The No. 2 House Republican in Congress tore into Mayor Zohran Mamdani on Tuesday after cold weather left 18 New York City residents dead.

House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., made the comments in the context of warning that Democrats’ rejection of a bipartisan compromise on funding the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will leave critical offices — like the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) — with a dire lack of money.

‘What is not funded if the Democrats get their way? They will literally shut down funding for disaster relief and FEMA,’ Scalise said. ‘In the middle of a storm that in New York City alone — you want to see what socialism gets you — people now have frozen to death under the leadership of the socialist Mamdani. That’s what Democrat leadership gets you.’

Mamdani confirmed on Monday that an 18th person died in New York City during a period of dangerously low temperatures up and down the East Coast.

‘Since Friday’s press conference, one additional New Yorker lost their life on the streets of our city as a result of this cold snap. The total lives lost is now 18. Each life lost is a tragedy, and we will continue to hold their families in our thoughts,’ Mamdani said during a press conference about a separate issue.

He urged homeless residents to shield themselves from below-freezing temperatures at a shelter, while his administration has also deployed warming vehicles throughout the city.

Republicans, however, have accused Mamdani of not doing enough to expand access to emergency services during the bitter winter.

It’s not clear what role FEMA currently has in aiding New Yorkers during the city’s cold snap, but its potential cutoff in funding if DHS shuts down at the end of this week is one of Republicans’ main pressure points in forcing Democrats to agree to a deal.

Scalise also pointed out that the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) could also see its employees forced to work without pay if DHS funding lapsed.

‘They want to shut down TSA. So just take Atlanta’s airport, LaGuardia [in New York City]. Those two airports alone having been shut down, if the Democrats get their way, will wreak havoc with tens of millions of Americans who just want to go see their family members, want to travel for a wedding, or whatever the case may be,’ he said.

‘Maybe they’re trying to start a small business and want to go to another city to try to create some jobs. They won’t be able to do that because Democrats want to have a tantrum, not to defund ICE, because again, ICE is fully funded, but just because they want to cause chaos in America to get open borders.’

Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE), whose funding Democrats have taken issue with specifically, got an injection of billions of dollars from President Donald Trump’s big, beautiful bill last year.

Fox News Digital reached out to the New York City mayor’s office for a response to Scalise’s comments.

As U.S.-Iran diplomacy remains primarily focused on Tehran’s nuclear program, Israeli officials and analysts warn that ballistic missiles remain a central red line for Jerusalem and could shape any decision on unilateral action.

Before departing for his trip to Washington, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he plans to press Israel’s priorities in the talks. ‘I will present to the president our views regarding the principles of the negotiations — the important principles — and, in my view, they are important not only for Israel, but for anyone in the world who wants peace and security in the Middle East.’

Those priorities, Israeli officials say, extend beyond the nuclear file and include Iran’s missile capabilities. Israeli defense officials have recently warned U.S. counterparts that Iran’s ballistic missile program constitutes an existential threat to Israel and that Jerusalem is prepared to act alone if necessary, according to reporting by The Jerusalem Post.

The outlet reported that Israeli security officials conveyed in recent weeks their intent to dismantle Iran’s missile capabilities and production infrastructure through a series of high-level exchanges with Washington. Military planners outlined potential operational concepts aimed at degrading the program, including strikes on key manufacturing and development sites.

A spokesperson for Israel’s defense minister declined to comment on the issue.

Sima Shine, a former senior Israeli intelligence official and current senior researcher at the Institute for National Security Studies, told Fox News Digital that limiting talks to the nuclear issue risks missing what Israel considers the broader threat.

‘If negotiations deal only with the nuclear file and ignore the missiles, Israel will remain exposed,’ Shine said. ‘Iran treats its ballistic missile program as its main deterrence and will not give it up.’ She stressed that Tehran views them as a defensive and deterrent capability dictated by the supreme leader. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said his country would not negotiate on its ballistic missile program, rejecting a core U.S. demand and further dimming prospects for a breakthrough deal. Shine described that stance as a fundamental red line for Israel. 

She also warned that Tehran may be stalling diplomatically while assessing whether Washington will limit the talks to nuclear constraints alone.

‘They have room to show flexibility on enrichment,’ she said, noting that activity slowed after strikes on facilities, ‘but missiles are different. That they would not discuss.’

Israeli concerns extend beyond the negotiating table. A former intelligence official familiar with strategic planning said Israel retains the capability to strike independently if necessary.

‘Israel can act by itself if there is no choice,’ the former official said, adding that missile expansion and regional threats would be key triggers.

Shine says the optics of Israeli pressure on Washington could complicate matters.

‘If missiles become the central public demand, it may look as if Israel is pushing the U.S. toward military action,’ she said. ‘If that fails, Israel could be blamed.’

She added that Iran’s missile arsenal is not aimed solely at Israel but forms part of a broader deterrence strategy against the United States and regional adversaries.

For Israel, the implication is clear. A nuclear agreement that leaves Iran’s missile infrastructure untouched could be seen in Jerusalem as stabilizing the regime while leaving the most immediate threat in place. That calculation, Israeli analysts say, defines the red line.

A Senate Republican who has routinely broken from the GOP and President Donald Trump announced that she wouldn’t support efforts to pass voter ID legislation. 

Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, said in a post on X on Tuesday that she would oppose forthcoming legislation that would enact more stringent election integrity laws backed by both Trump and conservatives in the upper chamber. Her opposition underscores a reality many in the Senate already acknowledge: without extraordinary steps such as nuking the filibuster or support from Democrats (a non-starter), the effort is effectively dead on arrival.

Murkowski panned a pair of bills — the Safeguarding American Voter Eligibility Act, dubbed the SAVE America Act, and the Make Elections Great Again (MEGA) Act — two voter ID and election integrity proposals making their way through the House. 

She noted that when congressional Democrats ‘attempted to advance sweeping election reform legislation in 2021, Republicans were unanimous in opposition because it would have federalized elections, something we have long opposed.’

‘Now, I’m seeing proposals such as the SAVE Act and MEGA that would effectively do just that. Once again, I do not support these efforts,’ Murkowski said.  

Congressional Democrats under former President Joe Biden tried and failed to enact two election reform bills, the John Lewis Voting Rights Act and the For the People Act. 

Congressional Republicans strongly opposed those efforts, and argued at the time that the bills would effectively nationalize elections and give Democrats control of the election system across the country.

Conservatives’ bid to reshape the election landscape also runs into the Constitution, which delegates election authorities to state and local officials and gives the federal government little input. 

‘Not only does the U.S. Constitution clearly provide states the authority to regulate the ‘times, places, and manner’ of holding federal elections, but one-size-fits-all mandates from Washington, D.C., seldom work in places like Alaska,’ Murkowski said.  

‘Election Day is fast approaching,’ she continued. ‘Imposing new federal requirements now, when states are deep into their preparations, would negatively impact election integrity by forcing election officials to scramble to adhere to new policies, likely without the necessary resources. Ensuring public trust in our elections is at the core of our democracy, but federal overreach is not how we achieve this.’

Her pushback comes as Trump has called on the GOP to nationalize elections. House Republicans are gearing up to vote on the SAVE America Act and a cohort of Senate Republicans are eying ways to get the bill onto the Senate floor.

Several Senate Republicans, including Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., have come out against Trump’s call to nationalize elections. But public opposition to the voter ID efforts among Republicans is few and far between.

But given the political reality of the Senate, where the 60-vote filibuster threshold is an impossible bar to overcome without Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Senate Democrats’ support, the bill will likely die.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that he plans to discuss Iran and Gaza with U.S. President Donald Trump during their upcoming visit.

The foreign figure, who is traveling to the U.S. to meet with Trump, indicated that the two nations share a close bond, and that he and Trump are close as well.

‘I am now leaving for the United States for my seventh trip to meet with President Trump since he was elected for a second term. This, of course, does not include his unforgettable visit to Israel and his speech in the Knesset,’ Netanyahu noted, according to the Israeli government.

‘I think these reflect the unique closeness of the extraordinary relationship that we have with the United States, that I personally have with the President, that the State of Israel has with the United States — unprecedented in our history,’ he said.

‘On this trip we will discuss a range of issues: Gaza, the region, but of course, first and foremost, the negotiations with Iran. I will present to the President our outlook regarding the principles of these negotiations — the essential principles which, in my opinion, are important not only to Israel, but to everyone around the world who wants peace and security in the Middle East,’ Netanyahu said.

In a statement to Fox News Digital, White House spokesperson Anna Kelly declared, ‘President Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu have a great relationship and Israel has had no better friend in its history than President Trump. We continue to work closely with our ally Israel to implement President Trump’s historic Gaza peace agreement and to strengthen regional security in the Middle East.’ 

Trump issued a Truth Social post last month warning that the U.S. will attack Iran if the Islamic Republic does not negotiate a nuclear deal.

‘Iran will quickly ‘Come to the Table’ and negotiate a fair and equitable deal – NO NUCLEAR WEAPONS – one that is good for all parties,’ Trump noted in the post. 

‘As I told Iran once before, MAKE A DEAL! They didn’t, and there was ’Operation Midnight Hammer,’ a major destruction of Iran. The next attack will be far worse! Don’t make that happen again,’ he warned.

Emboldened congressional Democrats are once again expanding their battleground map for this year’s midterm elections, when Republicans will be defending their razor-thin majority in the House.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) on Tuesday added five more offensive opportunities in Colorado, Minnesota, Montana, South Carolina and Virginia to their list of what they consider are vulnerable Republican-held House districts.

That brings the total number of districts Democrats are hoping to flip to 44. The DCCC notes that all five of the new districts they’re adding to their list of ‘offensive targets’ were carried by President Donald Trump by 13 points or fewer in the 2024 elections.

Republicans currently control the House by a 218-214 majority, with two right-tilting districts and one left-leaning seat currently vacant. Democrats need a net gain of just three seats in the midterms to win back the majority for the first time in four years.

The move by the DCCC comes as Democrats are energized, despite the party’s polling woes. Democrats, thanks to their laser focus on affordability amid persistent inflation, scored decisive victories in the 2025 elections and have won or over performed in a slew of scheduled and special ballot box contests since Trump returned to the White House over a year ago.

Republicans, meanwhile, are facing traditional political headwinds in which the party in power in the nation’s capital normally suffers setbacks in the midterm elections. And the GOP is also dealing with Trump’s continued underwater approval ratings and national polls — including the latest Fox News survey — that indicate many Americans feel things are worse off than they were a year ago and remain pessimistic about the economy.

‘Democrats are on offense, and our map reflects the fact that everyday Americans are tired of Republicans’ broken promises and ready for change in Congress,’ DCCC Chair Suzan DelBene emphasized in a statement. ‘Healthcare, housing, groceries, energy bills — they are all going up, and it’s directly because of Republican policies that favor the wealthiest few while leaving hardworking families behind.’

And DelBene predicted, ‘Going into the midterms, Democrats have the winning message, top-tier candidates, and the public on our side, paving the way for a new Democratic House Majority under the leadership of a Speaker Hakeem Jeffries.’

But the rival National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) scoffed at the move by the DCCC.

‘National Democrats are daydreaming while the ground collapses beneath them. Democrats are getting demolished in the money race, their incumbents are hanging by a thread, and their disastrous primaries are producing unelectable far-left socialists. The battleground favors Republicans,’ NRCC Spokesman Mike Marinella argued in a statement to Fox News Digital.

The NRCC is currently targeting what it considers 29 vulnerable House Democrats in the midterms.

The new districts being targeted by the Democrats are Colorado’s 5th Congressional District, where Republican Rep. Jeff Crank won re-election in 2024 by 14 points. They also include Minnesota’s 1st CD and Montana’s 1st CD, where GOP Reps. Brad Finstad and Ryan Zinke are seeking re-election, and Virginia’s 5th CD, where Republican Rep. John McGuire is running for another term.

The fifth district the DCCC is adding to their target list is the open seat race in South Carolina’s 1st CD, where Republican Rep. Nancy Mace is running for governor rather than seeking re-election.