President Donald Trump claimed that former President Barack Obama was the ‘ringleader’ of Russiagate, calling for him to be criminally investigated amid new claims that members of his administration allegedly ‘manufactured’ intelligence that prompted the Trump–Russia collusion narrative.

Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard recently declassified documents revealing ‘overwhelming evidence’ that claimed that after Trump won the 2016 election against Hillary Clinton, then-President Obama and his national security team allegedly laid the groundwork for what would be the yearslong Trump–Russia collusion probe.

Gabbard said the documents revealed that Obama administration officials ‘manufactured and politicized intelligence’ to allegedly create the narrative that Russia was attempting to influence the 2016 presidential election, despite information from the intelligence community stating otherwise.

The new documents name Obama, top officials on his National Security Council, Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, CIA Director John Brennan, national security advisor Susan Rice, Secretary of State John Kerry, Attorney General Loretta Lynch and Deputy FBI Director Andrew McCabe, among others.

Gabbard, on Monday, sent a criminal referral to the Justice Department related to those findings. Department of Justice officials did not share further details on whom the criminal referral was for.

As for Gabbard’s criminal referral, Trump was asked which specific figures should be under criminal investigation, to which he replied: ‘President Obama. He started it.’

‘And Biden was there with him, and Comey was there, and Clapper, the whole group was there. Brennan. They were all there in the room right here. This is the room,’ Trump said from the Oval Office Tuesday during a meeting with the president of the Philippines. ‘It was President Obama. It was lots of people all over the place.’

None of the former Obama-era officials have responded to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

The president went on to say that his administration has ‘all of the documents, and from what Tulsi told me, she’s got thousands of additional documents coming.’

‘So President Obama, it was his concept – his idea,’ Trump said Tuesday. ‘But he also got it from crooked Hillary Clinton – crooked as a $3 bill, and Hillary Clinton and her group, the Democrats, spent $12 million to Christopher Steele to write up a report that was a total fake report.’

Steele authored the discredited anti-Trump dossier, which was paid for by the Clinton campaign and the Democratic National Committee through law firm Perkins Coie.

The anti-Trump dossier served as the basis for Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) warrants against former Trump campaign aide Carter Page.

The intelligence community, at the time, widely viewed the dossier as ‘internet rumor,’ but top officials, like Comey, McCabe and Brennan, reportedly pushed for its inclusion in the 2017 Intelligence Community Assessment.

‘It took two years to figure that out, but it came out that it was a total fake report – it was made-up fiction – and they used that,’ Trump said. ‘The Steele report was a disaster – all lies, all fabrication, all admitted fraud.’

Meanwhile, Trump said ‘we caught Hillary Clinton, we got Barack Hussein Obama. They’re the ones. And then you have many, many people under them. Susan Rice – they’re all the names.’

‘I guess they figured they’re going to put this in as classified information and nobody will ever see it again – but it doesn’t work that way,’ Trump said. ‘It is the most unbelievable thing I think I’ve ever read.’ 

Trump added: ‘Never has a thing like this happened in the history of our country.’ 

On July 28, 2016, Brennan briefed President Obama on a plan from one of Clinton’s campaign foreign policy advisors ‘to vilify Donald Trump by stirring up a scandal claiming interference by the Russian security service,’ meeting notes said. 

‘We’re getting additional insight into Russian activities from (REDACTED),’ read Brennan’s handwritten notes, exclusively obtained by Fox News Digital in October 2020. ‘CITE (summarizing) alleged approved by Hillary Clinton a proposal from one of her foreign policy advisers to vilify Donald Trump by stirring up a scandal claiming interference by the Russian security service.’

After that briefing, the CIA properly forwarded that information through a Counterintelligence Operational Lead (CIOL) to Comey and Deputy Assistant Director of Counterintelligence Peter Strzok, with the subject line: ‘Crossfire Hurricane.’

Former Special Counsel Robert Mueller was appointed to take over the FBI’s original ‘Crossfire Hurricane’ investigation. After nearly two years, Mueller’s investigation, which concluded in March 2019, yielded no evidence of criminal conspiracy or coordination between the Trump campaign and Russian officials during the 2016 presidential election.

Shortly after, John Durham was appointed as special counsel to investigate the origins of the ‘Crossfire Hurricane’ probe.

Durham found that the FBI ‘failed to act’ on a ‘clear warning sign’ that the bureau was the ‘target’ of a Clinton-led effort to ‘manipulate or influence the law enforcement process for political purposes’ ahead of the 2016 presidential election.

Comey and Brennan are currently under criminal investigation, launched by FBI Director Kash Patel. 

Three House committees are banding together to subpoena Democratic fundraising giant ActBlue on Tuesday, accusing the platform of having accepted ‘fraudulent or illegal’ donations for left-wing candidates.

‘In light of allegations that online fundraising platforms that serve as conduits for political donations have accepted fraudulent donations from domestic and foreign sources, the Committees are conducting oversight to inform potential legislative reforms,’ House investigators’ letter to ActBlue read.

‘To further our oversight and legislative reform efforts, on April 2, 2025, the Committees requested documents and communications related to internal misconduct and whistleblower retaliation at ActBlue. Although ActBlue initially provided documents voluntarily, it has since suspended its cooperation with the Committees. Therefore, the Committee on House Administration must resort to compulsory process to obtain the requested materials.’

The subpoena is being led by Committee on House Administration Chair Bryan Steil, R-Wis., House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer, R-Ky., and House Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan, R-Ohio.

Their letter said ActBlue had initially appeared to work with the House committees in April and May before having ‘abruptly changed course’ in June.

‘ActBlue did not provide a legitimate legal basis for refusing future cooperation with the Committees, and instead made baseless and untrue allegations about the Committees’ motives,’ the lawmakers said.

The committees have been jointly investigating ActBlue ever since first raising concerns about their donation practices in 2023.

At the time, Steil accused ActBlue of failing to properly account for private citizens’ security by not requiring a CVV number for credit card donations. That has since changed, however, and ActBlue does currently require that information.

His and other Republicans’ probe has since expanded to question whether ActBlue accepted donations from foreign actors.

Late last month, the committees subpoenaed current and former ActBlue employees to appear for transcribed interviews. They also previously subpoenaed ActBlue itself in October 2024.

Their new subpoena to ActBlue and letter to CEO Regina Wallace-Jones is another escalation in the probe, however.

In a statement to Fox News in late 2024, an ActBlue spokesperson accused Steil of perpetuating ‘inaccuracies and misrepresentations about our platform.’

‘We rigorously protect donors’ security and maintain strict anti-fraud compliance practices. We have zero tolerance for fraud on our platform,’ the spokesperson said at the time.

The latest subpoena letter accused ActBlue of lying about the committees ‘improperly coordinating’ with the Department of Justice (DOJ) on the matter, and of giving a weak explanation for its lack of cooperation.

‘ActBlue alleges that the Committees are pursuing oversight for an improper purpose of fact-finding for a Department of Justice investigation. This assertion is inaccurate,’ the lawmakers said.

‘As we have explained, the Committees have a legislative interest in protecting the integrity of federal elections and upholding fundamental civil liberties by ensuring that online fundraising platforms are not vulnerable to bad actors, including foreign actors.’

The subpoena gives ActBlue a deadline of Aug. 12 to turn over documents lawmakers are seeking.

Fox News Digital reached out to ActBlue for comment but did not immediately hear back.

Senators are set to take a key vote on Tuesday that could determine the outcome of government funding in the coming months and whether a partial government shutdown is on the horizon. But the vote on appropriations bills – normally a collegial process – is turning acrimonious, as some Democrats feel burned by how Republicans worked to pass spending cuts.

Lawmakers in the upper chamber will vote on their first tranche of appropriations bills for this fiscal year, but whether the typically popular and bipartisan measures pass remains unclear as Senate Democrats seem prepared to derail the process in protest of recent partisan moves by Republicans – moves they say have eaten away at the trust that binds the appropriations process.

Senate Republicans last week passed President Donald Trump’s $9 billion clawback package that slashes funding from foreign aid programs and public broadcasting, including NPR and PBS.

That came after Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., warned that advancing the bill could have consequences for the typically bipartisan government funding process in the upper chamber. Meanwhile, Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought said that more rescissions would be on the way.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., noted that any consideration of spending bills would require ‘cooperation’ from Democrats, and that the forthcoming vote would give Republicans a glimpse of where their colleagues stood on funding the government ahead of the Sept. 30 deadline.

‘It was deeply disappointing to hear the Democrat leader threaten to shut down the government if Republicans dared to pass legislation to trim just one-tenth of 1% of the federal budget,’ Thune said.

Schumer scoffed at Thune calling for more bipartisanship in appropriations and accused Thune of ‘talking out of both sides of his mouth.’ 

‘We will see how the floor process evolves here on the floor given Republicans’ recent actions undermining bipartisan appropriations,’ he said. ‘Nothing is guaranteed.’ 

Among the bills that could be considered are spending bills that fund military construction and the VA, agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration, and the legislative branch. The bills will need at least 60 votes to blow through the first procedural hurdle in the Senate.

Senate Democrats are set to meet Tuesday afternoon ahead of the vote to determine whether they’ll support the expected bill package.

Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, said that he and his colleagues had yet to receive guidance from Democratic leadership, but noted that the threat of Democratic resistance was a problem of the GOP’s own making. He said that the GOP had ‘an obligation to give Democrats answers to how…they can guarantee that our votes mean anything.’

‘I think Republicans have created a crisis, and they need to figure out how to solve it,’ the Connecticut Democrat said. ‘We can’t do appropriations bills with this escalating promise from the administration to cancel all Democratic spending as soon as we vote for it.’

Sen. Mike Rounds, also a member of the spending panel, hoped that lawmakers could make the appropriations process work this year, but acknowledged that Democratic resistance could lead Congress to once again turn to another government funding extension, known as a continuing resolution.

He contended that if Democrats were willing to give up on a bipartisan process it would only be to the advantage of the Trump administration.

‘So, part of it is, do we actually want an appropriations process,’ he said.

Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., is pushing a resolution that would indicate that the Senate denounces the persecution of Christians in Muslim-majority nations, while Rep. Riley Moore, R-W.V., and several other House Republicans are pushing a House version that would declare the lower chamber’s condemnation of such persecution.

The resolutions urge the president to prioritize the defense of persecuted Christians in America’s foreign policy, including via ‘diplomatic engagement with Muslim-majority countries’ as well as ‘efforts to stabilize the Middle East.’

The proposed resolutions also urge the president to leverage the diplomatic toolkit ‘to advance the protection of persecuted Christians worldwide and within Muslim-majority countries.’

Fox News Digital reached out to the White House, which did not provide comment.

‘Our country was founded on religious liberty. We cannot sit on the sidelines as Christians around the world are being persecuted for declaring Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. We must condemn these heinous crimes,’ Hawley said, according to press releases issued by the offices of Hawley and Moore.

‘Year after year, the number of Christians murdered by extremists in Nigeria has numbered in the thousands. Millions more have been displaced. We cannot allow this to continue. I urge my colleagues to join me in condemning the persecution of Christians around the world by supporting this resolution.’

Original cosponsors in the House included GOP Reps. Greg Steube of Florida, Michael Guest of Mississippi, Glenn Grothman of Wisconsin, Addison McDowell of North Carolina, Brandon Gill of Texas, Pat Harrigan of North Carolina, and Anna Paulina Luna of Florida.

While not an original cosponsor, Rep. Warren Davidson, R-Ohio, is a cosponsor of the resolution in the House, according to congress.gov.

‘Around the world, our brothers and sisters in Christ face rampant persecution for simply acknowledging the name of Jesus. That is unacceptable. In Nigeria alone, more than 50,000 Christians have been martyred and more than 5 million have been displaced simply for professing their faith. During a Divine Liturgy in Damascus last month, an islamic jihadist opened fire on worshippers and detonated an explosive device — killing at least 30 and wounding dozens more. These examples illustrate the violence and death Christians face on a daily basis,’ Moore said, according to press releases.

‘Unfortunately, decades of U.S. foreign policy blunders have exacerbated this crisis, with ethno-religious cleansing accelerating in Iraq after our failure to stabilize the country following the 2003 invasion. We as lawmakers cannot continue to sit idly by. I urge my colleagues to join me in condemning the persecution of Christians across the globe.’

Continued fallout from the handling of Jeffrey Epstein’s case has partially paralyzed House Republicans’ agenda this week.

Frustrated GOP lawmakers have found themselves in a political minefield over the late pedophile, pointing fingers at each other, Democrats and even the Trump administration as members of President Donald Trump’s base continue to clamor for immediate transparency.

‘We ought to be consistent and transparent. So we have consistently asked for the release of the Epstein files, and that shouldn’t stop now that we are in charge,’ one House Republican told Fox News Digital under the condition of anonymity.

‘This issue is not going away. The quicker we deal with it and nip it in the bud, then we take it off the table as an issue the Democrats can use against us and can be used, as you see, procedurally, to stop other good legislation from going through.’

A Department of Justice (DOJ) memo earlier this month declaring the Epstein case closed ignited a civil war within the GOP, with figures on the far right accusing Trump officials of stonewalling despite promises of transparency.

Days later, Trump called on a federal judge to release grand jury testimony in Epstein’s case.

Democrats, meanwhile, have seized on the discord with newfound calls to ‘release the Epstein files,’ as Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass., the top Democrat on the House Rules Committee, put it on multiple occasions.

Democrats on the panel – which serves as the final gatekeeper to legislation that requires a simple majority vote – have used their ability to introduce an unlimited number of amendments during committee hearings to force Republicans to take politically sticky votes on releasing information about Epstein.

‘There is a list, that list is a victim list. And you’ve got to carefully walk through a victims list, because it involved Epstein. Epstein was involved with minors,’ said Rep. Ryan Zinke, R-Mont. ‘I think the other thing is, I find ironic just out of circumstance, that the Democrats are pushing so hard for an Epstein file that the Biden administration had for four years.’

It led to House GOP leaders advancing a nonbinding resolution calling on the Trump administration to release the files, though it’s not clear when that will receive a chamber-wide vote.

But Democrats pledged to work from the same playbook during a Monday night Rules Committee hearing to kick off the GOP agenda. Republicans responded by forcing those proceedings to grind to a halt.

House leaders canceled a planned day of voting on Thursday – sending lawmakers to August recess a day early.

‘The rules committee will not be meeting, and rightfully so. They were going to use the whole time, and they told us, just amendment after amendment. They think they’ve got a wedge in this – they don’t,’ committee member Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., told Fox News Digital.

He’s one of several House Republicans who told Fox News Digital they were giving deference to the Trump administration on handling the issue – while praising how the White House has handled it so far.

Multiple lawmakers told Fox News Digital that Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., urged Republicans in their Tuesday morning closed-door conference to allow the administration to do its work and not demand the release of information that could risk harming Epstein’s victims.

One person said, ‘We don’t want to embarrass ourselves, keep asking and asking for something, then it comes out, and it’s like – ‘We didn’t want that.’ But I mean, we’ve got to trust the administration.’

‘The administration has done a great job. All the wins that they have – I’m not going to let this waylay them,’ Norman said. ‘In 45 days or two months, if nothing happens, that’ll be a problem. But that won’t happen. We’re going to get it out.’

Moments later he took to X to demand an immediate vote on the nonbinding Epstein resolution, however.

‘The American people deserve action, not excuses. Let’s vote on it before August recess and get it DONE!!’ Norman said.

The South Carolina Republican, who is considering a bid for governor, is one of several conservatives pushing the issue, despite GOP leaders’ pleas to stay quiet on the matter.

Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., teamed up with Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., on a measure that could force a House-wide vote on releasing Epstein-related documents – if it netted a majority of the chamber’s support. That mechanism, called a discharge petition, could force House GOP leaders into a difficult position when they are back in early September.

Several Republican lawmakers have signed onto Massie’s measure in support.

Meanwhile, the House Oversight Committee unanimously approved a move by Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., to call for imprisoned ex-Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell to be subpoenaed.

Three more House Republicans, however, told Fox News Digital they believe most lawmakers want the matter to dissipate.

One locked in on Massie and his nonbinding resolution, ‘He’s doing all of this for self-promotion and attention, and it’s sad and pathetic.’

Even Johnson took aim at Massie during his weekly press conference when asked about his discharge petition.

‘It’s interesting to me that he chose the election of President Trump to bring this, to team up with the Democrats and bring this discharge petition,’ the speaker said.

‘I also try to follow the Scripture. You know it says, Bless those who persecute you. So let me just say about Thomas Massie: Could you just accept my Southern, bless his heart.’

He also pointed out the administration was in the process of sifting through what information it could release.

‘There’s no purpose for Congress to push an administration to do something that they’re already doing. And so this is for political games. I’m very, very resolute on this. We can both call for full transparency and also protect victims,’ Johnson said.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., a Trump ally who is backing Massie’s discharge petition, told reporters, ‘I’m all for transparency, but we just have to be a little patient with the court.’

Several people noted that any bombshell information implicating Trump or other high-level figures would have leaked by now.

But the two other House Republicans who spoke with Fox News Digital said they and their colleagues were frustrated with how the Trump administration has handled the matter so far.

‘We need to give it the opportunity to simmer down,’ one of the two lawmakers said. ‘I will say, for me, when you say the list is on your desk, and there’s no list – you can’t take that one back. And I think that’s probably the genesis of the whole thing.’

That was in reference to Bondi telling Fox News Channel of Epstein’s client list in February, ‘It’s sitting on my desk right now to review.’

Another GOP lawmaker told Fox News Digital, ‘You can’t set up all these expectations and then not expect some criticism on the backend when you decide to not move forward with it… I don’t understand it at all.’

And Massie, for his part, has remained fixed in his course while arguing that doing otherwise will cost Republicans the 2026 elections. He also accused Johnson of telling Republicans to ‘stick your head in the sand’ and defer to the Trump administration.

‘If we don’t take the right side of this issue, it’s going to cost us votes in the midterms. People are becoming despondent. They’re apathetic. Why would they go vote if they gave us the House, the Senate and the White House and the transparency and justice they were promised doesn’t happen?’ Massie said. ‘And I think it could be a real problem for us. That’s why it would behoove the speaker to bring this to the floor. It would be in the best interest of this institution just to vote this out and give it to the Senate and let them do their thing.’

When reached for comment, the White House responded with a lengthy statement touting Trump’s accomplishments that did not mention Epstein.

‘Under President Trump’s leadership, the Republican Party has achieved unprecedented unity and strength. After securing the largest share of votes ever for a Republican presidential nominee and winning majorities in both the House and Senate, President Trump has delivered the most impactful first six months of any presidency. He has fulfilled numerous campaign promises – and then some!’ said spokesman Harrison Fields.

Indeed, Republicans have had a number of significant legislative successes this year, even with a razor-thin majority.

When reached for comment, a DOJ spokesperson pointed Fox News Digital to Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche’s statement on Tuesday, digging in on the department’s earlier memo.

‘[I]n the recent thorough review of the files maintained by the FBI in the Epstein case, no evidence was uncovered that could predicate an investigation against uncharged third parties. President Trump has told us to release all credible evidence. If Ghislane Maxwell has information about anyone who has committed crimes against victims, the FBI and the DOJ will hear what she has to say,’ Blanche said. ‘Therefore, at the direction of Attorney General Bondi, I have communicated with counsel for Ms. Maxwell to determine whether she would be willing to speak with prosecutors from the Department.’

China denied on Tuesday that it is doing anything wrong as it reportedly prevents ‘dozens’ of Americans from leaving the country under an ‘exit ban’ policy, including at least one U.S. government official.

Reports emerged Monday afternoon that an American citizen, an employee of the Commerce Department, has been barred from leaving China and prevented from returning to the U.S. since his passport, credit card, cellphone and iPad were seized on April 14, reported The New York Times. 

The passport was reportedly returned to the individual one week later on April 22, though he was told he was not allowed to leave China.

The identity of the government official remains unknown, though a spokesperson for the State Department confirmed to Fox News Digital that the individual is a U.S. Patent and Trademark Office employee and was traveling to China ‘in a personal capacity.’

While it is unclear if any other U.S. government officials have been barred from leaving China, a spokesperson for Beijing’s foreign ministry, Guo Jiakun, told reporters on Tuesday during a press briefing that he had no additional details to share.

‘China upholds the rule of law and handles entry and exit affairs in accordance with the law,’ he said. 

In response to Fox News Digital’s questions, the State Department said, ‘The Chinese government has, for many years, imposed exit bans on U.S. citizens and other foreign nationals in China, often without a clear and transparent process for resolution.

‘We track these cases closely, and have raised our concern with Chinese authorities about the well being of our citizens and impact these arbitrary exit bans have on our bilateral relations and urged them to immediately allow impacted U.S. citizens to return home,’ a spokesperson added.  

The department in November 2024 issued a Level 2 travel advisory for Americans considering travel to China. 

The advisory issued a warning to ‘exercise increased caution’ due to Beijing’s ‘arbitrary enforcement of local laws, including in relation to exit bans.’

A spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in Washington, D.C., said they were ‘not aware of’ the case’s details, but added, ‘China always welcomes foreign citizens, including those of the United States, to come to China and guarantees their safety and legitimate rights and interests in China in accordance with the law, including freedom of entry and exit. 

‘Meanwhile, foreign citizens in China should also respect and abide by Chinese laws,’ the spokesperson added. 

While the Universal Declaration of Human Rights has enshrined the ‘right to freedom of movement,’ which says ‘everyone has the right to leave any country, including his own, and to return to his country,’ it is not an absolute right, and nations can choose to hold individuals depending on certain conditions, including national security concerns. 

It is unclear why the Commerce Department employee has been blocked from returning to the U.S. where his wife also lives, though he was apparently questioned by Chinese intelligence authorities about his prior military service. 

Reporting has suggested that dozens of Americans have been barred from leaving China, including Wells Fargo Managing Director Chenyue Mao. 

Mao is the latest business executive to be barred from leaving China, which has become increasingly common in recent years, prompting Wells Fargo to suspend all travel to China earlier this month. 

The Wells Fargo banker has reportedly been blocked from leaving China over her alleged link to a criminal investigation. How long she will be required to stay in China remains unclear. 

Neither the Commerce Department nor Wells Fargo immediately responded to Fox News Digital’s questions regarding this report. 

Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele responded late Monday to having his country under the threat of invasion from a future ‘President Hunter Biden.’

Bukele, who has emerged as a top ally of President Donald Trump and a partner in the U.S. leader’s mass deportation operations targeting illegal immigrants, appeared to laugh off the threat.

‘Is Hunter Biden sniffing powdered milk?’ Bukele replied on X, where he shared a snippet of Biden’s interview with podcaster Andrew Callaghan.

‘These guys think that we need to run away from all values in order for us to lead,’ Biden fumed in the clip, initially speaking about the conservative right. 

‘I say, f— you. How are we getting those people back from f—ing El Salvador?’

‘Because I’ll tell you what, if I became president… I would pick up the phone and call the f—ing president of El Salvador and say, ‘You either f—ing send [illegal immigrants imprisoned in CECOT penitentiary] back or I’m going to f—ing invade.’

Biden then accused Trump and Bukele of a ‘f—ing crime’ and labeled both men ‘f—ing dictator-thug[s].’

The retort called back to Biden’s history of drug use, which notably included a revelation he made to CBS that he would smoke ‘anything that even remotely resembled crack cocaine,’ including ‘more Parmesan cheese than anyone you know.’

Biden’s interview touched on that history, including the incident in which he swore on a federal firearms form that he was not using controlled substances at the time of purchase.

Bukele followed up by sharing news coverage of a three-party prisoner swap between the U.S., El Salvador and Venezuela, to illustrate ongoing cooperation with the U.S.’s current leadership.

‘Maduro’s regime was satisfied with the exchange agreement; that’s why they accepted it,’ Bukele said, adding that Caracas strongman Nicolas Maduro’s regime now ‘shout[s] and express[es] outrage – but not because they disagree with the deal, rather because they just realized they are left without hostages from the most powerful country in the world.’

Bukele had agreed to fly Venezuelan deportees from the U.S. who had been held at CECOT back to Caracas, as the Maduro regime in turn released several Americans being held captive. Venezuela had not initially been accepting of deported illegal immigrant nationals captured by U.S. authorities.

Ten U.S. citizens or legal-permanent residents, who had been held by Maduro, were released, according Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

‘Until today, more Americans were wrongfully held in Venezuela than any other country in the world. It is unacceptable that Venezuelan regime representatives arrested and jailed U.S. nationals under highly questionable circumstances and without proper due process,’ Rubio said in a statement.

Bukele also highlighted a clip of U.S. Special Envoy for Hostage Response Adam Boehler calling him a ‘good friend’ of the U.S.

The European Union’s first-ever defense commissioner has issued a stark warning: the world’s ‘most dangerous moment’ could arrive as soon as 2027, when Russia and China may coordinate aggressive moves designed to overwhelm Western defenses.

Andrius Kubilius, the EU’s commissioner for defense and space, echoed recent remarks by U.S. Air Force Gen. Alexus Grynkewich, NATO’s top commander for air operations. Both officials highlighted 2027 as a potential flashpoint year when simultaneous military actions by Moscow and Beijing could stretch the transatlantic alliance to its limits.

‘The most dangerous moment can be in 2027, when both Russia and China will make these aggressive moves in a coordinated way,’ Kubilius told reporters during a briefing in Washington.

Grynkewich had warned last week that the United States and its European allies must be prepared to fight two wars simultaneously – one in Europe, should Russian President Vladimir Putin escalate in Ukraine or Eastern Europe, and another in the Pacific if Chinese President Xi Jinping launches an invasion of Taiwan.

‘We’re going to need every bit of kit and equipment and munitions that we can in order to beat that,’ Grynkewich said.

In a speech later Monday evening, Kubilius said the U.S. has the ‘right and reason’ to turn its focus to China.

‘We are recognizing that you, Americans, have really the right and the reason in the longer-term perspective to start to shift more and more toward the Indo-Pacific in order to mitigate Chinese rising military power,’ he said.

‘We Europeans need to ramp up our defense capabilities,’ the former Lithuanian prime minister said, adding: ‘That is what we are doing.’

Their warnings align with growing concerns across the U.S. defense establishment over what is often referred to as the ‘Davidson Window’ – a term coined by former Indo-Pacific Command chief Adm. Philip Davidson, who testified before Congress in 2021 that China could attempt to forcibly reunify with Taiwan by 2027. The assessment has since become a widely cited benchmark for military planners preparing for a potential crisis in the Indo-Pacific.

The 2027 window has taken on added urgency as China rapidly accelerates its military modernization program, aiming to achieve what Xi Jinping has called ‘world-class’ warfighting capabilities by the People’s Liberation Army’s centennial in 2027. U.S. and NATO officials also fear that Russia, despite sustaining major losses in Ukraine, could reconstitute and redirect its forces toward renewed aggression in Eastern Europe by that same timeframe – placing strategic pressure on two fronts simultaneously.

Kubilius traveled to Washington to assess potential shortfalls in European defense capabilities as the U.S. increasingly pivots its strategic attention toward the Indo-Pacific. He said EU member states are actively preparing for a shift in the American military posture on the continent.

As of 2025, more than 80,000 U.S. troops are stationed in Europe – a presence widely expected to decline in the coming years as the Pentagon presses its European allies to assume greater responsibility for their own defense.

‘We are preparing ourselves to take responsibility on our shoulders,’ Kubilius said. ‘We don’t know what Americans will decide.’

Kubilius emphasized that Europe must not only fund its own defense but also build it. He noted that the EU has reduced its reliance on U.S.-made weapons from 60% of total imports to 40%, and hopes to lower that dependency further through increased domestic production.

As defense commissioner, Kubilius is tasked with implementing an $840 billion framework to ‘Re-Arm Europe,’ including a €150 billion loan facility available to member states for building out their armed forces and industrial capacities.

Separately, NATO leaders at last month’s summit in Washington agreed to a sweeping pledge to increase defense spending – raising the benchmark from 2% of GDP to 5% for member countries, a historic shift in alliance posture amid growing global instability.

Adding to the sense of urgency, President Donald Trump announced that the United States would offer advanced weapons systems to Ukraine – on the condition that European partners cover the cost. Western defense ministers convened on Monday to discuss the proposed financing mechanism.

‘We’re going to be sending Patriots to NATO and then NATO will distribute that,’ Trump said last week, referring to the high-value air defense systems that Kyiv has long sought.

Kubilius declined to elaborate on which other weapons may be included in the package, but underscored the critical importance of maintaining unwavering support for Ukraine’s defense against Russia’s full-scale invasion.

‘China is watching,’ he said. ‘China will be able to make a conclusion that if the West is weak in Ukraine, then we can expect aggressive behavior from China against anyone.’