Contributing Writers

President Donald Trump on Tuesday ordered a total blockade of oil tankers entering or leaving Venezuela, declaring the Nicolás Maduro regime a foreign terrorist organization and accusing it of using stolen U.S. assets to finance terrorism, trafficking and other criminal activity.”Venezuela is completely surrounded by the largest Armada ever assembled in the History of South America,” Trump said on Truth Social.

Democrats have been dealing with declining voter rolls in a number of states, but one key battleground state in particular appears to be on the verge of flipping from a state that, for decades, has had more registered Democrat voters to one with more registered Republicans. There were almost three-quarters of a million more registered Democrats in North Carolina than Republicans 10 years ago.

Welcome to the Fox News Politics newsletter, with the latest updates on the Trump administration, Capitol Hill and more Fox News politics content.

The Office of the Secretary of War on Monday escalated its preliminary review of Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., to a full command investigation, according to a report.The investigation into Kelly for “serious allegations of misconduct” has intensified, according to a Pentagon official, first reported by Punchbowl News, with a new probe in conjunction with the Department of War’s Office of the General Counsel.

Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., called those concerned about whether she married her brother “sick” after the far-left lawmaker was approached by Fox News Digital about border czar Tom Homan, signaling that federal officials have started digging into records pertaining to the matter.

FIRST ON FOX: The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) revealed a list of 17 illegal migrants who were previously convicted of an array of charges, including murder and sexual exploitation of a minor, who were arrested over the weekend and are currently being detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).DHS released the names as part of their “worst of the worst” campaign which exposes illegal migrants who have been convicted of serious felonies and crimes.

U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro said Monday that a months-long federal investigation uncovered widespread misclassification of crime reports by the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), making crime statistics across Washington, D.C. “artificially lower.”Pirro said the findings were based on a review of nearly 6,000 reports and interviews with more than 50 witnesses, showing that D.C.’s crime numbers were significantly understated.

After dropping nearly $50,000 in Puerto Rico on luxury hotels, upscale dining and a venue rental where musical artist Bad Bunny was performing earlier this year, critics of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., are questioning whether her socialist persona is more branding than belief considering she is living like the elitists she claims to fight.

FIRST ON FOX: Seeking to tackle persistent cost pressures on American families and small firms, the Small Business Administration (SBA) is unveiling a new initiative that will review and roll back federal rules the administration says have driven up prices in sectors ranging from housing to food production.The Deregulation Strike Force, led by the SBA’s Office of Advocacy, will coordinate a government-wide review aimed at identifying regulations that hinder economic growth.

China has spent decades building a land-based missile force designed to keep the United States out of a fight over Taiwan — and U.S. officials say it now threatens every major airfield, port and military installation across the Western Pacific.As Washington races to build its own long-range fires, analysts warn that the land domain has become the most overlooked — and potentially decisive — part of the U.S.–China matchup.

President Donald Trump offered condolences to the victims of attacks across the globe on Sunday, from the mass shooting at Brown University to the Hanukkah terrorist attack in Australia.Trump addressed the tragedies while speaking at a Christmas reception at the White House on Sunday, saying his thoughts and support are with the victims of the shooting at Brown.

President Donald Trump said American Jews celebrating Hanukkah should not be worried about their safety following the Bondi Beach attack. “Celebrate proudly – be proud of who you are,” Trump said to Fox News on Sunday.The president’s comments come after Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese condemned the mass shooting at a “Hanukkah by the Sea” celebration at Bondi Beach as a “targeted attack on Jewish Australians.

Omer Shem Tov was dancing with friends at the Nova Music Festival in Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas terrorists launched a devastating attack, killing hundreds and loading Shem Tov and dozens of others onto the backs of pickup trucks bound for Gaza.The 20-year-old Israeli spent the next 505 days in Hamas captivity, serving as a slave in the terrorist group’s elaborate tunnels until “fear” filled their eyes on Nov.

A former FBI agent and COVID-era whistleblower who was recently reinstated under President Donald Trump was fired Friday, according to a report.The FBI dismissed Steve Friend for “unprofessional conduct and poor judgment,” according to a copy of a termination letter posted on X by New York Post columnist Miranda Devine. An FBI source confirmed the firing but would not elaborate, saying it was a personnel matter.

President Donald Trump sent a strong message to those accused of killing two U.S. Army soldiers and an American interpreter in Syria Saturday, noting the U.S. will retaliate against ISIS if forces are attacked again.As Trump departed the White House for the Army-Navy football game Saturday afternoon, he said the country is mourning the loss of the soldiers and a civilian U.S. interpreter, who were ambushed by a lone ISIS gunman.

The Trump administration’s latest offensive move against Venezuela, the seizure of a tanker carrying U.S.-sanctioned oil, has triggered predictable outrage from Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro’s government. But behind the rhetorical fire, analysts say the regime has few practical ways to hit back without doing even more damage to itself.Experts say that Maduro could target U.S.

Elon Musk is in a battle with Gov. Gavin Newsom’s press office over the Tesla CEO’s transgender daughter, who goes by Vivian Jenna Wilson.The spat started when Musk’s America PAC reposted a clip of Newsom on “The Ezra Klein Show” in which he says, “There’s no governor that’s done more pro-trans legislation than I have.

Almost a year after record heights of illegal border crossings, Republican lawmakers unveiled plans to construct a memorial honoring Americans who had lost loved ones to violence caused by illegal immigrants at a press event on Friday afternoon.Rep. Abe Hamadeh, R-Ariz., the lawmaker spearheading the effort, said it would serve as a reminder of the costs of bad policy.

EXCLUSIVE: Fox News Digital obtained a copy of President Donald Trump’s personal schedule since Dec. 1, showing back-to-back calls and meetings that frequently drag into the evening.  The president has come under heightened scrutiny in recent months from the media over his health and age, including the New York Times reporting last month that Trump, 79, is “facing the realities of aging” while in office.

GOP House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer said he plans to commence contempt of Congress proceedings against Bill and Hillary Clinton for ignoring the committee’s subpoenas related to its ongoing probe into the Jeffrey Epstein scandal.

Welcome to the Fox News Politics newsletter, with the latest updates on the Trump administration, Capitol Hill and more Fox News politics content.

Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard slammed Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., Friday for referring to the shooting of two West Virginia National Guard soldiers in Washington, D.C., as an “unfortunate accident” during a hearing this week.Thompson, the top Democrat on the House Homeland Security Committee, made the remarks during a “Worldwide Threats to the Homeland” hearing Thursday on Capitol Hill while speaking to Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem.

House Republicans have released a 111-page plan for reforming healthcare that they hope to vote on next week.House GOP leadership aides also told reporters on Friday afternoon that they expected a vote on extending enhanced Obamacare subsidies to also happen next week as part of the amendment process to the final bill, called the “Lower Health Care Premiums for All Americans Act.” The subsidies have been the subject of fierce inter-party debate for Republicans.

The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced Thursday an investigation into the city of Boston, Massachusetts, alleging its Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) housing practices violate federal anti-discrimination laws.HUD said it has evidence Boston used federal grant assistance for “race-based preferences,” in violation of the Fair Housing Act and Title VI, describing the initiatives as a “social engineering project.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, argued that President Donald Trump is one of the “most destructive” presidents in his lifetime and that the country is becoming “unrecognizable.”The governor made the comments on Wednesday during an appearance on New York Times columnist Ezra Klein’s podcast.”I think Trump is one of the most destructive presidents and human beings in my lifetime,” Newsom said.

The executive director of Black Lives Matter (BLM) Oklahoma City (OKC) has been charged with wire fraud and money laundering after federal prosecutors say she diverted more than $3.15 million in returned bail checks into her personal bank accounts over a five-year period, according to an indictment unsealed Thursday.