Trump warns of ‘massive bloodshed’ if Hamas fails to agree to peace deal: ‘MOVE FAST’
President Donald Trump made a social media post about Hamas on Sunday evening, minutes before the deadline for a peace proposal passed. The deadline was 6 p.m. ET Sunday. In a message on Truth Social, Trump wrote that there had been “very positive discussions with Hamas, and Countries from all over the World (Arab, Muslim, and everyone else) this weekend, to release the Hostages, end the War in Gaza but, more importantly, finally have long sought PEACE in the Middle East.” “These talks have been very successful, and proceeding rapidly,” Trump said. “The technical teams will again meet Monday, in Egypt, to work through and clarify the final details.” The president added that the first phase of the peace plan “should be completed this week.” TRUMP’S PEACE DEAL COULD END THE WAR IN GAZA OR NETANYAHU’S CAREER “I am asking everyone to MOVE FAST,” Trump emphasized. “I will continue to monitor this Centuries old ‘conflict.’“ Trump added, “TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE OR, MASSIVE BLOODSHED WILL FOLLOW — SOMETHING THAT NOBODY WANTS TO SEE!” Trump previously announced the deadline in an Oct. 3 post on Truth Social, delivering an ominous warning to Hamas about accepting the deal. ISRAEL’S ARMY WILL ‘ADVANCE READINESS’ FOR FIRST PHASE OF TRUMP PLAN TO RELEASE HOSTAGES “If this LAST CHANCE agreement is not reached, all HELL, like no one has ever seen before, will break out against Hamas,” Trump wrote. “THERE WILL BE PEACE IN THE MIDDLE EAST ONE WAY OR THE OTHER. Thank you for your attention to this matter!” The peace proposal was unveiled by Trump in late September. The plan calls for an end to Israel’s military operations, the disarmament of Hamas and the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip under a Palestinian governing body overseen by a U.S.-led international coalition. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s reportedly agreed to the 20-point plan, per Reuters. Fox News Digital’s Caitlin McFall and Bonny Chu contributed to this report.
Winsome Earle-Sears releases ad linking Abigail Spanberger to Jay Jones after violent texts resurface
Virginia GOP gubernatorial candidate Winsome Earle-Sears unveiled a new campaign ad Sunday linking her Democratic opponent, Abigail Spanberger, to attorney general hopeful Jay Jones, whose recently resurfaced text messages have drawn widespread backlash. The minute-long ad features clips from news reports detailing disturbing messages Jones sent in 2022 to a colleague. The spot also shows photos of Spanberger and Jones together and includes audio of Spanberger saying, “It’s been great to be out on the campaign trail with Jay Jones.” “Jay Jones dreamed of murdering two young kids and their dad over politics — and Abigail Spanberger wants him to be attorney general,” Earle-Sears wrote in an X post accompanying the video. The ad concludes with an on-screen message: “Reject the insanity. Vote Republican.” ‘CONSUMED WITH HATE’: WINSOME SEARS, JASON MIYARES UNLOAD ON DEMOCRAT JAY JONES OVER VIOLENT TEXTS Texts obtained by Fox News Digital on Friday showed an August 2022 conversation involving Jones — then a recently departed delegate from Norfolk — referencing former Republican House Speaker Todd Gilbert, writing, “Three people, two bullets. Gilbert, Hitler and Pol Pot. Gilbert gets two bullets to the head.” In another message, Jones speculated whether Gilbert and his wife Jennifer were “breeding little fascists.” YOUNGKIN SAYS DEMOCRAT AG CANDIDATE JAY JONES MUST ‘STEP AWAY IN DISGRACE’ OVER TEXTS ABOUT FORMER GOP LEADER President Donald Trump weighed in on Sunday, calling Jones a “radical left lunatic” and urging him to drop out of the race. The president described Spanberger as “weak and ineffective” and praised Jones’ opponent, Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares. “Abigail Spanberger, who is running for Governor, is weak and ineffective, and refuses to acknowledge what this Lunatic has done,” Trump posted to Truth Social. “Even Democrats are saying it is ‘RESIGNATION FROM CAMPAIGN’ TERRITORY. Democrat Jay Jones should drop out of the Race, IMMEDIATELY, and the People of Virginia must continue to have a GREAT Attorney General in Jason Miyares who, by the way, has my Complete and Total Endorsement — JASON WILL NEVER LET YOU DOWN!” VIRGINIA AG CANDIDATE ONCE REFERENCED PUTTING ‘TWO BULLETS TO THE HEAD’ OF GOP LEADER, TEXTS SHOW Spanberger has condemned Jones’ messages but stopped short of calling on him to withdraw from the race. In a statement released to the media, Jones said, “I take full responsibility for my actions, and I want to issue my deepest apology to Speaker Gilbert and his family.” “Reading back those words made me sick to my stomach. I am embarrassed, ashamed, and sorry. I have reached out to Speaker Gilbert to apologize directly to him, his wife Jennifer, and their children. I cannot take back what I said; I can only take full accountability and offer my sincere apology. “Virginians deserve honest leaders who admit when they are wrong and own up to their mistakes. This was a grave mistake, and I will work every day to prove to the people of Virginia that I will fight for them as Attorney General,” he added. Earle-Sears, Spanberger and Jones did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. Fox News Digital’s Charles Creitz contributed to this report.
Trump-backed map victory in Missouri could trigger redistricting battles in these states
It’s mission accomplished for Republicans in a second state they control in the high-stakes political battle over congressional redistricting, pitting President Donald Trump and the GOP against the Democrats. Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe last weekend signed into law a new congressional map that is likely to hand Republicans an additional seat in the U.S. House of Representatives ahead of next year’s midterms elections. Missouri, a one-time swing state that has dramatically shifted to the right over the past decade and a half, is the latest battleground in the congressional redistricting showdown after the passage of new maps in GOP-dominated Texas and a redistricting push by Democrats in heavily blue California. With Democrats currently needing just a three-seat pickup in next year’s midterms to win back the House majority, each seat could be critical. REPUBLICAN GOVERNOR SIGNS INTO LAW TRUMP-BACKED CONGRESSIONAL MAP “I was proud to officially sign the Missouri First Map into law today ahead of the 2026 midterm election,” Kehoe said in a statement. “We believe this map best represents Missourians, and I appreciate the support and efforts of state legislators, our congressional delegation, and President Trump in getting this map to my desk.” Trump, in a social media statement following passage in the GOP-dominated state legislature last month, called the new map “FANTASTIC” and said it “will help send an additional MAGA Republican to Congress in the 2026 Midterm Elections.” Republicans currently control six of Missouri’s eight congressional seats. Democrats are vowing to fight the new maps with legal challenges and other opponents are gathering petition signatures to force a statewide referendum on the redistricting law. ABBOTT CLEARS FINAL REDISTRICTING HURDLE AS TEXAS SENATE PASSES NEW TRUMP-APPROVED MAP Kehoe announced Missouri’s special legislative session to pass the new map as Republican Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas signed into law a redistricting bill passed by the Republican supermajority in the state legislature that aims to create up to five right-leaning congressional districts at the expense of current Democrat-controlled seats in the reliably red state. The moves in Missouri and Texas are part of a broad effort by the GOP to pad its razor-thin House majority to keep control of the chamber in the 2026 midterms, when the party in power traditionally faces political headwinds and loses seats. Trump and his political team are aiming to prevent what happened during his first term in the White House, when Democrats reclaimed the House majority in the 2018 midterm elections. Democrats are fighting back against the rare, but not unheard-of mid-decade redistricting. California state lawmakers approved a special ballot proposition this November to obtain voter approval to temporarily sidetrack the state’s nonpartisan redistricting commission and return the power to draw the congressional maps to the Democrat-dominated legislature. The effort in California, which aims to create five more Democratic-leaning congressional districts and counter the shift in Texas, is being spearheaded by two-term Gov. Gavin Newsom, who is seen as a likely 2028 Democratic presidential contender. With the new maps in Texas and Missouri signed into law, and voters in California weighing in at the ballot box this fall, here’s a look at which states could be next in the redistricting battle. Ohio State lawmakers in the Buckeye State missed a deadline this past Tuesday to approve a new, bipartisan map. They’re under a court order to come up with a new map because the one used the past two election cycles didn’t receive enough bipartisan support. Since the GOP-controlled state legislature failed to come up with a new map, the task now falls to Ohio’s Republican-dominated redistricting commission, which has until the end of the month to get the job done. Ohio was once a top battleground state, but Republicans have dominated statewide contests over the past decade. Republicans currently hold ten of the state’s 15 U.S. House seats. Ohio, due to the mandated court order for a new map, was originally the only state expected to undergo congressional redistricting this year before Trump and his political team urged other Republican-controlled states to alter their maps. Indiana Lawmakers in the Hoosier State, another one-time battleground where Republicans are now firmly in the majority, could meet in a special legislative session later this year to push through redistricting. Vice President JD Vance paid a visit to the Indiana Statehouse in early August to huddle with Republican leaders about redistricting. And a couple of weeks later a group of Indiana GOP lawmakers traveled to the nation’s capital to meet with Vance and other Trump White House leaders. Republican Gov. Mike Braun, in recent interviews, said he wanted state lawmakers to take the lead on redistricting. “I want it to be where it wasn’t forced upon our legislature, have our leaders talk to their own caucus members,” the governor told WOWO radio. Florida Once the biggest battleground prize in presidential elections, Florida is now firmly red. And Republican leaders are mulling a new map, with GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis this summer calling mid-decade redistricting “appropriate.” A select panel in the Republican-dominated state legislature could meet next month to start discussion on congressional redistricting. Maryland Democrats in heavily blue Maryland are weighing a redistricting push. A bill that would allow Maryland to undergo mid-decade redistricting if another state first passed new maps was introduced this summer by Democrats. Democrats currently hold seven of the state’s 8 U.S. House seats. Other states considering altering their maps are Democrat-dominated Illinois and red states Kansas and Nebraska. Meanwhile, Democrats could pick up a seat in Republican-dominated Utah, where a judge recently ordered the GOP-controlled legislature to draw new maps after ruling that lawmakers four years ago ignored an independent commission approved by voters to prevent partisan gerrymandering.
Newsom sues Trump administration over California National Guard deployment order to Oregon
California Gov. Gavin Newsom said on Sunday he will sue the Trump administration over the deployment of 300 California National Guard personnel to Oregon. “We’re suing Donald Trump. His deployment of the California National Guard to Oregon isn’t about crime. It’s about power. He is using our military as political pawns to build up his own ego,” Newsom wrote in a post on X. “It’s appalling. It’s un-American. And it must stop,” he added. The move comes just one day after a federal judge blocked President Donald Trump’s attempt to deploy Oregon National Guard troops in Portland. TRUMP’S ‘WAR-RAVAGED PORTLAND’ NATIONAL GUARD DEPLOYMENT HALTED BY FEDERAL JUDGE OVER AUTHORITY CONCERNS “In response to a federal court order that blocked his attempt to federalize the Oregon National Guard, President Trump is deploying 300 California National Guard personnel into Oregon. They are on their way there now,” Newsom, a Democrat, wrote in a statement. “This is a breathtaking abuse of the law and power. The Trump administration is unapologetically attacking the rule of law itself and putting into action their dangerous words — ignoring court orders and treating judges, even those appointed by the president himself, as political opponents.” TRUMP VOWS ‘FULL FORCE’ AS HE PLANS TO SEND TROOPS TO PORTLAND AMID ANTI-ICE PROTESTS Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield wrote on X that Trump is “hellbent on deploying the military” to U.S. cities “absent facts or authority to do so.” “It is up to us and the courts to hold him accountable. That’s what we intend to do,” Rayfield added. A spokesperson for the Pentagon referred questions about the deployment to the White House. The White House called the lawsuit “political theater,” with spokesperson Abigail Jackson saying Trump “exercised his lawful authority” and accusing Newsom of siding with “violent criminals destroying Portland.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP The president’s push to deploy National Guard troops nationwide has ignited repeated clashes with Democratic governors and mayors. Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker has been among the most vocal critics, condemning Trump’s ongoing proposal to send troops into Chicago — an idea the president has been promoting for weeks. Trump has also threatened to extend deployments to other cities, including Baltimore and New Orleans. Troops have already been sent to Los Angeles and Washington.
Ominous red and orange skies had Capitol Hill take notice as shutdown loomed
“The sky is burnin’” – Burnin’ Sky by Bad Company, 1977 Humans have looked for omens since the days when they wore loin cloths and watched shadows dance on cave walls from a crudely constructed fire. Ancient peoples believed celestial events like an eclipse, a full moon or even a violent storm augur signs of a looming disaster. But let’s face it. Contemporary humans really aren’t that much different from our ancestors. REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK: DEMOCRATS’ SHUTDOWN GAMBLE REVEALS PARTY DIVISIONS, SCHUMER’S WEAK SPOT WITH THE LEFT That’s why much of official Washington took note of the dramatic sunset visible from the U.S. Capitol and National Mall last Monday evening, just one day before the government shutdown. On that night, as Paul Rodgers of Bad Company would sing, “The sky is burnin.’” The bluff which doubles as Capitol Hill offers a vista to view stunning sunsets. The setting sun frequently backlights ridges of clouds, It coats them with shades of magenta, plum and lilac. It’s all visible as you stare westward from the Capitol, toward the horizon, stretching beyond the Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial and Potomac River. I’ve witnessed some breathtaking sunsets from Capitol Hill over the years. But last Monday’s sunset was different. This was a confident sunset. It knew it was a good one, producing hues I’ve never before observed from my perch on Capitol Hill. This sunset didn’t just feature bands of orange light, diffused through the clouds like an oversized laser tag display. The colors on this one simply drenched the cloud bank with a palette of dark pink, radiant strawberry and dragon fruit. The chalky obelisk of the Washington Monument punctured the sky midway down the National Mall. The Monument in the foreground completed the tableau. The spiky tower served as a contrast to the soft glow of the clouds, heated by the sun, 93 million miles in the distance. TRUMP’S WEEK IN REVIEW: SHUTDOWN SHOWDOWNS AND ARMED CARTEL CONFLICT This sunset was a bombshell. One that you see only few times in a lifetime – if you’re lucky. This sunset outclassed regularly gems which are seen on Capitol Hill in the fall and winter. But there was something else about this sunset. Despite its elegance and swagger, there was something foreboding. It was the warm reds and oranges. The sunsets here are never quite that color. And perhaps the fact that one rarely sees a display as striking as this one was all that was needed to make the entire production disturbing. Frankly, contemporary humans aren’t that much more sophisticated than the cavemen trying to decode what a full moon or a solar eclipse foretell. Many inside the Beltway who witnessed the special sunset. divined meaning into it. They knew that a government shutdown loomed on Tuesday night heading into Wednesday. And so, such a fascinating, yet ominous sky presaged what fate would befall Congress and the federal workforce. It would be hard to rival Monday night’s sunset. But believe it or not, Tuesday’s sunset lapped its predecessor. Reporters and photographers were assembled in the Senate Radio/TV Gallery awaiting separate press conferences by Republican and Democratic leaders – just hours before the scheduled government shutdown. One story below in the Capitol, the Senate blocked two competing plans to avert a shutdown. That’s right when the Tuesday sunset raised the curtain on its show. This sunset wasn’t as red as its predecessor. But more tangelo. There was a presence of creamsicle with a dash of peach parfait. The clouds separated in the west, just barely allowing a hint of blue sky and white clouds to sneak through. But everything close to the surface was an orange foam. Softer than the one before. Kind of like a whipped dessert or mousse. FEDERAL GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN SPARKS BLAME GAME IN CRUCIAL RACE FOR GOVERNOR Surely a sunset as fulfilling as this one would also envisage what’s ahead in Washington – even though everyone knew the government was about to shut down in a matter of hours. But Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., suggested there was no soothsaying in the sunset. “There is nothing like the simplicity of a sunset,” said Thune as he began his press conference. Sometimes the evening wonder of a sunset is just that: a sunset. No need to read prophecy about government shutdowns into something which happens nightly, spectacular or not. In fact, there are meteorological reasons for the recent dynamic sunsets in Washington. They have nothing to do with a lapse in appropriations, Obamacare subsidies or Budget Director Russ Vought. Hurricane Imelda was a Category 2 storm spinning through the empty Atlantic. The cyclone was hundreds of miles off the eastern seaboard. But Imelda played a role in the special sunsets. HERE’S WHAT TRUMP WANTS TO DO TO RESHAPE THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT DURING THE SHUTDOWN High clouds from Imelda drifted well north of the storm in the mid-Atlantic. These are clouds which reach 20,000 feet or higher. They carry ice crystals instead of water, thanks to their altitude. The clouds refract the sunlight, scattering shorter wavelength colors like blue, green and purple. But the ice crystals expand longer color wavelengths like orange, yellow and red. That’s the phenomenon which triggers these exceptional sunsets. Not lapses in appropriations, arguing about spending or the government shutdown. But perhaps there’s something even more influential when it comes to these electrifying sunsets and their pops of orange: Taylor Swift. Yep. Taylor Swift just dropped her new album “Life of a Showgirl.” Symbolism and metaphor are the quintessence of Swift. And the so-called “Portofino orange glitter” shade is what defines the record as Swift enters her “orange” phase – leaving behind the “Eras” era. Don’t forget that on the Eras Tour, Swift would always exit the stage through an orange door. Hmm. Since the album came out, retailers see spikes in the sales of orange blouses, skirts, sweaters and handbags – thanks to Swift’s sway. This is why Dunkin’ Donuts and United Airlines tried to appeal to
Trump says government shutdown layoffs are ‘up to’ Dems as standoff continues
President Donald Trump on Sunday placed the blame squarely on Democrats for the government shutdown, which is expected to trigger sweeping layoffs across the federal workforce. Trump told reporters before boarding Marine One that the looming layoffs are “up to them,” referring to Democrats who voted against a bill to fund the government and avert the shutdown. The federal government shut down at 12:01 a.m. ET on Wednesday, forcing agencies to send home workers in roles not considered essential. SHUTDOWN EXPLAINED: WHO WORKS, WHO DOESN’T AND HOW MUCH IT COSTS These furloughs are temporary; once Congress resolves the standoff, employees typically return to work and receive back pay. As a result, past government shutdowns have been more political theater than economic shock, with markets and jobs rebounding quickly. This time, however, the Trump administration has warned that some furloughed workers may not return, turning a routine disruption into a potential blow to an already fragile labor market. SHUTDOWN FIGHT CASTS A SHADOW OVER JOBS AS TRUMP PREPARES FOR LARGEST FEDERAL RESIGNATION IN US HISTORY Washington, D.C., home to a large share of federal employees, has been hit especially hard after Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) advisory board pushed for layoffs earlier this year. On Tuesday, when asked how many federal workers could be laid off, Trump told reporters at the White House, “We may do a lot,” saying Democrats have made little progress to end the stalemate. At the same time, the administration is preparing to oversee what could become the largest mass resignation in U.S. history, with more than 100,000 federal employees scheduled to leave under its deferred resignation program. National Economic Council director Kevin Hassett said Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union” that layoffs will start “if the president decides that the negotiations are absolutely going nowhere.” He said he’s hopeful “we can get the Democrats to see that it’s just common sense to avoid layoffs like that.” If Democrats are “reasonable once they get back into town on Monday,” Hassett added, then Trump will see “no reason for those layoffs.”
Video: Here’s how Syria is electing its first post-Assad parliament
NewsFeed Syria is holding its first indirect parliamentary election since the ouster of longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad. Al Jazeera’s Osama Bin Javaid is in Damascus and explains how the process will work. Published On 5 Oct 20255 Oct 2025 Click here to share on social media share2 Share Adblock test (Why?)
Moldova’s vote is one more sign of Russia’s weakness in its ‘near abroad’
On September 28, the governing pro-European Party of Action and Solidarity (PAS) in Moldova emerged victorious in the general election. It not only defeated the Russia-friendly Patriotic Electoral Bloc (PEB) but also confirmed a new geopolitical trend. Across post-Soviet Eurasia, Russia is losing ground amid the continuing Russian aggression against Ukraine. Paradoxically, Moscow launched the large-scale invasion of its neighbour in 2022 to assert primacy over what it calls its “near abroad”. More than three years later, it is painfully obvious that the strategy has failed. Countries and leaders, whether democrats or old-school autocrats, are turning away from Moscow. In Moldova, the stellar result for PAS defied predictions of a tight race. In the run-up to the elections, pro-Russian forces under the umbrella of PEB appeared to have momentum. Society was evenly split and economic uncertainty weighed on Moldova. However, the tide turned in late summer with old tensions between parties within the PEB resurfacing. Concerted Russian efforts to sway the elections through information ops on social media – depicting PAS as a Western puppet threatening to drag the country into war against Russia and playing on fears of an economic downturn and annexation by Romania – backfired. The Central Electoral Commission was given a reason to ban two overtly pro-Russian parties over allegations of illegal financing. The government also secured the extradition from Greece of fugitive oligarch Vladimir Plahotniuc, accused of playing a key role in the theft of $1bn from Moldovan banks. Advertisement The drama energised the Moldovan diaspora in the West, a strong supporter of the European Union. As a result, PEB and other opposition parties did well only in their strongholds in the Gagauz region of northern Moldova and Transnistria. PAS lost nearly 3 percent of its votes compared with 2021 but still came out on top with 50.2 percent vs 24.4 percent for PEB. Had Russia refrained from interfering, Moscow-friendly forces probably would have stood a better chance of challenging PAS. The opposition missed an opportunity to make the elections about the economy and good governance. The moment it became about the EU vs Russia, PAS was at an advantage. The party could claim credit for bringing Moldova closer to membership, having secured the opening of accession talks in June 2024 – a rather popular move. Almost two-thirds of Moldovans are in favour of joining the EU, which is highly unsurprising, given the role it plays as the country’s top trading partner and main destination for its exports. The pro-EU orientation of the population is irreversible, and even if PEB comes to power, it is unlikely to change course dramatically. The move away from Russia is visible in the South Caucasus too. Armenia, which was historically highly dependent on Moscow’s strategic and economic aid, has reoriented itself westwards. Moscow abysmally failed to back its ally as Azerbaijan regained full control over the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh in 2022. The defeat created space for Armenian President Nikol Pashinyan to actually engage with both Azerbaijan and Turkiye. Currently, a peace treaty between Baku and Yerevan is in the works as United States President Donald Trump is eager to see it across the finish line so he can claim credit. In February 2024, Armenia suspended its participation in the Russian-dominated Collective Security Treaty Organisation. It also deepened security and defence cooperation with France. For its part, Azerbaijan has had heightened tensions with Russia twice in recent years – in 2024 over a downed passenger jet over the Caspian Sea and this summer over the arrests of Azerbaijani nationals in the Russian city of Yekaterinburg, which escalated into a major crisis. Russia used to project regional influence by being the arbiter between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Now it has somehow managed to alienate both countries, while Turkiye and the US have stepped in to fill the vacuum. In the South Caucasus, only Georgia appears to be leaning towards Moscow. But that is largely because the governing Georgian Dream party and its informal leader, the billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili, have clashed with the EU over their tilt towards authoritarianism. Yet Georgia has not given up on the EU; it has just rejected its demands for democratisation, which under Trump’s influence have diminished in value anyway. Rather than tie itself fully to Russia, Tbilisi is trying to juggle among Europe, the US and, of course, China. Advertisement “Multivectoring” has long been popular in Central Asia too. There, the Ukraine war has also put governments on alert of Russian encroachment and given them an extra incentive to turn to China as a counterweight. Beijing has been enlarging its economic footprint in the region. It is the top investor in Central Asia and its share in the overall trade of the five Central Asian countries combined has gone up from 17.7 percent in 2020 to 24.1 percent in 2024 with Turkmenistan (55 percent) and Kyrgyzstan (35 percent) ahead of the pack. China has also stepped up diplomacy: The inaugural China-Central Asia summit took place in Xi’an in May 2023. The follow-up in Astana in June this year saw the signing of a treaty on “permanent good-neighbourliness, friendship, and cooperation”. Beijing also focused on an increased role in the realm of security, traditionally an area reserved for Russia, including antiterrorism, border security and transnational crime. From the perspective of the regional states, this partnership could prove useful in fending off domestic challenges. The old adage about Russia providing the muscle and China providing the cash is not accurate any more. Russia is obviously not happy, but it has been cornered, given its dependence on China, which has grown exponentially as a result of the war in Ukraine and the Western sanctions that followed. Putin’s presence at the military parade in Beijing on September 3 celebrating the 80th anniversary of the victory in World War II and elevating the Chinese role in the conflict is another example of how asymmetric the relationship has become. The leaders of the five Central Asian countries as well as Belarus
Why is ADL, the Jewish advocacy group, receiving blowback from MAGA?
The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) has become the target of a sustained right-wing backlash after the US-based Jewish advocacy group included an organisation founded by slain right-wing figure Charlie Kirk in its online database on extremism. The blowback escalated sharply on Wednesday after FBI Director Kash Patel announced that the bureau would sever ties with the ADL, accusing the prominent advocacy group of spying on Americans. Tech billionaire Elon Musk’s post calling the ADL a “hate group” set off a firestorm of criticism online, forcing the group to scrap the “Glossary of Extremism and Hate”, which contained more than a thousand entries on groups and movements with connections to hateful ideologies. But that has not subdued the backlash from conservatives – the base of the governing Republican Party. So, what’s ADL’s online database, and why has it triggered MAGA (Make America Great Again) rage? And how has the nonprofit, which backed the crackdown on pro-Palestine campus protests by the administration of US President Donald Trump, ended up ruffling feathers across the political spectrum? What is ADL? The ADL is one of the oldest and most influential Jewish advocacy groups in the United States. It was founded in 1913 by members of the B’nai B’rith – Hebrew for “Sons of the Covenant”, a Jewish fraternal organisation – to counter anti-Semitism and prejudice against Jews. The group, which calls itself “a global leader in combating antisemitism”, started with its original mission, “to stop the defamation of the Jewish people and to secure justice and fair treatment to all”. Advertisement Over time, the ADL grew into a national force with branches spread across the country. It works closely with law enforcement agencies to train officers on identifying bias-motivated violence. It also develops programmes and resources on anti-Semitism and the Holocaust, partnering with schools, universities and communities. Its monitoring of right-wing racist and anti-LGBTQ+ extremism also allowed it space within the US’s liberal Jewish community. Since its inception, the ADL has argued that anti-Zionism could lead to anti-Semitism. But in the past couple of decades, the nonprofit has been pushing to adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of anti-Semitism, which conflates some criticism of Israel with anti-Semitism. The ADL has also backed a controversial resolution passed by the US Congress that defined anti-Zionism as anti-Semitism. The ADL is a well-resourced civil society group, with around $163m in revenue last year alone. Elon Musk gestures at the podium inside the Capital One Arena during the second inauguration of US President Donald Trump, in Washington, DC, the United States, January 20, 2025 [Mike Segar/Reuters] What caused the backlash against ADL? The recent backlash was triggered after several influential right-wing social media accounts began posting screenshots of the ADL’s entry on Kirk’s organisation, Turning Point USA, in its “Glossary of Extremism”. Kirk, who is credited with galvanising young voters for Trump, was assassinated last month. Though Turning Point USA was not listed as an “extremist organization”, the nonprofit had documented incidents where its leadership and affiliated members had made “racist or bigoted comments”. ADL’s entry on “Christian Identity” – which the nonprofit identified as an extremist theology that promotes white supremacy – also drew widespread criticism from right-wing influencers. The ADL has long positioned itself as a nonpartisan watchdog. But conservatives have increasingly argued that it has become politically aligned with progressive causes, including the group’s partnerships with social media companies in moderating hate-speech policies. Jonathan Greenblatt, the ADL’s CEO, has been accused of “weaponising anti-Semitism” to attack critics of liberal policies and of conflating right-wing populism with hate speech in the past. In the weeks following Kirk’s assassination, the US has seen a wave of right-wing backlash against public figures who criticised him, with several commentators and journalists facing professional repercussions – including the brief suspension of a television show by comedian Jimmy Kimmel and the firing of Washington Post columnist Karen Attiah. Advertisement What was in ADL’s online database? The ADL “Glossary of Extremism and Hate” was an online, searchable database launched in March 2022 by the organisation’s Center on Extremism. After the backlash from right-wing influencers, mostly from the MAGA camp, the ADL quietly moved to retire its database from the public. The database contained more than 1,000 entries providing overviews and definitions of terms, symbols, slogans, tactics, publications, groups, and individuals associated with various extremist ideologies, hate movements, and related activities. The resource covered a broad spectrum, including white supremacism, anti-Semitism, anti-Muslim bigotry, and extremism on the far right and far left. The glossary reportedly included groups like the Proud Boys, the Nation of Islam, the Oath Keepers, and others. The ADL, in its statement, argued that “an increasing number of entries in the Glossary were outdated”, and “a number of entries [were] intentionally misrepresented and misused”. The organisation further said that it wanted to focus on exploring “new strategies and creative approaches to deliver our data and present our research more effectively”. The list is no longer publicly available on ADL’s site, and the original URL now redirects to the organisation’s home page. Tech billionaire Elon Musk’s post calling the ADL a ‘hate group’ set off a firestorm of criticism online. Musk, who helped with Donald Trump’s campaign, has since fallen out with the US president [File: Nathan Howard/Reuters] How did Musk get into this? The online smear campaign gained traction on Sunday night after billionaire Elon Musk started interacting with posts targeting the ADL. Musk, who has more than 227 million followers on X, said, “The ADL hates Christians, therefore it is is [sic] a hate group.” The ADL’s operations encourage murder, Musk said in another reply to a post on X, formerly Twitter, which he bought in 2022 after paying $44bn. Musk’s attacks on the ADL still came as a shock to some. ADL’s Greenblatt has, in fact, praised Musk several times, including in 2023 for saying that X would block use of the pro-Palestinian slogan “from the river to the sea”. That applause reportedly led to the
Cough Syrup Row: Massive protest erupts in MP, Rajasthan; protestors demand resignation of…
Concurrently, in Jaipur, Congress workers held banners with the slogan, “Nakli dawa band karo, doshiyo ke khilaaf karwayi karo, BJP sarkaar jawaab do”.