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Trump ends Venezuela talks, military options loom, new report

Trump ends Venezuela talks, military options loom, new report

President Trump has stopped diplomatic discussions with Venezuela in his bid to end drug trafficking and cartels operating in the U.S., according to a report by the New York Times. The outlet cited U.S. officials and claimed Trump has closed the door on negotiations, potentially setting in motion increased military action against drug traffickers, cartel ships or President Nicolás Maduro’s government. According to the report, Richard Grenell, the special presidential envoy who was leading talks with Maduro, was informed Oct. 2. that all diplomatic contact must stop.  TRUMP SAYS ‘WE’LL SEE WHAT HAPPENS’ WHEN ASKED ABOUT POSSIBILITY OF STRIKING VENEZUELA AMID RISING TENSIONS During a meeting with top military leaders, Trump had reportedly called Mr. Grenell directly and delivered the new order. The president reportedly felt impatience with what the administration sees as Venezuelan intransigence. Reports said that in September, Maduro wrote a letter to Trump and denied Venezuela trafficked drugs. He offered further negotiations with the U.S. through Grenell. Officials also told the New York Times that the president was frustrated with Maduro’s refusal to step down voluntarily. VENEZUELAN MILITARY JETS BUZZ US NAVY SHIP IN ‘HIGHLY PROVOCATIVE’ MOVE, PENTAGON SAYS The Trump administration has accused Maduro of overseeing a “narco-state,” indicting him on drug trafficking charges and offering a $50 million reward for his arrest. Senior officials said several plans have been drawn up, including potential operations aimed at removing Maduro from power.  TRUMP TOUTS US STRIKE AS MADURO SLAMS MILITARY ‘THREAT’ OFF VENEZUELA Secretary of State and National Security Adviser Marco Rubio has also described Maduro as a “fugitive from American justice” and an “illegitimate leader” in the past. Trumps latest move comes amid escalating U.S. military activity and strikes against supposed cartel boats near Venezuelan waters.  CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Last month, the administration formally notified Congress that the U.S. was engaged in an “armed conflict” with drug cartels, designating cartel members as “unlawful combatants.”  Fox News Digital has reached out to the White House for comment.

Trump slams Democrats for ‘shutting down’ government, demands it reopen ‘tonight’

Trump slams Democrats for ‘shutting down’ government, demands it reopen ‘tonight’

President Donald Trump on Monday evening slammed Democratic lawmakers for shutting down the government amid one of “the most successful economies,” calling on them to reopen the government tonight. “Democrats have SHUT DOWN the United States Government right in the midst of one of the most successful Economies, including a Record Stock Market, that our Country has ever had,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “This has sadly affected so many programs, services, and other elements of Society that Americans rely on — And it should not have happened. “I am happy to work with the Democrats on their Failed Healthcare Policies, or anything else, but first they must allow our Government to re-open,” he added. “In fact, they should open our Government tonight!” Trump made the post after Senate Democrats, again, blocked Republican efforts to reopen the government, ensuring the shutdown will last at least a week. SCHUMER’S SHUTDOWN HOLDS AS SENATE DEMS BLOCK GOP BID TO REOPEN GOVERNMENT Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and most Democrats say they won’t support funding the government unless Congress agrees to extend expiring ObamaCare subsidies. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., needs at least eight Democrats to back the GOP bill, which would reopen the government through Nov. 21. So far, only Sens. John Fetterman, D-Pa., Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., and Angus King, I-Maine, have broken ranks to end the shutdown, while Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., remains the only Republican holdout. Democrats warn that without a deal to extend the subsidies expiring this year, millions could face soaring premiums. Both sides say they want an agreement but remain split over when to address the issue. TRUMP, JOHNSON APPEAR AT ODDS IN GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN MESSAGING Schumer also wants assurance that Trump will sign any deal, pointing to expected resistance from House Republicans. “We need the president involved,” Schumer said. “[House Speaker Mike] Johnson and a whole lot of his caucus don’t like the ACA, don’t want to do the extensions. A lot of Republican senators in the Senate do, but they’re not enough. Good is not enough. You need Johnson and you need Trump to get it done. So that’s the bottom line.” SCHUMER’S SHUTDOWN SCHEME EXPLAINED: DEMS DOUBLE DOWN ON OBAMACARE CREDITS AS STANDOFF DRAGS ON Trump told reporters in the Oval Office, “we’re talking to Democrats.” When asked if he’d work with them on a deal to reopen the government, he said, “Yeah.” “I’d like to see a deal made for great healthcare,” Trump said. “I want to see great healthcare. I’m a Republican, but I want to see healthcare much more so than the Democrats.” Schumer fired back, saying Trump’s “claim isn’t true — but if he’s finally ready to work with Democrats, we’ll be at the table.” Fox News Digital’s Alex Miller contributed to this report.

Hawley rips Jack Smith’s ‘Biden’s Stasi’ probe, calls alleged spying ‘abuse of power beyond Watergate’

Hawley rips Jack Smith’s ‘Biden’s Stasi’ probe, calls alleged spying ‘abuse of power beyond Watergate’

EXCLUSIVE – Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., tore into Special Counsel Jack Smith, accusing him of “spying on political opponents” during the Jan. 6 probe and calling the alleged surveillance “an abuse of power beyond Watergate.” The FBI, working under Smith’s direction, obtained call logs and metadata tied to nearly a dozen GOP senators, including Hawley, as part of its investigation into the Capitol riot, Fox News reported. The tracking involved call records and timestamps, not the content of the conversations. Hawley told Fox News Digital on Monday that the newly released documents suggest that Biden’s administration was “spying on the president’s political opponents,” which he called “a profound violation of the separation of powers.” He said the activity fits what he views as part of a broader pattern of executive overreach under Biden, citing alleged surveillance of Catholic churches, parents at school board meetings and social media censorship. HAWLEY REBUKES DEMOCRATS’ HEATED RHETORIC AFTER ATTACKS ON ICE, BORDER PATROL FACILITIES: ‘KNOCK IT OFF’ “The truth comes out. Biden’s Stasi who claimed to be saving ‘our sacred democracy’ in fact worked overtime to destroy it — all for power. They spied on Catholic churches, prosecuted pro-lifers, deployed the FBI against parents at school board meetings — and tried to tap the phones of their political enemies. Including mine,” Hawley wrote on X. “This is an abuse of power beyond Watergate, beyond J. Edgar Hoover, one that directly strikes at the Constitution, the separation of powers, and the First Amendment,” he continued. “We need a full investigation of all involved: who knew about it, who ordered it, and who approved it. Anyone and everyone who violated the law must be prosecuted. The way to save the country is to restore the rule of law.” Hawley said he was targeted because he is a conservative Republican who vocally opposed Biden and “his lawlessness.” JACK SMITH TRACKED PRIVATE COMMUNICATIONS, CALLS OF NEARLY A DOZEN GOP SENATORS DURING J6 PROBE, FBI SAYS “It’s obviously totally partisan,” the senator said, adding that he’s proud to have called out what he described as the abuse of power by the FBI. He also said the alleged conduct was “dangerous, very, very dangerous” for the country. Hawley said the scope of the alleged surveillance was even greater than Watergate. “This is worse than Watergate,” he said, arguing that Biden “activated the entire government to go after anybody who dared to oppose him.” He accused the administration of using agencies such as the FBI, DOJ and DHS to silence critics and monitor private citizens. EX-TRUMP PROSECUTOR JACK SMITH UNDER INVESTIGATION BY GOVERNMENT WATCHDOG OFFICE OF SPECIAL COUNSEL Hawley called for a full Justice Department investigation and said appointing a special counsel “who will devote their full attention to it” would be appropriate. “We’ve got to have a total accountability, total transparency and a full accounting of everybody who was involved in this — everybody who knew about it, signed off on it, and had any part in it, and I just can’t imagine that this is legal… and anybody who committed legal violations needs to be prosecuted,” he said. Hawley has framed the controversy as a test of constitutional limits, saying the government must be held accountable when power is used to pursue political opponents instead of upholding the rule of law. Fox News Digital’s Brooke Singman contributed to this report.

DHS arrests Chicago’s ‘worst of the worst’ amid surge in domestic terror attacks

DHS arrests Chicago’s ‘worst of the worst’ amid surge in domestic terror attacks

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents have arrested a slew of Chicago’s “worst-of-the-worst” offenders, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced Monday. The statement came as violence and unrest engulfed parts of the city which is suffering from mounting street violence and protests against federal operations. The string of arrests, DHS said, targeted violent gang members, child abusers, and drug traffickers as part of Operation Midway Blitz, an ongoing crackdown on criminal illegal immigrants across Illinois. DHS ‘BLITZES’ CHICAGOLAND, NETTING ‘MANY ARRESTS’ AS NOEM ONSITE FOR IMMIGRATION CRACKDOWN The DHS statement, titled “Despite Multiple Vehicle Attacks by Domestic Terrorists, DHS Law Enforcement Arrests Worst of Worst” listed several suspects taken into custody.  Among them was Wilmer Alexander Gonzalez Garaban, an alleged member of Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua gang with a criminal history of theft and resisting an officer. Ricardo Gervasio-Gervasio was included as a repeat offender convicted of drug crimes and DUI. Jorge Mario Ramirez-Lopez, a criminal illegal immigrant from Guatemala, was also listed and has a conviction for larceny. Ricardo Gervasio-Gervasio, from Mexico, who has convictions for cocaine possession, driving under the influence of liquor and dangerous drugs was also referenced. Officials cited other individuals who were apprehended for assault, fraud, illegal reentry, and aggravated assault. HUNDREDS OF FEDERAL AGENTS IN CHICAGO CARRY OUT OPERATION TARGETING SUSPECTED TREN DE ARAGUA GANG MEMBERS Secretary Kristi Noem praised agents and officers’ persistence in the statement and said their efforts were despite violent resistance. “We will not let violence by domestic terrorists and lawless rioters in Chicago slow us down from fulfilling the President’s mandate to arrest the worst of the worst,” Noem declared. DHS claims that Operation Midway Blitz, launched in early September, has already led to over 1,000 arrests statewide, representing a major escalation in federal enforcement. One of the most dramatic incidents occurred on October 4 in Chicago’s Brighton Park neighborhood, where agents were reportedly surrounded by several vehicles, one of which rammed a federal car.  ICE ARRESTS ‘PEDOPHILES, RAPISTS, ABUSERS’ IN CHICAGO SANCTUARY CITY CRACKDOWN OPERATION In the chaos, agents opened fire, striking a driver who was hospitalized and later charged. In a separate case in Franklin Park, ICE agents shot and killed Silverio Villegas-Gonzalez, who authorities said attempted to flee and dragged an officer during a vehicle stop.  CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP The killing sparked fresh outrage and protests, with activists questioning the proportionality of the agents’ actions.