The recently elected mayor of a town in western Germany was in critical condition on Tuesday after she was found in her home with multiple stab wounds to her neck and abdomen.Iris Stalzer, 57, a center-left Social Democrat who secured her mayor-elect standing late last month, dragged herself into her home after several men allegedly attacked her, according to her 15-year-old son, reported Reuters citing German news outlet Bild.But according to investigators,"Close family involvement cannot be ruled out at the present time," and Stalzers son and 17-year-old daughter were also brought in for questioning.3 ALLEGED HAMAS MEMBERS ACCUSED OF PLOTTING AGAINST JEWISH INSTITUTIONS IN GERMANYIt is unclear who called the police and how quickly emergency responders arrived at the scene, though police officers blocked off the street outside her home and launched an immediate investigation.The mayor-elect of Herdecke a town of some 20,000 in Germanys largest state of North Rhine-Westphalia on the border with Belgium and the Netherlands was life-flighted by helicopter to a nearby hospital.The attack on Stalzer comes after an unusually contentious election, according to reports, in which she ousted a conservative mayor.MUNICH OKTOBERFEST FAIRGROUNDS CLOSED AFTER BOMB THREAT AND DEADLY EXPLOSIONThough authorities have signaled no motive behind the attack, Stalzer is the latest politician to experience violence amid a concerning trend in Germany.Several German officials were attacked last year during campaign-related events, and according to Reuters, some 60% of German politicians have reported experiencing violence at least once prompting growing concern among officials about being in public.German Chancellor Fredrick Merz responded to the news of the attack in a post on X and called it "an abominable act.""We are anxious about the life of the designated mayor Iris Stalzer and hope for her complete recovery. My thoughts are with her family and her relatives," he said after calling for an investigation.Police officials from North Rhine-Westphalia could not be immediately reached for comment regarding this report.

President Donald Trump met with Edan Alexander, who was freed in May from captivity with Hamas, on Tuesday exactly two years after Hamas attacked Israel.This marks the second time Alexander, a 21-year-old AmericanIsraeli who spent nearly 600 days as a hostage after Hamas abducted him after its initial attack on Israel, will visit the White House since his release from captivity. Alexander previously visited the White House in July.Alexander was raised in Tenafly, New Jersey, and headed to Israel when he was 18-years-old to volunteer for the Israel Defense Forces. He lived with his grandparents in Tel Aviv before he was taken hostage by Hamas.ISRAEL, HAMAS MEET IN EGYPT TO REVIVE TRUMP PEACE PLAN AHEAD OF OCT. 7 ANNIVERSARYAlexanders appearance at the White House also comes as the Trump administration has put forth a 20-point plan to end the conflict and return the 48 hostages still in captivity. The plan would require all hostages, both dead and alive, to be returned within 72 hours of Hamas signing off on the deal. It also calls for Israeli forces to withdraw its troops and for a complete disarmament of Hamas.Trump's Justice Department has cracked down on Palestinian militant group Hamas, and established a new task force in March aimed at providing justice to the victims of Hamas Oct. 7 attack.Attorney General Pam Bondi said the group, known as Joint Task Force October 7, would focus on identifying, charging and prosecuting those who conducted the 2023 attacks, which took the lives of roughly 1,200 people including 47 U.S. citizens. Hamas also took more than 250 people hostage that day, including eight U.S. citizens.The IDF is the national military for Israel. Hamas has served as the governing body of Gaza.ISRAELS ARMY WILL 'ADVANCE READINESS' FOR FIRST PHASE OF TRUMP PLAN TO RELEASE HOSTAGESMeanwhile, lawmakers on Capitol Hill have warned that antisemitic attacks are becoming more common in the U.S., in the aftermath of the ongoing conflict. Antisemitic violence reached a new high in 2024, according to the Anti-Defamation League, which recorded 9,354 antisemitic instances of harassment, assault and vandalism in the U.S. in 2024. That is a 5% increase from the 8,873 incidents recorded in 2023 and a 344% increase in the past five years."The October 7 Hamas-led terrorist attack was not only a horrific assault on innocent civilians in Israel, including numerous American citizens, but it was also a wake-up call to the threats we face here at home," Rep. Andrew Garbarino, R-N.Y., chair of the House Homeland Security Committee, said in a Tuesday statement to Fox News Digital.TRUMP ON WHAT IT WILL TAKE TO BRING ISRAELI HOSTAGES HOME: HAMAS MUST BE 'CONFRONTED AND DESTROYED'"In the two years following this tragedy, acts of terrorism and targeted antisemitic violence are increasingly common on U.S. soil, as both foreign and domestic terrorists work to inspire lone-wolf actors," Garbarino said. "Jewish Americans continue to face intimidation and attacks simply because of their faith. This is unacceptable, and anyone who defends these calls for violence is complicit."Trump also met with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney Tuesday amid ongoing trade negotiations between the two countries.Fox News Caitlin McFall contributed to this report.

Senate Republicans confirmed a staggering tranche of President Donald Trumps nominees on Tuesday as the government shutdown continues.Lawmakers voted along party lines to confirm the batch of 107 of Trumps nominees, a move that whittled down the remaining pending nominees on the Senates calendar to double digits. It also came as the upper chamber was deadlocked in the midst of a government shutdown, during which floor votes have largely been dedicated to trying to reopen the government.The slate of confirmed nominees included many of Trumps top allies and former candidates that he hand-picked to run in previous elections.SENATE CONFIRMS DOZENS OF TRUMP NOMINEES IN FIRST TEST OF NEW NUCLEAR RULESSome of the most recognizable on the list were former Republican Senate candidate and ex-NFL star Herschel Walker, who was tapped as the U.S. Ambassador to the Bahamas, and Sergio Gor, a top advisor to Trump who he picked to be his U.S. Ambassador to India.Other posts confirmed included a wave of senior administration officials, several prosecutors and the reappointment of Securities and Exchange Commission Chair Paul Atkins to a seat on the commission until 2031.GOP TRIGGERS NUCLEAR OPTION IN SENATE TO BREAK DEM BLOCKADE OF TRUMP NOMINEESThe vote also marked the second time that Senate Republicans have deployed the new rule change surrounding confirmations since going "nuclear" on Senate rules last month.Republicans opted to change confirmation rules to allow a simple majority of votes to advance large swathes of nominees in response to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and his caucus blockade of Trump's picks that lasted nearly nine months into his presidency.SENATE GOP READY TO GO NUCLEAR AFTER SCHUMER'S 'POLITICAL EXTORTION' OF NOMINEESTypically, subcabinet-level nominees, particularly those with bipartisan support out of committee, are sped through the Senate either by unanimous consent or through a voice vote, two fast-track procedural moves in the upper chamber. But Senate Democrats refused to relent, and Republicans argued they forced their hand on a rules change that they believed would benefit both parties in the future.The rule change allows for an unlimited number of nominees to be confirmed in a single batch, but includes several procedural hoops to jump through before a final confirmation vote.Senate Republicans previously confirmed 48 of Trumps picks last month. Among that batch were Kimberly Guilfoyle, who Trump tapped to be the U.S. ambassador to Greece, and Callista Gingrich, who was picked to be the U.S. ambassador to Switzerland.

FormerAuburn mens basketball coach Bruce Pearl issued a serious warning on Tuesday, two years after the Oct. 7 attacks carried out by Hamas. His warning comes amid the Trump administrations efforts to broker a peace deal.During an appearance on OutKicks"Dont @ Me with Dan Dakich," Pearl called out the "atrocities" of the attacks on Israel. He also commended President Donald Trumps efforts to return hostages both alive and dead."Today is the two-year anniversary of one of the world's biggest holocausts, and that was the murder of 1,200 Israelis. And there were over 50 Americans killed two years ago on that day by Hamas and Palestinian terrorists that were basically protesting over the fact that they don't have their own state," the longtimecollege basketball coach said.CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM"We need to continue to support President Trump. He has done an amazing job, instead of pressures from all over the world to cave and give these terrorists a reward of another state his whole land-for-peace stuff that we tried in Gaza, it didn't work. It failed."Negotiators from Israel and Hamasconvened in Egypt on Monday to discuss the details of Trumps proposed peace plan seeking to end the war and return the remaining 48 hostages being held.EX-AUBURN COACH BRUCE PEARL RESPONDS TO ESPN HOST HOPING HE WAS PRESSURED TO LEAVE BECAUSE HE WAS 'DIVISIVE'Trumps 20-point plan requires all hostages, both dead and alive, to be returned within 72 hours of Hamas signing off on the deal. It also calls for Israeli forces to withdraw its troops and for a complete disarmament of Hamas.Pearl said regardless of the talks in Egypt, the return of hostages and the demilitarization of Hamas are the "baseline" for peace. He issued a grave warning about history being repeated."They spent all these years building a terrorist state and just waiting and waiting and waiting until a moment when they could do what they did on October 7th. We cannot let that happen again. The hostages have got to come home. Hamas has got to be demilitarized, and can no longer be involved in any future government.""Once we go there, then there's a real possibility for President Trump to build on the Abraham Accords and have there be a prosperous, peaceful Middle East."Pearl, one of a handful of Jewish coaches in college basketball at the time, was named chairman of the Board of Directors for the U.S. Israel Education Association (USIEA) in April. He has been an outspoken supporter of Israel since the Oct. 7 attacks.At the time of the announcement, Pearl said he was "proud to continue advocating for greater understanding and collaboration" between the U.S. and Israel.Fox News Digitals Rachel Wolf and Diana Stancy contributed to this report.Follow Fox News Digitals sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.

CNN anchor Kaitlan Collins admitted Donald Trump has "embraced" the media in ways other presidents have not during an interview Monday.Collins appeared on Jason Tarticks podcast "Trading Secrets," where she discussed her experience covering the White House. Though she has only covered two presidents in her role as White House correspondent, Collins remarked that even veteran reporters have said Trump changed the media dynamic."When you speak to reporters who covered President Obama, he almost never responded to shouted questions," Collins said. "It wasn't his thing. He would have his moments with world leaders, and then you would leave the Oval. Trump kind of upended that when he came into the White House. Sometimes presidents are press-averse. Trump embraced the media."TRUMP HAS TENSE EXCHANGE WITH CNN REPORTER OVER BLAMING DEI POLICIES IN PLANE CRASHShe continued, "He did it for decades as like this New York mogul, and so he just had a different approach to the press and always has long before taking office. Most politicians are not very press-savvy. It kind of depends on who it is."Collins said that shes kept up a "running list" of potential questions for every White House event because Trump has been known to turn almost any situation into a "press conference.""Trump will swear someone in, and then he'll turn to you and say, Any questions? And he'll take questions for 45 minutes," Collins said.She added that she has also personally called Trump in the past for a comment, showing how accessible the president is to the media.TRUMP, OFFICIALS HAVE TENSE EXCHANGE WITH CNN REPORTER OVER DEPORTATION OF EL SALVADORAN NATIONAL"I would just call him directly," Collins said. "I didn't make a habit out of it, but if there was something huge happening like the day of the Mar-a-Lago raid when the FBI showed up and executed a search warrant over the classified documents. We had heard it was happening. Our people on the ground in Florida were trying to get in touch with law enforcement sources. And it was kind of one of those moments where I was like, We will be best served if I just call him directly and ask if this is true. And it was true. And he sent me the statement immediately confirming it."Collins and Trump have frequently clashed during press conferences, with Trump calling Collins a "low-rated anchor" and remarking "nobody watches CNN anymore."Despite his rhetoric, however, Collins gave credit to Trump and his team for taking her questions and recalled a moment when White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt defended her during the presidents visit to Saudi Arabia in May.CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF MEDIA AND CULTURECollins recalled shouting out a question in Saudi Arabia to Trump while he was with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and she was then admonished by the royal guard that she couldn't come to the next event."They were deeply upset that I had asked a question," she said. "To Karoline Leavitts credit, she was like, No, Kaitlan's coming in with the rest of the U.S. press. And so, I went into the next event. But I think things like that, you can disagree about questions and briefings and whatnot. Press access is key and every administration, I think, should protect that."CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

An expected sixth vote to reopen the government didn't come to fruition on Tuesday, but lawmakers face a new wrinkle: the possibility that furloughed employees won't be paid.The government shutdown marched into its seventh day with both Senate Republicans and Democrats still at odds on a path forward, and no real clear end in sight. The Senate was expected to vote on the GOP's plan again, but no agreement could be reached to bring the bill, along with the Democrats' counter-proposal, to the floor.Both sides are still entrenched in their positions, too. Senate Democrats want a firm deal on the extension of expiring ObamaCare tax credits to earn their votes to reopen the government, while Senate Republicans have promised that negotiations on the credits can happen once the government is open again.GOVERNMENT LIMPS DEEPER INTO SHUTDOWN CRISIS WITH NO DEAL IN SIGHTLawmakers failed to hold a sixth vote to reopen the government Tuesday as a new White House memo warned that furloughed workers may not get paid.Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., has continued to ramp up his messaging that Americans broadly support their push, and blamed House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and House Republicans for not being in session as a major roadblock to progress."Hundreds of thousands of federal workers are furloughed and thousands more are working without pay. And meanwhile, House Republicans are getting paid and not working," Schumer said. "So federal workers working and not getting paid. House Republicans paid and not working. Very bad. Very bad thing for them. Very bad picture for them."While lawmakers traded barbs and discussed an off-ramp on Capitol Hill, the latest memo from the White House, first reported by Axios, signaled that up to 750,000 nonessential furloughed federal workers may not be paid.The memo adds fresh uncertainty for hundreds of thousands of federal employees caught in the political crossfire.SCHUMER'S SHUTDOWN HOLDS AS SENATE DEMS BLOCK GOP BID TO REOPEN GOVERNMENTWhen asked if it was the White Houses position whether federal workers should be paid back pay, President Donald Trump said, "I would say it depends on who we're talking about.""I can tell you this," Trump said. "The Democrats have put a lot of people in great risk and jeopardy, but it really depends on who you're talking about. But for the most part, we're going to take care of our people. There are some people that really don't deserve to be taken care of, and we'll take care of them in a different way."Many lawmakers had just learned about the memo as of Tuesday afternoon. It suggested that a 2019 law signed by Trump that guaranteed back pay for furloughed workers in future shutdowns may not have to be followed."I just heard that," Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.V., said. "My phones are lighting up."When asked if the memo hurt or helped talks, she said, "It could get more urgent, it also could tick a lot of people off."Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., said that the memo was "probably not a good message to send right now to people who are not being paid.""I'm not an attorney, but I think it's bad strategy to even say that sort of stuff," Tillis said. "We got a lot of hard-working people there on the sidelines now because the Democrats have put them there."Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, said that she believed that issue had been settled with the 2019 law, but as a "back up," Congress could pass a bill that any "obligations that were incurred during the shutdown are authorized to be paid."And Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, argued that regardless of the memo, the law said "shall.""I left my law degree in the car, but shall is relatively straightforward," he said. "I think it doesn't matter at all, because we're fighting for healthcare."The latest pressure tactic on Senate Democrats comes after the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) directed in a previous memo that mass firings could be on the horizon beyond the typical furloughs during a shutdown.KENNEDY CLAIMS DEMOCRATS WANT MILLIONS FOR FOREIGN LGBT PROJECTS, ELECTRIC BUSES TO END SHUTDOWNIt also comes after OMB Director Russ Vought announced nearly $30 billion in federal funding was set to be withheld from blue cities and states.Both Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., wanted to see federal workers get paid, but contended that the issue would go away if Schumer and Senate Democrats reopened the government."My assumption is that furloughed workers will get back pay," Thune said. "But that being said, this is very simple. Open up the government and this is a non-issue. We don't have to have this conversation. Everybody gets paid when the government is open."Meanwhile, the previous tactics did little to nudge Democrats from their position, and so far, have not killed talks between either side.But Sen. Jean Shaheen, D-N.H., who has been a key communicator for Senate Democrats in bipartisan talks, said that Voughts actions werent helping matters."It would be a lot easier to resolve the situation if Russ Vought would stop talking," Shaheen said.

Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., was silent when pressed by Fox News Digital as to whether Jerrauld "Jay" Jones his partys nominee for commonwealth attorney general should drop out of the race after texts surfaced depicting the murder of then-Virginia House Speaker Todd Gilbert.Warner, on his way to a closed-door briefing as vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, averted his glance to an aide talking in his ear as the press converged.When Warner stepped off the elevator on the second floor of the Philip Hart Senate Office Building in Washington, he appeared to go the long way around an open-air looping hallway to get to the Senate Intelligence Committee hearing room, after spotting the press.JAY JONES SAID IF MORE POLICE WERE KILLED IT WOULD REDUCE SHOOTINGS OF CIVILIANS, ACCORDING TO VIRGINIA LAWMAKERHe was also pressed on whether he would demand Jones return a $25,000 donation made to his campaign in August which Fox News Digital reported on earlier Tuesday and whether Warner regretted the gesture at this juncture.Fox News Digital discovered a joint fundraising page for Jones and Warner on the Democratic Party's top fundraising platform, ActBlue, as well."Senator Warner, do you want Jay Jones to drop out of the race in Virginia?" Fox News Digital asked Warner, who continued walking and focused on an aides ongoing comments to him."Are those comments acceptable do you want Jay Jones to drop out," other reporters chimed in.YOUNGKIN SAYS DEMOCRAT AG CANDIDATE JAY JONES MUST 'STEP AWAY IN DISGRACE OVER TEXTS ABOUT FORMER GOP LEADERWarner continued walking, turned the corner toward the briefing room, as the entourage passed a U.S. Capitol Police officer before the Old Dominions senior senator dipped into the members-only foyer for the committee.Warners response, or lack thereof, starkly contrasted with Virginias junior Sen. Tim Kaine, who told Fox News Digital earlier Tuesday he stands by the embattled millennial candidate."Jay has apologized," Kaine said. "I've known Jay Jones for 25 years."WATCH: KAINE DEFENDS JONES AMID AG CANDIDATES TEXTS ENVISIONING MURDER OF GOP LEADER: STILL A SUPPORTER"I think those statements were not in character, and he has apologized I wish other people in public life would sincerely apologize for stuff," the 2016 Democratic vice presidential nominee added.Jones, a former delegate from Norfolk, Virginia, faces growing calls to bow out of the race, albeit with only mixed reviews in that regard from Virginia Democratic lawmakers like the commonwealths U.S. senators.Texts received by Virginia Del. Carrie Coyner, R-Chester, in 2022 and released to the National Review and Fox News Digital depict Jones illustrating a choice between shooting former German Chancellor Adolf Hitler, Cambodian dictator Pol Pot or former Virginia House Speaker Todd Gilbert, R-Shenandoah.DEM SENATOR'S HEFTY DONATION TO DISGRACED AG CANDIDATE'S CAMPAIGN COMES BACK TO HAUNT HIMGilbert, Jones said, would deserve "both bullets" implicitly sparing the historically evil world leaders.Jones is also under fire for logging, without any time logs yet coming to light, 1,000 hours of community service with both the NAACP of Virginia and his political action committee.Jones had been charged with reckless driving after speeding at 116 miles per hour on Interstate 64 in New Kent County, Virginia.New Kent, Virginia, officials noted to Fox News Digital the straight-arrow nature of that heavily trafficked stretch of 64 between I-95 in Richmond and the Hampton Roads and Monitor-Merrimac Bridge-Tunnels in Norfolk produces many speeding tickets.Fox News Digital reached out to Jones for comment and did not receive a reply.Fox News Tyler Olson and Andrew Mark Miller contributed to this report.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton on Tuesday announced that he has launched undercover investigations to infiltrate and uproot leftist terror cells following high-profile incidents of political violence.Paxton cited the assassination of Charlie Kirk and the "disturbing rise of leftist violence" across the country."Leftist political terrorism is a clear and present danger. Corrupted ideologies like transgenderism and Antifa are a cancer on our culture and have unleashed their deranged and drugged-up foot soldiers on the American people," he said.CHARLIE KIRK KILLING PUTS RISE IN LEFT-WING TERROR IN SPOTLIGHT AS STUDY SHOWS VIOLENCE HITTING 30-YEAR HIGH"The martyrdom of Charlie Kirk marks a turning point in America," Paxton added. "There can be no compromise with those who want us dead. To that end, I have directed my office to continue its efforts to identify, investigate, and infiltrate these leftist terror cells. To those demented souls who seek to kill, steal, and destroy our country, know this: you cannot hide, you cannot escape, and justice is coming."Paxton said the radical left has "incubated" an environment where political violence is celebrated and praised.He cited nearly two dozen people allegedly linked to Texas-based Antifa-like groups who are accused of ambushing an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in Alvarado, Texas.DAVID MARCUS: WHY ANTIFA IS SO MUCH MORE DANGEROUS THAN OLD-SCHOOL LEFTIST TERRORISTSPaxton also noted the Sept. 10 murder of Kirk at a Utah college campus and the shooting at an ICE facility in Dallas.President Donald Trump has designated Antifa as a domestic terrorist organization while directing federal agencies to investigate, disrupt, and dismantle the groups involved."Building on President Trumps bold actions, Attorney General Paxton has instructed his office to initiate sweeping investigations into radical leftist organizations engaged in or providing support to those perpetrating political violence," Paxtons office said.CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APPThe Trump administration has taken a hard stand against political violence following Kirks assassination. However, a federal judge recently blocked him from deploying the National Guard to Portland, Oregon, where protesters have targeted ICE facilities.

Democrat senators kept largely silent when asked by Fox News Digital whether Virginia Democratic candidate Jay Jones should drop out of his race for attorney general over resurfaced text messages fantasizing about violence.Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., told Fox News Digital he thought the texts were "horrifying." Pressed further on whether Jones should drop out of the race, however, Wyden said, "Im going to leave it at that, thank you."Another Democrat, Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., told Fox News Digital, "Im really not familiar with the situation in Virginia."Asked whether Jones "should resign after those violent texts," Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., just smiled and walked away.YOUNGKIN SAYS DEMOCRAT AG CANDIDATE JAY JONES MUST 'STEP AWAY IN DISGRACE OVER TEXTS ABOUT FORMER GOP LEADERMeanwhile, Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., also ignored reporters questions about whether Jones messages are acceptable or whether he would demand his campaign donation be returned.Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vt., also refused to answer Fox News Digitals questions on Jones, just saying he was not familiar with the case.In texts obtained by Fox News Digital, Jones, a former Democratic member of the Virginia House of Delegates, once remarked on shooting then-Virginia House Speaker Todd Gilbert in texts with another lawmaker."Three people, two bullets. Gilbert, Hitler and Pol Pot. Gilbert gets two bullets to the head," Jones wrote.In a subsequent text, Jones also wrote, "Spoiler: put Gilbert in the crew with the two worst people you know and he receives both bullets every time."DEMOCRATS STAND BY VIRGINIA AG HOPEFUL WHO FANTASIZED ABOUT KILLING GOP LAWMAKERIn another private text exchange, Jones said he hoped Gilberts children would die. When challenged, Jones doubled down, saying that such grief might be "a good thing" if it advanced his politics.Jones has since apologized, calling the remarks "embarrassing and shameful," and said he had reached out personally to Gilbert and his family.Speaking with Fox News Digital, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, called the Democratic senators silence "staggering, particularly with the spate of political violence we have seen.""There are far too many on the left that celebrate political violence," said Cruz, adding, "When Charlie Kirk was assassinated, we saw leftists, college professors, leftist schoolteachers, politicians, journalists celebrating that heinous murder."JAY JONES SAID IF MORE POLICE WERE KILLED IT WOULD REDUCE SHOOTINGS OF CIVILIANS, ACCORDING TO VIRGINIA LAWMAKER"In this instance, you have a Democrat who is running for attorney general in Virginia, who said in text communications that he wanted to see one of his colleagues, a Republican, murdered, and he wanted his two little boys murdered. That is grotesquely unacceptable, and every Democrat in Washington is turning a blind eye," Cruz went on.CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP"In my view, the notion that someone advocating for the murder of children because he disagrees politically with their father is manifestly unsuitable for public office, especially the chief law enforcement officer of Virginia, and I wish there were even one Democrat with the courage to say that publicly," said Cruz.

President Donald Trump issued a letter to the Hostages and Missing Families Forum on the second anniversary of the Oct. 7 massacre, thanking them for their appeal to the Norwegian Nobel Committee."Since the abhorrent events of October 7, 2023, that saw families ripped apart, children torn from their parents arms, and innocent people shot, killed, and raped, I have been resolved to returning all the hostages home, and ensuring the total destruction of Hamas so these horrific acts may never be repeated. These unspeakable scenes have been seared into our memories, and we will never forget," Trump wrote."My entire administration has been touched by the fact that, through the unimaginable pain and suffering of spending two years not knowing where your loved ones are, you have continued telling their stories and advocating on their behalf."ISRAEL, HAMAS MEET IN EGYPT TO REVIVE TRUMP PEACE PLAN AHEAD OF OCT. 7 ANNIVERSARYOn Monday, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum issued a letter to the Nobel Committee, saying that after two years of suffering, they felt that Trumps efforts brought them to a turning point. The group also acknowledged the number of hostages released since Trumps inauguration, giving some families their loved ones and others "the dignity of burial and closure.""President Trump's determination to bring peace made possible what many said was impossible. From the moment of his inauguration, he brought us light through our darkest times," the forum wrote. "We are confident that he will not rest until the last hostage is brought home, the war has ended, and peace and prosperity are restored to the people of the Middle East.""In this past year, no leader or organization has contributed more to peace around the world than President Trump. While many have spoken eloquently about peace, he has achieved it. While others have offered empty promises, he has delivered tangible results that have saved countless lives," the forum added.TRUMP ANNOUNCES ISRAEL AGREES TO GAZA 'INITIAL WITHDRAWAL LINE' AS '3,000 YEAR CATASTROPHE' NEARS ENDIts unclear whether Trump will win the prize, but that does not mean he has given up on achieving peace and ending the war.Trump over the weekend urged the negotiators involved in the indirect talks to "move fast," but he signaled that he viewed Hamas response as positive and called on Israel to "immediately stop the bombing of Gaza."Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accepted the 20-point plan while in the U.S. last month. While Hamas said it was ready to release the hostages, it did not give a definitive answer on Trumps plan.Secretary of State Marco Rubio hailed Trumps deal as "a historic opportunity to close this dark chapter, and to build a foundation for lasting peace and security for all."Chief negotiators from Israel and Hamas convened in Egypt on Tuesday as negotiations regarding Trumps peace plan continued. An Egyptian official with knowledge of the talks told The Associated Press that Hamas and Israel agreed on most of the first-phase terms, including the release of the hostages and the establishment of a ceasefire.Fox News Digitals Caitlin McFall contributed to this report.