President Donald Trump is being sued by a historic preservation group seeking to stop construction of his new White House ballroom.

The National Trust for Historic Preservation filed a lawsuit Friday against the Trump administration, arguing that it skipped mandatory reviews and failed to seek congressional approval before demolishing the East Wing of the White House.

‘No president is legally allowed to tear down portions of the White House without any review whatsoever — not President Trump, not President Biden, and not anyone else,’ the lawsuit stated. ‘And no president is legally allowed to construct a ballroom on public property without giving the public the opportunity to weigh in.’

Attorneys for the nonprofit argued Trump’s project ‘should be immediately halted’ and work on the 90,000-square-foot ballroom project should be paused until the reviews are completed.

When reached for comment, White House spokesperson Davis Ingle told Fox News Digital, ‘President Trump has full legal authority to modernize, renovate and beautify the White House – just like all of his predecessors did.’ 

Construction on the ballroom started in October, leading to the demolition of the White House’s historic East Wing. The project is being privately funded at an estimated cost of $300 million, up from a $200 million estimate in July when the project was unveiled.

The lawsuit claims the Trump administration failed to submit its demolition plans to the National Capital Planning Commission, the Commission of Fine Arts and Congress before construction began, arguing it is ‘depriving the public of its right to be informed.’

Additionally, the National Trust said the project violates numerous federal statutes, including the Administrative Procedure Act and the National Environmental Policy Act, and claimed Trump circumvented the Constitution. 

‘The President, acting unilaterally, is wholly without constitutional authority to build or demolish anything on federal Grounds,’ the lawsuit stated.

The National Trust is requesting that a federal judge prevent the Trump administration from continuing work on the Ballroom project until the necessary federal commissions have reviewed and approved the project’s plans, an adequate environmental review has been conducted and Congress has authorized the ballroom’s construction.

The White House is expected to submit plans for Trump’s new ballroom to a federal planning commission before the end of the year.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

A Florida man was arrested after an FBI investigation linked him to multiple extremist group chats on the encrypted messaging app Signal, where agents claim he used aliases to share disturbing graphic messages, detailed instructions for explosives and violent neo-Nazi propaganda.

Lucas Alexander Temple, 20, is facing federal charges for distribution of information regarding the manufacturing or use of explosives and possession of an unregistered short-barreled shotgun, according to court documents.

According to criminal complaints, Temple shared a hand-drawn diagram of a homemade detonator, linked to YouTube videos describing how to synthesize dynamite and construct blasting caps, and posted a 122-page extremist manual filled with White supremacist rhetoric. 

Investigators said the chats also included graphic discussions promoting rape, torture and murder, including the killing of non-White children.

Screenshots of messages allegedly sent by Temple’s aliases included phrases like, ‘How long would it take to rape a femboy to death?’ and discussions about sexually assaulting men.

Temple’s online aliases were linked to his true identity through personal details shared in chats — including his age, job at a grocery store and a family museum visit — and were verified with state records and security footage, according to the complaint.

While executing a search warrant at Temple’s home on Thursday, FBI agents found neo-Nazi propaganda, a book related to Columbine High School shooters Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris and a Springfield Model 67 Series E shotgun with a barrel shorter than 18 inches.

The barrel was allegedly sawed off and found in a separate area by investigators.

ATF records confirmed Temple was not registered to have the weapon.

Agents also found a handwritten note that said, ‘Plans: Wear body cams for livestream. Notify friends of livestream. Put flags on car. Play music on car speakers during operation. Place motion-activated bombs in doorways (for cops).’

During his initial court appearance, Magistrate Judge Amanda Arnold Sansone ordered that he remain detained pending trial, finding he posed a serious danger to others.

President Donald Trump pardoned a pair of turkeys at the White House on Tuesday, going on to joke that former President Joe Biden’s turkey pardons last year were ‘null and void’ because he used an autopen.

Trump made the joke while carrying out the decades-long White House Thanksgiving tradition, this year pardoning ‘Gobble’ and ‘Waddle.’ The crowd laughed as Trump said he saved last year’s turkeys, ‘Peach’ and ‘Blossom’ from being carved up after the nullification of Biden’s pardons.

‘I wanted to make an important announcement. Because you remember last year, after a thorough and very rigorous investigation by [Attorney General] Pam Bondi and all of the people at Department of Justice, the FBI, the CIA, and the White House Counsel’s Office…I have determined that last year’s turkey pardons are totally invalid,’ Trump said.

‘Null and void,’ Trump said of the pardons. ‘The turkeys known as Peach and Blossom last year have been located, and they were on their way to be processed, in other words, to be killed. But I’ve stopped that journey, and I am officially pardoning them. And they will not be served for Thanksgiving dinner. We saved them in the nick of time.’

This year’s turkeys, ‘Waddle’ and ‘Gobble,’ are the largest turkeys ever to receive a presidential pardon, Trump said. Both of the birds weigh over 50 pounds.

A National Turkey Federation spokeswoman told reporters at the White House that after Waddle and Gobble are pardoned, they will move to North Carolina State University, where they will serve as ‘Turkey ambassadors for our industry.’

First lady Melania Trump held a poll on X to name this year’s turkeys, resulting in Waddle and Gobble.

Last year’s pardoned turkeys, the aforementioned Peach and Blossom, and the ones before them, ‘Liberty’ and ‘Bell,’ all came from Minnesota.

North Carolina, Indiana, Iowa, South Dakota, Ohio, California, Virginia and Missouri have all sent turkeys to the White House.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s surprise resignation from Congress stunned House Republicans and sets up an even tighter majority in the lower chamber that could foil major legislative priorities.

Whether it triggers a ripple effect of Republican lawmakers following her lead remains to be seen. Still, there are members of the House GOP who are frustrated by how events have unfolded in recent months, especially after House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., opted to keep the House in session for over 50 days during the government shutdown.

Rep. Mike Haridopolos, R-Fla., told Fox News Digital he’s ‘heard rumors’ of frustration among his colleagues but, from people he’s spoken with, ‘They’re committed to being here.’

‘This is an incredible honor to serve in the House of Representatives, and when you run for office, I think you should fill out your term,’ Haridopolos said.

‘This is what the American public wanted,’ he continued. ‘I mean, they affirmatively put Republicans in power. And the only frustration we’ve been through, at least my biggest frustration, is when the Democrats exercise their power to shut the government down for 43 days.’

Greene, in her resignation letter teeing up her departure from Congress Jan. 5, 2026, aired grievances about how little progress has been made on Capitol Hill since she became a lawmaker in 2021.

She also took aim at President Donald Trump, who she has for weeks been distancing herself from despite being a die-hard Trump loyalist for much of her legislative career, and at Johnson for his handling of the shutdown.

‘During the longest shutdown in our nation’s history, I raged against my own speaker and my own party for refusing to proactively work diligently to pass a plan to save American healthcare and protect Americans from outrageous overpriced and unaffordable health insurance policies,’ Greene said. ‘The House should have been in session working every day to fix this disaster, but instead America was forced fed disgusting political drama once again from both sides of the aisle.’

Rep. Blake Moore, R-Utah, the fifth highest-ranking House Republican, sought to quash any rumors of dissent among the ranks in a statement to Fox News Digital.

‘Speaker Johnson and the House Republican leadership team have made a diligent effort to listen to all members of the conference for input, policy ideas and concerns,’ he said. ‘As usual, the media is building a negative narrative, but our record of delivering for the American people with our majority this year speaks to our teamwork and unity.’

That majority is now headed for a tenuous situation with Greene’s retirement.

Though Republicans are expected to maintain a seat after former Rep. Mark Green, R-Tenn., retired, the special election to replace the late former Rep. Sylvester Turner, D-Texas, is expected to stay in Democratic control, effectively nullifying the results.

That means when Greene leaves, and if the results in Tennessee in December favor Republicans, Democrats are hoping for a miracle in the race. The results in Texas in late January favor Democrats, so the GOP would be left with effectively a two-vote majority.

Another lawmaker was tempted to exit the House for a different reason.

Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., was furious over the White House’s 28-point plan for Russia and Ukraine and told Fox News Digital that he found it ‘so appalling, so embarrassing.’

Bacon argued that the plan, which has broadly been viewed as giving Moscow much of what it wants and leaves Ukraine with little other than an end to the ongoing war, was ‘a recipe for Ukraine being abused for decades to come, and to be basically a vassal state under Russian control. And that was unacceptable.’

His preference is that if Ukraine is pushed to give up territory to Russia, it should be allowed to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization at the very least.

He noted that he ran on a pro-Ukraine platform, and, for a moment, considered resigning, fast-tracking his planned retirement from Congress at the end of next year.

‘I was so frustrated, it went through my mind,’ Bacon said. ‘You know, I don’t want to be a part of this team, frankly, but I don’t — I knew it was wrong. It was short-lived.

‘I think people would be doing a disservice to a lot of people just to resign,’ he continued. ‘I frankly think you should only resign if you got, like, an illness, or your spouse has an illness, or you got a legal issue. You know, when you run, there’s a commitment.’

The far-left push within the Democratic Party, highlighted by mayoral victories by socialist candidates in New York City and Seattle, is poised to be a major factor in several key battleground House races as several candidates carrying the progressive mantle hold strong positions in Democratic primaries.

Several of the most competitive House races in the country feature candidates putting to the test whether progressive policies can appeal to voters outside deep blue urban centers, including in California’s 22nd Congressional District, where Democrat Randy Villegas is running to unseat Republican Rep. David Valadao. 

‘Bernie and I share the same goal: to make life more affordable for working families,’ Villegas said in a statement after being endorsed by Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., a self-described ‘democratic socialist.’

‘He has dedicated his life to putting power in the hands of ordinary Americans instead of the ultra-rich, and I’m excited to work together to fight for our communities here in the Central Valley and across the country.’

In addition to being endorsed by Sanders, who endorsed New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, Villegas has employed the Fight Agency advertising firm, among others, which is led by operatives who also helped Mamdani cruise to victory earlier this month.

Fox News Digital reported this week that Fight Agency is also working to defeat two vulnerable House Republicans in Pennsylvania, Reps. Rob Bresnahan and Ryan Mackenzie.

Villegas, endorsed by the progressive Working Families Party that endorsed Mamdani, is currently running in a Democratic primary against California state Assemblywoman Jasmeet Bains, who was recruited by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) and currently is sitting on less cash on hand than Villegas.

‘Here in the Central Valley, we couldn’t care less about political labels,’ Villegas said in a statement to Fox News Digital. ‘We care about being able to see a doctor without going bankrupt and being able to feed our families without needing a second job. We’re sick of politicians in both parties selling us out to billionaires and corporations. Any politician who isn’t fighting for working families like our lives depends on it needs to get out of the way.’

In Colorado’s 8th Congressional District, GOP Rep. Gabe Evans is being challenged by another progressive Democrat, Manny Rutinel, in what is expected to be one of the tightest House races next November.

Rutinel, who serves as a Colorado state representative, who was reportedly spotted alongside Mamdani and holds a large fundraising lead over his Democrat opponents, has associated himself with a variety of far-left groups and politicians, including Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., Townhall reported.

Rutinel has been endorsed by progressive groups like CHC Bold PAC and Latino Victory Fund.

The race to unseat GOP Rep. Darrell Issa in California’s redrawn 48th Congressional District features Democrat Ammar Campa-Najjar, who describes himself as a ‘working-class progressive’ and was endorsed by the Sanders-linked group Our Revolution. 

Campa-Najjar, who volunteered for Sanders’ 2016 presidential campaign and appears to be the front-runner in the Democratic primary, was endorsed in 2020 by the Working Families Party as well as Democrat Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s Courage to Change PAC. 

GOP Rep. Tom Barrett is up for re-election in Michigan’s 7th Congressional District, and one of the Democrats running to replace him is William Lawrence, who co-founded the progressive Sunrise Movement.

Lawrence’s policies have drawn comparisons to Mamdani, including from the Lansing City Pulse, who wrote that his ‘campaign is built on a community movement, a message of ‘real representation’ that takes ‘political control away from the establishment and puts it back in the hands of the people.’ It’s like how Zohran Mamdani won in New York City.’

Peter Chatzky is running as a Democrat challenging GOP Rep. Mike Lawler in New York’s 17th Congressional District, and although he is running in a crowded primary, he has the ability to self-fund and is viewed as a formidable contender in a district ranked by Cook Political Report as ‘Lean Republican.’

Chatzky has defended Mamdani’s agenda on social media and praised the young socialist for running ‘an effective campaign that consistently focused on affordability, fairness, and opportunity in New York City.’

Chatzky, the only Democrat in the field who has called for Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer to step down, has expressed support for ‘universal healthcare.’

Like Mamdani, Chatzky has also faced criticism for his positions on Israel and defended Mamdani against allegations of antisemitism. 

In Nebraska, John Cavanaugh, a state senator, is running as a Democrat to replace retiring GOP Rep. Don Bacon in the 2nd Congressional District with the endorsement of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, which he said he is ‘grateful’ for and that he plans to join them on the ‘front lines.’

As Democratic leadership in Washington, D.C. begins to face calls for new faces, Republicans across the country have made the argument that the socialist push in recent months is reshaping key House races and changing the landscape of the way the Democratic Party operates going forward. 

Mike Marinella, national spokesperson for the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC), told Fox News Digital the rise of progressive candidates is a ‘full-blown battle for the soul of the Democrat Party’ and concluded that the ‘socialist stampede is winning.’

‘Democrats aren’t focused on helping working families, they’re too busy tearing each other apart.’ 

In a statement to Fox News Digital, DCCC spokesperson Viet Shelton touted the Democrats across the country who are focusing on affordability. 

‘Because of House Republicans, everything is too damn expensive and working families are struggling. Republican operatives in D.C. know they can’t win on the issues, so we’re seeing them melt down in real time,’ Shelton said.

‘Even President Trump is in the Oval Office desperately bear hugging the Mayor-elect. It’s embarrassing. While they waste their time, Democrats across the country are laser focused on lowering prices and fighting for everyday Americans, which is why we will re-take the majority.’

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo both issued dire warnings about the pressing need to protect the endangered Syrian Kurdish population under attack by government forces in the war-torn nation.

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, who earlier this month ordered his army, which reportedly has a large jihadist element in it, to conquer territory controlled for more than a decade by the U.S.-allied Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF.)

Writing on the social media platform X on, Graham declared, ‘There is strong and growing bipartisan interest in the U.S. Senate regarding the deteriorating situation in Syria. There is strong consensus that we must protect the Kurds who were there for us in destroying the ISIS caliphate, as well as many other groups.’

Pompeo responded to Graham’s post, stating, ‘Turning our backs on our Kurdish allies would be a moral and strategic disaster.’

The Trump administration is facing criticism from its long-standing ally, the Syrian Kurds, who played a crucial role in the defeat of the Islamic State in the heartland of the Middle East, following a U.S. government announcement on social media that seemed to hint that the partnership had ended this past week with the Kurdish-run SDF in northern Syria.

The SDF formed as a bulwark against the rapid spread of the Islamic State’s terrorist movement in 2013. ISIS created a caliphate covering significant territory in Syria and Iraq. Al-Sharaa was a former member of the Islamic State and al Qaeda.

Fox News Digital reached out to the State Department regarding U.S. Ambassador to Turkey, Tom Barrack, who also serves as the Special Envoy for Syria, for a response to his recent statement on X wrote that indicated the U.S. partnership with the SDF was over.

Barrack wrote, ‘The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), led by Kurds, proved the most effective ground partner in defeating ISIS’s territorial caliphate by 2019, detaining thousands of ISIS fighters and family members in prisons and camps like al-Hol and al-Shaddadi. At that time, there was no functioning central Syrian state to partner with — the Assad regime was weakened, contested, and not a viable partner against ISIS due to its alliances with Iran and Russia.’

He added, ‘Today, the situation has fundamentally changed. Syria now has an acknowledged central government that has joined the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS (as its 90th member in late 2025), signaling a westward pivot and cooperation with the U.S. on counterterrorism.’

Iham Ahmed, a prominent Syrian Kurdish politician, told Fox News Digital that, ‘We really wished to see a firm position from the U.S. The Kurdish people are at the risk of extermination. The U.S. does not give any solid or tangible guarantees.’

Ahmed cast doubt on statements like Barrack’s, warning the ‘Syrian army is still consisting of radical factions that no one can trust. Alawites, Christians, Sunnis and Druze cannot trust these factions. We could face massacres, which happened in other Syrian cities.’

When asked by Fox News Digital if the SDF wants Israel to intervene to aid the Kurds as it did to help the Syrian Druze and other minorities last year, Ahmed said, ‘Whoever wants to help us should do so – today is the day.’ She said that ‘the Islamic State is showing itself in the image of an official army. Everyone is threatened now.’

She urged a ‘special status for the Kurdish region’ in northeastern Syria.

Ahmed accused the Erdoğan government of nefarious involvement. ‘Turkey stands behind the attacks on our region. Turkish intelligence and small groups are leading attacks. Statements from Turkey are encouraging the extermination of our people,’ she claimed.

Fox News Digital sent a press query to the Turkish embassy spokesman in Washington D.C.

The influential president of the Family Research Council, Tony Perkins, wrote on X that, ‘Sen. Graham is right. I’ve been discussing the situation in NE Syria with Republican House leaders.  It is not in America’s interest for Islamist forces to seize territory once governed by trusted U.S. allies who protected minorities and advanced religious freedom. Yet this is happening as Syrian leader Ahmed al-Sharaa’s forces move into northeast Syria, displacing the Syrian Democratic Forces — our partners in the fight against ISIS, who lost thousands of fighters, guarded U.S. bases, and detained ISIS prisoners.’

He continued, ‘Before we place trust in al-Sharaa, a former al Qaeda insurgent who fought U.S. forces in Iraq and was held at Abu Ghraib, he has to show he is trustworthy.  So far, he is failing the test.’

Sinam Mohamad, the representative of the Syrian Democratic Council to the U.S., had harsh words for the administration, telling Fox News Digital, ‘American officials continue to describe the SDF as a reliable partner in that narrow mission. Washington avoids framing the relationship as a political alliance. The U.S. never intended a long-term political commitment to the Syrian Kurds. It was a military partnership without political guarantees. From Washington’s view, that’s consistency. From the Kurdish view, that’s betrayal.’

She added there has been an announcement of a 15-day extension of a ceasefire, ‘But both the SDF and outside observers noted continued [Syrian] government troop buildups near Kurdish-held areas, signaling that conflict could resume.’ She added, ‘The Kurds want to have peace and stability through negotiations.’

In one corner of the world, the U.S. is trying to end a war. In another, it may be preparing to start one.

While Washington pushes proposals aimed at easing Russia’s terms for a cease-fire with Ukraine in Europe, it’s taking a far tougher stance in the Western Hemisphere — moving to label Venezuela’s military-linked Cartel de los Soles a terrorist organization and quietly expanding its military footprint in the Caribbean.

Sporadic strikes on alleged cartel boats off Venezuela’s coast have grown into the largest U.S. military presence in Southern Command’s area in a generation, with the world’s biggest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford, steaming toward the Caribbean Sea. President Donald Trump has reportedly approved CIA covert measures inside Venezuela — operations that often precede military force — and U.S. planners have already drawn up target lists for cartel sites, according to The New York Times.

Many believe the U.S. could soon launch direct strikes on Venezuelan territory aimed at pushing Nicolás Maduro out of power. 

At the same time, a top Russian commander, Colonel General Oleg Makarevich, has been reassigned from the Ukrainian front to head Russia’s Equator Task Force in Venezuela, overseeing roughly 120 troops training Venezuelan forces, Ukrainian intelligence chief Lt. Gen. Kyrylo Budanov told The War Zone. Fox News Digital has not independently verified Budanov’s claim.

Seth Krummrich, a retired U.S. Army colonel and vice president at Global Guardian, said Russian military advisers are indeed operating inside Venezuela but doubted Moscow would back Maduro militarily. ‘They’re there, full stop,’ Krummrich said. ‘But Russia needs to stop the massive blood-letting of its young men in Ukraine. They’re not going to go toe-to-toe with us militarily.’ He added that the relationship is long-standing: ‘There is a long history of Russian military advisers in Cuba and in Venezuela that goes on for decades.’

Many in Washington see a strategic payoff in forcing out Maduro: it would strip Russia of its last firm foothold in the Western Hemisphere — a loss comparable, in some analysts’ view, to Moscow’s waning influence in Syria. ‘Venezuela, for the longest time, has been a launch pad for Chinese, Russian, and Iranian influence in the Western Hemisphere,’ Krummrich said. ‘These chess pieces are all tied together when you arch your great-power competition.’

Other experts caution against assuming the U.S. escalation in Venezuela and its peace overtures in Europe are part of a single coordinated plan. Ryan Berg, director of the Americas Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), spoke with Fox News Digital and said any overlap may be more coincidence than strategy.

‘We’ve been zigging and zagging in Venezuela,’ Berg said. ‘Trump has gone back and forth between build-ups and calls for dialogue, while the Russia timeline has only recently become parallel to these events. Anything that looks coordinated is likely coincidence.’

Berg recalled that during Trump’s first administration, some advisers floated an ‘Ukraine-for-Venezuela’ concept — asking Russia to relinquish its stake in Caracas in exchange for U.S. concessions in Eastern Europe — but the idea was quickly abandoned. ‘Russian power in Venezuela is important,’ Berg said, ‘but it’s not so overwhelming that it’s the reason Maduro survives.’

Russia’s footprint in Latin America has grown only modestly since the early 2000s, dwarfed by China’s economic expansion. Moscow’s closest partners remain Cuba, Venezuela, and Nicaragua. Beyond them, its influence is exercised mainly through media and selective economic pressure.

‘If you look at Russia’s trade profile with the region, it’s small,’ Berg said. ‘But Moscow is very good at using those few trade points for leverage.’

He cited examples: when Ecuador considered sending old Russian-made equipment to Ukraine in exchange for U.S. military aid, Russia threatened to block Ecuadorian banana exports — nearly $1 billion annually — by imposing new phytosanitary checks. The deal collapsed within a week.

Similarly, Moscow has kept Brazil and Argentina largely muted on the Ukraine invasion by leveraging its control over nitrate fertilizer exports, crucial to both agricultural giants. ‘They use whatever levers they have — bananas, fertilizer, spare parts — to coerce quietly,’ Berg said.

Russia also continues to service aging equipment across the region. ‘They sell a lot of kit here,’ Berg added. ‘Many countries still operate Russian-origin systems that need maintenance and parts. That creates dependency.’

If U.S. forces strike Venezuelan targets, most observers expect Russia to limit its response to intelligence sharing and disinformation, not combat support. ‘The Russians are pretty tied down in Ukraine,’ Berg said. ‘We saw during the 12-day war, when Iran appealed for help, Moscow stayed silent. They simply don’t have the capacity.’

Berg described a recent episode in which a sanctioned Ilyushin cargo plane landed in Caracas. Russian lawmakers briefly claimed it carried air-defense systems and technicians to assist Maduro, but Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov later denied it. ‘He essentially said, ‘We have no mutual-defense treaty,’’ Berg noted. ‘That was widely read as: we’re not coming to Venezuela.’

John Hardie, deputy director of the Russia Program at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, also spoke with Fox News Digital and said there is little evidence of a coordinated link between the U.S. buildup in the Caribbean and Washington’s peace overtures in Europe. ‘I don’t see any immediate connection,’ Hardie said. ‘Russia’s ability to influence events in Venezuela is pretty limited.’

He said Moscow’s power-projection capacity in the Western Hemisphere remains constrained. ‘They can take limited action — fly some bombers into the region, sail submarines to Cuba — but major operations in Latin America are beyond their capacity,’ Hardie said.

Hardie also noted reports of the Russian Ilyushin transport aircraft visiting Venezuela and suggestions it could have carried air-defense systems, but said any such transfer would have little strategic effect. ‘Even if Russia slipped in some air defenses, it wouldn’t make much difference,’ he said. ‘The Venezuelan military would still be heavily overmatched by the United States.’

Both Krummrich and Berg agree that momentum is building toward U.S. kinetic action. Berg said indications point to possible strikes between Thanksgiving and Christmas, as U.S. naval and intelligence assets align and Trump signals impatience with Maduro’s attempts to stall.

‘Maduro’s instinct is to buy time — that’s what’s kept him afloat through multiple administrations,’ Berg said. ‘But Trump wants results, not a two-year transition or vague promises about U.S. oil access. The question is what Maduro can offer that will actually satisfy him.’

Whether this two-track moment represents coincidence or coordination, the stakes are high. A peace framework in Europe could stabilize one front while a new flashpoint ignites closer to home — underscoring the paradox of Washington’s posture in late 2025: seeking de-escalation abroad while bracing for confrontation in its own hemisphere.

The horrific regime slaughter in Iran and President Trump’s aggressive campaign to acquire Greenland have resulted in the neglect of a major case now underway at the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

The ICJ last week began hearings brought by Gambia against Myanmar alleging genocide against the Rohingya people—about 1.4 million of whom live in Myanmar. Several other states have intervened in support of Gambia, which has presented the court with evidence it contends proves that Myanmar’s military forces committed a genocide against the Rohingya population. Myanmar vehemently denies the allegation.

While this case does not concern Israel directly, the ICJ’s determinations may have major ramifications for the case Israel is now defending at the tribunal against South Africa.

This is especially true since one of the judges hand-picked by Gambia to sit on its ICJ panel is South African national Navi Pillay. That would be the same Navi Pillay who recently rushed to publish a report accusing Israel of genocide before retiring as head of the UN Human Rights Council commission of inquiry—a panel widely criticized for its flagrant institutional bias against Israel and the anti-Semitic remarks of its members.

In reality, South Africa’s ICJ case against Israel is riddled with flaws. It is also pushing to redefine a term that been held sacrosanct since the end of the World War II.

The term ‘genocide’ was coined by Raphael Lemkin, a Holocaust survivor who in 1944 strived for its incorporation into modern international law. That occurred in 1948 via the UN Genocide Convention.

The prohibition on genocide is considered a jus cogens norm—that is, a non-derogable rule accepted by all of the first-world community with no exceptions. The definition of ‘genocide’ requires no law degree to understand, and it should never, ever be politicized.

For a genocide to take place under Geneva, there must be acts committed ‘with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial, or religious group.’ The phrase ‘intent’ here is of paramount importance.

South Africa’s pending case before the ICJ alleges Israeli intent to destroy the Palestinian-Arab population of Gaza. Israel, by contrast, (correctly) maintains that its recent actions in Gaza have been a just and proper military response to the war of annihilationist jihad and unspeakable atrocities launched against it by the Hamas terrorist organization on Oct. 7, 2023.

Israel’s ‘intent’ is to free Gaza from Hamas, to return hostages abducted and held by Hamas, and to ensure Hamas has no future role in Gaza and cannot undertake another October 7-style massacre. It repeatedly offered to end the war if Hamas laid down its arms and released all hostages.

Hamas, on the other hand, has shown a complete disregard for human life and has openly stated that its sacrifice of Gazan civilians is a cynical strategic necessity to turn public opinion against Israel. It has for years embedded military infrastructure within Gazan civilian infrastructure—schools, hospitals, UN facilities, mosques, and children’s bedrooms. Israel has waged a defensive campaign in one of the most complex operational environments of any modern war.

At the same time, it has worked with states and NGOs to allow and facilitate extensive amounts of humanitarian aid, rebuilt water supplies, coordinated the vaccination of young Gazans against polio, and helped coordinate and approve the evacuation of those in need of urgent medical care.

Israel repeatedly provides advanced warnings of impending military strikes and has held off strikes where intelligence of nearby civilians has come to light. For a fighting party to so often relinquish the element of surprise to reduce harm to the local civilian population of its enemy is extraordinary.

None of this constitutes a ‘genocide’—and clearly shows the lack of any intent by Israel to destroy the local Palestinian-Arab population in Gaza.

Nonetheless, since South Africa brought its case before the ICJ, numerous groups and states have leapt at the opportunity to join in on the anti-Israel campaign. This has ranged from tendentious so-called online genocide scholars to anti-Semitic mobs to deeply politicized NGOs. Amnesty International, for instance, shamelessly waited more than two years before publishing a report focusing on Hamas’ crimes on Oct. 7, while straining to remind readers of its slanderous accusation of genocide made against Israel a year prior.

Together, they have all been involved in a campaign to redefine the term ‘genocide’ to suit their narrative—all while ignoring the reality of Hamas’ own Nazi-esque barbarism.

The politically motivated efforts to undermine the concept should be of grave concern to us all. If successful, it will result in the ICJ’s further self-discrediting as an institution of political point scoring, rather than meaningful justice.

Israel has legitimately responded to genocidal attacks by a terrorist organization that has repeatedly called for its entire annihilation and the murder of all global Jewry—something it broadcast live to the world on Oct. 7, 2023.

The term ‘genocide’ is one too important to be cheapened. Those pushing for its redefinition must be stopped in their tracks.

A federal judge threw out the indictments against James Comey and Letitia James on Monday, finding they were illegitimate because they were brought by an unqualified U.S. attorney.

Judge Cameron Currie dismissed the false statements charges against Comey and bank fraud charges against James without prejudice, meaning the charges could be brought again.

‘I conclude that the Attorney General’s attempt to install Ms. Halligan as Interim U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia was invalid and that Ms. Halligan has been unlawfully serving in that role since September 22, 2025,’ Currie wrote.

The Department of Justice could appeal the decision or attempt to bring the charges under a different U.S. attorney. Fox News Digital has reached out to the DOJ for comment.

The move to scrap two of the highest-profile criminal cases the DOJ has leveled against President Donald Trump’s political foes comes after the judge voiced skepticism at a recent hearing in Virginia about Lindsey Halligan’s ability to bring the charges as interim U.S. attorney.

Currie, a Clinton appointee based in South Carolina, was brought in from out of state to preside over proceedings about the question of Halligan’s authority because it presented a conflict for the Virginia judges. Comey’s and James’ challenges to Halligan’s appointment were consolidated because of their similarity.

Halligan acted alone in presenting charges to a grand jury days after Trump ousted the prior interim U.S. attorney, Erik Siebert, and replaced him with Halligan. At the same time, Trump urged Attorney General Pam Bondi in a social media post to act quickly to indict Comey, a call that came as the statutes of limitations in his case was about to lapse. Halligan, who had no prior prosecutorial experience when she took over one of the most high-profile federal court districts in the country, was the lone lawyer to present the cases to the grand jury and sign the indictments. No prosecutors from Virginia joined in on the case.

The DOJ has since put its full backing behind Halligan. Bondi attempted to ratify and then re-ratify the indictments after the fact, a move Currie suggested would not have been necessary if Halligan were a valid appointee.

DOJ attorney Henry Whitaker had argued during the hearing that the motions to dismiss Comey’s and James’ cases involved ‘at best a paperwork error.’

James’ attorney Abbe Lowell said Halligan was a ‘private person’ when she entered the grand jury rooms and completely unauthorized to be in them. Currie agreed, saying in her decision that retroactively validating Halligan and her actions would be unheard of.

‘The implications of a contrary conclusion are extraordinary,’ Currie wrote. ‘It would mean the Government could send any private citizen off the street — attorney or not — into the grand jury room to secure an indictment so long as the Attorney General gives her approval after the fact. That cannot be the law.’

The Justice Department asked a federal judge to unseal grand jury materials and lift protective orders in the Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell cases after President Donald Trump signed the Epstein Files Transparency Act.

Signed by Trump on Nov. 19, 2025, the law requires Attorney General Pam Bondi to release all unclassified records, communications and investigative materials related to Epstein within 30 days.

The order allows limited redactions for victim privacy or to protect active investigations, but those must be narrowly tailored and justified in the Federal Register.

The department asked the court to expedite the unsealing of grand jury transcripts and exhibits and to modify orders that block public release of discovery materials.

It argued that Congress explicitly authorized disclosure under the law, overriding the secrecy of grand jury proceedings outlined in the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure. The law, the DOJ said, also supersedes earlier court rulings that denied unsealing.

The judge in the Maxwell case set a briefing schedule Monday, ordering Maxwell to file her position by Dec. 3. He also directed prosecutors to notify victims, who may submit letters to the court by the same date.

The government has until Dec. 10 to respond, and the judge will rule afterward, though he has not set a specific date. The judge has acknowledged the law’s 30-day release deadline for Bondi.

The House voted 421-1 last Tuesday to release the files after months of pressure from Reps. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., and Ro Khanna, D-Calif. Rep. Clay Higgins, R-La., cast the lone ‘no’ vote, saying the bill ‘reveals and injures thousands of innocent people — witnesses, people who provided alibis, family members, etc.’

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., supported the measure but voiced similar concerns. The Senate passed the bill hours later by unanimous consent.

Trump signed the law amid renewed scrutiny of his past association with Epstein after the Justice Department and FBI said in July they would not unseal related materials, citing the case’s closure.

The law directs the department to release all unclassified records related to Epstein and Maxwell, as well as files referencing individuals in Epstein’s prior cases, trafficking allegations, internal communications and details about his death.

Files containing victims’ names, child sexual abuse material, classified content or information that could affect active investigations may be withheld or redacted.

Bondi said Wednesday she would comply with the law, which requires the department to post the files online in a searchable format within 30 days.

The release has drawn strong interest from Trump supporters who have urged the department to disclose Epstein’s alleged ‘client list’ and details of his death.

While the documents are authentic, Epstein’s statements in the emails remain unverified. They do not allege wrongdoing by Trump and only reference him in passing.

Trump has not been formally accused of misconduct related to Epstein, and no law enforcement records link him to Epstein’s crimes.

Epstein died by suicide in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex-trafficking charges. Maxwell was later convicted of similar offenses and is serving a 20-year sentence.

Fox News’ Diana Stancy and Emma Colton contributed to this report.