In a striking display of confrontation, a viral video capturing Illinois Democratic congressional candidate Kat Abughazaleh being pushed to the ground by federal officials during an anti-ICE protest in suburban Chicago has ignited fierce debate across social media platforms.
The incident, which unfolded on Friday in Broadview, Illinois, involved a heated clash between protesters, including Abughazaleh, and armed federal agents attempting to move ICE vehicles obstructed by demonstrators, Fox News reported.
The protest in Broadview targeted an ICE operation known as "Operation Midway Blitz," which focuses on addressing illegal immigrant crime in the Chicago area.
During the demonstration, Abughazaleh, wearing a mask, positioned herself in front of an ICE vehicle to block its path.
Federal agents directed her and other protesters to clear the way, but tensions escalated quickly.
Video footage shows an agent shoving Abughazaleh, who resisted and subsequently fell onto the street.
Another angle of the video reveals Abughazaleh rising after the fall and charging toward the agents again, prompting further pushback from the officials.
Throughout the encounter, protesters can be heard shouting expletives and taunting the federal agents.
Abughazaleh later shared the video on her X account, claiming the vehicle she attempted to block held a fellow protester arrested earlier that day.
She accused ICE officials of nearly running over someone during the incident and deploying pepper balls and tear gas to control the crowd.
Federal officials also used riot control smoke at one point to manage the escalating situation.
Three protesters were arrested during the Friday demonstration in Broadview, adding to the day's chaos.
Abughazaleh condemned the actions of ICE on X, stating, "This is what it looks like when ICE violates our First Amendment rights."
She further criticized the response, saying, "What ICE just did to me was a violent abuse of power — and it’s still nothing compared to what they’re doing to immigrant communities."
In a statement to a reporter, she added, "We have no weapons. We have signs and chants and songs, and they are treating us like it's a war zone."
President Trump is signing off on a controversial deal with China to keep TikTok online.
According to a senior White House official, the deal would shift majority control of the China-based app to American investors, Fox News reported.
"The administration looks forward to finalizing this deal with all stakeholders," the official told Fox News Digital. "President Trump is expected to sign an Executive Order later this week to approve the proposed deal."
The deal enables TikTok to avoid a ban imposed by Congress last year that requires TikTok to divest from ByteDance, its China-based parent company, in order to stay in operation.
China hawks have long sought to shut down TikTok over concerns about security. Trump opposed TikTok during his first term, but later reversed course after harnessing its viral potential in the 2024 presidential election.
The president had repeatedly pushed back on enforcing Congress' ban while he negotiated a deal with China to rescue the ultra-popular app, which has millions of American users.
At one point, Trump floated having the U.S. government become a stakeholder, but that does not appear to be part of the preliminary deal.
The White House says the government will not have a stake in TikTok - which will operate as a joint venture with a majority-American board of directors.
Under the new deal, ByteDance will have no more than 20% of TikTok and can only have one member on the seven-member board.
The security for TikTok will be handled by tech giant Oracle, co-founded by Larry Ellison. According to Trump, Michael Dell and the Murdoch media empire will likely be involved in the deal as well.
“You know, they’re very well-known people. And Larry Ellison is one of them. He’s involved. He’s a great guy. Michael Dell is involved. I hate to tell you this, but a man named Lachlan [Murdoch] is involved,” Trump told Fox News on Sunday.
The Trump administration says the deal will protect American jobs while keeping Americans' data safe from China. The familiar TikTok experience will remain, allowing U.S. users to view content from around the world.
Oracle will receive a leased copy of TikTok's algorithm, which will be "retrained" to ensure China does not exploit the platform, the White House official told Fox.
"Foreign powers, like China, will not be able to access U.S. user data," the White House official told Fox.
A majority of Americans approve of President Trump's job performance, reflecting steady support for the president through a turbulent second term.
The latest daily poll from Rasmussen Reports has Trump at 50% support among likely voters, with 48% disapproving. His approval rating fell three points from 53% on Friday, September 19, when 46% of voters disapproved of him.
Trump's current net approval rating of +2 marks a five-point gain in the span of a week. He was three points underwater on Monday September 15, when 48% approved and 51% disapproved.
The latest survey from Monday September 22 found that 34% "strongly" approve of Trump's performance, while 40% strongly disapprove, which gives Trump a Presidential Approval Index rating of - 6.
Rasmussen collects polling data over the telephone, sampling 300 likely voters on a nightly basis. To reach voters who do not have landline phones, Rasmussen uses an online survey tool to interview randomly selected participants from a demographically diverse panel.
The margin of sampling error for the full sample of 1,500 Likely Voters is +/- 2.5 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence.
The Rasmussen results are better for Trump than some other polls out there. A recent Economist/YouGov poll found 39% of voters approve of Trump's job performance while 57% disapprove, marking a low point in the survey for his second term.
Trump has received some of his strongest marks on crime and immigration. A recent survey from the highly regarded AlasIntel found 51% of Americans rated Trump's job on immigration as good or excellent, with 47% disapproving.
However, the poll also found 55% of American adults rate the "mass deportation of undocumented immigrants" as a policy "error," reflecting backlash against Trump's increasingly aggressive crackdown on illegal aliens.
Over the weekend, Trump announced a $100,000 fee for guest workers applying for the H-1B visa, a move that was cheered by his base.
Trump's tariff agenda has received a cool reception, with 43% approving and 54% disapproving, a difference of 11 points, according to the AtlasIntel poll.
The poll sampled over 1,000 U.S. adults between September 12 and September 16, with a margin of error of plus or minus 3 points.
On the economy, 46% approved of Trump's job, while 49% disapproved, according to the poll. Overall, 47% of adults disapproved of Trump's job performance and 52% approved.
Trump has weathered months of headlines connecting him to Jeffrey Epstein, a controversy Trump has rejected as a Democratic party hoax. The Epstein estate recently released a birthday letter with Trump's signature, although he maintains the document is fake.
President Trump has replaced a top prosecutor in Virginia who failed to bring charges against one of his Democrat enemies, ABC reports.
In a social media post, Trump announced that he had fired Erik Siebert, who was the acting U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia.
Siebert was reportedly struggling to build a mortgage fraud case against New York attorney general Letitia James (D), a longtime foe of Trump.
Trump nominated a White House aide and former defense lawyer, Lindsey Halligan, to take Siebert's place.
In a series of posts, the president praised Halligan as "tough, smart, and loyal," noting she represented him during the infamous raid of Mar-A-Lago.
"What we don’t need is a Democrat Endorsed 'Republican,' I will be nominating Lindsey Halligan to be the United States Attorney in this very important part of our Great Country. She will be Fair, Smart, and will provide, desperately needed, JUSTICE FOR ALL!"
Trump cast Siebert as a pawn of the Democrats, noting he had support from both of Virginia's Democratic senators, Tim Kaine and Mark Warner.
"Today I withdrew the Nomination of Erik Siebert as U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, when I was informed that he received the UNUSUALLY STRONG support of the two absolutely terrible, sleazebag Democrat Senators, from the Great State of Virginia,” Trump wrote.
"Next time let him go in as a Democrat, not a Republican."
After Siebert resigned on Friday, Trump said he had forced Siebert out.
"He didn’t quit, I fired him!" Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Letitia James allegedly listed a Virginia home she bought in 2023 as her "principal residence," the New York Post notes, but there is no evidence she lives there.
James targeted Trump's business empire in a controversial civil fraud case that grabbed headlines during his 2024 campaign. Trump frequently clashed with James and the judge in the case, Arthur Engoron, who handed down a staggering $500 million penalty that was thrown out by an appeals court last month.
In a post on Truth Social over the weekend, Trump complained to attorney general Pam Bondi about the inaction of the Justice Department against James and others. Trump said there is a "GREAT CASE" against James but Siebert, a "woke RINO," refused to do anything.
"Lindsey Halligan is a really good lawyer, and likes you, a lot. We can’t delay any longer, it’s killing our reputation and credibility," Trump wrote to Bondi.
James denies all wrongdoing.
Retired FBI signature expert Wayne Barnes said after analyzing President Donald Trump's signature on a letter supposedly written to Jeffrey Epstein on his 50th birthday in the early 2000s.
Trump has consistently denied writing the letter, which was part of a book Epstein's friends put together for him, since the House Oversight Committee released it earlier this month after the letter was leaked to the press.
After looking at the letter, which had a suggestive message superimposed over a woman's body, Barnes said the first-name-only signature looked similar to the one on other personal letters sent by Trump to friends.
But there was one critical difference between Trump's Epstein letter and the others: the color of the paper.
Only the Epstein letter was on white paper. Every other letter Trump sent that bore his signature was on colored paper, Barnes said.
"Whoever created the dialogue page seems to have put a good deal of thought into it, but something was overlooked," Barnes wrote. "By far, the pages where Mr. Trump signs with his first name only, are outgoing letters where there is some coloration to the paper used. It is off-white or yellow-to-beige, but it never seems to be white.
"That means that if someone cut out an appliqué of the 'Donald' signature and tried to affix (paste or tape) it to a piece of white paper, the difference in color around the 'Donald' would stand out. So, the colored paper had to be photocopied onto a white page, so the trimming around the signature could take place and not be observed because of a different tone of the paper," he continued.
"This would mean that the ultimate color of the target paper used, on which to place the applique, would also have to be white, which is the case with the dialogue page in the birthday book," he added.
Why would a different colored paper make such a difference in whether Barnes thought Trump actually wrote the letter to Epstein?
Barnes explained,
Mr. Trump’s standard is colored paper which, it is highly likely he would have used for any outgoing letter, no matter the recipient. It is just what he does. The creator of the dialogue page could not have made his creation appear 'real,' without it all appearing to be on white paper, which is against Mr. Trump’s personal standard. It is unlikely that the culprit thought this far outside of the box, but as a professional investigator, it is in my wheelhouse to consider such things.
"A thorough investigation indicates it is highly unlikely that he penned (or with a felt-tip marker or Sharpie) or wrote his name beneath those dialogue lines and the drawing," Barnes concluded.
Barnes said it wasn't a case of someone "forging" his signature, but of fraudulently affixing it to the letter.
The result is the same--he doesn't believe Trump wrote the letter, but that someone photocopied the signature onto it.
Barnes is a 29-year veteran of the FBI and still testifies as an expert on cases during his retirement.
The surgeon who tried to save Charlie Kirk after an assassin shot him in the neck at an event in Utah has proclaimed that his miraculously strong bones stopped the bullet that hit him from exiting and hitting more people.
Turning Point spokesperson Andrew Kolvet wrote on X about the “absolute miracle” the surgeon discovered, that the bullet stayed in Kirk's body due to his "strong bones" and was found just under the skin.
“I’m usually not interested in delving into most of this kind of online chatter, and I apologize this is somewhat graphic, but in this case, the fact that there wasn’t an exit wound is probably another miracle, and I want people to know,” Kolvet wrote.
“I just spoke with the surgeon who worked on Charlie in the hospital … He said the bullet ‘absolutely should have gone through, which is very very normal for a high-powered, high-velocity round,'" he added. "I’ve seen wounds from this caliber many times and they always just go through everything. This would have taken a moose or two down, an elk, etc."
There had been speculation online that authorities were lying about the circumstances of Kirk's death because the high velocity round would normally have gone through the flesh and exited on the other side.
“But it didn’t go through. Charlie’s body stopped it," Kolvet said.
Kolvet said he described to the doctor how staffers, students and others were standing in the trajectory of the bullet behind Kirk, had it passed through him.
"'It was an absolute miracle that someone else didn’t get killed,’ ” Kolvet said the doctor told him. ”‘His bone was so healthy and the density was so so impressive that he’s like the man of steel. It should have just gone through and through. It likely would have killed those standing behind him too.’"
“In the end, the coroner did find the bullet just beneath the skin. Even in death, Charlie managed to save the lives of those around him. Remarkable. Miraculous,” Kolvet wrote.
Estimates for attendance at Kirk's memorial yesterday ranged from 90,000 to 200,000, and more than 100 million people streamed the six-hour event online.
Reports said that the attendance was greater than for both slain civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. and President John F. Kennedy Jr.'s memorials.
Vice President and close personal friend to Kirk, J.D. Vance labeled Kirk a "martyr for the Christian faith" and Trump called him a "martyr for America's freedom."
While many on the right will no doubt use Kirk's death to galvanize support for conservatism, he said in one of his last interviews that he wanted to be remembered most for his faith and devotion to Jesus Christ.
Kirk was mocked after his death for being "hateful" because of comments he made about the LGBT community and affirmative action, but many have been surprised by the way he debated and many times gently addressed those who were affected by these realities in a way that showed compassion while also expressing what he viewed as truth.
Although a Florida federal judge threw out President Donald Trump's defamation lawsuit against the New York Times and book publisher Penguin, Trump responded to the action by saying, "I'm winning" against mainstream media outlets.
Judge Steven Merryday of Tampa, who was appointed by George H. W. Bush, tossed Trump's suit on Friday, calling it “decidedly improper and impermissible" because the filing spent most of its 85 pages talking about Trump's foes and accomplishments and also contained "superfluous allegations."
“As every lawyer knows (or is presumed to know), a complaint is not a public forum for vituperation and invective — not a protected platform to rage against an adversary,” Merryday wrote.
“A complaint is not a megaphone for public relations or a podium for a passionate oration at a political rally or the functional equivalent of the Hyde Park Speakers’ Corner,” he added, referring to a famed spot for free speech in London.
Trump responded to a question from ABC's Jonathan Karl about the lawsuit's dismissal by saying, “I’m winning, I’m winning the cases."
He then addressed Karl, saying, “You’re guilty, Jon, you’re guilty. ABC is a terrible network, a very unfair network, and you should be ashamed of yourself. NBC is equally bad. I don’t know who’s worse.”
Merryday did say that Trump could file an amended lawsuit within 28 days that was more concisely focused on the complaints against the Times, four of its reporters, and Penguin.
Trump had only filed the lawsuit on Monday. The amended suit would be limited to 40 pages, Merryday said.
Trump has been in the process of suing a number of media outlets for defamation. He has already gotten settlements from two of the biggest--hence the meaning of his comment about "winning."
In December, ABC settled with him for $15 million over comments George Stephanapolous made about him being a rapist after a civil judgement against him that found him liable of sexual abuse, but not rape.
In July, CBS settled with him for 16 million over the selective editing of comments by then-Vice President and presidential candidate Kamala Harris the previous October, which he argued could have impacted the election.
The money will go to his presidential library, since he is a billionaire and seemingly doesn't need it.
There's every possibility that he will win against the Times as well, once his lawyers get to the point.
The Times would only say through a spokesperson, “We welcome the judge’s quick ruling, which recognized that the complaint was a political document rather than a serious legal filing.”
In a striking testimony before the House Oversight Committee, former U.S. Department of Labor Secretary Alex Acosta opened up about his controversial decision to negotiate a plea deal with Jeffrey Epstein in 2007, the Daily Caller reported.
Acosta's Friday testimony detailed his role in securing Epstein’s immunity from federal prosecution, the rationale for the agreement, and addressed claims involving President Donald Trump’s ties to the case.
Back in 2007, as U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, Acosta played a pivotal role in crafting a plea deal with Epstein, who faced severe federal charges that could have meant a life sentence.
The agreement allowed Epstein to sidestep federal trial by pleading guilty to two state charges in 2008, resulting in a mere 13-month jail term, sex offender registration, and victim compensation.
Acosta testified that a critical issue was whether to handle Epstein’s prosecution at the federal or state level, given the high stakes involved.
He mentioned that the lead prosecutor flagged significant evidentiary hurdles that might have weakened their case if it proceeded to trial.
Acosta revealed that the U.S. Attorney’s Office ultimately agreed on a negotiated settlement to mitigate the risk of a trial loss.
He feared that failing to convict Epstein could imply he dodged justice, potentially enabling further offenses.
Despite his office’s stance against work release for Epstein, Acosta noted that Palm Beach County permitted it, contrary to expectations.
Acosta emphasized that had his office foreseen the state’s lenient handling, including work release and weak prosecution, they would not have transferred the case to state authority.
He accepted accountability for the plea decision and conveyed regret over the subsequent outcomes.
A Justice Department report later determined that Acosta displayed “poor judgment” in the matter, though it found no professional misconduct.
Addressing rumors about President Donald Trump, Acosta confirmed he never encountered Trump’s name in any Epstein-related files, a view supported by former Attorney General Bill Barr.
House Oversight Chairman James Comer stated, “To be clear: former U.S. Attorney General Bill Barr has stated there is no evidence of wrongdoing by President Trump. We call on Democrats to end these distractions and instead focus on what truly matters: transparency and accountability.”
Comer commended Acosta’s participation, saying, “Alex Acosta cooperated with our questions today and provided information that will help advance our investigation into the federal government’s handling of the Epstein and Maxwell cases. This information will guide our next steps as we work to bring accountability, and we expect to announce new action soon. We will also release the transcript of Mr. Acosta’s interview to ensure transparency for the American people.”
During the nightmarish U.S. troop withdrawal from Afghanistan under former President Joe Biden, America was forced to abandon Bagram Air Base to the Taliban, which they've controlled since 2021.
According to Fox News, President Donald Trump wants the base back in U.S. control and has issued a threat to Afghanistan if the United States doesn't regain control over the strategic air base.
Trump hinted recently that the U.S. is actively attempting to reestablish control over the air base, but didn't offer specifics regarding how that's going to happen.
The president made clear in his threat that "bad things will happen" if Afghanistan doesn't convince the Taliban to hand the base back to the United States.
It was during a recent press conference in the U.K. that Trump broke the news about the pursuit of regaining control of the base.
The outlet noted:
In remarks to the press while standing alongside U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, the president criticized the handling of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan under President Joe Biden and said he had "a little breaking news."
"We're trying to get it back," Trump said. "We're trying to get it back because they need things from us."
He added, "We want that base back, but one of the reasons we want the base is, as you know, it's an hour away from where China makes its nuclear weapons."
Trump is speaking to reporters in a Tuxedo before he heads to George Washington’s Mount Vernon.
He says “you’re going to find out what I’m going to do” if Afghanistan doesn’t return Bagram Airfield. pic.twitter.com/E3bddJiRxn
— johnny maga (@_johnnymaga) September 21, 2025
Notably, Bagram Air Base was originally constructed by the USSR. The United States claimed it when it went to war in the region in 2001.
Users across social media weighed in on the president's vow to regain control of the strategic base.
"DJT cleaning up all the problems created by the morons in the Biden Administration. 100% True," one X user wrote.
Another X user wrote, "I always thought having a base there was strategic. Even when we're not fighting in Afghanistan, which we shouldn't be, that's key terrain."
It'll be interesting to see if the Taliban eventually cedes control of the base or if it turns into a fight.
The left is absolutely furious about the cancellation of "Jimmy Kimmel Live," and it even sparked a comment from former President Barack Obama, who accused the White House of forcing the network to cancel the late-night comedian.
According to Fox News, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt fired back at the former president, making it clear that it was the network's decision to cancel Kimmel and not due to White House pressure.
Obama, in an X post, had accused the Trump administration of "routinely threatening regulatory action against media companies" if they don't follow their playbook, a claim made without evidence.
The former president encouraged media companies to "stand up" to the Trump administration on First Amendment grounds.
Obama's accusatory X post sparked the reply from Leavitt defending the administration while shooting down Obama's accusations.
"After years of complaining about cancel culture, the current administration has taken it to a new and dangerous level by routinely threatening regulatory action against media companies unless they muzzle or fire reporters and commentators it doesn't like," Obama wrote.
He added, "This is precisely the kind of government coercion that the First Amendment was designed to prevent — and media companies need to start standing up rather than capitulating to it."
Leavitt joined Fox News' Kayleigh McEnany on her new show, "Saturday in America," to respond to Obama's accusations.
"With all due respect to former President Barack Obama, he has no idea what he's talking about," Leavitt said. "The decision to fire Jimmy Kimmel and to cancel his show came from executives at ABC."
"And how do I know that, Kayleigh?" Leavitt asked. "Because I was with the President when this news broke in the United Kingdom."
Leavitt explained why ABC made the call to get rid of Kimmel after he lied about Charlie Kirk's death, which sparked major backlash across the country.
"It was a decision that was made by ABC because Jimmy Kimmel chose to knowingly lie to his audience on his program about the death of a highly respected man when our country is in a state of mourning. That was a decision that he made, and he is now facing a consequence for that decision and for that lie," Leavitt said.
Nexstar's broadcasting chief, Andrew Alford, explained in a press release the decision to preempt his show.
"Mr. Kimmel’s comments about the death of Mr. Kirk are offensive and insensitive at a critical time in our national political discourse, and we do not believe they reflect the spectrum of opinions, views or values of the local communities in which we are located," he wrote.