Democrats tenaciously working to thwart the second Trump administration seemingly have thrown out their playbook from the president’s first administration — abandoning repeated attempts to impeach President Donald Trump in favor of broadening their focus on leveraging Article II of the Constitution to impede MAGA policies. 

Democrats, since the early days of Trump’s second presidency, have accused him of taking steps that amount to a ‘gross overreach of presidential authority’ or launching ‘illegal power grabs,’ most notably in response to some of the more than 200 executive orders the president has signed this term. Lawsuits challenging the administration also have focused language on claims Trump is exceeding his executive authority, sparking some policies to get tied up in the courts. 

Article II of the Constitution lays out the foundation for the balance of power between the office of the president and other branches of the government, including establishing the executive branch. Section II of Article II details the duties and powers of a president. 

Political foes have turned to Article II in their legal battles against Trump, repeatedly claiming he has exceeded his authority.

‘Trump Derangement Syndrome takes on many forms — despite the Democrats’ failure to stop President Trump’s incredibly popular agenda in his first term, they’re trying a new strategy this time and failing again,’ White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson told Fox News Digital Thursday when asked about the increase in claims and cases claiming Trump is overstepping his presidential bounds. 

‘The Trump Administration’s policies have been consistently upheld by the Supreme Court as lawful despite an unprecedented number of legal challenges and unlawful lower court rulings from far-left liberal activist judges,’ she continued. ‘The president will continue implementing the policy agenda that the American people voted for in November and will continue to be vindicated by higher courts when liberal activist judges attempt to intervene.’ 

First term impeachment efforts 

Trump’s first administration was underscored by two impeachment efforts, which landed Trump as the first president in U.S. history to be impeached twice. Trump was acquitted by the Senate both times. 

The first impeachment effort in 2019 accused Trump of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress related to allegedly seeking foreign interference from Ukraine to boost his re-election efforts in 2020. 

The focus of that impeachment focused on a July 2019 phone call in which Trump pressed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to launch investigations into the Biden family’s business dealings in Ukraine, including Hunter Biden’s business dealings with Burisma holdings company. Biden was under federal investigation at the time. 

The House impeached Trump on both articles of impeachment in December 2019, with the Senate voting to acquit Trump on both articles of impeachment in February 2020. 

Months later, Democrats teed up another Trump impeachment after the breach of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. 

Trump notched another first, when the Senate tried a former president after the House voted to impeach him just a week before Joe Biden was inaugurated as the nation’s 46th president. The Senate ultimately acquitted Trump in the case. 

The second impeachment focused on the breach of the U.S. Capitol by throngs of Trump supporters when the Senate and House convened to certify Biden’s 2020 election win. Trump was accused of working to overturn the results of the election and that he incited an insurrection with rhetoric regarding the election ahead of the Capitol breach. 

‘I will never forgive the people who stormed the Capitol for the trauma that they caused in our young people, our members of the press who were covering that day, our staffers, the maintenance crew, the people who keep the Capitol neat and clean,’ then-Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi said in an interview on MSNBC in 2022.  

‘This was a disgrace. And the president instigated an insurrection, refused to stop it and as those films show, would not, in a timely fashion, allow the National Guard to come in and stop it. And that is sinful,’ she continued.

The Senate acquitted Trump of the impeachment charge of inciting an insurrection in February 2021. 

The impeachment efforts followed Democrats threatening and vowing to impeach Trump at various points throughout his first administration. 

‘I rise today, Mr. Speaker, to call for the impeachment of the President of the United States of America for obstruction of justice. I do not do this for political purposes, Mr. Speaker. I do this because I believe in the great ideals that this country stands for — liberty and justice for all, the notion that we should have government of the people, by the people, for the people,’ Texas Democratic Rep. Al Green declared in May 2017 in regard to former FBI Director James Comey’s investigation into former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn.

‘The time has come to make clear to the American people and to this president that his train of injuries to our Constitution must be brought to an end through impeachment,’ Tennessee Democrat Rep. Steve Cohen said in November 2017 over claims Trump obstructed justice when he fired Comey in May 2017. 

Out of office court battles

Trump’s four years after his first administration were riddled with a handful of civil and criminal cases, including standing trial in New York when he was found guilty on 34 counts of falsifying business records in May 2024. 

District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office worked to prove that Trump falsified the business records to conceal a $130,000 payment to former porn star Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 election to quiet her claims of an alleged 2006 affair with Trump. Trump has maintained his innocence in the case, and was sentenced after his election win to an unconditional discharge, meaning he faced no prison time or fines. 

Trump also was indicted in Georgia on racketeering charges over claims he attempted to overturn the state’s 2020 election results, which the president denied. That case was put on hold after District Attorney Fani Willis was disqualified from prosecuting it. 

A pair of federal criminal cases were dismissed, including one that alleged Trump mishandled sensitive government documents at his Florida Mar-a-Lago home after his presidency, as well as another claiming Trump attempted to overturn the 2020 election results. Special counsel Jack Smith oversaw both cases. 

Trump also faced civil cases, including New York Attorney General Letitia James accusing Trump and the Trump Organization of inflating asset values. In another case, E. Jean Carroll, a former columnist who alleges Trump raped her in a New York City department store dressing room in the 1990s, accused Trump of defamation in a 2022 case. 

Trump railed against the accusations and cases as examples of lawfare to prevent him from winning a second presidency, taking a victory lap upon his 2024 win that the efforts failed. 

‘These cases, like all of the other cases I have been forced to go through, are empty and lawless, and should never have been brought,’ Trump wrote on Truth Social in November 2024, when Smith announced he would drop the felony cases. 

‘It was a political hijacking, and a low point in the History of our Country that such a thing could have happened, and yet, I persevered, against all odds, and WON. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!’ Trump added.

Second term Article II violation allegations 

Trump’s second administration has been his with more than 400 lawsuits, according to Just Security’s lawsuit tracker targeting the administration, with many disputing Trump’s executive orders and policies as they relate to slimming down the size of the federal government, his policies removing diversity, equity and inclusion language and initiatives from the federal government, protecting girls’ sports from the inclusion of biological male players, and his various directives to remove the millions of illegal immigrants who have flooded the U.S. in recent years. 

Trump and his administration are in the midst of cleaning up U.S. cities that have historically been rocked by crime, including working to remove illegal immigrants residing in the cities. Most recently, Trump ordered the National Guard to Portland, Oregon, in response to ‘radical left terrorism’ in the city, specifically members of the recently-designated domestic terrorism organization, Antifa. 

‘The Radical Left’s reign of terror in Portland ends now, with President Donald J. Trump mobilizing federal resources to stop Antifa-led hellfire in its tracks. While Democrat politicians deny reality, it’s obvious what’s happening in Portland isn’t protest; it’s premeditated anarchy that has scarred the city for years — leaving officers battered, citizens terrorized, and property defaced,’ the White House said in an announcement that Trump was deploying federal resources to Portland on Sept. 30. 

‘What President Trump is trying to do is an abuse of power,’ Democratic Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek said in September of Trump’s order to deploy the troops to Portland. ‘And it is a threat to our democracy. Governors should be in command of their National Guards, our citizens soldiers who sign up to stand up in an emergency to deal with real problems.’

Oregon sued the Trump admistration over the order, claiming Trump lacked the authority to deploy the National Guard. 

U.S. District Judge Karin Immergut issued a temporary restraining order halting Trump’s plan to deploy 200 Oregon National Guard troops, then again on Sunday expanded the order to bar the administration from deploying any National Guard units from any state to Oregon pending further proceedings. Immergut determined Trump’s order likely exceeded his presidential authority. 

The White House has hit back that Trump is within his presidential limits. 

‘I think her opinion is untethered in reality and in the law,’ Leavitt told reporters at a White House press briefing. ‘The president is using his authority as commander in chief, U.S. code 12 406, which clearly states that the president has the right to call up the National Guard and in cases where he deems it’s appropriate. … The ICE facility has been really under siege. And, by these anarchists outside, they have been, disrespecting law enforcement. They’ve been inciting violence.’

The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals lifted Immergut’s ruling that blocked the Oregon National Guard troops from deploying to Portland, but the other ruling baring any National Guard troops from deploying to Portland remains in effect. 

President Donald Trump thanked Israeli lawmakers for their enthusiastic welcome in the Knesset on Monday as the nation celebrated the release of all 20 living hostages from Hamas captivity.

‘After two harrowing years in darkness and captivity, 20 courageous hostages are returning to the glorious embrace of their families,’ Trump said. ‘Twenty-eight more precious loved ones are coming home at last to rest in this sacred soil for all of time. And after so many years of unceasing war and endless danger, today the skies are calm, the guns are silent, the sirens are still, and the sun rises on a Holy Land that is finally at peace.’

The president’s comments came as reports emerged that only four of the 28 bodies held in Gaza are expected to be returned on Monday, which could risk the stability of the ceasefire and its ability to progress to the second phase, which would see the disarmament of Hamas and the further withdrawal of Israeli forces. 

‘This is not only the end of a war. This is the end of an age of terror and death, the beginning of the age of faith and hope and of God,’ Trump said. 

Trump used his speech at the Knesset to tell Israel’s president, Isaac Herzog, to pardon Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

‘Hey, I have an idea, Mr. President – why don’t you give him a pardon?’ Trump said, prompting a standing ovation from many in the forum. 

Netanyahu was indicted in 2019 on charges that included bribery, fraud and a breach of trust, though he has denied the accusations. 

It is unclear if the president would agree to such a move, or if the majority of the Israeli parliament would support the decision given the prime minister’s previously waning support as the war continued and hostages remained in captivity for more than two years. 

Trump, during his speech, emphasized his support for Israel as the hostages continue to be returned and said, ‘Please know that America joins you in those two everlasting vows. Never forget and never again,’ Trump said.

‘As we celebrate today, let us remember how this nightmare of depravity and death all began two years ago, on the eve of the Simchat Torah holiday, thousands of innocent Israeli civilians were attacked by terrorists in one of the most evil and heinous desecration of innocent life the world has ever seen,’ he added. 

Trump described the ceasefire with Hamas ‘as a very exciting time for Israel and for the entire Middle East’ and said ‘the forces of chaos, terror and ruin that have plagued the region for decades now stand weakened, isolated, and totally defeated.’

Trump, who is also set to depart for Egypt on Monday, suggested a peace deal with Iran could be next as he looks to enfold more Middle Eastern nations into the Abraham Accords, which saw the normalization of relations with several Arab nations during his first term.

The president thanked Netanyahu for ‘having the courage’ to end the war with Hamas, and in turn seize the opportunity to make Israel stronger and stabilize relations in the Middle East.

Trump received a warm welcome from the Israeli Knesset, with the body declaring him ‘the greatest friend Israel ever had in the White House.’ Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana vowed to rally with House Speaker Mike Johnson and other legislative leaders across the globe to submit Trump’s candidacy for Nobel Peace Prize in 2026.

‘You, President Trump, are a colossus who will be enshrined in the pantheon of history. Thousands of years from now the Jewish people will remember you. We are a nation that remembers,’ Ohana said, comparing Trump to Cyrus the Great, who conquered Babylon in 539 B.C. and allowed the Jewish people to return to their homeland.

Ohana hailed Trump’s efforts to rescue hostages held by Hamas as well as combat Iran’s nuclear program and influence across the Middle East. He also praised Trump for moving the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem in 2018.

‘Donald Trump is the greatest friend Israel has ever had in the White House. No American president has ever done more for Israel than this one, and as I said in Washington, it ain’t even close,’ Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said.

Netanyahu also nominated Trump to receive the Israel Prize, Israel’s highest honor. Trump would be the first non-Israeli citizen to receive the award.

Monday marks the 100th anniversary of Margaret Thatcher’s birth – an occasion that brings together leaders and supporters from across the Atlantic to pay tribute to her life. 

We at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation & Institute are honored to participate in the celebration, an occasion that also invites us to reflect on her legacy and connection with Ronald Reagan in the context of our modern era. Namely, what made her partnership with President Reagan so effective, and what might it teach us today about how civility can shape world affairs?

Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher’s effectiveness – both in dealings with each other and in other world leaders with whom they were less naturally aligned – depended on trust and civility. In today’s divided political world, their example is one we can all learn from.

When we think of the two leaders, we tend to picture strength: two leaders who stood firm against communism, championed free markets and restored confidence in the West. But President Reagan also believed that personal relationships were central to politics. In a 1989 letter in National Review, he crystallized that sentiment as follows: ‘personal relations matter more in international politics than the historians would have us believe.’

That was the core of his approach: even the hardest negotiations work best when leaders see each other as partners, not just opponents. It doesn’t mean that personal relationships supersede national interest – great leaders have to be unwavering at times – but it does mean that a key component of good diplomacy is the ability to remain civil and acknowledge others’ humanity, be they adversaries or allies.

Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan’s leadership in Soviet Union dealings demonstrates this principle in action. For instance, when Mikhail Gorbachev emerged on the world stage, Thatcher chose to approach him as a person worthy of negotiation rather than a caricature of Soviet power. ‘We can do business together,’ she pragmatically asserted. And she was right. Though their visions for their country were vastly different, grounding Soviet negotiations in respect and practical assessment made diplomacy possible.

Importantly, President Reagan and Prime Minister Thatcher never abandoned principle for politeness. They were strong leaders, firm and uncompromising in their convictions. But civility gave them the leverage to achieve what force or rhetoric alone could not. 

The INF Treaty, the fall of the Berlin Wall, and the eventual end of the Cold War all depended on this kind of disciplined, strategic civility. Leaders could disagree sharply and even spar aggressively, but they never allowed that disagreement to destroy trust or get in the way of progress.

Civility is not a moral high road, it’s a tool. It allowed these leaders to be candid with each other, trusting they would be received with understanding – and creating the strong foundation which underpinned the U.S. and U.K. alliance. Then as now, civility creates space for honest conversations. It allows important initiatives to move forward without unnecessary friction.

Today, that lesson is urgent. The United States and our democratic allies face pressure from resurgent authoritarian powers, global instability and domestic polarization. The instinct to respond with anger or mistrust is strong. But history shows that enduring security and progress come from discipline, mutual respect and the ability to maintain civility even under pressure. 

And in times of global tension, reinforcing alliances matters more than ever. We saw this exemplified by President Donald Trump in his recent meeting with U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, where he declared, ‘We have a relationship like no other… we will always be united.’ His statement embodies the Reagan-Thatcher alliance at its best. This disposition is a precursor to any constructive discussions about advancing security and stability, especially when it comes to complex issues such as these.

President Reagan and Prime Minister Thatcher remind us that civility is not deference; rather, it is a practical strategy for getting things done. As we remember Margaret Thatcher on her 100th birthday, we should also remember the example she set. Civility enabled both leaders to be effective and, ultimately, to shape history. In a world full of uncertainty and division, their legacy remains as essential now as it was then.

President Donald Trump will spend the first part of the week in the Middle East to oversee a historic peace deal between Israel and Hamas, a landmark agreement expected to end the two-year war in Gaza and bring home the remaining hostages.

Before boarding Air Force One, Trump told reporters that the hostages could be released earlier and said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did a ‘very good job’ helping secure the deal.

‘The war is over,’ Trump told reporters at Joint Base Andrews before boarding a nearly 12-hour flight to Israel. After landing in Tel Aviv, Trump is expected to meet with families of hostages and then give an address at the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, in Jerusalem.

Trump will then travel to Egypt to attend an international summit in the seaside city of Sharm el-Sheikh on Monday to finalize an agreement aimed at ending the war in Gaza. More than 20 world leaders, including Trump, are expected to attend, an Egyptian presidential spokesperson said, according to Reuters.

After a handful of hours in Israel and Egypt, Trump will board Air Force One and return to the White House in the early morning hours on Tuesday in order to honor the late Charlie Kirk with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian award.

‘It’s a very quick trip, but I’ll be making two major stops, and then I’ll be on the plane trying to get back in time for Charlie,’ Trump told reporters at the White House on Friday. ‘They’re going to have a great celebration at the White House in the East Room,’ he added. The award ceremony coincides with what would have been Kirk’s 32nd birthday on Oct. 14.

Kirk, the charismatic founder of Turning Point USA (TPUSA), gained recognition for his signature political debates on college campuses. He was assassinated on Sept. 10, during an outdoor event at Utah Valley University. The gathering was the first stop on TPUSA’s planned ‘American Comeback Tour.’

Kirk’s memorial service drew one of the largest public turnouts for a private citizen, with about 90,000 people in attendance at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona and nearby overflow venues.

Trump previously announced last month that he would award Kirk the award posthumously.

President Donald Trump said Sunday that Hamas may release the 20 hostages it is holding ‘a little bit early.’

Trump spoke with reporters aboard Air Force One en route to the Middle East, where he was asked about the latest on the hostages and when they might be released.

‘So, they have the hostages — I understand all 20 — and we may get them out a little bit early,’ Trump said. ‘Getting them was amazing, actually, because we were involved, and they were in places you don’t want to know about.’

The president’s comments come as Hamas faces a deadline to return all remaining hostages to Israel, following a peace deal that ended the two-year-long Israel-Hamas war.

The peace agreement, brokered by President Trump, sparked celebrations across a region plagued by violence since the Hamas terror attacks on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.

Earlier on Sunday, Vice President JD Vance warned that some of the hostages who were killed while in captivity by Hamas may never be returned to their families.

‘The reality is that some of the hostages may never get back, but I do think, with some effort, we’ll be able to give them to their families so they at least have some closure,’ Vance said on Fox News’ ‘Sunday Morning Futures.’

He continued, noting that while rescuing living hostages remains the Trump administration’s top priority, returning the remains of those killed is also an important effort to give families closure.

‘We do want to give these people the ability to have a proper burial with their loved ones who were murdered by brutal terrorists, and that matters to us,’ Vance said. ‘It matters to the families, and it will remain a focus, but it’s going to take some time.’

The vice president stopped short of certainly, though, saying he believes most of the victims’ remains – but not all – will eventually be recovered.

Fox News Digital’s Taylor Penley contributed to this report.

President Donald Trump has launched an unprecedented war against cartels and has threatened narco-terrorists, saying he will ‘blow you out of existence’ as his administration seeks to curb the influx of drugs into the U.S. 

The White House sent lawmakers a memo Sept. 30 informing them that the U.S. is now participating in a ‘non-international armed conflict’ with drug smugglers — on top of conducting four fatal strikes against alleged drug boats in the Caribbean since September. 

The Department of War recently announced a new counter-narcotics Joint Task Force in the Southern Command area of responsibility, according to Secretary of War Pete Hegseth. 

The aim of the task force is to ‘crush the cartels, stop the poison, and keep America safe,’ Hegseth wrote on X Friday. ‘The message is clear: if you traffic drugs toward our shores, we will stop you cold.’

These recent developments suggest that Trump is eyeing targets within Venezuela, not just those within international waters, according to Geoff Ramsey, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council international affairs think tank.

‘This is a sign that President Trump is taking the US war on drugs in Latin America to the next level,’ Ramsey said in a Monday email to Fox News Digital. ‘By involving the military, the president is going after drug cartels in a way that no previous US administration has dared to so far. I think it is likely that we will see the Pentagon evaluate targets inside Venezuela.’

Additional strikes could target more drug shipments or drug flights, which often take off from covert airfields near the Colombian border, Ramsey said. 

‘It’s a bad time to be posted in a guerrilla camp on the Colombian border or operating a Tren de Aragua safe house along the Caribbean trafficking route,’ Ramsey said. 

Even so, Ramsey said it would be challenging to strike within Venezuela’s territory. Doing so would require the U.S. to dismantle Venezuela’s air defense system, which would escalate hostilities by openly engaging with Venezuela’s military, he said. 

That’s a departure from the current approach, in which the U.S. has intentionally avoided targeting Venezuelan military assets, Ramsey said. 

‘When two Venezuelan F-16s flew over a US destroyer last month, the fact that those planes weren’t blown out of the sky suggests that the US is not interested in a shooting war with Venezuela’s military,’ Ramsey said. 

Trump himself has not ruled out conducting strikes within Venezuela though, and signaled such strikes could happen when he told military leaders in Quantico, Virginia, Sept. 30 that his administration would ‘look very seriously at cartels coming by land.’

So far, the Trump administration has utilized maritime forces to address drug threats, and has beefed up naval assets in the Caribbean in recent months. For example, Trump approved sending several U.S. Navy guided missile destroyers to bolster the administration’s counter-narcotics efforts in the region starting in August. 

‘I expect these deployments to continue for months or more than a year, with new ships rotating in to replace those that need to return home for maintenance or crew rest,’ Bryan Clark, director of the Hudson Institute think tank’s Center for Defense Concepts and Technology, told Fox News Digital in September. 

Nathan Jones, a nonresident scholar in drug policy and Mexico studies at Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, predicted the strikes are unlikely to impact the flow of fentanyl into the U.S. That’s because fentanyl precursors originate in China, and are then produced in labs in Mexico before they head north without a pathway into the Caribbean. 

‘I wouldn’t expect your drug flow to be affected because of these strikes,’ Jones told Fox News Digital Tuesday. ‘This could, though, leave transnational criminal organizations running a little scared in terms of what the administration is going to do.’ 

Still, Jones said that he predicted drug flow routes would adapt and that land or aerial drug routes would take precedence over sea routes in the Caribbean. 

The strikes have prompted members of Congress to question their legality and senators Adam Schiff, D-Calif., and Tim Kaine, D-Va., filed a war powers resolution in September that would block U.S. forces from engaging in ‘hostilities’ against certain non-state organizations. 

‘There has been no authorization to use force by Congress in this way,’ Schiff told reporters Wednesday. ‘I feel it is plainly unconstitutional. The fact that the administration claims to have a list and has put organizations on a list does not somehow empower the administration to usurp Congress’s power of declaring war or refusing to declare war or refusing to authorize the use of force.’ 

However, the measure failed in the Senate by a 51–48 margin Wednesday. Even so, the measure attracted support from Republicans Rand Paul of Kentucky and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, who voted alongside their Democratic counterparts for the resolution. 

Other Republicans have defended the strikes though, and Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Sen. Jim Risch, R-Idaho, said that Trump’s actions were well within his rights and that the resolution was ‘unreasonable.’ 

‘When he sees an attack like this coming — an attack of drugs or explosives or anything else that’s going to kill Americans — he not only has the authority to do something about it, he has the duty to do something about it,’ Risch said Wednesday before the vote. 

White House Deputy Chief of Staff Dan Scavino is poised to play an even larger role in President Donald Trump’s administration, the president announced Sunday.

Trump says Scavino, in addition to his current role, will now lead the White House Presidential Personnel Office. The office was previously held by Sergio Gor, who is now transitioning to become the U.S. Ambassador to India.

‘I am pleased to announce that the great Dan Scavino, in addition to remaining Deputy Chief of Staff of the Trump Administration, will head the White House Presidential Personnel Office, replacing Sergio Gor, who did a wonderful job in that position, and will now become the Ambassador to India,’ Trump wrote on Truth Social.

‘Dan will be responsible for the selection and appointment of almost all positions in government, a very big and important position. Congratulations Dan, you will do a fantastic job!’ he added.

Scavino’s new appointment comes as the Trump administration is in a pitched fight with Democrats to define the cause of the ongoing government shutdown.

Trump allies have pointed to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer’s refusal to work with Republicans.

The president also sought to mitigate damage on Saturday by ordering War Secretary Pete Hegseth to make sure military service members get paid next week, regardless of the shutdown.

‘Chuck Schumer recently said, ‘Every day gets better’ during their Radical Left Shutdown,’ Trump wrote on Truth Social. ‘I DISAGREE! If nothing is done, because of ‘Leader’ Chuck Schumer and the Democrats, our Brave Troops will miss the paychecks they are rightfully due on October 15th.’

He said he directed Hegseth ‘to use all available funds to get our Troops PAID on October 15th. We have identified funds to do this, and Secretary Hegseth will use them to PAY OUR TROOPS.’

The government shut down on Oct. 1, after Democrats and Republicans 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.

Fox News’ Brie Stimson contributed to this report

Two years ago, I was kidnapped by Boko Haram. They held me captive, and every day I prayed that I would see my family again. By a miracle of God, I was able to escape. 

Sadly, most Christians who are captured by this terrible organization never live to tell their stories. And unless the West intervenes, kidnappings like mine — as well as killings — will only increase in my country, spread across the African continent and threaten the rest of the world. 

Today, as I travel throughout Nigeria providing relief as part of my work with iReach Global, I see that the violence has only grown—spreading like wildfire across the middle of my country, leaving behind a trail of ashes, mass graves and shattered lives. 

This year has brought wave after wave of coordinated attacks in Central Nigeria. More than 7,000 Christians have been killed. Entire villages — most of them Christian farming communities — were razed. Families now live in makeshift camps, traumatized and uncertain if they’ll ever return home. 

In early April, multiple coordinated assaults in the Bokkos area claimed hundreds of lives within a week. One community alone reported 52 deaths in a single attack, with thousands forced to flee. 

Later that month, in an area called Bassa, at least 51 people were slaughtered in a pre-dawn raid. The attackers came silently, setting homes ablaze and killing entire families as they slept. In Riyom, ambushes and targeted killings continued for months afterward. In one case, a bus full of passengers was stopped and attacked — 12 people killed on the spot. 

These are not random acts of violence. They are systematic, coordinated attempts to erase Christian communities from the region. 

As someone who has walked through burned villages and prayed with survivors, I can tell you the reality is even worse than the statistics suggest. I’ve seen mothers weeping beside mass graves. The smell of smoke from the smoldering remains of churches and schools still clings to my clothes. I’ve also spoken with children who no longer sleep through the night because they fear the next attack will come for them. 

This is not simply a matter of ‘clashes’ between farmers and herders, as government officials sometimes claim. It is a campaign of terror. It’s ethnic and religious cleansing disguised as conflict over land. 

And yet, the Nigerian government continues to downplay the crisis — failing to provide protection, food or medical care to the displaced. Some local leaders even warn communities not to speak to the media. But silence will not save us. 

I’ve seen mothers weeping beside mass graves. The smell of smoke from the smoldering remains of churches and schools still clings to my clothes.

The Nigerian government bears the primary responsibility to protect its people. That must begin with immediate and adequately resourced security deployments to protect vulnerable communities — especially during planting and harvest seasons when farmers are most exposed. Humanitarian corridors must be opened to deliver food and aid to thousands now living in desperate conditions. 

Independent investigations are also essential. Impunity is the oxygen that fuels these killings. Perpetrators must be identified and prosecuted—no matter their political connections or tribal affiliations. 

At the same time, Nigeria’s political class must stop turning our suffering into campaign slogans. I’ve heard politicians invoke the blood of victims as talking points during election campaigns while refusing to act. This must end. The lives of our people are not bargaining chips. 

The United States and other Western nations cannot look away. They have both the moral obligation and the diplomatic tools to press Nigeria toward real accountability. I believe the U.S. State Department must reinstate Nigeria’s designation as a Country of Particular Concern for egregious violations of religious freedom. This would send a clear signal to my government that the world is watching, and the killing of Christians in Nigeria will not be ignored. 

In addition, international partners should expand support for independent investigations and humanitarian assistance. I have visited many of these camps; the needs are immense. In some camps, families survive on one meal a day, drinking from muddy puddles, with no one to treat their wounds. Children go months without schooling. The international community can help fund the rebuilding of homes and provide psychosocial support for those who have endured unspeakable loss. 

The victims of these attacks are not soldiers or combatants. They are farmers, families, children and elders. They want nothing more than to live in peace, tend their fields and worship freely. Yet they have become targets of a campaign of hate. 

If urgent action is not taken, we risk watching entire Christian communities vanish from Nigeria’s Middle Belt. Not only that, but the reign of terror will continue to grow across the Sahel region of Africa and could ultimately threaten global security. 

And the silence of the world will be remembered as complicity. 

As someone who has survived the terror of Boko Haram and now witnesses this unfolding genocide, I plead with the global community: Do not look away. The suffering here is real, and it is growing. 

Nigeria is bleeding. But it does not have to be this way. With courage and help from the international community, we can still stop the slaughter and begin the long work of rebuilding. 

President Donald Trump railed against Democrats over the ongoing government shutdown Saturday, and said he is directing Secretary of War Pete Hegseth to make sure military service members get paid next week. 

‘Chuck Schumer recently said, ‘Every day gets better’ during their Radical Left Shutdown,’ Trump wrote on Truth Social. ‘I DISAGREE! If nothing is done, because of ‘Leader’ Chuck Schumer and the Democrats, our Brave Troops will miss the paychecks they are rightfully due on October 15th.’

He said he had directed Hegseth ‘to use all available funds to get our Troops PAID on October 15th. We have identified funds to do this, and Secretary Hegseth will use them to PAY OUR TROOPS.’

‘I will not allow the Democrats to hold our Military, and the entire Security of our Nation, HOSTAGE, with their dangerous Government Shutdown,’ he added. ‘The Radical Left Democrats should OPEN THE GOVERNMENT, and then we can work together to address Healthcare, and many other things that they want to destroy. Thank you for your attention to this matter!’

The government shut down on Oct. 1, after Democrats and Republicans failed to pass a spending bill to fund the government, with Democrats concerned that expiring Affordable Care Act tax cuts could raise premiums and that Medicaid cuts could leave people without coverage.  

Trump on Monday blamed Democratic lawmakers for the shutdown, saying he’d be ‘happy to work with the Democrats on their failed healthcare policies’ once the government reopens.

‘Democrats have SHUT DOWN the United States government right in the midst of one of the most successful economies, including a record stock market, that our country has ever had,’ Trump wrote on Truth Social. ‘This has sadly affected so many programs, services, and other elements of society that Americans rely on — and it should not have happened.’

‘I am happy to work with the Democrats on their failed healthcare policies, or anything else, but first they must allow our government to re-open,’ he added.

Schumer recently told Punchbowl News: ‘Every day gets better for us,’ regarding the Democrats’ shutdown strategy.

He added, ‘It’s because we’ve thought about this long in advance and we knew that health care would be the focal point on Sept. 30 and we prepared for it … Their whole theory was — threaten us, bamboozle us, and we would submit in a day or two.’

Republicans have blamed Schumer for the shutdown, saying it was meant to appease the Democratic Party’s progressive wing, particularly in his home state as Zohran Mamdani maintains the lead in New York City’s mayoral race and buzz swirls regarding Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., is potentially challenging Schumer in the next primary. She has not formally declared a Senate bid.

‘Chuck Schumer just said the quiet part out loud: Democrats are gleefully inflicting pain on the American people over their push to give illegal aliens free health care,’ White House deputy press secretary Abigail Jackson said in a statement provided exclusively to Fox News Digital. 

Schumer recently shared with Fox News Digital remarks he made on the Senate floor. 

‘Every day that Republicans refuse to negotiate to end this shutdown, the worse it gets for Americans — and the clearer it becomes who’s fighting for them. Each day our case to fix healthcare and end this shutdown gets better and better, stronger and stronger because families are opening their letters showing how high their premiums will climb if Republicans get their way. They’re seeing why this fight matters — it’s about protecting their healthcare, their bank accounts and their futures.’

A prominent Hamas leader lost his temper and stormed off from a live interview after being pressed on the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks — and the devastating impact of the subsequent war in Gaza.

Mousa Abu Marzouk, Hamas’ longtime foreign-relations chief and a co-founder of the terror group, tried to justify his organization’s crimes by saying that Hamas ‘fulfilled its national duty’ and acted as ‘resistance to occupation’ in an interview on Arabic television. 

The host shot back and questioned whether the Hamas attacks had helped the Palestinian cause and if they had achieved anything meaningful for the Palestinians, according to The Jerusalem Post.

‘Was what you did on October 7 to lead the Palestinians to liberation?’ the host asked in the Friday night interview. 

Marzouk, who is based in Qatar and is one of Hamas’s founding members, bristled and insisted the question was disrespectful and that a small group of fighters could never ‘liberate’ Palestine on its own. 

‘No sane person would claim that on October 7, with just a thousand or so fighters, it was possible to liberate Palestine,’ he said.

The journalist then continued, saying: ‘I am asking you the questions that are being asked on the streets of Palestine, by the residents of Gaza.’

As the exchange grew tense, Marzouk snapped.

‘These are your questions! Show some respect for yourself. I don’t want to talk to you. I don’t want to see you. Cut it out. Cut it out. Go to hell!’ he said.

Marzouk’s comments, which aired on the Egyptian-based Pan-Arab Al-Ghad’s ‘With Wael,’ quickly spread across social media and came amid growing infighting and turmoil within Hamas as the war comes to an end.

Once seen as a polished Hamas spokesperson, Arab commentators saw his on-air outburst as a signal of a widening rift among the organization’s leadership as Gaza lies in ruins.

Jamal Nazzal, a spokesperson for the Palestinian political and nationalist movement Fatah, slammed Marzouk’s remarks.

Nazzal said his comments were ‘a disgrace that exposes the moral and political bankruptcy of a crumbling group that can no longer look people in the eye,’ according to The Jerusalem Post. 

Earlier this year, Marzouk expressed regret over the Oct. 7 attacks, telling The New York Times he would not have supported the attack if he had known of the havoc it would wreak on Gaza.

‘If it was expected that what happened would happen, there wouldn’t have been Oct. 7,’ he said.

Marzouk has been described in multiple reports as a billionaire, though his exact fortune remains unclear. 

In a statement posted after The New York Times’ story, Hamas said that the comments were ‘incorrect’ and taken out of context.

The Israeli government approved and signed the first phase of the President Donald Trump-brokered ceasefire deal in Gaza overnight Thursday. The agreement includes the release of Israeli hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.