Newly sworn-in Secretary of State Marco Rubio will travel to Panama for his first international trip as the nation’s top diplomat, Fox News has learned.
Though details are still being worked out, the visit could come as early as next week.
The planned trip comes after repeated vows by President Donald Trump – who returned to the White House on Monday – to take back the Panama Canal.
Trump mentioned the Panama Canal again during his inaugural address on Monday, claiming that it was now in the hands of China and vowing to take it back.
"China is operating the Panama Canal. And we didn’t give it to China, we gave it to Panama, and we’re taking it back," Trump said.
Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino responded forcefully to Trump's comments on Wednesday saying, "we reject in its entirety everything that Mr. Trump has said. First, because it is false and second, because the Panama Canal belongs to Panama and will continue to belong to Panama."
The U.S. built the canal in the early 1900s under then President Theodore Roosevelt as it looked for ways to facilitate the transit of commercial and military vessels between its coasts. Washington relinquished control of the waterway to Panama on Dec. 31, 1999, under a treaty signed in 1977 by then President Jimmy Carter.
News of Rubio’s trip was first reported by Politico and could include other Central American countries like Guatemala and El Salvador, where Rubio is expected to address a top priority of curbing mass migration that he outlined earlier this week.
State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce tells Fox News that "Secretary Rubio is prioritizing the region because it’s where we live," adding "we won’t continue to ignore the region as other administrations have."
She added: "Engaging with our neighbors is a vital element in addressing migration, supply chains, and economic growth, which are key to Secretary Rubio’s pursuit of foreign policy focused on making America strong, prosperous, and safe."
Fox News Digital’s Adam Shaw and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
President Donald Trump warned late Wednesday that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is set to face a reckoning following four years under the Biden administration, arguing the emergency agency has "not done their job."
"FEMA has not done their job for the last four years. You know, I had FEMA working really well. We had hurricanes in Florida. We had Alabama tornadoes. But unless you have certain types of leadership, it's really, it gets in the way. And FEMA is going to be a whole big discussion very shortly, because I'd rather see the states take care of their own problems," Trump said Wednesday in an exclusive interview with Fox News' Sean Hannity, his first White House interview since his inauguration.
Trump then turned his attention to the state of Oklahoma, touting that he won all 77 of the state's counties in the 2024 election, and arguing that if the Sooner State is hit by a tornado, state leaders should take the lead on emergency response before the federal government steps in for additional assistance.
"I love Oklahoma, but you know what? If they get hit with a tornado or something, let Oklahoma fix it. … And then the federal government can help them out with the money. FEMA is getting in the way of everything, and the Democrats actually use FEMA not to help North Carolina," Trump continued.
FEMA came under the nation's microscope last year when Hurricane Helene ripped through North Carolina, devastating residents as it wiped out homes and businesses and killed more than 100 people. FEMA and the Biden administration faced fierce backlash for its handling of the emergency, while Trump accused the agency of obstructing relief efforts in Republican areas.
"The Democrats don't care about North Carolina. What they've done with FEMA is so bad. FEMA is a whole 'nother discussion, because all it does is complicate everything," he said.
"So I'm stopping on Friday. I'm stopping in North Carolina, first stop, because those people were treated very badly by Democrats. And I'm stopping there. We're going to get that thing straightened out because they're still suffering from a hurricane from months ago," Trump said.
Trump will visit North Carolina on Friday, his first trip as president, where he is expected to tour and meet with residents who were left devastated by the hurricane in September. He will also visit California that same day, where wildfires have ripped through the Los Angeles area this month.
The trip is set to highlight what Trump has described as emergency response failures at the hands of Democratic leaders.
"And then I'm going to then I'm going to go to California," he said, before criticizing Gov. Gavin Newsom's handling of wildfire prevention and response. Trump has long criticized the Democratic governor for prioritizing environmental policies, such as protecting the dwindling smelt and Chinook salmon populations, and not tapping water sources in the northern part of the state that he argued would allow better fire response.
"There is massive amounts of water, rain water and mountain water, that comes to with the snow, comes down, as it melts, there's so much water they're releasing it into the Pacific Ocean," he said.
Fox News host Sean Hannity revealed he told President Donald Trump after the 2020 election loss that a return to the White House four years after the Biden administration would be "bigger" than a consecutive win, comparing it to Winston Churchill's return as prime minister following World War II.
"Maybe I shouldn't disclose this, but I will, and it was after the 2020 election, and you asked me a question. And we've known each other for 30 years, so we have a friendship and we have a professional relationship," Hannity said in his exclusive interview with Trump on Wednesday.
"And the question you asked me, ‘maybe in the end, it will be better that if I came back in four years.’ And we talked about history. After World War Two, Winston Churchill was thrown out, but they brought him back. Grover Cleveland, the only other American president that did not serve consecutive terms," he continued.
Churchill served as prime minister twice, from 1940-1945 and again from 1951 to 1955. Trump is the second U.S. president to serve two, non-consecutive terms behind President Grover Cleveland, the nation's 22nd and 24th president.
Hannity explained that he believed "it would be bigger if you came back." Trump agreed that it's already shaping up that way after three days in office.
"It's turning out to be bigger. And I think one thing is happening is people are learning that they can't govern and that their policies are terrible. I mean, they don't want to see a woman get pummeled by a man in a boxing ring?" he said.
"They don't want to see men in women's sports … They don't want to have transgender for everyone. They don't want a child leave home as a boy and come back two days later as a girl. A parent doesn't want to see that, and there are states where that can happen. They don't want to see taxes go through the roof like this," he continued.
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) sent a memo to its civil rights division, ordering a freeze to all ongoing litigation originating from the Biden administration and halting the pursuit of any new cases or settlements, according to reports.
The Washington Post first reported that a memo sent to Kathleen Wolfe, the temporary head of the division appointed by the Trump administration, instructed her to make sure attorneys do not file "any new complaints, motions to intervene, agree-upon remands, amicus briefs, or statements of interest."
As to how long the freeze will last, the memo does not say, though it practically ceases the division until President Donald Trump’s nomination to lead the department, Harmeet Dhillon, is confirmed by the Senate.
The publication also reported the freeze was "consistent with the Department’s goal of ensuring that the Federal Government speaks with one voice in its view of the law and to ensure that the President’s appointees or designees have the opportunity to decide whether to initiate any new cases."
A source familiar with the memo confirmed its contents to Fox News.
The DOJ had no comment on the matter.
Wolfe was also told in another memo that the division must tell the chief of staff of the DOJ about any consent decrees finalized by the division over the past 90 days.
Earlier this month, a Kentucky judge declined to immediately sign a police reform consent decree forged by the DOJ and the city of Louisville during a hearing one courtroom participant described as a hasty attempt by the Biden administration to hamstring incoming President Trump.
But federal Judge Benjamin Beaton refused to be a "rubber stamp" for a 240-page reform plan prompted by the 2020 police-involved shooting of Breonna Taylor, according to Oversight Project counsel Kyle Brosnan.
Taylor was killed in a hail of police gunfire after Louisville officers sought to serve a drug warrant at her boyfriend Kenneth Walker’s house. Walker fired a "warning shot" through the door and struck Officer Jonathan Mattingly in the leg.
A consent decree, Brosnan noted, is different from other legal agreements in that it cannot simply be reversed by presidential order or a change of heart by one of the parties involved.
The consent decree alleged a pattern or practice of racial bias in Louisville policing, including in traffic stops, sexual assault probes or use of force.
There are at least two other police reform consent decrees going through the legal process, one in Maryland and one in Minnesota.
On Jan. 6, the DOJ reached an agreement with Minneapolis, which still requires court approval, to reform the department’s "unconstitutional and unlawful practices" allegedly counter to the Americans With Disabilities Act and 14th Amendment.
In October 2024, the feds sued the Maryland Department of State Police alleging Civil Rights Act violations.
"The United States claims MDSP violated Title VII when it used a certain physical fitness test and a certain written test to hire entry-level Troopers because the tests disqualified more female and African-American applicants than others and were not job related," a court document states.
Maryland police dispute the allegations.
Fox News Digital’s Charles Creitz contributed to this report.
FIRST ON FOX: Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), in the first days of the Trump administration, has made for that 460 arrests of illegal immigrants, include those with criminal histories that include sexual assault, domestic violence and drugs and weapons crimes.
Information obtained by Fox News Digital, shows that between midnight Jan. 21 and 9am Jan 22, a 33-hour period, ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) arrests over 460 aliens that include criminal histories of sexual assault, robbery, burglary, aggravated assault, drugs and weapons offenses, resisting arrest and domestic violence.
Agents arrested nationals from a slew of countries including Afghanistan, Angola, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Senegal and Venezuela.
Arrests took place across the U.S. including Illinois, Utah, California, Minnesota, New York, Florida and Maryland.
Meanwhile, ICE issued more than 420 detainers – requests ICE be notified when a national is released from custody. The nationals were arrested for crimes including homicide, sexual assault, kidnapping, battery and robbery.
– A Mexican national, Jesus Perez, arrested in Salt Lake City, charged with aggravated sexual abuse of a child.
– A Honduran national, Franklin Osorto-Cruz, convicted of driving while intoxicated. He was arrested in New York.
– A Jamaican national, Kamaro Denver Haye, arrested for "promote a sexual performance by a child less than 17 years of age and possessing sexual performance by child less than 16 years of age: possess/access to view."
– A Mexican national, Jesus Baltazar Mendoza, convicted of 2nd degree assault of a child. He was arrested in St. Paul.
– Colombian national Andres Orjuela Parra, who was arrested in San Francisco. He has a conviction of sexual penetration with a foreign object on an unaware victim.
– Six illegal immigrants in Miami from Guatemala, with criminal histories including battery, child abuse, fraud, resisting arrest, DWI, trespassing and vandalism.
Meanwhile, Fox News' Bill Melugin was on the ground in Boston, where agents arrested multiple MS-13 gang members, Interpol Red Notices, and murder & rape suspects.
The arrests come as the Trump administration is moving rapidly to fulfill its promise to launch a historic mass deportation operation, which it has said will focus primarily – but not exclusively – on public safety threats.
This week the administration has made a slew of moves to make it happen, including a barrage of executive orders by President Trump and subsequent moves by his cabinet agencies.
Fox News reported Wednesday that the Department of Homeland Security has removed limits from powers of expedited removal, a day after it rescinded a Biden-era memo restricting where ICE can conduct enforcement operations.
"Teams are out there as of today," Homan said on "America’s Newsroom" on Tuesday. "We gave them direction to prioritize public safety threats that we're looking for. We've been working up the target list."
"Right out of the gate it’s public safety threats, those who are in the country illegally that have been convicted, arrested for serious crime," he said. "But let me be clear. There's not only public safety threats that will be arrested, because in sanctuary cities, we're not allowed to get that public safety threat in the jail, which means we got to go to the neighborhood and find him."
Fox News' Sophia Compton contributed to this report.
Kai Madison Trump, daughter of Donald Trump Jr., garnered nearly 27 million combined views on TikTok and YouTube after posting a vlog of her grandfather's historic Inauguration Day.
In the 14-minute YouTube video, the 17-year-old is seen getting ready for the day with a hair and makeup team, before heading to a church service.
The family then traveled by car to the U.S. Capitol, where President Donald Trump was inaugurated.
Kai snacked on Red Bull and cookies that she picked up inside the Capitol building, while joking with her father ahead of the ceremony.
Although she was not allowed to film the event, she included a number of clips.
The family got ready for the Liberty Inauguration Ball, where Kai stunned in a silver sequined Sherri Hill gown.
"My favorite part of this dress is the corset part because it just makes it look really flattering," she said while spinning for the camera. "I also love all the diamonds and silver stuff. I think it looks really nice on my skin tone."
The dress designer is linked in the teen's video description, but it is unclear if they have a business relationship. Fox News Digital requested comment.
Kai and her family then dropped by the White House to see President Trump, entering through a side door.
Framed photos in White House hallways featured art of the newly-sworn in president.
The family took pictures in front of the fireplace in the iconic Diplomatic Reception Room.
She then showed her 806,000 subscribers the Green, Blue and Red rooms - a set of three parlors named for their color schemes.
"By the way, welcome to the White House," she told viewers.
They arrived at the ball where she expressed anxiety about dancing with her father in front of a crowd. Nerves seemed to wear off as the family made a number of other appearances.
She arrived at her hotel around 1 a.m., ready to get some rest before heading out of the nation's capital the next morning.
In less than a day, the video amassed nearly 1.5 million views and 83,000 likes on YouTube.
"When we play golf together, if I’m not on his team, he’ll try to get inside of my head," she said. "He is always surprised that I don’t let him get to me, but I have to remind him I’m a Trump too."
Kai committed in August to play collegiate golf at the University of Miami.
Kai's production/representation, AKA Collective, did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.
AKA Collective lists one of its clients as pro golfer Bryson DeChambeau, who posted a viral YouTube video in July playing a round with Trump.
Two police officers convicted in the death of a man riding a moped in Washington, D.C., have received pardons from President Donald Trump, the White House announced Wednesday.
Former Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) Lt. Andrew Zabavsky, 56, who was convicted of conspiracy and obstruction of justice, was sentenced in September in the 2020 death of Karon Hylton-Brown. Another former MPD officer, Terence Sutton Jr., 40, was also convicted and sentenced in the case.
In a statement, the White House said Trump granted Zabavsky and Sutton full and unconditional pardons.
On Tuesday, the DC Police Union said it was working with the Trump administration to ensure pardons for Zabavsky and Sutton. That same day, Trump said he approved pardons for both men.
"These officers — men of integrity and dedication — were targeted by corrupt prosecutors who weaponized the legal system against them," the union said.
Sutton was convicted and sentenced to 66 months in prison for Hylton-Brown's death, while Zabavsky was sentenced to a 48-month prison term.
Hylton-Brown was riding a moped without a helmet on a sidewalk Oct. 23, 2020, when Sutton tried to pull him over in an unmarked car, authorities said. A chase ensued, reaching speeds of more than double the speed limit on residential streets, the Justice Department said.
Hylton-Brown was eventually struck by a vehicle in an alley during the pursuit. He sustained severe head trauma and died two days later. The pursuit appeared to violate the Metropolitan Police Department's policy prohibiting chases.
High-speed chases are barred over minor traffic offenses.
Prosecutors alleged both officers conspired to hide the events that led to Hylton's death, such as failing to tell superior officers about the seriousness of his injuries.
Prosecutors also claimed the officers deactivated their body cameras minutes after the collision and failed to take statements from witnesses.
Trump formally nominated Sean Curran, the head of his personal Secret Service security detail, to serve as director of the U.S. Secret Service on Wednesday.
In a Truth Social post on Wednesday, Trump wrote that it was an "honor" to appoint Curran.
"Sean is a Great Patriot, who has protected my family over the past few years, and that is why I trust him to lead the Brave Men and Women of the United States Secret Service," the president wrote.
Trump went on to call Curran a "brilliant leader, who is capable of directing and leading operational security plans for some of the most complex Special Security Events in the History of our Country, and the World."
"He proved his fearless courage when he risked his own life to help save mine from an assassin’s bullet in Butler, Pennsylvania," Trump said. "I have complete and total confidence in Sean to make the United States Secret Service stronger than ever before."
This is a breaking news story. Check back with us for updates.
Fox News Digital's Michael Ruiz contributed to this report.
So, here are some Senate vocabulary terms for you.
Cloture, filibuster and ripen.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., filed "cloture" Tuesday to break filibusters on three nominees, starting with Ratcliffe. "Invoking cloture" is the parliamentary means to break a filibuster.
A filibuster is in the eyes of the beholder. A filibuster could be a way to hold something up via a lengthy speech. It could be a way to just object and sidetrack the Senate’s course. Or, it could be implied that senators who plan to deploy either option. Thus, the Senate Majority Leader gets the joke. He knows he must "file cloture" to terminate the "filibuster."
Democrats appear dug in on Ratcliffe. So Thune took the procedural step of filing cloture petitions to overcome a filibuster on the the Ratcliffe nomination, but also for Defense Secretary nominee Pete Hegseth and Homeland Security Secretary nominee Kristi Noem.
By rule, once cloture is filed, it must "ripen" for a day before the Senate may consider it. Thune filed cloture on Ratcliffe Tuesday. Therefore Wednesday serves as the intervening day. The Senate could vote to break the filibuster one hour after the Senate meets on Thursday at 10 am et. By rule, the cloture vote can begin at 11 am et. That will only need 51 yeas to break the filibuster.
CIA Director is not recognized as a full-level cabinet position. So the "post cloture" time is limited to only two hours – not the full 30 hours of debate allowed for all cabinet level slots.
Thus, if the Senate breaks the filibuster on Thursday, a vote to confirm Ratcliffe as CIA Director could come just two hours later. Confirmation only needs 51 votes.
Next in the queue is the Hegseth nomination. And the process starts all over again.
Fox has learned that unless there is a time agreement to accelerate debate on nominees, it is possible that the confirmation vote on Defense Secretary nominee Pete Hegseth could come late Friday night or in the wee hours of Saturday morning.
So let’s say the Senate clears the filibuster on Ratcliffe by late morning. It debates his nomination for a couple of hours. That means the Senate could vote by 3 or 4 p.m. ET to confirm Ratcliffe.
Once Ratcliffe is confirmed, Hegseth is next. The Senate could then vote to break the filibuster on Hegseth on Thursday afternoon. If the Senate breaks the filibuster, that would then trigger up to 30 hours of debate. If all time is used, final confirmation on Hegseth could come late Friday night or early Saturday morning.
Fox is told it’s possible there could be a tie on the confirmation vote for Hegseth. It’s about the math. Republicans have 53 members. Fox is told to keep an eye on Sens. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska. All have played their cards close to the vest as to their opinions on Hegseth. If they vote nay, Vice President Vance could need to come to the Capitol to break the tie and confirm Hegseth as Defense Secretary.
No vice president had ever broken a tie to confirm a cabinet secretary until former Vice President Mike Pence did so to confirm Betsy DeVos as Education Secretary on February 7, 2017. Pence also broke ties to confirm former Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kan., as ambassador for religious freedom in 2018. He also broke a tie to confirm current Budget Director nominee Russ Vought as Deputy Budget Director in 2018.
Once the Senate dispenses with the Hegseth nomination, it’s on to a procedural vote for Noem. The Senate would need to break a filibuster on Noem’s nomination. If that vote comes late Friday/early Saturday, the Senate could vote to confirm Noem midday Sunday if they burn all time. If the vote to break the filibuster on Noem comes at a "normal" hour Saturday (say 10 or 11 am et), the Senate doesn’t vote to confirm Noem until Sunday night or Monday if all time is required.
Thune also filed cloture on the nomination of Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent late Thursday. So that’s up once Noem is confirmed. If all time is used, Bessent isn’t confirmed until early next week.
"Do you all have your sleeping bags and cots?" asked Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Roger Wicker, R-Miss.
Everyone is settling in for a slog.
"Right now it appears there's every indication that votes will be taking place through Saturday. We'll see if that goes into Sunday or Monday without any days in between. But right now, I'm planning on being there for the weekend for votes," said Sen. Ben Ray Lujan, D-N.M.
"I'm happy to be here all weekend, if that's what it takes," said Sen. Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo.
That said, Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin, D-Ill., cautioned that things sometimes accelerate in the Senate. Especially when there’s chatter of late-night votes and weekend sessions.
"I think I've seen this game before," said Durbin Tuesday. "I think it ends with an accommodation and a bipartisan agreement. So I wouldn't jump too quickly now to reach a conclusion."
Democrats want to make a point about their reservations Trump nominees – especially those with whom they vehemently disagree or believe are unqualified. So politically, it’s important that they go to the mat and show their base they’re standing up to the President and his cabinet.
By the same token, this is Thune’s first rodeo as Majority Leader. He needs to establish his bona fides as Leader. Politically, Thune must demonstrate he’s fighting for Mr. Trump and his nominees – and willing to keep the Senate in session around the clock. In other words, there’s a new sheriff in town.
So, unless something changes, everyone is dialed in for some lengthy weekend and even late-night sessions. It’s likely the Senate will confirm President Trump’s nominees.
President Trump re-designated the Houthis as a foreign terrorist organization (FTO) on Wednesday, four years after his first administration made an identical move.
In an executive order signed on Wednesday, Trump said that the terrorist group "threaten[s] the security of American civilians and personnel in the Middle East, the safety of our closest regional partners, and the stability of global maritime trade."
"Supported by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds Force (IRGC-QF), which arms and trains terrorist organizations worldwide, the Houthis have fired at U.S. Navy warships dozens of times since 2023, endangering American men and women in uniform," the order noted.
Trump also documented that "numerous" attacks that the terrorist group has conducted over the years, including "multiple attacks on civilian airports in Saudi Arabia, the deadly January 2022 attacks on the United Arab Emirates, and more than 300 projectiles fired at Israel since October 2023."
"The Houthis have also attacked commercial vessels transiting Bab al-Mandeb more than 100 times, killing at least four civilian sailors and forcing some Red Sea maritime commercial traffic to reroute, which has contributed to global inflation," the order added.
Trump administration designated the Houthis as an FTO in January 2021. In a Wednesday press release, the White House noted that the Biden administration immediately reversed it.
"As a result of the Biden administration’s weak policy, the Houthis have fired at U.S. Navy warships dozens of times, launched numerous attacks on civilian infrastructure in partner nations, and attacked commercial vessels transiting Bab al-Mandeb more than 100 times," the White House said on Wednesday.
"The Executive Order directs the Secretary of State, in consultation with others, to recommend the re-designation of the Houthis within 30 days."
Though the Biden White House removed the FTO designation in January 2021, Biden did name the Houthis as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) entity last week. That designation is considered a lower grade than an FTO.
Then-State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller defended the move in a press conference, claiming that the Houthis recently launched attacks on cargo ships in the Middle East – though the group has targeted commercial ships for years.
"The Houthis were procuring military equipment long before that designation and they continued to procure it in the year since," Miller explained. "What's changed as we have seen them launching attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea, something that wasn't the case in 2021. And that's why we decided it was important to take this step. "
Welcome to the Fox News Politics newsletter, with the latest updates on the Trump administration, exclusive interviews and more Fox News politics content.
The U.S. State Department has adopted a new policy under the Trump administration that effectively blocks U.S. embassies and outposts from flying Pride and Black Lives Matter flags, a report said Tuesday.
The Washington Free Beacon first reported that it obtained a copy of the "One Flag Policy" order, which permits only the American flag to be flown at U.S. facilities at home and abroad, with two notable exceptions: the Prisoner of War/Missing in Action (POW/MIA) emblem and the Wrongful Detainees Flag.
"Starting immediately, only the United States of America flag is authorized to be flown or displayed at U.S. facilities, both domestic and abroad, and featured in U.S. government content," the memo states, according to the outlet. "The flag of the United States of America united all Americans under the universal principles of justice, liberty, and democracy. These values, which are the bedrock of our great country, are shared by all American citizens, past and present."…Read more
ROOTING OUT DEI: Trump revokes Biden order allowing transgender troops in bid to rid DEI from military…Read more
KEY MEETING: Trump, GOP leaders meet at White House as president plans visit to NC, defends executive orders…Read more
'DESPERATE ATTEMPTS': Pastors, conservatives unleash on Episcopal bishop for 'weaponizing' the pulpit against Trump…Read more
BYE-BYE BIDEN: Biden returns to California vacation spot after leaving office…Read more
'VERY NICE': Biden left Trump 'inspirational' message in 'very nice' letter, new president says…Read more
'NOT VERY GOOD AT HER JOB!': Trump excoriates bishop as 'Radical Left hard line Trump hater' after politically charged prayer service…Read more
TALIBAN FEARS: Trump order puts thousands of Afghan allies waiting for US resettlement in limbo…Read more
A NEW HEALTHCARE HORIZON: Trump's Day One actions reversed Biden-era health policies, including efforts to expand ObamaCare…Read more
ODD MAN OUT: Nearly all of D.C. shut down for Trump's inauguration. So why was there no designated survivor?…Read more
'DO NOT NEGOTIATE': UN urges diplomacy as Iran hits nuclear 'gas pedal,' conservative commentator tells Trump ‘do not appease’…Read more
'FIGHTING BACK': Democrats join DOGE subcommittee, including member seeking 'good government'…Read more
'SHOULDN'T BE HARD': Sen. Thune suggests staying through weekend to confirm Trump picks after Dems delay votes…Read more
'OPEN YOUR ASIAN EYES': Dem rising star eyeing elected office has social media littered with vulgar post…Read more
LAND GRAB: Senate Republicans launch effort to ban Chinese nationals from buying land in US…Read more
'HONOR AND BRAVERY': Vermont Border Patrol agent allegedly killed by German national worked in Pentagon during 9/11…Read more
HIGH AND DRY: California water supply crucial for LA wildfire response allowed to run dry months before infernos: lawsuit…Read more
'BACK IN BUSINESS': Alaska leaders cheer Trump oil and gas drilling executive order…Read more
‘THE LAW IS CLEAR’: Adams says NYC is coordinating with ICE as mass migrant deportations loom…Read more
'BREATH OF FRESH AIR': Mother of missing Marine veteran calls Trump admin a 'breath of fresh air' as she continues 12-year search…Read more
Get the latest updates on the Trump administration and Congress, exclusive interviews and more on FoxNews.com.
The Republican Party's Laken Riley Act is heading to President Donald Trump’s desk to become the first bill he signs into law after the party retook both chambers of Congress and the White House.
The House of Representatives passed the bill in a 263 to 156 vote on Wednesday, the second time the lower chamber advanced the bill this month.
It passed the House 264 to 159 on Jan. 7. All voting Republicans supported the bill, along with 48 Democrats – two more than the most recent vote.
The GOP-controlled Senate also advanced the bill in a bipartisan 64 to 35 vote, but added measures to deport illegal immigrants who assault a police officer or cause death or "serious bodily injury" of another person.
The original bill would direct Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers to detain illegal immigrants accused of theft-related crimes. It also would allow states to sue the Department of Homeland Security for harm caused to their citizens because of illegal immigration.
The majority of Democrats were against the bill, arguing that allowing people accused but not convicted of crimes to be deported is a slippery slope. But supporters of the bill point out that people here illegally have already run afoul of U.S. law.
It’s notable, however, that more Democrats supported the bill when it passed the House this month than when it first came up for a vote in 2024. It’s a marked difference from last year when the then-Democrat-controlled Senate did not even take up the bill for a vote.
"Nothing ever happens in this town up here until the American people demand it," the bill’s leader, Rep. Mike Collins, R-Ga., told Fox News Digital when asked about the increased support from the left.
"And they have been screaming at the top of their lungs for something to happen to fix the border problem."
Rep. Randy Feenstra, R-Iowa, who led Sarah's Law, one of the amendments adopted in the bill, told Fox News Digital, "Nearly a decade ago, 21-year-old Sarah Root's life was tragically cut short when she was killed by an illegal immigrant who was driving while drunk…Sarah's Law not only delivered justice for the Root family but also ensures that any illegal immigrant who harms or kills an American citizen is swiftly detained and prosecuted."
GOP lawmakers are working to follow through on Trump’s promises to crack down on illegal immigration and border security amid a flurry of executive orders from the president on those same issues. They’re positioning the Laken Riley Act as the first bill to get Trump’s signature as a reflection of their effort to make his agenda permanent.
The bill is named after a nursing student who was killed by an illegal immigrant while jogging on the University of Georgia's campus.
Jose Ibarra, who was sentenced to life in prison for Laken Riley's murder, had previously been arrested but was never detained by ICE.
A Danish Member of European Parliament (MEP) seethed at U.S. President Donald Trump amid his bid to have Greenland sold or ceded to the United States.
MEP Anders Vistisen, a member of the right-wing Danish People’s Party, addressed Trump’s efforts at an EU session in Strasburg, France.
"Dear President Trump, listen very carefully: Greenland has been part of the Danish kingdom for 800 years. It is an integrated part of our country. It is not for sale," Vistisen said.
Appearing to cue into the American president’s occasional salty language, Vistisen said he would put his remarks in "words you might understand."
"Mr. Trump, f--- off," said Vistisen. The remark drew a formal reprimand from European Parliament Vice President Nicolae Ștefănuță, who, however, suggested he too has reservations about Trump.
"If the translation was correct, the term you used is not allowed in this House, and there will be consequences to the message you have used," said Ștefănuță, who represents Romania.
"It is not OK in this House of Democracy. Regardless of what we think of Mr. Trump, it is not possible to use such language."
First son Donald Trump Jr. led a small delegation to Nuuk — the Greenlandic capital — prior to the inauguration and met with members of the public and reportedly held a luncheon.
Both Greenlandic Prime Minister Mute Egede and Danish PM Mette Frederiksen have said the landmass is not for sale.
The island enjoys relative autonomy in domestic affairs and relies on Copenhagen for foreign policy and support.
The U.S. does, however, retain a U.S. Space Force presence on Greenland — at Pituffik (formerly Thule) Air Base near Savissivik.
Just over 100 years ago, the U.S. did successfully purchase Danish lands from Copenhagen.
King Christian X of Denmark and the U.S. Senate both ratified a 1916 treaty that led to the purchase of what are now the United States Virgin Islands (USVI) — St. Thomas, St. John and St. Croix. Then-President Woodrow Wilson, a Democrat, approved the treaty.
Wilson's Secretary of State Frank Polk said the island chain's people would have American nationality but not the "political status of citizens," according to the State Department’s archives.
Residents were, however, later given full citizenship through a 1932 act of Congress.
With its roots as the Danish West Indies and originally home to British expatriates, it is also the only U.S. territory where driving on the left side of the road is the law.
Leaders in one Southern California city fed up with the state's immigration policies have voted to become a "non-sanctuary" city and ignore the state's sanctuary laws.
The resolution was approved by the Huntington Beach City Council Tuesday night by a unanimous 7-0 vote. Mayor Pat Burns, who introduced the legislation, "Non-Sanctuary City for Illegal Immigration for the Prevention of Crime," said the move was a matter of public safety.
"This is in the best interest of our community, Huntington Beach, to make sure that we utilize every facet of law enforcement we can to make it the best place to live," Burns, a former law enforcement officer, said during Tuesday's meeting alongside a small bust sculpture of President Donald Trump.
The move directs the city's police officers to work with federal immigration authorities and notify immigration officials when they are about to release an illegal immigrant from jail.
The resolution "deliberately sidestep[s] the Governor’s efforts to subvert the good work of federal immigration authorities and to announce the city’s cooperation with the federal government, the Trump Administration and Border Czar Tom Homan’s work," the city said in a news release.
Sanctuary cities prohibit their law enforcement personnel from cooperating with federal immigration authorities. The practice has come under scrutiny for shielding criminal illegal immigrants from being deported.
In addition to the resolution, Huntington Beach is suing the state over its sanctuary state laws, which it claims are unconstitutional.
Before the vote, Councilman Chad Williams chided state lawmakers for enacting policies to protect illegal immigrants, including those convicted of violent crimes.
"If we want to voluntarily cooperate with federal authorities to protect our community, that is absolutely our prerogative," he said. "It's just basic common sense. Why wouldn't you want to use every tool available to keep your community safe?"
The resolution text mentions crimes committed by illegal immigrants on behalf of criminal gangs like MS-13 and Tren de Aragua, which gained widespread attention after its members allegedly terrorized residents at a Colorado apartment complex.
Tuesday's vote came weeks after California Gov. Gavin Newsom proposed a "Trump-proof" legal defense fund of up to $25 million for California's justice department. Trump has promised to target criminal illegal immigrants for deportation.
"In California in particular, fighting crime is difficult enough with the relaxed criminal laws and lack of enforcement. The State should get out of the way of local law enforcement, stop handcuffing our police officers and California’s cities, and get back to the business of protecting innocent citizens," Huntington Beach City Attorney Michael Gates said in a press release.
"Emphatically, the State should not take a position of violating federal immigration laws or encouraging cities to violate federal immigration laws."
President Donald Trump's latest executive order seeks to water down diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) practices in federally funded higher-education institutions in an effort to restore "merit-based opportunity," according to the White House.
During his first two days in office, Trump issued a slew of executive orders, including ordering that all federal agencies close their DEI offices by Wednesday and put employees in those units on paid leave. To further his effort to deter DEI, the president is launching a federal review of such teachings and practices in educational institutions receiving federal funding.
"Institutions of higher education have adopted and actively use dangerous, demeaning, and immoral race and sex-based preferences under the guise of so-called ‘diversity, equity, and inclusion,’" reads the White House order, published on Tuesday.
The order requires that the attorney general and secretary of education identify potential civil compliance investigations among institutions of higher education with endowments over $1 billion dollars and, accordingly, develop action plans to "deter DEI programs or principles that constitute illegal discrimination or preferences."
Within 120 days, the AG and the secretary of education will issue guidance to state and local educational institutions that receive federal funds or grants or that participate in the student loan program. The focus will be on ensuring compliance with the Supreme Court's decision in Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. President and Fellows of Harvard College, a landmark case that held that race-based admissions practices violate the Fourteenth Amendment.
"Illegal DEI and DEIA policies not only violate the text and spirit of our longstanding Federal civil-rights laws, they also undermine our national unity, as they deny, discredit, and undermine the traditional American values of hard work, excellence, and individual achievement in favor of an unlawful, corrosive, and pernicious identity-based spoils system," the memo reads.
The executive order noted that it will not prevent educational institutions or agencies from engaging in "First Amendment-protected" speech.
Rep. Tim Walberg, R-Mich., who chairs the House Education and the Workforce Committee, applauded Trump for pushing back against the controversial practice.
"For too long, social justice warriors crusaded to mandate DEI in every corner of America. Instead of merit, skills and ability, DEI devotees pushed policies that are antithetical to American exceptionalism," Walberg said. "From the classroom to the boardroom, Americans have felt the negative effects. DEI has bloated education budgets while telling students what to think instead of how to think."
Jonathan Turley, a Fox News contributor and the Shapiro Professor of Public Interest Law at George Washington University, suggested in an analysis of the executive order that it "will send a shock wave through higher education and the resulting agency actions are likely to trigger a tsunami of lawsuits."
Meanwhile, one education expert suggested that universities could begin to pre-comply with new DEI measures.
"It seems very plausible that higher-education institutions will pre-comply, even before the Department of Education or the National Science Foundation writes it into specific projects," Eboo Patel, founder and president of Interfaith America, told the Chronicle of Higher Education."Universities will adopt the spirit of the executive order."
Nearly 10 states, including one with a Democrat governor, have already either banned or prohibited the use of DEI initiatives in public colleges and universities.
Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., disrupted Senate Republicans' plans to quickly confirm President Donald Trump's national security nominees on Tuesday night when he objected to bypassing lengthy procedural votes that are routinely skipped.
"Unfortunately, we were at the point of almost having a consent agreement to have a vote on the confirmation of John Ratcliffe to be the CIA director tomorrow. Not today, not yesterday, when it should have happened, but tomorrow," Senate Republican Conference Chairman Tom Cotton, R-Ark., said on the chamber floor. "But the senator from Connecticut has decided to object at the last minute."
"I don't really understand the objection to Mr. Ratcliffe. He was confirmed by the Senate to be the director of National intelligence. He was fully vetted through the bipartisan process in the Senate Intelligence Committee. We voted him out yesterday on a 14 to 3 vote," Cotton, also the chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, continued.
During his objection, Murphy said there were "serious concerns" from some Democrats about Trump's CIA pick John Ratcliffe. "I don't think it's too much to ask to make sure that we have a full, real debate that lasts two days on the Senate floor," he said.
The Connecticut Democrat notably previewed Trump's eventual second presidency over the summer. "There's a lot of anxiety in the country and in the party today, and that's because the stakes are so high," he said.
"That's because Donald Trump presents an existential threat to democracy. He has advertised he is going to transition this country from a democracy to a dictatorship," he claimed in a July appearance on CNN.
Murphy's Tuesday night objection to speeding through the routine procedural votes is the first case of Democrats using the strategy Republicans employed while in the Senate minority to gain leverage to negotiate.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., expressed his frustration with the objection on the floor, saying, "OK, so 14 to 3 coming out of the committee. And we've now wasted a whole day where we could have been acting on that nomination."
"And so really, I think the question before the House is, do we want a vote on these folks on Tuesday or vote on them on Friday, Saturday and Sunday? Because that's what we're going to do," he said, threatening weekend votes in the upper chamber.
Murphy foreshadowed this type of defiance while speaking to reporters last week.
"I think Republicans changed the rules here over the last two years," he said. "They used extraordinary powers to block nominees and to lengthen every process."
"The rules are different now, they changed the way the Senate works," he reiterated.
Thune took the necessary actions to tee up eventual votes on Ratcliffe, Trump's choice to lead the Department of Defense Pete Hegseth and his pick for Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem. Since there is no agreement with Democrats to limit debate and bypass certain procedural votes, the nominations will not ripen for confirmation votes for more than a day.
FIRST ON FOX: Republican senators are putting forth legislation that would ban China from buying U.S. land entirely.
The Not One More Inch or Acre Act, led by Republican Sens. Tom Cotton of Arkansas, Kevin Cramer of North Dakota and Katie Britt of Alabama, would require the sale of land owned or "influenced" by the CCP that is deemed a national security risk. It would direct the president to take action to prohibit the purchase of public or private real estate in the U.S. by Chinese citizens or companies.
China owned around 350,000 acres of farmland across 27 states as of last year, according to data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
As of 2022, foreign entities and individuals held 43.4 million acres of U.S. agricultural land, which is nearly 2% of all land in the U.S.
Lawmakers have argued that China’s land buys are a national security risk since many of them are near military installations. For years, Chinese nationals have attempted to breach U.S. military facilities, often through the use of surveillance drones or posing as tourists.
"For decades, the Chinese Communist Party has been gobbling up American farmland and real estate," Cotton, chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said in a statement.
"At best, this submits American land and resources to China’s best interests, not America’s—at worst, these purchases serve as outposts for Chinese espionage campaigns against American businesses and military bases. We can’t allow Chinese citizens, or anyone affiliated with the CCP, to own one more inch of American soil. And any American land exploited by current Chinese ownership should be sold."
Some states have already barred foreign nationals from purchasing land.
Smithfield Foods, which has a Chinese parent company, makes up the largest share of Chinese-owned land with 110,000 acres.
A 2022 Chinese land purchase brought concerns to a fever pitch when food producer Fufeng Group bought 370 acres for corn milling near a North Dakota Air Force base.
"One acre of American farmland owned by the Chinese Communist Party is one acre too many," said Britt. "The CCP's strategic acquisition of farmland, particularly near our military installations, isn't just a national security risk, it is a threat to our economic and food security."
That prompted the Biden administration to propose a rule requiring any foreign company or individual looking to buy land within 100 miles of certain U.S. military bases to get government approval.
Last month, a Chinese national was arrested at San Francisco International Airport before he could board a flight to China on accusations that he tried to fly a drone over Vandenberg Air Force base in California.
Efforts to thwart China from purchasing U.S. farmland near U.S. military installations have gained steam among Republicans in both chambers.
"It's a major concern for me that countries like China have increased purchases of American farmland tenfold over the last decade to control our land and threaten our food, energy and national security," Rep. Randy Feenstra, R-Iowa, who led efforts in the House to ban China from buying farmland suitable for energy production, told Fox News Digital.