INTERNACIONAL
Senators rail against ‘cash grab’ spending bill provision as House preps repeal vote
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The Senate is once again finding a moment of bipartisan unity in its fury over a recently passed law that would allow lawmakers to sue the federal government and reap hundreds of thousands of dollars in taxpayer money as a reward.
Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle continue to grapple with the inclusion of a provision in a package designed to reopen the government that would allow only senators directly targeted by the Biden-led Department of Justice (DOJ) and former special counsel Jack Smith’s Arctic Frost investigation to sue the U.S. government for up to $500,000.
Both Senate Republicans’ and Democrats’ ire at the provision is multipronged. Some are angry it was tucked away into the legislative branch spending bill without a heads-up. Others see it as nothing more than a quick payday for the relatively small group of senators targeted in Smith’s probe.
REPUBLICANS FEUD OVER ‘ARCTIC FROST’ ACCOUNTABILITY MEASURE, BUT CRITICS OFFER NO CLEAR ALTERNATIVE
The Senate smashed through procedural hurdles and advanced its package to reopen the government, with the onus of ending the shutdown now falling on the House. (Tom Brenner/Getty Images)
«I think it was outrageous that that was put in and airdropped in there,» Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., told Fox News Digital. «It’s outrageous. It’s basically just a cash grab for senators to take money away from taxpayers. It’s absolutely outrageous and needs to be taken out.»
The provision was included in the spending package by Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., on request from lawmakers in the GOP. And it was given the green light by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.
The provision is narrowly tailored to include only senators and would require they be notified if their information is requested by the DOJ, be it through the subpoena of phone records like in the Arctic Frost investigation or through other means. The idea is to prevent the abuse of the DOJ to go after sitting senators now and in the future.
Thune pushed back on the notion that lawmakers weren’t aware the provision was in the bill, given that the entire package was released roughly 24 hours before it was voted on. But he acknowledged their frustration over how it was added was warranted.
«I think I take that as a legitimate criticism in terms of the process, but I think, on the substance, I believe that you need to have some sort of accountability and consequence for that kind of weaponization against a co-equal branch of the government,» Thune said.
Schumer, when asked about the anger brewing on both sides of the aisle, heaped blame on Thune but noted it was an opportunity to get protection for Democrats, too.
GOP UNITY SHATTERED BY CONTROVERSIAL MEASURE IN GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN BILL
Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., introduced the bipartisan bill during a news conference Tuesday. (Valerie Plesch/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
«Look, the bottom line is Thune wanted the provision, and we wanted to make sure that at least Democratic senators were protected from [Attorney General Pam] Bondi and others who might go after them,» Schumer said. «So, we made it go prospective, not just retroactive, but I’d be for repealing all the provision, all of it. And I hope that happens.»
The House is expected to vote on legislation that would repeal the language, and many in the upper chamber want to get the chance to erase the provision should it pass through the House. Whether Thune will put it on the floor remains unclear.
Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., was one of the eight senators whose records were requested during Smith’s probe. He told Fox News Digital he was neither asked about the provision nor told about it and, like many other lawmakers, found out about it when he read the bill.
«I just think that, you know, giving them money — I mean making a taxpayer pay for it, I don’t understand why that’s accountability,» he said. «I mean, the people who need to be held accountable are the people who made the decisions to do this, and, frankly, also the telecom companies. So I just, I don’t agree with that approach.»
LINDSEY GRAHAM VOWS TO SUE OVER ‘ARCTIC FROST’ INVESTIGATION TARGETING GOP LAWMAKERS’ PHONE RECORDS
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., during a news conference at the U.S. Capitol June 20, 2024 in Washington, D.C. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
He also took issue with the fact the provision was narrowly tailored to only apply to the Senate and argued it could be reworked to only provide for declaratory judgment in court rather than a monetary one.
«I could see the value of having a court say this was illegal and ruling against the government,» Hawley said. «I think it’s the monetary provisions that most people, including me, really balk at. Like, why are the taxpayers on the hook for this, and why does it apply only to the Senate?»
The provision set a retroactive date of 2022 to allow for the group of senators targeted in Smith’s Arctic Frost probe to be able to sue. That element has also raised eyebrows on both sides of the aisle.
Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., told Fox News Digital he supported repealing the provision but wanted to fix it.
«The best way to be able to handle it, I think, is to be able to fix it, take away the retroactivity in it,» he said. «The initial target of this whole thing was to make sure this never happened again.»
Sen. Andy Kim, D-N.J., told Fox News Digital the provision was a «total mess» and raised concerns on a bipartisan basis.
Rep. Andy Kim, D-N.J., speaks to delegates in Paramus, N.J., March 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File)
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Not every senator was on board with ditching the provision, however.
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., made clear that he intends to sue the DOJ and Verizon, his phone carrier, and argued that he didn’t believe that the provision was self-dealing but rather to deter future, similar actions. He also wants to take the provision, or the core idea of it, a step further.
Graham said he wanted to open up the process to others, including dozens of groups, former lawmakers and others affected by the investigation.
«Is it wrong for any American to sue the government if they violated your rights, including me? Is it wrong if a Post Office truck hits you, what do you do with the money? You do whatever you want to do with the money,» Graham said.
«If you’ve been wronged, this idea that our government can’t be sued is a dangerous idea,» he continued. «The government needs to be held accountable when it violates people’s rights.»
Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas., was far more succinct. When asked if he would support a repeal of the provision, he told Fox News Digital, «No.»
senate,chuck schumer,justice department,joe biden,lindsey graham
INTERNACIONAL
86 Dems vote with Republicans to condemn socialism in wake of Mamdani’s mayoral victory
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The House of Representatives overwhelmingly voted in favor of a resolution condemning socialism Friday morning, with several Democrats crossing the aisle to rebuke «socialist policies» in the U.S. following Zohran Mamdani’s recent election as the mayor-elect of New York City.
Eighty-six Democrats joined Republicans in supporting the measure in a 285-98 vote. Two members, Rep. Deborah Ross, D-Pa., and Rep. Janelle Bynum, D-Ore., voted present.
Notably, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y. — who endorsed Mamdani just days before the mayoral election — also voted in favor of the measure.
The resolution, introduced by Rep. Maria Salazar, R-Fla., highlights a list of the economic system’s failures and serves as a rebuke of political forces inching toward more socialist platforms. Among other items, it asserts that socialism has led to famine and mass murder under the Cuban Castro regime, the Chinese rule of Mao Zedong, the ongoing Venezuelan regime of Nicolás Maduro and others.
«Resolved by the House of Representatives that Congress denounces socialism in all its forms and opposes the implementation of socialist policies in the United States,» the text reads.
SOCIALIST WAVE GOES COAST-TO-COAST AS HISTORIC WINS SHAKE UP THE 2025 MAYORAL ELECTIONS
Rep. Maria Salazar, R-Fla., speaks during a roundtable discussion at the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Mar. 3, 2025. (Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images)
While the resolution itself isn’t binding, the congressional rebuke comes as socialism — and its political momentum — have taken up a larger share of the national spotlight in recent months.
Progressive candidates like Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., and others have continued to push for an increased government role in public services like healthcare and education. That’s dovetailed with new champions of progressive policies like Mamdani, a self-described socialist.
The resolution also comes as Mamdani is set to meet with President Donald Trump on Friday.
Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., said he believes socialism is incompatible with the American ideal of freedom. He applauded the resolution on Friday morning.
«It always leads to a destruction of liberties for people,» Donalds said of socialism.
DEMOCRATS DID START THE FIRE OF SOCIALISM. NOW, THEY ARE AFRAID IT WILL BURN THEM
New York City Democratic Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani celebrates as he takes the stage at his election night watch party at the Brooklyn Paramount in New York City on Nov. 4, 2025. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
He noted that socialism requires a top-down structure of authority to manage the distribution of resources. That, he believes, is a trait shared by other forms of oppressive government.
«We have a responsibility to defend the American core of capitalism, free markets and liberty [against] socialism, democratic socialism, communism, authoritarianism, fascism,» Donalds said.
While increasingly progressive wings of the Democratic Party have enjoyed momentum in recent months at a time when the party has struggled to unite behind a cohesive brand, not all Democrat lawmakers view socialism’s emergence as something the party should embrace.
Rep. Tom Suozzi, D-N.Y., one of the members who voted for the disapproval resolution on Friday, has opposed overtly socialist platforms, urging his Democrat colleagues to return to a more centrist path.
REPUBLICANS PUSH TO MAKE MAMDANI THE NEW FACE OF THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY
Rep. Tom Suozzi, D-N.Y., speaks during a Congressional Gold Medal ceremony on Capitol Hill in Washington on Sept. 3, 2025. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
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«I talk about being a new kind of old-fashioned Democrat and giving policy prescriptions about what we need to do to address people’s concerns about the economy and affordability and the cost of living and wages,» Suozzi wrote on X earlier this month. «The answer is not the populism of Donald Trump or Zohran Mamdani — it’s about giving specific policy prescriptions.»
politics,congress,socialism
Paneles solares instalados recientemente en la casa de Joelma Morães Anjo, residente de toda la vida de la isla de Paquetá, cerca de Belém, Brasil, el 16 de noviembre de 2025. Cientos de millones de personas en todo el mundo aún carecen de acceso a la electricidad, y solo en el hemisferio occidental, unos 17 millones no tienen acceso a ella, mientras que otros 60 millones dependen de pequeños generadores que utilizan diésel, uno de los combustibles más contaminantes y caros. (Alessandro Falco/The New York Times)Vista lejana de cruceros anclados que sirven como hoteles temporales para algunos de los miles de asistentes a la conferencia de las Naciones Unidas sobre el cambio climático, COP30, celebrada en Belém, Brasil, el 16 de noviembre de 2025. Cientos de millones de personas en todo el mundo aún carecen de acceso a la electricidad, y solo en el hemisferio occidental, unos 17 millones no tienen acceso a ella, mientras que otros 60 millones dependen de pequeños generadores que utilizan diésel, uno de los combustibles más contaminantes y caros. (Alessandro Falco/The New York Times)
Antonia Maia, quien vivió la mayor parte de su vida sin electricidad hasta que este año instaló un sistema de paneles solares y baterías en su casa, en la isla Paquetá, cerca de Belém, Brasil, el 16 de noviembre de 2025. Cientos de millones de personas en todo el mundo aún carecen de acceso a la energía eléctrica, y tan solo en el hemisferio occidental, unos 17 millones no tienen acceso a ella, mientras que otros 60 millones dependen de pequeños generadores que utilizan diésel, uno de los combustibles más contaminantes y caros. (Alessandro Falco/The New York Times)
Joelma Morães Anjo, residente de toda la vida de la isla de Paquetá, cerca de Belém, Brasil, en su casa, donde hace apenas unos meses, el 16 de noviembre de 2025, se instaló un sistema confiable de electricidad mediante paneles solares. (Alessandro Falco/The New York Times)
Estilos
La hija de Joelma Morães Anjo ve un video en su teléfono inteligente en su casa, donde hace apenas unos meses se instaló un sistema confiable de electricidad mediante paneles solares, en la isla Paquetá, cerca de Belém, Brasil, el 16 de noviembre de 2025. (Alessandro Falco/The New York Times)
Tras jugar al fútbol, unos niños se reúnen en una casa con electricidad para cargar sus teléfonos y jugar a videojuegos en la isla de Paquetá, cerca de Belém, Brasil, el 16 de noviembre de 2025. (Alessandro Falco/The New York Times)
Participantes y jugadores en un torneo de fútbol juvenil en la isla de Jutuba, cerca de Belém, Brasil, el 16 de noviembre de 2025. (Alessandro Falco/The New York Times)INTERNACIONAL
Israel-Hezbollah border tensions rise as terror group rearms, resists US- backed ceasefire
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The Iran-backed Lebanese terrorist movement Hezbollah is rebuilding its military arsenal on Israel’s northern border, as experts warn that another war between the two sides could be on the horizon. The latest developments come a year after the U.S. helped broker a ceasefire between the parties.
On Wednesday, IDF spokesman Nadav Shoshani, said Hezbollah had engaged «in a blatant violation of the ceasefire agreement.» Shoshani also released a video showing the rearming, claiming the terror group was «operating to reestablish its assets in the village of Beit Lif.»
Critics argue that the U.N. peacekeeping force, UNIFIL, is not fulfilling its mandate to disarm the terror group and the Lebanese Armed Forces are moving too slowly, which has led to continued Israeli actions against the terrorists. The IDF has been launching near-daily strikes against the group’s infrastructure and operatives inside Lebanon.
IRAN SMUGGLED $1B TO HEZBOLLAH THIS YEAR DESPITE US SANCTIONS, TREASURY OFFICIAL SAYS
Hezbollah fighters attend the funeral of their commander Wissam al-Tawil, in the village of Khirbet Selm, south Lebanon, Tuesday, Jan. 9, 2024. A war of words that has unfolded in Lebanon show longstanding schisms in the small country over Hezbollah, now amplified by the militant group’s role in the Lebanon-Israel border clashes and by fears that an already crisis-hit Lebanon could be dragged into an all-out war. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla, File)
Sarit Zehavi, a leading Israeli security expert on Hezbollah from the Israel Alma Research and Education Center, told Fox News Digital that Hezbollah does not currently «have the capability to carry out an October invasion. They had it prior to Oct. 7, 2023. They can send in a few terrorists. I want to believe it will take a few years to get those capabilities back.»
Fox News Digital exclusively reported last year on Hezbollah’s war plan to invade northern Israel and carry out a scorched-earth campaign against the Jewish state.
A day after the Iran-backed Hamas invaded Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, and massacred over 1,200 people, Hezbollah launched missile attacks against Israel.
A strike against Hezbollah that the Israeli Air Force says was carried out overnight. (Israeli Air Force)
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE MIDDLE EAST’S HEZBOLLAH AND HAMAS GROUPS?
Zehavi said, «Both the IDF and Hezbollah are very active. The IDF is very active to stop the rehabilitation of Hezbollah and Hezbollah is very active in rebuilding. Hezbollah learned lessons. It has been more problematic to smuggle weapons to Lebanon from Syria. It is happening. But the Syrians intercepted weapons.»
She noted that the «Syrian regime is willing to fight Hezbollah to fight weapons smuggling. Hezbollah is relying more on manufacturing rockets.»
Zehavi, who lives in northern Israel, said that «almost half of Israeli attacks on Hezbollah are south of the Litani river. We see a lot of investment from Hezbollah in drones, short-range rockets, mortars and anti-tank missiles.»
On Tuesday in Germany, prosecutors started a trial against an alleged Hezbollah member running «an extensive drone program for some time.»
The German Federal Prosecutor’s Office said the suspected Hezbollah operative Fadel Z joined Hezbollah more than 10 years ago and worked as a «foreign operator» for the group’s drone program in 2022 in Spain and Germany.
Zehavi said it suffered a defeat of its leadership via the Mossad pager attack on its commanders. However, she added, «Iran immediately provided oxygen to Hezbollah for treatment to help revive Hezbollah.»
Hezbollah fighters carry the coffin of four fallen comrades who were killed Tuesday after their handheld pagers exploded, in the southern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, on Wednesday, Sept. 18. (Bilal Hussein/ AP)
ISRAEL DEGRADES IRAN-BACKED HEZBOLLAH TERRORISTS IN SPECTACULAR PAGER EXPLOSION OPERATION: EXPERTS
She outlined Israel’s main defense strategy against Hezbollah. First, the IDF has positions in Syria and Lebanon. «We cannot have civilians on the front line. The IDF is on top of hills in Israel and Lebanon and can see everything and can respond quickly to terrorist activities. This means when an Israeli woman opens her window and used to see a Hezbollah flag, she now sees an Israeli flag. This gives her a sense of security. This was not present before Oct. 7.
She estimates Hezbollah has 50,000 terrorists and 50,000 reservists. «We killed a few thousand terrorists.»
The IDF made dramatic advances in eradicating Hezbollah’s missile arsenal. «We degraded 80%» of the rockets, Zehavi said, noting the elimination of sizable numbers of Hezbollah’s long-range and highly accurate missiles.
Edy Cohen, a Lebanese-born Israeli scholar of Hezbollah, said, «There is no lack of arms for Hezbollah in Beirut and Lebanon. Lately, we saw many reports that Hezbollah received arms from Syria and Iran is trying to send arms by civilian Iranian airplanes.»
Lebanese Hezbollah fighters are taking part in cross-border raids, part of a large-scale military exercise, in Aaramta bordering Israel on May 21, 2023 ahead of the anniversary of Israel’s withdrawal from southern Lebanon in 2000. (Fadel Itani/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
HEZBOLLAH’S NEIGHBORS: ISRAELI BORDER COMMUNITY UNDER CONSTANT ATTACK FROM TERROR GROUP
He said there is enormous pressure on Hezbollah and every week Israel is killing Hezbollah operative. The Shiite community in Lebanon wants Hezbollah to retaliate against Israel, said Cohen, adding, «For the Shiite community Hezbollah is the state.»
Cohen said the IDF is gathering intelligence information about Hezbollah’s arsenal and attacking almost every day its leaders and operatives.
Hezbollah terrorists are taking part in cross-border raids, part of a large-scale military exercise, in Aaramta, bordering Israel, on May 21, 2023 ahead of the anniversary of Israel’s withdrawal from southern Lebanon in 2000. (Fadel Itani/NurPhoto via Getty Image)
He warned that because «Hezbollah said it will not disarm its militia … the big war will come.»
Fox News Digital reported in early November that Trump’s U.S. Ambassador to Turkey, Thomas Barrack, who also serves as envoy to Syria, said that Lebanon is a «failed state,» because of its «paralyzed government.»
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He also noted that Hezbollah retains 40,000 fighters and between 15,000 and 20,000 rockets and missiles, noting the terror group pays its militia $2,200 per month, whereas the Lebanese Armed Forces soldiers earn $275 a month and have inferior equipment as well.
israel,terrorism,conflicts,lebanon,national security
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