Rotem Cooper says his father's body not being returned was a "disappointment"
The son of an Israeli hostage whose body remains in Gaza has told the BBC he is dealing with the realisation that "it's not over and it's going to be a longer battle".
Rotem Cooper, whose father Amiram is among 24 hostages whose bodies were not returned to Israel on Monday, said the families were trying "to find the strength somehow to pick ourselves up... and continue the fight".
He called on US President Donald Trump, Qatar, Egypt and other countries involved in peace deal negotiations "to show Hamas that this is not acceptable".
A ceasefire and hostage release agreement signed by Israel and Hamas stated that the remaining hostages in Gaza would be returned by noon on Monday, with nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and detainees held by Israel released in exchange.
While the 20 hostages still alive were released, a copy of the agreement published by Israeli media appeared to acknowledge that Hamas and other Palestinian factions may not be able to locate all of the bodies of the deceased hostages by the deadline.
Their families had pinned their hopes on their loved one returning on Monday, after two years in captivity.
"We hoped and expected that maybe 15 to 20 out of the 28 deceased hostages would be released, but that didn't happen. Only four were announced," Mr Cooper said.
Family handout
Amiram Cooper was kidnapped from his home alongside his wife on 7 October 2023
He described the news as a "very big disappointment" for the families.
"It's clear to us that they could have and should have released more and [that] they're playing games."
Mr Cooper's parents were both kidnapped in the 7 October 2023 Hamas-led attacks on Israel, from their home in Kibbutz Nir Oz. His mother was released later that month while his father was killed in captivity.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it had been operating in the area at the time but did not confirm how he was killed, referring the BBC this week to a previous statement saying the circumstances were "under examination". Hamas has claimed he was killed by an Israeli military strike.
AFP via Getty Images
Dozens of people were at Re'im military base to see the return of the hostages on Monday
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum, which represents the relatives of many of the hostages, has called for "a very serious response" from the Israeli government and mediators, for what is described as Hamas's "violation of the agreement".
It said further stages of the peace plan should not progress until all the remaining bodies had been returned.
Mr Cooper headed to the Re'im military base in southern Israel on Monday to see the return of the 20 living hostages.
In voicenotes sent over the course of the day, he described feeling "tremendous anticipation" and a "big relief" as he saw them return. But he said the thought of the bodies coming back to Israel was "heartbreaking".
Family handout
Ruby Chen (R) with his son Itay (L), whose body still remains in Gaza
Speaking again the following day, after the news that the four bodies returned did not include Amiram's, he described the experience as a "big rollercoaster".
Mr Cooper said the return of his father's body would allow him to have "some closure" and to "sleep better at night".
"Everything has been on hold," he said.
Ruby Chen, whose son Itay's body remains in Gaza, said he had experienced a similar mix of emotions.
"We were overjoyed [on Monday] to see 20 hostages coming out and being reunited with their families, but we were very disappointed not to see more deceased hostages coming out," he said in a video message shared with the BBC by the Hostages and Missing Families Forum.
"We request the Israeli government, the US and the mediators to continue the fight and put pressure on Hamas to adhere [to] and follow the agreement that was signed and bring back all the remaining 24 hostages in captivity," Mr Chen added.
The Israeli military said on Tuesday that, following forensic tests, it had identified the four hostages whose bodies had been returned and had informed their families that their loved ones had been reburied.
It said they included Guy Iloz - who was shot at the Nova music festival and is believed to have died from the wounds - and Bipin Joshi, who it said was believed to have been "murdered in captivity during the first months of the war".
Karen Spragg (left) and Julia Wandelt - who a court has heard believes she is missing Madeleine McCann - deny the charges
A DNA test taken from a woman who believes she is Madeleine McCann "conclusively proved" she was not the missing girl, a stalking trial has heard.
Julia Wandelt and Karen Spragg are on trial at Leicester Crown Court charged with stalking Madeleine's parents Kate and Gerry McCann.
On Tuesday, jurors heard DNA was taken from Ms Wandelt on her arrest in December 2024, and the result given to her in Peterborough Prison in April, which Ms Wandelt disputed when told.
Ms Wandelt, 24, of Jana Kochanowskiego in Lubin, Poland, and Mrs Spragg, 61, of Caerau Court Road, Cardiff, deny the charges.
PA Media
Madeleine McCann's disappearance has never been solved
Madeleine's disappearance is one of the most widely reported missing child cases and remains unsolved.
Ms Wandelt, who the court has heard since 2022 has claimed to be Madeleine, and her co-defendant Mrs Spragg deny stalking the McCanns, causing serious alarm and distress.
In December 2024, Det Ch Insp Mark Cramwell decided Operation Grange - the name of the force's investigation into Madeleine's disappearance - should attempt to get Ms Wandelt's DNA tested "in the hope she may stop her behaviour towards the McCann family".
He said: "It weighed heavy on my mind. The threshold remained the same, but it was outside the framework."
DNA samples were then taken on arrest, the court heard, and Det Ch Insp Cramwell said: "It conclusively proved that Julia Wandelt is not Madeleine McCann."
Ms Wandelt had been ruled out of the Operation Grange investigation after Ms Wandelt contacted them and Glenfield Hospital in Leicester, where Mr McCann works, in June 2022.
But after press coverage of Ms Wandelt's claim "gained traction" later that year, a photo of her was sent to the McCanns, with their family liaison officer Det Sgt Roger Bearn saying via statement they both replied they "were confident" it was not their daughter.
Details of the Met Police's discussions about Ms Wandelt were detailed to the court, from initial contact to the press coverage to Mrs McCann being "bombarded" with calls and texts.
PA Media
The Met Police has run the Operation Grange investigation into the Madeleine McCann case for about a decade and a half
In September 2024, Det Sgt Bearn asked the McCanns if they wanted to pursue "some sort of action" but advised "words of advice" would not be advisable, as Ms Wandelt had previously recorded a call with an Operation Grange officer and played it on a true crime podcast on YouTube.
No formal action was asked for at that time.
Ms Wandelt claimed to be Madeleine and pursued the McCann family with messages, calls, and visits, including turning up at their home and demanding a DNA test, the court has heard.
In October, Det Sgt Bearn's statement said that messages from Ms Wandelt had continued as well as two from a "Welsh-sounding woman".
Prosecutor Michael Duck KC said Mrs Spragg struck up a relationship with Ms Wandelt and supported her claims and conspiracy theories, and alongside the Polish national confronted the McCanns directly in December 2024.
The court heard Mrs Spragg struck up a relationship online with Ms Wandelt before joining her on a visi in December 2024.
Mrs Spragg recorded a message she left on Mrs McCann's phone in late 2024 - prior to their visit to the McCanns' home in Leicestershire - which was played at the trial on Tuesday.
She said that people believed there was a "cover up" and that the McCanns' names had been "blackened" and urged the couple to do a DNA test with Ms Wandelt.
In the recording Mrs Spragg can be heard saying: "I really, really want you to take her seriously if you really want to find your daughter.
"This could be a cover-up. Maybe Orange Grange [sic] is in on it."
A crime report was created by the Met Police after Ms Wandelt and an "older woman" turned up at the McCanns' home in December 2024.
Ms Wandelt was arrested in February 2025 after returning to the UK flying in to Bristol Airport, with Mrs Spragg detained in a nearby car park.
Tommy Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, has pleaded not guilty to the charge
Far-right activist Tommy Robinson was unlawfully stopped driving a Bentley at the entrance to the Channel Tunnel, and counter terrorism officers made a disproportionate use of their powers, his lawyer has told a court.
The 42-year-old, who was charged under his real name Stephen Yaxley-Lennon is standing trial at Westminster Magistrates Court for refusing to give the Pin for his mobile phone to officers during the stop. He has pleaded not guilty.
Prosecutor Jo Morris said that while the stop may not have been "perfect", that does not mean it was unlawful.
Judgement in the trial has been delayed until 4 November following closing arguments.
If found guilty, Mr Lennon could be jailed for up to three months and/or receive a £2,500 fine.
He was stopped by police on 28 July, 2024, using their counter-terrorism powers as he prepared to enter the Channel Tunnel while driving a silver Bentley Bentaygo.
Officers from Kent Police said they did so partly because he was driving someone else's car and had not pre-booked his ticket.
They said they became more suspicious when Mr Lennon would not make eye contact with them and said he was driving all the way to Benidorm. When asked for the Pin to his phone he refused.
A person who is detained under Schedule 7 of the Terrorism Act is legally obliged to provide the password or Pin for electronic devices.
In his closing submissions to the judge on Tuesday, Mr Lennon's barrister, Alisdair Williamson KC, said: "The question for you. Is this a lawful stop? If it is not, you cannot convict Mr Lennon."
Mr Williamson described the power that police officers have at ports and airport as "extraordinary" and said there needed to be "assiduous oversight" of this power, which he described as the only one there was to "compel people under pain of criminal penalty to answer questions".
He described Mr Lennon as a "public figure" whose views are "well known" and asked what the justification was for the police's use of "coercive powers".
"What were they going to find out that wasn't in the public domain?" Mr Williamson asked.
He pointed out that the officers did not ask any further questions about the Bentley after Mr Lennon told them it belonged to "a mate" and said his client travelled to Benidorm regularly.
In her closing speech, prosecutor Jo Morris said "we accept that the stop may not have been a perfect one but that does not make it unlawful."
She said "there was no real dispute over the facts" and that Mr Lennon had been warned of the consequences and was offered legal advice but still refused to give officers his Pin.
Before the hearing began on Monday, Mr Lennon - the former leader of the English Defence League (EDL) - said on X that the social media platform's billionaire owner, Elon Musk - who has previously championed him - had "picked up the legal bill" for the case against him, which Mr Lennon described as "state persecution".
Britain's Emma Raducanu struggled physically in a three-set loss to world number 219 Zhu Lin in the first round of the Ningbo Open in China.
Raducanu, 22, faded badly against the Chinese wildcard, losing 3-6 6-4 6-1 in two hours 26 minutes.
She had her blood pressure and vital signs taken during the second set and was given something to eat and drink by the physio.
She also had a medical timeout in the third set for treatment on her back, with her movement and service motion visibly hindered from then on.
World number 29 Raducanu retired with illness from the first round of the Wuhan Open last week.
Raducanu has two tournaments - the Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo and the Hong Kong Open - left on her schedule this year.
Francis Roig, who has an agreement to coach Raducanu until the end of the season, is not with her in Ningbo.
Raducanu has played 50 matches on the WTA Tour this year, the most since her breakthrough US Open triumph in 2021.
The physical demands may be starting to show, with Raducanu's movement falling away as former top-40 player Zhu extended the rallies to keep her on court for longer.
Raducanu won only 51% of points on her first serve and 38% on her second.
She raced into a 3-0 lead and served out the opening set despite four breaks of serve in the final five games.
She and Zhu exchanged breaks early in the second set before Raducanu asked for the physio. She left the court after Zhu forced a decider.
Raducanu grabbed at her back early in the third set after running for a forehand, and she made more errors as the match went on.
Zhu faces Russian top seed Mirra Andreeva in the last 16 on Wednesday.
'Season not ending how Raducanu envisaged'
ByRussell Fuller
Tennis correspondent
The season is not ending as Raducanu had envisaged.
In Ningbo it appeared she had not fully recovered from last week's illness, and her lower back problem, which flares up from time to time, hindered her mobility.
It is only two weeks since she had three match points to beat world number five Jessica Pegula in Beijing. But since that deciding set, life has been a struggle.
Ningbo was Raducanu's 22nd tournament of the year, which represents a very full schedule.
She is still to play in Tokyo and Hong Kong, so could be out on tour until early November, unless she decides it is time to rest her body and mind and focus on 2026.
Maria Morris's family says they still have questions about what led to her death
A mental health trust says it is planning to install CCTV following the death of a patient in mysterious circumstances.
Maria Morris, 44, was found unresponsive at Bethlem Hospital in south London on 21 September 2021 with four socks down her throat, and a large unexplained bruise on her back.
She died hours later in hospital from a brain injury caused by a lack of oxygen. A consultant who treated her questioned whether she had been assaulted.
An inquest jury at South London Coroners' court concluded that her death was accidental, but her family says they still have questions about what led to her death.
Large bruise on her back
The inquest heard that Maria Morris, who worked as a teaching assistant, had bi-polar affective disorder.
In September 2021, her family and friends became concerned when she started acting erratically and found that she had stopped taking her medication.
Police were called after she ran away from a friend while on a walk in a park. When found, she was delusional and taken to Croydon Hospital.
She was transferred to Bethlem Royal Hospital, a mental health hospital run by South London and Maudsley NHS Trust (SLAM), on 18 September where she was sectioned under the Mental Health Act.
The jury was told that while Maria was on the unit, she raised a number of concerns about how staff were treating patients. She told one member of staff that patients were being "punished" at night.
On the evening of the 21 September, Maria was observed by staff in her room at 20:00 and then again at 20:30.
At 21:23 a member of staff found her unconscious on the floor of her room, having had a cardiac arrest.
During attempts to resuscitate her, a sock was found in her throat. When paramedics arrived, three further socks were removed from her throat.
By the time she was transferred to Croydon University Hospital, she had suffered a hypoxic brain injury. A few hours later she went into cardiac arrest again and died on 22 September.
The jury was told that Dr Simon Wood, an intensive care doctor at Croydon Hospital who treated Maria, alerted the police to a large bruise on her back.
He also said that, in his view, a patient wouldn't have been able to push socks down their own throat without gagging. He was concerned that this may have indicated she'd been assaulted.
The jury heard that there was no CCTV used on the wards at Bethlem Hospital and there was nothing in Maria's notes or observations to explain the bruising.
Maria's room was locked when she was found. The court heard that most patients had keys for their own rooms, but there was no record on who had what key.
Staff had master keys that could unlock all the patients' rooms.
Untested blood
In a statement read to the court, Metropolitan police officer DC Herdeep Jugdev said that his investigation had been hindered because Maria's room in Bethlem had been cleared, and the sock disposed of, before they got there 19 hours after her death was reported.
During their investigation, the police spotted what appeared to be blood under Maria's nails, although this did not appear to have been tested to see whose it was.
John Taylor, the South London Coroner, told the jury that there was not sufficient evidence to conclude that Maria was assaulted on the ward, or that someone else had pushed socks into her airway.
The inquest heard conflicting evidence from staff at Bethlem about how often Maria was checked on the night she died.
Some documents and witnesses suggested she should have been checked four or five times an hour. Others suggested she should have been checked once an hour.
The jury concluded that Maria had pushed the socks down her own throat, but that her death had been accidental. They were unable to reach a conclusion on whether a lack of observations contributed to her death, because of the conflicting evidence.
'Immense pain'
In a statement, Maria's family said she was a much-loved mother, daughter and sister, and that her death "has left a profound and lasting void in the hearts of her family and all who loved her".
"We are grateful to the jury for having identified that there were missed opportunities around communication, documentation and observations.
"As a family, the idea that more could have been done to keep her safe causes us immense pain."
The family also said it felt the jury was not allowed to comment on all the issues it considered to be important.
"As a family we still have questions about exactly what happened that night."
South London and Maudsley NHS Trust (SLAM) says it will be rolling out CCTV in all its wards and opening a new CCTV control centre in November.
Watch: "I'm talking about rebuilding Gaza", Trump tells the BBC's Tom Bateman
US President Donald Trump's day-long trip to the Middle East came as the Gaza deal was clinched: an agreement coming into force amounting to one of the most critical moments yet after two years of catastrophic war.
Painting as he does in primary colours, Trump's portrayal was vivid - of the biggest turning point in three millennia. On the return flight in the early hours of Tuesday, he reflected that it had been a "historic day, to put it mildly". He had earlier suggested "everlasting peace" had been grasped under his tutelage, in a region long convulsed by violence.
As part of the White House press corps, we were travelling on Air Force One – which is how I found myself at the centre of this US diplomatic tornado.
As we headed for Tel Aviv, the presidential plane took a turn to do a fly-by of the beach. It dipped a wing so we could get a view of a giant sign atop the sand that said "thank you" to Trump, and featured the Israeli flag as well as an outline of the US president's head in profile.
Reuters
The manoeuvre set the mood for a trip that was a victory lap, rather than an exercise in setting out the punishing detail for starting "phase two" of the negotiations and securing a longer-term future for Gaza.
The agreement made in Doha last week was under intensive pressure on the sides from Trump. It marked one of the most profound moments for millions of people in the last two years: major combat operations in Gaza ceased, the remaining living hostages held by Hamas released in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel, and Palestinians in Gaza returning to the ruins of their homes in the north amid a partial withdrawal by Israeli troops.
But I found Trump's journey was in fact to a waypoint, not a destination - a fragile truce in a century-old conflict which shows no real signs of being solved.
The most immediate question hanging over the trip was whether Trump's deal could hold - and whether more intensive, arguably harder, negotiations could now build on it.
During the flight, Trump came back to speak to us. Standing in the doorway as we crowded around, he clearly wanted to build up the sense of achievement, frequently referring to his own role in negotiating the deal.
"Every country is dancing in the streets," he said repeatedly. I pressed him on whether the ceasefire would stay intact. He was confident it would, saying there were "a lot of reasons why it's going to hold". But he glossed over the really big questions about what comes next, particularly how to secure and govern Gaza.
I asked him about the proposed multinational force, or International Stabilization Force (ISF), outlined in his 20-point plan but whose existence has yet to be agreed by the sides.
"It's going to be a big, strong force," said Trump, adding that it would "barely" have to be used because "people are going to behave, everybody knows their place".
On the tarmac in Tel Aviv, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu greeted Trump with a red carpet and a military band. We then zoomed off in the motorcade towards Jerusalem, along the Route 1 motorway which had been completely cleared for the presidential convoy.
The same day, thousands watched a giant screen in a public plaza in Tel Aviv that has become known as Hostages Square. They shed tears of joy and relief as the hostages were released by Hamas in Gaza. Trump's arrival was the other half of this split-screen moment – pictures were beamed out of the US president setting foot on Israeli territory.
Getty Images
Crowds in Tel Aviv watched side-by-side footage of the hostages' release and Trump's visit to Israel
In the chamber of the Knesset, or Israeli parliament, the mood was altogether more raucous than that in the streets. Emblazoned on the red baseball caps handed out by staff, and worn by some of the audience, were the words: "The president of peace". Spectators shouted from the gallery behind me: "Thank you Trump." Lawmakers hammered their desks. Trump hailed a "historic dawn of a new Middle East".
He also wanted to leave little doubt the war was over, and it seemed he expected it to stay that way: Israel, he said, with America's help, had won all that it could "by force of arms". His speech meandered into extensive attacks on his political opponents in the US. He praised a major donor to his election campaign seated in the gallery.
And he even appealed to Israel's president, Isaac Herzog, seating next to him, to pardon Netanyahu, who is on trial for corruption – charges that the Israeli PM denies. "Cigars and champagne, who the hell cares about that?" Trump exclaimed, referencing the allegation that Netanyahu accepted pricy gifts.
Watch: Emotional reunions as freed hostages return to Israel
The White House press officers who chaperone the press pool - the "wranglers" - took us back into the press vans and the motorcade made its way back to Ben Gurion airport after fewer than seven hours in Israel.
We took the short flight to Sharm el-Sheikh in Egypt; location of the mediated talks between Israel and Hamas that led to last week's breakthrough. On our descent, Egyptian F16s escorted us - the ultimate show for the president who loves displays of military might. Trump had wanted to celebrate every minute of the day.
But the dangers in this region are many, and the risk seemed clear that he was declaring the ultimate deal before really landing it.
That was reflected in the giant sign, written in capital letters, above the presidential podium in Sharm el-Sheikh: "PEACE IN THE MIDDLE EAST". There, I watched the extraordinary sight of world leaders filing into a room to stand behind Trump as he made his speech hailing peace. They lined up in front of their national flags and listened as he listed their countries one by one. Trump had been introduced to the stage by the host, Egyptian president Abdel Fatah el-Sisi, who said that the goal remained a two-state solution between Israelis and Palestinians.
Trump has changed his position markedly since the start of this year. He became increasingly irritated by the Israeli leadership and was drawn closer to his friends in the Gulf. That came amid a diplomatic move by the Europeans to isolate Israel over its escalating campaign in Gaza and to get the Saudi leadership onboard with their vision. Trump then shifted, drawn by his Gulf allies – whose wealth and "power" he frequently referred to during the drip.
Trump presided over the signing ceremony in Sharm saying it had taken "3,000 years" to get here. But there are still many more years to go - and it will take more than one man to get there.
Watch: 'Indescribable happiness' as detainees return to Gaza
Beau Greaves - the 'very special' talent who beat Littler
Image source, Getty Images
Image caption,
Beau Greaves is a three-time women's world champion and has won the world matchplay twice
Published
Not content with having one major young prodigy, darts has hit the bullseye again – as Beau Greaves' win over Luke Littler demonstrates.
Greaves may be a new name to some but has been recognised for years within the sport as an outstanding prospect.
Appropriately nicknamed 'Beau 'n' Arrow' the 21-year-old from Doncaster beat PDC world champion Littler in a thrilling decider on Monday to become the first woman to reach the final of the World Youth Championship.
The venue was a leisure centre in Wigan, but bigger stages await for Greaves, with the Grand Slam, PDC World Championship and a professional tour card on the horizon.
Victory over Littler came a day after the 18-year-old had won the World Grand Prix, his seventh major title in under two years.
"It was no surprise to me," says Deta Hedman, a three-time women's world championship-runner up who has played darts with Greaves since she was aged 10.
"Once in a while you have a talent that comes through like you had Luke, and Beau is now showing what she can do.
"I've not seen another woman who can play darts like Beau can - she's such a natural. If Beau is in a competition with the rest of the women, normally we are playing for second place.
"Nothing seems to faze her at all and she just does her thing, that's what I love. When she is on that oche, she is just another being."
It was no fluke, with Littler - who averaged 107.4 to Greaves' 105 – calling her "some talent".
A talent illustrated by the fact she has won 58 matches in a row and nine successive events in the PDC Women's Series.
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The double irony of her win over the teenager is some thought his participation was unfair on other players, and Greaves had previously questioned her ability to compete against the top men in the World Championship at Alexandra Palace.
"Men's and ladies darts should be separate. I don't think any lady will ever go to Ally Pally and win that. If you think that, you're being silly," said Greaves last July.
"I just don't think we will ever be good enough to play against the likes of Luke Humphries, Michael van Gerwen or Littler.
"When I go to the Grand Slam I don't look forward to it because I know I have got to play men. I don't fancy my chances at all - I am just realistic."
That was part of the reason the three-time WDF women's world champion had declined to take part in the PDC's main event – plus rules prevented her playing in both – since her debut defeat in 2022.
But with more experience under her belt, and a runner-up spot on the development tour, she has qualified again and seems likely to appear at Alexandra Palace in December.
Image source, Getty Images
Image caption,
Luke Littler beat Luke Humphries to win the World Grand Prix trophy on Sunday
Greaves started playing with her older brother Taylor, who had a dartboard in his bedroom, and quickly showed her aptitude for the game.
"When she was 11 she went to Jersey with her mum and I remember her beating top women's player Lisa Ashton and me," Hedman told BBC Sport.
"Even then, I knew she was someone very special."
Hedman was the first woman to beat a man in a televised major when she defeated Aaron Turner in the 2005 UK Open and says Greaves can compete at the highest level.
"I do believe Beau will do some damage. Some men do not like playing women even in this day and age as there's more pressure," she said.
"Whether she will ever win one of the big majors remains to be seen. She has the game to beat them.
"And she's such a sweet down-to-earth lady from a lovely family. You couldn't find a nicer young person.
"Within darts there is always going to be back-biting, jealousies but what you see from Beau is what you get and she has time for everyone, whoever you are."
World number one Humphries has been among those to praise Greaves, who made history in February as the first woman to reach the fourth round of the UK Open where she led him 7-5 before eventually losing 10-7.
"I think she's an amazing player and she deserves it," Humphries said during his run to Sunday's World Grand Prix final. "I predict that she'll flourish playing in it [PDC Pro Tour].
"She's been a really great player on the secondary tours this year. She's good on the challenge tour, good on the development tour and she'll be a real threat going forward for all the players. Not just for me but for everyone.
"I think she'll do really well. If she's relaxed and she's got no pressure on her shoulders yes, I believe she will be top 64 within the two years for sure."
Greaves will face defending champion Gian van Veen of the Netherlands in the youth final at Minehead in November.
The next instalment of Greaves v Littler could potentially come as early as next month too at the Grand Slam in Wolverhampton.
And then who knows? She could become the second woman after Fallon Sherrock, in 2019, to win matches in the big one at the Ally Pally.
NEW YORK — Leaders of Young Republican groups throughout the country worried what would happen if their Telegram chat ever got leaked, but they kept typing anyway.
They referred to Black people as monkeys and “the watermelon people” and mused about putting their political opponents in gas chambers. They talked about raping their enemies and driving them to suicide and lauded Republicans who they believed support slavery.
William Hendrix, the Kansas Young Republicans’ vice chair, used the words “n--ga” and “n--guh,” variations of a racial slur, more than a dozen times in the chat. Bobby Walker, the vice chair of the New York State Young Republicans at the time, referred to rape as “epic.” Peter Giunta, who at the time was chair of the same organization, wrote in a message sent in June that “everyone that votes no is going to the gas chamber.”
Giunta was referring to an upcoming vote on whether he should become chairman of the Young Republican National Federation, the GOP’s 15,000-member political organization for Republicans between 18 and 40 years old.
“Im going to create some of the greatest physiological torture methods known to man. We only want true believers,” he continued.
Two members of the chat responded.
“Can we fix the showers? Gas chambers don’t fit the Hitler aesthetic,” Joe Maligno, who previously identified himself as the general counsel for the New York State Young Republicans, wrote back.
“I’m ready to watch people burn now,” Annie Kaykaty, New York’s national committeewoman, said.
The exchange is part of a trove of Telegram chats — obtained by POLITICO and spanning more than seven months of messages among Young Republican leaders in New York, Kansas, Arizona and Vermont. The chat offers an unfiltered look at how a new generation of GOP activists talk when they think no one is listening.
Since POLITICO began making inquiries, one member of the group chat is no longer employed at their job and another’s job offer was rescinded. Prominent New York Republicans, including Rep. Elise Stefanik and state Senate Minority Leader Rob Ortt, have denounced the chat. And festering resentments among Young Republicans have now turned into public recriminations, including allegations of character assassination and extortion.
A liberating atmosphere
The 2,900 pages of chats, shared among a dozen millennial and Gen Z Republicans between early January and mid-August, chronicle their campaign to seize control of the national Young Republican organization on a hardline pro-Donald Trump platform. Many of the chat members already work inside government or party politics, and one serves as a state senator.
Together, the messages reveal a culture where racist, antisemitic and violent rhetoric circulate freely — and where the Trump-era loosening of political norms has made such talk feel less taboo among those positioning themselves as the party’s next leaders.
“The more the political atmosphere is open and liberating — like it has been with the emergence of Trump and a more right wing GOP even before him — it opens up young people and older people to telling racist jokes, making racist commentaries in private and public,” said Joe Feagin, a Texas A&M sociology professor who has studied racism for the last 60 years. He’s also concerned the words would be applied to public policy. “It’s chilling, of course, because they will act on these views.”
The dynamic of easy racism and casual cruelty played out in often dark, vivid fashion inside the chats, where campaign talk and party gossip blurred into streams of slurs and violent fantasies.
The group chat members spoke freely about the pressure to cow to Trump to avoid being called a RINO, the love of Nazis within their party’s right wing and the president’s alleged work to suppress documents related to wealthy financier Jeffrey Epstein’s child sex crimes.
Dwyer and Kaykaty declined to comment. Maligno and Hendrix did not return requests for comment.
But some involved in the chat did respond publicly.
Giunta claimed the release of the chat is part of “a highly-coordinated year-long character assassination led by Gavin Wax and the New York City Young Republican Club” — an allusion to a once obscured internecine war that has now spilled into the open.
“These logs were sourced by way of extortion and provided to POLITICO by the very same people conspiring against me,” he said. “What’s most disheartening is that, despite my unwavering support of President Trump since 2016, rouge (sic) members of his administration — including Gavin Wax — have participated in this conspiracy to ruin me publicly simply because I challenged them privately.”
Wax, a staffer in Trump’s State Department, formerly led the New York Young Republican Club — a separate, city-based group that is at odds with the state organization, the New York State Young Republicans. He declined to comment.
Despite his allusions to infighting, Giunta still apologized.
“I am so sorry to those offended by the insensitive and inexcusable language found within the more than 28,000 messages of a private group chat that I created during my campaign to lead the Young Republicans,” he said. “While I take complete responsibility, I have had no way of verifying their accuracy and am deeply concerned that the message logs in question may have been deceptively doctored.”
At least one person in the Telegram chat works in the Trump administration: Michael Bartels, who, according to his LinkedIn account, serves as a senior adviser in the office of general counsel within the U.S. Small Business Administration. Bartels did not have much to say in the chat, but he didn’t offer any pushback against the offensive rhetoric in it either. He declined to comment.
A notarized affidavit signed by Bartels and obtained by POLITICO also sheds light on the intraparty rivalry that led the “RESTOREYR WAR ROOM” Telegram chat to be made public. Bartels references Wax as well. He wrote that he did not give POLITICO the chat and that Wax “demanded” in a phone call that he provide the full chat log.
“When I attempted to resist that demand, after providing some of the requested information, Wax threatened my professional standing, and raised the possibility of potential legal action related to an alleged breach of a non-disclosure agreement,” Bartels claimed in the affidavit. “My position within the New York Young Republican Club was directly threatened.”
Walker, who now leads the New York State Young Republicans, touched on a similar theme, saying that he believes portions of the chat “may have been altered, taken out of context, or otherwise manipulated” and that the “private exchanges were obtained and released in a way clearly intended to inflict harm.”
He also apologized.
“There is no excuse for the language and tone in messages attributed to me. The language is wrong and hurtful, and I sincerely apologize,” Walker said. “This has been a painful lesson about judgment and trust, and I am committed to moving forward with greater care, respect, and accountability in everything I say and do.”
251 times
Mixed into formal conversations about whipping votes, social media strategy and logistics, the members of the chat slung around an array of slurs — which POLITICO is republishing to show how they spoke. Epithets like “f----t,” “retarded” and “n--ga” appeared more than 251 times combined.
In one instance, Walker — who at the time was a staffer for Ortt — talked about how a mutual friend of some in the chat “dated this very obese Indian woman for a period of time.”
Giunta responded that the woman “was not Indian.”
“She just didn’t bathe often,” Samuel Douglass, a state senator from northern Vermont and the head of the state’s Young Republicans, replied to Giunta.
In a separate conversation, Giunta shared that his flight to Charleston, South Carolina, landed safely. Then, he offered some advice for his fellow Young Republicans.
“If your pilot is a she and she looks ten shades darker than someone from Sicily, just end it there. Scream the no no word,” Giunta wrote.
Douglass did not respond to requests for comment.
In a statement, Ortt called for members of the chat to resign.
“I was shocked and disgusted to learn about the racist, anti-Semitic, and misogynistic comments attributed to members of the New York State Young Republicans,” Ortt said. “This behavior is indefensible and has no place in our party or anywhere in public life.”
Walker had been in line to manage Republican Peter Oberacker’s campaign for Congress in upstate New York, but a spokesperson for the campaign said Walker won’t be brought on in light of the comments in the chat.
Seeking Trump’s endorsement
The private rhetoric isn’t happening in a vacuum. It comes amid a widespread coarsening of the broader political discourse and as incendiary and racially offensive tropes from the right become increasingly common in public debate. Last month, Trump posted an AI-generated video that showed House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries in a sombrero beside Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, whose fabricated remarks were about trading free health care for immigrant votes — a false, long-running GOP trope. The sombrero meme has been widely used to mock Democrats as the government shutdown wears on.
In his 2024 campaign, Trump spread false reports of Haitian migrants eating pets and, at one of his rallies, welcomed comedian Tony Hinchcliffe, who called Puerto Rico a “floating island of garbage” and joked about Black people “carving watermelons” on Halloween.
Liz Huston, a White House spokesperson, rejected the idea that Trump’s rhetoric had anything to do with the chat members’ language.
“Only an activist, left-wing reporter would desperately try to tie President Trump into a story about a random groupchat he has no affiliation with, while failing to mention the dangerous smears coming from Democrat politicians who have fantasized about murdering their opponent and called Republicans Nazis and Fascists,” she said. “No one has been subjected to more vicious rhetoric and violence than President Trump and his supporters.”
In the “RESTOREYR WAR ROOM” chat, Giunta tells his fellow Republicans that he spoke with the White House about an endorsement from Trump for his bid to become chairman of the national federation. Trump and the Republican National Committee ultimately decided to stay neutral in the race.
A White House official said that it has no affiliation with RESTORE YR and that hundreds of groups ask the White House for its endorsement.
Giunta was the most prominent voice in the chat spreading racist messages — often encouraged or “liked” by other members.
When Luke Mosiman, the chair of the Arizona Young Republicans, asked if the New Yorkers in the chat were watching an NBA playoff game, Giunta responded, “I’d go to the zoo if I wanted to watch monkey play ball.” Giunta elsewhere refers to Black people as “the watermelon people.”
Hendrix made a similar remark in July: “Bro is at a chicken restaurant ordering his food. Would he like some watermelon and kool aid with that?”
Hendrix was a communications assistant for Kansas’ Republican Attorney General Kris Kobach until Thursday. He also said in the chat that, despite political differences, he’s drawn to Missouri’s Young Republican organization because “Missouri doesn’t like f--s.”
POLITICO reached out to Danedri Herbert, a spokesperson for the attorney general who also serves as the Kansas GOP Chair, and shared with her excerpts of the chat involving Hendrix. In response, Herbert said “we are aware of the issues raised in your article” and that Hendrix is “no longer employed” in Kobach’s office.
In another exchange, Dwyer, the Kansas’ chair, informs Giunta that one of Michigan’s Young Republicans promised him the group “will vote for the most right wing person” to lead the national organization.
“Great. I love Hitler,” Giunta responded.
Dwyer reacted with a smiley face.
Few minority groups spared
Giunta, who serves as chief of staff to New York state Assemblymember Mike Reilly, ultimately fell six points short of winning the chairmanship to lead the Young Republican National Federation earlier this year — despite earning endorsements from Stefanik and longtime Trump adviser Roger Stone.
Reilly did not respond to requests for comment.
Earlier this year, Stefanik accepted an award from the New York State Young Republicans. She lauded Giunta for his “tremendous leadership” in August and had her campaign and the political PAC she leads donate to that state organization. Alex deGrasse, a senior adviser for Stefanik, said the congresswoman “was absolutely appalled to learn about the alleged comments made by leaders of the New York State Young Republicans and other state YRs in a large national group chat.”
“According to the description provided by Politico, the comments were heinous, antisemitic, racist and unacceptable,” he continued, noting Stefanik has never employed anyone in the chat. “If the description by Politico is accurate, Congresswoman Stefanik calls for any NY Young Republicans responsible for these horrific comments in this chat to step down immediately.”
Stone also condemned the comments in a statement.
“I of course, have never seen this alleged chat room thread,” he said. “If it is authentic, I would, of course, denounce any such comments in the strongest possible terms, This would surprise me as it is inconsistent with Peter that I know, although I only know him in his capacity as the head of the New York Young Republicans, where I thought he did a good job.”
Few minority groups are spared from the Young Republican group’s chat. Their rhetoric — normalized at most points as dark humor — mirrors some popular conservative political commentators, podcasters and comedians amid a national erosion of what’s considered acceptable discourse.
Giunta’s line on a darker-skinned pilot, for example, echoes one used by slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk last year when he said, “If I see a Black pilot, I’m going to be like, boy, I hope he’s qualified.” Kirk was discussing how diversity hiring “invites unwholesome thinking.”
Walker also uses the moniker “eyepatch McCain” (originally coined by conservative commentator Tucker Carlson) in an apparent reference to GOP Rep. Dan Crenshaw. Crenshaw lost his eye while serving as a Navy SEAL in Afghanistan. Walker also makes the remark, “I prefer my war heroes not captured,” a repeat of a similar 2015 line from Trump.
Art Jipson, a professor at the University of Dayton who specializes in white racial extremism, surmised the Young Republicans in the chat were influenced by Trump’s language, which he said is often hyperbolic and emotionally charged.
“Trump’s persistent use of hostile, often inflammatory language that normalizes aggressive discourse in conservative circles can be incredibly influential on young operatives who are still trying to figure out, ‘What is that political discourse?’” Jipson said.
White supremacist symbols
Jipson reviewed multiple excerpts of the Young Republicans’ chat provided by POLITICO. One was a late July message where Mosiman, the chair of the Arizona Young Republicans, mused about how the group could win support for their preferred candidate by linking an opponent to white supremacist groups. But Mosiman then realized the plan could backfire — Kansas’ Young Republicans could end up becoming attracted to that opponent.
“Can we get them to start releasing Nazi edits with her… Like pro Nazi and faciam (sic) propaganda,” he asked the group.
“Omg I love this plan,” Rachel Hope, the Arizona Young Republicans events chair, responded.
“The only problem is we will lose the Kansas delegation,” Mosiman said. Hope and the two Kansas Young Republicans in the chat reacted with a laughing face to the message. Hope did not respond to requests for comment. Mosiman declined to comment.
Jipson said the Young Republicans’ conversations reminded him of online discussions between members of neo-Nazi and white supremacist groups.
“You say it once or twice, it's a joke, but you say it 251 times, it's no longer a joke,” Jipson said. “The more we repeat certain ideas, the more real they become to us.”
Weeks later, someone in the chat staying in a hotel asks its members to “GUESS WHAT ROOM WE’RE IN.”
“1488,” Dwyer responds. White supremacists use the number 1488 because 14 is the number of words in the white supremacist slogan “We must secure the existence of our people and a future for white children.” H is the eighth letter in the alphabet, and 88 is often used as a shorthand for “Heil Hitler.”
In another conversation in February, Giunta talks approvingly about the Orange County Teenage Republican organization in New York — which appears to be part of the network of national Teen Age Republicans — and how he was pleased with its young members’ ideological bent.
“They support slavery and all that shit. Mega based,” he said. The term “based” in internet culture is used to express approval with an idea, often one that’s bold or controversial.
In a statement, Orange County GOP Chairwoman Courtney Canfield Greene said the party was disappointed to learn its teen group was mentioned in the chat.
"Our teen volunteers have no affiliation with the NYSYR's or the YRNF,” she said. “This behavior has no home within the Republican Party in Orange County."
Ed Cox, the chair of the New York State GOP, also condemned the remarks made in the chat.
“I was shocked and disgusted to learn about the reports of comments made by a small group of Young Republicans,” he said. “Just as we call out vile racist and anti-Semetic rhetoric on the far left, we must not tolerate it within our ranks.”
Vicious words for enemies
Members of the Telegram chat speak about their personal lives, too. Extensive discussions about their everyday lives include one exchange about how devoutly Catholic some chat members are and how often they attend church.
Many of the slurs, epithets and violent language used in the chat often appear to be intended as jokes.
Mosiman was derided by members of the chat as “beaner” and “sp-c.”
“Stay in the closet faggot,” Walker of New York also jested in July, though he is the group’s main target for the same epithet.
The group used slurs against Asians, too.
“My people built the train tracks with the Chinese,” Walker says at one point, referring to his Italian ancestors.
“Let his people go!” Maligno responds. “Keep the ch--ks, though.”
In another instance, Mosiman tells the group that, “The Spanish came to America and had sex with every single woman.”
“Sex is gay,” Dwyer writes.
“Sex? It was rape,” Mosiman replies.
“Epic,” Walker says.
There’s more explicit malice in some phrases, too, especially when they turn their ire on opponents outside the chat, such as the leader of the rival Grow YR slate, Hayden Padgett, who defeated Giunta and was reelected chairman of the Young Republican National Federation this summer.
“So you mean Hayden F----t wrote the resolution himself?” Giunta asked the group about the National Young Republicans chair in late May.
“RAPE HAYDEN,” Mosiman declared the following month.
“Adolf Padgette is in the F----tbunker as we speak,” Walker said in July.
Padgett responded to the chat’s language in a statement.
“The Young Republican National Federation condemns all forms of racism, antisemitism, and hate,” Padgett said. “I want to be clear that such behavior is entirely inconsistent with our values and has no place within our organization or the broader conservative movement.”
Giunta also had expletive-laden criticism for the Young Republicans in states that were supporting or leaning toward Padgett’s faction.
“Minnesota - f----ts,” he messaged, continuing: “Arkansas - inbred cow fuckers Nebraska - revolt in our favor; blocked their bind and have a majority of their delegates Maryland - fat stinky Jew … Rhode Island - traitorous c---s who I will eradicate from the face of this planet.”
Giunta also said he planned to make one of the competing Young Republicans “unalive himself on the convention floor.”
In another instance, Douglass, the Vermont state senator, describes to the group members how one of Padgett’s Jewish colleagues may have made a procedural error related to the number of Maryland delegates permitted at the national convention.
“I was about to say you’re giving nationals to (sic) much credit and expecting the Jew to be honest,” Brianna Douglass, Sam’s wife and Vermont Young Republican’s national committeewoman, replied to her husband’s message. Brianna Douglass did not respond to repeated requests for comment.
‘If we ever had a leak of this chat.…’
While reporting this article, POLITICO was examining a separate allegation: that Giunta and the Young Republicans mismanaged the New York organization’s finances and hadn’t paid at least one venue for a swanky holiday party it hosted last year. POLITICO’s report detailed how the organization was missing required financial disclosure forms and how their subsequent efforts to file the forms revealed the organization was in more than $28,000 of debt. As of Tuesday, updated records show the organization is in more than $38,000 of debt.
Donations to New York State Young Republicans' political account must be reported to the state Board of Elections. Expenditures must be reported too.
At the time, Giunta told POLITICO the allegations were “nothing more than a sad and pathetic attempt at a political hit job.” But in their “RESTOREYR WAR ROOM” chat, he and Walker speak flippantly about mishandling the club’s finances.
“NYSYR Account be like: $500 - Balding cream $1,000 - Ozempik,” Walker said in one message. “NYSYR will be declaring bankruptcy after this I just know it,” he said in another.
“I drained $10k tonight to pay for my next vacation to Italy,” Giunta appeared to joke about the organization’s bank account.
“I spent it on massage,” he says of another check that was deposited in the account.
“Great. Can’t wait to get sued by our venue,” Walker replies.
Members of the chat occasionally appeared to be aware of its toxicity and even made remarks that considered the possibility someone outside their tight-knit group could view it.
Walker seemed to consider that possibility the most.
In one instance, he joked about bombing the Young Republican National Federation’s convention in Nashville and then remarked, “Just kidding for our assigned FBI tracker.”
In another, he considered the totality of the thousands of messages he and his peers had written, and what would happen if the public saw them come to light.
“If we ever had a leak of this chat we would be cooked fr fr,” he wrote.
Rotem Cooper says his father's body not being returned was a "disappointment"
The son of an Israeli hostage whose body remains in Gaza has told the BBC he is dealing with the realisation that "it's not over and it's going to be a longer battle".
Rotem Cooper, whose father Amiram is among 24 hostages whose bodies were not returned to Israel on Monday, said the families were trying "to find the strength somehow to pick ourselves up... and continue the fight".
He called on US President Donald Trump, Qatar, Egypt and other countries involved in peace deal negotiations "to show Hamas that this is not acceptable".
A ceasefire and hostage release agreement signed by Israel and Hamas stated that the remaining hostages in Gaza would be returned by noon on Monday, with nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and detainees held by Israel released in exchange.
While the 20 hostages still alive were released, a copy of the agreement published by Israeli media appeared to acknowledge that Hamas and other Palestinian factions may not be able to locate all of the bodies of the deceased hostages by the deadline.
Their families had pinned their hopes on their loved one returning on Monday, after two years in captivity.
"We hoped and expected that maybe 15 to 20 out of the 28 deceased hostages would be released, but that didn't happen. Only four were announced," Mr Cooper said.
Family handout
Amiram Cooper was kidnapped from his home alongside his wife on 7 October 2023
He described the news as a "very big disappointment" for the families.
"It's clear to us that they could have and should have released more and [that] they're playing games."
Mr Cooper's parents were both kidnapped in the 7 October 2023 Hamas-led attacks on Israel, from their home in Kibbutz Nir Oz. His mother was released later that month while his father was killed in captivity.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it had been operating in the area at the time but did not confirm how he was killed, referring the BBC this week to a previous statement saying the circumstances were "under examination". Hamas has claimed he was killed by an Israeli military strike.
AFP via Getty Images
Dozens of people were at Re'im military base to see the return of the hostages on Monday
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum, which represents the relatives of many of the hostages, has called for "a very serious response" from the Israeli government and mediators, for what is described as Hamas's "violation of the agreement".
It said further stages of the peace plan should not progress until all the remaining bodies had been returned.
Mr Cooper headed to the Re'im military base in southern Israel on Monday to see the return of the 20 living hostages.
In voicenotes sent over the course of the day, he described feeling "tremendous anticipation" and a "big relief" as he saw them return. But he said the thought of the bodies coming back to Israel was "heartbreaking".
Family handout
Ruby Chen (R) with his son Itay (L), whose body still remains in Gaza
Speaking again the following day, after the news that the four bodies returned did not include Amiram's, he described the experience as a "big rollercoaster".
Mr Cooper said the return of his father's body would allow him to have "some closure" and to "sleep better at night".
"Everything has been on hold," he said.
Ruby Chen, whose son Itay's body remains in Gaza, said he had experienced a similar mix of emotions.
"We were overjoyed [on Monday] to see 20 hostages coming out and being reunited with their families, but we were very disappointed not to see more deceased hostages coming out," he said in a video message shared with the BBC by the Hostages and Missing Families Forum.
"We request the Israeli government, the US and the mediators to continue the fight and put pressure on Hamas to adhere [to] and follow the agreement that was signed and bring back all the remaining 24 hostages in captivity," Mr Chen added.
The Israeli military said on Tuesday that, following forensic tests, it had identified the four hostages whose bodies had been returned and had informed their families that their loved ones had been reburied.
It said they included Guy Iloz - who was shot at the Nova music festival and is believed to have died from the wounds - and Bipin Joshi, who it said was believed to have been "murdered in captivity during the first months of the war".
Watch: "I'm talking about rebuilding Gaza", Trump tells the BBC's Tom Bateman
US President Donald Trump's day-long trip to the Middle East came as the Gaza deal was clinched: an agreement coming into force amounting to one of the most critical moments yet after two years of catastrophic war.
Painting as he does in primary colours, Trump's portrayal was vivid - of the biggest turning point in three millennia. On the return flight in the early hours of Tuesday, he reflected that it had been a "historic day, to put it mildly". He had earlier suggested "everlasting peace" had been grasped under his tutelage, in a region long convulsed by violence.
As part of the White House press corps, we were travelling on Air Force One – which is how I found myself at the centre of this US diplomatic tornado.
As we headed for Tel Aviv, the presidential plane took a turn to do a fly-by of the beach. It dipped a wing so we could get a view of a giant sign atop the sand that said "thank you" to Trump, and featured the Israeli flag as well as an outline of the US president's head in profile.
Reuters
The manoeuvre set the mood for a trip that was a victory lap, rather than an exercise in setting out the punishing detail for starting "phase two" of the negotiations and securing a longer-term future for Gaza.
The agreement made in Doha last week was under intensive pressure on the sides from Trump. It marked one of the most profound moments for millions of people in the last two years: major combat operations in Gaza ceased, the remaining living hostages held by Hamas released in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel, and Palestinians in Gaza returning to the ruins of their homes in the north amid a partial withdrawal by Israeli troops.
But I found Trump's journey was in fact to a waypoint, not a destination - a fragile truce in a century-old conflict which shows no real signs of being solved.
The most immediate question hanging over the trip was whether Trump's deal could hold - and whether more intensive, arguably harder, negotiations could now build on it.
During the flight, Trump came back to speak to us. Standing in the doorway as we crowded around, he clearly wanted to build up the sense of achievement, frequently referring to his own role in negotiating the deal.
"Every country is dancing in the streets," he said repeatedly. I pressed him on whether the ceasefire would stay intact. He was confident it would, saying there were "a lot of reasons why it's going to hold". But he glossed over the really big questions about what comes next, particularly how to secure and govern Gaza.
I asked him about the proposed multinational force, or International Stabilization Force (ISF), outlined in his 20-point plan but whose existence has yet to be agreed by the sides.
"It's going to be a big, strong force," said Trump, adding that it would "barely" have to be used because "people are going to behave, everybody knows their place".
On the tarmac in Tel Aviv, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu greeted Trump with a red carpet and a military band. We then zoomed off in the motorcade towards Jerusalem, along the Route 1 motorway which had been completely cleared for the presidential convoy.
The same day, thousands watched a giant screen in a public plaza in Tel Aviv that has become known as Hostages Square. They shed tears of joy and relief as the hostages were released by Hamas in Gaza. Trump's arrival was the other half of this split-screen moment – pictures were beamed out of the US president setting foot on Israeli territory.
Getty Images
Crowds in Tel Aviv watched side-by-side footage of the hostages' release and Trump's visit to Israel
In the chamber of the Knesset, or Israeli parliament, the mood was altogether more raucous than that in the streets. Emblazoned on the red baseball caps handed out by staff, and worn by some of the audience, were the words: "The president of peace". Spectators shouted from the gallery behind me: "Thank you Trump." Lawmakers hammered their desks. Trump hailed a "historic dawn of a new Middle East".
He also wanted to leave little doubt the war was over, and it seemed he expected it to stay that way: Israel, he said, with America's help, had won all that it could "by force of arms". His speech meandered into extensive attacks on his political opponents in the US. He praised a major donor to his election campaign seated in the gallery.
And he even appealed to Israel's president, Isaac Herzog, seating next to him, to pardon Netanyahu, who is on trial for corruption – charges that the Israeli PM denies. "Cigars and champagne, who the hell cares about that?" Trump exclaimed, referencing the allegation that Netanyahu accepted pricy gifts.
Watch: Emotional reunions as freed hostages return to Israel
The White House press officers who chaperone the press pool - the "wranglers" - took us back into the press vans and the motorcade made its way back to Ben Gurion airport after fewer than seven hours in Israel.
We took the short flight to Sharm el-Sheikh in Egypt; location of the mediated talks between Israel and Hamas that led to last week's breakthrough. On our descent, Egyptian F16s escorted us - the ultimate show for the president who loves displays of military might. Trump had wanted to celebrate every minute of the day.
But the dangers in this region are many, and the risk seemed clear that he was declaring the ultimate deal before really landing it.
That was reflected in the giant sign, written in capital letters, above the presidential podium in Sharm el-Sheikh: "PEACE IN THE MIDDLE EAST". There, I watched the extraordinary sight of world leaders filing into a room to stand behind Trump as he made his speech hailing peace. They lined up in front of their national flags and listened as he listed their countries one by one. Trump had been introduced to the stage by the host, Egyptian president Abdel Fatah el-Sisi, who said that the goal remained a two-state solution between Israelis and Palestinians.
Trump has changed his position markedly since the start of this year. He became increasingly irritated by the Israeli leadership and was drawn closer to his friends in the Gulf. That came amid a diplomatic move by the Europeans to isolate Israel over its escalating campaign in Gaza and to get the Saudi leadership onboard with their vision. Trump then shifted, drawn by his Gulf allies – whose wealth and "power" he frequently referred to during the drip.
Trump presided over the signing ceremony in Sharm saying it had taken "3,000 years" to get here. But there are still many more years to go - and it will take more than one man to get there.
Watch: 'Indescribable happiness' as detainees return to Gaza
Sébastien Lecornu announced the planned suspension two days before his new government faced votes of confidence
French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu has told parliament he backs suspending controversial 2023 pension reforms, in the face of crucial votes of no-confidence later this week.
The changes, which raised the retirement age from 62 to 64, were seen as signature reforms in Emmanuel Macron's presidency.
"This autumn I will propose to parliament that we suspend the 2023 pension reform until the [2027] presidential election," Lecornu said to applause from left-wing parties.
Lecornu was reappointed prime minister last week only four days after he resigned, and needs the support of Socialist MPs in parliament if his government is to survive.
Opposition parties on the far right and far left have called confidence votes, known as "censure" votes in Lecornu, for Thursday morning and are demanding parliamentary elections.
The Socialists said they would be prepared to support the new government, but only if it promises a complete suspension of Macron's pension changes.
"If he does not explicitly say the words 'immediate and complete suspension of the pension reform', it will be censure," Socialist MP Laurent Baumel said earlier on French TV.
"He is holding his destiny in his own hands. He knows what he has do if he doesn't want to be the prime minister who resigns every week."
The reforms were finally pushed through parliament in March 2023, less than a year after Macron was voted in for a second presidential term.
There had been months of political debate, strikes and street protests, and in the end the bill had to go through without a vote in parliament using a constitutional mechanism known as 49:3.
Last week, Lecornu said it was something many French people remembered as a "wound on democracy" .
On Tuesday he made it plain to MPs that suspending the pension reform would cost €400m (£350m) in 2026 and a further €1.8bn (£1.57bn) in 2027. This will have to be "compensated by other savings," Lecornu said.
Lecornu is France's third prime minister in the past year but even if he does survive he needs to get a budget through parliament that brings down a budget deficit heading for 5.4% of economic output (GDP) this year.
France's public debt earlier this year stood at €3.4tn, or almost 114% of GDP, the third highest in the eurozone after Greece and Italy.
Lecornu has been one of Macron's most loyal allies, so his decision to row back on such a contested reform shows how keen the president is to avoid further turmoil.
Philippe Aghion, who was jointly awarded the 2025 Nobel economics prize on Monday, said earlier that he also backed a suspension of the pension reform, because it would still come at a smaller cost than the instability that would follow another government collapse.
Buenos Aires, September 2023. Hundreds of people crowded around to wave flags and film on their phones. The man with unruly hair and sideburns in the centre of them, clad in a black leather jacket, hoisted a roaring chainsaw above his head.
This was an election rally taking place in the San Martín area of the Argentine capital a month before the presidential election - and the metaphor was explicit.
The candidate Javier Milei believed the state was far too bloated, with annual debts that were bigger than Argentina's entire annual economic output.
Rather than 'trimming the fat', as some politicians delicately put it, he said he would take a chainsaw to ministries, subsidies and the ruling political class he derided as "la casta" - the caste.
Getty Images
Javier Milei's election rallies featured an unusual prop
Milei had form for stunts. In 2019, he dressed up in a "libertarian superhero" costume, purporting to be from Liberland - a land where no taxes are paid. In 2018, he smashed a piñata of the Central Bank on live television.
According to official data, inflation in 2023 topped 211% annually - Milei took office in December of that year. Roughly 40% of the population lived in poverty. Years of high public spending, and a reliance on printing more money and borrowing to cover deficits, had left the country in a cycle of debts and inflation.
Yet nearly two years on, the headline figures are vastly different: Argentina recorded its first fiscal surplus in 14 years -the state spending less than it's collecting - and inflation, which had hit triple figures annually, has tumbled to about 36%.
The UK Conservative party leader Kemi Badenoch called the measures Milei has taken a "template" for a future Conservative government. And in the US, President Donald Trump described Milei as "my favourite president".
They will meet in Washington on Tuesday.
Reuters
Donald Trump has described Milei as 'my favourite president' - they are due to meet at the White House later today
Foreign investors regained confidence in Argentina too. Although that recently slipped, Washington's decision last week to swap $20bn (£15bn) in dollars for pesos, effectively propping up Argentina's currency with International Monetary Fund (IMF) backing, is a sign Milei's fiscal shock therapy has appeased international lenders. Trump and Milei's meeting will hail the deal.
Yet for all the international praise, this is just one side of the story. On the streets there have been heated protests over Milei's reforms, with police firing tear gas, rubber bullets and a water cannon during clashes.
"He said in his campaign that this adjustment would be paid for by 'la casta' – the wealthy, the politicians, the evil businessmen," says Mercedes D'Alessandro, a left-wing economist and senate candidate.
But, she argues, the result was less money for pensioners and hospitals. "The adjustment in the end was directed at the working classes, not the caste."
Reuters
Milei's reforms have prompted heated protests
Milei's critics argue that the price of his changes have been recession, job losses, weaker public services and declining household budgets. And now some economists say the country could be about to enter a recession.
Milei has created a paradox.
On paper, his chainsaw has achieved some of the macroeconomic successes he set out to do. But Milei has lost political support and that has spooked the markets, which in turn has destabilised his economic project.
With midterm elections looming on 26 October, Argentina is about to deliver its verdict: will Milei be punished for doing what he set out to do — and could losing political support completely unravel his economic gains?
Argentines feeling the cost
Around 700 miles from the capital in the Misiones province, tea farmer Ygor Sobol looks anxious. "We're all going backwards economically," he says. "I had to close the payroll. Now I am completely without employees."
For three generations his family has grown yerba mate, a drink popular with Argentines, but since Milei deregulated his industry by scrapping minimum prices, he says that his crops have become worth less than the cost of producing them.
Now, Mr Sobol says he can't afford to do basic tasks like cleaning and fertilising his plantation. And with the business making a loss, he's deciding what his family will have to go without too.
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For all the international praise since Milei was sworn in (pictured), this is just one side of the story
Argentina's multibillion dollar textile industry is also affected. Luciano Galfione, chairman of a non-profit for the sector Fundacion Pro Tejer, describes "daily" closures and job losses.
Unlike Trump's approach of raising tariffs to promote "America First", Milei cut tariffs and other criteria for imports.
"I have environmental controls, labour controls - we don't pay people $80 (£60) a month, or have 16-hour work days that might be allowed in places like Bangladesh or Vietnam. This creates an unequal playing field," Mr Galfione argues.
He believes that boosting imports has battered domestic producers. "Our sector lost more than 10,000 direct jobs. If you add indirect jobs, there are many more."
Mr Galfione also blames rising costs of utilities, health and schools for reducing the disposable income of average people, and in turn making them less likely to buy clothes.
And yet amid it all, Milei is adamant that his measures will improve the lives of ordinary Argentines.
'Everything was a huge mess'
In the run-up to the election Milei had said there was no alternative to big cuts.
As well as the soaring inflation, vast government subsidies had kept energy and transport prices down. Public spending was high, even before the Covid-19 pandemic. Price controls set fixed prices for certain goods. Argentina, still, owes £31bn in debt to the IMF.
"The demand for public spending was brutal," argues Ramiro Castiñeira, an economist at the consultancy Econométrica who supports Milei.
"Society seemed willing to live with so much inflation. Or didn't recognise that inflation was a product of so much public spending."
EPA - EFE/REX/Shutterstock
Opponents of Javier Milei say ordinary people have been left with less disposable income
Inflation ate away the peso currency's purchasing power. Many ordinary Argentines handed over disproportionate sums of pesos to illegal street traders to buy dollars, fearing their money would lose value overnight.
"Everything was a huge mess," explains Martin Rapetti, an economics professor at the University of Buenos Aires and executive director of think tank Equilibria.
"People felt money slipping like water through their fingers."
For many economists, drastic change (even if painful) was essential to restore credibility. And Milei promised radical change.
He went viral for ripping government ministries such as Culture and Women off a whiteboard while shouting 'afuera!' - 'out!'
Among other austerity measures, he halved government ministries, cut tens of thousands of public jobs, slashed budgets including for education, health, pensions and infrastructure, and removed subsidies – spiking utility and transport prices.
His initial devaluing of the peso by 50% caused inflation to spike but then it fell as people spent less and demand fell.
EPA/Shutterstock
Milei's supporters credit him with taming Argentina's previously rampant inflation
'Echoes of Thatcherism'
When I met him in April 2024 at his office, there were sculptures of him with a chainsaw on display and coasters showing Margaret Thatcher's face. Thatcher is loathed by many people in Argentina owing to the Falklands War, but Milei told me he admired her and that she was "brilliant."
Last month one British newspaper described Milei's own approach as having "echoes of Thatcherism".
Miguel Boggiano, an economist on Milei's economic advisory board, is full of praise for Milei getting inflation down and reducing the deficit. "When you bear in mind the starting point, that's a huge accomplishment," he says.
Reuters
Javier Milei's reforms have drawn comparisons with those of Margaret Thatcher
He believes this will help alleviate poverty in the long-run and enable lower taxes, but also help people to plan their own spending more easily with inflation currently fluctuating less.
But Alan Cibils, an independent economist and former professor, warns reduced inflation is only a success if it is sustained over time which he believes will not be the case.
The outsider advantage
Javier Milei is not a career politician. Before becoming president he had two years experience as a deputy in Argentina's Congress.
"Being so detached kind of shields him," Prof Rapetti observes, citing a lack of "signs of empathy in public life".
On 7 September Milei's party lost unexpectedly badly in the Buenos Aires provincial elections. His convoy was pelted with rocks on the campaign trail. The markets panicked: foreign investors sold off pesos and bonds of Argentine government debt.
EPA - EFE/REX/Shutterstock
Some observers say Milei displays a lack of empathy towards those affected by cuts
Financial markets had generally supported his economic programme. But the midterm elections were upcoming and the £15bn of debt repayments are due next year.
Trump's £15bn currency swap lifeline has provided some stability: Argentine bonds and the peso rose in value in response to the announcement. But D'Alessandro argues that though US intervention might solve a wider problem, nothing will change in "people's real lives".
"We're going to continue with no investment in hospitals, education, social programmes. This money from the United States is not going to improve Argentina's infrastructure."
Flawed leader or model for other countries?
Some of Milei's supporters - like Mr Boggiano - believe there is something else at play in the round criticism of the president: In this view much of it comes down to the opposition trying to "break" what Milei has done, in order to get back into power.
"Once everyone starts to believe stability is here to stay, investment will come back," says Mr Boggiano. "I think Milei will become a model for other countries."
Others are unsure. "There is some stability which helps things not to explode," said Mr Cibils. "But I think that stability is also a mirage."
Milei had also kept inflation under control by spending the country's reserves on propping-up the peso so it didn't crash. Meanwhile, Argentina owes $20bn of debt next year.
One former central bank economist, who wished to speak anonymously, warns Milei's strategy of keeping inflation down could unravel if Argentina can't pay its debts.
"If at the end of the day we have a financial crisis that partially undoes all the effort, then it's a failure. If it ends with social unrest, any good done will be reversed," says the economist.
The left-wing governor of Buenos Aires, Axel Kicillof, has been touted as a future presidential candidate, long ahead of the elections in 2027. He has spoken in favour of the welfare state. Some investors are calculating whether this could mean a return to the days of big spending.
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Buenos Aires governor Axel Kicillof has been touted as a future presidential candidate
As to the question of whether Milei has succeeded, the answer largely depends how you define success - and who it is for.
Many workers see shuttered factories, rocketing bills, and a vanishing safety net.
Meanwhile, some investors see a success story of fiscal discipline, tamed inflation, an ally in Washington and simply a "normalisation".
But even as leaders abroad watch Milei's experiment with fascination, politics may explain why few are unlikely to copy it.
If normal people lose faith in what he is doing, markets will also lose confidence that his programme is sustainable – and that could wipe out even the 'macro' successes.
"He has no political expertise, and I think you need it," Prof Rapetti argues.
Still, he believes it is too early to judge: "We are in the middle of his term… The story hasn't finished."
Top picture credit: WPA Pool/Getty Images, Bloomberg via Getty Images
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"There is a sense of happiness" in Gaza, says BBC correspondent
US President Donald Trump says Israel and Hamas have agreed to the first phase of a Gaza peace deal.
It comes two years and two days after Israel launched a military campaign in Gaza in response to the 7 October 2023 attack, in which Hamas-led gunmen killed about 1,200 people and took 251 others hostage.
At least 67,183 have been killed by Israeli military operations in Gaza since then, including 20,179 children, the Hamas-run health ministry says.
Here is what we know about the agreement, and what remains unclear:
What has been announced?
After intense negotiations in Egypt, Israel and Hamas have agreed to a first phase of a US peace plan, the US president said.
Announcing the deal on social media, Trump said: "This means that ALL of the Hostages will be released very soon, and Israel will withdraw their Troops to an agreed upon line."
"All parties" would be treated fairly, said Trump, who called these the "first steps toward... everlasting peace".
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called it "a great day for Israel" and said his government would meet on Thursday to approve the agreement and "bring all our dear hostages home".
In confirming the announcement, Hamas said it would "end the war in Gaza, ensure the complete withdrawal of the occupation forces, allow the entry of humanitarian aid, and implement a prisoner exchange".
Israel and Hamas do not speak directly to each other - the negotiations were brokered by Trump's Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, and mediators from Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey.
Watch: Trump says Middle East deal ‘very close’ after being passed note by Marco Rubio
What happens next?
Israel's government is due to vote on the deal on Thursday.
If they formally approve it, Israel must withdraw its troops from Gaza to the agreed line, a senior White House official told BBC's US partner, CBS News. The withdrawal would likely happen within 24 hours, the official said.
After this happens, a 72-hour clock will begin where Hamas must release the living hostages.
The release of the hostages would likely begin on Monday, the senior White House official said.
What do we not know?
What's been announced so far is just the initial phase of Trump's 20-point peace plan, which Israel has accepted and Hamas has partly agreed to.
However the announcements did not cover some thorny issues both sides have not reached a resolution on.
Notably, no details surround the disarmament of Hamas - a key point in Trump's plan. Hamas has previously refused to lay down its weapons, saying it would only do so when a Palestinian state had been established.
The future governance of Gaza is also a sticking point. Trump's 20-point plan states Hamas will have no future role in the Strip and proposes it be temporarily governed by a "technocratic, apolitical Palestinian committee", before being handed over to the Palestinian Authority.
Netanyahu appeared to push back on the Palestinian Authority's involvement last week, even as he accepted Trump's plan.
Ultranationalist hardliners within Netanyahu's ruling coalition, many of whom want to reconstruct Jewish settlements in Gaza, are also likely to object to this point.
Hamas, in response, said it still expected to have some role in governing Gaza.
In addition, as of Wednesday night, Hamas had not yet received the final list of Palestinian prisoners that Israel plans to release in exchange for the hostages in Gaza, a Palestinian source told the BBC.
The 20-point plan states that 250 life sentence prisoners plus 1,700 Gazans who were detained after 7 October 2023 will be released.
What's been the reaction?
Reuters
Einav Zangauker, the mother of hostage Matan Zangauker, reacts after Trump's announcement
Relatives of Israeli hostages have welcomed the deal.
Eli Sharabi, whose wife and children were killed, and whose brother Yossi's body is being held by Hamas, posted: "Great joy, can't wait to see everyone home."
The mother of hostage Nimrod Cohen posted: "My child, you are coming home."
Meanwhile in Gaza, celebrations broke out after the announcement. "Thank God for the ceasefire, the end of bloodshed and killing," Abdul Majeed abd Rabbo, a man in the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis, was quoted as saying by Reuters.
"I am not the only one happy, all of the Gaza Strip is happy, all the Arab people, all of the world is happy with the ceasefire and the end of bloodshed."
Reuters
Palestinians celebrate after the announcement
World leaders have urged parties to abide by the deal.
"The suffering must end," United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres said, adding that the UN would support the "full implementation" of the deal, as well as increase its delivery of aid and its reconstruction efforts in Gaza.
UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer welcomed the news, saying: "This is a moment of profound relief that will be felt all around the world, but particularly for the hostages, their families, and for the civilian population of Gaza, who have all endured unimaginable suffering over the last two years."
Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called the agreement a "much needed step towards peace" and urged parties to "respect the terms of the plan".
Lawmakers in the US have struck a cautiously optimistic tone.
"This is a first step, and all parties need to ensure this leads to an enduring end to this war," Democrat Senator Chris Coons said in an X post.
Republican James Risch, chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, called it a welcome deal and said he "looks forward to learning [its] details".
With reporting by Rushdi Abualouf and Lucy Manning
India faces a severe air pollution crisis, ranking among the world's top 10 most polluted countries
India is losing sunlight.
A new study by six Indian scientists finds that over the past three decades, sunshine hours - the time direct sunlight reaches the Earth's surface - have steadily declined across most of India, driven by clouds, aerosols and local weather.
Data from 20 weather stations from 1988 to 2018 shows a persistent decline in sunshine hours nationwide, with only the northeast region seeing a mild seasonal reprieve, according to the paper published in Scientific Reports, a peer-reviewed journal published by Nature Portfolio.
Scientists from Banaras Hindu University, the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology and the India Meteorological Department report that the steepest annual declines occurred in the northern inland region - notably Amritsar and Kolkata - as well as along the Himalayan belt and the west coast, particularly Mumbai.
All of nine India's geograpically diverse regions showed an overall annual decline in sunshine hours, though the rate of decrease varied across India. Monthly analysis revealed significant increases from October to May, followed by sharp drops from June to July in six of the nine regions.
This seasonal pattern of sunshine intersects with a deeper, long-standing problem: India's severe air pollution crisis - it's now among the world's top 10 polluted countries - which scientists trace back to the 1990s. Rapid urbanisation, industrial growth and land-use changes drove up fossil fuel use, vehicle emissions and biomass burning, sending aerosols into the atmosphere and dimming the Sun's rays.
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Mumbai's sunshine hours are gradually declining, the scientists found
In winter, high air pollution from smog, temperature inversions and crop burning across the Indo-Gangetic plains produces light-scattering aerosols, which reduce sunshine hours.
These aerosols - tiny solid or liquid particles from dust, vehicle exhaust, crop burning, and other sources - persist in the air long enough to affect sunlight, climate and health.
During June-July, monsoon clouds blanket much of India, sharply reducing sunlight even though aerosol levels are lower than in winter.
Scientists note that higher sunshine hours from October to May don't indicate cleaner air; rather, they reflect more cloud-free days. Hazy winter sunlight may scatter or diffuse, lowering intensity without entirely blocking sunshine, which instruments still record as sunshine hours.
"Our study found that shrinking sunshine hours are linked to clouds that linger longer without releasing rain, blocking more sunlight. These longer-lasting clouds form indirectly due to aerosols that alter weather and climate," says Manoj Kumar Srivastava, a professor of geophysics at the Banaras Hindu University, and one of the authors of the study.
Aerosols have reduced the amount of sunlight reaching the ground in India by about 13%, while clouds accounted for an additional 31-44% drop in surface solar radiation between 1993 and 2022, according to Sachchida Nand Tripathi, an atmospheric scientist at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur.
These patterns raise concerns for agriculture, daily life and India's solar energy ambitions, while highlighting where solar panels could be most effective.
Solar now makes up 47% of India's renewable energy capacity. The government says it's on track for 500GW of renewables by 2030, with more than 100GW of solar installed as of early 2025. But declining sunlight could cast a shadow on the country's solar ambitions.
According to Prof Tripathi, air pollution compounds the problem. It reduces solar panel output by 12-41% depending on the type of photovoltaic system - the technology that converts sunlight into electricity - and costs an estimated $245-835m in lost power generation.
LightRocket via Getty Images
India's solar ambitions could be dimmed by declining sunlight
Studies also show that cleaner air could boost India's annual solar energy production by 6-28 terawatt hours of electricity - enough to power millions of homes for a year.
But the impact of pollution doesn't stop at solar energy. It also takes a heavy toll on agriculture, causing an estimated 36–50% loss in crop yields - mainly rice and wheat - in the country's most polluted regions, according to Prof Tripathi.
India isn't alone in losing sunshine; across the world, rising air pollution and shifting weather patterns have dimmed the skies.
A study published in Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics observed that Europe likely experienced reduced sunlight reaching the ground because of air pollution between1970–2009. In Germany, sunshine hours decreased by approximately 11% from 1951 to 1980, attributed to industrial gas emissions and associated cloud formation.
Research also showed that stricter clean-air laws in the 1990s led to a rebound in sunshine hours across Europe.
China also experienced a significant decline in sunshine hours from the 1960s to the 2000s, primarily due to increased aerosol emissions from rapid industrialisation. Sunshine duration varied across Chinese cities, with some areas experiencing more significant declines due to factors such as air pollution.
The good news: scientists say the Earth's surface has gradually been receiving more sunlight since the 1980s - a trend known as global brightening, following decades of dimming.
New analysis of satellite data from 1984 to 2018 appears to confirm this, showing the effect is strongest over land and in the Northern Hemisphere, driven mainly by falling aerosols in the 1980s and 1990s and shifts in cloud patterns.
The bad news: heavily polluted countries like India are missing out. If the Sun keeps hiding behind smog, India risks running on fumes instead of full power.
The Trump administration’s embrace of unproven or debunked theories about vaccines and Tylenol has left doctors fielding questions from worried parents.
LeVar Baxter, left, with his son Khalil, 21, who does not talk and cannot live independently. “I wanted to know if I had a gene that I’d passed on to Khalil,” he said.
Sébastien Lecornu said the government was ready for “a new debate” on the issue, a major concession as he faces no-confidence votes that threaten to topple his government again this week.
Once consumed mainly in small, formal tea ceremonies, matcha is now mixed into fruity lattes and preyed on by counterfeiters. Can it survive its own popularity?
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries met in a Zoom meeting with members of the Illinois congressional delegation Monday to talk about redistricting in the state — an effort that is already triggering concern among lawmakers who fear the changes could dilute Black political power.
No maps were shown to the group but some versions of boundaries have been shared during individual conversations, according to one person in the meeting who was granted anonymity to speak freely.
“It’s what you’d expect. They’re trying to get another district,” the person said, adding that Republican Rep. Mary Miller’s downstate district appears to be the target. Miller is one of three Republicans in the 17-member delegation.
Redistricting talk is raising concern that adjusting congressional boundaries could dilute Black communities in districts, thereby undermining Black political influence.
“At what cost do you try to get one more seat? How many more do you put in jeopardy?” said another person on the call who was also granted anonymity to speak about a private meeting.
The implications go beyond Illinois. As national Democrats look ahead to the 2026 and 2028 election cycles, there’s pressure to find winnable seats in Republican-dominated districts. Any redistricting effort in Illinois would come before the midterms in an effort to counter Republicans’ push for more favorable maps to keep the House.
Jeffries sees Illinois and Maryland as states that could pick up Democrats, according to one of the people in Monday’s meeting.
A few weeks ago during a visit to Springfield, Jeffries acknowledged the push to get more seats in some states, including Illinois. President Donald Trump wants to “rig the midterms," he told POLITICO. "Democrats will respond in self-defense of the American people.”
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker didn’t immediately return a request for comment, but he previously has not ruled out congressional redistricting. "None of us want to do it. None of us want to go through a redistricting process. But if we're forced to, it's something we'll consider doing," he said in a recent interview.
The Illinois General Assembly, which is controlled by Democrats in both chambers, would have to vote on any new maps.
After the 2020 census, Democrats redrew district maps to adjust for losing a seat because of population decline. They cut out two Republican incumbents and created a new district favoring their party. The state's congressional delegation now includes 14 Democrats and three Republicans from deeply conservative areas of the state.
Regardless of the political dynamics, candidates have until Nov. 3 to file for congressional races, meaning any revised map would need to be finalized before that deadline.
Election attorneys in Illinois say the Legislature can make adjustments to accommodate new boundaries.
“The main complication is that currently, each district has a different signature requirement, based on the number of votes cast in that district in the last primary," said election lawyer Michael Dorf, whose past clients include the Democratic Party of Illinois and several statewide officials. “But the Legislature could revert to the standard used in the first election following a redistricting, where every congressional candidate just needs 600 signatures.”
So far, leaders in the Illinois House and Senate say there are no ongoing talks about altering the current map. But it could come up in caucus meetings today when lawmakers return for a legislative session to take up new bills and address potential vetoes.
“We haven’t seen any maps. We haven’t had any conversations with our members about maps,” House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch said in a statement when asked Monday whether his caucus would be addressing the issue.
Illinois House Republican Leader Tony McCombie said “it would be obscene” for Illinois Democrats “to erase” any Republican-held seats given Trump won 44 percent of the statewide vote.
The Cameroonian opposition leader Issa Tchiroma Bakary has declared himself the winner of the 12 October presidential election and called on the incumbent, Paul Biya, to accept the end of his 43-year rule.
“Our victory is clear, it must be respected,” Tchiroma said in a video statement on Facebook with the national flag in the background, before directly addressing 92-year-old Biya: “We call on the regime in power to show greatness and to honour the truth of the ballot box with a long-awaited gesture: that phone call of congratulations, which will demonstrate the political maturity of our nation and the future strength of our democracy.”
Elecam, the Cameroonian electoral commission, has yet to release the results, which are expected at the latest by 26 October, after validation by the constitutional council.
Supporters on both sides are claiming victory based on images circulating on social media of blackboards and papers tallying the results. While it is permitted to publish tally sheets from individual polling stations, it is illegal to announce the overall result of the vote before the constitutional council. “This is the red line that must not be crossed,” the territorial administration minister, Paul Atanga Nji, told a press conference on Sunday.
The election, contested by nine opposition candidates, was conducted in a single-round format where the candidate with the most votes wins. More than 8 million citizens were eligible to vote but the turnout remains unknown. Some of the other candidates have already congratulated Tchiroma.
A longtime Biya ally and former government spokesperson, Tchiroma, 76, broke ranks by resigning in June, and emerged as the leading opposition candidate. He heads the Front for the National Salvation of Cameroon (FSNC) and is backed by the Union for Change, a coalition of opposition parties.
“A country cannot exist in the service of one man,” Tchiroma wrote in an open letter announcing his candidacy. “It must live in the service of its people.”
In the 2018 presidential election, opposition challenger Maurice Kamto declared himself the winner the day after the vote. He was subsequently arrested. His supporters’ rallies were dispersed with teargas and water cannon and dozens were detained. Some are still in jail.
Biya is only the second head of state to lead Cameroon since independence from France in 1960. He has ruled with an iron fist, repressing all political and armed opposition, and holding on to power despite social upheaval, economic disparity and separatist violence.
Tchiroma’s election manifesto promised a transition period of three to five years to rebuild the country, which he said Biya had destroyed.
The incumbent has governed in absentia for years, partly from Switzerland, where he and his wife, Chantal, are regular visitors. There are reports that presidential decrees are regularly signed on Biya’s behalf by Ferdinand Ngoh Ngoh, the secretary general of the presidency.
Born in Garoua, in northern Cameroon, Tchiroma went from being imprisoned for his alleged involvement in a failed 1984 coup against Biya to being a minister. In one pre-election interview, Tchiroma said that in two decades as minister he had never met the president face-to-face.
President Trump and other leaders gathered on Monday in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, where mediators successfully pushed for a deal between Hamas and Israel the previous week.
This school year, many Texas districts are teaching from an elementary curriculum that features extensive content about the Christian faith, according to a New York Times analysis.
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