Cornyn pushes ‘zero mercy’ law to deport illegal immigrants convicted of deadly drunk driving
FIRST ON FOX: Several lawmakers led by Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, want to impose penalties against illegal immigrants convicted of deadly drunk driving incidents at the federal level, triggering deportation and preventing return to the United States. Cornyn’s legislation would expand federal immigration law to treat serious drunk driving offenses that cause death or serious bodily injury as “aggravated felonies.” “Zero mercy should be shown to illegal aliens who not only defy our laws by unlawfully entering the country, but also take it a step further to drive drunk, threatening American lives,” Cornyn said in a statement to Fox News Digital. CAIR’S TAX-EXEMPT STATUS TARGETED AS CORNYN MOVES TO STRIP GROUP AFTER TERROR DESIGNATIONS “By strengthening current immigration law to hold these offenders accountable, our bill sends a clear message: If you enter the country illegally and harm innocent citizens, we will find you, we will punish you, and we will make sure you never step foot on American soil again,” he continued. The measure, dubbed the Stop Illegal Aliens Drunk Driving Act, would add driving under the influence (DUI) and driving while impaired (DWI) offenses under the umbrella of the Immigration and Nationality Act, a law enacted in the 1950s that acts as the keystone for immigration laws in the country. That decades-old law governs visas, green cards, and citizenship, among several other immigration enforcement matters. SHERIFF SLAMS LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES FOR RELEASING ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT WHO ALLEGEDLY HIT OHIO NURSE Cornyn’s measure would specifically add new aggravated offenses to the preexisting law that would lead to deportation, prevention of re-entry into the country and make a person ineligible for most forms of immigration relief if convicted. Those offenses, specifically geared toward non-citizens, include convictions of DUI or DWI that resulted in death or serious bodily injury. Notably, the proposed legislation would enact the new penalties regardless of whether the conviction was a misdemeanor or felony. MOM PRAISES HOUSE FOR PASSING KEY IMMIGRATION BILL, BASHES CROCKETT FOR DISMISSING DAUGHTER’S MURDER The lawmaker pointed to statistics and testimonials from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and U.S. Attorney’s Office, Southern District of Texas, in making the case for the legislation. The DHS’ Victims of Immigration Crime Engagement last year noted that 15 people had been killed in relation to DUI and DWI incidents involving illegal immigrants over the last decade. The U.S. Attorney’s Office highlighted a specific incident, where an illegal immigrant with seven previous DWI convictions was able to re-enter the country after being removed three times prior. Cornyn is joined by Sens. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, Ted Budd, R-N.C., Thom Tillis, R-N.C., Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo., Bill Hagerty, R-Tenn., John Kennedy, R-La., Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., James Lankford, R-Okla., and Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., in support of the legislation. Notably, Sen. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., is the lone Democratic cosponsor on the bill.
Sen Amy Klobuchar says she’s ‘seriously considering’ a gubernatorial bid
Long-serving Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., indicated that she is giving serious consideration to mounting a gubernatorial bid. “I love my job, I love my state and I’m seriously considering it,” the lawmaker told CNN. Current Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz mounted a re-election bid last year, but he later announced on Monday that he was dropping out of the race. His reversal comes amid the massive fraud scandal unfolding in the state linked to the Somali community. MINNESOTA REPUBLICANS SAY TIM WALZ NOT OFF THE HOOK AFTER DROPPING RE-ELECTION BID “In September, I announced that I would run for a historic third term as Minnesota’s governor. And I have every confidence that, if I gave it my all, I would succeed in that effort,” he said in a statement. “But as I reflected on this moment with my family and my team over the holidays, I came to the conclusion that I can’t give a political campaign my all. Every minute I spend defending my own political interests would be a minute I can’t spend defending the people of Minnesota against the criminals who prey on our generosity and the cynics who prey on our differences. So I’ve decided to step out of the race and let others worry about the election while I focus on the work,” he noted. Klobuchar, who has served in the U.S. Senate since early 2007, called Walz “a true public servant” in a post on X. JAMES COMER TO ACCUSE TIM WALZ OF BEING ‘ASLEEP AT THE WHEEL’ AT FRAUD HEARING Walz’s announcement came after independent journalist Nick Shirley’s reporting about alleged massive fraud linked to taxpayer-funded daycare facilities in the state went viral. But the governor asserted on Tuesday that he will not resign from office. “I’m not goin’ anywhere,” he asserted. “And you can make all your requests for me to resign over my dead body will that happen.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Walz ran as then-Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate during the 2024 presidential election.
Noem unloads on Walz over ICE raid criticism: ‘Really? You’re worried about taxpayer dollars?’
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem joined several critics in slamming Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz after he jabbed ICE for conducting comprehensive immigration enforcement in Minnesota, with some pointing out the governor’s misspellings in a missive. The back-and-forth comes as Noem’s agency focuses on Minnesota for both standard immigration enforcement as well as the deployment of HSI officers to probe the legitimacy of alleged daycares tied to the Somali community that received millions in state funds. Walz tweeted video of dozens of federal agents detaining at least one man in what the governor said was a Minnetonka, Minnesota, library complex: calling the scene “ridiculous” and misspelling at least one word. GOP LAWMAKER DEMANDS MINNESOTA FRAUD BE TREATED AS ‘ORGANIZED CRIME’ SCHEME “Nobody is fooled into thinking this bafoonery (sic) is a reasonable use of taxpayer dollars. It should not take 50 ICE agents to arrest one guy in a library,” Walz said. Noem responded incredulously that Walz would be concerned with conserving public expenditures given the rampant fraud under his watch. “Really, you’re worried about taxpayer dollars?” Noem said. FEDS LAUNCH ‘MASSIVE OPERATION’ IN MINNESOTA AMID FRAUD SCANDAL “There’s been $9 billion stolen from the taxpayers in Minnesota since you became governor. You won’t let us in Minnesota’s jails and there is rampant assault against our law enforcement thanks to vilification from politicians like you,” she added. “So, yes, there’s strength in law enforcement numbers to remove these violent criminals from the communities you refuse to protect.” Noem personally took part in some of ICE’s arrests of criminal illegal immigrants, including a man wanted for murder, according to FOX’s Minneapolis-St. Paul affiliate. MAGNITUDE ‘CANNOT BE OVERSTATED’: FEDS SAY MINNESOTA FRAUD MAY BE MORE THAN $9B Walz’s jab at Noem erupted on social media, with conservative commentator Ian Miles Cheong asking if the governor learned to spell at a Somali daycare. Several other commenters made similar critiques. “How many police will it take to arrest you?” another commenter asked. Another critic shared a meme of “Saturday Night Live” star Keenan Thompson appearing as “Family Feud” host Steve Harvey and grimacing, “You sure?” MINNESOTA FRAUD CASES, EXPLAINED: HOW HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS ALLEGEDLY SLIPPED THROUGH STATE PROGRAMS “You know what is bad use of taxpayer dollars? Daycares with no kids,” added Nick Shirley, the conservative YouTuber who visited several allegedly fraudulent sites. Walz also spoke out at a news conference about ICE’s presence in Minnesota, estimating that 2,000 federal agents were in the state and that “we don’t even know who they are.” “They’ll be wearing masks… If you want us to fix fraud, come and help us… They’re not interested in that,” he said. Minneapolis City Councilman Jason Chavez separately urged residents’ caution in the presence of DHS. “Activity is really hot this morning on Lake Street and Powderhorn. There’s also confirmed ICE vehicles using Uber stickers. Please be careful,” he said, according to the FOX affiliate. Fox News Digital reached out to Walz for further comment for purposes of this story but did not hear back by press time.
China bans military-use exports to key US ally as Taiwan tensions rise
China on Tuesday banned exports of goods that could be used for military purposes to Japan, a move that escalates tensions between Beijing and a key U.S. ally as disputes intensify over Taiwan. The Chinese Commerce Ministry said in a statement that any items that have a dual use — civilian and military — would no longer be exported to Japan. The government did not offer specifics on which items would be included in the ban. But state-affiliated media said Beijing was considering whether to include rare-earth minerals. Japanese leaders have increasingly linked Taiwan’s fate to Japan’s own security, with Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi warning that a Chinese move against the island could amount to a “survival-threatening situation” for Japan — a legal threshold that could permit military action under Japan’s self-defense laws. FROM MOJAVE TO BEIJING: HOW AMERICA QUIETLY CONCEDED THE RARE EARTH RACE In his New Year’s address, Chinese President Xi Jinping called the “reunification” of China and Taiwan “unstoppable.” His remarks came days after China concluded live-fire drills to simulate a blockade of the island. The export crackdown echoes a 2010 episode when China halted rare-earth exports to Japan for nearly two months during a territorial dispute. The rare earths dispute became an early example of China’s willingness to weaponize trade, prompting U.S. and allied defense planners to reassess how deeply military supply chains depended on Beijing. The episode accelerated efforts to diversify sourcing, though China remains a dominant player in several critical sectors. CHINA’S GLOBAL AGGRESSION CHECK: TAIWAN TENSIONS, MILITARY POSTURING AND US RESPONSE IN 2025 China controls roughly two-thirds of global rare-earth mining and the vast majority of processing capacity, a dominance that prompted the Trump administration to push to diversify supply chains and revive domestic production as a national security priority. For years, Washington had largely left rare earths to the market, even as U.S. mines closed and production migrated to China. The Trump administration broke with decades of hands-off policy by using Pentagon funding and emergency authorities to support MP Materials at California’s Mountain Pass mine, one of the first direct U.S. government interventions to restore rare earth processing capacity seen as critical to modern weapons systems.
George Conway looks dramatically different in campaign announcement video
George Conway, the ex-Republican lawyer running for Congress as a Democrat in New York, looks dramatically different in his first campaign video released Tuesday. Many users on social media observed that Conway, the ex-husband of Trump ally Kellyanne Conway, lost a significant amount of weight before announcing his campaign for New York’s 12th Congressional District. “Ozempic is your sponsor??” asked one user, who speculated without evidence that Conway’s transformation was a result of weight-loss drugs. Conway is joining a crowded field in the Democratic primary race race for outgoing Rep. Jerry Nadler’s Manhattan congressional seat. Conway is relying on his familiarity with Trump to set him apart. GEORGE CONWAY FOCUSES ON OPPOSING TRUMP AS HE JUMPS INTO CROWDED HOUSE DEM PRIMARY “We have a corrupt president, a mendacious president, a criminal president whose masked agents are disappearing people from our streets, who’s breaking international law, and he’s running our federal government like a mob protection racket,” Conway said in his announcement ad. PARKLAND SURVIVOR JUMPS INTO CROWDED NYC HOUSE RACE AS GEN Z PROGRESSIVES CHALLENGE PARTY ELDERS “I know how to fight these people. They are corrupt, amoral people,” he said. “They will stop at nothing to rig the system for themselves. I’ve been fighting Trump for years, and nothing will stop me.” Conway embarked on a dramatic split from conservative politics since the rise of Trump in 2016. He helped found the anti-Trump Lincoln Project in 2019 alongside other erstwhile Republicans. “I get how people can be upset how I once supported Trump,” Conway told The New York Times in an interview. “But I think if people really listen, my views, my philosophy, my values, have always been the same.”
Left-wing Dems steer $1M to addiction group operating above Minneapolis Somali restaurant amid fraud fallout
FIRST ON FOX: Republican Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst is working to strip more than $1 million of federal funds earmarked for a Somali-led Minnesota addiction recovery organization that shares an address with a Minneapolis Somali restaurant, Fox News Digital learned. “The scale and frequency of fraud in Minnesota is staggering, but I fear just the tip of the iceberg,” Ernst told Fox News Digital Wednesday. “Congress owes it to the American people to clean up the mess instead of letting the same politicians who created it keep pigging out at the trough. I am putting a stop to this madness, protecting taxpayers, and empowering the Department of Justice to hold every single criminal accountable.” Capitol Hill lawmakers unveiled a new spending package Monday that totals at least $174 billion and is slated to receive a vote from House lawmakers later this week. Within the package, Ernst’s office found that Omar had earmarked $1,031,000 through the Department of Justice for a group called Generation Hope MN in Minneapolis. The earmark is co-led by Minnesota Democratic Sens. Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith in the Senate. Generation Hope MN is a 501(c)(3) that was established in 2019 to create a “a better, safer, and more connected community for individuals experiencing drug addiction and substance use disorders in the greater East African community of the Twin Cities Metro area,” according to its website. COMER VOWS MINNESOTA FRAUD PROBE WILL EXPAND TO OTHER STATES AMID MOUNTING SCRUTINY “We are a Somali-led organization, and our team includes individuals in recovery, mental health professionals such as licensed counselors and peer recovery support specialists, and community members,” the website states. The group’s website lists two addresses for the addiction recovery center in Minneapolis, including a location on Cedar Avenue. The same Cedar Avenue address is also listed as the location for a Somali restaurant called Sagal Restaurant and Coffee. The restaurant’s website describes the restaurant, established in 1998, as a “culinary haven” that “brings the authenticity of Somali cuisine to Minneapolis.” Google Maps, Fox Digital found, also lists a neighborhood association group as also sharing the Cedar Avenue location. The owner of Sagal Restaurant, Fartune Del, confirmed to Fox News Digital Tuesday evening that Generation Hope MN does operate out of additional office spaces above the restaurant. “We have 8 office spaces on upper level of the building. Generation Hope (is) using space to help people in need of addiction,” Del told Fox Digital in an email when approached for comment about the shared address. The other location listed on the addiction recovery group’s website shows a commercial property located on Minneapolis’ Harmon Place. Ernst is readying an amendment in the Senate to redirect the more than $1 million in funding to a Department of Justice account dedicated to fraud prevention and enforcement, Fox Digital learned. A review of documents published by Omar’s office promoting the earmark for the project listed the address for Generation Hope MN as sitting on “Cedar Ave. South” — not just “Cedar Avenue” as it’s described on Generation Hope’s website. The Cedar Avenue South address also pulls up the Sagal Restaurant on Google Maps, Fox Digital found. Yelp reviews for the café and restaurant going back at least a decade praise it as serving “delicious” “Authentic Somali meals,” holding an average of four and half stars out of five based on reviews. WALZ REFUSES TO QUIT AFTER DROPPING RE-ELECTION BID AMID MINNESOTA FRAUD FIRESTORM: ‘OVER MY DEAD BODY’ Omar’s office previously described on its website that the fiscal year 2026 funding to Generation Hope would be used to address the “opioid crisis by combining this workforce readiness programming with addiction recovery, mental health, and housing support,” and “reduce recidivism and addiction while enabling greater opportunities for sustainable employment in the city, helping capable workers grow in their skills and education.” “The funding would be used for targeted reentry support in Minneapolis including job-specific training, computer skills development, peer support services, and access to education, so that participants are equipped with the tools and resources necessary for workforce success. The initiative integrates a tailored support model with practical job training through partnering with certified apprenticeship programs to provide participants with industry-recognized certifications,” Omar’s office continued. IRS documents, specifically IRS Form 1023-EZ which is needed to apply for recognition as a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization, showed the three chiefs of Generation Hope MN listed the same address for a five-bedroom home in Minnepolis as their primary residence, Ernst’s office found. Abdirahman Warsame, a local author, co-founded Generation Hope MN in 2019, he told a media outlet for Minnesota refugees called Sahan Journal in 2022, when he published a book of poetry chronicling a “recovering addict’s journey to sobriety.” Fox News Digital is looking into whether the group has received previous funds from the federal government. SOMALI UN AMBASSADOR LINKED TO QUESTIONABLE CINCINNATI HEALTH SERVICE AGENCY, RFK JR. DEPUTY SAYS Fox News Digital reached out to Warsame, Omar’s office, Klobuchar’s office, Smith’s office, Generation Hope MN for comment on the shared address and earmarked funds Tuesday evening but did not immediately receive replies. Ernst’s efforts, as well as other Republican-led efforts, to strip the roughly $1 million in favor a project focused on fraud prevention and enforcement comes as Minnesota faces a massive fraud scandal. Minnesota was allegedly home to a massive COVID-era scheme that allegedly involved money laundering operations related to fraudulent meal and housing programs, daycare centers and Medicaid services, according to investigators. Dozens of arrests have been made since 2022, mostly from the state’s large Somali community. Local officials speculate the fraud could exceed $1 billion and rise to as high as $9 billion, as additional details come to light. Democratic Gov. Tim Walz dropped out of his re-election effort Monday amid the fallout of the fraud scandal, while President Donald Trump has slammed Omar, Walz and other Minnesota elected officials for the fraud. Walz, who has served as governor since 2019, took ownership of the fraud as it occurred under his watch, but argued
Wyoming Supreme Court rules laws restricting abortion violate state constitution
The Wyoming Supreme Court ruled on Tuesday that a pair of laws restricting abortion access violate the state constitution, including the country’s first explicit ban on abortion pills. The court, in a 4-1 ruling, sided with the state’s only abortion clinic and others who had sued over the abortion bans passed since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, which returned the power to make laws on abortion back to the states. Despite Wyoming being one of the most conservative states, the ruling handed down by justices who were all appointed by Republican governors upheld every previous lower court ruling that the abortion bans violated the state constitution. Wellspring Health Access in Casper, the abortion access advocacy group Chelsea’s Fund and four women, including two obstetricians, argued that the laws violated a state constitutional amendment affirming that competent adults have the right to make their own health care decisions. TRUMP URGES GOP TO BE ‘FLEXIBLE’ ON HYDE AMENDMENT, IGNITING BACKLASH FROM PRO-LIFE ALLIES Voters approved the constitutional amendment in 2012 in response to the federal Affordable Care Act, which is also known as Obamacare. The justices in Wyoming found that the amendment was not written to apply to abortion but noted that it is not their job to “add words” to the state constitution. “But lawmakers could ask Wyoming voters to consider a constitutional amendment that would more clearly address this issue,” the justices wrote. Wellspring Health Access President Julie Burkhart said in a statement that the ruling upholds abortion as “essential health care” that should not be met with government interference. “Our clinic will remain open and ready to provide compassionate reproductive health care, including abortions, and our patients in Wyoming will be able to obtain this care without having to travel out of state,” Burkhart said. Wellspring Health Access opened as the only clinic in the state to offer surgical abortions in 2023, a year after a firebombing stopped construction and delayed its opening. A woman is serving a five-year prison sentence after she admitted to breaking in and lighting gasoline that she poured over the clinic floors. Attorneys representing the state had argued that abortion cannot violate the Wyoming constitution because it is not a form of health care. Republican Gov. Mark Gordon expressed disappointment in the ruling and called on state lawmakers meeting later this winter to pass a constitutional amendment prohibiting abortion that residents could vote on this fall. An amendment like that would require a two-thirds vote to be introduced as a nonbudget matter in the monthlong legislative session that will primarily address the state budget, although it would have significant support in the Republican-dominated legislature. “This ruling may settle, for now, a legal question, but it does not settle the moral one, nor does it reflect where many Wyoming citizens stand, including myself. It is time for this issue to go before the people for a vote,” Gordon said in a statement. APPEALS COURT SIDES WITH TRUMP ON BUDGET PROVISION CUTTING PLANNED PARENTHOOD FUNDS One of the laws overturned by the state’s high court attempted to ban abortion, but with exceptions in cases where it is needed to protect a pregnant woman’s life or in cases of rape or incest. The other law would have made Wyoming the only state to explicitly ban abortion pills, although other states have implemented de facto bans on abortion medication by broadly restricting abortion. Abortion has remained legal in the state since Teton County District Judge Melissa Owens blocked the bans while the lawsuit challenging the restrictions moved forward. Owens struck down the laws as unconstitutional in 2024. Last year, Wyoming passed additional laws requiring abortion clinics to be licensed surgical centers and women to receive ultrasounds before having medication abortions. A judge in a separate lawsuit blocked those laws from taking effect while that case moves forward. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Trump admin expands visa bond requirement to 38 countries, with fees up to $15K
The Trump administration is dramatically expanding a policy requiring some foreign travelers to post bonds of up to $15,000 before entering the United States. The State Department on Tuesday added 25 countries to its visa bond list, nearly tripling the total shortly after adding seven more as part of the Trump administration’s moves to tighten immigration enforcement. There are now 38 countries subject to the requirement, most of them in Africa with others in Latin America and Asia, a move that could make obtaining a U.S. visa unaffordable for many travelers. The bond requirement for the latest additions, including Venezuela, will take effect Jan. 21. TRUMP STATE DEPARTMENT ORDERS GLOBAL VISA CRACKDOWN UNDER REVIVED ‘PUBLIC CHARGE’ RULE Travelers eligible for a B1/B2 visa from countries on the list must post a bond of $5,000, $10,000 or $15,000, with the amount set during the visa interview, according to a notice posted on the State Department’s website. Paying the bond will not guarantee a visa’s approval, but the amount will be refunded should the visa be denied, or when a visa holder demonstrates compliance with the terms of the visa. The expansion follows a pilot program launched by the State Department in August that requires certain visa applicants from countries with high overstay rates and deficient document security controls to post a bond. HOMELAND SECURITY MOVES TOWARD SCRUTINIZING FOREIGN TOURISTS’ SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNTS BEFORE ENTRY The Trump administration rolled out numerous immigration policy changes last year, impacting the way people travel, obtain visas and become citizens in the United States, with some measures scheduled to take effect in 2026. The Trump administration requires citizens from all countries that require visas to sit for in-person interviews and disclose years of social media history, along with information about their families’ previous travel and living arrangements. STATE DEPARTMENT YANKS VISAS FROM MEXICAN EXECUTIVES IN MIGRANT SMUGGLING CRACKDOWN The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) implemented a new rule on Dec. 26, 2025, expanding facial recognition for non-citizens entering and leaving the United States. President Donald Trump also recently announced the launch of the much-anticipated “Trump Gold Card,” an immigration initiative designed to provide a new, streamlined path to U.S. citizenship, which he has said could generate billions of dollars. The new countries added to the visa bond requirement beginning Jan. 21 are Algeria, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Bangladesh, Benin, Burundi, Cape Verde, Cuba, Djibouti, Dominica, Fiji, Gabon, Ivory Coast, Kyrgyzstan, Nepal, Nigeria, Senegal, Tajikistan, Togo, Tonga, Tuvalu, Uganda, Vanuatu, Venezuela and Zimbabwe. Countries already on the list include Bhutan, Botswana, the Central African Republic, the Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Malawi, Mauritania, Namibia, São Tomé and Príncipe, Tanzania, Turkmenistan and Zambia. Fox News Digital has reached out to the State Department for comment. Fox News Digital’s Greg Norman, Greg Wehner and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Vance reposts sombrero meme mocking Democrats’ Jan 6 candlelight vigil
Vice President JD Vance shared a meme of congressional Democrats attending a candlelight vigil Tuesday marking the fifth anniversary of Jan. 6, reposting content that added sombreros to images of House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., as they held candles on the steps of the U.S. Capitol. Vance posted the image from his verified X account without commentary, showing Democratic leaders, including Schumer and Jeffries, prominently from a video clip below. The original video clip was posted by the “End Wokeness” X account, which had the caption: “BREAKING: Congressional Dems just held a candlelit vigil to honor the 5th January 6th anniversary.” The vigil itself featured remarks from Schumer and Jeffries, who described the ceremony as an effort to remember the events of the Jan. 6, 2021, breach of the U.S. Capitol, and honor law enforcement officers and others who died in connection with the riot. WHITE HOUSE TORCHES DEMOCRATS’ JAN 6 ‘GASLIGHTING’ CLAIMS IN ANNIVERSARY TAKEDOWN “We are here today because we must never forget what happened on Jan. 6 five years ago,” Schumer said, adding that future generations should remember it. “The day democracy was placed at greater risk than it has been in a century, and more than a century.” Schumer recalled being evacuated during the breach, saying he and others were “within 20 feet of those rioters of those insurrectionists” as they were moved to safety. “On Jan. 6, our Capitol Police officers were heroes. Our DC police were heroes,” Schumer said. “…We will make sure that your sacrifices that day are never forgotten, nor will we ever, ever forget the lives of those we lost in the connection with the attack.” Jeffries called Jan. 6 a “violent insurrection incited by Donald Trump to overturn the results of a free and fair election” and praised law enforcement who defended the Capitol. “We owe these heroes an eternal debt of gratitude and will never forget their service and their sacrifice,” Jeffries said. JD VANCE RESPONDS TO HAKEEM JEFFRIES’ CLAIM SOMBRERO MEME IS ‘RACIST’ Jeffries later asked attendees to observe a moment of silence “to remember those whose lives were lost as a result of the tragic and horrific events of Janu. 6, 2021.” Following the moment of silence, attendees sang “God Bless America,” with Schumer’s voice carrying above the group. Vance did not reference the victims or the vigil’s remarks in his repost, instead sharing the altered image without commentary. Some social media users who supported the repost framed it as criticism of what they described as political theater rather than an attack on the victims of Jan. 6. “These people and their theater antics are so embarrassing,” one user wrote in response to the post. “I’d laugh more often at them were it not for the very real authoritarian danger they pose which hides in plain sight.” Another commenter criticized Democratic leadership for focusing on symbolic gestures rather than governance, writing, “I wish they put the same effort into their states and cities.” Democrat leaders have previously faced criticism from conservative commentators over what they described as performative displays during moments of national tension. In 2020, several lawmakers, including then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., drew attention for kneeling while wearing traditional Ghanaian Kente cloth stoles during Capitol events following the death of George Floyd; actions that were praised by supporters and criticized by opponents as political theater. Variations of the sombrero meme targeting Jeffries have circulated online since the federal government shutdown last year amid criticism of Democratic leadership. The imagery has since reemerged periodically in online political satire. Vance’s, Schumer’s and Jeffries’ offices did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
‘The People’s Qur’an’: Mamdani announces NYC Quran exhibit with book belonging to revolutionary activist
Socialist Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced Tuesday that one of the Qurans he used to be sworn in as the city’s first Muslim leader will be kept on display at the main branch of the New York Public Library. In an X post, Mamdani wrote the Quran belonged to an 18th-century Black scholar and revolutionary activist named Arturo Schomburg. “When I swore in at midnight at the old City Hall subway station last week, I had the honor of doing so on Arturo Schomburg’s 18th-century Qur’an,” said Mamdani. He said that “this manuscript was copied in Ottoman Syria, and is written in black ink with red highlighting the text’s divisions — no ornate decoration, it belonged to the everyday reader, and it now belongs to all New Yorkers as part of our City’s next chapter.” HOCHUL ORDERS NY LANDMARKS, INCLUDING ONE WORLD TRADE CENTER, LIT GREEN FOR MUSLIM AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH The new mayor shared a photo of the library display, which features slogans such as “The People’s Qur’an” and “Making history at City Hall.” In addition to the book, the display features an image of Mamdani and his wife, Rama Duwaji, at his private New Year’s midnight oath-of-office ceremony, in which he was sworn in by New York State Attorney General Letitia James. The display also features a close-up of the Quran with Mamdani’s hand on it as well as an image of Schomburg. According to the New York Public Library, the Quran is part of its collection retained by the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. SOCIALIST MAYOR MAMDANI INAUGURATED ALONGSIDE BERNIE SANDERS AND AOC ON NEW YEAR’S DAY The library wrote that, after the “history-making moment [of Mamdani’s swearing-in] with one of the Schomburg Center’s treasured collection items,” it would be displayed beginning Jan. 6 in the McGraw Rotunda at the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building on 42nd Street. The library identifies Schomburg as a Puerto Rican–born bibliophile, historian and journalist who devoted much of his life to collecting and studying books and manuscripts about Black history and culture. The library also identifies him as the co-founder of Las Dos Antillas, a revolutionary anti-colonialist political organization that advocated for Cuban and Puerto Rican independence. The group’s activities included sending weapons, money and medical supplies to aid the independence struggles of Cuba and Puerto Rico, according to the library. Commenting on Mamdani’s use of the Schomburg Quran at his swearing-in, New York Public Library President Anthony Marx wrote, “This specific Qur’an, which Arturo Schomburg preserved for the knowledge and enjoyment of all New Yorkers, symbolizes a greater story of inclusion, representation, and civic-mindedness.” MAMDANI’S TOP HOUSING PICK ONCE CALLED HOMEOWNERSHIP A ‘WEAPON OF WHITE SUPREMACY’ Hiba Abid, New York Public Library curator of Middle Eastern and Islamic studies, also commented that “the significance of this Qur’an extends far beyond the beauty of its pages. “It is a Qur’an close to the people, not only because of its simple craftsmanship, but also because it is part of the collections of the nation’s largest public library system. Its importance lies not in luxury, but in accessibility, and we hope it inspires more New Yorkers to explore the rich diversity of our Middle Eastern and Islamic collections.”