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Key Republicans flip, kill effort to restrain Trump’s policing power over Venezuela
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Senate Republicans successfully spiked a bipartisan attempt to curb President Donald Trump’s war powers authority after a pair of key GOP lawmakers reversed their positions.
Republicans turned to a rarely used Senate procedure previously used by Senate Democrats in a similar situation to nullify the Venezuela war powers resolution from Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va. The successful effort came after five Senate Republicans joined all Senate Democrats to advance the resolution last week.
Their move drew heavy criticism and anger from Trump, who demanded that they «should never be elected to office again.»
SENATE GOP MOVES TO BLOCK DEMS’ WAR POWERS PUSH, PRESERVE TRUMP’S AUTHORITY IN RARE MOVE
President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with oil and gas executives in the East Room of the White House on Jan. 9, 2026, in Washington, D.C. (Maxine Wallace/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
The resolution was tanked on a 51 to 50 vote, with Vice President JD Vance coming in to break a tie in favor of Trump.
Turning to the arcane procedural move served as a victory for both the president and Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., after last week’s rare defeat on the floor.
Thune, like several other Republicans, contended that the resolution was not germane to the issues at hand in Venezuela.
«We don’t have troops in Venezuela. There is no kinetic action, there are no operations,» Thune said. «There are no boots on the ground. And I think the question is whether or not there ought to be expedited consideration or privilege accorded to something that’s brought to the floor that doesn’t reflect what’s what is current reality in Venezuela.»
«And so I think it’s very fair for Republicans to question why we ought to be having this discussion right now, particularly at a time when we’re trying to do appropriations bills,» he continued.
TRUMP RIPS INTO GOP DEFECTORS AS ‘REAL LOSERS’ AS SENATE READIES FOR FINAL VOTE
Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., believed that he had enough support on both sides of the aisle to pass his war powers resolution, despite an intense pressure campaign from the White House and Republicans to kill the effort. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc. via Getty Images)
Thune, Senate Republican leadership, Trump and several administration officials launched a pressure campaign on the five original defectors who helped Senate Democrats advance the bill. While not every lawmaker flipped, Sens. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., and Todd Young, R-Ind., proved the decisive votes to help kill the resolution.
Hawley’s primary concern was whether the administration would place troops in Venezuela, but after several meetings and conversations with Trump administration officials, he was convinced that no further military action would take place.
«To me, this is all about going forward,» Hawley said of his reversal. «If the president decides we need to put troops on the ground in Venezuela, then Congress will need to weigh in.»
Young kept tight-lipped about his plan until the vote opened, and explained before walking onto the Senate floor that the deliverables and guarantees he had received from Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the administration were enough for him.
Among those were promises that if Trump did want to use force against Venezuela, he would first request authorization from Congress, and that Rubio would appear before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee for a public hearing in the coming weeks to give an update on the situation in the region.
«Those who understand how Congress works, the good and the bad and the ugly, understand that votes like this, in the end, are communications exercises,» Young said. «They’re important communications exercises, but unless you can secure sufficient votes, not only to pass the United States Senate, but to get out of the House, with which is highly questionable, right, and then to override what was an inevitable presidential veto, which is impossible. No one can tell me how we get there.»
«I had to accept that this was all a communications exercise,» he continued. «I think we use this moment to shine a bright light on Congress’ shortcomings as it relates to war powers in recent history.»
Still, Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine, Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, and Rand Paul, R-Ky., joined Senate Democrats to try and save the effort.
Most Senate Republicans who were briefed on the matter last week argued that the strikes in Venezuela were justified and that the military was used to assist in a law enforcement operation to capture Maduro.
KAINE TELLS CONGRESS TO ‘GET ITS A– OFF THE COUCH,’ RECLAIM WAR POWERS
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., argued that because there was no current military action in Venezuela, Kaine’s resolution was moot. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Rubio, in a letter to Senate Foreign Relations Chair James Risch, R-Idaho, affirmed, «There are currently no U.S. Armed Forces in Venezuela.»
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«Should there be any new military operations that introduce U.S. Armed Forces into hostilities, they will be undertaken consistent with the Constitution of the United States, and we will transmit written notifications consistent with section 4(a) of the War Powers Resolution (Public Law 93-148),» Rubio wrote.
Kaine, who was confident that he would have the votes, panned that move ahead of the vote.
«If people want to just say, ‘Hey, President Trump, do whatever the hell you want,’ Let them vote that way, but don’t change the rules of the Senate in a way that might disable future Senates that do have a backbone,» Kaine told reporters.
politics,senate,venezuelan political crisis,donald trump
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Top federal Minnesota prosecutors officially terminated after dispute over ICE shooting probe
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Several federal prosecutors in Minnesota were formally fired Wednesday after they gave notice that they had resigned afof internal disagreements over the Justice Department’s handling of a shooting investigation involving Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
The DOJ, at the direction of Attorney General Pam Bondi and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, terminated the employment of five prosecutors in the U.S. attorney’s office in Minnesota, including Joseph Thompson, the No. 2 official there, according to two sources familiar with the matter.
Their resignations and the internal disputes about the shooting probe first surfaced in The New York Times. The prosecutors were positioned to receive paid leave for months prior to their firings on Wednesday, according to the sources.
WHY THE FBI CAN EXCLUDE STATE AUTHORITIES FROM MINNESOTA SHOOTING PROBE
People protest against the fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent during a rally outside the Whipple Building Jan. 8, 2026, in Minneapolis. (Tim Evans/Reuters)
Thompson was spearheading a massive, high-profile investigation into welfare fraud in the state before he submitted his resignation. His exit came after he clashed with officials in Washington, D.C., over the investigation into the ICE shooting, which left 37-year-old Renee Good dead. Fox News Digital reached out to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Minnesota in an effort to reach Thompson for comment.
Thompson had expressed during a call with DOJ and FBI officials last week that he was on board with investigating the ICE shooting as an assault on or obstruction of a law enforcement officer, a source familiar with the call told Fox News Digital.
Another one of the fired prosecutors, Melinda Williams, who was also involved in the fraud work, was on the call as well, the source said.
Thompson also indicated that he believed the shooting was justified, two sources said. Prior to the shooting, he had already been discussing the possibility of resigning, the sources said.
Videos of the shooting showed an ICE agent opening fire on Good at close range after she was seen accelerating toward the agent in her vehicle while he was standing in front of it. Critics have argued that the agent improperly used deadly force against Good and that she had turned the wheels of her vehicle away from the agent before accelerating.
A crashed car where an ICE agent shot Renee Good. (Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)
The FBI is investigating the incident and has excluded Minnesota prosecutors from the probe, which the Trump administration has said is justified because the incident involved a federal officer. Minnesota leaders have denounced that decision and launched their own parallel investigation.
While supportive of conducting the investigation as an offensive against law enforcement — rather than a civil rights matter against the agent — Thompson had reservations during last week’s call about the DOJ’s plan to also investigate Good’s widow and other possible co-conspirators, the source familiar with the call said.
The FBI had developed evidence that suggested Good and her spouse had at some point been following ICE officers on the day of the shooting, the source said.
That revelation echoes Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s allegations during a recent press conference that Good had been «stalking and impeding» ICE throughout the day of the shooting. Noem said Good «weaponized» her vehicle and that the ICE agent who fired shots feared for his life.
In a statement to Minnesota Public Radio, Good’s spouse, Becca, said that on Jan. 7, the day of the shooting, she and Renee «stopped to support [their] neighbors.»
«We had whistles. They had guns,» Becca Good said.
FAMILIAR PROTEST GROUPS MOBILIZE IMMEDIATELY AFTER ICE SHOOTING OF MINNESOTA PROTESTER
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey speaks to the media at City Hall Jan. 9. Frey has repeatedly called for federal immigration authorities to leave his city. (Aaron Lavinsky/The Minnesota Star Tribune via Getty Images)
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and other Democrats have lauded the prosecutors who resigned, framing their departures as a valiant boycott against DOJ.
«These prosecutors are heroes, and the people pushing to prosecute Renee’s widow are monsters,» Frey wrote on X.
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At this stage, there is no sign that the DOJ is planning to bring charges against Becca Good despite the DOJ and FBI pursuing an investigation into her as part of a broader probe into any conspiracies to hinder federal law enforcement operations.
Fox News Digital reached out to the DOJ for comment.
David Spunt contributed to this report.
justice department,minnesota fraud exposed,pam bondi,fbi
INTERNACIONAL
Venezuela reinició las clases, pero hay gran ausentismo y temor por un discurso oficial de “adoctrinamiento”
“¡Te queremos Nicolás!”. Un grupo de nenes de jardín de infantes declaran su amor por el capturado líder chavista Nicolás Maduro en un video de la Policía Nacional Bolivariana en el reinicio de las clases en Venezuela.
No están solos. Los acompañan policías y maestras del Centro de Educación Inicial Autónomo Sargento Mayor Apascacio Mata, ubicado en el Cuartel General de ese cuerpo.
Leé también: Miedo, hostigamiento y autocensura: los periodistas venezolanos denuncian un aumento de la represión chavista
El jardín se encuentra enclavado en la sede del Servicio Bolivariano de Inteligencia Nacional (Sebin), en el complejo conocido como El Helicoide, que la oposición venezolana define como el mayor centro de torturas del país y donde están detenidos aún decenas de presos políticos. Allí juega también un equipo de básquet local.
“Son formas que el chavismo utilizó para lavar la imagen de ese lugar”, resumió a TN un analista venezolano cuyo nombre se preserva.
Los nenes son hijos de agentes de la fuerza policial chavista. El video muestra cómo los niños reiniciaron el ciclo lectivo con computadoras y nuevos materiales y mochilas para el alumnado. Todo luce impecable.
«Te queremos Nicolás», gritan niños de jardín de infantes en un aula de Venezuela (Video: Policía Nacional Bolivariana)
Las clases reiniciaron en Venezuela el lunes pasado, dos días después del ataque estadounidense y la captura de Maduro.
En ese delicado contexto, el ministro del Interior y Justicia, Diosdado Cabello, anunció un “programa especial” elaborado por el ministerio de Educación para explicarles a los niños que pasó ese día en el país.
Leé también: Venezuela: qué son y por qué siguen activos los “colectivos”, los grupos armados protegidos por el chavismo
“Los niños de Caracas, de La Guaira, de Miranda, sintieron lo que ocurrió en nuestro país. Hay que explicarles a ellos lo que ocurrió, por qué lo hicieron, las consecuencias y, sobre todo, la firme decisión que nosotros tenemos de seguir avanzando en revolución”, afirmó en un video.
Cómo fue el reinicio de clases tras la captura de Maduro
Pero el reinicio de las clases no fue normal. Los primeros días tuvieron un elevado nivel de ausentismo ante la frágil situación del país.
“Aunque mis estudiantes tienen discapacidad intelectual, no hemos abordado el tema porque sólo han asistido tres de ellos en estos días. La próxima semana, los maestros recogerán apreciaciones en los más funcionales, sin ahondar en el tema. De igual manera, es bueno conversar sobre esto”, dijo a TN una maestra de una localidad del estado Sucre, este del país, y cuya identidad se preserva.
María, que también pidió mantener su anonimato, contó que en la escuela de su hijo de 9 años, en Caracas, la asistencia aún no es obligatoria.
“Fueron menos de la mitad de los niños. Hicieron una reunión de grupo con la maestra principal, muy enfocada en lo emocional y en qué sintieron, pero no hubo una instrucción o una lección sobre historia reciente del país. Se enfocaron en las experiencias personales”, comentó. Una mujer venezolana acompaña a sus hijos a la escuela. (Foto: REUTERS/Gaby Oraa)
Pero otros padres prefirieron no enviar a sus hijos a la escuela.
Un vecino de La Guaira, una ciudad marítima cercana a Caracas y capital del estado Vargas, dijo a TN que su hijo no fue a clases esta semana.
“Decidimos no enviarlo porque vimos declaraciones de Diosdado Cabello de que va a iniciarse un proceso de explicación de qué fue lo que sucedió, según ellos, el 3 de enero. Normalmente en la escuela, ya de por sí, hay un proceso de adoctrinamiento, pero esta semana pintaba como intensa. Por eso decidimos no enviar al niño”, afirmó el hombre, cuyo nombre se reserva.
¿Qué está pasando en las escuelas venezolanas?
Vanessa Moreno Losada, coordinadora de Comunicaciones de la ONG Centros Comunitarios de Aprendizaje (Cecodap), dedicada a la defensa de la niñez, dijo a TN que la entidad ha estado “monitoreando y sistematizando” cómo afectaron estos hechos en los niños venezolanos
“Hay que tomar en cuenta que las comunidades educativas siempre han tenido unas dinámicas propias del sector donde se encuentran y de la población, por lo que en este momento, aunque sí existen voceros del gobierno que quieren implementar una explicación única sobre lo que sucedió el 3 de enero, no hay garantía de que en todas las escuelas se imparta ese discurso”, indicó.
Además, afirmó: “De hecho, hemos percibido más un temor del docente en aula de conversar sobre estos temas, incluso cuando estudiantes le preguntan directamente. En una escuela en Carabobo un grupo de adolescentes tuvo que solicitar en Dirección una explicación de por qué su maestra de Historia no les respondía sus dudas sobre lo que pasó la semana pasada”.
Leé también: Los grandes planes de Trump para el petróleo venezolano chocan con la resistencia de las compañías de EE.UU.
“Pese a este acto del ejercicio del derecho a la información y participación, la coordinadora les dijo que el colegio no era un espacio para hablar de política y que debían conversar en casa con sus padres. Este comportamiento ha ocurrido en colegios de Bolívar, Anzoátegui y Zulia. No descartamos que ocurra en otros estados”, sostuvo.
Según comentó, “otras escuelas han optado por priorizar esta semana temas en la salud mental, sobre todo aquellos ubicados en Caracas, La Guaira y Miranda. También se enfocan en sensibilizaciones sobre el uso adecuado de redes sociales, debido al artículo 5 del decreto del estado de conmoción” exterior.
“Allí se explica que debido al estado de conmoción se permite a las autoridades de seguridad ciudadana dar ´búsqueda y captura´ contra personas presuntamente vinculadas con la ‘promoción o apoyo´ de un ataque armado», precisó.
Moreno dijo que, entre otros puntos, el Cecodap llama a la necesidad de contar con “escuelas libres, dentro y alrededor, de dinámicas de militarización, operativos de seguridad o presencia armada innecesaria que generen miedo o intimidación”.
“Esto en algunos estados no se ha cumplido esta semana, pues hubo una orden del Ministerio del Interior de que los funcionarios de seguridad acompañaran a las escuelas en el inicio de clases”, añadió.
Para Moreno, “algunas infancias consideran que lo ocurrido es un episodio que no trasciende en sus vidas, mientras que otras manifiestan temor porque se repitan los bombardeos, ansiedad de perder a un ser querido o miedo de expresar lo que sienten o piensan ellos o sus familiares de lo ocurrido. También algunos, más empapados de las consecuencias políticas y sociales, temen ser detenidos ellos o sus familiares”, concluyó.
Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro
INTERNACIONAL
Armed Kurdish fighters try to breach Iran border as regional threat grows amid protests: reports
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Armed Kurdish separatist groups tried to cross into Iran from Iraq in recent days, stoking fears that the country’s spiraling unrest has attracted dangerous foreign militants who could destabilize the wider region, according to reports.
Iranian officials said the attempted breach came amid a sweeping crackdown on nationwide protests against the country’s regime, with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) leading the response, Reuters reported.
The Tasnim News Agency also reported armed militia groups operating in Iraq crossed the border in western and northwestern Iran, according to Middle East Monitor.
TOP IRANIAN OFFICIAL DOWNPLAYS DEATH TOLL, BLAMES ‘ISRAELI PLOT’ AS US CONSIDERS STRIKES
Kurdish Peshmerga fighters gather north of Kirkuk, Iraq. (Reuters)
Reuters had reported that three sources, including a senior Iranian official, said Turkey’s intelligence agency, known as MIT, warned the IRGC that Kurdish fighters were trying to cross the Iran-Iraq border.
The Iranian official said clashes also broke out after the attempt to cross and accused the fighters of trying to exploit the unrest and create further instability.
According to the Council on Foreign Relations, around 30 million Kurds live in the Middle East, mainly in Iran, Iraq, Syria and Turkey.
TRUMP SAYS IRAN ‘STARTING TO’ CROSS US RED LINES AS PROTESTERS DIE IN GOVERNMENT CRACKDOWN
Kurdish separatists attempted an Iran crossing from Iraq amid protests. (Mustafa Ozer/AFP via Getty Images)
Turkey has designated Kurdish militant groups in northern Iraq as terrorist organizations and has carried out cross-border military operations against them. The Turkish military has also targeted PKK bases in Iraq.
In 2025, the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) said it would disarm and end its decades-long battle against Turkey.
Reuters said MIT and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s office did not comment on the Iran crossing, though it warned that any interference in Iran would inflame regional crises.
‘LEAVE IRAN NOW’: US EMBASSY POSTS WARNING TO AMERICANS STILL IN THE COUNTRY
Iranians attend an anti-government protest Jan. 9 in Tehran, Iran. (UGC via AP)
Iranian authorities alleged the fighters were dispatched from Iraq and Turkey and said the Iranian regime has asked both governments to stop any transfer of fighters or weapons into Iran.
The number of deaths during the crackdown on protesters rose to at least 2,571 on Wednesday, accordin g to the Human Rights Activists News Agency.
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President Donald Trump said Wednesday he had been told the killings had halted, and he believes there is no plan for large-scale executions.
Asked who told him, Trump said they were «very important sources on the other side.»
Iran closed its airspace to most flights Wednesday, according to flight-tracking website Flightradar24, with the closure lasting a little more than two hours.
iran,iraq,middle east,turkey,terrorism,ali khamenei,world protests
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