CEDAR RAPIDS, IOWA Pete Buttigieg returned Tuesday to Iowa, the state that boosted him from long shot to crucial contender for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination.Buttigiegs trip, where he headlined a town hall with veterans, is sure to fuel speculation that he is seriously eyeing a 2028 presidential run. The former South Bend, Indiana, mayor, 2020 White House contender and four-year Transportation secretary under former President Joe Biden, has remained a prominent figure in Democratic circles."It feels really good to be back in Iowa. Anyone can come to Iowa just before an election is coming up," Buttigieg said at the town hall, which was his first public political appearance since the end of the Biden administration.Pointing to his 2020 caucus victory, Buttigieg elicited loud cheers, saying, "I wanted to make sure I had a chance to talk with the people I got to know five or six years ago, and people I'm seeing for the very first time."LESS THAN FOUR WEEKS INTO TRUMP'S SECOND TERM, DEMOCRATS ALREADY EYEING 2028 PRESIDENTIAL RACEButtigieg did not bring up 2028 in his comments and was not asked about a potential second White House run as he took questions from the audience at the town hall, which was hosted by VoteVets, a progressive political organization that works to lift veterans and military families. The group told Fox News that roughly 1,800 people packed the event.Buttigieg told a Substack author in a live interview hours before the town hall that when it comes to 2028, he would consider "what I bring to the table."During his 24 hours in the Hawkeye State, Buttigieg also gathered with staffers from his 2020 campaign and was followed around by a videographer from his political group Win the Era.A WORKING LIST OF WHICH DEMOCRATS MAY RUN FOR THE WHITE HOUSE IN 2028When asked by Fox News if the trip to Iowa was the beginning of a 2028 assessment period, Buttigieg said, "right now, Im not running for anything and part of whats exciting and compelling about an opportunity like this is to be campaigning for values and for ideas rather than a specific electoral campaign. So that's what I'm about."A handful of those in the crowd interviewed by Fox News said they supported Buttigieg in the 2020 caucuses and would be interested in backing him again if he runs in 2028."Im here because I come from a long line of veterans. I have three family members who are currently working at the VA hospital in Iowa City. So, Im here to show support," said Faith Hunt of Cedar Rapids. "I loved Pete in 2020, and Im excited to see that hes campaigning and hope to see that he runs again."Additionally, Chris Bzdill of Cedar Rapids said, "I really liked to hear what he had to sayIts a very refreshing change. It seems logical and straightforward." He added, "I'm kind of hoping that this progresses more, and well see where it goes."Buttigieg, pointing to those comments, said, "Of course it means a lot to hear that people who supported me then continue to believe in what I have to say."The trip by Buttigieg to Iowa comes less than four months into President Donald Trump's second tour of duty in the White House.WHAT BUTTIGIEG SAID ABOUT BIDEN'S COGNITIVE ABILITIES DURING HIS FINAL YEARS IN THE WHITE HOUSEIt comes as the Democratic Party's favorable ratings in national polls have plummeted to all-time lows while an increasingly angry and energized party base is anxious to push back against Trump's sweeping and controversial moves during his second administration.Democrats are already fixated on next year's midterm elections, when the party hopes to win back majorities in the House and possibly the Senate from the Republicans. Additionally, Democrats are also already looking ahead to the 2028 presidential campaign and for potential contenders to start making early moves.While Iowa's caucuses for half a century kicked off both major political parties' presidential nominating calendars, the Democratic National Committee demoted the Hawkeye State on their 2024 schedule.However, Buttigieg's visit, along with his announcement in March that he would pass on a 2026 run for a Democrat-controlled open Senate seat in battleground Michigan, his adopted home state, are seen as signals of his interest in a potential 2028 national run.Buttigieg, who, unlike many other top Democrats, often appeared on the Fox News Channel during his four years in the Biden administration, has spent the opening months of the second Trump administration making TV appearances and also joining highly visible podcasts."Were trying out several different formats town halls, Q&As with different people on his social media, going out to podcasts and shows both political and non-political, and more to try to reach people where they are, both in-person and online," Buttigieg adviser Chris Meagher told Fox News ahead of the event.Buttigieg, during the town hall, noted that "there are all these sources of information that our friends who think differently than we do about politics are getting information from, that, frankly, are not subject to the editorial standards of a newspaper. And that makes it all the more important to get in there and present a different way of looking things."Buttigieg is a veteran, having served six years in the Navy Reserves as an intelligence officer. During his time in the service, Buttigieg deployed for six months to the war in Afghanistan."This was not your typical Democratic rally because of the audience we were able to build and the messenger we had. These were center-right military families and veterans who want to come home to the Democratic Party, VoteVets spokesman Matt Corridoni told Fox News.Pointing to Iowa, a one-time battleground state that has turned red over the past decade, Buttigieg acknowledged during the town hall that "Democrats do not have the best brand around here."He told reporters that "I think its really important to be in communities like this, to be in red states, to be in rural areas. Its so important for Democrats to have a vocabulary to be able to reach out, and you cant fashion that vocabulary online or only talking to people who already agree with you."Buttigieg heavily criticized the actions of the second Trump administration in his comments during the town hall, but he also emphasized that Democrats aiming to escape the political wilderness must spotlight their own ideas."Theres this theory that we should just hang back and let them screw up. I disagree," Buttigieg said.WATCH: TRUMP TRANSPORTATION SECRETARY LAYS OUT NEW PLAN TO UPGRADE AGING AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL SYSTEMThe trip by Buttigieg came as he has faced incoming fire in recent days from Trump and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy over a surge in flight delays and cancellations at New Jersey's Newark Liberty International Airport, which is one of the three major airports that services the New York City metropolitan area.Duffy blames his predecessor at the Department of Transportation and the Biden administration for what he claims was a failure to upgrade the busy airport's air traffic control system.Additionally, Trump, last week, also chimed in, claiming that during his tenure as Transportation secretary, Buttigieg "didnt have a clue. And this guy is actually a contender for president?"Trump added, "I don't think he's going to do too well."The president's jabs came a few days after Buttigieg, pointing to Trump's underwater approval ratings in national polling, said in a social media post that "Donald Trump is the most unpopular 100-day-mark president in modern American history."The Trump administration argues that Buttigieg oversaw a rocky transition of the Newark airport's airspace to the Philadelphia Terminal Radar Approach Control (Tracon) last July.Duffy, who earlier this week unveiled a major plan to overhaul the nation's aging air traffic control system, claims the Biden administration is to blame for the recent problems, including air traffic control equipment outages."Maybe when you work from home, or maybe when you work from Michigan as a secretary, maybe youre not focused on the real issues that are taking place throughout the airspace," Duffy said, as he took aim at Buttigieg, who lives in Michigan.Buttigieg, responding, told reporters that "when youre the secretary of transportation, you have a tough job and your responsibility is to fix tough problems. You dont have time to indulge in trying to point fingers or blame other people.""What I can tell you is we inherited a shrinking air traffic control workforce. We turned it into a growing air traffic control workforce," he added. "My successor is, of course, not asking for my advice, but my advice would be to making sure that it grows and actually delivering the technological change thats needed."He added that "we launched the contract to modernize the communications backbone of the FAA knowing that it wasnt something that could be done in a year or two years. If he can achieve an acceleration of that, I will be the first one to be cheering for that. But that takes focus, it takes discipline, it takes integrity and, frankly, theres no time for politics on a mission-critical job like that."

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Pope Leo XIVs conservative brother said in an interview this week that while the new pontiff is "much more liberal than I am," he's not "woke."Cardinal Robert Prevost was elected as the first American pope last week, taking the name of Pope Leo XIV. He has been described as a compromise candidate between the more traditional and progressive factions of the Roman Catholic Church.One of his two brothers, Louis Prevost, an outspoken social conservative, has pushed back against accusations that Pope Leo will serve as a so-called "woke" successor to the late Pope Francis. On Monday, "Uncensored" host Piers Morgan pressed him multiple times on whether he believes his brother will be a "very liberal pope.""No, I do not," Prevost said, arguing that while he will not roll back changes that the late Pope Francis made, he will certainly not be a far-left leader.PRESIDENT TRUMP CALLS FIRST AMERICAN POPE LEO XIV AN HONOR FOR US, VERY HAPPY"He wasnt, like, super political," Prevost said of knowing him as they grew up together. "Hes not left, hes not right, he looks at the whole scene, takes information from both sides, and somehow finds a way to go down the middle and not ruffle too many feathers."He acknowledged that Pope Leo, like other members of the church, has criticized President Donald Trump's methods amid the migrant crisis, but at the same time, he "understands that theres laws involved." He added, "He may take offense with the method in which theyre moving people out and comment on that," but nonetheless, "you still have to follow the rules of the law.""If and when he meets with President Trump, I dont doubt there will be some bumps in the discussion and some heated conversation," he said, but "I dont think either of them will blow up like we saw with Trump and Zelenskyy in the White House."Morgan replied, "The suggestion is your brother may be a touch on the woke side. I know youre pretty anti-woke yourself. Can you confirm or deny that your brother is woke?"CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF MEDIA AND CULTURE"I dont even know that Id go that far to say hes woke," Prevost answered. "Hes probably much more liberal than I am, but thats us." He noted the pope's work with the poor in Peru as important to him.When asked about the popes beliefs about hot-button issues in the Church such as people petitioning for female priests and endorsement of gay marriage, Prevost said that was not going to happen."No, I dont see him allowing priests to marry, or women to be priests. I dont see him-hes not that liberal that Ive seen, no," he said, later suggesting, "I dont think well see him endorse gay marriage.""I think because of his studies in canon law and his background, he's still-at his roots he's Catholic, and he follows the rules of the Church, and he may be able to change some rules or modify some rules as Pope, I don't see him going there," Prevost said. "I just in all the years we've grown up together, he may be liberal on some things, but there's still that basic, you have to maintain, you know, the rules of the Church.""It sounds like he might actually be a little bit more conservative than Donald Trump when they finally get together," Morgan replied."Well, I don't know that Id go that far," Prevost said. "He understands the laws are there for a reason, and they're meant to be followed."

The Kansas City Chiefs were reportedly set to take on the Los Angeles Chargers in So Paulo in the first week of the season.It is the second straight year the NFL will hold a game on the South American continent.Travis Kelce essentially confirmed the Chiefs would be the Chargers opponent during an episode of his podcast, and he already expressed that he is not looking forward to it.CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COMAs he explained, he is bothered by the heat."Yeah, were definitely playing in Brazil," Kelce said with a smile on the "New Heights" podcast. "I also heard those rumors. Ill be there, playing football, in the f---ing heat."Jason Kelce said he wanted to go and support the Philadelphia Eagles when they played against the Green Bay Packers last season. He said the field was "atrocious.""The old field thing," Travis Kelce said mockingly in an apparent reference to the Eagles Super Bowl loss to the Chiefs, which resulted in complaints about the field in Arizona. "The guys are slipping all over the place. How about we play with our shoulders over our toes? The guys were not slipping in New Orleans I was slipping."NFL WILL PLAY INTERNATIONAL GAMES IN 2 NEW COUNTRIES AS 2025 SCHEDULE COMES INTO VIEWKelce said he was not exactly excited about the game in Brazil."Theres just something about getting closer to the equator. I dont want to put on a football uniform doing that. Ive been in Jacksonville in September and thats f---ing miserable," he said.When told that So Paulo is more inland, Kelce said he would rather be "dry than humid.""I will say this, if its humid, Im gonna be miserable," he added. " If its hot and humid, and its kind a what Im expecting, Im going to be miserable but were going to find a way to get a win."Kansas City finished 15-2 last season and made it to the Super Bowl for the third consecutive year. The Eagles, however, defeated them soundly.Follow Fox News Digitalssports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.

Alana "Honey Boo Boo" Thompson is speaking out about her struggles as a child star.The now-19-year-old rose to fame at the age of 5 when she appeared in a classic episode of TLCs "Toddlers & Tiaras." TLC later gave her family their own reality show, "Here Comes Honey Boo Boo," in 2012.Thompson claimed in a new interview with People that despite starring in the popular show, she's never seen any of the money from it. She also alleged that her mother, June "Mama June" Shannon, took $35,000 from her earnings during her appearance on "Dancing with the Stars" in 2019, only returning the money recentlybut without any apology.MAMA JUNE REVEALS SHE SPENT ALMOST $1M IN FINAL YEAR OF ADDICTION"There was no, Im sorry," Thompson said.Shannon has been candid about her struggle with drug addiction, sharing in the past that she went broke funding her habit. She's now sober, but for much of Thompson's childhood, she was in active addiction, to the point where Thompson's older sister, Lauryn "Pumpkin" Efird, took custody of her when she was 14."I noticed something was off about her," Thompson told People of Shannon's addiction. "She started locking her doors, which really made me think, Oh, what is she doing?"LIKE WHAT YOURE READING? CLICK HERE FOR MORE ENTERTAINMENT NEWSMAMA JUNE ADMITS TO A $2,500 PER DAY DRUG HABIT IN EMOTIONAL PLEA TO REUNITE WITH HER KIDSThompson admitted her mothers drug addiction humiliated her, even when she attended school."People were like, I saw your mama on the news with a busted tooth, strung out," Thompson remembered. "Im like, Great, like I didnt see that too."Still, she pushed past her hurdles and focused on her education, explaining, "I just always told myself you know that you want to do something better with your life and bigger with your life than just being on TV, so you've got to get up and go, you've got to graduate so you can make it to college and be the nurse that you want to be."In 2019, Shannon along with her boyfriend, Geno Doak, was arrested on suspicion of drug possession following a domestic dispute at an Alabama gas station. Details about what drew police to the gas station were not released at the time. Doak had a lengthy criminal history that included arrests for theft, burglary and criminal damage to property. The couple had been dating for three years.Around this time, Shannon began selling her belongings, and eventually her home. This was also when she lost custody of Thompson.CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE ENTERTAINMENT NEWSLETTERIn 2020, Shannon and Efird met on the family's latest reality show, "Mama June: Family Crisis," to discuss a path for her to return to Thompsons life. Thats when she dropped the big confession about her past drug habits."The only reason I sold the house we was dead f---ing broke," she explained. "Because, you know, at that point we was doing quite a bit. I mean, it was a couple ounces a day. Our habit was $2,500 a day, if not more."While Shannon is now five years sober, Thompson opened up about how difficult it was to forgive her mothers tumultuous past."[Forgiveness] was hard, but at the end of the day, shes my mom. When she was bad in her addiction, I just kept thinking about the day shed recover. Were going pretty good. Hopefully it lasts. I just no longer have any expectations for her."Thompson is currently a rising junior in college, studying nursing and living in Colorado with her longtime boyfriend, Dralin Carswell, 24.Shannon did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.

FIRST ON FOX: Rep. Mark Alford, R-Mo., will introduce legislation that would ban congressional stock trading on Wednesday, serving as the House companion bill to Sen. Josh Hawley's, R-Mo., "PELOSI Act" in the Senate.Alford's proposed bill would ban lawmakers and their spouses from holding, purchasing, or selling individual stocks while in office, but it allows investments in diversified mutual funds, exchange-traded funds, or U.S. Treasury bonds. If passed, current lawmakers would have 180 days to comply with the legislation. Likewise, newly elected lawmakers must achieve compliance within 180 days of entering office."As public servants, we should hold ourselves to a higher standard and avoid the mere appearance of corruption,"Alford said in a statement. "Unfortunately, too many members of Congress are engaging in suspicious stock trades based on non-public information to enrich themselves.""These gross violations of the public trust make clear: we must finally take action to ban members and their spouses from owning or selling individual stocks," he added.CBS ANCHORS SALUTE OUTGOING '60 MINUTES' PRODUCER, SAY EFFORT TO SETTLE TRUMP LAWSUIT TIED TO CORPORATE MERGERUnder the proposed legislation, lawmakers who continue to make wrongful transactions would be required to hand over any profits they made to the U.S. Treasury Department. The House or Senate ethics committees could also impose a fine on such lawmakers amounting to 10% of each wrongful transaction.CBS ANCHORS SALUTE OUTGOING '60 MINUTES' PRODUCER, SAY EFFORT TO SETTLE TRUMP LAWSUIT TIED TO CORPORATE MERGERPresident Donald Trump himself endorsed banning trading for members of Congress in an interview with Time Magazine last month."I watched Nancy Pelosi get rich through insider information, and I would be okay with it. If they send that to me, I would do it," he said of a trading ban."You'll sign it?" the reporter pressed."Absolutely," Trump responded.CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APPDemocrats in the House of Representatives have also expressed support for a ban, with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries throwing his weight behind the proposal last week.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., said Tuesday that she still has not been able to confirm whether she is under federal investigation for a "Know Your Rights" immigration webinar she held in February."I've asked them, they haven't responded to me, but you know, I was once again fully using the First Amendment to inform people of their constitutional rights. They say a lot of things, but I've written a formal letter, and they won't respond," Ocasio-Cortez told Fox News Digital.When asked what the fallout might be from the potential arrest of a lawmaker by the Trump administration, Ocasio-Cortez said that detention "without any actual grounds" would be a "tremendous sea change and escalation in what this administration is willing to do to bend laws, norms, et cetera, and how a normal functioning democracy works."Ocasio-Cortez also considered how Americas allies would think of an "authoritarian development" like the U.S. arresting one of its own sitting congress members.NYC COUNCIL MODERATES THRILLED AT HOMAN VISIT, PLEDGING TO HELP BORDER CZAR FIGHT PROGRESSIVE MONOPOLY"I sure hope that for all the saber-rattling that this administration is doing, that they really think about the global consequences of what it means for the United States," she said.In February, Ocasio-Cortez dared Trump "border czar" Tom Homan to follow through on a suggestion he would refer her to the Justice Department for prosecution in response to essentially advising illegal immigrants on how to avoid deportation."Im using my free speech rights in order to advise people of their constitutional protections. To that I say: Come for me, do I look like I care?" she said at a town hall in Queens shortly after the webinar.Homan said after the event, "I'm working with the Department of Justice and finding out where is that line So maybe AOC is going to be in trouble now."Homan told FOX Business that Ocasio-Cortez needed to read federal statutes and understand that entering the U.S. illegally is a deportable crime.HYSTERICAL TOWN HALL ATTENDEE INTERRUPTS AOC, YELLS ABOUT GENOCIDE IN GAZA: YOURE A LIAR!'In her letter to Attorney General Pamela Bondi, Ocasio-Cortez asked for clarity on whether the DOJ has "yielded to political pressure" and weaponization attempts to confront elected officials they "disagree with.""Tom Homan has gone on multiple forums threatening political prosecution against me, citing resources I distributed informing my constituents and the American public of their constitutional and legal rights," she said."On February 13, 2025, Mr. Homan announced that he had asked the deputy attorney general to open an investigation, and that I will be in trouble now I am sure you aware of the First Amendment of the United States Constitution," the letter went on."Educating the public about their rights, especially in a time of rising uncertainty, is a key part of our responsibility as elected officials," she wrote.CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP"A government that uses threats of DOJ investigations to suppress free speech is a threat to all, regardless of political ideology."Ocasio-Cortezs response Tuesday appeared to indicate the DOJ had passed the March 5 deadline the lawmaker imposed in the missive.Fox News Digital reached out to the Justice Department for comment.Fox News Digitals Michael Dorgan contributed to this report.

CEDAR RAPIDS, IOWA - Pete Buttigieg, who served as Transportation secretary for four years in then-President Joe Biden's Cabinet, says that his former boss' decision to seek re-election in 2024 "maybe" hurt the Democrats.Additionally, Buttigieg whose trip to Iowa this week sparked further speculation that he is seriously considering a 2028 White House run when asked if the Democratic Party would have been better off if Biden had ruled out running for a second term as president, acknowledged that "with the benefit of hindsight, I think most people would agree that thats the case."Buttigieg's comments as he took questions from reporters after holding a large town hall with veterans and military families in this eastern Iowa city on Tuesday night came amid excerpts from a new book titled, "Original Sin: President Bidens Decline, Its Cover-up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again," which offer claims of a White House cover-up of the then-president's alleged cognitive decline.Biden dropped out of the White House race last July, one month after a disastrous debate performance with now-President Donald Trump that sparked a chorus of calls from fellow Democrats for the then-81-year-old president to end his re-election bid. He was replaced at the top of the ticket by then-Vice President Kamala Harris, who ended up losing November's presidential election to Trump.NEW BOOK PLACES BLAME ON BIDEN FOR HARRIS 2024 LOSS TO TRUMPWhen asked whether Biden experienced cognitive decline, Buttigieg told reporters that "every time I needed something from him from the West Wing, I got it."BIDEN AIDES SCRIPTED EVERYTHING, ALLOWED HIS FACULTIES TO ATROPHY, NEW BOOK CLAIMS"The time I worked closest with him in his final year was around the Baltimore bridge collapse. And what I can tell you is that the same president the world saw addressing that was the president I was in the Oval with, insisting that we do a good job, do right by Baltimore. And that was characteristic of my experience with him," he added.Buttigieg won the 2020 Iowa presidential caucuses and came in a close second in the New Hampshire presidential primary before Biden surged to claim the party's nomination and later the White House.While Iowa's caucuses for half a century kicked off both major political parties' presidential nominating calendars, the Democratic National Committee demoted the Hawkeye State on their 2024 schedule, and it is unclear if Iowa will regain its early state status in the 2028 calendar.WHAT BUTTIGIEG TOLD FOX NEWS - IN IOWA- ABOUT A POSSIBLE 2028 RUNHowever, Buttigieg's visit, along with his announcement in March that he would pass on a 2026 run for a Democrat-controlled open Senate seat in battleground Michigan, his adopted home state, are seen as signals of his interest in a potential 2028 national run.Buttigieg told a Substack author in a live interview hours before the town hall that when it comes to 2028, he would consider "what I bring to the table."However, when asked by Fox News if the trip to Iowa where he also gathered with staffers from his 2020 campaign and was followed around by a videographer from his political group Win the Era was the beginning of an assessment period, Buttigieg said "right now, Im not running for anything and part of whats exciting and compelling about an opportunity like this is to be campaigning for values and for ideas rather than a specific electoral campaign. So that's what I'm about."When told about audience members who said they supported him in 2020 and would be interested in backing him again if he runs in 2028, Buttigieg said, "of course, it means a lot to hear that people who supported me then continue to believe in what I have to say."The Cedar Rapids event was hosted by VoteVets, a progressive group that represents veterans and military families in the political process. The group told Fox News that 1,800 people attended the event.

President Donald Trump signed a series of agreements with Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani in Doha, Qatar, on Wednesday.The agreements involved a purchasing agreement by Qatar for Boeing aircraft, as well as letters of intent and "joint cooperation" between Qatar and the U.S. The emir also signed an intent agreement to purchase MQ-9 drone aircraft.Al Thani said he had a "great" conversation with Trump prior to the signing ceremony on Wednesday, adding that the agreements have elevated the U.S.-Qatar relationship to "another level."The deepening U.S. relationship with Qatar has drawn fresh scrutiny this week, both due to Trump's visit and amid reports that his administration may accept a free jet from the Qatari royal family to temporarily replace the current Air Force One.TRUMP SAYS HE'LL DROP SANCTIONS ON SYRIA IN MOVE TO NORMALIZE RELATIONSThe prospect has drawn bipartisan pushback, which Trump has met with indifference."Qatar is not, in my opinion, a great ally. I mean, they support Hamas. So what I'm worried about is the safety of the president," Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., told reporters on Tuesday.TRUMP DEFENDS QATAR JUMBO JET OFFER AS TROUBLED BOEING FAILS TO DELIVER NEW AIR FORCE ONE FLEETU.S. relations with Doha have come a long way since 2017, when Trump accused Qatar of harboring terrorism: "The nation of Qatar, unfortunately, has historically been a funder of terrorism at a very high level," Trump said at the time.From there, Qatar became a major non-NATO ally to the U.S. in 2022 under President Joe Biden and is home to Al Udeid Air Base, one of the U.S.'s largest Middle Eastern bases and a key hub for U.S. Central Command operations.Qatar has been at the forefront of peace and hostage negotiations, especially in the war between Israel and Hamas. An Israeli delegation traveled to Doha on Tuesday to hash out a potential agreement on a hostage exchange and ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.In March, weeks of negotiations led by U.S. and Qatari mediators led to the release of American George Glezmann, who had been imprisoned by the Taliban in Afghanistan for more than two years. Dohas negotiators were also involved in the U.S.-Hamas deal to release the last living American hostage, Edan Alexander, on Monday.The Trump Organization has also cinched a new deal to build a luxury golf resort in Qatar,partnering with Qatari Diar, a real estate company backed by that countrys sovereign wealth fund.Fox News' Morgan Phillips contributed to this report.

President Donald Trump said he may travel to Turkey for peace talks between Russia and Ukraine, as he doesnt believe President Vladimir Putin would show if he isnt there."I dont know if hes showing up," Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One. "I know he would like me to be there. And that's a possibility."Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will travel to Ankara for direct talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the war, but its not yet clear if the Kremlin leader will show up.Russia had proposed restarting direct peace talks, and Zelenskyy challenged Putin himself to show up. Russia has refused to confirm whos attending the talks, while Zelenskyy has said he will only meet with Putin.ZELENSKYY AGREES TO MEET WITH PUTIN ON THURSDAYThe president noted that he has a "full day" scheduled in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Thursday, and hed planned on sending Secretary of State and interim national security advisor Marco Rubio.But, he added, "I don't know that [Putin] would be there if I'm not there. We're going to find out. Marco's going and Marco's been very effective.""If we could end the war, I'd be thinking about that. Now, tomorrow, we're all booked out, and you understand that, we're all set, UAE tomorrow, and so we have a very full situation. Now, that doesn't mean I wouldn't do it to save a lot of lives and come back."At the White House before heading on his Middle East trip, Trump told reporters:"Dont underestimate Thursday in Turkey."Special envoys Steve Witkoff and Keith Kellogg are expected to join Rubio, in a glimmer of hope for negotiations that have seemingly stalled out in recent weeks.Zelenskyy stressed its time for negotiations between principals.RUBIO TAKES SOMBER TONE ON RUSSIA-UKRAINE PEACE DEAL: 'CLOSE BUT NOT CLOSE ENOUGH'"If Putin is truly ready, not just in the media but in real life, to meet, then at the leaders level, we will do everything to agree on a ceasefire," he said. "Because it is with him that I must negotiate a ceasefire. He is the only one who decides."Putin on Sunday suggested peace talks in Turkey take place "without any preconditions" and did not say if he would attend.Putinspokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed that a delegation will be waiting in Istanbul, not Ankara, to speak with the Ukrainians onThursday.