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SCOOP: House Freedom Caucus lays out GOP battle plan ahead of Republicans’ huddle with Trump
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FIRST ON FOX: House Freedom Caucus leaders are drawing battle lines as lawmakers return to Capitol Hill for the second half of the 119th Congress.
The conservative group’s board of directors is sending a seven-page letter to Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., outlining proposed policy goals on a vast array of topics from American elections, to immigration, to federal spending, taking on «rogue» judges, and housing affordability.
It comes ahead of a policy forum that Johnson is hosting on Tuesday to lay out the House GOP’s agenda for 2026. Republicans are expected to huddle from 9:30am to 6pm at the Trump Kennedy Center where they’ll hear from committee leaders and President Donald Trump.
Trump’s remarks are expected to rally Republicans around passing their legislative goals for the year, but several people told Fox News Digital they also anticipate him focusing heavily on the U.S. government’s recent operation in Venezuela.
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The House Freedom Caucus speaks about the ongoing negotiations on the «One, Big, Beautiful Bill» at the U.S. Capitol Building on May 21, 2025 in Washington, D.C. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
The first policy goal listed by the Freedom Caucus is forcing the Senate to take up the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, which passed the House early last year.
They’re also calling on Congress to pass legislation limiting early voting and reforming the census to only count American citizens.
On fiscal year (FY) 2026 appropriations, conservatives are calling on the House to «reduce or – at bare minimum – keep flat total federal discretionary spending levels» according to the document first obtained by Fox News Digital.
The recently-released $174 billion spending bill that the House is expected to vote on this week would reduce current funding levels for the agencies it covers if passed.
Congress has yet to release information on six of its 12 remaining spending bills, however, while lawmakers face a Jan. 30 deadline to avert a government shutdown.
The Freedom Caucus is also urging Congress to crack down on the recent fraud scandal taking over Minnesota’s social programs by eliminating «all programs exposed as rampant with fraud and place punitive measures on states such as Minnesota that have allowed rampant fraud.»
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz speaks to reporters after he announced that he would not seek reelection, at the Minnesota State Capitol in St. Paul, Minnesota, U.S. January 5, 2026. (Tim Evans/Reuters)
«Federal prosecutors have estimated that widespread fraud in Minnesota tied to Somali day care centers, COVID-era meal programs, housing, and special needs assistance programs alone could exceed $9 billion,» the document said. «These revelations are startling, but just a drop in the bucket for a federal government that’s estimated to lose between $233 and $521 billion annually to fraud, according to government watchdog agencies.»
The document called for the denaturalization and deportation of «anyone who has committed fraud against the American taxpayer,» specifically naming Minnesota’s Somali community, though doing so would likely require court intervention.
Conservatives’ policy roadmap also called on Congress to «freeze all immigration to the U.S., except for (very) temporary tourist visas» for a temporary amount of time in order to revamp the U.S. immigration system as a whole.
In a section called «Stop Rogue, Activist Judges,» the House Freedom Caucus urged the House to move forward on impeaching U.S. Federal Judge James Boasberg «such as Judge Deborah Boardman, for reducing the sentence of a man who plotted and took steps to kill a Supreme Court Justice due to her indefensible views about transgenderism.»
An earlier push by conservatives to impeach Boasberg failed to gain traction among the wider House GOP conference, though the chamber passed «The No Rogue Rulings Act» to limit the ability of district judges like Boasberg to issue nationwide injunctions.
James Boasberg, chief judge of the US District Court for the District of Columbia, attends a panel discussion at the annual American Board Association (ABA) Spring Antitrust Meeting at the Marriott Marquis in Washington, D.C., on April 2, 2025. (DREW ANGERER/AFP via Getty Images)
The policy roadmap also called to radically shift America’s global priorities by completely removing the U.S. from the United Nations and halting all funding to the international body.
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«The UN is openly hostile to the United States, yet we remain its biggest source of funding. President Trump has significantly reduced wasteful spending on dangerous UN entities like UNRWA, and now Congress should go even further by enacting legislation such as H.R. 1498, the DEFUND Act, to completely withdraw the United States from the United Nations (UN) and end all funding and participation,» the passage read.
Another section calls for banning stock trading for members of Congress, which Johnson said he would be in favor of last year.
The push to ban stock trading has gained rare bipartisan support among both Republicans and Democrats, but no such bill has yet seen a House floor vote.
Banning Sharia Law in the U.S. is also listed as one of the group’s policy goals, an effort that’s been led by Texas-based Freedom Caucus members like Reps. Chip Roy, R-Texas, and Keith Self, R-Texas, so far this Congress.
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While it was founded as a group that was frequently adversarial to Republican leaders for not being conservative enough, the House Freedom Caucus has gradually gained influence within the House GOP during the 119th Congress.
Its chairman, Rep. Andy Harris, R-Md., has frequently stood alongside Johnson in his push for conservative legislative goals.
Johnson notably spoke at the group’s 10th anniversary celebration late last year. Harris and Roy also made a public show of unity alongside House GOP leaders during the recent government shutdown.
Republicans are going into this year, however, grappling with a razor-thin House majority and what’s expected to be a tough November election cycle.
politics,house of representatives politics,mike johnson,donald trump
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El abogado de la premio Nobel de la Paz Narges Mohammadi denunció el “traslado forzoso” y agresiones contra la activista
La Premio Nobel de la Paz iraní Narges Mohammadi fue trasladada de manera irregular desde el centro de detención de seguridad de Mashad a otra ciudad, según denunció su abogado, Mostafa Nili, quien también reportó agresiones contra la activista.
El letrado señaló que el martes de la semana pasada, a las 4 de la madrugada, Mohammadi fue sacada del centro de detención de Mashad, cuidad al este de Teherán. Aunque le informaron que sería llevada a la capital del país, esa misma tarde fue trasladada a la prisión de Zanjan, en el noroeste del país.
Nili indicó que el “traslado forzoso” contraviene las leyes vigentes, incluida la Ley de Procedimiento Penal, y que se enteró de la situación por una llamada telefónica de la propia Mohammadi.
Durante la conversación, la activista denunció agresiones durante su arresto e interrogatorios, incluyendo golpes en la cabeza que le provocaron mareos y visión borrosa.
“Las marcas de moretones y los fuertes golpes infligidos en su cuerpo aún permanecen”, advirtió Nili, quien alertó sobre los “graves riesgos” para la salud de Mohammadi si continúa detenida, ya que fue liberada en diciembre de 2024 precisamente por problemas de salud.
Mohammadi fue arrestada de manera violenta el 12 de diciembre junto a otros activistas en una ceremonia fúnebre en Mashad. La semana pasada fue condenada a siete años y medio de prisión por cargos de conspiración y propaganda contra el régimen iraní, en la décima sentencia en su contra desde 2021.
Su marido, Taghi Rahmani, advirtió sobre el deterioro de su salud y recordó que fue hospitalizada tras realizar una huelga de hambre de seis días.
La sentencia se produjo tras las protestas que sacudieron Irán en diciembre y enero, originadas por la caída del rial y que derivaron en manifestaciones contra la República Islámica, sofocadas por una brutal represión de la Guardia Revolucionaria.
El régimen de Irán reconoce 3.117 muertes en ese contexto, mientras la ONG opositora HRANA, con sede en Estados Unidos, sitúa la cifra en 7.010 y continúa verificando más de 11.700 posibles fallecimientos, además de 53.800 arrestos.
Mohammadi, galardonada con el Nobel de la Paz en 2023, fue arrestada en trece ocasiones y condenada en diez, aunque siguió denunciando violaciones de derechos humanos en Irán, incluidas la pena de muerte y la violencia contra las mujeres que no usan el velo islámico.
Desde el ámbito internacional, el Comité Noruego del Nobel pidió la liberación inmediata de la activista iraní el miércoles pasado. La defensora de los derechos de las mujeres de 53 años lleva tres décadas luchando por los derechos civiles frente al régimen.
“El Comité está horrorizado por estos actos y reitera que el encarcelamiento de Mohammadi es arbitrario e injusto. Su único ‘delito’ es el ejercicio pacífico de sus derechos fundamentales —libertad de expresión, asociación y reunión— en defensa de la igualdad de la mujer y la dignidad humana”, señaló el Comité.
La institución realizó un “llamamiento urgente” a las autoridades iraníes para que liberen a Mohammadi “de manera inmediata e incondicional” y le brinden acceso a “atención médica independiente y profesional”. Además, instó a Teherán a liberar a todos los presos políticos y de conciencia detenidos por ejercer sus derechos legítimos.
Por su parte, el Servicio de Acción Exterior de la Unión Europea (UE) señaló que los cargos contra Narges Mohammadi derivan exclusivamente de sus actividades pacíficas en defensa de los derechos humanos. La declaración oficial subrayó que la activista debería poder expresarse y ejercer su labor legítima sin enfrentar riesgos de encarcelamiento o represalias.
El bloque europeo pidió a las autoridades iraníes su liberación inmediata e incondicional, y remarcó la gravedad de su estado de salud, recordando las obligaciones legales internacionales de Irán.
Según los tratados internacionales suscritos por la República Islámica, incluido el Pacto Internacional de Derechos Civiles y Políticos, Irán tiene la responsabilidad legal de garantizar la libertad de expresión, asociación y reunión pacífica. La UE instó también a la liberación de todas las personas detenidas por ejercer estos derechos, incluidas aquellas arrestadas durante las recientes protestas.
El comunicado de la UE exhortó a las autoridades iraníes a respetar el debido proceso y a garantizar juicios justos para todos los afectados.
(Con infomración de EFE)
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Familiares de presos políticos inician huelga de hambre en Venezuela: la esposa de Nahuel Gallo le reclamó su libertad a Delcy Rodríguez
Molestos por la decisión del Parlamento de Venezuela de prorrogar una semana más el tratamiento de la Ley de Amnistía para terminar de liberar a los presos políticos del régimen de Nicolás Maduro, familiares de los detenidos iniciaron sábado una huelga de hambre en Caracas para reclamar más excarcelaciones.
Si bien durante la madrugada fueron excarcelados 17 presos políticos de los calabozos de la Policía Nacional, un grupo de diez familiares decidió llevar adelante la protesta luego de que no se cumplieran los plazos anunciados por la gestión de la presidenta interina, Delcy Rodríguez.
Es que su hermano, el presidente de la Asamblea Nacional, Jorge Rodríguez, había dicho a principios de febrero que en la semana que pasó iban a ser liberados «todos los presos políticos».
En Caracas, diez mujeres usando tapabocas se acostaron en línea con la lista de sus nombres escrita a mano en la entrada de Zona 7, donde acampan familias desde hace más de un mes, para pedir celeridad en la salida de prisión de sus familiares como parte de un proceso de liberaciones que la presidenta encargada Delcy Rodríguez anunció el 8 de enero, bajo fuertes presiones de Washington.
En medio de esa protesta, la presidenta Rodríguez usó la red social X para felicitar a un equipo de beisbol, el deporte más popular del país, por un triunfo en un partido de anoche en Caracas. Y, ese posteo, fue aprovechado desde Argentina por la esposa de Nahuel Gallo para reiterar su reclamo por su liberación.
Libertad para Nahuel Agustín Gallo, 433 días lo han tenido en Desaparición Forzada en el Rodeo 1. BASTA dejen de fingir que no pasa nada.
— Maria alexandra Gomez (@gg_alexand95764) February 14, 2026
La venezolana María Alexandra Gómez, quien reclama la liberación de su marido, un gendarme catamarqueño que fue atrapado hace dos años cuando ingresó al país para visitar a su familia durante las Fiestas de Fin de Año, le estampó como respuesta a la funcionaria su pedido y le recordó que desde hace «433 días lo han tenido en Desaparición Forzada en el Rodeo 1″.
«BASTA dejen de fingir que no pasa nada», cerró su mensaje Gómez desde Buenos Aires, donde espera junto a su hijo el regreso de Gallo.
En tanto, los familiares de otros presos políticos que comparten su reclamo en Caracas explicaron que con la huelga de hambre que iniciaron hoy exigen «que ya se concrete y sea real la liberación de todos». «Es justo, es justo. Ya tenemos muchísimo tiempo en esto», dijo a la agencia AFP Evelin Quiaro, 46 años, madre de uno de los detenidos y funcionaria del servicio de migración.
Su hijo de 30 años está detenido desde noviembre de 2025, acusado de terrorismo, asociación para delinquir y financiamiento al terrorismo.
Entre los excarcelados este sábado se encuentra José Elías Torres, secretario general de la Confederación de Trabajadores de Venezuela (CTV), preso desde noviembre sin orden judicial, informó en X el Comité por la Libertad de los Presos Políticos.
Desde que el 3 de enero Nicolás Maduro fue sacado del país por una intervención militar estadounidense, Delcy Rodríguez actúa como presidenta a cargo y propuso una ley de amnistía el 30 de enero.
Pero, en el Parlamento local la discusión final para su aprobación se ha aplazado dos veces. La última fue el jueves cuando se dispuso posponer la discusión una semana más para que los diputados se pongan de acuerdo si abarcará los 27 años del chavismo o si estará acotada a un período determinado. La próxima sesión está prevista para el jueves 19 de febrero.
Rodríguez, quien era vicepresidenta de Maduro, asumió funciones de forma temporal y en las últimas semanas llevó adelante una agenda de acuerdos petroleros y excarcelaciones de presos políticos, al tiempo que ha dado un vuelco en la relación con Estados Unidos, rota desde 2019.
De acuerdo con la ONG Foro Penal, desde el 8 de enero 431 presos políticos han obtenido libertad condicional y 644 permanecen aún en prisión.
«Lo que estamos pidiendo con esto es que ya sean liberados todos, como se nos prometió», indica por su parte otra huelguista, Sachare Torrez, de 23 años.
Con información de agencias
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Catholics, conservatives cheer ouster of ex-Miss California from WH religious panel after hijacking hearing
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The Trump administration swiftly removed Carrie Prejen Boller, a former Miss California winner, from a White House religious council amid accusations she worked to «hijack» a hearing on antisemitism, earning applause from religious leaders and conservatives.
«Carrie Prejean was thrown off the Religious Liberty Commission, and thank God,» a former Trump White House official told Fox News Digital in reaction to the ouster. «These commissions exist to advance the President’s agenda, not to serve as a personal Jew-hating platform.»
Prejean Boller was ousted from the White House Religious Liberty Commission after she worked to «hijack a hearing» held Monday regarding antisemitism in the U.S. to promote her «own personal and political agenda on any issue,» according to chair of the commission, Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick.
Prejean Boller is the 2009 Miss California USA winner who was stripped of her crown over allegations of breaching contract. She gained nationwide attention in 2009 for speaking out against legalizing gay marriage from the pageant’s stage.
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Trump owned the Miss Universe Organization at the time and defended Prejean Boller, then Carrie Prejean.
Carrie Prejean Boller was removed from a White House religious council amid accusations she «hijacked» a hearing on antisemitism. (Steve Marcus/Reuters)
Trump established the religious liberty commission in May via an executive order directing the Department of Justice to provide support to the newly formed body focused on upholding «Federal laws that protect all citizens’ full participation in a pluralistic democracy, and protect the free exercise of religion.»
The commission held a hearing Monday at the Museum of the Bible in Washington, D.C., on combating antisemitism and upholding religious freedom, where Prejean Boller wore a Palestinian flag pin and got into tense exchanges.
Prejean Boller converted to Catholicism from evangelical Christianity in April and invoked her Catholic faith in comments rejecting Zionism during the hearing.
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«I am a Catholic, and Catholics don’t embrace Zionism,» she said.
Catholic League President Bill Donohue swiftly called for her ouster in an opinion piece published on his organization’s website, underscoring that she did not represent Catholics in her remarks.
«Prejean Boller is a former Miss California and a convert to Catholicism,» he wrote Wednesday. «She does not run a Catholic organization, has no Catholic credentials as an author or instructor, and indeed represents no one but herself. For her to say, without qualification, that ‘Catholics do not embrace Zionism,’ is presumptuous and arrogant.»
«Zionism is a movement that promotes Jewish self-determination in a homeland,» he said. «There are millions of Catholics like myself who, even if they do not identify themselves as Zionists, recognize the Jewish state of Israel. Prejean Boller apparently does not—she is more comfortable showing up at the Religious Liberty Commission wearing a Palestinian flag pin. So telling.»
Shawn Carney, president and CEO of 40 Days for Life pro-life group, added in comment to Fox Digital that her «claim that Catholics are against Jews is absurd.»
«This division is a recent fad and an online invention,» Carney said. «For centuries, Catholics have understood that Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of the Davidic kingdom and that our faith comes from the Jews. Catholic teaching holds that the Church is the fulfillment of the promises of the Old Covenant. To suddenly claim that Catholics are against Jews is absurd — it is a modern, internet-based error.»
He added that Trump has a very strong track record of hiring and appointing Catholics to his administration, noting «no president in modern history has done more to protect religious liberty for both Catholics and Jews.»
US President Donald Trump bows his head in prayer during the National Prayer Breakfast at the Washington Hilton in Washington, DC on February 5, 2026. (Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images)
At one point, Prejean Boller got into a heated exchange with Shabbos Kestenbaum, a former Harvard student who sued the university over its response to antisemitism.
«Are you willing to condemn what Israel has done in Gaza?» Prejean Boller asked Kestenbaum during the hearing. «You won’t condemn that? Just on the record.»
She also defended Candace Owens when pressed by Babylon Bee Founder and CEO Seth Dillon if the commentator had ever made antisemitic remarks.
«Do you think anything Candace has said is antisemitic?» he asked her, after referring to Owens as one of the «most famous antisemites» in the current political landscape.
«No, I don’t,» Prejean Boller replied.
Donald Trump, when he was the owner of the Miss Universe Organization, poses with Miss California USA, Carrie Prejean on May 12, 2009. (Lucas Jackson/Reuters)
The former Trump White House official continued in comment to Fox Digital that backing Israel has long been a priority for President Donald Trump.
«President Donald Trump has been clear for decades that he stands proudly with the Jewish people and with America’s closest ally, Israel,» the former official said. «Supporting Israel and standing with Jewish Americans is not just morally right, it is America First.»
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«President Trump delivered historic victories for the Jewish people. He recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and moved the U.S. Embassy there. He recognized Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights. He brokered the Abraham Accords and reshaped the Middle East. He kept his promise to bring every last hostage home and made clear that antisemitism at home will be confronted head on, including holding universities accountable when Jewish students are targeted.»
Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz criticized Carrie Prejean Boller for her remarks at a hearing on antisemitism on Feb. 9, 2026. (Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images)
Conservatives and others on social media celebrated her ouster while condemning her remarks at the hearing.
«The only one who brought up Zionism at the event was … Carrie Prejean Boller,» account Bonchie posted. «Classic grifter play happening here. Cause a scene of her own making, claim to be the victim, profit. A story as old as time.»
«Whatever you think of the rest of Carrie Prejean Boller’s views, wearing a Palestinian flag to a hearing on religious liberty is disgraceful,» president of WorldStrat information warfare firm and chief editor of the Middle East Forum Jim Hanson posted.
Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz said that while he does not personally know Prejean Boller, what he saw of her actions was «just sad.»
«There are 57 Muslim countries on earth; this poor thing has been deluded into thinking that the fact that Israel exists — in the promised land given to the Jewish people thousands of years ago by Jehovah — is somehow the source of all her troubles.» he wrote. «And no, Catholics don’t hate Israel. As Charlie Kirk said repeatedly, antisemitism is a brain rot, and someone has been pouring this poison into her head.»
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Patrick said he personally made the decision to remove her, while Prejean Boller responded on X that only the president could order her removal.
Texas Lt. Governor Dan Patrick serves as the chair of the White House Religious Liberty Commission. (Jason Fochtman/Houston Chronicle)
«You did not appoint me to the Commission, and you lack authority to remove me from it,» Prejean Boller wrote on X in response to Patrick. «This is a gross overstepping of your role and leads me to believe you are acting in alignment with a Zionist political framework that hijacked the hearing, rather than in defense of religious liberty.»
Cruz shot back on X: «Let’s be clear: it was President Trump who fired her.»
The former Miss California has continued to stick by her remarks, saying she «will never bend the knee to the state of Israel. Ever.»
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«Christians have been manipulated into believing that God blesses bombing, starvation, and mass killing,» Prejean posted to X. «That is the opposite of Christ, who came to stand with the suffering and confront power. I reject that lie completely. I am not owned by money, donors, or access. I belong to Christ alone who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. I would rather die than bend the knee to Israel.»
Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for additional comment on the matter Thursday, and attempted to reach Prejean Boller Friday for comment.
white house,donald trump,religion,israel,christianity,roman catholic
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