Trump heads to unlikely deep blue state to raise major campaign cash
Former President Trump heads to Democratic-dominated California on Thursday evening to kick off a three-day fundraising swing as he builds resources for his 2024 re-election rematch with President Biden. The former president will headline a fundraising dinner hosted by tech investors David Sacks and Chamath Palihapitiya, two of the heaviest hitters in Silicon Valley and co-hosts of the hot “All-In” podcast. Tickets at the sold-out event range from $50,000 per person to get in the door all the way up to $500,000 per couple for special access as part of the host committee. The event is reportedly sold out. THIS IS HOW MUCH A TOP PRO-TRUMP SUPER PAC HAULED IN LAST MONTH “I think it is just very telling; I would never have predicted that you’d have a sold-out fundraiser targeting tech leaders in Pacific Heights and for a Republican candidate,” Harmeet Dhillon, a Republican National Committee (RNC) member from California, told Fox News. Dhillon, a longtime Bay Area-based attorney who’s part of Trump’s legal coalition, is attending the fundraiser. TRUMP GUILTY VERDICT IN CRIMINAL TRIAL FIRES UP HIS FUNDRAISING Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, a Trump ally and potential 2024 running mate who spent time a few years back in the San Francisco area working for hedge funds in the tech sector, was instrumental in putting the top-dollar fundraiser together. Trump heads south to Beverly Hills for a Friday fundraiser and a Saturday finance event in Newport Beach in Orange County. The trip doesn’t mean the Trump campaign thinks overwhelmingly blue California may be in play. Instead, Trump’s swing, like two fundraisers in the Bay Area on Wednesday headlined by Vice President Harris, and President Biden’s San Francisco area fundraisers last month, are the latest proof that the Golden State remains a crucial ATM for campaign cash. Trump’s campaign on Monday said it and the RNC, fueled in part by the former president’s guilty verdicts in his criminal trial, hauled in a stunning $141 million in fundraising in May. Trump was found guilty of all 34 felony counts in the first trial of a former or current president in the nation’s history. The former president’s campaign highlighted that in the first 24 hours following Thursday evening’s verdict, it and the RNC brought in nearly $53 million in fundraising, which counted toward May’s total. The Biden campaign has also been fundraising off of the Trump verdict, and a source familiar told Fox News that “the 24 hours after the verdict were one of the best fundraising 24 hours of the Biden campaign since launch.” Trump has been aiming to close his fundraising gap with Biden. In April, his campaign and the RNC for the first time outraised the Biden campaign and the Democratic National Committee. And on Wednesday, Make America Great Again Inc., a leading super PAC supporting Trump’s campaign, said it raked in nearly $70 million in fundraising in May. Fundraising, along with public opinion polling, is a key metric used to measure the strength of candidates and their campaigns. Money raised can be used to build up grassroots outreach and get-out-the-vote operations, staffing, travel and ads, among other things. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.
‘Like a son’: Former top Biden adviser with deep business ties to China spotted inside Hunter Biden gun trial
FIRST ON FOX: One of President Biden’s top former advisers, who has been a business partner of a wealthy Chinese businessman with multiple CCP ties for nearly a decade, appeared in the Delaware courtroom with Hunter Biden’s friends and family on Monday to support him during the jury selection process for his gun trial, Fox News Digital confirmed. Francis “Fran” Person, who served in the Obama administration as an adviser to the elder Biden and a special assistant to President Obama between 2009 and 2014, was spotted sitting with Hunter Biden’s family and friends, which included First lady Jill Biden, his sister, Ashley Biden, his wife, Melissa, among others. Person, who was described in a 2014 Politico profile piece as the elder Biden’s “confidante” and “like a son to Joe and me,” according to Jill Biden, has been close friends with Hunter for over a decade and was often his point of contact in the VP office when Hunter was trying to reach his dad. The elder Biden also praised Person in the profile piece highlighting his departure from the White House to South Carolina, saying, “People know that he has my ear whenever he wants it.” Less than six months after Person’s White House departure in the summer of 2014 Person helped launch Harves Global Entertainment, a Washington, D.C.-based affiliate of the China-based Harves Century Group, a multi-billion dollar real estate development firm. HUNTER BIDEN’S CRIMINAL TRIAL ON FEDERAL GUN CHARGES BEGINS WITH JURY SELECTION Person, whose sister worked for Hunter Biden’s now-defunct Rosemont Seneca Partners firm before joining Biden’s VP office in 2014, frequently emailed with Hunter and his longtime business partner, Eric Schwerin, then-president Rosemont Seneca, about business dealings associated with Harves Entertainment and other D.C.-based Harves affiliates in 2015 and 2016. He also made multiple visits to the White House during that time, including attending a White House holiday reception in December 2015 with Bo Zhang, his Chinese business partner, according to visitor logs reviewed by Fox News Digital. Person previously told Fox News Digital the White House visits were “personal in nature” and that he was “visiting with old colleagues and friends.” Person first introduced Hunter to the Harves brand in a detailed July 2015 email inviting him to China to meet Zhang and his family, saying, “They are a great family with great respect and relationships in China.” Zhang is the son of “Chinese billionaires,” according to court records pertaining to an ongoing legal dispute between Zhang and a New York City designer, which alleges Zhang has failed to pay the designer over $4 million. “I’d like for you to get to know Bo. He’s a brilliant guy – he’s been groomed to take over his family’s dynasty, but he’s very humble. He will do great things one day, but he needs good people around him,” Person said in the 2015 email. “They are very private, and wouldn’t tell anyone about you coming. Bo’s father-in-law is actually the Governor of Hainan (Chinese Hawaii), which he doesn’t advertise at all.” HUNTER BIDEN’S FORMER CHINESE ‘BUSINESS COLLEAGUE’ STIFFED NYC DESIGNER OUT OF MILLIONS: COURT DOCS Liu Cigui, a decades-long member of the CCP who has held several leadership positions over the last 15 or more years, appears to be the father-in-law Person was referring to in the email based on the timeline of the email and his leadership position. According to a recent article from the state-run China Daily media outlet, he is currently a member of the Standing Committee of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), which has been described as the “central part” of China’s United Front system, which works to “co-opt and neutralize sources of potential opposition to the policies and authority of its ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP).” Another one of Zhang’s CCP ties was revealed in a December 2013 Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) filing with the Justice Department, which listed Zhang as the “foreign principal.” The filing noted his relationship with Chinese government official Liu Guoqiang, who was the vice chairman of the Liaoning Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC). “This isn’t about a partnership, or selling you on anything,” Person continued in his email to Hunter. “We just want to grow that relationship, and there will be plenty of big things that come down the road that we can work on. While it does not appear Hunter was able to visit China during the time frame Person mentioned, Hunter and Eric Schwerin met with Zhang several times over the next few years, including at their office. Fox News Digital previously reported on Hunter and Schwerin working with Zhang during Person’s failed House race in South Carolina in 2016. HUNTER BIDEN TAX TRIAL POSTPONED TO SEPTEMBER While Person was running for Congress, Hunter and Zhang stayed in communication. On May 6, 2016, Hunter referred to Zhang as his “good friend and business colleague” in an email, which was previously verified by Fox News Digital, to Henry Zhao, a Chinese Communist Party official and CEO of Harvest Fund Management, according to the New York Post. The Post reported that Zhao’s fund participated in a Chinese investment fund called Bohai Harvest RST, where Hunter served as a founding board member until October 2019. The following year, an email from Schwerin to Hunter revealed that Rosemont Seneca Advisors, which Hunter’s LLC, Owasco, has 75% ownership in, held financial interests in multiple Harves affiliates, including a 5% stake with Harves Amusement Parks and ownership in Harves Sports and Entertainment, both of which fall under Harves Group, according to 2017 emails on Hunter’s abandoned laptop. Fran has repeatedly claimed that neither Hunter nor any of his associates ever owned equity in any Harves entity or affiliate when Fox News Digital previously pressed him on the multiple emails from Schwerin to Hunter contradicting this claim. A Washington Post fact check previously confirmed that Rosemont Seneca Advisors had “a 5 percent stake in Harves Amusement Parks and ownership in Harves Sports and Entertainment, both
Joe Wilson shares why he invited Judge Merchan to Trump inauguration
FIRST ON FOX: A top House Republican lawmaker is so sure that former President Donald Trump’s recent criminal conviction has ensured his reelection that he invited the Manhattan judge who oversaw the trial to his inauguration. Rep. Joe Wilson, R-S.C., a staunch Trump ally, blasted the Friday guilty verdict against the former president as “irresponsible and unethical.” He told Fox News Digital that he had his son, South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson, hand-deliver a note to New York State Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan‘s bailiff late last month offering a place as his guest to a potential January 2025 Trump inauguration. EX-TRUMP AIDE SUED BY HUNTER BIDEN WANTS BIDEN-APPOINTED JUDGE OFF LAPTOP CASE, FEARS ‘2020 ALL OVER AGAIN’ “My view of inviting him to the inauguration is to show my recognition that what Merchan is doing unintentionally is reelecting …Donald Trump,” Wilson told Fox News Digital. “In fact, I’ve got one of my grandson’s, Houston Wilson, ready to be with him and to make sure he has proper seating.” Wilson pointed out that both Trump and aligned Republican groups have raked in massive campaign donations since a New York City jury ruled the ex-president was guilty on 34 criminal counts of falsifying business records in the first degree. Eric Trump announced earlier this week that the campaign brought in over $200 million in the first three days following the conviction. Trump had been on trial for charges linked to accusations that he falsified documents to cover up hush money payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels in the lead-up to the 2016 election. TRUMP ATTORNEYS REQUEST MERCHAN LIFT GAG ORDER AHEAD OF PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE, FOLLOWING END OF TRIAL His allies have long criticized the case as political, and have argued the charges would not have been brought if he was not running for reelection in November. “It should be concerning to every American, because if you can convict a former President of the United States on such bogus charges…every American of either party is at risk, whether they be a public official or not,” Wilson said. “Why would it come up during an election year? Of course, it’s totally contrived to interfere with the election.” Wilson said he didn’t know if Merchan would respond to his invitation. TRUMP SAYS GUILTY VERDICT IS A ‘SCAR’ ON NEW YORK JUSTICE SYSTEM, VOWS TO ‘KEEP FIGHTING’ “And hey, I mean it to indicate to him that what he has done is wrong,” Wilson said. “I would urge him to come to see the response to the American people. I think people will be polite, but they will certainly let him know that his conduct is unethical and corrupt. Totally corrupt.” Fox News Digital reached out to the New York City public court system for a response.
Georgia court puts pause on Fani Willis’ sweeping election case against Trump
In a major setback to the Fulton County District Attorney, the Georgia Court of Appeals on Wednesday put a pause on any proceedings related to the 2020 election interference case against former President Donald Trump and co-defendants until it hears the case to disqualify Fani Willis in October. The appeals court has tentatively scheduled a hearing date of Oct. 4 for the appeal by Trump and his co-defendants to have embattled Willis disqualified from the case due to an “improper” affair with former special prosecutor Nathan Wade. The appeals court action all but solidifies that Willis’ sweeping racketeering case against the 45th president will not go to trial before the 2024 election in November. Trump was indicted in August along with 18 co-defendants out of the years-long criminal investigation led by Willis and state prosecutors in Georgia into his alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election in the state. TRUMP’S APPEAL TO DISQUALIFY FANI WILLIS FROM GA CASE GETS OCTOBER HEARING DATE The charges include violating the Georgia RICO Act—the Racketeer Influenced And Corrupt Organizations Act; Solicitation of Violation of Oath by a Public Officer; Conspiracy to Commit Impersonating a Public Officer; Conspiracy to Commit Forgery in the First Degree; Conspiracy to Commit False Statements and Writings; Conspiracy to Commit Filing False Documents; Conspiracy to Commit Forgery in the First Degree and Filing False Documents. But since then, Willis has hit nothing but roadblocks in her efforts to try Trump, the presumptive GOP nominee, before the election. Fulton Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee in March dismissed 6 of the charges, and said that the state failed to allege sufficient detail for six counts of “solicitation of violation of oath by public officer.” REP JORDAN URGES CONGRESS TO ‘DEFUND LAWFARE ACTIVITIES’ OF TRUMP PROSECUTORS In February, Michael Roman, a GOP operative and co-defendant in the case, dropped bombshell accusations that Willis had an “improper” affair with Nathan Wade, whom she hired to help prosecute the case in November 2021. Other co-defendants made similar allegations, and that she had financially benefited from her relationship with him by taking lavish vacations together. Both Wade and Willis denied they were in a romantic relationship prior to his hiring and that the couple would split the costs of their shared travels; Willis said she reimbursed Wade for her share of the trips in cash. After evidentiary hearings held in February, Judge McAfee ordered that Wade had to be removed in order to keep Willis from disqualification in the Trump election interference case in Georgia. “[T]he established record now highlights a significant appearance of impropriety that infects the current structure of the prosecution team – an appearance that must be removed through the State’s selection of one of two options,” he wrote, adding that Willis and her whole office can choose to step aside, or Wade can withdraw from the case. Wade subsequently resigned from his post as special prosecutor. In his March order, McAfee said while Willis’ “reimbursement practice” was “unusual and the lack of any documentary corroboration understandably concerning,” he ultimately decided that the defendants did not present “sufficient evidence” that expenses weren’t “roughly divided evenly.” He also said that “the evidence demonstrated that the financial gain flowing from her relationship with Wade was not a motivating factor on the part of the District Attorney to indict and prosecute this case.” GEORGIA PROSECUTOR FANI WILLIS APPEALS AFTER JUDGE DROPS MULTIPLE TRUMP CHARGES “[T]he Court finds that the record made at the evidentiary hearing established that the District Attorney’s prosecution is encumbered by an appearance of impropriety,” McAfee wrote in his order. “As the case moves forward, reasonable members of the public could easily be left to wonder whether the financial exchanges have continued resulting in some form of benefit to the District Attorney, or even whether the romantic relationship has resumed.” “Put differently, an outsider could reasonably think that the District Attorney is not exercising her independent professional judgment totally free of any compromising influences. As long as Wade remains on the case, this unnecessary perception will persist,” he said. When the defense in March submitted a joint motion for a Certificate of Immediate Review, McAfee said that his Order on the Defendants’ Motions to Dismiss and Disqualify the Fulton County District Attorney issued March 15 “is of such importance to the case that immediate review should be had” and allowed the defendants to ask the Georgia appeals court for an opportunity to appeal, which the court granted last month. Willis is also under investigation by two separate committees in the Georgia legislature, who say they are concerned about her alleged misuse of federal funds. Republican lawmakers in both chambers of the U.S. Congress have opened similar probes. Meanwhile, Willis is up for re-election in November. Last month, she handily defeated her Democratic challenger in the state’s primary, setting her up to face a GOP challenger in the general election. In a speech to a crowd of boisterous supporters on election night, the Democratic district attorney said that no one is above or “beneath” the law, in an apparent nod to her prosecution in the Trump trial. “It’s a message that is p—ing folks off, but there is no one above the law in this country nor is there anyone beneath it,” Willis said. Fox News’ Brooke Singman and Sarah Rumph-Whitten contributed to this report.
Jon Tester campaign admits ‘hard truth’ Senate race will be expensive and close
Montana Democratic Sen. Jon Tester’s campaign ceded on Tuesday that it faces a significant challenge in trying to hold onto his Senate seat in the two-time, Trump-won state come November. “As we enter the general election, it’s clear Montana’s U.S. Senate race will be the most competitive in the country in 2024,” wrote campaign manager Shelbi Dantic in a memo following the Montana Senate primaries. Tester won the Democratic nod, while former Navy SEAL Tim Sheehy officially received the Republican nomination as expected. ‘PARENTAL RIGHTS’: GOP WARNS DEM SENATE BILL IS ABOUT MORE THAN CONTRACEPTION The Montana Senate race is considered one of the most competitive races in the country in the 2024 elections, with non-partisan political handicapper the Cook Political Report labeling it as one of three “Toss Up” Senate matches. The blue lawmaker in a red state is at serious risk, particularly as Democrats contend with several other tough races to spend money on. If Sheehy manages to unseat Tester in November, it could help Republicans take back the majority in the upper chamber. “Here’s the hard truth: This will be an expensive and close race,” Dantic explained. DEMS IN HOT SEAT FOR ALLEGED ETHICS VIOLATIONS OVER ALITO RECUSAL DEMANDS She blamed the skyrocketing cost of winning in Big Sky Country on “a tidal wave of outside spending and super PAC interference.” “And like all of Jon’s races, Montana’s Senate election will likely be decided by just a few thousand votes,” Dantic added, laying out expectations for election margins. Tester’s campaign manager is confident he will win, nonetheless. According to Dantic, the organization and grassroots coalition necessary to pull off a victory will work in his favor. Dantic claimed Tester’s supporters include “Republicans, independents, veterans, Native Americans, women, rural voters, young voters, and seniors across the state.” BALANCE OF POWER: MESSY GOP PRIMARIES COULD BOOST DEMOCRATS IN SWING STATE RACES Following his easy primary win Tuesday, Sheehy said in a statement, “America is at a crossroads, and we need a new generation of leaders to save our country.” “I am humbled and honored by all the support and look forward to finally retiring the #1 recipient of lobbyist cash and pro-Biden liberal Jon Tester,” he added. ROMNEY SCORCHES BRAGG’S ‘POLITICAL DECISION’ IN TRUMP CASE: ‘MALPRACTICE’ National Republican Senatorial Committee chairman and Republican Montana Sen. Steve Daines said in a Tuesday statement, “The clearest path to a Republican Senate majority runs through Montana. Tim Sheehy will deliver a Senate majority for President Trump, Jon Tester wants to deliver a Senate majority for Joe Biden. That is the choice in this election. President Trump is counting on Montana to elect Tim Sheehy.” Conservative PAC the Sentinel Action Fund delivered another win for Sheehy on Wednesday, officially endorsing him and launching a seven-figure early and absentee voting initiative in the state. Jessica Anderson, President of the Sentinel Action Fund, announced in a statement, “The Sentinel Action Fund is thrilled to endorse Tim Sheehy for U.S. Senate in Montana, and we are committed to using our robust election infrastructure and SkipTheLineMT.vote to turn out voters for Sheehy through absentee vote-by-mail, ballot harvesting, and ballot chasing.”
‘Squad’ Dems furious at Netanyahu’s invite to Congress: ‘Accused war criminal’
Progressive “Squad” Democrats are furious that their leaders have agreed to invite Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to address Congress. “Absolutely,” Rep. Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass., told Fox News Digital on Wednesday when asked if she was disappointed that House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., agreed to sign onto the invitation. “We should not be creating a platform and welcoming an accused war criminal,” Pressley said. Netanyahu accepted the bipartisan invitation late last week, declaring in a statement that he was “very moved to have the privilege of representing Israel before both Houses of Congress and to present the truth about our just war against those who seek to destroy us to the representatives of the American people and the entire world.” There’s no set date yet. NETANYAHU SAYS BIDEN PRESENTED ‘INCOMPLETE’ VERSION OF GAZA CEASEFIRE It’s spurred pushback from the left, where a growing number of Democrats have voiced criticism for Netanyahu’s handling of the war in Gaza in retaliation for Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, terror attack in Israel. The controversy took on new significance last month when the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) chief prosecutor, Karim Khan, announced he would seek arrest warrants against top Israeli and Hamas officials, Netanyahu included. “Instead of coming here, we need Netanyahu to stop bombing indiscriminately in Gaza and for him to respect the president’s red line of not having continued military operations in Rafah,” Rep. Greg Casar, D-Texas, told Fox News Digital. “I don’t think it’s a good time for him to be coming.” Asked if he planned to attend the speech, Casar said, “I don’t plan to attend, and I will plan to participate in whatever advocacy is being done to push for Netanyahu and Hamas to agree to a cease-fire.” ‘SHAMEFUL’: GOP LAWMAKER SHREDS ‘AWOL’ BIDEN FOR THROWING JEWS ‘UNDER THE BUS’ AMID ANTI-ISRAEL PROTESTS Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., told reporters earlier this week that Netanyahu’s appearance would not be “productive” after he accepted his invitation. “Not only is there very little purpose to it, but I think it is patently unproductive. I think it’s counterproductive right now for him to address Congress, particularly as we continue to try to nail down details on the cease-fire,” Ocasio-Cortez said Monday night. “I certainly do not approve of it, potentially may not attend.” Reps. Cori Bush, D-Mo., and Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., would not speak to Fox News Digital about the matter. “I’m not going to comment, thank you,” Omar responded when asked about Netanyahu’s coming address. Bush told Fox News Digital she had to attend a meeting and could not stop to respond to questions. Fox News Digital reached out to Jeffries’ and Schumer’s offices for comment. NETANYAHU INVITED TO ADDRESS CONGRESS AS BIDEN URGES HAMAS TO TAKE ISRAEL PEACE OFFER Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., had been publicly pressuring Schumer for weeks to sign onto an invitation for Netanyahu to address a joint session of Congress, an honor reserved for the heads of state of the U.S.’s staunchest allies. He told reporters in late May that he was prepared to invite Netanyahu to address the House alone if Schumer did not join his effort. Meanwhile, the issue of Israel’s war in Gaza has brought long-simmering fractures between the progressive and the establishment left to the surface. Far-left lawmakers have been critical of President Biden for not taking a firmer stance on Gaza, with some, like Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., warning it could cost him the 2024 presidential election. On Tuesday, a vote to levy sanctions on the ICC if it went after the U.S. or allies like Israel garnered support from 42 Democrats, despite the White House coming out strongly against the idea of sanctions. Democratic leaders up to the president himself have criticized the ICC threat.
‘Parental rights’: GOP warns Dem Senate bill is about more than contraception
Republicans slammed a bill being considered by the Senate Wednesday afternoon, claiming their Democratic counterparts are “fearmongering” over access to contraception in order “to score cheap political points.” “There is no threat to access to contraception, which is legal in every state and required by law to be offered at no cost by health insurers,” more than 20 Republican senators said in a joint statement. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., informed senators on Sunday that they should expect to vote on a bill designed to protect the right to contraception during the week, and later announced that the bill was slated for Wednesday. DEMS IN HOT SEAT FOR ALLEGED ETHICS VIOLATIONS OVER ALITO RECUSAL DEMANDS “This is not a show vote. This is a show us who you are vote,” Schumer claimed at a press conference Wednesday ahead of the vote, in response to Republican criticisms of the leader for scheduling votes on messaging bills rather than bipartisan legislation with a higher likelihood of moving forward. Republicans are criticizing the bill to be considered, the “Right to Contraception Act,” saying it “infringes on the parental rights and religious liberties of some Americans and lets the federal government force religious institutions and schools, even public elementary schools, to offer contraception like condoms to little kids.” BALANCE OF POWER: MESSY GOP PRIMARIES COULD BOOST DEMOCRATS IN SWING STATE RACES “It’s just another way for Democrats to use activist attorneys and our courts to advance their radical agenda and that is why we oppose this bill,” the group of senators claimed. The group was led by Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., who is running for GOP leader in the new Senate, wherein Republicans have a good opportunity to regain the majority in November. Co-signers of the statement included Sens. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., Mitt Romney, R-Utah, Marco Rubio, R-Fla., Rand Paul, R-Ky., Mike Lee, R-Utah, Ted Cruz, R-Texas, Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., Ted Budd, R-N.C., James Lankford, R-Okla., Jim Risch, R-Idaho., Mike Rounds, R-S.D., Cindy Hyde-Smith, R-Miss., Katie Britt, R-Ala., Bill Hagerty, R-Tenn., Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo., John Thune, R-S.D., Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., Thom Tillis, R-N.C., Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, and Steve Daines, R-Mont. ROMNEY SCORCHES BRAGG’S ‘POLITICAL DECISION’ IN TRUMP CASE: ‘MALPRACTICE’ Top pro-Life group Susan B. Anthony Pro Life America additionally blasted the bill in a letter, claiming it “seeks to guarantee funding to abortion providers by barring federal and state governments from redirecting contraception funding to life-affirming health care providers. Therefore, abortionists and abortion facilities would be entitled to taxpayer funding even if the representative government in their state has redirected such funding from abortion providers to life-affirming providers.” GOP’S MURKOWSKI LAMENTS TRUMP’S ‘BAGGAGE’ FOLLOWING GUILTY VERDICT “The Democrats’ deceptive Payouts to Planned Parenthood Act has less to do with access to contraception than with funneling taxpayer dollars to the abortion industry and crushing dissent. Contraception is legal and available in every state and Congress funds contraception through numerous federal programs every year,” the group’s president, Marjorie Dannenfelser, said in a statement. The measure is likely to fall short of the 60 votes necessary to move forward on Wednesday when the cloture motion gets a vote.
Thousands of Israelis march through Jerusalem, some attacking Palestinians
Islamic authorities say more than 1,100 Israelis encroached on Al-Aqsa Mosque compound during provocative annual parade. Thousands of Israelis have joined a march through occupied East Jerusalem, with some attacking Palestinians and shouting racist slogans, as part of an annual demonstration marking Israel’s occupation of the city. Footage shared by local journalists on Wednesday showed young men and teenagers chanting, “Death to the Arabs” and “May your village burn” at the so-called “Flag March” on Wednesday. The parade has come amid heightened tensions as Israel pushes on with its war on Gaza, which has killed more than 36,500 people, mostly women and children, according to Palestinian authorities. The demonstrators danced and waved Israeli flags throughout the city. The Jerusalem Waqf, the Islamic authority that oversees the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, said more than 1,100 Israelis encroached on the site, known to Muslims as al-Haram al-Sharif (the Noble Sanctuary) and to Jews as Temple Mount. The AFP news agency published photos of Israeli demonstrators assaulting a Palestinian journalist in the Old City. Several Israeli outlets reported that Haaretz reporter Nir Hasson was also attacked. Reporting from the Jordanian capital Amman, Al Jazeera’s Imran Khan said this year’s march appears to be more violent than in previous years. “Almost as soon as the ultranationalist people arrived into occupied East Jerusalem, they started attacking Palestinians. Young kids were attacking older Palestinians – we’ve seen pictures of that,” Khan said. “They were attacking shops; they were running into the shops. The Israeli police simply lost control. In fact, what they did was they asked the Palestinians to simply shutter their shops because they couldn’t control these people.” According to Israeli media reports, Israel deployed 3,000 police officers to the march and urged demonstrators to “avoid any physical or verbal violence”. AFP footage showed demonstrators holding signs rebuking the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the top United Nations court, which has ordered Israel to halt its assault in Rafah. “The ICJ is corrupt, working with Hamas,” one sign read. Far-right Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir attended the march and called on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to “be strong” in an implicit criticism of a proposal for a truce deal to halt the war on Gaza. “The Damascus Gate is ours. The Temple Mount is ours. And God willing complete victory is ours,” Ben-Gvir said, according to Times of Israel, referring to the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound – the third-holiest site in Islam. Israel captured East Jerusalem during the 1967 war and subsequently annexed it in 1980 in a move not recognised by the international community. Al-Haram al-Sharif has remained under the management of the Jordan-appointed Waqf and only Muslims are allowed to pray at the compound. However, Israel’s security forces often allow Israelis to raid the site. In past years, Israeli forces have also attacked worshippers inside Al-Aqsa Mosque. Israelis wave flags as they participate in the annual Jerusalem Day march at Damascus Gate in Jerusalem, June 5, 2024 [Ronen Zvulun/Reuters] The second Intifada, the Palestinian uprising that saw years of protests and violent attacks, started in 2000 after Israeli politician Ariel Sharon made a visit to Al-Aqsa Mosque. Hamas also cited Israeli violations at Al-Aqsa as one of the main reasons for its “Al-Aqsa Floods” attack against Israel on October 7, when fighters from Hamas led an attack that killed at least 1,139 people, mostly civilians, and seized about 250 others as captives. On Wednesday, Hamas decried the Israeli parade in Jerusalem, calling it a “blatant aggression” against Arabs and Muslims. Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh said the parade “re-asserts that Jerusalem is the core of the conflict”. “Our people will not rest until the occupation is gone and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital,” he said in a statement. Adblock test (Why?)
‘Godfathers of climate chaos’: UN chief calls for ban on fossil fuel ads
Antonio Guterres urges a 30 percent cut in global fossil fuel production and use by 2030 amid record high temperatures. Each of the past 12 months ranked as the warmest on record in year-on-year comparisons, the European Union’s climate change monitoring service has said, as United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for a global ban on fossil fuel advertising. The average global temperature for the 12-month period to the end of May was 1.63 degrees Celsius (2.9 degrees Fahrenheit) above the pre-industrial average – making it the warmest such period since record-keeping began in 1940, the Copernicus Climate Change Service said on Wednesday. This 12-month average does not mean that the world has yet surpassed the 1.5 C (2.7 F) global warming threshold, which describes a temperature average over decades, beyond which scientists warn of more extreme and irreversible impacts. In a separate report, the UN’s World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said there is now an 80 percent chance that at least one of the next five years will mark the first calendar year with an average temperature that temporarily exceeds 1.5C above pre-industrial levels – up from a 66 percent chance last year. Speaking about the findings, Guterres emphasised how quickly the world was heading in the wrong direction and away from stabilising its climate. “In 2015, the chance of such a breach was near zero,” Guterres said in a speech marking World Environment Day on June 5. With time running out to reverse course, Guterres urged a 30 percent cut in global fossil fuel production and use by 2030. “We need an exit ramp off the highway to climate hell,” he said, adding: “The battle for 1.5 degrees will be won or lost in the 2020s.” ‘Godfathers of climate chaos’ He also took aim at fossil fuel companies. “The godfathers of climate chaos – the fossil fuel industry – rake in record profits and feast off trillions in taxpayer-funded subsidies,” he said. Drawing a comparison with many governments’ restrictions on advertising for harmful substances like tobacco, he said, “I urge every country to ban advertising from fossil fuel companies, and I urge news media and tech companies to stop taking fossil fuel advertising.” Carbon dioxide emissions from burning fossil fuels – the main cause of climate change – hit a record high last year despite global agreements designed to curb their release and a rapid expansion in renewable energy. Coal, oil and gas still provide more than three-quarters of the world’s energy, with global oil demand remaining strong. A plant sprouts in the cracked ground of La Vinuela Reservoir during a severe drought in La Vinuela, near Malaga, southern Spain, on August 8, 2022 [File: Jon Nazca/Reuters] The latest climate data show that the world is “way off track” from its goal of limiting warming to 1.5 C – the key target of the world’s 2015 Paris Agreement, WMO Deputy Secretary-General Ko Barrett said. “We must urgently do more to cut greenhouse gas emissions, or we will pay an increasingly heavy price in terms of trillions of dollars in economic costs, millions of lives affected by more extreme weather, and extensive damage to the environment and biodiversity,” Barrett said. Barrett described the cooling effect of La Nina weather conditions, which are expected to take hold later this year, as “a mere blip in the upward curve” in the heat felt across the globe. “We all need to know that we need to reverse this curve and we need to do it urgently,” she said. While last year registered as the warmest calendar year on record at 1.45 C (2.61 F) above pre-industrial temperatures, at least one of the next five years is likely to be even warmer than 2023, the WMO data show. Scientists at Copernicus said there were some surprising developments – such as the steep loss of Antarctic sea ice in recent months – but that the overall climate data were in line with projections of how rising greenhouse gas emissions would heat the planet. “We have not seen anything like this in the last several thousand years,” said Copernicus Director Carlo Buontempo. Adblock test (Why?)
Slovak PM Robert Fico says could return to work ‘in several weeks’
In first public speech since surviving assassination attempt, Fico says he feels ‘no hatred’ towards his attacker. Slovakia’s Prime Minister Robert Fico has posted a speech online, his first appearance since he was seriously wounded in an assassination attempt three weeks ago. In a prerecorded speech on his Facebook page on Wednesday, ahead of the European Parliament election, Fico said the attack caused serious damage to his health and that “it will be a small miracle if I return to work in several weeks”. Fico has been recovering from multiple wounds after being shot in the abdomen as he greeted supporters on May 15 in the town of Handlova, about 140km (87 miles) northeast of the capital, Bratislava. The attacker, identified by prosecutors as 71-year-old Juraj C, was arrested on the spot and charged with attempted premeditated murder. Seemingly in good shape as he spoke, Fico pledged to be back at work at the end of June or beginning of July, and said he felt “no hatred” towards his attacker. “I forgive him,” he said, adding he planned no legal action against the assailant. Supporters bring flowers and gifts as they gather near the FD Roosevelt University Hospital, where Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico was hospitalised following an assassination attempt, in Banska Bystrica, Slovakia [File: Bernadett Szabo/Reuters] Still, he slammed the opposition and others, saying: “After all, it’s evident that he only was a messenger of evil and political hatred.” Fico suggested that his views of Russia’s war on Ukraine and other issues that sharply differ from the European mainstream had made him a victim. Fico was released from hospital in the central city of Banska Bystrica last week, and taken to his home in Bratislava, where he continues to recuperate. A video of the attack shows him approach people gathered at barricades and reach out to shake hands as a man steps forward, extends his arm and fires five rounds before being tackled and arrested. Fico immediately underwent a five-hour surgery, followed by another two-hour surgery two days later. The incident has highlighted the deep polarisation of politics in the central European country of 5.4 million people. Opposition parties have led protests against Fico’s government as it shifts policy by stopping military aid to Ukraine, ending a special prosecutor’s office despite rule of law concerns, and revamping the state television and radio broadcaster. Adblock test (Why?)