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Year: 2025

Jeffries tells Lawler to ‘keep your mouth shut’ as shutdown sparks Capitol Hill confrontations

Jeffries tells Lawler to ‘keep your mouth shut’ as shutdown sparks Capitol Hill confrontations

The National Hockey League played seven games in its young 2025-2026 season by the end of the day last Wednesday. The contests featured a grand total of two fights.  The government shutdown had run for eight days by the end of the day on that Wednesday. And the now lengthy shutdown sparked two extraordinary verbal brawls in the halls of Congress between lawmakers. NHL referees Gord Dwyer and Mitch Dunning worked the Washington Capitals/Boston Bruins tilt Wednesday night in DC. Perhaps the House and Senate Sergeants at Arms could have summoned Dwyer and Dunning up to Capitol Hill to dole out a few ten-minute misconducts beforehand. “You’re embarrassing yourself right now!” hollered House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., at Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y. JOHNSON RAISES STAKES ON SCHUMER AS GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN BARRELS INTO WEEK 3 “The only embarrassment here is you!” thundered Lawler at Jeffries. Tempers exploded as Lawler lay in wait outside the House Radio/TV Gallery Studio for a shutdown smackdown after Jeffries concluded his now-daily press conference.  “You’re not going to talk to me and talk over me when you don’t want to hear what I’m going to say!” yelled an animated Jeffries at Lawler, jabbing his index finger toward his colleague’s chest but never poking him.  “Oh, I’m listening,” said Lawler. “So just keep your mouth shut!” shouted the usually cool Jeffries.  There were multiple rounds of vocal fisticuffs between Members and Congressional leaders. Sens. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., and Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., summoned the press to the hallway outside the office of House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., to complain about the shutdown and criticize the Speaker for not swearing-in Rep.-elect Adelita Grijalva, D-Ariz., more than two weeks after her election. Johnson then confronted the Arizona senators. And Lawler was nearby, serving as “fourth man in.” “This is absurd,” seethed an exasperated Johnson. SCREAMING MATCH ERUPTS BETWEEN HAKEEM JEFFRIES, MIKE LAWLER AS GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN CHAOS CONTINUES “This is the longest the House has gone…” interrupted Gallego. “Do you want me to answer the question?” shot back Johnson. “You’re not actually answering the question,” countered Gallego. The multiple rounds of brawls in the halls between lawmakers were nearly unprecedented in Congress. The shutdown smackdowns featured arguments about health care. Lawler waved around legislation focused on the Democrats’ push during the shutdown: a package to extend Obamacare subsidies. “If you believe in it so much!” chided Lawler, with a rhetorical uppercut.  “Bro, do you understand math?” counterpunched Jeffries. Tensions are spiking at the Capitol. Yours truly asked Johnson about Lawler confronting Jeffries and his decision to step out of the Speaker’s Office to engage Kelly and Gallego. I noted to the Speaker that if the House was in session, there may be fistfights in the hallways. “Are you concerned and is it incumbent upon you as the Speaker to try to lower this temperature?” I asked. Johnson added that the contretemps “concerns me.” He added that he wanted to “restore civility to the institution.” “Let’s have policy disputes. But not make it personal. This gets personal. Emotions are high. People are upset. I’m upset. I’m a very patient man. But I am very angry right now because this is dangerous stuff. And so is it better for them to be physically separated right now? It probably is.” said Johnson.  Lawmakers aren’t the only ones raging. Thousands of federal workers are fuming at the shutdown. The administration is now firing federal workers.  “Right now, many families are paying the price for political gridlock that they didn’t cause,” said American Federation of Government Employees President Everett Kelley. TENSE CONFRONTATION BETWEEN HOUSE SPEAKER, SENATE DEMS CAUGHT ON CAMERA OVER SHUTDOWN Rep. Sarah Elfreth, D-Md., represents 44,000 federal employees in her district near Washington, DC. She notes that Maryland has lost 15,000 federal jobs since President Trump took office in January.  “I believe that (the firings) are not only unethical and immoral, but illegal for him to be RIF-ing people during a shutdown. There’s no new authority granted to the President or OMB during a shutdown,” said Elfreth. “I don’t believe in negotiating by threat. It also shows that I think they have the weaker hand and that they’re losing the PR battle nationally to resort to threats.”  While the shutdown is the main event, the undercard is a fight between Democrats and Johnson over Grijalva to succeed her late father, Rep. Raul Grijalva, D-Ariz. The elder Grijalva died in March after a battle with cancer. “I can’t hire staff. We don’t have an office,” said Grijalva “So it’s very much second-class citizen feeling for me.” Democrats have tried on multiple occasions to compel the House to swear-in Grijalva during brief, pro forma sessions where the body gavels in and gavels out after just a few seconds. Once in office, Grijalva would provide the crucial 218th signature to go over the head of the Speaker and force the House to vote on a measure to release the Epstein files. “Get your people in and stop covering up for the pedophiles,” shouted Gallego at Johnson during their confrontation in the corridor. “That’s ridiculous,” responded Johnson.  “There’s nobody covering up for pedophiles,” chirped Lawler from the back of the scrum. “So knock it the hell off.” Johnson denies the Grijalva holdup is about the Epstein files.  “We’ll schedule it, I guess, as soon as she wants. It has nothing to do with it,” said Johnson.  But Grijalva wrote to the Speaker last week demanding the House swear her in immediately. And the House still hasn’t sworn her in. Circumstances were different this spring when the House GOP majority dwindled to a net seat of one. Republicans needed as many votes as they could muster to pass parliamentary frameworks for the Big, Beautiful Bill. Johnson swore-in Reps. Randy Fine, R-Fla., and Jimmy Patronis, R-Fla., a day after they won special elections. “These guys worked hard and they earned the position,” said Johnson when he met with them back in April. “These gentlemen are going to come

Pakistan announces intention for second Nobel Peace Prize nomination for Trump over Gaza ceasefire role

Pakistan announces intention for second Nobel Peace Prize nomination for Trump over Gaza ceasefire role

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday announced that he intends to nominate President Donald Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize for his role in securing a ceasefire and hostage agreement between Hamas and Israel. It will be Pakistan’s second time putting up Trump for the prize. In June, Pakistan nominated Trump for his role in securing a ceasefire agreement between Islamabad and neighboring India. “Pakistan had nominated President Donald Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize for his outstanding, extraordinary contributions to first stop the war between India and Pakistan and then achieve a ceasefire, along with his very wonderful team,” Sharif said in Egypt, speaking next to Trump. TRUMP CELEBRATES PEACE IN THE MIDDLE EAST AFTER SIGNING GAZA DEAL: ‘ACHIEVED THE IMPOSSIBLE’ “And today, again, I would like to nominate this great president for the Nobel Peace Prize because I genuinely feel that he is the most genuine and most wonderful candidate for the Peace Prize because he has brought not only peace in South Asia, saving millions of people and their lives,” he added. “And today, here in Sharm el-Sheikh, achieving peace in Gaza is saving millions of lives in the Middle East.” Trump and Sharif were part of a delegation of world leaders gathered in Egypt’s coastal resort area of Sharm el-Sheikh to sign documents related to the peace deal in Gaza. COULD TRUMP WIN THE NOBEL PEACE PRIZE AFTER ISRAEL-HAMAS DEAL? After announcing his intention to nominate Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize, Sharif turned to the president and made a brief saluting gesture toward him. “Mr. President, I would like to salute you for your exemplary, visionary leadership. I think you are the man this world needs most at this point in time. The world will always remember you as a man who did everything — who went out of his way to stop seven and, today, eight wars,” Sharif added. Last week, the Nobel Committee in Norway awarded the Nobel Peace Prize to Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado. While introducing the other world leaders, Trump appeared to chide Norway over last week’s choice. “Oh, Norway — aye, yay, yay,” Trump said. “Norway. What happened, Norway? What happened?”

Mamdani breaks silence on freed Israeli hostages in statement that doesn’t mention Trump

Mamdani breaks silence on freed Israeli hostages in statement that doesn’t mention Trump

After facing backlash for staying silent as Israeli hostages were freed from Gaza, New York City socialist mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani finally broke his silence Monday afternoon. “Today’s scenes of Israelis and Palestinians are profoundly moving: Israeli hostages being freed and families reunited after years of fear, uncertainty, and torture; the first days in Gaza without relentless Israeli bombardment of Palestinians as families return to rubble and loved ones freed from detention,” Mamdani posted on X on Monday shortly after 4 p.m. EST in a message that did not mention President Donald Trump or acknowledge his role in the negotiations.  Mamdani went on to mark the development as a “glimmer of hope” that the ceasefire will “hold” and the “long and difficult work of reconstruction can begin.” “I also know this news brings solace to millions of New Yorkers, who’ve felt the pain of the past few years,” Mamdani said. “We have watched as our tax dollars have funded a genocide. The moral and human cost will be a lasting stain and requires accountability and real examination of our collective conscience and our government’s policies.” MAMDANI CAUGHT ON CAMERA GETTING CHASED OUT OF MANHATTAN SQUARE; PROTESTER BLASTS HIM AS ‘ANTISEMITE’ Mamdani’s lengthy post concluded by saying that the “responsibility now lies” with those who “believe in peace.” “Once aid is delivered, the wounded are cared for, and a lasting agreement secured, we cannot look away,” Mamdani said. “We must work towards a future built upon justice, one without occupation and apartheid, and for a world where every person can live with safety and dignity.” Mamdani’s post came roughly three hours after one of his opponents, former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, called him out on social media for not commenting that morning as the hostages were released.  MEET MAMDANI’S RADICAL ADVISORY CIRCLE THAT INCLUDES COMMUNIST ACTIVIST, ANTI-ISRAEL ADVOCATES “It shouldn’t go unnoticed that @ZohrankMamdani — who still refuses to condemn the phrase ‘globalize the intifada’ (widely understood to mean death to Jews) — has yet to comment on the release of the hostages,” Cuomo posted on X. “His silence speaks volumes.” Both Cuomo and Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa released statements on social media earlier in the morning praising the release of the hostages, with Sliwa being the only one to offer praise to Trump by name.  MAMDANI SAYS COLBERT SHOW SHOCKED HIM WHEN PRODUCER PITCHED ‘GAME’ TO DISCUSS ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR In a CNN interview on Friday, Mamdani hinted that he was open to giving Trump credit.  “If the genocide ends, then I think that’s something worthy to be praised, and if the hostages are returned,” Mamdani said. “Those things together have to be done in tandem.” Mamdani’s post quickly brought critical reactions, including from New York City GOP Councilwoman Inna Vernikov. “GLARINGLY MISSING FROM THIS WORD SALAD: Any single mention of HAMAS or the TERRORISTS who brought this upon themselves by murdering & raping their way across Israel on 10/7,” Vernikov posted on X. “You know, the same terrorists that your wife was glorifying on her Instagram story? Those terrorists?” Mamdani, who has been widely criticized for his comments and positions on Israel, spent Sunday night raising money for a United Nations organization that employed Oct. 7 terrorists, just hours before the final living Israeli hostages were released from Hamas captivity. Trump celebrated “peace in the Middle East” after he signed the historic peace agreement that ended two years of fighting in Gaza.  “At long last, we have peace in the Middle East, and it’s a very simple expression, peace in the Middle East,” Trump said during remarks at Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, flanked by dozens of world leaders.  “We’ve heard it for many years, but nobody thought it could ever get there. And now we’re there.”  Trump went on: “This is the day that people across this region and around the world have been working, striving, hoping, and praying for. With the historic agreement we have just signed, those prayers of millions have finally been answered. Together, we have achieved the impossible.” His remarks came after Hamas released the final remaining 20 living hostages on Monday as Israel backed off its frontline positioning in Gaza over the weekend.  Fox News Digital reached out to the Mamdani campaign but did not immediately receive a response. Fox News Digital’s Anders Hagstrom and Morgan Phillips contributed to this report.

Ciattarelli team blasts opponent over ‘slanderous’ claim he profited from opioid deaths

Ciattarelli team blasts opponent over ‘slanderous’ claim he profited from opioid deaths

With the final days closing in on an especially messy New Jersey gubernatorial election, Republican candidate Jack Ciattarelli’s campaign slammed his Democratic opponent, Rep. Mikie Sherrill, for pushing a narrative that he “killed tens of thousands of people.” Sherrill accused Ciattarelli of being responsible for printing “propaganda” via the medical publishing company he founded that downplayed the dangers of opioids and of designing an app to help people access dangerous drugs. She made the claims during a gubernatorial debate on Oct. 8 and doubled down during a press conference on opioid addiction on Monday. “Jack made millions, the opioid companies made billions, and thousands of New Jerseyans were dying,” Sherrill said at the press conference. ‘GETTING DESPERATE’: GOVERNOR DEBATE GETS PERSONAL AFTER DEMOCRAT IS MOCKED FOR CHEATING SCANDAL Chris Russell, a Ciattarelli campaign strategist, told Fox News that if Sherrill “had any decency, she would retract her slanderous comments and apologize.” “Whether it’s tripling her net worth in Congress and hiding details of her stock trades or concealing the true extent of her role in the Naval Academy cheating scandal, Mikie Sherrill is a proven liar and lawbreaker whose desperation is showing,” said Russell. “Her reckless and defamatory claim that Jack ‘killed tens of thousands of people, including children,’ has been roundly criticized by members of the press, legal scholars and people in both parties,” he added. “The truth is that Jack Ciattarelli’s medical publishing company helped to create an online tool which allowed a small group of chronic pain sufferers to educate themselves on treatment options and better advocate for their own healthcare choices when meeting with their medical professionals,” explained Russell. NJ REPUBLICAN CIATTARELLI THREATENS TO SUE SHERRILL OVER OPIOID CLAIM In response, Sean Higgins, a campaign spokesperson for Sherrill, told Fox News Digital that “after years of hiding his role fueling the opioid epidemic, Jack Ciattarelli is finally admitting to being paid by an opioid company to create an app to coach patients to get a Hydrocodone prescription, all at a time when the opioid crisis was raging and killing New Jerseyans.” “He made millions off of New Jerseyans’ pain and suffering and clearly cannot be trusted as governor,” said Higgins.  Ciattarelli has threatened to sue Sherrill for defamation if she does not stop raising these accusations. Despite this, Sherrill was adamant about the accusations on Monday.  She pushed back on the threat of lawsuits over the accusations, saying, “I’m dumbfounded that this perennial candidate, who has run now for three elections, saying that he’s a small businessman, the minute we start to talk about that small business, he wants to shut it. He wants his lawyers to shut it down. I mean, that’s ridiculous to me.” “I think we’ve laid out the case that Jack is … in league with these opioid companies,” said Sherrill. NJ DEM MIKIE SHERRILL DOUBLES DOWN ON CLAIM THAT CIATTARELLI ‘COMPLICIT’ IN OPIOID DEATHS OF THOUSANDS Pressed to clarify whether she was asserting that Ciattarelli killed tens of thousands of New Jerseyans, Sherrill answered, “Yes. Look, I think he is right there with the people that, again, paid billions of dollars. So, I think that the line is pretty clear.” For his part, Ciattarelli shot back against Sherrill at a campaign rally on Monday, saying, “her entire campaign is based on a stack of lies about me [and] her disdain for the president.” He said that for the remainder of the campaign he will be pivoting to discussing his day one plan as governor, saying he will immediately issue an executive order banning sanctuary jurisdictions for illegal immigrants, bringing state workers back to work in-person, appointing a state attorney general “who supports both police and parents,” fixing the public education system and eliminating green energy initiatives in New Jersey.