Attorney General Garland expresses ‘hope’ Hamas will release more American hostages ‘in the days to come’
Attorney General Merrick Garland visited the U.S. Attorney’s Office in New York City on Monday, when he shared brief public remarks about his office’s role in securing the safe return of American hostages being held by Hamas in Gaza. During his visit, Garland met with U.S. Attorney Damian Williams as well as other federal, state and local law enforcement leaders to discuss the issues in their community. The visit is part of the attorney general’s plan to visit other U.S. Attorney’s Offices across the country. “While these kinds of meetings between the Justice Department and our law enforcement partners are always important, the current global threat environment makes this one particularly urgent,” Garland started his remarks. “Over the past several days, over 40 hostages who were kidnapped by Hamas on October 7th have been released. Among them was Avigail Idan, a 4-year-old American,” he continued. “We welcome Avigail’s return and hope to see the return of more hostages in the days to come.” NEGOTIATORS PUSH FOR EXTENSION OF ISRAEL-HAMAS CEASE-FIRE AS EXCHANGE AGREEMENT REACHES FINAL DAY The attorney general, flanked by Williams, said the department’s Victims Services Office, as well as corresponding victim’s services offices within the FBI, were standing ready to “provide assistance to released Americans and their families.” “We also remain committed to working with our partners across the U.S. government to secure the return of all missing Americans, including those still held hostage. As always, but especially now, the Justice Department is remaining vigilant in the face of the potential threats of hate-fueled violence and terrorism.” Garland also said his department was focused on activity at home that may be influenced by the Israel-Hamas war and the wider tensions across the Middle East. ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR: DETAILS BEGIN TO EMERGE OF LIFE IN CAPTIVITY AFTER SOME HOSTAGES ARE FREED “We are closely monitoring the impact that the conflict in the Middle East may have on inspiring Foreign Terrorist Organizations, homegrown violent extremists and domestic violent extremists, both here in the United States and abroad,” he said. “All of us have also seen a sharp increase in the volume and frequency of threats against Jewish Muslim and Arab communities across our country since October 7.” The attorney general then specifically mentioned the investigation out of Vermont, where three Palestinian men were attacked. “There is understandable fear in communities across the country,” Garland said. “Even as we speak, the ATF and the FBI are investigating the tragic shooting of three men of Palestinian descent and Vermont. That investigation, including whether this is a hate crime, is ongoing.” Authorities arrested a suspect in connection with the attack. BIDEN DOJ UNDER FIRE FOR PROSECUTING 75-YEAR-OLD PRO-LIFE ACTIVIST BUT TAKING NO ACTION ON VIOLENT DNC RIOTERS “No person and no community in this country should have to live in fear of hate fueled violence. fulfilling that promise motivates us every day,” he added. Garland said investigative updates out of Vermont would be “coming soon.” “While we are confronting this elevated global threat environment, we also know we cannot lose sight of many other challenges and includes working closely with our law enforcement partners to combat violent crime,” the attorney general continued. He also provided examples of how his office was continuing to find ways to curb the flow of deadly fentanyl. “This office also has an important part of the Justice Department’s broader strategy to disrupt and dismantle fentanyl by attacking every link in the chain of the trafficking networks,” he said.
The final countdown: Trump holds commanding lead over DeSantis, Haley, with 50 days until Iowa caucuses
As he aims for an upset victory in Iowa’s Republican presidential caucuses, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is days away from reaching his goal of stopping in all 99 counties in the Hawkeye State. The DeSantis campaign says the governor will make his final stop this upcoming Saturday in Jasper County. DeSantis is hoping to follow in the footsteps of former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee (2008), former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum (2012) and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz (2016), who stopped in all 99 counties en route to Iowa caucus victories. “We’re going to win here. We have what it takes,” DeSantis pledged in a recent Fox News Digital interview in Des Moines, Iowa. However, DeSantis is currently battling former ambassador to the United Nations and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley for second place in the latest GOP presidential nomination polls in Iowa, far behind former President Trump. The former president remains the commanding Republican front-runner in Iowa, the other early voting states, and in national surveys, as he makes his third straight bid for the White House. “There are ONLY 50 DAYS LEFT until the very first vote is cast in the 2024 election,” Trump wrote in a fundraising email to supporters this past weekend. “If we completely DOMINATE the Iowa Caucus, then we can emerge as the Presumptive Nominee for President on January 15, 2024.” Trump has made history as the first former or current president to be indicted for a crime, but his four indictments – including in federal court in Washington, D.C., and in Fulton County court in Georgia on charges he tried to overturn his 2020 presidential election loss – have only fueled his support among Republican voters. The former president returns to Iowa this weekend, and his campaign is ramping up their ad buys in the final weeks ahead of the caucuses. GAME ON IN IOWA AS DESANTIS AND HALEY BATTLE FOR SECOND PLACE BEHIND TRUMP While Trump has held nearly 20 events in Iowa this year, the Florida governor has made roughly 130 stops, with many of those hosted by the DeSantis-aligned super PAC Never Back Down. Additionally, the super PAC has spent millions to put together a formidable ground game in Iowa. DeSantis also grabbed the high-profile endorsement earlier this month of Gov. Kim Reynolds, who remains very popular with Iowa Republicans. Last week, 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. WILL ENDORSEMENT FROM INFLUENTIAL EVANGELICAL LEADER BOOST DESANTIS IN IOWA? “To have so many members of the Iowa legislature, to have the governor, and then to have Bob and his network. That’s going to be a pretty powerful machine,” DeSantis told reporters last week. “I think that these first two states are going to totally upend the conventional wisdom.” However, what once appeared to be a two-candidate fight for the GOP nomination is now a three-way battle. Haley, who has enjoyed momentum in the polls in recent months, thanks in part to well-received performances in the first three GOP presidential primary debates, has leapfrogged DeSantis for second place in New Hampshire – which holds the first primary and votes second in the Republican nominating schedule – and her home state – which holds the first southern contest. DESANTIS, HALEY, RAMASWAMY, GET PERSONAL AS THEY SIT SIDE-BY-SIDE Now, she aims to make a fight of it in Iowa, where she is pulling even with DeSantis in some of the latest polls. “The momentum is real. The excitement is there. We’re going to keep working hard to win every Iowan’s vote. We’re not going to give up on Iowa,” Haley touted in a Fox News Digital interview ahead of a recent town hall in Newton, Iowa. Haley returned to Iowa on her most recent swing, showcasing over 70 new Hawkeye State endorsements. She is set to launch a $10 million ad blitz in Iowa and New Hampshire on Dec. 1. While it appears to be a three-person race in Iowa, there are other candidates campaigning in the state, who are all registered in the single digits. 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. North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, who failed to make the stage at the third GOP presidential primary debate, is also spending plenty of time in Iowa. Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who is running for the White House a second time, is avoiding Iowa as he once again concentrates much of his firepower in New Hampshire. Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, who registering at less than 1% in the polls, also remains in the race. As the first contest on the GOP presidential nominating calendar, Iowa always plays a crucial role in winnowing the field. “I think Iowa’s going to be more determinative than ever as to who’s going to have momentum going into New Hampshire and South Carolina,” longtime Republican strategist David Kochel predicted. Kochel, a veteran of numerous presidential and statewide campaigns in Iowa, emphasized that “Trump already has a ticket. There’s maybe two more and maybe one more” coming out of Iowa.” Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.
Schumer to send Biden’s $106 billion supplemental package request to Senate floor as early as next week
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., will bring the Biden administration’s $106 billion national security funding request to the floor for a vote as early as next week, Schumer said in a Dear Colleague letter Sunday night. “One of the most important tasks we must finish is taking up and passing a funding bill to ensure we as well as our friends and partners in Ukraine, Israel, and the Indo-Pacific region have the necessary military capabilities to confront and deter our adversaries and competitors,” he wrote. The White House’s supplemental request, which was sent to Congress in October, includes $61.4 billion for Ukraine, $14.3 billion for Israel (with $10.6 billion allocated for military aid), $13.6 billion for some border security provisions, and significant investments in Indo-Pacific security assistance, totaling around $7.4 billion. Additionally, there’s $9 billion earmarked for humanitarian aid in Ukraine, Israel and Gaza. GOP SENATORS INTRODUCE STAND-ALONE BILL TO AID ISRAEL WITHOUT MORE FUNDING TO UKRAINE But GOP lawmakers have thrown a wrench in plans to unanimously pass a supplemental that ties Ukraine and Israel aid together. Instead, they’ve argued for weeks that they should be split up and voted on separately. Republicans in the upper chamber also reject the border provisions, as outlined, and argue its current form does not address much-needed policy changes like stricter asylum standards at the southern border. The supplemental request only proposes more money to speed up processing of migrants, but no policy reforms. On Sunday, Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., said on Fox News that “in return for providing additional funding for Ukraine” there needs to be “significant and substantial reforms to our border policy.” Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., have both signaled the GOP will pass more Ukraine funding if a deal is struck for tighter immigration laws. BIDEN ADMIN URGES MAJOR FUNDING INCREASES FOR AID TO UKRAINE, ISRAEL AND GAZA CIVILIANS “The biggest holdup to the national security assistance package right now is the insistence by our Republican colleagues on partisan border policy as a condition for vital Ukraine aid. This has injected a decades old, hyper-partisan issue into overwhelmingly bipartisan priorities,” Schumer said in the letter. Negotiations between Democrat and Republican senators continued over the Thanksgiving recess, Schumer said, and he urged GOP lawmakers to quickly “help push for a bipartisan path forward in the coming weeks.” This week, Schumer also announced a classified all-senators briefing on the Ukraine-Russia war. Schumer also hopes to pass hundreds of military promotions in the coming weeks through a resolution that would change the Senate’s rules to override Sen. Tommy Tuberville’s nine-month objection over the Pentagon’s abortion policy, calling the move “brazen and reckless.” Tuberville, R-Ala., has shown no signs of backing down. “Senators should expect long days and nights, and potentially weekends in December,” he said. Senators also have their work cut out for them in finalizing the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), or the federal military spending package for the next fiscal year. CRUZ SAYS BIDEN’S $105 BILLION FUNDING REQUEST ‘DESIGNED’ TO WORSEN BORDER CRISIS Democrats in the upper chamber have a 51-49 majority and any legislation will need at least 60 votes to advance. Then, any agreement will need to pass the GOP-controlled House. Earlier this month, Johnson attempted to push an Israel-only aid bill and deep IRS budget cuts through Congress, but Senate Democrats quickly shot that proposal down.
Pennsylvania Democrat Jack Stollsteimer enters 2024 race for attorney general
Jack Stollsteimer, the top prosecutor in heavily populated Delaware County, will run for Pennsylvania attorney general in 2024, he announced Monday, seeking an office that played a critical role in court defending Joe Biden’s 2020 victory in the presidential battleground. Stollsteimer joins a Democratic primary field that is already four-deep in which he will be the only elected prosecutor. However, his competition for the Democratic nomination features veterans of the campaign trail and the courtroom. In his campaign for attorney general, Stollsteimer will lean heavily on his experience as the twice-elected district attorney of Delaware County, Pennsylvania’s fifth-most populous county sitting between Philadelphia and Delaware. SIX MEN BUSTED IN PENNSYLVANIA DURING UNDERCOVER CHILD SEX STING, AUTHORITIES SAY FETTERMAN HOLDS CAMPAIGN EVENT WITH ANOTHER SOROS-BACKED DA AMID INCREASED SCRUTINY ON CRIME RECORD “I am uniquely qualified because I do that work every single day in the fifth-largest county in Pennsylvania,” Stollsteimer said in an interview. Stollsteimer, 60, has been a federal prosecutor in Philadelphia, a top official in the state Treasury Department, the state-appointed safety advocate in Philadelphia’s schools and, before college, a senior aide to state House Democrats. A Philadelphia native, Stollsteimer earned his law degree at Temple University. The attorney general’s office, the state’s top law enforcement office, has a budget of about $140 million annually and plays a prominent role in arresting drug traffickers, fighting gun trafficking, defending state laws in court and protecting consumers from predatory practices. The office also defended the integrity of Pennsylvania’s 2020 presidential election against repeated attempts to overturn it in state and federal courts by Donald Trump’s campaign and Republican allies. Perhaps Stollsteimer’s most-touted achievement is fighting gun violence in the impoverished city of Chester, using a partnership based on a model used successfully elsewhere to connect offenders or known criminals with job training, school or community-building programs. His office says gun homicides are down by 68% since 2020 and there have been 65% fewer shootings. As Philadelphia’s state-appointed safe schools advocate, Stollsteimer clashed with district officials and the state Department of Education over what he described as an unwillingness to report violent incidents. “Things have gotten worse, not better,” he told The Philadelphia Inquirer in 2011. “You can’t address the problem until you’re honest about it, and the district is not honest about it.” Stollsteimer mounted a brief campaign for attorney general in 2015 but dropped out before the primary. In 2019, he won his race for district attorney, becoming the first Democrat to hold the office in Delaware County, once a Republican bastion that Democrats now control. Stollsteimer won reelection earlier this month by 22 percentage points, drawing support from unions for building trades and police. PENNSYLVANIA WOMAN CHARGED WITH ‘BRANDING,’ SEXUALLY ABUSING AND USING FOUR CHILDREN TO GET DRUGS: DA Stollsteimer had a busy four years in office. In perhaps the highest-profile case, his office prosecuted three police officers for responding to a shooting outside a high school football game by opening fire at a car, killing an 8-year-old girl, Fanta Bility, and wounding two others. Stollsteimer is now the fifth Democrat to announce his candidacy, after state Rep. Jared Solomon of Philadelphia, former state Auditor General Eugene DePasquale, former federal prosecutor Joe Kahn and Keir Bradford-Grey, the former head of Philadelphia’s and Montgomery County’s public defense lawyers. On the Republican side, York County District Attorney Dave Sunday and former federal prosecutor Katayoun Copeland have announced their candidacies. Candidates must file paperwork by Feb. 13 to appear on the April 23 primary ballot. Attorney General Michelle Henry does not plan to run to keep the office.
NY official demands resignation of college president who claimed ‘complex history’ after Hamas terror attack
A New York politician is calling for the resignation of a university president who he accused of finding “moral equivalence between Hamas’ terrorist slaughter of innocent women and children with the contested political agenda of the Palestinian people” in the wake of the October 7 attacks. In a letter first obtained by Fox News Digital on Sunday, Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman said Hofstra University President Dr. Susan Poser’s statement last month regarding the Israel-Hamas war is “so misguided and antithetical to good moral values and judgment that it puts into question her ability to lead Nassau County’s largest private university.” “I was shocked by the comments made by Dr. Poser concerning the barbaric and cowardly attack on innocent women and children by Hamas, a vicious terrorist organization,” Blakeman, a Republican whose father and uncle both attended Hofstra after returning home from World War II, wrote. HOCHUL RIPS TIKTOK OVER OSAMA BIN LADEN LETTER, VOWS NY SOCIAL MEDIA ANTI-HATE TEAMS WON’T ‘PENALIZE’ POLITICS Blakeman, who has also taught Business Law at Hofstra and said many of his friends and colleagues are distinguished alumni, went on to say Poser’s “callous and unconscionable statement is completely out of step with the vast majority of Nassau County residents. With no allies for her in business, labor or government, Hofstra would be wise to part ways with Dr. Poser.” Blakeman’s letter, addressed to the Hofstra University Board of Trustees, came in response to Poser’s October 18 message to the Hofstra Community following the school’s fall break. The university president wrote in her message that she wanted “to acknowledge the emails and comments that I and other administrators have received since Hamas attacked Israel on October 7th.” NY GOV. HOCHUL BOLSTERS FBI JOINT TERRORISM TASK FORCE STAFFING OVER ‘RISE IN HATE CRIMES,’ HARASSMENT “That event, Israel’s response, and the ongoing conflict are taking the lives of thousands of people, with no end in sight. We mourn the loss of life in Israel and Gaza, which is deeply affecting many members of our community,” Poser said. “There is a complex history and conflicting views about the causal underpinnings of the current crisis. This is one of the reasons that lasting peace in that part of the world has been so elusive and contested. But what is not contested is the tragic loss of life of innocent Israelis, Palestinians, and many others.” “This was not a time for fence sitting and handwringing,” Blakeman said in his letter. “Dr. Poser should have been clear and strong in her condemnation of Hamas without equivocation.” Poser’s message did say the university would hold a “Vigil for Peace” that evening and said, “Hofstra will not tolerate discrimination or harassment based on religion or national origin.” “We continue to work with local and federal law enforcement to monitor risk and ensure that our campus is safe,” she added.
Texas fire departments are fighting stigma and pushing to provide firefighters mental health help
Department leaders say they recognize that post-traumatic stress and other mental health issues are among the biggest dangers of the job.
Biden gives interview to radio show that promoted notorious antisemite who compared Jews to ‘termites’
President Biden sat down for an interview this past week with a radio host who has promoted the words of infamous antisemite Louis Farrakhan and whose show wished him “Happy Birthday” on social media earlier this year. “Happy Birthday to the honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan, who turned 90 years old today!” Radio host Rickey Smiley’s show posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, in May. White House deputy communications director Jennifer Molina announced on X last Tuesday that Biden recently taped three interviews, including one with Smiley, that “will reach 14 million Americans nationwide, across 140 markets.” Smiley’s Twitter accounts contain several posts promoting Farrakhan with links going back to news articles about his speeches on the radio show’s website. JEWISH GROUPS BLAST DC COUNCILMEMBER FOR PRAISING FARRAKHAN: SOUGHT TO ‘HONOR’ AN ‘OUT-AND-OUT BIGOT’ Farrakhan has called Jewish people “termites”, praised Hitler, and has become one of the most controversial religious figures in the United States due to his derogatory comments about Israel. Since taking leadership of the Nation of Islam in the late 1970s, Farrakhan has been accused of antisemitism and homophobia for his comments and sermons. WARNOCK WAS YOUTH PASTOR OF HARLEM CHURCH THAT HOSTED FARRAKHAN TOWN HALL Farrakhan has blamed Jews for, among other things, the slave trade, Jim Crow and black oppression in general. During a speech in Chicago in 1996, Farrakhan denounced Jews as “the synagogue of Satan.” “You are wicked deceivers of the American people,” he said at the time. “You have sucked their blood. You are not real Jews, those of that are not real Jews. You are the synagogue of Satan, and you have wrapped your tentacles around the U.S. government, and you are deceiving and sending the nation to hell.” Biden has been criticized in the past for associating with Farrakhan supporters including Rev. Al Sharpton and Cora Masters Barry, an appointed official serving under D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, who have visited the Biden White House multiple times. During an event in September 2022, Barry lavished praise on Farrakhan multiple times, calling him a “friend” and “member of the family” while also telling him “I love you more than words will ever say.” White House spokesperson Andrew Bates told Fox News Digital in October 2022 that President Biden “denounces any praise” of Farrakhan or his rhetoric, including the praise from Barry, who was invited back to the White House earlier this summer. A representative for Smiley declined to comment. Fox News Digital’s Bradford Betz, Houston Keene, and Cameron Cawthorne contributed to this report.
Experts weigh in on whether DeSantis’ Iowa strategy will be enough to topple Trump: ‘Hail Mary’
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis recently earned two key Iowa endorsements as he continues to push campaign resources into the state, a move that political experts tell Fox News Digital is an “all in” strategy as he looks to upset former President Trump in an uphill battle that could make or break his presidential ambitions next year. Shortly after receiving the endorsement of Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, DeSantis was endorsed by influential Iowa evangelical leader Bob Vander Plaats who said “there’s definitely a shot that the former president can be beat here” despite Trump leading DeSantis by at least 30 points, according to the Real Clear Politics average, with just over six weeks until the Iowa caucus. “Americans like winners and want to be part of winning,” David Avella, chairman of GOPAC and a veteran Republican strategist, told Fox News Digital. “History tells us that the nominee will be the individual who wins at least two of the first three contests. While history also tells us that an Iowa victory is not essential, it is clear that Team DeSantis is seeking a victory to counter the inevitability of former President Trump being nominated again. It may prove effective, yet it has to work given the resources and attention Team DeSantis has put into Iowa.” DeSantis and his primary Super PAC, Never Back Down, have poured a vast majority of their resources into Iowa in a strategy that GOP strategist Alex Conant, founding partner at Firehouse Strategies, told Fox News Digital is a strategy born out of “necessity” and that recognizes the “political reality that if Trump wins Iowa” it is “hard to see how he is stopped anywhere.” HALEY, DESANTIS OR TRUMP? WHO WILL TOP-DOLLAR DONORS BACKING TIM SCOTT SUPPORT NEXT IN 2024 GOP RACE “This is the equivalent of a Hail Mary,” Conant said. “It could work like when John McCain went all in in New Hampshire in 2008, and he shocked the political world by emerging as the nominee. Barack Obama did the same thing in 2008 in Iowa when he was going up against Hillary Clinton when he went Iowa or bust, and he won Iowa and went on to win the nomination. There is plenty of precedent for a candidate going all in on one state.” Despite the historical precedent of late Iowa surges and candidates using Iowa as a springboard to the nomination, Conant said 2024 is not a “normal primary” with Trump in position as a “de facto incumbent” where he says the other candidates have so far failed to effectively explain why he should be unseated. “The good news for Ron DeSantis is he is the front-runner in Iowa if former President Trump was not competing to win Iowa,” Avella told Fox News Digital. “The bad news for Ron DeSantis is former President Trump is organizing to win Iowa. For DeSantis to win, he needs to get [there to] caucus those voters who are still keeping their options open and those voters who are only considering candidates other than Donald Trump. It is going to take him convincing voters with a clear, concise message that his ideas are the best solutions.” TOP DESANTIS BACKER RESIGNS FROM SUPER PAC AMID INTERNAL TURMOIL: ‘UNTENABLE’ ENVIRONMENT In terms of the messaging needed for a late surge, Conant told Fox News Digital that the DeSantis campaign has been “too much about Florida.” “The truth of the matter is people in Iowa don’t care about your record in other states. They want to know what you’re going to do for them as president,” said Conant, who served as communications director for Florida Sen. Marco Rubio’s campaign that came close to winning Iowa after a late surge in 2016. “Republican voters are clear that the cost of everyday living and failure with border security are their top concerns,” Avella said. “Ron DeSantis has to convince voters with a clear, concise message that his ideas are the best solutions.” Ashley Hayek, executive director of America First Works, told Fox News Digital that DeSantis’s strategy in the next few weeks is “irrelevant” with the outcome “already decided” thanks to Trump’s “significant influence” in the Republican Party. “Voters are nostalgic for the economic successes under Trump, often referred to as ‘Trumpanomics,’” Hayek said. “It’s akin to a company rehiring a former CEO who previously steered them through prosperous times; the familiarity and proven track record are irresistible. The Republican nominee is essentially pre-decided with Trump’s rehire on the horizon by early 2024.” DESANTIS SAYS TRUMP IS ‘HIGH RISK,’ ‘LOW REWARD’ GOP PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE Several prominent DeSantis donors told Fox News Digital this month that they were encouraged by how he was campaigning in Iowa and expressed the belief that Iowa voters are just now starting to pay close attention to the January caucus. In a statement to Fox News Digital, DeSantis Communications Director Andrew Romeo said the Florida governor is the only candidate who can beat Trump regardless of where the primary is. “Ron DeSantis is the only candidate with the organization, resources, and message necessary to beat Trump in multiple early states – including the first and most important state on the calendar,” Romeo said. “That’s why Team Trump continues to attack him every day.” The super PAC backing Trump’s campaign revived attack ads against DeSantis last month, spending millions going after DeSantis in the past few weeks, which Romeo referred to on social media as a public admission that DeSantis is “climbing in Iowa.” DeSantis surrogates have made the case that polling is different from turnout and that responding to a poll is different from actually showing up on a cold winter night in Iowa to caucus for a candidate. “It will take a turnout operation unlike any in electoral history to get voters to show up on a cold night to vote for a candidate who is down 15 points,” Avella said. If DeSantis is to make a late surge, Conant said a “strong third” or “distant second” “isn’t going to cut it against Trump,” especially with DeSantis polling as low as fifth in New
Biden offers apology to Muslim-American leaders for questioning Hamas death toll: report
President Joe Biden reportedly issued an apology to several prominent Muslim-American leaders after openly questioning the accuracy of the death toll figures from Gaza. During a press conference on October 25, President Biden openly questioned the number of causalities in Gaza, which are reported by the Hamas government. “I have no notion that the Palestinians are telling the truth about how many people are killed,” Biden said. “I’m sure innocents have been killed, and it’s a price of waging war.” Biden met with five Muslim American leaders the day after his October 25 comments about reported Gaza deaths. TRUMP BLASTS AMERICAN LEADERS AS NO US CITIZENS ARE AMONG HAMAS HOSTAGES RECENTLY RELEASED During the meeting, Biden listened to the leaders describe people they knew who were directly impacted by the conflict in the Middle East. “I’m sorry. I’m disappointed in myself,” Biden told the group, according to the Washington Post. The Muslim-American leaders who met with Biden urged him to show more empathy to the Palestinians and Biden allegedly hugged one of the participants at the end of the meeting. BIDEN TRIES TO HIDE AWAY IN NANTUCKET BUT CAN’T ESCAPE PRO-PALESTINIAN PROTESTERS According to data from the Hamas-controlled Ministry of Health, more than 14,000 Palestinians in Gaza, including many women and children, have been killed in the weeks-old war. Israel has suffered more than 1,200 fatalities, most of those being civilians, who were killed when the Hamas terror group fired a sneak attack on Israel on October 7, according to officials. Not only has Biden faced criticism and pressure from his own administration on the strategy taken in Gaza, some prominent Democrats have also publicly disagreed with the president’s response to the war. CRUZ, WHITE HOUSE TRADE BARBS OVER BIDEN ADMINISTRATION’S ISRAEL RESPONSE: ‘THAT IS A LIE’ Biden has endorsed US support for Israel following the October 7 attack, but he also has pushed for a pause in the fighting to allow humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip and for hostages held by Hamas to get released. “For weeks, I’ve been advocating to pause the fighting for two purposes: to increase the assistance getting into the Gaza civilians who need help and to facilitate release of hostages,” Biden said on Sunday. “We know that innocent children in Gaza are suffering greatly as well.” Beginning on Friday, Hamas and Israel agreed to pause fighting for four days as a hostage-for-prisoner deal takes place to free roughly 50 hostages in return for the temporary peace and dozens of Palestinian prisoners. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox New Digital.
NYC Mayor Eric Adams blasts students’ ‘vile show of antisemitism’ that forced teacher to hide in office
New York City Mayor Eric Adams said city officials are investigating a “vile show of antisemitism” in which students at a high school in Queens reportedly rioted after learning a teacher attended a pro-Israel rally. The incident shut down Hillcrest High School in Jamaica Hills, Queens, for two hours on Monday and forced the teacher to hide inside a locked office while the students rampaged down the halls, the New York Post first reported. “The vile show of antisemitism at Hillcrest High School was motivated by ignorance-fueled hatred, plain and simple, and it will not be tolerated in any of our schools, let alone anywhere else in our city,” Adams wrote on X. “We are better than this,” the mayor added. NYC PALESTINIAN MAN SENTENCED IN BRUTAL ANTISEMITIC BEATING BEFORE JUDGE EJECTS ANGRY SUPPORTERS FROM COURT Students had planned a protest after seeing a Facebook photo of the teacher holding a sign that read, “I stand with Israel,” the report said. In the students’ group chat, they spoke about “starting a riot,” one student told the outlet. Shortly after 11 a.m. Monday, hundreds of teens stormed the hallways, where they chanted, waved Palestinian flags and screamed that the teacher “needs to go,” according to the report. Parts of the incident were captured on video and posted to TikTok. The teacher, whose name was not publicly released, has worked in the city’s school system for 23 years and has taught at Hillcrest for the past seven years. She told the Post that she “was shaken to my core” by the calls of violence against her both online and in the hallways outside her classroom. “No one should ever feel unsafe at school — students and teachers alike,” the teacher said. UCLA PROFESSOR RIPS SCHOOL’S ‘GUTLESS’ RESPONSE TO ANTISEMITISM ON CAMPUS: ‘COMPLICIT WITH HAMAS’ Adams said that NYC Public Schools has begun a full investigation into how the incident took place. He also said that Project Pivot teams will begin outreach with students at Hillcrest this week “to ensure they understand why this behavior was unacceptable.” “No student, teacher, or staff member should fear for their safety in our schools,” the mayor said. Since Hamas terrorists launched a deadly attack on Israel on Oct. 7, American Jews have become the targets of increased antisemitic hate. In New York City, the NYPD Hate Crime Task Force investigated 69 anti-Jewish incidents in October, a 214% surge compared to the same period last year.