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    Senator Announces She Will Not Seek Reelection

      By
      Madeleine Jackson
      -
      1

      Minnesota Democrat Senator Tina Smith announced on Thursday she will not run for re-election when her term ends, blowing the Senate race wide open.

      In a video posted on X, the 66-year-old senator said her decision is “not political” but based on a desire to “spend more time with [her] family.”

      Smith has served in the Senate since 2018 after she won a special election to replace former Sen. Al Franken, who resigned following sexual misconduct allegations against him.

      Watch:

      “This decision is not political,” Smith said. “It is entirely personal, but it’s not lost on me that our country is in need of strong progressive leadership, right now maybe more than ever.”

      “So, there are two things on my mind about this,” she continued. “The first is that I have nearly two full years left in my Senate term, and I plan to use every single day working to represent your interests in the United States Senate. … And also, since I don’t have to worry about running a re-election campaign, I can focus entirely on this job right now.”

      Smith added that Minnesota Democrats have a “deep bench of political talent.” Democrats have held both Minnesota Senate seats since 2009.

      According to Cook Political Report’s first 2026 Senate forecast, Democrats are “likely” going to keep her seat, however, the party’s longtime hold on the state has shown signs of slipping in recent elections. In the 2024 presidential election, former Vice President Kamala Harris won Minnesota by just four percentage points after former President Joe Biden won the state by seven points in 2020. Smith won her 2020 re-election bid by five points.

      Last month, Democrat Sen. Gary Peters of Michigan announced he also would not seek re-election in 2026. (RELATED: Michigan Senator Gary Peters Will Not Seek Reelection, Leaving Key Senate Seat Open)

      “I always thought there would be a time that I would step aside and pass the reins for the next generation. I also never saw service in Congress as something you do your whole life,” Peters said.

      GOP Lawmaker Proposes Renaming Greenland ‘Red, White, and Blueland’

        By
        Madeleine Jackson
        -
        1

        Republican lawmakers introduced legislation to rename Greenland this week to Red, White and Blueland.

        The legislation, called the “Red, White, and Blueland Act of 2025,” directs Interior Secretary Doug Burgum to oversee the implementation of the name change and to ensure official documentation and maps refer to Greenland by its updated name.

        The legislation also authorizes Trump to enter into negotiations with Denmark “to purchase or otherwise acquire Greenland.”

        “America is back and will soon be bigger than ever with the addition of Red, White, and Blueland,” Carter said in a statement Tuesday, after introducing the legislation.

        “President Trump has correctly identified the purchase of what is now Greenland as a national security priority, and we will proudly welcome its people to join the freest nation to ever exist when our Negotiator-in-Chief inks this monumental deal,” he added.

        Trump has repeatedly expressed interest in purchasing Greenland, a semi-autonomous country that is currently under Denmark’s control. He has argued that the U.S. taking over the Arctic island is necessary for national security purposes.

        Greenland and Denmark have emphatically resisted Trump’s push to acquire the country.

        “We don’t want to be Danes,” Greenland Prime Minister Múte Egede previously said on Fox News. “We don’t even want to be Americans. We want to be Greenlanders.”

        Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has also insisted Greenland is not for sale and that it is up to Greenland to make its decision about its independence. 

        Bondi Personally Strips DOJ Walls Of Biden, Harris, Garland Portraits

          By
          Madeleine Jackson
          -
          1
          The White House, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

          It’s about time…

          Attorney General Pam Bondi personally stripped the Justice Department’s walls of portraits of former President Joe Biden, former Vice President Kamala Harris, and her own predecessor, former Attorney General Merrick Garland, saying it was “ridiculous” for the portraits to still be hanging nearly three weeks into President Donald Trump’s tenure

          Bondi’s role in personally removing the portraits, first shared on X by the New York Post’s Miranda Devine, was confirmed to Fox News Digital by a Justice Department official.

          Bondi “saw portraits of Garland, Biden, Harris were still up, and she took the initiative to take them off the walls herself and stack them in the corner,” the official told Fox News. 

          The actions come after Bondi, who was sworn in earlier this month, vowed during her confirmation hearing in January not to politicize the Justice Department. 

          Trump Admin. Secures Release Of Second American Prisoner

            By
            Madeleine Jackson
            -
            1
            Kremlin.ru, via Wikimedia Commons

            The White House revealed an American is one of three hostages released from Belarus on Wednesday.

            The news comes the day after Marc Fogel, an American who had been detained in Russia since 2021, landed back in the U.S. on Tuesday.

            When asked by reporters on Tuesday whether the U.S. had given up anything in return for Fogel, Trump replied “not much” without offering additional details. (RELATED: Report: Trump Says Russia Agreed To ‘Immediately’ Begin Negotiations To End Ukraine War)

            As part of the deal the U.S. is releasing Russian prisoner Alexander Vinnik, a Trump administration official told Fox News on Wednesday.

            Vinnik was arrested in 2017 in Greece at the request of the U.S. on cryptocurrency fraud charges. He was later extradited to the United States where he pleaded guilty last year to conspiracy to commit money laundering.

            Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov earlier said the Russian prisoner’s name would be revealed when he returns home. 

            “Recently, work has been intensified through the relevant agencies, there have been contacts,” Peskov said in a conference call with reporters, according to the Associated Press. “And these contacts have led to the release of Fogel, as well as one of the citizens of the Russian Federation, who is currently being held in custody in the United States. This citizen of the Russian Federation will also be returned to Russia in the coming days.” 

            Fogel, a history teacher from Pennsylvania, was serving a 14-year prison sentence after his arrest in August 2021 at a Russian airport for being in possession of drugs, which his family and supporters said were medically prescribed marijuana. 

            Anne Fogel, his sister, told “Fox & Friends” on Wednesday that she is “so happy to have this massive boulder” lifted off her shoulders with her brother’s release. 

            “I am so incredibly grateful to the president,” she added. “Just amazing.” 

            Fogel said her brother’s situation has “taken a toll” on her family but they “can’t even believe that he is safe and at home and can get medical attention.” 

            “I feel like the luckiest man on earth right now,” Fogel said alongside Trump. “I want you to know that I am not a hero in this at all and President Trump is a hero. These men that came from the diplomatic service are heroes. The senators and representatives that passed legislation in my honor to get me home are heroes. I am in awe of what they all did.”

            Trump spoke about his meeting with Malphine at his July rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, where he told her he would do everything he could to free her son.

            “When I saw the mother at a rally, she said, ‘If you win, will you get my son out?’ And I promised—she’s 95-years-old—and I said, ‘We’ll get him out,’ and we got him out pretty quickly. She made quite an impression.”

            Trump To Attend Super Bowl In New Orleans

              By
              Madeleine Jackson
              -
              2

              President Trump will attend the Super Bowl on Sunday in New Orleans, the White House confirmed to The Hill’s partner NewsNation.

              The game, which is set for 6:30 p.m. EST, will take place at Caesars Superdome. The Kansas City Chiefs are aiming for their third Super Bowl win in a row against the Philadelphia Eagles.

              Trump congratulated the Chiefs after they won the AFC championship game to advance to the Super Bowl but didn’t comment on the Eagles’ win in the NFC championship game.

              Trump will also sit for an interview with Fox News anchor Bret Baier, which is set to air before the game on Sunday. A sitting president granting an interview to the network broadcasting the big game has become an unofficial tradition in recent years, though former President Biden skipped the pregame chat the last two years and Trump snubbed a pregame conversation with NBC News in 2018.

              Trump would be the first sitting president to attend the Super Bowl if he does make the trip to the Big Easy.

              Trump attended another big football game this year — the University of Alabama’s football game against the University of Georgia in September.

              Trump Strikes Deal Narrowly Averting Trade War With Canada

                By
                Madeleine Jackson
                -
                0
                By Presidencia de la República del Ecuador - REUNIÓN CON JUSTIN TRUDEAU, PRIMER MINISTRO DE CANADÁ, 05 DE MARZO DE 2024., Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=146895555

                President Donald Trump and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau agreed to terms on a deal to delay Trump’s proposed tariffs on Canadian imports into the United States on Monday afternoon.

                After a phone call with President Donald Trump on Monday afternoon, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that Canada will immediately enhance “coordination” with the U.S. and send 10,000 troops to the U.S./Canada border.

                Canada’s change in policy comes after Trump imposed a 25% tariff on Canada and Mexico, along with a 10% tariff on China, until the countries did more to prevent the flow of illegal immigrants and drugs through U.S. borders. In response to Trump’s tariffs, Canada and Mexico retaliated with 25% tariffs on American goods. Trudeau said that after his call with Trump, the “tariffs will be paused for at least 30 days while we work together.”

                “I just had a good call with President Trump. Canada is implementing our $1.3 billion border plan — reinforcing the border with new choppers, technology and personnel, enhanced coordination with our American partners, and increased resources to stop the flow of fentanyl. Nearly 10,000 frontline personnel are and will be working on protecting the border,” wrote Trudeau on X. “In addition, Canada is making new commitments to appoint a Fentanyl Czar, we will list cartels as terrorists, ensure 24/7 eyes on the border, launch a Canada- U.S. Joint Strike Force to combat organized crime, fentanyl and money laundering. I have also signed a new intelligence directive on organized crime and fentanyl and we will be backing it with $200 million.”

                “Proposed tariffs will be paused for at least 30 days while we work together,” he added.

                The agreement was reached just hours after Trump and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum agreed on a similar arrangement earlier in the day.

                Trump confirmed the details of Trudeau’s announcement, writing in a post on Truth Social:

                “Canada has agreed to ensure we have a secure Northern Border, and to finally end the deadly scourge of drugs like Fentanyl that have been pouring into our Country, killing hundreds of thousands of Americans, while destroying their families and communities all across our Country,” he began. “Canada will implement their $1.3 Billion Border plan, and as per Prime Minister Trudeau, will be, ‘reinforcing the Border with new choppers, technology and personnel, enhanced coordination with our American partners, and increased resources to stop the flow of fentanyl. Nearly 10,000 frontline personnel are, and will be, working on protecting the Border. In addition, Canada is making new commitments to appoint a Fentanyl Czar, we will list cartels as terrorists, ensure 24/7 eyes on the Border, launch a Canada-U.S. Joint Strike Force to combat organized crime, fentanyl and money laundering. I have also signed a new intelligence directive on organized crime and fentanyl, and we will be backing it with $200 million.’”

                “As President, it is my responsibility to ensure the safety of ALL Americans, and I am doing just that. I am very pleased with this initial outcome, and the Tariffs announced on Saturday will be paused for a 30 day period to see whether or not a final Economic deal with Canada can be structured. FAIRNESS FOR ALL!” he added.

                Earlier on Monday, Trump reiterated to reporters in the Oval Office that he would like to see Canada become “a state.”

                “We give them protection, military protection. We don’t need them to build our cars. I’d rather see Detroit or South Carolina or Tennessee, any one of our states build the cars. They could do it very easily,” Trump said. “We don’t need [Canada] for the cars. We don’t need them for lumber. We don’t need them for anything. We don’t need them for energy. We have more energy than they do.”

                “Why are we willing to lose between a hundred billion and two hundred billion dollars a year?” Trump asked. “We don’t need them. As a state, it’s different.”

                Governor Blocks Pardoned J6ers From State Jobs

                  By
                  Madeleine Jackson
                  -
                  11
                  Tyler Merbler, CC BY 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

                  Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker (D) said he would block pardoned Capitol insurrectionists from serving in local government positions, citing a state law ordinance, according to a Thursday letter obtained by The Hill.

                  “The State’s Personnel Code, administered by the Department of Central Management Services (CMS) and by you as its Director, requires the rejection of candidates for State employment who have engaged in infamous or disgraceful conduct (20 ILCS 415/8b.4),” Pritzker wrote to Raven A. DeVaughn, director of the state’s CMS.

                  “To protect the integrity of our workforce and safety of our State, I hereby direct CMS to apply the State Personnel Code and consider any participation in the January 6 insurrection as infamous and disgraceful conduct that is antithetical to the mission of the State.”

                  Earlier in the directive, Pritzker outlined the actions of Jan. 6 rioters who stormed the Capitol four years ago.

                  “These rioters were accused or convicted of a combination of felonies and misdemeanors, including but not limited to: violence against law enforcement officers, threats against Members of Congress, destruction of federal property, and many other crimes. These crimes attacks threatened public safety as Members of Congress, staff, and other workers who were forced to hide from the violence for hours,” he detailed.

                  “I am committed to building a State workforce that upholds our shared values and delivers results for the people of Illinois. Our State workforce must reflect the values of Illinois and demonstrate honesty, integrity, and loyalty to serving the taxpayers,” he added.

                  “No one who attempts to overthrow a government should serve in government,” he concluded.

                  President Trump signed an executive order after his inauguration granting pardons to more than 1,500 individuals charged in connection with the January 6 Capitol riot. He also announced several commutations for those who committed violent acts during the event. (RELATED: Trump Pardons Capitol Riot Participants)

                  The president has defended his decision to free the rioters. 

                  “These people have already served years in prison, and they’ve served them viciously. It’s a disgusting prison. It’s horrible. It’s been inhumane,” Trump told reporters, claiming the American public sided with his choice.

                  CBS Parent Company In Talks To Settle Trump’s Lawsuit: Report

                    By
                    Madeleine Jackson
                    -
                    1

                    CBS parent company Paramount has entered discussions with President Donald Trump to settle a $10 billion lawsuit brought by the president

                    Trump sued after CBS  aired an edited interview with former Vice President Kamala Harris, who at the time was Trump’s opponent in the presidential race.

                    The Times reported that Shari Redstone, who is Paramount’s controlling shareholder, stands to make billions on a pending sale of the company to Skydance:

                    Settlement discussions between representatives of Paramount and Mr. Trump are now underway, according to three people with knowledge of the talks. There is no assurance, though, that they will result in a deal, and it is unclear what the terms of any such deal might include.

                    Shari Redstone, Paramount’s controlling shareholder, strongly supports the effort to settle, according to two people with knowledge of her thinking. Ms. Redstone stands to clear billions of dollars on the sale of Paramount, the media empire founded by her father Sumner Redstone, in a deal with Skydance, an entertainment company backed by the billionaire Larry Ellison and run by his son David.

                    A settlement would be an extraordinary concession by a major U.S. media company to a sitting president, especially in a case in which there is no evidence that the network got facts wrong or damaged the plaintiff’s reputation.

                    The heart of Trump’s lawsuit centers on a question directed at Harris about the Middle East from Bill Whitaker. A preview of her response aired during Face the Nation was different from the response viewers of 60 Minutes saw. Trump’s lawyers argued CBS made Harris look better in primetime by airing a crisper response.

                    “CBS News said that Ms. Harris had given one lengthy answer to Mr. Whitaker’s question, and that the network followed standard journalistic practice by airing a different portion of her answer in prime-time because of time constraints,” the Times said.

                    Florida Republican Introduces Bill To Add Trump To Mount Rushmore

                      By
                      Madeleine Jackson
                      -
                      11
                      By Idawriter, CC BY-SA 3.0, curid=53439616

                      Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) introduced a bill Tuesday seeking to add President Trump’s face to the Mount Rushmore monument. 

                      “His remarkable accomplishments for our country and the success he will continue to deliver deserve the highest recognition and honor on this iconic national monument,” Luna wrote in a Tuesday post on the social platform X.

                      “Let’s get carving!”

                      The Interior Department would be in charge of undertaking Trump’s addition to the South Dakota landmark if approved by Congress.

                      “Mount Rushmore, a timeless symbol of our nation’s freedom and strength, deserves to reflect his towering legacy—a legacy further solidified by the powerful start to his second term,” Luna shared in a separate statement. 

                      “He will be forever remembered among the great like Presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, and Theodore Roosevelt.”

                      Luna is not the first person to float the idea. Fox News contributors this week suggested adding Trump’s face to Mount Rushmore to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the country’s founding, which is set for 2026.

                      “If you did, like, the 250th anniversary of the country at Mount Rushmore with President Trump’s face, it would be epic,” Kayleigh McEnany, Trump’s former press secretary, said this week on Fox News Channel’s “Outnumbered.”

                      European Parliament Member Nominates Elon Musk for Nobel Prize

                        By
                        Madeleine Jackson
                        -
                        1
                        UK Government, CC BY 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

                        A European Parliament member from Slovenia says he nominated tech giant Elon Musk for a Nobel Peace Prize for his free speech advocacy.

                        “The proposal that Mr. Elon Musk, for his consistent support for the fundamental human right of freedom of speech and thus for peace, receives the Nobel Peace Prize 2025, was successfully submitted today,” Branko Grims wrote in a Thursday post on X.

                        “Sincere thanks to all the co-proposers and everyone who helped with this challenging project!” added Grims.

                        Grims is a longtime figure in Slovenian politics who has suggested “remigration” to remove immigrants from Europe.

                        Alongside his statement Thursday, Grims shared an email from the Norwegian Nobel Institute showing the nomination was successfully submitted.

                        Grims in December argued Musk deserved a Nobel Peace Prize for advancing “free speech.”

                        “I propose that Elon Musk receives the Nobel Peace Prize for the next year because he did much more for the freedom of speech, which is a basic human right, much more than anybody else in the third millennium,” the European Parliament member told Brussels Signal News. 

                        He added that Musk’s takeover of Twitter, which he rebranded as X, was “the best of what [could have] happened for Western civilization in the last few years.”

                        The Tesla CEO was nominated for the prize last year by Norwegian libertarian MP Marius Nilsen.

                        President Trump has also been nominated for the prize.

                        Republican lawmaker Claudia Tenney (R-N.Y.) nominated Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize last year, citing the brokerage of the Abraham Accords. 

                        And Trump said in February 2019 that the late Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe also nominated him for the prize.

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