US sanctions Palestinian group under decree used to target Israeli settlers
Biden administration imposes penalties on West Bank-based Lions’ Den, accusing it of threatening ‘peace and stability’. Washington, DC – The United States has imposed sanctions on a Palestinian group in the occupied West Bank based on a White House executive order previously used to penalise violent Israeli settlers. The US on Thursday targeted the Lions’ Den, an armed group that emerged out of Nablus in 2022 and has claimed several attacks against Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank. “The United States condemns any and all acts of violence committed in the West Bank, whoever the perpetrators, and we will use the tools at our disposal to expose and hold accountable those who threaten peace and stability there,” the US Department of State said in a statement. It cited several attacks attributed to Lions’ Den fighters dating back to October 2022. The sanctions block the group’s assets in the US and largely prohibit American citizens from engaging in transitions with them. The penalties were issued under Executive Order (EO) 14115, which set up a legal framework for US sanctions against individuals and entities “undermining peace, security and stability” in the West Bank. When President Joe Biden issued the decree in February, it was largely seen as an effort to crack down on settler violence against Palestinians that had intensified since the outbreak of the war on Gaza. But only a few private Israeli citizens have been sanctioned under the directive, as the Biden administration has resisted calls to penalise Israeli officials responsible for abuses against Palestinians in the West Bank. Earlier this week, Democratic US Senator Chris Van Hollen called on the Biden administration to sanction far-right Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich under the same executive order. “In my view, Smotrich should be subject to sanctions under this EO,” Van Hollen said. The finance minister has withheld taxes owed to the Palestinian Authority and in March, he also declared 800 hectares (1,977 acres) in the occupied West Bank to be Israeli state land. “You’ve got this person whose stated goal is for essentially Israel to take over the entire West Bank,” Van Hollen told the Center for American Progress, a liberal think tank. But Washington has been reluctant to take meaningful steps against Israel as Biden administration officials often pledge unwavering support to the US ally. Reporting from Washington, DC, Al Jazeera’s Mike Hanna said the Lions’ Den is a relatively small group, but it has grown in prominence in the West Bank amid the war on Gaza. Hanna said the sanctions against the Palestinian group may be a “balancing act” against the penalties targeting settlers. “It’s a way perhaps for the US to show even-handedness in terms of its dealings with all the groups in the region,” he said. Adblock test (Why?)
Biden’s ‘perpetual state of confusion’ on display in Normandy amid rising cognitive questions
The Republican National Committee (RNC) research division posted several videos on X that appeared to show President Biden in “a perpetual state of confusion” following his speech in Normandy on Thursday to commemorate the 80th anniversary of D-Day. The RNC research account, which is managed by former President Trump’s campaign and the RNC, rattled off several posts on X of the president in Normandy, with one video showing Biden bending down at one point, seeming to be uncertain whether it was time to sit down. “Awkward,” the RNC captioned the video. BIDEN WHITE HOUSE URGED DEMOCRATS TO CALL BACK WALL STREET JOURNAL AS IT REPORTED ON PRESIDENT’S MENTAL ACUITY In part of Biden’s speech to D-Day veterans, he appeared to misspeak while urging allies to support Ukraine in its war against Russia, saying that hundreds of thousands of Russian military personnel were killed in Ukraine. “They’ve suffered tremendous losses with Russia – the numbers are staggering, 350,000 Russian troops dead or wounded,” he said. Later, Biden claimed in an ABC interview with David Muir that he’s known Vladimir Putin “for over 40 years,” notwithstanding the fact that Putin served as an undercover KGB intelligence officer for the Soviet Union throughout the entire 1980s. “I’ve known him for over 40 years. He’s concerned me for 40 years. He’s not a decent man,” Biden told Muir. BIDEN DISPLAYS SIGNS OF DECLINE IN PRIVATE MEETINGS WITH CONGRESSIONAL LEADERS: REPORT Another video showed Biden walking off with his wife, Jill, as the president of France, Emmanuel Macron, continued to greet and chat with World War II veterans. In a hot mic moment, Biden appeared to say to Macron, “My advance team said I gotta be the first one to leave,” in another video capturing the interaction. Questions about Biden’s mental acuity circulated this week after The Wall Street Journal’s bombshell report that interviewed 45 lawmakers and administration officials about Biden’s mental performance. Biden, 81, is the oldest person to hold the presidency and has faced skepticism from voters and Republican lawmakers about his ability to do his job. Many Republicans and even some Democrats said the president showed his age in private meetings. Most of the people interviewed by the outlet who were critical of Biden’s performance were Republicans, although some Democrats said the president showed his age in several exchanges. These interviewees participated in meetings with Biden or were briefed on them contemporaneously, including administration officials and other Democrats who did not express concerns about how the president handled the meetings. EX-BIDEN STAFFER CALLS OUT DEMOCRATS FOR ‘FAUX OUTRAGE’ OVER WSJ ARTICLE ABOUT PRESIDENT’S MENTAL SHARPNESS White House officials, however, dismissed many of the accounts from people who have met with the president or been briefed on those meetings, saying such criticisms were motivated by partisan politics. “Congressional Republicans, foreign leaders and nonpartisan national-security experts have made clear in their own words that President Biden is a savvy and effective leader who has a deep record of legislative accomplishment,” White House spokesman Andrew Bates said. “Now, in 2024, House Republicans are making false claims as a political tactic that flatly contradict previous statements made by themselves and their colleagues.” Fox News Digital’s Landon Mion contributed to this report.
Biden claims to have known Putin for ‘over 40 years’ even when he worked as a KGB agent
President Biden on Thursday claimed to have known Vladimir Putin for “over 40 years,” despite the Russian leader having served as a KGB agent dating back to the 1980s. The flub came during an ABC News interview with anchor David Muir as the president was visiting the Normandy American Cemetery in France to commemorate the 80th anniversary of D-Day. “I’ve known him for over 40 years. He’s concerned me for 40 years,” Biden said. “He’s not a decent man. He’s a dictator and he’s struggling to make sure he holds his country together while still keeping his assault going,” referring to Russia’s war in Ukraine. BIDEN TAKES HEAT OVER GAFFE URGING AMERICANS TO ‘CHOOSE FREEDOM OVER DEMOCRACY’ Putin began working as an intelligence officer for the then-KGB in 1975 after attending Leningrad State University. He was in the East German city of Dresden in 1985 where he witnessed the collapse of a communist state first-hand in 1989. He then began a career in government that catapulted him to the upper echelon of Russian politics. Putin has held continuous positions as president or prime minister since 1999. Biden’s comments came amid another round of gaffes and slip-ups at public events that left critics questioning his cognitive performance. Most recently, he raised eyebrows when he said last month at the White House Rose Garden that American-Israeli Hersh Goldberg-Polin, who is currently being held captive by Hamas, was in attendance. “My administration is working around the clock to free the remaining hostages, just as we have freed hostages already. And here with us today is Hersh Goldberg-Polin,” Biden said, before quickly correcting himself. “And still he is not here with us, but he’s still being held by Hamas,” Biden then said, recognizing the 23-year-old’s parents, who were in attendance that day. TRUMP THREATENED WITH JAIL IF HE MISSES HUSH MONEY TRIAL AS BIDEN CAMPAIGNS IN PENNSYLVANIA On May 19, Biden claimed at a Michigan campaign event that he was vice president during the COVID pandemic and that former President Obama dispatched him to Detroit to help battle the disease. “And when I was vice president, things were kind of bad during the pandemic,” he said. “And, what happened was Barack said to me: ‘Go to Detroit — and help fix it.’” At a trade union conference in Washington, D.C., in April, he read the instructions on the teleprompter out loud. “I see an economy that grows from the middle out and bottom up, where the wealthy pay their fair share, so we can have childcare, paid leave and so much more and still reduce the federal deficit and increase economic growth. Folks, imagine what we can do next, four more years, pause,” Biden said. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP That same month, he urged Americans to “choose freedom over democracy” by reelecting him. The White House recently issued nine corrections to Biden’s gaffe-filled speech to the NAACP in May.
Biden campaign’s 2020 narrative about Hunter’s laptop collapses after Biden DOJ enters into trial evidence
The “Russian information operation” narrative that was pushed by dozens of former intelligence officials and amplified by the Biden campaign a couple weeks before the 2020 election took a major blow this week when the federal government entered Hunter Biden’s laptop into evidence for his gun trial. After years of the authenticity of the laptop being downplayed by former intel officials, prominent Democrats, and the White House, Hunter’s laptop was officially entered into evidence by Biden’s Department of Justice and is being used to attempt to prove that Biden was addicted to drugs at the time he purchased a gun in 2018, a violation of federal law. The laptop was introduced by prosecutor Derek Hines and handed to FBI agent Erika Jensen, who explained earlier this week how the FBI authenticated the laptop and extracted data. For the gun trial, she testified about dozens of text messages, metadata, photos and short videos found on phones and iCloud accounts belonging to Biden. One of the most significant denials of the authenticity of the laptop came two weeks before the 2020 presidential election when 51 former intelligence officials claimed in a letter that the laptop may have been fabricated by Russia to influence the presidential election. HUNTER BIDEN’S WIFE LASHES OUT AT FORMER TRUMP AIDE DURING COURT APPEARANCE: ‘PIECE OF S—‘ The crafting of that memo, which was ultimately published by Politico, involved coordination between the Biden campaign and the former officials, House Republicans concluded in an investigation. Fox News Digital previously reported that House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, and House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Turner, R-Ohio, sent a letter to Secretary of State Blinken last year saying, “Based on Morell’s testimony, it is apparent that the Biden campaign played an active role in the origins of the public statement, which had the effect of helping to suppress the Hunter Biden story and preventing American citizens from making a fully informed decision during the 2020 presidential election.” Morell also said that he received a call from Biden’s White House counselor Steve Ricchetti, who was serving as the chairman of the 2020 campaign at the time, following the Oct. 22 debate. Morell said the call was to thank him for spearheading the letter. DEMOCRATS LOST ONE PRECIOUS THING AT HUNTER INFLUENCE PEDDLING HEARING According to the GOP’s report, former CIA senior adviser Nick Shapiro drafted a media pitch and shopped the letter to The Associated Press, The Washington Post and Politico. He then forwarded the letter to then-Biden campaign spokesperson Andrew Bates, who is currently the White House deputy senior press secretary, tipping them off before publication and saying, “This is what I gave them.” “Hunter Biden story is Russian disinfo, dozens of former intel officials say,” Bates tweeted after the Politico story was published, including a link to the article. “Hunter Biden story is Russian disinfo, dozens of former intel officials say,” tweeted Jen Psaki, who later became Biden’s White House press secretary. “If we see tonight from Donald Trump these attacks on Vice President Biden’s family, I think we need to be very, very clear that what he’s doing here is amplifying Russian misinformation,” said Kate Bedingfield, Biden’s deputy campaign manager who later served as White House communications director. Indeed, Biden brought up the letter during his final debate against former President Donald Trump, saying the laptop was a “Russian plant” and a “bunch of garbage.” “There are 50 former national intelligence folks who said that what he’s accusing me of is a Russian plant,” Biden said at the time. “… Five former heads of the CIA, both parties, say what he’s saying is a bunch of garbage. Nobody believes it except his good friend Rudy Giuliani.” Kerri Kupec Urbahn, Fox News Legal editor, posted on social media on Tuesday that the prosecution’s introduction of the laptop was a key moment in the case. “Biggest takeway from court today: the laptop is real, we saw it with our own eyes, it belongs to Hunter Biden, and the FBI/DOJ are using information extracted from it in the gun case,” Urbah said. “Curious if the 50+ intel experts plan to put out an updated letter in time for this year’s debates.” The White House and Biden campaign did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. Fox News Digital’s Jessica Chasmar and Emma Colton contributed to this report
Eid Al Adha 2024: Dhul Hijjah Moon spotted in Saudi Arabia, Dubai, will be celebrated in India on…
Eid al-Adha, also known as Eid ul-Adha, Bakra Eid, or the ‘Feast of Sacrifice,’ is the most significant festival in the Muslim calendar.
Texas tells local election officials to stop releasing information that exposes how some people vote
The emergency guidance from the secretary of state comes after Votebeat and The Texas Tribune confirmed the choices some voters make can later be identified through legally available records.
Trump, Biden supporters sharply divided over ‘culture war’ and ‘woke’ issues: Here’s where they stand
A Pew Research Center survey reveals that supporters of President Biden and former President Trump are sharply divided over topics described as “culture war” or “woke” issues, including gender identity, the toughness of the American criminal justice system and illegal immigration. The polling, which was conducted between April 8-14 and involved 8,709 U.S. adults, comes as both candidates are gearing up for what is anticipated to be a hotly contested election this November. The Pew findings show that 90% of Trump supporters believe gender is determined by sex assigned at birth, compared to just 39% of Biden supporters. Nearly 60% of those who support Biden say gender can be different from the sex assigned at birth, compared to only 9% of Trump backers. When it comes to the criminal justice system, 81% of Trump supporters said it’s not tough enough on criminals, compared to just 40% of Biden supporters who felt the same way. NEW POLL REVEALS BIDEN LOSING SUPPORT FROM THIS KEY DEMOGRAPHIC MONTHS BEFORE ELECTION DAY Voters also were split on the need to deport undocumented migrants from the U.S. Sixty-three percent of Trump supporters signaled in the Pew Research Center survey that they are in favor of a national law enforcement effort to deport undocumented migrants currently living on American soil, compared to only 11% of Biden supporters. The survey also found that only 27% of registered voters who support Trump believe the legacy of slavery affects the position of Black people in the U.S. today, while 73% say it has little to no impact, according to the Pew Research Center. When Biden supporters were asked the same question, 79% said the legacy of slavery is still making an impact on the standing of Black people, compared to 20% who said it doesn’t have much of an effect. HILLARY CLINTON COMMEMORATES D-DAY WITH POST SUGGESTING TRUMP IS COMPARABLE TO HITLER Despite their differences, there are some areas where both Biden and Trump supporters find common ground. The Pew Research Center says the survey found 59% of Trump supporters and 51% of Biden supporters believe increased use of artificial intelligence in daily life is bad for society. It also says 94% of Biden supporters and 79% of Trump supporters believe people openly discussing mental health and well-being is a good thing for society.
Obama stresses critical Dem Senate majority for appointing preferred judges
Former President Obama emphasized the importance of preserving the Democratic Senate majority during a fundraiser Wednesday night, highlighting the chamber’s unique ability to confirm judges nominated by the president. “The ability to get judges appointed — never been more critical than it is today,” he said during the event in Potomac, Maryland. “On the legislative side, there have been some remarkable achievements that were only achieved because of that very slender, narrow win that we had,” he added, according to a partial transcript released by the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC). MCCONNELL TAKES AIM AT ‘ISOLATIONIST’ COLLEAGUES IN SCATHING D-DAY ESSAY His remarks at the fundraiser for the DSCC fundraiser came as President Biden, his former vice president, hit a milestone by officially confirming 200 judges during his term. Biden is outpacing former President Trump, who was lauded by Republicans for speedily confirming judges himself. The Democrats are in the majority in the Senate but face a significant disadvantage with the 2024 electoral map because several vulnerable incumbents are in competitive races. The party has also sustained the loss of senators Joe Manchin, I-W.Va., and Kyrsten Sinema, I-Ariz., both of whom are leaving office and switched to registered independents during their tenure. With Manchin’s exit, Republicans are expected to gain a seat in the chamber, while Arizona’s race is considered a deadlock that could go either way. ‘MISLEADING’ DEM CONTRACEPTION BILL FAILS KEY VOTE AS GOP SLAMS BROAD PROPOSAL Three Democratic incumbents are embroiled in re-election races that are so close that non-partisan political handicapper the Cook Political Report deemed them “Toss Ups,” while Republican re-election races are almost all considered relatively safe. The emphasis on the ability to appoint judges also coincides with calls for Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor to retire so that Biden can appoint her successor. Trump notably was able to confirm three Supreme Court justices, leading to a number of landmark decisions, like Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which overturned Roe v. Wade. JON TESTER CAMPAIGN ADMITS ‘HARD TRUTH’ SENATE RACE WILL BE EXPENSIVE AND CLOSE Aside from the Supreme Court, Trump managed to appoint nearly the same number of appellate level judges as Obama did in only half the amount of time. The former president is expected to bring a similar urgency to judicial appointments in a second term if he wins in November, which would be significantly aided by a Republican Senate Majority. Obama informed attendees Wednesday that preserving the Democratic majority in the chamber will take “a lot of work” and “a lot of organization.” ‘PARENTAL RIGHTS’: GOP WARNS DEM SENATE BILL IS ABOUT MORE THAN CONTRACEPTION In Maryland, where the fundraiser was held, Democratic Senate nominee Angela Alsobrooks faces an unforeseen obstacle to election in Republican candidate Larry Hogan, a former two-term governor. The state has long been considered safely Democratic, but with Hogan’s entrance into the race, Cook Political Report changed the rating to “Likely Democratic,” acknowledging his history as governor. His candidacy has similarly prompted some speculation that Republicans could gain a seat in blue Maryland. A spokesperson for Obama did not provide additional comment to Fox News Digital. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.
Florida Supreme Court backs Ron DeSantis on removal of Soros-backed prosecutor
The Florida Supreme Court ruled in favor of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ decision to remove a Soros-backed prosecutor on Thursday. DeSantis had suspended State Attorney Monique Worrel in August 2023, accusing her of “dereliction of duty” when it comes to crime. Worrel sued for reinstatement, arguing her removal was an “arbitrary, unsubstantiated exercise of the suspension power.” Thursday’s 6-1 ruling shut down her plans. “We cannot agree with Worrel that the allegations in the Executive Order are impermissibly vague, nor that they address conduct that falls within the lawful exercise of prosecutorial discretion,” the opinion read. “We have said that a suspension order does not infringe on a state attorney’s lawful exercise of prosecutorial discretion where it alleges that such discretion is, in fact, not being exercised in individual cases but, rather, that generalized policies have resulted in categorical enforcement practices,” the majority opinion reads. FLORIDA EDUCATION COMMISSIONER SAYS STATES NEED TO BE MORE ‘AGGRESSIVE’ WITH POLICY, GO BACK TO BASICS DeSantis touted Worrel’s removal in a press conference last year as he was running for president. RON DESANTIS SHAKES UP LIBERAL UNIVERSITY, APPOINTS SIX MEMBERS TO THE NEW COLLEGE OF FLORIDA “The practices and policies of her office have allowed murderers, other violent offenders, and dangerous drug traffickers to receive extremely reduced sentences and escape the full consequences of their criminal conduct. In some cases, these offenders have evaded incarceration altogether,” DeSantis said at the time. “State Attorney Worrel’s practices undermine Florida law and endanger the safety, security, and welfare of the communities that Ms. Worrell was elected to serve,” he added. Worrel had enjoyed support during her 2020 campaign from Our Vote Our Voice, an organization that received $1 million from the George Soros-backed group Democracy Now, the Orlando Sentinel reported. Our Vote Our Voice spent $1.5 million in support of Worrel, according to the Sentinel. Worrel was the second Florida prosecutor to face DeSantis’ wrath. He also suspended Hillsborough County State Attorney Andrew Warren in August 2022 for refusing to enforce the state’s abortion ban. That decision was upheld in federal court. CLICK TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Thursday’s ruling comes weeks after a federal judge blocked part of DeSantis’ illegal immigration bill from taking effect. The law, which DeSantis signed in 2023, in part amends human smuggling statutes to make it a felony to bring individuals without lawful immigration status into Florida. U.S. District Judge Roy Altman issued a temporary injunction against that provision and in his decision cited testimony from plaintiffs that they were “now too afraid to travel in and out of Florida with their undocumented friends or family members – for fear of being arrested or prosecuted or of having their family members deported.”
BJP calls Rahul Gandhi’s claims of ‘biggest stock market scam’ against PM Modi, Amit Shah ‘baseless’
Rahul Gandhi had accused PM Modi and Amit Shah of direct involvement in the purported scam which allegedly caused a loss of Rs 30 lakh crore to retail investors, while also demanding a joint parliamentary committee probe.