Trump gave Maduro ultimatum to flee Venezuela as land operations loom: report
President Donald Trump delivered a stern ultimatum to Nicolás Maduro to leave Venezuela immediately before announcing the country’s airspace should be closed, according to a report. Per the Miami Herald, Washington’s warning was delivered in a phone call with Caracas and offered guaranteed evacuation for Maduro, his wife Cilia Flores, and their son, but only if the dictator agreed to resign on the spot. The conversation stalled, U.S. officials said, and within hours Washington escalated dramatically. The ensuing impasse, a source told the outlet, was over Maduro asking for “global amnesty for any crimes he and his group had committed, and that was rejected.” MADURO BRANDISHES SWORD AT RALLY AS HE RAILS AGAINST ‘IMPERIALIST AGGRESSION’ AMID RISING TENSIONS WITH US “Second, they asked to retain control of the armed forces — similar to what happened in Nicaragua in ’91 with Violeta Chamorro. In return, they would allow free elections.” The final issue was timing, according to the outlet, as Washington demanded that Maduro resign immediately – but Caracas refused. Trump went on to announce Saturday that Venezuelan airspace would be considered “closed in its entirety.” The Herald also reported that the Maduro government tried to schedule another call to Washington but received no response. According to a defense expert familiar with the country’s military and state-linked cartel ties, Maduro and key players in his regime could now face their most serious threat yet. “I think the operations will start imminently,” former Venezuelan diplomat Vanessa Neumann told Fox News Digital. “The clearing of the airspace is an indication and a very clear public warning that missiles might be coming to take out command and control infrastructure or retaliatory infrastructure,” Neumann said. “This will not be like breaking a jar into a thousand pieces, this is where you can lift the concentration of power, and it’s easier to manage.” “The targets have been identified through covert operations over the last several years by people on the ground,” she continued. “So they’re well-mapped. This is a capture-or-kill scenario, but there’s a limit to how many people you can remove quickly.” On Sunday, Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One not to “read anything into” his declaring Venezuela’s airspace closed when asked if a strike was imminent. “Maduro also doesn’t have that many options, and his military is very weak,” she warned. “You can’t go after 30 people simultaneously, who are spread all around, but certainly high on the list would be Maduro himself.” TRUMP PUSHES PEACE IN EUROPE, PRESSURE IN THE AMERICAS — INSIDE THE TWO-FRONT GAMBLE Venezuela’s armed forces, once among Latin America’s strongest, have been weakened by years of corruption, sanctions, defections, and lack of maintenance. Much of its equipment, Neumann says, has never even been serviced. “Their material is extremely old, decayed, and has not been serviced,” Neumann explained. “They’ve got junk from the Russians. The stuff they originally had from the Americans is decades old and has not been serviced. “So, they have neither the personnel, foreign support, nor the material,” she said. Ahead of shuttering the airspace, the U.S. also officially designated the cartel allegedly linked with Venezuela’s government, the Cartel de los Soles, as a foreign terrorist organization. “This cartel turned Venezuela’s main oil company into a narcotics trafficking money laundering operation, using the company’s access to international finance, until it was sanctioned,” Neumann, who has worked with governments on countering transnational organized crime linked to the group, explained. “They were using Venezuelan military jets to bring in cocaine from Colombia, process it in Venezuela, and then move it into Central America and then into Europe. IRAN BACKS MADURO TO KEEP LATIN AMERICA FOOTHOLD AS TRUMP INCREASES PRESSURE ON VENEZUELA “Jet pilots were making a lot of money off that, and they’ve tortured people. They target people, anybody who tell on them, they’re disappeared,” Neumann said. “They’re now one of the prime drug trafficking networks into the United States and Europe, and use their military positions, including their military-to-military relations, to grow and accelerate those movements.” In fact, in September, the European Parliament also voted in favor of the EU designating Cartel de los Soles as a terrorist organization. “The Cartel de Los Soles is also a key collaborator and financier of Hezbollah and some of the drug money has been used to fund terrorist attacks that have killed American citizens, even in the Middle East,” added Neumann, CEO of Asymmetrica Group, which specializes in defense cooperation. The U.S. has also ramped up a military and intelligence campaign targeting drug-trafficking networks linked to Venezuela, including strikes on suspected narcotics boats. TRUMP’S STRIKE ON CARTEL VESSEL OFF VENEZUELA SENDS WARNING TO MADURO: ‘NO SANCTUARY’ “The decision is President Trump’s because when he says, ‘Go’, we go. And nobody knows when he’ll say that,” Neumann said. “He has mobilized so many assets down there now. But what President Trump is doing now is long overdue.” “The timing is right now,” she added. “Because even Maduro’s biggest backers, Russia and Iran, are both on the back foot, and China will not go that far in backing Maduro as it has bigger and broader interests throughout the region.” She also noted that “Maduro is also weakened because his partners are weakened and have their own issues to deal with,” and that “we also now have a concentration of power and deep repression within the country that’s quite unified, which means it’s easy to flip.” WASHINGTON’S SHADOW WAR: HOW STRIKES ON CARTELS THREATEN TO COLLAPSE MADURO’S REGIME Neumann identified others in the regime who may be targeted, including Vice President Delcy Rodríguez, Diosdado Cabello, Minister of Interior, Justice and Peace and Alexander Granko Arteaga, head of Venezuela’s counter-intelligence agency, the DGCIM. “One of the reasons Granko is an important figure is that he’s one of the reasons why they haven’t capitulated and why there has not been a military uprising,” Neumann explained. “It’s because of the brutality of the counter-intelligence that they do to their own military, and hundreds of soldiers
Trump says ‘don’t read anything into it’ when asked about declaring Venezuela’s airspace closed
President Donald Trump defended calling Venezuela’s airspace closed, saying the country is sending criminals into the U.S., but told reporters not to “read anything into it” when asked whether the warning suggested an imminent strike. While speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday, Trump said Venezuela is “not a very friendly country” and claimed it has sent criminals, gang members and drug traffickers into the U.S. On Saturday, Trump told airlines, pilots, drug dealers and human traffickers to “consider THE AIRSPACE ABOVE AND SURROUNDING VENEZUELA TO BE CLOSED IN ITS ENTIRETY.” When asked Sunday if the warning meant an airstrike is imminent, Trump said: “Don’t read anything into it.” WHITE HOUSE RESPONDS TO REPORTS OF TRUMP PREPARING TO HIT MILITARY TARGETS INSIDE VENEZUELA Trump also confirmed a report from the New York Times that he spoke on the phone with President Nicolás Maduro, though he offered no details about the conversation. “I wouldn’t say it went well or badly,” he said. “It was a phone call.” The president’s comments come amid rising tensions between the U.S. and Venezuela over Venezuela’s failure to stop drug traffickers from sending narcotics into the U.S. TRUMP’S STRIKE ON CARTEL VESSEL OFF VENEZUELA SENDS WARNING TO MADURO: ‘NO SANCTUARY’ Since September, the Trump administration has conducted over 20 strikes against alleged drug boats in Latin American waters and beefed up its military presence in the Caribbean as part of Trump’s effort to crack down on the flow of drugs into the U.S. The strikes have brought the total number of suspected narco-terrorists eliminated to over 82, with three survivors. But as the U.S. continues to bolster forces in the waters off Venezuela, Maduro has called for peace but also remained defiant against what he called “imperialist aggression.” U.S. WARSHIPS TO PATROL INTERNATIONAL WATERS AROUND VENEZUELA AS TRUMP VOWS TO STOP CARTELS Maduro delivered an address in Caracas last week while brandishing a sword and warning supporters to prepare for confrontation, saying the U.S. will “very soon” begin stopping suspected Venezuelan drug traffickers on land. He appeared at a mass rally in the capital holding the sword of Simón Bolívar, the 19th-century independence leader regarded as the liberator of much of South America. Maduro told supporters the country was facing a decisive moment. The Associated Press reported that he said, “For anyone, whether civilian, politician, military, or police – Let no one make excuses. Failure is not an option. The homeland demands it! Our greatest effort and sacrifice. And with (Simón) Bolívar, I come to say that if the homeland demands it, the homeland will have our lives, if necessary,” he declared while raising Bolívar’s sword. Maduro framed the situation as a struggle against what he described as external threats, urging Venezuelans to mobilize against any foreign aggression. Fox News Digital’s Diana Stancy and Efrat Lachter contributed to this report.
Trump envoy Steve Witkoff heads to Moscow as Ukraine peace talks gain momentum
Steve Witkoff, the U.S. special envoy to the Middle East, will travel to Moscow on Monday, a U.S. official tells Fox News. The trip comes as peace talks between Ukraine and Russia show signs of progress, with the White House pushing a peace plan to end the nearly four-year-long war. On Sunday, Witkoff — a central figure in negotiating the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas — joined Secretary of State Marco Rubio and senior advisor Jared Kushner in Florida to meet with Ukrainian negotiators. Rubio described the meeting as “very productive.” In a statement, Rubio said that the end goal is “not just the end of the war.” STATE DEPARTMENT SAYS UKRAINE READY TO ACCEPT 30-DAY CEASEFIRE DEAL: ‘BALL IS NOW IN RUSSIA’S COURT’ “Obviously, that’s essential and fundamental. We want to see the end of the killing and the death and the suffering, and I’m sure the Ukrainian side, I know they do as well,” Rubio said. “They want peace. But it’s also about securing an end to the war that leaves Ukraine sovereign and independent and with an opportunity at real prosperity.” Last week, Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Moscow could reject the White House’s peace deal framework if it does not uphold the “spirit and letter” of what President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed to at the Alaska summit in August. TRUMP: WE’RE GOING STRAIGHT TO RUSSIA-UKRAINE PEACE DEAL, ‘NOT A MERE CEASEFIRE’ He warned that if the terms of the “key understandings” are “extinguished” then the situation would become “fundamentally different.” Despite Lavrov’s comments, Putin showed interest in Trump’s plans to end the war on Thursday, calling the drafted plans a starting point. “We need to sit down and discuss this seriously,” Putin told reporters, according to The Associated Press. Trump’s plan as “a set of issues put forward for discussion” rather than a draft agreement. “Every word matters,” Putin added. Fox News Digital’s Sarah Tobianski, Kyle Schmidbauer and Ashley Carnahan contributed to this report.
Trump makes 11th-hour plea for Matt Van Epps over Aftyn Behn, whom he claims ‘hates Christianity’
President Donald Trump called on Tennesseans to vote for Matt Van Epps, the Republican nominee in the special election for the Volunteer State’s 7th Congressional District, in a Truth Social post on Sunday. Just two days ahead of the election on Dec. 2, Trump urged “all America First Patriots in Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District, who haven’t voted yet, to please GET OUT AND VOTE.” The president claimed that Van Epps’ Democratic opponent, state Rep. Aftyn Behn, “hates Christianity, will take away your guns, wants Open Borders, Transgender for everybody, men in women’s sports, and openly disdains Country music.” “She said all of these things precisely, and without question — IT’S ON TAPE!” Trump claimed. “Do not take this Race for granted.” MARK GREEN RESIGNS FROM CONGRESS, FURTHER SHRINKING HOUSE GOP MAJORITY “The Radical Left Democrats are spending a fortune to beat one of the best Candidates we’ve ever had, Matt Van Epps!” Trump concluded that Van Epps has his “Complete and Total Endorsement” and “WILL NEVER LET YOU DOWN!” Van Epps, a lieutenant colonel in the Tennessee Army National Guard and a former Army helicopter pilot, was formally endorsed by Trump earlier this year and called his support “an incredible honor.” TENNESSEE GOVERNOR BACKS MILITARY VETERAN JUST DAYS BEFORE CROWDED PRIMARY ELECTION Trump’s post comes as Behn draws national attention for her past comments, ranging from anti-police rhetoric to her dislike of country music and Nashville’s drinking culture. The Democrat was also once a frequent advocate for cutting police funding, even suggesting that the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department should be defunded. Last week, Behn was asked to clarify her previous remarks during an episode of MS NOW’s “The Weekend.” “In 2020, you made some tweets that have since been deleted that were very critical of police… 2020 was obviously a very fraught year. Do you still stand by those comments? And if not, is there anything you want to clarify?” host Catherine Rampell asked. “I’m not going to engage in cable news talking points, but what I will say is that, you know, our communities need solutions,” Behn responded. “We need local people deciding, solving local problems with local solutions. And that’s not the overreach of a federal government or state government of which we are dealing with in Nashville and our cities across the state of Tennessee.” Fox News Digital’s Paul Steinhauser, Alec Schemmel and Hanna Panreck contributed to this report.
Sen Cory Booker marries fiancé Alexis Lewis in intimate DC ceremony
Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., announced that he married his fiancé Alexis Lewis on Saturday, sharing photos of himself and his newlywed wife on social media. Booker and Lewis wed in a private ceremony in Washington, D.C., less than three months after announcing their engagement on Instagram. On Sunday, Booker posted that they were “overflowing with gratitude,” writing: “We said ‘I do’ in two places that shaped us—Cory’s beloved Newark and Alexis’s hometown of Washington, D.C.—first at the courthouse, then with our families. Hearts full and so grateful.” The couple married in an interfaith ceremony — Booker is Christian, and Lewis is Jewish — at an undisclosed venue, The New York Times reported. The couple had legally wed Monday at the federal courthouse in Newark with only their parents present. KEANU REEVES’ GIRLFRIEND SETS RECORD STRAIGHT ON WEDDING RUMORS WITH KISSING PHOTO The couple told the Times they met through a mutual friend known for matchmaking in May 2024. Their blind date in Washington lasted more than five hours. When Booker asked for a second date the next night, Lewis said she had to catch a flight for a work trip to Newark. Booker persuaded her to delay her flight so they could meet again in Newark, where he was also headed. Booker later described that second date as “even more magical,” saying they ate at a tapas restaurant before he showed her places in the city that shaped his life. The night ended with their first kiss outside the Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart. MICHELLE OBAMA CITES ‘QUITE THE JOURNEY’ WITH BARACK OBAMA IN ANNIVERSARY MESSAGE Lewis is a director of investments at Brasa Capital Management, a Los Angeles-based real estate investment firm, and previously worked for former Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti. She holds a bachelor’s degree from NYU and an MBA from Cornell. “My girlfriends and I say, ‘Change your flight, change your life,’ because it’s exactly what happened,” Lewis told the outlet. “After so many years on my own, I’m not entirely sure I believed I would get married. But now, we’ve found each other at this stage of our lives, after epic personal journeys. And that deserves celebration.”
Ahead of ICE ops, New Orleans police leader lambasted for comments about enforcement of immigration law
New Orleans Police Department Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick made waves earlier this week when she stated illegal immigration by foreign nationals in the U.S. is a “civil issue” and that therefore her agency will not enforce certain immigration laws — but would respond when ensuring public safety and that those involved in a federal operation are “not going to get hurt.” Kirkpatrick made the remarks at a press conference marking the end of a 15-year consent decree between the city and federal government, after then-Mayor Mitch Landrieu invited the Obama Justice Department to probe the agency for alleged “pattern or practice” of civil rights-related misconduct. During press questions, Kirkpatrick responded to one reporter by saying that to “be in the country undocumented is (a) civil issue.” “We will not enforce civil law, and so our support is to make sure they’re not going to get hurt and our community is not in danger,” Kirkpatrick said. ICE READIES SWAMP SWEEP: MISSISSIPPI PLEDGES TO AID, NOT BLOCK, FEDERAL CRACKDOWN “Am I expecting them to come?” she said. “Yes, I’m expecting them to come. But can I tell you they’re coming Friday? No, I can’t tell you that.” “If they call for help because they say they’re going to be hurt. We are going to be there in order to help anyone in danger. We are not enforcing — because we can’t.” Kirkpatrick’s comments swiftly went viral on social media, with critics — largely from the right — lambasting her for claiming her agency cannot enforce certain immigration laws. DENVER MAYOR SAYS HE’S PREPARED TO GO TO JAIL OVER OPPOSITION TO TRUMP DEPORTATIONS OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS Commentator Chaya Raichik, better known as “LibsOfTikTok,” also responded to the superintendent’s comments. “Anne Kirkpatrick… says that illegally invading the U.S. is a ‘civil issue’ and her police force ‘will not enforce the law.’” “Illegally invading the country is a crime. This is who is in charge of the police.” NOEM, IN ILLINOIS, CALLS OUT GOV. PRITZKER, CHICAGO’S MAYOR OVER THEIR HANDLING OF CRIMINAL ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS “This is Law Enforcement 101. Every American knows this,” conservative commentator David Harris Jr. tweeted separately. Florida journalist Eric Daugherty responded to a clip of Kirkpatrick, writing: “False. It is a crime.” “How can you be the leader of a major police force and not know this? Arrest and deport. No exceptions,” Daugherty said. CHICAGO POLICE ORDERED NOT TO RESPOND AFTER CAR-RAMMING ATTACK ON FEDERAL AGENTS: SOURCES Louisiana Republican Attorney General Liz Murrill commented below Daugherty’s message, saying that she spoke directly to Kirkpatrick about her comments. “It is a state crime to obstruct ICE and federal immigration enforcement. Law enforcement should enforce the law,” Murrill said. In response to Murrill, several other critics reamed Kirkpatrick for being in charge of the New Orleans Police Department the night a man mowed down revelers ahead of the Sugar Bowl on New Year’s Day, suggesting there were preventative measures on Bourbon Street, including installation of bollards and hardened temporary infrastructure, that were missed. JONATHAN TURLEY: WHY BLUE STATES’ NEW ANTI-ICE LAWS ARE UNCONSTITUTIONAL VIRTUE SIGNALING Other critics cited 8 U.S. Code 1325, which criminalizes “improper entry by (an) alien.” That section describes how it is a criminal act to elude immigration inspection, provide false documentation or enter the U.S. illegally outside a port of entry. Kirkpatrick’s reference to civil law referenced the fact there is a section in the code under the Immigration & Naturalization Act that says being unlawfully present in the U.S. for a visa overstay or other infraction is indeed civil, not criminal. “Inadmissible aliens,” as described in law, also can face civil removal proceedings under 8 USC 1227 and 8 USC 1182. DHS LAUNCHING MASSIVE IMMIGRATION OPERATION IN LOUISIANA, MISSISSIPPI: ‘SWAMP SWEEP’ In a separate statement, Murrill said she fully expects “all law enforcement and local officials will not obstruct federal authorities and will enforce state law to protect people and property.” “I support ICE operations that ensure violent criminals are removed and ensure legal immigration policies are respected and followed,” she added. Fox News Digital reached out to the New Orleans Police Department for comment. An official who picked up the phone indicated they would seek out the proper official to pass along any comment, but the inquiry was not returned.
Trump freezes Afghan visas after DC shooting — as he quietly eyes land strikes in Venezuela
The Trump administration is taking an even firmer stance on immigration in the wake of a fatal shooting near the White House Wednesday, which took the life of one National Guard member and injured another. Additionally, the White House signaled it may ramp up its operations targeting alleged drug smugglers in the Caribbean, following months of strikes against vessels accused of trafficking drugs into the U.S. Here’s what happened this week. The Trump administration is moving to impose more limitations on migrants attempting to enter the U.S., after an Afghan national was identified as the suspect in Wednesday’s deadly shooting. Law enforcement officials identified the shooting suspect as Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, who entered the U.S. legally in 2021 under the Biden administration’s Operation Allies Welcome program, which aimed to facilitate resettling Afghan refugees in the U.S. The Department of State has paused all U.S. visas for individuals traveling on Afghan passports, the State Department and Secretary of State Marco Rubio posted to X Friday. VANCE’S PAST WARNINGS REIGNITE AFTER AFGHAN NATIONAL NAMED AS SUSPECT IN DC GUARD SHOOTING U.S. Army Spc. Sarah Beckstrom, 20, died Thursday due to injuries stemming from Wednesday’s shooting. U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe remains in critical condition as of Friday, per U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro. As a result of the shooting, Trump said in a social media post Thursday that he would permanently pause migration from “all Third World Countries.” LIBERAL COMMENTATORS BLAME TRUMP FOR NATIONAL GUARD SHOOTING Likewise, the head of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, Joseph Edlow, said Thursday that in accordance with orders from Trump, he has “directed a full scale, rigorous reexamination of every Green Card for every alien from every country of concern.” The White House did not provide additional information regarding which countries would be impacted, and referred Fox News Digital to Trump’s social media post. Trump also signaled that his administration would start conducting land operations as it ramps up its operations targeting alleged drug traffickers in the Caribbean. LAW ENFORCEMENT RESPONDING AFTER 2 NATIONAL GUARD MEMBERS SHOT NEAR WHITE HOUSE Since September, the Trump administration has conducted more than 20 strikes against alleged drug boats in Latin American waters, and has beefed up its military presence in the Caribbean as part of Trump’s effort to crack down on the influx of drugs into the U.S. “You probably noticed that now people aren’t wanting to be delivering by sea, and we’ll be starting to stop them by land also,” Trump said Thursday. “The land is easier, but that’s going to start very soon.” The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital regarding whether the White House was considering land strikes or deploying U.S. troops within Venezuela. However, Trump has previously refused to rule out dispatching U.S. ground troops into Venezuela. The New York Times reported Friday that Trump spoke with Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro in the past week. Alexandra Koch contributed to this report.
Congress races against 3-week deadline to tackle massive year-end legislative agenda
Congress will return to Washington, D.C., next week entering into a dead sprint to wrap up work before the year’s end, to cap off a blistering, often dramatic year on the Hill. Both chambers will have three working weeks before again fleeing from the growing chill in Washington to their respective districts and states. And lawmakers have some of the biggest challenges of the year left to finish. Perhaps the biggest looming legislative fight will be how lawmakers approach the expiring enhanced Obamacare subsidies, which dominated the recently ended government shutdown. SENATE REPUBLICANS, DEMS BLOCK DUELING ATTEMPTS TO REPEAL CONTROVERSIAL ARCTIC FROST PROVISION Neither side has produced a fulsome plan on how to tackle the subsidies, though some solutions from Republicans, like funneling the subsidy funding into Health Savings Accounts (HSAs), have been floated. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., acknowledged last week that producing a solution would be a steep hurdle, and reiterated his commitment to Senate Democrats that they would get a vote on whatever proposal they produce no later than the second week in December. Thune noted that “the one thing that unites” the GOP is the belief that the subsidies need to be reformed and that rising healthcare costs need to be dealt with. “I think the affordability issue is a big issue,” Thune said. “I think it’s been exacerbated by the way that Obamacare has been structured through the years, including the way that enhanced subsidies were structured by going directly to insurance companies and incentivizing them to enroll people without their knowledge.” And the White House also has its own plan, which was expected to be rolled out earlier this week, but sidelined over reportedly disgruntled Republicans who disliked the proposed language. When asked about specifics of the plan, and it was scrapped, a White House official told Fox News Digital that “there was never a healthcare announcement listed on [Monday’s] daily guidance.” But the rumblings of a plan from President Donald Trump and the administration have encouraged some Senate Democrats. GRAHAM SAYS TRUMP WANTS TO ‘MOVE THE BILL’ ON RUSSIA SANCTIONS, BUT PROCEDURAL HURDLES AWAIT Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., who originally proposed legislation to extend the subsidies, said she was glad the president was making an effort to ensure the credits don’t sunset by the end of the year. “I’ve had constructive conversations with many of my Republican colleagues who I believe want to get this done,” Shaheen said in a statement. “They understand that the vast majority of people who benefit from these tax credits live in states the President won, and that the President’s own pollsters have underscored the enormous political urgency of Republicans acting.” But Obamacare is not the only issue Congress faces. Lawmakers are eyeing passage of the annual National Defense Authorization Act by the end of the year, the Senate is considering another package of Trump’s nominees and another package of spending bills is expected on the horizon, too. That package of four bills, which is expected to include the Defense, Labor, Transportation and Commerce funding bills, would be a massive step toward averting yet another deadline to fund the government by Jan. 30, 2026. Senate Appropriations Chair Susan Collins, R-Maine, said earlier this month that there was also an “interest on the House side” to move the bills. “The more appropriations bills that we’re able to pass, the better off we’re going to be, the better off the American people will be served,” she said. GOP WRESTLES WITH OBAMACARE FIX AS TRUMP LOOMS OVER SUBSIDY FIGHT There are also some lingering issues that could pose surprises before the year’s end, including how Congress will handle Russia sanctions and the controversial provision in the package that reopened the government that would allow senators to sue for upwards of $500,000 if their records were requested without notification. On the sanctions front, the Senate has overwhelmingly bipartisan legislation that Trump appears to support, but there’s a possible disconnect between Thune and House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., on where the legislation should originate. Thune believed it’d be better suited in the House given that it’s a revenue-geared bill, while Johnson warned that it would be time-consuming to pass the bill in the lower chamber because of how many different committees it would have to move through. Some in the Senate are already looking ahead to next year, when lawmakers will be in full midterm election mode. Another crack at budget reconciliation, the process used to pass Trump’s marquee “big, beautiful bill,” has been floated, but whether there is broad buy-in from congressional Republicans remains in the air. Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., said that it would be “legislative malpractice” to not undertake the grueling process once more. “It’s just exquisitely dumb,” Kennedy said. “Why would you not take advantage of an opportunity to pass something with 51 votes? That doesn’t mean that our Democratic colleagues can’t join with us, but if they don’t, they can’t filibuster. Did I mention it’s exquisitely dumb?”
Top 5 game-changers from the 2025 campaign trail
In the wake of last year’s tumultuous presidential election, which exhausted many Americans, it was expected to be quiet on the 2025 campaign trail. But with President Donald Trump back in the White House and Democrats itching to rebound after last year’s ballot box setbacks, 2025’s off-year elections were anything but sedate. Here are five of the biggest moments that shaped the campaign trail. Just eight days into Trump’s second term in the White House, demoralized Democrats had something to cheer about. SETTING THE STAGE: WHAT THE 2025 ELECTIONS SIGNAL FOR NEXT YEAR’S MIDTERM SHOWDOWNS Democrat Mike Zimmer defeated Republican Katie Whittington in a special state Senate election in Iowa, flipping a Republican-controlled vacant seat in a district that Trump had carried by 21 points less than three months earlier. Zimmer’s victory triggered a wave of Democrats overperforming in special elections and regularly scheduled off-year ballot box contests. In Iowa, Democrats in August flipped another Republican-held seat in a state Senate special election, breaking the GOP’s supermajority in the upper chamber for the first time in three years. “Since the president was inaugurated back in January, there’s been 45 elections on the ballot. Democrats have overperformed in all of them to the tune of about 16 percentage points on average,” Democratic National Committee chair Ken Martin touted in a Fox News Digital interview days ahead of the 2025 elections. It was the issue that boosted Trump and Republicans in the 2024 elections, as they won back the White House and Senate majority and kept control of the House. But a year later, the economy, and everyday expenses in particular, are working against the president and his party in the 2025 elections. FOX NEWS POLL: VOTERS SAY WHITE HOUSE IS DOING MORE HARM THAN GOOD ON ECONOMY Democrats, with an across-the-board focus on affordability, enjoyed sweeping success at the ballot box earlier this month, with double-digit victories in the gubernatorial showdowns in blue-leaning but competitive New Jersey and Virginia, as well as major victories in high-profile contests in battlegrounds Georgia and Pennsylvania and solidly blue New York City and California. “Voters are remarkably consistent in their priorities: the economy, the economy, the economy,” noted Wayne Lesperance, a veteran political scientist and president of New England College. “When you win an election, voters expect you are going to do something to address those concerns and the reality is that the questions of affordability remain unchanged in their importance to the everyday voter.” Virginia Democrats were cruising toward convincing victories in the commonwealth’s statewide elections when a scandal sent shockwaves up and down the ballot. Democratic attorney general nominee Jay Jones instantly went into crisis mode after controversial texts were first reported earlier by the National Review in early October. Jones acknowledged and apologized for texts he sent in 2022, when he compared then-Virginia House Speaker Todd Gilbert to mass murderers Adolf Hitler and Pol Pot, adding that if he was given two bullets, he would use both against the GOP lawmaker to shoot him in the head. But Jones faced a chorus of calls from Republicans to drop out of the race. KEY TAKEAWAYS FROM THE 2025 ELECTIONS And the GOP leveraged the explosive revelations up the ballot, forcing Democratic Party nominee, former Rep. Abigail Spanberger, back on defense in a campaign where she was seen as the frontrunner against Republican rival Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears. Earle-Sears didn’t waste an opportunity to link Spanberger to Jones. And during last month’s chaotic and only gubernatorial debate, where Earle-Sears repeatedly interrupted Spanberger, the GOP gubernatorial nominee called on her Democratic rival to tell Jones to end his attorney general bid. “The comments that Jay Jones made are absolutely abhorrent,” Spanberger said at the debate. But she neither affirmed nor pulled back her support of Jones. While the scandal grabbed national headlines, in the end it didn’t slow down the Democrats, as Spanberger crushed Earle-Sears by 15 points. Democrats won the separate election for lieutenant governor by 11 points and Jones even pulled off a 6-point victory over Republican incumbent Jason Miyares. Aiming to prevent what happened during his first term in the White House when Democrats reclaimed the House majority in the 2018 midterm elections, Trump in June first floated the idea of rare but not unheard of mid-decade congressional redistricting. The mission was simple: redraw congressional district maps in red states to pad the GOP’s razor-thin House majority to keep control of the chamber in the 2026 midterms, when the party in power traditionally faces political headwinds and loses seats. Trump’s first target: Texas. A month later, when asked by reporters about his plan to add Republican-leaning House seats across the country, the president said, “Texas will be the biggest one. And that’ll be five.” The push by Trump and his political team triggered a high-stakes redistricting showdown with Democrats to shape the 2026 midterm landscape in the fight for the House majority. Republican Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas called a special session of the GOP-dominated state legislature to pass the new map. ELECTION REFLECTION: ‘DEMOCRATS FLIPPED THE SCRIPT’ ON AFFORDABILITY IN BALLOT BOX SHOWDOWNS But Democratic state lawmakers, who broke quorum for two weeks as they fled Texas in a bid to delay the passage of the redistricting bill, energized Democrats across the country. Among those leading the fight against Trump’s redistricting was Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom of California. California voters earlier this month overwhelmingly passed Proposition 50, a ballot initiative which will temporarily sidetrack the left-leaning state’s nonpartisan redistricting commission and return the power to draw the congressional maps to the Democratic-dominated legislature. That is expected to result in five more Democratic-leaning congressional districts in California, which aimed to counter the move by Texas to redraw their maps. Meanwhile, an opinion by two federal judges in Texas this month delivered a blow to Trump and Republicans, by ruling that the state can’t use the newly drawn map in next year’s elections. Texas Republicans say they’ll appeal the ruling to the
Schumer accuses Trump of pushing US toward ‘foreign war’ with Venezuela
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., issued a sharp warning Saturday about President Donald Trump’s posture toward Venezuela, accusing him of edging the U.S. “closer and closer to another costly foreign war” without congressional approval. In a blistering statement, Schumer criticized Trump’s recent escalation toward Venezuela and argued that the president had upended the Constitution. “President Trump’s reckless actions towards Venezuela are pushing America closer and closer to another costly foreign war,” Schumer stated. “Under our Constitution, Congress has the sole power to declare war — not the President — and Congress has not authorized the use of military force against Venezuela.” The minority leader cautioned the president to avoid entering into another overseas conflict, writing that “Americans are tired of endless foreign wars that cost the lives of countless American service members and drain precious resources.” SENATE REPUBLICANS BLOCK BIPARTISAN EFFORT TO HALT MILITARY ACTION, DRUG BOAT STRIKES IN THE CARIBBEAN “This is not an America First policy,” he added. Schumer called for bipartisan pushback, urging his colleagues in Congress to “come together to return the power to declare war back to the people.” The New York Democrat’s comments came after Trump wrote on Truth Social that Venezuela’s airspace should be considered “closed in its entirety.” SENATORS LOOK TO BLOCK TRUMP FROM ENGAGING IN ‘HOSTILITIES’ IN VENEZUELA “To all Airlines, Pilots, Drug Dealers, and Human Traffickers, please consider THE AIRSPACE ABOVE AND SURROUNDING VENEZUELA TO BE CLOSED IN ITS ENTIRETY,” he wrote. That post came a week after the Federal Aviation Administration warned airlines of a “worsening security situation” in the area. While speaking to U.S. service members on Thanksgiving, Trump said the U.S. will “very soon” begin stopping suspected Venezuelan drug traffickers “by land.” DEM PRESSURE BUILDS FOR ANSWERS ON TRUMP’S CARIBBEAN STRIKES, COMMANDER’S SUDDEN EXIT “In recent weeks, you’ve been working to deter Venezuelan drug traffickers, of which there are many,” Trump said. “Of course, there aren’t too many coming in by sea anymore. Have you probably noticed that?” The president added that drug traffickers kill “hundreds of thousands of people a year” in the U.S. from the “poisons” they bring in. Trump has not dismissed the idea of sending American troops into Venezuela, stating on Nov. 17 that he hasn’t eliminated the possibility. TRUMP UNLEASHES US MILITARY POWER ON CARTELS. IS A WIDER WAR LOOMING? Asked whether he ruled out troop deployments, Trump responded, “No, I don’t rule out that, I don’t rule out anything.” On Friday, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth defended the Trump administration’s strikes on alleged drug vessels in the Caribbean Sea. “As we’ve said from the beginning, and in every statement, these highly effective strikes are specifically intended to be ‘lethal, kinetic strikes,’” Hegseth wrote on X. “The declared intent is to stop lethal drugs, destroy narco-boats, and kill the narco-terrorists who are poisoning the American people. Every trafficker we kill is affiliated with a Designated Terrorist Organization.” Hegseth’s statement followed reports from multiple news outlets, including The Washington Post and CNN, that claimed the U.S. military ordered a second strike on a suspected drug vessel in the Caribbean on Sept. 2 after the initial attack left two survivors. “As usual, the fake news is delivering more fabricated, inflammatory, and derogatory reporting to discredit our incredible warriors fighting to protect the homeland,” Hegseth added in his post. House Armed Services Committee Chair Mike Rogers, R-Ala., and ranking member Adam Smith, D-Wash., issued a joint statement Saturday reiterating that the committee is “committed to providing rigorous oversight of the Department of Defense’s military operations in the Caribbean.” “We take seriously the reports of follow-on strikes on boats alleged to be ferrying narcotics in the SOUTHCOM region and are taking bipartisan action to gather a full accounting of the operation in question,” the lawmakers wrote. Fox News Digital has reached out to the White House for comment. Fox News Digital’s Sophia Compton, Brie Stimson, Greg Norman and Alexandra Koch contributed to this report.