Noem says Minneapolis suspect committed ‘domestic terrorism,’ accuses Walz, Frey of inciting violence
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem on Saturday labeled the alleged actions of the suspect killed in a Border Patrol-involved shooting in Minneapolis as “domestic terrorism,” accusing Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey of inciting violence against federal officers while stressing that President Donald Trump is prepared to invoke the Insurrection Act if deemed necessary. “When you perpetuate violence against a government because of ideological reasons and for reasons to resist and perpetuate violence, that is the definition of domestic terrorism,” Noem said during a news conference at FEMA headquarters in Washington, D.C. “This individual who came with weapons and ammunition to stop a law enforcement operation of federal law enforcement officers committed an act of domestic terrorism,” Noem added. “That’s the facts.” Noem described the incident beginning while DHS officers carried out “targeted operations” in Minneapolis against an illegal alien whose criminal history included domestic assault, disorderly conduct, and driving without a valid license. TODD BLANCHE WARNS AMERICANS ‘SHOULD BE WORRIED’ ABOUT MINNESOTA PROTESTS AFTER CHURCH DISRUPTION “An individual approached U.S. Border Patrol officers with a 9-millimeter semi-automatic handgun,” and agents attempted to disarm him. “The officers attempted to disarm this individual, but the armed suspect reacted violently,” Noem said. “Fearing for his life and for the lives of his fellow officers around him, an agent fired defensive shots.” Medics attempted to render aid, Noem said, but the man, later identified as 37-year-old Alex Pretti, “was pronounced dead at the scene.” She also claimed that the Pretti had “two magazines with ammunition in them that held dozens of rounds” and no identification. “This looks like a situation where an individual arrived at the scene to inflict maximum damage on individuals and to kill law enforcement,” Noem said. TRUMP CITES ARMED SUSPECT, LACK OF POLICE SUPPORT FOLLOWING FATAL BORDER PATROL SHOOTING IN MINNEAPOLIS The shooting was followed by unrest in the area, Noem said. “Hundreds of protesters then showed up at the scene,” she said. “They began to obstruct and to assault law enforcement officers,” she added. “We saw objects being thrown at them, including ice and other objects, and a rampant assault began. “A [Homeland Security Investigation] HSI agent’s finger was bitten off.” She said crowd-control measures were deployed “to bring safety to the public and to law enforcement at the scene.” Noem said the situation “did not have to happen,” placing blame on Minnesota’s political leadership. “The Minnesota governor and the Minneapolis mayor need to take a long, hard look in the mirror,” she said. “They need to evaluate their rhetoric, their conversations, and their encouragement of such violence against our citizens and our law enforcement officers.” NOEM SAYS ‘ARRESTS COMING’ AFTER ANTI-ICE MOB TARGETED MINNESOTA CHURCH She also accused Walz of undermining federal officers. “I’ll remind you that Governor Walz, today in his press conference, said that our officers were not even law enforcement, which is a lie,” Noem said. “He’s called them the Gestapo.” Noem further claimed Walz “encouraged residents and citizens and violent rioters to resist,” and alleged that state leaders had doxed federal officers, “putting themselves and their families’ lives in jeopardy.” During the briefing, Noem was asked whether Trump was closer to invoking the Insurrection Act in response to the unrest. She did not rule it out. “The president will use every tool that he needs to follow through on his promises to the American people,” Noem said. She added that the Trump administration would continue operating in Minneapolis despite objections from state and local leaders. “We’re going to treat Minneapolis exactly the way that we have treated every other city across this country,” Noem said, referring to immigration enforcement operations like Operation Metro Surge underway nationwide. Noem said DHS is investigating the shooting “just like we do all other officer-involved shootings,” and that additional details would be released as the investigation continues. The White House did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment in response to Noem’s remarks.
Senate Dems revolt against DHS funding bill amid Minneapolis chaos, hiking government shutdown risk
Senate Democrats are ready to break a fragile truce that would avert a partial government shutdown after a Minneapolis man was fatally shot by a border patrol agent Saturday. Congressional Democrats were already leery of backing funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) considering the agency’s presence in Minnesota and beyond, but the shooting of 37-year-old Alex Pretti during an immigration enforcement operation has shattered what little unity they had on the bill. Now, Senate Democrats, led by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., plan to vote against the legislation, which is included in a broader funding package along with five other spending bills. SENATE DEMOCRATS REBEL AGAINST THEIR OWN LEADERSHIP OVER DHS FUNDING PACKAGE, INCREASING SHUTDOWN ODDS Schumer, in a statement Saturday, said Democrats tried to get “commonsense reforms” in the DHS funding bill but charged that “because of Republicans’ refusal to stand up to President Trump, the DHS bill is woefully inadequate to rein in the abuses” of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). “I will vote no,” Schumer said. “Senate Democrats will not provide the votes to proceed to the appropriations bill if the DHS funding bill is included.” Schumer’s play call serves as a blow to Senate Republicans, who worked with their colleagues across the aisle to find compromises in the DHS bill, in particular. It also comes as the Jan. 30 deadline to fund the government is rapidly approaching. Further complicating matters is the arctic storm ripping across the country, which has already forced the upper chamber to cancel votes on Monday. A senior Senate aide told Fox News Digital Senate Democrats had been saying for weeks they weren’t interested in shutting down the government again and had praised the bipartisan nature of the government funding process up until Saturday. “These bills were negotiated with Dems — they agreed to what’s in them,” the aide said. HOUSE JAMS SENATE BY ATTACHING REPEAL OF JACK SMITH PROVISION TO $1.2T FUNDING PACKAGE The agency would be fully funded in the current proposal with several restrictions and reporting requirements that, if not met, would act as triggers to turn off certain cash flows. Ripping the bill from the current six-bill funding package would cause a domino effect of headaches in Congress, given that any changes to the package would have to go through the House. The lower chamber is gone until Feb. 2, making the likelihood of a partial shutdown much higher. Before the shooting, a handful of Senate Democrats had already made their opposition to the legislation known, including senators Chris Murphy, D-Conn., and Tim Kaine, D-Va. Kaine notably crossed the aisle last year to join a cohort of Senate Democratic caucus members to reopen the government after the longest shutdown in U.S. history. He was not the only member of that group of eight to voice opposition. Senators Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., and Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., both came out against the DHS bill’s inclusion in the broader package on Saturday. “My personal guiding principle has always been ‘agree where you can and fight where you must,’” Rosen said in a statement. “And I believe this is a time when we must fight back.” House lawmakers are on a week-long recess after passing their latest spending package in two chunks Thursday, one standalone vote on DHS funding and another wrapping together funding legislation for the departments of War, Health and Human Services, Labor, Education, Transportation and Housing and Urban Development. SENATE ADVANCES $174B PACKAGE AS MINNESOTA ICE SHOOTING FUELS DHS FUNDING FIGHT A provision was added to the legislation before it passed the House that would combine the bills into one large package for the Senate to consider at once. It was then expected to be paired with other bills the Senate has not yet considered but which passed the House this month. Changing that ahead of the Jan. 30 shutdown deadline would mean House lawmakers must return to Washington early to go through multiple procedural hurdles and another vote on the legislation, something House GOP leaders are ruling out, at least for now. “We passed all 12 bills over to the Senate, and they still have six in their possession that they need to pass to the president,” a House GOP leadership source told Fox News Digital Saturday evening, referring to the lower chamber completing its portion of Congress’ annual appropriations process. “We have no plan to come back next week.” Even if House leaders changed their plans, the impending snowstorm would mean lawmakers may not return until Tuesday at the earliest. That would put final passage sometime Wednesday or Thursday, virtually guaranteeing Congress does not complete consideration of the bills until after the Friday deadline. House GOP leaders would also likely be grappling with attendance issues if they did order a return, with various lawmakers on planned trips and over a dozen busy campaigning for higher office. A partial government shutdown would mean only agencies that Congress has not yet funded would have to reduce or cease functions. In this case, payment to active duty troops, air traffic controllers and border patrol agents could all be affected.
Trump to skip Super Bowl in California, criticizes performers Bad Bunny and Green Day
President Donald Trump said Saturday he plans to skip next month’s Super Bowl, slamming the halftime performers and griping that the California game is too far away. Trump, who attended last year’s game between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs in New Orleans, told the New York Post, “It’s just too far away. I would, I’ve [gotten] great hands [at] the Super Bowl. They like me.” This year’s Super Bowl will be held at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, near San Jose. He added, “I would go if, you know, it was a little bit shorter.” NFL TAPS BLACK NATIONAL ANTHEM PERFORMER FOR SUPER BOWL LX The president has also been openly critical of headline performer Bad Bunny since he was chosen last year to perform during the halftime show. “I don’t know who he is,” Trump told Newsmax of the choice last fall. “I don’t know why they’re doing it. It’s crazy. And then they blame it on some promoter they hired to pick up entertainment. I think it’s absolutely ridiculous.” Rock band Green Day was also selected in the last week to play before the kickoff. KRISTI NOEM TORCHES NFL AS ‘WEAK,’ VOWS ICE WILL SHOW UP AT SUPER BOWL AMID BAD BUNNY SCANDAL Bad Bunny and Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong are both liberal performers who have been vocal about their dislike of Trump in the past. Bad Bunny said last fall he decided to do his residency show in his native Puerto Rico and didn’t book any U.S. dates on his tour over fears his fans would be detained by ICE agents. “But there was the issue of, like, f—ing ICE could be outside [my concert]. And it’s something that we were talking about and very concerned about,” the Latin pop star, who has a large Latino following, told i-D. The 31-year-old also featured a person doing a Trump impression in his song “Nuevayol,” saying, “I want to apologize to the immigrants in America. . . . This country is nothing without the immigrants. This country is nothing without Mexicans, Dominicans, Puerto Ricans, Colombians, Venezuelans, Cubans.” Armstrong has likened Trump to Hitler in the past, and the band frequently changes the line “I’m not part of a redneck agenda” from their 2004 hit “American Idiot” to “I’m not part of the MAGA agenda” in more recent live performances, according to The Independent. “I’m anti-them,” Trump told the Post of the performers. “I think it’s a terrible choice. All it does is sow hatred. Terrible.” Kendrick Lamar headlined last year’s halftime show and SZA, Jon Batiste, Lauren Daigle, Trombone Shorty and Ledisi also performed. The Super Bowl will be played Feb. 8 with the Seattle Seahawks-Los Angeles Rams and New England Patriots-Denver Broncos championship games Sunday deciding who will meet.
READ IT: Bondi sends letter to Gov Walz warning Minnesota’s immigration policies endanger agents
Attorney General Pam Bondi sent a warning letter to Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz Saturday after a Border Patrol-involved shooting in Minneapolis that left an armed man dead during a federal immigration enforcement operation. She urges the governor to support federal law enforcement efforts and federal immigration policy as unrest continues to unfold in the city. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Stephen Miller accuses Democrats of siding with ‘terrorists’ after Minneapolis Border Patrol-involved shooting
White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller slammed Democrats for calling on federal immigration agents to leave Minnesota, accusing them of siding with “terrorists” after a Border Patrol agent fatally shot a man that federal officials say was armed with a gun during a confrontation Saturday in Minneapolis. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said Alex Jeffrey Pretti, 37, of Minneapolis, allegedly approached agents during an apparent operation and then “violently resisted,” while armed with a 9mm pistol and two magazines, leading to the shooting. “A would-be assassin tried to murder federal law enforcement and the official Democrat account sides with the terrorists,” Miller wrote in an X post. He later responded to a social media post from Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., calling for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to leave Minneapolis and for Congress to cut its funding. TRUMP SAYS MEDIA FOCUSES TOO MUCH ON MINNESOTA ICE COVERAGE, NOT ENOUGH ON CORRUPTION ALLEGATIONS “An assassin tried to murder federal agents and this is your response,” Miller replied. Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said Pretti, an ICU nurse, held a lawful permit to carry. Court records show he did not have a criminal record. DHS is leading the investigation into the shooting, with assistance from the FBI. FEDERAL OFFICIALS SAY ANTI-ICE AGITATORS ‘GOING AFTER THE DOGS’ FOLLOWING MINNEAPOLIS KENNEL INCIDENT In a letter penned to Walz on Saturday, Attorney General Pam Bondi said Minnesota has “refused” to enforce the law, saying the “consequences are heartbreaking.” “Unfortunately, you and other Minnesota officials have refused to support the men and women risking their lives to protect Americans and uphold the rule of law,” Bondi wrote. “Because Minnesota, Minneapolis, and St. Paul have chosen to ignore federal immigration law by enacting sanctuary laws and policies, the federal agents led by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) have operated alone,” she added. “And politicians in your state are not just refusing to help these agents, they are putting federal agents in danger.” Bondi also called out Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey for saying, “ICE: Get the f— out of Minneapolis. We do not want you here,” and Walz for referring to federal immigration enforcement agents as “Trump’s modern-day Gestapo.” “The results of your state’s policies and politicians’ anti-law enforcement rhetoric are a national tragedy. Violence against ICE officers and agents has increased approximately 1,300 percent,” she wrote. “Vehicular attacks against ICE officers have increased 3,200%. … You and your office must restore the rule of law, support ICE officers, and bring an end to the chaos in Minnesota.”
Bondi blames Minneapolis leaders after suspect DHS officials say was armed is killed by CBP, igniting unrest
Attorney General Pam Bondi accused Minneapolis and Minnesota leaders of fueling unrest after a Border Patrol-involved shooting left an allegedly armed suspect dead during a targeted immigration enforcement operation. Bondi told Fox News Saturday that sanctuary-style policies and rhetoric against federal agents have undermined public safety. Bondi made the remarks during a live interview with Fox News anchor Aishah Hasnie, hours after federal authorities said a Border Patrol (CBP) agent fatally shot a man DHS officials say was armed with a handgun during an enforcement operation in south Minneapolis. ILHAN OMAR ACCUSES NOEM OF ‘LIES AND PROPAGANDA’ ON MINNESOTA ARRESTS The shooting was followed by protests and crowd-control measures as demonstrators converged. According to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), agents were conducting a targeted operation against an illegal immigrant wanted for violent assault when an individual approached officers armed with a 9 mm semi-automatic handgun. Border Patrol Commander Greg Bovino said agents attempted to disarm the man, but he violently resisted. “Fearing for his life and the lives and safety of fellow officers, a Border Patrol agent fired defensive shots,” Bovino said. Authorities said the man was pronounced dead at the scene. Bovino said the suspect was carrying two loaded magazines and no accessible identification, describing him as appearing intent on causing “maximum damage” to law enforcement. MINNESOTA POLICE CHIEFS ALLEGE SOME ICE AGENTS RACIALLY PROFILED US CITIZENS, INCLUDING OFF-DUTY OFFICERS Bondi placed responsibility for the unrest on Minnesota’s political leadership. “This has happened in Minneapolis because you have a mayor and a governor who have declared Minneapolis a sanctuary city,” Bondi said. “You’re invited here. We will protect you.” She said ICE agents operating in the city have arrested individuals accused or convicted of serious crimes, arguing enforcement was necessary to protect people. TRUMP URGES DHS, ICE TO PUBLICIZE ARRESTS, SAYS CRACKDOWN IS ‘SAVING MANY INNOCENT LIVES’ “And that’s why Donald Trump has ICE in Minneapolis, to protect the citizens,” Bondi said. Bondi described the protests as “extremely organized,” noting the appearance of matching signs and gas masks. “It’s extremely organized,” she said. “The signs they have are all matching. They’re well written. How did these people go out and get gas masks?” During the interview, Bondi confirmed federal grand jury subpoenas had been issued to Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, Attorney General Keith Ellison and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, though she declined to comment on any ongoing investigation. “That’s all I can say right now legally,” she said. Bondi also said she sent a letter to Walz warning that the federal government would step in if state leaders did not support federal law enforcement efforts. TOM EMMER BLASTS MINNESOTA DEMOCRATS AFTER ‘TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE’ CHURCH DISRUPTION “We sent Governor Walz a very strong letter today. We had been working on this letter. We got it out saying that he better support President Trump. He better support the men and women in law enforcement because if he doesn’t, we are, and that’s what we’re doing right now.” Bondi said multiple federal agencies are assisting DHS as the situation unfolds, adding that the administration’s priority remains protecting law enforcement officers and the public. “We’re going to support our great men and women in law enforcement,” she said. Investigations into the shooting and the unrest that followed remain ongoing. Fox News Digital’s Rachel Wolf and Fox News’ Paul Mauro, Bill Melugin contributed to this reporting.
Trump cites armed suspect, lack of police support following fatal Border Patrol shooting in Minneapolis
President Donald Trump sounded off on Truth Social after a Border Patrol agent fatally shot an armed man in Minneapolis on Saturday, claiming federal agents “had to protect themselves” because of the lack of support from local police in the blue city. The 37-year-old man, a U.S. citizen from Minneapolis, allegedly approached agents and then “violently resisted,” while armed with a 9mm pistol and two magazines. “This is the gunman’s gun, loaded (with two additional full magazines!), and ready to go—What is that all about? Where are the local Police? Why weren’t they allowed to protect ICE Officers?” Trump wrote in the post. “The Mayor and the Governor called them off? It is stated that many of these Police were not allowed to do their job, that ICE had to protect themselves—Not an easy thing to do!” The president also called out Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., questioning her finances amid a federal fraud investigation. VANCE TELLS MINNEAPOLIS TO ‘STOP FIGHTING’ ICE AS WHITE HOUSE DOUBLES DOWN ON CRACKDOWN “Why does Ilhan Omar have $34 Million Dollars in her account? And where are the Tens of Billions of Dollars that have been stolen from the once Great State of Minnesota?” Trump wrote. “We are there because of massive Monetary Fraud, with Billions of Dollars missing, and Illegal Criminals that were allowed to infiltrate the State through the Democrats’ Open Border Policy. We want the money back, and we want it back, NOW. “Those Fraudsters who stole the money are going to jail, where they belong! This is no different than a really big Bank Robbery. Much of what you’re witnessing is a COVER UP for this Theft and Fraud.” Trump then accused Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz of “inciting Insurrection, with their pompous, dangerous, and arrogant rhetoric!” FBI DIRECTOR PATEL WARNS ELECTED OFFICIALS ‘NO ONE’ IS EXEMPT FROM FEDERAL SCRUTINY AMID MINNESOTA PROBE “Instead, these sanctimonious political fools should be looking for the Billions of Dollars that has been stolen from the people of Minnesota, and the United States of America,” he wrote. “LET OUR ICE PATRIOTS DO THEIR JOB! 12,000 Illegal Alien Criminals, many of them violent, have been arrested and taken out of Minnesota. If they were still there, you would see something far worse than you are witnessing today!” Vice President JD Vance reacted to Trump’s message on social media, claiming that during his recent visit to Minnesota, ICE agents “wanted more than anything” to work with local law enforcement. “When I visited Minnesota, what the ICE agents wanted more than anything was to work with local law enforcement so that situations on the ground didn’t get out of hand,” Vance wrote in an X post. “The local leadership in Minnesota has so far refused to answer those requests.” This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
Trump warns Canada of 100% tariffs if it becomes China’s ‘drop off port’ with new potential trade deal
President Donald Trump threatened on Saturday that he would implement 100% tariffs on Canada if it strikes a deal to become a “drop off port” for China. “If Governor Carney thinks he is going to make Canada a “drop off port” for China to send goods and products into the United States, he is sorely mistaken. China will eat Canada alive, completely devour it, including the destruction of their businesses, social fabric, and general way of life,” Trump wrote earlier on Truth Social. “If Canada makes a deal with China, it will immediately be hit with a 100% tariff against all Canadian goods and products coming into the U.S.A.,” the president added. Trump referred to Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney as a “governor,” echoing comments he made while campaigning for a second term about annexing America’s northern neighbor. He previously used the same term when speaking about Carney’s predecessor, Justin Trudeau. US TRADE REP SHRUGS OFF WORLD LEADERS’ SWIPES AT TRUMP AMID DAVOS BACKLASH In a follow-up post, Trump asserted, “The last thing the World needs is to have China take over Canada. It’s NOT going to happen, or even come close to happening! Thank you for your attention to this matter.” Carney made his first official visit to China earlier this month as he and Chinese President Xi Jinping work together to forge an improved bond between their countries. During the Jan. 14-17 visit, the leaders of the two nations reached an agreement that would allow up to 49,000 Chinese electric vehicles to enter the Canadian market at a lower tariff rate of 6.1%, Carney’s office announced. “At its best, the Canada-China relationship has created massive opportunities for both our peoples. By leveraging our strengths and focusing on trade, energy, agri-food, and areas where we can make huge gains, we are forging a new strategic partnership that builds on the best of our past, reflects the world as it is today, and benefits the people of both our nations,” Carney said in the statement. Additionally, by March 1, China is expected to drop its tariff on Canadian canola seed to a combined rate of 15%. Carney’s office said that Canada expects that its canola meal, lobsters, crabs, and peas will not be subject to relevant anti-discrimination tariffs beginning March 1 “until at least the end of this year.” CANADIAN PM CARNEY FIRES BACK AT TRUMP OVER CLAIM THAT ‘CANADA LIVES BECAUSE OF THE UNITED STATES’ It is unclear what deal would trigger a response from Trump in the wake of the ones made during Carney’s trip to China. Tensions between Carney and Trump have flared in recent days, as the leaders took swipes at one another at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland — and at home after the conference. Carney, fresh off his trip to China, delievered a speech that garnered international attention. While he did not mention Trump by name, he made a reference to the U.S., saying that “rules-based order is fading.” Many, including the U.S. president, saw this as a jab at Trump. “Every day we’re reminded that we live in an era of great-power rivalry,” Carney said. “That the rules-based order is fading. That the strong can do what they can, and the weak must suffer what they must.” TRUMP ANNOUNCES ESCALATING TARIFFS ON DENMARK AND OTHER EUROPEAN NATIONS TO FORCE GREENLAND PURCHASE DEAL He admitted that there were benefits to U.S. leadership on the world stage, but painted the entire concept of a rules-based international order as a falsity that is actively failing. Additionally, in his address, Carney urged middle powers, like Canada, to assert themselves and take the opportunity to “build a new order that embodies our values.” “Middle powers must act together because if you are not at the table, you are on the menu,” Carney said. When delivering his address on Wednesday, Trump did not shy away from taking aim at Carney. He said that Canada “should be grateful” because the country gets “a lot of freebies” from the U.S., though he did not say what he was referring to. “I watched your prime minister yesterday. He wasn’t so grateful,” Trump said. “Canada lives because of the United States. Remember that, Mark, the next time you make your statements.” In another apparent swipe at Carney, Trump issued an “open letter” to the Canadian leader on Truth Social revoking Canada’s invitation to join the Board of Peace, a U.S.-led council tasked with managing Gaza’s post-war future. “Please let this Letter serve to represent that the Board of Peace is withdrawing its invitation to you regarding Canada’s joining, what will be, the most prestigious Board of Leaders ever assembled, at any time. Thank you for your attention to this matter!” Trump wrote on Truth Social. The inauguration of the Board of Peace took place after Carney had already departed, according to The Associated Press. Upon his return to Canada, Carney addressed a cabinet retreat and took the opportunity to reject Trump’s claim. “Canada and the United States have built a remarkable partnership in the economy, in security, and in a rich cultural exchange,” Carney said on Thursday while speaking in Plains of Abraham, Québec, during a cabinet retreat. “But Canada doesn’t ‘live because of the United States’,” he said, referencing Trump’s remark. “Canada thrives because we are Canadian. We are masters in our own house. This is our country. This is our future. The choice is ours.” Fox News Digital reached out to the White House and Carney’s office for comment. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Trump takes aim at Senate ‘blue slip’ tradition as GOP resists change
President Donald Trump is waging war against a century-old tradition in the Senate that both Republicans and Democrats don’t want to touch. Trump has ebbed and flowed in his disdain for the blue slip tradition in the upper chamber, taking out his frustrations on Senate Judiciary Chair Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, and other Republicans who have drawn a firm line in the sand for their support of the practice. Much of his anger stemmed from the blue slip’s role in derailing a pair of his hand-picked U.S. attorney nominees — Alina Habba and Lindsey Halligan — last year. SENATE DEMOCRATS REBEL AGAINST THEIR OWN LEADERSHIP OVER DHS FUNDING PACKAGE, INCREASING SHUTDOWN ODDS Trump sounded off on the practice late last year in the Oval Office, arguing that the GOP should “get rid of blue slips, because, as a Republican President, I am unable to put anybody in office having to do with US attorneys or having to do with judges.” But the practice, which has been around since World War I, is likely not going anywhere, given that it’s been a valuable tool for minority parties to block nominees. The tradition allows for home state senators to weigh in on judicial nominees, giving them a say on who does and doesn’t move forward. Returning a blue slip is the equivalent of giving a thumbs up to the nominees moving forward, while keeping the slip effectively blocks the process. While the tradition was used to block both Halligan and Habba, both of whom served as Trump’s attorneys while in between stints in the White House, Republicans have still been successful in confirming several of the president’s judicial picks. REPUBLICANS NARROWLY REJECT EFFORTS TO HANDCUFF TRUMP’S WAR POWERS IN VENEZUELA Grassley noted in a post on X that “nearly 1/5 of the 417 nominees who were confirmed this [year] went” through his committee. “I’m ready to process even more in the new [year] just need materials from WH and DOJ so [committee] can continue contributing to Senate’s historic nominations progress,” he said. While Senate Democrats tried to block as many of Trump’s nominees throughout last year, Republicans changed the rules to ram more through. That resulted in the upper chamber confirming 36 U.S. attorneys and 26 federal judges. Four of those were from Democratic senators with blue slips in Pennsylvania, New Hampshire, Michigan and Minnesota, where the Trump administration’s usage of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents has faced legal challenges. Both of Minnesota’s Democratic Sens. Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith, who aren’t quiet critics of Trump and his administration, returned their blue slips for U.S. Attorney Daniel Rosen last year. “Putting aside political differences, he is respected across the board in Minnesota, and so I thought he would be a good U.S. attorney,” Smith said. And notably, the blue slip tradition was used by Republicans to ensure that Trump would have 15 judges to appoint once he took office, blocking several of former President Joe Biden’s nominees in the process. There is also not a single blue slip holding up a judicial nominee currently making its way through the process. HOUSE JAMS SENATE BY ATTACHING REPEAL OF JACK SMITH PROVISION TO $1.2T FUNDING PACKAGE There have also been several Senate Republicans who have pushed back against Trump’s demand to decimate the tradition, including Sens. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., and John Kennedy, R-La., both members of the Judiciary Committee. They argued that the entire point of the blue slip was to ensure that individual senators got to have a say on the matter, and that the “issue cut both ways.” “I would urge my colleagues to respectfully tell the president that we would do damage to this institution, and we would do damage to the power of individual senators if we were to rescind the blue slip,” Tillis said on the Senate floor last year. Like many instances of Trump’s desire to take a sledgehammer to Senate tradition or procedure, Republicans largely aren’t biting. And neither are members of Senate GOP leadership, including Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., who last year argued that there was more of an “intense feeling about preserving the blue slip maybe even than there is the filibuster.” Thune noted that he and fellow South Dakota Republican Sen. Mike Rounds both took advantage of the blue slip process to ensure that their state had a Republican-appointed district court judge for the first time since former President Ronald Reagan’s presidency. “There were two vacancies,” Thune said. “They wanted one Dem, we gave them a Dem, we got a Republican person into that position in South Dakota. So it’s — there are examples of how that process, I think, works to our advantage, and that’s what most senators hang on to when it comes to a discussion about the blue slip.”
House candidate predicts historic rise of ‘new generation’ in Congress as parties target key demographic
After making historic inroads with Hispanic voters in the last several election cycles, the Republican Party is going all in on winning the Latino vote this midterm election. The party, which currently holds a razor-thin majority in the House of Representatives, is confident that Hispanic voters will help it retain and shape the future of its majority both this November and in the years to come. Longtime South Texas Democratic Judge Tano Tijerina told Fox News Digital during an interview that he and Hispanics are ready to buck the Democrats and embrace a “new generation” of political leadership. Alongside former assistant U.S. attorney Eric Flores and former California mayor Kevin Lincoln, Tijerina is one of three Hispanic Republicans running to unseat Democrats in Congress who have been endorsed by President Donald Trump. There are eight other Hispanic Republicans running in competitive, heavily Latino districts in border states, Texas, New Mexico and California. If elected, these candidates will join an already influential group of Hispanics in Congress, including Reps. Maria Salazar, R-Fla., Monica De La Cruz, R-Texas, Nicole Malliotakis, R-N.Y., Juan Ciscomani, R-Ariz., and Gabe Evans, R-Colo. HEALTHCARE, ECONOMY AND THE ‘ONE BIG BEAUTIFUL BILL’: WELCOME TO THE MIDTERMS Tijerina is running to unseat longtime Democratic Rep. Henry Cuellar in a district along the Texas-Mexico border. He said that despite long being a Democratic stronghold, the Biden administration’s mismanagement of the border and prioritization of DEI “really opened up a lot of eyes of the Hispanics down here in South Texas.” “Being a Democrat after so many years, I’m just sick and tired of seeing all the social issues that the Democrats are [promoting]. And I’m not the only one. That’s why Webb County, that’s why South Texas, voted for Trump plus 10 numbers.” “We have always been conservative, everybody knows it,” he went on, adding, “Down here in South Texas, the only thing that we care about is good-paying jobs [and] making sure that we’re getting protected.” Cuellar also counts himself as one of the last “blue dog” conservative Democrats in the House of Representatives. He was highly critical of the Biden administration’s handling of the border and immigration issues. Cuellar has said that it was this stance that led to him being indicted by the Biden Department of Justice on foreign bribery charges. He was later given an unconditional pardon by Trump, who also posited that the charges were politically motivated. Though there was much speculation that Cuellar would switch parties after his pardon, he rebuffed those rumors, saying he would remain a blue dog Democrat. Tijerina said that it is just as well because the people of South Texas “deserve somebody that’s actually going to go fight for them and not fight for themselves.” “[Cuellar] comes around and says, ‘I’m your money guy, I’m the one that brings the money.’ When in all reality, I, as a county judge, know that we’ve gone through commissioner’s court, we’re the ones with the ideas, we’re are the ones that ask for the federal funding, we’re the ones who do the cash match,” said Tijerina. “Henry’s been for Henry all these years, and it’s very obvious,” he went on. “It’s time for a new generation.” CALL TO DUTY: IN BATTLE FOR HOUSE, REPUBLICANS AND DEMOCRATS LOOKING TO VETERANS In response, Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Spokesperson Madison Andrus told Fox News Digital that “during his time in office, Congressman Cuellar has brought billions of dollars back home to South Texas through his powerful position on the House Appropriations Committee.” Andrus knocked Tijerina for “fighting for a controversial $10 million spending project in Webb County” to purchase property for a new tax office. “Tano should focus on his own backyard and do his homework on how members bring money back to their districts,” she said. A national Democratic strategist told Fox News Digital that Tijerina’s assertion that Cuellar has failed to bring money back to the district stems from a “misunderstanding” of how the House appropriations process works. “Just based on how the House works, Tano will not be able to bring as much money to the district as Cuellar is,” said the strategist, adding, “It is exceedingly rare that a freshman member of Congress gets a seat on the Appropriations Committee. So, Tano would not be able to sit on it, that just wouldn’t happen. And so, that would necessarily lead to a significant decrease in the federal funding that Texas 28 would get.” SENATE MAJORITY LEADER JOHN THUNE PREVIEWS REPUBLICAN MIDTERM MESSAGE HEADING INTO 2026 Tijerina, however, is not the only candidate forecasting that the Democrats’ hold on the Hispanic vote is nearing its end. “For too long, Democrats took South Texas for granted, assuming our votes were virtually guaranteed, while they turned their backs on our values,” said Flores, an Army veteran running as a Republican in the Texas Rio Grande Valley. Flores asserted that Democrats have “traded the needs of hardworking families for a radical agenda that has left our borders open and our economy in shambles.” Lest one think this phenomenon is isolated to the Texas border, this sentiment was further echoed by Lincoln, a Marine veteran who is also running in California. Lincoln told Fox News Digital that Hispanic families in the California Central Valley are “feeling the crushing pressures of the affordability crisis driven by Democrats from Sacramento to Washington who put political ideology ahead of kitchen table issues.” “Generations of families like mine came to America in pursuit of the American Dream, and the Republican Party is earning their trust by working to restore the affordability and opportunity that allows working families to get ahead again,” said Lincoln. GOP SEIZES ON DEM CIVIL WAR AS PROGRESSIVES JUMP INTO KEY 2026 SENATE RACES: ‘THEY’RE IN SHAMBLES’ Despite this, the Democratic Party is also leaning into the affordability message and remains confident that Hispanic voters will stand by them. “While Republicans are pushing policies that make everyday life unaffordable, Democrats are focused on lowering costs, creating