With the early moves heating up in the 2026 battle for the House majority, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee’s (DCCC) chair argues President Donald Trump and the Republican majorities in the House and Senate are ‘doing incredible damage to working families and to our country.’

And with the GOP defending a razor-thin majority in the House in next year’s midterm elections, Rep. Suzan DelBene, the DCCC chair, noted, ‘We only need three more seats.’

‘We have 35 districts in play across the country where we have opportunities,’ DelBene said in a Fox News Digital interview last week in the nation’s capital, pointing to the Republican-held seats the DCCC is targeting.

‘We are on offense. We are fighting for the American people and for the important issues they care about, and Democrats are united in doing that.’

While the party in power after a presidential election — currently the GOP — typically faces political headwinds and loses House seats in the following midterms, the 2026 map appears to favor Republicans.

‘The battlefield is really laying out to our advantage. There are 14 Democrats who won seats also carried by Donald Trump. There are only three Republicans in seats that were carried by [former Vice President] Kamala Harris. So, that tells me we’re going to be on offense,’ Rep. Richard Hudson of North Carolina, the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) chair, told Fox News Digital at the start of the 2026 cycle.

DelBene countered that ‘the reason we have opportunities is because people are outraged, because they do want to see someone come into office who is going to fight for their communities and not just be blindly loyal to a president.’

And pointing to the small bite House Democrats took out of the GOP’s majority in the 2024 elections, she added that ‘those are the types of candidates that won in our districts last cycle. It’s a reason we actually gained seats in 2024 and is absolutely the reason why we’re going to take back the majority in 2026.’

But Hudson noted he has a powerful ally as he works to keep control of the House.

‘The president understands that he’s got to keep the House majority in the midterm so that he has a four-year runway instead of a two-year runway to get his agenda enacted,’ Hudson said. ‘He’s been extremely helpful to us, and we appreciate it.’

And the Democrats are facing a polling dilemma because the party’s ratings have been sinking to historic lows in a number of national surveys so far this year.

The Democrats’ ratings in a Fox News poll stood at 41% favorable and 56% unfavorable in a survey conducted April 18-21.

That’s an all-time low for the Democrats in Fox News polling. And for the first time in a decade, the party’s standing was lower than that of the GOP, which stood at 44% favorable and 54% unfavorable.

The figures were reversed last summer, when Fox News last asked the party favorability question in one of its surveys.

But there is a silver lining for the Democrats.

The Fox News poll indicated that if the 2026 midterm elections were held today, 49% of voters would back a generic Democrat in their congressional district, with 42% supporting the generic Republican candidate.

The Democrats also have another problem — the possibility of primary challenges against longtime and older House lawmakers in safe blue districts.

Recently elected Democratic National Committee (DNC) Vice Chair David Hogg last month pledged to spend millions of dollars through his outside political group to support primary challenges against what he termed ‘asleep at the wheel’ House Democrats who he argued have not been effective in pushing back against Trump.

The move by the 25-year-old Hogg, a survivor of the shooting seven years ago at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in South Florida, to spend money against fellow Democrats ignited a firestorm within the party.

In response, DelBene said, ‘Democrats across the country are united in taking back the House.’

Asked by Fox News if the move by Hogg would force the DCCC and allied super PACs to divert money and resources from competitive districts in order to defend incumbents in safe blue districts from primary challenges, DelBene responded, ‘I think everyone knows how important it is that we take back the House, and folks are focused in helping make sure that we do that in districts all across the country.’

But the dispute is giving the GOP ammunition.

In response to the intra-Democratic Party feud, NRCC spokesman Mike Marinella argued, ‘No Democrat is safe. A political earthquake is underway, and the old guard is scrambling.’

President Donald Trump shared a post on social media this weekend claiming that President Joe Biden died in 2020 and was replaced with clones.

Trump shared a link to the post from his personal account on Truth Social on Saturday. The post originated from a small account on the platform responding to discussions about Biden’s health.

‘There is no Joe Biden – executed in 2020,’ the post says. ‘Biden clones, doubles and robotic engineered soulless, mindless entities are what you see.’

‘Democrats don’t know the difference,’ it adds, before listing a litany of hashtags.

Trump added no words of his own to the post, merely sharing the link on his personal account.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.

Trump shared several links to Truth Social posts without offering his own commentary Saturday night. Most of the posts detailed Trump’s efforts to return steel manufacturing to the U.S.

The Saturday post comes amid new controversy over Biden’s health while in office. Speculation has exploded in the days since Biden announced he has stage 4 metastatic prostate cancer, a diagnosis that typically takes years to develop.

The nature of the diagnosis has led to speculation that members of the previous administration were aware of the cancer but withheld information about it from the public, even as they attempted to run Biden for a second term.

Trump said he and first lady Melania Trump were ‘saddened’ to learn of Biden’s diagnosis and wished him a ‘fast and successful recovery’ in a post on social media this weekend.

‘Melania and I are saddened to hear about Joe Biden’s recent medical diagnosis,’ Trump wrote. ‘We extend our warmest and best wishes to Jill and the family, and we wish Joe a fast and successful recovery.’

House Republicans eked out a win in May with their advancement of President Donald Trump’s ‘big, beautiful bill,’ filled with negotiations and compromises on thorny policy issues that barely passed muster in the lower chamber.

Next week, Senate Republicans will get their turn to parse through the colossal package and are eying changes that could be a hard sell for House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., who can only afford to lose three votes.

Congressional Republicans are in a dead sprint to get the megabill — filled with Trump’s policy desires on taxes, immigration, energy, defense and the national debt — onto the president’s desk by early July.

Trump has thrown his support behind the current product, but said during a press conference in the Oval Office on Friday that he expected the package to be ‘jiggered around a little bit.’

‘It’s going to be negotiated with the Senate, with the House, but the end result is it extends the Trump tax cuts,’ he said.

‘If it doesn’t get approved, you’ll have a 68% tax increase,’ the president continued. ‘You’re going to go up 68%. That’s a number that nobody has ever heard of before. You’ll have a massive tax increase.’

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., has an identical margin to Johnson, and will need to cultivate support from a Senate GOP that wants to put its own fingerprints on the bill.

Senators have signaled they’d like to make changes to a litany of House proposals, including reforms to Medicaid and the timeline for phasing out green energy tax credits, among others, and have grumbled about the hike to the state and local tax (SALT) deduction cap pushed for by moderate House Republicans.

Thune said many Republicans are largely in favor of the tax portion of the bill, which seeks to make Trump’s first-term tax policy permanent, and particularly the tax policies that are ‘stimulative, that are pro-growth, that will create greater growth in the economy.’

Much of the debate, and prospective tweaks, from the upper chamber would likely focus on whether the House’s offering has deep enough spending cuts, he said.

‘When it comes to the spending side of the equation, this is a unique moment in time and in history where we have the House and the Senate and the White House and an opportunity to do something meaningful about controlled government spending,’ Thune said.

The House package set a benchmark of $1.5 trillion in spending cuts over the next decade.

Some in the Senate GOP would like to see that number cranked up marginally to at least $2 trillion, largely because the tax portion of the package is expected to add nearly $4 trillion to the deficit, according to recent findings from the Joint Committee on Taxation.

‘There’s just so many great things in this bill,’ Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., told Fox News Digital. ‘The only thing I would like to do is try to cut the spending, and I would love to take a little bit from a lot of places, rather than a lot from just one place.’

Others, like Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., want to see the cuts in the package return to pre-pandemic spending levels, which would amount to roughly a $6 trillion slash in spending.

Johnson has remained unflinching in his opposition to the current bill, and warned that ‘no amount of pressure’ from Trump could change his mind.

‘President Trump made a bunch of promises,’ Johnson said at an event in Wisconsin on Wednesday. ‘My promise has been, consistently, we have to stop mortgaging our children’s future. OK, so I think there are enough [Republicans] to slow this process down until the president, our leadership, gets serious about returning to a pre-pandemic level.’

Others are concerned over the proposed slashes to Medicaid spending, which congressional Republicans have largely pitched as reform efforts designed to root out waste, fraud and abuse in the program used by millions of Americans.

The House package would see a roughly $700 billion cut from the program, according to a report from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO), and some Senate Republicans have signaled that they wouldn’t support the changes if benefits were cut for their constituents.

Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., warned in an op-ed for The New York Times last month that cutting benefits was ‘both morally wrong and politically suicidal.’ Meanwhile, Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, raised concerns about what proposed cuts to the program would do to rural hospitals in her state. 

‘I cannot support proposals that would create more duress for our hospitals and providers that are already teetering on the edge of insolvency,’ she said. 

President Donald Trump on Saturday warned Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., he would be ‘playing right into the hands of the Democrats’ if he votes against Trump’s ‘Big, Beautiful Bill.’ 

‘If Senator Rand Paul votes against our Great, Big, Beautiful Bill, he is voting for, along with the Radical Left Democrats, a 68% Tax Increase and, perhaps even more importantly, a first time ever default on U.S. Debt,’ Trump wrote on Truth Social Saturday afternoon. 

‘Rand will be playing right into the hands of the Democrats, and the GREAT people of Kentucky will never forgive him! The GROWTH we are experiencing, plus some cost cutting later on, will solve ALL problems. America will be greater than ever before!’

Paul told ‘Fox News Sunday’ last weekend he supports the tax and spending cuts in the bill, which he still slammed as ‘wimpy and anemic, but I still would support the bill, even with wimpy and anemic cuts if they weren’t going to explode the debt. The problem is the math doesn’t add up. They’re going to explode the debt by, the House says, $4 trillion. The Senate’s actually been talking about exploding the debt $5 trillion.’ 

The bill narrowly passed the House May 22 and will soon be voted on in the Senate, where Republicans can only afford to lose three votes. 

Others, like Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., have also expressed concerns about the bill. 

Last weekend, Trump told reporters he was open to changes in the bill.

‘I want the Senate and the senators to make the changes they want,’ he said. ‘It will go back to the House, and we’ll see if we can get them. In some cases, the changes may be something I’d agree with, to be honest.’ 

Along with tax cuts, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act also includes stricter requirements for accessing Medicaid, changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) program and no taxes on overtime or tips. 

Democrats have slammed the Medicaid reform section of the bill, mentioning possible cuts as a driving issue ahead of competitive midterm elections in 2026. 

The Congressional Budget Office (CBO), a nonpartisan analyst for the U.S. Congress, estimates that 8.6 million people in the United States will lose health insurance by 2034 through the One Big Beautiful Bill Act’s Medicaid reform. 

‘The Democrats have been focusing on this specific line of attack that 13.7 million Americans are going to lose their health care, and that’s just blatantly false,’ Rep. Erin Houchin, R-Ind., told Fox News Digital in an exclusive interview this week. 

‘Five million of those people are receiving a tax credit under the Affordable Care Act that was passed by the Democrats with a sunset date that was implemented by the Democrats. We’re simply allowing the sunset date to expire as the Democrats originally intended,’ Houchin said. 

CBO estimates that 13.7 million Americans will lose coverage by 2034, which also includes the 5 million Americans who were already about to lose coverage. A number of Democrats have already deployed the figure in campaign messages rejecting Trump’s bill passing in the House.

‘I don’t trust the CBO score, nor should the American people, because it’s been proven again and again to be wildly off,’ added Houchin, who served on three major committees leading budget markup, including the House Rules, Budget and Energy and Commerce committees. 

Fox News’ Deirdre Heavey contributed to this report.

The White House on Saturday said it is in Iran’s ‘best interest to accept’ its proposal on a nuclear deal following a report from the International Atomic Energy Agency saying the country is swiftly increasing its stockpile of near weapons-grade enriched uranium. 

‘President Trump has made it clear that Iran can never obtain a nuclear bomb,’ White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement. ‘Special Envoy [Steve] Witkoff has sent a detailed and acceptable proposal to the Iranian regime, and it’s in their best interest to accept it. Out of respect for the ongoing deal, the administration will not comment on details of the proposal to the media.’ 

The IAEA’s report said Iran had increased its stockpile to 900.8 pounds of uranium enriched by up to 60% as of May 17, a nearly 50% increase since the agency’s last report in February, which put the stockpile at 605.8 pounds. 

The report said Iran is ‘the only non-nuclear-weapon state to produce such material,’ which is a ‘serious concern.’

The IAEA added that just 92 pounds of 60% enriched uranium is enough to produce an atomic bomb if it is enriched to 90%. 

Iran maintains that its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes, but U.S. intelligence agencies say the country has ‘undertaken activities that better position it to produce a nuclear device, if it chooses to do so.’

Iran’s Foreign Ministry and the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran said in a joint statement that the report was based on ‘unreliable and differing information sources,’ claiming that it was biased and unprofessional. 

The statement added, ‘The Islamic Republic of Iran expresses its disappointment about the report, which was prepared by imposing pressure on the agency for political purposes, and expresses its obvious objection about its content.’

On Thursday, Iran Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi wrote on X that he was unsure a U.S.-Iran nuclear deal could be imminently reached.

‘Iran is sincere about a diplomatic solution that will serve the interests of all sides. But getting there requires an agreement that will fully terminate all sanctions and uphold Iran’s nuclear rights — including enrichment,’ he wrote. 

Oman Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi presented the Trump administration’s first formal proposal in Tehran Saturday, which calls for Iran to cease all uranium enrichment and for a regional consortium that includes Iran, Saudi Arabia and other Arab states and the U.S. for producing nuclear power, The New York Times reported, citing people familiar with the document. 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office also put out a rare statement on a Saturday about the IAEA’s report, calling it ‘grave.’

‘The agency presents a stark picture that serves as a clear warning sign: Despite countless warnings by the international community, Iran is totally determined to complete its nuclear weapons program,’ Netanyahu’s office said. 

‘The report strongly reinforces what Israel has been saying for years — the purpose of Iran’s nuclear program is not peaceful. This is evident from the alarming scope of Iran’s uranium enrichment activity. Such a level of enrichment exists only in countries actively pursuing nuclear weapons and has no civilian justification whatsoever.

‘The report clearly indicates that Iran remains in non-compliance of its fundamental commitments and obligations under the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and continues to withhold cooperation from IAEA inspectors. The international community must act now to stop Iran.’

Hamas has agreed to release 10 living hostages and return the bodies of 18 more, but the terms of the proposed deal have been deemed unacceptable by the U.S. and Israel.

The group, which has been on the State Department’s list of Foreign Terrorist Organizations since 1997, made the announcement in a statement Saturday and said it was being done on the condition that a number of Palestinian prisoners be returned in exchange as part of a means to achieve a permanent ceasefire.

Israeli media reported that Hamas added new demands to the proposal from U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, including a permanent ceasefire, complete Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and unrestricted humanitarian aid flow into the strip.

Witkoff’s proposal did not include a full withdrawal or a ceasefire, the Jerusalem Post reported, and that Hamas added terms of its own.

In a statement posted to X on Saturday, Witkoff called Hamas’ response to the American proposal ‘totally unacceptable’ and warned it ‘only takes us backward.’ He urged the group to accept the original framework in order to begin proximity talks as early as next week, which could pave the way for a 60-day ceasefire and the return of both living and deceased hostages.

In a statement before Witkoff’s response, Hamas wrote: ‘After conducting a round of national consultations, and based on our immense sense of responsibility towards our people and their suffering, the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) today submitted its response to US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff’s latest proposal to the mediating parties. 

‘This proposal aims to achieve a permanent ceasefire, a comprehensive withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, and ensure the flow of aid to our people and our families in the Gaza Strip.’

Reacting to the announcement, the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement that while Israel had agreed to the updated Witkoff framework, ‘Hamas continues to cling to its refusal.’ The office emphasized that Israel remains committed to bringing its hostages home and defeating Hamas, citing Witkoff’s remarks as confirmation that Hamas’ latest stance undermines progress.

Hamas is holding 58 hostages in Gaza. Of these, Israeli intelligence assesses that at least 34 are deceased, leaving approximately 24 believed to be alive. More than 250 people were captured during the Hamas terror attacks on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. 

The latest proposal being negotiated involves the release of 10 living hostages and a number of bodies during a 60-day pause in exchange for more than 1,100 Palestinians imprisoned by Israel, including 100 serving long sentences after being convicted of deadly attacks, The Associated Press reported Friday, citing a Hamas official and an Egyptian official speaking on condition of anonymity.

U.S. negotiators had not publicized the terms of the proposal.

Witkoff’s office reiterated on social media that the proposed deal could allow ‘half of the living hostages and half of those who are deceased’ to return to their families if Hamas agrees to enter talks under the current terms. 

The statement stressed that the window to finalize the deal is narrowing, and that major negotiations could begin ‘in good faith’ within days if Hamas accepts.

‘As stated by the U.S. President’s special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff: Hamas’ response is unacceptable and sets the situation back,’ the Prime Minister’s Office said.

President Donald Trump said Friday that negotiators were nearing a deal.

‘They’re very close to an agreement on Gaza, and we’ll let you know about it during the day or maybe tomorrow,’ Trump told reporters in Washington. Late in the evening, asked if he was confident Hamas would approve the deal, he told reporters: ‘They’re in a big mess. I think they want to get out of it.’

Deep differences between Hamas and Israel have stymied previous attempts to restore a ceasefire that broke down in March.

Israel has insisted that Hamas disarm completely, be dismantled as a military and governing force and return all hostages still held in Gaza before it agrees to end the war. Hamas has rejected the demand to give up its weapons and says Israel must pull its troops out of Gaza and commit to ending the war.

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.

Jerusalem – Iran angrily lashed out at Austria’s government Friday after Fox News Digital reported on a document asserting that Tehran has developed an advanced nuclear weapons program that can launch long-range missiles. 

The explosive report from Austria’s version of the FBI—the Directorate State Protection and Intelligence Service—provides a specialized window into the Iranian regime’s illicit atomic weapons program and its espionage activities in the central European country.

Fox News Digital was the first news organization to report on the Iran sections of the report on Wednesday, sparking a major diplomatic row between the Islamic Republic and Austria.

‘The Iranian nuclear weapons development program is well advanced, and Iran possesses a growing arsenal of ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear warheads over long distances,’ the Austrian domestic intelligence agency report stated.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Esmail Baqaei, denounced the Austrian intelligence agency ‘for spreading lies,’ and called on the Austrian government to ‘provide an official explanation regarding the irresponsible, provocative, and destructive act by one of its official institutions,’ according to the Ministry’s website.

Tehran-based Austrian diplomat Michaela Pacher was summoned to the Iranian foreign ministry, according to the Austrian Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs.

‘[Pacher] took this opportunity to reiterate Austria’s and the EU’s position on the Iranian nuclear program,’ Austrian officials said in a statement. ‘This position was most recently expressed to the Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency.’

Austria expressed support for an EU statement along with other countries in March.

‘Iran already accumulated more than six significant quantities of 60% enriched material [which the Agency defines as the approximate amount of nuclear material for which the possibility of manufacturing a nuclear explosive device cannot be excluded] and is currently producing one significant quantity of highly enriched uranium every month,’ noted the EU statement.

The EU statement added that ‘All these actions carry very significant proliferation-related risks and raise grave concerns about Iran’s intentions, since they have no credible civilian justification. In this context, the EU remains concerned by statements made by Iranian officials about Iran’s capacity to assemble a nuclear weapon.’

The shocking Austrian intelligence findings contradict the assessment of U.S. intelligence agencies that Iran has yet to begin a weapons program, but has ‘undertaken activities that better position it to produce a nuclear device, if it chooses to do so.’ There have long been conflicting views (between U.S. intelligence agencies and European intelligence services) over Iran’s illegal nuclear weapons program.

The U.S. Office of the Director of National Intelligence declined to comment on the Austrian report.

‘President Trump is committed to Iran never obtaining a nuclear weapon or the capacity to build one,’ a White House official said.

The Austrian report coincides with a new International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) report. The AP reported on Saturday that Iran has further increased its stockpile of uranium enriched to near weapons-grade levels, a confidential report by the UN nuclear watchdog said Saturday and called on Tehran to urgently change course and comply with the agency’s probe.

The report comes at a sensitive time as Tehran and Washington have been holding several rounds of talks in the past weeks over a possible nuclear deal that U.S. President Donald Trump is trying to reach.

The report by the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency says that as of May 17, Iran has amassed 408.6 kilograms (900.8 pounds) of uranium enriched up to 60%.

That material is a short, technical step away from weapons-grade levels of 90%. A report in February put the stockpile at 274.8 kilograms (605.8 pounds).

The IAEA report raised a stern warning, saying that Iran is now ‘the only non-nuclear-weapon state to produce such material’ — something the agency said was of ‘serious concern.’

In February, Fox News Digital reported that the IAEA said Iran has sufficient enriched uranium to manufacture six nuclear weapons.

‘The Islamic Republic is the standard-bearer of deception and stonewalling. Today’s damning IAEA reports confirm how Iran has been in violation of the NPT [Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty] for years, even when the JCPOA [Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action] was in effect. It shows the regime cannot be trusted with any diplomatic agreement,’ said Jason Brodsky, the policy director of United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI).

The JCPOA is the formal name for the Iran nuclear deal that was concluded between the Obama administration and Iran. President Trump withdrew from the JCPOA in 2018 because, his administration said at the time, the deal did not prevent Iran from building nuclear weapons.

‘I think Iran’s regime’s response to Austria’s findings shows its sensitivity over these matters,’ Brodsky said. ‘It also wants to bully Austria. Austria should force the Iranian regime to decrease the size of its embassy in Vienna which it has long used as a hub for malign intelligence collection and operations throughout Europe.’

The clerical regime’s foreign minister, Seyed Abbas Araghchi, posted on his X account a statement in response to the Fox News Digital report.

‘Media is speculating about an imminent Iran-U.S. deal. Not sure if we are there yet,’ he wrote. ‘Iran is sincere about a diplomatic solution that will serve the interests of all sides.

‘But getting there requires an agreement that will fully terminate all sanctions and uphold Iran’s nuclear rights—including enrichment. Path to a deal goes through the negotiating table and not the media.’

The U.S. talks to dismantle Iran’s illicit atomic weapons program coincides with a nationwide truckers’ strike in Iran. The widespread labor unrest could severely weaken the regime, according to Iran experts.

The exiled crown prince of Iran, Reza Pahlavi, who lives in the U.S, called on U.S. labor unions to stand with Iranian truckers.

 ‘Truck drivers and workers across Iran are on strike and are putting their lives on the line to fight for their rights and for a better future for their families,’ Pahlavi, who lives in the U.S, wrote on X. ‘Now, they are being jailed and threatened for posting photos and videos of their strike. Only in a free Iran will all workers have the right to freely and openly organize. I invite you, labor unions and leaders, to stand with your fellow workers in Iran and show your solidarity.’

U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth issued a stark warning Saturday at the Shangri-La Dialogue security conference in Singapore: China’s military is ‘rehearsing for the real deal,’ and a full-scale invasion of Taiwan ‘could be imminent.’

‘We are not going to sugarcoat it – the threat China poses is real,’ he added.

Beijing swiftly rejected the allegation. Rear Admiral Hu Gangfeng, head of the Chinese delegation and vice president of China’s National Defense University, called the remarks ‘groundless accusations,’ stating that ‘some of the claims are completely fabricated, some distort facts and some are cases of a thief crying ‘stop thief.’’ Despite such denials, a growing body of evidence suggests China may indeed be preparing for a military move against Taiwan.

Numerous indicators draw this conclusion. Here are nine:

1. China has intensified its joint sea and air exercises surrounding Taiwan, including rehearsals simulating blockades, encirclements, and amphibious assaults. These drills closely mirror operational strategies that would likely be employed in an actual invasion and are widely interpreted by analysts as concrete signals of Beijing’s willingness to use force.

2. The Peoples’ Liberation Army (PLA) has positioned H-6 bombers, capable of delivering nuclear payloads, on outposts such as Woody Island in the South China Sea. These platforms significantly extend China’s strike capability and serve as strategic messaging to both Taipei and Washington.

3. China continues to conduct gray-zone operations aka non-kinetic forms of coercion, including cyberattacks on Taiwan’s infrastructure, disinformation campaigns, and illegal incursions by maritime militia vessels. Though these actions fall below the threshold of open warfare, they are designed to wear down Taiwan’s defenses and destabilize the region. 

4. According to U.S. intelligence assessments, Chinese President Xi Jinping has instructed the PLA to be capable of launching an invasion of Taiwan by 2027. While not a confirmed deadline for action, it has catalyzed PLA modernization, emphasizing joint force integration and amphibious readiness. 

5. China’s strategic expansion in Latin America – especially through Belt and Road investments and attempts to influence key nodes such as the Panama Canal reflect broader ambitions to project global power and encircle U.S. interests. These moves indirectly support Taiwan-related ambitions by distracting or overextending U.S. response capabilities.

6. Recent PLA exercises have incorporated civilian ferries capable of transporting tanks and personnel—suggesting preparations for amphibious operations on Taiwan’s shores. The dual-use nature of these assets allows China to mask military buildup under the guise of civilian activity.

7. Beijing has intensified its political narrative around ‘reunification,’ including state media coverage, educational reforms, and speeches by top Chinese officials. These ideological signals often precede military action in authoritarian regimes.

8, China has rapidly expanded its coastal infrastructure, including new docks, airstrips, and logistics hubs in Fujian Province—directly across the Taiwan Strait. Satellite imagery suggests these assets are optimized for a cross-strait operation.

9. Chinese fighter jets and warships have entered Taiwan’s Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) at unprecedented levels. In early 2025 alone, PLA aircraft breached Taiwan’s ADIZ over 1,200 times, prompting elevated readiness levels in Taipei.

The question of whether China will invade Taiwan is no longer hypothetical but a matter of timing and risk calculus. While Beijing continues to deny aggressive intent, the evidence suggests a sustained and deliberate military buildup with the intent to compel reunification—if not peacefully, then by force. 

Hegseth’s warning reflects not alarmism, but a sober assessment of escalating realities. These indicators—military drills, strategic deployments, political rhetoric, and infrastructure mobilization—align with historical precedents for pre-invasion posturing.

The international community must take this threat seriously. Strengthening deterrence, improving intelligence sharing, and reinforcing Taiwan’s self-defense capabilities are critical to avoiding a regional catastrophe. For the United States and its allies, readiness is no longer optional—it is a strategic imperative.

Hamas has said it has agreed to release ten living hostages being held captive by the terror group and return the bodies of 18 others. 

The militant group made the announcement in a statement Saturday and said it was being done on the condition that a number of Palestinian prisoners be returned in exchange as part of a means to achieve a permanent ceasefire.

Hamas said the agreement comes after a proposal by U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, who has yet to comment publicly on the Hamas statement.

‘After conducting a round of national consultations, and based on our immense sense of responsibility towards our people and their suffering, the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) today submitted its response to US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff’s latest proposal to the mediating parties,’ the Hamas statement reads. 

‘This proposal aims to achieve a permanent ceasefire, a comprehensive withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, and ensure the flow of aid to our people and our families in the Gaza Strip.’

Hamas is holding 58 hostages in Gaza. Of these, Israeli intelligence assesses that at least 34 are deceased, leaving approximately 24 believed to be alive. More than 250 people were captured during the Hamas terror attacks on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. 

The latest proposal being negotiated involves the release of 10 living hostages and a number of bodies during a 60-day pause in exchange for more than 1,100 Palestinians imprisoned by Israel, including 100 serving long sentences after being convicted of deadly attacks, The Associated Press reported Friday, citing a Hamas official and an Egyptian official speaking on condition of anonymity.

U.S. negotiators had not publicized the terms of the proposal.

President Donald Trump said Friday that negotiators were nearing a deal.

‘They’re very close to an agreement on Gaza, and we’ll let you know about it during the day or maybe tomorrow,’ Trump told reporters in Washington. Late in the evening, asked if he was confident Hamas would approve the deal, he told reporters: ‘They’re in a big mess. I think they want to get out of it.’

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

Former First Lady Michelle Obama is facing backlash after saying that creating life is ‘the least’ of what a woman’s reproductive system does. 

On the latest episode of the podcast ‘IMO with Michelle Obama & Craig Robinson,’ the former first lady and her brother were joined by OB/GYN Dr. Sharon Malone, whose husband, Eric Holder, served as Attorney General under former President Barack Obama. During the discussion, the former first lady lamented that women’s reproductive health ‘has been reduced to the question of choice.’ 

‘I attempted to make the argument on the campaign trail this past election was that there’s just so much more at stake and because so many men have no idea about what women go through,’ Obama said. She went on to claim that the lack of research on women’s health shapes male leaders’ perceptions of the issue of abortion.

‘Women’s reproductive health is about our life. It’s about this whole complicated reproductive system that the least of what it does is produce life,’ Obama added, ‘It’s a very important thing that it does, but you only produce life if the machine that’s producing it — if you want to whittle us down to a machine — is functioning in a healthy, streamlined kind of way.’

In the same episode, the former first lady seemed to scold Republican men by saying that the men who ‘sit on their hands’ over abortion are choosing to ‘trade out women’s health for a tax break or whatever it is.’ Obama also criticized Republican women, suggesting they voted for President Donald Trump because of their husbands.

‘There are a lot of men who have big chairs at their tables, there are a lot of women who vote the way their man is going to vote, it happened in this election.’

The ‘Becoming’ author’s remarks drew criticism from pro-life activists, including Danielle D’Souza Gill, the wife of Rep. Brandon Gill, R-Texas. The couple announced the birth of their second child earlier in May. 

‘Motherhood is the most beautiful and powerful gift God gave women. Creating life isn’t a side effect, it’s a miracle. Don’t let the Left cheapen it,’ D’Souza Gill wrote in a post on X.

Isabel Brown, a content creator and author, also slammed the former first lady as a ‘supposed feminist icon.’

‘I am SO sick [and] tired of celebrities [and] elitists attempting to convince you that your miraculous superpower ability to GROW LIFE from nothing is somehow demeaning [and] ‘lesser than’ for women,’ Brown wrote.

At the time of this writing, Obama’s podcast is ranked 51 on Apple Podcasts and doesn’t appear on the list of the top 100 podcasts on Spotify. However, it is ranked 91 on the list of 100 trending podcasts on Spotify. The entire episode with Malone is available on YouTube, where it currently has just under 41,150 views so far.