NationalWatch

Senate Republicans now have enough support within their conference to pass Trump-backed voter ID legislation, but a major hurdle remains.

The Safeguarding American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) America Act has secured the backing of 50 Senate Republicans, following a pressure campaign by the White House and a cohort of Senate conservatives over the past several weeks.

Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, has led the charge in the upper chamber, ramping up his efforts last week as the bill moved through the House.

SCHUMER SAYS DEMS WILL FIGHT VOTER ID PUSH ‘TOOTH AND NAIL,’ BALKS AT DHS ROLE IN ELECTIONS

Lee told Fox News Digital that he was “ecstatic” about the progress made in shoring up support for the legislation and hoped the Senate would move as quickly as possible to consider it. 

“I would love to see us turn to it next week, perhaps the day after the State of the Union address,” Lee said. “I think that would be good timing. But I think this needs to get done sooner rather than later.”

That multifaceted campaign — both on social media and behind closed doors in the Senate — proved successful, drawing support from Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., and several others.

Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, became the 50th senator to back the bill. That gives Republicans the internal support they need to advance the legislation procedurally, but only if they turn to the standing, or talking, filibuster.

Before leaving Washington, D.C., for a weeklong break last week, Lee and other supporters, including Sens. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., and Rick Scott, R-Fla., pitched the voter ID proposal and potential pathways to pass it to colleagues.

“We had some good senators stand up and say, ‘No, we got to fight for this,’” Johnson told Fox News Digital. “I’m with them. We need to fight for this.”

COLLINS BOOSTS REPUBLICAN VOTER ID EFFORT, BUT WON’T SCRAP FILIBUSTER

Still, the effort faces heavy resistance from Senate Democrats, who are nearly unified in their opposition.

The only potential outlier is Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., who has pushed back against Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer’s, D-N.Y., characterization of the bill as “Jim Crow 2.0” but has not said whether he would ultimately support the SAVE America Act.

Despite that possibility, Schumer and most of his caucus plan to block the legislation.

“We will not let it pass in the Senate,” Schumer told CNN’s Jake Tapper. “We are fighting it tooth and nail.”

Not every Senate Republican is onboard, either. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, has announced she will vote against the measure, while Sens. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and Thom Tillis, R-N.C., have not signed on as co-sponsors.

One option to bypass Democratic opposition would be nuking the filibuster and its 60-vote threshold — a move some congressional Republicans argue has effectively become a “zombie filibuster,” since legislation can be blocked simply by withholding votes rather than holding the floor.

HARDLINE CONSERVATIVES DOUBLE DOWN TO SAVE THE SAVE ACT

Despite previous pressure from President Donald Trump to eliminate the filibuster, the move does not have the votes among Republicans to succeed — a point Thune underscored last week.

“There aren’t anywhere close to the votes — not even close — to nuking the filibuster,” Thune said.

That leaves a return to the standing, or talking, filibuster — the precursor to today’s procedural hurdle. Under that approach, Senate Democrats would be required to hold the floor and publicly debate their opposition, as senators did for decades before the modern filibuster became standard practice.

The idea appears to be gaining traction among some Republicans, though critics warn it could effectively paralyze the upper chamber for days, weeks or even months, depending on Democrats’ resolve.

Lee said that many senators he’s spoken with are open to the idea, and that those who were reluctant didn’t believe it wouldn’t work. 

“I understand why people might have questions about a procedure that we’re not familiar with,” Lee said. “It doesn’t mean we don’t have to do it, because we do.”

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Meanwhile, Trump has suggested he could take matters into his own hands if Congress cannot pass the SAVE America Act.

In a Truth Social post last week, Trump called the legislation a “CAN’T MISS FOR RE-ELECTION IN THE MIDTERMS, AND BEYOND.”

“This is an issue that must be fought, and must be fought, NOW! If we can’t get it through Congress, there are legal reasons why this SCAM is not permitted,” Trump wrote. “I will be presenting them shortly, in the form of an Executive Order.”

President Donald Trump derided California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s international outreach as “inappropriate” Monday. 

Trump’s warning was to British leaders against partnering with the Democratic governor after Newsom signed a clean energy agreement with the United Kingdom during a European diplomacy tour.

“The U.K.’s got enough trouble without getting involved with Gavin Newscum,” Trump said in an interview with Politico, adding that it was “inappropriate for them to be dealing with him.”

The president’s remarks came after Newsom stepped onto the global stage at the Munich Security Conference, signing cooperation agreements with Ukraine and the United Kingdom while sharply criticizing the president’s foreign policy approach — moves likely to intensify speculation about the governor’s future presidential ambitions.

NEWSOM’S DAVOS DETOUR: 5 CRINGE MOMENTS THAT OVERSHADOWED HIGH-PROFILE SUMMIT

Newsom has long been viewed by political strategists and analysts as a possible Democratic presidential contender in 2028. His appearances at global forums combined with high-profile criticism of Trump have only intensified that speculation.

The second-term Democrat used the high-profile security summit to position California as a “stable and reliable” alternative to the federal government, telling an international audience that the current administration is merely “temporary” and will be “gone in three years.”

“Donald Trump is on his knees for coal and Big Oil, selling out America’s future to China,” a Newsom spokesperson told Fox News Digital in response to the president’s criticisms. “Governor Newsom will continue to lead in his absence. Foreign leaders are rejecting Trump and choosing California’s vision for the future.” 

But it was Newsom’s blunt assessment of world leaders’ attempts to work with the 47th president that drew the most attention. Addressing European heads of state and diplomats, Newsom claimed that foreign leaders “rolling over” for the White House make themselves “look pathetic on the world stage.”

The governor doubled down on a jab he first debuted at the World Economic Forum in Davos in January, telling reporters he “should have brought a bunch of knee pads” for world leaders who he believes have bowed down to the president’s “transactional” diplomacy. Newsom specifically took aim at what he called the “complicity” of allies who have sought to appease the President following recent controversies over Arctic sovereignty and NATO funding.

“I can’t take this complicity of people rolling over,” Newsom said during a sideline appearance. “I mean, handing out crowns, the Nobel prizes that are being given away … it’s just pathetic.”

NEWSOM WARNS ‘PATHETIC’ FOREIGN LEADERS TO GROW A BACKBONE IN BIZARRE TAKEDOWN LIKENING TRUMP TO A T.REX

Newsom’s diplomacy tour included the signing of a clean energy memorandum with U.K. Energy Secretary Ed Miliband, which the governor’s office said would facilitate nearly a billion dollars in new investment. That agreement followed a Saturday pact with the Lviv region of Ukraine, which Newsom said would involve California companies in the “rebuilding and resiliency” of the war-torn nation — specifically in defense, energy, and digital technologies.

The State Department historically has encouraged “subnational diplomacy,” particularly on trade, and governors from both parties routinely lead overseas economic missions. Such agreements are typically structured as nonbinding memoranda of understanding and do not carry the force of federal treaties.

However, Newsom’s appearance at the Munich Security Conference, a high-profile gathering of global defense and diplomatic leaders, paired with his direct criticism of Trump’s policies underscores how domestic political rivalries are increasingly spilling onto the global stage.

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Foreign policy traditionally has operated under the principle that the U.S. should speak with one voice in its dealings abroad. Newsom’s remarks, delivered before foreign heads of state while signing agreements of his own, presented an alternative vision of American leadership at a time when Washington is navigating disputes over NATO funding, Arctic sovereignty and the war in Ukraine.

FIRST ON FOX: As federal immigration operations continue across the country, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), continues to nab child sex predators residing in the country as illegal immigrants. 

Child grooming, sex and lewd acts with minors, including some under 14, possession of child pornography, domestic assault, assault with a deadly weapon, stalking and drug trafficking were among some of DHS’s “worst of the worst” arrests from President’s Day weekend. 

“Over President’s Day weekend, the brave men and women of ICE arrested heinous criminal illegal aliens across the country convicted for sex crimes against children, rape, and drug trafficking,” said DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin. “These violent criminals will never be allowed to harm children and innocent Americans again.”

Meanwhile, according to McLaughlin, “nearly 70%” of ICE arrests are of illegal immigrants either charged, or convicted, of a crime in the United States. “Nothing will stop ICE law enforcement from removing them from American communities,” the DHS assistant secretary concluded.

ICE ASSAULTS SPIKE 1,500% AS DEMS DRAW ‘HARD RED LINE’ TO UNMASK AGENTS IN DHS BATTLE 

Over the weekend, several of those illegal alien criminals arrested by ICE had previous charges related to child sex abuse. Efren Guzman-Lopez, who is originally from Guatemala, was picked up in Texas following a conviction for indecency with child-sexual contact and child grooming. Another criminal illegal alien convicted of sex offenses with a child, specifically lewd or lascivious acts with a child under 14, was picked up this weekend in California. The individual originally from Mexico, Javier Millan-Salgado, was also listed on the sex offender registry, according to DHS.

Multiple individuals in California were picked up this weekend for having “sex with a minor” as well, according to DHS, while a criminal illegal alien in Missouri, Pedro Jucub, was arrested for “sexual misconduct” with a child under the age of 15. These criminal illegal aliens were from Guatemala and Mexico. 

Others were arrested for acts of sexual abuse and sexual assault, including in New York and Salt Lake City.

ICE RAMPS UP DEPORTATION PUSH BY BOOSTING CAPACITY TO 92,600 BEDS WITH $38.3B EXPANSION 

Drug trafficking, assault and domestic violence were the remaining trends among DHS’s “worst of the worst” criminal illegal aliens picked up over the President’s Day weekend. 

Those on DHS’s list charged or convicted of drug trafficking included criminal illegal aliens from Honduras and Mexico. They were picked up in various states across the Midwest, Southwest and the East Coast.

Alfredo Vargas and Wilfrido Varelas-Rubio , both from Mexico, were each convicted of trafficking methamphetamine in Iowa and in Montana, respectively, before being picked up by ICE this weekend. A man from Honduras, Ever Rivera-Molina, was convicted of conspiracy to distribute crystal methamphetamine in Texas prior to his arrest by ICE.

On the East Coast, in Raleigh, North Carolina, a criminal illegal alien from Mexico arrested by ICE, Hermilio Salgado-Castro, was previously convicted of conspiracy to distribute cocaine. Saul Alonzo Portillo-Lopez, living in Texas when he was arrested over the weekend, had previously been convicted of possession of marijuana with intent to distribute, according to DHS’s “worst of the worst” list from the weekend.

Felony assault, domestic violence, stalking and assault with a deadly weapon were also among the crimes committed by those on ICE’s list.

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Gerson Valverde, a criminal illegal alien from Nicaragua, was arrested following a conviction for felony assault, felony aggravated family offense, and misdemeanor stalking in Saratoga County, New York. Francisco Gamez-Martinez, a criminal illegal alien from Mexico, was arrested by ICE this weekend after being convicted of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon in Lakeland, Florida.

DHS has set up a website at WOW.DHS.Gov, where Americans can learn about the public safety threats being arrested in their communities.

“The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is highlighting the worst of worst criminal aliens arrested by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE),” the website’s homepage reads. “Under Secretary Noem’s leadership, the hardworking men and women of DHS and ICE are fulfilling President Trump’s promise and carrying out mass deportations – starting with the worst of the worst – including the illegal aliens you see here.”

President Donald Trump ordered an all-of-government effort to protect the District of Columbia’s water supply and slammed Maryland Gov. Wes Moore as a sewage pipe interceptor rupture in Cabin John has released an estimated 240 million gallons into the Potomac River. 

The break was first noticed on security cameras off the Clara Barton Parkway just north of the District line Jan. 19, and within several days, crews from DC Water were able to segregate much of the spill into the paralleling Chesapeake & Ohio Canal, according to local reports.

The pipe takes wastewater from several towns in the John F. Dulles International Airport area all the way to Washington, where it is processed farther downstream at the Blue Plains Advanced Wastewater Treatment Plant in Anacostia, D.C.

“There is a massive ecological disaster unfolding in the Potomac River as a result of the gross mismanagement of local Democrat leaders, particularly, Governor Wes Moore, of Maryland,” Trump said in a Truth Social post late Monday.

TRUMP SAYS HE COULD SEND THE NATIONAL GUARD TO MARYLAND TO ADDRESS CRIME

“This is the same Governor who cannot rebuild a bridge. It is clear local authorities cannot adequately handle this calamity,” Trump said, referring to the newly elongated timeline and reported projected multi-billion-dollar cost-projection overruns for the rebuilding of the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge on the Baltimore Beltway.

The catastrophe affects the region’s other Francis Scott Key Bridge in Georgetown, D.C., as Trump alluded to the explosion in E.coli counts downriver from the spill.

“I am directing Federal Authorities to immediately provide all necessary Management, Direction, and Coordination to protect the Potomac, the Water Supply in the Capital Region, and our treasured National Resources in our Nation’s Capital City,” Trump wrote Monday on Truth Social. “While State and Local Authorities have failed to request needed Emergency Help, I cannot allow incompetent Local ‘Leadership’ to turn the River in the Heart of Washington into a Disaster Zone.” 

Moore spokesperson Ammar Moussa blasted Trump in response, saying he has his “facts wrong — again.”

“Since the last century, the federal government has been responsible for the Potomac Interceptor, which is the origin of the sewage leak. For the last four weeks, the Trump Administration has failed to act, shirking its responsibility and putting people’s health at risk,” Moussa said. “Notably, the president’s own EPA explicitly refused to participate in the major legislative hearing about the cleanup last Friday.”

“Apparently the Trump administration hadn’t gotten the memo that they’re actually supposed to be in charge here,” Moussa said. 

BRIDGE COLLAPSE AID BECOMES ECONOMIC WEAPON IN ESCALATING TRUMP-MOORE FEUD

Trump also cited the Palisades fire in California, saying that Democratic officials have a “war on merit” with “real consequences.”

He also noted that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is currently subject to a partial government shutdown affecting the Department of Homeland Security. 

“FEMA, which is currently being defunded by the Democrats, will play a key role in coordinating the response,” he said, as many of those workers may go unpaid.

Maryland state Del. Linda Foley, D-Potomac, whose district is just upstream from the spill, said at an Annapolis, Maryland, hearing that it has been characterized to her as “one of the worst ecological disasters in the eastern part of the United States.”

Moussa said that Maryland, by contrast, has taken action — pointing to the shellfish fishery closure downstream to the Nice Bridge — and told Fox News Digital that Annapolis sent personnel “within hours” to help coordinate the response and protect drinking water in Montgomery County.

“The Potomac isn’t a talking point, and the people of the region deserve serious leadership that meets the moment.”

Moore’s Department of the Environment did issue an emergency closure for shellfish harvesting downstream of the spill, as ecological effects are being felt all the way at the Harry Nice Bridge where U.S. 301 crosses between Bel Alton, Maryland, and Dahlgren, Virginia, nearly 60 miles south of Washington.

Rather than most cases where a state line runs down the center of a waterway, Maryland controls nearly all the Potomac — save for the part where the District of Columbia briefly covers the Old Line State’s historical boundaries.

MARYLAND BRIDGE REBUILD COSTS SOAR TO $5.2B, MORE THAN DOUBLE ORIGINAL ESTIMATE OFFICIALS PROVIDED

The unique boundary also is why eccentricities like Lady Bird Johnson Island, on the “Virginia side” of the Potomac near the Pentagon, are actually in the District of Columbia.

David Gadis, CEO of DC Water, wrote in an open letter that the Potomac River is a “shared treasure” and that “any event that threatens its health understandably causes concern, frustration, and a sense of loss.”

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“Our immediate priorities have been containment, environmental monitoring, and stabilization – working closely with federal, state, and local partners to assess water quality, ecological impacts, and necessary remediation,” he wrote. 

Tom Homan, the border czar appointed by President Donald Trump to crack down on illegal immigration, believes the administration may still deploy Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in other sanctuary cities as federal agents wind down their presence in Minnesota.

Homan said he thinks that possibility depends entirely on whether cities with policies shielding illegal immigrants decide to cooperate with federal immigration efforts.

“I think it depends on the situation,” Homan said in an interview with CBS on Sunday. “I’ve said from day one that, you know, we need to flood the zone and sanctuary cities with additional agents. The number of agents depends on the situation on the ground [and] how many known criminal targets are out there.”

GRAHAM TEASES TRUMP PLAN TO END SANCTUARY CITY POLICIES ‘FOREVER’

Homan’s comments come as the administration looks to redirect its immigration enforcement goals while, at the same time, taking its focus off of Minneapolis by ending Operation Metro Surge.

Several cities voiced opposition to Trump’s immigration crackdown from the outset of his second term, making it an official position of obstructing the administration’s work.

In some cases, cities limited their partnerships with ICE by denying them access to holding facilities, refusing to share intelligence, or instructing local law enforcement to disregard their operations.

Minneapolis was one of them.

But the Twin Cities began to draw special attention from Trump and Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem last year when links surfaced between the state’s Somali immigrant community and as much as $9 billion in state benefits fraud.

In response, the administration began deploying a heavy ICE presence to Minneapolis as part of Operation Metro Surge and framed it as a way to push back on illegal alien criminals in the city. In its first press release on the operation, DHS revealed that ICE had arrested five Somalis and six Hispanic aliens with criminal backgrounds.

“Today, ICE announced they have arrested some of the worst criminal illegal aliens, including child sex offenders, domestic abusers and violent gang members during Operation Metro Surge,” DHS said in a statement on Dec. 4.

TIM WALZ DEMANDS FEDERAL GOVERNMENT ‘PAY FOR WHAT THEY BROKE’ AFTER HOMAN ANNOUNCES MINNESOTA DRAWDOWN

ICE’s presence in Minneapolis soon became a lightning rod for Trump’s crackdown on immigration, sparking widespread protests and alarm from Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz.

In particular, Walz, the 2024 Democratic vice presidential nominee alongside Kamala Harris, blasted what he saw as a lack of communication with local authorities and use of excessive force.

“The forcefulness, lack of communication and unlawful practices displayed by your agents will not be tolerated in Minnesota,” Walz said in a letter to Noem in December.

Operation Metro Surge ended last week in the wake of two deadly confrontations between immigration enforcement and civilians that brought renewed scrutiny on DHS and also derailed congressional considerations for the agency’s 2026 funding, thrusting it into a partial shutdown on Friday.

Despite the administration’s tensions in Minnesota, Homan believes officials in sanctuary cities can avoid future clashes by steering clear of repeating Minneapolis’ policies.

NOEM DEPLOYS TO BOTH BORDERS, SAYS ICE WON’T BE DETERRED BY SANCTUARY OFFICIALS WHO ‘WANT TO CREATE CONFLICT’

“I’m hoping other sanctuary cities look at what happened in Minnesota,” Homan said.

He believes there’s still room for agreement even amid heightened criticisms of ICE.

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“A lot of politicians are out there on the left [are] saying ‘OK, ICE, we agree. You should be focusing on public safety threats. You should focus on illegal aliens who have committed serious crimes in this country,’”

Homan did not describe what cities might be a focus for future ICE operations.

Former President Barack Obama criticized the homelessness crisis in Los Angeles, calling it an “atrocity” given the billions of dollars elected officials have thrown at the problem over the years. 

Obama was speaking with YouTuber Brian Tyler Cohen when he touched on criticism local residents and business owners have voiced for years.

“I think it is morally — ethically speaking — it is an atrocity that in a country this wealthy, we have people just on the streets, and we should insist on policies that recognize their full humanity — people who are houseless — and be able to provide them with the help and resources that they need,” Obama said.

DAVID MARCUS: I’VE SEEN ENOUGH HUMAN SUFFERING IN HOMELESS ENCAMPMENTS TO KNOW TRUMP’S NEW POLICY IS RIGHT

“We should recognize that the average person doesn’t want to have to navigate around a tent city in the middle of downtown,” he added. “That’s a losing political strategy.”

Obama noted that building support for programs and resources to assist those living on the streets needs to come with some level of accountability for those being offered the help. 

“We’re not going to be able to generate support for it if we simply say, ‘You know what, it’s not their fault and so they should be able to do whatever they want,’ because that’s a losing political strategy,” he said. 

FORMER OBAMA OFFICIAL FREAKS OUT AT CALIFORNIA DEMOCRAT OVER HER RECORD AMID HOUSING CRISIS DEBATE

“That doesn’t mean that we care less about those folks,” he added. “It means if we really care about them, then we got to try to figure out how do we gain majority support and be practical in terms of what we can get through at this moment in time and build on those victories,” he added. 

Fox News Digital has reached out to California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass. 

California has spent billions to combat homelessness. In his State of the State address last month, California Gov. Gavin Newsom touted a 9% statewide drop in homelessness.

In January, he announced new investments to create more shelters and services.

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“No one in this country should be without a place to call home. In California, we’re proving there is a solution,” Newsom said in January. “The strategies we’ve put in place are working, and they’re turning this crisis around — but we’re not done. We won’t stop until everyone has a safe, stable place to call home.”

A growing number of U.S. states have introduced legislation that would make it a felony for protesters to disrupt church services or other places of worship, in an apparent effort to head off anti-ICE demonstrations like those that unfolded weeks earlier in Minnesota.

In Ohio, two GOP lawmakers introduced a new bill, HB 662, that would reclassify interfering with religious services from a first-degree misdemeanor to a fifth-degree felony. The authors of the legislation, Republican Reps. Tex Fischer and Johnathan Newman, pointed to the recent Minnesota unrest as the driver behind their new legislation.

“While every American has the right to peacefully protest ICE or any other government entity, they do not have a right to storm into a place of worship and disrupt another American’s right to freely practice their religion,” Fischer said.

“We cannot allow our country to be a place where families fear they may face harassment or see their religious services disrupted by activists attempting to score political points while attending church on a Sunday morning,” he added. 

ICE ASSAULTS SPIKE 1,500% AS DEMS DRAW ‘HARD RED LINE’ TO UNMASK AGENTS IN DHS BATTLE

Meanwhile, in Oklahoma, Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt signed into law a Republican-led bill that strengthens penalties against demonstrators who disrupt church services in the state and creates a so-called “buffer zone” around worshipers to further protect churchgoers.

In Alabama, House lawmakers are preparing to vote on a Republican-backed bill that would make it a Class C felony for individuals to enter a church or place of worship with intent to disrupt a service. If passed, first-time violators could face up to 10 years in prison.

And in Idaho, a newly proposed bill seeks to add churches and religious services to the state’s “disturbing the peace” law, which currently applies to neighborhoods, families and individuals. Violations of the existing law are a misdemeanor, punishable by up to a $1,000 fine and up to six months in prison.

Other states have introduced bills that would enact harsher penalties for individuals obstructing or interfering with religious services, and some lawmakers have pointed directly to Minnesota as the reason for the changes.

South Dakota, for its part, has mulled two separate bills this year aimed at cracking down on church demonstrations. 

The first, introduced by a Republican lawmaker in the state, sought to enact a 50-foot perimeter around places of worship, and include a one-hour time buffer barring demonstrations from taking place before or after any services. That effort failed to garner support amid concerns of potential First Amendment violations. 

But the second bill, filed by South Dakota Gov. Larry Rhoden, a Republican, has gained more traction.

Rhoden’s legislation would reclassify the disruption of a church service from a misdemeanor to a felony, punishable by two years in state prison, a fine of up to $4,000, or both.

The state lawmakers are part of a growing list of legislatures that have sought to enact similar measures in the weeks following anti-ICE disruption at Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota, where a group stormed into the church chanting “ICE out,” among other things.

PRO-LIFE PROTESTERS PARDONED BY TRUMP, FOX CONFIRMS

The disturbance resulted in federal criminal charges against nine individuals, including former CNN anchor Don Lemon and another journalist. All were indicted on charges of allegedly conspiring to violate constitutional rights, as well as violations of the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act. 

The FACE Act, passed in 1994, is a federal law that prohibits intimidation, or obstruction to deliberately “injure, intimidate, or interfere” with an individual’s ability to exercise their right to religious freedom at a reproductive healthcare facility or a place of worship. 

DON LEMON TAPS HUNTER BIDEN’S ATTORNEY TO FIGHT TRUMP DOJ CHARGES

Republicans and pro-life groups criticized the law as being selectively enforced under previous administrations, and focusing almost overwhelmingly on demonstrations outside reproductive healthcare facilities, rather than places of worship.

Shortly after the start of his second term, President Donald Trump announced the pardon of 23 individuals arrested for FACE Act violations.

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The Justice Department has no official tally of the individuals charged under the FACE Act since its passage more than 30 years ago.

Democrats were mocked for leaving one of their most popular presidents off their party’s Presidents’ Day message after Republicans noticed that former President Bill Clinton was absent.

The former Arkansas governor and 42nd commander-in-chief was missing from a “Happy President’s Day” image that included John F. Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson, Jimmy Carter, Franklin Roosevelt, Barack Obama and Joe Biden.

The only Democratic presidents missing between Roosevelt and Biden’s tenures were Clinton and Harry Truman.

In response, the RNC retweeted the @TheDemocrats post with an image of Clinton wearing glasses and sitting next to Hillary Clinton, with a concerned or focused look on his face.

CLINTONS CAVE: COMER SAYS BILL AND HILLARY TO TESTIFY IN EPSTEIN PROBE

“Forget someone again??” the RNC caption read.

Fox News Digital reached out to the DNC to ask whether the omission was intentional and to the Clinton Foundation for comment.

Republicans, meanwhile, posted a Presidents Day image of Mount Rushmore featuring a color image of Trump next to President Abraham Lincoln, positioned on the right side of the South Dakota monument.

CLINTONS AGREE TO TESTIFY AFTER HOUSE THREATENS CONTEMPT IN JEFFREY EPSTEIN PROBE

Their account also retweeted the Department of Health and Human Services, which wrote that “This Presidents Day, we honor the leaders who shaped our nation and reaffirm our commitment to serving the health and well-being of every American.”

HHS included a composite of Trump, Lincoln and President George Washington to make their point.

Clinton, one of the most popular presidents in recent history, was not without his share of scandal.

The late Kenneth Starr investigated Clinton for connections to a controversial 1978 land deal in the Ozarks nicknamed “Whitewater” dating to Clinton’s time as Arkansas attorney general.

While Clinton was never charged with wrongdoing, Arkansas business partners Jim and Susan McDougal were convicted in connection with the failed Whitewater deal. Hillary Clinton had previously worked for the law firm that represented Jim McDougal’s bank. Gov. Jim Guy Tucker, Clinton’s successor, was also convicted.

HOUSE TAKES STEP CLOSER TO REFERRING CLINTONS FOR CRIMINAL CHARGES WITH DEMOCRATIC SUPPORT

But the Whitewater case led Starr to discover what became the Monica Lewinsky Scandal — wherein Clinton allegedly had a sexual relationship with a White House intern.

On January 26, 1998, Clinton famously maintained his innocence in the face of impeachment over Starr’s case, declaring at the end of a childcare policy press conference:

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“I did not have sexual relations with that woman.”

“I never told anybody to lie, not a single time. Never. These allegations are false. And I need to go back to work for the American people,” Clinton added.

A western state’s governor and attorney general are launching an investigation into potential violations of a statewide ban on sanctuary cities and sanctuary-jurisdictional policies, pledging zero tolerance for failure to cooperate with federal immigration authorities.

Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte told Fox News Digital that he and Attorney General Austin Knudsen, both Republicans, will investigate the capital city of Helena under SB 200, which permits civil legal action and enforcement of fines against jurisdictions found in violation.

“In Montana, we don’t tolerate defiance and we support our law enforcement officers,” Gianforte told Fox News Digital.

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“While the attorney general’s initial investigation will focus on the city of Helena, we’re really sending a message to all local governments across the state: If you are found to be in violation of state law, there will be penalties.”

In response to Helena City Commissioners’ vote to prevent local coordination with federal immigration enforcement, Gianforte and Knudsen announced the decision will be investigated as a potential violation of the sanctuary city ban originally authored by state Rep. Kenneth Holmlund, R-Miles City.

Gianforte said he has “serious concerns” about the resolution’s compliance with state law and said that under the sanctuary city ban, no state or local agency may refuse to cooperate with DHS.

THIS IS HOW TRUMP CAN BREAK DEFIANT SANCTUARY CITIES

In a letter to Knudsen formally requesting his office’s cooperation, Gianforte laid out how “securing the border has been a top priority of President Donald J. Trump after the previous administration let nearly 11 million illegal immigrants enter freely into the United States under their watch.”

He referenced Trump’s mass deportation efforts and said that it is unfortunate to see “recent events” elsewhere in the U.S. that have put immigration agents in danger.

In that regard, he described a recent Helena City Council vote as ordering local officers not to get involved in actions to assist other agencies nor to detain or stop a person based on suspicion of immigration law or status infractions.

JD VANCE, ICE FLIP SCRIPT ON SANCTUARY CITY LEADERS AS ‘CHAOS’ ERUPTS ACROSS MN: ‘THIS IS DANGEROUS’

“This resolution is clearly designed to obstruct federal law enforcement operations,” Gianforte said.

Knudsen told the Flathead Beacon that Helena appears to be “thumbing its nose to the Montana Legislature” and must understand it does not make state law.

“I encourage [the city] to retain counsel [and] get a lobbyist…” he said in part.

A spokeswoman for the city of Helena told Fox News Digital it had not received any formal communication on the matter from Gianforte, and added that “as a general practice, the City does not provide comment on pending or potential litigation matters.”

“[Helena’s] resolution was drafted with careful consideration of applicable local, state, and federal law, and the City believes the resolution is consistent with those legal requirements,” she said.

“The City remains committed to upholding all applicable federal and state laws.

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Knudsen’s office signaled it is only officially looking at Helena, but local reports also pointed to concerns about Missoula — the state’s second-largest behind Billings.

A spokesperson for Missoula told the Montana Free Press it has never been and is not currently a sanctuary city, while adding that its police officers do not inquire about immigration status in public interactions.

Senior Trump administration officials defended the use of masks and other facial coverings by federal immigration enforcement officers, citing a sharp increase in assaults and violent threats against agents amid the administration’s hard-line immigration crackdown.  

White House border czar Tom Homan on Sunday defended the use of masks and other facial coverings by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers as necessary to protect agents from a rise in assaults and violent threats reported by the Department of Homeland Security.

“I don’t like the masks, either,” Homan said in an interview Sunday on CBS News’ “Face the Nation.” Still, he said, “these men and women have to protect themselves.”

His remarks come as Democrats in Congress have sharply criticized ICE agents’ actions in recent months, including the deployment of officers to major U.S. cities — Los Angeles, Chicago and Minneapolis — as part of Trump’s broader immigration enforcement effort. 

MINNESOTA DRAGS TRUMP’S ICE TO COURT IN EFFORT TO PAUSE IMMIGRATION CRACKDOWN

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries urged Republicans earlier this month to order the unmasking of ICE agents, describing the step as one of many “guardrails” needed to protect the public and earn their support in resolving the DHS shutdown. 

Jeffries last week told reporters in the Capitol that unmasking federal agents is a “hard red line” for Democrats as Congress debated funding for DHS and ultimately failed to come to an agreement, the Associated Press reported. 

The Trump administration has cited concerns about the number and severity of threats against ICE officers and has vowed to aggressively prosecute individuals who target agents or solicit violence.

Homan pointed to DHS reports from January citing a 1,500% increase in assaults against ICE personnel. Violent threats against ICE officers have also soared by a staggering 8,000%, according to data shared by the Department of Homeland Security in October.

The release from DHS ticked through a number of violent threats that have been made against ICE personnel and their family members, including a voicemail left for the spouse of a Texas-based immigration officer.

“I don’t know how you let your husband work for ICE, and you sleep at night … I hope your kids get deported by accident,” the voicemail said. “How do you sleep? …. Did you hear what happened to the Nazis after World War II? Because it’s what’s going to happen to your family.”

MINNESOTA AG KEITH ELLISON DENIES DON LEMON, ANTI-ICE PROTESTERS VIOLATED FACE ACT AS DOJ MULLS CHARGES

“From bounties placed on their heads for their murders, threats to their families, stalking, and doxxing online, our officers are experiencing an unprecedented level of violence and threats against them and their families,” DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement at the time.

DHS did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment on the time frames it used to measure the 1,500% and 8,000% increases in assaults and threats, respectively. 

The Justice Department has vowed to aggressively prosecute individuals found to be targeting immigration officers or soliciting violent behavior.

Federal prosecutors in October announced the arrest of Eduardo Aguilar, an illegal immigrant living in Dallas, for allegedly posting TikTok videos soliciting individuals to “murder ICE agents,” according to a copy of the federal criminal complaint reviewed by Fox News Digital. 

Aguilar also allegedly offered a reward of $10,000 “for each ICE agent,” according to information shared by the Justice Department. If convicted, he faces up to five years in federal prison. 

GOP SEN. CASSIDY BREAKS WITH TRUMP OVER DEADLY SHOOTING BY BORDER PATROL AGENT IN MINNEAPOLIS

Months earlier, Alan W. Filion, a California teenager, was sentenced to 48 months in federal prison for allegedly placing 375 “swatting,” hoaxing, or doxxing calls that involved ICE and other federal officers.

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Fillon’s “serial doxxing” campaign involved falsely reported bomb threats or imminent mass shootings at public schools and religious institutions across the country, according to the Justice Department — prompting an emergency response from myriad federal agencies and first responders, and diverting their ability to respond to real crises. 

The Justice Department has cited Fillon’s case as a benchmark of sorts for how it will prosecute other individuals found to be weaponizing law enforcement response systems. 

The remarks come as Democrats continued to assail ICE as the DHS funding shutdown drags on. Schumer blasted ICE on CNN’s “State of the Union” Sunday as “rogue” forces that appear almost “trained to be nasty and mean and cruel, and go way beyond what ordinary police departments do.”

“They need to be reined in, and they need to stop the violence,” Schumer added.

PORTSMOUTH, N.H. — Democrats are spotlighting their “positive momentum” at the ballot box since President Donald Trump returned to the White House, as they work to win back House and Senate majorities in this year’s midterm elections.

“We had a record of victories across the country over the last year,” Democratic National Committee (DNC) Chair Ken Martin touted this weekend in an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital. “We’re winning up and down the ballot, big statewide elections, of course, and county races, local races, state legislative races, one after another.”

Democrats are hoping for a blue wave similar to the one they rode in 2018, the last time they won back the House from the GOP, and they’re energized. But Republicans are not sold on whether special elections are a good barometer of things to come in the midterms.

“Special elections are very strange because turnout is often stifled,” House Speaker Mike Johnson told Fox News Digital late last year.

‘FICTION’ – HOUSE REPUBLICAN CAMPAIGN CHAIR SCOFFS AT DEMOCRATS MOVE TO EXPAND GOP TARGET LIST

A stunning setback for Republicans two and a half weeks ago in a special state Senate election for a ruby-red district in Texas grabbed tons of national attention, and was seen by some in the GOP as a “wakeup call.”

The Democrats’ victory in Texas, and two more ballot box wins since then, were fueled in part by continued concerns by Americans over high prices, and came amid backlash over the Trump administration’s unprecedented crackdown on illegal immigration and, as the latest polling indicates, the president remains mired in negative numbers.

Thanks in part to their laser focus on the issue of affordability amid persistent inflation, Democrats scored decisive victories in the 2025 elections, and have overperformed at the ballot box in other off-year and special elections since the start of Trump’s second administration.

“There’s certainly positive momentum for the Democratic Party. There’s wind at our back. We’re seeing win after win, and that’s continued unabated into this new year,” Martin emphasized.

REPUBLICAN ‘WAKE-UP CALL’ – SPECIAL ELECTION SHOCKER HIGHLIGHTS GOP TURNOUT AND MIDTERM RISKS

The DNC chair was interviewed in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, as he made his way up to Maine this weekend to help organize local Democrats ahead of an upcoming special legislative election later this month.

Martin said he’s anything but complacent, and is ignoring the latest national polling that indicates that Democrats hold a mid-single digit advantage over the Republicans in the battle for Congress.

“We’re not going to rest on our laurels; we’re not going to believe those polls. We’re just going to keep organizing and talking to voters.”

Republicans are facing traditional political headwinds in the midterms, when the party in power usually loses House and Senate seats.

But Democrats also face obstacles, including polling that indicates their party’s brand remains deeply unpopular.

Martin acknowledged in a Fox News Digital interview last summer that the party had hit “rock bottom,” but added that “there’s only one direction to go, and that’s up, and that’s what we’re doing.”

PLAYING CATCHUP TO REPUBLICANS, DEMOCRATS LAUNCH ‘LARGEST-EVER’ PARTISAN NATIONAL VOTER REGISTRATION CAMPAIGN

The rival Republican National Committee (RNC) and Trump’s fundraising organizations hold a massive cash advantage over the Democrats.

But Martin says the party’s success at the ballot box is boosting fundraising.

“Our fundraising so far this year has really been gangbusters. People are starting to realize that the Democratic Party has a plan to win. They’re winning around the country, and they’re investing again,” he highlighted.

And he added, “What I’ve always said is we don’t need to outraise the Republicans, right? We just need to be able to raise enough money to actually compete, to be in the ring so we can fight, and that’s what we’re doing.”

While economic concerns have played into the Democrats’ political narrative, better-than-expected unemployment and inflation reports last week are giving Republicans something to brag about.

“We just had a fantastic report on inflation. Way down. Cost of products way down. We inherited a mess, a total mess. And now it’s really coming along. We have the greatest numbers that we’ve ever had,” Trump emphasized Friday in a speech in North Carolina.

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But Martin says Trump has “a long ways to go to repair this economy.”

“A couple good reports, and they’re not even that great right now,” Martin argued. “They’re going to have to string together a lot of reports to actually repair this economy and make it work for working people.”

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio signed a civil nuclear cooperation agreement involving the U.S. and Hungary on Monday.

During remarks at the signing ceremony, Rubio indicated that the U.S.-Hungary relationship, and the relationship between President Donald Trump and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, is very close.

The American diplomat described the relationship between the two nations as being “as close as I can possibly imagine it being.”

RUBIO BLASTS ‘WORLD WITHOUT BORDERS’ FANTASY, WARNS MASS MIGRATION THREATENS WESTERN CIVILIZATION

Rubio, during remarks delivered alongside Orbán, asserted, “Your success is our success.” 

He noted that if Hungary ever faces financial problems, “impediments to growth, or threats to national stability, he knows “President Trump will be very interested” in “finding ways” to help.

HUNGARY’S ORBAN SAYS BUDAPEST IS EUROPE’S SAFEST CITY FOR JEWS AS ANTISEMITISM SURGES

Trump has praised Orbán and backed him for re-election.

“Highly Respected Prime Minister of Hungary, Viktor Orbán, is a truly strong and powerful Leader, with a proven track record of delivering phenomenal results. He fights tirelessly for, and loves, his Great Country and People, just like I do for the United States of America. Viktor works hard to Protect Hungary, Grow the Economy, Create Jobs, Promote Trade, Stop Illegal Immigration, and Ensure LAW AND ORDER!” Trump declared on Truth Social this month. 

THE ONE SENTENCE IN RUBIO’S MUNICH SPEECH THAT REVEALED TRUMP’S RED LINE FOR EUROPE

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“Relations between Hungary and the United States have reached new heights of cooperation and spectacular achievement under my Administration, thanks largely to Prime Minister Orbán. I look forward to continuing working closely with him so that both of our Countries can further advance this tremendous path to SUCCESS and cooperation. I was proud to ENDORSE Viktor for Re-Election in 2022, and am honored to do so again. Viktor Orbán is a true friend, fighter, and WINNER, and has my Complete and Total Endorsement for Re-Election as Prime Minister of Hungary — HE WILL NEVER LET THE GREAT PEOPLE OF HUNGARY DOWN!” Trump added.

The partial government shutdown stretched into another week after negotiators failed to reach a deal to fund the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) over the weekend.

Congress is on a weeklong recess and is not scheduled to return to Washington, D.C., until next week, leaving the shutdown’s end in limbo as both parties remain far apart on key provisions.

Senate Democrats are demanding a series of reforms to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), a position they have maintained since the fatal shootings of Alex Pretti and Renee Nicole Good during ICE operations in Minnesota.

FETTERMAN BUCKS DEMOCRATS, SAYS PARTY PUT POLITICS OVER COUNTRY IN DHS SHUTDOWN STANDOFF

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and his caucus are standing by a list of 10 proposed reforms, including requiring ICE agents to obtain judicial warrants and limiting the use of face coverings — proposals Republicans have described as red lines.

“Americans are tired of masked agents conducting warrantless operations in their communities — secret police,” Schumer said. “They’re tired of chaos, secrecy and zero accountability. That is not what law and order looks like, and Republicans simply cannot pretend that this outrage does not exist.”

However, ICE received additional funding under previously passed legislation, and core enforcement operations are expected to continue. Other DHS agencies, including the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Coast Guard, remain affected by the shutdown.

GOVERNMENT TO SHUT DOWN AT MIDNIGHT AFTER DEMS, WHITE HOUSE FAIL TO STRIKE DHS DEAL

The White House has led negotiations for Senate Republicans and offered Senate Democrats a proposal that they have rejected. Details of that proposal have not been made public.

“This is a Democrat-driven shutdown caused by their intransigence and desire to use government funding for services all Americans rely on as a hostage in order to achieve an unrelated political goal,” a senior White House official said.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said lawmakers would receive 24 hours’ notice to return if a deal is reached.

DHS SHUTDOWN EXPLAINED: WHO WORKS WITHOUT PAY, WHAT HAPPENS TO AIRPORTS AND DISASTER RESPONSE

“I think all those reasonable efforts and requests have been overshadowed by the fact that the Democrats don’t seem to want to play ball,” Thune said.

On the House side, Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., told lawmakers they would receive 48 hours’ notice to return if the Senate passes a bill. The House is also in recess until Feb. 23.

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Johnson and other Republicans have expressed support for the original DHS funding bill crafted by House and Senate appropriators, but the speaker said he does not want further delays in DHS funding to be attributed to the House.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., has said Democrats will not accept a funding bill that does not include significant reforms to ICE.

The Department of War on Sunday transported a next-generation nuclear reactor aboard a C-17 from California to Utah, advancing President Donald Trump’s executive order to modernize America’s nuclear energy infrastructure and strengthen U.S. national security.

The reactor was flown from March Air Reserve Base in California to Hill Air Force Base in Utah and is expected to be transported to the Utah San Rafael Energy Lab in Orangeville for testing and evaluation – a key step in assessing how advanced nuclear systems could support military installations and remote defense operations.

The Department of War shared images on X showing the reactor loaded onto the C-17 aircraft.

“We’re advancing President Trump’s executive order on nuclear energy,” the post read. “Moments from now, we will airlift a next-generation nuclear reactor.”

TRUMP ADMIN POURS $1B INTO MASSIVE EFFORT TO RESTART NUCLEAR REACTOR AT HISTORIC MELTDOWN SITE

The Department of War said the successful delivery and installation of the reactor will open new possibilities for energy resilience and strategic independence for the nation’s defense, highlighting what officials described as an agile, innovative and commercial-first approach to addressing critical infrastructure challenges.

“By harnessing the power of advanced nuclear technology, we are not only enhancing our national security but championing a future of American energy dominance,” the agency said in a press release. “This event is a testament to the ingenuity of the American spirit and a critical advancement in securing our nation’s freedom and strength for generations to come.”

Fox News Digital has reached out to the Department of War for additional comment.

THREE MILE ISLAND NUCLEAR PLANT MAKES COMEBACK WITH $1B IN FEDERAL BACKING TO MEET INCREASING ENERGY DEMANDS

In May, President Donald Trump signed several executive orders aimed at expanding domestic nuclear energy development. At the time, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said America led the postwar world on “all things nuclear” until it “stagnated” and was “choked with overregulation.”

War Secretary Pete Hegseth added that the U.S. was “going to have the lights on and AI operating when others are not because of our nuclear capabilities.”

One of Trump’s nuclear directives called for reforming Energy Department research and development, accelerating reactor testing at national laboratories and establishing a pilot program for new construction.

ENERGY SECRETARY REVEALS HOW US NUCLEAR TESTS WILL WORK

Nuclear energy, the White House said in the order, “is necessary to power the next generation technologies that secure our global industrial, digital, and economic dominance, achieve energy independence, and protect our national security.”

The nuclear expansion effort is part of a broader administration push to reinforce domestic energy production and grid reliability across multiple sectors.

Days later, Trump signed another executive order directing the Department of War to work directly with coal-fired power plants on new long-term power purchasing agreements, arguing the move would ensure “more reliable power and stronger and more resilient grid power.”

The order, “Strengthening United States National Defense with America’s Beautiful Clean Coal Power Generation Fleet,” states, “The United States must ensure that our electric grid … remains resilient and reliable, and not reliant on intermittent energy sources,” calling the grid “the foundation of our national defense as well as our economic stability.”

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“It is the policy of the United States that coal is essential to our national and economic security,” the order adds.

Fox News Digital’s Jasmine Baehr and Charles Creitz contributed to this report.

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton clashed with a Czech political leader at the Munich Security Conference in Germany on Saturday.

Clinton was speaking during a panel on the state of the West where she heavily criticized President Donald Trump for his dealings with Europe. Petr Macinka, a Czech deputy prime minister, defended the Trump administration as Clinton repeatedly mocked his statements and tried to speak over him.

“First, I think you really don’t like him,” Macinka said as he began to respond to Clinton’s Trump-bashing.

“You know, that is absolutely true,” Clinton said. “But not only do I not like him, but I don’t like what he’s actually doing to the United States and the world, and I think you should take a hard look at it if you think there is something good that will come of it.”

TRUMP RIPS EUROPE AT DAVOS FOR WRONG ‘DIRECTION,’ POINTS TO MIGRATION AND SPENDING

“Well, what Trump is doing in America, I think that it is a reaction. Reaction for some policies that really went too far, too far from the regular people,” Macinka said as Clinton interjected to ask for examples.

Macinka referenced “woke” ideologies, gender theories and cancel culture that ran rampant throughout the U.S. in recent years.

Clinton then mocked him, suggesting he was opposed to “women getting their rights.”

THE ONE SENTENCE IN RUBIO’S MUNICH SPEECH THAT REVEALED TRUMP’S RED LINE FOR EUROPE

Macinka then rebuffed her hostility, saying he can tell he was making her “nervous.”

The exchange came during the same panel where Clinton discussed immigration in the U.S., admitting that it had gone “too far.”

“It went too far, it’s been disruptive and destabilizing, and it needs to be fixed in a humane way with secure borders that don’t torture and kill people and how we’re going to have a strong family structure because it is at the base of civilization,” she added.

Clinton acknowledged that there are places where a physical barrier is appropriate but opposed large-scale expansion of a border wall during her 2016 presidential campaign.

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At the time, she supported then-President Barack Obama’s executive actions that deferred immigration enforcement against millions of children and parents in the country illegally and wanted to end the practice of family detention.

Clinton also planned on continuing Obama’s policy of deporting violent criminals, but wanted to scale back immigration raids, which she said at the time produced “unnecessary fear and disruption in communities,” Fox News Digital previously reported.

Fox News’ Ashley DiMella contributed to this report.

Standing in Germany, where a Cold War wall once symbolized the division of a continent, Secretary of State Marco Rubio delivered President Donald Trump’s red line for Europe.

“We in America have no interest in being polite and orderly caretakers of the West’s managed decline,” Rubio said during his Friday remarks before the Munich Security Conference.

America’s top diplomat called for tighter borders, revived industry and a reassertion of national sovereignty, arguing that the West’s drift was not inevitable but the result of policy choices the Trump administration now intends to reverse.

RUBIO STEPS INTO MUNICH SPOTLIGHT AS TRUMP LEANS ON HIM TO CARRY VANCE’S POPULIST MESSAGE ABROAD

“We do not seek to separate, but to revitalize an old friendship and renew the greatest civilization in human history,” he added, urging an alliance that “boldly races into the future.”

Rubio’s 3,000-word address marked one of the clearest articulations yet of Trump’s break with the global status quo. It underscored a broader shift in transatlantic ties, with Washington pressing European allies to shoulder more of their own defense and elevate national sovereignty.

He described the erosion of manufacturing, porous borders and dependence on global institutions as symptoms of Western complacency.

RUBIO BLASTS ‘WORLD WITHOUT BORDERS’ FANTASY, WARNS MASS MIGRATION THREATENS WESTERN CIVILIZATION

Reclaiming supply chain independence, enforcing immigration limits and rebuilding defense capabilities, he said, would be key to reversing course.

His remarks landed before an audience of European leaders who have long relied on U.S. security guarantees and remain wary of a more transactional Washington. 

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The shift was striking in a forum that has traditionally served as a showcase for transatlantic unity, where U.S. officials in previous years stressed multilateral cooperation and institutional continuity.

Whether European capitals embrace that vision remains to be seen. But Rubio made clear that, under Trump, the U.S. no longer sees itself as the quiet steward of a fading order.

Members of President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace have pledged more than $5 billion in aid for Gaza, the president announced Sunday.

Trump made the announcement on Truth Social, saying the funding would be formally pledged during a February 19 meeting in Washington, D.C.

“On February 19th, 2026, I will again be joined by Board of Peace Members at the Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace in Washington, D.C., where we will announce that Member States have pledged more than $5 BILLION DOLLARS toward the Gaza Humanitarian and Reconstruction efforts, and have committed thousands of personnel to the International Stabilization Force and Local Police to maintain Security and Peace for Gazans. Very importantly, Hamas must uphold its commitment to Full and Immediate Demilitarization. The Board of Peace will prove to be the most consequential International Body in History, and it is my honor to serve as its Chairman,” Trump wrote.

“The Board of Peace has unlimited potential. Last October, I released a Plan for the permanent end to the Conflict in Gaza, and our Vision was unanimously adopted by the United Nations Security Council. Shortly thereafter, we facilitated Humanitarian Aid at record speed, and secured the release of every living and deceased Hostage. Just last month, two dozen distinguished Founding Members joined me in Davos, Switzerland, to celebrate its official formation, and present a bold Vision for the Civilians in Gaza, and then, ultimately, far beyond Gaza — WORLD PEACE!” he said.

This is a developing story. Check back soon for updates.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio defended the U.S. capture of former Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on Sunday, going on to call out a reporter for supposedly trying to stir up tension during a press conference.

Rubio made the statement during a joint appearance with Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico. A reporter referenced Fico’s previous criticism of the U.S. operation against Maduro and asked whether he stood by it, leading Rubio to address the issue first while he was answering other questions from the same reporter.

“I think you asked him a question in order to, like, see if you can get him against us, or something… A lot of countries didn’t like what we did in Venezuela. That’s okay. That was in our national interest,” Rubio said. 

“I’m sure there’s something you may do one day that we don’t like, and we’ll say we didn’t like that you did this,” Rubio continued, while turning to Fico. “So what? That doesn’t mean we’re not going to be friends, we’re not going to be partners,” Rubio said.

TRUMP ANNOUNCES VENEZUELA TURNING OVER MILLIONS OF BARRELS OF OIL TO US GOVERNMENT ‘IMMEDIATELY’

“We have very close allies that didn’t like what we did in that regard. I can tell you what, it was successful. It was necessary, because the guy was a narco-terrorist, and we made him a bunch of offers,” the secretary continued. 

“And look what’s happened in Venezuela in the six weeks since he’s been gone,” Rubio said acknowledging that the country still has “a long way to go.”

“There’s still much work that needs to be done, but I can tell you Venezuela is much better off today than it was six weeks ago. So we’re very proud of that project. And I know some will disagree … I think everyone can now agree that Venezuela has an opportunity at a new future that wasn’t there six weeks ago,” he added.

Rubio’s statement comes days after President Donald Trump recounted the military’s strength during the operation to capture Maduro. Trump, speaking in Fort Bragg, North Carolina, honored U.S. special forces and their families for their roles in the operation.

STATE DEPT CONFIRMS ‘LIMITED NUMBER’ OF PERSONNEL IN CARACAS WORKING TO RESUME VENEZUELA DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS

“It was in a matter of minutes before (Maduro) was on a helicopter being taken out of there. They had to go through steel doors,” Trump said Friday afternoon. “The steels were like it was like paper-maché. You know what paper-maché is? That’s weak paper.”

U.S. special operations forces carried out the successful capture of Maduro and his wife on sweeping narcotics charges. Trump celebrated that there wasn’t single U.S. casualty during the operation, despite Maduro being housed on a heavily-armed military base.

“These guys blasted through every door,” Trump continued Friday. “They got up to him before he got to the big safe. But that wouldn’t have worked either, because they had equipment that was going to knock that out in a matter of minutes, but he never got there. It went so fast.”

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Maduro was whisked off on a helicopter, before he was brought to the U.S., where he faces federal charges, including narco-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine-trafficking conspiracy and weapons-related offenses. He is being held in federal custody at the Metropolitan Detention Center in New York City. 

Fox News’ Emma Colton contributed to this report.

FIRST ON FOX: A Chicago area teacher who was forced to resign from his position over his Facebook post saying “Go ICE” is speaking out about the emotional and financial toll he has suffered as a result.

“This process has been professionally and personally devastating and surreal,” former West Chicago teacher James Heidorn told Fox News Digital in his first public comments about the situation. 

“I’ve spent 14 years building my career, pouring my heart into teaching kids, building relationships, and being a positive role model. To see it all upended over two simple words, ‘Go ICE’, where I expressed my personal support for law enforcement felt like a severe blow to my career.”

In late January, Fox News Digital first reported that the longtime teacher at Gary Elementary school in a heavily Hispanic district was placed on leave after local activists in the community began sharing his Facebook post that said “GO ICE” in response to a news story about a local police department saying they would cooperate with ICE. 

GOT A SCOOP ON CAMPUS? SEND US A TIP HERE

On Thursday, Jan. 22, Heidorn was first notified by school officials that they had seen the growing social media chatter about his post. He briefly quit after meeting with HR staff before rescinding his resignation the same day. Heidorn was set to return to school to teach on Monday while the school investigated.

Around the same time, Illinois Democratic state Senator Karina Villa, who was captured on video in September chasing down ICE agents in the street, publicly expressed outrage over the post and said she stands in “unwavering solidarity” with families upset about the “disturbing comments reportedly made by an educator.”

On that Saturday, before an investigation had been concluded, West Chicago Mayor Daniel Bovey took to Facebook and posted a video explaining why Heidorn’s comments were “hurtful” and “offensive” to many in the community.

“The issue is we have trusted adults who are the ones that care for those kids when they can’t be with their mom and their dad,” Bovey said. “So to have someone cavalierly rooting on — as if it’s a football game or something, yeah go — events which have traumatized these children … that is the issue.”

Over the weekend, parents online were encouraging each other to keep their students home from school as a form of protest, and many in the community began criticizing Heidorn. 

The city of West Chicago held a “listening session” on Jan. 26 at the request of Bovey, that included a Spanish translator, where a variety of parents and locals expressed concerns about the post, including a woman who said “kids do not feel safe” as a result of the post and another woman who said the post was “cruel.”

“This started with a two-word comment on my personal Facebook page supporting law enforcement—nothing more,” Heidorn said. “It wasn’t directed at any student, family, or school community. Second, I was placed on leave and faced intense pressure before any full investigation or fair process could play out, with this it led to my resignation.” 

“Third, I lost my career, my income, and the chance to close out my time with my students properly—no farewell, no goodbyes.”

Ultimately, Heidorn resigned a second time rather than be terminated after a hearing with school officials.

In a statement to Fox News Digital at the time that Heidorn was on leave in January, a West Chicago Elementary School District 33 spokesperson referred to the social media post as “disruptive” and said “we understand that this situation has raised concerns and caused disruption for students, families, and staff.”

Teachers all across the United States have taken to the streets in recent weeks, causing disruptions in favor of far-left causes, including in Chicago where teachers stormed a local target harassing employees, to protest President Trump’s immigration policies without facing pushback or repercussions from local school districts. 

TOP TEACHERS UNION UNDER FIRE AS LAWMAKERS PUSH TO STRIP UNION OF UNIQUE FEDERAL CHARTER: ‘LOST THEIR WAY’

“Most importantly, this is bigger than me: it’s about whether personal opinions expressed outside of work can cost someone their livelihood without due process,” Heidorn said. “I hope to see free speech matters, even when it’s unpopular.”

“It does feel like a double standard—due to my viewpoint being different from others within the community that I taught in. I feel that we should all be able to coexist with our personal political viewpoints. Fairness should apply equally, regardless of those viewpoints. If personal political speech is grounds for punishment, it should be consistent—not selective based on what side you’re on. I believe in free speech for all, and that’s what I hope comes out of all this.”

Heidorn has received some support from the local community, including a GoFundMe page calling him a “beloved physical education teacher” who “showed up every day for his students.”

“Emotionally, it’s been a roller coaster that has me feeling a great deal of shock, loss, and deep sadness over losing daily contact with my students,” Heidorn said. “Feelings of anger and frustration at how quickly things escalated without real dialogue, and grief for not getting to say a proper goodbye to the kids I cared so much for. I’ve had sleepless nights, but I’m trying to stay focused on my family and the support I’ve received from people who know the real me.”

Heidorn, who also lost his employment working as a soccer coach at a nearby private school, told Fox News Digital that one of the most difficult aspects of being forced from his job was losing the relationships he built with his students, of all backgrounds over his long career. 

Asked what he would tell his students if given the opportunity to address the situation with them directly, Heidorn said that the online outrage “isn’t the full story” and is “just noise from people who don’t know me.”

“To my students: I want you to know that I care about you deeply and always have. The person you knew in class—the one who encouraged you, played with you, and cheered you on—is still the same person,” Heidorn said. “I always tried to provide the best learning environment and great atmosphere for us all to grow. I have always had your best interest in mind by showing passion, support, care, and safety no matter what.”

Heidorn added, “I would never want any of you to feel unsafe or unloved. You are amazing kids, and I’m proud of every moment we shared. I know I can’t change people’s minds for those who are angry, upset, and have lost trust in me, and I am sorry for that because I always had my students and the community’s best interests in mind, and I never intended to cause fear or harm to them or their families.”

CHICAGO TEACHERS UNION PROMOTES VENEZUELA REGIME CHANGE PROTESTS ORGANIZED BY SOCIALIST GROUPS

Fox News Digital reached out to the district for a specific comment on what rule Heidorn violated by posting support for law enforcement on Facebook and if teachers who publicly “disruptive” against or antagonize ICE will be treated the same way. The district did not respond. 

When reached for comment, Bovey pushed back on the suggestion he inflamed the situation with his Facebook video, saying, “Personally, I wish the teacher well.”

“The teacher used his first amendment rights to make a statement,” Bovey said. “Others used their first amendment rights in commenting on the situation.  The school board took appropriate action to go through the due process of investigating a situation which had adversely impacted the education of children.  The public used their first amendment rights to comment (in favor and against) the actions of the school board and then the teacher made a decision to resign.  At the end of the day, though there were frustrations on both sides which were stoked by inaccurate social media posts, this is how democracy works.”

Bovey added, “Despite a lot of vitriolic comments from people across the country who were misinformed by social media, our local community seems remarkably unified.”

Heidorns said he has always taken his role “extremely seriously” over his 14-year career and that his reputation was “built on showing up every day, being reliable, fair, and genuinely invested in my students’ growth.”

“My students’ successes are what drove me more than you could know,” Heidorn said. “I never brought politics into my teaching; my focus was always on my students. Losing that connection hurts more than anything, and I want people to know I never intended to harm or divide anyone.”

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Going forward, Heidorn will be required to inform future school districts he applies to that he resigned and provide specifics why, which leaves any potential of furthering his career in the area unclear. 

“I really don’t know what is next for me—as the teaching profession has been, up to this point in time, all that I ever wanted to do,” he explained. “It is all I have ever studied for and teaching is what has defined me. Even advancing my education with a master’s degree in educational leadership because I wanted to become the best teacher I can be.”

“With that said—I’m exploring options in education or related fields, but I’m also taking time to heal and learn from this experience. I want people to know I’m grateful for the outpouring of support from those who reached out, donated, or shared my story. It reminds me that most people value fairness and second chances. I’m determined to move forward positively and keep contributing to kids’ lives in whatever way I can.”

Democrat lawmakers say President Donald Trump’s redistricting gambit is backfiring as Virginia’s Democrat-controlled Senate advanced new congressional maps that could chip away at the House GOP’s majority.

The Virginia Senate voted 21-16 along party lines on Wednesday to pass a set of new congressional maps that would leave just one Republican district in play.

Republicans currently hold five.

To Republicans like Rep. Rob Wittman, R-Va., that’s too drastic a swing for a state that only has 11 districts to begin with. Even in light of similar redistricting pushes in Texas, California and other states, Wittman believes Virginia’s case is unique.

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“This partisan power grab is not reflective of Virginia. Virginia is a 6-5 congressional delegation: six Democrats, five Republicans. And now they want to go to 10 Democrats, one Republican — 92%,” Wittman said.

“They’re going to disenfranchise most Virginians, if not all of them, that are Republican or independent.”

Despite the size of the change the maps would bring, Democrats believe it’s just the latest continuation of a fight that Trump started.

“You have to fight fire with fire,” Rep. Suhas Subramanyam, D-Va., told Fox News Digital.

“The voters that I’m talking to feel that we can’t just sit back and be victims of redistricting. I don’t think this would be happening unless [Trump] pushed for redistricting in Texas and other red states,” Subramanyam said.

When asked if he thinks the changes would go too far, Subramanyam said he thinks Republicans will have a chance to press their case at the ballot box.

“If Republicans can win over the hearts and minds of Virginians, they will have a good cycle. It’s a very volatile map in that sense, and so I know many have argued that this is actually fair. I would say that it’s certainly a map where, if Republicans campaign well and their message resonates, they can win too,” Subramanyam said.

Since Trump urged lawmakers in Texas to push through a map change in July 2025, state legislatures across the country have explored ways to squeeze out a congressional advantage where control of the House hangs by a two-seat thread.

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Virginia’s map change, on its own, would give Democrats a path to flipping control of the chamber in November.

But the maps aren’t a sure thing. Their implementation turns on pending legal battles about whether the shakeup complies with the state’s constitutional requirements, according to a complaint filed late last year.

On Friday, the Virginia Supreme Court ruled that the redistricting consideration could continue while it deliberates over a final ruling on whether the maps are permissible.

To become official, maps will also require a statewide constitutional referendum. Under current law, Virginia’s constitution outlaws gerrymandering, the practice of drawing congressional districts to purposefully benefit a political party.

Subramanyam said the referendum gives voters a chance to express their will.

“It will come down to the voters. One good thing in Virginia is that people will have a say and can vote on the referendum in April. Folks in Texas, like where my family still lives, didn’t have a choice,” Subramanyam said, noting that Texas’s redistricting push didn’t require a constitutional amendment and was decided purely by the legislature.

Wittman believes the fact Virginia is looking to upend its own constitution should make the reshuffle a foregone conclusion.

When asked whether he sees Virginia’s redistricting question as a consequence of the redistricting in Texas, Wittman said the two situations differ because of existing state law.

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“Each state has their own constitution as to how they put together their congressional districts. Virginia’s is very clear. A super majority of voters — 66% of the voters — said we want a bipartisan redistricting commission. That’s Virginia,” Wittman said, referring to the 2020 vote in Virginia that outlawed gerrymandering.

“Texas is doing what Texas and its constitution allow,” he added.

Upon teeing up that referendum, Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger framed the action as a way to give Virginians a voice in a national debate over congressional redistricting.

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“Virginia voters deserve the opportunity to respond to nationwide attacks on our rights, freedoms and elections… I trust Virginia voters to respond,” Spanberger said in a statement.

Voters in the state will consider whether to “temporarily adopt new congressional districts to restore fairness in the upcoming elections” on April 21.