Shutdown seen from the pulpit: Inching along on a wing and a prayer
Every time there’s a government shutdown, I turn to an unconventional barometer to understand the depth of the impasse. I always observe the first few moments of the Senate session. Logical, right? GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN KNOWLEDGE: GAMING OUT ITS POTENTIAL END Any congressional reporter worth their salt would surely want to hear the musings of the Senate majority and minority leaders on the floor to digest where things stand with the shutdown. But I tune in to hear someone who has their palm on the pulse of the Senate. They might not rank as high as Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., or Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. But they have a direct line to someone who outranks everyone. I listen to the Senate’s opening prayer from Senate Chaplain Barry Black. “On this third day of the government shutdown, inspire them to work for your glory in all they think, say and do,” Black prayed as he opened the Senate Oct. 3. “Equip our senators for their task.” Black is a parliamentary pastor offering ecumenical intercessions in search of a shutdown solution. The shutdown impasse deepened since Black’s initial invocation more than three weeks ago. But after days of political posturing and inaction by the Congressional laity, Black unloaded on his Senate flock Monday. “When our children and grandchildren want to know what we were doing in the 119th Congress during the famous shutdown, may we not have to give these answers: ‘I helped set a new record for keeping the government closed. I failed to appeal to the better angels of my nature. I forgot Matthew 7:12, which states, do to others whatever you would like them to do to you,’” Black prayed. “Lord, remind our lawmakers that no gold medals are given for breaking shutdown records. But a crown of righteousness is given to those who take care of the lost, last and least.” Black’s sizzling sermons from the Senate pulpit are canon during times of crisis. He delivered similar prayers during the lengthy government shutdowns of 2013 and 2018-19. A DIZZYING RIDE ON THE HILL: LAWMAKERS DEBATE IN CIRCLES AS SHUTDOWN ENTERS WEEK TWO “Enough is enough,” Black prayed during the 2013 shutdown after death payments to the families of deceased U.S. soldiers ceased. “Cover our shame with the robe of your righteousness.” After U.S. Capitol Police officers were injured following a high-speed chase and shooting at the Capitol — all while not being paid in the middle of that shutdown — Black chastised lawmakers in his prayer. “Deliver us from the hypocrisy of attempting to sound reasonable while being unreasonable,” prayed Black. Black says his prayers are to God. But his position in the Senate grants him special status. Not every pastor enjoys the benefit (or pressure) of a 100-senator audience. That’s to say nothing of those watching across the country on C-Span. Black was direct in his oration Tuesday. “Lord, use our legislators to help end this government shutdown, increase their faith, hope, and love, enabling them to transform cacophony into concord,” he prayed. By day 29 of the government shutdown, it was unclear if Black’s petitions were getting through to lawmakers. Tensions rose in the Capitol as members lashed out at one another in fits of anger. “Self-serving, nasty, vicious bull!” yelled Schumer, casting aspersions at the president, calling him “a cold, heartless individual.” SCHUMER, DEMS CALL ‘BULL—-‘ ON TRUMP ADMINISTRATION OVER FOOD STAMP SHUTDOWN THREAT Lawmakers sprinkled salty language into their rhetoric. “We need five Democrat senators to pull their heads out of their asses,” implored House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Brian Mast, R-Fla. “I’ve got the damn statute,” bellowed Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., the top Democrat on the Appropriations Committee. She demanded the Trump Administration release a contingency fund to pay for SNAP benefits. “The money is there. Go get it, godd—it,” DeLauro fumed. The usually genial Thune excoriated Democrats during a heated floor exchange on SNAP. “This isn’t a political game! These are real people’s lives that we’re talking about!” thundered Thune. “And you all have just figured out that 29 days in there might be some consequences? That there’s people running out of money?” That said — or yelled — Thune has long told Democrats he’s willing to engage them on their healthcare demands. But with a caveat. “You want to have discussion about healthcare? Open the government. Let’s do it,” said Thune. REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK: WHITE HOUSE POUNCES AFTER TOP DEM SAYS GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN GIVES PARTY ‘LEVERAGE’ At least one Democrat is willing to take that offer. “I think what’s a very fair deal is open the government and let’s just vote on extending these premiums for a year or more,” Rep. Josh Gottheimer, D-N.J., said on Fox. But Democrats insist they’re not caving. “There are zero cracks on the Democratic side,” said House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y. Jeffries blasted President Trump for refusing to negotiate to end the shutdown — while the president was in Asia. “Donald Trump has spent more time talking to Hamas and the Chinese Communist Party than he has in talking to Democrats on Capitol Hill to end the Trump shutdown,” the New York Democrat said. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., is exasperated with the Democratic brass. “I’ve given up on the leadership,” said Johnson. “So, we’re trying to appeal to a handful of moderates or centrists who care more about the American people.” THUNE, GOP REJECT PUSHING ‘RIFLE-SHOT’ GOVERNMENT FUNDING BILLS DURING SHUTDOWN Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., is one of three senators associated with the Democrats who voted repeatedly to fund the government. There is chatter about what it will take to halt the shutdown. But the talks are informal. “I think that there’s an opportunity for us to come together, to open up the government, to address the looming health care crisis,” Cortez Masto told Chase Williams of Fox Business. “There is the will among senators on both sides of the aisle to do something. But the leadership’s getting in the
PHOTO GALLERY: President Trump and first lady host annual White House Halloween celebration
President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump hosted the annual White House Halloween celebration featuring a trick-or-treat event Thursday, Oct. 30.
Trump-backed Ciattarelli tells Hannity early voting surge puts his campaign in ‘really good position’
POINT PLEASANT, N.J. – With six days to go until Election Day and one of only two races for governor in the nation this year careening towards a potential tight finish, New Jersey Republican nominee Jack Ciattarelli is highlighting the state’s robust early voting numbers. “We’ve seen more Republicans return vote by mail ballots than ever before,” Ciattarelli said Thursday during a town hall on Fox News’ “Hannity.” The town hall, hosted by Fox News’ Sean Hannity in this seaside community along the Jersey Shore, took place six days into state’s early in-person voting period. Nearly one million voters have already cast a ballot, either in-person or through mail-in voting, far ahead of the pace four years ago when Ciattarelli came close to upsetting Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy. Now, in his third bid for Garden State governor, Ciattarelli is facing off with Democratic gubernatorial nominee Rep. Mikie Sherrill in an extremely competitive and combustible race to succeed the term-limited Murphy. FIVE KEY RACES TO WATCH WITH TWO WEEKS UNTIL ELECTION DAY “The return rate’s been phenomenal. And here through the first five or six days of early voting, which goes through Sunday, we’ve been matching them voter for voter. That puts us in a really good position to win,” Ciattarelli said. HEAD HERE FOR THE LATEST FOX NEWS REPORTING AND ANALYSIS ON THE 2025 ELECTIONS But Sherrill, a U.S. Naval Academy graduate who flew helicopters during her military career and briefly served as a federal prosecutor before first winning election to Congress in 2018, is also touting the early voting numbers, calling them “really great news.” “We’re seeing such great results in the vote by mails and the early voting,” she told Fox News Digital on Wednesday after a meet and greet at a senior center in Elizabeth, New Jersey. “Certainly the trend is much better than ’21.” Ciattarelli, a one-time certified public accountant who started a medical publishing company before getting into politics and winning election as a state lawmaker, landed President Donald Trump‘s endorsement earlier this year, in the closing stretch of the GOP gubernatorial nomination race. Trump’s backing helped Ciattarelli cruise to an easy and convincing primary victory in a nomination race that centered on support for the president. Ciattarelli was joined on the campaign trail the past two weeks by two top MAGA stars and leading allies of President Donald Trump allies – former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy of Ohio and Rep. Byron Donalds of Florida. MAGA STAR JOINS CIATTARELLI ON CAMPAIGN TRAIL IN NEW JERSEY AS REPUBLICANS AIM TO FLIP GOVERNOR’S OFFICE Trump headlined a tele-rally for Ciattarelli last Friday, on the eve of the start of early voting, and his campaign told Fox News Digital that another tele-rally with the president is expected before Election Day. In a likely close election where getting base voters to the polls will be crucial, the hope is that the tele-rallies with the president, and the recent campaign trail stops by Ramaswamy and Donalds will energize MAGA supporters, many of whom are low-propensity voters who often skip casting ballots in non-presidential election years. “We go after those one out of four Republicans …who typically only vote in presidential years,” Ciattarelli said during the Hannity town hall. “We’ve done a magnificent job, our local Republican organizations have, in getting those people to vote by mail or vote early.” 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. While Democrats still have a large voter registration advantage over Republicans in New Jersey, the GOP has narrowed the gap in the four years since Ciattarelli fell short of victory. TRUMP PARACHUTES INTO KEY 2025 RACE And Trump made major gains in New Jersey in last year’s presidential election, losing the state by only six percentage points, a vast improvement over his 16-point deficit four years earlier. Ciattarelli, pointing to Trump’s 2024 finish in New Jersey, said “that improvement means there’s 300,000 more people today that are favorable to the president than back in 2021.” Ciattarelli was not only predicting a win at the top of the ticket, he was also forecasting down-ballot victories for the GOP in the state legislature, which the Democrats have controlled for nearly a quarter-century. Noting that the GOP flipped eight seats in 2021 “with the wind at my face,” Ciattarelli predicted that “with the wind at my back this time around I can flip 13 seats and that gives us a Republican majority for the first time in close to three decades.” The town hall took place as three new public opinion polls released on Thursday pointed to a single digit contest, with Sherrill holding the advantage. A Fox News poll conducted last Friday through Tuesday (Oct. 24–28) indicated Sherrill leading Ciattarelli 52%-45% among likely voters in New Jersey. A Quinnipiac University survey suggested Sherrill up by nine points, while a Suffolk University poll indicated Ciattarelli trailing by just four points. But other recent surveys indicated an even tighter contest between Sherrill and Ciattarelli. New Jersey traditionally elects a governor from the party out of power in the White House, which this year favors the Democrats. But Garden State voters haven’t elected a governor from the same party in three straight elections in over a half century, which would favor the Republicans. One of those political trends will be busted in next month’s election.
Trump strikes again with viral candy move during first Halloween back at White House
President Donald Trump and the first lady handed out candy at the White House Thursday evening, during which Trump repeated his viral candy move that had folks both amused and confused in 2019. The White House holds an annual trick-or-treat event for kids, which included a viral off-script moment from the president that left some laughing and others poking fun at the president in 2019. Trump, instead of putting candy in a child’s bag, who was dressed up as a minion from the Disney movie “Despicable Me,” put it on the kid’s head. Melania, following her husband’s lead, did so as well. VIRAL COMEDIAN BRINGS TRUMP, OBAMA IMPRESSIONS TO FOX & FRIENDS The viral moment was then repeated by Trump on Thursday as a child dressed as the popular DJ Marshmello, with his signature rectangular marshmallow helmet, walked up to the president and first lady. As the child held out his bag, Trump moved to place a giant candy bar on top of the kid’s helmet. The kid, seemingly confused, lifted his head back to see what Trump was doing, but eventually caught on and walked off with the candy bar on his head as Trump and the first lady smiled and watched. Melanie, however, did not follow her husband’s lead this time around. The move stirred a reaction on social media, with many calling it a recreation of the viral moment from 2019. TRUMP HIT IN THE FACE WITH MICROPHONE, QUIPS OPERATOR ‘BECAME A BIG STORY’ “PART TWO: President Trump just put a candy bar on a trick-or-treaters head AGAIN,” conservative commentator Benny Johnson said on X alongside a laughing emoji. “NO WAY! President Trump just put a candy bar on some kid’s head dressed as a marshmallow at the White House Halloween Party and made him balance it while waddling off,” added one of Johnson’s producers, Danny De Urbina. “He knows the meme. Gangster.” Visitors at the Thursday White House event commemorating Halloween included parents and children of military and law enforcement personnel, as well as foster and adoptive families. The families of various White House staff were also present.
Key Trump agency vows to claw back over $1B benefiting illegals in blue states: ‘Won’t tolerate it’
FIRST ON FOX: The Trump administration is planning to claw back over $1 billion in federal Medicaid dollars it says are being spent by blue states on healthcare for illegal immigrants, including some with violent criminal records for murder and rape. A preliminary audit by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services found that, over the last few years, mostly during 2024 and 2025, California; Washington, D.C.; Illinois; Washington; Colorado; and Oregon improperly spent a combined $1,351,204,127 in federal Medicaid funds to help pay for healthcare for illegal immigrants. While federal Medicaid dollars are supposed to be prohibited broadly from being used to cover healthcare for illegal immigrants, they can be used by states for emergency treatment regardless of a patient’s citizenship or immigration status. DR. OZ ACCUSES DEMOCRATS OF ‘GASLIGHTING’ AMERICANS OVER $1B IN MEDICAID PAYMENTS TO ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS States can also legally cover health insurance for illegal immigrants as long as it is only done with state tax dollars. But, according to some experts, Democrats are utilizing loopholes in the federal laws that allow them to provide comprehensive health benefits to illegal immigrants. “Protecting Medicaid from waste, fraud and abuse isn’t optional. It’s the law. Every dollar misspent on illegal healthcare spending is a dollar taken from vulnerable Americans,” CMS spokesperson Emily Hilliard told Fox News Digital. “Federal law forbids using Medicaid funds for illegal immigrants, yet several Democrat-led states did it anyway. The Trump administration won’t tolerate it. CMS is auditing aggressively, recovering every dollar and holding states accountable.” California was far and away the biggest culprit, spending over $1 billion in federal Medicaid dollars on healthcare for illegal immigrants, according to CMS. The next largest violator was Illinois, which CMS said has improperly spent nearly $30 million, followed by Oregon, which the audit found improperly spent approximately $5.5 million. California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office has denied claims his state is improperly using federal funds to pay for illegal immigrant healthcare, telling the Los Angeles Times claims from Republicans are “false.” But Steve Hilton, a former Fox News anchor and current Republican candidate running to be the next governor of California with Newsom term limited, has argued that California has been using a complex Medicaid provision known as a “provider tax” to obtain matching federal dollars, which then gets pooled into the money used by the state to pay for its healthcare offered to undocumented immigrants. Chris Pope, a public health policy expert at the Manhattan Institute, has argued California is abusing federal provisions that allow states to use federal Medicaid dollars for emergency care for undocumented aliens. Fox News Digital reached out to Newsom’s office for comment on this story but did not receive a response. CALIFORNIA USING BACK DOOR TO GET FEDERAL FUNDS FOR ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT HEALTHCARE, GOP SAYS; DEMS SAY NONSENSE “Medicaid is by far the largest source of federal funding for states. It was originally intended to only provide aid for eligible beneficiaries, but, over time, states have figured out how to game the system, padding permitted expenses and diverting the profits to fund activities which are supposedly prohibited,” said Pope. “Any claim that state healthcare expenditures don’t ultimately involve some form of federal funds should be regarded with suspicion.” Jim O’Neill, the current acting director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and a deputy secretary at the Health and Human Services Department, has also been highlighting that among the federal funds that are improperly going to illegal immigrants, some are even going to illegal immigrants with violent criminal pasts. O’Neill has been posting a daily “MorningMedicaidMugshot” with examples over the last several days. On Oct. 29, O’Neill highlighted Layth Kamil, a 24-year-old illegal alien from Iraq convicted of exposing himself to a 15-year-old, who, according to O’Neill, has received close to $16,000 in taxpayer-funded healthcare through Medicaid. The day before, O’Neill highlighted the story of Haissam Massalkhy, a 45-year-old illegal alien from Lebanon convicted after driving under the influence and killing an American citizen who was out jogging. Massalkhy has received over $30,000, according to O’Neill. Other illegal aliens O’Neill highlighted included people convicted of attempted murder and child rape. “Democrats are demanding continued funding of this violent illegal alien’s Medicaid as a condition for reopening the government and paying the hardworking public servants at my department,” O’Neill lamented in one of his recent “MorningMedicaidMugshot” posts.
Democratic state senator accused of secretly filming two critics in bed together to try to silence them
A Democratic state senator from Maryland is accused of orchestrating a scheme to secretly record two critics — including a former campaign consultant — in bed together and then using the footage to threaten and silence them, according to a newly unsealed federal indictment. Federal prosecutors say Maryland State Sen. Dalya Attar, her brother Joseph “Yossi” Attar and Baltimore Police Officer Kalman Finkelstein secretly filmed the pair during an intimate encounter, then used the recording to intimidate them into silence. The 20-page indictment, unsealed Thursday, charges the trio with conspiracy, extortion, illegal wiretapping and violations of the Travel Act. Prosecutors allege the group targeted the consultant, identified as Victim 1, who had worked for Attar’s 2018 campaign and later supported her political rivals. Victim 2 was in a romantic relationship with Victim 1 and was married to another person at the time, the documents say. INSIDE THE MAMDANI MACHINE: SOROS CASH, SOCIALISTS AND RADICAL IMAMS ENGINEERED ZOHRAN MAMDANI’S PATH TO POWER According to the indictment, the defendants placed hidden cameras disguised as smoke detectors and a tracking device in the victims’ apartment, later reviewing footage that showed the pair in bed together. Prosecutors say the recording was then used to threaten exposure if either victim spoke publicly against Attar or supported her opponents. By early 2021, Attar allegedly discussed how to stop potential criticism, saying in a WhatsApp message, “We have a very easy … simple way to get her to just shut up and leave us alone. … She’s worried about her kids’ shidduchim.” She allegedly added, “I’m not saying we leak this anywhere or ever do that … but I’m saying we warn her … ‘If you go ahead and screw with me, we’re going to leak it.’” FMR AOC CAMPAIGN ASSOCIATE ARRESTED FOR ‘TERRORISTIC THREAT’ AGAINST SCHOOL OVER JEWISH STUDENTS: REPORT In December 2021, Joseph Attar allegedly met with one of the victims at a Baltimore shopping center and warned, “I have hours of footage of you in bed with [Victim 1] … Go to [Victim 1] and say leave Dalya alone … or I’ll share this video with everyone you know — every Rabbi in town, your kids, your wife, her daughters.” Prosecutors say the threats continued into 2022 as the defendants allegedly worked to ensure both victims remained silent before Attar’s re-election campaign. The indictment also says the three coordinated through encrypted WhatsApp messages, which they regularly deleted to avoid detection. FBI FIRES AGENTS, DISMANTLES CORRUPTION SQUAD AFTER PROBE UNVEILS MONITORING OF GOP SENATORS, PATEL SAYS The charges carry potential penalties of several decades in prison. Attar’s office did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. Baltimore Police Commissioner Richard Worley told FOX 45 that Finkelstein has been on administrative duty since 2022 and no longer holds police powers. Attar, a Democrat and former Baltimore prosecutor, was elected to the Maryland House of Delegates in 2018 and appointed to the state Senate in January 2025. She had been considered a rising figure in Maryland’s Orthodox Jewish community.
Major phone carriers reveal Jack Smith’s subpoenas for Republican senators’ records
FIRST ON FOX: Two major phone carriers took sharply different paths when former special counsel Jack Smith’s team subpoenaed phone records tied to Republican lawmakers in 2023, according to the redacted subpoenas and letters first shared with Fox News Digital. The documents, provided by the office of Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, reveal Verizon’s compliance and AT&T’s resistance when faced with Smith’s requests, which were part of Arctic Frost, the FBI probe that led to Smith bringing election charges against President Donald Trump. The 12 phone numbers on the subpoena to Verizon are redacted and replaced by Grassley’s office with the names of the lawmakers associated with them. They include one House member and 10 senators, including Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fl., whose name was not previously reported. AT&T received a similar request, according to a second subpoena. The company told Grassley the subpoenaed phone records were associated with two lawmakers, including Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, according to a source directly familiar with the matter. The source said AT&T declined to disclose the second person. REPUBLICANS CLAIM BIDEN ADMINISTRATION ‘ENEMIES LIST’ UNEARTHED FROM ARCTIC FROST INVESTIGATION Accompanying the two subpoenas were gag orders, signed by U.S. District Judge James Boasberg of Washington, D.C., that directed the two phone companies not to disclose the subpoenas to the lawmakers for one year. Prosecutors can seek such gag orders to temporarily keep investigative matters confidential. The phone companies also wrote letters to Grassley, first shared with Fox News Digital, explaining how they handled the subpoenas they received, revealing two different approaches. Verizon justified complying with the subpoenas, saying they were “facially valid” and contained only phone numbers, not names. Verizon said that with the “benefit of hindsight” and recent discussions with the Senate Sergeant at Arms, which handles congressional phone services, it has modified its policies so that it puts up more of a challenge to law enforcement requests pertaining to Congress members. AT&T, meanwhile, did not comply with the subpoenas. “When AT&T raised questions with Special Counsel Smith’s office concerning the legal basis for seeking records of members of Congress, the Special Counsel did not pursue the subpoena further, and no records were produced,” David Chorzempa, general counsel for AT&T, wrote. The release of copies of the subpoenas and new details from phone companies comes after Grassley published earlier this month a one-page FBI document indicating the existence of the subpoenas and naming most of the senators. They included Republican Sens. Marsha Blackburn, Josh Hawley, Lindsey Graham, Bill Hagerty, Dan Sullivan, Tommy Tuberville, Ron Johnson and Cynthia Lummis. Cruz later revealed that he was in the mix, and Scott announced on Thursday that he too was a target. Grassley said Wednesday that Smith’s subpoena to Verizon included Cruz’s office’s landline. In Verizon’s letter to Grassley, it noted that there were no records to give Smith pertaining to the landline request. The two subpoenas to Verizon and AT&T sought toll records for a four-day period surrounding the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. They did not include the contents of phone calls or messages, which would require a warrant, but they did include “[call] detail records for inbound and outbound calls, text messages, direct connect, and voicemail messages” and phone number subscriber and payment information. News of the subpoenas sparked an outcry from the senators, who claimed Smith improperly spied on them and that Arctic Frost was “worse” than the Watergate scandal. The lawmakers have raised numerous constitutional concerns, including claims that the subpoenas violated the speech and debate clause, which gives lawmakers an added layer of immunity from investigations. JACK SMITH DEFENDS SUBPOENAING REPUBLICAN SENATORS’ PHONE RECORDS: ‘ENTIRELY PROPER’ Smith, in response, said in a letter through his lawyers that he mentioned subpoenaing senators’ phone records in his public, final special counsel report and that the subpoenas were narrowly tailored to the four-day period and “entirely proper.” Smith has asked House and Senate lawmakers to allow him to testify before them in a public hearing to speak about his special counsel work. House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, however, wants to question Smith behind closed doors and Grassley has said he needs more information before he hosts Smith in a public setting. The DOJ has issued subpoenas for lawmakers’ information in the past, but former inspector general Michael Horowitz cautioned against it except in limited circumstances in a report published last year, saying that doing so “risks chilling Congress’s ability to conduct oversight of the executive branch.” Horowitz’s warning came in response to the first Trump administration subpoenaing phone records of Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., and then-Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., and dozens of congressional staffers from both parties as part of an investigation into classified information being leaked to the media. Despite enjoying additional constitutional protections, members of Congress can still be investigated and prosecuted. Former Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez’s phone records were seized while he was serving in office. Menendez is now serving in prison after being found guilty by a jury last year of corruption charges.
As battle for Ukraine’s Pokrovsk heats up, Putin touts nuclear-powered arms
Russian and Ukrainian forces are interlocked in desperate battles for control of Ukraine’s eastern towns of Pokrovsk and Myrnohrad, which Moscow considers a gateway to the remaining unoccupied areas of the Donetsk region. On Sunday, Valery Gerasimov, Russian chief of staff, told President Vladimir Putin his 2nd and 51st Combined Arms Armies were “advancing along converging axes” and “have completed the encirclement of the enemy” in Pokrovsk and Myrnohrad. Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of list He claimed some 5,500 Ukrainian troops were surrounded, including elite airborne and marine units. Russian military reporters contradicted these claims, with one named “Military Informant” telling 621,000 Telegram subscribers, “There is simply no encirclement” as the two claws of Gerasimov’s attempted pincer movement were still “several kilometres” apart. On Thursday, Oleksandr Syrskii, the Ukrainian commander-in-chief, also denied Gerasimov’s claim. “The statements of Russian propaganda about the alleged ‘blocking’ of the defence forces of Ukraine in Pokrovsk, as well as in Kupiansk, do not correspond to reality,” Syrskii said. The Russian reporter also thought it “extremely unlikely” that thousands of Ukrainian troops were trapped. “If earlier urban battles were a classic meat grinder ‘head-to-head’ with battles for each house,” he said, now they are “conducted by small groups of infantry with the support of many drones”. Geolocated footage showed that isolated Russian groups had entered western and central Pokrovsk on October 23, but they did not appear to control areas within the city, rather to stake out positions and await reinforcements. Advertisement Ukraine’s General Staff said the situation around Pokrovsk “remains difficult”, and estimated that some 200 Russian troops had infiltrated the town, but said defending units were conducting sabotage operations that prevented Russian units from gaining a permanent foothold. The front around Pokrovsk also remained dynamic. Ukrainian military observer Konstantyn Mashovets reported that Kyiv’s troops were able to ambush Russian rear positions in the village of Sukhetsky, northeast of Pokrovsk, demonstrating the porousness of the front line. “[Russian] small infantry groups in some places began to collide with Ukrainian corresponding groups quite often and suddenly, even before their deployment or when moving to strengthen and replenish their assault groups directly,” said Mashovets. “Due to the abundance of drones in the air, which make the movement of any large concentrations of infantry extremely dangerous, the positions of both sides remain mixed,” said Kremlin-aligned Russian military news outlet Rybar. “This leads to the absence of a single front line and prevents the determination of the exact boundaries of the control zones.” Mashovets estimated that the Russian 2nd Combined Arms Army, which he described as the “main impact force”, had received reinforcements of between 6,000 and 10,500 troops from other areas of the front ahead of the latest assault, which began in mid-October. “Special attention is focused on Pokrovsk and the neighbouring areas. That is where the occupier has concentrated its largest assault forces,” said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in a Monday evening address. “It is Pokrovsk that is their main objective.” Ukraine strikes Russian energy hubs Zelenskyy has often said his objective is to return the war to Russian soil. Ukraine’s long-range drones and cruise missiles were performing that task during the past week. Ukraine struck the Ryazan oil refinery for the fifth time this year on October 23, setting ablaze a crude oil distillation unit. Russia’s Defence Ministry said 139 Ukrainian drones had been shot down overnight. Leningrad’s regional governor said “several” Ukrainian drones had been shot down without causing damage or casualties on Saturday. Ukraine struck a fuel and lubricants container in Simferopol on Wednesday, Crimean occupation Governor Sergey Aksyonov said. Putin boasts of weapons ‘nobody else in the world has’ Russian officials who have been supportive of US President Donald Trump’s efforts to negotiate a peace directly with Putin changed their tone after Trump cancelled a summit with Putin and imposed sanctions on Russian oil majors Lukoil and Rosneft last week. Advertisement “The US is our adversary, and its verbose ‘peacemaker’ is now firmly on the warpath against Russia,” said Dmitry Medvedev, deputy chair of Russia’s National Security Council, saying Trump was now “completely aligned with mad Europe”. Over cakes and tea with Russian war veterans on Monday, Putin announced the successful test launch of a new nuclear-powered torpedo with the ability to create radioactive tidal waves targeting coastal regions. The Poseidon reportedly has a range of 10,000km (6,200 miles) and travels at 185km/h (115mph). As with previous unveilings of Russian weapons, Putin said, “There’s nothing like it in the world, its rivals are unlikely to appear anytime soon, and there are no existing interception methods”. Duma Defence Committee Chairman Andrey Kartapolov said the Poseidon was“capable of disabling entire states”. Three days earlier, Putin had announced the successful test of a new nuclear-capable cruise missile, the Burevestnik, which is also nuclear-powered. “It is a unique ware which nobody else in the world has,” Putin said. Russia followed a similar political intimidation tactic in November 2024, when it launched the Oreshnik, a hypersonic, intermediate-range ballistic, nuclear-capable missile, to hit a Ukrainian factory in Dnipro. On Tuesday, Putin said he would deploy the Oreshnik in Belarus by December. Russia also tested the Sarmat, a new intercontinental ballistic missile that Putin said is not yet operational, in the Sea of Japan. None of the tests were independently verified, and it was unclear whether any of the new weapons were battle-ready or whether they could be produced at scale. On October 22, Moscow conducted a routine strategic forces exercise, sending Tupolev-22M3 long-range bombers over the Baltic Sea, framing it as a reaction to Western aggression. Trump said on Monday that Putin should instead focus on ending the war. “I don’t think it’s an appropriate thing for Putin to be saying,” said the US president. “You ought to get the war ended; the war that should have taken one week is now in … its fourth year, that’s what you ought to do instead of testing missiles.” Adblock test (Why?)
Can Southeast Asia turn its economic weight into real power?
As global trade tensions rise, ASEAN faces a challenge: how to benefit from the US and China without picking sides. It is the world’s fifth-largest economy, with a combined gross domestic product of more than $3.6 trillion dollars. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) brings together 11 states, representing nearly 700 million people. As a fast-growing hub for trade, manufacturing and supply chains, ASEAN is a vital partner for both China and the United States. However, Donald Trump’s tariffs on some of its members have raised concerns about whether Washington has turned its back on the region. These come as Beijing has doubled down on its efforts to expand its influence. Meanwhile, Trump has sanctioned Russia’s oil companies. Plus, Africa’s anti-money laundering efforts. Published On 30 Oct 202530 Oct 2025 Click here to share on social media share2 Share Adblock test (Why?)
Turkiye’s Erdogan urges Germany to help end Israel’s ‘genocide’ in Gaza
Despite a fragile US-brokered ceasefire, Israel has unleashed a series of bombardments on Gaza this week. Published On 30 Oct 202530 Oct 2025 Click here to share on social media share2 Share Turkiye’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has criticised Germany over what he called its ignorance of Israel’s “genocide” and attacks on Gaza. At a joint news conference with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in Ankara on Thursday, Erdogan noted Israel’s access to nuclear and other weapons, saying it was using them to threaten Gaza, and adding that Hamas was not as well equipped. He said Israel had once again attacked Gaza in recent days despite a ceasefire in the enclave. “We need to end the genocide and the deliberate starvation by involving Germany’s Red Cross and our own Turkish Red Crescent,” Erdogan said. “Does Germany not see these?” he said, adding it was Turkiye, Germany and other countries’ humanitarian duty to end the famine and massacres in Gaza. “Just as we want the Russia-Ukraine war to end, we also support an end to Israel’s war on Gaza,” Erdogan said. “Turkiye and Germany are two key countries that can join hands to achieve this.” Despite a fragile US-brokered ceasefire that took effect on October 10, Israel launched a series of bombardments on Gaza following the killing of an Israeli soldier in southern Gaza’s Rafah on Tuesday. Israel’s retaliatory attacks killed 104 people, mostly women and children, said Gaza’s Health Ministry. Reporting from Gaza City on Wednesday, Al Jazeera’s Hani Mahmoud said the Israeli attacks this week were similar to previous rounds of bombardments. “A brief hope for calm turned into despair,” said Mahmoud. “For a lot of people, it’s a stark reminder of the opening weeks of the genocide in terms of the intensity and the scale of destruction that was caused by the massive bombs on Gaza City.” Advertisement Israel said on Wednesday that it had begun “renewed enforcement of the ceasefire”. United States President Donald Trump insisted the ceasefire “is not in jeopardy” despite the latest attacks, while mediator Qatar called Israel’s violations “disappointing and frustrating“. “The deal was set up to fail, right?” Former UNRWA spokesperson Chris Gunness spoke to @Dena about how the conditions of the ceasefire in Gaza don’t guarantee the access to aid that Palestinians need. pic.twitter.com/Clzjmzq2tk — AJ+ (@ajplus) October 30, 2025 As part of Trump’s 20-point plan to end Israel’s war on Gaza, an international force is meant to form to monitor the agreement, but the accord does not specify which countries would provide the troops. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar told reporters on Monday that Israel opposes any troops from Turkiye joining that force because of Erdogan’s past comments on Israel. “Countries that want or are ready to send armed forces should be at least fair to Israel,” Saar said. He did not elaborate. Israel’s war on Gaza has killed at least 68,527 people and wounded 170,395 since it began in October 2023. A total of 1,139 people were killed in Israel during the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attacks, and about 200 were taken captive. Adblock test (Why?)