Kushner, Witkoff set for Kyiv talks after Putin meeting in US push for peace
U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner arrived in Kyiv on Sunday for talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, a day after meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow as part of efforts to end the war between the two countries. Zelenskyy said Sunday morning that he had met with his negotiating team ahead of the Americans’ arrival and that Kyiv was prepared for the discussions. “Ukraine has always been and will remain constructive,” Zelenskyy wrote on X. “We are interested in bringing the end of the war closer. Peace is needed. Security guarantees are needed. A dignified character of the postwar peace is needed.” “Our proposals are ready,” he added. “It is important to work in a coordinated, substantive, and realistic manner.” CIA DIRECTOR JOHN RATCLIFFE MET WITH RUSSIAN INTELLIGENCE OFFICIALS IN VISIT TO MOSCOW, KREMLIN SAYS Witkoff and Kushner met with Putin for more than three hours behind closed doors Saturday, though the talks ended without any announced breakthroughs. Putin’s foreign policy advisor Yuri Ushakov described the meeting as “constructive, frank and useful,” but did not disclose specific outcomes. A White House official said following the meeting that the two sides discussed “substantive plans for next steps,” which are expected to be announced in the coming weeks. The official added that the U.S. delegation looked forward to “equally productive meetings” in Ukraine. The Kyiv meeting comes as Washington seeks to revive efforts to reach a settlement in a war that began with Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Those efforts had lost momentum over the past six months as U.S. attention shifted to the war with Iran. PUTIN AND IRAN ‘NEED EACH OTHER DESPERATELY,’ EXPERT SAYS, AS RUSSIA VOICES SUPPORT FOR REGIME Significant differences between Moscow and Kyiv remain, including over territory. Kyiv has rejected Russia’s demand that Ukraine withdraw from portions of the eastern Donetsk and Luhansk regions that remain under Ukrainian control. Ushakov said Moscow provided the U.S. delegation with its “comprehensive assessment” of the battlefield during Saturday’s meeting, though the discussions extended beyond the war. “Economic issues and potentially large, mutually beneficial joint projects for Russia and America were discussed in considerable detail,” Ushakov said. President Donald Trump said Friday that he dispatched Witkoff and Kushner, his son-in-law and advisor, to determine whether progress toward a peace agreement could be made. “We have an idea for peace. I sent Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, two great negotiators,” Trump told reporters. “They’ve done a great job, and we sent them over to see whether or not we can get something done. And there may be a good chance that we’ll do it.” The diplomatic push comes as Russia and Ukraine continue to exchange drone and missile attacks. Both sides reported strikes overnight into Sunday despite agreeing to pause attacks on each other’s capitals during the negotiations. Fox News Digital’s Robert McGreevy and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Dems descend on posh island getaway packed with deep-pocketed donors as midterms close in
Democrats have made summer pilgrimages to Nantucket, tapping the wealthy Massachusetts island’s donor class as candidates and party leaders stockpile campaign cash ahead of November. Nantucket and neighboring Martha’s Vineyard have long been magnets for political fundraising, and Democrats are again tapping the islands’ deep-pocketed donor networks as candidates and party leaders build their war chests ahead of November’s midterm elections. As of June 30, the Democratic National Committee, Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee and Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee had about $136 million in combined cash on hand, compared with roughly $277 million held by their Republican counterparts, according to federal filings. This summer, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., Texas Senate candidate James Talarico, Rep. Seth Moulton, D-Mass., and others have been spotted on the island for fundraising events. FOX NEWS POWER RANKINGS: AS DEMOCRATS TURN LEFT, BLACK VOTERS TAP THE BRAKES Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., reportedly went to Nantucket for an Aug. 29 fundraiser hosted by Democratic heavyweight Elizabeth Frawley Bagley, a Biden-appointed U.S. ambassador to Brazil who served as ambassador to Portugal under President Bill Clinton, according to the Boston Globe. The Democratic fundraising circuit extends to neighboring Martha’s Vineyard, another exclusive Massachusetts vacation destination. Former President Barack Obama visited Martha’s Vineyard on Aug. 31 for an event hosted by former Attorney General Eric Holder benefiting the National Democratic Redistricting Committee. Wes Moore, a possible 2028 presidential contender, was on Martha’s Vineyard the weekend of Aug. 8 for a DNC fundraiser with DNC Chair Ken Martin. “Where was Wes Moore last weekend? Not campaigning in Maryland or solving our problems in Annapolis, but speaking at a national Democrat event in Martha’s Vineyard. Wes Moore’s priority isn’t Maryland, and it will never be Maryland. His only focus is growing his national profile and running for President in 2028. Elect Dan Cox for a Governor who will put Maryland and the needs of Marylanders first,” wrote Maryland GOP at the time. Iowa state Rep. Josh Turek, a Democratic nominee for the open Senate seat held by retiring Republican Sen. Joni Ernst, was spotted on Nantucket while the Iowa State Fair was still underway. Turek, who had appeared at the fair earlier in the week, did not answer a reporter’s questions about his fundraising stop, according to videos on social media. Democratic donors Frank Herron and Sandra Urie, who hosted first lady Jill Biden for a 2022 Democratic National Committee fundraiser at their Nantucket home, hosted Moulton for a Nantucket fundraising brunch on Aug. 2, according to local paper Nantucket Current. JON OSSOFF DODGES ON WHY HE INVOKED TRUMP AIDE’S NAME DURING GEORGIA CAMPAIGN RALLY Michelle Obama was also on the island, on Aug. 23, but was there to promote her book, “The Look,” at two sold-out conversations at the Performing Arts Center in Oak Bluffs. The Obamas have had a vacation house on the Vineyard since 2019. Nantucket has long been a destination for prominent Democrats as well as celebrities, millionaires and billionaires. Former President Joe Biden and his family have traveled to the island for decades to celebrate Thanksgiving. Former first lady Jill Biden was also spotted on the island in July to promote her new book, “View From the East Wing: A Memoir.” DEM ATTORNEY BACKS GOP HOPEFUL IN MICHIGAN RACE AGAINST EL-SAYED, ‘JUMPING SHIP’ FROM HIS PARTY’S ‘LUNATICS’ Republicans have also tapped Nantucket’s deep-pocketed donor circuit. Back in 2022, when JD Vance was running for Senate, he appeared alongside Florida Sen. Rick Scott and fellow Senate candidates Ted Budd, Dr. Mehmet Oz and Herschel Walker for another fundraising jaunt on the affluent island. The NDRC is focusing on key battlegrounds, including Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas and Wisconsin.
House Dems plot Trump investigation blitz if they seize majority
House Democrats are planning for a slew of investigations targeting President Donald Trump, his Cabinet, and his family if they win the midterm elections. In just two months, voters across the country will decide which party controls Congress for the second half of President Donald Trump’s final term. Historical trends dictate that the party in power in the White House — in this case, Republicans — usually loses one or both chambers. Democrats in the House of Representatives are already planning for that eventuality, key left-wing leaders told Fox News Digital. SEN CHUCK SCHUMER UNVEILS ANTI-CORRUPTION AGENCY AIMED AT TRUMP AND FUTURE PRESIDENTS “I’m going to start on the Department of Defense. Our service members are being put at tremendous risk. There is corruption, there’s incompetence, there is nepotism at the DoD,” Rep. Jason Crow, D-Colo., told Fox News Digital. “There are very disturbing reports about ties between defense money and appropriations programs, and requests by the White House to funnel defense spending to certain companies linked to the Trump family. So we’re going to take a hard look at all of that.” 2026 MIDTERMS STATE OF PLAY: KEY RACES UNFOLD AS STEVENS, EL-SAYED BATTLE IN MICHIGAN Crow sits on the House Armed Services and Intelligence committees, in addition to co-chairing the House Anti-Corruption Caucus. He was also notably one of the impeachment managers who helped lead one of two pushes by Democrats to keep Trump out of power. Asked if impeachment could pop up again — whether for Trump or his appointees — Crow did not rule it out. GOP LAWMAKER UNVEILS HISTORIC MOVE TO ‘EXPUNGE’ BOTH ‘MALICIOUSLY FALSE’ IMPEACHMENTS AGAINST TRUMP “It’s one of several tools that Congress has to pursue accountability, to get information, and to attack corruption,” Crow said. “I won’t hesitate to use that tool if that’s the right one. But there are other tools available to us, too.” Several impeachment resolutions have been introduced over the last two years targeting both Trump and his officials, but none have gained steam within the wider Democratic Caucus. HOUSE DEMS UNVEIL BILL TO EXAMINE REMOVING TRUMP USING 25TH AMENDMENT House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., has demurred on multiple occasions when asked about impeachment. And it likely won’t be the first tool in Democrats’ arsenal that they’d wield if they win in November, two of their presumptive chairmen suggested. The most likely first approach will be tackling what Democrats see as corruption and mismanagement of federal agencies. JEFFRIES’ REPORTED MEETING WITH KUSHNER ABOUT POSSIBLE TRUMP COOPERATION DRAWS LEFT-WING BACKLASH Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Calif., who is poised to take over the House Oversight Committee if the chamber flips, told reporters he was already working closely with presumptive House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jamie Raskin, D-Md., on potential investigations. Garcia told Fox News Digital there were “a few key investigations” he was already looking at. MISSOURI HIGH COURT BLOCKS GOP-BACKED CONGRESSIONAL MAPS AHEAD OF MIDTERMS; TRUMP BLASTS ‘RIDICULOUS’ RULING “One is going to be the Trump family corruption. The second will be the Jeffrey Epstein investigation. Third will be ICE and DHS and the corruption happening there,” Garcia said. “We’ll also go into anyone that’s ripping off the American public from a corporate perspective or CEO perspective. And then lastly, there’s a lot of interest in the committee on taking on what’s happening to the destruction of our vaccination process and [Health and Human Services Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr.].” Raskin, meanwhile, has already previewed what his panel’s investigations would look like. He’s sent a flurry of requests for information targeting the business dealings of Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, as well as Donald Trump Jr. and FBI Director Kash Patel, among others. TODD BLANCHE SAYS ‘NO CLOSED INVESTIGATIONS’ IN EPSTEIN CASE, VOWS DOJ WILL PURSUE NEW SUSPECTS “The Trump family has turned the entire executive branch into a money-making enterprise, so there’s more than enough corruption and lawlessness to keep Democrats across the House busy for years. Judiciary Democrats are already following the evidence wherever it leads, from the Trump family’s astonishing self-dealing and conflicts of interest to the corporations and law firms that have colluded with this administration for profit, advantage and protection,” Raskin told Fox News Digital when asked about his plans. “We will continue to work together across committees and use every investigative and legislative tool we have to uncover the facts, expose the wrongdoing and its costs for the public, hold the perpetrators and profiteers accountable, and pass legislative cures.” Republicans have long feared that Democrats winning either the House or Senate will grind the GOP’s agenda to a halt in Washington. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., previously told Fox News Digital that he believed Democrats would try to impeach Trump “on Day 1” if they win. Trump, meanwhile, has maintained his innocence amid an array of accusations from the left. Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment.
Who is Ritesh Hange? Chetan’s friend and the third accused in Ketan Agarwal murder case
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NEET-UG 2026 Paper Leak Case: 14th accused Sheshrav Suryawanshi sent to judicial custody till September 18
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Who is Dinesh Sharma? New Lt Governor of Andaman and Nicobar Islands
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IMD issues fresh warning: Heavy rain, thunderstorms alert for these states till Sept 8, yellow alert in Delhi-NCR
Weather system will keep eastern and northeastern regions on alert, with heavy showers likely in Arunachal, Assam, Meghalaya, Bihar, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, Sub-Himalayan Bengal, Sikkim. IMD issued yellow alert for Noida, Gurugram, Ghaziabad, Faridabad.
MAGA Inc. cavalry arrives for Paxton in Texas Senate as Trump’s PAC places $10 million ad buy
This is the first buy that Trump’s well-heeled political operation has made for a general election, underscoring how critical Texas’ Senate race is to the GOP’s hopes.
Kennedy Center ceiling partially collapses as Trump-led board pushes for 2-year closure
The Kennedy Center shared photos on Saturday that showed a partial ceiling collapse that happened during a rainstorm in the main hallway of the over 50-year-old performing arts building. Roma Daravi, vice president of public relations for the Kennedy Center, said the collapse underscored the need to close the building for renovations. “Another example of the urgent need to close for renovation and revitalization, as our Chairman President [Donald] Trump has championed,” Daravi said in a statement shared with Fox News Digital, adding, “This structural failure stems from decades of neglect and deferred maintenance by the previous leadership, and there’s no justification for further delays in restoring America’s cultural center.” VIDEO EXPOSES DISREPAIR LURKING BENEATH TRUMP KENNEDY CENTER AS $257M RENOVATION LOOMS The center’s board, which is led by Trump, voted in August to close the building for two years. This came after a judge ruled in May that Trump’s name must come off the building months after the board voted to name it: “The Donald J. Trump and The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts.” “Unless I am free to do what I do better than anyone else, bring this Institution back, physically, financially, and artistically, I have no interest in continuing what could only be a hopeless journey into ‘NEVER NEVER LAND,’” Trump wrote on Truth Social at the time. “Therefore, based on the fact that the Radical Left Democrats care more about opposing your favorite President, ME, than saving a dying Performing Arts Center, almost all of which lose large amounts of money throughout the Country, we are going to be working with Congress to transfer this failing Institution back to them so they can make a determination as to what to do with it.” TRUMP’S NAME TO BE REMOVED FROM KENNEDY CENTER AS APPEALS COURT DENIES BOARD’S REQUEST FOR ADMINISTRATIVE STAY Last month, the board voted to rename the institution’s grounds “President Donald J. Trump Plaza” and to put lettering on the building that says “The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Restored and Renovated by President Donald J. Trump.” The board remains in court fighting to move forward with the name changes, as well as the closure and $250 million in renovations. Grace Terpstra, founder of the community group Keep the KC, which is fighting the closure, said she thinks the board will use the collapse “to make the point that the whole thing needs to be shut down, that it’s going to fall on everybody.” KENNEDY CENTER DISPUTES ALLEGATIONS ON CONTRACTOR BIDS DESPITE DEMOCRAT SENATOR’S CLAIMS She added, “I think they’ll try to make it into a bigger thing and show that they’ve found a lot of other things.” A tarp and scaffolding has covered the front of the building since the bronze letters that made up Trump’s name were removed in June. Last week, the center did remove a piece of modern artwork called “Blue” that has been outside the building since 2019, saying in a statement, “we are honored to have been stewards” of the late sculptor Joel Shapiro’s work. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Machete-wielding MS-13 gangster wanted for murder walks free after Biden-appointed judge releases him: DHS
An MS-13 gang member convicted in a savage execution-style murder is out of federal custody in California after a federal judge ordered his immediate release, igniting fury from the Trump administration. U.S. District Judge Jinsook Ohta ordered the release of David Antonio Aviles Perez, 35, aka “the witch,” after finding that immigration officials held him for five months without giving him a bond hearing or determining whether he posed a danger to the public or a flight risk. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Markwayne Mullin accused the Biden-appointed judge of putting the public in danger by ordering Aviles Perez’s release. DHS EVISCERATES MEDIA FOR ‘ABSOLUTE ABSURDITY’ OVER CONCERN ABOUT ‘WORST OF THE WORST’ ACTIVIST JUDGES LIST “This radical activist judge has put American lives at risk by releasing a wanted murderer,” Mullin said in a statement Saturday. “This is now the SECOND time this dangerous illegal has been released back onto the streets in California,” he added. “Because sanctuary politicians want to play politics from the bench, innocent Americans are in danger.” SANCTUARY LAWS COULD STOP POLICE FROM PROTECTING KIDS. SO WE’RE SUING CALIFORNIA The case centers on a brutal 2014 gang killing in El Salvador and a legal fight over the Trump administration’s authority to detain immigrants while removal proceedings unfold. Alvise Perez, identified by Salvadoran prosecutors as an active MS-13 member also known as “La Bruja,” or “The Witch,” was convicted while outside El Salvador in December 2025 and sentenced to 20 years in prison for aggravated murder. ICE NABS ACCUSED MS-13 KILLER HIDING IN NORTHERN VIRGINIA SUBURB Prosecutors said Aviles Perez and another MS-13 member chased a man through a mountainous area in La Unión before fellow gang members forced the victim to stop and kneel. The victim was held by the shoulders as Aviles Perez and his accomplice approached, prosecutors said. The gang members then shot the man in the chest, back and face before fleeing. Both defendants were tried and convicted while outside the country. Aviles Perez entered the U.S. at an unknown date and location, according to DHS. ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT CHARGED WITH BRUTAL SLAYING ONE DAY AFTER CALIFORNIA JUDGE RELEASED HIM: DHS He was arrested in Monterey, California, in 2023, after allegedly swinging a machete at a homeless man at Laguna Grande Park near Monterey State Beach. He allegedly hid the weapon before officers recovered it from a nearby Holiday Inn parking lot. Aviles Perez was charged and convicted after the incident but later released from custody. DHS blamed California’s sanctuary policies, which limit cooperation between local authorities and federal immigration officials. DHS BUYS TWO CALIFORNIA MIGRANT DETENTION CENTERS FOR $1.5B TO BOOST ICE DEPORTATION CAPACITY ICE agents arrested him again in San Diego on March 26 and took him into custody pending his removal to El Salvador. He was held at the Otay Mesa Detention Center pending removal to El Salvador until Ohta ordered his immediate release Aug. 26, federal court records show. After nearly five months in immigration custody, Aviles Perez filed a petition challenging his detention and seeking his immediate release. Ohta ruled that immigration officials violated his Fifth Amendment due process rights by holding him without an individualized assessment of whether he was dangerous or likely to flee. “Although Petitioner appears to have previously been convicted following a fight with another individual in May 2023, the government has offered no evidence that it detained him after considering those facts and making an individualized determination of his danger to the public or flight risk,” Ohta wrote. FEDERAL JUDGE IN NEW YORK TIES TRUMP ADMIN HANDS ON ARRESTS AT IMMIGRATION COURTS The judge said federal officials gave Aviles Perez “no process before or after his detention” and had not shown that providing a hearing would place an undue burden on the government. Ohta ordered his immediate release and barred ICE from detaining him again unless an immigration judge first holds a bond hearing and determines that renewed detention is warranted. A status report was filed in the case Aug. 27, one day after the release order. DHS said Aviles Perez was subsequently released from federal custody. The ruling did not clear Aviles Perez of wrongdoing or find that he posed no danger. It focused on whether immigration officials followed the required process to justify keeping him detained. California Gov. Gavin Newsom appointed Ohta to the San Diego County Superior Court in December 2020, according to the governor’s office. BIDEN JUDGE TORCHES TRUMP ICE CRACKDOWN AS ‘DEVOID OF RATIONAL EXPLANATION,’ NUKES COURTHOUSE ARREST POLICY President Joe Biden nominated her to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California in September 2021. The Senate confirmed her that December, and her judicial commission was issued later that month, according to the Federal Judicial Center. Mullin vowed that the ruling would not derail the administration’s immigration crackdown. “DHS and ICE will not be deterred by these partisan games,” he said. “If California’s leaders won’t protect Americans, DHS will.” Fox News Digital reached out to Ohta’s office for additional comment and confirmation surrounding Aviles Perez’s release.