Trump threatens to halt all US aid, conduct ‘vicious’ military attack in Nigeria over Christian persecution
President Donald Trump on Saturday announced the U.S. will immediately stop all aid and assistance to Nigeria if its government continues to allow the killing of Christians, and may even go into the country “guns-a-blazing” to “completely wipe out the Islamic terrorists” responsible. “I am hereby instructing our Department of War to prepare for possible action,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post. “If we attack, it will be fast, vicious, and sweet, just like the terrorist thugs attack our CHERISHED Christians! WARNING: THE NIGERIAN GOVERNMENT BETTER MOVE FAST!” The post comes after the president on Friday designated Nigeria as a “country of particular concern,” citing the widespread killings of Christians. I’M A CHRISTIAN FROM NIGER. DON’T IGNORE HORRIFYING ATTACKS ON AFRICAN CHRISTIANS “Christianity is facing an existential threat in Nigeria,” Trump posted to Truth Social Friday. “Thousands of Christians are being killed. Radical Islamists are responsible for this mass slaughter. I am hereby making Nigeria a ‘COUNTRY OF PARTICULAR CONCERN’—But that is the least of it.” He said Rep. Riley Moore, R-W. Va., Rep. Tom Cole, R-Okla., and members of the House Appropriations Committee were directed to look into the reports and present findings to him at a later date. “The United States cannot stand by while such atrocities are happening in Nigeria, and numerous other Countries,” Trump wrote. “We stand ready, willing, and able to save our Great Christian population around the World!” WHITE HOUSE RESPONDS TO SURGE IN CHRISTIAN PERSECUTION CRISIS ACROSS SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA The persecution of Christians in Nigeria has reached crisis levels, as Islamist militants burn down villages, massacre worshipers and displace thousands across the north and central regions. Attackers in June invaded a bishop’s village days after he testified before Congress, killing more than twenty people. Other assaults in Plateau and Benue states have left hundreds dead, with survivors describing militants shouting “Allahu Akbar” as they burned churches and homes. International watchdog group Open Doors reported nearly 70% of Christians killed for their faith last year were in Nigeria. Groups like Boko Haram, Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) and Fulani militants are blamed for most attacks, often targeting Christian farmers. Rights groups estimate 4,000–8,000 Christian deaths annually. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, told Fox News Digital 50,000 Christians have been killed and 20,000 Christian schools and churches destroyed in the country since 2009, calling it “a crisis of religious genocide.” Mark Walker, Trump’s ambassador-designate for International Religious Freedom, urged stronger U.S. pressure on Nigeria’s government, calling the violence a humanitarian crisis. He also pledged to work with Secretary of State Marco Rubio to strengthen U.S. advocacy. I WAS KIDNAPPED BY BOKO HARAM, AND SURVIVED. NO THANKS TO THE WEST’S SILENCE The White House and global leaders have condemned the violence, warning it could spread across Africa. However, Nigerian officials have denied systematic persecution, calling U.S. reports “misleading.” Hours before Trump’s threat Saturday, Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu posted a statement on X, noting Nigeria “stands firmly” as a democracy governed by constitutional guarantees of religious liberty. “Since 2023, our administration has maintained an open and active engagement with Christian and Muslim leaders alike and continues to address security challenges which affect citizens across faiths and regions,” Tinubu wrote in the statement. “The characterization of Nigeria as religiously intolerant does not reflect our national reality, nor does it take into consideration the consistent and sincere efforts of the government to safeguard freedom of religion and beliefs for all Nigerians. Religious freedom and tolerance have been a core tenet of our collective identity and shall always remain so.” “Nigeria opposes religious persecution and does not encourage it,” he continued. “Nigeria is a country with constitutional guarantees to protect citizens of all faiths. Our administration is committed to working with the United States government and the international community to deepen understanding and cooperation on protection of communities of all faiths.” Fox News Digital’s Efrat Lachter and Sophia Compton contributed to this report.
Obama says it’s ‘like every day is Halloween’ as he blames Republicans for government shutdown
Former President Barack Obama on Saturday slammed Republicans for the ongoing federal government shutdown. “The government is shut down and the Republicans who currently are in charge of Congress, they’re not even pretending to solve the problem,” the 64-year-old told a rally crowd while campaigning for former Rep. Abigail Spanberger, D-Va., turned Democratic gubernatorial candidate in Norfolk, Virginia. “They have not even been showing up to work, not in session. Where are you? What are you doing?” The government shutdown began a month ago on Oct. 1, after lawmakers failed to pass a spending bill to fund the government, with Democrats concerned expiring Affordable Care Act tax cuts could raise premiums and that Medicaid cuts could leave people without coverage. Republicans have blamed the shutdown on Democrats, with Trump recently calling them “crazed lunatics.” JOHNSON WARNS US ‘BARRELING TOWARD ONE OF THE LONGEST SHUTDOWNS’ IN HISTORY “The shutdown proceeds because the Democrats just don’t know what they’re doing,” President Donald Trump told reporters this week. I don’t know what’s wrong with them. They’ve never done a thing like this. They’ve become crazed lunatics. All they have to do is say, ‘Let’s go, let’s go. Let’s open up our country.’ And everything snaps back into shape. So there’s something wrong with them.” Trump has also suggested getting rid of the filibuster. “Remember, Republicans, regardless of the Schumer Shutdown, the Democrats will terminate the Filibuster the first chance they get,” he wrote on Truth Socila on Saturday. “They will Pack the Supreme Court, pick up two States, and add at least 8 Electoral Votes. Their two objectors are gone!!! Don’t be WEAK AND STUPID. FIGHT,FIGHT, FIGHT! WIN, WIN, WIN! We will immediately END the Extortionist Shutdown, get ALL of our agenda passed, and make life so good for Americans that these DERANGED DEMOCRAT politicians will never again have the chance to DESTROY AMERICA!” He added, “Republicans, you will rue the day that you didn’t TERMINATE THE FILIBUSTER!!! BE TOUGH, BE SMART, AND WIN!!! This is much bigger than the Shutdown, this is the survival of our Country!” Obama didn’t mention Democrats’ part in the shutdown when talking about it on Saturday. He did, however, have choice words for Trump and his administration. “Our country and our politics are in a pretty dark place right now. It’s hard to know where to start, because every day this white House offers up a fresh batch of lawlessness and recklessness and mean-spiritedness and just plain craziness,” he charged. SHUTDOWN IGNITES STRATEGIST DEBATE: WILL TRUMP AND GOP PAY THE POLITICAL PRICE IN 2026? The former president joked: “It’s like every day is Halloween. Except it’s all tricks and no treats. And and here’s the thing, it’s not as if we didn’t see some of this coming. I will admit, it’s worse than even I expected. But I did warn y’all.” He claimed that while the economy has been good for Trump’s “billionaire pals,” costs haven’t gotten any better for average people. Obama said “there is absolutely no evidence Republican policies have made life better for you” while claiming that Republicans are more focused on “scapegoat[ing] minorities and DEI for every problem under the sun. You got a flat tire? DEI. wife mad at you? DEI.” “What they have not devoted energy to is helping you,” he told the crowd. “They have not put forward serious proposals to lower housing costs or make groceries more affordable.” He urged the crowd to vote for Spanberger, who is facing Virginia’s Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears for an open seat in the state. Later Saturday, Obama headed to New Jersey for a rally with Democratic gubernatorial candidate Rep. Mikie Sherrill, who is in a close race against Republican Jack Ciattarelli. “I don’t know many people who started their careers as a Navy helicopter pilot, then went to law school, then became a federal prosecutor, keeping communities safe,” Obama said in front of a crowd in Newark. “And she’s doing this while raising four kids. And then because apparently that was a little bit too easy, she decided to run for Congress. I get tired just thinking about it. But I do know that it makes her the kind of leader who understands the mission, who knows who she is supposed to serve, who doesn’t have a lot of time for excuses. And that is exactly what New Jersey needs right now.”
Former Trump official warns Mamdani victory would mark ‘Marxist shift’ for New York City
America’s most populous city is days away from possibly electing a self-defined socialist as its mayor. A former Trump administration official told Fox News Digital a win for Zohran Mamdani could mark a shift toward Marxism in New York City. “I could never fathom the thought of having a Marxist leading my city, the crown jewel city of the United States, of the world, of the free world,” Gene Hamilton, America First Legal co-founder and president, told Fox News Digital. The heated New York City mayoral race has garnered national attention as former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, now running as an independent, Mamdani and Republican Curtis Sliwa face off in an all-out battle to govern the city. Hamilton, who formerly served as White House deputy counsel, noted some polls have shown a divide between U.S. and foreign-born voters, with those coming from outside the country leaning more toward the young socialist. Hamilton said he sees this as evidence of long-failed immigration policies and a shift away from promoting assimilation and toward pushing integration. NEW JERSEY DEMS SNUB ENDORSING SOCIALIST CANDIDATE MAMDANI AS GUBERNATORIAL ELECTION LOOMS “One of the things we’ve seen over the last several decades is an emphasis amongst many social organizations, nonprofits, the government itself, on this concept of pushing integration and not assimilation. ‘Assimilation’ was treated as a dirty word,” Hamilton said, highlighting resistance against pushing for immigrants to adopt American culture. He said the difference is that integration now means that “we’re integrating you from whatever background you have, whatever political ideology you have, and we’re just integrating you into society and everyone else has to deal with it.” While Hamilton acknowledges that immigration can create appreciation for cultures, he asserted that this does not mean that those coming to the U.S. can ignore the existing culture they’re moving into. He also emphasized the importance of upholding existing immigration laws, arguing that enforcement is not just about border control but about protecting American values. “There are prohibitions, there are restrictions from the admission of individuals for many, many reasons,” he told Fox News Digital. “You can’t admit somebody to the United States who’s been a member of a totalitarian party or communist party. There are people that you can’t submit because they’re going to engage in certain types of activity. ZOHRAN MAMDANI LAUNCHES ANTI-TRUMP TOUR ACROSS FIVE BOROUGHS IN NEW YORK CITY “There is an oath that every naturalized citizen has to take as part of becoming a citizen. They are promising to the United States government that they are renouncing any existing foreign ties and obligations, and, instead, they’re embracing this new American identity. And so all of this wraps together to this devaluation of the value of an American, the American identity, the quintessential American identity that dominated perceptions across the world for decades and decades,” Hamilton added. When it comes to the contentious New York City race, Hamilton said that it shows that the U.S. has brought in “a lot of people” and has failed to teach the importance of Western values, of the U.S. Constitution and what the founders fought for. He said he believes the sacrifices of those who built the country are being “shunted aside towards this belief, this ideological suicide in some ways, that we can just bring anyone from anywhere across the world.” He said the belief that as long as immigrants “provide some kind of economic enhancement to the country of any kind — whether that’s as an Uber driver or whether it’s as a nuclear scientist — that we should just welcome it all the same, treat them all the same and we’re all greatly enriched because of it just (defies) common sense.” During last year’s presidential election, immigration took center stage as many saw the Biden administration’s handling of the border as a failure. This heavily affected then-Vice President Kamala Harris, who was, at one point, tapped to be the country’s border czar. MAMDANI TAKES COMMANDING 22-POINT LEAD OVER CUOMO IN NEW POLL Hamilton reflected on how the American people “outright rejected the open borders mentality of the Biden administration,” adding that it went beyond the rejection of open land borders and also the bringing in of people from all across the world. “Things take time. It takes years for things to change, but we are now dealing with the consequences of years of failure up until now. We have a real chance to fix it now. Donald Trump is fixing things on the national level. The people of New York still have a chance to make this right. But things are looking really bad,” Hamilton said. Hamilton also touched on the mentality New York Republicans should have while heading to the polls. Despite there being a Republican candidate in the race, there are those who believe that voting for Cuomo would hurt Mamdani, while voting for Sliwa would help him. NYC OFFICIAL EXPOSES MAMDANI’S ‘MARXIST PLAYBOOK’ IN REVEALING NEW FOX NATION SPECIAL “I think it’s really hard,” Hamilton said. “Ultimately, I know a lot of people like Sliwa. He seems like a wonderful man. I don’t know him personally. And so you can stand proud and support on principle, voting for a Republican. But, at the end of the day, you also have to accept and recognize reality sometimes. And whatever it takes to ensure that you do get a Marxist in office is a reasonable decision to make. And, so, if that means holding your nose and voting for Cuomo, that’s a personal decision to make.” Even with the national election long over and the 2025 races just days away, there are those who are thinking about next year’s midterms and how a Mamdani win could shift the tides. “Certainly, I think you’ll see the Democratic Party rally around him and the energy behind his election as a means to try to turn out the vote in 2026 for their preferred candidates, to get this kind of more Marxist message out there and
Sharpton blasts ‘ugly Islamophobia’ in NYC mayoral race as Mamdani attacks Trump on welfare cuts
The Rev. Al Sharpton on Saturday slammed what he called “ugly Islamophobia” sweeping New York City’s mayoral race, accusing some of labeling every Muslim a terrorist to attack Democratic candidate Zohran Mamdani. Sharpton, an MSNBC host and progressive activist, was speaking at an event he was hosting for Mamdani in Harlem, and the mayoral candidate was throwing jabs too, accusing President Donald Trump of smearing and gutting welfare programs. The democratic socialist drew parallels to the Reconstruction-era agency created to help newly freed slaves to hammer home his point. The pair were joined by Pastor Miles Travis Boyd, whose mother died on 9/11, as well as other faith leaders. “I am outraged at the ugly Islamophobia that has been used in this campaign to act as though every Muslim is a terrorist and to act like something ugly, as what happened to us on 9/11 is an insult to the intelligence of all New Yorkers,” Sharpton told a lively crowd at the House of Justice, his National Action Network headquarters. FBI AGENTS FROM ’93 WTC ATTACK BLAST MAMDANI FOR EMBRACING RADICAL IMAM “If you can’t get a vote on your record, don’t play us against each other.” Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo faced criticism from Mamdani after Cuomo’s exchange with radio host Sid Rosenberg, who claimed Mamdani would be “cheering” if another 9/11 happened. Cuomo had argued during the segment that Mamdani was unprepared to lead the city in a time of crisis. After Sharpton’s remarks on Saturday, Cuomo denied accusations of Islamophobia and said comments from Republican Councilwoman Inna Vernikov — who has endorsed him and has been accused of making inflammatory statements — were hers alone. Cuomo, in turn, accused Mamdani of fueling division and antisemitism for allegedly refusing to denounce calls for an “intifada” and for making past statements he described as offensive toward Jews. Sharpton also argued Saturday that just showing up at someone’s campaign or shaking their hand doesn’t mean you share blame for whatever they’ve been accused of. Sharpton was likely referencing a meeting Mamdani had last week with Siraj Wahhaj, a Brooklyn imam who is an unindicted co-conspirator in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing and who has been linked to other terrorist activity in the United States. Sharpton said he denounced both the Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attacks in Israel and the subsequent war in Gaza. “I’m against Islamophobia. But to bring it into the politics of the biggest city in the world should not be allowed to go unchecked,” Sharpton said. “We are not going to sit by silently while they do this. We are Christian. I’m a born-again Baptist, but I embrace the Muslim community to come from the shadows. The Jewish community to come from the shadows. And let’s walk down Broadway together.” OBAMA’S CALL TO MAMDANI ‘NORMALIZES’ THE DEMOCRATIC SOCIALIST CANDIDATE, SHARPTON SAYS He then pitched his flag in Mamdani’s corner after telling the audience that Mamdani was the only candidate who turned up to their events. “For fairness, for affordability, for those who’ve been victimized, I bring you the candidate who showed up, Zohran Mamdani,” Sharpton said, shaking Mamdani’s hand as the crowd cheered and clapped in approval. Mamdani followed Sharpton’s remarks with a speech invoking America’s Reconstruction era, accusing Trump of gutting modern welfare programs, saying they represented today’s version of the Freedmen’s Bureau. The agency provided relief and education and helped reunite families of enslaved people and poor Whites in the post-Civil War South. “If the Freedmen’s Bureau existed today, Donald Trump would pilfer its coffers and smear it as socialist overreach,” Mamdani said. “He would do to it what he has done to SNAP, Medicare and Medicaid, to any program that dares to uplift the poor rather than comfort the wealthy.” Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment but did not immediately hear back. Mamdani said his campaign was rooted in moral and economic renewal stretching from Harlem to Queens to Bay Ridge. “Over the past 12 months, my friends, we have built a movement around creating a society we would all like to see, a society where the poor receive aid, where those who work long nights are set free in the day, where injustice is banished from our city and where faith is restored in City Hall,” Mamdani said.
Mamdani’s God Squad: The clerics, activists and political operatives who have his back
When New York mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani stepped to the microphone outside the Islamic Cultural Center of the Bronx last week near Yankee Stadium, his voice broke as he spoke about “the memory of my aunt who stopped taking the subway after Sept. 11 because she did not feel safe.” Behind him, a Yemeni-American educator in sunglasses named Debbie Almontaser nodded. Almost two decades ago, in 2007, she was forced to resign as principal of a city school after defending a T-shirt with the slogan “Intifada NYC.” City officials viewed it as a call to violence. She said it was benign. Her case became a rallying cry for Muslim American activists who cast her as a victim of “Islamophobia.” FBI AGENTS FROM ’93 WTC ATTACK BLAST MAMDANI FOR EMBRACING RADICAL IMAM Now, Almontaser was back, this time as a senior advisor to Emgage Action and a board member of Yemeni American Merchants Association Action, two of 110 political nonprofits, community groups and political action committees backing Mamdani as he alleges “Islamophobia” against him. Recently, when critics questioned Mamdani’s ties to hardline Brooklyn Imam Siraj Wahhaj, she sprang to action, helping to organize a protest to defend Wahhaj. That rapid, coordinated response captured the modus operandi of a network of political operatives and clerics intertwined with the shared mission of catapulting Mamdani into the mayor’s office. Mamdani’s background diverges from many of his co-religionists. In an interview, he said he is a Khoja Shia Muslim, part of a small, relatively liberal sect with roots in India. Many of his New York-area allies are religiously strict Sunni Muslims who practice more conservative interpretations of the faith. But they find common ground in politics. “It’s a sophisticated fusion of religion, politics and identity,” said Mansour Al-Hadj, a Washington-based researcher on Muslim political movements and extremism. “The same networks that once focused on community services are now mobilizing voters and producing candidates. This is how political Islam adapts inside democracy.” Mamdani’s God Squad includes about a few dozen key players who specialize in painting any critique as an attack on their faith, accusing critics of Islamophobia even as many of them have engaged in strident rhetoric against the U.S., Israel and capitalism. The Original Imam: America is “filthy and sick” Mamdani set off a firestorm Oct. 7 when he walked into Masjid At-Taqwa in Brooklyn and later posted a photo of himself beaming beside the mosque’s imam, or prayer leader, Wahhaj. The imam’s checkered past goes back decades. In a 1992 talk, he said American Muslims should elect an “emir” rather than choose between George Bush and Bill Clinton. Soon after, he served as a character witness in the trial of Sheikh Omar Abdel-Rahman, the so-called “Blind Sheikh” convicted for plotting the 1993 World Trade Center bombing that killed six people. “You know what this country is?” Wahhaj said in 1995. “It’s a garbage can. Filthy. Filthy and sick.” In 2018, three of Wahhaj’s children were arrested after authorities found 11 malnourished children in a New Mexico compound tied to his family; a grandchild had died in what authorities described as an attempted exorcism. He told local news reporters, “Whatever they did wrong … it’s not acceptable to us.” The Youth Imam: Resist “by any means necessary” In New York, the Muslim American Society recently signed on to a letter to challenge “unmistakably Islamophobic, anti-Black, and xenophobic” attacks on Mamdani. Signatories included CAIR National, the Council on American-Islamic Relations’ New York chapter, Islamic Circle of North America’s New York chapter, the Islamic Center of Five Towns, Muslim American Society of New York, Muslim Community Network, Rockaway Islamic Center and a “Syosset Muslim Community.” Members of the Muslim American Society have long been quick to accuse others of Islamophobia even as they unabashedly call for violence against their perceived enemies. At an Eid celebration earlier this year, a cleric at the Muslim American Society cast Muslims as victims worldwide. Mohammad Badawi, youth director at the Muslim American Society, declared the local community’s joy would only be complete when Muslims are “victorious worldwide,” adding they would celebrate “after the destruction of the illegitimate Zionist occupiers,” Israel. He regularly organizes anti-Israel protests in a campaign against “injustice and oppression.” At one protest, Badawi urged youth to “fight back” against injustices “by any means necessary.” Abdullah Akl, a charismatic organizer with the Muslim American Society Youth Center, leads many protests under the banner of “Within Our Lifetime,” with founder Nerdeen Kiswani. Mamdani joined them before his run for mayor. Akl calls the street protests “sacred activism,” a mix of faith and resistance that will “free Palestine.” Since the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel, the Muslim American Society Youth Center has organized prayer protests on Wall Street outside the New York Stock Exchange and street protests for “Nakba Day,” calling the day Israel was created a “catastrophe,” and youth-led demonstrations outside BlackRock. Akl turned a subway car into a protest zone with chants of “Globalize the intifada… There is only one solution: intifada revolution.” When the New York Police Department arrested Akl and other activists, the Council on American-Islamic Relation’s New York chapter sent out a press release demanding their release. During the Oct. 7 protests this year against Israel, Akl shouted, “We did not act enough! We will show up, stronger than we did the first Oct. 7.” In response to criticism, he posted a message on social media, doubling down and saying, “Saying we didn’t act enough to stop a full blown genocide against palestinians [sic] is incitement?? Saying we need to be louder and protest more and continue to speak up for gaza [sic] is a crime? Zionist tears once again for the most documented genocide in modern history.” For decades, Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) has served as an aggressive and litigious watchdog for a host of Muslim figures and causes, often at the forefront of fighting legitimate bigotry. But CAIR has also courted controversy. Federal prosecutors named CAIR an unindicted co-conspirator in a federal terrorism-financing case against the
Sherrill insists NJ a Dem stronghold ahead of Obama visit, rejecting GOP momentum: ‘Not a purple state’
New Jersey gubernatorial candidate Mikie Sherrill insisted Saturday that her state is a Democratic stronghold ahead of a campaign event with former President Barack Obama, in an apparent rejection of Republican momentum there. “New Jersey is not a red state. I love you guys, but New Jersey is not a red state,” Sherrill told supporters Saturday as she remains in a close contest with Republican candidate Jack Ciattarelli heading into Election Day. “I’ve got some even better news, guys. New Jersey is not a purple state. . . . New Jersey is a blue state! That’s right. That is right. I have seen the polling numbers, guys. I’ve seen it. I’ve seen it. So when we vote, we win,” Sherrill added. “Let’s get out every vote and let’s show them the power of labor!” A recent Fox News poll of New Jersey likely voters put Sherill ahead of Ciattarelli 52% to 45% heading into the last few days of the campaign. Her seven-point lead is just outside the poll’s margin of sampling error. Earlier this month, Sherrill was ahead by five points, and in September she was up by eight points. FOX NEWS POLL: SHERRILL LEADS CIATTARELLI IN NEW JERSEY GOVERNOR’S RACE Among those who say they are extremely enthusiastic about voting this year, Ciattarelli is ahead by five points — but among those either extremely or very enthusiastic, it’s Sherrill by four. That’s because more Republicans feel extremely enthusiastic (52%) than Democrats (40%). Obama is expected in Norfolk, Virginia, earlier Saturday afternoon to campaign for Abigal Spanberger, a former House Democrat who is facing off against Republican Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears in the governor’s race there. The former president is then heading to Newark, New Jersey, for an event with Sherrill later Saturday. Obama has endorsed both candidates. OBAMA THE ‘CAMPAIGN CLOSER’ FOR DEMOCRATS IN TOP 2025 ELECTIONS AS PARTY AIMS TO REBOUND Sherrill also criticized President Donald Trump at her campaign event Saturday morning in New Jersey, saying, “We’re looking at a president of the United States that’s destroying jobs, who’s destroying our economy, who’s running a worldwide extortion racket so he can charge us all more money while he pockets billions of dollars.” “That’s not the way we want to run New Jersey. That’s not — we don’t want no king. That’s right. That is right. So that’s why I’m running for governor,” Sherrill added. “It’s not too much to ask to invest in workers. It’s not too much to ask to get a good wage. And so I have to tell you, it’s all on the line here. There are only two states in the nation with these races. New Jersey and Virginia,” Sherrill said. Fox News’ Dana Blanton contributed to this report.
Rap star Nicki Minaj thanks Trump for addressing persecution of Christians in Nigeria
Rap superstar Nicki Minaj recently thanked President Donald Trump for shedding light on the persecution of Christians in Nigeria. “Christianity is facing an existential threat in Nigeria. Thousands of Christians are being killed. Radical Islamists are responsible for this mass slaughter,” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social on Friday. “The United States cannot stand by while such atrocities are happening in Nigeria, and numerous other countries. We stand ready, willing, and able to save our great Christian population around the world!” TRUMP DESIGNATES NIGERIA AS ‘COUNTRY OF PARTICULAR CONCERN’ OVER WIDESPREAD CHRISTIAN PERSECUTION, KILLINGS Minaj is open about her Christian faith and said the president’s statement made her “feel a deep sense of gratitude.” “Reading this made me feel a deep sense of gratitude. We live in a country where we can freely worship God. No group should ever be persecuted for practicing their religion. We don’t have to share the same beliefs in order for us to respect each other,” Minaj wrote. “Numerous countries all around the world are being affected by this horror [and] it’s dangerous to pretend we don’t notice. Thank you to the president [and] his team for taking this seriously. God bless every persecuted Christian. Let’s remember to lift them up in prayer.” U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz thanked Minaj for “using your platform to speak out in defense of the Christians being persecuted in Nigeria.” “We cannot allow this to continue,” Waltz added. “Every brother and sister of Christ must band together and say, ‘Enough!’” The situation for Christians in Nigeria has become dire as entire villages have been burned to the ground, worshippers have been murdered at Sunday services and thousands have been displaced by Islamist groups sweeping through the country. CRUZ CLASHES WITH NIGERIA OVER HIS CLAIMS 50,000 CHRISTIANS KILLED SINCE 2009 IN RELIGIOUS VIOLENCE “Even being conservative, it’s probably 4,000 to 8,000 Christians killed annually,” Mark Walker, Trump’s ambassador-designate for International Religious Freedom, told Fox News Digital. “This has been going on for years — from ISWAP to Islamist Fulani ethnic militias — and the Nigerian government has to be much more proactive.” Trump said he has directed Rep. Riley Moore, R-W.Va., Rep. Tom Cole, R-Okla., and members of the House Appropriations Committee to investigate the situation and report their findings to him. The president also said he would designate Nigeria a “country of particular concern” (CPC). According to the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), in countries with that designation, the government has “engaged in or tolerated particularly severe violations of religious freedom,” which is defined as “systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations of religious freedom.” This comes from the 1998 International Religious Freedom Act. JIHADISTS MASSACRE 89 CHRISTIANS IN AFRICAN NATION, MANY SLAIN AT FUNERAL SERVICE “Nigeria is the most dangerous nation on Earth to follow Christ,” the House Appropriations Committee said in a statement. “For simply practicing their faith, Christians are actively being kidnapped, attacked and slaughtered. “With President Trump announcing he will be redesignating Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern, the United States is making clear in one resolute voice: Religious persecution will not be tolerated. The scourge of anti-Christian violence and oppression of other religious minorities by radical Islamic terrorists is an affront to religious freedom. This is a critical step in mobilizing leadership and attention to confront evil extremism.” The committee vowed that once the government shutdown is over, its members will “continue moving full-year appropriations across the finish line to uphold your priorities. We know you’ll be ready at your desk with a pen in hand.” Fox News Digital reached out to Minaj’s representative for comment but did not immediately receive a response. Fox News Digital’s Efrat Lachter and Sophia Compton contributed to this report.
Former Miss Venezuela blames ‘socialism and open borders’ for her country’s devastating collapse
Americans unfamiliar with Venezuela may not know that in the not-so-distant past the nation was rich with oil and opportunity. Congressional candidate Carmen Maria Montiel remembers a Venezuela that brimmed with optimism — before decades of political and economic turmoil turned it into one of the hemisphere’s poorest nations. “Socialism and open borders,” Montiel told Fox News Digital in an interview, are what sent her country into decline. The Houston-area Republican won the Miss Venezuela title at age 19 in 1984 and later finished as a runner-up for Miss Universe. But long before her pageant fame, she says, Venezuela’s political foundations were already beginning to crack. CHINA CONDEMNS US MILITARY BUILDUP OFF VENEZUELA COAST AS FOREIGN INTERFERENCE IN REGIONAL AFFAIRS While the nation remained a democracy for decades, two socialist parties dominated power. “We got the influx of illegal immigrants, crime went up, drugs started to be a problem,” she said. “The first thing they destroyed was the healthcare system. Venezuela used to have one of the most wonderful healthcare systems — it was paid for, it was our social security. Because the country was so rich, it provided so many services to the Venezuelan people. And of course, no country has the infrastructure for a vertical growth of the population.” Montiel came to the U.S. for college in 1988, hoping the unrest at home would ease. Instead, she watched from abroad as Hugo Chávez led two coup attempts in 1992, and the country erupted in riots and looting. IS TRUMP’S ‘HEAT’ ON VENEZUELA THE START OF A WIDER CAMPAIGN FOR REGIME CHANGE? “I decided I’m gonna stay a little longer, see if things get better,” she said. “But they never did.” From Chávez’s failed coup to Nicolás Maduro’s current hold on power, Montiel sees a straight line — one she says runs through corruption, cartel influence and foreign alliances with Russia and Iran. “Communism always runs out of money,” Montiel said. “Even in a rich country like Venezuela, oil production collapsed, and what was left for them was crime. That’s why they joined the cartels — it’s a criminal communist regime.” ALLIANCE WITH US ‘DISMANTLED’ BY LEFTIST PETRO REGIME, COLOMBIA’S FORMER DEFENSE MINISTER SAYS U.S. officials have long accused members of Maduro’s inner circle of involvement in narcotics trafficking, particularly through the Cartel de los Soles — a network of Venezuelan military officers implicated in smuggling cocaine to North America and Europe. Washington has also sanctioned dozens of Venezuelan officials for corruption and ties to terrorist groups, though Caracas denies the charges. Montiel supports the recent U.S. military strikes targeting alleged drug-trafficking networks off Venezuela’s coast and believes they are justified given the threat she says the regime poses to the United States. “Venezuela presents a very high risk to the United States,” she said. “It’s the drug trafficking, the Tren de Aragua trafficking … the problems that many Venezuelan people escaped, now we’re facing in the United States.” WASHINGTON’S SHADOW WAR: HOW STRIKES ON CARTELS THREATEN TO COLLAPSE MADURO’S REGIME The Department of War has conducted 14 lethal strikes on vessels allegedly smuggling narcotics toward U.S. shores over the past two months. In Montiel’s view, dismantling cartel networks and exposing the Venezuelan military’s complicity are essential steps toward toppling the regime. “This is a criminal communist regime and we should never remove the word ‘communist,’” she said. At the same time, the U.S. has intensified pressure on Maduro, whom it does not recognize as Venezuela’s legitimate leader. The Justice Department is offering a $50 million reward for information leading to Maduro’s arrest. Analysts have questioned whether the widening military campaign may have a deeper objective: pushing Venezuela’s socialist leader from power. A U.S. intervention aimed at removing Maduro would likely divide Americans still wary of foreign entanglements. But Montiel insists Venezuelans themselves would welcome it. “The people that are still in Venezuela are supporters of President Donald Trump because they’re screaming for freedom,” she said. “They’re screaming to get out of the situation.” Still, she acknowledges that removing the regime alone won’t rebuild the country. “The country is pretty much destroyed,” she said. “It’s worse than any third world country. It’s going to take probably 30 years to get Venezuela back to what it used to be.” Montiel is running in the Nov. 4, 2025, special election for Texas’ 18th Congressional district, a heavily Democratic Houston seat left vacant after the death of Sylvester Turner.
Trump touts ‘12 out of 10’ meeting with Xi, downplays reports of Venezuela strikes
President Donald Trump spent the week in Asia meeting with other global leaders, including Chinese President Xi Jinping, while his administration ramped up its attacks against alleged drug boats in Latin America. Trump met with Xi Thursday in South Korea, where the two hashed out a series of agreements concerning trade. Specifically, Trump said he agreed to cut tariffs on Chinese imports by 10% — reducing the rate to from 57% to 47% — because China said it would cooperate with the U.S. on addressing the fentanyl crisis. Additionally, Trump said that he would not move forward with imposing an additional 100% tariff on Chinese goods that were expected to kick in Saturday. Trump threatened the steep hike after China announced in October it would impose export controls on rare earth magnets, which he said China had agreed to postpone by a year. Afterward, Trump described the meeting as a massive success, and signaled that a broader trade deal between the two countries would be signed shortly. TRUMP, XI MEET IN EFFORT TO RESOLVE TRADE TENSIONS SPARKED BY US TARIFFS “Zero, to 10, with 10 being the best, I’d say the meeting was a 12,” Trump told reporters after meeting with Xi. “A lot of decisions were made … and we’ve come to a conclusion on very many important points.” From China’s point of view, Xi said afterward the two countries should work together and complete outstanding tasks from the summit for the “peace of mind” of China, the U.S., and the rest of the world. “Both sides should take the long-term perspective into account, focusing on the benefits of cooperation rather than falling into a vicious cycle of mutual retaliation,” Xi said, according to a state media report on the meeting. TRUMP ANNOUNCES MEETING WITH XI JINPING AT SOUTH KOREA APEC SUMMIT SCHEDULED FOR NEXT MONTH Additionally, Trump announced on the Asia trip, which also included stops in Malaysia and Japan, that he would instruct the U.S. to revive nuclear weapons testing —upending decades of precedent on nuclear policy, as the U.S. has not conducted nuclear weapons testing since 1992. The announcement also left lawmakers, experts and military personnel wondering what he meant since no other country has conducted a known nuclear test since North Korea in 2017. China’s and Russia’s last known tests go back to the 1990s, when Russia was still the Soviet Union. The White House did not provide comment to Fox News Digital. The Pentagon did not respond to a request for comment. TRUMP CLAIMS ASIA TOUR RETURNED ‘TRILLIONS’ TO US AHEAD OF CRITICAL MEETING WITH CHINA’S XI However, experts are aligned that Trump likely meant he would instruct the U.S. to either increase its testing of nuclear-powered weapons systems or conduct tests of low-yield nuclear weapons. Vice President JD Vance told reporters Thursday that Trump would continue to work on nuclear proliferation, but said testing would be done to guarantee weapons are working at optimal capability. “It’s an important part of American national security to make sure that this nuclear arsenal we have actually functions properly,” Vance said. “And that’s part of a testing regime. To be clear, we know that it does work properly, but you got to keep on top of it over time. And the president just wants to make sure that we do that with his nation.” TRUMP THREATENS ‘MASSIVE’ CHINA TARIFFS, SEES ‘NO REASON’ TO MEET WITH XI The Trump administration also stepped up its campaign against drug cartels in Latin America, totaling at least 14 strikes against alleged drug boats in the region. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth announced Tuesday that the U.S. had conducted three strikes against four vessels in the Eastern Pacific, and Hegseth announced Wednesday another strike had also been conducted in those waters. But the White House dismissed reports Friday that the Trump administration had identified and was poised to strike military targets within Venezuela imminently. Trump later told reporters that he hadn’t determined whether he would conduct strikes within Venezuela. Lawmakers — including some Republicans — have pressed for more answers on the strikes, and have questioned if they are even legal. For example, Sens. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., Tim Kaine, D-Va., and Rand Paul, R-Ky., spearheaded a war powers resolution that would prohibit U.S. armed forces from engaging in “hostilities” against Venezuela. “The Trump administration has made it clear they may launch military action inside Venezuela’s borders and won’t stop at boat strikes in the Caribbean,” Schiff said in an Oct. 17 statement. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Trump’s ‘nuclear’ demand not landing for Senate Republicans amid shutdown
President Donald Trump wants Senate Republicans to gut the Senate filibuster, but it’s a request that puts his quick-fix desire to end the shutdown at odds with the GOP’s long-held defense of the filibuster. The Senate filibuster is the 60-vote threshold that applies to most bills in the upper chamber, and given the nature of the thin majorities that either party has commanded in recent years, that means that legislation typically has to be bipartisan to advance. It has also proven to be the main roadblock in reopening the government. Despite Republicans controlling the upper chamber, they have routinely come up a handful of votes short in their 13 attempts to end the shutdown. JOHNSON WARNS AGAINST TRUMP’S DEMAND FOR SENATE TO GO ‘NUCLEAR’ TO END SHUTDOWN Three members of the Democratic caucus have broken from Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and their colleagues to reopen the government, but Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., needs five more to hit the magic number. Trump, in a late-night Truth Social post, said that on his return trip from Asia, he ruminated heavily over why the government had shut down despite Republicans being in control. His solution was for Senate Republicans “to play their ‘TRUMP CARD,’ and go for what is called the Nuclear Option.” “Get rid of the Filibuster, and get rid of it, NOW,” Trump said. Senate Republicans have already gone nuclear this year to unilaterally change the rules to blast through Schumer’s and Democrats’ blockade of Trump’s nominees. But for many Senate Republicans, including Thune and his leadership team, nuking the filibuster is a proverbial third rail. TRUMP URGES GOP TO ‘END THE SHUTDOWN’ BY GOING NUCLEAR ON SENATE FILIBUSTER “There’s always a lot of swirl out there, as you know from, you know, social media, etc., but no, we’re not having that conversation,” Thune said earlier this month when asked about pressure to go nuclear on the filibuster. And there isn’t much daylight between his sentiments from earlier in October to now. “Leader Thune’s position on the importance of the legislative filibuster is unchanged,” Thune’s spokesperson Ryan Wrasse said in a statement. Earlier this month during an appearance on Fox & Friends, Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso, R-Wyo., shared a similar outlook as Thune when asked if the filibuster was under consideration to be on the chopping block. “No, that’s not going to be the case,” he said. “There aren’t the Republicans that would want to support it.” SENATE GOP RESISTS ‘NUCLEAR OPTION’ AS DEM SHUTDOWN STANDOFF DEEPENS The filibuster has come under fire in the last decade from Senate Democrats, a point that Trump noted in his lengthy post. The last time the filibuster was put to the test was when Democrats controlled the Senate in 2022. Schumer, who was majority leader at the time, tried to change the rules for a “talking filibuster” in order to pass voting rights legislation. But the effort was thwarted when then-Sens. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., and Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz., joined Republicans to block the change. Both have since retired from the Senate and become independents. Still, the stalemate in the Senate has shown no signs of shattering as the shutdown heads into November, though bipartisan talks among rank-and-file members have been on the rise as federal food benefits career toward a weekend funding cliff. Across the building, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., also warned against turning to the nuclear option for the filibuster, even as a handful of House Republicans have demanded that the safeguard be erased. “Look, I’ll just say this in general, as I’ve said many times about the filibuster, it’s not my call. I don’t have a say in this. It’s a Senate chamber issue,” Johnson said. “But the filibuster has traditionally been viewed as a very important safeguard. If the shoe was on the other foot, I don’t think our team would like it.”