Trump announces Gaza peace deal; Capitol clash erupts over Epstein
President Donald Trump called it “a great day” as Israel and Hamas agreed to the first phase of a U.S.-brokered peace deal. The news came just hours after Secretary of State Marco Rubio slipped Trump a note Wednesday evening, urging him to announce the deal first on social media.
Plus, it’s week two of the government shutdown — and tempers are running high. A hallway altercation between House Speaker Mike Johnson and Arizona Senator Ruben Gallego became so intense that another lawmaker had to intervene.
And after her sister’s public plea for prayers, Dolly Parton took to Instagram to set the record straight.
These stories and more highlight your Unbiased Updates for Thursday, Oct. 9, 2025.
Rubio hands Trump an urgent note hinting at Mideast peace deal
President Donald Trump confirmed a peace deal between Israel and Hamas on Wednesday, just hours after he was handed a note during a public event.
It happened during a roundtable with conservative influencers. Secretary of State Marco Rubio was seen two seats down from Trump, catching the president’s attention and slipping him a note as Attorney General Pam Bondi looked on.
News photographers zoomed in, revealing the handwritten message: “You need to approve a Truth Social post soon so you can announce a deal first.”
Rubio then leaned in to whisper to the president.
After reading the note, Trump said, “Yeah, I was just given a note by the Secretary of State saying that we’re very close to a deal in the Middle East and they’re going to need me pretty quickly, so we’ll take a couple of more questions.”
The note referred to a third day of peace talks between Israel and Hamas in Egypt, led by Qatari and American mediators.
Two hours after the meeting, Trump posted on Truth Social, writing: “I am very proud to announce that Israel and Hamas have both signed off on the first phase of our peace plan.”
Trump said the agreement calls for the release of all remaining hostages “very soon” and for Israel to withdraw troops “to an agreed-upon line”. It did not address the disarmament of Hamas or who would have governing power in Gaza.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu released a short statement saying, “With God’s help, together we will continue to achieve all our goals and expand peace with our neighbors.”
The deal is the first major break in the two-year war that began after Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.
Trump called it a “great day for the Arab and Muslim world, Israel and the United States.”
Thousands of Palestinians gathered outside a hospital in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday night to celebrate news of possible peace.
Johnson, Democratic senators trade jabs over Epstein files, shutdown
As the government shutdown continues, tensions are rising in the Capitol.
House Speaker Mike Johnson clashed with two Democratic senators from Arizona on Wednesday. The argument revolved around the government shutdown and included sharp accusations involving the Epstein files.
The exchange took place outside Johnson’s office as Sens. Ruben Gallego and Mark Kelly pressed the speaker on why he hasn’t sworn in Democrat Adelita Grijalva, who won a special election last month.
The senators claimed Johnson’s delay was a political move. They said he’s trying to stop her from becoming the 218th signature needed to force a House vote to release more Jeffrey Epstein-related files.
Rep. Mike Johnson: “This has nothing to do with Epstein.”
Sen. Ruben Gallego: “It has everything to do with Epstein.”
Johnson: “The House Oversight Committee is working on the Epstein files right now, releasing 34,000 pages and more on the way … Let me finish”
Gallego: “You know she is key to the discharge petition. You just keep coming up with excuses. This is an excuse so she doesn’t sign on to that.”
Johnson: “This is absurd … Do you want me to answer the question?”
Gallego: “This is the longest time the House has been out of session … Because you did not actually answer the question. This entirely has to do with the Epstein list.”
Johnson: “You see, this is a publicity stunt. Let me tell you what’s happening. The House Oversight Committee is working on the release of the Epstein files. There are some of the biggest bulldogs in Congress on the Republican and Democrat side who are working on that aggressively. I met with the victims.”
Gallego: “Then why are you blocking her then?”
Johnson: “I’m not blocking her, I just told you.”
Gallego: “This is the longest time that the U.S. House of Representatives has been out of session that is not a regular August session. This is the longest time it’s taken for somebody to be sworn in, and it all happens to coincide with the fact that she’s going to be the deciding vote on the discharge petition.”
Johnson: “I know why you’re upset. I know why you’re upset.”
Johnson insisted Grijalva has not been sworn in simply because the House is out of session and said he will do it as soon as the government is reopened.
The Democratic senators pointed out that Johnson has sworn in lawmakers during past recesses, including two Florida Republicans earlier this year.
The exchange escalated enough that another Republican, New York Rep. Mike Lawler, stepped in and told Gallego to “back the hell off.”
500 National Guard troops arrive in Chicago amid lawsuit
Five hundred National Guard troops are now on the ground in Chicago, deployed for at least 60 days, despite an ongoing lawsuit challenging the move.
Straight Arrow News was on the scene as protesters took to the streets overnight, condemning the deployment.
According to the U.S. Northern Command, 300 troops come from the Illinois National Guard and 200 from Texas. It claimed that the mission was to “protect ICE agents, federal personnel and federal property,” not to police local streets.
On Thursday, a federal judge will hear arguments in a lawsuit filed by the state of Illinois and the city of Chicago seeking to block the deployment.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump called for Gov. JB Pritzker and Mayor Brandon Johnson to be imprisoned for “failing to protect ICE officers.”
Pritzker fired back, saying he “will not back down,” accusing Trump of “full-blown authoritarianism.”
Johnson called the president’s comments racist, saying, “This is not the first time Trump has tried to have a black man unjustly arrested.”
Meanwhile, in Portland, an appeals court has lifted an order blocking the deployment of Oregon National Guard troops.
However, a broader ban on out-of-state troops entering Oregon remains in effect as the court prepares to hear oral arguments Thursday.
Colombia claims US sank boat with its citizens on board
Growing fallout after a U.S. military strike that destroyed a suspected drug boat in the Caribbean last week, killing four people. The president of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, has asserted that the boat was Colombian and that its citizens were on board.
The White House has denied this claim, calling Petro’s allegation baseless and reaffirming Colombia as “an essential strategic partner.”
The strike was part of Trump’s controversial policy to “take out” suspected cartel boats that he claims are trafficking drugs into the U.S. Trump has blamed Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, saying the U.S. is now “in armed conflict with the cartels.”
But critics said the administration still hasn’t revealed who was actually on the boat or whether drugs were found.
In a fiery post on X, Petro called the attack “a war for oil,” not against smuggling, adding that it was “an aggression against all of Latin America and the Caribbean.”
Florida man charged in deadly Palisades fire
A Florida man was arrested and charged with starting the Pacific Palisades fire — the blaze that killed 12 people and burned parts of Los Angeles earlier this year.
Federal agents arrested 29-year-old Jonathan Rinder-Knecht at his home in Melbourne, Florida, on Tuesday. He made his first court appearance yesterday in Orlando.
Prosecutors claimed Rinder-Knecht, a former Uber driver who lived in the Palisades at the time, “maliciously” set a small fire just after midnight on New Year’s Day, then called 911 and watched as firefighters responded to the scene.
Bill Essayli, United States Attorney for the Central District of California
“It took the defendant several tries to contact 9-1-1 to report the fire. He fled the scene in his car, but turned around after passing fire engines driving in the opposite direction to fight the fire. While the Lachman fire burned, the defendant walked up the same trail from earlier that night to watch the fire and firefighters, using his iPhone to take short videos of the scene.”
— Bill Essayli, United States Attorney for the Central District of California
Authorities said that the smaller Lachman fire smoldered underground for days until strong winds reignited it into the massive Pacific Palisades fire, which devastated parts of southern California.
Rinder-Knecht faces charges of destruction of property by fire. He did not enter a plea in court.
Dolly Parton says she’s fine after sister’s prayer request sparks concern
Dolly Parton, the 79-year-old country music legend, wants everyone to hear it directly from her: she’s fine.
The singer posted a video to clarify the situation after her sister Freida’s late-night call for prayers on social media started a wave of concern.
“I know lately everybody thinks that I am sicker than I am. Do I look sick to you? I’m working hard here!” Parton said. “Anyway, I wanted to put everybody’s mind at ease, those of you who seem to be real concerned, which I appreciate. And I appreciate your prayers because I’m a person of faith. I can always use the prayers for anything and everything. But I want you to know that I’m OK.”
Parton said she’s been feeling under the weather and is undergoing “a few treatments,” but assured fans that it’s nothing serious.
She admitted that after losing her husband, Carl Dean, earlier this year, she “let a few things go” health-wise. Last month, Parton announced she was postponing her December concerts in Vegas until 2026 because of health challenges.
Now, she’s getting back on track.
“There are just a lot of rumors flying around, but I figured if you heard it from me, you’d know that I was OK,” she said. “So anyhow, that’s what I wanted to say, and I’m not ready to die yet. I don’t think God is through with me, and I ain’t done working, so I love you for caring and keep praying for me.”
It was just a little sister asking for prayers for her big sister.
Her sister, Freida, later clarified online that her prayer request was “just a little sister worried about her big sister.”
Dolly captioned her video “I ain’t dead yet.”
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Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief
