Former Trump official announces major ‘Deport Them All’ border initiative amid bid to flip crucial Senate seat
LAS VEGAS — EXCLUSIVE: A former Trump official running in one of this year’s crucial battleground Senate races is launching a major initiative to help end the crisis at the southern border amid his effort to oust an incumbent Democrat. Republican Nevada Senate candidate Jeff Gunter, the former U.S. ambassador to Iceland, announced Saturday his “Build the Wall, Deport Them All” initiative, which, although in its preliminary stage, will ultimately target illegal immigrants he says are causing a grave economic impact on small businesses across the country. Gunter says he will invest $1 million of his own money in the initiative, including developing a website and reporting mechanism for everyday citizens to report suspicious activity. The money will also go towards an ad campaign to inform people across the silver state about the initiative, which is expected to have more backers in the near future. GOP IN BATTLEGROUND STATES RIP TRUMP TRIAL JUDGE’S ‘DANGEROUS’ RULING “I refuse to stand by and watch our communities destroyed by the flood of illegals,” Gunter told Fox News Digital. “Talk is cheap, and if Biden won’t do anything about it, I will. That’s why I’m stepping up to make progress and expedite the deportation effort.” “With President Biden, Democrats, and RINOs failing to secure our nation’s borders, it’s time for real patriots to step up. My plan will not only restart the wall construction, but will also ensure that our laws are enforced without apology. This financial commitment underscores my personal commitment to our national security and the rule of law,” he added. A key component of Gunter’s initiative will include working with local businesses to identify illegal immigrants negatively impacting their operations, with that information being passed to the Department of Homeland Security for “immediate action and enforcement.” It will also include developing partnerships with small businesses to “assess and mitigate the impact of illegal immigration on their operations,” and the launch of a “See Something, Say Something” campaign that will provide a dedicated tip line to “empower citizens to report suspicious activities and support law enforcement in maintaining national security.” TOP BATTLEGROUND SENATE RACE HEATS UP AS PARTY-BACKED REPUBLICAN FACES ONSLAUGHT FROM FORMER TRUMP OFFICIAL Additionally, Gunter vows that, if elected, he will work to immediately resume construction of the border wall, enhance border surveillance, crack down on sanctuary cities and states, and end birthright citizenship. “My top three priorities when I become the next U.S. senator here in Nevada is shut the border, shut the border, and, you guessed it, shut the border,” Gunter told Fox News Digital in a recent interview. “If you do not have a border, you do not have a country. And, think about it, Donald Trump put in Remain in Mexico. While the asylum seekers were being processed, they had to remain in Mexico. And what did Joe Biden do? He eliminated it with the rubber stamp of Jacky Rosen,” he said, referencing Democrat Sen. Jacky Rosen, who is running for re-election. Gunter said he would work to reinstate the Remain in Mexico policy, where asylum seekers were required to remain in Mexico while their applications were processed, and reinstate Title 42, a policy established during the COVID-19 pandemic that allowed officials to turn away migrants at the border because of health concerns. “They’re not just illegal immigrants that are coming into this country, they’re 110% invaders,” Gunter said. “The Chinese government knows exactly who’s coming into America. We can also see that many of these people are 20 to 30-year-olds of military age. And we need to stop it. We need to keep America safe.” RFK, JR REVEALS PATH TO PRESIDENCY AS BIDEN, TRUMP CAMPAIGNS TARGET RACE ‘SPOILER’ “I will support President Trump as the next U.S. senator, not only shutting the border, not only reinstituting Remain in Mexico and everything else, but I will advocate for the largest deportation program ever seen here in America. Why? Because your first act as an American should not be an illegal act,” he added. The seven figures Gunter intends to invest in the initiative comes a month after he announced plans to spend millions on the ramp up of his Senate campaign amid his battle with former U.S. Army Captain Sam Brown for the Republican nomination and a shot at Rosen in November. “Jacky Rosen has been ranked one of the most bipartisan and effective Senators in the nation because of her proven record of political independence and her work across party lines to deliver for Nevada. While extreme MAGA Republicans are busy tearing each other down in a divisive and expensive primary, Senator Rosen is focused on communicating directly to voters about the work she’s doing to fight for Nevadans,” Rosen campaign spokesperson Johanna Warshaw told Fox News Digital. The National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC), which is backing Brown, has been highly critical of Gunter and sought to tie him closely to his home state of California. “Jeff Gunter is a Democrat who recently moved to Nevada from California. Gunter will stand with Joe Biden to open the border — not secure it,” NRSC communications Director Mike Berg told Fox News Digital. The primary will be held Tuesday, June 11. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.
Georgia senators find little oversight over how Fani Willis spends taxpayer dollars: ‘Like the Wild West’
Georgia lawmakers heard testimony Friday that caused one Republican senator to express concern that there’s little oversight of how Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis uses her $36.6 million budget. State Sen. Bill Cowsert, a Republican representing Athens and chairman of the committee, questioned Fulton County Commissioner Robb Pitts and Fulton County Chief Financial Officer Sharon Whittmore about how the DA’s office receives and spends its funds. The witnesses testified that Willis has broad discretion over those taxpayer dollars, including whether to hire a special prosecutor and how much they should be paid. “This is sounding to me kind of like the Wild West, very little control from Fulton County over a $36 million budget,” Cowsert said after asking several questions about the county budget process. “You don’t know how much of that is spent on professional services, who is hired, how much they’re paid per hour, what their total compensation is. Yet you’re being asked to provide $36.6 million a year that you know encompasses a number of those types of independent contractors that you know you’re funding with no oversight or control, right?” he asked Whittmore at one point. ANTI-TRUMP DA BAILED ON DEBATE TO ‘SCHMOOZE’ WITH CELEBS, IS CHALLENGED TO A REMATCH “Yeah, the board of commissioners has no oversight over the district attorney,” the finance chief answered. Pitts testified that Willis has wide discretion over how to spend the funds appropriated for the district attorney’s office and said she does not have to get any pre-approval for hiring an independent special counsel to assist with her activities. “And [the district attorney] doesn’t have to even report back to you how the money was spent or who was hired as an independent contractor and how much they were paid?” Cowsert asked. “That’s correct,” Pitts replied. ANTI-TRUMP DA’S NO-SHOW AT DEBATE LEAVES CHALLENGER FACING OFF AGAINST EMPTY PODIUM The Georgia Senate Special Committee on Investigations convened its third meeting on Friday to probe allegations of potential conflicts of interest and potential misuse of public funds by Willis, who indicted former President Trump on conspiracy charges related to his efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election in Georgia. Willis is up for re-election this year and has denied any wrongdoing. The findings of this legislative probe could inform acts by the Georgia legislature to reform laws or adjust the state appropriations process with the intention of restoring public confidence in the district attorney’s office, according to FOX 5 Atlanta. Georgia’s GOP-controlled Senate voted in January to form a special committee to investigate Wilis amid revelations she had an ‘improper’ affair with subordinate counsel. The special committee has subpoena power to investigate Willis over allegations she hired special prosecutor Nathan Wade for the case because of their alleged romantic relationship. AFTER JUDGE’S SCOLDING FOR PLAYING ‘RACE CARD,’ FANI WILLIS SAYS SHE’LL ‘TALK ABOUT IT ANYWAY’ “This is not a political witch hunt; this is a quest for the truth,” Cowsert said at the inaugural meeting of the special committee. Trump and attorneys for several of his co-defendants have said Willis should be disqualified over the allegations and all charges against them dismissed. In January, Trump co-defendant Michael Roman filed court documents alleging that Willis had been having an “improper” affair with Wade, whom she hired to help prosecute the 2024 GOP front-runner. Roman and his lawyers argue the relationship created a conflict of interest and that she benefited financially from it in the form of lavish vacations the two took using funds his law firm received for working the case. Willis has called the allegations “salacious” and said they have no “merit,” though she admitted in a court filing that she and Wade have been “professional associates and friends since 2019.” After a hearing to consider the allegations, Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee ruled that either Willis or her ex-lover Wade must step aside for the case to proceed in Fulton County. The judge also gave Trump and eight co-defendants permission to appeal his order. Trump and the co-defendants filed an official notice of appeal in March. A decision from the Court of Appeals on whether to take up the case is expected later this month. Fox News Digital’s Brianna Herlihy contributed to this report.
New election integrity group will pour millions into paying, protecting whistleblowers on ‘front lines’
FIRST ON FOX: A newly formed nonprofit organization aims to promote election integrity by compensating whistleblowers at the ground level who witness corruption first hand during the election process. The Fair Election Fund will focus its efforts on election organizers and concerned citizens who witness the inner workings of elections first hand and will vet and pay whistleblowers who witness irregularities in the process. “The bulk of the group’s budget will be devoted to paying whistleblowers like election workers, organizers, and concerned citizens who have witnessed this corruption firsthand for sharing their stories,” FEF said in a press release. “All claims will be vetted by Fair Election Fund’s team of experienced election law attorneys. The group will highlight these cases through aggressive paid and earned media campaigns, the first of which will begin immediately.” ARIZONA GOV KATIE HOBBS VETOES BIPARTISAN BILL TO COMBAT SQUATTING, ELECTION BILLS In a new ad released on Saturday, the group explains that “elections are the bedrock of our American experiment. “It’s part of our core, but we can only have confidence in the results if there is trust in the process. Across the country there are real cases and abuses in the system that have eroded our trust.” The ad cites efforts from the Biden administration to register voters that some have warned could end up registering illegal immigrants and non-eligible voters as well as cities across the country who have pushed to allow non-citizens to vote. CALIFORNIA SUES BEACH CITY OVER VOTER ID LAW BACKED BY MAJORITY OF RESIDENTS The ad also expresses concerns about the lack of voter ID in some places in the United States, efforts to curtail voter ID, concerns about drop boxes, mail-in ballots, and other potential vulnerabilities in the election system. “The reason why our elections still lack the integrity Americans deserve is because those on the front lines fear they will lose their livelihoods for speaking out against those in power – Not anymore,” an official familiar with the effort said in the press release. “This initiative will ensure those who come forward to expose fraud and abuse in our elections system will be compensated and protected. This $5 million fund will shine a light on the corruption, stop it, and restore trust with the American public.” A Heritage Foundation database has documented roughly 1,500 cases of confirmed voter fraud and almost 1,300 criminal convictions. “Safe-and-secure elections matter, because as can be seen by some of the documented cases in Heritage’s Voter Fraud Database, even a single ineligible or illegally cast ballot can make the difference in an election–especially those at the local level,” Zack Smith, a Heritage Foundation senior legal fellow, posted on X last month.
Japanese government responds to Biden claim that Japan is ‘xenophobic’: ‘Unfortunate’
The Japanese government has released a response to President Biden’s recent comments asserting that the island nation is “xenophobic” for not accepting more immigrants. Biden told the audience at a Wednesday campaign fundraiser that the U.S. economy is dominant “because we welcome immigrants.” “Why is China stalling so badly economically? Why is Japan having trouble? Why is Russia? Why is India? Because they’re xenophobic,” the president said. BIDEN CALLS JAPAN ‘XENOPHOBIC’ FOR NOT ACCEPTING MANY IMMIGRANTS, COMPARES TO CHINA, RUSSIA Japanese officials at the embassy in Washington, D.C. told Fox News Digital that they had spoken to the Biden administration about the remarks and were informed the president’s words were not meant to be derogatory. “We are aware that the U.S. government has clarified that President Biden’s comment was made in the context of explaining that the U.S. is a nation of immigrants and that immigrants make the U.S. stronger, and that his comment was not made with the intent of undermining the importance and permanence of the Japan-U.S. relationship,” the embassy told Fox News Digital. However, the officials also said Biden’s “xenophobic” comments were “not based on an accurate understanding of Japan’s policies,” calling the situation “unfortunate.” BIDEN ADMIN CONDEMNED FOR CONSIDERING PLANS TO ACCEPT PALESTINIAN REFUGEES: ‘A NATION COMMITTING SUICIDE’ “It is unfortunate that some of the comments were not based on an accurate understanding of Japan’s policies, and we have raised this point to the U.S. government and explained Japan’s positions and policies once again,” the officials said. The Japanese government struck a diplomatic tone in its message, affirming that “Prime Minister Kishida’s official visit in April demonstrated [that] the Japan-U.S. relationship is stronger than ever,” and they “will continue to work with the U.S. to further strengthen our bilateral tie.” Several Japanese lawmakers reacted to Biden’s comments on social media immediately following the controversy, expressing confusion or skepticism towards the president’s tone. “Migration is a problem that European leaders are struggling with, too. There aren’t any countries that have solved this problem as of now,” said Mizuho Umemura, a member of the conservative Nippon Ishin no Kai Party who holds a seat in the House of Councilors. She continued, “I hope that President Biden will solve the problem in New York before he says things like this. Depending on the presidential election, there could be a 180-degree change in policy, and there is no need for Japan to follow suit.” Fellow House of Councilors member and leader of the right-wing populist Sansei Party Sohei Kamiya was more direct, writing, “It’s not that we’re xenophobic, we are being cautious after seeing your failures. You are meddling too much in our internal affairs.”
‘Impact is severe’: Texas Republicans erupt over DHS migrant flight program as state becomes top destination
Texas Republicans are criticizing a Biden administration parole program for four nationalities after it was revealed this week that three of the top destinations for migrants under the program are in Texas — on top of the numbers it is already seeing coming across the border. “It’s just another layer to the entirety of what we’re dealing with,” Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas told Fox News Digital in an interview. “But that’s what people need to understand, it’s a very specific program designed to flood the system, misusing parole to do it.” Fox News reported this week on how official stats show that during an eight-month period from January through August 2023, roughly 200,000 migrants flew into the U.S. via a parole program for four nationalities. Of those, the vast majority landed in Florida, but three of the top 15 destinations were in Texas — Austin, Dallas and Houston. Over 10,000 migrants traveled to those airports in that period. DHS DOCS REVEAL WHERE PAROLED MIGRANTS UNDER CONTROVERSIAL BIDEN FLIGHT PROGRAM ARE LANDING The policy was first announced for Venezuelans in October 2022, which allowed a limited number to fly or travel directly into the U.S. as long as they had not entered illegally, had a sponsor in the U.S. already, and passed certain biometric and biographical vetting. The program does not itself facilitate flights, and migrants are responsible for their own travel. In January 2023, the administration expanded the program to include Haitians, Nicaraguans and Cubans, with up to 30,000 people per month allowed into the U.S. It allows for migrants to receive work permits and a two-year authorization to live in the U.S. and was announced alongside an expansion of Title 42 expulsions to include those nationalities. By the end of February 2024, more than 400,000 nationals have arrived under the parole program, according to Customs and Border Protection (CBP) data. DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas recently said the program is a “safe and orderly way to reach the United States” and has “led to a reduction in numbers of those nationalities.” “It is a key element of our efforts to address the unprecedented level of migration throughout our hemisphere, and other countries around the world see it as a model to tackle the challenge of increased irregular migration that they too are experiencing,” Mayorkas said. ‘ILLEGAL PROGRAM’: GOVERNOR VOWS TO FIGHT BIDEN FLYING MIGRANTS INTO US DHS has said that those who enter the U.S. under the program undergo and clear a “robust security vetting” as well as other eligibility criteria. “These processes are publicly available online, and DHS has been providing regular updates on their use to the public. These processes are part of the administration’s strategy to combine expanded lawful pathways with stronger consequences to reduce irregular migration, and have kept hundreds of thousands of people from migrating irregularly,” a spokesperson told Fox News Digital last month. But Republicans have claimed the program abuses the parole limits set by Congress, which say that the authority must be used on a case-by-case basis for urgent humanitarian reasons or for significant public benefit. It also comes amid an ongoing border crisis that the Biden administration has blamed on a lack of resources and a “broken” immigration system in need of reform, but that Republicans have blamed on the policies of the Biden administration. CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE “The invasion at our southern border has turned every American city into a border city, and the Biden administration’s efforts to fly illegal aliens across the country is the reason why,” Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “Biden’s fast-track processing, and programs like their CHNV parole program, are only pushing the border crisis further into the interior of the country. Every day, our national security is being undermined more and more by the Biden administration,” he said. “In Texas, Houston, Dallas, and Austin have been hit especially hard by the open border, finding themselves having to support tens of thousands of illegal aliens Biden has rolled out the red carpet for.” Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, was asked on “The Brian Kilmeade Show” if he thought that the program was okay. “No,” he said. Cornyn has previously slammed the use of parole by the administration as “cooking the books.” Roy told Fox that the historic crisis, which has seen more than 2.4 million migrant encounters last fiscal year at the border, is having a “severe” impact on the state, and he believes Texans will be angry to learn that more migrants are flying in. “So the impact is severe,” Roy said. “This parole program now I think the Texans are going to go: ‘Wait a minute. You mean they’re flooding across the border and you’re flying people directly to our airports and to our communities?’ And I think that’s going to just continue to elevate the frustration people feel.” In terms of Republicans effecting change in Washington, Roy says that with a current stalemate that he blames on Speaker Mike Johnson for giving away leverage on Ukraine funding to fix the border, it will be up to governors to act to secure the border. “Much of the leverage has been given up. So I think this is more of a reason for Texas to do what it has to do, governors to do what they have to do, because, frankly, the federal government has abandoned them,” he said. “This is a reason to elect Donald Trump. This is a reason to, yes, send Republicans, to the House and to the Senate. So we can at least have an actual debate about border security.” Fox News’ Aubrie Spady contributed to this report.
At least 12 killed in bomb attacks on eastern DR Congo displacement camps
At least 12 people, including children, have been killed in twin bomb blasts that hit two camps for displaced people in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, according to government officials, the United Nations and an aid group. Friday’s explosions targeted the camps in Lac Vert and Mugunga, near the city of Goma, the capital of North Kivu province, the UN said in a statement. The attacks, in which at least 20 people were injured, were a “flagrant violation of human rights and international humanitarian law and may constitute a war crime”, it said. A resident of one of the camps told Al Jazeera that many of the victims were sleeping in their tents when the area was attacked. “We started running as the bombs were fired at the camp,” the resident said. The Congolese military and the United States accused the military in neighbouring Rwanda and the M23 rebel group of being behind the attacks. On Saturday, Rwanda denied the US accusations as “ridiculous”. Government spokesperson Yolande Makolo said the Rwanda Defence Force (RDF) is a “professional army” that would never attack displaced people. In a post on X, Makolo instead blamed the assault on militias supported by the Congolese military. Lieutenant-Colonel Guillaume Njike Kaiko, a spokesperson for the DRC’s army in the region, said the attacks were retaliation for earlier DRC strikes on Rwandan army positions in which arms and ammunition were destroyed. In a social media post, government spokesperson Patrick Muyaya also blamed the M23, which has taken over swaths of North Kivu in the last two years. The DRC, the UN and Western countries have said Rwanda is supporting the group in a bid to control mines and mineral resources. Rwanda has denied the allegations. Al Jazeera’s Fintan Monaghan reported that the shells were fired from an area controlled by M23. The group denied any role in the attacks and instead blamed DRC forces, in a statement posted on X. The intensifying fighting in eastern DRC has forced hundreds of thousands of civilians to flee neighbouring towns towards Goma, which is located between Lake Kivu and the Rwandan border and is largely cut off from the country’s interior. International charity Save The Children said it was present at one of the camps when shells struck close to a busy marketplace. It said dozens were injured, mostly women and children, and the final death toll remained unclear. “A tent does not offer much protection from shelling,” said Greg Ramm, the aid group’s country director in the DRC. “Protection of civilians, especially children and families living in displacement camps, must be prioritised,” he said, and called for “all parties to the conflict to end the use of explosive weapons in the proximity of populated areas”. President Felix Tshisekedi, who was travelling in Europe, decided to return home on Friday following the bombings, a statement from his office said. Tshisekedi has long alleged that Rwanda is destabilising DRC by backing the M23 rebels. The bombings follow the group’s capture of the strategic mining town of Rubaya this week. The town holds deposits of tantalum, which is extracted from coltan, a key component in the production of smartphones. Condemning the attack, US Department of State spokesperson Matthew Miller said it was “essential that all states respect each other’s sovereignty and territorial integrity”. The U.S. strongly condemns the attack today from Rwanda Defense Forces and M23 positions on the Mugunga camp for Internally Displaced Persons in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is essential that all states respect each other’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. — Matthew Miller (@StateDeptSpox) May 3, 2024 The DRC branch of the medical charity Doctors Without Borders (Medecins Sans Frontieres, or MSF) said its teams had to stop distributing essential items and halt medical consultations on Friday because of the rising insecurity. Earlier today in Goma, DR Congo: As our teams were conducting medical activities & distributing shelter kits, intense fighting erupted in the immediate vicinity of IDP camps. We heard heavy artillery which landed in densely populated areas. Several people were reportedly… pic.twitter.com/zaEWn3prvX — Doctors w/o Borders (@MSF_USA) May 3, 2024 In a post on X, the group condemned the “increasingly regular use of heavy artillery” close to sites for internally displaced people around Goma. French President Emmanuel Macron said Rwanda must halt its support for M23, during a joint news conference with Tshisekedi in Paris this week. About six million people have been killed since violence erupted in 1996. It has also displaced about seven million people, many beyond the reach of aid. Adblock test (Why?)
‘No turning back’: Carnation Revolution divides Portugal again, 50 years on
Lisbon, Portugal – The olive-green military vehicles are the same, as are the uniforms of the personnel riding them. It’s even the same day of the week on this April 25 – a Thursday. This is when it all started, on the shore of the Tagus River where the sun hangs like a bulb over the Portuguese capital and Europe’s westernmost edge. But the cheering crowds beside the road today, waving red carnations bought from flower ladies on Rossio Square weren’t there 50 years ago. Nobody clapped their hands or posted photos on social media along with catchy hashtags. On that brisk dawn, the streets were deserted while Lisbon still slumbered, while a revolt was taking birth. That morning, Portugal was still a fascist dictatorship that had fought three brutal wars in Portuguese Guinea, Angola, and Mozambique in its desperate bid to keep control over its African colonies. By the end of the day, Portugal’s 42-year-old dictatorship, Estado Novo (“New State”), had been felled by a swift military takeover. “We were professional soldiers, we’d been in wars and were trained to deal with stressful situations, but this was something completely different,” says former navy captain Carlos Almada Contreiras. Contreiras was among the 163 military captains who in September 1973 had come together in secret at a “special farmhouse barbeque” to form the clandestine “Movement of Armed Forces” (Movimento das Forcas Armadas, MFA). These were men who had fought the Portuguese dictatorship’s colonial wars and knew very well that no military victory was close at hand; on the contrary, morale was in decline and an estimated 9,000 Portuguese soldiers had died since 1961. Veterans parade on the streets of Lisbon alongside crowds celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Carnation Revolution, during which military leaders deposed the former authoritarian dictatorship, Estado Novo [Fredrik Lerneryd/Al Jazeera] On April 25, 1974, they turned their gaze towards Lisbon’s political heart, intending to seize control of key military installations, political chambers and broadcasting facilities, as well as the airport. At the time, 50 years ago, nobody could predict the outcome of the day. However, the rebels knew that “there was no turning back,” says Contreiras. It was now life or death – if the military action failed, the MFA conspirators would in all probability have been charged with high treason and quite possibly sentenced to death. But a victorious outcome might just bring a new dawn for a dying empire in its last throes. Was he afraid? Contreiras takes a deep breath and recalls that morning when his life – and the lives of numerous others – changed forever. “I haven’t thought of that,” he says. “We had to act, otherwise we would continue to live in this dead political system, keep fighting these meaningless colonial wars.” In the end, and in less than a day, MFA gained full control over Portugal’s military facilities and brought an end to the far-right dictatorship. Prime Minister Marcello Caetano bowed to the conspirators and Portugal’s notorious secret police – PIDE – was dismantled. The following year, 1975, a US-backed counter-coup in November would supplant the new government and the Carnation Revolution would come to an end. But the change it had brought about was permanent. “The people of Portugal and millions of people in our African colonies were given their lives back,” says Contreiras. As Portugal celebrates 50 years of pluralistic democracy today, however, the long shadows of the country’s authoritarian past are creeping back in the wake of the March 2024 elections, in which far-right political party Chega (“Enough”) gained 18 percent of the vote and drove a wedge through the heart of the Portuguese two-party system, which had dominated the chambers of power since the 1970s. ‘We had to act,’ former navy captain Carlos Almada Contreiras recalls the events of April 25, 1974 when he and other senior military figures finally stood up to the dictatorship Lisbon [Fredrik Lerneryd/Al Jazeera] A revolution is born On April 25, 1974, Portugal became world news. Newspapers around the world were drenched in bright images of celebrating Portuguese masses who took to the streets and placed red carnations in soldier’s rifle barrels and uniforms. Portugal’s “Carnation Revolution” is often described as a near-bloodless military takeover. But much blood had been spilled in the years leading up to that moment. In the early 1960s, as most African nations fought for and won independence from their European colonisers, Portugal stood firm in its claim to the country’s African “possessions”. These were now dubbed “Overseas Territory” instead of “colonies” as a result of a 1951 rewrite of the constitution and the country had responded to self-determination claims with brutality and repression. Dictator and Prime Minister Antonio de Oliveira Salazar had established the “Estado Novo” in 1932 – a corporatist state rooted in anti-liberalism and fascism formed in the wake of the demise of Portugal’s monarchy – and kept Portugal out of the second world war. Despite being a brutal dictatorship, Salazar managed to lead Portugal into NATO’s anti-communist club in 1949 thanks to its control of the Azores Islands, a vital strategic outpost. When the first colonial war had erupted in Angola in March 1961, soon followed by wars in Portuguese Guinea and Mozambique, Portugal was able to source weaponry – helicopters, fighter aircraft and petrochemical weapons like napalm – from allied nations, primarily the United States, West Germany and France. Furthermore, during the Cold War, the Azorean military base became a vital strategic and geopolitical outpost in the mid-Atlantic, particularly for the United States, whose continued access to the military facilities depended on political and economic support to Salazar’s authoritarian rule. The Azorean military facilities became crucial for the United States during its military operations to aid the Israel forces during the 1973 Arab-Israeli War. A veteran joins the crowds on a march down Av da Liberdade on the 50th anniversary of the Carnation Revolution in Lisbon on April 25, 2024 [Fredrik Lerneryd/Al Jazeera] Finally, in the mid-1960s, the Portuguese dictatorship started
Landslides, floods sweep Indonesia’s South Sulawesi, killing 15 people
Disaster management agency says 115 people evacuated, more than 100 houses damaged amid prolonged torrential rain. Landslides and flooding triggered by heavy rains in Indonesia’s South Sulawesi province have killed at least 15 people after dozens of homes were swept away and roads damaged, the country’s disaster management agency said. Indonesia is prone to landslides during the rainy season, which began in January, with the problem aggravated in some areas by deforestation, and prolonged downpours caused floods in parts of the country that comprises 17,000 islands. The landslides struck Luwu regency in South Sulawesi on Friday, said Abdul Muhari, spokesperson of Indonesia’s disaster mitigation agency (BNPB), in a statement on Saturday. “A total of 14 residents died due to floods and landslides in Luwu regency,” he said. In another area of South Sulawesi, at least one person died and two others were injured, Abdul said. According to BNPB, more than 100 houses were seriously damaged and 42 were swept away, while four roads and one bridge were damaged. Some 115 people were evacuated to mosques or relatives’ homes and more than 1,300 families were affected with authorities trying to evacuate them. Indonesia has suffered a string of recent extreme weather events during its rainy season, which experts say are made more likely by climate change. In March, flash floods and landslides on Sumatra island killed at least 30 people. In recent days, several Indonesian cities also reported extreme heat, but the country’s weather bureau, BMKG, said the rising temperatures were not part of a heatwave currently sweeping much of the Southeast Asian region. Adblock test (Why?)
‘India has been a very…’: Jaishankar reacts to US President Joe Biden’s remark claiming India, others ‘xenophobic’
Biden had said the “xenophobic” nature of India, China, Japan and Russia is responsible for their economic troubles and argued that America’s economy is growing because it welcomes immigrants to its soil
Texas Senate special election Saturday previews Democratic primary runoff coming later this month
Jarvis Johnson and Molly Cook are vying to finish John Whitmire’s unexpired term. They’ll compete again for the nomination to a full term in a May 28 runoff.