After six years, a Texas town’s boil-water notice has been lifted, but residents are still concerned
The town’s troubles started in 2018, when its water tested positive for the dangerous E.coli bacteria.
Biden admin announces another $125M in military assistance for Ukraine as fighting intensifies on Russian soil
The Biden administration is sending another round of military assistance to Ukraine as its war with Russia intensifies following a large-scale incursion by Ukrainian forces. The latest package is worth $125 million and includes air defense interceptors, munitions for rocket systems and artillery, multi-mission radars, and anti-tank weapons, the State Department said Friday. FIGHTING RAGES INSIDE RUSSIAN TERRITORY AFTER UKRAINE’S SURPRISE INCURSION The U.S. has funneled billions in assistance to Ukraine to help the country counter Russian attacks. The aid came following the deaths of at least 14 people in a mall in Kostiantynivka, in the eastern Donetsk region, by a Russian airstrike. “The end goal here is to help Ukraine defend itself,” White House national security council communications adviser John Kirby told reporters. UKRAINE BREACHES RUSSIAN BORDER NEAR MAJOR GAS TRANSMISSION HUB, DEFENSE OFFICIALS SAY Some Republicans have objected to the Biden administration’s spending on military and economic aid for Ukraine, amid numerous domestic pressures. The U.S. national debt currently stands at just over $35 trillion. On Friday, Russia’s Lipetsk region, which sits just north of Kursk, came under attack by Ukrainian drone strikes in which an ammunition depot and warehouse were reportedly hit. Some 700 Russian guided bombs were allegedly destroyed in the strike, East2West media sources told Fox News Digital. Pro-Kremlin military bloggers released a video online showing the remnants of a Russian convoy that was apparently ambushed by Ukrainian forces on Thursday night. The graphic footage showed burned-out vehicles, including some that were filled with bodies of dead Russian soldiers. Meanwhile, Russia declared a federal-level emergency in the Kursk region, four days after hundreds of Ukrainian troops poured across the border in what appeared to be Kyiv’s biggest attack on Russian soil since the war began. Russia’s Defense Ministry said reinforcements were on their way to Kursk to counter Ukraine’s raid, with Russia deploying multiple rocket launchers, towed artillery guns, tanks transported on trailers and heavy tracked vehicles. Fox News Digital’s Caitlin McFall and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Trump’s plane diverted to Billings, Montana, over mechanical issue while flying to rally
Former President Trump’s plane was diverted to Billings, Montana, on Friday due to a mechanical issue, a Billings airport official said. The Republican presidential nominee is scheduled to hold a rally in nearby Bozeman, Montana, Friday evening, and is still expected to make it. “I just landed in a really beautiful place: Montana. So beautiful, flying over and you just look down and that’s the way it’s supposed to be,” Trump said in a video from his plane posted to social media, making no mention of any plane issues or of the diversion. “I’m here to do some fundraisers and most important to support Tim Sheehy who’se running for the U.S. Senate and we think he’s going to do really well. We’re going to have a rally. And it’ll be a lot of fun.” It’s not clear if Trump will fly on to Bozeman or drive in a motorcade, the local FOX affiliate reported. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Bozeman airport CEO Brian Springer told the outlet that Trump’s plane had landed in Billings and that the motorcade that had expected him to land in Bozeman had departed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Plane with 62 on board crashes in Brazil
NewsFeed Videos show a passenger plane falling from the sky and crashing in a residential area in Brazil. The airline VoePass said 62 people were on board the plane which was heading for São Paulo’s international airport. Fire officials confirmed the plane went down in Vinhedo in São Paulo state, but provided no further details. Published On 9 Aug 20249 Aug 2024 Adblock test (Why?)
Order by Iran’s Khamenei to ‘punish’ Israel will be implemented: IRGC
Iran is set to carry out an order by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei to “harshly punish” Israel over the assassination of a Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps deputy commander has said. “The supreme leader’s orders regarding the harsh punishment of Israel and revenge for the blood of martyr Ismail Haniyeh are clear and explicit … and they will be implemented in the best possible way,” Ali Fadavi was quoted as saying by Iranian media on Friday. Hamas political chief Haniyeh, 62, was killed in Iran’s capital, Tehran in July, after attending the swearing-in ceremony of Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian. Hamas and Iran have blamed Israel for Haniyeh’s killing, but the Israeli government has not confirmed or denied responsibility. Since then, Tehran has promised to retaliate against Israel, which has a history of assassinating foes across the region, including in Iran. Asked by reporters to respond to the Iranian remarks, White House national security spokesperson John Kirby, said the United States was ready to defend Israel with plenty of resources in the region. “When we hear rhetoric like that we’ve got to take it seriously, and we do,” Kirby said on Friday. Last week, the United States military also announced the deployment of additional resources to the Middle East, including an aircraft carrier, amid growing concerns about the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran. But the US and other Western countries have also been calling for de-escalation. On Thursday, the US, Qatar and Egypt, issued a joint statement urging Israel and Hamas to resume talks to reach a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. Al Jazeera’s senior political analyst Marwan Bishara said the US does not want a wider regional escalation so close to its elections in November. “The fact that Washington – alongside other mediating countries – is pushing for Gaza ceasefire talks to happen … is a sign it wants to put as much pressure on Iran as possible and to delay a potential strike on Israel,” he said. Bishara added, however, that the chances of Netanyahu agreeing to a ceasefire “has almost always been nil”. According to Bishara, Hamas will want real guarantees that the war will not continue, reconstruction will be allowed to take place and Israeli soldiers will withdraw from the enclave. It also remains unclear whether Iran would call off its response to Haniyeh’s assassination if a Gaza ceasefire is reached. On Wednesday, Hamas chose Yahya Sinwar, its top official in Gaza, to succeed Haniyeh as the new leader of its political bureau. Abu Obeida, the spokesperson for Hamas’s armed wing, has said that the Qassam Brigades endorses Sinwar and has “full readiness to carry out his decisions”. In a short statement on Friday, Obeida said naming Sinwar as the group’s new political chief proves that Hamas “is still alive and strong”. Reporting from Amman, Jordan, Al Jazeera’s Hamdah Salhut noted that the potential resumption of ceasefire talks would mark the first round of negotiations with Sinwar acting as Hamas’s leader. It is unclear how Sinwar, who is wanted by Israel and remains at an unknown location in Gaza, will be able to convey messages to the mediators. Salhut added that Netanyahu “is seen as a hardliner himself and has released a list of non-negotiables going into mediation”. “So, it’s yet to be seen exactly what’s going to come of these discussions, but there is certainly a lot of tension throughout the wider region that countries like the United States are trying to quell saying that perhaps a ceasefire deal in Gaza prompt regional stability,” she said. Adblock test (Why?)
Israel steps up attacks in Lebanon, kills Hamas official
Israel carries out deadly air raid in Sidon, deep inside south Lebanon, amid intensifying regional tensions. Israel has stepped up its attacks in Lebanon, killing a Hamas official in the coastal city of Sidon, as the region continues to anticipate Hezbollah’s retaliation for the assassination of its commander Fuad Shukr in Beirut earlier this month. An Israeli drone raid in the coastal city of Sidon on Friday, about 50km (30 miles) from Lebanon’s southern border, killed Hamas official Samer al-Hajj – who was based in the neighbouring Ain al-Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp. The attack also injured two civilians, according to Lebanese media outlets. Hamas hailed al-Hajj as a “martyr” on Friday. The Israeli military described him as a commander who was responsible for attacks on Israel from Lebanon. Lebanon National News Agency reported that impromptu protests broke out in Sidon on Friday to denounce the killing of al-Hajj. Israel also carried out attacks in border towns and villages, including in Kfar Kila and Meiss el-Jabal, Markaba. The Israeli raids come as Hezbollah officials say that the group will respond to the assassination of Shukr, who was killed along with several civilians in an Israeli air strike in Beirut late in July. Iran is also expected to launch its own retaliatory attack against Israel for the killing of Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran. At the same time, Hezbollah has continued its near-daily clashes with Israel across the border. On Friday, the Lebanese group claimed several attacks against Israel, including targeting buildings used by troops in the northern Israeli town of Dovev and al-Manara and launching rockets against a military base in Kiryat Shmona. Hezbollah started attacking military bases in northern Israel the day after the outbreak of the war on Gaza on October 7 in what it says is a “support front” to back Palestinian groups. The hostilities have been largely confined to the border region, forcing tens of thousands of Lebanese and Israeli residents to flee the area. But the assassination of Shukr in the Dahiyeh suburbs of the Lebanese capital have fuelled fears of escalation between the two sides. Hezbollah maintains that it is not seeking an all-out war, but that it is ready for one should it break out. Last week, the group’s chief Hasan Nasallah said Israel crossed red lines by attacking Beirut, stressing that the retaliation for the killing of Shukr is “inevitable”. The assassination of Shukr was the second Israeli assault on the Lebanese capital and its suburbs this year. In January, an Israeli air raid in Dahiyeh killed Hamas official Saleh al-Arouri. The killing of al-Hajj far from the border on Friday is likely to further fuel tensions between Hezbollah and Israel. Reporting from Marjayoun in southern Lebanon, Al Jazeera’s Assed Baig says the Israeli drone attack in Sidon came amid a busy day of cross-border attacks. “Sidon is roughly just over 50km [30 miles] from Lebanon’s southern border and around 40km [25 miles] from the capital, Beirut, and what it shows is that Israel is going deeper into Lebanon,” Baig said. He added that the strike is also “quite significant” due to its timing with Hezbollah expected to launch a major attack on Israel to respond to the killing of Shukr. Adblock test (Why?)
Tim Walz has ties to Muslim cleric with antisemitic views, gave state funding to his group: report
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz has reported ties to a Muslim cleric who praised Adolf Hitler online and commended the Islamic terrorist group Hamas for the attacks against innocent Israelis on Oct. 7. In the last few years, Imam Asad Zaman has used his Facebook page to share official Hamas press releases, blog posts from antisemitic sites and a 2015 link to a pro-Hitler film, “The Greatest Story Never Told.” Released in 2013, the propaganda film is antisemitic and popular among fringe groups, according to the Anti-Defamation League. Walz’s administration has also donated over $100,000 to Zaman’s group, Muslim American Society of Minnesota, according to state records reviewed by the Washington Examiner. Federal prosecutors have described the Muslim American Society as “founded as the overt arm of the Muslim Brotherhood in the U.S.,” according to court records, the outlet first reported. ISRAEL ISSUES MESSAGE TO LEBANESE CITIZENS AMID REPORTS OF POTENTIAL PREEMPTIVE STRIKE ON HEZBOLLAH Designated a terrorist group by the United Arab Emirates in 2014, the Muslim group faced criticism in 2019 when a video emerged of children at a Philadelphia chapter event calling for Jews to be killed. In reaction to Rep. Katie Porter, D-Calif., condemning the Oct. 7 attack a day later, Zaman asked if she would “reaffirm the right of Palestinians to defend themselves.” Zaman’s Muslim group in a statement on Oct. 7 declared it “reaffirms its unwavering support for the Palestinian people in their struggle against the Israeli occupation.” In May 2023, Zaman attended a mosque security meeting with Walz’s gubernatorial office. EXPECT IRAN’S RESPONSE TO EXTEND BEYOND THE MIDDLE EAST: ROBERT GREENWAY Social media posts reviewed by the Examiner also indicate Zaman participated in a Ramadan event hosted by Walz in May 2019. A recent Washington Free Beacon report also reported Walz’s appearance at a 2019 event with an antisemitic scholar who supports terrorism against Israel. VANCE FIRES BACK AT ‘DISGUSTING’ CNN ANCHOR SUGGESTING HIS MILITARY SERVICE WAS EMBELLISHED AMID WALZ DISPUTE Zaman, originally from Bangladesh, expressed solidarity with Palestinians for the Hamas-initiated Oct. 7 terrorist attacks on Israelis. He also shared a Palestinian flag image on Facebook in support of a post criticizing the Biden-Harris administration for its stance on Israel. The imam reportedly participated in a May 2020 event with Walz to advocate for peaceful protests during the Black Lives Matter riots in Minnesota following George Floyd’s death. Previously, in April 2019, Zaman delivered an invocation at Walz’s state address and had called for an end to a government shutdown alongside Walz in January 2019, the Washington Examiner first reported. The Harris-Walz campaign did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment by press deadline.
Harris and Walz both support amnesty for illegal migrants
Gov. Tim Walz, announced as Vice President Harris’ running mate this week, has previously pushed for broad amnesty for illegal immigrants, putting him on the same page as Harris and further indicating that such a move could be a priority for a future Harris administration. Walz wrote to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in August 2021, pushing for a pathway to citizenship for millions of illegal immigrants as part of a potential budget reconciliation bill, including those protected from deportation and those who came to the U.S. as minors. “As you work to finalize a budget reconciliation bill, we urge you to prioritize a clean pathway to citizenship for essential workers, Dreamers, Temporary Protected Status (TPS) holders, and their families,” the letter said. WALZ BACKED ‘SANCTUARY’ POLICIES, SERVICES FOR ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS AS GOVERNOR: ‘WIN FOR OPEN BORDERS’ “Immigrant youth and TPS recipients live, work, study, worship and are a part of our communities, and they are the parents, spouses, siblings and neighbors of hundreds of thousands of U.S. citizens. Many have been essential workers carrying us through a pandemic and this nation owes them a debt of gratitude. “Dreamers and TPS holders have enriched and strengthened Minnesota’s cities, schools, businesses, congregations, and families. We believe that it is a moral imperative that Republicans and Democrats in Congress work together to enact bipartisan legislation that replaces fear and uncertainty with permanent protection for these individuals.” The statement puts him in line with Harris, who has supported the Biden administration’s day one comprehensive immigration reform bill that would have granted a pathway to citizenship to millions of illegal immigrants, putting an estimated 11 million on an eight-year path to citizenship. WHO IS TIM WALZ? MEET THE HARRIS RUNNING MATE WHO CALLED REPUBLICANS ‘WEIRD PEOPLE’ The bill was ultimately not taken up due to Republican opposition amid a brewing crisis at the southern border. But the administration, and Harris, have continued to voice their support for the legislation. “From day one, when we first came in office, our first bill was to offer a meaningful way to fix our immigration system, including a pathway to citizenship, keeping families together and looking out for our Dreamers. And, of course, it was not taken up,” Harris said in June. “We do need Congress to act and to do what we know is necessary to fully put the resources into the border and creating a meaningful pathway to citizenship,” she later said. Harris has this year focused on the bipartisan Senate bill that would bolster resources at the border and provide the ability to limit arrivals when numbers reach a high level. It does not include a pathway to citizenship. Since becoming the Democratic nominee, Harris’ campaign has focused on her efforts to provide more funding for border security operations and efforts as a prosecutor tackling drug smugglers. “As president, she will hire thousands more border agents and crack down on fentanyl and human trafficking. Fixing the border is tough. So is Kamala Harris,” a new ad released this week said. Get the latest updates on the ongoing border crisis from the Fox News Digital immigration hub.
Exiled Biden adviser lashes out at top Dems, mainstream media over Biden ouster
Former top Biden adviser Anita Dunn is taking aim at Democratic Party leadership, as well as the mainstream news media, in a striking interview in which she accused them both of “horrible” attacks against the still-sitting President Biden. Dunn, who recently left the White House to join the Harris campaign, spoke to Politico about the fallout from the disastrous presidential debate this summer, in which Biden stumbled through a number of answers and which ultimately led to him being replaced on the ticket by Vice President Kamala Harris. Dunn said the debate itself wasn’t that bad, it was what followed that would be critical. BIDEN HUNKERS DOWN AT DELAWARE BEACH HOUSE AFTER ONLY PUBLIC EVENT OF THE WEEK “So [former President] Trump didn’t gain any ground in the debate whatsoever. And we actually picked up a few votes in the group. So it was a bad debate, but it didn’t feel catastrophic at all, certainly in terms of voters,” she said. “And I think other people who did independent research saw roughly the same thing. If you go back and you look at the polls, what you will see is you didn’t see much movement whatsoever coming out of the debate because the structure of this campaign had been fairly static for a long time, and the debate didn’t change that.” “What did change it was 24 days of unremitting negative, horrible attacks on Joe Biden,” she said. When asked to clarify who those attacks came from, Dunn pulled no punches: “From his own party and from the press.” She also said that after that debate there was a press atmosphere that was “just unremittingly negative” and was made worse by leaders of the party speaking out. BIDEN HOSTS TEXAS RANGERS AT WHITE HOUSE “Clearly there were leaders of the party who decided to go ahead and go very public. And that gave permission to other people to go public,” she said. Dunn was asked if an example of that was when former Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., went on TV twice in the days after the debate. “Absolutely,” she said. PELOSI ADMITS BIDEN CAMPAIGN WASN’T ON ‘PATH TO VICTORY’ Dunn later side-stepped a question about whether Biden is still angry at Pelosi, as well as former President Obama and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. — while also taking another swipe at some in leadership. “The task in front of us is to win this election and to not let Donald Trump become president again and to win the House of Representatives, which had certain leaders in 2022 done a slightly better job, maybe we would control today, but we don’t,” she said. Tensions have been simmering internally within the Biden camp. NBC News reported that those tensions boiled over in light of the debate, with Biden family members discussing whether Dunn should be fired — reportedly angered by her suggestion first son Hunter Biden keep a low profile. Dunn was asked about a letter sent by President Biden to lawmakers saying he wasn’t getting out of the race, which she admits backfired on some members. When asked if Hunter was involved, she said: “That is not true.”
Veterans advocate for MDMA, also known as ecstasy, to be used in therapy to treat PTSD
In what could be a pivotal moment for the future of psychedelic medicine, the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) is weighing a decision to approve MDMA-AT, also known as ecstasy or molly, to treat post-traumatic stress disorder. The FDA is expected to make a decision by Aug. 11. The decision will have a huge impact on military veterans who say the psychedelic drug has relieved their PTSD symptoms. Psychiatrists combine their therapy sessions with the psychedelic medicine. “I have not seen a medicine this powerful in a long time,” Dr. Manish Agrawal, the CEO of Sunstone Therapies, told Fox News. MARINE VET TOUTS BENEFITS OF PSYCHEDELIC-ASSISTED PTSD DRUGS AS FDA CONSIDERS MDMA APPROVAL “MDMA allows people to access parts of their trauma that are deeply seated that they’ve not been able to access with traditional therapy while in a loving and supporting and safe environment,” Agrawal said. Sunstone is participating in an Expanded Access Program that allows it to treat a limited number of patients with MDMA-assisted therapy at its site in Rockville, Maryland. Sunstone did not participate in the Lykos’ Phase II or III clinical trials that are being evaluated by the FDA. “You need a purpose-built space. You need highly skilled, trained therapists and staff. … If MDMA cured PTSD, then everybody that goes to a rave wouldn’t have trauma anymore,” Agrawal said. “It’s not a magic bullet. It does not work for everyone. But I have seen people really change.” Jonathan Lubecky is a retired Army sergeant who has been treated with MDMA. Lubecky has had a long battle with PTSD. He attempted suicide on Christmas morning in 2006, 60 days after returning home from Iraq. Lubecky found the Lykos trial in Charleston during hospitalization after eight years of struggling and several more suicide attempts. “I took my first dose of MDMA, only taking it three times as part of the clinical trial. I haven’t taken it since. I haven’t found the need to take it since because I haven’t had PTSD since,” Lubecky told Fox News. VETERAN HOMELESSNESS SEES LARGEST SPIKE IN 12 YEARS, VA REPORTS: ‘WE HAVE FAILED,’ LAMENTS ARMY VET Now, Lubecky hopes the FDA will approve the use of MDMA so other veterans like him can get the treatment they need. “I keep hope because the FDA will approve this, if not on Aug. 11, one day they will. The only question for the FDA is how many veterans, how many Americans’ lives, between now and then?” Lubecky said. Last month, Lubecky joined a chorus of veterans on Capitol Hill to raise awareness about MDMA treatment. Veterans built a heaping memorial out of dog tags to honor the 17 veterans who die by suicide every day and the 13 million Americans who suffer from PTSD, including 7% of veterans. Veterans seeking help are traveling outside the U.S. and taking on personal debt to undergo psychedelic-assisted therapy. Heroic Hearts Project helps connect veterans with such overseas services. Founder and President Jesse Gould said the irony is not lost on him. “The FDA alone holds the key to granting veterans this access to MDMA assisted-therapy. And approving this treatment is not just a formality. It is literally a lifeline for this nation’s veterans,” Gould said. More than 60 bipartisan lawmakers have written to the Biden administration urging its approval of MDMA. “Thousands of Veterans suffering from PTSD continue to take their lives each year. Current treatments clearly are not working well enough, and our Veterans can no longer wait,” the lawmakers warned in a letter. Among the lawmakers backing approval is Texas Republican Rep. Morgan Luttrell, who was medically retired because of a traumatic brain injury after serving 14 years as a Navy SEAL. GOLD STAR PARENTS URGE AMERICANS TO RECOGNIZE THOSE WHO ‘WROTE A CHECK OUT FOR THEIR LIVES’ IN THE MILITARY “The term psychedelics scares people. It scared me too,” Luttrell told Fox News. He described his personal journey on psychedelics as “nothing short of an exorcism.” “It allows you to address things that, you know, live and breathe and repress back in a deep cognitive spaces of your brain. And that’s usually what people need,” Luttrell said, describing the treatment as 20 years of therapy in three days. Juliana Mercer is a Marine Corps veteran and founder of Healing Breakthrough, a nonprofit that works alongside Heroic Hearts Project. After she was treated, she felt a load had been lifted. “I woke up the next day, and I was joyful. And I had love in my heart for myself and for others and had a completely new outlook and really was connected to my authentic self for the first time in a really long time,” Mercer said. According to the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies, MDMA studies found that 67% of participants no longer met the criteria for PTSD two months after concluding their sessions. Despite these positive reviews, the FDA’s advisory committee voted MDMA down last month. Kim Witczak, a consumer representative who sits on the committee and voted no, spoke with Fox News about her decision. “There were clinical participants as well as investigators and former Lykos employees that came forward and said that there could have been issues with selection bias,” Witczak said. Witczak cited safety concerns and public pressure campaigns targeting lawmakers. Rushing drugs to the market could lead to a lengthy and dangerous process of retracting them if they are found to be unsafe later, Witczak explained. FDA PANEL REJECTS MDMA-ASSISTED THERAPIES FOR PTSD DESPITE HIGH HOPES FROM VETERANS “My message to the FDA would be when you have allegations, you must investigate. … Once the genie’s out of the bottle, it is too late to try to put it back,” Witczak said. The FDA declined to be interviewed on the topic but told Fox News in a statement, “Following the meeting, the FDA career staff will take the committee’s input into account as they continue their review of the application.” No new medications for PTSD have