President Donald Trump was impeached twice during his first term. And as the midterm elections inch closer, there’s impeachment talk in the air again but this time with a different twist. Democrats are talking about impeaching members of Trump’s Cabinet, and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth could be first on the list.

What did the commentators say?
Democrats “stumbled” onto the Cabinet-impeachment strategy thanks to Republican Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky, said MS NOW. Massie, who lost his primary election to a Trump-endorsed opponent, introduced articles of impeachment against Hegseth last month. This is a “highly underrated” strategy for forcing accountability on the administration, said Massie to the outlet.

Some party leaders are mum about the idea for now. Democrats “haven’t ruled anything out” if they win the midterms, said House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries to MS NOW. “And we haven’t ruled anything in.”

Impeaching members of Trump’s Cabinet would be an “effective accountability measure,” said David A. Graham at The Atlantic. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has “done serious damage to American public health,” Hegseth “waged an unauthorized war against Iran,” and Attorney General Todd Blanche turned the Justice Department into a “partisan tool for persecuting Trump’s political adversaries.” Cabinet impeachments would focus on “actual administration actions and policy” and avoid a presidential impeachment likely to prove a “dead end.”

An impeachment push could “derail” Democrats’ affordability messaging in the midterms campaign, said Chad Pergram at Fox News. While the party’s “hard left” may demand impeachment for “someone,” it could prove “politically toxic” for scandal-weary voters.

What next?
Hegseth might be particularly vulnerable to an impeachment push, with even GOP members expressing “doubts about his leadership” amid a stalemated war in Iran, said The New York Times. The defense secretary has not “developed any productive relationships, even with Republican members,” said Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) to the outlet.

Impeachment is “not a fetish” for Democrats, said Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” It’s a “critical tool.” But the party’s higher priorities after November are “getting healthcare to the American people and ending the lawlessness.”

An “extraordinary diplomatic” dispute has erupted between South Korea and Ukraine over the fate of two North Korean prisoners of war, said the Financial Times. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy revealed at last week’s U.N. General Assembly that Ukraine had transferred the men, who were captured while fighting for Russia, to South Korea. Seoul has since demanded an official apology, accusing the Ukrainian president of violating a secrecy agreement about the transfer, which was arranged to ensure the prisoners’ safety from reprisals. But Kyiv has denied that such a confidentiality agreement existed, creating both international and domestic drama for South Korean President Lee Jae-myung.

Journey to South Korea
The two prisoners, who were reportedly wounded and captured in Russia’s Kursk region in early 2025, are among tens of thousands of North Korean soldiers sent to fight for Russia against Ukraine. They told local media that they “wanted to be sent to South Korea,” said BBC News. 

Seoul’s policy is to accept and support defectors from North Korea. More than 34,000 have arrived since the end of the Korean War, although the majority are women civilians rather than soldiers.

Following negotiations between Seoul and Kyiv, the soldiers reportedly arrived in South Korea via a third country last month. Seoul claims Ukraine requested secrecy to avoid domestic criticism for passing up the opportunity to exchange the North Koreans for Ukrainian prisoners held in Russia. South Korea agreed, to protect the soldiers and their families from reprisals by the North Korean regime, said Lee in a statement.

Question of welfare
In North Korea, the families of defectors can face “collective punishment such as internment or forced labor,” said the Financial Times. Ukraine has “done a lot of damage to the welfare of these soldiers and their families,” said Peter Ward at the Sejong Institute. South Korean media “should probably never have been granted access to them. Ideally, their capture should have been kept permanently secret.”

The dispute highlights South Korea’s ambiguous position on Ukraine and creates a headache for Lee. After Russia launched its full-scale invasion, Seoul condemned Moscow and joined Western sanctions against Russia. In July, it announced a $100 million support package for Kyiv. But this clash has turned “cautious support for Kyiv into open criticism” of aid, said The Guardian.

Gazan mourners gather around the flag-draped remains of 105 Palestinians killed in Israeli strikes nearly three years ago, recovered from the rubble amid the war. It was “impossible” to reach the bodies at the time of the attack, said Civil Defense Operations Director Abdul al-Majdalawi to Al Jazeera.
Yousef Al Zanoun / AP Photo

Leaves are falling, and comedy clubs are calling. This autumn, there are plenty of comedians rounding the country, all primed to provide you with boundless laughs.

Lavell Crawford
While Lavell Crawford (pictured above) is known for his guest roles on television, it’s his unique brand of stand-up that has endeared him to fans. Now, the funny man and star of the comedy special “THEE Lavell Crawford” is back on the road at several comedy festivals during an ongoing tour. (through October)

Joe Dombrowski
While Dombrowski first became known to audiences with comedy “rooted in his life as an elementary school teacher,” he and his husband have since become parents. Dombrowski now “delivers big laughs while sneaking in something deeper: a perspective shaped in real time, somewhere between the classroom and the nursery,” said Pride Source. (through December)

Fortune Feimster
Since her debut on “Last Comic Standing” in 2010, Fortune Feimster has become one of the more popular American stand-up comics, casting a wide net for fans. And her “Takin’ Care of Biscuits” tour is on the road now. Feimster’s tours are “long and demanding, typically lasting about two years with roughly 150 shows in 100 cities,” said Lavender magazine. (through November)