Sen. John Fetterman praises Trump administration’s capture of Maduro in Venezuela: ‘Appropriate and surgical’

Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., on Monday praised President Donald Trump’s order to capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, breaking with most Democrats’ messaging on the military operation that took place early Saturday without congressional authorization.

“I don’t know why we can’t just acknowledge that it’s been a good thing what’s happened ... We all wanted this man gone, and now he is gone,” Fetterman said during an interview on Fox & Friends Monday morning.

Fetterman’s comments come days after the Trump administration orchestrated a strike on Caracas, resulting in the capture of Maduro, Venezuela’s president since 2013, and his wife, Cilia Flores early Saturday morning

The event followed months of escalation by the U.S. military and claims from the Trump administration that Maduro is responsible for large-scale drug trafficking operations. The future of the Venezuelan government is unclear, but Trump has suggested that U.S. involvement will continue.

—The Philadelphia Inquirer

Pete Hegseth censures Sen. Mark Kelly over call to refuse ‘illegal orders’

Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., was hit with a censure letter from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Monday and could face a demotion and pension cut over a video message he made urging troops to refuse to carry out illegal orders.

Hegseth called the official letter to the retired Navy pilot and astronaut “a necessary process step” ahead of proceedings that could result in a demotion from Kelly’s rank of retired captain and a cut in the pension he receives.

“Kelly— and five other members of Congress — released a reckless and seditious video that was clearly intended to undermine good order and military discipline,” Hegseth tweeted, adding that Kelly’s remarks amounted to conduct unbecoming of an officer.

Kelly responded by vowing to fight Hegseth’s effort to punish him, calling it “outrageous” and “un-American.” “I will fight this with everything I’ve got,” said Kelly. “Not for myself, but to send a message back that Pete Hegseth and Donald Trump don’t get to decide what Americans in this country get to say about their government.”

—New York Daily News

Teachers have a right to tell parents if their child might be LGBTQ+, federal judge rules

LOS ANGELES — A federal court ruling has affirmed the free speech and religious rights of California teachers who want to tell parents about how their child is expressing gender identity at school, a victory for conservatives and parent-rights advocates that stands to rewrite state school policies if upheld.

In his late December decision, U.S. District Judge Roger Benitez concluded that federal law allows school employees to notify parents of "gender incongruence." School staff members, he wrote, are free to make a personal decision to contact a parent with information about the possible LGBTQ+ identity of their child.

His court order also bars school districts from "misleading" parents related to "their child's gender presentation at school." School employees are prohibited from "directly lying to the parent, preventing the parent from accessing educational records of the child, or using a different set of preferred pronouns/names when speaking with the parents than is being used at school."

"California public schools may be gun-free zones, but they are not First Amendment-free zones," Benitez wrote in a 52-page ruling that accompanied the court order. "Religious teachers face an unlawful choice between sacrificing their faith and sacrificing their teaching position."

—Los Angeles Times

Saudi-backed forces regain control of strategic Yemeni region

Saudi Arabia-backed forces in Yemen regained control of the strategic region of Hadramout over the weekend, following days of clashes with secessionist groups aligned with the United Arab Emirates.

The fighting has raised tensions between Abu Dhabi and Riyadh as the two Gulf powerhouses and U.S. allies back rival factions in the ongoing Yemeni civil war.

Backed by Saudi airstrikes, the National Shield Forces launched a military operation last week to retake Hadramout — which stretches from the Gulf of Aden to the Saudi border — and Al Mohra. The NSF engaged in battles with the Southern Transitional Council, which is supported by the UAE and whose forces eventually retreated.

The moves mark a significant geopolitical setback for the UAE and a gain for the Saudis, whose government has been irked by what it sees at Emirati meddling in its sphere of influence.

—Bloomberg News