Democrats silent on past rhetoric toward Trump Cabinet member after foiled assassination plot
Democrats evaded questions on Friday about whether there could be a link between their past heated rhetoric towards Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Russ Vought and news that a man had been charged with attempting to kill him. Authorities arrested Colin Demarco, 26, for arriving at Vought’s residence with a firearm after stating an intent to murder him last year. The offices of Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., and other high-ranking Democrats who have described Vought as a threat to the country did not respond to inquiries from Fox News Digital. ‘TRANSGENDER ANTIFA’ EXTREMIST CHARGED WITH ATTEMPTED MURDER AFTER SKATING ON DEATH THREAT, REP. MACE SAYS One Democrat, Rep. Brendan Boyle, D-Pa., did not address the questions about rhetoric but reacted to the arrest. “I am deeply alarmed by the news that a man allegedly planned to murder OMB Director Vought. I am relieved the suspect was caught before any violence occurred,” Boyle said in a statement. “Political violence is unacceptable and represents an attack not only on an individual but on our democracy itself. There is no place for political violence in the United States of America.” However, in the past, many Democrats — including Boyle — have characterized Vought as a threat to the country. GUNFIRE, ARSON AND VANDALISM: TRACKING POLITICAL VIOLENCE IN AMERICA “Make no mistake — his nomination is as dangerous as it gets. His views aren’t just extreme; they are a direct threat to our democracy, the rule of law and the basic principles of our government,” Boyle said last year when Trump announced Vought as the pick to lead OMB. Similarly, Schumer called Vought “a danger to working people, a danger to America’s beliefs and ideals” in a speech delivered on the Senate floor. According to authorities, Demarco approached Vought’s residence in Arlington, Va., on Aug. 10 while wearing a surgical mask and rubber gloves, carrying a backpack and concealing a weapon under his shirt. Authorities arrived on the scene in time to deter Demarco’s alleged plans. SCHUMER, JEFFRIES ACCUSE TRUMP OF CALLING FOR ‘EXECUTION OF ELECTED OFFICIALS’ Police said a search of Demarco’s communications revealed he expressed intent to kill his target in online messages. Demarco faces four charges: attempted murder, criminal solicitation to commit murder, wearing a mask in public to conceal identity and carrying a concealed weapon. LIBERAL OUTLETS CRITICIZE TRUMP OFFICIALS RELOCATING TO MILITARY HOUSING AFTER THREATS, HARASSMENT Vought, who was among the first Cabinet members nominated by Trump, has had a high level of influence on the administration even ahead of the election. Vought was one of the chief architects behind Project 2025, a policy platform published by the conservative-leaning think tank, the Heritage Foundation, that the administration has mirrored on issues like immigration, the federal workforce and public funding. At the time of his confirmation, Vought’s calls to shrink the government’s footprint brought fierce condemnation from critics like Warren. CALIFORNIA MAN ARRESTED FOR ALLEGEDLY MAKING ONLINE DEATH THREATS AGAINST JD VANCE DURING DISNEYLAND VISIT “You can absolutely bet on Russ Vought pulling out the rug from working people over and over again. We don’t know where he will stop,” Warren said in remarks on the Senate floor. “We don’t know how far Russ Vought’s extremism will go, but we can’t afford to wait and find out,” she added. Other Democrats followed up on her calls. “Vought is an extremist who believes the president is all-powerful. He has a radical plan to destroy and dismantle Congress’ investments in our families’ health, safety, and prosperity,” DeLauro, a top Democrat in the House, said of his plans to cut government programs. Demarco is due in court on Feb. 23 for a preliminary hearing, according to the Arlington General District Court.
Bill Clinton comes out swinging against Comer for rejecting public Epstein hearing: ‘Stop the games’
Former President Bill Clinton said on X that he has shared what he knows about the crimes of disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein in a sworn statement shared with the House Oversight Committee, which both Bill and Hillary Clinton have agreed to testify in front of under subpoena pressure. “I have called for the full release of the Epstein files. I have provided a sworn statement of what I know,” the former president said on X Friday afternoon. “And just this week, I’ve agreed to appear in person before the committee. But it’s still not enough for Republicans on the House Oversight Committee.” In the wake of news the Clintons would comply with House Republicans’ subpoenas to testify after concerns they would not and subsequent threats of contempt, Republicans accused the Clintons of “trying to dodge contempt by requesting special treatment.” LAWMAKERS ESCALATE EPSTEIN PROBE WITH POSSIBLE BILL GATES SUBPOENA The Clintons’ attorneys sent the House Oversight Committee a letter, made public earlier this week, indicating they would comply and testify under certain conditions, such as that their testimony be open, filmed and transcribed. Robert Garcia, the Democrat ranking member of the committee, said the agreement amounted to full compliance with the committee’s demands. However, House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer disputed the characterization, telling Fox News Digital the agreement lacked specificity. In a post on X, the Republicans on the committee accused Clinton of “trying to dodge contempt by requesting special treatment.” “The Clintons’ counsel has said they agree to terms, but those terms lack clarity yet again, and they have provided no dates for their depositions,” Comer said. “The only reason they have said they agree to terms is because the House has moved forward with contempt. I will clarify the terms they are agreeing to and then discuss next steps with my committee members.” The Clintons’ change of heart led the House to temporarily pause proceedings on holding them in contempt Monday night. Democrats on the committee have pointed out that Comer has not pushed to hold others who did not appear in contempt, nor has he made any threats against the DOJ for failing to produce all of its documents on Epstein by a deadline agreed to by Congress late last year. The department has produced a fraction of the documents expected so far. “Now, Chairman Comer says he wants cameras, but only behind closed doors. Who benefits from this arrangement? It’s not Epstein’s victims, who deserve justice,” Clinton said in his X post Friday afternoon. “Not the public, who deserve the truth. It serves only partisan interests. This is not fact-finding, it’s pure politics. “I will not sit idly as they use me as a prop in a closed-door kangaroo court by a Republican Party running scared,” he continued. “If they want answers, let’s stop the games & do this the right way: in a public hearing, where the American people can see for themselves what this is really about.”
DOJ says it owes deported Venezuelans no due process, dares courts to intervene
The Trump administration will not comply with a court order requiring due process for hundreds of Venezuelan migrants deported to a maximum-security prison in El Salvador last year, DOJ lawyers said. It sets up a heated clash in court next week in a case that is almost certainly headed back to the Supreme Court. The status and plight of 252 Venezuelan migrants deported to a Salvadoran prison last March under the 1798 Alien Enemies Act have emerged as one of the defining court fights of Trump’s second term, allowing the administration to test its mettle against the federal courts and the practical limits of judicial authority, on one of Trump’s biggest policy priorities. It’s a fight that has also put U.S. District Judge James Boasberg, who is overseeing the Alien Enemies Act case, squarely in the Trump administration’s crosshairs as he attempts to determine what due process protections, if any, the administration is legally obligated to provide and how far the courts can go to enforce them. A new filing from the Justice Department made clear the administration believes it owes the migrants no additional due process at all. Should the court try to order otherwise, lawyers for the administration said they would promptly seek intervention from higher courts. SUPREME COURT FREEZES ORDER TO RETURN MAN FROM EL SALVADOR PRISON In its filing Monday, the Justice Department argued again that the administration is powerless to return the Venezuelan migrants who were summarily deported last year. The department rejected the notion that the U.S. could “facilitate” due process proceedings for the migrants in question as previously ordered by the court, describing the options to do so as either legally impossible or practically unworkable due to national security concerns and the fragile political situation in Venezuela after the U.S. capture of Venezuelan strongman Nicolás Maduro during a raid in Caracas last month. The DOJ also reiterated its argument that bringing petitioners back to the U.S. would harm “critical” foreign policy negotiations with Venezuela and carry “profound” national security risks, citing the alleged gang member status of the migrants in question. (The alleged gang member status of many of the individuals has been called into question.) DOJ lawyers also rejected the notion of conducting the proceedings overseas, including at the U.S. embassy in Venezuela, citing the U.S. capture and arrest of Maduro and his wife. The U.S., they said, lacks custody to conduct the habeas proceedings on foreign soil and doing so would risk “injecting an extremely complicated issue into what is already a delicate situation” in Venezuela, potentially “negatively affecting U.S. efforts toward stabilization and transition that aim to benefit tens of millions of Venezuelans.” The deportations, carried out under the Alien Enemies Act despite an emergency court order from Judge Boasberg, prompted an eleven-month legal battle that reached the Supreme Court in April and months of fights in the lower courts, including a subsequent order from Boasberg in December for the government to “facilitate” due process for the deported migrants. DEFIANT MADURO DECLARES HE IS A ‘PRISONER OF WAR’ IN FIRST US COURT APPEARANCE The Supreme Court said then that individuals removed under the Alien Enemies Act must have the ability to contest their removal and have a meaningful opportunity and notice to do so before they are removed. Boasberg has spent the months since attempting to determine the status of the hundreds of CECOT plaintiffs and what ability the U.S. has to facilitate their return or to provide the class of migrants with due process and habeas protections, including the ability to challenge their alleged gang status. His December order required the Trump administration to submit to the court in writing its plans to provide due process to the class of migrants deported to El Salvador. Boasberg said the administration could do this by either returning the migrants to the U.S. to have their cases heard in person or facilitate hearings abroad with members of the class that “satisfy the requirements of due process.” APPEALS COURT BLOCKS TRUMP ADMIN’S DEPORTATION FLIGHTS IN ALIEN ENEMIES ACT IMMIGRATION SUIT Lawyers for the Justice Department previewed similar arguments last month before an “en banc” 17-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, which convened to weigh the legality of the Trump administration’s use of the 227-year-old law. The Justice Department told judges then that the U.S. indictment against Maduro “reinforces the Proclamation’s findings that the Maduro regime and TdA have formed a ‘hybrid criminal state’ directed by the regime” and justified the decision to use the Alien Enemies Act law to quickly deport them to the third-country prison. “These new developments underscore the Maduro Regime’s control over TdA and TdA’s violent invasion or predatory incursion on American soil. As a result, it is even clearer that the President’s invocation of the Alien Enemies Act was part of a high-level national security mission that exists outside the realm of judicial interference.” ACLU lawyer Lee Gelernt told the judges during the same hearing that the Alien Enemies Act does not give the administration “a blank check” for a president to “use his war powers any time he considers it valuable.” Regardless of how Boasberg rules, the new filing made clear that the Trump administration views the fight as far from over. “If, over defendants’ vehement legal and practical objections, the Court issues an injunction, defendants intend to immediately appeal, and will seek a stay pending appeal from this Court (and, if necessary, from the D.C. Circuit),” the Justice Department said.
Trump overhauls US arms sales to favor key allies, protect American weapons production
FIRST ON FOX: President Donald Trump on Thursday signed an executive order requiring the government to assess foreign weapons sales based on their impact on U.S. production capacity for key systems and to favor allies whose defense investments and strategic importance align with U.S. national security priorities. Under the order, obtained first by Fox News Digital, the Departments of War, State and Commerce are instructed to ensure that U.S. arms transfers support weapons systems deemed most operationally relevant to the National Security Strategy, reinforce critical supply chains, and prioritize partners that have invested in their own defense and occupy strategically important regions. The administration argues that past arms transfer policy allowed foreign demand to shape U.S. production decisions, contributing to backlogs, cost overruns and delivery delays that left both the U.S. military and its allies waiting years for critical equipment. “The America First Arms Transfer Strategy will now leverage over $300 billion in annual defense sales to strategically reindustrialize the United States and rapidly deliver American-manufactured weapons to help our partners and allies establish deterrence and defend themselves,” according to a White House fact sheet. TRUMP NATIONAL SECURITY BLUEPRINT DECLARES ‘ERA OF MASS MIGRATION IS OVER,’ TARGETS CHINA’S RISE A central goal of the order is to speed up a foreign military sales process that defense officials and industry leaders have long criticized as slow and overly bureaucratic. The order directs federal agencies to identify ways to streamline enhanced end-use monitoring requirements, third-party transfer approvals and the congressional notification process — steps the administration says have contributed to years-long delays in delivering U.S. weapons overseas. The order also creates a new Promoting American Military Sales Task Force charged with overseeing implementation of the strategy and tracking major defense sales across the government. In a move aimed at increasing accountability, the administration says agencies will be required to publish aggregate quarterly performance metrics showing how quickly defense sales cases are being executed. The strategy also signals a shift in how the United States prioritizes its partners. The order directs the government to favor countries that have invested in their own defense and occupy strategically important regions, effectively tying arms sales decisions more closely to U.S. military planning and geographic priorities. HEGSETH SAYS DEPARTMENT OF WAR ‘WILL BE PREPARED TO DELIVER’ WHATEVER TRUMP WANTS FOLLOWING IRAN WARNING Other partners could face longer timelines or lower priority if their requests do not align with U.S. strategic or industrial objectives. While the order does not name specific countries, it reflects an effort to focus limited U.S. production capacity on allies viewed as most critical to executing the National Security Strategy. The order also instructs the War, State and Commerce departments to “find efficiencies in the Enhanced End Use Monitoring criteria, the Third-Party Transfer process, and the Congressional Notification process.” Congress will likely be watching how the administration implements the order, especially provisions aimed at speeding both oversight of U.S. weapons once they are sold abroad and the process for notifying lawmakers about major arms deals. Lawmakers have argued those steps help prevent misuse of U.S. weapons, even as they have criticized delays that slow deliveries to allies. The order follows a series of recent defense-related executive actions taken by Trump. In January 2026, he signed an order directing defense contractors to prioritize production capacity, innovation and on-time delivery over stock buybacks and other corporate distributions. That built on an April 2025 order aimed at improving speed and accountability in the foreign military sales system, as well as a January 2025 order focused on modernizing defense acquisitions and reducing red tape across the defense industrial base.
DOT crackdown pulls hundreds of English-illiterate, illegal immigrant truckers off roads as crashes mount
EXCLUSIVE: Federal transportation officials nabbed hundreds of truckers found not to be proficient in English, as otherwise routine stops at weigh stations led to thousands of violations amid a three-day national crackdown. The latest iteration of Operation SafeDRIVE (Distracted, Reckless, Impaired, Visibility Enforcement) ran from Jan. 13–15 on trucking corridors in 26 states and the District of Columbia and removed nearly 2,000 unqualified truckers and other drivers from the road, USDOT’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) told Fox News Digital. The news comes just days after a Kyrgyz national caused a deadly wreck after he failed to brake for stopped traffic on a state road in Jay County, Indiana, crossed the median and slammed into oncoming traffic. Bekzhan Beishekeev illegally used the Mayorkas-era CBP-1 app to enter the U.S. in 2023 and was later issued a CDL by PennDOT, leading DHS officials to lambast Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, who in turn blamed Secretary Kristi Noem’s federal database management. DUFFY EXPOSES 54% OF NORTH CAROLINA TRUCK LICENSES ISSUED ILLEGALLY TO ‘DANGEROUS DRIVERS’ USDOT Secretary Sean Duffy told Fox News Digital that Operation SafeDRIVE saw the FMCSA partner with state law enforcement in a high-visibility enforcement and education effort, addressing unsafe drivers of all types on the nation’s highways. Operation SafeDRIVE conducted more than 8,200 inspections that led to 704 drivers being taken off the road and out of service. About 500 of those truckers were penalized for failing English proficiency standards. CALIFORNIA FATHER SAYS NEWSOM IGNORED HIM AFTER ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT TRUCKER LEFT DAUGHTER UNABLE TO WALK There were 1,231 total vehicles stripped of their roadworthiness and 56 people were arrested, including several for DUI/DWI and illegal presence in the United States. “Operation SafeDRIVE shows what happens when we work together with our law enforcement partners to pull unqualified drivers and vehicles off American roads,” Duffy told Fox News Digital. “We need a whole-of-government approach to ensure the Trump administration’s strong standards of safety are in place to protect American families and reduce road accidents.” ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT ACCUSED IN DEATHS OF COLLEGE SOCCER PLAYER, GIRLFRIEND HAD PRIOR DWI DISMISSED: RECORDS FMCSA Administrator Derek Barrs added that the operation’s main goal was public safety. “When drivers ignore the rules, operate without proper qualifications, or get behind the wheel impaired, they put all of our lives at risk,” Barrs said. “Operation SafeDRIVE demonstrates the value of focused enforcement and strong partnerships in removing these drivers and vehicles from our roads.” GRIEVING FATHER SAYS DAUGHTER’S DEATH BY ILLEGAL ALIEN SHOWS COST OF SANCTUARY POLICIES In other recent cases of illegally-present or English-nonproficient drivers causing deadly or dangerous situations, an Indian national was arrested after passing through a weigh station in Oklahoma and found to be illegally present in the country. His commercial driver’s license, issued by New York State, listed him as “NO NAME.” His identity was later confirmed to be Anmol Anmol, and he had illegally entered the U.S. in 2023 and was handed over to federal authorities under Oklahoma’s 287(g) cooperation agreement with I.C.E. DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said Anmol is indicative of the kind of people issued licenses under Albany’s widescale noncooperation with federal immigration enforcement. NOEM DIGS AT AGITATORS, SANCTUARY POLITICIANS IN TOUTING ICE MISSION CONTINUES 1 YEAR INTO TRUMP’S SECOND TERM “New York is not only failing to check if applicants applying to drive 18-wheelers are U.S. citizens but even failing to obtain the full legal names of individuals they are issuing commercial drivers’ licenses to,” she said. After an Uzbek national wanted in Tashkent on terrorism charges was nabbed in Oklahoma — also wielding a PennDOT driver’s license — a similar dynamic ensued between Harrisburg and Washington, with both Shapiro and Noem blaming each other for the problem. Fox News Digital obtained a letter from Shapiro cabinet officials to Pennsylvania legislative leaders — as Democrats hold the House and Republicans the Senate — rejecting some of the claims about the situation. The letter, written by PennDOT Secretary Mike Carroll, a Luzerne Democrat, and Secretary of the Commonwealth Al Schmidt, a Philadelphia Republican, called out “misstatements and ill-informed speculation” from critics. Schmidt and Carroll said the administration’s policy is not to allow illegal immigrants to receive licenses. “All non-citizens who apply for driver’s licenses … must provide PennDOT with proof of identity and must have their legal presence in this country verified through the federal Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) database,” they said, citing the DHS database flagged by Shapiro and PennDOT spokeswoman Alexis Campbell in prior communications with Fox News Digital. A Noem spokesperson said at the time that the Uzbek illegal immigrant — Akhror Bozorov — had been unwisely issued a work authorization by the Biden administration, but that did not mean Harrisburg should have let him drive a bobtail — with the spokesperson dubbing Shapiro a “sanctuary politician.” The situation first came to prominence after Indian national Harjinder Singh made an illegal U-turn on Florida’s Turnpike in St. Lucie County and a sedan slammed into the rig, killing all occupants. Singh had been given a CDL by California.
Sen Tim Scott calls Trump post ‘most racist thing I’ve seen out of this White House’
Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., called out President Donald Trump for a post on Truth Social on Friday, demanding that the president take it down. The post in question, which Trump put on his Truth Social Thursday night, depicted former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama as monkeys or apes. Scott, the only Black member of the Senate GOP, called on Trump to remove the post. REPUBLICANS WARN DEMOCRATS’ ICE REFORM PUSH IS COVER TO DEFUND BORDER ENFORCEMENT “Praying it was fake because it’s the most racist thing I’ve seen out of this White House,” Scott said. “The President should remove it.” Scott found an unlikely ally in his request in Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., who similarly called on Trump to take the post down. “Racist. Vile. Abhorrent. This is dangerous and degrades our country — where are Senate Republicans? The President must immediately delete the post and apologize to Barack and Michelle Obama, two great Americans who make Donald Trump look like a small, envious man,” Schumer said on X. Scott and Trump have shared a warm relationship since he ran and ultimately dropped out of the Republican presidential race last year. He now chairs the National Republican Senatorial Committee, the Senate GOP’s campaign arm tasked with keeping Republicans’ thin majority in the upper chamber and expanding it during the 2026 midterm cycle. SCHUMER, JEFFRIES MEND RIFT, PRESENT UNITED FRONT ON DHS REFORMS AS DEADLINE NEARS Scott has rarely bucked Trump, positioning himself as a top ally to the president — he was on the short list of possible vice presidential picks before Trump ultimately tapped then Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio. THUNE BLASTS JEFFRIES, SCHUMER AS ‘AFRAID OF THEIR SHADOWS’ AS DHS FUNDING FIGHT HEATS UP However, he has recently broken with the president on the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) investigation into Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell. Scott, who also chairs the Senate Banking Committee, said during an interview with Fox Business earlier this week that he didn’t believe Powell had committed a crime during his testimony to the committee last year. “I found him to be inept at doing his job, but ineptness or being incompetent is not a criminal act,” Scott said. The White House did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Top fiery moments as Democrats clash with Treasury Secretary Bessent in chaotic Hill hearings
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent was grilled by Democratic lawmakers on Capitol Hill in back-to-back hearings this week that repeatedly erupted into shouting. Bessent was on the Hill to discuss the nation’s economic health but faced sharp questioning that at times derailed the proceedings. The confrontations reflected broader Democratic frustrations over President Donald Trump’s trade agenda and renewed pressure on the Federal Reserve, sharpening concerns about inflation, borrowing costs and the administration’s economic direction. Against that backdrop, cost-of-living pressures dominated the hearings, with Democratic lawmakers demanding clearer answers as Bessent defended the administration’s policies. Here are the top contentious moments from Bessent’s hearings. On Wednesday, Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., was among the first to clash with Bessent over Trump’s economic agenda, with the irate congresswoman asking at one point if someone could “shut him up.” The exchange took place during Bessent’s testimony before the House Financial Services Committee. Waters, the panel’s ranking member, pressed Bessent on the potential inflationary effects of Trump’s tariffs on U.S. consumers, repeatedly calling for a yes-or-no answer. Waters: So I ask you, Secretary Bessent, will you be the voice of reason in this administration and urge President Trump to stop waging a war on American consumers, harming housing affordability, and putting the economy at risk? Yes or no. You don’t have to explain. Bessent: Representative — Waters: Will you be the voice of reason? Will you be the voice of reason? Bessent: A study from Wharton University has shown — Waters: Reclaiming my time. Reclaiming my time. Mr. Chair, will you let him know when I ask to reclaim my time — Rep. French Hill, R-Ariz., House Financial Services Committee chairman: The time does belong to the gentlewoman from California. Bessent: Ten to 20 million immigrants — Waters: Can you shut him up? Bessent: What about the housing stock for working Americans? And can you maintain some level of dignity? Hill: The gentlewoman’s time has expired. Waters: No, my time has not expired. Hill: Your time has expired. The gentleman — Waters: The gentleman took up my time. I think you should recognize that, Mr. Chair. Hill: The gentlewoman’s time has expired. Following the contentious exchange with Waters, Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-NY) asked Bessent to commit to pausing and fully scrutinizing any Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) licensing tied to World Liberty Financial, a Trump-linked crypto firm. He cited concerns about conflicts of interest and foreign influence that he said should be reviewed and shared with Congress. Bessent cited the OCC’s independence and declined to give a direct yes-or-no answer. Meeks : All I need to know is will you halt it and do a complete investigation and scrutiny of this licensing application? Yes or no? Bessent: No, congressman. The OCC is an independent entity and I would note congressman — Meeks: All you have to say is yes or no. Bessent: In 2006, you traveled to Venezuela — Meeks: I take that as a no. Bessent: On behalf of your donors — Meeks: I take that as a no. You do not want to answer that question. Bessent: 110 years — Meeks: I take that as a no. CAN YOU SHUT HIM UP?: WATERS AND TREASURY’S BESSENT CLASH OVER TRUMP’S ECONOMIC AGENDA Bessent: For 7 billion — Meeks: I’m asking you to do your responsibility as Secretary of the Treasury. Hill: Mr. Meeks. Your time has expired. Meeks: He went past your time, Mr. Chairman. He did not answer my question, and he went past the time. Hill: He had six seconds left to try to answer your question. Meeks: And it was a yes or no. Hill: Gentleman, the chair recognizes the gentleman — Meeks: Stop covering for the president. Stop being his flunky. Hill: Gentlemen, gentlemen — Meeks: Stop covering for the president, work for the American people. Bessent: To make a trip to Venezuela — Meeks: Don’t be a cover-up for a mob. Hill: Mr. Meeks. Mr. Bessent please — Sen. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., sparred with Bessent during a contentious Senate Banking Committee hearing on Thursday, pressing him on President Trump’s $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS over the alleged leak of his tax records. When Bessent said any payout would come from the U.S. Treasury, Gallego pushed back, arguing the cost would ultimately be borne by U.S. taxpayers. Bessent tried to interject, but Gallego continued, “I’m controlling the time here. You’re not obeying the law. You’re plundering U.S. taxpayer dollars.” In the same hearing, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., pressed Bessent to explain a joke Trump made about Federal Reserve nominee Kevin Warsh. Warren, the panel’s ranking member, asked Bessent about comments Trump made over the weekend, when he joked — or appeared to joke — about suing Warsh if he failed to lower the national interest rate. The question triggered a shouting match between the two. WARREN AND BESSENT ERUPT INTO SHOUTING MATCH OVER TRUMP’S WARSH JOKE Warren: This one should be an easy one. Mr. Secretary, can you commit right here and now that Trump’s Fed nominee, Kevin Warsh, will not be sued, will not be investigated by the Department of Justice, if he doesn’t cut interest rates exactly the way Donald Trump wants? Bessent: That’s up to the president. Can you commit that you will — Warren: I’m sorry? You can’t say that he won’t be sued if he doesn’t drop interest rates? Bessent: Can you commit that you will not hold up — Warren: And he won’t be criminally investigated? Bessent: The president also made a joke about you — one I won’t repeat. Warren: That was supposed to be a softball. That was the easy one. If this was a joke, why not just say so? Bessent: It was a joke, and he made a joke about you, too, Senator Warren. It got a lot of laughs, it got a lot of laughs. I don’t know if you want to respond to that. Warren: I do want to respond, I think the American
Republicans warn Democrats’ ICE reform push is cover to defund border enforcement
Senate Democrats are standing firm by their demands to rein in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), but Senate Republicans believe they have an ulterior motive: completely defund immigration operations across the country. “I’m really concerned that all the Democrats want to do is defund ICE,” Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., told Fox News Digital, “They want open borders. They don’t want to get rid of criminals.” Republicans argue the canary in the coal mine came last week when the Senate was advancing a Trump-backed funding deal. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., attempted to pass an amendment that would have stripped the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and ICE of $75 billion, which was summarily defeated on the floor. SWEEPING BILL TO CRUSH SANCTUARY CITIES, PROTECT ICE AGENTS UNVEILED IN SENATE “Every single Senate Democrat voted yes,” Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso, R-Wyo., said. “That’s how radical Democrats have become. The Senate rightly rejected this amendment. The Sanders Amendment exposes Democrats’ open borders goals.” That money came from President Donald Trump’s marquee “big, beautiful bill,” which shoveled billions to DHS for immigration operations, ensuring the agency is flush with cash for the next three to four fiscal years, regardless of congressional Democrats’ desires to defund it. Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala., told Fox News Digital that the money from the “big, beautiful bill,” wasn’t going anywhere. Britt is leading talks for Senate Republicans over the issue. “That’s not up for negotiation,” Britt said. SCHUMER, JEFFRIES MEND RIFT, PRESENT UNITED FRONT ON DHS REFORMS AS DEADLINE NEARS “Once again, just like they did in the last shutdown, they would be putting the American people in jeopardy and at a worse place as a result of trying to win on a political posturing or political issue,” she continued. “So look, I plan on going into this with good-faith intentions, and I certainly hope that they will as well.” As the week has gone on, some Senate Republicans believed that all their counterparts wanted to do was gut ICE. When asked if he believed that Democrats’ end goal was to completely defund immigration enforcement operations, Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., told Fox News Digital, “100%.” “There’s no way we’re going to put handcuffs on ICE to limit what they can do,” Tuberville said. Senate Democrats pushed back against the assertion that they wanted to gut the agency, arguing that because of the funding already established by the “big, beautiful bill,” there was little they could actually do to defund immigration operations. “I want accountability,” Sen. Andy Kim, D-N.J., told Fox News Digital. “I want to make sure that there’s oversight. But right now, what I’m seeing is lawlessness and some of the actions and behaviors that should be alarming to all of us, and you know, that’s the underlying factor that we want to address.” “It’s not about some game,” he continued. Congressional Democrats coalesced around a list of 10 demands, finally unveiling their proposal late Wednesday night. It included several policies Republicans have already spurned, like de-masking ICE agents and requiring judicial warrants. THUNE BLASTS JEFFRIES, SCHUMER AS ‘AFRAID OF THEIR SHADOWS’ AS DHS FUNDING FIGHT HEATS UP Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., balked at the new proposal, and said that “there’s just a bunch of stuff in there that’s a nonstarter.” “They know that. Now maybe they had to put it in there to satisfy MoveOn.org, or some other special left-wing special interest groups,” Thune said. “But there are a few things that actually there’s probably some room to move on there to negotiate on, but a lot of that stuff, obviously just wasn’t serious.” Republicans are also mulling turning to another short-term funding patch, given that as of Thursday, their last day in session, they had just eight days left on the clock before the current continuing resolution (CR) for DHS ran out. But Democrats aren’t keen on supporting another extension — Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., warned that Thune and Republicans “shouldn’t count on our votes.” He also pushed back against grumbling Republicans, arguing that negotiations wouldn’t move along unless Republicans revealed what they wanted in return. “They have to get their act together,” he said. “We spent three days diligently, seriously coming up with a comprehensive, commonsense plan that police departments throughout the country use. Where are they?”
Shapiro fires back at DHS, says truck driver accused in deadly crash had legal status in database
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro’s team is disputing the Department of Homeland Security‘s (DHS) assertions about the immigration status of a semitruck driver involved in a crash that left four dead in Indiana. The driver was taken into U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody after a detainer was placed on him. DHS said the driver, Bekzhan Beishekeev, a 30-year-old national of Kyrgyzstan, came into the U.S. “illegally” using the controversial CBP One app and was later issued a commercial driver’s license (CDL) in Pennsylvania. The department confirmed to Fox News that Beishekeev entered the country on Dec. 19, 2023, at the Nogales, Ariz., port of entry, using the CBP One app and was released into the U.S. via parole by the Biden administration. “Not only was Bekzhan Beishekeev released into our country by the Biden administration using the CBP One app, but he was also given a commercial driver’s license by Governor Shapiro’s Pennsylvania. These decisions have had deadly consequences and led to the death of four innocent people in Indiana on Tuesday,” DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement. McLaughlin then called on “sanctuary” governors to stop issuing CDLs to illegal immigrants “before another American gets killed.” SEMI-TRUCK DRIVER HELD ON ICE DETAINER AFTER 4 KILLED IN HEAD-ON CRASH Shapiro’s office argues that Beishekeev had legal status when he was issued the license in July 2025 and that he could still be eligible under a DHS database to receive one. “Every person who applies for a non-domiciled commercial driver’s license issued by PennDOT must provide proof of identify and proof of their legal presence in the United States. That information is verified by the federal Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) database, administered by Kristi Noem and the United States Department of Homeland Security,” Shapiro spokesperson Alex Peterson said in a statement provided to Fox News. “The individual in question had legal status in Kristi Noem’s database when the license was issued in July 2025 and still shows as eligible to receive a license as of today. Kristi Noem should focus on minding the shop in her own agency, as her incompetence and operational failures seem to be matching the scale of her moral failures as the Secretary of Homeland Security,” Peterson added. ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT ALLEGEDLY RAMS ICE VEHICLE, BITES AGENTS AFTER FAILED GUN PURCHASE IN PITTSBURGH The deadly crash occurred on Feb. 3 at approximately 4:00 p.m. when Beishekeev was driving eastbound on Indiana’s State Route 67 and allegedly failed to break for a slowed semitruck in front of him, according to DHS and Indiana State Police. Beishekeev then allegedly swerved into oncoming traffic and slammed into a van carrying 15 passengers. Four people were killed in the crash. DHS said the fatal incident is being investigated by the Indiana State Police, the Jay County Sheriff’s Department and the Jay County Coroner’s Office. DHS and the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) have warned about the dangers of CDL issuing practices in several states following a series of fatal crashes allegedly involving illegal immigrants. In its statement on Beishekeev, DHS noted that ICE had previously arrested another illegal immigrant who was issued a CDL in Pennsylvania. Akhror Bozorov, 31, is an Uzbek national who DHS said was wanted in his country of origin for belonging to a terrorist organization. Bozorov was arrested in Kansas on Nov. 9 while working as a commercial truck driver, using a CDL issued in Pennsylvania, according to DHS. Bozorov was allegedly granted work authorization in January 2024 under the Biden administration. Fox News’ Alexis McAdams and Fox News Digital’s Gregary Norman-Diamond contributed to this report.
RNC rolls out ‘powerful’ new TikTok strategy to win over key demographic after Trump’s 2024 success
FIRST ON FOX: The Republican National Committee is upping its social media presence and following President Donald Trump’s lead by officially launching a TikTok account, marking a strategic shift for the party as it continues to look to connect with younger voters. The RNC’s plan to make an impact on the digital front lines involves the official launch of @Republicans on TikTok, which is designed to engage a critical demographic, voters under 30 who may not follow traditional political news but rely heavily on social media for information. The move comes at the same time polling from Pew Research shows that 63% of Americans aged 18-29 use TikTok. The platform has become an essential battleground for reaching the next generation of voters. Trump has credited TikTok with being a key part of his election victory in 2024. TIKTOK AFTER THE US SALE: WHAT CHANGED AND HOW TO USE IT SAFELY “I wasn’t a fan of TikTok, and then I got to use it,” Trump said last fall. “And I became a fan, and it helped me win the election in a landslide.” The data shows that TikTok was a valuable tool for Trump and his administration. Reuters reported he amassed roughly 3 million followers in just 24 hours after joining the platform and quickly began drawing tens of millions of views. In 2025, the White House joined TikTok and quickly gained traction, racking up 5 million followers and 80 million-plus likes as of early January. In addition to launching its own account, the RNC is encouraging Republican candidates across the country to follow its lead and join the platform to engage with voters and level the playing field in a space where Democrats have historically dominated. 11 DEMOCRATS RUNNING TO KEEP BLUE-LEANING SEAT IN PARTY HANDS AS GOP HOUSE MAJORITY ON THE BRINK “President Trump proved how powerful TikTok can be and took decisive action to secure this platform for American users,” RNC Chair Joe Gruters told Fox News Digital. “Our new account will deliver America First content directly to younger voters who get their news online, and we’re encouraging Republican candidates nationwide to do the same now that the platform is safe.” Earlier this year, TikTok announced it reached a historic deal to launch a majority American-owned joint venture, a move guided by Trump and aimed at averting a potential U.S. ban on the popular social media app and hoping to alleviate concerns about China’s ability to influence Americans on the app. “I am so happy to have helped in saving TikTok! It will now be owned by a group of Great American Patriots and Investors, the Biggest in the World, and will be an important Voice,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social. Gains by Trump and Republicans in courting younger voters helped the GOP win back the White House and the Senate and hold their House majority in last year’s elections. Republicans will be hoping to repeat that success in the upcoming midterms as they attempt to hold onto a razor-thin majority in the House of Representatives and a three-seat majority in the Senate despite historical trends suggesting Democrats have the advantage. “I think the President of the United States is our secret weapon. … He’s laser focused,” Gruters said in a national digital exclusive sit-down interview with Fox News last month. Pointing to Trump’s unprecedented agenda during his first year back in the White House, Gruters argued, “I think it’s going to pay huge dividends across the board, whether you’re running for governor, Senate, House or whether you’re running for a local seat.” Fox News Digital’s Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.