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Trump Orders Defense Secretary to Ensure Troops Get Paid Despite Democrat Shutdown

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Daniel Ramirez from Honolulu, USA, CC BY 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

President Donald Trump is stepping up to protect America’s servicemembers amid the ongoing government shutdown — directing Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to use all available Department of Defense funds to make sure troops receive their paychecks on time.

In a decisive move shared Saturday on Truth Social, Trump invoked his authority as Commander in Chief, announcing that servicemembers will be paid on October 15, regardless of congressional gridlock.

“That is why I am using my authority, as Commander in Chief, to direct our Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, to use all available funds to get our Troops PAID on October 15th,” Trump wrote.
“We have identified funds to do this, and Secretary Hegseth will use them to PAY OUR TROOPS.”

The Office of Management and Budget confirmed that the funds would come from research and development money within the DOD — funding that remains available for two years and can be redirected in this emergency.

Trump’s order comes as Democrats in the Senate, led by Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), refuse to act on legislation that would keep pay flowing to the military. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) reminded Americans that the House has already passed a bill — H.R. 5371 — to ensure military pay continues during the shutdown.

“No one in the military or any military family should have their pay blocked on October 15!” Johnson said on X. “Since the bill ALREADY PASSED THE HOUSE, a simple yes vote by five more Democrats on Tuesday would allow the military to be paid on Wednesday.”

While Democrats point fingers, President Trump and Republican leaders are taking concrete action to protect the men and women in uniform who defend the nation.

Dominion Voting Systems Acquired By GOP-Led Firm Focused On Election Trust

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Dominion Voting Systems has been sold to Liberty Vote, a new election technology firm led by former Republican election official Scott Leiendecker.

Leiendecker previously served as elections director in St. Louis, Missouri, and is best known as the founder of KNOWiNK, a company that supplies electronic poll books used across the country. (KNOWiNK has been one of the most widely adopted digital check-in systems for voters in the U.S.)

According to a press release from Liberty Vote, the company’s mission is to “restore public confidence” in elections by providing systems that are “transparent, secure, and trustworthy.”

“As of today, Dominion is gone,” the statement said. “Liberty Vote assumes full ownership and operational control.”

As Politico reports:

The voting company sued Fox News for the false claims and reached a $787.5 million settlement in the case — marking the largest defamation-related settlement. Newsmax similarly settled a defamation lawsuit for $67 million.

Dominion Voting Systems did not respond to a request for comment.

The St. Louis-based company has already outlined its top initiatives in the company’s rebrand — using hand-marked paper ballots, committing to entirely American ownership in its staffing and software development and incorporating third-party auditing to “verify election integrity.”

“Liberty Vote signals a new chapter for American elections — one where trust is rebuilt from the ground up,” Leiendecker said in the statement. “Liberty Vote is committed to delivering election technology that prioritizes paper-based transparency, security, and simplicity so that voters can be assured that every ballot is filled-in accurately and fairly counted.”

Coverage of the sale describes it as a turning point for the company, with new leadership putting a premium on paper-based voting, straightforward processes, and visible safeguards.

First Lady Melania Trump Announces 8 Ukrainian Children Reunited With Families After Personal Call With Putin

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First Lady Melania Trump participates in the Senate Spouses Luncheon at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., Wednesday, May 21,2025. (Official White House Photo by Andrea Hanks)

A massive homecoming…

First lady Melania Trump announced on Friday that eight Ukrainian children displaced during the country’s ongoing war with Russia had been reunited with their families.

“Each child has lived in turmoil because of the war in Ukraine. Three were separated from their parents and displaced to the Russian Federation because of frontline fighting. The other five were separated from family members across borders because of the conflict, including one young girl who has now been reunited from Ukraine to Russia,” Melania Trump said.

The first lady added that some minors who were displaced during the war have since reached adulthood and are residing in Russia, but their safe return home requires “coordinated assistance.”

“My ongoing mission is twofold: to prioritize and optimize a transparent, free flow of health-related information surrounding all children who have [fallen] victim to this war, and to facilitate the reunification of children with their families until each individual returns home,” Trump said.

The first lady stressed that this is part of an ongoing process and that plans are already underway to reunify more children with their families.

“A child’s soul knows no borders, no flags. We must foster a future for our children which is rich with potential, security and complete with free will. A world where dreams will be realized rather than faded by war,” Trump said.

In August, Trump wrote a “peace letter” to Russian President Vladimir Putin telling him “it is time” to protect children and future generations around the globe.

“As parents, it is our duty to nurture the next generation’s hope. As leaders, the responsibility to sustain our children extends beyond the comfort of a few. Undeniably, we must strive to paint a dignity-filled world for all — so that every soul may wake to peace, and so that the future itself is perfectly guarded,” Trump wrote in the letter, which was obtained exclusively by Fox News Digital.

“In protecting the innocence of these children, you will do more than serve Russia alone — you serve humanity itself,” she continued. “Such a bold idea transcends all human division, and you, Mr. Putin, are fit to implement this vision with a stroke of the pen today.”

The first lady gave the letter to President Donald Trump and had him hand-deliver it to Putin during their high-stakes summit in Alaska.

Trump said on Friday that Putin responded to her letter in writing and expressed a willingness to engage with her directly, as well as outlining details regarding Ukrainian children residing in Russia. The first lady said that she and Putin had an “open channel of communication regarding the welfare of these children” since she wrote the letter. She went on to say that both sides participated in meetings and calls “in good faith.”

“My representative has been working directly with President Putin’s team to ensure the safe ramification of children with their families between Russia and Ukraine,” she said. 

On Friday, in a joint announcement, Sens. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn, and Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, said the Abducted Ukrainian Children Recovery and Accountability Act passed the Senate as part of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2026. The act follows a bipartisan resolution that the senators led in May which condemned Russia’s abduction of Ukrainian children.

“The Abducted Ukrainian Children Recovery and Accountability Act would increase support for Ukraine’s efforts to investigate and track the more than 19,000 Ukrainian children who have been abducted during Putin’s brutal invasion, assist with the rehabilitation and reintegration of children who are returned, and provide justice and accountability for perpetrators of these abductions,” the joint statement read.

Trump Snubbed For Nobel Peace Prize

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The White House, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Better luck next time…

On Friday morning, the Nobel Committee awarded the Nobel Peace Prize to Venezuela’s opposition leader María Corina Machado, passing over President Donald Trump who has been openly vying for the award.

The chair of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, Jørgen Watne Frydnes, pushed back against suggestions that this year’s Nobel Peace Prize decision was made to spite President Donald Trump’s public campaign for the award.

Frydnes was asked directly just moments after he announced this year’s prize would go to Venezuela’s opposition leader María Corina Machado, whether Trump’s repeated insistence that he “deserves” the prize had affected deliberations.

A reporter in the room asked: “During the past months, U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly said he deserves the Nobel Peace Prize and he’d like to have it. He even said it would be an insult to the United States if he doesn’t get it. What [do you], as chairman of the Nobel Peace Prize committee, think of this? And how has this campaign-like activity by the president and his supporters, domestically and internationally, affected the deliberation and thinking in the committee?”

He replied: “In the long history of the Nobel Peace Prize, I think this committee has seen many types of campaign, media attention. We receive thousands and thousands of letters every year of people wanting to say what, for them, leads to peace. This committee sits in a room filled with the portraits of all laureates and that room is filled with both courage and integrity. So we base only our decision on the work and the will of Alfred Nobel.”

Trump’s supporters had pressed the committee to recognise his 20-point Gaza peace plan and his claimed role in “ending seven wars.” But despite a flurry of last-minute lobbying, including from families of Israeli hostages, Trump’s campaign failed.

However, the committee also chose a figure who had previously praised the president in a nuance that could blunt some of the political backlash. In past public remarks, Machado thanked Trump for his “commitment to freedom and democracy in Venezuela.”

She also featured on this year’s TIME magazine list of the “100 Most Influential People” where Secretary of State Marco Rubio called her “the personification of resilience, tenacity, and patriotism.”

Watch via YouTube:

The Trump administration is being praised for its efforts in securing a landmark peace deal between Israel and Hamas that will see all remaining hostages brought home on Monday.

Under the first phase of the agreement, Israel will release hundreds of Palestinian prisoners in exchange for all remaining hostages, both living and dead. Israel will also withdraw its troops from most of Gaza, removing themselves behind a “yellow line” during a 24-hour ceasefire that has already begun.

At the end of the ceasefire, a 72-hour clock will begin, during which Hamas must release all remaining hostages. Only 20 remaining hostages are believed to be alive, along with the 28 who are deceased and their bodies “scattered across Gaza” according to negotiators.

Jerusalem will also authorize the release of some 1,700 Gazans arrested after the October 2023 attacks, along with roughly 250 Palestinians serving life sentences, under the first phase of the plan presented by President Donald Trump late last month.

President Donald Trump announced the deal on Wednesday night, hailing assistance from Qatar, Egypt and Turkey.

New York Attorney General Letitia James Indicted By Federal Grand Jury

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On Thursday, a federal grand jury indicted New York Attorney General Letitia James in Virginia federal court with charges related to fraud.

Alec Perkins from Hoboken, USA, CC BY 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

Two sources confirmed to Fox News that the charges were related to potential mortgage fraud. 

This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.

New York Times Says Trump Has Legitimate Nobel Peace Prize Claim If Peace Deal Holds

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By The White House - https://www.flickr.com/photos/202101414@N05/54325633746/, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=159707159

Following President Donald Trump’s announcement that Israel and Hamas have agreed to the first phase of a peace plan, The New York Times’ veteran national security correspondent David E. Sanger suggested that the development could mark Trump’s “pathway to the Nobel Peace Prize.”

“For Mr. Trump, success in this venture is the ultimate test of his self-described goal as a deal maker and a peacemaker — and a pathway to the Nobel Peace Prize he has so openly coveted,” Sanger wrote Wednesday.

Sanger described the potential agreement as “the biggest diplomatic accomplishment of his second term,” though he warned that “peace in the region is still far from guaranteed.” He noted that Trump’s breakthrough, if it holds, could stand alongside the work of the four previous American presidents who have won the Nobel Peace Prize.

“If the peace plan moves forward, Mr. Trump may have as legitimate a claim to that Nobel as the four American presidents who have won the peace prize in the past, though with less bombast and lobbying,” Sanger observed.

Still, he cautioned, “Much could go wrong in coming days, and in the Middle East it often does. The ‘peace’ deal Mr. Trump heralded on Truth Social on Wednesday evening may look more like another temporary pause in a war that started with Israel’s founding in 1948, and has never ended.”

President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu shake hands during their joint press conference, Wednesday, Feb. 15, 2017, in the East Room of the White House in Washington, D.C. (Official White House Photo by Leslie N. Emory)

Recognition Amid Reluctance

While maintaining his skepticism, Sanger acknowledged that if Trump manages to sustain the cease-fire and move the plan toward permanence, it would be “an extraordinary step toward the kind of peace plan Mr. Trump, and his predecessor, Joseph R. Biden Jr., have pressed to accomplish, despite many diversions down dark holes.”

He added that “if Mr. Trump can get Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to withdraw troops from Gaza City and give up on his plan to take control of the shattered remains of Gaza, if he can stop the carnage that has killed 1,200 people in Israel and more than 60,000 Palestinians, he will have done what many before him tried: outmaneuvered a difficult and now isolated ally.”

Sanger also recalled the Abraham Accords — which normalized relations between Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and other Arab nations — as Trump’s “best international accomplishment” of his first term. Yet, he suggested, the current peace deal “is an even bigger accomplishment,” if it endures.

By The White House from Washington, DC – President Trump and The First Lady Participate in an Abraham Accords Signing Ceremony, Public Domain,

The piece credited Trump and his advisers for restraining Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as the conflict’s civilian toll threatened Israel’s global standing — damage that Sanger argued “may take a generation or more to repair.”

Still, the veteran correspondent warned that “it is far from clear that the conflict is truly ending,” pointing to the challenge of persuading Hamas to disarm and relinquish control over Gaza.

A Rare Note of Praise from a Longtime Critic

Sanger’s cautiously admiring tone marks a departure from the broader editorial posture of The New York Times, which has maintained a long and often adversarial relationship with Donald Trump. During both his campaigns and presidencies, the paper has been a consistent skeptic of his policies and character — drawing frequent rebukes from Trump, who has derided it as “failing” and “fake news.”

Though Sanger’s reporting stops short of endorsement, it nonetheless represents one of the rare moments when The Times has acknowledged Trump’s potential for a historic diplomatic breakthrough — even as it hedges that recognition with doubt about the durability of peace in the Middle East.

Trump Secures Landmark Deal Between Israel And Hamas

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President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu shake hands during their joint press conference, Wednesday, Feb. 15, 2017, in the East Room of the White House in Washington, D.C. (Official White House Photo by Leslie N. Emory)

The Trump administration is being praised for its efforts in securing a landmark peace deal between Israel and Hamas that will see all remaining hostages brought home on Monday.

Under the first phase of the agreement, Israel will release hundreds of Palestinian prisoners in exchange for all remaining hostages, both living and dead. Israel will also withdraw its troops from most of Gaza, removing themselves behind a “yellow line” during a 24-hour ceasefire that has already begun.

At the end of the ceasefire, a 72-hour clock will begin, during which Hamas must release all remaining hostages. Only 20 remaining hostages are believed to be alive, along with the 28 who are deceased and their bodies “scattered across Gaza” according to negotiators.

Fox News noted it remains unclear if Hamas will be able to adhere to this timeframe after it flagged over the weekend the improbability that it will be able to quickly locate all deceased bodies, some of which are allegedly buried under rubble.

Jerusalem will also authorize the release of some 1,700 Gazans arrested after the October 2023 attacks, along with roughly 250 Palestinians serving life sentences, under the first phase of the plan presented by President Donald Trump late last month.

President Donald Trump announced the deal on Wednesday night, hailing assistance from Qatar, Egypt and Turkey.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Shosh Bedrosian said this is only the first phase of the peace agreement. Details of later phases have not been announced.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio handed President Donald Trump a note on Wednesday telling him that a Middle East peace deal was “very close” and was awaiting Trump’s approval for “a Truth Social post.”

As Trump spoke to reporters, Rubio walked up to the president, whispered in his ear, and handed him a note

“Very close. We need you to approve a Truth Social post soon so you can announce deal first,” the note read.

Watch the moment:

After being handed the note, Trump told reporters, “I was just given a note by the Secretary of State saying that we’re very close to a deal in the Middle East and they’re gonna need me pretty quickly.”

Just over an hour later, Trump published a Truth Social post announcing “that Israel and Hamas have both signed off on the first Phase of our Peace Plan.”

“This means that ALL of the Hostages will be released very soon, and Israel will withdraw their Troops to an agreed upon line as the first steps toward a Strong, Durable, and Everlasting Peace. All Parties will be treated fairly!” he wrote. “This is a GREAT Day for the Arab and Muslim World, Israel, all surrounding Nations, and the United States of America, and we thank the mediators from Qatar, Egypt, and Turkey, who worked with us to make this Historic and Unprecedented Event happen. BLESSED ARE THE PEACEMAKERS!”

Earlier on Wednesday, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt announced that Trump was “considering going to the Middle East shortly” after his routine, annual medical checkup at Walter Reed Medical Center.

“I may go there sometime toward the end of the week, maybe on Sunday, actually, and we’ll see,” Trump told reporters. “But there’s a very good chance. Negotiations are going along very well. We’re dealing with Hamas and many of the countries. As you know, we have a Muslim, all of the Muslim countries are included. All of the Arab countries are included. Very rich countries and some that are not so rich, but just about everybody is included.”

Families of Israeli hostages erupted in cheers after President Donald Trump called to tell them their loved ones would return home in days after what he described as a “historic peace deal” between Israel and Hamas.

In a video released by the Hostage and Missing Families Forum, the president spoke to relatives by phone late Wednesday, promising all captives would be back by Monday.

The clip shows Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick on a call with Trump and standing with hostage families before they chant: “Thank you!”

“This is amazing,” one said. Another added, “Mr. President, we believe in you, we know you’ve done so much for us in the past, since you became president, even before that. And we trust you’ll fulfill the mission until every hostage, until all 48 of the hostages are home. Thank you so much. Blessed be the peacemakers!”

Watch:

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar offered new details on Israel’s peace agreement with Hamas in an interview with Fox News’ Jennifer Griffin on Thursday.

Griffin pressed Sa’ar about Hamas’ role in Gaza moving forward as well as Israel’s plans for a military withdrawal.

Sa’ar said Israel is already moving to withdraw its troops behind the “yellow line,” ceding 53% of Gaza’s territory amid Thursday’s ceasefire. He said further withdrawals will be negotiated in later phases of the peace agreement.

He went on to say that, in the meantime, Gaza will be governed by a council of local Palestinians along with input from President Donald Trump. He said the existing Palestinian Authority may also play a role, but only if it adopts certain reforms.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called for Trump to receive the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts in the peace deal.

House Democrat Says House GOP is Plotting Epstein Revolt Against Trump

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By Ralph Alswang, White House photographer - https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/clinton-epstein-maxwell/, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=143417695

Are the tides turning against Trump?

A House Democrat claims that a large swath of House Republicans are planning to go against President Trump to push a vote on sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein’s files.

Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) claimed that multiple House Republican colleagues informed him that they’re planning a “jail break” revolt of over 100 lawmakers against President Donald Trump if there’s a discharge petition to force a vote on the Jeffrey Epstein files release.

The long-awaited vote, pushed by Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY), has been delayed as the House remains in recess amid a government shutdown, but it reportedly has enough signatures to force action once the chamber reconvenes.

Trump, who urged the release of the Epstein files on the campaign trail, has since dismissed the case as “a hoax” and told supporters not to “waste time” on the matter. This comes amid renewed scrutiny of his association with Epstein after newly released documents included a purported birthday note to the disgraced financier, which he denied writing.

In a post to X on Wednesday, Swalwell gleefully shared that “Trump’s movement/support is fading” among Republicans and that one GOP lawmaker told him “no [one] wants to defend a pedo-protector.”

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) is facing growing bipartisan criticism for the voting delay, with critics accusing him of extending the recess to avoid the politically explosive issue.

“Johnson and the House Republicans care more about protecting the Epstein files than protecting the American people,” said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY).

Johnson dismissed the charge as “totally absurd,” telling NBC’s Meet the Press on Monday that he supports full transparency: “I want every page of this out.”

Massie lashed out at the recess on Sunday, warning he had “218 votes for the discharge petition.”

Major Book Publisher Apologizes to Melania Trump for ‘Unverified’ Epstein Claims

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    First Lady Melania Trump participates in the Senate Spouses Luncheon at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., Wednesday, May 21,2025. (Official White House Photo by Andrea Hanks)

    It’s about time…

    HarperCollins UK issued a formal apology to First Lady Melania Trump on Tuesday and pulled copies of a book about Prince Andrew that repeated an unverified claim that Jeffrey Epstein introduced her to Donald Trump.

    The apology, the third from a major media outlet in recent months, marks an increasingly aggressive push by Melania Trump’s legal team to stamp out any association between her and the disgraced financier.

    The First Lady shared a statement from the publisher on X:

    “We have, in consultation with the author, removed several passages of the book that referenced unverified claims about the First Lady of the United States, Melania Trump,” HarperCollins UK said in the statement. “Copies of the book that included those references are being permanently removed from distribution. HarperCollins UK apologizes to the First Lady.”

    The passages appeared in Entitled: The Rise and Fall of the House of York, an unauthorized biography of Prince Andrew, an Epstein associate. Though the book did not allege any wrongdoing by Melania Trump, it claimed Epstein “facilitated” her introduction to her husband. Melania’s representatives repeatedly dismissed the claim as “malicious” and “defamatory.”

    “The true account of how the first lady met President Trump is in her bestselling book, Melania,” a spokesperson said, adding that the couple met at a New York party in 1998 through another guest.

    Trump Administration Delivers Historic Border Security Win — Lowest Apprehensions Since 1970

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    Trump at the border wall via Wikimedia Commons

    The Trump administration has closed fiscal year 2025 with a historic milestone on border security — the lowest U.S. Border Patrol apprehensions in more than five decades, according to preliminary enforcement data released by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).

    Border agents recorded 237,565 apprehensions in fiscal year 2025 — slightly above the 201,780 apprehensions in 1970 but dramatically below recent levels. The numbers represent an 87% drop compared to the average of the past four fiscal years (1.86 million apprehensions) and showcase what can happen when the federal government finally enforces immigration laws.

    This achievement came even though 72% of this year’s total apprehensions happened during the final 111 days of the Biden administration — before President Trump returned to office and immediately began reversing his predecessor’s “open-border” policies.

    “Fiscal year 2025 shows what happens when we enforce the law without compromise,” said CBP Commissioner Rodney Scott. “For too long, agents and officers were handcuffed by failed policies. Today they are empowered to do their jobs — and the result is the most secure border in modern history.”


    Reversing Biden’s Border Chaos

    When President Trump took office in January 2025, he inherited what many described as a border crisis fueled by Biden’s mass-release policies. In just the first 111 days of the fiscal year, under Biden’s watch, 172,026 apprehensions occurred — nearly three-quarters of the year’s total.

    But once Trump’s immigration directives took effect, the situation changed dramatically. Over the next 254 days, apprehensions plummeted to 65,539 — just 27% of the fiscal year’s total.

    September 2025 alone saw only about 279 apprehensions per day along the Southwest border — a staggering 95% decline compared to the Biden-era daily average of 5,110. It also marked the fifth consecutive month of zero illegal immigrant releases by Border Patrol — a stark contrast to 9,144 releases in September 2024.

    Across all entry points, CBP recorded roughly 26,000 total encounters in September, down 89% from Biden’s monthly averages.


    Strong Action From Day One

    President Trump wasted no time taking decisive action to reestablish border control:

    • Deployed additional personnel to the southern border.
    • Ended “catch-and-release”, ensuring illegal migrants are no longer released while awaiting hearings.
    • Shut down Biden’s CBP One app parole loophole, later repurposing the app to help migrants self-deport.
    • Paused parole programs and authorized ICE to cancel parole statuses.
    • Ordered strict enforcement of existing immigration laws, restoring morale and authority to frontline border agents.

    These policies stand in sharp contrast to Biden’s approach, which relied on controversial “parole” programs and insisted on new legislation instead of acting on existing laws.