Fox News Politics Newsletter: Judge orders DOJ to hand over grand jury records to Comey
Welcome to the Fox News Politics newsletter, with the latest updates on the Trump administration, Capitol Hill and more Fox News politics content. Here’s what’s happening… -Trump says Mamdani meeting in the works: ‘We’ll work something out’ –Zeldin overhauls Biden-era water rule to end ‘weaponization’ that led ‘puddles’ to trigger pricy permits -Rapper Nicki Minaj and U.N. ambassador join voices against Christian persecution in Nigeria A judge on Monday ordered the Department of Justice to hand over grand jury material to former FBI Director James Comey, an unusual move that the judge said was necessary because of the department’s “highly unusual” activity during the secret grand jury proceedings. Magistrate Judge William Fitzpatrick scolded the DOJ in the order for what he said was a glaring mishandling of evidence presented to grand jurors and possible misstatements by the case’s lead prosecutor, Lindsey Halligan. “The Court is finding that the government’s actions in this case — whether purposeful, reckless, or negligent — raise genuine issues of misconduct, are inextricably linked to the government’s grand jury presentation, and deserve to be fully explored by the defense,” Fitzpatrick wrote…READ MORE. LONGSHOT: Traders bet Supreme Court won’t back Trump on tariffs, dimming rebate hopes CHECKS AND BALANCES: Ex-judges blast top Trump DOJ official for declaring ‘war’ on courts LIGHTS OUT PLOT: China’s energy siege of Taiwan could cripple US supply chains, report warns RED DRAGON RISING: China military reaches ‘war footing’ with new missile silos and advanced AI warfare systems ‘PUBLICITY STUNT’: ‘Radical Left’ shutdown message ignites firestorm as Democrats push for federal probe ‘NO DOWNSIDES’: Shutdown chaos reignites debate over privatizing US air traffic control PATRIOTIC CHEER: Iconic DC landmark unveils first Christmas tree as part of push to revive holiday spirit Get the latest updates on the Trump administration and Congress, exclusive interviews and more on FoxNews.com.
Lawmakers warned PennDOT of illegal immigrant-CDL crisis before bust; GOP demands answers from Shapiro
EXCLUSIVE: Pennsylvania lawmakers warned Harrisburg officials of a potential crisis on their hands before Monday’s arrest of an Uzbek illegal immigrant trucker in Kansas who held a PennDOT commercial driver’s license (CDL). Senate Intergovernmental Operations Committee Chairman Jarrett Coleman shared a letter with Fox News Digital that he sent just days earlier to PennDOT Secretary Mike Carroll asking for answers to how illegal immigrants were receiving CDL licenses despite stated rigorous identity checks. Coleman, R-Allentown, said Monday’s incident was “deeply disturbing but not surprising” and another example of Gov. Josh Shapiro’s administration “prioritiz[ing] political optics over public safety.” He said Pennsylvanians deserve accountability in situations like this and if the administration will not provide public answers, then there is a “much bigger problem on our hands.” TRUCKERS WARN OF ‘FOREIGN INVASION’ AS DHS CRACKS DOWN ON ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT DRIVERS “Public safety is not negotiable,” he said. “Ten days ago, I and several colleagues formally requested answers from PennDOT about what safeguards they have in place to prevent individuals who are in this country illegally, and in some cases have criminal records, from obtaining CDLs.” ICE ARRESTS ILLEGAL-IMMIGRANT TRUCKER FROM UZBEKISTAN OVER ALLEGED TERROR TIES The letter had been prompted by reports that a dozen illegal immigrants netted in an October bust of about 80 noncitizen truckers in Oklahoma were issued their licenses by Harrisburg. “Gov. Shapiro is quick to jump in front of cameras and tout his leadership, but when it comes to answering basic questions about how his administration is protecting Pennsylvania drivers, we get silence,” Coleman said. “This isn’t just bureaucratic delay. It’s stonewalling. And it’s dangerous.” Coleman led the letter, which was cosigned by Sens. Doug Mastriano, R-Gettysburg, Kristin Phillips-Hill, R-Dallastown, and Dawn Keefer, R-Dillsburg. EXPERT REVEALS HOW ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT TRUCKER MAY HAVE GOTTEN COMMERCIAL LICENSE BEFORE FATAL FLORIDA CRASH It requested Carroll provide more than a dozen datapoints, including whether PennDOT has even reviewed the files of the CDL holders arrested by ICE since October, and whether those drivers were properly verified at the time of issuance. Carroll was also asked whether PennDOT is using required federal “systematic alien verification for entitlements” to verify immigration status, and whether it was complying with a directive from U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy to halt all issuances of “non-domiciled CDLs.” BLUE STATE IN THE HOT SEAT AFTER ICE BUSTS ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT WITH ‘NO NAME GIVEN’ ON LICENSE Since the letter was sent, a federal judge rebuked Duffy and overturned his suspension of license issuance. Coleman also asked Carroll about any internal audits, oversight mechanisms, corrective action plans or assessments of public safety risks from their current modus operandi. A spokeswoman for Carroll confirmed PennDOT received Coleman’s letter and is in the process of responding. She assured that whenever “non-citizen applicants apply for a CDL in Pennsylvania, PennDOT follows applicable federal and state processes, reviewing the necessary immigration and naturalization documents and confirming the non-citizen’s legal status in real-time using [DHS’] SAVE database before issuing a license — if the applicant clears the SAVE process, which confirms the applicant is residing in the U.S. under legal status, and successfully meets all other criteria, a license is issued. “PennDOT completes these two checks to confirm legal status with the federal government every time it issues a license to a non-citizen,” the spokeswoman said. BLUE STATE INVESTIGATES HOW ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT TRUCKER GOT LICENSE BEFORE DEADLY FLORIDA CRASH Carroll, a state lawmaker from former President Joe Biden’s home county of Lackawanna, said he has the “greatest level of faith in our driver’s license and motor vehicle folks” when it comes to properly verifying “substantial documentation” required for REAL IDs and licenses. Later Tuesday, the Pennsylvania Republican Party issued its own demand for Shapiro to speak out on the growing issue. State Republican Party Chairman Greg Rothman, a state senator from Cumberland County, called it “not just a policy failure [but] a national security breach right here in Pennsylvania. “How in the world did someone with terrorist ties pass every check to get behind the wheel of an 18-wheeler in our state?” Rothman said the Uzbek national, Akhror Bozorov, also obtained REAL ID verification from PennDOT. “The people who signed off on this need to be found, fired, and Gov. Shapiro must answer for this.” Shapiro’s office hit back at critics and suggested they instead question the Trump administration about the situation. “If officials are concerned about this, they should redirect their attention to DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, who manages the federal database that is checked before any Pennsylvania licenses are issued to non-citizens,” said Rosie Lapowsky, a spokeswoman for Shapiro. “The PAGOP is formally requesting that federal and state oversight authorities launch a full investigation into the decision-making process that allowed Bozorov to receive a CDL,” the state party added in a statement. Bozorov’s license—an image of which was obtained by Fox News Digital—listed a ZIP code corresponding to Philadelphia’s Somerton neighborhood, a suburban-style area in the city’s northeast once home to figures like MSNBC’s Chris Matthews and, more recently, an increasing number of Russian and Arabic residents. In response to Bozorov’s initial arrest, PennDOT spokeswoman Alexis Campbell told Fox News Digital that “when non-citizen applicants appear at a Driver License Center in Pennsylvania, PennDOT reviews immigration and naturalization documents, which are confirmed in real-time against the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) website before issuing any driver’s license.”
House votes overwhelmingly to force DOJ to release Jeffrey Epstein files
The House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly to force the Department of Justice (DOJ) to release files related to Jeffrey Epstein. It was the product of a months-long pressure campaign by Democrats and the bill’s leaders, Reps. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., and Ro Khanna, D-Calif. Several of Epstein’s survivors were present in the House chamber during the vote as well and appeared to erupt in cheers when the resolution passed. All but one House lawmaker present in the chamber voted in favor of the bill, which passed 427 to 1. The lone “no” vote was Rep. Clay Higgins, R-La., who posted on X shortly thereafter to explain his decision. HOUSE GOP BRACES FOR EPSTEIN FILES VOTE AS CONCERNS REMAIN DESPITE TRUMP’S GREEN LIGHT “As written, this bill reveals and injures thousands of innocent people – witnesses, people who provided alibis, family members, etc. If enacted in its current form, this type of broad reveal of criminal investigative files, released to a rabid media, will absolutely result in innocent people being hurt. Not by my vote,” Higgins wrote. “The Oversight Committee is conducting a thorough investigation that has already released well over 60,000 pages of documents from the Epstein case. That effort will continue in a manner that provides all due protections for innocent Americans. If the Senate amends the bill to properly address privacy of victims and other Americans, who are named but not criminally implicated, then I will vote for that bill when it comes back to the House.” House GOP leaders had voiced concerns about the bill up until the final hours before the vote. Nearly all House Republicans voted for it, as demands for transparency and President Donald Trump’s green light on the legislation gave them little recourse otherwise. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., told reporters at his weekly news conference on Tuesday that he would vote in favor of the bill, despite concerns about what he saw as limited protections for victims and other innocent people whose names may be released against their own wishes. “Who’s going to want to come forward if they think Congress can take a political exercise and reveal their identities? Who’s going to come talk to prosecutors? It’s very dangerous. It would deter future whistleblowers and informants,” he said. “The release of that could also publicly reveal the identity, by the way, of undercover law enforcement officers who are working in future operations.” House GOP leaders had also been supportive of a parallel investigation led by the House Oversight Committee that’s led to the release of thousands of pages of documents from both the DOJ and Epstein’s estate. Massie, Khanna and the bill’s supporters argued it was the best recourse to get justice for Epstein’s victims, and they have criticized Johnson’s favored route as toothless. They have also contended the bill provides sufficient protections for Epstein’s victims. Several other House Republicans told Fox News Digital on Monday night that they shared the speaker’s concerns and hoped that the Senate would make changes to the legislation. Khanna and Massie, however, warned the Senate not to go too far during a press conference on Tuesday morning alongside several of Epstein’s victims. JEFFREY EPSTEIN SAGA CONTINUES AS CONGRESS RETURNS FROM RECESS “Don’t muck it up in the Senate. Don’t get too cute. We’re all paying attention,” Massie warned. “If you want to add some additional protections for these survivors, go for it. But if you do anything that prevents any disclosure, you are not for the people, and you are not part of this effort. Do not muck it up in the Senate.” It’s not yet clear what Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., will do with the legislation. His counterpart, Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., signaled he would seek to force its consideration in the Senate. “Once the House passes the bill to release the Epstein files today, I will move for the Senate to immediately take it up and pass it — period,” Schumer said in a statement. “Republicans have spent months trying to protect Donald Trump and hide what’s in the files. Americans are tired of waiting and are demanding to see the truth. If Leader Thune tries to bury the bill, I’ll stop him.”
Trump leaves world guessing after labeling Maduro a terrorist, hinting at talks with Venezuela
President Donald Trump is keeping the world guessing about his next move in Venezuela, simultaneously labeling President Nicolás Maduro the head of a terrorist organization and hinting the U.S. may be open to talks with the Venezuelan leader. The moment captures a familiar pattern in Trump’s foreign policy of blending threats and outreach to keep opponents uncertain of U.S. intentions. His allies say the ambiguity is leverage; critics call it improvisation that risks miscalculation. “We may be having some conversations with Maduro, and we’ll see how that turns out. They would like to talk,” Trump told reporters over the weekend. The comment came shortly after Secretary of State Marco Rubio designated Cartel de los Soles a foreign terrorist organization, a move that expands U.S. legal authorities to pursue Maduro and his inner circle under counterterrorism statutes — and potentially as military targets. TRUMP AGREES MADURO’S DAYS AS VENEZUELA’S PRESIDENT ARE NUMBERED IN ‘60 MINUTES’ INTERVIEW Trump suggested the designation allows the U.S. military to target Maduro’s assets and infrastructure inside Venezuela. “It allows us to do that, but we haven’t said we’re going to do that,” the president said. Days earlier, Trump had hinted he’d made up his mind about whether to start a direct conflict. “I sort of have made up my mind — yeah. I mean, I can’t tell you what it would be, but I sort of have,” he said. The U.S. now has more military assets in the region than it has in decades, topped off by the arrival of the world’s largest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford, on Sunday. The Department of War, the renamed Pentagon under Trump, has carried out 21 strikes on maritime targets allegedly carrying drugs toward the U.S. Trump also said he doesn’t believe he needs congressional authorization to carry out the strikes. TRUMP REVEALS MADURO ‘WOULD LIKE TO TALK’ AS MILITARY OPTIONS REMAIN ON THE TABLE FOR VENEZUELA “We like to keep Congress involved. I mean, we’re stopping drug dealers and drugs from coming into our country. … We don’t have to get their approval. But I think letting them know is good,” he said. “Headed by the illegitimate Nicolás Maduro, the group has corrupted the institutions of government in Venezuela and is responsible for terrorist violence conducted by and with other designated FTOs as well as for trafficking drugs into the United States and Europe,” Rubio posted on X about the new designation. The ambiguity surrounding Venezuela is the latest instance of Trump’s unpredictable approach to foreign policy, a hallmark that has kept allies and adversaries uncertain of U.S. intentions for years. TRUMP TOUTS ‘12 OUT OF 10’ MEETING WITH XI, DOWNPLAYS REPORTS OF VENEZUELA STRIKES Trump’s remarks fit a familiar pattern of publicly signaling both confrontation and conciliation in ways that leave world leaders guessing about his next move. Since his first term, he has used such ambiguity to keep counterparts off balance, a strategy that has, at times, produced diplomatic breakthroughs and, at others, strategic confusion. In 2017, Trump threatened North Korea with “fire and fury” before pivoting months later to a summit with Kim Jong Un in Singapore, the first direct meeting between U.S. and North Korean leaders. In 2018, his shifting public tone on the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi — alternating between defending and condemning Saudi Arabia’s leadership — again confounded U.S. partners. The following year, his abrupt decision to pull U.S. forces from northern Syria stunned both advisors and allies. His stance on the Russia–Ukraine war has been similarly mercurial. At times, Trump has called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy a “dictator” and railed against continued U.S. aid to Kyiv. At others, he has mused that Vladimir Putin “played” him and floated plans to sell American weapons to Ukraine through allied funding, a swing that left officials in Washington and Europe unsure whether Trump intends to end the war through pressure or compromise. Most recently, in mid-2025, Trump entered indirect talks with Tehran over sanctions relief and regional de-escalation before ordering surprise airstrikes on Iranian nuclear sites, a reversal that underscored his tendency to keep adversaries guessing about U.S. red lines. And on Tuesday — five months after the strikes and over seven years since he pulled the U.S. out of the 2015 Iran deal — Trump again suggested he would be open to talking with Iran about a potential deal on its nuclear ambitions. “I am totally open to it,” he said. Trump’s relationship with China has followed the same whiplash rhythm. He has threatened massive new tariffs and warned of “total decoupling,” only to later describe President Xi Jinping as a “great friend,” tout Beijing as a partner in fighting drugs and stabilizing markets and promise to expand student visas for Chinese students. Whether Venezuela becomes the next stage for Trump’s blend of diplomacy and deterrence remains uncertain, which, for Trump, may be precisely the point.
Khanna, Massie, Greene urge Senate to pass Epstein bill unchanged, warn of ‘reckoning’
House lawmakers gearing up to vote Tuesday on a bill that would force the Justice Department to release all its files relating to Jeffrey Epstein are pressuring the Senate to pass the measure without any amendments. The legislation is coming to the House floor Tuesday afternoon via a mechanism called a discharge petition led by Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., and Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky. A discharge petition allows a bill to get a House-wide vote against leaders’ wishes, provided the petition gets support from most lawmakers in the chamber. In this case, the petition last week earned support from most lawmakers in the chamber, including from Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga. “This has never been political. This is not about questions of Trump or Biden. This is a question of doing the right thing for survivors. We’re going to get a vote today. I expect an overwhelming vote in the House of Representatives. And I don’t want the DC swamp playing any games,” Khanna said Tuesday as he appeared at a press conference alongside Massie, Greene and some of Epstein’s survivors. “They need to pass this in the Senate, and they should not amend it. President Trump has said he would sign the Epstein Transparency Act. It’s going to get overwhelming support in the House. It should go straight to the Senate, and it should be signed. No amendments, no adding loopholes. Justice is long overdue,” he added. HOUSE GOP BRACES FOR EPSTEIN FILES VOTE AS CONCERNS REMAIN DESPITE TRUMP’S GREEN LIGHT Massie reiterated Khanna’s statements. “As Ro said, don’t muck it up in the Senate. Don’t get too cute,” Massie warned the upper chamber. “We’re all paying attention. If you want to add some additional protections for these survivors, go for it. But if you do anything that prevents any disclosure, you are not for the people, and you are not part of this effort. Do not muck it up in the Senate.” GOP lawmakers who spoke with Fox News Digital Monday evening said they would vote for the bill and were optimistic their colleagues would as well — though many of them said they still had concerns about how it was written. It comes after House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., who had been against the bill but pushed parallel transparency efforts in Epstein’s case, said he hoped it would undergo material changes when it reached the Senate to give more protection for innocent people whose names may appear in the files against their wishes. “These women have fought the most horrific fight that no woman should have to fight, and they did it by banding together and never giving up,” Greene said Tuesday. “And that’s what we did by fighting so hard against the most powerful people in the world, even the President of the United States, in order to make this vote happen today.” “I was called a traitor by a man that I fought for five, no, actually, six years for. And I gave him my loyalty for free. I won my first election without his endorsement, beating eight men in a primary, and I’ve never owed him anything. But I fought for him for the policies and for America First,” Greene said, days after President Donald Trump pulled his endorsement of the Georgia Republican. “And he called me a traitor for standing with these women and refusing to take my name off the discharge petition.” “Let me tell you what a traitor is,” Greene added. “A traitor is an American that serves foreign countries and themselves. A patriot is an American that serves the United States of America and Americans, like the women standing behind me.” TRUMP SAYS WHETHER HE WOULD SIGN EPSTEIN FILES BILL “And today, you are going to see probably a unanimous vote in the House to release the Epstein files. But the fight, the real fight will happen after that. While I want to see every single name released so that these women don’t have to live in fear and intimidation, which is something I’ve had a small taste of in just the past few days. Just a small taste,” she added. “They’ve been living it for years, but the real test will be will the Department of Justice release the files, or will it all remain tied up in investigations?” Khanna also called Tuesday the “first day of real reckoning for the Epstein class.” “We’re here to stand with forgotten and abandoned Americans against an Epstein class that had no regard for the rules or the laws,” Khanna continued. “Because survivors spoke up, because of their courage, the truth is finally going to come out. And when it comes out, this country is really going to have a moral reckoning.” “How did we allow this to happen? There should be no buildings named after people in this Epstein class. There should be no scholarships named after them. They shouldn’t be enjoying the perks of being affiliated with corporations or universities, or writing op-eds or being lionized. And many of the survivors will tell you some of these people still are celebrated in our society. That’s disgusting. There needs to be accountability,” he also said. Fox News Digital’s Elizabeth Elkind contributed to this report.
Blue school district hit with federal complaint alleging it ‘sidestepped’ law depriving parent of transparency
FIRST ON FOX: A pro-Trump legal group has filed a federal complaint against a Maryland school district alleging that parent access to review classroom materials was slowed or denied, in violation of federal law. In a letter sent to Montgomery County Public Schools and the Department of Education’s Civil Rights Division, America First Legal alleges that a parent in the school district, Mom’s For Liberty director of development Rosalind Hanson, submitted a request to inspect her child’s school curriculum, in accordance with the Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment, and that MCPS staff “incorrectly processed” the request “rather than following the PPRA’s federally mandated parental inspection procedures.” The complaint states that PPRA has established a “federal right” for parents to inspect “all instructional materials” being disseminated to their children and that “The Family Life and Human Sexuality curriculum” in this case “clearly falls within this definition, as it consists of lesson plans and resources used to instruct students as part of the educational program.” “This is not a state records issue — it’s a federal violation,” Alice Kass, counsel for America First Legal, told Fox News Digital. “Parents have a right to know what their children are being taught, and Montgomery County cannot hide behind procedural loopholes to avoid transparency.” CLICK HERE FOR MORE CAMPUS RADICALS COAST TO COAST America First Legal, in a press release, alleged that MCPS “buried the request in bureaucratic red tape” and processed it through an open-records law request which they say not only “sidestepped” federal law but “imposed unlawful delays and fees, and denied a parent the right to review their child’s curriculum.” The letter calls on the Maryland school district to reclassify the parent request as a PPRA investigation as opposed to a Maryland Public Information Act request, provide full access to instructional materials without charge, and clarify its procedures for processing PPRA requests in the future. In the press release, Kass added that “federal law cannot be clearer” on the issue. “Montgomery County’s refusal to process a parent’s request under the PPRA is not just wrong, it’s unlawful. School districts do not get to hide curriculum materials behind state records procedures. Parents have a federal right to inspect, and MCPS must immediately comply.” Fox News Digital reached out to MCPS for comment. DOZENS OF PARENTS RIGHTS GROUPS CALL FOR 50 STATE AUDIT TO RID K-12 SCHOOLS OF DEI: ‘CLEAN UP THE MESS’ America First Legal has placed a heavy emphasis on the rights of parents through PPRA and unveiled a toolkit earlier this year aimed at helping parents understand their rights while equipping them with a template letter to send to schools requesting full transparency on what their children are being taught. “Schools do not raise children — parents do. This resource makes clear that schools answer to parents, not the other way around,” America First Legal President Gene Hamilton told Fox News Digital at the time. “The Constitution protects that relationship, and we will ensure no bureaucracy or activist agenda can undermine it.” Montgomery Public Schools found themselves in national news headlines this summer when the Supreme Court ruled 6-3 that parents can exclude their children from the school system’s lessons that contained themes about homosexuality and transgenderism if they felt the material conflicts with their religious faith. The Maryland parents who sued said in their petition to the high court that the school board introduced books to their elementary school students that promoted “gender transitions, Pride parades, and same-sex playground romance.” The parents said the school board initially allowed parents to opt their children out of lessons involving those books but then ceased doing that. Hanson and Moms for Liberty were involved in that case as well, with Hanson saying at the time in an interview with Fox News Digital, “The majority of states across the country have said you can have an opt-out for these very sensitive issues and topics, especially because of the religious component, but also because of the age appropriateness.” Fox News Digital’s Ashley Oliver contributed to this report.
Mike Johnson reveals how he’ll vote on Epstein files bill led by Trump critic Thomas Massie
Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., on Tuesday revealed his decision on the House’s forthcoming vote on forcing the Department of Justice (DOJ) to release its files on Jeffrey Epstein. Johnson told reporters at his weekly press conference that he would vote in favor of the bill, despite concerns about what he saw as lackluster protections for victims and other innocent people whose names may be released against their own wishes. “I’m going to vote to move this forward,” Johnson said. “I think it could be close to a unanimous vote, because everybody here, all the Republicans, want to go on record to show their from maximum transparency.” HOUSE REPUBLICANS SAY DEMS TWISTING EPSTEIN PROBE TO SMEAR TRUMP IN NEW MEMO The vote is expected on Tuesday afternoon at 2 p.m. The legislation is a bipartisan product by Reps. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., and Thomas Massie, R-Ky. Massie has been known to be a frequent critic of both Johnson and President Donald Trump. Despite that, Trump gave House Republicans his blessing to vote for the bill on Sunday night. House GOP leaders had vehemently opposed the legislation for months, arguing it was written in a way that did not provide sufficient protections for innocents while also claiming it was unnecessary given the ongoing bipartisan investigation into Epstein’s crimes. JEFFREY EPSTEIN SAGA CONTINUES AS CONGRESS RETURNS FROM RECESS That probe, led by the House Oversight Committee, has produced tens of thousands of pages of documents both from the DOJ and Epstein’s estate. Johnson made clear he still held concerns about the bill’s language and said he hoped it would be changed when the legislation was sent to the Senate. “We stated our opposition as long as possible, but we’re also for maximum transparency. So what am I to do as a leader in a situation like this?” the speaker said. “I’m very confident that when this moves forward in the process, if and when it is processed in the Senate — which there’s no certainty that that will be — that they will take the time methodically to do what we have not been allowed to do in the House, to amend this discharge petition and to make sure these protections are there.” He warned it could have a “chilling effect” on future investigations as well. “Who’s going to want to come forward if they think Congress can take a political exercise and reveal their identities? Who’s going to come talk to prosecutors? It’s very dangerous. It would deter future whistleblowers and informants,” he said. “The release of that could also publicly reveal the identity, by the way, of undercover law enforcement officers who are working in future operations.” Johnson said he brought his concerns to Massie and Khanna but was told, in essence, “Jump in the Potomac.” Massie and Khanna, for their part, held a press conference alongside one of the bill’s GOP supporters, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., on Tuesday morning. “Don’t muck it up in the Senate. Don’t get too cute. We’re all paying attention,” Massie warned. “If you want to add some additional protections for these survivors, go for it. But if you do anything that prevents any disclosure, you are not for the people, and you are not part of this effort. Do not muck it up in the Senate.”
Headed for the exits: Why 3 dozen House members aren’t running for re-election
Republican Rep. Don Bacon won nine heavily contested GOP primary battles and general elections over the past decade in his swing U.S. House district. But the retired Air Force general and moderate Republican who represents an Omaha, Nebraska-anchored congressional district told Fox News Digital that “the fire wasn’t there” anymore. Bacon, who announced this summer that he wouldn’t run for a sixth two-year term in Congress in next year’s midterms, is one of 36 U.S. House members who’ve announced they won’t seek re-election next year. And the surge in retirements may impact next year’s midterm elections, when Republicans are aiming to protect their fragile House majority. AS CONGRESS GROWS OLDER, DEBATE HEATS UP OVER WHEN TO STEP ASIDE “We’re above average,” noted David Wasserman, a senior editor and elections analyst at the non-partisan political handicapper “The Cook Report,” as he pointed to the pace of House retirement announcements so far this cycle. And we’ve still got six weeks left until the calendar hits 2026. Waves of retirement announcements traditionally come in the final month or two, amid the holiday season, in the year before congressional elections. The party breakdown so far on the retirements: 15 Democrats and 21 Republicans. DEMOCRAT RETIREMENT GIVES GOP BOOST IN BID TO FLIP KEY HOUSE SWING SEAT A handful of the Democrats headed for the exits are in their 70s and 80s and retiring after long tenures in the House. The most prominent is 85-year-old former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. But in a continued sign that the bitter partisanship in the House has made the lower chamber in Congress far from a pleasant work environment, most of the members who are passing on re-election are much younger. Among those forgoing re-election next year is 53-year-old Republican Rep. Jodey Arrington of Texas, the House Budget Committee chair who shared his retirement news first with Fox News Digital. “I have a firm conviction, much like our founders did, that public service is a lifetime commitment, but public office is and should be a temporary stint in stewardship, not a career,” Arrington said. Also on that list is moderate Democratic Rep. Jared Golden of Maine, who is only 43. SENIOR REPUBLICAN SAYS HE’LL ‘MISS THE CLOWNS,’ NOT ‘THE CIRCUS’ AS HE EYES LIFE AFTER CONGRESS “After 11 years as a legislator, I have grown tired of the increasing incivility and plain nastiness that are now common from some elements of our American community — behavior that, too often, our political leaders exhibit themselves,” Golden wrote last week in an op-ed for the Bangor Daily News, where he revealed his unexpected decision. “I don’t fear losing. What has become apparent to me is that I now dread the prospect of winning. Simply put, what I could accomplish in this increasingly unproductive Congress pales in comparison to what I could do in that time as a husband, a father and a son,” Golden emphasized. Pointing to Golden’s comments, Bacon noted, “He said something I was feeling. The thought of winning was unattractive this cycle. If it feels like it’s a little bit depressing to win, then better let somebody else run.” “I think that’s where this hyper-partisan ugliness fits in. The thought of winning and going through another two years of this was not a fulfilling thought,” he added. VULNERABLE HOUSE DEM CRITICIZES ‘EXTREME’ LEFT IN SHOCKING 2026 ANNOUNCEMENT Former Democratic Rep. Annie Kuster of New Hampshire, who retired a year ago after serving a dozen years in the House, said the dysfunction and political tension in Congress was “definitely a factor” in her decision to leave. “It had gotten so much more difficult over 12 years to work across the aisle,” Kuster told Fox News Digital. “It had gotten much more fractured, partisan, less congenial.” Kuster said “a big factor for me was that most of the moderate Republicans that I worked with all the time had left Congress. The people who were coming in were more hard right partisans.” Bacon, who describes himself as a Ronald Reagan-style, old-fashioned Republican, joked that he was “stuck in the middle” with “crazies on the right and crazies on the left.” TOP HOUSE COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN REVEALS HE WON’T SEEK RE-ELECTION IN 2026 While some, like Bacon and Arrington, are taking a break from politics, most of those not seeking re-election to their House seats are running for statewide offices next year. Wasserman said that “on the Republican side, there’s a sense that not much will get done beyond OBBBA in the next two years of Trump’s presidency.” OBBBA is the acronym for One Big Beautiful Bill Act, the massive GOP domestic policy bill passed along partisan lines this summer by the Republican-controlled House and Senate that is the centerpiece of President Donald Trump‘s second-term agenda. “They’ve made the heavy lift and now there are opportunities to be more impactful elsewhere,” Wasserman said. The bitter battle between Republicans and Democrats over the measure was another sign of the vicious partisan climate on Capitol Hill. But Bacon remained optimistic about the future of Congress. “When folks move on, new people move in, and I know there’s good people out there,” he said.
Trump immigration enforcement focus to expand to new city, mayor indicates
As President Donald Trump’s administration cracks down on immigration enforcement in the U.S., its efforts in North Carolina are expected to expand to Raleigh, the state capital. “We have been made aware that Customs and Border Protection are coming to Raleigh,” Mayor Janet Cowell said in a statement obtained by Fox News Digital. “While RPD is not involved in immigration enforcement, we are committed to protecting our residents and to following the law. I can confirm that the Raleigh Police Department has not participated in any immigration planning activities. Above all, Raleigh is a safe city, with crime down year-over-year. Public safety is a priority for me and this City Council,” she noted in the statement. OFFICER INJURED AFTER FEDERAL LAW ENFORCEMENT FACE MULTIPLE RAMMING ATTACKS DURING CHARLOTTE IMMIGRATION RAIDS “I ask Raleigh to remember our values and maintain peace and respect through any upcoming challenges,” she later added. North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein noted on social media that his “office is aware of reports that the Border Patrol is bringing its operation to Raleigh.” GRANDDAUGHTER OF ‘CHARLOTTE’S WEB’ AUTHOR BLASTS DHS FOR USE OF BOOK TITLE IN CHARLOTTE IMMIGRATION SWEEP “Once again, I call on federal agents to target violent criminals, not neighbors walking down the street, going to church, or putting up Christmas decorations. Stop targeting people simply going about their lives because of the color of their skin, as you are doing in Charlotte,” he declared, urging individuals in the city of Raleigh to stay “peaceful.” When contacted by Fox News Digital, U.S. Customs and Border Protection provided a statement from Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin. “Every day, DHS enforces the laws of the nation across the country. We do not discuss future or potential operations,” McLaughlin said. HUMAN TRAFFICKING SOARS IN BLUE CITY AS GANGS, HIGHWAYS FUEL ‘PERFECT STORM’ OF CHILD EXPLOITATION: EXPERTS CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP DHS has touted its immigration enforcement operation in North Carolina’s largest city, dubbed “Operation Charlotte’s Web.” The department noted in a Monday press release that the “immigration enforcement operation surge in the Charlotte area resulted in the arrest of over 130 illegal aliens in just two days.”
Saudi Arabia is already America’s top arms buyer and now Trump wants to add F-35s
There’s no business quite like the U.S. arms business and no audience roars louder in approval than Saudi Arabia. On Tuesday, President Donald Trump is expected to close several deals with Saudi Arabia’s powerful Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, a visit that could see billions more in U.S. weapons flow to one of the world’s most prolific importers of military hardware. TRUMP SET TO HOST SAUDI ARABIA’S POWERFUL CROWN PRINCE AT THE WHITE HOUSE THIS WEEK Trump told reporters at the White House on Monday that the U.S. will likely move forward with a deal to sell F-35 jets to Saudi Arabia. The F-35, the crown jewel in Lockheed Martin’s portfolio, is among the most advanced fighter jets in the world and one of the most sought-after symbols of U.S. military might. Saudi Arabia’s oil-rich monarchy is one of America’s most crucial strategic partners in the Middle East and one of the U.S. defense industry’s most dependable customers. For Washington, the partnership means billions in defense revenue and a key ally in the Gulf. For Riyadh, it’s a pipeline to the world’s most advanced military technology and a symbol of its ambition to stand shoulder to shoulder with the world’s military powers in a volatile region. TRUMP SET TO HOST SAUDI ARABIA’S POWERFUL CROWN PRINCE AT THE WHITE HOUSE THIS WEEK According to a report by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, between 2020 and 2024, Saudi Arabia was the top buyer of American-made arms, accounting for 12% of all U.S. weapons exports, followed by Ukraine (9.3%) and Japan (8.8%). The U.S. was also by far the kingdom’s main supplier, providing 74% of all Saudi arms imports during that period. That level of spending underscores Saudi Arabia’s regional military ambitions, but globally, it’s the U.S. that dominates by an extraordinary margin. SAUDI ARABIA’S 40-YEAR-OLD DISRUPTOR: HOW MBS REWIRED THE KINGDOM IN 10 SHORT YEARS With $997 billion in defense spending in 2024, the U.S. outspent every other nation several times over, investing more than triple what China, the world’s second-largest spender, devoted to its military. Beyond defense spending, the U.S. also leads the world in arms exports, responsible for nearly half of all major weapons sold globally between 2020 and 2024. In total, 162 nations purchased major weapons systems, but just five importers, Ukraine, India, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, accounted for 35% of global imports, highlighting how concentrated the world’s arms trade remains. The crown prince serves as the kingdom’s powerful understudy to his 89-year-old father, King Salman. Widely regarded as Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler, he manages nearly all daily affairs of state and frequently represents the kingdom in international summits and diplomatic meetings. Tuesday’s meetings will mark the crown prince’s first visit to the White House in more than seven years. The two last met in May, when Trump made his first state visit of his second term to Riyadh. He was welcomed with a fighter jet escort, an honor guard wielding golden swords and a parade of Arabian horses flanking his limousine. It was a scene that captured the enduring spectacle of U.S.–Saudi ties, a partnership as opulent as it is strategic and one that remains vital to both nations’ ambitions.