GOP accelerates Trump judge confirmations as pressure builds to kill Senate blue slip
Senate Republicans confirmed half a dozen of President Donald Trump’s judicial nominees last week, continuing a quick pace to green-light as many of his picks as possible. While the Senate GOP is moving fast to confirm Trump’s judicial nominees, the president and some of his allies want to eviscerate an over-century-old tradition in the Senate that provides bipartisan guardrails to the judicial nomination process. They contend that the blue slip tradition is slowing down Republicans from being able to confirm picks, and that Democrats are holding the process hostage. TRUMP DELETES ‘RACIST’ POST AFTER WAVE OF REPUBLICAN BACKLASH, WHITE HOUSE SAYS HE DIDN’T KNOW “Nuking the blue slip would be a huge mistake,” Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., told Fox News Digital. Tillis, like several other Republicans, has argued that the blue slips are a valuable tool of the minority, and that inevitably, the GOP would need to use the tradition to their advantage when Democrats regain control of the upper chamber. The Senate has confirmed 33 judges since the start of Trump’s second term, a figure that dwarfs the number of total judicial nominees, including U.S. attorneys, district and circuit court judges, moved through the upper chamber during his first go-round in the White House. TRUMP TAKES AIM AT SENATE ‘BLUE SLIP’ TRADITION AS GOP RESISTS CHANGE During the first year of his first term, the Senate confirmed 19 Article III nominees, including Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch. Though Republicans are far ahead of Trump’s first time clip, Democrats under former President Joe Biden still outpaced them in this metric. Biden clocked 42 total judicial nominees confirmed during the first year of his term. Whether the Senate can outpace Trump’s final total of 234 judicial nominees from his first term remains to be seen, but for now the blue slip appears to be safe. Still, Trump sounded off on the practice late last year in the Oval Office, arguing that the GOP should “get rid of blue slips, because, as a Republican President, I am unable to put anybody in office having to do with U.S. attorneys or having to do with judges.” REPUBLICANS BLAST DEMOCRATS’ TRUMP ELECTION MEDDLING CLAIMS AS HYPOCRITICAL ‘CONSPIRACY THEORY’ Much of his frustration with the tradition, which has been around for over 100 years in the upper chamber, likely stemmed from the nominations of Alina Habba and Lindsey Halligan getting derailed by blue slips last year. He’s taken his frustrations out on Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, a vocal proponent of the practice, and other Republicans that want to maintain the tradition. Notably, Grassley modified the tradition in 2017 to allow for circuit court judges to skirt the process, further boosting the number of judges Republicans were able to confirm under Trump despite Democratic objections. When asked if the Senate’s pace in confirming judicial nominees further affirmed that the blue slip was here to stay, Grassley told Fox News Digital, “It doesn’t need to be a present question.” “Because it’s a question of 110 years, and everybody in the Senate wants to maintain the blue slip,” Grassley said.
Federal judge orders Fulton County election raid documents to be unsealed
A federal judge in Georgia has ordered the unsealing of documents tied to an FBI raid that seized 2020 election ballots from a Fulton County facility, potentially shedding new light on the bureau’s investigation. Judge J.P. Boulee, who was nominated by President Donald Trump in 2019, gave the government until Tuesday to file the documents, including the search warrant affidavit with redactions. “Although Petitioners originally filed this case under seal, both parties have now indicated to the Court that they do not oppose unsealing the docket or the motions filed by Petitioners,” Boulee wrote in the order. “Moreover, Respondent has stated that it does not oppose the unsealing of the search warrant affidavit and any other papers associated with the warrant subject to the redaction of the names of nongovernmental witnesses,” the order continued. GEORGIA’S FULTON COUNTY FILES MOTION SEEKING RETURN OF 2020 ELECTION MATERIALS SEIZED BY FBI The FBI raid took place Jan. 28 at Fulton County’s main election facility in Union City, near Atlanta, and focused on records connected to the 2020 general election. A warrant cover sheet provided to the county listed items agents sought, including ballots, tabulator tapes, electronic ballot images and voter rolls. Last week, Fulton County officials filed a motion seeking the return of around 656 boxes of original 2020 election materials that the FBI had seized. TRUMP DOJ DEMANDS MINNESOTA VOTING RECORDS OVER SAME-DAY REGISTRATION ‘VOUCHING’ CONCERNS The heavily Democratic Fulton County has come under scrutiny following President Donald Trump’s 2020 election loss to former President Joe Biden. Biden carried Georgia, but Trump has insisted that widespread voter fraud contributed to him losing the state. Fox News Digital’s Louis Casiano contributed to this report.
US forces hunt down and board tanker ship defying Trump admin quarantine
The War Department announced on Monday morning that the U.S. military boarded a vessel overnight “without incident.” The department’s post on X noted that the U.S. had “hunted” the ship, called the Aquila II, “from the Caribbean to the Indian Ocean.” “When the @DeptofWar says quarantine, we mean it. Nothing will stop DoW from defending our Homeland — even in oceans halfway around the world. Overnight, U.S. military forces conducted a right-of-visit, maritime interdiction and boarding on the Aquila II without incident in the INDOPACOM area of responsibility,” the Monday post explained. US MILITARY SEIZES TWO SANCTIONED TANKERS IN ATLANTIC OCEAN “The Aquila II was operating in defiance of President Trump’s established quarantine of sanctioned vessels in the Caribbean. It ran, and we followed. The Department of War tracked and hunted this vessel from the Caribbean to the Indian Ocean,” the post continued. “No other nation on planet Earth has the capability to enforce its will through any domain. By land, air, or sea, our Armed Forces will find you and deliver justice. You will run out of fuel long before you will outrun us,” the department asserted. US FORCES SEIZE OIL TANKER IN THE CARIBBEAN SEA IN PRE-DAWN MISSION “The Department of War will deny illicit actors and their proxies the ability to defy American power in the global maritime domain,” the post concluded. War Secretary Pete Hegseth reposted the War Department’s post on X. US MILITARY SEIZES ANOTHER FUGITIVE OIL TANKER LINKED TO VENEZUELA The department’s post included footage of troops descending a rope to board the vessel from a hovering helicopter. “The successful interdiction of the Aquila II underscores the unmatched reach and resolve of the United States military under President Trump’s and Secretary Hegseth’s leadership. As we’ve publicly stated, our quarantine measures are ironclad, and no vessel defying them can evade justice, whether in the Caribbean or the far reaches of the Indian Ocean,” Pentagon press secretary Kingsley Wilson said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “The Department of War will continue to project power across every domain to safeguard our homeland and deter illicit actors worldwide,” Wilson added.
Hochul running mate voted to allow noncitizen voting in NYC elections
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul’s running mate, former New York City Council member Adrienne Adams, voted in favor of allowing some noncitizens to vote in Big Apple municipal elections. Adams voted for the measure passed by the city council in late 2021 that would have allowed lawful permanent residents and individuals authorized to work in the country to vote in the city’s municipal contests. The measure was ultimately struck down by the Empire State’s highest court, according to the New York Post. POLL FINDS CLEAR FAVORITE IN NEW YORK GOVERNOR’S RACE The outlet reported that GOP Rep. Nicole Malliotakis asserted, “Anyone trying to dilute the voices of American citizens and pushing for noncitizens to vote in our elections has no business statewide or any elected office.” Hochul announced Adams as her running mate last week. “I picked a New Yorker from Southeast Queens. Someone who grew up in a union household, just like I did. A fighter who knows how to deliver for New York,” the governor said in a post on X. HOCHUL PRIMARY CHALLENGER PICKS DEMOCRATIC SOCIALIST, ONCE ARRESTED FOR HARASSMENT, AS RUNNING MATE Hochul, who previously served as lieutenant governor, became governor in 2021 after Gov. Andrew Cuomo resigned. She won the 2022 gubernatorial election and is running for re-election this year. SOCIALIST MAYOR MAMDANI BACKS HOCHUL IN MOVE THAT COULD RESHAPE NEW YORK GOVERNOR RACE Her new running mate ran unsuccessfully in the Democratic New York City mayoral primary last year.
Ghislaine Maxwell to appear before House Oversight Committee lawmakers for Epstein probe deposition
Lawmakers on the House Oversight Committee are expected to be face-to-face Monday with Ghislaine Maxwell, the notorious accomplice of Jeffrey Epstein who was sentenced to 20 years in prison for conspiring with the late billionaire pedophile. Maxwell is due to appear virtually before the congressional panel at 10 a.m. ET while currently serving out her sentence at a Texas prison. Her deposition will be behind closed doors, meaning it will not be viewed publicly unless the committee chooses to release video footage after the fact. It’s likely to be a brief engagement, with Maxwell expected to plead the Fifth Amendment to avoid answering questions. DEMOCRATS SAY CLINTONS’ AGREEMENT TO TESTIFY UNDERCUTS SUBPOENA PUSH, WON’T BRING NEW EPSTEIN ANSWERS House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., announced lawmakers would hear from Maxwell during a meeting on holding former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in contempt of Congress for refusing to appear for his Epstein probe. “We’ve been trying to get her in for a deposition. Our lawyers have been saying that she’s going to plead the Fifth, but we have nailed down a date, Feb. 9, where Ghislaine Maxwell will be deposed by this committee,” Comer said last month. Contempt proceedings against the Clintons stalled, however, after they agreed via their attorneys to appear in person on Capitol Hill just days before the full House of Representatives was expected to vote on referring the pair to the Department of Justice (DOJ) for criminal charges. Comer’s team had been in a back-and-forth with Maxwell’s attorney for months trying to nail down a date for her to speak to committee lawyers. He agreed to delay her previous planned deposition in August after her lawyer asked him to wait until after the Supreme Court decided whether it would hear her appeal. The Supreme Court turned down Maxwell’s case in October. NEW GHISLAINE MAXWELL MUGSHOT INCLUDED IN DOJ’S LATEST EPSTEIN FILES RELEASE The former British socialite was found guilty in December 2021 of being an accomplice in Epstein’s scheme to sexually traffic and exploit female minors. The DOJ said at the time of her sentencing that Maxwell “enticed and groomed minor girls to be abused in multiple ways.” Epstein had been awaiting trial when he killed himself in a New York City jail in 2019. Her deposition is part of the House Oversight Committee’s months-long probe into how the government handled Epstein’s case.
Massie, Khanna to visit DOJ to review unredacted Epstein files
GOP Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky and Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna of California have each said that they will visit the Department of Justice on Monday to view unredacted documents from the Epstein files. The bipartisan duo spearheaded the push to pass the Epstein Files Transparency Act last year. “The survivors standing in front of the Capitol twice is why @RepThomasMassie & I were able to pass the Epstein Transparency Act. Tomorrow, Massie and I will go together to DOJ to see the unredacted files. We will not rest until the Epstein class is brought to justice,” Khanna declared in a Sunday post on X. REP THOMAS MASSIE RESPONDS AFTER TRUMP CALLS HIM A ‘MORON’ IN NATIONAL PRAYER BREAKFAST SPEECH Massie crowdsourced suggestions for which documents he should read. “Tomorrow I will go to DOJ to view the unredacted Epstein files. Which docs should I view?” the congressman asked in a Sunday post on X. South Carolina gubernatorial hopeful GOP Rep. Nancy Mace indicated that she was perusing the responses to Massie’s post rather than watching the Super Bowl on Sunday. KEIR STARMER’S CHIEF OF STAFF RESIGNS AFTER RECOMMENDING EPSTEIN-CONNECTED AMBASSADOR “Headed to the DOJ this week as well. Thank you @RepThomasMassie for the post below; very helpful suggestions from all those who chimed in. I am sifting through the comments now in preparation for my visit, rather than watch the Super Bowl,” Mace noted in a post. Former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who departed from office early last month, responded to Massie’s post. “Any docs talking about ‘jerky’ and ‘pizza,’” she wrote. “And FBI docs with Presidents, Sec of State, any and all government officials, and people profiting from government contracts. Foreign countries Epstein was working for. Names unredacted. No exceptions.” BILL CLINTON COMES OUT SWINGING AGAINST COMER FOR REJECTING PUBLIC EPSTEIN HEARING: ‘STOP THE GAMES’ Massie, Greene, Mace and GOP Rep. Lauren Boebert of Colorado were the only four House Republicans who signed onto a discharge petition last year in a bid to push the Epstein Files Transparency Act. President Donald Trump, who is backing a GOP primary challenger running against Massie in Kentucky’s 4th Congressional District, called Massie a “moron” while speaking at the National Prayer Breakfast last week.
Trump defends Minneapolis federal enforcement, says crime plunged after ‘thousands of criminals’ removed
President Donald Trump is defending federal law enforcement efforts in Minneapolis, saying crime has fallen sharply after what he described as the removal of “thousands of criminals” from the city. In an interview with NBC News’ Tom Llamas that aired Sunday, Trump said crime in Minneapolis is down as much as 30%, attributing the decline to tougher enforcement. “The crime numbers in Minnesota, in Minneapolis in particular, are down 25, 30% because we’ve removed thousands of criminals from the area,” Trump said. “These are hardened criminals… Most of them came in through an open border, and we’ve done a great job.” Operation Metro Surge has sent thousands of immigration agents to Minneapolis and St. Paul, leading to thousands of arrests while also sparking resident resistance and public outrage. BIDEN SPEAKS OUT AGAINST IMMIGRATION CRACKDOWN IN MINNESOTA, SAYS IT GOES AGAINST AMERICAN VALUES Trump pointed to other major cities where he said his administration has delivered dramatic results when it comes to crime. “Look at Washington, D.C.,” Trump said. “It’s like a safe city. You can walk to the White House. You don’t have to take an armored vehicle.” The president also cited New Orleans, and Memphis, Tennessee, as examples. “Look at what happened in Louisiana,” Trump said. “I got a call from the governor, ‘Please do something with New Orleans.’ We went there four weeks ago, crime is down 71%.” MINNESOTA DHS WHISTLEBLOWER DETAILS ‘SMEAR CAMPAIGN’ AFTER REPORTING FRAUD CONCERNS TO STATE “[In] Memphis, Tennessee, crime is down 80% after five weeks.” Trump said the trend reflects the success of his administration’s tough-on-crime approach. “Crime, historically in this country, it’s down [to] the lowest level it’s ever been,” Trump said. “… We’ve had less murders than we have had in decades. And you know why? Because we’re tough on crime.” Earlier this week, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said murders in major U.S. cities plunged to their lowest level since at least 1900 as federal arrests, gang takedowns and deportations surged under Trump’s promise to “restore law and order.” PIRRO CREDITS ‘ENHANCED FEDERAL PARTNERSHIP’ FOR DC’S FIRST HOMICIDE-FREE STRETCH IN DECADES Trump also told NBC News that he made the decision to pull hundreds of federal law enforcement agents from Minneapolis following the fatal shootings of two city residents last month, saying the Department of Homeland Security could “use a little bit of a softer touch.” On Wednesday, White House border czar Tom Homan announced that roughly 700 federal agents would be leaving the Twin Cities, with the goal of a “complete drawdown.” The White House did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. Fox News Digital’s Alexandra Koch, Ashley Oliver and Greg Wehner contributed to this report.
SCOOP: Trump ally Kid Rock jumps into key governor’s race with high-profile endorsement
EXCLUSIVE — Detroit native and cultural icon Kid Rock is taking sides in the race for Michigan governor. The famed musician and entertainer with a working-class persona who is known for his conservative political views is endorsing Republican Rep. John James in the 2026 race to succeed term-limited Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. The Michigan governor’s office and a Democrat-controlled open U.S. Senate seat are top targets for the GOP to flip in November’s midterm elections. “As our next Governor of Michigan, I know you will bring many victories to our GREAT STATE!” Kid Rock, whose real name is Robert James Ritchie, said in a statement shared first with Fox News Digital on Sunday. BATTLE FOR THE SENATE: WHERE DEMOCRATS AND REPUBLICANS AIM TO FLIP SEATS James, who’s in his second term representing a swing congressional district in suburban Detroit, said in a statement, “Kid Rock is a good friend. We share our love for Detroit, the state of Michigan and the United States of America!” “I’m honored to have the endorsement of this unapologetic freedom-loving patriot and I look forward to working with him and every other Michigander to make Michigan great again!” added James, a West Point graduate and veteran of the Iraq War, and a businessman who was the 2018 and 2020 Republican Senate nominee in the Great Lakes battleground state. Kid Rock’s backing of James comes a couple of hours before the singer and songwriter headlines Turning Point USA’s “All-American Halftime Show” during the Super Bowl. HOW TO WATCH THE TURNING POINT USA ALTERNATE HALFTIME SHOW Turning Point USA, which was co-founded by the late Charlie Kirk, is hosting its own alternative to the Super Bowl halftime show this Sunday. The event comes as conservatives criticize the NFL’s choice to feature Latin music star Bad Bunny as the halftime performer. Kid Rock is an outspoken supporter of President Donald Trump, backing him in all three of his presidential campaigns. He performed his song “American Bad Ass” at the 2024 Republican National Convention with altered lyrics to showcase his support for Trump. Trump, whose sway over the GOP remains immense and whose endorsements in Republican primaries are highly coveted and extremely influential, to date has not weighed in on Michigan’s gubernatorial race. HEAD HERE FOR THE LATEST FOX NEWS REPORTING AND ANALYSIS FROM THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL A release from James’s campaign highlighted that “John James has stood with President Trump consistently since 2018, and every subsequent election, maintaining a clear and steady alignment when others backed his opponents, ran against him, or stayed silent.” The James campaign also emphasized that “Kid Rock and John James share deep Detroit roots and a common view of Michigan as a state defined by hard work, manufacturing, culture, and natural beauty — from the Great Lakes to the communities that power the Midwest economy.” James is the clear polling front-runner in a very crowded field of Republicans vying for the GOP nomination in the August primary. Among the other Republicans in the race are former Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox, Michigan Senate Minority Leader Aric Nesbitt, former state House of Representatives Speaker Mike Leonard, and businessman Perry Johnson, a longshot candidate for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination who is making his second bid for governor. Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson is the clear front-runner among three candidates for the Democratic nomination. Former three-term Democratic Mayor Mike Duggan of Detroit is campaigning for governor as an independent. The race in Michigan is rated a toss-up by three top nonpartisan political handicappers: the Cook Report, Inside Elections, and Sabato’s Crystal Ball.
The world’s top nuclear powers have no arsenal limits, here are the countries with nukes
For the first time in decades, the world’s two largest nuclear superpowers are no longer bound by any treaty limiting their arsenals. The last remaining nuclear arms control agreement between the U.S. and Russia, known as New START, expired Thursday. WORLD ENTERS UNCHARTED ERA AS US-RUSSIA NUCLEAR TREATY EXPIRES, OPENING DOOR TO FASTEST ARMS RACE IN DECADES The lapse removed limits on how many nuclear weapons Washington and Moscow could deploy on missiles, bombers and submarines, and ended the requirement that both sides notify one another whenever nuclear weapons were moved. The scale of what’s now unconstrained is vast. Globally, there are more than 12,200 nuclear weapons spread across nine nuclear-armed nations, according to a recent analysis. The United States and Russia alone account for roughly 10,636 of those weapons. NO LIMITS, NO INSPECTIONS: US AND RUSSIA FACE POST–NEW START ERA AS TRUMP PUSHES NEW NUCLEAR DEAL While the exact size of each country’s arsenal is closely guarded, below is a breakdown of estimated nuclear stockpiles, based on data from the Federation of American Scientists. Ahead of the New START agreement’s expiration, President Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social, “Rather than extend ‘NEW START’ (a badly negotiated deal by the United States that, aside from everything else, is being grossly violated), we should have our Nuclear Experts work on a new, improved and modernized Treaty that can last long into the future.” He has previously argued that China should be included in any new agreement with Russia, pointing to Beijing’s growing nuclear arsenal, the world’s third largest after the U.S. and Russia.
The single crushing problem American cattle ranchers wish Trump would fix instead
President Donald Trump’s beef import plan aims to cut prices, but cattle ranchers say it misses what’s crushing them most — the power of meat packers. “Meat packers have created a system where they win no matter what — at the cost of everyone else,” said Will Harris, a fourth-generation cattleman and owner of White Oak Pastures in Bluffton, Georgia. Harris, who plans to hand off the operation to his children, said his farm handles every step of production, from raising cattle to processing and selling beef, giving him a clear view of how prices are set. AMERICA’S SMALLEST CATTLE HERD IN 70 YEARS MEANS REBUILDING WILL TAKE YEARS AND BEEF PRICES COULD STAY HIGH At the center of that pricing power sit the “Big Four” — Tyson, JBS, Cargill and National Beef — anchoring the U.S. beef supply chain from pasture to plate. Together, the packing titans process about 85% of the grain-fattened cattle that become steaks, roasts and other supermarket cuts. “The U.S. beef market is so highly concentrated that a small number of dominant packers control processing, distribution and pricing. This allows them to pay ranchers less for cattle while charging consumers more at the store. When cheap imported beef enters the system, it allows packers to increase their margins,” Harris told Fox News Digital. It’s a concern echoed deep into cattle country. Texas cattle rancher Cole Bolton said he sees the same problem in the Lone Star State. IN TEXAS CATTLE COUNTRY, ONE RANCHER WELCOMES TRUMP’S FOCUS ON DECADES OF THIN MARGINS “What the real issue is, is the price differential between the big four packers and what they’re paying us for the product,” said Bolton, the owner of K&C Cattle Company. Those margins, Bolton said, have been squeezed for decades. “Ranchers have dealt with such thin margins of profitability for the last 20 years.” While ranchers like Bolton and Harris say Trump’s temporary expansion of U.S. beef imports from Argentina may help ease prices in the short term, both warn it is no substitute for rebuilding domestic production. “Imports should be a bridge, not a long-term replacement,” Harris said. “We must rebuild the American cattle herd, protect American farmers and ensure transparency, so consumers understand where their beef comes from. Long-term affordability depends on a healthy, resilient domestic cattle industry — not permanent dependence on foreign beef.” Years of drought, high feed costs and an aging ranching population have thinned herds, leaving the U.S. cattle supply at its lowest level in more than 70 years. “I think it’s going to take a while to fix this crisis that we’re in with the cattle shortage. My message to consumers is simple: Folks, be patient. We’ve got to build back our herds,” Bolton told Fox News Digital. He noted that the cattle industry, over the last five years, has weathered one setback after another, from market turmoil to extreme weather conditions.