Capitol Hill Dems hail Trump’s DHS ouster of Noem after heated Senate hearing
Capitol Hill exploded with reactions on Thursday as news spread that President Donald Trump had ousted Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem. “That she’s gone, you know — hallelujah,” Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass., told Fox News Digital on Thursday. “That he’s the replacement, oh my God. I don’t know what else to say,” McGovern said, referring to Trump’s next pick for the role, Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla. Trump’s decision, which drew cautious praise from Republicans and widespread jubilation from Democrats, came on the heels of news that Noem had spent over $220 million developing an ad campaign — news that broke during a bruising Senate committee hearing. TRUMP’S NEW DHS PICK IS AN ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION HAWK WHO’S ‘ALL ABOUT THE MISSION’: EXPERT During questioning from Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., Noem said President Donald Trump had personally signed off on the expenditure. “The president approved ahead of time you spending $220 million running TV ads across the country in which you are featured prominently?” Kennedy asked. “Yes, he did,” Noem said. The exchange reportedly enraged Trump, who contested Noem’s claim. More broadly, Noem’s removal comes as DHS has captured national focus as a key tool in Trump’s immigration crackdown. In particular, criticism of the agency burst into view after immigration enforcement shot and killed two civilians in January, after Minnesota agitators got into confrontations with federal agents. In response to the shootings, Noem said her agents had acted in self-defense and protected themselves from credible threats. KRISTI NOEM FIRED FROM HOMELAND SECURITY POST AMID RECENT TURMOIL Noem won’t be leaving the administration entirely. Instead of heading up DHS, she will now become Trump’s special envoy for The Shield of the Americas, a new coalition of countries in Latin America. To Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., the buildup of criticisms made Noem’s removal just a matter of time. “Well, I think basically the president had no choice,” Raskin said, citing revelations over the agency’s handling. Others, like Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-Texas, believed she should never have had the job to begin with. “The thing about Kristi Noem is that she was never qualified for that role. Nothing in her service in Congress or her background as a governor that was far away from the Southern Border ever suggested she was qualified for the role, and during her service, I think she proved that she wasn’t,” Castro said. Noem served as governor of South Dakota from 2019 to 2025. At least one Democrat believes that’s more than she deserves. “Moving her to another location does not bring about the justice that we seek. She should be removed — not moved. This is a reckless president, and he has to be stopped. Not only should Ms. Noem be impeached, but the President of the United States should be impeached as well,” Rep. Al Green, D-Texas, said. When asked about Mullin as Noem’s replacement, Democrats said they hoped he would consider operational reforms to ICE that Democrats have demanded as a condition for funding the department in 2026. NOEM PREPS TO BATTLE HOUSE DEMS AFTER BIPARTISAN BASHING IN SENATE OVER DOGS, ICE “My hope is that Sen. Mullin understands that the vast majority of Americans support reforms to the lawlessness we’ve seen from ICE,” Rep. Johnny Olszewski, D-Md., said. Republicans, for their part, applauded his selection. “Certainly, it was the president’s prerogative who serves in his cabinet. Markwayne Mullin has been a great senator for the state of Oklahoma. He’ll make a great homeland security secretary,” Rep. Russel Fry, R-S.C., said. Fox News Digital reached out to DHS.
Kristi Noem’s ouster sparks rare bipartisan agreement on Capitol Hill
President Donald Trump took Washington by surprise Thursday with his decision to remove Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, but few lawmakers on Capitol Hill questioned his decision. Though Republicans rarely criticized Noem during her tenure, many GOP lawmakers argued Thursday that the secretary’s ouster was the right move. Trump quickly nominated Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., a close ally, to head the sprawling agency Thursday afternoon. “I think the president is doing what’s necessary to make sure the department is going to be operating effectively,” Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., who welcomed the news of Mullin’s appointment, said Thursday. “It was time.” Mullin, a 48-year-old lawmaker, is a member of Senate Republicans’ leadership team and previously served several terms in the House of Representatives. SCHUMER WEAPONIZES MULLIN NOMINATION TO DEMAND DHS OVERHAUL, SAYS ‘ROT’ GOES BEYOND NOEM Noem’s time helming DHS was rocked by a series of controversies involving an expensive ad campaign she claimed had Trump’s approval and her widely-panned response to the fatal shootings of two Americans in Minneapolis by federal immigration officers earlier this year. “Obviously, it did not go well,” Donalds added when asked about Noem’s appearance during two hearings on Capitol Hill this week. Several GOP lawmakers, including Sens. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., and John Kennedy, R-La., tore into Noem during her appearance before the Senate’s judiciary panel on Tuesday. Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., a moderate lawmaker retiring at the end of his term, echoed Kennedy’s criticism questioning Noem’s prominent role in the costly ad campaign and her ties to recipients awarded contracts. “There’s legit concerns. When there was a $200 million advertising [campaign], we should be better stewards of our money,” Bacon said. “I think the president probably saw a need for change.” DHS has fired back that the massive ad campaign resulted in millions of self-deportations. DHS DEFENDS MCLAUGHLIN AFTER ALLEGATIONS HUSBAND’S COMPANY PROFITED MILLIONS FROM AD CONTRACTS: ‘BASELESS’ Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., told Fox News Digital Thursday that Noem’s departure would eliminate “distractions” and “conflicts” that erupted at DHS under her leadership. “The department needs to be entirely focused on its mission, given the situation in the Middle East right now,” Lawler said, referring to Operation Epic Fury in Iran. Rep. Dan Newhouse, R-Wash., who is not running for reelection, wrote on social media Thursday that a “change in leadership at the Department of Homeland Security was long overdue.” House Democrats, many of whom fiercely criticized Noem’s role in the Trump administration, appeared to agree. “She’s done enough damage that the president finally came to his senses,” Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., the lead Democrat on the House homeland security panel, said Thursday. “I think it’s the right decision by the president. It’s been a long time coming,” Rep. Jared Moskowitz, D-Fla., told Fox News Digital. Moskowitz, who tussled with Noem during her testimony to the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday, argued that she would go down as the worst DHS secretary in the agency’s two-decade history. He declined, however, to sign on to articles of impeachment circulated by House Democrats. When asked about Mullin’s appointment, Moskowitz said he wished him good luck. “She’s left him a disaster, but obviously I want him to succeed,” the Florida Democrat said of Noem’s tenure. “We should all want that, so let’s give him that opportunity.”
Trump admin squashes controversial Biden rule forcing foster homes to affirm children’s LGBTQ+ status
A rule implemented during the Biden administration, requiring prospective foster homes to prove they will support a child’s gender transition, or lesbian, gay or bisexual status, in order to retain federal funding, has been formally rescinded by the Trump administration Friday. A Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPR) was published in the federal register Friday morning to formally rescind the 2022 rule titled, “Designated Placement Requirements Under Titles IV-E and IV-B for LGBTQI+ Children,” which a court in Texas already vacated in June. The move follows a warning letter sent to all 50 states, telling them that as long as they receive federal child welfare funding, they are obligated to ensure the removal of any kid from their home must be grounded in “objective evidence of harm or imminent risk,” citing reports of states removing children from their parent’s homes because the parents disagreed with their children’s gender transition. Assistant Secretary for the Administration for Children and Families Alex Adams told Fox News Digital that there has been a record year-over-year decrease in the number of foster families nationally. He said that the Biden-era rule is a main issue for religious-oriented families, boxing them out of the foster care system. NEW YORK AG ORDERS MANHATTAN HOSPITAL TO RESUME GENDER-TRANSITION TREATMENT FOR TRANSGENDER YOUTH “There’s 57 homes for every 100 kids that come into the system. We can do better, and we must do better, and we must do more to send a welcoming message that the red carpet will be rolled out to every family willing to step forward and welcome a child into their home and open their heart and open their home to these kids,” Adams said. “Your most likely families to raise their hand and volunteer as a foster family are those who have sincerely held religious convictions. So the message that you send is so important. The message we’re trying to send is we’re going to roll out the red carpet for everybody. We need more foster homes.” By rescinding the move in the federal register, that “officially” takes it off the books, “so that nobody tries to breathe life into it,” according to Adams. The final move to squash the 2022 rule, follows pressure the Trump administration had already been placing on states. At the end of last year, ACF sent a letter to 13 states, expressing concern about families being turned away from fostering because they refuse to give up their sincerely held religious beliefs. At least one of those states, Massachusetts, amended their policy amid the scrutiny. It also follows a November 2025 executive order telling the Health and Human Services Department to “modernize” the foster care system within 180 days, maximize partnerships with Americans of faith, and a litany of other measures. Trump also issued early executive orders during his presidency challenging left-wing gender ideology and pushing a return to “biological truth.” SUPREME COURT RULING ON SECRETIVE CALIFORNIA GENDER POLICY COULD RESHAPE PARENT RIGHTS FIGHTS NATIONWIDE Public reports, including one as recently as this year, illustrate examples of kids being taken from their homes in states like California and Ohio, because their parents have been accused of abuse, or of denying appropriate medical care to their kids. These claims have also been brought up in divorce and family custody hearings as well, sometimes resulting in the parents losing custody. Meanwhile, Trump highlighted the issue during his State of the Union address last month, when he told the story of the parents to Sage Blair, who a judge ripped from their custody over alleged abuse after the family did not immediately recognize their daughter as a boy. Earlier in the week, Adams and ACF told states that while they have a duty to protect children from abuse and neglect, they are cracking down on any states conflating that with a parent’s choice about how they parent their child who expresses a desire to transition genders, or a desire to be romantically involved with the same sex. While related to Fridays NPR, it is a separate action. “We’re basically putting states on notice that if they violate our interpretation of abuse or neglect, we would take appropriate action, which could include pulling back CAPTA funds,” Adams told Fox News Digital.
Dem Senate hopeful holds event at bookstore selling ‘ABOLISH ICE’ merch despite pledge to ‘secure the border’
A Democratic U.S. Senate hopeful in Iowa is pitching himself as a candidate who believes in the party’s “old Democratic values.” However, on Saturday, state Senator Zach Wahls hosted a campaign event at a radical activist bookstore, Dog-Eared Books, that has been vocal about abolishing ICE, financially supports anti-ICE nonprofits, holds drag story time for kids, and promotes books banned in schools for their sexually explicit content, among other far-left activism the store engages in. Fox News Digital asked Wahls ahead of the event if he was aware of the bookstore’s radical track record and whether he regretted holding a campaign event there, but Wahls never responded. Meanwhile, Wahls’ campaign website promises Iowans he will work to “secure the border and fix our broken immigration system,” and in posts on social media he has insisted that the nation must have an immigration system based on “law and order.” DEMOCRATIC-SOCIALIST NOMINEE EYEING NJ GOVERNOR’S VACANT HOUSE SEAT COMPARES ICE TO 1960S SEGREGATIONISTS “I believe in the old Democratic values of hard work and family, not handouts for billionaires and insiders,” Wahls also touts in a campaign video pinned to the top of his X account. Video obtained by Fox News Digital from outside the Ames, Iowa, bookstore where Wahls held his campaign meet-and-greet event alongside his novelist wife, titled “Reading and Running: A conversation with Zach Wahls and Chloe Angyal,” showed at least one sign right next to the front entrance reading “ICE IS NOT WELCOME HERE” in bold capital letters. The store has hosted events for Wahls’ wife in the past prior to Saturday and sells her romance novels. In the wake of the federal agent-involved shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis, the bookstore created a logo of a dog in sunglasses holding a protest sign that reads “ABOLISH ICE” and even put it on a stickler the store is selling on its website. Following the shootings of Good and Pretti, the store also pledged to donate 25% of its sales to a network of mostly anonymous philanthropic groups called the Immigrant Rapid Response Fund. Some of the groups that have been publicly reported to be affiliated with the fund, include anti-ICE groups like the George Soros-funded Headwaters Foundation for Justice, which says it “believe[s] in a future without ICE,” and the Black Collective Foundation Minnesota. DEMOCRAT IN KEY SENATE PRIMARY SAYS SHE ‘REGRETS’ VOTE ON LAKEN RILEY ACT, DRAWS GOP BACKLASH “Do not retreat. Do not back down. Double Down,” Lulete Mola, president and co-founder of the group, said following the ICE shootings in Minneapolis, according to Inside Philanthropy. Besides being staunchly anti-ICE, the bookstore where Wahls held his meet-and-greet event on Saturday also has a history of supporting child gender transitions and has worked against Republican lawmakers’ efforts aimed at protecting women by removing “gender identity” from the state’s list of protected classes under Iowa’s civil rights laws. Dog-Eared Books also has a history of holding drag story time events for kids, including one that featured a 14-year-old teenage drag queen, and touts selling “banned” books that are frequently removed from school districts due to what critics deem is non-age appropriate sexually explicit content. Among them being sold is “All Boys Aren’t Blue,” by George Johnson, which Dog-Eared books notes on social media is “one of the most frequently banned books in Iowa,” and “Gender Queer,” by Maia Kobabe, a book widely banned in schools for its graphic sexual imagery. Meanwhile, the store has also exhibited alignment with radical anti-Israel folks, claiming in a Facebook event post for a “Tattoos For Palestine” event that Israel is “committing a Genocide” with its actions that followed the attacks of Oct. 7, 2023. And, a web page on the bookstore’s website, encourages people to join their letter-writing campaign to lawmakers, aimed at promoting its values that include “No human is illegal. All people deserve access to reproductive healthcare. Healthcare is a human right,” and other policy positions that skew to the far-left. Fox News Digital also reached out to Wahls after the event and did not receive a response. The bookstore did not provide a response either. Wahls is vying to take over the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by junior Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, and if he were to win, would sit alongside longtime senior Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley. Wahls, a former Iowa Senate Minority Leader, is taking on a field of opponents for his upcoming primary race in June. Among his main contenders is Democrat State Rep. Josh Turek. Before entering politics, Wahls went viral as a young adult after giving a speech in the Iowa legislature about growing up with two moms, amid efforts in the state to amend the portion of the state’s constitution tied to same-sex marriage. He and his novelist wife credit the event for their meeting.
Father of girl injured by illegal migrant truck driver slams ‘insensitive’ rhetoric during Noem hearing
The father of a California girl who sustained a traumatic brain injury when an illegal immigrant commercial truck driver slammed into a vehicle she was riding in urged congressional lawmakers to prioritize the safety of American citizens amid the back-and-forth rhetoric over the Trump administration’s mass deportation campaign. Marcus Coleman was in attendance during this week’s House Judiciary Committee hearing in which then-Homeland Security Kristi Noem answered questions about the agency’s immigration enforcement actions. “At this point right now, what they’re doing is extremely disrespectful. It’s insensitive,” Coleman told Fox News Digital, referring to elected officials who oppose illegal immigrant enforcement. “Until it happens to them, that’s the point of view they’re going to have.” On Wednesday, Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Tenn., a vocal critic of the Trump administration, apologized to the families in attendance who have lost loved ones to the actions of illegal immigrants, before remarking on migrant crime statistics during his interaction with Noem. BLUE STATE INVESTIGATES HOW ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT TRUCKER GOT LICENSE BEFORE DEADLY FLORIDA CRASH “For the folks that are here and your families, I’m sorry,” Cohen said, holding his hand over his heart. “It’s terrible what happened to you, to your children or your family members, but they are more likely… citizens are more likely to be attacked by United States citizens who are not undocumented.” Noem, who has since been reassigned as the Special Envoy for The Shield of the Americas, shot back, calling Cohen’s remark offensive to the Angel Families, which refers to relatives of Americans killed by individuals in the United States unlawfully. “The vast majority of the people sitting behind me have lost their children due to drugs, overdoses from drugs that came over the southern border,” she said. “They died from their kids being hit in accidents on the roads where illegal drivers were driving a truck. Marcus Coleman, Delilah’s father, has told the story over and over again.” In 2024, Dalilah Coleman was critically injured in Southern California when the driver of an 18-wheel tractor-trailer moving at 60 mph slammed into a vehicle she was traveling in. She sustained a fractured skull, broken femur and a traumatic brain injury. Partap Singh, an illegal immigrant from India, was identified as the driver who obtained a commercial driver’s license in California, authorities said. Singh was driving at an unsafe speed and failed to stop for traffic in a construction zone just before the crash. TRUMP UNLOADS ON ‘RADICAL LEFT’ AS HE STANDS BY KRISTI NOEM AMID IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT UNREST “They go back home, like my daughter’s driver,” Coleman added. “He went back to India and he’s living life free. And my daughter said, you’re dealing with this. Had that been a U.S. citizen, he’d have been in jail right now.” President Donald Trump honored Dalilah during his State of the Union address, drawing applause in the chamber as she attended with her father. “Dalilah Coleman was only five years old in June 2024 when an eighteen-wheeler tractor-trailer plowed into her stopped car at sixty miles an hour or more,” Trump said. “The driver was an illegal alien let in by Joe Biden and given a commercial driver’s license by open borders politicians in California.” CALIFORNIA FATHER SAYS NEWSOM IGNORED HIM AFTER ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT TRUCKER LEFT DAUGHTER UNABLE TO WALK Trump and Noem have come under criticism from Democrats who view actions taken to arrest illegal migrants as harmful. Meanwhile, Republicans have cited multiple instances in which American citizens have been killed, injured and harmed by people living in the U.S. illegally. “They shouldn’t be here to begin with,” Coleman said. “So for every one of those families that’s out there, just the fact that it was an illegal person who did it, it shouldn’t have happened.” During Wednesday’s hearing, Cohen alluded to a 2024 Justice Department study using data from Texas that shows that illegal immigrants are less than half as likely as native-born Americans to be arrested for homicide. The same pattern holds for assault, sexual assault, robbery, burglary, theft and arson,” Cohen added. “And they’re half as likely to be arrested for drug offenses,” he said. “The facts show that most of the people that you have stopped and tried to deport have not committed any of those crimes,” he said. “In fact, they’ve committed no crimes at all.” Coleman said he disagreed with nearly everything Cohen said during the hearing. “It’s very concerning, it’s very disruptive for me,” he said. “I disagree wholeheartedly with pretty much everything he said. “People that sit there and believe in open borders are the very people that make sure that their doors are double locked and make sure that their gun rights are on par.” Like many who support the Trump administration’s deportation efforts, he said the migrant crime statistics mean very little to victims’ families. “To that family, it’s huge, but to the person it doesn’t happen to, it’s a small number,” he said. Fox News Digital has reached out to Cohen’s office.
Rep. Tony Gonzales announces he will not seek re-election amid House Ethics investigation into affair
Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-Texas, announced Thursday evening he will not seek re-election amid a House Ethics investigation into an affair he admitted to having with a former staffer. Gonzales, a married father of 6, admitted to the affair for the first time on Wednesday – a day after advancing to the GOP primary runoff for his congressional district. “At 18, I swore an oath to defend our nation against all enemies, foreign and domestic. During my 20 years in the military and three terms in Congress, I have fought for that cause with absolute dedication to the country that I love,” Gonzales said in a statement. “From overcoming the border crisis to taking a stand with my communities after the worst school shooting in Texas’ history, my philosophy has never changed: do as much as you can, and always fight for the greater good,” he continued. MIKE JOHNSON ASKS EMBATTLED HOUSE REPUBLICAN TONY GONZALES TO DROP RE-ELECTION BID “After deep reflection and with the support of my loving family, I have decided not to seek re-election while serving out the rest of this Congress with the same commitment I’ve always had to my district,” he added. “Through the rest of my term, I will continue fighting for my constituents, for whom I am eternally grateful. Gonzales confessed to the affair during an appearance on a conservative talk radio show one day after advancing to a runoff election in his congressional district’s GOP primary. The House Ethics Committee also launched an investigation into Gonzales on Wednesday to determine if he engaged in sexual misconduct with a female member of his staff and whether he doled out special favors or privileges as a result.
DOJ continues Biden autopen probe despite former president unlikely to face charges
The Department of Justice (DOJ) is continuing its investigation into former President Joe Biden’s use of an autopen in the final months of his administration — focusing on pardons and commutations — though a senior official said Biden is unlikely to face criminal exposure. A senior DOJ official told Fox News the autopen investigation is ongoing and not closed, adding investigators are reviewing clemency actions taken in the final months of the Biden administration. The official also pointed out, however, that the use of an autopen by a sitting president is “established law.” The issue under review is whether the autopen was used in violation of the law, specifically, whether Biden personally approved each name included on pardon and commutation lists. TOP BIDEN OFFICIALS QUESTIONED AND CRITICIZED HOW HIS TEAM ISSUED PARDONS, USED AUTOPEN: REPORT “These types of cases are tough. Executive privilege issues come into play,” the official said. What is also clear, the official indicated, is that the target of any potential prosecution would not likely be Biden. “It’s hard to imagine how [Biden] could be criminally liable for pardon power,” the senior DOJ official said. BIDEN’S AUTOPEN PARDONS DISTURBED DOJ BRASS, DOCS SHOW, RAISING QUESTIONS WHETHER THEY ARE LEGALLY BINDING The official noted that one reason the former president would be unlikely to face charges stems from a 2024 Supreme Court ruling that originally involved current President Donald Trump but would also apply to Biden. “We conclude that under our constitutional structure of separated powers, the nature of Presidential power requires that a former President have some immunity from criminal prosecution for official acts during his tenure in office,” the Supreme Court ruled in Trump v. United States in 2024. “At least with respect to the President’s exercise of his core constitutional powers, this immunity must be absolute.” Sources familiar with the matter told Fox News Digital that U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro’s team continues to review the Biden White House’s reliance on an autopen, contradicting a recent New York Times report that indicated the investigation had been paused. DOJ SIGNALS IT’S STILL DIGGING INTO BIDEN AUTOPEN USE DESPITE REPORTS PROBE FIZZLED Trump has pushed for consequences over the autopen controversy, alleging on social media that aides acted unlawfully in its use and raising the prospect of perjury charges against Biden. Biden has rejected those claims, saying in a statement last year he personally directed the decisions in question. “Let me be clear: I made the decisions during my presidency,” Biden said. “I made the decisions about the pardons, executive orders, legislation and proclamations. Any suggestion that I didn’t is ridiculous and false.” The House Oversight Committee has homed in on Biden’s clemency actions, including five controversial pardons for family members in the final days of his presidency, citing what it described as a lack of “contemporaneous documentation” confirming that Biden directly ordered the pardons. The committee asked the DOJ to investigate “all of former President Biden’s executive actions, particularly clemency actions, to assess whether legal action must be taken to void any action that the former president did not, in fact, take himself.” Fox News Digital’s Ashley Oliver contributed to this report.
US restores diplomatic relations with Venezuela amid push for democratic transition
The United States and Venezuela’s interim authorities have agreed to reestablish diplomatic and consular relations, according to a State Department media note issued Thursday. “The United States and Venezuela’s interim authorities have agreed to reestablish diplomatic and consular relations,” the State Department said in a statement released March 5. The State Department said the agreement is intended to “facilitate our joint efforts to promote stability, support economic recovery and advance political reconciliation in Venezuela. “Our engagement is focused on helping the Venezuelan people move forward through a phased process that creates the conditions for a peaceful transition to a democratically elected government.” CIA DIRECTOR WAS IN VENEZUELA TO MEET WITH ACTING PRESIDENT DELCY RODRIGUEZ, OFFICIAL SAYS The announcement confirms the restoration of diplomatic and consular relations between the two governments. The State Department did not specify when embassy operations or visa services may resume. The statement also did not address potential sanctions changes, outline migration or security cooperation measures or provide additional details about diplomatic engagement moving forward. The announcement comes after months of U.S. engagement in Venezuela. MILLIONS LOSE POWER ACROSS CUBA AS TRUMP SANCTIONS CONTINUE TO FUEL ONGOING ENERGY CRISIS U.S. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum traveled to Caracas March 4 and held meetings with Venezuela’s interim President Delcy Rodríguez during a two-day visit, U.S. and Venezuelan officials said. Burgum discussed opportunities related to mining and critical minerals supply chains and said the Venezuelan interim government had offered security assurances for foreign mining companies seeking to invest in the country. U.S. forces captured former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro Jan. 3 in Caracas. Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, pleaded not guilty two days later in federal court in New York to charges including narco-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine importation conspiracy and weapons-related offenses. Diplomatic and consular relations typically involve government-to-government engagement as well as the operation of embassies and consulates that facilitate visas, citizen services and diplomatic coordination. “The United States remains committed to supporting the Venezuelan people and working with partners across the region to advance stability and prosperity,” the statement said. The White House did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. Fox News Digital’s Michael Sinkewicz and Greg Norman-Diamond contributed to this reporting.
Operation Epic Fury destroys Iran’s navy and cuts missile attacks by 90% in ongoing campaign
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said Thursday that U.S. forces have delivered devastating blows to Iran’s military in the opening days of Operation Epic Fury, crippling key naval and missile capabilities while signaling that a larger and more sustained campaign is underway. Speaking alongside U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) Commander Adm. Brad Cooper at CENTCOM headquarters at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Florida, Hegseth described a fast-moving operation that has significantly degraded Iran’s ability to threaten U.S. forces and regional partners as officials shift toward preventing Tehran from rebuilding its military strength. “In just days of Operation Epic Fury, you and your team have delivered nothing short of devastating, precise strikes taking out the better part of Iran’s navy, making it combat ineffective, neutralizing missile sites and launchers and establishing total dominance over the skies,” Hegseth told Cooper. REP BRIAN MAST: DEMOCRATS DON’T WANT WAR POWERS, THEY WANT TO WAVE A WHITE FLAG “Our forces are executing with unmatched skill, and the mission is advancing decisively.” Cooper detailed the expanding maritime campaign, saying U.S. forces have intensified strikes against Iranian vessels in recent hours, surpassing previously disclosed totals and further weakening Tehran’s ability to project power at sea. “You may have heard the president say just a little while ago that we have sunk or destroyed 24 ships. That was true. At the moment, we’re now up over 30 ships,” Cooper said. “In just the last few hours, we hit an Iranian drone carrier ship roughly the size of a World War II aircraft carrier. And, as we speak, it’s on fire.” Beyond naval losses, sustained air operations have sharply reduced Iran’s ability to launch retaliatory attacks. U.S. bombers have targeted launchers, command infrastructure and air defenses deep inside the country in an effort to limit both immediate threats and future strike capacity. “Ballistic missile attacks have decreased by 90% since day one. Drone attacks have decreased by 83% since day one,” Cooper said. RED CROSS SHARES AUDIO OF IRANIAN CIVILIAN EXPLAINING SITUATION ON THE GROUND IN TEHRAN: ‘NO RESPITE’ The sharp decline in launches, officials indicated, reflects both the destruction of key systems and the disruption of Iran’s command-and-control networks, forcing Tehran onto the defensive as U.S. aircraft continue operating over the country. Hegseth made clear the operation is not slowing down, warning that significantly more firepower is moving into the region as additional forces and assets come online. “We have only just begun to fight and fight decisively,” Hegseth said. “The amount of combat power that’s still flowing, that’s still coming, that we’ll be able to project over Iran is multiples of what it currently is right now.” PENTAGON POLICY CHIEF GRILLED AS DEM CLAIMS TRUMP BROKE PROMISE ABOUT GOING TO WAR WITH IRAN He also sought to counter any suggestion that the U.S. could face supply constraints as the campaign continues, emphasizing both capacity and staying power. “Our capabilities are overwhelming and gathering still, as are those of our Israeli partners,” Hegseth said. “Our munitions are full up and our will is ironclad, which means our timeline is ours and ours alone to control as long as it takes to ensure the United States of America achieves these objectives.” Cooper confirmed the mission is entering a new phase aimed at Iran’s long-term missile production capacity, shifting from degrading existing stockpiles to preventing their regeneration. “We’re not just hitting what they have. We’re destroying their ability to rebuild,” Cooper said. “As we transition to the next phase of this operation, we will systemically dismantle Iran’s missile production capability for the future.” Together, the remarks underscored both the scale of the battlefield damage already inflicted and the administration’s message that the campaign — bolstered by additional forces and sustained munitions capacity — is positioned to intensify in the days ahead.
Hegseth blasts Brits, says Iran’s chaotic retaliation has driven its own allies ‘into the American orbit’
War Secretary Pete Hegseth said Wednesday that Iran’s decision to strike neighboring countries has backfired strategically, driving Gulf states that had hoped to stay out of the conflict “into the American orbit” as the U.S. prepares to dramatically increase firepower over Tehran. “What Iran is doing by targeting allied countries that would otherwise want to stay out of this, they’ve actually pulled them into the American orbit,” Hegseth said during a briefing at U.S. Central Command headquarters in Tampa, Florida. He cited the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait as countries now offering expanded cooperation, arguing that Tehran’s retaliatory campaign has strengthened regional alignment with Washington rather than weakened it. U.S. military officials say Iran has launched strikes against a growing number of countries in the region since the conflict began, with CENTCOM Commander Adm. Brad Cooper noting Tehran has targeted at least a dozen nations. THE FUTURE OF WAR? US-ISRAEL BLITZ ON IRAN UNVEILS NEXT-GEN ALLIED COMBAT Rather than isolating the United States, Hegseth suggested Iran’s actions are consolidating support for the campaign. “The amount of firepower over Iran and over Tehran is about to surge dramatically,” he said, pointing to additional base access and increased bomber operations. Hegseth also addressed allied base access, including the United Kingdom’s initial hesitation to grant U.S. forces early access to strategic facilities. He said the issue has since been resolved and that British-controlled bases are now part of the expanding U.S. air campaign. PETE HEGSETH CRITICIZES ‘FAKE NEWS’ COVERAGE OF IRAN STRIKES, SAYS ONLY TRAGEDIES MAKE FRONT PAGE “It was unfortunate that … the Brits didn’t, from day one say, ‘Hey, go ahead and have access,’” he said. “But we got there, we got there. And that’s now part of the way that we’re operationalizing bomber runs. … The amount of firepower over Iran and over Tehran is about to surge dramatically, and part of it is that we’re going to have even more basing.” Gulf and Arab governments have publicly condemned Iranian missile and drone strikes on their territories as violations of sovereignty and threats to regional security, while stopping short of criticizing U.S. military action. Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates and Jordan issued a joint statement strongly condemning Iran’s “indiscriminate and reckless” missile and drone attacks against sovereign territory in the region, reaffirming their right to self-defense. Regional leaders have framed Iran’s actions as dangerous escalations rather than legitimate retaliation, underscoring a rare moment of unified public opposition among Gulf Cooperation Council members. Beyond the Gulf, Azerbaijan has also protested what it says were Iranian drone strikes on its Nakhchivan exclave, which injured civilians and damaged the international airport. Baku summoned Tehran’s ambassador and said it reserved the right to take retaliatory measures in defense of its territory, even as Tehran denied responsibility for the incident. Some regional analysts say Iran appears to have miscalculated by striking at U.S. assets in third-party nations. US SURGES FORCES TO MIDDLE EAST AS PENTAGON WARNS IRAN FIGHT ‘WILL TAKE SOME TIME’ “It was absolutely inevitable that the Iranians would seek to lash out, to widen the conflict … but all they’ve really done is made everybody quite mad, and that was a really bad calculation on their part,” said Danielle Pletka, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute. Peter Doran, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, noted the shift in regional alignment. “It would have been unbelievable just one year ago to see Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states lining up with the United States and Israel against the Islamic Republic,” he said. Hegseth dismissed suggestions that the war is spiraling outward, arguing that Iran’s actions are instead clarifying the battlefield and strengthening U.S. partnerships. “This idea that it’s expanding or going — no,” he said. “It’s actually simplifying in a number of ways exactly what we need to achieve and how we’ll achieve it.” Pentagon officials say U.S. bombers have struck nearly 200 targets in the past 72 hours, destroyed more than 30 Iranian naval vessels and significantly reduced missile and drone attacks since the opening days of the operation. Officials maintain that the campaign’s objectives remain limited to degrading Iran’s ability to threaten Americans and its neighbors, even as the president has suggested he needs to have a say in who becomes Iran’s next leader. “I think the president’s having a heck of a say in who runs Iran, given the ongoing operation we have,” Hegseth said.