British teen says urine, glue chucked at him while trying to carry on Charlie Kirk’s legacy in UK
A 17-year-old British conservative activist known as “Young Bob” online says he has received death threats and has been violently attacked while championing Turning Point UK’s message. Thomas Moffitt’s latest ordeal erupted on Nov. 20 at the London School of Economics (LSE) after he was invited by the university’s Conservative Society to discuss the need for socially conservative values in Britain. “We were invited on to speak about socially conservative values. Within about an hour, people were taking pictures with us, some people were genuinely debating in good faith,” Moffitt told Fox News Digital. “Then afterwards, outside of that hour frame that we had some decent discussions, we had a bunch of masked-up activists, firstly, trying to steal our materials, and then secondly, trying to protest with a megaphone.” YOUTH LEADERS MOURN ‘THE GODFATHER OF CAMPUS CONSERVATISM’ CHARLIE KIRK FOLLOWING ASSASSINATION He said angry demonstrators also mocked the death of Charlie Kirk, the founder of Turning Point USA and a central figure in conservative youth politics, while trying to remove the group from campus. “In their eyes, it must have just been seen as them trying to commit some sort of humiliation ritual,” Moffitt added. “We’re trying to continue Charlie’s fight here in the U.K.” ‘FEARLESS’ TOUR TAKES CHARLIE KIRK’S FREE SPEECH MISSION TO COLLEGES NATIONWIDE He called the protesters’ chants “a very demoralized way of essentially mocking the death of a great man.” Kirk, who founded TPUSA in 2012 to mobilize young conservatives, was shot and killed earlier this year while addressing an audience on the campus of Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah. Over time, Kirk’s outreach has inspired international chapters, including Turning Point UK and Turning Point Australia. CHARLIE KIRK’S DEATH GALVANIZES BLUE STATE STUDENT TO STOP ‘HIDING’ HER FAITH, POLITICAL BELIEFS Kirk previously spoke in Britain at events such as the Oxford Union, encouraging conservative student activism abroad. Moffitt, who has been part of Turning Point UK for two years, said that violence and intimidation have followed the chapter’s activism from the start. “Throughout the duration of reporting for TPUK and doing stands on abortion, transgenderism and migration, we’ve had bottles of urine chucked at us, glue chucked at us, cans of beans chucked in my face,” he said. TURNING POINT MONTANA STATE EVENT FEATURING RAMASWAMY, GIANFORTE DRAWS THOUSANDS “On several occasions in Speaker’s Corner, which is sort of this free marketplace of ideas where you discuss about religion and politics, a man had a knife, threatened to kill me… I’ve had physical assaults, I’ve had people kick in my head, I’ve had people on social media threaten to kill me.” Despite the hostility, Moffitt remains determined to expand Kirk’s movement. ‘SLEEPING GIANT’ LIKELY WOKE UP FOR TURNING POINT USA AFTER CHARLIE KIRK’S ASSASSINATION “We saw that, really, we can start to import what the U.S. was very successful in terms of preaching and evangelizing young people into conservatism,” he said. “I think that we should take this momentum and opportunity and kind of grow out TPUK,” he continued, saying Kirk “would have loved to see the format that he made popular in the U.K.” “We must continue the fight regardless of what country we’re in, because the West needs conservatism,” he added. “If I were… ever able to have the opportunity to speak to Erika [Kirk], I would firstly give huge admiration towards her husband on the formula and ideas that I [drew] great inspiration from,” Moffitt said.
X’s new location feature exposes apparent fraudster accounts posing as Americans, Gaza journalists
A new feature on Elon Musk’s X is exposing the truth behind social media accounts across the political spectrum, with account owners apparently misleading followers about where they are posting from. The new feature allows all X users to inspect where a given account is based, usually listing a country or region. Many popular accounts posing as American “patriots” or “constitutionalists” have been exposed as being run from foreign countries since the update rolled out on Friday. One account with the handle “@1776General_” boasts over 140,000 followers and has a user biography describing the owner as a “constitutionalist, patriot and ethnically American.” The biography claims the account is based in the U.S., but X’s new feature reveals it is actually based in Turkey. “I work in international business. I’m currently working in Turkey on a contract,” the owner of the account posted after the new feature was released. STOP FOREIGN-OWNED APPS FROM HARVESTING YOUR PERSONAL DATA Another account, “@AmericanVoice__” had over 200,000 followers before the update rolled out. The new feature exposed that it was being run from South Asia, and the owners simply deleted the account. X head of product Nikita Bier says the new feature should help X users sift out misinformation from their feeds. “When you read content on X, you should be able to verify its authenticity. This is critical for staying informed about important issues happening in the world. Part of this is showing new information in accounts, including the country an account is located in, among other things,” Bier wrote. The phenomenon is not limited to American politics, however. Many accounts claiming to have been reporting on alleged Israeli war crimes in Gaza also appear to be misleading users. One user, Motasm A Dalloul, uses the handle “@AbujomaaGaza” and claims to be a “Gaza-based journalist.” His account has over 197,000 followers, but X says the owner is actually posting from Poland. Dalloul has pushed back on claims that he is lying to his followers, however, posting a video on Saturday that appeared to show him on the ground in Gaza. Many users have argued about whether the video was digitally altered. Another Palestinian-related account, the Quds News Network or @QudsNen, describes itself as the “largest independent Palestinian youth news network” and has over 600,000 followers. The account lists its location as “Palestine,” but X says the account is actually based out of Egypt – unlike other accounts that X does list as being based in “Palestine,” such as American-Palestinian journalist Mariam Barghouti. A similar account under the name Times of Gaza/@Timesofgaza has nearly one million followers. It claims to provide the “latest news updates and top stories from occupied Palestine.” The account is based in “East Asia and the Pacific,” according to X. X representatives have said its new feature could be partially spoofed by using a VPN to mask a user’s true location. In such cases where a VPN was detected, X added a warning next to the listed location.
Trump’s wild Mamdani flip — the insults that came before the love fest
While President Donald Trump and New York Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani doled out praise for each other after their White House huddle Friday, the two have previously not shied away from trading barbs in the past. From “nut job” to “communist lunatic,” Trump over the past year has lobbed a series of attacks against Mamdani — targeting his appearance and intellect. “He looks TERRIBLE, his voice is grating, he’s not very smart,” Trump said in a social media post in June after Mamdani became the Democratic candidate for mayor. Trump once threatened to arrest Mamdani if he refused to comply with federal immigration officials. The comment came after Mamdani said in June that he would stop “masked” U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials from “deporting our neighbors.” TRUMP SAYS HE WILL MEET NYC MAYOR-ELECT ZOHRAN MAMDANI THIS WEEK “Well, then we’ll have to arrest him,” Trump told reporters at the White House July 1. “Look, we don’t need a communist in this country, but if we have one, I’m going to be watching over them very carefully on behalf of the nation. We send him money. We send him all the things that he needs to run a government.” Also in July, Trump told reporters during a Cabinet meeting that New Yorkers shouldn’t vote for Mamdani, and described him as “a man who’s not very capable in my opinion, other than he’s got a good line of bulls—.” Trump also has repeatedly called Mamdani a “communist” — a term that Mamdani said is a false characterization of his political ideology. Mamdani instead has said that he is a democratic socialist. TRUMP SAYS MAMDANI MEETING IN THE WORKS: ‘WE’LL WORK SOMETHING OUT’ Mamdani has had his fair share of harsh remarks in turn about the president. Mamdani labeled Trump a “despot” in his victory speech after winning New York’s mayoral election Nov. 4. “If anyone can show a nation betrayed by Donald Trump how to defeat him, it is the city that gave rise to him,” Mamdani said. “And if there is any way to terrify a despot, it is by dismantling the very conditions that allowed him to accumulate power.” “This is not only how we stop Trump; it’s how we stop the next one,” Mamdani said. “So Donald Trump, since I know you’re watching, I have four words for you: Turn the volume up.” DAVID MARCUS: MR. MAMDANI GOES TO WASHINGTON BETWEEN ROCK AND HARD PLACE Mamdani also said in a press conference Nov. 5 after the election that he would seek to “Trump-proof” New York in order to safeguard “those with the least from the consequences of a man with the most power in this country.” However, the two appeared to forge a new path for their relationship as they found common ground on affordability issues and improving conditions in New York. Trump admitted that the two had more in common than he thought — despite their different views — and that he would be “cheering” for Mamdani as he leads the city. “I expect to be helping him, not hurting him — a big help,” Trump said Friday. Trump also brushed off Mamdani’s “despot” comment in the Oval Office Friday, claiming he’s faced worse and that he believes Mamdani will change his tune as the two work together. “I’ve been called much worse than a ‘despot,’ so it’s not, it’s not that insulting. I think he’ll change his mind after we get to working together,” Trump said.
Vindman’s call to release Trump-MBS transcript reopens old questions in US-Saudi relationship
Rep. Eugene Vindman, D-Va., is demanding that President Donald Trump release a 2019 call with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, saying the American people “deserve to know what was said” in the aftermath of Jamal Khashoggi’s murder. Vindman, a retired Army colonel who once served on Trump’s National Security Council, said the call was one of two that deeply concerned him — the other being the 2019 conversation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that triggered Trump’s first impeachment. Standing beside Hanan Elatr Khashoggi, the slain journalist’s widow, Vindman said Trump “sidelined his own intelligence community to shield a foreign leader” and that transparency is owed to both the Khashoggi family and the country. “The Khashoggi family and the American people deserve to know what was said on that call,” Vindman said Friday. “Our intelligence agencies concluded that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman ordered the murder of Mr. Khashoggi’s husband. When the president sidelined his own intelligence community to shield a foreign leader, America’s credibility was at stake.” TRUMP SECURES RELEASE OF AMERICAN TRAPPED IN SAUDI ARABIA FOR YEARS OVER ONLINE POSTS Vindman’s name already is polarizing in Trump-era politics. He and his twin brother, Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, became central figures in the first impeachment attempt against Trump, when their internal reporting of Trump’s Ukraine call led to accusations from conservatives that they had undermined an elected president. To Trump’s allies, Eugene Vindman’s demand to release the 2019 Saudi call feels like a replay of that fight — another attempt by a former National Security Council insider to damage the president under the banner of transparency. Still, his comments land at a revealing moment. Washington’s embrace of bin Salman underscores a familiar trade-off in U.S. foreign policy: strategic security and economic interests over accountability and human rights. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said: “The U.S.-Saudi friendship is now a partnership for the future. President Trump’s historic agreements with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, from defense to investment, will create quality jobs for Americans and will grow our economy. No virtue-signaling. No lecturing. Only results for the American people.” Trump’s latest visit with bin Salman brought sweeping defense and investment deals, even as questions over 9/11 and Khashoggi’s murder continue to test that balance. The United States granted Saudi Arabia major non-NATO ally status, formally elevating the kingdom’s defense and intelligence partnership with Washington and clearing the way for expedited arms sales and joint military programs. Bin Salman also pledged nearly $1 trillion in new Saudi investments across U.S. industries, including infrastructure, artificial intelligence and clean energy. The commitments were announced alongside a Strategic Defense Agreement that includes purchases of F-35 fighter jets, roughly 300 Abrams tanks and new missile defense systems, as well as joint ventures to expand manufacturing inside Saudi Arabia. Administration officials said the initiatives would create tens of thousands of American jobs and strengthen the U.S. industrial base. During his appearance with Trump at the White House, reporters shouted questions about Saudi Arabia’s alleged role in the Sept. 11 attacks and the 2018 killing of Khashoggi at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul — marking a rare moment of public pressure on the crown prince, who typically avoids unscripted exchanges with the press. Trump accused the press of trying to “embarrass” his guest, but the crown prince offered what sounded like regret for the killing of Khashoggi, even as he denied involvement. “A lot of people didn’t like that gentleman that you’re talking about,” Trump said. “Whether you like him or don’t like him, things happen, but he knew nothing about it … We can leave it at that. You don’t have to embarrass our guest by asking a question like that.” ABC reporter Mary Bruce had told bin Salman that U.S. intelligence determined he’d signed off on the killing and that 9/11 families were “furious” about his presence in the White House. “Why should Americans trust you?” “It’s been painful for us in Saudi Arabia,” bin Salman said of the killing, calling it “a huge mistake.” “We’ve improved our system to be sure that nothing happens like that again,” he added. TRUMP DESIGNATES SAUDI ARABIA AS MAJOR NON-NATO ALLY DURING CROWN PRINCE WHITE HOUSE VISIT A 2021 report by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence stated: “We assess that Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman approved an operation in Istanbul, Turkey, to capture or kill Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.” Bin Salman has repeatedly denied approving the killing, though he said in 2019, “It happened under my watch, I take full responsibility as a leader.” The question of Saudi Arabia’s involvement in the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks remains one of the most sensitive and unresolved issues in the U.S.-Saudi relationship. While 15 of the 19 hijackers were Saudi nationals, the U.S. government has never concluded that the Saudi state or senior Saudi officials had prior knowledge of or directed the attacks. Families of 9/11 victims condemned bin Salman after he invoked Usama bin Laden during his White House remarks, saying the al Qaeda leader used Saudi nationals to drive a wedge between Washington and Riyadh. “We have to focus on reality,” the crown prince said. “Reality is that Usama bin Laden used Saudi people in that event for one main purpose: to destroy the American–Saudi relationship. That’s the purpose of 9/11.” “The Saudi crown prince invoking Usama bin Laden this afternoon in the White House does not change the fact that a federal judge in New York ruled a few short months ago that Saudi Arabia must stand trial for its role in the 9/11 terrorist attacks that murdered 3,000 of our loved ones,” said Brett Eagleson, president of 9/11 Justice, a group representing victims’ families. In August 2025, U.S. District Judge George B. Daniels issued a landmark ruling bringing Saudi Arabia under U.S. federal jurisdiction for a 9/11 trial. The court found evidence of a network of Saudi officials inside the U.S. who allegedly provided logistical support to the hijackers, citing
Heavily redacted voting records for school superintendent nabbed by ICE spark outrage
A legal fight is brewing over a Maryland county board of elections’ heavy redactions to the voter registration records of an illegal immigrant who served as superintendent of Iowa’s largest school system until he was arrested by federal authorities this year, Fox News Digital has learned. “This was shocking,” Justin Riemer, CEO and president of the conservative legal group Restoring Integrity and Trust in Elections, told Fox News Digital in a Zoom interview on Friday. “When I saw the news reporting, and they showed screenshots of the registration applications with all this information redacted, I was just shocked.” Riemer was reacting to Prince George’s County’s Board of Elections’ recent release of voter registration documents belonging to illegal alien Ian Andre Roberts, which included blacking out Roberts’ sex, whether he checked the citizenship box, his date of birth and other information. The election attorney is representing Restoring Integrity and Trust in Elections and conservative research group the American Accountability Foundation (AAF) in their efforts to receive the voter registration documents with fewer redactions. Roberts, who is originally from Guyana and first entered the U.S. in 1994, was working as the superintendent of the Des Moines public school district when Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested him in September. Roberts was not legally permitted to work in the country after an employment authorization card expired in 2020, Fox News Digital previously reported. SCHOOL CHIEF TO SUSPECT: ICE ARREST OF DES MOINES SUPERINTENDENT EXPOSES FAKE DEGREES, DRUG CONVICTIONS The arrest of an illegal immigrant working in such a high-profile position shocked conservatives and others. Additional details surrounding his lengthy rap sheet surfaced as journalists and other investigators looked into his history. It was soon discovered that he was listed as a registered Democrat voter in Maryland, where he previously lived and that he had a conviction for reckless driving in 2012, the Department of Homeland Security reported in October. The Maryland State Board of Elections previously said Roberts did not vote in elections. “I’m an election law expert, not an immigration expert, but it doesn’t take one to see just how … broken the system has been,” Riemer told Fox Digital. “He has multiple criminal charges. He has worked in multiple school districts where, if they were doing the proper citizenship and work authorization checks, this should have been caught. It’s really just unbelievable how this guy has managed to jump around the country, working in school districts where he’s around children.” FORMER DES MOINES SCHOOLS SUPERINTENDENT TAKEN INTO DOJ CUSTODY ON FEDERAL FIREARMS, IMMIGRATION CHARGES As concern mounted surrounding Roberts, the American Accountability Foundation filed a public records request with Prince George’s County to obtain his voter registration application. The county’s board of elections complied with the request, but redacted key information, sparking what could turn into a legal showdown. “The American Accountability Foundation called the county out on it and said, ‘… you’re not allowed to redact this information,’” Riemer said, adding that it’s understandable for the county to redact information such as an individual’s Social Security number or driver’s license number, but not a person’s gender or whether they answered in the affirmative that they are a U.S. citizen. RITE published copies of the redacted documents, which show 18 black boxes blocking out information across just two pages’ worth of documents. Riemer explained the request was made under the National Voter Registration Act – a federal law that simplified voter registration processes when an eligible individual renews their driver’s license – which includes a provision allowing public access to such records. Riemer sent a letter to the Prince George’s County Board of Elections on Tuesday demanding the county turn over the records to his clients with fewer redactions as allowed by law. The election attorney, who previously served as chief counsel to the Republican National Committee, gave the county board until Dec. 1 while noting legal action could be in the future if the election board fails to comply. LAWMAKER REVEALS HOW DES MOINES SCHOOLS CHIEF REGISTERED TO VOTE DESPITE ILLEGAL STATUS “Please provide my clients with the records no later than Monday, December 1, 2025. If you redact or withhold any portion of the requested records beyond the limited exceptions above, we will immediately follow up with a written notice of your violation of 52 U.S.C. § 20507(i). If you do not remedy such violation within 90 days, my clients will sue you in Maryland federal district court and collect reasonable attorneys’ fees, litigation expenses and other costs,” Riemer’s letter to the county board of elections stated. Riemer said he has not yet heard from the board of elections, and speculated that the county board is in the midst of speaking with the state board of elections and the state attorney general’s office about next steps. “If they noticed that Restoring Integrity and Trust in Elections was part of this effort to get this information, they should have, because we sued Maryland last year for violating the National Voter Registration Act for restricting public access to registration records just like they’re doing here and won that lawsuit in March. And so they just continuously are doing these practices is that are not transparent, they’re not what federal law requires, it’s not what the public deserves,” he added. Fox News Digital reached out to the Prince George’s County Board of Elections for comment on the letter and redactions on Friday afternoon but did not immediately receive a reply. DEMOCRATS SILENT ON ILLEGAL ALIEN REGISTERED TO VOTE IN BLUE STATE Riemer said that the case is one of many that show concern over non-citizens being on voter roles is not “political theater” as Democrats have claimed amid conservatives rallying around stronger voter integrity laws nationwide. “We know it happens in the thousands. Oregon, for example, reported registering a couple thousand non-citizens through their DMV,” he said. Roberts was taken into the U.S. Marshals’ custody following his September arrest and is set to be prosecuted, DHS said in October. The federal agency
Trump trade official says $2K tariff payments won’t fuel inflation as revenues climb
U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said Sunday that potential one-time payments of $2,000 from tariff revenues would not fuel inflation and could provide welcome relief to families. “This is real money that’s coming in, and we get to decide what to do with it,” Greer told “Fox & Friends Weekend.” “The $2,000, that’s one option,” Greer said, adding that President Donald Trump is “eager to discuss and explore more” proposals. TRUMP CALLS TARIFF OPPONENTS ‘FOOLS,’ PROMISES $2K DIVIDEND PAYMENTS FOR AMERICANS Greer dismissed concerns that the move would stoke rising prices, noting that “this is not some kind of ongoing new welfare program or something that would exacerbate inflation.” He added that he expects American families to welcome the checks. “But I don’t think it would change the overall macroeconomic picture,” Greer said. Trump vowed earlier this month that revenue generated from duties could fund a $2,000 dividend for low- and middle-income Americans. TRUMP SAYS TARIFF-FUNDED DIVIDEND PAYMENTS FOR AMERICANS WILL BEGIN NEXT YEAR The president first floated the idea on Nov. 9 and has since suggested that any remaining funds could be used to help pay down the nation’s soaring $38 trillion debt. Last week, Trump said Americans could see payment checks as soon as next year. “We’ve taken in hundreds of billions of dollars in tariff money. We’re going to be issuing dividends probably by the middle of next year, maybe a little bit later than that,” Trump told reporters at the White House. TRUMP SAYS TARIFF REVENUE TO FUND $2K CHECKS FOR AMERICANS, LOWER NATION’S $38T DEBT Since Trump announced his “Liberation Day” tariffs in April, tariff revenues have climbed sharply from $23.9 billion in May to $28 billion in June and $29 billion in July. Total duty revenue reached $215.2 billion in fiscal year 2025, which ended Sept. 30, according to the Treasury Department’s “Customs and Certain Excise Taxes” report. So far in fiscal year 2026, which began on Oct. 1, the U.S. has collected $40.4 billion, according to the latest numbers published by the Treasury Department. The proposal comes at a pivotal moment, with tariff receipts climbing and the Supreme Court reviewing the legality of Trump’s trade measures, a case that could determine the future of his broader trade agenda.
Obama wanted shutdown pain to be felt by Americans, while Trump kept focus on Washington, experts argue
President Donald Trump and former President Barack Obama are polar opposites in many ways, but, as with anyone who has sat behind the Resolute Desk, they do share some similarities. One thing both have in common is overseeing government shutdowns — one under Obama and two under Trump. And even in that sparse similarity, both men operated differently, particularly in the most recent, 43-day closure. While both congressional battles were centered on Obamacare, Obama put his shutdown at the center of attention, while Trump kept it at more of an arm’s length. HOW CLOSED-DOOR NEGOTIATIONS AND A GUARANTEE ENDED LONGEST GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN ON RECORD Romina Boccia, director of budget and entitlement policy at the Cato Institute, told Fox News Digital that a major difference in the Obama and Trump administrations’ approaches to their respective shutdowns was that in 2013, Obama wanted the pain of shutdown to be felt by Americans, while Trump kept the focus centered on Washington, D.C. “During the Obama shutdown, it was more to make it extremely visible, shut down beloved functions — even if you didn’t have to — that affect average Americans,” she said. Boccia at the time worked for the conservative think-tank the Heritage Foundation and recalled the barricades that were swiftly erected around Washington, D.C.’s many national parks. Those barricades, both concrete and human, spilled out beyond the nation’s capital and were placed around the hundreds of national parks across America as a stark reminder that the government was closed. Boccia noted that a direct comparison of the two shutdowns would be difficult given the differing lengths, but that the Trump administration, at least early on, sought to inflict direct pain on congressional Democrats and the federal government. GOP UNITY SHATTERED BY CONTROVERSIAL MEASURE IN GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN BILL That was carried out largely by the Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought, who ordered mass firings of furloughed workers and withheld or canceled billions in federal funding to blue cities and states. “It’s not that this wasn’t a shutdown, it’s just that the choices the administration made were an attempt to focus the impacts of the shutdown this round on the government itself,” Brittany Madni, executive vice president of the Economic Policy Innovation Center, told Fox News Digital. “This was showmanship from President Obama,” Madni continued. “And if you look at what happened over the last 40 something days, it was the exact same playbook by congressional Democrats.” Madni argued that discussions and debate during the 2013 shutdown were centered largely in Washington, D.C. The latest closure saw some of that, but it also saw Trump continuing to work on trade deals, particularly during his high-profile visit to Asia, which was a point of contention for Democrats on the Hill. “He was doing his job,” Madni said. “He was doing his job. Meanwhile, congressional Democrats, quite simply, were not.” Still, there was a shared thread in both shutdowns: Obamacare. In 2013, congressional Republicans wanted to dismantle Obama’s signature piece of legislation. Fast-forward, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., led his caucus to push extensions to enhanced Obamacare subsidies. Boccia said that played a large part in why Obama was at the vanguard during his shutdown. “He was front and center in the media talking about the shutdown, and because it was over his legacy achievement,” she said. SENATE REACHES TEMPORARY TRUCE TO END RECORD SHUTDOWN, BUT JANUARY BATTLE LOOMS It was because his key legislative achievement was under fire that Obama took such a central role in the shutdown, Boccia argued, but for Trump, who tried during his first administration to gut and replace Obamacare, it wasn’t a priority. “The fact that it was over the Obamacare COVID credits, I think, made the president less necessary and perhaps interested in being the face of the shutdown,” she said. “It was really a congressional battle.” Madni disagreed that the latest shutdown wasn’t a direct bid by congressional Democrats to go after one of his legislative achievements. Before the climactic failed vote in the Senate in late September that ushered in the longest shutdown in history, Democrats offered a counter-proposal that would have stripped several provisions from Trump’s “big, beautiful bill,” which has so far been the crowning legislative achievement of his second term. “It’s really important that everyone remembers the subsidy request was one request in a laundry list of radical, incredibly expensive ideas that added up to $1.5 trillion,” Madni said. “Another item in that list was dismantling key portions of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.” “If this was really about the subsidies, then the Democrats would have been willing at any point during the last 43 days to adjust their asks and just make it about subsidies,” she continued. “Not once did they.”
Trump admin disputes claim that Ukraine peace plan was Russia ‘wish list’
President Donald Trump‘s administration is rejecting claims that its most recent plan for a peace deal in Ukraine was really a Russian “wish list.” Confusion arose regarding the deal after lawmakers on Capitol Hill claimed they were told by White House officials that the deal was a proposal from the Russian side. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has since pushed back on that claim, however. “[Rubio] made it very clear to us that we are the recipients of a proposal that was delivered to one of our representatives,” Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., said at a press conference. “It is not our recommendation. It is not our peace plan. It is a proposal that was received, and as an intermediary, we have made arrangements to share it — and we did not release it. It was leaked.” According to The Associated Press, Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, said that Rubio told him and his colleagues that it “was not the administration’s plan” but a “wish list of the Russians.” Rubio responded to this narrative with a post on social media, writing that the peace proposal “was authored by the U.S.” US AND RUSSIA DRAFT PEACE PLAN FOR UKRAINE REQUIRING MAJOR CONCESSIONS FROM KYIV “It is offered as a strong framework for ongoing negotiations. It is based on input from the Russian side. But it is also based on previous and ongoing input from Ukraine,” he added. Rounds released another statement through his press office after Rubio’s response. “I appreciate Secretary Rubio briefing us earlier today on their efforts to bring about peace by relying on input from both Russia and Ukraine to arrive at a final deal,” Rounds wrote. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital. WITKOFF MEETS UKRAINE OFFICIALS IN NEW YORK AHEAD OF EMERGENCY UN SECURITY COUNCIL MEETING: ‘VERY PRODUCTIVE’ Rubio traveled to Geneva on Sunday to meet with Ukrainian officials alongside Army Secretary Dan Driscoll, where they are expected to hash out Kyiv’s misgivings regarding the deal. Trump himself lashed out at Ukraine over the peace talks in a Sunday statement. “UKRAINE ‘LEADERSHIP’ HAS EXPRESSED ZERO GRATITUDE FOR OUR EFFORTS, AND EUROPE CONTINUES TO BUY OIL FROM RUSSIA,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. While the current agreement has not been made public, a leaked draft has been reported to include terms that would halt the fighting in Ukraine while giving Russia concessions like control over Ukrainian territory that the Russian military does not yet control, as well as barring Ukraine from membership in NATO. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy did not reject the plan outright in an address last week, but he insisted on fair treatment while pledging to “work calmly” with Washington and other partners in what he called “truly one of the most difficult moments in our history.” Fox News’ Jennifer Griffin and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Trump caps week of surprises — signing release of Epstein files, embracing unlikely allies at White House
President Donald Trump kicked off the week meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and closed the week meeting with New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani. He also signed legislation ordering the Justice Department to release files related to the late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Here’s a look at what happened this week. Trump announced Wednesday evening that he put his stamp of approval on a bill instructing the Justice Department to release files related to Epstein — after Congress passed the measure Tuesday. TRUMP SAYS WHETHER HE WOULD SIGN EPSTEIN FILES BILL “I HAVE JUST SIGNED THE BILL TO RELEASE THE EPSTEIN FILES!” Trump wrote in a lengthy message on the Truth Social platform. “As everyone knows, I asked Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, and Senate Majority Leader John Thune, to pass this Bill in the House and Senate, respectively. Because of this request, the votes were almost unanimous in favor of passage. “At my direction, the Department of Justice has already turned over close to fifty thousand pages of documents to Congress. Do not forget — The Biden Administration did not turn over a SINGLE file or page related to Democrat Epstein, nor did they ever even speak about him.” Trump’s ties to Epstein had faced increased attention after Trump’s Justice Department and FBI announced in July it would not unseal investigation materials related to Epstein, and that the agencies’ investigation into the case had closed. TRUMP CALLS ON HOUSE REPUBLICANS TO VOTE TO RELEASE EPSTEIN FILES: ‘WE HAVE NOTHING TO HIDE’ However, Trump announced Nov. 16 that he backed releasing the documents, claiming that he had “nothing to hide.” Ultimately, the House voted Tuesday to release the files by a 421–1 margin, following pressure for months from the measure’s ringleaders, Reps. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., and Ro Khanna, D-Calif., and other Democrats. The Senate passed the measure by unanimous consent later Tuesday. BIDEN’S SAUDI FIST BUMP DREW HEAT IN 2022 — TRUMP JUST ROLLED OUT THE RED CARPET Mamdani visited Trump at the White House Friday, and the two appeared chummy and ready to launch a fresh start in their relationship. The two said they discussed addressing affordability issues and improving conditions in New York. Trump said the two had more in common than he anticipated, and that he would be “cheering” for Mamdani as he leads the city. “I expect to be helping him, not hurting him — a big help,” Trump said. EPSTEIN REFERENCED TRUMP IN PRIVATE EMAILS TO GHISLAINE MAXWELL AND OTHERS, NEW RECORDS SHOW Trump also brushed off Mamdani’s comment labeling him a despot in his victory speech following the Nov. 4 election, with the president claiming Friday he’s encountered worse and that he believes Mamdani will change his tune as the two work together. “I’ve been called much worse than a ‘despot,’ so it’s not, it’s not that insulting,” Trump said. “I think he’ll change his mind after we get to working together.” Trump also met with the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at the White House Tuesday, an occasion that included a red carpet rolled across the South Lawn, military honor guard, and an Air Force flyover to elevate the formal state-level welcome. During bin Salman’s visit, the U.S. announced that it would sell F-35 jets to Saudi Arabia, and that it would now be a “major non-NATO ally” to facilitate military cooperation between the two countries. “President Trump approved a major defense sale package, including future F-35 deliveries, which strengthens the U.S. defense industrial base and ensures Saudi Arabia continues to buy American,” the White House said in a statement. Trump’s reception of bin Salman is a departure from the Biden administration, who said in 2019 during his presidential campaign that he would make Saudi Arabia “the pariah that they are” because of the death of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi. U.S. intelligence agencies concluded in 2021 that bin Salman gave the green light on the operation that took Khashoggi’s life. Khashoggi, a Saudi dissident, was brutally murdered in Istanbul at the Saudi consulate in 2018. But Trump defended bin Salman Tuesday, and accused a reporter who asked about U.S. intelligence reports linking the prince to Khashoggi’s death of embarrassing bin Salman. “A lot of people didn’t like that gentleman that you’re talking about,” Trump said Tuesday. “Whether you like him or didn’t like him, things happen, but he knew nothing about it. And would you leave it at that? You don’t have to embarrass our guest by asking a question.” Even so, bin Salman has dismissed the reports as false. When asked Tuesday about Khashoggi, bin Salman said it’s “painful” to hear of the death of anyone for “no real purpose,” and “we are doing our best that this doesn’t happen again.”
Trump administration expands efforts to stop Christian violence in Nigeria with aid threat
President Donald Trump’s administration is picking up steam in addressing violence against Christians in Nigeria this week, after Trump lashed out at the nation’s government for having “done nothing” to stop the killings. “I’m really angry about it,” the president told Fox News Radio on Friday. “What’s happening in Nigeria is a disgrace.” War Secretary Pete Hegseth met with Nigerian National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu last week amid threats from Trump to cut off aid to Nigeria if it “continues to allow the killing of Christians.” Nigerian officials have pushed back on the accusation. “Hegseth emphasized the need for Nigeria to demonstrate commitment and take both urgent and enduring action to stop violence against Christians and conveyed the Department’s desire to work by, with, and through Nigeria to deter and degrade terrorists that threaten the United States,” the Pentagon said in a statement. TRUMP THREATENS TO HALT ALL US AID, CONDUCT ‘VICIOUS’ MILITARY ATTACK IN NIGERIA OVER CHRISTIAN PERSECUTION Jonathan Pratt, who leads the State Department’s Bureau of African Affairs, also testified before Congress on Thursday and said any Pentagon involvement would be part of a broader strategy. “This would span from security to policing to economic,” he said. “We want to look at all of these tools and have a comprehensive strategy to get the best result possible.” GUNMEN ATTACK CHURCH IN NIGERIA, KILLING TWO AND KIDNAPPING OTHERS Recent incidents in Nigeria have included the mass abduction of over 300 children and 12 teachers from a Catholic school on Friday, as well as a shooting at another church that left two people dead. The gunmen also abducted several congregants from the church. The primary threat comes from the Islamist radical group Boko Haram, as well as its splinter Islamic State of West Africa Province. The groups target primarily Christians, though Muslims of other sects also face attacks. On Tuesday, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz held an event highlighting the ongoing violence in Nigeria. During the event, Waltz called the killings of Christians in Nigeria a “genocide wearing the mask of chaos.” He was joined by rap superstar Nicki Minaj, who called for religious freedom for all. Fox News’ Rachel Wolf and The Associated Press contributed to this report.