'New Year (is) off to a cracking start'

Republicans have a problem. With just two weeks before a deadline to avert a partial government shutdown, how do they get Democrats to fund deportation efforts? In the wake of Renee Good’s death in a shooting involving ICE officers in Minnesota, Democrats are slamming deportation efforts, possibly putting the annual homeland security bill in jeopardy. How to Fund Homeland? Rep. Pete Aguilar, D-Calif., who chairs the House Democratic Caucus, likened ICE agents to a “gestapo rounding up individuals,” in reference to Nazi Germany’s secret police force, on Jan. 13. Aguilar explained Democrats are seeking policy riders on the homeland security bill in order to rein in ICE, which is part of the Department of Homeland Security. “We like passing appropriations bills, but the appropriations bills have to be fair,” he said of the DHS funding bill. There are four bills left for the House of Representatives to pass: one funding labor, health and education; a second funding transportation, housing, and urban development; a third funding defense, and a fourth funding homeland security. The homeland security bill was originally meant to be attached to a package funding national security and the state department, as well as financial regulatory institutions. The House subsequently excluded homeland from the package, which passed on Jan. 14. “Democrats put additional language forward to our colleagues on the other side of the aisle. It’s not language that [Republicans] could support. And so ultimately, the homeland bill fell out of the package… House Democrats want accountability and oversight,” Aguilar said of the homeland security bill’s exclusion. Aguilar added that DHS “should have to continue to testify to Congress as to what they are doing to look out for the American people.” “It’s a politically very sensitive topic,” top House Republican Tom Cole, R-Okla., said of the DHS bill on Jan. 13. “That’s why we decided not to push ahead with a Homeland bill this week.”  The exclusion of the homeland bill allowed the state department funding bill—legislation funding foreign aid and humanitarian projects, which are generally supported by Democrats—to pass without having to be attached to funding for deportation efforts. Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., Democrats’ leading appropriator in the House, praised the package, saying it “continues Democrats’ rejection of cuts proposed by the Trump White House and Republicans in Congress.” Republicans could still bundle the homeland security bill together with the remaining bills in the House, although that carries the risk of jeopardizing other funding areas. To be sure, House leadership has so far been successful at settling disagreements. Just last week, Republicans were able to use a “bifurcated rule” to cobble together various House coalitions and pass a three-bill package, despite some conservatives’ opposition to the Commerce-Justice-Science bill. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., projected optimism on Tuesday about passing all the bills, telling reporters leadership is “very optimistic” about passing the final four appropriations bills. The Senate In the Senate, the partisan chasm is widening on homeland security. On Monday, Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., an appropriator, called for “no more money for DHS [Department of Homeland Security] without accountability.” Fellow appropriator Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., similarly said, “I think it is reasonable for Democrats speaking on behalf of the majority of the American public who don’t approve of what ICE is doing to say, ‘If you want to fund the Department of Homeland Security, I want to fund a Department of Homeland Security that is operating in a safe and legal manner.’” Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., acknowledged the awkwardness of the situation at a Jan. 13 press conference, and floated the unorthodox idea of a clean continuing resolution to extend current funding levels for DHS. Thune says the Homeland Security spending bill is the “obviously the hardest” to wrap up and that if the two chambers can’t reach a final agreement they could pass a stopgap spending bill for that department. pic.twitter.com/xYwrmdDzzy— Jennifer Shutt (@JenniferShutt) January 13, 2026 “Homeland is obviously the hardest [bill to pass] and it’s possible that if we can’t get an agreement that there could be some sort of a CR that funds some of these bills into the next year,” said Thune, who added that he hoped there could be some deal to pass all the bills. There is an unusual element of this year’s funding talks, however.  The July budget reconciliation bill which Republicans passed without needing any Democrat votes provided $170 billion for immigration and border enforcement, relieving some of the stress for Republican appropriators. Democrats “have never been supportive of” funding homeland security, Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., told reporters Monday. “We understood that very clearly, which is why we did so much being proactive with the ‘One Big, Beautiful Bill,’ with allowing the bill to have the funding to go enforce our laws.”  The post Will Congress Find a Way to Fund ICE? appeared first on The Daily Signal.

ICE Protesters Storming Churches Now; Hotels Kicking People Out

The first performance car I ever drove was my mother’s daily driver — a 1970 Plymouth Barracuda 383 convertible, yellow with a black top and black interior.I was 16, and that car left an impression that has never really gone away. So reviewing the all-new 2026 Dodge Charger Sixpack Plus feels especially timely.It doesn’t pretend to be the cars I grew up with, but it proves there’s still room for performance, personality, and attitude.This isn’t a throwback, and it isn’t powered by a V-8 — though I’ll admit I wish it were. Instead, Dodge has reinvented its most recognizable nameplate as a modern, gas-powered performance sedan, blending contemporary technology, standard all-wheel drive, and serious straight-line speed. The question isn’t whether this Charger is fast enough. It’s whether a muscle-car icon can evolve without losing its soul.Room for V8Power comes from a 3.0-liter twin-turbo inline-six offered in two configurations: a 420-horsepower version producing 469 lb-ft of torque and a more aggressive 550-horsepower delivering 531 lb-ft. Both pair with an eight-speed automatic transmission and standard all-wheel drive — a major departure for the Charger. Dodge has clearly left physical room under the hood for a possible V-8 revival someday, but for now, this turbo six carries the performance torch convincingly.On the road, the Charger Sixpack Plus delivers numbers that still feel worthy of the name. Zero to 60 mph takes just 3.9 seconds, the quarter-mile passes in 12.2 seconds, and top speed reaches 177 mph.Fuel economy is rated at a respectable 20 mpg combined. An active transfer case with front axle disconnect allows the car to change personalities, while a 3.45 rear axle ratio, mechanical limited-slip differential, performance suspension, and Brembo brakes keep this nearly 4,850-pound sedan composed.Launch Control, Line Lock, and an active exhaust make it clear that Dodge still expects owners to visit the drag strip — an idea reinforced by the complimentary one-day session at the Dodge/SRT High Performance Driving School.Modern muscleInside, the Charger blends muscle-era cues with modern tech in a way that feels deliberate. The leather-wrapped pistol-grip shifter, flat-top and flat-bottom steering wheel, paddle shifters, and 180-mph speedometer nod to the brand’s roots. Uconnect 5 with a 12.3-inch touchscreen, a 10.25-inch digital driver display, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and available navigation bring it firmly into the present. The standard nine-speaker Alpine audio system sounds good, while the optional 18-speaker upgrade delivers serious volume and clarity.Optional packages push the Charger noticeably upmarket. Leather performance seats, heated and ventilated fronts, heated rear seats, a head-up display, surround-view camera system, wireless charging, ambient lighting, Alexa built-in, and a power tilt-and-telescoping steering column all add comfort and convenience.Despite its performance focus, the Charger remains practical, with seating for five and up to 37 cubic feet of cargo space when the rear seats are folded.From Bludicrous to Black TopFrom the outside, the Charger Sixpack Plus still looks like a modern muscle car. Trims range from R/T Sixpack to Scat Pack and Scat Pack Plus models in both two- and four-door configurations, all with standard all-wheel drive, rear-drive mode, Launch Control, Line Lock, and dual-mode active exhaust.Options like Bludicrous blue paint, the Black Top Package, available 20-inch wheels wrapped in massive 305-section tires, and a full glass roof let buyers dial in the look. Details such as bi-function LED headlights and key-fob-activated window drop add a layer of polish.Safety tech is well covered, with standard automated emergency braking, lane-keeping assist, blind-spot monitoring, and adaptive cruise control. Optional front and rear parking sensors and side-distance warning make daily driving easier.RELATED: Why speed limits don’t make our highways safer John Chapple/Getty ImagesPlenty to likePricing for the 2026 Dodge Charger Sixpack Plus ranges from $51,990 to $64,480, with my test vehicle climbing to $68,355 when fully equipped. Warranty coverage includes three years or 36,000 miles bumper-to-bumper and five years or 60,000 miles on the powertrain, though complimentary maintenance isn’t included.There’s plenty to like here. The 550-horsepower turbo six is genuinely quick, the rear-drive mode adds real fun, and straight-line performance remains a core strength. The downside is weight — the Charger doesn’t feel like a true sports car in corners — and traditionalists will miss the sound and character of a V-8.Still, in a segment increasingly defined by electrification and downsizing, the 2026 Dodge Charger Sixpack Plus stands as a modern interpretation of American muscle. It doesn’t pretend to be the cars I grew up with, but it proves there’s still room for performance, personality, and attitude in a changing automotive landscape.

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