US military seizes another fugitive oil tanker linked to Venezuela
The U.S. military has seized another fugitive oil tanker linked to Venezuela in the Caribbean, U.S. Southern Command announced Thursday. The U.S. has now seized six oil tankers since ramping up a campaign against illicit oil trade by Venezuela. “In another pre-dawn action, Marines and Sailors from Joint Task Force Southern Spear, in support of the Department of Homeland Security, launched from USS Gerald R. Ford and apprehended Motor/Tanker Veronica without incident. The Veronica is the latest tanker operating in defiance of President Trump’s established quarantine of sanctioned vessels in the Caribbean, proving the effectiveness of Operation Southern Spear yet again,” U.S. Southern Command said in a statement. “These operations are backed by the full power of the U.S. Navy’s Amphibious Ready Group, including the ready and lethal platforms of USS Iwo Jima, USS San Antonio, and USS Fort Lauderdale. The only oil leaving Venezuela will be oil that is coordinated properly and lawfully. The Department of War, in coordination with interagency partners, will defend our homeland by ending illicit activity and restoring security in the Western Hemisphere,” the statement continued. TRUMP SIGNS ORDER TO PROTECT VENEZUELA OIL REVENUE HELD IN US ACCOUNTS The operation comes as President Donald Trump is set to meet with Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado at the White House on Thursday. The vessels intercepted so far have been either under U.S. sanctions or part of a “shadow fleet” of unregulated ships that disguise their origins to move oil from major sanctioned producers such as Iran, Russia and Venezuela. Trump has said the U.S. will “run” Venezuela after U.S. forces captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro earlier this month. TRUMP PLANS TO MEET WITH VENEZUELA OPPOSITION LEADER MARIA CORINA MACHADO NEXT WEEK Trump told The New York Times in an interview that was published Wednesday that “only time will tell” how long the U.S. will be running the country, but said it would be “much longer” than a year. Additionally, Trump announced recently that Venezuela would hand over up to 50 million barrels of oil to the U.S. and that the oil would be sold “immediately.” “We will rebuild it in a very profitable way,” Trump told the Times. “We’re going to be using oil, and we’re going to be taking oil. We’re getting oil prices down, and we’re going to be giving money to Venezuela, which they desperately need.” Likewise, Trump shared a doctored image that looked like a Wikipedia page that identified him as “Acting President of Venezuela” since January 2026. Fox News’ Diana Stancy and Reuters contributed to this report.
Trump to meet with Venezuela’s opposition leader after praising ‘terrific’ Maduro loyalist
President Donald Trump is slated to meet with Venezuela’s opposition leader and 2025 Nobel Peace Prize recipient María Corina Machado at the White House Thursday. Trump announced Jan. 3 that the U.S. had captured dictator Nicolás Maduro and that the U.S. would be running Venezuela until a safe transition could occur. But instead of endorsing Machado, Trump cast doubt on her abilities to lead the country. “I think it would be very tough for her to be the leader,” Trump told reporters Jan. 3. “She doesn’t have the support within or the respect within the country. She’s a very nice woman, but she doesn’t have the respect.” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the administration chose not to support Machado because the U.S. didn’t want to make similar mistakes to the ones it made in the Middle East in Latin America, although he said he had “tremendous admiration” for Machado. TRUMP SIGNALS LONG ROAD AHEAD IN VENEZUELA IN HIS BOLDEST INTERVENTIONIST MOVE YET “But there’s the mission that we are on right now.… A lot of people analyze everything that happens in foreign policy through the lens of Iraq, Libya or Afghanistan,” Rubio said Jan. 4 in an interview with CBS. “This is not the Middle East. This is the Western Hemisphere, and our mission here is very different.” A classified CIA assessment, which senior policymakers requested and presented to Trump, evaluated who would be the best fit to oversee an interim government in Venezuela following the overthrow of Maduro, a source familiar with the intelligence told Fox News Digital. Ultimately, it was determined that Maduro’s vice president, Delcy Rodríguez, would be best situated to lead the country. Although The Washington Post reported that Trump was annoyed Machado won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2025 — an award he had hoped to receive and that Machado dedicated to him — the White House claimed Trump’s choices were based on “realistic decisions.” As a result, Trump has put his support behind Rodríguez who is now serving as interim president. On Wednesday, Trump shared he had a call with Rodríguez, and later described her as a “terrific” person. “We are making tremendous progress, as we help Venezuela stabilize and recover,” Trump said in a social media post Wednesday. RUBIO LAYS OUT THREE-PHASE PLAN FOR VENEZUELA AFTER MADURO: ‘NOT JUST WINGING IT’ “This partnership between the United States of America and Venezuela will be a spectacular one FOR ALL,” Trump said. “Venezuela will soon be great and prosperous again, perhaps more so than ever before!” Specifically, Trump said he and Rodríguez discussed oil, minerals and national security matters. On Jan. 7, Trump announced that Venezuela would provide the U.S. with 50 million barrels of oil that would be sold “immediately.” Rodríguez voiced similar sentiments, saying their “courteous” call “addressed a bilateral work agenda for the benefit of our peoples, as well as pending matters between our governments.” Meanwhile, Machado has praised Trump for his role overthrowing Maduro, and told CBS News that the president and the U.S. have “done much more than anybody thought was possible.” On Thursday, the White House referred Fox News Digital to Trump’s previous comments to Reuters, when asked what the president planned to discuss with Machado. “I think we’re just going to talk,” Trump told Reuters Wednesday. “And I haven’t met her. She’s a very nice woman. I think we’re just going to talk basics.” Fox News’ Morgan Phillips contributed to this report.
Israel will honor the late Charlie Kirk with award for opposing antisemitism
Israel will reportedly honor slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk with an award for his efforts battling antisemitism. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office indicated that this recognition will take place at the International Conference on Combating Antisemitism, The Associated Press reported. Kirk, who founded the conservative organization Turning Point USA, was assassinated while holding an event at Utah Valley University in September. “A lion-hearted friend of Israel, he fought the lies and stood tall for Judeo-Christian civilization,” Netanyahu said in a post on X on the day Kirk was fatally shot. GRAND THEFT AUTO BLACKLISTS ‘CHARLIE KIRK’ AS PLAYERS TRY TO RECREATE HIS KILLING IN THE GAME In the post, the Israeli leader called Kirk “an incredible human being” whose “boundless pride in America and his valiant belief in free speech will leave a lasting impact.” Kirk asserted in a post on X less than a month before he was killed, “Jew hate has no place in civil society. It rots the brain, reject it.” NETANYAHU AND RUBIO DISCUSS US MILITARY INTERVENTION IN IRAN AMID ONGOING NATIONWIDE PROTESTS: REPORT Kirk, who was a supporter of Israel, indicated last year on “The Megyn Kelly Show” that some in the pro-Israel camp had unfairly criticized him. “The behavior by a lot, both privately and publicly, are pushing people like you and me away. Not like we’re gonna be pro-Hamas,” he said. “But we’re like, honestly, the way you are treating me is so repulsive.” TYLER ROBINSON PROSECUTORS SAY CHARLIE KIRK SHOOTING TEXTS SHOW CONFUSION, NOT BIAS, TO REBUT CONFLICT CLAIM CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “I have text messages, Megyn, calling me an antisemite. I am learning biblical Hebrew and writing a book on the Shabbat. I honor the Shabbat, literally the Jewish sabbath. I visit Israel and fight for it,” he noted at the time. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Democrats push anti-ICE bills nationwide after deadly Minneapolis shooting
Democratic legislators are proposing legislation to block federal authorities from carrying out immigration enforcement across the country. While some of the legislation is being pushed in red states where it is unlikely to find purchase, the wave of bills is also pushing blue states further to the left. In New York, Gov. Kathy Hochul is pushing for a bill to allow people to sue federal officers alleging violations of their constitutional rights. Other New York Democrats are pushing to require federal authorities to secure warrants to search schools, hospitals and houses of worship. Oregon Democrats plan to introduce a bill to allow residents to sue federal agents for violating their Fourth Amendment rights against unlawful search and seizure. New Jersey Democrats have sent a trio of bills to Gov. Phil Murphy’s desk that, if passed, would establish New Jersey as a “sanctuary state.” ILLINOIS LAWMAKERS PASS BILL BANNING ICE IMMIGRATION ARRESTS NEAR COURTHOUSES The three bills would ban local police from assisting in federal immigration raids, prohibit law enforcement from stopping someone based on their suspected immigration status, and prohibit government entities and healthcare facilities from sharing private data with ICE without a judicial warrant. President Donald Trump‘s administration has said that non-cooperation policies in sanctuary jurisdictions only make immigration enforcement more dangerous and difficult. California lawmakers are seeking to block immigration officials from making arrests at court appearances as well as ban state and local law enforcement from accepting roles with the Department of Homeland Security. DEM-BACKED ‘DIGNITY’ BILL COULD STRIP ICE OF DETENTION POWERS, ERASE IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT, CRITICS WARN Democrats in red states are also sounding off, though their legislation is unlikely to go the distance. In Georgia, Democrats are pushing a four-bill package that would drastically limit federal immigration enforcement in the state. Republicans are fending off similar efforts in New Hampshire and Tennessee. Meanwhile, the Trump administration has threatened to file lawsuits against sanctuary cities and states. The administration points out that immigration arrests in normal jurisdictions typically see federal authorities take custody of migrants at jails. It is only in sanctuary areas where federal authorities must track down migrants after they are released. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
More Democrat reps involved in ‘refuse illegal orders’ video report receiving inquiry from US attorney
Three more Democratic lawmakers who participated in a video message encouraging service members to “refuse illegal orders” said they are being investigated by federal prosecutors. Reps. Jason Crow, of Colorado, Chrissy Houlahan, of Pennsylvania, and Maggie Goodlander, of New Hampshire, all indicated Wednesday that they received inquiries from U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro asking for an interview with them or their attorneys, according to The New York Times. “Trump’s political cronies at the Justice Department are trying to threaten and intimidate us,” Crow said in a post on X. “Well, he’s picked a fight with the wrong people. I will always uphold my oath to the Constitution.” “We are not going to back away,” he added in a video message. “Our job, our duty is to make sure that the law is followed. We will not be threatened, we will not be intimidated, and we will not be silenced. I am more emboldened than ever to make sure that I am upholding my duty and I will not back down.” DEM SENATOR SAYS SHE’S UNDER FEDERAL INVESTIGATION OVER ‘UNLAWFUL ORDERS’ VIDEO The controversial video, which was posted in November, featured Crow, Houlahan, Goodlander, Sen. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., and Rep. Chris Deluzio, D-Pa. All the Democrats who participated in the video, which was slammed as a call to defy President Donald Trump and his Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, had military and intelligence backgrounds. The video was released amid a nationwide debate about Trump’s deployment of the National Guard to various cities across the country. Trump criticized the video and said in multiple Truth Social posts that the lawmakers who participated in it had engaged in “seditious behavior.” “It’s called SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL. Each one of these traitors to our Country should be ARRESTED AND PUT ON TRIAL. Their words cannot be allowed to stand — We won’t have a Country anymore!!! An example MUST BE SET,” the president wrote on Nov. 20. The same day, Trump wrote in a separate Truth Social post, “SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR, punishable by DEATH!” DEMOCRATIC SENATOR ‘NOT AWARE’ IF TRUMP GAVE ANY ILLEGAL MILITARY ORDERS AMID VIDEO CONTROVERSY The Times reported earlier this week that Pirro’s office sent an email to the Senate’s sergeant-at-arms requesting an interview with Slotkin or her private counsel. “Facts matter little, but the threat matters quite a bit,” Slotkin told the Times. “The threat of legal action; the threat to your family; the threat to your staff; the threat to you.” Pirro’s office would not confirm or deny the existence of the probe. “No matter the threats, I’m not backing down,” Goodlander said in a video posted to X on Wednesday. “It is sad, telling and downright dangerous that simply stating a bedrock principle of American law caused the President, our Commander in Chief, to threaten violence against me and to weaponize the Department of Justice against me.” “Like my colleagues, I was contacted by federal prosecutors who are investigating me for making a video reminding servicemembers not to follow illegal orders,” Houlahan said in another X post. “The six of us are being targeted not because we said something untrue, but because we said something President Trump and Secretary Hegseth didn’t want anyone to hear.” Fox News Digital’s Rachel Wolf and Louis Casiano contributed to this report.
GOP senator pushes Trump’s 10% credit card rate cap as party leaders push back
FIRST ON FOX: A Senate Republican wants to codify President Donald Trump’s desire to cap credit card interest rates, but it’s an idea that’s already been met with resistance among top Republicans. Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., plans to introduce legislation that would make good on Trump’s push to cap credit card interest rates at 10% for one year. However, Republican leadership in both chambers has already pushed back against the idea, arguing that it could lead to credit scarcity. Marshall’s bill, the Consumer Affordability Protection Act, would limit the amount that credit card companies could charge for one year, capping the ceiling at Trump’s desired rate of 10%. TRUMP OPENS DOOR TO LIZ WARREN ON CREDIT CARD RATES AS GOP WEIGHS AFFORDABILITY FIGHT That cap would only apply to banks and financial institutions with over $100 billion in assets, with the idea being that smaller community banks and most credit unions would not be affected. Marshall said in a statement to Fox News Digital that the legislation was about “giving families breathing room, restoring fairness in the marketplace, and making sure the American Dream is still within reach for everyone who works hard and plays by the rules.” “Credit cards were meant to be a tool — not a trap,” Marshall said. “Right now, millions of hard-working Americans are getting crushed by outrageous interest rates that make it nearly impossible to pay down debt and get ahead.” The bill follows Trump’s demand that Americans no longer be “‘ripped off’ by credit card companies that are charging interest rates of 20 to 30%, and even more, which festered unimpeded during the Sleepy Joe Biden Administration.” REPUBLICAN SENATOR VOWS TO BLOCK TRUMP FED NOMINEE OVER POWELL INVESTIGATION He set a target date for the cap of Jan. 20, the one-year anniversary of his inauguration to his second term in office. “AFFORDABILITY! Effective January 20, 2026, I, as President of the United States, am calling for a one year cap on Credit Card Interest Rates of 10%,” Trump said on Truth Social. Marshall’s push isn’t his first foray into the world of credit — he and Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin, D-Ill., have a long-simmering bill that would boost competition among credit card payment networks. Trump endorsed that legislation earlier this week, and the bipartisan duo reintroduced it in the Senate shortly after. Durbin and Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vt., are co-sponsors of Marshall’s latest bill. Trump and Marshall also have an unlikely ally in Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass. The progressive lawmaker spoke with the president earlier this week about affordability, and both found middle ground on their desire to cap credit card interest rates. But she was wary that any real action, either from the White House or the GOP-controlled Congress, would come to fruition. “I supported it for years,” Warren said. “And when he first floated the idea over a year ago, I said, ‘I’m all in,’ and so far, Trump hasn’t done anything.” FEDERAL RESERVE CHAIR POWELL UNDER CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION OVER HQ RENOVATION But despite Trump’s edict and the patchwork of bipartisan support, the top Republicans in Congress aren’t completely sold on the idea. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., warned that capping credit card interest rates could “probably deprive an awful lot of people of access to credit around the country.” “Credit cards will probably become debit cards,” Thune said. “So, yeah, I mean, that’s not something I’m out there advocating for.” And House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., warned of “unintended consequences” of such a change. “One of the things that the president probably had not thought through is the negative secondary effect: they would just stop lending money, and maybe they cap what people are able to borrow at a very low amount,” Johnson said.
Mamdani housing czar called ‘White, middle-class homeowners’ a ‘huge problem’ during 2021 podcast appearance
The housing official appointed by Mayor Zohran Mamdani to lead New York City’s newly revived Mayor’s Office to Protect Tenants previously said, “White, middle-class homeowners are a huge problem for a renter justice movement” and argued organizers must “undermine the institution of homeownership,” during a 2021 podcast appearance. Cea Weaver, who was named director of the Mayor’s Office to Protect Tenants on Jan. 1 through an executive order signed by Mamdani, made the remarks during a September 2021 episode of the “Bad Faith podcast” while discussing eviction policy and renter organizing strategies. The comments have drawn renewed attention as Weaver now holds formal executive authority over tenant policy and enforcement in New York City. Her appointment was announced on Mamdani’s first day in office as part of a slate of executive actions reviving the Mayor’s Office to Protect Tenants, according to City Hall. NYC DEM REVEALS HOW CITY COUNCIL REJECTED CEA WEAVER—NOW MAMDANI IS HANDING HER POWER WITHOUT CONFIRMATION During the podcast, Weaver argued that resistance to progressive reform often comes not from large corporate landlords but instead from homeowners. “I think the reality is that a lot of the people who are pushing back on the eviction moratorium and more rental assistance are not corporate landlords,” Weaver said. “They are homeowners who feel as though an eviction moratorium is an attack on their rights as a property owner.” She added that this opposition presents a challenge for housing organizers, saying “White, middle-class homeowners are a huge problem for the renter justice movement.” MAMDANI SAYS HE ‘OBVIOUSLY’ DISAGREES WITH AIDE’S OLD VIEWS LINKING HOMEOWNERSHIP TO WHITE SUPREMACY Later in the conversation, Weaver said homeownership has become the primary source of stability in the U.S. because of gaps in social programs, but argued that structure itself poses an obstacle to housing activism. “Unless we can undermine the institution of homeownership and seek to provide stability in other ways, it’s a really difficult organizing situation we find ourselves in,” she said. Weaver framed evictions as a matter of power rather than economics, saying landlords resist the idea that tenants could remain in properties they “consider themselves to own.” In the same podcast, Weaver endorsed policies including universal rent control, the right to form tenant unions, blocking evictions, and funding rental assistance through higher taxes on the wealthy. She also argued that broader government programs could “chip away at homeownership” by providing stability through other means. Weaver has also drawn scrutiny for past social media posts criticizing white homeownership. In an August 2019 post on X which was later deleted but resurfaced by Fox News Digital, Weaver wrote that “private property including and kind of ESPECIALLY homeownership is a weapon of white supremacy masquerading as ‘wealth building’ public policy.” On her first day in office, Weaver joined Mamdani in announcing city intervention in the bankruptcy proceedings of Pinnacle Group, a landlord tied to housing violations and complaints, according to City Hall. Fox News Digital contacted the mayor’s press office with questions about whether Mamdani stands by Weaver’s 2021 remarks but did not receive a response by publication. Fox News Digital’s Peter Pinedo contributed to this report.
Top federal Minnesota prosecutors officially terminated after dispute over ICE shooting probe
Several federal prosecutors in Minnesota were formally fired on Wednesday after they gave notice that they had resigned in the wake of internal disagreements over the Justice Department’s handling of a shooting investigation involving Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The DOJ, at the direction of Attorney General Pam Bondi and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, terminated the employment of five prosecutors in the U.S. attorney’s office in Minnesota, including Joseph Thompson, the No. 2 official there, according to two sources familiar with the matter. Their resignations and the internal disputes about the shooting probe first surfaced in the New York Times. The prosecutors were positioned to receive paid leave for months prior to their firings on Wednesday, according to the sources. WHY THE FBI CAN EXCLUDE STATE AUTHORITIES FROM MINNESOTA SHOOTING PROBE Thompson was spearheading a massive, high-profile investigation into welfare fraud in the state before he submitted his resignation. His exit came after he clashed with officials in Washington, D.C., over the investigation into the ICE shooting, which left 37-year-old Renee Good dead. Fox News Digital reached out to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Minnesota in an effort to reach Thompson for comment. Thompson had expressed during a call with DOJ and FBI officials last week that he was on board with investigating the ICE shooting as an assault on or obstruction of a law enforcement officer, a source familiar with the call told Fox News Digital. Another one of the fired prosecutors, Melinda Williams, who was also involved in the fraud work, was on the call as well, the source said. Thompson also indicated that he believed the shooting was justified, two sources said. Prior to the shooting, he had already been discussing the possibility of resigning, the sources said. Videos of the shooting showed an ICE agent opening fire on Good at close range after she was seen accelerating toward the agent in her vehicle while he was standing in front of it. Critics have argued that the agent improperly used deadly force against Good and that she had turned the wheels of her vehicle away from the agent before accelerating. The FBI is investigating the incident and has excluded Minnesota prosecutors from the probe, which the Trump administration has said is justified because the incident involved a federal officer. Minnesota leaders have denounced that decision and launched their own parallel investigation. While supportive of conducting the investigation as an offensive against law enforcement — rather than a civil rights matter against the agent — Thompson had reservations during last week’s call about the DOJ’s plan to also investigate Good’s widow and other possible co-conspirators, the source familiar with the call said. The FBI had developed evidence that suggested Good and her spouse had at some point been following ICE officers on the day of the shooting, the source said. That revelation echoes Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s allegations during a recent press conference that Good had been “stalking and impeding” ICE throughout the day of the shooting. Noem said Good “weaponized” her vehicle and that the ICE agent who fired shots feared for his life. In a statement to Minnesota Public Radio, Good’s spouse, Becca, said that on Jan. 7, the day of the shooting, she and Renee “stopped to support [their] neighbors.” “We had whistles. They had guns,” Becca Good said. FAMILIAR PROTEST GROUPS MOBILIZE IMMEDIATELY AFTER ICE SHOOTING OF MINNESOTA PROTESTER Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and other Democrats have lauded the prosecutors who resigned, framing their departures as a valiant boycott against DOJ. “These prosecutors are heroes, and the people pushing to prosecute Renee’s widow are monsters,” Frey wrote on X. At this stage, there is no sign that the DOJ is planning to bring charges against Becca Good, despite the DOJ and FBI pursuing an investigation into her as part of a broader probe into any conspiracies to hinder federal law enforcement operations. Fox News Digital reached out to the DOJ for comment. David Spunt contributed to this report.
DHS exposes background of NYC city council employee after Mamdani fumed over arrest
Following outrage from New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani over the arrest of a city council employee, the Department of Homeland Security shared that the individual arrested is an illegal immigrant with a previous arrest for assault. According to DHS, the employee, Rafael Andres Rubio Bohorquez, 53, is a “criminal illegal alien” from Venezuela. The agency said that despite Rubio Bohorquez being employed by the city council of America’s largest city, he has no work authorization and was illegally employed. Further, DHS said that Rubio Bohorquez has a criminal history, including an arrest for assault in New York. Rubio Bohorquez entered the United States on a B2 tourist visa in 2017, which required him to depart the same year, according to DHS. NOEM SAYS ZOHRAN MAMDANI COULD BE ‘VIOLATING THE CONSTITUTION’ WITH ADVICE ON EVADING ICE AGENTS DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin called the fact that “a criminal illegal alien with no authorization” was employed by the New York City Council “shocking.” “This takes sanctuary city to a whole new level,” said McLaughlin. “This criminal illegal alien has no authority to be in the U.S. and has a previous arrest for assault. Under President Trump and Secretary Noem, the United States is no longer a safe haven for criminals.” Mamdani and other city leaders demanded the man’s release on Monday. “I am outraged to hear a New York City Council employee was detained in Nassau County by federal immigration officials at a routine immigration appointment,” Mamdani wrote in a statement on X. DHS DEMANDS LETITIA JAMES TAKE ACTION OVER NEW YORK’S REFUSAL TO HONOR ICE DETAINERS He called the arrest “an assault on our democracy, on our city and our values. I am calling for his immediate release and will continue to monitor the situation.” New York City Council Speaker Julie Menin held a news conference demanding the employee’s release Monday. She claimed the employee had been cleared to remain in the U.S. until October 2026. DHS, however, maintains that he has no authorization to even be in the U.S. “DHS confirmed that this employee had gone in for a routine court appointment and was nevertheless detained. They provided no other basis for his detainment,” Menin said during a press briefing Monday. “On the contrary, he was a city council employee who is doing everything right. He went to the court when he was asked.” NOEM REPORTS MAMDANI, DHS TALKS HAVE ‘NOT BEEN PRODUCTIVE,’ SAYS NYC MAYOR ‘CHOSE TO STAND WITH ILLEGALS’ Menin said the employee works as a data analyst and has held the job for roughly one year. New York Attorney General Letitia James threw her weight behind calls for the employee’s release later Monday. A spokesperson for James shared a statement from James saying, “We will not stand for attacks on our city, its public servants and its residents.” Fox News Digital also reached out to Mamdani and the New York City Council for comment but did not immediately receive a response.
Key Republicans flip, kill effort to restrain Trump’s policing power over Venezuela
Senate Republicans successfully spiked a bipartisan attempt to curb President Donald Trump’s war powers authority after a pair of key GOP lawmakers reversed their positions. Republicans turned to a rarely used Senate procedure previously used by Senate Democrats in a similar situation to nullify the Venezuela war powers resolution from Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va. The successful effort came after five Senate Republicans joined all Senate Democrats to advance the resolution last week. Their move drew heavy criticism and anger from Trump, who demanded that they “should never be elected to office again.” SENATE GOP MOVES TO BLOCK DEMS’ WAR POWERS PUSH, PRESERVE TRUMP’S AUTHORITY IN RARE MOVE The resolution was tanked on a 51 to 50 vote, with Vice President JD Vance coming in to break a tie in favor of Trump. Turning to the arcane procedural move served as a victory for both the president and Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., after last week’s rare defeat on the floor. Thune, like several other Republicans, contended that the resolution was not germane to the issues at hand in Venezuela. “We don’t have troops in Venezuela. There is no kinetic action, there are no operations,” Thune said. “There are no boots on the ground. And I think the question is whether or not there ought to be expedited consideration or privilege accorded to something that’s brought to the floor that doesn’t reflect what’s what is current reality in Venezuela.” “And so I think it’s very fair for Republicans to question why we ought to be having this discussion right now, particularly at a time when we’re trying to do appropriations bills,” he continued. TRUMP RIPS INTO GOP DEFECTORS AS ‘REAL LOSERS’ AS SENATE READIES FOR FINAL VOTE Thune, Senate Republican leadership, Trump and several administration officials launched a pressure campaign on the five original defectors who helped Senate Democrats advance the bill. While not every lawmaker flipped, Sens. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., and Todd Young, R-Ind., proved the decisive votes to help kill the resolution. Hawley’s primary concern was whether the administration would place troops in Venezuela, but after several meetings and conversations with Trump administration officials, he was convinced that no further military action would take place. “To me, this is all about going forward,” Hawley said of his reversal. “If the president decides we need to put troops on the ground in Venezuela, then Congress will need to weigh in.” Young kept tight-lipped about his plan until the vote opened, and explained before walking onto the Senate floor that the deliverables and guarantees he had received from Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the administration were enough for him. Among those were promises that if Trump did want to use force against Venezuela, he would first request authorization from Congress, and that Rubio would appear before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee for a public hearing in the coming weeks to give an update on the situation in the region. “Those who understand how Congress works, the good and the bad and the ugly, understand that votes like this, in the end, are communications exercises,” Young said. “They’re important communications exercises, but unless you can secure sufficient votes, not only to pass the United States Senate, but to get out of the House, with which is highly questionable, right, and then to override what was an inevitable presidential veto, which is impossible. No one can tell me how we get there.” “I had to accept that this was all a communications exercise,” he continued. “I think we use this moment to shine a bright light on Congress’ shortcomings as it relates to war powers in recent history.” Still, Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine, Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, and Rand Paul, R-Ky., joined Senate Democrats to try and save the effort. Most Senate Republicans who were briefed on the matter last week argued that the strikes in Venezuela were justified and that the military was used to assist in a law enforcement operation to capture Maduro. KAINE TELLS CONGRESS TO ‘GET ITS A– OFF THE COUCH,’ RECLAIM WAR POWERS Rubio, in a letter to Senate Foreign Relations Chair James Risch, R-Idaho, affirmed, “There are currently no U.S. Armed Forces in Venezuela.” “Should there be any new military operations that introduce U.S. Armed Forces into hostilities, they will be undertaken consistent with the Constitution of the United States, and we will transmit written notifications consistent with section 4(a) of the War Powers Resolution (Public Law 93-148),” Rubio wrote. Kaine, who was confident that he would have the votes, panned that move ahead of the vote. “If people want to just say, ‘Hey, President Trump, do whatever the hell you want,’ Let them vote that way, but don’t change the rules of the Senate in a way that might disable future Senates that do have a backbone,” Kaine told reporters.