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Congress extends controversial spy law for 45 days after Senate rejects House bill
Congress passes short-term FISA 702 extension
Fox News chief congressional correspondent Chad Pergram reports on the 13-day FISA extension. Rep. Ben Cline, R-Va., discusses the measure and Virginia’s controversial redistricting vote on ‘Fox Report.’
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Congress punted a long-term fix for a controversial spy law for the second time in a month as lawmakers raced to avoid a lapse in the government’s warrantless surveillance powers set to expire Friday at midnight.
Both chambers approved a 45-day extension of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) before leaving Washington on Thursday, allowing lawmakers more time to negotiate reforms to the hotly contested program.
President Donald Trump, who wants a clean extension of the surveillance program, is expected to sign the measure into law.
The Senate first agreed to extend the law to mid-June by voice vote, which was quickly followed by the House of Representatives clearing the extension measure in a bipartisan manner.
HOUSE PASSES FISA RENEWAL IN BIPARTISAN VOTE, PUTTING PRESSURE ON SENATE BEFORE LOOMING DEADLINE
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., pauses for questions from reporters as he arrives for an early closed-door Republican Conference meeting at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2026. (J. Scott Applewhite/AP Photo)
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and the majority of GOP lawmakers argued the spy authority was too critical to lapse.
«If we go to bed tonight and we don’t have that program in place, I fear there will be blood on our hands,» Rep. Mike Flood, R-Neb., said earlier on Thursday.
«We can’t have FISA go dark,» House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., told reporters prior to the vote.
The bicameral agreement for a short-term fix came after the Senate swiftly rejected a House bill extending the Section 702 program for three years. The lower chamber’s measure included modest reforms to the program and a permanent ban on central bank digital currencies (CBDC) — a priority of conservatives associated with the House Freedom Caucus.
But the inclusion of that provision was a nonstarter in the Senate, given that it was unrelated to the underlying bill and was already baked into a housing affordability package passed by the Senate in March that the House has yet to move on.
«We’ll kick it over there and process it quickly, and we’ll kick the can down the road again,» Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., told Fox News Digital.
More than two dozen GOP privacy hawks voted against the Senate-passed measure. The group sharply criticized the Senate for quashing the House proposal and argued the upper chamber was trying to jam them with a clean extension including none of their reforms.
«The House needs to stand strong and send it back and say we won’t accept that,» Rep. Keith Self, R-Texas, a GOP privacy hawk, told Fox News. «You need to have a warrant or CBDC on it.»
«Everything that we did yesterday, the Senate has said we won’t take,» the Texas Republican added. «That’s what the Senate thinks of the House.»
House Democrats were split over the 45-day extension with 94 lawmakers voting in the affirmative and 85 opposing the measure.
The process in the upper chamber was nearly derailed when Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., announced that he planned to block the Senate’s alternative plan in favor of a shorter, three-week extension.
HOUSE PUNTS TRUMP SPY POWERS EXTENSION AFTER CONSERVATIVES BLOCK DEAL, FORCING END-OF-MONTH SHOWDOWN
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., talks to reporters before entering the Senate chamber in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 5, 2026. (Heather Diehl/Getty Images)
The spy law fight is one of the few horseshoe issues in Congress that blends Democrats and conservatives in a push for stronger privacy protections. That’s because of the Section 702 spying powers, which allow the government to spy on foreign nationals abroad.
However, nothing in the law prevents it from collecting data on Americans if they happen to be involved in those communications. To stop that, Wyden and others are demanding warrant requirements to add a layer of protection for Americans’ whose conversations are ensnared under Section 702.
The House’s version lacked that reform, but Wyden agreed to an extension after working with Sens. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., and Mark Warner, D-Va., the top lawmakers on the Senate Intelligence panel, to send a letter to Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and the acting Attorney General to declassify a FISA court ruling to show how the program is being used against Americans.
Meanwhile, conversations on reforms are still ongoing.
Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., leaves a Senate Democratic meeting at the U.S. Capitol Building on Oct. 3, 2025, in Washington, D.C. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
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Thune said that there was «already a pretty substantial dialogue» between Cotton, Warner, their House counterparts and the White House to address reforms while ensuring that the «program works.»
«So we’re entertaining those ideas at the moment, and we’ll see where that conversation goes,» Thune said. «We got 45 days. I don’t like kicking the can down the road, not my jam.»
The Trump administration has lobbied Congress for weeks to pass a long-term FISA renewal bill with little to no modifications, but has repeatedly failed to make headway.
«This department strongly supports the reauthorization of FISA 702,» Department of War Secretary Pete Hegseth told lawmakers Wednesday. «It is not hyperbole to say many of the most important missions we have executed could not have happened without the intelligence gathered through FISA 702.»
senate elections, legislation, congress, john thune, bills
INTERNACIONAL
World court prosecutor who went after Netanyahu for war crimes suspended over sexual misconduct
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The International Criminal Court’s chief prosecutor has been suspended with immediate effect after the court’s governing body referred disciplinary proceedings against him to member states following a sexual misconduct investigation.
The ICC, based in The Hague, is a permanent international court created under the Rome Statute to prosecute individuals accused of genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity and the crime of aggression when national courts are unable or unwilling to act.
Khan became one of the world’s most controversial prosecutors after seeking arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, making his suspension a major development well beyond the court itself. Israel and the United States have rejected the International Criminal Court’s jurisdiction, and neither country is a member of the court.
The Bureau of the Assembly of States Parties to the Rome Statute had decided to refer the disciplinary proceedings against Prosecutor Karim Khan to the full Assembly of States Parties, suspend him from duty pending a final decision and convene a special session to consider the matter, the International Criminal Court’s Presidency said in a Tuesday statement.
ICC PROSECUTOR BEHIND NETANYAHU ARREST WARRANTS STEPS ASIDE AMID SEXUAL MISCONDUCT PROBE
The International Criminal Court’s chief prosecutor has been suspended with immediate effect after the court’s governing body referred disciplinary proceedings against him to member states following a sexual misconduct investigation. (Dimitar Dilkoff/AFP via Getty Images)
«The Court respectfully invites the Assembly of the State Parties to conclude the process with the highest priority,» the court’s presidency said.
Khan, who has denied wrongdoing, led the court’s controversial push for arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza.
Khan’s suspension followed an 18-month investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct involving a lawyer in his office.
Khan’s lawyers have denied the allegations and called the decision «unlawful, procedurally unfair and unsupported by evidence.»
The findings have moved through several layers of review.
A U.N. Office of Internal Oversight Services investigation found evidence supporting the allegations, while a separate judicial review found the evidence was not enough to prove misconduct beyond a reasonable doubt, Reuters reported. The Assembly of States Parties Bureau, which oversees the court on behalf of member states, nevertheless found that Khan had committed serious misconduct involving nonconsensual sexual activity and recommended his removal, Reuters reported.
The disciplinary probe found Khan had engaged in «serious misconduct» and a «serious breach of duty,» The Associated Press reported.
The case now goes to a special session of the Assembly of States Parties, the International Criminal Court’s 125 member governing body. The final decision lies with the assembly and a date for the special session has not yet been set.
Liz Evenson, international justice director at Human Rights Watch, told Fox News Digital that, «The fact that states parties appear to be taking this seriously is important but the decision is confidential so we can’t comment on it. We will be monitoring next steps closely. Meanwhile, state parties should continue to support the court in its important work across its docket.»
CHIEF PROSECUTOR BEHIND ISRAEL WAR CRIMES CHARGES FACES DISCIPLINARY ACTION AMID SEXUAL MISCONDUCT ALLEGATIONS
Karim Khan was the ICC’s chief prosecutor. (Getty Images)
The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant in November 2024 after Khan requested them months earlier. Israel and the United States condemned the move, accusing the court of equating Israeli leaders with Hamas terrorists.
The Trump administration sanctioned Khan in February 2025 over the court’s actions targeting Israeli officials, under an executive order targeting ICC officials involved in actions against the U.S. or its allies. The order authorized asset freezes and U.S. entry restrictions, and Treasury later added Khan to its sanctions list.
U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz told Fox News Digital that the U.S. position on the International Criminal Court «has never wavered.»
«We oppose any overreach by the ICC against the United States or our allies. Period,» Waltz said. «And we expect our partners to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with us against these outrageous actions.»
Waltz said the U.S. is watching the disciplinary proceedings against Khan, while declining to comment on the specifics of the case.
«As for the situation with Prosecutor Karim Khan, this is a bit rich that this prosecutor sought to jail a democratically elected prime minister and now we are tracking his immediate suspension and the ongoing disciplinary proceedings,» Waltz said. «Of course, we aren’t going to comment on the specifics of that case while it plays out.»
The suspension drew immediate reaction from Israeli officials, who argued that the decision further undermines the court’s case against Netanyahu and Gallant.
«Want to divert attention from sex crime accusations? Just make up war crime accusations against Israel! Classic,» Netanyahu wrote Wednesday on X. «The ICC is corrupt to the core.»
TRUMP, CONGRESS LOOKING TO PUT SUFFOCATING SANCTIONS ON ‘KANGAROO’ ICC OVER NETANYAHU ARREST WARRANT
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant overseeing meeting at Israel’s Ministry of Defense following the IDF’s preemptive strikes against Hezbollah, August 25th. (Israel Government Press Office)
Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon, told Fox News Digital that Khan’s suspension proves the International Criminal Court’s problems go beyond one prosecutor.
«The International Criminal Court’s decision to immediately suspend the Chief Prosecutor in The Hague, Karim Khan, following the UN investigation, proves that this body is rotten to the core,» Danon said. «Now is the time to cancel the absurd indictments against Prime Minister Netanyahu!»
Anne Bayefsky, president of Human Rights Voices and director of the Touro Institute on Human Rights and the Holocaust, told Fox News Digital that the scandal has damaged the credibility of the entire court.
«The astounding story of the world’s International Criminal Court and its lead prosecutor headed by a criminal, an alleged rapist, is not just about one rotten apple,» Bayefsky said. «The entire ICC machine let the process to hold Khan to account drag on for two years after his crimes were first reported.»
Bayefsky argued that the court’s actions against Israeli officials should now face renewed scrutiny.
US ANNOUNCES MORE SANCTIONS ON ICC OFFICIALS FOR TARGETING AMERICANS, ISRAELIS
The International Criminal Court building stands in The Hague, Netherlands, on April 30, 2024. (Selman Aksunger/Anadolu via Getty Images)
«ICC judges decided that Khan’s efforts to criminalize Israel’s Prime Minister and Defense Minister weren’t tainted by the clear evidence that Khan was trying desperately to use his attack on Israelis to save himself,» Bayefsky said. «Khan has taken the credibility of the whole shameful ICC apparatus down with him.»
The Presidency said the court’s leadership remains committed to «independent and impartial proceedings,» recognition and redress for victims of mass atrocities, and the «dignity, rights and aspirations» of court personnel.
The statement also sought to defend the institution itself, calling the ICC «one of the most significant achievements of human civilisation» and saying the court has a duty to protect «the proper functioning of the Court as a whole and its reputation,» the integrity of judicial proceedings, the rights of victims and suspects, and the well-being of court staff.
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Flag with the logo of the of the International Criminal Court (ICC) on March 29, 2022, in Den Haag, Netherlands. (Alex Gottschalk/DeFodi Images via Getty Images)
The court did not say whether Khan’s suspension would affect the cases involving Netanyahu and Gallant.
Fox News Digital has reached out to the International Criminal Court for comment.
benjamin netanyahu, sex crimes, human rights united nations, investigations, sanctions
El Banco Central de República Dominicana(BCRD) reportó que la inflación interanual alcanzó el 5.35 %, superando el rango meta oficial, lo que ha impactado de manera directa en los bolsillos de las familias dominicanas. De acuerdo con datos del propio Banco, este aumento en el costo de vida se produce en un contexto internacional marcado por el encarecimiento de los combustibles y la presión sostenida en los precios de productos alimenticios de consumo masivo.
Según el Banco Central de República Dominicana, el incremento observado por segundo mes consecutivo en la inflación interanual responde principalmente a los ajustes en los precios de la gasolina y el diésel, medidas adoptadas por el Gobierno dominicano tras los aumentos internacionales del petróleo, consecuencia de las tensiones geopolíticas en Oriente Medio.
La entidad monetaria detalló que la inflación acumulada entre enero y mayo de 2026 fue de 1.50 %, mientras que la variación mensual registrada en mayo fue de 0.31 %, cifra menor a la de abril, que había sido de 0.49 %. El rango meta que las autoridades fijan para la inflación es de 4.0% ± 1.0%, lo que significa que el dato de mayo se sitúa por encima de lo esperado por los responsables de la política económica.
El BCRD atribuye la reciente presión inflacionaria a factores exógenos, especialmente el alza en las cotizaciones del petróleo, que ha repercutido en el costo de los combustibles y, en consecuencia, en el precio final del transporte y de los productos básicos. En abril, la inflación anual ya había llegado al 5,11 %, según datos del Banco Central recogidos por la agencia, lo que marcó el nivel más alto en tres años.
De acuerdo con el portal Trading Economics, la inflación en República Dominicana ha mostrado una tendencia ascendente en los primeros meses del año, con un promedio histórico mucho mayor, pero con una clara aceleración desde marzo de 2026. El índice de precios al consumidor (IPC) reflejó en abril una variación mensual de 0.5 %, mientras que la inflación acumulada en 2026 alcanzó el 1.2 %. La entidad financiera internacional detalló que la inflación subyacente, la cual excluye los componentes más volátiles de la canasta familiar, se ubicó en 4.87 % para el mes de abril, dentro del rango objetivo de la política monetaria.
El impacto de la inflación se ha sentido con especial fuerza en la canasta básica familiar dominicana. De acuerdo con cifras oficiales, el costo promedio nacional de la canasta básica aumentó de 46,570.70 a 48,746.66 pesos en el último año, es decir, un alza absoluta de 2,175.96 pesos dominicanos, equivalente a una variación del 4.67 %. El aumento afecta principalmente a los hogares de menores ingresos, que destinan una mayor proporción de su presupuesto a alimentos y servicios esenciales. Entre los productos con mayores incrementos en el precio destacan el café, el agua purificada, los refrescos, los aguacates, los ajíes, el bacalao, las naranjas, la yuca, los limones agrios y los tomates.
El Banco Central también informó que, dentro de la canasta básica, los rubros de transporte y bebidas alcohólicas y tabaco mostraron subidas importantes. El transporte registró un aumento del 5.3 % en los precios, en línea con los incrementos internacionales del petróleo. En contraste, los precios de la ropa y el calzado disminuyeron un 1.4 % respecto al año anterior.
El presidente Luis Abinader garantizó recientemente que no habrá más aumentos en los productos básicos, luego de reuniones con representantes del sector empresarial. El mandatario explicó que el Gobierno mantiene un diálogo abierto con los principales actores económicos para evitar nuevas alzas y proteger el poder adquisitivo de las familias dominicanas.
El Banco Central de República Dominicana comunicó que mantiene una vigilancia permanente sobre la inflación subyacente, con el objetivo de orientar adecuadamente la política monetaria y mitigar el impacto de la volatilidad en los precios internacionales sobre la economía doméstica. Las autoridades económicas insisten en que el comportamiento de la inflación sigue de cerca los movimientos del mercado internacional de combustibles, que continúan representando un reto para la estabilidad de los precios internos.
harinas,sémola,pasta,ingredientes,despensa,alimentos,cocina,productos básicos,panadería,polvos para hornear
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WATCH: Hearing turmoil as Jasmine Crockett unloads on MLK’s niece in wild racially-charged rant
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Rep. Jasmine Crockett erupted at Republicans, calling them a «majority… White» party and accusing them of using a member of Martin Luther King Jr.’s family as a prop to shield themselves from allegations of racism while interrogating the Southern Poverty Law Center’s funding of hate groups.
Crockett, who is leaving office next year after a failed Senate bid, lambasted Republicans for expressing outrage at the SPLC while not addressing the «literal elephant in the room» — a reference to Martin Luther King Jr.’s more conservative niece, Alveda King.
Crockett disparaged civil rights activist Alveda King as a right-wing prop while accusing Republicans of trying to trick the public into thinking a «Doctor King» was criticizing the SPLC’s work. King later questioned whether Crockett was calling her a «bastard» of the King name.
«The vast majority on that side of the aisle… are White men. White men are lecturing people of color because the vast majority, actually any semblance of diversity comes from this [Democratic] side of the aisle,» Crockett said.
FIRST ON FOX: SPLC’S TAX-EXEMPT STATUS UNDER THREAT AFTER FIERY CAPITOL HILL HEARING
She said people of color don’t feel welcome in the GOP and «that’s why you have to parade someone who has the name ‘Doctor King’ attached to them so people can be confused.»
Notably, GOP Rep. Wesley Hunt, a fellow Black Texan, was on the committee’s dais and pointedly questioned SPLC leader Bryan Fair earlier in the day. Hunt often rebukes talk of race-based partisanship by quipping that he has been «Black my entire life.»
Crockett said Republicans were hypocritical in accusing the SPLC of funding hate groups, citing a debunked assertion about President Donald Trump’s comments following the 2017 White supremacist rally in Charlottesville.
She noted Trump had said there were «fine people on both sides,» but omitted that he later clarified he was referring to a community group opposing the removal of Gen. Robert E. Lee’s statue, a gathering that occurred before the neo-Nazi violence erupted later that day.
Crockett then claimed people on social media were wondering who the «Doctor King» was who was speaking out against the SPLC as the hearing progressed, and that Republicans were trying to make the public think the historic Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. would be on their side.
NEARLY ALL SUSPECTS ARRESTED IN ST. PAUL CHURCH STORMING AS MLK’S NIECE SAYS TACTICS ‘NOT THE WAY’
Crockett said Republicans would be better served calling the Obama-supporting Martin Luther King III or his sister Bernice King to the hearing — suggesting they understand the civil rights icon’s teachings and positions better than Alveda.
Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, speaks at a public forum on the use of force by Department of Homeland Security agents at the Dirksen Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 3, 2026. (Aaron Schwartz/Getty Images)
Before her time expired, she accused King and Republicans of «caping» for murdered activist Charlie Kirk — quoting a controversial statement by the Turning Point USA founder about the Civil Rights Act.
She also claimed Republicans hauled Fair and King before the committee because they wanted to distract from their failure to hold a hearing examining associates of deceased financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
When House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, gaveled-out Crockett’s time and passed the floor to Rep. Russell Fry, R-S.C., the Republican gave King a chance to respond.
«I am a bit emotional,» King said of what Crockett had claimed. «I’m going to watch what I say.»
Crockett did not appear to look back at Alveda King and was briefly seen closing her notebook as she prepared to stand up.
JASMINE CROCKETT’S HISTORY OF PLAYING THE RACE CARD GOING AFTER CONSERVATIVE AND LIBERAL CRITICS
President Donald Trump listens to Dr. Alveda King, niece of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., during a meeting with inner city pastors at the White House in Washington, D.C., on Aug. 1, 2018. (Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images)
«It seems as though you (Crockett) have suggested that I am bastard to the King family legacy. I am legitimately the daughter of Reverend Alfred Daniel Williams King and Dr. Naomi Ruth Barber King,» Alveda King said.
Rev. A.D. King was Martin Luther King Jr.’s brother.
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«We are a family who loves God. And I love you, God bless you,» King said before yielding back to Fry.
Fry then announced that, off-camera, Crockett had quickly left the room before King could substantively respond to her remarks.
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