Hamas accepts Trump peace plan ending 2 years of war in Gaza, returning hostages
Hamas has agreed to a peace deal pushed by President Donald Trump to end the war in Gaza and return the hostages, two years after the terrorist network attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, sparking not only the bloodiest day for Jews since the Holocaust, but a deadly war and a humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip.
Trump took to Truth Social on Wednesday to make the announcement: “I am very proud to announce that Israel and Hamas have both signed off on the first Phase of our Peace Plan. This means that ALL of the Hostages will be released very soon, and Israel will withdraw their Troops to an agreed upon line as the first steps toward a Strong, Durable, and Everlasting Peace. All Parties will be treated fairly! This is a GREAT Day for the Arab and Muslim World, Israel, all surrounding Nations, and the United States of America, and we thank the mediators from Qatar, Egypt, and Turkey, who worked with us to make this Historic and Unprecedented Event happen. BLESSED ARE THE PEACEMAKERS!”
Moments before the president’s announcement, photos emerged from the negotiation room in Sharm el-Sheikh showing senior officials embracing and shaking hands as reports indicated significant progress toward a hostage release deal. Retired General Nitzan Alon was seen shaking hands with Qatar’s Prime Minister Al-Thani, with special envoy Witkoff in the background. On the other side, Hamas leader Khalil al-Hayya and other senior officials appeared smiling. An Israeli source said preparations are underway for an official announcement of the agreement, while other officials expect it to be signed as early as Thursday. Israeli media reported Israel and the terror group will sign the deal Thursday in the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh.
TRUMP UNVEILS 20-POINT PLAN TO SECURE PEACE IN GAZA, INCLUDING GRANTING SOME HAMAS MEMBERS ‘AMNESTY’
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement, “With God’s help, we will bring them all home.” Netanyahu added in a statement in Hebrew: “A great day for Israel. Tomorrow I will convene the government to approve the agreement and bring all our dear hostages home. I thank the heroic soldiers of the IDF and all the security forces — thanks to their courage and sacrifice we have reached this day. I thank from the bottom of my heart President Trump and his team for mobilizing for this sacred mission of freeing our hostages. With God’s help, together we will continue to achieve all our objectives and expand peace with our neighbors.”
The terrorist organization Hamas announced in an official statement, “After responsible and serious negotiations conducted by the movement and the Palestinian resistance factions regarding President Trump’s proposal in Sharm el-Sheikh, with the aim of ending the war of extermination against our Palestinian people and the withdrawal of the occupation from the Gaza Strip, Hamas announces the reaching of an agreement that ends the war on Gaza, provides for the withdrawal of the occupation, allows the entry of aid and implements a prisoner exchange.
“We greatly appreciate the efforts of the mediators in Qatar, Egypt and Turkey, and thank U.S. President Donald Trump for his efforts to bring about a final end to the war and the full withdrawal of the occupation from the Gaza Strip. We call on President Trump, the guarantor states of the agreement, and all Arab, Islamic and international parties to oblige the government of the occupation to fulfill all the agreement’s commitments, and not to allow it to evade or delay implementation of the accords.”
Dr. Majed al-Ansari, Spokesperson for Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, stated on X: “The mediators announce that an agreement was reached tonight on all terms and mechanisms for implementing the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire agreement, which will lead to stopping the war, releasing Israeli detainees and Palestinian prisoners, and allowing aid to enter.”
According to Israeli officials, the living hostages are expected to be released in a single phase within 72 hours. The return of the bodies of deceased hostages will take longer, but Israel insists on their inclusion in the deal. Hamas, reportedly backed by some Israeli sources, claims that part of the delay stems from the fact that some of the bodies are not located in areas under its control.
Following Trump’s announcement, the hostages’ families’ headquarters released a statement: “The hostages’ families wish to express deep gratitude to U.S. President Donald Trump and his team for the leadership and determination that led to this historic breakthrough: an end to the war and a comprehensive agreement to return all the hostages. There are 48 hostages in Hamas captivity. Our moral and national commitment is to bring them all home, both alive and fallen alike. Their return is a condition for the rehabilitation and revival of Israeli society as a whole. We will not rest or be quiet until the return of the last hostage. We will bring them back. We will rise.”
KUSHNER JOINS WITKOFF FOR GAZA CEASEFIRE TALKS AS TRUMP PUSHES PEACE PLAN: ‘CAUTIOUSLY OPTIMISTIC’
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last week agreed to the U.S.’s 20-point plan that would see the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip in exchange for the release of all 48 hostages still held, 21 of whom are still assessed to be alive, according to the Hostages and Missing Families Forum.
The exact terms of the agreement – which Israeli and Hamas negotiators traveled to Egypt to hash out on Monday – remain unclear. Though under the original agreement, Hamas would have to completely disarm in exchange for Israel’s military operation to end, more humanitarian aid for Palestinians would be pushed into the enclave, and planning the reconstruction of Gaza could begin.
Hamas, under the terms, would also have been granted “amnesty” for those who willingly give up their arms, and once all the hostages have been returned, Israel would release “250 life sentence prisoners plus 1,700 Gazans who were detained after Oct. 7th, 2023.”
All the hostages were also supposed to be freed within 72 hours of an agreement being reached – though Hamas on Saturday signaled this may be unrealistic as it claims some of the deceased are believed to be buried under rubble.
Hamas appeared to agree to part of the original terms presented by the Trump administration. But it also signaled over the weekend that it had concerns over its disarmament and the trustworthiness of Israel not to re-engage with its military ambitions once the hostages are returned.
AS TRUMP’S GAZA DEAL NEARS, FAMILY WARNS ISRAEL NOT TO FREE ANOTHER SINWAR
Specifics on various aspects of the original deal remain ambiguous, including on the international “Board of Peace” that would be headed by Trump and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair to oversee Gaza’s administration and reconstruction.
Trump said last week that “leaders from other countries” would be named to the board later.
The 20-point blueprint also said that Gaza Strip for the foreseeable future “will be governed under the temporary transitional governance of a technocratic, apolitical Palestinian committee, responsible for delivering the day-to-day running of public services and municipalities for the people in Gaza.”
The plan, which has been backed by Middle Eastern and Arab nations, was presented to Hamas late last month by mediators from Qatar and Egypt.
Though both nations – along with several new Western nations making up 157 of the 193 UN member states – support Palestinian statehood, the plan did not directly pave a path for how that could be accomplished.
A separate panel of experts, “who have helped birth some of the thriving modern miracle cities in the Middle East,” would develop an economic reconstruction plan.
NETANYAHU APOLOGIZED FOR AIRSTRIKES DURING ‘HEART-TO-HEART’ WITH QATARI LEADER, TRUMP SAYS
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Despite previous concerns over comments made by Trump and his administration, no one would be forced to leave under the U.S.’s latest plan, which also prevents Israel from annexing Gaza.
Instead, according to the terms of the deal released last week by the White House, “We will encourage people to stay and offer them the opportunity to build a better Gaza.”
Trump warned that if Hamas did not agree to the deal, Israel would have the full backing of the U.S. to carry out its operational plans in Gaza.
‘Keep your mouth shut’: Jeffries and GOP lawmaker clash in Capitol Hill showdown
Tensions erupted on Capitol Hill Wednesday as two members of the House of Representatives got into a screaming match on the eighth day of the 2025 government shutdown.
Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., confronted House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., outside the latter’s news conference over a bipartisan compromise on enhanced ObamaCare subsidies, a key flashpoint in the fight over federal funding.
He also taunted Jeffries about whether he would endorse democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani for mayor of New York City — which Jeffries did not answer.
“First of all, I don’t answer to you. You don’t even answer to yourself,” Jeffries responded.
SENATE STALLS ON SHUTDOWN VOTE AMID WARNING FURLOUGHED WORKERS MAY LOSE PAY
The heated exchange began with Lawler challenging Jeffries to sign onto bipartisan legislation extending COVID-19 pandemic-era enhancements to ObamaCare subsidies for one year.
Those subsidies are set to expire at the end of 2025 without congressional action, and Democrats have been demanding that the issue be addressed before they would agree on a federal funding bill to end the shutdown.
“We’ve got a one-year extension, why don’t you sign on right now?” Lawler asked.
Jeffries responded angrily, “Did you get permission from your boss? Did your boss Donald Trump give you permission?”
“He’s not my boss,” Lawler replied.
The two men spoke over each other for nearly five minutes, both accusing the other’s party of derailing the government.
“You’re an embarrassment,” Jeffries said, before confronting him for voting for President Donald Trump’s massive policy bill, the One, Big Beautiful Bill Act.
“I voted for a tax cut bill that gave the largest tax cut to Americans in history — including, by the way, the average New Yorker getting a $4,000 tax cut. Are you against that?” Lawler asked.
Jeffries responded, “You’re embarrassing yourself. The largest cut to Medicaid in American history — you voted for that.”
The House Democratic leader pointed his finger into Lawler’s chest, telling him, “You’re not going to talk to me, and talk over me, because you don’t want to hear what I have to say. So why don’t you just keep your mouth shut?”
“Oh, is that the way to talk?” Lawler retorted.
They continued debating the merits of the Republicans’ policy bill, though Lawler repeatedly tried to ask Jeffries if he would sign onto the temporary ObamaCare extension.
Jeffries then shifted the conversation to accusing House Republicans of remaining in their districts during the government shutdown — something Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., urged them to do in order to keep the focus on D.C. on Senate Democrats refusing the GOP’s funding bill.
SENATE REPUBLICANS CONFIRM MORE THAN 100 TRUMP NOMINEES AS GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN CONTINUES
“You wanted Republicans to be here, I’m here,” Lawler said. “And by the way, you can pass an [Affordable Care Act] extension right now. Sign onto this bill.”
Jeffries asked, “Mike, is your boss Donald Trump behind it?”
He argued it would take more Republicans than those signed onto the legislation to get it passed in the House as the fight further devolved into insults.
“Are you mathematically challenged, bro?” Jeffries asked.
Lawler said, “No, I think you are. You have 215 Democrats.”
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
The fight came hours after Johnson confronted a pair of Senate Democrats outside his office who were demanding the Republican leader swear in Rep.-elect Adelita Grijalva, D-Ariz.
Senate Democrats rejected the GOP-led funding bill for the sixth time on Wednesday, all but guaranteeing the shutdown will extend into a ninth day.
The House passed a bill to extend fiscal year (FY) 2025 federal funding levels through Nov. 21 to give lawmakers more time to create a longer-term deal for FY 2026 spending.
But Democrats, furious at being sidelined in federal funding talks, have largely said they’ll reject any deal that does not include an extension of the expiring ObamaCare subsidies.
MIKE DAVIS: Supreme Court betrayed again — this time from the bench
In May 2022, a cowardly traitor destroyed the sanctity of the Supreme Court, violating one of its essential values: secrecy. This degenerate leaked the draft opinion in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, the case that, a month later, finally did away with the 1973 constitutional abomination known as Roe v. Wade Nearly three and a half years later, the leaker remains unnamed, even though he or she caused a summer of violent threats from leftists and constant harassment of a majority of the Supreme Court in their homes and at their children’s schools, in blatant violation of 18 U.S. Code §1507 and other federal criminal statutes — as well as the near-assassination of another justice and his family. This past Friday, the judiciary was betrayed again — this time directly by a sitting judge.
SEN. KENNEDY LEFT SHOCKED BY JUDGE’S 8-YEAR SENTENCE FOR ATTEMPTED KAVANAUGH ASSASSIN
Nicholas Roske, a pet store employee from California, was very upset about the Dobbs leak. He was a fervent abortion supporter and wanted to stop the overturning of Roe Instead of campaigning to elect Democrats who would implement his preferred agenda — the actions of someone who truly respects representative democracy — Roske extensively planned and prepared, then flew from Los Angeles International Airport to the area near the home of Justice Brett Kavanaugh, one of the purported members of the majority according to the Dobbs leak. In a series of social media posts before his departure, Roske indicated his desire to assassinate three Supreme Court justices to preserve abortion rights.
Roske came well-prepared to kill Justice Kavanaugh. Among other things, he brought a handgun, nearly 40 rounds of ammunition, a tactical knife, lock-picking tools, a nail punch, a crowbar, a pistol light, duct tape, pepper spray, zip ties, and hiking boots with padding on the soles so he could move about the Kavanaughs’ home more quietly. Justice Kavanaugh lives with his wife and two teenage daughters. God forbid what would have happened had the other Kavanaughs tried to defend him. When Roske arrived, however, he found he could not go through with his plan because law enforcement was outside the Kavanaughs’ home. Realizing they had seen him, Roske called 911 and claimed to be suicidal, confessing his assassination plan to the dispatcher.
When police arrived and arrested Roske, he repeated his confession and explained why he wanted to kill Justice Kavanaugh. For the past three and a half years, he has sat in jail. Last Friday, he finally received his sentence after his guilty plea before Maryland U.S. District Judge Deborah Boardman. Boardman was one of President Biden’s earliest judicial appointees — and one of his worst, which is quite a statement given some of the atrocious rulings Biden-appointed judges have handed down. Boardman’s sentencing of Roske, however, stands out as the decision most deserving of ignominy. The prosecution justifiably recommended a 30-year sentence. The United States has never had a Supreme Court justice assassinated; indeed, only one other attempt had occurred prior to Justice Kavanaugh’s brush with death.
Roske had a secret weapon on his side: his supposed mental illness of gender dysphoria. While in jail, Roske indicated that he was transgender and wished to be called Sophie and addressed with female pronouns. Boardman accepted this, musing at sentencing that a bright spot had come out of the attempted assassination of Justice Kavanaugh — that Roske’s mother now recognized his gender identity. Boardman referred to Roske as female. Then she delivered the coup de grâce, handing down a pathetically lenient sentence of eight years’ imprisonment followed by lifetime supervised release. Eight years. That, apparently, is the legal price one must pay for an act that, had it succeeded, would have torn at the very fabric of the Republic. The assassination would have changed history, as would have been safe for decades to come. There is no doubt Biden would have nominated a leftist to replace Justice Kavanaugh, and the Democrat-controlled Senate would have gleefully confirmed the nominee. So much for the rule of law.
Judges must begin sentencings by calculating the appropriate range under the Sentencing Guidelines. The Guidelines are a starting point for district judges and are advisory. Boardman wrongly rejected a terrorism enhancement for Roske. If his conduct was not an attempt to commit an act of terrorism, nothing is. He wanted to murder three justices to change the outcome of one of the most contested cases in American history. In addition to that error, Boardman also made another: she issued a substantively unreasonable sentence.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE FOX NEWS OPINION
Appellate courts, unlike district judges, must presume that sentences within the Guidelines range are reasonable. Boardman, however, gave a gargantuan departure in favor of Roske. There is precedent in several circuits for reversing sentences as substantively unreasonable. The Seventh Circuit did just that in United States v. Vrdolyak (2010), a case in which a leftist judge had absurdly given probation to a corrupt former Chicago Democratic alderman nicknamed “Fast Eddie,” who had engaged in massive fraud. The Eleventh Circuit likewise reversed another leftist judge who had imposed a woefully lenient sentence in United States v. Martin (2005, 2006). That court made the mistake of remanding to the same judge for resentencing after the first reversal but did not repeat the error.
Attorney General Pam Bondi has rightly decided to appeal this abomination of a decision. If the leftist-controlled Fourth Circuit does not reverse Boardman, the Supreme Court must. Tina Peters, a former Colorado county clerk, received nine and a half years in prison because she gave unauthorized access to the county’s election system in an effort to root out fraud. Her actions did not change one vote, and there was zero risk of violence. By contrast, Roske, who tried to murder a Supreme Court justice, received a year and a half less time. That disparity in favor of Roske is indefensible. Boardman even gave a sentence six months harsher to an identity thief a month ago than she handed to Roske.
Aside from Justice Kavanaugh, no other justice would need to recuse. In In re Neagle (1890), the Supreme Court heard a dispute related to the attempted assassination of Justice Stephen Field after California charged the deputy marshal guarding him with murder. On remand, the court that reverses this monstrous decision must order the case reassigned to another judge.
Boardman, a federal public defender for more than a decade, has shown she is incapable of issuing a sentence that will deter similar conduct. If this sentence stands, Roske will be out in about four years, given the time he has already served. Justice Kavanaugh and his family, however, will be impacted for the rest of their lives. And in Boardman’s court, it is abundantly clear that the lives of conservative justices do not matter nearly as much as a happy gender identity ending. The House must begin an impeachment inquiry into Judge Boardman immediately.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE FROM MIKE DAVIS
Minnesota schools revolt over trans athlete policy as Trump Title IX deadline looms
Minnesota’s education agencies face a deadline Friday from the U.S. Department of Education to change its trans athlete policies. Now, more than 40 school board members from districts across the state have now openly supported complying with the DOE as the deadline nears.
The school board members penned a letter to state leaders in Saint Paul earlier this week – Education Commissioner Willie Jett, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison and executive director of the Minnesota State High School League Erich Martens – urging them to comply with President Donald Trump’s administration on the issue.
“How are we protecting all students in our district. So, whether it’s in the locker rooms or on the playing field,” wrote Lisa Atkinson, a member of the Prior Lake Savage Area Schools Board. “As school districts, we cannot risk the loss in funding. It’s really that important to us. This is an opportunity for our state to figure out a way to put in policies that really protect all students.”
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM
The board members also expressed anxiety over federal funding cuts “that would adversely affect educational programs, extracurricular activities and resources for over 875,000 students statewide.”
Trump’s Feb. 5 “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports” executive order states that schools who allow biological males to compete in girls’ sports will be subject to federal funding freezes.
Ellison, who has been a staunch supporter of trans athletes in girls’ sports and has even filed a lawsuit against Trump and the U.S. Department of Justice for its recent Title IX enforcement efforts, responded to the letter in a statement.
“School sports aren’t just a good way to get exercise, they help kids build friendships, make them feel like they belong, and teach them important life lessons, like how to work as a team, how to treat their competition with respect, and how to win with grace and lose with dignity. Letting the very small number of transgender students in Minnesota play on their school sports teams doesn’t harm anyone, but segregating them does. Exclusion is a violation of the Minnesota Human Rights Act, which has protected the rights of trans kids to participate in all extracurricular activities for decades,” Ellison said, via Fox 9.
“I too am concerned about the Trump Administration’s threats to cut education funding for kids across Minnesota, but this matter is before the court right now. The federal government’s threats violate the U.S. Constitution, Minnesota law, and Title IX itself. I’m fighting to prevent these harmful cuts, stop the Administration’s bullying of transgender kids who just want to live their lives in peace, and protect the rights and freedoms of all our students in Minnesota.”
INSIDE GAVIN NEWSOM’S TRANSGENDER VOLLEYBALL CRISIS
Meanwhile, multiple girls’ athletes have taken action to try and push their state to change its policies as well.
Three anonymous girls’ softball players have filed a lawsuit against state agencies after having to face a trans pitcher from Champlin Park High School last season. The trans pitcher, Marissa Rothenberger, led Champlin Park to a state championship in the spring, with one of the best playoff stat lines in all of Minnesota.
“It’s really upsetting to know that [Ellison] isn’t taking rights of girls and women seriously. He is allowing boys to compete with girls, and it is not safe and completely unfair. To know that AG Ellison is in complete support of letting boys and men take advantage of females in sports is absolutely disgusting and wrong,” one anonymous player previously told Fox News Digital.
Meanwhile, former White Bear Lake High School softball player Kendall Kotzmacher has publicly spoken out against the state and Gov. Tim Walz for letting males play in girls’ sports, especially after Walz himself coached high school football decades ago, and saw the physical prowess of male athletes up-close.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
“As a coach, you should see the differences and the vast difference that there are between biological males and biological females,” Kotzmacher told Fox News Digital.
The state legislature failed to pass a bill that would have banned trans athletes from girls’ sports, the “Preserving Girls’ Sports Act,” back in March. It fell one vote shy of advancing to Walz’s desk. Meanwhile, state lawmaker Rep. Liish Kozlowski, who identifies as “non-binary,” called the bill “another version of state-sanctioned bullying and genocide.”
Police union chief slams system after 99-time arrestee dodges prison for stabbing
An Indiana man accused of stabbing a 69-year-old at a gas station has ignited outrage after records revealed a staggering criminal history – nearly 100 prior arrests – with little to show in the way of punishment.
Courtney Boose, 41, was arrested after the alleged gas-station stabbing, according to the Lawrence Police Department and Fox 59, which reported that Boose has been arrested 99 times over the years on charges ranging from theft and trespassing to battery.
Despite that record, court documents reviewed by Fox News Digital show he’s never served a day in state prison.
BLUE CITY ERUPTS AS 91-TIME FELON TRIES TO DODGE PRISON, WEASLE INTO REHAB AFTER CRASH
A Record of Arrests
Boose’s long paper trail through Marion County courts paints a picture of a man repeatedly cycling through the system.
Public filings list dozens of convictions and dismissals spanning more than two decades, mostly low-level felonies and misdemeanors such as theft, criminal trespass and panhandling. Even when convicted, Boose typically received short county-jail terms or time served.
One 2019 case included a battery resulting in bodily injury charge, which was later dismissed in a plea deal, and a conviction for misdemeanor theft that earned Boose just two months behind bars.
In 2020 and again in 2022, he pleaded guilty to felony trespass and was sentenced to county jail time already served, court records show.
BLUE CITY CRIME CRISIS: REPEAT OFFENDER STRIKES AGAIN AFTER CHARLOTTE TRAIN MURDER
Indianapolis Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) President Rick Snyder blasted the situation as proof that repeat offenders are “being turned back onto the streets faster than officers can arrest them.”
“This is exactly what we’ve been warning about,” Snyder said on “The Hammer and Nigel Show” on 91.3FM WIBC.
You’ve got someone arrested 99 times, accused now of stabbing an elderly man, and he’s never seen prison…
Prosecutors recently downgraded Boose’s latest charge from attempted murder to aggravated battery, a level three felony, reducing potential prison exposure from up to 40 years to a maximum of 16. He is being held at the Marion County Jail on a $50,000 bond. Fox News Digital has reached out to Marion County for comment.
“What’s the number of times where somebody in a black robe says, ‘You know what, I don’t think this guy is getting it’?” Snyder asked.
Critics argue Boose’s record highlights problematic “catch-and-release” justice, where habitual offenders face little deterrent. In deep-blue San Francisco, residents protested Troy McAlister’s bid to swap prison time for a drug rehabilitation program just years after he allegedly plowed down two pedestrians.
“91 felonies, 2 deaths, No more chances,” signs read outside San Francisco’s Hall of Justice. “Judge Begert chooses politics over public safety. Justice NOW.”
The case of McAlister, 50, has long been a lightning rod of restorative justice reform, forcing elected officials to confront whether policies meant to show compassion to offenders put the public at risk.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
McAlister was on parole on Dec. 31, 2020, when he allegedly drove a stolen car while intoxicated, ran a red light, and killed Hanako Abe, 27, and Elizabeth Platt, 60.
“Troy McAlister has been charged with 91 felonies over the course of his multi-decades career here in San Francisco, and we don’t think that someone should be given infinite chances to ultimately correct course,” Scotty Jacobs, director of Blueprint for a Better San Francisco, told KTVU-TV.
Mask mandates return to California as federal vaccine guidance for COVID shifts
A county in California wine country is beefing up its vaccine recommendations and instituting a mask mandate, citing “greater risk” of contracting COVID-19 amid the start of the annual flu season.
The Sonoma County Department of Public Health’s Interim Health Officer Dr. Karen Smith issued an order Monday requiring anyone entering certain healthcare facilities in the county to wear a mask. Facilities subject to the order include skilled nursing facilities, portions of long-term care facilities where nursing care is provided, acute and non-acute rehabilitation facilities, infusion centers, and dialysis centers, according to the order.
“The rationale behind this order is to protect the most vulnerable populations (such as the elderly and cancer patients) and to try to prevent medical staff from getting sick and creating staffing problems for facilities,” a spokesperson for the Sonoma County Department of Health told Fox News Digital.
NEW VIRUS STRAIN SPIKES IN 9 US STATES WITH SYMPTOMS FROM BRAIN FOG TO PERSISTENT COUGH
The mask mandate will run from Nov. 1 until March 31, 2026, and the order states that Smith can expand the type of facilities subject to it on an as-needed basis. Additionally, the requirement will be put in place annually unless otherwise rescinded.
The order does provide some exemptions, including anyone “with a diagnosed medical condition, mental health condition, or disability that prevents the individual from wearing a face mask.” Hearing impaired folks who must see the mouth to communicate are also exempt, as well as anyone else for whom local, state or federal regulators deem could be harmed from wearing one.
The order also dictates what masks must be worn. A surgical mask, KN95, KF94, or N95 respirator are acceptable, but more informal masks, such as a scarf, ski mask, balaclava, bandana, turtleneck, collar, cloth mask, or “any mask that has an unfiltered, one-way exhaust valve,” will not satisfy the order’s requirements.
BIDEN ADMIN PUT SOME AMERICANS WHO RESISTED MASK MANDATES OR WERE INVOLVED IN JAN 6 ON SEVERE NO-FLY LIST: TSA
Coinciding with the mask mandate in Sonoma County, Smith also issued stronger guidance pertaining to COVID-19 and flu vaccines, telling the public it is strongly recommended for everyone 6-months of age and older. She also recommended that both vaccinated and unvaccinated people wear masks in indoor public spaces when the COVID influenza risk is high.
Smith’s COVID-19 vaccine recommendations, and even her mask mandate aimed at protecting older populations, contradict guidance coming from Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
This week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention signed off on a new recommendation from HHS that removes the recommendation that adults 65 and older get vaccinated for COVID-19. The CDC also signed off on recommending that people ages 6-months to 64-years discuss with their doctors before they decide whether, or not, to get a COVID-19 vaccination.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Meanwhile, Kennedy and HHS have also narrowed the approval scope for new COVID-19 vaccines, in addition to a series of other measures committed to “science, safety, and common sense.”
Tragedy strikes when guest dies after riding popular Disneyland attraction
A woman in her 60s died after riding the Haunted Mansion ride at Disneyland in Anaheim on Monday evening, officials said.
The Anaheim Police Department confirmed in a statement to Fox News Digital that the incident happened at around 6:30 p.m. local time.
“Anaheim Fire & Rescue responded to the Disneyland Resort for an unresponsive woman in her 60s who had just finished riding the Haunted Mansion attraction,” an officer said.
Officials said Disneyland security personnel provided CPR until paramedics arrived. The woman was then transported to a local hospital, where she was later pronounced dead.
LOCALS CALL OUT ‘EXCESSIVE TOURISM’ AFTER TRAM CRASH LEAVES AT LEAST 15 DEAD AND 18 INJURED
“Out of respect for the family, no further details will be released. This appears to be an unfortunate medical episode, and our thoughts go out to the family,” police said.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
A spokesperson for Disneyland confirmed to Fox News Digital that a guest required medical treatment and was taken to a hospital on Monday. Police said there was no indication of any operating issue with the attraction, which reopened shortly after the incident.
Authorities also said the Orange County Sheriff-Coroner will determine her official cause of death.
Country music star proposes to girlfriend after keeping relationship under wraps
Darius Rucker is officially an engaged man after keeping his relationship under wraps.
The 59-year-old “Wagon Wheel” singer shared that he is engaged to Emily Deahl in a joint Instagram post shared on Wednesday.
“Thank you for showing me a level of happiness I have never known,” he wrote in the caption. “The day I met you I knew I didn’t want to go another one without you. Now I don’t have to.”
The Instagram post featured a black-and-white photo of the couple, showing Rucker kneeling on one knee from behind, as Deahl looks down at him with a big smile on her face. They seem to be dressed casually, with Deahl wearing a black sweater and styling her hair in a ponytail.
KELSEA BALLERINI POSTS SEPTEMBER INSTAGRAM DUMP FEATURING BIKINI PHOTOS AND MOUNTAIN ADVENTURES
Fans of the singer couldn’t help but congratulate the couple on their relationship milestone, with one writing, “Great to see 2 people find happiness. It’s so hard nowadays. Congrats!” Another fan wrote, “So incredibly happy for the both of you❤️.”
“The day I met you I knew I didn’t want to go another one without you. Now I don’t have to.”
“So happy for you🙏❤️Having someone who’s truly in your corner and having that real love, there’s nothing like it! Congratulations 🥂❤️,” another added.
APP USERS CLICK HERE FOR POST
Another photo showed the happy couple hugging after the engagement, with Rucker giving Deahl a kiss on the cheek as she smiled at the camera.
Deahl also celebrated the engagement on her Instagram stories, confirming her relationship with the former Hootie & the Blowfish frontman for the first time.
LIKE WHAT YOU’RE READING? CLICK HERE FOR MORE ENTERTAINMENT NEWS
“I never intended on keeping this part of my life from you guys for so long, but somewhere along the way of loving him I discovered how sacred love is to me. And all I wanted to do was protect it,” she wrote on her Instagram story. “Damn I’m glad I don’t have to spend the time photoshopping him out of every photo now.”
Rucker only recently hinted he was in a relationship, posting a selfie of him and Deahl in Las Vegas on social media, captioning the post, “Wizard of Oz at @spherevegas with my love & my boys. 1000/10!!!!!”
The singer was previously married to Beth Leonard, for nearly 20 years, from 2000 to 2020. Over the course of their marriage, the couple welcomed two children together, daughter Daniella, 24, and son Jack, 20. He also shared daughter Carolyn, 30, with his ex, Elizabeth Ann Phillips.
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE ENTERTAINMENT NEWSLETTER
Following their split, Rucker spoke with People in October 2023, saying that while there were hard times, he and Leonard remain “close friends and parenting partners.”
“That stuff hurts and you feel like a failure,” he said. “But we’re still a family—a piece of paper is not going to change that. We’re still a family, and that’s all because Beth is awesome. She knows it’s the best for the kids, and she’s a great human being.”
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Illegal alien who fled fatal crash that killed college student gets minimal jail time
An illegal immigrant who pleaded guilty to killing a South Carolina college student in a hit-and-run will be released next year after completing his one-year sentence.
Rosali Fernandez-Cruz was admitted to the state Department of Corrections on Aug. 14, 2025, according to South Carolina Department of Corrections records.
His projected release date is March 2, 2026. Fernandez-Cruz pleaded guilty to hit-and-run resulting in death — the most serious charge against him — according to Robert Kittle, communications director for the state attorney general’s office, who spoke with Fox News Digital.
There was no plea agreement, and prosecutors informed the judge of other traffic-related charges against Fernandez-Cruz, Kittle said.
PREVIOUSLY DEPORTED HONDURAN ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT CHARGED WITH KILLING TEEN WHO REJECTED HIS SEXUAL ADVANCES
“The judge decided the sentence, which was one year,” he said.
Fernandez-Cruz, an illegal immigrant from El Salvador, received the light sentence for the April 2 death of Nathaniel Baker, 21, in Columbia. Baker was a junior at the University of South Carolina and a member of the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity.
Fernandez-Cruz was accused of failing to yield and striking Baker, who was riding a motorcycle. He then fled the scene, authorities said.
MULTIPLE FATAL CRASHES LINKED TO ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS SPARK ARRESTS ACROSS US IN RECENT DAYS
Kittle noted that Baker’s family has forgiven Fernandez-Cruz and that they were consulted about the sentence before it was imposed.
“They did not want this to be politicized or highly publicized,” he said. “They were in agreement with the guilty plea and sentence.”
Fernandez-Cruz was wanted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) before the accident, police said.
A Department of Homeland Security (DHS) source told Fox News at the time that Fernandez-Cruz had been arrested by U.S. Border Patrol in Hidalgo, Texas, on Dec. 24, 2016.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Nearly two years later, on Sept. 6, 2018, an immigration judge in Charlotte, North Carolina, ordered Fernandez-Cruz to be deported to El Salvador.
After his release, Fernandez-Cruz will be taken into ICE custody to begin deportation proceedings.