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Thailand, Cambodia reach ceasefire deal to end conflict that displaced 260K, Trump says

Thailand, Cambodia reach ceasefire deal to end conflict that displaced 260K, Trump says

Thailand and Cambodia reached a ceasefire deal “through trade,” President Donald Trump announced Monday, ending a burgeoning conflict that displaced 260,000 people.  The declaration from Trump comes after he said over the weekend that he had spoken to the leaders of Cambodia and Thailand, urging a ceasefire, adding the U.S. would not get back to the “trading table” with the southeast Asian countries until fighting stops.  The fighting began Thursday after a land mine explosion along the border wounded five Thai soldiers. Both sides blamed each other for starting the clashes that have killed at least 35 people and displaced more than 260,000 people on both sides.  “Numerous people were killed and I was dealing with two countries that we get along with very well, very different countries from certain standpoints. They’ve been fighting for 500 years intermittently. And, we solved that war … we solved it through trade,” Trump told reporters during his trip to Scotland.  MULTIPLE PEOPLE KILLED IN MASS SHOOTING INCIDENT AT BANGKOK MARKET: POLICE  “I said, ‘I don’t want to trade with anybody that’s killing each other.’ So we just got that one solved. And I’m going to call the two prime ministers who I got along with very, very well and speak to them right after this meeting and congratulate them. But it was an honor to be involved in that. That was going to be a very nasty war. Those wars have been very, very nasty,” Trump also said.  “By ending this War, we have saved thousands of lives. I have instructed my Trade Team to restart negotiations on Trade. I have now ended many Wars in just six months — I am proud to be the President of PEACE!” Trump added in a post on Truth Social. As part of the ceasefire deal, military commanders from both sides will begin to hold talks Tuesday to defuse tensions while Cambodia will host a border committee meeting on Aug. 4, according to Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.  He added that the foreign and defense ministers of Malaysia, Cambodia and Thailand have also been instructed to “develop a detailed mechanism” to implement and monitor the ceasefire to ensure sustained peace.  TRUMP CALLS FOR IMMEDIATE CEASEFIRE BETWEEN CAMBODIA AND THAILAND AMID ESCALATING VIOLENCE  It is “time to start rebuilding trust, confidence and cooperation going forward between Thailand and Cambodia,” Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet said during a press conference in Malaysia alongside Thai Acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai.  Secretary of State Marco Rubio wrote on X that the U.S. “applauds the ceasefire declaration between Cambodia and Thailand announced today in Kuala Lumpur.”  “President Trump made this happen. Give him the Nobel Peace Prize!” added White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt.  Fox News’ Brie Stimson and the Associated Press contributed to this report. 

Bad Brand: Democrats plunge to new lows in another national poll

Bad Brand: Democrats plunge to new lows in another national poll

Democratic National Committee (DNC) Chair Ken Martin isn’t sugar-coating his party’s problems. “We do have a brand problem,” the DNC chair said in a recent Fox News Digital interview. And in what’s starting to sound like a broken record, the Democratic Party hit another historic low in a national poll this past weekend. Only a third of those questioned in a Wall Street Journal survey said they held a favorable view of the party, with 63% holding an unfavorable opinion of the Democrats. WHAT THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY CHAIR TOLD FOX NEWS DIGITAL That’s the highest unfavorable rating for the party in a Wall Street Journal poll dating back 35 years. While the favorable ratings for President Donald Trump (45%-52%) and the Republican Party (43%-54%) in the poll were nothing to brag about, they weren’t as deeply underwater as the Democrats’ favorability. “The Democratic brand is so bad that they don’t have the credibility to be a critic of Trump or the Republican Party,” said longtime Democrat pollster John Anzalone, who conducts Wall Street Journal polling along with veteran Republican pollster Tony Fabrizio. POLL POSITION: DEMOCRATIC PARTY’S NUMBERS SINK TO NEW LOWS The Wall Street Journal survey, which was conducted July 16-20, is the latest this month to indicate the plunge in Democratic Party polling. Just 28% of Americans viewed the party favorably, according to a CNN poll conducted July 10-13. That’s the lowest mark for Democrats in the entire history of CNN polling, going back over 30 years. And just 19% of voters questioned in a Quinnipiac University national poll in the field July 10-14 gave Democrats in Congress a thumbs up on how they’re handling their duties, with 72% disapproving. That’s an all-time low since Quinnipiac University first began asking congressional approval questions in their surveys 16 years ago. The Democratic Party has been in the political wilderness since last year’s elections. Not only did the party lose control of the White House and Senate and failed to win back the House majority, but Republicans made gains among Black, Hispanic and younger voters, all traditional members of the Democratic Party’s base. Since Trump’s return to power earlier this year, an increasingly energized base of Democrats is urging party leaders to take a stronger stand in pushing back against the president’s sweeping and controversial second-term agenda. Their anger is directed not only at Republicans, but at Democrats they feel aren’t vocal enough in their opposition to Trump. RNC CHAIR SAYS ‘BIG BEAUTIFUL BILL’ KEY TO GOP’S MESSAGING EFFORT HEADED INTO MIDTERMS That has fueled a plunge in the Democratic Party’s favorable ratings, which have hit historic lows in several surveys this year. “When you hit rock bottom, there’s only one direction to go, and that’s up, and that’s what we’re doing,” Martin said last week in his Fox News Digital interview. Martin said “people have bought into this idea that Donald Trump and the Republicans best represent their interests for the future.” And that’s reflected in the Wall Street Journal poll. Even though Trump’s overall approval ratings and his numbers specifically on how he’s handling the economy are in negative territory, the survey indicates voters still trust Republicans over Democrats on the economy by 10 points. But there is a silver lining in the poll for Democrats. By a 46%-43% margin, voters questioned in the survey said they would back a Democrat for Congress over a Republican. Democrats are aiming to win back the House and Senate majorities in next year’s midterm elections. In Wall Street Journal polling eight years ago, Democrats held an eight-point advantage, a year ahead of a blue wave that swept the party back into power as they grabbed the House majority in the 2018 midterms during the first Trump administration.

Trump admin issues new guidance to protect religious expression across federal workforce

Trump admin issues new guidance to protect religious expression across federal workforce

FIRST ON FOX: Federal agencies are now required to protect religious expression in the workplace, according to a new government-wide memo obtained by Fox News Digital on Monday—marking one of the most sweeping moves in decades to defend faith and freedoms in the civil service.  The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) on Monday sent guidance to federal agencies across the Trump administration, detailing the new requirements, which ensure federal workers can display Bibles, crucifixes, or mezuzahs on their desks; pray in groups while off-duty; invite colleagues to church; and speak about their religious beliefs, even to the public, without fear of reprisal. TRUMP GATHERS CEOS FOR UNPRECEDENTED FAITH, ECONOMY MEETING TO RENEW US ‘SPIRITUALLY AND FINANCIALLY’ The memo, titled “Protecting Religious Expression in the Federal Workplace,” was sent to agencies by OPM Director Scott Kupor on Monday, and obtained exclusively by Fox News Digital. “Federal employees should never have to choose between their faith and their career,” OPM Director Scott Kupor told Fox News Digital. “This guidance ensures the federal workplace is not just compliant with the law but welcoming to Americans of all faiths.” Kupor added: “Under President Trump’s leadership, we are restoring constitutional freedoms and making government a place where people of faith are respected, not sidelined.” In the memo, Kupor details that the federal workforce “should be a welcoming place for Federal employees who practice a religious faith.” “Allowing religious discrimination in the Federal workplace violates the law. It also threatens to adversely impact recruitment and retention of highly-qualified employees of faith,” the memo states. “The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution robustly protects expressions of religious faith by all Americans—including Federal employees.” Kupor noted that freedom of religious expression is also protected by federal statutes, which “prohibit the federal government from discriminating in employment based on religion or religious expression.” “This memorandum provides guidance to agencies on robustly protecting and enforcing each Federal employee’s right to engage in religious expression in the Federal workplace consistent with the U.S. Constitution, Title VII, and other applicable sources of law,” Kupor wrote in the memo. “Agencies should allow personal religious expression by Federal employees to the greatest extent possible unless such expression would impose an undue hardship on business operations. And they should review and (if necessary) revise their internal policies to ensure that they appropriately protect religious expression.” TRUMP TO SIGN EXECUTIVE ORDER ESTABLISHING WHITE HOUSE FAITH OFFICE Kupor details examples of religious expressions that are permissible—including employees keeping Bibles on their desk and reading it during breaks; keeping rosary beads or tefillin on their desks, and using those items to pray during breaks. Kupor notes that agencies “may restrict all posters, but an agency may not single out religious posters, such as those of a crucifix, a Bible verse, or a Star of David, for harsher treatment.” “An employee may wear a cross, as well as clothing displaying a religious message,” Kupor wrote. Kupor also detailed appropriate conversations between federal employees about religion. “During a break, an employee may engage another in polite discussion of why his faith is correct and why the non-adherent should re-think his religious beliefs. However, if the non-adherent requests such attempts to stop, the employee should honor the request,” Kupor wrote. “An employee may invite another to worship at her church despite being belonging to a different faith.” INSIDE THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION’S WHITE HOUSE FAITH OFFICE Kupor added: “On a bulletin board meant for personal announcements, a supervisor may post a hand-written note inviting each of his employees to attend an Easter service at his church.” As for expressions directed at members of the public, Kupor gave an example that “a park ranger leading a tour through a national park may join her tour group in prayer,” and “a doctor at a Veterans Affairs (VA) hospital may pray over his patient for her recovery.” The OPM memo comes following President Trump’s executive orders on eradicating anti-Christian bias and establishing a Religious Liberty Commission. The memo also builds on OPM’s guidance from earlier this month on reasonable accommodations for religious purposes.  Trump signed an executive order establishing a White House Faith Office in February.  The office empowers faith-based entities, community organizations and houses of worship “to better serve families and communities,” according to the White House.  The office is housed under the Domestic Policy Council and consults with experts in the faith community on policy changes to “better align with American values.”