Gaza will need largest post-war reconstruction effort since 1945, UN says
UN Development Programme official estimates post-war reconstruction will cost between $40-50bn. The level of destruction in Gaza has not been since World War II, according to a United Nations official who estimated that post-war reconstruction could cost up to $50bn. “We have not seen anything like this since 1945,” Abdallah al-Dardari, director of the regional bureau for Arab states at the UN Development Programme (UNDP), said on Thursday during an online news briefing. “That intensity, in such a short time and the massive scale of destruction,” he added. More than 70 percent of all housing has been destroyed, the UN official said, and about 37 million tonnes of debris needs to be removed. By comparison, during the 2014 Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, about 2.4 million tonnes of debris were removed. Overall, the level of destruction is such that the UNDP estimates that the human development index in Gaza has regressed by 40 years. The index assesses factors including years of gains in schooling, education attainment, health and life expectancy at birth. “All investments in human development … for the last 40 years in Gaza have been wiped out,” al-Dardari said. “We are almost back in the ’80s,” he added. The overall cost of post-war reconstruction in Gaza would cost between $40-50bn “at least”, he said. The UN agency’s top priority would be a three-year post-war recovery phase with the aim of providing temporary shelters and basic services for Palestinians to be able to return to the sites of their former homes. The Israeli army has been pounding the Gaza Strip since October 7, in one of the most intense aerial bombardments in modern history. More than 34,500 people have been killed, according to Palestinian authorities, large swaths of the territory have reduced to rubble and famine looms in parts of northern Gaza amid Israel’s severe restrictions on supplies of food and humanitarian aid. Israel launched the assault after Hamas led an unprecedented assault into communities in southern Israel killing at least 1,139 people, mostly civilians, according to Israeli authorities, and taking about 240 captives into the Strip. On top of the destruction, the humanitarian situation inside Gaza has been deteriorating amid restrictions on the number of aid trucks allowed to enter the Strip. UN agencies and aid groups have urged Israel to open more land crossings to Gaza to facilitate aid access and warned of a looming man-made famine. Israel has denied restricting the flow of aid into Gaza and blamed aid groups operating in Gaza for any delays. On Thursday, US Department of State spokesperson Matthew Miller said Israel should prevent attacks on aid convoys bound for Gaza after Israeli protesters assaulted two Jordanian aid trucks on their way to Gaza. Meanwhile, officials have renewed efforts around ceasefire and captives negotiations following weeks of impasse. Hamas said a delegation is set to visit Egypt soon for further talks. The group’s political bureau chief Ismail Haniyeh affirmed on Thursday that the group is studying a ceasefire proposal presented by Israel with a “positive spirit”. Adblock test (Why?)
Abu Ghraib: Iraqi victims’ case against US contractor ends in mistrial
The trial was a historic attempt at justice, marking the first time victims of the abuse that took place at the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq testified in front of civilian jurors in the United States. But on Thursday, the judge overseeing the civil case in Virginia declared a mistrial, as the jury was unable to overcome a deadlock after eight days of deliberation. The trial focused on the human rights abuses committed at the prison following the US’s invasion and subsequent occupation of Iraq. Reports of abuse started to emerge in 2003 and later hit a fever pitch in 2004, with the release of photographs showing smiling US captors standing next to naked prisoners, posed in degrading positions. The images became emblematic of the fallout of Washington’s so-called “global war on terror”. Calls for justice have continued two decades later. At question in the Virginia trial was whether civilian interrogators, supplied to the US Army by the Virginia-based contractor CACI, conspired with soldiers to abuse detainees as a means of “softening them up” for questioning. The trial began on April 15, and lawyers for the three Iraqi plaintiffs argued that CACI was liable for mistreatment even if they could not prove that the contractor’s interrogators were the ones who directly inflicted the abuse. The evidence presented at the Virginia court included testimony from the three former prisoners: Salah Hasan al-Ejaili, Suhail Al Shimari, and Asa’ad al-Zuba’e. It was the first time any victims had testified directly to a civilian US jury. They recounted being subjected to different forms of torture by US military personnel and private contractors. The result, they said, has been physical and psychological torment that has weighed on their lives for the past two decades. Al-Ejaili, who was working as a journalist for Al Jazeera at the time of his arrest, described offering his testimony as akin to “a form of treatment or a remedy”. Prosecutors also introduced reports and testimony from two retired US army generals, who documented the abuse. They had concluded that multiple CACI interrogators were complicit. The reports found that one of the civilian interrogators, Steven Stefanowicz, lied to investigators about his conduct at the prison. They concluded that Stefanowicz likely instructed soldiers to mistreat detainees and used dogs to intimidate people during interrogations. Stefanowicz denied participating in the mistreatment in a recorded video deposition. Evidence introduced at the trial, however, showed that officials at CACI had doubts about Stefanowicz’s ability to work as an interrogator — but that he was promoted to the position shortly after arriving in Iraq due to a manpower shortage. Lawyers for CACI broadly argued that its employees had extremely limited interaction with the three plaintiffs. They said that any liability for the mistreatment belonged to the US government. The abuses at Abu Ghraib came to light largely as the result of an April 2004 report by CBS News. An image of a hooded prisoner holding electrical wires and standing on a box soon became emblematic of what rights groups have characterised as wide-scale abuses committed by US military personnel and private contractors following the 2003 Iraq invasion. A subsequent report by the International Red Cross found that the vast majority of detainees were civilians with no links to armed groups. The myriad abuses it documented at the facility were in some cases “tantamount to torture”, the Red Cross said. A total of 11 US soldiers were convicted in military courts in the following years, with nine sentenced to time in prison. But it has been difficult for victims to pursue further legal recourse. US law broadly grants the government immunity from lawsuits arising from war. In September, Human Rights Watch said the US has “apparently failed to provide compensation or other redress to Iraqis who suffered torture and other abuse by US forces at Abu Ghraib and other US-run prisons in Iraq two decades ago”. Former prisoners have instead sought compensation from contractors. In 2013, the Center for Constitutional Rights won a $5m settlement for its Iraqi clients against contractor Titan Corp. The group also represented the three clients in the case against CACI. Thursday’s mistrial, however, leaves open the possibility that the plaintiffs can pursue another trial. When asked if they would do so, Baher Azmy, a lawyer with the Center for Constitutional Rights, indicated they would. “The work we put into this case is a fraction of what they endured as survivors of the horrors of Abu Ghraib, and we want to honour their courage,” he said. Al-Ejaili, one of the Abu Ghraib survivors, likewise indicated in a press statement that he could continue to seek justice. “We might not have received justice yet in our just case today, but what is more important is that we made it to trial and spoke up so the world could hear from us directly,” he said. “This will not be the final word; what happened in Abu Ghraib is engraved into our memories and will never be forgotten in history.” Adblock test (Why?)
Fox News Politics: Trump’s ‘beautiful’ baby blues
Welcome to Fox News’ Politics newsletter with the latest political news from Washington D.C. and updates from the 2024 campaign trail. What’s happening? -Biden ripped for allowing antisemitism to escalate -Anti-McCarthy rebels weigh in on effort to oust Johnson -Biden’s polling bump against Trump deflates While in court Thursday, Trump denied various reports claiming he sometimes nods off during his criminal trial. “Contrary to the FAKE NEWS MEDIA, I don’t fall asleep during the Crooked D.A.’s Witch Hunt, especially not today. I simply close my beautiful blue eyes, sometimes, listen intensely, and take it ALL in!!!” Trump stated in a Truth Social post. After court, Trump stopped at a fire department in midtown Manhattan Thursday to deliver pizzas to the same New York City fire department he visited in 2021 to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. WALK THE WALK: Biden prays for ‘honesty, decency, dignity’ in Day of Prayer proclamation amid ongoing campus protests …Read more ‘SHOULD HAVE SEEN IT COMING’: Biden ripped by experts for allowing antisemitism to escalate over the last 6 months …Read more ‘LOOKED THE OTHER WAY’: Resurfaced post comes back to haunt Biden after anti-Israel protests sweep the nation …Read more NO GUARD: President Biden condemns violent anti-Israel protests, won’t call up National Guard …Read more ‘RIDICULOUS HATE SPEECH BILL’: Matt Gaetz blasts House antisemitism legislation …Read more ‘A DISGRACE’: Mike Lee targets university grants, cites DEI programs, anti-Israel protests …Read more CODE RED: What the anti-McCarthy GOP rebels have to say about push to boot Johnson …Read more ‘GUTLESS’ VOTE: Red state Dem under fire over vote on bill to undo Biden’s Alaska energy ‘sanctions’ …Read more ‘MISHANDLING TAXPAYER INFORMATION’: Thune targets IRS staff use of personal devices after reported noncompliance on TikTok ban …Read more BIDEN’S BUMP GONE? Biden’s polling bump against Trump loses steam …Read more ‘GOT TO BE STOPPED NOW’: Trump reprimands ‘radical left morons’ running rampant on college campuses …Read more ‘DESPONDENT AND SADDENED’: Trump trial witness recounts Cohen wanted role in Trump administration …Read more NOT TODAY, SATAN: State’s top educator has message for Satanists eyeing public schools …Read more ‘COME AND TAKE IT’: Texas AG files lawsuit against Biden Administration for new gun sale requirements …Read more Subscribe now to get Fox News Politics newsletter in your inbox. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more on FoxNews.com.
Alabama lawmakers advance bill letting inmates speak at parole hearings
A legislative committee on Thursday advanced a bill to allow state inmates, for the first time, to speak by phone or video conference at their parole hearings. The House Judiciary Committee approved the bill after adding an amendment to give victims and law enforcement officials the option to also participate by electronic means instead of driving to Montgomery for the parole hearing. The bill, which was approved in the Senate without a dissenting vote, now moves to the Alabama House of Representatives to be considered in the final three days of the legislative session. ALABAMA LAWMAKERS EYE GAMBLING COMPROMISE AS LEGISLATIVE SESSION NEARS ITS END Alabama is one of two states that do not allow inmates to speak at parole hearings. “SB 312 gives the incarcerated inmate the ability to participate in the hearing and more importantly, it gives the Parole Board another opportunity or an opportunity to question that inmate,” Republican Sen. Will Barfoot, the bill sponsor, said. The approval came after earlier disagreements over a proposal that would have weakened the bill by letting the Parole Board decide whether inmates could participate. Wanda Miller, executive director of VOCAL, a victims advocacy group, said her organization opposes the bill because it believes the current system is adequate. Miller said victim advocacy groups had suggested the amendment to allow victims and law enforcement officials to also speak by phone or video conference. Barfoot said that will make it easier for victims and law enforcement officials to participate in hearings instead of “driving sometimes three hours to sit through a 10- or 15-minute hearing.” If approved, the measure would become effective on Oct. 1.
Trump delivers pizza to New York City firefighters in campaign stop after day in court
NEW YORK CITY — Former President Trump is expected to visit a fire department in midtown Manhattan Thursday evening to honor first responders following hours in court for his unprecedented criminal trial. The former president and presumptive 2024 Republican presidential nominee arrived with pizza to the same New York City fire department he visited in 2021 to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks on Sept. 11, 2021. Trump spent the day in a Manhattan courtroom to witness testimony and cross-examination on criminal charges against him. The judge also heard arguments from prosecutors and Trump’s defense team on allegations the former president violating the gag order imposed upon him. TRUMP SAYS CRIMINAL TRIAL IS HAVING A ‘REVERSE EFFECT,’ AS HE CAMPAIGNS AT NEW YORK BODEGA, VOWS TO SAVE CITY The former president has blasted the criminal trial and case brought against him as “election interference.” He says prosecutors are working in coordination with the Biden White House to prosecute their political opponent, and says Democrats are trying to keep him confined to a courtroom and off the campaign trail. But Trump spent the day Wednesday campaigning in Wisconsin and Michigan, holding events and rallies. The court does not meet on Wednesdays. Trump said he thinks the prosecutions will have the “reverse effect” on his presidential campaign, and says his supporters know the cases are “rigged” and “unfair.” Trump is taking advantage of being confined to New York City, however. Last month, Trump made a visit to an Upper Manhattan bodega after court one day. He was met by a large crowd chanting “Trump, Trump, Trump,” “Four more years,” and “We love Trump.” The crowd was singing the National Anthem. Trump said the trial makes him “campaign locally, and that’s okay.” “We’re doing better now than we’ve ever done, so I think it’s having a reverse effect,” Trump said at the bodega. “We’re going to come in – Number one, you have to stop crime and we’re going to let the police do their job. They have to be given back their authority. They have to be able to do their job,” Trump said. “And we’re going to come into New York. We’re making a big play for New York, other cities, too. But this city, I love this city.” Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg charged Trump with 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree. Trump has pleaded not guilty to all charges against him.
Dems who denounced Jan 6 riot condemn ‘all violence against police’ amid campus clashes
House Democrats who furiously condemned attacks on police during the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol are also speaking out against police being injured at the anti-Israel protests currently raging at universities across the country. Fox News Digital reached out to all the remaining members of the now-defunct House select committee on January 6 as well as former Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif. – all Democrats who led criticism of how cops were treated in 2021 – to ask whether they would extend the same condemnation to those attacking police on college campuses. Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif., a member of the committee, told Fox News Digital that she condemned all attacks on law enforcement but panned comparisons to the Capitol riot. “I condemn attacks on police officers, full stop. At the Capitol and on campuses,” Lofgren said. “It’s worth noting that what is happening on college campuses is not aimed at stopping the peaceful transfer of power or threatening our democratic system of government, so there is not a direct equivalency. Any attempt to sanitize the events on January 6th is a malicious one.” LIVE UPDATES: POLICE AT UCLA CLEAR ANTI-ISRAEL ENCAMPMENT, DETAIN PROTESTERS Swalwell told Fox News Digital, “I condemn all violence against police officers.” Similarly, a source familiar with the thinking of the former Jan. 6 committee chairman, Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., said he also condemns any form of violence. It comes after reports of police officers being injured during anti-Israel protests at the University of Madison-Wisconsin, the University of Utah, and Emerson College in Boston, as well as violent clashes between students and police at the University of California at Los Angeles. RESURFACED POST COMES BACK TO HAUNT BIDEN AFTER ANTI-ISRAEL PROTESTS SWEEP THE NATION A report by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) published last year found that 114 Capitol Police officers were reported injured during the Capitol riot. One officer died on the scene of natural causes, and four more who were at the scene committed suicide in the seven months after the riot. A spokesperson for Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., would not directly weigh in on whether Schiff condemns the recent attacks against police specifically, but pointed Fox News Digital to earlier statements speaking out against attacks on Jewish students. “Over the past weeks, from Columbia University to UCLA and far too many campuses in between, many of those demonstrations have turned violent, and created unsafe and wholly unsustainable learning environments for all students. We’ve seen explicit, repeated targeting and intimidation of Jewish students – many of whom have been blocked from entering buildings or called unspeakable things on the basis of their faith and background. This is patently unacceptable and must end,” Schiff said in one of the statements flagged. MAJOR US LAW FIRM SUES STUDENTS FOR JUSTICE IN PALESTINE FOR ALLEGED SUPPORT OF HAMAS ‘TERRORIST ACTIVITIES’ Pelosi’s office did not respond to multiple requests for comment, nor did the offices of House Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar, D-Calif., or Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., despite all three condemning attacks on police during the Jan. 6 riot. In an October 2022 Jan. 6 committee hearing, Aguilar accused the pro-Trump protesters of “violently attacking the efforts of the brave men and women in law enforcement trying to resist the mob.” Raskin said in a statement on the one-year anniversary of Jan. 6, “The attempted coup and insurrection left 150 law enforcement officers injured, wounded, traumatized or dead. Anyone who denies or minimizes this unprecedented assault on law enforcement can never call himself or herself ‘pro-law enforcement.’ That’s just political fraud.”
Watchdog group asks to unseal records of DOJ’s subpoenas of congressional staffers’ messages
EXCLUSIVE: A watchdog group is asking a federal court to unseal documents related to the Justice Department’s subpoenas of the personal phone and email records of members of Congress and during the Trump-Russia investigation, Fox News Digital has learned. Empower Oversight Whistleblowers & Research filed a motion, first obtained by Fox News Digital, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia Thursday, saying the matter is “of significant public interest.” The motion also revealed the nondisclosure orders that the DOJ imposed upon Google to prevent the tech giant from notifying users that their records were targeted. GOP SENATORS DEMAND DOJ GIVE ANSWERS AFTER IT ALLEGEDLY SPIED ON HOUSE, SENATE STAFFERS DURING RUSSIA PROBE Jason Foster, the founder of Empower Oversight, received notice in October 2023 that the Justice Department had obtained and served a subpoena on Google in 2017 for records associated with his Google email address and two Google Voice telephone numbers connected to his family’s phones and his official work phone. At the time, Foster worked in the U.S. Senate as the chief investigative counsel to the Senate Judiciary Committee, then chaired by Sen. Chuck Grassley. The DOJ’s subpoena to Google compelled the company to release records related to Foster’s Google accounts, as well as the records of other Google customers. “Based on further discussions with the U.S. Senate Office of Legal Counsel, DOJ’s Office of Inspector General, former colleagues of Mr. Foster’s who also received notices, and attorneys for Google, it appears that the other accounts listed in the subpoena belonged to other staffers, both Republicans and Democrats, for U.S. House and Senate committees that were similarly engaged in oversight of DOJ pursuant to their constitutional authorities,” the filing states. Empower Oversight said the DOJ “withheld that important context from Google” and questioned whether the agency also withheld that information from the court. The nature of the records the DOJ obtained “could easily enable DOJ to identify confidential whistleblowers who were providing Congress with information about government misconduct,” Empower Oversight said. “There are multiple layers of secrecy standing between the public and important documents that the Department of Justice filed in this case,” the filing states, calling for the unsealing of records related to the investigation. The Justice Department “obtained a subpoena and later requested and received non-disclosure orders [NDOs] that prohibited Google Inc. from notifying ‘any other person of the existence of’ the subpoena,” the filing states. FLASHBACK: ROSENSTEIN THREATENED TO ‘SUBPOENA’ GOP-LED COMMITTEE IN ‘CHILLING’ CLASH OVER RECORDS, EMAILS SHOW “Accordingly, the public is deprived of learning what basis (if any) DOJ offered in support of its NDO requests,” the filing states. The subpoenas, according to Empower Oversight, appear to be related to the leak of confidential information, which resulted in the prosecution and guilty plea of former Senate Intelligence Committee Security Director James Wolfe. After Wolfe’s conviction for making a false statement to the FBI, the Justice Department requested three additional one-year renewals of the non-disclosure order with the court. Republican Sens. Chuck Grassley of Iowa; Ted Cruz of Texas; and Mike Lee of Utah began investigating the subpoenas and DOJ’s efforts to collect the private phone and email logs in November after Empower Oversight’s Freedom of Information Act request revealed the collection of those records while both House and Senate lawmakers investigated the origins of the Trump-Russia probe during the Trump administration. FBI RECEIVED ‘CRIMINAL INFORMATION’ FROM OVER 40 CONFIDENTIAL SOURCES ON JOE BIDEN, HUNTER, JAMES: GRASSLEY Back in 2018, then-Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein threatened to subpoena personal records belonging to staffers for the House Intelligence Committee during a confrontation over the Justice Department’s “failure to comply with the committee’s compulsory process,” the senators revealed in November. A spokesperson for Google did not comment on the Empower Oversight filing directly, but told Fox News Digital that the company has seen an increase in non-disclosure orders from federal prosecutors. “We’re seeing non-disclosure orders issued for an increasing number of court orders, warrants, and subpoenas from U.S. authorities. Delayed notice results in users not having the opportunity to assert their rights in court to contest demands for their data. For these reasons, we support the bipartisan NDO Fairness Act, which would ensure that gag orders are issued only when warranted and for reasonable periods,” a spokesperson for Google said in a statement. The Justice Department declined to comment. The investigation that prompted the subpoenas began under the Trump administration.
‘Ridiculous’: Top Biden staffer grilled for ‘astounding’ claim about not targeting Elon Musk
Lawmakers grilled a top staffer on President Biden’s 2024 campaign for his “astounding” claim that Elon Musk did not face “any adverse government actions” in response to changing the outlet’s censorship policies. Robert Flaherty, deputy campaign manager for Biden’s re-election campaign, was pressed by Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, on his comment about Musk as well as his reported work with Facebook to play referee on rhetoric regarding the COVID-19 pandemic on social media. In his opening statement, Flaherty said, “Twitter’s new owner abandoned all its prior policies related to COVID misinformation over a year and a half ago. That decision was Twitter’s to make, and I’m not aware of any adverse actions against Twitter in response to it.” Jordan pressed Flaherty on his statement, calling it “one of the most ridiculous things I’ve heard.” BIDEN CENSORSHIP CASE HAS HISTORIC IMPLICATIONS FOR THE FUTURE OF FREE SPEECH, STATE AG SAYS “Eight different federal agencies have went after Elon Musk and Twitter since that happened,” Jordan said. “And you said in your testimony that Twitter’s new owner – I’m not aware of any adverse actions against Twitter in response to it – maybe literally one of the most ridiculous things I’ve heard. Every agency you can imagine went after this guy because he’s advocating for free speech and the First Amendment.” Flaherty responded that he stood by his initial statement about Musk. Jordan pressed the Biden staffer several times, asking him to provide the definition of misinformation and why certain mandates were pushed by the administration. “You weren’t a medical expert, but you could suggest to Facebook that they needed to change their algorithm so that the American people would not see stuff from the Daily Wire. They’d only see stuff from the New York Times. You can do that. But you can’t tell me if they were guessing or lying when they said something that was absolutely not true,” Jordan asked during a House Judiciary Committee hearing on the “Weaponization of the Federal Government” on Wednesday. SUPREME COURT TO HEAR ARGUMENTS IN KEY FIRST AMENDMENT CASE CHALLENGING BIDEN ADMIN TEAMWORK WITH BIG TECH Flaherty responded that he “can’t speak to the discussions that were had on that topic. It’s been a couple of years.” Flaherty played a prominent role in working with Facebook on behalf of the Biden White House regarding the narrative on social media as it related to COVID-19, according to Facebook files reviewed by Fox in 2023. The files showed conversations between Flaherty and Facebook officials in which the Biden staffer suggested the tech company “pay attention” to certain types of conversations, specifically those that expressed hesitancy about the COVID-19 vaccine and its potential side effects. “Since it’s a global pandemic, can we give agencies access to targeting parameters that they normally wouldn’t be able to?” the then-White House official said in a conversation. Flaherty worked as the “Biden for President” digital director from 2019 through November 2020, transitioning into his White House role as assistant to the president and director of digital strategy until joining the president’s re-election campaign again in 2023. The Biden administration’s speculated involvement with social media censorship was recently brought to the Supreme Court in Murthy v. Missouri, a case charging the Biden administration with colluding with Big Tech companies to counter certain information. A decision on the case is expected in the summer. Fox News’ Hillary Vaughn contributed to this report.
All GOP senators press Biden not to support expanding WHO pandemic authority
FIRST ON FOX: Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., led the entire Republican Senate conference in calling on President Biden to reject agreements that would expand the authority of the World Health Organization (WHO) in the case of a global pandemic. “We strongly urge you not to join any pandemic related treaty, convention, or agreement being considered” at the 77th World Health Assembly, reads a letter sent to Biden by Johnson and all 48 other Republican senators. The Republican senators stressed that any such agreement would be considered a treaty, which they noted requires “the concurrence of two-thirds of the Senate under Article I Section 2 of the Constitution.” ERNST LEADS SENATE GOP DEMANDING BIDEN ‘CEASE PLANNING’ GAZA REFUGEE ACCEPTANCE The World Health Assembly (WHA) will take place from May 27 to June 1, and international agreements are expected to be considered. The WHA is the WHO’s decision-making body, which meets yearly, so it can lay out its goals and craft policies between the 194 member states. The senators emphasized the U.S. “cannot afford to ignore this latest WHO inability to perform its most basic function and must insist on comprehensive WHO reforms before even considering amendments to the International Health Regulations (IHR) or any new pandemic related treaty that would increase WHO authority.” SEN. TOM COTTON TAKES AIM AT STUDENT LOAN FORGIVENESS FOR ANTI-ISRAEL AGITATORS The Republicans claimed that the latest draft of the WHO’s new pandemic response treaty is “dead on arrival.” “Instead of addressing the WHO’s well-documented shortcomings, the treaty focuses on mandated resource and technology transfers, shredding intellectual property rights, infringing [on] free speech, and supercharging the WHO,” they wrote. They also claimed such agreements ignore that the origin of the COVID-19 virus still isn’t clear, “because Beijing continues to block a legitimate independent investigation.” THUNE TARGETS IRS STAFF’S USE OF PERSONAL DEVICES AFTER REPORTED FAILURE TO COMPLY WITH TIKTOK BAN Biden and his administration have expressed support for the concept of a global agreement between countries to more effectively combat future pandemics, but it’s not clear whether he supports WHO’s new pandemic agreement. The White House and WHO did not immediately provide comment to Fox News Digital. Johnson and the other Republicans, including Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, Minority Whip John Thune of South Dakota, Republican conference Chairman John Barrasso of Wyoming and National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) Chairman Steve Daines of Montana, said any potential support from the Biden administration for the international agreement would be “unacceptable.” DEM SENATOR LEADS BIPARTISAN EFFORT TO STRENGTHEN TAIWAN SUPPLY CHAIN AMID CHINA THREAT Johnson has been a fierce critic of Dr. Anthony Fauci, the former chief medical adviser to the president, and of the precautions put in place during the COVID-19 pandemic in the U.S. The Wisconsin senator has also criticized the pharmaceutical industry and vaccinations for the virus that were mandated across the country, as well as advocating for those who said they suffered injuries from the shots.
Parts of East Texas are under water and roads are impassable as rain dumps across the region
Parts of Harris County, including The Woodlands, were under flood warnings Thursday.