Donald Trump announced on Truth Social that he had ordered a sixth strike on a boat off the coast of Venezuela, saying that, under his authority as Commander-in-Chief, the Secretary of War had carried out a «lethal kinetic strike» on a vessel he described as being linked to a designated terrorist organization involved in narcotrafficking in the U.S. Southern Command’s area of responsibility.
Breaking News: A U.S. military strike killed six people on a boat in international waters near Venezuela, President Trump said, asserting without evidence that they were drug smugglers for an unspecified group his team had labeled terrorists.
Trump claims that «six male narcoterrorists aboard the vessel» were killed in the strike led by Pete Hegseth, an assertion made without evidence, as noted by several media outlets, including The New York Times.
Getty Images
Nearly 30 deaths
This sixth U.S. military operation targeting boats allegedly transporting drugs toward the United States has resulted in nearly 30 deaths among suspected criminals.
In his Truth Social post, Trump claimed that U.S. intelligence had confirmed the vessel «was trafficking narcotics, was associated with illicit narcoterrorist networks, and was transiting along a known DTO route.»
CaptureTruthSocialRealDonaldTrump
«Indications show that the last boat bombed was Colombian, with Colombian citizens inside it»
The disputed target of America’s fifth strike off Venezuela
Several observers have challenged the president’s repeated claims since the beginning of these strikes against the cartels, questioning whether all those targeted were in fact narcotraffickers.
Getty Images
Colombian President Gustavo Petro recently stated that «indications show that the last boat bombed was Colombian, with Colombian citizens inside it», asserting that the fifth vessel struck by the United States off Venezuela’s coast did not belong to Venezuela but to Colombia.
The White House dismissed Petro’s claim as «baseless and reprehensible», rejecting the Colombian president’s assertion that the vessel struck by the United States was Colombian and carried Colombian citizens.
Getty Images
Trump concluded his post by confirming the deaths of everyone aboard the boat, writing that «the strike was conducted in international waters, and six male narcoterrorists aboard the vessel were killed in the strike. No U.S. forces were harmed.»
27 people have now been killed by the administration’s boat strikes.
Just hours after President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu presented to the world a new ceasefire agreement as a pathway to peace, Israeli forces shot and killed nine Palestinians in Gaza.
Israeli PM Netanyahu tells CBS News he's giving "peace a chance," but despite Pres. Trump's assertion the war is over, Israel's leader talks of change over generations.
The incident casts a dark shadow over what had been heralded as a turning point in the conflict, underscoring how violence endures even under the banner of diplomacy, as Netanyahu warns that «all hell will break loose», words previously used by the President of the United States in the same conflict.
Getty Images
«If they don’t disarm, all hell will break loose.»
The line between peace and conflict
According to CBS News, Netanyahu warned Hamas that «if they don’t disarm, all hell will break loose.» The ceasefire, Netanyahu stated, was conditional: Israel would begin a phased withdrawal from certain parts of Gaza, while keeping troops stationed in designated buffer zones to counter any «resurgent terror threat.»
But that warning was soon followed by renewed violence on the ground. In the days that followed, several Palestinians were killed by Israeli gunfire in and around Gaza City. Medical sources, including staff at al-Ahli hospital, reported multiple fatalities caused by live ammunition. The Israeli military stated that some of those targeted had been « approaching a restricted area » and were considered «suspicious».
Getty Images
Yet the incident occurred inside the ceasefire boundaries, in what should have been a zone of calm. The line between peace and conflict now appears dangerously blurred, and, for some, deadly.
« It’ll happen quickly and perhaps violently. But they will disarm.»
Undefined zones
Under the current framework, Israeli troops are to remain positioned along so-called «yellow lines», undefined zones that Israel alone designates as vital to its national security. These areas are neither clearly demarcated on the ground nor subject to any third-party oversight or verification.
Getty Images
Netanyahu’s insistence that Hamas must fully disarm has been met with skepticism both within Gaza and internationally.
Netanyahu has made it clear: if Hamas does not disarm voluntarily, «we will disarm them.» In practice, the ceasefire agreement functions not only as a roadmap to peace, but also as a potential pretext for renewed military action, and the recent killings may well mark its first phase.
Getty Images
During a White House meeting with Argentine President Javier Milei, Donald Trump reiterated that Hamas must either disarm voluntarily or be forcibly disarmed under the terms of the ceasefire he brokered. « It’ll happen quickly and perhaps violently. But they will disarm», Trump warned.
IDF: Troops fired at Gazan suspects who approached them after crossing ceasefire line https://www.timesofisrael.com/idf-troops-fired-at-gazan-suspects-who-approached-them-after-crossing-ceasefire-line/
As the United States and the Trump administration enter the third week of a government shutdown, the president has approved a $20 billion bailout for Argentina, a country battling soaring inflation and a collapsing currency.
Some U.S. farmers criticized the idea of giving aid to Argentina, arguing that the South American ally benefits from selling soybeans to China — which has turned away from U.S. exporters amid the trade war.Now, the Trump administration has finalized an economic rescue plan for the country.
The move is reverberating through Washington — and unsettling many within his MAGA base.
«We’re going to help them. I don’t think they need a bailout.»
Getty Images
The plan, built around a U.S.-backed currency swap and direct financial support, represents one of the most controversial and far-reaching American interventions in Latin America in decades.
The White House calls it a «stabilization measure to protect regional markets», while critics argue it’s a risky move that contradicts Trump’s «America First» message.
Getty Images
Asked about the plan during a press briefing at the White House in late September, President Trump downplayed the term “bailout,” insisting that the move was meant to stabilize Argentina’s economy, saying, «We’re going to help them. I don’t think they need a bailout.»
«What are we doing? We’re buying out Argentina? Like, huh?»
«America First»: revolt brews inside Trump’s own movement
The backlash from Trump’s own party was swift. Republican lawmakers and MAGA-aligned figures accused the administration of betraying its «America First» principles by sending billions abroad while U.S. farmers struggle under new tariffs.
Getty Images
Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley questioned, «Why would the U.S. help bail out Argentina while they take American soybean producers’ biggest market?»
Speaking to reporters in the Capitol hallway after the bailout was announced, Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene expressed disbelief, saying, «What are we doing? We’re buying out Argentina? Like, huh?»
Getty Images
Anger is particularly strong among soybean growers, who fear the bailout will strengthen Argentina, a direct competitor in exports to China.
Some in Trump’s circle defend the move as a way to counter Beijing’s influence and expand U.S. business access in Argentina. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins faced criticism after leaked messages showed her privately warning about the bailout’s impact on crop prices, even as she publicly endorsed it.
Make Argentina great again
During their October 14 meeting at the White House, Donald Trump reaffirmed U.S. support for Argentina’s economy, saying «We’re going to help them», while President Javier Milei praised the $20 billion aid package as «fantastic» and both leaders pledged closer trade and economic cooperation.
Getty Images
Javier Milei has been president of Argentina since December 2023. Nicknamed «El Loco» and often called «the Trump of the Pampas», he has openly aligned himself with Trump’s style and rhetoric.
During his campaign, he echoed Trump’s slogan, declaring: «We will make Argentina great again.»
Trump offered a $20 billion lifeline to Argentina as countless Americans struggle with the shutdown and other cost pressures.trib.al/0gwYMdl
In a late-night post on Truth Social, Donald Trump lashed out at Time Magazine, accusing it of having «disappeared» his hair in what he called the worst photo of him «of all time».
Trump’s late-night Truth Social post is the latest instance of the president raging about an unflattering picture of himself.
«They “disappeared” my hair, and then had something floating on top of my head that looked like a floating crown, but an extremely small one.»
Donald Trump opens his post by claiming that Time wrote «a relatively good story» about him, but appears visibly shocked by the magazine’s choice of cover photo: «Time Magazine wrote a relatively good story about me, but the picture may be the Worst of All Time,» Trump says.
Getty Images
«They “disappeared” my hair,» accuses Trump, describing the state of his hair in the photo, while he was on a special trip to the Middle East to sign a peace agreement he concluded and which has entered its first phase, the exchange of all prisoners between Israel and Gaza.
The living Israeli hostages held in Gaza have been freed under the first phase of Donald Trump's peace plan, alongside a Palestinian prisoner release. The deal may become a signature achievement of Trump's second term, and it could mark a strategic turning point for the Middle… pic.twitter.com/0bZDABIDGj
Trump accuses Time Magazine of having altered the photo, taken with a bright light source behind him, revealing his thinning hair, and of having added «something» above his head: «They “disappeared” my hair, and then had something floating on top of my head that looked like a floating crown, but an extremely small one.»
Getty Images
Trump adds that he has never liked photos taken from low angles, calling this one «a super bad picture» that «deserves to be called out».
In his Truth Social post, Trump also reacts with disbelief, writing «Really weird!» and asking, «What are they doing, and why?»
CaptureTruthSocialRealDonaldTrump
A 20-point peace plan
In the TIME Magazine article, Trump’s role in the peace plan is described as a «signature achievement of Trump’s second term» and featured under the headline «His Triumph».
Donald Trump, unveiled a 20-point peace plan to end the war between Israel and Hamas. The proposal calls for an immediate ceasefire, the release of all Israeli hostages, and a reciprocal exchange of Palestinian prisoners. It also includes a partial Israeli withdrawal and the deployment of an international force to secure Gaza, which would be temporarily governed by Palestinian technocrats backed by foreign mediators.
Getty Images
On October 8, Trump announced that Israel and Hamas had signed the first phase of the deal, including the ceasefire and prisoner exchange. Days later, a «Peace Declaration» was endorsed at a summit in Sharm el-Sheikh.
Trump hailed the agreement as «historic progress», saying it marked «real peace — not fake diplomacy».
A peace deal signed under international spotlight
Several world leaders were present in Egypt for the signing of the peace plan by Trump, including Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, French President Emmanuel Macron, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
Getty Images
The truce is mostly holding, though doubts remain over its durability. Critics note that the plan omits any mention of a Palestinian state and leaves Gaza’s future governance unclear.
President Donald Trump and regional world leaders signed a Gaza ceasefire deal during a summit in Egypt. It is unclear exactly what was in the document that the leaders signed. CNN's Becky Anderson reports on what we know about the agreement. Follow live updates: https://cnn.it/4h9tfN6
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who has been pressing Washington for weeks to supply Tomahawk cruise missiles, has now inserted himself into the conversation over Donald Trump and the Nobel Peace Prize.
Trump really wants a Nobel Peace Prize.Zelenskyy said he will lobby for Trump to win the award if he sends Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine and helps broker a ceasefire with Russia.
That conversation has been heavily amplified by Trump and his inner circle, who have long sought such international recognition.
Getty Images
«We will nominate him on behalf of Ukraine.»
As Kyiv insists it needs these weapons to have, in Zelensky’s words, «a fighting chance» against Russia, the Ukrainian leader has floated a proposition: support for Trump’s Nobel bid in exchange for a deal that would deliver Tomahawks and pave the way toward a peace agreement.
Getty Images
As Netanyahu wrote on X, «Give Donald Trump the Nobel Peace Prize — he deserves it!», a declaration made amid emerging Israel–Gaza peace efforts, Zelensky, when pressed by journalists, delivered a parallel message to Trump.
According to Politico, Zelensky said: «The plan for ending the war won’t be easy, but it is certainly the way forward. And if Trump gives the world, above all, the Ukrainian people, the chance for such a ceasefire» and then, adding about Trump’s potential nomination, «then yes, he should be nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.»
Zelensky concluded with a clearer message about Ukraine’s intentions, declaring that if Trump helps secure a ceasefire in Ukraine: «We will nominate him on behalf of Ukraine.»
Getty Images
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, U.S. Congressman Buddy Carter, Malta’s foreign minister Ian Borg, leaders from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Cambodia, Gabon, Israel, Pakistan and Rwanda, as well as the Hostages and Missing Families Forum in Israel, have all publicly pushed for Donald Trump to receive the Nobel Peace Prize, which will be announced on October 10.
«Strong sanctions, strong political pressure, Russia’s accountability for the war, all of this is necessary.»
A strong political pressure
On September 24, 2025, at the UN General Assembly in New York, Zelensky urged the international community to increase pressure on Moscow, declaring: «Strong sanctions, strong political pressure, Russia’s accountability for the war, all of this is necessary.»
Getty Images
In late September, Zelensky explicitly asked Trump for Tomahawk cruise missiles, according to Axios, saying that even without using them, merely possessing such weapons would help Ukraine «force» (according to Axios) Russia into peace negotiations.
⚡️ Tomahawk deliveries could force Russia to 'sober up' and negotiate, Zelensky says."Right now, it is important to send a signal that Ukraine will be strengthened by all means possible," President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
President Trump’s deputy chief of staff was answering questions live with CNN anchor Boris Sanchez when something oddly convenient happened just as Miller let slip that Trump holds absolute power under the «Plenary Authority».
A bizarre moment during a cable news interview saw one of the president's closest advisers make a wild assertion.
Miller abruptly stopped mid-sentence right after saying the words «Plenary Authority», blinking repeatedly at the camera.
«Under Title 10 of the U.S. Code, the president has plenary authority.»
The anchor kept calling him by name, but the feed soon cut to a commercial break. When CNN came back, Sanchez apologized, blamed the strange incident on “some wires got crossed,” and continued the interview without a single mention of what the deputy chief of staff had just revealed.
CaptureCNN
During the live CNN segment, Stephen Miller stated, «Under Title 10 of the U.S. Code, the president has plenary authority.»
Miller was then abruptly cut off air. After the commercial break, in an awkward and unsettling moment, Miller resumed his remarks but mysteriously dropped the word «plenary» from his speech:
«I was making the point that under federal law, Section, uh, Title 10 of the U.S. Code, the president has the authority, anytime he believes federal resources are insufficient, to federalize the National Guard to carry out a mission necessary for public safety.»
Getty Images
The quiet part out loud
The interview quickly ignited social media, with many doubting CNN’s explanation for the strange moment that unfolded live on television.
Users accused Miller of saying the quiet part out loud and blasted CNN for what they saw as a shameful cover-up, even charging the network with being complicit in paving the way for a dictatorial government.
Getty Images
Deepened doubts across the internet
According to a more specific explanation given to Newsweek by a CNN spokesperson, the technical difficulty was later attributed to an audio feed from another CNN channel suddenly playing in Miller’s earpiece.
Far from quelling suspicion, this only fueled online critics who argued it reinforced the idea of a deliberate cover-up by the news channel.
Getty Images
«Why did Miller saying the president has plenary authority get cut?» asked one user in the YouTube comments under CNN’s official channel video of the interview.
The network had seemingly edited Miller’s controversial line out of its version, while other outlets like HuffPost published the uncut clip.
Plenary authority belongs to Congress
It is vital that the president does not possess «Plenary Authority», as Stephen Miller inadvertently admitted in his interview, because democracy depends on limits, oversight, and a balance of power.
Getty Images
In the United States, plenary authority belongs to Congress in certain domains, such as immigration and commerce. Absolute authority by a president would erode checks, accountability, and liberty.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith told Politico during an on-stage interview at the US-Canada Summit that she fears Donald Trump could interfere in Alberta’s separatist movement, which has gained momentum in recent years.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said she wants Trump to stay out of the separatist movement brewing in her oil-and-gas rich Canadian province.
«I don’t want any foreign interference in our politics here,»
A movement she says stems from what she views as ten years of mismanagement by former prime minister Justin Trudeau.
Getty Images
As Trump repeatedly raises the idea of Canada becoming the 51st state, Smith clearly fears he could revive the separatist movement she hopes will fade with Justin Trudeau’s departure earlier this year and the arrival of his successor, Mark Carney.
Smith’s message was clear: «I don’t want any foreign interference in our politics here,» she told Politico.
Speaking about her meeting with Carney, Smith made her position explicit: «I’ve told Prime Minister Mark Carney that Justin Trudeau created an independence movement in Alberta and he can take the wind out of it.»
The premier left little doubt about her intention to see Alberta remain within Canada, noting previously that while she «cannot control the emotion of Albertans,» if the referendum question «Do you want to remain in Canada?» were to be asked, she would want «that vote to be ‘Yes.’»
The Forever Canadian campaign
A major petition is now circulating in Alberta under the banner of the Forever Canadian campaign, launched by former deputy premier Thomas Lukaszuk. The initiative asks a direct question: «Do you agree that Alberta should remain in Canada?»
Getty Images
To trigger a referendum, the petition requires 177,000 valid signatures, and with more than 230,000 already collected, organizers are aiming for 300,000 before the October 28 deadline to ensure it passes Elections Alberta’s review.
If successful, it would not only force a vote but also block any competing sovereignty questions for the next five years.
This effort runs in parallel to Premier Danielle Smith’s political balancing act. While Smith has said she wants Albertans to answer «Yes» to remaining in Canada, she has also aligned herself with groups like the Alberta Prosperity Project that push for a sovereignty referendum.
Getty Images
The petition, by pre-empting separatist initiatives, could complicate Smith’s strategy and highlight the province’s deep divide between federalist and independence forces.
Prediction: Alberta Premier Danielle Smith will call an early election before she allows a referendum to proceed to a vote with the wording promoted by former Progressive Conservative deputy premier Thomas Lukaszuk’s Forever Canadian petition. @djclimenhaga.bsky.social writes. #abpoli
The government shutdown afflicting the Trump administration is creating major headaches for travelers, as airlines across the U.S. face severe delays amid staffing shortages at the FAA.
There will not be enough air traffic controllers in the tower at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport, the FAA is warning.Now on the seventh day of the government shutdown, the same scenario is playing out at FAA offices across the country, with ripple effects hitting flights almost everywhere.
Ripple effects are disrupting flights almost everywhere, according to CNN.
Getty Images
As the Trump administration completes its first full week of the government shutdown, signs of a major crisis are emerging across unfunded sectors.
Airports are being hit especially hard, with Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) staffing shortages causing delays that now ripple through nearly every flight.
«There’s controllers that have called up sick, and we’re tracking it.»
Getty Images
Travelers are facing long waits, cancellations, and growing uncertainty over their plans, as major airports and hubs across the country experience ripple effects from problems at individual centers.
Employees reporting sick
Major U.S. cities have been hit hard by the shortage of air traffic controllers, forcing cancellations and delays at Los Angeles International Airport in California, Chicago’s O’Hare in Illinois, as well as airports in Denver, Colorado, and Nashville, Tennessee.
Getty Images
The shortage of air traffic controllers has been aggravated by staff calling in sick, with Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy noting: «There’s controllers that have called up sick, and we’re tracking it.»
The longer the government shutdown continues, the more the nation’s air travel system is expected to deteriorate. Airlines warn that staffing shortages at the FAA, already forcing widespread delays and cancellations at major airports, will intensify if agencies remain without funding.
Getty Images
Industry leaders are urging the administration to reopen these agencies to restore critical operations and prevent further ripple effects across U.S. hubs, where disruptions at one airport are increasingly cascading into nationwide travel chaos.
Airlines brace for third day of flight delays as shutdown persists reut.rs/4oaCkYj
Trump, in a Truth Social post, has called for the Chicago mayor and the Illinois governor to be jailed, marking a new escalation in his administration’s attacks and actions against a city under Democratic leadership.
The president claimed the two leaders failed to “protect Ice Officers.”
«Chicago Mayor should be in jail for failing to protect ICE officers! Governor Pritzker also!»
As Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker push back against the Trump administration’s crime crackdown and immigration raids in Chicago, the president voiced his frustration in a Truth Social post, calling for both leaders to be jailed.
CaptureTruthSocialRealDonaldTrump
«Chicago Mayor should be in jail for failing to protect ICE officers! Governor Pritzker also!» said the president, accusing the Democratic officials of endangering the lives of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers currently carrying out a major operation in Chicago.
Getty Images
Tensions are rapidly escalating between Trump, the state of Illinois, and the city of Chicago, as both filed lawsuits on Monday to block the president’s deployment of National Guard members to Chicago.
«They are the ones that are making it a war zone. They need to get out of Chicago if they’re not going to focus on the worst of the worst, which is what the president said they were going to do. They need to get the heck out.»
Getty Images
Over the weekend, the Department of Defense federalized up to 300 members of the Illinois National Guard, in what the DoD has dubbed «Operation Midway Blitz», and also directed 400 federalized Texas National Guard troops to be sent to several Democratic-led cities, many of them headed to Chicago.
Getty Images
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker condemned the Trump administration’s actions in Chicago, declaring «They are the ones that are making it a war zone. They need to get out of Chicago if they’re not going to focus on the worst of the worst, which is what the president said they were going to do. They need to get the heck out.»
Texas National Guard troops have arrived at an Army base in Illinois, a highly unusual deployment of one state’s Guard into another against the host state’s wishes.Read more: https://wapo.st/48hjQ3H
A federal lawsuit against the Trump administration
Protests against the Trump administration’s actions, ongoing since mid-September, are rapidly intensifying in Chicago, with clashes erupting between demonstrators, ICE officials, and journalists, particularly outside a migrant holding facility run by ICE and located in the suburb of Broadview.
«There has been an extreme escalation in the use of force by federal agents at that facility against people who are exercising their First Amendment rights, and targeted attacks against members of the press and legal observers.»
Getty Images
In late September, the Department of Homeland Security requested additional support to protect ICE facilities in Illinois as protests against the agency escalated.
On October 7, a coalition of journalists, news organizations, unions, and protesters filed a federal lawsuit in Chicago against the Trump administration, accusing federal agents of using «extreme brutality» during recent demonstrations, including tear gas, pepper balls, and projectiles fired even at credentialed reporters clearly displaying press badges; the plaintiffs argue that these actions, carried out without lawful dispersal orders, violate the First Amendment by attempting to intimidate and silence peaceful dissent, and they are asking the court to affirm both protesters’ right to demonstrate peacefully and journalists’ right to observe, record, and report on federal activities.
Getty Images
«There has been an extreme escalation in the use of force by federal agents at that facility against people who are exercising their First Amendment rights, and targeted attacks against members of the press and legal observers,» said Molly Armour, a volunteer attorney with the National Lawyers Guild in Chicago, who is involved in the case by representing protesters and monitoring abuses.
Trump rhetoric against his political opponents
Trump is now accusing the governor and the mayor of endangering the lives of ICE agents, using a social media post to demand that they be jailed, a stark move that fuels fears his rhetoric against political opponents is increasingly translating into action.
Getty Images
He has made similar calls in the past, including against former FBI Director James Comey, one of his outspoken critics, who was later indicted on what many have described as bogus charges brought by the administration.
In a Truth Social post on Wednesday, President Trump said Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker "should be in jail."
The home of Circuit Court Judge Diane Goodstein, who recently ruled against the Trump administration in a controversial case, was completely destroyed in a suspicious fire that left three people injured, including her husband and her son.
Authorities are investigating the cause of a fire that engulfed the home of Circuit Court Judge Diane Goodstein, in South Carolina. Three people, who had to be rescued by kayak, were injured. The cause of the fire is under investigation. nyti.ms/48j9GPY
The house on Edisto Island was completely destroyed in a fire that broke out late in the morning, forcing family members to escape by jumping from windows and a balcony.
Three people were injured, including Judge Goodstein’s husband, Arnold, who was airlifted to a hospital, and her son, who was also hospitalized.
According to multiple media reports, Judge Diane Goodstein was not at home when the fire started. At the time of the blaze, she was walking her dogs on the beach near her Edisto Island residence.
Circuit Court Judge Diane Goodstein, who recently ruled against the Trump administration in a case over South Carolina’s release of sensitive voter registration data, became the target of violent online rhetoric in the days before the fire.
The Trump administration’s Department of Justice sought access to the personal information of more than three million registered voters, including names, addresses, driver’s license numbers, and Social Security numbers, under Trump’s executive order aimed at restricting non-citizens from registering to vote.
Getty Images
According to The Daily Beast, pro-Trump activists used social media and far-right forums to accuse her of blocking election oversight and called for retribution, heightening tensions after her ruling.
The situation has become increasingly troubling for judges, particularly those who rule against the Trump administration. Donald Trump has repeatedly attacked them in social media posts, calling them «crooked judges», «radical left lunatics», «troublemakers and agitators», «activist judges» and «radical rogue judges».
Getty Images
Members of his administration have echoed these attacks, criticizing judicial decisions at every opportunity and even urging that judges who ruled against him be «impeached».
This persistent rhetoric has heightened concerns about judges’ safety and the erosion of trust in an independent judiciary, while Democrats voice growing alarm over a possible arson attack on Judge Goodstein’s home.
The circuit court judge had received an onslaught of violent threats ahead of the fire that tore through her home and left both her son and husband severely injured.
Authorities initially described the incident as suspicious, but investigators from the State Law Enforcement Division have so far found no preliminary evidence of arson or explosion.
According to TIME, South Carolina Law Enforcement Division Chief Mark Keel said in a statement: «At this time, there is no evidence to indicate the fire was intentionally set», while confirming that the investigation is still ongoing.
