Iraq is entering ‘a new phase’ of stability and growth, President Abdullatif Jamal Rashid said in an interview, declaring the country ‘100% safe’ as U.S. troops prepare to draw down after more than two decades on the ground.

While praising the U.S. for helping to defeat ISIS, Rashid stressed that Iraq now intends to stand on its own — maintaining ties with both the United States and neighboring Iran.

‘Americans have helped us in defeating terrorism… and I think Iraq is 100% safe and secure,’ Rashid told Fox News Digital on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly. ‘It’s a new phase in Iraq, really concentrating on improving the infrastructure.’

Those who served in Iraq in the early 2000s — through the War on Terror and a civil war — may not recognize it as the same place, according to Rashid.

‘We have started development in every field of life, and there are good opportunities for number of American companies, American businessmen, to be our partner in improving the situation in Iraq.’

Under this ‘new phase,’ Rashid said he wants Iraq to be defined less by conflict and more by commerce.

‘Our relationship with the United States is a long relationship. We want to make a stronger relationship… on trade, on investment, on energy and water.’

The timing is significant. The U.S.-led coalition that toppled Saddam Hussein in 2003 and later fought ISIS was scheduled under an agreement last year to begin its final withdrawal this September. That exact timeline is unclear, and the Pentagon has disclosed few details.

The issue is sure to dominate next month’s parliamentary elections, where a swath of Iraqis want the U.S. to adhere to its agreement and leave.

‘This is a hot button political issue,’ said Behnam Taleblu, fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), ‘with a timetable that was technically — or at least allegedly — already supposed to have started by then, is going to be something that we should be keeping our eyes on.’

American commanders have warned that ISIS cells remain active in rural areas, while Iran-aligned militias have targeted U.S. and Iraqi government facilities with rockets and drones.

Some argue the counter-ISIS mission is not over, and U.S. troops should remain. Others say the U.S. footprint lacks a clear purpose at this point.

‘ISIS is a shell of its former self — the Caliphate collapsed in 2019 and its strikes on Europe have ended since then.  The remaining threat can be handled by others, notably the Iraqi government, which is popular at home and capable of carrying the load, along with the Kurdish Peshmerga and other regional states,’ said Will Walldorf, a senior fellow at Defense Priorities.  

‘Iran’s influence has waned with the near-total collapse of its regional proxies.  Any threats the U.S. might face in the future can be handled from over the horizon.’  

‘The deterrent effect of U.S. forces there, I think, could be significant,’ countered Taleblu.

Pressed on concerns, Rashid dismissed talk of Iraq being ‘overrun with Iranian proxies’ as exaggerated and said Baghdad is determined to prevent outside powers from dictating its politics.

‘We want to keep our independence, our decision-making in Iraq as the Iraqis, not to be influenced by outsiders,’ he said.

On reports of militia attacks, Rashid claimed ignorance but insisted such actions would not be tolerated.

‘I’m not really aware of any groups [carrying out attacks]. We will not allow it. And these are against the Iraqi security and Iraqi independence,’ he said.

Still, the perception of Iranian influence remains a flashpoint in Washington.

‘Iranian influence has already taken over Iraq,’ Rep. Joe Wilson, R-S.C., told Fox News Digital.

Tehran has close ties to Shiite parties that shape government coalitions in Baghdad, and it supports militias within the Popular Mobilization Forces that remain powerful players in the country’s security environment.

Iraq also relies on Iranian electricity and natural gas imports, while Iranian goods fill local markets, making Iraq one of Tehran’s most important trading partners despite international sanctions.

That reach, however, is not uncontested. Iraqi nationalist movements — including many Shiites — have resisted Tehran’s sway, and mass protests in recent years have condemned Iran’s role, sometimes targeting its consulates. Baghdad today remains a space of competing influence.

‘The Islamic Republic benefits from Iraq looking like Swiss cheese,’ said Taleblu, referring to Iranian pockets of influence across the country and its institutions.

‘Iran and Iraq are two neighbors,’ Rashid said, emphasizing that they had friendly relations. ‘We will not allow politicians from either [U.S. or Iraq] to be imposed on Iraqi people.’

Still others say Iran could take note of the Iraqi success story. In less than 20 years, the nation rose from decades of conflict and dictatorial leadership under Saddam Hussein to relative stability and democratic elections.

Rashid confirmed that Baghdad and the Kurdistan Regional Government have resolved their dispute over oil exports, paving the way for flows to resume after months of disruption. ‘It’s a big deal,’ said Rashid, who himself is Kurdish by background.

The Iraqi presidency is reserved for a Kurd under an informal power-sharing agreement, while the prime minister is Shi’a Arab and the speaker of the parliament is Sunni Arab.

Rashid also pointed to November’s parliamentary elections as proof of democratic stability.

‘We are going to have elections in two months’ time in November. That’s really an indication of how stable the country is… We want the process to be fully democratic,’ he said.

But the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) — a state-sanctioned umbrella of mostly Shiite militias, some with close ties to Tehran — are seen by critics as a parallel power structure undermining Iraq’s sovereignty.

Rashid, however, argued that integrating all armed groups under the constitution strengthens, rather than weakens, the state.

And on foreign policy, Rashid tried to position Iraq as a bridge.

He welcomed growing recognition of a Palestinian state, cautiously praised Donald Trump’s push for peace in Gaza, and reiterated that war — whether in the Middle East or in Ukraine — ‘doesn’t solve any problem. It makes the problem more complicated.’

The U.S. secured the release of an American citizen being detained in Afghanistan following months of negotiations on Sunday, Fox News has learned.

The U.S. and Qatar jointly negotiated for the release of Amir Amiry, U.S. Special Envoy Adam Boehler told Fox News on Sunday.

‘When we went to Kabul to pick up George Glezmann six months ago, I asked to see Amir Amiry. He was brought to the airport gate and when he saw us he started to cry. Leaving an American was the hardest thing that I have ever done in my life and I promised him that we would come back for him,’ Boehler told Fox.

‘Amir Amiry became a citizen by putting his life at risk fighting for our country and our troops. Today we repay the favor. God bless America and God bless the President,’ Boehler added.

‘Throughout Mr. Amiry’s detention, Qatari diplomats remained in close communication with US officials and carried out regular health checks to ensure his wellbeing,’ a source familiar with Amiri’s detention told Fox News.

‘His release was facilitated by Qatari diplomats in close coordination with the team of the US Special Envoy for Hostage Affairs, through Qatar’s role as the United States’ protecting power in Afghanistan,’ the source added.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio celebrated Amiry’s release, thanking Qatar in an X post Sunday afternoon.

‘Today we welcome home Amir Amiry, an American who was wrongfully detained in Afghanistan. I want to thank Qatar for helping secure his freedom,’ Rubio said. ‘@POTUS has made it clear we will not stop until every American unjustly detained abroad is back home.’

Amiry’s release comes roughly a week after the Taliban released an elderly British couple after eight months in captivity.

Barbie Reynolds, 76, and husband Peter Reynolds, 80, arrived in Qatar on Friday following months of negotiations between Qatar, the Taliban and Britain.  

The couple had lived in Afghanistan for 18 years, where they ran an education charity. Despite the ordeal, Barbie Reynolds said they would return to Afghanistan if they could. They are both Afghan citizens.

‘God is good, as they say in Afghanistan,’ she added at the Kabul airport.

Fox News’ Brie Stimson contributed to this report

Former Vice President Kamala Harris revealed her debate preparation against Donald Trump during the 2024 election cycle included how to handle a handful of crude hypothetical attacks on abortion and Viagra use, according to her new book, ‘107 Days.’

Bolstered by a team of advisers and a veteran trial attorney Harris compared to a ‘wartime consigliere,’ the then-vice president traveled to the basement of Howard University, her undergraduate alma mater, to prepare for her debate against Trump. Harris had prepped to debate JD Vance in a vice presidential debate ahead of then-President Joe Biden dropping out of the race in July 2024. 

Amid typical debate prep focused on providing Harris with intimate knowledge of topics so she could effectively present her argument on stage, she also was trained for the ‘the painful matter of imagining what kinds of personal attacks Trump might mount against me.’

”He might ask you if you’ve ever had an abortion,’ one adviser said,’ Harris wrote of her time devising her debate strategies. 

‘If he did, the response would be: That’s none of your business and that’s not what we’re here for,’ she continued. 

Harris continued that another individual in the debate prep room floated ‘a dark joke that if he got that personal, I should ask if he took Viagra.’

‘Another: Had he ever paid for an abortion?’ she continued. 

The pair were asked about abortion during the debate, but it never culminated into personal attacks on hypothetical abortions or Viagra use. 

‘In the end, he didn’t go down that track. He probably knew a question like that would be exceedingly thin ice for him—and would infuriate just about every woman in America,’ Harris wrote. 

Harris added that her team wrote a debate card ‘for every nuance of every subject, and once I memorized what was on that card, I’d draw a big, loopy X across it.’

‘I am not a trained seal; I’m not going to memorize lines and spout them. I have to understand the logic and building blocks of every argument so I can present it clearly and defend it persuasively,’ she wrote.

Harris’ book, ‘107 Days,’ hit shelves Tuesday and reflects on the 107 days she had on the presidential campaign trail after Biden dropped out of the race amid mounting concern over his mental acuity. 

Harris failed to rally enough support to defeat Trump, losing each of the seven battleground states Nov. 4, 2024. 

The Supreme Court is set to reexamine a landmark decision about the president’s ability to fire members of independent agencies, and the outcome could expand executive power and have far-reaching implications.

The high court revealed in an order last week it would revisit Humphrey’s Executor v. United States, a 1935 decision that Hans von Spakovsky, a legal fellow at the conservative Heritage Foundation, said is now on ‘life support.’

Contrary to the decision in Humphrey’s, von Spakovsky said agencies like the Federal Trade Commission, the Securities and Exchange Commission and various labor boards ought not to be insulated from presidential firings.

‘The Constitution says the president is the head of the executive branch,’ von Spakovsky told Fox News Digital. ‘That means, just like the CEO of a big corporation, they get to supervise and run the entire corporation, or in this case, the entire executive branch, and you can’t have Congress taking parts of that away from him and saying, ‘Well, they’re going to keep doing executive branch things, including law enforcement, but you won’t have any control over them.’’

The Supreme Court’s decision came in response to a challenge from a Biden-appointed FTC commissioner whom President Donald Trump fired at will after taking office.

The high court said in a 6-3 emergency decision Trump’s termination of the commissioner, Rebecca Slaughter, could remain in place for now while it uses her case to take on Humphrey’s Executor, which centered on an FTC firing under President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The high court found Roosevelt could not fire a commissioner without cause.

Slaughter has called her firing illegal, pointing to Humphrey’s and the FTC Act, which says commissioners cannot be fired from their seven-year terms without cause such as malfeasance or negligence.

Joshua Blackman, a professor at South Texas College of Law, told Fox News Digital that if Humphrey’s is overturned or narrowed, it will likely also apply to other agencies that have statutory protections against firings designed to preserve their independence.

‘I think this ruling will necessarily reach beyond the FTC,’ Blackman said. ‘The only question is whether they maintain that the Federal Reserve is different.’

The high court indicated in an earlier shadow docket decision about labor board firings this year that it views the Federal Reserve as unique, a ‘quasi-private’ structure rooted in the traditions of the first central banks. A separate case involving Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook’s firing is testing that position.

Von Spakovsky said the Supreme Court has been inching toward addressing Humphrey’s. The 2010 decision to narrow the Sarbanes-Oxley Act by stripping independence from an accounting oversight board and the decision five years ago finding the president could fire the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau director at will were hints of this.

In the latter case, Chief Justice John Roberts wrote that the president’s power ‘to remove — and thus supervise — those who wield executive power on his behalf follows from the text of Article II.’ The CFPB’s ‘novel’ structure defied that presidential power because a single director oversees an agency that ‘wield[s] significant executive power.’

Ruling in Trump’s favor would help the president and his conservative allies realize their stated goal of achieving a unitary executive, a theory that says the president should have sole control over the executive branch.

As part of this vision, Trump abruptly sidestepped numerous statutes to pluck out protected appointees at independent agencies when he took office, moves the Supreme Court is now poised to weigh in on in Slaughter’s case.

Boston University School of Law professor Jed Shugerman said in a statement online that Trump has done ‘more to establish a unitary executive than all the judges and legal scholars in the world could ever do.’

However, Shugerman criticized the president, saying his tests of authority have also ‘done more to discredit and expose the unitary executive theory as lawless authoritarianism than any judge or legal scholar could ever do.’

John Shu, a constitutional law expert who served in both Bush administrations, recently told Fox News Digital he believed the Supreme Court would narrow Humphrey’s Executor because the FTC’s powers have greatly expanded since its inception.

‘The Federal Trade Commission of 1935 is a lot different than the Federal Trade Commission today,’ Shu said.

Shu said today’s FTC can open investigations, issue subpoenas, bring lawsuits, impose financial penalties and more. The FTC now has executive, quasi-legislative and quasi-judicial functions, he said.

President Donald Trump is slated to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House on Monday in an attempt to broker a ceasefire agreement and an end the war in Gaza.

Previewing the talks on Sunday, Trump wrote on Truth Social: ‘We have a real chance for greatness in the Middle East. All are on board for something special, first time ever. We will get it done.’

Trump did not elaborate on the precise terms of a ceasefire, exit or demilitarization plans for Gaza, or hostage-prisoner swap arrangements. He has previously said that both Israel and Hamas have agreed to indirect talks later this week in Qatar.

Meanwhile, Vice President JD Vance told ‘Fox News Sunday’ that top U.S. officials are immersed in ‘very complicated’ negotiations with both Israeli and Arab counterparts.

‘I feel more optimistic about where we are right now than where we have been at any point in the last few months, but let’s be realistic, these things can get derailed at the very last minute,’ Vance said.

He added that the Trump administration’s proposal centers on three main points: securing the release of all hostages, eliminating the Hamas threat to Israel, and expanding humanitarian aid to Gaza.

‘So I think we’re close to accomplishing all three of those objectives,’ Vance said.

In an exclusive interview on Fox News Channel’s ‘The Sunday Briefing,’ Netanyahu said his team is working with U.S. officials to secure the release of hostages, a top priority for the Israeli leader.

‘I hope we can make it a go because we want to free our hostages. We want to get rid of Hamas rule and have them disarmed, Gaza demilitarized, and a new future set up for Gazans and Israelis alike and for the whole region,’ he told co-host Jacqui Heinrich.

The meeting, the third one between Trump and Netanyahu since January, comes on the heels of the United Nations General Assembly. 

Dozens of U.N. delegates left the General Assembly hall during the prime minister’s address, leaving rows of empty seats behind.

Later, member states voted to permit Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to deliver his remarks remotely on Thursday. 

In his speech, Abbas accused Israel of ‘genocide’ and called for full U.N. membership for a Palestinian state — drawing about 30 seconds of applause.

The president of the Kennedy Center on Friday sharply criticized longtime jazz musician Chuck Redd for canceling his Christmas Eve performance days after the White House announced that President Donald Trump’s name would be added to the iconic performing arts institution in Washington, D.C.

Kennedy Center president Richard Grenell said Redd’s decision financially harmed the nonprofit institution, and he would seek $1 million in damages, accusing him of carrying out a ‘political stunt.’

‘Your decision to withdraw at the last moment — explicitly in response to the Center’s recent renaming, which honors President Trump’s extraordinary efforts to save this national treasure — is classic intolerance and very costly to a non-profit Arts institution,’ Grenell wrote in a letter to Redd, obtained by Fox News Digital.

Fox News Digital could not immediately reach Redd for comment.

Redd, who has hosted holiday Jazz Jams at the venue since 2006, abruptly canceled his Christmas Eve performance after Trump’s name was added to the facility.

‘When I saw the name change on the Kennedy Center website and then hours later on the building, I chose to cancel our concert,’ Redd told The Associated Press on Wednesday.

On Dec. 18, the Kennedy Center’s board voted unanimously to rename the institution the ‘Trump-Kennedy Center.’

The update was immediately criticized by members of the Kennedy family who argued it undermined the legacy of President John F. Kennedy.

Maria Shriver, Kennedy’s niece, reacted harshly to the decision, saying it was ‘beyond comprehension.’

Several artists have canceled performances at the Kennedy Center since Trump’s return to office, including Lin-Manuel Miranda, who called off a production of ‘Hamilton.’

Kennedy Center vice president of public relations Roma Daravi told Fox News Digital Friday that Redd was politicizing art by calling off his performance.

‘Any artist canceling their show at the Trump Kennedy Center over political differences isn’t courageous or principled—they are selfish, intolerant, and have failed to meet the basic duty of a public artist: to perform for all people,’ she said in a statement.

Daravi stated that art is ‘a shared cultural experience meant to unite, not exclude,’ calling the venue ‘a true bipartisan institution that welcomes artists and patrons from all backgrounds.’

She added that ‘great art transcends politics,’ and that ‘America’s cultural center remains committed to presenting popular programming that inspires and resonates with all audiences.’

Last week, workers added President Trump’s name to the building’s exterior, and the website header was updated to read, ‘The Trump Kennedy Center.’

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt is expecting a baby girl, Fox News Digital has learned. 

Leavitt and her husband Nick are expecting their second bundle of joy to be born in May 2026. Their first son, Niko, was born in July 2024.

‘My husband and I are thrilled to grow our family and can’t wait to watch our son become a big brother,’ Leavitt told Fox News Digital. ‘My heart is overflowing with gratitude to God for the blessing of motherhood, which I truly believe is the closest thing to Heaven on Earth.’

Leavitt told Fox News Digital that she is ‘extremely grateful to President Trump and our amazing Chief of Staff Susie Wiles for their support, and for fostering a pro-family environment in the White House.’

‘Nearly all of my West Wing colleagues have babies and young children, so we all really support one another as we tackle raising our families while working for the greatest president ever,’ Leavitt said.

Leavitt added: ‘2026 is going to be an amazing year for the President and our country, and personally, I am beyond excited to become a girl mom.’ 

A senior White House official told Fox News Digital that Leavitt will remain in her post as press secretary.

Leavitt will be the first pregnant press secretary in U.S. history.

President Donald Trump kicked off the week delivering remarks at the United Nations General Assembly, and closed it out by attending the 2025 Ryder Cup golf competition. 

During his address to the U.N. General Assembly debate Tuesday, Trump cautioned that Europe is in a crisis due to an influx of illegal immigration and warned that U.N. countries are ‘going to hell’ in the ‘failed experiment of open borders.’ 

‘Europe is in serious trouble,’ Trump said Tuesday. ‘They’ve been invaded by a force of illegal aliens like nobody’s ever seen before. Illegal aliens are pouring into Europe. Nobody is ever. And nobody’s doing anything to change it, to get them out. It’s not sustainable. And because they choose to be politically correct, they’re doing just absolutely nothing about it.’ 

The Trump administration has taken a tough stance against illegal immigrants to advance Trump’s mass deportation agenda. 

‘The U.N. is supposed to stop invasions, not create them and not finance them,’ Trump said. ‘In the United States, we reject the idea that mass numbers of people from foreign lands can be permitted to travel halfway around the world, trample our borders, violate our sovereignty, cause unmitigated crime, and deplete our social safety net. We have reasserted that America belongs to the American people, and I encourage all countries to take their own stand in defense of their citizens as well.’ 

After his remarks before the General Assembly and after meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Trump said that he believes Ukraine, with the backing of the European Union, could secure back all of its territory as the war between Russia and Ukraine persists. 

‘After getting to know and fully understand the Ukraine/Russia Military and Economic situation and, after seeing the Economic trouble it is causing Russia, I think Ukraine, with the support of the European Union, is in a position to fight and WIN all of Ukraine back in its original form,’ Trump said in a Tuesday Truth Social post. ‘With time, patience, and the financial support of Europe and, in particular, NATO, the original Borders from where this War started, is very much an option.’ 

‘Why not? Russia has been fighting aimlessly for three and a half years a War that should have taken a Real Military Power less than a week to win,’ Trump said. ‘This is not distinguishing Russia. In fact, it is very much making them look like ‘a paper tiger.’’ 

Meanwhile, Trump headed to Farmingdale, New York, Friday along with his granddaughter Kai for the Ryder Cup golf competition at Bethpage Black Course. 

Trump has appeared at two other sporting events in New York in September: the U.S. Open men’s final and a New York Yankees game Sept. 11. 

Fox News’ Paulina Dedaj and Ryan Morik contributed to this report.