China on Tuesday banned exports of goods that could be used for military purposes to Japan, a move that escalates tensions between Beijing and a key U.S. ally as disputes intensify over Taiwan.

The Chinese Commerce Ministry said in a statement that any items that have a dual use — civilian and military — would no longer be exported to Japan. 

The government did not offer specifics on which items would be included in the ban. But state-affiliated media said Beijing was considering whether to include rare-earth minerals.

Japanese leaders have increasingly linked Taiwan’s fate to Japan’s own security, with Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi warning that a Chinese move against the island could amount to a ‘survival-threatening situation’ for Japan — a legal threshold that could permit military action under Japan’s self-defense laws.

In his New Year’s address, Chinese President Xi Jinping called the ‘reunification’ of China and Taiwan ‘unstoppable.’ His remarks came days after China concluded live-fire drills to simulate a blockade of the island. 

The export crackdown echoes a 2010 episode when China halted rare-earth exports to Japan for nearly two months during a territorial dispute.

The rare earths dispute became an early example of China’s willingness to weaponize trade, prompting U.S. and allied defense planners to reassess how deeply military supply chains depended on Beijing. The episode accelerated efforts to diversify sourcing, though China remains a dominant player in several critical sectors.

China controls roughly two-thirds of global rare-earth mining and the vast majority of processing capacity, a dominance that prompted the Trump administration to push to diversify supply chains and revive domestic production as a national security priority.

For years, Washington had largely left rare earths to the market, even as U.S. mines closed and production migrated to China.

The Trump administration broke with decades of hands-off policy by using Pentagon funding and emergency authorities to support MP Materials at California’s Mountain Pass mine, one of the first direct U.S. government interventions to restore rare earth processing capacity seen as critical to modern weapons systems.

The arrest of former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has reopened debate over whether the country’s long-isolated economy could soon re-engage with global markets, but analysts caution that sanctions relief and recovery are far from guaranteed.

Venezuela is among the world’s most heavily sanctioned countries, alongside Russia, Iran, Syria, North Korea and Cuba, a status that has severely restricted its access to international finance and trade.

Andres Martinez-Fernandez, a senior policy analyst at the Heritage Foundation’s Allison Center for National Security, warned that lifting those sanctions now would be premature, saying Maduro’s removal has not yet translated into meaningful institutional change.

‘It would be a mistake for any nation to remove sanctions on Venezuela at this moment,’ Martinez-Fernandez said, noting that ‘the remnants of the Maduro regime remain in control of key institutions in Venezuela and have not yet made commitments to a transition that would fully halt the threat posed to the United States and restore stability and democracy to Venezuela.’

‘Maduro’s arrest opens up a path for sanctions to press the regime toward a necessary transition,’ he added, saying that ‘premature removal of this pressure would send the wrong message to Caracas.’

His comments reflect concerns among U.S. policymakers that Venezuela’s military, courts, central bank and state oil company remain dominated by officials appointed under Maduro, many of whom are still sanctioned by Washington. That reality complicates hopes that Maduro’s capture could quickly unlock Venezuela’s oil sector or stabilize an economy that has been in prolonged decline.

At the same time, energy experts say that even if sanctions remain in place, uncertainty over who now controls Venezuela’s economic levers is already weighing on prospects for oil production and exports — the country’s primary source of revenue.

David Goldwyn, chair of the Atlantic Council Global Energy Center’s Energy Advisory Group, said markets are still operating in the dark.

‘For now, we have no details about how these fiscal and legal arrangements will evolve,’ Goldwyn said. ‘Until there is clarity on sanctions and licensing and more information on who is actually managing the central bank and ministry of finance, the prospects for Venezuelan oil production and exports will remain uncertain.’

That uncertainty is compounded by the condition of Venezuela’s energy sector itself.

Julia Buxton, a law professor at Liverpool John Moores University, told Fox News Digital that ‘the national oil infrastructure is devastated and will require billions in investment to fix.’

‘There are ongoing legal claims that need to be settled, including compensation claims for expropriation and non-payment of Venezuelan oil bonds,’ added Buxton, who is also a regional head at Oxford Analytica, a Dow Jones–owned geopolitical analysis and advisory firm, covering Venezuela.

Those liabilities, Buxton said, could further complicate efforts to attract foreign capital or restart large-scale oil production, underscoring that Maduro’s capture alone is unlikely to deliver a quick economic turnaround.

Venezuela once had all the makings of an economic powerhouse, with a lengthy Caribbean Sea coastline and abundant petroleum, natural gas and mineral resources.

What remains is a much smaller, debt-laden one.

While precise figures are difficult to verify since Venezuela has not published comprehensive debt statistics in years, the International Monetary Fund estimates the country’s economy will total about $82.8 billion in 2025. Debt levels, however, stand at nearly 200% of that total, meaning Venezuela owes nearly two dollars for every dollar it produces.

Venezuela holds some of the world’s largest proven oil reserves, but years of underinvestment, corruption, sanctions and infrastructure decay have slashed output. 

Even as some investors and energy companies see Maduro’s capture as an opening for renewed engagement, Goldwyn said uncertainty over who controls state finances and oil policy continues to weigh on prospects.

Martinez-Fernandez said sanctions relief could eventually follow, but only if Venezuela’s leadership demonstrates ‘concrete, irreversible steps’ toward political and institutional reform.

‘Once those commitments and concrete, irreversible steps are taken in Venezuela,’ he said, ‘I imagine a drawing down of U.S. economic and military pressure would follow.’

For now, U.S. officials and energy markets alike remain focused less on Maduro’s fate than on whether Venezuela’s leadership can translate a moment of upheaval into durable political and economic change.

A major state audit in Minnesota conducted by the nonpartisan Office of the Legislative Auditor found widespread failures and internal control problems in the Department of Human Services’ Behavioral Health Administration (BHA) grant program, reaffirming concerns about massive fraud issues.

The report, released on Monday, found that between July 1, 2022, and Dec. 31, 2024, DHS dished out more than $425 million in grants to 830 organizations, the majority being nongovernmental, and did not show proper oversight in watching over those taxpayer funds, which in many cases were meant to help those with addiction and mental health issues.

The audit found missing progress reports and discovered BHA could not show it had completed all required monitoring visits and had no documentation at all for some of them. 

Additionally, auditors discovered what appeared to be backdated or newly created documentation that did not exist before the audit, suggesting an effort to retroactively manufacture paperwork to show compliance.

In one instance, the report found that a grant manager approved over $600,000 in payments and later left the government agency to work for the grantee.

‘The OLA report shows a complete breakdown in how DHS’s Behavioral Health Administration manages hundreds of millions in taxpayer-funded grants,’ Republican State Sen. Mark Koran said in a press release. ‘BHA failed to verify that grantees were providing the services they were paid for, failed to put basic financial controls in place, and then created documentation after the fact to mislead auditors.

‘Minnesotans deserve integrity from state agencies. Fabricating evidence after an audit begins is unacceptable. It obstructs the OLA’s work and prevents DHS from correcting its failures. The finding that a DHS manager approved a large grant and later became a paid consultant for that same grantee is a blatant conflict of interest. This kind of misconduct erodes public trust and undermines the effectiveness of grant programs.’

The audit also found that when employees were surveyed, 73% of them said they did not receive the necessary training to properly administer manage grants, with one employee saying, ‘Executive leadership has repetitively shown staff that they won’t take the staff’s concerns or questions seriously until something serious happens or it makes the news.’

Minnesota’s government agencies are already under heavy scrutiny amid a fraud scandal that prosecutors say could total as much as $9 billion and has already forced Gov. Tim Walz to drop his re-election bid.

‘Today’s shocking report by the Legislative Auditor shows a culture of pervasive fraud, negligence, and deception,’ Republican House Speaker DeMuth said about the report.

‘We need answers immediately about the apparent backdating and potential falsification of documents found during the audit…It’s time to clean house and restore honesty and accountability in state agencies.’

Ultimately, the report concluded that the state government ‘did not comply with most requirements tested for mental health and substance use disorder grants and did not have adequate internal controls over grant funds.’

‘The audit makes clear that DHS leadership has failed at every level. Employees were not properly trained, oversight was ignored, and accountability was missing, from Governor Walz, to Temporary DHS Commissioner Gandhi, to BHA managers. DHS needs a full reset, starting with leadership, training, ethics, and oversight,’ Koran said in the press release.

The report was immediately picked up on social media, including from an account on X run by hundreds of anonymous DHS staff members.

‘Yes, MN DHS will falsify documents and data. Worst of all, they do it to state legislature to demand more state funding,’ Minnesota Staff Fraud Reporting Commentary posted on X. ‘And yes, MN DHS has lied to federal government. So.. fire Shireen Gandhi.’

‘Minnesota’s Legislative Auditor just dropped a BOMBSHELL,’ Townhall columnist Dustin Grage posted on X. ‘Tim Walz’s DHS fabricated records, had zero internal controls, and employees ignored oversight on more than $400 MILLION in grants. The fraud and corruption continues.’

Fox News Digital reached out to Walz’s office for comment.

Gandhi, the acting DHS commissioner, said on Monday that the ‘findings provide us with a roadmap for our focus going forward to continue strengthening oversight and integrity of behavioral health grants.’

‘I take the report seriously, I accept responsibility for the findings.’

‘Are You Not Entertained?’ With the country’s economy improving and other issues losing traction with the public, Democrats are increasingly turning to the one thing lacking in Washington: impeachment.

As they work to take back the House in the midterms, Democrats are again promising voters the equivalent of the Roman Games by restarting impeachment proceedings against President Donald Trump. For many liberal voters, impeachment has become the thrilling cage match of lawfare.

Facing a challenger on the left in New York, Rep. Dan Goldman, D-N.Y., was the latest to dangle impeachment before his constituents. He insisted that Trump can be removed for the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife.

The same people who introduced what I called an abusive ‘snap impeachment’ against Trump are now suggesting that he can be impeached for an act that was previously upheld as lawful in the courts.

According to Goldman, the operation constitutes an undeclared war and is thus impeachable.

The professed shock over the operation is nothing short of comical from leaders who said nothing when Democratic presidents engaged in similar actions.

There were no widespread calls for impeachment when President Bill Clinton attacked Bosnia or President Barack Obama attacked Libya. In the latter case, I represented several members of Congress to challenge the undeclared war in Libya. Obama, like Trump, dismissed any need to get congressional approval before attacking the capital city of a foreign nation and military sites to force regime change. Figures like then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton were lionized for their tough action in Libya.

Democratic members have combined a lack of memory with an equally startling lack of knowledge. Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., declared on national television that ‘the Constitution does not give the president the right to initiate military action.’ It is, of course, entirely untrue.

Presidents cannot declare war under the Constitution, but they can certainly order the use of military forces without such a declaration. Kaine did not appear aggrieved when Democratic presidents repeatedly and routinely attacked foreign targets without prior congressional consultation, let alone approval. That includes President Barack Obama killing an American citizen who was not charged with any crime in a drone attack under his ‘kill list’ policy.

Moreover, some House and Senate Democrats have stated that they either support or do not object to the capture.

I have long opposed undeclared wars and such unilateral actions. However, as a legal analyst, I am asked whether a president has the legal authority under governing case law to carry out such operations. Trump has that authority. We lost the Libyan case, and other challenges to such unilateral action have also failed.

This includes the litigation surrounding the capture and prosecution of former Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega. That also involved an attack on a foreign country. Indeed, it was a larger military operation that took days on the ground to capture Noriega, followed by regime change.

Noriega raised the same international and U.S. authorities being cited today by pundits and lost across the board. In appeals that went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, Noriega lost on his head-of-state immunity and other claims.

If there are grounds for such claims, Maduro is even less credible in making them. Roughly 50 countries refused to recognize him as the head of Venezuela after he lost the last election and seized control of the country. While he proclaimed in court this week that ‘I am still president of my country,’ he has about the same claim to that office as Rep. Goldman.

There are good-faith objections to such military attacks on foreign countries under international law. This is a claim that other nations, such as China or Russia, could use to justify their own actions. However, this is a matter that will be resolved under U.S. law. While Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum declared that the action violated Article 2 of the United Nations Charter, it will be Article II of the U.S. Constitution that will dictate the outcome of this case.

Now, back to the impeachment games.

Goldman and others are suggesting that they will impeach President Trump for a capture that is virtually identical to the one involving Noriega and was declared lawful by the courts. Even putting aside the criminal prosecution, they would impeach him for attacks that are legally no different from those carried out by a long list of presidents, including Democratic presidents over the last two decades.

Neither history nor the Constitution matters in the impeachment games.

In the movie ‘Gladiator,’ Emperor Commodus noted to the game organizer that the recreation of the Battle of Carthage seemed to get the conclusion wrong when the barbarians won: ‘My history’s a little hazy, Cassius, but shouldn’t the barbarians lose the Battle of Carthage?’ He then said that it did not matter. After all, these are the games, and ‘I rather enjoy surprises.’

The impulsive use of impeachment is about good entertainment, not good government. For politicians fighting to stay in power like Goldman, a flash impeachment is the same call to the mob. 

To paraphrase Senator Gracchus from the movie, ‘I think he knows what Rome is. Rome is the mob. Conjure magic for them and they’ll be distracted. … The beating heart of Rome is not the marble of the Senate, it’s the sand of the Colosseum. He’ll bring them [impeachments], and they will love him for it.’

The death of Rep. Doug LaMalfa, R-Calif., has shrunk the Republican majority in the House of Representatives to the minimum of 218 seats, presenting fresh challenges for Speaker Mike Johnson as the party heads into an election year.

LaMalfa, 65, died suddenly on Tuesday during an emergency surgery. He was a staunch ally of President Donald Trump and a reliable vote for Johnson’s priorities. His death means Johnson can only lose two Republican votes and still pass legislation along party lines.

Trump rallied behind Johnson during a retreat for House GOP lawmakers at the Trump-Kennedy Center on Tuesday.

‘A lot of times they’ll say, ‘I wish Mike were tougher,’’ Trump told assembled Republicans. ‘He’s tough. He’s tough as anybody in the room, actually. But can’t be tough when you have a majority of three, and now sadly, a little bit less than that.’

LaMalfa’s death landed on the same day that Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s resignation went into effect. The now-former Georgia congresswoman’s seat won’t be filled until a March 10 special election. Meanwhile, California Gov. Gavin Newsom is required by state law to hold an election for LaMalfa’s seat within the next two weeks.

Democrats are also poised to refill their ranks in the coming weeks, however. Rep. Sylvester Turner, D-Texas, died in March and an election to fill his seat is scheduled for the end of January. Likewise, Rep. Mikie Sherrill, D-N.J., was elected governor of her state in November. Her seat is set to be filled in a special election in April.

Trump dedicated his Tuesday address to LaMalfa, saying he had considered canceling the speech to Republican lawmakers.

‘I spoke to Doug, but I didn’t speak to him, you know? I mean, we never had a problem. I was really saddened by his passing and was thinking about not even doing the speech in his honor,’ Trump said. ‘But then I decided that I have to do it in his honor. I’ll do it in his honor because he would’ve wanted it that way.’

‘He would’ve said, ‘Do that speech! Are you kidding me? Do the speech,” he continued. ‘He was a fantastic person. Man, that was a quick one. I don’t know quite yet what happened, but boy is that a tough one. He was just with us. He was our friend. All of us, every one of us.’

LaMalfa was known as a champion of conservative causes as well as a kind man to both reporters and his fellow House lawmakers.

The congressman represented the 1st Congressional District in Northern California and was chair of the Congressional Western Caucus.

A bipartisan group of senators is still working on a fix for the now-expired Obamacare subsidies and believe that they may be nearing a proposal that could hit the Senate floor.

The confab, which met a handful of times during Congress’ holiday break, adjourned once more behind closed doors on Monday night. Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, are leading the talks among several Senate Republicans and Democrats looking for a compromise solution.

Most who attended the meeting were tight-lipped on specifics of the still-simmering proposal, but Collins noted the plan was similar to the initial offering from her and Moreno.

‘Parts of the bill are similar to what Senator Moreno and I proposed originally, with a two-year extension, with some reforms in the first year and then more substantial reforms in the second year,’ she said.

Their original plan — one of several floating around in the upper chamber — would have extended the subsidies by two years, put an income cap onto the credits for households making up to $200,000 and eliminated zero-cost premiums as a fraud preventive measure by requiring a $25 minimum monthly payment.

Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., one of the lawmakers who has routinely attended the meetings, said the talks were going well.

‘We had a really good discussion last night,’ Kaine said. ‘I don’t want to characterize it other than we had a really good discussion.’

And Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said that he had gotten an update on negotiations from Moreno Tuesday morning and believed that the bipartisan huddles had been productive.

Still, any plan that hits the floor has to hit several benchmarks for Republicans, including antifraud guardrails, a transition into health savings accounts (HSAs) and more stringent anti-abortion language.

‘The keys are reforms, obviously, and then how do you navigate [the Hyde Amendment],’ Thune said. ‘I think that’s probably the most challenging part of this. But again, I think there’s potentially a path forward, but it’s something that has to get a big vote, certainly a big vote.’

The Hyde Amendment issue is a barrier for both sides of the aisle, given that Senate Republicans demand that changes be made to the subsidies, and more broadly Obamacare, to prevent any taxpayer dollars from funding abortions.

That debate received a wrinkle Tuesday when President Donald Trump told House Republicans ‘you have to be a little flexible’ when it comes to the Hyde Amendment.

That triggered mixed reactions from Republicans in the upper chamber.

Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., said that he had ‘no idea the context’ of Trump’s remarks but affirmed that he was ardently against funding abortions.

‘I’m saying I’m not flexible in the value of human life,’ Lankford said. ‘Life is valuable. I don’t believe some children are disposable, and some children are valuable. I think all children are valuable.’

Senate Democrats largely viewed Trump’s comments as a sign of progress — that maybe Republicans would budge on the Hyde issue. But flexibility goes both ways, and Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and top-ranking Democrat on the Senate Finance Committee, wasn’t ready to budge on the matter.

‘I am not going to open the door to Hyde, given what happens and what has been seen historically when you do that,’ he said. ‘If you open the door, it will get drafty in a hurry, and I’m not going to let it happen.’

Moreno signaled that Republicans might have to make a compromise on the issue if they wanted to move ahead with any kind of healthcare fix that could pass muster in the Senate.

He noted that there was a sense that ‘maybe the Obamacare language wasn’t as adherent to that philosophy [of Hyde] as it should be.’

‘But that’s not something that we’re looking — able to change right now,’ he said. ‘Because, quite frankly, if you put Hyde up to a vote among Democrats today, as opposed to Democrats 20 years ago, it would probably fail 46 to one on the Democrat side. So unfortunately, most Democrats today feel that there should be federal funding for abortion.’

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.’

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.

‘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.

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.

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.

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.

Pro-life activists and groups are taking issue with President Donald Trump’s remarks to Republican lawmakers to be ‘flexible’ on a law that bans the use of federal funds for most abortions as health care talks continue in Congress. 

‘Any healthcare plan that prioritizes a ‘deal’ over saving lives — in and out of the womb — deserves to die, not children,’ Students for Life Action President Kristan Hawkins said in a statement Tuesday following Trump’s address. ‘Republicans need to fix what the Democrats profoundly broke. Former President Barack Obama destroyed the American healthcare system with Obamacare, driving up costs and pushing life-ending policies with taxpayer funds. The GOP must work not for any deal, but for the right deal.’ 

Trump joined Republican House lawmakers Tuesday morning at the newly renamed Trump–Kennedy Center during their annual policy retreat to discuss the party’s agenda for the coming year — a high-stakes election cycle with the midterms just over a year away. Lawmakers are working to revive Obamacare enhanced subsidies after they expired in 2025, with some Republicans new restrictions on federal funds as they relate to abortion services under Obamacare plans. 

Trump said Tuesday lawmakers should be ‘flexible’ on the Hyde Amendment — a long-standing appropriations rider enacted in 1976 — that bars most federal funding for abortion, including through Medicaid, with limited exceptions.

‘You have to be a little flexible on Hyde, you know that,’ Trump said. ‘You gotta be a little flexible. You gotta work something … we’re all big fans of everything. But you have to have flexibility.’ 

The comment set off criticism among conservatives and pro-lifers on social media, with many remarking they can’t be ‘flexible’ when it comes to the life a child. 

‘No President Trump, we will NEVER compromise on the Hyde Amendment. NO taxpayer funding of abortions. Period,’ pro-life outlet Life News posted to X. 

‘For decades, opposition to taxpayer funding of abortion and support for the Hyde Amendment has been an unshakeable bedrock principle and a minimum standard in the Republican Party. To suggest Republicans should be ‘flexible’ is an abandonment of this decades-long commitment. If Republicans abandon Hyde, they are sure to lose this November,’ SBA Pro-Life America President Marjorie Dannenfelser said in a statement. 

”You have to be a little flexible on Hyde’ when passing healthcare legislation, President Donald Trump just told the House Republican retreat. The Hyde Amendment prevents your taxpayer money from funding elective abortions not carried out due to rape or incest. Hard pass,’ Eastern Orthodox priest Ben Johnson posted to X. 

Sen. James Lankford (R-OK) told Politico after Trump’s address that: ‘I’m not flexible on the value of every child’s life. Children are valuable, and so I’d have to get up to the context of what he meant by that.’ 

‘I almost fell out of my chair,’ another lawmaker told the outlet under the condition of anonymity. 

Fox News Digital reached out to the White House Tuesday for additional details on Trump’s comment and response to conservatives’ concerns, but did not immediately receive a reply. 

Just nearly a year ago, Trump doubled down on his support for the Hyde Amendment when he signed an executive order four days after he was sworn back into office titled, ‘ENFORCING THE HYDE AMENDMENT.’

The executive order directed federal agencies to implement restrictions on the use of federal funds for abortion, while reinforcing the long-standing Hyde Amendment and rescinding previous Biden-era orders that expanded abortion access. 

‘It is the policy of the United States, consistent with the Hyde Amendment, to end the forced use of Federal taxpayer dollars to fund or promote elective abortion,’ the executive order stated. 

Democrats campaigned against Trump in 2024 on claims he would wipe out abortion access and impose a national abortion ban, which the campaign brushed off as unrealistic. While some conservatives have previously taken issue with Trump for not being more vocal in his support of pro-life policies, including in 2024 when the GOP platform only mentioned abortion once, instead focusing on the preservation of life and returning power to the states when developing laws surrounding abortion.

In the aftermath of Nicolás Maduro’s capture by United States forces, paramilitary groups tied to the Venezuelan leader’s regime have initiated an aggressive campaign to maintain control over the country.

Mobs of motorcycle-riding civilians often armed with assault rifles, known as colectivos, have been conducting intrusive searches and establishing checkpoints to identify and punish anyone showing support for Maduro’s removal from power, Reuters reported.

The National Union of Press Workers of Venezuela reported that armed forces briefly detained fourteen journalists during Monday’s induction of Vice President Delcy Rodríguez as the country’s interim leader. Residents have also reported that some Venezuelans have been afraid to leave their homes, fearing that armed forces would seize and scour their phones for signs of dissent, The Telegraph said.

‘The future is uncertain, the Colectivos have weapons, the Colombian guerrilla is already here in Venezuela, so we don’t know what’s going to happen, time will tell,’ Oswaldo, a 69-year-old Venezuelan shop owner, told The Telegraph.

The colectivos are largely controlled by Nicolás Maduro’s close ally, Diosdado Cabello, who has a $25 million bounty from the U.S. State Department largely for his role in corruption and drug trafficking.

Cabello, who serves as the state’s Minister of Interior, Justice and Peace, is widely known for suppressing political dissent in Venezuela. The presence of colectivos, who often serve as an unofficial arm of state repression, suggests that Maduro loyalists are desperately trying to maintain their grip on the country.

The reported crackdown began with a government directive to root out dissent against the Venezuelan regime. According to Reuters, a state of emergency decree published on Monday ordered police to ‘immediately begin the national search and capture of everyone involved in the promotion or support of the armed attack by the United States.’

As someone who conducts state-run domestic espionage through widespread coordination of surveillance and counterintelligence agencies, Cabello remains a major unpredictable and dangerous figure in the wake of Maduro’s capture, Reuters reported.

‘The focus is now on Diosdado Cabello,’ Venezuelan military strategist Jose Garcia told the outlet. ‘Because he is the most ideological, violent and unpredictable element of the Venezuelan regime.’

Reuters reported that the former military officer was also recently spotted patrolling Venezuelan streets with security forces.

In a social media post by the Venezuelan government, footage reportedly showed Cabello posing with a crowd of armed militia as they shouted, ‘Always loyal, never traitors.’

Reuters added that in recent weeks, Cabello was also seen on television ordering Venezuela’s military counterintelligence agency to ‘go and get the terrorists’ and warning ‘whoever strays, we will know.’

He reportedly repeated the same rhetoric in a state television appearance Saturday, wearing a flak jacket and helmet and surrounded by heavily armed guards.

Despite the removal of Maduro, the loyalist crackdown on dissent and the media suggests that the ruling party has no intention of relinquishing its grip on power.

Reuters contributed to this report.