China accuses US of yearslong cyberattack on national time service
China’s spy agency accused the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) of hacking its national time service, alleging a yearslong cyberespionage campaign that targeted the system keeping official Beijing Time — a backbone for China’s telecommunications, finance and defense sectors. The Ministry of State Security claimed the NSA began the operation in 2022 by exploiting a text-messaging vulnerability to gain control of employee cellphones at the National Time Service Center, then used stolen credentials to access servers and implant covert tools. The alleged breach, if true, could have allowed attackers to tamper with national timekeeping — a move that experts say could disrupt communications, banking and satellite navigation across China. The NSA said in a statement it “does not confirm nor deny allegations in the media regarding its operations. Our core focus is countering foreign malign activities persistently targeting American interests, and we will continue to defend against adversaries wishing to threaten us.” MASSIVE TELECOM BUST IN MAJOR CITY IS ‘WAKE-UP CALL’ AS FOREIGN ADVERSARIES THREATEN US SECURITY: EXPERTS Chinese investigators allege the hackers deployed 42 “specialized cyberattack weapons” to implant sabotage capabilities. The attackers allegedly forged digital certificates, bypassed antivirus software and used strong encryption to erase traces to conceal activity. Tampering with the National Time Service could disrupt financial transactions, communications and satellite timing. China’s national security agency said it countered the operation by cutting off the attack chain and upgrading defenses. The Beijing statement claimed that in recent years, the U.S. has pursued “cyber hegemony,” launching hacking operations against China and across the globe. FIDDLING WHILE ROME BURNS: AMERICA IGNORES CHINA’S RISING RED TIDE But for years, U.S. officials have said the nation needs to take a more offensive approach to cyber espionage, given China’s frequent intrusions into U.S. systems. In a media statement, the U.S. Embassy in Beijing said China “is the most active and persistent cyber threat to U.S. government, private-sector and critical infrastructure networks.” The latest claim fits into years of mutual accusations of state-sponsored cyber activity between the world’s two largest powers. Beijing has frequently accused the U.S. of hacking Chinese systems, while American intelligence and private cybersecurity firms have repeatedly attributed massive data-theft campaigns – from the Microsoft Sharepoint breach to Operation Salt Typhoon – to Chinese state-linked groups. In April, Chinese authorities accused the NSA of launching attacks against networks linked to the Asian Winter Games held in February.
Dem Rep Mikie Sherrill skips 145 House votes as NJ governor’s race heats up
Rep. Mikie Sherrill, D-N.J., has the greatest number of missed votes of any lawmaker in the House of Representatives by a wide margin as she wages a tightening bid to become New Jersey’s next governor. Sherrill has no entry in 145 of the House’s votes since the 119th Congress began on Jan. 3, accounting for 53% of the measures put to the chamber. The second-closest member, Donald Norcross, D-N.J., has missed 83 votes. The record of absences stands out — even when stacked up against other candidates who have pursued statewide office in recent years. When asked about that record, Sean Higgins, communications director for Sherrill’s campaign, said the congresswoman is working to represent the state wherever possible. “Mikie Sherrill is out there every day fighting for New Jersey on critical issues, like the Gateway Tunnel Project, which Trump ‘terminated’ and said ‘is going to be dead,’” Higgins said, referring to the Trump administration’s recent freeze of billions of dollars allocated to infrastructure projects in urban centers across the country. FINAL FACEOFF: DEMOCRAT, REPUBLICAN NOMINEES IN KEY RACE FOR GOVERNOR BLAST EACH OTHER ON DEBATE STAGE Although Sherrill’s high number of missed votes isn’t unprecedented, it stands out as one of the only examples in recent years when a sitting member of the House has visibly dropped participation in the chamber amid the heightened scrutiny of a competitive bid for statewide office. To Matthew Green, director of graduate studies at the Catholic University of America, it speaks to a surprisingly tight race — in a state that has solidly voted blue in years past. “It certainly suggests that it’s a close enough race that Sherrill has to spend as much time as she can in New Jersey and that can lead to missing votes in Washington. It’s not uncommon to miss votes. But if you do that too much, your opponent can say, ‘Oh, you’re not doing the job you have now, why should the voters trust you with a new job?’” Green said. “But you only campaign once. I could see candidates saying, ‘I can miss a lot of votes, and that’s not going to hurt me when I’m running for office.’” According to polling by Fox News last week, Sherrill leads Republican challenger Jack Ciattarelli narrowly by four points, 48%–44%, among registered voters. Her lead has shrunk over the past few months, having boasted a seven-point lead over her opponent just one month before in September. Chris Russell, a strategist for the Ciattarelli campaign, noted that Sherrill’s absences have become more acute as the November election draws near. He pointed out that Sherrill missed 87% of votes in the last three months, having only participated in eight of the 63 votes in that window. “She ran for re-election to Congress in 2024 knowing full well she had no intention of doing her job. And when she did show up, the two most consequential votes she cast were to raise taxes on working people and shut down the government,” Russell said. “That Sherrill missed nearly 90% of the votes she was supposed to cast over the last three months is shameful.” Sherrill joined her Democrat colleagues in voting against a short-term spending package last month and Donald Trump’s signature tax and border security package in July. TOP GUBERNATORIAL RACE ROCKED BY ALLEGATIONS OF LEAKS AND DIRTY TRICKS AMID IMPROPER MILITARY RECORDS RELEASE In the years since proxy voting was eliminated in 2023 that had been in place to accommodate the COVID-19 pandemic, only one member of the House running for a statewide election has missed a comparable number of votes to Sherrill. Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., who ran for the Senate in 2024, participated in only 52% of the chamber’s votes. But unlike the New Jersey lawmaker, Schiff enjoyed a dominant lead over his opponent; he won his election by a commanding 17.8% margin. On the other side of the coin, Rep. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., who also ran for Senate that year, won her election by just 0.3% but managed to participate in 99% of the chamber’s deliberations. Aside from Schiff, the six other members pursuing a Senate bid that year had a voting participation record of 80% or higher. Notably, the only other member pursuing a governorship in 2025, former Rep. Abigail Spanberger, R-Va., decided not to pursue re-election last year as she launched a bid to become the next governor of Virginia. NEW JERSEY GOVERNOR’S RACE: DEMOCRAT SHERRILL LEADS REPUBLICAN CIATTERELLI BY SIX POINTS IN 2026 BELLWETHER Green, the professor from Catholic University, said there’s no hard and fast rule in American politics when it comes to expectations about resigning office for a campaign. He pointed to candidates who made news for unexpectedly resigning seats to pursue a different post. “We don’t have a norm in this country about people resigning an office to run for another office. In the 1996 presidential election, Robert Dole, who was running against [Bill] Clinton, said, ‘I’m going to leave the Senate while I’m running for president,’ and that got national attention. I wouldn’t have expected Sherrill to do the same thing. But of course that’s a risk.” Despite a gap that’s closed in recent months, Russell, the Ciattarelli strategist, emphasized that Sherrill still leads the race with just three weeks to go until Election Day on Nov. 4. “Jack Ciattarelli doesn’t have the backbone to stand up to his boss in the White House. No wonder Jack continues to trail, even in Fox News’ polling, where he can’t break through the mid-40s, and voters are rejecting him on healthcare, costs, taxes and utilities. Sad!” The early voting period for the governor’s race begins on Oct. 25 and runs through Nov. 2.
With legacy on the line, Obama hitting campaign trail to boost Democrats in key governor elections
With Election Day in New Jersey and Virginia’s very competitive and combustible races for governor just two weeks away, Democrats are bringing in one of their party’s best campaign trail closers. Former President Barack Obama will headline rallies in New Jersey and Virginia — the only two states in the nation to hold gubernatorial contests the year after a presidential election — on Nov. 1, the Saturday before Election Day. For Democrats, who are aiming to escape the political wilderness after last year’s stunning election setbacks when they lost the White House and Senate majority and fell short in winning back the House, the 2025 ballot box showdowns are their first major shot at redemption, and they hope that Obama’s two-state swing will energize their base voters. But for the former president, whose crowning domestic achievement — the Affordable Care Act, which is better known as Obamacare — is front-and-center in the current federal government shutdown and a top issue on the 2025 campaign trail, his return to the campaign trail is also about protecting his legacy. BATTLE FOR GOVERNOR IN THIS CLOSELY WATCHED RACE MAY BE HEADED FOR A PHOTO FINISH “President Obama reminds us what we can accomplish when we leaders are unafraid to take on big challenges to deliver,” New Jersey Democratic gubernatorial nominee Rep. Mikie Sherrill said in a statement. “He led historic efforts to insure millions of Americans and lower healthcare costs.” And taking aim at the GOP nominee in the race, Sherrill argued, “The contrast couldn’t be clearer. Jack Ciattarelli is supporting Trump’s attacks on New Jersey, from terminating the Gateway Tunnel Project to kicking hundreds of thousands of New Jerseyans off their healthcare. I am so grateful to have President Obama’s support and endorsement in this race as we harness our momentum to mobilize New Jerseyans to vote.” Sherrill, who appears to be barreling toward an Election Day photo finish with Ciattarelli, announced on Tuesday that Obama will headline a rally with her in Newark on Nov. 1. And former Rep. Abigail Spanberger, the Democratic nominee in Virginia who’s facing off against Republican rival Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle Sears, announced that the former president would headline a rally with her that same day, in Norfork. HEAD HERE FOR THE LATEST FOX NEWS REPORTING ON THE 2025 ELECTIONS “Virginia’s elections are some of the most important in the country this year, and I am proud to endorse Abigail Spanberger for Governor. Republican policies are raising costs on working families so billionaires can get massive tax cuts,” Obama said in a statement. Spanberger and Earle-Sears are running to succeed term-limited GOP Gov. Glenn Youngkin. State law in Virginia bars incumbent governors from serving a second consecutive four-year term. In New Jersey, polls suggest Ciattarelli is closing the gap with Sherrill in the race to succeed term-limited Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy. FIVE KEY RACES TO WATCH WITH TWO WEEKS UNTIL ELECTION DAY Ciattarelli’s campaign claimed that Obama’s upcoming appearance on the New Jersey campaign trail is a sign of weakness for the Democrats. “National and New Jersey Democrats are in full-blown panic. At this point, we expect them to import anyone they think can excite Democrats because Mikie Sherrill excites no one,” Ciattarelli campaign chief strategist Chris Russell argued in a statement to Fox News Digital. Ciattarelli, who’s making his third straight run for Garden State governor and who nearly upset Murphy four years ago, has good reason to be optimistic he can pull off a victory in blue-leaning New Jersey. In a state where registered Democrats still outnumber Republicans despite a GOP surge in registration this decade, three public opinion polls released last week — from Fox News, Quinnipiac University and Fairleigh Dickinson University — indicated Ciattarelli gaining ground. The Fox News poll conducted Oct. 10–14, put Sherrill at 50% support among likely voters, with Ciattarelli at 45%. Sherrill’s 5-point advantage was down from an 8-point lead in Fox News’ September survey in New Jersey. While Democrats have long dominated federal and state legislative elections in blue-leaning New Jersey, Republicans are very competitive in gubernatorial contests, winning five out of the past 10 elections. THE POLITICAL BOMB TRUMP EXPLODED IN THE NEW JERSEY SHOWDOWN FOR GOVERNOR And President Donald Trump made major gains in New Jersey in last year’s presidential election, losing the state by only six percentage points, a major improvement over his 16-point deficit four years earlier. Multiple sources confirmed to Fox News that Trump will hold a tele-rally with Ciattarelli ahead of Election Day. Trump, on Monday night, took to social media to tout that “Jack is a man who will bring costs and prices down, rapidly, but in particular, energy costs, because he knows that everything else will follow.” Last week, Ciattarelli was joined at a jam-packed diner stop in Saddle Brook, New Jersey, by Vivek Ramaswamy, the MAGA rock star who is running for governor next year in his home state of Ohio. And this week another well-known Republican politician in MAGA world is headed to New Jersey. Fox News learned that Rep. Byron Donalds of Florida, a top House ally of the president who has Trump’s backing as he runs next year for Florida governor, will team up with Ciattarelli on Wednesday. The stops by the high-profile surrogates and Trump’s tele-rally may help Ciattarelli energize MAGA supporters, many of whom are low propensity voters who often skip casting ballots in non-presidential election years. It’s the same story for the Democrats. Sherrill had plenty of company on the campaign trail this past weekend from major Democratic Party surrogates, including two of the biggest names in the party — Govs. Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan and Wes Moore of Maryland — who are considered potential 2028 White House contenders. And with Obama, Sherrill and Spanberger are landing the most popular and most well-known Democrat in the nation. According to a Gallup poll conducted in January, Obama had a 59% favorable rating among Americans, higher than any other living former president. And
Defiant Sliwa says ‘I am not dropping out’ of NYC mayor race: ‘Under no circumstance’
Republican New York City mayoral candidate Curtis Sliwa rejected calls for him to withdraw from the race on Tuesday. Sliwa was defiant during a morning press conference outside a Manhattan subway station, after many political observers called on him to withdraw from the race in order for Andrew Cuomo to defeat the Democratic nominee, Zohran Mamdani. “So let’s be very clear. I am not dropping out. Under no circumstance. I’ve already been offered money to drop out, I said no. Distant from that, with threats against Nancy and myself, I now have to have armed security with me, former NYPD officers. Never had that in my life,” Sliwa said Tuesday. One commuter walking by the press conference yelled, “Drop out already!” BILL ACKMAN JUMPS INTO NYC MAYORAL FIGHT, SAYS SLIWA MUST DROP OR ‘WE ARE TOAST’ Sliwa lashed out at Cuomo, arguing the independent candidate was not putting real effort into his campaign. Instead, he said, Cuomo was simply relying on Sliwa to drop out of the race. DAVID MARCUS: IT’S NOT CURTIS SLIWA’S JOB TO SAVE THE DEMOCRAT PARTY FROM ITSELF Several prominent figures have called on Sliwa to withdraw, including billionaire John Castimatidis, who is CEO of WABC Radio and Red Apple Media. Catsimatidis, a Republican who launched his own mayoral campaign in 2013, cited concerns “that Sliwa’s continued candidacy could split the vote and inadvertently help another candidate.” “Catsimatidis said the move is essential to consolidating support behind a ‘viable alternative’ and avoiding what he described as a potentially damaging outcome for the city if the vote remains divided,” a press release from his office said. Sliwa rejected the push at the time, telling Fox News Digital, “The billionaires can conspire to pick their candidate… I trust the people. They will make the decision. I will not drop out.” Sliwa is currently on a leave of absence from WABC Radio, where he has worked for decades, while running for NYC mayor. Mamdani has appeared amused by the situation, however. “I never thought I would say this, but here we are, where the only candidates who agree that billionaires shouldn’t control the future of this city are the Republican nominee and the Democratic nominee,” the democratic socialist said.
US military buildup in Caribbean sees bombers, Marines and warships converge near Venezuela
The United States has significantly increased its military presence across the Caribbean under U.S. Southern Command, deploying bombers, warships and Marines as part of an expanded campaign targeting drug-trafficking and so-called “narco-terrorist” networks operating near Venezuela. In addition to seven strikes on boats believed to be carrying narcotics, the Trump administration has built up thousands of troops in the region. War Secretary Pete Hegseth this month announced the creation of a new counter-narcotics Joint Task Force operating near Southern Command, saying it was established “to crush the cartels, stop the poison, and keep America safe.” The task force will coordinate air, maritime and special-operations missions across the region — marking the largest U.S. military effort in the Caribbean in decades. U.S. Air Force B-52H Stratofortress bombers and Marine Corps F-35B Lightning II fighters recently conducted a bomber attack demonstration over the region — a show of force captured in War Department imagery. For four hours on Wednesday, B-52s from Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana patrolled near Venezuela’s coast in a display of military might aimed at Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro. TRUMP UNLEASHES US MILITARY POWER ON CARTELS. IS A WIDER WAR LOOMING? At least seven U.S. Navy warships and one nuclear submarine are believed to be patrolling the region. The USS Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group is also operating in the Caribbean Sea. Ship spotters photographed the flagship USS Iwo Jima (LHD-7) off the coast of Ponce, Puerto Rico, on Friday. The group includes USS Fort Lauderdale (LPD-28), USS San Antonio (LPD-17) and the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), based at Camp Lejeune and Marine Corps Air Station New River, N.C. The 22nd MEU comprises Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 263 (Reinforced), Combat Logistics Battalion 26 and Battalion Landing Team 3/6. Three U.S. Navy guided-missile destroyers — USS Jason Dunham (DDG-109), USS Gravely (DDG-107) and USS Stockdale (DDG-106) — are currently deployed in the Caribbean, joined by the guided-missile cruiser USS Lake Erie (CG-70) and the littoral combat ship USS Wichita (LCS-13), which has been operating near Cuba. Open-source reporting indicates that a U.S. nuclear-powered attack submarine has been deployed near Venezuela, although the exact number of nuclear vessels and their precise locations have not been confirmed by the Pentagon. WAR DEPARTMENT LAUNCHES NEW COUNTER-NARCOTICS TASK FORCE UNDER TRUMP DIRECTIVE TO CRUSH CARTELS In Puerto Rico, the U.S. has deployed ten F-35 fighter jets and at least three MQ-9 Reaper drones, transforming the island into a key logistics and surveillance hub for operations in the region. Reuters imagery from Aguadilla, Puerto Rico, shows the drones staged for use. Recent photos also show that Naval Station Roosevelt Roads, a major U.S. facility closed in 2004, has been reactivated. Satellite images and on-site photos reveal aircraft and personnel operating from the base, including at least one AC-130J Ghostrider gunship equipped with Hellfire missiles parked at José Aponte de la Torre Airport, which serves the installation. Special-operations aviation has increased as well. In early October, MH-6 “Little Bird” light-attack helicopters — typically used by U.S. Army Special Operations Forces — and MH-60M Black Hawks were spotted training off the coast of Trinidad and Tobago, according to images first published by The Washington Post. The Pentagon has not detailed how long the buildup will last, but a New York Times report estimates about 10,000 U.S. troops are currently operating in the theater — the largest American presence in the region in decades. U.S. defense officials have linked the deployments to ongoing counter-narcotics and counter-terrorism missions tied to recent strikes on vessels accused of trafficking drugs from Venezuela. The moves come as tensions escalate following Colombia’s claim that one of the U.S. strikes killed a fisherman, not a trafficker — an accusation the White House has denied. SECRETARY OF WAR HEGSETH LANDS IN PUERTO RICO AS US RAMPS UP CARIBBEAN CARTEL FIGHT WITH NAVAL FORCES Analysts say the combination of heavy bombers, stealth fighters, Marines and Navy surface combatants underscores a shift from law-enforcement interdiction to a broader show of force aimed at deterring state-linked trafficking networks. “This is a posture we haven’t seen in the Caribbean since the early 2000s,” said one defense analyst familiar with U.S. operations in the region. “It’s clearly meant to send a message — not just to traffickers, but to governments accused of enabling them.” Experts generally agree the U.S. buildup does not suggest preparations for all-out war. Mark Cancian, a senior defense adviser at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, told Fox News Digital that such a campaign would require between 50,000 and 100,000 U.S. troops — far more than the roughly 10,000 currently in theater. “What I think they’ve put in place is the capability to launch strikes at either the cartels or the Maduro regime,” Cancian said. “If I had to bet, it’s probably against the cartels — but I wouldn’t rule out something against the regime.” That limited but flexible posture reflects what some experts describe as a modern form of coercive diplomacy. “It sort of looks like we’re in the throes of a 21st-century version of gunboat diplomacy,” said Brandan Buck, a foreign policy analyst at the Cato Institute. “The Trump administration is doing what it can to force some sort of transition [of] power — out of Maduro’s hands and into someone else’s — without a classic invasion.” Ryan Berg, director of the Americas Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said the current deployment gives Washington strike options without committing to a major ground war. “The force posture currently in the southern Caribbean is consonant with the potential for precision strikes using Tomahawk missiles or other weapons, but without risking the lives of U.S. service personnel,” Berg said.
State Department blasts Dems over shutdown, says national security at risk amid Senate battle
FIRST ON FOX: Secretary Marco Rubio’s Department of State unleashed on Democrats over the federal government shutdown and revealed the hypocrisy of former State Department officials, noting how detrimental a shutdown is for the country. The federal government is nearing three weeks of being shut down as many government employees received a partial paycheck during the last pay period and face a full missed paycheck in the coming days. “President Trump is delivering historic peace deal after historic peace deal,” State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott told Fox News Digital. “Congressional Democrats are delivering a shutdown that undermines our national security.” ‘DEMOCRAT SHUTDOWN’ WILL NEXT JEOPARDIZE US NUCLEAR STOCKPILE WITH IMMINENT FURLOUGHS: WHITE HOUSE The holdup in Washington lies in the Senate, where Democrats are insistent that Republicans undo Medicaid policy changes that were signed into law under President Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Senate Democrats will have to break ranks with Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., in order to break the 60-vote threshold required to pass a continuing resolution which would reopen the government through late November. “Congressional Democrats have decided to jeopardize our national security with their politically motivated government shutdown,” a State Department official told Fox News Digital. “Republicans on Capitol Hill are prepared to move forward with a clean continuing resolution, but instead, Democrats are trying to exploit this moment to push their political pet projects like healthcare for illegal immigrants, continuing wasteful COVID payments, and harmful climate extremism,” the State Department official added. CHARLAMAGNE THA GOD SAYS DEMOCRATS ARE LOSING THE SHUTDOWN MESSAGING BATTLE Republicans currently hold 53 seats in the Senate, though Sens. John Fetterman, D-Pa., and Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., have crossed the aisle and voted to reopen the government in some of the previous 10 failed votes. “By putting the American people last, Democrats are forcing the American people to have a State Department with limited diplomatic engagement around the world, significantly reduced communications, and disruptions that will impact U.S. foreign policy,” the State Department official explained to Fox News Digital. “While we will undergo every possible effort to ensure critical missions continue, the Democrats’ obstruction will have serious impacts on the national security interests of the United States,” the official continued. REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK: GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN STALLS AS DEMOCRATS DEMAND OBAMACARE SUBSIDY EXTENSION The State Department also noted commentary from previous administrations that undermines the Democrat messaging surrounding the shutdown. “A self-inflicted wound, like the shutdown that we just endured, can never happen again,” former Secretary of State John Kerry said in Oct. 2013. “As President Obama said, the shutdown ‘encouraged our enemies…emboldened our competitors, and it depressed our friends who look to us for steady leadership.’” “I believe that those standing in the way [of a resolution] need to think long and hard about the message that we send to the world when we can’t get our own act together,” Kerry said of the 2013 shutdown. SENATE DEMS EMBOLDENED BY WEEKEND RALLIES BLOCK GOP PLAN TO END SHUTDOWN FOR 11TH TIME Former Secretary of State and Democratic nominee for president Hillary Clinton also noted the detrimental effects of a government shutdown in 2013, saying that “the partial government shutdown is emblematic of too many people in politics choosing scorched earth over common ground.” “We can’t let partisanship override citizenship,” Clinton said at the 2013 Sacerdote Great Names address. Former Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who served under the Biden administration, said, “if we’re serious about U.S. leadership in the world, we can’t keep operating without knowing whether we’ll have a budget for the next fiscal year, forcing us to impose harmful cuts and hiring freezes,” during spending battles last year.” Another date has not yet been set for an additional vote on a continuing resolution to extend the funding of the government, though Senate Majority Leader John Thune said there may be additional votes held this week.
Johnson, Scalise demand answers after suspected Hamas operative discovered on US soil
FIRST ON FOX: House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., is sounding alarms to the Trump administration after a man allegedly involved in the Oct. 7, 2023, terror attack in Israel was arrested in Louisiana. Scalise led Republicans in his state’s delegation, including Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., in a letter to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem about the case of Mahmoud Amin Ya’qub Al-Muhtadi. The lawmakers asked for a briefing from Bayou State lawmakers as well as information on any other potential terror threats, which they blamed on the record surge of illegal immigrants coming across the U.S.-Mexico border under former President Joe Biden. ‘GO TO HELL!’ HAMAS CO-FOUNDER SNAPS AFTER BEING QUESTIONED ON OCT. 7 AFTERMATH “We appreciate the job you are doing to keep Americans safe here at home and write you as members of the Louisiana congressional delegation to request a briefing regarding how Mahmoud Amin Ya’qub Al-Muhtadi came to reside in Lafayette, Louisiana, after entering the United States in 2024 during the Biden administration’s dangerous open borders policy,” Scalise’s letter said. He cited public information and reports that “Al-Muhtadi is alleged to have participated in the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led terrorist attacks against Israel and to have entered the United States the following year after falsely concealing his affiliations on his visa application.” “He was later located living and working in Lafayette, Louisiana, before being taken into custody by federal authorities,” the lawmakers wrote. “We would also like to be informed about any additional terrorist threats in our state due to President Biden’s dangerous and deadly immigration policies.” The letter is also signed by Louisiana Republican Reps. Julia Letlow and Clay Higgins, as well as Sens. John Kennedy and Bill Cassidy. The DOJ, which announced Al-Muhtadi’s arrest late last week, said he entered the country under false pretenses on Sept. 12, 2024. A press release by the department accused the 33-year-old of being part of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine’s (DFLP) military wing, a Gaza-based group it says participated in the attack alongside Hamas. ISRAEL’S COVERT CAMPAIGN TARGETS HAMAS TERRORISTS BEHIND OCT 7 MASSACRE “As set forth in documents filed yesterday, on October 7, when Al-Muhtadi learned of the unfolding barbaric attack on Israel and civilians from multiple nations, including the United States, he sprang into action,” said Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg. “He armed himself, recruited additional marauders, and then entered Israel, where there is evidence placing him near one of the worst-hit Israeli communities.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Scalise told Fox News Digital of his letter, “President Biden put our state and country at risk by allowing this Hamas terrorist, who committed atrocities in Israel on October 7, to enter our country and take up residence in Lafayette, LA.” “It is disgusting that Democrats’ failed open border policies allowed this to happen, putting our national security and the lives of Louisiana families at great risk,” Scalise said. “I’m grateful President Trump and the FBI are taking swift action to keep Americans safe from this terrorist.” There were multiple reported instances of people suspected of terror affiliations entering the country under the prior administration’s watch. In March of last year, a 22-year-old linked to Hezbollah was caught by border agents in Texas and immediately taken into federal law enforcement custody, according to the New York Post. He was deported earlier this year. Fox News Digital reached out to DHS for a response but did not immediately hear back.
Charged for saying ‘I love Muhammad’, India’s Muslims decry gov’t crackdown
Lucknow, India – On the evening of September 4, an illuminated signboard lit up a predominantly Muslim neighbourhood in Kanpur, an industrial town in India’s northern state of Uttar Pradesh. The signboard said: “I love Muhammad” – with a red heart standing in for the word, love. Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of list It was the first time the mainly working-class residents in Kanpur’s Syed Nagar had put up such a sign as part of the decorations as they joined millions of Muslims around the world to celebrate Prophet Muhammad’s birthday. The day, marked as Eid Milad-un-Nabi across South Asia, involves the faithful organising religious gatherings, Quran recitations, and sermons about the prophet’s life and teachings. At some places, the celebrations include mass processions, with people carrying posters to express their love and reverence for the prophet. In Syed Nagar, however, as soon as the words glowed, a group of Hindu men swooped in, objecting to the celebration. Police were called in, and following a ruckus that lasted hours, the signboard was removed late that night. Charges related to promoting enmity between different religious groups, as well as deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage the religious feelings of another community, were filed against nine Muslim men and 15 unidentified people from Syed Nagar. No arrests have been made so far. Police attacking Muslim demonstrators in Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh, India [Al Jazeera] Mohit Bajpayee, a Syed Nagar resident affiliated with a Hindu group named Sri Ramnavmi Samiti, said he had no objection to the text, ‘I love Muhammad’, but to the placement of the signboard at a place used by them for a Hindu festival. Advertisement “All religions have equal rights under the constitution,” he told Al Jazeera. “But the sign was put up at a location where our Ram Navami decorations are usually displayed. Everyone has a right to follow their religion, but new traditions should not be started in new locations.” But the Muslim residents of Syed Nagar say the signboard was put up at a public place they converged at every year for the prophet’s birth anniversary. “We had official permission for the decorations. Everyone has the right to practise their religion under the constitution,” said a 28-year-old resident who is one of those charged, unwilling to reveal his identity over fears of further action by the government. MA Khan, the lawyer for the accused in Kanpur, told Al Jazeera that the Muslim men were also accused of tearing a banner of the Hindu community during the Eid Milad-un-Nabi procession on September 5. “Many of those named were not even present in the procession,” he said. ‘Disturbing communal harmony’ Uttar Pradesh is home to 38 million Muslims – more than the entire population of Saudi Arabia – comprising nearly 20 percent of India’s most populous state. Since 2017, the politically crucial state has been governed by Yogi Adityanath, a hardline Hindu monk known for his anti-Muslim speech and policies, and a prominent politician from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu majoritarian Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Days later, the spark from Kanpur ignited a fire some 270km (168 miles) away, in another Uttar Pradesh town called Bareilly – headquarters of the Barelvi sect of Sunni Muslims, who number between 200 million to 300 million across the world. On September 10, the state police registered a first information report (FIR) against nine Muslims in Bareilly, including a religious scholar, accusing them of “disturbing communal harmony” and starting a “new tradition” that threatened public order. A Muslim woman protesting in Lucknow, India [Naeem Ansari/Al Jazeera] On September 21, Maulana Tauqeer Raza Khan, chief of a Muslim group called Ittehad-e-Millat Council (IMC) and descendant of Imam Ahmed Raza Khan, the founder of the Barelvi sect, announced a protest over the FIRs filed in Bareilly and Kanpur, and urged his supporters to gather at a ground after Friday prayers on September 26 to denounce the police action. The district administration denied Khan permission for the rally. On September 25, the IMC issued a statement asking people not to gather for the protest. But hours later, Khan’s supporters allegedly circulated a social media message, claiming the IMC statement was fake and aimed at defaming the Muslim body. Advertisement The next day, thousands of Muslims assembled near a famous Muslim shrine in Bareilly after the Friday prayers, holding “I love Muhammad” posters and raising slogans against the police for their action in Kanpur. District authorities alleged that the march was unauthorised and accused some participants of pelting stones at the police and vandalising public property. The police responded with a baton charge, and arrested Khan and dozens of others, as authorities shut down the internet in the town. Police attacking Muslim demonstrators in Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh, India [Al Jazeera] In a video message recorded before his arrest, Khan said the crackdown was a targeted suppression of religious expression. “Attempts to suppress our religious sentiments will backfire,” he warned. A day later, while speaking at an event in the state capital, Lucknow, Chief Minister Adityanath condemned the Bareilly unrest as a “well-orchestrated attempt” to disturb social harmony. “Sometimes, people are not able to shun their bad habits easily. For that, some denting-painting is required … You saw that in Bareilly yesterday. A maulana [Muslim scholar] forgot who is in power,” he said in Hindi, without naming anyone. The “denting-painting” soon followed, as has been the pattern with Adityanath’s crackdown on Muslims accused of disrupting public order. A banquet hall belonging to one of the accused was bulldozed by the authorities in Bareilly. ‘Government wants to instil fear’ Demolition of homes and commercial properties belonging to Muslims accused of a range of crimes has become a common practice in Uttar Pradesh and other BJP-ruled states, despite India’s top court recently banning what it called the “bulldozer justice”. Rights groups say such demolitions are a form of extralegal punishment that bypasses judicial processes and devastates families economically. While the Uttar Pradesh government claimed the demolitions in
What caused Amazon’s AWS outage, and why did so many major apps go offline?
A major outage at Amazon Web Services (AWS) on Monday disrupted a large portion of the internet, taking down apps, websites and online tools used by millions of people around the world, before services were eventually restored. From banking apps and airlines to smart home devices and gaming platforms, the hours-long breakdown revealed how much of modern life depends on cloud’s infrastructure. Recommended Stories list of 1 itemend of list Here is what we know: What happened and what caused the AWS outage? At about 07:11 GMT, Amazon’s cloud service experienced a major outage, meaning some of its systems stopped working, which disrupted many popular apps and websites, including banks, gaming platforms and entertainment services. The problem started in one of AWS’s main data centres in Virginia, its oldest and biggest site, after a technical update to the API – a connection between different computer programmes – of DynamoDB, a key cloud database service that stores user information and other important data for many online platforms. The root cause appears to have been an error in the update that affected the Domain Name System (DNS), which helps apps find the correct server addresses. A DNS works like the internet’s phone book, turning website names into the numeric IP addresses that computers use to connect to servers. Because of the DNS issue, apps could not find the IP address for DynamoDB’s API and were unable to connect. As DynamoDB went down, other AWS services also began to fail. In total, 113 services were affected by the outage. By 10:11 GMT, Amazon said that all AWS returned to normal operations, but there was a backlog “of messages that they will finish processing over the next few hours”. Advertisement At the time of publication, Downdetector, a website that tracks internet outages based on user reports, was still showing problems with platforms such as OpenAI, ESPN and Apple Music. Updated look at the total impact of the AWS Outage up to this point!https://t.co/Bgpm1fFGtf pic.twitter.com/TAAxjagNl6 — Downdetector (@downdetector) October 20, 2025 What is a cloud and what exactly is AWS? A cloud is a way of storing and using data or programmes over the internet instead of on your computer or other physical storage devices. When people say something is “in the cloud”, it means the files, apps or systems are running on powerful computers (called servers) in data centres owned by companies like Amazon (AWS), Google or Microsoft, not on your personal device. In this case, AWS allows companies to rent computing power and storage. It supplies the technology that runs websites, apps and many online services behind the scenes. One of AWS’s core services is DynamoDB, a database that stores important information for companies, such as customer records. On Monday, Amazon reported that customers were unable to access their DynamoDB data. AWS is the biggest cloud service provider in the world. Cloud outages are not rare, but they have become more noticeable as more companies rely on these services every day. “The fallout impacted people across a number of different spheres,” Joshua Mahony, the chief market analyst at Scope Markets, told Al Jazeera. [But] of course this kind of comes with the territory with tech companies; the key is they can resolve it quickly, and it doesn’t cost them a lot of money.” He said Amazon would likely weather the storm from the incident. “You’re looking at something that is relatively contained,” he said. “Amazon Web Services has cornered 30 percent of the market alone. Their users are not going to suddenly jump ship. Their businesses are deeply ingrained.” Which services and apps went down? The outage affected dozens of websites, including Snapchat, Pinterest and Apple TV, according to Downdetector. Other communication apps were also affected including: WhatsApp, Signal, Zoom and Slack; gaming services such as Roblox, Fortnite and Xbox; and places like Starbucks. Etsy also experienced issues. In the United States, people were having issues with financial apps too, including Venmo. Some users said their Ring doorbells and Alexa speakers stopped working, while others could not access the Amazon website or download books on their Kindles. The language app Duolingo and creative tool Canva were among those reporting errors on their websites, and several media organisations were hit, including the Associated Press news agency, The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal. Advertisement Banks, the cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase, and AI firm Perplexity also reported issues, along with US airlines Delta and United. Why did so many major apps go offline at once? When AWS had its outage, it was not just Amazon’s tools that were affected. Thousands of other companies that use AWS for storage, databases or web hosting were also hit. These companies include many major apps that rely on AWS to run key parts of their systems. “Whenever we see these headlines, the first thought that goes through everybody’s mind, that sends a shiver up the spine, is, ‘Is this one of those cyberattacks? Is this a military or intelligence-led thing that has led to this disruption?’ And in this case, it’s not,” Bryson Bort chief executive of the cybersecurity company Scythe told Al Jazeera. “In fact, most of the time, it isn’t. It’s usually human error.” How did Amazon respond? AWS acknowledged the outage and said engineers were “immediately engaged” to fix the problem. AWS said it worked on “multiple parallel paths to accelerate recovery”. It also reported that the main issue had been fully resolved, though some users continued to face minor delays as systems recovered. The company also said it would publish a detailed post-event summary explaining what happened. An aerial view of an Amazon Web Services Data Center, known as US East 1, in Ashburn, Virginia [Jonathan Ernst/Reuters] Adblock test (Why?)
Israel’s Maccabi Tel Aviv to decline tickets to Europa League match in UK
Tel Aviv football team says it is working to ‘stamp out racism’ among its fan base. Israeli football team Maccabi Tel Aviv has said it will turn down any tickets offered to its fans for a match in the United Kingdom, even if an earlier decision by local officials to bar the team’s followers from attending is reversed. Maccabi Tel Aviv said on Monday that “hard lessons learned” meant it had decided to decline any offer of tickets for the Europa League game against Aston Villa. Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of list “The wellbeing and safety of our fans is paramount,” the team said in a statement posted online. “Our decision should be understood in that context.” The club also said it had been working to “stamp out racism” within the “more extreme elements” of its fan base. “Our first-team squad consists of Muslims, Christian and Jewish players and our fan base also crosses the ethnic and religious divide,” it said. The team’s decision came a day after Israeli police cancelled a match between Maccabi and its rival Tel Aviv team Hapoel before kickoff over what they described as “public disorder and violent riots”. The move by Israeli authorities to cancel the game stood in contrast with criticism by British and Israeli leaders of Birmingham City’s decision to ban Maccabi fans from the November 6 match at Villa Park in Birmingham, central England. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer called the ban by the city’s Safety Advisory Group (SAG) “the wrong decision”, while Israeli Minister of Foreign Affairs Gideon Saar called for the “shameful” and “coward decision” to be reversed. The UK government said on Friday that it was working to override local authorities to allow Israeli fans to be present. But after Israeli police shut down the match between Tel Aviv teams on Sunday, some UK politicians questioned whether the government should intervene in Birmingham. Advertisement “To Keir Starmer and others who tried to make this about religion! Here’s more evidence. Even under the world’s spotlight, these fans chose violence, injuring police officers,” independent MP Ayoub Khan wrote in a post on X. Richard Burgon, a Labour MP, broke with his government, saying the developments vindicated the decision to ban away fans from attending the game. “This news exposes how absurd that campaign has been,” he said on X. “The people of Birmingham have a right to be kept safe.” West Midlands Police said last week that they had classified the match as high risk based on “current intelligence and previous incidents, including violent clashes and hate crime offences that occurred during the 2024 UEFA Europa League match between Ajax and Maccabi Tel Aviv in Amsterdam”. “Based on our professional judgement, we believe this measure will help mitigate risks to public safety,” the police force said. Last year’s clashes in Amsterdam between pro-Palestinian supporters and fans of Maccabi Tel Aviv led to dozens of arrests. The clashes followed incidents of Israeli fans rampaging through the Dutch capital, assaulting residents, destroying symbols of Palestinian solidarity and chanting racist and genocidal slogans against Palestinians and Arabs. The clashes also featured reported incidents of anti-Semitism, including a private messaging chat calling for a “Jew hunt”. Legal experts have also voiced concerns about Israeli teams participating in international sporting matches, citing a report by United Nations investigators that affirmed that Israel is carrying out a genocide against Palestinians. Earlier this month, more than 30 legal experts wrote to UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin, saying that banning Israel from competitions was “imperative”. “UEFA must not be complicit in sports-washing such flagrant breaches of international law, including but not limited to the act of genocide,” the experts wrote. Adblock test (Why?)