US approves $20 billion in weapons sales to Israel as Middle East tensions near boiling point
The State Department announced that it had approved $20 billion in arms sales to Israel as the region continues to spiral towards a wider war in the Middle East. The advance includes a myriad of weapons such as fighter jets and equipment worth nearly $19 billion, tank cartridges valued at $774 million, explosive mortar cartridges valued at over $60 million and army vehicles worth $583 million, the Pentagon said in a statement. “The United States is committed to the security of Israel, and it is vital to U.S. national interests to assist Israel to develop and maintain a strong and ready self-defense capability. This proposed sale is consistent with those objectives,” the State Department said. HAMAS REFUSES TO ATTEND GAZA CEASE-FIRE TALKS AS BIDEN SAYS IT’S ‘STILL POSSIBLE’ TO REACH DEAL In a statement, Israeli Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant thanked the U.S. for allowing Israel to maintain a “qualitative military edge in the region.” “Thank you to Secretary of Defense Austin and Secretary of State Blinken for advancing critical force buildup initiatives that assist Israel in developing and maintaining its qualitative military edge in the region,” he posted on X. “This includes incorporating F-15IAs into the IAF fleet of fighter aircraft, and providing critical munition to ensure Israel’s capabilities and security.” COTTON SLAMS HARRIS AS ‘NAIVE’ ON IRAN, BLASTS VP FOR NOT BEING TOUGH ON HAMAS “As we fight to defend Israel on 7 different fronts, your message of support and commitment to Israel’s security are clear,” he said. The impending sale comes as regional tension hurtles towards a breaking point. Regional sources told Fox News chief foreign correspondent Trey Yingst on Monday that they are concerned Iran and its proxies could attack Israel within the next 24 hours in retaliation for the killing of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran late last month. IRAN WILL ATTACK ISRAEL IF GAZA CEASEFIRE TALKS COLLAPSE: REPORT On Monday, the Lebanon-based terrorist group Hezbollah launched 30 rockets into northern Israel, although no casualties were reported, according to the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF). “Following sirens that sounded a short while ago in northern Israel, approximately 30 projectiles were identified crossing from Lebanon toward the area of Kabri, a number of which fell in open areas,” an IDF spokesman said. The $20 billion in arms sales are not expected to be delivered to Israel soon, with the sales expected to secure the nation’s resources long-term. Fox News Digital’s Greg Norman and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Biden repeats debunked claim he traveled 17,000 miles with China’s Xi Jinping
President Biden repeated a claim he had been fact-checked for in the past, telling an audience on Tuesday that he traveled 17,000 miles with Chinese President Xi Jinping. “I spent a lot of time with Xi Jinping,” he said during his remarks at an event touting the Biden “Cancer Moonshot” initiative in New Orleans, Louisiana. CASEY TIED TO CHINESE FIRM HE CLAIMED MCCORMICK-LED COMPANY INVESTED IN TO ‘PROFIT’ OFF FENTANYL CRISIS “I spent over 80 hours with him alone. Over 17,000 miles in China, anywhere in Tibet, near Tibet.” He described telling the Chinese president that “possibility” is the one word that can define America, tying his analogy to the Cancer Moonshot initiative. BALANCE OF POWER: TRUMP CAMPAIGN SLAMS SEN TESTER AS ‘RADICALLY OUT OF TOUCH’ AFTER ABORTION AD ROLLOUT Biden’s claim that he has traveled more than 17,000 miles with Xi has previously been fact-checked and considered primarily inaccurate, however. He has made the claim many times over several years and was fact-checked by the Washington Post in 2021. “Try as we could, however, we still could not get the travel to add up to 17,000 miles,” wrote the publication. ‘FEEL BETRAYED’: TOP CONSERVATIVE GROUP BLASTS VULNERABLE DEMS ON INFLATION IN MULTIMILLION-DOLLAR AD BLITZ’: Biden was given three pinocchios for his claim. According to the Post, this number of pinocchios means there is “significant factual error and/or obvious contradictions.” It is comparable to a rating of “mostly false.” The White House did not immediately respond to inquiries from Fox News Digital. BLINKEN PRESSURED TO FREEZE AFGHANISTAN AID AFTER REVELATION NEARLY $300M COULD HAVE GONE TO TALIBAN Biden announced $150 million in ARPA-H awards to develop technologies that will allow surgeons to provide more successful tumor-removal surgeries for people facing cancer at the event in New Orleans. After having dropped out of the 2024 presidential race last month and endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris to succeed him, Biden is now reportedly focusing on the causes that are most personal for him in his remaining months as president. Cancer research is of “immense importance” to the president, an aide told CNN.
Harris campaign says she will not push ‘Medicare-for-all’ plan despite previous support
Vice President Harris appears to be singing a different tune when it comes to ensuring “Medicare-for-all,” compared to when she ran for president in 2019. A campaign official told Fox News senior White House correspondent Peter Doocy that Harris will not push the subject of single-payer or “Medicare-for-all” this go around, as she seeks her first term as commander-in-chief. In 2019, Fox News spoke to Harris in the hallways of Capitol Hill, asking about her plans for providing health care. “How important is it to your health care plan to get rid of private insurance companies? Because there is some confusion about that,” Doocy asked Harris on Jan. 30, 2019. WHAT THE LATEST POLLS IN THREE KEY BATTLEGROUND STATES SHOW IN THE HARRIS-TRUMP SHOWDOWN “I’m glad you asked. Yeah. So, the bottom line and the most important is that everyone have access to health care,” Harris said. “That is the goal. That is the purpose for me supporting the policy of ‘Medicare-for-all.’ “If Congress votes in a way that reflects the values and desires of the American people, then Congress will vote for a policy that gives everyone access to health care,” she later said. On July 29, 2019, Harris published a piece on her campaign website about her plan to provide “Medicare-for-all.” BERNIE SANDERS DISAGREES, BUT TRUMP KEEPS INSISTING HARRIS IS MORE LIBERAL THAN THE VERMONT SENATOR She wrote, “There is perhaps no more complicated or more personal issue for Americans than health care.” Harris also wrote that the American health care system is “a patchwork of plans, providers and costs” that frustrates people and leaves them powerless against the insurance companies in charge. Her proposed solution was to provide “Medicare-for-all” because “Medicare works” and “it’s popular.” “‘Medicare-for-all’ will cover all medically necessary services, including emergency room visits, doctor visits, vision, dental, hearing aids, mental health, and substance-use disorder treatment, and comprehensive reproductive health care services,” Harris wrote. “It will also allow the Secretary of Health and Human Services to negotiate for lower prescription drug prices.” But her plan in July was different from what she proposed in January that year, because it would allow private insurers to offer Medicare plans to their clients. In an interview with The Hill in October 2019, Harris said she knew she would be called “a flip-flopper” after she backed away from her initial support of “Medicare-for-all,” and developed her own health care plan. Her plan in January 2019 called on eliminating private insurance. Then in July 2019, she chose to include a role for private insurance companies to privately administer Medicare plans, though under strict rules. Even in 2017, Harris backed a single-payer plan proposed by Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt. KAMALA HARRIS BACK SANDERS’ SINGLE-PAYER PLAN THAT PROBABLY COSTS TRILLIONS Harris told constituents at a town hall in Oakland on Aug. 30, 2017, that she planned to co-sponsor Sanders’ forthcoming “Medicare-for-all” bill, explaining that it was “just the right thing to do.” SINGLE-PAYER HEALTH CARE: WHAT IS IT? “It’s not just about what is morally and ethically right. It also makes sense from a fiscal standpoint,” Harris said at the time. Harris had previously stated that she supported the single-payer system as a “concept,” but that lawmakers needed to “work out the details.” Her announcement to co-sponsor Sanders’ bill was the first time she had publicly supported a single-payer plan. Under this European-style health care system, the government is solely responsible for covering health care costs. Sanders rolled out an earlier version of his proposal during the Democratic presidential primaries in 2016. The plan was first estimated to cost $13.8 trillion over the first 10 years, but that ballooned to $32 trillion and required an average annual tax increase of $24,000 per household. Fox News’ Brooke Singman contributed to this report.
Popular GOP governor’s Dem challenger revealed in deep-blue state’s primary
Democrat Esther Charlestin was declared the winner in Vermont’s gubernatorial primary on Tuesday night, advancing her to face the deep-blue state’s Republican governor. The race was called for Charlestin, an educator and first-generation Haitian American, who defeated computer scientist Peter Duvall on Tuesday. The current governor, Republican Phil Scott, has served as governor for four terms and did not face a primary challenger. RNC FILES LAWSUIT OVER NONCITIZEN VOTING RIGHTS IN VERMONT’S LARGEST CITY Charlestin was endorsed by former Democrat Gov. Howard Dean, Lt. Gov. David Zuckerman and Burlington Mayor Emma Mulvaney-Stanak. Duval, a former Underhill Selectboard member, stated on his website leading up to the election, “I am going to lose this election,” but he said a vote for him would help elevate environmental issues in state politics. He also encouraged Republicans and progressives to write in his name in their party primaries. ‘SQUAD’ FACES FINAL PRIMARY CHALLENGE AS 4 STATES GO TO POLLS TUESDAY Despite being a Republican governor in a heavily Democrat state, Scott remains a popular figure. He received 69% of the vote in the 2022 general election. Scott has been a critic of Republican Donald Trump and endorsed former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley for president. He said he was one of the 66% of Vermont voters who cast their ballots for Democrat Joe Biden in 2020. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Biden announces $150 million for tumor research with monies going to major universities
President Joe Biden, alongside first lady Jill Biden, delivered remarks Tuesday in New Orleans addressing his revamped “Cancer Moonshot” program, which seeks to cut the cancer death rate in the U.S. by about half over the next 25 years. During the president’s remarks, which took place at Tulane University, he focused on the need to break down research “silos” and improve information sharing among the cancer research community. “It’s all about working together and sharing data, sharing information,” Biden told the crowd at Tulane. Biden’s remarks also focused on the president’s development of the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) initiative, which the White House announced on Tuesday would be getting $150 million in new funding. The funding, he said, will go towards supporting the development of technologies to help surgeons more successfully remove cancerous tumors. MEN’S CANCER DEATHS EXPECTED TO SPIKE MORE THAN 90% BY 2020, STUDY FINDS “Right now, surgeons determine how to move cancerous cells and protect vital organs without a clear view of them,” Biden said Tuesday. “A lot of it is educated guess work. The funding we announce today will help get these tools into the operating room to visualize tumors right away instead of having to wait for days and weeks and maybe re-open the patient to go back in. It’s a promising step to reduce the need for follow-up treatments.” Biden said the $150 million will be allocated to eight different colleges and universities across the country, including a team at Tulane, which will receive $23 million. The other teams will come from some of the nation’s leading universities and colleges, including Dartmouth College, Johns Hopkins University, Rice University, the University of California – San Francisco, the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, the University of Washington and Cision Vision in Mountain View, California. BARSTOOL SPORTS FOUNDER DAVE PORTNOY REVEALS HE RECENTLY ‘BEAT’ CANCER The federal government’s “Cancer Moonshot” program was established in 2016, under former President Barack Obama, when Biden was vice president. In 2022, Biden revamped the Cancer Moonshot program by bolstering it with billions in new funding and a new goal of reducing the cancer death rate in half by 2047. Major goals include a nationwide ban on menthol cigarettes. But earlier this year, the Biden administration reversed course on the ban following an immense push back. The White House has listed the Cancer Moonshot program as one of Biden’s top priorities for the remainder of his lame duck presidency. Cancer is a particularly personal subject for the Biden family, as their son Beau died of glioblastoma in 2015 at the age of 46. According to one presidential aide, cancer research holds “immense importance” for the president, CNN reported, and between now and the end of his term, Biden said he plans to continue doling out billions in funds to continue to support the program. Cancer is the second-highest cause of death among Americans after heart disease. The American Cancer Society has estimated that 2024 will see 2 million new cancer cases and more than 610,000 fatalities from the disease. Fox News Digital reached out to the Biden administration following the speaking engagement for comment and was directed to a fact sheet released by the White House outlining the new ARPA-H funding.
Texas Rangers find no evidence of efforts to sway 2022 election results in Harris County
One county employee was charged in the probe, however, after investigators said he failed to make sure polling locations had enough ballots.
Maryland Rep. Steny Hoyer recovering from ‘mild’ stroke, will resume normal schedule next week
U.S. Rep. Steny Hoyer, D- Md., had a stroke over the weekend but is recovering, his office said Tuesday. Margaret Mulkerrin, Hoyer’s deputy chief of staff and spokesperson, said he suffered a “mild ischemic stroke” and sought medical treatment. “Mr. Hoyer has responded well to treatment and has no lingering symptoms. He expects to resume his normal schedule next week,” Mulkerrin said in a statement. “Mr. Hoyer’s wife and family extend their deepest thanks to his medical team.” BEWARE THE IDES OF JULY: TRUMP ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT, BIDEN ENDS RE-ELECTION CAMPAIGN IN WILD MONTH The potential cause of the stroke was not disclosed. Hoyer, 85, has served in Congress since 1981. In January, he said he planned to run for re-election. “I believe I have more work to complete on behalf of my district, my state and my country,” he said in a statement at the time. “I am blessed to have the good health, strength and enduring passion necessary to continue serving my constituents at this decisive moment for Maryland and America.” Hoyer stepped down as House Majority Leader, where he served as former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s top deputy, in 2022, and was replaced by Democratic Rep. Hakeem Jeffries of New York.
Fox News Politics: Walz-ing Grandma Off to Jail
Welcome to the Fox News Politics newsletter, with the latest political news from Washington, D.C. and updates from the 2024 campaign trail. Here’s what’s happening… – Vets continue to slam Tim Walz’s military record – There are only 24 days till voting starts as Election Day looms – Elon Musk says Trump pulled in 1 billion viewers in their online chat Lisa Hanson, a former wine and coffee bistro owner thrown into jail for violating Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz’s lockdown orders, told Fox News Digital that the now Democratic vice presidential candidate essentially “shut down and destroyed” her small business, warning Americans, “You do not want tyranny at this level.” A mother of eight children and soon to be 18 grandchildren, Hanson said besides a speeding ticket she received as a teenager, she had always been a law-abiding citizen and owned businesses with her husband for more than 30 years. At the time the COVID-19 pandemic was in full swing in 2020, Hanson said The Interchange Wine & Coffee Bistro in Albert Lea, about 90 miles south of Minneapolis, had been open for eight years. Her wine and coffee bistro initially complied with the shutdown ordered that March. However, Hanson said she watched for months afterward as Walz never fully re-opened the state when it came to businesses deemed non-essential, such as the bars, restaurants, gyms, dance studios and hair salons. By contrast, the governor never shut down liquor stores, the “big box stores” or even strip clubs. Hanson eventually decided to re-open her business and defied Walz’s renewed shutdown order for bars and restaurants six times between December 2020 and January 2021. She was convicted in December 2021 on misdemeanor charges and received the maximum sentence of 90 days and a $1,000 fine. Hanson ended up serving two-thirds of her sentence, 60 days. …Read more DON’T BELIEVE EVERYTHING ON TV: Harris’ history on immigration is completely at odds with her ad spots running now, say detractors …Read more TASK FORCE GO: House Trump shooting task force takes significant step in high-profile probe …Read more NO LAUGHING MATTER: ‘Squad’ member blasts Blinken as ‘joke’ for celebrating Geneva Convention anniversary …Read more FIRST ON FOX: Ted Cruz rips into National Park Service’s response to pro-Hamas DC protest …Read more ‘MINI CALIFORNIA’: Rural Minnesotans unleash on Gov Walz’s ‘very liberal’ policies …Read more ‘RAN AWAY’: Gov. Walz increasingly under fire over military record …Read more ‘CLEARLY A FAILURE’: Dem strategist says Harris campaign missed Walz red flags …Read more ‘BERNIE IN FLANNEL’: Minnesota GOP chair reveals how Tim Walz is trying to ‘bamboozle’ rural America …Read more ‘STOLEN VALOR’?: Harris campaign dodges key question on Walz’s military career …Read more ‘IN THIS BALL GAME’: Network data guru declares Trump ‘very much in this race’ despite Harris polling gains …Read more OPIUM WARS: Senate Dem owns stock in Chinese fentanyl maker he attacked GOP rival over …Read more FAMILY BUSINESS: The late Sheila Jackson Lee’s daughter is running for her mom’s old House seat …Read more IT’S GO TIME: With 24 days until early voting, ‘election season’ kicks off sooner than you think …Read more PLEDGED SUPPORT: Kamala Harris’ college sorority launches PAC to boost her candidacy …Read more ‘SHAM’ ADDRESS: RFK Jr.’s presidential candidacy suffers major blow from a NY judge …Read more FOX NEWS POWER RANKINGS: Five themes emerge in the battle for the House gavel …Read more SUNSHINE STATE SHOWDOWN: Close contest between Trump, Harris in this battleground state turned red: poll …Read more ‘GOING BACK TO BUTLER’: 5 key takeaways from Trump-Musk interview …Read more ‘NO LIMITS’: Elon Musk says Trump interview pulled in 1 billion views …Read more RETURN TO BUTLER: Trump plans trip back to Pa. assassination attempt site …Read more DENIED: Anti-Israel group aiming to make waves at the DNC hit with rude awakening …Read more CONVENTION PROTESTS: Pro-Palestinian protesters face set back ahead planned demonstrations at Democratic convention in Chicago …Read more LAUGH LINE: Late-night audience cracks up after host praises CNN’s reporting …Read more Subscribe now to get the Fox News Politics newsletter in your inbox. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more on FoxNews.com.
After six years of low scores for students learning English, Texas educators say it’s the test’s fault
Students’ scores in a test that gauges their English skills have been low since a redesign introduced computer scoring.
Walz makes first solo campaign stop in speech to influential union
Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz made his first solo campaign stop in California, delivering a speech in front of one of the country’s most prominent unions. “The vice president and I, we know exactly who built this country. It was nurses, it was teachers, and it was state and local government employees that built this nation. People in this room, built the middle class,” Walz said in a speech in front of members of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), one of the country’s strongest public sector unions. The stop marked Walz’s first on his own since being tapped to join Harris on the Democratic ticket, with the duo mostly hitting the road together since the announcement last month. Walz touted his pro-union credentials, recalling his time as a “due-paying” member of a teacher’s union and his record as governor that made it easier for workers to collectively bargain. FORMER LEADER OF WALZ’S BATTALION PUBLISHES SCATHING MESSAGE AIMED AT GOVERNOR’S MILITARY CAREER: REPORT “Here’s a fact they shared with me as I came here to make this opportunity to say thank you… I happen to be the first union member on a presidential ticket since Ronald Reagan,” Walz said. “But rest assured, I won’t lose my way.” While a stop in deep-blue California might not be seen as an important one on the trail, AFSCME members from all over the country were there to meet and later hear from the country’s potential future vice president. The union, which according to NPR boasts 1.5 million members of mostly state and local government employees, represents a powerful demographic for the Harris campaign to attempt to solidify support. Walz has brought a Midwest and blue collar vibe to the campaign, touting Harris’ working class credentials since joining the vice president on the trail. “It’s very simple – she stands on the side of the American people and the American worker,” Walz said during a rally in Michigan last week. While most unions have traditionally supported Democratic candidates, former President Donald Trump has attempted to make inroads with the country’s blue-collar workers and union members, most notably in Rust Belt swing states that will decide the election. The former president has continued to attempt to make his case to the country’s workers throughout the campaign, targeting hospitality workers by promising to push through a bill that would eliminate taxes on tips. WALZ ACCUSATIONS OF ‘STOLEN VALOR’ PROMPT BATTLE BETWEEN HOUSE VETERANS Harris, meanwhile, attempted to chase the same voters by making a similar vow last week, while the Harris-Walz ticket has earned the endorsement of the hospitality union UNITE HERE. “It’s sad that union bosses continue to be puppets for the Democrat Party and are completely out of touch with the workers they are supposed to represent,” Trump campaign spokesperson Karoline Leavitt told Fox News Digital in response to that news. The Trump campaign’s attempt to appeal to working class voters was also evident in the former president’s selection of Ohio Sen. JD Vance as running mate, who has made a broader pitch to Rust Belt workers to get behind the Republican ticket. “In small towns like mine in Ohio, or next door in Pennsylvania, or in Michigan, in states all across our country, jobs were sent overseas and children were sent to war,” Vance said in his speech at the Republican National Convention. “To the people of Middletown, Ohio, and all the forgotten communities in Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Ohio, and every corner of our nation, I promise you this,” he continued. “I will be a vice president who never forgets where he came from.” Meanwhile, cracks in the Democratic Party’s relationship with unions have started to appear, most notably when Teamsters President Sean O’Brien became the first leader of his organization to speak at the Republican National Convention and offer rare openness to support for Republican candidates. “We are not beholden to anyone or any party,” O’Brien said. “We want to know one thing: What are you doing to help American workers?” Nevertheless, Walz expressed optimism that American workers would ultimately take his and Harris’ side in November. “The only thing those two guys know about working people is how to take advantage of them,” he said, referring to Trump and Vance. “Every chance they’ve gotten, they’ve waged war on workers and their ability to collectively bargain, to take that away from them.” Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.