It’s a moment for which many have been holding their breath — two years after the horrific October 7th attacks, in which 251 people were taken hostage by Hamas, all 20 of the remaining living hostages have been released. Reports indicate that the bodies of only four of the 28 deceased hostages are being released at this time.  

Pursuant to the signed peace agreement, which President Donald Trump confirmed late Wednesday afternoon, Hamas was required to release all 48 of the remaining hostages by noon (Israeli time — 5:00 AM Eastern) on Monday. On Sunday came news that the releases were expected to begin a bit earlier than that.

The release of hostages held by terror groups in the Gaza Strip is expected to begin early Monday morning, the Prime Minister’s Office announced on Sunday.

Israel has told the families of hostages that it expects them to be released starting from between 4 a.m. and 6 a.m., but that the timing could change, The Times of Israel learned.

READ MORE: Breaking: Trump Shares Monumental News on Gaza Peace Plan

New: President Trump Presents Comprehensive Plan for Gaza

President Trump left for Israel on Sunday, with plans to arrive Monday morning, meet with hostage families, and speak to Israel’s Knesset. Townhall’s Katie Pavlich, who’s one of the journalists accompanying Trump on his Middle East trip, shared a list of the names of the 20 living hostages who are finally coming home:

• Matan Angrist
• Ziv Berman
• Gali Berman
• Elkana Bohbot
• Rom Breslavski
• Nimrod Cohen
• Ariel Cunio
• David Cunio
• Evitar David
• Guy Gilboa-Dalal
• Maxim Harkin
• Eitan Horn
• Segev Kalfon
• Bar Kuperstein
• Omri Miran
• Eitan Mor
• Yosef Haim Ohana
• Alon Ohel
• Avintan Or
• Matan Tsangoker

As Katie also noted, unfortunately, although the bodies of the 28 deceased hostages were also due to be returned, not all have been able to be located. 

Hamas is required to release all 48 hostages — 20 living and 28 believed to be dead — by Monday at noon. However, the terror group has said it will not be able to locate all the dead hostages within that deadline, and Israel is aware of this. Prime Minister’s Office spokeswoman Shosh Bedrosian said on Sunday afternoon that once Israel confirms it has received all the hostages it is expecting to receive — a likely indication that it knows which dead hostages Hamas will not be able to hand over on Monday — it will begin to free nearly 2,000 Palestinian security prisoners in exchange, including 250 life-termers.

Ahead of the release, the living hostages were moved to three separate locations in the Gaza Strip as Hamas representatives met with Red Cross representatives Sunday night to finalize arrangements regarding the transfer. 

Sunday afternoon, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu posted a video clip to X. Netanyahu is speaking Hebrew in the video, but here is a rough translation of his opening words (provided via Grok):

Tomorrow, the sons will return to their borders. 

Tomorrow is the beginning of a new path. A path of building, a path of healing, and I hope – a path of uniting hearts.

President Trump also addressed reporters aboard Air Force One as he made his way to the Middle East:

“So, they have the hostages — I understand all 20 — and we may get them out a little bit early,” Trump said. “Getting them was amazing, actually, because we were involved, and they were in places you don’t want to know about.”

RELATED: ‘You Were Our Hope…and Now You’re Their Hope’ – Hostages Released From Gaza Meet With Trump

HUGE: Israel Rescues Hostages Despite Biden Insistence They Leave Gaza (VIDEO INCLUDED)

Monday morning, it was confirmed — all 20 living hostages have been released. 

Although this is just the early stages of the Gaza peace plan’s implementation, Trump declared, “The war is over.” 

For now, the freed hostages and their loved ones — and all those who have been praying for their return — can finally exhale. 

They’re home.

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Several concerning details have begun to emerge from Mark Sanchez’s arrest over the weekend, in which he was also stabbed in a dispute with a truck driver.

According to a report in the Indianapolis Star, the probable cause affidavits state that the victim in the case is a 69-year-old truck driver. The driver parked his box truck at a loading dock to collect used cooking oil from a hotel kitchen.

Sanchez then approached the driver and told him that he wasn’t allowed to park there. The former quarterback and current Fox Sports broadcaster also told the man that he had spoken with the hotel manager, who stated that no one was allowed to park there.

The driver then said he would contact his boss to find out what was going on.

Then the story gets more bizarre.

Sanchez then reportedly climbed into the man’s truck and began looking around. The driver informed him that he was not allowed to be in his vehicle. The victim said that Sanchez smelled like alcohol and “kept repeating that he had spoken to a manager, and they did not want [victim] to [replace the fryer oil].”

Sanchez then reportedly began following the man around his truck and blocking him from entering the vehicle. Security footage also appears to show Sanchez knocking the man against a wall and then to the ground.

The victim retaliated with pepper spray, but the chemical reportedly only momentarily fazed Sanchez before he resumed the pressure.

Then, apparently fearing for his life, the driver pulled a knife and stabbed Sanchez two or three times in the chest. The former QB then reportedly left the scene.

Sanchez was hospitalized with critical injuries and arrested on three misdemeanors: battery with injury, unlawful entry of a motor vehicle, and public intoxication.

“This incident should never have happened,” Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears said, per the Star. “What began as a disagreement between a 38-year-old former professional athlete and a 69-year-old man should not have escalated into violence or left anyone seriously injured. As with any case, we will follow the facts and the law wherever they lead.”

President Donald Trump endorsed Virginia Republican attorney general candidate and current Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares, and called for Virginia Democrat attorney general candidate Jay Jones to “drop out of the race” over comments he made entertaining thoughts of shooting a Republican politician.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump referenced a recent report from the National Review that revealed that Jones had allegedly sent text messages to Virginia House Delegate Carrie Coyner (R) in 2022, complaining about his Republican colleagues “eulogizing” a recently deceased Democrat colleague. Jones also pondered a hypothetical situation in which, if he had to pick between shooting “two dictators” or former Virginia Speaker of the House of Delegates Todd Gilbert, he would pick Gilbert “every time.”

Trump noted that Miyares has his “Complete and Total Endorsement.”

“It has just come out that the Radical Left Lunatic, Jay Jones, who is running against Jason Miyares, the GREAT Attorney General in Virginia, made SICK and DEMENTED jokes, if they were jokes at all, which were not funny, and that he wrote down and sent around to people, concerning the murdering of a Republican Legislator, his wife, and their children,” Trump said.

The Washington Post also reported that a spokesman for Coyner revealed that Coyner and Jones had engaged in a phone conversation, and that after that phone conversation their “text conversation continued.” During the text conversation, Jones allegedly “talked about Gilbert’s children dying in the arms of their mother.”

Trump continued to criticize Virginia Democrat gubernatorial candidate Abigail Spanberger for being “weak and ineffective” and refusing to “acknowledge what” Jones has done.

“Even Democrats are saying it is ‘RESIGNATION FROM CAMPAIGN’ TERRITORY,” Trump continued. “Democrat Jay Jones should drop out of the Race, IMMEDIATELY, and the People of Virginia must continue to have a GREAT Attorney General in Jason Miyares who, by the way, has my Complete and Total Endorsement — JASON WILL NEVER LET YOU DOWN!”

Breitbart News reported that in an interview with ABC 8News reporter Tyler Englander, Jones was asked how Virginians could “trust a man who said something so horrific.” Jones stated that he was “so deeply, deeply, sorry” for his comments.

In a statement, Miyares expressed that the recent report of Jones’ past comment showed that it was clear that Jones “has shown he’s reckless, biased, and willing to trade away his integrity.” Miyares also noted that Jones’ “conduct is disqualifying.”

“The Attorney General is Virginia’s Chief Law Enforcement Officer,” Miyares said. “That authority must always be exercised with neutrality, integrity, and character — because that’s the only way every Virginian can trust the system meant to protect them. With the recent revelations, it’s clear Jay Jones has shown he’s reckless, biased, and willing to trade away his integrity, disqualifying himself from ever serving as Attorney General.”

“As a former prosecutor and current Attorney General, I’ve sat with crying victims and grieving families,” Miyares continued. “There is no sound more haunting than the cries of a parent who has lost a child. I’ve seen their pain, held their hands, and witnessed the devastation that violent crime leaves behind. Absolutely no one, least of all a candidate for Virginia’s top law-enforcement office, should ever treat that pain as a political tool.”

“Prior to this week, this race was about competing views on public safety,” Miyares added. “Now it’s about basic fitness for public office.”

The clock is ticking, and we still don’t know if/when the remaining hostages held by Hamas will be returned. There are glimmers of hope, mixed with understandable doubts that this time, it will be different. 

READ MORE: Israel, Hamas on the Verge of Ceasefire Deal, President Trump Announces; Netanyahu Reacts

12 Broken Ceasefires in 2014; Hadar Goldin’s Body Still Held After 11 Years; Peace with Hamas Unlikely

On the eve of the two-year anniversary of Hamas’ horrific attack on Israel, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio sat down with Martha Raddatz on ABC News’ “This Week” to discuss the current state of play.

Rubio maintained a note of optimism, while acknowledging that nothing about this is easy and laying out some of the specifics regarding the phases of the plan. 

RADDATZ: Let’s pick up where Ian left off. Are there real signs of hope here? Is this different?

RUBIO: This is the closest we’ve come to getting all of the hostages released. Every single one. All 48, including the 28 who are deceased. Of course, the 20 that are still alive. But, you know, there’s a lot of pitfalls along the way. There’s some work to be done here.

I would encourage everyone to think about this in two phases. Phase number one, which Hamas has accepted, is the president’s framework for release. The hostages are released and Israel pulls back to what’s been called the yellow line, roughly where they were in August of last year. And that exchange happens. And that’s the first phase of these talks, because you have to work through the logistics of that. You know, where do we — who’s going to come pick them up, what’s going to be the process for the exchange. We want to see that happen very quickly.

The second phase of this conversation, and they can be happening simultaneously, is, what happens after that? What happens after Israel pulls back to this line? What happens with this international group that’s going to come in and create a governance structure, an international governance structure, led by technocrats, Palestinian technocrats, et cetera? That’s the part that I think is going to be a little tougher to work through. But that’s what’s going to provide permanency to the end of the conflict.

So, we’re focused on those two phases. Phase number one, incredibly important, getting those 20 hostages — all 48 hostages back.

Rubio also emphasized that things need to move quickly, fleshing out a bit more as to what President Trump’s 72-hour deadline means. 

RADDATZ: And one of the things President Trump said is that the — “the hostages should be returned to Israel within 72 hours of acceptance of the plan.” Has that clock started, or do you not quite think they’ve accepted the plan? 

RUBIO: Well, I think they’ve accepted the outlines and the principles of the plan. What hasn’t been worked out, as we just discussed, is, what is the logistics of it? You know, how is it going to work? Where — what time, where? You know, there are logistics involved here. You’ve got to send somebody into that area to go pick them up. We saw that previously in the other hostage releases where the Red Cross would go in, they would take custody of these people, they would bring them back out. All of that has to be worked out. And I think at that point is when I would say, if we want to get technical about this and legalistic is when the clock would begin to run.

The goal in saying 72 hours is he wants to see it happen quickly. This is not something that can drag out. We cannot be here three weeks from now still discussing, you know, the logistics of how hostages are going to be released. That has to happen very quickly in order for the rest of this deal to gain momentum.

We’re dealing with two sides here who absolutely despise each other. And, obviously, we understand, after October 7th two years ago, why it is that the Israelis have such little trust in Hamas. And no one should have any trust in Hamas. But we got to get this thing done. And — and I would say we want to see it done very quickly. And the hostage peace has to happen very, very fast.

RADDATZ: And you’re talking about within a couple of days? Should we expect it next week if it doesn’t (ph) happen this week?

RUBIO: Well, actually, the talks — yes, already some of the technical talk is happening right now. And our hope is that by the time our team gets to Cairo, 90 percent of this has been worked out and we’re just sort of finalizing the logistical piece. We’d like to see it done yesterday. I mean, we want to see the hostages moving as quickly as possible.


We understand that we have to get the teams like the Red Cross or whoever it is that’s going to be that goes in and gets, all these things have to be worked out. And that shouldn’t take that long.

All those talks are occurring even as I speak to you now. We’re hoping it will be finalized very quickly, early this week. And I’m hoping, you know, again, who knows the timeline. But this cannot take weeks or even multiple days. We want to see this happen very fast.

If it doesn’t, then I think the entire deal becomes imperiled. So this has to happen quickly, for the sake of the hostages, the families and this deal.

Raddatz questioned Rubio as to how things will look going forward, and the insistence that Hamas cannot be a player. 

RADDATZ:  And, Secretary Rubio, President Trump also said that Hamas cannot pose a threat again. They have not talked about part of this deal, which is disarming.

RUBIO:  Yeah. Look, that’s going to be a key component of that second phase we just discussed. As long as — as long as there’s a threat emanating from Gaza against Israel security, be it Hamas or some successor organization, as long as there are people, organizations inside of Gaza who possess rockets, build tunnels, want to kidnap, murder and rape Israeli citizens and attack Israel, there isn’t going to be peace. Everyone knows this, including the Arab countries in the region, which is why they all signed on to this deal put forward by President Trump, that deals with the fact that what Israel wants, what we want with the deal envisions with the countries in the region envision is a Gaza that’s run by Palestinian technocrats and Palestinian civil servants and Palestinian leaders that do not pose a threat to Israel.

If there is a threat emanating from Gaza, you’re not going to have peace here that’s sustainable. So that has to happen, that demobilization has to happen.

And clearly, Hamas is an organization that we do not believe can be a part of that because of their history, their very purpose for existence is to threaten the Israeli state. So that’ll have to be addressed in the second phase. And it’s going to be a tough piece of it, no doubt about it.

But if we truly want enduring peace, anyone who is in favor of enduring peace should be in favor of demobilization of Hamas or any other armed terrorist organization that seeks to operate from Gaza.

RADDATZ:  And President Trump’s ally, Senator Lindsey Graham, was critical of Hamas’s response. He said it was a classic, “yes, but.”

What would you say to the senator? 

RUBIO:  Well, I would say we all have to be clear-eyed about this, right? There are conditions that have to be met here. If two weeks from now or a week from now, whatever, it’s clear that the hostages aren’t going to be released and they’re playing games, then I think the president stated what our position is going to be. He did so in a Truth Social post on Friday morning, giving them a 6:00 p.m. deadline of Sunday to accept.

And I thought that it was telling that within hours of that, we get this letter from Hamas basically saying we agree to the framework the president’s put forward. Let’s have our mediators negotiate the logistics for the release of the hostages, and we need to enter into further talks about the rest of the deal.

So, no one here is claiming this is done. What we are claiming is that we have moved a — so we are in a much better place today than we were seven days ago. A lot could have happened wrong here, but so much could happen, right if we can get this done and we’re very dedicated to making that happen.

And look, it’s not just the United States, although this is an initiative that President Trump deserves a tremendous amount of credit for. But it’s Qatar, it’s the UAE, it’s Israel who’s been involved in these talks. It’s Saudi Arabia. It’s Indonesia. It’s countries like Egypt and Jordan and other countries from the region — all of whom are pushing hard and are behind this effort.

We all want to see it get done. And I think that collective pressure can make this happen. I’m optimistic it will happen, but it won’t be easy.

Rubio and the Trump administration do appear to be clear-eyed on this, as he notes is necessary. The takeaway here seems to be that no one should be holding their breath…but if this is ever going to get done, now is the time. 

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There has once again, and unsurprisingly, been a fair amount of focus on Taiwan, from Beijing’s military activity around the island and reports that Xi will push President Trump to officially oppose Taiwan independence, to Xi’s National Day address that called for national resistance to Taiwan independence.

Mainstream media reports based on anonymous sources are helping fuel the narrative that President Trump would be willing to abandon Taiwan over a trade deal with China. These include a Financial Times story about the Trump administration supposedly blocking Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te’s transit through the U.S.—an assertion that both Washington and Taipei denied—and a Washington Post article alleging that President Trump, the same individual who urged Congress to boost Taiwan defense aid, is withholding $400 million in military aid to Taiwan—a claim that Taipei and Washington have declined to comment on.

But in reality, there is nothing to support this narrative. The Trump administration remains committed to maintaining peace in the Taiwan Strait. The U.S.’s Taiwan policy remains unchanged, according to U.S. Ambassador to China David Perdue and a State Department spokesperson.

Washington continues to adhere to the One China Policy, the Three Communiques, the Taiwan Relations Act, and the Six Assurances—with these documents forming the foundation for official relations with the People’s Republic of China and informal ties with Taipei. Washington has not abandoned its policy of strategic ambiguity when it comes to the defense of Taiwan. Whether or not strategic ambiguity serves a purpose today is a separate debate.

Keep in mind that it was Trump who broke with decades of precedent by accepting a congratulatory phone call from Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen following his 2016 victory.

President Trump ramped up arms sales to Taiwan during his first term, reaffirming his commitment to the island’s security. Weapons sales to the island during his first term alone exceeded the sales in Obama’s two terms combined.

President Trump also allegedly warned Xi during his first term that he would bomb Beijing if the Chinese military invaded Taiwan.

And there is nothing to suggest that President Trump’s position toward Taiwan has changed this time around as Beijing doubles down on its claim over the island. Just look at the facts.

The Trump administration recognized early on the risks associated with the backlog in American weapons shipments to the island and has been working to address this.

In terms of multilateralism, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and his Japanese and South Korean counterparts emphasized the importance of ensuring peace in the Taiwan Strait and supporting Taiwan’s inclusion in relevant international bodies.

The State Department removed wording from its website relating to not supporting Taiwan independence.

Additionally, a month after the debunked Financial Times report, American and Taiwanese defense officials held a meeting in Alaska.

At the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore in May, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth acknowledged the threat China poses to Taiwan and the need to be prepared:

Every day you see it. China’s military harasses Taiwan. These activities have been paired with China’s rapid military modernization and buildup—including huge investments in nuclear weapons, hypersonics, and amphibious assault capabilities.

It has to be clear to all that Beijing is credibly preparing to potentially use military force to alter the balance of power in the Indo-Pacific. We know. It’s public that Xi has ordered his military to be capable of invading Taiwan by 2027. The PLA is building the military needed to do it. Training for it every day. And rehearsing for the real deal. Admiral Paparo has spoken very clearly about this on multiple occasions.

Again, to be clear: any attempt by Communist China to conquer Taiwan by force would result in devastating consequences for the Indo-Pacific and the world. There’s no reason to sugarcoat it. The threat China poses is real.

And it could be imminent. We hope not. But it certainly could be.

In July, the Pentagon reportedly requested Australia and Japan to clarify the role they would play if war over Taiwan broke out.

Examples abound of the Trump administration’s recognition of the geopolitical significance of Taiwan and its centrality to deterring China.

SEE ALSO: Taiwan’s Failed Mass Recall Vote: What Is Next?

Chinese Military Holds Exercises Around Taiwan to Send ‘Severe Warning’

There is a clear difference between abandoning Taiwan, as mainstream media outlets are claiming the Trump administration is doing, and pushing the island’s leadership to increase its military spending and preparedness. One is in the island’s—and our—interests while the other is not.

The same logic is behind the administration’s efforts to persuade the Taiwanese government to move the production of its most advanced chips to the U.S. Taiwan produces 90 percent of the world’s most advanced semiconductors and about 60 percent of all semiconductors. Imagine how disruptive a military invasion—even a blockade—would be to the global semiconductor supply chain. The idea that Taiwan’s dominance in semiconductor production somehow deters China from invading—known as the “silicon shield”—is outdated and ignores Beijing’s aggressive push for semiconductor self-sufficiency.

If China is pursuing semiconductor independence, why should the U.S. not do the same? Would it not be wise for the U.S. to work to secure a vulnerable supply chain?

Though it is reported that the Taiwanese officials have rejected the administration’s proposal of a 50-50 division in chip production, it is yet to be seen what Taipei agrees to in terms of semiconductor offshoring, especially in light of President Trump’s $100 billion deal with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company to build five factories in the U.S. The Trump administration may be intentionally highballing in order to settle on a lower, yet acceptable, percentage—or perhaps the administration will use other tools to persuade Taiwan to move closer to 50 percent.

Beyond the 50-50 division proposal—which was not directly discussed between officials, according to Taiwanese Vice Premier Cheng Li-chiun—U.S.-Taiwan trade talks continue to move forward. The Taiwanese side expressed “certain progress” in negotiating a favorable trade deal for both countries.

Despite some people’s wishful thinking, President Trump has not turned on Taiwan, nor does the administration harbor any ill will toward the independent island—actually, quite the opposite. U.S.-Taiwan cooperation has only become stronger, with sales packages of advanced systems set to increase substantially (see additional purchases Taipei plans to make per Washington’s recommendations, which indicates bilateral engagement). This administration is committed to deterring China in the Asia-Pacific and recognizes the importance of a free Taiwan.

Taipei appears confident in the current state of U.S.-Taiwan defense cooperation:

As a responsible member of the region, Taiwan is determined and confident in continuing to strengthen its self-defense capabilities and to work with partner countries like the U.S. to deter aggression and safeguard regional peace, stability and prosperity.

But as everyone focuses on a full-scale military invasion of Taiwan, which is crucial, it must not be overlooked that China has been chipping away at Taiwan—its society and political system—using gray-zone tactics. This is a less costly alternative for Beijing. The assault on Taiwan is already well underway, and how Taipei responds will matter immensely. 

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A group calling itself “Friends Against Fascism Organization” announced it would hold a “tailgate” party on the University of Virginia campus Friday evening to burn American flags while serving “burgers, dogs and refreshing beverages.”

White House rapid response strategist Greg Price shared the group’s flyer on X.

However, the legitimacy of the “organization” planning the protest in the parking lot prior to a UVA volleyball match Friday night remains unclear. The university has never heard of the group.

The event is ostensibly in response to President Donald Trump’s executive order in August to prosecute flag burning when it incites violent crime.

In 1989, the Supreme Court ruled in a 5-4 decision that burning the American flag was protected speech under the First Amendment.

The Trump executive order seeks to circumvent that ruling by calling for the prosecution of “those who incite violence or otherwise violate our laws while desecrating this symbol of our country,” according to the order.

Kirk Wolff, a University of Virginia Law School student and reportedly a U.S. Navy veteran and U.S. Naval Academy graduate, told Fox News Digital he organized the event as a symbolic protest of the president’s order.

Fox Digital reported Wolff stated:

The president does not get to say what the law is; that is solely the province of the judiciary. He must be reminded that his political enemies are not military enemies and that he cannot stop free speech, expression and democracy. Many of us, including myself, signed the dotted line and agreed to fight for these ideals.

It’s not the first time Wolff has protested Trump, but he has done it solo.

In February, Wolff sat in a lawn chair outside the Judge Advocate General’s (JAG) Legal Center and School, a training school for U.S. military lawyers, with signs protesting the president’s proposal to take over Gaza, accompanied by a sign that read, “GAZA RESETTLEMENT=WAR CRIME.”

An administrator threatened Wolff with expulsion for breaking campus rules on demonstrations, the libertarian magazine Reason reported at the time, but nothing came of the threat after it was determined he hadn’t violated any rules.

The tailgate flyer also offers a “special invite to US Army Jags.”

University of Virginia Law School officials said the organization Wolff is promoting is not an official student group and no approval was granted for the demonstration.

“‘Friends Against Fascism’ is not an official student organization at UVA or the UVA School of Law, and we have not received any request nor granted approval for an event of this nature,” a UVA spokesperson said in a statement. “University officials are looking into the post to determine its legitimacy.”

Contributor Lowell Cauffiel is the best-selling author of Below the Line and nine other crime novels and nonfiction titles. See lowellcauffiel.com for more

The mother of Brett Kavanaugh’s would-be assassin is pointing to her son’s transgenderism in an effort to secure leniency as sentencing begins today.

LifeNews reported that the confessed would-be assassin, Nicholas Roske, identifies as Sophie.

The mom allegedly discovered the transgender issue through “a hospital discharge paper” she found in a suitcase.

The name on the discharge paper was “Sophie Roske.”

Upon finding the paper the mom told the court, “This is when several of the pieces of the puzzle started coming together.”

WUSA9 noted that Roske pleaded guilty in April to the attempted assassination of Kavanaugh. At that time, Roske’s attorneys indicated he “began transitioning privately two years prior” to being arrested for the assassination attempt.

While Roske’s mother seeks leniency, prosecutors are asking the court to use the sentence to send a message that political violence will not be tolerated.

Prosecutors said, “Deterrence in this case must send the message to all those who would plan to employ violence to achieve ideological ends, such as killing judges to change a judicial outcome. …The message to be sent must make it explicitly and abundantly clear that the consequences for this criminal conduct, given its dangerousness and seriousness, are such that the ends never justify the means.”

AWR Hawkins is an award-winning Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and the writer/curator of Down Range with AWR Hawkins, a weekly newsletter focused on all things Second Amendment, also for Breitbart News. He is the political analyst for Armed American Radio, a member of the NRA and Gun Owners of America, and the director of global marketing for Lone Star Hunts. He was a Visiting Fellow at the Russell Kirk Center for Cultural Renewal in 2010 and has a Ph.D. in Military History. Follow him on X: @awrhawkins. You can sign up to get Down Range at breitbart.com/downrange. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com.

There’s breaking news out of the Middle East on Friday afternoon. There are reports that Hamas has agreed to release all hostages (both the living and deceased) under the Gaza plan announced earlier this week by President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. 

This comes on the heels of President Trump giving the terrorist organization an ultimatum — underscoring this as an offer they really couldn’t refuse. 

READ MORE: President Trump to Hamas: Your Time is Up, Surrender – Now

As Ward Clark notes in the above piece, President Trump announced a 6:00 PM Sunday deadline for Hamas to agree to the terms of the proposed deal. 

Now, reportedly, Hamas has “agreed to release all Israeli hostages, alive or dead, under the terms of U.S. President Donald Trump’s Gaza proposal, and signalled readiness to immediately enter mediated negotiations to discuss the details.”

That “readiness to negotiate” bit at the end there is likely the catch. 

BREAKING 🚨 🚨

Hamas has released a new statement on the negotiations:

“…..Within this framework, and in order to achieve an end to the war and a complete withdrawal from the Strip, the movement declares its approval to release all occupation prisoners — both living and…— Yashar Ali 🐘 (@yashar) October 3, 2025

Here’s more from the statement purportedly released by Hamas:

“…..Within this framework, and in order to achieve an end to the war and a complete withdrawal from the Strip, the movement declares its approval to release all occupation prisoners — both living and remains — according to the exchange formula included in President Trump’s proposal, provided that conditions on the ground are secured for the exchange process. 

In this context, the movement affirms its readiness to immediately enter, through the mediators, into negotiations to discuss the details.

The movement also renews its approval to hand over the administration of the Gaza Strip to a Palestinian body of independents (technocrats) based on Palestinian national consensus and backed by Arab and Islamic support…..”

Place me firmly in the “believe it when I see it” camp, but if the hostages are indeed returned “according to the exchange formula included in President Trump’s proposal,” that will be a significant step in the right direction. 

Update:

Following publication of this article, Yashar Ali removed the tweet citing the Hamas statement, as he explained, for fear people were reading more into it than warranted. The statement remains quoted above, but here is his tweet explaining the removal of his earlier tweet:

Additional Update:

President Trump has now shared a copy of the Hamas statement to his Truth Social account:

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It appears that leftist educators are at it again with shenanigans afoot in Dane County, Wisconsin, where parents are demanding answers after they said their conservative kids were segregated from their classmates, with some students calling them “Nazis.”

First reports were coming in from Middleton and later from McFarland, with parents in both districts reporting that their high school students were forced to declare their political leanings.

READ MORE: Oklahoma Says Every High School Will Have a Turning Point USA Chapter to Fight’ Radical Teachers Unions’

Why Young Conservatives Need to Step Into the Classroom

Social Media Director for Moms for Liberty and Conservative activist Scarlett Johnson shared the news on X. She wrote that in the district in Middleton, “High school students were told to stand up in class, publicly declare their political affiliation, list their top issues, and post them on a hallway bulletin board. Students who identified as conservative were reportedly called ‘n@zi’s.'”

Mom’s for Liberty shared a letter from one mom. 

It read:

A teenage girl in Middleton, WI was ordered to write her full name on a square in the high school hallway and publicly declare herself as Republican, Democrat, or Independent. She refused at first—because she had just overheard other students pointing at the ‘red’ squares and sneering: ‘all those people are N@zis.’

She told the history teacher she was afraid. She explained what she’d heard. The teacher dismissed her and ordered her to participate anyway. She was described as shaking after being forced to ‘out herself’ politically in front of peers. This is intimidation, not education. This is what happens when schools trade neutrality for activism.

The post included a photo of the hallway bulletin board with the politics of the students on display for all to see and criticize.

The group also shared a letter from a parent in McFarland, reporting a similar situation.

The letter read:

“My daughter is a —-. All students had to stand up and declare their political affiliation and three issues. They are dividing our kids and making them uncomfortable.”

“This isn’t civics,” Johnson wrote. “This is forced political disclosure. Our kids deserve classrooms free from political litmus tests. Parents deserve answers.

In another post, the conservative group shared a copy of the letter the students from the different school districts received about the class assignment.

RedState has reached out to both school districts and received a response from Middleton.

The response can be seen below. But to simplify it, they have decided to no longer make students publicly declare their political affiliation and have it on display for all to see.

Block quote:

“Our District is aware of concerns involving an activity in our Legislative Semester course at Middleton High School. As part of the semester-long government simulation process, students declared a party affiliation (Democrat, Republican, Independent) in order to form leadership structures and caucuses. For more information about the Legislative Semester, follow this link.  

Teachers of the course follow a prescribed curriculum, which has been taught at our high school for 12 years. It has long been a popular class among students that emphasizes student agency, civil discourse, and a collaborative approach.

Educators and administrators at Middleton High School had conversations with teachers, students, and parents. It’s important to note that any students who requested to opt out of the activity were able to do so. We also know that teachers involved in this course did not threaten or intimidate students. We are actively and aggressively investigating any reports of student-to-student harassment as a result of participation in the activity. We have extensive support systems in place through Student Services as well as our anonymous online reporting tool, Speak Up Speak Out.

Through our conversations with students and their families, we learned publicly declaring a party affiliation as part of the course has made some students uncomfortable. Because of safety concerns and student input, we have removed the political spectrum display where party declarations were documented. Going forward, students in the course will continue to be given the opportunity to make a party declaration privately.

SEE: Proof Charlie Kirk’s Voice Just Got Louder: College Republicans Warn Their Universities, Enough Is Enough

University Faces Backlash After Its TV Network Allegedly Praised Charlie Kirk’s Killer With Sick Message

During the 2024 election, President Donald Trump overwhelmingly won the young male voters. A huge reason for Trump’s victory was the work done by the late Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk, who conducted massive outreach on college campuses, making it cool to hold conservative views among younger generations.

Therefore, now it appears leftists will take that next step and try to crush this wave of conservatism in young minds. The good news is that it will backfire on them just as beautifully as their attempts to force us to say men are women and vice versa.

Editor’s Note: The Schumer Shutdown is here. Rather than put the American people first, Chuck Schumer and the radical Democrats forced a government shutdown for healthcare for illegals. They own this.

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Podcast king Joe Rogan went all in Tuesday to support President Donald Trump’s Secretary of War Pete Hegseth’s efforts to get rid of the “crazy people” who have been infesting the U.S. military command structure.

Rogan went on a rant in his latest podcast excoriating the JoeBiden administration for putting extreme leftists in the military to institute “identity politics bullshit.”

“No more identity politics and bullshit. The most important thing is be ready,” Rogan said.

Rogan was speaking ahead of Hegseth’s address to the combined military command at Quantico that was scheduled to occur after the podcast was recorded.

“[S]upposedly … they want to get all the generals together and give them some sort of a moral and ethical mandate. Like preparedness,” Rogan explained. “‘This is what we want the military to be.”

“No more fucking politics no more identity politics and bullshit. The most important thing is be ready. Be ready. Have the best, most capable military that’s humanly possible given the resources that we have today. This is where our goal is. This is where our job is,’ which makes sense,” he continued.”

“You saw what the fuck was going on over the last 4 years! You got guys in dresses talking about how it’s really important to have inclusiveness: ‘It’s the most important thing about the military is inclusivity,’” Rogan added after guest Andy Bishop asked if it was necessary to get all the generals and admirals in the same room.

“We had crazy people that were in charge of very important positions,” Rogan added.

He then recalled “that guy who was stealing women’s clothes.”

“That guy was in charge of fucking nuclear waste! And he running around stealing people’s underwear,” Rogan said.

Of course, Rogan was talking about Sam Brinton, who in 2022 became deputy assistant secretary for spent fuel and waste disposition in Joe Biden’s Department of Energy’s Office of Nuclear Energy. Brinton claims to be “non-binary,” is an open cross dresser, and an LGBTQ+ activist. But he was later arrested for stealing women’s luggage at Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas. He was convicted, but escaped jail time and was ultimately fired in disgrace from the DOE during Biden’s tenure.

Follow Warner Todd Huston on Facebook at: Facebook.com/Warner.Todd.Huston, Truth Social @WarnerToddHuston, or at X/Twitter @WTHuston