Senate Majority Leader John Thune says Democrats' demands for new restrictions on federal immigration officers are “unrealistic.” (AP Video by Mike Pesoli) Democrats are pressing for changes at U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and other federal law enforcement agencies in the wake of the fatal shootings of two protesters in Minneapolis last month. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., speaks during a TV news interview at the Capitol in Washington, early Feb. 5, 2026. House Minority Leader Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., speaks during a news conference at the U.S. Capitol, Monday, Feb. 2, 2026, in Washington. WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Majority Leader John Thune said Thursday that demands made by Democrats for new restrictions on federal immigration officers are “unrealistic” and warned that the Department of Homeland Security will shut down next week if they do not work with Republicans and the White House. Democrats say they will not vote for a DHS spending bill when funding runs out unless there are “dramatic changes” at U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and other federal law enforcement agencies in the wake of the fatal shootings of two protesters in Minneapolis last month. The Democratic leaders, Sen. Chuck Schumer and Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, released an expanded list of 10 detailed proposals on Wednesday night for restraining President Donald Trump's aggressive campaign of immigration enforcement. Among the demands are a requirement for judicial warrants, better identification of DHS officers, new use of force standards and a stop to racial profiling. Congress is trying to renegotiate the DHS spending bill after Trump last week agreed to a Democratic request that it be separated from a larger spending measure and extended at current levels for two weeks while the two parties negotiate. The deal came after ICU nurse Alex Pretti was shot and killed by a U.S. Border Patrol officer in Minneapolis on Jan. 24, and some Republicans agreed that new restrictions were necessary. But with nearly a week gone, a shutdown is becoming increasingly likely starting Feb. 14 as Republicans have been cool to most of the Democrats' requests. If DHS shuts down, Thune said, “there's a very good chance we could see more travel problems” similar to the 43-day government closure last year. Schumer, D-N.Y., said he is “astounded to hear” Republicans say his party's proposals were political or unworkable. If Republicans do not like the ideas, he said, “they need to explain why.” The list they released Wednesday added several new items, including a stricter use-of-force policy, legal safeguards at detention centers and a prohibition on tracking protesters with body-worn cameras. Democrats say Congress should end indiscriminate arrests, “improve warrant procedures and standards,” ensure the law is clear that officers cannot enter private property without a judicial warrant and require that before a person can be detained, it's verified that the person is not a U.S. citizen. They also want an end to racial profiling, saying DHS officers should be prohibited from stopping, questioning or searching people “based on an individual's presence at certain locations, their job, their spoken language and accent or their race and ethnicity.” For officers conducting immigration enforcement, Democrats say that in addition to officers taking off their masks and showing identification, DHS should regulate and standardize uniforms and equipment to bring them in line with other law enforcement agencies. Schumer called it a “gut check moment for Congress” as the immigration enforcement operations have rocked Minneapolis and other U.S. cities. Thune has also encouraged Democrats and the White House to talk. Some Republicans have demands of their own, including adding legislation that would require proof of citizenship before Americans register to vote and restrictions on cities that they say do not do enough to crack down on illegal immigration. “The American people want this abuse to stop,” Murphy said. Other lawmakers are searching for options to prevent another partial shutdown. One idea being floated is to essentially fund some of the other agencies within DHS -– the Coast Guard, airport operations under TSA and disaster assistance from FEMA. “Why not take that off the table?” said Republican Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina, whose state is in need of FEMA funds from recent disasters. “I really think they should look at a la carte funding of agencies.” Some Democrats have said they agree, but Thune said Thursday that splitting apart the DHS appropriations bill to single out ICE would “defund law enforcement.” Splitting the bill would mean essentially cutting ICE loose by allowing it to go without its routine federal funding because the agency already has such a robust budget from Trump's tax and spending cut bill from last year.

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by LSEG. Archaeologists have discovered an exceptionally well-preserved Stone Age dog skeleton buried with a 5,000-year-old bone dagger in a Swedish bog. Archaeologists uncovered what they believe are the oldest wooden tools ever discovered — dating back hundreds of thousands of years, according to a new study. Archaeologists say wooden tools found in Greece's Megalopolis basin may date back roughly 430,000 years, making them potentially the oldest of their kind. (Katerina Harvati, Dimitris Michailidis via AP; Prisma/UIG/Getty Images) The area where the tools were found was covered by wetlands and lakes hundreds of thousands of years ago. One of them — a stick — measures around 2.5 feet long. It was likely used for digging in mud, while the other is a small handheld chunk of wood that may have been used to shape stone tools. Because wood rots very quickly, few ancient tools of this type survive. Researchers believe a smaller handheld piece of wood may have been used to help shape stone tools thousands of centuries ago. Modern humans didn't exist back then — leading scientists to believe the tools may have been used by Neanderthals or other early human ancestors. Annemieke Milks, an archaeologist at the University of Reading and author of the study, said she was "thrilled to be able to touch these objects." Archaeologists say one wooden tool, measuring about 2.5 feet long, was likely used for digging in muddy, wet ground. "It's difficult to get excited about these because they don't strike you immediately as wooden tools," cautioned Hutson, who was not involved in the study. He added, "We don't know what they were used for." The artifact joins other prehistoric finds that have surprised archaeologists in recent months. Scientists suggest the tools may have been used by Neanderthals or other early human ancestors before modern humans existed. Last month, archaeologists announced the discovery of cave art dating back about 68,000 years, found in a cave on a tropical island in central Indonesia. Researchers also recently identified the oldest-known poisoned arrowheads, estimating that they are roughly 60,000 years old. Readers can follow her on X at @andreamargs or send story tips to andrea.margolis@fox.com. A look at the top-trending stories in food, relationships, great outdoors and more. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by LSEG. Viral footage captures a 12-year-old's frightening fall at Mammoth Mountain Ski Resort in California on Jan. 31, 2026. More than five dozen winter adventurers had an experience recently that likely wasn't on their agenda. The incident occurred Wednesday morning at Gore Mountain in North Creek. Resort officials said the gondola stopped due to a mechanical alignment issue that triggered a safety sensor — bringing the lift to an automatic stop, Olympic Regional Development Authority and Gore Mountain said in a statement to Fox News Digital. A standard evacuation was immediately launched — with trained mountain operations and ski patrol teams assisting passengers. Some 67 guests were riding in roughly 20 cabins at the time. A recent gondola breakdown stranded nearly 70 skiers for hours at Gore Mountain (not pictured) in New York. The call for assistance was made shortly after 9 a.m. The evacuation was completed before 2 p.m., leaving skiers stranded for nearly five hours, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation said in a statement shared with Fox News Digital. The gondola returned to normal operations Thursday morning, Gore Mountain said. "We are grateful to our guests for their patience and cooperation." "We are grateful to our guests for their patience and cooperation." Officials said the evacuation (not pictured) lasted nearly five hours. Officials said some of the responding forest rangers had completed gondola evacuation training at Gore Mountain last fall, helping crews safely carry out the rescue. "Safety remains our top priority, and our teams are fully trained and experienced in managing situations like this," Olympic Regional Development Authority said. The gondola (not pictured) was repaired and safely returned to service on Thursday morning. The incident also drew attention online, with some users on social media reacting to the evacuation as it unfolded. Others commented on the experience of being stranded at some height, noting that gondola cabins may feel safer than open chairlifts in similar situations. "Winter activities include downhill, cross-country skiing, snowboarding and snowshoeing. Special events range from non-competitive family-oriented fun to regional and Northeastern ski races." The site also notes that "Gore has an incredible gondola ride that warms guests while offering stunning views of the snowy slopes before it's time to zip down again." Kelly McGreal is a production assistant with the lifestyle team at Fox News Digital. A look at the top-trending stories in food, relationships, great outdoors and more. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by

Alberto Castañeda Mondragón, a construction worker in Minnesota, talks about his arrest by ICE officers which resulted in eight skull fractures and five life-threatening brain hemorrhages. Alberto Castañeda Mondragón poses for a portrait at an apartment Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2026, in St. Paul, Minn. (AP Photo/Mark Vancleave) Alberto Castañeda Mondragón poses for a portrait at an apartment Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2026, in St. Paul, Minn. (AP Photo/Mark Vancleave) Alberto Castañeda Mondragón poses for a portrait at an apartment Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2026, in St. Paul, Minn. (AP Photo/Mark Vancleave) MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Alberto Castañeda Mondragón says his memory was so jumbled after a beating by immigration officers that he initially could not remember he had a daughter and still struggles to recall treasured moments like the night he taught her to dance. But the violence he endured last month in Minnesota while being detained is seared into his battered brain. He also remembers the emergency room and the intense pain from eight skull fractures and five life-threatening brain hemorrhages. “They started beating me right away when they arrested me,” the Mexican immigrant recounted this week to The Associated Press, which recently reported on how his case contributed to mounting friction between federal immigration agents and a Minneapolis hospital. Castañeda Mondragón, 31, is one of an unknown number of immigration detainees who, despite avoiding deportation during the Trump administration's enforcement crackdown, have been left with lasting injuries following violent encounters with ICE officers. He was hurt so badly he was disoriented for days at Hennepin County Medical Center, where ICE officers constantly watched over him. The officers told nurses Castañeda Mondragón “purposefully ran headfirst into a brick wall,” an account his caregivers immediately doubted. “There was never a wall,” Castañeda Mondragón said in Spanish, recalling ICE officers striking him with the same metal rod used to break the windows of the vehicle he was in. He later identified it as an ASP, a telescoping baton routinely carried by law enforcement. Training materials and police use-of-force policies across the U.S. say such a baton can be used to hit the arms, legs and body. But striking the head, neck or spine is considered potentially deadly force. Once he was taken to an ICE holding facility at Ft. Snelling in suburban Minneapolis, Castañeda Mondragón said officers resumed beating him. The Department of Homeland Security, which includes ICE, did not respond to repeated requests for comment over the last two weeks on Castañeda Mondragón's injuries. Contact AP's global investigative team at [email protected]. For secure and confidential communications, use the free Signal app +1 (202) 281-8604. It is unclear whether his arrest was captured on body-camera footage or if there might be additional recordings from security cameras at the detention center. In a recent bid to boost transparency, DHS announced a broad rollout of body cameras for immigration officers in Minneapolis as the government also draws down ICE's presence there. ICE deportation officer William J. Robinson did not say how Castañeda Mondragón's skull was smashed in a Jan. 20 declaration filed in federal court. During the intake process, it was determined he “had a head injury that required emergency medical treatment,” he wrote in the filing. A federal judge later ruled his arrest had been unlawful and ordered him released from ICE custody. A video posted to social media captured the moments immediately after Castañeda Mondragón's arrest as four masked men walk him handcuffed through a parking lot. The video shows him unsteady and stumbling, held up by ICE officers. “Don't resist,” shouts the woman who is recording. “Cause they ain't gonna do nothing but bang you up some more.” “Hope they don't kill you,” she adds. At least one ICE officer later told staff at the medical center that Castañeda Mondragón “got his (expletive) rocked,” according to court documents filed by a lawyer seeking his release and nurses who spoke with AP. AP interviewed a doctor and five nurses about Castañeda Mondragón's treatment at HCMC and the presence of ICE officers inside the hospital. AP also consulted an outside physician, who affirmed the injuries were inconsistent with an accidental fall or running into a wall. Minnesota state law requires health professionals to report to law enforcement any wounds that could have been perpetrated as part of a crime. An HCMC spokeswoman declined to say this week whether anyone at the facility had done so. However, following the Jan. 31 publication of AP's initial story about Castañeda Mondragón's arrest, hospital administrators opened an internal inquiry seeking to determine which staff members have spoken to the media, according to internal communications viewed by AP. Tim Walz posted a link to AP's prior story about Castañeda Mondragón, but his office has not said whether state authorities would pursue answers. “Law enforcement cannot be lawless,” Walz wrote in the post on X. Castañeda Mondragón's arrest came a day after  the first  of  two fatal shootings of U.S. citizens in Minneapolis by immigration officers, triggering widespread public protests. Minnesota congressional leaders and other elected officials, including St. Paul Mayor Kaohly Her, called this week for an investigation of Castañeda Mondragón's injuries. The Ramsey County Attorney's Office, which oversees St. Paul, urged Castañeda Mondragón to file a police report to prompt an investigation. A St. Paul police spokesperson said the department would investigate “all alleged crimes that are reported to us.” While the Trump administration insists ICE limits its operations to immigrants with violent rap sheets, Castañeda Mondragón has no criminal record. “We are seeing a repeated pattern of Trump Administration officials attempting to lie and gaslight the American people when it comes to the cruelty of this ICE operation in Minnesota,” Sen. Tina Smith, a Minnesota Democrat, said in a statement. “If any one of our police officers did this, you know what just happened in Minnesota with George Floyd, we hold them accountable,” said Democratic Rep. Betty McCollum, whose district includes St. Paul. On the day of his arrest, he was running errands with a friend when they suddenly found themselves surrounded by ICE agents. He said the first person who hit him “got ugly with me for being Mexican” and not having documents showing his immigration status. About four hours after his arrest, court records show, Castañeda Mondragón was taken to an emergency room in the suburb of Edina with swelling and bruising around his right eye and bleeding. A week into his hospitalization, caregivers described him as minimally responsive. His head injuries erased past experiences that for his daughter are unforgettable, including birthday parties and the day he left for the U.S. She's been trying to revive his memory in daily calls. “When I turned 5, you taught me how to dance for the first time,” she reminded him recently. “All these moments, really, for me, have been forgotten,″ he said. He faces a long recovery and an uncertain future. In addition to the problems with his memory, he also has issues with balance and coordination that could prove debilitating for a man whose work requires going up and down ladders. “I can't get on a roof now,” he said. Unable to earn a living, he is relying on support from co-workers and members of the Minneapolis-St. Paul community who are raising money to help provide food, housing and medical care. But when he closes his eyes at night, the fear that ICE officers will come for him dominates his dreams. “You're left with the nightmare of going to work and being stopped,” Castañeda Mondragón said, “or that you're buying your food somewhere, your lunch, and they show up and stop you again. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, right, talks with Britain's ambassador to the United States Peter Mandelson during a welcome reception at the ambassador's residence on Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2025 in Washington. Britain's Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, formerly known as Prince Andrew, looks round as he leaves after attending the Easter Matins Service at St. George's Chapel, Windsor Castle, England, April 20, 2025. Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer speaks during a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026. LONDON (AP) — A prince, an ambassador, senior diplomats, top politicians. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer faces a leadership crisis over the Mandelson appointment. And, even before the latest batch of files, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, brother of King Charles III, lost his honors, princely title and taxpayer-funded mansion. They have been toppled for maintaining friendly relationships with Epstein after he became a convicted sex offender. “Epstein collected powerful people the way others collect frequent flyer points,” said Mark Stephens, a specialist in international and human rights law at Howard Kennedy in London. “But the receipts are now in public, and some might wish they'd traveled less.” Rob Ford, a professor of political science at the University of Manchester, said that in Britain, “if you're in those files, it's immediately a big story.” “It suggests to me we have a more functional media, we have a more functional accountability structure, that there is still a degree of shame in politics, in terms of people will say: ‘This is just not acceptable, this is just not done,'” he said. U.K. figures felled by their ties to Epstein include the former Prince Andrew — who paid millions to settle a lawsuit with one of Epstein's victims and is facing pressure to testify in the U.S. — and his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson, whose charity shut down this week. Like others now ensnared, veteran politician Mandelson long downplayed his relationship with Epstein, despite calling him “my best pal” in 2003. Starmer fired Mandelson in September over earlier revelations about his Epstein ties. Now British police are investigating whether Mandelson committed misconduct in public office by passing on sensitive government information to Epstein. Starmer has apologized to Epstein's victims and pledged to release public documents that will show Mandelson lied when he was being vetted for the ambassador's job. Experts caution that Britain shouldn't be too quick to pat itself on the back over its rapid reckoning with Mandelson. But Alex Thomas, executive director of the Institute for Government think tank, said “there is something about parliamentary democracy,” with its need for a prime minister to retain the confidence of Parliament to stay in office, “that I think does help drive accountability.” A few high-profile Americans have faced repercussions over their friendly ties with Epstein. Most prominent is former U.S. Treasury Secretary Larry Summers, who went on leave from academic positions at Harvard University late last year. Brad Karp quit last week as chair of top U.S. law firm Paul Weiss after revelations in the latest batch of documents, and the National Football League said it would investigate Epstein's relationship with New York Giants co-owner Steve Tisch, who exchanged sometimes crude emails with Epstein about potential dates with adult women. Other U.S. Epstein associates have not yet faced severe sanction, including former Trump strategist Steve Bannon, who exchanged hundreds of texts with Epstein, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, who accepted an invitation to visit Epstein's private island, and tech billionaire Elon Musk, who discussed visiting the island in emails, but says he never made the trip. Former President Bill Clinton has been compelled by Republicans to testify before Congress about his friendship with Epstein. Trump, too, has repeatedly faced questions about his ties to Epstein. Neither he nor Clinton has ever been accused of wrongdoing by Epstein's victims. Across Europe, officials have had or resign or face censure after the Epstein files revealed relationships that were more extensive than previously disclosed. Miroslav Lajcak, national security adviser to Slovakia's prime minister, quit over his communications with Epstein, which included the pair discussing “gorgeous” girls. Latvia, Lithuania and Poland have set up wide-ranging official investigations into the documents. Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk said a team would scour the files for potential Polish victims, and any links between Epstein and Russian secret services. Epstein took an interest in European politics, in one email exchange with billionaire Peter Thiel calling Britain's 2016 vote to leave the European Union “just the beginning” and part of a return to “tribalism.” Also ensnared are high-profile Norwegian diplomat couple Terje Rød-Larsen and Mona Juul, key players in the 1990s Israel-Palestinian peace efforts. Juul has been suspended as Norway's ambassador to Jordan after revelations including the fact that Epstein left the couple's children $10 million in a will drawn up shortly before his death by suicide in a New York prison in 2019. Norwegians' respect for their royal family has been dented by new details about Epstein's friendship with Crown Princess Mette-Marit, who is married to the heir to the throne, Prince Haakon. The princess apologized Friday “to all of you whom I have disappointed.” The disclosures came as her son from a previous relationship, Marius Borg Høiby, stands trial in Oslo on rape charges, which he denies.

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by LSEG. But this location's Hooters girls have become a viral sensation for their popular TikTok and Instagram reels. A successful Hooters location that gained a following through its social media videos will be closing soon — which means the people behind the posts are preparing for one last Super Bowl Sunday. When news broke that the Hooters in Boca Raton, Florida, was closing at the end of February because of the landlord's decision not to renew the lease, longtime customers and employees were surprised, general manager Chris Torelli told Fox News Digital. But this Hooters location built a cult following through TikTok dances, parody skits and viral videos. "We are a healthy, successful location, and in this economy, the places that close are the opposite," Torelli said. What started as a simple marketing experiment, Torelli said, evolved into one of the most recognizable Hooters social media accounts in the country. Employees at the Hooters location in Boca Raton, Florida, have become viral sensations for their roles in the restaurant's social media videos. The videos — often featuring choreographed dances, playful jabs at local sports teams or scripted phone-call skits — resonated far beyond Boca Raton. Torelli said early viral success helped confirm the strategy. But the success wasn't just about algorithms or follower counts. The goal "has always been to make it fun." "I mean, we are a business — but Instagram, for us, is fun." Hooters waitresses Amanda Hall and Sarah Glynn became familiar faces online, dancing, joking and often poking fun at themselves. It's something former employee Abigail Fuqua still experiences more than a year after leaving the Boca Raton location. Although Abigail Fuqua (at left, and standing on the table at right) no longer works at Hooters, she said she still gets recognized in public from the viral videos that still circulate online. The social media success has also become a reliable job recruiting resource, Torelli said. "We've stumbled upon one of the best marketing tools to recruit future Hooters girls," he said. He noted the "tremendous success [in] hiring staff" who wanted to work there because of the videos. As the restaurant prepares to close its doors after 16 years, Hall and Glynn describe the workplace as more than just a job. "These girls are my sisters now," Glynn said. Hooters bartender Amanda Hall gets beer from the tap for a customer. Still, there is optimism about the future. Torelli said the "plan all along" was to find a new home nearby. "Life is going to take you in different directions, but I had a great time while I was here," Hall said. Current and former employees of the Hooters in Boca Raton pose for a photograph with their work "family." "It may be time to retire the orange shorts a little bit because I don't know how I can do any Hooters other than Boca," she said. Even after the restaurant closes, its social media presence isn't likely to fade, Torelli said. "We owe it to our guests and our staff and the people in the community, because we do so much with them, to continue to do this," he said. Fox News Digital reached out to the property management company for comment. Peter Burke is a lifestyle editor with Fox News Digital. He covers various lifestyle topics, with an emphasis on food and drink. A look at the top-trending stories in food, relationships, great outdoors and more. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by

In Focus delivers deeper coverage of the political, cultural, and ideological issues shaping America. You can find our full list of In Focus pieces here. “The First Amendment is under attack in America!” added former CNN anchor Jim Acosta, who suffered a similar fate to Lemon at the network last year. There is zero basis to arrest him,” House Minority Speaker Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) said. It is truly a sight to behold, purported news networks, fellow “journalists,” and a leader of the Democratic Party casting the cheesy performance artist-turned-activist Don Lemon as the second coming of Bernard Shaw. But here's where we are, with some in the community — mostly those ousted from the legacy media jobs — actually defending Lemon storming a church in Minneapolis, which was a blatant attack on the right to worship protected under the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act. He brought donuts and coffee for the mob beforehand. He kissed the lead organizer after a sycophantic interview moments beforehand. Overall, more than one-third of staff were handed pink slips in what is the biggest single-day purge of any major news publication in history. For the same reason that Stephen Colbert is going off the air on CBS in May: a loss in profits. The Post is losing the amount of money no business, even one owned by Jeff Bezos, can tolerate — an annual loss of $100 million due to falling interest from readers and therefore subscribers. Colbert reportedly also lost $40 million per year for the network, as his ratings aren't bringing in the kind of ad revenue to support such an expensive program. “Jeff Bezos, who could keep the Washington Post a pillar of American democracy with the change dug out from his limousine seats, sets an example of surrender to authoritarianism for every other business person and institution in America,” New York Times columnist Nicolas Kristof said. Yet this is the same guy who decided to run for governor of Oregon back in 2022 as a Democrat — Kristof was taken off the ballot after the state Supreme Court ruled he didn't meet residency requirements. “Even if the losses are still around $100 million a year, the figure announced a couple of years ago, for a person of Bezos' wealth, that would mean he'd have to close the place in … 2,500 years,” argued former Post fact-checker Glenn Kessler. Yep, Jeff Bezos got to where he was by burning money in the street in the name of charity, which is the implication here: Bezos should just take $1 billion in losses over a decade because he can afford to do so. CNN's Brian Stelter also predictably jumped in to question Bezos's “motive” over raw data: “Bezos was seen earlier this week with Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth at a space event. Bezos has been focused on his relationships with the Trump administration. And many ‘Post‘ staffers feel they are the victims of that kind of attempt to curry favor and cozy up to the Trump administration.” Could it be, just spitballing here, that Bezos has a space company he's invested in called Blue Origin? As for all of these Post staffers who feel they are the victims here, could even one explain why it's OK to lose so many readers and so much money that they should keep their jobs in perpetuity? And it is unintentionally hilarious to see those who are screaming about the need to protect the First Amendment were the same people who fully supported Trump's ban from X, Facebook, and countless other social media platforms. Trevor Noah in 2021: “I get why Facebook extended Trump's suspension. Jimmy Kimmel, the guy who repeatedly cries on the air about his First Amendment rights being taken away: “Trump has been suspended from Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and even Snapchat, but don't worry, Mr. President, there are still plenty of apps you do have access to. Seth Meyers in 2021: “I love having Donald Trump off Twitter, not to mention all the other toxic racists and conspiracy theorists who have been booted off.” James Corden in 2021: “Banning Trump was like one of the few almost good things Twitter has done in like a decade. Kimmel this week: Don Lemon “was arrested for committing journalism, which is a very serious crime under our current administration.” This week, Jim Acosta, Joy Reid, and Mehdi Hasan, with the latter two fired by MS Now, got together to discuss how free speech is under attack in the United States under Trump. But Acosta immediately jumped to censorship in one of the most ironic statements one could make under the circumstances regarding CNN contributor Scott Jennings, a Republican: “If Scott Jennings worked for me, I'd fire his ass. They all cheered when a sitting president was banned from most social media. “Hypocrisy demonstrates how unaccountable one is to conventional morality,” investigative reporter Michael Shellenberger once said. Conventional morality, at least in a dying legacy media industry, has never been needed more now than ever.

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by LSEG. SBA Administrator Kelly Loeffler discusses cracking down on alleged Minnesota fraud, holding borrowers accountable and taking decisive action to protect taxpayers on ‘Hannity.' The federal Small Business Administration suspended more than 111,000 California borrowers after uncovering $8.6 billion in suspected fraudulent activity linked to the COVID pandemic, SBA Administrator Kelly Loeffler announced Friday. "We have suspended nearly 112,000 borrowers tied to at least $9 billion in suspected fraud," Loeffler said in a press release on Friday. The SBA reported that all in, it suspended 111,620 California borrowers who received 118,489 Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) loans, totaling $8.6 billion. PPP loans were COVID-era federal relief program that gave small businesses money to keep workers on the payroll, while EIDL loans are part of an SBA program that provides low-interest disaster relief loans to help businesses survive during times of diaster, including the pandemic. "Once again, the Trump SBA is taking decisive action to deliver accountability in a state whose unaccountable welfare policies have created a culture of fraud and abuse at the expense of law-abiding taxpayers and small business owners," Loffler continued. California Attorney General Rob Bonta dismissed Trump administration claims of widespread fraud. "Trump claims California is wasting money when, in reality, our programs are helping lower-income individuals and lower-income families get healthcare, food and housing assistance," Bonta said on Thursday. "Trump claims, wrongly, California is perpetuating fraud when we are the victim," he added. Bonta's office noted that California recovered nearly $2.7 billion in various fraud schemes across the last 10 years, "including by partnering with the federal government." Fox News Digital reached out to Bonta's office on Friday for additional comment. Newsom's office directed Fox News Digital to the Governor Newsom Press Office X account, which mocked the SBA announcement. The Trump Administration found MAJOR FRAUD in programs THEY control, Newsom's Press Office's X account posted, linking to a New York Post exclusive on the announcement. "The state has no role running / administering these programs.Were they hiding this??? California doesn't hide fraud … we fight it. Nearly 1,000 arrests + over $125 billion STOPPED under @CAGovernor Gavin Newsom." Quality Learning Center in Minnesota was found at the center of an alleged childcare fraud scandal in the state. Loeffler continued that the alleged California fraud comes after the SBA suspended 6,900 borrowers in Minnesota associated with 7,900 potentially fraudulent PPP and EIDL loans, which totaled roughly $400 million. "As we did in Minnesota, we are actively working with federal law enforcement to identify the criminals who defrauded American taxpayers, hold them to account, and recoup the stolen funds. As we continue our state-by-state work, our message is clear: pandemic-era fraudsters will not get a pass under this Administration," Loeffler said, comparing California to its investigations in Minnesota. Minnesota became ground zero for welfare and social services fraud surrounding the pandemic late in 2025, when investigators uncovered sweeping fraud schemes that could top $9 billion. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions.

The Department of Homeland Security unloaded on “activist” judges it accused of playing politics with the legal system and said federal authorities will continue to arrest illegal immigrants across Minnesota despite a growing trend across the state of judges releasing those who have filed habeas cases. “It should come as no surprise that more habeas petitions are being filed by illegal aliens — especially after many activist judges have attempted to thwart President Trump from fulfilling the American people's mandate for mass deportations,” DHS spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin wrote in an email Friday. As of this week, federal law enforcement officers have arrested more than 4,000 illegal immigrants during Operation Metro Surge across Minnesota. However, those in detention are filing habeas cases outside of immigration court. As the Washington Examiner reported this week, immigration advocacy groups have so far been able to make the Trump administration appear as if it is losing the legal battle over its mandatory detention policies by following rinse-and-repeat patterns in district courts. In Minnesota, groups such as the American Immigration Council or the American Immigration Lawyers Association file a habeas petition to a federal judge, who more often than not grants temporary release to the detained immigration enforcement target. More than 300 district judges in Minnesota and elsewhere have so far rejected the government's mandatory detention policies, ordering detainees released or granted bond hearings. In Minnesota, the habeas approach seems to be working for plaintiffs. That pace is expected to continue in February despite plans by Immigration and Customs Enforcement and federal agencies to draw down 700 of the roughly 3,000 immigration officers present in the state. McLaughlin said the Trump administration “is more than prepared to handle the legal caseload necessary” to carry out President Donald Trump's deportation agenda. “President Trump and [Homeland Security] Secretary [Kristi] Noem are now enforcing the law and arresting illegal aliens who have no right to be in our country,” McLaughlin said.

Kentucky may be the last place in America where you can take on President Donald Trump as a hard-right Republican and carry a GOP voting card in Congress. A pair of twangy Kentucky rebels – Rep. Thomas Massie and Sen. Rand Paul – are teaming up to defend Massie in the biggest fight of his political career as Trump intensifies efforts to oust the seven-term Republican from Washington next year. Massie is facing the full might of Trump's political operation in a nasty GOP primary in northeast Kentucky, where MAGA world has poured millions to support the president's preferred candidate, former Navy SEAL Ed Gallrein. And Massie and his allies argue it's no ordinary race – it's an attempt to silence the president's remaining critics in Congress. “I think that's one of the reasons they're attacking me and putting so much money into my race, is to keep the others in line, and so far, it's working,” Massie told CNN in a recent interview. “I just think there's so much political pressure from the president and the people surrounding him that they can't withstand it.” In the last week, Trump personally went after Massie with crass comments about his recent marriage and even made a swipe at the National Prayer Breakfast calling him a “moron.” (Paul's response? So far, Paul seems to be the only congressional Republican working to help Massie hang on in what some consider the last vestige of the pre-Trump Tea Party brand of fiscal restraint and hands-off government. The Kentucky senator told CNN he plans to campaign with him for several days this spring ahead of the May primary, after other joint events last fall. Massie told CNN the only other help on the stump he's been offered is former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who left Congress last month after Trump's repeated tirades against her. Even Speaker Mike Johnson told CNN that he is not committed to backing Massie, a stunning move for a sitting party leader. I gotta have a conversation with Thomas to see if he wants to be on the team,” Johnson told CNN when asked if he would back Massie in the primary. In today's GOP, support for Massie has become its own kind of political litmus test. And last week, Trump endorsed against a MAGA hardliner in a special election in Georgia who has been supportive of Massie. Both he and Paul remain unwilling to engage in the kind of MAGA-world apology tour that many of his colleagues have unfurled to save their own political careers. And Paul told CNN that he believed some of Trump's attacks – including against Massie's wife, who is a former Paul staffer – would backfire in the primary. “I think a lot of people at home are seeing the attacks on Thomas Massie's wife as being unseemly,” Paul told CNN. Paul believes that Massie can fend off the challenge, pointing to his popularity in the district but added: “It's not easy to have a president of your own party do that.” Still, even some senior Republicans in Washington remain doubtful that Trump's machine can defeat Massie. State Rep. Steve Doan, an ally of the congressman, told CNN he believed Massie would still prevail. “I always frame this race as mommy and daddy are fighting. “It's going to be really hard to convince the people of this district who have consistently voted for Trump and Massie that a Lindsey Graham donor who is going to continue to vote for foreign aid in Ukraine and bailouts and wasteful spending is going to be a better fit in Washington, DC, than Thomas Massie,” he continued. The Gallrein campaign shot back that Massie is “anti-Trump” and votes with Democrats on key issues, while their candidate has the president's endorsement. That alone shows Thomas Massie is nowhere close to in line with KY04,” campaign spokesman Lance Trover said. For his part, Massie has only dug in against the president in recent weeks, championing the probe into Jeffrey Epstein that Trump sought to kill while supporting Democratic measures to rein in the president's powers abroad. Both Massie and Paul have openly criticized Trump on issues like government funding, voting against Congress' massive spending package last month. (The only other Republican to oppose Trump's massive policy bill was centrist Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, who represents one of his party's bluest seats in the House.) Massie's opponent, Gallrein, who is also a local farmer, has explicitly framed his campaign as a referendum on loyalty to Trump. In his most recent ad, Gallrein depicts himself as “Trump's handpicked choice.” But as much as Massie's brand of independence may be revered in the 4th District, in Washington, members of his own congressional delegation acknowledge that Massie's streak of opposition is creating headaches for party leaders. “I think the thing that makes the Republicans from Kentucky frustrated with Massie is he is always tweeting like negative stuff about other Republicans, not just Trump. … We are all trying to work together to help the state and help the president be successful and we take a lot of incoming from Massie's Twitter followers a lot,” said Rep. James Comer, another Kentucky Republican and chairman of the powerful House Oversight Committee. Rep. Brett Guthrie, another Republican in the state, lamented it's not that lawmakers must adhere to the president's every whim, but that Massie can seldom be counted on for any of Trump's priorities. Massie's adherence to his own libertarian streak has become even more acute since Johnson has seen his majority dwindle to historic lows. Last week during a vote to fund the government, Johnson couldn't afford to lose more than a single Republican on a procedural rule vote, but leadership was operating as if they couldn't lose anyone because they knew they'd already lost Massie. Asked if he had any other comment to the president's attacks via text Thursday, Massie added only: “I feel blessed to know I'm in Trump's prayers.”

The killings of anti-ICE protesters Renee Good and Alex Pretti prompted outrage in Minneapolis, both for their deaths and the immediate response of federal officials to call both terrorists. Any criminal or civil case will revolve around the legal standards around use of force and what was in those officers' minds as they pulled the trigger. “Whenever we're talking about use of force, it's not like there's a single rule that we apply,” said Seth Stoughton, a criminal justice professor at the University of South Carolina School of Law and former police officer. “You're going to need as much evidence as you can about what was happening in that space and time,” Reinert told CNN. While that is the standard that would be considered in a civil case, local investigators are also looking into whether any state laws were violated. “Full access to evidence, witnesses and information is necessary to meet the investigative standard that Minnesota law and the public demands; without it, we cannot do so,” said BCA Superintendent Drew Evans. “Minnesota's justice system will have the last word on this,” Gov. Local investigators and prosecutors have not said what state charges they might consider in these cases. Vice President JD Vance appeared to argue there could be no state prosecution of a federal agent. That guy is protected by absolute immunity,” Vance said in a January 8 news conference at the White House shortly after Good's shooting. Legal experts scoffed at the claim, and Reinert said any suspect who gets charged with a crime in Minnesota would normally be extradited to face the allegations there. “I would expect the same to happen here if we are a nation governed by the rule of law,” Reinert said. That means in the Pretti shooting, the defense could point out he had been involved in a violent clash with immigration officers 11 days before he was killed. It also means in the Good shooting, a judge could consider whether Ross' assessment of the threat may have been affected by his vehicle stop of a suspect six months earlier, where video showed he was dragged down the street and injured. “If the officers could step out of the way of the car and that would be just as safe and effective as shooting, or maybe even safer and more effective than shooting, then that could play into this determination of whether the use of force was reasonable,” said Stoughton. The Barnes case, which involved an officer who climbed onto the running board of a suspect's vehicle and fatally shot him as he tried to drive away, has some parallels to the death of Good, where video shows Ross firing into the vehicle. It also shows the tough audience which may be faced if a case ever gets to the conservative-dominated Supreme Court. “The point here is that when a driver abruptly pulls away during a traffic stop, an officer has no particularly good or safe options,” Kavanaugh wrote. “The Supreme Court's doctrine with respect to officer use of force is, in general, very sympathetic,” said Reinert. Past killings of people by law enforcement in the Minneapolis area – including George Floyd, Daunte Wright and Philando Castile – prompted the most fervent calls for reform in use of force training in the past 25 years. “We will implement every reform outlined in the consent decree because accountability isn't optional,” Mayor Jacob Frey said in May. The Minneapolis police chief says the difference between their policies on dealing with protesters and what federal officers have been doing is immediately clear. “And then you see, you see these videos over and over again … it's certainly not the way we train police.” Border czar Tom Homan, the new leader of Operation Metro Surge in Minnesota, promised last week to focus their attention away from protesters and back onto immigrants – especially those with criminal records. “We are not surrendering the president's mission in immigration enforcement,” Homan said. Prioritization of criminal aliens doesn't mean that we forget about everybody else.” While the Supreme Court has established its own standard of “reasonableness” for use of force, that doesn't prevent state and local governments from making tougher rules. “Officers must remain mindful that they derive their authority from the community, and unreasonable force degrades the legitimacy of that authority,” said Richard Peterson, use of force training manager for the state's Criminal Justice Training Commission. Before there was consistent training across more than 300 law enforcement agencies in Washington, it was hard to hold officers to a consistent “reasonable” standard when many of them had very different training programs, Peterson told CNN. So, we had to switch that way of thinking,” he said. Critics of actions taken by immigration officers – particularly Border Patrol agents – have argued they're not trained for what they now face in major US cities compared to regular police officers. “The Border Patrol is absolutely, without question, the wrong fit to police in an urban area,” said former Customs and Border Protection commissioner Gil Kerlikowske, who served during the Obama administration. The Trump administration insists its immigration forces are well prepared for its task – now armed with $75 billion in funding, through 2029. “Many of our agents have backgrounds in the military or law enforcement, and Border Patrol agents receive extensive federal law enforcement training at (Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers) just as ICE officers do,” a DHS spokesperson said. It is unclear if use of force training at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers has changed since President Trump's second inauguration, but the division has confirmed reprioritizing a “surge” of training for more than 10,000 new immigration personnel, compressing training time – cutting it in half from 16 down to eight weeks. “What matters is the message that agents and officers get from their supervisors about whether trained behavior is going to be rewarded or whether it's going to be disparaged on the street in the field.”

Norway's royal family were battling scandals on multiple fronts this week, with charities moving to cut or review ties to the Crown Princess for her past contact with the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein while others question her suitability to the role of future queen. Høiby sits outside the line of succession as he was born before his mother married Crown Prince Haakon in 2001. But his efforts to safeguard the Crown's reputation were overshadowed when a second controversy erupted, this time implicating his wife and Høiby's mother, the country's future queen. On Friday, Norway's royal house said Mette-Marit “strongly disavows Epstein's abuse and criminal acts” and is sorry for “not having understood early enough what kind of person he was.” It has sparked an open public discussion in Norway about whether Mette-Marit should become queen, experts say. “Confidence in the Crown Princess has fallen sharply,” said Tove Taalesen, a royal correspondent for news outlet Nettavisen. Harald's physical health has deteriorated in recent years, requiring Haakon to act as regent on occasion. Mette-Marit is not facing an immediate end to her time as a working royal just yet, Taalesen cautioned, but she said one option would be for her to withdraw from royal duties citing health reasons, and leaving the crown prince to one day rule on his own. “They question what her judgment will be like in the future,” Alstadheim told CNN. Ole-Jørgen Schulsrud-Hansen, a royal commentator for Norway's broadcaster TV2, added: “We need to wait until the dust has settled to see how much it has really affected the monarchy.” At the time, Mette-Marit's openness about what she described as a “wild life” in her youth was well-received, particularly among younger generations. “It mobilized the younger generations who felt this was a modern monarchy, and they could identify with that,” Alstadheim said. Amid the recent furore, that trust and respect seem to be all but fading. This week, Norway's largest sexual health center, Oslo-based “Sex and Society,” announced it would cut ties with Mette-Marit as it said the latest revelations were incompatible with the group's ethos. “It is important for our further cooperation that the Royal House provides a good explanation of the matter,” Norway's Hamsun Center, Førde Festival and Nynorsk Cultural Center wrote in a letter seen by CNN. The controversial email exchanges – which demonstrated a deeper relationship between Epstein and the crown princess than previously known – have provoked rare political intervention, with Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre saying on Monday that Mette-Marit demonstrated poor judgment. “I have not found any example from earlier in Norwegian modern history where a prime minister has criticized a member of the royal family in public like that,” said Alstadheim, the political editor. Kronprinsessen” – which translates from Norwegian to “Her Royal Highness The Crown Princess” – to Epstein in 2012, Mette-Marit calls the late sex offender “sweetheart” and “soft hearted.” In another 2012 email exchange, she calls Epstein “very charming,” while adding: “Is it inappropriate for a mother to suggest two naked women carrying a surfboard for my 15 yr old sons wallpaper ?” Another conversation in 2012 sees Epstein tell Mette-Marit he is on a “wife hunt,” before adding: “Paris is proving interesting but I prefer scandinavians (sic).” In response, Mette-Marit says Paris is “good for adultery” and “Scandis better wife material.” Mette-Marit accepted she showed “poor judgment” over her relationship with Epstein but said he was “solely responsible for his actions.” As pressure on Mette-Marit builds, former Norwegian Prime Minister Thorbjørn Jagland is under investigation “on suspicion of aggravated corruption” related to his ties to Epstein, Norwegian law enforcement officials said in a statement Thursday. Norway is investigating “whether gifts, travel and loans were received in connection with his position,” according to Økokrim, the country's national prosecutorial service and police agency. DOJ files show that Jagland exchanged friendly emails with Epstein and planned a vacation on his island. The name “Sophia Hellqvist” is also listed alongside Epstein on a 2012 guest list – which was emailed to the late sex offender – for what appears to be a performance of Les Misérables. Princess Sofia met Epstein on several occasions around 20 years ago before she became a member of the royal family, Sweden's royal court told CNN Friday. But they denied the princess attended such an event in 2012. “However, the Princess does not know how her name has ended up on this list,” they said, adding she was in Sweden at the time and had not met Epstein for “several years.” UK police searching two properties linked to Peter Mandelson over Epstein investigation Meanwhile, in 2012, Denmark's then-Crown Prince, now King Frederik X, was listed in an email sent to Epstein as a “confirmed guest” for a dinner party. As CNN has reported, Britain's former Prince Andrew is also included multiple times in the files, as is his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson, who has previously expressed regret over her association with Epstein. Back in Norway, and with Høiby's rape trial expected to last several weeks, Taalesen believes the two swirling royal controversies are “reinforcing each other.” CNN's Max Saltman, Nathan Hodge, Hira Humayun and James Frater contributed reporting.

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by LSEG. Harvard alumnus Shabbos Kestenbaum discusses the school's DEI policies after a professor resigned citing an anti-White, anti-Western culture on ‘Fox & Friends.' The Department of War said Friday that it will end all professional military education, fellowships and certificate programs with Harvard University. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth slammed the university in a video announcement posted on X, saying the department would be cutting ties with Harvard for active-duty service members beginning in the 2026–27 school year — a move he said was "long overdue." While Hegseth, who has a master's degree from Harvard's John F. Kennedy School of Government, said the U.S. military has had a "rich tradition" with the Ivy League school, he argued that Harvard has become one of the "red-hot centers of Hate America activism." War Secretary Pete Hegseth arrives at the U.S. Capitol for a briefing with House and Senate members on Venezuela, in Washington, on Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026. "Too many faculty members openly loathe our military. They cast our armed forces in a negative light and squelch anyone who challenges their leftist political leanings, all while charging enormous tuition. "They've replaced open inquiry and honest debate with rigid orthodoxy." President Donald Trump said Monday he is seeking $1 billion in damages from Harvard University, which the Trump administration has made a primary target in its effort to leverage federal funding to crack down on antisemitism and "woke" ideology. Lawyers for the Trump administration have appealed a judge's order requiring the restoration of $2.7 billion in frozen federal research funding to Harvard. Hegseth also criticized Harvard's campus environment, alleging that research programs have partnered with the Chinese Communist Party and that university leadership has encouraged an atmosphere that celebrates Hamas, allows attacks on Jews, and prioritizes Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiatives. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth announced that military education programs with Harvard University will end in the 2026-27 academic year. "For too long, this department has sent our best and brightest officers to Harvard, hoping the university would better understand and appreciate our warrior class," he continued. "Instead, too many of our officers came back looking too much like Harvard — heads full of globalist and radical ideologies that do not improve our fighting ranks." In addition to Harvard, Hegseth took aim at much of the Ivy League, saying the schools have a "pervasive institutional bias" and a lack of viewpoint diversity, including the "coddling of toxic ideologies," that he said undercuts the military's mission. He said that in the coming weeks, all departments at the Pentagon will evaluate existing graduate programs for active-duty service members at Ivy League schools and other civilian universities. "The goal is to determine whether or not they actually deliver cost effective strategic education for future senior leaders, when compared to, say, public universities and our military graduate programs," he said. "At the War Department, we will strive to maximize taxpayer value in building lethality to establish deterrence. That no longer includes spending millions of dollars on expensive universities that actively undercut our mission and undercut our country." Hegseth concluded his message, saying, "We train warriors, not wokesters. Harvard University did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment. Fox News Digital's Brian Flood contributed to this report. Michael Sinkewicz is a writer for Fox News Digital. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more Fox News politics content. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by

A racist post on President Donald Trump's social media account depicting former President Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle Obama, as primates in a jungle has been taken down. US President Donald Trump said he won't apologize for posting a racist video of the Obamas. Trump told reporters that, “I didn't make a mistake,” as he flew to Florida on Friday. A racist post on Trump's social media account depicting former President Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle Obama, as primates in a jungle was taken down earlier Friday after the White House initially defended the Republican president's Thursday night post. Democrat Al Green is among those angered by President Trump's posting of an AI meme depicting Former President Barack Obama and his wife as primates. Former President Barack Obama talks with then President-elect Donald Trump as Melania Trump reads the funeral program before the state funeral for former President Jimmy Carter at Washington National Cathedral in Washington, Jan. 9, 2025. WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump's racist social media post featuring former President Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle Obama, as primates in a jungle was deleted Friday after a backlash from both Republicans and Democrats who criticized the video as offensive. Trump said later Friday that he won't apologize for the post: “I didn't make a mistake,” he said. The Republican president's Thursday night post was blamed on a staffer after widespread backlash, from civil rights leaders to veteran Republican senators, for its treatment of the nation's first Black president and first lady. The post was part of a flurry of overnight activity on Trump's Truth Social account that amplified his false claims that the 2020 election was stolen from him, despite courts around the country and Trump's first-term attorney general finding no evidence of systemic fraud. Trump has a record of intensely personal criticism of the Obamas and of using incendiary, sometimes racist, rhetoric — from feeding the lie that Obama was not a native-born U.S. citizen to crude generalizations about majority-Black countries. An Obama spokeswoman said the former president, a Democrat, had no response. Nearly all of the 62-second clip appears to be from a conservative video alleging deliberate tampering with voting machines in battleground states as 2020 votes were tallied. At the 60-second mark is a quick scene of two jungle primates, with the Obamas' smiling faces imposed on them. Those frames originated from a separate video, previously circulated by an influential conservative meme maker. Disney's 1994 feature film that Leavitt referenced is set on the savannah, not in the jungle, and it does not include great apes. “Please stop the fake outrage and report on something today that actually matters to the American public,” Leavitt added. By noon, the post had been taken down, with responsibility placed on a Trump subordinate. Trump, answering questions from reporters accompanying him Friday night aboard Air Force One, said the video was about fraudulent elections and that he liked what he saw. Asked if he condemned the video's racism, Trump said, “Of course I do.” The White House explanation raises questions about control of Trump's social media account, which he's used to levy import taxes, threaten military action, make other announcements and intimidate political rivals. The president often signs his name or initials after policy posts. The White House did not immediately respond to an inquiry about how posts are vetted and when the public can know when Trump himself is posting. Mark Burns, a pastor and a prominent Trump supporter who is Black, said Friday on X that he'd spoken “directly” with Trump and that he recommended to the president that he fire the staffer who posted the video and publicly condemn what happened. “He knows this is wrong, offensive, and unacceptable,” Burns posted. “If there wasn't a climate, a toxic and racist climate within the White House, we wouldn't see this type of behavior regardless of who it's coming from,” Clarke said, adding that Trump “is a racist, he's a bigot, and he will continue to do things in his presidency to make that known.” This time, condemnations flowed from across the spectrum — along with demands for an apology that doesn't appear to be coming. At a Black History Month market in Harlem, the historically Black neighborhood in New York City, vendor Jacklyn Monk said Trump's post was embarrassing even if it was eventually deleted. “Praying it was fake because it's the most racist thing I've seen out of this White House,” said Scott, who chairs Senate Republicans' midterm campaign arm. Another Republican, Sen. Roger Wicker of Mississippi, is white but represents the state with the largest percentage of Black residents. Some Republicans who face tough reelections this November voiced concerns, as well. The result was an unusual cascade of intraparty criticism for a president who has enjoyed a stranglehold over fellow Republicans who stayed silent during previous Trump controversies for fear of a public spat with the president or losing his endorsement in a future campaign. NAACP President Derrick Johnson called the video “utterly despicable” and pointed to Trump's wider political concerns that could help explain Republicans' willingness to speak out. Johnson asserted that Trump is trying anything to distract from economic conditions and attention on the Jeffrey Epstein case files. “You know who isn't in the Epstein files? “You know who actually improved the economy as president? There is a long history in the U.S. of powerful white figures associating Black people with animals, including apes, in demonstrably false, racist ways. President Dwight Eisenhower, discussing school desegregation in the 1950s, suggested white parents were rightfully concerned about their daughters being in classrooms with “big Black bucks.” Obama, as a candidate and president, was featured as a monkey or other primates on T-shirts and other merchandise. In his 2024 campaign, Trump said immigrants were “poisoning the blood of our country,” language similar to what Adolf Hitler used to dehumanize Jews in Nazi Germany. During his first White House term, Trump called a swath of majority-Black, developing nations “shithole countries.” He initially denied saying it but admitted in December 2025 that he did. Trump, in interviews that helped endear him to conservatives, demanded that Obama prove he was a “natural-born citizen” as required to become president. Obama eventually released birth records, and Trump finally acknowledged during his 2016 campaign, after having won the Republican nomination, that Obama was born in Hawaii. But immediately after, he said, falsely, that his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton started the birtherism attacks.

US and Iran in Oman for indirect nuclear talks under rising military pressure In this photo released by the Iranian Foreign Ministry, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, left, heads to venue for talks between Iran and the U.S., in Muscat, Oman, Friday, Feb. 6, 2026. In this photo released by the Iranian Foreign Ministry, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, left, speaks with his Omani counterpart Sayyid Badr Albusaidi during their meeting prior to Iran and the U.S. negotiations, in Muscat, Oman, Friday, Feb. 6, 2026. This combo shows Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, left, pictured in Tehran, Iran, on Feb. 25, 2025 and Steve Witkoff, right, White House special envoy, pictured in Washington, on March 19, 2025. People attend a state-organised rally in Tehran, Iran, Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2026, celebrating the birthday of Imam Mahdi, or “Hidden Imam,” a 9th-century saint whom Shiite Muslims believe will return at the end of time as a universal reformer to end tyranny and promote justice. President Donald Trump said the United States had “very good” talks on Iran and said more were planned for early next week. “Iran looks like they want to make a deal very badly — as they should,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One as he headed to his Florida golf club late Friday. He suggested Iran was willing to “do more” than in previous talks but did not give details. Asked how long he was willing to wait for a deal, Trump said: “We have plenty of time. If you remember Venezuela, we waited around for a while. Trump has repeatedly threatened to use force to compel Iran to reach a deal on the program after earlier sending the carrier to the region amid Tehran's bloody crackdown on nationwide protests that killed thousands and saw tens of thousands of others detained in the Islamic Republic. Gulf Arab nations fear an attack could spark a regional war that would drag them in as well. “We did note that nuclear talks and the resolution of the main issues must take place in a calm atmosphere, without tension and without threats,” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi later told journalists. “The prerequisite for any dialogue is refraining from threats and pressure,” he added. Araghchi said diplomats would return to their capitals, signaling this round of negotiations was over. The U.S. was represented by Mideast special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law. Araghchi offered cautious optimism as he spoke in a live interview from Muscat on Iranian state television. He said Friday's talks were focused primarily on finding a framework for further negotiations. “We will hold consultations with our capitals regarding the next steps, and the results will be conveyed to Oman's foreign minister,” Araghchi said. “We must first address this issue, and then enter into the next level of negotiations.” Omani Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi, who oversaw multiple rounds of negotiations before Israel launched its 12-day war on Iran in June, called the talks “useful to clarify both the Iranian and American thinking and identify areas for possible progress.” The talks had initially been expected to take place in Turkey in a format that would have included regional countries as well, and would have included topics like Tehran's ballistic missile program — something Iran apparently rejected in favor of focusing only on its nuclear program. Before the June war, Iran had been enriching uranium up to 60% purity, a short, technical step away from weapons-grade levels. Even before that, Iran has restricted IAEA inspections since Trump's decision in 2018 to unilaterally withdraw America from Iran's 2015 nuclear deal with world powers. It remains unclear just what terms Iran is willing to negotiate at the talks. Tehran has maintained that these talks will only be on its nuclear program. However, the Al Jazeera satellite news network reported that diplomats from Egypt, Turkey and Qatar offered Iran a proposal in which Tehran would halt enrichment for three years, send its highly enriched uranium out of the country and pledge “not initiate the use of ballistic missiles.” U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Wednesday that the talks needed to include all those issues. Shortly after Friday's talks, the U.S. Treasury and the U.S. State Department announced a new round of sanctions on Iran targeting its energy sector, imposing penalties, including freezes on assets in U.S. jurisdictions, on 14 oil tankers in a so-called “shadow fleet” that the U.S. says are used to try to evade sanctions, as well as on 15 trading firms and two business executives. Trump also signed an executive order that says an import tax of potentially 25% “may” be imposed on goods from countries that buy oil from Iran. It says the potential tariffs can be removed if Iran or the foreign buyers of its oil align themselves with U.S. interests on national security, foreign policy and economic issues.

Every year, the nation's governors convene in Washington, DC, for a friendly winter confab that includes a working meeting at the White House and a black-tie dinner hosted by the president. Democratic governors have been excluded from the business meeting, and two of those governors, Wes Moore of Maryland and Jared Polis of Colorado, were not invited to the dinner, according to a source familiar with the matter. “We are disappointed in the administration's decision to make it a partisan occasion this year,” interim National Governors Association CEO Brandon Tatum said in a statement. He added: “To disinvite individual governors to the White House sessions undermines an important opportunity for federal-state collaboration.” With Moore and Polis disinvited from the dinner, two Democratic officials said several governors were re-evaluating whether they planned to attend. But other Democrats who have openly quarreled with the administration, like Gov. Pritzker was not expecting to go to the White House anyway, aides said, citing his ongoing clashes with Trump in the wake of immigration enforcement actions in his state last year. Polis and Moore were not informed of their exclusion or given a reason by the White House, two sources familiar with the matter said. Polis has always been willing to work with anyone across the political spectrum who wants to help work on the hardest problems facing Colorado and America, regardless of party or who occupies the White House,” spokesperson Shelby Wieman said in a statement. The White House and the Democratic Governors Association did not immediately respond to CNN's request for comment Friday night. CNN has reached out to Moore for comment. The annual winter meeting of the nation's governors – long a bipartisan event focused more on policy than politics – comes as tensions have been escalating between governors and their national association. Illinois is among the states that have stopped paying their dues to the group, after it did not speak out against the Trump administration's decision to send National Guard troops to the state last year without coordination with Pritzker. “The protection of gubernatorial authority and state sovereignty must always be demanded, regardless of who is occupying the White House,” a spokesman for Pritzker said. “Governor Pritzker has been vocal that the National Governors Association as a whole should stand against the deployment of National Guard troops against a governor's wishes.” “NGA will remain focused on serving all governors as they deliver solutions and model leadership for the American people. Traditionally the White House has played a role in fostering these moments during NGA's annual meeting. This year, they will not,” Tatum said in the statement.

Excited young couples roam a bustling convention center trying on baby carriers, testing strollers and learning the latest safety features of car seats. This scene in Seoul in January may seem totally contrary to the usual headlines from South Korea, of plummeting birth rates and a looming demographic crisis that also threatens to swallow neighboring Japan and China. But against all odds, South Korea is finally having more babies. But all of them also described how hard it is to have kids in a country with rising costs of living, a grueling work culture, ingrained gender norms, and lingering conservative attitudes. When someone gets pregnant, they all end up quitting.” Another attendee, 34-year-old Park Ha-yan, is a stay-at-home mom expecting her third child in June. But the expenses become greater … And this isn't for just one or two years, it's all the way until they grow up so, it's definitely a heavy burden.” “Now we see some rebound … but our levels never recovered (to what they were) before Covid,” said Sojung Lim, Korea Foundation Professor of Korean Studies at the SUNY University at Buffalo. “We still have the lowest fertility of advanced economies.” South Korea's fertility rate, defined as the average number of babies born in a woman's lifetime, had been steadily dropping since 2015 – and is now the lowest among all countries worldwide. At one point, former President Yoon Suk Yeol called the decline in births a “national emergency.” It was a small increase, up to 0.748, but it was enough for people to ask: Is this the end of the tunnel? Has South Korea turned a corner on its population crisis? For 17 consecutive months now, the country has seen a year-on-year increase in monthly births, according to the latest figures released in January. For starters, many people delayed getting married and having kids during the Covid years. Those couples may now be going ahead with their delayed plans, so we could be seeing “a catch-up effect after the pandemic,” she added. The generation of children born to Baby Boomers is “relatively large,” Lim said. Park, the stay-at-home mom, offered another possible reason: She's noticed many pregnant women having their second or third child, rather than being first-time moms. “Once they've had a baby and raised one, they feel it would be better for their child to have a sibling,” she suggested. Then there are the government's own policies designed to encourage baby-making. “Compared to about 10 years ago, the mood has shifted and companies are giving benefits that employers are required to provide,” said Kim, a 30-year-old expecting mother who CNN is identifying only by her surname for privacy reasons. “In the past, managers, mostly middle-aged men, had a low level of understanding about parental leave,” Kim added. In South Korea, parental leave is mostly taken by mothers. “I could see the government was making efforts in various ways,” she said. “There are childbirth grants, child allowances and diaper support programs, but in many cases, they don't really match my current economic situation,” said Park Hae-in. “When it comes to things like newborn loans, there are also a lot of restrictions.” Kim Seon-kyeong, a 34-year-old expecting mom, said current incentives mostly target low-income couples – but higher-earning families also need financial help to cover the “insanely expensive” costs of childcare, she said. The country's education system is wildly competitive, and many parents feel heavy pressure to set their kids up for success by the time they can walk – meaning years of costly after-school tutoring. Yun, the expecting mother who quit her job, often finds public attitudes unfriendly toward children. For instance, mothers may receive “a lot of negative looks” if their babies cry in public, she said. “Taking care of a baby requires so much effort, but when you go outside, everyone seems uncomfortable, and you constantly have to be mindful of others and shrink back because of the baby,” she said. “Then when you come home, your husband is exhausted in his own way because he has to go to work, so inevitably you end up taking on the caregiving by yourself.” In recent years, “no-kids zones” have become increasingly popular, stoking controversy among parents – with businesses like restaurants barring children in the name of peace and quiet for adult customers. Lim, the professor, also questioned whether the government's actions – which she praised as “very aggressive” – would be enough to address problems like the strict traditional mindset of family formation (for instance, single women cannot receive IVF treatment in South Korea). And unless these deeper causes are addressed, the current upswing in births will be “short term,” she warned. In a few years, the bump of post-Covid marriages will pass; the larger cohort of women currently in their 30s will grow older; and the fertility rate, which now looks so promising, could decline once more. Countries around the world experiencing their own population declines are now watching closely to see what South Korea does next. It's not just Asian neighbors: several European nations, including Italy and Spain, and the United States have all seen their fertility rates drop in recent years. So whatever successes – or failures – South Korea experiences will inform how other countries battle their own crises. “What they have to learn from Korea is not that we rebounded for (17) months in a row – but why it happened to South Korea” in the first place, said Lim, adding that many countries had “similar characteristics” that suggest they're heading down a similar path. “Once you see that fertility is declining a lot – it may be (too) late.”