Page 1575 – Texas Weekly Online

Teachers union president who gave viral ‘off-the-rails’ speech has visited Biden White House over 20 times

FIRST ON FOX: The president of the largest teachers union, who was mocked over the weekend for giving an “off-the-rails” speech, has visited the White House dozens of times during Biden’s presidency. White House visitor logs show that National Education Association (NEA) President Rebecca “Becky” Pringle, who delivered a viral speech over the weekend that drew intense criticism, visited the Biden White House at least 24 times between 2021 and early 2024, a Fox News Digital review found. In March of this year, Pringle met with Biden’s national economic advisor Lael Branard roughly a month after meeting with Jade Cabrera of the White House Office of Public Engagement. In February 2024 and December 2023, Pringle visited the White House as part of large gatherings with President Biden. Pringle had two other visits with Vice President Harris’s Deputy Chief of Staff Erin Wilson in October 2023. PARKINSON’S DISEASE SPECIALIST MET WITH PRESIDENT BIDEN’S PHYSICIAN IN WHITE HOUSE Over the course of 2023, Pringle met with at least two of First lady Jill Biden’s aides, including her special assistant and senior adviser, as well as a meeting with now-former White House Director of Domestic Council Susan Rice. The visitor logs show Pringle participated in a virtual event with the first lady, along with American Federation of Teachers (AFT) president Randi Weingarten one day after Biden was sworn into office in January 2021. She also participated in a one-on-one meeting with President Biden in December 2022. She went on to visit several highly-attended White House events in 2021 and 2022. WHITE HOUSE VISITOR LOGS CONTRADICT BIDEN SPOKESMAN’S VOW TO BAN DC OFFICIAL WHO PRAISED NOTORIOUS ANTISEMITE During NEA’s Annual Meeting and Representative Assembly (RA) in Philadelphia over the weekend, Pringle called for transformative social justice change in the education system in the pursuit of equity. “To unite not just our members, but the nation to reclaim public education as a common good, as the foundation of our democracy, and then transform it into something it was never designed to be—a racially and socially just and equitable system,” Pringle said. “We worked hard to rid ourselves of a tyrannical, deceitful, and corrupt White House, but the reality is that the seeds that were sown during that horrible season continue to germinate,” she said, referring to the Trump administration. She continued by vowing to “protect public education” and said, “We will fight privatization. We will fight vouchers. We will fight any and all schemes to drain resources from our beloved public schools,” appearing to refer to school choice. Pringle, who donated $2,800 to Biden’s 2020 campaign and $500 to the Biden Victory Fund, said the union’s “work must be about electing people like” President Biden and Vice President Harris, promising to re-elect them this year. She also said the union is pro- Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), a controversial concept that has sparked backlash at colleges, K-12 schools, in all levels of government, and private companies across the United States. The Florida Board of Governors passed a regulation in January limiting public funding for DEI, defining them as “any program, campus activity, or policy that classifies individuals on the basis of race, color, sex, national origin, gender identity, or sexual orientation and promotes differential or preferential treatment of individuals on the basis of such classification.” School choice advocate Corey DeAngelis ripped Pringle’s recent comments in a previous statement to Fox News Digital, calling her one of the “power-hungry control freaks [who] think they own your kids.” “These power-hungry control freaks think they own your kids. They’re in a cult that worships government and detests parents. It’s time to defund teachers unions and allow the money to follow the child,” DeAngelis said. “Becky Pringle pulled a Dwight Schrute. She is off-the-rails and desperate to maintain control over the minds of other people’s children.” Last year while speaking on a panel, Pringle said that “racial” and “social justice” must be at the forefront of education policy in the United States. “For us at the NEA, education justice must be about racial justice, it must be about social justice, it must be about climate justice. It must be about all of those things,” Pringle said. “For our students to be able to come to school ready to learn every day–We can never think of education as an isolated system because everything connects to our students’ ability to learn. So, we have to necessarily talk about housing justice, food inequality, and the reality that we all just went through a global pandemic together and of course it was the most marginalized communities that were already suffering from the inequities in every single social system in this country and every country.” Pringle previously faced backlash during the pandemic when she raked in over $500,000 while her teachers union was pushing for schools to remain closed and teachers were making a fraction of her high salary. Fox News Digital reached out to the White House and NEA for comment on Pringle’s White House visits but did not receive a response. Fox News Digital’s Hannah Grossman and David Rutz contributed to this report.

Biden’s physician says neurologist visited White House as part of annual examinations

President Biden’s physician said a neurologist who specializes in Parkinson’s disease and other movement disorders visited the White House as part of his annual physical examinations amid concerns over the president’s health and mental acuity. In a letter released Monday night, White House physician Kevin O’Connor said Dr. Kevin Cannard was chosen for Biden’s annual physicals “not because he is a movement disorder specialist, but because he is a highly trained and highly regarded neurologist here at Walter Reed and across the Military Health System, with a very wide expertise which makes him flexible to see a variety of patients and problems.” The president did not see a neurologist outside his annual physicals, the letter stated. O’Connor said he received permission from Biden and Cannard to release the neurologist’s identity and the nature of his visits. WHITE HOUSE BRIEFING FUELED WITH EMOTION AS KJP SAYS BIDEN NOT BEING TREATED FOR PARKINSON’S “To protect patient privacy for the thousands of patients of the White House Medical Unit and the physicians who treat them, normally we do not disclose the names of specialists we work with,” the letter reads. No signs of neurological disorders, such as Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, ascending lateral sclerosis, stroke or cervical myelopathy, were found during Biden’s physical in February, O’Connor said. He redirected to his Feb. 28 letter where he said “an extremely detailed neurologic exam was again reassuring in that there were no findings which would be consistent with any cerebellar or other central neurological disorder.” This comes after White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters at a news briefing earlier on Monday that she would not identify Cannard or share details surrounding his White House visits for privacy purposes. Though she did say Biden has an annual physical evaluation that includes seeing a neurologist and pointed out that the results have been publicly shared. The letter from O’Connor also highlighted that the results of Biden’s annual physicals have been made public each time. Concerns surrounding Biden’s cognitive abilities continued to rise following news of visits to the White House by a Parkinson’s disease expert. The New York Post reported that a Parkinson’s expert from Walter Reed visited the White House at least eight times in an eight-month period, including for a Jan. 17 meeting with O’Connor. O’Connor’s letter laid out Cannard’s background as a neurology specialist and explained that he has been the neurology consultant to the White House Medical Unit since 2012. It also stated that Cannard has examined Biden for each of his annual physicals, including his most recent one in February. PARKINSON’S DISEASE SPECIALIST MET WITH PRESIDENT BIDEN PHYSICIAN IN WHITE HOUSE Before and after the COVID-19 pandemic, Cannard held regular neurology clinics at the White House medical clinic for the thousands of active-duty military members assigned to support White House operations, the letter said, noting that many military personnel experience neurological issues in connection with their service. Questions about Biden’s health and mental fitness were amplified following his shaky debate performance last month against former President Trump, which prompted several Democrats’ calls for Biden to exit the presidential race. Others in the party remain vocal about their continued support for the president’s re-election campaign. Biden has repeatedly said since the debate that he plans to remain in the race as he seeks to defeat Trump for a second time in November.

Australia appoints special envoy to combat anti-Semitism

Jillian Segal will serve a three-year term and report directly to Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. Australia has appointed a special envoy to combat anti-Semitism amid concerns that the war in Gaza is fuelling community tensions. Jillian Segal, a Jewish lawyer and business leader, will engage with Jewish Australians, the wider Australian public, religious discrimination experts and the government on ways to tackle anti-Jewish sentiment, the Australian government said in a statement on Tuesday. Segal will serve a three-year term and report directly to Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Minister for Immigration, Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs Andrew Giles. Albanese said there is “no place” for violence or hatred in Australia. “Australians are deeply concerned about this conflict, and many are hurting. In times like this, Australians must come together, not be torn apart,” Albanese said. “We have built our nation’s social cohesion together over generations, and this is why we all must work together to uphold, defend and preserve it.” Albanese said that his government would also soon announce a special envoy for combating Islamophobia. In one of her first tasks in her new role, Segal will attend the World Jewish Congress in Argentina next week to discuss anti-Semitism with other envoys from around the world. Segal on Tuesday warned that anti-Semitism has become “normalised,” citing data from Australia’s peak Jewish body that showed a 700 percent rise in reported hate incidents in the months after Hamas’s October 7 attacks on Israel and the start of Israel’s war in Gaza. “The Jewish community in Australia is experiencing valid feelings of fear in the face of increasing anti-Semitism,” Segal said. “Jewish Australians want to feel free to live their day-to-day lives, and also want to feel safe to practise and express their religion without fear. They also want to be able to contribute as they have previously to the vibrant multicultural society that we value in Australia.” Like other countries, Australia has witnessed heated protests over the war in Gaza, and both the Jewish and Muslim communities have reported a sharp uptick in instances of hate. More than 38,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since the start of the war, according to Gaza’s Ministry of Health. More than 1,130 people were killed in Hamas’s October 7 attacks, according to Israeli authorities. The Executive Council of Australian Jewry, which Segal led until last year, welcomed the appointment of the new envoy to carry out “vital work for the betterment of Australian society”. However, the Jewish Council of Australia, which has strongly criticised Israel’s actions in Gaza, expressed concern about Segal’s track record “of lobbying for Israel, opposing voices that support Palestinian human rights, and painting all Jews as supportive of Israel’s actions”. “By appointing a pro-war voice to this position the government risks breeding division, increasing Islamophobia and anti-Palestinian racism, and ultimately making Jews less safe,” the council said in a statement. Adblock test (Why?)

Hungary’s Orban meets China’s Xi in mission to end Russia-Ukraine war

Chinese President Xi Jinping has urged world powers to help Russia and Ukraine resume direct dialogue as he held talks with Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who was in Beijing on a visit the European leader has branded as a “peace mission”. Xi and Orban’s meeting in the Chinese capital on Tuesday came after the Hungarian leader made similar trips to Russia and Ukraine last week to discuss prospects for a peaceful settlement in the conflict, now in its third year. Hungary assumed the rotating presidency of the European Union this month and Orban has since embarked on a peace mission, which, however, lacks the endorsement of other European nations. “China is a key power in creating the conditions for peace in the Russia-Ukraine war,” Orban wrote on the social media platform X. “This is why I came to meet with President Xi in Beijing, just two months after his official visit to Budapest.” Orban is widely seen as having the warmest relations with Xi and Putin among European leaders. His visit to Moscow last week drew condemnation from Ukraine and EU officials, who insisted Orban was not acting on behalf of the whole European bloc. Their rebuke failed to deter Orban from extending a similar visit to Beijing, which he called “Peace mission 3.0” in a picture posted on X. While hosting Orban, Xi called on Russia and Ukraine to cease fire and on other major powers to create an environment conducive to talks. Only when all major powers project “positive energy rather than negative energy” can a ceasefire occur, Xi said, according to state broadcaster CCTV. “It is in the interests of all parties to seek a political solution through an early ceasefire,” he added. For his part, Orban described China as a stabilising force amid global turbulence and praised its “constructive and important” peace initiatives. These include a Chinese six-point peace plan, which it issued with Brazil in May. China says it is neutral in the conflict, though in practice, it supports Moscow through frequent state visits, growing trade and joint military drills. China-Hungary ties Russia said it appreciated Orban’s efforts to clarify positions in resolving the conflict, while Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the Hungarian leader could not act as a mediator, a task he said could only be undertaken by major world powers. “Are there many such countries around the world? Not many. I believe the US and China are such countries. And the EU, not one country, but the whole EU,” Zelenskyy said during a visit to Poland. Ukraine remains open to proposals from other countries on how to shape the path to peace, but they should align with the Ukrainian vision, in particular a 10-point peace plan, Zelenskyy added. Ukraine hopes to hold a second international summit to consider its proposals for peace later this year. China, which has close ties to Moscow, did not attend the first meeting in June. The United States, meanwhile, said it was concerned by Orban’s meeting with Xi. White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said the trip “certainly doesn’t seem to be productive in terms of trying to get things done in Ukraine”, adding: “It’s concerning”. Hungary under Orban has built substantial political and economic ties with China. Orban hosted Xi in Hungary only two months ago as part of a three-country European tour that also included stops in France and Serbia, which, unlike the other two, is not a member of the EU or NATO. During the trip, China upgraded its ties with Hungary to an “all-weather, comprehensive strategic partnership,” one of its highest designations for foreign relations which, in addition to Hungary, only applies only to Belarus, Pakistan and Venezuela. The European nation hosts a number of Chinese electric vehicle (EV) battery facilities, and in December announced that Chinese EV manufacturing giant BYD will open its first European EV production factory in the south of the country. The Hungarian prime minister broadly opposes Western military aid to Ukraine and has blocked, delayed or watered down EU efforts to assist Kyiv and impose sanctions on Moscow over its invasion. Orban has long argued for a cessation of hostilities in Ukraine but without outlining what that might mean for the country’s territorial integrity or future security. That posture has frustrated Hungary’s EU and NATO allies who have denounced Russia’s invasion as a breach of international law and a threat to the security of Eastern Europe. “With Europe trying to increasingly speak with one voice in its relations to China and Russia, Orban’s unannounced and uncoordinated trips are not helping in signalling or creating a unified European Union with regard to EU-China relations,” said Eva Seiwert, a foreign policy and security expert with the Mercator Institute for China Studies in Berlin. Orban’s proposals for resolving the war largely correspond with Putin’s interests, Seiwert added, though the Hungarian prime minister might prove helpful in organising a peace conference in the future. Standing alongside Orban last week in Moscow, Putin declared that Russia would not accept any ceasefire or temporary break in hostilities that would allow Ukraine “to recoup losses, regroup and rearm”. Putin repeated his demand that Ukraine withdraw its troops from the four Ukrainian regions that Moscow partially occupies and claims to have annexed in 2022 as a condition for any prospective peace talks. Ukraine and its Western allies have rejected that demand as it is asking Kyiv to withdraw from its own territory. China, meanwhile, has spread its influence in Central Asia and Eastern Europe in recent years beyond its “no limits” partnership with Moscow. Over the weekend, China held “anti-terror” military drills with Belarus – a key ally of Russia – near the border with Poland. The drills came after, last week, Belarus joined a regional security organisation led by China and Russia. Orban will next head to Washington, DC, where NATO leaders are holding a summit to discuss ways to assure Ukraine of the alliance’s continued support. “Next stop: Washington,” Orban posted

Celine, a little Syrian girl who got the gift of hearing in Turkey

Reyhanli, Turkey – Celine Abu al-Zumar is nearly four years old, and as she was about to hear for the first time in her life, her mother was near tears. “In less than three months, the dream became a reality,” Fatima al-Essa exclaimed. Celine was finally approved for cochlear implant surgery like her brother Aslan had been in April. Fatima, a 26-year-old Syrian living in Idlib, Syria, recalled her sadness that her children Celine and Aslan, now five and a half, were born with a hearing impediment and had grown up feeling they were somehow different from other kids. Joy and heartbreak Earlier this year, Aslan had surgery – which normally costs $16,000, an amount his family could not afford – funded by the relief organisation Alameen in neighbouring Turkey. Fatima was overwhelmed with joy when the implant was switched on and she saw her son react to sounds. But, she told Al Jazeera at the time, her heart broke for Celine. Aslan had been prioritised for the cochlear implant programme as he was approaching the age of six after which he would no longer be eligible for the surgery. Khalid Abdel Razek Abu al-Zumar holding his son Aslan and daughter Celine in a park in Idlib in April [Ali Haj Suleiman/Al Jazeera] “Since I returned with Aslan from Turkey, all my focus was on Celine, who felt that something had changed in her brother and that he was responding more to me and his father than she was,” said Fatima. “Despite my joy at Aslan’s regained hearing, I cried every night for Celine, worrying that she might feel in the future that we favoured her brother over her.” Now it was Celine’s turn and Fatima could not wait to see Celine’s journey – with her brother by her side. Sibling love Aslan and Celine are cheerful, engaging children who enjoy interacting with others, bringing smiles to the faces of the staff in the Reyhanli hospital where they had their surgeries. “Celine is very sweet and interacts quickly with people, and with one innocent smile, she steals the hearts of those around her,” said Rama Asfari, an Alameen staff member. Rama joked that Celine and Aslan vied for attention at the hospital, the little girl turning on the charm whenever the medical staff talked to Aslan during her examination. “One minute is enough to build a friendship with Celine and to get you involved in playing with her,” added Rama. Celine was fitted with a cochlear implant, allowing her to hear [Ali Haj Suleiman/Al Jazeera] Aslan was focused on supporting his sister, understanding how serious Celine’s surgery was – his world had already changed because of it. He sat on a chair next to Fatima outside the operating room, head down and hands clasped together. He did not look at anyone, keeping his eyes fixed on the door as he waited for his sister to come out. A long, anxious three hours later, Celine came out, still groggy with anaesthesia. Aslan stayed beside her until she woke up. Aslan’s behaviour reminded Fatima how much her son had changed since his surgery. Of her five children, Aslan and Celine were always close, being close in age and sharing a hearing impediment. Before his surgery, Fatima said, Aslan would tease his sister and argue with her over toys as all siblings do – but since receiving his implant, his demeanour had changed towards Celine, becoming gentler and kinder. It was that softness that Aslan displayed as his sister lay in the operating theatre. “The tenderness I saw from Aslan towards his sister strengthened me and made the time Celine spent in the operating room easier,” said Fatima. Celine’s mother, Fatima, says she was worried her daughter would not be approved for the surgery and would grow up to think her parents favoured her brother more [Ali Haj Suleiman/Al Jazeera] Funding implants Both Aslan and Celine are beneficiaries of a programme by Alameen in cooperation with Saudi Arabia’s King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center. “The campaign started … with cochlear implants for 60 children from northwestern Syria and, due to overwhelming response, the campaign turned into a full programme to include 1,430 children in several countries around the world,” said Yasser al-Tarraf, an Alameen official. Al-Tarraf told Al Jazeera the programme in northwestern Syria has allowed 120 children to hear so far and plans to provide cochlear implants in the future for 700 children in northwestern Syria and 240 Syrian and Turkish children in southern Turkey. “Additionally, 490 children will receive cochlear implants in Lebanon, Egypt, Djibouti, Somalia, Yemen and Iraq… [over] approximately one and a half years” said al-Tarraf. Happiest person on earth The morning after the surgery, Celine, her brother and her mother went to the room where the external hearing device would be fitted. Her hearing was to be tested for the first time in her life. A quiet came over the room as the doctor fitted the device and connected it to the computer for programming, Celine looking at her mother and brother with anticipation. Aslan and Celine always played together – but now they can hear each other too [Ali Haj Suleiman/Al Jazeera] The device was activated and Celine was able to hear for the first time in her life. Shock stole over her face, and the foreign feeling of sound seemed to make her uncomfortable at first as she looked around at the doctors, seeming to beseech them to make it stop. But they had to continue, calling out to her and slapping the table to test the device’s sensitivity to different noise levels. As Celine got more used to what was happening, emotions alternated across her face, surprise then joy then shock when a louder sound came through the device. Aslan started playing with her, clapping his hands to attract her attention and get her to understand what had changed. Looking trustingly at her brother, she brushed tears away and began to smile. “Today,

PM Modi addresses Indian diaspora in Russia, says, ‘I have brought with me…’

PM Modi stated that the world is surprised to see the pace of development that India has achieved in the past 10 years. He noted that it has been one month since he took oath as the PM of India for the third term

Biden calls ‘Morning Joe,’ denounces media and political elites as Democrats warn of Trump victory

President Biden’s ABC interview, given a huge buildup by the campaign itself, was a flop that changed no one’s mind about his ability to serve another four years. Biden was raspy and low energy with George Stephanopoulos, lost his train of thought or interrupted himself a couple of times, insisted he wasn’t frail, dismissed polls he didn’t like and appeared to be in denial about the depth of the crisis he is facing. He was better than the disastrous debate, but that’s a pretty low bar. It’s inexplicable to me that Biden let more than a week go by doing only rally speeches. He should be doing a half dozen interviews – not one – to demonstrate his mental acuity. But then it occurred to me that his inner circle doesn’t think he can do it. Doing multiple interviews is such an obvious move that the White House, which hid Biden’s condition from many of its own officials and residence staff, would have him out there if there was more confidence in his ability to avoid blunders. TEAM TRUMP SHARES WHY CAMPAIGN HAS STAYED SILENT AMID BIDEN DEBATE FALLOUT So, yesterday, the president called in to his favorite show, “Morning Joe.” MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough, who talks to Biden regularly, including in the last week or so, is his most vociferous defender on television. While Scarborough said after the debate meltdown that Biden should consider stepping aside, since then he’s really dug in on defense. Scarborough asked if Biden believed the Democrats are doing the same thing as Trump in 2020, trying to overthrow the popular will of Democratic voters. “The reason I’ve been out on the road so much all over the country, and while Trump is riding around his golf cart … I’ve been all over the country, number one, and I’ve run over the country for several reasons. One, to make sure my instinct was right about the party still wanting me to be the nominee,” Biden responded. Co-host Mika Brzezinski, to her credit, rattled off many of the critics who want the president to step aside. “The New York Times editorial board, The Economist, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the Boston Globe. Jerry Nadler. Seth Moulton. Let me go to Julian Castro, Tim Ryan, David Axelrod —” “You’re kidding,” said Biden, who’s been angry at the former Obama-Biden White House official since he suggested last fall that Biden not run again. “David Remnick, Richard Haass … Zeke Emanuel. … These are pretty big names.” Biden’s response: “I don’t care what those big names think. They were wrong in 2020. They were wrong in 2022 about the red wave. They’re wrong in 2024.” And in a closing rant: “I’m getting so frustrated by the elites. Now, I’m not talking about you guys but about the elites in the party who they know so much more. If any of these guys don’t think I should run, run against me.” VULNERABLE DEM SENATOR BREAKS SILENCE ON BIDEN’S FITNESS, DEMANDS PRESIDENT PROVE ABILITY Former GOP congressman Scarborough said Biden is well positioned to run against “media elites, New York Times editorial page, billionaire donors … Hollywood moguls.” With all due respect to everyone involved, Biden is a pillar of the Washington establishment least able to make that case. Thirty-six years in the Senate. Eight as vice president. Almost four as president. He worked with many of these Democrats in passing major legislation, sometimes with bipartisan support. They love the guy. These are his people. They just think Trump is going to trounce him. If you need further evidence that Biden’s team doesn’t trust him, look at two interviews that the president did with Black radio stations in Pennsylvania last week – an utterly routine task for any candidate. The White House sent a bunch of questions in advance, then argued that this was standard practice and not a condition of the interviews. No, it’s an ethical breach. Andrea Lawful-Sanders, who interviewed Biden on WURD-FM, acknowledged on CNN that she had used four of the advance questions, and the station has now fired her. Sara Lomax, CEO of WURD, said using pre-determined questions “violates our practice of remaining an independent media outlet accountable to our listeners … WURD is not a mouthpiece for the Biden, or any other, administration.” Earl Ingram, a host at WMCS in Milwaukee, also admitted using the same four White House questions. The administration now says it will no longer send out suggested questions. But even though he knew what was coming, Biden still botched the Lawful-Sanders interview. He said he was proud to be “the first Black woman to serve with a Black president.” Huh? While hosting a NATO summit in Washington this week, Biden promised to hold a solo news conference, which will be a good test of his agility when answering aggressive questions, but should have already been done. Meanwhile, while a number of major donors say they won’t give the Democrats another dime if Biden remains the nominee, new information underscores the administration’s lack of candor. HOW THE PRINTING OF BALLOTS COULD PUT DEMOCRATS ON DEADLINE TO POTENTIALLY REPLACE BIDEN Kevin O’Connor, the White House doctor who has refused to do interviews, had a specialist in Parkinson’s disease meet with a medical liaison 10 times, beginning in 2022 and most recently in March. The role of that neurologist, Kevin Cannard, had not been previously disclosed. The White House issued a non-denial, saying a variety of specialists from Walter Reed visit the White House. Biden has repeatedly refused to take a neurological exam. Look, as someone who’s covered him since the 1980s, when he enjoyed talking to reporters, I can tell you that Biden has wanted to be president his whole adult life. He’s been written off many times. He’s extremely unlikely to give up the job now. And if that’s the case, with 99% of the delegates pledged to him, no one can take it away from him. Some media liberals and Democrats are talking

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