The partial government shutdown stretched into another week after negotiators failed to reach a deal to fund the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) over the weekend. Congress is on a weeklong recess and is not scheduled to return to Washington, D.C., until next week, leaving the shutdown's end in limbo as both parties remain far apart on key provisions. Senate Democrats are demanding a series of reforms to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), a position they have maintained since the fatal shootings of Alex Pretti and Renee Nicole Good during ICE operations in Minnesota. FETTERMAN BUCKS DEMOCRATS, SAYS PARTY PUT POLITICS OVER COUNTRY IN DHS SHUTDOWN STANDOFF Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer , D-N.Y., and his caucus are standing by a list of 10 proposed reforms, including requiring ICE agents to obtain judicial warrants and limiting the use of face coverings — proposals Republicans have described as red lines. "Americans are tired of masked agents conducting ...

Be afraid. Be very afraid. That’s the message that has caught fire in the media-tech world when it comes to artificial intelligence ( AI ). This column, for what it’s worth, is being written by a fallible human being on a battered keyboard with no technological assistance. It’s extremely rare–once in a blue moon–that I read a piece that completely changes my view of an issue. Like most people, I have viewed the rise of AI with a mixture of concern, skepticism and bemusement. DEMOCRATS ARE LOSING AI BECAUSE OF A BIG MESSAGING PROBLEM It’s fun to conjure up images on ChatGPT , for instance, and I get that some people use it for hyperspeed research. But then you hear anecdotes about AI screwing up math problems or spewing stuff that’s simply untrue. Sure, we’ve all seen warnings that this fast-growing technology will cost some people their jobs, but I assumed that would be mainly in Silicon Valley. The era of plane travel didn’t wipe out passenger trains or buses, though it was cur...

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced he has filed a lawsuit against officials in Dallas, alleging the city failed to properly fund its police department as required by a voter-approved public safety measure. Paxton, a Republican running for U.S. Senate , accused Dallas of unlawfully refusing to comply with Proposition U, a public safety measure approved by the city's voters in 2024. Proposition U requires that 50% of all new annual revenue the city receives be directed toward police and fire pensions . The measure also mandates that the city maintain a minimum of 4,000 police officers — roughly 900 more than the department had in 2024. SAN ANTONIO ENDS ITS ABORTION TRAVEL FUND AFTER NEW STATE LAW, LEGAL ACTION The lawsuit, announced on Friday, names Dallas City Manager Kimberly Bizor Tolbert and Chief Financial Officer Jack Ireland Jr. as defendants. "I filed this lawsuit to ensure that the City of Dallas fully funds law enforcement, upholds public safety, and is a...

Police departments nationwide offered a unique suggestion for a Valentine’s Day gift and urged people to turn in exes with outstanding warrants. The Uxbridge Police Department in Massachusetts posted a tongue-in-cheek poem urging residents to get revenge by reporting exes with active warrants. "Roses are red, violets are blue," the post begins. "If your ex has a warrant, we’ve got something special for you." "This Valentine’s Day, give the gift that really delivers — a ride with flashing lights and guaranteed closure," the post continues. FLORIDA AG INVITES PEOPLE TO ALERT HIS OFFICE IF THEIR EX IS IN US ILLEGALLY: 'WE’D BE HAPPY TO ASSIST' The department humorously ended its post by reminding residents, "Love fades. Warrants don’t." A heart-covered flyer included in the post provided additional instructions for residents, while cracking jokes about how the department can’t take over for Cupid, but can make the holiday memorable....

Did former President Barack Obama finally answer one of the world's biggest mysteries? During an appearance Saturday on Brian Tyler Cohen's podcast, the former commander in chief was asked directly if aliens were real. "They're real, but I haven't seen them," Obama answered. The 44th president also said aliens were not being kept at the Nevada Air Force base known as Area 51. UFO SECRET FILES, DRONE SWARMS AND NUCLEAR-LINKED SIGHTINGS STUN EXPERTS IN 2025 "There's no underground facility, unless there's this enormous conspiracy and they hid it from the President of the United States," Obama continued. Cohen then asked what Obama’s first question was after becoming president — and it again involved aliens. "Uh, where are the aliens?" he joked. JD VANCE SAYS UFOS, ALIENS COULD BE ‘SPIRITUAL FORCES’ AS VP VOWS TO ‘GET TO THE BOTTOM’ OF MYSTERY IN SKIES Saturday's interview was not the first time Obama talked about the po...

For Kate Middleton and Prince William, royal duties take a back seat to parenting their children, as shown by how William stepped back from his duties during the princess’ cancer treatments, according to a royal author. "Behind the scenes, for William it was brutal," Russell Myers, royal editor of The Mirror and author of "William & Catherine: The Intimate Inside Story" told the Manchester Evening News. Myers said William felt like " the rug had been pulled from under him" after Middleton and his father, King Charles III, were both diagnosed with cancer early in 2024. "He was having to manage all these emotions that, you know, what was he going to do to look after his wife first and foremost?" Myers said. "How would he be there for his father? But what duties was he going to have to take on? Was his public role going to change as well?" PRINCE WILLIAM WON KATE MIDDLETON BACK AFTER SPLIT WITH SECRET ROMANTIC MOVE: ROYAL INSIDER...

A former Team USA synchronized figure skater turned coach was shot and killed in broad daylight during an alleged armed robbery at a Starbucks drive-thru in St. Louis, Missouri . Gabrielle "Sam" Linehan, 28, was sitting in her car in the city’s Tower Grove East neighborhood just after 10 a.m. Tuesday, when a suspect approached and opened fire, according to a probable cause statement obtained by the New York Post . Police identified the suspect as 58-year-old Keith Lamon Brown, FOX 2 reported . Surveillance footage released by the St. Louis Police Department showed Brown wearing a high-visibility vest and helmet around the time of the shooting. ILLINOIS BAR OWNER KILLED IN 'EXECUTION-STYLE' SHOOTING, SUSPECT WITH DECADES-LONG CRIMINAL RECORD IN CUSTODY Authorities allege Brown stole several of Linehan’s bank cards and her driver’s license before fleeing the scene. Linehan was transported to a nearby hospital, where she was pronounced dead, the Post reported. Li...

The U.S. military used Anthropic’s artificial-intelligence tool Claude during the operation that captured Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro , according to a report. Last month, U.S. special operations forces captured Maduro and his wife, who were brought to the U.S. to face sweeping narcotics charges. Claude was deployed through Anthropic’s partnership with data company Palantir Technologies, whose tools are widely used by the Defense Department and federal law enforcement, according to The Wall Street Journal , which cited people familiar with the matter. "We cannot comment on whether Claude, or any other AI model, was used for any specific operation, classified or otherwise," an Anthropic spokesperson told Fox News Digital. "Any use of Claude — whether in the private sector or across government — is required to comply with our Usage Policies, which govern how Claude can be deployed. We work closely with our partners to ensure compliance." US RAID IN VENEZUE...

The overwhelming media consensus is that Pam Bondi turned in an atrocious performance at a House hearing in which she hurled personal insults at Democratic lawmakers. And sure, she succeeded in virtually avoiding questions by repeating, like a mantra, "Merrick Garland" – as in, why did they never question Joe Biden’s AG about the Jeffrey Epstein case? (Some members conceded she had a point but couldn’t get an answer about her own tenure.) Still, the Democrats played a major role in the meltdown as well. Members repeatedly used four minutes out of their allotted five to make angry speeches, then clashed with Bondi as she tried to deflect their questions while the final seconds ticked off. In short, they treated the proceedings as a circus on steroids as well – yet were largely let off the hook by the mainstream media. BONDI HEARING DEVOLVES INTO CHAOS OF SHOUTS AS AG ACCUSES TOP DEMOCRATS OF ‘THEATRICS’ Everyone looked awful. And yet, in this hyperpartisan age, neither ...

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday asked a court to revoke the Israeli citizenship of two Palestinian men convicted of terrorism offenses. The effort appears to be the first use of a law enacted three years ago allowing the revocation of citizenship and subsequent deportation of Palestinian citizens who were convicted of certain violent crimes such as terrorism and received financial support from the Palestinian Authority as a reward. Netanyahu filed court documents arguing that the severity of the crimes, along with payments the men reportedly received from a Palestinian Authority fund, justify pulling their citizenship and expelling them from the Jewish State. The prime minister has long claimed the fund rewards violence, including attacks on civilians. TRUMP SAYS HE WOULD ‘ABSOLUTELY’ REVOKE CITIZENSHIP FROM NATURALIZED CRIMINALS — IF HE HAS THE AUTHORITY But Palestinian officials have contended that it is a safety net for the broad cross‑section of society ...

The USS Gerald R. Ford has been ordered to move from the Caribbean Sea to the Middle East, as President Donald Trump weighs whether to take military action against Iran amid tensions in the region, a U.S. official confirmed to Fox News. This will put two aircraft carriers and their accompanying warships in the region. The USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier and three guided-missile destroyers arrived in the Middle East more than two weeks ago. The USS Ford, which set out on deployment in June 2025, was sent from the Mediterranean Sea to the Caribbean last fall as the administration established a significant military presence ahead of the operation to strike Venezuela and capture its president, Nicolás Maduro. SCOTT BESSENT SAYS IRAN UNDERSTANDS 'BRUTE FORCE' AS TRUMP WEIGHS OPTIONS AMID NUCLEAR STANDOFF On Thursday, Trump warned Iran that failure to reach a deal with the U.S. regarding its nuclear program would be "very traumatic" after the two countries held i...

Former President Joe Biden will be feted by South Carolina Democrats later this month, to mark the sixth anniversary of his Palmetto State primary landslide, a comeback victory that rocketed Biden to the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination and later the White House. But with many Democrats still smarting from their party's major 2024 election setbacks, fueled in part by a very unpopular Biden presidency and the then-president's dropping his re-election bid amid serious questions about his physical and mental abilities following a disastrous debate with now-President Donald Trump , the South Carolina celebration appears to be an outlier. As they seek office in gubernatorial and congressional races in this year's elections, nine candidates who served in the Biden administration appear to be keeping their distance from the former president, according to a new report from Axios . POTENTIAL 2028 CONTENDER SHAPIRO KNOCKS BIDEN'S RECORD OF ACCOMPLISHMENT Biden ended h...

Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard announced she was ending the work of a task force that sought to reform the U.S. intelligence community, including rooting out what she described as the politicization of intelligence gathering, after less than a year since its creation. Gabbard established the group in April, when it was also tasked with probing ways to reduce spending on intelligence and whether reports on high-profile topics such as COVID-19 should be declassified. In a statement on Wednesday, Gabbard said the task force's work was always intended to be temporary after she was tapped to oversee coordination of the 18 U.S. intelligence agencies. "In less than one year, we’ve brought a historic level of transparency to the intelligence community," Gabbard said in her statement. "My commitment to transparency, truth, and eliminating politicization and weaponization within the intelligence community remains central to all that we do." TULSI GAB...

A Florida man faces seven felony charges after being arrested last weekend following a road rage incident, according to authorities. Blackie Alvarez, 33, of Bonifay, Florida, was arrested after allegedly pointing a handgun at another driver during a road rage confrontation, according to the Walton County Sheriff’s Office. At around 1 p.m. on Feb. 8, police responded to a report of a man pointing a firearm at drivers while traveling north on U.S. 331 in DeFuniak Springs. ‘PROTECTOR’ FATHER OF NINE SLAIN AFTER MINOR CRASH SPIRALS INTO DEADLY ROAD RAGE CLASH Police located the white Ford Explorer, and the driver — later identified as Alvarez — exited the vehicle and removed a black handgun from his waistband, which he placed on top of the vehicle. Two metal knuckles were also found in Alvarez's pockets, police said. Investigators said Alvarez began speeding and honking at the victims, who told deputies that Alvarez sped around them before coming to a complete stop in front of...

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) refused to consider Moderna’s application for a new flu vaccine using mRNA technology, the company announced Tuesday, a decision that could delay the introduction of a shot designed to offer stronger protection for older adults. Moderna said it received what’s known as a "refusal-to-file" (RTF) letter from the FDA 's Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER), citing the lack of an "adequate and well-controlled" study with a comparator arm that "does not reflect the best-available standard of care." Stéphane Bancel, chief executive officer of Moderna, said the FDA's decision did not "identify any safety or efficacy concerns with our product" and "does not further our shared goal of enhancing America’s leadership in developing innovative medicines." "It should not be controversial to conduct a comprehensive review of a flu vaccine submission that uses an FDA-approved v...

A grand jury in the nation's capital on Tuesday refused the Justice Department 's attempt to indict a group of Democratic lawmakers who encouraged U.S. military members to ignore "illegal" orders in a video posted online. The DOJ opened an investigation into the video featuring six Democratic lawmakers calling on troops and members of the intelligence community to defy illegal orders from the federal government. The lawmakers all served in the military or at intelligence agencies. The lawmakers in the video were Sens. Elissa Slotkin of Michigan and Mark Kelly of Arizona, as well as Reps. Chris Deluzio and Chrissy Houlahan of Pennsylvania, Maggie Goodlander of New Hampshire and Jason Crow of Colorado. "This administration is pitting our uniformed military and intelligence community professionals against American citizens," the lawmakers said in the video. "Like us, you all swore an oath to protect and defend this Constitution. Right now, the threats c...

Ashley Farquharson raced to Olympic glory in luge on Tuesday at the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics. The American luger became emotional when she checked the scoreboard and realized she earned her first Olympic medal. Her performance in the women's luge singles on Tuesday also marked just the second time an American has won an Olympic medal in the event. Farquharson, who started sliding as an after-school activity when she was growing up in Park City, Utah, said it was almost hard to believe what she had accomplished. CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM "It really didn’t feel real," Farquharson said after her victory. "And then everyone meeting me on the ice, and the whirlwind it’s been since then has really cemented it. For a couple seconds when I was coming up the outrun, I was like, ‘that’s not real.’" US FIGURE SKATER MAXIM NAUMOV HONORS LATE PARENTS IN EMOTIONAL OLYMPIC PERFORMANCE Germany’s Julia Taubitz took the gold medal, winning by a...

FIRST ON FOX: Hours before banging the gavel to commence a hearing Tuesday to investigate the dynamic of "malign foreign influence," House Committee on Ways and Means chair Jason Smith escalated his investigation into the China-based, American-born Marxist tech tycoon, Neville Roy Singham, who has allegedly been "sowing chaos and spreading Chinese propaganda, possibly in coordination with a foreign government." Fox News Digital has obtained copies of letters that Smith sent on Monday night to two U.S. nonprofits – BreakThrough BT Media Inc. and Tricontinental: Institute for Social Research – demanding records of their ties to Singham and alleging they are promoting propaganda aligned with the Chinese Communist Party. At 10 a.m. on Tuesday, Smith will chair a hearing called, "Foreign Influence in American Non-profits: Unmasking Threats from Beijing and Beyond." The hearing will be broadcast online at the committee’s website . Singham, Tricontinental and ...

This is hardly a breaking-news situation. It’s not like some horrible new information has been unearthed in the last few days about the President of the United States. (Though I don’t think he helped himself by posting the Obamas-as-apes image and refusing to apologize.)  I started thinking about this after some comments by Ross Douthat, the moderately conservative New York Times columnist, who is, shall we say, a frequent critic of Donald Trump . "I want to tell you a secret," Douthat says in the video. Well, that sounds exciting. WHITE HOUSE REMOVES SOCIAL MEDIA VIDEO SHOWING OBAMAS AS APES AFTER CRITICISM "One that most conservatives on the internet don’t want you to know. A year into his second presidency, Donald Trump has lost the country." Is that true? He’s not just saying that the Democrats are going to crush the GOP in the midterms the same way that the Seattle Seahawks annihilated the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl .  He plays clips of pun...

The first time I spoke to Jeff Bezos , he had founded Amazon as an online bookstore and made himself available to all kinds of journalists — a "political genius," said the New York Times Magazine, a "brilliant, charming, hyper, and misleadingly goofy mastermind." In 1999, having blown past the naysayers who scoffed at the strange notion of online retailing, the 35-year-old businessman was named Time’s Person of the Year. Nearly a decade-and-a-half later, as one of the world’s richest men, Bezos spent $250 million of his personal fortune to buy the Washington Post from Katharine Graham’s family. And now he should fold his cards and sell it. It’s a different era for the industry and a very different Bezos, one who is comfortable slashing a third of the paper’s staff. EX-WASHINGTON POST FACT CHECKER HITS ‘ABSENTEE OWNER’ BEZOS, TELLS HIM TO COMMIT TO SAVING PAPER OR SELL IT Having initially declared that "the duty of the paper is to the readers, not the owner...