and all criminals that they have in their possession.” The president also spoke with Frey on Monday, who said after their call that Minneapolis “will continue to cooperate with state and federal law enforcement on real criminal investigations — but we will not participate in unconstitutional arrests of our neighbors or enforce federal immigration law.” Fox News Digital has reached out to the White House for comment. Fox News Digital’s Emma Colton contributed to this report.
Iowa man stops Trump at restaurant with unexpected request before speech
President Donald Trump paused during a restaurant stop in Iowa after a patron asked if he could pray for him ahead of the president’s remarks near Des Moines. Video shared on X by White House aide Margo Martin shows the moment unfolding inside the Machine Shed restaurant, where a man from the crowd addressed Trump directly. “Can I pray for you real quick?” the man asked. “Absolutely! Come on. Let’s go,” Trump replied, bowing his head as the man began to pray. TRUMP TELLS MARCH FOR LIFE PROTECTING THE UNBORN IS ‘BATTLE’ THAT ‘MUST BE WON’ The brief prayer thanked God for the president and asked for wisdom, discernment, peace and protection, as others in the restaurant joined in. “Lord God, we give thanks for this president,” the man said during the prayer, “Lord, thank you for him and the potential. Thank you for continuing wisdom, we pray for discernment. Pray for hope, we pray for more peace, Lord.” The prayer from the restaurant patron drew several “Amens” from the surrounding crowd. TRUMP HITS THE ROAD TO SELL ECONOMIC WINS, AS REPUBLICANS BRACE FOR HIGH-STAKES MIDTERM SHOWDOWN The unscripted moment occurred as Trump made a stop at the Iowa restaurant before heading to deliver a speech in the Des Moines area to kick off his 2026 midterm campaign. The video shows patrons standing nearby as the prayer concluded, followed by applause and words of praise: “Amen, praise God.” The White House has recently shared a national invitation to prayer and spiritual re-dedication ahead of the United States’ 250th anniversary. In a statement released by the administration, Trump encouraged Americans to pray for the nation and its people, saying the country has long been “sustained and strengthened by prayer.” Trump added that as the nation prepares to mark 250 years since its founding, Americans should “rededicate ourselves to one nation under God.” The White House was contacted for additional context on the stop and the timing of the visit.
Ben & Jerry’s co-founder calls for ICE to be ‘defunded and disbanded’: ‘This is not freedom’
Ben & Jerry’s co-founder Ben Cohen called for Immigration and Customs Enforcement to be “defunded and disbanded” after the second fatal shooting this month of an American in Minneapolis involving federal immigration agents. Cohen said he initially planned to create an ice cream honoring Renee Nicole Good, the 37-year-old woman shot and killed by ICE agent Jonathan Ross on Jan. 7 in Minneapolis, but that he did not have it in him to make the treat after Border Patrol agents on Saturday fatally shot Alex Pretti, also 37, while he was recording immigration enforcement operations in the same city. Pretti, an ICU nurse, appeared to be attempting to assist a woman agents had knocked down when he was sprayed with an irritant, pushed to the ground and beaten, according to video and witness accounts. An agent was later seen pulling Pretti’s lawfully owned firearm from his waistband before other agents fired several shots, killing him. “I was prepared to make a special ice cream today to memorialize and celebrate the life of Renee Good, but now that Alex’s murder makes it clear that the murder of Renee and the government’s lies were not a mistake but standard operating procedure, I just don’t have it within me,” Cohen said in a video posted to X. JUDGE THREATENS CONTEMPT FOR ICE LEADER, ORDERS HIM TO APPEAR IN COURT “We all live in Minneapolis now, because Minneapolis is only the beginning of what they have in mind. They’re coming for anyone, anywhere who doesn’t submit,” he continued. “A brazen, arrogant, masked militarized force loyal only to Trump and immune from prosecution.” Cohen asserted that people in the U.S. must “submit” to the Trump administration or risk being killed by federal agents for exercising their First Amendment rights. “Submit or be murdered. Video them and be murdered. Protest and be murdered, or at least be placed on a list of domestic terrorists and investigated,” he said. TIM WALZ COMPARES MINNESOTA ICE ACTIONS TO HOLOCAUST AND ANNE FRANK: ‘HIDING IN THEIR HOUSES’ “This is not freedom,” he added. “This is not the right to free speech or the right to protest. This is not America. This is sheer cruelty. This is the beginning of the end of the land of the free, unless we make it the home of the brave, unless we’re brave enough to stand up for justice, to stand up for our neighbors, to stand up for compassion.” Cohen then called for ICE, which was formed in 2003 following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, to be dissolved and to restore the Immigration and Naturalization Service, which handled immigration issues before the attacks. “ICE must be defunded and disbanded,” he said. “Before 2001, ICE did not even exist. Immigration issues used to be handled by the INS, the Immigration and Naturalization Service, which was part of the Department of Justice. And it was just.” “Let’s go back to that,” Cohen suggested. The ice cream creator also appeared to take issue with Republicans who publicly speak about their Christian values while they also defend efforts to target immigrants in the U.S. “You know, I don’t get it. They say this is a Christian nation. What did he mean when he said, ‘I was a stranger, and you welcomed me?’ ‘Love thy neighbor.’ ‘What you do to the least of these you do to me,’” Cohen said, quoting the Bible.
Trump launches midterm push in Iowa, warns losses would derail agenda: ‘We gotta win’
President Donald Trump kicked off an aggressive midterm push Tuesday night in Iowa, warning supporters that losing control of Congress would jeopardize his tax cuts, border policies and broader second-term agenda as he urged Republicans to turn out and “win the midterms.” “If we lose the midterms, you’ll lose so many of the things that we’re talking about, so many of the assets that we’re talking about, so many of the tax cuts that we’re talking about, and it would lead to very bad things,” Trump said during remarks that framed the 2026 midterm elections as a test of his presidency. Speaking after Reps. Ashley Hinson, R-Iowa, and Zach Nunn, R-Iowa, Trump said holding both chambers of Congress was critical to advancing his agenda. NEW MAGA COALITION LED BY SEAN SPICER TARGETS VOTING DEMOGRAPHIC THAT WILL BE CRUCIAL IN 2026 MIDTERMS “We got to win the midterms. That means Senate. And it means House. We gotta win,” he told the crowd. Trump explicitly cast the Iowa stop as the opening act of his midterm campaign, arguing that presidents who fail to campaign aggressively often lose ground in off-year elections. “I’m here because we’re starting the campaign to win the midterms. We have got to win the midterms,” he said. “The midterms are very important. We’re going to really work hard on winning the midterms.” The president warned that a Democrat-led Congress would reverse his economic and border policies, telling supporters that control of Capitol Hill would determine whether his priorities survive. “If they won, this country would be cratering right now,” Trump said as he contrasted Republican and Democrat candidates. “We have candidates that roll with common sense. Not this craziness.” Trump repeatedly tied the midterm stakes to his economic record in his speech, touting what he described as a dramatic turnaround in inflation, investment and job growth since returning to office. “Today, just after one year of President Trump, our economy is booming. Incomes are rising. Investment is soaring. Inflation has been defeated,” he said. “Our border is closed, totally closed.” REPUBLICAN SENATORS HIT BORDER, TOUTING TOUGHER SECURITY AND TAX CUTS, IN 2026 KICKOFF Trump credited tariffs and trade policy for increased domestic investment, saying his administration had secured what he called “commitments for a record-breaking $18 trillion.” He also praised companies like John Deere for expanding U.S. manufacturing and touted tax provisions he said would benefit seniors, tipped workers and employees who work overtime, pointing to “no tax on tips,” “no tax on overtime” and “no tax on Social Security for our seniors.” At several points, Trump returned to immigration as a defining midterm issue, arguing that border security and deportation policies would be undone if Republicans lost control of Congress. “The worst is open borders,” he said. “We can never forget what that group of morons did to this country. We can never forget. And we’ve got to win the midterms.” DAVID MARCUS: WHY REPUBLICANS DESPERATELY NEED A TRUMP-CENTERED MIDTERM CONVENTION Trump acknowledged the historical challenges facing the party in power during midterm elections but said aggressive campaigning could overcome them. “Even if you’re a good president … whoever wins the presidency has a hard time with the midterm,” Trump said. “But I campaigned hard. We got it. We got to win the midterms.” Trump closed the political portion of his remarks with a direct call to action, urging supporters to mobilize to protect his agenda and elect Republican candidates up and down the ballot. “So, remember that you got to get out, and you got to vote,” he said. The Iowa stop is part of a broader push by the White House to put the president on the road regularly ahead of the 2026 midterms. Administration officials have said Trump plans to make weekly appearances in states with key congressional races as Republicans work to defend narrow House and Senate majorities, with a particular focus on motivating core GOP voters who don’t always turn out in off-year elections or when the president’s name isn’t on the ballot. The president made clear that he views the elections not as a referendum on Congress but as a vote on the future of his presidency. “We got to win them,” he said of GOP candidates. “We have great candidates. Again, Senate and House. We got to win them.” The White House referred Fox News Digital to President Trump’s remarks. Fox News Digital’s Paul Steinhauser and Emma Colton contributed to this reporting.
Virginia judge voids redistricting push, rules lawmakers overstepped authority
A Virginia circuit court judge has struck down a General Assembly-approved redistricting amendment, ruling lawmakers overstepped their authority during a 2024 special legislative session and violated constitutional requirements tied to elections and voter notice. In a sweeping ruling issued Tuesday, Tazewell County Circuit Court Judge Jack S. Hurley Jr. invalidated actions taken to advance the proposed constitutional amendment, blocking it from moving forward and barring it from being submitted to voters. The lawsuit focused on whether lawmakers could take up a redistricting-related constitutional amendment during a special session initially convened to address budget matters and whether the General Assembly followed its own rules when expanding the scope of that session. “Certainly, both houses of the Commonwealth’s legislature are required to follow their own rules and resolutions,” Hurley wrote. TRUMP TURNS UP THE HEAT ON RED STATE REPUBLICANS BLOCKING NEW CONGRESSIONAL MAPS Hurley found lawmakers improperly added redistricting to the list of issues allowed during the special session without the required unanimous consent or supermajority vote. As a result, the court ruled the joint resolution proposing changes to how congressional and legislative districts are drawn fell outside the limits lawmakers themselves set when the special session was called. “The Court FINDS that adding… [a] joint resolution proposing an amendment to the Constitution of Virginia related to the reapportionment or redistricting violated… the General Assembly’s own call to the Governor for the 2024 Special Session, and the Court ORDERS that any such action is void, ab initio,” Hurley wrote. REPUBLICANS APPEAL JUDGE’S DECISION REJECTING NEW YORK CITY GOP DISTRICT LINES The decision also addressed when a constitutional amendment may be validly advanced under Virginia law, rejecting arguments that an election occurs only on Election Day rather than during early voting. Hurley noted that more than 1 million Virginians had already cast ballots in the 2025 House of Delegates elections before lawmakers voted on the amendment. “For this Court to find the election was only on November 4, 2025, those one million Virginia voters would be completely disenfranchised,” Hurley wrote. REDISTRICTING BATTLES BREWING ACROSS THE COUNTRY AS PARTIES COMPETE FOR POWER AHEAD OF 2026 MIDTERMS The ruling further found lawmakers failed to comply with a state law requiring proposed constitutional amendments to be publicly posted and published ahead of the next election. Because those steps were not taken, the court ruled votes cast during the 2026 regular session could not count as the constitutionally required second approval. “Therefore, the Court FINDS that the provisions of… the Code of Virginia have not been complied with, and therefore all votes on the proposed Constitutional Amendment… are ineffective as being a ‘SECOND’ VOTE OF THE General Assembly,” Hurley wrote. Hurley issued both temporary and permanent injunctions blocking further action on the amendment. The ruling delivers a major setback to lawmakers seeking to alter Virginia’s redistricting process and underscores limits on legislative power during special sessions.