In a significant development, Israel has announced the elimination of the leader of Hamas’ military division, a key figure behind the orchestrated assaults on October 7, 2023, that escalated hostilities in Gaza.

The Israeli military reported that Izz al-Din al-Haddad was targeted and killed in an operation conducted in Gaza City on Friday.

Al-Haddad was among the few remaining high-ranking officials within Hamas’ military hierarchy, instrumental in devising and carrying out the attacks against Israel on October 7.

Following the death of his predecessor, Mohammed Sinwar, Israeli authorities identified Haddad as having taken over the strategic leadership role.

On Saturday, The Associated Press received confirmation from Haddad’s family regarding his death.

His killing came as the cease-fire between Israel and Hamas remains fragile as key issues like the disarmament of Hamas stall the deal’s progress.

The Republican Party is preparing to deploy a substantial $347 million campaign fund and enlist Donald Trump in an effort to maintain their control over both chambers of Congress.

Although redistricting could potentially alter the political landscape, Democrats are still seen as the frontrunners to reclaim the House of Representatives. According to Polymarket, they currently have a 79 percent probability of success.

With economic concerns and the tensions surrounding the Iran situation weighing heavily on voters, Republicans are hopeful that the financial support from a Trump-affiliated political action committee can effectively highlight the potential threats they claim Democratic policies pose to the nation’s economic stability.

The GOP intends to assert that an already unpopular Democratic Party will exacerbate difficulties in achieving economic improvements. Their straightforward message is that granting power to Democrats will result in legislative stalemate, as reported by the Wall Street Journal.

Additionally, Republicans plan to capitalize on perceived Democratic vulnerabilities concerning the southern border and criticize President Joe Biden’s immigration policies, issues that were instrumental in Trump’s initial election victory.

‘You want to remind voters how bad Democrats are, and the numbers indicate voters are in a mood to accept that,’ GOP pollster Neil Newhouse told the WSJ. The paper also described the potential financial contribution as a ‘mountain of cash.’

However, Newhouse admitted that will be a challenge while the GOP also remains unpopular on the key issues.

‘Until we see some settling down of inflation and gas prices coming down, that is what Americans are going to be focused on,’ Newhouse said.   

The GOP is set to unlock a $347million campaign war chest and put Donald Trump on the road in a bid to save their majority in both houses of Congress

With the economy and the Iran War weighing heavy on voters minds, Republicans hope the funds, from a Trump-aligned political action committee, can be used to remind people of the risks they say the Democrats pose to the country’s financial health 

They will also try and remind voters of some of the key accomplishments of the second Trump term: his tax cuts which were virulently opposed by Democrats and tax breaks for seniors and ending taxes on tips. 

Earlier this week, left-wing Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez told New York Magazine her plan to beat back Republicans at the polls. 

She believes Democrats should pitch a progressive ‘affordability’ agenda similar to the one proposed by socialist New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, endorsed by 100 of AOC’s fellow progressives. 

‘It’s the Progressive Caucus’s pitch on the party’s plan. What it signifies is that the party is making a turn towards really seeing that these proposals that maybe a long time ago were seen as radical are actually pretty common sense, and they’re not just things that are supported by Democrats,’ she said. 

She admits that the party has taken a huge hit in PR lately and needs to do a lot of work to come off as more normal. 

‘We gotta’ fight for people, and we gotta’ speak English in a way that people understand. We, as a party, have a lot of catching up to do.’ 

Republicans are hoping to target key swing Senate seats, as they currently only maintain a 56 percent chance of retaining control of the upper chamber. 

Senate races in North Carolina, Maine, Michigan and Georgia are said to be a focus, as well as 29 key House races nationwide as part of a ‘MAGA Majority’ program.

Earlier this week, left-wing Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (pictured) announced her plan to beat back Republicans at the polls

She believes Democrats should pitch a progressive ‘affordability’ agenda similar to the one proposed by socialist New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani (pictured), endorsed by 100 of AOC’s fellow progressives

They will be hoping that MAGA Inc, a Trump-aligned super PAC, will unleash all of the $34 7million at their disposal. 

‘MAGA Inc is committed to retaining and building the GOP majorities in the House and Senate,’ spokesman Alex Pfeiffer said, responding to Republican worries that Trump will hold onto that cash for other use. 

Sources have told WSJ that Trump has occasionally said in private that he does not care about the outcome of the midterms due to frustration with the GOP not backing his agenda enough. 

However, a person familiar with the midterm plans said Trump will have at least 30 campaign dates with various candidates ahead of the election. 

Susie Wiles said late last year that the president will ‘campaign like its 2024’ this year to prevent his party from a disaster in the midterm elections.

The Republican National Committee had $116 million in cash at the end of March while their Democratic opposites had just $14 million. 

The Daily Mail has reached out to the White House for comment. 

There are also still plans for a midterm Republican convention in September in Dallas to help promote candidates.  

The Republican Party has repeatedly performed better with the president on the ballot than without but with his popularity on the wane, it could be a high-stakes ploy. 

A person familiar with the midterm plans said Trump will have at least 30 campaign dates with various candidates ahead of the election

Defending long-time Maine incumbent Senator Susan Collins’ seat is among the GOP’s biggest midterm priorities

In 2016 and 2024, Trump at the top of the ticket led to the GOP controlling the White House and both houses of Congress.

Even in 2020, when Trump lost to Joe Biden, his presence on the ticket held the Democrats to a bare minimum majority in the Senate and a nine-seat lead in the House.

Without Trump on the ballot in 2018, the Democrats gained over 40 seats in the House, while they prevented a predicted ‘red wave’ in 2022 by gaining a Senate seat. 

Wiles’ solution is to make sure Trump is leading the ticket in 2026 by drawing in voters who don’t traditionally participate in off-year elections. 

The entire House of Representatives are up for election in 2026, while 35 seats in the Senate are open due to JD Vance and Marco Rubio departing to join the Trump administration. 

The Republicans have to defend 22 seats to the Democrats’ 13, with Maine and North Carolina seen as particularly vulnerable to being flipped.

Though the Democrats need to flip four Republican seats to take back the Senate, Wiles is concerned enough by recent electoral results to make sure Trump is a huge part of the midterm push. 

‘Because so many of those low-propensity voters are Trump voters. And we saw a week ago Tuesday what happens when he’s not on the ballot and not active,’ Wiles said.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (pictured) remains bullish on the Democrats’ chances to win the midterms

Trump himself told Fox Friday that the Iran War, not the economy or redistricting, will determine the result of the midterms 

Trump himself told Fox Friday that the Iran War, not the economy or redistricting, will determine the result of the midterms. 

‘I think a bigger difference would be if I win quickly [in Iran], as opposed to after [the elections], but again, I’m not going to let the election determine what’s going to happen with respect to Iran, because they cannot have a nuclear weapon,’ he said. 

However, he did admit that getting gas prices down would help.  

‘A bigger difference would be if that price went down. Look, prices are down, but the energy caused it to go up, and I said to my people, ”I hate to do this to you, but I’m going to screw up your numbers for a little while, because we have to stop the nuclear weapon stuff with Iran.”

While at her job, Deb Proctor received a call from an unfamiliar number, delivering news that would upend her understanding of her husband’s identity.

An investigator informed the Oklahoma resident of a shocking revelation: the husband she knew as Jeff Walton was, in fact, Ronald Stan, a Canadian who vanished 37 years prior and was thought to have died, leaving behind a family.

“After regaining my composure, I approached my immediate supervisor to explain the bizarre phone call,” Proctor recounted to Fox News Digital. “My colleagues were worried for my safety, fearing Jeff might be in witness protection, and I had inadvertently disclosed this to an impostor posing as an investigator.”

Deb Proctor, once married to Jeff Walton, who was actually the missing Ronald Stan, is recounting her experience on ABC’s “Betrayal: Secrets & Lies.”

Proctor is sharing her narrative on the ABC true crime series “Betrayal: Secrets & Lies,” inspired by the “Betrayal” podcast series. The show delves into stories of individuals nationwide who endure shocking revelations, financial disasters, and violent acts, among other challenges.

“Deb Proctor’s story is an incredible exploration of what happens when the person closest to you is living a double life,” Andrea Gunning, host of the “Betrayal” podcast, told Fox News Digital. “What stayed with me the most while working on Deb’s story was not just the scale of Jeff’s deception, but the deeply human process of Deb rebuilding her life after the truth was exposed.”

It was 1998 when Proctor, a 41-year-old divorcee and mother of two sons, was ready to meet someone new. She decided to join a dating site, where she came across Walton, an Ohio State graduate and former football player who traveled and played golf — a passion of hers. She was intrigued.

WATCH: VANISHED: BEHIND THE STRING OF DEATHS AND DISAPPEARANCES OF SEVERAL AMERICAN SCIENTISTS

After a year of talking, they decided to meet in person. When Walton stepped off the plane and saw Proctor, he asked, “You will marry me, won’t you?”

Walton moved in a few months later. They married in 2000.

“I felt like this was a person that I loved very much,” Proctor said. “I could see us traveling together, creating a life together. I felt hopeful about the future.”

Jeff Walton and Deb Proctor married on April 23, 2000. (Courtesy of Deb Proctor)

But a year into their marriage, Walton was struggling to find work. That’s when he told her for the first time that he was a Vietnam War veteran. According to the podcast, Walton claimed that at age 18, he served in the Special Forces when he was captured and held prisoner. For months, he was tortured before eventually escaping by following a stream.

“[As a nurse] I had some experience working with Vietnam vets and PTSD,” Proctor said. “It really tugged at my heart. He had also uprooted his life, given up his job as a project manager at a large industrial construction company, given up everything just to be with me. He had given up everything for love.”

Proctor’s seemingly happily ever after was disrupted. Walton, who was unemployed, suffered a heart attack requiring ongoing care. The couple struggled to cover his medical expenses. Proctor, who had worked at the VA years earlier, tried to convince her husband to seek help as the bills piled up. But he refused to get healthcare, insisting he was dishonorably discharged and wouldn’t be listed.

“Betrayal: Secrets & Lies” airs Sundays at 10 p.m., with episodes streaming the next day on Disney+ and Hulu. (ABC News)

“I was dumbfounded,” Proctor admitted. “That’s the biggest moment when I thought, ‘Something’s not right here.’ I couldn’t put my finger on it. I just kept insisting on going to the VA so he could get healthcare. We were going to go broke. It was just a 30-minute drive to the nearest facility. But he looked at me strangely and said, ‘I’m not going. I was in Special Forces. Because of what I witnessed and what I reported, my actions were illegal and unethical. They won’t have me listed anywhere.’”

“I kept saying to him, ‘You’ve served your country. There are records somewhere,’” Proctor continued. “But he said, ‘I will not get government healthcare.’ He got up and walked away.”

Confused, Proctor considered hiring a private investigator. But after realizing she couldn’t afford one, she put her feelings aside.

Despite Deb Proctor’s happiness, her friends became suspicious of Jeff Walton, who appeared too good to be true. Despite claiming to love golf, he struggled to play the game. (Courtesy of Deb Proctor)

Shortly after Walton’s heart attack, he had a stroke. Then he began exhibiting signs of dementia. The medical bills continued mounting into the thousands. Proctor was his primary caretaker while working full time as a nurse to make ends meet. She began drinking to cope with the stress. As Walton’s memory worsened, she was able to place him in a funded outpatient care facility.

In 2014, Proctor received a phone call from a detective in Canada. Investigators were probing the cold case of Ronald Stan and were able to track him down through social media, according to the podcast.

In September 1977, a barn fire killed several pigs. Stan, then 32, disappeared. Although human remains were never found, Stan was declared legally dead in 1986. However, the case was reopened in 2014. Using modern investigative technology, the Ontario Provincial Police discovered that Stan was alive and living in a rural part of the Cherokee Nation in Oklahoma under a new name, “Jeff Walton.” He later admitted the truth to police.

Jeff Walton, also known as Ronald Stan, had disappeared from Canada 37 years earlier when investigators discovered his identity. His previous wife and children believed he had died in a fire. (Courtesy of Deb Proctor)

“I thought to myself, ‘Oh my gosh, I’ve just spilled my guts, and now I’m in danger, he’s in danger,’” Proctor said about the phone call. “I felt like I was in somebody’s movie. I thought, ‘Who am I? Who was I married to this entire time?’ I was outside of my consciousness.”

Proctor immediately went to the Cherokee Nation Marshals Service. After an investigator made several phone calls, she confirmed that every detail was true. Stan had faked his death in a fire, abandoning his wife and two children.

Proctor stayed with a friend and immediately filed for divorce.

Jeff Walton took his name from his son and the classic American TV show “The Waltons.” (Courtesy of Deb Proctor)

“I did love him,” she admitted. “But it was all an illusion. He was not the man I thought I married. Nothing was real.”

Proctor said that Walton, now identified as Stan, made numerous calls to her and repeatedly tried to text her. She said that in one voicemail, Stan told her, “If you want to play hardball, then come on.” He also tried contacting one of her sons and emailed several of her friends and colleagues.

Jeff Walton, known as Ronald Stan, was discovered by investigators in a nursing home. (Courtesy of Deb Proctor)

“I had nothing else to say to him,” Proctor said. “But I was frightened. I remember walking out of my home and into the woods, where there was a worn-down pathway with a small seating area. I also noticed lots of cigarette butts. I don’t know. I just thought he was coming back to harm us. What if he was preparing to burn our home down because I knew about him burning down his place in Canada?”

GET REAL-TIME UPDATES DIRECTLY ON THE TRUE CRIME HUB

Deb Proctor and Jeff Walton are seen here enjoying Christmas together. She had no idea of his past life. (Courtesy of Deb Proctor)

She also wondered whether he was planning another escape.

According to the podcast, the statute of limitations for arson had expired in Canada. It also noted that too much time had passed for Stan to face identity fraud charges in the U.S.

In the series, Proctor said that Stan never apologized. The calls stopped, and she never heard from him again. In 2019, Proctor said his son reached out to her to say that his father had died.

Deb Proctor met Jeff Walton on a dating site and quickly fell for him. He left Kentucky to be with her. (Courtesy of Deb Proctor)

Today, Proctor supports victims of domestic violence in her community. She also remarried a longtime friend and fellow golf enthusiast.

“I never intended to do this again,” she said with a laugh. “But the gentleman I married, Richard, is absolutely the sweetest, kindest, most loving person I’ve ever known in my life. It’s a love that I’ve never experienced before. It’s genuine.”

If there’s one message Proctor hopes audiences take away, it’s this: Don’t ignore that nagging feeling.

Deb Proctor is seen here today. She has since remarried. (ABC News)

“Pathological liars, they’re a dime a dozen,” she said. “They walk among us. Some people fall for them more than others, but it can happen to any one of us. If something doesn’t feel right, dig out the truth.”

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana finds himself in a tense battle for his political survival as he navigates the Republican primary this Saturday. Facing off against a challenger endorsed by former President Donald Trump, Cassidy is at the center of Trump’s ongoing campaign to expel party members he considers unfaithful.

Trump has thrown his weight behind Representative Julia Letlow in a rare move to unseat a sitting senator. Cassidy’s decision to vote for Trump’s conviction during the latter’s second impeachment trial, following the January 6 Capitol riots, has fueled this rivalry. Cassidy, who is also a physician, has been at odds with Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on vaccine issues, despite previously playing a pivotal role in securing Kennedy’s confirmation.

Another contender in the race is state Treasurer John Fleming. Should no candidate secure a majority of over 50% of the vote, a runoff is scheduled for June 27.

Given the state’s Republican dominance, the victor of this primary is likely to win the general election in November.

Complicating the election landscape, a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling has disrupted a section of the Voting Rights Act, impacting the redrawing of congressional districts. While the Senate primary proceeds as planned, Louisiana’s leaders have opted to postpone the House primaries to allow time for redistricting, a decision that may lead to voter confusion come Saturday.

A senator tries to hang on

Cassidy has waged an aggressive campaign to convince voters he should not be counted out.

“Four months ago I would have told you it’s impossible for Cassidy to win this,” said Mary-Patricia Wray, who has consulted for Republican and Democratic candidates in Louisiana. “I still think it’s statistically unlikely, but no longer impossible.”

Paul Begue, a 41-year-old in New Orleans who works in the agriculture industry, said he planned to vote for Cassidy. He was bothered by a video of Trump saying Letlow was “as loyal as can be.” For Begue, that was “the final nail in the coffin.”

“I don’t care about her loyalty to President Trump,” he said, adding, “I like elected officials that seem to make their own decisions.”

The senator’s campaign is expected to have spent roughly $9.6 million on advertising through May 16, according to the ad-tracking firm AdImpact. And Louisiana Freedom Fund, a super PAC supporting him, is on track to spend $12.3 million.

By comparison Letlow’s campaign, which launched Jan. 20, has spent roughly $3.9 million, while a super PAC backing her, the Accountability Project, has spent about $6 million since then.

Fleming’s campaign has spent about $1.5 million.

Cassidy and Louisiana Freedom Fund ran ads attacking Letlow within days of her entering the race for supporting diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, which Trump has tried to root out of the federal government.

Letlow, a college administrator before her election to the House, said she supported DEI while interviewing for the position of president of University of Louisiana-Monroe in 2020.

The ads, an attempt to characterize Letlow as a progressive trying to pass as a conservative, are one way Cassidy is trying to flip the script in a race where he’s on the outs with Trump.

The president targets Cassidy

The senator’s vote in favor of convicting Trump after his 2021 impeachment over the Jan. 6 Capitol siege has shadowed Cassidy throughout his second Senate term.

John Martin, a 68-year-old retired engineer in south Louisiana, said he would vote for Letlow because he was still upset by Cassidy’s decision. He waved a flyer from Letlow’s campaign showing her standing alongside the president.

“I know a lot more about Cassidy than I do about her,” Martin said. “But if she’s endorsed by Trump, I’m going to believe that.”

Cassidy steered clear of Trump’s ire last year, supporting Kennedy to lead the Department of Health and Human Services despite his public reservations about the nominee’s anti-vaccine views.

Mark Workman, a 75-year-old retired infectious disease physician in the New Orleans suburbs, said he backs Fleming. Had Cassidy “stood up and blocked RFK,” Workman said, he would have supported the senator for taking a strong and courageous stance.

“He had the ability to stop him,” Workman said, “and he was too weak to do that.”

As chair of the Senate health committee, Cassidy has been more publicly critical of Kennedy, including over funding cuts for vaccine development.

Trump blamed Cassidy for the failed nomination of his second choice for surgeon general, Casey Means, who raised doubts about vaccinating newborns for hepatitis B, a practice Cassidy supports.

Trump withdrew the Means nomination and blasted Cassidy.

“Hopefully all of the Great Republican People of Louisiana, which I won, BIG, three times, will be voting Bill Cassidy OUT OF OFFICE in the upcoming Republican Primary!” Trump posted on social media.

Republican Gov. Jeff Landry’s decision to postpone the congressional primaries may weigh against Cassidy. It could dampen turnout among voters who are less fervently pro-Trump, Wray said, especially if there is confusion about the schedule.

“Suspending the congressional primaries hurts Cassidy,” she said. “Some people believe the Senate primary is canceled.”

Cassidy complained Friday that the new primary system enacted last year was confusing voters by requiring them to ask for a partisan ballot instead of the previous all-party primary that had been in place. He said some called his office to say they had been unable to vote for him.

“The process that was set up was destined to be confusing,” Cassidy told reporters.

A challenger waited for Trump’s backing

Letlow considered running last year but only entered the race after Trump announced his endorsement in January.

By that time Fleming, a former House member and Trump administration official who was elected state treasurer in 2023, was already in the race as a Trump devotee. But Landry was looking for a better-known challenger, and he suggested Letlow to the president.

Letlow had an unconventional and tragic entry into politics.

In 2020, while she was a college administrator, her husband Luke was elected to the U.S. House but died of COVID-19 before he could be sworn in. Letlow ran for and won the seat in a March 2021 special election and was reelected in 2022 and 2024.

___

Beaumont reported from Des Moines, Iowa.