Here’s everything you missed from Zohran Mamdani’s first Fox News interview
New York City Democratic mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani made his Fox News debut on Wednesday in a wide-ranging interview with “The Story” host Martha MacCallum. On the eve of the first general election mayoral debate, MacCallum pressed Mamdani, during the nearly 30-minute interview, on the self-identified democratic socialist’s affordability agenda, public safety and war in the Middle East. Before New Yorkers turn their attention to Thursday night’s debate between Mamdani, former Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa, here are the top five takeaways from Mamdani’s first Fox News interview. MAMDANI SPEAKS DIRECTLY TO TRUMP, STOPS SHORT OF GIVING HIM CREDIT IN MIDEAST PEACE DEAL During the interview, MacCallum asked Mamdani if he would apologize for calling the New York City Police Department “racist, anti‑queer & a major threat to public safety” in 2020 on social media, among other insults. Mamdani said he has apologized to rank-and-file members of the NYPD behind closed doors, but MacCallum said the officers she spoke to want a broad, public apology. “Will you do that right now?” the Fox News host asked. “Absolutely,” Mamdani said, turning to face the camera directly. “I’ll apologize to police officers right here, because this is the apology that I’ve been sharing with many rank-and-file officers. And I apologize because of the fact that I’m looking to work with these officers, and I know that these officers, these men and women who serve in the NYPD, they put their lives on the line every single day. And I will be a mayor.” ZOHRAN MAMDANI FIRES BACK AT WHITE HOUSE MISPRONOUNCING HIS NAME: ‘M-A-M-D-A-N-I’ President Donald Trump this week said Mamdani “practically hasn’t worked a day in his life.” Quoting Trump, MacCallum asked Mamdani what qualifies him to run the largest city in the country. Mamdani seized the opportunity to address Trump directly. “I will not be a mayor like Mayor Adams, who will call you to figure out how to stay out of jail,” Mamdani said, again breaking the fourth wall and looking directly into the camera. “I won’t be a disgraced governor like Andrew Cuomo, who will call you to ask how to win this election,” he continued. “I can do those things on my own. I will, however, be a mayor who is ready to speak at any time to lower the cost of living.” While knocking Mayor Eric Adams, who suspended his re-election bid, and his closest competitor, Cuomo, Mamdani said he is willing to build a partnership with “anyone across this country” to create a more affordable New York City. If elected mayor, Mamdani on Wednesday maintained his commitment to arresting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if he visits New York City. “I’ve said that this is a city that believes in international law, and this is a city that wants to uplift and uphold those beliefs,” Mamdani said. But MacCallum pointed out that the U.S. doesn’t abide by the International Criminal Court, which has a warrant out for Netanyahu’s arrest for “war crimes” and “crimes against humanity” for the war in Gaza. “I believe that we should uphold arrest warrants by the International Criminal Court,” Mamdani confirmed, while explaining he would not “make a new law to ensure that we can.” Mamdani dodged MacCallum’s questions when she asked if he believes Hamas should lay down their weapons and leave leadership in Gaza. “I believe that any future here in New York City is one that we have to make sure that’s affordable for all,” Mamdani said. “And as it pertains to Israel and Palestine, that we have to ensure that there is peace and that is the future that we have to fight for.” “But you won’t say that Hamas should lay down their arms and give up leadership in Gaza?” MacCallum asked again. “I don’t really have opinions about the future of Hamas and Israel beyond the question of justice and safety,” Mamdani said, reiterating that both Hamas and the Israeli military should abide by international law. MacCallum began the interview by asking Mamdani if he would give credit to Trump for striking a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, including the return of the hostages. Mamdani said he continues to have concerns, which gives him “pause about issuing any kind of praise or celebration at a moment when it is still so in its infancy.” When pressed again about whether Mamdani would give Trump credit for the ceasefire, Mamdani maintained that it’s “too early to do so, too early to say.” “But if it proves to be something that is lasting, something that is durable, then I think that that’s where you give credit,” Mamdani said.
GOP lawmaker seeks ‘permanent’ federal presence in Memphis after Trump crime order
EXCLUSIVE: A Memphis-area House Republican is eyeing a permanent federal law enforcement presence in the southwest Tennessee city after President Donald Trump’s order cracking down on crime. Rep. David Kustoff, R-Tenn., whose district includes suburbs in the Memphis metropolitan area and rural areas outside of it, spent the day with Trump’s new Memphis Safe Task Force on Thursday. He told Fox News Digital that the task force should serve as a blueprint for other U.S. cities dealing with high crime, while suggesting there should be some continuity plan in Memphis whenever its work is done. “Because of the local law enforcement numbers being down, it makes sense to have a stronger federal law enforcement presence,” Kustoff said. LONGTIME BIDEN AIDE SAYS HE STOOD TO EARN UP TO $8M HAD PRESIDENT WON RE-ELECTION He vowed to work with other Tennessee officials and the Trump administration “to make sure that, on a permanent basis, we have extra federal law enforcement once this task force sees its completion.” Trump authorized the Memphis Safe Task Force on Sept. 15 as part of a growing nationwide crackdown on violent crime, which began with the president federalizing Washington, D.C., police on a temporary basis earlier this year. Memphis had the highest rate of crime of any big city in 2024, according to FBI data, though the Memphis Police Department reported a significant drop in the first eight months of 2025. The Memphis Police Department recorded 250 murders, 753 cases of rape and over 12,800 aggravated assaults in 2024 alone, according to state crime data. 58 HOUSE DEMS VOTE AGAINST RESOLUTION HONORING ‘LIFE AND LEGACY’ OF CHARLIE KIRK “I’ve lived here my entire life. I’m talking to you right now from Memphis, within the city limits. It’s a good community,” Kustoff said. “There are really good people, but there have been high rates of crime and high rates of violent crime, and we saw that really exacerbated during the [Biden administration].” There was notably a nationwide spike in crime during the COVID-19 pandemic, during the first part of former President Joe Biden’s term. And while Trump’s move to send federal forces into major cities to deal with remnants of that crime has been met with resistance by his critics, Kustoff said Memphis residents were relieved. “I know by talking to people here that they do appreciate the presence of the law enforcement and the National Guard. We heard that before they were deployed here, and we really hear it now,” Kustoff said. “These agents and the guard who are here … tell me that all different types of people are coming up, thanking them, hugging them. Of course, that’s the Memphis way, that’s the Southern way, that’s the Tennessee way. But they are appreciative.” Since its creation, the task force recovered 45 missing children and made over 900 arrests, Kustoff told Fox News Digital. He said its work should serve as a model for other cities. “This is a blueprint, what is being done in Memphis, for other big cities across the country,” Kustoff argued. “And I would think that any mayor and any governor who has a problem with crime in their communities would welcome such an effort.”
Trump’s Iran gamble pays off as WWIII doomsayers now praise Israel-Hamas ceasefire
When U.S. forces launched strikes against Iranian military targets in June, critics warned it could ignite a regional inferno — even the start of World War III. Four months later, the Middle East is quieter than at any point in years. Iranian proxies have scaled back attacks, Gulf tensions have cooled, and Washington has shifted attention toward the Western Hemisphere. The unexpected calm is raising a new question: Did decisive U.S. action restore deterrence — or has Washington simply been lucky? Those who favor a more forceful U.S. foreign policy counted Iran’s lack of a response as a win for their frame of mind — and a loss for restrainers. They now credit the strikes with bringing about a period of relative peace that culminated in a fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas this week. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., publicly broke from her longtime support of President Donald Trump after the strikes. ISRAEL’S STRIKE IN QATAR TRIGGERS RARE US REBUKE, TESTS TRUMP’S GULF DIPLOMACY “Six months in and here we are turning back on the campaign promises, and we bombed Iran on behalf of Israel,” she said on Newsmax at the time. “We’re entering a nuclear war, World War Three, because the entire world is going to erupt. And you know what, the people that are cheering it on right now, their tune is going to drastically change the minute we start seeing flag-draped coffins on the nightly news.” On Monday, she praised Trump for brokering the peace deal between Israel and Hamas. “Blessed are the peacemakers! May healing begin for all.” “You’ve put every U.S. troop and embassy in the region at risk and squandered America’s diplomatic leverage — though you’ll likely think you’ve strengthened it,” said Adam Weinstein, deputy director of the Middle East Program at the Quincy Institute, at the time. IRAN PRESIDENT ACCUSES US OF ‘GRAVE BETRAYAL’ WITH NUCLEAR STRIKES IN UNGA SPEECH Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., claimed the strike “put the United States on a path to a war in the Middle East that the country does not want, the law does not allow, and our security does not demand.” Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., was even more blunt. “It was a good week for the neocons in the military-industrial complex who want war all the time,” he said on CBS’ Face the Nation. Four months later, those who once warned of a spiral toward World War III are facing an uncomfortable reality: the region is largely quiet. “Those who warned of World War III before the U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran fundamentally misunderstood both the nature of deterrence and the regime in Tehran,” said Mark Dubowitz, CEO of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. “Strength and resolve don’t invite escalation — they prevent it. What we’ve seen in recent months is a return to deterrence through escalation dominance: Iran, Hezbollah, Hamas, and other American enemies are recalibrating precisely because the United States finally imposed real costs on the Islamic Republic.” Dubowitz said years of Western restraint emboldened Iran. “For years, Western policymakers indulged in a fantasy that restraint would produce stability,” he said. “It did the opposite. Tehran read our de-escalation as weakness and kept pushing.” “Everybody who said that a strike on Iran would be a disaster was wrong,” said Matthew Kroenig, vice president of the Atlantic Council’s Scowcroft Center and a former Pentagon strategist. “These fears about Iranian retaliation and region-wide war were exaggerated. Iran doesn’t want a major war with the United States, the greatest superpower on earth that could end its regime. Instead, Iran engaged in some kind of token retaliation, and the whole thing died down.” Trump’s authorization of the strikes was not a departure from his “America First” principles, as Greene suggested, but a continuation of them. “When it comes to hitting an adversary hard, Trump has always been open to that kind of short, sharp, decisive use of force to achieve a clear objective,” Kroenig said. TRUMP’S IRAN ULTIMATUM STARTED A 60-DAY CLOCK TICKING FOR DECISIVE JUNE STRIKES, BOMBER COMMANDER REVEALS Those in the restraint camp say they don’t count Trump’s decision as a total loss for their viewpoint. They argue that predictions of a wider war were based on a different scenario — one that Trump ultimately avoided. “The prediction that this could lead to a wider war was for the scenario in which the U.S. would join Israel in a larger military campaign against Iran with the intent of regime change,” said Trita Parsi, co-founder of the Quincy Institute. “This is not what Trump opted for. He clearly signaled to Tehran before the strikes where he would strike to ensure that the locations would be vacated and that there would be no casualties. He also signaled his intent to only strike these sites and be done with it. This significantly reduced the risk of a larger escalation.” Rosemary Kelanic of Defense Priorities acknowledged that the strikes were “not a win for restraint” in principle, and though the U.S. felt few repercussions, it was still a gamble. “I think it’s really easy to learn the wrong lesson from this, which is, all we have to do is go in and bomb for 45 minutes and then everyone will back down,” she said. “Most of the time, U.S. military force doesn’t actually produce the outcomes that we want.” Adam Weinstein said the operation came at the cost of diplomacy, noting that the strikes took place in the midst of ongoing negotiations with Tehran over its nuclear program. “The strikes were a setback on diplomacy with Iran,” he said. “They negatively affected the world’s ability to ensure that Iran doesn’t develop a nuclear capability. It essentially destroyed trust between Iran and the international community.”
Ramaswamy: 2025 GOP wins in New Jersey, Virginia, would ‘set the table for…more decisive victories’ in 2026
EXCLUSIVE – SADDLE BROOK, N.J. – GOP gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy of Ohio was a long way from home on Wednesday night, as he briefly left his own race to help another Republican running for governor. But Ramaswamy’s campaign trail stop in New Jersey’s competitive and combustible gubernatorial election, where he teamed up with GOP nominee Jack Ciattarelli at a packed diner full of supporters, could pay dividends next year in his own race back home. New Jersey and Virginia are the only two states to hold gubernatorial showdowns in the year after a presidential election, and the contests traditionally grab outsized attention and are viewed as political barometers ahead of the following year’s midterm elections. And this year, they’re being viewed to a large degree as ballot box referendums on President Donald Trump’s unprecedented second-term agenda. CIATTARELLI WELCOMES TRUMP’S HELP IN BATTLE FOR NEW JERSEY GOVERNOR Pointing to New Jersey and Virginia, Ramaswamy said in an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital that GOP victories in both elections would “set the table for even bigger and more decisive victories, hopefully in places like Ohio next year.” Ramaswamy arrived in New Jersey hours after the latest poll in the governor’s race indicated Ciattarelli narrowing the gap with Rep. Mikie Sherrill, the Democratic Party nominee in the race to succeed term-limited Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy. The MAGA world rock star’s stop in New Jersey could help Ciattarelli energize many in the party’s base – low propensity voters who often skip casting ballots in non-presidential election years. NATION’S ONLY TWO 2025 RACES FOR GOVERNOR ROCKED WITH THREE WEEKS UNTIL ELECTION DAY “If you want to bring down costs in this state, back Jack,” Ramaswamy told the boisterous crowd. “If you want to make New Jersey great again, back Jack. We are ready, Jack, for change. This state is hungry for it.” And Ramaswamy, the multimillionaire biotech entrepreneur and conservative commentator who pushed an “America First 2.0” platform as he ran for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination before ending his bid and becoming one of Trump’s top supporters and surrogates, told Ciattarelli, “We’re going in Ohio next year, but you’ve got to pave the path this year. We’re counting on you.” Ramaswamy, who’s been endorsed by Trump, is the only major Republican candidate right now in the 2026 race to succeed term-limited GOP Gov. Mike DeWine. Former Democratic Rep. Tim Ryan, who spent two decades representing a large swath of northeastern Ohio, including Akron and Youngstown, is likely to launch a gubernatorial campaign in the coming days. Ryan, his party’s Senate nominee in Ohio’s 2022 election, would become the second major Democrat in the 2026 gubernatorial race, joining former state Health Director Amy Acton. FINAL FACEOFF: CIATTARELLI, SHERRILL, CLASH ON DEBATE STAGE “It doesn’t matter who we’re running against,” Ramaswamy said when asked what a Ryan candidacy would mean to him. “The beauty of our side of this election in Ohio is we’re more united than we’ve ever been as a Republican Party. I’m running unopposed in the Republican primary. But even more importantly, we have widespread labor support in Ohio. This is unprecedented.” Ramaswamy, as he spoke at the Ciattarelli event in New Jersey, which included an overflow crowd of a couple of hundred people outside the diner, received encouragement to make another White House run down the road. “I’m 100% focused on Ohio,” Ramaswamy told Fox News Digital. “You can’t make long-run plans. Life never goes according to your plan.” But he added, “We’re gonna do our part in Ohio, and that’s my next step for how we save the country.” HEAD HERE FOR THE LATEST FOX NEWS REPORTING ON THE 2025 ELECTIONS Ramaswamy’s stop in New Jersey, with less than three weeks until Election Day, came hours after multiple sources confirmed to Fox News that Trump will hold tele-rallies with Ciattarelli. In what’s expected to be a low-turnout election, Trump’s backing could prove crucial for Ciattarelli, who’s making his third run for governor after narrowly losing to Murphy four years ago. “There’s obviously a whole lot of people across the state of New Jersey that are pleased with the job the president’s doing,” Ciattarelli said earlier Wednesday in an exclusive Fox News Digital interview. Pointing to the president’s push to temporarily halt wind farms off the Jersey Shore, his vow to kill New York’s congestion pricing, tax cuts, deductions, and credits in the GOP’s massive domestic policy measure, and his efforts to secure the nation’s southern border, Ciattarelli said that people “are very pleased with the president, what he’s done for New Jersey.” Trump endorsed Ciattarelli earlier this year in the GOP gubernatorial nomination race. And the president headlined a tele-rally for Ciattarelli ahead of the June primary. While Trump isn’t on the ballot, he’s loomed large over the New Jersey gubernatorial election. At last week’s second and final debate, Sherrill charged that her GOP rival had “shown zero signs of standing up to this president. In fact, the president himself called Jack 100% MAGA, and he’s shown every sign of being that.” Asked whether he considered himself part of the MAGA movement, Ciattarelli said he was “part of a New Jersey movement.” When asked to grade the president’s performance so far during his second term, Ciattarelli said, “I’d certainly give the president an A. I think he’s right about everything that he’s doing.” “I think that tells us all we need to know about who Jack Ciattarelli’s supporting. I give him an F right now,” Sherrill responded, as she pointed to New Jersey’s high cost of living. 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. And 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. Ciattarelli said in a Fox News Digital interview last month that
Republicans push to pay troops, reopen government as Democrats balk
Senate Democrats wanted an equal say in crafting spending bills before the shutdown and are about to get a chance to do so, but they’re unlikely to support Republicans’ latest effort to jump-start the government funding process. The Senate on Thursday is set to move through a procedural hurdle on the annual defense spending bill, which, among other things, would ensure that military service members would get their paychecks. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., teed up the bill earlier this week as the shutdown raged on to pressure Senate Democrats to make good on their desire to fund the government in a bipartisan manner, and in the hopes of getting the appropriations process moving again. TRUMP MOVE SPARES TROOPS’ PAY, BUT REPUBLICANS WARN SHUTDOWN RISKS REMAIN “We can actually get the appropriations process going forward,” Thune said. “So that’s in the works.” And in the Senate, given the 60-vote filibuster threshold, spending bills are prime examples of the many pieces of legislation that have to be bipartisan to pass. But Senate Democrats seemed unwilling to go all in on supporting the defense bill, and like the Republicans’ plan to reopen the government, appear ready to block Thune’s effort. They want to know exactly what Republicans plan to put on the floor later on, despite the vote on Thursday afternoon being designed to give lawmakers the chance to move forward with at least one of several spending bills that must be passed to fund the government. “We have to see what they’re going to put on the floor,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said. “They haven’t told us yet.” Republicans are also eyeing at least three other spending bills to attach to the defense appropriations bill, including legislation that would fund the departments of Labor, Commerce, Transportation, Health and Human Services, and Housing and Urban Development. REPUBLICANS FUME AS DEMOCRATS BLOCK 9TH GOP BID TO REOPEN GOVERNMENT Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., is a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee and appears ready for the reality that Democrats would block the defense bill and broader spending package. “You have to start with the defense, and then you can add the other ones to it, but once again, it takes agreement by our Dem colleagues that want to move that forward,” he said. “I’m not sure that we’ve got the votes to do that yet.” There is a trust deficit between Senate Democrats and Republicans from earlier this year when the GOP passed President Donald Trump’s request to claw back billions in funding for foreign aid and NPR and PBS, in addition to continued actions by Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought to withhold or cancel funding for Democratic priorities. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., told Fox News Digital after Senate Democrats met behind closed doors on Wednesday that there had been no indication from Republicans there would be “bipartisan cooperation or any willingness to put any guardrails around what they plan to do.” “I think the stage we’re at is that we’ve been shown nothing,” he said. “So there’s no reason to vote for it yet.” “I think what was needed is a larger agreement about how the appropriations process is moving forward, so it’s clear that our priorities are respected,” he continued. However, pairing the defense bill could grease the wheels for some in the Democratic caucus. “No, not unless it’s paired with [the Labor and HHS bill],” Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, said. REPUBLICANS EYE FRESH FUNDING FIGHT AS SHUTDOWN STANDOFF DRAGS ON Thune’s move to reignite the appropriations process, an exercise that played out in the Senate in early August when lawmakers advanced a trio of funding bills ahead of the shutdown deadline, is part of Republicans’ broader desire to fund the government the old-fashioned way, rather than through a colossal omnibus spending package. It’s an exercise, however, that hasn’t been fully completed since the 1990s. Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., noted to Fox News Digital that a major part of selecting a new leader for the Senate GOP was returning to what’s known as regular order, or passing spending to fund the government. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP He argued that when Schumer ran the Senate as majority leader, the upper chamber was often resigned to passing “these omnibus bills that were developed in the, you know, middle of the night with four people.” “We’re not interested in that. So we want to get bills on the floor, and they’ve got to move in a bipartisan way, right? So I think this is something that I would hope Democrats would support, too,” he said. “But if their mentality is at this point, you know, just oppose everything Republicans want to do, it’s pathological, and I don’t have any advice for them except seek help.” Republicans are still trying to reopen the government and plan to put the House-passed continuing resolution (CR) on the floor again Thursday for a 10th time. And just like many times before, it is expected to fail. When asked if he believed that the shutdown could transform into lawmakers passing spending bills one-by-one to reopen the government, Thune said, “I certainly hope not.”
Obama endorses Spanberger, attacks Republicans in Virginia governor’s race ads
Former President Barack Obama endorsed former Democratic Rep. Abigail Spanberger in Virginia’s governor race, releasing a pair of ads attacking Republicans. The contest between Spanberger, a former CIA officer, and Virginia Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears is one of only two governor races in the U.S. this November. The contests are viewed as political bellwethers ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. “Virginia’s elections are some of the most important in the country this year. We know Republicans will keep attacking abortion rights and the rights of women. That’s why having the right governor matters, and I’m proud to endorse Abigail Spanberger,” Obama said in one of the ads, titled “Protect Our Rights.” “In Congress, Abigail held Republicans accountable and fought to protect voting rights and abortion rights,” Obama said. “But it won’t happen without you. Every vote counts, so turn out. Virginia, Abigail Spanberger is the best choice for governor.” TOP GOP GROUP DROPS BIG MONEY INTO VIRGINIA SHOWDOWN AFTER DEM AG NOMINEE’S VIOLENT TEXTS GO VIRAL Earle-Sears’ press secretary Peyton Vogel told Fox News Digital in reaction to the ads that, “Abigail Spanberger is scared, and it shows.” “After losing support across Virginia, she’s leaning on liberal elites to try and save her collapsing campaign. This is a desperate play from a candidate who’s run out of support, out of ideas, and out of time. Voters see through it, and that’s why Winsome Earle-Sears is surging,” Vogel added. In the other ad, Obama said, “Republican policies are raising costs on working families so [that] billionaires can get massive tax cuts.” “As governor, Abigail will stand up for Virginia families,” Obama said. “She’ll work to build an economy that works for everyone, not just big corporations and the wealthy.” WINSOME EARLE-SEARS RELEASES ‘TWO BULLETS’ AD SCATHING OPPONENT FOR FAILING TO DEMAND JAY JONES’ OUSTER Earle-Sears most recently criticized Spanberger on her X account Wednesday night for her reaction to the texting scandal surrounding Democratic Virginia attorney general candidate Jay Jones. The scandal involving Jones came to light earlier this month when the National Review published text message exchanges between Jones and his former state legislative colleague, Republican House Delegate Carrie Coyner. In the exchanges, Jones appears to call for violence against then-Virginia House of Delegates Speaker Todd Gilbert, his wife, Jennifer, and their children. “Jay Jones expressed his desire to murder a dad and his two young boys — and to see police officers get shot,” Earle-Sears said. “Abigail Spanberger still supports him.” Fox News Digital reported this week that Spanberger’s campaign store continues to sell merchandise co-branded with the rest of the statewide Democratic ticket — which includes Jones. Fox News’ Paul Steinhauser, Rachel Wolf and Charles Creitz contributed to this report.
Fetterman says he knows and loves Trump voters: ‘I’m the only Democrat in my family’
Democratic Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania said that he knows and loves individuals who voted for President Donald Trump, noting that “they are not fascists” or “Nazis.” “I’m the only Democrat in my family. I grew up in a conservative part of Pennsylvania,” he noted during a NewsNation Town Hall while wearing a hoodie. “I would never compare anybody, anybody to Hitler, and those things,” Fetterman declared. FETTERMAN REJECTS ‘NAZI,’ ‘FASCIST’ LABELS FOR OPPONENTS WHILE AFFIRMING PARTY LOYALTY Such “extreme rhetoric” will make it “more likely” that there will be “extreme … outcomes and political violence,” he suggested. Pointing to the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, Fetterman said, “let people grieve, give people the space. I’m not gonna use that terrible thing … to make my argument and try to put out my views. It’s like, my God, you know, he’s a father that had his neck blown out by a bullet.” FETTERMAN URGES DEMS TO STOP CALLING TRUMP ‘HITLER’ AND ‘AUTOCRAT’ AFTER KIRK ASSASSINATION The senator also pointed to the near-assassination of Trump in Pennsylvania last year. “We really gotta turn the temperature down,” he said. Trump has floated the prospect of potentially supplying Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine, and Fetterman indicated he would strongly support such a move. FETTERMAN MARKS RELEASE OF LAST LIVING HOSTAGES: ‘THE NIGHTMARE FINALLY ENDS’ CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “I enthusiastically support this. President Trump could help end this war and bring peace to Ukraine. Ending two awful wars is what the Nobel Peace Prize was designed for,” the senator noted in a post on X, which also included the Ukrainian and Israeli flag emojis.
AU suspends Madagascar as military leader to be sworn in as president
Colonel Randrianirina set to assume presidency in Madagascar after President Andry Rajoelina removed. By News Agencies Published On 15 Oct 202515 Oct 2025 Click here to share on social media share2 Share Military leader Colonel Michael Randrianirina will be sworn in as Madagascar’s transitional president on Friday, the country’s new leadership has announced, as the African Union (AU) said it would suspend the country after a coup to remove President Andry Rajoelina. Randrianirina “will be sworn in as President of the Refoundation of the Republic of Madagascar during a solemn hearing of the High Constitutional Court” on October 17, said the statement, published on social media by a state television station on Thursday. Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of list Rajoelina, who was impeached by lawmakers after fleeing abroad during the weekend, has condemned the takeover and refused to step down despite youth-led demonstrations demanding his resignation and widespread defections in the security forces. Randrianirina led a rebellion that sided with the protesters and ousted Rajoelina on Tuesday in the sprawling country of about 30 million people off of Africa’s east coast. Since gaining independence from France in 1960, the country has had a history of coups and political crises. The latest military takeover capped weeks of protests against Rajoelina and his government, led by youth groups calling themselves “Gen Z Madagascar”. The protesters, who also included labour unions and civic groups, have demanded better government and job opportunities, echoing youth-led protests elsewhere in the world. Among other things, the Madagascar protesters have railed against chronic water and electricity outages, limited access to higher education, government corruption and poverty, which affects roughly three out of every four Madagascans, according to the World Bank. Although some suggest the military seized power on the backs of the civilian protesters, demonstrators cheered Randrianirina and other soldiers from his elite CAPSAT unit as they triumphantly rode through the streets of the capital Antananarivo on Tuesday. The colonel has promised elections in two years. Advertisement The takeover was “an awakening of the people. It was launched by the youth. And the military supported us”, said the protest leader, Safika, who only gave one name as has been typical with the demonstrators. “We must always be wary, but the current state of affairs gives us reason to be confident,” Safika told The Associated Press news agency. The protests reached a turning point Saturday when Randrianirina and soldiers from his unit sided with the demonstrators calling for the president to resign. Rajoelina said he fled to an undisclosed country because he feared for his life. Randrianirina had long been a vocal critic of Rajoelina’s administration and was reportedly imprisoned for several months in 2023 for plotting a coup. His swift takeover drew international concern. The African Union condemned the coup and announced the country’s suspension from the bloc. The United Nations said they were “deeply concerned by the unconstitutional change of power”. Adblock test (Why?)
YouTube says it has restored service after global streaming disruptions
YouTube users reported problems streaming content and accessing the app for about 60 minutes before the company resolved the issue. Published On 16 Oct 202516 Oct 2025 Click here to share on social media share2 Share YouTube says it has resolved problems with its website and app after hundreds of thousands of users worldwide self-reported issues with its streaming services. “This issue has been fixed – you should now be able to play videos on YouTube, YouTube Music, and YouTube TV!” YouTube wrote on X on Thursday morning in Asia. Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of list YouTube did not disclose why users reported problems streaming videos for about 60 minutes on Thursday morning, or the global extent of the problem. Disruptions began just before 7am in East Asia (23:00 GMT, Wednesday) for YouTube, YouTube Music and YouTube TV, according to Downdetector, a website that aggregates website disruptions in real time. Users from Asia to Europe and North America soon reported problems streaming, accessing the website, and using the apps of YouTube and its affiliates, though error reports were most heavily concentrated in the US, according to Downdetector’s user-generated error map. Major disruptions were also reported in Japan, Brazil and the United Kingdom, although the extent of the problem is unknown because Downdetector data is based on user-submitted reports and social media. The number of error reports peaked at 393,038 reports in the US at 7:57am (23:57 GMT) before falling off sharply, according to Downdetector data. Downdetector reported a smaller number of disruptions for YouTube Music and YouTube TV, which both peaked at fewer than 5,000 error reports in the US over the same period of time. Adblock test (Why?)
LIVE: Gaza ceasefire fears as Israel demands return of all captives’ bodies
blinking-dotLive updatesLive updates, Israel continues to restrict aid entering Gaza, saying Hamas has not met its end of deal to release all bodies of captives. Published On 16 Oct 202516 Oct 2025 Click here to share on social media share2 Share Adblock test (Why?)