President Trump declined to say whether Palestinians should have a state of their own in the future, as questions linger over the implementation of his Gaza peace deal, Fox News reported.
Trump shared his thoughts with reporters aboard Air Force One as he returned from a whirlwind 24-hour trip through Israel and Egypt.
“Well, we’re going to have to see,” Trump told reporters when asked about how Gaza's future. “A lot of people like the one-state solution, some people like the two-state solution. We’ll have to see.”
After two years of war, much of Gaza has been utterly destroyed. For now, Trump is declining to say what Gaza's political future looks like in concrete terms as he focuses on clearing rubble.
"I’m not talking about single state or double state … I’m talking about the rebuilding of Gaza,” Trump said.
Trump's plans for Gaza have shifted considerably. Earlier this year, he sparked an outcry for suggesting that the coastal strip could be developed into a luxury resort.
His 20-point peace plan at least raises the possibility of a Palestinian state when the conditions are right.
The Trump plan calls for a temporary international government to rebuild the enclave, with a "board of peace," chaired by Trump himself, to oversee the reconstruction effort until a reformed Palestinian Authority is ready to take the reins.
"While Gaza redevelopment advances and when the [Palestinian Authority] reform program is faithfully carried out, the conditions may finally be in place for a credible pathway to Palestinian self-determination and statehood, which we recognize as the aspiration of the Palestinian people,” reads point 19.
Trump secured a major victory on Monday as Hamas released the last living Israeli hostages taken in the October 7, 2023, attack. After a triumphant visit in Israel, Trump stopped in Egypt for a global peace summit with world leaders, where he signed phase one of the cease-fire.
While hope is mounting for a new chapter of regional stability, tough obstacles remain.
The issue of Palestinian statehood remains a major point of contention.
Israel's government under prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu objects to a two-state solution. Israel has doubled down on that position despite accepting Trump's broad framework for peace.
There are also questions of whether Hamas will comply with demands to give up their weapons and relinquish authority over Gaza, which has been ruled by the terror group since 2007.
President Trump received a hero's welcome in Israel on Monday as the last living hostages stolen by Hamas on October 7, 2023, were set free, an achievement few thought possible until Trump defied the odds with a historic peace deal.
The captives were released in two separate groups of seven and 13 to the Red Cross, the Hill reported.
Their release ends two long years of anguish for Israel, the captives, and their loved ones and stands as a significant diplomatic milestone for Trump, who made a whirlwind tour of Israel and Egypt on Monday to bask in the glory of his achievement.
Joyous, almost surreal scenes played out on Monday as the hostages were finally set free, just days after the second anniversary of the darkest day in Israel's modern history, when Hamas killed 1,200 Israelis and took 251 hostages on October 7th.
The last living hostages spent 738 dark days cut off from their families and the civilized world as their loved ones and others lobbied for their freedom.
Emotions ran high across Israel on Monday as Trump was compared to Cyrus the Great, the Persian emperor who freed the ancient Israelites from the Babylonian captivity. Trump spoke to a rapturous crowd at the Knesset, the Israeli parliament, where he gave a triumphant speech.
"After two harrowing years in darkness and captivity, 20 courageous hostages are returning to the glorious embrace of their families," Trump said.
"Twenty-eight more precious loved ones are coming home at last to rest in this sacred soil for all of time."
Despite the warm feelings across Israel, not all families were celebrating Monday.
Hamas released only four of the deceased hostages among 28 presumed dead, leading the Hostage and Missing Families Forum to accuse the group of a "blatant breach" of the ceasefire deal. It came as Israel released 2,000 Palestinian prisoners, in accordance with the peace agreement.
Speaking at a peace summit in Egypt, Trump said that Hamas is searching for the bodies of the remaining captives.
"It’s a pretty gruesome task… They know the areas [where they’re located] and… they’re doing it in conjunction with Israel, and they’ll going to be finding quite a few of them,” Trump said.
Under Trump's 20-point peace deal, Hamas must also commit to disarm and abdicate rule in war-torn Gaza, terms that some are skeptical the terror group will honor.
Still, the release of the 20 hostages Monday is an incredible victory for Trump, for Israel, and for all of humanity.
The Senate was still working as the government remains shut down, passing a massive annual defense spending bill late last week -- primarily led by Senate Republicans.
According to The Hill, the Republican-led Senate approved the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) with a 70-20 vote, easily passing it after GOP senators struck a deal earlier in the day that unlocked the bill from being held up.
The bill, primarily aimed at funding the U.S. military, will provide the armed services $924.7 billion in fiscal 2026, according to the bill's language.
The legislation still has a long way to go before becoming law, as the approving of the bill by Senate Republicans means it will now move to the conference stage with the House and Senate armed services committees, where both sides can argue and negotiate.
Notably, the House version of the NDAA is slightly less top-line money, coming in at $893 billion.
The bill has been held up in the upper chamber, as it takes all 100 U.S. senators to agree to move forward on it. Some were holding out for certain additions.
The Hill noted:
The NDAA had come to the Senate floor in early September but saw little movement until Thursday morning. Action on the bill was stalled, as all 100 senators must agree to hold votes on amendments, with several sticking points causing a handful of lawmakers to halt the process.
Senate Armed Services Committee Chair Roger Wicker (R-MS) was the Republican senator who secured a deal with the other side to unlock the stalled process, securing "an agreement to vote on 17 stand-alone amendments and a package of nearly 50 less controversial amendments."
"We simply cannot delay this process any longer,” Wicker said on the Senate floor Thursday.
He added, "Let me make it clear: If we do not bring this to the floor today, this matter will not have time for deliberation on the Senate floor, and we’ll have to basically pretend that we’re having a conference between House and Senate members, and a very small group of senators will have to write this bill and bring it to the floor for final passage. That’s not the way this ought to be done."
There was some level of bipartisanship as both sides came together to give the Pentagon additional authorities to counter drone threats.
"Hundreds of drones have been spotted in the vicinity of military installations over the past few years, including military-sensitive sites like Langley Air Force Base," Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) said.
She added, "But current laws give the Department of Defense quite limited authority to mitigate these threats, and the patchwork of interagency coordination required to address them leaves gaps that endanger our military bases and the men and women who serve there."
Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) worked with Gillibrand on inserting that particular amendment.
China will always do whatever it takes to infiltrate any level of U.S. government, and its spies are everywhere. One Foreign Service Officer (FSO) was just fired by the Trump administration for having a romantic relationship with the daughter of a Chinese Communist Party (CCP) affiliate.
According to Breitbart, Daniel Choi, a Foreign Service Officer with the U.S. Department of State, was terminated by Sec. of State Marco Rubio and President Donald Trump after undercover video surfaced that showed him admitting his secret relationship.
James O’Keefe’s undercover journalists caught Choi making the bombshell admission, and the video quickly made its way through the Trump administration and ended with a firing.
The O’Keefe Media Group (OMG) made the video public.
The video was damning, to say the least. In it, Choi admitted the secret romantic relationship and even said, “I defied my government for love."
🇺🇸 Secretary of State Marco Rubio has fired Daniel Choi, a State Department Foreign Service officer who admitted in an undercover video that he had a romantic relationship with a woman linked to the 🇨🇳 CCP.
“Today, after Presidential review and approval, the Secretary of State… https://t.co/vgpxitalNn pic.twitter.com/qWC9UaVyM1
— Byron Wan (@Byron_Wan) October 9, 2025
The U.S. State Department issued a statement on the situation, noting that President Trump signed off on the termination.
“After Presidential review and approval, the Secretary of State has terminated a Foreign Service Officer (FSO) who concealed a romantic relationship with a Chinese national with ties to the Chinese Community Party," the State Department said.
Breitbart noted:
A Department spokesperson told OMG that to their knowledge, this firing marks the first time such an action was taken, citing President Trump’s Executive Order 14211 for making the termination possible.
The outlet added:
Executive Order 14211 states that “All officers or employees charged with implementing the foreign policy of the United States must, under Article II, do so under the direction and authority of the President.”
“Failure to faithfully implement the President’s policy is grounds for professional discipline, including separation,” President Trump’s executive order adds.
Users across social media weighed in on the firing, with many applauding the revelation.
"The Daniel Choi case isn’t an isolated slip-up—it’s a symptom of systemic rot. Look at Linda Sun, Hochul’s aide funneling CCP cash into NY politics, or Elaine Fan’s family legacy of CCP propaganda. These aren’t coincidences," one X user wrote.
Another X user wrote, "This highlights the risk of personal connections in international relations."
Thankfully, this one was noticed and caught. There are probably many more like it.
As controversy brews over Donald Trump's apparent Nobel Prize snub, the president is exposing the political bias that led to Barack Obama receiving the coveted award for "doing nothing," the Daily Mail reports.
"They gave it to Obama for absolutely nothing but destroying our country," Trump told reporters. "He got a prize for doing nothing."
Indeed, Obama received the Nobel Peace Prize a mere eight months into his eight-year long presidency, before the "hope and change" candidate had the chance to do anything very consequential on the world stage.
Even the liberal New York Times called Obama's Nobel Prize honor "premature" at the time, and to this day, it is still not clear what he did to merit the prize.
By the time Obama left the White House, the democratic hopes of the Arab Spring had turned to violence, ISIS was on the rise in Iraq, and Syria and Libya were in full-blown civil wars. When Trump became president in 2017, Islamist terrorism was surging all across the West.
Trump's criticism of Obama's Nobel Prize came shortly before Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado was announced as the winner of the Nobel Peace Prize for 2025.
Critics, including those at the White House, have slammed the Nobel Committee's decision as political in the wake of Trump's historic Gaza peace deal, which has the potential to usher in a new chapter in the troubled Middle East.
However, it wasn't the snub it appeared to be, as the committee had already made its decision two days before the first phase of Trump's deal was approved by Israel and Hamas, the New York Post reported.
President Trump will continue making peace deals, ending wars, and saving lives.
He has the heart of a humanitarian, and there will never be anyone like him who can move mountains with the sheer force of his will.
The Nobel Committee proved they place politics over peace. https://t.co/dwCEWjE0GE
— Steven Cheung (@StevenCheung47) October 10, 2025
While the full scope of the comprehensive 20-point plan remains to be implemented, the agreement is a giant step forward after the two deadliest years in the history of the Israel-Palestine conflict.
The last of the Israeli hostages, both dead and alive, are expected to be released early next week, and displaced Palestinians have begun returning to their homes after the cease-fire was officially implemented on Friday.
In typical Obama fashion, the former president released a passive-aggressive statement celebrating the breakthrough without giving Trump any credit at all.
"After two years of unimaginable loss and suffering for Israeli families and the people of Gaza, we should all be encouraged and relieved that an end to the conflict is within sight; that those hostages still being held will be reunited with their families; and that vital aid can start reaching those inside Gaza whose lives have been shattered,” Obama’s post read.
If the Gaza peace holds, it will be difficult for the Nobel Prize to retain any credibility if Trump does not receive it in 2026.
Anti-Trump attack dog and notorious “Russian collusion” fabulist Eric Swalwell (D-CA) claims that President Trump is about to be overwhelmed by a groundswell of GOP opposition, the Daily Mail reports.
In a dramatic, vaguely threatening post on X, Swalwell alleged that as many as 100 Republicans will defy the president over the so-called Epstein files, which have dominated Democrats’ talking points in recent months.
In a curious shift, Democrats have cast themselves as champions of transparency in the Epstein case, which they showed little interest in until recently.
But since July of this year, when the Justice Department officially rejected the existence of the so-called client list, Democrats have fixated on accusing Trump and his administration of protecting a shadowy cabal of pedophiles.
“It's coming to an end guys. I've spoken to a lot of House Republicans this week and they've confided that Trump's movement/support is fading,' Swalwell wrote on X.
“As one told me, ‘this Epstein bomb is about to drop and no want [sic] wants to defend a pedo-protector. It's just a matter of time."
Swalwell then claimed in a follow-up post: “One Republican just texted me that if there's a discharge vote on Epstein they expect a ‘jail break’ of over 100 members. Trump will go nuts!'
Swalwell did not name any of these rebel Republicans who are supposedly ready to break with Trump.
Swalwell’s Epstein claims likely reflect the wishful thinking of his party's base more than political reality. We have heard many times before that the “walls are closing in” on Trump, and each time those predictions have proven wrong.
During Trump's first term, Swalwell was among the most prolific promoters of the baseless "Russian collusion" hoax that was predicted to end Trump's political career.
It surely does no favors to Epstein’s victims that a notorious, lying blowhard like Swalwell is now claiming to be their advocate. But Democrats believe they can use the Epstein scandal to drive a wedge between Trump and his MAGA base and tarnish the president’s reputation without evidence of wrongdoing.
Many Trump supporters remain skeptical of the government’s tidy conclusions in the Epstein case, and a few Republicans in the House have clashed with the White House over the files. But Trump’s approval rating has held steady through months of Epstein-related drama, despite Swalwell’s dramatic claims of Trump’s movement collapsing.
When asked for a response to Swalwell’s latest outlandish claims, the White House referenced Swalwell's past romantic involvement with a Chinese spy.
“Did his Chinese spy lover Fang Fang write this tweet?” White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson said.
House Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene (Ga.) is winning praise from the left as she strays from her party's shutdown talking points.
The Georgia congressman is demanding the renewal of the Obamacare tax credits at the center of the government shutdown, warning that premiums will double unless Congress acts.
“I’m absolutely disgusted that health insurance premiums will DOUBLE if the tax credits expire this year,” Greene wrote on X.
With her take on the subsidies, Greene is at odds with Republican leaders who have insisted on passing a "clean" continuing resolution to open the government without any policy attachments.
Democrats have refused to support a funding bill without guarantees that Congress will extend the enhanced tax credits, which are set to expire at the end of the year.
Greene said she is "not a fan" of the Affordable Care Act/Obamacare, and she acknowledged the health care law made insurance unaffordable for her family. But she defended the tax credits that many people, including her own children, rely on to afford the steep premiums on the Obamacare health exchanges.
“I’m going to go against everyone on this issue because when the tax credits expire this year, my own adult children’s insurance premiums for 2026 are going to DOUBLE, along with all the wonderful families and hard-working people in my district,” the Georgia Republican continued.
Democrats including Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer (D-Ny.), the party's leader in the shutdown fight, have highlighted the support from Greene to attack her party as out of touch on healthcare.
“So hold on to your hats,” Schumer said on the Senate floor. “I think this is the first time I said this, but, on this issue, Representative Greene said it perfectly.”
Greene is regarded with contempt by most liberals, making her alignment with Democrats on Obamacare surprising to many.
But this is not the first time that the Trump-supporting Greene has bucked the president and his party, with Greene also supporting a discharge petition to force a vote on the so-called Epstein files as Trump seeks to move on from the controversy. Greene has also criticized Trump at times for moves on foreign policy that she says betray the "America First" creed.
Republicans, including Trump, have said they are willing to negotiate healthcare, but not while the government is shut down.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) has dismissed Greene's criticism of the party's healthcare plans as uninformed.
“Congresswoman Greene does not serve on the committees of jurisdiction to deal with those specialized issues, and she’s probably not read that in on some of that, because it’s still been sort of in their silos of the people who specialize in those issues,” Johnson said Tuesday.
Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito recused himself from a case on Monday dealing with social media websites.
Alito did not explain why he stepped aside, but the reason was likely routine as he owns stock in the company Procter & Gamble, which was a party in the case, according to left-leaning advocacy group Fix The Court.
The Supreme Court rejected the appeal from right-wing provocateur Laura Loomer, who accused the tech giants Facebook and X (formerly known as Twitter) of colluding to censor her during both of her campaigns for Congress.
A brief note said that Alito "took no part in the consideration or decision of this petition.”
"The petition for a writ of certiorari is denied. Justice Alito took no part in the consideration or decision of this petition," the court wrote.
Loomer had alleged that she was deplatformed as part of a conspiracy involving "government pressure, corporate collusion and biased content moderation” that “stifled” her ability to fundraise and communicate with voters, the Hill reported.
Her arguments failed to win over lower courts, which found she did not have a convincing claim that the Big Tech companies acted as a criminal enterprise under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act.
Loomer named consumer goods corporation Procter & Gamble as one of the defendants in the alleged conspiracy to silence her. Justice Alito inherited shares in the company from his late father-in-law.
Federal judges are required to recuse themselves in cases where their impartiality can be called into question, such as situations where they have a financial interest.
In recent years, the left has pressured conservative members of the Supreme Court to recuse themselves from cases on more spurious grounds.
Alito, for instance, previously faced demands from Democrats to step aside from January 6th cases over flags that were displayed at his homes. Alito stood his ground, issuing a defiant response to his critics.
While critical of Alito in other instances, Fix The Court noted that his recusal from the Loomer case was unremarkable.
"Sometimes, the simplest answer is the right one: Justice Alito recused because the law required him to do so," wrote Fix The Cout clerk Manny Marotta.
This is not the first time that Alito has recused himself from a case where he had a financial interest. Indeed, Alito has investments in 28 different companies, according to his financial disclosures.
President Trump blasted Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu for being "so f--ing negative" about a pending deal to end the war in Gaza and free the remaining Israeli hostages, according to a report.
The tense conversation took place Friday after Hamas said it would accept parts of Trump's 20-point peace plan, Axios reported.
“I don’t know why you’re always so f–king negative. This is a win. Take it,” Trump reportedly said.
In particular, Hamas agreed to release all of Israel's hostages, but the terror group said nothing about disarming, a key point of contention with Israel.
A U.S. official told Axios that Bibi was underwhelmed, telling Trump, "this is nothing to celebrate and it doesn't mean anything."
But Trump saw Hamas' response as an opening to making a deal, and the president was annoyed that "Bibi" didn't see it the same way.
In public comments after their phone call, Trump boasted about pushing Netanyahu to accept the deal, leaving no doubt of who has the upper hand.
"Netanyahu had reservations but I told him that this is his opportunity for victory," Trump told Israeli television's Channel 12 on Saturday. "He accepted it. There is no other choice, with me you have to be okay."
"Bibi went too far in Gaza and Israel lost a lot of support in the world,” Trump added. “Now I will bring back all that support.”
When asked Monday about his reported use of foul language towards Netanyahu, Trump denied it, saying, "No, it’s not true. He has been very positive.”
Still, it has been apparent for some time that Trump's desire for diplomacy is in tension with Netanyahu's hardline priorities.
During an Oval Office meeting last week, Trump forced Netanyahu to apologize to Qatar, a Hamas mediator, for an attack on Qatar's capital that blindsided the White House.
While it is widely understood that "Bibi" is not thrilled with the terms of Trump's peace deal, Netanyahu is also under pressure from the Israeli public to end the two-year war and free the remaining hostages taken by Hamas. Meanwhile, Trump has warned that Hamas faces "complete obliteration" if they do not surrender power.
As peace talks began in Egypt on Monday, Trump kept the pressure on both sides.
"I am told that the first phase should be completed this week, and I am asking everyone to MOVE FAST,” Trump said in a social media post.
After what has been a seemingly never-ending conflict, it appears as though President Donald Trump has announced great news as far as the Israel-Gaza war is concerned.
According to Fox News, the president announced over the weekend that Israel has agreed to an "initial withdrawal line" in Gaza, which would trigger an immediate ceasefire and an exchange of Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners.
It was noted in the president's statement that the line had been shown to Hamas. The terrorist group has yet to confirm it's on board, but experts believe it will happen.
President Trump shared the fantastic news in a Truth Social post, saying the deal would bring an end to a "3,000 YEAR CATASTROPHE."
The president's post on his Truth Social account provided details regarding the situation, assuming it unfolds as planned.
"After negotiations, Israel has agreed to the initial withdrawal line, which we have shown to, and shared with, Hamas. When Hamas confirms, the Ceasefire will be IMMEDIATELY effective, the Hostages and Prisoner Exchange will begin, and we will create the conditions for the next phase of withdrawal, which will bring us close to the end of this 3,000 YEAR CATASTROPHE," Trump wrote.
He added, "Thank you for your attention to this matter and, STAY TUNED!"
Notably, Trump's announcement was published just hours after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hinted at a "great achievement" on the horizon.
"It is not yet final; we are working on it diligently, and I hope, with God's help, that in the coming days, during the Sukkot holiday, I will be able to inform you about the return of all our hostages, both living and deceased, in one phase, while the IDF remains deep within the Strip and in the controlling areas within it."
Fox News noted:
Netanyahu claimed that after intense military and diplomatic pressure, Hamas was pressured into agreeing to Israel’s proposed plan, rejecting the fact that Hamas had previously been ready to release the Israeli hostages without a full withdrawal from Gaza.
Users across social media had plenty to say about a potential deal that would hopefully bring the war to an end.
“After negotiations, Israel has agreed to the initial withdrawal line, which we have shown to, and shared with, Hamas. When Hamas confirms, the Ceasefire will be IMMEDIATELY effective, the Hostages and Prisoner Exchange will begin…” - President Donald J. Trump pic.twitter.com/y1fDTuGMmF
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) October 4, 2025
"If Hamas is still there, the conflict will not end," one X user wrote.
Another X user wrote, "I believe Hamas will never give up their arms and their control!"