News of the World

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USA

Trump warns New Jersey faces hotbed of crime, skyrocketing energy prices if Mikie Sherrill elected

President Trump warned New Jersey voters early Monday that Democratic gubernatorial candidate Rep. Mikie Sherrill would turn the Garden State into a hotbed of crime, skyrocketing energy prices “and HEARTACHE!”

He tore into Sherrill and Virginia’s Democratic gubernatorial candidate, Abigail Spanberger, in an early morning Truth Social post — urging voters to swing to the right.

“Why would anyone vote for New Jersey and Virginia Gubernatorial Candidates, Mikie Sherrill and Abigail Spanberger, when they want transgender for everybody, men playing in women’s sports, High Crime, and the most expensive Energy prices almost anywhere in the World?” the president asked.

“VOTE REPUBLICAN for massive Energy Cost reductions, large scale Tax Cuts, and basic Common Sense!

“Under President Trump, ME, Gasoline will come down to approximately $2 a Gallon, very soon! With the Democrats, you’ll be paying $4, $5, and $6 a Gallon, and your Electric and other Energy costs will, likewise, SOAR.”

He hammered home that those in Garden State and elsewhere would have a “great and very affordable life” if Republican candidates wiped the floor come election time.

“All you’ll get from voting Democrat is unrelentingly High Crime, Energy prices through the roof, men playing in women’s sports, and HEARTACHE!” Trump added.

It comes after the commander in chief, who has repeatedly gone after Sherrill during her election campaign, blasted her as a “corrupt radical left Democrat” when in-person early voting got underway in New Jersey.

Trump rules out running as Vance’s VP to gain third term, but open to Bannon plan: ‘Let AOC go against Trump’

TOKYO — President Trump said Monday that he won’t run as Vice President JD Vance’s running mate to circumvent the Constitution’s two-term limit on the presidency, but said he is still interested in running again — musing about a potential 2028 face-off against New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

Trump, 79, made the remarks when a reporter asked about his former chief strategist Steve Bannon’s claim that a secret plan might negate the 22nd Amendment’s term limit.

“I would love to do it. I have my best numbers ever, it’s very terrible, I have my best numbers,” Trump said on Air Force One en route to Tokyo for meetings with Emperor Naruhito and Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi.

Trump, whose approval rating is 45.1%, according to the RealClearPolitics polling average, has repeatedly flirted with a final candidacy in what is widely seen as a way to avoid lame-duck status and troll Democrats, including with “Trump 2028” campaign hats.

Bannon claimed in an interview with the Economist, however, that “he’s going to get a third term… at the appropriate time, we’ll lay out what the plan is. But there’s a plan.”

Trump definitively ruled out the most widely discussed option of running as Vance’s running mate and then having Vance resign to get around the 22nd Amendment’s rule that a person can only be “elected” president twice.

“I think the people wouldn’t like that. It’s too cute. It wouldn’t be right,” he told reporters on Air Force One.

Trump said that he could also see Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio forming the Republican ticket in the next election, saying the pair would be “unstoppable.”

But he continued to leave the door open for himself.

“All I can tell you is that we have a great group of people, which they don’t. They have [Texas Rep.] Jasmine Crockett, a low IQ person. They have AOC who is low IQ. You give her an IQ test, have her pass the exams that I decided to take when I was at Walter Reed,” he added.

29-year-old anarchist arrested for alleged $45K hit on Pam Bondi: FBI

An anarchist with a lengthy rap sheet has been arrested for allegedly putting a $45,000 hit out on US Attorney General Pam Bondi on TikTok, according to the feds.

Tyler Maxon Avalos, 29, was nabbed on Oct. 16 after a tipster alerted the FBI to the alleged murder-for-hire plot the suspect had blasted out on social media earlier this month.

The chilling post included a photo of Bondi with a “sniper-scope red dot” on her forehead with the caption: “WANTED: Pam Bondi / REWARD: 45,000 ‘ DEAD OR ALIVE / (PREFERABLY DEAD),” court documents charge.

Underneath the photo, Avalos allegedly added: “Cough cough. When they don’t serve us, then what?”

The feds allege Avalos, who has a prior history of convictions, has anarchist ties and noted that his TikTok username was “Wacko” — an apparent anarchy symbol.
His profile also brandished a link to “An Anarchist FAQ book,” according to court filings.

Avalos has a lengthy criminal history, including prior raps for stalking and domestic assault, records show.

He was convicted in July 2022 of stalking in Minnesota, as well as domestic battery in Florida in 2016.

In the wake of his alleged threats against Bondi, Avalos was charged with interstate transmission of a threat to injure another person.

UK commentator who celebrated Hamas’ Oct. 7 terror attack is detained at US airport

A controversial British political commentator who celebrated the horrific Oct. 7 terror attack by Hamas was detained in the US just after starting a speaking tour.

Sami Hamdi, who told a mosque to “celebrate the victory” days after the 2023 attack left 1,200 Israelis dead, was taken into custody at San Francisco International Airport on Sunday while heading on a speaking tour for the Council for American-Islamic Relations [CAIR], the organization said.

The Department of Homeland Security confirmed that his “visa was revoked and he is in ICE custody pending removal.”

“Under President Trump, those who support terrorism and undermine American national security will not be allowed to work or visit this country. It’s common sense,” DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin posted on X.

There had already been a widespread push for the Trump administration to kick out Hamdi — who claims to be a journalist — over his past celebration of Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023 attack on Israel that led to years of devastating war.

Days after the attack, he reportedly told a crowd at a mosque in London to “celebrate the victory.”

“We are pitying a people who brought a huge victory since 1948,” he said. “Don’t pity them, they don’t want your pity. Celebrate the victory,” he said.

“How many of you felt it in your hearts when you got the news that it happened? How many of you felt the euphoria? Allahu Akbari!”

Hamdi also claimed Israel’s accusations of sexual violence committed by Hamas were false, according to The Telegraph.

Far-right influencer Laura Loomer took credit for Hamdi’s arrest.

“I demanded that federal authorities inside the Trump administration treat Hamdi as the major national security threat that he is and I reported Sami Hamdi to federal immigration authorities over his documented support for Islamic terrorism,” she tweeted.

CAIR, however, called for Hamdi’s release and accused the Trump administration of detaining him over his criticism of the Israeli government.

Largest federal workers union urges Congress to pass ‘clean’ stopgap, end government shutdown — a big blow to Dems

WASHINGTON — The largest union of federal workers publicly implored lawmakers Monday to approve a temporary funding bill to end the ongoing government shutdown, ramping up pressure on Democrats to abandon their healthcare demands.

“Both political parties have made their point, and still there is no clear end in sight,” American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) President Everett Kelley declared in a statement.

“It’s time to pass a clean continuing resolution and end this shutdown today. No half measures, and no gamesmanship.”

For more than a month, Republicans have insisted on funding the government at current levels through Nov. 21 to allow time to negotiate longer-term spending.

However, Senate Democrats have blocked the so-called “clean” short-term spending bill a dozen times, instead demanding that Republicans make expensive concessions on healthcare policy in exchange for reopening the government.

Only three Democrat or Democrat-aligned senators have backed the House-passed stopgap measure: John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada and independent Angus King of Maine. Republicans need five more Democrats to flip and get the legislation past the 60-vote legislative filibuster.

AFGE represents more than 800,000 federal workers, many of whom have gone without pay since the shutdown began Oct. 1.

“These are patriotic Americans – parents, caregivers, and veterans – forced to work without pay while struggling to cover rent, groceries, gas and medicine because of political disagreements in Washington. That is unacceptable,” Kelley stressed.

“Unfortunately, shutdowns have become a recurring tactic in Washington. But there is no ‘winning’ a government shutdown.”

At least 1.4 million government workers missed their full paycheck last week. According to federal law, public sector employees will receive back pay when the shutdown concludes. However, Kelley warned that many of his members are not prepared to go extended periods without compensation.

Disney World hotel guest’s cause of death revealed, third fatally at resort property this month

A Walt Disney World Resort hotel guest died from multiple traumatic injuries after taking his own life at a popular hotel, authorities in Florida revealed.

Matthew Cohn, 28, was found dead at the Contemporary Resort on Thursday, becoming the third death at Disney World and the second at the same hotel this month.

“At this time, we can confirm that the manner of death was ruled suicide; cause of death: multiple traumatic injuries,” a spokesperson for the Orange County Medical Examiner’s Office told The Post.

A major law enforcement presence was seen near Bay Lake Tower last week, as police taped off an area around the pool.

Shocked guests claimed they were told by cast members not to look out from their balconies as staff tried to shield the response teams.

Hotel employees were posted at several windows to shield guests from looking out of the tower at the scene, one guest said, as reported by WDWNT.

Scaffolding, towel carts, and other hotel items were used to block the scene from view, while a white tent was erected in the area, Inside the Magic reported.

Dozens of police vehicles, a fire truck, and an ambulance were reportedly on-site, while staff members closed off select entrances to Bay Lake Tower, WDWNT reported.

“We woke up to a VERY large law enforcement [presence] outside our balcony this morning at Disney’s Bay Lake Tower. We were told it was a ‘medical emergency.’ Prayers to the family & those involved!” one guest wrote, sharing video of the scene on TikTok.

A second hotel guest said she saw the victim being given CPR, as others chimed in the comments.

“Unsure if he fell or jumped. They knocked on our door as well and told us not to look out the window and that there was a medical emergency. Have not heard or confirmed anything as we left to go to the parks shortly after. Sad situation all around for everyone involved,” wrote the guest, who said she was staying at the hotel with her mom and her children.

The death comes just days after Disney super fan Summer Equitz, 31, took her life at the Contemporary Resort.

Zohran Mamdani seen with beaming smile next to communist Cuba’s delegation: ‘No surprise’

Say cheese, Comrade!

New York City mayoral front-runner Zohran Mamdani is seen beaming with members of communist Cuba’s delegation to the United Nations during a trip to Albany last year.

Mamdani, a Queens state assemblyman and now the leading mayoral hopeful, is pictured with other Democratic Socialist lawmakers who want to aid the communist dictatorship by advocating to end the US blockade against Cuba.

The effort is par for the course among lefty politicians. Former Mayor Bill de Blasio honeymooned in Cuba and visited communist Nicaragua.

Mamdani’s rival, independent candidate and ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo is no slouch when it comes to schmoozing with the communist-led nation, either. He headed a trade mission to Cuba in 2015 after then-President Barack Obama eased US sanctions against it, though the embargo remained in effect.

US Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, whose mother fled oppressive Cuba, was not amused by Mamdani joining arms with communists.

“It’s no surprise Zohran was thrilled to welcome a delegation representing Cuba’s communist regime to New York since he’s made Karl Marx’s communist playbook part of his campaign,” claimed Malliotakis, a Republican who represents Staten Island and southern Brooklyn.

“From abolishing private property ownership to seizing the means of production to government-run supermarkets, Zohran’s proposed policies have destroyed lives, businesses and nations — just ask my mother whose family’s small business and home were confiscated by the regime” in Cuba, the GOPer said.

Mamdani recently opined on his views of Cuba during and after an interview with Latino journalists Jorge Ramos and his daughter, Paola Ramos.

University scraps job posting after DEI requirement exposed — and current professor says ‘I would not be hired’ today

A University of Washington professor unleashed on the college’s strict diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) requirements for new hires and a teacher performance rubric that includes a scorecard measuring DEI strategy used to assess potential professor performance.

Stuart Reges, a non-tenured teaching professor at UW’s Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science and Engineering, said he wouldn’t have been hired under the strict DEI pledge requirements, despite his academic achievements at the university.

“You have to say that you have deep knowledge of the DEIs in order to get a high rating on all of this,” Reges told Fox News Digital. “Funny thing is, I’m convinced I would not be hired if I applied today. There’s just no way, even though I’ve won the Distinguished Teaching Award here at the university.”

The University of Washington’s listing for an associate professor of school psychology role includes a mandatory “diversity statement” for all applicants, signifying a pledge to the university’s “commitment to racial equity.”

“A one-page diversity statement describing your identity, positionality, experience and commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion and alignment to the APA’s Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Framework,” the job posting reads. “In addition, describe your philosophy of teaching and learning, including how your work will further the College of Education’s commitment to racial equity and social justice.”

Seattle Red radio host Jason Rantz also blasted the university’s hiring policy, saying in his recent op-ed that “this application process makes it easier to discriminate against conservatives, which is precisely why you won’t hear the far-left faculty speak out.”

“The university isn’t looking for diverse thought; it’s enforcing a monoculture of approved political opinions,” Rantz added.

In addition to the mandatory application diversity statement, the professor explained that a grading rubric to assess a potential professor’s performance includes a section labeled “Diversity,” ranking applicants on a scale of poor to excellent.

A “Poor” rating describes the professor displaying “little evidence of potential to contribute to the UW Diversity Blueprint.”

Conservative Harvard students fear social shunning, academic retaliation, over right-wing beliefs

Three Harvard University students are speaking out about their experiences as members of the political right on what they feel is a campus that is “hostile” to their ideas.

The students, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, described feelings of unbelonging and experiences that undermined the idea that the school community is tolerant of all political ideologies.

“A good example of this, would be something like, the university is very strict on not co-sponsoring events with outside groups when it comes to the Republican Club, let’s say, trying to put on events,” one student said. “But the Democrats very often get away with doing that. No questions asked.”

The student also described what they believe to be “selective enforcement” of campus rules when it comes to right-wing events on campus.

“There have been other things, like, the Republican Club puts on a big event, and they send a bunch of administrators to really strictly enforce, you know, fire code rules, making sure that the audience is sitting properly in their seats, whereas Democrats can host events and the whole place can be jam-packed and there’s no concern whatsoever,” the student said.

Inside the classroom, the student described a culture of silence by those who might disagree with a left-leaning professor, for fear of academic and social reprisal.

“I think most students get the sense that the prudent thing to do is just sort of toe the line, both for sort of academic reasons and social,” the student said. “I mean, the grading, particularly in the social sciences, is sort of subjectively left up to graduate students, usually, who are on the teaching staff of the course. So usually what students just end up doing is sort of parroting whatever the professor says for the sake of the grade.”

The student also described a feeling of social “ostracization” that stems from “outing yourself in a class.” The student later added that “liberal orthodoxy” is “baked into the institution.”

As evidence for the latter claim, the student pointed to a panel held on Oct. 9 by the Harvard Kennedy School Institute of Politics called “Across the Divide: Organizing to Build Bridges in Partisan Times,” which he called a “lampoonish” example of institutional bias.

He noted that the three speakers on the panel about bridging the partisan divide were all Democrats: former Massachusetts Rep. Joe Kennedy III; Derrick Johnson, the president of the notably left-wing NAACP; and former New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu.

Another student described social repercussions they faced from other students after mentioning that he was considering joining a right-leaning organization on campus.

Trans teen Trinity Shockley admits to plotting Valentine’s Day mass shooting at Indiana high school

A mass shooting-obsessed trans teen has admitted to plotting a Valentine’s Day massacre at her Indiana high school.

Trinity Shockley, 18, is set to plead guilty to felony conspiracy to commit murder in return for spending a maximum of 12.5 years in prison and five years of probation, according to the Morgan County Prosecutor’s office.

Shockley, who authorities said identifies as male and uses the name Jamie, was arrested in February Monday after police received a tip that she had access to an AR-15, had purchased a bulletproof vest, and was obsessed with mass shooters.

When officers searched her home, they found a twisted shrine to Parkland Florida mass shooter Nikolas Cruz, and other gunmen.

They also found evidence that she was planning a shooting at her own school, and was planning to stage it to coincide with the anniversary of the Parkland shooting.

Shockley is also barred from researching school shooters for life, with all her electronic devices to be monitored by software that will hold her accountable.

And she will be barred from ever owning a gun.

She must also pay for mental health counseling.

She is expected to make her plea in court on Nov. 24.

Gov. Gavin Newsom reveals when he'll start thinking about a potential 2028 run

Gov. Gavin Newsom, D-Calif., revealed on Sunday that he would start giving a possible 2028 run "serious thought" after the 2026 midterms, during an interview with CBS.

"Is it fair to say, after the 2026 midterms, you’re going to give it serious thought?" CBS correspondent Robert Costa asked Newsom.

The California governor responded, "Yeah, I'd be lying otherwise."

"I’d just be lying. And I can’t do that," he added.

Costa followed up and noted the governor has always said he would need a compelling reason to run for president.

"Are you moving closer to figuring out your own why and your own decision?" Costa asked.

Newsom responded by quoting Friedrich Nietzsche, "If you have a compelling why, you can endure any how."

"I think the biggest challenge for anyone who runs for any office is people see right through you if you don’t have that why. You’re doing it for the wrong reasons. And so, look, faith will determine that," Newsom added.

The liberal governor also spoke about his redistricting efforts in California and about what he said was a masculinity crisis in the country, and how he's using his podcast to highlight it.

"We also have a crisis with masculinity and men. Men are struggling. And multi-ethic, I mean, suicide rates are off the chart, dropout rates, suspension rates, loneliness, despair, deaths of despair. It’s a serious crisis what’s going on in this country. Democrats haven’t focused on that issue. And I’m very proud of the work, substantive work we’re doing in this, but I’ve also been using the podcast to highlight that," he said.

NY BLM leader Hawk Newsome rants about ‘black faces of oppression’ as he is charged with assaulting black man

New York Black Lives Matter founder Hawk Newsome ranted about “black faces of systemic oppression” as he turned himself in Monday to face charges for allegedly assaulting a black local leader during a dust-up at a political rally in Harlem last week.

The activist is accused of punching Manhattan Democratic District Leader William Allen, 66, and hurling a bullhorn at him when the protest descended into chaos at about 10:45 a.m. on Friday, according to police and sources.

The entire saga unfolded when Newsome and a host of activists swarmed the Harlem office of Councilman Yusef Salaam — one of the exonerated Central Park Five — to object to non-profit leader Tiffany Fulton having $10,000 in her community funding pulled.

The scuffle broke out after Salaam’s mother, Sharonne – on hand for a separate press conference — went over to confront Newsome, who was shouting her son’s name into the bullhorn during the rally,  Allen said in an interview Monday afternoon.

Allen, who was there for the other press conference on solitary confinement, described himself as an “innocent bystander” – telling The Post he walked over at the same time to chat with Fulton, but ended up facing the ire of Newsome.

Video footage circulating online shows Newsome get in Allen’s face and accuse him of bringing an “old lady over here” in reference to the councilman’s mother.

“My problem is with you ‘cause I can’t get in her face like that,” he yelled as he appeared to let the bullhorn go, according to the footage.

“You put an old lady in front of me,” he also screamed even though Allen claimed Sharonne walked over on her own.

“He basically assaulted me,” said Allen. “He hit me in the chest, I backed up and as I’m backing up he raised his arm and threw the bullhorn at my head. Thank God it missed me.”

Lefty MSNBC hosts trash Trump’s ballroom plans — while admitting their company is helping pay bill

Awkward!

MSNBC’s lefty hosts and guests have been forced to disclose that the cable network’s parent company Comcast donated to President Trump’s planned White House ballroom — in the same breath they’ve been lambasting the plans, according to statements compiled by the Status newsletter.

“Here’s the issue,” MSNBC anchor Stephanie Ruhle said on her show “The 11th Hour” last week.

“Donors are paying for it. Corporations are paying for it — Comcast, our Comcast — is one of those that are underwriting it. Shouldn’t that be more concerning to the American people? Because there ain’t no company out there writing a check just for goodwill.”

Comcast is one of several Fortune 500 companies that have donated toward construction of the new $300 million ballroom as Trump ordered the White House East Wing demolished.

While Comcast CEO Brian Roberts has been criticized by Trump, the Philadelphia-based telecom giant is reportedly interested in buying Warner Bros. Discovery amid bidding talks that stand to reshape America’s media landscape. The Trump administration has been smiling on rival bidder Paramount Skydance, instead, The Post reported last week.

Frequent MSNBC guest David Frum told network host Nicolle Wallace last week: “Everyone who is giving the money, the quarter of a billion dollars to pay for this thing — with all due respect to Comcast, thank you for the hospitality — is doing so in expectation of something in return.

“They’re not doing it for the love of ballroom dancing,” the Trump-hating Atlantic writer said on “Deadline: White House with Nicolle Wallace.”

An MSNBC spokesperson declined to comment.

The comments came as Comcast is spinning off its cable channels into Versant. MSNBC is separating from its sister group NBC News and being rebranded as MS NOW starting next month.

Earlier this month, NBC News reporters and editorial staffers stopped appearing on MSNBC broadcasts as the cable channel began operating as an independent entity — the first time in its 30-year existence.

Trump’s $300 million plan to demolish the White House East Wing and replace it with a ballroom has sparked backlash from historians, preservationists and Democrats.

Critics argue the move destroys a key piece of national heritage and violates preservation laws.

The White House has defended the project as a modernization effort.

Meanwhile, Trump has called Roberts a “disgrace to the integrity of broadcasting,” labeling him a “lowlife” and “dopey” while referring to Comcast as “Concast.”

Weird. Normally, that sort of statements would get you fired in no time.  

UKRAINE WAR

Trump issues chilling warning to Putin after Russia tests new ‘invincible’ nuclear missile

President Trump issued a chilling warning to Vladimir Putin Monday after the Russian tyrant boasted about testing his country’s new “invincible” nuclear missile.

“They know we have a nuclear submarine, the greatest in the world, right off their shore,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One on Monday as he prepared to travel to Japan.

He was speaking after Putin on Sunday hailed an 8,700-mile, 15-hour test flight for Russia’s “unique” nuclear-powered missile, dubbed a “flying Chernobyl,” which the country says could strike targets in the US.

The Burevestnik missile is a “unique product, unlike anything else in the world,” Putin — dressed in military fatigues — claimed on Sunday in remarks reported by Russian state media.

“We need to identify potential uses and begin preparing the infrastructure for deploying this weapon in our armed forces,” he added.

President Trump was not impressed by Russia’s saber-rattling.”We test missiles all the time, but you know, we do have a submarine, a nuclear submarine. We don’t need to go 8,000 miles,” he said.

“They’re not playing games with us. We’re not playing games with them either,” President Trump continued, before repeating his demand that Putin end the war in Ukraine.

“I don’t think it’s an appropriate thing for Putin to be saying. By the way, he ought to get the war ended. A war that should have taken one week is now in its, soon, fourth year. That’s what he ought to do instead of testing missiles,” Trump said.

He was speaking after a planned meeting with his Russian counterpart collapsed.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has upped his calls for the US to supply his country with long-range missiles to force Putin to make peace.

Zelensky praised President Trump’s latest sanctions on Russia, saying they “will make a difference,” but warned that more pressure was needed to bring an end to the conflict raging since February 2022.

“President Trump is concerned about escalation. But I think that if there are no negotiations, there will be an escalation anyway. I think that if Putin doesn’t stop, we need something to stop him. Sanctions is one such weapon, but we also need long-range missiles,” President Zelensky told Axios Sunday.

Ukrainians mourn reporter, cameraman killed during Russian drone strike

Ukrainians gathered at a Kyiv church on Monday to mourn and honor two journalists who were killed by a Russian drone while reporting near the eastern frontlines.

War correspondent Olena Hubanova, who worked under the pseudonym Alyona Gramova, and cameraman Yevhen Karmazin were killed Thursday when a Russian Lancet drone slammed into their car in Kramatorsk, about 12 miles from the front line.

The duo are the latest journalists killed in the Ukraine war, with priest Viktor Zhyvchyk hailing them for their work during the side-by-side funeral service at St. Michael’s Golden-Domed Monastery.

“Defending the truth is one of the highest forms of love for one’s neighbor,” Zhyvchyk said. “In their effort to show the truth to the world, these journalists gave their lives.”

FreeDom, the state-funded station where Hubanova worked, said she was constantly working in the most dangerous areas in Donetsk, where the fighting remains the most intense as Russia continues its onslaught to try and conquer the oblast after nearly four years of war.

Despite the danger, the channel said the local correspondent was committed to “telling the world the truth about how Russian forces are destroying her native Donetsk region.”

Olha Mykhaliuk, a colleague who worked with Hubanova and Karmazin, was among those who attended the funeral with blue and yellow flowers, Ukraine’s colors.

“Attacks on journalists have become more frequent. The enemy sees it as a kind of victory,” Mykhaliuk said.

Donetsk region Gov. Vadym Filashkin, who confirmed the journalists’ death on Thursday, said they had been well-known in the oblast for their coverage of the carnage that has taken place for more than three years.

“Since the first days of Russia’s full-scale invasion, they covered events in the Donetsk region, telling the truth about enemy crimes, evacuations of civilians and the stories of our defenders,” Filashkin said in a statement.

Kremlin henchman’s PR tour backfires as Trump’s oil sanctions bite: ‘Feel the pain immediately’

WASHINGTON — Vladimir Putin is feeling the sting of President Trump’s new oil sanctions — so much so that he dispatched one of his top henchmen on a desperate charm offensive across the US.

Kirill Dmitriev, the Kremlin-linked financier who once served as Moscow’s backchannel to Washington, spent the weekend trying to schmooze top Trump officials and going on a media blitz.

But the move failed spectacularly, with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent bluntly blasting Dmitriev as a “Russian propagandist,” and NATO Amb. Matt Whitaker flatly rejected his overtures — saying the administration’s energy crackdown would continue.

On one of the country’s biggest Sunday morning news shows, Bessent mocked Dmitriev’s latest assertion that the sanctions would have “absolutely no effect on Russia’s economy” and “will only lead to gasoline costing more at American gas stations.”

“I think Russia is going to feel the pain immediately … And Margaret, are you really going to publish what a Russian propagandist says?” Bessent said on “Face the Nation” with Margaret Brennan, chiding the host for bringing up Dimitriev’s claims.

“I mean, what else is he going to say? That, ‘oh, it’s going to be terrible, and it’s going to bring Putin to the table’?

“The Russian economy is a wartime economy. Growth is virtually zero. Inflation, I believe, is over 20% and everything we do is going to bring Putin to the table. It’s oil that funds the Russian war machine, and I think we can make a substantial dent in his profits.”

The markets support Bessent’s assessment, with Lukoil and Rosneft, the two oil companies losing $11.5 billion in combined market value since Trump levied the sanctions, according to the Moscow Times.

The trend continued on Monday, with Rosneft shares falling roughly 5.6% to 368.4 rubles — the lowest since March 2023, according to the report. Lukoil similarly dropped 6.5%, following a whopping 12.2% plunge last week.

Whitaker, meanwhile, said Putin’s decision to send Dmitriev for the whirlwind weekend visit further proved that “President Trump holds all the cards” on Fox News’ The Sunday Briefing.

EUROPE

If Dilgear has a teal fur, why can't these dogs have their own color?

Mystery as abandoned dogs in Chernobyl turn blue, baffling caretakers

Wild images show several dogs near the Chernobyl nuclear powerplant turning blue, baffling workers taking care of them.

The alarming-looking dogs — descendants of pets abandoned after the nuclear disaster there nearly 40 years ago — have been found wandering around the Chernobyl exclusion zone this month, according to Dogs of Chernobyl, an affiliate of the non-profit Clean Futures Fund that cares for the dogs there.

“We are on the ground now catching dogs for sterilization, and we came across three dogs that were completely blue,” the organization said in an Instagram post with more than 330,000 views.

“We are not sure exactly what is going on.”

Locals said that the dogs’ fur was normal just a week earlier.

“We do not know the reason, and we are attempting to catch them so we can find out what is happening,” the spokesperson added.

“Most likely, they’re getting into some sort of chemical.”

While they are blue, they appear to be “very active and healthy,” the organization said.

Each year, Dogs of Chernobyl, which started in 2017, provides medical care and food for the estimated 700 dogs residing in the 18-square-mile exclusion zone.

The dogs are the descendants of the pets who were abandoned when people were forced to evacuate after a reactor at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant exploded in 1986, in one of the worst nuclear disasters in history.

Norwegian Cruise ship veers off course to rescue 63 migrants along coast of Greece in ‘mandatory’ search and rescue

A Norwegian Cruise ship went off-course to rescue more than 60 migrants from a sailboat along the coast of Greece last week, according to officials and passengers.

The cruise line’s Norwegian Epic vessel went out of its way to respond to a “mandatory” search and rescue operation in coordination with Greek authorities Oct. 22 and brought “63 individuals to safety,” the company told USA Today.

Once on board, the crew provided “a medical evaluation, food and other items for their comfort,” according to Norwegian.

“Following a mandatory directive from the Rescue Coordination Centre, the ship proceeded to Kalamata, Greece where the rescued individuals were turned over to the Greek authorities,” the cruise line said in a statement.

The cruise company did not share information about who was rescued, but fellow passengers posted on social media that they were migrants who had packed onto a 30-foot sailboat.

The 11-day cruise left Civitavechia, Italy, on Oct. 21, with stops around the Mediterranean in Greece, Malta, Italy and France, according to CruiseMapper.

Once the migrants were handed over to Greek authorities, the ship, which can host up to 4,000 guests, resumed its scheduled itinerary.

“We appreciate our guests’ patience and understanding during this unexpected interruption to their journey,” Norwegian said.

Last Sunday...

French officials arrest multiple suspects in Louvre crown jewel heist
Thieves stole over $100 million in jewels from Paris' Louvre on Oct. 19

Multiple suspects have been arrested in connection with the theft of crown jewels from the Louvre Museum in Paris last weekend, French officials said Sunday.

Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau said that investigators made the arrests on Saturday evening, including one man who was taken into custody as he was about to leave the country from Charles de Gaulle airport.

Beccuau did not confirm the number of arrests, though French media BFM TV and Le Parisien newspaper earlier reported that two suspects had been arrested and taken into custody. She did not say whether the jewels had been recovered.

Thieves took less than eight minutes to steal jewels valued at 88 million euros ($102 million) — a high-profile heist that sparked a national reckoning and stunned the world

The crew of thieves used a basket lift to scale the Louvre’s façade, forced open a window, smashed display cases and fled, according to French officials. The Louvre's director Laurence des Cars acknowledged there was a "terrible failure" in the museum's security.

Beccuau said investigators from a special police unit in charge of armed robberies, serious burglaries and art thefts made the arrests. She said the premature leak of information could hinder the work of over 100 investigators "mobilized to recover the stolen jewels and apprehend all of the perpetrators."

Beccuau said further details will be unveiled after the suspects’ custody period ends.

French Interior minister Laurent Nunez praised the investigators for their tireless work, adding that they always had his "full confidence."

The thieves slipped away with a total of eight objects, including a sapphire diadem, necklace and single earring from a set linked to 19th-century queens Marie-Amélie and Hortense. They also stole an emerald necklace and earrings tied to Empress Marie-Louise, Napoleon Bonaparte’s second wife, and a reliquary brooch. Empress Eugénie’s diamond diadem and her large corsage-bow brooch — an imperial ensemble of rare craftsmanship — were also part of the loot.

Eugénie’s emerald-set imperial crown with more than 1,300 diamonds was later found outside the museum, damaged but recoverable.

INTERNATIONAL

Hamas searching through Israeli-occupied Gaza for bodies of slain hostages as Trump sets deadline

Hamas is now digging through the rubble in Israel-controlled sections of Gaza in search of the bodies of the 13 remaining hostages — as only hours remain to come up with results before President Trump’s deadline.

The terror group is working in tandem with Egyptian excavation teams across the Gaza Strip to try and locate the slain hostages, which include Israeli-Americans Omer Neutra, 21, and Itay Chen, 19.

The rush to find the bodies comes after Hamas failed to hand over any hostages in six days, endangering the US-brokered cease-fire deal and leading Trump to impose a 48-hour deadline on Saturday over the lack of results.

“Hamas is going to have to start returning the bodies of the deceased hostages, including two Americans, quickly, or the other Countries involved in this GREAT PEACE will take action,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

The president suggested that the terrorists may be stalling in order to negotiate the terms of the peace deal, which calls on Hamas to give up their arms and cede its power over the Gaza Strip.

“Some of the bodies are hard to reach, but others they can return now and, for some reason, they are not. Perhaps it has to do with their disarming, but when I said, ‘Both sides would be treated fairly,’ that only applies if they comply with their obligations,” he wrote.

“Let’s see what they do over the next 48 hours. I am watching this very closely,” he added.

Although Trump had previously given Hamas time to locate the bodies of the slain hostages, Israel has complained over the slow release, with the families of the victims refuting claims that the terror group is having difficulty finding the dead.

“Hamas knows exactly where every one of the deceased hostages is held,” the Hostages and Missing Families Forum said in a statement calling for a pause on the cease-fire deal.

“The families urge the Government of Israel, the United States administration, and the mediators not to advance to the next phase of the agreement until Hamas fulfills all of its obligations and returns every hostage to Israel,” the group added.

US Navy Sea Hawk helicopter, F/A-18F Super Hornet fighter jet go down in separate South China Sea incidents

Two US Navy aircraft from the USS Nimitz — a Sea Hawk helicopter and an F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter jet — crashed during separate “routine operations” over the South China Sea on Sunday, with all five crew members rescued and in stable condition as the Navy investigates both incidents.

The US Pacific Fleet — the Navy’s largest operational command — said in a post on X that around 2:54 p.m. local time, an MH-60R Sea Hawk helicopter assigned to the “Battle Cats” of Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron 73 crashed in the South China Sea while conducting routine operations from the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68).

Search-and-rescue teams from Carrier Strike Group 11, operating alongside the Nimitz, quickly launched recovery efforts and safely pulled all three helicopter crew members from the water.

Officials said the personnel were returned to the carrier for medical evaluation and were later confirmed to be in stable condition.

Roughly 30 minutes after the helicopter incident, an F/A-18F Super Hornet from the Nimitz, assigned to the “Fighting Redcocks” of Strike Fighter Squadron 22, also went down in the South China Sea during flight operations.

Search-and-rescue teams again responded swiftly, recovering the jet’s two crew members, who had successfully ejected before the aircraft hit the water. Both aviators were transported back to the Nimitz and are reported to be in stable condition.

The US Pacific Fleet said in a statement that all five service members involved in the crashes are safe and accounted for.

The causes of both incidents remain under investigation.

The Navy has not released additional details about weather conditions, possible mechanical issues, or the nature of the training missions being conducted at the time of the crashes.

The USS Nimitz, the Navy’s oldest active aircraft carrier, is deployed in the Indo-Pacific region as part of Carrier Strike Group 11, which routinely conducts freedom-of-navigation and maritime security operations in the South China Sea—waters that have become increasingly contested amid rising tensions between the US and China.

US, China talks sketch out rare earths, tariff pause for Trump and Xi to consider

Top Chinese and US economic officials on Sunday hashed out the framework of a trade deal for US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping to decide on later this week that would pause steeper American tariffs and Chinese rare earths export controls, US officials said.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said talks on the sidelines of the ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur had eliminated the threat of Trump’s 100% tariffs on Chinese imports starting Nov. 1.

Bessent also said he expects China to delay implementation of its rare earth minerals and magnets licensing regime by a year while the policy is reconsidered.

Chinese officials were more circumspect about the talks and offered no details about the outcome of the meetings.

Trump and Xi are due to meet on Thursday on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Gyeongju, South Korea, to sign off on the terms. While the White House has officially announced the highly anticipated Trump-Xi talks, China has yet to confirm that the two leaders will meet.

“I think we have a very successful framework for the leaders to discuss on Thursday,” Bessent told reporters after he and US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer met with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng and top trade negotiator Li Chenggang for their fifth round of in-person discussions since May.

Bessent said he anticipates that a tariff truce with China will be extended beyond its November 10 expiration date, and that China will revive substantial purchases of US soybeans after buying none in September, while favoring soybeans from Brazil and Argentina.

US soybean farmers “will feel very good about what’s going on both for this season and the coming seasons for several years” once the deal’s terms are announced, Bessent told the ABC program “This Week.”

Trump congratulates Argentina’s Javier Milei after midterm election win

President Trump hailed his Argentinian counterpart, Javier Milei, as a “big victor” Monday after Milei’s party defied opinion polls to make big gains in the South American country’s legislative elections.

“Wow! That was a big win! In Argentina, I want to congratulate the victor. He was a BIG victor, he had a lot of help from us!” the president exulted to reporters on Air Force One en route to Japan from Malaysia. “It was unexpected!”

With partial results reported, Milei’s La Libertad Avanza had increased its seats in the Chamber of Deputies to at least 64 from 37 and gained at least six seats in the Argentine Senate.

“BIG WIN in Argentina for Javier Milei, a wonderful Trump Endorsed Candidate! He’s making us all look good,” Trump added on Truth Social. “Congratulations Javier!”

The Trump administration had bet big on Milei’s hardcore libertarian leadership in Argentina, offering Buenos Aires a $20 billion currency swap earlier this month — with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent suggesting the amount could grow to $40 billion by leaning on private sector assistance.

That lifeline was intended to stem a panic in which investors had been spooked by the poor performance of Milei’s party in the Sept. 7 Buenos Aires provincial election and polls showing the president’s popularity slipping amid protests at his austerity measures and frustration over several corruption scandals.

Investors fretted that another poor result on Sunday could doom Milei’s aggressive economic agenda, leading to a selloff of Argentinian assets, including the Peso.

‘Narco-banners’ reportedly threaten Americans in vacation hot spot where cartels rule

Two alleged “narco-banners” that surfaced online this month, which warned Americans to stay out of Mexico’s Los Cabos region, have sparked concern about cartel intimidation tactics, even as local officials insist the signs never existed.

The purported messages, signed by a faction of the Sinaloa Cartel known as La Chapiza, threatened violence against U.S. citizens living in or visiting the popular tourist destination. Photos of the banners circulated widely across social media, though authorities in Baja California Sur say investigators found no trace of them.

Wyoming County, Pennsylvania District Attorney Joe Peters, who served in the White House’s drug czar office during the Bill Clinton and George W. Bush administrations, told Fox News Digital that whether or not the Cabo banners were physically verified, the tactic itself is consistent with decades of cartel “narco-terrorism.”

“When you’re dealing with a cartel that’s that serious and sophisticated and right at our back door, we have to take it seriously,” Peters said. “It’s a shot over the bow to both governments. They rule by threat and intimidation – the same way the mafia did.”

Public “narco -anners,” or narcomantas, have long been used by Mexican cartels as propaganda tools, with the large signs draped across bridges or hung in public plazas to issue threats, claim territory or taunt rivals.

Peters said reports of such banners should be taken seriously given the proximity to America’s borders.

“When you’re dealing with a cartel that serious and that close to our border, we have to take it seriously. Add to that the number of Americans traveling to Latin America for business or pleasure — it’s a ready stock of potential victims for extortion,” he said.

Peters, who served in senior roles in the White House’s Office of National Drug Control Policy under Presidents Clinton and George W. Bush, said the current threats echo the global cartel tactics he saw firsthand.

In the 1980s and ’90s, Colombia’s cocaine cartels controlled entire regions through intimidation, corruption and fear tactics that are nearly identical to what’s now unfolding in parts of Mexico.