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'Squad' Rep Ayanna Pressley's ex-con husband slaps phone out of man's hands as he tries to ask her a question
The felony-convicted husband of progressive "squad" lawmaker Rep. Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass., slapped a phone out of a reporter's hands Monday inside a city hall building after they attempted to approach the congresswoman to ask her a question about alleged childcare fraud in Minnesota.
"Congresswoman Pressley, do you support –" the interviewer could be heard asking as he approached Pressley with his phone camera on record before Conan Harris, Pressley's husband who spent 10 years in prison on felony drug trafficking charges, smacked the phone out of the questioner's hand.
"Sir, you cannot take my phone out of my hand," the questioner could be heard saying, before the phone was picked back up and returned to focus. Harris spent 10 years in prison on a drug trafficking charge before marrying Pressley, who said she draws from his experience of reintegrating into regular society after leaving prison to help inform how she advocates for incarcerated, or previously incarcerated, individuals.
COMER VOWS MINNESOTA FRAUD PROBE WILL EXPAND TO OTHER STATES AMID MOUNTING SCRUTINY
The incident took place Monday at Chelsea City Hall located in Chelsea, Massachusetts.
Meanwhile, the cameraman tried to focus the picture on Harris after his phone was knocked out of his hand, but Harris was seen walking into what appeared to be a bathroom, or some type of room off the hallway they were located in, once he was able to re-focus the camera.
Instead, the interviewer went back to Pressley and attempted a second time to get his question in.
"Congresswoman Pressley, do you support President Trump investigating Somali childcare fraud in Minnesota?" he asked as the Massachusetts Democrat walked away, guarded by her entourage of staffers. "Congresswoman Pressley?"
HOUSE GOP BILL COULD TRIGGER SELF-DEPORTATION FOR SOMALI REFUGEES AMID MINNESOTA FRAUD PROBE
The lawmaker was being pressed on the issue on the same day the Trump administration announced it would be freezing $10 billion in federal funds going to childcare across five blue states, which follows reports of social services fraud involving the Somali community in Minnesota.
The states impacted will be California, Colorado, Illinois, Minnesota and New York.
An official from the Office of Management and Budget reportedly told Axios that the hold is due to both fraud and the provision of funds to undocumented immigrants.
Pressley did not respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.
"The fraud in California, New York and Illinois is far greater than in Minnesota," Donald Trump's former Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) head, Elon Musk, said this week. "My guess for how much fraud is happening nationwide is roughly 10% of the Federal budget, so about $700 billion per year."
Trump unleashes the 'Donroe Doctrine' and puts socialists on notice worldwide
For the past 26 years, we have witnessed the devastating impact of socialism on the Venezuelan people. Today, we are filled with hope as we watch President Donald Trump take action to end that nightmare. Under Trump's leadership, the United States is not only restoring order but also implementing a modern vision of the Monroe Doctrine — countering foreign adversaries and paving the way for security and prosperity in the region.
President Trump's actions in Venezuela are necessary and entirely lawful, grounded in well-established U.S. precedents for intervention in the Western Hemisphere. Drawing from historical examples, such as the 1983 invasion of Grenada to rescue Americans and halt a communist coup — and the 1989 invasion of Panama to oust the drug-trafficking dictator Manuel Noriega, Trump has ample legal authority under Article II of the Constitution as commander-in-chief.
These interventions were justified under the need to protect U.S. citizens, combat threats to regional stability and advance U.S. interests against narcotics and communism. Similarly, Trump's deployment draws on the Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF) framework and executive powers affirmed by the Supreme Court, which recognizes the president's broad authority in foreign affairs.
These precedents underscore that when a neighboring regime poses a clear and present danger — through mass migration, drug flows and alliances with hostile powers — the U.S. has the right to act decisively. Moreover, Trump's bold strike aligns with the principles of just war theory, which justifies military action when it meets criteria such as just cause, right intention and proportionality.
Unlike previous presidents — who lacked the courage to defend America against encroaching socialism, allowing regimes like Maduro's to fester and export chaos — Trump's resolve marks a pivotal shift, invoking tools like the Alien Enemies Act and the War Powers Resolution to confront these dangers head-on. While prior U.S. administrations squandered resources on misguided foreign policy programs, including the promotion of LGBT and gender ideology initiatives that alienated traditional allies and distracted from core threats, Trump's actions have swept away such follies, refocusing American foreign policy on tangible results and moral clarity.
True to his word, President Trump is fulfilling his promises by addressing the Venezuelan crisis head-on, including securing the nation's vast oil reserves. By taking control of the oil that powered the communist regime for over two decades, Trump is reclaiming resources that have been weaponized against America.
These moves echo Trump's "America First" ethos, ensuring that Venezuelan oil bolsters U.S. energy independence rather than funding anti-American forces. It's a pragmatic step toward stabilization, preventing further humanitarian collapse and stemming the tide of refugees overwhelming our borders. Importantly, Americans played a key role in developing Venezuela's oil infrastructure in the early 20th century, with American companies investing heavily to build refineries, pipelines and extraction facilities that transformed the nation into a major producer. Yet, under communist Hugo Chávez, this infrastructure was confiscated through nationalization and expropriation, stripping rightful stakeholders and leading to its decay because of communist plundering.
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"Operation Absolute Resolve," conducted by the U.S. Department of War, represents a robust implementation of the Monroe Doctrine, originally proclaimed in 1823 to ward off European powers. Now evolved, under Trump as the "Donroe Doctrine," this hemispheric strategy aims to counter contemporary threats from communist China, Cuba, as well as Russia and Iran. These adversaries have entrenched themselves in Venezuela: China through predatory loans and resource extraction, Cuba via its intelligence apparatus propping up Maduro's repression and Russia with military advisors and arms deals that destabilize the region.
Trump's intervention is challenging this axis of authoritarianism, hopefully expelling foreign influencers and reasserting U.S. primacy in our backyard by implementing the new National Security Strategy. By dismantling these networks, we not only neutralize immediate security risks — like potential missile bases or cyber threats — but also send a clear message that the Americas will no longer be a playground for hostile forces. To ensure success, the embargo on Venezuelan oil must continue until the dictatorial regime is no longer in power.
Ultimately, Venezuela’s oil must be administered by the United States to ensure a smooth transition. American stewardship provides the economic leverage needed for reconstruction and the incoming investments by U.S. energy firms will only benefit Venezuelan citizens. Under U.S. oversight, we can root out corruption, rebuild infrastructure and avoid the costly nation-building mistakes of the past that were paid for by American taxpayers.
Venezuela's liberation by Trump proves that America is back. Communist dictators in Cuba and Nicaragua should take note: Under the "Donroe Doctrine," we will no longer sit idle as an axis of evil grows in our backyard.
AMB GORDON SONDLAND: Trump showed strength in Venezuela — now finish the job
The United States finally did what needed to be done in Venezuela: it ended the Maduro nightmare. Credit where it is due — this required courage, clarity, and decisive leadership, and President Trump proved willing to act when others hesitated for years.
Leaving Maduro in place would not only have condemned millions more Venezuelans to hunger, repression, and exile — it also would have handed Russia, China, and Iran a permanent beachhead in our own hemisphere and privileged access to the world’s largest oil reserves. Ousting Maduro wasn’t reckless interventionism. It was the only responsible move to protect American interests, stabilize the region, and prevent our adversaries from turning Venezuela into an energy-rich outpost of anti-U.S. power.
That reality has been clear for years. Venezuela under Maduro was never merely a mismanaged country; it was a criminal authoritarian state, lashed together by narcotraffickers, Cuban intelligence handlers, corrupt generals, and ideological militants.
TRUMP VOWS US 'IN CHARGE' OF VENEZUELA AS HE REVEALS IF HE'S SPOKEN TO DELCY RODRÍGUEZ
Meanwhile, Russia and China were not passively observing. They were entrenching themselves in the very arteries of Venezuela’s economy. Beijing served as banker, oil lifeline, and sanctions-evader-in-chief, while Moscow embedded itself deeply in Venezuela’s energy, military, and security structures.
Together, they weren’t rescuing Venezuela. They were converting it into a strategic extension of their global challenge to the United States — a forward base with oil.
Had the United States stood aside, the consequences would have gone far beyond human suffering. Russia and China would have secured long-term preferential control over Venezuelan crude — not simply as customers, but as geopolitical stakeholders. That would mean discounted oil, secure supply lines immune from U.S. influence, and enormous revenue to fund hostile agendas.
TOPPLING MADURO WAS EASY — GOVERNING VENEZUELA COULD TRAP US FOR YEARS
Worse, it would have cemented an authoritarian foothold in the Western Hemisphere with direct leverage over regional politics and global energy markets. Doing nothing would not have been restraint. It would have been surrender.
And anyone who dismisses the idea that Russia or China would exploit a power vacuum is not paying attention. Both would move quickly to deepen their footprint: Moscow would look to re-establish a visible military presence — from rotational bomber deployments to naval access — while Beijing would pursue "dual-use" ports, intelligence platforms, advanced surveillance, and long-term leverage tied to energy.
It would be the height of strategic foolishness to wave that threat away as hypothetical. If we do not anchor Venezuela securely to a stable Western orientation, our adversaries will — and they will do it with steel, hardware, advisers, and leverage, not speeches.
Nor should we ignore the geopolitical argument others will inevitably raise. It is not lost on the world that NATO sits on Russia’s border and that the United States backs Taiwan against Beijing’s ambitions. This is not the Cuban Missile Crisis redux, and we should not pretend it is. But precisely because the global environment is already this tense, allowing Russia or China to plant hard-power footprints in Venezuela would accelerate confrontation rather than avoid it. Leaving Venezuela "alone" does not produce neutrality. It produces escalation — on terms dictated by Moscow and Beijing.
LATIN AMERICA FRACTURES OVER TRUMP’S MADURO CAPTURE AS REGIONAL ALLIES SHIFT RIGHT
But removing Maduro is still only the beginning. It is the start of the most critical phase. Venezuela today is not a clean canvas awaiting democratic paint. It is a heavily armed, ideologically fractured landscape. Chavista militias, criminal power structures, and guerrilla factions are real, violent, and deeply invested in their own survival. Without disciplined stabilization, Venezuela does not become a peaceful democracy — it becomes chaos.
That hard truth leads to another that many policy purists dislike: transitional power will, by necessity, include figures from inside the old system. Vice President Delcy Rodríguez is one of them. She is no liberal reformer. Her career, rhetoric, and loyalty to Chavismo are unmistakable. And yet, it is increasingly likely that Rodríguez cooperated in enabling Maduro’s removal — whether out of instinct for self-preservation, ambition, or a belated recognition that the revolution had reached a dead end.
That matters enormously.
AFTER MADURO, VENEZUELA POWER VACUUM EXPOSES BRUTAL INSIDERS AND ENFORCERS
Rodríguez has something democratic reformers like María Corina Machado do not: credibility among the armed elements that must actually be controlled — the guerrillas, colectivos, and militant loyalists unlikely to simply salute a new democratic leadership and disarm. Rodríguez speaks their language. She commands their grudging respect. And yes — her periodic anti-U.S. outbursts should be understood for what they are: political insulation, theater designed to reassure militants that they are not bowing to Washington while she quietly bends the transition toward stabilization aligned with U.S. objectives.
That does not mean Rodríguez should lead Venezuela’s future. But it may mean she is uniquely positioned to guide it through the dangerous present — neutralizing those who might otherwise fight, fracture the country, or drag Venezuela into prolonged insurgency. Stability requires sequencing: security first, institutional control second, full democratic renewal third. Those demanding instant democratic purity will unintentionally invite disaster.
The United States and democratic partners must therefore stay engaged and unapologetic. Venezuela needs a rebuilt security architecture. Militias must be disarmed. The military must be professionalized. Borders, ports, oil facilities, refineries, and infrastructure must be secured. Criminal and political coercion networks must be dismantled rather than pushed underground to later reemerge. This is not "occupation." It is stabilization — the scaffolding so a shattered nation can stand.
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The stakes are bigger than Caracas. If Washington walks away now, Russia and China will be back instantly. They will re-embed, re-finance, and reclaim influence. They will secure privileged access to Venezuelan crude and leverage it globally. Iran will deepen covert networks and financial operations. Venezuela would again slide into an authoritarian orbit — only next time with adversaries better entrenched and far harder to dislodge.
But if we finish the job correctly, the upside is historic. A stable, sovereign, free-market-oriented Venezuela aligned with democratic partners becomes a force for hemispheric strength, a critical energy supplier to the free world, and a blunt repudiation of the fatalistic idea that once authoritarianism hardens, it cannot be reversed.
There is also a moral obligation. Millions of Venezuelans starved, fled, and suffered under Maduro. Families shattered. A nation that once represented opportunity and dignity was reduced to repression and scarcity. Standing aside would have been complicity dressed as caution. The United States finally chose leadership. Leadership requires endurance.
Maduro is gone. Now America must finish the job — deny Russia and China a strategic foothold, ensure Venezuela’s oil fuels freedom rather than repression, and help 30 million people reclaim normal lives. The world is watching. Our adversaries are watching. This is the moment to prove that when America leads with clarity and resolve, it doesn’t just remove tyrants — it shapes history.
REP TOM EMMER: Walz oversaw billions in stolen taxpayer money — now comes accountability
$9 billion.
That is the estimated amount of taxpayer dollars stolen via fraud schemes in Minnesota under Governor Tim Walz’s watch. To make matters worse, the U.S. Treasury Department uncovered that millions are being diverted to Somalia and, inevitably, landing in the hands of Al-Shabaab terrorists.
Let’s do a quick recap of how we got here.
COMER VOWS MINNESOTA FRAUD PROBE WILL EXPAND TO OTHER STATES AMID MOUNTING SCRUTINY
Minnesota fraudsters, the vast majority of whom are Somali, applied for and received funds from various state-run welfare programs to line their own pockets and funnel money overseas. From COVID-era food nutrition assistance meant for children, to housing, to fake autism centers, to empty daycares — Tim Walz allowed fraudsters to take advantage of hardworking taxpayers at every turn.
And these are just the instances we know about.
Feeding Our Future: The Feeding Our Future nonprofit swindled $250 million in federal funds meant to feed hungry children during the pandemic, leading to the largest COVID-19 fraud scheme in the country.
78 criminals have been charged so far, 90 percent of whom are Somalis. One Minneapolis grocery store owner was charged with seeking $1 million in federal nutrition funds and then using that money to pay personal expenses, including credit card bills.
Housing Stability Services Program: Before the program went live in 2020, officials pegged its annual estimated price tag at $2.6 million. By 2024, it had paid out $100 million in claims, nearly 10 times the initial cost. The Minnesota Department of Human Services terminated the program at the end of October 2025 because it was so fraudulent, and eight people have been indicted.
Autism: One Somali woman pled guilty after stealing $14 million from creating a fake autism center. She and her co-conspirators went around the Somali community recruiting kids for autism services, regardless of whether they actually had autism. Because the barrier for entry is virtually nonexistent for welfare in Tim Walz’s Minnesota, these fraudulent "autism services" then received taxpayer dollars. By the time the fraud scheme was exposed, 1 in 16 Somali four-year-olds in Minnesota had reportedly been diagnosed with autism — a rate more than triple the state average. Autism claims to Medicaid skyrocketed from $3 million in 2018 to nearly $400 million in 2023. Approximately 85 autism clinics are reported to be under investigation.
Daycares: $4 million worth of taxpayer dollars went to an education center that can’t even spell "learning" correctly on its front door. It was also reported that this same center made news for collecting 95 violations from the state human services agency between 2019 and 2023. A citizen journalist, Nick Shirley, found daycare centers receiving millions in taxpayer dollars, sitting empty with no children in them.
The fraud has been so brazen and widespread, it’s impossible the Walz administration didn’t notice, including his lieutenant governor and attorney general. I, along with my fellow Minnesota Republicans, have been sounding the alarm on this issue for more than three years, but we were met with nothing but lies and inaction by Minnesota’s Democrat senators, the Biden administration, and their allies in the media.
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Secretaries Noem, Bessent, Duffy, Turner, Rollins, McMahon, Chavez-DeRemer, FBI Director Patel, Administrator Loeffler, Dr. Oz, Stephen Miller, Border Czar Tom Homan and more have all raised this issue and launched investigations. My friend, Chairman James Comer of the House Oversight Committee, also announced two hearings in the upcoming weeks with Minnesota state officials, Governor Tim Walz, and Attorney General Keith Ellison to help expose failures, identify solutions and deliver accountability.
Last week, the Small Business Administration (SBA) announced that they banned Minnesota fraudsters from all SBA loan programs. The Department of Health and Human Services recently froze federal child care funding for the state of Minnesota due to fraud. I am also looking into drafting legislation that would denaturalize and deport any Somali who engaged in fraud.
Let me be clear: Tim Walz dropping out of the Minnesota governor’s race does not exempt him or members of his administration from accountability. Those who were criminally complicit need to be carried away in handcuffs. The Somalis who engaged in fraud need to be denaturalized and deported. And Congress must follow up with legislation to ensure this level of fraud can never happen again.
The American people are outraged and rightfully so. Minnesotans deserve better. Now, thanks to President Trump, accountability is finally here.
NYC sex offender indicted for threatening to kill Jews, police and federal officials
A New York City man with a criminal history that includes sexual assault was indicted after prosecutors say he posted explicit threats online to kills Jews, members of the New York City Police Department and federal officials.
Nathan White, 54, was arraigned on Monday in Queens Supreme Court on charges of making a terroristic threat as a hate crime, making a terroristic threat and aggravated harassment in the second degree, according to Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz.
Prosecutors say the charges stem from a series of threatening posts White made on his X account in November.
"Imma kill ALL you FILTHY Zionist!!! I CURSE ALL of YOU, and DEATH will come to YOU soon by ME MF!!!" White said in one post.
NEW MEXICO MAN JAILED FOR THREATENING TRUMP ON SOCIAL MEDIA
In another post, White bragged that he attacked an Israeli on a subway in New York City.
"I BEAT THE SH??!! Out of an Israeli on the NYC subway, how REAL is THAT, HUH??? Jews, SMD!!!" he said.
"And THAT includes the FEDS & NYPD. I WILL KILL ALL YOU MF!!!" White wrote.
White also wrote: "If I RUN into ANOTHER Israeli in NYC ALONE in the DARK, YOU ARE DEAD MF!!! FACTS!!!"
"Israel, the Zionist, the Jews MUST pay with their LIVES for their BARBARISM people, FACTS!!!" he said.
NYC POLICE HUNT SUSPECT ACCUSED OF STABBING JEWISH MAN IN CHEST WHILE MAKING ANTISEMITIC STATEMENTS
The posts have since been deleted.
White was arrested by the NYPD on Nov. 10, according to Katz. White was homeless and living in a men’s shelter when he was taken into custody, the New York Post reported.
"As alleged, the defendant used his social media accounts to issue explicit threats targeting Jewish and Israeli New Yorkers, in addition to members of the NYPD and federal law enforcement," Katz said in a statement.
"At a time when antisemitic vitriol is rising at an alarming rate, we know that words of hate often escalate into real-world violence. This defendant has now been indicted on felony hate crime charges and I thank our law enforcement partners in the NYPD for their work on this case," the district attorney added.
If convicted on the top charge, White faces up to 15 years behind bars. His next court appearance is scheduled for Feb. 19.
White has a prior criminal history that includes a conviction for a 1987 sexual assault, according to the New York Post.
He was arrested several more times after his release, including for choking a woman before dragging her to an ATM, where he forced her to give him more than $800 in cash in 2015.
James Comer to accuse Tim Walz of being 'asleep at the wheel' at fraud hearing
House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., will accuse top Minnesota government officials of being "asleep at the wheel" at the start of his panel's high-profile hearing into alleged fraud.
In Comer's opening statement, obtained by Fox News Digital, he is expected to question whether "Governor Tim Walz, Attorney General Keith Ellison, and Minnesota’s Democratic leadership" were negligent or "complicit" in the growing scandal.
"Minnesota’s social services — which are funded by you, the American taxpayer — are being ripped off. The most vulnerable are suffering as a result," Comer will say, according to his prepared remarks.
"The fraudsters — many of whom are from Minnesota’s Somali community — have stolen from programs meant to feed needy kids, provide services to autistic children, house low-income and disabled Americans, and provide healthcare to vulnerable Medicaid recipients."
HOUSE GOP BILL COULD TRIGGER SELF-DEPORTATION FOR SOMALI REFUGEES AMID MINNESOTA FRAUD PROBE
Federal prosecutors in Minnesota have charged multiple people with stealing more than $240 million from the Federal Child Nutrition Program through the Minnesota-based nonprofit Feeding Our Future.
However, the probe has since widened to multiple state-run programs being investigated for potential fraud. Childcare providers receiving state funding, mainly within the Somali community, are also under scrutiny.
U.S. attorneys have alleged that billions more dollars could have fallen prey to fraud in the state, something Walz has pushed back on while accusing Republicans of politicizing the scandal.
"Fraudsters like these take millions to enrich themselves while providing nothing, overstating, or outright faking the services. How many children have gone hungry because fraudsters stole money that was intended to provide them with food?" Comer will say.
KAROLINE LEAVITT WARNS 'PEOPLE WILL BE IN HANDCUFFS' AS FEDS ZERO IN ON MINNESOTA FRAUD SCANDAL
"How many autistic children were denied services because fraudsters instead sent this money overseas? How many low-income seniors, people with disabilities, or those with mental illnesses were denied access to housing because fraudsters drained resources and pocketed the money for themselves?"
Comer will argue in his statement that the revelations so far are "just the tip of the iceberg."
The Wednesday hearing, which kicks off at 10 a.m. ET, will feature testimony from three Republicans in the state legislature.
Comer summoned Walz and Ellison for a follow-up hearing on Feb. 10, but it's not yet clear if they will attend.
House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., will also take part in Wednesday's hearing, Fox News Digital was told. Emmer is a longtime critic of Walz's administration and represents a district that's home to two out of three of the hearing's GOP witnesses.
Wisconsin judge convicted of obstructing ICE resigns, vows to keep fighting case
Milwaukee Circuit Court Judge Hannah Dugan, who was convicted last month of obstructing federal agents attempting to arrest an illegal immigrant, has resigned from her position.
In a letter to Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers on Saturday, Dugan said the case against her threatens judicial independence and vowed to keep fighting it.
"As you know, I am the subject of unprecedented federal legal proceedings, which are far from concluded but which present immense and complex challenges that threaten the independence of our judiciary," she wrote. "I am pursuing this fight for myself and for our independent judiciary. However, the Wisconsin citizens that I cherish deserve to start the year with a judge on the bench in Milwaukee County Branch 31 rather than have the fate of that Court rest in a partisan fight in the state legislature."
Dugan's resignation is expected to take effect immediately.
DEM JUDGE IN HOT SEAT AFTER DHS EXPOSES 'WHOLE NEW LEVEL' OF ACTIVISM, SHELTERING ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT
A 12-person jury found Dugan guilty on Dec. 18 of obstructing federal immigration agents during an attempt to serve a warrant at a courthouse last April.
She was arrested after prosecutors said she helped Eduardo Flores-Ruiz evade plainclothes Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents attempting to serve a warrant. Prosecutors said Dugan directed Flores-Ruiz and his attorney to leave her courtroom through a back door on April 18, 2025, after learning ICE agents were in the building to arrest him.
Dugan pleaded not guilty, and she was acquitted on a lesser misdemeanor charge.
Attorneys for Dugan filed a motion late last month indicating they will seek a new trial.
She faces up to five years in prison on the felony obstruction count. U.S. District Judge Lynn Adelman has not set a sentencing date.
Dugan was suspended by the Wisconsin Supreme Court in April, but continued to collect her roughly $175,000 annual salary while awaiting trial.
HOUSE CONSERVATIVES RALLY BEHIND PUSH TO IMPEACH JUDGE BOASBERG OVER ROLE IN TRUMP INVESTIGATION
After Dugan's conviction, Wisconsin Republican leaders said they would initiate the impeachment process if she did not resign from her office immediately.
Wisconsin Assembly Speaker Robin Vos and Assembly Majority Leader Tyler August argued that the state Constitution bars any person convicted of a felony from serving in an "office of trust, profit or honor" unless pardoned.
"Wisconsinites deserve to know their judiciary is impartial and that justice is blind," they said in a statement last month. "Judge Hannah Dugan is neither, and her privilege of serving the people of Wisconsin has come to an end."
Following the verdict, Dugan's defense team said they were prepared to keep fighting to clear her name.
"While we are disappointed in today’s outcome, the failure of the prosecution to secure convictions on both counts demonstrates the opportunity we have to clear Judge Dugan’s name and show she did nothing wrong in this matter," Dugan's defense team said in a statement.
They added, "We have planned for this potential outcome and our defense of Judge Dugan is just beginning. This trial required considerable resources to prepare for and public support for Judge Dugan’s defense fund is critical as we prepare for the next phase of this defense."
Pope Leo calls for Christians to treat foreigners with kindness as he closes Catholic Holy Year
Pope Leo XIV closed the Catholic Church's Holy Year on Tuesday by urging Christians around the world to help people in need and treat foreigners with kindness.
Leo, who has repeatedly stressed the importance of caring for immigrants during his papacy thus far, said at a Vatican ceremony that the record 33.5 million pilgrims who visited Rome during the Holy Year should have learned not to treat people as mere "products."
"Around us, a distorted economy tries to profit from everything," Leo said. "After this year, will we be better able to recognize a pilgrim in the visitor, a seeker in the stranger, a neighbor in the foreigner?"
Holy years, or jubilees, typically happen every 25 years, considered to be a time of peace, forgiveness and pardon. Pilgrims to Rome can enter special "Holy Doors" at four Rome basilicas and attend papal audiences throughout the year.
Leo shut the special bronze door at St. Peter's Basilica on Tuesday morning, which officially marked the end of the Holy Year.
The next Holy Year is not expected before 2033, when the Catholic Church may hold a special one to mark 2,000 years since the death of Jesus.
POPE LEO XIV OPENS 2026 URGING WORLD TO REJECT VIOLENCE IN POWERFUL NEW YEAR'S DAY MESSAGE
On Monday, the Vatican and Italian officials said pilgrims to Rome for the 2025 jubilee came from 185 countries, with the majority from Italy, the U.S., Spain, Brazil and Poland.
The 2025 jubilee was opened by the late Pope Francis, who died in April, and closed by Leo, who was elected in May, making him the first American pope.
It was a historical rarity not seen in 300 years for it to be opened by one pope and closed by another. The last jubilee held under two different popes was in the year 1700, when Innocent XII opened the Holy Year that was then closed by Clement XI.
Leo, who has promised to keep Francis' signature policies such as welcoming gay Catholics and discussing women's ordination, echoed his predecessor's frequent criticisms of the global economic system during his remarks on Tuesday.
The markets "turn human yearnings of seeking, traveling and beginning again into a mere business," Leo said.
Reuters contributed to this report.
UK, France strike new Ukraine security pact as US takes lead in ceasefire enforcement
The U.K. and France signed a declaration Tuesday pledging troops for Ukraine under a future peace deal and with security guarantees supported by the U.S. and allied partners.
The declaration was adopted in Paris by the Coalition of the Willing and sets out what leaders said was a framework for lasting peace between Ukraine and Russia, set in international law and the principles of the United Nations Charter.
Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 triggered Europe’s largest conflict since World War II.
ZELENSKYY SAYS FRESH RUSSIAN ATTACK ON UKRAINE SHOWS PUTIN'S 'TRUE ATTITUDE' AHEAD OF TRUMP MEETING
The new agreement says that Ukraine’s sovereignty and its ability to defend itself are non-negotiable elements of any peace deal and warned that its self-defense is essential to its own security and wider Euro-Atlantic stability.
Under the plan, a multinational force for Ukraine would be deployed once a ceasefire is in place, aimed at deterring any Russian aggression and supporting the rebuilding of Ukraine’s military.
The force would be European-led with proposed support from the U.S.
The declaration also commits the Coalition to security guarantees that would be activated once a ceasefire begins.
These include commitments to support Ukraine militarily, diplomatically and economically in the event of a future armed attack by Russia.
A key U.S. role is outlined in plans for a continuous, U.S.-led ceasefire monitoring and verification mechanism, with contributions from partners.
The U.S. would participate in a special commission to manage ceasefire breaches, attribute responsibility and determine solutions.
UKRAINE–RUSSIA AT A CROSSROADS: HOW THE WAR EVOLVED IN 2025 AND WHAT COMES NEXT
Coalition members also agreed to carry on with long-term military support for Ukraine and pledged defense cooperation, including training, defense production and intelligence sharing.
Leaders also announced the creation of a permanent U.S.-Ukraine-Coalition coordination cell based at the Coalition’s headquarters in Paris.
The declaration was unveiled at a joint news conference by French President Emmanuel Macron, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
This followed talks in Paris which were attended by Jared Kushner and the U.S. special envoy, Steve Witkoff.
Wyoming Supreme Court rules laws restricting abortion violate state constitution
The Wyoming Supreme Court ruled on Tuesday that a pair of laws restricting abortion access violate the state constitution, including the country’s first explicit ban on abortion pills.
The court, in a 4-1 ruling, sided with the state’s only abortion clinic and others who had sued over the abortion bans passed since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, which returned the power to make laws on abortion back to the states.
Despite Wyoming being one of the most conservative states, the ruling handed down by justices who were all appointed by Republican governors upheld every previous lower court ruling that the abortion bans violated the state constitution.
Wellspring Health Access in Casper, the abortion access advocacy group Chelsea’s Fund and four women, including two obstetricians, argued that the laws violated a state constitutional amendment affirming that competent adults have the right to make their own health care decisions.
TRUMP URGES GOP TO BE 'FLEXIBLE' ON HYDE AMENDMENT, IGNITING BACKLASH FROM PRO-LIFE ALLIES
Voters approved the constitutional amendment in 2012 in response to the federal Affordable Care Act, which is also known as Obamacare.
The justices in Wyoming found that the amendment was not written to apply to abortion but noted that it is not their job to "add words" to the state constitution.
"But lawmakers could ask Wyoming voters to consider a constitutional amendment that would more clearly address this issue," the justices wrote.
Wellspring Health Access President Julie Burkhart said in a statement that the ruling upholds abortion as "essential health care" that should not be met with government interference.
"Our clinic will remain open and ready to provide compassionate reproductive health care, including abortions, and our patients in Wyoming will be able to obtain this care without having to travel out of state," Burkhart said.
Wellspring Health Access opened as the only clinic in the state to offer surgical abortions in 2023, a year after a firebombing stopped construction and delayed its opening. A woman is serving a five-year prison sentence after she admitted to breaking in and lighting gasoline that she poured over the clinic floors.
Attorneys representing the state had argued that abortion cannot violate the Wyoming constitution because it is not a form of health care.
Republican Gov. Mark Gordon expressed disappointment in the ruling and called on state lawmakers meeting later this winter to pass a constitutional amendment prohibiting abortion that residents could vote on this fall.
An amendment like that would require a two-thirds vote to be introduced as a nonbudget matter in the monthlong legislative session that will primarily address the state budget, although it would have significant support in the Republican-dominated legislature.
"This ruling may settle, for now, a legal question, but it does not settle the moral one, nor does it reflect where many Wyoming citizens stand, including myself. It is time for this issue to go before the people for a vote," Gordon said in a statement.
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One of the laws overturned by the state's high court attempted to ban abortion, but with exceptions in cases where it is needed to protect a pregnant woman’s life or in cases of rape or incest. The other law would have made Wyoming the only state to explicitly ban abortion pills, although other states have implemented de facto bans on abortion medication by broadly restricting abortion.
Abortion has remained legal in the state since Teton County District Judge Melissa Owens blocked the bans while the lawsuit challenging the restrictions moved forward. Owens struck down the laws as unconstitutional in 2024.
Last year, Wyoming passed additional laws requiring abortion clinics to be licensed surgical centers and women to receive ultrasounds before having medication abortions. A judge in a separate lawsuit blocked those laws from taking effect while that case moves forward.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.