Federal judge undercuts Trump’s executive order on ‘radical gender ideology’
A federal judge on Tuesday blocked the Trump administration from forcing recipients of federal teen pregnancy prevention grants to follow new rules targeting “radical indoctrination” and “gender ideology.” U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell, an appointee of former President Barack Obama, said President Donald Trump’s order was “motivated solely by political concerns, devoid of any considered process or analysis, and ignorant of the statutory emphasis on evidence-based programming.” The ruling marked a victory for Planned Parenthood affiliates in California, Iowa and New York, who sued to try to block enforcement of a U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) policy change. The ruling will apply to all organizations that receive grants. HHS, which oversees the program, declined to comment on Tuesday’s ruling. TRUMP ADMINISTRATION WINS SUPREME COURT FIGHT TO SLASH NIH MEDICAL RESEARCH GRANTS TIED TO DEI, LGBTQ STUDIES HHS had previously said in a policy document issued in July that the guidance for the program “ensures that taxpayer dollars no longer support content that undermines parental rights, promotes radical gender ideology, or exposes children to sexually explicit material under the banner of public health.” Planned Parenthood affiliates argued the new directives conflicted with the program’s requirements and were so vague that it was unclear how to comply. KENNEDY’S HHS TERMINATES CALIFORNIA SEX ED GRANT AFTER IT REFUSES TO DROP ‘RADICAL’ GENDER LESSONS Howell agreed, writing in her ruling that the HHS policy provided “incomprehensibly vague” requirements and “seemingly relied on irrelevant ideological factors, and did not justify its change in position.” The changes to the pregnancy prevention program were part of a series of executive orders Trump signed on his first day back in the White House. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Senate GOP resists ‘nuclear option’ as Dem shutdown standoff deepens
Senate Republicans aren’t ready to go “nuclear” again to change the rules around the Senate filibuster as Senate Democrats dig deeper against the GOP’s push to reopen the government. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., and Republicans need at least eight Democrats to cross the aisle and vote for their continuing resolution (CR) to pass through the Senate’s 60-vote filibuster threshold. But only three Democratic caucus members have joined Republicans after six failed attempts to pass the short-term funding extension as the shutdown enters its second week. SENATE DEMOCRATS DEFY WHITE HOUSE WARNINGS, AGAIN BLOCK GOP BID TO REOPEN GOVERNMENT Republicans have already turned to the “nuclear option” to unilaterally change the rules this year to blast through Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Democrats’ blockade of President Donald Trump’s nominees. But for many, the notion of changing the rules and nuking the filibuster is a third rail. “Never, never, ever, never, none,” Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., told Fox News Digital when asked if he would consider changing the rules. “I’ve never heard that since the Democrats tried to do it, and I think we would all fight it pretty hard,” he continued. The last time the filibuster was put under the microscope 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. SENATE REPUBLICANS CONFIRM MORE THAN 100 TRUMP NOMINEES AS GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN CONTINUES However, 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. Republicans are not actively discussing changes to the filibuster. “I don’t think that’s a conversation we’ve had,” Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., told Fox News Digital. “Right now, we think that the Democrats’ position has been untenable, and the more they hear from their constituents of their unreasonable activities, that will break this because we got a clean CR, so we got the better argument.” Because of the filibuster, spending bills like a CR are generally bipartisan in nature. However, Senate Democrats have panned Republicans’ bill to reopen the government as partisan and argue that they had no input on it before it passed through the House late last month. “I’m generally aware of how important it is to try to keep things bipartisan, using the filibuster as the tool to do that, but I also get the fact that after a while, the frustration just boils over,” Sen. Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo., told Fox News Digital. GOVERNMENT LIMPS DEEPER INTO SHUTDOWN CRISIS WITH NO DEAL IN SIGHT Frustrations reached a new level in Congress on Wednesday, with Sens. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., and Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., publicly arguing with House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., over the shutdown. Then there was another public back-and-forth between House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., and Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y. Still, neither side in the upper chamber is ready to budge from their positions. Most Senate Democratic caucus members are rooted in their position that unless they get a deal on expiring Obamacare tax credits, they will not join Republicans to reopen the government. Republicans have been adamant that negotiations on extending the subsidies — with reforms — can happen, but only after the government is reopened. Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., is the lone Senate Democrat who has voted with Republicans each time to reopen the government. He pointed out that Republicans had just changed Senate rules last month to advance Trump’s nominees. “I think we probably should. If you’re able to get out of the filibuster to prevent either party to make it a lot harder to shut the government down, I’d absolutely support that,” Fetterman said.
‘Getting desperate’: Governor debate gets personal after Democrat is mocked for cheating scandal
The New Jersey gubernatorial debate got tense and personal on Wednesday night after GOP candidate Jack Ciattarelli mocked his Democratic opponent, Rep. Mikie Sherrill, over her involvement in a massive cheating scandal at the U.S. Naval Academy that kept her from participating in her graduation. The exchange was kicked off by Sherrill accusing Ciattarelli of being responsible for tens of thousands of deaths, saying, “He made his millions by working with some of the worst offenders and saying that opioids were safe.” In response to this attack, Ciattarelli said, “Shame on you,” and adding, “It’s a lie, I’m proud of my career.” “The difference between me and the congresswoman? I got to walk at my college graduation,” said Ciattarelli, referencing the Naval Academy scandal. TOP GUBERNATORIAL RACE ROCKED BY ALLEGATIONS OF LEAKS AND DIRTY TRICKS AMID IMPROPER MILITARY RECORDS RELEASE Bombshell private military records that were recently improperly unsealed by the National Archives and Records Administration revealed that Sherrill was not allowed to walk with her graduating class at the Naval Academy and that her name was not included in the commencement program due to her involvement in the scandal. Sherrill has not been accused of cheating at the Naval Academy but has said she faced disciplinary action for not reporting some of those who had cheated on an exam. Due to this incident, Sherrill’s name was not included on the commencement program during the May 25, 1994, ceremony, according to records obtained by the New Jersey Globe. Ciattarelli pressed hard on the Naval Academy controversy during Wednesday’s debate. He also accused Sherrill of improperly reporting stock trades during her time in Congress. BLUE STATE GUBERNATORIAL NOMINEES TRADE BARBS OVER CRUCIAL ISSUE WEEKS AHEAD OF ELECTION DAY “I’ve never broken the law,” he said. “She had to pay federal fines for breaking federal law on stock trades and stock reporting, and the New York Times reports that she was trading defense stocks while sitting on the House Armed Services Committee.” Sherrill shot back, “What [Ciattarelli] never learned, despite walking at his graduation, was accountability, integrity, care for the community, and I think that disqualifies him.” “This is the same old misinformation that he continues to promote, because he knows that I don’t trade in individual stocks, he knows I’ve gone above and beyond that. He also knows he promotes some garbage number, but he actually knows so much about my finances because they’re all to the dollar.” SHERRILL FIRES BACK AT GOP RIVAL AS QUESTIONS SWIRL OVER HER MILITARY RECORDS: ‘HAND IN THE COOKIE JAR’ Ciattarelli immediately dismissed this, saying, “She released two years of tax returns the years after she paid the federal fines; I released 12 years, going back every single year.” In response, Sherrill accused Ciattarelli of releasing the returns right before the debate, “Because you knew I was going to call you on it.” After that, Ciattarelli whistled and leaned over and remarked, “Getting desperate.”
‘Riot Inc.’: Trump launches ‘whole-of-government’ push to expose Antifa funding networks, dark money sources
The Trump administration is intensifying efforts to trace the funding behind Antifa and other protest movements, pursuing what officials describe as a coordinated campaign to expose the nonprofit and dark money networks they believe are fueling organized unrest across the country. President Donald Trump hosted a White House roundtable Wednesday with independent journalists who have experienced Antifa’s violence firsthand, part of his administration’s broader push to confront domestic unrest. Among those attending was Seamus Bruner, research director at the Government Accountability Institute, who said the administration’s “whole-of-government” approach is now fully underway. TRUMP CALLS ANTIFA ‘TERRORIST GROUP,’ FUELING FIGHT OVER FREE SPEECH AND LIMITS OF LAW ENFORCEMENT “President Trump is taking it very seriously,” Bruner said, noting the president stressed the need to follow the money to officials including Attorney General Pam Bondi, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and FBI Director Kash Patel. He argued that unmasking Antifa requires tracing its finances. “It’s not just Antifa, but there is a whole ecosystem of radical, professional protesting organizations,” he said, describing what he calls “Riot Inc.” as a corporate-style operation with divisions for boots on the ground, marketing, PR and legal support. Bruner also cited bail fund networks that allegedly enable repeat offenders to return to protests. He pointed to GAI investigations showing coordination across cities such as Portland, Seattle and Chicago involving paid and transported individuals, including homeless people exploited to participate in unrest. NOEM LIKENS ANTIFA TO ISIS, OTHER TERROR GROUPS THAT WANT TO ‘KILL’ AMERICANS He pointed to major funding sources, including billionaire George Soros’ Open Society Foundation, the Tides Foundation, and foreign donors such as Swiss billionaire Hansjörg Wyss. To curb funding for unrest, he said federal authorities could use RICO statutes to target networks and urged the IRS and Office of Management and Budget to review or revoke tax-exempt status for nonprofits misusing charitable funds. If those agencies find that funding supports criminal activity, Bruner said, they could force organizations to open their books and justify their grants. TRUMP TO DESIGNATE ANTIFA A ‘MAJOR TERRORIST ORGANIZATION’ “They can absolutely cancel any future grants if they deem that the charitable purposes are less than charitable,” he said, pointing out that over $100 million in taxpayer funds have flowed through major networks linked to protest activities. The roundtable followed Trump’s order to deploy National Guard troops to Portland, Oregon, part of the administration’s broader effort to curb crime and illegal immigration — a move temporarily blocked by a federal judge Sunday. Antifa is a far-left militant movement that describes itself as antifascist. It has been accused of organizing or encouraging violent riots, notably during the 2020 “defund the police” protests and, more recently, in attacks targeting federal immigration facilities. Fox News Digital’s Emma Colton contributed to this report.
Katie Porter caught on video screaming ‘Get out of my f—–g shot!’ at staffer during 2021 call
A video obtained by Politico and released Wednesday shows California Democratic gubernatorial candidate Katie Porter berating a staffer during a 2021 video call after stepping into her shot. In the clip, then-U.S. Rep. Porter, D-Calif., is seen speaking with Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm about energy and climate issues. At one point, a staffer walks into the frame, prompting Porter to snap and yell, “Get out of my f—ing shot!” She also scolded the staffer for having appeared in the background before. “You were in my shot before that,” Porter said. “Stay out of my shot.” CONTROVERSIAL DEM ABRUPTLY ENDS BONKERS INTERVIEW AFTER REPEATEDLY BERATING REPORTER: ‘I DON’T CARE’ Politico noted that Porter’s outburst was edited out of the Department of Energy’s final version of the webinar. The Porter campaign did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. The resurfaced footage follows another viral clip this week showing Porter lashing out at a reporter and attempting to end an interview. During a segment on California’s redistricting effort, CBS California reporter Julie Watts asked Porter, “What do you say to the 40% of California voters who you’ll need in order to win, who voted for Trump?” KAMALA HARRIS TO PUBLISH BEHIND-THE-SCENES ACCOUNT OF FAILED 2024 CAMPAIGN Porter, considered by many to be the frontrunner in the race, responded, “How would I need them in order to win, ma’am?” “Well, unless you think you’re going to get 60% of the vote,” Watts said, prompting Porter to laugh. The exchange grew tense as Porter pushed back on the question, arguing over whether she needs to court Trump voters, particularly if she’s running head-to-head against another Democrat. KAMALA HARRIS’ MAJOR CALIFORNIA ANNOUNCEMENT TRIGGERS CIRCULAR DEM FIRING SQUAD “So you don’t need them to win,” Watts asked Porter. “I feel like this is unnecessarily argumentative,” Porter said, prompting the reporter to point out that she had asked the same question to the other candidates in the race, and they answered it. “I don’t want to keep doing this, I’m going to call it,” Porter said. LIBERAL MEDIA DARLING IN THE HOT SEAT AFTER EXPLOSIVE INTERVIEW GOES VIRAL “You’re not going to do the interview?” Watts said as Porter tried to remove her microphone. “Nope, not like this I’m not, not with seven follow-ups to every single question you ask,” Porter responded. When Watts reminded Porter that every candidate had answered the question, Porter said, “I don’t care.” Porter told Watts after being pressed even more that she doesn’t “want to have an unhappy experience with you” and that she doesn’t “want this all on camera.” The clip drew widespread attention online, with conservatives criticizing Porter for struggling with follow-up questions. Fox News Digital’s Andrew Mark Miller contributed to this report.
Final faceoff: Democrat, Republican nominees in key race for governor blast each other on debate stage
NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. — With under one month to go until Election Day in New Jersey’s competitive and combustible race for governor, Democratic Rep. Mikie Sherrill and Republican Jack Ciattarelli battled over Sherrill’s military record, Ciattarelli’s business career, and support for President Donald Trump during their second and final debate. The showdown in New Jersey in the race to succeed term-limited Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy, which turned increasingly bitter in recent weeks, played out at Wednesday’s acrimonious debate. In one heated exchange, Sherrill accused Ciattarelli of profiting off the opioid crisis, claiming that he “killed tens of thousands of people” through his ties to pharmaceutical industry-backed training materials. And Ciattarelli fired back that Sherrill “broke the law,” as he pointed to her fines four years ago for failing to timely disclose stock trades, as members of Congress are required to do under federal conflict-of-interest law. TRUMP LOOMS LARGE OVER 2025 ELECTIONS New Jersey and Virginia are the only two states to hold gubernatorial contests the year after a presidential election, which means the races traditionally grab outsized national attention. And this year’s ballot box showdowns are viewed as crucial early tests of Trump’s popularity and second-term agenda, and are considered key barometers ahead of next year’s midterm elections for the U.S. House and Senate. The two candidates took shots at each other over key issues, including New Jersey’s sky-high energy costs, property taxes, immigration, and the ongoing federal government shutdown. HEAD HERE FOR THE LATEST FOX NEWS REPORTING ON THE 2025 ELECTIONS And while he isn’t on the ballot, Trump loomed large over the debate. Ciattarelli, who cruised to the GOP nomination earlier this year after landing Trump’s endorsement, was asked where he disagrees with the president. “I disagree with the president on the Empire Wind Farm for Long Island,” the Republican nominee answered. Moments later, Sherrill charged that her GOP rival had “shown zero signs of standing up to this president. In fact, the president himself called Jack 100% MAGA, and he’s shown every sign of being that.” Ciattarelli shot back that “in times of need, it’s best to have a relationship with whoever occupies the White House, and I will.” Asked to grade the president’s performance so far during his second term, Ciattarelli said, “I’d certainly give the president an A. I think he’s right about everything that he’s doing.” “I think that tells us all we need to know about who Jack Ciattarelli’s supporting. I give him an F right now,” Sherrill responded, as she pointed to New Jersey’s high cost of living. Ciattarelli, a former state lawmaker and a certified public accountant who started a medical publishing company before getting into politics and winning election as a state lawmaker, is making his third straight run for New Jersey governor. And four years ago, he grabbed national attention as he came close to upsetting Murphy. BLUE STATE REPUBLICAN RIPS DEMOCRATIC RIVAL FOR BLAMING ‘EVERYTHING ON TRUMP’ It was during the 2021 campaign that Ciattarelli’s connection to opioid manufacturers first surfaced. Ciattarelli sold his company, which published content promoting the use of opioids as a low-risk treatment for chronic pain, in 2017. “You’re trying to divert from the fact you killed tens of thousands of people by printing your misinformation, your propaganda,” Sherrill charged. “I think our kids deserve better. I think the people you got addicted and died deserve better than you.” Ciattarelli did not directly address the allegations, but he shot back at the debate, saying, “With regard to everything she just said about my professional career, which provided for my family, it’s a lie. I’m proud of my career.” And at a post-debate news conference, he claimed the attack by Sherrill was “a desperate tactic by a desperate campaign on behalf of a desperate candidate.” Sherrill, asked after the debate if she had proof directly linking Ciattarelli to the opioid deaths, told reporters, “I guess he’s not really expressed anything about this. I think there’s a lot we don’t know. I think he continues to not be very transparent about it.” Ciattarelli, during the debate, fired back at Sherrill, saying, “I got to walk at my college graduation,” as he referred to the controversy surrounding Sherrill’s military records. The race was rocked two weeks ago after a New Jersey Globe report revealed that Sherrill’s military records indicated that the United States Naval Academy blocked her from taking part in her 1994 graduation amid the cheating scandal. Sherrill has claimed that Ciattarelli was going on a “witch hunt” over her improperly released military records, which raised questions about her possible involvement in a cheating scandal that rocked the U.S. Naval Academy three decades ago. Ciattarelli and his campaign have repeatedly called on Sherrill, who went on to pilot helicopters during her military career after graduating from the Naval Academy, to release her military records to explain why she was prevented from attending her graduation ceremony. But a separate report from CBS News revealed that the National Personnel Records Center, which is a branch of the National Archives and Records Administration, mistakenly released Sherrill’s improperly redacted military personnel files, which included private information like her Social Security number, to a Ciattarelli ally. The National Archives, in a letter two weeks ago, apologized to Sherrill, saying the improper release was due to a government worker’s error over a legal records request. Following the breach of the records, Sherrill’s campaign sent cease-and-desist letters to the National Archives and to Ciattarelli’s campaign, as well as to Russell and Nicholas De Gregorio, who is described by Sherrill’s team as “an agent of the campaign working at the direction of” Russell. The Sherrill campaign also launched a digital ad taking aim at Ciattarelli. “They broke the law to attack a veteran,” the narrator in the spot charged. Sherrill, asked why she didn’t attend her graduation, said at the debate, “I didn’t turn in some of my classmates, so I didn’t walk at graduation because I come from an incredibly accountable place.
More Democrats dodge Virginia candidate’s ‘2 bullets’ scandal
More Senate Democrats dodged questions on whether Virginia Democratic candidate Jay Jones should drop out of his race for attorney general over resurfaced text messages in which he fantasized about putting “two bullets to the head” of a Republican colleague. Asked whether Jones should quit his race, Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., answered, “I haven’t given it a thought.” Pressed whether he had read the text messages, which have caused massive political fallout in an already tight Virginia election, Whitehouse said, “I have not.” Prominent Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., simply responded, “I don’t have time at the moment” and continued to walk away. VIRGINIA LAWMAKER SAYS DEM AG CANDIDATE’S REMARKS ‘CHANGE THE ELECTION’ Virginia Democrat, Sen. Mark Warner, was also willing to address the scandal. Warner ignored Fox News Digital’s questions on whether he would like Jones to return a donation he sent him to the campaign. Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., started to give an answer, saying, “being somebody who has, in my family, you know, political violence is a real thing and it’s a big deal.” Kelly stepped into an elevator and the doors closed before he could comment any further. New Mexico Democratic Sen. Martin Heinrich answered, “I haven’t been tracking it, but like I said, violence and political violent rhetoric, I’m just done with it, it shouldn’t come from either side, anytime, ever.” VIRGINIA LAWMAKER CLAIMS JAY JONES SAID IF MORE POLICE WERE KILLED IT WOULD REDUCE SHOOTINGS OF CIVILIANS Meanwhile, Sen. John Ossof, D-Ga., refused to answer at all and just walked away. In texts obtained by Fox News Digital, Jones, a former Democratic member of the Virginia House of Delegates, once remarked on shooting then-Virginia House Speaker Todd Gilbert in texts with another lawmaker. “Three people, two bullets. Gilbert, Hitler and Pol Pot. Gilbert gets two bullets to the head,” Jones wrote. In a subsequent text, Jones also wrote, “Spoiler: put Gilbert in the crew with the two worst people you know and he receives both bullets every time.” WATCH: KAINE DEFENDS JONES AMID AG CANDIDATE’S TEXTS ENVISIONING MURDER OF GOP LEADER: ‘STILL A SUPPORTER’ In another private text exchange, Jones said he hoped Gilbert’s children would die. When challenged, Jones doubled down, saying that such grief might be “a good thing” if it advanced his politics. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Jones has since apologized, calling the remarks “embarrassing and shameful,” and said he had reached out personally to Gilbert and his family.
Trump to undergo ‘routine’ yearly medical exam at Walter Reed while visiting troops in Maryland
President Donald Trump will undergo a routine medical exam on Friday during a visit to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, the White House said. Trump will be visiting and meeting with troops at the hospital in Bethesda, Maryland, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said. “On Friday morning, President Trump will visit Walter Reed Medical Center for a planned meeting and remarks with the troops,” Leavitt said in a statement. “While there, President Trump will stop by for his routine yearly checkup. He will then return to the White House.” Trump, 79, is also considering “going to the Middle East shortly thereafter,” Leavitt added. The possible visit would come after Hamas agreed to the first phase of Trump’s peace deal to end the war in Gaza and return the hostages. TRUMP’S STAMINA IMPRESSES THE EXPERTS The medical checkup will be Trump’s second this year. He had a similar exam in April, during which his physician stated that he “remains in excellent health.” DOCTORS REACT TO ALLEGED TRUMP HEALTH CONCERNS AS PHOTOS SHOWING SWELLING AND BRUISING “President Trump remains in excellent health, exhibiting robust cardiac, pulmonary, neurological, and general physical function,” Navy Capt. Sean P. Barbabella, the physician to the president, said at the time. However, in July, the president was diagnosed with a vein condition known as chronic venous insufficiency. At the time, Leavitt said Trump had noticed “mild swelling” in his lower legs and was evaluated by the White House medical unit. Chronic venous insufficiency occurs when veins in the legs struggle to allow blood to flow back up to the heart. Leavitt attributed the bruising on the president’s hand to “frequent handshaking and the use of aspirin.”
Israel-Hamas peace deal reached soon after Trump says it’s ‘very close’ in White House note pass with Rubio
President Donald Trump said Secretary of State Marco Rubio handed him a note indicating the United States is “very close to a deal in the Middle East,” a revelation he made Wednesday at the White House during a roundtable on Antifa. “Yeah, I was just given a note by the Secretary of State saying that we’re very close to a deal in the Middle East, and they’ll get to need me, pretty quickly,” Trump said. Nearly two hours later, Trump posted on Truth Social that a deal had been struck. “I am very proud to announce that Israel and Hamas have both signed off on the first Phase of our Peace Plan,” he said. “This means that ALL of the Hostages will be released very soon, and Israel will withdraw their Troops to an agreed upon line as the first steps toward a Strong, Durable, and Everlasting Peace.” TRUMP SAYS ‘REAL CHANCE FOR GREATNESS’ AS NETANYAHU WHITE HOUSE MEETING LOOMS FOR GAZA TALKS “All Parties will be treated fairly!” Trump added. “This is a GREAT Day for the Arab and Muslim World, Israel, all surrounding Nations, and the United States of America, and we thank the mediators from Qatar, Egypt, and Turkey, who worked with us to make this Historic and Unprecedented Event happen. BLESSED ARE THE PEACEMAKERS!” Israeli TV Channel 12 reported the agreement will be signed at noon local time on Thursday, and the release of hostages and prisoners will take place Saturday. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also weighed in, saying, “With God’s help we will bring them all home.” HAMAS ACCEPTS TRUMP PEACE PLAN ENDING 2 YEARS OF WAR IN GAZA, RETURNING HOSTAGES Trump said earlier Wednesday he might travel to the Middle East as Gaza peace negotiations continued. He said he might make the trip on Sunday, adding there is a “great team” of negotiators already there. “It’s something I think that will happen,” Trump said. “Got a good chance of happening.” U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are in Egypt negotiating details of a potential peace agreement between Israel and Hamas in the war that began Oct. 7, 2023. Later Wednesday, Trump signaled that negotiations are going well. “I was just dealing with people from the Middle East, our people and other people, on the potential peace deal for the Middle East,” he said. “Peace for the Middle East. That’s a beautiful phrase, and we hope it’s going to come true, but it’s very close and they’re doing very well.” TRUMP ANNOUNCES ISRAEL AGREES TO GAZA ‘INITIAL WITHDRAWAL LINE’ AS ‘3,000 YEAR CATASTROPHE’ NEARS END TRUMP’S PEACE DEAL COULD END THE WAR IN GAZA OR NETANYAHU’S CAREER Trump unveiled a 20-point plan to end the Gaza war on Sept. 29, when Benjamin Netanyahu visited the White House. The plan includes granting Hamas terrorists who give up their arms in favor of peace “amnesty,” establishing Gaza as a “deradicalized, terror-free zone,” and redeveloping the area so it no longer poses a threat to its neighbors and residents. Trump warned Hamas that if it did not agree to the peace deal, the terrorists would face “massive bloodshed.” Hamas announced Friday that it agreed to release all Israeli hostages, dead or alive, as part of Trump’s peace proposal. Israeli and Hamas officials met Monday in the Egyptian resort city of Sharm El Sheikh at the southern tip of the Sinai Peninsula. Kushner — Trump’s son-in-law, credited with helping facilitate the Abraham Accords during his first administration — and Witkoff remain in Egypt to help negotiate an agreement. Fox News Digital’s Emma Colton contributed to this report.
A dizzying ride on the Hill: Lawmakers debate in circles as shutdown enters week two
It must be something about October and two-year intervals in Congress. Congress was paralyzed for more than three weeks without a leader two years ago this October as the House unceremoniously ousted former Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif. And Congress is paralyzed again this October – unable to find the votes to re-open the government. “There’s nothing for us to negotiate,” said House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La. “We did the job to keep the government open. And now it’s on the Senate Democrats.” OMINOUS RED AND ORANGE SKIES HAD CAPITOL HILL TAKE NOTICE AS SHUTDOWN LOOMED But Democrats say that’s the problem. There haven’t been negotiations. Save for a brief White House meeting last week between President Trump and the top four bipartisan, bicameral Congressional leaders a day before the shutdown. “The Majority Leader in the Senate, John Thune, R-S.D., talks about, ‘we’ll have conversations.’ We need more than conversations. We need a real negotiation,” said Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., on Fox. So there are no talks. And the sides are seemingly talking past each other. So, they’ve turned to handicapping. Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., gamed out that the shutdown would run another week. “It won’t end until everybody in the Senate takes their ego out back and shoots it. And then it’ll end,” predicted Kennedy. It always is, and always will be about the math. Senate Republicans can conjure up the votes of 55 senators to break a filibuster on the House-passed bill to fund the government. But they need 60 yeas. And Republicans are determined to stick to their playbook. “I can tell you there’s more than five Democrats in the Senate who know that (Senate Minority Leader) Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. has led them into a box canyon with this Schumer shutdown,” said Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., on Fox. “But the consequences will start to pile up.” REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK: SENATE REVOTES TODAY ON ENDING GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt wouldn’t directly answer a question about what would trigger federal firings. But Leavitt made clear that jobs hung in the balance. “We don’t want to see people laid off. But unfortunately, if this shutdown continues, layoffs are going to be an unfortunate consequence of that,” said Leavitt. Democrats excoriated the Trump Administration for hinting it would cut programs and jobs in agencies important to Democrats. “Americans really hate bullies. And this kind of bullying from the White House is going to backlash because they understand that an authoritarian president uses grants to New York for infrastructure, laying off workers, deliberately inflicting pain,” predicted Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn. “Don’t inflict unnecessary pain and then boast about it.” Some Republicans practically reveled in the White House approach. “All’s fair in love and war. I think that there’s a price to pay for the Democrats shutting this down,” said Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan. “These will be part of the consequences.” But one Democrat argued that the Trump administration’s gambit would also undercut Republicans and voters who supported the president. Even in blue states. “There’s a lot of folks in Vermont, there’s lot of folk in Illinois who voted for President Trump. So this sort of collective punishment,” said Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vt., on Fox. “I think it’s a really bad idea.” But the president is coy about when the shutdown could trigger federal layoffs. “It could,” said the president. “At some point it will.” Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy noted that his department saw “a slight uptick” in aviation safety employees who were calling out sick during the shutdown – since they weren’t being paid. “They’re thinking about how am I going to get a paycheck? How do I make a car payment,” said Duffy. WHITE HOUSE ESCALATES SHUTDOWN CONSEQUENCES AS DEMOCRATS SHOW NO SIGNS OF BUDGING: ‘KAMIKAZE ATTACK’ But if you squint, you can see a few signs of bipartisanship. Johnson is discussing Obamacare subsidies with one prominent Democrat. “I had I think a fruitful discussion, with Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., about two days ago, a day or so ago,” said Johnson on efforts to address looming Obamacare premium spikes. “Whatever the conference committee comes up with, I will put on the floor. I’m ready to go.” But Schumer is skeptical about the Speaker’s promises. “Delay has always been Speaker Johnson’s MO. Speaker Johnson has survived by kicking the can down the road,” said Schumer. “When Johnson says later, they know he means never.” Tension is building as the shutdown barrels into its second week as lawmakers spin in circles. “I realize that my Democrat colleagues are facing pressure from members of their far left base. But they’re playing a losing game here,” said Thune. But each side is now engaged in a game of parliamentary chicken. Republicans won’t budge from their demand that Senate Democrats approve their funding plan. And Democrats won’t relent from their insistence that the sides shore up Obamacare subsidies. “I’m not going to vote to reopen the government until I see a way that we can do that,” said Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del. Even some Republicans worry about Obamacare price spikes. “There are some folks in what is the new part of the Republican Party, which is blue-collar workers,” said Rep. Jeff Van Drew, R-N.J., on Fox Business. “We have to be careful how we do this. We just shouldn’t cut it. We should make sure we use a scalpel and not a sledgehammer.” SHUTDOWN IGNITES STRATEGIST DEBATE: WILL TRUMP AND GOP PAY THE POLITICAL PRICE IN 2026? But even if bipartisan senators were to forge a deal, the plan may slam into a brick wall in the House. “Republicans have spent most of their careers being against Obamacare. Why would they expand it and add a subsidy on top of a subsidy?” asked House Appropriations Committee Chairman Tom Cole, R-Okla. A debate is now raging over which side will cave. Or which party faces political consequences. Naturally, Republicans believe Democrats will pay a price. “Their radical base just wants to see them up here