Conservatives rip Virginia governor’s ‘moderate’ label after radical laundry list of Day 1 moves
Newly sworn-in Democratic Gov. Abigail Spanberger wasted no time implementing her party’s priorities and getting rid of Republicans’ now that she is the head honcho in Virginia. A long list of moves by Spanberger and Virginia Democrats, who now have a trifecta in the state with control of the governor’s office and both branches of the state legislature, were criticized by Republicans, several of whom chastised Spanberger for campaigning as a moderate but then ushering in radical policies. “Screw any and all of you who lied to low-information voters and sold Abigail Spanberger as some kind of moderate,” complained Meghan McCain, the daughter of the late U.S. Sen. John McCain. “She’s been in office like 6 hours and is already trying to turn Virginia into Minneapolis.” SPANBERGER SIGNALS LEFT BENT AFTER CENTRIST CAMPAIGN; GOP LEADER WARNS OF ‘FAIRFAXING THE REST OF VA’ “But but but… I’m old enough to remember ‘moderate’ candidate Spanberger who ran ads talking about crime, touting her law enforcement experience with her retired cop father,” former NRCC executive director Rob Simms posted on X. “She’s a fraud, has always been a fraud, will always be a fraud.” Fox News host Mark Levin took to X to say that Spanberger “lied through her teeth” on the campaign trail about her “moderate” positions and said she has been “moving at high speed to permanently radicalize and change the state.” “Abigail Spanberger is no moderate. Sick stuff,” James Laverty, the communications director for Rep. Richard Hudson, R-N.C., said on X. Among Spanberger’s campaign promises was to commit to rescinding former Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s executive order requiring Virginia law enforcement to help work with federal law enforcement as they carry out their immigration enforcement activities. On Saturday, as she signed 10 new executive orders shortly after being sworn in, Spanberger rescinded that order from the former GOP administration. “State and local law enforcement should not be required to divert their limited resources to enforce federal, civil immigration laws – it is the responsibility of federal law enforcement,” Spanberger said as she signed her Day 1 directive. “Virginia state and local law enforcement officers must be able to focus on their core responsibilities : investigating crime and community policing.” In addition to Spanberger’s Day 1 executive orders, Democrats in the legislature also took advantage of their new power by introducing amendments to end mandatory minimum sentences for various crimes in the state. According to Jason Miyares, the outgoing Republican attorney general, those bills included a proposal to eliminate mandatory minimum sentencing for rape, manslaughter, assaulting a law enforcement officer, possession and distribution of child pornography, and other repeat violent felonies. Democrats also removed the mandatory minimum five-day sentence for first time DUI offenders in the state. NATIONWIDE WALKOUT DRAWS THOUSANDS INTO STREETS ON ANNIVERSARY OF TRUMP’S INAUGURATION Despite Virginia Democrats running on an affordability message in 2025, they were quick to raise taxes, according to critics. Among the bills they introduced was one that would raise the state’s tax rate on residents’ investments; another that would extend the retail sales tax to include several service industries previously not taxed, such as dry cleaning, landscaping, animal care, cosmetic services and gym memberships; one that would impose a tax on every delivery in Northern Virginia, ranging from Amazon to UPS; and an 11% tax on Virginia firearms. “Virginia Democrats appear to be replicating the model of California in chasing away businesses and high-income households,” lamented Jonathan Turley, Fox News Media contributor and Shapiro Professor of Public Interest Law at George Washington University. Another controversial measure pushed by Democrats amid their new power is a bill aimed at requiring government contracts under $100,000 go to minority and women-owned businesses, leading some critics to argue the move is discriminatory against White men. The bill in question directs the executive branch in Virginia to set a target goal of picking business based on DEI criteria for at least 42% of its contracts, while also allocating a certain portion of its contracts under $100,000 “be set aside for award to certified” DEI businesses. The last step in a series of actions needed to take place to enshrine abortion rights in Virginia’s state Constitution was also just passed by the Democratic Party-led state Senate. If approved by voters in November, the constitutional amendment would permit abortion in the first and second trimesters, while letting Virginia regulate abortion in the third trimester for various reasons. The latest push has led pro-life critics to fear the new law would permit abortion up to birth and interfere with parental rights when it comes to minors. “What you will hear… is that all we’re doing is solidifying Roe vs. Wade, and they’re going to say the alternative would be a full ban on abortion in Virginia,” said Victoria Cobb, Family Foundation of Virginia president. However, Cobb argued this is not the case. “When a young girl considers an abortion, her parent would have to be involved, this amendment would essentially override that,” she continued. “Same thing with late-term abortion, when we, right now, in Virginia, already have a situation where someone can get a late-term abortion, but, it has to be three doctors that sign off that in fact this is either the child is non-viable, or as they might say, ‘There is a need,’ we wouldn’t say that exists – for women’s health – that’s how it can happen today. But after this amendment passes, you’ll have a situation where the only person making that decision about whether an abortion is allowed at the very latest moments, is the abortionist, the one who profits from the procedure.” Other notable mentions include a bill to end hand counting of ballots that can be read by a scanner, a bill to regulate “gas-powered leaf blowers” and other electric landscaping equipment, and a constitutional redistricting amendment that some critics say would put Democrats at a 10-1 advantage. The state’s new attorney general, Democrat Jay Jones, also said his office would withdraw his
Reporter’s Notebook: GOP targets affordability with reconciliation 2.0 plan ahead of midterms
It is said that in politics, the best idea is a stolen one. Republicans are no dummies. They’re looking at what worked for Democrats last year as New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani upset the primary field and rode easily to Gracie Mansion. They saw victories by New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill and Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger. They all ran on affordability. That issue carried them to victory. HEALTHCARE, ECONOMY AND THE ‘ONE BIG BEAUTIFUL BILL’: WELCOME TO THE MIDTERMS House conservatives are hungry for a legislative victory in the 2026 midterms. So, they’re focusing on bringing down the costs of housing and healthcare. The Republican Study Committee (RSC), the largest bloc of conservatives in the House, released its blueprint recently. “Here is the framework for what we’re calling the Make the American Dream Affordable Again,” boasted RSC Chairman Rep. August Pfluger, R-Texas. “The reconciliation 2.0 plan.” There’s that word again: reconciliation. It’s a parliamentary term. Specifically, “budget reconciliation.” It doesn’t mean a great deal in the House — although the House must adopt a budgetary package. But budget reconciliation shouts from the mountaintops in the Senate. The Senate is where most legislation needs 60 votes to break a filibuster. But if a bill is budget-neutral and deals with numbers – not policy — it qualifies for the budget reconciliation process. That’s where the political magic comes in. Budget reconciliation measures are not subject to a filibuster. You only need a simple majority. Republicans used the budget reconciliation gambit to approve the One Big Beautiful Bill Act last year. Otherwise, Senate Republicans were stymied in their efforts. They only have 53 votes in the Senate. So the GOP made the decision to go it alone. And they may do so again this year. “I think we’d be derelict in our duties if we didn’t try something with reconciliation, considering how difficult it is to get something done in a bipartisan way around here,” said Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D. “Maybe there’s something that we can do with reconciliation. I think we ought to try it.” SCOOP: HOUSE FREEDOM CAUCUS LAYS OUT GOP BATTLE PLAN AHEAD OF REPUBLICANS’ HUDDLE WITH TRUMP Rep. Eric Burlison, R-Mo., suggested that if the GOP didn’t try, they were squandering their majorities on Capitol Hill. “The American people are not expecting a base hit. They need a home run. In short, this conference needs to go big or go home because the American people are going to send us home,” said Burlison. The package eliminates the estate tax. That’s costly, dumping $281 billion onto the deficit. Keep in mind this is coming from fiscal conservatives. It also abolishes capital gains taxes on homes sold to first-time buyers. “If you talk to anyone under the age of 40, they will tell you it is virtually impossible due to the inner barrier of entry. It is impossible to buy their first home,” said Rep. Kat Cammack, R-Fla. “First time homebuyers would be allowed to save for their down payment tax-free.” So how do Republicans get this done? “A lot of this we’ve got to do on our own,” said House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., on Fox. “So the reconciliation bill that we’re putting together right now will be just as beautiful. But just not as big as the one last year.” It’s about the math. And the math is utterly brutal for the GOP. CONGRESS FLEES TOWN AS HEALTHCARE PREMIUMS SET TO EXPLODE FOR MILLIONS OF AMERICANS IN JANUARY House Republicans can only lose two votes right now and still pass a bill on their own. That margin slips to a single vote later this month after a runoff between two Democrats in a special election for a House seat in Texas. The GOP numbers game has dominated the conversation in the House in 2026. Former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., resigned. The late Rep. Doug LaMalfa, R-Calif., died. Rep. Jim Baird, R-Ind., was in a car accident but returned with facial bruises and wearing a neck brace. Rep. Greg Murphy, R-N.C., has been out because of eye surgery. Rep. Derrick Van Orden, R-Wis., missed time due to a medical issue involving his wife. But he’s back. The attendance of Rep. Wesley Hunt, R-Texas, has been sporadic as he tries to win the GOP nomination and unseat longtime Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, in the March primary. Rep. Steve Womack, R-Ark., is out because his wife died. And inevitably, others will be out as we pass through the months. You try to get 435 people in the same room at the same time. So this is not going to be easy. And the GOP brain trust is skeptical. “I’d sure love to do one (a reconciliation bill). But obviously, with a one-seat majority basically, it means we’ve all got to come together and agree on what that framework would look like,” said House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La. “There is no consensus yet in our conference.” Following the Democrats’ election success last year — and the narrow vote matrix in the House, Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., is doubtful Republicans can pass much of anything. TOP 5 GAME-CHANGERS FROM THE 2025 CAMPAIGN TRAIL “It’s strange to me after Republicans got crushed electorally all across the country, up and down the ballot in the off-year election last November, that now they’ve decided that perhaps they should actually try to keep their word and address the high cost of living in the United States of America. It’s all talk. There’s no action. These people are not serious,” said Jeffries. “These extremists don’t have the votes to get a reconciliation bill done.” One key component of the bill is health insurance. It would cut out the middleman (the insurance companies) and send subsidies directly to consumers. That’s a specific request of President Trump. “[We’re] redirecting Obamacare subsidies directly into the hands of patients. Not into the insurance companies,” said Pfluger. Healthcare remains one of the most nettlesome issues in the history of
NATO chief praises Trump at Davos, says he forced Europe to ‘step up’ on defense
Europe should be happy President Donald Trump was elected — despite his threats to take Greenland — because without him, it would never have stepped up for its own defense, according to NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte. “I’m not popular with you now because I’m defending Donald Trump, but I really believe you can be happy that he is there because he has forced us in Europe to step up, to face the consequences that we have to take care of more of our own defense,” Rutte said Wednesday in remarks at Davos, Switzerland. “No way, without Donald Trump, this would never have happened. They’re all on 2% now,” he went on during a panel at the World Economic Forum. US TRADE REP SHRUGS OFF WORLD LEADERS’ SWIPES AT TRUMP AMID DAVOS BACKLASH In 2014, NATO allies agreed to spend 2% of GDP on defense, but many fell short until recent years. With the Russian invasion of Ukraine and Trump’s threats not to defend NATO countries, most allies are meeting or exceeding the benchmark. They’ve now agreed to spend 5% GDP on defense and national security infrastructure. “I’m absolutely convinced without Donald Trump you would not have taken those decisions, and they are crucial, particularly for the European and the Canadian side of NATO to really grow up in the post-Cold War world.” U.S. lawmakers previously criticized Rutte for his own country’s underspending on defense. Rutte was prime minister of the Netherlands from 2010 to 2024. Rutte argued the U.S. is still committed to Europe’s defense, and the nuclear umbrella is the ultimate defense guarantee. “The Americans still have over 80,000 soldiers in Europe … including in Poland and Germany, and so they are still heavily invested in European defense. And yes, they have to pivot more towards Asia. So it is only logical for them to expect us, Europe, to step up over time,” he said. He also added Greenland is not the “main issue” and Europe should not let it distract from Ukraine’s defense. “The risk here is that we focus, of course, on Greenland, because we have to make sure that issue gets solved in an amicable way,” he said. “But the main issue is not Greenland. Now, the main issue is Ukraine. I’m also a little bit worried that we might drop the ball focusing so much on these other issues.” “This focus on Ukraine should be our top priority,” he said. “Ukraine has to come first because it is crucial to our European and American security.” Rutte repeatedly has praised Trump, in June calling him “daddy” of the NATO alliance. “Daddy has to sometimes use strong language to get them to stop,” he said in reference to fighting between Israel and Iran. TOP EU OFFICIAL WARNS TRUMP’S TARIFF THREAT OVER GREENLAND PUSHBACK IS ‘A MISTAKE’ Other European leaders have expressed more concern about Trump’s Greenland ambitions. On Wednesday Trump, for the first time, ruled out taking Greenland by force. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has said a U.S. takeover of Greenland would mean the “end of NATO,” the nearly 80-year-old defense alliance. Trump spoke at the Davos, Switzerland, conference Wednesday after threatening Europe with tariffs over the Greenland dispute. This week the president told Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre in a text message he “no longer thinks purely of peace” in his desire to own Greenland. Trump wrote: “Dear Jonas: Considering your Country decided not to give me the Nobel Peace Prize for having stopped 8 Wars PLUS, I no longer feel an obligation to think purely of Peace, although it will always be predominant, but can now think about what is good and proper for the United States of America.” “I have done more for NATO than any other person since its founding, and now, NATO should do something for the United States,” Trump wrote. “The World is not secure unless we have Complete and Total Control of Greenland.”
Vice President JD Vance to visit Minneapolis, source says, amid unrest over ICE operations
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – Vice President JD Vance is set to visit Minnesota on Thursday, a source familiar with the matter confirmed to Fox News, as tensions remain high about federal immigration enforcement operations there. The source said Vance will deliver remarks and hold a roundtable with local leaders and community members in Minneapolis. A White House official told Fox News on Wednesday that “the Vice President will highlight the Administration’s commitment to restoring law and order in Minneapolis.” The official added that Vance will meet with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents while in Minnesota “to reinforce the White House’s unwavering support for federal immigration officials.” MINNESOTA DEMOCRATS CRITICIZE DOJ SUBPOENAS, CLAIM WEAPONIZATION OF JUSTICE SYSTEM “In his remarks, the Vice President will point out how Minneapolis’s sanctuary city policies have degraded public safety and endangered ICE officers. He will also celebrate the essential work ICE agents have done to take dangerous, criminal illegal aliens off of America’s streets,” the White House official said. Vance’s trip comes as Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz invited President Donald Trump to visit his state. “Mr. President, Minnesota invites you to see our values in action. Come see how communities from all walks of life are working together, and how the spirit of this state refuses to be defined by division or fear,” Walz wrote in a statement shared on X on Tuesday. “I invite you to join me, and others in our community, to help restore calm and order and reaffirm that true public safety comes from shared purpose, trust, and respect,” Walz added. Walz and other prominent Minnesota Democrats, including state Attorney General Keith Ellison and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, were served Tuesday with subpoenas from the Justice Department over an alleged conspiracy to obstruct or impede federal law enforcement during ongoing ICE operations. FBI DIRECTOR PATEL WARNS ELECTED OFFICIALS ‘NO ONE’ IS EXEMPT FROM FEDERAL SCRUTINY AMID MINNESOTA PROBE The state has become a flash point in the national debate over federal immigration enforcement following the shooting death of Renee Nicole Good by an ICE agent in Minneapolis on Jan. 7. “Many of you have been told this law enforcement officer wasn’t hit by a car, wasn’t being harassed, and murdered an innocent woman. The reality is that his life was endangered, and he fired in self-defense,” Vance wrote in an X post about the shooting earlier this month. In another post, Vance said, “This is an extremely important point: you’re only seeing chaotic ICE raids in blue sanctuary cities where local officials are fighting against federal law enforcement.” And at a White House news briefing earlier this month, the vice president claimed that Good had been “brainwashed” and argued that the Minneapolis mother of three had links to a “broader, left-wing network.” The vice president was previously in Minnesota in September, in the wake of a mass shooting at a Minneapolis-area Catholic Church. Vance is expected to stop earlier on Thursday in his home state of Ohio. The vice president’s office announced that Vance would travel to an industrial shipping facility in Toledo to deliver remarks about the administration’s efforts to lower prices.
Who is Lisa Cook? The Fed governor at the center of Trump’s Supreme Court fight
Lisa Cook’s ascension to the Federal Reserve was historic from the start. Appointed by former President Joe Biden in 2022, she became the first Black woman to serve as a Fed board governor, the seven-member panel that sets national interest rates and oversees the banking system. Now, she stands at the center of another historic moment, as President Donald Trump attempts to fire her — a move the Federal Reserve has never faced in its 112-year history. TRUMP VS THE FEDERAL RESERVE: HOW THE CLASH REACHED UNCHARTED TERRITORY Cook’s legal fight traces back to late August, when Trump said he was firing her from the Federal Reserve Board of Governors. He alleged she misrepresented information tied to a trio of mortgages she obtained before joining the central bank. Cook has denied any wrongdoing and has not been charged with a crime. She sued Trump in federal court in Washington, D.C., to block her removal. On Sept. 9, a district court judge barred Trump from firing her while the case proceeds, a decision later upheld by a federal appeals court. FEDERAL RESERVE GOVERNOR LISA COOK SUES TRUMP Before joining the Fed board, the Oxford alumna and UC Berkeley–trained economist built a career in academia, including faculty roles at Harvard University and Michigan State University. A graduate of Spelman College, Cook has been described by American economist Barry Eichengreen as “part economist and historian,” with command of several languages, including French, Russian, Spanish and Wolof — a widely spoken language in Senegal. Cook has also held senior roles in government, serving as a senior economist on then-President Barack Obama’s Council of Economic Advisers from 2011 to 2012. Before that, she served as a senior adviser on finance and development in the Treasury Department’s Office of International Affairs. She joined the Fed board in May 2022 and was reappointed in September 2023 for a term that runs through January 2038, a tenure now under scrutiny as the Supreme Court prepares to hear oral arguments Wednesday. The court is expected to issue a ruling by this summer.
Trump tells Davos US alone can secure Greenland, insists he won’t ‘use force’
President Donald Trump declared from Davos, Switzerland, Wednesday that the U.S. is the only nation that is in the position to control and secure Greenland. “All the United States is asking for is a place called Greenland,” Trump said Wednesday from his speech at the World Economic Forum. “Where we’ve already had it as a trustee, but respectfully returned it back to Denmark not long ago after we defeated the Germans, the Japanese, the Italians and others in World War II, we gave it back to them.” Trump added that he does not want to use force as he pressures NATO allies on Greenland. “We never asked for anything,” Trump said of the U.S. working with NATO. “And we never got anything. We probably won’t get anything unless I decide to use excessive strength and force where we would be, frankly, unstoppable. But I won’t do that. Okay, now everyone say, ‘oh good.’ That’s probably the biggest statement I made because people thought I would use force. I don’t have to use force. I don’t want to use force. I won’t use force.” DAVOS BRACES FOR TRUMP AMID TENSIONS OVER NATO, GREENLAND AND GLOBAL DEFENSE Greenland — the world’s largest island — sits in the Arctic and governs its own domestic affairs while remaining within the Kingdom of Denmark. The president said he has “tremendous respect for both the people of Greenland and the people of Denmark,” but that the U.S. must control the island from a national security standpoint. “And the fact is, no nation or group of nations is in any position to be able to secure Greenland other than the United States, with a great power much greater than people even understand,” he said. The White House has reiterated that Trump views Greenland as a national security priority, and officials have not ruled out the use of the U.S. military as the administration weighs options for acquiring the territory. Trump was asked Tuesday, the one-year anniversary of his inauguration, how far he would go to Greenland, responding with a terse “you’ll find out” response. The president described Greenland as a vast, almost entirely uninhabited and undeveloped territory that’s sitting undefended in a key strategic location between the United States, Russia and China. He pushed back that the U.S. is not seeking to acquire Greenland for its rare earths, but due to its location from a national security standpoint. “This enormous unsecured island is actually part of North America on the northern frontier of the Western Hemisphere,” he said. “That’s our territory. It is, therefore, a core national security interest of the United States of America.” Trump said securing Greenland would only strengthen NATO. “This would not be a threat to NATO,” he said. “This would greatly enhance the security of the entire alliance. The NATO alliance. The United States is treated very unfairly by NATO. I want to tell you that. And when you think about it, nobody can dispute it. We give so much, and we get so little in return. And I’ve been a critic of NATO for many years, and yet I’ve done more to help NATO than any other president by far, than any other person. You wouldn’t have NATO if I didn’t get involved.” NEWSOM WARNS ‘PATHETIC’ FOREIGN LEADERS TO GROW A BACKBONE IN BIZARRE TAKEDOWN LIKENING TRUMP TO A T.REX The president argued that U.S. control of Greenland would strengthen security for both the United States and Europe, framing the territory as a strategic necessity rather than a real-estate acquisition. “The European Union needs us to have it, and they know that,” he said, before pivoting to other topics. Greenland has long carried outsized military importance in the Arctic. During the Cold War, the island sat along the shortest air and missile routes between North America and the Soviet Union. The U.S. expanded operations at the air base now known as Pituffik Space Base, using the site for early-warning radar and surveillance designed to detect incoming bombers and missiles. “Now our country and the world face much greater risks than it did ever before. Because of missiles, because of nuclear, because of weapons, of warfare that I can’t even talk about,” Trump continued of Greenland. In more recent years, renewed U.S. interest has been tied to intensifying great-power competition in the Arctic. Officials and analysts have pointed to China’s effort to widen its regional footprint. Trump underscored that the U.S. is “stronger” than ever and is in the position to finalize a Greenland deal following “two centuries” of previous presidents reportedly trying to do the same. “For two centuries they’ve been trying to do it. They should have kept it after World War II, but they had a different president. That’s all right. People think differently. Much more necessary now than it was at that time. However, in 2019, Denmark said that they would spend over $200 million to strengthen Greenland’s defenses. But as you know, they spent less than 1% of that amount. 1% is no sign of Denmark there,” the president continued. FORMER REP. MTG DUMPS COLD WATER ON TRUMP’S GREENLAND ACQUISITION AMBITIONS: ‘WE’VE HEARD THAT ONE BEFORE’ Trump first publicly raised the idea of acquiring Greenland in 2019. The Arctic’s geography makes it a key corridor for long-range threats from major adversaries, elevating Greenland’s value as a location for sensors and tracking systems intended to protect North America. Trump put European allies on notice to reach a deal on the island by Feb. 1 or face consequences. Goods from Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and the United Kingdom will face a 10% tariff if no deal is reached by February, with the taxes increasing to 25% by June 1 if there is no deal. European leaders at Davos largely treated Trump’s Greenland-linked tariff threats as economic coercion. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, for example, said Greenland is “non-negotiable” and that the EU would show “full solidarity” with Greenland. “In politics as in
Air Force One turns around shortly after takeoff for Trump’s trip to Switzerland
Air Force One was forced to return to Joint Base Andrews shortly after takeoff Tuesday evening with President Donald Trump aboard, the White House said. The crew experienced a “minor electrical issue” after takeoff at 10:20 p.m. and returned “out of an abundance of caution,” according to White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt. Trump was en route to Davos, Switzerland, to attend the World Economic Forum. Air Force One landed at Joint Base Andrews at 11:07 pm. The president is expected to board a different aircraft and continue on to Switzerland. Leavitt joked aboard Air Force One that a Qatari jet sounded “much better” at the moment. The lights in the press cabin briefly went out after takeoff, reporters on board said. This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
Former Trump lawyer accuses federal judge of making ‘baseless accusations of lying’ after departure
The interim U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia left her post after completing a 120-day appointment amid a legal standoff in which a federal judge questioned her authority, declined to appoint a successor and triggered an appeal over separation of powers. Former Trump lawyer Lindsey Halligan announced her departure Tuesday, saying a federal judge ruled in November that her appointment was invalid and that only the district court had the authority to name an interim successor following Erik Siebert’s exit. She said the ruling led the court to treat her appointment as disqualifying, including striking her name from court filings. FEDERAL JUDGE CALLS COMEY INDICTMENT INTO QUESTION, ASKS IF HALLIGAN IS A ‘PUPPET’ FOR TRUMP “I was subjected to baseless accusations of lying to a tribunal and making false or misleading statements,” Halligan wrote. “I was ordered to respond to sua sponte orders and to personally sign filings explaining why my name appeared on pleadings, diverting time and resources from public safety responsibilities. Assistant U.S. Attorneys were told in open court that I should resign.” She said that even after declaring her appointment invalid, the district court did not take the step its own reading of the law required by appointing a new U.S. attorney to fill the role. BONDI TARGETS JAMES COMEY, LETITIA JAMES IN LEGAL BATTLE: ‘HOLD…ACCOUNTABLE FOR UNLAWFUL CONDUCT’ Instead, she said the court treated her as though she had been removed by striking her name from filings and declaring her appointment unlawful, while taking no action to fill what it said was an existing vacancy. “In short, the court took no action to fill the vacancy it said already existed,” Halligan wrote. “The result was a vacuum: the Executive Branch was told it lacked appointment authority, and the Judiciary declined to exercise the authority it claimed was exclusively its own. That contradiction is now on appeal.” COMEY AND JAMES CHALLENGE TRUMP APPOINTEE’S LEGITIMACY IN FEDERAL COURT HEARING Attorney General Pam Bondi praised Halligan’s tenure as interim U.S. attorney, saying she served with distinction and focused on prosecuting violent offenders to protect Eastern Virginia’s more than six million residents. “Democratic Senators weaponized the blue slip process, making it impossible for Lindsey’s term as United States Attorney to continue following the expiration of her 120-day appointment,” Bondi wrote on X. “Despite multiple, unnecessary legal obstacles placed in her path, Lindsey stepped forward at a critical juncture for our Nation and fulfilled her responsibilities with courage and resolve.” “Her departure is a significant loss for the Department of Justice and the communities she served,” Bondi continued. “While we will feel her absence keenly, we are confident that she will continue to serve her country in other ways.” Bondi said the circumstances surrounding Halligan’s departure were “deeply misguided,” adding that the Justice Department would continue seeking review of decisions she said, “hinder our ability to keep the American people safe.”
House passes AI education bill for small businesses in landslide 395-14 vote
The House of Representatives passed a bill that would require the government to create more access to artificial intelligence (AI) education for small businesses Tuesday evening. The AI for Main Street Act passed with broad bipartisan support in a 395-14 vote. Eleven Republicans and three Democrats voted against the measure. “Main Street stands at the doorstep of a major transformation because the AI revolution isn’t just coming, it’s already here,” Rep. Mark Alford, R-Mo., the bill’s sponsor, said in a statement after its passage. “We’re ensuring entrepreneurs and job creators aren’t left behind. Our AI for Main Street Act will provide small businesses with the resources, education and training needed to responsibly utilize artificial intelligence.” CHINA RACES AHEAD ON AI; TRUMP WARNS AMERICA CAN’T REGULATE ITSELF INTO DEFEAT The AI for Main Street Act would direct the Small Business Administration (SBA) and its Small Business Development Centers (SBDCs) to help startups learn to adopt AI technology by providing training and outreach. The bill fits into the preexisting framework of the SBDCs. According to the SBA, SBDCs exist to help small businesses access capital, exchange information on new technologies, improve business planning, and manage finances and personnel administration. AI COULD DRIVE US UNEMPLOYMENT TO 20%, SENATORS WARN AS NEW BILL TARGETS JOB TRACKING The SBA says it has at least 900 service locations that coordinate 62 SBDC centers nationwide. The bill does not allocate any additional funding for its new directives on AI. Alford said he feared that much larger companies would quickly integrate AI technologies while smaller enterprises would struggle to adopt new tools and get left behind. “We want small business owners to understand not only what AI can do, but how to use it securely, safely, ethically and effectively,” Alford said in a floor speech on his bill. “This bill is about empowering people, not replacing them. I’m proud to see the House pass our bipartisan bill to champion small businesses,” Alford added. The bill, having cleared the House, heads to the Senate for consideration.
Nationwide walkout draws thousands into streets on anniversary of Trump’s inauguration
Thousands of people across the country flooded the streets on Tuesday in a mass walkout protesting Immigration and Customs Enforcement, marking exactly one year since Donald Trump was sworn in for his second presidential term. The walkout, dubbed the “Free America Walkout” is spearheaded by the Women’s March, the same group that mobilized millions of protesters against Trump’s first administration in 2017. According to its website, organizers urged people to walk out of schools, workplaces and businesses around 2 p.m. local time as part of the “Free America” movement, with the aim to “withhold our labor, our participation, and our consent.” Videos of the scene captured dozens of protesters converging in major metropolitan areas such as Atlanta, New York City, Minneapolis and Washington, D.C, as part of the coordinated demonstrations. ANTI-ICE AGITATOR WHO STORMED MINNESOTA CHURCH SERVICE ALSO HARASSED CONGREGANTS AT PETE HEGSETH’S CHURCH In some areas, high school students walked out of school during snowy conditions, exercising their political voice despite being too young to vote. Ahead of the planned walkouts, principals at several schools reportedly notified parents and arranged supervision for the protests, according to the Virginia news outlet LoudounNow. In other cities, crowds of demonstrators filled streets and public spaces in protests that were largely orderly and peaceful. In New York City, for example, demonstrators marched to the area outside Trump Tower, chanting slogans and holding signs calling for changes to federal policies. Organizers accused the Trump administration of being “fascist” after the president deployed thousands of ICE agents and other federal troops to major cities in an escalated crackdown on illegal immigration. “One year into Trump’s second regime, we face an escalating fascist threat: ICE raids on our communities, troops occupying our cities, families torn apart, attacks on our trans siblings, mass surveillance, and terror used to keep us silent,” the group said on its website. “It is time for our communities to escalate as well.” PROMINENT CATHOLIC BISHOP SLAMS ANTI-ICE AGITATORS WHO DISRUPTED MN CHURCH SERVICE: ‘UNACCEPTABLE’ The organizers of the protest said that holding the walkout on a weekday allows the demonstration to have a greater impact by disrupting the normal routine of schools, workplaces and public life. “A walkout interrupts business as usual,” the website for the march said. “It makes visible how much our labor, participation, and cooperation are taken for granted — and what happens when we withdraw them together.” Trump’s immigration agenda has sparked widespread outrage, particularly after an ICE agent fatally shot 37‑year‑old Renee Nicole Good while her vehicle blocked a Minneapolis immigration enforcement operation. The killing has since intensified scrutiny over the use of force in the administration’s crackdown.