Top Republican calls on Dem fundraiser ActBlue to stop processing donations for Hamas-sympathizing groups
A prominent Republican lawmaker is calling on a left-wing fundraising juggernaut to stop processing contributions for Hamas-sympathizing groups. ActBlue, the leading fundraising platform for Democrat campaigns and groups nationwide, processes donations for a handful of organizations that have partaken in or amplified rallies celebrating Hamas’ bloody Oct. 7 attack on innocent Israeli civilians that left more than 1,200 dead and hundreds taken hostage. “It’s shocking that Democrats’ primary fundraising vehicle is helping bankroll antisemitic protests across the country where Hamas terrorists are honored as martyrs,” Montana Republican Sen. Steve Daines, chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, told Fox News Digital. “ActBlue should cut off access to these pro-Hamas groups or Democrats should leave the platform,” Daines said. BLACK LIVES MATTER DONATIONS DRASTICALLY PLUMMETED BY NEARLY $70 MILLION ActBlue, which has helped raise more than $12 billion for Democrat politicians and causes, helps round up donations for several groups that have backed rallies in support of Hamas’ bloody incursion or issued statements supporting it. One such group for which ActBlue helped process donations is the U.S.-Palestinian Community Network (USPCN), the Daily Caller reported. The USPCN has hosted multiple protests to celebrate Hamas’ deadly aggression on Israeli civilians. In October, the USPCN organized an “All Out for Palestine” protest in Houston, where protesters praised Hamas as “martyrs.” They also organized identical rallies in other areas, such as Detroit, where protesters chanted, “When people are occupied, violence is justified.” In November, the USPCN organized the National March on Washington for Palestine. At the march, one protester held a sign emblazoned with a swastika while another carried one that said “Israel=Nazis” and “History repeats itself” that contained an image of the Jewish Star of David and a swastika. MORE THAN A MILLION PALESTINIANS IN GAZA ARE NOW DISPLACED; WHY ARE ARAB COUNTRIES NOT OPENING THEIR DOORS? ActBlue also processes donations for Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) and some of its chapters, many of which have amplified Hamas-sympathizing protests. The NYC-DSA chapter promoted an “All Out for Palestine” protest in Times Square, where an individual held up the flag of Nazi Germany. The Pittsburgh DSA called Hamas’ attacks “the inevitable response” to Israeli “occupation.” DSA San Francisco also supported the attack, saying, “Socialists support the Palestinian people’s, and all people’s, right to resist and fight for their liberation.” The Twin Cities DSA called it “efforts to free their people.” They also help streamline donations for Palestine Legal, which works to “bolster the Palestine solidarity movement by challenging efforts to threaten, harass and legally bully activists into silence and inaction,” according to its website. Palestine Legal openly celebrated Hamas’ brutal raid, calling it “one of the most significant acts of Palestinian resistance to Israel’s nearly eight decade long settler colonial project in Palestine.” Additionally, Black Lives Matter Grassroots uses ActBlue software to collect money. BLM Grassroots released a “Black-Palestinian Solidarity Toolkit” advertising anti-Israel events and campaigns, including links that demand a cease-fire. ActBlue did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Biden admin makes exceptions to sanctions on Venezuelan airline to allow deportation flights
The Biden administration has made limited exceptions to sanctions on a Venezuelan airline to help facilitate deportation flights from Canada and Latin America of Venezuelan illegal immigrants to the socialist country. The Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control has authorized transactions for Conviasa, a Venezuelan national airline, to allow otherwise-sanctioned transactions, including repairs, for aircraft belonging to the state airline for deportation flights. The airline was sanctioned by the Trump administration, with officials saying the Maduro regime uses the airline “to shuttle corrupt regime officials around the world to fuel support for its anti-democratic efforts.” The sanctions include anyone who interacts with the airline. The move by the Treasury Department does not lift those sanctions, and the airline remains sanctioned, but the authorization does allow a limited exception for “all transactions ordinarily incident and necessary to the repatriation of Venezuelan nationals from non-U.S. jurisdictions in the Western Hemisphere to Venezuela,” per the Office of Foreign Assets Control. The move was first reported by the Miami Herald. VENEZUELAN MIGRANTS SURPRISED TO LEARN THAT THEY WILL BE RETURNED TO MEXICO UNDER NEW BIDEN POLICY It’s part of a more aggressive push by the administration to curb illegal migration from Venezuela, which has been one of the top sources of migrants in recent years. The Department of Homeland Security announced in October that it was starting deportation flights directly to Venezuela as the U.S. deals with a surge in encounters of Venezuelan migrants at the southern border. Previously, the U.S. had an agreement with Mexico whereby some Venezuelans could be repatriated to Mexico. The Herald reported last month that around 650 migrants have so far been returned on the flights. DHS says that since May, when the Title 42 public health order ended, the U.S. has repatriated over 12,000 Venezuelans. The direct deportations to Venezuela drew criticism from immigrant activists, who warned that the country is not safe – something DHS itself acknowledged when it extended deportation protections to nearly 500,000 Venezuelans already in the U.S. in September. DHS TO OFFER WORK PERMITS, DEPORTATION PROTECTION TO OVER 470,000 VENEZUELANS AMID NEW BORDER SURGE “Temporary protected status provides individuals already present in the United States with protection from removal when the conditions in their home country prevent their safe return,” said DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas in a press release in September. “That is the situation that Venezuelans who arrived here on or before July 31 of this year find themselves in.” The agency says that individuals have an opportunity to raise protection concerns and are not returned to Venezuela if they are determined to be at risk of persecution or torture on their return. It has also noted that the U.S. already removes non-citizens to other countries with temporary protected status designations. The U.S. also allows in Venezuelan migrants via a humanitarian program for nationals from four countries. Up to 30,000 nationals are allowed to fly into the U.S. via parole each month as part of the administration’s expanded “lawful” pathways. But Republicans have accused the administration of abusing the parole authority and are seeking to limit it.
State of the race: Trump, Haley, DeSantis push to pick up support from Scott’s donors, endorsers
In the nearly three weeks since Sen. Tim Scott suspended his campaign for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, there’s been a push by some of the remaining GOP White House hopefuls to land the senator from South Carolina’s endorsement. Scott was pretty clear as he ended his 2024 presidential bid that he had no immediate plans to support another candidate. “The best way for me to be helpful is to not weigh in,” he said in a live interview on Nov. 13 on Fox News’ “Sunday Night in America with Trey Gowdy.” But a source familiar with Scott’s thinking told Fox News that the senator’s been approached for an endorsement from some of his former rivals. WHY SEN TIM SCOTT ENDED HIS REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL BID The source added that Scott remains open to backing a candidate but that any potential endorsement would not happen until after the start of the new year. Meanwhile, there’s no letup in the race to secure the senator’s top dollar donors and GOP lawmakers – officials in the crucial early voting state of South Carolina who had endorsed Scott – and top staffers on this campaign. THIS GOP PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE IS CURRENTLY HAVING A MOMENT Scott’s departure came as fellow South Carolinian Nikki Haley, a former two-term governor of the state who later served as ambassador to the United Nations in former President Trump’s administration, battles Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for a distant second place behind Trump, who remains the commanding front-runner for the GOP nomination. In the days after Scott dropped out, two prominent donors who were backing him switched their support to Haley. “I’m on board with Nikki Haley. She’s got a lot of good attributes. She was always my second choice. Unbelievably good on foreign policy, her view on abortion is close to mine,” metals magnate Andy Sabin told host Charles Payne on Fox News’ “Your World.” Sabin, who has donated millions to conservative candidates and causes the past couple of election cycles, was backing Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis earlier this election cycle before switching his financial support to Scott, the only Black Republican in the Senate. Eric Levine, a New York-based donor who was raising money for Scott, is holding a fundraiser to support Haley next week. Meanwhile, billionaire hedge fund founder Ken Griffin has said he’s considering financially backing Haley after remaining on the sidelines in the GOP primary. THE FINAL COUNTDOWN: TRUMP HOLDS COMMANDING LEAD WITH 50 DAYS TO GO UNTIL IOWA CAUCUSES And Home Depot co-founder and billionaire Ken Langone plans to meet with Nikki Haley next week in New York. “The only person I see who can give Trump a run for his money is Nikki Haley,” Langone said in a CNBC interview on Monday. South Carolina is a crucial early voting state in the GOP presidential nominating calendar. It holds the first southern contest and votes fourth overall, after Iowa, New Hampshire and Nevada. And Scott’s departure from the race made his endorsers in the state valuable free agents. DeSantis quickly picked up the backing of 10 state and local lawmakers and officials who had previously endorsed the senator. “Ron DeSantis is the leader we need for this exact moment,” state Rep. Tom Hartnett Jr. said in a statement. “He not only is the only candidate who I know can win, but he will be a president who will follow through on his promises to reverse the decline of our country.” Separately, a newly formed DeSantis-aligned super PAC named Fight Right grabbed Blake Harris, who served as a Scott campaign senior political adviser, to helm its operations. Alex Stroman, a South Carolina Republican operative and former state GOP executive director who is currently unaligned in the 2024 race, pointed out that “Haley’s locked up a lot of Tim Scott donors.” Many who endorsed Scott are moving to endorse Haley, Stroman said: “I think Haley’s done the best since Scott got out.” But Stroman also noted that “Trump’s locked up some of Scott’s electoral supporters. He’s had some of the senator’s endorsers come his way.” Trump remains leagues ahead of Haley and the rest of the field in the latest South Carolina polls. Trump returned to South Carolina last weekend, the state where he’s long enjoyed the backing of Sen. Lindsey Graham and Gov. Henry McMaster, Haley’s successor. The former president drew plenty of cheers, as well as some boos, as he walked onto the field during the South Carolina-Clemson Palmetto Bowl game. Two days later, Haley drew roughly 2,500 people to her first town hall in her home state since Scott dropped out of the race. Longtime South Carolina-based Republican consultant Dave Wilson told Fox News that the Trump stop in the state and Haley’s campaign event “show that two of them are deciding that South Carolina is competitive ground between them.” DeSantis returned to South Carolina on Friday, but he’s been concentrating his efforts on Iowa, whose Jan. 15 caucuses kick off the GOP presidential nominating calendar. DeSantis last month landed the high-profile endorsement of Gov. Kim Reynolds, who remains very popular with Iowa Republicans. And two weeks later, he won the backing of Bob Vander Plaats, the president and CEO of The Family Leader, an influential social conservative organization in a state where evangelical voters play an outsized role in Republican politics. Haley recently won the backing of Americans for Prosperity Action, the political wing of the influential and deep-pocketed fiscally conservative network founded by the billionaire Koch Brothers. AFP Action has pledged to spend tens of millions of dollars and mobilize its formidable grassroots operation to boost Haley and help push the Republican Party past Trump. While it appears to be a three-person fight, there are other candidates still in the race. Multimillionaire biotech entrepreneur and first-time candidate Vivek Ramaswamy is basing his campaign in Iowa for the final stretch as he barnstorms across the state. Ramaswamy’s also continuing his campaign efforts in New Hampshire, which holds the first primary and votes
House set to hold vote on bill striking down Biden’s EV push: ‘Radical and unattainable’
FIRST ON FOX: The House is expected to hold a floor vote this week on legislation that would strike down pending federal regulations targeting gas-powered vehicles and prohibit any future electric vehicle (EV) mandate. The Choice in Automobile Retail Sales (CARS) Act – introduced over the summer by Reps. Tim Walberg, R-Mich., and Andrew Clyde, R-Ga. – will be considered by the House Rules Committee on Monday before officially receiving a floor vote as soon as Tuesday. If the bill is passed, it would then be voted on by the Senate, where Republicans and Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin recently introduced companion legislation. “The House must pass the Choice in Automobile Retail Sales Act to block a radical and unattainable federal EV mandate that will cripple our auto industry and forever make our supply chain reliant on China,” Walberg told Fox News Digital on Monday. “The American auto industry is at its best when they are free to innovate and listen to the will of consumers, and not constrained by bureaucracy.” “If this mandate goes into effect, many American families will be priced out of the market, and we will cede leadership of this industry to China,” he continued. “Instead, we must prioritize affordability, innovation and freedom for each family to decide what car is best for them.” MARCO RUBIO LEADS EFFORT TO BLOCK CLEAN ENERGY CREDITS FROM AUTOMAKERS THAT OFFSHORE JOBS Walberg and Clyde, along with more than a dozen other House Republicans, introduced the legislation months after the EPA proposed its most aggressive tailpipe emissions ever. If the rule is finalized, a staggering 67% of new sedan, crossover, SUV and light truck; up to 50% of bus and garbage truck; 35% of short-haul freight tractor; and 25% of long-haul freight tractor purchases could be electric by 2032, the White House projected. If the CARS Act is implemented, it would block the EPA regulations, which are part of the Biden administration’s broader effort to expand EV adoption in the U.S. and fight global warming by curbing carbon emissions. FORD DRAMATICALLY SCALES BACK EV PLANT AMID PLUMMETING SALES IN BLOW TO BIDEN’S GREEN ENERGY GOALS In addition to blocking the proposed tailpipe emissions regulations, the CARS Act would prohibit regulations mandating the use of any specific technology or regulations that limit the availability of new vehicles based on engine type. The legislation would additionally require the EPA to update any regulations that limit new vehicles based on engine type within two years. “Aggressive, EV-only mandates take away consumer choice, stifle investment in alternate emission reduction opportunities, and benefit foreign adversaries like China with substantially more emission-intensive manufacturing than the United States,” Heather Reams, the president of Citizens for Responsible Energy Solutions, a right-leaning environmental nonprofit, told Fox News Digital. “CRES is proud to support Rep. Walberg’s CARS Act because it prohibits the Biden administration from imposing aggressive and unrealistic emissions standards on American consumers, so we can apply an all-of-the-above approach to the transportation sector and reward emission abatement instead of EV purchases,” Reams said. Since the Biden administration proposed the tailpipe emissions rules, which would impact car model years 2027 through 2032, Republicans and energy experts have blasted the actions. They have argued EVs are costly, less efficient and more dependent on Chinese supply chains than traditional gas-powered cars. According to Cox Automotive data, factoring in generous tax credits, the average transaction price for electric cars was $53,469 as of July 2023 while the average price of gas-powered vehicles was $48,334. And the Department of Energy reported that the average range of model year 2021 gasoline vehicles was 403 miles compared to the median 234-mile range of model year 2021 EVs. The EPA’s tailpipe regulations are coupled with a series of other actions pursued by the Biden administration targeting gas-powered cars. The Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration proposed aggressive fuel economy regulations earlier this year that automakers have warned would lead to billions of dollars in penalties, costs that would be passed on to consumers. The CARS Act has been endorsed by energy industry groups, including the American Petroleum Institute and American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers.
House committees leading impeachment inquiry to hear key testimony this month as probe reaches critical phase
The House committees leading the impeachment inquiry against President Biden are expected to grill top witnesses behind closed doors this month as the investigation reaches a critical phase. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lesley Wolf is up first this month. She is expected to answer questions during a deposition that begins at 10 a.m. Tuesday before the House Judiciary Committee. HUNTER BIDEN INVESTIGATORS LIMITED QUESTIONS ABOUT ‘DAD,’ ‘BIG GUY’ DESPITE FBI, IRS OBJECTIONS: WHISTLEBLOWER House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, subpoenaed Wolf last month amid whistleblower allegations that she sought to block investigators from asking questions related to President Biden throughout the years-long federal investigation into Hunter Biden. Jordan, over the summer, initially asked Wolf to appear for a voluntary transcribed interview as part of the committee’s oversight investigation into the DOJ’s handling of the Hunter Biden probe, but she denied that request. JOHNSON SAYS VOTE ON BIDEN IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY IS ‘NECESSARY STEP’ AFTER WH ‘STONEWALLED’ GOP INVESTIGATIONS IRS whistleblower Gary Shapley alleged that Wolf worked to “limit” questioning related to President Biden and apparent references to Biden as “dad” or “the big guy.” Wolf allegedly said there was “no specific criminality to that line of questioning” relating to President Biden, which Shapley said “upset the FBI.” In October 2020, Wolf reviewed an affidavit for a search warrant of Hunter Biden’s residence and “agreed that probable cause had been achieved,” Shapley testified. However, Shapley said Wolf ultimately would not allow a physical search warrant on the president’s son. WEISS SAYS HE ‘WASN’T GRANTED’ SPECIAL ATTORNEY AUTHORITY IN HUNTER BIDEN PROBE DESPITE REQUEST: TRANSCRIPT Shapley said Wolf determined there was “enough probable cause for the physical search warrant there, but the question was whether the juice was worth the squeeze.” Wolf allegedly said “optics were a driving factor in the decision on whether to execute a search warrant,” Shapley said, adding that Wolf agreed that “a lot of evidence in our investigation would be found in the guest house of former Vice President Biden but said there is no way we will get that approved.” Wolf also allegedly tipped off Hunter Biden’s legal team ahead of a planned search of his storage unit. Jordan, who is co-leading the House impeachment inquiry against President Biden, is focusing on depositions and transcribed interviews of witnesses related to whether politics improperly influenced prosecutorial decisions throughout the Hunter Biden investigation. The Judiciary Committee has heard from top prosecutors involved in the probe, including now-Special Counsel David Weiss, who has been leading the investigation into Hunter Biden since its inception in 2018. Weiss, during his interview before the committee last month, admitted he “wasn’t granted” special attorney authority in his Hunter Biden investigation by the Justice Department despite requesting that status, but he told investigators he did not interpret that decision as a “denial in any way, shape or form,” according to a transcript of his testimony reviewed by Fox News Digital. That response confirmed Shapley’s recollection that Weiss requested special counsel authority but was denied, that he did not have “ultimate authority” in the probe to pursue charges against the president’s son. Weiss said he followed steps requested by the DOJ, asking U.S. attorneys in separate districts if they would like to partner with him in the prosecution. Both U.S. Attorney for D.C. Matthew Graves and U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California Martin Estrada testified during their voluntary transcribed interviews before the House Judiciary Committee that they declined to partner with Weiss – also confirming Shapley’s allegations. The House Judiciary Committee is expecting additional witnesses for transcribed interviews before the end of the year. Meanwhile, House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith, R-Mo., will hold a public executive session on Tuesday that is to feature testimony from IRS whistleblowers Gary Shapley and Joseph Ziegler. They are expected to defend their claims related to the Hunter Biden investigation in a public setting. DOJ ORDERED HUNTER BIDEN INVESTIGATORS TO ‘REMOVE ANY REFERENCE’ TO JOE BIDEN IN FARA PROBE WARRANT: HOUSE GOP Fox News Digital has also learned that Smith will be releasing additional information related to his investigation on Tuesday. And the House Oversight Committee is expecting Hunter Biden for his closed-door deposition next week on Dec. 13. Oversight Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., subpoenaed Hunter Biden last month. The president’s son’s attorney, Abbe Lowell, said Hunter Biden would appear for the deposition but instead requested a public hearing to answer questions before the American people. Comer said a deposition has to come first in order for the committee to continue its fact-finding efforts, but he told Fox News Digital he would release Hunter Biden’s deposition transcript and will schedule a public hearing for the president’s son. MONEY LAUNDERING INVESTIGATOR WARNED OF HUNTER BIDEN’S ‘UNUSUAL,’ ‘ERRATIC’ PAYMENTS FROM CHINA IN 2018 Comer also subpoenaed the president’s brother, James Biden. It is unclear when his deposition will take place. Comer has requested sit-down transcribed interviews with a number of Biden family members and Hunter Biden business associates, like Rob Walker. Separately from the Hunter Biden-related investigative steps, Comer has also subpoenaed former White House counsel Dana Remus to appear for a deposition and answer questions related to President Biden’s alleged improper retention of classified materials. Comer requested several other officials for interviews on the matter in an effort to determine whether the classified materials he held contained information related to the foreign countries with which his family was engaged in business.
‘Squad’ Democrat Cori Bush slammed slammed over civil rights icon comments: ‘You are no Rosa Parks’
Rep. Cori Bush, D-Mo., got some pushback online this weekend for her comments that invoked the memory of Rosa Parks on the anniversary of her famous arrest. A Friday tweet from the “Squad” member, included a quote from Parks, commenting on her famous refusal to give up her bus seat on Dec. 1, 1955 and her subsequent arrest that invigorated the Civil Rights movement. “People always say that I didn’t give up my seat because I was tired, but that isn’t true…No, the only tired I was, was tired of giving in,” read the quote. “68 years ago, Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on the bus,” Bush tweeted. “We must continue to refuse to give in, in our fight for liberation.” REP. CORI BUSH SHOUTS DOWN COLLEAGUES IN RACIALLY CHARGED RANT OVER TLAIB CENSURE: ‘SHE WILL NOT STOP!’ The comments were met with criticism from many who distinguished contemporary America and the America of the 1950s. Many questioned what rights Bush did not have. Others argued Bush’s time would be better served dealing with “today problems for all your constituents.” “Respectfully, you are no Rosa Parks,” another X user wrote. Another user simply dismissed her comments as “quality gibberish.” Fox News Digital has reached out to Bush’s office for a response. An African-American seamstress and local activist, Parks was 42 when she refused to give up her seat to a White passenger on a Montgomery, Alabama public bus on Dec. 1, 1955. ‘SQUAD’ MEMBER CORI BUSH ACCUSES ISRAEL OF ‘ETHNIC CLEANSING’ IN WAR AGAINST HAMAS At the time, Black bus riders were required to sit in the back of the bus and give up their seats to White riders if the front seats were filled, per a local Montgomery ordinance. Rosa Parks’ quiet yet heroic act of defiance landed her in jail and she was later released on $100 bond. The firestorm of action and attention that followed her one-woman protest reshaped American history. The U.S. Supreme Court deemed Montgomery’s segregationist policies unconstitutional on Nov. 13, 1956. Fox News’ Kerry J. Byrne contributed to this report.
Muslim leaders in swing states vow not to back Biden in 2024 over handling of Israel-Hamas war
President Biden’s campaign for reelection in 2024 is facing growing pressure from Muslim Americans who have vowed not to back him over his handling of the Israel-Hamas war. On Saturday, Muslim leaders from several swing states – including Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Minnesota, Nevada, and Pennsylvania – descended on Dearborn, Michigan to coordinate a national response. Organizers have dubbed their campaign #AbandonBiden, and vow to make sure President Biden does not get a second term in office. Muslim and Arab leaders have been pushing the Democratic president to call for a cease-fire as the death toll from the Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza continues to mount. As of Saturday, the death toll in the war was 15,200 Palestinians according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry in Gaza, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants. Some 1,200 Israelis have been killed, most during the Oct. 7 attack on Israel by Hamas that triggered the war. The cease-fire between Israel and Hamas ended Friday after the IDF accused Hamas of firing at Israel. Hamas, meanwhile, has claimed that Israel rejected an offer to release more hostages. KIRBY BLAMES HAMAS FOR BREAKING CEASE-FIRE: ‘WE KNOW THEY ARE HOLDING’ MORE WOMEN AND CHILDREN Minneapolis-based Jaylani Hussein, who helped organize the conference, said Biden’s unwillingness to call for a cease-fire has damaged his relationship with the American Muslim community beyond repair. “Families and children are being wiped out with our tax dollars,” Hussein said. “What we are witnessing today is the tragedy upon tragedy.” “The anger in our community is beyond belief. One of the things that made us even more angry is the fact that most of us actually voted for President Biden,” Hussein, who is Muslim, told The Associated Press. “I even had one incident where a religious leader asked me, ‘How do I get my 2020 ballot so I can destroy it?” Around 3.45 million Americans – or 1.1% of the country’s population – identify as Muslim and the demographic tends to lean Democratic, according to Pew Research Center. Exit polls from 2020 conducted by AP show that some 64% of Muslim voters backed Biden, while 35% supported Trump. CHRIS CHRISTIE ‘CONFIDENT’ HE WILL BE ON FOURTH GOP DEBATE STATE, ADDRESSES POLL ACCURACY The White House has argued that President Biden has pushed for humanitarian pauses in the fighting to get humanitarian aid into Gaza, adding that “fighting against the poison of antisemitism and standing up for Israel’s sovereign right to defend itself have always been core values for President Biden.” But Muslim leaders say the community’s support for Biden has vanished as more Palestinian men, women and children are killed in Gaza. “We are not powerless as American Muslims. We are powerful. We don’t only have the money, but we have the actual votes. And we will use that vote to save this nation from itself,” Hussein said. Muslim leaders said their refusal to support Biden does not indicate they will support the front-runner in the Republican party: former President Donald Trump. “We don’t have two options. We have many options. And we’re going to exercise that,” Hussein said. Fox News Digital has reached out to the Biden campaign for a response. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Kirby blames Hamas for breaking cease-fire: ‘We know they are holding’ more women and children
White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby on Sunday blamed Hamas for ending the temporary cease-fire agreement with Israel. In an appearance on “Fox News Sunday,” Kirby told host Shannon Bream that the United States believes eight or nine Americans are still held hostage by Hamas in Gaza, including one woman whose condition and whereabouts are unknown. “We just don’t have perfect visibility,” Kirby said. “We’re at this literally by the hour, and we want to get that [cease-fire] put back in place so that, again, more hostages can come out.” “Hamas is the reason that the pause ended, because they refused to put on the list additional women and children that we know that they are holding and they’re refusing to let go,” Kirby said. “We are working literally by the hour to see if we can get this back on track.” A weeklong cease-fire that expired Friday facilitated the release of dozens of the 240 Israeli and foreign hostages in exchange for Palestinians imprisoned by Israel. But Israel has called its negotiators home and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has committed the Israel Defense Force to removing Hamas from power in Gaza. Bream confronted Kirby with remarks from Democratic members of Congress regarding military aid to Israel, including progressive Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez, D-N.Y., who said recently, “What we are witnessing is the gross violation of human rights in Gaza and that is being done with U.S. military assistance.” US WARSHIP, MULTIPLE COMMERCIAL VESSELS REPORTEDLY ATTACKED IN RED SEA “What’s being done with U.S. military and security assistance is helping our friend and partner, Israel, go after a truly genocidal threat, a threat posed by Hamas,” Kirby said in response. “And I think it’s just too easy as we get further and further and further away from the 7th of October to forget what happened on that day: 1,200 Israeli literally slaughtered, kids in front of their parents, parents in front of their kids. And we’ve got to help Israel eliminate their threat to the Israeli nation and the Israeli people from that threat, from Hamas, and we’re going to keep doing that, absolutely.” Recognizing the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, Kirby said the Israeli forces have been “receptive” to messages from the United States and altered the way they’ve conducted some operations to spare civilians, even though Hamas militants are said to hide behind civilians in key infrastructure and safe zones. Still, Kirby said, “too many” thousands of civilians have been killed and wounded, while 1 million people have been displaced internally in Gaza. “We’re not blind to the humanitarian crisis, which is why we worked so hard to get that pause in place for seven days so that we could get hostages out and get an accelerated amount of food, water, medicine and fuel into Gaza,” he said. ISRAEL RESUMES BOMBARDMENT OF GAZA AFTER CEASE-FIRE WITH HAMAS ENDS Kirby reiterated how Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with Israeli counterparts when he was there about the need to “reform” and “revitalize” the Palestinian Authority in a way to meet the “aspirations and the needs of the Palestinian people.” Netanyahu has said Israel does not want to occupy or control Gaza after the conflict ends. “We agree with them on that,” Kirby said in response Sunday. “We don’t want to see them occupy Gaza. We don’t think that that is a long-term strategic goal that is really achievable or wise for the Israeli people. We believe that at the core, the future of governance in Gaza has got to be something that the Palestinian people have a vote in, a voice in. That they have governance that it truly representative of them and their aspirations.” Kirby said Israel is a sovereign nation and denied that the U.S. was placing “red lines” on aid. Israel on Sunday ordered more evacuations in and around Gaza’s second-largest city of Khan Younis, followed by heavy bombardment, as the military’s offensive shifted to the southern half of the territory, where Israeli officials say Hamas leaders are hiding. Fears of a wider conflict intensified, as a U.S. warship and multiple commercial ships came under attack Sunday in the Red Sea, the Pentagon said. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Graham dismisses Liz Cheney’s Trump warning, says ‘world will be truly on fire’ if Biden re-elected
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., on Sunday countered a warning from former Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., about the re-election of former President Trump dooming the American republic, saying that the re-election of President Biden would be disastrous for the entire world. Graham appeared on CNN’s “State of the Union” and was asked to respond to Cheney’s remark during an interview over the weekend that a second Trump presidency means that the U.S. is “sleepwalking into a dictatorship.” “I understand why people don’t like what he does and says at times,” Graham said of Trump, “but in terms of actions and results, he was far better president [than] Biden. And if we have four more years of this, Liz Cheney, then we won’t recognize America and the world will be truly on fire.” Graham, who has endorsed Trump ahead of the 2024 presidential election, said he understood that Cheney’s “hatred of Trump is real,” but warned that Biden’s policies are a disaster for everyone. LIZ CHENEY CALLS SPEAKER JOHNSON ‘DANGEROUS’ FOR HELPING TRUMP ‘UNDERMINE OUR REPUBLIC’ “I think a continuation of the Biden presidency would be a disaster for peace and prosperity at home and abroad,” Graham said. “Our border is broken; the only person really going to fix our broken border is Donald Trump.” Graham also noted that Russia invaded Ukraine and terrorists attacked Israel under Biden’s tenure. TRUMP CALLS OUT IMMIGRATION CRISIS DURING IOWA CAUCUS RALLY, SAYS HE WILL KEPP WORLD PEACEFUL, SAFE “When [Trump] was president, none of this stuff was going on in Ukraine,” he said. “You know, Hamas and all these other terrorist groups were afraid of Trump.” Cheney, a Republican who represented Wyoming’s at-large congressional district, was a vocal critic of Trump during his presidency and continued to assail the former president in her book “Oath and Honor,” which she has been making the rounds publicizing. Cheney was ousted from Congress last year after losing to pro-Trump candidate Harriet Hageman.
DeSantis challenges Trump: ‘Why are you running?’
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Sunday asked whether former President Trump was seeking a second term in the White House to fulfill his personal retribution against his perceived enemies or to help improve the future of everyday Americans. When asked on on NBC’s “Meet the Press” about Trump campaigning on promises to get back at his enemies, DeSantis challenged the former president with a single question: “Why are you running?” “If he’s running for personal retribution, that is not going to lead to what we need as a country,” the governor said. “You got to be running for the American people and their issues, not about your own personal issues. And that is a distinction between us. I am focused on the folks. I am focused on what they want to see done for this country in a positive direction. I’m the vessel, but ultimately, it’s not about me.” DeSantis was responding to a question from anchor Kristen Welker about Trump campaigning on promises “to jail his political enemies” and whether he condemns the use of the term “vermin” that Trump used to refer to his political opponents. DESANTIS SUPER PAC FIRES INTERIM CEO AFTER LESS THAN 2 WEEKS IN LATEST SHAKEUP OF TOP OFFICIALS “I don’t use the term,” DeSantis said “But what I don’t do is play the media’s game where I’m asked to referee other people. He’s responsible for his words. He’s responsible for his conduct. I’m responsible for mine.” DeSantis claimed that the U.S. government is “out of control” through the “weaponization” of the FBI, IRS and Department of Justice, a claim that Trump has also made. HALEY CELEBRATES MOMENTUM AS GOP RIVALS RAMP UP ATTACKS: ‘THESE GUYS KNOW WE’RE SURGING’ “I’m going to end that weaponization,” DeSantis said. “But that’s not because I’m doing it for me. It’s because I’m doing it for the people that have been under the thumb of these agencies, and I’m going to restore the rule of law.” DeSantis remains a distant second to Trump in polling and is facing new pressure from the campaign of former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley, who has been rising in early-state polls and picked up the support of Americans for Prosperity, the political arm of the powerful Koch network. The Associated Press contributed to this report.