A federal court ruled against the release of pro-Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil from federal immigration custody, handing a victory to the Trump administration. A panel of Philadelphia-based 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Thursday that a judge lacked jurisdiction when they ordered Khalil’s release from immigration detention in June, Reuters reported. Through the 2-1 order, Khalil’s lawsuit challenging his first arrest has been dismissed, meaning he could be taken back into federal immigration custody. “Our holdings vindicate essential principles of habeas and immigration law. The scheme Congress enacted governing immigration proceedings provides Khalil a meaningful forum in which to raise his claims later on — in a petition for review of a final order of removal,” the majority wrote in their ruling, according to CBS News. The panel ruled that an immigration judge must hear Khalil’s claims. “[V]arious provisions of the INA [Immigration and Nationality Act] limit an alien’s ability to collaterally attack (challenge) ongoing immigration proceedings through habeas. The District Court did not see those limits as barring subject-matter jurisdiction over Khalil’s claims. We disagree,” the majority wrote. “[The INA] strips the District Court of jurisdiction, requiring Khalil to wait to raise his claims until he files a petition for review (PFR) of a final order of removal.” The Trump administration arrested Khalil in March, a Green Card holder from Syria, who is also of Palestinian descent, after he helped lead anti-Israel protests at Columbia University and engaged in activities that were “aligned to Hamas.” After Khalil’s arrest, Secretary of State Marco Rubio pledged to strip the legal status of  immigrants found to be “Hamas supporters.” “We will be revoking the visas and/or green cards of Hamas supporters in America so they can be deported,” Rubio said on X at the time. Rubio also said then that Khalil’s “presence or activities would compromise a compelling U.S. foreign policy interest.”

Talks on extending Obamacare subsidies in the Senate appear to be stalling, as President Donald Trump calls for the “Great Healthcare Plan” to go through Congress. Enrollment for those who use Affordable Care Act plans ends Thursday in most of the country, as expired subsidies have led to higher premium costs. Many conservatives argue that this is evidence that the ACA was not a sustainable program in the first place. The White House released a fact sheet on Thursday about Trump’s healthcare plan, which would include “price transparency” reforms and “send money directly to the American people, lower health insurance premiums, and cut kickbacks that raise insurance premiums.” The president’s proposal would also expand the list of “verified safe pharmaceutical drugs” that Americans can buy over the counter and include a “cost-sharing reduction program” for plans. “The Great Healthcare Plan stops sending big insurance companies billions in extra taxpayer-funded subsidy payments and instead sends that money directly to eligible Americans to allow them to buy the health insurance of their choice,” the webpage states. President Donald Trump said in a video on Thursday that it “will truly make healthcare affordable again.” In the Senate, Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-OH) said, “We’re still in the red zone” when it comes to the possibility of extending the subsidies for another two years while a longer-term plan is figured out, according to Punchbowl News. Politico reported that the actual language of a proposal might not be ready until after the Senate returns from its 10-day recess that began Thursday. However, there have been serious splits regarding taxpayer dollars for abortions through the Hyde Amendment, along with the generally partisan divide on whether the subsidies should continue in the first place. In December, Moreno and Senate Appropriations Chair Susan Collins (R-ME) went public with a two-year extension proposal, while Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) has sought a three-year extension of the COVID-era subsidies. “Barack Obama and the Democratic Party created this disaster, lining the pockets of massive insurance companies while healthcare costs for everyday Americans skyrocketed,” Moreno said in a statement last month. “But I refuse to let the American people pay the price for the Democrats’ incompetence. I am willing to work with anyone to finally bring down costs for all Americans and hope my colleagues across the aisle will commit to doing the same.” According to Punchbowl News, the proposal could restore enrollment in March if a deal is reached in Congress. In the House, a bill to extend ACA subsidies for the next three years passed last week, with Democrats and 17 Republicans passing the legislation in the Republican-led chamber after a successful discharge petition to forced a floor vote — but it seems unlikely to gain traction in the Senate. “The House just decisively passed legislation that restores the Affordable Care Act tax credits. Over the objection of Donald Trump and Speaker Mike Johnson. If you don’t know, now you know,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) wrote on X after the vote.

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s administration is probing the California Community College Athletic Association over allegations that its transgender policy violates Title IX, The Daily Wire can first report. The Title IX Special Investigations Team, a joint project of the Department of Education and the Department of Justice, has initiated an investigation into the association over its policy stating that “a trans[gender] female…or non-binary student-athlete who has completed at least one calendar year of testosterone suppression treatment…may compete on a women’s team.” That policy caused at least three female athletes to be discriminated against on the basis of sex, according to a complaint submitted to the Office of Civil Rights, since a male athlete was allowed to participate on the women’s volleyball team and use the women’s locker rooms at one of the member colleges during the 2024 and 2025 seasons. “The fact that a Community College Athletic Association has a ‘Transgender Participation Policy’ is a stunning indictment of our culture,” said Kimberly Richey, the assistant secretary for civil rights. “Women’s sports are for women. Yet California’s Governor Gavin Newsom — despite admitting the truth on a podcast — continues to put ideology above the safety of and fairness for his own students.” US Secretary of Education Linda McMahon speaks outside the US Supreme Court on January 13, 2026, in Washington, DC. (Photo by Oliver Contreras / AFP via Getty Images) The complaint also alleges that the California Community College Athletic Association ignored female students’ when they raised concerns about the impact that male students have on female sports. DOJ and the Education Department say that the association has an obligation to uphold Title IX’s sex-based protections, given that it receives federal financial assistance in California. “The Trump Administration will not tolerate policies that erase women’s rights,”says Richey. “The Title IX SIT looks forward to investigating this matter to ensure every woman has equal access to educational programs and athletic opportunities—because fairness and safety are non-negotiable.” DOJ and the Education Department created the Title IX Special Investigations Team in April 2025 in order to expedite enforcement of its investigations into incidents like this. In fact, the team’s first investigation was actually into the California Department of Education. Richey’s comments about Newsom referenced the California governor’s remarks on the issue of fairness in women’s sports: in March 2025, when Charlie Kirk was a guest on Newsom’s podcast, Newsom distanced from the notion that men should be in women’s sports — something he has championed for years — calling the concept “deeply unfair.” “Would you say no to men in female sports?”Kirk asked the California governor. “I think it’s an issue of fairness, I completely agree with you on that,” Newsom responded. “It is an issue of fairness — it’s deeply unfair.” The remark caught many politicos and lawmakers on both sides of the aisle by surprise, given that Newsom has celebrated his state’s law allowing boys in girls’ sports, and additionally celebrated when conservative groups failed to repeal that very law. Earlier this week, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in two cases dealing with men in women’s sports and spaces, West Virginia v. BPJ and Little v. Hecox. The results of the cases will decided whether 27 states can keep laws in place protecting women’s privacy in bathrooms and other spaces. “As we await the Supreme Court’s rulings in Little v. Hecox and State of West Virginia v. B.P.J., we remain steadfast in enforcing Title IX as it was intended, rooted in biological reality to ensure fairness, safety, and equal access to education programs for women and girls across our nation,” Secretary of Education Linda McMahon said on the steps of the court on Tuesday. “As President Trump has made clear,” she added, “America is in its Golden Age, one where female students and athletes have equal access to fair and safe competitions and female-only intimate spaces, free from divisive and discriminatory ideologies.”

The U.S. military seized another Venezuelan-linked oil tanker in the Caribbean early Thursday morning, as federal authorities intensified enforcement against sanctioned vessels tied to the Maduro regime.  Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem said a Coast Guard tactical team conducted a pre-dawn raid of the motor tanker Veronica, the sixth sanctioned vessel seized by the Coast Guard in recent weeks. The operation went smoothly, and the ship was seized without incident, Noem said.  “As another sanctioned ghost fleet tanker, Motor Tanker Veronica had previously passed through Venezuelan waters, and was operating in defiance of President Trump’s established quarantine of sanctioned vessels in the Caribbean,” Noem posted on X, sharing footage of the operation.  Early this morning, a Coast Guard tactical team conducted a pre-dawn boarding and seizure of Motor Tanker Veronica in the Caribbean. As another sanctioned ghost fleet tanker, Motor Tanker Veronica had previously passed through Venezuelan waters, and was operating in defiance of… pic.twitter.com/MyWyQGH1h0 — Secretary Kristi Noem (@Sec_Noem) January 15, 2026 “As we’ve now demonstrated through multiple boardings, there is no outrunning or escaping American justice — period. Our resolve is unshakeable and our mission coordination has never been better. America’s Coast Guard remains Always Ready to apply the full force of its unique authorities and specialized capabilities against this threat anywhere, anytime,” she added.  U.S. Southern Command said that Marines and sailors assigned to Joint Task Force Southern Spear took part in the seizure after launching from the USS Gerald R. Ford. The task force is focused on disrupting drug trafficking and other illegal activities in the Western Hemisphere.  “The Veronica is the latest tanker operating in defiance of President Trump’s established quarantine of sanctioned vessels in the Caribbean, proving the effectiveness of Operation Southern Spear yet again,” Southern Command said. “The only oil leaving Venezuela will be oil that is coordinated properly and lawfully.” Trump has promised that American companies will invest billions to rebuild Venezuelan oil fields.  Last week, the Coast Guard seized a tanker flying a Russian flag that had previously bypassed an American blockade. The ship, the Marinera, had been on the run for two weeks and was set to be escorted by a Russian submarine and warships.  The operation came a few hours ahead of President Donald Trump’s meeting with Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado. The meeting is expected to focus on Venezuela’s future following the capture of dictator Nicolás Maduro earlier this month. Trump has said he doesn’t expect Machado to have enough support to become Venezuela’s next leader.

In a bizarre, overheated primetime address that sounded less like a governor briefing his state and more like a dystopian audiobook audition, Minnesota Democratic Governor Tim Walz told Minnesotans that they are living under something resembling a federal occupation. “What’s happening in Minnesota right now defies belief,” Walz began ominously, insisting that “two to three thousand armed agents of the federal government” — whom he described as “masked, under-trained ICE agents” — are roaming the state committing acts more commonly associated with banana republics than immigration enforcement. According to Walz, these agents are “going door to door, ordering people to point out where their neighbors of color live,” pulling over Americans “indiscriminately” demanding “to see their papers,” and abducting people into “unmarked vans” in what he explicitly labeled “kidnapping innocent people with no warning, and no due process.” Walz claimed this was no longer about enforcing immigration law. “This long ago stopped being a matter of immigration enforcement,” he declared. “Instead, it’s a campaign of organized brutality against the people of Minnesota by our own federal government.” He tied the alleged abuses to the shooting death of Renee Nicole Good, accusing the Trump administration of refusing to investigate fairly and instead “devoting the full power of the federal government to finding an excuse to attack the victim and her family.” Walz also claimed that six federal prosecutors resigned rather than participate in what he called “this assault on the United States Constitution.” The Democratic governor then escalated further, warning that President Donald Trump had promised “retribution and reckoning,” which Walz labeled “a direct threat against the people of this state” for the crime of voting against Trump. Nevertheless, Walz urged Minnesotans to protest “loudly, urgently, but also peacefully,” cautioning that Trump “wants this chaos” and “wants more violence on our streets.” Then came perhaps the most remarkable moment of the speech. Walz encouraged citizens to act as civilian documentarians of federal law enforcement. “You have an absolute right to peacefully film ICE agents,” he said. “So carry your phone with you at all times … hit record.” The purpose? To “create a database of the atrocities against Minnesotans” and “bank evidence for future prosecution.” Walz promised that “accountability is coming” and assured viewers Minnesota would remain “an island of decency in a country being driven toward cruelty.” The White House was unimpressed. Its Rapid Response account mocked the glitch-ridden address, calling Walz a “loser” and a “buffoon,” and urging him to “resign in disgrace.” Tampon is currently attempting to do a live, highly produced statewide address to condemn the enforcement of our immigration laws in Minnesota… but it’s not going so well ? You’re a loser, @GovTimWalz — and you always will be. Just resign in disgrace, you buffoon. pic.twitter.com/pYhKNyZ8ra — Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) January 15, 2026