All links and summaries are here.

Breaking: Trump hails Israel-Hamas breakthrough | 8 Oct 2025 | U.S. President Donald Trump has announced that Israel and Hamas have reached a breakthrough in their negotiations on the first phase of a Gaza peace plan. The White House last month released a 20-point peace plan for ending the Gaza conflict, which called for an immediate ceasefire, hostage-for-prisoner release, Hamas disarmament and a withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Palestinian enclave. In a post on Truth Social on Wednesday, Trump said that the militant group has consented to release all Israeli hostages, while Israel has agreed to withdraw troops from Gaza “to an agreed upon line.” “I am very proud to announce that Israel and Hamas have both signed off on the first Phase of our Peace Plan,” the US president said, calling the decisions the “first steps towards a strong, durable and everlasting peace.”

Trump announces Israel and Hamas signed off on phase one of Gaza peace plan: ‘Hostages will be released very soon’ | 8 Oct 2025 | President Trump announced Wednesday that Israel and Hamas have both signed off on the “first phase” of a peace plan expected to pause fighting in Gaza and lead to the release of hostages held by the militant group. “This means that ALL of the Hostages will be released very soon, and Israel will withdraw their Troops to an agreed upon line as the first steps toward a Strong, Durable, and Everlasting Peace,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “All Parties will be treated fairly!” the president added, calling it “a GREAT Day for the Arab and Muslim World, Israel, all surrounding Nations, and the United States of America.”

Russia backs Trump’s Gaza peace plan | 8 Oct 2025 | The plan for peace in Gaza proposed by US President Donald Trump is currently the “best” option to stop the bloodshed, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said. Most important, however, is that it be accepted by the Palestinians, he added. The 20-point plan, released by the White House last month, calls for an immediate ceasefire and the exchange of all hostages held by Hamas for Palestinian prisoners in Israel. It also envisions turning Gaza into a “deradicalized, terror-free zone” after the withdrawal of Israeli forces, with Hamas excluded from governing the enclave. According to Lavrov, the proposal is not ideal since it essentially sidesteps the issue of Palestinian statehood, which remains at the heart of the conflict, and only focuses on Gaza.

Netanyahu ordered drone attacks on Gaza-bound humanitarian aid boats off Tunisia, sources say | 3 Oct 2025 | Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu directly approved military operations on two vessels early last month that were part of a Gaza-bound flotilla carrying aid and pro-Palestinian supporters, including Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, CBS News has learned. Two American intelligence officials briefed on the matter told CBS News that Israeli forces on Sept. 8 and 9 launched drones from a submarine and dropped incendiary devices onto the boats that were moored outside the Tunisian port of Sidi Bou Said, causing a fire… Under international humanitarian law and the law of armed conflict, the use of incendiary weapons against a civilian population or civilian objects is prohibited in all circumstances.

Trump calls for jailing of Illinois governor and Chicago mayor in immigration standoff | 8 Oct 2025 | President Donald Trump has called for the jailing of Illinois officials, accusing them of not doing enough to ensure the safety of federal immigration officers who are conducting raids in Chicago. The president wrote in a social media post that Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, both Democrats, “should be in jail for failing to protect Ice Officers!” Trump has previously called the city a “war zone” amid protests against immigration enforcement. Pritzker has called the president’s actions “authoritarian.” The Republican president spoke as hundreds of National Guard troops arrived in the city as part of his immigration crackdown.

Homan confirms Texas National Guard ‘on the ground’ in Illinois, warns anti-ICE rhetoric fueling ‘bloodshed’ | 8 Oct 2025 | “Border czar” Tom Homan announced that Texas National Guard troops began operations Tuesday in Illinois to protect federal immigration officers amid what he described as a sharp rise in attacks targeting ICE personnel. “They’re on the ground, and they started working last night,” Homan confirmed on “America Reports” Wednesday. About 200 members of the Texas National Guard were mobilized for the mission, which the Pentagon says is intended to protect federal “functions, personnel and property.”

Trump to send 400 Texas National Guard troops to Illinois as anti-ICE protests continue to rage – Pritzker | 6 Oct 2025 | President Trump is deploying 400 Texas National Guard troops to Illinois, Oregon, and other states as swarms of anti-ICE protesters continue to clash with federal agents, Gov. JB Pritzker said Sunday night. The Illinois Democrat blasted Trump’s “invasion” hours after the president mobilized 300 California National Guard members to Portland, where unrest has raged for over 100 consecutive days outside an immigration detention center — a scene that has been playing out in Chicago since September. A violent wave of anti-ICE protests has intensified in the Windy City since U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement launched “Operation Midway Blitz” last month, an initiative aimed at targeting criminal illegal immigrants who feds say flocked to Chicago to seek protection under the state’s “sanctuary policies.”

Turning Point confirms authenticity of leaked Charlie Kirk messages | 8 Oct 2025 | Leaked text messages in which late conservative activist Charlie Kirk admits to losing the support of a major Jewish donor are “authentic,” according to Andrew Kolvet, a spokesman for Kirk’s nonprofit Turning Point USA. Kolvet said he had personally shared a screenshot of a private chat with “people in the government” shortly after Kirk’s death. He did not want to make it public because it was a “private conversation” that did not “necessarily comport with things that were already made public,” he said on The Charlie Kirk Show YouTube channel on Tuesday. The leaked messages were first shown by conservative commentator Candace Owens during her YouTube podcast on Monday. According to the screenshots, Kirk wrote, “I just lost another huge Jewish donor. 2 million a year because we won’t cancel Tucker.” The remark apparently referred to Kirk’s refusal to withdraw an invitation for fellow conservative commentator Tucker Carlson to speak at his AmericaFest conference. In a follow-up message, Kirk wrote that he had “no choice but to leave the pro-Israel cause.”

‘Beyond Disqualifying’: VA Gov. Glenn Youngkin Wants Democrat AG Hopeful Jay Jones to Drop Out After ‘Disgusting’ Texts | 5 Oct 2025 | Virginia Democrat attorney general hopeful Jay Jones is being pressured to drop out of the race after text messages revealed he apparently fantasized about a Republican lawmaker being fatally shot. In a social media post on Saturday, Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) called out Jones for the text messages he is accused of sending in 2022 that showed him wishing a now former state House Speaker Todd Gilbert and his children would be killed, the New York Post reported. “This violent, disgusting rhetoric targeted at an elected official and his children is beyond disqualifying. Jay Jones said that ‘Gilbert gets two bullets to the head’ and then hoped his children would die,” Youngkin wrote.

S&P 500, Nasdaq close at record highs as Wall Street looks past U.S. government shutdown | 8 Oct 2025 | The S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite scored new all-time intraday and closing highs on Wednesday, a day after the broad market index snapped a seven-day winning streak because of a drop in Oracle that called to question the sustainability of the artificial intelligence trade. The U.S. government shutdown is also in its second week. The benchmark S&P 500 climbed 0.58% to close at 6,753.72, supported by a rise in the index’s information technology, utilities and industrials sectors. All three sectors notched fresh closing highs. The Nasdaq Composite advanced 1.12% to finish at 23,043.38. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 1.20 points to end the day at 46,601.78.

Chevron refinery in El Segundo engulfed by massive fire after explosion as blaze is seen across Los Angeles | 3 Oct 2025 | A massive explosion has triggered a huge fire ball at an oil refinery in Los Angeles on Thursday night. The blaze was seen for miles across the city after police said it ignited at the Chevron refinery in El Segundo. Terrifying images and videos posted by social media users show the night sky being engulfed by bright orange flames with smoke billowing toward the sky as witnesses recounted hearing a “sudden steady roar.” Live feeds from local news outlets show that units from the LA County Fire Department have gathered around the refinery, where flames are still visible. It remains unclear how the fire started.