Trump to ask DOJ to investigate Epstein ties to Democrats, banks
President Donald Trump said on Friday that he directed the Justice Department to investigate disgraced late financier Jeffrey Epstein’s ties to several high-profile Democrats and certain banks. “Now that the Democrats are using the Epstein Hoax, involving Democrats, not Republicans, to try and deflect from their disastrous SHUTDOWN, and all of their other failures, I will be asking AG Pam Bondi, and the Department of Justice, together with our great patriots at the FBI, to investigate Jeffrey Epstein’s involvement and relationship with Bill Clinton, Larry Summers, Reid Hoffman, JPMorgan, Chase, and many other people and institutions, to determine what was going on with them, and him,” Trump said on Truth Social. “This is another Russia, Russia, Russia scam, with all arrows pointing to the Democrats,” he added. “Records show that these men, and many others, spent large portions of their life with Epstein, and on his ‘island.’ Stay tuned!!!” Head of Policy & Advocacy Communications at JPMorgan Chase & Co. Trish Wexler told Fox News Digital that “The government had damning information about [Epstein’s] crimes and failed to share it with us and other banks.” “We regret any association we had with the man, but did not help him commit his heinous acts,” she added. “We ended our relationship with him years before his arrest on sex trafficking charges.” In an earlier post on Friday, Trump said that “Epstein was a Democrat,” and therefore is the “Democrat’s [sic] problem,” not the Republicans’ problem. He also accused the Democrats of “doing everything in their withering power to push the Epstein Hoax again, despite the DOJ releasing 50,000 pages of documents.” Trump then said lawmakers should not “waste” time looking into him and instead should focus on the Democrats he later named in the post announcing the probe. On Wednesday, Oversight Committee Democrats released never-before-seen emails related to the Epstein case. The first email is between Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell. Epstein writes, “I want you to realize that the only dog that hasn’t barked is Trump,” adding that the now-president “spent hours at my house” with a victim. In the second email, the disgraced financier told Michael Wolff that Trump “knew about the girls as he asked Ghislaine to stop.” Oversight Committee Ranking Member Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Calif., called on the DOJ to release all of the Epstein files “immediately.” “The more Donald Trump tries to cover up the Epstein files, the more we uncover,” Garcia said in a statement. “These latest emails and correspondence raise glaring questions about what else the White House is hiding and the nature of the relationship between Epstein and the president.” In response, Oversight Committee Republicans slammed Democrats, saying that they “whine about ‘releasing the files,’ but only cherry-pick when they have them to generate clickbait. You deserve the full truth.” Included in the tweet was a link with what the Republicans said was an additional 20,000 pages of documents from the Epstein estate. This is a developing story, please check back for updates. Fox News Digital reached out to representatives for Clinton, Summers and Hoffman for comment.
GOP unity shattered by controversial measure in government shutdown bill
The House is expected to vote next week on repealing a controversial measure in the bill that ended the government shutdown. It caused heartburn for House Republicans in the final days of the shutdown and provided fresh ammo for Democrats hoping to delay their federal funding legislation in its final hours. The provision, tucked into the Legislative Branch appropriations bill and dubbed “Requiring Senate Notification for Senate Data,” would allow senators directly targeted in former special counsel Jack Smith’s Arctic Frost investigation to sue the U.S. government for up to $500,000. House Appropriations Committee Chairman Tom Cole, R-Okla., who was involved in crafting part of the successful funding deal, told Fox News Digital he had even been afraid it could derail the final vote to end the shutdown. PROGRESSIVE DEMOCRATS TURN ON PARTY LEADERSHIP AFTER GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN ENDS WITHOUT HEALTHCARE GUARANTEES “It had been done without our knowledge. I mean, it had been added in the Senate without our knowledge,” Cole said. “It was a real trust factor … I mean, all of a sudden, this pops up in the bill, and we’re confronted with either leave this in here, or we pull it out, we have to go to conference, and the government doesn’t get reopened.” It was placed into the bill by Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., and given the green light by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., sources confirmed to Fox News Digital. Thune put the provision into the bill at the request of members of the Senate GOP, a source familiar with the negotiations told Fox News Digital, which included Sens. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas. It was a big point of contention when the House Rules Committee met to prepare the legislation for a final vote on Tuesday night. Reps. Chip Roy, R-Texas, Austin Scott, R-Ga., and Morgan Griffith, R-Va., all shared House Democrats’ frustration with the measure, but they made clear it would not stand in the way of ending what had become the longest shutdown in history. Those Republicans agreed with the motivations behind their Senate counterparts wanting to sue but bristled over the notion that it would come at the expense of U.S. taxpayers. SENATOR RON JOHNSON WARNS GOP WILL BE IN ‘BIG TROUBLE’ IF PARTY IGNORES DEMOCRATS’ PLAN TO ‘NUKE’ FILIBUSTER Roy told Fox News Digital that he brought his concerns to the Senate GOP himself. “Well, they heard them,” Roy said when asked how those concerns were received. “I mean, you know, the lords don’t like to be told by mere commoners what to do. But we’re going to have to take a pretty strong stand on this one.” The measure’s inclusion was enough for Rep. Greg Steube, R-Fla., to vote against the final bill, telling reporters, “I’m not voting to send Lindsey Graham half a million dollars.” Rep. John Rose, R-Tenn., among the GOP lawmakers outside the Rules Committee who made their concerns public, introduced legislation to repeal the provision. “The American people should not be asked to make compensation to United States senators, the ultimate insiders, if you will — who have been wronged, no doubt in my mind … this provision does not allow other Americans to pursue a remedy. It does not even allow the President of the United States, who was equally wrongfully surveilled and pursued by the Justice Department — they didn’t even include President Trump in this,” Rose told Fox News Digital. “They saved this special treat for themselves. And, you know, frankly, the right answer is that they should all disavow that immediately.” House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., appeared equally, if not more, annoyed when asked by reporters about the measure. He said a vote on repealing it would be fast-tracked next week and hoped his Senate counterparts would do the same. “I was just as surprised by the inclusion of that language as anyone. I had no prior notice of it at all,” Johnson said. “I was frustrated, as my colleagues are over here, and I thought it was untimely and inappropriate. So we’ll be requesting, strongly urging, our Senate colleagues to repeal that.” But there was an appetite among Senate Republicans to respond to Smith’s investigation, where senators were not notified that their records would be requested without notification. And the provision is narrowly tailored to just include senators and would require that they be notified if their information is requested by the Department of Justice (DOJ). The idea is to prevent the abuse of the DOJ to go after sitting senators now and in the future. Graham, when asked if he would be filing a lawsuit, told reporters in South Carolina, “Oh, definitely.” “And if you think I’m going to settle this thing for a million dollars? No. I want to make it so painful no one ever does this again,” he said. When asked for comment on the matter, Cruz’s office pointed Fox News Digital to comments he made in a recent Politico report. “Leader Thune inserted that in the bill to provide real teeth to the prohibition on the Department of Justice targeting senators,” Cruz told Politico. Several senators were unaware of the provision’s inclusion, including Sen. Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., the top Democrat on the Legislative Branch appropriations subcommittee. “I am furious that the Senate Minority and Majority Leaders chose to airdrop this provision into this bill at the eleventh hour — with zero consultation or negotiation with the subcommittee that actually oversees this work,” Heinrich said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “This is precisely what’s wrong with the Senate.” TRUMP SIGNS BILL ENDING LONGEST GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN IN US HISTORY Most of the eight senators who did have their phone records subpoenaed as part of Smith’s investigation were also unaware of the provision until the legislation was unveiled over the weekend and have no intent to file a lawsuit. Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, “first learned about this provision when he and his staff were reading the bill to open
ESPN star in the hot seat as Senate campaign rumors swirl: ‘Trump-hating RINO’
Legendary college football broadcaster Paul Finebaum is taking heat for allegedly being a “Trump-hating” weak Republican amid widespread rumors that he is planning a run for the U.S. Senate in Alabama. The 70-year-old ESPN host, best known as the foremost authority on SEC football, has not yet announced an official run. However, he has revealed he is intrigued by the idea of such a run and admitted in an interview with OutKick to “thinking about it constantly.” For some Republican insiders in Alabama, this has been sufficient to start raising alarms about why they believe Finebaum would be a poor choice for a Senate candidate. Dale Jackson, a prominent Alabama radio politics talk show host, told Fox News Digital that though “Finebaum is a radio legend and a fixture in the South … nobody knows what he believes.” TOMMY TUBERVILLE PRAISES PAUL FINEBAUM AS ANALYST CONSIDERS SENATE RUN AFTER CHARLIE KIRK ASSASSINATION “The guy is a legend,” Jackson continued. “[But] I’ve been doing radio and talk radio for almost 20 years in Alabama, and I couldn’t tell you what Paul Finebaum knows or believes about anything political.” “The minute he starts talking about what he believes. It’s going to be picked apart, and I don’t know if he’s necessarily ready for what that means,” said Jackson. Finebaum’s record on political stances is mixed. In 2016, he stated, “this country is not oppressing Black people,” but then later apologized on ESPN, saying his “eyes are wider open,” according to RealClearPolitics. In 2017, he remarked that President Donald Trump “does behave like a child,” per FanBuzz. In 2020, Finebaum went on the record praising a video in which Nick Saban encouraged COVID-19 social distancing and masking, according to 247Sports. He also spoke favorably of Saban’s decision to lead an athletes’ social justice march in which many players wore Black Lives Matter shirts, according to local outlet Bham Now. Finebaum told the outlet that “Nick Saban leading that march was one of his finer moments” “The video was very powerful. There was a lot of blowback. I had Alabama fans call in and say they’ll never support the team again. We all hear the same arguments about Black Lives Matter,” Finebaum went on. “I say that because he did it without making a political statement. He didn’t overdo it, he did it quietly. He was supporting his players, and to me that’s the most important thing. It’s what a coach is supposed to do, and I think that, to me, speaks very well of him. In a state like Alabama, it’s not the same as if he was doing it in Michigan, but he didn’t let it affect him.” Yet, Finebaum told OutKick that he voted for Trump in 2024 and that it was Charlie Kirk’s murder that is motivating him to seriously consider running for the Senate. “It’s hard to describe, not being involved in politics, how that affected me and affected tens of millions of people all over this country. And it was an awakening,” Finebaum said of Kirk’s assassination. ESPN STAR PAUL FINEBAUM RECALLS LEANING ON TIM TEBOW FOLLOWING CHARLIE KIRK’S ASSASSINATION Finebaum also said in the interview that if Trump told him, “Paul, you’re my guy,” he would find it “impossible to tell him no.” “There’s no way I could. I would tell him yes,” he said. If he enters the race, Finebaum would be running to replace another football star, Sen. Tommy Tuberville, best known for leading Auburn University in an undefeated season crowned by an SEC championship in 2004. Tuberville, who has been an outspoken conservative voice in the Senate since his election in 2021, is seeking the Alabama governorship in 2026. Others already declared in the Alabama Senate race include state Attorney General Steve Marshall and Alabama Republican Rep. Barry Moore. Jackson said that while Tuberville had a prior record of political stances, he sees Finebaum as an “unknown entity.” “Finebaum is basically just like I’m famous. I’m a big-time radio guy, people like me. Why can’t I be senator? And it’s just kind of an odd thing,” said Jackson. When contacted for comment, Finebaum told Fox News Digital, “I will circle back when I have something substantive to say.” For his part, Tuberville has spoken highly of Finebaum. “Paul is smart. He loves the country,” Tuberville said on the “War Room” podcast. “Again, been a friend of mine for a long time. I have not talked with him about it. I did an interview with him, 30 minutes, about two months ago, face to face. It went well.” “I tell you, he’s got 100% name ID in Alabama. He’d have a lot of big people behind him. He would be a force in the race if he decided to get into it. … Paul is a good guy, a good friend.” Some voices, meanwhile, have been much more critical of the possibility of a Finebaum campaign. A national Republican strategist who works on U.S. Senate races told Fox News Digital, “You can’t hate President Trump and Republican voters and win a Republican primary.” ESPN STAR PAUL FINEBAUM SAYS NETWORK AXED POTENTIAL TRUMP INTERVIEW IN 2019 “Paul Finebaum trashed President Trump, promoted tyrannical masking during COVID and proclaimed his support for Black Lives Matter,” said the strategist, adding, “Finebaum’s experience as a sports analyst doesn’t translate into analyzing his own political prospects apparently. This Trump-hating RINO [Republican-in-name-only] has virtually zero chance of winning an Alabama GOP primary.” Former state Rep. Ed Henry, who served as then-candidate Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign co-chair for Alabama, told Fox News Digital that when he heard Finebaum was considering a Senate run, “I chuckled, because I thought, ‘Oh great, we have another person in this race who caves every time pressure is put on him.’” “I think he’s a great guy; he’s said some good things. But when the pressure is on, he breaks, he caves, he buckles, and that’s not what we need,” Henry added. The former representative said that what Alabama needs
Hegseth announces operation to remove ‘narco-terrorists from our Hemisphere’
War Secretary Pete Hegseth announced Thursday the launch of Operation Southern Spear, a new mission targeting narco-terror networks across Latin America. Hegseth said on X that U.S. Southern Command and Joint Task Force Southern Spear will lead a mission to defend the homeland and dismantle narco-terrorists networks across the Western Hemisphere. “This mission defends our Homeland, removes narco-terrorists from our Hemisphere, and secures our Homeland from the drugs that are killing our people,” Hegseth said. The U.S. carried out its 20th strike on alleged drug-tracking boats earlier this week, according to a Pentagon official. US CARRIES OUT MORE ‘LETHAL’ STRIKES ON ALLEGED DRUG BOATS IN INTERNATIONAL WATERS, SECRETARY HEGSETH SAYS U.S. forces carried out the most recent strike in the Caribbean, killing four suspected narco-terrorists. The Navy announced in January it would lead Operation Southern Spear under the U.S. 4th Fleet and Southern Command using “long-dwell robotic surface vessels, small robotic interceptor boats, and vertical take-off and landing robotic air vessels.” US DEPLOYS FORD CARRIER STRIKE GROUP TO COMBAT NARCO-TERROR IN WESTERN HEMISPHERE The U.S. will use warships in the region, including the world’s largest aircraft carrier, USS Gerald R. Ford. CBS News reported that President Donald Trump was briefed on potential options for operations in Venezuela, including possible land strikes, but no final decisions have been made. Top Democrats voiced support for the strikes against narco-trafficking near Venezuela earlier this month. TOP DEMOCRAT BACKS US INTEL ON NARCO-TRAFFICKING STRIKES, FAULTS BIDEN FOR ‘NOT GOING FAR ENOUGH’ ON MADURO “I frankly think the Biden administration didn’t go far enough after the Venezuelan people voted overwhelmingly to get rid of Maduro,” Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said. “The Western Hemisphere is America’s neighborhood – and we will protect it,” Hegseth said.
Congressman says he was ‘blown off’ by Wisconsin college accused of blocking new TPUSA chapter
A Republican member of Congress seeking to support one of his constituents who accused her college of blocking attempts to start a new Turning Point USA chapter on campus was reportedly “blown off” by college administrators after he attempted to have a conversation with the school to better understand what was going on. Rep. Derrick Van Orden, R-Wis., sought to collect the facts regarding allegations from a Beloit College student that her college was preventing her from establishing a new Turning Point USA (TPUSA) chapter on campus. TPUSA was the conservative campus activism nonprofit founded by assassinated activist Charlie Kirk. Additionally, the student, Jocelyn Jordan, accused her school of failing to adequately respond to a harassment campaign she and her classmates have been facing as a result of their efforts to start a new TPUSA club on campus. The alleged harassment initially included disturbing imagery posted on the group’s new Instagram page, referring to Jordan and her co-founders as Nazis, Ku Klux Klan members and White supremacists, but eventually devolved into threats. “Our office reached out to Beloit College in good faith to discuss this matter and were blown off,” Van Orden said in a statement posted on his official X account. “That is unacceptable. Every student, regardless of political belief, deserves the right to organize, speak freely, and participate fully in campus life without fear of retribution.” DOJ LAUNCHES INVESTIGATION INTO UC BERKELEY UNREST OUTSIDE TURNING POINT USA EVENT According to Van Orden, his staff phoned the Beloit College President’s Administrative Office to set up a phone call between the congressman and the college’s President Eric Boynton on Monday. The congressman relayed that the office agreed to set up the phone call for later that afternoon. But, a few hours before the call was supposed to take place, an attorney representing the school, Eric Rumbaugh, reached out and informed the congressman and his staff that Boynton would not be participating in the call on the advice of counsel. Seeking further clarification, the congressman personally called Rumbaugh back the same day, but his call went straight to voicemail. Van Orden left a message requesting a call back, but he told Fox News Digital that, to date, Rumbaugh has not called him back. However, when reached for comment on this story, a Beloit college spokesperson told Fox News Digital that the voicemail had been returned a few hours earlier on Wednesday morning, two days after Van Orden left his voicemail with the president’s office. “Beloit College did receive an inquiry from Rep. Van Orden, and it is correct that the college’s representative returned the call to Rep. Van Orden’s office,” a Beloit College spokesperson told Fox News Digital in a statement. “He had had a long conversation with Rep. Van Orden’s office at that time. Rep. Van Orden called back on the afternoon of the 10th and left a message. The phone call was returned this morning, and Rep. Van Orden has not since returned our call.” Van Orden’s staff subsequently told Fox News Digital that the congressman intends to return their on Thursday. The decision by a group of Beloit College students to start a new TPUSA chapter on campus occurred in early October. A major part of TPUSA’s activism efforts include building support on campuses across the country through chapter clubs at various colleges and universities. TPUSA eventually even expanded to include high school chapters as well. MICHIGAN COMMUNITY COLLEGE APPROVES TPUSA CHAPTER AFTER STUDENT GOVERNMENT REJECTION Jordan and her classmates were directed by school administrators that there were a list of requirements they needed to meet before they could formally establish the club, among them – finding a faculty advisor. Every faculty member the students have asked thus far, including the dean of students, refused to help them, according to Jordan, who said she was advised to establish a group that does not have the Turning Point name attached to it. Jordan also said a leading member of the student government on campus said that even if they were to find a faculty advisor, they still would not be able to establish a Turning Point chapter on campus because actions from the national level TPUSA organization supposedly violated Beloit College’s “Student Statement of Culture” policy. In response to the accusations, a Beloit College spokesperson denied that faculty were blocking Jordan and her classmates from establishing a TPUSA chapter, telling Fox News Digital that the school has been “in full accordance with campus policies” and that all potential clubs must follow the same list of requirements. After Jordan and her classmates began promoting their club on social media in mid-October, a harassment campaign targeting the students for their efforts quickly followed. Jordan said the university dismissed the students’ initial harassment concerns, telling them there was nothing faculty could do because they could not identify who was making the harassing posts. When the harassment devolved into threats, Jordan filed a subsequent police report, a move that appeared to spur greater action from the college, which eventually banned one of the main harassers from campus, who Jordan said was an alumnus working in food service on campus at the time. “As a student, I should feel comfortable coming to campus no matter what beliefs I have, no matter what I identify as, no matter who I want to be. And, at this moment, I don’t feel comfortable,” Jordan told Fox News Digital. In addition to denying that the school was preventing Jordan and her classmates from starting their Republican student club, the school insisted that it is “committed to fostering respectful, open inquiry and encouraging a diversity of perspectives on campus.” “The college takes all allegations of threats and harassment against students seriously, including recent ones related to the students interested in forming a Turning Point USA chapter,” the college told Fox News Digital. “Beloit College expects all members of our community to practice compassion and respect towards each other. We are an educational institution, and students learn best
Newsom’s sanctuary policies under fire after drunk illegal immigrant kills elderly man
After a 71-year-old California man was killed in a hit-and-run involving an illegal alien driving under the influence, the Trump Department of Homeland Security asked: “How many Americans must be killed before [Gov. Gavin Newsom]’s sanctuary state of California works with federal law enforcement—instead of against them?” Mexican illegal Humberto Munoz-Gatica, 57, was driving under the influence when he struck 71-year-old Barry William Tutt in Orange County, California, last Friday, according to a Homeland Security statement. Munoz-Gatica left the scene after the collision and was later located with the help of witnesses and arrested, according to a statement by the Orange County Sheriff’s Department. He is now facing charges related to hit-and-run and suspicion of driving under the influence. Tutt, meanwhile, was found severely injured at the scene by sheriff’s deputies. He was transported to a local hospital and later succumbed to his injuries, according to the department. OUTRAGE ERUPTS AFTER BOOZED-UP ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT ALLEGEDLY MOWS DOWN BLUE STATE COUPLE – ‘HOW MANY MORE?’ In its statement, DHS said it has lodged a request for authorities to hold Munoz-Gatica and turn him over to ICE. DHS posted on X, asking: “How many Americans must be killed before @GavinNewsom’s sanctuary state of California works with federal law enforcement—instead of against them?” In the statement, DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin lamented that “unfortunately, Gavin Newsom’s California is a sanctuary state and does not cooperate with ICE.” She called this killing “yet another example of sanctuary and open border policies putting American lives at risk.” PREVIOUSLY DEPORTED BLUE STATE DRIVER CHARGED WITH MURDERING SIX PEOPLE IN CRASH: REPORT In response, Brandon Richards, a spokesperson for Newsom, told Fox News Digital that “Despite the Trump Admin’s repeated false claims, California cooperates with the federal government when it comes to criminals — as has been reported by Fox regularly.” According to DHS, Munoz-Gatica has previously been convicted of grand theft. The agency said he entered the country on a tourist visa that expired in 2008. He was arrested by ICE under the Obama administration in 2011 but then released into the country. “This criminal illegal alien from Mexico, Humberto Munoz-Gatica, was released by the Obama Administration. He NEVER should have been here,” DHS said. Newsom, who is widely rumored to have 2028 presidential aspirations, has emerged as one of the Democratic Party’s most vocal critics of the Trump administration, particularly regarding ICE and immigration enforcement. ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT DODGES DEPORTATION FOR DECADE BEFORE ALLEGEDLY KILLING MAN IN DUI HIT-AND-RUN In the midst of widespread anti-ICE riots and protests in Los Angeles in June, Newsom issued a statement in which he blamed “continued chaotic federal sweeps, across California, to meet an arbitrary arrest quota.” He called the operations “as reckless as they are cruel,” saying that “[President] Donald Trump’s chaos is eroding trust, tearing families apart, and undermining the workers and industries that power America’s economy.”
DNC staffers ruthlessly mocked for fuming over remote work reversal: ‘Get yourselves together’
Democratic National Committee employees were mercilessly mocked this week after news came out that staffers were very unhappy with a recent directive from DNC Chairman Ken Martin end to remote work for employees who will now be required to show up to the office five days a week. Leadership of the union representing DNC employees put out a statement following news of the new directive, describing it as “callous.” Reports from those on the staff-wide call also described an immediate flurry of thumbs-down emojis and other signs of anger upon news of the new requirement. “It was shocking to see the DNC chair disregard staff’s valid concerns on today’s team call,” they wrote. “D.N.C. staff worked extremely hard to support historic wins for Democrats up and down the ballot last Tuesday, and this change feels especially callous considering the current economic conditions created by the Trump administration.” Martin reportedly told employees that if they don’t like the new policy, they should go find a job elsewhere. And Martin wasn’t the only Democrat who had some harsh and pointed words for the Democratic Party staffers. Neera Tanden, former President Joe Biden’s domestic policy advisor, had a similar message for DNC staffers, suggesting there were many eager folks waiting in line who would likely be more than willing to go into the office. PROGRESSIVE DEMOCRATS TURN ON PARTY LEADERSHIP AFTER GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN ENDS WITHOUT HEALTHCARE GUARANTEES “If you think democracy is on the line – working in the office is not a big ask,” Tanden wrote in a post on X. “And there are plenty of other people willing to step up. Get yourselves together people.” A left-wing group, the Center for New Liberalism, echoed the view that the staffers “should look elsewhere” if working from home is a “must-have.” “When you accept a job on a campaign, or with an org like the DNC, DCCC, etc, your single purpose is to win the election. It is a demanding job that requires long hours & sacrifices,” the group wrote on X. “The other part of this is that I suspect [work from home] staff are probably losing opportunities for themselves by not being in the office. Campaigns require a lot of personal sacrifice, but the people who are good at their job and work to make themselves noticed in the office usually tend to go on to do big things!” One Florida-based Democratic strategist, Steve Schale, who led Barack Obama’s statewide efforts in Florida in 2008 and returned to help his campaign in 2012, said the DNC should implement a “requirement” to ensure those who want to work at the DNC really have what it takes. “There should be a requirement that to work at the DNC that you’ve done at least two cycles on an actual battleground campaign, where terms like flex hours & hybrid work don’t exist,” Schale wrote on X. 6 HOUSE DEMOCRATS EXPLAIN BREAKING WITH PARTY TO END SHUTDOWN Meanwhile, Republicans did not spare the opportunity to slam Democratic Party staffers as well. “You can’t make this up — the DNC union is pissed that the Chairman is calling staff back into the office 5 days a week,” former Trump White House press secretary, Sean Spicer, said after learning of the anger. GOP strategist, Matt Gorman, quipped that the image of DNC staffers logging onto a Zoom call in their pajamas amid all the chaos of Biden’s reelection “is hilarious.” “The best part is that they still get two full months before they actually have to get out of bed 5 days week,” GOP National Press Secretary Kiersten Pels said. “Is this a political committee or a daycare?” Martin reportedly told his employees that the work-from-home policy the DNC implemented during COVID was never meant to be permanent, describing it as a “Band-Aid” that has long needed to be ripped off. He did say that remote work would still be allowed on a case-by-case basis, however. The staffer’s union said it is considering all options in terms of challenging the measure. The group previously ratified a collective bargaining agreement with the DNC over the summer that “reaffirms its commitment to making hybrid work available,” but also includes language that allows for a full return to in-person working as long as there is a 60-day notice period, according to the New York Times. Earlier this year, the Congressional Progressive Staff Association sent a letter to top House and Senate leaders proposing a rotating 32-hour work week for congressional staffers, arguing it would be a more “sustainable approach to work on a national level.” The proposal was widely mocked, however. “Why not be bold and ask for a 0-hour workweek?” quipped Rep. Ritchie Torres, D-N.Y., at the time. “I wonder how blue-collar Americans would feel about white-collar workers demanding a 32-hour workweek.”
Arizona lawmakers’ flight makes emergency landing in Kansas City after passenger disruption
An American Airlines flight carrying four members of Arizona’s congressional delegation to Washington, D.C., diverted Tuesday to Kansas City, Missouri, after a passenger became disruptive. The airline told Fox News Digital that Flight 1218 left Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport Nov. 11, 2025, and was rerouted because of “a disruptive customer.” “On Nov. 11, American Airlines flight 1218, with service from Phoenix (PHX) to Washington, D.C. (DCA), diverted to Kansas City (MCI) due to a disruptive customer,” American Airlines told Fox News Digital. “Law enforcement met the flight and removed the customer, and the flight later re-departed for DCA, where it landed normally. “We thank our customers for their patience and our crew members for their professionalism.” WITH THE GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN THREATENING AIR TRAVEL, A GOP BILL SEEKS TO KEEP FLIGHTS RUNNING Rep. Greg Stanton, a Democrat from Arizona, posted on X that he and three Republican colleagues — Reps. Eli Crane, Andy Biggs and Paul Gosar — were aboard when the incident occurred. “Flying to DC rn to vote no on CR that fails to lower health care costs. @RepEliCrane, @RepAndyBiggsAZ & @RepGosar all on this flight. We’re making emergency stop in Kansas City to remove disruptive passenger. None of my colleagues is the disruptor. Freedom Caucus losing its mojo,” Stanton wrote. HOUSE DEMOCRAT SIDES WITH TRUMP OFFICIALS ON AIR TRAFFIC CUTS AMID SHUTDOWN CHAOS Flight data shows the Airbus A320 had been airborne for roughly two hours and 40 minutes before diverting to Kansas City International Airport around 6:15 p.m. local time. Video posted to X by another passenger shows Kansas City police officers boarding the plane to remove a woman who apologized as she was led away, saying, “We live in a fascist state.” AMERICAN AIRLINES PASSENGER RESTRAINED, KNOCKED TO FLOOR WHILE BARGING INTO COCKPIT: VIDEO The flight departed again about an hour later and landed at Reagan National Airport shortly after 10 p.m. “On a serious note, thank you Kansas City police for handling the situation professionally and without incident,” Stanton later wrote. Stanton said he was headed to Washington to vote against the Republican continuing resolution to end the government shutdown, while his GOP colleagues supported the plan. President Trump signed the legislation Wednesday, formally reopening the federal government after a 43-day shutdown, the longest in U.S. history. The House passed the Senate’s funding bill, 222-209, restoring federal paychecks, funding air traffic controllers and replenishing nutrition programs.
Trump shares adorable moment with kids visiting Oval Office: ‘My name is Donald’
President Donald Trump paused a busy Oval Office day to greet visiting children, handing out small gifts and saying, “My name is Donald,” in a sweet moment captured and shared online by communications advisor Margo Martin. The short clip, viewed hundreds of thousands of times within hours of being posted, struck a lighter note during a packed news cycle after the government shutdown, giving supporters and critics alike a glimpse of the president’s softer side. The video racked up nearly 500,000 views within two hours of being posted to Martin’s X account. Martin often shares behind-the-scenes footage of Trump that can’t be seen anywhere else. In the video, a speaker off camera says, “He wants to know what your name is.” ANDREA BOCELLI GIVES TRUMP IMPROMPTU OVAL OFFICE PERFORMANCE DURING WHITE HOUSE VISIT” The president then responded, “My name is Donald,” with a grin. In the video, Trump offers challenge coins to the children, journalist Salena Zito’s grandchildren. The White House told Fox News Digital the children had stopped by to say hello. The video is the latest in a pattern of sweet moments Trump has shared with some of his youngest supporters, including coloring with kids at the Easter Egg Roll earlier this year. He is the grandfather of eleven grandchildren. TRUMP DANCES WITH MALAYSIAN PERFORMERS AS HE KICKS OFF ASIA TOUR IN LIVELY FASHION “She said yes — she’s smart,” Trump said in the video, laughing before adding with a grin, “She’s so cute.” One commenter said under the video, “that’s a grandpa doing grandpa stuff,” and another added, “kindness transcends politics” with a folded hands emoji. Moments like this have routinely dominated social feeds, as viral interactions caught on camera can break through the news cycle and deliver massive digital reach for the White House. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP The video ended with the president offering pens to Zito’s grandchildren. “OK, do you want a pen?” President Trump asked. “One of them. One, two, three.”
UN Ambassador Waltz reveals Trump’s Middle East peace plan is ‘the only way forward’
EXCLUSIVE: U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz told the U.N. that President Trump’s historic Middle East peace plan is “the only way forward” as he negotiates a resolution that would codify the Trump administration’s Gaza deal in the international body in a way that is “fully consistent with an America First agenda.” Fox News Digital spoke exclusively to Waltz after he convened partners and allies to discuss the United States’ intention to present a resolution to the U.N. Security Council on Gaza. The resolution will endorse the Board of Peace, set parameters for Gaza’s transitional governance and launch the International Stabilization Force outlined in the president’s 20-point Gaza peace plan. MIKE WALTZ SEES TRUMP’S GAZA PLAN AS ‘ONCE-IN-A-GENERATION OPPORTUNITY FOR PEACE’ “Only President Trump has the ability to bring all sides together, just as he did at Sharm El-Sheik,” Waltz told Fox News Digital. “He’s the only person who can truly bridge the divides between the Israelis, the Palestinians and others in the region.” AS TRUMP ADMIN PUSHES GAZA PEACE PLAN, HISTORY SHOWS UN PEACEKEEPING’S MIXED RECORD Waltz said the president’s plan is “the best chance for real peace in the Middle East in a generation.” “And, frankly, it’s a real test for the United Nations — to step up, support the president’s plan and start implementing it,” Waltz told Fox News Digital. “We’ve seen the death and destruction the war in Gaza caused,” Waltz said. “If we can rally the international community to come together and resolve it using the tools of the U.N., that’s absolutely the right thing to do, and it’s fully consistent with an America First agenda. “This process of securing peace in Gaza with a Security Council resolution is really about getting the U.N. back to basics,” Waltz continued. “That’s what we’re calling it — back to basics. It’s about strictly focusing on establishing and keeping peace and, in this case, supporting what the president has already set in motion.” President Trump’s plan to end the Gaza conflict calls for Gaza to be a de-radicalized, terror-free zone that does not pose a threat to its neighbors. It also calls for Gaza to be redeveloped for the benefit of the people of Gaza and more. Under the peace plan, Israeli forces would withdraw from the region, and a temporary transitional governance of a technocratic, apolitical Palestinian committee, responsible for delivering the day-to-day running of public services and municipalities for the people of Gaza will be created. US MILITARY TO OVERSEE NEXT PHASE OF PEACE DEAL FROM COORDINATION BASE IN ISRAEL That government will be under the oversight of a new international transitional body called the “Board of Peace,” chaired by President Trump and other members and heads of state. The resolution would essentially make the plan international law, a U.N. source said. As for timing, a U.N. source told Fox News Digital that negotiations typically take months in the United Nations, but the U.S. Mission is hoping to get this done in “weeks.” “We are looking to move quickly,” the source said. “The ceasefire is fragile. We don’t want things to fall apart in any way, shape or form. The sooner we get this resolution done, the sooner countries can begin contributing troops to the stabilization force.” The source also told Fox News Digital that representatives from the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Qatar — not members of the Security Council — presented the resolution with Waltz and the U.S. Mission to the broader Security Council. “We think that’s really strong,” the source said. “This is about getting humanitarian aid in, stabilizing, governing and rolling up our sleeves and getting to work and having the international community pay for it.” EXPERTS URGE TRUMP TO BAN TERROR-LINKED UN AGENCY FROM HIS GAZA PEACE PLAN The source said the resolution would create a mechanism, led by Jared Kushner, Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and Secretary of State Marco Rubio that would ensure “the dollars are going to be used efficiently with a private sector mentality in mind.” Rubio has said the Trump administration is “seeing things we never thought we’d see before, like the number of countries willing to participate in this effort, be it through money or personnel, or both or expertise. “We’ve never seen this sort of international cohesion behind something,” Rubio said. “So, we have to be pursuing those opportunities because they’re really great, historic and important.” Meanwhile, the source said the U.S. is “in the thick of negotiations” but is “moving lightening-fast by U.N. terms.” “They do not want to be part of opposing the best chance we’ve had for peace in a generation,” the source said. “And they don’t want to play the part of bureaucratizing and then being responsible for the fighting resuming.” The president has described the peace plan as “the start of a grand concord and lasting harmony for Israel and all the nations of what will soon be a truly magnificent region.” “I believe that so strongly,” Trump said of the plan. “This is the historic dawn of a new Middle East.”