House Speaker Mike Johnson on Wednesday sent a letter inviting President Donald Trump to deliver the annual State of the Union Address before a Joint Session of Congress next month. 

‘As our nation marks the Semiquincentennial Anniversary of American Independence, the United States stands stronger, freer, and more prosperous under your leadership and bold action,’ the invitation states. ‘Together in 2025, your administration and the 119th Congress delivered one of the most consequential agendas in history, and Americans across this great country will experience the tangible results of commonsense governance.’

This story is breaking. Please check back for updates. 

Minnesota’s Democratic Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, who is also running for Senate, is facing a call from one of her GOP opponents to drop out of the race amid Gov. Tim Walz’s decision to drop out of his re-election race as a massive fraud scandal continues to unfold in the state.

‘In the military, if your squad fails the mission, you certainly don’t get a promotion,’ Adam Schwarze, former U.S. Navy SEAL and Republican candidate for Minnesota Senate said in a press release this week. 

‘Governor Walz made the correct decision not to run for re-election, and I commend him for it. Now it’s time for Peggy to make her own announcement. She has worked alongside the governor in raising taxes by $18 billion and has failed to stop the ongoing waste and fraud that are driving costs even higher. Minnesotans deserve new leadership that restores affordability, integrity, and accountability.’

Flanagan, who has served alongside Walz since 2019 as the fraud crisis unfolded in the state, has faced increasing criticism in recent days, Fox News Digital reported, for not doing enough to ensure that taxpayer funds were protected. 

‘Both of these candidates sat idly by while billions were stolen from hardworking taxpayers in Minnesota,’ House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, who represents Minnesota’s 6th Congressional District, said this week about Flanagan and Dem. Rep. Angie Craig, who is also running for Senate. 

‘And just like Tim, they ought to reconsider their candidacy.’

Flanagan’s close ties to Walz date back to 2006 when she advised the governor during his successful run for Congress, and she was the only person on his list to pick for lieutenant governor years later, MPR News reported. 

‘Every major decision she has been there from the beginning and helps me see about them differently and think about them differently,’ Walz said in 2020. ‘You have a 55-year-old rural white guy who was in the Army and coached football, and you have a 39-year-old indigenous woman who lived in St. Louis Park. That brings a wealth of [ways] to approach these issues.’

Fox News Digital reached out to Flanagan’s campaign for comment.

Though she is considered a frontrunner in the race, Flanagan’s response to the scandal has garnered criticism. She was recently seen on a Somali TV station wearing a hijab at a mall to signal her support for Minnesota’s Somali community and calling them part of the ‘fabric’ of Minnesota as the federal government cracks down on the fraud scheme.

This comes as more than 90 people, most from Minnesota’s large Somali community, have been charged since 2022 in what has been described as the nation’s largest COVID-era scheme. How much money has been stolen through alleged money laundering operations involving fraudulent meal and housing programs, daycare centers and Medicaid services is still being tabulated. But the U.S. attorney in Minnesota said the scope of the fraud could exceed $1 billion and rise to as high as $9 billion.

‘We need holistic reform and holistic leadership change in Minnesota,’ Schwarze said in a video posted on X. ‘So while Walz is stepping away I would postulate this to everybody, why is Flanagan silent on all these acts, why has Flanagan not said anything? Why should Flanagan be promoted to the U.S. Senate while Walz is resigning? Valid questions, right?’

Fox News Digital’s Peter Pinedo contributed to this report.

Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., is predicting that the Cuban regime will fall, possibly in 2026 or 2027.

Scott had said during an appearance last year on ’60 Minutes’ that Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro’s days were ‘numbered,’ predicting that ‘whether it’s internal or external,’ something would ‘happen.’ 

He also predicted that the removal of Maduro would ‘be the end of Cuba.’

So far, the first part of the senator’s prediction has been fulfilled, as the U.S. captured Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro and extradited him to New York last week. 

Scott stood by his prognostication during a Tuesday appearance on NewsNation, forecasting that the end of the ‘Díaz-Canel regime’ will ‘happen.’

‘Everything takes longer than you think,’ Scott said, noting that he thinks the Cuban regime will probably fall ‘maybe this year, maybe next year.’

‘So who knows when it’s gonna happen. But we’re gonna get democracy,’ Scott said.

President Donald Trump said during a Sunday gaggle aboard Air Force One that ‘Cuba is ready to fall.’

Congressional Republicans aren’t warming up to using military action to take a long-sought prize of President Donald Trump: Greenland.

The colossal, resource-rich arctic island reentered the Trump administration’s orbit following the successful capture of former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. 

Top officials, like White House deputy chief of staff of policy Stephen Miller, reiterated earlier this week it was the position of the U.S. government that ‘Greenland should be part of the United States.’ 

While the GOP has largely championed the Trump administration’s recent military action in Venezuela, lawmakers aren’t keen on replicating the same tactics to capture the Danish territory. 

President Donald Trump has not made a push for military action there, but White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt did not rule it out during a news briefing Tuesday.

‘All options are always on the table for President Trump as he examines what’s in the best interests of the United States,’ Leavitt said. ‘But I will just say that the president’s first option always has been diplomacy.’ 

Wednesday saw several Trump administration officials provide closed-door, classified briefings on both sides of the Capitol on the strikes, next steps and a possible exit strategy in Venezuela. 

Several Republicans would not say afterward whether the topic of Greenland came up in the meeting, and many reiterated that any military action would be taboo, given that the island is a territory of Denmark, a North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) ally.

‘To invade Greenland and attack its sovereignty, a fellow NATO country, would be weapons-grade stupid,’ Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., told Fox News Digital. ‘President Trump is not weapons-grade stupid, nor is Marco Rubio.’

Miller’s comments triggered rebuttals from several of America’s European allies, who in a joint statement on Tuesday contended that Greenland ‘belongs to its people.’ 

Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., wouldn’t say whether Greenland, broadly or as a next likely target, was discussed in the classified briefing.

But he told Fox News Digital that the massive island, which could fit California, Montana and Texas combined, had been on his mind. 

‘I think that Greenland would be a huge asset to America,’ Marshall said. 

‘I don’t want any military operation in Greenland,’ he continued. ‘There’s no criminals there that I know of. I think it’s apples and oranges. It could be very critical to our national security. Going forward, I hope that we can work out a deal with Denmark.’

Despite the overseas saber-rattling, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said after the briefing he would be meeting with officials from Denmark next week, and he noted that it has ‘always been the president’s intent from the very beginning’ to buy the ice-encased island. 

‘He said it very early on,’ Rubio said. ‘I mean, this is not new. He talked about it in his first term, and he’s not the first U.S. president that has examined or looked at how could we acquire Greenland. There’s an interest there.’

Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., is one of the few Republicans who has pushed back against the administration’s most recent strikes in Venezuela and previous strikes in the Caribbean against alleged drug boats. But he didn’t appear opposed to the notion of purchasing Greenland.

‘To acquire Greenland, the best way would be not to insult them,’ Paul said. ‘If I want to buy your country, I would think I would start out with flattery and not denigration.

‘I think Greenland would have to be encouraged to further their independence movement,’ he continued. ‘Then they would have to be encouraged that being part of the U.S. would have advantages. I think they would have to vote, basically, to become part of the United States.’

In the House of Representatives, a number of Republicans who spoke with Fox News Digital similarly said they recognized the security significance of Greenland but were hesitant when asked about the possibility of military force.

‘I understand the strategic importance,’ Rep. Kevin Kiley, R-Calif., told Fox News Digital. ‘I think (military force) is not an option in this case scenario.

‘The secretary of state has made it clear that the goal is to work with our ally toward a mutually agreeable solution.’

Rep. Derek Schmidt, R-Kan., said, ‘I don’t think we should use military force,’ adding ‘discussion’ about acquiring the territory ‘never hurts.’

‘Greenland is very important strategically,’ Schmidt said. ‘That’s not a uniquely American position, that’s a NATO position. Everybody recognizes that … but I think we need to work with our allies.’

Meanwhile, Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., was more critical of the prospect of U.S. ownership.

‘This is really dumb. Greenland and Denmark are our allies. There is no upside to demeaning our friends. But, it is causing wounds that will take time to heal,’ he wrote on X this week.

President Donald Trump affirmed on Wednesday that the U.S. would ‘always be there for NATO,’ while accusing the alliance of not sharing the same commitment to aiding the U.S.

‘We will always be there for NATO, even if they won’t be there for us,’ the president wrote in a lengthy Truth Social post.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt underscored Trump’s statement of commitment to NATO during a briefing on Wednesday. When pressed further about the issue, she underscored the increase in NATO allies’ spending that occurred as a result of Trump’s push.

The president claimed responsibility for strengthening NATO, saying that his work has served as the main deterrence for China and Russia.

‘Without my involvement, Russia would have all of Ukraine right now. Remember, also, I single-handedly ended 8 wars, and Norway, a NATO member, foolishly chose not to give me the Noble Peace Prize. But that doesn’t matter! What does matter is that I saved millions of lives. Russia and China have zero fear of NATO without the United States, and I doubt NATO would be there for us if we really needed them. Everyone is lucky that I rebuilt our military in my first term, and continue to do so,’ Trump said.

The president’s remarks come as his administration works to bring an end to the Russia-Ukraine war. Additionally, Trump has faced some pushback from NATO allies in recent days over his renewed calls for the U.S. to take over Greenland, something he has said is a matter of national security. It is unclear which issue was on his mind when he made the post.

The negotiations aimed at ending the Russia-Ukraine war remain active but have yet to reach the end stage of the deal-making process. On Tuesday, the U.K. and France signed a declaration pledging troops for Ukraine under a future peace deal and with security guarantees supported by the U.S. and allied partners.

The declaration was adopted in Paris by the Coalition of the Willing and sets out what leaders said was a framework for lasting peace between Ukraine and Russia set in international law and the principles of the United Nations Charter.

A key U.S. role is outlined in plans for a continuous, U.S.-led ceasefire monitoring and verification mechanism, with contributions from partners. The U.S. would participate in a special commission to manage ceasefire breaches, attribute responsibility and determine solutions.

Meanwhile, NATO allies have expressed concern as Trump appeared to renew his push for the U.S. to take Greenland. The president told reporters on Air Force One that the U.S. needed the self-governing Danish territory for ‘national security’ reasons.

‘We need Greenland from the standpoint of national security, and Denmark is not going to be able to do it,’ Trump said.

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen on Monday warned that Trump’s threats to annex Greenland could mean the end of NATO. Frederiksen told Danish broadcaster TV2 in an interview that Trump’s threats about Greenland should be taken seriously. Since then, several world leaders, including those hailing from NATO-allied countries, have expressed concern about Trump’s remarks on Greenland.

While there are no clear plans in the works for annexing Greenland, White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller insisted in a recent interview that ‘nobody’ would fight the U.S. over control of the island, Axios reported.

Fox News Digital’s Emma Bussey and Ashley Carnahan contributed to this report.

A House GOP lawmaker is working to find more information after learning one of her constituents was possibly detained by Venezuela’s government.

Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, R-N.Y., told Fox News Digital she was ‘advocating for the State Department to assist’ with a U.S. citizen from her district who is possibly being held by the Latin American government.

‘My biggest issue at the moment is that I have a constituent that is suspected of being unlawfully detained by the Venezuelan government,’ Malliotakis told Fox News Digital.

She said she was appealing to the State Department to use its ‘leverage’ to get the man released.

The New York City-area Republican said he had likely been detained for ‘a couple of weeks,’ before Maduro’s ouster.

Malliotakis said his family suspected him of being unlawfully detained, but it’s not clear if he’s classified as such by the U.S. government.

Her office sent Fox News Digital a longer statement, ‘While we have not been contacted by the family of James Luckey-Lange, we learned about the situation from the media on Friday and immediately contacted the U.S. Department of State.’

‘For months, the State Department has advised American citizens not to travel to Venezuela, determining a very high risk of wrongful detention of U.S. nationals in the country. While we have not yet been able to confirm he has been detained, we are engaged, actively monitoring the situation, and have elevated our concern directly to the White House and the Secretary of State, and the State Department has been in contact with the family,’ Malliotakis’ office said.

‘It is our hope that our constituent will soon safely return to the United States.’

Fox News Digital reached out to the State Department for further information. A State Department spokesperson responded to the inquiry, ‘The United States has no higher priority than the safety and security of U.S. citizens. We are aware of reports of U.S. citizens detained in Venezuela. Due to privacy and safety concerns, we have nothing further at this time.’

Her comments came after a House-wide classified briefing on the government’s Venezuela operation on Wednesday, which was led by top Trump administration officials.

Maduro and his wife, Celia Flores, were extracted after precision strikes in the capital city of Caracas and are currently facing trial on terrorism-related charges at the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Southern District of New York.

A story published in the Staten Island Advance, a local outlet in Malliotakis’ district, cited the New York Post in naming Luckey-Lange as being potentially detained by Venezuela since arriving there in December.

The outlets reported that it’s not clear if he had a visa to enter Venezuela.

President Donald Trump said last weekend that the U.S. would ‘run’ the country until an adequate transition were to occur. 

Meanwhile, Maduro’s vice president, Delcy Rodríguez, was sworn in as acting president on Tuesday.

President Donald Trump is again amplifying his push for the U.S. to acquire Greenland, reinvigorating his repeated comments earlier in his political career that the territory nestled between North America and Europe in the Arctic Circle is a strategic asset for the U.S. 

Trump confirmed Saturday that the U.S. military had successfully executed an operation in Venezuela that led to the arrests of the nation’s dictatorial leader, Nicolás Maduro, and his wife. 

The operation was swiftly followed by Trump putting ‘anyone who would threaten American sovereignty or endanger American lives’ on notice. Cuba, for instance, is likely ‘in a lot of trouble’ for ‘propping up Maduro,’ according to Secretary of State Marco Rubio. 

Amid the warnings, Trump was pressed about plans to potentially acquire Greenland, which he has previously floated while touting its strategic location for national security purposes. 

‘We need Greenland from a national security situation. It’s so strategic. Right now. Greenland is covered with Russian and Chinese ships all over the place,’ Trump said from Air Force One Sunday as he traveled back to Washington from his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida. 

Trump initially said he did not want to discuss Greenland and wanted to instead focus questions on Venezuela, Russia or Ukraine before teasing that more would follow on Greenland in the coming months. 

‘We’ll worry about Greenland in about two months. Let’s talk about Greenland in 20 days,’ he told the media. 

Trump added that the U.S. needs to acquire ‘Greenland from the standpoint of national security, and Denmark is not going to be able to do it.’ 

He continued that acquiring the territory would benefit both the U.S. and European Union from a security standpoint.

‘The European Union needs us to have it, and they know that,’ the president said before moving on to other questions. 

Greenland was a strategic outpost during the Cold War, sitting astride the shortest routes between North America and the Soviet Union across the Arctic. The U.S. expanded its presence at the airbase, now known as Pituffik Space Base, using it as a key location for early-warning radar and surveillance meant to detect incoming bombers and missiles. 

U.S. interest in Greenland also would likely counter China’s growing Arctic ambitions and deny Beijing a foothold in the region. China published its first Arctic policy white paper in 2018, when it labeled itself a ‘near-Arctic state,’ while promoting a ‘Polar Silk Road’ as part of its broader Belt and Road vision. Trump first publicly mentioned interest in Greenland in 2019. 

The Arctic is the shortest corridor for long-range threats from adversaries such as China or Russia, making Greenland a prime place for early-warning and tracking sensors that protect North America. 

Trump views acquiring Greenland as a national security priority, the White House reiterated Tuesday, and the use of the U.S. military remains an option as his administration weighs how to acquire the territory. 

‘President Trump has made it well known that acquiring Greenland is a national security priority of the United States,’ White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement to Fox News. 

‘The President and his team are discussing a range of options to pursue this important foreign policy goal, and, of course, utilizing the U.S. military is always an option at the commander in chief’s disposal.’

The U.S. potentially purchasing or acquiring Greenland has roots in the first Trump administration. The president first floated the purchase of the territory from Denmark in 2019. Greenland, which is the world’s largest island, is an autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark. 

‘It’s just something we’ve talked about,’ Trump said in 2019. ‘Denmark essentially owns it. We’re very good allies with Denmark. We’ve protected Denmark like we protect large portions of the world, so the concept came up.

‘Strategically, it’s interesting. And we’d be interested. We’ll talk to them a little bit,’ the president said. ‘It’s not No. 1 on the burner, I can tell you that.’

Greenland spans roughly 836,000 square miles, though most of the world’s largest island is covered by an ice sheet. It’s home to about 56,000 people, predominantly Inuit and Danes, with the capital and largest town, Nuuk, serving as the country’s political and economic hub. The island is also home to oil, natural gas and mineral resources, which could be used to manufacture batteries and other technologies. 

The amplified focus on the U.S. potentially acquiring Greenland has had a ripple effect in the administration and in Congress, with White House deputy chief of staff for policy Stephen Miller arguing it was not breaking news that Trump has genuine interest in acquiring the territory. 

‘For the United States to secure the Arctic region, to protect and defend NATO and NATO interests, obviously, Greenland should be part of the United States,’ Miller said on CNN. ‘And, so, that‘s a conversation that we‘re going to have as a country. That‘s a process we‘re going to have as a community of nations.’

CNN host Jake Tapper pressed Miller whether he could confirm military force would not be used to seize Greenland, similar to Venezuela. 

‘It wouldn’t be military action against Greenland,’ he said. ‘Greenland has a population of 30,000 people, Jake. The real question is by what right does Denmark assert control over Greenland? What is the basis of their territorial claim? What is their basis of having Greenland as a colony of Denmark?’

The rhetoric has spooked the Danes, who have long balked at Trump’s interest in buying Greenland, reiterating that the island is not for sale. 

‘It makes absolutely no sense to talk about the U.S. needing to take over Greenland. The U.S. has no right to annex any of the three countries in the Danish Kingdom,’ Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said Sunday.

‘I would therefore strongly urge the U.S. stop the threats against a historically close ally and against another country and another people, who have very clearly said that they are not for sale.’

Top European leaders have also resisted Trump’s calls for the U.S. to acquire the territory, instead reflecting that NATO allies work together to ensure the Artic is secure.  

Artic security must be ‘achieved collectively, in conjunction with NATO allies, including the United States, by upholding the principles of the U.N. Charter, including sovereignty, territorial integrity and the inviolability of borders. These are universal principles, and we will not stop defending them,’ the top leaders from the U.K., France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain and Denmark said in a joint statement. 

‘Greenland belongs to its people. It is for Denmark and Greenland, and them only, to decide on matters concerning Denmark and Greenland.’

South Carolina Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham told Fox News Tuesday, ‘I’m not saying we’re gonna go take over Greenland. I’m saying we gonna build up our military presence, and we need to create a new relationship between the United States and Greenland to make sure our investment is secure.

‘If you want a bigger presence in Greenland militarily, which everybody seems to do, and you want it to be American, which I do, then you need to look at the relationship between us and Greenland before we spend a bunch of money and put our troops on the ground.’