Author: Daniel

When President Donald Trump and Finnish President Alexander Stubb sealed their latest trade agreement on Thursday, it wasn’t just a handshake for 11 rugged ships — it was another sign of a friendship that’s quickly turning into strategy.

Where other European leaders have tried to win Trump’s respect through policy and persuasion, Stubb chose the fairway. In March, the Finnish president — once a national golf team player — turned up at Mar-a-Lago not with briefing notes, but with clubs, challenging Trump to a round and earning something rarer than a trade deal: rapport.

Presentation matters to Trump, and Stubb — 6-foot-3, fit, and sharply dressed in a double-breasted coat — seemed to meet the moment. When the two last met at the White House in August, Trump told him he “looked better than ever” and introduced him as “a young, powerful man.”

RUSSIA, CHINA ARE TRYING TO SEIZE CONTROL OF THE ARCTIC. WE CAN’T LET THEM SUCCEED

That personal chemistry, maintained through frequent text exchanges, has quietly opened doors for the Finnish president, a longtime marathoner and triathlete with a competitive streak. What’s more, it’s translating into real policy — from defense contracts to Arctic cooperation — elevating the once-quiet Nordic nation to new prominence in Washington.

It’s an unlikely rise for a country better known for saunas and serenity than for summits. Stubb hails from a nation of 5.6 million that routinely tops the world’s happiness index, where forests blanket nearly 75% of the land and lakes glint by the hundreds of thousands.

Finland — slightly smaller than the state of Montana and wedged between Sweden and Russia — has long had its security outlook shaped by geography, a position that now places it on the front line of NATO and Arctic strategy.

TRUMP SAYS HE’S RUNNING OUT OF PATIENCE WITH PUTIN ‘FAST’ OVER UKRAINE CONFLICT NEGOTIATIONS

The trade deal signed Thursday, for 11 ships valued at roughly $6.1 billion, is the latest sign of how that alignment is taking shape. Under the deal Trump approved, three of the ships will be built by Davie in Galveston, Texas, and four by Bollinger Shipyards in Houma, Louisiana — a setup that aligns with his “Made in America” credo and emphasis on creating U.S. jobs, injecting billions of dollars into the maritime industrial base.

And when it comes to icebreakers, Helsinki is firmly in its element: Finnish companies design roughly 80% of the world’s fleet.

Finland’s expertise has made it more than just a supplier — it’s turned Helsinki into a trusted player in Trump’s Arctic strategy, a region increasingly defined by military competition with Russia and China, melting sea routes and access to critical minerals.

COULD TRUMP WIN THE NOBEL PEACE PRIZE AFTER ISRAEL-HAMAS DEAL?

That partnership cuts both ways: for Finland, the agreement deepens defense cooperation with the U.S. and elevates it from NATO newcomer to strategic partner — a bridge linking Washington to the fast-changing Arctic frontier.

“We are very pleased with the fact that we have so much training going on with American soldiers right now. They are getting experience from our Arctic conditions and we are integrating our militaries together,” Stubb said during a bilateral meeting in the Oval Office on Thursday. 

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For now, Stubb’s rapport with Trump has turned the fairway into a diplomatic fast track. Whether that personal chemistry endures amid shifting politics remains to be seen, but for Finland, the gains are already tangible. 

Stubb has learned what some other global counterparts haven’t: with Trump, a well-timed drive can travel farther than any policy memo — and so far, that lesson is paying off for both men.

FIRST ON FOX: A House GOP lawmaker is tapping President Donald Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize after he announced a landmark agreement to end the Israel-Hamas war.

Rep. Buddy Carter, R-Ga., told Fox News Digital that he would be introducing a resolution to nominate Trump for the honor.

The president announced the first phase of a peace agreement between the two sides on his Truth Social app on Wednesday evening, writing, “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.”

ISRAEL-HAMAS PEACE DEAL REACHED SOON AFTER TRUMP SAYS IT’S ‘VERY CLOSE’ IN WHITE HOUSE NOTE PASS WITH RUBIO

The news was lauded by both Democrat and Republican officials.

“No one deserves the Nobel Peace Prize more than Donald J. Trump, the Peace President. In nine short months, he’s negotiated seven peace deals, not including the recent announcement of a historic agreement between Israel and Hamas to release the hostages and end hostilities,” Carter told Fox News Digital.

FROM GRIEF TO GRATITUDE: TRUMP PRAISED AS ISRAELIS CELEBRATE HAMAS HOSTAGE DEAL IN TEL AVIV

“He has already saved countless lives, and the globe is forever indebted to him for his courageous pursuit of world peace.”

The Nobel Prizes, awarded every year, are being announced this week. The winner of the Nobel Peace Prize is expected to be announced Friday.

Fox News Digital was told that Carter, who is running for U.S. Senate in Georgia, intends to move on a mechanism aimed at forcing a vote on his resolution if Trump does not win on Friday.

The mechanism, known as a discharge petition, would require House leaders to hold a vote on a measure if the petition behind it garners a majority of signatures in the chamber — which would occur if all Republicans signed on.

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Carter is one of several House Republicans to nominate Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize since he took office in January.

The last U.S. commander in chief to win a Nobel Peace Prize was President Barack Obama in 2009.

Senate Democrats blocked Republicans’ plan to reopen the government for a seventh time on Thursday as payday deadlines fast approach for the military.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and most of his caucus have so far shown no signs of breaking from their position as the shutdown entered its ninth day. Republicans are also similarly unwilling to relent, further solidifying the stalemate in the upper chamber.

But a key deadline that lawmakers must hit to ensure that service members get their paychecks is fast approaching and will likely be missed unless a deal is struck.

SENATE GOP RESISTS ‘NUCLEAR OPTION’ AS DEM SHUTDOWN STANDOFF DEEPENS

Lawmakers have until Oct. 13, the deadline to process payments for the military’s payroll, to fund the government, or service members will miss their first paycheck. Senate staff members are soon after, with their next expected payday coming Oct. 20.

Those looming deadlines have not made either side flinch, however.

“I’m concerned about everybody going without pay. We need to open the government back up, and I think people need to sit down and talk to each other,” Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., said. “And so far, the president has been unwilling to talk, leadership in both houses have been unwilling to talk, and this is Day 19 of the speaker not being willing to bring the House back.”

The Senate is also scheduled for a recess starting next week, which is expected to be canceled. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said whether lawmakers are in town is up to Senate Democrats. 

“Well, it depends on the Democrats, but at the moment, it’s looking that way,” Thune said. 

Both party’s positions have remained the same. Senate Democrats want an extension to expiring Obamacare tax credits, and they want an ironclad deal addressing those subsidies first before giving Thune the votes he needs to reopen the government.

“We Democrats want to end this shutdown as quickly as we can,” Schumer said on the Senate floor. “But Donald Trump and Republicans need to negotiate with us in a serious way to fix the healthcare premiums crisis.”

But Senate Republicans are adamant that those conversations and negotiations can happen only after the government is reopened. They also want reforms to the COVID-19 era program, which they charge has been inflationary and helped lead to an increase in healthcare premium prices.

SENATE DEMOCRATS DEFY WHITE HOUSE WARNINGS, AGAIN BLOCK GOP BID TO REOPEN GOVERNMENT

Both Shaheen and Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., have been heavily involved in bipartisan talks that have gone on throughout the shutdown. Those chats have been little more than informal conversations, however, and have yet to make the leap to full-blown negotiations.

“They just simply want a guaranteed outcome, which we can’t guarantee,” Rounds told Fox News Digital. “Everything’s got to work its way through the process. If they end the shutdown, then we can get back to work on actually doing a process that might be, you know, something that they would feel good about. But at this stage of the game, until they end the shutdown, there’s not much we can do.”

While positions remain unchanged, the talking points on Capitol Hill have begun to morph. Republicans are now alleging that Senate Democrats are holding out their votes to reopen the government until an Oct. 18 “No Kings” rally in Washington, D.C.

GOVERNMENT LIMPS DEEPER INTO SHUTDOWN CRISIS WITH NO DEAL IN SIGHT

“The most frustrating part is the fact that there’s clearly some movement on their side, among their leadership team to keep this going through until this left-wing protest occurs a week from this Saturday,” Rounds said.

Republican leadership in both chambers have pounced on that date, too, and it has become a common talking point among the GOP in recent days. Democrats have rejected the new messaging strategy.

“They all got instructed, they’re losing. They are losing this fight,” Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., said. “The people know that they’re to blame. They’re worried about their premium increases, and so Republicans are desperate for a new narrative.”

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Still, Republicans are hopeful that more than the same consistent trio of Democratic caucus members will join them to reopen the government as Thune continues his war of attrition style plan of bringing the same bill back again and again to the Senate floor.

Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., said there are plenty of Senate Democrats not up for reelection to “walk the plank like I have multiple times” to help the GOP and fund the government.

“And then the discussions start, that simple,” he said. “And why on earth should we give them any kind of political cover or leverage, when they should have never — Chuck Schumer should have never led this conference into this sort of quagmire, when all we were asking that they do is fund the government at current levels and basically do what they’ve done before, because they voted for these funding levels before.”

FIRST ON FOX: DHS Secretary Kristi Noem blasted Democrats for the ongoing government shutdown in a new video that will be played at every public airport in America on Thursday afternoon. 

Noem, who oversees the Transportation Security Administration, said “most of our TSA employees are working without pay” in a clip that will be viewed by TSA employees and travelers across the country. 

“It is TSA’s top priority to make sure that you have the most pleasant and efficient airport experience possible while we keep you safe,” Noem said in the clip. “However, Democrats in Congress refuse to fund the federal government, and because of this, many of our operations are impacted and most of our TSA employees are working without pay.”

SENATE GOP RESISTS ‘NUCLEAR OPTION’ AS DEM SHUTDOWN STANDOFF DEEPENS

“We will continue to do all that we can to avoid delays that will impact you,” Noem added. “Our hope is that Democrats will soon recognize the importance of opening the government.”

Should the shutdown continue beyond the two-week mark, TSA employees will miss out on a paycheck. While backpay is ensured after a government shutdown through the Government Employee Fair Treatment Act of 2019, that does not mean employees will have to wait extended periods of time to receive earned payment. 

However, Fox News Digital reviewed a plan from the White House’s Office of Management and Budget that threatens the 2019 bill and would revoke backpay for federal employees currently furloughed as a result of the shutdown. 

WHITE HOUSE ESCALATES SHUTDOWN CONSEQUENCES AS DEMOCRATS SHOW NO SIGNS OF BUDGING: ‘KAMIKAZE ATTACK’

TSA employees in the field or working at airports are currently not receiving pay. 

The OMB plan aims to put pressure on Democrats as President Donald Trump and his administration continue to press Democrats to make a deal and fund the government. 

As of Thursday, operations at airports have not been significantly impacted, but as the shutdown continues, sources at TSA say an increase in employees calling off work could increase and create longer wait times at airports across the U.S. 

The federal government shut down on Oct. 1 at midnight after legislation to extend funding through Nov. 21 failed in the Senate. 

MIKE JOHNSON FIRES BACK AT HAKEEM JEFFRIES’ ‘DESPERATE’ CALL FOR TELEVISED SHUTDOWN DEBATE

Negotiations between Democrats and Republicans have heated up as six different votes have failed since the start of the shutdown. 

While Republicans have a 53-seat majority in the Senate, 60 votes are required to extend government funding. Only three Democrats have broken ranks with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.

Schumer said during an interview with Punchbowl News that “every day gets better” for Democrats as federal employees face lost wages, small businesses are unable to apply for SBA loans and federal services are not operating.

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House Speaker Mike Johnson, who says he spoke with Trump on Wednesday night, blasted Schumer and said Democrats have “reduced political pain to a prop.”

Preston Mizell is a writer with Fox News Digital covering breaking news. Story tips can be sent to Preston.Mizell@fox.com and on X @MizellPreston

A federal judge Tuesday ruled that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents violated a federal consent decree when arresting nearly two dozen illegal immigrants at the start of President Donald Trump’s second term earlier this year.

U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Cummings in Chicago federal court extended the consent decree that limits immigration agents’ authority to make warrantless arrests until February 2026.

Cummings also ordered ICE to start making monthly disclosures of how many warrantless arrests agents make each month.

The ACLU of Illinois and other Chicago immigration advocates sued the Department of Homeland Security and ICE in March, alleging that the January arrests of at least 22 people violated a 2022 consent decree that bans ICE from arresting people without warrants or probable cause.

TRUMP SAYS CHICAGO MAYOR, ILLINOIS GOVERNOR ‘SHOULD BE IN JAIL FOR FAILING TO PROTECT’ ICE OFFICERS

“Today’s decision makes clear that DHS and ICE — like everyone else — must follow the Constitution and the law,” Michelle García, deputy legal director at the ACLU of Illinois and co-counsel in the case, said in a statement. “The federal government’s reckless practice of stopping, harassing and detaining people — and then finding a justification for the action must end.”

Trump deployed Texas National Guard troops in Illinois this week for an initial 60-day period to help with his administration’s crime crackdown and deportation rollout.

CHICAGO MAYOR CREATES ‘ICE-FREE ZONES’ TO BLOCK FEDERAL AGENTS FROM CITY PROPERTY

Chicago has sought to thwart ICE’s deportation efforts, with Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker filing a lawsuit Monday that attempted to block the Trump administration from deploying National Guard troops to Illinois.

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Johnson and Pritzker have clashed with Trump over immigration enforcement and the president’s decision to send National Guard troops to the state to protect federal personnel and property amid escalating anti-ICE protests in Broadview, Illinois.

Fox News Digital’s Deirdre Heavey and Alexandra Koch, along with The Associated Press, contributed to this report.

The White House issued a blistering response to former Vice President Kamala Harris after she suggested the administration is filled with “crazy” “mother—ers.”

“Kamala Harris should listen to an audio recording of her cackle of a laugh before calling anyone crazy,” White House spokesman Kush Desai told Fox News Digital in a Tuesdsay statement.  

Desai was responding to clips spreading like wildfire on social media of Harris speaking at an invite-only event in Los Angeles Monday where she took an apparent jab at the Trump administration while addressing 

“There’s so much about this moment that is making people feel like they’ve lost their minds. When, in fact, these mother—ers are crazy,” Harris said Monday during an event in Los Angeles called “A Day of Unreasonable Conversation.” 

KAMALA HARRIS PLAYS UP COZY RELATIONSHIP WITH HILLARY CLINTON AS WEDGE WITH BIDEN WIDENS

“I call this, ‘The Freedom Tour,’” she added, according to the Hollywood Reporter. 

Harris did not identify the Trump administration by name during her remarks. Her comments followed her discussing why she wrote her latest memoir, “107 Days,” which walks readers through the unprecedented 2024 election, when then-President Joe Biden dropped out of the race and passed the mantle to Harris as the Democrat Party attempted to thwart a second Trump administration. 

“One of the other reasons I wrote it is history is going to write about this,” Harris told attendees. “And it was important to me that that be told with my voice being present. And I would say that that everyone, we are living history right now. And you all as storytellers are living this. You’re not passive observers. You know that. You’re living it.” 

“And I’m gonna ask you that all the emotions that we are feeling, give those emotions, give that experience to those people that you are writing about and writing for. It gets back to my point about helping people just put a label on it, even if it doesn’t change the circumstance,” she continued. 

KAMALA HARRIS’ BOOK, MEDIA TOUR SLAMMED BY LIBERAL CRITICS AS ‘EMBARRASSING’ AND ‘UNHELPFUL’

Harris is in the midst of a book tour to promote the memoir, making stops in New York City, Houston, San Francisco and other cities before also taking the tour to Canada and the U.K. later in October and November. 

The event in Los Angeles was not included on her official book tour agenda. “A Day of Unreasonable Conversation” is an annual event in Los Angeles that brings together “creators of culture – television writers, artists, producers, executives, and digital storytellers” to cultivate a “meaningful connection between those shaping pop culture and those driving social change,” according to the event’s website. 

KAMALA HARRIS COMPLAINS ABOUT ‘IMPOSSIBLE’ LACK OF SUPPORT FROM BIDEN’S COMMS TEAM, INNER CIRCLE

Harris’ laugh and public remarks that were dubbed “word salads” by critics have long been mocked by Trump’s orbit, including President Donald Trump calling Harris “laughing Kamala” from the 2024 campaign trail, as well as the campaign running ads spotlighting Harris’ laugh and instances of her past rambling remarks at the time. 

“She’s worse than Bernie Sanders,” Trump said during an interview on Fox News in July 2024, just days after Biden dropped out of the race. “Now, she’s trying to come back. She got rid of the laugh, I noticed. I haven’t seen the crazy laugh. She’s crazy. That laugh? That’s a laugh of a crazy person. But I noticed she’s not using that laugh anymore. Somebody convinced her, ‘Don’t, just don’t laugh. Don’t laugh under any circumstances.’”

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Fox News Digital reached out to Harris’ office for additional comment related to her “crazy” comment in Los Angeles and the White House’s response but did not receive replies. 

A federal judge on Tuesday blocked the Trump administration from forcing recipients of federal teen pregnancy prevention grants to follow new rules targeting “radical indoctrination” and “gender ideology.”

U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell, an appointee of former President Barack Obama, said President Donald Trump’s order was “motivated solely by political concerns, devoid of any considered process or analysis, and ignorant of the statutory emphasis on evidence-based programming.”

The ruling marked a victory for Planned Parenthood affiliates in California, Iowa and New York, who sued to try to block enforcement of a U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) policy change. The ruling will apply to all organizations that receive grants. 

HHS, which oversees the program, declined to comment on Tuesday’s ruling.

TRUMP ADMINISTRATION WINS SUPREME COURT FIGHT TO SLASH NIH MEDICAL RESEARCH GRANTS TIED TO DEI, LGBTQ STUDIES

HHS had previously said in a policy document issued in July that the guidance for the program “ensures that taxpayer dollars no longer support content that undermines parental rights, promotes radical gender ideology, or exposes children to sexually explicit material under the banner of public health.”

Planned Parenthood affiliates argued the new directives conflicted with the program’s requirements and were so vague that it was unclear how to comply.

KENNEDY’S HHS TERMINATES CALIFORNIA SEX ED GRANT AFTER IT REFUSES TO DROP ‘RADICAL’ GENDER LESSONS

Howell agreed, writing in her ruling that the HHS policy provided “incomprehensibly vague” requirements and “seemingly relied on irrelevant ideological factors, and did not justify its change in position.”

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The changes to the pregnancy prevention program were part of a series of executive orders Trump signed on his first day back in the White House.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

The New Jersey gubernatorial debate got tense and personal on Wednesday night after GOP candidate Jack Ciattarelli mocked his Democratic opponent, Rep. Mikie Sherrill, over her involvement in a massive cheating scandal at the U.S. Naval Academy that kept her from participating in her graduation.

The exchange was kicked off by Sherrill accusing Ciattarelli of being responsible for tens of thousands of deaths, saying, “He made his millions by working with some of the worst offenders and saying that opioids were safe.”

In response to this attack, Ciattarelli said, “Shame on you,” and adding, “It’s a lie, I’m proud of my career.”

“The difference between me and the congresswoman? I got to walk at my college graduation,” said Ciattarelli, referencing the Naval Academy scandal.

TOP GUBERNATORIAL RACE ROCKED BY ALLEGATIONS OF LEAKS AND DIRTY TRICKS AMID IMPROPER MILITARY RECORDS RELEASE

Bombshell private military records that were recently improperly unsealed by the National Archives and Records Administration revealed that Sherrill was not allowed to walk with her graduating class at the Naval Academy and that her name was not included in the commencement program due to her involvement in the scandal.

Sherrill has not been accused of cheating at the Naval Academy but has said she faced disciplinary action for not reporting some of those who had cheated on an exam. Due to this incident, Sherrill’s name was not included on the commencement program during the May 25, 1994, ceremony, according to records obtained by the New Jersey Globe.

Ciattarelli pressed hard on the Naval Academy controversy during Wednesday’s debate. He also accused Sherrill of improperly reporting stock trades during her time in Congress.

BLUE STATE GUBERNATORIAL NOMINEES TRADE BARBS OVER CRUCIAL ISSUE WEEKS AHEAD OF ELECTION DAY

“I’ve never broken the law,” he said. “She had to pay federal fines for breaking federal law on stock trades and stock reporting, and the New York Times reports that she was trading defense stocks while sitting on the House Armed Services Committee.”

Sherrill shot back, “What [Ciattarelli] never learned, despite walking at his graduation, was accountability, integrity, care for the community, and I think that disqualifies him.”

“This is the same old misinformation that he continues to promote, because he knows that I don’t trade in individual stocks, he knows I’ve gone above and beyond that. He also knows he promotes some garbage number, but he actually knows so much about my finances because they’re all to the dollar.”

SHERRILL FIRES BACK AT GOP RIVAL AS QUESTIONS SWIRL OVER HER MILITARY RECORDS: ‘HAND IN THE COOKIE JAR’

Ciattarelli immediately dismissed this, saying, “She released two years of tax returns the years after she paid the federal fines; I released 12 years, going back every single year.”

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In response, Sherrill accused Ciattarelli of releasing the returns right before the debate, “Because you knew I was going to call you on it.”

After that, Ciattarelli whistled and leaned over and remarked, “Getting desperate.”

The Trump administration is intensifying efforts to trace the funding behind Antifa and other protest movements, pursuing what officials describe as a coordinated campaign to expose the nonprofit and dark money networks they believe are fueling organized unrest across the country.

President Donald Trump hosted a White House roundtable Wednesday with independent journalists who have experienced Antifa’s violence firsthand, part of his administration’s broader push to confront domestic unrest.

Among those attending was Seamus Bruner, research director at the Government Accountability Institute, who said the administration’s “whole-of-government” approach is now fully underway.

“President Trump is taking it very seriously,” Bruner said, noting the president stressed the need to follow the money to officials including Attorney General Pam Bondi, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and FBI Director Kash Patel.

TRUMP CALLS ANTIFA ‘TERRORIST GROUP,’ FUELING FIGHT OVER FREE SPEECH AND LIMITS OF LAW ENFORCEMENT

He argued that unmasking Antifa requires tracing its finances.

“It’s not just Antifa, but there is a whole ecosystem of radical, professional protesting organizations,” he said, describing what he calls “Riot Inc.” as a corporate-style operation with divisions for boots on the ground, marketing, PR and legal support.

Bruner also cited bail fund networks that allegedly enable repeat offenders to return to protests. He pointed to GAI investigations showing coordination across cities such as Portland, Seattle and Chicago involving paid and transported individuals, including homeless people exploited to participate in unrest.

NOEM LIKENS ANTIFA TO ISIS, OTHER TERROR GROUPS THAT WANT TO ‘KILL’ AMERICANS

He pointed to major funding sources, including billionaire George Soros’ Open Society Foundation, the Tides Foundation, and foreign donors such as Swiss billionaire Hansjörg Wyss.

To curb funding for unrest, he said federal authorities could use RICO statutes to target networks and urged the IRS and Office of Management and Budget to review or revoke tax-exempt status for nonprofits misusing charitable funds.

If those agencies find that funding supports criminal activity, Bruner said, they could force organizations to open their books and justify their grants.

TRUMP TO DESIGNATE ANTIFA A ‘MAJOR TERRORIST ORGANIZATION’

“They can absolutely cancel any future grants if they deem that the charitable purposes are less than charitable,” he said, pointing out that over $100 million in taxpayer funds have flowed through major networks linked to protest activities.

The roundtable followed Trump’s order to deploy National Guard troops to Portland, Oregon, part of the administration’s broader effort to curb crime and illegal immigration — a move temporarily blocked by a federal judge Sunday.

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Antifa is a far-left militant movement that describes itself as antifascist. It has been accused of organizing or encouraging violent riots, notably during the 2020 “defund the police” protests and, more recently, in attacks targeting federal immigration facilities.

Fox News Digital’s Emma Colton contributed to this report.

Democratic Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, a staunch supporter of Israel, congratulated President Donald Trump on Wednesday shortly after the commander in chief announced in a Truth Social post that Hamas and Israel agreed to phase one of a peace plan.

Fetterman said that he and the president are both unflinchingly committed to the U.S. ally.

“I congratulate @POTUS on this historic peace plan that releases all the hostages. Now, enduring peace in the region is possible. Our parties are different but we have a shared ironclad commitment to Israel and its people,” the senator noted on X while including a screenshot of Trump’s Truth Social post.

HAMAS ACCEPTS TRUMP PEACE PLAN ENDING 2 YEARS OF WAR IN GAZA, RETURNING HOSTAGES

Israel launched a war effort in the wake of the heinous Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack in which terrorists committed atrocities including murder, rape and kidnapping. 

Trump, who has been brokering a peace deal, declared in a Truth Social post on Wednesday, “I am very proud to announce 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. 

TRUMP SAYS ‘WHOLE WORLD CAME TOGETHER’ TO SECURE ISRAEL-HAMAS PEACE DEAL AFTER MONTHS OF DEADLOCK

“All Parties will be treated fairly! 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!” the president added.

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and others have said Trump should receive the Nobel Peace Prize for the deal, but GOP Rep. Randy Fine argued that the award would be insufficient if lasting peace is obtained, instead suggesting that presidential term limits should be abolished.

TRUMP PRAISED DURING PHONE CALL WITH HOSTAGE FAMILIES AFTER HAMAS AGREES TO PEACE PLAN: VIDEO

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“The Nobel Peace Prize isn’t enough. If every living hostage is returned and lasting peace in the Middle East is secured, we should repeal the 22nd Amendment and thank the Lord for every day @realdonaldtrump can be our President. There will never be another one like him,” he said in a post on X.