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Biden Mouthpiece Karine Jean Pierre Unloads on the Democratic Party

Former White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said she left the Democratic Party and registered as an independent, citing frustration and disillusionment with how Democrats treated Joe Biden after his withdrawal from the 2024 presidential race.

The revelation comes from her upcoming memoir, Independent, which is scheduled for release later this year.

In excerpts obtained by Newsweek, Jean-Pierre described her reaction to the phone call in which then-President Biden informed his staff that he was ending his re-election campaign.

The decision came in July 2024, following weeks of pressure from within the Democratic Party after his debate performance against Republican nominee Donald Trump.

“Biden seemed to be totally at peace with his decision, but I was stunned, my feelings a blur,” Jean-Pierre wrote.

“I was angry and sad. I was enraged and heartbroken that this man had given more than 50 years of his life to serving the American people, and in the end he’d been treated poorly by members of his own party. It was horrible.”

Jean-Pierre, who served as White House Press Secretary from May 2022 until early 2025, said she had spent years defending Biden’s leadership and abilities from behind the briefing room podium.

She acknowledged that she never expected him to withdraw from the race and felt betrayed by how quickly party leaders moved to push him aside.

“The Democratic Party had defined my life, my career,” she wrote.

“Everything I’d done to make people’s lives better had been connected to it. The party was the vehicle that allowed me not just to have a front seat to history, working first on [Barack] Obama’s presidential campaign then in his administration, but also to make some history of my own as the first Black woman and openly queer person to ever be a White House press secretary. Never had I considered leaving the party until now.”

According to Jean-Pierre, the turning point came shortly after Biden’s announcement.

She recalled planning to make her first television appearance since his withdrawal on The View, the ABC daytime talk show.

During that time, she began to reconsider her relationship with the Democratic Party and what she described as its culture of political conformity.

“Now the cloud of unease hovering over me solidified into an idea about how I could possibly do something different,” Jean-Pierre wrote.

“How I could channel my disappointment into some kind of concrete action that would allow me to fight for what I believed in without giving blind loyalty to a party I felt no longer deserved it.”

In the book, she recounted the moment she decided to change her political registration.

“‘You know what? I’m going to become an independent. I don’t think I can stomach being in the Democratic Party anymore,’” she wrote.

Jean-Pierre accused party operatives and strategists of orchestrating what she called a “firing squad” against Biden in the final weeks of his campaign, saying Democrats turned on him despite his decades of public service.

She said that pressure from within his own party ultimately forced Biden to step aside.

Jean-Pierre publicly announced her decision to leave the Democratic Party in June, coinciding with the promotion of her memoir.

Before joining the Biden-Harris administration, she worked as a senior advisor for MoveOn.org, served in the Obama White House, and appeared as a political analyst on MSNBC.

She also played key roles in multiple Democratic presidential campaigns, including Barack Obama’s and Kamala Harris’s.

Her departure marks one of the highest-profile defections from the Democratic Party since Biden’s withdrawal.

In Independent, Jean-Pierre writes that her move is not about abandoning political engagement but about reclaiming her own values after what she viewed as a profound betrayal.

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60 Minutes Staff Stunned Silent by Question from CBS New News Editor-In-Chief Bari Weiss

CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss reportedly stunned the 60 Minutes team during a private staff meeting by asking a question that left veteran journalists momentarily speechless.

According to The New York Times, Weiss asked the group, “Why does the country think you’re biased?” during a meeting at CBS headquarters.

The question, described by attendees as direct and unexpected, prompted what multiple sources called an awkward silence from the show’s reporters and producers.

Weiss, 41, who describes herself as a centrist and has made political neutrality central to her plans for CBS News, raised the question as part of a broader discussion about restoring public trust in mainstream media.

Three people familiar with the meeting told The Times that the exchange caught many of the network’s most established figures off guard.

Among those present were 60 Minutes correspondents Anderson Cooper and Lesley Stahl, both of whom were described as taken aback by the suggestion that their reporting may be perceived as partisan.

Cooper, who also anchors on CNN, and Stahl have long maintained that their work is fact-based and objective.

The meeting followed Weiss’s first two weeks as editor-in-chief, a position she officially assumed on October 6.

Her appointment marked a significant change in leadership at CBS News, coming amid efforts by parent company Paramount Skydance to rebrand and stabilize the network after a turbulent year.

Weiss previously worked as an opinion editor at The New York Times before resigning in 2020, citing what she called an “illiberal environment.”

She later co-founded The Free Press, an independent media outlet that Paramount Skydance is now in the process of acquiring.

Her hiring by Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison, the son of billionaire and Trump ally Larry Ellison, drew attention both inside and outside the network.

An insider told the Daily Mail that Weiss had been “informally consulting” for CBS before her official start date.

In her new role, Weiss has pledged to refocus CBS News toward what she calls “the American mainstream,” saying that much of the public has been “ill-served” by politically polarized media coverage.

CBS News has faced repeated criticism over its editorial direction in recent years, particularly in the wake of controversies involving 60 Minutes.

In October 2024, former President Donald Trump filed a lawsuit against the network, alleging that a segment featuring then–Vice President Kamala Harris was deceptively edited.

Paramount settled the case for $16 million, which sources said helped clear the way for the federal approval of an $8 billion merger between Skydance Media and Paramount in August 2025.

The network also faced backlash earlier this year over its coverage of the Israel-Gaza conflict.

Lesley Stahl was widely criticized for an April interview with former Hamas hostage Keith Siegel, in which she asked whether his captors had starved him “on purpose or if they just did not have any food to hand out.”

Siegel, who was held for 484 days, replied, “No, I think they starved me, and they would often eat in front of me and not offer me food.”

The interview drew condemnation from media critics and members of Congress, who accused Stahl of showing undue sympathy toward Hamas.

In the weeks following the controversy, 60 Minutes executive producer Bill Owens and CBS News CEO Wendy McMahon both resigned amid reported disagreements over the network’s editorial direction.

Despite his long-standing disputes with CBS, President Donald Trump recently told CNN he believes Weiss and Ellison will steer the network toward greater balance.

“CBS has great potential,” Trump said.

As Weiss begins restructuring CBS News, her pointed question to the 60 Minutes team has fueled renewed debate within the network about how to address perceptions of political bias while retaining journalistic credibility.

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Speaker Johnson Exposes the Ridiculous ‘No Kings’ Narrative in Under a Minute

House Speaker Mike Johnson dismissed the nationwide “No Kings” protests held Saturday as a “stunt,” arguing that the very existence of the demonstrations disproved claims that President Donald Trump governs like a monarch.

Johnson made the remarks Sunday on ABC News’s This Week during an interview with host Jonathan Karl.

The coordinated protests, organized by anti-Trump groups across multiple cities, drew participants including attorney George Conway, who was seen wearing a shirt identifying himself as a member of Antifa.

Demonstrators held signs and chanted slogans criticizing President Trump and his administration, framing the rallies as a stand against authoritarianism.

Karl questioned Johnson about his previous characterization of the protests as “hate America” rallies, a description the speaker used during an October 10 interview on Fox and Friends.

At that time, Johnson predicted the demonstrations would include “the pro-Hamas wing and the, you know, the Antifa people.”

“Start with the ‘No Kings’ rallies. You called these ‘Hate America’ rallies. What do you mean?” Karl asked.

“That collection of folks that I listed were part of it,” Johnson said.

“We congratulate them on a violent-free, free speech exercise. The irony of the message is clear for everyone. If President Trump was a king, the government would be open right now. If President Trump was a king, they would not have been able to engage in that free speech exercise on the Mall which was open because President Trump hasn’t closed it. In the last shutdown, 2013, President Obama closed the National Mall, the national parks, didn’t allow people to engage in all this. They needed a stunt. They needed a show.”

The speaker’s comments came amid the ongoing partial government shutdown that began at 12:01 a.m. on October 1, after the Senate failed to pass a continuing resolution to fund federal agencies.

The measure fell short of the 60 votes required to overcome a Democratic filibuster.

The House had approved a short-term funding bill on September 19.

President Trump and congressional Republicans have accused Democratic lawmakers of using the shutdown to delay or obstruct government operations rather than negotiate a long-term funding agreement.

The protests also occurred less than a month after President Trump announced that Antifa had been formally designated a domestic terrorist organization.

The announcement, made on September 17 via Truth Social, followed the assassination of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk during a campus event at Utah Valley University earlier that month.

Antifa-linked violence has been documented in several U.S. cities over recent years.

In Portland, Oregon, a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility has repeatedly been targeted by rioters opposing the agency’s enforcement operations against illegal immigrants.

Federal officials said Antifa members assaulted conservative journalists and attempted to use high-powered lasers to disable federal aircraft during previous riots.

The organization was also involved in widespread unrest following the death of George Floyd in May 2020 and participated in the violent demonstrations that took place in Portland in January 2021.

In June 2019, journalist Andy Ngo was beaten by Antifa members while covering protests in the same city.

During his ABC interview, Johnson contrasted the current environment under President Trump with actions taken by former President Barack Obama during a previous government shutdown.

Johnson noted that public spaces, including the National Mall, remained open this time, allowing demonstrators to exercise their First Amendment rights.

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Trump Hits Back on Shumer Shutdown:: ‘They’re Lunatics, They’ve Gone Crazy’

President Donald Trump criticized Democratic lawmakers on Fox News Thursday morning, accusing them of prolonging the federal government shutdown due to what he described as “Trump Derangement Syndrome.”

The shutdown, now in its 19th day, has become one of the longest in modern history.

“We have a deal. We just want an extension,” President Trump said during the interview.

“And the reason we want an extension is because you can’t make a deal with these people. They’re lunatics. They’re gone crazy. They’re crazed people. Trump derangement syndrome. There really is that disease. At first, I found it to be amusing. Now, I find there really is — they want $1.5 trillion for health care for illegal aliens. If we do that, it will jeopardize the health care of the citizens of our country. So we’re not going to do that.”

President Trump went on to argue that the ongoing government closure is being used by Democrats as a political tool rather than a policy disagreement.

He also noted that his administration still retains authority over spending decisions during a shutdown, suggesting that Democrats miscalculated the situation.

“They’re referring to me as a king. I’m not a king,” Trump said.

“They made one mistake. They didn’t realize that [the Schumer Shutdown] gives me the right to cut programs… giveaways, welfare programs, etc., and we’re doing that. We’re cutting them permanently.”

According to Townhall, the Trump administration has announced that it will pause $11 billion in federal projects as part of budgetary adjustments during the ongoing funding lapse.

The partial shutdown, which began on October 1, marks the third-longest government closure since 1981.

Negotiations between the White House and congressional Democrats remain stalled, with both sides accusing the other of political obstruction.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., has declined to advance measures that would temporarily reopen the government without broader concessions on funding priorities.

According to Republican leaders, Schumer has refused at least ten separate opportunities to end the shutdown since it began.

The deadlock has halted pay for thousands of federal employees and raised concerns about the continued operation of certain programs.

Officials have warned that if the standoff persists, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program—relied upon by an estimated 42 million Americans—could face distribution delays in the coming weeks.

President Trump said he remains open to negotiations but emphasized that his administration will not agree to policies that he believes endanger American citizens’ benefits.

“They want $1.5 trillion for health care for illegal aliens,” he reiterated during the Fox News interview.

“If we do that, it will jeopardize the health care of the citizens of our country.”

U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., urged Democrats to end the impasse and support legislation to fund essential government services. Johnson said the ongoing closure is needlessly harming American workers and families while Democratic leaders focus on political messaging.

While the White House has maintained that it continues to seek a workable resolution, officials confirmed that the administration will continue exercising spending discretion in the meantime.

The duration of the shutdown remains uncertain as both parties show no signs of backing down ahead of the next legislative session.

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‘MASSIVE Election Security Scandal’ Erupts in Democrat Stronghold Fairfax County, Virginia

The Fairfax County Republican Committee has filed a formal complaint against the county’s Office of Elections, accusing officials of distributing thousands of flawed absentee ballots ahead of several closely watched Virginia elections.

The complaint raises new questions about ballot security in one of the state’s largest and historically Democrat-leaning counties.

Fairfax GOP Chair Katie Gorka sent a letter to the Office of Elections alleging what she called “a MASSIVE election security scandal.”

The letter detailed inconsistencies in how absentee ballots have been handled and returned in the weeks leading up to the November elections.

“As of October 15, 2025, 84,062 voters had been sent absentee ballots, 77,583 in the U.S. Of these ballots which were sent, 29,106 ballots had been returned by mail and 3,366 by dropbox, with 495 absentee ballot recipients voting in-person instead,” Gorka wrote.

“As a result, a large number of incidents may have occurred resulting in violations of the secrecy of ballots.”

Gorka’s letter alleged that design flaws in ballot envelopes could expose voters’ choices, compromising confidentiality and potentially violating state election laws.

She identified the greatest risk within mail-in voting, citing testimony from Virginia Department of Elections Commissioner Susan Beals before the General Assembly’s Privileges and Elections Committee in 2024.

“The United States Postal Service’s performance is insecure for elections,” Beals had testified on September 4, 2024.

“If I had to name what my biggest concern is for the 2024 general election, it would be the operational performance of the United States Postal Service.”

According to the Fairfax GOP, the design of certain ballot envelopes allows markings or impressions to be visible through the outer layer, potentially revealing selections for specific candidates.

The letter specifically mentioned concern over ballots cast in the attorney general race, where Republican incumbent Jason Miyares is seeking re-election.

Gorka’s letter called for immediate corrective action by county officials, including notifying all affected voters, recommending in-person voting whenever possible, and ensuring strict handling and storage of absentee ballots.

“We request that the Fairfax County Office of Elections acknowledge receiving our official complaint and inform the public as to the next steps they will take to secure the election,” the letter concluded.

Fairfax County, home to more than one million residents, has long been considered a Democratic stronghold in Virginia.

However, concerns about election integrity have grown among local Republicans amid record numbers of absentee ballots and extended early voting periods.

Virginia’s 45-day early voting period began on September 19 and runs through November 1.

Voters have until October 24 to request mail-in ballots.

The controversy comes as both statewide and local elections in Virginia attract national attention.

The 2025 gubernatorial race between Democratic nominee Abigail Spanberger and Lieutenant Governor Winsome Earle-Sears has been closely watched across the country.

The attorney general race has drawn even more scrutiny following revelations that Democrat nominee Jay Jones sent violent text messages referencing political opponents.

In one of the messages, Jones wrote that “Gilbert gets two bullets to the head” and went on to express wishes for harm against his opponents’ children.

The incident triggered widespread condemnation, including from within his own party.

Since the messages surfaced, Jones’ campaign has faltered, and recent polling shows Attorney General Jason Miyares gaining a lead after previously trailing by double digits.

The Fairfax County Office of Elections has not yet responded publicly to the GOP’s complaint.

The FBI and Virginia Department of Elections have not announced any parallel investigations, though election monitors expect the issue to remain under review as early voting continues through the final week before Election Day.

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FBI Investigating Potential Sniper Setup Near President Trump’s Palm Beach Arrival

Federal authorities are investigating a security threat after the Secret Service discovered a hunting stand positioned with a clear line of sight to the location where President Donald Trump exits Air Force One in Palm Beach, Florida.

The FBI has taken control of the investigation, according to statements provided to Fox News.

Officials said the elevated stand was found last week near the Air Force One landing area at Palm Beach International Airport.

The structure appeared to have been in place for several months.

“Prior to the President’s return to West Palm Beach, USSS discovered what appeared to be an elevated hunting stand within sight line of the Air Force One landing zone,” FBI Director Kash Patel told Fox News.

Patel confirmed that “no individuals were located at the scene,” and said federal agents immediately launched an evidence-gathering operation.

“The FBI has since taken the investigatory lead, flying in resources to collect all evidence from the scene, and deploying our cell phone analytics capabilities,” Patel said.

Fox News reported that the U.S. Secret Service uncovered the stand during security sweeps ahead of President Trump’s scheduled arrival.

The structure was positioned in a way that allowed direct visual access to the aircraft’s exit point. Authorities have not yet linked the stand to any individual or group.

Anthony Guglielmi, chief of communications for the Secret Service, confirmed that the agency is “working closely” with the FBI and local law enforcement in Palm Beach County.

He said the discovery was made during “advance security preparations” conducted before the President’s visit.

“There was no impact to any movements and no individuals were present or involved at the location,” Guglielmi told Fox News.

Patel reiterated that “USSS spotted a suspicious stand near the AF1 zone in Palm Beach,” prompting the federal response.

The discovery adds to a pattern of security incidents in the area involving potential sniper threats near President Trump’s residence and properties in Florida.

Last year, federal prosecutors charged Ryan Routh, 59, with attempting to assassinate a major presidential candidate after authorities said he set up a sniper position outside President Trump’s golf course in West Palm Beach.

According to investigators, Routh pushed the muzzle of his rifle through the perimeter fence before fleeing into nearby brush.

Law enforcement officers later recovered a Go-Pro camera, two backpacks, a loaded SKS-style 7.62×39 caliber rifle with a scope, and a black plastic bag containing food.

One of the backpacks held ceramic tiles believed to have been intended for use as body armor.

Following a two-week trial in federal court, a Florida jury found Routh guilty last month on all five counts, including attempting to assassinate a major presidential candidate, assaulting a federal officer, and weapons-related offenses.

The Secret Service and FBI have not released additional details regarding the Palm Beach investigation.

Authorities said President Trump’s travel schedule and security operations were not affected by the discovery.

Both agencies are continuing to assess whether the hunting stand poses any connection to previous threats or incidents involving the President’s security perimeter in southern Florida.

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Trump’s Solicitor General Challenges Liberal Judges Over National Guard Deployment

The Trump administration has filed an emergency petition with the U.S. Supreme Court seeking to overturn lower court rulings that block President Donald Trump’s authority to federalize the Illinois National Guard for deployment in Chicago.

The petition follows a series of rulings by two Illinois judges and a three-judge panel of the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals that limit the President’s power to call Guard units into federal service during civil unrest.

The conflict began on October 4, 2025, when President Trump determined that conditions in Chicago had become too dangerous for federal personnel conducting law enforcement operations, including immigration enforcement actions.

In a written directive, the President ordered Secretary of War Pete Hegseth to “call into Federal service at least 300 members of the Illinois National Guard, until the Governor of Illinois consents to a federally-funded mobilization, under Title 32 of the United States Code, of the Illinois National Guard under State control. The members of the Illinois National Guard called into Federal service shall protect ICE, FPS, and other United States Government personnel who are executing Federal law in the State of Illinois, and Federal property in the State of Illinois.”

Two days later, on October 6, Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker filed a lawsuit seeking to block the mobilization.

The case was assigned to U.S. District Judge April Perry, who issued a 14-day temporary restraining order prohibiting “the federalization and deployment of the National Guard of the United States within Illinois,” including out-of-state Guard units.

Judge Perry wrote that she found no “credible evidence of a danger of rebellion” or any inability by state authorities to enforce the law.

She added that deploying federalized Guardsmen could “add fuel to the fire.”

The administration immediately appealed to the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals.

On October 11, the appeals court issued a partial stay of Judge Perry’s order, permitting the President to federalize National Guard troops but not to deploy them for riot control or security patrols.

On October 17, a three-judge panel upheld the district court’s temporary restraining order in full.

In its opinion, the panel wrote, “Although we substantially agree with the definition of rebellion set forth by the district court in Newsom, we emphasize that the critical analysis of a ‘rebellion’ centers on the nature of the resistance to governmental authority.

Political opposition is not rebellion. A protest does not become a rebellion merely because the protestors advocate for myriad legal or policy changes, are well organized, call for significant changes to the structure of the U.S. government, use civil disobedience as a form of protest, or exercise their Second Amendment right to carry firearms as the law currently allows.”

The judges concluded that there was “insufficient evidence of a rebellion or danger of rebellion in Illinois,” ruling that the actions of demonstrators, though sometimes violent, did not meet the statutory threshold required for federal intervention.

The panel included judges appointed by Presidents Barack Obama, George H.W. Bush, and Donald Trump.

In response, Solicitor General John Sauer filed an emergency petition with the Supreme Court, arguing that the rulings unlawfully strip the President of his constitutional authority as Commander in Chief.

“At bottom, the plaintiffs seek to use this suit to second-guess the President’s judgment that recent and repeated acts of violence targeting federal facilities and personnel in Illinois warrant calling up the National Guard—including because the violence has left the President sufficiently ‘unable’ to ensure faithful ‘execut[ion]’ of federal law,” Sauer wrote.

The administration contends that the federal courts have overstepped by substituting their judgment for that of the President.

The filing states that the lower court rulings “cause irreparable harm to the Executive Branch by countermanding the President’s authority as Commander in Chief, jeopardizing the lives and safety of DHS officers, and preventing the President and the Secretary of War from taking reasonable and lawful measures to protect federal personnel from the violent resistance that has persisted in the Chicago area for several months.”

The Solicitor General’s brief urges the Supreme Court to reaffirm that the authority to federalize National Guard units rests solely with the President under 10 U.S.C. § 12406, which grants the executive the power to determine when “insurrection, invasion, or rebellion” conditions require such action.

The plaintiffs, including Governor Pritzker and several Illinois officials, have until 5 p.m. Sunday to file their response.

The administration is expected to submit a rebuttal shortly thereafter. A Supreme Court decision on whether to take up the case could come within the next two weeks.

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Gran-Tifa: Boomers Show Up In Force for the ‘No Kings’ Anti-Trump Protests

Older demonstrators joined the nationwide “No Kings” protests on Saturday under the self-styled banner “Grantifa,” short for “Grandparents Against Fascism.”

The protests, which took place across the United States, were organized in opposition to President Donald Trump and his administration’s policies.

Photos and videos from the events showed older attendees holding handmade signs and wearing blue shirts identifying themselves as “Grantifa.”

Activist Shane Claiborne shared a photo from one protest showing two older participants carrying signs reading “GRANTIFA: Grandpops Against Fascism” and “GRANTIFA: Grandmoms Against Fascism.”

Claiborne wrote on X, “I met Grantifa today. We’re gonna be alright. #NoKings #NoKingsDayOct18th.”

Another image posted by X user William Coffin showed two older women in Arizona wearing shirts with the slogan “aka senior citizens against this bullsh*t,” with the caption, “It’s about to go down in AZ!”

The “No Kings” demonstrations were held in multiple cities nationwide and included a wide range of groups and participants. Protesters described their goal as opposing “authoritarianism” under President Trump.

Many attendees were seen in costumes shaped like frogs, cats, and dinosaurs, carrying homemade signs referencing civil rights and government accountability.

Democratic lawmakers including Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York, Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey, Sen. Adam Schiff of California, and former Rep. Beto O’Rourke of Texas participated in various events, joining organizers who said the demonstrations were meant to promote “power to the people.”

According to a report from Fox News Digital, the “No Kings” movement receives financial backing from a network of Democratic-aligned nonprofits, labor unions, and political action committees.

The report said several of the organizations tied to the movement have also been linked to anti-Israel activism.

Fox News cited billionaire donor George Soros’s Open Society Foundations as one of the primary sources of funding, noting that the foundation provided multimillion-dollar grants to groups participating in the protests.

Republican lawmakers including Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas and Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa have called for federal investigations into the financing and coordination of the demonstrations.

Lawmakers expressed concern that some of the groups involved could be using political donations to fund protests that overlap with previously identified Antifa-affiliated networks.

Breitbart News has reported that earlier “No Kings” protests also saw a rise in participation from older Americans.

At demonstrations in Virginia and other states, many attendees were over the age of 60, carrying signs referencing Social Security, Medicare, and opposition to what they called “authoritarianism.”

Some participants carried American flags or wore patriotic clothing while voicing criticism of the administration.

The emergence of the “Grantifa” identity comes amid heightened federal scrutiny of left-wing protest groups.

President Donald Trump formally designated Antifa a domestic terrorist organization in September, citing its involvement in organized acts of violence, intimidation, and doxxing.

The executive order directed federal agencies to identify, investigate, and dismantle Antifa’s funding networks, describing the group as a “militarist, anarchist enterprise” responsible for coordinating riots and attacks on law enforcement officers.

White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent have pledged to “use the whole of the federal government” to track and disrupt the financing of left-wing domestic terror networks.

In a joint statement, they said the administration would “follow the money” behind organized protest activity and identify “terrorist operations” operating under banners and slogans associated with Antifa.

Local police in several cities said they were monitoring events for possible criminal activity but did not indicate any major incidents.

Federal authorities continue to assess the scope and funding of nationwide demonstrations connected to Antifa-related networks.

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Paris Chaos: Thieves Steal Priceless Crown Jewels in 7-Minute Louvre Heist

French authorities are investigating a major jewelry theft at the Louvre Museum in Paris after a group of thieves used a basket lift to enter the building and steal priceless artifacts on Sunday.

The museum, one of the world’s most visited cultural landmarks, was closed for the day following the heist.

Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez described the incident as a “major robbery” and said the suspects carried out a well-organized operation that lasted only seven minutes.

Speaking on France Inter radio, Nuñez said the individuals “entered from the outside using a basket lift,” stealing jewels of “inestimable value.”

He said the group “manifestly had done scouting” before the theft and that the museum’s glass panes were cut “with a disc cutter.”

Authorities said the Louvre was shut “for exceptional reasons,” with museum officials providing no further details on the extent of the theft.

No injuries were reported during the incident.

Footage from the scene showed confusion among visitors as police secured the museum grounds, closed its gates, and cordoned off nearby streets leading to the historic complex.

Officers were seen directing tourists away from the area while investigators began documenting the scene.

According to the French newspaper Le Parisien, the thieves entered the museum through the Seine-facing facade, where renovation work is currently underway.

The report said the group used a freight elevator to reach the Apollo Gallery, which houses part of France’s historic Crown Jewels collection.

After breaking through windows, the thieves reportedly took “nine pieces from the jewellery collection of Napoleon and the Empress,” according to Le Parisien. One of the stolen items — believed to be Empress Eugénie’s crown — was later found broken outside the museum.

French investigators have not yet confirmed the full inventory of what was taken.

The Louvre, a symbol of French cultural heritage, has faced several high-profile thefts throughout its history.

The most famous occurred in 1911 when the Mona Lisa was stolen by Vincenzo Peruggia, a former museum worker who hid inside overnight and walked out with the painting concealed under his coat.

The artwork was recovered two years later in Florence, an event that helped make Leonardo da Vinci’s portrait the most recognized painting in the world.

Another theft took place in 1983 when two Renaissance-era pieces of armor were stolen and remained missing for nearly four decades before being recovered.

The museum’s extensive collection, which includes more than 33,000 works from across history, reflects both its global reputation and controversial past.

Some items have long been the subject of restitution debates related to looting during the Napoleonic era.

The Louvre features artifacts from ancient Mesopotamia, Egypt, Greece, and Rome, as well as masterpieces from European artists including da Vinci, Michelangelo, and Vermeer.

Its most visited works include the Mona Lisa, the Venus de Milo, and the Winged Victory of Samothrace.

The Apollo Gallery, the site of Sunday’s theft, showcases a selection of France’s Crown Jewels and is one of the museum’s most ornate halls.

Designed during the reign of Louis XIV, the gallery was later restored under Napoleon III and remains one of the museum’s highlights for visitors.

Authorities have not announced any arrests, and the investigation remains ongoing.

Police are reviewing security footage and questioning staff members and witnesses.

The Louvre, which attracts as many as 30,000 visitors a day, has not announced when it will reopen to the public.

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Hamas Breaks Ceasefire Again, Israel Hits Back Hard in Gaza

The Israeli military carried out strikes in the Gaza Strip on Sunday after accusing Hamas of repeatedly violating the ceasefire agreement, an Israeli official told Fox News.

An Israeli military official confirmed the strikes to Fox News on Sunday and pointed to attacks by Hamas that began on Friday.

The official said the attacks on Israeli forces occurred beyond the line behind which Israel had withdrawn under the terms of the agreement.

“The terror organization Hamas carried out multiple attacks against Israeli forces beyond the yellow line. The attacks included an RPG shot at a military force, and a sniper fire against a military force,” the official told Fox News in a statement.

“Both of the incidents happened in an Israeli-controlled area, east to the yellow line. This is a bold violation of the ceasefire,” the official added.

Israeli forces responded by striking targets in both the northern and southern sectors of the Gaza Strip, military and local sources reported.

Officials did not provide a full list of the sites hit or detail the extent of damage and casualties in the immediate aftermath.

The reported attacks on Israeli troops followed days of internal fighting in Gaza between Hamas and rival Palestinian armed groups after the ceasefire took effect.

Reuters reported that Hamas executed at least 33 people in recent days in what officials described as a campaign to “show strength” following the halt in broader hostilities.

Israeli sources said most of those killed were members of families accused of collaborating with Israel or of supporting rival militias.

The U.S. Department of State issued a warning on Saturday that Hamas might break the peace agreement with a planned attack on Palestinian civilians.

“This planned attack against Palestinian civilians would constitute a direct and grave violation of the ceasefire agreement and undermine the significant progress achieved through mediation efforts,” the department said in a statement on social media.

“The guarantors demand Hamas uphold its obligations under the ceasefire terms.”

“The United States and the other guarantors remain resolute in our commitment to ensuring the safety of civilians, maintaining calm on the ground and advancing peace and prosperity for the people of Gaza and the region as a whole,” the statement continued.

President Donald Trump also issued a public warning on Friday aimed at Hamas.

Writing on Truth Social, he said: “If Hamas continues to kill people in Gaza, which was not the deal, we will have no choice but to go in and kill them.”

Israeli military statements and the U.S. warning reflect concern among guarantors of the ceasefire that isolated incidents could escalate into wider violence.

The ceasefire terms included specific withdrawal lines intended to separate Israeli forces from designated Gazan areas; Israeli officials maintain the actions they cited crossed those boundaries.

Local Gaza health authorities and media outlets reported strikes in populated areas, but casualty counts were not immediately verifiable.

Access constraints in Gaza and restrictions on independent observers complicate efforts to confirm battlefield developments and the identities of those killed or wounded.

Hamas officials did not immediately issue a public response to the Israeli military’s account or to the U.S. Department of State’s warning.

Rival Palestinian groups engaged in clashes with Hamas since the ceasefire began, according to multiple local reports, increasing tensions within Gaza even as outside mediators sought to stabilize the situation.

International mediators brokered the ceasefire with the stated aim of halting large-scale hostilities and reducing harm to civilians on both sides.

The guarantors named by the State Department have urged all parties to adhere to the terms and to pursue steps that would prevent further civilian suffering.


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