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Klobuchar takes first steps towards Minnesota governor bid in race to replace embattled Walz
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Longtime Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar on Thursday made her first move ahead of likely launching a 2026 race for governor in her home state of Minnesota.
The senator’s first steps came a couple of weeks after the stunning announcement by Democratic Gov. Tim Walz to end his re-election bid amid political fallout from the blue-leaning state’s massive fraud scandal.
Klobuchar, who less than 15 months ago was handily re-elected to a fourth six-year term in the U.S. Senate, filed preliminary paperwork with the Minnesota Campaign Finance Board.
«This is a preliminary step necessary for any candidate considering a run. The senator will make an announcement of her plans in the coming days,» a source close to Klobuchar told Fox News Digital.
WALZ ON GOP CALLS FOR HIM TO RESIGN OVER FRAUD SCANDAL: ‘OVER MY DEAD BODY’
Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota is launching a campaign for governor in the 2026 race to succeed Gov. Tim Walz, a fellow Democrat. (David Swanson/REUTERS)
Since Walz’s announcement earlier this month that he was scrapping his bid for an unprecedented third term as Minnesota governor, Klobuchar had been receiving calls urging her to run, Democratic sources confirmed.
And sources also confirmed that the senator met with Walz, who was the Democratic Party’s 2024 vice presidential nominee, on the eve of his announcement to discuss his decision to drop his re-election effort.
Klobuchar didn’t weigh in on her future political plans in the hours after Walz’ blockbuster news. But she said the governor «made the difficult decision to focus on his job and the challenges facing our state rather than campaigning and running for re-election.»
A day later, Klobuchar emphasized to CNN, «I love my job, I love my state, and I’m seriously considering it.»
The senator has won all four of her Senate elections by healthy margins, including a nearly 16-point re-election in 2024.
But Klobuchar, who is currently number three in Senate Democratic leadership, faces hurdles to rise higher in party leadership in the chamber.
FRAUD FALLOUT FORCES WALZ TO ABANDON GUBERNATORIAL RE-ELECTION BID
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York is the top Democrat in the upper chamber and isn’t expected to leave his post.
Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin of Illinois, the number two Democrat in the chamber, is retiring from Congress, leaving an opening to fill in the leadership pecking order. But Sen. Brian Schatz of Hawaii is the expected heir apparent for that position.
Before serving in the Senate, Klobuchar was elected twice as county attorney in Hennepin County, Minnesota’s most populous.
She also ran unsuccessfully for the Democratic Party’s 2020 presidential nomination. And a trip by Klobuchar last summer to the first-in-the-nation presidential primary state of New Hampshire sparked speculation that Klobuchar may be mulling another White House run in 2028.
Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota is interviewed by Fox News Digital in Gilsum, New Hampshire, on July 11, 2025. (Paul Steinhauser/Fox News)
Walz launched his re-election bid in September, but the past couple of months had been facing a barrage of incoming political fire from President Donald Trump and Republicans, and some Democrats, over the large-scale theft, under his watch as governor, in a state that has long prided itself on good governance.
More than 90 people — most from Minnesota’s large Somali community — have been charged since 2022 in what has been described as the nation’s largest COVID-era scheme. How much money has been stolen through alleged money laundering operations involving fraudulent meal and housing programs, daycare centers and Medicaid services is still being tabulated. But the U.S. attorney in Minnesota said the scope of the fraud could exceed $1 billion and rise to as high as $9 billion.
INSIDE THE RISE AND FALL OF TIM WALZ
Prosecutors said some of the dozens that have already pleaded guilty in the case used the money to buy luxury cars, real estate, jewelry and international vacations, with some of the funds also sent overseas and potentially into the hands of Islamic terrorists.
Democratic Gov. Tim Walz speaks during a news conference Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026, in Minneapolis. (Alex Kormann/Star Tribune via AP)
«This is on my watch, I am accountable for this and, more importantly, I am the one that will fix it,» Walz told reporters last month, as he took responsibility for the scandal.
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But the fraud scandal was eclipsed earlier this month by the fatal shooting by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent of Renee Good, a Minnesota woman and mother of three, who was protesting an ICE operation.
Video of the shooting went viral, sparking protests and a national debate over the agency’s efforts to carry out Trump’s push for the mass deportation of millions of undocumented migrants. And with a massive deployment this month of ICE agents to Minnesota, it’s made the state ground zero in the political battle over the Trump administration’s aggressive efforts to combat illegal immigration.
tim walz,amy klobuchar,governors,gubernatorial,democrats elections,minnesota fraud exposed,minnesota
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Swalwell’s ‘I should be working’ gym, pool videos resurface as Dem rival hammers his missed House votes
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One of Rep. Eric Swalwell’s, D-Calif., top Democratic opponents in the race for California governor unleashed a «savage» campaign ad using Swalwell’s own words against him.
Billionaire gubernatorial candidate Tom Steyer, who was also unsuccessful in running for president in 2020, used multiple videos Swalwell posted on social media during the 2025 government shutdown by the pool and at the gym as an attack on his missed votes in Washington, D.C.
The Swalwell videos, which were initially intended as an attack on Republicans and blaming them for why he wasn’t working during the 40+ day shutdown, repeatedly say, «I should be working.»
«Eric Swalwell’s job is to vote in Congress,» the ad starts out in between videos of Swalwell in the pool and at the gym telling his followers that he «should be working» right now. «In 2025, Eric Swalwell missed 95 votes. That’s more than Rep. Raul Grijalva missed. Rep. Grijalva died in March 2025.»
UNEARTHED PHOTO OF SWALWELL MEETING WITH TOP CCP OFFICIAL RAISES ALARM BELLS: ‘VERY DISTURBING’
Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) wears a protective mask while speaking during a House Intelligence Committee hearing on April 15, 2021 in Washington, D.C. (Al Drago-Pool/Getty Images)
According to GovTrack.US, Swalwell missed 102 out of 139 roll call votes, or 73%, between Sept. 19, 2025 and Feb. 9, 2026. In late November, he announced his run to replace Gov. Gavin Newsom as California’s next governor. In Steyer’s ad, the billionaire’s campaign claims Swalwell has missed 68% of votes since declaring his candidacy.
«He hasn’t been showing up to work, and now he’s asking for a promotion,» the advertisement concluded, as it continued showing clips of Swalwell bench pressing and talking about how he should be in a suit on Capitol Hill and not pumping iron.
Congressman Eric Swalwell pumping iron in a video he posted to social media in July 2025, slamming Republicans for allegedly sending him home and preventing the California congressman from doing his job. (Eric Swalwell for Governor)
ICE DIRECTOR FLIPS SCRIPT ON SWALWELL AFTER DEM LAWMAKER DEMANDED HIS RESIGNATION
«Savage,» Democratic commentator Kaivan Shroff posted on X.
«Steyer going negative on Swalwell this early is the latest piece of evidence Dem primaries this cycle are going to be nastier than they’ve been in a while,» senior Huffington Post editor Kevin Robillard posted on X.
«Brutal ad,» Washington Free Beacon reporter Jon Levine posted on X.
Swalwell began posting these videos last summer, complaining that Republicans had sent him home for political reasons.
«I should be working right now. I should be in Congress. I should be voting to lower your costs. But, instead, I’m in a pool because Republicans sent everyone home because they don’t want to release the Epstein files,» Swalwell said in a late July video he posted to his social media accounts from a glistening pool on the water. «We could be working to lower your costs, make sure healthcare is affordable, and make sure we are restoring the rights of everyone in our community. I should be working right now.»
«Swalwell has, however, kept constituents informed of his workouts even if he is not actually working,» Fox News contributor Jonathan Turley posted on X last summer. «It turns out that the shutdown was not the problem since he is being outvoted by deceased colleagues.»
According to Swalwell and other Democrats, at the time, Republicans sent everyone in Congress home early to avoid voting on an Epstein transparency app, later passed. However, Republicans said that Democrats were trying to ram through measures already being pursued by the executive branch at the time.
The pool video was part of a series of other «I should be working right now» videos from Swalwell at the time, including one he took while throwing out the first pitch for his hometown’s minor league baseball team and another one of him bench pressing 135 pounds at the gym.
Congressman Eric Swalwell lounging in his pool in a video he posted to social media slamming Republicans for allegedly sending him home and preventing the California congressman from doing his job in July 2025. (Eric Swalwell for Governor)
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Fox News Digital reached out to Swalwell and his representatives for comment on the criticism about him missing votes, but did not hear back in time for publication.
eric swalwell,politics,democrats,california,democrats elections
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100 US troops land in Nigeria as Islamic militants threaten West Africa regional security
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Around 100 U.S. troops and military equipment arrived in Nigeria Monday to help support local forces battling Islamic militants and other armed groups in the West African nation, the Nigerian military said.
The U.S. personnel touched down as part of a broader security cooperation effort between Washington and Abuja with 100 more arriving over time.
The arrival came at the request of the Nigerian government, which sought assistance with training, technical support and intelligence sharing as it confronts violence, the Associated Press reported.
About 200 U.S. Africa Command personnel are expected to deploy to Nigeria in total and in what officials have described as a support mission aimed at strengthening the capacity of Nigerian forces.
NIGERIA’S FIRST LADY SAYS US STRIKES WERE A ‘BLESSING,’ WELCOMES COLLABORATION WITH TRUMP
U.S. Army Lt. Gen. John W. Brennan, deputy commander, U.S. Africa Command met Nigerian officials upon arriving in Nigeria for talks. (U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Kenneth Tucceri)
The effort is focused on combating Islamist extremist groups such as Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province, both of which have carried out attacks in northern Nigeria and the Lake Chad region.
The first batch of troops represents the initial group of what is expected to be a roughly 200-person deployment of others, including U.S. intelligence analysts, advisers and trainers.
The move follows recent visits by senior U.S. Africa Command officials to Abuja to reinforce military-to-military ties and expand counterterrorism cooperation.
DEADLY STRIKE ON US TROOPS TESTS TRUMP’S COUNTER-ISIS PLAN — AND HIS TRUST IN SYRIA’S NEW LEADER
Nigerian soldiers man a checkpoint in Gwoza, Nigeria. (AP Photo/Lekan Oyekanmi)
On Feb. 8, Nigerian President Bola Tinubu met with a high-level U.S. delegation led by U.S. Africa Command commander Gen. Dagvin Anderson at the State House in Abuja, according to Nigeria’s presidency.
The meeting included senior officials from Nigeria’s military, security and intelligence agencies and focused on expanding intelligence sharing and operational coordination.
Monday’s deployment came as tensions between Washington and Abuja have eased following earlier friction over religious violence and civilian protection.
AMERICANS CAN’T CLOSE OUR EYES TO THE MURDER OF CHRISTIANS IN NIGERIA
Split of President Donald Trump and President of Nigeria Bola Tinubu (Ton Molina/Getty Images; Charly Triballeau/AFP via Getty Images)
President Donald Trump had previously accused Nigeria of failing to protect Christians from what he described as a genocide, citing attacks by extremist groups and armed bandits.
Trump ordered airstrikes on Dec. 25 targeting Islamic State militants and said they were responsible for killing Christians.
Africom conducted strikes in Sokoto State in northwest Nigeria targeting what it described as Islamic State terrorists and said they were coordinated with Nigerian authorities.
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«The United States launched a powerful and deadly strike against ISIS Terrorist Scum in Northwest Nigeria, who have been targeting and viciously killing, primarily, innocent Christians, at levels not seen for many years, and even Centuries!» Trump said in a post on Truth Social at the time.
africa,counter terrorism,military,terrorism
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La advertencia de Trump a Irán: «No creo que quieran las consecuencias de no llegar a un acuerdo»
Donald Trump advirtió el lunes a Irán sobre «las consecuencias de no alcanzar un acuerdo» antes de las conversaciones entre Estados Unidos y la república islámica en Ginebra esta semana.
«Voy a participar en esas conversaciones, indirectamente», dijo el presidente estadounidense a los periodistas a bordo del Air Force One rumbo a Washington.
Al respecto, el mandatario estadounidense sostuvo que «normalmente Irán es un negociador muy duro» y que «son buenos negociadores». Sin embargo, al instante se corrigió: «O malos negociadores. Yo diría que son malos negociadores porque podríamos haber llegado a un acuerdo en lugar de enviar los [bombarderos] B2 para destruir su potencial nuclear», apuntó, refiriéndose al ataque que EEUU llevó a cabo en junio de 2025 sobre territorio iraní en el marco de las hostilidades entre el país árabe e Israel.
«Ellos quieren llegar a un acuerdo… No creo que quieran las consecuencias de no hacerlo«, agregó.
Las conversaciones en Ginebra entre Estados Unidos e Irán, mediadas por Omán, se producen tras repetidas amenazas de Trump de emprender acciones militares contra Teherán: primero por la mortífera represión de ese país contra las protestas antigubernamentales y, más recientemente, por su programa nuclear.
Estados Unidos y algunos países europeos temen que el programa nuclear iraní tenga como objetivo fabricar una bomba atómica, algo que Teherán niega.
Washington ha presionado anteriormente para que se traten otros temas, entre ellos los misiles balísticos iraníes y el apoyo a grupos armados en Oriente Medio.
El Ministerio de Asuntos Exteriores de Irán afirmó el lunes que la postura de Estados Unidos sobre su programa nuclear se ha vuelto «más realista».
Un intento anterior de negociación entre ambos países fracasó cuando Israel lanzó ataques sorpresa contra Irán en junio pasado, dando inicio a una guerra de 12 días en la que Washington participó para bombardear instalaciones nucleares iraníes.
Durante su charla con periodistas a bordo del Air Force One, el mandatario estadounidense se refirió una vez más a Cuba como una «nación fallida» y volvió a llamar a La Habana a hacer un acuerdo con Estados Unidos. «Se trata de una cuestión humanitaria», apuntó.
Al respecto, cuando le consultaron acerca de la posibilidad de que Estados Unidos realice en el país caribeño una operación similar a la que en enero llevó adelante en Venezuela para capturar a Nicolás Maduro, el mandatario sostuvo que no cree que eso vaya a ser necesario.
«No quiero responder a eso. ¿Por qué iba a responder a esa pregunta? Si lo hiciese, no sería una operación muy difícil, como pueden imaginar, pero no creo que vaya a ser necesario», sostuvo Trump.
Desde el fin del suministro del petróleo venezolano tras la caída de Nicolás Maduro y ante la presión de Washington para evitar que otros países le vendan combustible, Cuba y sus 9,6 millones de habitantes enfrentan una gravísima crisis energética.
Desde La Habana acusan al mandatario de querer «asfixiar» la economía nacional, que se encuentra sometida a embargo de Estados Unidos desde 1962.
Luego de que Delcy Rodríguez defendiese durante una entrevista con el canal estadounidense NBC al depuesto Nicolás Maduro, Donald Trump dijo entender las palabras de la presidenta encargada de Venezuela, las que atribuyó al funcionamiento de la política.
«Probablemente ella tiene que decir eso», sostuvo el mandatario estadounidense y, acto seguido, especificó que «políticamente, quizás ella tiene que decir eso».
«La relación con Venezuela… Está haciendo un gran trabajo, y entiendo completamente esa declaración», insistió.
Las palabras de Trump llegan en alusión a la entrevista que la semana pasada la presidenta encargada de Venezuela brindó a la cadena NBC, en la que sostuvo que «el presidente Nicolás Maduro es el presidente legítimo» de su país. «Le digo esto como abogada, que lo soy. Tanto el presidente Maduro como Cilia Flores, la primera dama, son inocentes», apunto Rodríguez en el programa de entrevistas ‘Meet The Press’ el pasado jueves.
Rodríguez afirmó que está decidida a convertir Venezuela en un gran productor de crudo a la altura de EEUU o Arabia Saudita, y a su vez sostuvo que la nueva ley de hidrocarburos no es tanto un paso hacia la desnacionalización del sector petrolero, sino una manera de distribuir mejor los dividendos entre la población.
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