Senate Republicans successfully spiked a bipartisan attempt to curb President Donald Trump’s war powers authority after a pair of key GOP lawmakers reversed their positions. 

Republicans turned to a rarely used Senate procedure previously used by Senate Democrats in a similar situation to nullify the Venezuela war powers resolution from Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va. The successful effort came after five Senate Republicans joined all Senate Democrats to advance the resolution last week. 

Their move drew heavy criticism and anger from Trump, who demanded that they ‘should never be elected to office again.’ 

The resolution was tanked on a 51 to 50 vote, with Vice President JD Vance coming in to break a tie in favor of Trump. 

Turning to the arcane procedural move served as a victory for both the president and Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., after last week’s rare defeat on the floor.  

Thune, like several other Republicans, contended that the resolution was not germane to the issues at hand in Venezuela. 

‘We don’t have troops in Venezuela. There is no kinetic action, there are no operations,’ Thune said. ‘There are no boots on the ground. And I think the question is whether or not there ought to be expedited consideration or privilege accorded to something that’s brought to the floor that doesn’t reflect what’s what is current reality in Venezuela.’

‘And so I think it’s very fair for Republicans to question why we ought to be having this discussion right now, particularly at a time when we’re trying to do appropriations bills,’ he continued.

Thune, Senate Republican leadership, Trump and several administration officials launched a pressure campaign on the five original defectors who helped Senate Democrats advance the bill. While not every lawmaker flipped, Sens. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., and Todd Young, R-Ind., proved the decisive votes to help kill the resolution. 

Hawley’s primary concern was whether the administration would place troops in Venezuela, but after several meetings and conversations with Trump administration officials, he was convinced that no further military action would take place. 

‘To me, this is all about going forward,’ Hawley said of his reversal. ‘If the president decides we need to put troops on the ground in Venezuela, then Congress will need to weigh in.’

Young kept tight-lipped about his plan until the vote opened, and explained before walking onto the Senate floor that the deliverables and guarantees he had received from Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the administration were enough for him. 

Among those were promises that if Trump did want to use force against Venezuela, he would first request authorization from Congress, and that Rubio would appear before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee for a public hearing in the coming weeks to give an update on the situation in the region.

‘Those who understand how Congress works, the good and the bad and the ugly, understand that votes like this, in the end, are communications exercises,’ Young said. ‘They’re important communications exercises, but unless you can secure sufficient votes, not only to pass the United States Senate, but to get out of the House, with which is highly questionable, right, and then to override what was an inevitable presidential veto, which is impossible. No one can tell me how we get there.’ 

‘I had to accept that this was all a communications exercise,’ he continued. ‘I think we use this moment to shine a bright light on Congress’ shortcomings as it relates to war powers in recent history.’

Still, Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine, Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, and Rand Paul, R-Ky., joined Senate Democrats to try and save the effort. 

Most Senate Republicans who were briefed on the matter last week argued that the strikes in Venezuela were justified and that the military was used to assist in a law enforcement operation to capture Maduro.

Rubio, in a letter to Senate Foreign Relations Chair James Risch, R-Idaho, affirmed, ‘There are currently no U.S. Armed Forces in Venezuela.’

‘Should there be any new military operations that introduce U.S. Armed Forces into hostilities, they will be undertaken consistent with the Constitution of the United States, and we will transmit written notifications consistent with section 4(a) of the War Powers Resolution (Public Law 93-148),’ Rubio wrote.

Kaine, who was confident that he would have the votes, panned that move ahead of the vote.

‘If people want to just say, ‘Hey, President Trump, do whatever the hell you want,’ Let them vote that way, but don’t change the rules of the Senate in a way that might disable future Senates that do have a backbone,’ Kaine told reporters.

The House of Representatives passed a roughly $80 billion spending package Wednesday evening, taking a significant step toward averting a government shutdown at the end of this month.

The package combines two of Congress’ 12 annual appropriations bills in what’s called a ‘minibus.’ It covers funding for the State Department and related national security, as well as federal financial services and general government operations.

The bill passed with overwhelming bipartisan support in a 341-79 vote.

Glaring questions still remain, however, over funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) as progressives threaten to withhold support from any such bill unless it’s paired with significant reforms to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

The push comes from the left in response to an ICE agent shooting 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good, a U.S. citizen who was driving her car when it made physical contact with a law enforcement official who then fatally shot her.

Partisan divisions have erupted over the narrative, with GOP officials like DHS Secretary Kristi Noem saying the agent acted in self-defense, while Democrats on Capitol Hill have called for criminal investigations.

DHS funding was initially expected to be part of this minibus, but House Appropriations Committee Chairman Tom Cole, R-Okla., told reporters earlier this week he would like to see the bill as part of the final package that’s also expected to include funding for the Department of War, Department of Transportation, Department of Labor, the Education Department and Health and Human Services, among others.

But the top Democrat on the panel, Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., told reporters Tuesday she wanted to see DHS funding as a separate bill.

‘It’s got to be by itself,’ DeLauro said. ‘It’s got to be separate.’

Meanwhile, the Congressional Progressive Caucus is formally threatening to oppose any DHS funding that does not change immigration enforcement policy, Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., announced.

‘Our caucus members will oppose all funding for immigration enforcement in any appropriation bills until meaningful reforms are enacted to end militarized policing practices. We cannot, and we should not continue to fund agencies that operate with impunity,’ she told reporters.

But the bill that passed Wednesday did so with wide bipartisan support, as expected.

All federal spending bills after last year’s government shutdown are a product of bipartisan discussions between the House and Senate.

The recent package totals just over $76 billion in federal funds and is now headed to the Senate for its approval before reaching President Donald Trump’s desk.

The State Department and national security bill includes $850 million for an ‘America First Opportunity Fund,’ aimed at giving the secretary of state funding to respond to potential unforeseen circumstances.

Both Republicans and Democrats touted different victories in the legislation, with a summary by House Appropriations Committee Republicans stating the bill supports ‘President Trump’s America First foreign policy by eliminating wasteful spending on DEI or woke programming, climate change mandates, and divisive gender ideologies.’

Democrats said the bill ‘supports women globally’ by ‘protecting funding for bilateral family planning and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)’ and pointed to $6.8 billion for a new account ‘that supports the activities previously funded under Development Assistance.’ 

The bill also provides millions in security assistance for Israel and Taiwan, among other global partners across the world.

The latter bill provides just over $13 billion for the U.S. Treasury for the remainder of fiscal year 2026, while also including a provision that stops the IRS ‘from targeting individuals or groups for exercising their First Amendment rights or ideological beliefs,’ according to Republicans.

It also provides $872 million for the Executive Office of the President and $9.69 billion in discretionary funding for the Federal Judiciary.

Across the Capitol, the Senate is expected to vote on and pass the previous three-bill funding package on Thursday before leaving Washington, D.C., for a weeklong recess.

Neither side appears willing to thrust the government into another shutdown, with Senate Democrats in particular viewing the package as an opportunity to fund several of their priorities. But there is a growing consensus that a short-term funding patch will be needed to allow lawmakers to finish work on the thornier DHS bill.

‘Homeland is obviously the hardest one, and it’s possible that, if we can’t get agreement, that there could be some sort of CR that funds some of these bills into next year,’ Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said.

Still, bipartisan funding talks are still happening, a stark departure from the last government funding deadline in October. But lawmakers in the upper chamber won’t be able to tackle the two-bill package until they return toward the end of the month.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi rejected claims of mass casualties amid a recent surge in protests within the Islamic country and blamed any killings that have taken place on an ‘Israeli plot’ intended to create a large number of casualties. 

The claim came during a wide-ranging interview on Fox News’ ‘Special Report with Brett Baier’ Wednesday evening, during which Araghchi was told estimates have indicated the death toll in his country could be anywhere between 2,500 to more than 12,000 protesters. But, according to the top Iranian official, the number is in the hundreds. 

‘When terrorist elements led from outside, entered this, you know, protests and started to shoot, you know, police forces, police officers and security forces. And there were terrorist cells. They came in, they used Daesh-style terrorist operations. They got police officers, burned them alive, they beheaded them, and they started shooting at police officers and also to the people. So as a result, for three days, we had, in fact, fighting against terrorists, and not with the protesters,’ Araghchi said. ‘It was completely a different story.’

According to Araghchi, these rogue, terrorist-like actors he spoke of started shooting at civilians for ‘one reason,’ which he said was to draw the United States into the conflict. 

‘They wanted to increase the number of deaths. Why? Because President Trump has said that if there are killings, he would intervene. And they wanted to drag him into this conflict,’ the Iranian Foreign Minister continued. ‘And that was exactly an Israeli plot. They started to increase the number of deaths by killing ordinary people, by killing police officers, by starting a kind of, you know, fighting inside the different cities.’

Iran has seen widespread unrest since the last week of December, as the country faces a massive economic crash that spurred many in Iran to take to the streets in protest.

Contrary to Araghchi’s claims are eyewitness reports that describe government forces in Iran firing upon unarmed protesters. Some even spoke of snipers taking aim at innocent Iranians, according to testimony shared with the New York Times.

During Baier’s interview with Iran’s Foreign Minister, Araghchi also insisted that there are no imminent plans to hang, or otherwise execute, protesters. The top Iranian official tried to downplay the unrest erupting in his country as well, arguing there is now ‘a calm.’    

‘We are in full control,’ Araghchi added. ‘And let’s, you know, hope that wisdom would prevail. And we don’t go for a high level of tension, which could be disastrous for everybody.’

A Senate Republican wants to crack down on childcare providers convicted of fraud with legislation that would, among a handful of tweaks to current law, require the fraudsters to pay back the misspent taxpayer money.

The bill from Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, would amend the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act to impose harsher penalties on childcare providers convicted of fraud, and one of several moves in the upper chamber to tackle the sprawling Minnesota fraud scandal.

Cornyn’s bill, the Stop Fraud by Strengthening Oversight and More Accountability for Lying and Illegal Activity (SOMALIA) Act, is narrowly tailored toward addressing fraudulent activity in childcare and daycare centers, but the breadth and scope of the unfurling scandal goes beyond that.

Federal prosecutors estimate that up to $9 billion was stolen through a network of fraudulent fronts posing as daycare centers, food programs and health clinics.

‘The Minnesota scandal has exposed a deep-rooted, morally bankrupt fraud empire, and it is clear more must be done to rid our nation of these heinous criminals,’ Cornyn said in a statement to Fox News Digital.

The legislation would require mandatory permanent debarment from all federally funded child care assistance programs, repay misspent federal funds, require referral for federal criminal investigations, and require states to enforce the above bans and halt providers from evading debarment by restructuring the business or changing the business name.

There’s also an immigration component to the bill that would make non-citizens convicted of fraud deportable, bar them from asylum, adjustment of status, and subject them to mandatory detention and expedited removal.

Cornyn’s effort is one of many coming from the Senate GOP, where lawmakers are looking at several options to crack down on fraud, both in Minnesota and more broadly in the federal government.

Every Senate Republican joined in on a letter to Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz last week, and demanded that he provide a paper trail on the state’s role in the scandal. And Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., floated that budget reconciliation, the same procedure used to pass President Donald Trump’s ‘big, beautiful bill,’ could be used to deal with fraud.

And the Trump administration has moved to or threatened cancellation of federal funds to the state in the wake of the scandal.

‘I applaud President Trump for his efforts to end this corruption, and I’m proud to take it a step further with the Stop Fraud by SOMALIA Act, which would ensure these consequences are enshrined into law before any more funds are misused or sent overseas to fund American-hating terrorist networks like we saw in now-disgraced Governor Walz’s state,’ Cornyn said.

Democrats and Republicans are united in opposing U.S. military strikes against Iran to retaliate for the killing of protesters amid a wave of massive demonstrations against the Iranian government in recent weeks, according to a new national poll.

Seventy percent of voters questioned in a new Quinnipiac University survey said they think the U.S. should not get involved militarily in Iran, with 18% saying the U.S. should take military action.

The vast majority of Independents (80%-11%) and Democrats (79%-7%), as well as a majority of Republicans (53%-35%) said the U.S. should not get involved if protesters in Iran are killed while demonstrating against the regime.

The poll, conducted Jan. 9–12, comes as President Donald Trump has turned up the heat on the regime in Tehran, threatening strikes on Iran if its forces continue to kill demonstrators.

The U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency announced Tuesday that nearly 2,000 people have been killed in the protests. Other reports say the death toll is over 3,000, with the real number likely to be even higher. 

The protests against Iran’s dire economic conditions, which have rapidly escalated in recent days, are seen as some of the most violent since the 1979 Islamic Revolution that installed the current system of clerical rule.

Trump took to social media earlier this week, urging ‘Iranian Patriots, KEEP PROTESTING — TAKE OVER YOUR INSTITUTIONS.’

The president also said that ‘HELP IS ON ITS WAY,’ and apparently pointing to Iranian authorities, he warned, ‘They will pay a big price.’

Pointing to the possibility of Iranian authorities executing some of the protesters, Trump said in a CBS News interview this week, ‘If they do such a thing, we will take very strong action.’

And the White House confirmed on Monday that Trump was weighing whether to bomb Iran in reaction to the crackdown.

But seven in 10 questioned in the poll said that, in general, a president should first receive congressional approval before deciding to take military action against another country.

‘Talk of the U.S. military potentially intervening in Iran’s internal chaos gets a vigorous thumbs down, while voters signal congressional approval should be a backstop against military involvement in any foreign crisis,’ Quinnipiac University polling analyst Tim Malloy said.

But there’s a partisan divide, with 95% of Democrats and 78% of Independents saying a president should first receive approval from Congress, but Republicans, by a 54%-35% margin, saying congressional approval is not needed.

Trump last June ordered U.S. military strikes on three Iranian nuclear facilities as part of Operation Midnight Hammer, amid fighting between Tehran and Israel.

Voters are also divided on Trump’s move earlier this month to capture Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife and bring them to the U.S. to face drug trafficking charges. Forty-seven percent supported the president’s decision, with 45% opposed.

And there was an expected partisan divide, with 85% of Republicans supporting the military action to capture Maduro, with 79% of Democrats opposed. Independents were divided.

More than half of voters (57%) opposed the U.S. running Venezuela until Washington is satisfied that the government there will operate the way the U.S. wants it to. Nearly three-quarters (73%) said they opposed sending U.S. ground troops to Venezuela and 55% opposed the U.S. taking over the South American country’s oil sales.

‘Voters are divided on the merits of overthrowing Maduro. And while split on whether in the long run the people of Venezuela will be better off, they strongly disapprove of America’s temporary domain over Venezuela and are heartily against putting U.S. troops on the ground,’ Malloy noted.

Trump has also turned up the volume in his efforts to acquire Greenland from Denmark.

‘The United States needs Greenland for the purpose of national security,’ the president argued in a social media post Wednesday.

Trump’s push for the U.S. to acquire Greenland is causing tension with Denmark and other NATO allies who insist that the semiautonomous Danish territory should determine its own future. 

Trump officials are openly considering all options, including military force, to take Greenland, spurring bipartisan opposition from some in Congress.

According to the poll, 86% of voters said they would oppose military action to take over Greenland. And by a 55%-37% margin, voters said they opposed trying to buy Greenland.

But there’s a stark political divide, with more than two-thirds of Republicans supporting efforts to buy or capture Greenland.

President Donald Trump announced Wednesday afternoon from the Oval Office that he learned the killing in Iran has ended. 

‘We’ve been told that the killing in Iran is stopping, and it’s stopped and stopping, and there’s no plan for executions or an execution,’ Trump said. ‘So, I’ve been told that on good authority. We’ll find out about.’

Trump made the announcement during a bill-signing ceremony in the Oval Office focused on ending an Obama-era policy barring public schools participating in the National School Lunch Program from offering whole and 2% milk to students.

Trump said he was informed by ‘very important sources on the other side, and they’ve said the killing is stopped. And the executions won’t take place.’ He did not divulge additional details. 

‘We’re going to watch and see what the process is. But we were given a very good, very good statement by people that are aware of what’s going on,’ Trump said when asked if military action was off the table considering the update. 

Iran’s citizens have taken to the streets in mass protests against Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s regime in recent weeks, with reports claiming thousands of people have been killed as the regime cracks down on the protests. The protests come as the nation faces unrest over economic grievances and political repression. 

The U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency announced that 1,847 of the dead were protesters and 135 were members of Iran’s security forces. Other reports say the death toll is more than 3,000 people, Fox News Digital previously reported. 

Iran’s judiciary had signaled a rapid crackdown, The Associated Press reported, with top judicial officials talking about fast-tracking trials for those arrested, a move that has raised alarms among rights groups about the risk of harsh sentences, including executions.

‘But that’s just gotten to me, some information, that the killing has stopped,’ Trump said. ‘That the executions have stopped and not going to have an execution, which a lot of people were talking about for the last couple of days. Today was going to be the day of execution.’

Trump and the administration have offered support to the protesters, including Trump calling on them to ‘take over’ the country’s institutions on Tuesday while canceling all meetings with the regime. 

‘I have canceled all meetings with Iranian Officials until the senseless killing of protesters STOPS. HELP IS ON ITS WAY,’ Trump posted to Truth Social Tuesday. 

The White House confirmed Monday that Trump was considering bombing Iran if the killings and unrest didn’t end, and White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said diplomacy remains Trump’s first option.

Fox News Digital reached out to a spokesperson for the Islamic Republic of Iran’s permanent mission to the United Nations for additional comment but did not immediately receive a reply.

The protests are viewed as the most severe since 2022, when thousands took to the streets nationwide after the killing of a woman by the country’s morality police.

Fox News Digital’s Diana Stancy and Gregory Norman-Diamon contributed to this report. 

France’s ambassador to the United Nations said Paris has strongly condemned Iran’s violent crackdown on nationwide protests, as the French government weighs possible satellite communications support to help Iranians circumvent a near-total internet blackout.

In an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital, Jerome Bonnafont described what he said was an escalation in repression by Iranian authorities and outlined France’s response, including sanctions and diplomatic pressure.

‘We have condemned very, very strongly, at the highest level, the repression against the popular movement in Iran,’ Bonnafont said. ‘This time it seems to me that the repression is even more violent than it used to be.’

His remarks come as France’s foreign minister confirmed Paris is studying the possible transfer of satellite terminals operated by Eutelsat to Iran, following a sweeping internet shutdown imposed by Iranian authorities during the unrest, and as the G7 issued a joint statement condemning Iran’s violent crackdown on nationwide protests. 

The foreign ministers of France, the United States and other G7 nations warned they were prepared to impose additional restrictive measures if Iran continues to violate international human rights obligations.

Earlier Tuesday, Israel’s foreign minister, Gideon Saar, urged France to support designating Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organization at the EU level during a call with French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot.

Asked whether France would back such a move, Bonnafont did not address the IRGC designation directly, instead emphasizing existing sanctions and international pressure.

‘There are sanctions against the police of the regime. And there are sanctions also against several individuals, more than 200 people in Iran for these reasons,’ he said.

‘What we have to do is to condemn and to address the right message to the people in Iran and to the regime, so that the regime stops with this massive repression.’

NATO and Europe’s defense responsibility

Bonnafont also addressed repeated calls from President Donald Trump for European allies to shoulder more of NATO’s defense burden, arguing that Europe is already moving in that direction.

‘There is a will by the Europeans to take the full responsibility of the protection of its own continent,’ he said.

He stressed that the approach reflects a long-standing French position. ‘It is a very old theme for the French governments that there has to be within NATO an autonomous, self-capable entity for European defense,’ Bonnafont said, referring to France’s long-standing advocacy for European strategic autonomy, a position repeatedly emphasized by President Emmanuel Macron.

Ukraine as a test case

Bonnafont pointed to Europe’s response to Russia’s war in Ukraine as evidence that European governments are prepared to act collectively when core security interests are threatened.

‘Ukraine has been attacked by Russia four years ago. Now it has been invaded by Russia, and it has decided to resist and to fight for its independence, its territorial integrity, its sovereignty,’ he said.

He described European backing for Kyiv as both unified and extensive. ‘And Europeans are going in support of Ukraine. And what we are doing in terms of financial support is massive. What we are doing in terms of political support is unanimous,’ Bonnafont said.

According to the ambassador, France and the United Kingdom are working to organize what he described as a ‘coalition of volunteers’ to provide Ukraine with long-term security guarantees once negotiations with Russia become possible.

‘When Ukraine enters into discussion with Russia, and when Russia accepts to enter into discussion with Ukraine, and when the elements of a peace, sustainable peace, are put on paper, Ukraine can have security guarantees,’ he said.

Bonnafont also pointed to France’s domestic budget decisions as evidence that Europe is backing rhetoric with resources. ‘There is presently the negotiation of the next budget for France for 2026,’ he said. ‘It includes a strong increase in our defense budget, and it is the only budget that is going to be increased in our whole budget this year.’

UN reform and budget cuts

Beyond NATO and Europe’s defense posture, Bonnafont said France is pushing for institutional reform at the United Nations, where member states recently approved significant budget reductions. ‘The institution has to reform. It always has to reform,’ he said.

‘We decided by consensus with the American government and all the others a budget which presents a reduction of 20% of manpower and a reduction of 15% of the funds allocated to the U.N.,’ Bonnafont added. ‘Give me another example of a public structure that is capable of such an effort in such a short time,’ he said.

Despite the cuts, he defended the U.N.’s relevance. ‘Yes, we are serious about reform. Yes, we want it to be streamlined,’ Bonnafont said. ‘But yes, we need the U.N. for the world.’

UNRWA dispute and U.S. funding cuts

Asked about the U.S. decision to halt funding for several U.N. agencies, including UNRWA, Bonnafont defended the agencies, saying, ‘Organizations are more efficient when they are universal,’ adding that participation remains a sovereign decision for the United States.

Republican lawmakers are jumping on a social media trend to show their support for the anti-regime protesters in Iran.

Sen. Tim Sheehy, R-Mont., and Rep. Claudia Tenney, R-N.Y., posted photos of themselves using burning photos of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to light up a cigarette and a cigar, respectively. Both lawmakers used the caption ‘Smoke ’em if you got ’em.’

The lawmaker’s images mirror a social media trend in which people are using burning photos of Khamenei to light cigarettes and cigars. The trend emerged as the people of Iran hold increasingly intense protests against the Islamic regime. The movement against the regime has seen increasing support from abroad as world leaders back the people of Iran.

Khamenei’s regime has started to crack down on protests and even instituted a sweeping internet blackout to try to quell the unrest. Some have posited that the internet blackout was also meant to impede the spreading of information about and visuals of abuses committed against protesters by regime-backed forces.

Recently, the exiled Iranian crown prince, Reza Pahlavi, has publicly urged President Donald Trump and the U.S. to back protesters in Iran as they fight the decades-old regime.

Sheehy told Fox News Digital he takes the issue personally, saying Iran has participated in the torturing, kidnapping and killing of Americans across the globe, ‘including friends of mine.’

‘The Iranian regime are a bunch of murderous b——- who have been chanting ‘death to America’ for the past 46 years. They have backed up this chant by kidnapping, torturing, and killing thousands of Americans all over the world, including friends of mine. For me, it’s personal; it’s time to take out the trash,’ Sheehy said in a statement provided to Fox News Digital via email.

The senator also expressed his solidarity with the people of Iran and encouraged them to keep fighting the regime.

‘To the Iranian people — we applaud your courage, keep fighting, and know we fully support your brave efforts to topple this evil regime,’ he added.

Tenney’s office also spoke with Fox News Digital about the congresswoman’s post, praising the bravery of the people of Iran for standing up to the regime. Additionally, Tenney’s office expressed the congresswoman’s solidarity with the Iranian people.

‘The bravery of the Iranian people in the face of decades of oppression by a brutal, extremist regime is extraordinary. Men and women across Iran are risking their lives to stand up to authoritarian mullahs who have denied them basic freedoms for generations,’ Tenney’s office said in a statement to Fox News Digital.

‘The congresswoman stands firmly with the Iranian people and their demand for dignity and self-determination, and believes their courage must be recognized and amplified. Today, the Iranian people finally have an ally in the White House, President Trump, who has made clear that the United States stands with those fighting for freedom against tyranny,’ Tenney’s office added.

Trump has been vocal about his support for the people of Iran and has warned that the U.S. would be ready to step in if the regime used violence against protesters.

‘Iran is looking at FREEDOM, perhaps like never before,’ the president wrote in a Truth Social post on Jan. 10. ‘The USA stands ready to help!!!’

The Trump administration is tearing up an Obama-era policy barring public schools participating in the National School Lunch Program from offering whole and 2% milk to students. 

A White House official confirmed to Fox News Digital that President Donald Trump will sign the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act Wednesday afternoon. 

The executive order dismantles restrictions laid out in the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010, signed by former President Barack Obama, which requires public schools in the National School Lunch Program to provide students with reduced-fat milk options. 

‘President Trump will sign into law a fix to the failed Obama policy that foolishly banned whole milk from public schools and barred children from the essential nutrients needed to grow, learn, and stay healthy,’ White House spokeswoman Taylor Rogers said in a statement to Fox News Digital. 

‘This is common sense and great news for America’s children, dairy farmers, and parents who deserve choice, not big government mandates,’ Rogers said. ‘President Trump is delivering on his commitment to Make America Healthy Again!’

The National School Lunch Program is federally funded, and offers low-cost or free meals to students. Reduced-fat or fat-free milk will still be offered to students under the new order. 

The executive order comes just days after Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. rolled out new dietary guidelines that prioritize healthy fats and full-fat dairy. 

The new order also comes days after the U.S. Department of Agriculture shared an image of Trump with a milk mustache, harkening back to the 1990s and 2000s ‘Got Milk?’ campaign, and said: ‘Drink up, America.’ 

In January 2025, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins confirmed her affinity for whole milk during her confirmation hearing, during an exchange with Republican Sen. Roger Marshall of Kansas.

‘Ms. Rollins, welcome. Would you agree with me that whole milk is the most nutritious drink known to humankind and belongs in our school lunches?’ Marshall said as he pulled out a carton of milk and poured it into a glass for himself. 

‘Senator, I don’t know that you’ve met my mom yet. This is all we had in our refrigerator growing up,’ Rollins said. ‘Not anything else, just whole milk.’

Fox News’ Emma Colton and Patrick Ward contributed to this report. 

House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer’s press conference devolved into chaos Wednesday morning when an apparent activist repeatedly interrupted and confronted the Kentucky Republican about his plans to initiate contempt of Congress proceedings against the Clintons.

Comer addressed reporters after Hillary Clinton missed her scheduled deposition in the committee’s Jeffrey Epstein probe. 

Minutes after he began talking, however, a man who identified himself as a ‘citizen reporter’ started heckling him and the other Republicans present.

‘No, I’m still talking. I’m still talking,’ Comer snapped at the man when he first began interrupting his comments.

The man can be heard shouting, ‘Congressman, did you enter their sworn statements into the record?’ in reference to the Clintons.

‘Hey, get him out of here. You’re not even a reporter,’ Comer said.

A few minutes later, when announcing the committee would depose Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell, the man began again, prompting Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., to comment, ‘Hey, the Cartoon Network called, and they want you to take your job back.’

‘I’m trying to answer questions. We’ve got a paid disrupter here. So this is — I feel like the Clintons have initiated the war room,’ Comer said.

The protester shot back, ‘Sir, I’m not paid, you’re paid by the people.’

Comer called for security to come at one point as the protester appeared to shout he was ‘having a conversation.’

He ended the event by telling the press, ‘It’s unfortunate this disruptor was here. We’ll be happy to answer questions throughout the day about this.’

But the chaos did not end there, as the man approached Comer when he began walking away.

He walked close by Comer, even appearing to make physical contact at one point, which prompted Capitol Police officers to separate the man from the GOP lawmakers.

The man appeared to be let off with a warning after police took a photograph of his identification.