After facing backlash for staying silent as Israeli hostages were freed from Gaza, New York City socialist mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani finally broke his silence Monday afternoon.

‘Today’s scenes of Israelis and Palestinians are profoundly moving: Israeli hostages being freed and families reunited after years of fear, uncertainty, and torture; the first days in Gaza without relentless Israeli bombardment of Palestinians as families return to rubble and loved ones freed from detention,’ Mamdani posted on X on Monday shortly after 4 p.m. EST in a message that did not mention President Donald Trump or acknowledge his role in the negotiations. 

Mamdani went on to mark the development as a ‘glimmer of hope’ that the ceasefire will ‘hold’ and the ‘long and difficult work of reconstruction can begin.’

‘I also know this news brings solace to millions of New Yorkers, who’ve felt the pain of the past few years,’ Mamdani said. ‘We have watched as our tax dollars have funded a genocide. The moral and human cost will be a lasting stain and requires accountability and real examination of our collective conscience and our government’s policies.’

Mamdani’s lengthy post concluded by saying that the ‘responsibility now lies’ with those who ‘believe in peace.’

‘Once aid is delivered, the wounded are cared for, and a lasting agreement secured, we cannot look away,’ Mamdani said. ‘We must work towards a future built upon justice, one without occupation and apartheid, and for a world where every person can live with safety and dignity.’

Mamdani’s post came roughly three hours after one of his opponents, former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, called him out on social media for not commenting that morning as the hostages were released. 

‘It shouldn’t go unnoticed that @ZohrankMamdani — who still refuses to condemn the phrase ‘globalize the intifada’ (widely understood to mean death to Jews) — has yet to comment on the release of the hostages,’ Cuomo posted on X. ‘His silence speaks volumes.’

Both Cuomo and Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa released statements on social media earlier in the morning praising the release of the hostages, with Sliwa being the only one to offer praise to Trump by name. 

In a CNN interview on Friday, Mamdani hinted that he was open to giving Trump credit. 

‘If the genocide ends, then I think that’s something worthy to be praised, and if the hostages are returned,’ Mamdani said. ‘Those things together have to be done in tandem.’

Mamdani’s post quickly brought critical reactions, including from New York City GOP Councilwoman Inna Vernikov.

‘GLARINGLY MISSING FROM THIS WORD SALAD: Any single mention of HAMAS or the TERRORISTS who brought this upon themselves by murdering & raping their way across Israel on 10/7,’ Vernikov posted on X. ‘You know, the same terrorists that your wife was glorifying on her Instagram story? Those terrorists?’

Mamdani, who has been widely criticized for his comments and positions on Israel, spent Sunday night raising money for a United Nations organization that employed Oct. 7 terrorists, just hours before the final living Israeli hostages were released from Hamas captivity.

Trump celebrated ‘peace in the Middle East’ after he signed the historic peace agreement that ended two years of fighting in Gaza. 

‘At long last, we have peace in the Middle East, and it’s a very simple expression, peace in the Middle East,’ Trump said during remarks at Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, flanked by dozens of world leaders. 

‘We’ve heard it for many years, but nobody thought it could ever get there. And now we’re there.’ 

Trump went on: ‘This is the day that people across this region and around the world have been working, striving, hoping, and praying for. With the historic agreement we have just signed, those prayers of millions have finally been answered. Together, we have achieved the impossible.’

His remarks came after Hamas released the final remaining 20 living hostages on Monday as Israel backed off its frontline positioning in Gaza over the weekend. 

Fox News Digital reached out to the Mamdani campaign but did not immediately receive a response.

Fox News Digital’s Anders Hagstrom and Morgan Phillips contributed to this report.

Sometimes, data breaches result in more than just free credit monitoring. Recently, Facebook began paying out its $725 million settlement, and AT&T is preparing to distribute $177 million. Those payouts caught scammers’ attention.

Now, fake settlement claim emails and websites are flooding inboxes. They look convincing, but behind the plain design and official-sounding language is a trap for your Social Security number, banking info and more. So how can you make sure you get your money without losing even more in the process?

Get my best tech tips, urgent security alerts and exclusive deals delivered straight to your inbox. Plus, you’ll get instant access to my Ultimate Scam Survival Guide – free when you join my CyberGuy.com newsletter.

Why fake settlement sites are so convincing

Settlement claim websites rarely look polished. Most have generic layouts, long URLs and simple forms asking for a claim ID from your email or postcard. That makes it easy for scammers to mimic them. To test how simple it is, we created a fake settlement site (below) in minutes using AI tools like ChatGPT.

If we can do it, you can bet criminals are already exploiting the same shortcuts. Facebook has been the target. A fake site once popped up around the Equifax settlement, tricking thousands before it was shut down. The lesson? If the site appears unusual, it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s fake, but it should prompt you to double-check before entering your details or clicking on any links.

Red flags that expose fake settlement sites

Spotting a scam often comes down to noticing the little details. Watch for these common warning signs before you hand over your information.

Requests for too much personal data

If a site asks for your full Social Security number or the names of your children, stop. For example, the official Equifax settlement only requested the last six digits of SSNs. Genuine claim sites may ask for limited info (like the last four digits of your SSN), but they rarely demand complete Social Security or bank details.

Promises of payout estimates upfront

Real administrators calculate payments only after the claim period closes.

Texts or social media messages

Settlements are announced by mail or email, not through random DMs or SMS.

Odd or misspelled URLs

Even one extra letter in the web address is a sign of a spoof site. Legitimate settlements use official or clearly named administrator domains. Be wary of addresses with unusual add-ons, such as ‘secure-pay’ or ‘claims-pay.’

Urgent language or countdowns

Scammers rely on urgency to pressure you into acting fast. Real settlement sites don’t demand 24-hour turnarounds.

Processing fee checkboxes

A sure giveaway of a fake. Real settlement administrators never require money to file or to receive your payout.

Cheap trust badges

Scam sites often throw in fake ‘secure’ seals. Look for recognized security seals and make sure they’re clickable and verifiable.

Generic contact info tied to the suspicious domain

Official sites list multiple, verifiable contacts. If the email or phone number matches the weird domain, that’s a red flag.

Grammar or spelling mistakes in the fine print

Sloppy errors in legal-sounding text are a classic sign you’re looking at a scam.

How to safely handle settlement claim notices

Before filing any claim, follow these steps to ensure you’re dealing with a legitimate settlement site and protecting your information.

1) Start at the FTC

The Federal Trade Commission keeps updated lists of approved class action settlements at ftc.gov/enforcement/refunds. The legitimate links always point to a .gov website. If your email sends you elsewhere, treat it with caution. 

2) Cross-check with other resources

Trusted outlets often cover large settlements and include safe links. ClassAction.org is another resource for checking legitimate URLs.

3) Skip the links, use the mail

Your claim notice may include a mailing address. Sending a paper form avoids the digital phishing minefield altogether.

4) Use strong antivirus software

Strong antivirus software can block malicious links, warn you about dangerous websites and prevent malware from taking over your device.

The best way to safeguard yourself from malicious links that install malware and potentially access your private information is to have strong antivirus software installed on all your devices. This protection can also alert you to phishing emails and ransomware scams, keeping your personal information and digital assets safe.

Get my picks for the best 2025 antivirus protection winners for your Windows, Mac, Android and iOS devices at CyberGuy.com.

5) Try a data removal service

Data removal services work to scrub your personal information from broker lists, making it more difficult for criminals to target you.

While no service can guarantee the complete removal of your data from the internet, a data removal service is really a smart choice. They aren’t cheap, and neither is your privacy. These services do all the work for you by actively monitoring and systematically erasing your personal information from hundreds of websites. It’s what gives me peace of mind and has proven to be the most effective way to erase your personal data from the internet. By limiting the information available, you reduce the risk of scammers cross-referencing data from breaches with information they might find on the dark web, making it harder for them to target you.

Check out my top picks for data removal services and get a free scan to find out if your personal information is already out on the web by visiting CyberGuy.com.

Get a free scan to find out if your personal information is already out on the web: Cyberguy.com.

6) Never pay to file

If a site asks for ‘administrative fees’ or a ‘processing charge,’ close it immediately. Real settlement administrators will never ask for money.

7) Report suspicious sites

Spot a fake? Protect others by reporting it to:

• The FTC Complaint Assistant at reportfraud.ftc.gov/
• The Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) at ic3.gov/
• The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) at consumerfinance.gov/about-us/the-bureau/

Quick reporting helps authorities shut down scams before more people fall victim.

Can you tell a real email from a fake?

Take our quick quiz at Cyberguy.com/ScamChecko learn how to spot phishing scams, protect your inbox, and stay a step ahead of hackers. 

Kurt’s key takeaways

Class action settlements can feel like rare wins for consumers after data breaches. But scammers see them as easy hunting grounds. The best defense is skepticism. Check URLs, avoid clicking direct links and never give away details that don’t match the claim’s purpose. Your payout should help you recover, not put you at greater risk.

Have you ever received a settlement notice that felt suspicious, and how did you handle it? Let us know by writing to us at CyberGuy.com.

Get my best tech tips, urgent security alerts and exclusive deals delivered straight to your inbox. Plus, you’ll get instant access to my Ultimate Scam Survival Guide – free when you join my CyberGuy.com newsletter.

Copyright 2025 CyberGuy.com.  All rights reserved.  

Former President Joe Biden and former Secretary of State Antony Blinken both claimed some credit for President Donald Trump’s Israel-Hamas ceasefire agreement on Monday.

On X, Biden – who is undergoing treatment for cancer – said that he was ‘deeply grateful and relieved’ that the Gaza war is approaching its end.

‘The road to this deal was not easy,’ the Democrat wrote. ‘My Administration worked relentlessly to bring hostages home, get relief to Palestinian civilians, and end the war.’

But Biden also gave Trump credit for getting ‘a renewed ceasefire deal over the finish line.’

‘Now, with the backing of the United States and the world, the Middle East is on a path to peace that I hope endures and a future for Israelis and Palestinians alike with equal measures of peace, dignity, and safety,’ he concluded.

On Monday, Blinken said Trump’s 20-point peace plan for the Gaza Strip was based on one developed by the Biden administration.

In a lengthy post on X, Blinken, who served in the Biden administration, outlined how Trump was able to secure the peace agreement. He noted that Arab states and Turkey have said ‘enough’ to Hamas, and said the response also showed that other Iran-backed groups — Hezbollah and Yemen’s Houthi rebels — were not coming to Hamas’ aid.

‘It starts with a clear and comprehensive post-conflict plan for Gaza,’ Blinken wrote. ‘It’s good that President Trump adopted and built on the plan the Biden administration developed after months of discussion with Arab partners, Israel and the Palestinian Authority.’

Blinken said the Biden administration briefly secured a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in January, resulting in the release of 135 hostages before the deal fell apart.

He also questioned how Trump could secure a permanent peace plan.

Fox News senior White House correspondent Peter Doocy asked Trump about Blinken’s remarks aboard Air Force One.

‘Everybody knows it’s a joke,’ Trump said. ‘Look, they did such a bad job. This should have never happened.’

‘If just a decent president — not a great president like me — if a decent president were in, you wouldn’t have had the Russia-Ukraine (war),’ Trump said. ‘This was bad policy by Biden and Obama.’

Trump was in Egypt on Monday to work on the second phase of the cease-fire while meeting with more than 20 world leaders.

‘We’ve heard it for many years, but nobody thought it could ever get there. And now we’re there,’ Trump said.

‘This is the day that people across this region and around the world have been working, striving, hoping and praying for,’ he added. ‘With the historic agreement we have just signed, those prayers of millions have finally been answered. Together, we have achieved the impossible.’

In his post, Blinken said the postwar plan for Gaza should be implemented immediately, ‘with eyes wide open about its challenges: pulling together the international stabilization force, fully demilitarizing and disarming Hamas, dealing with insurgents, and expeditiously securing a phased but full Israeli withdrawal.’

He also credited Trump for reaffirming ‘the key principles we established for Gaza at the outset of the war — no platform for terrorism, no annexation, no occupation, no forced population transfers — and for making clear the overall goal is to create the conditions for a credible pathway to a Palestinian state.’

President Donald Trump, when asked about the prospect of a two-state solution for Israel and the Palestinians, declined to commit, telling reporters, ‘We’ll have to see.’ 

The comments came during a press gaggle aboard Air Force One as Trump returned home after signing a historic peace agreement that ended two years of fighting in Gaza. 

When the topic came up, Trump said he was focused on rebuilding Gaza after two years of Israeli bombardment, following the Oct. 7, 2023, massacre by Hamas. 

‘I’m not talking about a single state or double state or two state,’ Trump said, adding: ‘A lot of people like the one-state solution, some people like the two-state solution. We’ll have to see.’ 

Trump said any decision on the matter would be made in coordination with regional and international partners. 

The president concluded a whirlwind trip Monday that included a global peace summit in Egypt and a speech before the Knesset in Jerusalem earlier in the day, where he celebrated a U.S.-brokered ceasefire with Hamas.

Speaking to leaders gathered in Egypt, Trump called for a new era of harmony in the Middle East, seeking to advance broader peace in the region.

‘We have a once-in-a-lifetime chance to put the old feuds and bitter hatreds behind us,’ Trump said, urging leaders ‘to declare that our future will not be ruled by the fights of generations past.’

Leaders from dozens of countries, including from Europe and the Middle East, attended the summit. 

Trump, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani signed a document outlining a broad vision for Gaza’s future.

Twenty hostages were released Monday as part of an agreement intended to end the war in Gaza. Trump met with some of their families during his visit to the Knesset.

The moment remains fragile, however, as Israel and Hamas are still in the early stages of implementing the first phase of Trump’s peace plan.

The sides have not agreed on Gaza’s postwar governance, its reconstruction, or Israel’s demand that Hamas disarm. Negotiations over those issues could break down, and Israel has hinted it may resume military operations if its demands are not met.

Much of Gaza has been reduced to rubble, and the territory’s roughly 2 million residents continue to struggle in dire conditions. Under the deal, Israel agreed to reopen five border crossings to ease the flow of food and supplies into Gaza, parts of which are experiencing famine.

Roughly 200 U.S. troops will also help monitor and support the ceasefire deal as part of a team that includes partner nations, nongovernmental organizations and private-sector groups.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Former Vice President Kamala Harris commended President Donald Trump and his team for helping to secure the deal that led to the release of Israeli hostages held by Hamas — but she only referred to ‘the President,’ and did not identify Trump by name in the statement.

‘I am thankful and deeply encouraged that this ceasefire has brought long-awaited moments of joy and reunion — as 20 Israeli hostages are finally reunited with their loved ones and Palestinian families and the people of Gaza begin to receive desperately needed relief from unimaginable suffering,’ Harris said in the statement.

Israel launched a war effort in the wake of the horrific October 7, 2023, Hamas terror attack, which included mass murder and kidnapping. 

‘Through diplomacy and persistence, today is an important first step toward a more hopeful future. I commend the leaders and partners whose efforts made this agreement possible, including the President and his team,’ Harris continued.

‘There is still much more work to do to secure a lasting peace, ensure the safety and dignity of every innocent life, and build a future where Israelis and Palestinians can live side by side in freedom and security,’ she concluded.

Last year, Trump won both the Electoral College and the popular vote, trouncing Harris in the White House contest.

The 2024 Democratic presidential candidate mounted a whirlwind campaign after President Joe Biden dropped his re-election bid and endorsed her.

Democratic Rep. Jasmine Crockett of Texas took a jab at President Trump on Monday, tweeting, ‘Raising hell at home & then pretending to be the President of Peace is diabolical.’

But Democratic Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania gave, ‘Credit to @POTUS for a breakthrough ceasefire of this awful war.’

The No. 3 House Republican is accusing Democrats of making a hypocritical argument in their resistance to the GOP’s federal funding bill.

The government shutdown is in its thirteenth day with Republicans and Democrats still unable to agree on a path forward. The Trump administration is taking steps to prevent the military from missing paychecks this week, while also beginning to lay off scores of federal workers amid the standoff.

Democrats have said they will not agree to any solution that does not include serious concessions on healthcare from the GOP — but House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., argued that they are themselves harming healthcare access by allowing the shutdown to continue.

‘They are [jeopardizing healthcare],’ Emmer told Fox News Digital, pointing out that certain telehealth services, for example, are going without funding during the shutdown.

‘We had a huge advance during the pandemic when it came to remote care. You’ve got all kinds of constituents that don’t live in a condensed or a dense urban area right next to a hospital, right next to a provider, they may be a distance away. And the telehealth option actually made a big difference,’ Emmer said. ‘I know it did for our veterans.’

‘I don’t know if the VA — [House Veterans Affairs Committee Chairman Mike Bost, R-Ill.] made it sound like they’re going to protect that under his jurisdiction, not sure how — but I do worry about it for the private providers, hospitals. How are they going to do it if they’re not getting reimbursed?’

He was referring to the Acute Hospital Care At Home program, originally created during the COVID-19 pandemic. It allows healthcare providers to bill Medicare for telehealth appointments and at-home aid that previously was only reserved for hospital care.

It’s become a popular program for elderly or otherwise vulnerable Medicaid recipients, but the ongoing shutdown has prevented Congress from being able to extend it.

The government entered into a shutdown nearly two weeks ago on Oct. 1 after Senate Democrats rejected the GOP’s federal funding plan. They have since blocked consideration of the same bill six more times. 

Republicans proposed a seven-week bill extending fiscal year (FY) 2025 federal funding levels through Nov. 21 called a continuing resolution (CR). It’s aimed at giving congressional negotiators more time to strike a longer-term agreement on FY2026, which began on Oct. 1.

It passed the House along mostly partisan lines on Sept. 19. But Democrats in the House and Senate were largely infuriated by being sidelined in federal funding talks and are now demanding any spending deal that also include an extension of COVID-19 pandemic-era enhanced Obamacare subsidies that are set to expire at the end of this year.

Democrats also introduced a separate counter-proposal that would completely eliminate healthcare reforms made in the GOP’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) and restore funding to NPR and PBS that the Trump administration revoked earlier this year.

Democrats have said that proposal is aimed at rolling back Republicans’ Medicaid cuts. But Republicans have positioned it as the left’s effort at restoring federal funding for illegal immigrants’ healthcare — though Democratic leaders panned that as a lie.

Emmer also pointed out that it would revoke $50 billion for a rural hospital fund that OBBBA put in place.

‘The Rural Health Care Fund is a great example. I mean, right now, it’s our job, it’s the representatives’ job back in their districts, to try and work with our hospitals to make sure that they can access the funds,’ he said.

‘Because you don’t know exactly how deep the shutdown is going to impact hospitals, providers, ultimately consumers and patients.’

President Donald Trump has launched an unprecedented war against cartels and has threatened narco-terrorists, saying he will ‘blow you out of existence’ as his administration seeks to curb the influx of drugs into the U.S. 

The White House sent lawmakers a memo Sept. 30 informing them that the U.S. is now participating in a ‘non-international armed conflict’ with drug smugglers — on top of conducting four fatal strikes against alleged drug boats in the Caribbean since September. 

The Department of War recently announced a new counter-narcotics Joint Task Force in the Southern Command area of responsibility, according to Secretary of War Pete Hegseth. 

The aim of the task force is to ‘crush the cartels, stop the poison, and keep America safe,’ Hegseth wrote on X Friday. ‘The message is clear: if you traffic drugs toward our shores, we will stop you cold.’

These recent developments suggest that Trump is eyeing targets within Venezuela, not just those within international waters, according to Geoff Ramsey, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council international affairs think tank.

‘This is a sign that President Trump is taking the US war on drugs in Latin America to the next level,’ Ramsey said in a Monday email to Fox News Digital. ‘By involving the military, the president is going after drug cartels in a way that no previous US administration has dared to so far. I think it is likely that we will see the Pentagon evaluate targets inside Venezuela.’

Additional strikes could target more drug shipments or drug flights, which often take off from covert airfields near the Colombian border, Ramsey said. 

‘It’s a bad time to be posted in a guerrilla camp on the Colombian border or operating a Tren de Aragua safe house along the Caribbean trafficking route,’ Ramsey said. 

Even so, Ramsey said it would be challenging to strike within Venezuela’s territory. Doing so would require the U.S. to dismantle Venezuela’s air defense system, which would escalate hostilities by openly engaging with Venezuela’s military, he said. 

That’s a departure from the current approach, in which the U.S. has intentionally avoided targeting Venezuelan military assets, Ramsey said. 

‘When two Venezuelan F-16s flew over a US destroyer last month, the fact that those planes weren’t blown out of the sky suggests that the US is not interested in a shooting war with Venezuela’s military,’ Ramsey said. 

Trump himself has not ruled out conducting strikes within Venezuela though, and signaled such strikes could happen when he told military leaders in Quantico, Virginia, Sept. 30 that his administration would ‘look very seriously at cartels coming by land.’

So far, the Trump administration has utilized maritime forces to address drug threats, and has beefed up naval assets in the Caribbean in recent months. For example, Trump approved sending several U.S. Navy guided missile destroyers to bolster the administration’s counter-narcotics efforts in the region starting in August. 

‘I expect these deployments to continue for months or more than a year, with new ships rotating in to replace those that need to return home for maintenance or crew rest,’ Bryan Clark, director of the Hudson Institute think tank’s Center for Defense Concepts and Technology, told Fox News Digital in September. 

Nathan Jones, a nonresident scholar in drug policy and Mexico studies at Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, predicted the strikes are unlikely to impact the flow of fentanyl into the U.S. That’s because fentanyl precursors originate in China, and are then produced in labs in Mexico before they head north without a pathway into the Caribbean. 

‘I wouldn’t expect your drug flow to be affected because of these strikes,’ Jones told Fox News Digital Tuesday. ‘This could, though, leave transnational criminal organizations running a little scared in terms of what the administration is going to do.’ 

Still, Jones said that he predicted drug flow routes would adapt and that land or aerial drug routes would take precedence over sea routes in the Caribbean. 

The strikes have prompted members of Congress to question their legality and senators Adam Schiff, D-Calif., and Tim Kaine, D-Va., filed a war powers resolution in September that would block U.S. forces from engaging in ‘hostilities’ against certain non-state organizations. 

‘There has been no authorization to use force by Congress in this way,’ Schiff told reporters Wednesday. ‘I feel it is plainly unconstitutional. The fact that the administration claims to have a list and has put organizations on a list does not somehow empower the administration to usurp Congress’s power of declaring war or refusing to declare war or refusing to authorize the use of force.’ 

However, the measure failed in the Senate by a 51–48 margin Wednesday. Even so, the measure attracted support from Republicans Rand Paul of Kentucky and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, who voted alongside their Democratic counterparts for the resolution. 

Other Republicans have defended the strikes though, and Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Sen. Jim Risch, R-Idaho, said that Trump’s actions were well within his rights and that the resolution was ‘unreasonable.’ 

‘When he sees an attack like this coming — an attack of drugs or explosives or anything else that’s going to kill Americans — he not only has the authority to do something about it, he has the duty to do something about it,’ Risch said Wednesday before the vote. 

President Donald Trump said Sunday that Hamas may release the 20 hostages it is holding ‘a little bit early.’

Trump spoke with reporters aboard Air Force One en route to the Middle East, where he was asked about the latest on the hostages and when they might be released.

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

The president’s comments come as Hamas faces a deadline to return all remaining hostages to Israel, following a peace deal that ended the two-year-long Israel-Hamas war.

The peace agreement, brokered by President Trump, sparked celebrations across a region plagued by violence since the Hamas terror attacks on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.

Earlier on Sunday, Vice President JD Vance warned that some of the hostages who were killed while in captivity by Hamas may never be returned to their families.

‘The reality is that some of the hostages may never get back, but I do think, with some effort, we’ll be able to give them to their families so they at least have some closure,’ Vance said on Fox News’ ‘Sunday Morning Futures.’

He continued, noting that while rescuing living hostages remains the Trump administration’s top priority, returning the remains of those killed is also an important effort to give families closure.

‘We do want to give these people the ability to have a proper burial with their loved ones who were murdered by brutal terrorists, and that matters to us,’ Vance said. ‘It matters to the families, and it will remain a focus, but it’s going to take some time.’

The vice president stopped short of certainly, though, saying he believes most of the victims’ remains – but not all – will eventually be recovered.

Fox News Digital’s Taylor Penley contributed to this report.

President Donald Trump will spend the first part of the week in the Middle East to oversee a historic peace deal between Israel and Hamas, a landmark agreement expected to end the two-year war in Gaza and bring home the remaining hostages.

Before boarding Air Force One, Trump told reporters that the hostages could be released earlier and said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did a ‘very good job’ helping secure the deal.

‘The war is over,’ Trump told reporters at Joint Base Andrews before boarding a nearly 12-hour flight to Israel. After landing in Tel Aviv, Trump is expected to meet with families of hostages and then give an address at the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, in Jerusalem.

Trump will then travel to Egypt to attend an international summit in the seaside city of Sharm el-Sheikh on Monday to finalize an agreement aimed at ending the war in Gaza. More than 20 world leaders, including Trump, are expected to attend, an Egyptian presidential spokesperson said, according to Reuters.

After a handful of hours in Israel and Egypt, Trump will board Air Force One and return to the White House in the early morning hours on Tuesday in order to honor the late Charlie Kirk with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian award.

‘It’s a very quick trip, but I’ll be making two major stops, and then I’ll be on the plane trying to get back in time for Charlie,’ Trump told reporters at the White House on Friday. ‘They’re going to have a great celebration at the White House in the East Room,’ he added. The award ceremony coincides with what would have been Kirk’s 32nd birthday on Oct. 14.

Kirk, the charismatic founder of Turning Point USA (TPUSA), gained recognition for his signature political debates on college campuses. He was assassinated on Sept. 10, during an outdoor event at Utah Valley University. The gathering was the first stop on TPUSA’s planned ‘American Comeback Tour.’

Kirk’s memorial service drew one of the largest public turnouts for a private citizen, with about 90,000 people in attendance at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona and nearby overflow venues.

Trump previously announced last month that he would award Kirk the award posthumously.

Monday marks the 100th anniversary of Margaret Thatcher’s birth – an occasion that brings together leaders and supporters from across the Atlantic to pay tribute to her life. 

We at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation & Institute are honored to participate in the celebration, an occasion that also invites us to reflect on her legacy and connection with Ronald Reagan in the context of our modern era. Namely, what made her partnership with President Reagan so effective, and what might it teach us today about how civility can shape world affairs?

Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher’s effectiveness – both in dealings with each other and in other world leaders with whom they were less naturally aligned – depended on trust and civility. In today’s divided political world, their example is one we can all learn from.

When we think of the two leaders, we tend to picture strength: two leaders who stood firm against communism, championed free markets and restored confidence in the West. But President Reagan also believed that personal relationships were central to politics. In a 1989 letter in National Review, he crystallized that sentiment as follows: ‘personal relations matter more in international politics than the historians would have us believe.’

That was the core of his approach: even the hardest negotiations work best when leaders see each other as partners, not just opponents. It doesn’t mean that personal relationships supersede national interest – great leaders have to be unwavering at times – but it does mean that a key component of good diplomacy is the ability to remain civil and acknowledge others’ humanity, be they adversaries or allies.

Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan’s leadership in Soviet Union dealings demonstrates this principle in action. For instance, when Mikhail Gorbachev emerged on the world stage, Thatcher chose to approach him as a person worthy of negotiation rather than a caricature of Soviet power. ‘We can do business together,’ she pragmatically asserted. And she was right. Though their visions for their country were vastly different, grounding Soviet negotiations in respect and practical assessment made diplomacy possible.

Importantly, President Reagan and Prime Minister Thatcher never abandoned principle for politeness. They were strong leaders, firm and uncompromising in their convictions. But civility gave them the leverage to achieve what force or rhetoric alone could not. 

The INF Treaty, the fall of the Berlin Wall, and the eventual end of the Cold War all depended on this kind of disciplined, strategic civility. Leaders could disagree sharply and even spar aggressively, but they never allowed that disagreement to destroy trust or get in the way of progress.

Civility is not a moral high road, it’s a tool. It allowed these leaders to be candid with each other, trusting they would be received with understanding – and creating the strong foundation which underpinned the U.S. and U.K. alliance. Then as now, civility creates space for honest conversations. It allows important initiatives to move forward without unnecessary friction.

Today, that lesson is urgent. The United States and our democratic allies face pressure from resurgent authoritarian powers, global instability and domestic polarization. The instinct to respond with anger or mistrust is strong. But history shows that enduring security and progress come from discipline, mutual respect and the ability to maintain civility even under pressure. 

And in times of global tension, reinforcing alliances matters more than ever. We saw this exemplified by President Donald Trump in his recent meeting with U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, where he declared, ‘We have a relationship like no other… we will always be united.’ His statement embodies the Reagan-Thatcher alliance at its best. This disposition is a precursor to any constructive discussions about advancing security and stability, especially when it comes to complex issues such as these.

President Reagan and Prime Minister Thatcher remind us that civility is not deference; rather, it is a practical strategy for getting things done. As we remember Margaret Thatcher on her 100th birthday, we should also remember the example she set. Civility enabled both leaders to be effective and, ultimately, to shape history. In a world full of uncertainty and division, their legacy remains as essential now as it was then.