The Speaker’s Lobby: What Congress’ December script means for healthcare next year
This December on Capitol Hill appears to follow a familiar script. There’s a deadline for Congress to act on (insert issue here). And if lawmakers don’t move by Jan. 1, then (insert consequence here). So, everyone on Capitol Hill clamors over pathways to finish (given issue). Lawmakers and staff are at the end of their wits. Everyone is worried about Congress successfully fixing the problem and getting everyone home for the holidays. There’s always the concern that Congress will emerge as The Grinch, pilfering Whoville of Christmas toys. But lawmakers often wind up toiling with the diligence and efficiency of Santa’s elves, plowing through late-night, overnight and weekend sessions, usually finishing (insert issue here) in the St. Nick of time. THE HITCHHIKER’S GUIDE TO THURSDAY’S BIG SENATE VOTES ON HEALTHCARE This pattern is always the same. With few variations. This parliamentary dance of the sugar plum fairies frequently centers on deadlines for government funding, the debt ceiling and tax policy. Such was the case when the Senate passed the first version of Obamacare on Christmas Eve morning in 2009. Republicans skated on thin ice to finish their tax reform package in December 2017. Lawmakers moved expeditiously to approve a defense policy bill in late 2020, then made sure they had just enough time on the calendar to override President Trump’s veto of the legislation before the very end of the 116th Congress in early January 2021. The deadlines sometimes veer into the political. There was a crush to finish articles of impeachment on the House floor for both presidents Clinton and Trump in December 1998 and December 2019, respectively. And, so, after everyone got this fall’s government shutdown worked out of their systems, lawmakers were far from prepared to address its root cause. Democrats refused to fund the government unless Congress addressed spiking healthcare premiums. Those premiums shoot up on Jan. 1. And no one has built enough consensus to pass a bill before the end of the year. Yet. But it’s only mid-December. And everyone knows that the congressional Christmas legislative spirit can be slow to take hold. Some of that holiday magic may have officially arrived Thursday afternoon after the Senate incinerated competing Republican and Democratic healthcare plans. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., pushed a three-year extension of the current Obamacare subsidies with no built-in reforms. “This is going to require that Democrats come off a position they know is an untenable one and sit down in a serious way and work with Republicans,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said of the Democratic proposal. Thune characterized the Democrats’ gambit as “a political messaging exercise.” MODERATE REPUBLICANS STAGE OBAMACARE REBELLION AS HEALTH COST FRUSTRATIONS ERUPT IN HOUSE Republicans even mulled not putting forth a healthcare plan at all. It was the group of Senate Democrats who ultimately helped break a filibuster to reopen the government last month that demanded a healthcare-related vote (not a fix, but a vote) in December. So, that’s all Thune would commit to. “If Republicans just vote no on a Democrat proposal, we’ll let the premiums go up and Republicans don’t offer anything. What message is that going to send?” asked Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo. “I know what people in Missouri will think. They’ll look at that, and they’ll say, ‘Well, you guys don’t do anything. You’ve just let my premiums go up.’” It may yet come to that. So, there’s a holiday healthcare affordability crisis. “People are looking now at exactly what’s ahead for them, and they’re very, very frightened,” said Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., the top Democrat on the Senate Finance Committee. But most Senate Republicans coalesced around a plan drafted by Senate Finance Committee Chairman Michael Crapo, R-Idaho, and Senate Health Committee Chairman Bill Cassidy, R-La. The bill would not renew Obamacare subsidies. Instead, it would allow people to deposit money into a healthcare savings account and shop around for coverage. “Our plan will reduce premiums by 1% and save taxpayers money,” boasted Crapo. “In contrast, the Democrats’ temporary COVID bonuses do not lower costs or premiums at all.” With skyrocketing prices, Republicans are desperate to do something, even if it’s a figgy pudding leaf, as they face competitive races next year. COLLINS, MORENO UNVEIL OBAMACARE PLAN AS REPUBLICANS SEARCH FOR SOLUTION TO EXPIRING SUBSIDIES “It has nothing to do with me. It has everything to do with people in Ohio and across America who need to be able to afford access to healthcare,” said Sen. Jon Husted, R-Ohio. Gov. Mike DeWine, R-Ohio, appointed Husted to succeed Vice President Vance after he left the Senate. So, 2026 will be Husted’s first time on the ballot for the Senate. There was some chatter that Republicans might allow for a limited extension of the Obamacare aid so long as Democrats agreed to abortion restrictions in exchange. “Off the table. They know it damn well,” thundered Schumer. So, the competing plans needed 60 yeas to clear a procedural hurdle. But that also meant that both plans were destined to fail without solving the problem before the end of the year. “We have to have something viable to vote on before we get out of here,” lamented Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C. That’s why some Christmas congressional calendar magic often compels lawmakers to find a last-minute solution. “Every legislator up here would like to be home for Christmas,” said Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan. “That pressure is what forces us to come together.” CONGRESS FACES HOLIDAY CRUNCH AS HEALTH CARE FIX COLLIDES WITH SHRINKING CALENDAR We’ll know soon if everyone buckles down to harness soaring premiums after days of political posturing. “This should have been done in July or August. So, we are up against a deadline,” said Hawley. And procrastination by lawmakers may yet do them in. “Healthcare is unbelievably complicated,” said Rep. Dusty Johnson, R-S.D. “You’re not going to reform it and bring down costs overnight.” House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., is now promising a separate, still unwritten healthcare bill for the floor in the coming days.
Trump plan sells ‘Gold Card’ visas for $1M; critics warn of pay-to-play that could be abused
The new “Trump Gold Card” will include the same vetting process any typical visa applicant must go through, except it’s going to cost a hefty fee. Under the new pay-to-play immigration framework launched Wednesday, individuals will be allowed to obtain lawful entry into the United States, assuming they can pay — and pass — the $15,000 vetting process and have an extra $1 million to fork over. Businesses will also be allowed to participate, costing them $2 million per person. At an economic roundtable at the White House Wednesday, President Donald Trump and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick previewed the new Trump Gold Card program ahead of its launch later that same day. EXCLUSIVE: MILLIONS OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS LEAVE US IN RECORD-BREAKING YEAR UNDER TRUMP POLICIES, DHS SAYS “So, for an individual it’s $1 million. And for a corporation it’s $2 million,” Lutnick said. “And, as the president said, for a corporation, they spend $2 million, they can then have an employee — fully vetted, the best vetting the government has ever done — $15,000 vetting to make sure these people absolutely qualify to be in America, absolutely qualify. And then the company can keep them here, and they have a path to citizenship. “Obviously, they have to be perfect people in America and, having passed the vetting after five years, they’ll be available to become citizens. And then the corporation can put someone else on the card. So, for a company that can keep putting people on the card, one person per card, and for an individual, it’s $1 million, and it’s a gift to the United States of America to … help America be great again under Donald Trump.” Trump followed up, saying “it’s really two gifts,” noting that not only will it bring “billions” in revenue to the United States, but it will also help the country retain “some tremendous people” that would otherwise be forced to leave the United States. Just the $15,000 vetting cost of the Trump Gold Card for individuals dwarfs the typical application and administrative fees for a visa or green card. DETAINED ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS WILL FACE $5K ‘APPREHENSION FEE’: BORDER PATROL CHIEF For most temporary visas, the State Department’s fees are typically a couple hundred dollars, with potentially a few extra hundred dollars in fees owed to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) depending upon the person and the type of visa needed. Green cards typically require a couple thousands dollars, sometimes as much as $3,000, according to the State Department’s fee schedule. On one hand, Trump has promised the toughest border security in history. On the other, his new Gold Card invites wealthy foreigners to cut to the front of the line if they can afford a seven-figure “gift” to Washington, representing a stark shift that seemingly turns U.S. immigration into a luxury product. Among the concerns swirling around the president’s new Gold Card program is it could be taken advantage of by cartel bosses and Russian oligarchs. “President Trump can’t help trying to act like a king. From new ballrooms and gilded Oval Office decor to over-the-top foreign trips filled with pomp and circumstance to a lavish Qatari plane, his grift knows no limit,” Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin said in September ahead of Wednesday’s official launch. “He’s bringing that same ego-driven approach to our immigration system with an illegal pay-to-play scheme that undermines our values and rewards wealth over hard work, talent and a love for America, “We need a fair and orderly immigration system that preserves our safety and national security, attracts the best and brightest and maintains our status as a beacon of hope for the most vulnerable. Instead of creating policies that help American businesses and families, President Trump is rolling out the welcome mat for Russian oligarchs and cartel bosses.” Trump allies have praised the program. “This landmark program fulfills President Trump’s promise to attract the world’s most successful entrepreneurs and investors to America while guaranteeing they have skin in the game,” Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said of the new program. “The Department of Homeland Security is working closely with the Department of Commerce to facilitate the rollout of President Trump’s Gold Card program.” The White House did not return Fox News Digital’s request for comment in time for publication.
Speaker Johnson says second Venezuela boat strike ‘entirely appropriate’ after seeing classified video
Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said the military’s actions in the Caribbean Sept. 2 were “entirely appropriate” after getting a classified video about the two strikes on an alleged Venezuelan drug boat. “The individuals on that vessel were not helpless castaways. They were drug runners on a capsized drug boat and, by all indications, attempting to recover it so they could continue pushing drugs to kill Americans,” Johnson told reporters. “What the video shows is that these individuals were there. They were able-bodied, they were not injured and they were attempting to recover the contents of the boat, which was full of narcotics.” He said there was “another vessel” in close proximity that the two survivors were “waving their arms” toward so that they could continue onward with “their mission.” HEGSETH ERUPTS OVER WAPO ‘FAKE STORIES’ SMEAR, VOWS TO STOP ‘POISONING OF THE AMERICAN PEOPLE’ “This is a great threat to us. Every one of these boats that is capsized saves tens of thousands of American lives. This is what the president has prioritized. I think he’s done it with the expectation and the consent of the American people,” Johnson argued. “I’m satisfied with the intelligence, with the way that this was conducted. I think it was entirely appropriate. I think Admiral Bradley is one of the most honorable men serving in the U.S. military. His credentials are exceptional. He’s a man of great integrity, and they followed the law very carefully and closely here.” He said of the second strike specifically, “It followed the law. It followed protocol. It followed our previous missions like this. … I’m fully confident that it was done the right way.” TOM COTTON CALLS ON WASHINGTON POST TO APOLOGIZE TO HEGSETH, BRADLEY FOR ‘SLANDER’ The White House confirmed earlier this month that two strikes were fired at a boat allegedly ferrying drugs from Venezuela. A second strike was conducted after the initial hit left two survivors. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth told reporters earlier this month that he watched the first strike live but did not learn of the second strike until later, having left for a meeting in between. The White House said the strike was ordered by Adm. Frank M. Bradley, commander of the United States Special Operations Command. Republicans and Democrats have had vastly different reactions to the strikes, with President Donald Trump’s critics on the left accusing his administration of possibly committing a war crime. Republicans, meanwhile, have largely said the military acted within its rightful scope. House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mike Rogers, R-Ala., has signaled he was satisfied with the information he’s received so far while the top Democrat on the panel, Rep. Adam Smith, D-Wash., said Thursday the probe was “far from over.” The Senate Armed Services Committee is conducting its own probe into the matter.
DHS unleashes scathing response after Walz asks agency to ‘reassess’ enforcement
FIRST ON FOX: As Minnesota continues to reel from a massive fraud scheme involving the state’s Somali community, Homeland Security Assistant Secretary McLaughlin gave a scathing response to Minnesota Democratic Gov. Tim Walz’s request for the agency to “reassess” its immigration enforcement strategy. In a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, Walz said he was writing with “serious concern” regarding arrests of U.S. citizens made by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in Minneapolis. McLaughlin told Fox News Digital that “instead of trying to spread misinformation, Tim Walz should focus on protecting American lives and thanking the brave men and women of DHS law enforcement who are risking their lives to make communities in his state safer.” “Yes, U.S. citizens who assault and obstruct law enforcement have been arrested,” she went on, adding, “There is a growing and disturbing trend of agitators and rioters obstructing the arrest of illegal aliens and assaulting our brave law enforcement. Our officers are facing a more than 1050% increase in assaults and an 8000% increase in death threats.” ‘HE HAD YEARS TO STOP THIS’: GOP LAWMAKERS BLAST WALZ OVER MASSIVE MINNESOTA FRAUD SCHEME “Obstructing law enforcement is not protesting; it is a crime,” said McLaughlin. In response to Walz raising concerns about the arrest of a U.S. citizen named “Sue,” McLaughlin said the woman assaulted a federal law enforcement officer during a “targeted enforcement operation” in Minneapolis to arrest an Ecuadoran criminal illegal named Quiquintuna Capuz. According to McLaughlin, Capuz has a previous conviction for felony assault on a police officer. She said that despite the illegal’s record, a “violent group of rioters formed and began assaulting and obstructing law enforcement as they were arresting this dangerous criminal.” U.S. citizen Susan Tincher was arrested after she “assaulted a federal agent, tried to break through a security perimeter set up for public safety, ignored lawful commands, and became violent,” per McLaughlin. “Secretary Noem has been clear: if you lay a hand on a law enforcement you will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” said McLaughlin. In his letter, Walz urged Noem to review recent arrests made by federal agents to ensure they have a judicial warrant authorizing detention or seizure and to clarify the legal standard under which a citizen may exercise his rights to document and witness “aggressive law enforcement actions.” MINNESOTA’S FRAUD SCANDAL WAS ‘SHOCKINGLY EASY’ TO PULL OFF, IS LIKELY WORSE THAN REPORTED: EX PROSECUTOR “Reports indicate that some citizens were documenting federal activity, while others were going about their daily lives,” he wrote. “This troubling pattern raised serious questions, not only about due process and the rights of U.S. citizens, but also about trust between Minnesota communities and federal authorities.” “This series of incidents raises serious concerns about civil liberties and trust between Minnesota communities and federal authorities,” Walz said in a statement regarding his letter. “Minnesotans have long valued civic engagement, and detaining citizens for lawfully exercising those rights or going about their daily lives sends a deeply disturbing message. I am urging Secretary Noem to respect the constitution and for her administration to ensure that federal operations are conducted lawfully and with respect for the rights of all individuals.” He stated that the “forcefulness, lack of communication and unlawful practices” displayed by federal agents won’t be tolerated in Minnesota. He urged Noem to reassess the broader enforcement strategy. Walz referenced another person named “Mubashir,” who he said was chased, tackled and handcuffed before being detained despite stating his citizenship status, he said. The governor said those who document law enforcement activity “play an essential role in transparency, accountability and safeguarding civil liberties in Minnesota.” Immigration officials have said that individuals are free to watch and film law enforcement operations, but anyone obstructing authorities from doing their jobs could face arrest. In a statement later on Wednesday night, Walz said, “It’s clear the feds are intent on stoking fear and provoking Minnesotans. Trump wants a show. Don’t give it to him. Stay safe and remain peaceful if you’re interacting with ICE.” MINNESOTA LAWMAKERS VOW NEW CRACKDOWN AFTER $1B FRAUD MELTDOWN THEY SAY WALZ LET SPIRAL DHS shot back in an X post that “for the past 6 years, Minnesotans have lived in fear for their lives, their families, and their property as you’ve let criminal illegal aliens run wild in your state.” “Governor, do you stand with the illegal aliens we’re taking off YOUR streets or with Americans?” DHS wrote. Minneapolis has been at the center of controversy in recent weeks over a massive fraud scheme dating back to at least 2020 that permeated several departments and several nonprofits, ranging from childcare services to COVID-19 relief, to autism care, and is believed by many to eventually eclipse $1 billion in wasted state and federal taxpayer funds. Republican lawmakers in the state have told Fox News Digital they believe that Walz deserves much of the blame. State Rep. Mark Koran said, “You have to look at who’s been solely in charge of that process, which has been Governor Walz.” “The executive body controls every agency. And I think what to understand is how they are either extraordinarily incompetent or willfully complicit. There are no alternatives to it. And I think they’re actually both,” said Koran. Fox News Digital reached out to Walz for comment, but did not receive a response by the time of publication.
Ilhan Omar’s ex appears on ‘dirty dandy’ social account as Trump revives married siblings claim
Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar’s second husband has emerged online, referring to himself as a “dirty dandy” on Instagram while showing off a fun-loving lifestyle in South Africa, according to reports. Ahmed Nur Said Elmi, 40, who spent time abroad after leaving the U.S., is now believed to be in Johannesburg, where he has been chronicling his time there, the New York Post reported. The outlet revealed social media posts showing him wearing a visitor’s badge at the University of the Witwatersrand and enjoying upscale venues as he documents his day-to-day life. ILHAN OMAR SAYS SHE’S FRUSTRATED SINCE SOMALIS ARE ALSO VICTIMS IN ‘FEEDING OUR FUTURE’ SCAM Elmi’s reappearance also coincided with President Trump pushing his allegation the Minnesota politician had supposedly married her brother to avoid U.S. immigration laws. At a Pennsylvania rally Tuesday, Trump repeated his accusation that Omar married her brother for immigration purposes, “She married her brother in order to get in, right?” he told supporters. “She married her brother. Can you imagine if Donald Trump married his sister? Beautiful. She’s a beautiful person. “If I married my sister to get my citizenship, do you think I’d last for about two hours or something less than that? She married her brother to get in. Therefore, she’s here illegally. She should get the hell out.” OMAR ALLIES TIED TO MASSIVE MINNESOTA COVID MEAL FRAUD SCHEME INVOLVING SOMALI COMMUNITY Trump also expanded on the allegation in an interview with Politico, saying he didn’t “want to see a woman that, you know, marries her brother to get in and then becomes a congressman and does nothing but complain. All she does is complain, complain, complain, and yet her country’s a mess.” Omar has always denied the accusation while her marital history, particularly her 2009 civil marriage to Elmi, has fueled debate since she entered public office. ILHAN OMAR SAYS THERE ARE FEW UNDOCUMENTED SOMALI MIGRANTS IN THE COUNTRY Born in Somalia and naturalized as a U.S. citizen in 2000, Omar entered a religious marriage with Ahmed Abdisalan Hirsi in 2002. In 2009, she legally married Elmi, a British citizen, despite maintaining her religious union with Hirsi and continuing to have children with him. Omar and Elmi separated in 2011 and did not legally divorce until 2017, according to reports. ILHAN OMAR PRESSED TO EXPLAIN HOW FRAUD IN MINNESOTA GOT ‘SO OUT OF CONTROL’ She married Hirsi in a civil ceremony before divorcing him and marrying political aide Tim Mynett in 2020. Meanwhile, Elmi has pursued an academic career in recent years. According to the University of Bristol’s research directory, he earned a Ph.D. and has served as a research assistant focused on gender studies, queer theory, decolonization and international development. Fox News Digital has reached out to Ilhan Omar and Ahmed Nur Said Elmi for comment.
Dem rep opens House hearing by telling Noem to resign in fiery statement
Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., called on Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to resign Thursday during opening remarks at a House Homeland Security Committee hearing on “Worldwide Threats to the Homeland.” “You have systematically dismantled the Department of Homeland Security, put your own interests above the department, and violated the law. You are making America less safe,” said Thompson. “So rather than sitting here and wasting your time and ours with more corruption, lies and lawlessness, I call on you to resign. Do a real service to the country and just resign. That is, if President Trump doesn’t fire you first.” As Noem was giving her opening statement, several protesters against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) interrupted, yelling, “Get ICE off our streets,” and, “Stop terrorizing our community.” The protesters were escorted out by Capitol police and detained outside the hearing room. NOEM SAYS ZOHRAN MAMDANI COULD BE ‘VIOLATING THE CONSTITUTION’ WITH ADVICE ON EVADING ICE AGENTS Noem, who was joined at the hearing by National Counterterrorism Center director Joe Kent and Michael Glasheen, the operations director of the National Security Branch of the FBI, said one of her grandchildren who was in the audience was crying a little during Thompson’s remarks. “I don’t think she agreed with him,” Noem said jokingly. She touted the work DHS has done to secure the southern border and protect the U.S. “DHS is eradicating transnational organized crime and the stopping of deadly drugs from continuing to be funneled into our communities,” she told lawmakers. “We’re ending illegal immigration, returning sanity back to our immigration system, and we’re defending against cyberattacks against our critical infrastructure.” NOEM CALLS FOR ‘FULL TRAVEL BAN’ ON COUNTRIES ‘FLOODING’ US WITH IMMIGRANTS AFTER DC ATTACK The former South Dakota governor, speaking about the global threats facing the country — including those posed by domestic extremists and radical Islamic terrorism — said the U.S. should brace for heightened risks as it prepares to host major events in 2026 such as the World Cup and the nation’s 250th birthday. “These large-scale events will be potential targets for a range of bad actors, and they come with an increased level of risk. DHS is using every tool and authority we have to ensure the safety of U.S. citizens, and our visitors can enjoy next year’s events,” Noem added. Rumors had swirled in recent days that President Donald Trump was considering replacing her as head of DHS. Trump pushed back on those rumors on Wednesday, telling reporters that Noem has been “fantastic.” Noem also addressed the rumors, speaking to Fox News prior to Thursday’s hearing. “Oh, that’s absolutely not true,” she said. “President Trump and I are doing wonderfully. I’m so proud to work for him, and I’m going to continue to serve at his pleasure.” Fox News’ Bill Melugin contributed to this report.
Republican rift puts spotlight on high-stakes showdown over Trump-driven red state redistricting
President Donald Trump and allied groups are turning up the heat on Indiana Republican state senators who are resisting the president’s push for the red state to pass congressional redistricting. The Indiana Senate reconvenes Thursday afternoon to vote on a new map championed by Trump that would create two more right-leaning congressional districts in the solidly red Midwestern state, where the GOP currently controls seven of Indiana’s nine U.S. House seats. The districts of Democratic Reps. Frank Mrvan and Andre Carson would be eliminated. The showdown in Indiana comes a week after the Supreme Court cleared the way for Republican-dominated Texas to use its newly redrawn map, which creates five more right-leaning House seats. Indiana is the latest battleground in Trump’s aggressive national campaign to reshape congressional districts ahead of the 2026 midterms, when Republicans, as the party in power, will likely face traditional political headwinds as they defend their razor-thin House majority. BIG WIN FOR TRUMP AS SUPREME COURT GREENLIGHTS TEXAS’ NEW CONGRESSIONAL MAP And for Trump, who recently emphasized “we must keep the majority at all costs,” the vote is viewed as a key test of his immense clout over the GOP. The redistricting bill passed the Indiana House 57-41, with a dozen GOP lawmakers voting against the measure. But the stakes are much higher this week in the state Senate, where the GOP also holds a super majority. That’s because Republican leaders in the chamber have resisted Trump’s efforts to draw new congressional maps. Indiana Senate Republican leader Rodric Bray had repeatedly said there wasn’t enough support in the chamber to move forward with redistricting. The state Senate split 19-19 last month in a proxy vote. RED STATE MOVES FORWARD ON TRUMP CHAMPIONED CONGRESSIONAL MAPS Trump repeatedly blasted Bray, warning in a recent social media post, “A RINO State Senator, Rodric Bray, who doesn’t care about keeping the Majority in the House in D.C., is the primary problem. Soon, he will have a Primary Problem, as will any other politician who supports him in this stupidity.” Changing course, Bray announced last week that the state Senate would reconvene to vote on redistricting, adding “the issue of redrawing Indiana’s congressional maps mid-cycle has received a lot of attention and is causing strife here in our state.” Trump has kept up the pressure on Bray and others on the fence, highlighting in a social media post this past weekend the nine state Senate Republicans who have yet to announce their position on the new map, saying they “need encouragement to make the right decision.” And on the eve of the vote in the state Senate, the president, in a lengthy post, once again blasted Bray as “either a bad guy, or a very stupid one!” He also vowed to “do everything within my power” to oust Bray and others who vote against the redistricting bill in GOP primaries next year. TRUMP TARGETS RED STATE REPUBLICAN LAWMAKERS IN PUSH FOR CONGRESSIONAL REDISTRICTING The latest attacks are part of a months-long effort by Trump to twist elbows in his attempt to make Indiana the latest Republican-controlled state to change their congressional maps. The president has called state lawmakers, and Vice President JD Vance visited the state twice earlier this autumn to discuss redistricting. House Speaker Mike Johnson, a top Trump ally, has also called Indiana lawmakers as part of the full-court press. Meanwhile, the Trump-aligned conservative outside political organization the Club for Growth Action and other groups have dished out big bucks to run ads in Indiana supporting redistricting, and along with Turning Point Action, will target Republican state lawmakers opposed to the new map. Club for Growth President David McIntosh last week sent out a “FINAL WARNING” to Bray, warning that “failure to get this done means you and any other opposition will be defeated and removed from office in your next election.” And Turning Point Action, the political wing of the influential political group founded by the late Charlie Kirk, last week held a rally at the state Capitol. “This is a super high priority, and we’re going to be working with the local, grassroots to make sure their voices heard, and their priorities are not steamrolled by an out-of-touch elected class,” Turning Point Spokesman Andrew Kolvet told Fox News Digital. HOUSE GOP CAMPAIGN CHAIR WANTS TRUMP ‘OUT THERE ON THE TRAIL’ IN MIDTERM BATTLE FOR MAJORITY Trump, by championing rare but not unheard of mid-decade redistricting, is aiming to prevent what happened during his first term in the White House when Democrats reclaimed the House majority in the 2018 midterm elections. Texas, Missouri, North Carolina and Ohio have drawn new maps as part of the president’s push. State lawmakers in GOP-dominated Florida recently took the first steps towards passing a redistricting measure, and right-leaning Kansas is also mulling redrawing its map. Two federal judges in Texas last month delivered a blow to Trump and Republicans, by ruling that the state couldn’t use the newly drawn map in next year’s elections. But the Supreme Court last week gave a big thumbs up to the Lone Star State’s new congressional map. Democrats are fighting back. California voters a month ago overwhelmingly passed Proposition 50, a ballot initiative that will temporarily sidetrack the left-leaning state’s nonpartisan redistricting commission and return the power to draw the congressional maps to the Democrat-dominated legislature. That is expected to result in five more Democratic-leaning congressional districts in California, which would counter the passage earlier this year in Texas of a new map that aims to create up to five right-leaning House seats. California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who is considered a likely 2028 Democratic presidential contender, steered his state’s push for redistricting. Illinois and Maryland, two blue states, and Virginia, where Democrats control the legislature, are also taking steps or seriously considering redistricting. Meanwhile, opponents of redistricting in Missouri submitted thousands of petition signatures calling for a statewide referendum vote on the new maps. And in another blow to Republicans, a Utah district judge last month rejected
Chaos erupts at Noem hearing as anti-ICE protesters interrupt testimony: ‘The power of Christ compels you!’
No sooner had DHS Secretary Kristi Noem started briefing lawmakers on the greatest threats facing the U.S. on Thursday, two protesters launched into a disturbance that briefly held up the committee’s discussions. “End deportations!” yelled the protester, who was dressed like a priest and carrying a crucifix. “The power of Christ compels you!” The protester was briefly reminded that interruption of congressional business is a criminal offense, but the protester continued. KRISTI NOEM FACES FIRST MAJOR HOMELAND SECURITY GRILLING AS LAWMAKERS PRESS HER ON TERROR THREATS Security soon escorted the disrupter from the room, but before they had left the room, a second protester began shouting. “Get ICE off our streets! Stop terrorizing your community!” the second disrupter said, standing and waving a sign. Security also escorted him out of the room. Noem brushed off the moment before continuing with her opening statement. “Under President Trump’s leadership, DHS is securing our borders. We’re restoring the rule of law and we’re protecting the homeland. DHS is eradicating transnational organized crime and the stopping of deadly drugs from continuing to be funneled into our communities. We’re ending illegal immigration [and] returning sanity back to our immigration system,” Noem said. WALZ URGES NOEM TO ‘REASSESS’ IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT STRATEGY IN MINNESOTA AFTER ALLEGED CITIZEN ARRESTS The House of Representatives’ hearing on Thursday, titled, “Worldwide Threats to the Homeland,” provided lawmakers the opportunity to ask Noem and other administration officials about the country’s greatest security threats. Noem, who has spearheaded the country’s efforts to secure the border, has said that one untracked illegal immigrants who entered the country under the Biden administration pose a major threat. Other officials reinforced that belief on Thursday. “The No. 1 threat that we have right now, in my view, is the fact that we don’t know who came into our country in the last four years of Biden’s open borders,” National Counterterrorism Center Director Joe Kent told the committee. NOEM SAYS ZOHRAN MAMDANI COULD BE ‘VIOLATING THE CONSTITUTION’ WITH ADVICE ON EVADING ICE AGENTS Under the Trump administration, the U.S. has deported over two million illegal immigrants, according to DHS tracking.
Minnesota’s fraud scandal was ‘shockingly easy’ to pull off, is likely worse than reported: ex prosecutor
Minneapolis has been at the center of national headlines in recent weeks over a massive fraud scandal that experts say will cost taxpayers over a billion dollars. Fox News Digital spoke to a former prosecutor who worked on one of the central cases in the controversy. Former federal prosecutor Joe Teirab, who served nearly four years in the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Minneapolis and briefly worked on the Feeding Our Future case, says the public still doesn’t grasp the scale, speed and simplicity of the fraud that unfolded, or how deeply government failures contributed to it. “I think you generally have a sense that your government is gonna be fighting for you and spending your money just generally OK, and that was absolutely not the case,” Teirab told Fox News Digital. “The amount of fraud was rampant, it was staggering, and happened really, really quickly. Just over the course of a couple years, the amount of fraud that happened in Minnesota is maybe in excess or probably in excess of a billion dollars, and one of the main prosecutors in a lot of the fraud, the former acting U.S. Attorney Joe Thompson, said the number was likely over $2 billion. So that is what we’re dealing with. It’s a travesty that our hard-earned taxpayer dollars are being wasted away.” MN FRAUDSTERS BLEW TAXPAYER CASH ON LUXURIES OUT OF REACH FOR MOST AMERICANS, FEDS SAY The scheme that has garnered most of the national attention involved the nonprofit Feeding Our Future, which misappropriated $250 million in COVID-19 funds. But the fraud within various government agencies in Minnesota goes far deeper, Teirab explained. He asserted that the system was set up in a way that made it possible, and relatively simple, for various nonprofits to scam the government out of over $2 billion when it’s all said and done. “When I was on the Feeding Our Future case, the big thing that jumped out to me was, honestly, how easy this fraud was to do,” Teirab told Fox News Digital. “I mean, these fraudsters were just saying that they were spending all this money on feeding kids, and they were just making up these PDFs, putting false names into Excel sheets. I could do that in five minutes on a computer if I had absolutely no conscience.” Ultimately, Teirab explained, the social services system in Minnesota was set up in a way where it was designed to fail. “So the bottom line of this scandal was this: that there were supposed to be these different organizations, like Feeding Our Future, they were supposed to be a sponsor of different food sites that would give out food to kids who purportedly need it,” Teirab said. “And so this Feeding Our Future was supposed to be the watchdog of these food sites. But they were not doing that at all. They were basically getting kickbacks from these sites that were supposed to be giving up food. That was totally false. And they were ginning up the numbers and saying that they fed 3,000 kids a day when they actually maybe fed zero or maybe three kids.” ‘HE HAD YEARS TO STOP THIS’: GOP LAWMAKERS BLAST WALZ OVER MASSIVE MINNESOTA FRAUD SCHEME The fraudsters, largely but not exclusively consisting of the city’s Somali population, coordinated casually as they discovered how effortless government reimbursement could be, Teirab explained. “These people were chatting with each other, and figured out, ‘Hey, I can get this free money,’” Teirab said, while explaining that the fraudsters and over 70 people facing indictment were the main perpetrators but that government officials also deserve blame. “Tim Walz was responsible for putting into place the commissioners of the different departments who are allowing all this money to go out, and then you had Keith Ellison, who not only should have done something about stopping the fraud once he had a sense that things were happening, he should have started to investigate it. He now tries to say that he was working hand in hand with the federal government… absolutely false, lying about what he did, what he knew and when he knew it,” Teirab said. Walz’s office, in a statement to Fox News Digital this week, said the governor “views addressing fraud as a top priority” and touted his work over the last three years making “systematic changes to state government” to stop it, including hiring investigators, auditors and law enforcement. HOW A SINGLE DISCRIMINATION CLAIM HELPED MINNESOTA’S LARGEST FOOD-AID FRAUD SLIP PAST STATE WATCHDOGS “The Governor has brought in an outside firm to audit payments to high-risk programs at the Department of Human Services (DHS) and created a specialized fraud fighting law enforcement unit at the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension,” Walz’s office said. “He has installed new leadership at DHS with a single-minded focus on stopping fraudulent payments. Many of the changes have not been flashy or headline-grabbing, but rather just the hard work of building stronger safeguards throughout state government.” Teirab, who ran for Congress in 2024, told Fox News Digital he takes issue with elected officials who have presided over the fraud situation, which has been developing and reported on since at least 2020, telling the public they are on top of it. “On the Democrat side, they’re trying to deflect and say it’s not a big deal, or we were actually working with you the whole time, and we’re taking this very, very seriously,” Teirab said. “And it’s absolute hogwash.” “Tim Walz didn’t do enough, Keith Ellison didn’t do enough, and Ilhan Omar didn’t do enough either, because she for sure knew what was going on. She was actually in one of the government’s exhibits, I believe, in one of the trials,” Teirab continued. “She had one of her political victory parties at one of the main restaurants at the heart of the Feeding Our Future scandal in 2018. It’s just ridiculous, and hopefully we should all come together and say this kind of fraud shouldn’t happen.”
Federal judge orders Kilmar Abrego Garcia released from ICE custody
A federal judge in Greenbelt, Maryland, on Thursday ordered Salvadoran migrant Kilmar Abrego Garcia released from ICE custody, capping — for now – an extraordinary, 10-month legal fight that has spanned two continents, multiple federal courts, and prompted dozens of hearings in the aftermath of his removal. U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis ordered Abrego Garcia released from the ICE Moshannon Valley Processing Center in Philipsburg, Pa., ruling that the Trump administration had not obtained the final notice of removal order needed to remove him to a third country. “Since Abrego Garcia’s return from wrongful detention in El Salvador, he has been re-detained, again without lawful authority,” Xinis said in an order Thursday. “For this reason, the Court will GRANT Abrego Garcia’s Petition for immediate release from ICE custody.” US JUDGE VOWS TO RULE ‘SOON’ ON ABREGO GARCIA’S FATE AFTER MARATHON HEARING The order comes after Xinis last month used an evidentiary hearing to press the government on whether it had the final order needed to deport Abrego Garcia from the U.S. to a third country, including the list of African nations previously identified by Trump officials. Justice Department lawyer Drew Ensign previously suggested that the immigration judge who ruled in 2019 that Abrego Garcia could not be removed back to his home country of El Salvador had “meant,” or implied a final order of removal — a notion Xinis dismissed in her ruling Thursday. “No such order of removal exists for Abrego Garcia,” she said. The Justice Department is almost certain to appeal her order to a higher court, as Ensign indicated to her in previous hearings. Xinis had said last month that without final notice of removal, Abrego Garcia would be “at a minimum” entitled to certain relief under Supreme Court precedent in Zadvydas v. Davis, which bars the government from indefinitely detaining migrants after removal issues have been ordered. ABREGO GARCIA REMAINS IN US FOR NOW AS JUDGE TAKES CASE UNDER ADVISEMENT Xinis had also pressed Trump officials on why they could not deport Abrego Garcia to the third county of Costa Rica, whose government had granted the necessary assurances that they would not detain him or refoul him back to his home country of El Salvador. Trump officials previously told her in court that Costa Rica was “off the table,” though they did not provide evidence. Subsequent court filings appear to show that Costa Rica had not reneged on its agreement to accept Abrego Garcia into their country, casting renewed doubt on that claim. The order from Xinis comes after lawyers for the Trump administration repeatedly asked Xinis to dissolve an emergency order she handed down in August, which required Abrego Garcia to remain in U.S. immigration custody, and within 200 miles of her court. Xinis’s order also ostensibly allows Abrego Garcia to remain in the U.S. with his brother, pending trial in a separate criminal case in Nashville, Tennessee. It also would allow him to participate in a two-day evidentiary hearing ordered by the judge overseeing that case, aimed at weighing whether the government’s case against Abrego Garcia’s should be dismissed on the grounds of “vindictive” and selective prosecution. That hearing was postponed earlier this week until mid-January. The Trump administration previously tried and failed to remove Abrego Garcia to the African countries of Liberia, Eswatini, Uganda and briefly, Ghana. Xinis noted last month that the government cannot take any of those steps without the final notice of removal order. “You’ve raised all these arguments, and they all depend on me having a withholding of removal order,” Xinis said last month. “You can’t ‘fake it ’til you make it.’” This is a breaking news story and will be updated.