Category: Dramas

The U.S. Institute of Peace has been formally rebranded as the Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace, marking the latest step in the president’s months-long effort to dismantle the congressionally created agency.

The name change comes after a turbulent year for the organization, which the Trump administration has sought to shut down while shifting its authority to the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

The institute has been fighting the move in federal court, but layoffs proceeded after an appeals court stayed a lower-court ruling that temporarily blocked the administration’s plan.

The agency’s website briefly went offline Wednesday morning before returning with promotion for Trump’s upcoming peace-agreement ceremony between the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda.

TRUMP CAPS WEEK WITH BOLD MILITARY MOVES FROM PENTAGON NAME CHANGE TO CARTEL CRACKDOWN

White House spokesperson Anna Kelly defended the renaming, telling Fox News Digital the former institute had been “a bloated, useless entity that blew $50 million per year while delivering no peace.”

“Now, the Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace, which is both beautifully and aptly named after a President who ended eight wars in less than a year, will stand as a powerful reminder of what strong leadership can accomplish for global stability,” Kelly said. 

She added Trump “ended eight wars in less than a year,” framing the institute’s new name as recognition of his “peace through strength” approach.

“Congratulations, world!” Kelly said.

DAVID MARCUS: THE DEPARTMENT OF WAR MARKS THE END OF AMERICA AS THE WORLD’S POLICEMAN

Secretary Marco Rubio echoed that sentiment in a post responding to the announcement.

“President Trump will be remembered by history as the President of Peace,” Rubio wrote. “It’s time our State Department display that.”

The U.S. Institute of Peace was created by Congress in 1984 as a nonpartisan organization supporting conflict-prevention and peace-building efforts abroad. The dismantling and rebranding into a Trump-named entity represents one of the most sweeping agency overhauls of Trump’s second term.

Earlier this year, U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell ruled that the administration’s shutdown effort was unlawful. But the ruling was stayed on appeal, clearing the way for terminations to move forward in July as the administration restructured the agency and continued transferring functions elsewhere.

The institute did not immediately respond to Axios’ request for comment on the rebranding or the status of its ongoing legal challenge.

The State Department did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

An actress and model who moonlights as a DJ and is romantically linked to the leader of the bloodthirsty Venezuelan Tren de Aragua (TdA) transnational gang was sanctioned by the Trump administration on Wednesday.

The Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced the designation against Jimena Romina Araya Navarro, also known as Rosita. 

Navarro, a Venezuelan model with millions of social media followers, has helped launder money for TdA along with other entertainers, the department said.

She also helped Hector Rusthenford Guerrero Flores, also known as “Niño Guerrero,” escape from Tocorón prison in Venezuela in 2012, the agency said.

TRUMP’S STRIKE ON CARTEL VESSEL OFF VENEZUELA SENDS WARNING TO MADURO: ‘NO SANCTUARY’

“Under President Trump, barbaric terrorist cartels can no longer operate with impunity across our borders. The Tren de Aragua network’s narco-trafficking and human smuggling operations have long posed a grave threat to our nation,” said Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent. 

“At the direction of President Trump, we will continue to use every tool to cut off these terrorists from the U.S. and global financial system and keep American citizens safe.”

Navarro reportedly performs in nightclubs in Colombia, with a portion of the proceeds from the events going to TdA leadership, the Treasury Department said.

She has also performed at the Bogotá nightclub Maiquetia VIP Bar Restaurant, which is owned by her former bodyguard and manager, Eryk Manuel Landaeta Hernandez. She is additionally a shareholder and the president of a Venezuela-based company, Global Import Solutions S.A.

Hernandez was arrested by Colombian authorities in October 2024. He allegedly organized events featuring international artists and DJs, including Navarro, where drugs were sold for TdA and the proceeds were laundered, authorities said.

MADURO CLAIMS US SEEKS ‘REGIME CHANGE THROUGH MILITARY THREAT’ AMID CARIBBEAN BUILDUP

Hernandez also allegedly laundered money for Guerrero and sanctioned senior TdA leader Mosquera Serrano.

He owns the creative, arts and entertainment services company Eryk Producciones SAS and reportedly served as the gang’s financial and logistics chief in Colombia.

Additional sanctions were levied against TdA leaders Richard Jose Espinal Quintero, Noe Manases Aponte Cordova, and Asdrubal Rafael Escobar Cabrera and Cheison Royer Guerrero Palma, Niño Guerrero’s half-brother, who was expanding the gang’s activity into Chile.

Kenffersso Jhosue Sevilla Arteaga, known as “El Flipper,” was also sanctioned. He was arrested in Cúcuta, Colombia, in November 2025 and “was involved in extortions, kidnappings, and homicides,” the Treasury Department said.

The Trump administration has targeted TdA members in the United States in an effort to deport them to Venezuela.

An April intelligence assessment from the National Intelligence Council said some Venezuelan officials have facilitated the migration of TdA members into the United States.

In February, the gang was designated a foreign terrorist organization by the State Department.

President Donald Trump said Wednesday that the U.S. is preparing to take its campaign against narco-terrorism directly “on land” inside Venezuela, warning that the Nicolás Maduro regime has already sent “killers, murderers … gang members” and other violent offenders into the U.S. during past years of mass migration.

Speaking in the Oval Office during a Q&A session with reporters, Trump said U.S. forces are escalating operations against the trafficking networks behind the synthetic opioids and narcotics he blames for hundreds of thousands of American deaths.

“We’re knocking out drug boats right now at a level that we haven’t seen,” Trump said. “Very soon we’re going to start doing it on land too.”

The president said American intelligence agencies have mapped the routes, safe houses and production sites used by narcotics manufacturers operating inside Venezuela.

TRUMP SAYS US WILL BEGIN STOPPING VENEZUELAN DRUG TRAFFICKERS BY LAND: ‘GOING TO START VERY SOON’

“We know every route. We know every house. We know where they manufacture this crap, the poison … they’ve been feeding us,” he said. 

Trump has repeatedly accused the Maduro government of weaponizing migration. On Wednesday, he repeated his claim that Venezuela “sent us killers, murderers … drug dealers at the highest level … gang members and people from their mental institutions,” alleging the country had “emptied their prisons into our country.”

He argued that this occurred because the U.S. had previously been run by “stupid people … really stupid people.”

TRUMP ENDS VENEZUELA TALKS, MILITARY OPTIONS LOOM, NEW REPORT

Trump tied the potential escalation to the fentanyl and synthetic opioid crisis, saying traffickers have “been killing our people by the millions. I think last year we lost close to 300,000 people.” 

He said American families devastated by overdoses were demanding a more aggressive response after years of “poison” entering the country through transnational networks.

Trump also confirmed he had spoken only “briefly” with President Maduro and told him “a couple of things.

“We’ll see what happens with that,” Trump said, emphasizing that the pressure campaign underway extends beyond diplomacy.

Trump also defended the decision to strike drug-smuggling vessels and suggested the same standard applied to operators of land-based narcotics hubs.

“I support the decision to knock out the boats,” he said. “Whoever is piloting those boats, they’re guilty of trying to kill people in our country.”

The White House did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

The Small Business Administration is investigating a network of Somali groups in Minnesota that it says is tied to a massive COVID fraud scandal highlighting alleged systemic failures by Gov. Tim Walz’s team to properly audit public funds.

Walz, the 2024 Democratic vice-presidential nominee, has become embroiled in a scandal that has already led to charges against dozens of people – mostly Somali – and prompted allegations from civil servants in his administration who have spoken of retaliation against whistleblowers and institutional negligence.

“Numerous individuals and nonprofits indicted in the $1 billion Minnesota COVID fraud scandal, including Feeding Our Future, received SBA PPP loans in addition to other state and federal funding,” Small Business Administrator Kelly Loeffler announced on X. “I have ordered an investigation into the network of Somali organizations and executives implicated in these schemes.”

‘DOGE’ SENATOR SEEKS TO ENSURE FEDS CAN CONTINUE PURSUING COVID FRAUDSTERS, DEBTORS, AS IG SOUNDS ALARM

She added: “Despite Governor Walz’s best efforts to obstruct, SBA continues to work to expose abuse and hold perpetrators accountable, full stop.”

An SBA spokesperson confirmed the probe to Fox News Digital, saying the agency is “investigating all individuals and organizations indicted as part of the $1 billion Minnesota COVID fraud scheme to identify any that may have also fraudulently obtained PPP loans – evaluating their citizenship status, the legitimacy of their nonprofit work, and other requirements for eligibility.”

“The agency will provide additional details as the scope of fraud across these Somali networks are uncovered – and remains committed to clawing back all funding that was illegally obtained on behalf of American taxpayers,” SBA spokesperson Maggie Clemmons said.

GOP LEADERSHIP UNLEASHES FURY ON DEM GOVERNOR AHEAD OF BLOCKBUSTER CONGRESSIONAL HEARING

President Donald Trump said Tuesday that the Somali community in Minnesota was “garbage,” eliciting sharp responses from local officials including Minneapolis Councilman Jamal Osman – who claimed that “everyone knows that our president is racist, xenophobic and Islamophobic.”

Walz did not reply to a Fox News Digital request for comment about Loeffler’s announcement. 

Previously, the governor said he would “welcome” a Treasury Department probe into whether his administration enabled millions of taxpayer dollars to reach Somali terror group Al Shabaab.

“If they want to help us, I welcome that,” Walz said. “Do an investigation, find out. But I don’t think anybody really believes their motive or timing is about actually doing something about this.”

SOCIAL MEDIA ERUPTS AFTER FAR-LEFT MAYOR GIVES VICTORY SPEECH IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE: ‘HUMILIATING’

A separate report from City Journal, which also broke the Walz story, noted a 2015 study by a House Homeland Security Committee task force found more foreign-fighter terrorism-related travelers came from the Land of 10,000 Lakes than any other state.

Of those charged with seeking to join ISIS at the time, the outlet reported that they were “sophisticated users of social-welfare benefits.”

Two suspects had allegedly used federal financial aid to pay for their travel as they were preparing to depart Howard Beach, N.Y., for Syria.

HOUSE GOP DEMANDS ANSWERS ON BILLIONS IN MEDICAID COSTS FOR ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS

Minnesota, however, is far from the only state with PPP troubles.

Federal authorities in 2020 arrested a group of New York nail salon owners near JFK Airport in a scheme that allegedly combined smuggling Vietnamese immigrants for low-wage labor with misappropriating COVID-19 relief funds, according to the New York Post.

Dat Ho, Peter Nguyen and Victoria Ho were charged with conspiracy to commit bank and wire fraud after allegedly inflating payroll to secure $13 million in PPP loans, according to the New York Post.

BIDEN-HARRIS ADMINISTRATION FAILED TO RECOUP $200B IN FRAUDULENT COVID LOANS, HOUSE COMMITTEE SAYS

In May, an Iowa man – who was alleged to be a former Cuban military officer who entered the U.S. 20 years ago by crossing the border after a denied visa application – was arrested as a figurehead of an Iowa COVID-benefit fraud ring, according to an indictment statement from the Justice Department.

Yovany Ciero of Mason City was convicted on dozens of counts, including wire fraud, money laundering and engaging in a monetary transaction in property derived from a specified unlawful activity.

Prosecutors said Ciero and co-schemers stole an estimated $2.4 million, which entailed more than 100 Cuban immigrants who obtained PPP loans under false pretenses as “self-employed businesspeople” while they worked at the same meatpacking plant.

Authorities say Ciero recruited people for the scheme, and then passed that information to others who submitted the fraudulent loan applications to the feds. He faces up to life imprisonment, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Iowa.

Moderate South Texas Democrat Rep. Henry Cuellar revealed his feelings about his pardon by President Donald Trump and addressed whether he will be switching political  parties.

Speaking with Fox News Digital, Cuellar said, “I’m certainly very thankful to the president, thankful to the president, and also very thankful to God. It was a very difficult time for my family, my daughters, my wife, a very difficult time, but we came through this.”

Asked whether he agrees with Trump that he was targeted by the Biden administration, Cuellar said, “Absolutely, absolutely.”

“We looked up how many times I got on national TV and national media; it was over 150 times. I was very critical of the Biden administration,” he said. “I tried very hard to get them to understand the border. I live there, they just wouldn’t take it, and after that I started criticizing them.”

TRUMP PARDONS FORMER HUNTER BIDEN BUSINESS ASSOCIATE DEVON ARCHER

“The timing of this was very suspect, 40 days before an election, if you recall, I was having that primary race where they spent 20 million dollars against me and more things that we’re going to talk about that makes it very, very suspect. And remember, I had a legal opinion by a law firm, I had two ethics opinions on this, and they went ahead and moved forward on this.”

Cuellar said that amid the investigation, the Trump team called him up and asked, “What’s going on?”

On the question of whether he will be switching parties after the pardon, Cuellar said, “Nothing has changed. I’m a conservative blue dog, I will work with the president like I have done with him on the things that we can agree on, we can agree on a lot of things.”

“But as a very conservative Democrat, I’m good here,” he went on, adding, “But I’m very bipartisan. I certainly want to work with the administration. In fact, some of his folks have reached out to me about working on some things together, and we’re going to work together.”

“We’re going to continue to focus on work, and we’re ready to move forward on work, but again I certainly want to thank the president for this pardon,” he told Fox News Digital.

Trump announced a “full and unconditional pardon” for Cuellar and his wife, Imelda, on Wednesday.

TRUMP SAYS HE WILL CONSIDER PARDON FOR NYC MAYOR ERIC ADAMS, SAYS HE WAS TARGETED FOR ILLEGAL MIGRANT STANCE 

The Department of Justice under the Biden administration had indicted Cuellar and his wife in May 2024 for allegedly taking roughly $600,000 in bribes from an Azerbaijan-owned energy company and a Mexican bank, according to a news release at the time.

The move came after he began speaking out against former President Joe Biden’s lax border policies.

In his statement announcing the pardon, Trump wrote, “For years, the Biden Administration weaponized the Justice System against their Political Opponents, and anyone who disagreed with them. One of the clearest examples of this was when Crooked Joe used the FBI and DOJ to ‘take out’ a member of his own Party after Highly Respected Congressman Henry Cuellar bravely spoke out against Open Borders, and the Biden Border ‘Catastrophe.’”

“Sleepy Joe went after the Congressman, and even the Congressman’s wonderful wife, Imelda, simply for speaking the TRUTH. It is unAmerican and, as I previously stated, the Radical Left Democrats are a complete and total threat to Democracy! They will attack, rob, lie, cheat, destroy, and decimate anyone who dares to oppose their Far Left Agenda, an Agenda that, if left unchecked, will obliterate our magnificent Country,” Trump continued. “Because of these facts, and others, I am hereby announcing my full and unconditional PARDON of beloved Texas Congressman Henry Cuellar, and Imelda. Henry, I don’t know you, but you can sleep well tonight — Your nightmare is finally over!”

TRUMP DOUBLES DOWN ON VOIDING BIDEN AUTOPEN ACTIONS, INCLUDING PARDONS AND COMMUTATIONS

In January 2024, Cuellar warned fellow Democrats, including President Biden, to prepare for border security to be a top election issue in the 2024 cycle.

Speaking of Biden, he said, “It’s in the president’s best interest politically to come up with a solution on border security.”

In a statement following the pardon, Cuellar said, “I want to thank President Trump for his tremendous leadership and for taking the time to look at the facts.”

“I thank God for standing with my family and I during this difficult time. This decision clears the air and lets us move forward for South Texas,” he added. “This pardon gives us a clean slate. The noise is gone. The work remains. And I intend to meet it head on. Thank you Mr. President, God bless you, and God bless the United States of America.”

Democrats from the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform announced Wednesday that they have “received never-before-seen photos and videos of Jeffrey Epstein’s private island that are a harrowing look behind Epstein’s closed doors.”

“See for yourself. We won’t stop fighting until we end this cover-up and deliver justice for the survivors,” Oversight Dems wrote on X.

“This production is in response to an Oversight Committee request to the U.S. Virgin Islands Department of Justice for additional information to aid in the ongoing Committee investigation into Jeffrey Epstein’s crimes,” it added in a statement. “The Committee also received records from J.P. Morgan and Deutsche Bank. Oversight Democrats intend to release files to the public after review in the days ahead.”

President Donald Trump announced in November that he signed legislation green-lighting the Justice Department to release files related to the late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The photos and video released by the House Oversight Dems purportedly show various rooms inside buildings on Little Saint James island in the U.S. Virgin Islands, as well as other locations on the island.

JUSTICE DEPARTMENT FILES MOTION TO UNSEAL EPSTEIN DOCUMENTS IN LATEST STEP TOWARD RELEASE

The Epstein Files Transparency Act specifically directs the Justice Department to release all unclassified records and investigative materials related to Epstein and Ghislane Maxwell, as well as files related to individuals who were referenced in Epstein previous legal cases, details surrounding trafficking allegations, internal DOJ communications as they relate to Epstein and any details surrounding the investigation into his death.

Files that include victims’ names, child sex abuse materials, classified materials or other materials that could threaten an active investigation may be withheld or redacted by the DOJ.

UK PRIME MINISTER SUGGESTS FORMER PRINCE ANDREW SHOULD TESTIFY IN EPSTEIN INVESTIGATION

“These new images are a disturbing look into the world of Jeffrey Epstein and his island. We are releasing these photos and videos to ensure public transparency in our investigation and to help piece together the full picture of Epstein’s horrific crimes. We won’t stop fighting until we deliver justice for the survivors. It’s time for President Trump to release all the files, now,” House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform Ranking Member Robert Garcia, D-Calif., said Wednesday in a statement.

Fox News Digital has reached out to the White House for comment.

“On November 18, 2025, the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform sent a request to the U.S. Virgin Islands Attorney General for documents, communications, and information pertaining to investigations or potential criminal investigations of Jeffrey Epstein or Ghislaine Maxwell,” the Committee said.

“We will continue to release documents and files as we receive them. The survivors deserve justice and the truth. We need the Department of Justice to release all the files, NOW,” Garcia added in a post on X.

Fox News Digital’s Diana Stancy and Emma Colton contributed to this report.

Republicans diverged on Tuesday when asked if the Trump administration should push for regime change in Venezuela.

Despite hopes of a new direction for Venezuela, lawmakers who spoke to Fox News Digital on Tuesday were split on whether the United States should support a regime change in Caracas. Many expressed fears about repeating mistakes of the past, like toppling regimes in the Middle East, while others emphasized a need to remove a security threat in the United States’ backyard. 

“Yes. Maduro is an illegitimate ruler and extremely dangerous for the Western Hemisphere,” Rep. Michael Baumgardner, R-Wash., said, referring to Venezuelan President Nicholás Maduro. “Having a government we could partner with there would be in America’s national security interests.”

TRUMP PUSHES PEACE IN EUROPE, PRESSURE IN THE AMERICAS — INSIDE THE TWO-FRONT GAMBLE

Rep. Barry Moore, R-Ala., who agrees with Baumgardner, also framed his stance as a matter of national security.

“If you look at who Maduro is tied to, he’s tied to Iran, China and Russia. Those are not our friends. We know they’re not going to do anything to help us. I think President Trump understands there’s an opportunity here,” Moore said.

But not all Republicans agree with Moore and Baumgardner.

“Looking back at our history, it isn’t something that hasn’t played out,” Rep. Blake Moore, R-Utah, said. “Peace through strength and strong deterrents against a horrific regime is the best approach, but going in and making it happen on our own? We’re still dealing with the effects of Iran, right?” 

Moore, who serves as the House GOP Conference vice chair, said he hopes Venezuela manages to enact political change but expressed pessimism in the current environment.

FORMER MISS VENEZUELA BLAMES ‘SOCIALISM AND OPEN BORDERS’ FOR HER COUNTRY’S DEVASTATING COLLAPSE

“I am very hopeful that the Maduro regime will be changed. Problem is, they don’t have the ability for free [and] fair elections to be able to make that happen. And that’s a big concern for me,” Moore said.

Maduro, the former vice president of Venezuela, first assumed power when the country’s last president, Hugo Chavez, died in 2013. He has held onto power despite widespread criticisms of his leadership, public unrest and disputed election results.

Most recently, María Corina Machado, the clear public favorite for office, fled the country in 2025 after receiving international recognition for having won the Venezuelan presidential election. She received this year’s Nobel Peace Prize for her resistance to Maduro.

Despite the country’s political tensions, other lawmakers like Rep. Eric Burlison, R-Mo., agreed with Moore’s hesitations about direct intervention.

“My view is that we should not have regime change as a defined goal,” Burlison said. “We’ve seen that story — how it plays out. We don’t want to be spending a lot of money, time and lives in Venezuela.”

TOP DEMOCRAT BACKS US INTEL ON NARCO-TRAFFICKING STRIKES, FAULTS BIDEN FOR ‘NOT GOING FAR ENOUGH’ ON MADURO

Burlison hopes that the country could self-correct and said that the U.S. does have a role in destroying the influence of bad actors in the country, like drug smugglers.

“We need to cut off the power from these drug cartels, seize the drugs, do what we can to reduce their power and then [Venezuela] will probably have a natural regime change because you will remove a lot of the corrupt actors that are propping up a politically corrupt system,” he said.

President Donald Trump announced a “full and unconditional pardon” Wednesday for Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, and his wife, Imelda.

“For years, the Biden Administration weaponized the Justice System against their Political Opponents, and anyone who disagreed with them. One of the clearest examples of this was when Crooked Joe used the FBI and DOJ to ‘take out’ a member of his own Party after Highly Respected Congressman Henry Cuellar bravely spoke out against Open Borders, and the Biden Border ‘Catastrophe,’” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

“Sleepy Joe went after the Congressman, and even the Congressman’s wonderful wife, Imelda, simply for speaking the TRUTH. It is unAmerican and, as I previously stated, the Radical Left Democrats are a complete and total threat to Democracy! They will attack, rob, lie, cheat, destroy, and decimate anyone who dares to oppose their Far Left Agenda, an Agenda that, if left unchecked, will obliterate our magnificent Country,” Trump continued. “Because of these facts, and others, I am hereby announcing my full and unconditional PARDON of beloved Texas Congressman Henry Cuellar, and Imelda. Henry, I don’t know you, but you can sleep well tonight — Your nightmare is finally over!”

The Department of Justice under the Biden administration indicted Cuellar and his wife for allegedly taking roughly $600,000 in bribes from an Azerbaijan-owned energy company and a Mexican bank, according to a news release at the time.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates. 

Fox News’ Cameron Arcand contributed to this report.

The Trump administration announced on Tuesday that it would be pausing immigration from 19 countries that were already under full or partial travel restrictions. 

The impacted nations are Afghanistan, Burma, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen, Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela.

The immigration pause, which is effective immediately, applies to nationals from the 19 listed nations who entered the U.S. on or after Jan. 20, 2021, the date of former President Joe Biden‘s inauguration. Migrants from one of the 19 countries who came into the U.S. after that date will be subjected to a re-review process that could include an interview to screen for all possible national security and public safety risks.

It also affects all green card and citizenship applications for anyone hailing from one of the now-restricted countries. Individuals from one of the 19 nations who have already passed the citizenship test will not be able to have U.S. citizenship ceremonies until after the guidance is lifted.

DC NATIONAL GUARD SHOOTING SUSPECT FORMALLY CHARGED: ‘NOTHING IS OFF THE TABLE’

KRISTI NOEM SAYS BIDEN USED DHS ‘TO INVADE THE COUNTRY WITH TERRORISTS’

“If you think about what Joe Biden did with the Department of Homeland Security, he used this department to invade the country with terrorists, he opened up the borders, let anybody come in that wanted to. He put them on airplanes, he led them through our airports, where, if they could figure out a way to get to our shores and into our country, he just opened the door and invited them in. So, it’s our job to get them out,” Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said during President Donald Trump‘s Cabinet meeting on Tuesday.

Several Reddit users on the “r/USCIS” subreddit have posted about their oath ceremonies being canceled. One user claiming to be from Portland, Ore., said his wife’s naturalization ceremony, which was set for Dec. 3, had been canceled. Many seemed to be unsure about why the ceremonies were no longer taking place, citing a lack of information.

A memo from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) outlining the new restrictions referenced the shooting of two National Guard members in Washington, D.C. The suspect in the case is Rahmanullah Lakanwal, a 29-year-old Afghan national. He has been charged with two counts of assault with intent to kill, one count of murder, and one count of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence.

Lakanwal’s defense attorney said in a hearing on Tuesday that his client pleaded not guilty to all charges.

Fox News Digital’s Stephen Sorace, Jake Gibson and Jasmine Baehr contributed to this report.

Observations on Republican Matt Van Epps defeating Democratic rival Aftyn Behn in Tuesday’s special election to represent Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District:

Flipping seats in special elections for House seats is hard. 

The party challenging the seat sometimes makes a race of it. That often signals a weakness in the party in power or even the president as you approach the next election.

Democrats came close in multiple special elections in 2017, but didn’t win any. There have truly only been four major “flips” in House special elections in the past 18 years.

TRUMP-BACKED REPUBLICAN KEEPS CRUCIAL CONGRESSIONAL SEAT IN GOP HANDS WITH SPECIAL ELECTION VICTORY

Should Democrats have run a moderate? Behn was progressive. A centrist may have won a district like this based on Abigail Spanberger winning the Virginia gubernatorial race.

Van Epps’ win may encourage other Republicans to quit. 

The House majority will be 220-214, but some Republicans are itching to leave. They may think there’s enough of a cushion, even though Georgia GOP Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene departs in January.

TRUMP-BACKED REPUBLICAN TOUTS ‘GREAT TURNOUT FOR US’ IN MUST-WIN SPECIAL ELECTION FOR GOP

Moderate Republicans may look at this race and insist on the party addressing healthcare, seeing a competitive race as in a district with a plus-20 in favor of the GOP.

Moderate Republicans in California, New York and elsewhere should be worried in the midterms considering the Democratic strength in this race.

Dems flipped the House in 2018 after coming close in several special elections.

The Van Epps win underscores the point that gerrymandering/redistricting works.

Tennessee Republicans drew former Democratic Rep. Jim Cooper, and any other Democrat, out of a Nashville area district a few years ago.

The GOP trifurcated Nashville and the suburbs, diluting the Democratic vote among several GOP districts, which helped the GOP win Tuesday night.